PMID- 26095931
TI  - The Disconnect Between Novel Oral Anticoagulant Eligibility and Provincial Drug
      Coverage: An Albertan Anticoagulation Clinic Audit.
AB  - Canadian practice guidelines for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) recommend
      that most patients receive a novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC) in preference to
      warfarin to prevent stroke, but not all patients have insurance that covers
      NOACs. The gap between optimal therapy and drug coverage is unknown. We
      retrospectively assessed eligibility for NOACs in patients with NVAF at our
      single-centre anticoagulation clinic and ascertained whether provincial drug
      coverage would be in place. Most patients (89%-95%) were eligible, but only 39%
      41% qualified for drug coverage. Our findings suggest most Albertans with NVAF
      might not have drug coverage for optimal medical therapy for stroke prevention. 

PMID- 26095932
TI  - Pharmacologic Options for the Management of Systolic Heart Failure: Examining
      Underlying Mechanisms.
AB  - The optimal management of systolic heart failure includes combination therapy to
      influence myocardial remodelling favourably by affecting neurohormonal activation
      and underlying maladaptive pathophysiological pathways. These medications include
      modulators of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (eg, angiotensin
      converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, mineralocorticoid
      receptor antagonists) and beta-adrenergic receptor blockers. In addition, an
      agent with a distinct and complementary mechanism of bradycardic action, the
      selective pacemaker-current (If) inhibitor ivabradine, provides further reduction
      of heart rate. Also, a new drug that incorporates neprilysin inhibition combined
      with angiotensin receptor blockade shows incremental effectiveness. The primary
      goal of this review is to provide a mechanistic explanation of the complementary
      role of therapeutic interventions in modulating pathways leading to progressive
      systolic heart failure. A secondary goal is to summarize the key findings of the
      pivotal clinical trials that have demonstrated the efficacy of these agents in
      this population. 

PMID- 26095930
TI  - CD47 deficiency ameliorates autoimmune nephritis in Fas(lpr) mice by suppressing
      IgG autoantibody production.
AB  - CD47, a self-recognition marker, plays an important role in both innate and
      adaptive immune responses. To explore the potential role of CD47 in activation of
      autoreactive T and B cells and the production of autoantibodies in autoimmune
      disease, especially systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we have generated CD47
      knockout Fas(lpr) (CD47(-/-) -Fas(lpr) ) mice and examined histopathological
      changes in the kidneys, cumulative survival rates, proteinuria, extent of
      splenomegaly and autoantibodies, serum chemistry and immunological parameters. In
      comparison with Fas(lpr) mice, CD47(-/-) -Fas(lpr) mice exhibit a prolonged
      lifespan and delayed autoimmune nephritis, including glomerular cell
      proliferation, basement membrane thickening, acute tubular atrophy and
      vacuolization. CD47(-/-) -Fas(lpr) mice have lower levels of proteinuria,
      associated with reduced deposition of complement C3 and C1q, and IgG but not IgM
      in the glomeruli, compared to age-matched Fas(lpr) mice. Serum levels of
      antinuclear antibodies and anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies are significantly
      lower in CD47(-/-) -Fas(lpr) than in Fas(lpr) mice. CD47(-/-) -Fas(lpr) mice also
      display less pronounced splenomegaly than Fas(lpr) mice. The mechanistic studies
      further suggest that CD47 deficiency impairs the antigenic challenge-induced
      production of IgG but not IgM, and that this effect is associated with reduction
      of T follicular cells and impairment of germinal centre development in lymphoid
      tissues. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that CD47 deficiency ameliorates
      lupus nephritis in Fas(lpr) mice via suppression of IgG autoantibody production.

PMID- 26095933
TI  - Risk and Causes of Death in Patients After Alcohol Septal Ablation for
      Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Because the final myocardial scar might be theoretically associated
      with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death, the long-term clinical course of
      patients who undergo alcohol septal ablation (ASA) is still a matter of debate.
      In this retrospective multicentre study, we report outcomes after ASA, including
      survival, analysis of causes of deaths, and association between time and cause of
      death. METHODS: We enrolled 366 consecutive patients (58 +/- 12 years, 54% women)
      who were treated using ASA and followed-up for 5.1 +/- 4.5 years. RESULTS: The in
      hospital and 30-day mortality were 0.5% and 0.8%, respectively; the ASA-related
      morbidity was < 20%. Overall, 52 patients died during 1867 patient-years, which
      means the all-cause mortality rate was 2.8% per year. The mortality rates of
      sudden death and sudden death with an appropriate implantable cardioverter
      defibrillator (ICD) discharge were 0.4% and 1% per year, respectively. Patients
      with sudden death or appropriate ICD discharge experienced these mortality events
      at younger age than patients who died of other hypertrophic obstructive
      cardiomyopathy-related causes (60.8 years [range, 52-71.5 years] vs 72.4 years
      [range, 64.2-75.2 years]; P = 0.048). A total of 292 patients (80%) had an
      outflow gradient <= 30 mm Hg, and 327 patients (89%) were in New York Heart
      Association class <= II at the last clinical check-up. CONCLUSIONS: ASA had low
      procedure-related mortality, with subsequent 1% occurrence of sudden mortality
      events per year and 2.8% mortality rate per year in the long-term follow-up.
      Patients with sudden death or ICD discharge experienced the mortality events
      approximately 1 decade earlier than patients who died from other causes not
      related to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26095934
TI  - Estimating the Risk of Cardiac Mortality After Exposure to Conducted Energy
      Weapons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Conducted energy weapons (CEWs), commonly known as Tasers, are a
      reputed nonlethal law enforcement weapon. Nevertheless high profile cases have
      suggested a causal association with cardiac death but the magnitude of any
      putative risk is unclear. METHODS: An electronic systematic review of all real
      world, cohort studies of consecutive CEW cases was performed. "Pessimistic" and
      "optimistic" previous beliefs about CEW mortality were derived from an unbounded
      internet search, including case series but excluding the previously identified
      cohort publications. A Bayesian analysis updated these previous beliefs with the
      published objective cohort data. RESULTS: Pessimistic and optimist previous
      beliefs with modes of 1/700 and 1/7000, respectively, and upper limits (< 2.5%
      probability) of 1/100 and 1/1000, respectively, were constructed. Three cohort
      studies formed the objective data source and their combined mortality was 1 in
      2728 cases or 3.67/10,000 (95% confidence interval, 1/107,751 - 1/490). The
      maximum a posteriori estimated risks of CEW mortality for the pessimistic and
      optimistic prior distributions were 5.3 and 2.2 deaths per 10,000 exposures,
      respectively. The upper limits (< 1% probability of occurrence) of the posterior
      distribution were 1 death per 408 and 982 CEW exposures for the pessimistic and
      optimistic previous beliefs, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Limited available
      evidence can be used to construct approximate boundaries for CEW mortality risk
      and suggests that the population risk of CEW mortality is likely small but not
      negligible. More high quality data are required to refine these estimates and
      extreme caution must be exercised before applying these population risks to
      individual cases.

PMID- 26095935
TI  - Emergency Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation for Acute and Early Failure of
      Sutureless Perceval Aortic Valve.
AB  - We report the case of a 78-year-old woman admitted for cardiogenic shock related
      to acute and early failure (severe aortic regurgitation) of a Perceval sutureless
      aortic bioprosthesis (Sorin Group, Saluggia, Italy). Clinical stability was
      achieved using rescue transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve
      implantation with an Edwards SAPIEN 3 prosthesis (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine,
      CA). To our knowledge, we report herein the first case of successful valve-in
      valve implantation using a SAPIEN 3 transcatheter heart valve in a sutureless
      bioprosthetic aortic valve with acute and early deterioration. 

PMID- 26095936
TI  - Left Atrial Compression After Laparoscopic Gastric Banding.

PMID- 26095937
TI  - Percutaneous Revascularization in a Patient With a "Double Heart".

PMID- 26095938
TI  - Biodegradable Stent Platforms: Are We Heading in the Right Direction?

PMID- 26095939
TI  - Coronary Microembolization Induces Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis Through the LOX-1
      Dependent Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Pathway Involving JNK/P38 MAPK.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) is a
      membrane protein associated with apoptosis. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress
      induced apoptosis has been determined in several cardiovascular diseases. Mitogen
      activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling is involved in apoptosis. The aim of
      this study was to investigate whether LOX-1, ER stress, and MAPKs play a role in
      cardiomyocyte apoptosis after coronary microembolization (CME) and the exact
      mechanisms involved. METHODS: Thirty swine were randomized into the following
      groups (n = 5 per group): sham, CME, CME + LOX-1 small-interfering RNA (siRNA),
      CME + control siRNA, CME + JNK inhibitor, and CME + p38 inhibitor. The CME model
      was established by injecting microspheres into the left anterior descending (LAD)
      artery, whereas swine in the sham group received normal saline instead. Twelve
      hours after the sham operation or CME, cardiac function, serum c-troponin I
      level, microinfarcts, and apoptotic index were determined. Relative expression
      levels of LOX-1, ER stress markers (glucose-regulated protein 78 [GRP 78], C/EBP
      homologous protein [CHOP], and cleaved caspase-12), cleaved caspase-3, c-Jun NH2
      terminal protein kinases (JNK), p38, and extracellular signal-related protein
      kinases (ERK1/2) were measured. RESULTS: CME induced cardiac dysfunction,
      microinfarction, increased serum c-troponin I levels, and cardiomyocyte
      apoptosis. Additionally, the expression of LOX-1, ER stress markers, and cleaved
      caspase-3, and the phosphorylation of JNK, p38, and ERK1/2 were all enhanced. LOX
      1 siRNA inhibited these effects except the phosphorylation of ERK1/2.
      Pretreatment with a JNK inhibitor or a p38 inhibitor attenuated the expression of
      ER stress markers and apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that CME
      induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis through the LOX-1-dependent ER stress pathway, in
      which the phosphorylation of JNK and p38 were involved. This might provide a new
      approach for the prevention and treatment of CME.

PMID- 26095940
TI  - Monodisperse AgSbS2 nanocrystals: size-control strategy, large-scale synthesis,
      and photoelectrochemistry.
AB  - We report an efficient approach to the synthesis of AgSbS2 nanocrystals (NCs) by
      colloidal chemistry. The size of the AgSbS2 NCs can be tuned from 5.3 to 58.3 nm
      with narrow size distributions by selection of appropriate precursors and fine
      control of the experimental conditions. Over 15 g of high-quality AgSbS2 NCs can
      be obtained from one single reaction, indicative of the up-scalability of the
      present synthesis. The resulting NCs display strong absorptions in the visible-to
      NIR range and exceptional air stability. The photoelectrochemical measurements
      indicate that, although the pristine AgSbS2 NC electrodes generate a cathodic
      photocurrent with a relatively small photocurrent density and poor stability,
      both of them can be significantly improved subject to CdS surface modification,
      showing promise in solar energy conversion applications. 

PMID- 26095941
TI  - Breathable and Stretchable Temperature Sensors Inspired by Skin.
AB  - Flexible electronics attached to skin for healthcare, such as epidermal
      electronics, has to struggle with biocompatibility and adapt to specified
      environment of skin with respect to breath and perspiration. Here, we report a
      strategy for biocompatible flexible temperature sensors, inspired by skin,
      possessing the excellent permeability of air and high quality of water-proof by
      using semipermeable film with porous structures as substrate. We attach such
      temperature sensors to underarm and forearm to measure the axillary temperature
      and body surface temperature respectively. The volunteer wears such sensors for
      24 hours with two times of shower and the in vitro test shows no sign of
      maceration or stimulation to the skin. Especially, precise temperature changes on
      skin surface caused by flowing air and water dropping are also measured to
      validate the accuracy and dynamical response. The results show that the
      biocompatible temperature sensor is soft and breathable on the human skin and has
      the excellent accuracy compared to mercury thermometer. This demonstrates the
      possibility and feasibility of fully using the sensors in long term body
      temperature sensing for medical use as well as sensing function of artificial
      skin for robots or prosthesis.

PMID- 26095942
TI  - Observation of isotropic-isotropic demixing in colloidal platelet-sphere
      mixtures.
AB  - Mixtures of colloids with different sizes and shapes are ubiquitous in nature and
      industry. The possible existence of isotropic-isotropic (I1-I2) demixing of
      platelets and spheres remains an open question. Here we present direct
      experimental evidence of I1-I2 demixing using platelets with a very small
      thickness-to-diameter ratio mixed with silica spheres at the size ratio q =
      R(sphere)/R(disk) = 0.0901 +/- 0.0004. The platelets cause the isotropic-to
      nematic phase transition at a very low volume fraction because of their highly
      anisometric shape. The presence of silica spheres in the suspension accelerates
      the phase transition and packs the nematic phase more densely via depletion
      interaction. Increasing the sphere volume fraction to 0.0014, a tri-phase region
      emerges. This direct observation of I1-I2 demixing seems to validate the free
      volume scaled particle theory and indicates the need for refinement of the
      fundamental measure density functional theory.

PMID- 26095943
TI  - The value of oropharyngoesophageal scintigraphy in the management of aspiration
      into the tracheobronchial tree in neurological patients.
AB  - AIM: Dysphagia and bolus aspiration are two of the most frequent and invalidating
      symptoms of various neurological diseases. Swallowing disorders often lead to
      tracheobronchial aspiration with consequent pneumonia episodes. Aspiration
      pneumonia per se constitutes the most frequent cause of death in these patients,
      with mortality rate ranging from 20% to 62%. Oropharyngoesophageal scintigraphy
      (OPES) permits functional quantitative assessment of the different stages of
      swallowing, together with the detection and quantitative measurement of bolus
      aspiration. In this work, we analyzed the role of OPES in patients with different
      neurological conditions to evaluate swallowing and to detect and quantify bolus
      aspiration. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We enrolled 43 neurological patients (25 women
      and 18 men, mean age 67.3+/-12.4 yr) complaining of dysphagia with suspected
      inhalation. All patients underwent OPES with (99m)Tc-nanocolloid using a liquid
      bolus first, followed by a semi-solid bolus. We evaluated the following
      parameters: Oral, Pharyngeal and Esophageal Transit Time, Oro-Pharyngeal
      Retention Index, Esophageal Emptying Rate, and Aspiration Rate (% AR). RESULTS:
      OPES detected some airway aspiration in 26/43 patients. 19 patients had tracheal
      aspiration (with a mean 18.1% AR) and the remaining 7 patients had bilateral
      broncho-pulmonary aspiration (mean 44.9% AR). CONCLUSIONS: OPES is a feasible,
      repeatable and noninvasive method that allows quantitative assessment of bolus
      aspiration into the tracheobronchial tract, thus representing a useful and
      accurate tool to guide the most appropriate treatment and to monitor response to
      therapy in neurological patients with dysphagia.

PMID- 26095944
TI  - Importance of End-Diastolic Rather than End-Systolic Right Atrial Size in Chronic
      Pulmonary Hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Right atrial (RA) enlargement has been associated with worse clinical
      outcomes in chronic pulmonary hypertension (cPH) patients. Even though current
      guidelines only recommend measurement of RA dimensions at the end of ventricular
      systole in these patients, there is paucity of information regarding the
      potential utility of RA dimensions obtained at the end of ventricular diastole.
      METHODS: In this retrospective study, standard echocardiographic data were
      collected from 80 studies. The population studied was divided into Group I that
      consisted of 35 patients (52 +/- 10 years) without PH while Group II included 45
      patients (56 +/- 14 years; P = 0.2) with cPH. RA measurements were obtained not
      only at the end of ventricular systole, but also at the end of ventricular
      diastole to determine which RA measurement was more indicative of abnormal right
      ventricular afterload. RESULTS: Even though all RA measurements were abnormal, RA
      area (>8.4 cm(2) ) measured at the end of ventricular diastole was the most
      useful RA variable to identify cPH patients with elevated pulmonary pressures (P
      < 0.0001) and with an abnormal pulmonary vascular resistance (P = 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, it appears that isolated RA measurements
      made at the end of ventricular systole are insufficient to fully explain the
      hemodynamic load of cPH. Additional studies are now required to determine whether
      sequential monitoring of the composite change in RA dimensions that occur
      throughout the cardiac cycle over time correlates better with response to
      vasodilator therapy and overall clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26095945
TI  - High-resolution mass spectrometry for thymosins detection and characterization.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to characterize beta and alpha thymosins
      and their proteoforms in various tissues and bodily fluids by mass spectrometry
      and to look at their association with a wide variety of pathologies. METHODS: A
      top-down proteomic platform based on high-performance liquid chromatography
      (HPLC) coupled to high-resolution LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS) was applied
      to the characterization of naturally occurring peptides. RESULTS: In addition to
      thymosin beta4 (Tbeta4) and beta10 (Tbeta10), several post-translational
      modifications of both these peptides were identified not only in bodily fluids
      but also in normal and pathological tissues of different origins. The analysis of
      tissue specimens allowed the characterization of different C-terminal truncated
      forms of Tbeta4 and Tbeta10 together with other proteolytic fragments. The
      sulfoxide derivative of both Tbeta4 and Tbeta10 and the acetylated derivatives at
      lysine residues of Tbeta4 were also characterized. Different proteoforms of
      prothymosin alpha, parathymosin alpha, thymosin alpha1 and thymosin alpha11
      together with diverse proteolytic fragments were identified too. CONCLUSION: The
      clinical and prognostic significance and the origin of these proteoforms have to
      be deeply investigated.

PMID- 26095946
TI  - High-level production of Arthrobacter aurescens CYC705 nitrilase in Escherichia
      coli for biosynthesis of iminodiacetic acid.
AB  - Nitrilase from Arthrobacter aurescens CYC705 can hydrolyze the
      iminodiacetonitrile to iminodiacetic acid (IDA) efficiently, and its high-level
      production in Escherichia coli has not been established. In the present work, the
      production of this nitrilase expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) with a recombinant
      plasmid pET28a-cyc705 was optimized. Various culture conditions and process
      parameters including medium components and concentrations, inducer types and
      concentrations, inducing temperature and time were systematically examined in a
      shake flask. After optimization, the OD600 , nitrilase activity, and productivity
      were obviously improved and achieved to 40.91 +/- 1.341, 98.12 +/- 1.248 U/mL,
      and 2,230 +/- 28.36 U L(-1)  H(-1) , respectively, about 2.1-, 30-, and 33-fold
      increases as compared with those in the primary medium. Furthermore, four
      different fermentation strategies were adopted to scale up cultivation of the
      recombinant E. coli BL21(DE3)/pET28a-cyc705 in a 3.7-L fermenter. Substituting
      the peanut powder with fish peptone and accompanying with 1.0% glycerol feeding
      could significantly reduce the bubble production and shorten the fermentation
      time, which resulted in a nitrilase productivity of 4,653 +/- 38.16 U L(-1) H(-1)
      that was about two times higher than that in a shake flask. The high-level
      production of A. aurescens CYC705 nitrilase established in this study will meet
      the need of industrial biosynthesis of IDA. 

PMID- 26095947
TI  - Cytosolic Ca2+ buffering determines the intra-SR Ca2+ concentration at which
      cardiac Ca2+ sparks terminate.
AB  - Single ryanodine receptor (RyR) Ca(2+) flux amplitude (i(Ca-RyR)) decreases as
      intra-sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) levels fall during a cardiac Ca(2+)
      spark. Since i(Ca-RyR) drives the inter-RyR Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release (CICR)
      that underlies the spark, decreasing i(Ca-RyR) may contribute to spark
      termination because RyRs that spontaneously close may stay closed. To test this
      possibility, we simultaneously measured local cytosolic and intra-SR
      ([Ca(2+)]cyto and [Ca(2+)]SR) during Ca(2+) sparks in permeabilized rabbit
      ventricular myocytes. Local cytosolic or intra-SR Ca(2+) dynamics were
      manipulated using Ca(2+) buffers. Buffer manipulations applied in cells had no
      effect on individual RyR channels reconstituted in planar lipid bilayers.
      Presence of a fast cytosolic Ca(2+) buffer (BAPTA) significantly suppressed
      Ca(2+) spark activity and sparks terminated earlier at a higher than usual
      [Ca(2+)]SR level (~80% vs. ~62%). When cytosolic Ca(2+) buffer power was reduced
      (i.e. cytosolic EGTA level decreased), sparks terminated later and at a lower
      than usual [Ca(2+)]SR level (~45% vs. ~62%). When intra-SR Ca(2+) buffer power
      was increased, sparks also terminated later and at a lower than usual [Ca(2+)]SR
      (~48% vs. ~62%). These results suggest that cytosolic local control of inter-RyR
      CICR by i(Ca-RyR) plays a substantial role during the spark termination process.
      Thus, alterations in local cytosolic Ca(2+) handling dynamics in the dyadic cleft
      (Ca(2+) buffering, extrusion, etc.) likely influence Ca(2+) spark termination.

PMID- 26095948
TI  - Effects of rotigotine transdermal patch in patients with Parkinson's disease
      presenting with non-motor symptoms - results of a double-blind, randomized,
      placebo-controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Non-motor symptoms (NMS) of Parkinson's disease (PD) have
      a major impact on health-related quality of life. This is the first randomized
      controlled trial to use the NMS Scale (NMSS) as a primary outcome to assess
      treatment effects on NMS in PD. METHODS: In this double-blind trial
      (NCT01300819), patients with PD and a total NMSS score >=40 were randomized (2:1)
      to rotigotine or placebo, titrated over 1-7 weeks to optimal dose (<=8 mg/24 h
      for patients not receiving levodopa, <=16 mg/24 h for patients receiving
      levodopa), maintained for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was change in NMSS total
      score from baseline to end of maintenance. Secondary outcomes were the nine NMSS
      domains, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III (motor) and the 39
      item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). RESULTS: In total, 283/349
      (81.1%) randomized patients completed the trial; 211 rotigotine and 122 placebo
      were included in the full analysis set. The NMSS total score decreased by 23
      (rotigotine) and 19 (placebo) points; the treatment difference was not
      statistically significant (-3.58; 95% confidence interval -8.43, 1.26; P =
      0.147). Numerically greater than placebo improvements were detected in the
      'mood/apathy' and 'miscellaneous' NMSS domains (P < 0.05). Treatment differences
      in UPDRS III (-2.60; -4.27, -0.92; P = 0.002) and PDQ-39 (-2.79; -5.21, -0.37; P
      = 0.024) favoured rotigotine. Adverse events reported more frequently with
      rotigotine were nausea, application site reactions, somnolence and headache.
      CONCLUSIONS: Rotigotine improvement in the multi-domain NMSS total score was not
      superior to placebo. A different sensitivity of individual NMSS domains to
      dopaminergic therapy and a large placebo effect may have contributed to these
      findings.

PMID- 26095950
TI  - About people, pig movements and pork 'tapeworms'.

PMID- 26095949
TI  - Application of small RNA technology for improved control of parasitic helminths.
AB  - Over the last decade microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) have
      emerged as important regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression. miRNAs
      are short, non-coding RNAs that regulate a variety of processes including cancer,
      organ development and immune function. This class of small RNAs bind with partial
      complementarity to their target mRNA sequences, most often in the 3'UTR, to
      negatively regulate gene expression. In parasitic helminths, miRNAs are being
      increasingly studied for their potential roles in development and host-parasite
      interactions. The availability of genome data, combined with small RNA
      sequencing, has paved the way to profile miRNAs expressed at particular
      developmental stages for many parasitic helminths. While some miRNAs are
      conserved across species, others appear to be unique to specific parasites,
      suggesting important roles in adaptation and survival in the host environment.
      Some miRNAs are released from parasites, in exosomes or in protein complexes, and
      the potential effects of these on host immune function are being increasingly
      studied. In addition, release of miRNAs from schistosome and filarial parasites
      into host plasma can be exploited for the development of specific and sensitive
      diagnostic biomarkers of infection. Interfering with miRNA function, as well as
      silencing key components of the pathways they regulate, will progress our
      understanding of parasite development and provide a novel approach to therapeutic
      control. RNA interference (RNAi) by siRNAs has proven to be inconsistent in
      parasitic nematodes. However, the recent successes reported for schistosome and
      liver fluke RNAi, encourage further efforts to enhance delivery of RNA and
      improve in vitro culture systems and assays to monitor phenotypic effects in
      nematodes. These improvements are important for the establishment of reliable
      functional genomic platforms for novel drug and vaccine development. In this
      review we focus on the important roles of miRNAs and siRNAs in post
      transcriptional gene regulation in veterinary parasitic helminths and the
      potential value of these in parasite diagnosis and control. 

PMID- 26095951
TI  - Setting the proportion of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells co-cultured with canine
      macrophages infected with Leishmania chagasi.
AB  - New methods for evaluating the canine immune system are necessary, not only to
      monitor immunological disorders, but also to provide insights for vaccine
      evaluations and therapeutic interventions, reducing the costs of assays using dog
      models, and provide a more rational way for analyzing the canine immune response.
      The present study intended to establish an in vitro toll to assess the
      parasitological/immunological status of dogs, applicable in pre-clinical trials
      of vaccinology, prognosis follow-up and therapeutics analysis of canine visceral
      leishmaniasis. We have evaluated the performance of co-culture systems of canine
      Leishmania chagasi-infected macrophages with different cell ratios of total
      lymphocytes or purified CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells from uninfected dogs were used for the system set up. Employing the co
      culture systems of L. chagasi-infected macrophages and purified CD4(+) or CD8(+)
      T-cell subsets we observed a microenvironment compatible with the expected status
      of the analyzed dogs. In this context, it was clearly demonstrated that, at this
      selected T-cell:target ratio, the adaptive immune response of uninfected dogs,
      composed by L. chagasi-unprimed T-cells was not able to perform the in vitro
      killing of L. chagasi-infected macrophages. Our data demonstrated that the co
      culture system with T-cells from uninfected dogs at 1:5 and 1:2 ratio did not
      control the infection, yielding to patent in vitro parasitism (>= 80%), low NO
      production (<= 5 MUM) and IL-10 modulated (IFN-gamma/IL-10 <= 2) immunological
      profile in vitro. CD4(+) or CD8(+) T-cells at 1:5 or 1:2 ratio to L. chagasi
      infected macrophages seems to be ideal for in vitro assays. This co-culture
      system may have great potential as a canine immunological analysis method, as
      well as in vaccine evaluations, prognosis follow-up and therapeutic
      interventions.

PMID- 26095952
TI  - Serum antibody responses in pigs trickle-infected with Ascaris and Trichuris:
      Heritabilities and associations with parasitological findings.
AB  - A humoral immune response following helminth infection in pigs is well
      documented. However, it has been difficult to confirm the existence of antibody
      mediated resistance against the large roundworm, Ascaris suum, and whipworm,
      Trichuris suis, in experimental settings by correlating worm burdens or egg
      excretion with specific antibody levels. We set out to investigate the
      association between worm load and T. suis and A. suum specific serum antibody
      levels (IgG1, IgG2 and IgA) against excretory-secretory products of adults and
      third stage larvae, respectively, measured at 0, 7 and 14 weeks p.i. in a trickle
      infected F1-resource-population of crossbred pigs (n=195). Furthermore, we wanted
      to determine the heritability of these antibody isotypes during the course of
      infection. Most pigs remained infected with A. suum throughout the experiment
      while they expelled T. suis between 7 and 14 weeks post infection (p.i.).
      Parasite specific IgG1 and IgA were significantly (P<0.001) elevated after 7 and
      14 weeks of infection, whereas parasite specific IgG2 levels only changed
      slightly at 14 weeks p.i.. However, the observed association between specific
      antibody isotype levels and faecal egg counts and macroscopic worm load was weak.
      The relative heritabilities of the different parasite specific isotypes were
      assessed and resulted in significant heritability estimates for parasite specific
      IgG1 and IgA. The highest heritabilities were found for A. suum specific IgG1
      (h(2)=0.41 and 0.46 at 7 and 14 weeks p.i., respectively). Thus, the present
      study demonstrates that host genetic factors influence the IgG1 and IgA antibody
      isotype responses specific to two of the most common gastrointestinal nematodes
      of swine whereas specific antibody levels were poorly associated with egg
      excretion and the presence of macroscopic worms. 

PMID- 26095953
TI  - Persistency and flexibility of complex brain networks underlie dual-task
      interference.
AB  - Previous studies on multitasking suggest that performance decline during
      concurrent task processing arises from interfering brain modules. Here, we used
      graph-theoretical network analysis to define functional brain modules and relate
      the modular organization of complex brain networks to behavioral dual-task costs.
      Based on resting-state and task fMRI we explored two organizational aspects
      potentially associated with behavioral interference when human subjects performed
      a visuospatial and speech task simultaneously: the topological overlap between
      persistent single-task modules, and the flexibility of single-task modules in
      adaptation to the dual-task condition. Participants showed a significant decline
      in visuospatial accuracy in the dual-task compared with single visuospatial task.
      Global analysis of topological similarity between modules revealed that the
      overlap between single-task modules significantly correlated with the decline in
      visuospatial accuracy. Subjects with larger overlap between single-task modules
      showed higher behavioral interference. Furthermore, lower flexible
      reconfiguration of single-task modules in adaptation to the dual-task condition
      significantly correlated with larger decline in visuospatial accuracy. Subjects
      with lower modular flexibility showed higher behavioral interference. At the
      regional level, higher overlap between single-task modules and less modular
      flexibility in the somatomotor cortex positively correlated with the decline in
      visuospatial accuracy. Additionally, higher modular flexibility in cingulate and
      frontal control areas and lower flexibility in right-lateralized nodes comprising
      the middle occipital and superior temporal gyri supported dual-tasking. Our
      results suggest that persistency and flexibility of brain modules are important
      determinants of dual-task costs. We conclude that efficient dual-tasking benefits
      from a specific balance between flexibility and rigidity of functional brain
      modules.

PMID- 26095954
TI  - Administration of DNA Encoding the Interleukin-27 Gene Augments Antitumour
      Responses through Non-adaptive Immunity.
AB  - DNA-mediated immunization of a tumour antigen is a possible immunotherapy for
      cancer, and interleukin (IL)-27 has diverse functions in adaptive immunity. In
      this study, we examined whether IL-27 DNA administration enhanced antitumour
      effects in mice vaccinated with DNA encoding a putative tumour antigen, beta
      galactosidase (beta-gal). An intramuscular injection of cardiotoxin before DNA
      administration facilitated the exogenous gene expression. In mice received beta
      gal and IL-27 DNA, growth of beta-gal-positive P815 tumours was retarded and
      survival of the mice was prolonged. Development of beta-gal-positive Colon 26
      tumours was suppressed by vaccination of beta-gal DNA and further inhibited by
      additional IL-27 DNA administration or IL-12 family cytokines. Nevertheless, a
      population of beta-gal-specific CD8(+) T cells did not increase, and production
      of anti-beta-gal antibody was not enhanced by IL-27 DNA administration. Spleen
      cells from mice bearing IL-27-expressing Colon 26 tumours showed greater YAC-1
      targeted cytotoxicity although CD3(-)/DX5(+) natural killer (NK) cell numbers
      remained unchanged. Recombinant IL-27 enhanced YAC-1-targeted cytotoxicity of IL
      2-primed splenic NK cells and augmented a phosphorylation of signal transducer
      and activator of transcription 3 and an expression of perforin. These data
      collectively indicate that IL-27 DNA administration activates NK cells and
      augments vaccination effects of DNA encoding a tumour antigen through non
      adaptive immune responses.

PMID- 26095956
TI  - Water-Promoted Generation of a Diazairida Homobarrelene by C-C Coupling Between
      an Iridacyclic Alkylidene and Acetonitrile.
AB  - The stable cationic iridacyclopentenylidene
      [Tp(Me2)Ir(=CHC(Me)=C(Me)CH2(NCMe)]PF6 (A; Tp(Me2)=hydrotris(3,5
      dimethylpyrazolyl)borate) has been obtained by alpha-hydride abstraction from the
      iridacyclopent-2-ene [Tp(Me2)Ir(CH2C(Me)=C(Me)CH2)(NCMe)]. Complex A exhibits
      Bronsted-Lowry acidity at the Ir-CH2 and proximal (relative to Ir-CH2 ) methyl
      sites. The coordination of an extra molecule of acetonitrile to the iridium
      center initiates the reversible isomerization of the chelating carbon chain of A
      to the monodentate butadienyl ligand of complex
      [Tp(Me2)Ir(CH=C(Me)C(Me)=CH2)(NCMe)2]PF6, which is capable to engage in a water
      promoted C-C coupling with the MeCN co-ligands. The product is an aesthetically
      appealing bicyclic structure that resembles the hydrocarbon barrelene.

PMID- 26095957
TI  - Complement C5a-C5aR interaction enhances MAPK signaling pathway activities to
      mediate renal injury in trichloroethylene sensitized BALB/c mice.
AB  - We have previously shown complement activation as a possible mechanism for
      trichloroethylene (TCE) sensitization, leading to multi-organ damage including
      the kidneys. In particular, excessive deposition of C5 and C5b-9-the membrane
      attack complex, which can generate significant tissue damage, was observed in the
      kidney tissue after TCE sensitization. The present study tested the hypothesis
      that anaphylatoxin C5a binding to its receptor C5aR mediates renal injury in TCE
      sensitized BALB/c mice. BALB/c mice were sensitized through skin challenge with
      TCE, with or without pretreatment by the C5aR antagonist W54011. Kidney
      histopathology and the renal functional test were performed to assess renal
      injury, and immunohistochemistry and fluorescent labeling were carried out to
      assess C5a and C5aR expressions. TCE sensitization up-regulated C5a and C5aR
      expressions in kidney tissue, generated inflammatory infiltration, renal tubule
      damage, glomerular hypercellularity and impaired renal function. Antagonist
      pretreatment blocked C5a binding to C5aR and attenuated TCE-induced tissue damage
      and renal dysfunction. TCE sensitization also caused the deposition of major pro
      inflammatory cytokines IL-2, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma in the kidney tissue (P <
      0.05); this was accompanied by increased expression of P-p38, P-ERK and P-JNK
      proteins (P < 0.05). Pretreatment with the C5aR antagonist attenuated the
      increase of expression of P-p38, P-ERK and P-JNK proteins (P < 0.05) and also
      consistently reduced the TCE sensitization-induced increase of IL-2, TNF-alpha
      and IFN-gamma (P < 0.05). These data identify C5a binding to C5aR, MAP kinase
      activation, and inflammatory cytokine release as a novel mechanism for complement
      mediated renal injury by sensitization with TCE or other environmental chemicals.

PMID- 26095959
TI  - Characteristics of visiting nurse agencies with high home death rates: A
      prefecture-wide study in Japan.
AB  - AIM: The purpose of the present study was to identify characteristics of visiting
      nurse agencies (VNA) in Japan with high home death rates by a prefecture-wide
      survey. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of visiting nurse agencies (n = 101) in
      Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, was completed. Data included the basic characteristics
      of each VNA, the type of services provided, level of coordination with other
      service providers, total number of VNA patients who died per year and place of
      death and contractual relationship with home-care supporting clinics providing
      end-of-life care services in the home 24 h a day. The VNA characteristics were
      analyzed by logistic regression, using the home death rate per VNA as a dependent
      variable. RESULTS: A total 69 agencies, excluding those that did not report
      number of deaths (n = 14) and those without deaths during the year (n = 6), were
      analyzed. The median home death rate of the 69 VNA was 29.8%. The results of
      logistic regression analysis showed that higher home death rate was significantly
      associated with lack of attachment to a hospital, existence of a contractual
      relationship with home-care supporting clinics and existence of an interactive
      information exchange through telephone/face-to-face communication with attending
      physicians. CONCLUSIONS: In order to increase the home death rate of people using
      VNA, policymakers must consider establishing home-based service systems within
      the community that can provide home end-of-life care services 24 h a day, and
      support the interactive exchange of information between the visiting nurse and
      the attending physician.

PMID- 26095958
TI  - Phylogeny and biogeography of the American live oaks (Quercus subsection
      Virentes): a genomic and population genetics approach.
AB  - The nature and timing of evolution of niche differentiation among closely related
      species remains an important question in ecology and evolution. The American live
      oak clade, Virentes, which spans the unglaciated temperate and tropical regions
      of North America and Mesoamerica, provides an instructive system in which to
      examine speciation and niche evolution. We generated a fossil-calibrated
      phylogeny of Virentes using RADseq data to estimate divergence times and used
      nuclear microsatellites, chloroplast sequences and an intron region of nitrate
      reductase (NIA-i3) to examine genetic diversity within species, rates of gene
      flow among species and ancestral population size of disjunct sister species.
      Transitions in functional and morphological traits associated with ecological and
      climatic niche axes were examined across the phylogeny. We found the Virentes to
      be monophyletic with three subclades, including a southwest clade, a southeastern
      US clade and a Central American/Cuban clade. Despite high leaf morphological
      variation within species and transpecific chloroplast haplotypes, RADseq and
      nuclear SSR data showed genetic coherence of species. We estimated a crown date
      for Virentes of 11 Ma and implicated the formation of the Sea of Cortes in a
      speciation event ~5 Ma. Tree height at maturity, associated with fire tolerance,
      differs among the sympatric species, while freezing tolerance appears to have
      diverged repeatedly across the tropical-temperate divide. Sympatric species thus
      show evidence of ecological niche differentiation but share climatic niches,
      while allopatric and parapatric species conserve ecological niches, but diverge
      in climatic niches. The mode of speciation and/or degree of co-occurrence may
      thus influence which niche axis plants diverge along.

PMID- 26095960
TI  - Evaluation of the antiemetic efficacy of maropitant in dogs medicated with
      morphine and acepromazine.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether maropitant (1 mg kg(-1)) injected subcutaneously
      (SC), administered simultaneously or 30 minutes prior to intramuscular (IM)
      administration of morphine (0.5 mg kg(-1)) and acepromazine (0.05 mg kg(-1)),
      reduces the incidence of salivation, retching and emesis in dogs. STUDY DESIGN:
      Randomized, controlled, prospective clinical trial. ANIMALS: Sixty dogs scheduled
      for an ovariohysterectomy as part of a population control program. METHODS: Dogs
      were randomly allocated to be administered maropitant (1 mg kg(-1)) SC
      simultaneously (group M0) or 30 minutes prior to (group M30) administration of
      morphine (0.5 mg kg(-1)) and acepromazine (0.05 mg kg(-1)) IM. A control group
      was administered normal saline (C) at T-30 and T0. Dogs were observed for 30
      minutes after morphine-acepromazine administration. The occurrence of vomiting,
      retching and salivation were recorded, as well as the time to first emesis and
      the number of emetic events per dog. RESULTS: The occurrence of salivation was
      not different between the groups. Retching and vomiting occurred significantly
      less frequently in M30 than in the other two groups (p < 0.02). The number of
      emetic events was also significantly less for M30 than for the other two groups
      (p = 0.01). When emesis occurred, the time to the first emetic event was similar
      among the groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Maropitant (1 mg kg(-1)) SC
      reduced the frequency of morphine-induced emesis by as much as 70% when
      administered 30 minutes in advance. Simultaneous administration of maropitant and
      morphine-acepromazine produced no measurable effect on the frequency of retching
      or vomiting.

PMID- 26095961
TI  - In-field Volatile Analysis Employing a Hand-held Portable GC-MS: Emission
      Profiles Differentiate Damaged and Undamaged Yellow Starthistle Flower Heads.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Understanding the complex chemical signalling of plants and insects
      is an important component of chemical ecology. Accordingly, the collection and
      analysis of chemical cues from plants in their natural environment is integral to
      elucidation of plant-insect communications. Remote plant locations and the need
      for a large number of replicates make in situ headspace analyses a daunting
      logistical challenge. A hand-held, portable GC-MS system was used to discriminate
      between damaged and undamaged Centaurea solstitialis (yellow starthistle) flower
      heads in both a potted-plant and natural setting. OBJECTIVE: To determine if a
      portable GC-MS system was capable of distinguishing between undamaged and
      mechanically damaged plant treatments, and plant environments. METHODOLOGY: A
      portable GC-MS utilising needle trap adsorbent technology was used to collect and
      analyse in situ headspace volatiles of varying yellow starthistle treatments.
      Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to distinguish treatments and
      identify biomarker volatiles. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine
      differences between treatment volatile amounts. RESULTS: The portable GC-MS
      system detected 31 volatiles from the four treatments. Each GC-MS run was
      completed in less than 3 min. PCA showed four distinct clusters representing the
      four treatments - damaged and undamaged potted plant, and damaged and undamaged
      natural plant. Damage-specific volatiles were identified. CONCLUSION: The
      portable GC-MS system distinguished the treatments based on their detected
      volatile profiles. Additional statistical analysis identified five possible
      biomarker volatiles for the treatments, among them cyclosativene and copaene,
      which indicated damaged flower heads.

PMID- 26095962
TI  - Introduction: Beyond Illustrations.

PMID- 26095963
TI  - The Illustrious Anatomist: Authorship, Patronage, and Illustrative Style in
      Anatomy Folios, 1700-1840.
AB  - A number of anatomists working in the period 1700-1840 used expensive illustrated
      books to depict their greatest scientific work, establish priority of discovery
      for posterity, and enlist patrons. These anatomists drew on the grand traditions
      of anatomical illustration and asserted their right to a place within that
      history. But with artists mediating the expression of anatomists' vision, it was
      important that an anatomist assert his control over the illustrations
      commemorating his expertise. Anatomists used stylistic signatures to signal that
      a work was their own. Very different styles of illustration in the works of
      different anatomists, therefore, were made easily recognizable, and sometimes a
      single artist adopted notably different styles for different anatomists who
      employed him. Style became a marker of authorship, identifiable with the
      anatomist, even when he employed an artist to do the drawing and engraving, and
      it was also an important method of appealing to patrons. 

PMID- 26095964
TI  - The Rise of Pathological Illustrations: Baillie, Bleuland, and Their Collections.
AB  - This essay examines the illustrated pathological works by Matthew Baillie
      (London, 1799-1803) and Jan Bleuland (Utrecht, 1826-28). Both works relied on
      extensive collections of specimens preserved in London and Utrecht, respectively.
      The essay discusses changing notions of disease, the erosion of the boundaries
      between surgeons and physicians, the role and significance of pathological
      collections, and the relations between preserved specimens and their
      representations. 

PMID- 26095965
TI  - Two Australian Fetuses: Frederic Wood Jones and the Work of an Anatomical
      Specimen.
AB  - A close analysis of two fetal specimens is used to explore of role of material
      specimens in anatomical practice of the late nineteenth and early twentieth
      centuries, the significance of Indigenous bodies in that era's quest for an
      understanding of human difference, and the postcolonial legacies of the global
      project of creating collections of human specimens. 

PMID- 26095967
TI  - Debating Diseases in Nineteenth-Century Colombia: Causes, Interests, and the
      Pasteurian Therapeutics.
AB  - This article explores the medical conceptualization of the causes of diseases in
      nineteenth-century Colombia. It traces the history of some of the pathologies
      that were of major concern among nineteenth-century doctors: periodic fevers
      (yellow fever and malaria), continuous fevers (typhoid fever), and leprosy (Greek
      elephantiasis). By comparing the transforming conceptualizations of these
      diseases, this article shows that their changing pattern, the idea of climatic
      determinism of diseases (neo-Hippocratism and medical geography), the weak
      standing of the medical community in Colombian society, as well as Pasteurian
      germ practices were all crucial in the uneven and varied reshaping of their
      understanding. 

PMID- 26095966
TI  - Women Doctors and Lady Nurses: Class, Education, and the Professional Victorian
      Woman.
AB  - The lives of the first women doctors in Britain have been well studied by
      historians, as have the many debates about the right of women to train and
      practice as doctors. Yet the relationship between these women and their most
      obvious comparators and competitors-the newly professionalized hospital nurses
      has not been explored. This article makes use of a wide range of sources to
      explore the ways in which the first lady doctors created "clear water" between
      themselves and the nurses with whom they worked and trained. In doing so, it
      reveals an identity that may seem at odds with some of the cliches of Victorian
      femininity, namely that of the intelligent and ambitious lady doctor. 

PMID- 26095969
TI  - What's in a Game?: A Survey of Digital Game Opportunities for Medical Historians.

PMID- 26095972
TI  - Patient non-attendance: utilising clinical time.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In undergraduate dental or medical programmes clinical time with
      exposure to patients is limited. A priority for all those involved in the
      delivery of a clinical programme is to ensure that this time is used effectively
      and to maximum potential. Patient non-attendance is a reality, and developing
      organised activities to provide alternative learning opportunities is important.
      METHODS: We have developed a range of close-contact teaching and learning
      activities (CCTLs) for dental students to productively use patient non-attendance
      time. CCTLs are short, skills-based tasks that are directly observed and have
      structured assessment criteria. Used formatively, they are performed in the
      clinical environment utilising the materials, equipment and clinical staff
      usually available during the clinical session. FINDINGS: The CCTLs have proved
      particularly useful for early-stage clinical students, by developing
      understanding and skills, reinforcing protocols and promoting the role of the
      wider dental team in teaching. Students have welcomed these activities and
      engagement has been high. In addition to improving skills, they have proved
      helpful in familiarising students with direct observation, and have inspired peer
      collaboration and feedback. DISCUSSION: The CCTLs have promoted opportunities for
      students to receive direct feedback, which may be difficult to deliver if a
      patient were present. Empowering students to lead on their own learning
      requirements also promotes the ethos of lifelong learning that will be
      fundamental to future professional development. Investment of resources to
      develop these activities has proved worthwhile, as we have found that CCTLs can
      complement and maximise the potential of clinical attachments. Patient non
      attendance is a reality, and developing organised activities to provide
      alternative learning opportunities is important.

PMID- 26095973
TI  - Performance of the SA-VA Difference to Differentiate Atrioventricular Nodal
      Reentrant Tachycardia from Orthodromic Reentrant Tachycardia in a Large Cohort of
      Consecutive Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The stimulus-atrial (SA) interval minus ventriculoatrial (VA)
      interval (SA-VA) difference represents a simple diagnostic maneuver to
      distinguish between atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) and
      orthodromic reentrant tachycardia (ORT) during electrophysiology study. However,
      its usefulness has largely been studied in selected patient subgroups. The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the SA-VA difference
      against commonly used diagnostic maneuvers in a large cohort of consecutive
      patients. METHODS: Consecutive patients with inducible supraventricular
      tachycardia and successful entrainment through pacing trains from right
      ventricular apex during an electrophysiological study were included. Atrial
      tachycardias were excluded. The following intervals were calculated for each
      patient: SA-VA difference, His potential, and atrial electrogram during
      entrainment minus His potential and atrial electrogram during tachycardia, and
      the corrected return cycle. RESULTS: A total of 456 patients fulfilled the
      inclusion criteria, of which electrophysiological study revealed 265 typical
      AVNRT, 38 atypical AVNRT, and 54 and 108 ORT through a septal and free-wall
      accessory pathway, respectively. An SA-VA difference >99 ms identified AVNRT in
      all patients with sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive
      values of 97.7%, 96.9%, 98.3%, and 95.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      confirms the high ability to distinguish AVNRT from ORT using the SA-VA
      difference, not only in selected patient subgroups, but as whole when a cut-off
      of >99 ms is used.

PMID- 26095974
TI  - Graphene quantum dot-doped polyaniline nanofiber as high performance
      supercapacitor electrode materials.
AB  - Graphene quantum dot-doped polyaniline composites have been prepared by the
      chemical oxidation of aniline. Synthesized novel fibrous composites show an
      excellent specific capacitance value of ~1044 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A
      g(-1) as well as moderate cyclic stability with a retention of life time of 80.1%
      after 3000 cycles. 

PMID- 26095975
TI  - The human clinical phenotypes of altered CHRNA7 copy number.
AB  - Copy number variants (CNVs) have been implicated in multiple neuropsychiatric
      conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, and
      intellectual disability (ID). Chromosome 15q13 is a hotspot for such CNVs due to
      the presence of low copy repeat (LCR) elements, which facilitate non-allelic
      homologous recombination (NAHR). Several of these CNVs have been overrepresented
      in individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders; yet variable expressivity and
      incomplete penetrance are commonly seen. Dosage sensitivity of the CHRNA7 gene,
      which encodes for the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the human brain,
      has been proposed to have a major contribution to the observed cognitive and
      behavioral phenotypes, as it represents the smallest region of overlap to all the
      15q13.3 deletions and duplications. Individuals with zero to four copies of
      CHRNA7 have been reported in the literature, and represent a range of clinical
      severity, with deletions causing generally more severe and more highly penetrant
      phenotypes. Potential mechanisms to account for the variable expressivity within
      each group of 15q13.3 CNVs will be discussed. 

PMID- 26095976
TI  - Enhanced BDNF signalling following chronic hypoxia potentiates catecholamine
      release from cultured rat adrenal chromaffin cells.
AB  - KEY POINTS: We investigated the role of the neurotrophin BDNF signalling via the
      TrkB receptor in rat adrenomedullary chromaffin cells (AMCs) exposed to normoxia
      (Nox; 21% O2) and chronic hypoxia (CHox; 2% O2) in vitro for ~ 48 h. TrkB
      receptor expression was upregulated in primary AMCs and in immortalized
      chromaffin (MAH) cells exposed to CHox; this effect was absent in MAH cells
      deficient in the transcription factor, hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-2alpha.
      Relative to normoxic controls, activation of the TrkB receptor in chronically
      hypoxic AMCs led to a marked increase in membrane excitability, intracellular
      [Ca(2+)], and catecholamine secretion. The BDNF-induced rise of intracellular
      [Ca(2+)] in CHox cells was sensitive to the selective T-type Ca(2+) channel
      blocker TTA-P2 and tetrodotoxin (TTX), suggesting key roles of low threshold T
      type Ca(2+) and voltage-gated Na(+) channels in the signalling pathway.
      Environmental stressors, including chronic hypoxia, enhance the ability of
      adrenomedullary chromaffin cells (AMCs) to secrete catecholamines; however, the
      underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the role of
      brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signalling in rat AMCs exposed to
      chronic hypoxia. In rat adrenal glands, BDNF and its tropomyosin-related kinase B
      (TrkB) receptor are highly expressed in the cortex and medulla, respectively.
      Exposure of AMCs to chronic hypoxia (2% O2; 48 h) in vitro caused a significant
      increase to TrkB mRNA expression. A similar increase was observed in an
      immortalized chromaffin cell line (MAH cells); however, it was absent in MAH
      cells deficient in the transcription factor HIF-2alpha. A specific TrkB agonist,
      7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF), stimulated quantal catecholamine secretion from
      chronically hypoxic (CHox; 2% O2) AMCs to a greater extent than normoxic (Nox;
      21% O2) controls. Activation of TrkB by BDNF or 7,8-DHF increased intracellular
      Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i), an effect that was significantly larger in CHox cells. The
      7,8-DHF-induced [Ca(2+)]i rise was sensitive to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor
      K252a and nickel (2 mm), but not the Ca(2+) store-depleting agent cyclopiazonic
      acid. Blockade of T-type calcium channels with TTA-P2 (1 MUm) or voltage-gated
      Na(+) channels with TTX inhibited BDNF-induced [Ca(2+)]i increases. BDNF also
      induced a dose-dependent enhancement of action potential firing in CHox cells.
      These data demonstrate that during chronic hypoxia, enhancement of BDNF-TrkB
      signalling increases voltage-dependent Ca(2+) influx and catecholamine secretion
      in chromaffin cells, and that T-type Ca(2+) channels play a key role in the
      signalling pathway.

PMID- 26095978
TI  - Ultrastructural and Phylogenetic Description of Kudoa orbicularis n. sp.
      (Myxosporea: Multivalvulida): A Parasite Infecting the Muscle of the Fish
      Chaetobranchopsis orbicularis (Teleostei: Cichlidae) in the Amazon Region.
AB  - A new myxosporean species is described from the muscle of the Amazonian
      freshwater fish Chaetobranchopsis orbicularis (Teleostei, Cichlidae), with basis
      on morphometric, ultrastructural and molecular data. Numerous myxospores were
      observed within pseudocysts located on the hosts' dorsal and ventral muscles,
      near the neural spines and neural canal (spinal cord). Mature myxospores
      quadrangular with rounded ends in apical view, measuring 4.3 (3.6-5.0) MUm in
      length and 5.1 (4.2-5.8) MUm in width. The myxospores wall is formed by four
      symmetric valves. Within, four pyriform polar capsules, 2.1 (1.7-2.6) MUm long
      and 1.3 (0.9-1.7) MUm wide, located two by two in opposite sides of the
      myxospores longitudinal axis, each containing a polar filament forming 2-3 coils.
      Molecular analysis of the SSU rRNA gene by maximum likelihood, neighbor-joining
      and maximum parsimony confirms the parasite as a new member of the genus Kudoa,
      herein named Kudoa orbicularis n. sp., the second species of its genus reported
      from the South American freshwater fauna, and the fourth species worldwide known
      to occur in the freshwater environment. Furthermore, its sequence of the SSU rRNA
      gene constitutes the first entry of a freshwater Kudoa species in GenBank. 

PMID- 26095977
TI  - Neuroimaging of the dopamine/reward system in adolescent drug use.
AB  - Adolescence is characterized by heightened risk-taking, including substance
      misuse. These behavioral patterns are influenced by ontogenic changes in
      neurotransmitter systems, particularly the dopamine system, which is
      fundamentally involved in the neural coding of reward and motivated approach
      behavior. During adolescence, this system evidences a peak in activity. At the
      same time, the dopamine (DA) system is neuroplastically altered by substance
      abuse, impacting subsequent function. Here, we describe properties of the
      dopamine system that change with typical adolescent development and that are
      altered with substance abuse. Much of this work has been gleaned from animal
      models due to limitations in measuring dopamine in pediatric samples. Structural
      and functional neuroimaging techniques have been used to examine structures that
      are heavily DA-innervated; they measure morphological and functional changes with
      age and with drug exposure. Presenting marijuana abuse as an exemplar, we
      consider recent findings that support an adolescent peak in DA-driven reward
      seeking behavior and related deviations in motivational systems that are
      associated with marijuana abuse/dependence. Clinicians are advised that (1)
      chronic adolescent marijuana use may lead to deficiencies in incentive
      motivation, (2) that this state is due to marijuana's interactions with the
      developing DA system, and (3) that treatment strategies should be directed to
      remediating resultant deficiencies in goal-directed activity.

PMID- 26095979
TI  - A potential mechanism by which torque output is preserved in cerebral palsy
      during fatiguing contractions of the knee extensors.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to compare agonist and antagonist
      electromyography (EMG) during an isokinetic fatigue protocol in subjects with
      cerebral palsy (CP) and typical development (TD). METHODS: Nine individuals with
      CP and 11 with TD completed 50 repetitions of maximum concentric knee extensions
      (KE) and flexions (KF) at 60 degrees /second. RESULTS: Rate of decline in peak
      torque for KE was significantly less in CP compared with TD. Rate of decline in
      agonist EMG was not significantly different between groups, but the rate of
      decline in antagonist EMG was significantly greater in CP. There were no
      differences between groups for KF. CONCLUSIONS: Declining agonist EMG occurred in
      parallel with declining antagonist hamstring activity in CP, decreasing the
      relative opposing force and resulting in a lesser decline in net torque. This
      finding illustrates a potential mechanism by which net torque is preserved in
      those with CP who are inherently weaker.

PMID- 26095980
TI  - Resting heart rate variability is associated with inhibition of conditioned fear.
AB  - Startle blink as well as skin conductance responses (SCR) are widely used indices
      of learning processes associated with fear conditioning and extinction. During
      safety learning, the amygdala is under top-down inhibitory control by the
      prefrontal cortex (PFC). The capacity of the PFC to exert inhibitory control over
      subcortical brain structures may be indexed by resting state vagally mediated
      heart rate variability (HRV). The present study investigated the association of
      resting HRV with startle blink and SCR during conditioned fear inhibition and
      extinction. Participants first learned to discriminate a threat cue (A) signaling
      an aversive unconditioned stimulus from a safety signal (B), which were each
      presented together with a third stimulus X (AX+/BX-). Then, both the threat and
      safety signal were presented together (AB) to test whether the presence of the
      learned safety signal inhibits the fear response to the danger signal. Finally,
      AX was presented without reinforcement (AX-) to investigate fear extinction.
      Higher HRV was associated with pronounced fear inhibition and fear extinction.
      Resting HRV levels were associated with fear extinction as indexed by startle
      blink potentiation but not SCR, which presumably reflect more cognitive aspects
      of learning. Resting HRV may reflect the capacity of the prefrontal cortex to
      inhibit subcortical fear responses in the presence of safety or when former
      threat cues are presented in the absence of threat. 

PMID- 26095981
TI  - Probabilistic Model for Untargeted Peak Detection in LC-MS Using Bayesian
      Statistics.
AB  - We introduce a novel Bayesian probabilistic peak detection algorithm for liquid
      chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS). The final probabilistic result allows
      the user to make a final decision about which points in a chromatogram are
      affected by a chromatographic peak and which ones are only affected by noise. The
      use of probabilities contrasts with the traditional method in which a binary
      answer is given, relying on a threshold. By contrast, with the Bayesian peak
      detection presented here, the values of probability can be further propagated
      into other preprocessing steps, which will increase (or decrease) the importance
      of chromatographic regions into the final results. The present work is based on
      the use of the statistical overlap theory of component overlap from Davis and
      Giddings (Davis, J. M.; Giddings, J. Anal. Chem. 1983, 55, 418-424) as prior
      probability in the Bayesian formulation. The algorithm was tested on LC-MS
      Orbitrap data and was able to successfully distinguish chemical noise from actual
      peaks without any data preprocessing.

PMID- 26095983
TI  - LCA of management strategies for RDF incineration and gasification bottom ash
      based on experimental leaching data.
AB  - The main characteristics and environmental properties of the bottom ash (BA)
      generated from thermal treatment of waste may vary significantly depending on the
      type of waste and thermal technology employed. Thus, to ensure that the
      strategies selected for the management of these residues do not cause adverse
      environmental impacts, the specific properties of BA, in particular its leaching
      behavior, should be taken into account. This study focuses on the evaluation of
      potential environmental impacts associated with two different management options
      for BA from thermal treatment of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF): landfilling and
      recycling as a filler for road sub bases. Two types of thermal treatment were
      considered: incineration and gasification. Potential environmental impacts were
      evaluated by life-cycle assessment (LCA) using the EASETECH model. Both non
      toxicity related impact categories (i.e. global warming and mineral abiotic
      resource depletion) and toxic impact categories (i.e. human toxicity and
      ecotoxicity) were assessed. The system boundaries included BA transport from the
      incineration/gasification plants to the landfills and road construction sites,
      leaching of potentially toxic metals from the BA, the avoided extraction,
      crushing, transport and leaching of virgin raw materials for the road scenarios,
      and material and energy consumption for the construction of the landfills. To
      provide a quantitative assessment of the leaching properties of the two types of
      BA, experimental leaching data were used to estimate the potential release from
      each of the two types of residues. Specific attention was placed on the
      sensitivity of leaching properties and the determination of emissions by
      leaching, including: leaching data selection, material properties and assumptions
      related to emission modeling. The LCA results showed that for both types of BA,
      landfilling was associated with the highest environmental impacts in the non
      toxicity related categories. For the toxicity related categories, the two types
      of residues behaved differently. For incineration BA the contribution of metal
      leaching to the total impacts had a dominant role, with the highest environmental
      loads resulting for the road scenario. For the gasification BA, the opposite
      result was obtained, due to the lower release of contaminants observed for this
      material compared to incineration BA. Based on the results of this study, it may
      be concluded that, depending on the type of BA considered, its leaching behavior
      may significantly affect the results of a LCA regarding its management
      strategies. 

PMID- 26095982
TI  - Accounting for observed small angle X-ray scattering profile in the protein
      protein docking server ClusPro.
AB  - The protein-protein docking server ClusPro is used by thousands of laboratories,
      and models built by the server have been reported in over 300 publications.
      Although the structures generated by the docking include near-native ones for
      many proteins, selecting the best model is difficult due to the uncertainty in
      scoring. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is an experimental technique for
      obtaining low resolution structural information in solution. While not sufficient
      on its own to uniquely predict complex structures, accounting for SAXS data
      improves the ranking of models and facilitates the identification of the most
      accurate structure. Although SAXS profiles are currently available only for a
      small number of complexes, due to its simplicity the method is becoming
      increasingly popular. Since combining docking with SAXS experiments will provide
      a viable strategy for fairly high-throughput determination of protein complex
      structures, the option of using SAXS restraints is added to the ClusPro server.
      (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26095984
TI  - Monotone spline-based least squares estimation for panel count data with
      informative observation times.
AB  - This article discusses the statistical analysis of panel count data when the
      underlying recurrent event process and observation process may be correlated. For
      the recurrent event process, we propose a new class of semiparametric mean models
      that allows for the interaction between the observation history and covariates.
      For inference on the model parameters, a monotone spline-based least squares
      estimation approach is developed, and the resulting estimators are consistent and
      asymptotically normal. In particular, our new approach does not rely on the model
      specification of the observation process. The proposed inference procedure
      performs well through simulation studies, and it is illustrated by the analysis
      of bladder tumor data. 

PMID- 26095985
TI  - Human health risk assessment of pesticide residues in snappers (Lutjanus) fish
      from the Navachiste Lagoon complex, Mexico.
AB  - Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues were determined in fillets of Lutjanus
      colorado, L. argentiventris, and L. novemfasciatus. Fillet samples were collected
      bimonthly from February 2012 to February 2013. OCPs average concentrations do not
      differ significantly according to size, weight, or season, nor do they relate
      with the physico-chemical parameters of the sea water. The highest concentration
      and most frequently encountered OCPs were endosulfan sulfate, delta-HCH, and
      heptachlor epoxide, which indicates their use in the recent past and confirms
      their persistence. Average concentrations of ?HCHs, ?chlordane, and ?heptachlor
      in samples were above cancer MRLs according to data from monthly consumed
      portions. HCHs and heptachlor are listed in Appendix III of the Rotterdam
      Convention of chemicals placed on a prior informed consent procedure for import
      and export purposes; they are considered illegal in Mexico. The OCPs
      concentrations above cancer MRLs in Lutjanus spp. turn its frequent consumption
      into a human health risk. 

PMID- 26095986
TI  - Validation of algal viability treated with total residual oxidant and organic
      matter by flow cytometry.
AB  - Algal cell growth after starch and oxidant treatments in seawater species
      (Isochrysis galbana and Phaeodactylum tricornutum) and freshwater species
      (Selenastrum capricornutum and Scenedesmus obliquus) were evaluated by flow
      cytometry with fluorescein diacetate (FDA) staining to determine algal viability.
      Growth of algal cell was found to be significantly different among groups treated
      with NaOCl, starch and/or sodium thiosulfate, which are active substance (Total
      Residual Oxidant; TRO as Cl2), organic compound to meet efficacy testing standard
      and neutralizer of TRO by Ballast Water Management Convention of International
      Maritime Organization, respectively. The viability of algal cell treated with TRO
      in starch-add culture of 5days after treatment and neutralization was decreased
      significantly. ATP contents of the treated algal cells corresponded to the FL1
      fluorescent signal of flow cytometry with FDA staining. I. galbana was the most
      sensitive to TRO-neutralized cultures during viability analysis. 

PMID- 26095987
TI  - Radiocesium monitoring in Indonesian waters of the Indian Ocean after the
      Fukushima nuclear accident.
AB  - As data on anthropogenic radionuclide concentrations (i.e., (134)Cs and (137)Cs)
      in Indonesian marine environments including the Indian Ocean are scarce, offshore
      monitoring has been performed in the West Sumatra and South Java Seas. The
      activity concentration of (137)Cs ranges from below minimum detectable activity
      (MDA) to 0.13Bqm(-3) in the surface seawater of the South Java Sea and from lower
      than MDA to 0.28Bqm(-3) in the surface seawater of the West Sumatra Sea. The
      concentrations of (137)Cs in the surface seawater of the West Sumatra and South
      Java Seas are lower than the estimation of (137)Cs concentration in the
      subsurface waters owing to the input of the North Pacific Ocean via the
      Indonesian Throughflow (ITF). The concentrations of (134)Cs in the sampling
      locations were lower than MDA. These results have indicated that these Indonesian
      marine waters have not yet been influenced by the Fukushima radioactive release. 

PMID- 26095988
TI  - Impact of seaweed beachings on dynamics of delta(15)N isotopic signatures in
      marine macroalgae.
AB  - A fine-scale survey of delta(15)N, delta(13)C, tissue-N in seaweeds was conducted
      using samples from 17 sampling points at two sites (Grandcamp-Maisy (GM),
      Courseulles/Mer (COU)) along the French coast of the English Channel in 2012 and
      2013. Partial triadic analysis was performed on the parameter data sets and
      revealed the functioning of three areas: one estuary (EstA) and two rocky areas
      (GM(*), COU(*)). In contrast to oceanic and anthropogenic reference points
      similar temporal dynamics characterized delta(15)N signatures and N contents at
      GM(*) and COU(*). Nutrient dynamics were similar: the N-concentrations in
      seawater originated from the River Seine and local coastal rivers while P
      concentrations mainly from these local rivers. delta(15)N at GM(*) were linked to
      turbidity suggesting inputs of autochthonous organic matter from large-scale
      summer seaweed beachings made up of a mixture of Rhodophyta, Phaeophyta and
      Chlorophyta species. This study highlights the coupling between seaweed beachings
      and nitrogen sources of intertidal macroalgae. 

PMID- 26095989
TI  - Trends in celiac disease research.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To improve diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease (CD), research
      efforts are being made in many different areas. However, the focus, trend, and
      direction of such efforts require clarity, so that future efforts and directions
      can be appropriately planned. METHOD: In this study, MEDLINE was used to search
      for trends in CD research. The keyword 'celiac disease' and its variants were
      searched in tandem with keywords commonly associated with CD. This search was
      done for each year from 1960 to 2013. Year of first instance of the associated
      keyword, linear regression coefficient, and trend in terms of the slope of the
      regression line were tabulated. For perspective, the same keywords were searched
      in tandem with 'inflammatory bowel disease' (IBD). RESULTS: CD appeared in the
      medical literature prior to 1960, and IBD first appeared in 1964. However, IBD
      overtook CD in terms of the number of research papers published per year,
      beginning in 1988. Keywords with strong positive trends (r(2)>0.7) in association
      with CD were: 'diagnosis', 'gluten', 'serology', 'autoimmune', 'treatment',
      'gluten-free diet', 'endoscopy', 'villous atrophy', 'wasting', 'inflammation',
      and 'microbiome'. The keyword 'malabsorption' had the sole strong negative trend
      in association with CD. Keywords with strong positive trends (r(2)>0.7) in
      association with IBD also had strong positive association with CD: 'autoimmune',
      'treatment, 'inflammation', and 'microbiome'. CONCLUSIONS: The MEDLINE search
      approach is helpful to show first instance, association, and trend of keywords
      that are affiliated with CD in published biomedical research, and to compare CD
      research trends with those of other diseases.

PMID- 26095990
TI  - Enzyme- and transporter-mediated beverage-drug interactions: An update on fruit
      juices and green tea.
AB  - Beverage-drug interactions have remained an active area of research and have been
      the subject of extensive investigations in the past 2 decades. The known
      mechanisms of clinically relevant beverage-drug interactions include modulation
      of the activity of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A and organic anion-transporting
      polypeptide (OATP). For CYP3A-mediated beverage-drug interaction, the in vivo
      CYP3A inhibitory effect is limited to grapefruit juice (GFJ), which increases the
      bioavailability of several orally administered drugs that undergo extensive first
      pass metabolism via enteric CYP3A. In contrast, clinically significant OATP
      mediated beverage-drug interactions have been observed with not only GFJ but also
      orange juice, apple juice, and, most recently, green tea. Fruit juices and green
      tea are all a mixture of a large number of constituents. The investigation of
      specific constituent(s) responsible for the enzyme and/or transporter inhibition
      remains an active area of research, and many new findings have been obtained on
      this subject in the past several years. This review highlights the multiple
      mechanisms through which beverages can alter drug disposition and provides an
      update on the new findings of beverage-drug interactions, with a focus on fruit
      juices and green tea. 

PMID- 26095993
TI  - Reactions with a Metalloid Tin Cluster {Sn10[Si(SiMe3)3]4}(2-): Ligand
      Elimination versus Coordination Chemistry.

PMID- 26095991
TI  - Transition from Initial Hypoactivity to Hyperactivity in Cortical Layer V
      Pyramidal Neurons after Traumatic Brain Injury In Vivo.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in structural damage and a loss of
      neurons that is commonly accompanied by early changes in neuronal electrical
      activity. Loss of neuronal activity has been hypothesized to contribute to post
      traumatic epileptogenesis through the regulation of homeostatic plasticity. The
      existence of activity loss in cortical neurons after TBI and its subsequent
      transition into hyperactivity over time is not well characterized, however,
      particularly in models of TBI in vivo. In the current study, changes in neuronal
      activity in the primary motor cortex after moderate controlled cortical impact
      (CCI) in mice were studied using a single-unit recording technique in vivo.
      Recordings were made at different time points after CCI from cortical layer V
      pyramidal neurons that were within 1-2 mm from the anterior edge of the injured
      foci. Within 1-4 h after CCI, the frequency of spontaneous single-unit activity
      depressed significantly, with the mean firing frequency decreasing from 2.59 +/-
      0.18 Hz in the sham group to 1.05 +/- 0.20 Hz of the injured group. The firing
      frequencies recovered to the normal level at 1 day and 7 days post-CCI, but
      became significantly higher at 3 days and 14 days post-CCI. The results suggest
      that TBI caused initial loss of activity in neurons of the perilesional cortical
      region, which was followed by compensatory recovery and enhancement of activity.
      These time-dependent changes in neuronal activity may contribute to the
      development of hyperexcitability through homeostatic activity regulation.

PMID- 26095997
TI  - Clinical implications of mucinous components correlated with microsatellite
      instability in patients with colorectal cancer.
AB  - AIM: Colorectal cancer (CRC) with microsatellite instability (MSI) is
      characterized by frequent poor differentiation or mucinous histology. The purpose
      of this study was to evaluate the association of MSI with clinicopathological
      features and the oncological outcome in patients with a mucinous component.
      METHOD: CRC tissue samples were analysed for histology and MSI. Patients were
      grouped according to the mucinous content of the tumour, as follows: > 50%,
      mucinous adenocarcinoma (MA); <= 50%, adenocarcinoma with mucinous component
      (AMC); none, nonmucinous adenocarcinoma (NMA). Clinicopathological parameters and
      survival were compared between patient groups. RESULTS: Of 2025 patients, 84 (4%)
      had MA and 124 (6%) had AMC. In addition, 202 (10%) had MSI. Patients with MA and
      AMC tended to have a younger age of onset, right-colon predilection, large-sized
      tumour and high frequency of MSI compared with those with NMA (P < 0.001). MA and
      AMC patients with MSI showed a trend towards right-colon predilection and
      infrequent lymph-node metastasis compared with those with microsatellite
      stability (MSS; P = 0.005-0.03). There were no survival differences between the
      three groups, but patients with MSI-MA demonstrated lower 4-year recurrence and
      better overall survival rates than those with MSS-MA (P = 0.018 and P = 0.046,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: Clinicopathological features of AMC and MA were
      similar and closely associated with MSI status. Although the prognoses of AMC and
      MA were no different from that of NMA, survival of patients with an MSI-MA tumour
      was significantly better than for those with MSS-MA tumours.

PMID- 26095998
TI  - Epigenetic control of juvenile-to-adult phase transition by the Arabidopsis SAGA
      like complex.
AB  - During growth and development, plants undergo a series of phase transitions from
      the juvenile-to-adult vegetative phase to the reproductive phase. In Arabidopsis,
      vegetative phase transitions and flowering are regulated by SQUAMOSA PROMOTER
      BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) factors. SPL mRNAs are post-transcriptionally
      regulated by miR156 in an age-dependent manner; however, the role of other
      mechanisms in this process is not known. In this study, we demonstrate that the
      HAG1/GCN5- and PRZ1/ADA2b-containing SAGA-like histone acetyltransferase (HAT)
      complex directly controls the transcription of SPLs and determines the time for
      juvenile-to-adult phase transition. Thus, epigenetic control by the SAGA-like HAT
      complex determines the transcriptional output of SPLs, which might be a
      prerequisite for the subsequent post-transcriptional regulation by miR156.
      Importantly, this epigenetic control mechanism is also crucial for miR156
      independent induction of SPLs and acceleration of phase transition by light and
      photoperiod or during post-embryonic growth. 

PMID- 26095999
TI  - A surgical technique using the ovarian vein in non-human primate models of
      potential living-donor surgery of uterus transplantation.
AB  - AIM: Living donor surgery in organ transplantation should be performed in a
      minimally invasive manner under conditions that are as safe as possible. The
      objective of this study is to examine whether the procedure for using the ovarian
      vein makes donor surgery less invasive in a cynomolgus monkey model of potential
      living-donor surgery of uterus transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-two
      female cynomolgus monkeys aged 6-9 years and with body weights of 3.55 +/- 1.28
      kg were used in the study. Vessels and tissues surrounding the uterus were
      dissected while preserving the uterine artery/vein. The deep uterine vein was
      used as a venous pedicle in four monkeys (Group 1), and the ovarian vein was used
      instead of the deep uterine vein in 18 monkeys (Group 2). With the uterine
      artery/vein and deep uterine vein (Group 1) or ovarian vein (Group 2) connected
      to the uterus, the vaginal canal was cut. The vessels were then clamped to
      produce a donor surgery model. Surgical time, intraoperative organ and vascular
      injury were examined in each animal. RESULTS: The average surgical time from
      laparotomy to clamping of vessels was 230 +/- 112 min in all 22 cynomolgus
      monkeys, and significantly longer in Group 1 (n = 4) than in Group 2 (n = 18)
      (393 +/- 71 vs. 194 +/- 84 min, p < 0.05). Surgical time in Group 2 showed a
      tendency to decrease in animals treated later in the study, with a significantly
      longer time in the first 10 monkeys compared with the last 8 (253 +/- 65 vs. 120
      +/- 26 min, p < 0.05). All monkeys had no complications, including no injuries to
      other organs and no unanticipated vascular injury. CONCLUSION: The procedure
      using the ovarian vein was less invasive than that using the deep uterine vein in
      mimicking living-donor surgery in a cynomolgus monkey model of uterus
      transplantation.

PMID- 26096000
TI  - Evolution and maintenance of haploid-diploid life cycles in natural populations:
      The case of the marine brown alga Ectocarpus.
AB  - The evolutionary stability of haploid-diploid life cycles is still controversial.
      Mathematical models indicate that niche differences between ploidy phases may be
      a necessary condition for the evolution and maintenance of these life cycles.
      Nevertheless, experimental support for this prediction remains elusive. In the
      present work, we explored this hypothesis in natural populations of the brown
      alga Ectocarpus. Consistent with the life cycle described in culture, Ectocarpus
      crouaniorum in NW France and E. siliculosus in SW Italy exhibited an alternation
      between haploid gametophytes and diploid sporophytes. Our field data invalidated,
      however, the long-standing view of an isomorphic alternation of generations.
      Gametophytes and sporophytes displayed marked differences in size and, conforming
      to theoretical predictions, occupied different spatiotemporal niches.
      Gametophytes were found almost exclusively on the alga Scytosiphon lomentaria
      during spring whereas sporophytes were present year-round on abiotic substrata.
      Paradoxically, E. siliculosus in NW France exhibited similar habitat usage
      despite the absence of alternation of ploidy phases. Diploid sporophytes grew
      both epilithically and epiphytically, and this mainly asexual population gained
      the same ecological advantage postulated for haploid-diploid populations.
      Consequently, an ecological interpretation of the niche differences between
      haploid and diploid individuals does not seem to satisfactorily explain the
      evolution of the Ectocarpus life cycle.

PMID- 26096001
TI  - Glanzmann thrombasthenia in Pakistan: molecular analysis and identification of
      novel mutations.
AB  - Glanzmann thrombasthenia (GT) is an inherited genetic disorder affecting
      platelets, which is characterized by spontaneous mucocutaneous bleeding and
      abnormally prolonged bleeding in response to injury or trauma. The underlying
      defect is failure of platelet aggregation due to qualitative and/or quantitative
      deficiency of platelet integrin alphaIIbbeta3 resulting from molecular genetic
      defects in either ITGA2B or ITGB3. Here, we examine a Pakistani cohort of 15
      patients with clinical symptoms of GT who underwent laboratory and molecular
      genetic analysis. In patients with a broad range of disease severity and age of
      presentation, we identified pathogenic mutations in ITGA2B in 11 patients from 8
      different families, including 2 novel homozygous mutations and 1 novel
      heterozygous mutation. Mutations in ITGB3 were identified in 4 patients from 3
      families, two of which were novel homozygous truncating mutations. A molecular
      genetic diagnosis was established in 11 families with GT, including 5 novel
      mutations extending the spectrum of mutations in this disease within a region of
      the world where little is known about the incidence of GT. Mutational analysis is
      a key component of a complete diagnosis of GT and allows appropriate management
      and screening of other family members to be performed. 

PMID- 26096002
TI  - Transcriptome-Wide Identification of miRNA Targets under Nitrogen Deficiency in
      Populus tomentosa Using Degradome Sequencing.
AB  - miRNAs are endogenous non-coding small RNAs with important regulatory roles in
      stress responses. Nitrogen (N) is an indispensable macronutrient required for
      plant growth and development. Previous studies have identified a variety of known
      and novel miRNAs responsive to low N stress in plants, including Populus.
      However, miRNAs involved in the cleavage of target genes and the corresponding
      regulatory networks in response to N stress in Populus remain largely unknown.
      Consequently, degradome sequencing was employed for global detection and
      validation of N-responsive miRNAs and their targets. A total of 60 unique miRNAs
      (39 conserved, 13 non-conserved, and eight novel) were experimentally identified
      to target 64 mRNA transcripts and 21 precursors. Among them, we further verified
      the cleavage of 11 N-responsive miRNAs identified previously and provided
      empirical evidence for the cleavage mode of these miRNAs on their target mRNAs.
      Furthermore, five miRNA stars (miRNA*s) were shown to have cleavage function. The
      specificity and diversity of cleavage sites on the targets and miRNA precursors
      in P. tomentosa were further detected. Identification and annotation of miRNA
      mediated cleavage of target genes in Populus can increase our understanding of
      miRNA-mediated molecular mechanisms of woody plants adapted to low N
      environments. 

PMID- 26096003
TI  - Transcriptional Profiling Reveals Differential Gene Expression of Amur Ide
      (Leuciscus waleckii) during Spawning Migration.
AB  - Amur ide (Leuciscus waleckii), an important aquaculture species, inhabits neutral
      freshwater but can tolerate high salinity or alkalinity. As an extreme example,
      the population in Dali Nor lake inhabits alkalized soda water permanently, and
      migrates from alkaline water to neutral freshwater to spawn. In this study, we
      performed comparative transcriptome profiling study on the livers of Amur ide to
      interrogate the expression differences between the population that permanently
      inhabit freshwater in Ganggeng Nor lake (FW) and the spawning population that
      recently migrated from alkaline water into freshwater (SM). A total of
      637,234,880 reads were generated, resulting in 53,440 assembled contigs that were
      used as reference sequences. Comparisons of these transcriptome files revealed
      444 unigenes with significant differential expression (p-value <= 0.01, fold
      change >= 2), including 246 genes that were up-regulated in SM and 198 genes that
      were up-regulated in FW. The gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and KEGG
      pathway analysis indicated that the mTOR signaling pathway, Janus kinase-signal
      transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling pathway, and
      oxidative phosphorylation were highly likely to affect physiological changes
      during spawning migration. Overall, this study demonstrates that transcriptome
      changes played a role in Amur ide spawning migration. These results provide a
      foundation for further analyses on the physiological and molecular mechanisms
      underlying Amur ide spawning migration. 

PMID- 26096004
TI  - Adsorption of Silver Nanoparticles onto Different Surface Structures of
      Chitin/Chitosan and Correlations with Antimicrobial Activities.
AB  - Size-controlled spherical silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) can be simply prepared by
      autoclaving mixtures of glass powder containing silver with glucose. Moreover,
      chitins with varying degrees of deacetylation (DDAc < 30%) and chitosan powders
      and sheets (DDAc > 75%) with varying surface structure properties have been
      evaluated as Ag NP carriers. Chitin/chitosan-Ag NP composites in powder or sheet
      form were prepared by mixing Ag NP suspensions with each of the chitin/chitosan
      based material at pH 7.3, leading to homogenous dispersion and stable adsorption
      of Ag NPs onto chitin carriers with nanoscale fiber-like surface structures, and
      chitosan carriers with nanoscale porous surface structures. Although these
      chitins exhibited mild antiviral, bactericidal, and antifungal activities, chitin
      powders with flat/smooth film-like surface structures had limited antimicrobial
      activities and Ag NP adsorption. The antimicrobial activities of chitin/chitosan
      Ag NP composites increased with increasing amounts of adsorbed Ag NPs, suggesting
      that the surface structures of chitin/chitosan carriers strongly influence
      adsorption of Ag NPs and antimicrobial activities. These observations indicate
      that chitin/chitosan-Ag NPs with nanoscale surface structures have potential as
      antimicrobial biomaterials and anti-infectious wound dressings. 

PMID- 26096005
TI  - Leaf Age-Dependent Photoprotective and Antioxidative Response Mechanisms to
      Paraquat-Induced Oxidative Stress in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Exposure of Arabidopsis thaliana young and mature leaves to the herbicide
      paraquat (Pq) resulted in a localized increase of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the
      leaf veins and the neighboring mesophyll cells, but this increase was not similar
      in the two leaf types. Increased H2O2 production was concomitant with closed
      reaction centers (qP). Thirty min after Pq exposure despite the induction of the
      photoprotective mechanism of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) in mature leaves,
      H2O2 production was lower in young leaves mainly due to the higher increase
      activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX). Later, 60 min after Pq exposure, the
      total antioxidant capacity of young leaves was not sufficient to scavenge the
      excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) that were formed, and thus, a higher H2O2
      accumulation in young leaves occurred. The energy allocation of absorbed light in
      photosystem II (PSII) suggests the existence of a differential photoprotective
      regulatory mechanism in the two leaf types to the time-course Pq exposure
      accompanied by differential antioxidant protection mechanisms. It is concluded
      that tolerance to Pq-induced oxidative stress is related to the redox state of
      quinone A (QA). 

PMID- 26096006
TI  - A Comparative Proteomic Analysis of the Buds and the Young Expanding Leaves of
      the Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis L.).
AB  - Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) is a perennial woody plant that is widely cultivated
      to produce a popular non-alcoholic beverage; this beverage has received much
      attention due to its pleasant flavor and bioactive ingredients, particularly
      several important secondary metabolites. Due to the significant changes in the
      metabolite contents of the buds and the young expanding leaves of tea plants,
      high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis and isobaric tags for
      relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) analysis were performed. A total of
      233 differentially expressed proteins were identified. Among these, 116 proteins
      were up-regulated and 117 proteins were down-regulated in the young expanding
      leaves compared with the buds. A large array of diverse functions was revealed,
      including roles in energy and carbohydrate metabolism, secondary metabolite
      metabolism, nucleic acid and protein metabolism, and photosynthesis- and defense
      related processes. These results suggest that polyphenol biosynthesis- and
      photosynthesis-related proteins regulate the secondary metabolite content of tea
      plants. The energy and antioxidant metabolism-related proteins may promote tea
      leaf development. However, reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT
      qPCR) showed that the protein expression levels were not well correlated with the
      gene expression levels. These findings improve our understanding of the molecular
      mechanism of the changes in the metabolite content of the buds and the young
      expanding leaves of tea plants. 

PMID- 26096007
TI  - Fungal Community Successions in Rhizosphere Sediment of Seagrasses Enhalus
      acoroides under PAHs Stress.
AB  - Seagrass meadows represent one of the highest productive marine ecosystems and
      are of great ecological and economic values. Recently, they have been confronted
      with worldwide decline. Fungi play important roles in sustaining the ecosystem
      health as degraders of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), but fewer studies
      have been conducted in seagrass ecosystems. Hence, we investigated the dynamic
      variations of the fungal community succession under PAH stress in rhizosphere
      sediment of seagrasses Enhalus acoroides in this study. Polymerase chain reaction
      denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE), quantitative PCR (qPCR) and a
      clone library have been employed to analyze the fungal community's shifts.
      Sequencing results of DGGE and the clone library showed that the predominant
      species belong to phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. The abundance of three
      groups decreased sharply over the incubation period, whereas they demonstrated
      different fungal diversity patterns. Both the exposure time and the PAH
      concentrations affected the microbial diversity as assessed by PCR-DGGE analysis.
      Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that significant factors driving community
      shifts were ammonium and pH (p < 0.05). Significant amounts of the variations
      (31.1%) were explained by pH and ammonium, illustrating that those two parameters
      were the most likely ones to influence or be influenced by the fungal
      communities' changes. Investigation results also indicated that fungal
      communities in seagrass meadow were very sensitive to PAH-induced stress and may
      be used as potential indicators for the PAH contamination. 

PMID- 26096009
TI  - Targeted sequencing of cancer-associated genes in hepatocellular carcinoma using
      next generation sequencing.
AB  - Liver cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-associated mortality.
      Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the major histological subtype among types of
      primary liver cancer. China is an area of high incidence of HCC, and >50% of the
      cases of HCC worldwide are in China. At present, the mechanism underlying the
      development of HCC remains to be fully elucidated, and previous studies have
      predominantly focused on HCC in southern and eastern China, with molecular data
      of the HCC cases in Western China remains limited. In the present study, a panel
      of 372 cancer-associated genes were screened using a next generation sequencing
      platform, which included a total of 12 cases from western China. The results
      confirmed mutations in previously identified HCC drivers, including p53 and Kras.
      Additionally, mutations in several cancer genes, which had not been previously
      associated with HCC, were identified, including RUNX1 and JAK3. The present study
      provided a mutation spectrum of HCC tissue in cases from western China, assisting
      in the investigation of the mechanism of liver carcinogenesis.

PMID- 26096010
TI  - New South Wales Agency for Clinical Innovation--Pain Management Network website:
      a useful resource for patients and clinicians.

PMID- 26096011
TI  - The Four Square Step Test.

PMID- 26096008
TI  - Is Correction of Iron Deficiency a New Addition to the Treatment of the Heart
      Failure?
AB  - Anemia is present in about 40% of heart failure (HF) patients. Iron deficiency
      (ID) is present in about 60% of the patients with anemia (about 24% of all HF
      patients) and in about 40% of patients without anemia (about 24% of all HF
      patients). Thus ID is present in about half the patients with HF. The ID in HF is
      associated with reduced iron stores in the bone marrow and the heart. ID is an
      independent risk factor for severity and worsening of the HF. Correction of ID
      with intravenous (IV) iron usually corrects both the anemia and the ID. Currently
      used IV iron preparations are very safe and effective in treating the ID in HF
      whereas little information is available on the effectiveness of oral iron. In HF
      IV iron correction of ID is associated with improvement in functional status,
      exercise capacity, quality of life and, in some studies, improvement in rate of
      hospitalization for HF, cardiac structure and function, and renal function. Large
      long-term adequately-controlled intervention studies are needed to clarify the
      effect of IV iron in HF. Several heart associations suggest that ID should be
      routinely sought for in all HF patients and corrected if present. In this paper
      we present our approach to diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency in heart
      failure. 

PMID- 26096012
TI  - Intention-to-treat analysis.

PMID- 26096013
TI  - Non-invasive ventilation used as an adjunct to airway clearance treatments
      improves lung function during an acute exacerbation of cystic fibrosis: a
      randomised trial.
AB  - QUESTION: During an acute exacerbation of cystic fibrosis, is non-invasive
      ventilation beneficial as an adjunct to the airway clearance regimen? DESIGN:
      Randomised controlled trial with concealed allocation and intention-to-treat
      analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Forty adults with moderate to severe cystic fibrosis lung
      disease and who were admitted to hospital for an acute exacerbation.
      INTERVENTION: Comprehensive inpatient care (control group) compared to the same
      care with the addition of non-invasive ventilation during airway clearance
      treatments from Day 2 of admission until discharge (experimental group). OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Lung function and subjective symptom severity were measured daily.
      Fatigue was measured at admission and discharge on the Schwartz Fatigue Scale
      from 7 (no fatigue) to 63 (worst fatigue) points. Quality of life and exercise
      capacity were also measured at admission and discharge. Length of admission and
      time to next hospital admission were recorded. RESULTS: Analysed as the primary
      outcome, the experimental group had a greater rate of improvement in forced
      expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) than the control group, but this was not
      statistically significant (MD 0.13% predicted per day, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.28).
      However, the experimental group had a significantly higher FEV1 at discharge than
      the control group (MD 4.2% predicted, 95% CI 0.1 to 8.3). The experimental group
      reported significantly lower levels of fatigue on the Schwartz fatigue scale at
      discharge than the control group (MD 6 points, 95% CI 1 to 11). There was no
      significant difference between the experimental and control groups in subjective
      symptom severity, quality of life, exercise capacity, length of hospital
      admission or time to next hospital admission. CONCLUSION: Among people
      hospitalised for an acute exacerbation of cystic fibrosis, the use of non
      invasive ventilation as an adjunct to the airway clearance regimen significantly
      improves FEV1 and fatigue. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ANZCTR 12605000437662.

PMID- 26096014
TI  - Dipeptide-Derived Multifunctional Quaternary Phosphonium Salt Catalyzed
      Asymmetric Cyclizations via a Tandem Michael Addition/SN 2 Sequence.
AB  - A novel family of dipeptide-based multifunctional quaternary phosphonium salts
      has been developed as chiral phase-transfer catalysts, which feature ready
      accessibility and structure modularity, allowing easy fine-tunings of activity.
      They demonstrated high efficiency in catalyzing the tandem asymmetric Michael
      addition/intramolecular SN 2 reaction between 6 or 7-substituted conjugate enones
      and malonates, providing synthetically important five or six-membered carbocycles
      and heterocycles in good yields and with good to excellent enantioselectivities. 

PMID- 26096015
TI  - Cholesterol-induced astrocyte activation is associated with increased amyloid
      precursor protein expression and processing.
AB  - Cholesterol is essential for maintaining lipid raft integrity and has been
      regarded as a crucial regulatory factor for amyloidogenesis in Alzheimer's
      disease (AD). The vast majority of studies on amyloid precursor protein (APP)
      metabolism and amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) production have focused on neurons.
      The role of astrocytes remains largely unexplored, despite the presence of
      activated astrocytes in the brains of most patients with AD and in transgenic
      models of the disease. The role of cholesterol in Abeta production has been
      thoroughly studied in neurons and attributed to the participation of lipid rafts
      in APP metabolism. Thus, in this study, we analyzed the effect of cholesterol
      loading in astrocytes and analyzed the expression and processing of APP. We found
      that cholesterol exposure induced astrocyte activation, increased APP content,
      and enhanced the interaction of APP with BACE-1. These effects were associated
      with an enrichment of ganglioside GM1-cholesterol patches in the astrocyte
      membrane and with increased ROS production. GLIA 2015;63:2010-2022.

PMID- 26096016
TI  - Adherence to the lymphadenectomy recommendations of the 2009 clinical guidelines
      in the 2010 National Prostate Cancer Registry.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the adherence to the recommendations of the 2009 clinical
      guidelines in the implementation of lymphadenectomy during radical prostatectomy
      and analysis of the variables that influence this decision in the 2010 National
      Prostate Cancer Registry. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Analysis of 1,272 patients who
      underwent prostatectomy in 25 national hospitals. Patient classification
      according to the pathological node-positive (pN+) risk criteria included in the
      clinical guidelines of the European Association of Urology (EAU) and National
      Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Calculation of the raw agreement and index
      of agreement kappa. Logistic regression to assess the predictors in the decision
      to perform lymphadenectomy. RESULTS: Lymphadenectomy was performed on 225 (17.7%)
      patients, with a variability among centers of 0-62.2% (p<.001). There was
      lymphocytic invasion (pN+) in 17 (7.5%) patients. The raw agreement with the EAU
      09 clinical guidelines was .672 (.48-.96 in the various centers), and the kappa
      index was .289. The raw agreement with the NCCN-09 clinical guidelines was.814
      (.51-1 in the various centers), and the kappa index was .228. In the multivariate
      analysis, the independent predictors for performing lymphadenectomy were the
      Gleason score, the clinical stage, the prostate-specific antigen, the hospital
      center and the surgical approach route to prostatectomy (all P<.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: In our study, adherence to the recommendations of the clinical
      guidelines on the implementation of lymphadenectomy was moderate. When deciding
      on lymphadenectomy, the determinants (in addition to the classic clinical
      variables) were the approach route and the hospital where the prostatectomy was
      performed.

PMID- 26096017
TI  - Priming the immune system of Penaeid shrimp by bacterial HSP70 (DnaK).
AB  - This study was conducted to test the effect of DnaK on priming immune responses
      in Penaeid shrimp. Juvenile-specific pathogen-free (SPF) P. vannamei shrimp were
      injected with 0.05 MUg recombinant DnaK. One hour post-DnaK priming, a non-lethal
      dose of Vibrio campbellii (10(5) CFU shrimp(-1)) was injected. Other treatments
      include only DnaK or V. campbellii injection or control with blank inocula. The
      haemolymph of three shrimp from each treatment was collected at 1.5, 6, 9 and 12
      h post-DnaK priming (hpp). It was verified that injection with DnaK and V.
      campbellii challenge affected the transcription of 3 immune genes,
      transglutaminase-1 (TGase-1), prophenoloxidase-2 (proPO-2) and endogenous HSP70
      (lvHSP70). In P. monodon, shrimp were first injected with DnaK at a dose of 10
      MUg shrimp(-1) and one hour later with 10(6) CFU of V. harveyi (BB120) shrimp(
      1). Shrimp injected with DnaK showed a significant increase in proPO expression
      compared to the control (P < 0.05). Yet a double injection (DnaK and Vibrio)
      seemed to cause an antagonistic response at the level of expression, which was
      not equalled at the level of PO activity. Those results suggest that DnaK is able
      to modulate immune responses in P. vannamei and P. monodon.

PMID- 26096018
TI  - Substrate channeling between the human dihydrofolate reductase and thymidylate
      synthase.
AB  - In vivo, as an advanced catalytic strategy, transient non-covalently bound multi
      enzyme complexes can be formed to facilitate the relay of substrates, i. e.
      substrate channeling, between sequential enzymatic reactions and to enhance the
      throughput of multi-step enzymatic pathways. The human thymidylate synthase and
      dihydrofolate reductase catalyze two consecutive reactions in the folate
      metabolism pathway, and experiments have shown that they are very likely to bind
      in the same multi-enzyme complex in vivo. While reports on the protozoa
      thymidylate synthase-dihydrofolate reductase bifunctional enzyme give substantial
      evidences of substrate channeling along a surface "electrostatic highway,"
      attention has not been paid to whether the human thymidylate synthase and
      dihydrofolate reductase, if they are in contact with each other in the multi
      enzyme complex, are capable of substrate channeling employing surface
      electrostatics. This work utilizes protein-protein docking, electrostatics
      calculations, and Brownian dynamics to explore the existence and mechanism of the
      substrate channeling between the human thymidylate synthase and dihydrofolate
      reductase. The results show that the bound human thymidylate synthase and
      dihydrofolate reductase are capable of substrate channeling and the formation of
      the surface "electrostatic highway." The substrate channeling efficiency between
      the two can be reasonably high and comparable to that of the protozoa.

PMID- 26096021
TI  - Enjoyment of high-intensity interval training in an overweight/obese cohort: a
      short report.
AB  - Exercise enjoyment has been shown to be important for adherence. Minimal data
      exist on enjoyment of intense exercise, especially in clinical populations. The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate enjoyment levels of overweight and obese
      subjects undergoing 3 weeks of high-intensity interval training. Forty-two
      generally healthy overweight and obese men and women (body mass index = 30.8 +/-
      4.8 kg * m-2 ) volunteered for this study. Exercise enjoyment was quantified
      using the Exercise Enjoyment Scale before and after each of nine total interval
      training sessions, over a three-week period. Heart rate and ratings of perceived
      exertion (RPE) were measured at the end of each interval and training session.
      There were no significant differences in enjoyment between training groups (P >
      0.05). Exercise enjoyment improved significantly over the three-week training
      phase (P < 0.05). Enjoyment levels were relatively high to begin training: mean
      +/- SD: 4.2 +/- 1.0 out of a 7 point scale. Heart rate and RPE were significantly
      reduced (P < 0.05) from pre- (day 1) to post-training (day 9). High-intensity
      interval training may be an enjoyable form of exercise for overweight and obese
      men and women. Enjoyment levels may continue to increase following initial
      introduction to this type of training. Due to the small time demand and high
      enjoyment, interval training may be an effective exercise approach in a sedentary
      population.

PMID- 26096019
TI  - Ovarian cancer treatment: The end of empiricism?
AB  - The diagnosis, investigation, and management of ovarian cancer are in a state of
      flux-balancing ever rapid advances in our understanding of its biology with 3
      decades of clinical trials. Clinical trials that started with empirically driven
      selections have evolved in an evidence-informed manner to gradually improve
      outcome. Has this improved understanding of the biology and associated calls to
      action led to appropriate changes in therapy? In this review, the authors discuss
      incorporating emerging data on biology, combinations, dose, and scheduling of new
      and existing agents with patient preferences in the management of women with
      ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26096022
TI  - ER stress-induced autophagy in melanoma.
AB  - The activation of RAF-MEK-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) mitogen
      activated protein kinase cascade by v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog
      B1 (BRAF)(V600E) mutation is a key alteration in melanoma. Although BRAF
      inhibitor (BRAFi) has achieved remarkable clinical success, the positive response
      to BRAFi is not sustainable, and the initial clinical benefit is eventually
      barred by the development of resistance to BRAFi. There is growing evidence to
      suggest that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced autophagy could be a
      potential pro-survival mechanism that contributes to genesis of melanoma and to
      the resistance to BRAFi. ER stress-induced autophagy is an evolutionarily
      conserved membrane process. By degrading and recycling proteins and organelles
      via the formation of autophagous vesicles and their fusion with lysosomes, the
      autophagy plays a key role in homeostasis as well as pathological processes. In
      this review, we examine the autophagy phenomenon in melanocytic nevus, primary
      and metastatic melanoma, and its significance in BRAFi-resistant melanoma. 

PMID- 26096023
TI  - Anisotropic relaxation of a CuO/TiO2 surface under an electric field and its
      impact on visible light absorption: ab initio calculations.
AB  - Ab initio calculations on the anisotropic relaxation of a CuO/TiO2 surface under
      electric fields and the visible light absorption of these relaxed surfaces are
      reported. We compare the relaxation of the CuO/TiO2 surface under the electric
      fields in the direction of [001] or [010]. Fewer Cu-O bonds with highly
      coordinated Cu-ions are found in the CuO/TiO2 relaxed surface under the electric
      field in the [010] direction. The Cu-O bonds in the interface of the CuO/TiO2
      surface led to an improved visible light absorption in the polarization direction
      of [001]. The CuO/TiO2 relaxed surface under the electric field in the [010]
      direction exhibits a more effective absorption of visible light. However, the
      electric field in the [001] direction induces more relaxation on the CuO/TiO2
      surface, breaking the Cu-O bonds. This leads to the partial reduction of CuO to
      Cu2O on the CuO/TiO2 relaxed surface under the electric field in the [001]
      direction and inefficient absorption of visible light is observed for this
      surface. 

PMID- 26096024
TI  - Numb Protects Human Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells From Bovine Serum Albumin
      Induced Apoptosis Through Antagonizing CHOP/PERK Pathway.
AB  - In recent studies, we found that Numb is involved in oxidative stress-induced
      apoptosis of renal proximal tubular cells; however, its function on ER stress
      induced apoptosis in proteinuric kidney disease remains unknown. The objective of
      the present study is to explore the role of Numb in urinary albumin-induced
      apoptosis of human renal tubular epithelial cells (HKCs). In this study, we
      demonstrate that incubation of HKCs with bovine serum albumin (BSA) resulted in
      caspase three-dependent cell death. Numb expression was down-regulated by BSA in
      a time- and dose-dependent manner. Knockdown of Numb by siRNA sensitized HKCs to
      BSA-induced apoptosis, whereas overexpression of Numb protected HKCs from BSA
      induced apoptosis. Moreover, BSA activated CHOP/PERK signaling pathway in a time-
      and dose-dependent manner as indicated by increased expression of CHOP, PERK, and
      P-PERK. Furthermore, knockdown of CHOP or PERK significantly attenuated the
      promoting effect of Numb on BSA-induced apoptosis, while overexpression of CHOP
      impaired the protective effect of Numb on BSA-induced apoptosis. Taken together,
      our findings demonstrate that Numb plays a protective role on BSA-induced
      apoptosis through inhibiting CHOP/PERK signaling pathway in human renal tubular
      epithelial cells. Therefore, the results from this study provides evidence that
      Numb is a new target of ER-associated apoptotic signaling networks and Numb may
      serve as a promising therapeutic target for proteinuric diseases.

PMID- 26096025
TI  - Meet our new editor.

PMID- 26096026
TI  - Traceability of human sperm samples by direct tagging with polysilicon
      microbarcodes.
AB  - The increasing number of patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology
      (ART) treatments and of cycles performed in fertility centres has led to some
      traceability errors. Although the incidence of mismatching errors is extremely
      low, any error is unacceptable, therefore different strategies have been
      developed to further minimize these errors, such as manual double-witnessing or
      electronic witnessing systems. More recently, our group developed a direct
      tagging method consisting of attaching microbarcodes directly to the zona
      pellucida of human oocytes/embryos. Here, this method is taken a step further by
      using these microbarcodes to tag human semen samples, demonstrating that the
      barcodes are not toxic and do not interfere in the selection of motile
      spermatozoa nor in the cryopreservation of the sperm samples. In addition, when
      this tagging system was applied to an animal model (rabbit), pregnancy rate and
      kitten viability were not affected. 

PMID- 26096027
TI  - Patients' views on the embryo storage time limits.
AB  - The establishment of the length of embryo storage has been based on socio
      political criteria. There are different regulations, guidelines and health care
      policies worldwide. This mixed-methods study aimed to assess the opinion of
      patients about the embryo storage time limit, and the perception of the criteria
      underlying the establishment of the storage period offered to them. Between
      August 2011 and December 2012, 534 IVF patients from Portugal participated in a
      quantitative questionnaire and 34 couples were interviewed. Overall, 38% of
      participants preferred the duration of 4-5 years, 38% extended it beyond 5 years
      and 23% indicated 3 years. Having experienced at least one previous cycle was
      directly associated with agreeing with a duration of storage longer than 5 years,
      for both women and men. Having children was inversely associated with longer
      duration of storage, among women. One-third of the 34 interviewed couples stated
      that their knowledge concerning embryo storage was insufficient. Nevertheless,
      all the interviewees reported at least one possible reason for the legal
      establishment of the storage period offered to them, highlighting financial costs
      and decreased embryo quality. There are misconceptions and gaps in awareness of
      cryopreservation, which may shape patients' opinions. Accurate information
      regarding policy on storage of embryos is needed. 

PMID- 26096028
TI  - Deliveries from trophectoderm biopsied, fresh and vitrified blastocysts derived
      from polar body biopsied, vitrified oocytes.
AB  - This longitudinal study reports preliminary findings of six patients who
      underwent first polar body biopsy followed by oocyte vitrification. All oocytes
      were warmed, inseminated by intracytoplasmic sperm injection and cultured to
      blastocyst. All suitable blastocysts underwent trophectoderm biopsy for
      aneuploidy screening, and supernumerary blastocysts were vitrified. Euploid
      blastocysts were transferred either fresh or in a subsequent programmed cycle. Of
      the 91 metaphase II oocytes, 30 had euploid first polar bodies. Development to
      blastocyst was more likely in oocytes with a euploid first polar body (66.7%
      versus 24.6%; P < 0.001). Nineteen euploid blastocysts were produced: 10 from
      oocytes with a euploid first polar body and nine from oocytes with an aneuploid
      first polar body. Five out of six patients (83%) had a live birth or ongoing
      pregnancy at the time of analysis. Eleven euploid blastocysts have been
      transferred and seven implanted (64%). Although the chromosomal status of the
      first polar body was poorly predictive of embryonic ploidy, an association was
      found between chromosomal status of the first polar body and development to
      blastocyst. Further study is required to characterize these relationships, but
      proof of concept is provided that twice biopsied, twice cryopreserved oocytes and
      embryos can lead to viable pregnancies. 

PMID- 26096029
TI  - Is it justified to transfer two embryos in oocyte donation? A pilot randomized
      clinical trial.
AB  - Multiple pregnancies involve high obstetric and perinatal risks. The aim of this
      study is to evaluate, in a pilot randomized control study, if the cumulative
      pregnancy and live birth rates of elective single embryo transfer (eSET) are
      comparable to the ones obtained with elective double embryo transfer (eDET). A
      total of 65 patients with at least two good quality embryos was randomized, 34
      (52.3%) assigned to the eSET group and 31 (47.7%) to the eDET group. The
      cumulative pregnancy rates (eSET: 73.5% and eDET: 77.4%. RR: 0.95 95% CI: 0.72
      1.25) and live birth rates (eSET: 58.8% and eDET: 61.3%. RR: 0.96 95% CI: 0.64
      1.42) were similar in the two groups. The twin pregnancy rate in the fresh
      transfers of eDET group was 47.7% and 0% in the eSET group. The medical team
      decided to interrupt the study for reasons related to risks associated with
      elevated twin pregnancy rate, leaving low numbers of patients within the study as
      a result. When considering cumulative success rates, eSET and eDET are similar in
      terms of efficacy. However, eDET involves an increased and unacceptable twin
      pregnancy rate. The only prevention strategy is single embryo transfer. 

PMID- 26096030
TI  - Response: IVF and intrauterine insemination cannot be compared.

PMID- 26096032
TI  - Letter: IVF and intrauterine insemination cannot be compared.

PMID- 26096031
TI  - FISH and array CGH characterization of de novo derivative Y chromosome (Yq
      duplication and partial Yp deletion) in an azoospermic male.
AB  - This study presents a 28-year-old infertile male who was referred to the
      cytogenetic laboratory for chromosomal analysis after 4 years of regular
      unprotected intercourse in whom non-obstructive azoospermia was revealed.
      Standard cytogenetic G-banding was performed on metaphase spreads and a de-novo
      karyotype 46,X,der(Y)(q11.22;p11.3) was identified. This analysis was followed by
      flourescence in-situ hybridization(FISH) and array comparative genomic
      hybridization (aCGH). Finally, the patient's karyotype was identified as
      46,X,der(Y)(qter->q11.221::p11.31->qter).ish der(Y) (qter+,pter
      ,SHOX+,SRY+,Ycen+,DYZ3+;DYZ1+,qter+).arrYq11.221q12(14,448,863-59,288,511) x2,
      Yp11.32p11.31(104,062-266,388) x0. It is proposed that de-novo derivative
      monocentric Y chromosome with duplicated region Y qter->q11.221::p11.31->qter
      with partial deletion of Yp PAR1 region most probably can perturb the conjugation
      of sex chromosomes during first meiotic division of spermatogenic arrested
      differentiation (development). 

PMID- 26096033
TI  - Should sperm DNA fragmentation testing be included in the male infertility work
      up?
AB  - A response to the editorial 'Are we ready to incorporate sperm DNA fragmentation
      testing into our male infertility work-up? A plea for more robust studies' by
      Erma Drobnis and Martin Johnson. 

PMID- 26096034
TI  - Association of skewed X chromosome inactivation and idiopathic recurrent
      spontaneous abortion: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Evidence of an association between skewed X chromosome inactivation (SXCI) and
      idiopathic recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is conflicting. No consensus has
      been reached on the degree of SXCI and the number of pregnancy losses in patients
      who have experienced RSA. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, different
      degrees of skewing and definitions of RSA are used to establish an association
      between SXCI and idiopathic RSA. Twelve studies comprising 1594 women who had
      experienced RSA and 1924 controls were included. No significant association was
      found between SXCI and RSA when 80 or 90% was used as cut-off value of skewing;
      more stringent 95% or greater SXCI was significantly higher in women who had
      experienced RSA than in controls (odds ratio [OR] = 4.27, 95% confidence interval
      [CI] 1.46 to 12.46). A significantly higher incidence of SXCI when defined as
      greater than 90% (or >=90%) was found in women who had experienced RSA with three
      or more pregnancy losses (OR = 2.31, 95% CI 1.41, 3.78); significance diminished
      when RSA was defined as two or more losses. Extreme skewing of SXCI is associated
      with idiopathic RSA with three or more losses. More studies are needed to
      validate the potential genetic mechanism. 

PMID- 26096035
TI  - Wilfordonols A-D: four new norsesquiterpenes from the leaves of Tripterygium
      wilfordii.
AB  - Four new norsesquiterpenes wilfordonols A-D (1-4), along with three known
      compounds, sarmentol B (5), boscialin (6), and (+)-loliolide (7), were isolated
      from the leaves of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f.. The structures of the new
      compounds were elucidated on the basis of their spectroscopic analysis, and the
      absolute configuration of the compounds was confirmed by CD and modified Mosher's
      method. At a concentration of 10 MUM, compounds 4, 6, and 7 inhibited signal
      transducer and activator of transcription 1 translocation by 34.27 +/- 1.02%,
      48.93 +/- 1.76%, and 70.31 +/- 2.20%, respectively.

PMID- 26096036
TI  - Thresholds and accuracy in screening tools for early detection of
      psychopathology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The accuracy of any screening instrument designed to detect
      psychopathology among children is ideally assessed through rigorous comparison to
      'gold standard' tests and interviews. Such comparisons typically yield estimates
      of what we refer to as 'standard indices of diagnostic accuracy', including
      sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative
      predictive value. However, whereas these statistics were originally designed to
      detect binary signals (e.g., diagnosis present or absent), screening
      questionnaires commonly used in psychology, psychiatry, and pediatrics typically
      result in ordinal scores. Thus, a threshold or 'cut score' must be applied to
      these ordinal scores before accuracy can be evaluated using such standard
      indices. To better understand the tradeoffs inherent in choosing a particular
      threshold, we discuss the concept of 'threshold probability'. In contrast to PPV,
      which reflects the probability that a child whose score falls at or above the
      screening threshold has the condition of interest, threshold probability refers
      specifically to the likelihood that a child whose score is equal to a particular
      screening threshold has the condition of interest. METHOD: The diagnostic
      accuracy and threshold probability of two well-validated behavioral assessment
      instruments, the Child Behavior Checklist Total Problem Scale and the Strengths
      and Difficulties Questionnaire total scale were examined in relation to a
      structured psychiatric interview in three de-identified datasets. RESULTS:
      Although both screening measures were effective in identifying groups of children
      at elevated risk for psychopathology in all samples (odds ratios ranged from 5.2
      to 9.7), children who scored at or near the clinical thresholds that optimized
      sensitivity and specificity were unlikely to meet criteria for psychopathology on
      gold standard interviews. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are consistent with the view
      that screening instruments should be interpreted probabilistically, with
      attention to where along the continuum of positive scores an individual falls.

PMID- 26096037
TI  - Nicotine delivery and pharmacologic response from Verve, an oral nicotine
      delivery product.
AB  - Verve, an oral nicotine delivery product (ONDP), was introduced by Nu Mark
      (Altria Client Group, Richmond VA) for smokers to use in places where smoking is
      prohibited. This study assessed the effect of this ONDP on plasma nicotine
      levels, heart rate, product satisfaction, and ability to suppress smoking urge
      and cigarette cravings. Thirteen daily cigarette smokers [8 men and 5 women;
      average age 33.4years] attended two laboratory sessions, one occurred after
      overnight tobacco abstinence. Plasma samples were collected before and after ONDP
      use and measured for nicotine. In non-abstinent smokers, mean plasma nicotine
      levels increased from 18.3 to 21.0ng/mL. In abstinent smokers, average nicotine
      levels increased from 3.1 to 4.5ng/mL. After overnight tobacco abstinence, ONDP
      use significantly (p<0.01) increased heart rate from 69beats per minute (bpm) to
      75bpm; while urge to smoke decreased significantly (p<0.01) from a score of 8.6
      to 4.9. Participants indicated moderate product satisfaction that was not changed
      by tobacco abstinence. Analysis of unused ONDP revealed total nicotine levels of
      1.68+/-0.09mg/disc. Spent ONDP discs were also analyzed to determine % nicotine
      liberated during chewing; results were 80% in the non-abstinent and 82% in the
      abstinent conditions (ns). Our study results indicate that ONDP use can increase
      plasma nicotine levels and heart rate and reduce cigarette cravings in abstinent
      smokers. 

PMID- 26096038
TI  - Epigenetic modulation of Wnt signaling contributes to neuropathic pain in rats.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated that the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway is
      critical to the induction and maintenance of chronic neuropathic pain caused by
      peripheral inflammation and nerve damage. Emerging evidence from recent studies
      suggests that epigenetic mechanisms may also be critical to the pathogenesis of
      chronic pain. The present study aimed to elucidate the epigenetic mechanisms
      underlying altered Wnt signaling and their involvement in CCI-induced neuropathic
      pain in rat sciatic nerves. The results of the present study demonstrated a
      significant increase in the expression levels of Wnt3a in the dorsal horn of the
      rats with CCI. In addition, a significant increase in histone H3 acetylation, and
      a significant decrease in cytosine methylation in the promoter region of Wnt3a
      was observed in the dorsal horn of the rats with CCI. Intrathecal application of
      XAV939, which acts as an inhibitor of Wnt signaling, significantly decreased the
      expression levels of active beta-catenin, and attenuated the rat behavioral
      responses to thermal and mechanical pain stimuli. These results suggest that the
      epigenetic upregulation of Wnt3a in the dorsal horn contributes to the
      maintenance of pain-induced behavior in rats with CCI. 

PMID- 26096039
TI  - Dynamical behavior of Borospherene: A Nanobubble.
AB  - The global minimum structure of borospherene (B40) is a cage, comprising two
      hexagonal and four heptagonal rings. Born-Oppenheimer Molecular Dynamics
      simulations show that continuous conversions in between six and seven membered
      rings take place. The activation energy barrier for such a transformation is
      found to be 14.3 kcal . mol(-1). The completely delocalized sigma- and pi
      frameworks, as well as the conservation of the bonding pattern during
      rearrangement, facilitate the dynamical behavior of B40. B40 is predicted to act
      as a support-free spherical two-dimensional liquid at moderate temperature. In
      other words, B40 could be called as a nanobubble.

PMID- 26096040
TI  - Hypoxia worsens the impact of intracellular triglyceride accumulation promoted by
      electronegative low-density lipoprotein in cardiomyocytes by impairing perilipin
      5 upregulation.
AB  - Plasma lipoproteins are a source of lipids for the heart, and the proportion of
      electronegative low density lipoprotein [LDL(-)] is elevated in cardiometabolic
      diseases. Perilipin 5 (Plin5) is a crucial protein for lipid droplet management
      in the heart. Our aim was to assess the effect of LDL(-) on intracellular lipid
      content and Plin5 levels in cardiomyocytes and to determine whether these effects
      were influenced by hypoxia. HL-1 cardiomyocytes were exposed to native LDL
      [LDL(+)], LDL(-), and LDL(+) enriched in non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) by
      phospholipase A2 (PLA2)-mediated lipolysis [PLA2-LDL(+)] or by NEFA loading [NEFA
      LDL(+)] under normoxia or hypoxia. LDL(-), PLA2-LDL(+) and NEFA-LDL(+) raised the
      intracellular NEFA and triglyceride (TG) content of normoxic cardiomyocytes.
      Plin5 was moderately upregulated by LDL(+) but more highly upregulated by LDL(-),
      PLA2-LDL(+) and NEFA-LDL(+) in normoxic cardiomyocytes. Hypoxia enhanced the
      effect of LDL(-), PLA2-LDL(+) and NEFA-LDL(+) on intracellular TG and NEFA
      concentrations but, in contrast, counteracted the upregulatory effect of these
      LDLs on Plin5. Fluorescence microscopy experiments showed that hypoxic
      cardiomyocytes exposed to LDL(-), PLA2-LDL(+) and NEFA-LDL(+) have an increased
      production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). By treating hypoxic cardiomyocytes
      with WY-14643 (PPARalpha agonist), Plin5 remained high. In this situation, LDL(-)
      failed to enhance intracellular NEFA concentration and ROS production. In
      conclusion, these results show that Plin5 deficiency in hypoxic cardiomyocytes
      exposed to LDL(-) dramatically increases the levels of unpacked NEFA and ROS. 

PMID- 26096042
TI  - Erratum to: Basal cell cystadenoma of the lacrimal gland: diagnostic pitfalls of
      a basaloid pattern in lacrimal tumours.

PMID- 26096041
TI  - Long-term control of diabetes in immunosuppressed nonhuman primates (NHP) by the
      transplantation of adult porcine islets.
AB  - Pig islets are an alternative source for islet transplantation to treat type 1
      diabetes (T1D), but reproducible curative potential in the pig-to-nonhuman
      primate (NHP) model has not been demonstrated. Here, we report that pig islet
      grafts survived and maintained normoglycemia for >6 months in four of five
      consecutive immunosuppressed NHPs. Pig islets were isolated from designated
      pathogen-free (DPF) miniature pigs and infused intraportally into streptozotocin
      induced diabetic rhesus monkeys under pretreatment with cobra venom factor (CVF),
      anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) induction and maintenance with anti-CD154
      monoclonal antibody and low-dose sirolimus. Ex vivo expanded autologous
      regulatory T cells were adoptively transferred in three recipients. Blood glucose
      levels were promptly normalized in all five monkeys and normoglycemia (90-110
      mg/dL) was maintained for >6 months in four cases, the longest currently up to
      603 days. Intravenous glucose tolerance tests during the follow-up period showed
      excellent glucose disposal capacity and porcine C-peptide responses. Adoptive
      transfer of autologous regulatory T cells was likely to be associated with more
      stable and durable normoglycemia. Importantly, the recipients showed no serious
      adverse effects. Taken together, our results confirm the clinical feasibility of
      pig islet transplantation to treat T1D patients without the need for excessive
      immunosuppressive therapy.

PMID- 26096043
TI  - The impact of septoplasty on health-related quality of life in paediatric
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact that septoplasty had on health-related quality
      of life (HRQoL) in paediatric patients and to determine whether there were
      patient characteristics that predicted better outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective
      cohort study. SETTING: Academic paediatric otolaryngology practice. PARTICIPANTS:
      All paediatric patients who underwent septoplasty during the study period. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: The current HRQoL was assessed using the Paediatric Quality of
      Life Inventory (PedsQL). The Glasgow Children's Benefit Inventory (GCBI) was used
      to evaluate the perceived change in HRQoL following septoplasty. RESULTS: A total
      of 29 patients (16 boys, mean age 13 years) and their caregivers responded
      (response rate of 72.5%). There was a statistically significant improvement in
      HRQoL following septoplasty, as demonstrated by the positive mean GCBI subscores
      and the total GCBI score (35.1, sd = 28.4). The total mean PedsQL score for child
      self-report was 95.2 (sd = 6.9) and for parent-proxy report was 91.8 (sd = 8.6),
      which indicated good current HRQoL. The enhancement in HRQoL post-septoplasty was
      moderately correlated with self-reported degree of nasal obstruction pre
      septoplasty (r = 0.621 for total GCBI). Also, there were differences in GCBI
      scores between the groups of children who wanted to have the surgery versus those
      who did not want to have the surgery. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant
      positive change in HRQoL following paediatric septoplasty in our study
      population. Children who reported more severe nasal obstruction and those who
      wanted to have the surgery were more likely to experience enhancement of HRQoL
      following their surgery.

PMID- 26096044
TI  - Beta-globin gene evolution in the ruminants: evidence for an ancient origin of
      sheep haplotype B.
AB  - Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) can be divided into two groups with significantly
      different responses to hypoxic environments, determined by two allelic beta
      globin haplotypes. Haplotype A is very similar to the goat beta-globin locus,
      whereas haplotype B has a deletion spanning four globin genes, including beta-C
      globin, which encodes a globin with high oxygen affinity. We surveyed the beta
      globin locus using resequencing data from 70 domestic sheep from 42 worldwide
      breeds and three Ovis canadensis and two Ovis dalli individuals. Haplotype B has
      an allele frequency of 71.4% in O. aries and was homozygous (BB) in all five wild
      sheep. This shared ancestry indicates haplotype B is at least 2-3 million years
      old. Approximately 40 kb of the sequence flanking the ~37-kb haplotype B deletion
      had unexpectedly low identity between haplotypes A and B. Phylogenetic analysis
      showed that the divergent region of sheep haplotype B is remarkably distinct from
      the beta-globin loci in goat and cattle but still groups with the Ruminantia. We
      hypothesize that this divergent ~40-kb region in haplotype B may be from an
      unknown ancestral ruminant and was maintained in the lineage to O. aries, but not
      other Bovidae, evolving independently of haplotype A. Alternatively, the ~40-kb
      sequence in haplotype B was more recently acquired by an ancestor of sheep from
      an unknown non-Bovidae ruminant, replacing part of haplotype A. Haplotype B has a
      lower nucleotide diversity than does haplotype A, suggesting a recent bottleneck,
      whereas the higher frequency of haplotype B suggests a subsequent spread through
      the global population of O. aries.

PMID- 26096045
TI  - With Great Brain Hub Connectivity Comes Great Vulnerability.

PMID- 26096046
TI  - Compound MQA, a Caffeoylquinic Acid Derivative, Protects Against NMDA-Induced
      Neurotoxicity and Potential Mechanisms In Vitro.
AB  - AIMS: Compound MQA (1,5-O-dicaffeoyl-3-O-[4-malic acid methyl ester]-quinic acid)
      is a natural derivative of caffeoylquinic acid isolated from Arctium lappa L.
      roots. However, we know little about the effects of MQA on the central nervous
      system. This study aims to investigate the neuroprotective effects and underlying
      mechanisms of MQA against the neurotoxicity of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA).
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Pretreatment with MQA attenuated the loss of cell viability
      after SH-SY5Y cells treated with 1 mM NMDA for 30 min by MTT assay. Hoechst 33342
      and Annexin V-PI double staining showed that MQA inhibited NMDA-induced
      apoptosis. In addition to preventing Ca(2+) influx, the potential mechanisms are
      associated with increases in the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, attenuation of cytochrome c
      release, caspase-3, caspase-9 activities, and expressions. Also, MQA inhibited
      NMDA-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38, and JNK1/2. Furthermore,
      deactivation of CREB, AKT, and GSK-3beta, upregulation of GluN2B-containing NMDA
      receptors (NMDARs), and downregulation of GluN2A-containing NMDARs were
      significantly reversed by MQA treatment. Computational docking simulation
      indicates that MQA possesses a well affinity for NMDARs. CONCLUSION: The
      protective effects of MQA against NMDA-induced cell injury may be mediated by
      blocking NMDARs. The potential mechanisms are related with mitochondrial
      apoptosis, ERK-CREB, AKT/GSK-3beta, p38, and JNK1/2 pathway.

PMID- 26096047
TI  - Modulation of mTOR Activity by MU-Opioid Receptor is Dependent upon the
      Association of Receptor and FK506-Binding Protein 12.
AB  - AIMS: Mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation by MU-opioid
      receptor (OPRM1) participates in antinociceptive tolerance, hyperalgesia, and
      physical dependence. Our previous study also showed that mTOR activation by OPRM1
      could attenuate beta amyloid oligomers-induced neurotoxicity. OPRM1 is
      demonstrated to interact with FK506-binding protein 12 (FKBP12). It is our great
      interest to investigate whether OPRM1-mediated mTOR signaling is related to
      receptor-FKBP12 association. METHODS: The activities of mTOR and its downstream
      effector p70 S6K were measured by immunoblotting their phosphorylation status.
      The interaction of receptor with mTOR was detected by co-immunoprecipitation and
      immunofluorescence. RESULTS: OPRM1 activation by morphine-induced time-dependent
      mTOR activation. PI3K-specific inhibitor LY294002 only blocked the late phase of
      mTOR activation. However, morphine-induced mTOR activation was totally blocked at
      all time points in cells expressing FKBP12 association-deficient mutant receptor.
      FKBP12 knockdown also blocked morphine-induced mTOR activation. Further analysis
      demonstrated that morphine treatment enhanced the association of receptor with
      phosphorylated mTOR, whereas decreased association was observed after FKBP12
      knockdown, mTOR inhibition or in cells expressing FKBP12 association-deficient
      mutant. CONCLUSIONS: OPRM1-FKBP12 association played a key role in OPRM1-mediated
      mTOR activation, which could underlie the mechanisms of multiple physiological
      and pathological processes. Thus, our findings provide new avenue to modulating
      these processes.

PMID- 26096048
TI  - Mobile Stroke: An Experience of Intravenous Thrombolysis Guided by
      Teleconsultation Based on Google Glass.

PMID- 26096049
TI  - Lymphomatoid Granulomatosis with Central Nervous System Involvement Successfully
      Treated with Cyclophosphamide, High-dose Cytarabine, Dexamethasone, Etoposide,
      and Rituximab (CHASER therapy) Followed by Brain Irradiation: A Case Study.

PMID- 26096051
TI  - Spatial variability of helminth parasites and evidence for stock discrimination
      in the round sardinella, Sardinella aurita (Valenciennes, 1847), off the coast of
      Tunisia.
AB  - Three digeneans - Parahemiurus merus (Linton, 1910), Aphanurus stossichii
      (Monticelli, 1891) and Lecithochirium sp. - and one tetraphyllidean cestode larva
      were used as biological tags to discriminate the stock of Sardinella aurita
      (Valenciennes, 1847). In total, 579 fish were examined in five zones off the
      Tunisian coast, including Bizerte and Kelibia in the north, Mahdia in the east,
      Gabes and Zarzis in the south. Discriminant analyses used for the separation of
      S. aurita allowed for the identification of two discrete stocks. Sardinella
      aurita from Bizerte, Kelibia and Zarzis clumped together as a single stock.
      Parahemiurus merus and A. stossichii were the most important species in
      determining the location of sampled fish from these regions. Specimens from
      Mahdia and Gabes were grouped as one stock characterized by the presence of
      Lecithochirium sp. and larvae of the Tetraphyllidea. These results were
      corroborated by comparing the parameters of prevalence and mean abundance of
      parasites among zones. The separation of S. aurita between localities after
      pooling specimens from Bizerte, Kelibia and Zarzis and separately pooling those
      from Mahdia and Gabes also allowed the identification of two discrete stocks, one
      in offshore waters from Bizerte, Kelibia and Zarzis characterized by the
      digeneans P. merus and A. stossichii and one in inshore waters from Mahdia and
      Gabes characterized by Lechithochirium sp. and tetraphyllidean larvae. 

PMID- 26096050
TI  - Adolescent-onset GABAA alpha1 silencing regulates reward-related decision making.
AB  - The GABAA receptor mediates fast, inhibitory signaling, and cortical expression
      of the alpha1 subunit increases during postnatal development. Certain
      pathological stimuli such as stressors or prenatal cocaine exposure can interfere
      with this process, but causal relationships between GABAA alpha1 deficiency and
      complex behavioral outcomes remain unconfirmed. We chronically reduced GABAA
      alpha1 expression selectively in the medial prefrontal cortex (prelimbic
      subregion) of mice using viral-mediated gene silencing of Gabra1. Adolescent
      onset Gabra1 knockdown delayed the acquisition of a cocaine-reinforced
      instrumental response but spared cocaine seeking in extinction and in a cue
      induced reinstatement procedure. To determine whether response acquisition
      deficits could be associated with impairments in action-outcome associative
      learning and memory, we next assessed behavioral sensitivity to instrumental
      contingency degradation. In this case, the predictive relationship between
      familiar actions and their outcomes is violated. Adolescent-onset knockdown,
      although not adult-onset knockdown, delayed the expression of goal-directed
      response strategies in this task, resulting instead in inflexible habit-like
      modes of response. Thus, the maturation of medial prefrontal cortex GABAA alpha1
      systems during adolescence appears necessary for goal-directed reward-related
      decision making in adulthood. These findings are discussed in the light of
      evidence that prolonged Gabra1 deficiency may impair synaptic plasticity.

PMID- 26096052
TI  - Survival and patient satisfaction of short implants during the first 2 years of
      function: a retrospective cohort study with 694 implants in 416 patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of implant length
      on implant survival and patient satisfaction during the first 24 months in
      function. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort of 312 "short"
      Straumann((r)) SLActive((r)) implants (length <= 8 mm) in 224 patients, which
      were inserted between 2008 and 2010 in private practice, were evaluated. The mean
      observation period was 26.7 +/- 9.7 months. Three hundred and eighty-two
      Straumann SLActive((r)) implants in 192 patients with a length >= 12 mm served as
      control group. The mean observation period in the control group was 28.3 +/- 10.1
      months. Implant survival rate, crown-to-implant ratio, resonance frequency
      analysis, and patient satisfaction were evaluated. RESULTS: Implant survival rate
      was 99% in the test vs. 98.7% in the control group. The crown-to-implant ratio
      was significantly higher in the control group (P < 0.0001). Resonance frequency
      analysis showed slightly higher values for the short implants. There was a
      tendency to higher satisfaction (Oral Health Impact Profile [OHIP]) in the test
      group without statistical significant differences but a high overall satisfaction
      in both groups. CONCLUSION: Within the limits of the present investigation,
      implant length had no significant influence on implant survival during the first
      24 months of function of the specific implant system with hydrophilic surface
      (SLActive((r)) ). Further follow-up studies are required to evaluate long-term
      results of the reduced implant length.

PMID- 26096053
TI  - Coaches' implicit associations between size and giftedness: implications for the
      relative age effect.
AB  - The relative age effect (RAE) is a well-established phenomenon in education and
      sports. Coaches have been assumed to be important social agents of RAE via biased
      selection decisions in favour of children with maturation advantages. In the
      present research, we used the Implicit Association Test to investigate automatic
      associations between body size and a player's domain-specific giftedness amongst
      youth baseball (N = 18) and youth soccer coaches (N = 34). We found medium to
      strong automatic associations between body size and player giftedness (baseball:
      MD = 0.62; soccer: MD = 0.51). Specifically, taller players were associated with
      positive performance-related attributes, whereas smaller players were associated
      with negative attributes. The results are in line with theories of grounded
      cognition by showing that the abstract concept of "sport giftedness" is partly
      grounded in the perception of physical height amongst youth sports coaches. We
      argue that this grounded cognition has the potential to influence coaches'
      selection decisions and in turn account for RAE as coaches are biased towards
      physically more matured players, even when no apparent performance advantage is
      evident. 

PMID- 26096054
TI  - Cutaneous epithelioid malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour: a
      clinicopathological analysis of 11 cases.
AB  - AIMS: Epithelioid malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour (E-MPNST) is a
      distinctive variant of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour characterized by
      the predominance of epithelioid cells, diffuse S100 positivity and infrequent
      association with neurofibromatosis type 1. The aim of this study was to further
      delineate clinicopathological features of cutaneous E-MPNST, correlate them with
      disease outcome and discuss differential diagnosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: We
      analysed 11 cutaneous E-MPNSTs (six males, five females, median age 49 years,
      median size 1.6 cm). Tumours showed a predilection for lower extremities (45%)
      and trunk (45%), followed by upper extremity (9%). Follow-up was available for
      nine of 11 patients (range 24-100 months, median 52 months). Four patients had an
      uneventful clinical course (44%), two developed local recurrence(s) (22%) and
      three died due to disseminated disease (33%). No histological parameters were
      found to predict local recurrence(s), development of distant metastases or
      disease outcome, including size, percentage of epithelioid component, number of
      mitoses per 10 high-power fields, degree of nuclear atypia or site of occurrence
      (dermis, dermis/subcutis, subcutis) (P > 0.05). Immunohistochemically, all
      tumours were diffusely S100-positive, with a subset displaying loss of integrase
      interactor 1 (INI1) expression (50%). CONCLUSIONS: Cutaneous E-MPNST has the
      potential to pursue an aggressive clinical course, associated with wide
      dissemination and unfavourable disease outcome.

PMID- 26096055
TI  - Total Synthesis and Structural Revision of Antibiotic CJ-16,264.
AB  - The total synthesis and structural revision of antibiotic CJ-16,264 is described.
      Starting with citronellal, the quest for the target molecule featured a novel bis
      transannular Diels-Alder reaction that casted stereoselectively the decalin
      system and included the synthesis of six isomers before demystification of its
      true structure. 

PMID- 26096056
TI  - History of the Tinnitus Research Consortium.
AB  - This article describes the creation and accomplishments of the Tinnitus Research
      Consortium (TRC), founded and supported through philanthropy and intended to
      enrich the field of tinnitus research. Bringing together a group of distinguished
      auditory researchers, most of whom were not involved in tinnitus research, over
      the fifteen years of its life it developed novel research approaches and
      recruited a number of new investigators into the field. The purpose of this
      special issue is to highlight some of the significant accomplishments of the
      investigators supported by the TRC. This article is part of a Special Issue
      entitled "Tinnitus".

PMID- 26096058
TI  - Maturation and Dysgenesis of the Human Olfactory Bulb.
AB  - The olfactory bulb with its unique architecture was studied for neuronal
      maturation in human fetuses. Neuroblasts stream into the olfactory bulb from the
      rostral telencephalon and secondarily migrate radially. The transitory olfactory
      ventricular recess regresses postnatally. Olfactory is the only sensory system
      without thalamic projections but incorporates intrinsic thalamic equivalents. The
      bulb is a repository of progenitor cells. Maturation of the bulb and tract was
      studied in 18 normal human fetuses of 16-41 weeks gestation; mid-gestational
      twins with hydrocephalus; 7 arrhinencephaly/holoprosencephaly; 2 olfactory
      dysgeneses. Multiple immunoreactivities were performed. Synaptophysin around
      mitral neurons, in a few synaptic glomeruli and concentric lamination of the
      outer granular layer, was seen at 16 weeks. Outer granular neurons exhibited NeuN
      at 16 weeks, only 2/3 were reactive at term. Concentric alternating sheets of
      granular neurons and their dendrodendritic synapses are seen during maturation.
      Calretinin reactivity is seen in neurons and neurites, primary olfactory nerve
      axons, periglomerular cells and neuroepithelial cells surrounding the ventricular
      recess; reactivity occurs later in synaptic glomeruli than with synaptophysin;
      not all glomeruli are strongly reactive even at term. Nestin- and vimentin
      reactive bipolar progenitor cells were demonstrated at all ages and extend into
      the olfactory tract. Myelin is demonstrated by Luxol fast blue (LFB) only
      postnatally. In hydrocephalus, the olfactory recess is dilated. Mitral cell
      dispersion, disrupted glomeruli, heterotopia and maturational delay are seen in
      some dysgeneses. Malformations exhibit unique findings. Fusion of hypoplastic
      bulbs can occur. Abnormal architecture is seen in hemimegalencephaly. More
      documentation of olfactory dysgenesis is needed in other major brain
      malformations.

PMID- 26096057
TI  - Peptidyl-prolyl isomerization targets rice Aux/IAAs for proteasomal degradation
      during auxin signalling.
AB  - In plants, auxin signalling is initiated by the auxin-promoted interaction
      between the auxin receptor TIR1, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, and the Aux/IAA
      transcriptional repressors, which are subsequently degraded by the proteasome.
      Gain-of-function mutations in the highly conserved domain II of Aux/IAAs abolish
      the TIR1-Aux/IAA interaction and thus cause an auxin-resistant phenotype. Here we
      show that peptidyl-prolyl isomerization of rice OsIAA11 catalysed by LATERAL
      ROOTLESS2 (LRT2), a cyclophilin-type peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase,
      directly regulates the stability of OsIAA11. NMR spectroscopy reveals that LRT2
      efficiently catalyses the cis/trans isomerization of OsIAA11. The lrt2 mutation
      reduces OsTIR1-OsIAA11 interaction and consequently causes the accumulation of a
      higher level of OsIAA11 protein. Moreover, knockdown of the OsIAA11 expression
      partially rescues the lrt2 mutant phenotype in lateral root development.
      Together, these results illustrate cyclophilin-catalysed peptidyl-prolyl
      isomerization promotes Aux/IAA degradation, as a mechanism regulating auxin
      signalling. 

PMID- 26096059
TI  - Sydenham's chorea: beyond involuntary movements.

PMID- 26096060
TI  - Treatment of pediatric lymphoma in Japan: Current status and plans for the
      future.
AB  - Results of pediatric lymphoma treatment have improved markedly over the past 30
      years. In Hodgkin's lymphoma, the 5 year event-free survival (EFS) was 81.5% in a
      retrospective study. In the ALB-NHL03 study, the 5 year EFS according to clinical
      stage in patients with lymphoblastic T-cell lymphoma (T-LBL) was 70.6% for stage
      III and 88.9% for stage IV. In mature B-cell lymphoma, the B-NHL03 study
      indicated that the 4 year EFS according to treatment group was 94% for group 1,
      98% for group 2, 84% for group 3, and 78% for group 4. Moreover, the 2 year EFS
      rate was 81% in Japanese advanced stage patients based on the international
      ALCL99 study. Thus, EFS >80% was achieved in any subtype of pediatric lymphoma.
      With regard to refractory or recurrent lymphoma, however, treatment methods for
      improvement of the survival rate in these patients still need to be developed.
      Also the difference between child, and adolescent and young adult patients still
      needs to be clarified, and treatment protocols developed. Although lymphoma
      treatment does not greatly change according to country, it does differ between
      other countries and Japan for some subtypes of lymphoma. In particular, the
      results of treatment of stage III T-LBL in Japan are worse than those in the USA
      and Europe. The priority in future studies will be to collect data on these
      differences, and the reasons for these differences.

PMID- 26096061
TI  - A nationwide assessment of outcomes after bile duct reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bile duct reconstruction (BDR) is used to manage benign and malignant
      neoplasms, congenital anomalies, bile duct injuries and other non-malignant
      diseases. BDR outcomes overall, by year, and by indication were compared.
      METHODS: Retrospective analysis of Nationwide Inpatient Sample discharges (2004
      2011) including ICD-9 codes for BDR. All statistical testing was performed using
      survey weighting. Univariate analysis of admission characteristics by chi square
      testing. Multivariate modelling for inpatient complications and inpatient death
      by logistic regression. RESULTS: Identified 67 160 weighted patient admissions:
      2.5% congenital anomaly, 37.4% malignant neoplasm, 2.3% benign neoplasm, 9.9%
      biliary injury, 47.9% other non-malignant disease. Most BDRs were performed in
      teaching hospitals (69.6%) but only 25% at centres with a BDR volume more than
      35/year. 32.3% involved >= 1 complication, and 84.7% were discharges home. There
      was a 4.2% inpatient death rate. The complication rate increased but the
      inpatient death rate decreased over time. The rates of acute renal failure
      increased. Significant multivariate predictors of inpatient death include
      indication of biliary injury or malignancy, and predictors of any complication
      include public insurance and non-elective admission. CONCLUSION: This is the
      first national description of BDRs using a large database. In this diverse
      sampling, both procedure indication and patient characteristics influence
      morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 26096062
TI  - The Radiative Lifetime in Near-IR-Luminescent Ytterbium Cryptates: The Key to
      Extremely High Quantum Yields.
AB  - A powerful strategy for the improvement of near-IR lanthanoid luminescence has
      been successfully employed for the first time, which involves the rational and
      deliberate shortening of the radiative luminescence lifetimes tau(rad) in
      molecular ytterbium complexes. In this context, the bidentate chelating unit 2,2'
      bipyridine-N,N'-dioxide has been identified as being responsible for decreasing
      tau(rad) substantially in macrobicyclic Yb cryptates. This strategy, when
      combined with conventional approaches, yields unprecedented absolute near-IR
      quantum yields of up to 12%. This extraordinary efficiency represents the highest
      value measured for any molecular lanthanoid near-IR emitter. The proof-of-concept
      for the implementation of the new strategy opens up entirely new prospects for
      the field of lanthanoid luminescence.

PMID- 26096063
TI  - A preliminary study on the use and effect of hand antiseptics in veterinary
      practice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess use and effect of hand antiseptics in veterinary clinical
      practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Veterinary practice nurses were questioned
      concerning their use of hand antiseptics, in particular waterless hand rubs.
      Subsequent clinical trials assessed the effect of single applications of alcohol
      based and quaternary ammonium compound-based hand rubs at reducing bacterial
      counts on the hands of theatre nurses in a neutering clinic. RESULTS: The
      majority of responding practices used waterless hand rubs (alcohol-based, 67.5%
      and quaternary ammonium compound-based, 9.5%) as their primary hand hygiene agent
      and believed them to be effective. 23% of practices favoured an antiseptic hand
      wash. In clinical trials, alcohol-based rubs were potentially more effective at
      reducing bacterial counts than quaternary ammonium compound-based rubs especially
      in the period immediately after application. However, over 3 hours there was no
      significant change between these and a control group. There were more adverse
      skin effects in the group using alcohol-based than in the quaternary ammonium
      compound-based and control groups. The bacterial counts after application were
      unaffected by variables such as the number of animals contacted. CLINICAL
      SIGNIFICANCE: The studies provide useful baseline data for evaluation of efficacy
      of more frequent applications of the most common antiseptic hand rubs used in
      veterinary practice.

PMID- 26096064
TI  - Screen time is independently associated with health-related quality of life in
      overweight and obese adolescents.
AB  - AIM: Excessive screen time and diminished health-related quality of life (HRQoL)
      are greater problems for obese than nonobese adolescents, but no research has
      examined the relationship between these two variables. This study examined the
      association between screen time and HRQoL in overweight and obese adolescents.
      METHODS: A sample of 358 overweight and obese adolescents aged 14-18 years were
      assessed at baseline between 2005 and 2010 as part of the Canadian Healthy
      Eating, Aerobic and Resistance Training in Youth (HEARTY) trial. We used the
      Pediatric Quality of Life (PEDS-QL) and other self-report measures to assess
      HRQoL and screen time, defined as how long the 261 females and 97 males spent
      viewing TV, using the computer and playing video games. RESULTS: After adjusting
      for socio-demographic variables, adiposity, physical activity and diet, screen
      time duration was associated with reduced overall HRQoL (adjusted r = -0.16, beta
      = -0.16, p = 0.009) and psychosocial HRQoL (adjusted r = -0.16, beta = -0.18, p =
      0.004), but not physical HRQoL. No differences were found between males and
      females. CONCLUSION: Screen time was associated with reduced overall and
      psychosocial HRQoL in overweight and obese adolescents. Future research should
      determine whether reducing screen time improves overall and psychosocial HRQoL in
      obese adolescents.

PMID- 26096065
TI  - Targeting inhibitor of apoptosis proteins by Smac mimetic elicits cell death in
      poor prognostic subgroups of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
AB  - Inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins are highly expressed in chronic lymphocytic
      leukemia (CLL) cells and contribute to evasion of cell death and poor therapeutic
      response. Here, we report that Smac mimetic BV6 dose-dependently induces cell
      death in 28 of 51 (54%) investigated CLL samples, while B-cells from healthy
      donors are largely unaffected. Importantly, BV6 is significantly more effective
      in prognostic unfavorable cases with, e.g., non-mutated VH status and TP53
      mutation than samples with unknown or favorable prognosis. The majority of cases
      with 17p deletion (10/12) and Fludarabine refractory cases respond to BV6,
      indicating that BV6 acts independently of p53. BV6 also triggers cell death under
      survival conditions mimicking the microenvironment, e.g., by adding CD40 ligand
      or conditioned medium. Gene expression profiling identifies cell death, NF-kappaB
      and redox signaling among the top pathways regulated by BV6 not only in CLL but
      also in core-binding factor (CBF) acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Consistently, BV6
      stimulates production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are contributing to
      BV6-induced cell death, since antioxidants reduce cell death. While BV6 causes
      degradation of cellular inhibitor of apoptosis (cIAP)1 and cIAP2 and nuclear
      factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway activation in primary CLL samples, BV6 induces
      cell death independently of caspase activity, receptor-interacting protein (RIP)1
      activity or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha, as zVAD.fmk, necrostatin-1 or
      TNFalpha-blocking antibody Enbrel fail to inhibit cell death. Together, these
      novel insights into BV6-regulated cell death in CLL have important implications
      for developing new therapeutic strategies to overcome cell death resistance
      especially in poor prognostic CLL subgroups.

PMID- 26096066
TI  - Retinoic acid-inducible gene 1 and sensing of hepatitis B virus revisited.

PMID- 26096067
TI  - King's Parkinson's disease pain scale, the first scale for pain in PD: An
      international validation.
AB  - Pain is a key unmet need and a major aspect of non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's
      disease (PD). No specific validated scales exist to identify and grade the
      various types of pain in PD. We report an international, cross-sectional, open,
      multicenter, one-point-in-time evaluation with retest study of the first PD
      specific pain scale, the King's PD Pain Scale. Its seven domains include 14
      items, each item scored by severity (0-3) multiplied by frequency (0-4),
      resulting in a subscore of 0 to 12, with a total possible score range from 0 to
      168. One hundred seventy-eight PD patients with otherwise unexplained pain (age
      [mean +/- SD], 64.38 +/- 11.38 y [range, 29-85]; 62.92% male; duration of
      disease, 5.40 +/- 4.93 y) and 83 nonspousal non-PD controls, matched by age
      (64.25 +/- 11.10 y) and sex (61.45% males) were studied. No missing data were
      noted, and floor effect was observed in all domains. The difference between mean
      and median King's PD Pain Scale total score was less than 10% of the maximum
      observed value. Skewness was marginally high (1.48 for patients). Factor analysis
      showed four factors in the King's PD Pain Scale, explaining 57% of the variance
      (Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin, 0.73; sphericity test). Cronbach's alpha was 0.78, item
      total correlation mean value 0.40, and item homogeneity 0.22. Correlation
      coefficients of the King's PD Pain Scale domains and total score with other pain
      measures were high. Correlation with the Scale for Outcomes in PD-Motor, Non
      Motor Symptoms Scale total score, and quality of life measures was high. The
      King's PD Pain Scale seems to be a reliable and valid scale for grade rating of
      various types of pain in PD.

PMID- 26096068
TI  - Activation of the FGFR1 signalling pathway by the Epstein-Barr virus-encoded LMP1
      promotes aerobic glycolysis and transformation of human nasopharyngeal epithelial
      cells.
AB  - Non-keratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is closely associated with
      Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. The EBV-encoded latent membrane protein 1
      (LMP1) is believed to play an important role in NPC pathogenesis by virtue of its
      ability to activate multiple cell signalling pathways which collectively promote
      cell proliferation, transformation, angiogenesis, and invasiveness, as well as
      modulation of energy metabolism. In this study, we report that LMP1 increases
      cellular uptake of glucose and glutamine, enhances LDHA activity and lactate
      production, but reduces pyruvate kinase activity and pyruvate concentrations.
      LMP1 also increases the phosphorylation of PKM2, LDHA, and FGFR1, as well as the
      expression of PDHK1, FGFR1, c-Myc, and HIF-1alpha, regardless of oxygen
      availability. Collectively, these findings suggest that LMP1 promotes aerobic
      glycolysis. With respect to FGFR1 signalling, LMP1 not only increases FGFR1
      expression, but also up-regulates FGF2, leading to constitutive activation of the
      FGFR1 signalling pathway. Furthermore, two inhibitors of FGFR1 (PD161570 and
      SU5402) attenuate LMP1-mediated aerobic glycolysis, cellular transformation
      (proliferation and anchorage-independent growth), cell migration, and invasion in
      nasopharyngeal epithelial cells, identifying FGFR1 signalling as a key pathway in
      LMP1-mediated growth transformation. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that
      high levels of phosphorylated FGFR1 are common in primary NPC specimens and that
      this correlated with the expression of LMP1. In addition, FGFR1 inhibitors
      suppress cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth of NPC cells. Our
      current findings demonstrate that LMP1-mediated FGFR1 activation contributes to
      aerobic glycolysis and transformation of epithelial cells, thereby implicating
      FGF2/FGFR1 signalling activation in the EBV-driven pathogenesis of NPC.

PMID- 26096070
TI  - Does Insert Type Affect Clinical and Functional Outcome in Total Knee
      Arthroplasty? A Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial With 5-Year Follow-Up.
AB  - New insert types have been developed to improve clinical and functional outcome
      in mobile bearing (MB-TKA) and fixed bearing total knee arthroplasty (FB-TKA). A
      prospective single blinded randomised controlled clinical trial was performed to
      evaluate 2 types of MB-TKA inserts and 2 types of FB-TKA inserts of the Genesis
      II prosthesis (Smith & Nephew) in 146 patients with 5-years follow-up. A
      significant difference (P=.042) between the MB-TKA inserts was found in KSS
      function scores, but clinical significance is expected to be limited. Goniometry,
      temporal gait parameters and QoL were similar in all groups. Survival was
      significantly better (P=.047) for FB-TKA. The comparable outcome and higher
      revision rate in MB-TKA indicate that FB-TKA may be preferential for the Genesis
      II implant system. 

PMID- 26096071
TI  - Comparison of Patient Function during the First Six Weeks after Direct Anterior
      or Posterior Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA): A Randomized Study.
AB  - The purpose of this single-surgeon randomized study was to determine if
      functional recovery during the early postoperative period differs between the
      direct anterior (DAA) and posterior approaches (PA). An a priori power analysis
      indicated that 26 patients per group were needed, and 6-week follow-up data were
      available for 51 THAs to date. Hospitals stays were significantly shorter for the
      DAA group (1.4 vs. 2.0 days, P=0.01), and the change in Pain Scores was
      significantly greater for the DAA group (P=0.04). The DAA group also discontinued
      use of an assistive ambulatory device at an earlier time (33.0 vs. 43.1 days,
      P=0.03). Despite these differences, no other subjective or objective functional
      measures differed between the 2 groups at the 6-week follow-up.

PMID- 26096072
TI  - Single-Stage Hip and Knee Exchange for Periprosthetic Joint Infection.
AB  - Periprosthetic joint infections following hip and knee arthroplasty are
      challenging complications for Orthopaedic surgeons to manage. The single-stage
      exchange procedure is becoming increasingly popular with promising results. At
      our Institute we have demonstrated favourable or similar outcomes compared to the
      'gold-standard' two-stage exchange, and other published single-stage results. The
      aim of this study is to describe the patient selection criteria and perioperative
      steps in a single-stage exchange for hip and knee arthroplasty undertaken at our
      Institute. The outlined protocol can be performed using standard debridement,
      attention to detail and well-recognised reconstructive techniques. 

PMID- 26096073
TI  - Identification of the long non-coding RNA H19 in plasma as a novel biomarker for
      diagnosis of gastric cancer.
AB  - Recent studies have demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regarded
      as useful tools for cancer detection, particularly for the early stage; however,
      little is known about their diagnostic impact on gastric cancer (GC). We
      hypothesized that GC-related lncRNAs might release into the circulation during
      tumor initiation and could be utilized to detect and monitor GC. 8 lncRNAs which
      previously found to be differently expressed in GC were selected as candidate
      targets for subsequent circulating lncRNA assay. After validating in 20 pairs of
      tissues and plasma in training set, H19 was selected for further analysis in
      another 70 patients and 70 controls. Plasma level of H19 was significantly higher
      in GC patients compared with normal controls (p < 0.0001). By receiver operating
      characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was
      0.838; p < 0.001; sensitivity, 82.9%; specificity, 72.9%). Furthermore, H19
      expression enabled the differentiation of early stage GC from controls with AUC
      of 0.877; sensitivity, 85.5%; specificity, 80.1%. Besides, plasma levels of H19
      were significantly lower in postoperative samples than preoperative samples (p =
      0.001). In conclusion, plasma H19 could serve as a potential biomarker for
      diagnosis of GC, in particular for early tumor screening.

PMID- 26096074
TI  - Bioorthogonal Labeling, Bioimaging, and Photocytotoxicity Studies of
      Phosphorescent Ruthenium(II) Polypyridine Dibenzocyclooctyne Complexes.
AB  - The synthesis, characterization, photophysics, lipophilicity, and cellular
      properties of new phosphorescent ruthenium(II) polypyridine complexes
      functionalized with a dibenzocyclooctyne (DIBO) or amine moiety [Ru(N^N)2
      (L)](PF6 )2 are reported (L=4-(13-N-(3,4:7,8-dibenzocyclooctyne-5-oxycarbonyl)
      amino-4,7,10-trioxa-tridecanyl-aminocarbonyl-oxy-methyl)-4'-methyl-2,2'
      bipyridine bpy-DIBO, N^N=2,2'-bipyridine bpy (1 a), 1,10-phenanthroline phen (2
      a); L=4-(13-amino-4,7,10-trioxa-tridecanylaminocarbonyl-oxy-methyl)-4'-methyl
      2,2'-bipyridine bpy-NH2 , N^N=bpy (1 b), phen (2 b)). The strain-promoted alkyne
      azide cycloaddition (SPAAC) reaction of the DIBO complexes 1 a and 2 a with
      benzyl azide were studied. Also, the DIBO complexes 1 a and 2 a can selectively
      label N-azidoglycans located on the surface of CHO-K1 and A549 cells that were
      pretreated with 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-N-azidoacetyl-D-mannosamine (Ac4 ManNAz).
      Additionally, the intracellular trafficking and localization of these
      biomolecules were monitored using laser-scanning confocal microscopy.
      Interestingly, the biolabeling and cellular uptake efficiency of the DIBO
      complexes 1 a and 2 a were cell-line dependent, as revealed by flow cytometry and
      ICP-MS. Furthermore, the complexes showed good biocompatibility toward the Ac4
      ManNAz-pretreated cells in the dark, but exhibited photoinduced cytotoxicity due
      to the generation of singlet oxygen.

PMID- 26096075
TI  - Polyelectrolyte brushes in external fields: molecular dynamics simulations and
      mean-field theory.
AB  - A mean-field model is developed to predict the layer-thickness of sparse and salt
      free polyelectrolyte brushes, exposed to an external electric field, which
      attracts the polyelectrolytes to the substrate. In molecular dynamics
      simulations, it is shown that a fraction of polymers collapses entirely to screen
      the charge of the substrate. The remaining brushes are then treated as field-free
      brushes at reduced grafting density. The mean-field model may thus be applied to
      field-free brushes, both in their osmotic and their weak charge regimes. It
      yields simple, closed equations for the brush height and for the partition of
      counterions in- and outside the brushes, and accurately reproduces simulation
      data of the collapse of the brushes during the crossover between both charge
      regimes. 

PMID- 26096076
TI  - Right Ventricular Structure and Function in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis with or
      without Pulmonary Hypertension.
AB  - AIMS: To elucidate right ventricular (RV) function in patients with idiopathic
      pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with and without pulmonary hypertension (PH) and its
      relation to other features of the disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Clinical
      evaluation, standard Doppler echo, Doppler myocardial imaging (DMI), and 2D
      strain echocardiography (STE) of RV septal and lateral walls were performed in 52
      IPF patients (66.5 +/- 8.5 years; 27 males) and in 45 age- and sex-comparable
      controls using a commercial US system (MyLab Alpha, Esaote). Pulmonary artery
      mean pressure (mPAP) was estimated by standard echo Doppler. RV global
      longitudinal strain (RV GLS) was calculated by averaging RV local strains. The
      IPF patients were divided into 2 groups by noninvasive assessment of PH: no PH
      (mPAP<25 mmHg; 36 pts) and PH (mPAP >=25 mmHg; 16 pts). Left ventricular
      diameters and ejection fraction were comparable between controls and IPF, while
      GLS was impaired in IPF (P < 0.01). RV end-diastolic diameters, wall thickness
      andmPAP were increased in IPF patients with PH. In addition, pulsed DMI detected
      in PH IPF impaired myocardial RV early diastolic (Em) peak velocity. Also peak
      systolic RV strain was reduced in basal and middle RV lateral free walls in IPF,
      as well as RV GLS (P < 0.0001). The impairment in RV wall strain was more evident
      when comparing controls with the no PH group than comparing the no PH group with
      the PH group. By multivariate analysis, independent association of RV strain with
      both six-minute walking test distance (P < 0.001), mPAP (P < 0.0001), as well as
      with forced vital capacity (FVC) % (P < 0.005) in IPF patients were observed.
      CONCLUSIONS: Impaired RV diastolic and systolic myocardial function were present
      even in IPF patients without PH, which indicates an early impact on RV function
      and structure in patients with IPF.

PMID- 26096077
TI  - The role of thymosin-beta4 in kidney disease.
AB  - Therapies that modulate inflammation and fibrosis have the potential to reduce
      the morbidity and mortality associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). A
      promising avenue may be manipulating thymosin-beta4, a naturally occurring
      peptide, which is the major G-actin sequestering protein in mammalian cells and a
      regulator of inflammation and fibrosis. Thymosin-beta4 is already being tested in
      clinical trials for heart disease and wound healing. This editorial outlines the
      evidence that thymosin-beta4 may also have therapeutic benefit in CKD. 

PMID- 26096079
TI  - Gaining momentum: New options and opportunities for the treatment of advanced
      melanoma.
AB  - Before 2011, patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma had a particularly
      poor long-term prognosis. Since traditional treatments failed to confer a
      survival benefit, patients were preferentially entered into clinical trials of
      investigational agents. A greater understanding of the epidemiology and biology
      of disease has underpinned the development of newer therapies, including six
      agents that have been approved in the EU, US and/or Japan: a cytotoxic T
      lymphocyte antigen-4 inhibitor (ipilimumab), two programmed cell death-1 receptor
      inhibitors (nivolumab and pembrolizumab), two BRAF inhibitors (vemurafenib and
      dabrafenib) and a MEK inhibitor (trametinib). The availability of these
      treatments has greatly improved the outlook for patients with advanced melanoma;
      however, a major consideration for physicians is now to determine how best to
      integrate these agents into clinical practice. Therapeutic decisions are
      complicated by the need to consider patient and disease characteristics, and
      individual treatment goals, alongside the different efficacy and safety profiles
      of agents with varying mechanisms of action. Long-term survival, an outcome
      largely out of reach with traditional systemic therapies, is now a realistic
      goal, creating the additional need to re-establish how clinical benefit is
      evaluated. In this review we summarise the current treatment landscape in
      advanced melanoma and discuss the promise of agents still in development. We also
      speculate on the future of melanoma treatment and discuss how combination and
      sequencing approaches may be used to optimise patient care in the future. 

PMID- 26096078
TI  - Pregnancy as a window to future health: Excessive gestational weight gain and
      obesity.
AB  - Metabolic and behavioral changes that occur during pregnancy have well-known
      effects on maternal and fetal health during the immediate pregnancy and now are
      thought to be a catalyst for future health throughout later life. Recommendations
      for appropriate gestational weight gain (GWG) and lifestyle modifications during
      pregnancy have changed throughout history as more is known about this crucial
      time. Herein we discuss the current GWG recommendations and the impact of
      pregnancy and excess GWG gain on the current and future health of women and
      children including risk of obesity, gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes,
      cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. 

PMID- 26096081
TI  - Right ventricular reconstruction after resection of cardiac fibroma.
AB  - Cardiac fibromas are rare neoplasms of myocardial fibroblasts. We present a case
      of a right ventricular fibroma and review the surgical management of these
      neoplasms.

PMID- 26096080
TI  - Wavelet-based regularity analysis reveals recurrent spatiotemporal behavior in
      resting-state fMRI.
AB  - One of the major findings from multimodal neuroimaging studies in the past decade
      is that the human brain is anatomically and functionally organized into large
      scale networks. In resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI), spatial patterns emerge when
      temporal correlations between various brain regions are tallied, evidencing
      networks of ongoing intercortical cooperation. However, the dynamic structure
      governing the brain's spontaneous activity is far less understood due to the
      short and noisy nature of the rs-fMRI signal. Here, we develop a wavelet-based
      regularity analysis based on noise estimation capabilities of the wavelet
      transform to measure recurrent temporal pattern stability within the rs-fMRI
      signal across multiple temporal scales. The method consists of performing a
      stationary wavelet transform to preserve signal structure, followed by
      construction of "lagged" subsequences to adjust for correlated features, and
      finally the calculation of sample entropy across wavelet scales based on an
      "objective" estimate of noise level at each scale. We found that the brain's
      default mode network (DMN) areas manifest a higher level of irregularity in rs
      fMRI time series than rest of the brain. In 25 aged subjects with mild cognitive
      impairment and 25 matched healthy controls, wavelet-based regularity analysis
      showed improved sensitivity in detecting changes in the regularity of rs-fMRI
      signals between the two groups within the DMN and executive control networks,
      compared with standard multiscale entropy analysis. Wavelet-based regularity
      analysis based on noise estimation capabilities of the wavelet transform is a
      promising technique to characterize the dynamic structure of rs-fMRI as well as
      other biological signals.

PMID- 26096082
TI  - Structural Elucidation of the Bispecificity of A Domains as a Basis for
      Activating Non-natural Amino Acids.
AB  - Many biologically active peptide secondary metabolites of bacteria are produced
      by modular enzyme complexes, the non-ribosomal peptide synthetases. Substrate
      selection occurs through an adenylation (A) domain, which activates the cognate
      amino acid with high fidelity. The recently discovered A domain of an
      Anabaenopeptin synthetase from Planktothrix agardhii (ApnA A1) is capable of
      activating two chemically distinct amino acids (Arg and Tyr). Crystal structures
      of the A domain reveal how both substrates fit into to binding pocket of the
      enzyme. Analysis of the binding pocket led to the identification of three
      residues that are critical for substrate recognition. Systematic mutagenesis of
      these residues created A domains that were monospecific, or changed the substrate
      specificity to tryptophan. The non-natural amino acid 4-azidophenylalanine is
      also efficiently activated by a mutant A domain, thus enabling the production of
      diversified non-ribosomal peptides for bioorthogonal labeling.

PMID- 26096083
TI  - Mouse genetic models for temporomandibular joint development and disorders.
AB  - The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a synovial joint essential for hinge and
      sliding movements of the mammalian jaw. Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD)
      are dysregulations of the muscles or the TMJ in structure, function, and
      physiology, and result in pain, limited mandibular mobility, and TMJ noise and
      clicking. Although approximately 40-70% adults in the USA have at least one sign
      of TMD, the etiology of TMD remains largely unknown. Here, we highlight recent
      advances in our understanding of TMD in mouse models. 

PMID- 26096084
TI  - Pedigree-based analysis of derivation of genome segments of an elite rice reveals
      key regions during its breeding.
AB  - Analyses of genome variations with high-throughput assays have improved our
      understanding of genetic basis of crop domestication and identified the selected
      genome regions, but little is known about that of modern breeding, which has
      limited the usefulness of massive elite cultivars in further breeding. Here we
      deploy pedigree-based analysis of an elite rice, Huanghuazhan, to exploit key
      genome regions during its breeding. The cultivars in the pedigree were
      resequenced with 7.6* depth on average, and 2.1 million high-quality single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were obtained. Tracing the derivation of genome
      blocks with pedigree and information on SNPs revealed the chromosomal
      recombination during breeding, which showed that 26.22% of Huanghuazhan genome
      are strictly conserved key regions. These major effect regions were further
      supported by a QTL mapping of 260 recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross
      of Huanghuazhan and a very dissimilar cultivar, Shuanggui 36, and by the genome
      profile of eight cultivars and 36 elite lines derived from Huanghuazhan. Hitting
      these regions with the cloned genes revealed they include numbers of key genes,
      which were then applied to demonstrate how Huanghuazhan were bred after 30 years
      of effort and to dissect the deficiency of artificial selection. We concluded the
      regions are helpful to the further breeding based on this pedigree and performing
      breeding by design. Our study provides genetic dissection of modern rice breeding
      and sheds new light on how to perform genomewide breeding by design. 

PMID- 26096085
TI  - Advances in real-time phase-contrast flow MRI using asymmetric radial gradient
      echoes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To provide multidimensional velocity compensation for real-time phase
      contrast flow MRI. METHODS: The proposed method introduces asymmetric gradient
      echoes for highly undersampled radial FLASH MRI with phase-sensitive image
      reconstruction by regularized nonlinear inversion (NLINV). Using an adapted
      gradient delay correction the resulting image quality was analyzed by simulations
      and experimentally validated at 3 Tesla. For real-time flow MRI the reduced
      gradient-echo timing allowed for the incorporation of velocity-compensating
      waveforms for all imaging gradients at even shorter repetition times. RESULTS:
      The results reveal a usable degree of 20% asymmetry. Real-time flow MRI with full
      velocity compensation eliminated signal void in a flow phantom, confirmed flow
      parameters in healthy subjects and demonstrated signal recovery and phase
      conservation in a patient with aortic valve insufficiency and stenosis. Exemplary
      protocols at 1.4-1.5 mm resolution and 6 mm slice thickness achieved total
      acquisition times of 33.3-35.7 ms for two images (7 spokes each) with and without
      flow-encoding gradient. CONCLUSION: Asymmetric gradient echoes were successfully
      implemented for highly undersampled radial trajectories. The resulting temporal
      gain offers full velocity compensation for real-time phase-contrast flow MRI
      which minimizes false-positive contributions from complex flow and further
      enhances the temporal resolution compared with acquisitions with symmetric
      echoes.

PMID- 26096086
TI  - The toxic effects of Bisphenol A on the mouse spermatocyte GC-2 cell line: the
      role of the Ca2+-calmodulin-Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II axis.
AB  - Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC), is known to induce
      male reproductive toxicity in rodents. However, its toxic effects on the germ
      cells are still poorly understood. It has been proposed that Ca(2+) homeostasis
      and Ca(2+) sensors, including calmodulin (CaM) and calmodulin-dependent protein
      kinase II (CaMKII), play critical roles in spermatogenesis. Therefore, in the
      present study, we aimed to investigate whether a perturbation in Ca(2+)-CaM
      CaMKII signaling was involved in the BPA-induced injury to mouse spermatocyte GC
      2spd (ts) (GC-2) cells. Our results showed that BPA (range from 0.2 to 20 MUM)
      induced obvious GC-2 cell injury, including decreased cell viability, the release
      of mitochondrial cytochrome c and the activation of caspase-3. However, these
      processes could be partially abrogated by pretreatment with a Ca(2+) chelator
      (BAPTA/AM), a CaM antagonist (W7) or a CaMKII inhibitor (KN93). These results,
      taken together, indicate that BPA exposure contributes to male germ cell injury,
      which may be partially mediated through a perturbation in Ca(2+)/CaM/CaMKII
      signaling and the mitochondrial apoptotic process.

PMID- 26096087
TI  - How to investigate rheumatological diseases?

PMID- 26096088
TI  - How to investigate multisystem disease.
AB  - The investigation of the patient with possible systemic autoimmune rheumatic
      disease is potentially one of the most challenging areas of rheumatology as the
      differential diagnosis is potentially very broad. The investigative approach
      should not only be directed at confirming the diagnosis of an autoimmune
      rheumatic disease but also at excluding as best as possible the major alternative
      diagnoses of malignancy and infection. A systematic approach should yield a
      positive diagnosis in the majority of cases based on excluding infection by
      appropriate cultures and serology, malignancy using imaging including 18
      fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (FDG
      PET/CT). The most important part of the assessment is the history, in particular
      covering systems that may not previously been assessed such as ears, nose, throat
      or eyes. The clue to the diagnosis of an autoimmune rheumatic disease often lies
      in detecting the multisystem nature of the condition and the cumulative effects
      of multiorgan involvement. Investigation may therefore need to cover different
      systems. Although stratified approaches have been described, they have not been
      subjected to a detailed investigation as to their effectiveness. 

PMID- 26096089
TI  - How to investigate new-onset polyarthritis.
AB  - Polyarthritis comprises a large number of conditions ranging from rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA) to metabolic conditions such as ochronosis. Differential diagnosis
      begins with delineation of inflammatory from non-inflammatory disorders using
      laboratory markers of inflammation. The latter are good but they can be
      misleading. Laboratory tests help in the diagnosis of rheumatic diseases as well
      as their prognostication. The choice of serological tests should be based on
      clinical differential diagnosis and not 'arthritis panels'. The point of time
      when the test is performed in the clinical course of disease can have an
      important influence on the result obtained. Anti-citrullinated protein antibody
      (ACPA), rheumatoid factor, human leucocyte antigen (HLA) B27 and imaging are
      routinely employed for the early diagnosis of RA and spondyloarthritis (SpA).
      Despite advances in musculoskeletal imaging modalities such as ultrasonography
      (USG) with power Doppler, conventional as well as extremity magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) and dual-energy computed tomography (DECT), their exact place in
      clinical rheumatology remains to be defined. Synovial fluid examination has only
      a limited role in the investigations of new-onset polyarthritis. 

PMID- 26096090
TI  - How to investigate: Chronic pain.
AB  - Chronic pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience
      persisting longer than the normal process of healing, usually longer than 3
      months. About a fifth of the world's population is believed to suffer from
      chronic pain. In Europe, chronic pain accounts for nearly 500 m lost working
      days, and it costs the European economy >?34 billion (L28 billion) every year.
      Establishing a reliable diagnosis is the primary challenge in evaluating a
      patient with chronic pain. Common diagnoses not to miss include seronegative
      spondyloarthritides, endocrine abnormalities including severe vitamin D
      deficiency and polymyalgia rheumatica. Once important or treatable diagnoses have
      been ruled out, the history can be used as a tool to establish a therapeutic plan
      for shared decision-making using the biopsychosocial model. Onward referral to
      pain clinics can be helpful for more involved patient management, but often good
      outcomes are achieved with the support of primary care. 

PMID- 26096091
TI  - Assessment of spinal pain.
AB  - Spinal pain or back pain is a very common symptom that can have many reasons. The
      most studied location is low back pain, and it is considered to be nonspecific in
      the majority of cases. Only a small proportion of patients have axial
      inflammation as the major cause of their back complaints with chronic
      inflammatory back pain (IBP) as the most prominent clinical feature of
      spondyloarthritis (SpA). The recognition of IBP and patients with axial
      spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is challenging in primary care, and it is important to
      further facilitate the early diagnosis of SpA. Proposals for improving the
      referral of patients with a possible diagnosis of axSpA include clinical
      parameters, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B27, and imaging parameters. Imaging is
      crucial for the visualization, objective validation, and understanding of back
      pain. Numerous diseases such as degenerative disk disease, degenerative changes
      in the intervertebral (facet) joints and the associated ligaments, spinal
      instability, herniation of the intervertebral disk, and spinal stenosis have to
      be differentiated in interpreting imaging of the spine. The sacroiliac joints and
      the spine are of major importance for the diagnosis and classification of axSpA.
      Conventional radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the most
      important imaging technologies for visualization of structural changes such as
      syndesmophytes and axial inflammation such as sacroiliitis and spondylitis. The
      pathogenesis of axSpA is largely genetically determined. HLA B27 has the
      strongest contribution to the total genetic burden, but other major contributors
      such as endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase (ERAP)-1 and interleukin (IL)-23R
      have also been identified. 

PMID- 26096092
TI  - The child with joint pain in primary care.
AB  - Joint pains are a common reason for children to present to primary care. The
      differential diagnosis is large including some diseases that do not primarily
      affect the musculoskeletal system. Although the cause for many patients will be
      benign and self-resolving, in rare cases the diagnosis is associated with long
      term morbidity and mortality if not detected early and appropriately treated.
      These include primary and secondary malignancies, septic arthritis,
      osteomyelitis, inflammatory arthritis, slipped upper femoral epiphysis (SUFE) and
      non-accidental injury. We highlight the importance of a thorough history and
      directed yet comprehensive examination. A diagnostic algorithm is provided to
      direct primary care physicians' clinical assessment and investigation with the
      evidence base where available. In many cases, tests are not required, but if
      there is suspicion of malignancy, infection or inflammatory conditions,
      laboratory tests including full blood count, blood film, erythrocyte
      sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase help to support
      or exclude the diagnosis. Autoimmune tests, such as antinuclear antibodies and
      rheumatoid factor, have no diagnostic role in juvenile idiopathic arthritis;
      therefore, we advise against any form of 'rheumatological/autoimmune disease
      screen' in primary care. Imaging does have a place in the diagnosis of joint
      pains in children, with plain radiographs being most appropriate for suspected
      fractures and SUFE, whilst ultrasound is better for the detection of inflammatory
      or infective effusions. The appropriate referral of children to paediatric
      rheumatologists, oncologists, orthopaedic surgeons and the emergency department
      are discussed. 

PMID- 26096093
TI  - Role of autoantibody testing.
AB  - Autoantibodies are the serological hallmark of autoimmune disease. Though their
      pathogenic role is debatable, they play an important role in the management of a
      patient with rheumatic disease. However, due to their presence in the general
      population as well as in multiple autoimmune diseases, the presence of an
      autoantibody alone does not make a diagnosis; the result has to be interpreted
      along with clinical findings. Similarly, the absence of autoantibody does not
      exclude a disease. The common autoantibodies used in clinical practice include
      rheumatoid factor, anti-CCP antibodies, antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), anti
      neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) and anti-phospholipid antibodies. Once
      an autoantibody to a broad antigen is detected in a patient, sub-specificity
      analysis can improve the utility of the antibody. Autoantibodies are detected in
      the serum using different assays and results of which can vary; thus, it is
      important for a clinician to know the method used, its sensitivity and
      specificity to help in the proper interpretation of the laboratory results. This
      review will address these issues. 

PMID- 26096095
TI  - Infections and arthritis.
AB  - Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites can all cause arthritis of either acute
      or chronic nature, which can be divided into infective/septic, reactive, or
      inflammatory. Considerable advances have occurred in diagnostic techniques in the
      recent decades resulting in better treatment outcomes in patients with infective
      arthritis. Detection of emerging arthritogenic viruses has changed the
      epidemiology of infection-related arthritis. The role of viruses in the
      pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory arthritides such as rheumatoid arthritis is
      increasingly being recognized. We discuss the various causative agents of
      infective arthritis and emphasize on the approach to each type of arthritis,
      highlighting the diagnostic tests, along with their statistical accuracy. Various
      investigations including newer methods such as nucleic acid amplification using
      polymerase chain reaction are discussed along with the pitfalls in interpreting
      the tests. 

PMID- 26096094
TI  - The use and abuse of diagnostic/classification criteria.
AB  - In rheumatic diseases, classification criteria have been developed to identify
      well-defined homogenous cohorts for clinical research. Although they are commonly
      used in clinical practice, their use may not be appropriate for routine
      diagnostic clinical care. Classification criteria are being revised with improved
      methodology and further understanding of disease pathophysiology, but they still
      may not encompass all unique clinical situations to be applied for diagnosis of
      heterogenous, rare, evolving rheumatic diseases. Diagnostic criteria development
      is challenging primarily due to difficulty for universal application given
      significant differences in the prevalence of rheumatic diseases based on
      geographical area and clinic settings. Despite these shortcomings, the clinician
      can still use classification criteria for understanding the disease as well as a
      guide for diagnosis with a few caveats. We present the limits of current
      classification criteria, their use and abuse in clinical practice, and how they
      should be used with caution when applied in clinics. 

PMID- 26096096
TI  - Cost-effective use of investigations in developing countries.
AB  - In recent years, the cost of health care around the world has risen at a rate
      that is deemed unsustainable. It has been estimated that 20% of this could be
      saved by rationalising laboratory investigations and reducing inappropriate
      requisitioning of the investigations. There are several reasons for the
      excessive, redundant, inappropriate or unnecessary investigations and procedures,
      which in some instances are unethical practices. The impact in financial terms is
      more in developing countries such as India with <5% of the population having
      medical insurance and hardly any other third-party payer system. The 'Choosing
      Wisely' campaign of the American Board of Internal Medicine, Canadian
      Rheumatology Association's Choosing Wisely Committee and the 'Society for Less
      Investigative Medicine' (SLIM) initiative of the doctors of All-India Institute
      of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, all have provided recommendations to
      reduce unnecessary investigations, and these are among some of the efforts to
      reduce the cost of investigations without compromising the quality of care. 

PMID- 26096097
TI  - Travel- and immigration-related problems in rheumatology.
AB  - Health problems are self-reported by up to 64% of travellers to the developing
      world. Traditionally, rheumatic symptoms are accorded little significance, but
      many travellers do return home with musculoskeletal complaints. The assessment of
      these patients is often hindered by the Western clinician's lack of familiarity
      with the types of infections that the patient may have encountered while
      travelling. Standard serological tests for autoimmune diseases can be unreliable
      in the setting of concomitant tropical infection, and these infections themselves
      can have musculoskeletal manifestations. Even in the absence of tropical
      infection, laboratory investigation of musculoskeletal symptoms in individuals of
      different ethnicities is challenging due to genetic and physiological variation.
      This review focusses on addressing the impact global migration has had on
      rheumatological clinical practice. 

PMID- 26096098
TI  - Development of a Rapid Immunochromatographic Strip Test for the Detection of
      Mulberroside A.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mulberroside A (MuA) is the major active anti-tyrosinase compound
      in the root bark extract of Morus alba L. (Moraceae). Typically, MuA is widely
      employed as an active ingredient in whitening cosmetics. A rapid and simple assay
      system utilizing a small quantity of test sample is essential for the detection
      of MuA in large number of samples. An immunoassay using highly specific MuA
      polyclonal antibodies may be useful for the determination of small quantities of
      MuA in test samples. OBJECTIVE: To establish a rapid qualitative MuA test, an
      immunochromatographic strip test was developed using anti-MuA polyclonal
      antibodies (anti-MuA PAb). METHODOLOGY: The qualitative assay was based on a
      competitive immunoassay where the detection reagent consisted of anti-MuA PAb
      colored with colloidal gold particles. The capture reagent was a MuA-ovalbumin
      (MuA-OVA) conjugate immobilized on the test strip membrane. RESULTS: A sample
      containing MuA and the detection reagent were incubated together with immobilized
      capture reagent on a nitrocellulose membrane. When MuA was present, it competed
      with the immobilized conjugates on the strip membrane to bind a limited amount of
      colored antibodies; thus, a positive sample showed no color on the capture spot
      zone. The detection limit for the strip test was 2 ug/mL. The developed
      immunochromatographic strip test was utilized to determine MuA in plants, medical
      preparations and cosmetic samples. CONCLUSION: This immunochromatographic strip
      test is advantageous as a rapid, simple and sensitive screening method for the
      detection of MuA in plant extracts, cosmetic samples and pharmaceutical products.

PMID- 26096099
TI  - Colonization from divergent ancestors: glaciation signatures on contemporary
      patterns of genomic variation in Collared Pikas (Ochotona collaris).
AB  - Identifying the genetic structure of a species and the factors that drive it is
      an important first step in modern population management, in part because
      populations evolving from separate ancestral sources may possess potentially
      different characteristics. This is especially true for climate-sensitive species
      such as pikas, where the delimitation of distinct genetic units and the
      characterization of population responses to contemporary and historical
      environmental pressures are of particular interest. We combined a restriction
      site-associated DNA sequencing (RADSeq) data set containing 4156 single
      nucleotide polymorphisms with ecological niche models (ENMs) of present and past
      habitat suitability to characterize population composition and evaluate the
      effects of historical range shifts, contemporary climates and landscape factors
      on gene flow in Collared Pikas, which are found in Alaska and adjacent regions of
      northwestern Canada and are the lesser-studied of North America's two pika
      species. The results suggest that contemporary environmental factors contribute
      little to current population connectivity. Instead, genetic diversity is strongly
      shaped by the presence of three ancestral lineages isolated during the
      Pleistocene (~148 and 52 kya). Based on ENMs and genetic data, populations
      originating from a northern refugium experienced longer-term stability, whereas
      both southern lineages underwent population expansion - contradicting the
      southern stability and northern expansion patterns seen in many other taxa.
      Current populations are comparable with respect to generally low diversity within
      populations and little-to-no recent admixture. The predominance of divergent
      histories structuring populations implies that if we are to understand and manage
      pika populations, we must specifically assess and accurately account for the
      forces underlying genetic similarity.

PMID- 26096100
TI  - Forward together (Excelsior!).

PMID- 26096101
TI  - Scientific misconducts: Debunking myths.

PMID- 26096102
TI  - Dosimetry in dentistry.
AB  - AIM: The purpose of this paper was to review various dosimeters used in dentistry
      and the cumulative results of various studies done with various dosimeters.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Several relevant PubMed indexed articles from 1999 to 2013
      were electronically searched by typing "dosimeters", "dosimeters in dentistry",
      "properties of dosimeters", "thermoluminescent and optically stimulated
      dosimeters", "recent advancements in dosimetry in dentistry." The searches were
      limited to articles in English to prepare a concise review on dental dosimetry.
      Titles and abstracts were screened, and articles that fulfilled the criteria of
      use of dosimeters in dental applications were selected for a full-text reading.
      Article was divided into four groups: (1) Biological effects of radiation, (2)
      properties of dosimeters, (3) types of dosimeters and (4) results of various
      studies using different dosimeters. CONCLUSION: The present review on dosimetry
      based on various studies done with dosimeters revealed that, with the advent of
      radiographic technique the effective dose delivered is low. Therefore, selection
      of radiological technique plays an important role in dental dose delivery.

PMID- 26096103
TI  - Use of minimally invasive gingival biopsies in the study of inflammatory
      mediators expression and their correlation with gingival fluid in patients with
      chronic periodontitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are no studies comparing the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF)
      cytokines expression with its corresponding values from the same tissue's sites.
      Such comparison might be of great value since most of the cytokine function is
      related to cell and/or tissue receptors. AIMS: Our aim was to use minimally
      invasive biopsies to evaluate the expression of interferon-gamma, interleukin 1
      (IL-1) beta, IL-6, IL-17A, IL-17F, and their correlation with the expression in
      gingival fluid in patients with chronic periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      collection of gingival fluid comprised 22 samples from 11 patients (mean age
      46.73 +/- 10.16 standard deviation years) with chronic periodontitis. The
      collection of biopsies comprised 22 samples from the same patients. Gingival
      fluid and biopsy were taken from the same site in one shallow and one deep site
      per patient. Gingival fluid samples were collected with periopaper(r) and
      analyzed using Luminex(r). Biopsies were taken with a 2 mm diameter punch and
      analyzed for the same mediators using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The gingival
      fluid showed higher amounts for IL-1-beta in deep sites. Immunohistochemical
      markers were observed in the analyzed cells groups, both in deep and shallow
      sites, without significant differences between them. In the comparative analysis
      between immunohistochemical markers and GCF, IL-1-beta showed high concordance in
      shallow and deep sites. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a standardized punch of 2 mm
      diameter for periodontal tissue biopsies seems to be suitable for
      immunohistochemistry analysis and showed that the GCF may not express all the
      markers in the same proportion at the corresponding tissue.

PMID- 26096104
TI  - Microshear bonding effectiveness of different dentin regions.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the influence of dentin
      surfaces with different tubule orientation on bond strength of a multimode
      adhesive system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty human molars were selected and
      prepared in different ways in order to produce different dentin regions. The
      teeth were randomized (n = 5) according to the application modes of a multimode
      adhesive system (etch-and-rinse and self-etching) and to the dentin region
      (occlusal and proximal - 1.5 mm depth from dentinoenamel junction). Cylindrical
      restorations were performed on dentin with a starch tube. The samples remained
      immersed in distilled water for 24 h and the microshear bond strength (MUSBS)
      test was performed. The MUSBS values were expressed in MPa and analyzed with
      ANOVA and Tukey's test (P < 0.05). RESULTS: There was no significant difference
      in the bond strength values between the application modes of the adhesive system
      (P = 0.19); however, the dentin regions (P < 0.05) significantly affected the
      MUSBS. The proximal dentin presented higher bond strength values than occlusal
      dentin. CONCLUSION: The dentin surfaces with different tubule orientation
      influenced the bonding effectiveness of the adhesive system tested.

PMID- 26096105
TI  - An in vivo study to correlate the relationship of the extraoral and intraoral
      anatomical landmarks with the occlusal plane in dentulous subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The occlusal plane position is considered to be the primary link
      between esthetic and function. AIM: To evaluate the relationship between
      extraoral and intraoral soft tissue landmarks with the occlusal plane in
      dentulous subjects on both sides and to check for any variations. STUDY AND
      DESIGN: An in vivo study and 100 subjects with all healthy permanent teeth in
      normal arch and alignment were selected from Modern Dental College and Research
      Centre, Indore. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three custom made instruments (occlusal
      plane analyzer, buccinator groove relator, and level analyzer) were indigenously
      designed to check parallelism of the interpupillary line, ala-tragus line,
      buccinator groove with the occlusal plane. Relation of retromolar pad with the
      occlusal plane was checked with the metallic scale. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Chi
      square test. RESULTS: In 20.0% subjects, the occlusal plane was parallel to the
      interpupillary line. The posterior reference point for ala-tragus line was middle
      point on right side in 56% and left side in 58% subjects. Intraorally, right side
      59% and left side 62% subjects had the occlusal plane at the same level as that
      of buccinator groove. Right side 48% and left side 45% subjects showed occlusal
      plane at the middle one-third of retromolar pad. CONCLUSION: The occlusal plane
      is not generally parallel to interpupillary line. The occlusal plane is parallel
      to the ala-tragus line with middle point of tragus as posterior reference point
      on right and left sides. Both sides, the buccinator groove and the middle one
      third retromolar pad are coinciding with occlusal plane level.

PMID- 26096106
TI  - Dimensional change in soft tissues with complete dental prosthesis and its effect
      on airway space and natural head position.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insertion of the intraoral prosthesis causes deflection of the
      tongue, soft palate affecting the patency of the airway. AIMS: To evaluate the
      cephalometric soft tissue variation in tongue, soft palate, and its effect on
      posterior airway space in edentulous patients with the insertion of the denture.
      SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Complete
      denture (CD) prosthesis was fabricated for first time denture wearers comprising
      22 males and 18 females within the age range of 50-65 years. Lateral skull
      radiographs were taken for each of the subjects in their resting position without
      CDs (T0), with CDs (T1) at least 1-week postinsertion and after 6 months of usage
      (T2), respectively. The reference points, lines, and angles on the cephalometric
      films were used to evaluate the position or inclination of the head, variations
      in tongue position and length, the changes in the anteroposterior dimension of
      the soft palate, and posterior airway space variations. Intra-investigator error
      variance was not found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS USED: Using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v16.0 the
      significant difference in the paired samples (without CD and with CD) was found
      using the paired t-test. The probability value P = 0.05 is considered as a
      significant level. RESULTS: On comparison of T1 and T0, the heads were more
      extended with the downward position of the tongue with an increase in its length
      and the posterior airway space was decreased in T1. Significant differences in
      values were not observed between T1 and T2. CONCLUSIONS: With CDs, the change in
      airway space was related to alteration in soft palate and tongue dimension. There
      were no changes in dimension at 6 months follow-up.

PMID- 26096107
TI  - Does the bracket composition material influence initial biofilm formation?
AB  - CONTEXT: Orthodontic treatment has been reported to contribute to the development
      and accumulation of dental biofilm, which is commonly found on bracket and
      adjacent surfaces. AIMS: The aim of this work is to test the hypothesis if there
      are differences in dental biofilm formation on the surface of orthodontic
      brackets according to the type of composition material. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      Three bracket types (metallic, composite, and ceramic) had been evaluated.
      Subjects wore acrylic palatal orthodontic appliances, containing 6 brackets each,
      for two 3-day cycles. On the end of first cycle, the amount of dental biofilm
      formed on the samples was extracted using 1.0-M NaOH and analyzed by
      spectrophotometry for quantification. An additional cycle was carried out to
      verify the dental biofilm formation using scanning electronic microscope
      analysis. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Three-way ANOVA was used to analyze the
      difference among the materials (metallic, ceramic and composite) concerning the
      dental biofilm absorbance spectrum. Multiple comparisons were made using the
      Tukey's test (alpha =0.05). RESULTS: Composite brackets showed greater values
      concerning biofilm formation, when compared with the metallic and ceramic ones,
      both of which presented similar scores. The hypothesis is accepted. There are
      differences on the biofilm formation according to the type of material.
      CONCLUSIONS: The in situ model tested was found to be effective in evaluating the
      accumulation and development of biofilm on orthodontic brackets. In the
      quantitative analysis, composite brackets showed greater biofilm adhesion values
      while metallic and ceramic presented similar biofilm absorbance spectrum.

PMID- 26096108
TI  - Estimation of N-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen in periodontal health,
      disease and after nonsurgical periodontal therapy in gingival crevicular fluid: A
      clinico-biochemical study.
AB  - AIM: This study explored gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) N-terminal telopeptides
      of type I collagen (NTx) levels in periodontal health, disease and after
      nonsurgical periodontal therapy along with its association with the clinical
      parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study comprised of three groups of 10 subjects
      each: Healthy (Group I), gingivitis (Group II), and periodontitis (Group III),
      while Group III patients after scaling and root planning (SRP) constituted Group
      IV. Gingival index (GI), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss
      (CAL), and radiological parameters were recorded. GCF samples were analyzed by
      competitive-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Samples in Group III and
      Group IV tested positive for NTx whereas in Group I and Group II, NTx was not
      detected. Mean NTx levels were higher in Group III (6.79 +/- 0.94 nanomole bone
      collagen equivalents per liter [nm BCE/L]) compared to Group IV (5.73 +/- 0.95 nm
      BCE/L) which was statistically significant. Positive correlation was seen between
      the clinical parameters and the NTx levels in Group III and IV. CONCLUSION: As
      NTx is specific bone turnover marker, it is detected only in periodontitis Group
      and the values decline after SRP. Failure to detect NTx in Group I and II,
      relates to the minimum or no resorption at the sample sites.

PMID- 26096109
TI  - Evaluation of effect of topical ozone therapy on salivary Candidal carriage in
      oral candidiasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Ozone is highly valued for various therapeutic applications
      such as antimicrobial, antihypoxic, analgesic, and immunostimulating for more
      than a century in the medical profession. Ozone therapy is now gaining a strong
      foothold in dentistry. Ozone has bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal
      properties. Oral candidiasis is one of the most common opportunistic fungal
      infections of the oral cavity. Hence, a study was conducted to evaluate and
      compare the ability of ozonated water and topical clotrimazole in reducing the
      Candidal species colony-forming unit (CFU) count in oral candidiasis. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The study included 40 candidiasis patients of either sex aged
      between 18 and 60 years attending the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology.
      The patients were randomly assigned to either topical ozone therapy or topical
      clotrimazole groups. Salivary Candidal CFU counts were assessed during and after
      the treatments. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There was gradual but significant
      reduction in Candidal CFU count in both groups. At the end of the treatment,
      Candidal CFU count reduction in ozone group (60.5% reduction) was more than the
      clotrimazole group (32.3% reduction). 14 patients (70%) with candidiasis in ozone
      group were reduced to 6 (30%) whereas only 8 patients (40%) out of 13 (65%) in
      clotrimazole group, although intergroup comparison was not statistically
      significant. Ozone therapy was much more effective in reducing the patients with
      candidiasis to a state of carriers. These findings suggest that ozonated water
      might be useful to treat oral candidiasis.

PMID- 26096110
TI  - Effect of denture cleansers on color stability and surface roughness of denture
      base acrylic resin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Color stability of acrylic resin is one of the most important feature
      for denture wearers. Many patients use detergent solutions to remove denture
      stains. The purpose of this study was to evaluate color stability and surface
      roughness of two common acrylic resins in different detergent and tea solutions.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: 112 acrylic resin blocks of Meliodent and Acropars (each
      56 blocks) were divided into seven groups of different treatment: 1% sodium
      hypochlorite for 10 min a day for 1 month (H10m), 1% sodium hypochlorite for 8
      hours a day for 1 week (H&h), Correga tabs solution for 8 hours a day for 1 month
      (C&H), tea bag for 2 hours a day for 1 month (T2 h), tea bag for 2 hours a day
      then 10 min in 1% sodium hypochlorite for 1 month (T-H), tea bag for 2 hours then
      8 hours in the Correga tab solution a day for 1 month (T-C), and finally
      distilled water for 1 month as a control group (con). After specimen's treatment,
      color (CIE Lab) and surface roughness (Ra, um) of samples were measured. The
      results were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey's HSD
      and Dunnett T3. RESULTS: Group T2h exhibited a significant (P<;0.05) color change
      and control specimens exhibited the lowest color change. Sodium hypochlorite
      caused a significant (P<0.05) color change in the Acropars group in comparison
      with the Meliodent group. In the Correga tab solution the difference was not
      significant (P=0.155). There was a significant (P<0.05) color change in the T-H
      treatment. The Acropars and Meliodent acrylic resin did not a show significant
      difference in surface roughness after different treatments. CONCLUSION: Sodium
      hypochlorite 1% for 10 minutes a day in a month is the recommended hygiene
      protocol. The color stability of acryl is brand-type dependent but surface
      roughness is not.

PMID- 26096111
TI  - Effect of protective coating on marginal integrity of nanohybrid composite during
      bleaching with carbamide peroxide: A microleakage study.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the microleakage on the marginal
      integrity of nanohybrid composite during bleaching with carbamide peroxide after
      applying a protective coating of G-Coat plus (GC, Japan). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Class V cavities were prepared and restored with nanohybrid composite restoration
      in 60 freshly extracted noncarious premolars extracted for orthodontic reasons.
      Then they were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 - bleaching with carbamide peroxide
      without G coat plus (n = 20), Group 2 - bleaching with carbamide peroxide with G
      Coat plus (n = 20), Group 3 - without bleaching procedure (n = 20) (control
      group). In Group 2, G coat plus was applied over the restorative surface and
      margins. Then all teeth in Groups 1 and 2 were taken and mounted in dental stone.
      Bleaching trays were custom fabricated over the cast with the help of a heated
      vacuum-forming machine. 10% carbamide peroxide (opalescence PF) was applied over
      the tooth, and the bleaching process was done for about 2 weeks. Then all samples
      underwent thermocycling and were then immersed in the 2% methylene blue solution
      for 24 h and observed under a stereomicroscope to evaluate the amount of dye
      penetration. Data were compared using Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test
      using SPSS Inc.; Chicago, IL, USA, Version 17.0. RESULTS: Mann-Whitney test shows
      that the difference in microleakage between Group 1-Group 2 and Group 2-Group 3
      is statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Significant reduction in
      microleakage was seen in Group 2 when compared to other groups.

PMID- 26096112
TI  - Comparative evaluation of shear bond strength of nano-hydroxyapatite incorporated
      glass ionomer cement and conventional glass ionomer cement on dense synthetic
      hydroxyapatite disk: An in vitro study.
AB  - AIM: The aim was to evaluate and compare the shear bond strength of nano
      hydroxyapatite (Nano-HAp) incorporated and conventional glass ionomer cement
      (GIC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nano-HAp GIC was prepared by replacing 8 wt% of GIC
      powder with nano-HAp powder. Twenty-six HAp disks were used as substrate for
      bonding and divided into two equal groups. Before bonding the HAp disk was
      prepared by silicon carbide (no. 2500) followed by 10% polyacrylic acid
      conditioning. The standardized samples were prepared using split teflon mold on
      customized bonding jig so as to adhere testing materials to pretreated HAp disk.
      These samples were stored in distilled water for 24 h at 37 degrees C before bond
      strength testing. RESULTS: The descriptive statistical analysis and independent
      samples t-test were used. The nano-HAp incorporated and conventional GIC had the
      mean shear bond strength of 3.28 +/- 0.89 MPa and 5.25 +/- 0.88 MPa,
      respectively. Nano-HAp incorporated GIC had lower shear bond strength with very
      high level of significance (P < 0.001). The nano-HAp incorporated GIC showed
      mainly mixed type of failure whereas conventional GIC showed mainly a cohesive
      failure. CONCLUSION: The lower shear bond strength of nano-HAp incorporate GIC
      revealed that the addition of nano-HAp interfered with the bonding ability of GIC
      to the substrate interface, but the mixed type of failure in nano-HAp
      incorporated GIC suggests that it increases the strength of the matrix. However,
      the role of nano-size particles on the micro-size particles of GIC for the
      bonding mechanism and the ratio and proportions of nano-HAp to the GIC needs
      further elucidation.

PMID- 26096113
TI  - Comparative evaluation of two different remineralizing agents on the
      microhardness of bleached enamel surface: Results of an in vitro study.
AB  - CONTEXT: Various agents are studied for their remineralization potential. AIM: To
      evaluate the effect of GC Tooth Mousse and Toothmin Tooth Cream on microhardness
      of bleached enamel. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: In vitro- study. METHODS AND MATERIAL:
      Twenty freshly extracted anterior teeth were cut sagittally and impregnated in
      cold cure acrylic resin. Specimens were kept in artificial saliva to prevent from
      dehydration. After measuring baseline hardness, teeth were randomly divided into
      two groups. Everbrite In - Office Tooth whitening kit (Dentamerica) was used to
      demineralize the teeth following which hardness was measured again. Teeth in
      group one (n=10) and group two (n=10) were treated with GC tooth mousse
      (Recaldent) and Toothmin tooth cream (Abbott Healthcare Pvt.Ltd) daily for seven
      days and microhardness of enamel surface was measured. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED:
      Mean, SD, and percentage change in the microhardness were calculated. Student's
      paired t-test was used to evaluate the signifi cance of change from initial,
      after bleaching for 5 min and after 1-week remineralization Unpaired't' test was
      used to compare difference between groups. RESULTS: Microhardness significantly
      decreased in both groups after bleaching (% change group one: 3.24% group two:
      3.26% in group; P<0.01 in both groups). Both products significantly increased
      mineralization after seven days of treatment (P<0.01). Remineralization was
      numerically better in Toothmin group (Abbott Healthcare Pvt.Ltd ) compared to GC
      Mousse(Recaldent) (% change 3.27% vs 6.34%). However, difference was not
      significant (P >0.05). CONCLUSION: Both GC Tooth Mousse (Recaldent) and Toothmin
      Tooth cream (Abbott Healthcare Pvt.Ltd) increase the microhardness of bleached
      enamel. Toothmin tooth cream is a better agent for increasing microhardness,
      although difference is not significant.

PMID- 26096114
TI  - "Comparative evaluation of surface modified elastomeric ligatures for microbial
      colonization": An in vivo study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Elastomeric ligatures are observed to reduce chair side time;
      however, they are also seen to have greater bacterial adhesion. Polymeric coating
      utilizing the Metafasix Technology and the OrthoShield Technology have been
      introduced in the Super SlickTM** and Safe-T-TiesTM** by TP Orthodontics, Ortho
      Organizers, respectively, to reduce bacterial adhesion. While each of the
      elastomers has been individually evaluated, no study compares the two elastomers
      manufactured by differing technologies together; hence the need for this study
      was felt. This in vivo study compared the Super Slick and Safe-T-Ties with their
      unmodified counterparts for bacterial adhesion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty
      patients undergoing orthodontic treatment, between 12 and 25 years age group were
      selected and the modified, and the unmodified elastomers were randomly placed
      quadrant wise, on all the premolar brackets. After a period of 4 weeks, the
      elastomeric rings were removed and transported for culture on Mitis-Salivarius,
      Rogosa SL agar for Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli, respectively. The
      colonies were digitally counted (HiMedia) after 48 h of incubation at 37 degrees
      C. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the S. mutans and Lactobacilli
      counts in both surface modified and unmodified elastomeric modules (P < 0.01).
      Unmodified elastomeric modules Mini StixTM**, Hand-EE-LastsTM** was associated
      with higher mean values of colony-forming units/millimeter than the surface
      modified Super SlickTM** and Safe-T-TiesTM** ligatures. When compared pair-wise,
      the surface modified elastomers showed less bacterial accumulations than the
      unmodified counterparts for both S. mutans and Lactobacillus, and the differences
      were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Technological modifications of the
      elastomers using the Metafasix or OrthoShield Technology, is a definite
      improvement over the regular elastomers with regard to adhesion of S. mutans and
      Lactobacilli.

PMID- 26096115
TI  - Evaluation of soft tissue marginal stability achieved after excision with a
      conventional technique in comparison with laser excision: A pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Soft tissue excision around natural teeth is carried out to increase
      the clinical crown lengths, expose the caries apical to the gingival margins and
      to correct irregular and un-esthetic soft-tissue contours. AIMS: The study was
      carried out with an aim to evaluate the stability of the soft tissue margins
      after excision either with a laser or scalpel. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of
      20 patients indicated for soft tissue excision for correcting soft tissue
      discrepancies were selected. The patients with thick gingival biotype were
      included in the study. They were grouped randomly into excision by laser or
      scalpel methods. The change in the soft tissue positions from the time of
      excision to 1-month follow-up were evaluated immediate postoperatively, after 2
      weeks and after 1-month postrestoration. RESULTS: The soft tissues remained
      stable in the laser group at 1-month follow-up, in contrast to the scalpel group
      and were found to be statistically significant, (Student's t-test) (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: The soft tissue margins are more stable and stay at the point they
      were excised with lasers when compared with scalpel.

PMID- 26096116
TI  - Prevalence of eight putative periodontal pathogens in atherosclerotic plaque of
      coronary artery disease patients and comparing them with noncardiac subjects: A
      case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The study was aimed to assess the prevalence of periodontal pathogens
      namely Tannerella forsythia (T.f), Campylobacter rectus (C.r), Eikenella
      corrodens (E.c), Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g), Treponema denticola (T.d),
      Prevotella nigrescens (P.n) ,Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A.a), P.g (fi
      mA gene) and Prevotella intermedia (P.i), in the subgingival and the atheromatous
      plaque of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), and comparing them with
      the noncardiac subjects thereby indicating the role of periodontal pathogenic
      bacteria in the progression of atherosclerosis in south Indian population.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: 51 cardiac and non cardiac subjects within the age group
      of 40-80 years,who met the eligibility criteria, were selected and categorized as
      the experimental and control group respectively. Total number of teeth was
      recorded, and oral hygiene was evaluated using Plaque Index and Oral Hygiene
      Index (OHI). Periodontal pocket depth and clinical attachment level were also
      assessed as a part of periodontal examination. Subgingival plaque samples were
      collected with the help of with Gracey's curette in both the groups. In
      experimental group, biopsy was obtained from the atherosclerotic plaque during
      Coronary artery bypass grafting CABG procedure. Both, subgingival and the
      coronary atherosclerotic plaque samples were subjected to polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR) analysis for identification of the periodontal bacteria.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Mean, standard deviation and test of significance of
      quantitative variables such as periodontal parameters were compared between
      experimental group and control group. Kappa measures of agreement was done to
      analyze the relationship between the presence/absence of microorganisms in the
      subgingival and atherosclerotic plaque samples in the experimental group.
      RESULTS: The mean Plaque Index, Gingival Index, Russel's Periodontal Index, OHI,
      clinical attachment level, Pocket Depth Index was statistically significant in
      both the groups. Association of T.f, E.c, C.r, P.g, P.g (fi mA), T.d, P.i, P.n
      was significantly associated. A.a was absent in the control group, whereas only
      one patient in the experimental group was positive for the bacteria. Kappa
      analysis showed the significant association of periodontal bacteria T.f, C.r,
      P.g, P.g (fi mA), P.i and P.n in subgingival plaque and atherosclerotic plaque of
      the same patients of the experimental group. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that CAD
      subjects had higher prevalence of periodontal pathogens in subgingival biofilms
      as compared to the non cardiac subjects. Further, the number of bacteria was
      significantly associated between the subgingival and atherosclerotic plaques of
      the cardiac patients in south Indian population.

PMID- 26096117
TI  - Prevalence of habits and oral mucosal lesions in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Dental health and oral health are used almost synonymously when
      stating the goals of oral health; such statements are only valid for dental
      health. This may lead to severe underestimation of the need of total oral health
      care. When planning measures of oral health care, the lack of data may lead to a
      risk of overlooking diseases of the soft tissue in, and adjacent to, the oral
      cavity. Prevalence data of oral mucosal lesions are available from many
      countries, but the information is usually restricted to very few lesions in each
      survey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study is an attempt to assess and
      compare the various deleterious habits and its associated oral mucosal lesions
      among patients visiting outpatient department of Jaipur Dental College, Jaipur,
      Rajasthan. RESULTS: It was found that the prevalence of habits was 51.4%
      including both the sexes and prevalence of oral mucosal lesions were 9.9%.
      DISCUSSION: The prevalence of habits and oral mucosal lesions is very high as
      compared with other studies. The habit of smoking was higher in males as compared
      to females.

PMID- 26096118
TI  - Effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy use on oral manifestations in
      pediatric patients infected with HIV.
AB  - AIMS: The aim was to assess the prevalence of oral lesions in HIV-infected
      children undergoing highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART), and the
      association between the duration of HAART usage and oral lesions. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: Totally, 111 medical and dental records of HIV-infected children, aged
      from 2 to 16 years old were reviewed for medical data, presence of oral lesions,
      and caries prevalence. According to the type of medication, the children were
      grouped as follows: 51 were under HAART (G1), 46 were using anti-retroviral
      medication (G2), and 14 were using no medication (G3). RESULTS: The majority of
      the HIV children had AIDS (65.8%), of which 86.3% were in G1, 63% in G2, and 0%
      in G3. The mean length of therapy was 34.4 months, with no difference between
      groups (Kruskal-Wallis; P = 0.917). The prevalence of the oral lesions was 23.4%,
      namely, G1 was 27.5%, G2 was 21.7%, and G3 was 14.3% (P > 0.05). Gingivitis was
      the most common oral manifestation (15.3%) seen in the three groups, followed by
      gingival linear erythema and pseudomembranous candidiasis in G1 and G2. The mean
      values regarding deft and DMFT indexes were, respectively, 3.2 and 1.9 (G1), 2.8
      and 1.6 (G2), and 3.8 and 3.0 (G3). For the patients without AIDS (n = 38), oral
      manifestations were seen in 29.4% of G2 compared to G1, with 0% (Chi-square; P >
      0.05). In terms of therapy duration, 47.65% of the patients who had been under
      HAART for 18 months or less had oral manifestations, compared to 13.3% of those
      who had been treated for a longer time (Chi-square; P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS:
      Although the prevalence of oral lesions was similar between the groups, it was
      less in patients without AIDS and those under HAART. The duration of HAART usage
      had a significant influence on the prevalence of these lesions.

PMID- 26096119
TI  - Dental implants for severely atrophied jaws due to ectodermal dysplasia.
AB  - The aim was to present the successful esthetical and functional rehabilitation of
      partial anodontia in a case of severe ectodermal dysplasia with complete atrophy
      of the jaws. A 17-year-old male with Class III malocclusion with partial
      anodontia sought dental implant treatment. His expectation was that of Class I
      occlusion. The challenge in the case was to match the expectation, reality, and
      the clinical possibilities. Ridge augmentation was performed with a combination
      of rib graft and recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2. Simultaneously,
      6 implants (Nobel BiocareTM - Tapered Groovy) were placed in maxillary arch and
      10 in the mandible. Simultaneous placement ensured faster and better
      osseointegration though a mild compromise of the primary stability was observed
      initially. After adequate healing, Customized Zirconia ProceraTM system was used
      to build the framework. Zirconia crown was cemented to the framework.
      Radiological and clinical evidence of osseointegration was observed in all 16
      dental implants. Successful conversion of Class III to Class I occlusion was
      achieved with the combination of preprosthetic alveolar ridge augmentation,
      ProceraTM Implant Bridge system. Abnormal angulations and or placement of dental
      implants would result in failure of the implant. Hence conversion of Class III to
      Class I occlusion needs complete and complex treatment planning so that the
      entire masticatory apparatus is sufficiently remodeled. Planning should consider
      the resultant vectors that would otherwise result in failure of framework or
      compromise the secondary stability of the dental implant during function. A
      successful case of rehabilitation of complex partial anodontia is presented. 

PMID- 26096120
TI  - Non-syndromic bilateral condylar aplasia: A rare case.
AB  - The temporomandibular joint is one of the most complex joints of the human body.
      It consists of the mandibular condyle, glenoid fossa and the articular eminence
      of the temporal bone. Aplasia of the condyle is usually seen as part of a
      syndrome otherwise it is rare. We report a case of bilateral condylar aplasia in
      a 20-year-old male not associated with any syndrome. The patient reported to the
      department with a chief complaint of the underdeveloped lower jaw. Clinical
      examination, conventional radiographs, and 3D computer tomography images revealed
      a complete absence of condyle on the right and left sides. 

PMID- 26096121
TI  - Dental complications of herpes zoster: Two case reports and review of literature.
AB  - Herpes zoster (HZ) (shingles) results due to reactivation of varicella-zoster
      virus. Unusual dental complications like osteonecrosis, exfoliation of teeth,
      periodontitis, and calcified and devitalized pulps, periapical lesions, and
      resorption of roots as well as developmental anomalies such as irregular short
      roots and missing teeth may arise secondary to involvement of 2nd or 3rd division
      of trigeminal nerve by HZ. Such cases pose both a diagnostic as well as a
      therapeutic challenge. We report two such rare dental complications of HZ
      spontaneous tooth exfoliation and osteonecrosis of the maxilla in a 70-year-old
      female patient; and multiple periapical pathoses affecting right half of the
      mandibular teeth in a 45-year-old female patient. Both the patients did not have
      any associated systemic illness. The aim of this paper was to compare the present
      cases with all the 46 cases of osteonecrosis and 6 cases of multiple periapical
      pathoses secondary to trigeminal zoster reported in literature till date The
      article also throws light that the occurrence of such dental complications of HZ
      is not entirely dependent on the immune status of the host.

PMID- 26096122
TI  - A simple ear splint for microtia patients.
AB  - Microtia is a congenital anomaly of the ear can occur as an isolated birth defect
      or as part of a spectrum of anomalies or as a syndrome. Microtia is often
      associated with impaired hearing and or total loss of hearing. Such patients
      typically require treatment for surgical ear reconstruction and for hearing
      impairment. Maintenance of ear projection and post auricular sulcus in staged ear
      reconstruction in microtia is a trying problem. So also is the maintenance of the
      patency of the external auditory meatus following recanalization and
      meatoplasty.This case report describes a simple effective way of fabrication of
      ear splint prosthesis. 

PMID- 26096123
TI  - Aesthetic and Functional Outcomes of Neovaginoplasty Using Penile Skin in Male-to
      Female Transsexuals.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In the treatment of transgender women, the surgical construction of
      a neo-vagina, or vaginoplasty, is the final stage in the transition to the
      desired gender. Surgeons aim to create a neovagina that is in function and
      appearance as close to a biological vagina as possible. However, to date, it is
      insufficiently clear whether transgender women are satisfied with the functional
      and cosmetic outcomes of vaginoplasty. AIMS: Our aim was to assess if penile skin
      inversion neovaginoplasty performed in transgender women meet the objectives
      strived for, by determining functional and aesthetic outcomes, as well as the
      physical and sexual well-being and satisfaction. METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective survey study on 49 transgender women who underwent vaginoplasty
      using the penile skin inversion technique. Participants were asked to fill out
      the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), a combination of the Amsterdam
      Hyperactive Pelvic Floor Scale--Women (AHPFS-W) and the Female Genital Self
      Imaging Scale, and a short questionnaire for self-evaluation of vaginoplasty.
      Photographs of the genitalia were taken for objective assessment by an
      independent panel. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were the functional
      and aesthetic evaluation as perceived by the trangender women themselves.
      Secondary outcomes were the aesthetic evaluation of the vaginoplasty by an
      independent panel. RESULTS: Functionality and appearance were both given an
      average score of 8 out of 10. Despite this high score, 56% is sexually
      dysfunctional according to the FSFI, mainly because of not being sexually active,
      or due to problems with lubrication and discomfort. In 75%, the result met the
      expectation and 70% thinks their genital is feminine enough. CONCLUSION: This
      study demonstrates that, despite relatively low FSFI scores, this group of
      transgender women is very satisfied with both the functional and aesthetic
      results of neovaginoplasty using penile skin inversion.

PMID- 26096124
TI  - Antimicrobial peptide shows enhanced activity and reduced toxicity upon grafting
      to chitosan polymers.
AB  - Here we report that grafting of a short antimicrobial peptide, anoplin, to
      chitosan polymers is a strategy for abolishing the hemolytic propensity, and at
      the same time increasing the activity of the parent peptide. Anoplin-chitosan
      conjugates were synthesized by CuAAC reaction of multiple peptides through 2
      azidoacetyl groups on chitosan. 

PMID- 26096125
TI  - Three-Dimensional Cardiac Mapping Characterizes Ventricular Contractile Patterns
      during Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Implant: A Feasibility Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Electroanatomic mapping systems track the position of electrodes in
      the heart. We assessed the feasibility of characterizing left ventricular (LV)
      performance during cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) implant utilizing an
      electroanatomic mapping system to track the motion of CRT lead electrodes, thus
      deriving ventricular contractility surrogates. METHODS: During CRT implant,
      atrial, right ventricular (RV), and LV leads were connected to the EnSite NavXTM
      mapping system (St. Jude Medical Inc., St. Paul, MN, USA). The relative
      displacement of electrodes was averaged over 10 cardiac cycles during RV, LV, and
      biventricular (BiV) pacing in DOO mode. Three contractility surrogates indicative
      of ventricular performance were extracted from the RV-LV distance waveform:
      systolic slope (SS), time to peak systolic contraction (TPSC), and fractional
      shortening (FS). RESULTS: In the 20 patients included, there were detectable
      differences in each of the three contractility surrogates responding to the
      different pacing configurations. Median SS varied 42%, median TPSC varied 35%,
      and median FS varied 19% across RV, LV, and BiV pacing interventions. The RV-LV
      distance waveform showed subtle sensitivity to varying pacing timing cycles when
      measured in a subset of patients. For all pacing configurations, RV-LV distance
      waveforms were stable during 2-minute recordings. CONCLUSIONS: Tracking the
      motion of CRT pacing electrodes with a mapping system to derive contractility
      surrogates during implant is feasible.

PMID- 26096126
TI  - A pivotal role for enhanced brainstem Orexin receptor 1 signaling in the central
      cannabinoid receptor 1-mediated pressor response in conscious rats.
AB  - Orexin receptor 1 (OX1R) signaling is implicated in cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R)
      modulation of feeding. Further, our studies established the dependence of the
      central CB1R-mediated pressor response on neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)
      and extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation in the
      RVLM. Here, we tested the novel hypothesis that brainstem orexin-A/OX1R signaling
      plays a pivotal role in the central CB1R-mediated pressor response. Our multiple
      labeling immunofluorescence findings revealed co-localization of CB1R, OX1R and
      the peptide orexin-A within the C1 area of the rostral ventrolateral medulla
      (RVLM). Activation of central CB1R following intracisternal (i.c.) WIN55,212-2
      (15MUg/rat) in conscious rats caused significant increases in BP and orexin-A
      level in RVLM neuronal tissue. Additional studies established a causal role for
      orexin-A in the central CB1R-mediated pressor response because (i) selective
      blockade of central CB1R (AM251, 30MUg/rat; i.c.) abrogated WIN55,212-2-evoked
      increases in RVLM orexin-A level, (ii) the selective OX1R antagonist SB-408124
      (10nmol/rat; i.c.) attenuated orexin-A (3nmol/rat; i.c.) or WIN55,212-2
      (15MUg/rat; i.c.)-evoked pressor response while selective CB1R blockade (AM251)
      had no effect on orexin-A (3nmol/rat; i.c.)-evoked pressor response, (iii) direct
      CB1R activation in the RVLM (WIN55,212-2; 0.1MUg/rat) increased RVLM orexin-A and
      BP. Finally, SB-408124 attenuated WIN55,212-2-evoked increases in RVLM nNOS and
      ERK1/2 phosphorylation and BP. Our findings suggest that orexin-A/OX1R dependent
      activation of the RVLM nNOS/ERK1/2 cascade is essential neurochemical mechanism
      for the central CB1R-mediated pressor response in conscious rats.

PMID- 26096128
TI  - Anxiety Assessment: Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Burns
      Anxiety Inventory.
AB  - The main purpose of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the
      Spanish version of the Burns Anxiety Inventory (Burns-A: Burns, 1993). The sample
      consisted of 417 participants, 387 (29.71% male) healthy participants (control
      group: M = 35.5 years; SD = 8.40) and 30 (36.66% female) patients (clinical
      group: M = 35.8 years; SD = 12.94). The internal consistency evaluated through
      Cronbach' Alpha was 0.95 for the Total Score in both subsamples. The test-retest
      reliability (two weeks) for Total Score was 0.86 (F = 13.2, p <= .001) for the
      non-clinical subsample, and 0.95 (F = 36.5, p <= .001) for the clinical
      subsample. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the initial three-factor model.
      However, modifications to the initial three-factor model improved the goodness-of
      fit indices. Results showed statistically significant differences in the mean
      scores of the Burns-A between the clinical and control groups. This study
      supports the Spanish version of the Burns-A as a brief and useful tool for the
      screening of anxiety symptoms in adult populations. Future studies should
      investigate measurement invariance across cultures. 

PMID- 26096127
TI  - Two key temporally distinguishable molecular and cellular components of white
      adipose tissue browning during cold acclimation.
AB  - KEY POINTS: White to brown adipose tissue conversion and thermogenesis can be
      ignited by different conditions or agents and its sustainability over the long
      term is still unclear. Browning of rat retroperitoneal white adipose tissue
      (rpWAT) during cold acclimation involves two temporally apparent components: (1)
      a predominant non-selective browning of most adipocytes and an initial sharp but
      transient induction of uncoupling protein 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated
      receptor (PPAR) coactivator-1alpha, PPARgamma and PPARalpha expression, and (2)
      the subsistence of relatively few thermogenically competent adipocytes after 45
      days of cold acclimation. The different behaviours of two rpWAT beige/brown
      adipocyte subsets control temporal aspects of the browning process, and thus
      regulation of both components may influence body weight and the potential
      successfulness of anti-obesity therapies. ABSTRACT: Conversion of white into
      brown adipose tissue may have important implications in obesity resistance and
      treatment. Several browning agents or conditions ignite thermogenesis in white
      adipose tissue (WAT). To reveal the capacity of WAT to function in a
      brownish/burning mode over the long term, we investigated the progression of the
      rat retroperitoneal WAT (rpWAT) browning during 45 days of cold acclimation.
      During the early stages of cold acclimation, the majority of rpWAT adipocytes
      underwent multilocularization and thermogenic-profile induction, as demonstrated
      by the presence of a multitude of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)-immunopositive
      paucilocular adipocytes containing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor
      (PPAR) coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha) and PR domain-containing 16 (PRDM16) in
      their nuclei. After 45 days, all adipocytes remained PRDM16 immunopositive, but
      only a few multilocular adipocytes rich in mitochondria remained UCP1/PGC-1alpha
      immunopositive. Molecular evidence showed that thermogenic recruitment of rpWAT
      occurred following cold exposure, but returned to starting levels after cold
      acclimation. Compared with controls (22 +/- 1  degrees C), levels of UCP1 mRNA
      increased in parallel with PPARgamma (PPARalpha from days 1 to 7 and PGC-1alpha
      on day 1). Transcriptional recruitment of rpWAT was followed by an increase in
      UCP1 protein content (from days 1 to 21). Results clearly showed that most of the
      adipocytes within rpWAT underwent transient brown-fat-like thermogenic
      recruitment upon stimulation, but only a minority of cells retained a brown
      adipose tissue-like phenotype after the attainment of cold acclimation.
      Therefore, browning of WAT is dependent on both maintaining the thermogenic
      response and retaining enough brown-like thermogenically competent adipocytes in
      the long-term. Both aspects of browning could be important for long-term energy
      homeostasis and body-weight regulation.

PMID- 26096129
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25787697.

PMID- 26096130
TI  - A systematic review of the mismatch negativity as an index for auditory sensory
      memory: From basic research to clinical and developmental perspectives.
AB  - Auditory sensory memory is an important ability for successful language
      acquisition and processing. The mismatch negativity (MMN) in response to auditory
      stimuli has been proposed as an objective tool to measure the existence of
      auditory sensory memory traces. By increasing interstimulus intervals,
      attenuation of MMN peak amplitude and increased MMN peak latency have been
      suggested to reflect duration and decay of sensory memory traces. The aim of the
      present study is to conduct a systematic review of studies investigating sensory
      memory duration with MMN. Searches of electronic databases yielded 743 articles.
      Of these, 37 studies met final eligibility criteria. Results point to
      maturational changes in the time span of auditory sensory memory from birth on
      with a peak in young adulthood, as well as to a decrease of sensory memory
      duration in healthy aging. Furthermore, this review suggests that sensory memory
      decline is related to diverse neurological, psychiatric, and pediatric diseases,
      including Alzheimer's disease, alcohol abuse, schizophrenia, and language
      disorders. This review underlines that the MMN provides a unique window to the
      cognitive processes of auditory sensory memory. However, further studies
      combining electrophysiological and behavioral data, and further studies in
      clinical populations are needed, also on individual levels, to validate the MMN
      as a clinical tool for the assessment of sensory memory duration. 

PMID- 26096131
TI  - Maximum A Posteriori Bayesian Estimation of Chromatographic Parameters by Limited
      Number of Experiments.
AB  - The aim of this work was to develop a nonlinear mixed-effect chromatographic
      model able to describe the retention times of weak acids and bases in all
      possible combinations of organic modifier content and mobile-phase pH. Further,
      we aimed to identify the influence of basic covariates, like lipophilicity (log
      P), dissociation constant (pK(a)), and polar surface area (PSA), on the
      intercompound variability of chromatographic parameters. Lastly, we aimed to
      propose the optimal limited experimental design to the estimation process of
      parameters through a maximum a posteriori (MAP) Bayesian method to facilitate the
      method development process. The data set comprised retention times for two series
      of organic modifier content collected at different pH for a large series of acids
      and bases. The obtained typical parameters and their distribution were
      subsequently used as priors to improve the estimation process from reduced design
      with a variable number of preliminary experiments. The MAP Bayesian estimator was
      validated using two external-validation data sets. The common literature model
      was used to relate analyte retention time with mobile-phase pH and organic
      modifier content. A set of QSRR-based covariate relationships was established. It
      turned out that four preliminary experiments and prior information that includes
      analyte pK(a), log P, acid/base type, and PSA are sufficient to accurately
      predict analyte retention in virtually all combined changes of pH and organic
      modifier content. The MAP Bayesian estimator of all important chromatographic
      parameters controlling retention in pH/organic modifier gradient was developed.
      It can be used to improve parameter estimation using limited experimental design.

PMID- 26096132
TI  - Heats of formation of platonic hydrocarbon cages by means of high-level
      thermochemical procedures.
AB  - Hydrocarbon cages are key reference materials for the validation and
      parameterization of computationally cost-effective procedures such as density
      functional theory (DFT), semiempirical molecular orbital theory, and molecular
      mechanics. We obtain accurate total atomization energies (TAEs) and heats of
      formation (Deltaf H degrees 298) for platonic and prismatic hydrocarbon cages by
      means of the Wn-F12 explicitly correlated thermochemical protocols. We consider
      the following kinetically stable (CH)n polycyclic hydrocarbon cages: (i) platonic
      hydrocarbons (tetrahedrane, cubane, and dodecahedrane), (ii) prismatic
      hydrocarbons (triprismane, cubane, and pentaprismane), and (iii) one truncated
      tetrahedrane (octahedrane). Our best theoretical heat of formation for cubane
      (144.8 kcal mol(-1)) suggests that the experimental value adopted by the NIST
      thermochemical database (142.7 +/- 1.2 kcal mol(-1)) should be revised upwards by
      ~2 kcal mol(-1). Our best heat of formation for dodecahedrane (20.2 kcal mol(-1))
      suggests that the semiexperimental value (22.4 +/- 1 kcal mol(-1)) should be
      revised downward by ~2 kcal mol(-1). We use our benchmark Wn-F12 TAEs to evaluate
      the performance of a variety of computationally less demanding composite
      thermochemical procedures. These include the Gaussian-n (Gn) and the complete
      basis set (CBS) methods. The CBS-QB3 and CBS-APNO procedures show relatively poor
      performance with root-mean-squared deviations (RMSDs) of 4.2 and 2.5 kcal mol(
      1), respectively. The best performers of the Gn procedures are G4 and G3(MP2)B3
      (RMSD = 0.5 and 0.6 kcal mol(-1), respectively), while the worst performers are
      G3 and G4(MP2)-6X (RMSD = 2.1 and 2.9 kcal mol(-1), respectively). Isodesmic and
      even homodesmotic reactions involving these species are surprisingly challenging
      targets for DFT computations.

PMID- 26096133
TI  - Editorial overview: Systems biology: Advances diseases understanding and
      metabolic engineering.

PMID- 26096134
TI  - Agglomerative joint clustering of metabolic data with spike at zero: A Bayesian
      perspective.
AB  - In many biological applications, for example high-dimensional metabolic data, the
      measurements consist of several continuous measurements of subjects or tissues
      over multiple attributes or metabolites. Measurement values are put in a matrix
      with subjects in rows and attributes in columns. The analysis of such data
      requires grouping subjects and attributes to provide a primitive guide toward
      data modeling. A common approach is to group subjects and attributes separately,
      and construct a two-dimensional dendrogram tree, once on rows and then on
      columns. This simple approach provides a grouping visualization through two
      separate trees, which is difficult to interpret jointly. When a joint grouping of
      rows and columns is of interest, it is more natural to partition the data matrix
      directly. Our suggestion is to build a dendrogram on the matrix directly, thus
      generalizing the two-dimensional dendrogram tree to a three-dimensional forest.
      The contribution of this research to the statistical analysis of metabolic data
      is threefold. First, a novel spike-and-slab model in various hierarchies is
      proposed to identify discriminant rows and columns. Second, an agglomerative
      approach is suggested to organize joint clusters. Third, a new visualization tool
      is invented to demonstrate the collection of joint clusters. The new method is
      motivated over gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) metabolic data, but
      can be applied to other continuous measurements with spike at zero property. 

PMID- 26096135
TI  - Voice Rehabilitation After Transoral Laser Microsurgery of the Larynx.
AB  - Voice rehabilitation after transoral laser microsurgery to the larynx is
      challenging. We wait at least 6 months before surgical intervention. Only a few
      patients after total or extended cordectomy requested voice restoration.
      Subjective perception of voice using the Voice Handicap Index in medialization
      thyroplasty was significantly better. Medialization thyroplasty with elevation of
      the fibrous tissue from the inner surface of the thyroid cartilage is critical in
      achieving success. We preferred the Montgomery Thyroplasty Implant System.
      Transoral larynx anterior commissure stent placement after laser-assisted
      sectioning of anterior synechiae with application of mitomycin C is an effective
      procedure for anterior synechiae. 

PMID- 26096136
TI  - Evaluation of the Dysphonic Patient (in: Function Preservation in Laryngeal
      Cancer).
AB  - The evaluation of the dysphonic patient begins with a complete understanding of
      the laryngeal anatomy and physiology of voice production. A thorough history must
      be taken regarding the dysphonia qualities, alarming symptoms, and confounding
      factors. The complete head and neck examination culminates in a detailed
      visualization of the vocal folds using image-capturing laryngoscopy as well as
      stroboscopy or high-speed digital imaging to fully evaluate the viscoelastic
      properties of the vocal fold cover-body structure and function. Finally, the
      evaluation leads to the biopsy of any concerning lesions either under
      magnification in the operating room or topical anesthesia in the office. 

PMID- 26096137
TI  - Voice Outcomes of Transoral Laser Microsurgery of the Larynx.
AB  - Transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) is the mainstay in the treatment of early
      (TisT1T2) glottic cancer. Current knowledge concerning voice quality and voice
      related quality of life in patients treated using TLM is based on small cohort
      studies using various instruments to evaluate these functional results. The bulk
      of the literature indicates that subjective and objective measurements of voice
      quality can return to normal or almost normal values after TLM, generally after 6
      to 12 months and particularly after cordectomy types I, II, and III.

PMID- 26096138
TI  - Role of Advanced Laryngeal Imaging in Glottic Cancer: Early Detection and
      Evaluation of Glottic Neoplasms.
AB  - Laryngeal cancer accounts for approximately 2.4% of new malignancies worldwide
      each year. Early identification of laryngeal neoplasms results in improved
      prognosis and functional outcomes. Imaging plays an integral role in the
      diagnosis, staging, and long-term follow-up of laryngeal cancer. This article
      highlights advanced laryngeal imaging techniques and their application to early
      glottic neoplasms. 

PMID- 26096139
TI  - Food effects on abiraterone pharmacokinetics in healthy subjects and patients
      with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
AB  - Food effect on abiraterone pharmacokinetics and safety on abiraterone acetate
      coadministration with low-fat or high-fat meals was examined in healthy subjects
      and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients. Healthy
      subjects (n = 36) were randomized to abiraterone acetate (single dose, 1000 mg) +
      low-fat meal, + high-fat meal, and fasted state. mCRPC patients received repeated
      doses (abiraterone acetate 1000 mg + 5 mg prednisone twice daily; days 1-7) in a
      modified fasting state followed by abiraterone acetate plus prednisone within 0.5
      hours post-low-fat (n = 6) or high-fat meal (n = 18; days 8-14). In healthy
      subjects, geometric mean (GM) abiraterone area under plasma concentration-time
      curve (AUC) increased ~5- and ~10-fold, respectively, with low-fat and high-fat
      meals versus fasted state (GM [coefficient of variation], 1942 [48] and 4077 [37]
      ng . h/mL vs 421 [67] ng . h/mL, respectively). In mCRPC patients, abiraterone
      AUC was ~2-fold higher with a high-fat meal and similar with a low-fat meal
      versus modified fasting state (GM [coefficient of variation]: 1992 [34] vs 973
      [58] ng . h/mL and 1264 [65] vs 1185 [90] ng . h/mL, respectively). Adverse
      events (all grade <= 3) were similar, with high-fat/low-fat meals or
      fasted/modified fasting state. Short-term dosing with food did not alter
      abiraterone acetate safety.

PMID- 26096140
TI  - A Longitudinal Assessment of Structural and Chemical Alterations in Mixed Martial
      Arts Fighters.
AB  - Growing evidence suggests that temporally proximal acute concussions and
      repetitive subconcussive head injuries may lead to long-term neurological
      deficits. However, the underlying mechanisms of injury and their relative time
      scales are not well documented in human injury models. The current study
      therefore investigated whether biomarkers of brain chemistry (magnetic resonance
      [MR] spectroscopy: N-acetylaspartate [NAA], combined glutamate and glutamine
      [Glx], total creatine [Cre], choline compounds [Cho], and myo-inositol [mI]) and
      structure (cortical thickness, white matter [WM]/subcortical volume) differed
      between mixed martial artists (MMA; n = 13) and matched healthy controls (HC)
      without a history of contact sport participation (HC; n = 14). A subset of
      participants (MMA = 9; HC = 10) returned for follow-up visits, with MMA (n = 3)
      with clinician-documented acute concussions also scanned serially. As expected,
      MMA self-reported a higher incidence of previous concussions and significantly
      more cognitive symptoms during prior concussion recovery. Fighters also exhibited
      reduced memory and processing speed relative to controls on neuropsychological
      testing coupled with cortical thinning in the left posterior cingulate gyrus and
      right occipital cortex at baseline assessment. Over a 1-year follow-up period,
      MMA experienced a significant decrease in both WM volume and NAA concentration,
      as well as relative thinning in the left middle and superior frontal gyri. These
      longitudinal changes did not correlate with self-reported metrics of injury
      (i.e., fight diary). In contrast, HC did not exhibit significant longitudinal
      changes over a 4-month follow-up period (p > 0.05). Collectively, current results
      provide preliminary evidence of progressive changes in brain chemistry and
      structure over a relatively short time period in individuals with high exposure
      to repetitive head hits. These findings require replication in independent
      samples.

PMID- 26096141
TI  - An alternative approach to PEPPSI catalysts: from palladium isonitriles to highly
      active unsymmetrically substituted PEPPSI catalysts.
AB  - A series of new pyridine-enhanced precatalyst preparation, stabilization, and
      initiation (PEPPSI)-type complexes bearing different types of carbene ligands was
      prepared by the modular and convergent template synthesis strategy. Nitrogen
      acyclic carbenes, saturated and unsaturated five-membered NHC, saturated six
      membered NHCs, and five-membered N-heterocyclic oxo-carbene (NHOC) ligands on
      palladium were prepared this way. These new organometallic compounds then were
      tested in Suzuki and Negishi cross-coupling reactions by using substrates with
      one or two substituents in ortho-position of the new C?C bond being formed. Both
      aryl chlorides and bromides were tested as coupling partners. In some cases, the
      new ligands gave results similar to Organ's successful IPr-based and IPent-based
      PEPPSI derivatives, with aryl bromides 0.05 mol % catalyst load still gave
      satisfactory results, with aryl chlorides 0.5 mol % were needed. 

PMID- 26096142
TI  - Hand-sewn coloanal anastomosis for low rectal cancer: technique and long-term
      outcome.
AB  - AIM: This study compared the operative outcome and long-term survival of three
      types of hand-sewn coloanal anastomosis (CAA) for low rectal cancer. METHOD:
      Patients presenting with low rectal cancer at a single centre between 2006 and
      2014 were classified into three types of hand-sewn CAA: type 1 (supra-anal
      tumours undergoing transabdominal division of the rectum with transanal
      mucosectomy); type 2 (juxta-anal tumours, undergoing partial intersphincteric
      resection); and type 3 (intra-anal tumours, undergoing near-total
      intersphincteric resection with transanal mesorectal excision). RESULTS: Seventy
      one patients with low rectal cancer underwent CAA: 17 type 1; 39 type 2; and 15
      type 3. The median age of patients was 61.6 years, with a male/female ratio of
      2:1. Neoadjuvant therapy was given to 56 (79%) patients. R0 resection was
      achieved in 69 (97.2%) patients. Adverse events occurred in 25 (35.2%) of the 71
      patients with a higher complication rate in type 1 vs type 2 vs type 3 (47.1% vs
      38.5% vs 13.3%, respectively; P = 0.035). Anastomotic separation was identified
      in six (8.5%) patients and pelvic haematoma/seroma in five (7%); two (8.3%)
      female patients developed a recto-vaginal fistula. Ten (14.1%) patients were
      indefinitely diverted, with a trend towards higher long-term anastomotic failure
      in type 1 vs type 2 vs type 3 (17.6% vs 15.5% vs 6.7%). The type of anastomosis
      did not influence the overall or disease-free survival. CONCLUSION: CAA is a safe
      technique in which anorectal continuity can be preserved either as a primary
      restorative option in elective cases of low rectal cancer or as a salvage
      procedure following a failed stapled anastomosis with a less successful outcome
      in the latter. CAA has acceptable morbidity with good long-term survival in
      carefully selected patients.

PMID- 26096143
TI  - Arabidopsis ACT11 modifies actin turnover to promote pollen germination and
      maintain the normal rate of tube growth.
AB  - Actin is an ancient conserved protein that is encoded by multiple isovariants in
      multicellular organisms. There are eight functional actin genes in the
      Arabidopsis genome, and the precise function and mechanism of action of each
      isovariant remain poorly understood. Here, we report the characterization of
      ACT11, a reproductive actin isovariant. Our studies reveal that loss of function
      of ACT11 causes a delay in pollen germination, but enhances pollen tube growth.
      Cytological analysis revealed that the amount of filamentous actin decreased, and
      the rate of actin turnover increased in act11 pollen. Convergence of actin
      filaments upon the germination aperture was impaired in act11 pollen, consistent
      with the observed delay of germination. Reduction of actin dynamics with
      jasplakinolide suppressed the germination and tube growth phenotypes in act11
      pollen, suggesting that the underlying mechanisms involve an increase in actin
      dynamics. Thus, we demonstrate that ACT11 is required to maintain the rate of
      actin turnover in order to promote pollen germination and maintain the normal
      rate of pollen tube growth. 

PMID- 26096144
TI  - Confirming, Validating, and Norming the Factor Structure of Systemic Therapy
      Inventory of Change Initial and Intersession.
AB  - Progress or feedback research tracks and feeds back client progress data
      throughout the course of psychotherapy. In the effort to empirically ground
      psychotherapeutic practice, feedback research is both a complement and
      alternative to empirically supported manualized treatments. Evidence suggests
      that tracking and feeding back progress data with individual or nonsystemic
      feedback systems improves outcomes in individual and couple therapy. The research
      reported in this article pertains to the STIC((r)) (Systemic Therapy Inventory of
      Change)-the first client-report feedback system designed to empirically assess
      and track change within client systems from multisystemic and multidimensional
      perspectives in individual, couple, and family therapy. Clients complete the STIC
      Initial before the first session and the shorter STIC Intersession before every
      subsequent session. This study tested and its results supported the hypothesized
      factor structure of the six scales that comprise both STIC forms in a clinical
      outpatient sample and in a normal, random representative sample of the U.S.
      POPULATION: This study also tested the STIC's concurrent validity and found that
      its 6 scales and 40 of its 41 subscales differentiated the clinical and normal
      samples. Lastly, the study derived clinical cut-offs for each scale and subscale
      to determine whether and how much a client's score falls in the normal or
      clinical range. Beyond supporting the factorial and concurrent validity of both
      STIC forms, this research supported the reliabilities of the six scales
      (Omegahierarchical ) as well as the reliabilities of most subscales (alpha and
      rate-rerate). This article delineates clinical implications and directions for
      future research.

PMID- 26096145
TI  - Comprehensive review of BAP1 tumor predisposition syndrome with report of two new
      cases.
AB  - The BRCA1-associated protein-1 (BAP1) tumor predisposition syndrome (BAP1-TPDS)
      is a recently identified hereditary cancer syndrome. Germline mutations in this
      tumor suppressor gene predispose families to the development of various
      malignancies. The molecular functions of the gene as well as the clinical
      phenotype of the syndrome are still being clarified. We sought to conduct a
      comprehensive review of published research into BAP1-TPDS to more thoroughly
      delineate the clinical implications of germline BAP1 mutations. We also report
      two additional families with germline BAP1 mutations. Current evidence
      demonstrates that germline BAP1 mutations predispose families to uveal melanoma,
      renal cell carcinoma, malignant mesothelioma, cutaneous melanoma, and possibly to
      a range of other cancers as well. Some of these cancers tend to be more
      aggressive, have a propensity to metastasize, and onset earlier in life in
      patients with BAP1 mutations as compared to non-predisposed patients with
      equivalent cancers. Although further research is necessary, this information can
      aid in the management, diagnosis, and therapy of these patients and their
      families, and highlights the importance of genetic counseling. 

PMID- 26096146
TI  - Human Keratoconus Cell Contractility is Mediated by Transforming Growth Factor
      Beta Isoforms.
AB  - Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive disease linked to defects in the structural
      components of the corneal stroma. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is secreted and
      assembled by corneal keratocytes and regulated by transforming growth factor-beta
      (TGF-beta). We have previously identified alterations in the TGF-beta pathway in
      human keratoconus cells (HKCs) compared to normal corneal fibroblasts (HCFs). In
      our current study, we seeded HKCs and HCFs in 3D-collagen gels to identify
      variations in contractility, and expression of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) by
      HKCs in response the TGF-beta isoforms. HKCs showed delayed contractility with
      decreased Collagen I:Collagen V ratios. TGF-beta1 significantly increased ECM
      contraction, Collagen I, and Collagen V expression by HKCs. We also found that
      HKCs have significantly decreased Collagen I:Collagen III ratios suggesting a
      potential link to altered collagen isoform expression in KC. Our findings show
      that HKCs have significant variations in collagen secretion in a 3D collagen gel
      and have delayed contraction of the matrix compared to HCFs. For the first time,
      we utilize a collagen gel model to characterize the contractility and MMP
      expression by HKCs that may contribute to the pathobiology of KC. 

PMID- 26096147
TI  - Controlled Delivery of Human Cells by Temperature Responsive Microcapsules.
AB  - Cell therapy is one of the most promising areas within regenerative medicine.
      However, its full potential is limited by the rapid loss of introduced
      therapeutic cells before their full effects can be exploited, due in part to
      anoikis, and in part to the adverse environments often found within the
      pathologic tissues that the cells have been grafted into. Encapsulation of
      individual cells has been proposed as a means of increasing cell viability. In
      this study, we developed a facile, high throughput method for creating
      temperature responsive microcapsules comprising agarose, gelatin and fibrinogen
      for delivery and subsequent controlled release of cells. We verified the
      hypothesis that composite capsules combining agarose and gelatin, which possess
      different phase transition temperatures from solid to liquid, facilitated the
      destabilization of the capsules for cell release. Cell encapsulation and
      controlled release was demonstrated using human fibroblasts as model cells, as
      well as a therapeutically relevant cell line-human umbilical vein endothelial
      cells (HUVECs). While such temperature responsive cell microcapsules promise
      effective, controlled release of potential therapeutic cells at physiological
      temperatures, further work will be needed to augment the composition of the
      microcapsules and optimize the numbers of cells per capsule prior to clinical
      evaluation. 

PMID- 26096150
TI  - Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) as Multivalent Materials: Size Control and
      Surface Functionalization by Monovalent Capping Ligands.
AB  - Control over particle size and composition are pivotal to tune the properties of
      metal organic frameworks (MOFs), for example, for biomedical applications.
      Particle-size control and functionalization of MIL-88A were achieved by using
      stoichiometric replacement of a small fraction of the divalent fumarate by
      monovalent capping ligands. A fluorine-capping ligand was used to quantify the
      surface coverage of capping ligand at the surface of MIL-88A. Size control at the
      nanoscale was achieved by using a monovalent carboxylic acid-functionalized
      poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-COOH) ligand at different concentrations. Finally, a
      biotin-carboxylic acid capping ligand was used to functionalize MIL-88A to bind
      fluorescently labeled streptavidin as an example towards bioapplications. 

PMID- 26096149
TI  - Reducing progression of experimental lupus nephritis via inhibition of the
      B7/CD28 signaling pathway.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the B7/cluster of
      differentiation (CD)28 signaling pathway on experimental lupus nephritis and
      examine the molecular mechanism involved by inhibiting the B7/CD28 signaling
      pathway. A lupus nephritis model in C57BL/6 J mice was induced via
      intraperitoneal injection of pristane. A recombinant B7-1 short hairpin RNA
      (shRNA) lentivirus vector was constructed by synthesis and splicing. A
      neutralizing mouse anti-human B7-1 antibody termed 4E5 was also prepared. The
      mouse model of lupus nephritis was treated with B7-1 shRNA and 4E5 via injection
      through the tail vein. The silencing effects of B7-1 shRNA lentiviral infection
      on target molecules were evaluated using immunofluorescence and flow cytometry.
      The levels of protein in the urine were detected using Albustix test paper each
      month over 10 months. The concentration of interleukin (IL)-4 and interferon
      gamma in the serum was determined using an ELISA. The immune complex (IC)
      deposits in the kidney were analyzed using direct immunofluorescence. The results
      demonstrated that the C57BL/6 J mouse lupus nephritis model was successfully
      constructed with immune cells activated in the spleen of the mice, increases in
      the concentration of anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) and anti-double stranded DNA
      antibodies as well as positive IC formation. Following B7-1 shRNA lentivirus or
      4E5 treatment, CD11b+B7-1+, CD11c+B7-1+ and CD21+B7-1+ cells in the spleen of the
      mice were significantly reduced. The concentration of ANA and IL-4 in the serum
      was also decreased. The concentration of urine protein was reduced and it was at
      its lowest level in the 4E5 early intervention group. It was also revealed that
      the immunofluorescence intensity of the IC deposits was weak in the 4E5 early
      intervention group. In conclusion, inhibiting the B7-1/CD28 signaling pathway is
      able to alleviate experimental lupus nephritis and provides an experimental basis
      for the therapeutic use of blocking the B7-1/CD28 signaling pathway in human
      lupus nephritis and other autoimmune disorders.

PMID- 26096148
TI  - Cell Surface and Membrane Engineering: Emerging Technologies and Applications.
AB  - Membranes constitute the interface between the basic unit of life-a single cell
      and the outside environment and thus in many ways comprise the ultimate
      "functional biomaterial". To perform the many and often conflicting functions
      required in this role, for example to partition intracellular contents from the
      outside environment while maintaining rapid intake of nutrients and efflux of
      waste products, biological membranes have evolved tremendous complexity and
      versatility. This article describes how membranes, mainly in the context of
      living cells, are increasingly being manipulated for practical purposes with drug
      discovery, biofuels, and biosensors providing specific, illustrative examples.
      Attention is also given to biology-inspired, but completely synthetic, membrane
      based technologies that are being enabled by emerging methods such as bio-3D
      printers. The diverse set of applications covered in this article are intended to
      illustrate how these versatile technologies-as they rapidly mature-hold
      tremendous promise to benefit human health in numerous ways ranging from the
      development of new medicines to sensitive and cost-effective environmental
      monitoring for pathogens and pollutants to replacing hydrocarbon-based fossil
      fuels. 

PMID- 26096151
TI  - Generation of iPSC line HEL47.2 from healthy human adult fibroblasts.
AB  - Human iPSC line HEL47.2 was generated from healthy 83-year old male dermal
      fibroblasts using non-integrative reprogramming method. Reprogramming factors
      Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and cMyc were delivered using Sendai viruses. 

PMID- 26096152
TI  - Combined negative effect of donor age and time in culture on the reprogramming
      efficiency into induced pluripotent stem cells.
AB  - Somatic cells can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) by
      the forced expression of the transcription factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and c-MYC.
      Pluripotent reprogramming appears as a slow and inefficient process because of
      genetic and epigenetic barriers of somatic cells. In this report, we have
      extended previous observations concerning donor age and passage number of human
      fibroblasts as critical determinants of the efficiency of iPSC induction. Human
      fibroblasts from 11 different donors of variable age were reprogrammed by ectopic
      expression of reprogramming factors. Although all fibroblasts gave rise to iPSC
      colonies, the reprogramming efficiency correlated negatively and declined rapidly
      with increasing donor age. In addition, the late passage fibroblasts gave less
      reprogrammed colonies than the early passage cell counterparts, a finding
      associated with the cellular senescence-induced upregulation of p21. Knockdown of
      p21 restored iPSC generation even in long-term passaged fibroblasts of an old
      donor, highlighting the central role of the p53/p21 pathway in cellular
      senescence induced by both donor age and culture time. 

PMID- 26096153
TI  - [Pain and fear in the ICU].
AB  - Pain and fear are still the most common memories that refer patients after ICU
      admission. Recently an important politician named the UCI as the branch of the
      hell. It is necessary to carry out profound changes in terms of direct
      relationships with patients and their relatives, as well as changes in
      environmental design and work and visit organization, to banish the vision that
      our society about the UCI. In a step which advocates for early mobilization of
      critical patients is necessary to improve analgesia and sedation strategies. The
      ICU is the best place for administering and monitoring analgesic drugs. The
      correct analgesia should not be a pending matter of the intensivist but a
      mandatory course.

PMID- 26096155
TI  - Prenatal exposure to inflammatory conditions increases Cx43 and Panx1 unopposed
      channel opening and activation of astrocytes in the offspring effect on neuronal
      survival.
AB  - Several epidemiological studies indicate that children born from mothers exposed
      to infections during gestation, have an increased risk to develop neurological
      disorders, including schizophrenia, autism and cerebral palsy. Given that it is
      unknown if astrocytes and their crosstalk with neurons participate in the above
      mentioned brain pathologies, the aim of this work was to address if astroglial
      paracrine signaling mediated by Cx43 and Panx1 unopposed channels could be
      affected in the offspring of LPS-exposed dams during pregnancy. Ethidium uptake
      experiments showed that prenatal LPS-exposure increases the activity of
      astroglial Cx43 and Panx1 unopposed channels in the offspring. Induction of
      unopposed channel opening by prenatal LPS exposure depended on intracellular Ca2+
      levels, cytokine production and activation of p38 MAP kinase/iNOS pathway.
      Biochemical assays and Fura-2AM/DAF-FM time-lapse fluorescence images revealed
      that astrocytes from the offspring of LPS-exposed dams displayed increased
      spontaneous Ca2+ dynamics and NO production, whereas iNOS levels and release of
      IL-1beta/TNF-alpha were also increased. Interestingly, we found that prenatal LPS
      exposure enhanced the release of ATP through astroglial Cx43 and Panx1 unopposed
      channels in the offspring, resulting in an increased neuronal death mediated by
      the activation of neuronal P2X7 receptors and Panx1 channels. Altogether, this
      evidence suggests that astroglial Cx43 and Panx1 unopposed channel opening
      induced by prenatal LPS exposure depended on the inflammatory activation profile
      and the activation pattern of astrocytes. The understanding of the mechanism
      underlying astrocyte-neuron crosstalk could contribute to the development of new
      strategies to ameliorate the brain abnormalities induced in the offspring by
      prenatal inflammation. GLIA 2015;63:2058-2072.

PMID- 26096156
TI  - Estimating Time Since Death from Postmortem Human Gut Microbial Communities.
AB  - Postmortem succession of human-associated microbial communities ("human
      microbiome") has been suggested as a possible method for estimating postmortem
      interval (PMI) for forensic analyses. Here we evaluate human gut bacterial
      populations to determine quantifiable, time-dependent changes postmortem. Gut
      microflora were repeatedly sampled from the proximal large intestine of 12
      deceased human individuals as they decayed under environmental conditions. Three
      intestinal bacterial genera were quantified by quantitative PCR (qPCR) using
      group-specific primers targeting 16S rRNA genes. Bacteroides and Lactobacillus
      relative abundances declined exponentially with increasing PMI at rates of
      Nt=0.977e(-0.0144t) (r2=0.537, p<0.001) and Nt=0.019e(-0.0087t) (r2=0.396,
      p<0.001), respectively, where Nt is relative abundance at time (t) in cumulative
      degree hours. Bifidobacterium relative abundances did not change significantly:
      Nt=0.003e(-0.002t) (r2=0.033, p=0.284). Therefore, Bacteroides and Lactobacillus
      abundances could be used as quantitative indicators of PMI.

PMID- 26096157
TI  - Loaded treadmill walking and cycle ergometry to assess work capacity: a
      retrospective comparison in 424 firefighters.
AB  - The fitness of firefighters is regularly evaluated using exercise tests. We aimed
      to compare, with respect to age and body composition, two test modalities for the
      assessment work capacity. A total of 424 Swedish firefighters with cycle
      ergometer (CE) and treadmill (TM) tests available from Jan 2004 to Dec 2010 were
      included. We compared results from CE (6 min at 200 W, 250 W or incremental ramp
      exercise) with TM (6 min at 8 degrees  inclination, 4.5 km h-1 or faster, wearing
      24-kg protective equipment). Oxygen requirements were estimated by prediction
      equations. It was more common to pass the TM test and fail the supposedly
      equivalent CE test (20%), than vice versa (0.5%), P<0.001. Low age and tall
      stature were significant predictors of passing both CE and TM tests (P<0.05),
      while low body mass predicted accomplishment of TM test only (P = 0.006).
      Firefighters who passed the TM but failed the supposedly equivalent CE test
      within 12 months had significantly lower body mass, lower BMI, lower BSA and
      shorter stature than did those who passed both tests. Calculated oxygen uptake
      was higher in TM tests compared with corresponding CE tests (P<0.001). Body
      constitution affected approval differently depending on the test modality. A
      higher approval rate in TM testing suggests lower cardiorespiratory requirements
      compared with CE testing, even though estimated oxygen uptake was higher during
      TM testing. The relevance of our findings in relation to the occupational demands
      needs reconsidering.

PMID- 26096158
TI  - Realizing chemical codoping in TiO2.
AB  - We demonstrate experimentally a chemical codoping approach that would
      simultaneously narrow the band gap and control the band edge positions of TiO2
      semiconductors. It is shown that a sequential doping scheme with nitrogen (N)
      leading the way, followed by phosphorus (P), is crucial for the incorporation of
      both N and P into the anion sites. Various characterization techniques confirm
      the formation of the N-P bonds, and as a consequence of chemical codoping, the
      band gap of TiO2 is reduced from 3.2 eV to 1.8 eV. The realization of chemical
      codoping could be an important step forward in improving the general performance
      of electronic and optoelectronic materials and devices. 

PMID- 26096159
TI  - Insights into the virulence-related genes of Edwardsiella tarda isolated from
      turbot in Europe: genetic homogeneity and evidence for vibrioferrin production.
AB  - Edwardsiella tarda has long been known as a pathogen that causes severe economic
      losses in aquaculture industry. Insights gained on E. tarda pathogenesis may
      prove useful in the development of new methods for the treatment of infections as
      well as preventive measures against future outbreaks. In this report, we have
      established the correlation between the presence of virulence genes, related with
      three aspects typically involved in bacterial pathogenesis (chondroitinase
      activity, quorum sensing and siderophore-mediated ferric uptake systems), in the
      genome of E. tarda strains isolated from turbot in Europe and their phenotypic
      traits. A total of 8 genes were tested by PCR for their presence in 73 E. tarda
      isolates. High homogeneity was observed in the presence/absence pattern of all
      the strains. Positive results in the amplification of virulence-related genes
      were correlated with the detection of chondroitinase activity in agar plates, in
      vivo AHL production during fish infection and determination of type of
      siderophore produced by E. tarda. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first
      study carried out with European strains on potential virulence factors.
      Furthermore, we demonstrated for the first time that E. tarda produces the
      siderophore vibrioferrin.

PMID- 26096160
TI  - Suppressive role of neddylation in dendritic cells during Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis infection.
AB  - Multiple strategies evolved by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) have
      contributed to its successful prevalence. We previously identified specific genes
      in the cysteine protease and calcium-calmodulin pathways that regulated immune
      responses from dendritic cells (DCs). In this study we have characterized the
      role of neddylation in regulating various defense responses from DCs during
      mycobacterial infection. Neddylation is a process that is similar to
      ubiquitination. It however has its own enzyme machinery. It is coupled to
      ubiquitination and is important for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Here we
      show that stimulation of DCs with M. tb antigens Rv2463 and Rv3416 as well as
      infection with live M. tb modulates the expression levels of key proteins in the
      neddylation pathway. Further, stimulation with the two antigens promoted the
      association of NEDD8 with its target Cullin-1. The modulation in the expression
      levels of NEDD8 and SENtrin specific Protein 8 (SENP8) by the two antigens was in
      a calcium, MAPK and TLR dependent mechanism. Further, knockdown of specific genes
      of neddylation promoted the generation of oxidative burst, promoted phagolysosome
      fusion in mycobacteria infected DCs and induced higher expression of autophagy
      and apoptosis associated proteins in DCs. These results point toward a unique
      strategy employed by mycobacteria and its antigens towards immune suppression via
      modulating neddylation in DCs.

PMID- 26096161
TI  - Characteristics of primary splenic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and role of
      splenectomy in improving survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary splenic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (PS-DLBCL), an uncommon
      type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, has been investigated only in small patient series
      before the rituximab era. The therapeutic role of splenectomy in addition to
      immunochemotherapy is unknown. METHODS: The databases of 7 medical centers in
      Israel were searched for patients diagnosed with PS-DLBCL in 1982-2013, and
      clinical, treatment, and outcome data were collected for 87 patients. The mean
      patient age was 59.6 years; 57.5% were male. RESULTS: Patients presented with
      abdominal pain (81%), B symptoms (59%), splenomegaly (84%), splenic masses (97%),
      and high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels (84%); 61% had stage I or II disease.
      The diagnosis was made with core-needle biopsy in 46 patients and with diagnostic
      splenectomy in 39 patients. Eighty patients (92%) were treated with
      cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone; 68 (78%) received
      rituximab. A complete response was achieved in 67 patients (77%), and a partial
      response was achieved in 8 (9%). At 5 years, the overall survival (OS) rate was
      77%, and the progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 67%. When patients were
      stratified by splenectomy at diagnosis, the OS rates were 91% for splenectomized
      patients and 68% for nonsplenectomized patients (P = .08), and the PFS rates were
      85% and 55%, respectively (P = .02). The respective values for the subgroup with
      early-stage disease were 96% and 63% for OS (P = .009) and 90% and 51% for PFS (P
      = .01). In a multivariate analysis, a low Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
      performance status and splenectomy independently predicted better PFS (P < .03).
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PS-DLBCL usually present with abdominal pain, high LDH
      levels, and a splenic mass. This study shows for the first time that splenectomy
      at diagnosis improves survival, specifically in patients with early-stage
      disease.

PMID- 26096162
TI  - Electronic assessment of peri-implant mucosal esthetics around three implant
      abutment configurations: a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To objectively assess the influence that three different implant
      abutment interface designs had on peri-implant mucosal esthetics at 1 year post
      implant placement via the pink esthetic score (PES). Additionally, to demonstrate
      the novel employment of a tablet-based digital imaging format to reliably assess
      and score clinical images as part of a multicenter clinical trial according to
      PES criteria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult subjects (n = 141) with healed tooth
      bound edentulous sites in the anterior maxilla as well as first premolar region
      were randomized to receive one of three different implant-abutment interface
      designs (conical interface = CI; flat-to-flat interface = FI; or platform switch
      interface = PS). Immediate provisionalization was performed with prefabricated
      titanium abutments, with definitive custom CAD/CAM zirconia abutments and all
      ceramic cement-based crowns being delivered 12-week post-implant placement.
      Bilateral (anterior sites) or unilateral (premolar sites) digital clinical
      photographs were made at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-implant placement. Five
      calibrated faculty evaluators of different clinical backgrounds scored images
      during a 4-week timeframe on a standardized, tablet-based, digital imaging
      format. RESULTS: Six hundred and forty-nine clinical photographs were evaluated
      resulting in a total of 3245 sum PES values and 22,715 individual PES values.
      Faculty evaluator intra- and inter-rater reliability was found to be "strong"
      (ICC = 0.84) and "substantial" (ICC = 0.64), respectively, demonstrating
      repeatability of both the PES, evaluator calibration, and standardization of
      tablet-based scoring. All implant-abutment interface groups demonstrated
      significant improvements in mean sum PESs up to 1 year, with the largest
      improvement between restoration delivery and 6 months. No significant differences
      were found between groups in mean sum PESs both for individual study visits as
      well as for changes between study visits. CONCLUSIONS: No significant differences
      in mean sum PESs were found between subjects randomized to three different
      implant-abutment interfaces. However, significant differences were found as a
      function of time for all three groups, with the largest improvement in mean sum
      PESs occurring between definitive abutment and restoration delivery and 6 months.
      Use of electronic, tablet-based digital imaging scoring formats represents a
      novel and repeatable methodology for scoring PES images in large, multicenter
      clinical trials.

PMID- 26096163
TI  - Signaling pathway factors expression in renal tissue of apoE-knockout mice.
AB  - Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is regarded as one of the major plasma lipoproteins, and
      it plays an important role in the transport and metabolism of lipids. apoE can be
      found in multiple tissues, such as liver, kidney, jejunum, urinary bladder,
      ileum, colon, brain, adrenal glands, lung, ovary, spleen, pancreas, and testis,
      etc. As a secreted protein, it plays an important role in the systemic
      lipoprotein metabolism and vascular wall homeostasis and in the pathogenesis of
      renal diseases. apoE-knockout (apoE(-/-)) mice is a classic model of
      atherosclerosis and renal diseases. However, no review summed up the signaling
      pathway factors expression in renal tissue of apoE-knockout mice. The literatures
      were searched extensively and this review was performed to review the signaling
      pathway factors expression in renal tissue of apoE-knockout mice. 

PMID- 26096164
TI  - The mechanism of protriptyline-induced Ca2+ movement and non-Ca2+-triggered cell
      death in PC3 human prostate cancer cells.
AB  - Protriptyline, a tricyclic anti-depressant, is used primarily to treat the
      combination of symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, the effect of
      protriptyline on prostate caner is unknown. This study examined whether the anti
      depressant protriptyline altered Ca(2+) movement and cell viability in PC3 human
      prostate cancer cells. The Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorescent dye fura-2 was used to
      measure [Ca(2+)](i). Protriptyline evoked [Ca(2+)](i) rises concentration
      dependently. The response was reduced by removing extracellular Ca(2+).
      Protriptyline-evoked Ca(2+) entry was inhibited by store-operated channel
      inhibitors (nifedipine, econazole and SKF96365), protein kinase C activator
      (phorbol 12-myristate 13 acetate, PMA) and protein kinase C inhibitor
      (GF109203X). Treatment with the endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) pump inhibitor 2,5
      di-tert-butylhydr-oquinone (BHQ) in Ca(2+)-free medium inhibited 60% of
      protriptyline-evoked [Ca(2+)](i) rises. Conversely, treatment with protriptyline
      abolished BHQ-evoked [Ca(2+)](i) rises. Inhibition of phospholipase C with U73122
      suppressed 50% of protriptyline-evoked [Ca(2+)](i) rises. At concentrations of 50
      70 uM, protriptyline decreased cell viability in a concentration-dependent
      manner; which were not reversed by chelating cytosolic Ca(2+) with 1,2-bis(2
      aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid-acetoxymethyl ester (BAPTA/AM).
      Collectively, in PC3 cells, protriptyline evoked [Ca(2+)](i) rises by inducing
      phospholipase C-associated Ca(2+) release from the endoplasmic reticulum and
      other stores, and Ca(2+) influx via protein kinase C-sensitive store-operated
      Ca(2+) channels. Protriptyline caused cell death that was independent of
      [Ca(2+)](i) rises.

PMID- 26096165
TI  - Comparative transcriptional and translational analysis of heme oxygenase
      expression in response to sulfur mustard.
AB  - Sulfur mustard (SM) is a potent alkylating agent which reacts with nucleophilic
      groups on DNA, RNA and proteins. It is capable of inducing cellular toxicity and
      oxidative stress via production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive
      nitrogen species (RNS). The accumulation of high amounts of the reactive species
      causes harmful effects such as DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation,
      inflammation and apoptosis. Although SM (also known as mustard gas) and its
      derivatives are rapidly removed from the body, long-term damages are much more
      serious than the short-term effects and may be correlated with the subsequent
      changes occurred on the genome. In order to defend against oxidative properties
      of this toxic molecule, cells trigger several anti-oxidant pathways through up
      regulating the corresponding genes. Enzymes like heme oxygenase-1, superoxide
      dismutase and glutathione-S-transferase are the examples of such genes. These
      enzymes produce anti-oxidant substances that are able to scavenge the reactive
      species, alleviate their noxious effects and protect the cells. Following SM gas
      exposure, gene transcription (mRNA levels) of these enzymes are ramped up to help
      detoxify the cells. Yet, some studies have reported that the up-regulated
      transcription does not necessarily translate into higher protein expression
      levels. The exact reason why this phenomenon happens is not clear. Creation of
      mutations in the genome sequence may lead to protein structure changes.
      Phosphorylation or other post-translational alterations of proteins upon SM
      exposure are also considered as possible causes. In addition, alterations in some
      microRNAs responsible for regulating post-translation events may inhibit the
      expression of the anti-oxidant proteins in the poisoned cells at translational
      level. 

PMID- 26096166
TI  - Signaling pathway of MAPK/ERK in cell proliferation, differentiation, migration,
      senescence and apoptosis.
AB  - The generic mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway is shared
      by four distinct cascades, including the extracellular signal-related kinases
      (ERK1/2), Jun amino-terminal kinases (JNK1/2/3), p38-MAPK and ERK5. Mitogen
      activated protein kinases/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK)
      pathway is reported to be associated with the cell proliferation,
      differentiation, migration, senescence and apoptosis. The literatures were
      searched extensively and this review was performed to review the role of MAPK/ERK
      signaling pathway in cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, senescence
      and apoptosis. 

PMID- 26096167
TI  - Potential signal pathway between all-trans retinoic acid and LMX1B in hypoxia
      induced renal tubular epithelial cell injury.
AB  - All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), an active metabolite of vitamin A, exerts various
      effects on physiological processes such as cell growth, differentiation,
      apoptosis and inflammation. LMX1B, a developmental LIM-homeodomain transcription
      factor, is widely expressed in vertebrate embryos, and it takes part in the
      development of diverse structures such as limbs, kidneys, eyes, brains, etc.
      Renal tubular epithelial cell culture was performed, and mRNA and protein
      expression of some factors were detected. We recently demonstrated that ATRA up
      regulated the LMX1B, and down-regulated the transforming growth factor-beta1,
      collagen IV and fibronectin in a hypoxia/reoxygenation (H-R) injury system in
      renal tubular epithelial cells (RTEC). In conclusion, ATRA acts as a positive
      regulator of LMX1B in H-R RTEC. 

PMID- 26096168
TI  - Mild alcohol intake exacerbates metabolic syndrome in rodents: a putative role of
      GSK-3beta.
AB  - Metabolic syndrome is characterized with abdominal obesity, insulin resistance,
      dyslipidemia and hepatic dysfunction. Glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta)
      expression has been observed in adipose tissues in obese and diabetic humans, and
      in rodents. The aim of study was to investigate role of GSK-3beta in modulation
      of metabolic alterations in alcoholic fed rats. Male Wistar albino rats (180-220
      g) were used. High fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks and alcohol (2%) from third to
      eighth week were given. Lithium chloride (LiCl), a GSK-3beta inhibitor (60 mg/kg)
      was used orally from third to eighth week. HFD treatment caused significant (p <
      0.05) increase in the percentage of body weight gain, BMI, Lee index, different
      fat pads, liver weights, serum glucose, leptin, triglyceride, LDL, VLDL,
      cholesterol, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, tissue thio-barbituric
      acid reactive substances, nitrate/nitrite and significant decrease in food intake
      (g), serum HDL and tissue GSH in HFD control rats, as compared to normal control
      (NC). Administration of alcohol (2%) ad libitum potentiated the effect of normal
      and HFD, respectively, in NC and HFD control rats, respectively. Administration
      of LiCl produced significant amelioration in biochemical and pathological changes
      caused in the form of metabolic syndrome in HFD alone and HFD and alcohol-treated
      rats. The histological observations also showed similar findings in liver tissue.
      It may be concluded that inactivation of GSK-3beta consequently leads to
      increased leptin and insulin sensitivity as evidenced by the reversal of
      alterations caused due to metabolic syndrome in rodents fed with HFD and mild
      alcohol.

PMID- 26096169
TI  - Mapping inhibitor response to the in-frame deletions, insertions and duplications
      of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - Human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has become a well-established
      target for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, a large
      number of in-frame deletion, insertion and duplication mutations in the EGFR
      tyrosine kinase (TK) domain have been observed to alter drug response to such a
      kinase target. Thus, a systematic investigation of the intermolecular
      interactions between the clinical small-molecule agents and various EGFR in-frame
      mutants would help to establish a complete picture of drug response to kinase
      mutations in lung cancer, and to design new EGFR inhibitors with high potency and
      selectivity to target drug-resistant mutants. Here, we describe a combined
      pipeline to explore the drug response of five representative EGFR inhibitors,
      including three FDA-approved agents (gefitinib, erlotinib and lapatinib) and two
      compounds under clinical development (AEE788 and TAK-285) to a number of
      clinically relevant EGFR in-frame mutations, aiming at a comprehensive
      understanding of molecular mechanism and biological implication underlying drug
      resistance and sensitivity to EGFR in-frame mutations. It was found that the
      insertion and duplication mutations in exon 20 can generally cause drug
      resistance to EGFR due to the reduced size of kinase's active pocket, while
      deletion mutations in exon 19 associate closely with increased inhibitor
      sensitivity to EGFR by establishing additional non-bonded interactions across
      complex interface, including hydrogen bonds, cation-pi interactions and
      hydrophobic contacts. 

PMID- 26096170
TI  - Expression of Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC) is down-regulated in
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC) is a silent chemokine receptor which
      selectively binds angiogenic chemokines without inducing conventional signaling
      responses. DARC has been reported to inhibit the development of multiple cancers
      through clearance of angiogenic chemokines. However, its role in colorectal
      cancer (CRC) remains unclear. We investigated the expression of DARC in CRC and
      explored correlation of DARC expression with clinical pathological features and
      microvessel density (MVD). The protein expression levels of DARC were detected by
      immunohistochemistry in 90 CRC and 64 paired unaffected tissues. The mRNA levels
      of DARC were detected by quantitative real-time PCR in 15 CRC and paired
      unaffected tissues. MVD in CRC was also assessed by immunohistochemistry of CD34.
      We found that the mRNA and protein expression levels of DARC were significantly
      lower in CRC than in the unaffected tissues (p < 0.05). The DARC protein
      expression levels were positively correlated with DARC mRNA expression levels in
      both CRC (p < 0.001) and unaffected tissues (p < 0.001). We also found that DARC
      expression was significantly correlated with tumor differentiation (p < 0.001),
      lymph node metastasis (p < 0.01) and TNM stage (p < 0.05). Moreover, we observed
      a strong negative relationship between DARC expression and MVD in CRC (p <
      0.001). We showed that DARC expression is down-regulated in CRC and associated
      with clinical pathological features and MVD of CRC. DARC might be involved in
      tumorigenesis, progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis of CRC. 

PMID- 26096171
TI  - Buckling-induced retraction of spherical shells: A study on the shape of
      aperture.
AB  - Buckling of soft matter is ubiquitous in nature and has attracted increasing
      interest recently. This paper studies the retractile behaviors of a spherical
      shell perforated by sophisticated apertures, attributed to the buckling-induced
      large deformation. The buckling patterns observed in experiments were reproduced
      in computational modeling by imposing velocity-controlled loads and eigenmode
      affine geometric imperfection. It was found that the buckling behaviors were
      topologically sensitive with respect to the shape of dimple (aperture). The shell
      with rounded-square apertures had the maximal volume retraction ratio as well as
      the lowest energy consumption. An effective experimental procedure was
      established and the simulation results were validated in this study. 

PMID- 26096172
TI  - The retrotrapezoid nucleus stimulates breathing by releasing glutamate in adult
      conscious mice.
AB  - The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) is a bilateral cluster of neurons located at the
      ventral surface of the brainstem below the facial nucleus. The RTN is activated
      by hypercapnia and stabilises arterial Pco2 by adjusting lung ventilation in a
      feedback manner. RTN neurons contain vesicular glutamate transporter-2 (Vglut2)
      transcripts (Slc17a6), and their synaptic boutons are Vglut2-immunoreactive.
      Here, we used optogenetics to test whether the RTN increases ventilation in
      conscious adult mice by releasing glutamate. Neurons located below the facial
      motor nucleus were transduced unilaterally to express channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2)
      enhanced yellow fluorescent protein, with lentiviral vectors that employ the
      Phox2b-activated artificial promoter PRSx8. The targeted population consisted of
      two types of Phox2b-expressing neuron: non-catecholaminergic neurons (putative
      RTN chemoreceptors) and catecholaminergic (C1) neurons. Opto-activation of a mix
      of ChR2-expressing RTN and C1 neurons produced a powerful stimulus frequency
      dependent (5-15 Hz) stimulation of breathing in control conscious mice.
      Respiratory stimulation was comparable in mice in which dopamine-beta-hydroxylase
      (DbetaH)-positive neurons no longer expressed Vglut2 (DbetaH(C)
      (re/0);;Vglut2(fl/fl)). In a third group of mice, i.e. DbetaH(+/+);;Vglut2(fl/fl)
      mice, we injected a mixture of PRSx8-Cre lentiviral vector and Cre-dependent ChR2
      adeno-associated virus 2 unilaterally into the RTN; this procedure deleted Vglut2
      from ChR2-expressing neurons regardless of whether or not they were
      catecholaminergic. The ventilatory response elicited by photostimulation of ChR2
      positive neurons was almost completely absent in these mice. Resting ventilatory
      parameters were identical in the three groups of mice, and their brains contained
      similar numbers of ChR2-positive catecholaminergic and non-catecholaminergic
      neurons. From these results, we conclude that RTN neurons increase breathing in
      conscious adult mice by releasing glutamate.

PMID- 26096174
TI  - Bone mineral density measurements in otosclerosis using dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate patients with otosclerosis with respect
      to bone mineral density (BMD) at different regions of interest (ROI), using dual
      energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). DESIGN: Cross-sectional controlled study.
      SETTING: Tertiary referral hospital. PARTICIPANTS: The patients with a definite
      diagnosis of otosclerosis confirmed intra-operatively were defined as the study
      group (n = 30). The control group consisted of volunteer, healthy subjects with
      normal hearing (n = 43). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Following an audiometric
      evaluation, a venous blood sample was obtained and a single BMD measurement using
      DXA was applied to each participant. RESULTS: The mean BMD, T and Z scores were
      higher in the otosclerosis group than in the control group in all the regions
      considered, but not significantly; only the L2-L3 lateral BMD and its T and Z
      scores were significant (P = 0.036, P = 0.029 and P = 0.036, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: This study shows that the BMD does not decrease in the presence of
      otosclerosis despite its genetic and metabolic relevance with osteoporosis.
      Concerning the L2-L3 lateral BMD measurements, the BMD increased in otosclerosis.

PMID- 26096175
TI  - PRDM1, a Tumor-Suppressor Gene, is Induced by Genkwadaphnin in Human Colon Cancer
      SW620 Cells.
AB  - Genkwadaphnin (GD-1) is isolated from the flower buds of Daphne genkwa Siebold et
      Zuccarini (Thymelaeaceae), and it has been used as a traditional Korean and
      Chinese medicine. In this study, the authors observe that GD-1 inhibits the
      growth of the colon cancer cell line, SW620, through the up-regulation of p21
      expression in a PRDM1-dependent manner. After treatment with GD-1, the
      transcriptional repressor PRDM1 is prominently induced in SW620 cells.
      Furthermore, GD-1 induce the phosphorylation of PKD1 and MEK and subsequently
      provide PRDM1 enhancement, resulting in the suppression of c-Myc expression and
      the up-regulation of p21. PKD1 knockdown using siRNA abrogates PRDM1 expression
      by GD-1 and subsequently disrupts the regulation of c-Myc and p21 expression.
      Treating SW620 cells with GD-1 inhibits cell-cycle progression and is
      characterized by the down-regulation of c-Myc followed by the up-regulation of
      p21 expression. The up-regulation of p21 by GD-1 induces the growth arrest of the
      SW620 colon cancer cell line. Based on these data, the authors propose that GD-1
      has tumor-suppressor activity that may contribute to the anti-tumor effects of
      PRDM1 in colon cancer.

PMID- 26096176
TI  - Myosin light chain kinase inhibitor ML7 improves vascular endothelial dysfunction
      via tight junction regulation in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis.
AB  - Vascular endothelial dysfunction (VED) is an important factor in the initiation
      and development of atherosclerosis (AS). Previous studies have demonstrated that
      endothelial permeability is increased in diet-induced AS. However, the precise
      underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. The present study aimed to
      analyze whether the myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) inhibitor ML7 is able to
      improve VED and AS by regulating the expression of the tight junction (TJ)
      proteins zona occludens (ZO)-1 and occludin via mechanisms involving MLCK and MLC
      phosphorylation in high-fat diet-fed rabbits. New Zealand white rabbits were
      randomly divided into three groups: Control group, AS group and ML7 group. The
      rabbits were fed a standard diet (control group), a high-fat diet (AS group) or a
      high-fat diet supplemented with 1 mg/kg/day ML7 (ML7 group). After 12 weeks,
      endothelium-dependent relaxation and endothelium-independent relaxation were
      measured using high-frequency ultrasound. Administration of a high-fat diet
      significantly increased the levels of serum lipids and inflammatory markers in
      the rabbits in the AS group, as compared with those in the rabbits in the control
      group. Furthermore, a high-fat diet contributed to the formation of a typical
      atherosclerotic plaque, as well as an increase in endothelial permeability and
      VED. These symptoms of AS were significantly improved following treatment with
      ML7, as demonstrated in the ML7 group. Hematoxylin & eosin and
      immunohistochemical staining indicated that ML7 was able to decrease the
      expression of MLCK and MLC phosphorylation in the arterial wall of rabbits fed a
      high-fat diet. A similar change was observed for the TJ proteins ZO-1 and
      occludin. In addition, western blot analysis demonstrated that ML7 increased the
      expression levels of occludin in the precipitate, but reduced its expression in
      the supernatant of lysed aortas. These results indicated that occludin, which is
      a dynamic protein at the TJ, is associated with remodeling from cell membrane to
      cytoplasm. The present study was the first, to the best of our knowledge, to
      indicate that ML7 may ameliorate VED and AS by regulating the TJ proteins ZO-1
      and occludin via mechanisms involving MLCK and MLC phosphorylation.

PMID- 26096177
TI  - In vitro activity of essential oils of free and nanostructured Melaleuca
      alternifolia and of terpinen-4-ol on eggs and larvae of Haemonchus contortus.
AB  - Haemonchus contortus is one of the major gastrointestinal nematodes responsible
      for significant economic and production losses of sheep. Diseases caused by this
      species lack effective anthelmintic products, and the search for new compounds to
      replace synthetic anthelmintics has been extensive. The present investigation
      assesses the in vitro activity of the essential oil of melaleuca (Melaleuca
      alternifolia), both free (TTO) and nanostructured (nanoTTO), and terpinen-4-ol
      (terp-4-ol) on eggs and larvae of H. contortus. Tests of egg hatching (EHT) and
      inhibition of larval migration (LMIT) were used to assess the in vitro efficacy
      of TTO, nanoTTO and terp-4-ol. Using EHT, at a concentration of 3.5 mg/ml, 100%
      inhibition occurred using TTO and terp-4-ol, with LC50 values of 0.43 and 0.63
      mg/ml, and LC90 values of 1.75 mg/ml and 3.12 mg/ml, respectively. NanoTTO had
      lower activity, with 82.6% inhibition at the same concentration. Using LMIT, TTO
      and nanoTTO had a similar activity with 88.0% and 84.8% inhibition, respectively,
      at a concentration of 56 mg/ml. Terp-4-ol had a greater effect on larvae, with
      85.7% inhibition at a concentration of 56 mg/ml and 82.4% at 3.5 mg/ml,
      demonstrating high activity at the lowest concentration tested. Therefore, the
      results indicate that all substances tested showed ovicidal and larvicidal
      activity against H. contortus. TTO, terp-4-ol and, mainly, nanoTTO may be
      targeted in in vivo studies, besides being a promising line of research into the
      control and treatment of veterinary important helminths.

PMID- 26096178
TI  - Influence of diffusion on the kinetics of multisite phosphorylation.
AB  - When an enzyme modifies multiple sites on a substrate, the influence of the
      relative diffusive motion of the reactants cannot be described by simply altering
      the rate constants in the rate equations of chemical kinetics. We have recently
      shown that, even as a first approximation, new transitions between the
      appropriate species must also be introduced. The physical reason for this is that
      a kinase, after phosphorylating one site, can rebind and modify another site
      instead of diffusing away. The corresponding new rate constants depend on the
      capture or rebinding probabilities that an enzyme-substrate pair, which is formed
      after dissociation from one site, reacts at the other site rather than diffusing
      apart. Here we generalize our previous work to describe both random and
      sequential phosphorylation by considering inequivalent modification sites. In
      addition, anisotropic reactive sites (instead of uniformly reactive spheres) are
      explicitly treated by using localized sink and source terms in the reaction
      diffusion equations for the enzyme-substrate pair distribution function. Finally,
      we show that our results can be rederived using a phenomenological approach based
      on introducing transient encounter complexes into the standard kinetic scheme and
      then eliminating them using the steady-state approximation.

PMID- 26096179
TI  - Four new alkylamides from the roots of Zanthoxylum nitidum.
AB  - Phytochemical investigation on the roots of Zanthoxylum nitidum led to the
      isolation of four new unsaturated alkylamides, zanthoxylumamides A-D. Their
      structures were established via the detailed spectroscopic analyses. 

PMID- 26096180
TI  - Mutation Analysis of COQ2 in Chinese Patients with Cerebellar Subtype of Multiple
      System Atrophy.
AB  - AIMS: Recently, mutations in COQ2 encoding para-hydroxybenzoate-polyprenyl
      transferase have been identified to increase the risk of multiple system atrophy
      (MSA) in multiplex families and sporadic cases. The prevalence of COQ2 mutations
      was showed to be higher in cerebellar subtype (MSA-C) than parkinsonism subtype
      (MSA-P). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between COQ2
      mutations and MSA-C in Chinese patients. METHODS: A Chinese cohort of 116
      patients with MSA-C and 192 healthy control individuals were recruited. Sanger
      sequencing of COQ2 was performed in all these subjects. RESULTS: Two missense
      mutations (p.L402F and p.R173H) and one synonymous mutation (p.A32A) were
      detected in 3 patients, respectively. They were not found in the 192 controls as
      well as the 1000 Genomes Database. The p.L402F and p.A32A were novel. CONCLUSION:
      Our results indicated that COQ2 tended to play a population-specific and subtype
      depended role in conferring susceptibility to MSA.

PMID- 26096181
TI  - Organ Procurement Organization Liver Acquisition Costs Could More Than Double
      With Proposed Redistricts.

PMID- 26096182
TI  - Surveillance colonoscopy for colitis-associated dysplasia and cancer in
      ulcerative colitis patients.
AB  - Long-standing ulcerative colitis patients are known to be at high risk for the
      development of colorectal cancer. Therefore, surveillance colonoscopy has been
      recommended for these patients. Because colitis-associated colorectal cancer may
      be difficult to identify even by colonoscopy, a random biopsy method has been
      recommended. However, the procedure of carrying out a random biopsy is tedious
      and its effectiveness has also not yet been demonstrated. Instead, targeted
      biopsy with chromoendoscopy has gained popularity in European and Asian
      countries. Chromoendoscopy is generally considered to be an effective tool for
      ulcerative colitis surveillance and is recommended in the guidelines of the
      British Society of Gastroenterology and the European Crohn's and Colitis
      Organisation. Although image-enhanced endoscopy, such as narrow-band imaging and
      autofluorescence imaging, has been investigated as a potential ulcerative colitis
      surveillance tool, it is not routinely applied for ulcerative colitis
      surveillance in its present form. The appropriate intervals of surveillance
      colonoscopy have yet to be determined. Although the Japanese and American
      guidelines recommend annual or biannual colonoscopy, the British Society of
      Gastroenterology and the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation stratified
      their guidelines according to the risks of colorectal cancer. A randomized
      controlled trial comparing random and targeted biopsy methods has been conducted
      in Japan and although the final analysis is still ongoing, the results of this
      study should address this issue. In the present review, we focus on the current
      detection methods and characterization of dysplasia/cancer and discuss the
      appropriate intervals of colonoscopy according to the stratified risks. 

PMID- 26096183
TI  - Pleomorphic adenoma-like tumour of the breast.
AB  - AIMS: Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) of the breast is a rare tumour seen usually in
      postmenopausal women. Although PA of the salivary glands (SG) is recognized to be
      a benign tumour, the nature and biology of similar tumours seen in the breast
      remains to be defined. The aim of this study was to describe PA of the breast
      that was reported on core biopsy as an invasive matrix-producing metaplastic
      breast carcinoma (MBC). METHODS AND RESULTS: A core biopsy from a clinically
      malignant retroareolar mass showed mildly atypical polygonal cells with
      surrounding myxoid stroma. Immunohistochemistry showed expression of basal and
      luminal cytokeratins, but oestrogen receptor, human epidermal growth factor
      receptor 2 (HER2) and myoepithelial markers were negative. The excision specimen
      showed similar features, but in addition the stroma showed cartilage and bone.
      Also it was clear that the lesion was circumscribed and merged with a sclerosed
      papillary lesion consistent with what has been described as mammary PA.
      CONCLUSION: This lesion shows an overlap of morphology and immunophenotype with
      SG-PA and with MBC. The majority of mammary PAs have a benign behaviour, but
      local recurrence and development of carcinoma occur. We propose a new terminology
      of pleomorphic adenoma-like tumour of the breast to reflect the uncertain nature
      of these tumours and help guide management decisions.

PMID- 26096184
TI  - Targeting the podocyte to treat glomerular kidney disease.
AB  - The majority of chronic kidney disease (CKD) cases have their origin in the
      glomerulus, the microvascular unit of the nephron that serves as a filter tasked
      with forming primary urine. This selective filtration process is determined to a
      large extent by the functional capacity of the podocyte, a highly differentiated
      cell type that enwraps the outer aspect of the glomerular capillary wall. In this
      short review, we describe the biology of the podocyte, its central role in the
      etiology of various glomerulopathies and highlight current and future
      opportunities to exploit the unique properties of this cell type for developing
      kidney-specific therapeutics. 

PMID- 26096186
TI  - Effects of atomoxetine on heart rhythm in children and adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of atomoxetine on
      heart rhythm using 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) and 24 h Holter monitoring.
      METHODS: Children and adolescents who were diagnosed with attention deficit
      hyperactivity disorder according to DSM-IV-TR were referred to a pediatric
      cardiology clinic for cardiologic examination before and after 4 or 5 weeks of
      atomoxetine treatment. Cardiac examination, complete blood count, biochemistry,
      thyroid function tests, 12-lead ECG and 24 h Holter monitoring were performed
      routinely in all patients. Each subject underwent 24 h Holter ECG monitoring
      before atomoxetine was started and after 4 or 5 weeks of effective dose
      atomoxetine treatment. RESULTS: Forty-one patients were included in this
      prospective study. No statistically significant change was found in QT, QTc or QT
      interval dispersion or blood pressure before and after 4 or 5 weeks of
      atomoxetine treatment. There was a statistically significant increase in heart
      rate (both during the day and at night) and QRS duration, and a statistically
      significant decrease in P wave dispersion. Three patients had rhythm
      disturbances. All of these three patients were asymptomatic and none of these
      arrhythmias reached clinical significance. CONCLUSION: Atomoxetine did not cause
      significant changes in ECG or Holter variables. In two patients, who had
      undiagnosed subclinical extrasystoles, extra beats were increased after 4th week
      of treatment, but still remained clinically insignificant. Before and after
      atomoxetine treatment, listening to the heart sounds for a longer time, may help
      clinicians to notice an extra beat. If an extra beat is identified then 24 Holter
      monitoring is recommended.

PMID- 26096185
TI  - Amplicon Resequencing Identified Parental Mosaicism for Approximately 10% of "de
      novo" SCN1A Mutations in Children with Dravet Syndrome.
AB  - The majority of children with Dravet syndrome (DS) are caused by de novo SCN1A
      mutations. To investigate the origin of the mutations, we developed and applied a
      new method that combined deep amplicon resequencing with a Bayesian model to
      detect and quantify allelic fractions with improved sensitivity. Of 174 SCN1A
      mutations in DS probands which were considered "de novo" by Sanger sequencing, we
      identified 15 cases (8.6%) of parental mosaicism. We identified another five
      cases of parental mosaicism that were also detectable by Sanger sequencing.
      Fraction of mutant alleles in the 20 cases of parental mosaicism ranged from 1.1%
      to 32.6%. Thirteen (65% of 20) mutations originated paternally and seven (35% of
      20) maternally. Twelve (60% of 20) mosaic parents did not have any epileptic
      symptoms. Their mutant allelic fractions were significantly lower than those in
      mosaic parents with epileptic symptoms (P = 0.016). We identified mosaicism with
      varied allelic fractions in blood, saliva, urine, hair follicle, oral epithelium,
      and semen, demonstrating that postzygotic mutations could affect multiple somatic
      cells as well as germ cells. Our results suggest that more sensitive tools for
      detecting low-level mosaicism in parents of families with seemingly "de novo"
      mutations will allow for better informed genetic counseling. 

PMID- 26096187
TI  - Headache and Nausea after Treatment with High-Dose Subcutaneous versus
      Intravenous Immunoglobulin.
AB  - Treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) leads to transient side effects
      such as headache and nausea during and after the infusion. We hypothesized that
      subcutaneous administration of smaller doses of immunoglobulin (SCIG) given more
      frequently leads to less severe headache and nausea and could be an alternative
      in patients experiencing side effects. Fifty-nine patients diagnosed with
      neurological disorders (chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP),
      multi-focal motor neuropathy (MMN) or post-polio syndrome) were treated with
      IVIG, and 27 CIDP or MMN patients with SCIG. For two consecutive weeks daily,
      registration of the severity of headache and nausea was registered on a visual
      analogue scale (VAS) from 0 to 100 mm. In the SCIG group, headache reached a peak
      value of 1 (0-13) mm at day 6 versus 11 (0-96) mm in the IVIG group at day 4 (p <
      0.0001). For nausea, the SCIG group had a stable value of 0 (0-21) mm at all
      days, whereas a peak value of 3 (0-90) mm was reached at day 4 in the IVIG group
      (p < 0.0001). SCIG leads to less severe headache and nausea than IVIG without
      fluctuations of side effects in relation to the injections. 

PMID- 26096188
TI  - Immuno-stimulatory activity of a polysaccharide-enriched fraction of Sutherlandia
      frutescens occurs by the toll-like receptor-4 signaling pathway.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Sutherlandia frutescens (L.) R. Br. is an
      indigenous plant of southern Africa that has been traditionally used for various
      cancers, infections, and inflammatory conditions. AIM OF THE STUDY: Our aim was
      to investigate the potential immuno-stimulatory activity of a polysaccharide
      enriched fraction (SFPS) from a decoction of S. frutescens. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: RAW 264.7 cells (a murine macrophage cell line) were used to determine
      the activities of SFPS on macrophage function. The production of reactive oxygen
      species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), and inflammatory cytokines were evaluated in
      the cells treated with or without SFPS. CLI-095, a toll-like receptor (TLR) 4
      specific inhibitor, was used to identify whether or not SFPS exerts its effects
      through TLR4. An antagonist of endotoxin, polymyxin B, was used to evaluate
      whether endotoxin present in SFPS contributed to its immune-stimulatory activity.
      RESULTS: SFPS exhibited potent immune-stimulatory activity by macrophages. The
      production of ROS, NO, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) were increased upon
      exposure to SFPS in a dose-dependent manner. All of these activities were
      completely blocked by co-treatment with CLI-095, but only partially diminished by
      polymyxin B. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate for the first time potent immune
      stimulatory activity in a decoction prepared from S. frutescens. We believe that
      this immune stimulatory activity is due, in part, to the action of
      polysaccharides present in the decoction that acts by way of TLR4 receptors and
      the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB)
      signaling pathway. These findings provide a plausible mechanism through which we
      can understand some of the medicinal properties of S. frutescens.

PMID- 26096189
TI  - Sunburn, sun exposure, and sun sensitivity in the Study of Nevi in Children.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the joint effect of sun exposure and sunburn on nevus counts
      (on the natural logarithm scale; log nevi) and the role of sun sensitivity.
      METHODS: We describe an analysis of cross-sectional data from 443 children
      enrolled in the prospective Study of Nevi in Children. To evaluate the joint
      effect, we partitioned the sum of squares because of interaction between sunburn
      and sun exposure into orthogonal components representing (1) monotonic increase
      in log nevi with increasing sun exposure (rate of increase of log nevi depends on
      sunburn), and (2) nonmonotonic pattern. RESULTS: In unadjusted analyses, there
      was a marginally significant monotonic pattern of interaction (P = .08). In
      adjusted analyses, sun exposure was associated with higher log nevi among those
      without sunburn (P < .001), but not among those with sunburn (P = .14). Sunburn
      was independently associated with log nevi (P = .02), even though sun sensitivity
      explained 29% (95% confidence interval: 2%-56%, P = .04) of its effect. Children
      with high sun sensitivity and sunburn had more nevi, regardless of sun exposure.
      CONCLUSIONS: A program of increasing sun protection in early childhood as a
      strategy for reducing nevi, when applied to the general population, may not
      equally benefit everyone.

PMID- 26096190
TI  - [Economic environment and blood transfusion].
AB  - The increasing pressure on healthcare resources affects blood donation and
      transfusion. We attempted a survey of the efficiency of different strategies,
      actual or proposed to improve the management of blood products. We found an
      important disconnect between the cost effectiveness ratio of strategies and their
      uptake by policy makers. In other words, the least efficient strategies are those
      which increase transfusion safety by increasing the number of biological markers
      and are those preferred by health authorities in developed countries. Other more
      efficient strategies are more slowly implemented and included a systematic use of
      transfusion guidelines, reducing blood losses or increasing pre operative blood
      levels in elective surgeries. 

PMID- 26096191
TI  - Relationship between wild greylag and European domestic geese based on
      mitochondrial DNA.
AB  - The origins of the European domestic goose are uncertain. The available
      information comes from archaeological findings and historical literature, but
      genetic evidence has hitherto been scarce. The domestic goose in Europe is
      derived from the greylag goose (Anser anser), but it is not known where the
      initial domestication took place and which of the two subspecies of greylag goose
      was ancestral. We aimed to determine the amount and geographical distribution of
      genetic diversity in modern populations of greylag geese as well as in different
      breeds of the domestic goose to make inferences about goose domestication. We
      studied DNA sequence variation in the mitochondrial control region of greylag
      geese from multiple populations across Europe and western Asia as well as
      specimens of domestic geese representing 18 modern breeds and individuals not
      belonging to any recognised breed. Our results show notable differences in
      genetic diversity between different greylag goose populations and the presence of
      six mitochondrial haplogroups which show a degree of geographical partitioning.
      The genetic diversity of the domestic goose is low, with 84% of sampled
      individuals having one of two major closely related haplotypes, suggesting that
      modern European domestic geese may derive from a narrow genetic base. The site of
      domestication remains unresolved, but domestic geese in Turkey were unusually
      diverse, indicating the importance of further sampling in the vicinity of the
      eastern Mediterranean and the Near East. There appears to be past or ongoing
      hybridisation between greylags and domestic geese in particular areas, consistent
      with field observations. 

PMID- 26096192
TI  - Longitudinal associations with changes in outdoor recreation area use for
      physical activity during a community-based intervention.
AB  - Outdoor recreation areas (ORA) are important resources for physical activity (PA)
      and health promotion. While past research has identified correlates of ORA use,
      few studies have examined predictors of longitudinal changes in park- and trail
      based PA in community settings. Using data from a 6-month community-based walking
      intervention study, we examined cross-sectional and longitudinal predictors of PA
      in ORAs. Data were collected from baseline and 6-month assessments from
      participants (n=295) in a group walking intervention in South Carolina;
      participants enrolled from January 2012-May 2013. A decomposition scheme was used
      to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal predictors of average group ORA
      use for PA, including social support, self-efficacy for PA, perceptions of
      neighborhood environment, and accelerometer-based PA, adjusting for gender. On
      average, participants were 49.4+13.3years old, 66.1% were Black, and the majority
      were women. There was a mean increase in group ORA use of 2.1+0.4days/month from
      baseline to 6months. Cross-sectionally, higher levels of the percentage of time
      in MVPA, self-efficacy, and social support were associated with greater group
      average ORA use. Longitudinally, increased social support from friends and rating
      of lighter motorized traffic were associated with increased group ORA use.
      Additionally, longitudinal increases in percentage of MVPA and more favorable
      rating of the neighborhood as a place to walk were both associated with decreased
      group ORA use. Better understanding how social and physical environmental
      characteristics impact ORA use for PA can lead to more effective intervention
      strategies and warrants greater attention in future research and public health
      promotion efforts. 

PMID- 26096193
TI  - Motor difficulties and mental health in children who are deaf.

PMID- 26096194
TI  - Linking Executive Function and Peer Problems from Early Childhood Through Middle
      Adolescence.
AB  - Peer interactions and executive function play central roles in the development of
      healthy children, as peer problems have been indicative of lower cognitive
      competencies such as self-regulatory behavior and poor executive function has
      been indicative of problem behaviors and social dysfunction. However, few studies
      have focused on the relation between peer interactions and executive function and
      the underlying mechanisms that may create this link. Using a national sample (n =
      1164, 48.6% female) from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development
      (SECCYD), we analyzed executive function and peer problems (including
      victimization and rejection) across three waves within each domain (executive
      function or peer problems), beginning in early childhood and ending in middle
      adolescence. Executive function was measured as a multi-method, multi-informant
      composite including reports from parents on the Children's Behavior Questionnaire
      and Child Behavior Checklist and child's performance on behavioral tasks
      including the Continuous Performance Task, Woodcock-Johnson, Tower of Hanoi,
      Operation Span Task, Stroop, and Tower of London. Peer problems were measured as
      a multi-informant composite including self, teacher, and afterschool caregiver
      reports on multiple peer-relationship scales. Using a cross-lagged design, our
      Structural Equation Modeling findings suggested that experiencing peer problems
      contributed to lower executive function later in childhood and better executive
      function reduced the likelihood of experiencing peer problems later in childhood
      and middle adolescence, although these relations weakened as a child moves into
      adolescence. The results highlight that peer relationships are involved in the
      development of strengths and deficits in executive function and vice versa.

PMID- 26096195
TI  - Video-assisted hepatic abscess debridement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pyogenic liver abscesses are currently treated by either percutaneous
      computer tomography (CT)-guided drainage or by laparoscopic and a conventional
      liver resection when conservative treatment fails but may be associated with
      substantial morbidity and mortality. METHODS: A minimally invasive technique
      involving debridement of right liver abscesses was employed using a minimally
      invasive video-assisted hepatic abscess debridement (VAHD) after unsuccessful
      percutaneous CT-guided drainage. Clinical data, complication rates and outcomes
      of patients were recorded retrospectively. RESULTS: Between 2011 and 2014, VAHD
      was performed on 10 patients at two centres with no observed recurrence of a
      liver abscess. The median age of the patients was 57 years (range 42-78) with a
      median pre-operative size of a liver abscess of 78 mm (range 40-115). The median
      operation time was 47 min (range 23-75), and the median postoperative hospital
      stay was 9 days (range 7-69). One patient developed a subcutaneous abscess that
      required further surgery. No patient died, and there were no major complications
      related to the VAHD. CONCLUSIONS: Video-assisted hepatic abscess debridement is a
      feasible technique that shows promising results for the treatment of a recurrent
      right liver abscess.

PMID- 26096196
TI  - Different proteomic strategies to identify genuine Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier
      targets and their modification sites in Trypanosoma brucei procyclic forms.
AB  - SUMOylation is an important post-translational modification conserved in
      eukaryotic organisms. In Trypanosoma brucei, SUMO (Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier)
      is essential in procyclic and bloodstream forms. Furthermore, SUMO has been
      linked to the antigenic variation process, as a highly SUMOylated focus was
      recently identified within chromatin-associated proteins of the active variant
      surface glycoprotein expression site. We aimed to establish a reliable strategy
      to identify SUMO conjugates in T. brucei. We expressed various tagged variants of
      SUMO from the endogenous locus. His-HA-TbSUMO was useful to validate the tag
      functionality but SUMO conjugates were not enriched enough over contaminants
      after affinity purification. A Lys-deficient SUMO version, created to reduce
      contaminants by Lys-C digestion, was able to overcome this issue but did not
      allow mapping many SUMOylation sites. This cell line was in turn useful to
      demonstrate that polySUMO chains are not essential for parasite viability.
      Finally, a His-HA-TbSUMO(T106K) version allowed the purification of SUMO
      conjugates and, after digestion with Lys-C, the enrichment for diGly-Lys peptides
      using specific antibodies. This site-specific proteomic strategy led us to
      identify 45 SUMOylated proteins and 53 acceptor sites unambiguously. SUMOylated
      proteins belong mainly to nuclear processes, such as DNA replication and repair,
      transcription, rRNA biogenesis and chromatin remodelling, among others. 

PMID- 26096197
TI  - A pH-Responsive MRI Agent that Can Be Activated Beyond the Tissue Magnetization
      Transfer Window.
AB  - A terbium-based complex that displays a water exchange CEST resonance well
      outside the normal magnetization transfer (MT) frequency range of tissues
      provides a direct readout of pH values by MRI. Deprotonation of the phenolic
      proton in this complex results in a frequency shift of 56 ppm in a bound water
      molecule exchange peak between pH 5 and 8. This allows direct imaging of pH
      without prior knowledge of the agent concentration and with essentially no
      interference from the tissue MT signal. 

PMID- 26096198
TI  - Mental health problems are rising more in Swedish adolescents than in other
      Nordic countries and the Netherlands.
AB  - Mental health problems increased in adolescents and young adults in Europe
      between 1950 and 1990, and the cause is largely unknown. Denmark, Finland, the
      Netherlands, Norway and Sweden form a relatively homogenous group of countries
      with favourable conditions for children. Our review examined the time trends for
      mental health problems in these countries between 1990 and 2010. CONCLUSION: In
      general, there were only small changes in mental health problems in the countries
      studied. However, we did note a marked rising trend in mental health problems
      among adolescents in Sweden, which also has more issues with school achievement
      and unemployment rates.

PMID- 26096199
TI  - Evolutionary plant radiations: where, when, why and how?

PMID- 26096200
TI  - Measuring the tempo of plant death and birth.

PMID- 26096201
TI  - Back to the past: a new take on the timing of flowering plant diversification.

PMID- 26096202
TI  - High-performance flexible perovskite solar cells exploiting Zn2SnO4 prepared in
      solution below 100  degrees C.
AB  - Fabricating inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) on plastic
      substrates broadens their scope for implementation in real systems by imparting
      portability, conformability and allowing high-throughput production, which is
      necessary for lowering costs. Here we report a new route to prepare highly
      dispersed Zn2SnO4 (ZSO) nanoparticles at low-temperature (<100  degrees C) for
      the development of high-performance flexible PSCs. The introduction of the ZSO
      film significantly improves transmittance of flexible polyethylene
      naphthalate/indium-doped tin oxide (PEN/ITO)-coated substrate from ~75 to ~90%
      over the entire range of wavelengths. The best performing flexible PSC, based on
      the ZSO and CH3NH3PbI3 layer, exhibits steady-state power conversion efficiency
      (PCE) of 14.85% under AM 1.5G 100 mW.cm(-2) illumination. This renders ZSO a
      promising candidate as electron-conducting electrode for the highly efficient
      flexible PSC applications. 

PMID- 26096204
TI  - June 2015 at a glance.

PMID- 26096203
TI  - Human papillomavirus prevalence and type-distribution in cervical glandular
      neoplasias: Results from a European multinational epidemiological study.
AB  - Cervical glandular neoplasias (CGN) present a challenge for cervical cancer
      prevention due to their complex histopathology and difficulties in detecting
      preinvasive stages with current screening practices. Reports of human
      papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and type-distribution in CGN vary, providing
      uncertain evidence to support prophylactic vaccination and HPV screening. This
      study [108288/108290] assessed HPV prevalence and type-distribution in women
      diagnosed with cervical adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS, N = 49), adenosquamous
      carcinoma (ASC, N = 104), and various adenocarcinoma subtypes (ADC, N = 461) from
      17 European countries, using centralised pathology review and sensitive HPV
      testing. The highest HPV-positivity rates were observed in AIS (93.9%), ASC
      (85.6%), and usual-type ADC (90.4%), with much lower rates in rarer ADC subtypes
      (clear-cell: 27.6%; serous: 30.4%; endometrioid: 12.9%; gastric-type: 0%). The
      most common HPV types were restricted to HPV16/18/45, accounting for 98.3% of all
      HPV-positive ADC. There were variations in HPV prevalence and ADC type
      distribution by country. Age at diagnosis differed by ADC subtype, with usual
      type diagnosed in younger women (median: 43 years) compared to rarer subtypes
      (medians between 57 and 66 years). Moreover, HPV-positive ADC cases were younger
      than HPV-negative ADC. The six years difference in median age for women with AIS
      compared to those with usual-type ADC suggests that cytological screening for AIS
      may be suboptimal. Since the great majority of CGN are HPV16/18/45-positive, the
      incorporation of prophylactic vaccination and HPV testing in cervical cancer
      screening are important prevention strategies. Our results suggest that special
      attention should be given to certain rarer ADC subtypes as most appear to be
      unrelated to HPV. 

PMID- 26096205
TI  - BNP in heart failure: even leucocytes cannot escape its influence.

PMID- 26096206
TI  - The Pilot European Survey of Atrial Fibrillation: how to look at heart failure
      through a keyhole.

PMID- 26096207
TI  - The prognostic value of arterial blood gas analysis in high-risk acute heart
      failure patients: an analysis of the Korean Heart Failure (KorHF) registry.
AB  - AIMS: In acute heart failure (AHF) patients, pulmonary oedema and low tissue
      perfusion may lead to changes in the acid-base balance, which may be associated
      with worse outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this prospective nationwide cohort
      study from 24 academic hospitals, arterial blood gas (ABG) was measured in 1982
      AHF patients at hospital admission. Acidosis was defined as pH <7.36, and
      alkalosis as pH >7.44. Mortality was stratified according to ABG results.
      Overall, 19% had acidosis, 37% had normal pH, and 44% had alkalosis. The most
      common type of acidosis was the mixed type (42%) followed by metabolic acidosis
      (40%), and the most common type of alkalosis was respiratory alkalosis (58%). At
      12 months' follow-up 304 patients (15%) died. Patients with acidosis had higher
      mortality (acidosis 19.5%, neutral pH 13.7%, alkalosis 14.9%; P = 0.007). In the
      Cox proportional-hazards regression model, acidosis was a significant predictor
      of mortality (hazard ratio 1.93; 95% confidence intervals 1.27-2.93) along with N
      terminal pro-brain type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), among others. In
      contrast, alkalosis was not associated with increased mortality. pH had an
      incremental prognostic value over NT-proBNP (net reclassification improvement
      30%; P < 0.001), and ABG analysis identified extra patients at increased risk for
      mortality among patients with an NT-proBNP level less than the median (12-month
      mortality 17.5% vs. 9.9%; P = 0.009). CONCLUSION: In high-risk AHF patients, the
      most common acid-base imbalance is respiratory alkalosis. Acidosis is observed in
      every fifth patient and is a significant predictor of mortality. pH provides an
      additional prognostic value and may be used to optimize risk stratification in
      high-risk AHF patients.

PMID- 26096208
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26096209
TI  - Specific hepatic delivery of procollagen alpha1(I) small interfering RNA in lipid
      like nanoparticles resolves liver fibrosis.
AB  - Fibrosis accompanies the wound-healing response to chronic liver injury and is
      characterized by excessive hepatic collagen accumulation dominated by collagen
      type I. Fibrosis often progresses to cirrhosis. Here we present in vivo evidence
      of an up to 90% suppression of procollagen alpha1(I) expression, a reduction of
      septa formation, and a 40%-60% decrease of collagen deposition in mice with
      progressive and advanced liver fibrosis that received cationic lipid
      nanoparticles loaded with small interfering RNA to the procollagen alpha1(I)
      gene. After intravenous injection, up to 90% of lipid nanoparticles loaded with
      small interfering RNA to the procollagen alpha1(I) gene were retained in the
      liver of fibrotic mice and accumulated in nonparenchymal more than parenchymal
      cells for prolonged periods, significantly ameliorating progression and
      accelerating regression of fibrosis. CONCLUSION: Our lipid nanoparticles loaded
      with small interfering RNA to the procollagen alpha1(I) gene specifically reduce
      total hepatic collagen content without detectable side effects, potentially
      qualifying as a therapy for fibrotic liver diseases.

PMID- 26096210
TI  - Proposing a Parkinson's disease-specific tremor scale from the MDS-UPDRS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This article proposes an International Parkinson and Movement
      Disorder Society (MDS)-UPDRS tremor-based scale and describes its measurement
      properties, with a view to developing an improved scale for assessing tremor in
      Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, multicenter study
      of 435 PD patients. Rasch analysis was performed on the 11 MDS-UPDRS tremor
      items. Construct validity, precision, and test-retest reliability were also
      analyzed. RESULTS: After some modifications, which included removal of an item
      owing to redundancy, the obtained MDS-UPDRS tremor scale showed moderate
      reliability, unidimensionality, absence of differential item functioning,
      satisfactory convergent validity with medication, and better precision than the
      raw sum score. However, the scale displayed a floor effect and a need for more
      items measuring lower levels of tremor. CONCLUSIONS: The MDS-UPDRS tremor scale
      provides linear scores that can be used to assess tremor in PD in a valid,
      reliable way. The scale might benefit from modifications and studies that analyze
      its responsiveness.

PMID- 26096211
TI  - The clonal relationships between pre-cancer and cancer revealed by ultra-deep
      sequencing.
AB  - The study of the relationships between pre-cancer and cancer and identification
      of early driver mutations is becoming increasingly important as the value of
      molecular markers of early disease and personalised drug targets is recognized,
      especially now the extent of clonal heterogeneity in fully invasive disease is
      being realized. It has been assumed that pre-cancerous lesions exhibit a fairly
      passive progression to invasive disease; the degree to which they, too, are
      heterogeneous is unknown. We performed ultra-deep sequencing of thousands of
      selected mutations, together with copy number analysis, from multiple, matched
      pre-invasive lesions, primary tumours and metastases from five patients with oral
      cancer, some with multiple primary tumours presenting either synchronously or
      metachronously, totalling 75 samples. This allowed the clonal relationships
      between the samples to be observed for each patient. We expose for the first time
      the unexpected variety and complexity of the relationships between this group of
      oral dysplasias and their associated carcinomas and, ultimately, the diversity of
      processes by which tumours are initiated, spread and metastasize. Instead of a
      series of genomic precursors of their adjacent invasive disease, we have shown
      dysplasia to be a distinct dynamic entity, refuting the belief that pre-cancer
      and invasive tumours with a close spatial relationship always have linearly
      related genomes. We show that oral pre-cancer exhibits considerable subclonal
      heterogeneity in its own right, that mutational changes in pre-cancer do not
      predict the onset of invasion, and that the genomic pathway to invasion is
      neither unified nor predictable. Sequence data from this study have been
      deposited in the European Nucleotide Archive, Accession No. PRJEB6588.

PMID- 26096212
TI  - Reply to letter on "Improving rehabilitation following critical illness through
      outpatient physiotherapy classes and essential amino acid supplement: A
      randomised, controlled trial".

PMID- 26096213
TI  - Pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of micafungin in a surgical critically ill
      patient during extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal and continuous renal
      replacement therapy.

PMID- 26096214
TI  - Synthesis of chiral polymorph A-enriched zeolite Beta with an extremely
      concentrated fluoride route.
AB  - Chiral zeolitic materials with intrinsically chiral frameworks are highly desired
      because they can combine both shape selectivity and enantioselectivity. In the
      field of zeolite, the synthesis of chiral polymorph A of zeolite Beta or chiral
      polymorph A-enriched zeolite Beta is one of the biggest challenges. We
      demonstrate here a generalized extremely concentrated fluoride route for the
      synthesis of chiral polymorph A-enriched zeolite Beta in the presence of five
      achiral organic structure-directing agents. The polymorph A-enriched Ti-Beta
      shows a higher enantioselectivity for the asymmetric epoxidation of alkenes than
      the normal Ti-Beta. 

PMID- 26096215
TI  - A Nitro-Functionalized Metal-Organic Framework as a Reaction-Based Fluorescence
      Turn-On Probe for Rapid and Selective H2 S Detection.
AB  - The toxic gas H2 S has recently emerged as one of the important signaling
      molecules in biological systems. Thus understanding the production, distribution,
      and mode of action of H2 S in biological system is important, but the fleeting
      and reactive nature of H2 S makes it a daunting task. Herein we report a
      biocompatible, nitro-functionalized metal-organic framework as reaction-based
      fluorescence turn-on probe for fast and selective H2 S detection. The selective
      turn-on performance of MOF remains unaffected even in presence of competing
      biomolecules. 

PMID- 26096216
TI  - Self-assembling amphiphilic poly(propargyl methacrylate) grafted DNA copolymers
      into multi-strand helices.
AB  - DNA was covalently grafted onto poly(propargyl methacrylate) (PPMA) via "click"
      chemistry to synthesize the amphiphilic polymer brush. The PPMA-g-DNA brush could
      assemble into a primary structure of a nanofiber, which can be compactly spun
      into a multiple-strand helix in micron-length. The brush could also self-assemble
      with DNA labelled gold nanoparticles. 

PMID- 26096217
TI  - Association of Right Atrial Mechanics with Hemodynamics and Physical Capacity in
      Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Insight from a Single
      Center Cohort in Northern Sweden.
AB  - AIMS: Role of right atrial mechanics has not been studied in idiopathic pulmonary
      arterial hypertension (IPAH). We sought to investigate the correlation between
      the right sided, particularly right atrial mechanics, hemodynamic parameters, and
      functional capacity prior to initiation of treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty
      five subjects (63 +/- 17 years, 13 males) with newly diagnosed IPAH by right
      heart catheterization (RHC) underwent speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) of
      the right ventricle (RV) and right atrium (RA). All the patients had a six-minute
      walk test (6MWD) performed, functional class (WHO-FC) assessed, and plasma NT
      proBNP estimated. STE strain imaging of RA and RV was performed offline. STE of
      the RA myocardium yielded characteristic strain (S%) and strain rate (SR) curves
      with clear delineation of its reservoir (RA-RS%), conduit (RA-SR E), and booster
      pump functions (RA-SR A). In IPAH, RHC-obtained pulmonary vascular resistance
      (PVR) and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), respectively, were 7.3 +/-
      5.6 Wood units and 66 +/- 24 mmHg. RA-RS% was associated negatively with PVR (r =
      -0.46; P < 0.05) and positively with stroke volume and cardiac output (all P <
      0.05). Both right atrial pressure (RAP) obtained by RHC as well as RA-SR E had
      significant association with WHO-FC (Multiple R = 0.7; P = 0. 01 and 0.007,
      respectively). RA strain rate during systole and RAP had significant association
      with 6MWD (Multiple R = 0.7; P = 0.01 and 0.006, respectively). CONCLUSION: Right
      atrium mechanics not only correlate well with RHC-obtained hemodynamics, but also
      correlate with functional capacity in treatment-naive IPAH.

PMID- 26096218
TI  - Identification of PDGF-BB binding to thymosin beta4 by chemical cross-linking.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of our work was to identify unknown interaction
      partners of thymosin beta4 (Tbeta4). It was suggested that Tbeta4 could be an
      antifibrotic drug for treatment of liver fibrogenesis, because Tbeta4 prevents
      the platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB)-induced activation of hepatic
      stellate cells (HSCs). Very little information is available how Tbeta4
      counteracts the PDGF-BB-induced activation of HSCs. We propose the hypothesis
      that Tbeta4 could bind directly to PDGF-BB and thereby reduce the concentration
      of free PDGF-BB available for binding to the PDGF-beta receptor. METHODS: To
      prove our suggestion of a direct interaction between Tbeta4 and PDGF-BB, we
      carried out chemical as well as photochemical cross-linking experiments between
      the two pure proteins in vitro. RESULTS: We identified an interaction between
      Tbeta4 and PDGF-BB by 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) cross
      linking as well as through biotin label transfer using a bifunctional
      photoactivatable derivative of Tbeta4. In an in vitro system, PDGF-BB was
      identified as the first extracellular partner interacting with Tbeta4. This
      interaction could influence PDGF-BB binding to its receptor and abolish PDGF-BB
      related effects. CONCLUSION: Direct interaction of Tbeta4 with extracellular
      factors should be considered as a potential mechanism to explain the pleiotropic
      effects of beta-thymosins.

PMID- 26096219
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26096220
TI  - Multiple Displaced Metacarpal Fractures.

PMID- 26096221
TI  - Dupuytren Contracture Recurrence Following Treatment With Collagenase Clostridium
      histolyticum (CORDLESS [Collagenase Option for Reduction of Dupuytren Long-Term
      Evaluation of Safety Study]): 5-Year Data.
AB  - PURPOSE: Collagenase Option for Reduction of Dupuytren Long-Term Evaluation of
      Safety Study was a 5-year noninterventional follow-up study to determine long
      term efficacy and safety of collagenase clostridium histolyticum (CCH) treatment
      for Dupuytren contracture. METHODS: Patients from previous CCH clinical studies
      were eligible. Enrolled patients were evaluated annually for contracture and
      safety at 2, 3, 4, and 5 years after their first injection (0.58 mg) of CCH. In
      successfully treated joints (<= 5 degrees  contracture following CCH treatment),
      recurrence was defined as 20 degrees  or greater worsening (relative to day 30
      after the last injection) with a palpable cord or any medical/surgical
      intervention to correct new/worsening contracture. A post hoc analysis was also
      conducted using a less stringent threshold (>= 30 degrees  worsening) for
      comparison with criteria historically used to assess surgical treatment. RESULTS:
      Of 950 eligible patients, 644 enrolled (1,081 treated joints). At year 5, 47%
      (291 of 623) of successfully treated joints had recurrence (>= 20 degrees 
      worsening)-39% (178 of 451) of metacarpophalangeal and 66% (113 of 172) of
      proximal interphalangeal joints. At year 5, 32% (198 of 623) of successfully
      treated joints had 30 degrees  or greater worsening (metacarpophalangeal 26% [119
      of 451] and proximal interphalangeal 46% [79 of 172] joints). Of 105 secondary
      interventions performed in the successfully treated joints, 47% (49 of 105)
      received fasciectomy, 30% (32 of 105) received additional CCH, and 23% (24 of
      105) received other interventions. One mild adverse event was attributed to CCH
      treatment (skin atrophy [decreased ring finger circumference from thinning of
      Dupuytren tissue]). Antibodies to clostridial type I and/or II collagenase were
      found in 93% of patients, but over the 5 years of follow-up, this did not
      correspond to any reported clinical adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Five years after
      successful CCH treatment, the overall recurrence rate of 47% was comparable with
      published recurrence rates after surgical treatments, with one reported long-term
      treatment-related adverse event. Collagenase clostridium histolyticum injection
      proved to be an effective and safe treatment for Dupuytren contracture. For those
      receiving treatment during follow-up, both CCH and fasciectomy were elected
      options. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic II.

PMID- 26096222
TI  - A global assessment of the social and conservation outcomes of protected areas.
AB  - Protected areas (PAs) are a key strategy for protecting biological resources, but
      they vary considerably in their effectiveness and are frequently reported as
      having negative impacts on local people. This has contributed to a divisive and
      unresolved debate concerning the compatibility of environmental and socioeconomic
      development goals. Elucidating the relationship between positive and negative
      social impacts and conservation outcomes of PAs is key for the development of
      more effective and socially just conservation. We conducted a global meta
      analysis on 165 PAs using data from 171 published studies. We assessed how PAs
      affect the well-being of local people, the factors associated with these impacts,
      and crucially the relationship between PAs' conservation and socioeconomic
      outcomes. Protected areas associated with positive socioeconomic outcomes were
      more likely to report positive conservation outcomes. Positive conservation and
      socioeconomic outcomes were more likely to occur when PAs adopted comanagement
      regimes, empowered local people, reduced economic inequalities, and maintained
      cultural and livelihood benefits. Whereas the strictest regimes of PA management
      attempted to exclude anthropogenic influences to achieve biological conservation
      objectives, PAs that explicitly integrated local people as stakeholders tended to
      be more effective at achieving joint biological conservation and socioeconomic
      development outcomes. Strict protection may be needed in some circumstances, yet
      our results demonstrate that conservation and development objectives can be
      synergistic and highlight management strategies that increase the probability of
      maximizing both conservation performance and development outcomes of PAs. 

PMID- 26096223
TI  - Measuring embeddedness: Hierarchical scale-dependent information exchange
      efficiency of the human brain connectome.
AB  - This article presents a novel approach for understanding information exchange
      efficiency and its decay across hierarchies of modularity, from local to global,
      of the structural human brain connectome. Magnetic resonance imaging techniques
      have allowed us to study the human brain connectivity as a graph, which can then
      be analyzed using a graph-theoretical approach. Collectively termed brain
      connectomics, these sophisticated mathematical techniques have revealed that the
      brain connectome, like many networks, is highly modular and brain regions can
      thus be organized into communities or modules. Here, using tractography-informed
      structural connectomes from 46 normal healthy human subjects, we constructed the
      hierarchical modularity of the structural connectome using bifurcating
      dendrograms. Moving from fine to coarse (i.e., local to global) up the
      connectome's hierarchy, we computed the rate of decay of a new metric that
      hierarchically preferentially weighs the information exchange between two nodes
      in the same module. By computing "embeddedness"-the ratio between nodal
      efficiency and this decay rate, one could thus probe the relative scale-invariant
      information exchange efficiency of the human brain. Results suggest that regions
      that exhibit high embeddedness are those that comprise the limbic system, the
      default mode network, and the subcortical nuclei. This supports the presence of
      near-decomposability overall yet relative embeddedness in select areas of the
      brain. The areas we identified as highly embedded are varied in function but are
      arguably linked in the evolutionary role they play in memory, emotion and
      behavior.

PMID- 26096224
TI  - Cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway in the non-obese diabetic mouse model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) has been
      shown to reduce inflammation in animal models, while abrogation of the pathway
      increases inflammation. We investigated whether modulation of CAP influences
      inflammation in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model for Sjogren's syndrome
      and type 1 diabetes. METHODS: The alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
      (alpha7nAChR) was stimulated with AR-R17779 or nicotine in NOD mice. In a second
      study, unilateral cervical vagotomy was performed. alpha7nAChR expression, focus
      scores, and salivary flow were evaluated in salivary glands (SG) and insulitis
      score in the pancreas. Cytokines were measured in serum and SG. RESULTS:
      alpha7nAChR was expressed on myoepithelial cells in SG. Monocyte chemotactic
      protein-1 levels were reduced in SG after AR-R17779 treatment and tumor necrosis
      factor production was increased in the SG of the vagotomy group compared to
      controls. Focus score and salivary flow were unaffected. NOD mice developed
      diabetes more rapidly after vagotomy, but at completion of the study there were
      no statistically significant differences in number of mice that developed
      diabetes or in insulitis scores. CONCLUSION: Intervention of the CAP in NOD mice
      leads to minimal changes in inflammatory cytokines, but did not affect overall
      inflammation and function of SG or development of diabetes.

PMID- 26096225
TI  - Copper-Catalyzed Regioselective Hydroalkylation of 1,3-Dienes with Alkyl
      Fluorides and Grignard Reagents.
AB  - Copper complexes generated in situ from CuCl2, alkyl Grignard reagents, and 1,3
      dienes play important roles as catalytic active species for the 1,2
      hydroalkylation of 1,3-dienes by alkyl fluorides through C-F bond cleavage. The
      alkyl group is introduced to an internal carbon atom of the 1,3-diene
      regioselectively, thus giving rise to the branched terminal alkene product.

PMID- 26096226
TI  - Jasmonate in plant defence: sentinel or double agent?
AB  - Plants and their biotic enemies, such as microbial pathogens and herbivorous
      insects, are engaged in a desperate battle which would determine their survival
      death fate. Plants have evolved efficient and sophisticated systems to defend
      against such attackers. In recent years, significant progress has been made
      towards a comprehensive understanding of inducible defence system mediated by
      jasmonate (JA), a vital plant hormone essential for plant defence responses and
      developmental processes. This review presents an overview of JA action in plant
      defences and discusses how microbial pathogens evade plant defence system through
      hijacking the JA pathway.

PMID- 26096227
TI  - Quantification of aortic stiffness using magnetic resonance elastography:
      Measurement reproducibility, pulse wave velocity comparison, changes over cardiac
      cycle, and relationship with age.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess MR elastography (MRE)-derived aortic shear stiffness (MUMRE )
      measurements for: 1) reproducibility, 2) comparison to pulse wave velocity, 3)
      changes over the cardiac cycle, and 4) relationship with age. METHODS: Cardiac
      gated aortic MRE was performed on 20 healthy volunteers (aged 20-73 years). For
      assessing reproducibility of stiffness measurements, scans were repeated per
      volunteer. MRE wave images were analyzed to obtain stiffness of the abdominal
      aorta across the cardiac cycle, and comparisons were made with subject age.
      RESULTS: Analysis of concordance correlation coefficient between scans 1 and 2
      showed that rc  = 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.77, 0.94) with P < 0.0001.
      Significantly higher MUMRE was observed for all volunteers during end-systole
      when compared to end-diastole (P < 0.0001). MUMRE increased with age; end
      systolic stiffness demonstrated a relatively stronger correlation with age (r =
      0.62, P = 0.003) when compared to end-diastolic stiffness (r = 0.51, P = 0.023);
      and the slopes of end-systole and end-diastole were found to be significantly
      different (P = 0.011). [Formula: see text] at end-systole and end-diastole
      correlated linearly with pulse wave velocity, with an r = 0.54 (P = 0.013) and r
      = 0.58 (P = 0.008), respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate
      that MRE-derived aortic shear stiffness measurements are robust (reproducible and
      comparable to similar techniques). Mean MUMRE was higher during end-systole when
      compared to end-diastole. MUMRE was found to increase with age and showed a
      stronger correlation with end-systolic stiffness than with end-diastolic
      stiffness.

PMID- 26096228
TI  - Circulating miR-145 is associated with plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein
      in acute ischemic stroke patients.
AB  - Stroke is a major cerebrovascular disease threatening human health and life with
      high morbidity, disability and mortality. We aimed to find effective biomarkers
      for the early diagnosis on stroke. Nine previously reported stroke-associated
      miRNAs (miR-21, miR-23a, miR-29b, miR-124, miR-145, miR-210, miR-221, miR-223 and
      miR-483-5p) were measured by quantitative real time-PCR, and plasma high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and serum interleukin 6 (IL-6), the pro
      inflammation markers in brain injury, were examined by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay in 146 acute ischemic stroke patients and 96 healthy blood
      donors. We found that serum miR-145 was significantly increased within 24 h after
      stroke onset and serum miR-23a and miR-221 were decreased in patients. Moreover,
      serum miR-145 was strong positively correlated with plasma hs-CRP and moderate
      positively correlated with serum IL-6. Meanwhile, serum miR-23a and miR-221 were
      moderate negatively correlated with plasma hs-CRP but not serum IL-6.
      Importantly, the combination of hs-CRP and serum miR-145 gained a better
      sensitivity/spectivity for prediction of acute ischemia stroke (area under
      receiver operating characteristic curve from 0.794 to 0.896). Conclusively, our
      preliminary findings indicate that serum miR-145 upregulated in acute ischemic
      stroke might be a new biomarker for acute ischemia stroke evaluation.

PMID- 26096229
TI  - Palaeo-islands as refugia and sources of genetic diversity within volcanic
      archipelagos: the case of the widespread endemic Canarina canariensis
      (Campanulaceae).
AB  - Geographical isolation by oceanic barriers and climatic stability has been
      postulated as some of the main factors driving diversification within volcanic
      archipelagos. However, few studies have focused on the effect that catastrophic
      volcanic events have had on patterns of within-island differentiation in
      geological time. This study employed data from the chloroplast (cpDNA haplotypes)
      and the nuclear (AFLPs) genomes to examine the patterns of genetic variation in
      Canarina canariensis, an iconic plant species associated with the endemic laurel
      forest of the Canary Islands. We found a strong geographical population
      structure, with a first divergence around 0.8 Ma that has Tenerife as its central
      axis and divides Canarian populations into eastern and western clades. Genetic
      diversity was greatest in the geologically stable 'palaeo-islands' of Anaga, Teno
      and Roque del Conde; these areas were also inferred as the ancestral location of
      migrant alleles towards other disturbed areas within Tenerife or the nearby
      islands using a Bayesian approach to phylogeographical clustering. Oceanic
      barriers, in contrast, appear to have played a lesser role in structuring genetic
      variation, with intra-island levels of genetic diversity larger than those
      between-islands. We argue that volcanic eruptions and landslides after the
      merging of the palaeo-islands 3.5 Ma played key roles in generating genetic
      boundaries within Tenerife, with the palaeo-islands acting as refugia against
      extinction, and as cradles and sources of genetic diversity to other areas within
      the archipelago. 

PMID- 26096230
TI  - Outcome of Vaginoplasty in Male-to-Female Transgenders: A Systematic Review of
      Surgical Techniques.

PMID- 26096231
TI  - Low temperature oxidative desulfurization with hierarchically mesoporous
      titaniumsilicate Ti-SBA-2 single crystals.
AB  - Hierarchically porous Ti-SBA-2 with high framework Ti content (up to 5 wt%) was
      firstly synthesized by employing organic mesomorphous complexes of a cationic
      surfactant (CTAB) and an anionic polyelectrolyte (PAA) as templates. The material
      exhibited excellent performance in oxidative desulfurization of diesel fuel at
      low temperature (40  degrees C or 25  degrees C) due to the unique hierarchically
      porous structure and high framework Ti content. 

PMID- 26096232
TI  - The association between endometriosis and survival outcomes of ovarian cancer:
      Evidence-based on a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although it is generally recognized that endometriosis was
      significantly associated with higher risk of ovarian cancer, the association
      between endometriosis and the cancer survival outcomes is still not clear. This
      meta-analysis aims to pool previous studies and to make an update estimate.
      METHODS: Relevant studies were searched among PubMed, Medline and Embase. Hazard
      ratio (HR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) of progression
      free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were pooled with generic inverse
      variance method. The proportion of the low stage and grade tumors (stage: Stage I
      and II among total; grade: Grade I among total) in endometriosis-associated
      ovarian cancer (EAOC) group and in non-EAOC group were assessed with odd ratio
      and the corresponding 95% CI. RESULTS: Endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer
      were significantly associated with higher rate of OS in crude analysis (HR: 0.74,
      95% CI: 0.63-0.87, P = 0.0003). However, in most of the studies included, the OS
      benefit was not significant under multivariable survival analysis. EAOC patients
      generally had early-stage, low histological grade tumors and younger age compared
      with non-EAOC patients. No difference was observed in PFS between the two groups.
      CONCLUSION: The OS benefits associated with endometriosis might be closely
      related to higher prevalence of patients diagnosed at early-stage and greater
      chance of receiving optimal cytoreductive surgery or chemotherapy. Endometriosis
      should not be viewed as an independent prognostic factor of ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26096233
TI  - Blood pressure values in healthy term newborns at a tertiary health facility in
      Enugu, Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blood pressure (BP) is a reflection of hemodynamic variables. It is
      an important vital sign and indicator of clinical stability. Accurate measurement
      of this physiological signal is essential for the optimal management of the ill
      infant. An increase in the awareness of hypertension among neonates has resulted
      to increased ability to diagnose neonates with the disease. OBJECTIVES: This
      study aimed to determine BP values in apparently healthy term newborns in the
      first 48 h of life and evaluate the factors affecting BP at birth. METHODS: Three
      hundred and ten healthy appropriate for gestational age term newborns were
      consecutively recruited. BP measurements were determined using the oscillometric
      technique with the neonate supine after an appropriate size cuff was applied on
      the right arm. The monitor (Dinamap 8100) is switched on while the cuff inflation
      and deflation is automatically done by the instrument with subsequent display of
      the BP values on the screen. BP measurements were taken at age 0-24 h and 25-48
      h. Their weight was measured with infant's weighing scale, and data analyzed with
      SPSS version 15. RESULTS: The mean systolic BP (SBP), diastolic and mean arterial
      BP at 0-24 h were 63.3 +/- 5.5 mmHg, 36.8 +/- 5.3 mmHg and 46.4 +/- 5.2 mmHg
      respectively. There was a positive correlation between birth weight and SBP at
      birth. No significant correlation was found between BP and gender, mode of
      delivery or maternal age. CONCLUSION: This study provides current normative BP
      values that can be used in neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

PMID- 26096234
TI  - Biomechanical comparison of osteosynthesis with poly-L-lactic acid and titanium
      screw in intracapsular condylar fracture fixation: An experimental study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of this study was to compare the biomechanical
      stability of poly-L-lactic acid and titanium screws in the fixation of
      intracapsular condylar fractures, in 10 polyurethane hemimandibles. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Artificial intracapsular fractures were created with a steel disk and
      electronic micromotor. The first group was fixed with 15 mm long self-tapping 2.0
      mm system titanium screws and the second group was fixed with 15 mm long 2.4 mm
      bioresorbable screws. Linear loads of 25, 50, 75, 100 N was applied in
      anteroposterior direction to the hemimandibles and the data were transmitted
      directly from the load cell to a computer that shows emergent results of material
      characteristics under same forces as a graphic containing force and displacement.
      RESULTS: The results show that there were no significant differences between the
      two methods, with 25 N of loading. (P > 0,05) The difference became significant
      with a higher value of loading. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that treatment
      with a single resorbable screw is not functionally stable as a single titanium
      screw.

PMID- 26096235
TI  - A study of Staphylococcus aureusnasal carriage, antibacterial resistance and
      virulence factor encoding genes in a tertiary care hospital, Kayseri, Turkey.
AB  - AIM: This study was to determine the virulence encoding genes, and the antibiotic
      resistance patterns of the Staphylococcus aureus isolates, which were isolated
      from the nasal samples of chest clinic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The nasal
      samples of the in-patients (431) and out-patients (1857) in Kayseri Training and
      Research Hospital's Chest Clinic, Kayseri, Turkey, were cultured on CHROMagar
      (Biolife, Italiana) S. aureus, and subcultured on sheep blood agar for the
      isolation of S. aureus. Disc diffusion method was used for antimicrobial
      susceptibility testing. The occurrence of the staphylococcal virulence encoding
      genes (enterotoksins [sea, seb, sec, see, seg, seh, sei, sej], fibronectin
      binding proteins A, B [fnbA, fnbB], toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 [tst]) were
      detected by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Forty-five of the 55 (81.8%) S.
      aureus isolates from inpatients, and 319 (90.6%) isolates from tested 352 out
      patient's isolates were suspected to all the antibiotics tested. methicillin
      resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was detected in 1.2% of S. aureus isolates. Rifampin,
      trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, clindamycin, erythromycin, gentamicin resistance
      rates were 1.2%, 1.7%, 2.0%, 8.8%, and 1.2%, respectively. The isolates were
      susceptible to teicoplanin and vancomycin. The genes most frequently found were
      tst (92.7%), seg (85.8%), sea (83.6%), fnbA (70.9%). There was no statistical
      significance detected between MRSA and mecA-negative S. aureus isolates in
      encoding genes distribution (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results show that
      virulence factor encoding genes were prevalent in patients with S. aureus
      carriage, whereas antibiotic resistance was low. These virulence determinants may
      increase the risk for subsequent invasive infections in carriers.

PMID- 26096236
TI  - Evaluation of the permeability of five desensitizing agents using computerized
      fluid filtration.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the permeability of five
      desensitizing agents using computerized fluid filtration (CFF) test method.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty dentin discs of 500 +/- 200-mm-thick were prepared
      from middle dentin of bovine incisors without exposed the pulp and then randomly
      divided into five groups (n = 12). The permeability of the discs was measured
      using the CFF test method before and after application of the following
      desensitizers: Admira Protect (Voco, Cuxhaven, Germany), Seal and Protect
      (Dentsply, Konstanz, Germany), Sensi Kill (DFL, Brazil), Systemp Desensitizer
      (Ivoclar Vivadent, Liechtenstein), BisBlock (Bisco, USA). Fluid movement
      measurements were made at 2-min intervals for 8 min, and a mean of the values
      obtained was calculated for each specimen. The results were analyzed using
      Kruskal-Wallis test and Wilcoxon signed ranks tests with a significance threshold
      of P < 0.05. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in permeability among
      desensitizing agents (P > 0.05); however dentin permeability was reduced in all
      groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The in vitro fluid conductance of dentin discs
      were reduced by treating with these five desensitizing agents.

PMID- 26096237
TI  - Effects of low-level laser therapy on osteoblastic bone formation and relapse in
      an experimental rapid maxillary expansion model.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of low
      level laser therapy (LLLT) on osteoblastic bone formation and relapse during
      expansion of rat palatal sutures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two Wistar rats
      were randomly allocated into two groups of 16 rats each. In the first group, LLLT
      was applied 4 days after expansion commenced. Seven days after expansion,
      retainers were applied for 10 days. The second group was similarly treated, with
      the exception of laser therapy. All rats were sacrificed on day 7 (n = 1) (the
      end of the expansion period; laser group (LG) 1 [LLLT 1] and control group (CG) 1
      [control 1]) and day 17 (n = 8) (the end of the retention period; LG 2 [LLLT 2]
      and CG 2 [control 2]) for histological assessment. RESULTS: The LLLT 1 group had
      significantly higher numbers of osteoclasts than did the control 1 group (P =
      0.036). No significant between-group difference in osteoblast cell or capillary
      numbers was evident when day 7 and 17 data were compared. CONCLUSION:
      Histologically, LLLT stimulated bone formation, as revealed by analysis after the
      retention period. LLLT during expansion may accelerate bone healing.

PMID- 26096238
TI  - Is there a relationship between Parkinson's disease and Chlamydia pneumoniae?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim was to investigate a possible relationship between Chlamydia
      pneumoniae and Parkinson's disease (PD). STUDY DESIGN: Serum samples obtained
      from a cohort of 51 patients with PD and from 37 age- and sex-matched controls
      were assessed for the presence of antibodies. The control group was selected from
      healthy people. In both groups, 5 mL of blood was taken and after centrifugation
      frozen at -80 degrees C. Presence and concentration for C. pneumoniae IgM and IgG
      were determined by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and
      immunofluorescence (IFA), using C. pneumoniae IgG and IgM kit (Euroimmun,
      Germany). RESULTS: Chlamydia pneumoniae IgG was positive in 50 (98%) patients in
      ELISA study. C. pneumoniae IgG was positive in 34 (92%) control subjects in ELISA
      study. C. pneumoniae IgG positivity in patients was slightly higher, but the
      difference did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.17). No statistically
      significant difference was found between the patient and the control groups in
      IFA study (P >= 0.5). C. pneumoniae IgM results (both ELISA and IFA study) was
      negative in the both PD group and control group.

PMID- 26096239
TI  - Validity of the Demirjian method for dental age estimation for Southern Turkish
      children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the applicability of the
      Demirjian method for southern Turkish population. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Panoramic radiographs of 535 patients (276 females, 259 males aged from 10 to 18
      years) selected retrospectively. Dental age was calculated using the Demirjian's
      method. Chronologic age was calculated by subtracting the date of the birth from
      the date of the panoramic radiograph after having converted both to a decimal
      age. The chronologic and dental ages were compared using the paired t-test.
      RESULTS: The mean difference between the chronologic and dental ages ranged from
      0.02 to 0.79 years in females. These differences in females between the
      chronologic and dental ages were statistically significant in total (P < 0.050)
      and in G1 (10-10.90 years) (P < 0.010) and G2 (11-11.90 years) (P < 0.001). The
      mean difference between the chronologic and dental ages ranged from 0.04 to 0.85
      years in males. These differences in males between the chronologic age and dental
      age were statistically significant in total (P < 0.010) and in G4 (13-13.90
      years) G5 (14-14.90 years) G6 (15-15.90 years) groups (P < 0.050). CONCLUSIONS:
      It is appropriate to use the Demirjian method in southern Turkish children;
      however, a revision is needed in some age groups.

PMID- 26096240
TI  - The seroprevalence of brucellosis among undiagnosed family members of brucellosis
      positive patients.
AB  - AIM: This study investigated the seroprevalence, complications and risk factors
      of Brucella infection in rural areas of Sivas, Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      study was conducted in three hyperendemic counties for brucellosis known as
      Gurun, Altinyayla and Kangal in Sivas between April and October in 2011. A total
      of 1,430 subjects were consulted. RESULTS: Of the 1,430 subjects, 217 (15.2%)
      with clinical findings compatible with brucellosis were examined by taking blood
      samples to study both standard tube agglutination test (STAT) and enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (Genzyme Virotech GmbH, Romicronsselsheim, Germany).
      The seroprevalance of Brucella was found to be 8.0%. Brucella seropositivity was
      detected in 114 (52.5%) of the 217 subjects with STAT. There was no significant
      difference between female and male subjects with regard to Brucella
      seropositivity (P = 0.214). The seropositivity of subject 16-65 age group was
      significantly higher than those of subjects in <16 and >65 age groups (P =
      0.001). In Brucella ELISA test results, 123 (56.7%) subjects had positive IgG
      antibodies and 96 (44.2%) IgM antibodies. Skeletal complications were the most
      frequent; joint, muscle, and waist pain were found in 87.1%, 79.7%, and 74.6% of
      subjects respectively. Most subjects (90.8%) gave a history of frequent
      consumption of fresh cheese directly from the cattle they own and contact with
      animals (77.8%) for risk factors of brucellosis. CONCLUSION: Brucella
      seropositivity is high in Gurun, Altinyayla and Kangal counties and primary care
      physicians should keep in mind the clinical and laboratory findings of
      brucellosis especially in family members of brucellosis patients.

PMID- 26096241
TI  - Lipoatrophy among patients on antiretroviral therapy in Lagos, Nigeria:
      Prevalence, pattern and association with cardiovascular risk factors.
AB  - CONTEXT: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is linked with morphologic abnormalities
      such as lipoatrophy (LA), which may accompany metabolic alterations
      (dysglycemias, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance) that increase cardiovascular
      disease risk. LA and its association with metabolic alterations have been
      infrequently studied amongst Nigerians on ART. AIMS: To determine the prevalence,
      pattern and association of LA with metabolic abnormalities and hypertension among
      patients on ART attending an ambulatory human immunodeficiency virus clinic in
      Lagos, Nigeria. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out
      among patients on ART using a structured interviewer administered questionnaire.
      Data obtained included patients and physician's assessment of body fat changes,
      drug history, blood pressure, body composition assessment using bioelectrical
      impedance analysis and biochemical evaluation (glucose, lipids). LA was defined
      clinically. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistical software version 21.
      RESULTS: A total of 48 (33.1%) of the 145 patients had LA. The face was the most
      frequently affected body region. Patients with LA with lower body circumferences,
      skin-fold thickness and body fat (P < 0.05). The frequencies of lipid
      abnormalities were: Reduced high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (47.1%),
      elevated total cholesterol (35.6%), reduced low density lipoprotein-cholesterol
      (19.2%), elevated triglycerides (14.4%). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG)>=6.1 mmol/l
      and hypertension were present among 9.6% and 40.7% respectively. LA was not
      significantly associated with the presence of glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia
      or hypertension (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Lipoatrophy, though commonly encountered
      in patients on ART in Nigeria was not associated with the presence of
      dyslipidemia, abnormal FPG or hypertension. Regular monitoring by the physician
      and increased patients awareness are necessary to reduce its prevalence and
      impact.

PMID- 26096242
TI  - Important clinical and laboratory correlates of glomerular filtration rate in
      sickle cell anemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal impairment is routinely assessed using the estimated glomerular
      filtration rate (eGFR) and it may be helpful to obtain certain clinical or
      laboratory markers, which show relationship with glomerular filtration rate (GFR)
      in sickle cell disease (SCD). AIM: To assess the relationship between important
      clinical and laboratory parameters in SCD, and the eGFR. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Steady state clinical and laboratory data were obtained from 228 homozygous SCD
      patients seen over a 7-year period. The GFR was estimated using (isotope dilution
      mass spectrometry) traceable modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) and
      Cockroft-Gault methods. The correlation coefficient and independent t-test were
      done to assess the level of significance between the eGFR_MDRD and the known
      indicators of disease severity. RESULTS: The serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and
      serum direct bilirubin levels both showed significant inverse relationship with
      eGFR_MDRD P = 0.012 and P = 0.24, respectively. The patients' age, Hb, leukocyte
      count, platelet count, serum direct bilirubin and aspartate transaminase did not
      show a significant correlation. The eGFR_MDRD was more discriminatory revealing
      that 20.3% of the patients had suboptimal GFR. Proteinuria in steady state was
      observed in 20.3% of the patients. CONCLUSION: High serum direct bilirubin and
      ALP are associated with a deteriorating eGFR_MDRD. Other clinical and laboratory
      indicators of disease severity in SCD do not show the relationship with the GFR.
      MDRD_GFR estimation seemed to be a more appropriate method of estimating GFR in
      SCD.

PMID- 26096243
TI  - Correlation of astrocyte elevated gene-1, basic-fibroblast growth factor, beta
      catenin, Ki-67, tumor necrosis factor-alfa with prognostic parameters in ductal
      carcinomas and ductal intraepithelial neoplasms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the second most frequent cancer in the world.
      Although it is widely accepted that the etiology of breast cancer includes both
      genetic and environmental factors, the molecular mechanism of its development and
      progression remains poorly understood, and thus far, no specific signature of
      breast cancer gene expression has been reported to allow for patient-tailored
      therapy strategies. Hence, it is of great clinical value to further understand
      the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of breast cancer and to
      identify effective early markers for the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease
      as well as novel therapeutic targets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was
      conducted on a total of 90 paraffin-embedded breast tumor samples.
      Immunohistochemical stains for astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1), basic
      fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF), beta-catenin, Ki-67, tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha) were performed on tissue microarray using standard procedures.
      Each patient age, grade, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and
      human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) status, size, lymphovascular
      invasion, metastasis of lymph node (LNM), nipple and ductal hyperplasia areas
      were assessed. RESULTS: We observed significant relationship between the age and
      LNM or FGF (P = 0.018, 0.035, respectively). The relationship between
      histological and nuclear grade, LNM, ER, PR, HER-2 and prognostic parameters was
      evaluated in cases of ductal carcinomas (DC). There was a significant positive
      correlation between TNF-alpha, size, LNM (P <= 0.0001, 0.002, 0.005). We found
      that significant relationship between AEG-1 and TNF-alpha. There was a
      significant positive correlation between FGF and Ki-67 and negative correlation
      AEG-1. Although, FGF, TNF-alpha, AEG-1 staining in DC were observed higher than
      ductal intraepithelial neoplasms, this observation could not statistically (P >=
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present work aims to investigate the relationship between
      the expression of AEG-1, b-FGF, beta-catenin, Ki-67, TNF-alpha other prognostic
      parameters in DC and ductal intraepithelial neoplasm. We found a relationship
      between these factors.

PMID- 26096244
TI  - A retrospective review of intensive care management of organophosphate
      insecticide poisoning: Single center experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Organophosphate (OP) compounds are used as insecticides. Given the
      widespread availability and use of these chemicals, OP poisoning is quite common
      following either accidental or intentional exposures. Immediate intensive care
      management can save lives in these patients. We aimed to investigate intensive
      care management provided to OP poisoning patients in a tertiary care hospital in
      Turkey. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review of 62
      patients, admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with OP poisoning between
      2000 and 2012. RESULTS: Of the 62 patients studied, 40 (65%) were male, 45 (73%)
      were suicide attempts, 59 (95%) ingested the OP compounds, and three patients
      (5%) (two patients with suicide and 1 with accidental exposure) died in the ICU.
      There were statistically significant differences between survivors and
      nonsurvivors for Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on admission (P = 0.034), Acute
      Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score (P = 0.003),
      Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (P = 0.024), time to initiation
      of treatment (P = 0.034) and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels (P =
      0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Organophosphate poisoning is a life-threatening condition
      that requires immediate diagnosis and management. GCS, APACHE II score, SOFA
      score, and time to admission to the emergency department and LDH levels can
      provide prognostic information and predict outcomes.

PMID- 26096245
TI  - Effectiveness of trained community volunteers in improving knowledge and
      management of childhood malaria in a rural area of Rivers State, Nigeria.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Malaria accounts for 70% of illnesses and 30% of deaths among
      children under 5 years in Nigeria. This study was aimed at determining the
      effectiveness of trained community volunteers in delivering multiple anti-malaria
      interventions to achieve rapid reduction in morbidity and mortality among under 5
      children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was carried out in
      two rural communities in Rivers State, Nigeria among 368 mothers/caregivers. A
      set of 184 of the mothers/caregivers (experimental group) were trained on malaria
      and provided with bed nets and drugs (artemisinin-lumefantrine) to treat children
      under 5 years who developed fever during the period of the experiment. Another
      set of 184 mothers/caregivers (controls) did not receive similar training and
      drugs. Both groups were compared at baseline and after 6 months of the experiment
      on their knowledge of malaria prevention and treatment. Level of significance was
      set at P = 0.05. RESULTS: In the experimental group: Adequate knowledge about
      malaria increased from 115 (62.5%) to 175 (95.1%) (P < 0.0001), early
      commencement of treatment of fever increased from 68 (37.0%) to 131 (75.7%) (P <
      0.0001), and children cured of malaria increased from 87 (47.3%) to 146 (84.4%)
      (P < 0.0001). Insecticide-treated bed nets use also increased from 86 (46.7%) to
      161 (87.5%) (P < 0.0001). There were no significant changes in the control group.
      CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated the inherent potentials in using community
      based volunteers in malaria prevention and control for those in rural areas with
      poor health service delivery. We advocate its adaptation for far-reaching
      reduction in childhood morbidity and mortality and rapid attainment of millennium
      development goals 4.

PMID- 26096246
TI  - The clinical usefulness of initial serum procalcitonin as an aggravation
      predictor in a hepatobiliary tract infection at emergency department.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The ability to predict future clinical deterioration
      early in patients who present to an emergency care center with a hepatobiliary
      tract infection is difficult. We studied the clinical usefulness of the initial
      serum levels of procalcitonin in a hepatobiliary tract infection as an indicator
      for predicting aggravation in the early stages. METHODS: Of the patients who
      presented with the clinical symptoms of a hepatobiliary tract infection, 99 were
      diagnosed with a hepatobiliary tract infection by imaging studies and
      subsequently enrolled in the study. Laboratory tests were obtained in the early
      stage of disease after presentation to an emergency care center. We assessed and
      compared the serum levels of many early inflammatory markers (white blood cell
      [WBC] counts, C-reactive protein and procalcitonin) between patients whose
      symptoms were initially stable upon arrival to an emergency care center but then
      deteriorated to, those whose symptoms remained consistently stable. Thus, we
      examined if the above serum markers are useful in predicting the possibility of
      future symptom aggravation. RESULTS: Of a total of 99 patients, 27 were assigned
      to the symptom aggravation group. The serum levels of WBC counts and C-reactive
      protein in the aggravation group were elevated. However, the median value
      (interquartile range) of procalcitonin was relatively increased at 2.28 (0.41
      7.84 ng/ml), demonstrating a significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion,
      initial serum levels of procalcitonin might be used as an indicator for
      aggravation in patients with hepatobiliary tract infection at the emergency
      department, even though there is hemodynamic stability.

PMID- 26096247
TI  - Concerns about the knowledge and attitude of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
      among health care workers and patients in Delta State, Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inadequate knowledge and wrong perception of multidrug-resistant
      tuberculosis (MDR-TB) by Health Care Workers (HCWs) and patients are detrimental
      to tuberculosis control programs. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to assess the knowledge
      and attitudes of HCWs and TB patients about MDR-TB in Delta State, Nigeria.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among HCWs and TB
      patients in Delta State, Nigeria. Data were collected using a structured
      interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics
      version 20. RESULTS: Ninety-six HCWs and 114 TB patients were studied. The HCWs
      (mean age 43.0 +/- 10.1 years) were older than the patients (mean age 41.7 +/-
      16.9 years). A higher proportion (54.2%) of HCWs had tertiary education, but only
      15% of the patients had above secondary education. Eight (8.3%) HCWs and majority
      (60.5%) of the patients had no knowledge about of MDR-TB. Only 18.4% of patients
      compared to 61.5% of HCWs had good knowledge of MDR-TB. Both groups demonstrated
      a positive attitude toward MDR-TB. CONCLUSION: The knowledge of MDR-TB was poor
      among the TB patients studied as well as among HCWs with low educational status.
      MDR-TB training program for both HCWs and patients need to be re-structured to
      allow for greater gain in MDR-TB knowledge among both groups, which in turn may
      help improve compliance and treatment outcomes among patients.

PMID- 26096248
TI  - Bad-breath: Perceptions and misconceptions of Nigerian adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide baseline data about bad-breath perception and
      misconceptions among Nigerian adults. METHODS: Multi-center cross-sectional study
      of individuals aged 18-64 years using examiner-administered questionnaires. Age
      comparisons were based on the model of emerging adults versus full adults. Data
      were recoded for statistical analyses and univariate and secondary log-linear
      statistics applied. RESULTS: Participants had lopsided perceptions about bad
      breath. While 730 (90.8%) identified the dentist as the expert on halitosis and
      719 (89.4%) knew that bad-breath is not contagious, only 4.4% and 2.5% associated
      bad-breath with tooth decay and gum disease respectively. There were no
      significant sex differences but the older adults showed better knowledge in a few
      instances. Most respondents (747, 92.9%) would tell a spouse about their bad
      breath and 683 (85%) would tell a friend. CONCLUSIONS: Participants had lop-sided
      knowledge and perceptions about bad-breath. Most Nigerian adults are their
      "brothers' keepers" who would tell a spouse or friend about their halitosis so
      they could seek treatment.

PMID- 26096249
TI  - Temperature increases on the external root surface during endodontic treatment
      using single file systems.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study is to evaluate increases in temperature on the
      external root surface during endodontic treatment with different rotary systems.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty human mandibular incisors with a single root canal
      were selected. All root canals were instrumented using a size 20 Hedstrom file,
      and the canals were irrigated with 5% sodium hypochlorite solution. The samples
      were randomly divided into the following three groups of 15 teeth: Group 1: The
      OneShape Endodontic File no.: 25; Group 2: The Reciproc Endodontic File no.: 25;
      Group 3: The WaveOne Endodontic File no.: 25. During the preparation, the
      temperature changes were measured in the middle third of the roots using a
      noncontact infrared thermometer. The temperature data were transferred from the
      thermometer to the computer and were observed graphically. Statistical analysis
      was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance at a significance
      level of 0.05. RESULTS: The increases in temperature caused by the OneShape file
      system were lower than those of the other files (P < 0.05). The WaveOne file
      showed the highest temperature increases. However, there were no significant
      differences between the Reciproc and WaveOne files. CONCLUSIONS: The single file
      rotary systems used in this study may be recommended for clinical use.

PMID- 26096250
TI  - Epilepsy in primary intracranial tumors in a neurosurgical hospital in Enugu,
      South-East Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Seizures may be manifestation of intracranial tumor (IT) and demand
      thorough neurological evaluation. This paper examines epidemiology, lesion
      characteristics and outcome of seizures associated with primary IT. METHODS:
      Retrospective analysis of medical records, computed tomography and magnetic
      resonance imaging of patients diagnosed with IT who presented with seizure from
      2003 to 2013 at Memfys Hospital for Neurosurgery Enugu. Postoperative seizure
      outcome was based on Engel classification and correlated with tumor histology,
      patient age, anatomical location, time of presentation and extent of tumor
      resection. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
      RESULTS: Sixty-two patients (34.6%) presenting with seizures were analyzed. Peak
      age at presentation was in 6 th decade. Age of seizure onset had bimodal peak at
      4 th and 6 th decades. Apart from IT located in posterior fossa with mortality of
      62.5%, postoperative mortality did not depend on anatomical location of tumor.
      Postoperative seizure outcome and mortality depend on tumor histology (P = 0.025)
      and preoperative seizure duration (P = 0.036). Seizure duration shorter than 1
      month had poor postoperative seizure outcome and high mortality. Although more
      patients with meningioma experienced seizures compared to glioma (P = 0.025),
      there was no difference in proportion of patients with meningioma and glioma who
      presented with seizure (P = 1.00). Extent of resection predicts postoperative
      seizure outcome based on meningioma sub-group analysis. Overall, 59.7% of
      patients had good postoperative seizure outcome, 21.0% had poor outcome and 19.3%
      died. CONCLUSION: Seizures of short duration, IT located in posterior fossa and
      gliomas are associated with poor postoperative seizure outcome and high patient
      mortality. Tumor histology does not seem to affect seizure predisposition. Most
      seizures associated with IT occur in fifth and sixth decades of life and affect
      frontal lobe most often.

PMID- 26096251
TI  - A case report on a nasolabial cyst presenting with a nasolacrimal sac cyst.
AB  - Nasolabial cysts are rare, nonodontogenic soft tissue developmental cysts that
      occur in the maxillary lip and nasal alar regions. Patients with this type of
      cyst generally presents with an asymptomatic soft swelling that may obliterate
      the nasolabial fold, elevate the nasal ala or the floor of the nose and fill the
      labial vestibule intraorally. The exact origin of nasolabial cysts is uncertain.
      The seed theory suggests that these cysts develop from a misplaced epithelium of
      the nasolacrimal duct because of their similar location and histologic
      appearance. This report aimed to present a case of nasolabial cyst presenting
      with a nasolacrimal sac cyst.

PMID- 26096252
TI  - The triad of Iron deficiency anemia, hepatosplenomegaly and growth retardation
      with normal serum zinc levels in a 14-year-old boy.
AB  - A triad of iron deficiency anemia, hepatosplenomegaly and growth retardation
      occurring in tandem with zinc deficiency has been reported in the past as
      components of either Prasad's syndrome or hypopituitarism. There are no
      documented cases of such triad occurring in the presence of normal serum zinc
      levels. We report a case of a 14-year-old boy who presented with iron deficiency
      anemia, hepatosplenomegaly, geophagia and growth retardation with pubertal delay.
      Investigations ruled out hypopituitarism and coeliac disease. The patient
      improved dramatically and attained puberty within 15 months of intense
      nutritional intervention. In conclusion, iron deficiency anemia occurring in the
      triad without zinc deficiency as seen in this case report has not been reported
      before; this calls for more research to be able to explain the findings.

PMID- 26096253
TI  - A thyrotropin-secreting macroadenoma with positive growth hormone and prolactin
      immunostaining: A case report and literature review.
AB  - Thyrotropin (thyroid stimulating hormone [TSH]) secreting pituitary adenomas
      (TSHoma) are rare adenomas presenting with hyperthyroidism due to impaired
      negative feedback of thyroid hormone on the pituitary and inappropriate TSH
      secretion. This article presents a case of TSH-secreting macroadenoma without any
      clinical hyperthyroidism symptoms accompanying immunoreaction with growth hormone
      (GH) and prolactin. A 36-year-old female patient was admitted with complaints of
      irregular menses and blurred vision. On physical exam, she had bitemporal
      hemianopsia defect. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation showed
      suprasellar macroadenoma measuring 33 mm * 26 mm * 28 mm was detected on
      pituitary MRI. She had no hyperthyroidism symptoms clinically. Although free T4
      and free T3 levels were elevated, TSH level was inappropriately within the upper
      limit of normal. Response to T3 suppression and thyrotropin releasing hormone
      stimulation test was inadequate. Other pituitary hormones were normal.
      Transsphenoidal adenomectomy was performed due to parasellar compression
      findings. Immunohistochemically widespread reaction was observed with TSH, GH and
      prolactin in the adenoma. The patient underwent a second surgical procedure 2
      months later due to macroscopic residual tumor, bitemporal hemianopsia and a
      suprasellar homogenous uptake with regular borders on indium-111 octreotide
      scintigraphy. After second surgery; due to ongoing symptoms and residual tumor,
      she was managed with octreotide and cabergoline treatment. On her follow-up with
      medical treatment, TSH and free T4 values were within normal limits. Although
      silent TSHomas are rare, they may arise with compression symptoms as in our case.
      The differential diagnosis of secondary hyperthyroidism should include TSHomas
      and thyroid hormone receptor resistance syndrome.

PMID- 26096254
TI  - Bronchial carcinoid tumors: A rare malignant tumor.
AB  - Bronchial carcinoid tumors (BCTs) are an uncommon group of lung tumors. They
      commonly affect the young adults and the middle aged, the same age group affected
      by other more common chronic lung conditions such as pulmonary tuberculosis.
      Diagnosis is commonly missed or delayed due to a low index of suspicion. Surgery
      is the mainstay of treatment with an excellent outcome. There are many reports of
      this rare group of tumors in the Western and Asian regions. The only report
      around our sub-region is a post mortem report of an atypical variant. We wish to
      report a case of the typical variant and increase our index of suspicion. A 25
      year-old male presented with a 4 years history of cough and haemoptysis. He was
      repeatedly treated for bronchial asthma and pulmonary tuberculosis with no
      improvement of symptoms. Chest X-ray and chest computed tomography scan revealed
      a left upper lobe tumor. Histology reported a typical variant of BCT which was
      confirmed by immunohistochemistry. He had a left upper lobectomy and has done
      excellently well thereafter. A high index of suspicion is needed to reduce the
      risk of missing or delaying the diagnosis.

PMID- 26096255
TI  - Pulmonary Vein Isolation Using the First-Generation Cryoballoon Technique in
      Chinese Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cryoballoon ablation is an alternative for the treatment of atrial
      fibrillation (AF). We assess the relationship among pulmonary vein (PV)
      electrophysiology, balloon temperature, and persistent PV isolation (PVI), and
      report procedural properties, safety, and efficacy of this technique in a Chinese
      center for the first time. METHODS: A total of 70 patients with paroxysmal (n =
      57) and persistent (n = 13) AF were consecutively enrolled. PVI was performed
      with cryoballoon catheter. Real-time recording of dissociation of PV potentials
      was attempted using a circumferential mapping catheter. RESULTS: Successful PVI
      was achieved in 274 of 282 (97.2%) PVs. Procedural duration was 115.2 +/- 24.8
      minutes and fluoroscopy time was 29.6 +/- 8.9 minutes. Real-time PV potential
      recording was achieved in 232 (84.3%) PVs. Regarding time to isolation, a cut-off
      value of less than 60 seconds was predictive of persistent PVI with a sensitivity
      of 0.76 and specificity of 0.82 (area under curve = 0.835; P < 0.0001). The nadir
      balloon temperature was significantly lower in PVs without early reconduction (
      46.3 +/- 0.5 degrees C vs -40.2 +/- 1.3 degrees C, P < 0.0001). However, there
      was an insignificant trend that the balloon temperature at isolation was higher
      in PVs without reconduction (-33.9 +/- 0.7 degrees C vs -36.4 +/- 2.0 degrees C,
      P = 0.14). The overall complication rate was 5.7%. After a median follow-up of
      6.5 (range 3.2-14.9) months, 76% of patients were free of AF recurrence with a
      blanking period of 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time PV potentials can be recorded
      in most PVs. The time to isolation is predictive of the persistency of PVI. The
      nadir balloon temperature, not the balloon temperature at isolation, is
      significantly lower in PVs without reconduction.

PMID- 26096256
TI  - Persistent increase in red cell size distribution width after acute diseases: A
      biomarker of hypoxemia?
AB  - BACKGROUND: A biomarker of hypoxic exposure would be useful in clinical diagnosis
      and prognosis. Acute hypoxia stimulates large increases in serum erythropoietin
      (EPO), and EPO induces formation of characteristic enlarged red blood cells
      (RBCs). The presence of large RBCs perturbs red cell distribution width (RDW).
      METHODS: Using a >2M patient medical claims database, the human pathome was
      scanned for diseases where RDW rose 0-50days following a new diagnosis. The
      course of RDW after selected diagnoses was visualized by registering RDW
      measurements by diagnosis date. RESULTS: Acute hemorrhage, which provokes EPO
      driven erythropoiesis, is followed by increases in RDW but not mean cell volume
      (MCV). Similar RDW increases follow many acute diseases with risk of hypoxia,
      including heart failure, pneumonia, atelectasis, pulmonary embolism,
      pneumothorax, and sepsis. Elevations reach maximum within 1month after onset and
      subside to pre-disease levels about 6months later. Unlike the case with iron
      deficiency anemia (IDA), RDW elevations after hypoxia-associated diseases are
      unaccompanied by discernible change in average RBC size. CONCLUSIONS: As
      predicted by a model risk pathway linking hypoxia to formation of enlarged RBCs
      via EPO, acute hypoxemia-related disease episodes induce change in RBC size
      distribution. Further study is needed to explore whether a more sensitive and
      specific signal can be extracted from the fine structure of the RBC size
      distribution routinely measured in automated hemocytometers.

PMID- 26096257
TI  - Quantitative assessment of human serum transferrin receptor in breast cancer
      patients pre- and post-chemotherapy using peptide immunoaffinity enrichment
      coupled with targeted proteomics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: sTfR, a soluble form of transferrin receptor in serum, has been
      suggested as an indicator of bone marrow failure in breast cancer patients
      receiving chemotherapy. However, intensive chemotherapy could also cause a
      reduction of sTfR to a level below the LOQ of most assays. METHODS: An advanced
      liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based targeted
      proteomics assay coupled with peptide immunoaffinity enrichment (SISCAPA) was
      developed and validated for monitoring sTfR. RESULTS: Tryptic peptide
      681VEYHFLSPYVSPK693 was selected as a surrogate analyte for quantification. High
      abundant proteins were first removed from serum, followed by SISCAPA that was
      effective in surrogate peptide enrichment and sensitivity enhancement. The
      resulting LOQ can achieve 100ng/ml (~10-fold increase). Then, sTfR levels in
      breast cancer patients pre- and post-chemotherapy, and healthy volunteers were
      accurately quantified as 1.77+/-0.53MUg/ml, 0.98+/-0.26MUg/ml and 1.66+/
      0.50MUg/ml, respectively, using a standard addition method. While there was no
      evidence for a difference between patients and healthy volunteers, differential
      levels of sTfR pre- and post-chemotherapy were obtained. Comparison between
      SISCAPA-targeted proteomics and ELISA indicated that the former approach provided
      a lower value of sTfR. CONCLUSIONS: SISCAPA-targeted proteomics may allow the
      quantification of low-abundant proteins in a more accurate manner.

PMID- 26096259
TI  - Assessing Mindfulness on a Sample of Catalan-Speaking Spanish Adolescents:
      Validation of the Catalan Version of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness
      Measure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interest in mindfulness has increased over the last decade, resulting
      in several mindfulness-based interventions being developed and their efficacy
      empirically demonstrated. The practice of mindfulness has been associated with
      low levels of anxiety or depression and improved quality of life or personal well
      being. The aim of this study is to translate the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness
      Measure (CAMM) and adapt it to Catalan so as to analyze its internal consistency
      and construct and convergent validity. METHOD: The CAMM was administered to a
      sample of secondary school students ranging in age from 11 to 16 years old.
      RESULTS: The Catalan version of the CAMM shows a good fit with the unidimensional
      model and internal consistency similar to the original version (alpha = .80).
      Furthermore, CAMM scores correlated positively with subjective well-being,
      temperamental dimensions of effortful control and self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS: The
      Catalan Version of CAMM is a valid and reliable measure of mindfulness skills.

PMID- 26096258
TI  - Synergistic role of ADP and Ca(2+) in diastolic myocardial stiffness.
AB  - Diastolic dysfunction in heart failure patients is evident from stiffening of the
      passive properties of the ventricular wall. Increased actomyosin interactions may
      significantly limit diastolic capacity, however, direct evidence is absent. From
      experiments at the cellular and whole organ level, in humans and rats, we show
      that actomyosin-related force development contributes significantly to high
      diastolic stiffness in environments where high ADP and increased diastolic
      [Ca(2+) ] are present, such as the failing myocardium. Our basal study provides a
      mechanical mechanism which may partly underlie diastolic dysfunction. Heart
      failure (HF) with diastolic dysfunction has been attributed to increased
      myocardial stiffness that limits proper filling of the ventricle. Altered cross
      bridge interaction may significantly contribute to high diastolic stiffness, but
      this has not been shown thus far. Cross-bridge interactions are dependent on
      cytosolic [Ca(2+) ] and the regeneration of ATP from ADP. Depletion of myocardial
      energy reserve is a hallmark of HF leading to ADP accumulation and disturbed
      Ca(2+) handling. Here, we investigated if ADP elevation in concert with increased
      diastolic [Ca(2+) ] promotes diastolic cross-bridge formation and force
      generation and thereby increases diastolic stiffness. ADP dose-dependently
      increased force production in the absence of Ca(2+) in membrane-permeabilized
      cardiomyocytes from human hearts. Moreover, physiological levels of ADP increased
      actomyosin force generation in the presence of Ca(2+) both in human and rat
      membrane-permeabilized cardiomyocytes. Diastolic stress measured at physiological
      lattice spacing and 37 degrees C in the presence of pathological levels of ADP
      and diastolic [Ca(2+) ] revealed a 76 +/- 1% contribution of cross-bridge
      interaction to total diastolic stress in rat membrane-permeabilized
      cardiomyocytes. Inhibition of creatine kinase (CK), which increases cytosolic
      ADP, in enzyme-isolated intact rat cardiomyocytes impaired diastolic re
      lengthening associated with diastolic Ca(2+) overload. In isolated Langendorff
      perfused rat hearts, CK inhibition increased ventricular stiffness only in the
      presence of diastolic [Ca(2+) ]. We propose that elevations of intracellular ADP
      in specific types of cardiac disease, including those where myocardial energy
      reserve is limited, contribute to diastolic dysfunction by recruiting cross
      bridges, even at low Ca(2+) , and thereby increase myocardial stiffness.

PMID- 26096260
TI  - Stimulated jitter in infant botulism.

PMID- 26096261
TI  - Type 1 narcolepsy: a CD8(+) T cell-mediated disease?
AB  - Type 1 narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime
      sleepiness with unintentional sleep attacks and cataplexy. The disorder is caused
      by a loss of hypocretinergic neurons in the brain. The specific loss of these
      neurons in narcolepsy is thought to result from an autoimmune attack, and this is
      supported by evidence of both environmental and genetic factors pointing toward
      an involvement of the immune system. However, definitive proof of an autoimmune
      etiology is still missing. Several different immune-mediated disorders targeting
      neurons are known, and many of these are believed to be caused by autoreactive
      CD8(+) T cells. In this paper, we review the current knowledge on CD8(+) T cell
      mediated neuronal damage on the basis of our understanding of other autoimmune
      disorders and experimental studies. We identify major histocompatibility complex
      class I presentation of autoantigens on neurons as a possible mechanism in the
      development of the disease, and propose T cell-mediated pathogenesis, with
      cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells targeting the hypocretinergic neurons, as a central
      element. 

PMID- 26096262
TI  - Predicting the Genetic Stability of Engineered DNA Sequences with the EFM
      Calculator.
AB  - Unwanted evolution can rapidly degrade the performance of genetically engineered
      circuits and metabolic pathways installed in living organisms. We created the
      Evolutionary Failure Mode (EFM) Calculator to computationally detect common
      sources of genetic instability in an input DNA sequence. It predicts two types of
      mutational hotspots: deletions mediated by homologous recombination and indels
      caused by replication slippage on simple sequence repeats. We tested the
      performance of our algorithm on genetic circuits that were previously redesigned
      for greater evolutionary reliability and analyzed the stability of sequences in
      the iGEM Registry of Standard Biological Parts. More than half of the parts in
      the Registry are predicted to experience >100-fold elevated mutation rates due to
      the inclusion of unstable sequence configurations. We anticipate that the EFM
      Calculator will be a useful negative design tool for avoiding volatile DNA
      encodings, thereby increasing the evolutionary lifetimes of synthetic biology
      devices. 

PMID- 26096264
TI  - Airway management with McGrath Series 5 video laryngoscope in a woman with
      Klippel-Feil syndrome requiring urgent caesarean section.

PMID- 26096263
TI  - Accelerated molecular dynamics simulations of protein folding.
AB  - Folding of four fast-folding proteins, including chignolin, Trp-cage, villin
      headpiece and WW domain, was simulated via accelerated molecular dynamics (aMD).
      In comparison with hundred-of-microsecond timescale conventional molecular
      dynamics (cMD) simulations performed on the Anton supercomputer, aMD captured
      complete folding of the four proteins in significantly shorter simulation time.
      The folded protein conformations were found within 0.2-2.1 A of the native NMR or
      X-ray crystal structures. Free energy profiles calculated through improved
      reweighting of the aMD simulations using cumulant expansion to the second-order
      are in good agreement with those obtained from cMD simulations. This allows us to
      identify distinct conformational states (e.g., unfolded and intermediate) other
      than the native structure and the protein folding energy barriers. Detailed
      analysis of protein secondary structures and local key residue interactions
      provided important insights into the protein folding pathways. Furthermore, the
      selections of force fields and aMD simulation parameters are discussed in detail.
      Our work shows usefulness and accuracy of aMD in studying protein folding,
      providing basic references in using aMD in future protein-folding studies.

PMID- 26096266
TI  - Bioethics and the capacity to consent - A pragmatic approach.

PMID- 26096268
TI  - A Delphi study among internal medicine clinicians to determine which therapeutic
      information is essential to record in a medical record.
AB  - Several studies have demonstrated that using a template for recording general and
      diagnostic information in the medical record (MR) improves the completeness of MR
      documentation, communication between doctors, and performance of doctors.
      However, little is known about how therapeutic information should be structured
      in the MR. The aim of this study was to investigate which specific therapeutic
      information registrars and consultants in internal medicine consider essential to
      record in the MR. Therefore, we carried out a 2-round Internet Delphi study.
      Fifty-nine items were assessed on a 5-point scale; an item was considered
      important if >= 80% of the respondents awarded it a score of 4 or 5. In total, 26
      registrars and 30 consultants in internal medicine completed both rounds of the
      study. Overall, they considered it essential to include information about 11
      items in the MR. Subgroup analyses revealed that the registrars considered 8
      additional items essential, whereas the consultants considered 1 additional item
      essential to record. Study findings can be used as a starting point to develop a
      structured section of the MR for therapeutic information for both paper and
      electronic MRs. This section should contain at least 11 items considered
      essential by registrars and clinical consultants in internal medicine.

PMID- 26096269
TI  - Impact of the United Kingdom national bowel cancer awareness campaigns 2012 on
      colorectal cancer services and patient survival.
AB  - AIM: The UK national bowel cancer awareness campaigns in 2012 were intended to
      improve survival of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) by raising public
      awareness and prompting symptomatic individuals to seek medical attention early.
      The aim of the present study was to compare the number of CRCs diagnosed, tumour
      stage at diagnosis, survival and number of investigations performed during the
      campaigns compared with a similar time period in 2011. METHOD: A retrospective
      study was carried out of 1439 consecutive referrals through the 2-week wait
      pathway (2WW) to our colorectal unit during the February and September 2012
      campaigns. Patient demographics, number of referrals, investigations performed
      and newly diagnosed cases of CRC with their respective staging were determined
      and compared with a group in 2011. Two-year survival was evaluated by Kaplan
      Meier statistics. RESULTS: Referrals through the 2WW increased by 55-60% and
      endoscopic and the number of radiological investigations performed increased by
      over 70% during the awareness campaigns. Although new diagnoses of CRC nearly
      doubled, the increase in the patients referred meant the diagnostic yield
      remained low at 6%. The bowel cancer awareness campaigns did not alter the tumour
      stage at presentation, as over 50% of patients were diagnosed with Stage 3 and 4
      CRC and there was no significant difference in 2-year survival. CONCLUSION: The
      UK bowel cancer awareness campaigns appear to have improved public awareness of
      CRC and encouraged symptomatic individuals to seek urgent medical attention. The
      increase in 2WW referrals has not translated into better survival for symptomatic
      patients, partly due to the proportion presenting with advanced disease.

PMID- 26096267
TI  - Septohippocampal Neuromodulation Improves Cognition after Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in persistent attention and memory
      deficits that are associated with hippocampal dysfunction. Although deep brain
      stimulation (DBS) is used to treat neurological disorders related to motor
      dysfunction, the effectiveness of stimulation to treat cognition remains largely
      unknown. In this study, adult male Harlan Sprague-Dawley rats underwent a lateral
      fluid percussion or sham injury followed by implantation of bipolar electrodes in
      the medial septal nucleus (MSN) and ipsilateral hippocampus. In the first week
      after injury, there was a significant decrease in hippocampal theta oscillations
      that correlated with decreased object exploration and impaired performance in the
      Barnes maze spatial learning task. Continuous 7.7 Hz theta stimulation of the
      medial septum significantly increased hippocampal theta oscillations, restored
      normal object exploration, and improved spatial learning in injured animals.
      There were no benefits with 100 Hz gamma stimulation, and stimulation of sham
      animals at either frequency did not enhance performance. We conclude, therefore,
      that there was a theta frequency-specific benefit of DBS that restored cognitive
      function in brain-injured rats. These data suggest that septal theta stimulation
      may be an effective and novel neuromodulatory therapy for treatment of persistent
      cognitive deficits following TBI.

PMID- 26096270
TI  - Energy Transfer in a Hybrid Ir(III) Carbene-Pt(II) Acetylide Assembly for
      Efficient Hydrogen Production.
AB  - A new heterometallic supramolecular complex, consisting of an iridium carbene
      based unit appended to a platinum terpyridine acetylide unit, representing a new
      Ir(III) -Pt(II) structural motif, was designed and developed to act as an active
      species for photocatalytic hydrogen production. The results also suggested that a
      light-harvesting process is essential to realize the solar-to-fuel conversion in
      an artificial system as illustrated in the natural photosynthetic system. 

PMID- 26096272
TI  - Hydraulic Tomography: Continuity and Discontinuity of High-K and Low-K Zones.
AB  - Hydraulic tomography is an emerging field and modeling method that provides a
      continuous hydraulic conductivity (K) distribution for an investigated region.
      Characterization approaches that rely on interpolation between one-dimensional
      (1D) profiles have limited ability to accurately identify high-K channels,
      juxtapositions of lenses with high K contrast, and breaches in layers or channels
      between such profiles. However, locating these features is especially important
      for groundwater flow and transport modeling, and for design and operation of in
      situ remediation in complex hydrogeologic environments. We use transient
      hydraulic tomography to estimate 3D K in a volume of 15-m diameter by 20-m
      saturated thickness in a highly heterogeneous unconfined alluvial (clay to sand
      and-gravel) aquifer with a K range of approximately seven orders of magnitude at
      an active industrial site in Assemini, Sardinia, Italy. A modified Levenberg
      Marquardt algorithm was used for geostatistical inversion to deal with the
      nonlinear nature of the highly heterogeneous system. The imaging results are
      validated with pumping tests not used in the tomographic inversion. These tests
      were conducted from three of five clusters of continuous multichannel tubing
      (CMTs) installed for observation in the tomographic testing. Locations of high-K
      continuity and discontinuity, juxtaposition of very high-K and very low-K lenses,
      and low-K "plugs" are evident in regions of the investigated volume where they
      likely would not have been identified with interpolation from 1D profiles at the
      positions of the pumping well and five CMT clusters. Quality assessment methods
      identified a suspect high-K feature between the tested volume and a lateral
      boundary of the model. 

PMID- 26096271
TI  - Guard cell photosynthesis is critical for stomatal turgor production, yet does
      not directly mediate CO2 - and ABA-induced stomatal closing.
AB  - Stomata mediate gas exchange between the inter-cellular spaces of leaves and the
      atmosphere. CO2 levels in leaves (Ci) are determined by respiration,
      photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and atmospheric [CO2 ]. [CO2 ] in leaves
      mediates stomatal movements. The role of guard cell photosynthesis in stomatal
      conductance responses is a matter of debate, and genetic approaches are needed.
      We have generated transgenic Arabidopsis plants that are chlorophyll-deficient in
      guard cells only, expressing a constitutively active chlorophyllase in a guard
      cell specific enhancer trap line. Our data show that more than 90% of guard cells
      were chlorophyll-deficient. Interestingly, approximately 45% of stomata had an
      unusual, previously not-described, morphology of thin-shaped chlorophyll-less
      stomata. Nevertheless, stomatal size, stomatal index, plant morphology, and whole
      leaf photosynthetic parameters (PSII, qP, qN, FV '/FM' ) were comparable with
      wild-type plants. Time-resolved intact leaf gas-exchange analyses showed a
      reduction in stomatal conductance and CO2 -assimilation rates of the transgenic
      plants. Normalization of CO2 responses showed that stomata of transgenic plants
      respond to [CO2 ] shifts. Detailed stomatal aperture measurements of normal
      kidney-shaped stomata, which lack chlorophyll, showed stomatal closing responses
      to [CO2 ] elevation and abscisic acid (ABA), while thin-shaped stomata were
      continuously closed. Our present findings show that stomatal movement responses
      to [CO2 ] and ABA are functional in guard cells that lack chlorophyll. These data
      suggest that guard cell CO2 and ABA signal transduction are not directly
      modulated by guard cell photosynthesis/electron transport. Moreover, the finding
      that chlorophyll-less stomata cause a 'deflated' thin-shaped phenotype, suggests
      that photosynthesis in guard cells is critical for energization and guard cell
      turgor production. 

PMID- 26096273
TI  - Comparison of psychotic bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and
      schizophrenia: an international, multisite study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Nosological distinctions among schizoaffective disorder (SA), bipolar
      I disorder with psychotic features (BDp), and schizophrenia (SZ) remain
      unresolved. METHOD: We compared 2269 subjects with psychotic features in DSM-IV
      TR diagnoses (1435 BDp, 463 SZ, 371 SA) from 8 collaborating international sites,
      by 12 sociodemographic and clinical measures, all between diagnostic pairs.
      RESULTS: In bivariate comparisons, SA was consistently intermediate between BDp
      and SZ for 11/12 features (except onset stressors), and SZ vs. BDp differed in
      all 12 factors. SA differed from both BDp and SZ in 9/12 factors: SA and BDp were
      similar in education and suicidal ideation or acts; SA and SZ were similar in
      education, onset stressors, and substance abuse. Meta-analytic comparisons of
      diagnostic pairs for 10 categorical factors indicated similar differences of SA
      from both SZ and BDp. Multivariate modeling indicated significantly independent
      differences between BDp and SZ (8 factors), SA vs. SZ (5), and BDp vs. SA (3).
      Measurement variance was similar for all diagnoses. CONCLUSION: SA was
      consistently intermediate between BDp and SZ. The three diagnostic groups ranked:
      BDp > SA > SZ related to lesser morbidity or disability. The findings are not
      consistent with a dyadic Kraepelinian categorization, although the considerable
      overlap among the three DSM-IV diagnostic groups indicates uncertain boundaries
      if they represent distinct disorders.

PMID- 26096274
TI  - Characterization of Shrimp Oil from Pandalus borealis by High Performance Liquid
      Chromatography and High Resolution Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) oil, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids,
      was recovered from the cooking water of shrimp processing facilities. The oil
      contains significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in triglyceride form, along
      with substantial long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). It also features
      natural isomeric forms of astaxanthin, a nutritional carotenoid, which gives the
      oil a brilliant red color. As part of our efforts in developing value added
      products from waste streams of the seafood processing industry, we present in
      this paper a comprehensive characterization of the triacylglycerols (TAGs) and
      astaxanthin esters that predominate in the shrimp oil by using HPLC-HRMS and
      MS/MS, as well as 13C-NMR. This approach, in combination with FAME analysis,
      offers direct characterization of fatty acid molecules in their intact forms,
      including the distribution of regioisomers in TAGs. The information is important
      for the standardization and quality control, as well as for differentiation of
      composition features of shrimp oil, which could be sold as an ingredient in
      health supplements and functional foods. 

PMID- 26096275
TI  - Ecklonia cava Polyphenol Has a Protective Effect against Ethanol-Induced Liver
      Injury in a Cyclic AMP-Dependent Manner.
AB  - Previously, we showed that Ecklonia cava polyphenol (ECP) treatment suppressed
      ethanol-induced increases in hepatocyte death by scavenging intracellular
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) and maintaining intracellular glutathione levels.
      Here, we examined the effects of ECP on the activities of alcohol-metabolizing
      enzymes and their regulating mechanisms in ethanol-treated hepatocytes. Isolated
      hepatocytes were incubated with or without 100 mM ethanol. ECP was dissolved in
      dimethylsulfoxide. ECP was added to cultured cells that had been incubated with
      or without ethanol. The cells were incubated for 0-24 h. In cultured hepatocytes,
      the ECP treatment with ethanol inhibited cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) expression
      and activity, which is related to the production of ROS when large quantities of
      ethanol are oxidized. On the other hand, ECP treatment with ethanol increased the
      activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase. These changes
      in activities of CYP2E1 and ADH were suppressed by treatment with H89, an
      inhibitor of protein kinase A. ECP treatment with ethanol enhanced cyclic AMP
      concentrations compared with those of control cells. ECP may be a candidate for
      preventing ethanol-induced liver injury via regulating alcohol metabolic enzymes
      in a cyclic AMP-dependent manner. 

PMID- 26096276
TI  - Structural Characterization of New Peptide Variants Produced by Cyanobacteria
      from the Brazilian Atlantic Coastal Forest Using Liquid Chromatography Coupled to
      Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Tandem Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Cyanobacteria from underexplored and extreme habitats are attracting increasing
      attention in the search for new bioactive substances. However, cyanobacterial
      communities from tropical and subtropical regions are still largely unknown,
      especially with respect to metabolite production. Among the structurally diverse
      secondary metabolites produced by these organisms, peptides are by far the most
      frequently described structures. In this work, liquid chromatography/electrospray
      ionization coupled to high resolution quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass
      spectrometry with positive ion detection was applied to study the peptide profile
      of a group of cyanobacteria isolated from the Southeastern Brazilian coastal
      forest. A total of 38 peptides belonging to three different families
      (anabaenopeptins, aeruginosins, and cyanopeptolins) were detected in the
      extracts. Of the 38 peptides, 37 were detected here for the first time. New
      structural features were proposed based on mass accuracy data and isotopic
      patterns derived from full scan and MS/MS spectra. Interestingly, of the 40
      surveyed strains only nine were confirmed to be peptide producers; all of these
      strains belonged to the order Nostocales (three Nostoc sp., two Desmonostoc sp.
      and four Brasilonema sp.). 

PMID- 26096277
TI  - Persistent Contamination of Octopuses and Mussels with Lipophilic Shellfish
      Toxins during Spring Dinophysis Blooms in a Subtropical Estuary.
AB  - This study investigates the occurrence of diarrhetic shellfish toxins (DSTs) and
      their producing phytoplankton species in southern Brazil, as well as the
      potential for toxin accumulation in co-occurring mussels (Perna perna) and
      octopuses (Octopus vulgaris). During the spring in 2012 and 2013, cells of
      Dinophysis acuminata complex were always present, sometimes at relatively high
      abundances (max. 1143 cells L-1), likely the main source of okadaic acid (OA) in
      the plankton (max. 34 ng L-1). Dinophysis caudata occurred at lower cell
      densities in 2013 when the lipophilic toxins pectenotoxin-2 (PTX-2) and PTX-2
      seco acid were detected in plankton and mussel samples. Here, we report for the
      first time the accumulation of DSTs in octopuses, probably linked to the
      consumption of contaminated bivalves. Perna perna mussels were consistently
      contaminated with different DSTs (max. 42 ug kg-1), and all octopuses analyzed (n
      = 5) accumulated OA in different organs/tissues: digestive glands (DGs) > arms >
      gills > kidneys > stomach + intestine. Additionally, similar concentrations of 7
      O-palmytoyl OA and 7-O-palmytoly dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX-1) were frequently
      detected in the hepatopancreas of P. perna and DGs of O. vulgaris. Therefore,
      octopuses can be considered a potential vector of DSTs to both humans and top
      predators such as marine mammals. 

PMID- 26096278
TI  - A Turkish translation of the Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire (NOSQ
      2002/LONG) adapted for young workers in high-risk jobs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occupational skin diseases (OSDs) represent 10-40% of all
      occupational diseases in many industrialized countries. Young workers are
      frequently exposed to toxic substances and chemicals in the workplace. The
      occupational conditions of young workers can impose a high level of risk for the
      occurrence of OSDs. The Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire (NOSQ-2002) was
      developed in English as a new, comprehensive, standardized tool with which to
      screen for OSDs. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to translate the NOSQ
      2002 into Turkish and to culturally adapt the long version of the instrument for
      use with young workers in jobs with high risk for the occurrence of OSDs.
      METHODS: Forward and back translations were carried out. Problematic items were
      modified until the Turkish-language version achieved a satisfactory consensus
      with the original version of the NOSQ-2002. The final Turkish version was tested
      in 40 randomly selected young workers with and without OSDs who were studying in
      the fields of hairdressing, jewelry making, and car mechanics at vocational
      training schools run by the National Education Ministry. RESULTS: When the
      original questionnaire had been translated into the target language, a first
      consensus version was evaluated by an expert panel. The expert panel determined
      that 36 questions (63.2%) in the Turkish version required some level of
      modification in order to facilitate clear understanding. Cognitive interviews
      were then performed. After some modification, the final Turkish version was
      established and tested among young workers. CONCLUSIONS: The new Turkish version
      of the NOSQ is a comprehensible, reliable, and useful tool that can be applied to
      young workers in specific occupations.

PMID- 26096279
TI  - Animal models to assess the therapeutic efficacy of human serum and serum
      converted platelet lysates for dry eye syndrome: Seeing is believing.
AB  - There is much interest in the clinical use of serum-converted human blood or
      platelet concentrates in regenerative medicine, most specifically for wound
      healing and tissue repair of soft and hard tissues. The scientific rationale
      supporting the clinical efficacy of these preparations is based on the
      expectation that their physiological mixture of natural growth factors can
      orchestrate cell expansion and differentiation in vivo. However, a lack of
      standardization and regulatory oversight of these blood materials maintain a
      perception of uncertainty in the scientific and medical community on the value of
      these preparations for some clinical indications. More studies are needed to
      understand the mechanism of action underlying their expected efficacy and
      standardize their use, and benefit from their biological versatility. One
      application of serum is as eye drop for treating dry eye syndrome (DES), a
      multifactorial disease of the ocular surface, which has a prevalence of 15% of
      more in the population. DES can lead to chronic inflammation of the ocular
      surface, surface impairment in the cornea and conjunctiva, and, in patients with
      Sjogren syndrome, result in a disruption of the ocular surface epithelium.
      Objective experimental assessment of safety and efficacy of serum eye drops can
      help establish scientific rationale in optimal product composition and use. This
      can be achieved, first, through cell cultures with relevant cell models, before
      considering, then, animal studies using DES animal models. Several models have
      been evaluated and are reported in this concise review. The model we have
      developed encompasses the use of rabbits, where their eyes are treated with 0.1%
      benzalkonium chloride (BAC), a common preservative in ophthalmic agents, 3 times
      daily for 4 weeks. This relatively mild treatment results in moderate DES
      pathology, with a stable shortage of tear secretion throughout a 7-week study
      period, which we found suitable for assessing efficacy of serum eye drops. 

PMID- 26096280
TI  - Role of bone morphogenetic protein-2 in osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal
      stem cells.
AB  - Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been an area of interest in biomedical
      research and tissue engineering due to their diverse differentiation abilities.
      In osteogenesis, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), particularly BMP-2, are
      important. However, the effect of BMP-2 on the osteogenetic capacity of BMSCs
      remains to be fully elucidated. In the present study, primary rat BMSCs were
      infected with a recombinant lentivirus carrying the BMP-2 gene (Lenti-BMP-2), and
      the effects of BMP-2 on the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) on days 3, 7,
      14 and 21, and on mineralization on day 21 were evaluated. In addition, the
      adhesive ability of BMP-2-overexpressed BMSCs was detected using an adhesion
      assay. Following forced expression of BMP-2 in the BMSCs, the levels of
      osteogenic genes, including osteopontin (OPN), osteocalcin (OC) and collagen type
      I (Col-I), were detected and the nuclear accumulation of Runt-related
      transcription factor (Runx)-2 and phosphorylated small mothers against
      decapentaplegic (p-Smad) 1/5/8 was also evaluated. The results demonstrated that
      the rat BMSCs had been isolated, cultured and passaged from Sprague-Dawley rat
      bone marrow successfully, and the third-generation BMSCs were identified using
      flow cytometry with CD29 staining. The osteogenetic phenotype of the BMSCs,
      expressing ALP and osteocalcin, was significantly induced by BMP-2, and the
      proliferation of the BMSCs was enhanced by BMP-2. Furthermore, the adhesive
      potential of the BMP-2-overexpressed BMSCs was increased, the expression levels
      of OPN, OCN and Col-Ie osteogenetic factors were upregulated and the nuclear
      accumulation of Runx-2 and p-Smads1/5/8 were increased significantly. These data
      suggested that BMP-2 may facilitate the osteogenetic differentiation of rat BMSCs
      and provide a favorable cell resource for tissue engineering.

PMID- 26096282
TI  - "I believe that training in careful dissections is still the best discipline".

PMID- 26096281
TI  - Tuning the Redox Properties of a Nonheme Iron(III)-Peroxo Complex Binding Redox
      Inactive Zinc Ions by Water Molecules.
AB  - Redox-inactive metal ions play important roles in tuning chemical properties of
      metal-oxygen intermediates. Herein we report the effect of water molecules on the
      redox properties of a nonheme iron(III)-peroxo complex binding redox-inactive
      metal ions. The coordination of two water molecules to a Zn(2+) ion in
      (TMC)Fe(III) -(O2 )-Zn(CF3 SO3 )2 (1-Zn(2+) ) decreases the Lewis acidity of the
      Zn(2+) ion, resulting in the decrease of the one-electron oxidation and reduction
      potentials of 1-Zn(2+) . This further changes the reactivities of 1-Zn(2+) in
      oxidation and reduction reactions; no reaction occurred upon addition of an
      oxidant (e.g., cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN)) to 1-Zn(2+) , whereas 1-Zn(2+)
      coordinating two water molecules, (TMC)Fe(III) -(O2 )-Zn(CF3 SO3 )2 -(OH2 )2 [1
      Zn(2+) -(OH2 )2 ], releases the O2 unit in the oxidation reaction. In the
      reduction reactions, 1-Zn(2+) was converted to its corresponding iron(IV)-oxo
      species upon addition of a reductant (e.g., a ferrocene derivative), whereas such
      a reaction occurred at a much slower rate in the case of 1-Zn(2+) -(OH2 )2 . The
      present results provide the first biomimetic example showing that water molecules
      at the active sites of metalloenzymes may participate in tuning the redox
      properties of metal-oxygen intermediates. 

PMID- 26096283
TI  - "Aberrant branch of the superior laryngeal artery passing through the thyroid
      foramen" by Liu, J.-L., Liang, C.-Y., Xiang, T., Wang, F., Wang, L.-H., Liu, S.
      X. and Yang, H.-J.

PMID- 26096286
TI  - Right and left heart dysfunction predict mortality in pulmonary hypertension.
AB  - In pulmonary hypertension (PH), the right heart dysfunction is a strong predictor
      of adverse clinical outcome, while the role of the left heart is not fully
      determined. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of mortality in
      precapillary PH including measures of both right and left heart function. We
      studied 34 patients (mean age 64 +/- 13, range 31-82 years, 24 females) with
      precapillary PH, all of whom underwent detailed Doppler echocardiographic
      examination of the right and left heart function using conventional and speckle
      tracking echocardiography. Patients were followed up for up to 8 years (mean 4.2
      +/- 1.9 years). At follow-up, 16 patients survived. Left ventricular (LV) filling
      time (P = 0.007), pulmonary artery acceleration time (P = 0.009), right atrial
      pressure (RAP) (P<0.001) and tricuspid regurgitation (TR) severity (P = 0.007)
      were worse in the deceased group. RV global longitudinal strain (GLS) (P =
      0.001), RAP (P<=0.001), LV filling time (P<0.001) and TR severity (P<0.001) were
      the most accurate predictors, having the largest AUC (>0.65) and carried the
      highest risk for mortality (P<0.001 for all). The strongest predictors of
      mortality in precapillary PH indirectly reflect both left and right heart
      dysfunction including atrial structure and function disturbances. While an
      interaction pattern is observed, it needs to be confirmed in a larger cohort.

PMID- 26096287
TI  - [Peristomal pyoderma gangrenosum after rectal adenocarcinoma in the context of
      colonic and complex perianal Crohn's disease].

PMID- 26096288
TI  - [Temporomandibular joint dislocation after endoscopy: A rare complication].

PMID- 26096289
TI  - [Pseudoaneurysm of the superior mesenteric artery after pancreatoduodenectomy].

PMID- 26096290
TI  - [Complete remission of Crohn's disease after high-dose alpha-interferon treatment
      for malignant melanoma].

PMID- 26096291
TI  - Emission spectroscopy of a ruthenium(ii) polypyridyl complex adsorbed on calcium
      niobate lamellar solids and nanosheets.
AB  - Ru(ii) tris-diimine complexes are known to exhibit emission at around 630 nm as a
      result of (1)MLCT photoexcitation. The emission is quenched in the presence of a
      suitable semiconductor solid due to electron injection from the excited state of
      a Ru(ii) complex to the conduction band of the adjacent semiconductor. Here we
      investigated emission quenching behaviour of Ru(II){(4,4'-(CH3)2-bpy)2(4,4'
      (CH2PO3H2)2-bpy)} (bpy = 2,2'-bipryridine) adsorbed on HCa2Nb3O10 solids having
      an ordered lamellar structure or a disordered nanostructure. Even though electron
      injection from the excited state of the Ru complex to the conduction band of
      nanostructured HCa2Nb3O10 is thermodynamically less favorable than that of
      layered HCa2Nb3O10, faster electron injection was observed using nanostructured
      HCa2Nb3O10. Experimental results highlighted that electron injection from the
      excited Ru complex takes place not only in the conduction band of HCa2Nb3O10 but
      also mid-gap states whose density is strongly dependent on both the morphological
      feature and the preparation method of HCa2Nb3O10. 

PMID- 26096292
TI  - Genetic variants of Kudoa septempunctata (Myxozoa: Multivalvulida), a flounder
      parasite causing foodborne disease.
AB  - Foodborne disease outbreaks caused by raw olive flounders (Paralichthys
      olivaceus) parasitized with Kudoa septempunctata have been reported in Japan.
      Origins of olive flounders consumed in Japan vary, being either domestic or
      imported, and aquaculture-raised or natural. Although it is unknown whether
      different sources are associated with different outcomes, it is desirable to
      identify whether this is the case by determining whether unique K. septempunctata
      strains occur and if so, whether some are associated with foodborne illness. We
      here developed an intraspecific genotyping method, using the sequence variation
      of mitochondrial genes. We collected olive flounder samples from foodborne
      disease outbreaks, domestic fish farms or quarantine offices and investigated
      whether K. septempunctata genotype is associated with pathogenicity or geographic
      origin. The 104 samples were classified into three genotypes, ST1, ST2 and ST3.
      Frequency of symptomatic cases differed by genotypes, but the association was not
      statistically significant. Whereas K. septempunctata detected from aquaculture
      raised and natural fish from Japan were either ST1 or ST2, those from fish
      inspected at quarantine from Korea to Japan were ST3. Our method can be applied
      to phylogeographic analysis of K. septempunctata and contribute to containing the
      foodborne disease. The genotype database is hosted in the PubMLST website
      (http://pubmlst.org/kseptempunctata/). 

PMID- 26096293
TI  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum-sensing signaling molecule N-3-oxododecanoyl
      homoserine lactone induces matrix metalloproteinase 9 expression via the AP1
      pathway in rat fibroblasts.
AB  - Quorum sensing is a cell-to-cell communication mechanism, which is responsible
      for regulating a number of bacterial virulence factors and biofilm maturation and
      therefore plays an important role for establishing wound infection. Quorum
      sensing signals may induce inflammation and predispose wounds to infection by
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa; however, the interaction has not been well investigated.
      We examined the effects of the P. aeruginosa las quorum-sensing signal, N-3-oxo
      dodecanoyl homoserine lactone (3OC12-HSL), on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 9
      expression in Rat-1 fibroblasts. 3OC12-HSL upregulated the expression of the MMP9
      gene bearing an activator protein-1 (AP-1) binding site in the promoter region.
      We further investigated the mechanism underlying this effect. c-Fos gene
      expression increased rapidly after exposure to 3OC12-HSL, and nuclear
      translocation of c-Fos protein was observed; both effects were reduced by
      pretreatment with an AP-1 inhibitor. These results suggest that 3OC12-HSL can
      alter MMP9 gene expression in fibroblasts via the AP-1 signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26096294
TI  - Polyphenol administration impairs T-cell proliferation by imprinting a distinct
      dendritic cell maturational profile.
AB  - Currently little is known as to how nutritionally derived compounds may affect
      dendritic cell (DC) maturation and potentially prevent inappropriate inflammatory
      responses that are characteristic of chronic inflammatory syndromes. Previous
      observations have demonstrated that two polyphenols quercetin and piperine
      delivered through reconstituted oil bodies (ROBs-QP) can influence DC maturation
      in response to LPS leading to a modulated inflammatory response. In the present
      study, we examined the molecular effects of ROBs-QP exposure on DC
      differentiation in mice and identified a unique molecular signature in response
      to LPS administration that potentially modulates DC maturation and activity in
      inflammatory conditions. Following LPS administration, ROBs-QP-exposed DCs
      expressed an altered molecular profile as compared with control DCs, including
      cytokine and chemokine production, chemokine receptor repertoire, and antigen
      presentation ability. In vivo ROBs-QP administration suppresses antigen-specific
      T-cell division in the draining lymph nodes resulting from a reduced ability to
      create stable immunological synapse. Our data demonstrate that polyphenols
      exposure can drive DCs toward a new anti-inflammatory molecular profile capable
      of dampening the inflammatory response, highlighting their potential as
      complementary nutritional approaches in the treatment of chronic inflammatory
      syndromes. 

PMID- 26096295
TI  - 10-year prospective cohort follow-up of immediately restored XiVE implants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective cohort study was to assess the ten-year
      performance of the condensing thread, self-tapping apex and internal hexagonal
      connection XiVE implant supporting partial fixed prostheses placed with an
      immediate restoration approach. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients received a
      fixed two- to four-unit partial provisional restoration supported by immediately
      loaded implants. The final gold alloy/ceramic restorations were cemented
      approximately 28 weeks after implant insertion. Marginal bone level, pocket
      probing depth and percentage of bleeding on probing, biological or technical
      complications and any other adverse events were measured annually up to ten years
      after surgery. The overall success and survival rates at implant level were
      evaluated following the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI)
      Pisa Consensus Conference criteria. Implant placement in post-extractive or
      healed sites, smoking and a history of periodontal treatment were evaluated to
      assess whether they had an influence on bone resorption or on implant survival.
      RESULTS: Of 114 patients, for a total of 284 implants, fulfilled all the
      inclusion criteria and were enrolled in the study. 78 (27.5%) implants placed in
      30 (26.3%) patients were lost to follow-up. Eight of 284 (2.8%) implants failed
      in 8 of 114 (7.0%) patients: one (12.5% of losses) due to failure to achieve
      osseointegration and seven (87.5% of losses) due to peri-implantitis. No cluster
      implant failures were assessed. The failure of the implant caused the failure of
      the prosthesis due to the strategic position of the implant in four patients. At
      the final ten-year follow-up, 121 (61.4%) implants exhibited a "full success"
      status with an optimal health condition, 21 (10.9%) implants scored a
      "satisfactory survival" condition, while 49 (25.49%) of the implants were
      classified as "compromised survival" status (Misch et al. 2008). Smoking was
      found to be statistically associated with "implant failure" (P = 0.010), while no
      association was found for patients treated for periodontal disease (P = 0.679)
      and post-extractive surgical sites (P = 0.664). Statistically significant more
      marginal bone loss was found in patients treated for periodontal disease (P <
      0.0001). An increased bone loss was also observed in smokers, but the difference
      with the non-smokers was not statistically significant (P = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS:
      The XiVE implants can be successfully used to support immediate prosthesis.
      Patients with a history of periodontitis show increased bone loss and risk to
      develop peri-implant disease. Smoking seems to jeopardize the long-term implant
      survival.

PMID- 26096296
TI  - Capecitabine combined with docetaxel versus vinorelbine followed by capecitabine
      maintenance medication for first-line treatment of patients with advanced breast
      cancer: Phase 3 randomized trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this prospective study, progression-free survival (PFS) and the
      safety profiles of docetaxel/capecitabine (TX) and vinorelbine/capecitabine (NX)
      followed by capecitabine maintenance therapy were compared in patients with
      metastatic breast cancer. METHODS: Patients with advanced metastatic breast
      cancer were randomly assigned to a TX group (n = 104) and an NX group (n = 102),
      both of which included capecitabine maintenance medication. The primary endpoint
      was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: The trial met its primary endpoint
      and was closed to accrual subsequent to interim analysis. Forty-eight patients in
      the TX group (46.2%) and 42 patients in the NX group (41.2%) received maintenance
      medication. The median PFS (8.4 vs 7.1 months; P = .0026; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.18-2.3; hazard ratio, 1.65), the response duration (7.8 vs 6.6
      months; P = .0451), and the median overall survival (OS) (35.3 vs 19.8 months; P
      = .1349; 95% confidence interval, 0.88-2.47; hazard ratio, 1.48) in the TX group
      appeared to be longer compared with those in the NX group, although the
      difference did reach not statistical significance. Patients aged >=40 years who
      were postmenopausal and presented with visceral metastases were more likely to
      benefit from the TX regimen in terms of PFS and OS, whereas positive hormone
      receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status or a history of
      taxane treatments did not affect differences in PFS and OS between the TX and NX
      groups. Hand-foot syndrome occurred more frequently in the TX group than in the
      NX group (47% vs 16.7%; P < .0001), but the frequencies of other minor adverse
      effects were similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: A TX regimen for advanced
      breast cancer followed by capecitabine maintenance medication led to longer PFS
      and response duration than an NX regimen, even for patients who had previously
      received taxane in (neo)adjuvant settings. Cancer 2015. (c) 2015 American Cancer
      Society. Cancer 2015;121:3435-43. (c) 2015 American Cancer Society.

PMID- 26096297
TI  - The Amur tiger in Northeast Asia: Conservation and ecology of an endangered
      subspecies.

PMID- 26096298
TI  - First-principles study on the structural and electronic properties of metallic
      HfH2 under pressure.
AB  - The crystal structures and properties of hafnium hydride under pressure are
      explored using the first-principles calculations based on density function
      theory. The material undergoes pressure-induced structural phase transition
      I4/mmm -> Cmma -> P21/m at 180 and 250 GPa, respectively, and all of these
      structures are metallic. The superconducting critical temperature Tc values of
      I4/mmm, Cmma, and P21/m are 47-193 mK, 5.99-8.16 K and 10.62-12.8 K at 1 atm, 180
      and 260 GPa, respectively. Furthermore, the bonding nature of HfH2 is
      investigated with the help of the electron localization function, the difference
      charge density and Bader charge analyses, which show that HfH2 is classified as a
      ionic crystal with the charges transferring from Hf atom to H.

PMID- 26096299
TI  - Regulation of Adipose Tissue Stem Cells Angiogenic Potential by Tumor Necrosis
      Factor-Alpha.
AB  - Tissue regeneration requires coordinated "teamwork" of growth factors, proteases,
      progenitor and immune cells producing inflammatory cytokines. Mesenchymal stem
      cells (MSC) might play a pivotal role by substituting cells or by secretion of
      growth factors or cytokines, and attraction of progenitor and inflammatory cells,
      which participate in initial stages of tissue repair. Due to obvious impact of
      inflammation on regeneration it seems promising to explore whether inflammatory
      factors could influence proangiogenic abilities of MSC. In this study we
      investigated effects of TNF-alpha on activity of adipose-derived stem cells
      (ADSC). We found that treatment with TNF-alpha enhances ADSC proliferation, F
      actin microfilament assembly, increases cell motility and migration through
      extracellular matrix. Exposure of ADSC to TNF-alpha led to increased mRNA
      expression of proangiogenic factors (FGF-2, VEGF, IL-8, and MCP-1), inflammatory
      cytokines (IL-1beta, IL-6), proteases (MMPs, uPA) and adhesion molecule ICAM-1.
      At the protein level, VEGF, IL-8, MCP-1, and ICAM-1 production was also up
      regulated. Pre-incubation of ADSC with TNF-alpha-enhanced adhesion of monocytes
      to ADSC but suppressed adherence of ADSC to endothelial cells (HUVEC).
      Stimulation with TNF-alpha triggers ROS generation and activates a number of key
      intracellular signaling mediators known to positively regulate angiogenesis (Akt,
      small GTPase Rac1, ERK1/2, and p38 MAP-kinases). Pre-treatment with TNF-alpha
      enhanced ADSC ability to promote growth of microvessels in a fibrin gel assay and
      accelerate blood flow recovery, which was accompanied by increased arteriole
      density and reduction of necrosis in mouse hind limb ischemia model. These
      findings indicate that TNF-alpha plays a role in activation of ADSC angiogenic
      and regenerative potential.

PMID- 26096301
TI  - The D+R Balance application: a novel method of assessing postural sway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postural sway can be assessed clinically using the Romberg test, or
      quantified using dynamic posturography. We assessed the potential use of a novel
      iPhone application as a method of quantifying sway. METHODS: Fifty healthy
      volunteers performed the Romberg and tandem Romberg tests on a hard floor and on
      foam in soundproofed and normal clinic rooms. Postural sway was recorded using
      the D+R Balance application and data were compared using paired t-tests. RESULTS:
      Significantly more postural sway was noted in participants when standing with
      their eyes closed and feet in the 'tandem' position vs feet together; standing
      with their eyes closed on foam vs on the floor; and standing with their eyes
      closed on foam with feet in the tandem position vs on the floor with feet
      together. CONCLUSION: This feasibility study suggests that the iPhone D+R Balance
      application deserves further investigation as a means of assessing postural sway
      and may provide an alternative to current dynamic posturography systems.

PMID- 26096300
TI  - Marriage outcome and relationship with urban versus rural context for individuals
      with psychosis in a population-based study in China.
AB  - PURPOSE: While social integration among individuals with psychosis differs by
      social context, this has rarely been investigated across urban vs. rural
      settings. For individuals with psychosis, marriage may be a key component of
      social integration. This study aims to compare marriage outcomes for individuals
      with psychosis in urban vs. rural settings in China, where marriage has been
      almost universal among individuals without psychosis. METHODS: In a large
      community-based study in four provinces representing 12% of China's population,
      we identified 393 individuals with psychosis (112 never treated). We used
      adjusted Poisson regression models to compare marriage status for those living in
      urban (n = 96) vs. rural (n = 297) contexts. RESULTS: While urban and rural
      residents had similar impairments due to symptoms, urban female residents were
      2.72 times more likely to be unmarried than their rural counterparts (95% CI 1.19
      6.22, p < 0.0176). Stratified analyses indicated that this marital disadvantage
      occurred primarily among urban females with an earlier age of onset. No
      differences were found among males. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that urban
      contexts impeded opportunities for marriage for female individuals with
      psychosis. These data suggest that urban women with earlier age of onset have
      difficulty in marrying which may be related to economic expectations of women in
      urban areas. Research examining contextual mechanisms that affect marriage may
      further understanding of social integration in China and other contexts.

PMID- 26096302
TI  - Evaluating the Thickness of Multivalent Glycopolymer Brushes for Lectin Binding.
AB  - Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is applied for investigating binding
      of lectins to multivalent glycopolymer brushes grafted from interdigital gold
      microelectrodes. By variation of the measuring frequency, EIS allows simultaneous
      analysis of binding at different subnanometer distances from the sensor surfaces.
      In this way, the binding dynamics along the brushes are quantified, giving an
      idea about the motion of the lectin through the brush layer. Two different brush
      lengths are investigated, revealing distinct dynamics of lectin binding due to
      changing topology of the brushes. Moreover, very low K D values in the nanomolar
      range are obtained. This unique platform may be used as sophisticated biosensor
      for detailed investigation of high-affinity protein binding to poly-mer layers. 

PMID- 26096303
TI  - Pericoterpenoid A, a new bioactive cadinane-type sesquiterpene from Periconia sp.
AB  - Pericoterpenoid A (1), a new cadinane-type sesquiterpene, was isolated from an
      endolichenic fungal strain Periconia sp. (No. 19-4-2-1). Its structure was
      characterized by analyzing the spectroscopic data (IR, MS, 1D- and 2D-NMR). The
      antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus,
      Aspergillus niger, and Candida albicans was evaluated. Pericoterpenoid A showed
      moderate antimicrobial activity against A. niger and weak activity against C.
      albicans. This is the first report of the presence of cadinane-type sesquiterpene
      in Periconia sp. 

PMID- 26096304
TI  - The Pro-inflammatory Cytokine Interleukin-1beta is a Key Regulatory Factor for
      the Postictal Suppression in Mice.
AB  - AIMS: The postictal suppression (PS) is a common and important period following
      an epileptic seizure but has not been well studied. This study was designed to
      determine whether interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) is involved in the PS. METHODS:
      The effects of IL-1beta on the PS were tested in three independent seizure models
      induced by hippocampal kindling, maximal electroshock seizure (MES), and 4
      aminopyridine, respectively. RESULTS: IL-1R1 knockout or IL-1RA enhanced the
      seizure refractory phenomenon without influencing the baseline seizure threshold
      in intermittent MES model. IL-1beta attenuated the seizure refractory phenomenon
      without affecting the severity of the preceding seizures in hippocampal kindling
      model, while IL-1RA enhanced it. Besides, IL-1beta reduced the postictal EEG
      suppression period, while IL-1RA prolonged it. And IL-1beta showed no further
      effect on the postictal EEG suppression and seizure refractory phenomenon in IL
      1R1 knockout mice. In addition, 30 min after intrahippocampal injection of 4
      aminopyridine, IL-1beta increased the incidence of SE, while IL-1RA prolonged the
      intervals between recurrent seizures. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first
      direct evidence that IL-1beta is key regulatory factor for the PS, and its
      receptor IL-1R1 may be a potential target for adjuvant treatment of postictal
      problems.

PMID- 26096305
TI  - Rates and determinants of progression to graft failure in kidney allograft
      recipients with de novo donor-specific antibody.
AB  - Understanding rates and determinants of clinical pathologic progression for
      recipients with de novo donor-specific antibody (dnDSA), especially subclinical
      dnDSA, may identify surrogate endpoints and inform clinical trial design. A
      consecutive cohort of 508 renal transplant recipients (n = 64 with dnDSA) was
      studied. Recipients (n = 388) without dnDSA or dysfunction had an eGFR decline of
      -0.65 mL/min/1.73 m(2) /year. In recipients with dnDSA, the rate eGFR decline was
      significantly increased prior to dnDSA onset (-2.89 vs. -0.65 mL/min/1.73 m(2)
      /year, p < 0.0001) and accelerated post-dnDSA (-3.63 vs. -2.89 mL/min/1.73 m(2)
      /year, p < 0.0001), suggesting that dnDSA is both a marker and contributor to
      ongoing alloimmunity. Time to 50% post-dnDSA graft loss was longer in recipients
      with subclinical versus a clinical dnDSA phenotype (8.3 vs. 3.3 years, p <
      0.0001). Analysis of 1091 allograft biopsies found that dnDSA and time
      independently predicted chronic glomerulopathy (cg), but not interstitial
      fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA). Early T cell-mediated rejection,
      nonadherence, and time were multivariate predictors of IFTA. Independent risk
      factors for post-dnDSA graft survival available prior to, or at the time of,
      dnDSA detection were delayed graft function, nonadherence, dnDSA mean
      fluorescence intensity sum score, tubulitis, and cg. Ultimately, dnDSA is part of
      a continuum of mixed alloimmune-mediated injury, which requires solutions
      targeting T and B cells. 

PMID- 26096306
TI  - EZH2 expression in gliomas: Correlation with CDKN2A gene deletion/ p16 loss and
      MIB-1 proliferation index.
AB  - Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) mediated down-regulation of CDKN2A/p16 has
      been observed in cell lines as well as in a few carcinomas. However, there is no
      study correlating EZH2 expression with CDKN2A/p16 status in gliomas. Hence, the
      present study was conducted to evaluate EZH2 expression in astrocytic and
      oligodendroglial tumors and correlate with CDKN2A/p16 status as well as MIB-1
      labeling index (LI). Gliomas of all grades (n = 118) were studied using
      immunohistochemistry to assess EZH2, p16 and MIB-1 LI and fluorescence in situ
      hybrization to evaluate CDKN2A gene status. EZH2 expression and CDKN2A homozygous
      deletion (HD) were both significantly more frequent in high-grade gliomas (HGG).
      Further, strong EZH2 expression (LI >= 25%) was significantly more common in HGGs
      without CDKN2A HD (48.7%; 19/39) as compared to cases with deletion (15.8%;
      3/19). Loss of p16 expression was noted in 100% and 51.3% of CDKN2A deleted and
      non-deleted tumors, respectively. Notably, 80% (16/20) of the CDKN2A non-deleted
      HGGs with p16 loss had strong EZH2 expression, in contrast to only 15.8% (3/19)
      in the deleted group. Loss of p16 expression significantly correlated with MIB-1
      LI, irrespective of EZH2 status. Thus, this study shows that EZH2 expression
      correlates with tumor grade in both astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors and
      hence can be used as a diagnostic marker to differentiate between low and HGGs.
      Further, this is the first report demonstrating an inverse correlation of strong
      EZH2 expression with CDKN2A HD in HGGs. Loss of p16 protein expression is mostly
      attributable to CDKN2A HD and correlates significantly with MIB-1 LI. Notably,
      our study for the first time suggests a possible epigenetic mechanism of p16 loss
      in CDKN2A non-deleted HGGs mediated by strong EZH2 expression. A hypothetical
      model for control of proliferative activity in low versus HGGs is therefore
      proposed.

PMID- 26096307
TI  - Retraction: 'Osteoporosis prevention education programme for women' by Chan, M.
      F. and Ko, C.Y.

PMID- 26096308
TI  - Erratum to "Chan M.F. & Arthur D.G. (2009) Nurses' attitudes towards perinatal
      bereavement care. Journal of Advanced Nursing 65, 2532-2541.".

PMID- 26096310
TI  - Chemoprophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of thymol in murine cystic
      echinococcosis.
AB  - Cystic echinococcosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the larval stage of the
      cestode Echinococcus granulosus. The drugs commonly used against cystic
      echinococcosis are benzimidazoles. Unfortunately, 20%-40% of cases do not respond
      favorably to such chemotherapy. Consequently, the search of new therapeutic
      alternatives such as the use of traditional medicinal plants has been increased.
      The aim of the current experimental work was to investigate the chemoprophylactic
      and clinical efficacy of thymol on mice infected with E. granulosus metacestodes.
      Thymol (40 mg/kg) was administered under two different therapeutic schemes:
      dosing every 24h over 20 days and treatment every 12h for 10 days. Thymol
      demonstrated efficacy against experimental murine cystic echinococcosis. The
      chemoprophylactic and therapeutic effects of thymol were comparable to that of
      albendazole. Due to the lack of toxicity observed in mice at the tested doses; we
      consider that thymol is a potential alternative to be applied for the treatment
      of human hydatid disease.

PMID- 26096311
TI  - A complex of species related to Paradiscogaster glebulae (Digenea: Faustulidae)
      in chaetodontid fishes (Teleostei: Perciformes) of the Great Barrier Reef.
AB  - A total of 1523 individuals of 34 species of chaetodontids from the Great Barrier
      Reef were examined for faustulid trematodes. Specimens resembling Paradiscogaster
      glebulae Bray, Cribb & Barker, 1994 were found in nine chaetodontid species at
      three localities. These specimens are shown, on the basis of combined
      morphological and molecular analyses, to comprise a complex of morphologically
      similar and partly cryptic species. The complex may comprise as many as six
      distinct species of which three are resolved here. The true P. glebulae is
      identified in Chaetodon ornatissimus Cuvier, 1831, Chaetodon aureofasciatus
      Macleay, 1878, Chaetodon plebeius Cuvier, 1831, Chaetodon rainfordi McCulloch,
      1923 and Chaetodon speculum Cuvier, 1831. Two new species are described,
      Paradiscogaster munozae n. sp. from Heniochus varius (Cuvier, 1829), Heniochus
      chrysostomus Cuvier, 1831 and Chaetodon citrinellus Cuvier, 1831 and
      Paradiscogaster melendezi n. sp. from Chaetodon kleinii Bloch, 1790. In terms of
      morphology the three species differ most clearly in the development of the
      appendages on the ventral sucker. The three species differ at 3-6consistent bp of
      ITS2 rDNA. The host-specificity of the three species differs strikingly. P.
      melendezi n. sp. infects just one fish species, P. glebulae infects species of
      only one clade of Chaetodon, and P. munozae n. sp. infects quite unrelated
      species. The basis of this unusual pattern of host-specificity requires further
      exploration. Two of the species recognised here, P. glebulae and P. munozae n.
      sp., showed apparent intra-individual variation in the ITS2 rDNA sequences as
      demonstrated by clear, replicated double peaks in the electropherograms. 

PMID- 26096312
TI  - Role of thrombophilia factors in acute systemic-pulmonary shunt obstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systemic-pulmonary shunts are widely used in initial palliation in
      cyanotic congenital heart disease. The incidence and the relationship between
      acute shunt obstruction and thrombophilia are not precisely defined. The aim of
      this study was to determine the frequency of shunt obstruction in the early
      postoperative period, and to define the frequency and presence of thrombophilia
      factors in patients treated for acute shunt thrombosis. METHODS: Between October
      2010 and October 2012, 77 patients who had systemic-pulmonary shunt operation
      were included in this prospective study. Patients who developed shunt obstruction
      were examined in terms of inherited and acquired thrombophilia factors. RESULTS:
      Median patient age was 61 days and median weight was 4.3 kg. Thirty-three
      patients were neonates. Diameter of the Gore-Tex grafts used for the shunt ranged
      from 3 mm to 5 mm. Acute shunt occlusion rate was 10% (8/77), and all of these
      occurred in the first 24 h. Thrombophilia was found in three of eight patients
      who underwent intervention (surgical and/or transcatheter) due to shunt
      thrombosis (presence of anti-phospholipid antibodies, n = 1; protein C
      deficiency, n = 1; and factor V Leiden mutation, n = 1) and only one patient
      died. CONCLUSIONS: Acute shunt obstruction developed in 10% of patients who
      underwent systemic-pulmonary shunt, and emergency surgery or transcatheter
      intervention can be life saving in this context. Acute shunt obstruction can
      occur due to mechanical and hemodynamic problems, but clinicians should also
      consider and evaluate thrombophilia factors.

PMID- 26096314
TI  - Adverse Events Associated with Flumazenil Treatment for the Management of
      Suspected Benzodiazepine Intoxication--A Systematic Review with Meta-Analyses of
      Randomised Trials.
AB  - Flumazenil is used for the reversal of benzodiazepine overdose. Serious adverse
      events (SAEs) including seizures and cardiac arrhythmias have been reported in
      patients treated with flumazenil, and the clinical advantage of flumazenil
      treatment has been questioned. The objective was to assess the risk of (S)AEs
      associated with the use of flumazenil in patients with impaired consciousness due
      to known or suspected benzodiazepine overdose. Studies included in the meta
      analyses were identified by literature search in Medline, Cochrane Library and
      Embase using combinations of the words flumazenil, benzodiazepines, anti-anxiety
      agents, poisoning, toxicity and overdose. Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) in
      verified or suspected benzodiazepine overdose patients comparing treatment with
      flumazenil versus placebo were included. Pre-defined outcome measures were AEs,
      SAEs and mortality. Thirteen trials with a total of 994 randomised (990
      evaluable) patients were included. AEs were significantly more common in the
      flumazenil group (138/498) compared with the placebo group (47/492) (risk ratio:
      2.85; 95% confidence interval: 2.11-3.84; p < 0.00001). SAEs were also
      significantly more common in the flumazenil group compared with the placebo group
      (12/498 versus 2/492; risk ratio: 3.81; 95% CI: 1.28-11.39; p = 0.02). The most
      common AEs in the flumazenil group were agitation and gastrointestinal symptoms,
      whereas the most common SAEs were supraventricular arrhythmia and convulsions. No
      patients died during the blinded phase of the RCTs. The use of flumazenil in a
      population admitted at the emergency department with known or suspected
      benzodiazepine intoxication is associated with a significantly increased risk of
      (S)AEs compared with placebo. Flumazenil should not be used routinely, and the
      harms and benefits should be considered carefully in every patient. 

PMID- 26096313
TI  - KIAA0586 is Mutated in Joubert Syndrome.
AB  - Joubert syndrome (JS) is a recessive neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by
      a distinctive mid-hindbrain malformation. JS is part of a group of disorders
      called ciliopathies based on their overlapping phenotypes and common underlying
      pathophysiology linked to primary cilium dysfunction. Biallelic mutations in one
      of 28 genes, all encoding proteins localizing to the primary cilium or basal
      body, can cause JS. Despite this large number of genes, the genetic cause can
      currently be determined in about 62% of individuals with JS. To identify novel JS
      genes, we performed whole exome sequencing on 35 individuals with JS and found
      biallelic rare deleterious variants (RDVs) in KIAA0586, encoding a centrosomal
      protein required for ciliogenesis, in one individual. Targeted next-generation
      sequencing in a large JS cohort identified biallelic RDVs in eight additional
      families for an estimated prevalence of 2.5% (9/366 JS families). All affected
      individuals displayed JS phenotypes toward the mild end of the spectrum. 

PMID- 26096315
TI  - Oculomotor tasks affect differently postural control in healthy children.
AB  - Eye movements affect postural stability in children. The present study focuses on
      the effect of different types of eye movements on postural stability in healthy
      children. Both eye movements and postural stability have been recorded in 51
      healthy children from 6.3 to 15.5 years old. Eye movements were recorded
      binocularly with a video oculography (MobilEBT((r))), and postural stability was
      measured while child was standing on a force platform (TechnoConcept((r))).
      Children performed three oculomotor tasks: saccades, pursuits and reading a text
      silently. We measured the number of saccades made in the three oculomotor tasks,
      the number of words read, and the surface area, the length and mean velocity of
      the center of pressure (CoP). According to previous studies, postural control
      improves with age until 10-12 years. Saccades toward a target as well as during a
      reading task reduce significantly the CoP displacement and its velocity, while
      during pursuit eye movements all children increase postural parameters (i.e., the
      surface area, the length and mean velocity of the CoP). These results suggest the
      presence of an interaction between the oculomotor control and the postural
      system. Visual attention to perform saccades (to stationary targets or to words)
      influences postural stability more than the frequency of saccade triggering does.

PMID- 26096316
TI  - Use of Stroke-Related Income Supplements and Predictors of Use in a Working-Aged
      Finnish Ischemic Stroke Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Compared with the direct costs, the indirect costs of stroke may be
      larger contributors to the socioeconomic burden of stroke, and the need to better
      understand the indirect costs of stroke is well established. We investigated the
      indirect costs of stroke according to a novel outcome, the use of stroke-related
      income supplements, in a Finnish cohort of working-aged patients. METHODS:
      Consecutive patients (n = 230) who experienced a first-ever ischemic stroke were
      recruited. Demographic, clinical, and cognitive function data (which were
      measured using clinical neuropsychological assessments) were collected at
      baseline and at 6-month and 2-year follow-ups. Data on the use of income
      supplements within the first 3 years of the stroke were retrieved from national
      insurance registry files and used to construct survival models. RESULTS: Stroke
      patients used a mean of 11 months of stroke-related income supplements; this use
      was associated with atrial fibrillation, cognitive impairment, prestroke income
      supplement use, higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores, lower
      Barthel Index scores, and increased lesion sizes. In multivariate survival
      models, atrial fibrillation and cognitive impairment were the factors most
      strongly associated with the use of stroke-related income supplements.
      CONCLUSIONS: Using stroke-related income supplement data to quantify poststroke
      productivity losses allowed a working-aged cohort to be investigated without
      inclusion restrictions based on occupational status or other factors; the use of
      these data as an outcome emphasized the well-known detrimental effects of atrial
      fibrillation and cognitive impairment on stroke outcome. The results support
      stroke-related income supplement use as a complementary outcome for understanding
      stroke-related productivity losses.

PMID- 26096317
TI  - The Circle of Willis and White Matter Lesions in Patients with Carotid
      Atherosclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The correlation between cerebral atherosclerosis and white matter
      lesions (WMLs) in the elderly was controversial in the published articles, where
      the stenosis was often evaluated by ultrasonography, computed tomography
      angiography, or magnetic resonance angiography and collaterals were seldom
      considered. We hypothesized that collaterals influence WMLs. Our study was to
      explore the relationship between the circle of Willis and WMLs in a
      retrospective, hospital-based cohort of patients with carotid atherosclerosis.
      METHODS: Two hundred eighty-six patients with carotid atherosclerosis were
      enrolled from the Nanjing Stroke Registry. They underwent magnetic resonance
      imaging evaluating WMLs and digital subtraction angiography evaluating both
      carotid atherosclerosis and collateral capacity of the circle of Willis. We
      tested the association between severe carotid atherosclerosis, the circle of
      Willis, and WMLs by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Severity of carotid
      atherosclerosis was not significantly associated with either periventricular or
      deep WMLs (P = .656 and .566, respectively). Number of carotid arteries with
      severe stenosis was not associated with the severity of either periventricular or
      deep WMLs (P = .721 and .263, respectively). Patency of the communicating
      arteries (CoA) was not associated with periventricular or deep WMLs (P = .561 and
      .703, respectively). Advanced age and hypertension were associated with
      periventricular WMLs (P = .001 and .008, respectively). Advanced age,
      hypertension, and prior stroke were associated with deep WMLs (P = .049, .048,
      and .001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The circle of Willis and severe carotid
      atherosclerosis may not be related to WMLs. Further larger studies are warranted
      to confirm or refute our findings.

PMID- 26096318
TI  - Task-Based Mirror Therapy Augmenting Motor Recovery in Poststroke Hemiparesis: A
      Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To establish the effect of the task-based mirror therapy (TBMT) on
      the upper limb recovery in stroke. METHODS: A pilot, randomized, controlled,
      assessor-blinded trial was conducted in a rehabilitation institute. A convenience
      sample of 33 poststroke (mean duration, 12.5 months) hemiparetic subjects was
      randomized into 2 groups (experimental, 17; control, 16). The subjects were
      allocated to receive either TBMT or standard motor rehabilitation-40 sessions
      (5/week) for a period of 8 weeks. The TBMT group received movements using various
      goal-directed tasks and a mirror box. The movements were performed by the less
      affected side superimposed on the affected side. The main outcome measures were
      Brunnstrom recovery stage (BRS) and Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA)-FMA of upper
      extremity (FMA-UE), including upper arm (FMA-UA) and wrist-hand (FMA-WH).
      RESULTS: The TBMT group exhibited highly significant improvement on mean scores
      of FMA-WH (P < .001) and FMA-UE (P < .001) at postassessment in comparison to the
      control group. Furthermore, there was a 12% increase in the number of subjects at
      BRS stage 5 (out of synergy movement) in the experimental group as compared to a
      0% rise at the same stage in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot trial
      confirmed the role of TBMT in improving the wrist-hand motor recovery in
      poststroke hemiparesis. MT using tasks may be used as an adjunct in stroke
      rehabilitation.

PMID- 26096319
TI  - Blood sweat and tears - tackling the stigma of stigmata.

PMID- 26096320
TI  - Faecal microbiota transplantation plus selected use of vancomycin for severe
      complicated Clostridium difficile infection: description of a protocol with high
      success rate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Severe and severe/complicated Clostridium difficile infection (CDI)
      can result in ICU admission, sepsis, toxic megacolon and death. In this setting,
      colectomy is the standard of care but it is associated with a 50% mortality. AIM:
      To evaluate safety and efficacy of a sequential faecal microbiota transplantation
      (FMT) and antibiotic protocol in severe and severe/complicated CDI patients who
      are at high risk for colectomy. METHODS: All patients with severe and
      severe/complicated CDI refractory to oral vancomycin +/- rectal vancomycin and
      intravenous metronidazole therapy were offered FMT. Treatment consisted of
      sequential FMTs via colonoscopy with the need for repeat FMT and continued
      vancomycin guided by clinical response and pseudomembranes at colonoscopy.
      RESULTS: A total of 29 patients underwent FMT between July 2013 and August 2014.
      The overall treatment response of endoscopic sequential FMT was 93% (27/29), with
      100% (10/10) for severe CDI and 89% (17/19) for severe/complicated CDI. A single
      FMT was performed in 62%, two FMTs were performed in 31% and three FMTs in 7% of
      patients. The use of non-CDI antibiotics predicted repeat FMT (odds ratio =
      17.5). The 30-day all-cause mortality after FMT was 7%, and the cumulative 3
      month survival was 76%. Of the two patients who died within 30 days, one
      underwent colectomy and succumbed to sepsis; the other died from septic shock
      related to CDI. CONCLUSION: The success of a treatment protocol for severe and
      severe/complicated involving faecal microbiota transplantation and continued
      vancomycin in selected patients was high, and it warrants further evaluation.

PMID- 26096321
TI  - Alzheimer's disease research in the context of the national plan to address
      Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - In 2012, the first National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease in the United
      States (U.S.) was released, a component of the National Alzheimer's Project Act
      legislation. Since that time, there have been incremental increases in U.S.
      federal funding for Alzheimer's disease and related dementia research,
      particularly in the areas of biomarker discovery, genetic link and related
      biological underpinnings, and prevention studies for Alzheimer's. A central theme
      in each of these areas has been the emphasis of cross-sector collaboration and
      private-public partnerships between government, non-profit organizations and for
      profit organizations. This paper will highlight multiple private-public
      partnerships supporting the advancement of Alzheimer's research in the context of
      the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's. 

PMID- 26096322
TI  - Diabetes and obesity not associated with 6-month remission rates for primary care
      patients with depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Complex interrelationships appear to exist among depression,
      diabetes, and obesity, and it has been proposed that both diabetes and obesity
      have an association with depression. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to
      explore the effect of obesity and diabetes on response to the treatment of
      depression. Our hypothesis was that obesity and the diagnosis of diabetes in
      primary care patients with depression would have no effects on depression
      remission rates 6 months after diagnosis. METHODS: A retrospective chart review
      analysis of 1894 adult (age >=18y) primary care patients diagnosed with major
      depressive disorder or dysthymia and a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score >=10
      from January 1, 2008, through September 30, 2012. Multiple logistic regression
      modeling retaining all independent variables was performed for the outcome of
      remission (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 < 5) 6 months after diagnosis. RESULTS:
      The presence of obesity (odds ratio = 0.937, 95% CI: 0.770-1.140, p = 0.514) or
      the diagnosis of diabetes (odds ratio = 0.740, 95% CI: 0.535-1.022, p = 0.068)
      did not affect the likelihood of remission, while controlling for the other
      independent variables. CONCLUSIONS: In primary care patients treated for
      depression, the presence of diabetes or obesity at the time of diagnosis of
      depression does not appear to significantly affect remission of depressive
      symptoms 6 months after diagnosis.

PMID- 26096324
TI  - Predicting extremely preterm children's school performance by transient abnormal
      neurology?

PMID- 26096323
TI  - Facial transplantation in a blind patient: psychologic, marital, and family
      outcomes at 15 months follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quality of life has frequently been reported to improve after
      vascularized composite allotransplantation of the face. However, psychosocial
      functioning of the partner or of particular patient groups such as blind patients
      are until now less well investigated. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to
      investigate psychologic, marital, and family functioning of a blind 54-year-old
      patient, Mr. A, and his partner after facial transplantation. METHODS: Depressive
      and anxiety symptoms, hopelessness, personality, coping, resilience, illness
      cognitions, marital support, dyadic adjustment, family functioning, and quality
      of life of Mr. A and his partner were assessed before and after facial
      transplantation and at 15 months follow-up. Reliable change index (RCI) was
      further calculated to evaluate the magnitude of change. RESULTS: Most
      psychologic, marital, and family scores of both Mr. A and his partner were within
      a normative and healthy range before and after transplant and at 15 months follow
      up. Resilience (RCI: 3.6), affective responsiveness (RCI: -3.6), and disease
      benefits (RCI: 2.6) of Mr. A further improved at 15 months follow-up whereas the
      physical quality of life (RCI: -14.8) strongly decreased. Only marital support
      (RCI: -2.1) and depth (RCI: -2.0) of the partner decreased at 15 months.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study point to positive psychosocial outcomes in
      a blind patient after facial transplantation. Further, they may underscore the
      importance of good psychosocial functioning before transplantation of both
      partners and of their involvement in psychologic and psychiatric treatment.
      CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, V.

PMID- 26096325
TI  - Use of a titanium alloy (Chest Way) in the surgical stabilization of flail chest.
AB  - To avoid the complications of internal pneumatic stabilization for flail chest,
      we performed stabilization of the chest wall with a metal bar using the Nuss
      procedure. Here, we used a highly elastic lightweight biocompatible titanium
      alloy Chest Way (Solve Corporation, Kanagawa, Japan), enabling magnetic resonance
      imaging. The patient was a 37-year-old man who sustained injuries in a car crash.
      Gradually increasing subcutaneous emphysema was present. Bilateral pleural
      drainage and tracheal intubation were conducted on the scene, and a peripheral
      venous line was established. The patient was then transferred to our hospital by
      helicopter. A titanium alloy Chest Way was inserted to manage his flail chest
      accompanied by multiple rib fractures on the left side. Two days later,
      artificial respiration was no longer required. 

PMID- 26096326
TI  - Distribution of core hospitals for patients with fulminant hepatitis and late
      onset hepatic failure in Japan.

PMID- 26096327
TI  - African swine fever virus assembles a single membrane derived from rupture of the
      endoplasmic reticulum.
AB  - Collective evidence argues that two members of the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA
      viruses (NCLDVs) acquire their membrane from open membrane intermediates,
      postulated to be derived from membrane rupture. We now study membrane acquisition
      of the NCLDV African swine fever virus. By electron tomography (ET), the virion
      assembles a single bilayer, derived from open membrane precursors that collect as
      ribbons in the cytoplasm. Biochemically, lumenal endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
      proteins are released into the cytosol, arguing that the open intermediates are
      ruptured ER membranes. ET shows that viral capsid assembles on the convex side of
      the open viral membrane to shape it into an icosahedron. The viral capsid is
      composed of tiny spikes with a diameter of ~5 nm, connected to the membrane by a
      6 nm wide structure displaying thin striations, as observed by several
      complementary electron microscopy imaging methods. Immature particles display an
      opening that closes after uptake of the viral genome and core proteins, followed
      by the formation of the mature virion. Together with our previous data, this
      study shows a common principle of NCLDVs to build a single internal envelope from
      open membrane intermediates. Our data now provide biochemical evidence that these
      open intermediates result from rupture of a cellular membrane, the ER. 

PMID- 26096328
TI  - The Rapid Exfoliation and Subsequent Restacking of Layered Titanates Driven by an
      Acid-Base Reaction.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) (hydro)oxide materials, that is, nanosheets, enable the
      preparation of advanced 2D materials and devices. The general synthesis route of
      nanosheets involves exfoliating layered metal (hydro)oxide crystals. This
      exfoliation process is considered to be time-consuming, hindering their
      industrial-scale production. Based on in situ exfoliation studies on the
      protonated layered titanate H(1.07)Ti(1.73)O4?H2O (HTO), it is now shown that ion
      intercalation-assisted exfoliation driven by chemical reaction provides a viable
      and fast route to isolated nanosheets. Contrary to the general expectation, data
      indicate that direct exfoliation of HTO occurs within seconds after mixing of the
      reactants, instead of proceeding via a swollen state as previously thought. These
      findings reveal that ion intercalation-assisted exfoliation driven by chemical
      reaction is a promising exfoliation route for large-scale synthesis.

PMID- 26096329
TI  - An interdisciplinary specialist team leads to improved diagnostics and treatment
      for paediatric patients with vascular anomalies.
AB  - AIM: Patients with vascular anomalies are often misdiagnosed, leading to delayed
      or improper treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an
      interdisciplinary team on the diagnosis and treatment of paediatric patients with
      vascular anomalies. METHODS: We reviewed the paediatric patients evaluated by our
      interdisciplinary team between 2002 and 2012, analysing the referral diagnosis,
      final diagnosis, patient age, sex, clinical history, laboratory tests, imaging
      studies and treatments. RESULTS: Of the 480 patients who were evaluated, 435
      (90.6%) had a vascular anomaly: 30.7% of all patients had a tumour and 55.2% had
      a malformation. Haemangiomas comprised 93.2% of all tumours, while malformations
      included capillary (9.8%), lymphatic (30.1%), venous (36.8%), arteriovenous
      (3.8%) and combined slow-flow (7.9%) malformations. Tumours were initially
      diagnosed correctly in 89.2% of the patients, but only 38.0% of the malformations
      were diagnosed correctly. Improper treatment was given to 1.4%, due to incorrect
      diagnoses. CONCLUSION: This study showed that haemangiomas were likely to be
      diagnosed correctly, but other tumours and vascular malformations were likely to
      be misdiagnosed. Misdiagnosis seldom led to improper treatment, but probably led
      to delayed treatment in many cases. The interdisciplinary approach led to
      improved diagnostics and treatment.

PMID- 26096330
TI  - Adapting through glacial cycles: insights from a long-lived tree (Taxus baccata).
AB  - Despite the large body of research devoted to understanding the role of
      Quaternary glacial cycles in the genetic divergence of European trees, the
      differential contribution of geographic isolation and/or environmental adaptation
      in creating population genetic divergence remains unexplored. In this study, we
      used a long-lived tree (Taxus baccata) as a model species to investigate the
      impact of Quaternary climatic changes on genetic diversity via neutral (isolation
      by-distance) and selective (isolation-by-adaptation) processes. We applied
      approximate Bayesian computation to genetic data to infer its demographic
      history, and combined this information with past and present climatic data to
      assess the role of environment and geography in the observed patterns of genetic
      structure. We found evidence that yew colonized Europe from the East, and that
      European samples diverged into two groups (Western, Eastern) at the beginning of
      the Quaternary glaciations, c. 2.2 Myr before present. Apart from the expected
      effects of geographical isolation during glacials, we discovered a significant
      role of environmental adaptation during interglacials at the origin of genetic
      divergence between both groups. This process may be common in other organisms,
      providing new research lines to explore the effect of Quaternary climatic factors
      on present-day patterns of genetic diversity. 

PMID- 26096331
TI  - A two-dimensional spin liquid in quantum kagome ice.
AB  - Actively sought since the turn of the century, two-dimensional quantum spin
      liquids (QSLs) are exotic phases of matter where magnetic moments remain
      disordered even at zero temperature. Despite ongoing searches, QSLs remain
      elusive, due to a lack of concrete knowledge of the microscopic mechanisms that
      inhibit magnetic order in materials. Here we study a model for a broad class of
      frustrated magnetic rare-earth pyrochlore materials called quantum spin ices.
      When subject to an external magnetic field along the [111] crystallographic
      direction, the resulting interactions contain a mix of geometric frustration and
      quantum fluctuations in decoupled two-dimensional kagome planes. Using quantum
      Monte Carlo simulations, we identify a set of interactions sufficient to promote
      a groundstate with no magnetic long-range order, and a gap to excitations,
      consistent with a Z2 spin liquid phase. This suggests an experimental procedure
      to search for two-dimensional QSLs within a class of pyrochlore quantum spin ice
      materials. 

PMID- 26096332
TI  - Multicenter experience using simeprevir and sofosbuvir with or without ribavirin
      to treat hepatitis C genotype 1 in patients with cirrhosis.
AB  - Interferon (IFN)-free regimens are needed to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV)
      infection. Combined simeprevir (SMV) and sofosbuvir (SOF) with or without
      ribavirin (RBV) results in high sustained virological response (SVR) rates along
      with minimal adverse events (AEs) in patients with hepatitis C genotype 1 (HCV
      GT1). The aim of this study was to report on the virological response, safety,
      and tolerability of SOF and SMV with or without RBV in compensated and
      decompensated patients with cirrhosis with HCV GT1 infection. Patients treated
      with standardized clinical protocol utilizing SMV+SOF with or without RBV at
      three transplant centers were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 119 patients
      (61% male, 87% white, 69% subtype 1a, 30% Child-Pugh-Turcott [CPT]-B liver
      cirrhosis [LC], and 82% were treatment experienced) received treatment and were
      followed for a median of 38 weeks (range, 12-58). Sustained virological response
      (SVR) at week 12 (SVR12) was achieved in 78% (92 of 118) of patients (95%
      confidence interval: 69-85). Lower pretreatment Model for End Stage Liver Disease
      (MELD) score was a predictor of SVR12 (P = 0.018). Baseline viral load, previous
      treatment status, RBV use, or GT1 subtype did not impact SVR 12. The majority of
      patients with SVR12 showed stability or improvement in MELD score. Treatment was
      very well tolerated with mild degrees of AEs. CONCLUSIONS: The regimen of SMV+SOF
      with or without RBV for 12 weeks was very well tolerated and resulted in high
      SVR12 rates (78%) in HCV GT1 patients with LC. SVR12 was inversely related to
      pretreatment MELD. SVR12 had favorable short-term impact on MELD score. Long-term
      impact on disease stability is yet to be determined. Longer treatment duration or
      the use of different regimen may still be needed in this population.

PMID- 26096336
TI  - Xingwei Li.

PMID- 26096334
TI  - Corrigendum: Visible-Light-Mediated 1,2-Acyl Migration: The Reaction of Secondary
      Enamino Ketones with Singlet Oxygen.

PMID- 26096339
TI  - Educational attainment and motor burden in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Greater educational attainment is a protective factor for
      neurodegenerative dementias. If education earlier in life leads to greater
      cerebral reserve, it may play a similar protective role in Parkinson's disease
      (PD). METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional clinical imaging study of 142
      subjects with PD. All subjects underwent [(11)C]dihydrotetrabenazine PET to
      confirm nigrostriatal dopaminergic denervation and brain MRI to estimate adjusted
      cortical gray matter volume (GMV). RESULTS: After adjusting for possible
      confounders, including cognitive and dopaminergic covariates, as well as
      nonspecific neurodegeneration covariates (age, disease duration, and total
      adjusted cortical GMV), lower years of education remained a significant predictor
      of higher total MDS-UPDRS motor score (t = -3.28; P = 0.001). Education level
      associated inversely with white matter (WM) hyperintensities in a post-hoc
      analysis (n = 83). CONCLUSIONS: Higher educational attainment is associated with
      lower severity of motor impairment in PD. This association may reflect an
      extranigral protective effect upon WM integrity.

PMID- 26096340
TI  - Tumour necrosis factor superfamily member 15 (Tnfsf15) facilitates
      lymphangiogenesis via up-regulation of Vegfr3 gene expression in lymphatic
      endothelial cells.
AB  - Lymphangiogenesis is essential in embryonic development but is rare in adults. It
      occurs, however, in many disease conditions including cancers. Vascular
      endothelial growth factor-C/D (VEGF-C/D) and VEGF receptor-3 (Vegfr3) play a
      critical role in the regulation of lymphangiogenesis. We investigated how the
      VEGF-C/Vegfr3 signalling system is regulated by tumour necrosis factor
      superfamily member 15 (Tnfsf15), an endothelium-derived cytokine. We report here
      that Tnfsf15, which is known to induce apoptosis in vascular endothelial cells,
      can promote lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC) growth and migration, stimulate
      lymphangiogenesis, and facilitate lymphatic circulation. Treatment of mouse LECs
      with Tnfsf15 results in up-regulation of Vegfr3 expression; this can be inhibited
      by gene silencing of death domain-containing receptor-3 (DR3; Tnfrsf25), a cell
      surface receptor for Tnfsf15, with siRNA, or by blocking Tnfsf15-DR3 interaction
      with a Tnfsf15 neutralizing antibody, 4-3H. Additionally, Tnfsf15/DR3 signalling
      pathways in LECs include activation of NF-kappaB. Tnfsf15-overexpressing
      transgenic mice exhibit a marked enhancement of lymph drainage; this is confirmed
      by treatment of wild-type mice with intraperitoneal injection of recombinant
      Tnfsf15. Moreover, systemic treatment of pregnant Tnfsf15 transgenic mice with 4
      3H leads to inhibition of embryonic lymphangiogenesis. Our data indicate that
      Tnfsf15, a cytokine produced largely by endothelial cells, facilitates
      lymphangiogenesis by up-regulating Vegfr3 gene expression in LECs, contributing
      to the maintenance of the homeostasis of the circulatory system. This finding
      also suggests that Tnfsf15 may be of potential value as a therapeutic tool for
      the treatment of lymphoedema.

PMID- 26096341
TI  - Association between interleukin-18 gene polymorphism and Helicobacter pylori
      infection in the Korean population.
AB  - Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a pleiotropic, pro-inflammatory cytokine that is
      capable of promoting the Th1 response. A predominant Th1 response induces chronic
      and persistent inflammatory changes in the gastric mucosa in response to
      Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the potential association between IL-18 gene polymorphisms and
      susceptibility to H. pylori infection in the Korean population. A total of 678
      subjects who underwent a routine health check-up were enrolled. The IL-18 gene
      polymorphisms at positions -656, -607, -137, +113, and +127 were genotyped. H.
      pylori positivity was demonstrated in 456 subjects (67.3%). The allele
      frequencies of IL-18 gene polymorphisms at position -137 (rs187238) were
      different based on the status of H. pylori infection (G vs. C, adjusted OR 0.64
      CI: 0.47-0.87, P = 0.005). The results indicate that the genetic variants in the
      IL-18 gene may be associated with susceptibility to H. pylori infection in the
      Korean population, suggesting that IL-18 plays a role in the pathogenesis of H.
      pylori-associated diseases. However, this finding requires further replication
      and validation.

PMID- 26096342
TI  - A Tetraferrocenyl-Resorcinarene Cavitand as a Redox-Switchable Host of Ammonium
      Salts.
AB  - Tetraannulation of a resorcinarene-octaamino cavitand with
      ferrocenecarboxaldehyde allows the preparation of a tetrabenzimidazole
      resorcinarene cavitand with four ferrocenyl moieties directly linked to the C2
      atom of the imidazole units. Oxidation of the four ferrocenyl moieties produces
      important structural modifications of the molecule, as indicated by DFT
      calculations performed for the neutral and tetraoxidized forms of the cavitand.
      By means of (1) H NMR spectroscopic analysis, the encapsulating properties of the
      new tetraferrocenyl-resorcinarene cavitand toward a series of ammonium salts were
      evaluated, and a clear cutoff point in binding affinity with respect to size was
      observed. Cyclic voltammetric studies allowed us to estimate the relative
      association constants for the neutral and oxidized forms of the cavitand, thus
      indicating that the guest was bound to the neutral (reduced) state of the
      cavitand and was released from the oxidized form. These redox-addressable
      conformational and binding properties of the resorcinarene-tetraferrocenyl
      cavitand constitute all the necessary features of a redox-switchable molecular
      gripper. By means of mass-spectrometric analysis, we could unambiguously confirm
      the molar stoichiometry of the host-guest complex (1:1) and assess the strong
      guest encapsulation, as indicated by triggering the covalent coupling between
      host and guest in the gas phase. 

PMID- 26096343
TI  - Molecular characterization and expression analysis of mouse epidermal growth
      factor-like domain 8.
AB  - Epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like (EGFL) domain, a common structural module in
      numerous secreted or transmembrane proteins, is generally involved in protein
      protein interactions. To date, several EGFL proteins have been identified and
      characterized, but little is known about EGFL domain 8 (EGFL8). The present study
      reported the molecular characterization and expression analysis of EGFL8 in mice.
      Mouse EGFL8 amplified using a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction
      approach was sequenced and characterized. Mouse EGFL8 encodes a protein of 293
      amino acids with two EGFL domains, an Emilin-like domain and a Ca(2+)-binding
      EGFL domain, which has a molecular mass of 32 kDa. The coding sequence has a high
      degree of amino acid sequence identity across species, and the EGFL domain has
      been highly conserved in various species during evolutionary radiation. A
      phylogenetic tree calculated using the neighbor-joining method revealed that
      EGFL8 and EGFL7 are more closely associated with each other than either is to
      EGFL3, and they cluster with EGFL6. It was found that mouse EGFL8 protein was
      highly expressed in diverse mouse tissue types, including the thymus, lymph
      nodes, testis, ovaries, epididymis, ductus deferens, ileum, colon, stomach,
      esophagus, lung, uterus, urinary bladder, skin, spleen, adrenal glands and penis.
      These results are of great use in understanding the biological roles of mouse
      EGFL8 for further study.

PMID- 26096344
TI  - Should the Celiac Artery Be Used as an Anatomical Marker for the Descending
      Thoracic Aorta During Transesophageal Echocardiography?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a pivotal tool for
      diagnosis of aortic diseases. However, there are no suitable anatomical markers
      to describe location of disease in the descending thoracic aorta. In the past, we
      have used distance from the dental incisors to report location of disease, but
      this has no anatomical relevance. Our recent data comparing TEE and computed
      tomography (CT) have shown that the celiac artery is an accurate anatomical
      marker where disease is described as distance relative to the celiac artery. This
      study was designed to determine whether utilization of the celiac artery as an
      anatomical marker with TEE is practically feasible. METHODS: A clinical trial was
      performed at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Jesse Brown VA Medical
      Center. A total of 160 patients referred for TEE were consecutively enrolled over
      a period of 18 months. RESULTS: The celiac artery was visualized in 97% of the
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: The celiac artery is a reliable anatomical marker with TEE
      and should be routinely used to locate disease in the descending thoracic aorta.

PMID- 26096345
TI  - Historical review on thymosin alpha1 in oncology: preclinical and clinical
      experiences.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thymosin alpha1 (Talpha1) is a naturally occurring polypeptide that
      regulates immune cell development and function, and is also capable of
      interacting with multiple target cells with relevant biological effects. The
      rationale of Talpha1 use in cancer treatment stems from the consideration that
      tumor progression is favored by a failure of the immune response and in turn
      induces immune suppression. This paper will review the historical background of
      Talpha1 use in oncology, aiming to highlight the importance of Talpha1 as an
      immunotherapeutic tool to be used in combination with chemotherapy, a concept
      that is not yet fully established in clinic. AREAS COVERED: The efficacy and
      safety of combining Talpha1 with chemotherapy and cytokines were first evaluated
      in murine tumor models, providing essential information about effects, mechanisms
      of action, doses and treatment protocols. The therapeutic potential of the chemo
      immunotherapy protocol on metastatic melanoma and lung cancer has been confirmed
      in controlled clinical trials. Critical for the efficacy of the chemo
      immunotherapy protocol is the dual action of Talpha1 on immune effector and tumor
      cells. EXPERT OPINION: On the basis of the preclinical and clinical results
      available, the use of the chemo-immunotherapy protocol, in which the role of
      Talpha1 is central, is strongly recommended.

PMID- 26096346
TI  - Long-Term Outcomes of Treatment of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration:
      Data from an Observational Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze the long-term outcomes of eyes with neovascular age-related
      macular degeneration (AMD) starting treatment with vascular endothelial growth
      factor (VEGF) inhibitors at least 5 years earlier. DESIGN: Database observational
      study. PARTICIPANTS: Treatment-naive eyes with neovascular AMD tracked by the
      Fight Retinal Blindness outcome registry that received at least 1 anti-VEGF
      injection. METHODS: Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing curves were used to
      display visual acuity (VA) results. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in mean VA and
      number of injections and visits from baseline up to 7 years after initiating
      treatment. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time of all 1212 identified eyes was 53.5
      months, and 549 (45%) continued attending after 60 months. Mean VA improved from
      55.1 to 61.4 letters after 6 months and remained above the mean presenting VA for
      approximately 6 years. After 7 years, mean VA was 2.6 letters lower than baseline
      for the 131 eyes still being followed; 40% had VA >=70 (20/40) letters, and 18%
      had VA <=35 letters (20/200). Of those with 20/40 VA before treatment, 40% had
      lost it after 7 years. Geographic atrophy affecting the fovea was thought to be
      the cause of a >=10-letter loss after 6.5 years in 37% of a subset of such eyes
      that were retrospectively analyzed. A median of 6 injections and 9 visits were
      recorded over the first 12 months, and then 5 treatments and 7 to 9 visits per
      annum thereafter through 7 years. Treatment was discontinued for 663 eyes (53%)
      within the first 5 years. Despite initial gains in vision, the mean VA of these
      eyes had deteriorated to baseline or worse around the time treatment was
      discontinued. The rate of serious adverse events was low. CONCLUSIONS: Good long
      term outcomes of VEGF inhibition for neovascular AMD were found in this study.
      These results may be better than other reports because more injections were given
      to our patients, possibly associated with a greater incentive for the physician
      to treat. Further studies to determine how to maximize the proportion of eyes
      that retain the initial VA gains of anti-VEGF are warranted.

PMID- 26096347
TI  - Depression and prospection.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Prospection, the mental representation of possible futures, is
      usually adaptive. When it goes awry, however, it disrupts emotion and motivation.
      A negative view of the future is typically seen as one symptom of depression, but
      we suggest that such negative prospection is the core causal element of
      depression. Here, we describe the empirical evidence supporting this framework,
      and we explore the implications for clinical interventions. METHODS: We integrate
      several literatures: Using the database PsycInfo, we retrieved empirical studies
      with the keywords prospection, prediction, expectation, pessimism, mental
      simulation, future-thinking, future-directed thinking, foresight, and/or mental
      time travel, in conjunction with depression, depressed, or depressive. RESULTS:
      Three kinds of faulty prospection, taken together, could drive depression: Poor
      generation of possible futures, poor evaluation of possible futures, and negative
      beliefs about the future. Depressed mood and poor functioning, in turn, may
      maintain faulty prospection and feed a vicious cycle. Future-oriented treatment
      strategies drawn from cognitive-behavioural therapy help to fix poor prospection,
      and they deserve to be developed further. CONCLUSIONS: Prospection-based
      techniques may lead to transdiagnostic treatment strategies for depression and
      other disorders.

PMID- 26096348
TI  - [Forceps delivery: Professionals' knowledge of forceps application in the area of
      Lyon].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to describe knowledge on forceps delivery in
      the area of Lyon. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It is a multicentric observational study
      carried between January 1, 2013 and June 9, 2013. A questionnaire was sent to
      obstetricians and residents of the area of Lyon. It related prerequisites for
      operative vaginal delivery, the method used to apply forceps, practices and
      preferences of operators. RESULTS: Seventy-five responses were obtained (47
      obstetricians, 28 residents). About prerequisites: 6.4% of the obstetricians and
      14.3% of the residents never do urinary catheterization. Instrumental delivery is
      never performed when the fetal head is not engaged. Mid-pelvic operative vaginal
      delivery is performed by 51.1% of obstetricians. Trans-abdominal ultrasound
      assessment is conducted in cases of clinical doubts about the fetal head
      position. For occipital anterior and left anterior positions, the left blade is
      first applied. A flexion of the fetal head is applied for anterior positions but
      not in posterior positions. Most of operators do not perform instrumental
      rotation. Vacuum extractor is the privileged instrument for obstetricians and
      forceps is often used in second line. CONCLUSION: This study shows that most of
      the recommendations for forceps delivery are followed. In front of the lake of
      statistical power of this study, it might be interesting to improve a largest
      study with a comparison between obstetricians and residents' practices.

PMID- 26096349
TI  - [Interest of complex tasks on laparoscopic virtual reality simulator].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of complex
      tasks on virtual reality simulator (VRS) for novice surgeons in laparoscopy
      learning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-five medical students were prospectively
      randomized in two groups (A: basic skills, n=28 and B: basic and complex skills,
      n=27) and then trained during two sessions on VRS. Evaluations took place before
      and after each training. These evaluations consisted of the achievement of an
      intracorporeal suture, recorded on video, with the left then with the right hand.
      Two independent experts evaluated those gestures blindly. RESULTS: A significant
      progression in terms of times and technical scores was observed in both groups
      between the first and the last evaluations (P between 0.001 and 0.04). Students
      in group B improved slower and longer than those in group A. However, left and
      right hands results confused did not highlight significant differences between
      the two groups. At the third session, the first hand to train is significantly
      faster in group B than in group A (P=0.04). CONCLUSION: This study found only a
      late and minimal impact of complex skills to reduce the execution time of
      intracorporeal suture. It also showed an slower and longer overall progression
      for those who use them compared to subjects using basic skills only.

PMID- 26096350
TI  - [Case report: Vasa previa diagnosis and management. How to prevent Benckiser's
      hemorrhage?].
AB  - Benckiser's haemorrhage is a serious obstetrical complication, following a vasa
      previa rupture. Incidence of vasa previa is estimated between 1/1150 and 1/5000
      pregnancies. This case report illustrates the consequences of a suspected vasa
      previa rupture. There is no French recommendation of how to treat vasa previa.
      Different methods of prevention are described and examined thanks to a literature
      review. 

PMID- 26096351
TI  - [Tubo-ovarian abscesses treatment: Faisability and results of trans-vaginal
      ultrasound-guided aspiration].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Two years after the French guidelines, the objective was to assess the
      feasibility and efficiency of ultrasound-guided trans-vaginal drainage of tubo
      ovarian abscesses (TOA) and to study the responsible germs. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      All the patients with a larger abscess than 20mm were included prospectively from
      May 2011 to July 2014 in the university hospital of Lille. RESULTS: Sixty-nine
      drainages were performed among 50 patients. Success rate was 94%. No complication
      occurred. One germ was found in 55% of patients, the TOA was polymicrobian in 20%
      of cases. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided trans-vaginal drainage of TOA is safe and
      effective with more than 90% of success rate.

PMID- 26096352
TI  - [Detailed in utero ultrasound description of 34 cases of congenital
      cytomegalovirus infection].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe precisely prenatal ultrasound features in congenital
      cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively
      evaluated the ultrasound descriptions of cases of congenital CMV infection
      between 2004 and 2013. RESULTS: In 74 congenital CMV infections, related
      ultrasound abnormalities were reported in 34 cases (45.9%). Abnormalities
      reported were either cerebral (11 cases), either extracerebral (6 cases), or
      associated (17 cases). A total of 22/34 cases presented extracerebral features of
      11 different sorts of abnormalities, mainly intra-uterine growth retardation (11
      cases) and hyperechogenic bowel (10 cases) and 26/34 cases presented cerebral
      features of 14 different sorts, mainly brain calcifications (12 cases) and
      occipital horn cavity (12 cases). MRI was performed in 25 cases and have found
      additional abnormalities in 8 cases. These abnormalities are not specific to CMV
      infection. However, a frequent finding attracted our attention: the anechogenic
      cavity located on the extremity of the occipital horn. CONCLUSION: A potentially
      specific sign, inexistent in other fetal pathologies, is an anechogenic cavity
      located on the extremity of the occipital and/or temporal horn, a germinal region
      which contains numerous proliferating and differentiating germinal cells. A
      better understanding of these signs could increase the sensitivity of ultrasound,
      and clarify the pathophysiology of congenital CMV infection.

PMID- 26096353
TI  - [Evaluation of the CNGOF foetal heart rate classification].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The 2007 CNGOF guidelines for good practice on "Methods of foetal
      surveillance during labour" proposed a consensual definition of intra-partum
      foetal heart rate (FHR) patterns. In order to facilitate its application, Carbon
      et al. published in 2013 a simplified table of the classification with 5 types of
      tracing. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnosis value of this FHR classification
      to determine the risk of foetal acidosis. METHODS: Retrospective single-centre
      study including 252 single pregnancies beyond 34 weeks of gestation with a record
      of at least 60minutes before delivery. The primary endpoint was a pH at birth <
      7.20. RESULTS: When pH was < 7.20, type 3 tracing was significantly more frequent
      during the first stage of labour while types 4 and 5 were more frequently found
      during active second stage. A pH<7.20 was significantly associated with more
      instrumental extractions, emergency caesarean section, Apgar score < 7 and
      neonatal respiratory distress. The areas under the curve were 0.63 for the
      analysis during the first stage of labour, 0.69 for second stage, and 0.68 when
      the two stages were combined. CONCLUSION: Our study found that the CNGOF
      classification improved the FHR interpretation but its diagnosis value to predict
      acidosis remained limited.

PMID- 26096354
TI  - [Absent or hypoplastic thymus: A marker for 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome in
      case of polyhydramnios].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In prenatal diagnosis of 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome, without
      cardiac malformation or multiple associated congenital anomalies, we study the
      presence of polyhydramnios and its association with thymic dysgenesis. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This was a multicenter retrospective observational study. It was
      performed in two multidisciplinary centers for prenatal diagnosis in the south of
      France between January 1, 2010 and June 30, 2013. Inclusion criteria were
      prenatal diagnosis of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. We excluded from the study any
      fetus with cardiac malformation or multiple associated congenital anomalies.
      RESULTS: During the inclusion period, eleven antenatal diagnoses of 22q11.2
      microdeletion syndrome have been made. Six cases were excluded: 5 fetuses with
      cardiac malformation and one with multiple associated congenital anomalies.
      Therefore, five cases of isolated polyhydramnios were included. All 5 fetuses had
      a thymic dysgenesis: 3 had a thymic agenesis and 1 thymic hypoplasia diagnosed by
      sonography and 1 had a thymic agenesis diagnosed by retrospective reading of
      fetal MRI. CONCLUSION: When faced with a polyhydramnios, the presence of a thymic
      dysgenesis should be search for by ultrasound screening and would alert to the
      possibility of a 22q11.2 microdeletion syndrome. The confirmation of this is
      diagnosis by amniocentesis would enable improved antenatal support for parents
      and would enable early implementation of the multidisciplinary neonatal care that
      is required to avoid serious complications of this syndrome.

PMID- 26096355
TI  - Acquisition of morphine conditioned place preference increases the dendritic
      complexity of nucleus accumbens core neurons.
AB  - Contexts associated with opioid reward trigger craving and relapse in opioid
      addiction. Effects of reward-context associative learning on nucleus accumbens
      (NAc) dendritic morphology were studied using morphine conditioned place
      preference (CPP). Morphine-conditioned mice received saline and morphine 10 mg/kg
      subcutaneous (s.c.) on alternate days. Saline-conditioned mice received saline
      s.c. each day. Morphine-conditioned and saline-conditioned groups received
      injections immediately before each of eight daily conditioning sessions. Morphine
      homecage controls had no CPP training, but received saline and morphine in the
      homecage concomitantly with the morphine-conditioned group. Morphine conditioning
      produced greater place preference than saline conditioning. Mice were sacrificed
      1 day after CPP expression. Dendritic changes were studied using Golgi-Cox
      staining and digital tracing of NAc core and shell neurons. In the NAc core,
      morphine homecage administration increased spine density, while morphine
      conditioning increased dendritic complexity, as defined by increased dendritic
      count, length and intersections. Place preference positively correlated with
      dendritic length and intersections in the NAc core. The core may mediate reward
      consolidation and determine how context-related signals from the shell lead to
      motor behavior. The combination of drug and conditioning in the morphine
      conditioned group produced unique morphological effects different from the
      effects of drug or conditioning procedures by themselves. An additional study
      found no differences in neuron morphology between saline-conditioned mice,
      trained as described earlier, and mice that were not conditioned, but received
      saline in the homecage. The unique effect of morphine reward learning on NAc core
      dendrites reflects a brain substrate that could be targeted for therapeutic
      intervention in addiction.

PMID- 26096356
TI  - Reduced cerebellar gray matter is a neural signature of physical frailty.
AB  - Physical frailty has been recognized as a clinical syndrome resulting from
      declines in various physiological systems; however, the role of the central
      nervous system in the pathophysiology of frailty remains unclear. The I-Lan
      Longitudinal Aging Study randomly sampled community-dwelling people aged 50 or
      older for a brain magnetic resonance imaging study. All participants were
      assessed for frailty status (robust, prefrail, and frail) based on the presence
      of five frailty components: slow walking speed, muscle weakness, low physical
      activity, exhaustion and weight loss (Fried criteria). Gray matter volume (GMV)
      changes associated with frailty status and individual frailty components were
      examined. Overall, 456 participants (64.0 +/- 8.5 years, 47.6% women) were
      included in this study. The prefrail (n = 178, 39.0%) and frail (n = 19, 4.2%)
      subjects were grouped for analysis. The prefrail-frail group showed reduced GMV,
      compared to the robust group (n = 259, 56.8%), in the cerebellum, hippocampi,
      middle frontal gyri, and several other cerebral regions (corrected P < 0.05).
      Each frailty component was associated with GMV changes in functionally related
      brain areas. Hierarchical cluster analysis categorized these components into
      three subsets. Motor-related components, including weakness, low activity, and
      slowness, comprised one subset with a common cerebellar involvement. Exhaustion
      and weight loss were the other two subsets without cerebellar changes. To
      conclude, physical frailty is associated with a decreased reserve in specific
      brain regions, especially cerebellum. Further longitudinal studies are needed to
      explore if the cerebellum- and noncerebellum-based frailty components reflect a
      distinctive future risk for developing frailty.

PMID- 26096358
TI  - Quantifying the squeezing or stretching of fisheries as they adapt to
      displacement by marine reserves.
AB  - The designation of no-take marine reserves involves social and economic concerns
      due to the resulting displacement of fishing effort, when fishing rights are
      removed from those who traditionally fished within an area. Displacement can
      influence the functioning of the fishery and success of the reserve, yet levels
      of displacement are seldom quantified after reserve implementation and very
      rarely before that. We devised a simple analytical framework based on set theory
      to facilitate reserve placement. Implementation of the framework requires maps of
      fishing grounds, fishing effort, or catch per unit effort for at least 2 years.
      The framework quantifies the level of conflict that a reserve designation might
      cause in the fishing sector due to displacement and the opportunities to offset
      the conflict through fisher spatial mobility (i.e., ability of fishers to fish
      elsewhere). We also considered how the outputs of the framework can be used to
      identify targeted management interventions for each fishery. We applied the
      method in Honduras, where the largest marine protected area in Central America is
      being placed, for which spatial data on fishing effort were available for 6
      fisheries over 3 years. The proposed closure had a greater negative impact on the
      shrimp and lobster scuba fisheries, which concentrated respectively 28% and 18%
      of their effort inside the reserve. These fisheries could not accommodate the
      displacement within existing fishing grounds. Both would be forced to stretch
      into new fishing grounds, which are available but are of unknown quality. These
      stakeholders will likely require compensation to offset costly exploratory
      fishing or to travel to fishing grounds farther away from port. 

PMID- 26096357
TI  - Interspecies gene transfer provides soybean resistance to a fungal pathogen.
AB  - Fungal pathogens pose a major challenge to global crop production. Crop varieties
      that resist disease present the best defence and offer an alternative to chemical
      fungicides. Exploiting durable nonhost resistance (NHR) for crop protection often
      requires identification and transfer of NHR-linked genes to the target crop.
      Here, we identify genes associated with NHR of Arabidopsis thaliana to Phakopsora
      pachyrhizi, the causative agent of the devastating fungal disease called Asian
      soybean rust. We transfer selected Arabidopsis NHR-linked genes to the soybean
      host and discover enhanced resistance to rust disease in some transgenic soybean
      lines in the greenhouse. Interspecies NHR gene transfer thus presents a promising
      strategy for genetically engineered control of crop diseases. 

PMID- 26096359
TI  - Synthesis and Intracellular Redox Cycling of Natural Quinones and Their Analogues
      and Identification of Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) as Potential Target for
      Anticancer Activity.
AB  - Natural quinones, often linked with cellular oxidation processes, exhibit
      pronounced biological activity. In particular, the structurally unique
      isothiazolonaphthoquinone aulosirazole, isolated from blue-green alga, possesses
      selective antitumor cytotoxicity, although its mechanism of action is unknown.
      The first synthesis of aulosirazole uses a route centered upon a late-stage
      regioselective Diels-Alder reaction. The structurally related natural product
      pronqodine A, an inhibitor of prostaglandin release, and analogues thereof, were
      also prepared for comparison. Biological evaluation of the compounds identified
      one potential target as the immunoregulatory enzyme indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase
      (IDO). The isothiazoloquinones are also efficient substrates for the human
      quinone reductase NQO1, and undergo intracellular NQO1-dependent redox cycling
      resulting in the generation of reactive oxygen species, and at lower doses have
      the potential to alter the ratio of intracellular oxidized to reduced pyridine
      nucleotides. 

PMID- 26096360
TI  - Work-related factors associated with occupational exposure to static magnetic
      stray fields from MRI scanners.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aims to identify work-related and personal factors associated
      with workers' exposure to static magnetic fields (SMF) and motion-induced time
      varying magnetic fields (TVMF) from MRI scanners. METHODS: Measurements of
      personal exposure to SMF and TVMF were performed among MRI staff during 439 work
      shifts at 14 different workplaces using portable magnetic field dosimeters. These
      data were coupled with contextual workplace and worker information. After data
      cleanup, 324 remaining observations were used to develop linear mixed effects
      models for various measures of peak and time-weighted average (TWA) exposure.
      RESULTS: Exposure levels near whole-body closed-bore scanners increased by 30% to
      76% for each additional tesla of scanner strength, depending on exposure metric.
      Small-bore animal scanners, on the other hand, showed a reversed association with
      scanner strength. Measures of peak and TWA exposure were differently associated
      with specific tasks and scan procedures. In addition, body height of the worker
      was negatively associated with measured exposure levels. CONCLUSION: The study
      revealed workplace characteristics, scan activities, and personal characteristics
      associated with SMF and TVMF exposure levels of MRI staff and was able to
      quantify the unique contribution of each of these factors while adjusting for the
      presence of others.

PMID- 26096361
TI  - Extramedullary Hematopoiesis in a Pyogenic Granuloma.

PMID- 26096363
TI  - Hsa-miR-132 inhibits proliferation of hepatic carcinoma cells by targeting YAP.
AB  - MicroRNAs and Yes-associated protein (YAP) play an important role in the
      occurrence and development of hepatic carcinomas. However, the interaction
      between microRNAs and YAP was seldom elucidated. In this study, we showed that
      miR-132 could target YAP gene by using dual-luciferase reporter system. Further
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis and western blotting showed that
      miR-132 could significantly reduce the expression of YAP at mRNA and protein
      levels. Results of annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate, 5-ethynyl-2'
      deoxyuridine staining and transwell assays showed that miR-132 significantly
      promoted the cell apoptosis and effectively inhibited the proliferation and
      invasion of hepatoma cells. These results indicated that miR-132 could inhibit
      the growth of hepatoma cells by targeting YAP gene and reducing its expression
      level. Taken together, results from this study would help us to understand the
      mechanisms for occurrence and development of hepatic carcinoma and provide new
      targets for diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer.

PMID- 26096364
TI  - Evolution of egg coats: linking molecular biology and ecology.
AB  - One central goal of evolutionary biology is to explain how biological diversity
      emerges and is maintained in nature. Given the complexity of the phenotype and
      the multifaceted nature of inheritance, modern evolutionary ecological studies
      rely heavily on the use of molecular tools. Here, we show how molecular tools
      help to gain insight into the role of egg coats (i.e. the extracellular
      structures surrounding eggs and embryos) in evolutionary diversification. Egg
      coats are maternally derived structures that have many biological functions from
      mediating fertilization to protecting the embryo from environmental hazards. They
      show great molecular, structural and functional diversity across species, but
      intraspecific variability and the role of ecology in egg coat evolution have
      largely been overlooked. Given that much of the variation that influences egg
      coat function is ultimately determined by their molecular phenotype, cutting-edge
      molecular tools (e.g. proteomics, glycomics and transcriptomics), combined with
      functional assays, are needed for rigorous inferences on their evolutionary
      ecology. Here, we identify key research areas and highlight emerging molecular
      techniques that can increase our understanding of the role of egg coats in the
      evolution of biological diversity, from adaptation to speciation. 

PMID- 26096365
TI  - Trends in the Utilization of Penile Prostheses in the Treatment of Erectile
      Dysfunction in the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The utilization of penile prosthesis (PP) insertion in the general
      population for medically refractory erectile dysfunction (ED) has not been well
      characterized. This study assessed the national temporal trends in the surgical
      management of ED utilizing PP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An analysis of the 5%
      Medicare Public Use Files from 2001 to 2010 was performed to assess the use of
      PP. Regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with PP
      placement, type of PP utilized, and factors associated with revisions. RESULTS: A
      total of 1,763,260 men were diagnosed with ED, 3% (53,180) of whom underwent PP
      insertion. The utilization of PP for ED decreased from 4.6% in 2002 to 2.3% in
      2010 (P < 0.01). This temporal decline in utilization was significant across all
      demographic factors including age, ethnicity, and geographic location. Men aged
      65-74, from the U.S. South and West, and those with Charlson comorbidity scores
      >1 were more likely to have a PP inserted for ED (P < 0.01). African American men
      were more likely to have a semirigid PP placed compared with a multicomponent
      inflatable PP, and were more likely to undergo a revision or removal of the PP
      compared with Caucasian men (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The surgical management of
      ED with PP changed significantly between 2001 and 2010. The overall utilization
      of PP decreased, but its use in patients with significant medical comorbidities
      increased. Age >65, ethnicity, and geography influenced the likelihood of PP
      placement, prosthesis type, as well as the likelihood of prosthesis removal or
      revision.

PMID- 26096366
TI  - Amphiphilic sugar poly(orthoesters) as pH-responsive nanoscopic assemblies for
      acidity-enhanced drug delivery and cell killing.
AB  - A sugar poly(orthoester)-based drug delivery system was constructed to achieve
      acidity-enhanced drug delivery and cell killing. 

PMID- 26096367
TI  - Early life exposure to chronic intermittent hypoxia causes upper airway dilator
      muscle weakness, which persists into young adulthood.
AB  - NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Chronic intermittent
      hypoxia (CIH) is a dominant feature of respiratory control disorders, which are
      common. We sought to examine the effects of exposure to CIH during neonatal
      development on respiratory muscle form and function in male and female rats. What
      is the main finding and its importance? Exposure to CIH during neonatal
      development caused sternohyoid muscle weakness in both sexes; an effect that
      persisted into young adult life upon return to normoxia. Upper airway dilator
      muscle dysfunction in vivo could predispose to airway collapse, leading to
      impaired respiratory homeostasis. Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) is a feature
      of sleep-disordered breathing, which is very common. Exposure to CIH is
      associated with aberrant plasticity in the respiratory control system including
      the final effector organs, the striated muscles of breathing. We reasoned that
      developmental age and sex are key factors determining the functional response of
      respiratory muscle to CIH. We tested the hypothesis that exposure to CIH causes
      persistent impairment of sternohyoid muscle function due to oxidative stress and
      that males are more susceptible to CIH-induced muscle impairment than females.
      Wistar rat litters (with respective dams) were exposed to intermittent hypoxia
      for 12 cycles per hour, 8 h per day for 3 weeks from the first day of life
      [postnatal day (P) 0]. Sham experiments were run in parallel. Half of each litter
      was studied on P22; the other half was returned to normoxia and studied on P42.
      Functional properties of the sternohyoid muscle were determined ex vivo. Exposure
      to CIH significantly decreased sternohyoid muscle force in both sexes; an effect
      that persisted into young adult life. Chronic intermittent hypoxia had no effect
      on sternohyoid muscle endurance. Chronic intermittent hypoxia did not affect
      sternohyoid myosin fibre type, succinate dehydrogenase or glycerol-3-phosphate
      dehydrogenase activities, or protein free thiol and carbonyl content. Muscles
      exposed to CIH had smaller cross-sectional areas, consistent with the observation
      of muscle weakness. In human infants with disordered breathing, CIH-induced upper
      airway dilator muscle weakness could increase the propensity for airway narrowing
      or collapse, which could serve to perpetuate impaired respiratory homeostasis.

PMID- 26096368
TI  - Adversity and Adjustment in Children in Institutions, Family Foster Care, and
      Adoption.
AB  - This study's objective was to identify the adversity profiles of children in
      different childcare placements, and to analyze their relationship with subsequent
      psychological adjustment. We studied a group of 230 children 4 to 10 years old
      indifferent childcare placements (international adoption, institutional care, non
      kin foster care, and kinship care), as well as a control group. Information was
      collected from parent or caregiver interviews and the Strengths and Difficulties
      Questionnaire (SDQ). The results showed that children in the child welfare system
      had experienced significant adversity before their current placement, especially
      among institutional care cases and international adoptees. Meanwhile, children in
      kinship care had experienced less adversity (p .50 to d > .80). After a period of
      time in their respective placements, children's psychological adjustment was
      generally positive, but children living in institutional care exhibited the most
      problems and difficulties, followed by non-kin foster care cases (p .50 to d >
      .80). Finally, we found that children's early adversity levels (p < .05; r =
      .16), age of current placement (p < .01; r = .23), and duration of current
      placement (p < .05: r = -.19) were all tied to current psychological adjustment. 

PMID- 26096369
TI  - Mifepristone by prescription: a dream in the United States but reality in
      Australia.
AB  - The requirement that mifepristone be dispensed only by physicians in offices,
      clinics or hospitals - and not by prescription in pharmacies - has likely limited
      uptake by providers in the United States. However, in several other countries,
      provision by prescription in pharmacies is allowed, including in Australia.
      Mifepristone was first registered in Australia in 2012, and in 2015, a composite
      package including 200 mg mifepristone and four tablets of misoprostol 200 mcg was
      registered. Both were approved as Schedule 4 medications, which require
      prescribing by a physician and may be dispensed at pharmacies. As part of the
      registration for both products, a risk management plan was instituted that has
      several components. First, physicians must be certified to prescribe
      mifepristone. General practitioners wishing to become certified must complete
      online training that includes prescribing requirements and managing the medical
      abortion process; obstetrician-gynecologists are exempt from the online learning
      module. Pharmacists must also be certified in order to dispense the medication,
      although this does not require additional training. When a pharmacist receives a
      prescription for mifepristone, she or he must confirm through a secure website
      that the prescriber is certified. In every region of the country, there are more
      certified prescribers and dispensers of mifepristone than the number of
      facilities providing abortion care. The experience in Australia demonstrates the
      feasibility of mifepristone by prescription and should be a model for expanding
      access to early medical abortion in the United States. 

PMID- 26096371
TI  - Measurement of DNA Polymerase Incorporation Kinetics of Dye-Labeled Nucleotides
      Using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy.
AB  - We report a method for the rapid and automated measurements of the incorporation
      kinetics of fluorescent dye-labeled nucleotides by DNA polymerases without using
      stopped-flow and quench-flow methods. Total internal reflection fluorescence
      microscopy is used to monitor the incorporation of fluorescently labeled
      nucleotides by DNA polymerase into surface-bound primed DNA templates, and a
      microfluidic system is used to perform the reactions. We successfully
      demonstrated the method using Bst DNA polymerase and a set of coumarin-labeled
      nucleotides. Our method allows the rapid acquisition of polymerase kinetics for
      implementing and improving DNA sequencing technologies that rely on labeled
      nucleotides and DNA polymerases.

PMID- 26096372
TI  - QM/MM modeling of the hydroxylation of the androstenedione substrate catalyzed by
      cytochrome P450 aromatase (CYP19A1).
AB  - CYP19A1 aromatase is a member of the Cytochrome P450 family of hemeproteins, and
      is the enzyme responsible for the final step of the androgens conversion into the
      corresponding estrogens, via a three-step oxidative process. For this reason, the
      inhibition of this enzyme plays an important role in the treatment of hormone
      dependent breast cancer. The first catalytic subcycle, corresponding to the
      hydroxilation of androstenedione, has been proposed to occur through a first
      hydrogen abstraction and a subsequent oxygen rebound step. In present work, we
      have studied the mechanism of the first catalytic subcycle by means of hybrid
      quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics methods. The inclusion of the protein
      flexibility has been achieved by means of Free Energy Perturbation techniques,
      giving rise to a free energy of activation for the hydrogen abstraction step of
      13.5 kcal/mol. The subsequent oxygen rebound step, characterized by a small free
      energy barrier (1.5 kcal/mol), leads to the hydroxylated products through a
      highly exergonic reaction. In addition, an analysis of the primary deuterium
      kinetic isotopic effects, calculated for the hydrogen abstraction step, reveals
      values (~10) overpassing the semiclassical limit for the C?H, indicating the
      presence of a substantial tunnel effect. Finally, a decomposition analysis of the
      interaction energy for the substrate and cofactor in the active site is also
      discussed. According to our results, the role of the enzymatic environment
      consists of a transition state stabilization by means of dispersive and
      polarization effects.

PMID- 26096370
TI  - Neuromyelitis optica and the evolving spectrum of autoimmune aquaporin-4
      channelopathies: a decade later.
AB  - The discovery of AQP4-IgG (a pathogenic antibody that targets the astrocytic
      water channel aquaporin-4), as the first sensitive and specific biomarker for any
      inflammatory central nervous system demyelinating disease (IDD), has shifted
      emphasis from the oligodendrocyte and myelin to the astrocyte as a central
      immunopathogenic player. Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) spectrum disorders (SDs)
      represent an evolving spectrum of IDDs extending beyond the optic nerves and
      spinal cord to include the brain (especially in children) and, rarely, muscle.
      NMOSD typical brain lesions are located in areas that highly express the target
      antigen, AQP4, including the circumventricular organs (accounting for intractable
      nausea and vomiting) and the diencephalon (accounting for sleep disorders,
      endocrinopathies, and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis). Magnetic resonance
      imaging brain abnormalities fulfill Barkoff criteria for multiple sclerosis in up
      to 10% of patients. As the spectrum broadens, the importance of highly specific
      assays that detect pathogenic AQP4-IgG targeting extracellular epitopes of AQP4
      cannot be overemphasized. The rapid evolution of our understanding of the
      immunobiology of AQP4 autoimmunity necessitates continuing revision of NMOSD
      diagnostic criteria. Here, we describe scientific advances that have occurred
      since the discovery of NMO-IgG in 2004 and review novel targeted immunotherapies.
      We also suggest that NMOSDs should now be considered under the umbrella term
      autoimmune aquaporin-4 channelopathy.

PMID- 26096373
TI  - High co-expression of Sp1 and HER-2 is correlated with poor prognosis of gastric
      cancer patients.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate co-expression of HER-2 and Sp1 in
      gastric cancer (GC) so as to determine whether these two proteins may be
      correlated with poor prognosis of GC patients. We examined the HER-2
      overexpression and amplification and expression levels of Sp1 in 227 GC patients
      using immune-histochemical staining and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Data
      on clinicopathological features and relevant prognostic factors in these patients
      were analyzed. Of the 227 gastric cancer samples, 11.89% were positive for HER-2
      overexpression/amplification under the new scoring system, and the frequency of
      negative, weak positive and strong positive expression of Sp1 was 14.98%, 48.01%
      and 37.0% respectively. No statistically positive correlation was observed
      between the expression levels of HER-2 and Sp1 in GC tissues. HER-2
      overexpression was closely correlated to the Lauren type, degree of
      differentiation, tumor size and lymph node metastasis, and Sp1 as well (P <
      0.05). Overexpression of HER-2 and Sp1 predicted poor survival in univariate
      analysis as well as in a Cox proportional hazards model.

PMID- 26096374
TI  - Minimally invasive esophagectomy: Lateral decubitus vs. prone positioning;
      systematic review and pooled analysis.
AB  - The uptake of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) has increased vastly over
      the last decade, with proven short-term benefits over an open approach. The aim
      of this pooled analysis was to compare clinical outcomes of Minimally Invasive
      Esophagectomy (MIE) performed in the prone and lateral decubitus positions. A
      systematic literature search (2000-2015) was undertaken for publications that
      compared patients who underwent MIE in the lateral decubitus (LD) or prone (PR)
      positions. Weighted mean difference (WMD) was calculated for the effect size of
      LD positioning on continuous variables and Pooled odds ratios (POR) for discrete
      variables. Ten relevant publications comprising 723 patients who underwent
      minimally invasive esophagectomy were included; 387 in the LD group and 336 in
      the PR group. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of
      in-hospital mortality, total morbidity, anastomotic leak, chylothorax, laryngeal
      nerve palsy, average operative time, and length hospital stay. LD MIE was
      associated with a non-significant increase in pulmonary complications (POR =
      1.65; 95% C.I. 0.93 to 2.92; P = 0.09), and significant increases in estimated
      blood loss (WMD = 36.03; 95% 14.37 to 57.69; P = 0.001) and a reduced average
      mediastinal lymph node harvest (WMD = -2.17; 95% C.I. -3.82 to -0.52; P = 0.01)
      when compared to prone MIE. Pooled analysis suggests that prone MIE is superior
      to lateral decubitus MIE with reduced pulmonary complications, estimated blood
      loss and increased mediastinal lymph node harvest. Further studies are needed to
      explain performance-shaping factors and their influence on oncological clearance
      and short-term outcomes.

PMID- 26096375
TI  - Neprilysin gene transfer: A promising therapeutic approach for Alzheimer's
      disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by widespread neurodegeneration
      throughout the association cortex and limbic system, deposition of amyloid-beta
      (Abeta) in the neuropil and around blood vessels, and formation of
      neurofibrillary tangles. Abeta accumulation is considered the major pathological
      change in AD progression. In recent years, several therapeutic strategies for
      treating AD have focused on reducing the Abeta burden in the brain. Among these
      approaches, the expression of Abeta-degrading enzymes in the brain has been
      effective but, so far, impractical for treating patients. Neprilysin (NEP), the
      most prominent of the Abeta-degrading enzymes in vivo, has been successfully
      delivered intracranially by viral vectors and is a promising therapeutic approach
      for reducing Abeta accumulation and treating AD. However, some challenges are
      associated with the use of viral and nonviral vectors, including secondary
      toxicity, activation of the immune response, and low efficiency. Therefore, safe
      and efficient NEP delivery systems that could avoid the viral problems with minor
      injury and high transfection efficiency are required to deliver AD medical
      applications. This Mini-Review summarizes NEP gene transfer technologies that use
      viral and nonviral vectors and discusses the rationale and benefits of these
      delivery systems for AD treatment trials, providing a reference for basic and
      clinical studies on AD.

PMID- 26096376
TI  - Dabigatran: Experience in standard clinical practice.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Dabigatran is an anticoagulant drug and a direct
      thrombin inhibitor and has been approved for the prevention of ischaemic stroke
      secondary to nonvalvularauricular auricular fibrillation. The aim of this study
      was to determine the efficacy of dabigatran in clinical practice for preventing
      cerebral ischaemic events associated with nonvalvularauricular auricular
      fibrillation, as well as its tolerance and safety profile. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      A descriptive and retrospective study was conducted, which included all patients
      who started anticoagulant treatment with dabigatran between November 2011 and
      September 2012. Follow-up was performed from the start of treatment until June
      2013. The incidence of ischaemic events of cerebral, cardiac and peripheral
      origin was recorded, as was the onset of adverse effects and haemorrhagic
      complications, whose location and severity were determined. RESULTS: We analysed
      316 patients, with a mean age of 76.46+/-8.37 years, of whom 53.5% were men. Two
      patients (0.55/100 patient-years) presented ischaemic stroke (including one
      amaurosis fugax). Eight (2.18/100 patient-years) patients had an adverse
      ischaemic event, whose origin was cardiac in 5 (1.36/100 patient-years) cases and
      peripheral in 3 (0.81/100 patient-years). Forty (10.91/100 patient-years)
      patients had a haemorrhagic complication: 32 minor (8.73/100 patient-years) and 8
      major (2.18/100 patient-years) haemorrhages. CONCLUSIONS: Dabigatran is effective
      in standard clinical practice in preventing stroke and has a safety profile
      similar to that reported in the clinical trials.

PMID- 26096377
TI  - Ceftolozane/tazobactam pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic-derived dose justification
      for phase 3 studies in patients with nosocomial pneumonia.
AB  - Ceftolozane/tazobactam is an antipseudomonal antibacterial approved for the
      treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs) and complicated intra
      abdominal infections (cIAIs) and in phase 3 clinical development for treatment of
      nosocomial pneumonia. A population pharmacokinetic (PK) model with the plasma-to
      epithelial lining fluid (ELF) kinetics of ceftolozane/tazobactam was used to
      justify dosing regimens for patients with nosocomial pneumonia in phase 3
      studies. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to determine
      ceftolozane/tazobactam dosing regimens with a > 90% probability of target
      attainment (PTA) for a range of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic targets at
      relevant minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for key pathogens in nosocomial
      pneumonia. With a plasma-to-ELF penetration ratio of approximately 50%, as
      observed from an ELF PK study, a doubling of the current dose regimens for
      different renal functions that are approved for cUTIs and cIAIs is needed to
      achieve > 90% PTA for nosocomial pneumonia. For example, a 3-g dose of
      ceftolozane/tazobactam for nosocomial pneumonia patients with normal renal
      function is needed to achieve a > 90% PTA (actual 98%) for the 1-log kill target
      against pathogens with an MIC of <= 8 mg/L in ELF, compared with the 1.5-g dose
      approved for cIAIs and cUTIs.

PMID- 26096378
TI  - A Modular Approach To Study Protein Adsorption on Surface Modified
      Hydroxyapatite.
AB  - Biocompatible inorganic nano- and microcarriers can be suitable candidates for
      protein delivery. This study demonstrates facile methods of functionalization by
      using nanoscale linker molecules to change the protein adsorption capacity of
      hydroxyapatite (HA) powder. The adsorption capacity of bovine serum albumin as a
      model protein has been studied with respect to the surface modifications. The
      selected linker molecules (lysine, arginine, and phosphoserine) can influence the
      adsorption capacity by changing the electrostatic nature of the HA surface.
      Qualitative and quantitative analyses of linker-molecule interactions with the HA
      surface have been performed by using NMR spectroscopy, zeta-potential
      measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analyses.
      Additionally, correlations to theoretical isotherm models have been calculated
      with respect to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Lysine and arginine increased
      the protein adsorption, whereas phosphoserine reduced the protein adsorption. The
      results show that the adsorption capacity can be controlled with different
      functionalization, depending on the protein-carrier selections under
      consideration. The scientific knowledge acquired from this study can be applied
      in various biotechnological applications that involve biomolecule-inorganic
      material interfaces. 

PMID- 26096379
TI  - Nanocarriers for treatment of ocular neovascularization in the back of the eye:
      new vehicles for ophthalmic drug delivery.
AB  - Pathologic neovascularization of the retina is a major cause of substantial and
      irreversible loss of vision. Drugs are difficult to deliver to the lesions in the
      back of the eye and this is a major obstacle for the therapeutics. Current
      pharmacological approach involves an intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agents
      to prevent aberrant growth of blood vessels, but it has limitations including
      therapeutic efficacy and side-effects associated with systemic exposure and
      invasive surgery. Nanotechnology provides novel opportunities to overcome the
      limitations of conventional delivery system to reach the back of the eye through
      fabrication of nanostructures capable of encapsulating and delivering small
      molecules. This review article introduces various forms of nanocarrier that can
      be adopted by ocular drug delivery systems to improve current therapy. The
      application of nanotechnology in medicine brings new hope for ocular drug
      delivery in the back of the eye to manage the major causes of blindness
      associated with ocular neovascularization. 

PMID- 26096380
TI  - Pocket technique or pocket technique combined with modified orbital rim anchorage
      for the replacement of a prolapsed gland of the third eyelid in dogs: 353 dogs.
AB  - The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the results obtained in 353
      dogs (420 eyes) using two different surgical techniques for correction of a
      prolapsed gland of the third eyelid: the Morgan's pocket technique and a
      technique combining Morgan's approach with a slightly modified periosteal
      anchoring technique of Stanley and Kaswan. The pocket technique was used in 234
      eyes and the combined technique in 186 eyes. Successful repositioning was
      obtained in 95% of all cases, with recurrence occurring in 5%. The recurrence
      rate in large breed dogs such as the English Bulldog and Boxer was lower with the
      combined technique than with the pocket technique. 

PMID- 26096381
TI  - Dynamics of protein and polar lipid recruitment during lipid droplet assembly in
      Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.
AB  - In plants, neutral lipids are frequently synthesized and stored in seed tissues,
      where the assembly of lipid droplets (LDs) coincides with the accumulation of
      triacylglycerols (TAGs). In addition, photosynthetic, vegetative cells can form
      cytosolic LDs and much less information is known about the makeup and biogenesis
      of these LDs. Here we focus on Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a reference model for
      LDs in a photosynthetic cell, because in this unicellular green alga LD dynamics
      can be readily manipulated by nitrogen availability. Nitrogen deprivation leads
      to cellular quiescence during which cell divisions cease and TAGs accumulate. The
      major lipid droplet protein (MLDP) forms a proteinaceous coat surrounding mature
      LDs. Reducing the amount of MLDP affects LD size and number, TAG breakdown and
      timely progression out of cellular quiescence following nitrogen resupply.
      Depending on nitrogen availability, MLDP recruits different proteins to LDs,
      tubulins in particular. Conversely, depolymerization of microtubules drastically
      alters the association of MLDP with LDs. LDs also contain select chloroplast
      envelope membrane proteins hinting at an origin of LDs, at least in part, from
      chloroplast membranes. Moreover, LD surface lipids are rich in de novo
      synthesized fatty acids, and are mainly composed of galactolipids which are
      typical components of chloroplast membranes. The composition of the LD membrane
      is altered in the absence of MLDP. Collectively, our results suggest a mechanism
      for LD formation in C. reinhardtii involving chloroplast envelope membranes by
      which specific proteins are recruited to LDs and a specialized polar lipid
      monolayer surrounding the LD is formed. 

PMID- 26096382
TI  - Temporal Hyporheic Zone Response to Water Table Fluctuations.
AB  - Expansion and contraction of the hyporheic zone due to temporal hydrologic
      changes between stream and riparian aquifer influence the biogeochemical cycling
      capacity of streams. Theoretical studies have quantified the control of
      groundwater discharge on the depth of the hyporheic zone; however, observations
      of temporal groundwater controls are limited. In this study, we develop the
      concept of groundwater-dominated differential hyporheic zone expansion to explain
      the temporal control of groundwater discharge on the hyporheic zone in a third
      order stream reach flowing through glacially derived terrain typical of the Great
      Lakes region. We define groundwater-dominated differential expansion of the
      hyporheic zone as: differing rates and magnitudes of hyporheic zone expansion in
      response to seasonal vs. storm-related water table fluctuation. Specific
      conductance and vertical hydraulic gradient measurements were used to map changes
      in the hyporheic zone during seasonal water table decline and storm events.
      Planar and riffle beds were monitored in order to distinguish the cause of
      increasing hyporheic zone depth. Planar bed seasonal expansion of the hyporheic
      zone was of a greater magnitude and longer in duration (weeks to months) than
      storm event expansion (hours to days). In contrast, the hyporheic zone beneath
      the riffle bed exhibited minimal expansion in response to seasonal groundwater
      decline compared to storm related expansion. Results indicated that fluctuation
      in the riparian water table controlled seasonal expansion of the hyporheic zone
      along the planar bed. This groundwater induced hyporheic zone expansion could
      increase the potential for biogeochemical cycling and natural attenuation. 

PMID- 26096384
TI  - Trends in Tuberculosis Cases Among Nursing Home Residents, California, 2000 to
      2009.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine trends in tuberculosis (TB) incidence and to compare
      demographic and clinical characteristics of nursing home (NH) residents and
      community-dwelling older adults. DESIGN: Prospective TB surveillance. SETTING: TB
      cases reported in California from 2000 to 2009. PARTICIPANTS: TB patients aged 65
      and older. MEASUREMENTS: Trends in TB incidence per 100,000 population were
      assessed using Poisson regression. Demographic and clinical characteristics were
      compared using the chi-square or Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Among NH residents, risk
      factors for death during TB treatment were identified using logistic regression.
      RESULTS: From 2000 to 2009, TB incidence rates decreased significantly, from
      15.9/100,000 to 8.4/100,000 (-44%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -66% to -7%)
      for NH residents and from 21.2/100,000 to 15.0/100,000 (-27%, 95% CI = -29% to 
      24%) for community-dwelling older adults. Overall, 211 TB cases among NH
      residents and 6,518 cases among community-dwelling older adults were reported. NH
      residents were more likely than community-dwelling older adults to be older
      (median age 81 vs 75, P < .001), have a negative acid-fast bacilli sputum smear
      and positive culture (37% vs 28%, P < .001), and die while undergoing TB
      treatment (44% vs 14%, P < .001), and were less likely to have a positive
      tuberculin skin test (TST) (28% vs 44%, P < .001) and have TB care provided by a
      health department (20% vs 59%, P < .001). In multivariable analysis, NH residents
      who had a positive TST were less likely to die while undergoing TB treatment
      (odds ratio = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.16-0.96). CONCLUSION: TB incidence rates were
      lower, and reductions in incidence were greater among NH residents; community
      dwelling older adults had higher TB rates and smaller reductions in incidence.
      Interventions that promote timely detection and treatment of TB infection and
      disease may be needed to reduce morbidity and mortality among NH residents.

PMID- 26096383
TI  - Relationship Between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Cognitive Change in a
      Multiethnic Elderly Cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between diabetes mellitus and cognitive
      functioning at baseline and cognitive change over time in a large, ethnically
      diverse sample of older adults. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING:
      Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project, a community-based, prospective
      study of risk factors for dementia in northern Manhattan, New York City.
      PARTICIPANTS: Hispanic, non-Hispanic black, and non-Hispanic white men and women
      aged 65 and older without dementia at baseline (N = 1,493). MEASUREMENTS:
      Participants underwent baseline and follow-up cognitive and health assessments
      approximately every 18 months. Generalized estimating equations were used to
      examine the longitudinal association between diabetes mellitus and cognition.
      RESULTS: Diabetes mellitus was associated with poorer baseline cognitive
      performance in memory, language, processing speed and executive functioning, and
      visuospatial abilities. After adjusting for age, education, sex, race and
      ethnicity, and apolipoprotein-epsilon4, participants with diabetes mellitus
      performed significantly worse at baseline than those without in language and
      visuospatial abilities. There were no differences between those with and without
      diabetes mellitus in terms of rate of cognitive change over a mean follow-up time
      of 6 years. CONCLUSION: The rate of cognitive change in elderly persons with and
      without diabetes mellitus is similar, although cognitive performance is poorer in
      persons with diabetes mellitus. These findings suggest that cognitive changes may
      occur early during the diabetes mellitus process and highlight the need for
      studies to follow participants beginning at least in midlife, before the typical
      later-life onset of dementia.

PMID- 26096385
TI  - Longitudinal Analysis of Physical Performance, Functional Status, Physical
      Activity, and Mood in Relation to Executive Function in Older Adults Who Fall.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine whether good executive function (EF; the cognitive
      processes important for goal-oriented and controlled behavior) at baseline and
      maintenance of EF over time predict maintenance of physical performance,
      functional status, physical activity, and mood over a 1-year period, and
      conversely, to examine whether baseline functioning in these noncognitive domains
      predicts maintenance of EF over the same period of time. DESIGN: 12-month
      prospective cohort study. SETTING: Vancouver Falls Prevention Clinic.
      PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling older adults (N = 199; mean age 81.6 +/- 6.5;
      63% female) referred to the clinic after a fall. MEASURMENTS: At each time point,
      structural equation modeling created a latent EF variable from performance on
      five EF tasks. Physical performance (physiological falls risk and gait speed),
      instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), physical activity, and
      depressive symptoms were also assessed at each time point. RESULTS: Higher
      baseline EF predicted decreases in depressive symptoms (P = .005) and maintenance
      of IADLs (P = .006) from baseline to follow-up. Improvements in EF correlated
      with increases in gait speed (P = .005) and physical activity (P = .03) and with
      the maintenance of IADLs (P = .002) over follow-up. All effects were independent
      of demographic characteristics and global cognitive function. Baseline
      performance in the noncognitive domains did not predict changes in EF.
      CONCLUSION: In older fallers, EF is a marker of resiliency in several
      noncognitive domains and should therefore be assessed. Furthermore, interventions
      to improve EF should be tested in older fallers with EF deficits.

PMID- 26096386
TI  - Frailty Before Critical Illness and Mortality for Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of pre-intensive care unit (ICU) health
      categories on mortality during and after critical illness, focusing specifically
      on the effect of pre-ICU frailty on short- and long-term mortality. DESIGN:
      Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Medicare claims data from 2004 to 2008.
      PARTICIPANTS: A nationally representative sample of elderly Medicare
      beneficiaries admitted to an ICU in 2005. MEASUREMENTS: Participants were
      classified into four pre-ICU health categories (robust, cancer, chronic organ
      failure, frailty) using claims data from the year before admission, allowing for
      assignment to multiple categories. The association between pre-ICU health
      category and hospital and 3-year mortality was assessed using multivariable
      logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: Of 47,427
      elderly individuals in the ICU, 18.8% were robust, 28.6% had cancer, 68.1% had
      chronic organ failure, and 34.0% were frail; 41.3% qualified for multiple
      categories. Overall hospital mortality was 12.6%, with the lowest mortality for
      robust participants (9.7%). Participants with pre-ICU frailty had higher hospital
      mortality than those with the same pre-ICU health categories without frailty.
      (Adjusted odds ratios ranged from 1.27 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-1.47)
      to 1.52 (95% CI = 1.35-1.63).) Robust hospital survivors had the lowest 3-year
      mortality (24.6%). Pre-ICU frailty conferred higher 3-year mortality than pre-ICU
      categories without frailty. (Adjusted hazard ratios ranged from 1.54 (95% CI =
      1.45-1.64) to 1.84 (95% CI = 1.70-1.99).) CONCLUSION: Critically ill elderly
      adults can be categorized according to pre-ICU health categories. These
      categories, particularly pre-ICU frailty, may be important for understanding risk
      of death during and after critical illness.

PMID- 26096387
TI  - Decline in Fast Gait Speed as a Predictor of Disability in Older Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine whether fast gait speed at study baseline and change in
      gait speed had independent associations with disability onset. DESIGN: Cohort
      study with 11-year follow-up (1999-2010). SETTING: Three-City Study center,
      Dijon, France. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling individuals aged 65 to 85 (N =
      3,814, 61% female). MEASUREMENTS: Fast gait speed (over 6 m) was assessed up to
      five times and disability (mobility (Rosow-Breslau scale), instrumental
      activities of daily living (IADLs; Lawton-Brody scale), basic activities of daily
      living (ADLs; Katz scale)) six times. A hierarchical disability indicator was
      constructed; participants were considered disabled if they reported difficulties
      with mobility and IADLs or with mobility, IADLs, and ADLs. The association
      between baseline fast gait speed and its slope of change and disability incidence
      was examined using joint models for longitudinal and time-to-event data. RESULTS:
      Over follow-up, 628 participants (68% women) developed disability. Mean fast gait
      speed at baseline was 1.54 m/s, and annual decline was 0.017 m/s. The hazard
      ratio of disability per standard deviation (SD) (-0.22 m/s) slower baseline fast
      gait speed was 1.77 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.60-1.94) and for one-SD (
      0.013 m/s) faster annual decline was 1.38 (95% CI = 1.10-1.73) when both
      parameters were included in a sex- and age-adjusted model. All associations
      remained statistically significant in multivariable models, except for slope of
      change when chronic conditions were added to the model; of chronic conditions,
      dyspnea was the main contributor. CONCLUSION: Accelerated decline in fast gait
      speed was associated with disability independent of baseline fast gait speed.
      These results confirm the importance of measuring gait speed repeatedly in
      elderly adults to identify those at higher risk of disability and the need to
      identify determinants of decline, because they are likely to be targets for
      prevention and treatment to reduce disability risk.

PMID- 26096389
TI  - Hospice Care in Assisted Living Facilities Versus at Home: Results of a Multisite
      Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare residents of assisted living facilities receiving hospice
      with people receiving hospice care at home. DESIGN: Electronic health record
      based retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Nonprofit hospices in the Coalition of
      Hospices Organized to Investigate Comparative Effectiveness network.
      PARTICIPANTS: Individuals admitted to hospice between January 1, 2008, and May
      15, 2012 (N = 85,581; 7,451 (8.7%) assisted living facility, 78,130 (91.3%)
      home). MEASUREMENTS: Hospice length of stay, use of opioids for pain, and site of
      death. RESULTS: The assisted living population was more likely than the home
      hospice population to have a diagnosis of dementia (23.5% vs 4.7%; odds ratio
      (OR) = 13.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 12.3-14.4; P < .001) and enroll in
      hospice closer to death (median length of stay 24 vs 29 days). Assisted living
      residents were less likely to receive opioids for pain (18.1% vs 39.7%; OR =
      0.33, 95% CI = 0.29-0.39, P < .001) and less likely to die in an inpatient
      hospice unit (9.3% vs 16.1%; OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.49-0.58, P < .001) or a
      hospital (1.3% vs 7.6%; OR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.13-0.19, P < .001). CONCLUSION:
      Three are several differences between residents of assisted living receiving
      hospice care and individuals living at home receiving hospice care. A better
      understanding of these differences could allow hospices to develop guidelines for
      better coordination of end-of-life care for the assisted living population.

PMID- 26096390
TI  - Self-Reported Hearing Status Is Associated with Lower Limb Physical Performance,
      Perceived Mobility, and Activities of Daily Living in Older Community-Dwelling
      Men and Women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore the associations between self-reported hearing problems
      and physical performance and self-reported difficulties in mobility and
      activities of daily living (ADLs) in community-dwelling older adults. DESIGN:
      Cross-sectional cohort study. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Men and women
      aged 75 to 90 (N = 848). MEASUREMENTS: Structured face-to-face interviews to
      assess perceived hearing problems in the presence of noise, mobility difficulties
      (moving indoors, stair-climbing, 0.5-km walk, 2-km walk), and difficulties in
      ADLs and instrumental ADLs. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) was
      administered. Age; years of education; cognitive functioning; and self-reported
      cardiac, circulatory, and locomotor diseases were used as covariates. RESULTS:
      Persons who reported major hearing problems had a lower SPPB total score than
      those who reported good hearing (mean 9.8 vs 10.9, P = .009), indicating poorer
      performance, and more difficulties in ADLs (mean 1.8 vs 1.4, P = .002) and IADLs
      (mean 4.6 vs 3.4, P = .002), after controlling for covariates. They were also
      more likely to have more difficulty in stair-climbing (odds ratio (OR) = 2.8, P <
      .001) and walking 2 km (OR = 2.1, P = .003) and tended to have more difficulty in
      walking 0.5 km (OR = 1.7, P = .05) but not moving indoors (P = .18). Persons who
      reported only some hearing problems did not differ from those who reported good
      hearing in any of the variables studied. CONCLUSION: Perceived major hearing
      problems in older adults may contribute to poorer lower limb performance and
      difficulties in mobility and ADLs. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine
      whether poor hearing is a risk factor for decline in physical performance.

PMID- 26096388
TI  - Association Between Hearing Impairment and Risk of Hospitalization in Older
      Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between hearing impairment (HI) and risk
      and duration of hospitalization in community-dwelling older adults in the United
      States. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Health, Aging and Body
      Composition Study. PARTICIPANTS: Well-functioning community-dwelling white and
      black Medicare beneficiaries aged 70 to 79 at study enrollment in 1997-98 were
      followed for a median of 12 years. MEASUREMENTS: Incidence, annual rate, and
      duration of hospitalization were the primary outcomes. Hearing was defined as the
      pure-tone average (PTA) of hearing thresholds in decibels re: hearing level (dB
      HL) at octave frequencies from 0.5 to 4.0 kHz. Mild HI was defined as a PTA from
      25 to 40 dB HL, and moderate or greater HI was defined as a PTA greater than 40
      dB HL. RESULTS: Of the 2,148 participants included in the analysis, 1,801 (83.5%)
      experienced one or more hospitalizations, with 7,007 adjudicated hospitalization
      events occurring during the study period. Eight hundred eighty-two (41.1%)
      participants had normal hearing, 818 (38.1%) had mild HI, and 448 (20.9%) had
      moderate or greater HI. After adjusting for demographic characteristics and
      cardiovascular comorbidities, persons with mild HI experienced a 16% (hazard
      ratio (HR) = 1.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04-1.29) greater risk of
      incident hospitalization and a 17% (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.17, 95% CI =
      1.04-1.32) greater annual rate of hospitalization, and those with moderate or
      greater HI experienced a 21% (HR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.06-1.38) greater risk of
      incident hospitalization and a 19% (IRR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.04-1.38) greater
      annual rate of hospitalization than persons with normal hearing. There was no
      significant association between HI and mean duration of hospitalization.
      CONCLUSION: Hearing-impaired older adults experience a greater incidence and
      annual rate of hospitalization than those with normal hearing. Investigating
      whether rehabilitative therapies could affect the risk of hospitalization in
      older adults requires further study.

PMID- 26096391
TI  - Assessing Upper Extremity Motion: An Innovative Method to Identify Frailty.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To objectively identify frailty using wireless sensors and an
      innovative upper extremity motion assessment routine that does not rely on gait.
      DESIGN: Validation study. SETTING: Southwestern tertiary academic medical center,
      Tucson, Arizona. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience subsample of the Arizona Frailty
      Cohort, a community-dwelling older adults (>=65; n = 117; 50 nonfrail, 51
      prefrail, 16 frail). MEASUREMENTS: Wireless sensors were attached to the upper
      arm and forearm with bands, and subjects performed repetitive elbow flexion for
      20 seconds on each side. Information was extracted on objective slowness,
      weakness, exhaustion, and flexibility measures, and associations between
      parameters and Fried frailty categories were determined. RESULTS: Speed of elbow
      flexion (slowness) was 29% less in prefrail and 59% less in frail than in
      nonfrail controls (P < .001), power of movement (weakness) was 61% less in
      prefrail and 89% less frail (P < .001), and speed variation (exhaustion) was 35%
      more in prefrail and 272% more in frail (P < .001). Using elbow flexion
      parameters in regression models, sensitivity and specificity of 100% were
      achieved in predicting frailty and sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 95% in
      predicting prefrailty compared to Fried frailty category. CONCLUSION: The
      suggested innovative upper extremity frailty assessment method integrates low
      cost sensors, and the physical assessment is easily performed in less than 1
      minute. The uniqueness of the proposed technology is its applicability in older
      nonambulatory individuals, such as those in emergency settings. Further
      improvement is warrant to make it suitable for routine clinical applications.

PMID- 26096392
TI  - Assessing Older Adults' Masticatory Efficiency.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine internal consistency and criterion validity of a
      questionnaire assessing perception of masticatory efficiency in community
      dwelling older adults. DESIGN: Secondary cross-sectional analysis of baseline
      data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Successful Aging
      (NuAge). SETTING: NuAge is a 5-year (2003-08) observational study of 1,793 men
      and women aged 67 to 84 in good general health at recruitment. PARTICIPANTS: A
      sample of 1,789 was used to determine internal consistency of the questionnaire.
      A subsample (n = 94) of the cohort who underwent a clinical test directly
      measuring masticatory efficiency was used to determine criterion validity of the
      questionnaire. MEASUREMENTS: The questionnaire was a subset of the Oral Health
      Impact Profile containing 7 Likert-scale questions (score 0-28 points).
      Masticatory efficiency was assessed using a validated clinical test measuring
      ability to chew a raw carrot (Swallowing Threshold Test Index, score 0-100%). For
      perceived and measured data, a higher score indicated better masticatory
      efficiency. RESULTS: Internal consistency of the questionnaire was deemed good
      (Cronbach alpha = 0.803). Mean scores were generally high (men, 25.3, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) = 24.7-25.9; women, 24.3, 95% CI = 23.7-25.0),
      indicating good perceived masticatory efficiency for men and women. Mean
      performance test scores were low (men, 60.8%, 95% CI = 57.3-64.2; women, 61.2%,
      95% CI = 57.7-64.7). No significant relationship between perceived and measured
      masticatory efficiency was observed (Pearson correlation coefficient = -0.14, P =
      .22). CONCLUSION: Despite good internal consistency of the questionnaire and the
      recognized validity of the test, people's perception of their masticatory
      efficiency does not reflect objective efficiency as measured using a clinical
      test.

PMID- 26096393
TI  - Risk of Injury in Older Adults Using Gastrointestinal Antispasmodic and
      Anticholinergic Medications.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the risk of injury associated with gastrointestinal (GI)
      antispasmodic and anticholinergic use in elderly adults. DESIGN: Retrospective
      case-control study. SETTING: Integrated healthcare system. PARTICIPANTS:
      Healthcare system members aged 65 and older (N = 260,010; 54,152 cases, 205,858
      controls). MEASUREMENTS: Cases were identified as individuals with an injury
      resulting in a hospitalization, emergency department, or urgent care visit (index
      date) from January 2009 through December 2010. Cases and controls were matched in
      a 1:4 ratio based on age and sex. GI antispasmodic and anticholinergic current
      and past exposure for cases and controls was evaluated. Individuals were
      classified as current users if the days' supply of the GI prescription overlapped
      the index date and past users if the days' supply ended more than 60 days before
      the index date. Duration of use for current users was analyzed for short- and
      long-term use. Conditional logistic regression produced adjusted odds ratios
      (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Of the total population,
      1,068 (0.4%) had current exposure to a GI antispasmodic or anticholinergic (302
      (0.6%) cases, 766 (0.4%) controls). Current users had a small but significantly
      greater risk of injury than nonusers (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.01-1.34, P = .03).
      Past use was not significantly different from no use. Short-term users had a
      significantly greater risk of injury (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.01-1.70, P = .04)
      than nonusers. Long-term use was associated with greater risk, but the difference
      was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Older adults using GI
      antispasmodic and anticholinergic drugs have greater risk of injury. These
      findings support recommendations to limit the prescribing of GI antispasmodics
      and anticholinergics in elderly adults.

PMID- 26096394
TI  - The Aging Brain Care Medical Home: Preliminary Data.
AB  - The Aging Brain Care (ABC) Medical Home aims to improve the care, health
      outcomes, and medical costs of Medicare beneficiaries with dementia or depression
      across central Indiana. This population health management program, funded by the
      Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center, expanded an
      existing collaborative dementia and depression care program to serve 1,650 older
      adults in a local safety-net hospital system. During the first year, 20 full-time
      clinical staff were hired, trained, and deployed to deliver a collaborative care
      intervention. In the first 18 months, an average of 13 visits was provided per
      person. Thirty percent of the sample had a diagnosis of dementia, and 77% had a
      diagnosis of depression. Sixty-six percent of participants with high depression
      scores (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score >=14) had at least a 50% reduction
      in their depressive symptoms. Fifty-one percent of caregivers of individuals with
      dementia had at least a 50% reduction in caregiver stress symptoms (measured by
      the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor-Caregiver Version). After 18 months, the ABC
      Medical Home has demonstrated progress toward improving the health of older
      adults with dementia and depression. Scalable and practical models like this show
      initial promise for answering the challenges posed by the nation's rapidly aging
      population. 

PMID- 26096395
TI  - Elder Abuse: Systematic Review and Implications for Practice.
AB  - This article is based on the lecture for the 2014 American Geriatrics Society
      Outstanding Scientific Achievement for Clinical Investigation Award. Elder abuse
      is a global public health and human rights problem. Evidence suggests that elder
      abuse is prevalent, predictable, costly, and sometimes fatal. This review will
      highlight the global epidemiology of elder abuse in terms of its prevalence, risk
      factors, and consequences in community populations. The global literature in
      PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, BIOSIS, Science Direct, and Cochrane Central was
      searched. Search terms included elder abuse, elder mistreatment, elder
      maltreatment, prevalence, incidence, risk factors, protective factors, outcomes,
      and consequences. Studies that existed only as abstracts, case series, or case
      reports or recruited individuals younger than 60; qualitative studies; and non
      English publications were excluded. Tables and figures were created to highlight
      the findings: the most-detailed analyses to date of the prevalence of elder abuse
      according to continent, risk and protective factors, graphic presentation of odds
      ratios and confidence intervals for major risk factors, consequences, and
      practical suggestions for health professionals in addressing elder abuse. Elder
      abuse is common in community-dwelling older adults, especially minority older
      adults. This review identifies important knowledge gaps, such as a lack of
      consistency in definitions of elder abuse; insufficient research with regard to
      screening; and etiological, intervention, and prevention research. Concerted
      efforts from researchers, community organizations, healthcare and legal
      professionals, social service providers, and policy-makers should be promoted to
      address the global problem of elder abuse. 

PMID- 26096396
TI  - Aging in Orange.

PMID- 26096397
TI  - At the Intersection of Alzheimer's and Blessing.

PMID- 26096398
TI  - Remembering My Yiayia's Swing.

PMID- 26096399
TI  - Generativity for the Cognitively Frail.

PMID- 26096400
TI  - Vitamin D Deficiency and Incident Onset of Orthostatic Hypotension in Older
      Adults: Preliminary Results from the 'MERE' Study.

PMID- 26096401
TI  - Exercise Training Improves Plasma Lipid and Inflammatory Profiles and Increases
      Cholesterol Transfer to High-Density Lipoprotein in Elderly Women.

PMID- 26096402
TI  - Depression and Memory Loss in African Americans with Diabetic Retinopathy.

PMID- 26096403
TI  - Adults Aged 65 and Older Use Potentially Distracting Electronic Devices While
      Driving.

PMID- 26096404
TI  - Associations Between Medication Use and Mental Health in Older Women: A Cross
      Sectional Analysis of 5,502 Women Aged 76 to 81.

PMID- 26096405
TI  - Dementia Diagnosis and Influenza Vaccination in French Nursing Home Residents.

PMID- 26096406
TI  - Outcomes of Cognitive Fluctuations in Dementia Patients.

PMID- 26096407
TI  - Cognitive Impairment and Slow Gait Speed in Elderly Outpatients with Arterial
      Hypertension: The Effect of Blood Pressure Values.

PMID- 26096408
TI  - Active and Passive Methods of Detecting Parkinson's Disease.

PMID- 26096409
TI  - Does the Prescription of Anxiolytic and Hypnotic Drugs Increase Mortality in
      Older Adults?

PMID- 26096410
TI  - Increasing Home Healthcare Referrals upon Discharge from U.S. Hospitals: 2001
      2012.

PMID- 26096411
TI  - Medication Management Skills in Older Skilled Nursing Facility Residents
      Transitioning Home.

PMID- 26096412
TI  - Probable Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Mimicking a Perioperative Stroke in an Elderly
      Adult.

PMID- 26096413
TI  - A Rare Cause of Cauda Equina Syndrome by Infiltration: Case of a Sacral Chordoma.

PMID- 26096414
TI  - Solitary Rectal Ulcer Syndrome in an Elderly Adult.

PMID- 26096415
TI  - Astaxanthin Improves Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Werner Syndrome with
      Diabetes Mellitus.

PMID- 26096416
TI  - Reversible Methotrexate-Induced Dementia: A Case Report.

PMID- 26096417
TI  - Pseudotumor After Metal-on-Metal Hip Arthroplasty.

PMID- 26096418
TI  - Idiopathic Presentation of Remitting Seronegative Symmetrical Synovitis with
      Pitting Edema in an Older Man.

PMID- 26096419
TI  - Abdominal "Heaviness".

PMID- 26096420
TI  - Absence of Pleocytosis in Cerebrospinal Fluid does not Exclude Herpes Simplex
      Virus Encephalitis in Elderly Adults.

PMID- 26096421
TI  - Associations Between Inflammation and Cognitive Function in African Americans and
      European Americans.

PMID- 26096422
TI  - Response to Mehmet I. Naharci.

PMID- 26096423
TI  - Response to Kara and Colleagues.

PMID- 26096424
TI  - Only Frailty? What About Other Factors Affecting Cognition?

PMID- 26096425
TI  - Response to Dr. Alain Braillon.

PMID- 26096426
TI  - Forest Plots and Prediction of Postoperative Delirium: Missing the Forest for the
      Trees?

PMID- 26096427
TI  - Geriatrics and Gerontology: Neglected Areas of Research in Most Developing
      Countries.

PMID- 26096428
TI  - Beyond Prediction of Stroke Risk in Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation.

PMID- 26096429
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26096431
TI  - Topical Anti-inflammatory Activity of New Hybrid Molecules of Terpenes and
      Synthetic Drugs.
AB  - The aim of the study was to assess changes in the activity of anti-inflammatory
      terpenes from Chilean medicinal plants after the formation of derivatives
      incorporating synthetic anti-inflammatory agents. Ten new hybrid molecules were
      synthesized combining terpenes (ferruginol (1), imbricatolic acid (2) and
      oleanolic acid (3)) with ibuprofen (4) or naproxen (5). The topical anti
      inflammatory activity of the compounds was assessed in mice by the arachidonic
      acid (AA) and 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA) induced ear edema
      assays. Basal cytotoxicity was determined towards human lung fibroblasts, gastric
      epithelial cells and hepatocytes. At 1.4 umol/mouse, a strong anti-inflammatory
      effect in the TPA assay was observed for oleanoyl ibuprofenate 12 (79.9%) and
      oleanoyl ibuprofenate methyl ester 15 (80.0%). In the AA assay, the best activity
      was observed for 12 at 3.2 umol/mouse, with 56.8% reduction of inflammation, in
      the same range as nimesulide (48.9%). All the terpenyl-synthetic anti
      inflammatory hybrids showed better effects in the TPA assay, with best activity
      for 6, 12 and 15. The cytotoxicity of the compounds 8 and 10 with a free COOH,
      was higher than that of 2. The derivatives from 3 were less toxic than the
      triterpene. Several of the new compounds presented better anti-inflammatory
      effect and lower cytotoxicity than the parent terpenes. 

PMID- 26096432
TI  - Understanding the Mechanism of Action of Triazine-Phosphonate Derivatives as
      Flame Retardants for Cotton Fabric.
AB  - Countless hours of research and studies on triazine, phosphonate, and their
      combination have provided insightful information into their flame retardant
      properties on polymeric systems. However, a limited number of studies shed light
      on the mechanism of flame retardancy of their combination on cotton fabrics. The
      purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of the thermal degradation
      process of two triazine-phosphonate derivatives on cotton fabric. The
      investigation included the preparation of diethyl 4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazin-2
      ylphosphonate (TPN1) and dimethyl (4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazin-2-yloxy) methyl
      phosphonate (TPN3), their application on fabric materials, and the studies of
      their thermal degradation mechanism. The studies examined chemical components in
      both solid and gas phases by using attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR)
      spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared
      (TGA-FTIR) spectroscopy, and 31P solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (31P
      solid state NMR), in addition to the computational studies of bond dissociation
      energy (BDE). Despite a few differences in their decomposition, TPN1 and TPN3
      produce one common major product that is believed to help reduce the flammability
      of the fabric. 

PMID- 26096433
TI  - Phytochemical Profiling and Evaluation of Pharmacological Activities of Hypericum
      scabrum L.
AB  - Phytochemical investigations of ethyl acetate-soluble part of the aerial part of
      Hypericum scabrum L. delivered eight pure phenolic compounds 1-8. The pure
      compounds were identified through physico-chemical, NMR (1D, 2D) and mass
      spectrometric studies as: 3-8''-bisapigenin (1), quercetin (2), quercetin-3-O
      alpha-l-arabinofuranoside (3), quercetin-3-O-alpha-l-rhamnoside (4), quercetin-3
      O-beta-d-glucopyranoside (5), quercetin-3-O-beta-d-galactopyranoside (6), (-)
      epicatechin (7), (+)-catechin (8). Total polyphenolic compounds and total
      flavonoids contents were determined in the extract as 0.107 mg?mg-1 and 0.023
      mg?mg-1 of the dried extract, respectively. Antioxidant activity using DPPH free
      radical scavenging assay delivered very strong activity for compounds 2 and 5, 6
      and crude extract 10. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP-1B) inhibition
      experiment of isolated compounds and crude extracts resulted in significant
      inhibition activity for samples 2, 7a, 8a, 11 and 12 with IC50 values ranging
      from 1.57 to 2.91 uM. Antimicrobial activity of the pure compounds and extracts
      produced average results against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and
      Candida albicans strains. From our literature survey, it appears that all pure
      compounds except 2 were isolated and reported for the first time in H. scabrum. 

PMID- 26096434
TI  - Selected Compounds Structurally Related to Acyclic Sesquiterpenoids and Their
      Antibacterial and Cytotoxic Activity.
AB  - By implementing a common and industrially used method, 30 compounds which are
      structurally related to geranyl acetone, nerolidol, farnesal, farnesol and
      farnesyl acetate were obtained. Their antimicrobial activity against
      Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia
      coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria was
      investigated. Pharmacophore models were proposed based on the obtained results
      and 3D QSAR modelling. Cytotoxic effects against mainly human immortalised and
      normal cell lines of different origin (malignant melanoma MeWo, colorectal
      adenocarcinoma HT29, promyelocytic leukemia HL60, gingival fibroblasts HFIG, skin
      keratinocytes HaCaT and rat small intestine epithelium IEC6) were examined. The
      odour descriptions of newly synthesised compounds are given. 

PMID- 26096435
TI  - New observations of intraoperative dermoscopic features of the nail matrix and
      bed in longitudinal melanonychia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years, the following four patterns have been defined in
      intraoperative dermoscopy of the nail matrix and bed in longitudinal melanonychia
      (LM): (i) a regular gray pattern; (ii) a regular brown pattern; (iii) a regular
      brown pattern with globules or blotches; and (iv) an irregular pattern.
      Histopathological findings in these patterns are, respectively: (i) melanocyte
      activation; (ii) mostly melanocytic hyperplasia (melanocytic activation and
      melanoma can also be seen); (iii) only melanocytic nevi; and (iv) only melanoma.
      OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to compare these patterns with intraoperative
      dermoscopic findings in another series of five patients with LM. METHODS: Nail
      plate dermoscopy, intraoperative nail matrix and bed dermoscopy, and
      histopathological examinations in five patients with LM were retrospectively
      reviewed. RESULTS: Intraoperative dermoscopy of the nail bed and matrix in
      patients in whom nail plate dermoscopy demonstrated regular brown lines showed a
      regular brown pattern with globules in two cases, only globules in one case, and
      a regular gray pattern in one case. An irregular pattern with globules and
      blotches was observed in one patient who exhibited irregular brown lines in nail
      plate dermoscopy. Histopathological examinations showed only hypermelanosis in
      one case with a regular gray pattern, hypermelanosis and melanophages in cases
      with a regular brown pattern with globules, blue nevus in one case with an
      irregular brown pattern with globules and blotches, and only melanophages in one
      case with globules only. CONCLUSIONS: Histopathological findings that differ from
      the patterns previously reported were found. An irregular pattern may also be
      seen in benign melanocytic nevi such as subungual blue nevus. A globular pattern
      may be defined as a new pattern corresponding to melanophages only. Additional
      dermoscopic and histopathological images should be shared to facilitate the
      development of further understanding and the standardization of the
      intraoperative dermoscopy of LM.

PMID- 26096436
TI  - Posterior urethral valves: Metabolic consequences in a cohort of patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the improvements in diagnosis and management of posterior
      urethral valves (PUVs), about one third of patients develop chronic kidney
      disease (CKD). Children with PUVs might have abnormal calcium, phosphorus,
      vitamin D and parathyroid hormone levels, which could affect their bone growth
      and overall health. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to determine the relationship between
      kidney function, vitamin D deficiency and secondary hyperparathyroidism in
      children with PUVs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-four children with PUVs were
      followed for a period of 3.64 +/- 2.50 years after their initial presentation and
      management. Their laboratory parameters were compared with 20 age-, gender- and
      race-matched children in a control group, including: serum calcium, phosphorus,
      intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, and kidney
      function. RESULTS: Children with PUVs had significantly lower estimated kidney
      function (P = 0.006) and vitamin D levels (P < 0.001) and higher iPTH levels (P =
      0.042). There were no significant between-group differences in serum calcium,
      phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, sodium, potassium, and bicarbonate levels.
      There was a strong correlation between the degree of vitamin D deficiency and
      hyperparathyroidism and the degree of kidney dysfunction (r = 0.52 and -0.52,
      respectively) in the PUV group. On a multivariate analysis, the kidney
      dysfunction was the only independent predictor of vitamin D deficiency (rho =
      0.271, P < 0.001), while kidney dysfunction, serum calcium and alkaline
      phosphatase were independent predictors for hyperparathyroidism (rho = 0.925,
      P<0.001, rho = 0.933, P<0.001 and rho = 0.913, P < 0.001, respectively).
      DISCUSSION: The prevalence of CKD in children with PUVs ranges from 30 to 60%.
      Patients with CKD are more likely to have vitamin D deficiency and display more
      prominent hyperparathyroidism. Compared with a control group with normal kidney
      function, the present cohort had lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D and higher iPTH serum
      levels. Abnormal kidney function was a major predictor for both serum levels. In
      this cohort, there were no significant differences in serum calcium and
      phosphorus between children with PUVs and the control group, and also between
      those with and without CKD. On the contrary, vitamin D level decreased early in
      the disease and progressively declined thereafter, while iPTH was the opposite.
      These findings were comparable to previous studies. This study had some
      limitations because it was a single center cross-sectional non-randomized study.
      However, the findings in this study can be extrapolated to children with PUVs and
      CKD from other origins because the unit is considered as a referral center in the
      Middle East region. CONCLUSION: Abnormal kidney function, vitamin D deficiency,
      and secondary hyperparathyroidism are prevalent in children with PUVs. Kidney
      function is the main determinant of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone levels.
      Efforts should be directed toward managing CKD, and controlling vitamin D
      deficiency and hyperparathyroidism in children after ablation of PUV.

PMID- 26096437
TI  - Urinary NGAL, KIM-1 and L-FABP concentrations in antenatal hydronephrosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The clinical tests currently in use for obstructive nephropathy
      (such as renal ultrasonography, differential radionuclide renal scans and urinary
      creatinine concentration data) are not efficient predictors of the subsequent
      clinical course. Novel and simple biomarkers are required which, if proven, could
      be clinically beneficial in determining if a patient is eligible for surgery or
      reno-protective therapy. More recently, the interest of clinicians has focused on
      the potential of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL),
      urinary kidney injury molecule-1 (uKIM-1) and urinary liver-type fatty acid
      binding proteins (uL-FABP) as biomarkers for renal function in children with
      hydronephrosis (HN). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate
      possible clinical applications of uNGAL, uKIM-1 and uL-FABP as beneficial non
      invasive biomarkers to determine whether or not surgical intervention is required
      in children with HN. STUDY DESIGN: Renal ultrasonography and radionuclide renal
      scans were used as diagnostic tools to detect HN. Patients were divided into two
      groups based on the antero-posterior diameter of their renal pelvis and the
      presence of dysfunction. Group 1 included 26 children with severe HN (with
      dysfunction), and group 2 consisted of 36 children with mild HN (without
      dysfunction). Urine samples were collected from 62 children with HN and 20
      healthy children. RESULTS: Hydronephrosis was more common in males than in
      females, with a male to female ratio of 9:1 in the study sample. The incidence of
      left kidney involvement (32 patients) was slightly higher than right kidney
      involvement (28 patients). Compared with controls and group 2, the ratio of uNGAL
      to creatinine was significantly higher in group 1 (p < 0.05). The biomarker
      uNGAL/Cr exhibited fairly good diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the curve
      of 0.68 [95% confidence interval 0.6-0.7] and an optimal cut-off value of 0.16
      ng/mg Cr (sensitivity 58%, specificity 75%) (p < 0.05). There was a positive
      correlation between the uNGAL/Cr ratio and the uKIM-1/Cr ratio (r = 0.582, p <
      0.05) and uL-FABP/Cr ratio (r = 0675, p < 0.05) in group 1. DISCUSSION: The
      results clearly demonstrated that children with hydronephrosis and dysfunction
      had significantly increased uNGAL, and uNGAL/Cr concentrations. However, uKIM-1,
      uKIM-1/Cr, uL-FABP and uL-FABP/Cr concentrations were not significantly different
      when compared with controls. These results support the use of uNGAL
      concentrations as an early marker for renal dysfunction in HN. CONCLUSIONS: The
      study clearly demonstrated that pediatric patients with hydronephrosis and
      dysfunction had significantly higher uNGAL to creatinine concentrations as
      compared with controls.

PMID- 26096438
TI  - Investigation of the effect of dorsal penile block to penile tissue.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dorsal penile block (DPB) is a frequently used technique for regional
      anesthesia, but the effect of DPB on penile tissue has not been reported so far.
      OBJECTIVE: An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the acute effects of
      DPB on penile tissue. METHODS: Eighteen male rats were included and randomly
      assigned to three groups. No intervention was made in the control group (CG, n =
      6). In the sham group (SG, n = 6) 1 ml normal saline, and in DPB group (PBG, n =
      6) 1 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine without adrenaline (0.5 mg/kg), was infused with a
      30 mm, 23 gauge needle. DPB was performed by inserting the needle in the midline
      when pulling down the penis and directing the needle to the 11 and 1 o'clock
      positions. Another puncture was done at the midline on the ventral side and the
      remaining drug was infused slowly. The penile tissues were harvested for
      biochemical (malonyldialdehyde: MDA; nitric oxide: NO; superoxide dismutase: SOD)
      and histopathological examination. Histopathological assessments were made of
      inflammation, edema and fibrosis; epithelial degradation in the urethra; vascular
      obliteration in periurethral tissue; and the peripheral nerve cells. RESULTS:
      Concentrations of NO and SOD were significantly decreased in the PBG compared
      with the CG and SG (p < 0.05). The concentration of MDA was significantly
      increased in the PBG compared with the CG and SG (p < 0.05) (Table).
      Histopathological examination revealed no significant difference between groups
      regarding edema, inflammation, or fibrosis (p > 0.05). In hematoxylin and eosin
      stain samples, vascular structures of the corpus cavernosa were slightly
      decreased in number in the SG and PBG compared with the CG, but that difference
      was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The S-100 staining was
      significantly higher in the PBG and SG compared with the CG (p < 0.05), and
      significantly higher in the SG compared with the PBG (p < 0.05). DISCUSSION: DPB
      causes alteration in oxidative stress markers because of an unknown effect.
      Although the results revealed increased inflammatory reaction in penile tissue
      after DPB, they are not enough to suggest not using bupivacaine for DPB in
      clinical practice. CONCLUSION: Although DPB does not cause any major
      histopathological alteration, it results in an increase in inflammatory response
      in the penile tissue in the short term.

PMID- 26096439
TI  - Training potential in minimally invasive surgery in a tertiary care, paediatric
      urology centre.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is being utilized more frequently as
      a surgical technique in general surgery and in paediatric urology. It is
      associated with a steep learning curve. Currently, the centre does not offer a
      MIS training programme. It is hypothesized that the number of MIS procedures
      performed in the low-volume specialty of paediatric urology will offer
      insufficient training potential for surgeons. OBJECTIVE: To assess the MIS
      training potential of a highly specialized, tertiary care, paediatric urology
      training centre that has been accredited by the Joint Committee of Paediatric
      Urology (JCPU). STUDY DESIGN: The clinical activity of the department was
      retrospectively reviewed by extracting the annual number of admissions,
      outpatient consultations and operative procedures. The operations were divided
      into open procedures and MIS. Major ablative procedures (nephrectomy) and
      reconstructive procedures (pyeloplasty) were analysed with reference to the
      patients' ages. The centre policy is not to perform major MIS in children who are
      under 2 years old or who weigh less than 12 kg. RESULTS: Every year, this
      institution provides approximately 4300 out-patient consultations, 600
      admissions, and 1300 procedures under general anaesthesia for children with
      urological problems. In 2012, 35 patients underwent major intricate MIS: 16
      pyeloplasties, eight nephrectomies and 11 operations for incontinence (seven
      Burch, and four bladder neck procedures). In children >=2 years of age, 16/21 of
      the pyeloplasties and 8/12 of the nephrectomies were performed laparoscopically.
      The remaining MIS procedures included 25 orchidopexies and one intravesical
      ureteral reimplantation. DISCUSSION: There is no consensus on how to assess
      laparoscopic training. It would be valuable to reach a consensus on a
      standardized laparoscopic training programme in paediatric urology. Often
      training potential is based on operation numbers only. In paediatric urology no
      minimum requirement has been specified. The number of procedures quoted for
      proficiency in MIS remains controversial. The MIS numbers for this centre
      correspond to, or exceed, numbers mentioned in other literature. To provide high
      quality MIS training, exposure to laparoscopic procedures should be expanded.
      This may be achieved by centralizing patients into a common centre, collaborating
      with other specialities, modular training and training outside the operating
      theatre. CONCLUSION: Even in a high-volume, paediatric urology educational
      centre, the number of major MIS procedures performed remains relatively low,
      leading to limited training potential.

PMID- 26096440
TI  - HER 2/neu protein expression in gastric cancer is associated with poor survival.

PMID- 26096441
TI  - New Activities for Isolated Compounds from Convolvulus austro-aegyptiacus as Anti
      ulcerogenic, Anti-Helicobacter pylori and Their Mimic Synthesis Using Bio-guided
      Fractionation.
AB  - Bio-guided fractionation of the total alcoholic extract of Convolvulus austro
      aegyptiacus was screened for its anti-ulcerogenic activity, using an absolute
      ethanol-induced ulcer model at 500 and 1000 mg/kg doses. Two compounds were
      isolated from the butanol extract of C. austro-aegyptiacus and identified by 1 H
      and 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance as scopoletin and scopolin. The isolated
      compounds (50 mg/kg) showed a remarkable anti-ulcerogenic activity because they
      exhibited control-ulcer protection by 16.7% and 90.8%, respectively. The acute
      toxicity study showed that the extract is highly safe; the median lethal dose
      (LD50) was more than 4000 mg/kg. Moreover, the obtained results were confirmed by
      the sub-chronic toxicity because the rats that have been administered 1000 mg/kg
      of the extract for 15 consecutive days showed no alteration in the liver and
      kidney functions. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26096442
TI  - The 'four-hour target' and the impact on Australian metropolitan acute surgical
      services.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Emergency Access Targets (NEAT), introduced in 2012,
      guides the clearance of emergency department (ED) presentations within 4 h of
      initial presentation. We aim to assess the impact of NEAT on acute surgical
      services at a large metropolitan centre. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study
      was performed and data were collected from electronic patient management systems.
      The control group was represented by ED presentations between June and September
      2011, 1 year prior to the introduction of NEAT. The two study groups consisted of
      ED presentations between June and September 2012 and 2013 respectively. Outcome
      measures included time to appendicectomy and cholecystectomy, inpatient length of
      stay (IPLOS) (for operative and non-operative cases), out-of-hours operating and
      hospital mortality rates. RESULTS: In total, 2619 inpatient episodes were
      included, with a trend showing increasing admissions throughout the study periods
      (P < 0.001). Time to surgical review and ED length of stay decreased
      significantly (P < 0.001). Time from emergency presentation to emergency
      appendicectomy and cholecystectomy remained unchanged and procedures performed
      out-of-hours increased significantly from 20.9% to 42.9% (P < 0.001). Median
      IPLOS for operative and non-operative patients was reduced during the study from
      2.05 to 1.84 days (P < 0.001). Inter-unit transfers within 48 h of presentation
      increased significantly from 5.3% to 14.7% (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The early
      results following the implementation of NEAT have been correlated with increased
      efficiency in ED clearance and increased burden on surgical operative and
      inpatient outcomes. While improvements in IPLOS were observed, they must be
      considered in the context of increased lower-acuity admissions and out-of-hours
      operating.

PMID- 26096443
TI  - Evaluation of clinically relevant landmarks of the marginal mandibular branch of
      the facial nerve: A three-dimensional study with application to avoiding facial
      nerve palsy.
AB  - Injury to the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve (MMN) during surgery
      often results in poor functional and cosmetic outcomes. A line two finger
      breadths or 2 cm inferior to the border of the mandible is commonly used in
      planning neck incisions to avoid injury to the MMN. The purpose was to compare
      the two finger breadth/2 cm landmarks in predicting MMN course, and their
      accuracy/reliability. Thirty-one cadaveric specimens were scanned to obtain 3D
      surface topography (FARO(r) scanner). Four independent raters pinned the inferior
      border of the mandible and a two finger breadth line and 2cm line below. The
      location of each pin was digitized (MicroscribeTM). A preauricular flap was
      raised, and MMN branches were digitized and modelled (Geomagic(r)/Maya(r))
      enabling quantification of the accuracy of these landmarks. The location of the
      two-finger breadth line was variable, spanning 25-51 mm below the inferior border
      of the mandible (ICC = 0.10). The most inferior MMN branch did not pass below the
      two-finger breadth line in any specimen, but a narrow clearance zone (<=5 mm) was
      found in two. In contrast, in 7/31 specimens, the most inferior MMN branch
      coursed below the 2 cm line and would be at risk of injury. It was concluded that
      an incision two finger breadths below the inferior border of the mandible could
      provide safer access than the 2 cm line. After an incision has been placed using
      the two finger-breadth landmark, caution must be exercised during dissection as
      branches of the MMN may lie only a few millimeters superior to the incision.

PMID- 26096445
TI  - [Perceptions of patients and health professionals about the quality of diabetes
      care in Spain: Results of the study Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs 2].

PMID- 26096446
TI  - Detection of Bonamia exitiosa in the European flat oyster Ostrea edulis in
      southern Portugal.

PMID- 26096447
TI  - A bilayer composite composed of TiO2-incorporated electrospun chitosan membrane
      and human extracellular matrix sheet as a wound dressing.
AB  - We designed bilayer composites composed of an upper layer of titanium dioxide
      (TiO2)-incorporated chitosan membrane and a sub-layer of human adipose-derived
      extracellular matrix (ECM) sheet as a wound dressing for full-thickness wound
      healing. The dense and fibrous top layer, which aims to protect the wound from
      bacterial infection, was prepared by electrospinning of chitosan solution
      followed by immersion in TiO2 solution. The sponge-like sub-layer, which aims to
      promote new tissue regeneration, was prepared with acellular ECM derived from
      human adipose tissue. Using a modified drop plate method, there was a 33.9 and
      69.6% reduction in viable Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus on the
      bilayer composite, respectively. In an in vivo experiment using rats, the bilayer
      composites exhibited good biocompatibility and provided proper physicochemical
      and compositional cues at the wound site. Changes in wound size and histological
      examination of full-thickness wounds showed that the bilayer composites induced
      faster regeneration of granulation tissue and epidermis with less scar formation,
      than control wounds. Overall results suggest that the TiO2-incorporated
      chitosan/ECM bilayer composite can be a suitable candidate as a wound dressing,
      with an excellent inhibition of bacterial penetration and wound healing
      acceleration effects. 

PMID- 26096448
TI  - The effect of the size and shape on the bond number of quantum dots and its
      relationship with thermodynamic properties.
AB  - Through introducing the size (Nt) and the shape factor (lambda), the size- and
      shape-dependent bond number Ba of quantum dots, respectively, with icosahedral,
      truc-decohedral, cuboctahedral, octahedral, decohedral and tetrahedral structures
      is established in this work. It is found that Nt and lambda have reverse
      contribution to Ba, that is, Ba increases with increase in Nt, while it decreases
      with increase in lambda. As the basic parameter, the size- and shape-dependent Ba
      function is extended to predict the cohesive energy Ec(Nt) of quantum dots.
      Similar to Ba, Ec(Nt) shows strong dependence on both the size and shape. Larger
      Nt leads to higher Ec(Nt), whereas larger lambda results in a smaller Ec(Nt)
      value. There is a sequence: Ec(IH) > Ec(CO) > Ec(truc-DH) > Ec(OT) > Ec(DH) >
      Ec(TH) if Nt is certain, which is similar to Ba since Ba(IH) > Ba(CO) > Ba(truc
      DH) > Ba(OT) > Ba(DH) > Ba(TH) is tested in the whole size range. To some extent,
      this is due to lambda(IH) = lambda(truc-DH) < lambda(CO) < lambda(OT) <
      lambda(DH) < lambda(TH), however, Ba(IH) > Ba(truc-DH) despite lambda(IH) =
      lambda(truc-DH). In addition, lambda is no longer constant and increases with
      increase in Nt when the shape is given. The fact that whatever the shape is, Ba
      or Ec(Nt) increases upon increasing Nt, meaning that the shape is a secondary
      factor if compared with the size. The validity of the size- and shape-related
      model for the Ec(Nt) function is also confirmed by the simulation results of the
      size- and shape-dependent thermodynamic stability of Au, Ag, Cu, Ca, Sr, and Si
      quantum dots with different atomic structures. 

PMID- 26096449
TI  - c-IAP ubiquitin protein ligase activity is required for 4-1BB signaling and
      CD8(+) memory T-cell survival.
AB  - Cellular inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (c-IAP) 1 and 2 are widely expressed
      ubiquitin protein ligases that regulate a variety of cellular functions,
      including the sensitivity of T cells to costimulation. 4-1BB is a TNF receptor
      family member that signals via a complex that includes TRAF family members and
      the c-IAPs to upregulate NF-kappaB and ERK, and has been implicated in memory T
      cell survival. Here, we show that effector and memory T cells from mice
      expressing a dominant negative E3-inactive c-IAP2 (c-IAP2(H570A)) have impaired
      signaling downstream of 4-1BB. When infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis
      virus, unlike mice in which c-IAPs were acutely downregulated by c-IAP
      antagonists, the primary response of c-IAP2(H570A) mice was normal. However, the
      number of antigen-specific CD8(+) but not CD4(+) T cells declined more rapidly
      and to a greater extent in c-IAP2(H570A) mice than in WT controls. Studies with T
      cell adoptive transfer demonstrated that the enhanced decay of memory cells was T
      cell intrinsic. Thus, c-IAP E3 activity is required for 4-1BB coreceptor
      signaling and maintenance of CD8(+) T-cell memory.

PMID- 26096450
TI  - Radiographic evaluation of conical tapered platform-switched implants in the
      posterior mandible: 1-year results of a two-center prospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Long-term success of dental implants depends on healthy peri-implant
      soft tissues and adequate bone levels. This prospective study aims to assess bone
      level changes around implants with internal conical connection and platform
      switching abutments in the posterior mandible. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Adult
      patients missing at least two teeth in the posterior mandible and with a natural
      tooth mesial to the implant site received two or three adjacent internal conical
      connection implants. After a minimum transmucosal healing period of 8 weeks,
      single crown restorations were cemented over platform-switching abutments.
      Changes in marginal bone levels were measured in standardized periapical
      radiographs from surgery and loading (baseline) to 12 months post-loading.
      RESULTS: Twenty-four patients received 52 implants. Bone remodeling took place
      between surgery and loading (-0.53 +/- 0.40 mm). From loading to 12 months, there
      was a mean bone gain of 0.12 +/- 0.42 mm which occurred mainly in the first 6
      months after prosthesis delivery (0.11 +/- 0.36 mm) and stabilized afterward. A
      total of 71.7% of all implants presented bone preservation or gain. No implant
      was lost at 1 year and the success rate was 100%. Patient inquiry revealed high
      satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Internal conical connection implants with platform
      switching abutments presented high success rate and enhancement or preservation
      of marginal bone levels after 1 year of loading.

PMID- 26096451
TI  - Stimulus-selective induction of the orphan nuclear receptor NGFIB underlies
      different influences of angiotensin II and potassium on the human adrenal gland
      zona glomerulosa-specific 3beta-HSD isoform gene expression in adrenocortical
      H295R cells.
AB  - In the adrenal, the type I 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD3B1) is
      expressed exclusively in the zona glomerulosa (ZG), where aldosterone is
      produced. Angiotensin II (AngII) and potassium (K(+)) are the major physiological
      regulators of aldosterone synthesis. However, their respective roles in
      regulation of aldosterone synthesis are not fully defined, particularly in terms
      of transcriptional regulation of steroidogenic enzyme genes. We previously showed
      that AngII can stimulate expression of HSD3B1. But, K(+) responsiveness of this
      gene has remained unexplored. Here, we report that K(+) stimulation lacks the
      ability to induce HSD3B1 expression in human adrenocortical H295R cells. Both
      AngII and K(+) were able to enhance transcription of the aldosterone synthase
      gene (CYP11B2). Promoter analysis revealed that although both AngII and K(+)
      activate transcription from the Ca(2+)/cAMP-responsive element (CRE) located in
      the CYP11B2 promoter, the orphan nuclear receptor NGFIB-responsive element (NBRE)
      located in the HSD3B1 promoter fails to respond to K(+), being only able to
      enhance transcription after AngII treatment. We found that induction of de novo
      protein synthesis of NGFIB occurs only after AngII treatment. This sharply
      contrasts with the phosphorylation that occurs in response to both AngII and K(+)
      on the CREB/ATF family transcription factor ATF2. Chromatin immunoprecipitation
      assay confirmed that the NGFIB protein occupies the HSD3B1 promoter only after
      AngII, while ATF2 binds to the CYP11B2 promoter in response to both AngII and
      K(+). These data provide evidence that downstream signals from AngII and K(+) can
      be uncoupled in the regulation of HSD3B1 in the human adrenocortical H295R cells.

PMID- 26096452
TI  - Overexpression of insulin receptor partially improves obese and diabetic
      phenotypes in db/db mice.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the major health concern among the
      world. Several treatment options for T2DM are in clinical use, including
      injecting insulin, promoting insulin secretion by insulin secretagogues, and
      improving insulin sensitivity by insulin sensitizers. However, increasing the
      amount of insulin receptor in insulin-target tissues has not been explored. In
      order to test the efficacy of insulin receptor overexpression for improving
      glucose control, we established a transgenic mouse line expressing human insulin
      receptor (INSR). We analyzed, growth, energy balance, and glucose control of INSR
      overexpressing db/db mice (INSR; db/db), which we produced by mating INSR
      transgenic mice with db/db mice, a genetic model of obesity due to insufficient
      leptin signaling. Compared to db/db mice, INSR; db/db mice were rescued from
      hyperphagia and obesity, leading to improved blood glucose levels. Unexpectedly,
      however, INSR; db/db mice presented with stunted growth, accompanied by decreased
      plasma levels of free IGF1 and IGFBP-3, indicating the down-regulation of GH/IGF1
      axis. These phenotypes were observed in INSR; db/db mice but not in INSR
      littermates. Meanwhile, bone defects observed in db/db male mice were not
      rescued. Moreover, improved blood glucose was not accompanied by improved insulin
      sensitivity. Therefore, overexpression of insulin receptor improves obese and
      diabetic phenotypes in db/db mice, with consequences on growth. 

PMID- 26096453
TI  - Epidermal growth factor receptor exon 20 insertions in advanced lung
      adenocarcinomas: Clinical outcomes and response to erlotinib.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertions
      (exon20ins) represent approximately 10% of EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinomas, and
      are associated with resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).
      Clinical outcomes in comparison with patients with sensitizing EGFR mutations are
      not well established. METHODS: Patients with stage IV lung adenocarcinomas with
      EGFR exon20ins were identified through routine molecular testing.
      Clinicopathologic data were collected. Overall survival (OS) was measured from
      the diagnosis of stage IV disease, and in patients treated with EGFR TKIs, the
      time to progression (TTP) on erlotinib was measured. RESULTS: One thousand eight
      hundred and eighty-two patients with stage IV lung adenocarcinomas were
      identified: 46 patients had EGFR exon20ins (2%), and 258 patients had an EGFR
      exon 19 deletion (exon19del)/L858R point mutation (14%). Among 11 patients with
      lung adenocarcinomas with EGFR exon20ins who received erlotinib, 3 patients (27%)
      had a partial response (FQEA, 1; ASV, 1; and unknown variant, 1). TTP for
      patients with EGFR exon20ins and patients with EGFR exon19del/L858R on erlotinib
      were 3 and 12 months, respectively (P < .01). Responses to chemotherapy were
      similar for patients with lung adenocarcinomas with EGFR exon20ins and patients
      with lung adenocarcinomas with EGFR exon19del/L858R. Median OS from the diagnosis
      of stage IV disease for patients with EGFR exon20ins and patients with EGFR
      exon19del/L858R was 26 months (95% confidence interval, 19 months-not reached n =
      46) and 31 months (95% confidence interval, 28-33 months; n = 258), respectively
      (P = .53). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients with advanced lung
      adenocarcinomas harboring EGFR exon20ins do not respond to EGFR TKI therapy.
      Standard chemotherapy should be used as first-line therapy. These patients have
      an OS similar to that of patients with sensitizing EGFR mutations. Individuals
      with certain variants such as FQEA and ASV may respond to erlotinib.

PMID- 26096454
TI  - Radiofrequency Ablation with an Enhanced-Irrigation Flexible-Tip Catheter versus
      a Standard-Irrigation Rigid-Tip Catheter.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The flexible-tip irrigated ablation catheter Cool FlexTM (St. Jude
      Medical, St. Paul, MN, USA) was introduced to enhance cooling of the catheter
      tissue interface and to conform to endocardial surface with better contact.
      Little is known about the performance of such catheter design compared to the
      widely used rigid-tip catheters. METHODS: In a thigh muscle preparation, ablation
      using the flexible-tip and rigid-tip catheters was performed in seven pigs across
      a range of ablation settings and catheter orientation. Postprocedure, the thigh
      muscle was stained with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium-chloride injected into the
      femoral artery. The muscle was excised, fixed with formalin, and examined
      grossly. RESULTS: A total of 196 lesions (95 flexible tip, 101 rigid tip) were
      evaluated. The flexible-tip catheter was associated with enhanced cooling of
      catheter-tissue interface (31.1 +/- 3.3 degrees C vs 36.3 +/- 3.7 degrees C, P =
      0.0001) in both perpendicular and nonperpendicular catheter orientations. This
      allowed more energy delivery (37.3 +/- 8.9 W vs 33.7 +/- 8.1 W, P = 0.004) to
      targeted tissue and resulted in larger lesions (median 194.7 [interquartile
      range: 113.1-333.8] mm(3) vs 170.9 [88.7-261.6] mm(3) , P = 0.03) than the rigid
      tip catheter with larger maximum diameter (11.1 +/- 2.6 mm vs 10.3 +/- 2.1 mm, P
      = 0.03) and larger diameter at tissue surface (10.3 +/- 2.4 mm vs 9.6 +/- 1.7 mm,
      P = 0.01). Catheter orientation during ablation affected the efficiency of rigid
      tip but not the flexible-tip catheter. The use of the flexible-tip catheter was
      associated with significantly less char formation on tissue (none vs 5.1% with
      rigid tip, P = 0.009). CONCLUSION: The Cool FlexTM catheter performed better than
      a rigid-tip catheter with enhanced cooling, larger ablation lesions, and no
      charring of targeted tissue.

PMID- 26096455
TI  - Investigation of Structural Determinants for the Substrate Specificity in the
      Zinc-Dependent Alcohol Dehydrogenase CPCR2 from Candida parapsilosis.
AB  - Zinc-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) are a class of enzymes applied in
      different biocatalytic processes ranging from lab to industrial scale. However,
      one drawback is the limited substrate range, necessitating a whole array of
      different ADHs for the relevant substrate classes. In this study, we investigated
      structural determinants of the substrate spectrum in the zinc-dependent ADH
      carbonyl reductase 2 from Candida parapsilosis (CPCR2), combining methods of
      mutational analysis with in silico substrate docking. Assigned active site
      residues were genetically randomized, and the resulting mutant libraries were
      screened with a selection of challenging carbonyl substrates. Three variants
      (C57A, W116K, and L119M) with improved activities toward different substrates
      were detected at neighboring positions in the active site. Thus, all possible
      combinations of the mutations were generated and characterized for their
      substrate specificity, yielding several improved variants. The most interesting
      were a C57A variant, with a 27-fold increase in specific activity for 4'
      acetamidoacetophenone, and the double mutant CPCR2 B16-(C57A, L119M), with a 45
      fold improvement in the kcat ?KM (-1) value. The obtained variants were further
      investigated by in silico docking experiments. The results indicate that the
      mentioned residues are structural determinants of the substrate specificity of
      CPCR2, being major players in the definition of the active site. Comparison of
      these results with closely related enzymes suggests that these might even be
      transferred to other ADHs. 

PMID- 26096456
TI  - Neuroendocrine factors regulate retinoic acid receptors in normal and hypoplastic
      lung development.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Retinoic acid (RA) and ghrelin levels are altered in human
      hypoplastic lungs when compared to healthy lungs. Although considerable data have
      been obtained about RA, ghrelin and bombesin in the congenital diaphragmatic
      hernia (CDH) rat model, neuroendocrine factors have never been associated with
      the RA signalling pathway in this animal model. In this study, the interaction
      between neuroendocrine factors and RA was explored in the CDH rat model. The
      authors found that normal fetal lung explants treated with RA, bombesin and
      ghrelin showed an increase in lung growth. Hypoplastic lungs presented higher
      expression levels of the RA receptors alpha and gamma. Moreover bombesin and
      ghrelin supplementation, in vitro, to normal lungs increased RA receptor
      alpha/gamma expression whereas administration of bombesin and ghrelin antagonists
      to normal and hypoplastic lungs decreased it. These data reveal for the first
      time that there is a link between neuroendocrine factors and RA, and that
      neuroendocrine factors sensitise the lung to the RA action through RA receptor
      modulation. ABSTRACT: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is characterised by a
      spectrum of lung hypoplasia and consequent pulmonary hypertension, leading to
      high morbidity and mortality rates. Moreover, CDH has been associated with an
      increase in the levels of pulmonary neuroendocrine factors, such as bombesin and
      ghrelin, and a decrease in the action of retinoic acid (RA). The present study
      aimed to elucidate the interaction between neuroendocrine factors and RA. In
      vitro analyses were performed on Sprague-Dawley rat embryos. Normal lung explants
      were treated with bombesin, ghrelin, a bombesin antagonist, a ghrelin antagonist,
      dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), RA dissolved in DMSO, bombesin plus RA and ghrelin plus
      RA. Hypoplastic lung explants (nitrofen model) were cultured with bombesin,
      ghrelin, bombesin antagonist or ghrelin antagonist. The lung explants were
      analysed morphometrically, and retinoic acid receptor (RAR) alpha, beta and gamma
      expression levels were assessed via Western blotting. Immunohistochemistry
      analysis of RAR was performed in normal and hypoplastic lungs 17.5 days post
      conception (dpc). Compared with the controls, hypoplastic lungs exhibited
      significantly higher RARalpha/gamma expression levels. Furthermore considering
      hypoplastic lungs, bombesin and ghrelin antagonists decreased RARalpha/gamma
      expression. Normal lung explants (13.5 dpc) treated with RA, bombesin plus RA,
      ghrelin plus RA, bombesin or ghrelin exhibited increased lung growth. Moreover,
      bombesin and ghrelin increased RARalpha/gamma expression levels, whereas the
      bombesin and ghrelin antagonists decreased RARalpha/gamma expression. This study
      demonstrates for the first time that neuroendocrine factors function as lung
      growth regulators, sensitising the lung to the action of RA through up-regulation
      of RARalpha and RARgamma.

PMID- 26096457
TI  - Near-infrared spectroscopy for intracoronary detection of lipid-rich plaques to
      understand atherosclerotic plaque biology in man and guide clinical therapy.
AB  - Ischaemic heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. The common
      denominator for plaques causing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is lipid
      accumulation, either as a lipid core or lipid pools. An intracoronary imaging
      device to detect lipid-rich plaques (LRPs) could therefore identify most of the
      plaques causing ACS and sudden death. Near-infrared spectroscopy combined with
      intravascular ultrasound (NIRS-IVUS) is a promising new intracoronary imaging
      method that is able to specifically quantify lipid accumulation measured as the
      lipid core burden index (LCBI). NIRS-IVUS is highly specific for the
      identification of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation
      myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) culprit plaques usually in the form of a circular
      LRP. NIRS-IVUS may assist in defining the aetiology of coronary events. The
      effect of cholesterol-lowering therapy on the lipid core can be measured in
      coronary plaques in patients, and NIRS-IVUS may be a useful tool for drug
      development in phase II studies as a surrogate end-point for future ACS. Plaques
      with a high LCBI have an increased risk of peri-procedural events. NIRS-IVUS can
      help to define the diameter and length of stents to avoid procedure-related
      complications. Increased coronary LCBI predicts a higher risk of future
      cardiovascular events. Lipid core detection using NIRS may help to identify
      vulnerable plaques to treat them before they cause ACS or sudden death. 

PMID- 26096458
TI  - Amur tiger conservation education program: A pilot study on program
      effectiveness.
AB  - Anthropogenic impacts are the primary threats to Amur tigers (Panthera tigris
      altaica) and their habitat. Villagers living in proximity to tigers tend to view
      them negatively and, often, as a source of revenue on black markets. We aim to
      reduce human-tiger conflict by working with young students of Ternei County in
      the heart of tiger habitat in Primorskii Krai (Province). To inform and influence
      Ternei County's future decision-makers, we developed "Safe Conduct", a year-long
      education program held in 6 villages, culminating in a multi-school conference.
      We tested the efficacy of Safe Conduct as a potential model for tiger
      conservation educational programs. We measured levels of student knowledge about
      tiger ecology, their attitude towards tigers, and their willingness to engage in
      tiger conservation activites prior to, immediately after and 6 months following
      the completion of our program. Results supported the fundamental premise of Safe
      Conduct that knowledge and attitude towards tigers are correlated. Knowledge of
      tiger ecology and attitude towards tigers increased by the project's completion;
      both remained high after 6 months. However, commitment to participation in
      conservation efforts rose temporarily post-program and then dropped. Results
      varied by village. We recommend that the reasons for the high performance
      measures of students in 2 villages be investigated, and that lessons learned be
      applied to villages that underperformed. Safe Conduct represents a potential
      model for environmental education programs in Ternei County and elsewhere to
      educate future generations, to eventually develop a strong commitment to Amur
      tiger conservation at the community level. 

PMID- 26096459
TI  - Accumulation of nanoparticles in "jellyfish" mucus: a bio-inspired route to
      decontamination of nano-waste.
AB  - The economic and societal impacts of nano-materials are enormous. However,
      releasing such materials in the environment could be detrimental to human health
      and the ecological biosphere. Here we demonstrate that gold and quantum dots
      nanoparticles bio-accumulate into mucus materials coming from natural species
      such as jellyfish. One strategy that emerges from this finding would be to take
      advantage of these trapping properties to remove nanoparticles from contaminated
      water. 

PMID- 26096460
TI  - TRPV5/V6 Channels Mediate Ca(2+) Influx in Jurkat T Cells Under the Control of
      Extracellular pH.
AB  - Regulation of cytoplasmic free calcium concentration [Ca(2+)]i is a key factor
      for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis in different cell types, including
      lymphocytes. During T lymphocyte activation as well as production of cytokines,
      sustained Ca(2+) influx is essential, however, it remains unclear how this influx
      is regulated. Previously, we reported the expression and functional activity of
      calcium channels TRPV5 and TRPV6 (transient receptor potential vanilloid type 5
      and 6) in human leukemia Jurkat T cells. In this study, using single channel
      recordings, we found that activity of calcium channels TRPV5/V6 in Jurkat T cells
      is subject to strong control of external stimuli such as a low- or high-pH
      stressor. We showed that extracellular acidic pH reduces the activity of TRPV5/V6
      channels, whereas alkaline pH increases the activity of TRPV5/V6 channels in
      Jurkat T cells. Using calcium imaging, we found that Ca(2+) influx in Jurkat T
      cells displayed sensitivity to extracellular pH, similar to that shown for the
      calcium channels TRPV5/V6. Double immunostaining of Jurkat T cells revealed that
      TRPV5 and TRPV6 channels colocalize with clathrin and the early endocytosis
      marker, EEA1. Moreover, we demonstrated that a specific inhibitor of clathrin
      dependent endocytosis, dynasore, blocked TRPV5/V6 activity, and Ca(2+) influx
      into Jurkat T cells. Overall, our findings indicate that strong environmental
      cues may affect the intracellular calcium level in Jurkat T cells by influencing
      the traffic of TRPV5/V6 channels in lymphocytes.

PMID- 26096462
TI  - Polypeptide-b-Poly(Phenyl Isocyanide) Hybrid Rod-Rod Copolymers: One-Pot
      Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Cell Imaging.
AB  - Hybrid rod-rod diblock copolymers, poly(gamma-benzyl L-glutamate)-poly(4-cyano
      benzoic acid 2-isopropyl-5-methyl-cyclohexyl ester) (PBLG-PPI), with determined
      chirality are facilely synthesized through sequential copolymerization of gamma
      benzyl-L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride (BLG-NCA) and phenyl isocyanide monomers
      bearing chiral menthyl pendants using a Ni(cod)(bpy) complex as the catalyst in
      one-pot. Circular dichroism and absorption spectra reveal that each block of the
      block copolymers possesses a stable helical conformation with controlled helicity
      in solution due to the induction of chiral pendants. The two diastereomeric
      polymers self-assemble into helical nanofibrils with opposite handedness due to
      the different chiral induction of the L- and D-menthyl pendants, confirmed by
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Deprotection of the benzyl groups of the
      PBLG segment affords biocompatible amphiphilic diblock copolymers, poly(L
      glutamic acid)-poly(4-cyano-benzoic acid 2-isopropyl-5-methyl-cyclohexyl ester)
      (PLGA-PPI), that can self-assemble into well-defined micelles by cosolvent
      induced aggregation. Very interestingly, a chiral rhodamine chromophores RhB(D)
      can be selectively encapsulated into the chiral polymeric micelles, which is
      efficiently internalized into living cells when directly monitored with a
      confocal microscope. This contribution will be useful for developing novel rod
      rod biocompatible hybrid block copolymers with a controlled helicity, and may
      also provide unique chiral materials for potential bio-medical applications.

PMID- 26096461
TI  - Longitudinal changes of dopamine transporters in heroin users during abstinence.
AB  - RATIONALE: Chronic exposure to heroin results in decreased dopamine transporter
      levels. Jitai tablets, a traditional Chinese medicine, have been effective at
      increasing striatal dopamine transporter availability after 6 months of
      treatment. However, it remains unknown how long the heroin-induced impairment
      persists and whether dopamine transporter can be normalized following long-term
      abstinence or treatment. OBJECTIVES: This study was to evaluate the time course
      of dopamine transporter changes in heroin users undergoing long-term abstinence
      and treatment with Jitai tablets for 1 year. METHODS: Single-photon emission
      computed tomography using [(99m)Tc]TRODAT-1 was performed on 64 heroin users and
      20 healthy subjects to assess striatal dopamine transporter availability at
      baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Heroin users were randomly assigned to treatment
      with either placebo or Jitai tablets. Depression and anxiety scores were measured
      before each imaging session. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, significant
      reduction in dopamine transporter availability was found in heroin users at
      baseline in both the right (by ~ 31.6%) and left striatum (by ~ 33.2%). At 6
      months, dopamine transporter availability was significantly higher in Jitai
      tablet-treated group than placebo group in the bilateral striatum (p < 0.01). At
      12 months, dopamine transporter levels in both groups were upregulated
      substantially from baseline but still not recovered to normal levels in the left
      striatum (p < 0.05). Depression and anxiety scores significantly decreased at 3,
      6, and 12 months (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirmed that heroin abuse
      induces pronounced, long-term reduction in dopamine transporter. Treatment with
      Jitai tablets appears to stimulate recovery.

PMID- 26096463
TI  - Maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy, placental expression of genes
      regulating glucocorticoid and serotonin function and infant regulatory behaviors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoids and serotonin may mediate the link between maternal
      environment, fetal brain development and 'programming' of offspring behaviors.
      The placenta regulates fetal exposure to maternal hormonal signals in animal
      studies, but few data address this in humans. We measured prospectively maternal
      depressive symptoms during pregnancy and mRNAs encoding key gene products
      determining glucocorticoid and serotonin function in term human placenta and
      explored associations with infant regulatory behaviors. METHOD: Bi-weekly self
      ratings of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale from 12th to
      13th gestational week onwards and term placental mRNAs of 11beta-hydroxysteroid
      dehydrogenase type 2 (HSD2B11), type 1 (HSD1B11), glucocorticoid (NR3C1),
      mineralocorticoid receptors (NR3C2) and serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) were
      obtained from 54 healthy mothers aged 32.2 +/- 5.3 years with singleton
      pregnancies and without pregnancy complications. Infant regulatory behaviors
      (crying, feeding, spitting, elimination, sleeping and predictability) were mother
      rated at 15.6 +/- 4.2 days. RESULTS: Higher placental mRNA levels of HSD2B11
      [0.41 standard deviation (s.d.) unit increase per s.d. unit increase; 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.13-0.69, p = 0.005], HSD1B11 (0.30, 0.03-0.57, p =
      0.03), NR3C1 (0.44, 0.19-0.68, p = 0.001) and SLC6A4 (0.26, 0.00-0.53, p = 0.05)
      were associated with more regulatory behavioral challenges of the infant. Higher
      placental NR3C1 mRNA partly mediated the association between maternal depressive
      symptoms during pregnancy and infant regulatory behaviors (p < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Higher placental expression of genes regulating feto-placental
      glucocorticoid and serotonin exposure is characteristic of infants with more
      regulatory behavioral challenges. Maternal depression acts, at least partly, via
      altering glucocorticoid action in the placenta to impact on offspring regulatory
      behaviors.

PMID- 26096464
TI  - Early endoscopic treatment of blunt traumatic pancreatic injury.
AB  - Blunt pancreatic trauma is a rare and challenging situation. In many cases, there
      are other associated injuries that mandate urgent operative treatment. Morbidity
      and mortality rates are high and complications after acute pancreatic resections
      are common. The diagnosis of pancreatic injuries can be difficult and often
      requires multimodal approach including Computed Tomography scans, Magnetic
      resonance imaging and Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography (ERCP).
      The objective of this paper is to review the application of endoprothesis in the
      settings of pancreatic injury. A review of the English literature available was
      conducted and the experience of our centre described. While the classical
      recommended treatment of Grade III pancreatic injury (transection of the gland
      and the pancreatic duct in the body/tail) is surgical resection this approach
      carries high morbidity. ERCP was first reported as a diagnostic tool in the
      settings of pancreatic injury but has in recent years been used increasingly as a
      treatment option with promising results. This article reviews the literature on
      ERCP as treatment option for pancreatic injury and adds further to the limited
      number of cases reported that have been treated early after the trauma. 

PMID- 26096466
TI  - Response to Kalbfleish and Schaubel: "A Perspective on the Scientific Registry of
      Transplant Recipients Migration to Bayesian Methods".

PMID- 26096465
TI  - Lovastatin Differentially Affects Neuronal Cholesterol and Amyloid-beta
      Production in vivo and in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Epidemiological and experimental studies indicate that high
      cholesterol may increase susceptibility to age-associated neurodegenerative
      disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thus, it has been suggested that
      statins, which are inhibitors of the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA
      reductase (HMGCR), may be a useful therapeutic tool to diminish the risk of AD.
      However, several studies that analyzed the therapeutic benefits of statins have
      yielded conflicting results. Herein, we investigated the role of lovastatin on
      neuronal cholesterol homeostasis and its effects on amyloid beta protein
      production in vivo and in vitro. METHODS AND RESULTS: Lovastatin effects were
      analyzed in vitro using differentiated human neuroblastoma cells and in vivo in a
      lovastatin-fed rat model. We demonstrated that lovastatin can differentially
      affect the expression of APP and Abeta production in vivo and in vitro.
      Lovastatin-induced HMGCR inhibition was detrimental to neuronal survival in vitro
      via a mechanism unrelated to the reduction of cholesterol. We found that in vivo,
      dietary cholesterol was associated with increased Abeta production in the
      cerebral cortex, and lovastatin was not able to reduce cholesterol levels.
      However, lovastatin induced a remarkable increase in the mature form of the
      sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 (SREBP-2) as well as its target gene
      HMGCR, in both neuronal cells and in the brain. CONCLUSIONS: Lovastatin modifies
      the mevalonate pathway without affecting cholesterol levels in vivo and is able
      to reduce Abeta levels only in vitro.

PMID- 26096467
TI  - An autopsy case of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with a TARDBP Q343R
      mutation.
AB  - We describe a Japanese autopsy case of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
      (FALS) with a TARDBP Q343R mutation. This male patient developed dysarthria at
      the age of 52 years, and bulbar symptoms progressed, with weakness and atrophy in
      the extremities. His mental status was normal, but he became bedridden, received
      artificial respiratory support at 54 years of age, and gradually acquired a
      locked-in state and died at 58 years of age. Microscopically, marked diffuse
      myelin pallor was observed in the anterolateral columns of the spinal cord. The
      remaining anterior horn cells contained Bunina bodies and phosphorylation
      dependent transactivation response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (pTDP-43)
      positive neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCIs). Glial cytoplasmic inclusions
      (GCIs) were also observed. The number of ubiquitin- and p62-positive inclusions
      was markedly lower than that of pTDP-43-positive inclusions. NCIs and many fine
      dot-like pTDP-43-positive granules in the neuropil were mainly seen in the
      temporal and motor cortices, and striatum. NCIs were rare in hippocampal granular
      cells. Immunoblotting of samples from the cerebral cortex using an anti-pTDP-43
      antibody was slightly different from previous TDP-43 pathological subtypes.

PMID- 26096468
TI  - Factors that Influence Chaplains' Suicide Intervention Behavior in the Army.
AB  - We surveyed 868 Army chaplains and 410 chaplain assistants (CAs) about their role
      in identifying, caring for, and referring soldiers at risk of suicide to
      behavioral health care. We applied structural equation modeling to identify how
      behaviors and attitudes related to intervention behavior. In both samples,
      reluctance and stigma were related to intervention behaviors; efficacy was
      correlated with intervention behaviors only among chaplains. Training was
      associated with increased efficacy and lower levels of stigma among chaplains.
      Improved training may be warranted, but research needs to identify why chaplains
      and CAs are reluctant to refer soldiers in distress to behavioral health care. 

PMID- 26096469
TI  - Resolution of superimposed pre-eclampsia, and improvement in umbilical artery
      flow in a surviving twin after intrauterine demise of its co-twin.
AB  - Pre-eclampsia has a progressive clinical course, and is only cured by delivery of
      the placenta. We report a 30-year-old G1P0 with dichorionic twins, discordant
      growth and chronic hypertension who developed superimposed pre-eclampsia in her
      21st week of gestation. After intrauterine demise of the severely growth
      restricted twin, the superimposed pre-eclampsia resolved. The surviving twin
      initially had absent end diastolic flow, which resolved after the demise. A
      healthy 1935-g neonate with Apgar 9/9 was delivered at 34 weeks. Antenatal
      resolution of pre-eclampsia is extremely rare and resolution of superimposed pre
      eclampsia has not, to our knowledge, been reported.

PMID- 26096470
TI  - Factors associated with long-term patient-reported outcomes after three-column
      osteotomies.
AB  - BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Studies have demonstrated sustained improvements in patient
      reported outcomes (PROs) after three-column osteotomies (three-COs), but no study
      has evaluated what factors impact long-term outcomes. PURPOSE: The aim was to
      investigate factors associated with PROs in patients who underwent three-CO at
      minimum 5 years postoperatively. STUDY DESIGN/SAMPLE: This was a retrospective
      review of prospective database. PATIENT SAMPLE: All patients who had a three-CO
      at a single institution and completed clinical evaluations after at least 5 years
      postoperative were included. OUTCOME MEASURES: Oswestry Disability Index (ODI),
      Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) scores, and radiographic parameters were
      assessed at baseline and a minimum 5 years postoperatively. METHODS: Analysis of
      120 patients who underwent three-CO (96-pedicle subtraction osteotomy/24
      vertebral column resection) was performed. The mean age was 48 years (range 8
      79), and clinical follow-up was 7 years (range 5-14). Separate multivariable
      linear regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with
      ODI, SRS average, and SRS satisfaction while controlling for time since surgery
      and baseline outcome scores. RESULTS: Average PROs were significantly improved
      from baseline at a minimum 5-year follow-up (ODI: 48-28, p<.01; SRS: 2.8-3.5,
      p<.01). The average SRS satisfaction score was 4.0. Average sagittal alignment
      (C7 plumb) improved 74 mm, with 81% of patients' alignment less than 95 mm. Major
      surgical complications occurred in 32 patients (27%) with major reoperations in
      30 patients (25%). Multivariable regression analysis found that prior surgery and
      major reoperations were risk factors for worse ODI scores. A diagnosis of adult
      idiopathic scoliosis and final sagittal alignment less than 95 mm were associated
      with improved SRS scores. Improvement in major coronal Cobb and final pelvic tilt
      less than 30 degrees  were associated with increased SRS satisfaction.
      CONCLUSIONS: With a minimum 5-year follow-up, PROs in patients undergoing three
      CO were associated with improvements in radiographic alignment but negatively
      affected by prior surgery and complications necessitating revision surgery.

PMID- 26096471
TI  - A rare cause of chronic neck pain: accessory cervical spinous process.

PMID- 26096472
TI  - Creating a sustainable model of spine care in underserved communities: the World
      Spine Care (WSC) charity.

PMID- 26096473
TI  - Intradural extramedullary spinal hydatid cyst causing bone destruction.

PMID- 26096475
TI  - Sudden paraplegia because of dumbbell-shaped metastatic neuroendocrine tumor
      (carcinoid tumor).

PMID- 26096474
TI  - Randomized clinical trial assessing whether additional massage treatments for
      chronic neck pain improve 12- and 26-week outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND CONTEXT: This is the first study to systematically evaluate the value
      of a longer treatment period for massage. We provide a framework of how to
      conceptualize an optimal dose in this challenging setting of nonpharmacologic
      treatments. PURPOSE: The aim was to determine the optimal dose of massage for
      neck pain. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Two-phase randomized trial for persons with
      chronic nonspecific neck pain. Primary randomization to one of five groups
      receiving 4 weeks of massage (30 minutes 2x/or 3x/wk or 60 minutes 1x, 2x, or
      3x/wk). Booster randomization of participants to receive an additional six
      massages, 60 minutes 1x/wk, or no additional massage. PATIENT SAMPLE: A total of
      179 participants from Group Health and the general population of Seattle, WA, USA
      recruited between June 2010 and August 2011 were included. OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Primary outcomes self-reported neck-related dysfunction (Neck Disability Index)
      and pain (0-10 scale) were assessed at baseline, 12, and 26 weeks. Clinically
      meaningful improvement was defined as greater than or equal to 5-point decrease
      in dysfunction and greater than or equal to 30% decrease in pain from baseline.
      METHODS: Clinically meaningful improvement for each primary outcome with both
      follow-up times was analyzed using adjusted modified Poisson generalized
      estimating equations (GEEs). Secondary analyses for the continuous outcomes used
      linear GEEs. RESULTS: There were no observed differences by primary treatment
      group at 12 or 26 weeks. Those receiving booster dose had improvements in both
      dysfunction and pain at 12 weeks (dysfunction: relative risk [RR]=1.56 [1.08
      2.25], p=.018; pain: RR=1.25 [0.98-1.61], p=.077), but those were nonsignificant
      at 26 weeks (dysfunction: RR=1.22 [0.85-1.74]; pain: RR=1.09 [0.82-1.43]).
      Subgroup analysis by primary and booster treatments found the booster dose only
      effective among those initially randomized to one of the 60-minute massage
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: "Booster" doses for those initially receiving 60 minutes of
      massage should be incorporated into future trials of massage for chronic neck
      pain.

PMID- 26096476
TI  - Posterior epidural lumbar disc fragment mimicking epidural mass.

PMID- 26096477
TI  - Kinematic relationship between missed ligamentum flavum bulge and degenerative
      factors in the cervical spine.
AB  - BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Bulging of ligamentum flavum can happen with the aging
      process and can lead to compression of the spinal cord and nerves. However, the
      distribution and the risk factors associated with a missed ligamentum flavum
      bulge (LFB) are unknown. PURPOSE: The aim was to evaluate the distribution and
      risk factors associated with missed LFB in the cervical spine. STUDY DESIGN: This
      was a retrospective analysis of kinematic magnetic resonance images (kMRI).
      PATIENT SAMPLE: Patients diagnosed with symptomatic neck pain or radiculopathy
      between March 2011 and October 2012 were included. OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome
      measures were missed LFB and degenerative factors. METHODS: A total of 200
      patients (1,000 cervical segments) underwent upright kMRI in neutral, flexion,
      and extension postures. The LFB, sagittal cervical angles, disc herniation, disc
      degeneration, disc height, angular motion, translational motion, age, and gender
      were recorded. After excluding segments with LFB in neutral and flexion position,
      Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the relation
      between the risk factors and missed LFB in the extension position. RESULTS: The
      average depth of LFB was 0.24+/-0.71 mm at C2-C3, 1.02+/-1.42 mm at C3-C4, 1.65+/
      1.48 mm at C4-C5, 2.13+/-1.37 mm at C5-C6, and 1.05+/-1.54 mm at C6-C7. The
      distribution of LFB was the most frequent at C5-C6 level (76.58%) followed by C4
      C5 (63.06%). Disc herniation, disc degeneration, angular variation, and
      translational motion were significantly correlated with missed LFB at C4-C5 andC5
      C6. Disc degeneration was the only factor significantly correlated with missed
      LFB at all cervical segments. CONCLUSIONS: Occurrence and depth of missed LFB was
      the highest at C4-C5 and C5-C6 compared with other cervical levels. Disc
      degeneration, disc herniation, angular variation, and translational motion could
      play a role in the development of LFB at C4-C5 andC5-C6.

PMID- 26096478
TI  - A rare case of noncontiguous multiple spinal Langerhans cell histiocytosis
      involving atlantoaxial instability.

PMID- 26096479
TI  - Unusual presentation of an adult filum terminale teratoma associated with
      diplomyelia.

PMID- 26096480
TI  - Cervical involvement in Morquio syndrome.

PMID- 26096481
TI  - Ponticulus posticus.

PMID- 26096482
TI  - An unusual site of lung adenocarcinoma metastasis: cauda equina.

PMID- 26096483
TI  - Immature ganglioneuroma of the thoracic spine with lipomatous component: a rare
      cause of scoliosis.

PMID- 26096485
TI  - Benign osteoblastoma of cervical spine.

PMID- 26096484
TI  - Can patient characteristics predict benefit from epidural corticosteroid
      injections for lumbar spinal stenosis symptoms?
AB  - BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Epidural corticosteroid injections are commonly used to treat
      back and leg pain associated with lumbar spinal stenosis. However, little is
      known about which patient characteristics may predict favorable responses.
      PURPOSE: The aim was to identify patient characteristics associated with benefits
      from epidural injections of corticosteroid with lidocaine versus epidural
      injections of lidocaine only for lumbar spinal stenosis symptoms. STUDY
      DESIGN/SETTING: This was a secondary analysis of Lumbar Epidural steroid
      injections for Spinal Stenosis randomized controlled trial data from 16 US
      clinical sites. PATIENT SAMPLE: Patients aged older than or equal to 50 years
      with moderate-to-severe leg pain and lumbar central spinal stenosis randomized to
      epidural injections of corticosteroids with lidocaine (n=200) or lidocaine only
      (n=200) were included. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were the Roland-Morris
      Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) and 0 to 10 leg pain intensity ratings. Secondary
      outcomes included the Brief Pain Inventory Interference Scale and the Swiss
      Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire. METHODS: At baseline, clinicians rated severity of
      patient spinal stenosis, and patients completed predictor and outcome measures.
      Patients completed outcome measures again 3 and 6 (primary end point) weeks after
      randomization/initial injection. Analysis of covariance was used with treatment
      by covariate interactions to identify baseline predictors of greater benefit from
      corticosteroid+lidocaine versus lidocaine alone. We also identified nonspecific
      (independent of treatment) predictors of outcomes. RESULTS: Among 21 candidate
      predictors and six outcomes, only one baseline variable predicted greater benefit
      from corticosteroid+lidocaine versus lidocaine only at 3 or 6 weeks. Compared
      with patients who rated their health-related quality of life as high on the EQ-5D
      Index, patients who rated it as poor had greater improvement with corticosteroid
      than with lidocaine only in leg pain at 6 (but not 3) weeks (interaction
      coefficient=2.94; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.11-5.76; p=.04) and in RMDQ
      disability scores at 3 (but not 6) weeks (interaction coefficient=4.77, 95% CI= 
      0.04 to 9.59; p = .05). Several baseline patient characteristics predicted
      outcomes regardless of treatment assignment. CONCLUSIONS: Among 21 baseline
      patient characteristics examined, none, including clinician-rated spinal stenosis
      severity, were consistent predictors of benefit from epidural injections of
      lidocaine+corticosteroid versus lidocaine only.

PMID- 26096486
TI  - An unusual cause of chronic abdominal pain in a child: thoracic spinal dermoid
      cyst.

PMID- 26096487
TI  - Spontaneous cervicothoracic epidural hematoma.

PMID- 26096488
TI  - A rare cause of chronic backache: paraspinal hydatid cyst with neural foraminal
      extension.

PMID- 26096489
TI  - Kummel disease and successful percutaneous vertebroplasty treatment.

PMID- 26096490
TI  - Disagreement between parents on assessment of child temperament traits.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accuracy of temperament assessment is a prerequisite in research
      studies. To identify the extent to which parental assessment of child temperament
      is biased by their personal attributes, we proposed a new structural equation
      model, in which biases of parental attributes in their assessment of child
      temperament can be separated from the true (i.e. non-biased) associations between
      the two. METHODS: We examined 234 father-mother pairs using questionnaires
      including Emotionality, Activity, Sociability, and Impulsivity; Social
      Desirability Scale; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; Temperament and
      Character Inventory; and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory. RESULTS:
      Paternal Depression and Persistence, maternal Trait Anger, and parental Novelty
      Seeking showed significant bias in assessment of Emotionality. Maternal Self
      transcendence showed significant bias in assessment of child Impulsivity.
      CONCLUSION: Researchers should be cautious about biases in parental assessment of
      children's Emotionality and Impulsivity, but other temperament traits may be free
      from such biases.

PMID- 26096491
TI  - The morphology of the pineal gland of the yellow-toothed cavy (Galea Spixii
      Wagler, 1831) and red-rumped agouti (Dasyprocta leporina linnaeus, 1758).
AB  - The pineal gland is an endocrine gland found in all mammals. This article
      describes the morphology of this important gland in two species of Caviideae,
      namely the yellow-toothed cavy and the red-rumped agouti. Ten adult animals of
      the two species used in current analysis were retrieved from the Center for the
      Multiplication of Wild Animals (CEMAS/UFERSA) and euthanized. The glands were
      removed and photographed in situ and ex situ. They were fixed in a
      paraformaldehyde solution 4% or glutaraldehyde 2.5% solution and submitted to
      routine histological techniques respectively for light and scanning electron
      microscopy. Macroscopically, the pineal gland with its elongated structure may be
      found between the cerebral hemispheres facing the rostral colliculi.
      Microscopically, pinealocytes and some glia cells were predominant.
      Contrastingly, to the cavy's pineal gland, a capsule covered the organ in the
      agouti, with the emission of incomplete septa to the interior, which divided it
      into two lobules. Light and scanning electron microscopes failed to show
      calcareous concretions in the pineal gland. Based on the topography of the cavy's
      and agouti's pineal gland, it may be classified as supra-callosum and ABC type.

PMID- 26096492
TI  - Ketamine.

PMID- 26096493
TI  - Retention challenge facing Australia's rural community mental health services:
      Service managers' perspectives.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to contribute to the development of a more sustainable
      Australian rural community mental health workforce by comparing the findings from
      a literature search investigating impacting factors on retention with the
      experiences of community mental health service managers running services in rural
      Australia. DESIGN: Semi-structured interviews. SETTING: Public health sector,
      rural New South Wales. PARTICIPANTS: Five community mental health managers,
      running services in rural Australia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Interviews were
      undertaken as a pilot for a broader qualitative study investigating factors
      influencing the decision to stay or leave among community mental health
      professionals working in rural positions. The purpose of undertaking this pilot
      study was to test for validity and relevance of the retention phenomena and help
      inform the research design for the main study. RESULTS: Three key retention
      focussed themes were identified: (i) Staffing is a persistent challenge; (ii)
      Small remote towns pose the biggest challenge; and (iii) The decision to stay or
      leave is complex and multifactorial. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this pilot
      study support previous research and contribute to the understanding of influences
      on retention among health professionals working in rural community mental health
      services. Importantly, those who have worked for several years in rural positions
      hold important information through which to explore factors that impact retention
      in rural and remote regions.

PMID- 26096494
TI  - Characterization of Campylobacter jejuni DNA gyrase as the target of quinolones.
AB  - Quinolones have long been used as the first-line treatment for Campylobacter
      infections. However, an increased resistance to quinolones has raised public
      health concerns. The development of new quinolone-based antibiotics with high
      activity is critical for effective, as DNA gyrase, the target of quinolones, is
      an essential enzyme for bacterial growth in several mechanisms. The evaluation of
      antibiotic activity against Campylobacter jejuni largely relies on drug
      susceptibility tests, which require at least 2 days to produce results. Thus, an
      in vitro method for studying the activity of quinolones against the C. jejuni DNA
      gyrase is preferred. To identify potent quinolones, we investigated the
      interaction of C. jejuni DNA gyrase with a number of quinolones using recombinant
      subunits. The combination of purified subunits exhibited DNA supercoiling
      activity in an ATP dependent manner. Drug concentrations that inhibit DNA
      supercoiling by 50% (IC50s) of 10 different quinolones were estimated to range
      from 0.4 (sitafloxacin) to >100 MUg/mL (nalidixic acid). Sitafloxacin showed the
      highest inhibitory activity, and the analysis of the quinolone structure-activity
      relationship demonstrated that a fluorine atom at R-6 might play the important
      role in the inhibitory activity against C. jejuni gyrase. Measured quinolone
      IC50s correlated well with minimum inhibitory concentrations (R = 0.9943). These
      suggest that the in vitro supercoiling inhibition assay on purified recombinant
      C. jejuni DNA gyrase is a useful and predictive technique to monitor the
      antibacterial potency of quinolones. And furthermore, these data suggested that
      sitafloxacin might be a good candidate for clinical trials on campylobacteriosis.

PMID- 26096495
TI  - In vitro neuraminidase inhibitory activity of four neuraminidase inhibitors
      against clinical isolates of the influenza virus circulating in the Japanese 2013
      2014 season.
AB  - To assess the extent of viral resistance, we measured the 50% inhibitory
      concentration (IC50) of neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) for the influenza virus
      isolates in the 2013-2014 influenza season and compared the results to those of
      the 2010-2011 to 2012-2013 influenza seasons. Viral isolation was done with
      specimens obtained prior to treatment, and the type and subtype of influenza was
      determined by RT-PCR using type- and subtype-specific primers. The IC50 was
      determined by a neuraminidase inhibition assay using a fluorescent substrate. A
      total of 327 influenza viruses were isolated: 172 influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 (52.6%),
      49 A(H3N2) (15.0%), and 106 B (32.4%). Numbers of Victoria and Yamagata lineage
      isolates were 36 and 70, respectively. Two A(H1N1)pdm09 isolates showed a high
      IC50 for oseltamivir (130 and 150 nM) exceeding by 100 times the geometric mean
      of the IC50 of oseltamivir for A(H1N1)pdm09 isolates (0.76 nM). No isolate showed
      a very high IC50 for A(H3N2) or B. The IC50 of the NAIs except for oseltamivir
      for A(H1N1) pdm09 were significantly higher than those of the 2010-2011 season (P
      < 0.05). The IC50 of all four NAIs for A(H3N2) were significantly lower than
      those of the 2012-2013 season (P < 0.001). The IC50 of the NAIs for B except for
      oseltamivir were significantly lower than those of the 2012-2013 season (P <
      0.001). Although there are some isolates that show highly reduced sensitivity to
      oseltamivir among A(H1N1)pdm09 isolates, the currently epidemic influenza
      A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and B viruses are susceptible to all four NAIs with no
      trend toward decreased sensitivity.

PMID- 26096496
TI  - Environmental exposure to manganese in air: Associations with cognitive
      functions.
AB  - Manganese (Mn), an essential element, can be neurotoxic in high doses. This cross
      sectional study explored the cognitive function of adults residing in two towns
      (Marietta and East Liverpool, Ohio, USA) identified as having high levels of
      environmental airborne Mn from industrial sources. Air-Mn site surface emissions
      method modeling for total suspended particulate (TSP) ranged from 0.03 to 1.61
      MUg/m(3) in Marietta and 0.01-6.32 MUg/m(3) in East Liverpool. A comprehensive
      screening test battery of cognitive function, including the domains of abstract
      thinking, attention/concentration, executive function and memory was
      administered. The mean age of the participants was 56 years (+/-10.8 years).
      Participants were mostly female (59.1) and primarily white (94.6%). Significant
      relationships (p<0.05) were found between Mn exposure and performance on working
      and visuospatial memory (e.g., Rey-O Immediate beta=-0.19, Rey-O Delayed beta=
      0.16) and verbal skills (e.g., Similarities beta=-0.19). Using extensive
      cognitive testing and computer modeling of 10-plus years of measured air
      monitoring data, this study suggests that long-term environmental exposure to
      high levels of air-Mn, the exposure metric of this paper, may result in mild
      deficits of cognitive function in adult populations.

PMID- 26096497
TI  - Short-term use of glucocorticoids and risk of peptic ulcer bleeding: a nationwide
      population-based case-crossover study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Controversy exists regarding glucocorticoids therapy and the risk of
      peptic ulcer bleeding (PUB). AIM: The present study was undertaken to determine
      whether short-term use of glucocorticoids is associated with the occurrence of
      peptic ulcer bleeding. METHODS: The records of adult patients hospitalised for
      newly diagnosed peptic ulcer bleeding from 2000 to 2012 were retrieved from the
      Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, a nationwide population-based
      registry system. The association between systemic glucocorticoids usage and
      peptic ulcer bleeding was determined with a conditional logistic regression model
      comparing cases and controls during time windows of 7, 14 and 28 days using a
      case-crossover design. RESULTS: Of the 8894 enrolled patients, the adjusted self
      matched odds ratios for peptic ulcer bleeding after exposure to the
      glucocorticoids were 1.37 (95% CI: 1.12-1.68, P = 0.003) for the 7-day window,
      1.66 (95% CI: 1.38-2.00, P < 0.001) for the 14-day window and 1.84 (95% CI: 1.57
      2.16, P < 0.001) for the 28-day window. Moderate to high, but not low dose
      glucocorticoids (methylprednisolone <4 mg/day or its equivalence) were associated
      with an increased risk of peptic ulcer bleeding. Concomitant use of a
      nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) or aspirin further
      elevated the risk. However, it does not eliminate the effect of underlying
      diseases flare-up that may have placed the patients at risk for peptic ulcer
      bleeding in this kind of study design. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term (7-28 days)
      exposure to glucocorticoids is significantly associated with peptic ulcer
      bleeding; this risk seems dose-dependent and is higher when nonselective NSAIDs
      or aspirin are used concurrently.

PMID- 26096498
TI  - Overexpression of MdSOS2L1, a CIPK protein kinase, increases the antioxidant
      metabolites to enhance salt tolerance in apple and tomato.
AB  - Soil salinity hinders the growth of most higher plants and becomes a gradually
      increasing threat to the agricultural production of such crops as the woody plant
      apple. In this study, a calcineurin B-like protein (CBL)-interacting protein
      kinase, MdCIPK24-LIKE1 (named as MdSOS2L1), was identified. Quantitative real
      time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay revealed that the expression of
      MdSOS2L1 was upregulated by CaCl2 . Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assay and transiently
      transgenic analysis demonstrated that the MdSOS2L1 protein kinase physically
      interacted with MdCBL1, MdCBL4 and MdCBL10 proteins to increase salt tolerance in
      apple. Furthermore, iTRAQ proteome combined with liquid chromatography-tandem
      mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis found that several proteins, which are
      involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging, procyanidin biosynthesis
      and malate metabolism, were induced in MdSOS2L1-overexpressing apple plants.
      Subsequent studies have shown that MdSOS2L1 increased antioxidant metabolites
      such as procyanidin and malate to improve salt tolerance in apple and tomato. In
      summary, our studies provide a mechanism in which SOS2L1 enhances the salt stress
      tolerance in apple and tomato.

PMID- 26096499
TI  - Purification of His-Tagged Proteins.
AB  - Ni-NTA affinity purification of His-tagged proteins is a bind-wash-elute
      procedure that can be performed under native or denaturing conditions. Here,
      protocols for purification of His-tagged proteins under native, as well as under
      denaturing conditions, are given. The choice whether to purify the target protein
      under native or denaturing conditions depends on protein location and solubility,
      the accessibility of the His tag, and the desired downstream application. His
      tagged proteins can be purified by a single-step affinity chromatography, namely
      immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC), which is commercially
      available in different kinds of formats, Ni-NTA matrices being the most widely
      used. The provided protocols describe protein purification in the batch binding
      mode and apply gravity-assisted flow in disposable columns; this procedure is
      simple to conduct and extremely robust. IMAC purification can equally be
      performed in prepacked columns using FPLC or other liquid chromatography
      instrumentation, or using magnetic bead-based methods (Block et al., 2009). 

PMID- 26096501
TI  - Immunoaffinity Purification of Proteins.
AB  - This protocol entails a single-step, high-affinity purification of proteins using
      an immobilized antibody column. 

PMID- 26096500
TI  - Affinity Purification of a Recombinant Protein Expressed as a Fusion with the
      Maltose-Binding Protein (MBP) Tag.
AB  - Expression of fusion proteins such as MBP fusions can be used as a way to improve
      the solubility of the expressed protein in E. coli (Fox and Waugh, 2003;
      Nallamsetty et al., 2005; Nallamsetty and Waugh, 2006) and as a way to introduce
      an affinity purification tag. The protocol that follows was designed by the
      authors as a first step in the purification of a recombinant protein fused with
      MBP, using fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). Cells should have been
      thawed, resuspended in binding buffer, and lysed by sonication or
      microfluidization before mixing with the amylose resin or loading on the column.
      Slight modifications to this protocol may be made to accommodate both the protein
      of interest and the availability of equipment. 

PMID- 26096502
TI  - Affinity Purification of Protein Complexes Using TAP Tags.
AB  - This protocol is used for the isolation and analysis of protein complexes using
      the tandem affinity purification (TAP) tag system. The protocol describes the
      purification of a protein fused to a TAP tag comprised of two protein A domains
      and the calmodulin binding peptide separated by a TEV cleavage site. This is a
      powerful technique for rapid purification of protein complexes and the analysis
      of their stoichiometric composition, posttranslational modifications, structure,
      and functional activities. 

PMID- 26096503
TI  - Strep-Tagged Protein Purification.
AB  - The Strep-tag system can be used to purify recombinant proteins from any
      expression system. Here, protocols for lysis and affinity purification of Strep
      tagged proteins from E. coli, baculovirus-infected insect cells, and transfected
      mammalian cells are given. Depending on the amount of Strep-tagged protein in the
      lysate, a protocol for batch binding and subsequent washing and eluting by
      gravity flow can be used. Agarose-based matrices with the coupled Strep-Tactin
      ligand are the resins of choice, with a binding capacity of up to 9 mg ml(-1).
      For purification of lower amounts of Strep-tagged proteins, the use of Strep
      Tactin magnetic beads is suitable. In addition, Strep-tagged protein purification
      can also be automated using prepacked columns for FPLC or other liquid-handling
      chromatography instrumentation, but automated purification is not discussed in
      this protocol. The protocols described here can be regarded as an update of the
      Strep-Tag Protein Handbook (Qiagen, 2009).

PMID- 26096504
TI  - Proteolytic Affinity Tag Cleavage.
AB  - Here, we present protocols describing the use of the dipeptidyl-aminopeptidase-1
      (DPP1, DAPase) exoprotease-based TAGZyme system and the endoprotease, Factor Xa.
      Both enable the recovery of proteins free of any amino acids encoded by the
      vector and/or protease recognition site. They also provide the possibility of
      removing the proteases from the preparation of the target protein by a simple
      subtractive chromatography step. TAGZyme enzymes contain an uncleavable His tag
      for removal by Immobilized Metal Ion Affinity Chromatography (IMAC). Factor Xa
      can be removed using Xa Removal Resin. 

PMID- 26096506
TI  - Protein Affinity Purification using Intein/Chitin Binding Protein Tags.
AB  - Isolation of highly purified recombinant protein is essential for a wide range of
      biochemical and biophysical assays. Affinity purification in which a tag is fused
      to the desired protein and then specifically bound to an affinity column is a
      widely used method for obtaining protein of high purity. Many of these methods
      have the drawbacks of either leaving the recombinant tag attached to the protein
      or requiring the addition of a protease which then must be removed by further
      chromatographic steps. The fusion of a self-cleaving intein sequence followed by
      a chitin-binding domain (CBD) allows for one-step chromatographic purification of
      an untagged protein through the thiol-catalyzed cleavage of the intein sequence
      from the desired protein. The affinity purification is highly specific and can
      yield pure protein without any undesired N- or C-terminal extensions. This
      protocol is based on the IMPACTTM-System (intein mediated purification with an
      affinity chitin-binding tag) marketed by New England Biolabs. 

PMID- 26096505
TI  - Affinity Pull-Down of Proteins Using Anti-FLAG M2 Agarose Beads.
AB  - FLAG is an affinity tag widely used for rapid and highly specific one-step
      protein purification. Native elution of protein from anti-FLAG antibody resins
      allows the identification of protein and nucleic acid binding partners and
      functional analysis using biochemical activity assays. 

PMID- 26096507
TI  - Purification of GST-Tagged Proteins.
AB  - This protocol describes the purification of recombinant proteins fused to
      glutathione S-transferase (GST, GST-tagged proteins) by Glutathione Affinity
      purification. The GST tag frequently increases the solubility of the fused
      protein of interest and thus enables its purification and subsequent functional
      characterization. The GST-tagged protein specifically binds to glutathione
      immobilized to a matrix (e.g., agarose) and can be easily separated from a cell
      lysate by a bind-wash-elute procedure. GST-tagged proteins are often used to
      study protein-protein interactions, again making use of glutathione affinity in a
      procedure called a GST pull-down assay. The protocol is designed to process 200
      ml of E. coli culture expressing intermediate to high amounts of a GST-tagged
      protein (~25 mg l(-1)). Depending on the expression rate or the available culture
      volume, the scale can be increased or decreased linearly. The protocol can also
      be used to purify GST-tagged proteins from other expression systems, such as
      insect or mammalian cells. Tips are provided to aid in modifying certain steps if
      proteins shall be recovered from alternative expression systems.

PMID- 26096508
TI  - Preface. Laboratory Methods in Enzymology: Protein Part D.

PMID- 26096509
TI  - Valproic acid hypersensitivity and desensitization.
AB  - Rash, a hypersensitivity reaction, is a common cause of withdrawal from an
      effective antiepileptic drug (AED) in patients with epilepsy. We present a case
      of successful desensitization to valproic acid in a 12-year-old male with
      childhood absence epilepsy and a hypersensitivity reaction, whose epilepsy did
      not respond to other AEDs. Desensitization is a practical therapeutic solution
      for patients who develop a non-life-threatening hypersensitivity reaction to an
      AED for which there may be no substitute. 

PMID- 26096510
TI  - Does Stroke Imaging Provide Insights into the Neural Basis of Cognition?
AB  - Since the advent of in vivo imaging, first with CT, and then MRI, structural
      neuroimaging in patients has been widely used as a tool to explore the neural
      correlates of a wide variety of cognitive functions. Findings from studies using
      this methodology have formed a core component of current accounts of cognition,
      but there are a number of problematic issues related to inferring cognitive
      functions from structural imaging data in stroke and more generally, lesion-based
      neuropsychology as a whole. This review addresses these concerns in the context
      of spatial neglect, a common disorder most frequently encountered following right
      hemisphere stroke. Recent literature, including attempts to address some of these
      questions, is discussed. Novel approaches and findings from related fields that
      may help to put stroke-based lesion mapping studies into perspective are
      reviewed, allowing critical but constructive evaluation of previous work in the
      field. 

PMID- 26096511
TI  - The Inflammatory Form of Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy or "Cerebral Amyloid
      Angiopathy-Related Inflammation" (CAARI).
AB  - Cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation (CAARI) is a recently recognized
      syndrome of reversible encephalopathy seen in a subset of patients with cerebral
      amyloid angiopathy (CAA). CAA is a disorder of the elderly in which amyloid
      peptides are deposited in the walls of cerebral arteries, leading to
      microhemorrhages, macrohemorrhages, and eventually dementia. In a few cases, the
      amyloid deposition is accompanied by inflammation or edema. The clinical syndrome
      of CAARI is distinguished by subacute neurobehavioral symptoms, headaches,
      seizures, and stroke-like signs, contrasting the acute intracranial hemorrhage
      typically seen in CAA. Magnetic resonance imaging findings may be symmetric or
      asymmetric and involve patchy or confluent T2 hyperintense lesions in the cortex
      and subcortical white matter. Recent diagnostic criteria have been proposed which
      help distinguish CAARI from alternative diagnoses. Improvement has been reported
      in most cases with immunosuppression, although a few cases have had recurrent
      symptoms. Here, we review the clinical and radiologic features of CAARI and
      compare these with CAA. 

PMID- 26096512
TI  - Erratum to: New Genes for Focal Epilepsies with Speech and Language Disorders.

PMID- 26096513
TI  - Substrate recognition by the zinc metalloprotease effector NleC from
      enteropathogenic Escherichia coli.
AB  - Upon infection of epithelial cells, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli suppresses
      host cell inflammatory signalling in a type III secretion system (T3SS) dependent
      manner. Two key T3SS effector proteins involved in this response are NleE and
      NleC. NleC is a zinc metalloprotease effector that degrades the p65 subunit of NF
      kappaB. Although the site of p65 cleavage by NleC is now well described, other
      areas of interaction have not been precisely defined. Here we constructed
      overlapping truncations of p65 to identify regions required for NleC cleavage. We
      determined that NleC cleaved both p65 and p50 within the Rel homology domain
      (RHD) and that two motifs, E22IIE25 and P177VLS180 , within the RHD of p65 were
      important for recognition and binding by NleC. Alanine substitution of one or
      both of these motifs protected p65 from binding and degradation by NleC. The
      E22IIE25 and P177VLS180 motifs were located within the structurally distinct N
      terminal subdomain of the RHD involved in DNA binding by p65 on adjacent,
      parallel strands. Although these motifs have not been recognized previously, both
      were needed for the correct localization and function of p65. In summary, this
      work has identified two regions of p65 within the RHD needed for binding and
      cleavage by NleC and provides further insight into the molecular basis of
      substrate recognition by a T3SS effector.

PMID- 26096514
TI  - Telaprevir versus simeprevir for the treatment of recurrent hepatitis C after
      living donor liver transplantation.
AB  - AIM: Our aim was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of telaprevir (TVR)- or
      simeprevir (SMV)-based triple therapy for recurrent hepatitis C after living
      donor liver transplantation. METHODS: Twenty-six patients received antiviral
      therapy, consisting of either TVR (n = 12) or SMV (n = 14) in combination with
      pegylated interferon and ribavirin, plus cyclosporin. RESULTS: More patients had
      a dose reduction of the direct-acting agent (36.3% vs 0.0%, P = 0.02) or required
      blood transfusion for anemia (58.3% vs 7.1%, P < 0.01) in the TVR group. The
      cyclosporin trough/dose ratio increased significantly from week 0 to week 4 in
      the TVR group (1.6 +/- 0.4 to 5.1 +/- 2.0, P < 0.01), but not in the SMV group
      (1.2 +/- 0.3 to 1.3 +/- 0.2, P = 0.68). The 24-week cumulative viral clearance
      rate was 91.7% and 85.7% in the TVR and in SMV groups, respectively. The early
      viral response and sustained viral response rates were 91.7% and 83.3%,
      respectively, in the TVR group, compared with 85.7% and 64.3%, respectively, in
      the SMV group. Interferon-mediated graft dysfunction occurred in four and five
      patients in the TVR and SMV groups, respectively; two patients were treated by
      oral steroids, five by steroid pulse and two by thymoglobulin, resulting in viral
      breakthrough in one case. CONCLUSION: SMV-based triple therapy was associated
      with fewer adverse events and drug interactions with cyclosporin, and possibly
      less antiviral properties to TVR. Interferon-mediated graft dysfunction is a
      significant clinical problem that warrants particular caution following living
      donor liver transplantation.

PMID- 26096515
TI  - Acetone-Linked Peptides: A Convergent Approach for Peptide Macrocyclization and
      Labeling.
AB  - Macrocyclization is a broadly applied approach for overcoming the intrinsically
      disordered nature of linear peptides. Herein, it is shown that dichloroacetone
      (DCA) enhances helical secondary structures when introduced between peptide
      nucleophiles, such as thiols, to yield an acetone-linked bridge (ACE). Aside from
      stabilizing helical structures, the ketone moiety embedded in the linker can be
      modified with diverse molecular tags by oxime ligation. Insights into the
      structure of the tether were obtained through co-crystallization of a constrained
      S-peptide in complex with RNAse S. The scope of the acetone-linked peptides was
      further explored through the generation of N-terminus to side chain macrocycles
      and a new approach for generating fused macrocycles (bicycles). Together, these
      studies suggest that acetone linking is generally applicable to peptide
      macrocycles with a specific utility in the synthesis of stabilized helices that
      incorporate functional tags. 

PMID- 26096516
TI  - Robust electron pairing in the integer quantum hall effect regime.
AB  - Electron pairing is a rare phenomenon appearing only in a few unique physical
      systems; for example, superconductors and Kondo-correlated quantum dots. Here, we
      report on an unexpected electron pairing in the integer quantum Hall effect
      regime. The pairing takes place within an interfering edge channel in an
      electronic Fabry-Perot interferometer at a wide range of bulk filling factors,
      between 2 and 5. We report on three main observations: high-visibility Aharonov
      Bohm conductance oscillations with magnetic flux periodicity equal to half the
      magnetic flux quantum; an interfering quasiparticle charge equal to twice the
      elementary electron charge as revealed by quantum shot noise measurements, and
      full dephasing of the pairs' interference by induced dephasing of the adjacent
      inner edge channel-a manifestation of inter-channel entanglement. Although this
      pairing phenomenon clearly results from inter-channel interaction, the exact
      mechanism that leads to electron-electron attraction within a single edge channel
      is not clear. We believe that substantial efforts are needed in order to clarify
      these intriguing and unexpected findings. 

PMID- 26096517
TI  - Rhodium-Catalyzed ortho-Selective C-F Bond Borylation of Polyfluoroarenes with
      Bpin-Bpin.
AB  - An ortho-selective C-F bond borylation between N-heterocycle-substituted
      polyfluoroarenes and Bpin-Bpin with simple and commercially available [Rh(cod)2
      ]BF4 as a catalyst is now reported. The reaction proceeds under mild reaction
      conditions with high efficiency and broad substrate scope, even toward
      monofluoroarene, thus providing a facile access to a wide range of borylated
      fluoroarenes that are useful for photoelectronic materials. Preliminary
      mechanistic studies reveal that a Rh(III/V) catalytic cycle via a key
      intermediate rhodium(III) hydride complex [(H)Rh(III) Ln (Bpin)] may be involved
      in the reaction.

PMID- 26096518
TI  - Rapid and sensitive analysis of polymorphisms from breastmilk shows that
      ibuprofen is safe during certain stages of breastfeeding.

PMID- 26096519
TI  - Effect of cataract surgery on cognition, mood, and visual hallucinations in older
      adults.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the impact of cataract surgery on cognition, mood, and visual
      hallucinations in a cohort of patients aged 75 years and older. SETTING:
      Secondary care ophthalmology unit in Northeast England. DESIGN: Prospective
      observational cohort study. METHODS: Participants aged 75 years or older with
      bilateral cataract and scheduled for cataract surgery were recruited
      consecutively. Participants were assessed preoperatively and followed for 1 year
      postoperatively. Cognition was assessed using the revised Addenbrooke's Cognitive
      Examination (ACE-R), mood was measured with the 15-item Geriatric Depression
      Scale, visual hallucinations were elicited using the North East Visual
      Hallucinations Inventory, and visual acuity was assessed using a logMAR chart.
      RESULTS: One hundred twelve participants were recruited at baseline; 91 (81%)
      completed 1 year of follow-up. Significant improvements in ACE-R scores were seen
      between baseline and 1 year postoperatively (95% confidence interval for
      improvement, 0.5-2.8; P = .005). Improved cognition did not correlate with
      improved visual acuity (r = -0.13, P = .22). No significant changes in mood were
      seen during the course of the study (P = .314, repeated-measures 1-way analysis
      of variance). Complete resolution of complex visual hallucinations occurred in 2
      patients after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Small improvements in cognition and reports
      of resolved complex visual hallucinations indicate that the benefits of cataract
      surgery might extend beyond visual improvement. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author
      has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

PMID- 26096520
TI  - Refractive outcomes of Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty triple
      procedures (combined with cataract surgery).
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the refractive outcomes of triple Descemet membrane
      endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: The
      study included patients with Fuchs endothelial dystrophy and cataract without
      coincident pathology. RESULTS: Outcomes of 108 sequential triple DMEK procedures
      were evaluated. With a mean follow-up of 11.9 months, the median corrected
      distance visual acuity (CDVA) was 20/20 (range 20/15 to 20/40) and the median
      uncorrected distance visual acuity in eyes with a distance target (n = 84) was
      20/40 (range 20/20 to 20/200). Forty-five percent of patients gained 3 or more
      lines of CDVA. The median refractive error was +0.43 diopter (D) (interquartile
      range, -0.34 to +1.17 D). Aspheric intraocular lenses (IOLs) (n = 91) did not
      significantly change refractive astigmatism (mean: preoperative +0.926 D +/-
      0.144 [SD]; postoperative +0.945 +/- 0.129 D) (P = .83), while toric IOLs (n = 9)
      did (mean: preoperative +2.47 +/- 0.36 D; postoperative +0.94 +/- 0.90 D) (P =
      .0015). The anterior curvature measured by Scheimpflug imaging (Pentacam) did not
      significantly change (mean -0.06 +/- 0.47) (P = .41); however, keratometry by
      partial coherence interferometry (IOLMaster) did (mean -0.6 +/- 0.9 D) (P <
      .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Triple DMEK safely achieved excellent CDVA. Selection of the
      optimum IOL power is complicated by several factors. Because Fuchs dystrophy
      induces changes predominately in the central cornea, measurements averaging
      curvature over a larger area might underreport significant refractive deviations.
      In the absence of an algorithm to more precisely individualize IOL calculations,
      a refractive target of -0.75 to -1.00 D will help reduce the proportion of eyes
      left hyperopic. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a financial or proprietary
      interest in any material or method mentioned.

PMID- 26096521
TI  - Influence of light filters in intraocular lenses on color perception and contrast
      acuity.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare contrast acuity at different illumination levels, color
      vision, and the subjective visual impression in patients after bilateral cataract
      surgery with mixed implantation of a yellow-tinted intraocular lens (IOL) and an
      orange-tinted IOL. SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology, Hietzing Hospital,
      Vienna, Austria. DESIGN: Prospective case series. METHODS: Consecutive patients
      with age-related cataract had standardized small-incision cataract surgery with
      IOL implantation in the capsular bag. Patients were randomly assigned to receive
      a yellow Polylens Y30 in 1 eye and an Orange Series model PC 440Y in the
      contralateral eye. The main outcome measures were contrast acuity, color vision,
      and subjective visual impression. Contrast acuity was measured at illumination
      levels of 5.0 lux and 0.5 lux and contrast levels of 50.0%, 25.0%, and 12.5%.
      Color vision was assessed using the Heidelberg-multicolor anomaloscope, and the
      subjective visual impression was evaluated using a questionnaire. RESULTS: This
      study included 64 eyes of 32 patients. The intraindividual comparison showed no
      significant difference in contrast sensitivity at different contrast and
      illumination levels or in color vision. On questioning, 3 patients reported a
      difference in subjective color perception between the 2 IOL types. CONCLUSION:
      There were no differences in contrast sensitivity or color vision between yellow
      tinted IOLs and orange-tinted IOLs. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a
      financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

PMID- 26096522
TI  - Managing residual refractive error after cataract surgery.
AB  - We present a review of keratorefractive and intraocular approaches to managing
      residual astigmatic and spherical refractive error after cataract surgery,
      including laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), photorefractive keratectomy
      (PRK), arcuate keratotomy, intraocular lens (IOL) exchange, piggyback IOLs, and
      light-adjustable IOLs. Currently available literature suggests that laser vision
      correction, whether LASIK or PRK, yields more effective and predictable outcomes
      than intraocular surgery. Piggyback IOLs with a rounded-edge profile implanted in
      the sulcus may be superior to IOL exchange, but both options present potential
      risks that likely outweigh the refractive benefits except in cases with large
      residual spherical errors. The light-adjustable IOL may provide an ideal
      treatment to pseudophakic ametropia by obviating the need for secondary invasive
      procedures after cataract surgery, but it is not widely available nor has it been
      sufficiently studied.

PMID- 26096523
TI  - Incidence of corneal infections after laser in situ keratomileusis and surface
      ablation when moxifloxacin and tobramycin are used as postoperative treatment.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the incidence, culture results, and visual outcomes of
      infectious keratitis after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and surface
      ablation when topical moxifloxacin was added to postoperative prophylaxis with
      tobramycin. SETTING: Clinica Baviera, Instituto Oftalmologico Europeo, Bilbao,
      Spain. DESIGN: Retrospective case series review. METHODS: The medical records of
      55 255 patients (108 014 eyes) who had LASIK and surface ablation were reviewed
      to identify cases of infectious keratitis. The incidence, risk factors, clinical
      course, days to diagnosis, treatment, and final visual outcomes were recorded.
      These data were compared with previously published data of 221 437 eyes that
      received postoperative tobramycin alone. RESULTS: Post-LASIK infectious keratitis
      was diagnosed in 10 eyes (9 patients) and post-surface ablation infectious
      keratitis in 11 eyes (10 patients). The onset of infection was early in 40.00% of
      cases after LASIK and in 36.36% after surface ablation. Cultures were positive in
      2 cases after surface ablation. Immediate flap lifting and irrigation with
      antibiotics were performed in all eyes after LASIK. The final corrected distance
      visual acuity was 20/20 or better in 7 cases after LASIK (70.00%) and 7 cases
      after surface ablation (63.64%) and 20/40 or better in all cases after LASIK or
      surface ablation. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of infectious keratitis decreased
      from 0.025% to 0.011% (P < .001) per procedure after LASIK and from 0.200% to
      0.066% (P < .001) after surface ablation. Infectious keratitis was less frequent
      after LASIK than after surface ablation. The frequency of infection, mainly early
      onset infection, was lower when the postoperative treatment was tobramycin and
      moxifloxacin rather than tobramycin alone. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a
      financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

PMID- 26096524
TI  - Re: Letter to the editor regarding microelectrode recordings and deep brain
      stimulation surgery--Reasoned discussion?

PMID- 26096525
TI  - Crosstalk between nitric oxide and glutathione is required for NONEXPRESSOR OF
      PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES 1 (NPR1)-dependent defense signaling in Arabidopsis
      thaliana.
AB  - Nitric oxide (NO) is a ubiquitous signaling molecule involved in a wide range of
      physiological and pathophysiological processes in animals and plants. Although
      its significant influence on plant immunity is well known, information about the
      exact regulatory mechanisms and signaling pathways involved in the defense
      response to pathogens is still limited. We used genetic, biochemical,
      pharmacological approaches in combination with infection experiments to
      investigate the NO-triggered salicylic acid (SA)-dependent defense response in
      Arabidopsis thaliana. The NO donor S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) promoted the
      nuclear accumulation of NONEXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES 1 (NPR1)
      protein accompanied by an elevated SA concentration and the activation of
      pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, leading to induced resistance of A. thaliana
      against Pseudomonas infection. Moreover, NO induced a rapid change in the
      glutathione status, resulting in increased concentrations of glutathione, which
      is required for SA accumulation and activation of the NPR1-dependent defense
      response. Our data imply crosstalk between NO and glutathione, which is integral
      to the NPR1-dependent defense signaling pathway, and further demonstrate that
      glutathione is not only an important cellular redox buffer but also a signaling
      molecule in the plant defense response. 

PMID- 26096526
TI  - Visible-Light-Driven Intermolecular [2+2] Cycloadditions between Coumarin-3
      Carboxylates and Acrylamide Analogs.
AB  - This paper reports a room temperature visible-light-driven protocol for the
      intermolecular [2+2] cycloadditions between coumarin-3-carboxylates and
      acrylamides analogs by an energy-transfer process. Using an iridium complex
      FIrPic as a photosensitizer and a 3 W blue LED as a light source, an array of
      cyclobutabenzocypyranones were prepared in moderate to excellent yields. 

PMID- 26096527
TI  - The functional-cognitive framework as a tool for accelerating progress in
      cognitive neuroscience: On the benefits of bridging rather than reducing levels
      of analyses.
AB  - The subject matter of neuroscience research is complex, and synthesising the
      wealth of data from this research to better understand mental processes is
      challenging. A useful strategy, therefore, may be to distinguish explicitly
      between the causal effects of the environment on behaviour (i.e. functional
      analyses) and the mental processes that mediate these effects (i.e. cognitive
      analyses). In this article, we describe how the functional-cognitive (F-C)
      framework can accelerate cognitive neuroscience and also advance a functional
      treatment of brain activity. We first highlight that cognitive neuroscience can
      particularly benefit from the F-C approach by providing an alternative to the
      problematic practice of reducing cognitive constructs to behavioural and/or
      neural proxies. Next, we outline how functional (behaviour-environment) relations
      can serve as a bridge between cognitive and neural processes by restoring mental
      constructs to their original role as heuristic tools. Finally, we give some
      examples of how both cognitive neuroscience and traditional functional approaches
      can mutually benefit from the F-C framework. 

PMID- 26096528
TI  - Apolipoprotein E and protection against hepatitis E viral infection in American
      non-Hispanic blacks.
AB  - Hepatitis E viral (HEV) infection imposes a heavy health burden worldwide and is
      common in the United States. Previous investigations of risks addressed
      environmental and host behavioral/lifestyle factors, but host genetic factors
      have not been examined. We assessed strength of associations between antibody to
      HEV (anti-HEV) immunoglobulin G seropositivity indicating past or recent HEV
      infection and human genetic variants among three major racial/ethnic populations
      in the United States, involving 2434 non-Hispanic whites, 1919 non-Hispanic
      blacks, and 1919 Mexican Americans from the Third National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Survey, 1991-1994. We studied 497 single-nucleotide polymorphisms
      across 190 genes (particularly those associated with lipid metabolism). The
      genomic control method was used to adjust for potential population
      stratification. Non-Hispanic blacks had the lowest seroprevalence of anti-HEV
      immunoglobulin G (15.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 12.3%-19.0%) compared with
      non-Hispanic whites (22.3%, 95% CI 19.1%-25.7%) and Mexican Americans (21.8%, 95%
      CI 19.0%-25.3%; P<0.01). Non-Hispanic blacks were the only population that showed
      association between anti-HEV seropositivity and functional epsilon3 and epsilon4
      alleles of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene, encoding the apolipoprotein E
      protein that mediates lipoprotein metabolism. Seropositivity was significantly
      lower in participants carrying APOE epsilon4 (odds ratio=0.5, 95% CI 0.4-0.7;
      P=0.00004) and epsilon3 (odds ratio=0.6, 95% CI 0.4-0.8; P=0.001) compared to
      those carrying APOE epsilon2. No significant associations were observed between
      other single-nucleotide polymorphisms and anti-HEV seropositivity in non-Hispanic
      blacks or between any single-nucleotide polymorphisms and anti-HEV seropositivity
      in non-Hispanic whites or Mexican Americans. CONCLUSION: Both APOE epsilon3 and
      epsilon4 are significantly associated with protection against HEV infection in
      non-Hispanic blacks; additional studies are needed to understand the basis of
      protection so that preventive services can be targeted to at-risk persons.

PMID- 26096529
TI  - Detection of highly conductive surface electron states in topological crystalline
      insulators Pb(1-x)SnxSe using laser terahertz radiation.
AB  - We suggest a method for detection of highly conductive surface electron states
      including topological ones. The method is based on measurements of the
      photoelectromagnetic effect using terahertz laser pulses. In contrast to
      conventional transport measurements, the method is not sensitive to the bulk
      conductivity. The method is demonstrated on an example of topological crystalline
      insulators Pb(1-x)SnxSe. It is shown that highly conductive surface electron
      states are present in Pb(1-x)SnxSe both in the inverse and direct electron energy
      spectrum.

PMID- 26096530
TI  - Chemoprotective effects of a recombinant protein from Pyropia yezoensis and
      synthetic peptide against acetaminophen-induced Chang liver cell death.
AB  - In the present study, the chemoprotective effects of recombinant Pyropia
      yezoensis (P. yezoensis) protein 1 (PYP1) were examined in acetaminophen (APAP)
      treated Chang liver cells. The analysis of P. yezoensis revealed the presence of
      both mature and immature variants of PYP1. PYP1s, designated as PYP1 (15 kDa),
      PYP1-AC (12 kDa) and PYP1-B (5 kDa), were successfully expressed in Escherichia
      coli, and their chemoprotective effects were then examined. In addition, a
      peptide of 11 residues (ALEGGKSSGGG), which is a common sequence at the N
      terminus all of the PYP1s, was synthesized and examined. The effects of treatment
      with PYP1s and the synthetic peptide (SP) on cell proliferation were determined
      by MTS assay. Our results clearly demonstrated that treatment with all the PYP1s
      and SP significantly promoted the proliferation of Chang liver cells, protecting
      them against APAP. Thus, we concluded that recombinant PYP1s exert protective
      effects against injury to Chang liver cells.

PMID- 26096532
TI  - Correlation between Pulmonary Artery Pressure Measured by Echocardiography and
      Right Heart Catheterization in Patients with Rheumatic Mitral Valve Stenosis (A
      Prospective Study).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Right heart catheterization (RHC) remains the gold standard for
      hemodynamic assessment of the right heart and pulmonary artery. However, this is
      an invasive tool, and noninvasive alternatives such as transthoracic
      echocardiography (TTE) are preferable. Nonetheless, the correlation between
      measurements by TTE and RHC are debated. In this study, we prospectively examined
      the correlation between systolic and mean pulmonary artery pressures (sPAP and
      mPAP) measured by RHC and TTE in patients with hemodynamically significant
      rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three hundred patients with
      hemodynamically significant MS undergoing TTE who were scheduled to undergo RHC
      within 24 hours were analyzed. PAP measurements were taken for all patients by
      RHC (sPAP(RHC), mPAP(RHC)). Maximum velocity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) jet
      obtained by continuous-wave Doppler with adding right atrial (RA) pressure was
      used for measuring sPAP by TTE (sPAP(TRVmax)). Mean PAP was measured using either
      pulmonary artery acceleration time (mPAP(PAAT)) method or by adding RA pressure
      to velocity-time integral of TR jet (mPAP(TRVTI)). RESULTS: A good correlation
      between sPAP(RHC) and sPAP(TRVmax) (r = 0.89, P < 0.001), between mPAP(RHC) and
      mPAP(PAAT) (r = 0.9, P < 0.001), and between mPAP(RHC) and mPAP(TRVTI) (r = 0.92,
      P < 0.001) was found. Sensitivity and specificity of sPAP(TRV) max in detecting
      pulmonary hypertension (PH) were 92.8% and 86.6% and of mPAP(PAAT) were 94.1% and
      73.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The noninvasive assessment of sPAP and mPAP by
      TTE correlates well with invasive measurements and has an acceptable specificity
      and sensitivity in detecting PH in patients with hemodynamically significant MS.

PMID- 26096533
TI  - Seven basic dimensions of personality pathology and their clinical consequences:
      Are all personalities equally harmful?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Dimensional pathology models are increasingly being accepted for the
      assessment of disordered personalities, but their ability to predict negative
      outcomes is yet to be studied. We examine the relative clinical impact of seven
      basic dimensions of personality pathology through their associations with a wide
      range of clinical outcomes. METHODS: A sample of 960 outpatients was assessed
      through a 7-factor model integrating the Cloninger, the Livesley, and the DSM
      taxonomies. Thirty-six indicators of clinical outcome covering three areas -
      dissatisfaction, functional difficulties, and clinical severity - were also
      assessed. The unique contribution of each personality dimension to clinical
      outcome was estimated through multiple regressions. RESULTS: Overall, personality
      dimensions explained 17.6% of the variance of clinical outcome, but varied
      substantially in terms of their unique contributions. Negative Emotionality had
      the greatest impact in all areas, contributing 43.9% of the explained variance.
      The remaining dimensions led to idiosyncratic patterns of clinical outcomes but
      had a comparatively minor clinical impact. A certain effect was also found for
      combinations of dimensions such as Negative Emotionality * Impulsive Sensation
      Seeking, but most interactions were clinically irrelevant. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      findings suggest that the most relevant dimensions of personality pathology are
      associated with very different clinical consequences and levels of harmfulness.
      PRACTITIONER POINTS: The relative clinical impact of seven basic dimensions of
      personality pathology is examined. Negative Emotionality (Neuroticism) is 6-14
      times as harmful as other pathological dimensions. The remaining dimensions and
      their interactions have very specific and comparatively minor clinical
      consequences. LIMITATIONS: We examine only a handful of clinical outcomes. Our
      results may not be generalizable to other clinical or life outcomes. Our
      variables are self-reported and hence susceptible to bias. Our design does not
      allow us to establish causal relationships between personality and clinical
      outcomes.

PMID- 26096534
TI  - "Hepatitis C treatment turned me around:" Psychological and behavioral
      transformation related to hepatitis C treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C (HCV) is a significant public health problem that
      primarily affects current and former substance users. However, individuals with a
      history of substance use are less likely to have access to or engage in HCV care.
      Psychological and behavioral barriers prevent many HCV-infected individuals from
      initiating or engaging in HCV treatment. This study aimed to investigate the
      psychological and behavioral experiences of current and former substance users
      receiving HCV treatment within a combined methadone and primary care clinic in
      the United States. METHODS: We conducted 31 semi-structured qualitative
      interviews with opioid-dependent adults enrolled in an integrated HCV treatment
      program within a methadone maintenance clinic in the Bronx, NY. We used thematic
      analysis, informed by grounded theory, and inquired about perceptions of HCV
      before and after initiating HCV treatment, reasons for initiating HCV treatment,
      and the decision to participate in individual versus group HCV treatment.
      RESULTS: Participants described psychological and behavioral transformation over
      the course of HCV treatment. These included reductions in internalized stigma and
      shame related to HCV and addiction, increases in HCV disclosure and self-care,
      reductions in substance use, and new desire to help others who are living with
      HCV. CONCLUSIONS: Integrating HCV treatment with methadone maintenance has the
      potential to create psychological and behavioral transformations among substance
      using adults, including reductions in HCV- and addiction-related shame and
      improvements in overall self-care.

PMID- 26096535
TI  - Drug use patterns predict risk of non-fatal overdose among street-involved youth
      in a Canadian setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-fatal drug overdose is a major cause of morbidity among people
      who use drugs, although few studies have examined this risk among street-involved
      youth. We sought to determine the risk factors associated with non-fatal overdose
      among Canadian street-involved youth who reported illicit drug use. METHODS:
      Using data from a prospective cohort of street-involved youth in Vancouver,
      Canada, we identified youth without a history of overdose and employed Cox
      regression analyses to determine factors associated with time to non-fatal
      overdose between September 2005 and May 2012. RESULTS: Among 615 participants, 98
      (15.9%) reported a non-fatal overdose event during follow-up, resulting in an
      incidence density of 7.67 cases per 100 person-years. In multivariate Cox
      regression analyses, binge drug use (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR]=1.85; 95%
      confidence interval [CI]=1.20-2.84), non-injection crystal methamphetamine use
      (AHR=1.70; 95% CI=1.12-2.58), non-injection prescription opiate use (AHR=2.56;
      95% CI=1.36-4.82), injection prescription opiate use (AHR=2.49; 95% CI=1.40-4.45)
      and injection heroin use (AHR=1.85; 95% CI=1.14-3.00) were positively associated
      with time to non-fatal overdose. Social, behavioural and demographic factors were
      not significantly associated with time to non-fatal overdose event. CONCLUSIONS:
      Rates of non-fatal overdose were high among street-involved youth. Drug use
      patterns, in particular prescription opiate use, were associated with overdose.
      These findings underscore the importance of addiction treatment and prevention
      efforts aimed at reducing the risk of overdose among youth.

PMID- 26096536
TI  - Genetic overlap between alcohol use disorder and bulimic behaviors in European
      American and African American women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite substantial evidence that alcohol use disorder (AUD) and
      bulimic behaviors (i.e., binge eating and compensatory behaviors) co-occur,
      insufficient information exists regarding a possible shared etiology. Moreover,
      although numerous twin studies of European ancestry individuals have reported
      moderate heritability estimates for AUD and bulimic behaviors, with little
      evidence for shared environmental factors, research on genetic and environmental
      risk in African American (AA) individuals is lacking. METHODS: We investigated
      specific and overlapping genetic and environmental influences on AUD and bulimic
      behaviors in 3232 European American (EA; 55.38% monozygotic) and 549 AA (42.81%
      monozygotic) young adult female twins from the Missouri Adolescent Female Twin
      Study (age range=18-29 years). A structured clinical interview assessed lifetime
      DSM-5 AUD (minus craving) and bulimic behaviors. Biometrical twin modeling was
      conducted to generate age-adjusted estimates of genetic and environmental
      influences on AUD, bulimic behaviors, and their comorbidity. RESULTS: Estimates
      of genetic and environmental contributions on AUD and bulimic behaviors could be
      equated across EA and AA women. Additive genetic effects accounted for 59% (95%
      CI: 50%, 66%) and 43% (33%, 52%) of the variance in AUD and bulimic behaviors,
      respectively, with the remainder due to non-shared environmental effects. Shared
      genetic factors (rg=.33 (.18, .49)) were solely responsible for the correlation
      between phenotypes; the non-shared environmental correlation was not significant
      (re=.10 (-.05, .25)). CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate similar magnitudes of
      genetic and environmental effects on AUD and bulimic behaviors for EA and AA
      women and implicate common genetic mechanisms underlying liability to these
      problem behaviors.

PMID- 26096537
TI  - Health insurance coverage and healthcare utilization among infants of mothers in
      the national methadone maintenance treatment program in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children of heroin-using women have a higher risk of unfavorable
      health and developmental outcomes. Although methadone maintenance treatment (MMT)
      has been widely used to treat heroin-using pregnant women, potential effects on
      accessibility and utilization of healthcare service for their offspring are less
      explored. METHODS: We used four national registry and health insurance datasets
      in Taiwan from 2004 to 2009 to form a population-based matched retrospective
      cohort study. A total of 1056 neonates born to women in the MMT program (857 born
      before mother's enrollment in the MMT program [BM], 199 born after mother's
      enrollment in the MMT program [AM]) was established; 10547 matched non-drug [ND]
      exposed neonates were identified for comparison. Outcome variables included
      offspring's health insurance coverage and utilization of preventive, outpatient,
      and emergency room cares in the first year after birth. RESULTS: Infants born to
      mothers on MMT were more likely to have no or incomplete insurance coverage (BM:
      adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.29, 95% CI: 1.10-1.53; AM: aOR=1.56, 95% CI: 1.14
      2.13) as compared with the socioeconomic status-matched ND group. The BM infants
      appeared to have fewer preventive care visits (adjusted relative risk [aRR]=0.85,
      95% CI: 0.80-0.90), whereas the AM infants utilized outpatient and emergency room
      services more frequently (outpatient: aRR=1.11, 95% CI: 1.01-1.23; emergency:
      aRR=1.46, 95% CI: 1.11-1.90). CONCLUSIONS: Addiction treatment and harm reduction
      programs for women of childbearing ages should be delivered in the coordinated
      framework that ensures comprehensiveness and continuity in healthcare and social
      services.

PMID- 26096538
TI  - Thiophene, Selenophene, and Tellurophene-based Three-Dimensional Organic
      Frameworks.
AB  - 3D frameworks are important because of their potential to combine the
      advantageous properties of porous materials with those associated with polymers.
      A series of novel 3D aromatic frameworks are presented that incorporate the
      heterocycles thiophene, selenophene, and tellurophene. The specific surface area
      and pore width of frameworks depends on the element that is used to build the
      framework. Optoelectronic properties are element-dependent, with heavy atoms red
      shifting the optical properties and decreasing the energy gap of the solid. The
      metalloid nature of tellurophene allows the properties of this material to be
      tuned based on its oxidation state, even as an insoluble solid. The incorporation
      of the optoelectronic active thiophene, selenophene, and tellurophene units and
      the effect that they have on properties was studied. A supercapcitor device was
      fabricated using these frameworks, showing that these 3D frameworks are promising
      for optoelectronic uses. 

PMID- 26096539
TI  - Interleukin-1 as a pharmacological target in acute brain injury.
AB  - NEW FINDINGS: What is the topic of this review? This review discusses the latest
      findings on the contribution of inflammation to brain injury, how inflammation is
      a therapeutic target, and details of recent and forthcoming clinical studies.
      What advances does it highlight? Here we highlight recent advances on the role
      and regulation of inflammasomes, and the latest clinical progress in targeting
      inflammation. Acute brain injury is one of the leading causes of mortality and
      disability worldwide. Despite this, treatments for acute brain injuries are
      limited, and there remains a massive unmet clinical need. Inflammation has
      emerged as a major contributor to non-communicable diseases, and there is now
      substantial and growing evidence that inflammation, driven by the cytokine
      interleukin-1 (IL-1), worsens acute brain injury. Interleukin-1 is regulated by
      large, multimolecular complexes called inflammasomes. Here, we discuss the latest
      research on the regulation of inflammasomes and IL-1 in the brain, preclinical
      efforts to establish the IL-1 system as a therapeutic target, and the promise of
      recent and future clinical studies on blocking the action of IL-1 for the
      treatment of brain injury.

PMID- 26096540
TI  - Breastfeeding practices and policies in WHO European Region Member States.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide an update on current practices and policy development
      status concerning breastfeeding in the WHO European Region. DESIGN: National
      surveys and studies conducted by national health institutions were prioritized.
      Sub-national data were included where no national data or studies existed.
      Information on national breastfeeding policies was collected mainly from the WHO
      Seventh Meeting of Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Coordinators and European
      Union projects. Owing to the different data sources and methods, any comparisons
      between countries must be made with caution. SETTING: WHO European Member States.
      RESULTS: Data from fifty-three WHO European Member States were investigated;
      however, a large proportion had not reported any data. Rates of early initiation
      of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding and continued breastfeeding to 1 year
      all varied considerably within the WHO European Region. Exclusive breastfeeding
      rates declined considerably after 4 months, and were low in infants under 6
      months and at 6 months of age. The majority of the countries with existing data
      reported having a national infant and young child feeding policy and the
      establishment of a national committee on breastfeeding or infant and young child
      feeding. The majority of the countries with existing data reported having baby
      friendly hospitals, although the proportion of baby-friendly hospitals to the
      total number of national hospitals with maternity units was low in most
      countries. CONCLUSIONS: Breastfeeding practices within the WHO European Region,
      especially exclusive breastfeeding rates, are far from complying with the WHO
      recommendations. There are marked differences between countries in breastfeeding
      practices, infant and young child feeding policy adoption and proportion of baby
      friendly hospitals.

PMID- 26096541
TI  - Disrupted brain network topology in pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder: A
      resting-state fMRI study.
AB  - Children exposed to natural disasters are vulnerable to the development of
      posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recent studies of other neuropsychiatric
      disorders have used graph-based theoretical analysis to investigate the
      topological properties of the functional brain connectome. However, little is
      known about this connectome in pediatric PTSD. Twenty-eight pediatric PTSD
      patients and 26 trauma-exposed non-PTSD patients were recruited from 4,200
      screened subjects after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake to undergo a resting-state
      functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Functional connectivity between 90
      brain regions from the automated anatomical labeling atlas was established using
      partial correlation coefficients, and the whole-brain functional connectome was
      constructed by applying a threshold to the resultant 90 * 90 partial correlation
      matrix. Graph theory analysis was then used to examine the group-specific
      topological properties of the two functional connectomes. Both the PTSD and non
      PTSD control groups exhibited "small-world" brain network topology. However, the
      functional connectome of the PTSD group showed a significant increase in the
      clustering coefficient and a normalized characteristic path length and local
      efficiency, suggesting a shift toward regular networks. Furthermore, the PTSD
      connectomes showed both enhanced nodal centralities, mainly in the default mode-
      and salience-related regions, and reduced nodal centralities, mainly in the
      central-executive network regions. The clustering coefficient and nodal
      efficiency of the left superior frontal gyrus were positively correlated with the
      Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. These disrupted topological properties of the
      functional connectome help to clarify the pathogenesis of pediatric PTSD and
      could be potential biomarkers of brain abnormalities.

PMID- 26096542
TI  - Array-based detection of persistent organic pollutants via cyclodextrin promoted
      energy transfer.
AB  - We report herein the selective array-based detection of 30 persistent organic
      pollutants via cyclodextrin-promoted energy transfer. The use of three
      fluorophores enabled the development of an array that classified 30 analytes with
      100% accuracy and identified unknown analytes with 96% accuracy, as well as
      identifying 92% of analytes in urine. 

PMID- 26096543
TI  - Analysis of CCR5 and SDF-1 genetic variants and HIV infection in Indian
      population.
AB  - HIV-1 infection and progression exhibits interindividual variation. The
      polymorphism in the chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4, the principal coreceptors
      for HIV-1 and their ligands like SDF-1 have a profound effect in altering the HIV
      1 disease progression rate. A single nucleotide polymorphism designated SDF1
      3'UTR-801G-A has been associated with resistance to HIV-1 infection or delayed
      progression to AIDS. In this study, the SDF1-3'A polymorphism, CCR5?32
      polymorphism and CCR5 promoter polymorphism at positions 58934 G/T, 59029 G/A,
      59353 T/C, 59356 C/T, 59402 A/G and 59653 C/T were analysed in Indian population.
      The polymorphisms in HIV-1 patients and healthy individuals were evaluated by
      conventional PCR, RFLP-PCR and direct sequencing techniques. The CCR5?32 mutant
      allele was found to be almost absent in Indian population. The analysis of the
      CCR5-59356C/T polymorphism revealed a trend towards an association of the C
      allele with an increased risk of HIV-1 infection. The frequency of allele CCR5
      59356C was higher in HIV-1 patients (100%) as compared to healthy control
      subjects (89%, P = 0.003). The correlation of SDF1-3'A and CCR5 promoter CCR5
      58934G/T, CCR5-59029G/A, CCR5-59353T/C, CCR5-59402 A/G and CCR5-59653C/T
      polymorphisms and protection to HIV-1 infection and progression to AIDS was found
      to be nonsignificant. Nine haplotypes with more than 1% frequency were detected
      but were not significant in their protective role against HIV. Comparative
      analysis with global populations showed a noteworthy difference in CCR5 and SDF-1
      polymorphisms' frequency distribution, indicating the ethnic variability of
      Indians. Although susceptibility to infections cannot be completely dependent on
      one or few genetic variants, it is important to remember that SDF-1 and CCR5
      variants have been correlated globally with HIV-1 infection and disease
      progression. In the light of that, higher frequency of SDF-1 variants in the
      Indian population is noteworthy. 

PMID- 26096544
TI  - Breaking DNA in plants: how I almost missed my personal breakthrough.

PMID- 26096545
TI  - Confined polyelectrolytes: The complexity of a simple system.
AB  - The interaction between polyelectrolytes and counterions in confined situations
      and the mutual relationship between chain conformation and ion condensation is an
      important issue in several areas. In the biological field, it assumes particular
      relevance in the understanding of the packaging of nucleic acids, which is
      crucial in the design of gene delivery systems. In this work, a simple coarse
      grained model is used to assess the cooperativity between conformational change
      and ion condensation in spherically confined backbones, with capsides permeable
      to the counterions. It is seen that the variation on the degree of condensation
      depends on counterion valence. For monovalent counterions, the degree of
      condensation passes through a minimum before increasing as the confining space
      diminishes. In contrast, for trivalent ions, the overall tendency is to decrease
      the degree of condensation as the confinement space also decreases. Most of the
      particles reside close to the spherical wall, even for systems in which the
      density is higher closer to the cavity center. This effect is more pronounced,
      when monovalent counterions are present. Additionally, there are clear variations
      in the charge along the concentric layers that cannot be totally ascribed to
      polyelectrolyte behavior, as shown by decoupling the chain into monomers. If both
      chain and counterions are confined, the formation of a counterion rich region
      immediately before the wall is observed. Spool and doughnut-like structures are
      formed for stiff chains, within a nontrivial evolution with increasing
      confinement.

PMID- 26096546
TI  - Real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback can reduce striatal
      cue-reactivity to alcohol stimuli.
AB  - It has been shown that in alcoholic patients, alcohol-related cues produce
      increased activation of reward-related brain regions like the ventral striatum
      (VS), which has been proposed as neurobiological basis of craving. Modulating
      this activation might be a promising option in the treatment of alcohol
      addiction. One approach might be real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging
      neurofeedback (rtfMRI NF). This study was set up to implement and evaluate a
      rtfMRI approach in a group of non-addicted heavy social drinkers. Thirty-eight
      heavy drinking students were assigned to a real feedback group (rFB, n = 13), a
      yoke feedback group (yFB, n = 13) and a passive control group (noFB, n = 12).
      After conducting a reward task as functional localizer to identify ventral
      striatal regions, the participants viewed alcohol cues during three NF training
      blocks in a 3 T MRI scanner. The rFB group received feedback from their own and
      the yFB from another participants' VS. The noFB group received no feedback. The
      rFB and the yFB groups were instructed to downregulate the displayed activation.
      Activation of the VS and prefrontal control regions was compared between the
      groups. We found significant downregulation of striatal regions specifically in
      the rFB group. While the rFB and the yFB groups showed significant activation of
      prefrontal regions during feedback, this activation was only correlated to the
      reduction of striatal activation in the rFB group. We conclude that rtfMRI NF is
      a suitable method to reduce striatal activation to alcohol cues. It might be a
      promising supplement to the treatment of alcoholic patients.

PMID- 26096547
TI  - Thymosin beta4 significantly reduces the signs of dryness in a murine controlled
      adverse environment model of experimental dry eye.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Dry eye syndrome is a common condition that affects up to 20% of the
      population aged 45 and older. There are no successful treatments to date. The
      goal of this research was to determine the efficacy of various doses and the
      optimal frequency of thymosin beta4 (Tbeta4) treatment in a murine severe dry eye
      model. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The study was performed using a controlled
      adverse environment chamber (CAE) in combination with scopolamine to induce
      moderate to severe dry eye in mice. The study included five mice per group and
      tested six different doses of Tbeta4 twice per day for 12 days. Tbeta4 at 0.1%
      was also administered 2 - 4 times per day for 12 days. Healing was measured by
      fluorescein staining. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Tbeta4 significantly reduced the
      signs of dry eye relative to controls. The treatment effect was more pronounced
      than the positive controls, doxycycline and Restasis (cyclosporine 0.05%). Active
      doses of 0.1 and 0.5% were determined, and it was found that the frequency of
      dosing at 2 times per day was the most effective for healing. CONCLUSIONS: Tbeta4
      has the potential to be an important new effective therapeutic for dry eye.

PMID- 26096548
TI  - Flavonoid profiles of immature and mature fruit tissues of Citrus grandis Osbeck
      (Dangyuja) and overall contribution to the antioxidant effect.

PMID- 26096551
TI  - 57(th) Annual Scientifi c Meeting of the American Headache Society.

PMID- 26096550
TI  - Diagnostic SNPs reveal widespread introgressive hybridization between introduced
      bighead and silver carp in the Mississippi River Basin.
AB  - Hybridization among conspecifics in native and introduced habitats has important
      implications for biological invasions in new ecosystems. Bighead
      (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and silver carp (H. molitrix) are genetically
      isolated and occur in sympatry within their native range. Following their
      introduction to North America, however, introgressant hybrids have been reported
      throughout their expanded range within the Mississippi River Basin (MRB). The
      extent of introgression, both spatially and generationally, is largely unknown.
      Therefore, we examined mixed-species populations from across the MRB to
      characterize the extent of interspecific gene flow. We assayed 2798 individuals
      from nine locations with a suite of species-diagnostic SNPs (57 nuclear and one
      mitochondrial). Forty-four per cent (n = 1244) of individuals displayed hybrid
      genotypes. Moreover, the composition of hybrid genotypes varied among locations
      and represented complex hybrid swarms with multiple generations of gene flow.
      Introgressive hybrids were identified from all locations, were bidirectional and
      followed a bimodal distribution consisting primarily of parental or parental-like
      genotypes and phenotypes. All described hybrid categories were present among
      individuals from 1999 to 2008, with parents and later-generation backcrosses
      representing the largest proportion of individuals among years. Our mitochondrial
      SNP (COII), tested on a subset of 730 individuals, revealed a silver carp
      maternal bias in 13 of 21 (62%) F1 hybrids, in all silver carp backcrosses, and
      maintained throughout many of the bighead carp backcrosses. The application of
      this suite of diagnostic markers and the spatial coverage permits a deeper
      examination of the complexity in hybrid swarms between two invasive, introduced
      species. 

PMID- 26096553
TI  - Layered evolution in the immune system: a view from history.
AB  - Although much had still to be learned, evidence indicating that B-1a lymphocytes
      very likely belonged to a distinct lineage was largely in place by the time of
      the first large B-1a conference in 1991. The widely respected group of
      immunologists attending that meeting (including Tasuko Honjo and Klaus Rajewsky)
      developed and ultimately published the B-1a notation still in use today. Here, I
      briefly review some of the early B-1a findings that underlie current studies. I
      close with a brief summary of recent studies, mainly from my laboratory, showing
      that the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) we all know and love as the origin of the
      cells that populate the adult lymphoid and myeloid system today is nonetheless
      not the origin of the B-1a lymphocytes with which most of us work today. 

PMID- 26096552
TI  - Time-Dependent Influence of Cell Membrane Permeability on MR Diffusion
      Measurements.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of cell membrane permeability on diffusion
      measurements over a broad range of diffusion times. METHODS: Human myelogenous
      leukemia K562 cells were cultured and treated with saponin to selectively alter
      cell membrane permeability, resulting in a broad physiologically relevant range
      of 0.011-0.044 MUm/ms. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were acquired
      with the effective diffusion time (Deltaeff ) ranging from 0.42 to 3000 ms.
      Cosine-modulated oscillating gradient spin echo (OGSE) measurements were
      performed to achieve short Deltaeff from 0.42 to 5 ms, while stimulated echo
      acquisitions were used to achieve long Deltaeff from 11 to 2999 ms. Computer
      simulations were also performed to support the experimental results. RESULTS:
      Both computer simulations and experiments in vitro showed that the influence of
      membrane permeability on diffusion MR measurements is highly dependent on the
      choice of diffusion time, and it is negligible only when the diffusion time is at
      least one order of magnitude smaller than the intracellular exchange lifetime.
      CONCLUSION: The influence of cell membrane permeability on the measured ADCs is
      negligible in OGSE measurements at moderately high frequencies. By contrast, cell
      membrane permeability has a significant influence on ADC and quantitative
      diffusion measurements at low frequencies such as those sampled using
      conventional pulsed gradient methods.

PMID- 26096554
TI  - Design and methods of the national Vietnam veterans longitudinal study.
AB  - The National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study (NVVLS) is the second assessment
      of a representative cohort of US veterans who served during the Vietnam War era,
      either in Vietnam or elsewhere. The cohort was initially surveyed in the National
      Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS) from 1984 to 1988 to assess the
      prevalence, incidence, and effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and
      other post-war problems. The NVVLS sought to re-interview the cohort to assess
      the long-term course of PTSD. NVVLS data collection began July 3, 2012 and ended
      May 17, 2013, comprising three components: a mailed health questionnaire, a
      telephone health survey interview, and, for a probability sample of theater
      Veterans, a clinical diagnostic telephone interview administered by licensed
      psychologists. Excluding decedents, 78.8% completed the questionnaire and/or
      telephone survey, and 55.0% of selected living veterans participated in the
      clinical interview. This report provides a description of the NVVLS design and
      methods. Together, the NVVRS and NVVLS constitute a nationally representative
      longitudinal study of Vietnam veterans, and extend the NVVRS as a critical
      resource for scientific and policy analyses for Vietnam veterans, with policy
      relevance for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

PMID- 26096555
TI  - Involvement of glucocorticoid in induction of lingual T1R3 in rodents.
AB  - We previously reported that in rats, chronic exposure to stress inhibits the
      induction of the common receptor (T1R3) for sweet and umami tastes. Here, we
      investigated whether endogenous glucocorticoids (GCs) might be responsible for
      this inhibition. In addition, we used mouse taste-bud cells (TB cells) expressing
      T1R3 to examine the effect of exogenous GC on T1R3 induction. Both adrenal glands
      were removed from rats [adrenalectomized (ADX) rats] and T1R3 mRNA expression in
      fungiform papillae was examined by real-time RT-PCR. T1R3 mRNA expression was
      significantly reduced in the ADX rats (versus sham-ADX rats). The reduced mRNA
      expression was restored to the level seen in the sham-ADX rats by administration
      of dexamethasone (DEX) at the smallest dose tested (0.1ng/kg, i.p.). However,
      with larger doses of DEX (10 and 1000ng/kg, i.p.) there was no such restoration
      (i.e., the expression level did not differ from that seen in ADX rats).
      Expression of the mRNA for the GC receptor-alpha was detected in mouse TB cells
      by RT-PCR. Significantly reduced T1R3 mRNA expression, as measured by real-time
      RT-PCR, was observed in TB cells at 24h after application of DEX (0.1, 1.0, or
      10MUM). These results suggest that in rodents: (a) a low concentration of
      endogenous GC is necessary and sufficient for induction of T1R3 expression, and
      that higher concentrations may actually inhibit such induction, and (b) this
      inhibitory effect may be due, at least in part, to a direct action of GC on taste
      cells. 

PMID- 26096556
TI  - Drug induced hypertension--An unappreciated cause of secondary hypertension.
AB  - Most patients with hypertension have essential hypertension or well-known forms
      of secondary hypertension, such as renal disease, renal artery stenosis, or
      common endocrine diseases (hyperaldosteronism or pheochromocytoma). Physicians
      are less aware of drug induced hypertension. A variety of therapeutic agents or
      chemical substances may increase blood pressure. When a patient with well
      controlled hypertension is presented with acute blood pressure elevation, use of
      drug or chemical substance which increases blood pressure should be suspected.
      Drug-induced blood pressure increases are usually minor and short-lived, although
      rare hypertensive emergencies associated with use of certain drugs have been
      reported. Careful evaluation of prescription and non-prescription medications is
      crucial in the evaluation of the hypertensive individual and may obviate the need
      for expensive and unnecessary evaluations. Discontinuation of the offending agent
      will usually achieve adequate blood pressure control. When use of a chemical
      agent which increases blood pressure is mandatory, anti-hypertensive therapy may
      facilitate continued use of this agent. We summarize the therapeutic agents or
      chemical substances that elevate blood pressure and their mechanisms of action. 

PMID- 26096557
TI  - Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, continuous positive airway pressure and
      treatment of hypertension.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), present in ~15% of the general population,
      increases the risks of stroke, heart failure, and premature death. Importantly,
      individuals with cardiovascular disease have a higher prevalence yet they often
      have few symptoms to alert clinicians to its presence. OSA with an apnea-hypopnea
      index (AHI) >=15 events/hour is present in >=30% of patients with primary
      hypertension and in up to 80% of those with drug resistant hypertension,
      suggesting that the neural, hormonal, inflammatory and vascular cascades
      triggered by OSA may elevate blood pressure chronically. The purpose of this
      review is to summarize: (1) the epidemiology of OSA and its relation to
      cardiovascular risk; (2) potential mechanisms by which OSA could promote
      conditions known to increase the risk of hypertension or contribute to its
      development and progression; (3) evidence for and against a pro-hypertensive
      effect of OSA; and, (4) the impact of treatment with continuous positive airway
      pressure (CPAP) on blood pressure and blood pressure-related morbidities. The
      prevailing view that the effect of treatment on blood pressure is modest arises
      from the inability of most contemporary technology to measure accurately the true
      impact of CPAP on OSA-entrained surges in nocturnal blood pressure. Moreover the
      exclusive focus on blood pressure, as if this is the principal determinant of
      cardiovascular event rates in this population, is naive. The capacity to reduce
      cardiovascular risk by treating OSA with CPAP likely transcends a simple blood
      pressure effect; formal testing of this hypothesis will require adequately
      powered randomized clinical trials.

PMID- 26096558
TI  - About the gut microbiome as a pharmacological target in atherosclerosis.
AB  - The contribution of intestinal bacterial strains (gut microbiota) in the
      development of cardiometabolic disease is increasingly recognized as potential
      diagnostic and pharmacological target. Changes in the intestinal bacterial
      composition and subsequent altered diversity has been associated with presence of
      chronic low-grade inflammation of mesenteric visceral adipose tissue, a known
      feature of malign obesity which can eventually lead to insulin resistance and
      type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, causality still needs to be proven. In this
      regard, both fecal transplantation studies as well as multiethnic prospective
      cohorts can help to identify the causally involved driving intestinal bacterial
      strains in human cardiometabolism. Ultimately, it is expected that novel
      diagnostic markers as well as therapeutics (pharmabiotics and vaccine strategies)
      can be developed. 

PMID- 26096559
TI  - Two Reaction Mechanisms via Iminium Ion Intermediates: The Different Reactivities
      of Diphenylprolinol Silyl Ether and Trifluoromethyl-Substituted Diarylprolinol
      Silyl Ether.
AB  - The reactions of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes with cyclopentadiene in the
      presence of diarylprolinol silyl ethers as catalyst proceed via iminium cations
      as intermediates, and can be divided into two types; one involving a Michael-type
      reaction (type A) and one involving a cycloaddition (type B). Diphenylprolinol
      silyl ethers and trifluoromethyl-substituted diarylprolinol silyl ethers, which
      are widely used proline-type organocatalysts, have been investigated in this
      study. As the LUMO of the iminium ion derived from trifluoromethyl-substituted
      diarylprolinol silyl ether is lower in energy than that derived from
      diphenylprolinol silyl ether, as supported by ab initio calculations, the
      trifluoromethyl-substituted catalyst is more reactive in a type B reaction. The
      iminium ion from an alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde is generated more quickly
      with diphenylprolinol silyl ether than with the trifluoromethyl-substituted
      diarylprolinol silyl ether. When the generation of the iminium ion is the rate
      determining step, the diphenylprolinol silyl ether catalyst is the more reactive.
      Because acid accelerates the generation of iminium ions and reduces the
      generation of anionic nucleophiles in the Michael-type reaction (type A), it is
      necessary to select the appropriate acid for specific reactions. In general,
      diphenylprolinol silyl ether is a superior catalyst for type A reactions, whereas
      the trifluoromethyl-substituted diarylprolinol silyl ether catalyst is preferred
      for type B reactions. 

PMID- 26096560
TI  - Patient demographics and cardiovascular risk factors differentially influence
      geometric remodeling of the aorta compared with the peripheral arteries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Detailed knowledge of the dimensions and shape of the main arteries
      of the body and how they change with age and disease is important for
      understanding arterial pathophysiology and improving minimally invasive devices
      to treat arterial diseases. Our goal was to describe and compare geometric
      remodeling of the aorta and peripheral arteries in the context of patient
      demographics and cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: Three-dimensional
      reconstructions of computed tomography angiography scans were performed in 122
      subjects 5-93 years of age (mean 47 +/- 24 years, 64 M/58 F). Best-fit arterial
      diameters, lengths, and tortuosity for the principle named arteries in the chest,
      abdomen, pelvis, and upper thigh were measured, and multiple linear regression
      analysis was performed to examine how these morphologic parameters associate with
      patient demographics and risk factors. RESULTS: Large elastic arteries increased
      their diameter, length, and tortuosity with age, whereas muscular arteries
      primarily became more tortuous. Demographics and risk factors explained >70% of
      the variation in diameters of the abdominal aorta, paravisceral aorta, and the
      aortic arch; and >75% of variation in tortuosity from the profunda femoris to the
      brachiocephalic artery. Male sex, larger body mass index, and hypertension
      contributed to larger diameters, whereas the presence of diabetes was associated
      with somewhat-straighter arteries. Overall, the effects of cardiovascular risk
      factors on geometric remodeling were small compared with those of demographics.
      CONCLUSION: The geometry of the vascular tree is greatly affected by aging,
      demographics, and some risk factors. Elastic and muscular arteries remodel
      differently, possibly as the result of differences in their microstructure.

PMID- 26096561
TI  - Sentinel lymph node biopsy is prognostic but not therapeutic for thick melanoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) as a staging and therapeutic
      procedure in melanomas 1-4 mm in thickness has been investigated extensively,
      however, the clinical value of SNB in thick melanomas is poorly understood.
      METHODS: Patients undergoing operation for clinically node-negative melanoma >4
      mm in depth between 2003 and 2010 were identified in the Surveillance
      Epidemiology and End Results registry. Two groups were constructed: one with a
      wide excision with SNB and the other with wide excision alone. RESULTS: A total
      of 4,571 patients with clinically node-negative, thick melanoma were identified.
      The median age was 71 years, 96.9% were white, and 64.3% were male. SNB was
      performed in 2,746 (60.1%) and was positive in 32.2%. Univariate analysis
      demonstrated SNB was associated with younger age (64 vs 75 years; P < .001) and
      extremity primaries (P < .0001). On logistic regression, advanced age (P < .001),
      female sex (P = .009), and location in the head and neck region (P < .001) were
      associated with observation. On log-rank analysis, improved 5-year disease
      specific survival (DSS) was associated with SNB (65 vs 62%; P = .008), location
      in the extremity versus head and neck or trunk (67 vs 61.5 and 60.3%; P = .004),
      female sex (69 vs 61%; P < .001), and no ulceration (74 vs 54%; P < .001). On Cox
      regression analysis, advanced age (P < .001), male sex (P = .01), trunk location
      (P = .0001), and ulceration (P < .001) continued to be associated with DSS. SNB
      was not associated with survival (P = .20). SNB status was a robust predictor of
      survival; a negative SNB had a 5-year DSS of 75.3 versus 44.1% (P < .0001), with
      a positive node. CONCLUSION: For patients with clinically node-negative, thick
      melanoma, SNB is a staging but not therapeutic procedure.

PMID- 26096562
TI  - Successful implantation of an engineered tubular neuromuscular tissue composed of
      human cells and chitosan scaffold.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is an urgent need for gut lengthening secondary to massive
      resections of the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we propose to evaluate
      the remodeling, vascularization, and functionality of a chitosan-based, tubular
      neuromuscular tissue on subcutaneous implantation in the back of athymic rats.
      METHODS: Aligned innervated smooth muscle sheets were bioengineered with the use
      of human smooth muscle and neural progenitor cells. The innervated sheets were
      wrapped around tubular chitosan scaffolds. The engineered tubular neuromuscular
      tissue was implanted subcutaneously in the back of athymic rats. The implant was
      harvested after 14 days and assessed for morphology, vascularization, and
      functionality. RESULTS: Gross examination of the implants showed healthy color
      with no signs of inflammation. The implanted tissue became vascularized as
      demonstrated by gross and histologic analysis. Chitosan supported the luminal
      patency of the tissue. The innervated muscle remodeled around the tubular
      chitosan scaffold. Smooth muscle maintained its circumferential alignment and
      contractile phenotype. The functionality of the implant was characterized further
      by the use of real-time force generation. A cholinergic response was demonstrated
      by robust contraction in response to acetylcholine. Vasoactive intestinal peptide
      , and electrical field stimulation-caused relaxation. In the presence of
      neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, the magnitude of acetylcholine-induced contraction and
      vasoactive intestinal peptide-induced relaxation was attenuated whereas
      electrical field stimulation-induced relaxation was completely abolished,
      indicating neuronal contribution to the response. CONCLUSION: Our results
      indicated the successful subcutaneous implantation of engineered tubular
      neuromuscular tissues. The tissues became vascularized and maintained their
      myogenic and neurogenic phenotype and function, which provides potential
      therapeutic prospects for providing implantable replacement GI segments for
      treating GI motility disorders.

PMID- 26096563
TI  - Assessment of postdischarge complications after bariatric surgery: A National
      Surgical Quality Improvement Program analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is reported about postdischarge complications after bariatric
      surgery. We sought to identify the rates of postdischarge complications,
      associated risk factors, and their influence on early hospital readmission.
      METHODS: Using the database of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical
      Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) (2005-2013), we identified patients >=18
      years of age who underwent a bariatric operation with a primary diagnosis of
      morbid/severe obesity and a body mass index >=35. The incidence of postdischarge
      complication was the primary outcome, and hospital readmission was the secondary
      outcome. The association between postdischarge complications and various patient
      factors was explored by the use of multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: A
      total of 113,898 patients were identified with an overall postdischarge
      complication rate of 3.2% within 30 days of operation. The rates decreased from
      2005 to 2006 (4.6%) to 2013 (3.0%) (P < .001). On average, postdischarge
      complications occurred 10 days postoperatively, with wound infection (49.4%),
      reoperation (30.7%), urinary tract infection (16.9%), shock/sepsis (12.4%), and
      organ space surgical-site infection (11.0%) being the most common. Patients
      undergoing open gastric bypass had the greatest postdischarge complication rate
      of 8.5%. Of those patients experiencing postdischarge complications, 51.6% were
      readmitted. The overall readmission rate was 4.9%. The factors associated most
      strongly with increased odds of postdischarge complications were body mass index
      >= 50, use of steroids, procedure type, predischarge complication, prolonged
      duration of stay, and prolonged operative time. CONCLUSION: Postdischarge
      complications after bariatric surgery represent a substantial source of patient
      morbidity and hospital readmissions. The majority of postdischarge complications
      are infection-related, including surgical-site infections and catheter-associated
      urinary tract infections. Adopting and implementing standardized pre- and
      postoperative strategies to decrease perioperative infection may help to decrease
      the rate of postdischarge complications and associated readmissions and enhance
      overall quality of care.

PMID- 26096564
TI  - Organ quality metrics are a poor predictor of costs and resource utilization in
      deceased donor kidney transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The desire to provide cost-effective care has lead to an
      investigation of the costs of therapy for end-stage renal disease. Organ quality
      metrics are one way to attempt to stratify kidney transplants, although the
      ability of these metrics to predict costs and resource use is undetermined.
      METHODS: The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database was linked to
      the University HealthSystem Consortium Database to identify adult deceased donor
      kidney transplant recipients from 2009 to 2012. Patients were divided into
      cohorts by kidney criteria (standard vs expanded) or kidney donor profile index
      (KDPI) score (<85 vs 85+). Length of stay, 30-day readmission, discharge
      disposition, and delayed graft function were used as indicators of resource use.
      Cost was defined as reimbursement based on Medicare cost/charge ratios and
      included the costs of readmission when applicable. RESULTS: More than 19,500
      patients populated the final dataset. Lower-quality kidneys (expanded criteria
      donor or KDPI 85+) were more likely to be transplanted in older (both P < .001)
      and diabetic recipients (both P < .001). After multivariable analysis controlling
      for recipient characteristics, we found that expanded criteria donor transplants
      were not associated with increased costs compared with standard criteria donor
      transplants (risk ratio [RR] 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.93-1.00, P =
      .07). KDPI 85+ was associated with slightly lower costs than KDPI <85 transplants
      (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91-0.99, P = .02). When KDPI was considered as a continuous
      variable, the association was maintained (RR 0.9993, 95% CI 0.999-0.9998, P =
      .01). CONCLUSION: Organ quality metrics are less influential predictors of short
      term costs than recipient factors. Future studies should focus on recipient
      characteristics as a way to discern high versus low cost transplantation
      procedures.

PMID- 26096565
TI  - Cancer nanomedicine: addressing the dark side of the enhanced permeability and
      retention effect.

PMID- 26096566
TI  - Special Issue: Flavins and Flavoproteins: Introduction.

PMID- 26096567
TI  - Oncolytic Adenovirus Coated with Multidegradable Bioreducible Core-Cross-Linked
      Polyethylenimine for Cancer Gene Therapy.
AB  - Recently, adenovirus (Ad) has been utilized as a viral vector for efficient gene
      delivery. However, substantial immunogenicity and toxicity have obstructed
      oncolytic Ad's transition into clinical studies. The goal of this study is to
      generate an adenoviral vector complexed with multidegradable bioreducible core
      cross-linked polyethylenimine (rPEI) polymer that has low immunogenicity and
      toxicity while having higher transduction efficacy and stability. We have
      synthesized different molecular weight rPEIs and complexed with Ad at varying
      molar ratios to optimize delivery of the Ad/polymer complex. The size and surface
      charge of Ad/rPEIs were characterized. Of note, Ad/rPEIs showed significantly
      enhanced transduction efficiency compared to either naked Ad or Ad/25 kDa PEI in
      both coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) positive and negative cancer
      cells. The cellular uptake result demonstrated that the relatively small size of
      Ad/16 kDa rPEIs (below 200 nm) was more critical to the complex's internalization
      than its surface charge. Cancer cell killing effect and viral production were
      significantly increased when oncolytic Ad (RdB/shMet, or oAd) was complexed with
      16 kDa rPEI in comparison to naked oAd-, oAd/25 kDa PEI-, or oAd/32 kDa rPEI
      treated cells. This increased anticancer cytotoxicity was more readily apparent
      in CAR-negative MCF7 cells, implying that it can be used to treat a broad range
      of cancer cells. Furthermore, A549 and HT1080 cancer cells treated with oAd/16
      kDa rPEI had significantly decreased Met and VEGF expression compared to either
      naked oAd or oAd/25 kDa PEI. Overall, these results demonstrate that shMet
      expressing oncolytic Ad complexed with multidegradable bioreducible core-cross
      linked PEI could be used as efficient and safe cancer gene therapy.

PMID- 26096568
TI  - Ophthalmological manifestations in hereditary transthyretin (ATTR V30M) carriers:
      a review of 513 cases.
AB  - PURPOSE: Assessment of ocular involvement in transthyretin-related familial
      amyloidosis with polyneuropathy (FAP) in a large cohort of Portuguese patients.
      METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 513 Portuguese FAP mutation carriers,
      at the Ophthalmology Service, Centro Hospitalar do Porto, between 1 January 2008
      and 31 January 2013. Abnormal conjunctiva vessels (ACV), Schirmer test, tear
      break-up time (TBUT), amyloid deposition on the iris (DAI), scalloped iris,
      amyloid deposition on the anterior capsule of the lens (DAL), vitreous
      amyloidosis, retinal amyloid angiopathy and glaucoma were evaluated and
      registered. RESULTS: Of the 513 carriers, 477 (93%) had clinical systemic disease
      with a median duration of 9.3 (5.1-13.7) years and 247 were men. Of these, 343
      (72%) had been liver transplanted, on median of 6.6 (3.3-10.8) years before
      inclusion in this study. No ocular abnormalities were identified in the
      asymptomatic carriers (7%). The abnormalities observed with decreasing frequency
      were abnormal TBUT (379 patients, 79.5%, 751 eyes), abnormal Schirmer test (320
      patients, 67%, 635 eyes), DAI (183 patients, 38.4%, 350 eyes), DAL (157 patients,
      32.9%, 308 eyes), scalloped iris (133 patients, 27.9%, 238 eyes), glaucoma (97
      patients, 20%, 165 eyes), vitreous amyloidosis (83 patients, 17.4%, 139 eyes),
      ACV (68 patients, 14%, 136 eyes) and amyloidotic retinal angiopathy (21 patients,
      4%, 32 eyes). Patients with abnormal Schirmer test (p < 0.001), scalloped iris (p
      = 0.006) and vitreous amyloidosis (p = 0.007) were significantly older than the
      others. According to their age of onset of systemic disease, the patients have
      been split into early-onset (<40 years old), intermediate-onset (40-50 years
      old), late onset (>50 years old) and asymptomatic carriers. We observed a
      statistically significant difference in the prevalence of ACV (p = 0.045) and of
      an abnormal Schirmer test (p = 0.004) between groups. Transplanted patients have
      a significantly higher prevalence of DAI (p = 0.001), DAL (p = 0.009) and
      vitreous amyloidosis (p = 0.025) than non-transplanted patients. Of the 165 eyes
      with glaucoma, 92.1% had scalloped iris (p < 0.001) and of 32 eyes with retinal
      amyloidotic angiopathy, 68.8% had vitreous amyloidosis (p < 0.001). All
      prevalences increased with time of disease. The earliest ocular manifestations
      were abnormal Schirmer test and abnormal TBUT (12% and 17% at 5 years of clinical
      disease) and the least prevalent was retinal amyloid angiopathy (8% at 15 years
      of clinical disease). CONCLUSION: Ocular disorders in FAP patients are common,
      and their prevalence increases with disease duration. Prevalence is influenced by
      several factors, such as the age at onset of FAP and liver transplantation.

PMID- 26096569
TI  - DQ2, DQ7 and DQ8 Distribution and Clinical Manifestations in Celiac Cases and
      Their First-Degree Relatives.
AB  - HLA-linked genes are relevant to celiac disease (CD); the potential genetic
      differences present worldwide are not fully understood. Previous results suggest
      that the distribution of HLA-DQ2/DQ7/DQ8 in Chile may differ from that in Europe
      and North America. In celiac patients and their first-degree relatives (FDRS), we
      assessed their clinical, serological and histological characteristics, determined
      HLA-DQ2, HLA-DQ7 and HLA-DQ8 alleles and genotypes, and evaluated the relations
      between them. A total of 222 individuals were assessed (56 cases, 166 FDRs).
      16.9% of FDRs were tTG positive; 53.6% of them showed overweight/obesity and 3%
      undernourishment; they spontaneously declared being asymptomatic, but detailed
      questioning revealed that 60.7% experienced symptoms, which had not been
      investigated. DQ2 was present in 53.9% and 43.9.0% of cases and FDRs (p < 0.05).
      The most frequent genotype distribution was DQ2/DQ7 (fr 0.392 (cases) and 0.248
      (FDRs), respectively, p < 0.02). The next most common genotypes were HLA-DQ2/DQ8
      (fr 0.236 in FDRs and 0.176 in cases, p < 0.05). 3.92% cases were not HLA-DQ2/DQ8
      carriers. Among tTG positive FDRs, 57.4%, 22.3% and 20.2% carried DQ2, DQ7 and
      DQ8, respectively. In cases, 72.7% of the biopsies classified Marsh >= 3 carried
      at least one DQ2; 91.7% of DQ2/DQ2 and 88.3% of DQ2/DQ7 were Marsh >= 3. Thus,
      DQ2 frequency is lower than reported; the higher frequency found for DQ8 and DQ7
      concur with recent publications from Argentine and Brazil. These results suggest
      that although CD may manifest clinically in ways similar to those described in
      other populations, some genetic peculiarities in this region deserve further
      study.

PMID- 26096570
TI  - Diagnosis of Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS): The Salerno Experts' Criteria.
AB  - Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) is a syndrome characterized by intestinal
      and extra-intestinal symptoms related to the ingestion of gluten-containing food,
      in subjects that are not affected by either celiac disease or wheat allergy.
      Given the lack of a NCGS biomarker, there is the need for standardizing the
      procedure leading to the diagnosis confirmation. In this paper we report experts'
      recommendations on how the diagnostic protocol should be performed for the
      confirmation of NCGS. A full diagnostic procedure should assess the clinical
      response to the gluten-free diet (GFD) and measure the effect of a gluten
      challenge after a period of treatment with the GFD. The clinical evaluation is
      performed using a self-administered instrument incorporating a modified version
      of the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale. The patient identifies one to three
      main symptoms that are quantitatively assessed using a Numerical Rating Scale
      with a score ranging from 1 to 10. The double-blind placebo-controlled gluten
      challenge (8 g/day) includes a one-week challenge followed by a one-week washout
      of strict GFD and by the crossover to the second one-week challenge. The vehicle
      should contain cooked, homogeneously distributed gluten. At least a variation of
      30% of one to three main symptoms between the gluten and the placebo challenge
      should be detected to discriminate a positive from a negative result. The
      guidelines provided in this paper will help the clinician to reach a firm and
      positive diagnosis of NCGS and facilitate the comparisons of different studies,
      if adopted internationally. 

PMID- 26096571
TI  - Linear mixed-effects model of QTc prolongation for olmesartan medoxomil.

PMID- 26096572
TI  - Temporal kinetics of macrophage polarization in the injured rat spinal cord.
AB  - Local activated macrophages derived from infiltrating monocytes play an important
      role in the damage and repair process of spinal cord injury (SCI). The present
      study investigates the dynamic change of classically activated proinflammatory
      (M1) and alternatively activated anti-inflammatory (M2) cells in a rat model with
      contusive SCI by flow cytometry (FCM) and immunohistochemistry. The macrophage
      subsets were immunophenotyped by using antibodies against cluster of
      differentiation (CD)-68, C-C chemokine receptor type 7 (CCR7), CD163, and
      arginase 1 (Arg1). The CD68(+) CD163(-) and CD68(+) CCR7(+) cells were determined
      to be M1 subsets, whereas the CD68(+) CD163(+) and CD68(+) Arg1(+) cell
      subpopulations represented M2 cells. The subsets of macrophages in the injured
      spinal cord at 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 28 days postinjury (dpi) were examined. In the
      sham-opened spinal cord, few M1 or M2 cells were found. After SCI, the phenotypes
      of both M1 and M2 cells were rapidly induced. However, M1 cells were detected and
      maintained at a high level for up to 28 dpi (the longest time evaluated in this
      study). In contrast, M2 cells were transiently detected at high levels before 7
      dpi and returned to preinjury levels at 14 dpi. These results indicate that M1
      cell response is rapidly induced and sustained, whereas M2 induction is transient
      after SCI in rat. Increasing the fraction of M2 cells and prolonging their
      residence time in the injured local microenvironment is a promising strategy for
      the repair of SCI.

PMID- 26096573
TI  - Establishment and Evaluation of the Novel Tetramethylammonium-L-Hydroxyproline
      Chiral Ionic Liquid Synergistic System Based on Clindamycin Phosphate for
      Enantioseparation by Capillary Electrophoresis.
AB  - Much attention has been paid to chiral ionic liquids (ILs) in analytical
      chemistry, especially its application in capillary electrophoresis (CE)
      enantioseparation. However, the investigation of chiral ionic liquids synergistic
      systems based on antibiotic chiral selectors has been reported in only one
      article. In this work, a novel chiral ionic liquid, tetramethylammonium-L
      hydroxyproline (TMA-L-Hyp), was applied for the first time in CE chiral
      separation to evaluate its potential synergistic effect with clindamycin
      phosphate (CP) as the chiral selector. As observed, significantly improved
      separation was obtained in this TMA-L-Hyp/CP synergistic system compared to TMA-L
      Hyp or a CP single system. Several primary factors that might influence the
      separation were investigated, including CP concentration, TMA-L-Hyp
      concentration, buffer pH, types and concentrations of organic modifier, applied
      voltage, and capillary temperature. The best results were obtained with a 40 mM
      borax buffer (pH 7.6) containing 30 mM TMA-L-Hyp, 80 mM CP, and 20% (v/v)
      methanol, while the applied voltage and temperature were set at 20 kV and 20
      degrees C, respectively.

PMID- 26096574
TI  - Oviposition by Spodoptera exigua on Nicotiana attenuata primes induced plant
      defence against larval herbivory.
AB  - Plants exhibit multifarious defence traits against herbivory that are
      constitutively expressed or induced upon attack. Insect egg deposition often
      precedes impending larval attack, and several plants can increase their
      resistance against larvae after experiencing the oviposition by an herbivore. The
      nature of such oviposition-mediated resistance remains unknown, and here we aim
      to determine plant traits that explain it. We test whether oviposition on a host
      plant can induce plant defence responses or enhance (prime) the induction of
      defence traits in response to larval herbivory. We exposed Nicotiana attenuata
      plants to oviposition by moths of a generalist herbivore, Spodoptera exigua. Its
      larvae suffered higher mortality, retarded development and inflicted less feeding
      damage on oviposition-experienced than on oviposition-unexperienced plants. While
      oviposition alone did not induce any of the examined defence traits, oviposited
      plants exhibited a stronger inducibility of known defence traits, i.e.
      caffeoylputrescine (CP) and trypsin protease inhibitors (TPIs). We found no
      effects of oviposition on phytohormone levels, but on the feeding-inducible
      accumulation of the transcription factor NaMyb8 that is governing biosynthesis of
      phenylpropanoid-polyamine conjugates, including CP. Comparison of larval
      performance on wild-type plants, CP-deficient plants (silenced NaMyb8 gene), and
      TPI-deficient plants (silenced NaPI gene) revealed that priming of plant
      resistance to larvae by prior oviposition required NaMyb8-mediated defence
      traits. Our results show that plants can use insect egg deposition as a warning
      signal to prime their feeding-induced defence. 

PMID- 26096575
TI  - [Vaccines against varicella-zoster virus (VZV)].
AB  - In Western countries, two attenuated varicella vaccines derived from the OKA
      strain are licensed: Varilrix(r) GlaxoSmithKline (OKA/RIT strain) and Varivax(r)
      Merck Sharp and Dohme (OKA/Merck strain). Currently, in Spain, varicella
      vaccination is only included in the Ministry of Health, Social Services and
      Equality official vaccination calendar for administration in adolescents who have
      not had the disease. Given the good results obtained in Navarra and Madrid with
      universal administration of the vaccine in children, it would be desirable to
      include the vaccine in the routine immunization schedule, with the administration
      of two doses at 15-18 months of age in the future. The protective efficacy of the
      attenuated herpes zoster vaccine was evaluated in the Shingles Prevention Study,
      which showed that in the short term (0-4 years) the vaccine reduced the incidence
      of herpes zoster by 53%, post-herpetic neuralgia by 66%, and the disease burden
      in immunocompetent persons aged >=60 years by 61%. Another study demonstrated
      protective efficacy in persons aged 50-59 years. Over time, the protective
      efficacy decreases, but remains at acceptable levels, especially for post
      herpetic neuralgia and the disease burden. Recently, the results of a controlled
      clinical trial (phase III) conducted in 18 countries to assess the protective
      efficacy of the inactivated subunit vaccine (glycoprotein E) adjuvanted with the
      adjuvant AS01B were published. The study inferred that the vaccine significantly
      reduced the incidence of herpes zoster in the short term (3.2 years) in people
      aged >=50 years. Vaccine protection did not decrease with age at vaccination,
      ranging between 96.8% and 97.9% in all age groups. 

PMID- 26096577
TI  - Equol, a Metabolite of Daidzein, Is More Efficient than Daidzein for Bone
      Formation in Growing Female Rats.
AB  - Few studies have examined the effects of isoflavones and particularly equol, a
      metabolite of the isoflavone daidzein, on bone formation during the growth period
      in animals. The present study investigated the effects of orally administered
      daidzein or equol on bone formation and bone mineral density in growing female
      rats. Female Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 3 weeks, were divided into four groups (n
      = 8 per group) as follows: rats were orally administered a corn oil, 8 mg/day of
      daidzein, 4 mg/day of equol or 8 mg/day of equol in corn oil for 4 weeks.
      Daidzein and equol increased the bone mineral density of growing female rats by
      stimulating bone formation without exhibiting a substantial effect on the weight
      of their reproductive organs. Bone growth caused by increased bone mineralizing
      surface and bone formation rate in rats administered with equol was approximately
      twice that of rats administered with daidzein. These results suggest that equol
      might be more efficient than daidzein for bone formation in growing female rats.
      Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26096576
TI  - Luteolin exerts an anticancer effect on NCI-H460 human non-small cell lung cancer
      cells through the induction of Sirt1-mediated apoptosis.
AB  - Luteolin is a falconoid compound, which exhibits anticancer properties, however,
      its contribution to Sirt1-mediated apoptosis in human non-small cell lung cancer
      remains to be elucidated. The present study confirmed that the anticancer effect
      of luteolin on NCI-H460 cells was through Sirt1-mediated apoptosis. The NCI-H460
      cells were treated with different concentrations of luteolin, and a 3-(4,5
      dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphnyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay, cell cycle
      analysis and annexin-V/fluorescein isothiocyanate and propidium double staining
      were performed to assess the apoptotic effect of luteolin. Wound healing and
      Transwell assays were performed to confirm the inhibition of NCI-H460 cell
      migration. The protein levels of Sirt1 were knocked down in the NCI-H460 cells
      using a lentivirus to further investigate the role of this protein, and the
      expression levels of the apoptotic associated proteins, Bad, Bcl-2, Bax, caspase
      3 and Sirt1, were measured using western blotting. The results of the present
      study demonstrated that luteolin exerted an anticancer effect against NCI-H460
      cells through Sirt1-mediated apoptosis and the inhibition of cell migration.

PMID- 26096578
TI  - Frequency of body dysmorphic disorder among patients with complaints of hair
      loss.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric condition in which a
      disabling preoccupation with a non-existent or slight defect in appearance is the
      main symptom. Hair concerns are frequent in patients with BDD. OBJECTIVES: The
      purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of BDD among patients with
      complaints of hair loss. METHODS: A validated BDD questionnaire (BDDQ) was
      administered to 150 patients with complaints of hair loss and 150 control
      subjects who were selected from among general dermatology (GD) patients. Standard
      statistical tests were performed (descriptive analysis, chi-squared tests, non
      parametric tests). Differences that achieved a P-value of <0.05 were considered
      statistically significant. RESULTS: Among patients with complaints of hair loss,
      42 of 142 subjects retained in the study (29.6%; 31 females and 11 males) were
      diagnosed with BDD. Furthermore, 25.6% of female patients and 52.4% of male
      patients were diagnosed with BDD (P = 0.013). Hair concerns were more common in
      males than in females (P < 0.05). In the GD group, four control subjects (2.7%,
      all female) were diagnosed with BDD; all of their concerns focused on the body
      and acne. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of BDD is about 10 times higher in patients
      with complaints of hair loss than it is in GD patients and is higher in males.
      Awareness of the condition and the referral of selected patients to mental health
      professionals is crucial.

PMID- 26096579
TI  - Neutral red-mediated microbial electrosynthesis by Escherichia coli, Klebsiella
      pneumoniae, and Zymomonas mobilis.
AB  - The aim of this work was to compare the effects of electrosynthesis on different
      bacterial species. The effects of neutral red-mediated electrosynthesis on the
      metabolite profiles of three microorganisms: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella
      pneumoniae, and Zymomonas mobilis, were measured and compared and contrasted. A
      statistically comprehensive analysis of neutral red-mediated electrosynthesis is
      presented using the analysis of end-product profiles, current delivered, and
      changes in cellular protein expression. K. pneumoniae displayed the most dramatic
      response to electrosynthesis of the three bacteria, producing 93% more ethanol
      and 76% more lactate vs. control fermentation with no neutral red and no electron
      delivery. Z. mobilis showed no response to electrosynthesis except elevated
      acetate titers. Stoichiometric comparison showed that NAD(+) reduction by neutral
      red could not account for changes in metabolites during electrosynthesis. Neutral
      red-mediated electrosynthesis was shown to have multifarious effects on the three
      species. 

PMID- 26096580
TI  - A 90-liter stackable baffled microbial fuel cell for brewery wastewater treatment
      based on energy self-sufficient mode.
AB  - A 90-liter stackable pilot microbial fuel cell was designed and proved to be
      capable for brewery wastewater treatment and simultaneous electricity harvested.
      The system was stacked by 5 easily-stackable modules, and operated in an energy
      self-sufficient manner for more than 6 months. Tests were conducted under two
      different influent strengths (diluted wastewater, stage 1; raw wastewater, stage
      2). The COD, SS removal efficiencies were 84.7% and 81.7% at stage 1, 87.6% and
      86.3% at stage 2. The system produced enough energy (0.056 kWh/m(3) at stage 1,
      0.097 kWh/m(3) at stage 2) to power the pumping system (0.027 kWh/m(3) at both
      stages), net electrical energy of 0.021 kWh/m(3) and 0.034 kWh/m(3) were
      harvested. These results show that this pilot-scale system could be used to
      effectively treat real wastewater with zero energy input.

PMID- 26096581
TI  - Adaptive introgression as a resource for management and genetic conservation in a
      changing climate.
AB  - Current rates of climate change require organisms to respond through migration,
      phenotypic plasticity, or genetic changes via adaptation. We focused on questions
      regarding species' and populations' ability to respond to climate change through
      adaptation. Specifically, the role adaptive introgression, movement of genetic
      material from the genome of 1 species into the genome of another through repeated
      interbreeding, may play in increasing species' ability to respond to a changing
      climate. Such interspecific gene flow may mediate extinction risk or consequences
      of limited adaptive potential that result from standing genetic variation and
      mutation alone, enabling a quicker demographic recovery in response to changing
      environments. Despite the near dismissal of the potential benefits of
      hybridization by conservation practitioners, we examined a number of case studies
      across different taxa that suggest gene flow between sympatric or parapatric
      sister species or within species that exhibit strong ecotypic differentiation may
      represent an underutilized management option to conserve evolutionary potential
      in a changing environment. This will be particularly true where advanced
      generation hybrids exhibit adaptive traits outside the parental phenotypic range,
      a phenomenon known as transgressive segregation. The ideas presented in this
      essay are meant to provoke discussion regarding how we maintain evolutionary
      potential, the conservation value of natural hybrid zones, and consideration of
      their important role in adaptation to climate. 

PMID- 26096582
TI  - Effects on Symptoms of Agitation and Depression in Persons With Dementia
      Participating in Robot-Assisted Activity: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine effects on symptoms of agitation and depression in nursing
      home residents with moderate to severe dementia participating in a robot-assisted
      group activity with the robot seal Paro. DESIGN: A cluster-randomized controlled
      trial. Ten nursing home units were randomized to either robot-assisted
      intervention or a control group with treatment as usual during 3 intervention
      periods from 2013 to 2014. SETTING: Ten adapted units in nursing homes in 3
      counties in eastern Norway. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty residents (67% women, age range
      62-95 years) in adapted nursing home units with a dementia diagnosis or cognitive
      impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination score lower than 25/30). INTERVENTION:
      Group sessions with Paro took place in a separate room at nursing homes for 30
      minutes twice a week over the course of 12 weeks. Local nurses were trained to
      conduct the intervention. MEASUREMENTS: Participants were scored on baseline
      measures (T0) assessing cognitive status, regular medication, agitation (BARS),
      and depression (CSDD). The data collection was repeated at end of intervention
      (T1) and at follow-up (3 months after end of intervention) (T2). Mixed models
      were used to test treatment and time effects. RESULTS: Statistically significant
      differences in changes were found on agitation and depression between groups from
      T0 to T2. Although the symptoms of the intervention group declined, the control
      group's symptoms developed in the opposite direction. Agitation showed an effect
      estimate of -5.51, CI 0.06-10.97, P = .048, and depression -3.88, CI 0.43-7.33, P
      = .028. There were no significant differences in changes on either agitation or
      depression between groups from T0 to T1. CONCLUSION: This study found a long-term
      effect on depression and agitation by using Paro in activity groups for elderly
      with dementia in nursing homes. Paro might be a suitable nonpharmacological
      treatment for neuropsychiatric symptoms and should be considered as a useful tool
      in clinical practice.

PMID- 26096583
TI  - Isolated case of mucosal histoid Hansen's disease of the nasal cavity in a post
      global elimination era.
AB  - Histoid Hansen's disease is a rare form of multibacillary leprosy with distinct
      clinical and histopathological features. This type of leprosy is a variant of
      lepromatous leprosy with a very high bacterial reserve. Of alarming concern is
      the discovery of an isolated mucosal histoid leprotic lesion inside the nasal
      cavity of a patient in the post-global leprosy elimination era. Our case had no
      history of leprosy or exposure to dapsone/multidrug therapy but had a heavy
      bacillary index. We are reporting this case to highlight the rarity of mucosal
      lesions due to histoid leprosy and involvement of the nasal cavity, as well as to
      create awareness and avoid misdiagnosis. This will help facilitate prompt
      treatment to minimize the complications and deformities of the patient and
      prevent its spread throughout the community. 

PMID- 26096585
TI  - New type of excitatory pulse coupling of chemical oscillators via inhibitor.
AB  - We introduce a new type of pulse coupling between chemical oscillators. A
      constant inflow of inhibitor in one reactor is interrupted shortly after a time
      delay after a sharp spike of activity in the other reactor. We proved
      experimentally and theoretically that this reversed inhibitory coupling is
      analogous to excitatory coupling. We did this by analyzing phase response curves,
      dependences of different synchronous regimes of the 1 : 1 resonance on time
      delay, and other resonances of two coupled chemical oscillators. Dynamical
      rhythms of two Belousov-Zhabotinsky oscillators coupled via "negative" inhibitory
      pulses were investigated.

PMID- 26096584
TI  - Pseudotumor associated with cemented bipolar hemiarthroplasty: an unusual
      presentation as a granulomatous thigh mass.
AB  - Although polyethylene wear-induced osteolysis is a common complication of hip
      arthroplasty, extensile osteolysis developing into a large granulomatous thigh
      mass at a site distant from the joint is rare. We report a case of a thigh
      pseudotumor 25 years after cemented bipolar hemiarthroplasty, in which x-rays
      revealed a radiolucent line around the stem at the proximal site only, not at the
      diaphysis of the femur. We initially suspected a real tumor because it had a
      unique appearance, as if the mass resorbed the posterior cortex of the femur, and
      it was located at a site distant from the proximal osteolytic lesions. We clearly
      showed the existence of a connection between the thigh mass and the joint space
      by performing intra-articular injection of contrast medium with continuous
      pressure. It seemed that polyethylene wear particles were transported distally
      along the stem-cement interface by fluid pressure, and an osteolytic reaction
      against polyethylene wear particles had occurred at the posterior middle third of
      the stem where the cement mantle was nonuniform and polyethylene particles first
      came into contact with the bone. Our findings suggest that nonuniform cemented
      prosthesis with osteolysis, even if it is low grade in a limited area, carries
      the risk of extensile osteolysis with asymptomatic development of an extra
      articular granulomatous mass. 

PMID- 26096586
TI  - Is Self-Reported Sleep Duration Associated with Osteoporosis? Data from a 4-Year
      Aggregated Analysis from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between self-reported sleep duration and
      osteoporosis in a national sample of the U.S. elderly population. DESIGN:
      Population-based cross-sectional study. SETTING: Four-year National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey data from two survey cycles between 2005-06 and 2007
      08. PARTICIPANTS: Men and women aged 50 and older with data in the surveys and
      medical examination data files (N = 5,288). MEASUREMENTS: Osteoporosis diagnosis
      was based on bone mineral density measurement and self-report. Sleep duration was
      ascertained from the sleep survey. Simple and multiple logistic regression models
      were used to evaluate the association between these two factors. RESULTS: Shorter
      sleep duration (<6 hours) was found to be significantly associated with
      osteoporosis after adjusting for potential covariates (odds ratio (OR) = 1.59,
      95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-2.37). After stratifying according to age
      group, this association remained significant (OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.20-2.68) only
      in the older age group (>65). CONCLUSION: These results underscore the possible
      linkage between sleep and osteoporosis and the need for additional research on
      this topic.

PMID- 26096588
TI  - Sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) - a review and proposed
      strategies toward a better understanding of pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and
      therapy.
AB  - Sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) is one of the leading
      causes of currently incurable canine vision loss diagnosed by veterinary
      ophthalmologists. The disease is characterized by acute onset of blindness due to
      loss of photoreceptor function, extinguished electroretinogram with an initially
      normal appearing ocular fundus, and mydriatic pupils which are slowly responsive
      to bright white light, unresponsive to red, but responsive to blue light
      stimulation. In addition to blindness, the majority of affected dogs also show
      systemic abnormalities suggestive of hyperadrenocorticism, such as polyphagia
      with resulting obesity, polyuria, polydipsia, and a subclinical hepatopathy. The
      pathogenesis of SARDS is unknown, but neuroendocrine and autoimmune mechanisms
      have been suggested. Therapies that target these disease pathways have been
      proposed to reverse or prevent further vision loss in SARDS-affected dogs, but
      these treatments are controversial. In November 2014, the American College of
      Veterinary Ophthalmologists' Vision for Animals Foundation organized and funded a
      Think Tank to review the current knowledge and recently proposed ideas about
      disease mechanisms and treatment of SARDS. These panel discussions resulted in
      recommendations for future research strategies toward a better understanding of
      pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and potential therapy for this condition. 

PMID- 26096589
TI  - Identifying ecological corridors for Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) and
      Amur leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis).
AB  - The rapid explosion of human populations and the associated development of human
      dominated landscapes have drastically reduced and fragmented habitat for tigers
      (Panthera tigris) and leopards (Panthera pardus) across Asia, resulting in
      multiple small populations. However, Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) habitat
      in Russia has remained largely interconnected, except for a break between tigers
      in southwest Primorye and the southern Sikhote-Alin Mountains. This habitat patch
      in southwest Primorye also retains the last population of Amur leopards (Panthera
      pardus orientalis). Genetic differentiation of tigers in southwest Primorye and
      the Sikhote-Alin Mountains along with survey data suggest that habitat
      fragmentation is limiting movement of tigers and leopards across the Razdolnaya
      River basin. We looked at historical and recent survey data on tigers and
      leopards and mapped existing cover types to examine land-use patterns of both
      large felids and humans in the development strip along the Razdolnaya River. We
      then used least-cost distance analyses to identify the most effective potential
      corridor to retain connectivity for large felids between Land of the Leopard
      National Park and Ussuriskii Zapovednik (Reserve). We identified a single
      potential corridor that still exists with a total distance of 62.5 km from Land
      of the Leopard National Park to Ussuriskii Zapovednik, mostly (93%) through
      forested habitat. We recommend formal recognition of a Razdolnaya ecological
      corridor and provide specific recommendations for each of 3 proposed management
      sections. 

PMID- 26096587
TI  - Transcriptional programs regulated by both LEAFY and APETALA1 at the time of
      flower formation.
AB  - Two key regulators of the switch to flower formation and of flower patterning in
      Arabidopsis are the plant-specific helix-turn-helix transcription factor LEAFY
      (LFY) and the MADS box transcription factor APETALA1 (AP1). The interactions
      between these two transcriptional regulators are complex. AP1 is both a direct
      target of LFY and can act in parallel with LFY. Available genetic and molecular
      evidence suggests that LFY and AP1 together orchestrate the switch to flower
      formation and early events during flower morphogenesis by altering
      transcriptional programs. However, very little is known about target genes
      regulated by both transcription factors. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of
      public datasets to identify genes that are likely to be regulated by both LFY and
      AP1. Our analyses uncovered known and novel direct LFY and AP1 targets with a
      role in the control of onset of flower formation. It also identified additional
      families of proteins and regulatory pathways that may be under transcriptional
      control by both transcription factors. In particular, several of these genes are
      linked to response to hormones, to transport and to development. Finally, we show
      that the gibberellin catabolism enzyme ELA1, which was recently shown to be
      important for the timing of the switch to flower formation, is positively
      feedback-regulated by AP1. Our study contributes to the elucidation of the
      regulatory network that leads to formation of a vital plant organ system, the
      flower. 

PMID- 26096591
TI  - QRS Duration Changes in Patients with Single Ventricle Physiology: Birth to 10
      Years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: QRS prolongation may be a predictor of mortality in certain forms of
      congenital heart disease. Minimal data exist describing changes in QRS duration
      in patients with single ventricles (SVs). The goal was to describe changes in QRS
      duration in patients with SV and to determine if differences existed between
      single right ventricle (sRV) versus single left ventricle (sLV) patients.
      METHODS: Chart review was performed on patients with SV physiology. Patients were
      divided into sRV and sLV groups. QRS durations were measured monthly for the
      first 6 months, at 1 year, and then yearly until 10 years. t-tests were used for
      analysis. RESULTS: One hundred sixty patients were evaluated (95 sRV, 65 sLV).
      The greatest change in QRS duration for the entire cohort occurred in the first 6
      months of life versus 6 months to 10 years of age (1.81 ms/month vs 0.20
      ms/month). sRV QRS durations were significantly longer than sLV QRS durations at
      1 year (78.9 +/- 12.6 ms vs 73.2 +/- 11.9 ms), 2 year (81.7 +/- 14.7 ms vs 73.4
      +/- 12.5 ms), 4 year (84.2 +/- 12.1 ms vs 77.9 +/- 16.4 ms), 6 year (90.8 +/-
      12.7 ms vs 83.4 +/- 13.4 ms), 7 year (90.8 +/- 16.5 ms vs 81.2 +/- 16.6 ms), and
      8 year (96.7 +/- 13.6 ms vs 84.8 +/- 13.9 ms) time points. CONCLUSION: The
      greatest change in QRS duration in SV patients occurred in the first 6 months of
      life when these patients' ventricles were volume loaded. Differences in QRS
      duration between sRV and sLV patients occurred early in life. Further studies are
      needed to determine if minimizing volume load early in life decreases the rate of
      change in QRS duration.

PMID- 26096590
TI  - Recurrent Kawasaki disease: USA and Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Descriptive epidemiologic studies of recurrent and non-recurrent
      Kawasaki disease (KD) may identify other potentially important differences
      between these illnesses. METHODS: Data from the USA and Japan, the Centers for
      Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national KD surveillance(1984-2008) and the
      17th Japanese nationwide survey (2001-2002), respectively, were analyzed to
      examine recurrent KD patients <18 years of age meeting the CDC KD case or
      atypical KD case definition. These patients were compared with non-recurrent KD
      patients. RESULTS: Of the 5557 US KD patients <18 years of age during 1984-2008,
      97 (1.7%) were identified as having had recurrent KD. Among the US Asian/Pacific
      Islander KD patients, 3.5% had recurrent KD, which was similar to the percentage
      identified among KD patients (3.5%) in the Japanese survey. Compared with non
      recurrent KD patients, KD patients [with recurrent KD] were more likely to be
      older, fulfill the atypical KD case definition, and have coronary artery
      abnormalities (CAA) despite i.v. immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment. CONCLUSIONS:
      Differences in the age, race, and frequency of CAA exist between recurrent and
      non-recurrent KD patients. The increased association of CAA with recurrent KD
      suggests that more aggressive treatment strategies in conjunction with IVIG may
      be indicated for the second episode of KD.

PMID- 26096592
TI  - Computational modeling of shear forces and experimental validation of endothelial
      cell responses in an orbital well shaker system.
AB  - Vascular endothelial cells are continuously exposed to hemodynamic shear stress.
      Intensity and type of shear stress are highly relevant to vascular physiology and
      pathology. Here, we modeled shear stress distribution in a tissue culture well (R
      = 17.5 mm, fill volume 2 ml) under orbital translation using computational fluid
      dynamics with the finite element method. Free surface distribution, wall shear
      stress, inclination angle, drag force, and oscillatory index on the bottom
      surface were modeled. Obtained results predict nonuniform shear stress
      distribution during cycle, with higher oscillatory shear index, higher drag force
      values, higher circular component, and larger inclination angle of the shear
      stress at the periphery of the well compared with the center of the well. The
      oscillatory index, inclination angle, and drag force are new quantitative
      parameters modeled in this system, which provide a better understanding of the
      hydrodynamic conditions experienced and reflect the pulsatile character of blood
      flow in vivo. Validation experiments revealed that endothelial cells at the well
      periphery aligned under flow and increased Kruppel-like Factor 4 (KLF-4),
      cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)
      phosphorylation. In contrast, endothelial cells at the center of the well did not
      show clear directional alignment, did not induce the expression of KLF-4 and COX
      2 nor increased eNOS phosphorylation. In conclusion, this improved computational
      modeling predicts that the orbital shaker model generates different hydrodynamic
      conditions at the periphery versus the center of the well eliciting divergent
      endothelial cell responses. The possibility of generating different hydrodynamic
      conditions in the same well makes this model highly attractive to study responses
      of distinct regions of the same endothelial monolayer to different types of shear
      stresses thereby better reflecting in vivo conditions.

PMID- 26096593
TI  - A Perspective on the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients' Migration to
      Bayesian Methods.

PMID- 26096594
TI  - The "Mechanostat Theory" of Frost and the OPG/RANKL/RANK System.
AB  - Frost's great interest to elucidate the principles of action underlying skeletal
      deformities, during, and after growth, urged him to undertake an extensive study
      of the mammalian skeleton. He suggested that survival of the skeleton (but also
      of other tissues, such as fibrous tissue, hyaline cartilage, fibrocartilage,
      cementum, or dentin) requires the functional coordination of modeling and
      remodeling. Modeling adapts bone to overloads, by enhancing additions of new bone
      and by changing bone architecture, and remodeling adapts bone to underloads by
      removing bone next to marrow and conserving normally used bone. There exists a
      mechanism that monitors bone metabolism (longitudinal growth, bone modeling, and
      remodeling activities) in relation to mechanical usage, the "mechanostat." Recent
      literature has presented new information regarding the physiological procedure of
      osteoclast and osteoblast activation. It has been understood that the
      OPG/RANKL/RANK proteinic system regulates bone metabolism by exerting biological
      effects on osteoblasts or osteoclasts. The same proteinic network, also regulates
      alveolar remodeling during tooth movement, as well as physiological root
      resorption and root resorption during orthodontic tooth movement. The aim of the
      present review is the presentation and evaluation of recent information in the
      field of osteoclast and osteoblast biology, as regards to the "mechanostat
      theory" of Frost. An attempt will be made to elucidate, whether recent data can
      support this remarkable theory and reveal the biological mechanisms behind it.

PMID- 26096595
TI  - FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH INDISCRIMINATE FRIENDLINESS IN HIGH-RISK CHILDREN.
AB  - Indiscriminate friendliness (IF) refers to a lack of reticence with strangers and
      is well-documented in neglected children. This risky behavior is distinct from
      attachment insecurity, and persists when parenting/caregiving improves. A
      previous review has suggested that caregiving quality is not associated with IF.
      This review aimed to explore factors associated with IF and whether quality of
      caregiving is important. Ten articles were reviewed using the S.H. Downs and N.
      Black (1998) Checklist for randomized and nonrandomized studies. Overall quality
      was high. Results showed that IF is present in fostered populations and
      postinstitutionalized children. Attachment security was not associated with IF.
      Length of time in institution and inhibitory control were associated with IF.
      Inhibitory control moderated the association between IF and number of caregivers.
      Genetic factors predispose children to IF and may impact on persistence. Quality
      of caregiving was associated with IF. Emotional availability (i.e., the degree to
      which carer and child are able to respond to each other's emotional signals)
      predicted IF. Limitations across studies included heterogeneity in IF measurement
      and unreliable measures of preadoptive care. Parenting may be a useful target for
      intervention. Future research should focus on developing a standardized measure
      of IF as well as evaluating a parental intervention. 

PMID- 26096596
TI  - Pituitary specific retinoid-X receptor ligand interactions with thyroid hormone
      receptor signaling revealed by high throughput reporter and endogenous gene
      responses.
AB  - Disruption of thyroid hormone (TH) signaling can compromise vital processes both
      during development and in the adult. We previously reported on high-throughput
      screening experiments for man-made TH disruptors using a stably integrated line
      of rat pituitary cells, GH3.TRE-Luc, in which a thyroid hormone receptor (TR)
      response element drives luciferase (Luc) expression. In these experiments,
      several retinoid/rexinoid compounds activated the reporter. Here we show that all
      trans and 13-cis retinoic acid appear to function through the heterodimer
      partners of TRs, retinoid-X receptors (RXRs), as RXR antagonists abrogated
      retinoid-induced activation. The retinoids also induced known endogenous TR
      target genes, showing good correlation with Luc activity. Synthetic RXR-specific
      agonists significantly activated all tested TR target genes, but interestingly,
      retinoid/rexinoid activation was more consistent between genes than the extent of
      T3-induced activation. In contrast, the retinoids neither activated the Luc
      reporter construct in transient transfection assays in the human hepatocarcinoma
      cell line HuH7, nor two of the same T3-induced genes examined in pituitary cells.
      These data demonstrate the suitability and sensitivity of GH3.TRE-Luc cells for
      screening chemical compound libraries for TH disruption and suggest that the
      extent of disruption can vary on a cell type and gene-specific bases, including
      an underappreciated contribution by RXRs. 

PMID- 26096597
TI  - Resistance to the atypical retinoid ST1926 in SK-N-AS cells selected the subline
      rAS-ST with enhanced sensitivity to ATRA mediated by not conventional mechanisms:
      DNA damage, G2 accumulation and late telomerase inhibition.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: 13-cis-Retinoic acid represents a well-established
      clinical strategy for the management of minimal residual disease of high risk
      neuroblastoma (NB) patients. However, the clinical efficacy on the overall
      survival of these patients remains limited, addressing the issue of better
      understanding the molecular mechanisms and intracellular pathways mediating
      Retinoic Acid (RA) clinical effects. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: This work
      investigates the mechanism underlying the sensitivity/resistance to RA in NB by
      taking advantage of the paired SK-N-AS/rAS-ST cells showing different
      responsivity to ATRA. The subline rAS-ST was selected by inducing resistance to
      the novel retinoid ST1926 in the NB SK-N-AS cell line. KEY RESULTS: Resistance to
      ST1926 was neither dependent on cellular uptake nor on multi-drug resistance
      phenotype. Rather, both delayed/lower DNA damage and apoptosis appeared involved
      in reduced sensitivity of rAS-ST cells to ST1926. This subline showed enhanced
      responsivity to ATRA compared to the wt counterpart, that was associated with
      enhanced RARalpha/beta expression, DNA damage, G2 accumulation, PI3K/AKT pathway
      inhibition, cellular differentiation and delayed telomerase inhibition, without
      involvement of either p27/p53 or caspase-mediated apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS AND
      IMPLICATIONS: The present data add important information to the understanding of
      RA sensitivity in NB, providing further insights towards a more efficacious
      clinical use of this drug.

PMID- 26096598
TI  - Evaluation of an air-liquid interface cell culture model for studies on the
      inflammatory and cytotoxic responses to tobacco smoke aerosols.
AB  - In vitro toxicological studies for tobacco product assessment have traditionally
      been undertaken using the particulate phase of tobacco smoke. However, this does
      not truly reflect exposure conditions that occur in smokers. Thus in vitro cell
      culture systems are required in which cells are exposed to tobacco whole smoke
      (WS) at the air-liquid interface (ALI). In this study bronchial epithelial cells
      were cultured on semi-permeable membranes, transitioned to the ALI and the
      robustness and sensitivity of the cells to tobacco WS and vapour phase (VP)
      assessed. Although no effect of air exposure was observed on cell viability, IL-6
      and IL-8 release was increased. Exposure to WS resulted in a significant dose
      dependent decrease in cell viability and a significant non-dose dependent
      increase in inflammatory mediator secretion. The VP was found to contribute
      approximately 90% of the total cytotoxicity derived from WS. The cell culture
      system was also able to differentiate between two smoking regimens and was
      sensitive to passage number with increased inflammatory mediator secretion and
      lower cell viability observed in cell cultures of low passage number following WS
      exposure. This simple cell culture system may facilitate studies on the
      toxicological impact of future tobacco products and nicotine delivery devices. 

PMID- 26096599
TI  - Homing in on consciousness in the nervous system: An action-based synthesis.
AB  - What is the primary function of consciousness in the nervous system? The answer
      to this question remains enigmatic, not so much because of a lack of relevant
      data, but because of the lack of a conceptual framework with which to interpret
      the data. To this end, we have developed Passive Frame Theory, an internally
      coherent framework that, from an action-based perspective, synthesizes
      empirically supported hypotheses from diverse fields of investigation. The theory
      proposes that the primary function of consciousness is well-circumscribed,
      serving the somatic nervous system. For this system, consciousness serves as a
      frame that constrains and directs skeletal muscle output, thereby yielding
      adaptive behavior. The mechanism by which consciousness achieves this is more
      counterintuitive, passive, and "low level" than the kinds of functions that
      theorists have previously attributed to consciousness. Passive frame theory
      begins to illuminate (a) what consciousness contributes to nervous function, (b)
      how consciousness achieves this function, and (c) the neuroanatomical substrates
      of conscious processes. Our untraditional, action-based perspective focuses on
      olfaction instead of on vision and is descriptive (describing the products of
      nature as they evolved to be) rather than normative (construing processes in
      terms of how they should function). Passive frame theory begins to isolate the
      neuroanatomical, cognitive-mechanistic, and representational (e.g., conscious
      contents) processes associated with consciousness.

PMID- 26096601
TI  - Insights into endosomal maturation of human holo-transferrin in the enteric
      parasite Entamoeba histolytica: essential roles of Rab7A and Rab5 in biogenesis
      of giant early endocytic vacuoles.
AB  - The pathogenic amoeba Entamoeba histolytica is one of the causative agents of
      health hazards in tropical countries. It causes amoebic dysentery, colitis and
      liver abscesses in human. Iron is one of the essential nutritional resources for
      survival and chronic infection caused by the amoeba. The parasite has developed
      multiple ways to import, sequester and utilize iron from various iron-binding
      proteins from its host. In spite of its central role in pathogenesis, the
      mechanism of iron uptake by the parasite is largely unknown. Here, we carried out
      a systematic study to understand the role of some of the amoebic homologues of
      mammalian endocytic Rab GTPases (Rab5 and Rab21, Rab7A and Rab7B) in
      intracellular transport of human holo-transferrin by the parasite. Flow cytometry
      and quantitative microscopic image analysis revealed that Rab5 and Rab7A are
      required for the biogenesis of amoebic giant endocytic vacuoles (GEVs) and
      regulate the early phase of intracellular trafficking of transferrin. Rab7B is
      involved in the late phase, leading to the degradation of transferrin in the
      amoebic lysosome-like compartments. Using time-lapse fluorescence imaging in
      fixed trophozoites, we determined the kinetics of the vesicular transport of
      transferrin through Rab5-, Rab7A- and Rab7B-positive compartments. The
      involvement of Rab7A in the early phase of endocytosis by the parasite marks a
      significant divergence from its host in terms of spatiotemporal regulation by the
      Rab GTPases. 

PMID- 26096602
TI  - Radiofrequency ablation in high-risk stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

PMID- 26096600
TI  - The Swedish CArdioPulmonary BioImage Study: objectives and design.
AB  - Cardiopulmonary diseases are major causes of death worldwide, but currently
      recommended strategies for diagnosis and prevention may be outdated because of
      recent changes in risk factor patterns. The Swedish CArdioPulmonarybioImage Study
      (SCAPIS) combines the use of new imaging technologies, advances in large-scale
      'omics' and epidemiological analyses to extensively characterize a Swedish cohort
      of 30 000 men and women aged between 50 and 64 years. The information obtained
      will be used to improve risk prediction of cardiopulmonary diseases and optimize
      the ability to study disease mechanisms. A comprehensive pilot study in 1111
      individuals, which was completed in 2012, demonstrated the feasibility and
      financial and ethical consequences of SCAPIS. Recruitment to the national,
      multicentre study has recently started.

PMID- 26096603
TI  - Localization of nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 3 (NR4A3) in Lewy
      body disease and multiple system atrophy.
AB  - Nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 3 (NR4A3), also known as neuron
      derived orphan receptor-1, is a nuclear receptor which plays key roles in cell
      cycle, neuronal differentiation, apoptosis and metabolism. These processes may be
      involved in the pathogenesis of certain neurodegenerative diseases. Previous
      studies have shown that there are high levels of NR4A3 mRNA in the CNS. Moreover,
      NR4A2, a transcription factor with homology to NR4A3, has been reported to
      contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. However, it is uncertain
      whether NR4A3 is also involved in diseases such as dementia with Lewy bodies,
      multiple system atrophy, and other neurodegenerative disorders such as
      tauopathies, TDP-43 proteinopathies and polyglutamine diseases. In the present
      study we used immunohistochemistry to examine the brain and spinal cord from
      patients with various neurodegenerative diseases and normal control subjects
      using two polyclonal anti-NR4A3 antibodies. In controls, the cytoplasm of neurons
      and glial cells was faintly immunostained with anti-NR4A3 antibodies. In tissues
      from patients with neurodegenerative diseases, immunoreactivity for NR4A3 was
      observed in cortical and brainstem-type Lewy bodies in Parkinson's disease and in
      dementia with Lewy bodies, as well as in neuronal and glial cytoplasmic
      inclusions in multiple system atrophy. A double-labeled immunofluorescence study
      showed co-localization of NR4A3 and phosphorylated alpha-synuclein in these
      inclusions. Neuronal and glial inclusions in other neurodegenerative disorders
      were NR4A3 negative. These findings suggest that accumulation of NR4A3 is
      specific to alpha-synucleinopathy. 

PMID- 26096604
TI  - ERbeta localization influenced outcomes of EGFR-TKI treatment in NSCLC patients
      with EGFR mutations.
AB  - Effects of estrogen receptorbeta (ERbeta) localization on epidermal growth factor
      receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in advanced non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC) are unknown. First, we analyzed the relationship between ERbeta
      localization determined by immunohistochemistry and EGFR-TKI outcomes in 184
      patients with advanced NSCLC and found that ERbeta expression localized in the
      cytoplasm and/or nucleus. The frequency of cytoplasmic ERbeta (c-ERbeta) and
      nuclear ERbeta (n-ERbeta) co-expression was 12% (22/184). C-ERbeta and n-ERbeta
      co-expression was correlated with poor median progression-free survival compared
      to patients without co-expression. In subsequent in vitro experiments, PC9 cells
      transfected with ERbeta isoform1 (ERbeta1, strong expression of both c-ERbeta and
      n-ERbeta) were more resistant to gefitinib than PC9 cells transfected with ERbeta
      isoform2 or 5 (ERbeta2 or ERbeta5, strong expression of ERbeta in cytoplasm but
      not nucleus). Resistance was identified due to interactions between ERbeta1 and
      other isoforms, and mediated by activation of non-genomic pathways. Moreover,
      gefitinib resistance was reversed by a combination treatment with gefitinib and
      fulvestrant, both in cell lines and in one NSCLC patient. These results suggested
      that c-ERbeta and n-ERbeta co-expression was a potential molecular indicator of
      EGFR-TKI resistance, which might be overcome by combining EGFR-TKI and ER
      antagonist. 

PMID- 26096605
TI  - Unfavorable Outcome of Thrombolysis in Chinese Patients with Cardioembolic
      Stroke: a Prospective Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thrombolysis with alteplase is an effective and safe treatment for
      acute ischemic stroke (AIS). It is controversial whether the outcome of
      thrombolysis in cardioembolic stroke is different from that of other stroke
      subtypes. This study compares the outcomes at 3 months postthrombolysis in
      Chinese patients with AIS secondary to cardioembolism (CE) to the outcomes of
      those with large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA). METHODS: Using the Thrombolysis
      Implementation and Monitoring of Acute Ischemic Stroke in China (TIMS-China)
      cohort, we prospectively followed 827 patients treated within 4.5 h of onset
      symptoms with alteplase as an intravenous thrombolytic agent. CE and LAA were
      defined according to TOAST criteria. We compared symptomatic intracerebral
      hemorrhage (SICH), mortality, and functional outcome at 3 months using
      multivariables logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In this cohort, 221 (19.6%)
      had CE and 606 (53.7%) had LAA. Approximately 2/3 of patients with CE had atrial
      fibrillation. Symptoms at onset were more severe in patients with CE than in
      those with LAA (NIHSS, 15.0 vs. 11.0; P < 0.0001); increased rate of SICH (5.9%
      vs. 0.8%; P < 0.0001); higher mortality (18.6% vs. 10.3%; P = 0.0015); and
      reduced functional independence (43.6% vs. 55.9%; P = 0.0018) at 3-month follow
      up. After adjustment for baseline variables, the clinical outcome of patients
      with CE was worse than that of patients with LAA (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.97,
      P = 0.0378). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cardioembolic stroke had more SICH after
      thrombolysis, and worse clinical outcome at 3-month follow-up compared with those
      with LAA. This emphasizes the importance of preventing cardioembolism.

PMID- 26096606
TI  - No association between CYP17 -34T/C polymorphism and insulin resistance in Thai
      polycystic ovary syndrome.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the association of CYP 17 -34T/C polymorphism with insulin
      resistance (IR) in Thai polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: A cross
      sectional study was performed on 210 Thai women diagnosed with PCOS. Polymerase
      chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to
      analyze CYP17 polymorphism at -34T/C. Student's t-test was used to compare the
      mean of normally distributed variables between A1/A1 and A2/X. Chi-squared or
      Fisher's exact tests and OR were used to analyze the association at P < 0.05.
      RESULTS: Out of 210 cases, PCR-RFLP was successful in 199. Mean patient age was
      24.4 +/- 4.7 years, with body mass index 25.2 +/- 6.3 kg/m(2) . There were 65 and
      134 women in the A1/A1 genotype group and A2/X genotype group, respectively. The
      A2/X genotype group was statistically significantly younger and had a strong
      trend toward overweight/obesity compared with the A1/A1 genotype group. The
      prevalence of IR according to different methods varied from 15.4% to 70.8% and
      was not different between the two groups. On subgroup analysis, in the
      overweight/obese PCOS group, the A2/X genotype was not associated with any
      indices of IR. CONCLUSION: No significant association between CYP17-34T/C
      polymorphism and IR was found in Thai PCOS women, although the A2/X genotype
      group was statistically significantly younger than the A1/A1 genotype group.

PMID- 26096607
TI  - Telomere Dysfunction and Cell Senescence in Chronic Lung Diseases: Therapeutic
      Potential.
AB  - Cellular senescence--defined as a stable cell-cycle arrest combined with
      stereotyped phenotypic changes--might play a causal role in various lung
      diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is
      predicted to become the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2020. COPD is
      characterized by slowly progressive airflow obstruction and emphysema due to
      destruction of the lung parenchyma and is often complicated by pulmonary
      hypertension (PH). No curative treatment is available. Senescent cells, which
      accumulate with age, are increased in lungs from patients with COPD and express a
      robust senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which is
      proinflammatory. The aim of this review is to show how senescent cells can drive
      the lung alterations seen in COPD, which mechanisms may be involved, and whether
      therapeutic interventions may slow or delay the in vitro cell-senescence process
      and in vivo lung alterations.

PMID- 26096608
TI  - How much ablation to eliminate atrial fibrillation: Is less more, or is more
      more?

PMID- 26096609
TI  - SCD-HeFT: Use of R-R interval statistics for long-term risk stratification for
      arrhythmic sudden cardiac death.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial (SCD-HeFT), a
      significant fraction of the patients with congestive heart failure ultimately did
      not die suddenly of arrhythmic causes. Patients with CHF will benefit from better
      tools to identify if implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy is
      needed. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to identify predictor variables from baseline SCD
      HeFT patients' R-R intervals that correlate to arrhythmic sudden cardiac death
      (SCD) and mortality and to design an ICD therapy screening test. METHODS: Ten
      predictor variables were extracted from prerandomization Holter data from 475
      patients enrolled in the ICD arm of the SCD-HeFT by using novel and traditional
      heart rate variability methods. All variables were correlated to SCD using the
      Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test and receiver operating characteristic analysis. ICD
      therapy screening tests were designed by minimizing the cost of false
      classifications. Survival analysis, including log-rank test and Cox models, was
      also performed. RESULTS: A short-term fractal exponent, alpha1, and a long-term
      fractal exponent, alpha2, from detrended fluctuation analysis, the ratio of low-
      to high-frequency power, the number of premature ventricular contractions per
      hour, and the heart rate turbulence slope are all statistically significant for
      predicting the occurrences of SCD (P < .001) and survival (log-rank, P < .01).
      The most powerful multivariate predictor tool using the Cox proportional hazards
      regression model was alpha2 with a hazard ratio of 0.0465 (95% confidence
      interval 0.00528-0.409; P < .01). CONCLUSION: Predictor variables extracted from
      R-R intervals correlate to the occurrences of SCD and distinguish survival
      functions among patients with ICDs in SCD-HeFT. We believe that SCD prediction
      models should incorporate Holter-based R-R interval analysis to refine ICD
      patient selection, especially to exclude patients who are unlikely to benefit
      from ICD therapy.

PMID- 26096610
TI  - Temporal trends and sex differences in pulmonary vein isolation for patients with
      atrial fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Indications for pulmonary vein isolation for the treatment of atrial
      fibrillation (AF) have expanded over the years. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe
      trends in demographic and clinical characteristics of patients undergoing
      ablation, with a particular focus on sex differences. METHODS: Patients who
      underwent first AF ablation between 2003 and 2012 were identified within an AF
      cohort by using Quebec administrative databases. Descriptive statistics and
      multivariable analysis were used to examine sex differences and temporal trends
      in demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as independent predictors of
      the ablation procedure. RESULTS: A total of 2438 of 173,689 patients in the AF
      cohort underwent AF ablation. In the span of 10 years, the rate of AF ablation
      increased from 8.5 to 57.2 per million persons-an almost 7-fold increase.
      Patients undergoing ablation were younger than patients in the general AF cohort
      (57.4 +/- 12.2 years vs 75.3 +/- 12.0 years) and had fewer baseline comorbidities
      (56.7% vs 88.4%). Representing 42.9% of the general AF cohort, the annual
      proportion of women in the AF ablation cohort has not surpassed 30%, and men had
      a higher likelihood of undergoing ablation than did women (odds ratio 1.54; 95%
      confidence interval 1.40-1.69). Over the decade of observation, there were slight
      increases in patient age, comorbidities, and CHADS2 score, some of which reached
      clinical significance for men and/or women. CONCLUSION: The uptake of AF ablation
      over 10 years has expanded, with an increasingly greater number of older patients
      and with increased presence of comorbidities; however, there has been no increase
      in the relatively low proportion of women undergoing AF ablation.

PMID- 26096611
TI  - Outcome in young patients with isolated complete atrioventricular block and
      permanent pacemaker treatment: A nationwide study of 127 patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Subgroups of pacemaker (PM)-treated children with isolated complete
      atrioventricular block are at risk of developing left ventricular (LV)
      dysfunction. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to compare the long-term outcome in anti-SSA
      Ro/SSB-La antibody-exposed (AB+) and unexposed (AB-) patients and identify
      preimplantation variables associated with poor outcome. METHODS: In total, 127 PM
      treated patients aged 0-17 years with isolated complete atrioventricular block
      were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: Sixty-three patients were diagnosed
      prenatally, of whom 92% were AB+. Before PM treatment, fractional shortening (FS)
      z-score was significantly lower in AB+ patients than in AB- patients (-0.14 +/-
      3.6 vs 2.03 +/- 2.3). Before PM implantation, there were sex differences
      (male/female) in median time from diagnosis to PM implantation (0.2 years vs 1.0
      years), median neonatal heart rate (50 beats/min vs 60 beats/min), left
      ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) z-score (2.68 +/- 1.41 vs 1.74 +/-
      1.40), and FS (-0.19 +/- 3.38 vs 1.42 +/- 2.98). The median age at PM
      implantation was 3.2 years, and median follow-up was 8.7 years. At follow-up,
      LVEDD and FS did not differ significantly between AB+ and AB- patients, but LVEDD
      was higher in patients diagnosed before 1 month of age. Nine patients (8%)
      developed LV dysfunction, and 4 died. LV dysfunction was associated with
      diagnosis before 1 month of age and abnormal LV function before PM implantation.
      CONCLUSION: LV dysfunction at follow-up was seen only in cases diagnosed before 1
      month, with abnormal echocardiography before PM implantation. Boys had a more
      compromised cardiac status and were paced at an earlier age than girls. Fetal AB
      exposure and male sex were related to abnormal LV function before PM therapy, but
      not at follow-up.

PMID- 26096613
TI  - Remote-Controllable Explosive Polymer Multilayer Tubes for Rapid Cancer Cell
      Killing.
AB  - Gold nanoshell-functionalized polymer multilayer tubes can be used as potent
      therapeutic agents for remote killing of cancer cells in a controlled manner due
      to the emerging pressure wave and tube fragments piercing the cell wall. The
      explosion is based on rapid evaporation of water inside the tubes caused by
      photothermal effects. The mechanism of explosion is presented in theory and
      experiment. The explosion of the tubes depends on the absorption coefficient and
      size of the gold nanoshells in the tubes, whereby the placement of the gold
      particles inside or outside of the tubes has no obvious effect on the explosive
      properties. 

PMID- 26096612
TI  - Voltage-gated Na+ Channel Activity Increases Colon Cancer Transcriptional
      Activity and Invasion Via Persistent MAPK Signaling.
AB  - Functional expression of voltage-gated Na(+) channels (VGSCs) has been
      demonstrated in multiple cancer cell types where channel activity induces
      invasive activity. The signaling mechanisms by which VGSCs promote oncogenesis
      remain poorly understood. We explored the signal transduction process critical to
      VGSC-mediated invasion on the basis of reports linking channel activity to gene
      expression changes in excitable cells. Coincidentally, many genes
      transcriptionally regulated by the SCN5A isoform in colon cancer have an over
      representation of cis-acting sites for transcription factors phosphorylated by
      ERK1/2 MAPK. We hypothesized that VGSC activity promotes MAPK activation to
      induce transcriptional changes in invasion-related genes. Using pharmacological
      inhibitors/activators and siRNA-mediated gene knockdowns, we correlated channel
      activity with Rap1-dependent persistent MAPK activation in the SW620 human colon
      cancer cell line. We further demonstrated that VGSC activity induces downstream
      changes in invasion-related gene expression via a PKA/ERK/c-JUN/ELK-1/ETS-1
      transcriptional pathway. This is the first study illustrating a molecular
      mechanism linking functional activity of VGSCs to transcriptional activation of
      invasion-related genes. 

PMID- 26096615
TI  - Fluorescent Pyrene-Based Bis-azole Compounds: Synthesis and Photophysical
      Analysis.
AB  - A rational synthetic procedure for the preparation of a series of pyrene-based
      neutral and dicationic bis-azole compounds is reported. The method allows the
      tailored design of pyrene-based azoles with different substituents at the
      nitrogen atoms of the heterocycles, for which the relative conformation of the
      resulting bis-azoles can be easily controlled. The bis-azoliums were used for the
      preparation of the related diplatinum complexes by reaction with [{Pt(ppy)(MU
      Cl)2 }2 ] (ppy=2-phenylpyridinate). The X-ray molecular structure of one of the
      resulting compounds, a diplatinum(II) bis(N-heterocyclic carbene) complex, is
      described. Studies on the photophysical properties of all new species are
      described. The emission of the bis-azole-based compounds seems to be independent
      of their substitution patterns, which basically indicates that physical
      properties such as solubility, melting point, and viscosity can be fine-tuned
      while maintaining the luminescence properties. Finally, the energies associated
      with the HOMO and LUMO levels suggest that this family provides versatility to
      match the energy levels of a wide range of host materials, which is important for
      the preparation of organic light-emitting devices. 

PMID- 26096616
TI  - Potential mechanism underlying the PNPLA3(I) (148) (M) -Hepatic steatosis
      connection.

PMID- 26096614
TI  - ClC-1 mutations in myotonia congenita patients: insights into molecular gating
      mechanisms and genotype-phenotype correlation.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Loss-of-function mutations of the skeletal muscle ClC-1 channel cause
      myotonia congenita with variable phenotypes. Using patch clamp we show that
      F484L, located in the conducting pore, probably induces mild dominant myotonia by
      right-shifting the slow gating of ClC-1 channel, without exerting a dominant
      negative effect on the wild-type (WT) subunit. Molecular dynamics simulations
      suggest that F484L affects the slow gate by increasing the frequency and the
      stability of H-bond formation between E232 in helix F and Y578 in helix R. Three
      other myotonic ClC-1 mutations are shown to produce distinct effects on channel
      function: L198P shifts the slow gate to positive potentials, V640G reduces
      channel activity, while L628P displays a WT-like behaviour (electrophysiology
      data only). Our results provide novel insight into the molecular mechanisms
      underlying normal and altered ClC-1 function. ABSTRACT: Myotonia congenita is an
      inherited disease caused by loss-of-function mutations of the skeletal muscle ClC
      1 chloride channel, characterized by impaired muscle relaxation after contraction
      and stiffness. In the present study, we provided an in-depth characterization of
      F484L, a mutation previously identified in dominant myotonia, in order to define
      the genotype-phenotype correlation, and to elucidate the contribution of this
      pore residue to the mechanisms of ClC-1 gating. Patch-clamp recordings showed
      that F484L reduced chloride currents at every tested potential and dramatically
      right-shifted the voltage dependence of slow gating, thus contributing to the
      mild clinical phenotype of affected heterozygote carriers. Unlike dominant
      mutations located at the dimer interface, no dominant-negative effect was
      observed when F484L mutant subunits were co-expressed with wild type. Molecular
      dynamics simulations further revealed that F484L affected the slow gate by
      increasing the frequency and stability of the H-bond formation between the pore
      residue E232 and the R helix residue Y578. In addition, using patch-clamp
      electrophysiology, we characterized three other myotonic ClC-1 mutations. We
      proved that the dominant L198P mutation in the channel pore also right-shifted
      the voltage dependence of slow gating, recapitulating mild myotonia. The
      recessive V640G mutant drastically reduced channel function, which probably
      accounts for myotonia. In contrast, the recessive L628P mutant produced currents
      very similar to wild type, suggesting that the occurrence of the compound
      truncating mutation (Q812X) or other muscle-specific mechanisms accounted for the
      severe symptoms observed in this family. Our results provide novel insight into
      the molecular mechanisms underlying normal and altered ClC-1 function.

PMID- 26096617
TI  - In Memoriam: Bengt Arthur Hagberg, MD, PhD August 9, 1923-April 12, 2015.

PMID- 26096618
TI  - Difficulty of Early Diagnosis and Requirement of Long-Term Follow-Up in Benign
      Infantile Seizures.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated whether benign infantile seizures can be diagnosed in
      the acute phase. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 44
      patients initially diagnosed with acute phase benign infantile seizures. All
      patients were followed for more than 12 months, and we reviewed patients'
      psychomotor development and presence or absence of seizure recurrence at the last
      visit. Patients were divided into the following three groups according to the
      final diagnosis: benign infantile seizures, benign infantile seizures associated
      with mild gastroenteritis, and non-benign infantile seizures. We defined benign
      infantile seizures associated with mild gastroenteritis and benign infantile
      seizures as those associated with normal psychomotor development and no seizure
      recurrence 3 months after onset of the first seizure, whereas non-benign
      infantile seizures were associated with delayed psychomotor development and/or
      seizure recurrence after 3 months of onset of the first seizure. We analyzed the
      clinical features in the acute phase and compared them between the groups.
      RESULTS: The median age of seizure onset was 7.6 months. A final diagnosis of
      benign infantile seizures associated with mild gastroenteritis was made in three
      patients. In the remaining 41 patients, the final diagnosis was benign infantile
      seizures in 30 (73.2%) and non-benign infantile seizures in 11 (26.8%). In the
      non-benign infantile seizure group, intellectual disability was diagnosed in
      eight patients and seizure recurrence in six. There were no significant
      differences in clinical features between the groups in the acute phase, such as
      seizure type or seizure duration. CONCLUSION: About 30% of patients initially
      diagnosed as having benign infantile seizures did not experience a benign
      clinical course. Our findings suggest that clinical features in the acute phase
      are not helpful for predicting benign outcomes in benign infantile seizures and
      that only long-term follow-up can discriminate benign infantile seizures from non
      benign infantile seizures.

PMID- 26096619
TI  - Maternal Iron Deficiency Anemia as a Risk Factor for the Development of
      Retinopathy of Prematurity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of prematurity is a proliferative vascular disease
      affecting premature newborns and occurs during vessel development and maturation.
      The aim of this study was to evaluate the maternal iron deficiency anemia as
      possible risk factors associated with the development of retinopathy of
      prematurity among premature or very low birth weight infants. METHODS: In this
      study, mothers of 254 infants with retinopathy of prematurity were analyzed
      retrospectively, and their laboratory results of medical records during pregnancy
      were reviewed for possible iron deficiency anemia. RESULTS: In a cohort of 254
      mothers of premature infants with retinopathy of prematurity, 187 (73.6%) had
      iron deficiency, while the remaining 67 (26.4%) mothers had no deficiency. Babies
      born to mothers with iron deficiency anemia with markedly decreased hemoglobin,
      hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, serum iron, and ferritin levels were more
      likely to develop retinopathy of prematurity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are the
      first to suggest that maternal iron deficiency is a risk factor for the
      development of retinopathy of prematurity. Our data suggest that maternal iron
      supplementation therapy during pregnancy might lower the risk of retinopathy of
      prematurity.

PMID- 26096620
TI  - Association of UBP1 to ribonucleoprotein complexes is regulated by interaction
      with the trypanosome ortholog of the human multifunctional P32 protein.
AB  - Regulation of gene expression in trypanosomatid parasitic protozoa is mainly
      achieved posttranscriptionally. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) associate to 3'
      untranslated regions in mRNAs through dedicated domains such as the RNA
      recognition motif (RRM). Trypanosoma cruzi UBP1 (TcUBP1) is an RRM-type RBP
      involved in stabilization/degradation of mRNAs. TcUBP1 uses its RRM to associate
      with cytoplasmic mRNA and to mRNA granules under starvation stress. Here, we show
      that under starvation stress, TcUBP1 is tightly associated with condensed
      cytoplasmic mRNA granules. Conversely, under high nutrient/low density-growing
      conditions, TcUBP1 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes are lax and permeable to
      mRNA degradation and disassembly. After dissociating from mRNA, TcUBP1 can be
      phosphorylated only in unstressed parasites. We have identified TcP22, the
      ortholog of mammalian P32/C1QBP, as an interactor of TcUBP1 RRM. Overexpression
      of TcP22 decreased the number of TcUBP1 granules in starved parasites in vivo.
      Endogenous TcUBP1 RNP complexes could be dissociated in vitro by addition of
      recombinant TcP22, a condition stimulating TcUBP1 phosphorylation. Biochemical
      and in silico analysis revealed that TcP22 interacts with the RNA-binding surface
      of TcUBP1 RRM. We propose a model for the decondensation of TcUBP1 RNP complexes
      in T. cruzi through direct interaction with TcP22 and phosphorylation.

PMID- 26096621
TI  - An interactive activation and competition model of person knowledge, suggested by
      proactive interference by traits spontaneously inferred from behaviours.
AB  - People unconsciously and unintentionally make inferences about others'
      personality traits based on their behaviours. In this study, a classic memory
      phenomenon--proactive interference (PI)--is for the first time used to detect
      spontaneous trait inferences. PI should occur when lists of behaviour
      descriptions, all implying the same trait, are to be remembered. Switching to a
      new trait should produce 'release' from proactive interference (or RPI). Results
      from two experiments supported these predictions. PI and RPI effects are
      consistent with an interactive activation and competition model of person
      perception (e.g., McNeill & Burton, 2002, J. Exp. Psychol., 55A, 1141), which
      predicts categorical organization of social behaviours based on personality
      traits. Advantages of this model are discussed.

PMID- 26096622
TI  - Controlling dispersion forces between small particles with artificially created
      random light fields.
AB  - Appropriate combinations of laser beams can be used to trap and manipulate small
      particles with optical tweezers as well as to induce significant optical binding
      forces between particles. These interaction forces are usually strongly
      anisotropic depending on the interference landscape of the external fields. This
      is in contrast with the familiar isotropic, translationally invariant, van der
      Waals and, in general, Casimir-Lifshitz interactions between neutral bodies
      arising from random electromagnetic waves generated by equilibrium quantum and
      thermal fluctuations. Here we show, both theoretically and experimentally, that
      dispersion forces between small colloidal particles can also be induced and
      controlled using artificially created fluctuating light fields. Using optical
      tweezers as a gauge, we present experimental evidence for the predicted isotropic
      attractive interactions between dielectric microspheres induced by laser
      generated, random light fields. These light-induced interactions open a path
      towards the control of translationally invariant interactions with tuneable
      strength and range in colloidal systems. 

PMID- 26096623
TI  - Reversal of a Single Base-Pair Step Controls Guanine Photo-Oxidation by an
      Intercalating Ruthenium(II) Dipyridophenazine Complex.
AB  - Small changes in DNA sequence can often have major biological effects. Here the
      rates and yields of guanine photo-oxidation by Lambda-[Ru(TAP)2(dppz)](2+) have
      been compared in 5'-{CCGGATCCGG}2 and 5'-{CCGGTACCGG}2 using pico/nanosecond
      transient visible and time-resolved IR (TRIR) spectroscopy. The inefficiency of
      electron transfer in the TA sequence is consistent with the 5'-TA-3' versus 5'-AT
      3' binding preference predicted by X-ray crystallography. The TRIR spectra also
      reveal the differences in binding sites in the two oligonucleotides.

PMID- 26096624
TI  - Assessment of Cardiac Function by Echocardiography.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Accurate assessment of cardiac function by transthoracic
      echocardiography (TTE) plays an essential role in clinical cardiology. While left
      ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) assessment has traditionally been the most
      commonly used objective echocardiographic marker, many other echocardiographic
      parameters exist that permit an enhanced understanding of cardiac function. These
      range from 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) morphologic parameters to
      functional parameters such as wall strain and myocardial performance index. In
      this review, we survey a variety of TTE-based techniques that are utilized in
      practice to assess the systolic cardiac function of both the left and right
      ventricles.

PMID- 26096625
TI  - A Closer Examination of Sexual Trauma During Deployment: Not all Sexual Traumas
      are Associated with Suicidal Ideation.
AB  - Military personnel can be exposed to a wide range of sexual trauma while
      deployed, including sexual harassment and sexual assault. We examined whether
      different types of sexual trauma during deployment associated with recent
      suicidal ideation among previously deployed OEF/OIF/OND veterans admitted to
      trauma-focused treatment (n = 199). More severe forms of sexual trauma (e.g.,
      sexual assault) were significantly and positively associated with suicidal
      ideation. In contrast, sexual trauma involving verbal remarks (e.g., sexual
      harassment) was not associated with suicidal ideation. Our findings suggest that
      sexual harassment and sexual assault during deployment may be differentially
      associated with suicidal ideation.

PMID- 26096626
TI  - Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and co-infections with Anaplasma phagocytophilum
      and Rickettsia spp. in Ixodes ricinus in Hamburg, Germany.
AB  - To obtain initial data on Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Spirochaetales:
      Spirochaetaceae) in Ixodes ricinus (Ixodida: Ixodidae) ticks in Hamburg, Germany,
      1400 questing ticks were collected by flagging at 10 different public recreation
      areas in 2011 and analysed using probe-based quantitative real-time polymerase
      chain reaction. The overall rate of infection with B. burgdorferi s.l. was 34.1%;
      30.0% of adults were infected (36.7% of females and 26.0% of males), as were
      34.5% of nymphs. Significant differences in tick infection rates were observed
      between the spring and summer/autumn months, as well as among sampling locations.
      Borrelia genospecies identification by reverse line blotting was successful in
      43.6% of positive tick samples. The most frequent genospecies was Borrelia
      garinii/Borrelia bavariensis, followed by Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia valaisiana,
      B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia spielmanii, Borrelia bissettii and
      Borrelia lusitaniae. Based on previously published data, co-infection of Borrelia
      and Rickettsiales spp. was determined in 25.8% of ticks. Overall, 22.9% of ticks
      were co-infected with Rickettsia spp. (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), 1.7% with
      Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae), and 1.2% with both
      pathogens. Study results show a high prevalence of Borrelia-positive ticks in
      recreation areas in the northern German city of Hamburg and the potential health
      risk to humans in these areas should not be underestimated. 

PMID- 26096627
TI  - Ending sexual HIV transmission: lessons learned from perinatal HIV.

PMID- 26096628
TI  - The effect of time step, thermostat, and strain rate on ReaxFF simulations of
      mechanical failure in diamond, graphene, and carbon nanotube.
AB  - As the sophistication of reactive force fields for molecular modeling continues
      to increase, their use and applicability has also expanded, sometimes beyond the
      scope of their original development. Reax Force Field (ReaxFF), for example, was
      originally developed to model chemical reactions, but is a promising candidate
      for modeling fracture because of its ability to treat covalent bond cleavage.
      Performing reliable simulations of a complex process like fracture, however,
      requires an understanding of the effects that various modeling parameters have on
      the behavior of the system. This work assesses the effects of time step size,
      thermostat algorithm and coupling coefficient, and strain rate on the fracture
      behavior of three carbon-based materials: graphene, diamond, and a carbon
      nanotube. It is determined that the simulated stress-strain behavior is
      relatively independent of the thermostat algorithm, so long as coupling
      coefficients are kept above a certain threshold. Likewise, the stress-strain
      response of the materials was also independent of the strain rate, if it is kept
      below a maximum strain rate. Finally, the mechanical properties of the materials
      predicted by the Chenoweth C/H/O parameterization for ReaxFF are compared with
      literature values. Some deficiencies in the Chenoweth C/H/O parameterization for
      predicting mechanical properties of carbon materials are observed.

PMID- 26096629
TI  - Dyslipidaemia in overweight children and adolescents is associated with an
      increased risk of kidney stones.
AB  - AIM: There is conflicting evidence about the role of obesity in paediatric
      nephrolithiasis. This Polish study explored the influence of nutritional status
      and lipid disturbances on urinary lithogenic factors and the risk of kidney stone
      formation in children and adolescents from three to 18 years of age. METHODS: We
      carried out serum lipid profile evaluations and 24-h urine chemistry analyses on
      493 overweight/obese paediatric participants (mean age 13 years) without
      nephrolithiasis and 492 healthy normal weight sex and age-matched controls.
      RESULTS: A third (33%) of the study group had blood lipid disturbances, with more
      acidic urine, lower urinary citrate excretion and a higher fraction of ionised
      calcium and higher Bonn Risk Index than the controls. The participants' body mass
      index standard deviation score (BMI Z-score) was positively correlated with
      urinary oxalate and uric acid and negatively correlated with citrate excretion.
      Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides
      correlated negatively with citraturia, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol
      correlated positively. CONCLUSION: The main factor that predisposed overweight
      and obese children to kidney stones was hypocitraturia. Urinary citrate excretion
      was related to both BMI Z-scores and all lipid fraction abnormalities. However,
      hypercholesterolaemia and particularly low-density lipoprotein
      hypercholesterolaemia seemed to play a major role.

PMID- 26096630
TI  - Student perceptions of a spiral curriculum.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was evaluation of constructive alignment of student
      perceptions to a spiral curriculum, as a pre-requisite to successful learning.
      METHOD: A survey was undertaken to evaluate student thoughts and experiences of a
      spiral curriculum, by participation in an anonymous voluntary questionnaire.
      Students were asked to rate their thoughts on their understanding, perceived
      benefit of and confusion with their spiral curriculum at the current time and
      retrospectively during previous years, and to answer free-text questions on the
      impact, effects on learning and future suggestions for their spiral curriculum.
      RESULTS: Sixty (86%) students completed the questionnaire. Understanding the
      spiral curriculum worked enhanced with time, with the benefit of the spiral
      curriculum being felt more conclusively in the latter years, and the majority of
      students not being confused by the spiral curriculum. Those students who were
      most confused by the spiral curriculum were the ones who were least likely to
      appreciate its benefits. The opportunity for consolidation of previously visited
      knowledge was a perceived predominant advantage, with re-visitation of topics
      helping to deepen understanding and learning. Clarity on the depth of knowledge
      at each stage prevents information overload. A spiral curriculum must spiral and
      not be a repetition of previously delivered topics. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      provided insights into students' perceptions of an integrated spiral curriculum,
      and whilst predominantly positive, there are challenges to enhance the student
      experience. The spiral curriculum provides an opportunity to revisit and
      consolidate learning to the apparent benefit of the student.

PMID- 26096631
TI  - Genetic interactions between diverged alleles of Early heading date 1 (Ehd1) and
      Heading date 3a (Hd3a)/ RICE FLOWERING LOCUS T1 (RFT1) control differential
      heading and contribute to regional adaptation in rice (Oryza sativa).
AB  - Initiation of flowering, also called heading, in rice (Oryza sativa) is
      determined by the florigens encoded by Heading date 3a (Hd3a) and RICE FLOWERING
      LOCUS T1 (RFT1). Early heading date 1 (Ehd1) regulates Hd3a and RFT1. However,
      different rice varieties have diverged alleles of Ehd1 and Hd3a/RFT1 and their
      genetic interactions remain largely unclear. Here we generated three segregating
      populations for different combinations of diverged Ehd1 and Hd3a/RFT1 alleles,
      and analyzed their genetic interactions between these alleles. We demonstrated
      that, in an ehd1 mutant background, Hd3a was silenced, but RFT1 was expressed
      (although at lower levels than in plants with a functional Ehd1) under short-day
      (SD) and long-day (LD) conditions. We identified a nonfunctional RFT1 allele
      (rft1); the lines carrying homozygous ehd1 and Hd3a/rft1 failed to induce the
      floral transition under SD and LD conditions. Like Hd3a, RFT1 also interacted
      with 14-3-3 proteins, the florigen receptors, but a nonfunctional RFT1 with a
      crucial E105K mutation failed to interact with 14-3-3 proteins. Furthermore,
      analyses of sequence variation and geographic distribution suggested that
      functional RFT1 alleles were selected during rice adaptation to high-latitude
      regions. Our results demonstrate the important roles of RFT1 in rice flowering
      and regional adaptation. 

PMID- 26096632
TI  - Olfactory Dysfunction Evaluation Is Not Affected by Comorbid Depression in
      Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Olfactory function assessment is an important screening tool for
      Parkinson's disease (PD) diagnosis. It is debated whether olfaction is affected
      by comorbid depression. We assessed the relationship between depression and
      olfaction in PD and determined whether depression may limit the usefulness of
      olfactory testing for PD diagnosis. METHODS: Olfaction was evaluated using the
      Sniffin' Sticks test and the Hyposmia Rating Scale in four groups of subjects: PD
      patients without depression (n = 30); PD patients with major depression (PDD; n =
      30); major depressive disorder (MDD) patients (n = 29); and healthy controls
      (HCs; n = 30). RESULTS: No differences were found between PD and PDD patients for
      total Sniffin' Sticks test, threshold, discrimination or identification scores,
      or in Hyposmia Rating Scale, although both groups differed from HCs and MDD
      patients (P < 0.05), which, in turn, showed similar olfactory scores.
      CONCLUSIONS: Lack of differences in olfactory impairment between PD and PDD
      suggest that depression may not contribute to olfactory dysfunction in PD.

PMID- 26096633
TI  - Treatment of liver alveococcosis with high-intensity focused ultrasound.
AB  - This study evaluates the feasibility of using high intensity focused ultrasound
      (HIFU) for the treatment of liver alveococcosis. HIFU ablation was carried out in
      36 patients with alveococcosis of the liver. The median age of patients was
      39.24+/-12, 93 years (range: 20-66 years). The efficiency of treatment was
      monitored in real time with morphological evaluation, computed tomography (CT),
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound (US), and with morphological
      cytological and electron microscopy studies. HIFU ablation has shown
      effectiveness in destroying the protoscolexes, laminar and cell elements of the
      cuticular and germinal membrane of the alveococcosis larvocyst, causing the death
      of the cells of initial metamorphosis of alveococcosis, which is responsible for
      the dissemination of the parasite in the liver. Therefore HIFU-therapy is a
      promising and effective treatment for liver alveococcosis.

PMID- 26096634
TI  - Transient Apical Thickening Following Apical Ballooning Syndrome: A Case Series.
AB  - The authors describe transient apical thickening mimicking apical hypertrophic
      cardiomyopathy following apical ballooning syndrome. These findings are observed
      on multimodality cardiac imaging and appear to constitute a novel entity.
      Possible pathophysiologic mechanisms are explored. 

PMID- 26096635
TI  - Visible-Light-Activated Molecular Switches.
AB  - The ability to influence key properties of molecular systems by using light holds
      much promise for the fields of materials science and life sciences. The
      cornerstone of such systems is molecules that are able to reversibly
      photoisomerize between two states, commonly referred to as photoswitches. One
      serious restriction to the development of functional photodynamic systems is the
      necessity to trigger switching in at least one direction by UV light, which is
      often damaging and penetrates only partially through most media. This review
      provides a summary of the different conceptual strategies for addressing
      molecular switches in the visible and near-infrared regions of the optical
      spectrum. Such visible-light-activated molecular switches tremendously extend the
      scope of photoswitchable systems for future applications and technologies. 

PMID- 26096636
TI  - Quantifying Dry Milling in Pharmaceutical Processing: A Review on Experimental
      and Modeling Approaches.
AB  - Particle size reduction by mechanical means is an important unit operation in the
      pharmaceutical industry, used to improve flow, solubility, and in amorphization
      of drugs. It is usually achieved by the fracturing of particles under the action
      of applied energy. Despite being pervasive in the pharmaceutical field, it is one
      of the least understood processes owing to the complexity of material and process
      variables involved during milling. To comprehend the process, efforts should be
      focused on techniques that measure the particle size as well as the control the
      process. With the ongoing initiative of US FDA to encourage design in quality,
      the review is focused on some process analytical tools to characterize particle
      size distribution as well as process modeling tools to simulate particle size
      reduction. Additionally, an overview of some fundamental aspects related to
      milling is provided. To this end, the review is limited, mainly concentrating on
      some of experimental and modeling approaches used to quantify and understand the
      physics behind the process of dry milling.

PMID- 26096637
TI  - Perampanel efficacy and safety by gender: Subanalysis of phase III randomized
      clinical studies in subjects with partial seizures.
AB  - The antiepileptic drug (AED) perampanel is approved in >=40 countries as
      adjunctive therapy for drug-resistant partial seizures in patients with epilepsy.
      This post hoc analysis of pooled data from three phase III, double-blind,
      randomized studies of perampanel examines between-gender differences in
      perampanel efficacy and safety. Of the 1,478 subjects in the pooled analysis (719
      male, 759 female), 1,109 were included in the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic
      analysis. Perampanel oral clearance was 17% lower in female than in male patients
      not receiving enzyme-inducing AEDs. Pooled efficacy analysis revealed that
      seizure frequency was reduced with perampanel treatment regardless of gender; a
      greater numerical reduction in seizure frequency and increased responder rates
      occurred in female participants at perampanel doses of 4, 8, and 12 mg.
      Tolerability was similar between groups, although common adverse events such as
      dizziness and headache occurred more frequently in female subjects. Modest
      elevations in perampanel exposure in female patients may result in meaningful
      between-gender differences in efficacy and safety; therefore, dosing should be
      individualized and clinical response monitored.

PMID- 26096638
TI  - Chondrogenic differentiation of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal
      stem cells in vitro.
AB  - Different therapeutic techniques have been developed for regeneration of
      articular cartilage injuries, but none has provided an optimal solution to their
      treatment. Human umbilical cord blood-mesenchymal Stem Cells (HUCB-MSCs) have
      been considered as promising alternative cell source for cartilage repair.
      OBJECTIVES: Examining the success rate of MSCs isolation from HUCB as well as
      chondrogenic differentiation potential of HUCB-MSCs in vitro. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: 32 UCB samples were collected, in addition to 5 bone marrow (BM) and 5
      peripheral blood (PB) samples, taken as reference controls. Samples were used for
      mononuclear cells isolation from which MSCs were expanded under complete aseptic
      conditions, were verified morphologically and through the presence of CD44 and
      CD105, and absence of CD34. RESULTS: Success rate of UCB-MSCs isolation was
      (25%), a rate that was lower than those of PB (40%) and BM (80%). Accordingly,
      certain input parameters have been recommended for successful MSCs isolation from
      UCB. On selecting samples in which recommended parameters were fulfilled, success
      rate was increased to 72%. This was together with providing optimal experiment
      conditions; mainly type of expansion medium, success rate reached 80%. Then,
      successfully expanded MSCs were subjected to chondrogenic differentiation by
      culturing in pelleted micromass system in presence of transforming growth factor
      beta-1 and chondrogenic medium devoid of fetal bovine serum to evaluate their
      ability to undergo chondrogenesis. Differentiation was verified microscopically
      using special stains, and proved by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain
      reaction for expression of aggrecan and collagen II genes. In conclusion, in
      vitro differentiation into chondrocytes is possible from HUCB-MSCs.

PMID- 26096640
TI  - Integrating a Photocatalyst into a Hybrid Lithium-Sulfur Battery for Direct
      Storage of Solar Energy.
AB  - Direct capture and storage of abundant but intermittent solar energy in
      electrical energy-storage devices such as rechargeable lithium batteries is of
      great importance, and could provide a promising solution to the challenges of
      energy shortage and environment pollution. Here we report a new prototype of a
      solar-driven chargeable lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery, in which the capture and
      storage of solar energy was realized by oxidizing S(2-) ions to polysulfide ions
      in aqueous solution with a Pt-modified CdS photocatalyst. The battery can deliver
      a specific capacity of 792 mAh g(-1) during 2 h photocharging process with a
      discharge potential of around 2.53 V versus Li(+)/Li. A specific capacity of 199
      mAh g(-1), reaching the level of conventional lithium-ion batteries, can be
      achieved within 10 min photocharging. Moreover, the charging process of the
      battery can proceed under natural sunlight irradiation.

PMID- 26096639
TI  - Brain tissue compartment density estimated using diffusion-weighted MRI yields
      tissue parameters consistent with histology.
AB  - We examined whether quantitative density measures of cerebral tissue consistent
      with histology can be obtained from diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
      By incorporating prior knowledge of myelin and cell membrane densities, absolute
      tissue density values were estimated from relative intracellular and intraneurite
      density values obtained from diffusion MRI. The NODDI (neurite orientation
      distribution and density imaging) technique, which can be applied clinically, was
      used. Myelin density estimates were compared with the results of electron and
      light microscopy in ex vivo mouse brain and with published density estimates in a
      healthy human brain. In ex vivo mouse brain, estimated myelin densities in
      different subregions of the mouse corpus callosum were almost identical to values
      obtained from electron microscopy (diffusion MRI: 42 +/- 6%, 36 +/- 4%, and 43 +/
      5%; electron microscopy: 41 +/- 10%, 36 +/- 8%, and 44 +/- 12% in genu, body and
      splenium, respectively). In the human brain, good agreement was observed between
      estimated fiber density measurements and previously reported values based on
      electron microscopy. Estimated density values were unaffected by crossing fibers.

PMID- 26096641
TI  - Tissue and sex specificities in Ca2+ handling by isolated mitochondria in
      conditions avoiding the permeability transition.
AB  - NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? The assessment of
      Ca(2+) handling by isolated mitochondria can be biased by dysfunctions secondary
      to Ca(2+) -induced mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT). As a result of
      this uncertainty and the differing experimental conditions between studies, the
      tissue and sex diversities in mitochondrial Ca(2+) transport are still unsettled
      questions. What is the main finding and its importance? If MPT is not prevented
      during Ca(2+) transport assays, some measured variables are biased. Accounting
      for the implied importance of preventing MPT, we observed substantial tissue
      specificities in the mitochondrial Ca(2+) handling, particularly in the Ca(2+)
      efflux pathways. The characteristics of mitochondria, including their Ca(2+)
      transport functions, may exhibit tissue specificity and sexual dimorphism. Given
      that measurements of Ca(2+) handling by isolated mitochondria may be biased by
      dysfunction secondary to Ca(2+) -induced mitochondrial permeability transition
      (MPT) pore opening, this study evaluated the extent to which MPT inhibition by
      ciclosporin affected the measurement of Ca(2+) transport in isolated rat liver
      mitochondria. The results indicate that the steady-state levels of external
      Ca(2+) and the rates of mitochondrial Ca(2+) efflux through the selective
      pathways can be overestimated by up to fourfold if MPT pore opening is not
      prevented. We analysed Ca(2+) transport in isolated mitochondria from the liver,
      skeletal muscle, heart and brain of male and female rats in incubation conditions
      containing MPT inhibitors, NAD-linked substrates and relevant levels of free
      Ca(2+), Mg(2+) and Na(+). The Ca(2+) influx rates were similar among the samples,
      except that the liver mitochondria displayed values fourfold higher. In contrast,
      the Ca(2+) efflux rates exhibited more tissue diversity, especially in the
      presence of Na(+). Interestingly, the Na(+)-independent Ca(2+) efflux was highest
      in the heart mitochondria (~ 4 nmol mg(-1) min(-1)), thus challenging the view
      that cardiac mitochondrial Ca(2+) efflux relies almost exclusively on a Na(+)
      dependent pathway. Sex specificity was observed in only two kinetic indexes of
      heart mitochondrial Ca(2+) homeostasis and in the ADP-stimulated respiration of
      liver mitochondria (~ 20% higher in females). The present study shows the
      methodological importance of preventing MPT when measuring the properties and the
      physiological variability of the Ca(2+) handling by isolated mitochondria.

PMID- 26096642
TI  - ZmABA2, an interacting protein of ZmMPK5, is involved in abscisic acid
      biosynthesis and functions.
AB  - In maize (Zea mays), the mitogen-activated protein kinase ZmMPK5 has been shown
      to be involved in abscisic acid (ABA)-induced antioxidant defence and to enhance
      the tolerance of plants to drought, salt stress and oxidative stress. However,
      the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, using ZmMPK5 as
      bait in yeast two-hybrid screening, a protein interacting with ZmMPK5 named
      ZmABA2, which belongs to a member of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase
      family, was identified. Pull-down assay and bimolecular fluorescence
      complementation analysis and co-immunoprecipitation test confirmed that ZmMPK5
      interacts with ZmABA2 in vitro and in vivo. Phosphorylation of Ser173 in ZmABA2
      by ZmMPK5 was shown to increase the activity of ZmABA2 and the protein stability.
      Various abiotic stimuli induced the expression of ZmABA2 in leaves of maize
      plants. Pharmacological, biochemical and molecular biology and genetic analyses
      showed that both ZmMPK5 and ZmABA2 coordinately regulate the content of ABA.
      Overexpression of ZmABA2 in tobacco plants was found to elevate the content of
      ABA, regulate seed germination and root growth under drought and salt stress and
      enhance the tolerance of tobacco plants to drought and salt stress. These results
      suggest that ZmABA2 is a direct target of ZmMPK5 and is involved in ABA
      biosynthesis and functions. 

PMID- 26096643
TI  - Classroom-based interdependent group contingencies increase children's physical
      activity.
AB  - This study investigated the effects of 2 interdependent group contingencies
      (individual vs. cumulative classroom goal setting) on the number of pedometer
      recorded steps taken per day. Thirty third-grade students in 2 classrooms
      participated. An ABACX design was conducted in which the X phase referred to a
      replication of the most successful phase (i.e., B or C). Results indicated that
      individual goal setting, rather than cumulative classroom goal setting, was more
      effective in increasing the number of steps taken per day on average. Results
      suggest that individual feedback may be an important factor in attaining desired
      results. 

PMID- 26096645
TI  - Combined chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy using a nanohybrid based on
      layered double hydroxides to conquer cisplatin resistance.
AB  - A nanohybrid is assembled by ratiometrically co-loading Pt(IV) prodrugs and
      photosensitizers into layered double hydroxide nanoparticles. The nanohybrid
      shows synergistic cell-killing effects and is significantly active against the
      proliferation of cisplatin-resistant human cancer cells with nanomolar IC50
      values. Profound mechanistic investigations confirm its action mode of combined
      chemo- and photodynamic therapy.

PMID- 26096646
TI  - Acetaminophen induces JNK/p38 signaling and activates the caspase-9-3-dependent
      cell death pathway in human mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Acetaminophen (APAP) is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic drug. Generally,
      the therapeutic dose of APAP is clinically safe, however, high doses of APAP can
      cause acute liver and kidney injury. Therefore, the majority of previous studies
      have focussed on elucidating the mechanisms of APAP-induced hepatotoxicity and
      nephrotoxicity, in addition to examining ways to treat these conditions in
      clinical cases. However, few studies have reported APAP-induced intoxication in
      human stem cells. Stem cells are important in cell proliferation, differentiation
      and repair during human development, particularly during fetal and child
      development. At present, whether APAP causes cytotoxic effects in human stem
      cells remains to be elucidated, therefore, the present study aimed to investigate
      the cellular effects of APAP treatment in human stem cells. The results of the
      present study revealed that high-dose APAP induced more marked cytotoxic effects
      in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) than in renal tubular cells. In addition,
      increased levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal
      kinase and p38, and activation of caspase-9/-3 cascade were observed in the APAP
      treated hMSCs. By contrast, antioxidants, including vitamin C reduced APAP
      induced augmentations in H2O2 levels, but did not inhibit the APAP-induced
      cytotoxic effects in the hMSCs. These results suggested that high doses of APAP
      may cause serious damage towards hMSCs.

PMID- 26096648
TI  - Genetics of common variable immunodeficiency: role of transmembrane activator and
      calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor.
AB  - Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most common clinically manifested
      primary immunodeficiency, which represents a heterogeneous group of
      hypogammaglobulinemias of largely unknown molecular defects. The hallmark of the
      disease is the elevated susceptibility to recurrent infections of respiratory and
      gastrointestinal tract, mainly due to encapsulated bacteria while a significant
      proportion of patients with CVID develop autoimmune and lymphoproliferative
      complications. The primary cause of CVID is still not known. However, a number of
      distinct genetic defects including in inducible co-stimulator (ICOS), B-cell
      activating factor receptor (BAFFR) and transmembrane activator and calcium
      modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI) have been identified in a
      minority of patients with CVID. Mutations in tumour necrosis factor receptor
      superfamily (TNFRSF) member, TACI, are more frequently found to be associated to
      the disease in about 10% of patients with CVID, but may require additional
      immunologic defects for complete expression of the phenotype, as unaffected
      heterozygotes have also been described. Clinically, patients with TACI mutations
      could present with the complete spectrum of complications seen in CVID. Recent
      animal studies have provided substantial information on TACI signalling, yet it
      still offers an outstanding opportunity for further exploration of the aetiology,
      as a large part of it remains poorly understood. In this review, we aim at giving
      an insight into the genetics underlying the CVID and particularly at outlining
      the role of TACI and its relative contribution to the development of CVID-like
      phenotypes in human. 

PMID- 26096647
TI  - The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus is differentially recruited by
      stimuli conditioned to the availability of cocaine versus palatable food.
AB  - The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) is not traditionally considered
      part of the brain addiction neurocircuitry but has received growing attention
      with regard to a role in the modulation of drug-seeking behavior. This study
      sought to establish the pattern of neural activation induced by a response
      reinstating discriminative stimulus (SD ) conditioned to either cocaine (COC) or
      a conventional reinforcer using a palatable food substance, sweetened condensed
      milk (SCM). Male Wistar rats were trained to associate one SD (S+ ; COC or SCM
      availability) and a distinctly different SD (S- ; non-reward; i.e. the
      availability of saline or the absence of SCM). Following extinction of COC- and
      SCM-reinforced responding, rats were presented with the respective S+ or S- alone
      and tested for the reinstatement of reward seeking. The COC S+ and SCM S+
      elicited identical reinstatement, whereas the non-reward S- was behaviorally
      ineffective. PVT sections were obtained following completion of the reinstatement
      tests and labeled for Fos. The number of Fos+ neurons was compared among rats
      that were presented with the COC S+ , SCM S+ or S- . Rats that were presented
      with the COC S+ exhibited a significant increase in Fos expression compared with
      rats that were presented with the S- . Moreover, Fos expression was significantly
      correlated with the number of reinstatement responses that were induced by the
      COC S+ . In contrast, the SCM S+ and S- produced identical increases in Fos
      expression, without behaviorally relevant correlations. The findings implicate
      the PVT as an important site that is selectively recruited during COC-seeking
      behavior.

PMID- 26096649
TI  - Assessing Community Quality of Health Care.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the agreement of measures of care in different settings
      hospitals, nursing homes (NHs), and home health agencies (HHAs)-and identify
      communities with high-quality care in all settings. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING:
      Publicly available quality measures for hospitals, NHs, and HHAs, linked to
      hospital service areas (HSAs). STUDY DESIGN: We constructed composite quality
      measures for hospitals, HHAs, and nursing homes. We used these measures to
      identify HSAs with exceptionally high- or low-quality of care across all
      settings, or only high hospital quality, and compared these with respect to
      sociodemographic and health system factors. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We identified
      three dimensions of hospital quality, four HHA dimensions, and two NH dimensions;
      these were poorly correlated across the three care settings. HSAs that ranked
      high on all dimensions had more general practitioners per capita, and fewer
      specialists per capita, than HSAs that ranked highly on only the hospital
      measures. CONCLUSION: Higher quality hospital, HHA, and NH care are not
      correlated at the regional level; regions where all dimensions of care are high
      differ systematically from regions which score well on only hospital measures and
      from those which score well on none.

PMID- 26096650
TI  - Dual effect of Thymosin alpha 1 on human monocyte-derived dendritic cell in vitro
      stimulated with viral and bacterial toll-like receptor agonists.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Thymosin alpha 1 (Talpha1) recently gained interest as immune
      adjuvant for vaccines because of its ability to modulate the T-cell/dendritic
      cell (DC) axis and to improve antibody production. The objective of this study
      was to determine whether Talpha1 would address in vitro the response of human
      primary monocyte-derived DC, crucial regulators of vaccine-induced immunity, upon
      exposure to different toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists or infection with viruses
      or bacteria. METHODS: DC maturation and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines
      were analyzed. RESULTS: Our data revealed a dual effect of Talpha1 on DC biology
      upon viral or bacterial stimulation. Interestingly, Talpha1 enhanced human
      leukocyte antigen (HLA)-I and II surface expression and secretion of IL-6, TNF
      alpha and IL-8 when DCs were treated with viral TLR3 and TLR7/8 agonists.
      Similarly, in pandemic H1N1 influenza A-infected DCs, Talpha1 raised the
      expression of maturation markers and type I and III Interferon (IFN). In
      contrast, following bacterial TLR2 and 4 stimulation, as well as upon Bacillus
      Calmette-Guerin infection, the presence of Talpha1 in DC cultures drastically
      lowered the analyzed cellular parameters. CONCLUSION: The knowledge that Talpha1
      pleiotropic effect might ameliorate anti-viral immune responses and, at the same
      time, dampen inflammation caused by bacterial infections could lay the groundwork
      for a more appropriate therapeutic application of this molecule.

PMID- 26096651
TI  - The southwestern Carpathians as an ancient centre of diversity of freshwater
      gammarid amphipods: insights from the Gammarus fossarum species complex.
AB  - Gammarus fossarum is a diverse species complex of epigean freshwater amphipods
      throughout Europe. Due to their poor dispersal capabilities and ubiquity, these
      crustaceans may serve as a model for investigating the influence of historical
      factors on the contemporary distribution and diversity patterns of freshwater
      macrozoobenthos. Here, we investigate the fine-scale phylogeographic structure of
      this complex across its range in the southwestern Carpathian Mountains, which
      comprises two areas that are geographically isolated from its main European
      distribution area as well as from each other. Given the Tertiary age of many
      freshwater Gammarus species, we hypothesize that the southwestern Carpathian
      populations reflect a relict distribution pattern. We used two mitochondrial and
      three nuclear markers from 32 localities to reconstruct phylogenetic
      relationships and estimate the timings of divergence among southwestern
      Carpathian and non-Carpathian lineages. Cryptic diversity was evaluated from
      mitochondrial markers by employing phylogenetic and distance-based methods. We
      distinguished at least 16 cryptic microendemic taxa, some of them coexisting,
      distributed in the southwestern Carpathians in a mosaic-like pattern. These
      lineages form a monophyletic group together with several lineages from
      southeastern Europe. Estimated divergence times indicate a Middle Miocene origin
      of this clade, with many deep splits dating back to more than 10 Ma. This time
      frame corresponds with a period of intense geological subsidence in the region
      that gave birth to the Pannonian Basin. We conclude that subsidence could have
      been an important driver of diversification in freshwater Gammarus and that the
      southwestern Carpathians represent an ancient centre of diversity for these
      crustaceans. 

PMID- 26096652
TI  - Food insecurity and intimate partner violence against women: results from the
      California Women's Health Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between food insecurity and intimate
      partner violence in a population-based sample of heterosexual women. DESIGN:
      Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between three levels of
      food insecurity and intimate partner violence. SETTING: Data from 6 years of the
      California Women's Health Survey. SUBJECTS: Randomly selected women (n 16 562)
      aged 18 years and older from the State of California, USA. RESULTS: We found: (i)
      that African-American women had a higher prevalence of food insecurity and were
      more likely to report severe intimate partner violence; (ii) a strong positive
      association between food insecurity and intimate partner violence; (iii) evidence
      of effect modification of the association between food insecurity and intimate
      partner violence by marital status; and (iv) higher odds of intimate partner
      violence among those reporting more severe food insecurity. CONCLUSIONS: Food
      insecurity is an important risk indicator for intimate partner violence among
      women. Understanding the factors that put women, especially minority women, at
      greatest risk facilitates intervention development.

PMID- 26096653
TI  - Multiple microneedling sessions for minimally invasive facial rejuvenation: an
      objective assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microneedling or percutaneous collagen induction is a new modality
      used for skin rejuvenation, tightening, and scar remodeling. It offers a simple
      and effective treatment for photoaged skin with minimal disruption of the
      epidermis, thus limiting adverse effects and minimizing downtime. OBJECTIVES: To
      evaluate the efficacy, coupled with quantitative assessment, of the histological
      changes in response to multiple sessions of skin microneedling in the treatment
      of aging skin. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten patients with Fitzpatrick skin type III
      and IV and Glogau class II to III wrinkles were subjected to six skin
      microneedling sessions at 2-week intervals. Standard photographs and skin biopsy
      specimens were obtained at baseline and at one and three months after the start
      of treatment. Histometry for epidermal thickness and quantitative evaluation of
      collagen types I, III, and VII, newly synthesized collagen, total elastin, and
      tropoelastin were performed for all skin biopsies. RESULTS: Skin microneedling
      produced noticeable clinical improvement of photoaged skin, with corresponding
      histological enhancement. Compared to the baseline, collagen types I, III, and
      VII, as well as newly synthesized collagen, together with tropoelastin showed a
      statistically significant increase (P < 0.05) in response to treatment, while the
      mean level of total elastin was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) after
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Skin microneedling is a promising minimally invasive
      treatment option with the advantage of increased collagen production. However,
      multiple sessions are usually needed to maintain the improvement achieved.

PMID- 26096654
TI  - Tryptophan Breakdown in Patients with HCV Infection is Influenced by IL28B
      Polymorphism.
AB  - Until recently, the standard treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)
      infection was a combination therapy with PEG-IFN-alpha plus ribavirin. Previous
      studies have proven that several markers predict the outcome of such therapy,
      e.g., pretreatment plasma levels of interferon inducible protein IP-10, HCV RNA
      and IL28B-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). Altered activity of
      tryptophan metabolizing enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) has been also
      shown in patients suffering from HCV infection. In this study, we investigated
      whether IL28B SNP in patients infected with HCV is related to the tryptophan
      breakdown rate. Before therapy, serum tryptophan and kynurenine concentrations
      were determined in 25 patients with established HCV infection and the kynurenine
      to tryptophan ratio (KYN/TRP) was calculated as an estimate of the tryptophan
      breakdown rate. In parallel, neopterin and nitrite concentrations were
      determined. A significant difference of serum KYN/TRP existed between the three
      IL28B polymorphism groups: C/C genotype had the highest and T/T genotype had the
      lowest KYN/TRP (p < 0.05). Likewise, C/C genotype was associated with higher
      KYN/TRP than non-C/C genotype (p = 0.01). There was a smaller difference between
      the three groups regarding the absolute kynurenine concentrations, the C/C
      genotype being associated with higher kynurenine concentrations. None of the
      other comparisons revealed any statistical significance. In conclusion, patients
      with C/C genotype presented with the highest tryptophan breakdown rate already
      before antiretroviral therapy with IFN-alpha/ribavirin. The differences in
      tryptophan metabolism might relate to HCV clearance and also to side effects of
      IFN-alpha therapy. 

PMID- 26096655
TI  - Effects of a Formula Containing Two Types of Prebiotics, Bifidogenic Growth
      Stimulator and Galacto-oligosaccharide, and Fermented Milk Products on Intestinal
      Microbiota and Antibody Response to Influenza Vaccine in Elderly Patients: A
      Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - We investigated the effect of a formula containing two different prebiotics
      (bifidogenic growth stimulator and galacto-oligosaccharide) and fermented milk
      products on intestinal microbiota and antibody responses to an influenza vaccine
      in enterally fed elderly in-patients. Patients were administered either formula
      containing prebiotics and fermented milk products (group F: n = 12, 79.9 +/- 9.5
      years old) or standard formula (group C: n = 12, 80.7 +/- 10.1 years old) via
      percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy during a 14-week intervention period.
      Subjects were immunized with an influenza vaccine (A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and B) at week
      4 of the intervention. Blood biochemical indices, intestinal bacteria populations
      and antibody titers were analyzed. Bifidobacterium counts increased significantly
      in group F compared with group C. The enhanced antibody titers against A/H1N1
      were maintained in group F for a longer period compared with group C. The titers
      against A/H3N2 were unchanged between both groups, and those against B were
      significantly lower in group F than in group C, although few subjects had
      seroprotective titers against A/H3N2 and B. These results suggest that
      administration of the formula containing prebiotics and fermented milk products
      may maintain antibody titers for longer periods through the improvement of
      intestinal microbiota. 

PMID- 26096656
TI  - Oligomeric assembly is required for chaperone activity of the filamentous gamma
      prefoldin.
AB  - Prefoldins (PFDs) are molecular chaperones with a distinctive jellyfish-shape
      that have a general role in de novo protein folding in Archaea and in the
      biogenesis of cytoskeleton proteins in eukaryotes. In general, PFDs are hetero
      hexameric protein assemblies consisting of two alpha and four beta subunits.
      However, a PFD variant called gamma-prefoldin (gammaPFD), isolated from the
      hyperthermophilic archaeon Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, exhibits a unique
      filamentous structure that is composed of hundreds of monomeric subunits. In this
      study, we investigated the relationship between the morphology of the gammaPFD
      filament and its ability to prevent protein aggregation. A chaperone assay
      demonstrated that gammaPFD must be in a filamentous assembly for functional
      activity and the distal regions of the coiled-coils are required for binding of
      non-native proteins. Molecular dynamic simulations were used to model the
      interactions between in silico thermally denatured protein substrates and the
      coiled-coils of a gammaPFD filament. During molecular dynamic simulations at 300
      and 353 K, each coiled-coil was highly flexible, enabling it to widen the central
      cavity of the filament to potentially capture various non-native proteins.
      Docking molecular dynamic simulations of gammaPFD filaments with unfolded citrate
      synthase or insulin showed a size-dependence between the substrate and the number
      of interacting coiled-coils. To confirm this observation, we generated filaments
      containing specific numbers of subunits, and showed that between six and eight
      gammaPFD subunits are required for chaperone activity to prevent citrate synthase
      from thermal aggregation. These results provide insights into structure-function
      relationships of oligomeric chaperones and illuminate the potential role of
      gammaPFD in its native environment.

PMID- 26096657
TI  - Surface-Functionalized Nanoparticles by Olefin Metathesis: A Chemoselective
      Approach for In Vivo Characterization of Atherosclerosis Plaque.
AB  - The use of click chemistry reactions for the functionalization of nanoparticles
      is particularly useful to modify the surface in a well-defined manner and to
      enhance the targeting properties, thus facilitating clinical translation. Here it
      is demonstrated that olefin metathesis can be used for the chemoselective
      functionalization of iron oxide nanoparticles with three different examples. This
      approach enables, in one step, the synthesis and functionalization of different
      water-stable magnetite-based particles from oleic acid-coated counterparts. The
      surface of the nanoparticles was completely characterized showing how the
      metathesis approach introduces a large number of hydrophilic molecules on their
      coating layer. As an example of the possible applications of these new
      nanocomposites, a focus was taken on atherosclerosis plaques. It is also
      demonstrated how the in vitro properties of one of the probes, particularly its
      Ca(2+) -binding properties, mediate their final in vivo use; that is, the
      selective accumulation in atherosclerotic plaques. This opens promising new
      applications to detect possible microcalcifications associated with plaque
      vulnerability. The accumulation of the new imaging tracers is demonstrated by in
      vivo magnetic resonance imaging of carotids and aorta in the ApoE(-/-) mouse
      model and the results were confirmed by histology. 

PMID- 26096658
TI  - Transforming growth factor-beta1 promotes the migration and invasion of sphere
      forming stem-like cell subpopulations in esophageal cancer.
AB  - Esophageal cancer is one of the most lethal solid malignancies. Mounting evidence
      demonstrates that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are able to cause tumor initiation,
      metastasis and responsible for chemotherapy and radiotherapy failures. As CSCs
      are thought to be the main reason of therapeutic failure, these cells must be
      effectively targeted to elicit long-lasting therapeutic responses. We aimed to
      enrich and identify the esophageal cancer cell subpopulation with stem-like
      properties and help to develop new target therapy strategies for CSCs. Here, we
      found esophageal cancer cells KYSE70 and TE1 could form spheres in ultra low
      attachment surface culture and be serially passaged. Sphere-forming cells could
      redifferentiate and acquire morphology comparable to parental cells, when return
      to adherent culture. The sphere-forming cells possessed the key criteria that
      define CSCs: persistent self-renewal, overexpression of stemness genes (SOX2,
      ALDH1A1 and KLF4), reduced expression of differentiation marker CK4,
      chemoresistance, strong invasion and enhanced tumorigenic potential. SB525334,
      transforming growth factor-beta 1(TGF-beta1) inhibitor, significantly inhibited
      migration and invasion of sphere-forming stem-like cells and had no effect on
      sphere-forming ability. In conclusion, esophageal cancer sphere-forming cells
      from KYSE70 and TE1 cultured in ultra low attachment surface possess cancer stem
      cell properties, providing a model for CSCs targeted therapy. TGF-beta1 promotes
      the migration and invasion of sphere-forming stem-like cells, which may guide
      future studies on therapeutic strategies targeting these cells.

PMID- 26096659
TI  - Effects of helium on inflammatory and oxidative stress-induced endothelial cell
      damage.
AB  - Helium induces preconditioning in human endothelium protecting against
      postischemic endothelial dysfunction. Circulating endothelial microparticles are
      markers of endothelial dysfunction derived in response to injury. Another noble
      gas, xenon, protected human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) against
      inflammatory stress in vitro. We hypothesised that helium protects the
      endothelium in vitro against inflammatory and oxidative stress. HUVEC were
      isolated from fresh umbilical cords and grown upon confluence. Cells were
      subjected to starving medium for 12h before the experiment and treated for either
      3 * 5 min or 1 * 30 min with helium (5% CO2, 25% O2, 70% He) or control gas (5%
      CO2, 25% O2, 70% N2) in a specialised gas chamber. Subsequently, cells were
      stimulated with TNF-alpha (40 ng/ml for 24h or 10 ng/ml for 2h) or H2O2 (500 MUM
      for 2h) or left untreated. Adhesion molecule expression was analysed using real
      time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Caspase-3 expression and viability
      of the cells was measured by flowcytometry. Microparticles were investigated by
      nanoparticle tracking analysis. Helium had no effect on adhesion molecule
      expression after TNF-alpha stimulation but in combination with oxidative stress
      decreased cell viability (68.9 +/- 1.3% and 58 +/- 1.9%) compared to control.
      Helium further increased TNF-alpha induced release of caspase-3 containing
      particles compared to TNF-alpha alone (6.4 * 10(6) +/- 1.1 * 10(6) and 2.9 *
      10(6) +/- 0.7 * 10(6), respectively). Prolonged exposure of helium increased
      microparticle formation (2.4 * 10(9) +/- 0.5 * 10(9)) compared to control (1.7 *
      10(9) +/- 0.2 * 10(9)). Summarized, helium increases inflammatory and oxidative
      stress-induced endothelial damage and is thus not biologically inert. A possible
      noxious effects on the cellular level causing alterations in microparticle
      formation both in number and content should be acknowledged.

PMID- 26096660
TI  - Insomnia symptoms, behavioral/emotional problems, and suicidality among
      adolescents of insomniac and non-insomniac parents.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine insomnia symptoms, behavioral problems, and
      suicidality among adolescents of insomniac parents (IP) and non-insomniac parents
      (NIP). A family survey of sleep and health was conducted among 1090 adolescents
      and their parents in Jinan, China. Adolescents completed a sleep and health
      questionnaire to report their sleep and mental health problems. Parents reported
      their insomnia symptoms and history of mental disorders. Insomnia, behavioral
      problems, and suicidal behavior were compared between IP adolescents and NIP
      adolescents. IP adolescents were more likely than NIP adolescents to report
      insomnia symptoms, use of sleep medication, suicidal ideation, suicide plan, and
      suicide attempt. IP adolescents scored significantly higher than NIP adolescents
      on withdrawn and externalizing behavioral problems. After adjustment for
      demographics and behavioral problems, parental insomnia remained to be
      significantly associated with adolescent suicidal ideation and suicide plan. Our
      findings support the need for early screening and formal assessment of sleep and
      mental health in adolescents of insomniac parents. 

PMID- 26096661
TI  - Measurement equivalence of the Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia
      across language, gender, and clinical status.
AB  - The Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia (TSIA) has been translated into
      Dutch, German, and Italian and validated in clinical and nonclinical populations.
      In order to make valid comparisons across different population groups, it is
      important to establish measurement equivalence across variables such as language,
      gender, and clinical status. Our objective in this study was to establish
      measurement equivalence in relation to language (English, Dutch, German, and
      Italian), gender, and clinical status (non-clinical, psychiatric, and medical)
      using differential item functioning (DIF). The sample was composed of 842 adults
      representing the four language groups, all of whom had undergone the TSIA
      assessment as part of several earlier studies. Ordinal Logistic Regression was
      employed to explore DIF of the TSIA items. Although several items were found to
      exhibit DIF for language, gender, or clinical status, all of these effects were
      within an acceptable range. These findings provide support for the measurement
      equivalence of the TSIA, and allow researchers to reliably compare results from
      studies using the TSIA across the four language groups, gender, and clinical
      status. 

PMID- 26096662
TI  - Childhood trauma associates with clinical features of schizophrenia in a sample
      of Chinese inpatients.
AB  - This study examined the association between childhood trauma and clinical
      features, comorbid anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms,
      and suicidal and aggressive behaviors in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. The
      Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - Short Form (CTQ-SF), the Impact of Events Scale 
      Revised (IES-R), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were administered
      to 182 Chinese inpatients with schizophrenia. The relationship between the
      severity and the number of traumic experiences and clinical features were
      analyzed. Physical neglect (PN) in childhood was reported in 71.7% of this
      sample, followed by emotional neglect (EN, 58.6%), sexual abuse (SA, 39.9%),
      emotional abuse (EA, 31.7%) and physical abuse (PA, 22.2%). Significant negative
      correlations existed between age of onset and the EA scores. Significant positive
      correlations were found between the subscores of IES-R, STAI and CTQ-SF. Patients
      with history of suicidal or aggressive behaviors had significantly higher trauma
      scores than patients without such behaviors. Exposure to childhood trauma is
      associated with early age of onset, more PTSD and anxiety symptoms, and history
      of suicidal and aggressive behaviors. A dose-effect may exist between severity,
      number of trauma experiences, and clinical features. 

PMID- 26096663
TI  - Red blood cell replacement, or nanobiotherapeutics with enhanced red blood cell
      functions?
AB  - Why is this important? Under normal circumstances, donor blood is the best
      replacement for blood. However, there are exceptions: During natural epidemics
      (e.g., HIV, Ebola, etc.) or man-made epidemics (terrorism, war, etc.), there is a
      risk of donor blood being contaminated, and donors being disqualified because
      they have contracted disease. Unlike red blood cells (RBCs), blood substitutes
      can be sterilized to remove infective agents. Heart attack and stroke are usually
      caused by obstruction of arterial blood vessels. Unlike RBCs, which are
      particulate, blood substitutes are in the form of a solution that can perfuse
      through obstructed vessels with greater ease to reach the heart and brain, as has
      been demonstrated in animal studies. Severe blood loss from injuries sustained
      during accidents, disasters, or war may require urgent blood transfusion that
      cannot wait for transportation to the hospital for blood group testing. Unlike
      RBCs, blood substitutes do not have specific blood groups, and can be
      administered on the spot. RBCs have to be stored under refrigeration for up to 42
      days, and are thus difficult to transport and store in times of disaster and at
      the battlefront. Blood substitutes can be stored at room temperature for more
      than 1 year, compared to the RBC shelf life of 1 day, at room temperature. In
      cases of very severe hemorrhagic shock, there is usually a safety window of 60
      min for blood replacement, beyond which there could be problems related to
      irreversible shock. Animal studies show that a particular type of blood
      substitute, with enhanced RBC enzymes, may be able to prolong the duration of the
      safety window. 

PMID- 26096664
TI  - Quetiapine induced restless legs syndrome: A series of four cases.

PMID- 26096666
TI  - PSF mapping-based correction of eddy-current-induced distortions in diffusion
      weighted echo-planar imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: To accurately correct diffusion-encoding direction-dependent eddy
      current-induced geometric distortions in diffusion-weighted echo-planar imaging
      (DW-EPI) and to minimize the calibration time at 7 Tesla (T). METHODS: A point
      spread function (PSF) mapping based eddy-current calibration method is newly
      presented to determine eddy-current-induced geometric distortions even including
      nonlinear eddy-current effects within the readout acquisition window. To evaluate
      the temporal stability of eddy-current maps, calibration was performed four times
      within 3 months. Furthermore, spatial variations of measured eddy-current maps
      versus their linear superposition were investigated to enable correction in DW
      EPIs with arbitrary diffusion directions without direct calibration. For
      comparison, an image-based eddy-current correction method was additionally
      applied. Finally, this method was combined with a PSF-based susceptibility
      induced distortion correction approach proposed previously to correct both
      susceptibility and eddy-current-induced distortions in DW-EPIs. RESULTS: Very
      fast eddy-current calibration in a three-dimensional volume is possible with the
      proposed method. The measured eddy-current maps are very stable over time and
      very similar maps can be obtained by linear superposition of principal-axes eddy
      current maps. High resolution in vivo brain results demonstrate that the proposed
      method allows more efficient eddy-current correction than the image-based method.
      CONCLUSION: The combination of both PSF-based approaches allows distortion-free
      images, which permit reliable analysis in diffusion tensor imaging applications
      at 7T.

PMID- 26096665
TI  - Neuropsychiatric symptoms as early manifestations of emergent dementia:
      Provisional diagnostic criteria for mild behavioral impairment.
AB  - Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are common in dementia and in predementia
      syndromes such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). NPS in MCI confer a greater
      risk for conversion to dementia in comparison to MCI patients without NPS. NPS in
      older adults with normal cognition also confers a greater risk of cognitive
      decline in comparison to older adults without NPS. Mild behavioral impairment
      (MBI) has been proposed as a diagnostic construct aimed to identify patients with
      an increased risk of developing dementia, but who may or may not have cognitive
      symptoms. We propose criteria that include MCI in the MBI framework, in contrast
      to prior definitions of MBI. Although MBI and MCI can co-occur, we suggest that
      they are different and that both portend a higher risk of dementia. These MBI
      criteria extend the previous literature in this area and will serve as a template
      for validation of the MBI construct from epidemiologic, neurobiological,
      treatment, and prevention perspectives. 

PMID- 26096668
TI  - Utility of biomarkers to predict bacterial meningitis in elderly patients.

PMID- 26096667
TI  - Alendronate, a double-edged sword acting in the mevalonate pathway.
AB  - Aminobisphosphonate aledronate is a compound commonly used clinically for the
      treatment of osteoporosis and other bone diseases, as a result of it preventing
      bone resorption. However, in previous years it has also been used to obtain
      cellular and animal models of a rare genetic disorder termed Mevalonate Kinase
      Deficiency (MKD). MKD is caused by mutations affecting the mevalonate kinase
      enzyme, in the cholesterol pathway and alendronate can be used to biochemically
      mimic the genetic defect as it inhibits farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase in the
      same pathway. Despite evidence in favor of the inhibition exerted on the
      mevalonate pathway, there is at least one clinical case of MKD in which
      alendronate improved not only skeletal and bone fractures, as expected, but also
      MKD clinical features. Based on this finding, the present study assessed the anti
      inflammatory properties of this aminobisphosphonate in vitro. No anti
      inflammatory effects of alendronate were observed in the in vitro experiments.
      Since MKD lacks specific treatments, these results may assist scientists and
      physicians in making the decision as to the most suitable choice of therapeutic
      compounds for this neglected disease.

PMID- 26096670
TI  - Neuropsychiatric manifestations of Graves' disease in paediatric patients.

PMID- 26096669
TI  - [Clinical and psychopathological factors associated with impulse control
      disorders in Parkinson's disease].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Impulse control disorders (ICD) constitute a complication that may
      arise during the course of Parkinson's disease (PD). Several factors have been
      linked to the development of these disorders, and their associated severe
      functional impairment requires specific and multidisciplinary management. The
      objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of ICDs and the clinical
      and psychopathological factors associated with the appearance of these disorders.
      METHODS: Cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study of a sample of 115 PD
      patients evaluated to determine the presence of an ICD. Clinical scales were
      administered to assess disease severity, personality traits, and presence of
      psychiatric symptoms at the time of evaluation. RESULTS: Of the 115 patients with
      PD, 27 (23.48%) displayed some form of ICD; hypersexuality, exhibited by 14
      (12.2%), and binge eating, present in 12 (10.1%), were the most common types.
      Clinical factors associated with ICD were treatment with dopamine agonists (OR:
      13.39), earlier age at disease onset (OR: 0.92), and higher score on the UPDRS-I
      subscale; psychopathological factors with a significant association were trait
      anxiety (OR: 1.05) and impulsivity (OR: 1.13). CONCLUSIONS: ICDs are frequent in
      PD, and treatment with dopamine agonists is the most important risk factor for
      these disorders. High impulsivity and anxiety levels at time of evaluation, and
      younger age at disease onset, were also linked to increased risk. However,
      presence of these personality traits prior to evaluation did not increase risk of
      ICD.

PMID- 26096671
TI  - Nanoparticles derived from plant proteins for controlled release and targeted
      delivery of therapeutics.

PMID- 26096673
TI  - Detection of Human alpha-L-Fucosidases by a Quinone Methide-Generating Probe:
      Enhanced Activities in Response to Helicobacter pylori Infection.
AB  - alpha-L-Fucosidase activity is associated with several diseases. To study the
      enzymatic activity change under pathological conditions, we developed a quinone
      methide-generating activity-based probe useful for examining the presence,
      activity, and localization of human alpha-L-fucosidase in vivo in the context of
      Helicobacter pylori infection. In particular, an increase in intracellular
      fucosidase (Fuca1) activity was found in gastric epithelial cells upon bacterial
      infection. We further studied the effect of several bacterial stimulants on this
      enhanced Fuca1 activity and identified lipopolysaccharides to be a major
      contributing factor. 

PMID- 26096674
TI  - Effects of ignoring clustered data structure in confirmatory factor analysis of
      ordered polytomous items: a simulation study based on PANSS.
AB  - Statistical theory indicates that hierarchical clustering by interviewers or
      raters needs to be considered to avoid incorrect inferences when performing any
      analyses including regression, factor analysis (FA) or item response theory (IRT)
      modelling of binary or ordinal data. We use simulated Positive and Negative
      Syndrome Scale (PANSS) data to show the consequences (in terms of bias, variance
      and mean square error) of using an analysis ignoring clustering on confirmatory
      factor analysis (CFA) estimates. Our investigation includes the performance of
      different estimators, such as maximum likelihood, weighted least squares and
      Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). Our simulation results suggest that ignoring
      clustering may lead to serious bias of the estimated factor loadings, item
      thresholds, and corresponding standard errors in CFAs for ordinal item response
      data typical of that commonly encountered in psychiatric research. In addition,
      fit indices tend to show a poor fit for the hypothesized structural model. MCMC
      estimation may be more robust against clustering than maximum likelihood and
      weighted least squares approaches but further investigation of these issues is
      warranted in future simulation studies of other datasets. Copyright (c) 2015 John
      Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26096675
TI  - Neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying behavioral stability: implications for the
      evolutionary origin of personality.
AB  - Personality traits are behaviors that show limited flexibility over time and
      across contexts, and thus understanding their origin requires an understanding of
      what limits behavioral flexibility. Here, I suggest that insight into the
      evolutionary origin of personality traits requires determining the relative
      importance of selection and constraint in producing limits to behavioral
      flexibility. Natural selection as the primary cause of limits to behavioral
      flexibility assumes that the default state of behavior is one of high flexibility
      and predicts that personality variation arises through evolution of buffering
      mechanisms to stabilize behavioral expression, whereas the constraint hypothesis
      assumes that the default state is one of limited flexibility and predicts that
      the neuroendocrine components that underlie personality variation are those most
      constrained in flexibility. Using recent work on the neurobiology of sensitive
      periods and maternal programming of offspring behavior, I show that some of the
      most stable aspects of the neuroendocrine system are structural components and
      maternally induced epigenetic effects. Evidence of numerous constraints to
      changes in structural features of the neuroendocrine system and far fewer
      constraints to flexibility of epigenetic systems suggests that structural
      constraints play a primary role in the origin of behavioral stability and that
      epigenetic programming may be more important in generating adaptive variation
      among individuals. 

PMID- 26096676
TI  - The role of miR156/SPLs modules in Arabidopsis lateral root development.
AB  - miR156 is an evolutionarily highly conserved miRNA in plants that defines an age
      dependent flowering pathway. The investigations thus far have largely, if not
      exclusively, confined to plant aerial organs. Root branching architecture is a
      major determinant of water and nutrients uptake for plants. We show here that
      MIR156 genes are differentially expressed in specific cells/tissues of lateral
      roots. Plants overexpressing miR156 produce more lateral roots whereas reducing
      miR156 levels leads to fewer lateral roots. We demonstrate that at least one
      representative from the three groups of miR156 targets SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING
      PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) genes: SPL3, SPL9 and SPL10 are involved in the repression of
      lateral root growth, with SPL10 playing a dominant role. In addition, both MIR156
      and SPLs are responsive to auxin signaling suggesting that miR156/SPL modules
      might be involved in the proper timing of the lateral root developmental
      progression. Collectively, these results unravel a role for miR156/SPLs modules
      in lateral root development in Arabidopsis. 

PMID- 26096677
TI  - An oxidative coupling product of luteolin with cysteine ester and its enhanced
      inhibitory activity for xanthine oxidase.
AB  - Oxidative coupling reactions of several flavonoids with a cysteine ester (a
      radicalic and nucleophilic biochemical) were carried out and the abilities of the
      coupling products against xanthine oxidase (XO) were screened. One of the
      products, derived from luteolin, showed a notable inhibitory effect. A potent XO
      inhibitory compound was isolated from the complex mixture of the product of the
      coupling of luteolin and cysteine ethyl ester, and its structure was determined
      by NMR and MS analysis. The compound has a unique 1,4-thiazine ring unit on the
      luteolin B-ring and is inhibited XO 4.5 times more strongly than it did luteolin.

PMID- 26096678
TI  - Structure-based design, synthesis, X-ray studies, and biological evaluation of
      novel HIV-1 protease inhibitors containing isophthalamide-derived P2-ligands.
AB  - We describe the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of novel
      HIV-1 protease inhibitors bearing isophthalamide derivatives as the P2-P3
      ligands. We have investigated a range of acyclic and heterocyclic amides as the
      extended P2-P3 ligands. These inhibitors displayed good to excellent HIV-1
      protease inhibitory activity. Also, a number of inhibitors showed very good
      antiviral activity in MT cells. Compound 5n has shown an enzyme Ki of 0.17 nM and
      antiviral IC50 of 14 nM. An X-ray crystal structure of inhibitor 5o-bound to HIV
      1 protease was determined at 1.11A resolution. This structure revealed important
      molecular insight into the inhibitor-HIV-1 protease interactions in the active
      site.

PMID- 26096679
TI  - Phenoxymethyl 1,3-oxazoles and 1,2,4-oxadiazoles as potent and selective agonists
      of free fatty acid receptor 1 (GPR40).
AB  - A screening hit that showed a weak (EC50 = 18 MUM), partial agonistic effect on
      GPR40 was used a prototype for expedited hit expansion effort using a set of
      advanced building blocks. The latter yielded several 1,3-oxazoles and 1,2,4
      oxadiazoles with significantly improved potency (best EC50 = 0.058 MUM). The lead
      compounds in each chemotype showed a very good ADME profile (aqueous solubility,
      plasma protein binding, microsomal stability and membrane permeability) and no
      appreciable inhibition of key cytochromes P450. The compounds reported are
      significant new starting points for further preclinical development of future
      diabetic agents with a mechanism of action for which a first-in-class agent is
      yet to be approved.

PMID- 26096680
TI  - Exploration on natural product anibamine side chain modification toward
      development of novel CCR5 antagonists and potential anti-prostate cancer agents.
AB  - Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of death among males in the world.
      Prostate cancer cells have been shown to express upregulated chemokine receptor
      CCR5, a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that relates to the inflammation
      process. Anibamine, a natural product containing a pyridine ring and two
      aliphatic side chains, was shown to carry a binding affinity of 1 MUM at CCR5 as
      an antagonist with potential anti-cancer activity. However, it is not drug-like
      according to the Lipinski's rule of five mainly due to its two long aliphatic
      side chains. In our effort to improve its drug-like property, a series of
      anibamine derivatives were designed and synthesized by placement of aromatic side
      chains through an amide linkage to the pyridine ring. The newly synthesized
      compounds were tested for their CCR5 affinity and antagonism, and potential anti
      proliferation activity against prostate cancer cell lines. Basal cytotoxicity was
      finally studied for compounds showing potent anti-proliferation activity. It was
      found that compounds with hydrophobic substitutions on the aromatic systems
      seemed to carry more promising CCR5 binding and prostate cancer cell
      proliferation inhibition activities.

PMID- 26096681
TI  - Potential therapeutic agents for circulatory diseases from Bauhinia glauca
      Benth.subsp. pernervosa. (Da Ye Guan Men).
AB  - Because of platelets as critical factor in the formation of pathogenic thrombi,
      anti-platelet activities have been selected as therapeutic target for various
      circulatory diseases. In order to find potential therapeutic agents, bioassay
      directed separation of Bauhinia glauca Benth.subsp. pernervosa. (called Da Ye
      Guan Men as a traditional Chinese medicine) was performed to get 29 main
      components (compounds 1-29) from the bioactive part of this herbal. It was the
      first time to focus on the composition with anti-platelet aggregation activities
      for this traditional Chinese medicine. The constituents, characterized from the
      effective extract, were established on the basis of extensive spectral data
      analysis. Then their anti-platelet aggregation effects were evaluated
      systematically. On the basis of the chemical profile and biological assay, it was
      suggested that the flavonoid composition (5 and 18) should be responsible for the
      anti-platelet aggregation of the herbal because of their significant activities.
      The primary structure and activity relationship was also discussed briefly. 

PMID- 26096682
TI  - Effects of enzastaurin and its metabolites on the QT interval in cancer patients.
AB  - Preclinical and interim results from a clinical pharmacology study in patients
      with cancer indicated that enzastaurin might have the potential to prolong the
      QT. Rather than undertake a formal thorough QT study, the effect of enzastaurin
      on the QT was assessed by combining the QT corrected for heart rate (QTc)
      intervals from 3 clinical pharmacology studies totaling 85 patients with cancer
      receiving multiple therapeutic or supratherapeutic doses of enzastaurin. Neither
      a placebo nor an active control was used. Serial, replicate, time-matched
      electrocardiograms were collected during a no-drug baseline day and when
      enzastaurin and its major active metabolite, LSN326020, had achieved steady
      state. Plasma concentrations of enzastaurin and LSN326020 were determined at each
      electrocardiogram point to enable concentration-QT analyses. The cross-study
      analysis showed that enzastaurin resulted in a statistically significant
      prolongation of the QTc at therapeutic and supratherapeutic doses. At an
      enzastaurin maximum plasma concentration (Cmax ) of 3660 nmol/L, the predicted
      QTc using Fridericia's formula (QTcF) interval and its 90% confidence interval
      was 17.72 milliseconds (16.52-18.92 milliseconds). Likewise, at an LSN326020 Cmax
      value of 1718 nmol/L, the predicted QTcF interval was 20.23 milliseconds (18.72
      21.74 milliseconds). The concentration-QTcF slopes for enzastaurin and LSN326020
      were positive and statistically significantly different from zero (all P < .05).

PMID- 26096683
TI  - Mortality of Amur tigers: The more things change, the more they stay the same.
AB  - Poaching as well as loss of habitat and prey are identified as causes of tiger
      population declines. Although some studies have examined habitat requirements and
      prey availability, few studies have quantified cause-specific mortality of
      tigers. We used cumulative incidence functions (CIFs) to quantify cause-specific
      mortality rates of tigers, expanding and refining earlier studies to assess the
      potential impact of a newly emerging disease. To quantify changes in tiger
      mortality over time, we re-examined data first collected by Goodrich et al. (;
      study period 1: 1992-2004) as well as new telemetry data collected since January
      2005 (study period 2: 2005-2012) using a total of 57 tigers (27 males and 30
      females) monitored for an average of 747 days (range 26-4718 days). Across the
      entire study period (1992 to 2012) we found an estimated average annual survival
      rate of 0.75 for all tigers combined. Poaching was the primary cause of mortality
      during both study periods, followed by suspected poaching, distemper and
      natural/unknown causes. Since 2005, poaching mortality has remained relatively
      constant and, if combined with suspected poaching, may account for a loss of 17
      19% of the population each year. Canine distemper virus (CDV) may be an additive
      form of mortality to the population, currently accounting for an additional 5%.
      Despite this relatively new source of mortality, poaching remains the main threat
      to Amur tiger survival and, therefore, population growth. 

PMID- 26096684
TI  - Lymph nodes behind the axillary neurovascular bundle: case report and cadaveric
      study of frequency and distribution.
AB  - Axillary clearance was undertaken in a 58-year-old male with massive lymph node
      enlargement caused by melanoma from an unknown primary site. We discovered a
      group of metastatic lymph nodes behind the axillary neurovascular bundle. This
      group of nodes (retro-axillary lymph nodes) could represent an extension of the
      subscapular group, or the seventh group of axillary lymphoid nodes. They were
      successfully removed using an ad hoc surgical technique, and the subsequent
      findings are presented herein. To check the frequency of these lymph nodes in
      this area, we conducted a study on 15 cadavers (30 armpits). The technique of
      cadaveric sampling is described. Retro-axillary tissue was histologically
      processed to determine the number of lymph nodes present. It was found that lymph
      nodes were present in the defined area in 18 of the 30 (60 %) armpits explored.
      We recommend assessment of the retro-axillary space during surgery entailing
      massive axillary lymph node involvement.

PMID- 26096685
TI  - Structure and functions of the placenta in common minke (Balaenoptera
      acutorostrata), Bryde's (B. brydei) and sei (B. borealis) whales.
AB  - The structure and functions of placentas were examined in 3 species of rorqual
      whales, common minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), Bryde's (B. brydei) and sei
      (B. borealis) whales, with the aim of confirming the structural characteristics
      of the chorion, including the presence of the areolar part, and clarifying
      steroidogenic activities and fetomaternal interactions in the placentas of these
      whales. Placentas were collected from the second phase of the Japanese Whale
      Research Program under Special Permit in the North Pacific (JARPN II).
      Histological and ultrastructural examinations revealed that these whale placentas
      were epitheliochorial placentas with the interdigitation of chorionic villi lined
      by monolayer uninucleate cells (trophoblast cells) and endometrial crypts as well
      as folded placentation by fold-like chorionic villi. Moreover, well-developed
      pouch-like areolae were observed in the placentas, and active absorption was
      suggested in the chorionic epithelial cells of the areolar part (areolar
      trophoblast cells). Berlin blue staining showed the presence of ferric ions
      (Fe(3+)) in the uterine glandular epithelial cells and within the stroma of
      chorionic villi in the areolar part. An immunohistochemical examination revealed
      tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP; known as uteroferrin in uteri) in the
      cytoplasm of glandular cells and areolar trophoblast cells. This result suggested
      that, in cetaceans, uteroferrin is used to supply iron to the fetus. Furthermore,
      immunoreactivity for P450scc and P450arom was detected in trophoblast cells, but
      not in areolar trophoblast cells, suggesting that trophoblast cells synthesize
      estrogen in whale placentas. Therefore, we herein immunohistochemically revealed
      the localization of aromatase and uteroferrin in cetacean placentas during
      pregnancy for the first time. 

PMID- 26096686
TI  - Altered protein expression pattern in skin fibroblasts from parkin-mutant early
      onset Parkinson's disease patients.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder
      caused primarily by selective degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in
      substantia nigra. In this work the proteomes extracted from primary fibroblasts
      of two unrelated, hereditary cases of PD patients, with different parkin
      mutations, were compared with the proteomes extracted from commercial adult
      normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) and primary fibroblasts from the healthy
      mother of one of the two patients. The results show that the fibroblasts from the
      two different cases of parkin-mutant patients display analogous alterations in
      the expression level of proteins involved in different cellular functions, like
      cytoskeleton structure-dynamics, calcium homeostasis, oxidative stress response,
      protein and RNA processing. 

PMID- 26096687
TI  - Risks and Benefits of Bisphosphonate Therapies.
AB  - Bisphosphonates are the mainstay of osteoporosis treatment but also play a
      fundamental role in treating other bone diseases such as Osteogenesis Imperfecta,
      Pagets' disease, and in the prevention of adverse skeletal effects in certain
      cancers such as prostate cancer or multiple myeloma. In the last decades, the
      refinement of bisphosphonates and an increase in the number of new
      bisphosphonates commercialized has altered the clinical management of these
      diseases. Despite differences between randomized controlled trials and
      observational studies, overall all bisphosphonates licensed have proven to reduce
      the risk of fracture through the inhibition of bone resorption. Other beneficial
      effects include pain reduction in bone metastasis and potentially a decrease in
      mortality. However, the chronic nature of most of these disorders implies long
      term treatments, which can be associated with long-term adverse effects. Some of
      the adverse effects identified include an increased risk of atypical femur
      fractures, osteonecrosis of the jaw, gastrointestinal side effects, or atrial
      fibrillation. The harm/benefit thinking and the constant update regarding these
      medications are vital in the day-to-day decision-making in clinical practices.
      The aims of this review are to compile the basic characteristics of these drugs
      and outline the most important benefits and side effects and provide a clinical
      context as well as a research agenda to fill the gaps in our knowledge.

PMID- 26096689
TI  - RNA degradosomes in bacteria and chloroplasts: classification, distribution and
      evolution of RNase E homologs.
AB  - Ribonuclease E (RNase E) of Escherichia coli, which is the founding member of a
      widespread family of proteins in bacteria and chloroplasts, is a fascinating
      enzyme that still has not revealed all its secrets. RNase E is an essential
      single-strand specific endoribonuclease that is involved in the processing and
      degradation of nearly every transcript in E. coli. A striking enzymatic property
      is a preference for substrates with a 5' monophosphate end although recent work
      explains how RNase E can overcome the protection afforded by the 5' triphosphate
      end of a primary transcript. Other features of E. coli RNase E include its
      interaction with enzymes involved in RNA degradation to form the multienzyme RNA
      degradosome and its localization to the inner cytoplasmic membrane. The N
      terminal catalytic core of the RNase E protomer associates to form a tetrameric
      holoenzyme. Each RNase E protomer has a large C-terminal intrinsically disordered
      (ID) noncatalytic region that contains sites for interactions with protein
      components of the RNA degradosome as well as RNA and phospholipid bilayers. In
      this review, RNase E homologs have been classified into five types based on their
      primary structure. A recent analysis has shown that type I RNase E in the gamma
      proteobacteria forms an orthologous group of proteins that has been inherited
      vertically. The RNase E catalytic core and a large ID noncatalytic region
      containing an RNA binding motif and a membrane targeting sequence are universally
      conserved features of these orthologs. Although the ID noncatalytic region has
      low composition and sequence complexity, it is possible to map microdomains,
      which are short linear motifs that are sites of interaction with protein and
      other ligands. Throughout bacteria, the composition of the multienzyme RNA
      degradosome varies with species, but interactions with exoribonucleases (PNPase,
      RNase R), glycolytic enzymes (enolase, aconitase) and RNA helicases (DEAD-box
      proteins, Rho) are common. Plasticity in RNA degradosome composition is due to
      rapid evolution of RNase E microdomains. Characterization of the RNase E-PNPase
      interaction in alpha-proteobacteria, gamma-proteobacteria and cyanobacteria
      suggests that it arose independently several times during evolution, thus
      conferring an advantage in control and coordination of RNA processing and
      degradation.

PMID- 26096688
TI  - Experiences of homophobia among gay and bisexual men: results from a cross
      sectional study in seven countries.
AB  - Experiences of homophobic discrimination are associated with an increased
      prevalence of psychological disorders and increased odds of reporting suicidal
      ideation among gay and bisexual men. We examine two domains of homophobia-
      external homophobic discrimination and internalised homophobia--and their
      associations with sexual orientation, demographic characteristics, relationships
      and social support among a sample of gay and bisexual men from seven countries.
      Sexually active gay and bisexual men aged over 18 and residing in Australia,
      Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Thailand, the UK and the USA were recruited through
      banner advertisements on Facebook. Two outcomes were examined: reporting
      experiences of homophobic discrimination and reporting feelings of internalised
      homophobia. No covariates were consistently significantly associated with
      experiencing external homophobic discrimination across countries. Across all
      countries, bisexually identifying respondents reported significantly greater
      feelings of internalised homophobia. Respondents in Brazil and the UK reporting a
      main partner, and respondents in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa,
      Thailand and the USA reporting a larger gay/bisexual social network, reported
      significantly fewer feelings of internalised homophobia. Results suggest an
      ameliorative effect of social networks on experiencing homophobia. Additional
      research should focus on the mechanisms through which social networks reduce
      feelings of internalised homophobia.

PMID- 26096690
TI  - Head Transplantation in Mouse Model.
AB  - AIMS: The mouse model of allo-head and body reconstruction (AHBR) has recently
      been established to further the clinical development of this strategy for
      patients who are suffering from mortal bodily trauma or disease, yet whose mind
      remains healthy. Animal model studies are indispensable for developing such novel
      surgical practices. The goal of this work was to establish head transplant mouse
      model, then the next step through the feasible biological model to investigate
      immune rejection and brain function in next step, thereby promoting the goal of
      translation of AHBR to the clinic in the future. METHODS AND RESULTS: Our
      approach involves retaining adequate blood perfusion in the transplanted head
      throughout the surgical procedure by establishing donor-to-recipient cross
      circulation by cannulating and anastomosing the carotid artery on one side of the
      body and the jugular vein on the other side. Neurological function was preserved
      by this strategy as indicated by electroencephalogram and intact cranial nerve
      reflexes. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the feasibility of this
      method for avoiding brain ischemia during transplantation, thereby allowing for
      the possibility of long-term studies of head transplantation.

PMID- 26096692
TI  - THE PRENATAL PARENTAL REFLECTIVE FUNCTIONING QUESTIONNAIRE: EXPLORING FACTOR
      STRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCT VALIDITY OF A NEW MEASURE IN THE FINN BRAIN BIRTH COHORT
      PILOT STUDY.
AB  - Parental reflective functioning (PRF) is the capacity to focus on experience and
      feelings in oneself and in the child. Individual differences in PRF reportedly
      affect child attachment and socioemotional development. In this study, we report
      work on developing a questionnaire to assess PRF during pregnancy (Prenatal
      Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire; P-PRFQ). The factor structure of
      the 33-item version of the P-PRFQ was explored using pilot study data from the
      Finn Brain Birth Cohort Study (n = 124 mothers, n = 82 fathers). Construct
      validity was assessed against the Pregnancy Interview (PI; A. Slade, L.
      Grunebaum, L. Huganir, & M. Reeves, 1987, 2002, 2011) in a subsample of 29
      mothers from the same pilot sample. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis
      resulted in a 14-item P-PRFQ, with three factors which seem to capture relevant
      aspects of prenatal parental mentalization-F1: "Opacity of mental states," F2:
      "Reflecting on the fetus-child," and F3: "The dynamic nature of the mental
      states." Functioning of the factor structure was further tested in the large
      cohort with 600 mothers and 600 fathers. Correlations with the PI result were
      high, both regarding total and factor scores of the P-PRFQ. Cost-effective tools
      to assess key areas of early parenting are needed for both research and clinical
      purposes. The 14-item P-PRFQ seems to be an applicable and promising new tool for
      assessing very early parental mentalizing capacity. 

PMID- 26096693
TI  - Retrospective evaluation of corneal reconstruction using ACell Vet(TM) alone in
      dogs and cats: 82 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively evaluate the complications, graft clarity, and
      outcomes associated with the use of commercially available porcine urinary
      bladder submucosa (ACell Vet(TM) ) alone for corneal reconstruction in dogs and
      cats. PROCEDURES: Dogs or cats receiving an ACell Vet(TM) graft for corneal
      reconstruction due to severe ulcerative keratitis or after a keratectomy to
      remove a corneal sequestrum were included. All received a single layer of ACell
      Vet(TM) , bandage contact lens, and temporary tarsorrhaphy. Bandage contact lens
      and temporary tarsorrhaphy were removed after graft vascularization or
      epithelialization. Topical steroids, cyclosporine, tacrolimus were started after
      epithelialization. Based on their last examination, outcomes were categorized
      into five groups based on the presence of corneal vessels, appearance of the
      scar, and the ability to visualize the posterior and/or the anterior segment
      through the grafted area. RESULTS: There were 82 eyes included in the study, with
      68 eyes with sufficient follow-up time for final assessment. Scarring was minimal
      in 47 eyes, moderate but not enough to obscure visualization of the posterior
      segment in 12, and severe in nine. There were five eyes that developed phthisis
      bulbi, glaucoma or were enucleated and nine that were lost to follow up. Graft
      dehiscence occurred in 19 eyes. Twelve healed without additional surgical
      intervention while three required a second graft, two became phthisical, and two
      were enucleated. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Corneal reconstruction with
      ACell Vet(TM) alone is a viable alternative and results in minimal scarring and
      complications in cats. In dogs, scarring is more pronounced than in cats and
      graft dehiscence rate is higher compared to conventional techniques.

PMID- 26096691
TI  - COMT polymorphism modulates the resting-state EEG alpha oscillatory response to
      acute nicotine in male non-smokers.
AB  - Performance improvements in cognitive tasks requiring executive functions are
      evident with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonists, and activation of
      the underlying neural circuitry supporting these cognitive effects is thought to
      involve dopamine neurotransmission. As individual difference in response to
      nicotine may be related to a functional polymorphism in the gene encoding
      catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme that strongly influences cortical
      dopamine metabolism, this study examined the modulatory effects of the COMT
      Val158Met polymorphism on the neural response to acute nicotine as measured with
      resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations. In a sample of 62
      healthy non-smoking adult males, a single dose (6 mg) of nicotine gum
      administered in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design was shown
      to affect alpha oscillatory activity, increasing power of upper alpha
      oscillations in frontocentral regions of Met/Met homozygotes and in
      parietal/occipital regions of Val/Met heterozygotes. Peak alpha frequency was
      also found to be faster with nicotine (vs. placebo) treatment in Val/Met
      heterozygotes, who exhibited a slower alpha frequency compared to Val/Val
      homozygotes. The data tentatively suggest that interindividual differences in
      brain alpha oscillations and their response to nicotinic agonist treatment are
      influenced by genetic mechanisms involving COMT. 

PMID- 26096694
TI  - Radiofrequency ablation of stage IA non-small cell lung cancer in medically
      inoperable patients: Results from the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group
      Z4033 (Alliance) trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the 2-year overall survival rate, adverse event
      rate, local control rate, and impact on pulmonary function tests for medically
      inoperable patients with stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing
      computed tomography (CT)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in a prospective,
      multicenter trial. METHODS: Fifty-four patients (25 men and 29 women) with a
      median age of 76 years (range, 60-89 years) were enrolled from 16 US centers; 51
      patients were eligible for evaluation (they had biopsy-proven stage IA NSCLC and
      were deemed medically inoperable by a board-certified thoracic surgeon).
      Pulmonary function tests were performed within the 60 days before RFA and 3 and
      24 months after RFA. Adverse events were recorded and categorized. Patients were
      followed with CT and fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. Local control
      rate and recurrence patterns were analyzed. RESULTS: The overall survival rate
      was 86.3% at 1 year and 69.8% at 2 years. The local tumor recurrence-free rate
      was 68.9% at 1 year and 59.8% at 2 years and was worse for tumors > 2 cm. In the
      19 patients with local recurrence, 11 were re-treated with RFA, 9 underwent
      radiation, and 3 underwent chemotherapy. There were 21 grade 3 adverse events, 2
      grade 4 adverse events, and 1 grade 5 adverse event in 12 patients within the
      first 90 days after RFA. None of the grade 4 or 5 adverse events were
      attributable to RFA. There was no significant change in the forced expiratory
      volume in the first second of expiration or the diffusing capacity of lung for
      carbon monoxide after RFA. A tumor size less than 2.0 cm and a performance status
      of 0 or 1 were associated with statistically significant improved survival of 83%
      and 78%, respectively, at 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: RFA is a single, minimally
      invasive procedure that is well tolerated in medically inoperable patients, does
      not adversely affect pulmonary function tests, and provides a 2-year overall
      survival rate that is comparable to the rate reported after stereotactic body
      radiotherapy in similar patients.

PMID- 26096695
TI  - Functional traits, convergent evolution, and periodic tables of niches.
AB  - Ecology is often said to lack general theories sufficiently predictive for
      applications. Here, we examine the concept of a periodic table of niches and
      feasibility of niche classification schemes from functional trait and performance
      data. Niche differences and their influence on ecological patterns and processes
      could be revealed effectively by first performing data reduction/ordination
      analyses separately on matrices of trait and performance data compiled according
      to logical associations with five basic niche 'dimensions', or aspects: habitat,
      life history, trophic, defence and metabolic. Resultant patterns then are
      integrated to produce interpretable niche gradients, ordinations and
      classifications. Degree of scheme periodicity would depend on degrees of niche
      conservatism and convergence causing species clustering across multiple niche
      dimensions. We analysed a sample data set containing trait and performance data
      to contrast two approaches for producing niche schemes: species ordination within
      niche gradient space, and niche categorisation according to trait-value
      thresholds. Creation of niche schemes useful for advancing ecological knowledge
      and its applications will depend on research that produces functional trait and
      performance datasets directly related to niche dimensions along with criteria for
      data standardisation and quality. As larger databases are compiled, opportunities
      will emerge to explore new methods for data reduction, ordination and
      classification. 

PMID- 26096696
TI  - SOX4 is overexpressed in diffusely infiltrating astrocytoma and confers poor
      prognosis.
AB  - The SOX4 (sex-determining region Y-related high-mobility-group box transcription
      factor 4) gene plays critical roles in embryonic development and cell-fate
      determination. Recently, SOX4 overexpression has been found in various tumors.
      However, its expression status and prognostic significance in astrocytoma remain
      unknown. In this study, SOX4 expression in diffusely infiltrating astrocytoma
      (WHO grades II-IV) tissues (in comparison with pilocytic astrocytomas) was
      examined by immunohistochemistry, and its relevance with prognosis was analyzed.
      Our data showed that SOX4 was over-expressed in diffusely infiltrating
      astrocytomas and its expression was positively correlated with astrocytoma grade
      (WHO grades II-IV). Significantly, Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that SOX4
      nuclear overexpression (SOX4-N) was associated with poorer progression-free
      survival (PFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) in diffusely infiltrating
      astrocytoma patients (P < 0.05). Cox regression analysis further showed that
      nuclear SOX4-N was a significant independent negative prognostic factor for these
      patients.

PMID- 26096697
TI  - The Danish urban-rural gradient of allergic sensitization and disease in adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reported prevalence of allergic sensitization among children is
      lower in rural areas than in urban areas of the world. The aim was to investigate
      the urban-rural differences of allergic sensitization to inhalant allergens in
      adults depending on childhood exposure living in an industrialized country as
      Denmark. METHODS: A total of 1236 male participants of 30-40 years of age
      recruited from two epidemiological studies were divided into four groups with
      regard to place of upbringing; city, town, rural area and farm. Allergic
      sensitization was assessed by skin prick tests (SPTs) to 10 inhalant allergens
      and measurements of serum specific IgE (sIgE) to four inhalant allergens (grass,
      birch, cat and house dust mite). RESULTS: The prevalence of allergic
      sensitization to inhalant allergens decreased with decreasing degree of urbanized
      childhood. The risk of being sensitized to one or more allergens also decreased
      with decreasing degree of urbanized upbringing measured by sIgE to 4 common
      allergens as odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals with city as reference;
      town 0.60 (0.39-0.92), rural area 0.34 (0.22-0.52) and farm 0.31 (0.21-0.46).
      Furthermore, it was measured by SPT to 10 common allergens; town 0.52 (0.33
      0.84), rural area 0.34 (0.21-0.53) and farm 0.29 (0.19-0.45). This urban-rural
      association was also seen for the risk of sensitization to specific allergens,
      rhinitis and allergic asthma. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to show an
      urban-rural gradient of overall allergic sensitization and specific allergen
      sensitization in adults depending on their childhood exposure. In this highly
      homogenous western population, exposure to a less urbanized childhood was
      associated with lower risk of allergic sensitization and disease as an adult.

PMID- 26096698
TI  - Electronic structures of anatase (TiO2)1-x(TaON)x solid solutions: a first
      principles study.
AB  - Sensitizing wide band gap photo-functional materials under visible-light
      irradiation is an important task for efficient solar energy conversion. Although
      nitrogen doping into anatase TiO2 has been extensively studied for this purpose,
      it is hard to increase the nitrogen content in anatase TiO2 because of the
      aliovalent nitrogen substituted for oxygen, leading to the formation of secondary
      phases or defects that hamper the migration of photoexcited charge carriers. In
      this paper, electronic structures of (TiO2)1-x(TaON)x (0 <= x <= 1) solid
      solutions, in which the stoichiometry is satisfied with the co-substitution of Ti
      for Ta along with O for N, are investigated within the anatase crystal structure
      using first-principles calculations. Our computational results show that the
      solid solutions have substantially narrower band gaps than TiO2, without
      introducing any localized energy states in the forbidden gap. In addition, in
      comparison with the pristine TiO2, the solid solution has a direct band gap when
      the content of TaON exceeds 0.25, which is advantageous to light absorption. The
      valence band maximum (VBM) of the solid solutions, which is mainly composed of N
      2p states hybridized with O 2p, Ti 3d or Ta 5d orbitals, is higher in energy than
      that of pristine anatase TiO2 consisting of non-bonding O 2p states. On the other
      hand, incorporating TaON into TiO2 causes the formation of d-d bonding states
      through pi interactions and substantially lowers the conduction band minimum
      (CBM) because of the shortened distance between some metal atoms. As a result,
      the anatase (TiO2)1-x(TaON)x is expected to become a promising visible-light
      absorber. In addition, some atomic configurations are found to possess
      exceptionally narrow band gaps. 

PMID- 26096699
TI  - Differences in Health at Age 100 According to Sex: Population-Based Cohort Study
      of Centenarians Using Electronic Health Records.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To use primary care electronic health records (EHRs) to evaluate the
      health of men and women at age 100. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study.
      SETTING: Primary care database in the United Kingdom, 1990-2013. PARTICIPANTS:
      Individuals reaching the age of 100 between 1990 and 2013 (N = 11,084, n = 8,982
      women, n = 2,102 men). MEASUREMENTS: Main categories of morbidity and an index of
      multiple morbidities, geriatric syndromes and an index of multiple impairments,
      cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: The number of new female centenarians per
      year increased from 16 per 100,000 in 1990-94 to 25 per 100,000 in 2010-13 (P <
      .001) and of male centenarians from four per 100,000 to six per 100,000 (P =
      .06). The most prevalent morbidities at the age of 100 were musculoskeletal
      diseases, disorders of the senses, and digestive diseases. Women had greater
      multiple morbidity than men (odds ratio (OR) = 1.64, 95% confidence interval (CI)
      = 1.42-1.89, P < .001). Geriatric syndromes, including falls, fractures, hearing
      and vision impairment, and dementia, were frequent; 30% of women and 49% of men
      had no recorded geriatric syndromes. Women had greater likelihood of having
      multiple geriatric syndromes (OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.90-2.41, P < .001).
      CONCLUSION: Fewer men than women reach the age of 100, but male centenarians have
      lower morbidity and fewer geriatric syndromes than women. Research using EHRs
      offers opportunities to understand the epidemiology of aging and improve care of
      the oldest old.

PMID- 26096700
TI  - 5,7-Dihydroxy-6-Methoxy-Flavonoids Eliminate HIV-1 D3-transfected Cytoprotective
      Macrophages by Inhibiting the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway.
AB  - Flavonoids, well-documented secondary metabolites in many vegetables and plants,
      exhibit antiinflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, and anticancer
      activities. However, their cytotoxic effects against human immunodeficiency virus
      type 1 (HIV-1)-infected cytoprotective macrophages have not been studied. In the
      present study, we investigated their effects and their molecular mechanisms.
      Treatment with flavonoids in the presence of lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS)/cycloheximide (CHX) potently eliminated HIV-1 Tat-transduced cytoprotective
      human microglial CHME5 cells; the 5,7-dihydroxy-6-methoxy-flavonoids oroxylin A
      and tectorigenin, at a concentration of 10 MUM, most potently eliminated the
      cytoprotective phenotype. These flavonoids eliminated Tat-transduced CHME5 cells,
      D3-transfected CHME5 cells, and HIV-1 D3-infected human primary macrophages, in a
      dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, oroxylin A and tectorigenin potently
      inhibited LPS/CHX-induced phosphorylation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K),
      pyruvate dehydrogenase lipoamide kinase isozyme 1, Akt, and glycogen synthase
      kinase-3beta in the Tat-transduced cells, D3-transfected CHME5 cells, and D3
      infected human primary macrophages. Based on these findings, 5,7-dihydroxy-6
      methoxy-flavonoids may eliminate HIV-1 infected cytoprotective macrophages by
      inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and deliver anti-HIV-1 effects in vivo
      by shortening the lifespan of infected macrophages. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley
      & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26096701
TI  - CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR SCANNING   MODALITY TO DIAGNOSE FOCAL LIVER   LESIONS.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Differences in the process of using liver imaging technologies might
      be important to patients. This study aimed to investigate preferences for
      scanning modalities used in diagnosing focal liver lesions. METHODS: A discrete
      choice experiment was administered to 504 adults aged 25 >=years. Respondents
      made repeated choices between two hypothetical scans, described according to
      waiting time for scan and results, procedure type, the chance of minor side
      effects, and whether further scanning procedures were likely to be required.
      Choice data were analyzed using mixed-logit models with respondent
      characteristics used to explain preference heterogeneity. RESULTS: Respondents
      preferred shorter waiting times, the procedure to be undertaken with a handheld
      scanner on a couch instead of within a body scanner, no side-effects, and no
      follow-up scans (p<=.01). The average respondent was willing to wait an
      additional 2 weeks for the scan if it resulted in avoiding side-effects, 1.5
      weeks to avoid further procedures or to be told the results immediately, and 1
      week to have the scan performed on a couch with a handheld scanner. However,
      substantial heterogeneity was observed in the strength of preference for
      desirable imaging characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: An average individual belonging
      to a general population sub-group most likely to require imaging to characterize
      focal liver lesions in the United Kingdom would prefer contrast-enhanced
      ultrasound over magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. Insights into
      the patient perspective around differential characteristics of imaging modalities
      have the potential to be used to guide recommendations around the use of these
      technologie

PMID- 26096702
TI  - Circulating tumor cells are associated with poor overall survival in patients
      with cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood are associated with poor survival of
      patients with breast, prostate, or colon cancer. We hypothesized that CTCs are
      associated with poor survival of patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Eighty
      eight patients with CCA were prospectively enrolled at Mayo Clinic Rochester
      between June 2010 and September 2014. The CellSearch system by Veridex was used
      for detection of CTCs in peripheral blood. Associations between CTC, patient and
      tumor characteristics, and survival were examined using the Cox's proportional
      hazards model. Fifteen patients (17%) were positive for CTC >=2 and 8 patients
      (9%) for CTC >=5. CTCs were associated with tumor extent. CTC >=2 (hazard ratio
      [HR]: 2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-5.4; P = 0.02) and CTC >=5 (HR, 4.1;
      95% CI: 1.4-10.8; P = 0.01) were both independent predictors of survival. In
      subgroup analyses, CTC >=2 (HR, 8.2; 95% CI: 1.8-57.5; P < 0.01) and CTC >=5 (HR,
      7.7; 95% CI: 1.4-42.9; P = 0.02) were both associated with shorter survival among
      patients with metastasis. There was a trend toward association of CTC >=5 with
      shorter survival in patients with nonmetastatic CCA (HR, 4.3; 95% CI: 1.0-13.8; P
      = 0.06). CTC >=2 (HR, 10.5; 95% CI: 2.2-40.1; P < 0.01) and CTC >=5 (HR, 10.2;
      95% CI: 1.5-42.3; P = 0.02) were both associated with shorter survival among
      patients with perihilar/distal CCA. CTC >=5 was associated with shorter survival
      of patients with intrahepatic CCA (HR, 4.2; 95% CI: 1.1-14.1; P = 0.04).
      CONCLUSION: CTCs were associated with more-aggressive tumor characteristics and
      independently associated with survival in patients with CCA. Assessment of CTCs
      may be useful for identifying CCA patients at risk of early mortality.

PMID- 26096703
TI  - QT dynamics evaluated on fully automated QT measurement in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The association between QT interval and heart rate (HR), QT dynamics,
      has been reported to vary greatly between individuals. We investigated QT
      dynamics using fully automated QT interval measurement with a commercially
      available multifunctional electrocardiogram (ECG) recorder. METHODS: The study
      group included 17 otherwise healthy subjects (mean age, 12.7 years; 11 girls, 6
      boys), who were undergoing exercise test for arrhythmia evaluation. The subjects
      had single premature ventricular contraction. RESULTS: Mean corrected QT interval
      (Fridericia) at rest was 412 +/- 19 ms (male, 408 +/- 20 ms; female, 414 +/- 19
      ms), manually measured with a digitizer, using the tangent method. We assessed QT
      interval/HR slope during the whole exercise test, the exercise phase, and the
      recovery from exercise phase; the slopes were calculated offline after excluding
      wide QRS complex and were -1.15 +/- 0.26 (r(2) = 0.65), -1.18 +/- 0.30 (r(2) =
      0.62), and -1.11 +/- 0.25 (r(2) = 0.70), respectively. Estimated QT interval at
      HR 60 beats/min (QT60) was calculated using the regression line formula and was
      383 +/- 24 ms, 387 +/- 28 ms, and 375 +/- 21 ms, respectively. QT60 of the total
      exercise test correlated with the corrected QT interval at rest (P = 0.04, r(2) =
      0.25). CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of QT dynamics is feasible on fully automated QT
      interval measurement with this ECG recorder. Further studies are required in
      larger populations to confirm the accuracy and precision of QT measurement and QT
      dynamics using this new multifunctional ECG.

PMID- 26096704
TI  - CLE peptide signaling in plants - the power of moving around.
AB  - The CLAVATA3 (CLV3)/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION (ESR)-RELATED (CLE) gene family
      encodes small secreted peptide ligands in plants. These peptides function non
      cell autonomously through interactions with plasma membrane-associated LEUCINE
      RICH REPEAT RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASEs (LRR-RLKs). These interactions are critical for
      cell-to-cell communications and control a variety of developmental and
      physiological processes in plants, such as regulation of stem cell proliferation
      and differentiation in the meristems, embryo and endosperm development, vascular
      development and autoregulation of nodulation. Here, we review the current
      knowledge in the field of CLE polypeptide signaling. 

PMID- 26096705
TI  - Sulforaphane Ameliorates 3-Nitropropionic Acid-Induced Striatal Toxicity by
      Activating the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE Pathway and Inhibiting the MAPKs and NF-kappaB
      Pathways.
AB  - The potential neuroprotective value of sulforaphane (SFN) in Huntington's disease
      (HD) has not been established yet. We investigated whether SFN prevents and
      improves the neurological impairment and striatal cell death in a 3
      nitropropionic acid (3-NP)-induced mouse model of HD. SFN (2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg/day,
      i.p.) was given daily 30 min before 3-NP treatment (pretreatment) and from
      onset/progression/peak points of the neurological scores. Pretreatment with SFN
      (5.0 mg/kg/day) produced the best neuroprotective effect with respect to the
      neurological scores and lethality among other conditions. The protective effects
      due to pretreatment with SFN were associated with the following: suppression of
      the formation of a lesion area, neuronal death, succinate dehydrogenase activity,
      apoptosis, microglial activation, and mRNA or protein expression of inflammatory
      mediators, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6,
      inducible nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2 in the striatum after 3-NP
      treatment. Also, pretreatment with SFN activated the Kelch-like ECH-associated
      protein 1 (Keap1)-nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-antioxidant
      response element (ARE) pathway and inhibited the mitogen-activated protein
      kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) pathways in the striatum
      after 3-NP treatment. As expected, the pretreatment with activators (dimethyl
      fumarate and antioxidant response element inducer-3) of the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE
      pathway decreased the neurological impairment and lethality after 3-NP treatment.
      Our findings suggest that SFN may effectively attenuate 3-NP-induced striatal
      toxicity by activating the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway and inhibiting the MAPKs and NF
      kappaB pathways and that SFN has a wide therapeutic time-window for HD-like
      symptoms.

PMID- 26096706
TI  - Depletion of B cell CLL/Lymphoma 11B Gene Expression Represses Glioma Cell
      Growth.
AB  - B cell CLL/lymphoma 11B (Bcl11b), a C2H2 zinc finger transcription factor, not
      only serves as a critical regulator in development but also plays the
      controversial role in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). We previously
      found that the enriched expression of Bcl11b was detected in high tumorigenic C6
      glioma cells. However, the role of Bcl11b in glioma malignancy and its mechanisms
      remains to be uncovered. In this study, using the lentivirus-mediated knockdown
      (KD) approach, we found that Bcl11b KD in tumorigenic C6 cells reduced the cell
      proliferation, colony formation, and migratory ability. The results were further
      verified using two human malignant glioma cell lines, U87 and U251 cells. A
      cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21, a known Bcl11b target, was significantly
      upregulated in tumorigenic C6, U87, and U251 cells after Bcl11b KD. Cellular
      senescence was observed by examination of the beta-galactosidase activity in U87
      and U251 cells with Bcl11b KD. Reduced expression of stemness gene Sox-2 and its
      downstream effector Bmi-1 was also observed in U87 and U251 cells with Bcl11b KD.
      These results suggest that the ablation of Bcl11b gene expression induced glioma
      cell senescence. Propidium iodide (PI) staining combined with flow cytometry
      analysis also showed that Bcl11b KD led to the cell cycle arrest of U87 and U251
      cells at the G0/G1 or at the S phase, indicating that Bcl11b is required for
      glioma cell cycle progression. Together, this is the first study to show that the
      inhibition of Bcl11b suppresses glioma cell growth by regulating the expression
      of the cell cycle regulator p21 and stemness-associated genes (Sox-2/Bmi-1).

PMID- 26096707
TI  - Integrative miRNA and Gene Expression Profiling Analysis of Human Quiescent
      Hepatic Stellate Cells.
AB  - Unveiling the regulatory pathways maintaining hepatic stellate cells (HSC) in a
      quiescent (q) phenotype is essential to develop new therapeutic strategies to
      treat fibrogenic diseases. To uncover the miRNA-mRNA regulatory interactions in
      qHSCs, HSCs were FACS-sorted from healthy livers and activated HSCs (aHSCs) were
      generated in vitro. MiRNA Taqman array analysis showed HSCs expressed a low
      number of miRNAs (n = 259), from which 47 were down-regulated and 212 up
      regulated upon activation. Computational integration of miRNA and gene expression
      profiles revealed that 66% of qHSC-associated miRNAs correlated with more than 6
      altered target mRNAs (17,28 +/- 10,7 targets/miRNA) whereas aHSC-associated
      miRNAs had an average of 1,49 targeted genes. Interestingly, interaction networks
      generated by miRNA-targeted genes in qHSCs were associated with key HSC
      activation processes. Next, selected miRNAs were validated in healthy and
      cirrhotic human livers and miR-192 was chosen for functional analysis. Down
      regulation of miR-192 in HSCs was found to be an early event during fibrosis
      progression in mouse models of liver injury. Moreover, mimic assays for miR-192
      in HSCs revealed its role in HSC activation, proliferation and migration.
      Together, these results uncover the importance of miRNAs in the maintenance of
      the qHSC phenotype and form the basis for understanding the regulatory networks
      in HSCs.

PMID- 26096708
TI  - Open vs robotic radical gastrectomy for locally advanced gastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aims to evaluate the immediate outcomes of robotic and
      open gastrectomy for patients with locally advanced gastric adenocarcinomas.
      METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on patients undergoing curative
      intent gastrectomies between 2004 and 2013 in our department. Operative and
      postoperative outcomes as well as long-term survival data were analysed. RESULTS:
      Two groups of patients were analysed: the robotic group (n = 18) and the open
      surgery group (n = 29). Operating time in the robotic group (320.833 +/- 85.186
      min) was significantly longer (p = 0.0004) as compared with the open group
      (243.366 +/- 57.973 min). The number of retrieved lymph nodes was not
      statistically different between the two groups (p = 0.108) and neither was the
      rate of postoperative complications (p = 0.294). CONCLUSIONS: Robotic gastrectomy
      is a safe procedure, with satisfactory short- and long-term outcomes in locally
      advanced gastric cancer. Studies on a larger number of patients are necessary in
      order to confirm whether an immediate benefit in survival exists due to robotic
      surgery. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26096710
TI  - Identification of Two Novel beta-Thalassemia Mutations (HBB: c.335-346del and
      HBB: c.108 C > G) in Han Chinese.
AB  - beta-Thalassemia (beta-thal) is an inherited blood disorder characterized by
      reduced or absent synthesis of the beta chains of hemoglobin (Hb). Although a
      number of causative mutations have been reported, here we report two novel
      mutations detected in Chinese patients. Red blood cell (RBC) indices were
      indicative of beta-thal, but no mutations were detected by routine methods.
      Sequencing of the beta-globin gene uncovered one mutant with a 12 bp deletion
      (TCTGTGTGCTGG) from codon 111 to codon 115 (HBB: c.335-346del12bp) in exon 3. The
      other was found to be a nonsense mutation at codon 35 (HBB: c.108 C > G). The
      identification of these novel mutations will facilitate future diagnoses of beta
      thal caused by either of these mutations and will also be useful for genetic
      counseling and prenatal diagnosis. 

PMID- 26096709
TI  - A novel method for determining human ex vivo submaximal skeletal muscle
      mitochondrial function.
AB  - The present study utilized a novel method aiming to investigate mitochondrial
      function in human skeletal muscle at submaximal levels and at a predefined
      membrane potential. The effect of age and training status was investigated using
      a cross-sectional design. Ageing was found to be related to decreased leak
      regardless of training status. Increased training status was associated with
      increased mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide emission. Despite numerous studies,
      there is no consensus about whether mitochondrial function is altered with
      increased age. The novelty of the present study is the determination of
      mitochondrial function at submaximal activity rates, which is more
      physiologically relevant than the ex vivo functionality protocols used
      previously. Muscle biopsies were taken from 64 old or young male subjects (aged
      60-70 or 20-30 years). Aged subjects were recruited as trained or untrained.
      Muscle biopsies were used for the isolation of mitochondria and subsequent
      measurements of DNA repair, anti-oxidant capacity and mitochondrial protein
      levels (complexes I-V). Mitochondrial function was determined by simultaneous
      measurement of oxygen consumption, membrane potential and hydrogen peroxide
      emission using pyruvate + malate (PM) or succinate + rotenone (SR) as substrates.
      Proton leak was lower in aged subjects when determined at the same membrane
      potential and was unaffected by training status. State 3 respiration was lower in
      aged untrained subjects. This effect, however, was alleviated in aged trained
      subjects. H2 O2 emission with PM was higher in aged subjects, and was exacerbated
      by training, although it was not changed when using SR. However, with a higher
      manganese superoxide dismuthase content, the trained aged subjects may actually
      have lower or similar mitochondrial superoxide emission compared to the untrained
      subjects. We conclude that ageing and the physical activity level in aged
      subjects are both related to changes in the intrinsic functionality of the
      mitochondrion in skeletal muscle. Both of these changes could be important
      factors in determining the metabolic health of the aged skeletal muscle cell.

PMID- 26096711
TI  - Rational Design of Biobetters with Enhanced Stability.
AB  - Biotherapeutics are the fastest growing class of pharmaceutical with a rapidly
      evolving market facing the rise of biosimilar and biobetter products. In contrast
      to a biosimilar, which is derived from the same gene sequence as the innovator
      product, a biobetter has enhanced properties, such as enhanced efficacy or
      reduced immunogenicity. Little work has been carried out so far to increase the
      intrinsic stability of biotherapeutics via sequence changes, even though,
      aggregation, the primary degradation pathway of proteins, leads to issues ranging
      from manufacturing failure to immunological response and to loss of therapeutic
      activity. Using our spatial aggregation propensity tool as a first step to a
      rational design approach to identify aggregation-prone regions, biobetters of
      rituximab have been produced with enhanced stability by introducing site-specific
      mutations. Significant stabilization against aggregation was achieved for
      rituximab with no decrease in its binding affinity to the antigen.

PMID- 26096713
TI  - Hysteroscopic treatment of Robert's uterus with laparoscopy.
AB  - Herein is described the case of a 26-year-old woman whose Robert's uterus was
      treated with hysteroscopy and who then successfully became pregnant and gave
      birth. The uterus anomaly was diagnosed on combined hysteroscopy and
      ultrasonography, which showed an asymmetric septate uterus with one blind cavity,
      causing menstrual retention. The surgery was uncomplicated, with satisfactory
      results. The patient underwent successful cesarean section delivery of a baby boy
      weighing 3250 g on 24 March 2014.

PMID- 26096712
TI  - Circulating interleukin-6 and cancer: A meta-analysis using Mendelian
      randomization.
AB  - Interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a contributory role in the progression and severity of
      many forms of cancer; it however remains unclear whether the relevance between
      circulating IL-6 and cancer is causal. We therefore meta-analyzed published
      articles in this regard using IL-6 gene -174G/C variant as an instrument. Seventy
      eight and six articles were eligible for the association of -174G/C variant with
      cancer and circulating IL-6, respectively. Overall analyses failed to identify
      any significance between -174G/C and cancer risk. In Asians, carriers of the 
      174CC genotype had an 1.95-fold increased cancer risk compared with the -174GG
      genotype carriers (P = 0.009). By cancer type, significance was only attained for
      liver cancer with the -174C allele conferring a reduced risk under allelic (odds
      ratio or OR = 0.74; P = 0.001), homozygous genotypic (OR = 0.59; P = 0.029) and
      dominant (OR = 0.67; P = 0.004) models. Carriers of the -174CC genotype (weighted
      mean difference or WMD = -4.23 pg/mL; P < 0.001) and -174C allele (WMD = -3.43
      pg/mL; P < 0.001) had circulating IL-6 reduced significantly compared with the
      non-carriers. In further Mendelian randomization analysis, a reduction of 1 pg/mL
      in circulating IL-6 was significantly associated with an 12% reduced risk of
      liver cancer. Long-term genetically-reduced circulating IL-6 might be causally
      associated with a lower risk of liver cancer.

PMID- 26096715
TI  - Spatial radial maze procedures and setups to dissociate local and distal
      relational spatial frameworks in humans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radial maze tasks have been used to assess optimal foraging and
      spatial abilities in rodents. The spatial performance was based on a capacity to
      rely on a configuration of local and distant cues. We adapted maze procedures
      assessing the relative weight of local cues and distant landmarks for arm choice
      in humans. NEW METHOD: The procedure allowed testing memory of places in four
      experimental setups: a fingertip texture-groove maze, a tactile screen maze, a
      virtual radial maze and a walking size maze. During training, the four reinforced
      positions remained fixed relative to local and distal cues. During subsequent
      conflict trials, these frameworks were made conflictive in the prediction of
      reward locations. RESULTS: Three experiments showed that the relative weight of
      local and distal relational cues is affected by different factors such as cues'
      nature, visual access to the environment, real vs. virtual environment, and
      gender. A fourth experiment illustrated how a walking maze can be used with
      people suffering intellectual disability. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: In
      our procedure, long-term (reference) and short-term (working) memory can be
      assessed. It is the first radial task adapted to human that enables dissociating
      local and distal cues, to provides an indication as to their relative salience.
      Our mazes are moveable and easily used in limited spaces. Tasks are performed
      with realistic and spontaneous though controlled exploratory movements.
      CONCLUSION: Our tasks enabled highlighting the use of different strategies. In a
      clinical perspective, considering the use of compensatory strategies should
      orient towards adapted behavioural rehabilitation.

PMID- 26096716
TI  - Host-parasite interactions: an intimate epigenetic relationship.
AB  - The epigenetics of host-pathogen interactions is emerging as an interesting angle
      from which to study how parasites have evolved sophisticated strategies to
      manipulate host gene transcription and protein expression. In this review, we
      discuss the application of an operational framework to investigate the host cell
      signalling pathways that are induced by intracellular parasites and the
      epigenomic consequences in the host nucleus. To illustrate this conceptual
      approach, we have focused on examples from two eukaryotic intracellular parasites
      of the apicomplexa phylum: Theileria and Toxoplasma. We review recent findings on
      intracellular parasitism strategies for hijacking host nuclear functions and
      discuss how we might think of the parasite and its proteome as an intracellular
      epigenator. 

PMID- 26096714
TI  - Research aimed at improving both mood and weight (RAINBOW) in primary care: A
      type 1 hybrid design randomized controlled trial.
AB  - Effective interventions targeting comorbid obesity and depression are critical
      given the increasing prevalence and worsened outcomes for patients with both
      conditions. RAINBOW is a type 1 hybrid design randomized controlled trial. The
      objective is to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness and implementation
      potential of an integrated, technology-enhanced, collaborative care model for
      treating comorbid obesity and depression in primary care. Obese and depressed
      adults (n = 404) will be randomized to usual care enhanced with the provision of
      a pedometer and information about the health system's services for mood or weight
      management (control) or with the Integrated Coaching for Better Mood and Weight
      (I-CARE) program (intervention). The 12-month I-CARE program synergistically
      integrates two proven behavioral interventions: problem-solving therapy with as
      needed intensification of pharmacotherapy for depression (PEARLS) and
      standardized behavioral treatment for obesity (Group Lifestyle Balance(TM)). It
      utilizes traditional (e.g., office visits and phone consults) and emerging care
      delivery modalities (e.g., patient web portal and mobile applications). Follow-up
      assessments will occur at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. We hypothesize that compared
      with controls, I-CARE participants will have greater improvements in weight and
      depression severity measured by the 20-item Depression Symptom Checklist at 12
      months, which will be sustained at 24 months. We will also assess I-CARE's cost
      effectiveness and use mixed methods to examine its potential for reach, adoption,
      implementation, and maintenance. This study offers the potential to change how
      obese and depressed adults are treated-through a new model of accessible and
      integrative lifestyle medicine and mental health expertise-in primary care.

PMID- 26096717
TI  - Screening of Congenital Heart Diseases by Three-Dimensional Ultrasound Using
      Spatiotemporal Image Correlation: Influence of Professional Experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of the use of spatiotemporal image
      correlation (STIC) as a screening program for congenital heart disease and the
      influence of professional experience in those examinations. METHODS: This
      prospective cross-sectional study included 64 pregnant women at gestational age
      between 20 and 34 weeks, and 12 physician participants who were divided into two
      groups: group 1-"STIC specialist"; and group 2-"STIC nonspecialist." Volumes were
      analyzed to obtain the five axial views for optimal fetal heart screening:
      abdominal situs, four-chamber view (4CV), outflow tract views (OTV), and three
      vessels and trachea view (3VT). The chi-square test (chi(2) ) was used to compare
      the group's results and kappa coefficient to evaluate inter- and intra-observer
      reproducibility. RESULTS: Spatiotemporal image correlation volume acquisition was
      successful in 97.3% of cases in which it was attempted (group 1: 100%; group
      2:95%). A total of 197 STIC volumes were used in this study. In 71%, it was
      possible to demonstrate 4CV and OTV (group 1:88.9%; group 2:58.6%). 4CV, OTV, and
      3VT were visualized in 55.3% of the volume dataset (group 1:74.1% and group
      2:42.2%). In 49% of volumes, all five views for optimal fetal heart screening
      were seen (group 1:67%; group 2: 36%). A good inter-observer agreement was found
      in all cardiac views and a good intra-observer agreement in most of views except
      in OTV. CONCLUSION: We believe that STIC can be used as a tool to improve the
      cardiac screening examination of the fetus. Professional experience was the most
      important influence in the image quality of the STIC volume.

PMID- 26096718
TI  - Nickel-Catalyzed Chemo-, Regio- and Diastereoselective Bond Formation through
      Proximal C-C Cleavage of Benzocyclobutenones.
AB  - The first catalytic intermolecular proximal C1-C2 cleavage of benzocyclobutenones
      (BCB) without prior carbonyl activation or employing noble metals has been
      developed. This protocol operates at room temperature and is characterized by an
      exquisite chemo-, regio- and diastereoselectivity profile, constituting a unique
      platform for preparing an array of elusive carbocyclic skeletons.

PMID- 26096719
TI  - Sperm DNA-mediated reduction of nonspecific fluorescence during cellular imaging
      with quantum dots.
AB  - Salmon sperm DNA was used as a blocking agent to reduce background fluorescence
      signals from gelatin-coated cell culture dishes. 

PMID- 26096721
TI  - The stability of water- and fat-soluble vitamin in dentifrices according to pH
      level and storage type.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to evaluate the vitamin stabilities in dentifrices
      by analyzing various vitamins according to the level and storage temperature. The
      stabilities of water- and fat-soluble vitamins were investigated in buffer
      solution at different pH values (4, 7, 8, 10 and 11) for 14 days and in
      dentifrices at different pH (7 and 10) for 5 months at two temperature conditions
      (room and refrigeration temperature) by analyzing the remaining amounts using
      HPLC methods. In the buffer solution, the stability of vitamins B1 , B6 and C was
      increased as the pH values increased. Vitamins E and K showed poor stability at
      pH 4, and vitamin B3 showed poor stability at pH 11. In dentifrices, the storage
      temperature highly influenced vitamin stability, especially vitamins C and E, but
      the stabilities of vitamins B1 and C according to pH values did not correspond to
      the buffer solution tests. Vitamin B group was relatively stable in dentifrices,
      but vitamin C completely disappeared after 5 months. Vitamin K showed the least
      initial preservation rates. Vitamins were not detected in commercial dentifrices
      for adults and detected amounts were less than the advertised contents in
      dentifrices for children.

PMID- 26096720
TI  - Grape skin extract-derived polyphenols modify programming-induced renal endowment
      in prenatal protein-restricted male mouse offspring.
AB  - PURPOSE: Protein-restricted diet during pregnancy is related to oxidative stress
      and, as a consequence, damage to nephrogenesis. We investigated the effects of
      vinifera grape skin extract (ACH09)-derived polyphenols on preserving renal
      morphology of maternal protein-restricted 1-day-old offspring. METHODS: Female
      C57/Bl-6 mice were fed two different isocaloric diets: control diet (19.3 %
      protein) and low-protein diet (6 % protein) with access to water or to the
      extract dissolved in drinking water (19.3 % protein plus ACH09 200 mg kg(-1) day(
      1) and 6 % protein plus ACH09 200 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) throughout gestation. Renal
      morphology-glomerular number N[glom]; renal maturity-vascular glomeruli and
      avascular glomeruli ratio (v-N[glom]/a-N[glom]); medullar and cortical volumes,
      as well as mean glomerular volume, were analyzed in male offspring. Hepatic
      superoxide dismutase and catalase (CAT) activities were evaluated, and renal
      lipid peroxidation levels were measured. RESULTS: Maternal protein restriction
      affected birth weight and naso-anal length in low-protein offspring compared to
      control and ACH09 restored both parameters. Protein restriction increased lipid
      peroxidation in kidney and liver and reduced CAT activity in low-protein group
      compared to control. Supplementation with ACH09 reduced the kidney oxidative
      damage and restored the antioxidant activity of CAT. ACH09 prevented glomerular
      loss and renal immaturity in the offspring. CONCLUSION: The treatment of low
      protein-fed dams during pregnancy with ACH09 provides protection from early-life
      deleterious renal morphological changes. The protective effect of ACH09 may
      involve antioxidant action and vasodilator effect of the extract.

PMID- 26096722
TI  - Comparison of management and outcomes of ED patients with acute decompensated
      heart failure between the Canadian and United States' settings.
AB  - Introduction The objective of this study was to compare the emergency department
      (ED) management and rate of admission of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF)
      between two hospitals in Canada and the United States and to compare the outcomes
      of these patients. METHODS: This was a health records review of adults presenting
      with ADHF to two EDs in Canada and the United States between January 1 and April
      30, 2010. Outcome measures were admission to the hospital, myocardial infarction
      (MI), and death or relapse rates to the ED. Data were analysed using descriptive,
      univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: In total, 394 cases were reviewed
      and 73 were excluded. Comparing 156 Canadian to 165 U.S. patients, respectively,
      mean age was 76.0 and 75.8 years; male sex was 54.5% and 52.1%. Canadian and U.S.
      ED treatments were noninvasive ventilation 7.7% v. 12.8% (p=0.13); IV diuretics
      77.6% v. 36.0% (p<0.001); IV nitrates 4.5% v. 6.7% (p=0.39). There were
      significant differences in rate of admission (50.6% v. 95.2%, p<0.001) and length
      of stay in ED (6.7 v. 3.0 hours, p<0.001). Proportion of Canadian and U.S.
      patients who died within 30 days of the ED visit was 5.1% v. 9.7% (p=0.12);
      relapsed to the ED within 30 days was 20.8% v. 17.5% (p=0.5); and had MI within
      30 days was 2.0% v. 1.9% (p=1.0). CONCLUSIONS: The U.S. and Canadian centres saw
      ADHF patients with similar characteristics. Although the U.S. site had almost
      double the admission rate, the outcomes were similar between the sites, which
      question the necessity of routine admission for patients with ADHF.

PMID- 26096723
TI  - Inappropriate prescribing of intravenous fluid in adult inpatients-a literature
      review of current practice and research.
AB  - WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: It is known that mismanagement of intravenous (IV)
      fluid therapy may cause serious complications. The 2013 NICE guideline on
      intravenous fluid therapy in hospitalized adults also emphasizes the importance
      of appropriate prescribing of IV fluid. So far, no systematic review of the
      incidence and types of inappropriate prescribing of IV fluid has been conducted.
      Therefore, this study was undertaken to review the research literature on
      inappropriate prescribing of IV fluid in adult patients and develop corresponding
      strategies for improving practice. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was
      performed. Critical appraisals were conducted on the articles drawn from the
      search, and an analysis was performed on the results. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:
      Incorrect volumes and types of IV fluids prescribed, classified as
      misprescribing, was the most common type of inappropriate prescribing. Commonly,
      patients on IV fluid therapy were prescribed a greater volume of fluid and amount
      of sodium in excess of normal requirements. Doctors did not always check the body
      weight, serum electrolyte level and serum creatinine before prescribing IV fluid
      for patients. The other common type of inappropriate prescribing was
      incomplete/incorrect prescription writing. These common inappropriate prescribing
      of IV fluid could be caused by insufficient knowledge and training of the
      prescribers. In addition, the ignorance of the importance of IV fluid prescribing
      also contributed to this behaviour. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: There is an
      urgent need to make doctors aware of these problems and enhance appropriate
      training on IV fluid prescribing, especially on the appropriate volume and amount
      of electrolytes. Pharmacists could exert a role in reviewing the fluid
      prescription chart for improving clinical practice.

PMID- 26096724
TI  - Saturn Systems.
AB  - Several ring systems (Saturn systems) have been studied using DFT methods that
      include dispersion effects. Comparison with X-ray structures are made with three
      systems, and the agreement is quite good. Binding enthalpies and binding free
      energies in dichloromethane and toluene have been computed. The effect of an
      encapsulated lithium cation is accessed by comparing C60 @(C6 H4 )10 and [Li@C60
      @(C6 H4 )10 ](+). The [Li@C60 ](+) cation is a much better acceptor than C60
      which leads to greater donor-acceptor interactions and larger charge transfer
      from the ring to [Li@C60 ](+).

PMID- 26096725
TI  - Accelerating the dual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and
      HIV: Why now?

PMID- 26096726
TI  - Advances in the basic and clinical applications of thymosin beta4.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thymosin beta4 (Tbeta4), a multifunctional peptide, has been used
      successfully in several clinical trials involving tissue repair and regeneration.
      The review will first update the current information on the common underlying
      cellular cascades and pathways that are basic to Tbeta4's regenerative activity
      and second, on the current and potential uses of this protein in the clinic.
      AREAS COVERED: Significant advances in our understanding of the actions of Tbeta4
      have occurred in directing stem cell maturation and in regeneration and repair of
      injuries. Many of its activities directly affect the repair cascade following
      injury. Using PubMed, we summarize the discovery and isolation of Tbeta4 as well
      as the studies on tissue repair, which have provided the scientific foundation
      for ongoing and projected trials in the treatment of eye injuries, dermal wounds,
      repair of the heart following myocardial infarction and healing of the brain
      following stroke, trauma or neurological diseases. EXPERT OPINION: Based on its
      multifunctional activities during tissue regeneration in various animal studies,
      Tbeta4 has the potential for new clinical applications such kidney and liver
      disease, as well as repair of spinal cord, bone and ligament damage. In addition,
      it may be useful in the treatment of a wide range of other applications,
      including the consequences of aging and viral infections.

PMID- 26096727
TI  - Formation of Discrete Ladders and a Macroporous Xerogel Film by the Zipperlike
      Dimerization of Meso-Meso-Linked Zinc(II) Porphyrin Arrays with Di(pyrid-3
      yl)acetylene.
AB  - Metal porphyrins assemble to form a supramolecular architecture with a
      characteristic structure and characteristic properties and functions upon
      complexation with appropriate ligands. However, there are few applications of
      these assembly processes to the construction of polymeric porphyrin arrays with
      useful functionalities. In this study, we found that meso-meso-linked Zn(II)
      porphyrin arrays underwent zipperlike dimerization upon complexation with
      di(pyrid-3-yl)acetylene (DPA) in chloroform to form discrete double-stranded
      porphyrin ladders. Similarly, the assembly of poly(zinc(II) porphyrinylene) with
      DPA gave a thermoresponsive gel, whose three-dimensional network structure was so
      strong that a macroporous xerogel film was obtained. 

PMID- 26096728
TI  - White matter abnormalities differentiate severe from benign temporal lobe
      epilepsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Temporal and extratemporal white matter abnormalities have been
      identified frequently in patients with refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy
      (rMTLE). However, the identification of potential water diffusion abnormalities
      in patients with drug-responsive, benign MTLE (bMTLE) is still missing. The aim
      of this study was to identify markers of refractoriness in MTLE. METHODS: The
      study group included 48 patients with bMTLE (mean age 42.8 + 13.5 years), 38 with
      rMTLE (mean age 41.7 + 14.1 years) and 54 healthy volunteers. Diffusion tensor
      imaging (DTI) was performed to measure mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional
      anisotropy (FA) in a regions-of-interest analysis comprising hippocampi and
      temporal lobe gray and white matter regions. The presence of hippocampal
      sclerosis (Hs) was assessed using automated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      evaluation. For statistics we used chi-square test; two-tailed, two-sample t
      test; and stratified linear regression. RESULTS: The significant demographic
      differences between the two patient groups were sex (p = 0.003), duration of
      epilepsy (p = 0.003) and complex febrile convulsions (p = 0.0001). In rMTLE,
      temporal white matter MD was higher and FA lower, as compared to bMTLE. The
      analysis of diagnostic accuracy (area under the receiver operator characteristic
      [ROC] curve [AUC]) showed that FA had an AUC for discriminating patients affected
      from those unaffected by refractory MTLE of 74.0% (p < 0.001), a value that was
      higher than that of temporal MD (64.0%), hippocampus volume (65.0%), and Hs
      (66.0%). SIGNIFICANCE: We performed DTI measurements in MTLE and found a
      significant reduction of FA along the white matter of the temporal lobes in
      rMTLE, suggesting it as a valuable measure of refractoriness in MTLE.

PMID- 26096729
TI  - Towards an unbiased view of science.

PMID- 26096730
TI  - Effects of lunar phase on sleep in men and women in Surrey.
AB  - Recently, evidence has emerged that the phases of the moon may modulate
      subjective sleep quality and polysomnographically assessed sleep structure in
      humans. We aimed to explore further the putative effects of circa-lunar
      periodicity (~29.5 days) on subjective and objective parameters of human sleep in
      a retrospective analysis. The baseline sleep recordings of 205 (91 males and 114
      females; mean age = 47.47 years, standard deviation =19.01; range: 20-84 years)
      healthy and carefully screened participants who participated in two clinical
      trials in the Surrey Clinical Research Centre were included in the analyses.
      Sleep was recorded in windowless sleep laboratories. For each study night, we
      calculated the distance, in days, to the date of the closest full moon phase and
      based on this distance, classified sleep records in three lunar classes.
      Univariate analysis of variance with factors lunar class, age and sex was applied
      to each of 21 sleep parameters. No significant main effect for the factor lunar
      class was observed for any of the objective sleep parameters and subjective sleep
      quality but some significant interactions were observed. The interaction between
      lunar class and sex was significant for total sleep time, Stage 4 sleep and rapid
      eye movement (REM) sleep. Separate analyses for men and women indicated that in
      women total sleep time, Stage 4 sleep and REM sleep were reduced when sleep
      occurred close to full moon, whereas in men REM duration increased around full
      moon. These data provide limited evidence for an effect of lunar phase on human
      sleep.

PMID- 26096731
TI  - Stereodivergent Intramolecular C(sp(3))-H Functionalization of Azavinyl Carbenes:
      Synthesis of Saturated Heterocycles and Fused N-Heterotricycles.
AB  - A general approach for the formation of five-membered saturated heterocycles by
      intramolecular C(sp(3))-H functionalization is reported. Using N
      sulfonyltriazoles as Rh(II) azavinyl carbene equivalents, a wide variety of
      stereodefined cis-2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans were obtained with good to
      excellent diastereoselectivity from readily available acyclic precursors. The
      reaction is shown to be amenable to gram scale, and judicious choice of reaction
      conditions allowed for stereodivergence, providing selective access to the trans
      diastereomer in good yield. The resulting products were shown to be valuable
      intermediates for the direct preparation of fused N-heterotricycles in one step
      by intramolecular C-H amination or Pictet-Spengler cyclization. 

PMID- 26096732
TI  - A competition mechanism for a homeotic neuron identity transformation in C.
      elegans.
AB  - Neuron identity transformations occur upon removal of specific regulatory factors
      in many different cellular contexts, thereby revealing the fundamental principle
      of alternative cell identity choices made during nervous system development. One
      common molecular interpretation of such homeotic cell identity transformations is
      that a regulatory factor has a dual function in activating genes defining one
      cellular identity and repressing genes that define an alternative identity. We
      provide evidence for an alternative, competition-based mechanism. We show that
      the MEC-3 LIM homeodomain protein can outcompete the execution of a
      neuropeptidergic differentiation program by direct interaction with the UNC
      86/Brn3 POU homeodomain protein. MEC-3 thereby prevents UNC-86 from collaborating
      with the Zn finger transcription factor PAG-3/Gfi to induce peptidergic neuron
      identity and directs UNC-86 to induce an alternative differentiation program
      toward a glutamatergic neuronal identity. Homeotic control of neuronal identity
      programs has implications for the evolution of neuronal cell types. 

PMID- 26096733
TI  - Cross-Scale Integrin Regulation Organizes ECM and Tissue Topology.
AB  - The diverse morphologies of animal tissues are underlain by different
      configurations of adherent cells and extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, we
      elucidate a cross-scale mechanism for tissue assembly and ECM remodeling
      involving Cadherin 2, the ECM protein Fibronectin, and its receptor Integrin
      alpha5. Fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy within the zebrafish paraxial
      mesoderm mesenchyme reveals a physical association between Integrin alpha5 on
      adjacent cell membranes. This Integrin-Integrin complex correlates with
      conformationally inactive Integrin. Cadherin 2 stabilizes both the Integrin
      association and inactive Integrin conformation. Thus, Integrin repression within
      the adherent mesenchymal interior of the tissue biases Fibronectin
      fibrillogenesis to the tissue surface lacking cell-cell adhesions. Along nascent
      somite boundaries, Cadherin 2 levels decrease, becoming anti-correlated with
      levels of Integrin alpha5. Simultaneously, Integrin alpha5 clusters and adopts
      the active conformation and then commences ECM assembly. This cross-scale
      regulation of Integrin activation organizes a stereotypic pattern of ECM
      necessary for vertebrate body elongation and segmentation.

PMID- 26096735
TI  - Taranis Protects Regenerating Tissue from Fate Changes Induced by the Wound
      Response in Drosophila.
AB  - Regenerating tissue must replace lost structures with cells of the proper
      identity and function. How regenerating tissue establishes or maintains correct
      cell fates during regrowth is an open question. We have identified a gene,
      taranis, that is essential for maintaining proper cell fate in damaged and
      regenerating Drosophila wing imaginal discs but that is dispensable for these
      fates in normal wing development. In regenerating tissue with reduced levels of
      Taranis, expression of the posterior selector gene engrailed is silenced through
      an autoregulatory silencing mechanism that requires the PRC1 component
      polyhomeotic, resulting in a transformation of posterior tissue into anterior
      tissue late in regeneration. An essential component of the wound response, JNK
      signaling, induces this misregulation of engrailed expression. Taranis can
      suppress these JNK-induced cell fate changes without interfering with JNK
      signaling activity. Thus, taranis protects regenerating tissue from deleterious
      side effects of wound healing and regeneration.

PMID- 26096736
TI  - Abstracts from the 25th Congress of the International Association of Paediatric
      Dentistry, 1-4 July 2015, Glasgow, UK.

PMID- 26096734
TI  - POS-1 Promotes Endo-mesoderm Development by Inhibiting the Cytoplasmic
      Polyadenylation of neg-1 mRNA.
AB  - The regulation of mRNA translation is of fundamental importance in biological
      mechanisms ranging from embryonic axis specification to the formation of long
      term memory. POS-1 is one of several CCCH zinc-finger RNA-binding proteins that
      regulate cell fate specification during C. elegans embryogenesis. Paradoxically,
      pos-1 mutants exhibit striking defects in endo-mesoderm development but have wild
      type distributions of SKN-1, a key determinant of endo-mesoderm fates. RNAi
      screens for pos-1 suppressors identified genes encoding the cytoplasmic poly(A)
      polymerase homolog GLD-2, the Bicaudal-C homolog GLD-3, and the protein NEG-1. We
      show that NEG-1 localizes in anterior nuclei, where it negatively regulates endo
      mesoderm fates. In posterior cells, POS-1 binds the neg-1 3' UTR to oppose GLD-2
      and GLD-3 activities that promote NEG-1 expression and cytoplasmic lengthening of
      the neg-1 mRNA poly(A) tail. Our findings uncover an intricate series of post
      transcriptional regulatory interactions that, together, achieve precise spatial
      expression of endo-mesoderm fates in C. elegans embryos.

PMID- 26096738
TI  - Characterization of Diblock Copolymer Order-Order Transitions in Semidilute
      Aqueous Solution Using Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy.
AB  - The temperature and pH-dependent diffusion of poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)
      block-poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate) nanoparticles prepared via
      polymerization-induced self-assembly in water is characterized using fluorescence
      correlation spectroscopy (FCS). Lowering the solution temperature or raising the
      solution pH induces a worm-to-sphere transition and hence an increase in
      diffusion coefficient by a factor of between four and eight. FCS enables
      morphological transitions to be monitored at relatively high copolymer
      concentrations (10% w/w) compared to those required for dynamic light scattering
      (0.1% w/w). This is important because such transitions are reversible at the
      former concentration, whereas they are irreversible at the latter. Furthermore,
      the FCS data suggest that the thermal transition takes place over a very narrow
      temperature range (less than 2  degrees C). These results demonstrate the
      application of FCS to characterize order-order transitions, as opposed to order
      disorder transitions.

PMID- 26096737
TI  - Impaired planning in Parkinson's disease is reflected by reduced brain activation
      and connectivity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Parkinson's disease (PD) often entails impairments of executive
      functions, such as planning. Although widely held that these impairments arise
      from dopaminergic denervation of the striatum, not all executive functions are
      affected early on, and the underlying neural dynamics are not fully understood.
      In a combined longitudinal and cross-sectional study, we investigated how
      planning deficits progress over time in the early stages of PD compared to
      matched healthy controls. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to
      identify accompanying neural dynamics. METHODS: Seventeen PD patients and 20
      healthy controls performed a parametric Tower of London task at two time points
      separated by ~3 years (baseline and follow-up). We assessed task performance
      longitudinally in both groups; at follow-up, a subset of participants (14
      patients, 19 controls) performed a parallel version of the task during fMRI. We
      performed meta-analyses to localize regions-of-interest (ROIs), that is, the
      bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), inferior parietal cortex, and
      caudate nucleus, and performed group-by-task analyses and within-group regression
      analyses of planning-related neural activation. We studied task-related
      functional connectivity of seeds in the DLPFC and caudate nucleus. RESULTS: PD
      patients, compared with controls, showed impaired task performance at both time
      points, while both groups showed similar performance reductions from baseline to
      follow-up. Compared to controls, patients showed lower planning-related brain
      activation together with decreased functional connectivity. CONCLUSION: These
      findings support the notion that planning is affected early in the PD disease
      course, and that this impairment in planning is accompanied by decreases in both
      task-related brain activity and connectivity.

PMID- 26096739
TI  - Multivariate analysis as a method for evaluating the pathogenicity of novel
      genetic MLH1 variants in patients with colorectal cancer and microsatellite
      instability.
AB  - Loss of function of mismatch repair (MMR) genes, mainly MLH1 and MSH2, manifests
      as high levels of microsatellite instability (MSI) that occurs in >90% of
      carcinomas in patients with Lynch syndrome (LS). The MSI-high status has also
      been described in sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) associated with BRAF gene
      mutation (V600E); this mutation was not present in LS-associated cancers. The
      present study performed MSI analysis on 39 CRC patients selected according to
      Bethesda guidelines, and BRAF V600E genotyping was performed in 26 cases
      classified as MSI-high or MSI-low (15 MSI-H and 11 MSI-L). These 26 patients were
      then screened for MLH1 and MSH2 germ-line mutations. Germ-line mutations in these
      genes were detected in 11/15 patients with MSI-H tumors (73%) and in 1/11
      patients with MSI-L tumors (9%). Overall, 11 germ-line mutations in 12/26
      analyzed patients (46%) in these genes were identified. Two of these mutations
      are novel genetic MLH1 variants not previously described in the literature,
      c.438A>G and c.1844T>C. A combination of computational approaches, co-segregation
      analysis and RNA assay suggested that these novel mutations, silent and missense,
      respectively, were probably pathogenic. The findings of the present study further
      emphasized the requirement for genetic testing in patients with a risk for
      hereditary CRC and has broadened the spectrum of known mutations of the MLH1
      gene.

PMID- 26096740
TI  - Foreword.

PMID- 26096741
TI  - Gaucher disease types 1 and 3: Phenotypic characterization of large populations
      from the ICGG Gaucher Registry.
AB  - Study of the natural history of Gaucher disease has revealed marked phenotypic
      variation. Correlations to genotypes could provide insight into individual
      susceptibility to varying disease severity, which may impact whole-life medical
      care, reproductive decisions, and therapeutic choices for affected families.
      Importantly, pre-symptomatic or prospective interventions or the use of therapies
      with significant risk require accurate risk-benefit analyses based on the
      prognosis for individual patients. The body of international data held within the
      International Collaborative Gaucher Group (ICGG) Gaucher Registry provides an
      unprecedented opportunity to characterize the phenotypes of Gaucher disease types
      1 and 3 and to appreciate demographic and ethnic factors that may influence
      phenotypes. The diversity of GBA gene mutations from patients with Gaucher
      disease represented in the ICGG Gaucher Registry database and in the literature
      provides the basis for initial genotype/phenotype correlations, the outcomes of
      which are summarized here.

PMID- 26096742
TI  - Long-term treatment outcomes in Gaucher disease.
AB  - Following the treatment of the first Gaucher disease patient with enzyme
      replacement therapy (ERT), it was clear that ERT had the potential to be
      transformative with dramatic improvements in systemic manifestations of the
      disease within 2 years. Following over 20 years existence of the International
      Collaborative Gaucher Group Gaucher Registry and evidence from ~6000 patients,
      the long-term effects of therapy have been documented. It has been shown that ERT
      can result in improvements in all clinical and laboratory parameters of
      nonneuronopathic disease. However, different aspects of the disease, such as
      hematologic parameters, organ volumes and bone disease do not necessarily respond
      to therapy at the same rate or to the same extent, and this has had major
      implications for disease monitoring and for the establishment of therapeutic
      goals for ERT. Response may be affected by factors such as the timing of therapy
      initiation, the presence of irreversible complications such as osteonecrosis, and
      by enzyme dose. It is also apparent that ERT has no impact on neurological
      aspects of disease and highlights the need for additional or alternative
      treatment strategies able to meet the needs of patients with neuronopathic
      disease.

PMID- 26096743
TI  - The history and accomplishments of the ICGG Gaucher registry.

PMID- 26096744
TI  - Gaucher disease and comorbidities: B-cell malignancy and parkinsonism.
AB  - Data emerging from the International Collaborative Gaucher Group (ICGG) Gaucher
      Registry together with other contemporary clinical surveys have revealed a close
      association between Gaucher disease and non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma and myeloma
      and Gaucher disease and Parkinson's disease. Several possible explanations for
      increased B-cell proliferation and neoplasia in Gaucher disease have been
      proposed, including the possible influence of sphingosine (derived from the extra
      lysosomal metabolism of glucosylceramide), gene modifiers, splenectomy and immune
      system deregulation induced by cytokines, chemokines, and hydrolases released
      from Gaucher cells. Parkinson's disease is frequently seen in the otherwise
      healthy relatives of Gaucher disease patients leading to the finding that GBA
      mutations represent a genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease. The mechanism
      of the association between GBA mutations and Parkinson's disease has yet to be
      elucidated but the pathogenesis appears distinct from that of Gaucher disease.
      Several pathogenic pathways have been proposed including lysosomal and/or
      mitochondrial dysfunction. The effect of Gaucher disease specific therapies on
      the incidence of cancer or Parkinson's disease are not clear and will likely be
      evaluated in future ICGG Gaucher Registry studies.

PMID- 26096745
TI  - Afterword.

PMID- 26096746
TI  - Understanding the natural history of Gaucher disease.
AB  - Gaucher disease is a rare and extraordinarily heterogeneous inborn error of
      metabolism that exhibits diverse manifestations, a broad range of age of onset of
      symptoms, and a wide clinical spectrum of disease severity, from lethal disease
      during infancy to first age of onset of symptoms in octogenarians. Before the
      advent of the International Collaborative Gaucher Group (ICGG) Gaucher Registry,
      the understanding of the natural history and phenotypic range of Gaucher disease
      was based on isolated case reports and small case series. Limited data hindered
      understanding of the full spectrum of the disease leading to some early
      misconceptions about Gaucher disease, notably, that nonneuronopathic (type 1)
      disease was a disease of adults only. The global scope of the ICGG Gaucher
      Registry, with its vast body of longitudinal data, has enabled a real
      appreciation of both the phenotypic spectrum of Gaucher disease and its natural
      history. This body of evidence represents the foundation for accurate assessment
      of the response to specific therapies for Gaucher disease and to the development
      of standard-of-care to monitor disease activity. Here, we outline the key
      developments in delineating the natural history of this highly complex disease
      and role of the ICGG Gaucher Registry in this effort.

PMID- 26096747
TI  - Catch-up growth in infants with laryngomalacia after supraglottoplasty.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Laryngomalacia, the most common congenital anomaly of the infant
      airway, can lead to poor feeding and failure to thrive. The decision to perform
      the standard surgical treatment, supraglottoplasty, is often based upon a
      sustained period of poor weight gain or weight loss. OBJECTIVE: To characterize
      patterns of growth in infants with laryngomalacia, preceding and following
      supraglottoplasty. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. Bioinformatics techniques
      were used to procure data from a clinical data warehouse based on the HL7
      Reference Information Model consisting of all infants who underwent
      supraglottoplasty from June 1, 2005 to October 31, 2013. Height and weight
      measurements were obtained from 76 operated patients allowing for
      characterization of growth changes from the time of surgery to an average of 9
      months following surgery. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine
      the following variables for correlations with changes in weight, height and body
      mass index percentiles: patient age at surgery, preoperative weight, gender, and
      ethnic background. SETTING: Academic pediatric tertiary medical center.
      PARTICIPANTS: Patients under 2 years of age at the time of surgery, who underwent
      supraglottoplasty for laryngomalacia, with height and weight measurements
      recorded within 3 months preceding surgery and greater than 3 months following
      surgery. INTERVENTION: Supraglottoplasty. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Change in
      weight, height and body mass index (BMI) percentile from pre-op to post-op.
      RESULTS: BMI increased from a mean of 15.4 to 18.0 and BMI percentile from a mean
      of 34 to 51 from pre-op to post-op. The largest BMI percentile increases were
      observed in infants that were 3 months or younger at the time of surgery, as well
      as in those under 12 months of age, who were in the lowest BMI quintile.
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Infants who underwent supraglottoplasty tended to be
      small in weight and stature, and gained weight after surgery. Most of the weight
      gain occurred within 6 months of surgery. The largest increases in BMI percentile
      were observed in infants who were younger and smaller at the time of surgery
      while the infants older than 18 months had no significant gain.

PMID- 26096748
TI  - European Code against Cancer 4th Edition: Ultraviolet radiation and cancer.
AB  - Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is part of the electromagnetic spectrum emitted
      naturally from the sun or from artificial sources such as tanning devices. Acute
      skin reactions induced by UVR exposure are erythema (skin reddening), or sunburn,
      and the acquisition of a suntan triggered by UVR-induced DNA damage. UVR exposure
      is the main cause of skin cancer, including cutaneous malignant melanoma, basal
      cell carcinoma, and squamous-cell carcinoma. Skin cancer is the most common
      cancer in fair-skinned populations, and its incidence has increased steeply over
      recent decades. According to estimates for 2012, about 100,000 new cases of
      cutaneous melanoma and about 22,000 deaths from it occurred in Europe. The main
      mechanisms by which UVR causes cancer are well understood. Exposure during
      childhood appears to be particularly harmful. Exposure to UVR is a risk factor
      modifiable by individuals' behaviour. Excessive exposure from natural sources can
      be avoided by seeking shade when the sun is strongest, by wearing appropriate
      clothing, and by appropriately applying sunscreens if direct sunlight is
      unavoidable. Exposure from artificial sources can be completely avoided by not
      using sunbeds. Beneficial effects of sun or UVR exposure, such as for vitamin D
      production, can be fully achieved while still avoiding too much sun exposure and
      the use of sunbeds. Taking all the scientific evidence together, the
      recommendation of the 4th edition of the European Code Against Cancer for
      ultraviolet radiation is: "Avoid too much sun, especially for children. Use sun
      protection. Do not use sunbeds." 

PMID- 26096749
TI  - Long-term outcomes for primary glomerulonephritis: New Zealand Glomerulonephritis
      Study.
AB  - AIMS: Due to the paucity of studies focusing on primary glomerulonephritis, the
      second commonest cause of end-stage-kidney-disease in most of the developed
      world, we sought to review outcomes of these renal pathologies. METHODS: We
      reviewed renal outcomes and mortality for primary glomerulonephritis patients
      enrolled in the New Zealand Glomerulonephritis Study between 1972 and 1983.
      RESULTS: There were 765 patients with median follow-up of 30 years (range 0.1-42
      years). They were predominantly New Zealand European, male and hypertensive. Poor
      renal outcomes and increased mortality were associated with hypertension, heavy
      proteinuria, impaired renal function and older age at diagnosis. Ethnicity was
      not significantly associated with progression to end-stage-kidney-disease
      although NZ Maori patients were at significantly increased risk of death.
      Patients with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis had the highest risk of
      reaching end-stage-kidney-disease while the cumulative incidence of end-stage
      kidney-disease was 20% and 30% for those with immunoglobulin-A nephropathy and
      membranous nephropathy respectively. Mortality risk was high for patients with
      rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and anti-glomerular basement membrane
      disease. The era of diagnosis did not have much effect on outcomes except for
      patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis or immunoglobulin A nephropathy
      but this could be type II error. CONCLUSION: We report one of the longest follow
      up studies on biopsy-proven glomerulonephritides. Age, hypertension, and severity
      of chronic kidney disease at diagnosis were strong predictors of the development
      of end-stage-kidney-disease and death. The specific renal pathology had a
      profound impact upon prognosis and therefore should continue to drive efforts to
      find targeted therapeutic options for these glomerulonephritides.

PMID- 26096750
TI  - Regulation Policy for Cell and Tissue Therapies in Australia.
AB  - In Australia, therapeutic goods are regulated by the Australian Government
      through the Therapeutic Goods Administration. In recent times, there have been
      significant changes to legislative instruments to accommodate the emergence of
      biotherapies, and a new regulatory framework was implemented in 2013. Therapeutic
      goods are regulated as medicines, devices, or biologics. With some exemptions and
      exceptions, human cellular and tissue products are regulated as biologics. The
      new regulation has taken a risk-based approach, with the level of regulation
      reflecting the perceived risk of the product, and products are classified from
      class 1 (low risk) to class 4 (highest risk). Other than for class 1 products,
      manufacturers must demonstrate conformance with the Australian Code of Good
      Manufacturing Practice and compliance with relevant Therapeutic Goods Orders and
      Standards through the submission of dossiers. The higher the classification of
      product, the more rigorous the dossier requirements. Listing of products on the
      Australian Therapeutic Goods Register is required for all products with some
      exceptions. The new regulatory framework provides greater clarity for
      manufacturers and strives to harmonize with international standards. 

PMID- 26096751
TI  - Transferrin-bearing dendrimers for cancer therapy: an update.

PMID- 26096752
TI  - Molecular detection of novel Anaplasmataceae closely related to Anaplasma platys
      and Ehrlichia canis in the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius).
AB  - Serological surveys have confirmed Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma
      phagocytophilum infections in dromedary camels, but molecular surveys and genetic
      characterisation of camel-associated Anaplasma species are lacking. In this
      study, we detected tick-borne Anaplasmataceae in 30 of 100 (30%) healthy
      dromedary camels screened using a combined 16S rRNA-groEL PCR-sequencing
      approach. Nucleotide sequencing confirmed Anaplasmataceae genome presence in 28
      of the 33 16S rRNA PCR-positive samples, with two additional positive samples,
      for which 16S rRNA sequence data were ambiguous, being identified by groEL gene
      characterisation. Phylogenetic analyses of a 1289 nt segment of the 16S rRNA gene
      confirmed the presence of a unique Ehrlichia lineage and a discrete Anaplasma
      lineage, comprising three variants, occurring at an overall prevalence of 4% and
      26%, respectively. Genetic characterisation of an aligned 559 nt groEL gene
      region revealed the camel-associated Anaplasma and Ehrlichia lineages to be novel
      and most closely related to Anaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canis. Based on the
      confirmed monophyly, minimum pairwise genetic distances between each novel
      lineage and its closest sister taxon, and the inability to isolate the bacteria,
      we propose that Candidatus status be assigned to each. This first genetic
      characterisation of Anaplasmataceae from naturally infected, asymptomatic
      dromedary camels in Saudi Arabia confirms the presence of two novel lineages that
      are phylogenetically linked to two pathogenic canid species of increasing
      zoonotic concern.

PMID- 26096753
TI  - Serum zinc concentration in cystic fibrosis patients with CFTR I1234V mutation
      associated with pancreatic sufficiency.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine serum zinc (Zn) level among cystic fibrosis (CF) patients
      with homozygous CFTR I1234V mutation associated with pancreatic sufficiency (PS).
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted including both pediatric and adult
      CF patients. Data on age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), BMI Z-score,
      FEV1, and chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection were collected. Serum Zn,
      albumin, and total proteins were measured and analyzed. RESULTS: Forty-five CF
      patients with homozygous CFTR I1234V mutation belonging to a large Arab kindred
      tribe and eight CF patients with other mutations associated with pancreatic
      insufficiency (PI). Patient's age ranged from 2 to 49 years with a mean age of
      15.1 +/- 9.1 years and mean plasma Zn of 0.78 +/- 0.15 mcg/mL. Seven (13.2%)
      patients with CFTR I1234V and PS had low Zn levels (<0.6 mcg/mL). Mean age among
      Zn deficient group was significantly older. The mean FEV1 in the deficient group
      was found to be insignificant low. Persistent P. aeruginosa colonization was more
      prevalent in Zn deficient group. BMI Z-scosre of CF patients were positively
      correlated with Zn levels. Forty-five healthy subjects belonging to the same Arab
      tribe were selected in order to assess their Zn levels and their mean plasma Zn
      of 0.84 +/- 0.11 mcg/mL (range 0.65-1.1 mcg/mL) with mean age 20.4 +/- 10.1 years
      (range 6-40 years). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that Zn deficiency can
      occur in CF patients with PS. The association of Zn levels and the frequency of
      P. aeruginosa isolated in CF patients need further investigation.

PMID- 26096754
TI  - Removing silicone artifacts in diffusion-weighted breast MRI by means of shift
      resolved spatiotemporally encoding.
AB  - PURPOSE: Evaluate the usefulness of diffusion-weighted spatiotemporally encoded
      (SPEN) methods to obtain apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps of
      fibroglandular human breast tissue, in the presence of silicone implants.
      METHODS: Seven healthy volunteers with breast augmentation were scanned at 3
      Tesla (T) using customized SPEN sequences yielding separate silicone and water
      (1) H images in one scan, together with their corresponding diffusion-weightings.
      RESULTS: SPEN's ability to deliver multiple spectrally resolved images in a
      single scan, coupled to the method's substantial robustness to magnetic field
      heterogeneities, served to acquire ADC maps that could be freed from
      contributions that did not belong to fibroglandular tissue. CONCLUSION: SPEN
      based sequences incorporating spectral discrimination and diffusion-weighting
      enable the acquisition of reliable ADC maps despite the presence of dominant
      signals from silicone implants, thereby opening new screening possibilities for
      the identification of malignancies in breast augmented patients.

PMID- 26096755
TI  - DNA-Encoded Tuning of Geometric and Plasmonic Properties of Nanoparticles Growing
      from Gold Nanorod Seeds.
AB  - Systematically controlling the morphology of nanoparticles, especially those
      growing from gold nanorod (AuNR) seeds, are underexplored; however, the AuNR and
      its related morphologies have shown promises in many applications. Herein we
      report the use of programmable DNA sequences to control AuNR overgrowth,
      resulting in gold nanoparticles varying from nanodumbbell to nanooctahedron, as
      well as shapes in between, with high yield and reproducibility. Kinetic studies
      revealed two representative pathways for the shape control evolving into distinct
      nanostructures. Furthermore, the geometric and plasmonic properties of the gold
      nanoparticles could be precisely controlled by adjusting the base compositions of
      DNA sequences or by introducing phosphorothioate modifications in the DNA. As a
      result, the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks of the nanoparticles can be
      fine-tuned in a wide range, from visible to second near-infrared (NIR-II) region
      beyond 1000 nm. 

PMID- 26096756
TI  - [Agranulocytosis related to fluindione: A case report].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: While in most countries warfarin is the preferred anti-vitamin K,
      fluindione, a molecule with a prolonged half-life remains largely prescribed in
      France. Some of its side effects, including immuno-allergic complications, remain
      poorly understood. CASE REPORT: A 77-year-old woman presented with a febrile
      severe neutropenia of immunoallergic mechanism with a favourable outcome
      associated with fluindione, introduced 25 days earlier for the treatment of
      atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSION: This rare side effect is a reminder of the
      importance of biological monitoring in the first weeks following the introduction
      of fluindione and key diagnostic elements and therapeutic aspects of iatrogenic
      agranulocytosis.

PMID- 26096757
TI  - The Utilities of Chemical Reactions and Molecular Tools for O-GlcNAc Proteomic
      Studies.
AB  - The post-translational modification of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins with O
      linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is involved in a wide variety of
      cellular processes and is associated with the pathological progression of chronic
      diseases. Considering its emerging biological significance, systematic
      identification, site mapping, and quantification of O-GlcNAc proteins are
      essential and have led to the development of several approaches for O-GlcNAc
      protein profiling. This minireview mainly focuses on the various useful chemical
      reactions and molecular tools with detailed reaction mechanisms widely adopted
      for O-GlcNAc protein/peptide enrichment and its quantification for comprehensive
      O-GlcNAc protein profiling. 

PMID- 26096758
TI  - Colonisation rate and adaptive foraging control the emergence of trophic
      cascades.
AB  - Ecological communities are assembled and sustained by colonisation. At the same
      time, predators make foraging decisions based on the local availabilities of
      potential resources, which reflects colonisation. We combined field and
      laboratory experiments with mathematical models to demonstrate that a feedback
      between these two processes determines emergent patterns in community structure.
      Namely, our results show that prey colonisation rate determines the strength of
      trophic cascades - a feature of virtually all ecosystems - by prompting
      behavioural shifts in adaptively foraging omnivorous fish predators. Communities
      experiencing higher colonisation rates were characterised by higher invertebrate
      prey and lower producer biomasses. Consequently, fish functioned as predators
      when colonisation rate was high, but as herbivores when colonisation rate was
      low. Human land use is changing habitat connectivity worldwide. A deeper
      quantitative understanding of how spatial processes modify individual behaviour,
      and how this scales to the community level, will be required to predict ecosystem
      responses to these changes. 

PMID- 26096759
TI  - Long-term outcomes of a primary complete endoscopic resection strategy for short
      segment Barrett's esophagus with high-grade dysplasia and/or early esophageal
      adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Complete endoscopic resection (CER) of Barrett's esophagus
      (BE) with high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and early esophageal adenocarcinoma (EEA) is
      a comprehensive and precise staging tool and may produce a sustained treatment
      response, preventing metachronous disease. There are limited data on long-term
      clinical outcomes and the sustainability of dysplasia eradication after CER. We
      aimed to describe long-term outcomes of a primary CER strategy of BE with
      HGD/EEA. METHODS: Patients with biopsy-proven HGD and EEA in short-segment BE (<=
      3 cm in circumferential length and <= 5 cm in maximal length) underwent staged
      CER by multiband mucosectomy or the cap method. The primary endpoint was
      remission of HGD or EEA (complete resection of HGD/EEA), dysplasia (complete
      resection of any dysplasia), and complete resection of intestinal metaplasia.
      RESULTS: Of 153 patients (126 HGD, 27 EEA; 83.7% male, median age of 66 years)
      considered suitable for CER, 138 met all inclusion criteria. CER was technically
      successful in all patients and was established after a median of 2 sessions.
      Covert synchronous EEA was found in 1 patient. At a mean follow-up of 40.7 months
      by intention-to-treat analysis, complete remission of HGD/EEA, dysplasia, and
      intestinal metaplasia was achieved in 98.5%, 89.1%, and 71.0%, respectively. In
      47.1% of patients, CER changed the histological grade compared with pretreatment
      biopsies (28.1% downstaged and 19.0% upstaged). Esophageal dilation was performed
      in 36.8% in a mean of 2.5 sessions. At the end of follow-up, 96.4% of patients
      had no or minimal dysphagia and 90.6% of patients found CER an acceptable
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: On long-term follow-up, a primary CER strategy was a
      highly effective, safe, and durable treatment for HGD and EEA. Despite the need
      for post-CER dilation in one-third of patients, the majority found it an
      acceptable treatment on long-term follow-up.

PMID- 26096760
TI  - Iatrogenic Baclofen Neurotoxicity in ESRD: Recognition and Management.
AB  - Baclofen is an oral derivative of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) used to treat
      muscular spasticity from disorders of the central nervous system. However, it is
      also being used for a variety of other conditions such as musculoskeletal pain,
      myoclonus, and alcohol withdrawal. The elimination of baclofen is heavily
      dependent on intact renal function, and the contraindication for use in patients
      with insufficient renal function is not well recognized by healthcare providers.
      Here, the authors report a series of mild to severe cases of baclofen
      intoxication in patients with end-stage renal disease. In all cases, baclofen was
      initiated by either inpatient or outpatient healthcare providers and the patients
      generally presented with altered mentation, somnolence, and/or respiratory
      depression. All patients were treated with aggressive hemodialysis and made a
      full recovery. This paper will briefly review the literature regarding baclofen
      intoxication, safety of baclofen use in renal disease, and efficacy of
      extracorporeal therapy in the treatment of baclofen intoxication. 

PMID- 26096761
TI  - Decision to adopt medical technology under the National Health Insurance System
      in Taiwan: case study of new molecular targeted drugs among non-small cell lung
      cancer patients.
AB  - RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Molecular targeted drugs (MTD), gefitinib and
      erlotinib, have been proven to provide clinical benefits to advanced stage non
      small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Therefore, access to such medical
      innovations in time is critical for patients with the right indications. The aim
      of this study was to explore determinants of the adoption of MTD among NSCLC
      patients under Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) system. METHODS: Using
      Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database and Cancer Registry database as
      the data source, we identified 1555 newly diagnosed NSCLC patients who started
      their cancer treatment between 2004 and 2009. Patients were categorized into 'non
      MTD' and 'MTD' groups based on the cancer treatment they received. Hierarchical
      logistic regression was used to explore potential determinants associated with
      the adoption of MTD by adjusting for patient-, disease-, doctor-, hospital-level
      characteristics and changes of reimbursement schemes. RESULTS: During the study
      period, 562 (36%) NSCLC patients were classified as the 'MTD group and 993 (64%)
      patients were the 'non-MTD' group. Hierarchical logistic regression model showed
      that the elderly were less likely to receive MTD (OR = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.28-0.60).
      In contrast, patients whose cancer type was adenocarcinoma (OR = 2.99; 95% CI:
      2.09-4.26) were more likely to receive MTD. Those who went to private hospitals
      (OR = 1.75; 95% CI: 1.01-3.03) and hospitals with higher economic scale (OR =
      3.00; 95% CI: 1.72-5.25) were more likely to receive MTD as well. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our findings suggest that both patient- and hospital-level characteristics
      significantly affected the adoption of MTD among NSCLC patients.

PMID- 26096762
TI  - Improved growth velocity of a patient with Noonan-like syndrome with loose anagen
      hair (NS/LAH) without growth hormone deficiency by low-dose growth hormone
      therapy.
AB  - Noonan-like syndrome with loose anagen hair (NS/LAH; OMIM 607721) is caused by a
      heterozygous c.4A>G mutation in SHOC2. Most cases exhibit both growth hormone
      deficiency (GHD) and growth hormone insensitivity (GHI) and thus require a high
      dose of growth hormone (GH) therapy (e.g., 35-40 ug/kg/day). We report on a
      genetically diagnosed NS/LAH patient manifesting severe short stature (-3.85 SDs)
      with low serum level of IGF1, 30 ng/ml. The peak levels of GH stimulation tests
      were within the normal range, and GHI was not observed in the IGF1 generation
      test. However, with low-dose GH therapy (25 ug/kg/day) for two years, IGF1 level
      and height were remarkably improved (IGF1: 117 ng/ml, height SDs: -2.20 SDs).
      Further, catch-up of motor development and improvement of the proportion of
      extending limbs to trunk were observed (the Developmental Quotient score
      increased from 68 to 98 points, and the relative sitting height ratio decreased
      from 0.62 to 0.57). Our results suggest that endocrinological causes for short
      stature are variable in NS/LAH and that GH therapy should be considered as a
      possible treatment for delayed development in NS/LAH.

PMID- 26096763
TI  - The orexinergic system in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and its regulation by
      dietary lipids.
AB  - In this study, we report the distribution of orexin A (OXA), orexin B (OXB), and
      orexin receptor (OX2R) immunoreactive (ir) cells in the hypothalamus and
      gastrointestinal tract of Oncorhynchus mykiss fed diets with different dietary
      fatty acid compositions. Trout were fed five iso-energetic experimental diets
      containing fish oil, or one of four different vegetable oils (olive, sunflower,
      linseed, and palm oils) as the added dietary lipid source for 12 weeks. OXA, OXB,
      and OX2R immunoreactive neurons and nervous fibers were identified in the lateral
      and ventro-medial hypothalamus. OXA, OXB, and OX2R ir cells were found in the
      mucosa and glands of the stomach and in the mucosa of both the pyloric cecae and
      intestine. OX2R ir cells were localized in the mucosa layer of both the pyloric
      cecae and intestine. These immunohistochemical (IHC) results were confirmed via
      Western blotting. Antibodies against preproorexin (PPO) crossreacted with a band
      of ~16 kDa in the hypothalamus, stomach, pyloric cecae, and intestine. Antibodies
      against OX2R crossreacted with a band of ~38 kDa in the hypothalamus, pyloric
      cecae, and intestine. The presence and distribution of OXA, OXB, and OX2R ir
      cells in the hypothalamus and gastrointestinal tract did not appear to be
      affected by dietary oils. The presence of orexin system immunoreactive cells in
      the stomach, pyloric cecae, and intestine of rainbow trout, but not in the
      enteric nervous system, could suggest a possible role of these peptides as
      signaling of gastric emptying or endocrine modulation, implying a main local
      action played by orexins.

PMID- 26096764
TI  - Is the Reg3alpha (HIP/PAP) Protein Really an Obesogenic Factor?

PMID- 26096765
TI  - Exploration of efficacy and bleeding with combined phosphoinositide 3-kinase beta
      inhibition and aspirin in man.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Based on animal and human data, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)beta
      is a promising antithrombotic target. However, the relation between efficacy and
      bleeding when combined with current antiplatelet therapies is unclear. OBJECTIVE:
      To strengthen the PI3Kbeta target validation using the short-acting inhibitor
      AZD6482 alone and in different combinations with P2Y12 and cyclooxygenase (COX)-1
      inhibition in vitro (human platelets), in vivo (dog), and in healthy subjects.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Evaluation of complete target inhibition of PI3Kbeta (by
      AZD6482), P2Y12 (by ticagrelor), and COX-1 (by aspirin) alone and in the
      different combinations vs. concentration responses for a panel of platelet
      agonists in vitro (adenosine diphosphate, collagen, thrombin receptor activating
      peptide) indicates that the rank order of antiplatelet efficacy is P2Y12  >
      PI3Kbeta > COX-1 as monotherapy and P2Y12 plus PI3Kbeta > P2Y12 plus COX-1 >
      PI3Kbeta plus COX-1 as dual therapy, with little additional effect with triple
      therapy. Use of a conscious dog model to assess ex vivo antiplatelet effect in
      parallel with bleeding time prolongation (standard incision in the ear) confirms
      the wide separation of efficacy vs. bleeding for PI3Kbeta inhibition and that
      this separation is reduced when combined with aspirin and more reduced when
      combined with clopidogrel. In healthy subjects, AZD6482, in combination with
      aspirin, shows a potential for greater antiplatelet potency but less bleeding
      potential compared with clopidogrel plus aspirin. CONCLUSIONS: PI3Kbeta
      inhibition, in comparison with P2Y12 and COX-1, delivers medium antiplatelet
      effect but with minimal bleeding. PI3Kbeta inhibition, in combination with
      aspirin, in healthy subjects, provides a potential for greater overall
      antiplatelet effect compared with clopidogrel plus aspirin, but with
      significantly less bleeding potential.

PMID- 26096766
TI  - NF-kappaB signaling in B-1 cell development.
AB  - NF-kappaB transcription factors play essential roles in hematopoiesis. In this
      review, we summarize the requirements of different components of the NF-kappaB
      pathway for B-1 cell development and maintenance. The B-1 cell developmental
      steps are also reviewed, with particular emphasis on stages where NF-kappaB
      signaling may be critical. 

PMID- 26096767
TI  - Effects of advanced paternal age on trajectories of social behavior in offspring.
AB  - Our study is the first investigation of the effects of advanced paternal age
      (APA) on the developmental trajectory of social behavior in rodent offspring.
      Given the strong epidemiological association between APA and sexually dimorphic
      neurodevelopmental disorders that are characterized by abnormalities in social
      behavior (autism, schizophrenia), we assessed sociability in male and female
      inbred mice (C57BL/6J) across postnatal development (N = 104) in relation to
      paternal age. We found differences in early social behavior in both male and
      female offspring of older breeders, with differences in this social domain
      persisting into adulthood in males only. We showed that these social deficits
      were not present in the fathers of these offspring, confirming a de novo origin
      of an altered social trajectory in the offspring generation. Our results, highly
      novel in rodent research, support the epidemiological observations in humans and
      provide evidence for a causal link between APA, age-related changes in the
      paternal sperm DNA and neurodevelopmental disorders in their offspring.

PMID- 26096768
TI  - Heat shock decreases the embryonic quality of frozen-thawed bovine blastocysts
      produced in vitro.
AB  - In this study, the effect of heat shock on frozen-thawed blastocysts was
      evaluated using in vitro-produced (IVP) bovine embryos. In experiment 1, the
      effects of 6 h of heat shock at 41.0 C on fresh blastocysts were evaluated.
      HSPA1A expression as a reflection of stress was increased by heat shock (P <
      0.05), but the expressions of the quality markers IFNT and POU5F1 were not
      affected. In experiment 2, frozen-thawed blastocysts were incubated at 38.5 C for
      6 h (cryo-con) or exposed to heat shock at 41.0 C for 6 h (cryo-HS). Then,
      blastocysts were cultured at 38.5 C until 48 h after thawing (both conditions).
      Cryo-HS blastocysts exhibited a decreased recovery rate: HSPA1A expression was
      dramatically increased compared with that in fresh or cryo-con blastocysts at 6
      h, and IFNT expression was decreased compared with that in cryo-con blastocysts
      at 6 h (both P < 0.05). Cryo-con blastocysts at 6 h also exhibited higher HSPA1A
      expression than fresh blastocysts (P < 0.05). At 48 h after thawing, the number
      of hatched blastocysts and blastocyst diameter were lower in cryo-HS blastocysts
      (P < 0.05). Cryo-con blastocysts showed lower POU5F1 levels at 48 h than fresh,
      cryo-con or cryo-HS blastocysts at 6 h (P < 0.05), but their POU5F1 levels were
      not different from those of cryo-HS blastocysts at 48 h. These results indicated
      that application of heat shock to frozen-thawed blastocysts was highly damaging.
      The increase in damage by the interaction of freezing-thawing and heat shock
      might be one reason for the low conception rate in frozen-thawed embryo transfer
      in summer. 

PMID- 26096770
TI  - Structural Features and Asymmetric Environment of i-Pr-SPRIX Ligand.
AB  - Novel chiral diisopropyl spiro bis(isoxazoline) ligands, anti-i-Pr-SPRIX and syn
      i-Pr-SPRIX, were designed and synthesized. Their catalytic utility, X-ray
      crystallographic analyses, and complexation studies demonstrated the structural
      features of tetraisopropyl spiro bis(isoxazoline) ligand, i-Pr-SPRIX, which is a
      prominent ligand in various enantioselective Pd catalytic processes: All i-Pr
      groups work in collaboration to create an effective asymmetric environment.

PMID- 26096769
TI  - Eudaimonic well-being and tumor norepinephrine in patients with epithelial
      ovarian cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of psychological well-being on the physiologic processes
      involved in cancer progression remains unclear. Prior research has implicated
      adrenergic signaling in tumor growth and metastasis. Given that adrenergic
      signaling is influenced by both positive and negative factors, the authors
      examined how 2 different aspects of well-being (eudaimonic and positive affect)
      and psychological distress were associated with tumor norepinephrine (NE) in
      patients with ovarian cancer. METHODS: A total of 365 women with suspected
      ovarian cancer completed psychosocial assessments before surgery and clinical
      information was obtained from medical records. Study inclusion was confirmed
      after histological diagnosis. Tumor NE was measured in frozen tissue samples
      using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.
      Confirmatory factor analysis was used to model eudaimonic well-being, positive
      affect, and psychological distress, and structural equation modeling was used to
      examine associations between these factors and tumor NE. RESULTS: Eudaimonic well
      being, positive affect, and psychological distress, modeled as distinct but
      correlated constructs, best fit the data (ie, compared with unitary or 2-factor
      models) (root mean square error of approximation, 0.048; comparative fit index,
      0.982; and standardized root-mean-squared residual, 0.035). Structural equation
      modeling analysis that included physical well-being, stage of disease, histology,
      psychological treatment history, beta-blocker use, and caffeine use as covariates
      was found to have good model fit (root mean square error of approximation, 0.052;
      comparative fit index, 0.955; and standardized root-mean-squared residual, 0.036)
      and demonstrated that eudaimonic well-being was related to lower tumor NE (beta =
      -.24 [P = .045]). In contrast, no effects were found for positive affect or
      psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: Eudaimonic well-being was found to be
      associated with lower tumor NE, independent of positive affect and psychological
      distress. Because adrenergic signaling is implicated in tumor progression,
      increasing eudaimonic well-being may improve both psychological and physiologic
      resilience in patients with ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26096771
TI  - Prognostic model for patients receiving arterial-embolization for hepatocellular
      carcinoma: issues to consider.

PMID- 26096772
TI  - Adolescents who were born extremely preterm demonstrate modest decreases in
      exercise capacity.
AB  - AIM: We aimed to investigate exercise capacity in adolescents who were born
      extremely preterm and to study changes through puberty and associations with
      neonatal data, exercise habits and lung function. METHODS: This Norwegian
      population-based controlled cohort study focused on all infants (n = 35) born at
      a gestational age of <= 28 weeks or with a birthweight of <= 1000 grams in 1991
      1992, together with matched term-born controls. Participants underwent spirometry
      and a maximal cardiopulmonary treadmill exercise test at 10 and 18 years.
      RESULTS: At 18 years of age, mean (95% confidence interval) peak oxygen
      consumption (peak VO2 ) was 42.3 (39.2-45.4) vs 45.3 (41.3-49.3) mL/kg/min in the
      preterm- and term-born groups, while the completed treadmill distance was 915
      (837-992) vs 1017 (912-1122) metres. Peak VO2 was unrelated to neonatal factors
      and current lung function. Changes between 10 and 18 were similar in the two
      groups, and positive associations between exercise habits and peak VO2 developed
      during the period. CONCLUSION: Exercise capacity was modestly reduced in
      adolescents born extremely preterm, but the values were considered normal in most
      participants. Changes during puberty were similar to those observed for term
      controls, and the findings suggest similar trainability.

PMID- 26096773
TI  - Influence of in ovo mercury exposure, lake acidity, and other factors on common
      loon egg and chick quality in Wisconsin.
AB  - A field study was conducted in Wisconsin (USA) to characterize in ovo mercury
      (Hg) exposure in common loons (Gavia immer). Total Hg mass fractions ranged from
      0.17 ug/g to 1.23 ug/g wet weight in eggs collected from nests on lakes
      representing a wide range of pH (5.0-8.1) and were modeled as a function of
      maternal loon Hg exposure and egg laying order. Blood total Hg mass fractions in
      a sample of loon chicks ranged from 0.84 ug/g to 3.86 ug/g wet weight at hatch.
      Factors other than mercury exposure that may have persistent consequences on
      development of chicks from eggs collected on low-pH lakes (i.e., egg selenium,
      calcium, and fatty acid mass fractions) do not seem to be contributing to
      reported differences in loon chick quality as a function of lake pH. However, it
      was observed that adult male loons holding territories on neutral-pH lakes were
      larger on average than those occupying territories on low-pH lakes. Differences
      in adult body size of common loons holding territories on neutral-versus low-pH
      lakes may have genetic implications for differences in lake-source-related
      quality (i.e., size) in chicks. The tendency for high in ovo Hg exposure and
      smaller adult male size to co-occur in low-pH lakes complicates the
      interpretation of the relative contributions of each to resulting chick quality.

PMID- 26096774
TI  - Detection of a mammalian-like astrovirus in bird, European roller (Coracias
      garrulus).
AB  - Astroviruses are small, non-enveloped viruses with positive sense, single
      stranded RNA genomes. The family Astroviridae contains two genera, Mamastrovirus
      and Avastrovirus, which - based upon our current knowledge - infect mammals and
      birds, respectively. However, recent seroprevalence study indicated that people
      with contact to turkeys can develop serological responses to the turkey
      astrovirus and minks might have been infected with the avastrovirus. These data
      suggest that the "host species/astrovirus genus" association should be permeable;
      however, mamastrovirus infection has not been reported from avian species, yet.
      In this study, a novel astrovirus was identified by viral metagenomics and RT-PCR
      methods in 2 (11%) out of 19 faecal samples collected from a wild, carnivorous
      bird species, European rollers (Coracias garrulus) from two breeding territories
      in Hungary. The complete genome sequence of astrovirus Er/SZAL6/HUN/2011
      (KP663426) was 7025 nt-long and had some unique genomic features including an
      unusually long spacer between the subgenomic RNA promoter and the ORF2 initiation
      codon. Using the BLASTp Er/SZAL6/HUN/2011 had the highest aa identities 35%, 61%
      and 34% to MAstV 32 (JF713710, host: porcine), to MAstV 23 (JF729316, host:
      rabbit) and to unclassified porcine astrovirus (JX684071) in ORF1a, ORF1b and
      ORF2, respectively. The same proteins of Er/SZAL6/HUN/2011 had 25%, 66% and 33%
      aa identities to the corresponding proteins of murine astrovirus (JX544743) as
      the closest strain. The sequence- and phylogenetic analysis indicated that
      Er/SZAL6/HUN/2011 represents the first member of a novel mamastrovirus species.
      Data suggest that both mammals and birds could have been exposed to
      mamastroviruses and avastroviruses providing opportunities for cross-species
      infection and viral adaptation with cross-class astroviruses especially in
      carnivorous animals. Further investigation is needed to determine the origin,
      natural host species spectrum, distribution and spread of Er/SZAL6/HUN/2011 among
      vertebrates.

PMID- 26096775
TI  - Comparative analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing strains isolated in
      three remote areas of Japan.
AB  - A quantitative and qualitative comparison was carried out of Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis Beijing strains isolated in three remote areas of Japan. A total of
      452 strains from Chiba Prefecture, 75 from Yamagata Prefecture, and 315 from Kobe
      City were analyzed for 24 loci by variable number of tandem repeats typing
      (24(Beijing)-VNTR). All strains were classified in six Beijing subgroups
      (B(SUB)), B1 to B5 and T, based on a minimum spanning tree reconstructed using
      data of a standard set of 15 VNTR loci. No significant difference was found in
      the distribution of strains in the B(SUB) in the three areas, with one exception
      due to a B5 outbreak in Yamagata, indicating no significant quantitative
      difference in the B(SUB) in the three areas (P<0.01, Chi-square test). In
      addition, when strains in each B(SUB) isolated in the three areas were mixed and
      standardized index of association (I(A)(s)) and variance (Phi(PT)) values were
      calculated, no significant qualitative difference in the B(SUB) in the three
      areas was found. These results suggested that the B(SUB) diverged prior to the
      introduction of M. tuberculosis Beijing strains into Japan. Differences in the
      distribution of strains in each B(SUB) between Japan and continental Asian
      countries suggested there had been genetic drift in the continental Asian
      countries in which B4 had been dominant.

PMID- 26096776
TI  - Heterozygous beta-thalassemia with complete absence of hemoglobin A2 in a Chinese
      adult.

PMID- 26096777
TI  - Do tutorials on application method enhance adapalene-benzoyl peroxide combination
      gel tolerability in the treatment of acne?
AB  - Fixed-dose combination adapalene 0.1% and benzoyl peroxide 2.5% gel (A-BPO) has
      rarely been studied for Asian acne patients, while they have complained of local
      irritations more often when applying individual components. In this study, we
      compared A-BPO gel with benzoyl peroxide (BPO) in terms of efficacy and
      tolerability in Korean patients first, and assessed the clinical benefit of a
      dermatological tutorial on application technique in reducing irritations for A
      BPO. This study was conducted as a single-blind controlled split-face trial for a
      12-week period. Each half facial side of 85 patients was randomly assigned to
      either A-BPO or BPO. Success rate, lesion counts and safety profiles were
      evaluated (analysis I). During initial assignment, all patients were further
      randomized to either dermatological tutorial (DT) or non-tutorial (NT) subgroups
      depending on the presence of dermatologists' tutorials for application methods to
      their A-BPO sides. Clinical data of the A-BPO side was compared between two
      subgroups (analysis II). As a result, A-BPO gel outperformed BPO, demonstrating
      better efficacy in success rates and lesion counts as early as 1 week. However, A
      BPO proved significantly less tolerable compared with both BPO and previous A-BPO
      data from Caucasians. Bioengineering measurements further confirmed clinical data
      (analysis I). The DT subgroup achieved much better tolerability with comparable
      therapeutic efficacies compared with the NT subgroup (analysis II). In
      conclusion, A-BPO demonstrated higher efficacies in acne compared with BPO in
      Korean patients, while skin irritation levels were notable concurrently.
      Dermatologists' education for application methods would significantly decrease
      these side-effects, maintaining superior efficacy levels.

PMID- 26096778
TI  - Prenatal exposure to H2 blockers and to proton pump inhibitors and asthma
      development in offspring.
AB  - Fetal exposure to H2 blockers (H2 Bs) or proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) has been
      reported to be associated with asthma in children. We evaluated the risk of
      asthma in offspring following prenatal H2 Bs. We enrolled 91 428 children and
      their mothers who resided in southern Israel during 1998-2011. The computerized
      medications database was linked with records from the district hospital. Of the
      eligible children, 11 227 developed asthma, and overall 5.5% had been exposed to
      H2 Bs or PPIs prenatally. The risk of developing asthma was slightly higher in
      the group exposed to H2 Bs or PPIs (RR, 1.09; P = .023). At greater risk were
      children whose mothers purchased these medications more than 3 times (RR, 1.22; P
      = .038) or exposed to >20 defined daily doses or prenatally exposed to
      lansoprazole. The statistical association was significant and depended on
      magnitude of exposure and specific medication, but the absolute risk was low. The
      association between maternal consumption of H2 Bs or PPIs and asthma and
      childhood remained statistically significant 2 years after delivery, raising the
      possibility of confounding by the indication phenomenon. In view of the findings,
      a causal relationship could not be ascertained, and an unidentified etiological
      factor could be operative.

PMID- 26096779
TI  - The Casuarina NIN gene is transcriptionally activated throughout Frankia root
      infection as well as in response to bacterial diffusible signals.
AB  - Root nodule symbioses (RNS) allow plants to acquire atmospheric nitrogen by
      establishing an intimate relationship with either rhizobia, the symbionts of
      legumes or Frankia in the case of actinorhizal plants. In legumes, NIN (Nodule
      INception) genes encode key transcription factors involved in nodulation. Here we
      report the characterization of CgNIN, a NIN gene from the actinorhizal tree
      Casuarina glauca using both phylogenetic analysis and transgenic plants
      expressing either ProCgNIN::reporter gene fusions or CgNIN RNAi constructs. We
      have found that CgNIN belongs to the same phylogenetic group as other symbiotic
      NIN genes and CgNIN is able to complement a legume nin mutant for the early steps
      of nodule development. CgNIN expression is correlated with infection by Frankia,
      including preinfection stages in developing root hairs, and is induced by culture
      supernatants. Knockdown mutants were impaired for nodulation and early root hair
      deformation responses were severely affected. However, no mycorrhizal phenotype
      was observed and no induction of CgNIN expression was detected in mycorrhizas.
      Our results indicate that elements specifically required for nodulation include
      NIN and possibly related gene networks derived from the nitrate signalling
      pathways. 

PMID- 26096780
TI  - An autopsy case of neuronal intermediate filament inclusion disease with regard
      to immunophenotypic and topographical analysis of the neuronal inclusions.
AB  - We report an autopsy case of neuronal intermediate filament inclusion disease
      (NIFID), in which pyramidal motor dysfunction preceded cognitive disturbance for
      3 years from the onset. A 41-year-old Japanese man presented progressive spastic
      tetraparesis followed by cognitive impairment. His neurological symptoms
      gradually deteriorated and he died of pneumonia 16 years from the onset. His
      brain showed severe generalized atrophy with enlargement of ventricles. The
      microscopic examination revealed severe neuronal loss with gliosis and sponginess
      predominantly in the fronto-temporal cortices, caudate and putamen. Many hyaline
      conglomerate inclusions (HC) without immunoreactivity for 'fused in sarcoma'
      protein (FUS) and some granular and small round FUS-immunoreactive (FUS-ir)
      neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCI) were observed in the remaining neurons.
      Some neurons with HC had small basophilic inclusions which showed positive FUS
      ir, attached to HC in the cytoplasm. Otherwise, FUS-ir large compact inclusions
      (so-called Pick-like) were also observed but were scarce. In the cerebral cortex
      and the neostriatum, frequency of the inclusions was well correlated with
      neuronal loss. In the brainstem, neuronal loss was mild and FUS-ir inclusions
      dominated. In the subthalamic nucleus and red nucleus, there was no HC but there
      were many FUS-ir inclusions without neuronal loss. The above findings suggest
      that cytoplasmic mislocalization and aggregation of FUS appear at the early stage
      of the disease, and the FUS aggregate process may not be a direct precedent
      structure of HC. 

PMID- 26096781
TI  - Functional characterization of Val60, a key residue involved in the membrane
      oligomerization of fragaceatoxin C, an actinoporin from Actinia fragacea.
AB  - Actinoporins are pore-forming toxins produced by different sea anemones that self
      assemble within the membranes of their target cells and compromise their function
      as a permeability barrier. The recently published three-dimensional structures of
      two oligomeric complexes formed by fragaceatoxin C point to Val60 as a key
      residue involved in the oligomerization of the functional pore. To gain insight
      into the mechanism of toxin oligomerization, different point mutations have been
      introduced at this position. Functional characterization of the muteins suggests
      that Val60 represents a hot-spot where the introduction of mutations hinders
      protein assembly and reduces the overall affinity for membranes. 

PMID- 26096782
TI  - ZNF10 inhibits HIV-1 LTR activity through interaction with NF-kappaB and Sp1
      binding motifs.
AB  - Kruppel-associated box-containing zinc finger (KRAB-ZNF) genes constitute the
      single largest gene family of transcriptional repressors in the genomes of higher
      organisms. In this study, we isolated 52 cDNA clones of KRAB-ZFPs from U1 cell
      lines and screened them to identify which were capable of regulating HIV-1 gene
      expression. We identified 5 KRAB-ZFPs that suppressed ?50% of HIV-1 LTR. Of the 5
      identified KRAB-ZFPs, the expression of ZNF10 significantly enhanced the
      transcriptional repression activity of the LTR compared with other ZNFs. In
      addition, the depletion of endogenous ZNF10 led to the activation of HIV-1 LTR.
      The repressor activity of ZNF10 was required for TRIM28, SETDB1 and HP1-gamma
      binding. These results indicate that ZNF10 could be involved in a potent
      intrinsic antiretroviral defense. 

PMID- 26096783
TI  - Tumour-suppressive microRNA-29s directly regulate LOXL2 expression and inhibit
      cancer cell migration and invasion in renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - Here, we found that members of the microRNA-29 family (miR-29a/b/c; "miR-29s")
      were significantly reduced in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) tissues,
      suggesting that they functioned as tumour suppressors. Restoration of all mature
      members of the miR-29 family inhibited cancer cell proliferation, migration and
      invasion. LOXL2 was a direct target gene of miR-29s, as shown by genome-wide gene
      expression analysis and luciferase reporter assay. Overexpressed LOXL2 was
      confirmed in ccRCC clinical specimens, and silencing of LOXL2 inhibited cancer
      cell migration and invasion in ccRCC cell lines. Our data demonstrated that the
      miR-29s-LOXL2 axis contributed to cancer cell migration and invasion in ccRCC. 

PMID- 26096784
TI  - LINC'ing form and function at the nuclear envelope.
AB  - The nuclear envelope is an amazing piece of engineering. On one hand it is built
      like a mediaeval fortress with filament systems reinforcing its membrane walls
      and its double membrane structure forming a lumen like a castle moat. On the
      other hand its structure can adapt while maintaining its integrity like a reed
      bending in a river. Like a fortress it has guarded drawbridges in the nuclear
      pore complexes, but also has other mechanical means of communication. All this is
      enabled largely because of the LINC complex, a multi-protein structure that
      connects the intermediate filament nucleoskeleton across the lumen of the double
      membrane nuclear envelope to multiple cytoplasmic filament systems that
      themselves could act simultaneously both like mediaeval buttresses and like lines
      on a suspension bridge. Although many details of the greater LINC structure
      remain to be discerned, a number of recent findings are giving clues as to how
      its structural organization can yield such striking dynamic yet stable
      properties. Combining double- and triple-helical coiled-coils, intrinsic disorder
      and order, tissue-specific components, and intermediate filaments enables these
      unique properties. 

PMID- 26096786
TI  - Diversity of COP9 signalosome structures and functional consequences.
AB  - The COP9 signalosome (CSN) is a regulator of the ubiquitin (Ub) proteasome system
      (UPS). It interacts with hundreds of cullin-RING ubiquitin E3 ligases (CRLs) and
      regulates their activity by removing the Ub-like protein Nedd8 from cullins. In
      mammalian cells 7 different cullins exist which form CRLs with adaptor proteins
      and with a large number of substrate recognition subunits such as F-box and BTB
      proteins. This large variety of CRL-complexes is deneddylated by the CSN. The
      capacity of the CSN to interact with numerous types of CRL complexes can be
      explained by its structural diversity, which allows different CSN variants to
      interact with different binding partners and substrates and enables different
      subunit expression profiles. Diversity of CSN complexes presumably occurs by: (1)
      flexibility of CSN holo complex structure; (2) formation of CSN mini complexes
      and free CSN subunits and (3) generation of CSN variants via integration of CSN
      subunit isoforms. In this review we will discuss the structural diversity of the
      CSN complex and possible functional consequences. 

PMID- 26096787
TI  - Regulation of DNA phosphorothioate modifications by the transcriptional regulator
      DptB in Salmonella.
AB  - DNA phosphorothioate (PT) modifications, with one non-bridging phosphate oxygen
      replaced with sulfur, are widely but sporadically distributed in prokaryotic
      genomes. Short consensus sequences surround the modified linkage in each strain,
      although each site is only partially modified. The mechanism that maintains this
      low-frequency modification status is still unknown. In Salmonella enterica
      serovar Cerro 87, PT modification is mediated by a four-gene cluster called
      dptBCDE. Here, we found that deletion of dptB led to a significant increase in
      intracellular PT modification level. In this deletion, transcription of
      downstream genes was elevated during rapid cell growth. Restoration of dptB on a
      plasmid restored wild-type levels of expression of downstream genes and PT
      modification. In vitro, DptB directly protected two separate sequences within the
      dpt promoter region from DNase I cleavage. Each protected sequence contained a
      direct repeat (DR). Mutagenesis assays of the DRs demonstrated that each DR was
      essential for DptB binding. The observation of two shifted species by gel-shift
      analysis suggests dimer conformation of DptB protein. These DRs are conserved
      among the promoter regions of dptB homologs, suggesting that this regulatory
      mechanism is widespread. These findings demonstrate that PT modification is
      regulated at least in part at the transcriptional level. 

PMID- 26096788
TI  - Quantitative muscle MRI: A powerful surrogate outcome measure in Duchenne
      muscular dystrophy.
AB  - In muscular dystrophies quantitative muscle MRI (qMRI) detects disease
      progression more sensitively than clinical scores. This prospective one year
      observational study compared qMRI with clinical scores in Duchenne muscular
      dystrophy (DMD) to investigate if qMRI can serve as a surrogate outcome measure
      in clinical trials. In 20 DMD patients the motor function measure (MFM) total and
      subscores (D1-D3) were done for physical examination, and the fat fraction (MFF)
      of thigh muscle qMRI was obtained using the two-point Dixon method. Effect sizes
      (ES) were calculated for all measures. Sample size estimation (SS) was done
      modelling assumed treatment effects. Ambulant patients <7 years at inclusion
      improved in the MFM total and D1 score (ES 1.1 and 1.0). Ambulant patients >7
      years (highest ES in the MFM D1 subscore (1.2)), and non-ambulant patients
      (highest ES in the total MFM score (0.7)) worsened. In comparison the ES of QMRI
      was much larger, e.g. SS estimations for qMRI data were up to 17 fold smaller
      compared to the MFM total score and up to 7 fold to the D1 subscore,
      respectively. QMRI shows pathophysiological changes in DMD and might serve as a
      surrogate outcome measure in clinical trials. 

PMID- 26096789
TI  - Eighteen cases of wheat allergy and wheat-dependent exercise-induced
      urticaria/anaphylaxis sensitized by hydrolyzed wheat protein in soap.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glupearl 19S, an acid-hydrolyzed wheat protein (HWP), is used widely
      in Japan as a moisturizing ingredient in facial soaps. Since 2010, there has been
      an increasing number of reports of contact urticaria and wheat allergy resulting
      from the use of products containing this substance. CASE REPORTS: Sixty-one
      patients who had used HWP-containing facial soap visited our hospital. Thirty
      five of these experienced urticaria or anaphylaxis after consuming wheat
      containing food. RESULTS: Eighteen of the 35 patients tested positive to 0.01%
      Glupearl 19S solution. Wheat-specific IgE and serum gluten-specific IgE were
      higher in the patients with HWP allergy than in non-HWP allergy patients. Among
      the patients who tested positive to Glupearl 19S on the skin prick test, nine
      experienced HWP-wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis, and four
      experienced food-dependent anaphylaxis. Moreover, four of these patients not only
      experienced food-dependent anaphylaxis but also a worsening of the symptoms
      during exercise. DISCUSSION: The clinical symptomology was so variable that the
      patients were classified into six groups. We found that patients with HWP allergy
      tended to manifest symptoms of both HWP-wheat-dependent exercise-induced
      anaphylaxis and contact urticaria. The etiology of hydrolyzed wheat protein
      allergy is unknown. Patients with a history of these symptoms need to be informed
      about the risk of consuming wheat-containing foods and the importance of
      excluding such items from their diet.

PMID- 26096785
TI  - Chromosome domain architecture and dynamic organization of the fission yeast
      genome.
AB  - Advanced techniques including the chromosome conformation capture (3C)
      methodology and its derivatives are complementing microscopy approaches to study
      genome organization, and are revealing new details of three-dimensional (3D)
      genome architecture at increasing resolution. The fission yeast
      Schizosaccharomyces pombe (S. pombe) comprises a small genome featuring
      organizational elements of more complex eukaryotic systems, including conserved
      heterochromatin assembly machinery. Here we review key insights into genome
      organization revealed in this model system through a variety of techniques. We
      discuss the predominant role of Rabl-like configuration for interphase chromosome
      organization and the dynamic changes that occur during mitosis and meiosis. High
      resolution Hi-C studies have also revealed the presence of locally crumpled
      chromatin regions called "globules" along chromosome arms, and implicated a
      critical role for pericentromeric heterochromatin in imposing fundamental
      constraints on the genome to maintain chromosome territoriality and stability.
      These findings have shed new light on the connections between genome organization
      and function. It is likely that insights gained from the S. pombe system will
      also broadly apply to higher eukaryotes. 

PMID- 26096790
TI  - Health-related quality of life and sleep among Chinese children after living
      donor liver transplantation.
AB  - LDLT is a well-established treatment for most terminal liver diseases in
      children. Survival rates have improved, yet few studies have considered HRQoL or
      sleep problems in LDLT recipients. In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 51
      children who had undergone LDLT in Renji Hospital. PedsQL(TM) 4.0 Generic Core
      Scales, PedsQL(TM) 3.0 Transplant Module, and Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire were
      used to assess outcomes. Of all participants, 11.8% (6/51) reported low total
      HRQoL scores. Participants' scores on most HRQoL subscales were comparable to the
      scores of healthy children. However, compared with solid organ transplant
      recipients, LDLT recipients scored significantly lower in About My Medicines II
      (t = 3.092, p = 0.002) and Worry (t = 2.760, p = 0.006). Sleep problems (41.2%)
      were common among participants. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that SRBD
      accounted for significant variance in HRQoL on total generic HRQoL (R(2) = 0.446,
      p < 0.001), psychosocial health (R(2) = 0.372, p = 0.001), physical health (R(2)
      = 0.345, p = 0.003), total transplant-specific HRQoL (R(2) = 0.514, p < 0.001),
      About My Medicines I (R(2) = 0.365, p = 0.013), My Transplant and Others (R(2) =
      0.334, p = 0.005), Pain and Hurt (R(2) = 0.544, p < 0.001), Worry (R(2) = 0.401,
      p = 0.001), Treatment Anxiety (R(2) = 0.526, p < 0.001), How I Look (R(2) =
      0.221, p = 0.040), and Communication (R(2) = 0.343, p = 0.012). In conclusion,
      sleep problems are non-negligible in children after LDLT and predicted
      significant variance on HRQoL.

PMID- 26096791
TI  - A Personal History of Quadruplex-Small Molecule Targeting.
AB  - The story behind some of the early studies in the laboratory of Stephen Neidle on
      quadruplex-binding small molecules and the structural studies on quadruplexes and
      their complexes is presented and discussed in the context of his earlier work on
      drug-DNA interactions. More recent studies and future directions in the rational
      design of small molecules targeting telomeric and gene promoter quadruplexes are
      also described. 

PMID- 26096792
TI  - Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes via a facile two-step approach as an efficient
      catalyst for the direct dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene.
AB  - A novel and efficient nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (A-M-CNT) catalyst has been
      prepared by a facile two-step method, including prior air activation and
      subsequent pyrolysis of the carbon nanotubes with melamine. The as-synthesized A
      M-CNT affords superior catalytic activity to the nitrogen-doped CNT without air
      activation (M-CNT) and pristine CNT, ascribed to its unique microstructure and
      surface chemical properties. 

PMID- 26096793
TI  - Autofluorescence of eccrine sweat glands.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The monitoring of autofluorescence in skin tissue samples can
      have diagnostic and therapy significance. In this study, we are the first to
      describe autofluorescence of eccrine sweat glands, which is important and helpful
      for the diagnosis and therapy of diseases that involve the eccrine sweat glands.
      METHODS: Eccrine sweat gland autofluorescence in haematoxylin-eosin (HE) stained
      skin tissue sections was observed under a fluorescence microscope, which was
      compared to the immunofluorescence of keratin 19 and 15 in the skin tissue
      sections. The single eccrine sweat glands from five volunteers including three
      males and two females were isolated and also observed under a fluorescence
      microscope. The autofluorescence intensity of the single eccrine sweat gland was
      measured using a laser confocal scanning microscope system. RESULTS: Eccrine
      sweat gland autofluorescence in HE stained skin tissue sections appears green
      under GFP fliter system (470/40 nm) and red under N2.1 fliter system (515-560
      nm). Furthermore, the single eccrine sweat gland showed various autofluorescence
      colours, including green under wide blue and red under wide green. The
      autofluorescence intensity of the single eccrine sweat gland was measured. The
      spectrum excited at 488 nm exhibited two peaks located at approximately 530 nm
      (11.54 +/- 4.66) and 590 nm (10.38 +/- 4.33). The results suggest flavin and
      lipopigment as the endogenous fluorophores. CONCLUSION: The autofluorescence of
      the HE stained eccrine sweat gland sections is simple and helpful for easily
      determining the structure of eccrine sweat glands. The autofluorescence of the
      single eccrine sweat gland may be due to the existence of flavin and lipopigment.

PMID- 26096794
TI  - Prevalence of cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants in UK bakers.

PMID- 26096796
TI  - Electroencephalographic lateralization, clinical correlates and pharmacological
      response in untreated Parkinson's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Parkinson's disease (PD), different topographically defined
      cortical-subcortical oscillatory networks have been implicated in motor program
      dysfunction. Few studies have focused on clinical correlates of cortical activity
      asymmetry using quantitative electroencephalography. METHODS: We retrospectively
      selected N = 34 L-dopa naive PD subjects who had undergone standardized
      electroencephalography. We selected N = 18 subjects group-matched by age, sex and
      hand dominance with normal electroencephalography and no parkinsonism and/or
      cognitive decline as controls. A Welch's periodogram was applied to
      electroencephalographic signal epochs recorded from homologous pairs of
      electrodes over each hemisphere. An index of lateralization was then obtained as
      the absolute value of the electroencephalographic asymmetry index, computed by
      subtracting left from right-sided log power spectral density for each homologous
      site and frequency band. A standardized L-dopa acute challenge test was performed
      on all PD subjects to compute short-duration response magnitude. RESULTS: In
      mid/lateral frontal regions higher index of lateralization for the beta band (p =
      0.015) and lower index of lateralization for the theta band (p = 0.036) were
      found in PD subjects as compared to controls. Both parameters correlated with
      Hoehn-Yahr staging (beta: r = 0.428, p = 0.012; theta: r = -0.464, p = 0.006). In
      occipital region lower index of lateralization for the alpha band was found in PD
      correlating with L-dopa short-duration response magnitude (r = 0.456; p = 0.007).
      CONCLUSIONS: Lateralization of frontal cortex beta electroencephalographic
      activity is associated with clinical disability. Occipital cortex alpha activity
      may relate to L-dopa responsiveness in untreated PD subjects.

PMID- 26096797
TI  - Thalamic deep brain stimulation for orthostatic tremor: Clinical and
      neurophysiological correlates.

PMID- 26096798
TI  - Suicidal behaviors are very rare in antiparkinsonian drug trials.

PMID- 26096799
TI  - Comparison of the Effects of Epicardial and Endocardial Cardiac Resynchronization
      Therapy on Transmural Dispersion of Repolarization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite significant improvements in cardiac output and functional
      capacity with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), incidence of sudden
      cardiac death still remains high. Reversal of physiological myocardial activation
      sequence during epicardial pacing increases the transmural dispersion of
      repolarization (TDR). The aim of this study was to compare the effects of
      endocardial and epicardial biventricular pacing on repolarization parameters in
      the same patient group. METHODS: Seven patients who had transseptal endocardial
      left ventricle (LV) lead placement, in whom epicardial CRT had failed due to
      coronary sinus (CS) lead dislodgement after successful implantation, were
      admitted to the study. LV endocardial leads were implanted through the
      interatrial septum in a lateral position. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were scanned
      before and after successful epicardial and endocardial biventricular pacing and
      analyzed using digital calipers. ECG markers of TDR (TpTe and TpTe/QT ratio) were
      measured and compared. RESULTS: Baseline QRS durations (161.7 +/- 15.9 ms vs
      162.2 +/- 17.8 ms, P = 0.95), TpTe values (107.1 +/- 20.5 ms vs 108.5 +/- 17.6
      ms, P = 0.89), and TpTe/QT ratios (0.24 +/- 0.05 vs 0.24 +/- 0.03, P = 0.88) were
      similar before epicardial and endocardial CRT. QRS interval reduction was similar
      (-28.3 +/- 11.6 ms vs -29.1 +/- 11.4 ms, P = 0.89) in both groups. Compared to
      transseptal endocardial CRT, epicardial CRT was associated with a significant
      increase in TpTe (17.1 +/- 19.5 ms vs -12.6 +/- 18.9 ms, P = 0.01) and TpTe/QT
      ratio (0.03 +/- 0.04 vs -0.02 +/- 0.03, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Transseptal LV
      endocardial pacing is associated with significant reduction in TDR
      characteristics compared to epicardial pacing in CRT. Further studies are
      warranted to determine whether these effects may contribute to reduction of
      arrhythmias in patients with CRT.

PMID- 26096795
TI  - Proteolytic cleavage, trafficking, and functions of nuclear receptor tyrosine
      kinases.
AB  - Intracellular localization has been reported for over three-quarters of receptor
      tyrosine kinase (RTK) families in response to environmental stimuli. Internalized
      RTK may bind to non-canonical substrates and affect various cellular processes.
      Many of the intracellular RTKs exist as fragmented forms that are generated by
      gamma-secretase cleavage of the full-length receptor, shedding, alternative
      splicing, or alternative translation initiation. Soluble RTK fragments are
      stabilized and intracellularly transported into subcellular compartments, such as
      the nucleus, by binding to chaperone or transcription factors, while membrane
      bound RTKs (full-length or truncated) are transported from the plasma membrane to
      the ER through the well-established Rab- or clathrin adaptor protein-coated
      vesicle retrograde trafficking pathways. Subsequent nuclear transport of membrane
      bound RTK may occur via two pathways, INFS or INTERNET, with the former
      characterized by release of receptors from the ER into the cytosol and the latter
      characterized by release of membrane-bound receptor from the ER into the
      nucleoplasm through the inner nuclear membrane. Although most non-canonical
      intracellular RTK signaling is related to transcriptional regulation, there may
      be other functions that have yet to be discovered. In this review, we summarize
      the proteolytic processing, intracellular trafficking and nuclear functions of
      RTKs, and discuss how they promote cancer progression, and their clinical
      implications. 

PMID- 26096801
TI  - Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Heart Failure.
AB  - A growing body of literature has underscored the value of ventilatory gas
      exchange techniques during exercise testing (commonly termed cardiopulmonary
      exercise testing, or CPX) and their applications in the management of patients
      with heart failure (HF). The added precision provided by this technology is
      useful in terms of understanding the physiology and mechanisms underlying
      exercise intolerance in HF, quantifying the response to therapy, evaluating
      disability, making activity recommendations, and quantifying the response to
      exercise training. Importantly, a wealth of data has been published in recent
      years on the prognostic utility of CPX in patients with HF. These studies have
      highlighted the concept that indices of ventilatory inefficiency, such as the
      VE/VCO2 slope and oscillatory breathing, are particularly powerful in stratifying
      risk in HF. This article provides an overview of the clinical utility of CPX in
      patients with HF, including the applications of ventilatory inefficiency during
      exercise, the role of the pulmonary system in HF, respiratory muscle performance
      (RMP), and the application of CPX as part of a comprehensive clinical and
      exercise test evaluation.

PMID- 26096802
TI  - Gene expression profiling analysis of osteosarcoma cell lines.
AB  - Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common type of primary bone malignancy and has a
      poor prognosis. To investigate the mechanisms of osteosarcoma, the present
      analyzed the GSE28424 microarray. GSE28424 was downloaded from the Gene
      Expression Omnibus, and included a collective of 19 OS cell lines and four normal
      bone cell lines, which were used as controls. Subsequently, the differentially
      expressed genes (DEGs) were screened using the Limma package in Bioconductor.
      Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis of the DEGs was performed
      using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery,
      interactions between the proteins encoded by the DEGs were identified using
      STRING, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was visualized using
      Cytoscape. In addition, modular analysis of the PPI network was performed using
      the Clique Percolation Method (CPM) in CFinder. A total of 1,170 DEGs were
      screened, including 530 upreguated and 640 downregulated genes. The enriched
      functions included organelle fission, immune response and response to wounding.
      In addition, RPL8 was observed to be involved with the ribosomal pathway in
      module A of the PPI network of the DEGs. PLCG1, SYK and PLCG2 were also involved
      in the B-cell receptor signaling pathway in module B and the Fc-epsilon RI
      signaling pathway in module C. In addition, AURKA (degree=39), MAD2L1
      (degree=38), CDCA8 (degree=38), BUB1 (degree=37) and MELK (degree=37) exhibited
      higher degrees of connectivity in module F. The results of the present study
      suggested that the RPL8, PLCG1, PLCG2, SYK, MAD2L1, AURKA, CDCA8, BUB1 and MELK
      genes may be involved in OS.

PMID- 26096804
TI  - Blood Glucose-lowering Effect of T. procumbens L.: A Pilot Clinical Study in
      Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - Traditional knowledge, in vitro studies, and studies using animal models suggest
      that Tridax procumbens L. exhibits blood glucose-lowering properties and
      antiinflammatory effects. In this study, we evaluated the blood glucose-lowering
      effect of T. procumbens supplementation in individuals with type 2 diabetes. An
      extract (asava) of T. procumbens L. was prepared following Ayurveda guidelines.
      Chemical and microbial analyses indicated presence of phenolics, flavonoids, and
      carotenoids, and absence of microbial contamination, aflatoxins, heavy metals,
      and pesticide residues. A chemical fingerprint of T. procumbens L. asava,
      developed using Ultra high pressure liquid chromatography/electron spray
      ionization-mass spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-MS) in negative mode, suggest the presence
      of several compounds including polyphenols. T. procumbens asava demonstrated
      strong total antioxidant capacity, Fe3+ reducing potential, Fe2+ chelation, H2 O2
      scavenging activity, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. We recruited 20 type 2
      diabetic individuals from Kolhapur, India. Participants received 15 mL of T.
      procumbens asava, twice daily, for 4 weeks, while continuing their prescribed
      antidiabetic medications. Fasting blood glucose decreased by 11% in men (p <
      0.01) and 20% in women (p < 0.05), and post-prandial blood glucose concentrations
      were lowered by 26% in men (p < 0.001) and 29% in women (p < 0.001) following 4
      weeks of asava supplementation. No adverse events or side effects were reported.
      This is the first clinical study demonstrating a significant blood glucose
      lowering effect of T. procumbens asava in type 2 diabetes. Copyright (c) 2015
      John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26096803
TI  - Physical Activity and Change in Long Distance Corridor Walk Performance in the
      Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the prospective relationship between self-reported
      physical activity and aerobic fitness in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition
      Study (Health ABC) using the Long Distance Corridor Walk (LDCW). DESIGN: Cohort
      study with 7 years of follow-up. SETTING: Two U.S. clinical sites. PARTICIPANTS:
      Community-dwelling older adults enrolled in Health ABC (N = 3,075, aged 70-79,
      52% female, 42% black) with no self-reported difficulty walking one-quarter of a
      mile or climbing 10 steps. MEASUREMENTS: Participants were classified based on a
      physical activity questionnaire as being inactive (<=1,000 kcal/wk exercise
      activity, <=2,719 kcal/wk total physical activity), lifestyle active (<=1,000
      kcal/wk exercise activity, >2,719 kcal/wk total physical activity), or exercisers
      (>=1,000 kcal/wk exercise activity). The LDCW, an endurance walking test (400 m),
      was administered at Years 1 (baseline), 2, 4, 6, and 8 to assess aerobic fitness.
      RESULTS: At baseline, LDCW completion times (adjusted for age and sex) were 351.8
      seconds (95% confidence interval (CI) = 346.9-356.8 seconds) for the inactive
      group, 335.9 seconds (95% CI = 332.7-339.1 seconds) for the lifestyle active
      group, and 307.7 seconds (95% CI = 303.2-312.3 seconds) for the exerciser group
      (P < .001). From baseline to Year 8, the inactive group slowed 36.1 seconds (95%
      CI = 28.4-43.8 seconds), the lifestyle active group slowed 38.1 seconds (95% CI =
      33.6-42.4 seconds), and the exerciser group slowed 40.8 seconds (95% CI = 35.2
      46.5 seconds), and did not differ significantly between groups. In linear mixed
      effects models, the rate of change in LDCW time did not differ between the
      groups, although exercisers consistently had the fastest completion times (P <
      .001 for all pairwise comparisons). CONCLUSION: Decline in LDCW time occurred
      regardless of baseline activity, although exercisers maintained higher aerobic
      fitness, which may delay reaching a critically low threshold of aerobic fitness
      at which independence is impaired.

PMID- 26096805
TI  - Multidisciplinary rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease: A milestone with future
      challenges.

PMID- 26096806
TI  - Vitamin D is Not a Protective Factor in ALS.
AB  - AIMS: Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with poorer prognosis in ALS.
      Better understanding of the role of vitamin D in ALS is needed to determine
      whether trials of systematic supplementation are justified. Our aim was to report
      vitamin D levels during the course of ALS and to evaluate its relationship with
      clinical parameters at diagnosis and with disease progression. METHODS: We
      prospectively collected vitamin D serum concentrations from 125 consecutive ALS
      patients. Cox proportional hazard models analyzed the relationship between
      vitamin D concentrations, clinical parameters, and survival. RESULTS: The mean
      vitamin D concentration was below our laboratory's lower limit of normal (P <
      0.0001) and did not change during the course of the disease. The concentrations
      were higher in patients with bulbar onset (P = 0.003) and were negatively
      associated with body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.0095). Models with ALSFRS-R (ALS
      Functional Rating Scale-Revised) and BMI as a covariates showed that vitamin D
      concentrations predicted worse prognosis. CONCLUSION: The distribution of vitamin
      D concentrations in our cohort was consistent with previous reports.
      Surprisingly, we noted a negative effect of higher vitamin D levels on prognosis
      in ALS. More detailed research is warranted to determine whether manipulation of
      vitamin D could be beneficial to patients.

PMID- 26096807
TI  - The DACH/EYA/SIX gene network and its role in tumor initiation and progression.
AB  - The functional abnormality of developmental genes is a common phenomenon in
      cancer initiation and progression. The retinal determination gene network (RDGN)
      is a key signal in Drosophila eye specification, and this conservative pathway is
      also required for the development of multiple organs in mammalian species. Recent
      studies demonstrated that aberrant expressions of RDGN components in vertebrates,
      mainly Dach, Six, and Eya, represent a novel tumor signal. RDGN regulates
      proliferation, apoptosis, tumor growth and metastasis through interactions with
      multiple signaling pathways in a co-ordinated fashion; Dach acts as a tumor
      suppressor, whereas Six and Eya function as oncogenes. Clinical analyses
      demonstrated that the expression levels of RDGN correlate with tumor stage,
      metastasis and survival, suggesting that combinational detection of this pathway
      might be used as a promising biomarker for the stratification of therapy and for
      the prediction of the prognosis of cancer patients. 

PMID- 26096808
TI  - Tenofovir for Hepatitis Delta.

PMID- 26096809
TI  - Baby sign but not spontaneous gesture predicts later vocabulary in children with
      Down Syndrome.
AB  - Early spontaneous gesture, specifically deictic gesture, predicts subsequent
      vocabulary development in typically developing (TD) children. Here, we ask
      whether deictic gesture plays a similar role in predicting later vocabulary size
      in children with Down Syndrome (DS), who have been shown to have difficulties in
      speech production, but strengths in spontaneous gesture and baby sign use. We
      compared the gestures and baby signs produced by twenty-three children with DS
      (Mage = 2;6) and twenty-three TD children (Mage = 1;6), in relation to their
      expressive spoken vocabulary size one year later. Children with DS showed
      significant deficits in gesture production, particularly for deictic gestures,
      but strengths in baby sign production, compared to their typically developing
      peers. More importantly, it was the baby signs produced by children with DS, but
      not deictic gestures, that predicted their spoken vocabulary size one year later.
      Our results further highlight the important role baby signs can play in language
      development in children with developmental disorders. 

PMID- 26096811
TI  - Synthesis of Periphery-Decorated and Core-Initiated Borane Polyanionic
      Macromolecules.
AB  - A new class of globular polybranched macromolecules that contain multiple anionic
      metallacarborane clusters at the o-carborane periphery is reported. The water
      soluble high boron rich containing molecules could be of interest for boron
      neutron capture therapy (BNCT) as well as for drug delivery. The reinforced
      electrostatic noncovalent interactions between anionic polyethylene glycol
      cobaltabisdicarbollide (PEG-COSAN) branches and the ammonium cation have been
      shown using ESI-MS. 

PMID- 26096810
TI  - A maize ADP-ribosylation factor ZmArf2 increases organ and seed size by promoting
      cell expansion in Arabidopsis.
AB  - ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) are small GTP-binding proteins that regulate a
      wide variety of cell functions. Previously, we isolated a new ARF, ZmArf2, from
      maize (Zea mays). Sequence and expression characteristics indicated that ZmArf2
      might play a critical role in the early stages of endosperm development. In this
      study, we investigated ZmArf2 function by analysis of its GTP-binding activity
      and subcellular localization. We also over-expressed ZmArf2 in Arabidopsis and
      measured organ and cell size and counted cell numbers. The expression levels of
      five organ size-associated genes were also determined in 35S::ZmArf2 transgenic
      and wild-type plants. Results showed that the recombinant ZmArf2 protein purified
      from Escherichia coli exhibited GTP-binding activity. Subcellular localization
      revealed that ZmArf2 was localized in the cytoplasm and plasma membrane. ZmArf2
      over-expression in Arabidopsis showed that 35S::ZmArf2 transgenic plants were
      taller and had larger leaves and seeds compared to wild-type plants, which
      resulted from cell expansions, not an increase in cell numbers. In addition,
      three cell expansion-related genes, AtEXP3, AtEXP5 and AtEXP10, were upregulated
      in 35S::ZmArf2 transgenic lines, while the expression levels of AtGIF1 and
      AtGRF5, were unchanged. Collectively, our studies suggest that ZmArf2 has an
      active GTP-binding function, and plays a crucial role in growth and development
      in Arabidopsis through cell expansion mediated by cell expansion genes. 

PMID- 26096812
TI  - Serum bacterial DNA detection in patients with cholangitis after Kasai procedure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the detectability of
      bacterial DNA (bactDNA) and associated clinical factors in patients with
      cholangitis after the Kasai procedure through the identification of bactDNA in
      blood. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 110 patients who had undergone the
      Kasai procedure was carried out. A total of 77 patients had cholangitis and 33
      did not. Blood samples were obtained on admission or on follow up at the
      outpatient visit. bactDNA was analyzed using a polymerase chain reaction-based
      method, DNA nucleotide sequencing, for identification of bacterial species.
      RESULTS: Rate of bactDNA positivity was higher using the 16SrDNA method than the
      culture method (58.4% vs 14.3%, P < 0.0001), and more patients with cholangitis
      were positive for bactDNA compared with the patients without cholangitis (58.4%
      vs 39.4%, P = 0.095). Bacteria identified on blood 16SrDNA primarily consisted of
      opportunistic pathogens derived from the gut, including Escherichia coli,
      Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shigella fexneri, and Enterobacteriaceae bacterium.
      Treatment with probiotics or antibiotics showed a trend toward reduced prevalence
      of bactDNA. Pediatric end-stage liver disease score, procalcitonin, C-reactive
      protein, and heart rate were all significantly associated with the presence of
      bactDNA. CONCLUSION: bactDNA is frequently detected in patients with cholangitis
      after the Kasai procedure compared with those without cholangitis (and controls),
      and the bacteria are similar to those in the gut, suggesting that it is useful as
      an early diagnostic tool for cholangitis and other infections (registration
      number in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-ECC-13003759).

PMID- 26096813
TI  - Safety, feasibility and learning curve of robotic single-site surgery in
      gynecology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Robotic single-site (RSS) surgery has emerged as a novel minimally
      invasive approach in gynecology. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of
      consecutive RSS gynecologic procedures undertaken between October 2013 and March
      2014. RESULTS: The 25 RSS completed cases consisted of 11 adnexal and 14
      hysterectomy cases of which three included pelvic lymphadenectomies. Mean age,
      body mass index and estimated blood loss were 51 years, 25 kg/m(2) , 30 mL in the
      adnexal group, respectively, and 58 years, 27 kg/m(2) , 96 mL in the hysterectomy
      group, respectively. Mean console time was 20 and 45 min and mean total operative
      time was 56 and 93 min in adnexal and hysterectomy cases, respectively. The CUSUM
      method identified two learning phases with significant reduction in console time
      after the 7th adnexal case and the 5th hysterectomy. CONCLUSION: When performed
      by advanced minimally invasive surgeons and in appropriately selected patients,
      RSS surgery is feasible and safe. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26096815
TI  - Causes of death in patients with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes receiving
      dialysis in Japan: Diabetes Epidemiology Research International (DERI) Mortality
      Study.
AB  - AIMS: To investigate the causes of death and how they changed over time in
      patients with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes who were receiving dialysis.
      METHODS: Of the 1384 patients who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at<18 years
      of age between 1965 and 1979, 113 who were subsequently confirmed as having
      received dialysis and having died as of January 1, 2008 were found eligible for
      the study. The cause of death trends were expressed according to the duration of
      dialysis. RESULTS: The leading causes of death were end-stage renal disease
      (ESRD) (36.3%), cardiovascular disease (CVD) (31.9%), and infections (20.3%).
      Among CVD, cerebral hemorrhage was the most frequent (38.9%) and showed a
      significant trend for an increase in the duration of dialysis (P=0.01, the
      Cochran-Armitage trend test). The mortality from ESRD concentrated within 5 years
      of dialysis and that from CVD increased after 10 years of dialysis, while the
      mortality from infections peaked during 5 to 10 years from initiation of
      dialysis. CONCLUSIONS: The leading causes of death in dialysis patients with type
      1 diabetes were ESRD, CVD, and infections. As the duration of dialysis increased,
      however, CVD contributed more to mortality. Special attention should be paid to
      CVD, particularly cerebral hemorrhage, to improve the long-term prognosis of
      patients.

PMID- 26096816
TI  - Surface chemistry but not aspect ratio mediates the biological toxicity of gold
      nanorods in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - Gold nanorods are a promising nanoscale material in clinical diagnosis and
      treatment. The physicochemical properties of GNRs, including size, shape and
      surface features, are crucial factors affecting their cytotoxicity. In this
      study, we investigated the effects of different aspect ratios and surface
      modifications on the cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of GNRs in cultured cells
      and in mice. The results indicated that the surface chemistry but not the aspect
      ratio of GNRs mediates their biological toxicity. CTAB-GNRs with various aspect
      ratios had similar abilities to induce cell apoptosis and autophagy by damaging
      mitochondria and activating intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). However,
      GNRs coated with CTAB/PSS, CTAB/PAH, CTAB/PSS/PAH or CTAB/PAH/PSS displayed low
      toxicity and did not induce cell death. CTAB/PAH-coated GNRs caused minimally
      abnormal cell morphology compared with CTAB/PSS and CTAB/PSS/PAH coated GNRs.
      Moreover, the intravenous injection of CTAB/PAH GNRs enabled the GNRs to reach
      tumor tissues through blood circulation in animals and remained stable, with a
      longer half-life compared to the other GNRs. Therefore, our results demonstrated
      that further coating can prevent cytotoxicity and cell death upon CTAB-coated GNR
      administration, similar to changing the GNR aspect ratio and CTAB/PAH coated GNRs
      show superior biological properties with better biocompatibility and minimal
      cytotoxicity. 

PMID- 26096817
TI  - Validation of a criteria-specific long-term survival prediction model for
      hepatocellular carcinoma patients after liver transplantation.
AB  - The aim of this study was to validate a criteria-specific long-term survival
      prediction model (MHCAT) in a large cohort of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      patients after liver transplantation (LT) in China. Independent risk factors in
      MHCAT were retrospectively analysed for HCC patients recorded in the China Liver
      Transplant Registry. Survival predictions for each patient were calculated using
      MHCAT scores and the Metroticket formula separately, and the prediction efficacy
      of MHCAT and Metroticket was compared using the area under ROC curve (c
      statistic). A total of 1371 LTs for HCC were analysed in the study, with a median
      follow-up of 22.2 months (IQR 6.1-72.4 months). The proportions meeting the
      Milan, UCSF, Fudan and Hangzhou criteria were 34.4%, 39.7%, 44.2% and 51.9%,
      respectively. The c-statistics for MHCAT predictions of 3- and 5-year survival
      rates of HCC recipients were 0.712-0.727 and 0.726-0.741, respectively. Among
      these patients, 1298 LTs for HCC were ultimately selected for the comparison
      analysis for prediction efficacy. The c-statistic of MHCAT for predictions of 3
      year survival with reference to the Milan, UCSF and Fudan criteria was
      significantly increased compared with that for Metroticket (p < 0.05). In
      conclusion, MHCAT can effectively predict long-term survival for HCC recipients
      after LT.

PMID- 26096818
TI  - Skeletal muscle mitochondrial H2 O2 emission increases with immobilization and
      decreases after aerobic training in young and older men.
AB  - Currently, it is not known whether impaired mitochondrial function contributes to
      human ageing or whether potential impairments in mitochondrial function with age
      are secondary to physical inactivity. The present study investigated
      mitochondrial respiratory function and reactive oxygen species emission at a
      predefined membrane potential in young and older men subjected to 2 weeks of one
      leg immobilization followed by 6 weeks of aerobic cycle training. Immobilization
      increased reactive oxygen species emission and decreased ATP generating
      respiration. Subsequent aerobic training reversed these effects. By contrast, age
      had no effect on the measured variables. The results of the present study support
      the notion that increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production
      mediates the detrimental effects seen after physical inactivity and that ageing
      per se does not cause mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondrial dysfunction,
      defined as increased oxidative stress and lower capacity for energy production,
      may be seen with ageing and may cause frailty, or it could be that it is
      secondary to physical inactivity. We studied the effect of 2 weeks of one-leg
      immobilization followed by 6 weeks of supervised cycle training on mitochondrial
      function in 17 young (mean +/- SEM: 23 +/- 1 years) and 15 older (68 +/- 1 years)
      healthy men. Submaximal H2 O2 emission and respiration were measured
      simultaneously at a predefined membrane potential in isolated mitochondria from
      skeletal muscle using two protocols: pyruvate + malate (PM) and succinate +
      rotenone (SR). This allowed measurement of leak and ATP generating respiration
      from which the coupling efficiency can be calculated. The protein content of the
      anti-oxidants manganese superoxide dismuthase (MnSOD), CuZn superoxide
      dismuthase, catalase and gluthathione peroxidase 1 was measured by western
      blotting. Immobilization decreased ATP generating respiration using PM and
      increased H2 O2 emission using both PM and SR similarly in young and older men.
      Both were restored to baseline after the training period. Furthermore, MnSOD and
      catalase content increased with endurance training. The young men had a higher
      leak respiration at inclusion using PM and a higher membrane potential in State 3
      using both substrate combinations. Collectively, the findings of the present
      study support the notion that increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species
      mediates the detrimental effects seen after physical inactivity. Age, on the
      other hand, was not associated with impairments in anti-oxidant protein levels,
      mitochondrial respiration or H2 O2 emission using either protocol.

PMID- 26096819
TI  - Management of secondary infertility following cesarean section: Report from the
      Subcommittee of the Reproductive Endocrinology Committee of the Japan Society of
      Obstetrics and Gynecology.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the current status and management of
      secondary infertility following cesarean section in Japan. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      A two-step questionnaire survey was performed in 1092 facilities, including
      teaching hospitals and artificial reproductive technology clinics, registered
      with the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In our questionnaires, we
      obtained data about symptoms, clinical findings, diagnostic methods, and
      pregnancy outcomes. Treatments were sorted into three groups, namely typical
      infertility treatment (group A), conservative treatment (group B), and operative
      treatment (group C). RESULTS: Of the 1092 facilities, 616 (56%) sent back reply
      forms to the first questionnaire; 56 (32%) of 176 facilities answered the second
      questionnaire, and 189 cases were able to be analyzed after completion of the two
      questionnaires. The commonest symptom was abnormal uterine bleeding during the
      follicular phase (91 cases; 48% of the 189 eligible cases), and the commonest
      clinical finding was fluid pooling in the area of cesarean scar dehiscence during
      the ovulatory phase (142 cases; 75%). The most commonly used diagnostic method
      was transvaginal ultrasound (153 cases, 81%). The pregnancy rate was 33% in group
      A, 50% in group B, and 60% in group C. In patients with abnormal uterine
      bleeding, painful symptoms and fluid pooling at the cesarean scar dehiscence, the
      pregnancy rate was significantly higher in group C (64%) than in group A (16%; P
      = 0.0063). CONCLUSIONS: We recommend operative treatment for secondary
      infertility following cesarean section with painful symptoms and fluid pooling at
      the site of cesarean scar dehiscence.

PMID- 26096820
TI  - Trypanosoma cruzi extracellular amastigotes trigger the protein kinase D1
      cortactin-actin pathway during cell invasion.
AB  - Trypanosoma cruzi extracellular amastigotes (EAs) display unique mechanisms for
      cell invasion that are highly dependent on host actin filaments. Protein kinase
      D1 (PKD1) phosphorylates and modulates the activity of cortactin, a key regulator
      of actin dynamics. We evaluated the role of host cortactin and PKD1 in actin
      filament dynamics during HeLa cell invasion by EAs. Host cortactin, PKD1 and
      actin are recruited by EAs based on experiments in fixed and live cells by time
      lapse confocal microscopy. EAs trigger PKD1 and extracellular signal-regulated
      kinase 1/2 activation, but not Src family kinases, and selectively phosphorylate
      cortactin. Heat-killed EAs and non-infective epimastigotes both triggered
      distinct host responses and did not recruit the molecules studied herein. EA
      invasion was influenced by depletion or overexpression of host cortactin and
      PKD1, respectively, suggesting the involvement of both proteins in this event.
      Collectively, these results show new host cell mechanisms subverted during EA
      internalization into non-phagocytic cells. 

PMID- 26096821
TI  - Phosphorylated alpha-enolase induces autoantibodies in HLA-DR8 pancreatic cancer
      patients and triggers HLA-DR8 restricted T-cell activation.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth cause of cancer-induced
      death in the Western World. In PDAC patients, alpha-enolase (ENOA), a glycolytic
      enzyme that also acts as plasminogen receptor, is up-regulated and elicits the
      production of autoantibodies. Our previous studies revealed that most PDAC
      patients specifically produce antibodies to Serine(419)phosphorylated ENOA
      (Ser(419)P-ENOA) isoforms (ENOA1,2), and that this humoral response correlates
      with a better clinical outcome. Since autoantibody production can be influenced
      by HLA polymorphisms, and the ENOA sequence presents multiple peptides predicted
      to preferentially bind HLA-DR molecules, including the peptide containing
      Ser(419), we hypothesized that the presence of autoantibodies against ENOA1,2 is
      associated with specific HLA-DRB1 alleles. Here, we demonstrate that the HLA
      DRB1*08 allele is significantly more frequent in PDAC patients with
      autoantibodies to ENOA1,2 (ENOA1,2(+), 8%) compared to healthy controls (3%,
      p=0.0112). We observed that a Ser(419)P-ENOA peptide, bioinformatically predicted
      to bind with high affinity to the HLA-DR8 allele coded by HLA-DRB1*08:01 or
      *08:04 alleles, was able to activate specific CD4(+) T cell clones derived from a
      HLA-DRB1*08:01. Thus complexes of the Ser(419)P-ENOA peptide with the HLA that
      trigger T-cell signaling might be relevant for induction of anti-tumor immune
      response. 

PMID- 26096823
TI  - Three-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Anatomical Assessment
      of Isolated Parachute Mitral Valve in an Adult Patient.
AB  - Parachute mitral valve (PMV) is a rare congenital anomaly of the mitral valve
      apparatus usually evidenced in infants and young children. Adult presentation is
      extremely rare and is generally mild in terms of mitral stenosis. A 73-year-old
      woman was admitted to the emergency department due to progressive dyspnea, with
      NYHA functional class IV symptoms on presentation. The echocardiographic
      examination identified a PMV with moderate mitral stenosis and a secondary
      smaller subvalvular mitral orifice. The report shows the usefulness of three
      dimensional transesophageal echocardiography in the detection and quantification
      of this rare anomaly. 

PMID- 26096824
TI  - Metal-Free Dehydrogenative Diels-Alder Reactions of 2-Methyl-3-Alkylindoles with
      Dienophiles: Rapid Access to Tetrahydrocarbazoles, Carbazoles, and Heteroacenes.
AB  - An unprecedented strategy for in situ generation of indole-based ortho
      quinodimethanes (oQDMs) from 2-methyl-3-alkylmethylindoles by either a metal-free
      DDQ- or BQ-mediated dehydrogenative process was developed. These oQDMs were
      trapped by electron-deficient dienophiles to provide a facile approach to
      synthetically valuable tetrahydrocarbazoles, carbazoles, and hetereoacenes. The
      salient features of this transformation include direct C(sp(3))-H bond
      functionalizations, readily available starting materials, metal-free conditions,
      high efficiency, operational simplicity, and ease of scale-up.

PMID- 26096825
TI  - Revealing highly unbalanced energy barriers in the extension and contraction of
      the muscle-like motion of a [c2]daisy chain.
AB  - Nanoscale muscle-like materials have aroused great interest as they may provide
      controllable mechanical operations by artificial actuations. Molecular designs to
      achieve the desired motion at the macroscopic scale in experiments require atomic
      level understanding. By systematic quantum chemical and molecular dynamics
      calculations we reveal that the length change is not only due to the linear
      telescoping from the dibenzo[24]crown-8 recognition at two docking stations but
      also the folding/unfolding of two bulky stoppers. The extension and contraction
      processes of a [c2]daisy chain under acidic vs. basic conditions are exothermic
      but need to cross very different energy barriers, being at least double the
      height under acidic compared to basic conditions, hindering balanced cyclic
      motions at moderate excitation. Our result suggests that to realize the desired
      muscle-like motion one should adopt sufficiently high external excitation, using
      for example reasonably high temperature and further optimizing the solution used.

PMID- 26096826
TI  - Size does matter-a closer look on Anguillicola morphology.
AB  - The present study deals with morphological differences between two closely
      related parasitic nematode species (Anguillicola crassus Kuwahara et al., 1974
      and Anguillicola novaezelandiae Moravec & Taraschewski, 1988) in two different
      experimentally infected eel species (Anguilla anguilla Linnaeus, 1758 and
      Anguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel, 1847). Furthermore, it considers the
      question whether size differences between those two species are ontogenetically
      determined or host species-dependent. In order to analyse these questions,
      experimental infections with the four possible host-parasite systems have been
      performed, followed by precise morphometric measurements related to body size and
      head structures of all resulting nematodes 120 days post infection. Body size
      measurements (length and width) of A. crassus generally exceeded those of A.
      novaezelandiae, while both Anguillicola species turned out to be smaller in
      Japanese eels than in European eels. Comparative measurements of neck width,
      maximum oesophagus width, and posterior head end width were found to be highly
      significant with regard to the different host-parasite systems. Shape and width
      of neck have been identified as reliable discriminating factors for species
      distinction. Generally, the relation of anterior head end width and neck width
      proved to be distinctly species-specific and can thus serve as a decisive and
      easily measureable distinguishing feature.

PMID- 26096827
TI  - Activity of synthetic chalcones in hamsters experimentally infected with
      Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to evaluate the toxicity of synthetic chalcones 1
      and 2 in uninfected hamsters and anti-Leishmania activity of synthetic chalcones
      1 and 2 in hamsters infected with Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. For the
      toxicity test, uninfected animals were treated with chalcones 1 and 2, and
      clinical and biochemical parameters and histological aspects of the liver and
      kidneys were assessed. Chalcones 1 and 2 were then intraperitoneally or topically
      administered (10 mg/kg body weight) three times per week in animals infected with
      promastigotes of L. (V.) braziliensis. We monitored the thickness of the infected
      footpads, determined parasitic load, performed histological analysis, and
      detected apoptosis in situ. The results were analyzed using Student's t test and
      Mann-Whitney test at a significance level of 5%. Neither of the chalcones showed
      toxicity. Chalcone 2 administered intraperitoneally significantly reduced the
      thickness of the infected footpad compared with the beginning of treatment. The
      parasite load of the lymph node and spleen was reduced in the groups treated with
      chalcones 1 (topical) and 2 (intraperitoneal). Chalcone 2 (topical) reduced
      parasite burden only in the lymph node. The histological analysis revealed
      reconstitution of the tissue and reductions of inflammation and apoptosis in the
      infected footpad in these groups. The synthetic chalcones 1 (topical) and 2
      (intraperitoneal and topical) at a dose of 10 mg/kg showed anti-Leishmania
      activity in vivo, no renal or hepatic toxicity, and a reduction of apoptosis of
      the cells in the lesions. These chalcones may have substantial potential for the
      treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

PMID- 26096828
TI  - Reflecting on 'An economic model of social capital and health'.

PMID- 26096829
TI  - Femoral Strength Changes Faster With Age Than BMD in Both Women and Men: A
      Biomechanical Study.
AB  - Although a large number of studies have addressed the age-related changes in bone
      mineral density (BMD), there is a paucity of data for the assessment of femoral
      strength loss with age in both genders. We determined the variation of strength
      with age in femurs of women and men by mechanical tests on a cohort of 100
      cadaveric femurs. In addition, the age-related neck BMD loss in our cadaveric
      cohort was found to be similar with BMD loss of four published population-based
      studies. Given the strong correlation found in our cadaveric study between BMD
      and femoral strength, we also estimated the femoral strength of the four
      populations based on their reported neck BMDs. Our study showed that men's femurs
      in our cadaveric cohort were stronger than women's femurs by about 800 N at the
      same BMD level, and by 1750 N at the same age. The strength differences were not
      explained satisfactorily by the size difference between men's and women's bones.
      Similar to the findings of clinical studies, the BMD values of men at all ages
      were larger than that of women. The age-related loss rates in BMD and strength
      were not statistically different between the two genders of our cadaveric cohort.
      After normalization, strength decreased more than 40% faster than BMD. On
      average, men reached a certain BMD value about 16 years later than women, and for
      strength about 23 years later, which may explain the higher rate of hip fracture
      in postmenopausal women. In patient population cohorts men reached a similar BMD
      value about 16 to 25 years later than women, whereas for estimated strength,
      sometimes more than 40 years later.

PMID- 26096830
TI  - Risk Analysis. From the Editors.

PMID- 26096831
TI  - Applying Risk Analysis to Two Divisive Topics: Hydraulic Fracking and Marijuana
      Use.

PMID- 26096822
TI  - Challenges and future perspectives of T cell immunotherapy in cancer.
AB  - Since the formulation of the tumour immunosurveillance theory, considerable focus
      has been on enhancing the effectiveness of host antitumour immunity, particularly
      with respect to T cells. A cancer evades or alters the host immune response by
      various ways to ensure its development and survival. These include modifications
      of the immune cell metabolism and T cell signalling. An inhibitory cytokine
      milieu in the tumour microenvironment also leads to immune suppression and tumour
      progression within a host. This review traces the development in the field and
      attempts to summarize the hurdles that the approach of adoptive T cell
      immunotherapy against cancer faces, and discusses the conditions that must be
      improved to allow effective eradication of cancer. 

PMID- 26096832
TI  - Paradoxical adipose hyperplasia secondary to cryolipolysis: An underreported
      entity?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Cryolipolysis is a non-invasive, safe, and effective
      treatment for localized fat reduction. Paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH) is a
      rare adverse effect in which patients develop painless, firm, and well-demarcated
      tissue masses in the treatment areas approximately 3-6 months following
      cryolipolysis. The incidence of PAH has been estimated at 0.0051% or 1 in 20,000
      treated patients. We report two cases of PAH seen in our practice, which may
      suggest the incidence is greater than previously reported. STUDY DESIGN/PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: A 44-year-old man underwent cryolipolysis for unwanted fat in the
      pectoral region. At 4 month follow-up, the patient had well-demarcated tissue
      growth in the treatment areas. He elected to undergo additional cryolipolysis
      treatment to the areas. Two months later, he was found to have further tissue
      growth in the treatment areas. The patient then underwent corrective treatment
      with liposuction. A 52-year-old man underwent cryolipolysis for unwanted lower
      abdominal fat. At one year follow-up, he had a well-demarcated, subcutaneous mass
      on the lower abdomen corresponding to the treatment site. The patient elected to
      undergo corrective treatment with liposuction. Adipose tissue samples from the
      treated and non-treated areas, for control, were collected, processed, and
      stained to evaluate cellularity and tissue structure. RESULTS: In our practice,
      the incidence of PAH is 0.47% or 2 in 422 cryolipolysis treatments. This is 100
      times greater than the device manufacturer's reported incidence. Histopathologic
      examination of the subcutaneous tissue mass showed an increased number of
      adipocytes, fibrosis, and scar tissue in the treated areas when compared to
      controls. No lipoblasts, a marker of malignant neoplastic proliferation, were
      identified on the histopathologic examination of the affected tissues.
      CONCLUSION: The incidence of PAH is likely underreported. Further investigation
      is necessary to elucidate its mechanism of action. By understanding the
      pathogenesis, this rare adverse effect may be avoided, or even utilized as a
      therapeutic alternative for the treatment of congenital or acquired
      lipodystrophy.

PMID- 26096833
TI  - The paradox of obesity cardiomyopathy and the potential for weight loss as a
      therapy.
AB  - Obesity is an independent risk factor for developing heart failure and the
      combination of the two disease states will prove to be a significant health
      burden over the coming years. Obesity is likely to contribute to the development
      of heart failure through a variety of mechanisms, including structural and
      functional changes, lipotoxicity and steatosis and altered substrate selection.
      However, once heart failure has developed, it seems that obesity confers a
      beneficial influence on prognosis in what has been termed the 'obesity paradox'.
      This may be a statistical phenomenon, but it should be considered that there is
      truly a protective state in the physiology of obesity. There is little evidence
      regarding the impact of weight loss in obese heart failure and whether or not
      this is beneficial. There have been small studies regarding the cardiovascular
      effects of both dietary weight loss and bariatric surgery, but few in heart
      failure. This is an important and increasingly relevant clinical question which
      must be addressed. 

PMID- 26096834
TI  - Transitions Within the JPHC Editorial Advisory Board.

PMID- 26096835
TI  - Parental Vaccine Hesitancy: Clinical Implications for Pediatric Providers.
AB  - Despite being recognized as one of the greatest public health achievements,
      vaccines are increasingly under scrutiny for a multitude of reasons. "Parental
      vaccine hesitancy," an emerging term in today's literature, encompasses a wide
      range of concerns regarding vaccines and is believed to be responsible for
      decreasing coverage of many childhood vaccines. The threat to herd immunity posed
      by poor vaccine uptake increases the risk for resurgence of vaccine-preventable
      diseases. Pediatric primary health care providers have an obligation to respond
      to the increasing prevalence of vaccine hesitancy by providing education related
      to vaccines to ensure the safety and health of the population. The purpose of
      this article is to examine the most common concerns surrounding vaccine hesitancy
      and outline strategies for pediatric providers to address concerns with parents
      in the clinical setting.

PMID- 26096836
TI  - Development of a novel AIDS vaccine: the HIV-1 transactivator of transcription
      protein vaccine.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Classical approaches aimed at targeting the HIV-1 envelope as well
      as other structural viral proteins have largely failed. The HIV-1 transactivator
      of transcription (Tat) is a key HIV virulence factor, which plays pivotal roles
      in virus gene expression, replication, transmission and disease progression.
      Notably, anti-Tat Abs are uncommon in natural infection and, when present,
      correlate with the asymptomatic state and lead to lower or no disease
      progression. Hence, targeting Tat represents a pathogenesis-driven intervention.
      AREAS COVERED: Here, we review the rationale and the translational development of
      a therapeutic vaccine targeting the Tat protein. Preclinical and Phase I studies,
      Phase II trials with Tat in anti-Tat Ab-negative, virologically suppressed highly
      active antiretroviral therapy-treated subjects in Italy and South Africa were
      conducted. The results indicate that Tat-induced immune responses are necessary
      to restore immune homeostasis, to block the replenishment and to reduce the size
      of the viral reservoir. Additionally, they may help in establishing key
      parameters for highly active antiretroviral therapy intensification and a
      functional cure. EXPERT OPINION: We propose the therapeutic setting as the most
      feasible to speed up the testing and comparison of preventative vaccine
      candidates, as the distinction lies in the use of the vaccine in uninfected
      versus infected subjects and not in the vaccine formulation.

PMID- 26096837
TI  - X-linked focal epilepsy with reflex bathing seizures: Characterization of a
      distinct epileptic syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We recently reported a Q555X mutation of synapsin 1 (SYN1) on
      chromosome Xp11-q21 in a family segregating partial epilepsy and autistic
      spectrum disorder. Herein, we provide a detailed description of the epileptic
      syndrome in the original family. METHODS: A total of 34 members from a large
      French-Canadian family were evaluated. Family members with seizures or epilepsy
      underwent (when possible) clinical, neuropsychological, electrophysiologic, and
      neuroimaging assessments. RESULTS: Epilepsy was diagnosed in 10 family members (4
      deceased, 6 living). In addition to occasional spontaneous complex partial
      seizures, seven family members clearly had reflex seizures triggered by bathing
      or showering. Hippocampal atrophy was found in two of five epileptic family
      members family members who underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Video
      electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of three triggered seizures in two
      affected members showed rhythmic theta activity over temporal head regions. Ictal
      single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) showed temporoinsular
      perfusion changes. Detailed neuropsychological assessments revealed that SYN1
      Q555X male mutation carriers showed specific language impairment and mild
      autistic spectrum disorder. Female carriers also exhibited reading impairments
      and febrile seizures but no chronic epilepsy. SIGNIFICANCE: Available evidence
      suggests that impaired SYN1 function is associated with hyperexcitability of the
      temporoinsular network and disturbance of high mental functions such as language
      and social interaction. The presence of reflex bathing seizures, a most peculiar
      clinical feature, could be helpful in identifying other patients with this
      syndrome.

PMID- 26096839
TI  - Napping in older people 'at risk' of dementia: relationships with depression,
      cognition, medical burden and sleep quality.
AB  - Sleep disturbance is prevalent in older adults, particularly so in those at a
      greater risk of dementia. However, so far the clinical, medical and
      neuropsychological correlates of daytime sleep have not been examined. The aims
      of this study were to investigate the characteristics and effects of napping
      using actigraphy in older people, particularly in those 'at risk' of dementia.
      The study used actigraphy and sleep diaries to measure napping habits in 133
      older adults 'at risk' of dementia (mean age = 65.5 years, SD = 8.4 years), who
      also underwent comprehensive medical, psychiatric and neuropsychological
      assessment. When defined by actigraphy, napping was present in 83.5% (111/133) of
      participants; however, duration and timing varied significantly among subjects.
      Nappers had significantly greater medical burden and body mass index, and higher
      rates of mild cognitive impairment. Longer and more frequent naps were associated
      with poorer cognitive functioning, as well as higher levels of depressive
      symptoms, while the timing of naps was associated with poorer nocturnal sleep
      quality (i.e. sleep latency and wake after sleep onset). This study highlights
      that in older adults 'at risk' of dementia, napping is associated with underlying
      neurobiological changes such as depression and cognition. Napping characteristics
      should be more routinely monitored in older individuals to elucidate their
      relationship with psychological and cognitive outcomes. 

PMID- 26096840
TI  - Identification of tert-Butyl Cations in Zeolite H-ZSM-5: Evidence from NMR
      Spectroscopy and DFT Calculations.
AB  - Experimental evidence for the presence of tert-butyl cations, which are important
      intermediates in acid-catalyzed heterogeneous reactions, on solid acids has still
      not been provided to date. By combining density functional theory (DFT)
      calculations with (1)H/(13)C magic-angle-spinning NMR spectroscopy, the tert
      butyl cation was successfully identified on zeolite H-ZSM-5 upon conversion of
      isobutene by capturing this intermediate with ammonia.

PMID- 26096841
TI  - The cytoprotective effects of 7,8-dihydroxyflavone against oxidative stress are
      mediated by the upregulation of Nrf2-dependent HO-1 expression through the
      activation of the PI3K/Akt and ERK pathways in C2C12 myoblasts.
AB  - Recent studies have demonstrated that 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF), a newly
      identified tyrosine kinase receptor B agonist, is a potent antioxidant agent. The
      present study was designed to confirm the cytoprotective effects of 7,8-DHF
      against oxidative stress-induced cellular damage and to further elucidate the
      underlying mechanisms in C2C12 myoblasts. We found that 7,8-DHF attenuated
      hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced growth inhibition and exhibited scavenging
      activity against intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) that were induced by
      H2O2. We also observed that 7,8-DHF significantly attenuated H2O2-induced comet
      tail formation, and decreased the phosphorylation levels of the histone, H2AX, as
      well as the number of Annexin V-positive cells, suggesting that 7,8-DHF prevents
      H2O2-induced DNA damage and cell apoptosis. Furthermore, 7,8-DHF increased the
      levels of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which is a potent antioxidant enzyme
      associated with the induction and phosphorylation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2
      related factor 2 (Nrf2), as well as the translocation of Nrf2 from the cytosol to
      the nucleus. However, the protective effects of 7,8-DHF against H2O2 -induced ROS
      generation and growth inhibition were significantly diminished by zinc
      protoporphyrin IX, an HO-1 competitive inhibitor. Moreover, the potential of 7,8
      DHF to mediate HO-1 induction and protect the cells against H2O2 -mediated growth
      inhibition was abrogated by transient transfection with Nrf2-specific small
      interfering RNA (siRNA). In addition, 7,8-DHF induced the activation of Akt, a
      downstream target of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and also that of
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein
      kinase (MAPK), while specific inhibitors of PI3K and ERK, but not a p38 MAPK
      inhibitor, abolished the 7,8-DHF induced HO-1 upregulation and Nrf2 induction and
      phosphorylation. Collectively, these results demonstrate that 7,8-DHF augments
      the cellular antioxidant defense capacity through activation of the Nrf2/HO-1
      pathway, which also involves the activation of the PI3K/Akt and ERK pathways,
      thereby protecting C2C12 myoblasts from H2O2-induced oxidative cytotoxicity.

PMID- 26096842
TI  - Galectin signature of the choriocarcinoma JAr cells: Galectin-1 as a modulator of
      invasiveness in vitro.
AB  - Our previous findings showed that galectin-1 (LGALS1) plays an important role in
      the in vitro invasion of normal human trophoblast cells. In the present study,
      choriocarcinoma JAr cells were found to express LGALS1, -2, -3, -8, -10, and -13
      mRNA and at least LGALS1, -3, and -8 protein, as determined by reverse
      transcriptase PCR and Western blot, respectively. The galectin mRNA signature of
      JAr cells thus differed from that of normal first-trimester extravillous
      trophoblasts. A Matrigel migration assay was also used to investigate and confirm
      the relevance and effect of LGALS1 on the invasive potential of JAr cells, as
      observed in other trophoblast models. This modulation in behavior was achieved by
      specific lectin-glycan binding.

PMID- 26096838
TI  - Stress Modulation of Opposing Circuits in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria
      Terminalis.
AB  - The anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) has been recognized as a
      critical structure in regulating trait anxiety, contextual fear memory, and
      appetitive behavior, and is known to be sensitive to stress manipulations. As one
      of the most complex structures in the central nervous system, the intrinsic
      circuitry of the BNST is largely unknown; however, recent technological
      developments have allowed researchers to begin to untangle the internal
      connections of the nucleus. This research has revealed the possibility of two
      opposing circuits, one anxiolytic and one anxiogenic, within the BNST, the
      relative strength of which determines the behavioral outcome. The balance of
      these pathways is critical in maintaining a normal physiological and behavioral
      state; however, stress and drugs of abuse can differentially affect the opposing
      circuitry within the nucleus to shift the balance to a pathological state. In
      this review, we will examine how stress interacts with the neuromodulators,
      corticotropin-releasing factor, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin to affect
      the circuitry of the BNST as well as how synaptic plasticity in the BNST is
      modulated by stress, resulting in long-lasting changes in the circuit and
      behavioral state. 

PMID- 26096843
TI  - Anti-proliferative effects of gamma-tocotrienol are associated with suppression
      of c-Myc expression in mammary tumour cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Aberrant c-Myc activity plays a central role in cancer
      transformation. gamma-tocotrienol is a member of the vitamin E family that
      displays potent anti-cancer activity. Here, studies were conducted to determine
      the role of c-Myc in mediating anti-proliferative effects of gamma-tocotrienol in
      mammary cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Treatment effects on mouse +SA and
      human MCF-7 mammary cancer cell proliferation were determined by MTT assay and Ki
      67 staining. Protein expression was determined by western blot analysis.
      Immunofluorescence staining and qRT-PCR were used to characterize cellular c-Myc
      and MYC levels respectively. RESULTS: Anti-proliferative effects of gamma
      tocotrienol were associated with reduction in total c-Myc and phosphorylated-c
      Myc-serine 62, and increase in phosphorylated-c-Myc-threonine 58 levels. gamma
      tocotrienol also reduced PI3K/Akt/mTOR and Ras/MEK/Erk mitogenic signalling,
      cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 levels, and increased p27 levels.
      However, gamma-tocotrienol had no effect on MYC mRNA levels. gamma-tocotrienol
      also increased levels of FBW7 (E3 ligase that initiates ubiquitination of c-Myc),
      but had no effect on serine/threonine phosphatase PP2A or isomerase Pin 1 levels.
      Combined treatment with GSK3alpha/beta inhibitor LiCl or proteasome inhibitor
      MG132 blocked gamma-tocotrienol-induced reductions in c-Myc. CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings indicate that anti-proliferative effects of gamma-tocotrienol are
      associated with reduction in c-Myc that results from increase in GSK-3alpha/beta
      dependent ubiquitination and degradation, rather than from reduction in c-Myc
      synthesis in +SA and MCF-7 mammary cancer cells.

PMID- 26096846
TI  - Smoking as an independent risk factor for macrocytosis in middle-aged adults: a
      population-based observational study.

PMID- 26096847
TI  - Evaluation of delivered dose for a clinical daily adaptive plan selection
      strategy for bladder cancer radiotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To account for variable bladder size during bladder cancer radiotherapy,
      a daily plan selection strategy was implemented. The aim of this study was to
      calculate the actually delivered dose using an adaptive strategy, compared to a
      non-adaptive approach. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten patients were treated to the
      bladder and lymph nodes with an adaptive full bladder strategy. Interpolated
      delineations of bladder and tumor on a full and empty bladder CT scan resulted in
      five PTVs for which VMAT plans were created. Daily cone beam CT (CBCT) scans were
      used for plan selection. Bowel, rectum and target volumes were delineated on
      these CBCTs, and delivered dose for these was calculated using both the adaptive
      plan, and a non-adaptive plan. RESULTS: Target coverage for lymph nodes improved
      using an adaptive strategy. The full bladder strategy spared the healthy part of
      the bladder from a high dose. Average bowel cavity V30Gy and V40Gy significantly
      reduced with 60 and 69ml, respectively (p<0.01). Other parameters for bowel and
      rectum remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Daily plan selection compared to a non
      adaptive strategy yielded similar bladder coverage and improved coverage for
      lymph nodes, with a significant reduction in bowel cavity V30Gy and V40Gy only,
      while other sparing was limited.

PMID- 26096844
TI  - Effect of in-painting on cortical thickness measurements in multiple sclerosis: A
      large cohort study.
AB  - A comprehensive analysis of the effect of lesion in-painting on the estimation of
      cortical thickness using magnetic resonance imaging was performed on a large
      cohort of 918 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients who participated in
      a phase III multicenter clinical trial. An automatic lesion in-painting algorithm
      was developed and implemented. Cortical thickness was measured using the
      FreeSurfer pipeline with and without in-painting. The effect of in-painting was
      evaluated using FreeSurfer's paired analysis pipeline. Multivariate regression
      analysis was also performed with field strength and lesion load as additional
      factors. Overall, the estimated cortical thickness was different with in-painting
      than without. The effect of in-painting was observed to be region dependent, more
      significant in the left hemisphere compared to the right, was more prominent at
      1.5 T relative to 3 T, and was greater at higher lesion volumes. Our results show
      that even for data acquired at 1.5 T in patients with high lesion load, the mean
      cortical thickness difference with and without in-painting is ~2%. Based on these
      results, it appears that in-painting has only a small effect on the estimated
      regional and global cortical thickness. Hum Brain Mapp 36:3749-3760, 2015. (c)
      2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26096845
TI  - Inhibition of Spleen Tyrosine Kinase Potentiates Paclitaxel-Induced Cytotoxicity
      in Ovarian Cancer Cells by Stabilizing Microtubules.
AB  - Resistance to chemotherapy represents a major obstacle for long-term remission,
      and effective strategies to overcome drug resistance would have significant
      clinical impact. We report that recurrent ovarian carcinomas after
      paclitaxel/carboplatin treatment have higher levels of spleen tyrosine kinase
      (SYK) and phospho-SYK. In vitro, paclitaxel-resistant cells expressed higher SYK,
      and the ratio of phospho-SYK/SYK positively associated with paclitaxel resistance
      in ovarian cancer cells. Inactivation of SYK by inhibitors or gene knockdown
      sensitized paclitaxel cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. Analysis of the
      phosphotyrosine proteome in paclitaxel-resistant tumor cells revealed that SYK
      phosphorylates tubulins and microtubule-associated proteins. Inhibition of SYK
      enhanced microtubule stability in paclitaxel-resistant tumor cells that were
      otherwise insensitive. Thus, targeting SYK pathway is a promising strategy to
      enhance paclitaxel response. 

PMID- 26096848
TI  - The radiosensitizing activity of the SMAC-mimetic, Debio 1143, is TNFalpha
      mediated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase (SMAC)
      mimetics are a new class of targeted drugs that specifically induce apoptotic
      cancer cell death and block pro-survival signaling by antagonizing selected
      members of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      The present study was designed to investigate the radiosensitizing effect and
      optimal sequence of administration of the novel SMAC-mimetic Debio 1143 in vitro
      and in vivo. Apoptosis, alteration of DNA damage repair (DDR), and tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) signaling were examined. RESULTS: In vitro, Debio 1143
      displayed anti-proliferative activity and enhanced intrinsic radiation
      sensitivity in 5/6 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines in a
      synergistic manner. In vivo, Debio 1143 dose-dependently radio-sensitized FaDu
      and SQ20B xenografts, resulting in complete tumor regression in 8/10 FaDu
      xenografted mice at the high dose level. At the molecular level, Debio 1143
      combined with radiotherapy (RT) induced enhancement of caspase-3 activity,
      increase in Annexin V-positive cells and karyopyknosis, and increase in TNF-alpha
      mRNA levels. Finally, in a neutralization experiment using a TNF-alpha-blocking
      antibody and a caspase inhibitor, it was shown that the radiosensitizing effect
      of Debio 1143 is mediated by caspases and TNF-alpha. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      demonstrate that the novel SMAC-mimetic Debio 1143 is a radiosensitizing agent
      that is worthy of further investigation in clinical trials in combination with
      radiotherapy.

PMID- 26096849
TI  - Anatomical landmarks accurately determine interfractional lymph node shifts
      during radiotherapy of lung cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Low contrast in the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)
      scans hampers fast online evaluation of interfractional changes in the lymph node
      position on a daily basis. In this study we have investigated whether high
      contrast anatomical landmarks in the vicinity of the nodes may be used as
      surrogates for the lymph node positions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty lung cancer
      patients were treated with an online CBCT-based setup strategy involving soft
      tissue match on the primary tumor. One hundred and sixteen lymph nodes were
      delineated separately on the planning-CT scans and categorized according to the
      lymph node stations. Five anatomical landmarks were selected as surrogate
      structures and assigned to the individual nodes. In addition, the carina was
      delineated. Registrations between the planning-CT and the daily CBCTs were
      performed retrospectively and positional deviations between the nodes and the
      surrogate structures or the carina were registered. RESULTS: The mean
      displacement between lymph nodes and surrogate structures was 1.6mm with
      systematic/random errors of 0.7/0.7mm, significantly smaller than the mean
      displacement between nodes and the carina. CONCLUSIONS: The position of the lymph
      nodes can be evaluated using selected anatomical landmarks on a daily basis using
      CBCT.

PMID- 26096850
TI  - EGFR and beta1-integrin targeting differentially affect colorectal carcinoma cell
      radiosensitivity and invasion.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Simultaneous targeting of beta1 integrin receptor and
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) showed higher level of radiosensitization
      in head and neck cancers than monotherapies. As EGFR inhibition is similarly
      performed in colorectal cancer (CRC), we investigated the radiosensitizing and
      anti-invasive potential of beta1-integrin/EGFR inhibition in CRC cell lines grown
      in more physiological three-dimensional (3D) matrix-based cell cultures.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: DLD-1 and HT-29 cells were used for 3D-colony formation,
      invasion and proliferation assays and Western blotting. beta1 integrin, focal
      adhesion kinase and EGFR were inhibited by AIIB2, TAE226 and Cetuximab,
      respectively. KRAS and BRAF knockdown were accomplished using small-interfering
      RNA technology. Single doses of X-rays ranged from 2Gy to 6Gy and 5-fluorouracil
      (5-FU) concentration was 10MUM. RESULTS: Neither beta1-integrin/EGFR inhibition
      nor KRAS or BRAF depletion nor 5-FU significantly modified CRC cell
      radiosensitivity. Cetuximab, AIIB2 and Cetuximab/AIIB2 differentially modulated
      MAPK, JNK and AKT phosphorylation. AIIB2 and TAE226 significantly decreased cell
      invasion. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show inefficiency of Cetuximab and AIIB2 on top
      of radiochemotherapy. The functions of KRAS and BRAF in therapy resistance remain
      unanswered and warrant further preclinical molecular-driven investigations. One
      promising approach might be beta1 integrin targeting for reducing metastatic CRC
      cell spread.

PMID- 26096851
TI  - Transmembrane proteins--Mining the cattle tick transcriptome.
AB  - Managing the spread and load of pathogen-transmitting ticks is an important task
      worldwide. The cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, not only impacts the economy
      through losses in dairy and meat production, but also raises concerns for human
      health in regards to the potential of certain transmitted pathogens becoming
      zoonotic. However, novel strategies to control R. microplus are hindered by lack
      of understanding tick biology and the discovery of suitable vaccine or acaricide
      targets. The importance of transmembrane proteins as vaccine targets are well
      known, as is the case in tick vaccines with Bm86 as antigen. In this study, we
      describe the localization and functional annotation of 878 putative transmembrane
      proteins. Thirty proteins could be confirmed in the R. microplus gut using LC
      MS/MS analysis and their roles in tick biology are discussed. To the best of our
      knowledge, 19 targets have not been reported before in any proteomics study in
      various tick species and the possibility of using the identified proteins as
      targets for tick control are discussed. Although tissue expression of identified
      putative proteins through expansive proteomics is necessary, this study
      demonstrates the possibility of using bioinformatics for the identification of
      targets for further evaluation in tick control strategies. 

PMID- 26096852
TI  - Molecular-genetic and ultrastructural characteristics of 'Candidatus Ehrlichia
      khabarensis', a new member of the Ehrlichia genus.
AB  - Recently, a new Ehrlichia genetic variant, Ehrlichia sp. Khabarovsk, was
      identified in tissue samples of small mammals captured in the Russian Far East.
      To further characterize Ehrlichia sp. Khabarovsk, tissue homogenate from a
      naturally infected gray red-backed vole (Myodes rufocanus) was passaged three
      times in newborn laboratory mice. Using nested PCR Ehrlichia sp. Khabarovsk DNA
      was detected in tissue samples from infected mice at 1-4 weeks post inoculation.
      Electron microscopic examination revealed morulae containing gram-negative
      bacterial cells in monocytes of mouse spleen and liver. The size and
      ultrastructure of these cells corresponded to those described previously and
      allowed us to identify the bacteria as Ehrlichia sp. The comparison of ehrlichial
      16S rRNA, groEL and gltA genes and putative GroEL and GltA amino acid sequences
      has demonstrated that Ehrlichia sp. Khabarovsk, like Ehrlichia ruminantium, is
      more distant from all other Ehrlichia species than these species are between
      themselves. Phylogenetic analysis has shown that Ehrlichia sp. Khabarovsk belongs
      to the clade formed by Ehrlichia spp. but clusters separately from other
      Ehrlichia species and genetic variants. These data indicate that Ehrlichia sp.
      Khabarovsk can be considered as a new candidate species. We propose to designate
      it as 'Candidatus Ehrlichia khabarensis' according to the territory where this
      species was found. 

PMID- 26096853
TI  - Detection and identification of Rickettsia species in Ixodes tick populations
      from Estonia.
AB  - A total of 1640 ticks collected in different geographical parts of Estonia were
      screened for the presence of Rickettsia species DNA by real-time PCR. DNA of
      Rickettsia was detected in 83 out of 1640 questing ticks with an overall
      prevalence of 5.1%. The majority of the ticks infected by rickettsiae were Ixodes
      ricinus (74 of 83), while 9 of the 83 positive ticks were Ixodes persulcatus. For
      rickettsial species identification, a part of the citrate synthase gltA gene was
      sequenced. The majority of the positive samples were identified as Rickettsia
      helvetica (81 out of 83) and two of the samples were identified as Rickettsia
      monacensis and Candidatus R. tarasevichiae, respectively. Genetic
      characterization based on the partial gltA gene showed that the Estonian
      sequences within the R. helvetica, R. monacensis and Candidatus R. tarasevichiae
      species demonstrated 100% similarity with sequences deposited in GenBank,
      originating from Rickettsia species distributed over large territories from
      Europe to Asia. 

PMID- 26096854
TI  - Aetiology and clinical characteristics of patients with bronchiectasis in a
      Chinese Han population: A prospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease with
      diverse causes that may differ in clinical features and thus treatment options.
      However, few large-scale studies on the aetiology of bronchiectasis are currently
      available. This study aims to determine aetiology and clinical features of
      bronchiectasis in a Chinese Han population. METHODS: This prospective study
      enrolled adult patients diagnosed with bronchiectasis as confirmed by high
      resolution computed tomography at five general hospitals in Shandong from January
      2010 to August 2014. Causes of bronchiectasis were sought by analysis of clinical
      history and auxiliary examinations (including serum immunoglobulin determination,
      saccharin test, Aspergillus skin prick test, autoantibody detection and
      electronic bronchoscopy). RESULTS: A total of 476 adult patients with
      bronchiectasis were included, and all patients were of Chinese Han ethnicity.
      Idiopathic (66.0%) was the most common cause, followed by post-tuberculosis
      (16.0%). Other uncommon causes included post-infective (3.8%), immunodeficiency
      (3.8%), allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (4.0%), rheumatic diseases (4.4%)
      and primary ciliary dyskinesia (0.9%). Patients with post-tuberculosis
      bronchiectasis had a higher frequency of upper lobe involvement (P < 0.05).
      Cylindrical bronchiectasis was the most common type of all causes, with varicose
      bronchiectasis occurring more frequently in post-tuberculosis bronchiectasis and
      allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (P < 0.05). However, patients with
      different causes did not differ in lung function and sputum isolation rate of
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In a Chinese Han population in
      Shandong, idiopathic bronchiectasis is the most common form of bronchiectasis
      followed by post-tuberculosis bronchiectasis. Patients with different causes
      differ in distribution and pattern of bronchiectasis on computed tomography.

PMID- 26096855
TI  - Regulation of Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapeutic Products in Singapore.
AB  - The regulatory environment for cell- and tissue-based therapeutic (CTT) products
      is rapidly evolving and drug regulatory agencies are working toward establishing
      a risk-based system in their regulatory approach. In Singapore, CTT products such
      as cell therapy products, stem cell products, and tissue-engineered products in
      regenerative medicine are regulated as medicinal products. CTT products are
      defined as articles containing or consisting of autologous or allogeneic human or
      xenogeneic cells or tissues that are used for or administered to, or intended to
      be used for or administered to human beings for the diagnosis, treatment, or
      prevention of human diseases or conditions. Currently, we have applied a risk
      based tiered approach whereby high-risk CTT products (substantially manipulated
      products, products intended for nonhomologous use or combined/used in conjunction
      with a drug, biologic, or device) are regulated under the Medicines Act. A new
      standalone regulation for CTT products is being proposed under the Health
      Products Act where we propose to regulate the entire spectrum (high and low risk)
      of CTT products. 

PMID- 26096856
TI  - One-Pot Synthesis of Allylic Sulfones, Ketosulfones, and Triflyl Allylic Alcohols
      from Domino Reactions of Allylic Alcohols with Sulfinic Acid under Metal-Free
      Conditions.
AB  - A metal-free tandem procedure by using a sulfonylation reaction of aryl allylic
      alcohols followed by an iodobenzenediacetate (PIDA)-promoted oxidative
      functionalization has been established. Allylic sulfones, gamma-ketosulfones, and
      triflyl allylic alcohols have been constructed in a single operation. The
      methodology incorporates the sulfonyl (both aryl and triflyl) functionality with
      a simple work-up procedure. 

PMID- 26096857
TI  - Effect of oestradiol benzoate on oestrus intensity and pregnancy rate in CIDR
      treated anoestrus nulliparous and multiparous buffalo.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to examine if administration of oestradiol
      benzoate (OEB) after removal of control internal drug releasing device (CIDR)
      could enhance oestrous intensity and pregnancy rate in anovular nulliparous and
      multiparous Nili-Ravi buffalo. For this, a total of 298 nulliparous (n=91) and
      multiparous (n=207) buffaloes received a CIDR on Day 0, and were administered
      PGF2alpha on Day 6 followed by removal of CIDR on Day 7. At Day 8, OEB was
      administered in approximately half of nulliparous (n=45/91) and multiparous
      (n=100/207) buffalo. All animals were fixed time inseminated 48 and 60h after
      CIDR removal, respectively. The results showed that administration of OEB but not
      the parity, improved oestrous intensity (3.15+/-0.05 vs 2.99+/-0.05; P=0.0026)
      compared to those not received OEB, respectively. However, OEB did not affect
      (46.2 vs 44.1; P=0.8) pregnancy per AI (P/AI). In addition, P/AI was greater
      (50.7 vs 39.6; P=0.036) in multiparous compared to nulliparous buffalo,
      respectively. The oestrous intensity (P=0.025) and response to OEB (P=0.0002) was
      greater in buffalo having a greater body condition (>3.0). Though, non
      significant, timing of ovulation was more synchronous (62.9+/-1.8 vs 72.4+/-3.6h;
      P>0.05) and ovulation rate was greater (91% vs 64%; P>0.05) in buffalo after OEB
      administration. It is concluded that administration of OEB in conjunction with
      the CIDR improves oestrous intensity without affecting P/AI in nulliparous and
      multiparous anovular buffalo. 

PMID- 26096858
TI  - Alterations of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio during the period of stable and
      acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the importance of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio
      (NLR) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for
      identifying the severity of inflammation and recognition of acute exacerbation.
      METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 100 patients with a diagnosis of COPD
      exacerbation who were admitted to our clinic. Complete blood count (CBC),
      measurement of C reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
      were determined within 2 h of hospital admission. Three months after an acute
      exacerbation, these measurements were obtained from the same patients during the
      stable period of COPD. The control group included 80 healthy subjects. NLR was
      calculated from CBC. RESULTS: NLR and other inflammatory markers, such as WBC,
      CRP and ESR were found to be significantly elevated in exacerbated COPD compared
      to stable COPD and control participants. There was a significant correlation of
      NLR with CRP (r = 0.415, P < 0.001), WBC (r = 0.304, P = 0.002) and ESR (r =
      0.275, P = 0.035). For an NLR cutoff of 3.29, sensitivity for detecting
      exacerbation of COPD was 80.8% and specificity was 77.7% (AUC 0.894, P = 0.001).
      Some patients presenting with acute exacerbation of COPD and CRP, WBC or ESR
      levels lower than the optimal cut-off value had high NLR values. CONCLUSIONS:
      Elevated NLR can be used as a marker similar to CRP, WBC and ESR, in the
      determination of increased inflammation in acutely exacerbated COPD. NLR could be
      beneficial for the early detection of potential acute exacerbations in patients
      with COPD who have normal levels of traditional markers.

PMID- 26096859
TI  - MRI methods for the evaluation of high intensity focused ultrasound tumor
      treatment: Current status and future needs.
AB  - Thermal ablation with high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is an emerging
      noninvasive technique for the treatment of solid tumors. HIFU treatment of
      malignant tumors requires accurate treatment planning, monitoring and evaluation,
      which can be facilitated by performing the procedure in an MR-guided HIFU system.
      The MR-based evaluation of HIFU treatment is most often restricted to contrast
      enhanced T1 -weighted imaging, while it has been shown that the non-perfused
      volume may not reflect the extent of nonviable tumor tissue after HIFU treatment.
      There are multiple studies in which more advanced MRI methods were assessed for
      their suitability for the evaluation of HIFU treatment. While several of these
      methods seem promising regarding their sensitivity to HIFU-induced tissue
      changes, there is still ample room for improvement of MRI protocols for HIFU
      treatment evaluation. In this review article, we describe the major acute and
      delayed effects of HIFU treatment. For each effect, the MRI methods that have
      been-or could be-used to detect the associated tissue changes are described. In
      addition, the potential value of multiparametric MRI for the evaluation of HIFU
      treatment is discussed. The review ends with a discussion on future directions
      for the MRI-based evaluation of HIFU treatment.

PMID- 26096860
TI  - Redox-Controlled Exchange Bias in a Supramolecular Chain of Fe4 Single-Molecule
      Magnets.
AB  - Tetrairon(III) single-molecule magnets [Fe4(pPy)2(dpm)6] (1) (H3pPy=2
      (hydroxymethyl)-2-(pyridin-4-yl)propane-1,3-diol, Hdpm=dipivaloylmethane) have
      been deliberately organized into supramolecular chains by reaction with
      Ru(II)Ru(II) or Ru(II)Ru(III) paddlewheel complexes. The products
      [Fe4(pPy)2(dpm)6][Ru2(OAc)4](BF4)x with x=0 (2 a) or x=1 (2 b) differ in the
      electron count on the paramagnetic diruthenium bridges and display hysteresis
      loops of substantially different shape. Owing to their large easy-plane
      anisotropy, the s=1 diruthenium(II,II) units in 2 a act as effective s(eff)=0
      spins and lead to negligible intrachain communication. By contrast, the mixed
      valent bridges (s=3/2, s(eff)=1/2) in 2 b introduce a significant exchange bias,
      with concomitant enhancement of the remnant magnetization. Our results suggest
      the possibility to use electron transfer to tune intermolecular communication in
      redox-responsive arrays of SMMs.

PMID- 26096861
TI  - Magnesium, zinc, and chromium levels in children, adolescents, and young adults
      with type 1 diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Several trace elements are involved in insulin signal
      transduction and glucose metabolism. Our aim for this present study was to
      determine the levels of three important elements-magnesium, chromium, and zinc-as
      well as one oxidative stress marker-malondialdehyde (MDA)-in young type 1
      diabetic patients at different periods of their growth, and to realize the
      relationships between trace elements, oxidative stress, and growth stages.
      METHODS: A total of 88 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus in different growth
      stages and 76 gender- and age-matched healthy subjects were included in this
      study. The levels of MDA were measured through HPLC using a C-18 column. Zinc,
      magnesium, and chromium concentrations in serum were assessed using atomic
      absorption spectrophotometry. RESULTS: We found higher levels of blood
      malondialdehyde (MDA; p < 0.001), significantly lower levels of magnesium (p <
      0.001), and no differences in zinc and chromium levels (p = 0.153 and 0.515,
      respectively) in younger type 1 diabetic subjects relative to those of control
      subjects. Only 3.4% (3/88) of younger diabetic subjects exhibited hypomagnesemia;
      similar results were obtained when comparing different subgroups: children,
      adolescents, and adults. We also observed no differences in the levels of the
      three elements between the genders and among the growth stages (p > 0.05) of the
      diabetic subjects. There were no correlations between the three trace elements
      and HbA1C, diabetes duration, and insulin dose/BMI (all p > 0.05), but there was
      a significant difference between zinc levels and insulin dose/BMI (p = 0.043) in
      the diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS: We found elevated blood MDA, decreased
      magnesium, and no changes in zinc and chromium levels in younger type 1 diabetic
      subjects relative to those of control subjects. Only 3.4% of younger diabetic
      subjects exhibited hypomagnesemia. Whether magnesium supplementation is suitable
      for improving insulin sensitivity and decreasing oxidative stress and
      inflammation will require confirmation through additional studies.

PMID- 26096862
TI  - Reply, Letter to Editor - Combined intervention of protein supplementation and
      resistance training in medical patients.

PMID- 26096864
TI  - Down Syndrome with Patent Ductus Venosus and Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic
      Abnormalities.
AB  - The association between Down syndrome and congenital portosystemic shunts, most
      commonly caused by patent ductus venosus, remains relatively unknown. The authors
      present a girl with Down syndrome with patent ductus venosus, pancreaticobiliary
      maljunction and paucity of interlobular bile ducts, presenting with neonatal
      cholestasis and transient abnormal myeloproliferative disorder. To the best of
      authors' knowledge, no report of the concurrent presence of the above in Down
      syndrome has been published. 

PMID- 26096863
TI  - Land use intensification alters ecosystem multifunctionality via loss of
      biodiversity and changes to functional composition.
AB  - Global change, especially land-use intensification, affects human well-being by
      impacting the delivery of multiple ecosystem services (multifunctionality).
      However, whether biodiversity loss is a major component of global change effects
      on multifunctionality in real-world ecosystems, as in experimental ones, remains
      unclear. Therefore, we assessed biodiversity, functional composition and 14
      ecosystem services on 150 agricultural grasslands differing in land-use
      intensity. We also introduce five multifunctionality measures in which ecosystem
      services were weighted according to realistic land-use objectives. We found that
      indirect land-use effects, i.e. those mediated by biodiversity loss and by
      changes to functional composition, were as strong as direct effects on average.
      Their strength varied with land-use objectives and regional context. Biodiversity
      loss explained indirect effects in a region of intermediate productivity and was
      most damaging when land-use objectives favoured supporting and cultural services.
      In contrast, functional composition shifts, towards fast-growing plant species,
      strongly increased provisioning services in more inherently unproductive
      grasslands. 

PMID- 26096865
TI  - Rare Lung Diseases: Congenital Malformations.
AB  - Increasingly, congenital thoracic malformations (CTMs) are diagnosed on antenatal
      ultrasound, but we lack the evidence to suggest rational management, not least
      because descriptive terms are used inconsistently. This review describes a
      simplified clinical classification of CTMs, and contrasts it with pathological
      descriptions. The age related presentations of CTM are described, together with
      the differential diagnoses of cystic masses presenting both antenatally and
      postnatally. Antenatally diagnosed CTMs rarely require intervention before birth;
      and urgent treatment is only required postnatally if the baby is symptomatic and
      does not respond to medical management. The asymptomatic baby with an antenatal
      diagnosis of a CTM presents a management conundrum. Definitive imaging is with
      high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), but the optimal timing of imaging is
      unclear. Whether surgery should be offered to asymptomatic infants is also
      unclear; in the medium term, 5 % of asymptomatic babies will require surgery for
      complications of the disease. The most vexed question is malignant change; the
      risk in the medium term is probably less than 5 %, but we have no way of
      delineating a high-risk group. Indeed, malignancy has been described even after
      complete resection of a CTM. The author's personal management is to advocate
      surgery in the second year of life for all except for the most trivial CTMs, but
      many would differ and advocate conservative management. More data are needed if
      we are to rationalise our approach to these infants.

PMID- 26096866
TI  - Bone and Joint Infections in Children: Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis.
AB  - Acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (AHO) is one of the commonest bone infection in
      childhood. Staphylococcus aureus is the commonest organism causing AHO. With use
      of advanced diagnostic methods, fastidious Kingella kingae is increasingly
      becoming an important organism in etiology of osteoarticular infections in
      children under the age of 3 y. The diagnosis of AHO is primarily clinical. The
      main clinical symptom and sign in AHO is pain and tenderness over the affected
      bone especially in the metaphyseal region. However, in a neonate the clinical
      presentation may be subtle and misleading. Laboratory and radiological
      investigations supplement the clinical findings. The acute phase reactants such
      as C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are
      frequently elevated. Ultrasonography and MRI are key imaging modalities for early
      detection of AHO. Determination of infecting organism in AHO is the key to the
      correct antibiotic choice, treatment duration and overall management and
      therefore, organism isolation using blood cultures and site aspiration should be
      attempted. Several effective antibiotics regimes are available for managing AHO
      in children. The choice of antibiotic and its duration and mode of delivery
      requires individualization depending upon severity of infection, causative
      organism, regional sensitivity patterns, time elapsed between onset of symptoms
      and child's presentation and the clinical and laboratory response to the
      treatment. If pus has been evidenced in the soft tissues or bone region, surgical
      decompression of abscess is mandatory. 

PMID- 26096868
TI  - Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) and its Associated Pain.

PMID- 26096867
TI  - Urine Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin to Creatinine Ratio: A Novel
      Index for Steroid Response in Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To find the value of urine neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin
      (NGAL) in differentiating steroid response in children with idiopathic nephrotic
      syndrome (INS). METHODS: A total of 52 children with INS (n = 27, steroid
      resistant; n = 25, steroid responsive) aged 1-16 y, along with 18 healthy control
      children were enrolled in this study. Urine NGAL as well as urine protein, and
      serum creatinine were analyzed during active phase of INS. RESULTS: Serum
      creatinine (P 0.032), and urine NGAL/Cr (P 0.001) were significantly higher in
      steroid resistant than steroid sensitive patients. The optimal cutoff value for
      urine NGAL/Cr with the highest sensitivity and specificity was 0.46 ng/mg and cut
      off value of 0.01 and 1.15 ng/mg had maximum sensitivity and specificity,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Urine NGAL/Cr could be considered as a marker of
      steroid resistance in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

PMID- 26096869
TI  - Chemometric Model Development and Comparison of Raman and (13)C Solid-State
      Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Chemometric Methods for Quantification of
      Crystalline/Amorphous Warfarin Sodium Fraction in the Formulations.
AB  - Warfarin sodium (WS) exists in multiple solid-state forms. The solid-state forms
      differ in physicochemical properties, and crystalline changes in the drug
      formulation may influence on the drug product quality and/or clinical
      performance. It is, therefore, critically important to have a good and reliable
      analytical method to monitor and quantitate this transformation during stability
      studies. The aim of the present research was to investigate Raman spectroscopy
      and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance ((13)C ssNMR) methods in conjunction
      with chemometry to quantitate the amorphous and crystalline WS fractions in the
      drug products. Compositionally identical formulations of amorphous and
      crystalline WS were prepared, and mixed in various proportions to make 0%-100%
      amorphous/crystalline sample matrices. Raman and (13)C ssNMR spectra were
      collected and subjected to partial-least-squares and principle component
      regressions after mathematical treatment of the data. The model performance
      parameters such as root-mean-square error of prediction, standard error of
      prediction, and bias were low for Raman models in comparison to (13)C ssNMR
      models. Models predicted values of the independent sample matrices match closely
      with the actual values at high level of crystalline WS. Thus, the developed
      methods provide means to control and quantitate the WS forms fraction in the drug
      product.

PMID- 26096870
TI  - Spontaneously hypertensive rats have more orexin neurons in the hypothalamus and
      enhanced orexinergic input and orexin 2 receptor-associated nitric oxide
      signalling in the rostral ventrolateral medulla.
AB  - NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Our previous study
      demonstrates that elevated orexin 2 receptor (OX2R) activity within the rostral
      ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) contributes to hypertension in spontaneously
      hypertensive rats (SHRs), and a lower OX2R protein level was detected in their
      RVLM. The present study aims to explore the mechanisms underlying elevated
      orexinergic activity in the RVLM of SHRs, compared with their normotensive
      counterparts, Wistar-Kyoto rats. What is the main finding and its importance?
      Increased orexinergic input into the RVLM and enhanced OX2R responsiveness in the
      RVLM, which was mainly mediated by augmented OX2R-neuronal nitric oxide synthase
      signalling, may underlie the elevated OX2R activity within the RVLM of SHRs. Our
      previous study showed that elevated orexin 2 receptor (OX2R) activity within the
      rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) contributes to hypertension in spontaneously
      hypertensive rats (SHRs). Herein, we investigated the mechanism(s) underlying the
      elevated OX2R activity. The following results were found. (i) More hypothalamic
      orexin A-immunoreactive (OXA-IR) cells existed in SHRs than in Wistar-Kyoto (WKY)
      rats at either 4 (2217 +/- 43 versus 1809 +/- 69) or 16 weeks of age (1829 +/- 59
      versus 1230 +/- 84). The number of OXA-IR cells that project to the RVLM was
      higher in 16-week-old SHRs than in WKY rats (91 +/- 11 versus 52 +/- 11). (ii)
      Higher numbers of OXA-IR and RVLM-projecting OXA-IR cells were found in the
      dorsomedial and perifornical hypothalamus of 16-week-old SHRs. (iii)
      Spontaneously hypertensive rats had higher levels of orexin A and B in the
      hypothalamus and higher levels of orexin A in the RVLM than did WKY rats. (iv)
      Unilateral intra-RVLM application of OX2R agonist, orexin A or [Ala(11), d
      Leu(15)]-orexin B (50 pmol) induced a larger pressor response in SHRs than in WKY
      rats. (v) Intra-RVLM pretreatment with a neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS)
      inhibitor, 7-nitro-indazole (2.5 pmol), or a soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor,
      methylene blue (250 pmol), reduced the intra-RVLM [Ala(11), d-Leu(15) ]-orexin B
      induced pressor response in both WKY rats and SHRs. In contrast, an inducible NOS
      inhibitor, aminoguanidine (100 pmol), was ineffective. (vi) Neuronal NOS was co
      expressed with OX2R in RVLM neurons. In conclusion, increased orexinergic input
      and enhanced OX2R-neuronal NOS signalling may underlie elevated OX2R activity in
      the RVLM and contribute to the pathophysiology of hypertension in SHRs.

PMID- 26096871
TI  - "Out of Sight, Out of Mind": The Failed Renal Allograft as a Cause of ESA
      Resistance.
AB  - Approximately 10% of patients treated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents
      (ESAs) for the anemia of chronic kidney disease are unresponsive or relatively
      resistant to therapy. The etiology of this is usually linked to iron deficiency
      or an independent underlying illness. We describe a hemodialysis patient with a
      failed renal transplant 1.5 years earlier, who developed progressive
      erythropoietin resistance and anemia without an apparent cause. He simultaneously
      developed nonspecific malaise and fatigue. By exclusion, the only possible cause
      of these signs and symptoms was inflammation from acute and chronic rejection in
      the retained failed renal allograft. Following pulse steroids and transplant
      nephrectomy, the patient's symptoms resolved and both his hemoglobin improved and
      his erythropoietin requirements decreased significantly. The patient never
      required a blood transfusion and was successfully relisted for a deceased donor
      renal transplant. Hence, inflammation from a retained transplant allograft may be
      an under-recognized cause of erythropoietin resistance in dialysis patients.
      Although transplant nephrectomy remains a controversial practice due to concerns
      of alloantibody production, it may be considered in patients with failed renal
      allografts and anemia refractory to treatment with ESAs. 

PMID- 26096872
TI  - Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome and posterior reversible
      encephalopathy syndrome in a boy with Loeys-Dietz syndrome.
AB  - Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is an autosomal dominant connective tissue disorder,
      caused by heterozygous mutations in TGFBR1 or TGFBR2 and characterized by
      vascular complications (cerebral, thoracic, and abdominal arterial aneurysms
      and/or dissections) and skeletal manifestations. We here report the first patient
      with LDS presenting with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), a
      clinico-radiological condition characterized by recurrent thunderclap headaches,
      with or without neurological symptoms, and reversible vasoconstriction of
      cerebral arteries. The patient was a 9-year-old boy with a heterozygous TGFBR2
      mutation, manifesting camptodactyly, talipes equinovarus, and lamboid
      craniosynostosis. He complained of severe recurrent headaches 2 months after
      total aortic replacement for aortic root dilatation and a massive Stanford type B
      aortic dissection. A thoracic CT scan revealed a left subclavian artery
      dissection. Brain MRI and MRA detected bilateral internal carotid artery
      constriction along with a cortical subarachnoid hemorrhage without intracranial
      aneurysms. Subsequently, he developed visual disturbance and a generalized
      seizure associated with multiple legions of cortical and subcortical increased
      signals including the left posterior lobe, consistent with posterior reversible
      encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), a condition characterized by headaches, visual
      disorders, seizures, altered mentation, consciousness disturbances, focal
      neurological signs, and vasogenic edema predominantly in the white matter of the
      posterior lobe. Vasoconstriction of the internal carotid artery was undetectable
      2 months later, and he was diagnosed as having RCVS. Endothelial dysfunction,
      associated with impaired TGF-beta signaling, might have been attributable to the
      development of RCVS and PRES.

PMID- 26096873
TI  - Combining fluorescence and bioluminescence microscopy.
AB  - Bioluminescence microscopy has revealed that gene expression in individual cells
      can respond differently to the same stimulus. To understand this phenomenon, it
      is important to sequentially observe the series of events from cellular signal
      transduction to gene expression regulated by specific transcription factors
      derived from signaling cascades in individual cells. However, these processes
      have been separately analyzed with fluorescence and bioluminescence microscopy.
      Furthermore, in culture medium, the background fluorescence of luciferin-a
      substrate of luciferase in promoter assays of gene expression in cultured cells
      confounds the simultaneous observation of fluorescence and bioluminescence.
      Therefore, we optimized conditions for optical filter sets based on spectral
      properties and the luciferin concentration based on cell permeability for
      fluorescence observation combined with bioluminescence microscopy. An excitation
      and emission filter set (492-506 nm and 524-578 nm) was suitable for green
      fluorescent protein and yellow fluorescent protein imaging of cells, and >100 MUM
      luciferin was acceptable in culture medium based on kinetic constants and the
      estimated intracellular concentration. Using these parameters, we present an
      example of sequential fluorescence and bioluminescence microscopic observation of
      signal transduction (translocation of protein kinase C alpha from the cytoplasm
      to the plasma membrane) coupled with activation of gene expression by nuclear
      factor of kappa light polypeptide B in individual cells and show that the gene
      expression response is not completely concordant with upstream signaling
      following stimulation with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate. Our technique is a
      powerful imaging tool for analysis of heterogeneous gene expression together with
      upstream signaling in live single cells.

PMID- 26096874
TI  - Adaptation and innovation: a grounded theory study of procedural variation in the
      academic surgical workplace.
AB  - RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Surgical research struggles to describe the
      relationship between procedural variations in daily practice and traditional
      conceptualizations of evidence. The problem has resisted simple solutions, in
      part, because we lack a solid understanding of how surgeons conceptualize and
      interact around variation, adaptation, innovation, and evidence in daily
      practice. This grounded theory study aims to describe the social processes that
      influence how procedural variation is conceptualized in the surgical workplace.
      METHOD: Using the constructivist grounded theory methodology, semi-structured
      interviews with surgeons (n = 19) from four North American academic centres were
      collected and analysed. Purposive sampling targeted surgeons with experiential
      knowledge of the role of variations in the workplace. Theoretical sampling was
      conducted until a theoretical framework representing key processes was
      conceptually saturated. RESULTS: Surgical procedural variation was influenced by
      three key processes. Seeking improvement was shaped by having unsolved procedural
      problems, adapting in the moment, and pursuing personal opportunities. Orienting
      self and others to variations consisted of sharing stories of variations with
      others, taking stock of how a variation promoted personal interests, and placing
      trust in peers. Acting under cultural and material conditions was characterized
      by being wary, positioning personal image, showing the logic of a variation, and
      making use of academic resources to do so. Our findings include social processes
      that influence how adaptations are incubated in surgical practice and mature into
      innovations. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers a language for conceptualizing the
      sociocultural influences on procedural variations in surgery. Interventions to
      change how surgeons interact with variations on a day-to-day basis should
      consider these social processes in their design.

PMID- 26096875
TI  - Mussel-Inspired Modification of Nanofibers for REST siRNA Delivery: Understanding
      the Effects of Gene-Silencing and Substrate Topography on Human Mesenchymal Stem
      Cell Neuronal Commitment.
AB  - In this study, we promote neuronal differentiation of human mesenchymal stem
      cells (MSCs) through scaffold-mediated sustained release of siRNA targeting RE-1
      silencing transcription factor (REST). Poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofibers
      were surface modified with mussel inspired DOPA-melanin (DM) coating for
      adsorption of REST siRNA. DM modification increased siRNA-loading efficiency and
      reduced the initial burst release. Fiber alignment and DM modification enhanced
      REST knockdown efficiencies. Under non-specific differentiation condition, REST
      silencing and fiber topography enhanced MSC neuronal markers expressions and
      reduced glial cell commitment. Such scaffolds may find useful applications in
      enhancing MSCs neuronal differentiation under non-specific conditions such as an
      in vivo environment. 

PMID- 26096877
TI  - Development and validation of TLC-densitometric method for simultaneous
      determination of two binary antihypertensive mixtures containing felodipine in
      fixed dose combinations.
AB  - A new densitometric thin-layer chromatographic method has been developed for
      simultaneous determination of two binary mixtures containing felodipine in
      combination with either metoprolol (mixture I) or ramipril (mixture II). The two
      mixtures were quantitatively separated on 60 F254 silica gel plates using toluene
      ethyl acetate-methanol-ammonia as mobile phase with UV detection at 233 and 229
      nm for mixtures I and II, respectively. The studied drugs were satisfactorily
      resolved with retention factor (Rf ) values of 0.34 +/- 0.03 and 0.65 +/- 0.03
      for metoprolol and felodipine, respectively, in mixture I and 0.35 +/- 0.03 and
      0.74 +/- 0.03 for ramipril and felodipine, respectively, in mixture II. Linearity
      ranges were 2000-7000 and 200-700 ng/band for metoprolol and felodipine,
      respectively, in mixture I and 1500-4000 ng/band for both ramipril and felodipine
      in mixture II. Correlation coefficient (r) values were 0.9968 for both metoprolol
      and felodipine in mixture I and 0.9993 for ramipril and 0.9989 for felodipine in
      mixture II. The method has been validated according to International Conference
      on Harmonization guidelines and has been successfully applied for determination
      of the studied drugs in their dosage forms without interference from commonly
      encountered excipients.

PMID- 26096876
TI  - Tamoxifen Inhibits TGF-beta-Mediated Activation of Myofibroblasts by Blocking Non
      Smad Signaling Through ERK1/2.
AB  - Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a multifunctional cytokine which
      stimulates the differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. Myofibroblasts
      are critical for normal wound healing, but also accumulate pathologically in a
      number of chronic inflammatory conditions where they are key contributors to
      aberrant tissue remodeling and fibrosis, and in cancer stroma. In the current
      study, we identified a role for tamoxifen as a potent inhibitor of the TGF-beta
      mediated activation of primary human skin and breast fibroblasts. Our data
      indicate that tamoxifen does not interfere with canonical Smad signaling
      downstream of TGF-beta but rather blocks non-Smad signaling through ERK1/2 MAP
      kinase and the AP-1 transcription factor FRA2. We further demonstrate by siRNA
      mediated knockdown that FRA2 is critical for the induced expression of myogenic
      proteins in response to TGF-beta. Functionally, TGF-beta-stimulated fibroblast
      mediated contraction of collagen gels was impaired in the presence of tamoxifen.
      Altogether, these data demonstrate that tamoxifen prevents myofibroblast
      differentiation and, therefore, may provide therapeutic benefits to patients
      suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions or cancer.

PMID- 26096878
TI  - Replication study implicates COMT val158met polymorphism as a modulator of
      probabilistic reward learning.
AB  - Previous studies suggest that a single nucleotide polymorphism in the catechol-O
      methyltransferase (COMT) gene (val158met) may modulate reward-guided decision
      making in healthy individuals. The polymorphism affects dopamine catabolism and
      thus modulates prefrontal dopamine levels, which may lead to variation in
      individual responses to risk and reward. We previously showed, using tasks that
      index reward responsiveness (measured by responses bias towards reinforced
      stimuli) and risk taking (measured by the Balloon Analogue Risk Task), that COMT
      met homozygotes had increased reward responsiveness and, thus, an increased
      propensity to seek reward. In this study, we sought to replicate these effects in
      a larger, independent cohort of Caucasian UK university students and staff with
      similar demographic characteristics (n = 101; 54 females, mean age: 22.2 years).
      Similarly to our previous study, we observed a significant trial * COMT genotype
      interaction (P = 0.047; eta(2) = 0.052), which was driven by a significant effect
      of COMT on the incremental acquisition of response bias [response bias at block 3
      - block 1 (met/met > val/val: P = 0.028) and block 3 - block 2 (met/met >
      val/val: P = 0.007)], suggesting that COMT met homozygotes demonstrated higher
      levels of reward responsiveness by the end of the task. However, we failed to see
      main effects of COMT genotype on overall response bias or risk-seeking behaviour.
      These results provide additional evidence that prefrontal dopaminergic variation
      may have a role in reward responsiveness, but not risk-seeking behaviour. Our
      findings may have implications for neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by
      clinical deficits in reward processing such as anhedonia.

PMID- 26096879
TI  - Recent Advances in Stereoselective Drug Targeting.
AB  - Reviewed here are some recent examples of medically important protein targets for
      which stereoselective drugs have been identified. These include heat shock
      protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitors as anticancer agents; transient receptor potential
      vanilloid type 1 antagonists as new analgesics; stereospecific inhibition of
      human mutT homolog MTH1 for cancer treatment; the stereoselective binding of R-
      and S-propranolol by the alpha1-acid glycoprotein transporter; metallohelical
      complexes that are nonpeptide alpha-helical mimetics that enantioselectively
      target Abeta amyloid for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease; metallohelical
      assemblies with promising antimicrobial activity that enantioselectively target
      DNA of resistant bacteria; nonpeptide alpha-helical metallohelices that target
      the DNA of cisplatin-resistant cancer cells; diastereomeric selectivity of
      phenanthriplatin-guanine adducts; and phenazine biosynthetic enzyme active sites
      that can host both enantiomers of a racemic ligand simultaneously.

PMID- 26096880
TI  - [Society of the Members, by the Members, for the Members].

PMID- 26096881
TI  - Thromboelastometric evaluation of hemostasis in dogs infected with Leishmania
      infantum.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of hemostasis using thromboelastometry in dogs with
      leishmaniasis before and after treatment. DESIGN: Longitudinal observational
      study. SETTING: University veterinary teaching hospital. ANIMALS: Eighty-four
      adult, client-owned dogs. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Whole blood samples for
      the coagulation profile were collected from symptomatic dogs with leishmaniasis
      (group S), asymptomatic dogs with leishmaniasis after treatment (group T), and a
      control group of healthy dogs (group H). Hemostasis was evaluated by means of
      standard coagulation profile (prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin
      time, and fibrinogen) and by thromboelastometry (ROTEM). Prothrombin time and
      activated partial thromboplastin time were within the upper reference range in
      all 3 groups. Comparison of the ROTEM variables between the 3 groups showed
      statistically significant differences between group S versus groups T and H, but
      remaining within the reference ranges. Statistically significant differences in
      hematocrit and fibrinogen concentrations were noted between groups (group S vs.
      H: hematocrit P = 0.001, fibrinogen P = 0.002; Group S vs. T: hematocrit P =
      0.001, fibrinogen P = 0.001). These variations have interfered with some
      parameters of the ROTEM profile. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed normal standard
      coagulation profiles in all 3 groups evaluated. The ROTEM results did not fall
      outside of the maximum values of the reference ranges.

PMID- 26096882
TI  - Detection and quantification of pipe damage from change in time of flight and
      phase.
AB  - The use of ultrasonic guided waves for damage detection in pipes is continuously
      increasing. Generally longitudinal (axial symmetric) modes are excited and
      detected by PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate) transducers in transmission mode for
      this purpose. In most studies the change in the received signal strength with the
      extent of damage has been investigated while in this study the change in the
      phase and the time-of-flight (TOF) of the propagating wave modes with the damage
      size is investigated. The cross-correlation technique is used to record the small
      changes in the TOF as the damage size varies in steel pipes. Dispersion curves
      are calculated to carefully identify the propagating wave modes. Differential TOF
      is recorded and compared for different propagating wave modes. Feature extraction
      techniques are used for extracting phase and time-frequency information. The main
      advantage of this approach is that unlike the recorded signal strength the TOF
      and the phase are not affected by the bonding condition between the transducer
      and the pipe. Therefore, if the pipe is not damaged but the transducer-pipe
      bonding is deteriorated then although the received signal strength is altered the
      TOF and phase remain same avoiding the false positive alarms of damage. 

PMID- 26096883
TI  - Strain estimation by a Fourier Series-based extrema tracking algorithm for
      elastography.
AB  - In this paper, a new strain estimator using extrema tracking based on Fourier
      Series expansion (ETBFS) is proposed for ultrasonic elastography. In this method,
      the extremum is determined by solving an equation constructed by obtaining the
      first order derivative of the Fourier Series expansion and setting it to zero.
      Unlike other tracking algorithms, the ETBFS method can locate the extrema of
      radio frequency (RF) signals exactly between two adjacent sampling points and
      achieve a sub-sample accuracy without additional explicit interpolation. The
      correspondence between the located extrema in the pre- and post-compressed RF
      signal segments are constructed with a fine matching technique, with which the
      displacements and strains are estimated. Experimental results on a finite-element
      modeling (FEM) simulation phantom show that the new proposed method can provide a
      more accurate displacement estimation than the standard cross-correlation (CC)
      based method and the scale-invariant keypoints tracking (SIKT) algorithm.
      Moreover, performance analysis in terms of elastographic signal-to-noise ratio
      (SNRe), elastographic contrast-to-noise ratio (CNRe) and the real-versus
      estimated strain error (RESE) also indicate that the dynamic range of the strain
      filter and its sensitivity can be improved with this new method. 

PMID- 26096884
TI  - Inadequate vitamin D levels are associated with culture positive sepsis and poor
      outcomes in paediatric intensive care.
AB  - AIM: This study aimed to assess vitamin D status, and its determinants, in
      paediatric patients with suspected sepsis who were admitted to a paediatric
      intensive care unit (PICU). We also investigated the association between vitamin
      D status and clinical outcomes. METHODS: Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) and
      clinical determinants were prospectively assessed in children with suspected
      sepsis (<12 years old) admitted to the PICU. The relationship between 25OHD and
      clinical outcomes was evaluated. Vitamin D status was also assessed in control
      children of a similar age. RESULTS: We enrolled 120 children with suspected
      sepsis admitted to the PICU and 30 paediatric controls. 25OHD was <50 nmol/L in
      59% of the children admitted to the PICU and 25OHD was lower than in the controls
      (47 +/- 29 vs 66 +/- 26 nmol/L, p < 0.001). After adjusting for potential
      confounders, 25OHD was strongly associated with culture positive sepsis (p <
      0.001), the paediatric index of mortality (p = 0.026) and the duration of
      mechanical ventilation (p = 0.008). There was a negative correlation between
      25OHD and C-reactive protein (CRP): each 0.1% decrease in 25OHD increased CRP (p
      = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Children admitted to the PICU with suspected sepsis had
      lower 25OHD than controls and inadequate 25OHD status was associated with
      confirmed sepsis and poor outcomes.

PMID- 26096885
TI  - Bioaccumulation, subcellular distribution, and acute effects of chromium in
      Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes).
AB  - Chromium (Cr) is an essential element but is toxic to aquatic organisms at
      elevated concentrations. In the present study, adult Japanese medaka (Oryzias
      latipes) were exposed to a sublethal hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) concentration
      via dissolved and dietary exposures for 6 d. Various measurements of Cr were
      made: bioaccumulation in different tissues, subcellular distribution in the
      liver, effects on antioxidants and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and Cr-induced
      lipid peroxidation. The results showed that bioaccumulation increased
      dramatically in all tested tissues from dissolved exposure but only significantly
      in the intestine from dietary treatment, implying that dissolved exposure may be
      predominant for Cr accumulation in medaka. Subcellular distribution revealed that
      Cr accumulated in the liver was mainly (46%) associated with the heat-stable
      protein fraction. Among the antioxidants examined, catalase (CAT) responded to
      dissolved Cr exposure in most tissues whereas superoxide dismutase (SOD) was less
      responsive. Malondialdehyde concentrations were significantly elevated in most
      tissues examined in the dissolved Cr-exposed fish, but were only elevated in the
      liver and intestine in the dietary Cr-exposed fish. The AChE activity in the
      brain was stimulated by 49% in the dissolved Cr-exposed fish. Reductions in
      condition factor and gonadosomatic index were also observed. These data help in
      an understanding of Cr tissue distribution and the acute effects of Cr in
      Japanese medaka.

PMID- 26096886
TI  - Fumaric acid esters prevent the NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated and ATP-triggered
      pyroptosis of differentiated THP-1 cells.
AB  - Fumaric acid esters (FAEs) exert therapeutic effects in patients with psoriasis
      and multiple sclerosis, however their mode of action remains elusive. Pyroptosis
      is a caspase-1-dependent pro-inflammatory form of programmed cell death, mediated
      by the activation of inflammasomes. To understand the pharmacological basis of
      the therapeutic effects of FAEs, the anti-pyroptotic activity of dimethyl
      fumarate (DMF) and its hydrolysis metabolite monomethyl fumarate (MMF) was
      studied in a model of NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis of human
      macrophages. Phorbol myristate acetate-differentiated THP-1 cells were exposed to
      lipopolysaccharide (5 MUg/ml; 4h), then pulsed with ATP (5mM; 1h). MMF, DMF, or
      parthenolide (positive control) were added 1h before the ATP pulse. The
      pyroptotic cell death was evaluated by morphological examination and quantified
      by measuring the lactate dehydrogenase leakage. The ATP-triggered death of THP-1
      cells (60.4 +/- 4.0%) was significantly (P<0.01) prevented by DMF, in a time- and
      concentration-dependent manner (pIC50 and maximal effect were 6.6 and 67.6 +/-
      1.2%, respectively). MMF was less efficacious than DMF. These effects were
      accompanied by a decreased intracellular activation of caspase-1 and interleukin
      1beta release from ATP-treated cells, thus suggesting that FAEs antagonise the
      effects of ATP by preventing the activation of the pyroptotic molecular cascade
      leading to cell death. These results indicate that FAEs are endowed with anti
      pyroptotic activity, which may contribute to their therapeutic effects.

PMID- 26096888
TI  - Accelerated nail elongation speed in psoriasis patients during treatment.

PMID- 26096887
TI  - Mechanisms of human lymphotoxin beta receptor activation on upregulation of
      CCL5/RANTES production.
AB  - Human lymphotoxin-beta receptor (LTbetaR), a member of the tumor necrosis factor
      receptor superfamily, plays an essential role in secondary lymphoid organ
      development, host defense, chemokine secretion, and apoptosis. In our study,
      LTbetaR activations by different stimulations were all found to induce RANTES
      secretion. Overexpression of LTbetaR or stimulation LTbetaR by ligands or
      agonistic antibody in human lung epithelial cells induced RANTES secretion
      However, the regulatory mechanism and the signaling cascade have not been fully
      elucidated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism
      underlying LTbetaR-mediated RANTES production. Our study indicated that
      activation of JNK and ERK was important for the regulation of RANTES secretion.
      In addition, dominant negative mutants of ASK1, TAK1, and MEKK1 inhibited LTbetaR
      induced RANTES expression. The dominant negative mutants of TRAF2, 3, and 5 also
      inhibited LTbetaR-mediated RANTES secretion. Chromatin immunoprecipitation
      analysis showed that LTbetaR activation induced the binding of c-Jun and NF
      kappaB to the RANTES promoter. The results of this study show that LTbetaR
      activates ASK1, TAK1, and MEKK1 cascades via TRAF2, 3, and 5, resulting in the
      activation of JNK and ERK, which promotes the binding of c-Jun and NF-kappaB to
      the RANTES promoter, thereby increasing RANTES expression and secretion.

PMID- 26096889
TI  - Safety and pharmacokinetics of single and multiple intravenous bolus doses of
      diclofenac sodium compared with oral diclofenac potassium 50 mg: A randomized,
      parallel-group, single-center study in healthy subjects.
AB  - In a randomized, parallel-group, single-center study in 42 healthy adults, the
      safety and pharmacokinetic parameters of an intravenous formulation of 18.75 and
      37.5 mg diclofenac sodium (DFP-08) following single- and multiple-dose bolus
      administration were compared with diclofenac potassium 50 mg oral tablets. Mean
      AUC0-inf values for a 50-mg oral tablet and an 18.75-mg intravenous formulation
      were similar (1308.9 [393.0]) vs 1232.4 [147.6]). As measured by the AUC, DFP-08
      18.75 mg and 37.5 mg demonstrated dose proportionality for extent of exposure.
      One subject in each of the placebo and DFP-08 18.75-mg groups and 2 subjects in
      the DFP-08 37.5-mg group reported adverse events that were considered by the
      investigator to be related to the study drug. All were mild in intensity and did
      not require treatment. Two subjects in the placebo group and 1 subject in the DFP
      08 18.75-mg group reported grade 1 thrombophlebitis; no subjects reported higher
      than grade 1 thrombophlebitis after receiving a single intravenous dose. The
      18.75- and 37.5-mg doses of intravenous diclofenac (single and multiple) were
      well tolerated for 7 days. Additional efficacy and safety studies are required to
      fully characterize the product.

PMID- 26096890
TI  - Chloride-inducible transient apoplastic alkalinizations induce stomata closure by
      controlling abscisic acid distribution between leaf apoplast and guard cells in
      salt-stressed Vicia faba.
AB  - Chloride stress causes the leaf apoplast transiently to alkalize, an event that
      is presumed to contribute to the ability of plants to adapt to saline conditions.
      However, the initiation of coordinated processes downstream of the alkalinization
      is unknown. We hypothesize that chloride-inducible pH dynamics are a key chemical
      feature modulating the compartmental distribution of abscisic acid (ABA) and, as
      a consequence, affecting stomata aperture. Apoplastic pH and stomata aperture
      dynamics in intact Vicia faba leaves were monitored by microscopy-based ratio
      imaging and porometric measurements of stomatal conductance. ABA concentrations
      in leaf apoplast and guard cells were compared with pH dynamics by gas
      chromatography-mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid-chromatography-tandem-mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results demonstrate that, upon chloride addition to
      roots, an alkalizing factor that initiates the pH dynamic propagates from root to
      leaf in a way similar to xylem-distributed water. In leaves, it induces a
      systemic transient apoplastic alkalinization that causes apoplastic ABA
      concentration to increase, followed by an elevation of endogenous guard cell ABA.
      We conclude that the transient alkalinization, which is a remote effect of
      chloride stress, modulates the compartmental distribution of ABA between the leaf
      apoplast and the guard cells and, in this way, is instrumental in inducing
      stomata closure during the beginning of salinity. 

PMID- 26096891
TI  - Current approaches to enhance glutamate transporter function and expression.
AB  - L-glutamate is the predominant excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS and has a
      central role in a variety of brain functions. The termination of glutamate
      neurotransmission by excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) is essential to
      maintain glutamate concentration low in extracellular space and avoid
      excitotoxicity. EAAT2/GLT-1, being the most abundant subtype of glutamate
      transporter in the CNS, plays a key role in regulation of glutamate transmission.
      Dysfunction of EAAT2 has been correlated with various pathologies such as
      traumatic brain injury, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's
      disease, among others. Therefore, activators of the function or enhancers of the
      expression of EAAT2/GLT-1 could serve as a potential therapy for these
      conditions. Translational activators of EAAT2/GLT-1, such as ceftriaxone and
      LDN/OSU-0212320, have been described to have significant protective effects in
      animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and epilepsy. In addition,
      pharmacological activators of the activity of EAAT2/GLT-1 have been explored for
      decades and are currently emerging as promising tools for neuroprotection, having
      potential advantages over expression activators. This review describes the
      current status of the search for EAAT2/GLT-1 activators and addresses challenges
      and limitations that this approach might encounter. Termination of glutamate
      neurotransmission by glutamate transporter EAAT2 is essential to maintain
      homeostasis in the brain and to avoid excitotoxicity. Dysfunction of EAAT2 has
      been correlated with various neurological pathologies. Therefore, activators of
      the function or enhancers of the expression of EAAT2 (green arrows) could serve
      as a potential therapy for these conditions. This review describes the current
      status of the search for EAAT2 activators and addresses challenges and
      limitations of this approach.

PMID- 26096892
TI  - We know less than we should about methods of meta-analysis.

PMID- 26096893
TI  - Amine-Catalyzed Highly Regioselective and Stereoselective C(sp(2) )-C(sp(2) )
      Cross-Coupling of Naphthols with trans-alpha,beta-Unsaturated Aldehydes.
AB  - A metal-free C(sp(2) )-C(sp(2) ) cross-coupling approach to highly congested (E)
      alpha-naphtholylenals from simple naphthols and enals is described. The mild
      reaction conditions with pyridine hydrobromideperbromide (PHBP) as the
      bromination reagent in the presence of piperidine or diphenylprolinol
      trimethylsilyl (TMS) ether as promoters enable the process in good yields and
      with high chemoselectivity, regioselectivity, and stereoselectivity. The process
      involves an unprecedented pathway of in situ regioselective 4-bromination of 1
      naphthols and the subsequent unusual aromatic nucleophilic substitution of the
      resulting 4-bromo-1-naphthols with the alpha-C(sp(2) ) of enals through a Michael
      type Friedel-Crafts alkylation-dearomatization followed by a cyclopropanation
      ring-opening cascade process. The noteworthy features of this strategy are
      highlighted by the highly efficient creation of a C(sp(2) )-C(sp(2) ) bond from
      readily available unfunctionalized naphthols and enals catalyzed by non-metal,
      readily available cyclic secondary amines under mild reaction conditions. 

PMID- 26096895
TI  - Atherogenic index of plasma in non-obese women with androgenetic alopecia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is characterized by the local and gradual
      transformation of terminal scalp hair into vellus hair, which has a shorter and
      thinner shaft. Several studies have analyzed the relationship between AGA and
      cardiovascular disease in males, and few were conducted in females. The current
      study aimed to investigate lipid profile and atherogenic index of plasma in non
      obese females with AGA. METHODS: Forty non-obese females with early-onset AGA
      were selected with 40 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects as a control
      group. Total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured, and the atherogenic
      index of plasma was calculated for all cases and control subjects. RESULTS: Mean
      values of total cholesterol (P < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P =
      0.03), and triglycerides (P = 0.001) were significantly higher in cases than
      controls. Mean value of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly
      lower in cases than controls (P = 0.008). The atherogenic index of plasma was
      significantly higher in cases than controls (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Current
      findings support the relationship between early-onset AGA and unfavorable lipid
      profile and cardiovascular risk in affected females. Assessment and follow-up of
      these cases will allow early intervention to avoid cardiovascular complications.

PMID- 26096894
TI  - Neurological complications of breast cancer: A prospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Neurological complications secondary to breast cancer treatment may
      be an important contributor to these patients morbidity. We aimed to quantify the
      incidence of neurological complications of breast cancer treatment during the
      first year after diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a prospective
      cohort study with 506 patients recruited at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology
      of Porto, among those newly diagnosed. Participants underwent a neurological
      examination before treatment, after surgery, after chemotherapy (whenever
      applicable) and at one year after enrollment. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment
      was used to assess cognitive function, at baseline and at one year. We computed
      one-year cumulative incidence estimates and the corresponding 95% confidence
      intervals (95%CI) for each of the neurological complications. RESULTS: Just over
      half of women had breast cancer stage 0 or I. A total of 6.9% were submitted to
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy but most of them completed adjuvant treatment -
      endocrine therapy, radiotherapy or chemotherapy (83.9%, 73.0% and 52.5%,
      respectively). The cumulative incidence of at least one oncological-related
      neurological complication during the first year after diagnosis was 48.4% (95%CI:
      44.1-52.8); the most frequent were neuropathic pain (30.8%, 95%CI: 27.0-35.0),
      chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (16.8%, 95%CI: 13.8-20.3), phantom
      breast pain/syndrome (16.6%, 95%CI: 13.6-20.1) and cognitive decline (8.1%,
      95%CI: 5.8-11.1). CONCLUSIONS: Neurological complications were a frequent side
      effect of breast cancer management in the first year after diagnosis, especially
      neuropathic pain and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Accurate
      diagnosis and treatment of these complications are important to minimize the
      burden associated with breast cancer treatment in breast cancer survivors.

PMID- 26096896
TI  - Assessing the treatment effect in a randomized controlled trial with extensive
      non-adherence: the EVOLVE trial.

PMID- 26096897
TI  - High-throughput approach for the identification of anilinium-based ionic liquids
      that are suitable for electropolymerisation.
AB  - We report the synthesis of new protic ionic liquids (PILs) based on aniline
      derivatives and the use of high-throughput (HT) techniques to screen possible
      candidates. In this work, a simple HT method was applied to rapidly screen
      different aniline derivatives against different acids in order to identify
      possible combinations that produce PILs. This was followed by repeating the HT
      process with a Chemspeed robotic synthesis platform for more accurate results.
      One of the successful combinations were then chosen to be synthesised on a larger
      scale for further analysis. The new PILs are of interest to the fields of ionic
      liquids, energy storage and especially, conducting polymers as they serve as
      solvents, electrolytes and monomers at the same time for possible
      electropolymerisation (i.e. a self-contained polymer precursor). 

PMID- 26096898
TI  - Materials used to simulate physical properties of human skin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For many applications in research, material development and testing,
      physical skin models are preferable to the use of human skin, because more
      reliable and reproducible results can be obtained. PURPOSE: This article gives an
      overview of materials applied to model physical properties of human skin to
      encourage multidisciplinary approaches for more realistic testing and improved
      understanding of skin-material interactions. METHODS: The literature databases
      Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar were searched using the terms 'skin
      model', 'skin phantom', 'skin equivalent', 'synthetic skin', 'skin substitute',
      'artificial skin', 'skin replica', and 'skin model substrate.' Articles
      addressing material developments or measurements that include the replication of
      skin properties or behaviour were analysed. RESULTS: It was found that the most
      common materials used to simulate skin are liquid suspensions, gelatinous
      substances, elastomers, epoxy resins, metals and textiles. Nano- and micro
      fillers can be incorporated in the skin models to tune their physical properties.
      CONCLUSION: While numerous physical skin models have been reported, most
      developments are research field-specific and based on trial-and-error methods. As
      the complexity of advanced measurement techniques increases, new
      interdisciplinary approaches are needed in future to achieve refined models which
      realistically simulate multiple properties of human skin.

PMID- 26096899
TI  - Mucocutaneous lupus erythematosus in dogs (21 cases).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of dogs with chronic juxtamucosal erosive lesions and
      histopathology typical of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is unclear.
      HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: We report herein 21 dogs with mucocutaneous erosive
      lesions and lupus-specific histopathology that we propose to be affected with
      mucocutaneous lupus erythematosus (MCLE), another variant of chronic CLE.
      METHODS: Inclusion criteria were the presence of the following: (i) a >2 month
      history of chronic or recurrent skin lesions; (ii) erosions or ulcers
      predominating at mucosae or mucocutaneous junctions; (iii) microscopic lesions of
      CLE (i.e. a lymphocyte-rich interface dermatitis with basal keratinocyte damage);
      and (iv) a lack of complete remission following antimicrobials. Clinical
      questionnaires and skin biopsies were reviewed. Direct immunofluorescence and
      antinuclear antibody serology were performed whenever possible. RESULTS: More
      than half of the 21 dogs were German shepherds or their crosses. The disease
      affected mostly dogs in their mid-adulthood and there was an over-representation
      of females. Erosions and ulcers predominated at genital/perigenital and
      anal/perianal areas, with a lower frequency of involvement of periocular,
      perioral and perinasal regions. In these dogs, there were no clinical signs
      suggestive of an associated systemic lupus erythematosus. Microscopic lesions
      were specific for CLE, but they were patchy and often infected with bacteria. The
      most common immunological finding was focal IgG deposition at the basement
      membrane zone. Lesions responded to varying interventions, but oral
      glucocorticoids led to a shorter time to complete remission. Relapses were common
      upon treatment tapering. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: These observations
      support MCLE being another variant of canine CLE.

PMID- 26096900
TI  - The crystal structure of Helicobacter pylori HP1029 highlights the functional
      diversity of the sialic acid-related DUF386 family.
AB  - The proteins of the YhcH/YjgK/YiaL (DUF386) family have been implicated in the
      bacterial metabolism of host-derived sialic acids and biofilm formation, although
      their precise biochemical function remains enigmatic. We present here the crystal
      structure of protein HP1029 from Helicobacter pylori. The protein is a homodimer,
      in which each monomer comprises a molecular core formed by 12 antiparallel beta
      strands arranged in two beta-sheets flanked by helices. The sandwich formed by
      the sheets assumes the shape of a funnel opened at one end, with a zinc ion
      present at the bottom of the funnel. The crystal structure unequivocally shows
      that HP1029 belongs to the DUF386 family. Although no bioinformatics evidence has
      been found for sialic acid catabolism in H. pylori, the genomic context of HP1029
      in Helicobacter and related organisms suggests a possible role in the metabolism
      of bacterial surface saccharides, such as pseudaminic acid and its derivatives.

PMID- 26096901
TI  - The stiff shoulder; A case study.
AB  - Clinicians working in outpatient departments and advanced practitioner clinics
      frequently encounter patients presenting with multidirectional stiffness of the
      glenohumeral joint. This case report describes the assessment and treatment of a
      patient presenting with glenohumeral joint stiffness and describes the possible
      differential diagnoses. The evidence base used to inform the decision-making
      process is presented and the use of radiology that helped to ultimately establish
      the diagnosis is discussed. The clinical reasoning process of applying knowledge
      and experience to identify patient problems and to make appropriate decisions
      that result in positive patient outcomes is discussed. The case report highlights
      the importance of early diagnosis. 

PMID- 26096902
TI  - The Effect of Right Ventricular Apical and Nonapical Pacing on the Short- and
      Long-Term Changes in Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction: A Systematic Review and
      Meta-Analysis of Randomized-Controlled Trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The right ventricular apex (RVA) is the traditional lead site for
      chronic pacing but in some patients may cause impaired left ventricular (LV)
      systolic function over time. Comparisons with right ventricular nonapical (RVNA)
      pacing sites have generated inconsistent results and recent meta-analyses have
      demonstrated unclear benefit due to heterogeneity across studies. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: A systematic search for randomized controlled trials that compared LV
      ejection fraction (LVEF) outcomes between RVNA and RVA pacing was performed up to
      October 2014. Twenty-four studies (n = 1,628 patients) met the inclusion
      criteria. To avoid between study heterogeneity two homogenous groups were
      created; group 1 where studies reported a difference (in favor of RVNA pacing)
      and group 2 where studies reported no difference between pacing sites. For group
      1, weighted mean difference between RVNA and RVA pacing in terms of LVEF at
      follow-up was 5.40% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.94-6.87), related in part to
      group one's RVA arm demonstrating a significant reduction (mean loss -3.31%; 95%
      CI: -6.19 to -0.43) in LVEF between study baseline and end of follow-up. Neither
      of these finding were seen in group 2. Weighted regression modeling demonstrated
      that inclusion of poor baseline LVEF (<40%) in combination with greater than 12
      months follow-up was three times more common in group 1 compared to group 2
      (weighted relative risk 2.82; 95% CI: 1.03-7.72; P = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: In
      patients requiring chronic right ventricular pacing where there is inclusion of
      impaired baseline LVEF (<40%), RVA pacing is associated with deterioration in LV
      function relative to RVNA pacing.

PMID- 26096903
TI  - Overexpression of Indian hedgehog partially rescues short stature homeobox 2
      overexpression-associated congenital dysplasia of the temporomandibular joint in
      mice.
AB  - The role of short stature homeobox 2 (shox2) in the development and homeostasis
      of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) has been well documented. Shox2 is known to
      be expressed in the progenitor cells and perichondrium of the developing condyle.
      A previous study by our group reported that overexpression of shox2 leads to
      congenital dysplasia of the TMJ via downregulation of the Indian hedgehog (Ihh)
      signaling pathway, which is essential for embryonic disc primordium formation and
      mandibular condylar growth. To determine whether overexpression of Ihh may rescue
      the overexpression of shox2 leading to congenital dysplasia of the TMJ, a mouse
      model in which Ihh and shox2 were overexpressed (Wnt1-Cre; pMes-stop shox2; pMes
      stop Ihh mice) was utilized to assess the consequences of this overexpression on
      TMJ development during post-natal life. The results showed that the developmental
      process and expression levels of runt-related transcription factor 2 and sex
      determining region Y-box 9 in the TMJ of the Wnt1-Cre; pMes-stop shox2; pMes-stop
      Ihh mice were similar to those in wild-type mice. Overexpression of Ihh rescued
      shox2 overexpression-associated reduction of extracellular matrix components.
      However, overexpression of Ihh did not inhibit the shox2 overexpression
      associated increase of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) MMP9, MMP13 and apoptosis
      in the TMJ. These combinatory cellular and molecular defects appeared to account
      for the observed congenital dysplasia of TMJ, suggesting that overexpression of
      Ihh partially rescued shox2 overexpression-associated congenital dysplasia of the
      TMJ in mice.

PMID- 26096904
TI  - Prevalence of Deafness-Associated Connexin-26 (GJB2) and Connexin-30 (GJB6)
      Pathogenic Alleles in a Large Patient Cohort from Eastern Sicily.
AB  - Mutations in the gene encoding the gap junction protein connexin 26 (GJB2) and
      connexin 30 (GJB6) have been shown to be a major contributor to prelingual,
      sensorineural, nonsyndromic deafness. The aim of this study was to characterize
      and establish the prevalence of GJB2 and GJB6 gene alterations in 196 patients
      affected by sensorineural, nonsyndromic hearing loss, from Eastern Sicily. We
      performed sequence analysis of GJB2 and identified sequence variants in 68 out of
      196 patients (34.7%); (28 homozygous for c.35delG, 22 compound heterozygous and
      11 with only one variant allele). We found 12 different allelic variants, the
      most prevalent being c.35delG, which was found on 89 chromosomes (65.5%),
      followed by other alleles with different frequencies (p.E47X, c.-23+1G>A, p.L90P,
      p.R184W, p.M34T, c.167delT, p.R127H, p.M163V, p.V153I, p.W24X, and p.T8M).
      Importantly, for the first time we present the frequency and spectrum of GJB2
      mutations in NSHL patients from Eastern Sicily. No alterations were found in the
      GJB6 gene, confirming that alterations in this gene are uncommon in our
      geographic area. Note that 65.3% and 23.5% of our patients, respectively were
      found to be negative or carriers by GJB2 molecular screening. This emphasizes the
      need to broaden the genetic analysis to other genes involved in hearing loss.

PMID- 26096905
TI  - Salicin from Willow Bark can Modulate Neurite Outgrowth in Human Neuroblastoma SH
      SY5Y Cells.
AB  - Salicin from willow bark has been used throughout centuries in China and Europe
      for the treatment of pain, headache, and inflammatory conditions. Recently, it
      could be demonstrated that salicin binds and activates the bitter taste receptor
      TAS2R16. Studies on rodent tissues showed the general expression of bitter taste
      receptors (TAS2Rs) in rodent brain. Here, we demonstrate the expression of
      hTAS2R16 in human neuronal tissues and the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. The
      functionality was analyzed in the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y after
      stimulation with salicin, a known TAS2R16 agonist. In this setting salicin
      induced in SH-SY5Y cells phosphorylation of ERK and CREB, the key transcription
      factor of neuronal differentiation. PD98059, an inhibitor of the ERK pathway, as
      well as probenecid, a TAS2R16 antagonist, inhibited receptor phosphorylation as
      well as neurite outgrowth. These data show that salicin might modulate neurite
      outgrowth by bitter taste receptor activation.

PMID- 26096906
TI  - No evidence for substrate accumulation in Parkinson brains with GBA mutations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To establish whether Parkinson's disease (PD) brains previously
      described to have decreased glucocerebrosidase activity exhibit accumulation of
      the lysosomal enzyme's substrate, glucosylceramide, or other changes in lipid
      composition. METHODS: Lipidomic analyses and cholesterol measurements were
      performed on the putamen (n = 5-7) and cerebellum (n = 7-14) of controls,
      Parkinson's disease brains with heterozygote GBA1 mutations (PD+GBA), or sporadic
      PD. RESULTS: Total glucosylceramide levels were unchanged in both PD+GBA and
      sporadic PD brains when compared with controls. No changes in glucosylsphingosine
      (deacetylated glucosylceramide), sphingomyelin, gangliosides (GM2, GM3), or total
      cholesterol were observed in either putamen or cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study did not demonstrate glucocerebrosidase substrate accumulation in PD brains
      with heterozygote GBA1 mutations in areas of the brain with low alpha-synuclein
      pathology.

PMID- 26096908
TI  - Hepatitis C virus addiction to liver miR-122 takes its Toll on the host.

PMID- 26096907
TI  - Role of B cell receptor signaling in IL-10 production by normal and malignant B-1
      cells.
AB  - B-1 cells are considered innate immune cells, which produce the majority of
      natural antibodies. B-1 cell responses to B cell receptor (BCR) and Toll-like
      receptor ligation are tightly regulated owing to the cross-reactivity to self
      antigens. CD5 has been shown to play a major role in downregulation of BCR
      responses in B-1 cells. Here, we provide evidence for another mechanism by which
      BCR response is regulated in B-1 cells. B-1 cells, as well as their malignant
      counterpart, B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells, produce
      interleukin-10 (IL-10) constitutively. IL-10 secretion by normal B-1 cells
      downregulates their proliferation responses to BCR ligation. However, we found
      that CLL cells appear to be unique in not responding to IL-10-mediated feedback
      suppressive effects in comparison to normal B-1 cells. In addition, we describe a
      novel role of the BCR signaling pathway in constitutive IL-10 secretion by normal
      and malignant B-1 cells. We found that inhibition of Src family kinases, spleen
      tyrosine kinase, Syk, or Bruton's tyrosine kinase reduces constitutive IL-10
      production by both normal and malignant B-1 cells. 

PMID- 26096909
TI  - Dimensionality of stress experiences: Factorial structure of the Perceived Stress
      Questionnaire (PSQ) in a population-based Swedish sample.
AB  - We investigated the factorial structure of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire
      (PSQ-recent; Levenstein, Prantera, Varvo et al., 1993) in a large (N = 1516; 35
      95 years) population-based Swedish sample (Nilsson, Adolfsson, Backman et al.,
      2004; Nilsson, Backman, Erngrund et al., 1997). Exploratory principal components
      analysis (PCA) was conducted on a first, randomly drawn subsample (n = 506).
      Next, the model based on the PCA was tested in a second sample (n = 505).
      Finally, a third sample (n = 505) was used to cross-validate the model. Five
      components were extracted in the PCA (eigenvalue > 1) and labeled "Demands,"
      "Worries/Tension," "Lack of joy," "Conflict," and "Fatigue," respectively. Twenty
      one out of the 30 original PSQ items were retained in a confirmatory factor
      analysis (CFA) model that included the five (first-order) factors and,
      additionally, a general (second-order) stress factor, not considered in prior
      models. The model showed reasonable goodness of fit [chi(2)(184) = 511.2, p <
      0.001; CFI = 0.904; RMSEA = 0.059; and SRMR = 0.063]. Multigroup confirmatory
      factor analyses supported the validity of the established model. The results are
      discussed in relation to prior investigations of the factorial structure of the
      PSQ.

PMID- 26096911
TI  - Conformational Plasticity in Glycomimetics: Fluorocarbamethyl-L-idopyranosides
      Mimic the Intrinsic Dynamic Behaviour of Natural Idose Rings.
AB  - Sugar function, structure and dynamics are intricately correlated. Ring
      flexibility is intrinsically related to biological activity; actually plasticity
      in L-iduronic rings modulates their interactions with biological receptors.
      However, the access to the experimental values of the energy barriers and free
      energy difference for conformer interconversion in water solution has been
      elusive. Here, a new generation of fluorine-containing glycomimetics is
      presented. We have applied a combination of organic synthesis, NMR spectroscopy
      and computational methods to investigate the conformational behaviour of idose-
      and glucose-like rings. We have used low-temperature NMR spectroscopic
      experiments to slow down the conformational exchange of the idose-like rings.
      Under these conditions, the exchange rate becomes slow in the (19) F NMR
      spectroscopic chemical shift timescale and allows shedding light on the
      thermodynamic and kinetic features of the equilibrium. Despite the minimal
      structural differences between these compounds, a remarkable difference in their
      dynamic behaviour indeed occurs. The importance of introducing fluorine atoms in
      these sugars mimics is also highlighted. Only the use of (19) F NMR spectroscopic
      experiments has permitted the unveiling of key features of the conformational
      equilibrium that would have otherwise remained unobserved. 

PMID- 26096910
TI  - Long-term and perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic versus open liver resection
      for hepatocellular carcinoma with propensity score matching: a multi
      institutional Japanese study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the long-term outcomes and
      perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) with those of open
      liver resection (OLR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) between well-matched
      patient groups. METHODS: Hepatocellular carcinoma patients underwent primary
      liver resection between 2000 and 2010, were collected from 31 participating
      institutions in Japan and were divided into LLR (n = 436) and OLR (n = 2969)
      groups. A one-to-one propensity case-matched analysis was used with covariates of
      baseline characteristics, including tumor characteristics and surgical procedures
      of hepatic resections. Long-term and short-term outcomes were compared between
      the matched two groups. RESULTS: The two groups were well balanced by propensity
      score matching and 387 patients were matched. There were no significant
      differences in overall survival and disease-free survival between LLR and OLR.
      The median blood loss (158 g vs. 400 g, P < 0.001) was significantly less with
      LLR, and the median postoperative hospital stay (13 days vs. 16 days, P < 0.001)
      was significantly shorter for LLR. Complication rate (6.7% vs. 13.0%, P = 0.003)
      was significantly less in LLR. CONCLUSION: Compared with OLR, LLR in selected
      patients with HCC showed similar long-term outcomes, associated with less blood
      loss, shorter hospital stay, and fewer postoperative complications.

PMID- 26096912
TI  - Application of a laser-guided docking system in robot-assisted urologic surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This work explores the clinical significance of a laser-guided
      docking system for robot-assisted urologic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Between July 2013 and June 2014, 40 patients underwent robot-assisted
      laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP), and 32 patients underwent robot-assisted
      laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RAPN) performed by a single surgeon. In the
      RALP and RAPN groups, the robot was docked in the traditional way in 20 and 16
      cases, respectively. A laser guiding system was used in the other cases. The
      docking time and the time required to adjust the angles were recorded. RESULT:
      The docking time was significantly shorter for the laser-guided process performed
      by inexperienced nurses. The time required to adjust the angles was also lower.
      There were no significant differences between the processes performed by
      experienced nurses. CONCLUSION: A laser-guided docking system may simplify and
      standardize the docking process and shorten the learning curve. Copyright (c)
      2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26096913
TI  - Edge co-occurrences can account for rapid categorization of natural versus animal
      images.
AB  - Making a judgment about the semantic category of a visual scene, such as whether
      it contains an animal, is typically assumed to involve high-level associative
      brain areas. Previous explanations require progressively analyzing the scene
      hierarchically at increasing levels of abstraction, from edge extraction to mid
      level object recognition and then object categorization. Here we show that the
      statistics of edge co-occurrences alone are sufficient to perform a rough yet
      robust (translation, scale, and rotation invariant) scene categorization. We
      first extracted the edges from images using a scale-space analysis coupled with a
      sparse coding algorithm. We then computed the "association field" for different
      categories (natural, man-made, or containing an animal) by computing the
      statistics of edge co-occurrences. These differed strongly, with animal images
      having more curved configurations. We show that this geometry alone is sufficient
      for categorization, and that the pattern of errors made by humans is consistent
      with this procedure. Because these statistics could be measured as early as the
      primary visual cortex, the results challenge widely held assumptions about the
      flow of computations in the visual system. The results also suggest new
      algorithms for image classification and signal processing that exploit
      correlations between low-level structure and the underlying semantic category. 

PMID- 26096915
TI  - Rapid and sensitive detection of Dasheen mosaic virus infecting elephant foot yam
      by reverse transcription loop mediated isothermal amplification of coat protein
      gene.
AB  - Dasheen mosaic virus (DsMV), the pathogen causing mosaic disease of elephant foot
      yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifoilius) is disseminated mainly through vegetative
      propagation of the tubers. For the rapid and sensitive detection of the virus, a
      reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay
      based on the coat protein gene has been developed. A final concentration of 5.4
      mM magnesium sulphate and 0.7 M betaine in the reaction mixture was found to be
      optimum for getting characteristic ladder like bands of the amplified product
      after gel electrophoresis. The reaction was set at 65 degrees C for 50 min
      followed by reaction termination at 86 degrees C for 5 min in a water bath. The
      sensitivity of the assay was found to be 100 times higher than that of RT-PCR.
      The virus was indexed successfully from tubers of elephant foot yam. In tube
      detection of the DsMV was carried out using fluorescence detection reagents. The
      assay was validated with field samples from various regions of Kerala state,
      India.

PMID- 26096914
TI  - Cortical actin regulation modulates vascular contractility and compliance in
      veins.
AB  - Most cardiovascular research focuses on arterial mechanisms of disease, largely
      ignoring venous mechanisms. Here we examine ex vivo venous stiffness, spanning
      tissue to molecular levels, using biomechanics and magnetic microneedle
      technology, and show for the first time that venous stiffness is regulated by a
      molecular actin switch within the vascular smooth muscle cell in the wall of the
      vein. This switch connects the contractile apparatus within the cell to adhesion
      structures and facilitates stiffening of the vessel wall, regulating blood flow
      return to the heart. These studies also demonstrate that passive stiffness, the
      component of total stiffness not attributable to vascular smooth muscle
      activation, is severalfold lower in venous tissue than in arterial tissue. We
      show here that the activity of the smooth muscle cells plays a dominant role in
      determining total venous stiffness and regulating venous return. The literature
      on arterial mechanics is extensive, but far less is known about mechanisms
      controlling mechanical properties of veins. We use here a multi-scale approach to
      identify subcellular sources of venous stiffness. Portal vein tissue displays a
      severalfold decrease in passive stiffness compared to aortic tissues. The alpha
      adrenergic agonist phenylephrine (PE) increased tissue stress and stiffness, both
      attenuated by cytochalasin D (CytoD) and PP2, inhibitors of actin polymerization
      and Src activity, respectively. We quantify, for the first time, cortical
      cellular stiffness in freshly isolated contractile vascular smooth muscle cells
      using magnetic microneedle technology. Cortical stiffness is significantly
      increased by PE and CytoD inhibits this increase but, surprisingly, PP2 does not.
      No detectable change in focal adhesion size, measured by immunofluorescence of
      FAK and zyxin, accompanies the PE-induced changes in cortical stiffness. Probing
      with phospho-specific antibodies confirmed activation of FAK/Src and ERK pathways
      and caldesmon phosphorylation. Thus, venous tissue stiffness is regulated both at
      the level of the smooth muscle cell cortex, via cortical actin polymerization,
      and by downstream smooth muscle effectors of Src/ERK signalling pathways. These
      findings identify novel potential molecular targets for the modulation of venous
      capacitance and venous return in health and disease.

PMID- 26096916
TI  - The Dermatophagoides farinae group 22 allergen: cloning and expression in
      Escherichia coli.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dermatophagoides farinae (Hughes) (Acari: Pyroglyphidae) and other
      domestic mites produce allergens that affect people worldwide. Here, the
      complementary DNA (cDNA) coding for group 22 allergen of D. farinae (Der f 22)
      from China was cloned, sequenced, and expressed successfully. METHODS: The cDNA
      encoding Der f 22 was synthesized by reverse transcription polymerase chain
      reaction (RT-PCR), then ligated to the pCold-TF for expression in Escherichia
      coli BL21 cells. The purified recombinant fusion protein was identified by sodium
      dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Western-blotting,
      and tandem matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI
      TOF/TOF). RESULTS: The full-length cDNA comprised 468 nucleotides and was 99.57%
      (466/468) identical with the reference sequence (GenBank: DQ643992). After the
      plasmid pCold-TF-Der f 22 was transformed into E. coli BL21 and expressed with
      the induction of IPTG, SDS-PAGE showed a specific band for the recombinant fusion
      protein. The recombinant fusion protein, which was purified by chromatography,
      bound with a His-tagged antibody by Western blotting. MALDI-TOF/TOF mass
      spectrometry revealed that the structure of the recombinant protein was identical
      to the predicted Der f 22 structure. The hydrophilic protein contains a signal
      peptide of 20 amino acids, and the mature Der f 22 consists of 135 amino acid
      residues with a molecular weight of 14.7 kDa and theoretical isoelectric points
      (pI) of 6.38. Its secondary structure comprises an alpha helix (38.5%), beta
      sheet (45.9%), random coils (11.85%), and beta-turns (11.1%). CONCLUSION: This
      work represents the first reported full-length sequence and successful cloning of
      Der f 22 from D. farinae in China; bioinformatics analysis can be used to further
      study the allergenicity and clinical utility of the recombinant Der f 22.

PMID- 26096917
TI  - The thermal unfolding of the ribosome-inactivating protein saporin-S6
      characterized by infrared spectroscopy.
AB  - Saporin-S6 is a plant toxin belonging to the type 1 ribosome-inactivating protein
      (RIP) family. Since it was extracted and isolated from Saponaria officinalis for
      the first time almost thirty years ago, the protein has been widely studied
      mainly for its potential applications in anti-tumour and anti-viral infection
      therapy. Like other RIPs, saporin-S6 is particularly effective in the form of
      immunotoxin conjugated with monoclonal antibodies and its chemico-physical
      characteristics made the protein a perfect candidate for the synthesis,
      development and use of saporin-S6-based chimeric toxins. The high stability of
      the protein against different denaturing agents has been broadly demonstrated,
      however, its complete thermal unfolding characterization has not already been
      performed. In this work we analyse in detail structure, thermostability and
      unfolding features by means of infrared spectroscopy coupled with two-dimensional
      correlation spectroscopy. Our data showed that saporin-S6 in solution at neutral
      pH exhibits a secondary structure analogue to that of the crystal and confirmed
      its good stability at moderately high temperatures, with a temperature of melting
      of 58 degrees C. Our results also demonstrated that the thermal unfolding process
      is non-cooperative and occurs in two steps, and revealed the sequence of the
      events that take place during the denaturation, showing a higher stability of the
      N-terminal domain of the protein. 

PMID- 26096918
TI  - Type 1 diabetes and risk of fracture: meta-analysis and review of the literature.
AB  - AIMS: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
      in order to assess the association between Type 1 diabetes and fractures.
      BACKGROUND: The risk of fracture in men and women with Type 1 diabetes has not
      been studied in a large prospective well designed cohort. METHODS: Data were
      selected from Medline and Embase and abstracts from annual scientific meetings of
      various diabetes and bone and mineral societies. Published studies that reported
      the fracture risk in people with Type 1 diabetes in comparison with people
      without diabetes between 1990 and July 2014 and abstracts from various annual
      meeting (2005 onwards) were included in the present meta-analysis. Data were
      extracted from the text of included publications or from abstracts of
      conferences. RESULTS: The 14 studies that met the inclusion criteria reported
      2066 fracture events among 27 300 people with Type 1 diabetes (7.6%) and 136 579
      fracture events among 4 364 125 people without diabetes (3.1%). The pooled
      relative risk of any fracture in people with Type 1 diabetes was 3.16 (95% CI
      1.51-6.63; P = 0.002). Women and men with Type 1 diabetes had a four and two
      times higher risk of any fractures, respectively, compared with people without
      diabetes. The pooled relative risks of hip fractures and spinal fractures were
      3.78 (95% CI 2.05-6.98; P < 0.001) and 2.88 (95% CI 1.71-4.82; P < 0.001),
      respectively, among people with Type 1 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis
      suggests that both men and women with Type 1 diabetes might have an increased
      risk of any fractures. A large prospective epidemiological study is needed to
      confirm our findings.

PMID- 26096919
TI  - Formation of the Delta(18,19) Double Bond and Bis(spiroacetal) in Salinomycin Is
      Atypically Catalyzed by SlnM, a Methyltransferase-like Enzyme.
AB  - Salinomycin is a widely used polyether coccidiostat and was recently found to
      have antitumor activities. However, the mechanism of its biosynthesis remained
      largely speculative until now. Reported herein is the identification of an
      unprecedented function of SlnM, homologous to O-methyltransferases, by
      correlating its activity with the formation of the Delta(18,19) double bond and
      bis(spiroacetal). Detailed in vivo and in vitro investigations revealed that
      SlnM, using positively charged S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) or sinefungin as the
      cofactor, catalyzed the spirocyclization-coupled dehydration of C19 in a highly
      atypical fashion to yield salinomycin. 

PMID- 26096920
TI  - Recurrent breast carcinoma presenting as postmenopausal vaginal bleeding: A case
      report.
AB  - *We discuss the recurrence of breast carcinoma presenting as postmenopausal
      vaginal bleeding in a patient on Tamoxifen therapy.*Case report illustrates
      widespread genital tract manifestation of recurrent disease at time of
      presentation and rapid disease progression.*Discusses the importance of
      maintaining broad differential in diagnosis of postmenopausal vaginal bleeding. 

PMID- 26096921
TI  - Intense NIR emissions at 0.8 MUm, 1.47 MUm, and 1.53 MUm from colloidal
      LiYbF4:Ln(3+) (Ln = Tm(3+) and Er(3+)) nanocrystals.
AB  - We report on the synthesis of diamond shaped Ln(3+)-doped LiYbF4 (Ln = Tm and Er)
      nanocrystals with flat edges via the thermal decomposition method. Strong near
      infrared emissions at 0.8 MUm, 1.47 MUm and 1.53 MUm are observed from colloidal
      dispersions of Tm(3+)-doped and Er(3+)-doped LiYbF4 nanocrystals, respectively,
      under 0.98 MUm diode laser excitation. The NIR emission intensities for Tm(3+)
      doped and Er(3+)-doped LiYbF4 nanocrystals are comparable with those of the
      sodium counterpart NaYbF4, suggesting that LiYbF4 is also an excellent host
      matrix for lanthanide ions to obtain strong NIR emissions in colloidal solutions
      of LiYbF4 (Tm(3+) or Er(3+)) nanocrystals. 

PMID- 26096922
TI  - Comparison of Care Provided in Practices With Nurse Practitioners and Physician
      Assistants Versus Subspecialist Physicians Only: A Cohort Study of Rheumatoid
      Arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Affordable Care Act proposes wider use of nurse practitioners
      (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), but little is known about outcomes of care
      provided by them in medical specialties. We compared the outcomes of care for
      patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) seen in practices with NPs or PAs and
      rheumatologists versus practices with rheumatologists only. METHODS: We enrolled
      7 rheumatology practices in the US (4 with NPs or PAs and 3 without). RA disease
      activity (categorized as in remission, low, moderate, or high, using standardized
      measures) was abstracted from medical records from the most recent 2 years. We
      performed a repeated-measures analysis using generalized linear regression to
      compare disease activity for visits to practices with NPs or PAs versus
      rheumatologist-only practices, adjusting for disease duration, serologic status,
      RA treatments, and disease activity measures. RESULTS: Records from 301 patients,
      representing 1,982 visits, were reviewed. The patients' mean age was 61 years and
      77% were female. In the primary adjusted analysis, patients seen in practices
      with NPs or PAs were less likely to have higher disease activity (odds ratio
      0.32, 95% confidence interval 0.17-0.60; P = 0.004) than those seen in
      rheumatologist-only practices. However, there were no differences in the change
      in disease activity. CONCLUSION: Patients seen in practices with NPs or PAs had
      lower RA disease activity over 2 years compared to those seen in rheumatologist
      only practices; no differences were observed in the change in disease activity
      between visits either within or between the different types of provider practice.

PMID- 26096923
TI  - Multifocal noninfectious osteitis as a presentation of pediatric granulomatosis
      with polyangiitis (Wegener's).

PMID- 26096924
TI  - Bone Geometry, Volumetric Density, Microarchitecture, and Estimated Bone Strength
      Assessed by HR-pQCT in Adult Patients With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - The primary goal of this cross-sectional in vivo study was to assess peripheral
      bone microarchitecture, bone strength, and bone remodeling in adult type 1
      diabetes (T1D) patients with and without diabetic microvascular disease (MVD+ and
      MVD-, respectively) and to compare them with age-, gender-, and height-matched
      healthy control subjects (CoMVD+ and CoMVD-, respectively). The secondary goal
      was to assess differences in MVD- and MVD+ patients. Fifty-five patients with
      T1DM (MVD+ group: n = 29) were recruited from the Funen Diabetes Database. Dual
      energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), high-resolution peripheral quantitative
      computed tomography (HR-pQCT) of the ultradistal radius and tibia, and
      biochemical markers of bone turnover were performed in all participants. There
      were no significant differences in HR-pQCT parameters between MVD- and CoMVD-
      subjects. In contrast, MVD+ patients had larger total and trabecular bone areas
      (p = 0.04 and p = 0.02, respectively), lower total, trabecular, and cortical
      volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) (p < 0.01, p < 0.04, and p < 0.02,
      respectively), and thinner cortex (p = 0.03) at the radius, and lower total and
      trabecular vBMD (p = 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively) at the tibia in comparison
      to CoMVD+. MVD+ patients also exhibited lower total and trabecular vBMD (radius p
      = 0.01, tibia p < 0.01), trabecular thickness (radius p = 0.01), estimated bone
      strength, and greater trabecular separation (radius p = 0.01, tibia p < 0.01) and
      network inhomogeneity (radius p = 0.01, tibia p < 0.01) in comparison to MVD-
      patients. These differences remained significant after adjustment for age, body
      mass index, gender, disease duration, and glycemic control (average glycated
      hemoglobin over the previous 3 years). Although biochemical markers of bone
      turnover were significantly lower in MVD+ and MVD- groups in comparison to
      controls, they were similar between the MVD+ and MVD- groups. The results of our
      study suggest that the presence of MVD was associated with deficits in cortical
      and trabecular bone vBMD and microarchitecture that could partly explain the
      excess skeletal fragility observed in these patients.

PMID- 26096926
TI  - Erythematous Abdominal Papule.

PMID- 26096925
TI  - Exposure to Mixtures of Metals and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: A
      Multidisciplinary Review Using an Adverse Outcome Pathway Framework.
AB  - Current risk assessment guidance calls for an individual chemical-by-chemical
      approach that fails to capture potential interactive effects of exposure to
      environmental mixtures and genetic variability. We conducted a review of the
      literature on relationships between prenatal and early life exposure to mixtures
      of lead (Pb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and manganese (Mn) with
      neurodevelopmental outcomes. We then used an adverse outcome pathway (AOP)
      framework to integrate lines of evidence from multiple disciplines based on
      evolving guidance developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
      Development (OECD). Toxicological evidence suggests a greater than additive
      effect of combined exposures to As-Pb-Cd and to Mn with any other metal, and
      several epidemiologic studies also suggest synergistic effects from binary
      combinations of Pb-As, Pb-Cd, and Pb-Mn. The exposure levels reported in these
      epidemiologic studies largely fall at the high-end (e.g., 95th percentile) of
      biomonitoring data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
      (NHANES), suggesting a small but significant potential for high-end exposures.
      This review integrates multiple data sources using an AOP framework and provides
      an initial application of the OECD guidance in the context of potential
      neurodevelopmental toxicity of several metals, recognizing the evolving nature of
      regulatory interpretation and acceptance. 

PMID- 26096928
TI  - A central role of TRAX in the ATM-mediated DNA repair.
AB  - DNA repair is critical for the maintenance of genome stability. Upon genotoxic
      stress, dysregulated DNA repair may induce apoptosis. Translin-associated factor
      X (TRAX), which was initially identified as a binding partner of Translin, has
      been implicated in genome stability. However, the exact role of TRAX in DNA
      repair remains largely unknown. Here, we showed that TRAX participates in the
      ATM/H2AX-mediated DNA repair machinery by interacting with ATM and stabilizing
      the MRN complex at double-strand breaks. The exogenous expression of wild-type
      (WT) TRAX, but not a TRAX variant lacking the nuclear localization signal (NLS),
      rescued the vulnerability of TRAX-null mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs). This
      finding confirms the importance of the nuclear localization of TRAX in the repair
      of DNA damage. Compared with WT MEFs, TRAX-null MEFs exhibited impaired DNA
      repair (for example, reduced phosphorylation of ATM and H2AX) after treatment
      with ultra violet-C or gamma-ray irradiation and a higher incidence of p53
      mediated apoptosis. Our findings demonstrate that TRAX is required for MRN
      complex-ATM-H2AX signaling, which optimizes DNA repair by interacting with the
      activated ATM and protects cells from genotoxic stress-induced apoptosis. 

PMID- 26096929
TI  - Luminal epithelial cells within the mammary gland can produce basal cells upon
      oncogenic stress.
AB  - In the normal mammary gland, the basal epithelium is known to be bipotent and can
      generate either basal or luminal cells, whereas the luminal epithelium has not
      been demonstrated to contribute to the basal compartment in an intact and
      normally developed mammary gland. It is not clear whether cellular heterogeneity
      within a breast tumor results from transformation of bipotent basal cells or from
      transformation and subsequent basal conversion of the more differentiated luminal
      cells. Here we used a retroviral vector to express an oncogene specifically in a
      small number of the mammary luminal epithelial cells and tested their potential
      to produce basal cells during tumorigenesis. This in-vivo lineage-tracing work
      demonstrates that luminal cells are capable of producing basal cells on
      activation of either polyoma middle T antigen or ErbB2 signaling. These findings
      reveal the plasticity of the luminal compartment during tumorigenesis and provide
      an explanation for cellular heterogeneity within a cancer. 

PMID- 26096930
TI  - Resistance to HSP90 inhibition involving loss of MCL1 addiction.
AB  - Inhibition of the chaperone heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90) induces apoptosis, and
      it is a promising anti-cancer strategy. The mechanisms underpinning apoptosis
      activation following HSP90 inhibition and how they are modified during acquired
      drug resistance are unknown. We show for the first time that, to induce
      apoptosis, HSP90 inhibition requires the cooperation of multi BH3-only proteins
      (BID, BIK, PUMA) and the reciprocal suppression of the pro-survival BCL-2 family
      member MCL1, which occurs via inhibition of STAT5A. A subset of tumour cell lines
      exhibit dependence on MCL1 expression for survival and this dependence is also
      associated with tumour response to HSP90 inhibition. In the acquired resistance
      setting, MCL1 suppression in response to HSP90 inhibitors is maintained; however,
      a switch in MCL1 dependence occurs. This can be exploited by the BH3
      peptidomimetic ABT737, through non-BCL-2-dependent synthetic lethality. 

PMID- 26096932
TI  - Integrin alpha1beta1 expression is controlled by c-MYC in colorectal cancer
      cells.
AB  - The alpha1beta1 collagen receptor is only present in a few epithelial cell types.
      In the intestine, it is specifically expressed in proliferating crypt cells. This
      integrin has been reported to be involved in various cancers where it mediates
      the downstream activation of the Ras/ERK proliferative pathway. We have recently
      shown that integrin alpha1beta1 is present in two-thirds of colon
      adenocarcinomas, but the mechanism by which ITGA1 expression is regulated is not
      known. DNA methylation, involved in ITGA1 repression during megakaryocyte
      differentiation, is not the mechanism of ITGA1 regulation in colorectal cancer
      cells. Our in silico analysis of the ITGA1 promoter revealed two response
      elements for MYC, an oncogenic factor known to regulate cancer cell
      proliferation, invasion and migration. In situ, the expressions of both MYC and
      ITGA1 are localized in the lower crypt of the normal colon and correlate in 72%
      of the 65 analyzed colorectal cancers. MYC pharmacological inhibition or
      downregulation of expression with short hairpin RNA in HT29, T84 and SW480 cells
      resulted in reduced ITGA1 expression at both the transcript and protein levels.
      Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that MYC was bound to the chromatin
      region of the ITGA1 proximal promoter, whereas MYC overexpression enhanced ITGA1
      promoter activity that was reduced with MAD co-transfection or by the disruption
      of the response elements. We concluded that MYC is a key regulating factor for
      the control of ITGA1 expression. 

PMID- 26096931
TI  - A new role of SNAI2 in postlactational involution of the mammary gland links it
      to luminal breast cancer development.
AB  - Breast cancer is a major cause of mortality in women. The transcription factor
      SNAI2 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several types of cancer,
      including breast cancer of basal origin. Here we show that SNAI2 is also
      important in the development of breast cancer of luminal origin in MMTV-ErbB2
      mice. SNAI2 deficiency leads to longer latency and fewer luminal tumors, both of
      these being characteristics of pretumoral origin. These effects were associated
      with reduced proliferation and a decreased ability to generate mammospheres in
      normal mammary glands. However, the capacity to metastasize was not modified.
      Under conditions of increased ERBB2 oncogenic activity after pregnancy plus SNAI2
      deficiency, both pretumoral defects-latency and tumor load-were compensated.
      However, the incidence of lung metastases was dramatically reduced. Furthermore,
      SNAI2 was required for proper postlactational involution of the breast. At 3 days
      post lactational involution, the mammary glands of Snai2-deficient mice exhibited
      lower levels of pSTAT3 and higher levels of pAKT1, resulting in decreased
      apoptosis. Abundant noninvoluted ducts were still present at 30 days post
      lactation, with a greater number of residual ERBB2+ cells. These results suggest
      that this defect in involution leads to an increase in the number of susceptible
      target cells for transformation, to the recovery of the capacity to generate
      mammospheres and to an increase in the number of tumors. Our work demonstrates
      the participation of SNAI2 in the pathogenesis of luminal breast cancer, and
      reveals an unexpected connection between the processes of postlactational
      involution and breast tumorigenesis in Snai2-null mutant mice.

PMID- 26096933
TI  - Gas6/Axl is the sensor of arginine-auxotrophic response in targeted chemotherapy
      with arginine-depleting agents.
AB  - Many human malignancies lack de novo biosynthesis of arginine (Arg) as the key
      enzyme argininosuccinate synthetase 1 (ASS1) is silenced. These tumors acquire
      ectopic Arg for survival, and depleting this source by Arg-depleting recombinant
      enzyme ADI-PEG20 results in cell death. Mechanisms underlying Arg auxotrophy in
      these tumors and how they respond to Arg-auxotrophic stress are poorly
      understood. Here, we report that an immediate-early event of Arg-auxotrophic
      response involves reactive oxygen species-mediated secretion of Gas6, which
      interacts with its receptor Axl and activates the downstream Ras/PI3K/Akt growth
      signal leading to accumulation of c-Myc by protein stabilization. Arg-auxotrophic
      challenge also transcriptionally upregulates c-Myc expression, which provides a
      feedback mechanism to enhance Axl expression. c-Myc is a positive regulator of
      ASS1, but elevated ASS1 provides a feedback mechanism to suppress c-Myc and Axl.
      Our results revealed multiple inter-regulatory pathways in Arg-auxotrophic
      response, consisting of Axl, c-Myc and ASS1, which regulate Arg homeostasis and
      ADI-PEG20 sensitivity. These pathways provide potential targets for improving the
      efficacy of treating Arg-auxotrophic tumors using Arg-deprivation strategies. 

PMID- 26096935
TI  - DeltaNp63 targets cytoglobin to inhibit oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in
      keratinocytes and lung cancer.
AB  - During physiological aerobic metabolism, the epidermis undergoes significant
      oxidative stress as a result of the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS).
      To maintain a balanced oxidative state, cells have developed protective
      antioxidant systems, and preliminary studies suggest that the transcriptional
      factor p63 is involved in cellular oxidative defence. Supporting this hypothesis,
      the DeltaNp63alpha isoform of p63 is expressed at high levels in the
      proliferative basal layer of the epidermis. Here we identify the CYGB gene as a
      novel transcriptional target of DeltaNp63 that is involved in maintaining
      epidermal oxidative defence. The CYGB gene encodes cytoglobin, a member of the
      globin protein family, which facilitates the diffusion of oxygen through tissues
      and acts as a scavenger for nitric oxide or other ROS. By performing promoter
      activity assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation, reverse transcriptase
      quantitative PCR and western blotting analyses, we confirm the direct regulation
      of CYGB by DeltaNp63alpha. We also demonstrate that CYGB has a protective role in
      proliferating keratinocytes grown under normal conditions, as well as in cells
      treated with exogenous hydrogen peroxide. These results indicate that DeltaNp63,
      through its target CYGB has an important role in the cellular antioxidant system
      and protects keratinocytes from oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. The DeltaNp63
      CYGB axis is also present in lung and breast cancer cell lines, indicating that
      CYGB-mediated ROS-scavenging activity may also have a role in epithelial tumours.
      In human lung cancer data sets, the p63-CYGB interaction significantly predicts
      reduction of patient survival. 

PMID- 26096934
TI  - Steroid induction of therapy-resistant cytokeratin-5-positive cells in estrogen
      receptor-positive breast cancer through a BCL6-dependent mechanism.
AB  - Therapy resistance remains a major problem in estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha)
      positive breast cancer. A subgroup of ERalpha-positive breast cancer is
      characterized by mosaic presence of a minor population of ERalpha-negative cancer
      cells expressing the basal cytokeratin-5 (CK5). These CK5-positive cells are
      therapy resistant and have increased tumor-initiating potential. Although a
      series of reports document induction of the CK5-positive cells by progestins, it
      is unknown if other 3-ketosteroids share this ability. We now report that
      glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids effectively expand the CK5-positive cell
      population. CK5-positive cells induced by 3-ketosteroids lacked ERalpha and
      progesterone receptors, expressed stem cell marker, CD44, and displayed increased
      clonogenicity in soft agar and broad drug-resistance in vitro and in vivo.
      Upregulation of CK5-positive cells by 3-ketosteroids required induction of the
      transcriptional repressor BCL6 based on suppression of BCL6 by two independent
      BCL6 small hairpin RNAs or by prolactin. Prolactin also suppressed 3-ketosteroid
      induction of CK5+ cells in T47D xenografts in vivo. Survival analysis with
      recursive partitioning in node-negative ERalpha-positive breast cancer using
      quantitative CK5 and BCL6 mRNA or protein expression data identified patients at
      high or low risk for tumor recurrence in two independent patient cohorts. The
      data provide a mechanism by which common pathophysiological or pharmacologic
      elevations in glucocorticoids or other 3-ketosteroids may adversely affect
      patients with mixed ERalpha+/CK5+ breast cancer. The observations further suggest
      a cooperative diagnostic utility of CK5 and BCL6 expression levels and justify
      exploring efficacy of inhibitors of BCL6 and 3-ketosteroid receptors for a subset
      of ERalpha-positive breast cancers. 

PMID- 26096936
TI  - Hyperactivated FRS2alpha-mediated signaling in prostate cancer cells promotes
      tumor angiogenesis and predicts poor clinical outcome of patients.
AB  - Metastasis of tumors requires angiogenesis, which is comprised of multiple
      biological processes that are regulated by angiogenic factors. The fibroblast
      growth factor (FGF) is a potent angiogenic factor and aberrant FGF signaling is a
      common property of tumors. Yet, how the aberration in cancer cells contributes to
      angiogenesis in the tumor is not well understood. Most studies of its angiogenic
      signaling mechanisms have been in endothelial cells. FGF receptor substrate
      2alpha (FRS2alpha) is an FGF receptor-associated protein required for activation
      of downstream signaling molecules that include those in the mitogen-activated
      protein and AKT kinase pathways. Herein, we demonstrated that overactivation and
      hyperactivity of FRS2alpha, as well as overexpression of cJUN and HIF1alpha, were
      positively correlated with vessel density and progression of human prostate
      cancer (PCa) toward malignancy. We also demonstrate that FGF upregulated the
      production of vascular endothelial growth factor A mainly by increasing
      expression of cJUN and HIF1alpha. This then promoted recruitment of endothelial
      cells and vessel formation for the tumor. Tumor angiogenesis in mouse PCa tissues
      was compromised by tissue-specific ablation of Frs2alpha in prostate epithelial
      cells. Depletion of Frs2alpha expression in human PCa cells and in a preclinical
      xenograft model, MDA PCa 118b, also significantly suppressed tumor angiogenesis
      accompanied with decreased tumor growth in the bone. The results underscore the
      angiogenic role of FRS2alpha-mediated signaling in tumor epithelial cells in
      angiogenesis. They provide a rationale for treating PCa with inhibitors of FGF
      signaling. They also demonstrate the potential of overexpressed FRS2alpha as a
      biomarker for PCa diagnosis, prognosis and response to therapies. 

PMID- 26096937
TI  - Comprehensive translational control of tyrosine kinase expression by upstream
      open reading frames.
AB  - Post-transcriptional control has emerged as a major regulatory event in gene
      expression and often occurs at the level of translation initiation. Although
      overexpression or constitutive activation of tyrosine kinases (TKs) through gene
      amplification, translocation or mutation are well-characterized oncogenic events,
      current knowledge about translational mechanisms of TK activation is scarce.
      Here, we report the presence of translational cis-regulatory upstream open
      reading frames (uORFs) in the majority of transcript leader sequences of human TK
      mRNAs. Genetic ablation of uORF initiation codons in TK transcripts resulted in
      enhanced translation of the associated downstream main protein-coding sequences
      (CDSs) in all cases studied. Similarly, experimental removal of uORF start codons
      in additional non-TK proto-oncogenes, and naturally occurring loss-of-uORF
      alleles of the c-met proto-oncogene (MET) and the kinase insert domain receptor
      (KDR), was associated with increased CDS translation. Based on genome-wide
      sequence analyses we identified polymorphisms in 15.9% of all human genes
      affecting uORF initiation codons, associated Kozak consensus sequences or uORF
      related termination codons. Together, these data suggest a comprehensive role of
      uORF-mediated translational control and delineate how aberrant induction of proto
      oncogenes through loss-of-function mutations at uORF initiation codons may be
      involved in the etiology of cancer. We provide a detailed map of uORFs across the
      human genome to stimulate future research on the pathogenic role of uORFs. 

PMID- 26096938
TI  - Translational regulation of inhibin betaA by TGFbeta via the RNA-binding protein
      hnRNP E1 enhances the invasiveness of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitioned
      cells.
AB  - The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular process that
      functions during embryonic development and tissue regeneration, thought to be
      aberrantly activated in epithelial-derived cancer and has an important role in
      the process of metastasis. The transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta signaling
      pathway is a key inducer of EMT and we have elucidated a posttranscriptional
      mechanism by which TGFbeta modulates expression of select transcripts via the RNA
      binding protein hnRNP E1 during EMT. One such transcript inhibin betaA is a
      member of the TGFbeta superfamily. Here, we show by polysome profiling that
      inhibin betaA is translationally regulated by TGFbeta via hnRNP E1. TGFbeta
      treatment or knockdown of hnRNP E1 relieves silencing of the inhibin betaA
      transcript, resulting in increased protein expression and secreted levels of the
      inhibin betaA homodimer, activin A. Our data indicate that the translational
      upregulation of inhibin betaA enhances the migration and invasion of cells that
      have undergone an EMT and promotes cancer progression in vivo. 

PMID- 26096939
TI  - Minimal nocturnal oxygen saturation predicts future subclinical carotid
      atherosclerosis: the Wisconsin sleep cohort.
AB  - Previous data on the associations between nocturnal oxygen saturation parameters
      and carotid atherosclerosis are conflicting. We examined the prospective
      associations of nocturnal oxygen saturation (SaO2 ) and cardiovascular disease
      (CVD) risk factors with carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaques. We used
      data on 689 Wisconsin sleep cohort participants who had baseline overnight
      polysomnography followed by carotid ultrasonography a mean (SD) of 7.8 (2.5)
      years later. Far wall common carotid IMT was measured using B-mode ultrasound.
      Bilateral common, bifurcation and internal carotid artery segments were evaluated
      for plaque score. Participants (8) were aged 56 years (55% male); 32% had
      hypertension and mean body mass index (BMI) was 31 (7) kg m(2). Mean and minimum
      nocturnal SaO2 were 95% (2) and 86% (7), respectively. Mean percentage sleep time
      with SaO2 < 90% was 2% (8). Both mean (odds ratio [OR]: 0.60 lower plaque count
      per 5% higher mean SaO2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.38-0.96, P = 0.033) and
      minimum SaO2 (OR: 0.88 lower plaque count per 5% higher minimum SaO2, 95% CI:
      0.80-0.97, P = 0.013) predicted carotid plaque score after adjusting for age, sex
      and BMI. Minimum SaO2 predicted future plaque score after adding adjustment for
      traditional CVD risk factors (OR: 0.90 lower plaque count per 5% higher minimum
      SaO2, 95% CI: 0.81-0.99, P = 0.038). Mean SaO2 was not associated with carotid
      IMT after CVD risk factor adjustment. We conclude that minimum nocturnal SaO2 is
      an independent predictor of future carotid plaque burden. Other nocturnal SaO2
      parameters are not associated with future carotid IMT or plaques after adjusting
      for traditional CVD risk factors.

PMID- 26096940
TI  - Meiotic wave adds extra asymmetry to the development of female chicken gonads.
AB  - Development of female gonads in the chicken is asymmetric. This asymmetry affects
      gene expression, morphology, and germ cell development; consequently only the
      left ovary develops into a functional organ, whereas the right ovary remains
      vestigial. In males, on the other hand, both gonads develop into functional
      testes. Here, we revisited the development of asymmetric traits in female (and
      male) chicken gonads between Hamburger Hamilton stage 16 (HH16) and hatching. At
      HH16, primordial germ cells migrated preferentially to the left gonad,
      accumulating in the left coelomic hinge between the gut mesentery and developing
      gonad in both males and females. Using the meiotic markers SYCP3 and
      phosphorylated H2AFX, we identified a previously undescribed, pronounced
      asymmetryc meiotic progression in the germ cells located in the central, lateral,
      and extreme cortical regions of the left female gonad from HH38 until hatching.
      Moreover, we observed that--in contrast to the current view--medullary germ cells
      are not apoptotic, but remain arrested in pre-leptotene until hatching. In
      addition to the systematic analysis of the asymmetric distribution of germ cells
      in female chicken gonads, we propose an updated model suggesting that the
      localization of germ cells--in the left or right gonad; in the cortex or medulla
      of the left gonad; and in the central part or the extremities of the left cortex-
      has direct consequences for their development and participation in adult
      reproduction.

PMID- 26096941
TI  - Acid-Triggered Degradable Reagents for Differentiation of Adaptive and Innate
      Immune Responses to Leishmania-Associated Sugars.
AB  - Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Leishmania spp are known to alter innate immune
      responses. However, the ability of these sugars to specifically alter adaptive T
      cell responses is unclear. To study cap sugar-T-cell interactions, pathogen
      mimics (namely glycodendrimer-coated latex beads with acid-labile linkers) were
      synthesized. Upon lysosomal acidification, linker breakdown releases
      glycodendrimers for possible loading on antigen presenting molecules to induce T
      cell growth. T-cell proliferation was indeed higher after macrophage exposure to
      mannobioside or -trioside-containing glycodendrimers than to non-functionalized
      beads. Yet, blocking phagolysosomal acidification only reduced T-cell
      proliferation with macrophages exposed to beads with an acid-labile-linker and
      not to covalently-linked beads. These sugar-modified reagents show that
      oligosaccharides alone can drive T-cell proliferation by acidification-requiring
      presentation, most significantly in NKT receptor (CD160)-restricted T cells. 

PMID- 26096942
TI  - Growth inhibition of luteolin on HepG2 cells is induced via p53 and Fas/Fas
      ligand besides the TGF-beta pathway.
AB  - Flavonoids, a class of natural polyphenolic compounds, inhibit cell cycle
      progression and induce apoptosis. This study was performed to investigate the
      antiproliferative effect of luteolin, the flavonoid isolated from Ixeris
      sonchifolia Hance, and to elucidate the detailed apoptotic mechanism in HCC
      cells. According to the result of MTT assay luteolin possessed antiproliferative
      effect, and HepG2 cells were the most sensitive to luteolin. Propidium iodide
      staining, fluorescence activated cell sorting analysis, western blot analysis and
      RT-PCR were applied to compare the difference of apoptotic event between the two
      HCC cell lines, with wild-type p53 (HepG2) or not (Hep3B) based on time and
      concentration. The treatment of luteolin upregulated the expression levels of
      transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), p21WAF1/CIP1, p27KIP1, Smad4, and
      Fas in HCC cells. Thus, the expression of p21WAF1/CIP1 was controlled by another
      factor, such as TGF-beta1 in addition to p53, and notably the key factor might be
      p21WAF1/CIP1 in the remarkable switch to G1 cell cycle arrest in HepG2 cells
      rather than p27KIP1. Luteolin induced apoptotic cell death in Hep3B cells while
      caused G1 arrest in HepG2 cells. Taken together, we conclude that luteolin
      induces apoptosis from G1 arrest via three signaling pathways of TGF-beta1, p53,
      and Fas/Fas-ligand in HCC cells.

PMID- 26096943
TI  - Altered amygdalar resting-state connectivity in depression is explained by both
      genes and environment.
AB  - Recent findings indicate that alterations of the amygdalar resting-state fMRI
      connectivity play an important role in the etiology of depression. While both
      depression and resting-state brain activity are shaped by genes and environment,
      the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors mediating the
      relationship between amygdalar resting-state connectivity and depression remain
      largely unexplored. Likewise, novel neuroimaging research indicates that
      different mathematical representations of resting-state fMRI activity patterns
      are able to embed distinct information relevant to brain health and disease. The
      present study analyzed the influence of genes and environment on amygdalar
      resting-state fMRI connectivity, in relation to depression risk. High-resolution
      resting-state fMRI scans were analyzed to estimate functional connectivity
      patterns in a sample of 48 twins (24 monozygotic pairs) informative for
      depressive psychopathology (6 concordant, 8 discordant and 10 healthy control
      pairs). A graph-theoretical framework was employed to construct brain networks
      using two methods: (i) the conventional approach of filtered BOLD fMRI time
      series and (ii) analytic components of this fMRI activity. Results using both
      methods indicate that depression risk is increased by environmental factors
      altering amygdalar connectivity. When analyzing the analytic components of the
      BOLD fMRI time-series, genetic factors altering the amygdala neural activity at
      rest show an important contribution to depression risk. Overall, these findings
      show that both genes and environment modify different patterns the amygdala
      resting-state connectivity to increase depression risk. The genetic relationship
      between amygdalar connectivity and depression may be better elicited by examining
      analytic components of the brain resting-state BOLD fMRI signals.

PMID- 26096944
TI  - Non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtype distribution, geodemographic patterns, and survival
      in the US: A longitudinal analysis of the National Cancer Data Base from 1998 to
      2011.
AB  - The World Health Organization classification of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) was
      introduced in 2001. However, its incorporation into clinical practice is not well
      described. We studied the distribution of NHL subtypes in adults diagnosed from
      1998 to 2011, evaluated time trends, geo-demographic correlates, and changes in 5
      year overall survival (OS). We obtained data prospectively collected by the
      National Cancer Data Base, which covers 70% of US cancer cases. There were
      596,476 patients diagnosed with NHL. The major subtypes were diffuse large B-cell
      (32.5%), chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL;
      18.6%), follicular (17.1%), marginal zone (8.3%), mantle cell (4.1%), peripheral
      T-cell not-otherwise-specified (1.7%), Burkitt (1.6%), hairy cell (1.1%),
      lymphoplasmacytic (1.1%), and NHL not-otherwise-specified (10.8%). Over the study
      period, the proportion of NHL not-otherwise-specified declined by half, while
      marginal zone lymphoma doubled. The distribution of major and rare NHL subtypes
      varied according to demographics but less so geographically or by type of
      treatment facility. We noted several novel findings among Hispanics (lower
      proportion of CLL/SLL, but higher Burkitt lymphoma and nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma),
      Asians (higher enteropathy-associated T-cell and angioimmunoblastic T-cell
      lymphomas), Blacks (higher hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma), and Native Americans
      (similar proportions of CLL/SLL and nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma as Asians). With the
      exception of peripheral T-cell not-otherwise-specified and hairy cell leukemia, 5
      year OS has improved for all the major NHL subtypes.

PMID- 26096945
TI  - Experimental and theoretical dosimetry of the RIC-100 phosphorus-32 brachytherapy
      source for implant geometries encountered in the intraoperative setting.
AB  - PURPOSE: Experimental and theoretical dosimetry of the RIC-100 phosphorus-32
      brachytherapy source is presented for implant geometries that may occur in an
      intraoperative setting during treatment of localized spinal tumors with temporary
      superficial radiation. Dose variation, due to source shape and size, is
      evaluated, and nonideal implant conditions are simulated. METHODS AND MATERIALS:
      Calibration, depth dose, and dose profiles were evaluated for several implant
      geometries and source sizes. Experimental measurements were performed using EBT3
      gafchromic film. Theoretical calculations were performed using dose point kernel
      (DPK) formalism, which simulates isotropic, monoenergetic point sources
      distributed uniformly throughout the source and emitting electrons radially
      outward. RESULTS: Calibration and depth dose for RIC-100 are independent of
      source size for diameters >1 cm. Sources should be ordered with physical
      dimensions ~0.2 cm larger than the target size, in all dimensions, to deliver
      >90% prescription dose to target edges. Relative dose profile shape is
      approximately constant as a function of target depth. Air gaps between the source
      and target cause narrower dose profile widths and shallower depth dose in the
      therapeutic range. DPK for RIC-100 agrees with published P-32 kernels, and DPK
      calculations agree with measurement (within 5%) for many depths and geometries.
      CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative placement and measurement dosimetry of RIC-100
      require careful setup due to steep dose gradients. Physical source dimensions
      should be chosen carefully based on treatment site dimensions, and air gaps
      between source and target should be minimized, to prevent underdosing the target
      in the lateral extent. Radiological scaling should be used to calculate expected
      dose when nonwater materials are used in experimental measurements, such as
      calibration or depth dose.

PMID- 26096946
TI  - Pyrrolo-dC Metal-Mediated Base Pairs in the Reverse Watson-Crick Double Helix:
      Enhanced Stability of Parallel DNA and Impact of 6-Pyridinyl Residues on
      Fluorescence and Silver-Ion Binding.
AB  - Reverse Watson-Crick DNA with parallel-strand orientation (ps DNA) has been
      constructed. Pyrrolo-dC (PyrdC) nucleosides with phenyl and pyridinyl residues
      linked to the 6 position of the pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine base have been
      incorporated in 12- and 25-mer oligonucleotide duplexes and utilized as silver
      ion binding sites. Thermal-stability studies on the parallel DNA strands
      demonstrated extremely strong silver-ion binding and strongly enhanced duplex
      stability. Stoichiometric UV and fluorescence titration experiments verified that
      a single (2py) PyrdC-(2py) PyrdC pair captures two silver ions in ps DNA. A
      structure for the PyrdC silver-ion base pair that aligns 7-deazapurine bases head
      to-tail instead of head-to-head, as suggested for canonical DNA, is proposed. The
      silver DNA double helix represents the first example of a ps DNA structure built
      up of bidentate and tridentate reverse Watson-Crick base pairs stabilized by a
      dinuclear silver-mediated PyrdC pair. 

PMID- 26096947
TI  - Predicting long-term temperature increase for time-dependent SAR levels with a
      single short-term temperature response.
AB  - PURPOSE: Present a novel method for rapid prediction of temperature in vivo for a
      series of pulse sequences with differing levels and distributions of specific
      energy absorption rate (SAR). THEORY AND METHODS: After the temperature response
      to a brief period of heating is characterized, a rapid estimate of temperature
      during a series of periods at different heating levels is made using a linear
      heat equation and impulse-response (IR) concepts. Here the initial
      characterization and long-term prediction for a complete spine exam are made with
      the Pennes' bioheat equation where, at first, core body temperature is allowed to
      increase and local perfusion is not. Then corrections through time allowing
      variation in local perfusion are introduced. RESULTS: The fast IR-based method
      predicted maximum temperature increase within 1% of that with a full finite
      difference simulation, but required less than 3.5% of the computation time. Even
      higher accelerations are possible depending on the time step size chosen, with
      loss in temporal resolution. Correction for temperature-dependent perfusion
      requires negligible additional time and can be adjusted to be more or less
      conservative than the corresponding finite difference simulation. CONCLUSION:
      With appropriate methods, it is possible to rapidly predict temperature increase
      throughout the body for actual MR examinations.

PMID- 26096949
TI  - Phenotypic plasticity and divergence in gene expression.
AB  - The extent to which phenotypic plasticity, or the ability of a single genotype to
      produce different phenotypes in different environments, impedes or promotes
      genetic divergence has been a matter of debate within evolutionary biology for
      many decades (see, for example, Ghalambor et al. ; Pfennig et al. ). Similarly,
      the role of evolution in shaping phenotypic plasticity remains poorly understood
      (Pigliucci ). In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Dayan et al. () provide
      empirical data relevant to these questions by assessing the extent of plasticity
      and divergence in the expression levels of 2272 genes in muscle tissue from
      killifish (genus Fundulus) exposed to different temperatures. F. heteroclitus
      (Fig. A) and F. grandis are minnows that inhabit estuarine marshes (Fig. B) along
      the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico in North America. These
      habitats undergo large variations in temperature both daily and seasonally, and
      these fish are known to demonstrate substantial phenotypic plasticity in response
      to temperature change (e.g. Fangue et al. ). Furthermore, the range of F.
      heteroclitus spans a large latitudinal gradient of temperatures, such that
      northern populations experience temperatures that are on average ~10 degrees C
      colder than do southern populations (Schulte ). By comparing gene expression
      patterns between populations of these fish from different thermal habitats held
      in the laboratory at three different temperatures, Dayan et al. () address two
      important questions regarding the interacting effects of plasticity and
      evolution: (i) How does phenotypic plasticity affect adaptive divergence? and
      (ii) How does adaptive divergence affect plasticity? 

PMID- 26096948
TI  - Recombinant Expression and Phenotypic Screening of a Bioactive Cyclotide Against
      alpha-Synuclein-Induced Cytotoxicity in Baker's Yeast.
AB  - We report for the first time the recombinant expression of fully folded bioactive
      cyclotides inside live yeast cells by using intracellular protein trans-splicing
      in combination with a highly efficient split-intein. This approach was
      successfully used to produce the naturally occurring cyclotide MCoTI-I and the
      engineered bioactive cyclotide MCoCP4. Cyclotide MCoCP4 was shown to reduce the
      toxicity of human alpha-synuclein in live yeast cells. Cyclotide MCoCP4 was
      selected by phenotypic screening from cells transformed with a mixture of
      plasmids encoding MCoCP4 and inactive cyclotide MCoTI-I in a ratio of 1:5*10(4).
      This demonstrates the potential for using yeast to perform phenotypic screening
      of genetically encoded cyclotide-based libraries in eukaryotic cells.

PMID- 26096952
TI  - Thermodynamic Solubility Profile of Carbamazepine-Cinnamic Acid Cocrystal at
      Different pH.
AB  - Pharmaceutical cocrystal formation is a direct way to dramatically influence
      physicochemical properties of drug substances, especially their solubility and
      dissolution rate. Because of their instability in the solution, thermodynamic
      solubility of cocrystals could not be determined in the common way like other
      compounds; therefore, the thermodynamic solubility is calculated through
      concentration of their components in the eutectic point. The objective of this
      study is to investigate the effect of an ionizable coformer in cocrystal with a
      nonionizable drug at different pH. Carbamazepine (CBZ), a nonionizable drug with
      cinnamic acid (CIN), which is an acidic coformer, was selected to prepare CBZ-CIN
      cocrystal and its thermodynamic solubility was studied in pH range 2-7. Instead
      of HPLC that is a costly and time-consuming method, a chemometric-based approach,
      net analyte signal standard addition method, was selected for simultaneous
      determination of CBZ and CIN in solution. The result showed that, as pH
      increases, CIN ionization leads to change in CBZ-CIN cocrystal solubility and
      stability in solution. In addition, the results of this study indicated that
      there is no significant difference between intrinsic solubility of CBZ and
      cocrystal despite the higher ideal solubility of cocrystal. This verifies that
      ideal solubility is not good parameter to predict cocrystal solubility.

PMID- 26096951
TI  - Prosthetic joint infections in the elderly.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recent age-projection showed that the number of elderly is expected
      to rise significantly over the next decades worldwide. Accordingly, the
      prevalence of chronic and degenerative diseases will increase, among them
      osteoarthritis, resulting in more and older patients undergoing total joint
      arthroplasty and thereby also being at risk for associated complications. Among
      those, prosthetic joint infections are feared as threatening complication with a
      mortality approaching 8 % and causing long-term antibiotic therapy,
      immobilization and often account for operative revision. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This review summarizes epidemiological, microbiological, and therapeutic aspects
      of prosthetic joint infection in the elderly population. CONCLUSION: Considering
      the increase in the number of PJIs in the forthcoming years in most countries, a
      common action to reduce the associated morbidity and mortality is strongly
      encouraged in Europe.

PMID- 26096953
TI  - Fluid restriction during exercise in the heat reduces tolerance to progressive
      central hypovolaemia.
AB  - NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Interactions between
      dehydration, as occurs during exercise in the heat without fluid replacement, and
      hyperthermia on the ability to tolerate central hypovolaemia are unknown. What is
      the main finding and its importance? We show that inadequate fluid intake during
      exercise in the heat can impair tolerance to central hypovolaemia even when it
      elicits only mild dehydration. These findings suggest that hydration during
      physical work in the heat has important military and occupational relevance for
      protection against the adverse effects of a subsequent haemorrhagic injury. This
      study tested the hypothesis that dehydration induced via exercise in the heat
      impairs tolerance to central hypovolaemia. Eleven male subjects (32 +/- 7 years
      old, 81.5 +/- 11.1 kg) walked (O2 uptake 1.7 +/- 0.4 l min(-1) ) in a 40 degrees
      C, 30% relative humidity environment on three occasions, as follows: (i) subjects
      walked for 90 min, drinking water to offset sweat loss (Hydrated, n = 11); (ii)
      water intake was restricted, and exercise was terminated when intestinal
      temperature increased to the same level as in the Hydrated trial (Isothermic
      Dehydrated, n = 11); and (iii) water intake was restricted, and exercise duration
      was 90 min (Time Match Dehydrated, n = 9). For each trial, tolerance to central
      hypovolaemia was determined following exercise via progressive lower body
      negative pressure and quantified as time to presyncope. Increases in intestinal
      temperature prior to lower body negative pressure were not different (P = 0.91)
      between Hydrated (1.1 +/- 0.4 degrees C) and Isothermic Dehydrated trials (1.1 +/
      0.4 degrees C), but both were lower than in the Time Match Dehydrated trial (1.7
      +/- 0.5 degrees C, P < 0.01). Prior to lower body negative pressure, body weight
      was unchanged in the Hydrated trial (-0.1 +/- 0.2%), but was reduced in
      Isothermic Dehydrated (-0.9 +/- 0.4%) and further so in Time Match Dehydrated
      trial (-1.9 +/- 0.6%, all P < 0.01). Time to presyncope was greater in Hydrated
      (14.7 +/- 3.2 min) compared with Isothermic Dehydrated (11.9 +/- 3.3 min, P <
      0.01) and Time Match Dehydrated trials (10.2 +/- 1.6 min, P = 0.03), which were
      not different (P = 0.19). These data indicate that inadequate fluid intake during
      exercise in the heat reduces tolerance to central hypovolaemia independent of
      increases in body temperature.

PMID- 26096954
TI  - Multi-objective LQR with optimum weight selection to design FOPID controllers for
      delayed fractional order processes.
AB  - An optimal trade-off design for fractional order (FO)-PID controller is proposed
      with a Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) based technique using two conflicting
      time domain objectives. A class of delayed FO systems with single non-integer
      order element, exhibiting both sluggish and oscillatory open loop responses, have
      been controlled here. The FO time delay processes are handled within a multi
      objective optimization (MOO) formalism of LQR based FOPID design. A comparison is
      made between two contemporary approaches of stabilizing time-delay systems
      withinLQR. The MOO control design methodology yields the Pareto optimal trade-off
      solutions between the tracking performance and total variation (TV) of the
      control signal. Tuning rules are formed for the optimal LQR-FOPID controller
      parameters, using median of the non-dominated Pareto solutions to handle delayed
      FO processes. 

PMID- 26096955
TI  - Guaranteed cost control of mobile sensor networks with Markov switching
      topologies.
AB  - This paper investigates the consensus seeking problem of mobile sensor networks
      (MSNs) with random switching topologies. The network communication topologies are
      composed of a set of directed graphs (or digraph) with a spanning tree. The
      switching of topologies is governed by a Markov chain. The consensus seeking
      problem is addressed by introducing a global topology-aware linear quadratic (LQ)
      cost as the performance measure. By state transformation, the consensus problem
      is transformed to the stabilization of a Markovian jump system with guaranteed
      cost. A sufficient condition for global mean-square consensus is derived in the
      context of stochastic stability analysis of Markovian jump systems. A
      computational algorithm is given to synchronously calculate both the sub-optimal
      consensus controller gains and the sub-minimum upper bound of the cost. The
      effectiveness of the proposed design method is illustrated by three numerical
      examples. 

PMID- 26096956
TI  - Stability of uncertain impulsive complex-variable chaotic systems with time
      varying delays.
AB  - In this paper, the robust exponential stabilization of uncertain impulsive
      complex-variable chaotic delayed systems is considered with parameters
      perturbation and delayed impulses. It is assumed that the considered complex
      variable chaotic systems have bounded parametric uncertainties together with the
      state variables on the impulses related to the time-varying delays. Based on the
      theories of adaptive control and impulsive control, some less conservative and
      easily verified stability criteria are established for a class of complex
      variable chaotic delayed systems with delayed impulses. Some numerical
      simulations are given to validate the effectiveness of the proposed criteria of
      impulsive stabilization for uncertain complex-variable chaotic delayed systems. 

PMID- 26096957
TI  - Robust stability criterion for fractional-order systems with interval uncertain
      coefficients and a time-delay.
AB  - This study investigates the robust stability of fractional-order systems with
      interval coefficients and a time-delay. By the Minkowski Sum, the vertices of
      value set with respect to the characteristic function of the investigated
      fractional-order system are offered, avoiding the calculations of the redundant
      vertices. Meanwhile, a function depending on the obtained vertices is defined to
      represent the position relationship between the origin and the value set. Based
      on the zero exclusion principle, we propose sufficient and necessary conditions
      to determine the robust stability of fractional-order systems with interval
      uncertain coefficients and a time-delay. Finally, illustrative examples are
      offered to verify the effectiveness of the proposed robust stability criterion. 

PMID- 26096958
TI  - Maternal and fetal capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformation (CM-AVM) due
      to a novel RASA1 mutation presenting with prenatal non-immune hydrops fetalis.
AB  - RASA1 mutations have been shown to cause capillary malformation-arteriovenous
      malformation (CM-AVM). We describe a patient with CM-AVM and a fetus who
      presented with non-immune hydrops fetalis during the pregnancy. Sequencing
      revealed a novel RASA1 mutation in the RASGAP domain that results in a loss of
      function of p120-RasGap. This report expands our current genetic and clinical
      understanding of CM-AVM in pregnancy.

PMID- 26096959
TI  - pH-Responsive H-Type PMAA2 -b-HTPBN-b-PMAA2 Four-Arm Star Block Copolymer
      Micelles for PTX Drug Release.
AB  - pH-Responsive H-type poly(methylacrylic acid-block-four hydroxyl terminated
      poly(butadiene-acrylobitrile)-block-poly(methylacrylic acid (PMAA2 -b-HTPBN-b
      PMAA2 ) block copolymers were synthesized via atom transfer radical
      polymerization and the follow-up hydrolysis, and characterized by (1) H NMR, FT
      IR and SEC. The block copolymers could self-assemble into nanoscale spherical
      core-shell micelle aggregates in aqueous solution, and the physicochemical
      properties depended on the system composition and pH media, with pH phase
      transition at 5.7-6.1. The copolymer micelle aggregates exhibited pH-triggered
      drug release and cytotoxicity, and could potentially be used as drug targeting
      release carriers. 

PMID- 26096960
TI  - Optimization of Picrosirius red staining protocol to determine collagen fiber
      orientations in vaginal and uterine cervical tissues by Mueller polarized
      microscopy.
AB  - Polarized microscopy provides unique information on anisotropic samples. In its
      most complete implementation, namely Mueller microscopy, this technique is well
      suited for the visualization of fibrillar proteins orientations, with collagen in
      the first place. However, the intrinsic optical anisotropy of unstained tissues
      has to be enhanced by Picrosirius Red (PR) staining to enable Mueller
      measurements. In this work, we compared the orientation mapping provided by
      Mueller and second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopies on PR stained samples
      of vaginal and uterine cervix tissues. SHG is a multiphoton technique that is
      highly specific to fibrillar collagen, and was taken as the "gold standard" for
      its visualization. We showed that Mueller microscopy can be safely used to
      determine collagen orientation in PR stained cervical tissue. In contrast, in
      vaginal samples, Mueller microscopy revealed orientations not only of collagen
      but also of other anisotropic structures. Thus PR is not fully specific to
      collagen, which necessitates comparison to SHG microscopy in every type of
      tissue. In addition to this study of PR specificity, we determined the optimal
      values of the staining parameters. We found that staining times of 5 min, and
      sample thicknesses of 5 um were sufficient in cervical and vaginal tissues.

PMID- 26096961
TI  - Simultaneous quantification of atenolol and chlorthalidone in human plasma by
      ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - A simple, sensitive and reproducible ultra-performance liquid chromatography
      tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed for the simultaneous
      determination of atenolol, a beta-adrenergic receptor-blocker and chlorthalidone,
      a monosulfonamyl diuretic in human plasma, using atenolol-d7 and chlorthalidone
      d4 as the internal standards (ISs). Following solid-phase extraction on
      Phenomenex Strata-X cartridges using 100 MUL human plasma sample, the analytes
      and ISs were separated on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 (50 mm * 2.1 mm, 1.7 um) column
      using a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid-acetonitrile (25:75, v/v). A
      tandem mass spectrometer equipped with electrospray ionization was used as a
      detector in the positive ionization mode for both analytes. The linear
      concentration range was established as 0.50-500 ng/mL for atenolol and 0.25-150
      ng/mL for chlorthalidone. Extraction recoveries were within 95-103% and ion
      suppression/enhancement, expressed as IS-normalized matrix factors, ranged from
      0.95 to 1.06 for both the analytes. Intra-batch and inter-batch precision (CV)
      and accuracy values were 2.37-5.91 and 96.1-103.2%, respectively. Stability of
      analytes in plasma was evaluated under different conditions, such as bench-top,
      freeze-thaw, dry and wet extract and long-term. The developed method was superior
      to the existing methods for the simultaneous determination of atenolol and
      chlorthalidone in human plasma with respect to the sensitivity, chromatographic
      analysis time and plasma volume for processing. Further, it was successfully
      applied to support a bioequivalence study of 50 mg atenolol + 12.5 mg
      chlorthalidone in 28 healthy Indian subjects.

PMID- 26096962
TI  - G-CSF contributes at the healing of tunica media of arteriotomy-injured rat
      carotids by promoting differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells.
AB  - Restenosis is a complex pathophysiological disease whose causative mechanisms are
      not fully understood. Previous studies allowed us to demonstrate the efficacy of
      bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) transplantation in limiting the
      pathophysiological remodeling in a model of arteriotomy-induced (re) stenosis. In
      the current research we studied the effectiveness of G-CSF treatment on male rate
      rats that were subjected carotid arteriotomy in order to evaluate a potentially
      effective non-invasive strategy that recapitulates the MSC-mediated recovery of
      injured vessels. WKY male rats were subjected carotid arteriotomy and given a
      nine day treatment (3 days pre- to 6 days post-arteriotomy) with G-CSF or saline.
      Carotids were harvested 7 and 30 days following arteriotomy (early- and late
      phase, respectively). Although morphometrical analysis did not reveal differences
      in lumen narrowing between G-CSF- and PBS-carotids 30 days following arteriotomy,
      we detected a noticeable conservative effect of G-CSF treatment on vascular wall
      morphology. Histological and molecular analysis revealed an increase in
      cellularity within the tunica media with a concomitant increase of the VSMCs
      differentiation markers both at early- and late-phases of (re) stenotic response
      in G-CSF-treated carotids (Sm22-alpha, Myocd, and Smtn). These findings were
      accompanied by the downregulation of oxidative stress-related genes in G-CSF
      injured rats. The effect exerted by G-CSF in our model of arteriotomy-induced
      (re) stenosis seemed support the recovery of the architecture of the tunica media
      of injured vessels by: (i) inducing VSMCs differentiation; and (ii) limiting the
      oxidative-stress response induced by arteriotomy.

PMID- 26096963
TI  - Glycosaminoglycan and DNA Binding Induced Intra- and Intermolecular Exciton
      Coupling of the bis-4-Aminoquinoline Surfen.
AB  - Despite the diverse biological activities of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG)
      antagonist surfen, the molecular details of its interaction with
      biomacromolecules remain poorly understood. Therefore, heparin and DNA binding
      properties of surfen were studied by circular dichroism (CD) and UV absorption
      spectroscopy methods. High-affinity (Ka  ~ 10(7)  M(-1)) association of surfen to
      the chiral heparin chain gives rise to a characteristic biphasic CD pattern due
      to the conformational twist of the aminoquinoline moieties around the central
      urea bridge. At higher drug loading, intermolecular stacking of surfen molecules
      alters the induced CD profile and also provokes strong UV hypochromism. In
      contrast to the right-handed heparin template, binding of surfen to the left
      helicity chondroitin sulfate chains produces inverted CD pattern. Large UV
      hypochromism as well as polyphasic induced ellipticity bands indicate that surfen
      intercalates between the base pairs of calf-thymus DNA. Extensive CD
      spectroscopic changes observed at higher drug binding ratios refer to cooperative
      binding interactions between the intercalated drug molecules. The inherent
      conformational flexibility of surfen demonstrated here for the first time is
      important in its binding to distinct macromolecular targets and should be
      considered for rational drug design of novel GAG antagonists.

PMID- 26096964
TI  - Epidemiology and genetic characterization of BVDV, BHV-1, BHV-4, BHV-5 and
      Brucella spp. infections in cattle in Turkey.
AB  - The aim of the study was to determine the epidemiological data of bovine viral
      diarrhea virus (BVDV), bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), bovine herpesvirus-4 (BHV
      4), bovine herpesvirus-5 (BHV-5) and Brucella-associated cattle that were
      previously reported to have abortion and infertility problems in Ankara, Corum,
      Kirikkale and Yozgat provinces, Turkey. Whole blood and sera samples were
      obtained from 656 cattle, and antibodies against Brucella spp. were detected in
      45 (6.86%) and 41 (6.25%) animals by Rose Bengal plate and serum tube
      agglutination tests, respectively. The seropositivity rates against BVDV, BHV-1
      and BHV-4 were 70.89%, 41.3% and 28.78%, respectively. RT-PCR and PCR were
      performed to detect RNA and DNA viruses in blood samples, respectively. The BVDV
      5'-untranslated region and BHV-1 gB gene detected in this study were
      phylogenetically analyzed. The BVDV strains analyzed in this study were closely
      related to those previously reported from Turkey. The nucleotide sequence from
      the BHV-1 strain detected in this study is the first nucleotide sequence of BHV-1
      circulating in this area of Turkey deposited in the GenBank. The presence of
      Brucella spp. and prevalence of BHV-1, BHV-4 and BVDV in cattle should be further
      investigated throughout these regions. 

PMID- 26096965
TI  - Immunohistochemical analysis of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)
      toxicity on the developmental dentate gyrus and hippocampal fimbria in fetal
      mice.
AB  - Dioxins are widespread persistent environmental contaminants with adverse impacts
      on humans and experimental animals. Behavioral and cognitive functions are
      impaired by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposure. TCDD exerts its
      toxicity via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated
      transcription factor. The hippocampus, which plays important roles in episodic
      memory and spatial function, is considered vulnerable to TCDD-induced
      neurotoxicity, because it contains the AhR. We herein investigated the effects of
      TCDD toxicity on hippocampal development in embryonic mice. TCDD was administered
      to dams at 8.5 days postcoitum with a single dose of 20, 200, 2,000 and 5,000
      ng/kg body weight (groups T20, T200, T2000 and T5000, respectively), and the
      brains were dissected from their pups at embryonic day 18.5. Immunohistochemical
      analysis demonstrated that the Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP)
      immunoreactivities in the dentate gyrus (DG) were reduced in the T5000 group.
      Granular GFAP immunoreactivity was observed in the hippocampal fimbria, and the
      number of immunoreactive fimbria was significantly decreased in the T5000 group.
      The number of Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA)-positive cells was
      decreased in all TCDD-exposed groups and significantly reduced in the T20, T200
      and T5000 groups. Together, these results demonstrate that maternal TCDD exposure
      has adverse impacts on neural stem cells (NSCs), neural precursor cells (NPCs)
      and granular cells in the DG and disrupts the NSC maintenance and timing of
      differentiation in the hippocampal fimbria, which in turn interrupt neuronal
      development in future generations of mice. 

PMID- 26096967
TI  - Perception of photoperiod in individual buds of mature trees regulates leaf-out.
AB  - Experimental data on the perception of day length and temperature in dormant
      temperate zone trees are surprisingly scarce. In order to investigate when and
      where these environmental signals are perceived, we carried out bagging
      experiments in which buds on branches of Fagus sylvatica, Aesculus hippocastanum
      and Picea abies trees were exposed to natural light increase or kept at constant
      8-h days from December until June. Parallel experiments used twigs cut from the
      same trees, harvesting treated and control twigs seven times and then exposing
      them to 8- or 16-h days in a glasshouse. Under 8-h days, budburst in Fagus
      outdoors was delayed by 41 d and in Aesculus by 4 d; in Picea, day length had no
      effect. Buds on nearby branches reacted autonomously, and leaf primordia only
      reacted to light cues in late dormancy after accumulating warm days. Experiments
      applying different wavelength spectra and high-resolution spectrometry to buds
      indicate a phytochrome-mediated photoperiod control. By demonstrating local
      photoperiodic control of buds, revealing the time when these signals are
      perceived, and showing the interplay between photoperiod and chilling, this study
      contributes to improved modelling of the impact of climate warming on
      photosensitive species.

PMID- 26096969
TI  - Innovation and cross-fertilization in systematic reviews and meta-analysis: The
      influence of women investigators.

PMID- 26096968
TI  - The production of KIR-Fc fusion proteins and their use in a multiplex HLA class I
      binding assay.
AB  - Soluble recombinant proteins that comprise the extracellular part of a surface
      expressed receptor attached to the Fc region of an IgG antibody have facilitated
      the determination of ligand specificity for an array of immune system receptors.
      Among such receptors is the family of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors
      (KIR) that recognize HLA class I ligands. These receptors, expressed on natural
      killer (NK) cells and T cells, play important roles in both immune defense and
      placental development in early pregnancy. Here we describe a method for the
      production of two domain KIR-Fc fusion proteins using baculovirus infected insect
      cells. This method is more scalable than traditional mammalian cell expression
      systems and produces efficiently folded proteins that carry posttranslational
      modifications found in native KIR. We also describe a multiplex binding assay
      using the Luminex platform that determines the avidity and specificity of two
      domain KIR-Fc for a panel of microbeads, each coated with one of 97 HLA class I
      allotypes. This assay is simple to perform, and represents a major improvement
      over the assays used previously, which were limited in the number of KIR and HLA
      class I combinations that could be assayed at any one time. The results obtained
      from this assay can be used to predict the response of NK cell and T cells when
      their KIR recognize HLA class I. 

PMID- 26096970
TI  - Dynamics of Inductive ERK Signaling in the Drosophila Embryo.
AB  - Transient activation of the highly conserved extracellular-signal-regulated
      kinase (ERK) establishes precise patterns of cell fates in developing tissues.
      Quantitative parameters of these transients are essentially unknown, but a
      growing number of studies suggest that changes in these parameters can lead to a
      broad spectrum of developmental abnormalities. We provide a detailed quantitative
      picture of an ERK-dependent inductive signaling event in the early Drosophila
      embryo, an experimental system that offers unique opportunities for high
      throughput studies of developmental signaling. Our analysis reveals a
      spatiotemporal pulse of ERK activation that is consistent with a model in which
      transient production of a short-ranged ligand feeds into a simple signal
      interpretation system. The pulse of ERK signaling acts as a switch in controlling
      the expression of the ERK target gene. The quantitative approach that led to this
      model, based on the integration of data from fixed embryos and live imaging, can
      be extended to other developmental systems patterned by transient inductive
      signals. 

PMID- 26096971
TI  - Effects of Anxiety on Spontaneous Ritualized Behavior.
AB  - Environmental uncertainty and uncontrollability cause psycho-physiological
      distress to organisms, often impeding normal functioning. A common response
      involves ritualization, that is, the limitation of behavioral expressions to
      predictable stereotypic and repetitive motor patterns. In humans, such behaviors
      are also symptomatic of psychopathologies like obsessive-compulsive disorder
      (OCD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Although these reactions might be
      mediated by different neural pathways, they serve to regain a sense of control
      over an uncertain situation by engaging in behavioral patterns characterized by
      redundancy (superfluous actions that exceed the functional requirements of a
      goal), repetitiveness (recurrent behaviors or utterances), and rigidity (emphasis
      on fidelity and invariance). We examined whether ritualized behavior will
      manifest spontaneously as a dominant behavioral strategy in anxiogenic
      situations. Manipulating anxiety, we used motion-capture technology to quantify
      various characteristics of hand movements. We found that induced anxiety led to
      an increase in repetitiveness and rigidity, but not redundancy. However,
      examination of both psychological and physiological pathways revealed that
      repetitiveness and rigidity were predicted by an increase in heart rate, while
      self-perceived anxiety was a marginally significant predictor of redundancy. We
      suggest that these findings are in accordance with an entropy model of
      uncertainty, in which anxiety motivates organisms to return to familiar low
      entropy states in order to regain a sense of control. Our results might inform a
      better understanding of ritual behavior and psychiatric disorders whose symptoms
      include over-ritualization.

PMID- 26096972
TI  - Parallel Emergence of True Handedness in the Evolution of Marsupials and
      Placentals.
AB  - Recent studies have demonstrated a close resemblance between some handedness
      patterns in great apes and humans. Despite this, comparative systematic
      investigations of manual lateralization in non-primate mammals are very limited.
      Among mammals, robust population-level handedness is still considered to be a
      distinctive human trait. Nevertheless, the comprehensive understanding of
      handedness evolution in mammals cannot be achieved without considering the other
      large mammalian lineage, marsupials. This study was designed to investigate
      manual lateralization in non-primate mammals using the methodological approach
      applied in primate studies. Here we show that bipedal macropod marsupials display
      left-forelimb preference at the population level in a variety of behaviors in the
      wild. In eastern gray and red kangaroos, we found consistent manual
      lateralization across multiple behaviors. This result challenges the notion that
      in mammals the emergence of strong "true" handedness is a unique feature of
      primate evolution. The robust lateralization in bipedal marsupials stands in
      contrast to the relatively weak forelimb preferences in marsupial quadrupeds,
      emphasizing the role of postural characteristics in the evolution of manual
      lateralization as previously suggested for primates. Comparison of forelimb
      preferences in seven marsupial species leads to the conclusion that the
      interspecies differences in manual lateralization cannot be explained by
      phylogenetic relations, but rather are shaped by ecological adaptations. Species'
      postural characteristics, especially bipedality, are argued to be instrumental in
      the origin of handedness in mammals.

PMID- 26096973
TI  - Misato Controls Mitotic Microtubule Generation by Stabilizing the TCP-1 Tubulin
      Chaperone Complex [corrected].
AB  - Mitotic spindles are primarily composed of microtubules (MTs), generated by
      polymerization of alpha- and beta-Tubulin hetero-dimers. Tubulins undergo a
      series of protein folding and post-translational modifications in order to
      fulfill their functions. Defects in Tubulin polymerization dramatically affect
      spindle formation and disrupt chromosome segregation. We recently described a
      role for the product of the conserved misato (mst) gene in regulating mitotic MT
      generation in flies, but the molecular function of Mst remains unknown. Here, we
      use affinity purification mass spectrometry (AP-MS) to identify interacting
      partners of Mst in the Drosophila embryo. We demonstrate that Mst associates
      stoichiometrically with the hetero-octameric Tubulin Chaperone Protein-1 (TCP-1)
      complex, with the hetero-hexameric Tubulin Prefoldin complex, and with proteins
      having conserved roles in generating MT-competent Tubulin. We show that RNAi
      mediated in vivo depletion of any TCP-1 subunit phenocopies the effects of
      mutations in mst or the Prefoldin-encoding gene merry-go-round (mgr), leading to
      monopolar and disorganized mitotic spindles containing few MTs. Crucially, we
      demonstrate that Mst, but not Mgr, is required for TCP-1 complex stability and
      that both the efficiency of Tubulin polymerization and Tubulin stability are
      drastically compromised in mst mutants. Moreover, our structural bioinformatic
      analyses indicate that Mst resembles the three-dimensional structure of Tubulin
      monomers and might therefore occupy the TCP-1 complex central cavity.
      Collectively, our results suggest that Mst acts as a co-factor of the TCP-1
      complex, playing an essential role in the Tubulin-folding processes required for
      proper assembly of spindle MTs.

PMID- 26096974
TI  - WHAMM Directs the Arp2/3 Complex to the ER for Autophagosome Biogenesis through
      an Actin Comet Tail Mechanism.
AB  - Nucleation-promoting factors (NPFs) control the spatio-temporal activity of
      Arp2/3 complex in cells]. Thus, WASP and the WAVE complex direct the formation of
      branched actin networks at the leading edge during cell motility and
      endo/exocytosis, whereas the WASH complex is involved in endosomal transport.
      Less understood are WHAMM and JMY, two NPFs with similar domain architecture. JMY
      is found in the nucleus and the cytosol and is involved in transcriptional
      regulation, cell motility, and trans-Golgi transport. WHAMM was reported to bind
      microtubules and to be involved in ER to cis-Golgi transport. Here, we show that
      WHAMM directs the activity of Arp2/3 complex for autophagosome biogenesis through
      an actin-comet tail motility mechanism. Macroautophagy--the process by which
      cytosolic material is engulfed into autophagosomes for degradation and/or
      recycling--was recently shown to involve actin, but the mechanism is unknown. We
      found that WHAMM forms puncta that colocalize and comigrate with the autophagy
      markers LC3, DFCP1, and p62 through a WHAMM-dependent actin-comet tail mechanism.
      Under starvation, WHAMM and actin are observed at the interface between
      neighboring autophagosomes, whose number and size increase with WHAMM expression.
      Interfering with actin polymerization, inhibiting Arp2/3 complex, knocking down
      WHAMM, or blocking its interaction with Arp2/3 complex through mutagenesis all
      inhibit comet tail formation and reduce the size and number of autophagosomes.
      Finally, JMY shows similar localization to WHAMM and could be involved in similar
      processes. These results reveal a link between Arp2/3-complex-dependent actin
      assembly and autophagy.

PMID- 26096975
TI  - Reward Pays the Cost of Noise Reduction in Motor and Cognitive Control.
AB  - Speed-accuracy trade-off is an intensively studied law governing almost all
      behavioral tasks across species. Here we show that motivation by reward breaks
      this law, by simultaneously invigorating movement and improving response
      precision. We devised a model to explain this paradoxical effect of reward by
      considering a new factor: the cost of control. Exerting control to improve
      response precision might itself come at a cost--a cost to attenuate a proportion
      of intrinsic neural noise. Applying a noise-reduction cost to optimal motor
      control predicted that reward can increase both velocity and accuracy. Similarly,
      application to decision-making predicted that reward reduces reaction times and
      errors in cognitive control. We used a novel saccadic distraction task to
      quantify the speed and accuracy of both movements and decisions under varying
      reward. Both faster speeds and smaller errors were observed with higher
      incentives, with the results best fitted by a model including a precision cost.
      Recent theories consider dopamine to be a key neuromodulator in mediating
      motivational effects of reward. We therefore examined how Parkinson's disease
      (PD), a condition associated with dopamine depletion, alters the effects of
      reward. Individuals with PD showed reduced reward sensitivity in their speed and
      accuracy, consistent in our model with higher noise-control costs. Including a
      cost of control over noise explains how reward may allow apparent performance
      limits to be surpassed. On this view, the pattern of reduced reward sensitivity
      in PD patients can specifically be accounted for by a higher cost for controlling
      noise.

PMID- 26096976
TI  - Restorative Justice in Children.
AB  - An important, and perhaps uniquely human, mechanism for maintaining cooperation
      against free riders is third-party punishment. Our closest living relatives,
      chimpanzees, will not punish third parties even though they will do so when
      personally affected. Until recently, little attention has been paid to how
      punishment and a sense of justice develop in children. Children respond to norm
      violations. They are more likely to share with a puppet that helped another
      individual as opposed to one who behaved harmfully, and they show a preference
      for seeing a harmful doll rather than a victim punished. By 6 years of age,
      children will pay a cost to punish fictional and real peers, and the threat of
      punishment will lead preschoolers to behave more generously. However, little is
      known about what motivates a sense of justice in children. We gave 3- and 5-year
      old children--the youngest ages yet tested--the opportunity to remove items and
      prevent a puppet from gaining a reward for second- and third-party violations
      (experiment 1), and we gave 3-year-olds the opportunity to restore items
      (experiment 2). Children were as likely to engage in third-party interventions as
      they were when personally affected, yet they did not discriminate among the
      different sources of harm for the victim. When given a range of options, 3-year
      olds chose restoration over removal. It appears that a sense of justice centered
      on harm caused to victims emerges early in childhood and highlights the value of
      third-party interventions for human cooperation.

PMID- 26096978
TI  - Selective Growth and Structural Analysis of Regular MnO Nanooctapods Bearing
      Multiple High-Index Surface Facets.
AB  - Although numerous morphologies of MnO nanostructures have been reported, an exact
      structural analysis and mechanistic study has been lacking. In the present study,
      the formation of regular MnO octapods was demonstrated in a simple procedure,
      comprising the thermal decomposition of manganese oleate. Because of their
      structural uniformity, an ideal three-dimensional model was successfully
      constructed. The eight arms protruded from the cubic center with tip angles of 38
      degrees  and surface facets of {311} and {533} with rounded edges. The
      concentrations of oleate and chloride ions were the determining factors for the
      octapod formation. Selective coordination of the oleate ions to the {100} faces
      led to edge growth along the <111> direction, which was then limited by the
      chloride ions bound to the high-index surface facets. These structural and
      mechanistic analyses should be helpful for understanding the complex
      nanostructures and for tuning their structure-related properties. 

PMID- 26096977
TI  - TARANIS Functions with Cyclin A and Cdk1 in a Novel Arousal Center to Control
      Sleep in Drosophila.
AB  - Sleep is an essential and conserved behavior whose regulation at the molecular
      and anatomical level remains to be elucidated. Here, we identify TARANIS (TARA),
      a Drosophila homolog of the Trip-Br (SERTAD) family of transcriptional
      coregulators, as a molecule that is required for normal sleep patterns. Through a
      forward-genetic screen, we isolated tara as a novel sleep gene associated with a
      marked reduction in sleep amount. Targeted knockdown of tara suggests that it
      functions in cholinergic neurons to promote sleep. tara encodes a conserved cell
      cycle protein that contains a Cyclin A (CycA)-binding homology domain. TARA
      regulates CycA protein levels and genetically and physically interacts with CycA
      to promote sleep. Furthermore, decreased levels of Cyclin-dependent kinase 1
      (Cdk1), a kinase partner of CycA, rescue the short-sleeping phenotype of tara and
      CycA mutants, while increased Cdk1 activity mimics the tara and CycA phenotypes,
      suggesting that Cdk1 mediates the role of TARA and CycA in sleep regulation.
      Finally, we describe a novel wake-promoting role for a cluster of ~14 CycA
      expressing neurons in the pars lateralis (PL), previously proposed to be
      analogous to the mammalian hypothalamus. We propose that TARANIS controls sleep
      amount by regulating CycA protein levels and inhibiting Cdk1 activity in a novel
      arousal center. 

PMID- 26096979
TI  - Attitudes toward Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: A Nationwide Survey
      among Danish Cardiologists.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important but
      expensive procedure that is the subject of some debate. Physicians' attitudes
      toward catheter ablation may influence promotion and patient acceptance. This is
      the first study to examine the attitudes of Danish cardiologists toward catheter
      ablation for AF, using a nationwide survey. METHODS AND RESULTS: We developed a
      purpose-designed questionnaire to evaluate attitudes toward catheter ablation for
      AF that was sent to all Danish cardiologists (n = 401; response n = 272 (67.8%)).
      There was no association between attitudes toward ablation and the experience or
      age of the cardiologist with respect to patients with recurrent AF episodes with
      a duration of <48 hours or >7 days and/or need for cardioversion. The majority
      (69%) expected a recurrence of AF after catheter ablation in more than 30% of the
      cases. For patients with persistent longstanding AF with a duration of >1 year,
      the attitude toward ablation for longstanding AF was more likely to be positive
      with increasing age (P < 0.01) and years of experience of the cardiologist (P =
      0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Danish cardiologists generally have a positive attitude
      toward catheter ablation for AF, maintain up-to-date knowledge of the procedure,
      and are aware what information on ablation treatment should be given to patients
      with AF. The cardiologists had a positive attitude toward ablation for AF in
      patients with AF episodes <48 hours and patients with episodes >7 days, or those
      who needed medical/electrical conversion, but a more negative attitude toward
      treating longstanding AF patients.

PMID- 26096980
TI  - Effect of the chloride ion as a hole scavenger on the photocatalytic conversion
      of CO2 in an aqueous solution over Ni-Al layered double hydroxides.
AB  - The photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into useful chemical compounds in water
      without using organic sacrificial reagents is a promising method to overcome
      environmental and energy problems. Various synthesized layered double hydroxides
      (LDHs) are capable of reducing CO2 to CO in an aqueous solution under UV light
      irradiation. However, it is difficult to oxidize H2O to O2 in a photocatalytic
      system using LDHs as photocatalysts. In this study, we investigated the
      photocatalytic conversion of CO2 using a Ni-Al LDH in an aqueous solution of
      NaCl. Hypochlorous acid (HClO) was produced as an oxidation product of Cl(-) with
      the formation of reduction products such as CO and H2 under photoirradiation. We
      propose the inclusion of Cl(-) in the reaction solution to be one of the most
      promising ways for obtaining a hole scavenger, an approach that would enable the
      construction of an artificial photosynthesis system for the conversion of CO2. 

PMID- 26096982
TI  - Image reconstruction of compressed sensing MRI using graph-based redundant
      wavelet transform.
AB  - Compressed sensing magnetic resonance imaging has shown great capacity for
      accelerating magnetic resonance imaging if an image can be sparsely represented.
      How the image is sparsified seriously affects its reconstruction quality. In the
      present study, a graph-based redundant wavelet transform is introduced to
      sparsely represent magnetic resonance images in iterative image reconstructions.
      With this transform, image patches is viewed as vertices and their differences as
      edges, and the shortest path on the graph minimizes the total difference of all
      image patches. Using the l1 norm regularized formulation of the problem solved by
      an alternating-direction minimization with continuation algorithm, the
      experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms several
      state-of-the-art reconstruction methods in removing artifacts and achieves fewer
      reconstruction errors on the tested datasets. 

PMID- 26096984
TI  - Editorial statement on negative findings.

PMID- 26096983
TI  - The relationship of the local food environment with obesity: A systematic review
      of methods, study quality, and results.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between local food environments and
      obesity and assess the quality of studies reviewed. METHODS: Systematic keyword
      searches identified studies from US and Canada that assessed the relationship of
      obesity to local food environments. We applied a quality metric based on design,
      exposure and outcome measurement, and analysis. RESULTS: We identified 71 studies
      representing 65 cohorts. Overall, study quality was low; 60 studies were cross
      sectional. Associations between food outlet availability and obesity were
      predominantly null. Among non-null associations, we saw a trend toward inverse
      associations between supermarket availability and obesity (22 negative, 4
      positive, 67 null) and direct associations between fast food and obesity (29
      positive, 6 negative, 71 null) in adults. We saw direct associations between fast
      food availability and obesity in lower income children (12 positive, 7 null).
      Indices including multiple food outlets were most consistently associated with
      obesity in adults (18 expected, 1 not expected, 17 null). Limiting to higher
      quality studies did not affect results. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the large number of
      studies, we found limited evidence for associations between local food
      environments and obesity. The predominantly null associations should be
      interpreted cautiously due to the low quality of available studies.

PMID- 26096985
TI  - GDNF gene is associated with tourette syndrome in a family study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tourette syndrome is a disorder characterized by persistent motor and
      vocal tics, and frequently accompanied by the comorbidities attention deficit
      hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Impaired synaptic
      neurotransmission has been implicated in its pathogenesis. Our aim was to
      investigate the association of 28 candidate genes, including genes related to
      synaptic neurotransmission and neurotrophic factors, with Tourette syndrome.
      METHODS: We genotyped 506 polymorphisms in a discovery cohort from the United
      States composed of 112 families and 47 unrelated singletons with Tourette
      syndrome (201 cases and 253 controls). Genes containing significant polymorphisms
      were imputed to fine-map the signal(s) to potential causal variants. Allelic
      analyses in Tourette syndrome cases were performed to check the role in attention
      deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder comorbidities.
      Target polymorphisms were further studied in a replication cohort from southern
      Spain composed of 37 families and three unrelated singletons (44 cases and 73
      controls). RESULTS: The polymorphism rs3096140 in glial cell line-derived
      neurotrophic factor gene (GDNF) was significant in the discovery cohort after
      correction (P = 1.5 * 10(-4) ). No linkage disequilibrium was found between
      rs3096140 and other functional variants in the gene. We selected rs3096140 as
      target polymorphism, and the association was confirmed in the replication cohort
      (P = 0.01). No association with any comorbidity was found. CONCLUSIONS: As a
      conclusion, a common genetic variant in GDNF is associated with Tourette
      syndrome. A defect in the production of GDNF could compromise the survival of
      parvalbumin interneurons, thus altering the excitatory/inhibitory balance in the
      corticostriatal circuitry. Validation of this variant in other family cohorts is
      necessary.

PMID- 26096986
TI  - Correlation Between Acoustic Measurements and Self-Reported Voice Disorders Among
      Female Teachers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Many studies focused on teachers' voice problems and most of them were
      conducted using questionnaires, whereas little research has investigated the
      relationship between self-reported voice disorders and objective quantification
      of voice. This study intends to explore the relationship of acoustic measurements
      according to self-reported symptoms and its predictive value of future dysphonia.
      STUDY DESIGN: This is a case-control study. METHODS: Voice samples of 80 female
      teachers were analyzed, including 40 self-reported voice disorders (VD) and 40
      self-reported normal voice (NVD) subjects. The acoustic measurements included
      jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonics ratio (NHR). Levene's t test and logistic
      regression were used to analyze the differences between VD and NVD and the
      relationship between self-reported voice conditions and the acoustic
      measurements. To examine whether acoustic measurements can be used to predict
      further voice disorders, we applied a receiver operating characteristic (ROC)
      curve to determine the cutoff values and the associated sensitivity and
      specificity. RESULTS: The results showed that jitter, shimmer, and the NHR of VD
      were significantly higher than those of NVD. Among the parameters, the NHR and
      shimmer demonstrated the highest correlation with self-reported voice disorders.
      By using the NHR >=0.138 and shimmer >=0.470 dB as the cutoff values, the ROC
      curve displayed 72.5% of sensitivity and 75% of specificity, and the overall
      positive predictive value for subsequent dysphonia achieved 60%. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study demonstrated a significant correlation between acoustic measurements
      and self-reported dysphonic symptoms. NHR and ShdB are two acoustic parameters
      that are more able to reflect vocal abnormalities and, probably, to predict
      subsequent subjective voice disorder. Future research recruiting more subjects in
      other occupations and genders shall validate the preliminary results revealed in
      this study.

PMID- 26096987
TI  - Unstructural biology of the Dengue virus proteins.
AB  - In this study, we used a wide spectrum of bioinformatics techniques to evaluate
      the extent of intrinsic disorder in the complete proteomes of genotypes of four
      human dengue virus (DENV), to analyze the peculiarities of disorder distribution
      within individual DENV proteins, and to establish potential roles for the
      structural disorder with respect to their functions. We show that several
      proteins (ER, E, 1, 2A and 4A) are predicted to be mostly ordered, whereas four
      proteins (C, 2k, NS3 and NS5) are expected to have high disorder levels. The
      profiles of disorder propensities are similar across the four genotypes, except
      for the NS5 protein. Cleavage sites are depleted in polymorphic sites, and have a
      high propensity for disorder, especially relative to neighboring residues.
      Disordered regions are highly polymorphic in type 1 DENV but have a relatively
      low number of polymorphic sites in the type 4 virus. There is a high density of
      polymorphisms in proteins 2A and 4A, which are depleted in disorder. Thus, a high
      density of polymorphism is not unique to disordered regions. Analysis of
      disorder/function association showed that the predominant function of the
      disordered regions in the DENV proteins is protein-protein interaction and
      binding of nucleic acids, metals and other small molecules. These regions are
      also associated with phosphorylation, which may regulate their function.

PMID- 26096988
TI  - The devil's triangle of steatosis, obesity, and liver stiffness.

PMID- 26096989
TI  - Generation of Molecular Complexity from Cyclooctatetraene: Preparation of
      Aminobicyclo[5.1.0]octitols.
AB  - A series of eight stereoisomeric N-(tetrahydroxy bicyclo-[5.1.0]oct-2S*
      yl)phthalimides were prepared in one to four steps from N-(bicyclo[5.1.0]octa-3,5
      dien-2-yl)phthalimide (+/-)-7, which is readily available from cyclooctatetraene
      (62 % yield). The structural assignments of the stereoisomers were established by
      (1) H NMR spectral data as well as X-ray crystal structures for certain members.
      The outcomes of several epoxydiol hydrolyses, particularly ring contraction and
      enlargement, are of note. The isomeric phthalimides as well as the free amines
      did not exhibit beta-glucosidase inhibitory activity at a concentration of less
      than 100 MUM. 

PMID- 26096990
TI  - Spatial Expression of Otolith Matrix Protein-1 and Otolin-1 in Normally and
      Kinetotically Swimming Fish.
AB  - Kinetosis (motion sickness) has been repeatedly shown to affect some fish of a
      given clutch following the transition from 1g to microgravity or from
      hypergravity to 1g. This susceptibility to kinetosis may be correlated with
      irregular inner ear otolith growth. Otoliths are mainly composed of calcium
      carbonate and matrix proteins, which play an important role in the process of
      otolith mineralization. Here, we examine the morphology of otoliths and the
      expression pattern of the major otolith proteins OMP-1 and otolin-1 in a series
      of hypergravity experiments. In the utricle, OMP-1 is present in centripetal
      (medial) and centrifugal (lateral) regions of the meshwork area. In the saccule,
      OMP-1 was expressed within a dorsal and a ventral narrow band of the meshwork
      area opposite to the periphery of the sulcus acusticus. In normal animals, the
      spatial expression pattern of OMP-1 reaches more posteriorly in the centrifugal
      aspect and is considerably broader in the centripetal portion of the utricle
      compared to kinetotic animals. However, otolin-1 was not expressed in the
      utricule. In the saccule, no differences were observed for either gene when
      comparing normal and kinetotically behaving fish. The difference in the utricular
      OMP-1 expression pattern between normally and kinetotically swimming fish
      indicates a different otolith morphology and thus a different geometry of the
      otoliths resting on the corresponding sensory maculae. As the utricle is the
      endorgan responsible for sensing gravity, the aberrant morphology of the
      utricular otoliths, based on OMP-1 expression, likely leads to the observed
      kinetotic behavior.

PMID- 26096991
TI  - GONAD: Genome-editing via Oviductal Nucleic Acids Delivery system: a novel
      microinjection independent genome engineering method in mice.
AB  - Microinjection is considered the gold standard technique for delivery of nucleic
      acids (NAs; transgenes or genome editing tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 systems) into
      embryos, for creating genetically modified organisms. It requires sophisticated
      equipment as well as well-trained and highly skilled personnel to perform the
      micro-injection technique. Here, we describe a novel and simple microinjection
      independent technique, called Genome-editing via Oviductal Nucleic Acids Delivery
      (GONAD). Using GONAD, we show that NAs (e.g., eGFP mRNA or Cas9 mRNA/sgRNAs) can
      be effectively delivered to pre-implantation embryos within the intact mouse
      oviduct by a simple electroporation method, and result in the desired genetic
      modification in the embryos. Thus GONAD can bypass many complex steps in
      transgenic technology such as isolation of zygotes, microinjection of NAs into
      them, and their subsequent transfer to pseudo-pregnant animals. Furthermore, this
      method can potentially be used for genome editing in species other than mice.

PMID- 26096992
TI  - Germline mutations and genotype-phenotype associations in head and neck
      paraganglioma patients with negative family history in China.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of germline mutations and to
      explore genotype-phenotype associations in Chinese head and neck paraganglioma
      (HNPGL) patients without family history. Twenty-six Chinese patients with a
      diagnosis of HNPGL(14 male and 12 female, respectively)were recruited, who were
      followed up from 2000 to 2012. Genomic DNA was obtained from resected tumor
      tissues and peripheral blood samples. Seven genes, Succinate dehydrogenase
      complex A,B,C,D (SDHA, SDHB, SDHC, SDHD), succinate dehydrogenase complex
      assembly factor 2 (SDHAF2), TMEM127 (transmembrane protein 127) and VHL (Von
      Hippel-Lindau), were screened by direct sequencing and multiplex ligation
      dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was performed to search for potential large
      deletions or duplications of SDHB, SDHC, SDHD, SDHAF1 and SDHAF2. The total
      frequency of germline mutations was 30.8% (8/26), including 5 cases with missense
      mutation p.Met1Ile in SDHD, 1 case with missense mutation p.Tyr216Cys in SDHB,
      and 1 case with a novel truncation mutation p.Gln44Ter in SDHAF2. MLPA showed one
      patient with malignant HNPGL had heterozygous deletions of exon1, 2, 3, 7 and 8
      in SDHB. Mutations in SDHD were the leading cause of HNPGL in this study.
      Mutation carriers were younger than non-mutation carriers (p < 0.01) and more
      likely to suffer from multiple tumors (p = 0.048), especially with mutations in
      SDHD. The presence of mutation was associated with the development of larger
      tumors (p = 0.021). This study confirmed that the missense mutation p.Met1Ile at
      the start codon in SDHD was a hotspot in chinese patients with HNPGLs. We
      recommend genetic analysis in patients below 45 years, especially SDHD gene. 

PMID- 26096993
TI  - Progressive brain atrophy in Schinzel-Giedion syndrome with a SETBP1 mutation.
AB  - Schinzel-Giedion syndrome is a rare congenital malformation syndrome. Recently,
      SETBP1 was identified as the causative gene. Herein, we present a Japanese boy
      with Schinzel-Giedion syndrome resulting from a novel mutation in SETBP1 in order
      to establish the clinical features and serial MRI findings associated with the
      syndrome. On the third day of life, the boy was referred to our hospital because
      of facial abnormalities and feeding difficulty. Midfacial retraction, frontal
      bossing, deep groove under the eyes, upturned nose, low-set ears, bilateral
      cryptorchidism, and generalized hypertrichosis were identified on admission. At
      the age of 7 months, epileptic spasms in series occurred. Based on characteristic
      facial and skeletal abnormalities and severe developmental delay, we clinically
      diagnosed him with Schinzel-Giedion syndrome. Direct sequencing of the SETBP1
      gene revealed a heterozygous mutation (p.Ile871Ser) in exon 4. Although neither
      cardiac defect nor choanal stenosis were present in our case, the phenotype of
      our case was nearly identical to those of previously reported cases confirmed by
      genetic analysis. Serial MRI from the age of 1 month-3 years revealed progressive
      brain atrophy, especially in the white matter and basal ganglia. However,
      myelination was age-appropriate and no obvious abnormal signals in the white
      matter were seen. Diffusion weighted imaging revealed no abnormal findings.
      Accumulation of MRI data including diffusion weighted imaging from Schinzel
      Giedion syndrome cases is needed to understand the mechanism underlying
      progressive brain atrophy in this syndrome. 

PMID- 26096994
TI  - FGFR2 mutation in a patient without typical features of Pfeiffer syndrome--The
      emerging role of combined NGS and phenotype based strategies.
AB  - Pfeiffer syndrome (MIM: #101600) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder
      classically characterized by limb and craniofacial anomalies. It is caused by
      heterozygous mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptors types 1 and 2
      (FGFR1 and FGFR2). We applied a next generation sequencing (NGS) panel approach
      comprising all 2877 genes currently known to be causative for one or more
      Mendelian diseases combined with the phenotype based computational tool PhenIX
      (Phenotypic Interpretation of eXomes). We report on a patient presenting with
      multiple anomalies of hands and feet including brachydactyly and symphalangism.
      No clinical diagnosis could be established based on the clinical findings and
      testing of several genes associated with brachydactyly and symphalangism failed
      to identify mutations. Via next generation sequencing (NGS) panel approach we
      then identified a novel de novo missense FGFR2 mutation affecting an amino acid
      reported to be mutated in Pfeiffer syndrome. Since our patient shows typical
      radiological findings of Pfeiffer syndrome in hands and feet but at the same time
      lacks several characteristic features such as clinical signs of craniosynostosis
      and prominent eyes we suggest introducing the term "FGFR2 associated phenotypes"
      for similar cases. Our results highlight the emerging role of combined NGS and
      phenotype based bioinformatics strategies to establish clinical diagnoses. 

PMID- 26096995
TI  - Exome sequencing reveals a novel WDR45 frameshift mutation and inherited POLR3A
      heterozygous variants in a female with a complex phenotype and mixed brain MRI
      findings.
AB  - WDR45 and POLR3A are newly recognized genes; each is associated with a distinct
      neurodegenerative disease. WDR45 is an X-linked gene associated with a dominant
      form of Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA), manifested by
      progressive disabilities, dystonia, cognitive decline, spastic paraplegia,
      neuropsychiatric abnormalities and iron deposition in the basal ganglia on brain
      imaging. POLR3A, on the other hand, is an autosomal gene, and its mutations cause
      a recessive form of a hypomyelination with leukodystrophy disease, also known as
      4H syndrome, characterized by congenital Hypomyelination with thinning of the
      corpus callosum, Hypodontia and Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism. We report on a
      female child with severe intellectual disability, aphasia, short stature, ataxia,
      failure to thrive and structural brain abnormalities. Brain MRI obtained in late
      infancy showed hypomyelination involving the central periventricular white matter
      and thinning of the corpus callosum with no evidence of iron accumulation. Brain
      MRI obtained in childhood showed stable hypomyelination, with progressive iron
      accumulation in the basal ganglia, in particular in the globus pallidus and
      substantia nigra. Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) identified a novel WDR45
      frameshift deleterious mutation in Exon 9 (c.587-588del) and also revealed three
      POLR3A missense heterozygous variants. The first is a maternally inherited novel
      missense variant in exon 4 (c.346A > G). Exon 13 carried two heterozygous
      missense variants, a maternally inherited variant (c.1724A > T) and a paternally
      inherited variant (1745G > A). These variants are considered likely damaging. The
      patient's complex clinical phenotype and mixed brain MRI findings might be
      attributed to the confounding effects of the expression of these two mutant
      genes. 

PMID- 26096996
TI  - Novel fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based reporter reveals differential
      calcineurin activation in neonatal and adult cardiomyocytes.
AB  - Novel fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based genetically encoded reporters
      of calcineurin are constructed by fusing the two subunits of calcineurin with P2A
      based linkers retaining the expected native conformation of calcineurin.
      Calcineurin reporters display robust responses to calcium transients in HEK293
      cells. The sensor responses are correlated with NFATc1 translocation dynamics in
      HEK293 cells. The sensors are uniformly distributed in neonatal myocytes and
      respond efficiently to single electrically evoked calcium transients and show
      cumulative activation at frequencies of 0.5 and 1 Hz. In adult myocytes, the
      calcineurin sensors appear to be localized to the cardiac z-lines, and respond to
      cumulative calcium transients at frequencies of 0.5 and 1 Hz. The phosphatase
      calcineurin is a central component of many calcium signalling pathways, relaying
      calcium signals from the plasma membrane to the nucleus. It has critical
      functions in a multitude of systems, including immune, cardiac and neuronal.
      Given the widespread importance of calcineurin in both normal and pathological
      conditions, new tools that elucidate the spatiotemporal dynamics of calcineurin
      activity would be invaluable. Here we develop two separate genetically encoded
      fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based sensors of calcineurin
      activation, DuoCaN and UniCaN. Both sensors showcase a large dynamic range and
      rapid response kinetics, differing primarily in the linker structure between the
      FRET pairs. Both sensors were calibrated in HEK293 cells and their responses
      correlated well with NFAT translocation to the nucleus, validating the biological
      relevance of the sensor readout. The sensors were subsequently expressed in
      neonatal rat ventricular myocytes and acutely isolated adult guinea pig
      ventricular myocytes. Both sensors demonstrated robust responses in myocytes and
      revealed kinetic differences in calcineurin activation during changes in pacing
      rate for neonatal versus adult myocytes. Finally, mathematical modelling combined
      with quantitative FRET measurements provided novel insights into the kinetics and
      integration of calcineurin activation in response to myocyte Ca transients. In
      all, DuoCaN and UniCaN stand as valuable new tools for understanding the role of
      calcineurin in normal and pathological signalling.

PMID- 26096997
TI  - Increased expression of NAPDH oxidase 4 in systemic sclerosis dermal fibroblasts:
      regulation by transforming growth factor beta.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by severe and often
      progressive fibrosis of the skin and multiple internal organs. The mechanisms
      responsible for these alterations remain obscure, although excessive reactive
      oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress has been implicated. NOX-4 is 1 of
      7 isoforms of NADPH oxidase responsible for the generation of ROS. The purpose of
      this study was to examine NOX-4 expression in skin and cultured dermal
      fibroblasts from SSc patients and to examine its regulation by transforming
      growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1). METHODS: NOX-4 was assessed in normal and SSc
      skin by immunohistologic analysis and in normal and SSc cultured dermal
      fibroblasts by quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, fluorescence
      microscopy, and Western blotting. ROS levels were assessed by fluorescence
      measurement of H2 O2 production. Specific kinase inhibitors were used to study
      the TGFbeta1 signaling involved in NOX-4 stimulation. NOX-4 inhibition/down
      regulation was induced with a selective NOX-4 small-molecule inhibitor and NOX-4
      small interfering RNA (siRNA). RESULTS: In contrast with normal skin fibroblasts,
      those from SSc skin showed intense NOX-4 staining. Cultured SSc fibroblasts
      displayed increased NOX-4 expression. TGFbeta1 caused potent NOX-4 protein and
      messenger RNA stimulation in normal and SSc fibroblasts, which was mediated by
      the protein kinase Cdelta (PKCdelta) and Smad2/3 pathways. NOX-4 knockdown in SSc
      fibroblasts reduced the production of ROS and lowered the expression of type I
      collagen. CONCLUSION: NOX-4 expression and production were found to be
      constitutively elevated in SSc skin and cultured SSc dermal fibroblasts. TGFbeta1
      stimulated NOX-4 expression in normal and SSc fibroblasts through PKCdelta and
      Smad2/3 signaling pathways. A small-molecule NOX-4 inhibitor decreased collagen
      and fibronectin production by normal and SSc fibroblasts, and NOX-4 siRNA
      knockdown reduced ROS and collagen production by SSc fibroblasts. These results
      demonstrate the involvement of NOX-4 in SSc-associated fibrosis and indicate NOX
      4 inhibitors as novel therapeutic approaches for SSc.

PMID- 26096998
TI  - Frequency of Intracranial Aneurysms Determined by Magnetic Resonance Angiography
      in Children (Mean Age 16) Having Operative or Endovascular Treatment of
      Coarctation of the Aorta (Mean Age 3).
AB  - Coarctation of the aorta (CofA) has been associated with an increased risk of
      intracranial aneurysm (IA). This magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) study
      investigates the prevalence of IAs in 80 children treated in early life for CofA.
      MRA was performed at mean age of 15.7 +/- 7.1 years, and surgical or endovascular
      treatment for CofA occurred at a mean age of 2.6 +/- 4.4 years. No IA was found.
      In contrast with earlier findings in adult patients with late treatment for CofA,
      this first systematic study of very early treated patients for CofA failed to
      confirm the association between CofA and IAs. Our results call the abnormal
      developmental relation between CofA and IAs into question and suggest that
      modifiable risk factors like hypertension may be responsible for IA development
      in patients with CofA with adult diagnosis and treatment. In conclusion, our data
      suggest that early treatment of CofA can reduce the formation of IAs in children
      so as to make MRA screening less valuable in this young population. 

PMID- 26097000
TI  - Selective Monoarylation of Primary Amines Using the Pd-PEPPSI-IPent(Cl)
      Precatalyst.
AB  - A single set of reaction conditions for the palladium-catalyzed amination of a
      wide variety of (hetero)aryl halides using primary alkyl amines has been
      developed. By combining the exceptionally high reactivity of the Pd-PEPPSI
      IPent(Cl) catalyst (PEPPSI=pyridine enhanced precatalyst preparation,
      stabilization, and initiation) with the soluble and nonaggressive sodium salt of
      BHT (BHT=2,6-di-tert-butyl-hydroxytoluene), both six- and five-membered
      (hetero)aryl halides undergo efficient and selective amination. 

PMID- 26096999
TI  - Comparison of Inhospital Outcomes and Hospitalization Costs of Peripheral
      Angioplasty and Endovascular Stenting.
AB  - The comparative data for angioplasty and stenting for treatment of peripheral
      arterial disease are largely limited to technical factors such as patency rates
      with sparse data on clinical outcomes like mortality, postprocedural
      complications, and amputation. The study cohort was derived from the Healthcare
      Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2006 to
      2011. Peripheral endovascular interventions were identified using appropriate
      International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) Diagnostic and
      procedural codes. Two-level hierarchical multivariate mixed models were created.
      The primary outcome includes inhospital mortality, and secondary outcome was a
      composite of inhospital mortality and postprocedural complications. Amputation
      was a separate outcome. Hospitalization costs were also assessed. Endovascular
      stenting (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, p value) was independently
      predictive of lower composite end point of inhospital mortality and
      postprocedural complications compared with angioplasty alone (0.96, 0.91 to 0.99,
      0.025) and lower amputation rates (0.56, 0.53 to 0.60, <0.001) with no
      significant difference in terms of inhospital mortality alone. Multivariate
      analysis also revealed stenting to be predictive of higher hospitalization costs
      ($1,516, 95% confidence interval 1,082 to 1,950, p <0.001) compared with
      angioplasty. In conclusion, endovascular stenting is associated with a lower rate
      of postprocedural complications, lower amputation rates, and only minimal
      increase in hospitalization costs compared with angioplasty alone. 

PMID- 26097001
TI  - Mini-Residency in Musculoskeletal Care: An Interprofessional, Mixed-Methods
      Educational Initiative for Primary Care Providers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A structured educational effort to train primary care providers (PCPs)
      to perform joint injections has been projected to be cost effective. The US
      Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is developing a national continuing
      professional development program to train PCPs in the evaluation and management
      of patients with common musculoskeletal conditions. The objective of this pilot
      project was to confirm initial projections of cost effectiveness and to inform
      further efforts to develop this program on a national scale. METHODS: The Salt
      Lake City VA served as the national hub for this pilot project. The initial phase
      included 19 providers, who participated in a weeklong mixed-methods course.
      Evaluation was conducted by the VA Employee Education System. Assessments
      included anonymous surveys, structured telephone interviews, and a review of de
      identified procedure codes. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 100%, with
      uniformly positive results. All participants recommended the expansion of this
      program. The mean number of joint injections performed each month increased from
      0.3 (precourse) to 3.5 (postcourse), congruent with prior analyses projecting
      program cost effectiveness. CONCLUSION: The musculoskeletal mini-residency is a
      well-received program, with early evidence of cost effectiveness and impact
      aligned with course objectives. This pilot program is a foundation for efforts in
      the national dissemination of this initiative.

PMID- 26097002
TI  - Asiaticoside attenuates diabetes-induced cognition deficits by regulating
      PI3K/Akt/NF-kappaB pathway.
AB  - Diabetes-associated cognitive dysfunction, referred as "diabetic encephalopathy",
      has been confirmed in a great deal of literature. Current evidence support that
      oxidative stress, inflammation, energy metabolism imbalance, and aberrant insulin
      signaling are associated with cognition deficits induced by diabetes. The present
      study explore the effect of asiaticoside on the cognition behaviors, synapses,
      and oxidative stress in diabetic rats. Asiaticoside could markedly ameliorate the
      performance in the Morris Water Maze (decreased latency time and path length, and
      increased time spent in the target quadrant), which was correlated with its
      capabilities of suppressing oxidative stress, restoring Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase
      activity and protecting hippocampal synapses. In vitro, asiaticoside could up
      regulate synaptic proteins expression via modulating Phosphoinositide 3-kinase
      (PI3K)/Protein Kinase B(AKT)/Nuclear Factor -kappa B (NF-kappaB)-mediated
      inflammatory pathway in SH-SY5Y cells incubated with high glucose chronically. In
      conclusion, asiaticoside had beneficial effects on the prevention and treatment
      of diabetes-associated cognitive deficits, which was involved in oxidative
      stress, PI3K/Akt/NF-kappaB pathway and synaptic function in the development of
      cognitive decline induced by diabetes. 

PMID- 26097003
TI  - Intermittent-access binge consumption of sweet high-fat liquid does not require
      opioid or dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbens.
AB  - Binge eating disorders are characterized by episodes of intense consumption of
      high-calorie food. In recently developed animal models of binge eating, rats
      given intermittent access to such food escalate their consumption over time.
      Consumption of calorie-dense food is associated with neurochemical changes in the
      nucleus accumbens, including dopamine release and alterations in dopamine and
      opioid receptor expression. Therefore, we hypothesized that binge-like
      consumption on intermittent access schedules is dependent on opioid and/or
      dopamine neurotransmission in the accumbens. To test this hypothesis, we asked
      whether injection of dopamine and opioid receptor antagonists into the core and
      shell of the accumbens reduced consumption of a sweet high-fat liquid in rats
      with and without a history of intermittent binge access to the liquid. Although
      injection of a MU opioid agonist increased consumption, none of the antagonists
      (including MU opioid, delta opioid, kappa opioid, D1 dopamine and D2 dopamine
      receptor antagonists, as well as the broad-spectrum opioid receptor antagonist
      naltrexone) reduced consumption, and this was the case whether or not the animals
      had a prior history of intermittent access. These results suggest that
      consumption of sweet, fatty food does not require opioid or dopamine receptor
      activation in the accumbens even under intermittent access conditions that
      resemble human binge episodes. 

PMID- 26097004
TI  - The effect of observers on behavior and the brain during aggressive encounters.
AB  - What effect does an audience have on an animal's behavior and where is this
      influence registered in the brain? To answer these questions, we analyzed male
      cichlid fish fighting in the presence of audiences of various compositions and
      measured expression of immediate early genes in the brain as a proxy for neural
      activity. We hypothesized their behavior would change depending on who was
      watching them. We measured behavioral responses from both the "watchers" and the
      "watched" during aggressive encounters and found that males fighting in the
      presence of an audience were more aggressive than males fighting without an
      audience. Depending on the nature of the audience, immediate early gene
      expression in key brain nuclei was differentially influenced. Both when an
      audience of larger males watched fighting males, and when they were watching
      larger males fighting, nuclei in the brain considered homologous with mammalian
      nuclei known to be associated with anxiety showed increased activity. When males
      were in the presence of any audience or when males saw any other males fighting,
      nuclei in the brain known to be involved in reproduction and aggression were
      differentially activated relative to control animals. In all cases, there was a
      close relationship between patterns of brain gene expression between fighters and
      observers. This suggests that the network of brain regions known as the social
      behavior network, common across vertebrates, are activated not only in
      association with the expression of social behavior but also by the reception of
      social information. 

PMID- 26097005
TI  - Impairment of social behaviour persists two years after embryonic alcohol
      exposure in zebrafish: A model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
AB  - Zebrafish naturally form social groups called shoals. Previously, we have shown
      that submerging zebrafish eggs into low concentrations of alcohol (0.00, 0.25,
      0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 vol/vol% external bath concentration) during development (24h
      post-fertilization) for two hours resulted in impaired shoaling response in seven
      month old young adult zebrafish. Here we investigate whether this embryonic
      alcohol exposure induced behavioural deficit persists to older age. Zebrafish
      embryos were exposed either to fresh system water (control) or to 1% alcohol for
      two hours, 24h after fertilization, and were raised in a high-density tank
      system. Social behaviour was tested by presenting the experimental fish with a
      computer animated group of zebrafish images, while automated tracking software
      measured their behaviour. Control fish were found to respond strongly to animated
      conspecific images by reducing their distanceand remaining close to the images
      during image presentation, embryonic alcohol treated fish did not. Our results
      suggest that the impaired shoaling response of the alcohol exposed fish was not
      due to altered motor function or visual perception, but likely to a central
      nervous system alteration affecting social behaviour itself. We found the effects
      of embryonic alcohol exposure on social behaviour not to diminish with age, a
      result that demonstrates the deleterious and potentially life-long consequences
      of exposure to even small amount of alcohol during embryonic development in
      vertebrates. 

PMID- 26097007
TI  - Bis[(dialkylamino)cyclopropenimine]-Stabilized P(III) - and P(V) -Centered
      Dications.
AB  - The treatment of bis[(dialkylamino)cyclopropenimines] with dihalophosphines in
      the presence of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf) to form diimine
      stabilized P(III) -centered dications is reported. The structures of the new
      compounds were determined by using X-ray diffraction analysis and their donor
      abilities as ligands evaluated through electrochemical methods. Despite the two
      positive charges that they bear, these compounds depict intermediate behavior
      between that of phosphines and phosphites. The coordination of the [L2 PR](2+)
      moiety to Au(I) and Ag(I) is also reported. Even more surprisingly, these
      phosphorus centers can be oxidized to the corresponding P(V) dications in the
      presence of strong oxidants such as peroxides or XeF2 . 

PMID- 26097006
TI  - A Light-Controlled TLR4 Agonist and Selectable Activation of Cell Subpopulations.
AB  - The spatial and temporal aspects of immune cell signaling are key parameters in
      defining the magnitude of an immune response. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) on
      innate immune cells are important in the early detection of pathogens and
      initiation of an immune response. Controlling the spatial and temporal signaling
      of TLRs would enable further study of immune synergies and assist in the
      development of new vaccines. Here, we show a light-based method for the spatial
      control of TLR4 signaling. A TLR4 agonist, pyrimido[5,4-b]indole, was protected
      with a cage at a position critical for receptor binding. This afforded a
      photocontrollable agonist that was inactive while caged, yet effected NF-kappaB
      activity in cells following UV photocontrolled deprotection. We demonstrated
      spatial control of NF-kappaB activation within a population of cells by treating
      all cells with the caged TLR4 agonist and constraining light exposure and
      consequent activation to a region of interest. 

PMID- 26097008
TI  - A feature based comparison of pen and swipe based signature characteristics.
AB  - Dynamic Signature Verification (DSV) is a biometric modality that identifies
      anatomical and behavioral characteristics when an individual signs their name.
      Conventionally signature data has been captured using pen/tablet apparatus.
      However, the use of other devices such as the touch-screen tablets has expanded
      in recent years affording the possibility of assessing biometric interaction on
      this new technology. To explore the potential of employing DSV techniques when a
      user signs or swipes with their finger, we report a study to correlate pen and
      finger generated features. Investigating the stability and correlation between a
      set of characteristic features recorded in participant's signatures and touch
      based swipe gestures, a statistical analysis was conducted to assess consistency
      between capture scenarios. The results indicate that there is a range of static
      and dynamic features such as the rate of jerk, size, duration and the distance
      the pen traveled that can lead to interoperability between these two systems for
      input methods for use within a potential biometric context. It can be concluded
      that this data indicates that a general principle is that the same underlying
      constructional mechanisms are evident. 

PMID- 26097009
TI  - Sub-Picosecond Singlet Exciton Fission in Cyano-Substituted Diaryltetracenes.
AB  - Thin films of 5,11-dicyano-6,12-diphenyltetracene (TcCN) have been studied for
      their ability to undergo singlet exciton fission (SF). Functionalization of
      tetracene with cyano substituents yields a more stable chromophore with favorable
      energetics for exoergic SF (2E(T1)-E(S1)=-0.17 eV), where S1 and T1 are singlet
      and triplet excitons, respectively. As a result of tuning the triplet-state
      energy, SF is faster in TcCN relative to the corresponding endoergic process in
      tetracene. SF proceeds with two time constants in the film samples (tau=0.8+/-0.2
      ps and tau=23+/-3 ps), which is attributed to structural disorder within the film
      giving rise to one population with a favorable interchromophore geometry, which
      undergoes rapid SF, and a second population in which the initially formed singlet
      exciton must diffuse to a site at which this favorable geometry exists. A triplet
      yield analysis using transient absorption spectra indicates the formation of
      1.6+/-0.3 triplets per initial excited state.

PMID- 26097010
TI  - Validity of a New Patient Engagement Measure: The Altarum Consumer Engagement
      (ACE) Measure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to report on the validation of new
      scales [called the Altarum Consumer Engagement (ACE) Measure] that are indicative
      of an individual's engagement in health and healthcare decisions. The instrument
      was created to broaden the scope of how engagement is measured and understood,
      and to update the concept of engagement to include modern information sources,
      such as online health resources and ratings of providers and patient health.
      METHODS: Data were collected through an online survey with a US population of
      2079 participants. A combination of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and
      detailed Rasch analyses were conducted to identify specific subscales of
      engagement. Results were compared to another commonly used survey instrument, and
      outcomes were compared for construct validity. RESULTS: The PCA identified a four
      factor structure composed of 21 items. The factors were named Commitment,
      Informed Choice, Navigation, and Ownership. Rasch analyses confirmed scale
      stability. Relevant outcomes were correlated in the expected direction, such as
      health status, lifestyle behaviors, medication adherence, and observed expected
      group differences. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the validity of the new ACE
      Measure and its utility in screening for and finding group differences in
      activities related to patient engagement and health consumerism, such as using
      provider comparison tools and asking about medical costs.

PMID- 26097011
TI  - Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship Analysis of the Effect of
      Metoclopramide and Related Compounds on the Surface Ionization of Fumed Silica.
AB  - Potentiometric titration curves were generated for fumed silica with various
      concentrations of dissolved metoclopramide. The effects of various benzamide
      analogs of metoclopramide, which are positively charged in the titration medium
      and differ solely by their aromatic substituents, as well as lidocaine, which is
      also structurally analogous but is mainly in the unionized form, were also
      studied. At sufficiently high pH, pH 7.0 and above, the silica surface charge was
      independent of the metoclopramide concentration. A reasonable linear relationship
      with a positive slope was found between the logarithmic octanol-water partition
      coefficient (log P) values of the compounds and the negative surface charge
      determined at pH 7.0 and 7.2. These results can be attributed to specific
      adsorbate-surface interactions rather than concentration effects. The carbonyl
      oxygens of the benzamide structures most likely form hydrogen bonds with the
      neutral silanols. The use of positively charged triethylamine and ephedrine
      resulted in surface charge values that were the least negative in the
      aforementioned quantitative structure-activity relationship analyses. These
      results are consistent with ionic interactions between the positively charged
      aliphatic amine groups and the negatively charged surface silanols occurring
      simultaneously with the nonionic interactions.

PMID- 26097012
TI  - Total body irradiation in a patient with fragile X syndrome for acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia in preparation for stem cell transplantation: A case
      report and literature review.
AB  - Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a congenital disorder caused by expansion of CGG
      trinucleotide repeat at the 5' end of the fragile X mental retardation gene 1
      (FMR1) on the X chromosome that leads to chromosomal instability and diminished
      serum levels of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). Afflicted
      individuals often have elongated features, marfanoid habitus, macroorchidism and
      intellectual impairment. Evolving literature suggests the condition may actually
      protect from malignancy while chromosomal instability would presumably elevate
      the risk. Increased sensitivity to ionizing radiation should also be predicted by
      unstable sites within the DNA. Interestingly, in this report, we detail a patient
      with FXS diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with induction
      followed by subsequent cycles of hyper-CVAD (cyclophosphamide, vincristine,
      doxorubicin, dexamethasone) with a complete response who then was recommended to
      undergo peripheral stem cell transplantation. The patient underwent total body
      irradiation (TBI) as a component of his conditioning regimen and despite the
      concern of his clinicians, developed minimal acute toxicity and successful
      engraftment. The pertinent literature regarding irradiation of patients with FXS
      is also reviewed.

PMID- 26097013
TI  - Soft PEG-Hydrogels with Independently Tunable Stiffness and RGDS-Content for Cell
      Adhesion Studies.
AB  - Poly(ethylene)glycol (PEG)-based hydrogels are often used as matrix material for
      cell culturing. An efficient method to prepare soft PEG gels is by cross-linking
      via copper-free strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC). Here, the
      effect of polymer density and RGDS-content on hydrogel formation and cell
      adhesion was studied, by varying the total polymer content (10, 20 and 30 mg .
      mL(-1) ) and the amount of RGDS moieties (0-100%) independently of each other.
      Rheology studies confirmed the soft nature of the hydrogels (G' = 25-2 298 Pa).
      HOS cells are able to adhere well to all RGDS-containing gels. Interestingly,
      both HeLa cells and NIH 3T3 fibroblasts showed substantial adherence to 10 and 20
      mg . mL(-1) gels, but with increased hydrogel stiffness (30 mg . mL(-1) ), their
      cellular adhesion decreased significantly. 

PMID- 26097014
TI  - Silk fibroin for vascular regeneration.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in today's
      world. Due to the lack of healthy autologous vessels, more tissue-engineered
      blood vessels are needed to repair or replace the damaged arteries. Biomaterials
      play an indispensable role in creating a living neovessel with biological
      responses. Silk fibroin produced by silkworms possesses good cytocompatibility,
      tailorable biodegradability, suitable mechanical properties, and minimal
      inflammatory reactions. In addition, regenerated silk fibroin solutions can be
      processed into various forms of scaffolds such as films, fibers, tubes, and
      porous sponges. These features make silk fibroin a promising biomaterial for
      small-diameter vascular grafts. The present article focuses on the applications
      of silk fibroin for vascular regeneration. A brief overview of the properties of
      silk fibroin is provided, following which the current research status and future
      directions of the main types of silk fibroin scaffolds for vascular regeneration
      are reviewed and discussed. Microsc. Res. Tech. 80:280-290, 2017. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26097015
TI  - Pathways Implicated in Tadalafil Amelioration of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
AB  - Numerous therapeutic approaches for Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (DMD
      and BMD), the most common X-linked muscle degenerative disease, have been
      proposed. So far, the only one showing a clear beneficial effect is the use of
      corticosteroids. Recent evidence indicates an improvement of dystrophic cardiac
      and skeletal muscles in the presence of sustained cGMP levels secondary to a
      blocking of their degradation by phosphodiesterase five (PDE5). Due to these
      data, we performed a study to investigate the effect of the specific PDE5
      inhibitor, tadalafil, on dystrophic skeletal muscle function. Chronic
      pharmacological treatment with tadalafil has been carried out in mdx mice.
      Behavioral and physiological tests, as well as histological and biochemical
      analyses, confirmed the efficacy of the therapy. We then performed a microarray
      based genomic analysis to assess the pattern of gene expression in muscle samples
      obtained from the different cohorts of animals treated with tadalafil. This
      scrutiny allowed us to identify several classes of modulated genes. Our results
      show that PDE5 inhibition can ameliorate dystrophy by acting at different levels.
      Tadalafil can lead to (1) increased lipid metabolism; (2) a switch towards slow
      oxidative fibers driven by the up-regulation of PGC-1alpha; (3) an increased
      protein synthesis efficiency; (4) a better actin network organization at Z-disk.

PMID- 26097016
TI  - Efficacy of caudal epidural injection of lidocaine, xylazine and xylazine plus
      hyaluronidase in reducing discomfort produced by electroejaculation in bulls.
AB  - To test the hypothesis that epidural administration of lidocaine, xylazine or
      xylazine plus hyaluronidase provides reduced pain and stress during
      electroejaculation in bulls, eight 30-month-old Nellore bulls received saline
      solution (control), 2% lidocaine, 2% xylazine or 2% xylazine plus hyaluronidase
      injected into the first intercoccygeal (Co1-Co2) epidural space in randomized
      order. Heart rate, respiratory rate, mean arterial pressure, analgesia, animal
      behavior and motor blockade were evaluated before treatment and at predetermined
      intervals during and after treatment. Pain and stress were scored subjectively,
      and semen quality was evaluated. The onset of anesthetic action was significantly
      faster with lidocaine (3.0 +/- 1.2 min) than with xylazine or xylazine plus
      hyaluronidase (8.9 +/- 1.5 and 5.5 +/- 2.6 min, P=0.021 and P=0.012,
      respectively), and the onset of anesthesia with xylazine plus hyaluronidase was
      significantly faster than that with xylazine alone (P=0.032). Treatment with
      xylazine or xylazine plus hyaluronidase resulted in less discomfort than
      treatment with lidocaine, as indicated by animal behavior. Changes in heart rate,
      respiratory rate and arterial pressure were within acceptable limits. Penile
      protrusion and semen emission occurred in all animals during all four treatments.
      Our results suggest that xylazine plus hyaluronidase reduced discomfort during
      electroejaculation more effectively than xylazine or lidocaine alone. Further
      experiments are necessary to determine whether electroejaculation with xylazine
      plus hyaluronidase is feasible for obtaining semen from Nellore bulls
      unaccustomed to being handled or restrained. 

PMID- 26097017
TI  - Downregulation of the expression of inhibin alpha subunit and betaglycan in
      porcine cystic follicles.
AB  - Inhibins, as members of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta)
      superfamily, downregulate the synthesis and secretion of follicle-stimulating
      hormone (FSH) in an endocrine manner. The role of inhibin/betaglycan in the ovary
      regulation recently gained attention. To date, no data exist on the function of
      inhibin alpha subunit and betaglycan in cystic follicles. In this study, the
      expressions of inhibin alpha subunit and betaglycan in cystic follicles were
      investigated using immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR and Western blot analysis.
      Both inhibin alpha subunit and betaglycan immunoreactivities were mainly
      localized in the granulosa cells of follicles. Expression of inhibin alpha
      subunit and betaglycan was inferior in cystic follicles compared with that in
      normal large follicles. However, the result of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      showed no significant difference in the decreasing in concentration of inhibin
      alpha subunit in cystic follicular fluid compared with the control (P>0.05). In
      this study, we explored the effects of FSH on betaglycan expression in granulosa
      cells in vitro. As expected, a significant increase in the expressions of
      betaglycan mRNA and protein in granulosa cells was observed in response to
      exogenous FSH (30 ng/ml) (P<0.05) compared with the control. Consequently, this
      study provides evidence that the expressions of inhibin alpha subunit and
      betaglycan are inferior in cystic follicles, and this may be caused by the
      decrease in FSH in the presence of a cystic follicle. 

PMID- 26097018
TI  - Introduction to the special issue on the origins of modern meta-analysis.
AB  - This issue of Research Synthesis Methods is devoted to discussion of the origins
      of modern meta-analysis. Three articles by pioneers in development meta-analysis
      are by Gene Glass, Frank Schmidt, and Robert Rosenthal, respectively. They
      reflect on their own experiences about how they made these developments. The
      fourth article is by William Shadish, and seeks to analyze the impact of meta
      analysis and the reasons why meta-analysis developed at the time it did, and by
      the people who did so. The articles are followed by commentaries by Douglas
      Altman, Iain Chalmers, Harris Cooper, Kay Dickersin, Larry Hedges, David Hoaglin,
      and Hannah Rothstein, who each comment on both the four target articles and on
      their own perspectives about how and why meta-analysis developed when and how it
      did.

PMID- 26097019
TI  - A Solution-Processable Molecule using Thieno[3,2-b]thiophene as Building Block
      for Efficient Organic Solar Cells.
AB  - A solution-processed acceptor-pi-donor-pi-acceptor (A-pi-D-pi-A) type small
      molecule, namely DCATT, has been designed and synthesized for the application as
      donor material in organic solar cells. The fused aromatic unit thieno[3,2
      b]thiophene (TT) flanked with thiophene is applied as pi bridge, while 4,8
      bisthienyl substituted benzodithiophene (BDT) and 2-ethylhexyl cyanoacetate are
      chosen as the central building block and end group, respectively. Introduction of
      fused ring to the small molecule enhances the conjugation length of the main
      chain, and gives a strong tendency to form pi-pi stacking with a large
      overlapping area which favors to high charge carrier transport. Small-molecule
      organic solar cells based on blends of DCATT and fullerene acceptor exhibit power
      conversion efficiencies as high as 5.20 % under the illumination of AM 1.5G, 100
      mW cm(-2) . 

PMID- 26097020
TI  - Unusual trend in the prevalence of trisomy 13 in mothers aged 35 and older: A
      population based study of national congenital anomaly data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Trisomy 13 is one of the three autosomal trisomies compatible with
      viability. It is associated with structural anomalies, learning disability and
      poor survival. Advanced maternal age is the most frequently suggested risk
      factor. This is a population based register study to investigate the temporal
      trends of trisomy 13. METHODS: Chromosomal trisomies were reviewed by the Welsh
      Congenital Anomaly Register using data from 1998-2012. All pregnancy outcomes
      were included. Prevalence rates and trends for all cases and for cases with
      mothers aged below 35 years and those aged 35 years and older were plotted for
      trisomy 13, 18 and 21. Possible risk factors contributing to the trend in older
      mothers were compared in the early and late period of the study. RESULTS: There
      were 124 cases of trisomy 13 over the 15 year period with 55 mothers aged 35
      years and older. Overall prevalence was 2.5 per 10,000 total births. A
      significant declining trend in the prevalence of trisomy 13 in mothers aged 35
      and older (chi(2) trend = 4.98, p=0.026) was noted. Rates for younger mothers
      were lower and remained stable. Prevalence of trisomy 18 and 21 in older mothers
      remained stable. CONCLUSION: The unexpected declining trend in trisomy 13 in
      older mothers could not be explained by the risk factors examined in this study.
      There have been no other reports of trends in the prevalence of trisomy 13 in
      older mothers in recent years. There is further need for surveillance of trends
      in future and in other populations.

PMID- 26097022
TI  - Fifteen year natural history of lower eyelid syringocystadenoma papilliferum in a
      young girl.

PMID- 26097021
TI  - Protection from diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice lacking CCL19
      CCR7 signaling.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Several chemokines play important roles in recruiting the
      monocyte/macrophage lineage into adipose tissues. We previously found CCL19 was
      highly expressed in adipocytes cocultured with macrophages stimulated by
      endotoxin. This study aimed to evaluate the role of CCL19-CCR7 axis on obesity
      and insulin resistance. METHODS: Serum CCL19 concentration was examined in obese
      model mice challenged by endotoxin. CCL19 receptor-null, Ccr7(-/-), mice and wild
      type mice fed a high-fat diet or normal diet were used to investigate the role of
      CCL19 signals on obesity-associated inflammation. RESULTS: CCL19 protein was
      elevated in the sera of obese model mice challenged by endotoxin. Ccr7(-/-) mice
      were protected from diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. The adipose
      tissue and liver expression of inflammatory genes of Ccr7(-/-) mice was much
      lower than in diet-induced obese mice. Ccr7(-/-) mice were protected from fatty
      liver and dyslipidemia and exhibited increased thermogenesis on high-fat feeding.
      CCL19 attracts activated dendritic cells (DC). The expression of the DC markers,
      CD11b and 11c, was not observed in the adipose tissues of Ccr7(-/-) mice fed a
      high-fat diet, which might be closely associated with the protection of these
      mice from obesity. CONCLUSIONS: The CCL19-CCR7 pathway associates with the
      development of high-fat-induced obesity and insulin resistance.

PMID- 26097023
TI  - Images in Emergency Medicine. Woman With Syncope. Twiddler's Syndrome.

PMID- 26097024
TI  - Twiddle Me This! A Look at Twiddler's Syndrome.

PMID- 26097025
TI  - Commentary.

PMID- 26097026
TI  - Change of shift. Mourning Theresa.

PMID- 26097027
TI  - Annals of Emergency Medicine Journal Club. "Am I Having a Heart Attack, Doc?"
      Patient-Physician Communication for Possible Acute Coronary Syndromes.

PMID- 26097028
TI  - Images in Emergency Medicine. Elderly Female With Abdominal Pain. Palpebral
      Emphysema From Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography-Related
      Retroperitoneal Perforation.

PMID- 26097029
TI  - EM:RAP Commentaries in the Annals of Emergency Medicine: Peer Review and
      Financial Disclosure Needed.

PMID- 26097030
TI  - In reply.

PMID- 26097031
TI  - The Negative Predictive Value of the Head Impulse Test, Nystagmus, and Test of
      Skew Deviation Bedside Oculomotor Examination in Acute Vestibular Syndrome.

PMID- 26097032
TI  - In reply.

PMID- 26097033
TI  - Rings May Be Removed With a Tie From a Surgical Mask.

PMID- 26097034
TI  - The Tetracycline Destructases: A Novel Family of Tetracycline-Inactivating
      Enzymes.
AB  - Enzymes capable of inactivating tetracycline are paradoxically rare compared with
      enzymes that inactivate other natural-product antibiotics. We describe a family
      of flavoenzymes, previously unrecognizable as resistance genes, which are capable
      of degrading tetracycline antibiotics. From soil functional metagenomic
      selections, we discovered nine genes that confer high-level tetracycline
      resistance by enzymatic inactivation. We also demonstrate that a tenth enzyme, an
      uncharacterized homolog in the human pathogen Legionella longbeachae, similarly
      inactivates tetracycline. These enzymes catalyze the oxidation of tetracyclines
      in vitro both by known mechanisms and via previously undescribed activity.
      Tetracycline-inactivation genes were identified in diverse soil types, encompass
      substantial sequence diversity, and are adjacent to genes implicated in
      horizontal gene transfer. Because tetracycline inactivation is scarcely observed
      in hospitals, these enzymes may fill an empty niche in pathogenic organisms, and
      should therefore be monitored for their dissemination potential into the clinic.

PMID- 26097036
TI  - Determination of Secondary Follicle Characteristics, Density, Activity, and
      Hoxc13 Expression Pattern of Hexi Cashmere Goats Breed.
AB  - This experiment was conducted to identify some aspects of secondary follicle (SF)
      characteristics of Hexi cashmere goats at five different growing stages in one
      year in order and discover the expression pattern of Hoxc13 in a SF cycling to
      provide morphological basis for studying the growth of cashmere. Ten cashmere
      goats of one-year old (5 males, 5 females) were included in this study. The
      density and activity of SF were observed and measured by making paraffin
      sections, the ultra-structural features of SF were studied under transmission
      electron microscopy (TEM) by making ultra-thin sections, and the expression of
      Hoxc13 was investigated through the immunohistochemistry method. The average
      diameter of SF had the smallest value in the anagen stage, and significant
      difference (P < 0.05) was found between the anagen stage and other stages. The
      density of SF increased gradually through the different growing stages, and
      significant difference was found between the anagen and procatagen stages (P <
      0.05). With an increase in time (months), the percentage of SF activity
      increased, and significant difference in the percentage of SF activity was found
      between the telogen and anagen stages (P < 0.05). At the telogen stage, the
      layers of connective tissue sheath (CTS) of SF were unclear, hemidesmosomes
      between the outer root sheath (ORS) and basement membrane disappeared, and dead
      cells were found at the top of the SF. The rudiments of new SF were found in the
      proanagen stage, CTS was thickened, and the cells of ORS were stretched out like
      fingers. At the anagen stage, the structure of SF was integral, and the inner
      root sheath (IRS) consisted of three concentric layers (Helen, Huxley, and
      Cuticle layers). The cells of Huxley's layer degenerated gradually, and
      pseudopodia were formed on the cells of ORS in the procatagen stage. At the
      catagen stage, the ORS was separated from the IRS, and IRS disappeared. Huxley's
      layer was absent in the inactive SF while, the ORS was present in the active SF.
      Hoxc 13 was expressed in the epidermis and sebaceous gland o, ORS, IRS, hair
      shaft of SF in the skin. Hoxc13 was expressed weakly during procatagen, catagen,
      and telogen stage, while with an increase in proanagen and anagen stage,
      significant difference was found between them. These findings demonstrated the
      ultra-structural features of SF could provide the useful activity criteria, and
      Hoxc13 associated with the SF activity.

PMID- 26097035
TI  - Thiophenecarboxamide Derivatives Activated by EthA Kill Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis by Inhibiting the CTP Synthetase PyrG.
AB  - To combat the emergence of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis,
      new antitubercular agents and novel drug targets are needed. Phenotypic screening
      of a library of 594 hit compounds uncovered two leads that were active against M.
      tuberculosis in its replicating, non-replicating, and intracellular states:
      compounds 7947882 (5-methyl-N-(4-nitrophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxamide) and 7904688
      (3-phenyl-N-[(4-piperidin-1-ylphenyl)carbamothioyl]propanamide). Mutants
      resistant to both compounds harbored mutations in ethA (rv3854c), the gene
      encoding the monooxygenase EthA, and/or in pyrG (rv1699) coding for the CTP
      synthetase, PyrG. Biochemical investigations demonstrated that EthA is
      responsible for the activation of the compounds, and by mass spectrometry we
      identified the active metabolite of 7947882, which directly inhibits PyrG
      activity. Metabolomic studies revealed that pharmacological inhibition of PyrG
      strongly perturbs DNA and RNA biosynthesis, and other metabolic processes
      requiring nucleotides. Finally, the crystal structure of PyrG was solved, paving
      the way for rational drug design with this newly validated drug target. 

PMID- 26097037
TI  - Chronic exposure to manganese sulfate leads to adverse dose-dependent effects on
      the neurobehavioral ability of rats.
AB  - Manganese sulfate is the main combustion product of methylcyclopentadienyl
      manganese tricarbonyl (MMT). Currently, little is known about the neurobehavioral
      consequences of chronic manganese sulfate exposure. In this study, rats were
      treated with 0, 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 mg/kg MnSO4 .H2 O for 24 consecutive weeks
      via intraperitoneal injection. During the treatment period, spatial learning
      memory ability was measured using the Morris water maze (MWM). At the end of the
      exposure period, spontaneous motor behavior and emotional status, hippocampal
      histologic changes, and Hsp70 mRNA levels were measured using the open-field test
      (OFT), hematoxylin-eosin staining and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR),
      respectively. A dose-dependent decrease was noted in the spatial learning-memory
      ability and the spontaneous activities of rats (P < 0.05), and negative emotions
      differed significantly between the exposed groups and the control group (P <
      0.05). Moreover, overt morphological changes in the hippocampuses of the exposed
      rats were detected. Cellular degeneration and death were also found. The Hsp70
      mRNA levels of the hippocampal areas in the 20.0 mg/kg group (1.567 +/- 0.236)
      were significantly increased compared with the control group (P < 0.05). These
      results suggest that chronic exposure to manganese sulfate can have adverse dose
      dependent effects on rats' neurobehavioral ability, and the mechanism of abnormal
      hippocampal Hsp70 expression needs to be further explored. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1571-1579, 2016.

PMID- 26097038
TI  - Articular cartilage endurance and resistance to osteoarthritic changes require
      transcription factor Erg.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether and how the transcription factor Erg participates
      in the genesis, establishment, and maintenance of articular cartilage. METHODS:
      Floxed Erg mice were mated with Gdf5-Cre mice to generate conditional mutants
      lacking Erg in their joints. Joints of mutant and control mice were subjected to
      morphologic and molecular characterization and also to experimental surgically
      induced osteoarthritis (OA). Gene expression, promoter reporter assays, and gain-
      and loss-of-function in vitro tests were used to characterize molecular
      mechanisms of Erg action. RESULTS: Conditional Erg ablation did not elicit
      obvious changes in limb joint development and overall phenotype in juvenile mice.
      However, as mice aged, joints of mutant mice degenerated spontaneously and
      exhibited clear OA-like phenotypic defects. Joints in juvenile mutant mice were
      more sensitive to surgically induced OA and became defective sooner than operated
      joints in control mice. Global gene expression data and other studies identified
      parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and lubricin as possible downstream
      effectors and mediators of Erg action in articular chondrocytes. Reporter assays
      using control and mutated promoter-enhancer constructs indicated that Erg acted
      on Ets DNA binding sites to stimulate PTHrP expression. Erg was up-regulated in
      severely affected areas in human OA articular cartilage but remained barely
      appreciable in areas of less affected cartilage. CONCLUSION: The study shows for
      the first time that Erg is a critical molecular regulator of the endurance of
      articular cartilage during postnatal life and that Erg can mitigate spontaneous
      and experimental OA. Erg appears to do this through regulating expression of
      PTHrP and lubricin, factors known for their protective roles in joints.

PMID- 26097039
TI  - Maintenance of Clinical Efficacy and Radiographic Benefit Through Two Years of
      Ustekinumab Therapy in Patients With Active Psoriatic Arthritis: Results From a
      Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Phase III Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ustekinumab through 2 years in
      adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA). METHODS: A total of 615
      adult patients with active PsA were randomized to placebo, ustekinumab 45 mg, or
      ustekinumab 90 mg, at weeks 0, 4, and every 12 weeks through week 88 (last dose).
      At week 16, patients with <5% improvement in both tender and swollen joint counts
      entered blinded early escape (placebo to 45 mg, 45 mg to 90 mg, and 90 mg to 90
      mg). All remaining placebo patients crossed over to ustekinumab 45 mg at week 24.
      Clinical efficacy measures included American College of Rheumatology criteria for
      20% improvement (ACR20), Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using the C-reactive
      protein level (DAS28-CRP), and >=75% improvement in the Psoriasis Area and
      Severity Index (PASI75). Radiographic progression was evaluated using the
      modified Sharp/van der Heijde score (SHS). RESULTS: At week 100, ACR20, DAS28-CRP
      moderate/good response, and PASI75 rates ranged from 56.7-63.6%, 71.9-76.7%, and
      63.9-72.5%, respectively, across the 3 treatment groups. In both ustekinumab
      groups, the median percent improvement in dactylitis and enthesitis was 100% at
      week 100. The mean changes in SHS score from week 52 to week 100 were similar to
      those observed from week 0 to week 52 in the ustekinumab groups. Through week
      108, 70.7% and 9.7% of patients had an adverse event (AE) or serious AE,
      respectively. The rates and type of AEs were similar between the dose groups.
      CONCLUSION: Clinical and radiographic benefits from ustekinumab treatment were
      maintained through week 100 in the PSUMMIT 1 study. No unexpected safety events
      were observed; the safety profile of ustekinumab in this population was similar
      to that previously observed in psoriasis patients treated with ustekinumab.

PMID- 26097040
TI  - Posttranslational modification of a vanadium nitrogenase.
AB  - In microbes that fix nitrogen, nitrogenase catalyzes the conversion of N2 to
      ammonia in an ATP-demanding reaction. To help conserve energy some bacteria
      inhibit nitrogenase activity upon exposure to ammonium. The purple nonsulfur
      phototrophic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris strain CGA009 can synthesize
      three functional nitrogenase isoenzymes: a molybdenum nitrogenase, a vanadium
      nitrogenase, and an iron nitrogenase. Previous studies showed that in some
      alphaproteobacteria, including R. palustris, molybdenum nitrogenase activity is
      inhibited by ADP-ribosylation when cells are exposed to ammonium. Some iron
      nitrogenases are also posttranslationally modified. However, the
      posttranslational modification of vanadium nitrogenase has not been reported.
      Here, we investigated the regulation of the alternative nitrogenases of R.
      palustris and determined that both its vanadium nitrogenase and its iron
      nitrogenase activities were inhibited and posttranslationally modified when cells
      are exposed to ammonium. Vanadium nitrogenase is not found in all strains of R.
      palustris, suggesting that it may have been acquired by horizontal gene transfer.
      Also, phylogenetic analyses of the three nitrogenases suggest that VnfH, the
      target of ADP-ribosylation, may be the product of a gene duplication of nifH, the
      molybdenum nitrogenase homolog.

PMID- 26097041
TI  - Preparation, Characterization, and Oxygenase Activity of a Photocatalytic
      Artificial Enzyme.
AB  - A bicyclo[6,1,0]nonyne-substituted 9-mesityl-10-methyl-acridinium cofactor was
      prepared and covalently linked to a prolyl oligopeptidase scaffold containing a
      genetically encoded 4-azido-L-phenylalanine residue in its active site. The
      resulting artificial enzyme catalyzed sulfoxidation when irradiated with visible
      light in the presence of air. This reaction proceeds by initial electron
      abstraction from the sulfide within the enzyme active site, and the protein
      scaffold extended the fluorescence lifetime of the acridium cofactor. The mode of
      sulfide activation and placement of the acridinium cofactor (5) in POP-ZA4 -5
      make this artificial enzyme a promising platform for developing selective
      photocatalytic transformations.

PMID- 26097042
TI  - Study on clarithromycin lactobionate based dual selector systems for the
      enantioseparation of basic drugs in capillary electrophoresis.
AB  - In this paper, the use of clarithromycin lactobionate, a kind of antibiotic
      chiral selector, in combination with four neutral cyclodextrin derivatives
      (glucose-beta-cyclodextrin, hydroxyethyl-beta-cyclodextrin, methyl-beta
      cyclodextrin and hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin) was reported for the first
      time. As a result, these dual systems gave much better resolution of nefopam (the
      Rs increased to 3.58, 2.72, 1.49 and 1.42, respectively) compared to the single
      systems. The effects of buffer pH and selector concentration on the separation of
      nefopam were also investigated. Additionally, some other basic drugs including
      metoprolol, atenolol, propranolol, bisoprolol, esmolol and ritodrine were tested
      for the investigation and evaluation of the enantiorecognition capability of the
      four dual systems. As expected, the synergistic effect was observed in four
      systems. Different results of these dual systems were also summarized. 

PMID- 26097044
TI  - Multi-system involvement in a severe variant of fibrodysplasia ossificans
      progressiva (ACVR1 c.772G>A; R258G): A report of two patients.
AB  - Severe variants of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) affect <2% of all
      FOP patients worldwide, but provide an unprecedented opportunity to probe the
      phenotype-genotype relationships that propel the pathology of this disabling
      disease. We evaluated two unrelated children who had severe reduction deficits of
      the hands and feet with absence of nails, progressive heterotopic ossification,
      hypoplasia of the brain stem, motor and cognitive developmental delays, facial
      dysmorphology, small malformed teeth, and abnormal hair development. One child
      had sensorineural hearing loss, microcytic anemia, and a tethered spinal cord and
      the other had a patent ductus arteriosus and gonadal dysgenesis with sex reversal
      (karyotype 46, XY female). Both children had an identical mutation in ACVR1
      c.772A>G; p.Arg258Gly (R258G), not previously described in FOP. Although many, if
      not most, FOP mutations directly perturb the structure of the GS regulatory
      subdomain and presumably the adjacent alphaC helix, substitution with glycine at
      R258 may directly alter the position of the helix in the kinase domain,
      eliminating a key aspect of the autoinhibitory mechanism intrinsic to the wild
      type ACVR1 kinase. The high fidelity phenotype-genotype relationship in these
      unrelated children with the most severe FOP phenotype reported to date suggests
      that the shared features are due to the dysregulated activity of the mutant
      kinase during development and postnatally, and provides vital insight into the
      structural biology and function of ACVR1 as well as the design of small molecule
      inhibitors.

PMID- 26097045
TI  - Promoting Cell Survival and Proliferation in Degradable Poly(vinyl alcohol)
      Tyramine Hydrogels.
AB  - A photopolymerizable-tyraminated poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA-Tyr) system that has
      the ability to covalently bind proteins in their native state was evaluated as a
      platform for cell encapsulation. However, a key hurdle to this system is the
      radicals generated during the cross-linking that can cause oxidative stress to
      the cells. This research hypothesized that incorporation of anti-oxidative
      proteins (sericin and gelatin) into PVA-Tyr gels would mitigate any toxicity
      caused by the radicals. The results showed that although incorporation of 1 wt%
      sericin promoted survival of the fibroblasts, both sericin and gelatin acted
      synergistically to facilitate long-term 3D cell function. The encapsulated cells
      formed clusters with deposition of laminin and collagen, as well as remaining
      metabolically active after 21 d. 

PMID- 26097046
TI  - The early history of meta-analysis.

PMID- 26097047
TI  - Aggregation of Beta-Amyloid Peptides Proximal to Zwitterionic Lipid Bilayers.
AB  - One of the hallmarks of Alzheimers disease is the deposition of amyloid plaques,
      which consist of beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptides in fibrillar states. Nonfibrillar
      Abeta aggregates have been considered as an important intermediate in the pathway
      of fibrillization, but little is known about the formation mechanism. The on
      pathway beta-sheet intermediates of Abeta40 peptides can be trapped by incubating
      the peptides in liposomes formed by zwitterionic lipids. The aggregates of
      Abeta40 peptides have been prepared at a peptide concentration of less than 10
      MUm. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy data show that the backbone conformation of the
      aggregates is almost identical to that of the fibrils formed in free solution. In
      contrast to anionic lipids, zwitterionic lipids, which are typical of neuronal
      soma, did not induce any significant conformational difference in Abeta40
      fibrils. This liposome-Abeta system may serve as a useful model to study the
      fibril formation mechanism. 

PMID- 26097048
TI  - Reflections on the etiology of structural birth defects: Established teratogens
      and risk factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Various experts in clinical teratology have proposed what they
      consider to be well-established teratogens. With the recent growth in the number
      of resources and investigations, there has been a notable proliferation of
      proposed risk factors as potential causes of human congenital structural defects.
      The purpose of this Commentary is to provide a concise summary of the current
      state of knowledge regarding known causes and environmental risk factors of
      structural defects. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive search of PubMed for
      papers in English and in humans only, 2010 to 2014, that included birth defects,
      risk factors, and teratogens as key terms. RESULTS: Our search led to over 9000
      papers dealing with these categories. From this, we were able to construct a
      timetable documenting the recognition of human teratogens and list several
      proposed environmental risk factors. Three relevant current trends were noticed:
      An increase of prescription and nonprescription medication use by women during
      pregnancy; the rise in obesity and its association with structural defects; and a
      growing body of work regarding outcomes associated with assisted reproductive
      technology. CONCLUSION: There are numerous risk factors, some modifiable, that
      have been proposed in recent years. These factors (associations) are only at the
      preliminary level in the causal chain and require replication. There is a need
      for more work on protective factors. The phenotypic characterization of cases
      with congenital defects has improved remarkably in recent years. However, there
      remains considerable concern with the precise characterization of exposures and
      the documentation of timing during embryologic development.

PMID- 26097049
TI  - The effect of metformin on cancer-specific survival outcomes in diabetic patients
      undergoing radical cystectomy for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.
AB  - PURPOSE: Metformin, a first-line oral therapy for diabetes, has anticancer
      properties. Our objective was to evaluate the association between metformin use
      and oncologic outcomes in diabetic patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC)
      for bladder cancer (BC). METHODS: A single-institution retrospective cohort
      (January 1997-June 2013) of diabetic patients undergoing RC was assembled.
      Medication use was assessed at time of surgery. Outcome measures were recurrence
      free survival (RFS), BC-specific survival (BCSS), and overall survival (OS).
      Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used. To create parsimonious
      models, the change of estimate approach (10% threshold) was used as a variable
      selection strategy for final model inclusion separately for each outcome measure.
      RESULTS: Of 421 patients, 85 (20%) had diabetes. There were 39 (46%) patients on
      metformin therapy. Among diabetic patients, there were 21 patients with BC
      recurrence, 16 who died of BC, and 30 who died overall. In univariate analyses,
      metformin use among diabetic patients was associated with improved RFS (hazard
      ratio = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.33-0.88, P = 0.013) and trended toward improved BCSS
      (hazard ratio = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.40-1.07, P = 0.087), but not with OS (P = 0.87).
      In multivariable models, metformin use among diabetic patients was associated
      with significantly improved RFS (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.20-0.72,
      P = 0.003) and BCSS (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.35-0.91, P = 0.019),
      but not with OS (P = 0.89). Use of other oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin was
      not associated with oncologic outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is among the first
      to report an association between metformin use and improved RFS and BCSS in
      diabetic patients undergoing RC. Given its low cost and demonstrated safety among
      nondiabetic patients, further studies are warranted to evaluate potential
      therapeutic and preventive roles of metformin in BC.

PMID- 26097050
TI  - Margin details matter: The prognostic significance of pseudocapsule invasion at
      the site of involved margin in prostatectomy specimens.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An involved surgical margin at prostatectomy has long been associated
      with elevated risk of prostate cancer recurrence; however, not all patients with
      an involved margin will relapse, and thus details of the involved margin may
      provide an opportunity for risk subset stratification. The present investigation
      seeks to determine whether a difference exists in recurrence rates when the
      margin involvement is at a site of prostate pseudocapsule invasion vs. within the
      prostate parenchyma proper. METHODS: Patients were retrospectively identified for
      inclusion by clinically localized disease and prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
      level of< 30 ng/ml at diagnosis, managed with prostatectomy alone and identified
      to have involvement of surgical margin(s). Exclusion criteria were: pT3b or pN1
      disease, immediate/nonsalvage postoperative radiation or hormone therapy, or
      insufficient follow-up (<12 mo). Pathology slides were reviewed by a pathologist
      blinded to outcome, for determination of pseudocapsule invasion at a site of
      margin involvement. Disease recurrence was defined as PSA level of >= 0.2 ng/ml
      and rising, per contemporary guidelines. Kaplan-Meier method was used for
      construction of disease control estimate confidence intervals; Cox Proportional
      Hazards Model was used to compare disease control across groups. RESULTS: Between
      2003 and 2010, 155 patients were identified for inclusion in the present study.
      The median age was 61 years, and all had clinical stage T1 and T2 disease (75%
      T1c). At diagnosis, the Gleason score was 6, 7, and 8-9 for 103 (66%), 42 (27%),
      and 10 (6%) patients, respectively, with median PSA level of 5.6 ng/ml (85%<=
      10). For 149 patients with reviewable margin site data, 51 (34%) demonstrated
      involvement within or beyond the pseudocapsule. At a median follow-up of 68
      months (range: 13-137), 62 patients had experienced PSA relapse. The estimated 5
      year PSA relapse rates for patients with an involved margin at the site of
      pseudocapsule invasion vs. prostate parenchyma were 49% vs. 34%, respectively (P
      = 0.017; hazard ratio = 1.853). CONCLUSIONS: Early PSA relapse rates are high for
      patients with involved surgical margin(s) without seminal vesicle or node
      involvement at prostatectomy; however, for patients who are followed without
      immediate adjuvant therapy, presence of tumor cells at the margin in a site of
      pseudocapsule invasion or penetration confers a higher risk of recurrence.

PMID- 26097051
TI  - Heritability of the Human Craniofacial Complex.
AB  - Quantifying normal variation and the genetic underpinnings of anatomical
      structures is one of the main goals of modern morphological studies. However, the
      extent of genetic contributions to normal variation in craniofacial morphology in
      humans is still unclear. The current study addresses this gap by investigating
      the genetic underpinnings of normal craniofacial morphology. The sample under
      investigation consists of 75 linear and angular measurements spanning the entire
      craniofacial complex, recorded from lateral cephalographs of 1,379 participants
      in the Fels Longitudinal Study. Heritabilities for each trait were estimated
      using SOLAR, a maximum-likelihood variance components approach utilizing all
      pedigree information for parameter estimation. Trait means and mean effects of
      the covariates age, sex, age(2) , sex * age, and sex * age(2) were simultaneously
      estimated in the analytic models. All traits of the craniofacial complex were
      significantly heritable. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.10 to 0.60, with
      the majority being moderate. It is important to note that we found similar ranges
      of heritability occurring across the different functional/developmental
      components of the craniofacial complex, the splanchnocranium, the basicranium,
      and the neurocranium. This suggests that traits from different regions of the
      craniofacial complex are of comparable utility for the purposes of population
      history and phylogeny reconstruction. At the same time, this genetic influence on
      craniofacial morphology signals a caution to researchers of nongenetic studies to
      consider the implications of this finding when selecting samples for study given
      their project design and goals.

PMID- 26097052
TI  - SCAI: Enhancing patient care through quality.

PMID- 26097053
TI  - Is the left main just another artery to FFR?
AB  - This meta-analysis includes all prospective FFR studies of the left main artery
      with outcomes. Patients who had deferral of revascularization in FFR-negative
      stenoses had no difference in cardiovascular events compared with patients who
      underwent revascularization. FFR-guided revascularization of left main stenosis
      is safe and effective. 

PMID- 26097054
TI  - Intraprocedural thrombotic events: What's the real cost?
AB  - Intraprocedural thrombotic events (IPTE) during PCI occur in 4% of patients with
      NSTEACS and 12% of STEACS. IPTE increases hospital cost by $3,592. With an
      incidence of 4%, additional therapy to completely prevent IPTE in 100 patients
      would need to cost $144 to make it cost neutral. Further studies are necessary to
      determine cost-benefit of therapies to prevent IPTE such as cangrelor or newer
      P2Y12 inhibitors with more rapid onset. 

PMID- 26097055
TI  - Transulnar angiography and intervention: The next frontier in vascular access?
AB  - This study demonstrates that in a single center, single operator experience,
      ulnar artery catheterization is feasible, though even compared to radial access,
      a significant learning curve remains. Although ulnar access is a reasonable
      alternative approach to catheterization, the true benefits of ulnar access,
      compared to radial are unclear. Further large randomized multicenter, multi
      operator trials are needed to assess the true feasibility and benefit of ulnar
      artery catheterization. 

PMID- 26097056
TI  - Predicting paravalvular leak after balloon-expandable TAVR.
AB  - Objective measurement of a Valve Calcification Index (calcium volume/BSA) may
      predict PVL after TAVR using a cutoff value > 418 mm(3) /mm(2) Oversizing the
      balloon-expandable SAPIEN valve with a goal ratio of valve diameter: average
      annulus diameter > 1.055 may reduce PVL after TAVR Single parameters are unlikely
      to provide adequate sensitivity to reduce PVL; a thorough analysis of root
      sizing, calcification, and morphology is important to balloon-expandable TAVR
      safety and efficacy. 

PMID- 26097057
TI  - A call for long-term data in clinical studies of infrainguinal peripheral
      arterial revascularization: The DURABILITY II Study delivers.
AB  - The DURABILITY II study provides outcomes in 220 patients treated with nitinol
      self-expanding stent placement for femoro-popliteal disease out to three years.
      In this core lab adjudicated study, the EverFlexTM (Covidien, Plymouth, MN) self
      expanding stents had a low stent fracture rate (0.9%). The study demonstrated a
      freedom from clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) of nearly
      70% at 3 years. Based on this study, primary angioplasty and stenting of these
      lesions is a reasonable strategy though results are better with lesions less than
      8 cm compared to those greater than 8 cm. Further research is need comparing this
      strategy to use of drug-coated stents and that of atherectomy with drug eluting
      balloons and with longer term follow-up. 

PMID- 26097058
TI  - Dysregulated osteoclastogenesis is related to natural killer T cell dysfunction
      in rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role played by natural killer T (NKT) cells in
      osteoclastogenesis and their effects on inflammatory bone destruction. METHODS:
      Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (n = 25) and healthy controls (n = 12)
      were enrolled in this study. In vitro osteoclastogenesis experiments were
      performed using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in the presence of
      macrophage colony-stimulating factor and RANKL. PBMCs were cultured in vitro with
      alpha-galactosylceramide (alphaGalCer), and proliferation indices of NKT cells
      were estimated by flow cytometry. In vivo effects of alphaGalCer-stimulated NKT
      cells on inflammation and bone destruction were determined in mice with collagen
      induced arthritis. RESULTS: In vitro osteoclastogenesis was found to be
      significantly inhibited by alphaGalCer in healthy controls but not in RA
      patients. Proliferative responses of NKT cells and STAT-1 phosphorylation in
      monocytes in response to alphaGalCer were impaired in RA patients. Notably,
      alphaGalCer-stimulated NKT cells inhibited osteoclastogenesis mainly via
      interferon-gamma production in a cytokine-dependent manner (not by cell-cell
      contact) and down-regulated osteoclast-associated genes. Mice treated with
      alphaGalCer showed less severe arthritis and reduced bone destruction. Moreover,
      proinflammatory cytokine expression in arthritic joints was found to be reduced
      by alphaGalCer treatment. CONCLUSION: This study primarily demonstrates that
      alphaGalCer-stimulated NKT cells have a regulatory effect on osteoclastogenesis
      and a protective effect against inflammatory bone destruction. However, it also
      shows that these effects of alphaGalCer are diminished in RA patients and that
      this is related to NKT cell dysfunction. These findings provide important
      information for those searching for novel therapeutic strategies to prevent bone
      destruction in RA.

PMID- 26097059
TI  - Epidemiology and Treatment of New-Onset and Established Rheumatoid Arthritis in
      an Insured US Population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemiology and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis
      (RA) in a population broadly representative of employed adults in the US, using a
      retrospective cohort design. METHODS: Incident and prevalent RA cohorts were
      defined from a sample of 4.66 million adults with complete followup data from the
      period of January 2005 through September 2008 in the Pharmetrics medical claims
      database. Demographics, comorbidity, and medical therapies were summarized using
      descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Median duration in the database was 5.7 years.
      Age- and sex-adjusted incidence in 2006 was 0.71 per 1,000 persons at risk (n =
      3,992) and prevalence in 2005 was 0.63% (n = 30,530). Within 12 months after
      diagnosis, 65%, 64%, and 20% of the incident cohort had been prescribed
      corticosteroids, nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and
      tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, respectively. Median time to first anti
      TNF prescription was 6 months; 31% switched to a second drug and 15% to a third.
      An aggressive subcohort (11% of incident patients) received more DMARDs (83%) and
      TNF inhibitors (43%), and was more likely to switch. Twenty-eight percent of
      incident patients received only symptomatic therapy over a minimum of 1.75 years
      of followup; these patients were older with more comorbidities and
      contraindications to methotrexate. CONCLUSION: In this insured population-based
      cohort, only two-thirds of newly diagnosed RA patients were prescribed a DMARD in
      year 1 and 28% received no antirheumatic therapy. Although limited by lack of
      clinical information and by left-censoring, administrative databases capture
      clinical practice and suggest that gaps exist in treatment options available to a
      significant number of patients.

PMID- 26097061
TI  - Foldamers as Anticancer Therapeutics: Targeting Protein-Protein Interactions and
      the Cell Membrane.
AB  - Targeting important protein-protein interactions involved in carcinogenesis or
      targeting the cell membrane of a cancer cell directly are just two of the ways in
      which foldamers (oligomeric molecules that fold into distinct shapes in solution)
      hold considerable potential in the treatment of cancer. From mimicking the local
      topography of the helical compound of interest by using covalently constrained
      foldamers to mimicking the topography of the natural helix such that the
      positions of key functional motifs are in an identical spatial orientation to
      match those presented by the original alpha-helix, synthetic foldamers have been
      used to mimic the natural foldamers that interact with proteins or the cell
      membrane. These targeted approaches have become established over a timeframe of
      more than a decade, and they continue to be included in the assortment of cancer
      targets being studied and the arsenal of chemotherapy compounds in development.
      These approaches are reviewed herein.

PMID- 26097060
TI  - Male soy food intake was not associated with in vitro fertilization outcomes
      among couples attending a fertility center.
AB  - Male factor etiology may be a contributing factor in up to 60% of infertility
      cases. Dietary intake of phytoestrogens has been related to abnormal semen
      quality and hormone levels. However, its effect on couple fecundity is still
      unclear. Intake of soy products was assessed in 184 men from couples undergoing
      infertility treatment with in vitro fertilization. Couples were recruited between
      February 2007 and May 2014 and prospectively followed to document treatment
      outcomes including fertilization, implantation, clinical pregnancy and live
      birth. Multivariate generalized linear mixed models with random intercepts,
      binomial distribution and logit link function were used to examine this relation
      while accounting for repeated treatment cycles and adjusting for potential
      confounders. Male partner's intake of soy foods and soy isoflavones was unrelated
      to fertilization rates, the proportions of poor quality embryos, accelerated or
      slow embryo cleavage rate, and implantation, clinical pregnancy and live birth.
      The adjusted live birth rates per initiated cycle (95% CI) for partners of men in
      increasing categories of soy food intake were 0.36 (0.28-0.45), 0.42 (0.29-0.56),
      0.36 (0.24-0.51), and 0.37 (0.24-0.52), respectively. Soy food intake in men was
      not related to clinical outcomes among couples presenting at an infertility
      clinic. Data on the relation between phytoestrogens and male reproductive
      potential remain scarce and additional research is required to clarify its role
      in human reproduction. 

PMID- 26097062
TI  - High-performance liquid chromatography separation of unsaturated organic
      compounds by a monolithic silica column embedded with silver nanoparticles.
AB  - The optimization of a porous structure to ensure good separation performances is
      always a significant issue in high-performance liquid chromatography column
      design. Recently we reported the homogeneous embedment of Ag nanoparticles in
      periodic mesoporous silica monolith and the application of such Ag nanoparticles
      embedded silica monolith for the high-performance liquid chromatography
      separation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons. However, the separation performance
      remains to be improved and the retention mechanism as compared with the Ag ion
      high-performance liquid chromatography technique still needs to be clarified. In
      this research, Ag nanoparticles were introduced into a macro/mesoporous silica
      monolith with optimized pore parameters for high-performance liquid
      chromatography separations. Baseline separation of benzene, naphthalene,
      anthracene, and pyrene was achieved with the theoretical plate number for analyte
      naphthalene as 36,000 m(-1). Its separation function was further extended to
      cis/trans isomers of aromatic compounds where cis/trans stilbenes were chosen as
      a benchmark. Good separation of cis/trans-stilbene with separation factor as 7
      and theoretical plate number as 76,000 m(-1) for cis-stilbene was obtained. The
      trans isomer, however, is retained more strongly, which contradicts the long-
      established retention rule of Ag ion chromatography. Such behavior of Ag
      nanoparticles embedded in a silica column can be attributed to the differences in
      the molecular geometric configuration of cis/trans stilbenes.

PMID- 26097063
TI  - Heterozygous mutations in ERF cause syndromic craniosynostosis with multiple
      suture involvement.
AB  - Craniosynostosis is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous condition.
      Knowledge of the specific genetic diagnosis in patients presenting with this
      condition is important for surgical and medical management. The most common
      single gene causes of syndromic craniosynostosis are mutations in FGFR1, FGFR2,
      FGFR3, TWIST1, and EFNB1. Recently, a new single gene cause of craniosynostosis
      was published, together with phenotype data that highlight the clinical
      importance of making this specific molecular diagnosis. Phenotypic features of
      "ERF-related craniosynostosis" include sagittal or multiple-suture synostosis,
      Chiari malformation, and language delay. In order to determine the contribution
      of ERF mutations to genetically undiagnosed patients with craniosynostosis, we
      sequenced the coding regions of ERF in 40 patients with multi-suture or sagittal
      suture synostosis. We identified heterozygous ERF mutations in two individuals
      (5%). One mutation positive individual had pansynostosis, while the second had
      bilateral coronal and metopic synostosis. Both presented in infancy or childhood
      (age 3 months, and 6 years 9 months, respectively). One had CNS abnormalities
      including Chiari I malformation. Dysmorphic features included hypertelorism,
      proptosis, depressed nasal bridge, and retrognathia, in keeping with previously
      reported cases. The individuals did not require repeated cranial surgeries. ERF
      related craniosynostosis should be suspected in patients presenting with multiple
      suture or sagittal synostosis.

PMID- 26097064
TI  - PEGylation to Improve Protein Stability During Melt Processing.
AB  - Biopharmaceuticals are some of the most effective drugs on the market, however,
      delivery remains a challenge. Melt processing is a viable protein encapsulation
      method because it is solvent free, is high throughput, and yields very high
      encapsulation efficiencies. Problematically, proteins can lose activity during
      melt processing due to high heat and shear forces. Covalent attachment of
      poly(ethylene glycol), or PEGylation, has been widely used to increase thermal
      stability and prevent aggregation in solution. This study explored the effect of
      PEGylation on protein stability during melt processing using lysozyme and PLGA.
      The results indicate that PEGylation increases the retained activity of lysozyme,
      increases dispersion in the melt, and reduces the biphasic release profile in
      melt processed systems. 

PMID- 26097065
TI  - Transformations of Ferric Chloride-Generated Stilbene Cation Radicals. The Effect
      of Aromatic Substitution and a Comparison with Anodic Oxidation.
AB  - A systematic study on the FeCl3-induced oxidation of 1,2-diarylalkenes was
      carried out with the focus on the variation of product type as a function of
      aromatic substitution, as well as to compare the reactivity of stilbene cation
      radicals generated via Fe(III) oxidation with those generated by anodic
      oxidation. The aromatic substituents were found to fall into three main
      categories, namely those that give rise to tetralins and/or dehydrotetralins,
      those that give products possessing pallidol and ampelopsin F-type carbon
      skeletons, and last, those that give rise to trimeric products, indanes, and
      dehydrotetralins/tetralins. The latter are those stilbenes with a para-methoxy
      substituent in one ring and a para- or meta-EWG (CF3, NO2, Cl, F) in the other,
      and represent the most prominent departure when compared with the behavior of the
      same stilbenes under the conditions of anodic oxidation. Reaction pathways to
      rationalize the formation of the different products are presented.

PMID- 26097066
TI  - Article Alerts: items from 2011, Part II.
AB  - This sixth 'Article Alerts' installment's print component includes 100
      methodological articles about research synthesis published in 2011. Since the
      preceding installment, more than 2100 items have been added to the archive
      component, mostly from 2010 to 2011, and identifying codes have been added to
      more than 2400 previous archive items. The associated online library, available
      for free via CiteULike, now contains 2000 items from this feature.

PMID- 26097067
TI  - Obituary. Edward W. Carney, 1959-2015.

PMID- 26097068
TI  - Flawed Analysis? A Response to Myhrvold.

PMID- 26097069
TI  - Renal denervation for the treatment of hypertension: Making a new start, getting
      it right.
AB  - The renal nerves contribute to hypertension through effects in the kidney that
      enhance sodium retention and renin secretion, and by effects in the central
      nervous system that increase systemic sympathetic activity. Therefore, targeting
      the renal nerves provides a logical basis for treating hypertension. Several
      trials of renal denervation--achieved by applying radiofrequency energy through
      catheters placed in the renal arteries--have been completed. Clinical results
      have been inconsistent, however, partly because of factors related to the
      ablation technique and partly because these studies have been performed in
      patients with the inadequately defined clinical condition of "treatment-resistant
      hypertension." This statement now explains our conclusion that future studies of
      renal denervation should be guided by the established randomized, controlled
      clinical trial designs used for studying antihypertensive drugs and other
      treatments for hypertension.

PMID- 26097070
TI  - Effect of thermal processing on mealworm allergenicity.
AB  - SCOPE: The growing world population requires the exploration of new sustainable
      protein sources to ensure food security. Insects such as mealworm are promising
      candidates. For safety reasons, a risk assessment, including allergy risks, is
      needed. Since allergenicity can be influenced by thermal processing, it is highly
      important to take this into account. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fresh mealworm was heat
      processed and extracted by a sequential extraction method using in succession
      Tris, urea, and a combined SDS/DTT buffer. Extracts were tested using immunoblot,
      basophil activation test and skin prick test in 15 shrimp allergic patients,
      previously indicated as population at risk for mealworm allergy. Immunoblots
      showed a difference in IgE binding between processed and unprocessed mealworm
      extracts. However, this was due to change in solubility. Some allergens were
      soluble in urea buffer, but became more soluble in Tris buffer and vice versa.
      IgE binding was seen for all extracts in blot and basophil activation test. The
      results from 13 skin prick tests showed a skin reaction similar between processed
      and unprocessed mealworm. CONCLUSION: Thermal processing did not lower
      allergenicity but clearly changed solubility of mealworm allergens. A sequential
      extraction method allowed for assessment of a broader protein panel.

PMID- 26097071
TI  - Organic monolith frits encased in polyether ether ketone tubing with improved
      durability for liquid chromatography.
AB  - This study introduces a preparation method for polymer-encased monolith frits
      with improved durability for liquid chromatography columns. The inner surface of
      the polyether ether ketone tubing is pretreated with sulfuric acid in the
      presence of catalysts (vanadium oxide and sodium sulfate). The tubing was rinsed
      with water and acetone, flushed with nitrogen, and treated with glycidyl
      methacrylate. After washing, the monolith reaction mixture composed of lauryl
      methacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, initiator, and porogenic solvent
      was filled in the tubing and subjected to in situ polymerization. The tubing was
      cut into thin slices and used as frits for microcolumns. To check their
      durability, the frit slices were placed in a vial and a heavy impact was applied
      on the vial by a vortex mixer for various periods. The frits made in the presence
      of catalysts were found to be more durable than those made without catalysts.
      Furthermore, when the monolith-incorporated tubing was used as a chromatography
      column, the column prepared in the presence of catalysts resulted in a better
      separation efficiency. The separation performance of the columns installed with
      the polyether ether ketone encased monolith frits was comparable to that of the
      columns installed with the commercial stainless-steel screen frits. 

PMID- 26097073
TI  - Association between etiologic factors in infertile couples and fertilization
      failure in conventional in vitro fertilization cycles.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the etiology of
      the couples and risk of fertilization failure (FF) in conventional in vitro
      fertilization (IVF) cycles and the effect of rescue intracytoplasmic sperm
      injection (ICSI) technique to offspring. A total of 2542 IVF cycles were divided
      into four groups according to infertile etiology: Group A - primary infertility
      with normal semen parameters; Group B - secondary infertility with
      oligoasthenozoospermia; Group C - primary infertility with
      oligoasthenozoospermia; and Group D - secondary infertility with normal semen
      parameters. The results showed that there were significant differences in
      incidence of FF among Group A (16.8%), Group B (20.9%), Group C (48.7%), and
      Group D (0.9%) (p < 0.001). Logistic regression models demonstrated that primary
      infertility (OR: 10.898, 95% CI: 4.651-25.583, p < 0.001) and
      oligoasthenozoospermia (OR: 12.215, 95% CI: 5.903-25.276, p < 0.001) were
      independent risk factors for FF. There were no significant differences in main
      outcomes between conventional ICSI and rescue ICSI. In conclusion, the patients
      with primary infertility and oligoasthenozoospermia might be at higher risk of
      FF. The rescue ICSI technique is safe and helpful for IVF cycles of FF. 

PMID- 26097072
TI  - Super-Resolution Imaging and Quantitative Analysis of Membrane Protein/Lipid Raft
      Clustering Mediated by Cell-Surface Self-Assembly of Hybrid Nanoconjugates.
AB  - Super-resolution imaging was used to quantify organizational changes in the
      plasma membrane after treatment with hybrid nanoconjugates. The nanoconjugates
      crosslinked CD20 on the surface of malignant B cells, thereby inducing apoptosis.
      Super-resolution images were analyzed by using pair-correlation analysis to
      determine cluster size and to count the average number of molecules in the
      clusters. The role of lipid rafts was investigated by pre-treating cells with a
      cholesterol chelator and actin destabilizer to prevent lipid raft formation.
      Lipid raft cluster size correlated with apoptosis induction after treatment with
      the nanoconjugates. Lipid raft clusters had radii of ~ 200 nm in cells treated
      with the hybrid nanoconjugates. Super-resolution images provided precise molecule
      location coordinates that could be used to determine density of bound conjugates,
      cluster size, and number of molecules per cluster.

PMID- 26097074
TI  - The role of candidate-gene CNTNAP2 in childhood apraxia of speech and specific
      language impairment.
AB  - Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a debilitating pediatric speech disorder
      characterized by varying symptom profiles, comorbid deficits, and limited
      response to intervention. Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is an inherited
      pediatric language disorder characterized by delayed and/or disordered oral
      language skills including impaired semantics, syntax, and discourse. To date, the
      genes associated with CAS and SLI are not fully characterized. In the current
      study, we evaluated behavioral and genetic profiles of seven children with CAS
      and eight children with SLI, while ensuring all children were free of comorbid
      impairments. Deletions within CNTNAP2 were found in two children with CAS but not
      in any of the children with SLI. These children exhibited average to high
      performance on language and word reading assessments in spite of poor
      articulation scores. These findings suggest that genetic variation within CNTNAP2
      may be related to speech production deficits.

PMID- 26097075
TI  - Cellular Uptake Behavior of Doxorubicin-Conjugated Nanodiamond Clusters for
      Efficient Cancer Therapy.
AB  - This paper describes the design and fabrication of doxorubicin (Dox)-conjugated
      nanodiamond (ND) clusters with controlled sizes and cellular uptake behaviors of
      free Dox and Dox-conjugated ND clusters. The ND clusters with an average size of
      45.84 nm exhibited a higher amount of cellular uptake as compared to the ND
      clusters with larger sizes. The amount of Dox taken up as free Dox increased
      initially and then decreased over time. In contrast, the amount of Dox taken up
      as Dox-ND clusters continuously increased and reached a plateau, resulting in
      high ablation efficiency. At the same Dox concentration, the cell viabilities
      after treatment with free Dox and Dox-ND clusters were 26.38 and 5.31%,
      respectively. The Dox-ND clusters potentially could be employed as efficient drug
      carriers for efficient cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26097076
TI  - Visible-Light Photoredox Catalysis: Direct Synthesis of Sulfonated Oxindoles from
      N-Arylacrylamides and Arylsulfinic Acids by Means of a Cascade C-S/C-C Formation
      Process.
AB  - A novel photocatalytic synthesis of sulfonated oxindoles from N-arylacrylamides
      and arylsulfinic acids was developed by means of a cascade C-S/C-C bond-formation
      process. This method provides mild, efficient, and atom-economical access to
      various sulfonated oxindoles in water. 

PMID- 26097077
TI  - Comments on the recently published "Guidelines for the cytopathologic diagnosis
      of epithelioid and mixed-type malignant mesothelioma".

PMID- 26097078
TI  - Sol-gel synthesis and luminescent properties of red-emitting Y(P,V)O4:Eu(3+)
      phosphors.
AB  - Eu(3+)-activated Y(P,V)O4 phosphors were prepared by the EDTA sol-gel method, and
      the corresponding morphologies and luminescent properties were investigated. The
      sample particles were relatively spheroid with size of 2-3 um and had a smooth
      surface. The excitation spectra for Y(P,V)O4:Eu(3+) consisted of three strong
      excitation bands in the 200-350 nm range, which were attributed to a Eu(3+)- O(2
      ) charge-transfer band and (1)A1-(1) T1/(1) T2 transitions in VO4(3-). The as
      synthesized phosphors exhibited a highly efficient red luminescence at 613 nm due
      to the Eu(3+5) D0-(7) F2 electric dipole transition. With the increase in the
      V(5+)/P(5+) ratio, the luminescence intensity of the red phosphor under UV
      excitation was greatly improved due to enhanced VO4(3-) -> Eu(3+) energy
      transfer.

PMID- 26097079
TI  - Handicap-Recover Evolution Leads to a Chemically Versatile, Nucleophile
      Permissive Protease.
AB  - Mutation of the tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease nucleophile from cysteine to
      serine causes an approximately ~104 -fold loss in activity. Ten rounds of
      directed evolution of the mutant, TEVSer , overcame the detrimental effects of
      nucleophile exchange to recover near-wild-type activity in the mutant TEVSer X.
      Rather than respecialising TEV to the new nucleophile, all the enzymes along the
      evolutionary trajectory also retained the ability to use the original cysteine
      nucleophile. Therefore the adaptive evolution of TEVSer is paralleled by a
      neutral trajectory for TEVCys , in which mutations that increase serine
      nucleophile reactivity hardly affect the reactivity of cysteine. This apparent
      nucleophile permissiveness explains how nucleophile switches can occur in the
      phylogeny of the chymotrypsin-like protease PA superfamily. Despite the changed
      key component of their chemical mechanisms, the evolved variants TEVSer X and
      TEVCys X have similar activities; this could potentially facilitate escape from
      adaptive conflict to enable active-site evolution.

PMID- 26097085
TI  - Separation of salvianic acid A from the fermentation broth of engineered
      Escherichia coli using macroporous resins.
AB  - Salvianic acid A (also known as danshensu) is a plant-derived polyphenolic acid,
      and has a variety of physiological and pharmacological activities. Our laboratory
      previously constructed an unprecedented artificial biosynthetic pathway in
      Escherichia coli and established the fermentation process to produce salvianic
      acid A. Here, we developed an efficient method for separating salvianic acid A
      from the fermentation broth of engineered Escherichia coli by macroporous resins.
      Among ten tested macroporous resins, the static and dynamic adsorption/desorption
      experiments demonstrated that X5 resin was the best to separate salvianic acid A
      from fermentation broth. Other parameters during static and dynamic procedures
      were also investigated. Under the optimum separation conditions, the average
      adsorption capacity of SAA were 10.66+/-0.54 mg/g dry resin and the desorption
      ratio was 85.6+/-4.1%. The purity and recovery yield of salvianic acid A in the
      final dry product were 90.2+/-1.5 and 81.5+/-2.3%, respectively. The results show
      that adsorption separation with macroporous resin X5 was an efficient method to
      prepare salvianic acid A from fermentation broth. This work will benefit the
      development and application of plant-derived salvianic acid A and its
      derivatives. 

PMID- 26097086
TI  - Effect of ribonucleic acid (RNA) isolation methods on putative reference genes
      messenger RNA abundance in human spermatozoa.
AB  - Although the male gamete participates in a significant proportion of infertility
      cases, there are currently no proven molecular markers of sperm quality. The
      search for significant gene expression markers is partially hindered by the lack
      of a recognized set of reference genes (RGs) to normalize reverse transcription
      quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) data across studies. The aim of this study is to
      define a set of RGs in assisted reproduction patients undergoing different sample
      collection and RNA isolation methods. Twenty-two normozoospermic men were
      included in the study. From each man, semen was either cryopreserved by slow
      freezing or analyzed fresh, and, for each, RNA was extracted with either phenol
      free or phenol-based methods. In two cases, both methods were used to isolate
      RNA. Twenty putative RGs were analyzed and their mRNA abundance across samples
      was estimated by RT-qPCR. To determine the genes whose steady-state mRNA
      abundance remains unchanged, three different algorithms (geNorm, BestKeeper and
      NormFinder) were applied to the qPCR data. We found that RGs such as GAPDH or
      ACTB, useful in other biological contexts, cannot be used as reference for human
      spermatozoa. It is possible to compare gene expression from fresh and
      cryopreserved sperm samples using the same isolation method, while the mRNA
      abundance of expressed genes becomes different depending on the RNA isolation
      technique employed. In our conditions, the most appropriate RGs for RT-qPCR
      analysis were RPLP1, RPL13A, and RPLP2. Published discrepancies in gene
      expression studies in human spermatozoa may be due in part to inappropriate RGs
      selection, suggesting a possible different interpretation of PCR data in several
      reports, which were normalized using unstable RGs. 

PMID- 26097087
TI  - Distinguishing 2N gamete nuclei from doublets in pollen using flow cytometry and
      pulse analysis.
AB  - The value of flow cytometry for quantifying unreduced (2N) pollen production in
      plants is well recognized; however, the approach has been limited by technical
      obstacles to obtaining high quality nuclei fluorescence histograms and the
      difficulty in distinguishing 2N nuclei from 1N doublets. Here, we use
      mathematical arguments and observations of fluorescence properties of angiosperm
      pollen nuclei to generate guidelines for applying pulse analysis to correct for
      doublets in pollen nuclei data. We show that the theoretical requirements for
      applying pulse analysis for doublet correction are met when nucleus fluorescence
      height and/or width measures in the unreduced gamete (2C DNA content) region
      exhibit bimodality (reflecting singlets and doublets) in combination with
      unimodal distributions of the same parameters in the reduced gamete (1C) region.
      These conditions are regularly met in the family Brassicaceae but not in the
      Asteraceae and Poaceae. We further show that when these requirements are met,
      pulse analysis estimates of doublet proportions are well correlated with
      estimates obtained with microscopy. We propose guidelines for doublet correction
      when estimating frequencies of unreduced male gametes.

PMID- 26097088
TI  - A Mechanochromic Luminescent Dye Exhibiting On/Off Switching by Crystalline
      Amorphous Transitions.
AB  - A mechanochromic luminescent dye based on a simple aminomaleimide skeleton was
      readily synthesized in a one-pot process. It exhibited an on/off mechanochromic
      luminescent switching property dependent on external stimuli, unlike a
      traditional mechanochromic color change. The green emission was turned on by
      grinding in a mortar and turned off by heating or treatment with dichloromethane.
      In the crystalline state, two molecules were stacked by cofacial pi-pi
      interactions, which caused concentration self-quenching. The crystalline-to
      amorphous transition induced by grinding removed cofacial pi-pi stacking, which
      led to intensive emission. Crystallizing processes recovered the cofacial pi-pi
      stacking, resulting in elimination of the emission. Theoretical calculations and
      X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that the dye molecule was distorted in the
      crystalline state; thus even a mechanical stimulus caused the crystalline-to
      amorphous transition. 

PMID- 26097089
TI  - Effects of generalist herbivory on resistance and resource allocation by the
      invasive plant, Phytolacca americana.
AB  - Successful invasions by exotic plants are often attributed to a loss of co
      evolved specialists and a re-allocation of resources from defense to growth and
      reproduction. However, invasive plants are rarely completely released from insect
      herbivory because they are frequently attacked by generalists in their introduced
      ranges. The novel generalist community may also affect the invasive plant's
      defensive strategies and resource allocation. Here, we tested this hypothesis
      using American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana L.), a species that has become
      invasive in China, which is native to North America. We examined resistance,
      tolerance, growth and reproduction of plant populations from both China and the
      USA when plants were exposed to natural generalist herbivores in China. We found
      that leaf damage was greater for invasive populations than for native
      populations, indicating that plants from invasive ranges had lower resistance to
      herbivory than those from native ranges. A regression of the percentage of leaf
      damage against mass showed that there was no significant difference in tolerance
      between invasive and native populations, even though the shoot, root, fruit and
      total mass were larger for invasive populations than for native populations.
      These results suggest that generalist herbivores are important drivers mediating
      the defensive strategies and resource allocation of the invasive American
      pokeweed. 

PMID- 26097090
TI  - Interprofessional anatomy education in the United Kingdom and Ireland:
      Perspectives from students and teachers.
AB  - There is increasing recognition of multiprofessional learning in anatomy and its
      role in medical and healthcare professions. This study utilized two components to
      investigate anatomy interprofessional education (AIPE) in the United Kingdom and
      Ireland. First, a survey involving qualitative and quantitative components asked
      Heads of Anatomy to report on their institutions' uptake of AIPE. Second, a
      series of case studies explored the experiences of students by using evaluation
      forms and an in-depth analysis of thematic concepts to understand the learners'
      perspectives on designing and delivering AIPE. Out of the 13 institutions that
      took part in the survey, eight did not offer an AIPE program. Between the
      remaining five institutions that deliver AIPE programs, 10 different modules are
      offered with the majority involving healthcare professions. The AIPE component is
      rated highly by students. The themes from the case studies highlight how valuable
      AIPE is from the student perspective both in terms of engaging them in anatomy as
      well as in the broader skills of teamwork and communication. The case studies
      also revealed how AIPE can be engaging for groups of students who might not have
      previously had access to cadaveric anatomy, for example, engineers and
      archeologists. The results of this study have implications for curriculum design
      in medicine and healthcare but also for further engagement of professional groups
      from non-healthcare backgrounds.

PMID- 26097091
TI  - Determination of diflubenzuron and chlorbenzuron in fruits by combining
      acetonitrile-based extraction with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction
      followed by high-performance liquid chromatography.
AB  - In this study, a simple and low-organic-solvent-consuming method combining an
      acetonitrile-partitioning extraction procedure followed by "quick, easy, cheap,
      effective, rugged and safe" cleanup with ionic-liquid-based dispersive liquid
      liquid microextraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode
      array detection was developed for the determination of diflubenzuron and
      chlorbenzuron in grapes and pears. Ionic-liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid
      microextraction was performed using the ionic liquid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium
      hexafluorophosphate as the extractive solvent and acetonitrile extract as the
      dispersive solvent. The main factors influencing the efficiency of the dispersive
      liquid-liquid microextraction were evaluated, including the extractive solvent
      type and volume and the dispersive solvent volume. The validation parameters
      indicated the suitability of the method for routine analyses of benzoylurea
      insecticides in a large number of samples. The relative recoveries at three
      spiked levels ranged between 98.6 and 109.3% with relative standard deviations of
      less than 5.2%. The limit of detection was 0.005 mg/kg for the two insecticides.
      The proposed method was successfully used for the rapid determination of
      diflubenzuron and chlorbenzuron residues in real fruit samples. 

PMID- 26097092
TI  - Silica Nanopills for Targeted Anticancer Drug Delivery.
AB  - Multifunctional SiO2 microtubes for targeted drug delivery are produced with
      precise control over shape and size by combining lithography and electrochemical
      etching. The hollow core is loaded with a lipophilic anticancer drug generating
      nanopills and an antibody is conjugated to the external surface for cancer cell
      targeting. Results demonstrate selective killing of neuroblastoma cells that
      express the cognate receptor. 

PMID- 26097094
TI  - A Domino Oxidation/Arylation/Protodecarboxylation Reaction of Salicylaldehydes:
      Expanded Access to meta-Arylphenols.
AB  - A method that allows salicylaldehydes to be efficiently transformed into meta
      arylated phenol derivatives through a cascade
      oxidation/arylation/protodecarboxylation sequence is presented. We demonstrate
      that the aldehyde functional group can be used as a convenient removable
      directing group to control site selectivity in C-H activation. Aldehydes are
      easily introduced into the starting materials and the group is readily cleaved
      after the C-H functionalization event. 

PMID- 26097096
TI  - The rising world of flow cytometric analysis of pollen grains.

PMID- 26097095
TI  - Fusion peptide P15-CSP shows antibiofilm activity and pro-osteogenic activity
      when deposited as a coating on hydrophilic but not hydrophobic surfaces.
AB  - In the context of porous bone void filler for oral bone reconstruction, peptides
      that suppress microbial growth and promote osteoblast function could be used to
      enhance the performance of a porous bone void filler. We tested the hypothesis
      that P15-CSP, a novel fusion peptide containing collagen-mimetic osteogenic
      peptide P15, and competence-stimulating peptide (CSP), a cationic antimicrobial
      peptide, has emerging properties not shared by P15 or CSP alone. Peptide-coated
      surfaces were tested for antimicrobial activity toward Streptoccocus mutans, and
      their ability to promote human mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) attachment, spreading,
      metabolism, and osteogenesis. In the osteogenesis assay, peptides were coated on
      tissue culture plastic and on thin films generated by plasma-enhanced chemical
      vapor deposition to have hydrophilic or hydrophobic character (water contact
      angles 63 degrees , 42 degrees , and 92 degrees , respectively). S. mutans
      planktonic growth was specifically inhibited by CSP, whereas biofilm formation
      was inhibited by P15-CSP. MSC adhesion and actin stress fiber formation was
      strongly enhanced by CSP, P15-CSP, and fibronectin coatings and modestly enhanced
      by P15 versus uncoated surfaces. Metabolic assays revealed that CSP was slightly
      cytotoxic to MSCs. MSCs developed alkaline phosphatase activity on all surfaces,
      with or without peptide coatings, and consistently deposited the most
      biomineralized matrix on hydrophilic surfaces coated with P15-CSP. Hydrophobic
      thin films completely suppressed MSC biomineralization, consistent with previous
      findings of suppressed osteogenesis on hydrophobic bioplastics. Collective data
      in this study provide new evidence that P15-CSP has unique dual capacity to
      suppress biofilm formation, and to enhance osteogenic activity as a coating on
      hydrophilic surfaces.

PMID- 26097098
TI  - Enhancing the stability and ecological safety of mass-reared transgenic strains
      for field release by redundant conditional lethality systems.
AB  - The genetic manipulation of agriculturally important insects now allows the
      development of genetic sexing and male sterility systems for more highly
      efficient biologically-based population control programs, most notably the
      Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), for both plant and animal insect pests.
      Tetracycline-suppressible (Tet-off) conditional lethal systems may function
      together so that transgenic strains will be viable and fertile on a tetracycline
      containing diet, but female-lethal and male sterile in tetracycline-free
      conditions. This would allow their most efficacious use in a unified system for
      sterile male-only production for SIT. A critical consideration for the field
      release of such transgenic insect strains, however, is a determination of the
      frequency and genetic basis of lethality revertant survival. This will provide
      knowledge essential to evaluating the genetic stability of the lethality system,
      its environmental safety, and provide the basis for modifications ensuring
      optimal efficacy. For Tet-off lethal survival determinations, development of
      large-scale screening protocols should also allow the testing of these
      modifications, and test the ability of other conditional lethal systems to fully
      suppress propagation of rare Tet-off survivors. If a dominant temperature
      sensitive (DTS) pupal lethality system proves efficient for secondary lethality
      in Drosophila, it may provide the safeguard needed to support the release of
      sexing/sterility strains, and potentially, the release of unisex lethality
      strains as a form of genetic male sterility. Should the DTS Prosbeta2(1) mutation
      prove effective for redundant lethality, its high level of structural and
      functional conservation should allow host-specific cognates to be created for a
      wide range of insect species. 

PMID- 26097097
TI  - Intracellular calcium movements of boar spermatozoa during 'in vitro'
      capacitation and subsequent acrosome exocytosis follow a multiple-storage place,
      extracellular calcium-dependent model.
AB  - This work analysed intracellular calcium stores of boar spermatozoa subjected to
      'in vitro' capacitation (IVC) and subsequent progesterone-induced acrosome
      exocytosis (IVAE). Intracellular calcium was analysed through two calcium markers
      with different physico-chemical properties, Fluo-3 and Rhod-5N. Indicative
      parameters of IVC and IVAE were also evaluated. Fluo-3 was located at both the
      midpiece and the whole head. Rhod-5N was present at the sperm head. This
      distribution did not change in any of the assayed conditions. Induction of IVC
      was concomitant with an increase in both head and midpiece Ca(2+) signals.
      Additionally, while IVC induction was concurrent with a significant (p < 0.05)
      increase in sperm membrane permeability, no significant changes were observed in
      O2 consumption and ATP levels. Incubation of boar spermatozoa in the absence of
      calcium showed a loss of both Ca(2+) labellings concomitantly with the sperm's
      inability to achieve IVC. The absence of extracellular calcium also induced a
      severe decrease in the percentage of spermatozoa exhibiting high mitochondrial
      membrane potential (hMMP). The IVAE was accompanied by a fast increase in both
      Ca(2+) signalling in control spermatozoa. These peaks were either not detected or
      much lessened in the absence of calcium. Remarkably, Fluo-3 marking at the
      midpiece increased after progesterone addition to sperm cells incubated in a
      medium without Ca(2+) . The simultaneous addition of progesterone with the
      calcium chelant EGTA inhibited IVAE, and this was accompanied by a significant (p
      < 0.05) decrease in the intensity of progesterone Ca(2+) -induced peak, O2
      consumption and ATP levels. Our results suggest that boar spermatozoa present
      different calcium deposits with a dynamic equilibrium among them and with the
      extracellular environment. Additionally, the modulation role of the intracellular
      calcium in spermatozoa function seems to rely on its precise localization in boar
      spermatozoa. 

PMID- 26097099
TI  - Interprofessional education: The magical mystery tour now less of a mystery.
AB  - Interprofessional education (IPE) is on today's agenda in medical education as a
      response to advances in medicine, the changes that have taken place in healthcare
      delivery, and pressures from the public and the profession. Although attention
      has focused on IPE in the later stages of the education program, there are
      benefits to be gained from the introduction of IPE in the early years. Curriculum
      developments supporting this include the adoption of outcome-based education and
      vertical integration. There is also a recognition that students' attitudes and
      biases are formed early in their education and the appropriate learning
      environment in the early years is important. Interprofessional education in the
      early years can also be seen as a part of a more general trend to greater
      collaboration in the delivery of an education program in the healthcare
      professions. Anatomy by incorporating IPE can help shape the future of medical
      education as well as being shaped by it. The possibility of success or failure
      with IPE can be captured with the equation IPE = (V * I)/N, where V = the IPE
      vision, I = the implementation strategy and N = negative perceptions of the
      approach. Success is more likely where there is a well thought out and shared
      vision for what is to be achieved, an appropriate implementation strategy and a
      plan to counteract a negative mind-set.

PMID- 26097100
TI  - Multiresidue analysis of 36 pesticides in soil using a modified quick, easy,
      cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method by liquid chromatography with tandem
      quadruple linear ion trap mass spectrometry.
AB  - A new method for simultaneous determination of 36 pesticides, including 15
      organophosphorus, six carbamate, and some other pesticides in soil was developed
      by liquid chromatography with tandem quadruple linear ion trap mass spectrometry.
      The extraction and clean-up steps were optimized based on the quick, easy, cheap,
      effective, rugged, and safe method. The data were acquired in multiple reaction
      monitoring mode combined with enhanced product ion to increase confidence of the
      analytical results. Validation experiments were performed in soil samples. The
      average recoveries of pesticides at four spiking levels (1, 5, 50, and 100
      MUg/kg) ranged from 63 to 126% with relative standard deviation below 20%. The
      limits of detection of pesticides were 0.04-0.8 MUg/kg, and the limits of
      quantification were 0.1-2.6 MUg/kg. The correlation coefficients (r(2) ) were
      higher than 0.990 in the linearity range of 0.5-200 MUg/L for most of the
      pesticides. The method allowed for the analysis of the target pesticides in the
      lower MUg/kg concentration range. The optimized method was then applied to the
      test of real soil samples obtained from several areas in China, confirming the
      feasibility of the method. 

PMID- 26097101
TI  - Coupling Solar Energy into Reactions: Materials Design for Surface Plasmon
      Mediated Catalysis.
AB  - Enabled by surface plasmons, noble metal nanostructures can interact with and
      harvest incident light. As such, they may serve as unique media to generate heat,
      supply energetic electrons, and provide strong local electromagnetic fields for
      chemical reactions through different mechanisms. This solar-to-chemical pathway
      provides a new approach to solar energy utilization, alternative to conventional
      semiconductor-based photocatalysis. To provide readers with a clear picture of
      this newly recognized process, this review presents coupling solar energy into
      chemical reactions through plasmonic nanostructures. It starts with a brief
      introduction of surface plasmons in metallic nanostructures, followed by a
      demonstration of tuning plasmonic features by tailoring their physical
      parameters. Owing to their tunable plasmonic properties, metallic materials offer
      a platform to trigger and drive chemical reactions at the nanoscale, as
      systematically overviewed in this article. The design rules for plasmonic
      materials for catalytic applications are further outlined based on existing
      examples. At the end of this article, the challenges and opportunities for
      further development of plasmonic-mediated catalysis toward energy and
      environmental applications are discussed. 

PMID- 26097102
TI  - Palladium-Catalyzed One-Pot Carbonylative Sonogashira Reaction Employing Formic
      acid as the CO Source.
AB  - A convenient palladium-catalyzed carbonylative coupling of aryl iodides and
      terminal alkynes with formic acid as the CO precursor has been developed. A
      variety of alkynones were obtained in good yields in a one-pot manner for the
      first time. 

PMID- 26097104
TI  - Computationally efficient multidimensional analysis of complex flow cytometry
      data using second order polynomial histograms.
AB  - Many methods have been described for automated clustering analysis of complex
      flow cytometry data, but so far the goal to efficiently estimate multivariate
      densities and their modes for a moderate number of dimensions and potentially
      millions of data points has not been attained. We have devised a novel approach
      to describing modes using second order polynomial histogram estimators (SOPHE).
      The method divides the data into multivariate bins and determines the shape of
      the data in each bin based on second order polynomials, which is an efficient
      computation. These calculations yield local maxima and allow joining of adjacent
      bins to identify clusters. The use of second order polynomials also optimally
      uses wide bins, such that in most cases each parameter (dimension) need only be
      divided into 4-8 bins, again reducing computational load. We have validated this
      method using defined mixtures of up to 17 fluorescent beads in 16 dimensions,
      correctly identifying all populations in data files of 100,000 beads in <10 s, on
      a standard laptop. The method also correctly clustered granulocytes, lymphocytes,
      including standard T, B, and NK cell subsets, and monocytes in 9-color stained
      peripheral blood, within seconds. SOPHE successfully clustered up to 36 subsets
      of memory CD4 T cells using differentiation and trafficking markers, in 14-color
      flow analysis, and up to 65 subpopulations of PBMC in 33-dimensional CyTOF data,
      showing its usefulness in discovery research. SOPHE has the potential to greatly
      increase efficiency of analysing complex mixtures of cells in higher dimensions.

PMID- 26097105
TI  - A20-Binding Inhibitor of NF-kappaB Activation 1 is a Physiologic Inhibitor of NF
      kappaB: A Molecular Switch for Inflammation and Autoimmunity.

PMID- 26097107
TI  - Foraging in Semantic Fields: How We Search Through Memory.
AB  - When searching for concepts in memory--as in the verbal fluency task of naming
      all the animals one can think of--people appear to explore internal mental
      representations in much the same way that animals forage in physical space:
      searching locally within patches of information before transitioning globally
      between patches. However, the definition of the patches being searched in mental
      space is not well specified. Do we search by activating explicit predefined
      categories (e.g., pets) and recall items from within that category (categorical
      search), or do we activate and recall a connected sequence of individual items
      without using categorical information, with each item recalled leading to the
      retrieval of an associated item in a stream (associative search), or both? Using
      semantic representations in a search of associative memory framework and data
      from the animal fluency task, we tested competing hypotheses based on associative
      and categorical search models. Associative, but not categorical, patch
      transitions took longer to make than position-matched productions, suggesting
      that categorical transitions were not true transitions. There was also clear
      evidence of associative search even within categorical patch boundaries.
      Furthermore, most individuals' behavior was best explained by an associative
      search model without the addition of categorical information. Thus, our results
      support a search process that does not use categorical information, but for which
      patch boundaries shift with each recall and local search is well described by a
      random walk in semantic space, with switches to new regions of the semantic space
      when the current region is depleted.

PMID- 26097106
TI  - Hematopoietic androgen receptor deficiency promotes visceral fat deposition in
      male mice without impairing glucose homeostasis.
AB  - Androgen deficiency in men increases body fat, but the mechanisms by which
      testosterone suppresses fat deposition have not been elucidated fully. Adipose
      tissue macrophages express the androgen receptor (AR) and regulate adipose tissue
      remodeling. Thus, testosterone signaling in macrophages could alter the paracrine
      function of these cells and thereby contribute to the metabolic effects of
      androgens in men. A metabolic phenotyping study was performed to determine
      whether the loss of AR signaling in hematopoietic cells results in greater fat
      accumulation in male mice. C57BL/6J male mice (ages 12-14 weeks) underwent bone
      marrow transplant from either wild-type (WT) or AR knockout (ARKO) donors (n = 11
      13 per group). Mice were fed a high-fat diet (60% fat) for 16 weeks. At baseline,
      8 and 16 weeks, glucose and insulin tolerance tests were performed, and body
      composition was analyzed with fat-water imaging by MRI. No differences in body
      weight were observed between mice transplanted with WT bone marrow [WT(WTbm)] or
      ARKO bone marrow [WT(ARKObm)] prior to initiation of the high-fat diet. After 8
      weeks of high-fat feeding, WT(ARKObm) mice exhibited significantly more visceral
      and total fat mass than WT(WTbm) animals. Despite this, no differences between
      groups were observed in glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, or plasma
      concentrations of insulin, glucose, leptin, or cholesterol, although WT(ARKObm)
      mice had higher plasma levels of adiponectin. Resultant data indicate that AR
      signaling in hematopoietic cells influences body fat distribution in male mice,
      and the absence of hematopoietic AR plays a permissive role in visceral fat
      accumulation. These findings demonstrate a metabolic role for AR signaling in
      marrow-derived cells and suggest a novel mechanism by which androgen deficiency
      in men might promote increased adiposity. The relative contributions of AR
      signaling in macrophages and other marrow-derived cells require further
      investigation. 

PMID- 26097109
TI  - Flexible integration of visual cues in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - Although children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show atypical sensory
      processing, evidence for impaired integration of multisensory information has
      been mixed. In this study, we took a Bayesian model-based approach to assess
      within-modality integration of congruent and incongruent texture and disparity
      cues to judge slant in typical and autistic adolescents. Human adults optimally
      combine multiple sources of sensory information to reduce perceptual variance but
      in typical development this ability to integrate cues does not develop until late
      childhood. While adults cannot help but integrate cues, even when they are
      incongruent, young children's ability to keep cues separate gives them an
      advantage in discriminating incongruent stimuli. Given that mature cue
      integration emerges in later childhood, we hypothesized that typical adolescents
      would show adult-like integration, combining both congruent and incongruent cues.
      For the ASD group there were three possible predictions (1) "no fusion": no
      integration of congruent or incongruent cues, like 6-year-old typical children;
      (2) "mandatory fusion": integration of congruent and incongruent cues, like
      typical adults; (3) "selective fusion": cues are combined when congruent but not
      incongruent, consistent with predictions of Enhanced Perceptual Functioning (EPF)
      theory. As hypothesized, typical adolescents showed significant integration of
      both congruent and incongruent cues. The ASD group showed results consistent with
      "selective fusion," integrating congruent but not incongruent cues. This allowed
      adolescents with ASD to make perceptual judgments which typical adolescents could
      not. In line with EPF, results suggest that perception in ASD may be more
      flexible and less governed by mandatory top-down feedback.

PMID- 26097110
TI  - The next generation of insecticides: dsRNA is stable as a foliar-applied
      insecticide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: RNAi is a powerful tool used to study gene function. It also has been
      hypothesized to be a promising new method for control of insect pests on crops,
      although the perceived instability of dsRNA in the environment has constrained
      thinking about the options for this new type of pest control. RESULTS: We
      confirmed that foliar application of Colorado potato beetle dsRNA actin is highly
      effective for control, demonstrated that treatment with actin-dsRNA protects
      potato plants for at least 28 days under greenhouse conditions and found that the
      dsRNA is not readily removed by water once dried on the leaves. CONCLUSION: These
      new results suggest that foliar application of dsRNA could be a valuable control
      strategy for some pests. Technological aspects of spraying dsRNA that need to be
      considered in the future are discussed.

PMID- 26097108
TI  - 3D Printing of Scaffolds for Tissue Regeneration Applications.
AB  - The current need for organ and tissue replacement, repair, and regeneration for
      patients is continually growing such that supply is not meeting demand primarily
      due to a paucity of donors as well as biocompatibility issues leading to immune
      rejection of the transplant. In order to overcome these drawbacks, scientists
      have investigated the use of scaffolds as an alternative to transplantation.
      These scaffolds are designed to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) by providing
      structural support as well as promoting attachment, proliferation, and
      differentiation with the ultimate goal of yielding functional tissues or organs.
      Initial attempts at developing scaffolds were problematic and subsequently
      inspired an interest in 3D printing as a mode for generating scaffolds. Utilizing
      three-dimensional printing (3DP) technologies, ECM-like scaffolds can be produced
      with a high degree of complexity, where fine details can be included at a
      micrometer level. In this Review, the criteria for printing viable and functional
      scaffolds, scaffolding materials, and 3DP technologies used to print scaffolds
      for tissue engineering are discussed. Creating biofunctional scaffolds could
      potentially help to meet the demand by patients for tissues and organs without
      having to wait or rely on donors for transplantation. 

PMID- 26097112
TI  - Finely Resolved Threshold for the Sharp M12L24/M24L48 Structural Switch in Multi
      Component M(n)L(2n) Polyhedral Assemblies: X-ray, MS, NMR, and
      Ultracentrifugation Analyses.
AB  - In the self-assembly of M(n)L(2n) polyhedra, the bend angle (theta) of the
      divalent ligand components determines the final structure. The threshold for the
      sharp structural switch between M12L24 and M24L48 was finely resolved to within
      just 4 degrees  by demonstrating the exclusive formation of M12L24 cuboctahedra
      or M24L48 rhombicuboctahedra from two similar ligands with theta values of 130
      degrees  and 134 degrees . This sharp structural switch was fully confirmed by X
      ray crystallography, mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, and ultracentrifugation
      analyses.

PMID- 26097111
TI  - The Sequence-Specific Cellular Uptake of Spherical Nucleic Acid Nanoparticle
      Conjugates.
AB  - The sequence-dependent cellular uptake of spherical nucleic acid nanoparticle
      conjugates (SNAs) is investigated. This process occurs by interaction with class
      A scavenger receptors (SR-A) and caveolae-mediated endocytosis. It is known that
      linear poly(guanine) (poly G) is a natural ligand for SR-A, and it has been
      proposed that interaction of poly G with SR-A is dependent on the formation of G
      quadruplexes. Since G-rich oligonucleotides are known to interact strongly with
      SR-A, it is hypothesized that SNAs with higher G contents would be able to enter
      cells in larger amounts than SNAs composed of other nucleotides, and as such,
      cellular internalization of SNAs is measured as a function of constituent
      oligonucleotide sequence. Indeed, SNAs with enriched G content show the highest
      cellular uptake. Using this hypothesis, a small molecule (camptothecin) is
      chemically conjugated with SNAs to create drug-SNA conjugates and it is observed
      that poly G SNAs deliver the most camptothecin to cells and have the highest
      cytotoxicity in cancer cells. Our data elucidate important design considerations
      for enhancing the intracellular delivery of spherical nucleic acids. 

PMID- 26097113
TI  - Fermentation broth components influence droplet coalescence and hinder advanced
      biofuel recovery during fermentation.
AB  - Developments in synthetic biology enabled the microbial production of long chain
      hydrocarbons, which can be used as advanced biofuels in aviation or
      transportation. Currently, these fuels are not economically competitive due to
      their production costs. The current process offers room for improvement: by
      utilizing lignocellulosic feedstock, increasing microbial yields, and using
      cheaper process technology. Gravity separation is an example of the latter, for
      which droplet growth by coalescence is crucial. The aim of this study was to
      study the effect of fermentation broth components on droplet coalescence. Droplet
      coalescence was measured using two setups: a microfluidic chip and regular
      laboratory scale stirred vessel (2 L). Some fermentation broth components had a
      large impact on droplet coalescence. Especially components present in hydrolysed
      cellulosic biomass and mannoproteins from the yeast cell wall retard coalescence.
      To achieve a technically feasible gravity separation that can be integrated with
      the fermentation, the negative effects of these components on coalescence should
      be minimized. This could be achieved by redesign of the fermentation medium or
      adjusting the fermentation conditions, aiming to minimize the release of surface
      active components by the microorganisms. This way, another step can be made
      towards economically feasible advanced biofuel production. 

PMID- 26097115
TI  - Corrigendum: Caged Phosphate and the Slips and Misses in Determination of Quantum
      Yields for Ultraviolet-A-Induced Photouncaging.

PMID- 26097118
TI  - Light-Driven Reversible Alignment Switching of Liquid Crystals Enabled by Azo
      Thiol Grafted Gold Nanoparticles.
AB  - Stimuli-directed alignment control of liquid crystals (LCs) with desired
      molecular orientation is currently in the limelight for the development of smart
      functional materials and devices. Here, photoresponsive azo thiol (AzoSH) was
      grafted onto gold nanoparticles (GNPs). The resulting hybrid GNPs were able to
      homogeneously mix with a commercially available nematic LC host, as evidenced by
      Cryo-TEM. Interestingly, the LC nanocomposites were found to undergo reversible
      alignment transition upon light irradiation as a consequence of the trans-cis
      photoisomerization of the azo groups on the GNP surface. LC molecules in either
      planar or bare glass cells were able to change their alignment to vertical upon
      UV irradiation, while the vertically aligned LC molecules returned to the planar
      or random orientation under visible irradiation. Neither the azo thiol molecules
      nor the unfunctionalized GNPs alone promoted the alignment of the LC molecules in
      the system upon light irradiation. The photoinduced vertical alignment without
      applied electric or magnetic field was very stable over time and with respect to
      temperature. Furthermore, an optically switchable device based on the
      photostimulated reversible alignment control of LCs was demonstrated. 

PMID- 26097120
TI  - Therapeutic advances in the treatment of Peyronie's disease.
AB  - Peyronie's disease (PD) is an under-diagnosed condition with prevalence in the
      male population as high as 9%. It is a localized connective tissue disorder of
      the penis characterized by scarring of the tunica albuginea. Its pathophysiology,
      however, remains incompletely elucidated. For the management of the acute phase
      of PD, there are currently numerous available oral drugs, but the scientific
      evidence for their use is weak. In terms of intralesional injections, collagenase
      clostridium histolyticum is currently the only Food and Drug Administration
      approved drug for the management of patients with PD and a palpable plaque with
      dorsal or dorsolateral curvature >30 degrees . Other available intralesional
      injectable drugs include verapamil and interferon-alpha-2B, however, their use is
      considered off-label. Iontophoresis, shockwave therapy, and radiation therapy
      have also been described with unconvincing results, and as such, their use is
      currently not recommended. Traction therapy, as part of a multimodal approach, is
      an underused additional tool for the prevention of PD-associated loss of penile
      length, but its efficacy is dependent on patient compliance. Surgical therapy
      remains the gold standard for patients in the chronic phase of the disease. In
      patients with adequate erectile function, tunical plication and/or
      incision/partial excision and grafting can be offered, depending on degree of
      curvature and/or presence of destabilizing deformity. In patients with erectile
      dysfunction non-responsive to oral therapy, insertion of an inflatable penile
      prosthesis with or without straightening procedures should be offered. 

PMID- 26097119
TI  - Release of neutrophil extracellular traps by neutrophils stimulated with
      antiphospholipid antibodies: a newly identified mechanism of thrombosis in the
      antiphospholipid syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), especially those targeting beta2 
      glycoprotein I (beta2 GPI), are well known to activate endothelial cells,
      monocytes, and platelets, with prothrombotic implications. In contrast, the
      interaction of aPL with neutrophils has not been extensively studied. Neutrophil
      extracellular traps (NETs) have recently been recognized as an important
      activator of the coagulation cascade, as well as an integral component of
      arterial and venous thrombi. This study was undertaken to determine whether aPL
      activate neutrophils to release NETs, thereby predisposing to the arterial and
      venous thrombosis inherent in the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). METHODS:
      Neutrophils, sera, and plasma were prepared from patients with primary APS (n =
      52) or from healthy volunteers and characterized. No patient had concomitant
      systemic lupus erythematosus. RESULTS: Sera and plasma from patients with primary
      APS had elevated levels of both cell-free DNA and NETs, as compared to healthy
      volunteers. Freshly isolated neutrophils from patients with APS were predisposed
      to high levels of spontaneous NET release. Further, APS patient sera, as well as
      IgG purified from APS patients, stimulated NET release from control neutrophils.
      Human aPL monoclonal antibodies, especially those targeting beta2 GPI, also
      enhanced NET release. The induction of APS NETs was abrogated with inhibitors of
      reactive oxygen species formation and Toll-like receptor 4 signaling.
      Highlighting the potential clinical relevance of these findings, APS NETs
      promoted thrombin generation. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that NET release
      warrants further investigation as a novel therapeutic target in APS.

PMID- 26097121
TI  - The Role of Sequential Dependence in Creative Semantic Search.

PMID- 26097122
TI  - Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer Stem Cells by Liposomal Delivery of siRNA
      against Fibronectin EDB.
AB  - Targeted therapy for breast cancer stem cell (BCSC): A novel liposomal system
      (APTEDB -LS-siRNA(EDB) ) that enables simultaneous targeting and knockdown of
      extra domain B of fibronectin (EDB-FN) shows potent therapeutic efficacy in the
      BCSC-derived tumors in vivo. 

PMID- 26097123
TI  - Genetic basis of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) resistance to the
      chitin synthesis inhibitor lufenuron.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An understanding of the genetic basis of insect resistance to
      insecticides is important for the establishment of insect resistance management
      (IRM) strategies. In this study we evaluated the inheritance pattern of
      resistance to the chitin synthesis inhibitor lufenuron in Spodoptera frugiperda.
      RESULTS: The LC50 values (95% CI) were 0.23 ug lufenuron mL(-1) water (ppm) (0.18
      0.28) for the susceptible strain (SUS) and 210.6 ug mL(-1) (175.90-258.10) for
      the lufenuron-resistant strain (LUF-R), based on diet-overlay bioassay. The
      resistance ratio was ~ 915-fold. The LC50 values for reciprocal crosses were 4.89
      ug mL(-1) (3.79-5.97) for female LUF-R and male SUS and 5.74 ug mL(-1) (4.70
      6.91) for female SUS and male LUF-R, indicating that the inheritance of S.
      frugiperda resistance to lufenuron is an autosomal, incompletely recessive trait.
      Backcrosses of the progeny of reciprocal crosses with the parental LUF-R showed a
      polygenic effect. The estimated minimum number of independent segregations was in
      the 11.02 range, indicating that resistance to lufenuron is associated with
      multiple genes in S. frugiperda. CONCLUSIONS: Based on genetic crosses, the
      inheritance pattern of lufenuron resistance in S. frugiperda was autosomal,
      incompletely recessive and polygenic. Implications of this finding to IRM are
      discussed in this paper.

PMID- 26097124
TI  - Capturing C90 Isomers as CF3 Derivatives: C90 (30)(CF3)14, C90 (35)(CF3)16/18 ,
      and C90 (45)(CF3)16/18.
AB  - High-temperature trifluoromethylation of a C90 isomeric mixture with CF3 I
      followed by HPLC separation of C90 (CF3)n isomers resulted in the isolation of
      several individual C90 (CF3)14-18 compounds. Single crystal X-ray diffraction
      with the use of synchrotron radiation resulted in the structure determination of
      C90 (30)(CF3)14 , C90 (35)(CF3)16/18 , and C90 (45)(CF3)16/18 . Their addition
      patterns are discussed and compared with the known isomers C90 (30)(CF3)18 and
      C90 (35)(CF3)14 , respectively. The presence of the most stable C90 isomer, C90
      (45), in the fullerene soot has been confirmed for the first time.

PMID- 26097125
TI  - Coculture with Low-Dose SWCNT Attenuates Bacterial Invasion and Inflammation in
      Human Enterocyte-like Caco-2 Cells.
AB  - Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been shown to be highly effective
      against a wide range of bacteria. Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus
      aureus (S. aureus) infection is a well-known mediator to prolong hospitalization
      and initiate chronic inflammation, yet the biological effects of SWCNTs on the
      pathogen-infected enterocytes remain unclear. Herein, it is shown that the low
      dose SWCNT treatment attenuates the human enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells from the
      damage of E. coli and S. aureus infection by suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome
      activation. The relatively low-dose (1 and 10 MUg mL(-1) ) SWCNT treatments
      reduce the adhesion and invasion of E. coli and S. aureus to Caco-2 cells,
      increase the cell viability and proliferation, reduce the tight junction
      permeability, and restitute the integrity of cell surface microvilli structure,
      meanwhile has low cytotoxicity to the host cells. The low-dose SWCNT treatment
      further reduces the NLRP3-mediated IL-1beta secretion in the infected cells. The
      results identify that a low-dose SWCNT treatment serves a protective function for
      the E. coli- and S. aureus-infected Caco-2 cells by negatively regulating
      mitochondrial reactive oxygen species-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation. 

PMID- 26097126
TI  - High-content imaging with micropatterned multiwell plates reveals influence of
      cell geometry and cytoskeleton on chromatin dynamics.
AB  - Understanding the mechanisms underpinning cellular responses to
      microenvironmental cues requires tight control not only of the complex milieu of
      soluble signaling factors, extracellular matrix (ECM) connections and cell-cell
      contacts within cell culture, but also of the biophysics of human cells. Advances
      in biomaterial fabrication technologies have recently facilitated detailed
      examination of cellular biophysics and revealed that constraints on cell geometry
      arising from the cellular microenvironment influence a wide variety of human cell
      behaviors. Here, we create an in vitro platform capable of precise and
      independent control of biochemical and biophysical microenvironmental cues by
      adapting microcontact printing technology into the format of standard six- to 96
      well plates to create MicroContact Printed Well Plates (MUCP Well Plates).
      Automated high-content imaging of human cells seeded on MUCP Well Plates revealed
      tight, highly consistent control of single-cell geometry, cytoskeletal
      organization, and nuclear elongation. Detailed subcellular imaging of the actin
      cytoskeleton and chromatin within live human fibroblasts on MUCP Well Plates was
      then used to describe a new relationship between cellular geometry and chromatin
      dynamics. In summary, the MUCP Well Plate platform is an enabling high-content
      screening technology for human cell biology and cellular engineering efforts that
      seek to identify key biochemical and biophysical cues in the cellular
      microenvironment. 

PMID- 26097127
TI  - Long-term in vitro hydrolytic stability of thermoplastic polyurethanes.
AB  - Long-term in vitro stability of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) was studied
      for up to 52 weeks in phosphate buffer solution at 37, 55, and 80 degrees C.
      Water uptake, molecular weights, and tensile properties were measured at regular
      intervals of 4, 8, 16, 32, and 52 weeks. The rate of molecular weight reduction
      increased with increasing temperature, and after 52 weeks at 80 degrees C, all
      commercial polycarbonate (Bionate-55D, Quadrathane-80A, and Chronoflex-80A),
      poly(dimethylsiloxane) (ElastEon-2A) and polyether (Elasthane-55D) TPUs showed
      significant (43-51%) molecular weight (Mn ) reduction. The polyisobutylene (PIB)
      based TPU exhibited a significantly lower decrease in Mn (26%) after 52 weeks at
      80 degrees C. For Bionate-55D and ElastEon-2A, at 80 degrees C in dry nitrogen
      atmosphere substantial thermal degradation was observed, while for the other TPUs
      the effect of thermal degradation is small. The temperature dependent reduction
      of molecular weight was interpreted by simple second order kinetics. From the
      approximately linear Arrhenius plots the activation energies were calculated,
      which were highest for PIB-PU-020 and lowest for ElastEon-2A. For Elasthane-55D
      the in vitro molecular weight reduction was compared with that of explanted
      leads. The molecular weight reduction in vivo was much smaller than that
      predicted from in vitro data, which may suggest that the in vitro model does not
      adequately describe the hydrolysis in vivo. In the absence of validation for the
      other TPUs that in vitro methods closely reproduce in vivo degradation, it is
      unknown how these results correlate with in vivo performance.

PMID- 26097128
TI  - Aqueous Bronsted-Lowry Chemistry of Ionic Liquid Ions.
AB  - Ionic liquids have become commonplace materials found in research laboratories
      the world over, and are increasingly utilised in studies featuring water as co
      solvent. It is reported herein that proton activities, aH (+) , originating from
      auto-protolysis of H2O molecules, are significantly altered in mixtures with
      common ionic liquids comprised of Cl(-), [HSO4 ](-), [CH3SO4 ](-), [CH3COO](-),
      [BF4](-), relative to pure water. paH (+) values, recorded in partially aqueous
      media as -log(aH (+)), are observed over a wide range (~0-13) as a result of
      hydrolysis (or acid dissociation) of liquid salt ions to their associated parent
      molecules (or conjugate bases). Bronsted-Lowry acid-base character of ionic
      liquid ions observed is rooted in equilibria known to govern the highly developed
      aqueous chemistry of classical organic and inorganic salts, as their well-known
      aqueous pKs dictate. Classical salt behaviour observed for both protic and
      aprotic ions in the presence of water suggests appropriate attention need be
      given to relevant chemical systems in order to exploit, or avoid, the nature of
      the medium formed.

PMID- 26097129
TI  - Is anogenital distance associated with semen quality in male partners of
      subfertile couples?
AB  - Experimental studies have shown that anogenital distance (AGD) at birth reflects
      androgen concentrations during prenatal development and predicts adult AGD. In
      male rodents, shortened AGD is associated with compromised reproductive function.
      The aim of this study was to examine associations between AGD measures and semen
      quality in male partners of subfertile couples. All men were attending an
      infertility service and provided a semen sample and completed epidemiological
      questionnaires on lifestyle and general health. Two variants of AGD [from the
      anus to the posterior base of the scrotum (AGDAS) and to the cephalad insertion
      of the penis (AGDAP)] were assessed in 91 men. Semen parameters (semen volume,
      sperm concentration, total sperm counts, motility, and morphology) were
      determined following WHO guidelines. Associations between AGD measures and semen
      quality were tested using multiple regression analyses controlling for
      appropriate covariates. Significant positive associations between AGDAS measures
      and sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total sperm motile count were
      detected (p-values < 0.05). This study represents the first analysis of AGD in
      potential infertile European men showing an association between perineal length
      and semen parameters. However, it is still uncertain the utility to clinical
      practice, therefore further studies are warranted to confirm and extent these
      findings. 

PMID- 26097130
TI  - Interfacing Mind and Environment: The Central Role of Search in Cognition.
AB  - Search can be found in almost every cognitive activity, ranging across vision,
      memory retrieval, problem solving, decision making, foraging, and social
      interaction. Because of its ubiquity, research on search has a tendency to
      fragment into multiple areas of cognitive science. The proposed topic aims at
      providing integrative discussion of the central role of search from multiple
      perspectives. We focus on controlled search processes, which require (a) a goal,
      (b) uncertainty about the nature, location, or acquisition method of the objects
      to be searched for, and (c) a method for sampling through the search environment.
      While this definition of search is general and applicable to different domains,
      the specific mechanisms in the search process will likely differ. The goal of
      this issue is to compare and contrast how these search processes are similar and
      differ in different cognitive activities, with the goal of understanding the
      general nature of search in terms of the three characteristics stated above. We
      expect that given its cross-domain nature, the topic on search will be of broad
      interest to cognitive scientists, including psychologists, behavioral ecologists,
      computer scientists, neuroscientists, linguists, and sociologists. 

PMID- 26097131
TI  - Inhibition of Cancer Cell Migration by Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes.
AB  - Inhibiting cancer cell migration and infiltration to other tissues makes the
      difference between life and death. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) display
      intrinsic biomimetic properties with microtubules, severely interfering with the
      function of these protein filaments during cell proliferation, triggering cell
      death. Here it is shown MWCNTs disrupt the centrosomal microtubule cytoskeletal
      organization triggering potent antimigratory effects in different cancer cells. 

PMID- 26097132
TI  - Genetic basis, evolutionary origin and spread of resistance to herbicides
      inhibiting acetolactate synthase in common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Following control failure by herbicides inhibiting acetolactate
      synthase (ALS) in French wheat fields and vineyards, we aimed to confirm
      resistance evolution and investigate the evolutionary origin and spread of
      resistance in the tetraploid species Senecio vulgaris (common groundsel), a
      widespread, highly mobile weed. RESULTS: Sequencing of two ALS homeologues in S.
      vulgaris enabled the first identification and characterisation of ALS-based
      resistance in this species. Cross-resistance patterns associated with Leu-197 and
      Ser-197 ALS1 were established using eight herbicides. Sequencing and genotyping
      showed that ALS-based resistance evolved by multiple, independent appearances of
      mutant ALS1 and ALS2 alleles followed by spread. Spread of a mutant ALS1 allele
      issued from one particular appearance event was observed over 60 km. Independent
      resistance appearance events and easy seed dispersion are the most likely reasons
      for populations of S. vulgaris containing different mutant ALS alleles.
      Accumulation of different alleles probably due to sexual reproduction was
      observed in the same plant. CONCLUSION: Mutant ALS alleles and possibly other
      mechanisms cause resistance to ALS inhibitors in S. vulgaris. Management
      strategies should aim at limiting S. vulgaris establishment and seed set.
      Considering the mobility of this species, control coordination at a regional
      level is clearly necessary if resistance spread is to be contained.

PMID- 26097133
TI  - Nano PdAu Bimetallic Alloy as an Effective Catalyst for the Buchwald-Hartwig
      Reaction.
AB  - It is highly challenging but desirable to develop efficient heterogeneous
      catalysts for C-Cl bond activation in coupling reactions. Here, we succeeded in
      synthesizing bimetallic Pd-Au nanoparticles through a convenient one-pot wet
      chemical route. The composition and alloyed structure of the as-prepared
      nanoparticles were fully characterized. We have evaluated the catalytic activity
      of these Pd-Au alloy catalysts in Buchwald-Hartwig reactions of aryl chlorides.
      The excellent catalytic activity of the as-obtained Pd-Au nanoparticles indicates
      that exploiting the catalytic power of nano-alloy catalysts could enable
      effective C-Cl bond activation suitable for cross-coupling reactions. 

PMID- 26097134
TI  - Bioinspired, Ultrastrong, Highly Biocompatible, and Bioactive Natural
      Polymer/Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite Films.
AB  - Tough and biocompatible nanocomposite films: A new type of bioinspired
      ultrastrong, highly biocompatible, and bioactive konjac glucomannan
      (KGM)/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite film is fabricated on a large scale by a
      simple solution-casting method. Such KGM-GO composite films exhibit much enhanced
      mechanical properties under the strong hydrogen-bonding interactions, showing
      great potential in the fields of tissue engineering and food package. 

PMID- 26097135
TI  - Engineering surface hydrophobicity improves activity of Bacillus
      thermocatenulatus lipase 2 enzyme.
AB  - Bacillus thermocatenulatus lipase 2 (BTL2) is a promising industrial enzyme used
      in biodiesel production. Although BTL2 has high thermostability and good
      resistance to organic solvents, the activity of BTL2 is suboptimal for industrial
      processes. To improve BTL2 activity, we engineered BTL2 lipase by modulating
      hydrophobicity of its lid domain. Through site-directed mutagenesis, we
      constructed three mutants, namely Y225F+S232A, S232A+T236V and Q185L, to cover
      all uncharged hydrophilic amino acids within the lid domain. Activities of these
      mutants were characterized. Our findings suggest that one mutant (Y225F+S232A)
      showed ~35% activity increase in catalyzing heterogeneous hydrolytic reactions
      relevant for industrial applications. A mathematical framework was established to
      account for different molecular events that contribute to the observed apparent
      catalytic activities. Increases in hydrophobicity of lid domains were associated
      with increased interfacial adsorption of lipases and lower molecular enzymatic
      activities. The measured apparent activities of lipases include contributions
      from both events. Lid hydrophobicity can thus result in different changes in
      lipase activities depending on the mutation site. Our work demonstrates the
      feasibility of increasing BTL2 activity by modulating the hydrophobicity of lid
      domains and provides some guidelines for further improving BTL2 activity. 

PMID- 26097136
TI  - Rapid fabrication system for three-dimensional tissues using cell sheet
      engineering and centrifugation.
AB  - Three-dimensional (3D) tissues can be reconstructed by cell sheet technology, and
      various clinical researches using these constructed tissues have already been
      initiated to regenerate damaged tissues. While 3D tissues can be easily
      fabricated by layering cell sheets, the attachment period for cell adhesion
      between a cell sheet and a culture dish, or double-layered cell sheets normally
      takes 20-30 min. This study proposed a more rapid fabrication system for
      bioengineered tissue using cell sheet technology and centrifugation. A C2C12
      mouse myoblast sheet harvested from a temperature-responsive culture dish will
      attach tightly to a culture dish or another cell sheet at 37 degrees C after a 20
      min-incubation. However, the same cell sheet centrifuged (12-34 * g) for 3 min
      also attached tightly to a dish or another cell sheet at 37 degrees C after only
      a 3 min-incubation. The manipulation time was reduced by approximately two-thirds
      by centrifugation. The rapid attachments were also cross-sectionally confirmed by
      optical coherence tomography. These rapidly constructed cell sheet-tissues using
      centrifugation showed active cell metabolism, cell viability, and very high
      production of vascular endothelial growth factor, like those prepared by the
      conventional method; indicating complete cell sheet-attachment without any cell
      damage. This new system will be a powerful tool in the fields of cell sheet-based
      tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and accelerate the use of cell
      sheets in clinical applications.

PMID- 26097137
TI  - Modeling the HCOOH/CO2 Electrocatalytic Reaction: When Details Are Key.
AB  - Our first principles simulations of the electrooxidation of formic acid over
      nickel identify the reorientation of the formate intermediate and the desorption
      of CO2 as the rate-limiting steps. Although they are not associated with an
      electron transfer, these barriers are strongly modified when the electrochemical
      potential is explicitly accounted for and when modeling the influence of the
      solvent. Hence, such a level of modeling is key to understand the kinetic
      limitations that penalize the reaction. 

PMID- 26097138
TI  - Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection causing eosinophilic ascites.
AB  - Strongyloidiasis is associated with Strongyloides stercoralis, an intestinal
      nematode with greater prevalence in tropical and subtropical regions.
      Hyperinfection syndrome with dissemination may occur in immunosuppressed
      individuals. However, invasion of peritoneal cavity with peritoneal effusion is
      rarely reported in the literature. We report a case of S. stercoralis
      hyperinfection in a young alcoholic patient with Diabetes mellitus, liver disease
      and ascites. Diagnostic paracentesis showed numerous filariform larvae of S.
      stercoralis against a background of eosinophils.

PMID- 26097139
TI  - Associations of sedentary time patterns and TV viewing time with inflammatory and
      endothelial function biomarkers in children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Investigate associations of TV viewing time and accelerometry-derived
      sedentary time with inflammatory and endothelial function biomarkers in children.
      METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of 164 7-10-year-old children. TV viewing time
      was assessed by parental proxy report and total and patterns of sedentary time
      accumulation (e.g. prolonged bouts) were assessed by accelerometry. C-reactive
      protein (CRP), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, interleukin-2,
      -6, -8, -10, tumour necrosis factor alpha, adiponectin, resistin, brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor, soluble intercellular and vascular adhesion molecule 1,
      plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 and soluble E-selectin were assessed.
      Generalised linear models assessed the associations of TV viewing and sedentary
      time with biomarkers, adjusting for sex, waist circumference, moderate- to
      vigorous-intensity physical activity and diet density. RESULTS: Each additional h
      week(-1) of TV viewing was associated with 4.4% (95% CI: 2.1, 6.7) greater CRP
      and 0.6% (0.2, 1.0) greater sVCAM-1 in the fully adjusted model. The association
      between frequency and duration of 5-10 min bouts of sedentary time and CRP was
      positive after adjustment for sex and waist circumference but attenuated after
      adjustment for diet density. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that TV viewing was
      unfavourably associated with several markers of inflammation and endothelial
      dysfunction. The detrimental association between 5 and 10 min bouts of sedentary
      time and CRP approached significance, suggesting that further research with a
      stronger study design (longitudinal and/or experimental) is needed to better
      understand how the accumulation of sedentary time early in life may influence
      short and longer term health.

PMID- 26097140
TI  - Schwann Cell Contact Guidance versus Boundary -Interaction in Functional Wound
      Healing along Nano and Microstructured Membranes.
AB  - Peripheral nerve transection is often encountered after trauma and can lead to
      long-term/permanent loss of sensor/motor functionality. Here, the effect of pure
      contact interaction of nano/microgrooved substrates on Schwann cells (SCs) is
      studied in view of their possible use for nerve-repair applications. Elastomeric
      gratings (GRs; i.e., alternating lines of ridges and grooves) are developed with
      different lateral periods (1-20 MUm) and depths (0.3-2.5 MUm), leading to two
      distinct cell-material interaction regimes: contact guidance (grating period <
      cell body diameter) and boundary guidance (grating period >= cell body diameter).
      Here, it is shown that boundary guidance leads to the best single-cell
      polarization, actin organization, and single-cell directional migration.
      Remarkably, contact guidance is instead more effective in driving collective SC
      migration and improves functional wound healing. It is also demonstrated that
      this behavior is linked to the properties of the SC monolayers on different GRs.
      SCs on large-period GRs are characterized by N-Cadherin downregulation and
      enhanced single-cell scattering into the wound with respect to SCs on small
      period GRs, indicating a less compact monolayer characterized by looser cell-cell
      junctions in the boundary guidance regime. The present results provide
      information on the impact of specific sub-micrometer topographical elements on SC
      functional response, which can be exploited for nerve-regeneration applications. 

PMID- 26097141
TI  - Plasmon-Assisted Production of Reactive Oxygen Species by Single Gold Nanorods.

PMID- 26097142
TI  - Novel Highly Energetic Pyrazoles: N-Trinitromethyl-Substituted Nitropyrazoles.
AB  - A new family of energetic compounds, nitropyrazoles bearing a trinitromethyl
      moiety at the nitrogen atom of the heterocycle, was designed. The desirable high
      energy dense oxidizers 3,4-dinitro- and 3,5-dinitro-1-(trinitromethyl)pyrazoles
      were synthesized in good yields by destructive nitration of the corresponding 1
      acetonylpyrazoles. All of the prepared compounds were fully characterized by
      multinuclear NMR and IR spectroscopy, as well as by elemental analysis. Single
      crystal X-ray diffraction studies show remarkably high density. Impact
      sensitivity tests and thermal stability measurements were also performed. All of
      the pyrazoles possess positive calculated heats of formation and exhibit
      promising energetic performance that is the range of 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5
      triazine and pentaerythritol tetranitrate. The new pyrazoles exhibit positive
      oxygen balance and are promising candidates for new environmentally benign
      energetic materials. 

PMID- 26097143
TI  - Sublethal doses of fipronil intensify synapsin immunostaining in Atta sexdens
      rubropilosa (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) brains.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although ants are common insects in agricultural ecosystems, few
      studies have considered how xenobiotics might induce physiological and
      morphological alterations in these insects. This study aimed to verify the
      neurotoxic action of sublethal doses of fipronil on the mushroom bodies of brains
      from the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa through immunocytochemistry
      analysis for the protein synapsin. RESULTS: The LD50 value was established as
      1.42 ng ant(-1), and the sublethal doses used were LD50/10 and LD50/100. Synapsin
      labelling was more evident in the brains extracted from ants exposed to the
      insecticide, specifically in the regions of glia in the mushroom bodies, compared
      with the control group. It was possible to measure the intensity of emitted
      fluorescence in the areas of the mushroom bodies, and a statistical test showed
      differences between the control group and the treatment group. CONCLUSION: Thus,
      it is concluded that sublethal doses of the insecticide fipronil intensified
      synapsin immunostaining, suggesting an increased release of neurotransmitters,
      which may be linked to neurotoxicity and overexcitation. These sublethal doses
      may have two different effects: compromising the operation and maintenance of the
      colony and leading to the establishment of resistance in insects.

PMID- 26097144
TI  - Polycan suppresses osteoclast differentiation and titanium particle-induced
      osteolysis in mice.
AB  - Particle-induced osteolysis is a major issue, and it is most likely the result of
      enhanced osteoclast activation in the pathogenesis of various skeletal diseases.
      This study investigated whether the inhibitory effect that Polycan has on
      osteoclast differentiation can be used to treat osteolysis induced by titanium
      (Ti) particles. To this end, the effects of Polycan were examined in terms of the
      cytotoxicity, osteoclast differentiation, cytokine expression, and Ti-induced
      calvarial osteolysis. Polycan had no significant cytotoxic effects on bone marrow
      macrophages (BMMs) but instead increased BMM proliferation. High levels of
      interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12, and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) were
      expressed in BMM cells in the presence of Polycan, suggesting that Polycan drives
      the differentiation of BMMs into M1 macrophages. Polycan significantly inhibited
      osteoclast differentiation induced by M-CSF and the receptor activator of nuclear
      factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL). The expression levels of the osteoclast marker
      genes significantly decreased, and Polycan induced and maintained the expression
      of IL-12, which suppressed osteoclast differentiation. In contrast, the RANKL
      signaling pathway was not inhibited by Polycan. An in vivo calvarial osteolysis
      model revealed that Polycan significantly decreased the osteoclast numbers and
      suppressed osteolysis. Our results suggest that the natural compound Polycan is a
      good candidate for therapeutic intervention against enhanced osteoclast
      differentiation and Ti particle-induced osteolysis. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1170-1175, 2016.

PMID- 26097145
TI  - Why Is the Spontaneous Deprotonation of [Cu(uracil)2](2+) Complexes Accompanied
      by Enolization of the System?
AB  - The reaction-force formalism is applied to carry out a detailed analysis of the
      mechanisms behind the enolization processes undergone by the complexes formed on
      interaction of uracil dimers with Cu(2+) ions after spontaneous deprotonation of
      the resulting complexes. These enolization processes apparently involve a single
      proton transfer (PT) from an NH group to a carbonyl group of the same uracil
      moiety, which should involve a rather high activation barrier that prevents the
      process occurring. However, the reaction-force, chemical-potential, and
      electronic-flux profiles unambiguously indicate that the actual mechanism
      involves three low-barrier elementary steps, and this explains why enolization of
      the [Cu(uracil-H)(uracil)](+) complexes is a highly facile, assisted PT process.
      All of the observed PT processes show a typical profile for both the chemical
      potential and the electronic flux associated with the bond-breaking and the bond
      formation processes. 

PMID- 26097146
TI  - Calcium phosphate nanoparticles carrying BMP-7 plasmid DNA induce an osteogenic
      response in MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts.
AB  - Functionalized calcium phosphate nanoparticles with osteogenic activity were
      prepared. Polyethyleneimine-stabilized calcium phosphate nanoparticles were
      coated with a shell of silica and covalently functionalized by silanization with
      thiol groups. Between the calcium phosphate surface and the outer silica shell,
      plasmid DNA which encoded either for bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) or for
      enhanced green fluorescent protein was incorporated as cargo. The plasmid DNA
      loaded calcium phosphate nanoparticles were used for the transfection of the pre
      osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. The cationic nanoparticles showed high transfection
      efficiency together with a low cytotoxicity. Their potential to induce an
      osteogenic response by transfection was demonstrated by measuring the alkaline
      phosphatase (ALP) activity and calcium deposition with alizarin red staining. The
      expression of the osteogenic markers Alp, Runx2, ColIa1 and Bsp was investigated
      by means of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. It was shown that
      phBMP-7-loaded nanoparticles can provide a means of transient transfection and
      localized production of BMP-7 in MC3T3-E1 cells, with a subsequent increase of
      two osteogenic markers, specifically ALP activity and calcium accumulation in the
      extracellular matrix. Future strategies to stimulate bone regeneration focus into
      enhancing transfection efficiency and achieving higher levels of BMP-7 produced
      by the transfected cells.

PMID- 26097147
TI  - Re-programming CHO cell metabolism using miR-23 tips the balance towards a highly
      productive phenotype.
AB  - microRNA engineering of CHO cells has already proved successful in enhancing
      various industrially relevant phenotypes and producing various recombinant
      products. A single miRNA's ability to interact with multiple mRNA targets allows
      their regulatory capacity to extend to processes such as cellular metabolism.
      Various metabolic states have previously been associated with particular CHO cell
      phenotypes such as glycolytic or oxidative metabolism accommodating growth and
      productivity, respectively. miR-23 has previously been demonstrated to play a
      role in glutamate metabolism resulting in enhanced oxidative phosphorylation
      through the TCA cycle. Re-programming cellular bioenergetics through miR-23 could
      tip the balance, forcing mammalian production cells to be more productive by
      favoring metabolic channelling into oxidative metabolism. CHO clones depleted of
      miR-23 using a miR-sponge decoy demonstrated an average ~three-fold enhanced
      specific productivity with no impact on cell growth. Using a cell respirometer,
      mitochondrial activity was found to be enhanced by ~30% at Complex I and II of
      the electron transport system. Additionally, label-free proteomic analysis
      uncovered various potential novel targets of miR-23 including LE1 and IDH1, both
      implicated in oxidative metabolism and mitochondrial activity. These results
      demonstrate miRNA-based engineering as a route to re-programming cellular
      metabolism resulting in increased productivity, without affecting growth.

PMID- 26097148
TI  - Low grandparental social support combined with low parental socioeconomic status
      is closely associated with obesity in preschool-aged children: a pilot study.
AB  - While the influence of parental socioeconomic status (SES) on children's weight
      status is well known, the impact of other family-related aspects such as parental
      and grandparental social support is less understood. This study investigates the
      importance of parents' SES and social support (functional and structural) for
      weight status in a clinical sample of preschoolers 4-6 years old with obesity (n
      = 39, 56% girls; 73% of parents were overweight/obese, 50% were of non-Swedish
      origin). Linear regression analyses, simple and multiple, were performed on SES
      and social support with child BMI SDS (body mass index standard deviation score)
      as the dependent variable. The results show that parents' income and low
      emotional support from paternal grandparents were significantly associated with
      more severe obesity. The association between parental income and the child's BMI
      SDS was stronger among parents who had low emotional support from their own
      parents. In conclusion, grandparental social support may be protective against
      childhood obesity.

PMID- 26097149
TI  - Cardiac phenotype determines survival in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify determinants of survival by comparing cardiopulmonary
      function in two patient groups: prolonged survivors of Duchenne muscular
      dystrophy (DMD) versus DMD patients who experienced early death (ED). METHODS:
      Retrospective chart review of our DMD patients from 1999 to 2013. Prolonged
      Survival (PS) was defined as alive and >=30 years old. Early death (ED) was
      defined as death at < 30 years old. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: steroid therapy. RESULTS:
      Eleven patients met criteria for PS and 14 patients for ED (mean age +/- SD: 34.3
      +/- 4.3 years vs. 21.7 +/- 3.8 years, respectively; P < 0.001). Pulmonary
      function was better in the ED patients: all PS patients had a vital capacity of 0
      ml (n = 11) versus 23% (3/13) of the ED patients (P < 0.001). Thirteen of 14 ED
      patients and all PS patients received assisted ventilation. Heart function was
      worse in the ED patients: ejection fraction (EF) was 42.2 +/- 14.2% in the PS
      patients (n = 11) versus 29.2 +/- 14.1% in the ED patients (n = 13; P = 0.035).
      Dilated cardiomyopathy was present in 36% (4/11) of PS patients versus 78%
      (11/14) of ED patients (P =0.048). Among ED patients, 57% (8/14) died from
      progressive cardiomyopathy. CONCLUSION: In our study group, good heart function
      was a pre-condition for PS and poor heart function was the primary cause of early
      death. Our results suggest that, when DMD patients are treated with assisted
      ventilation, heart function is the main determinant of their survival.

PMID- 26097151
TI  - Selective Nanotrench Filling by One-Pot Electroclick Self-Constructed
      Nanoparticle Films.
AB  - Integration of nanoparticles (NPs) into nanodevices is a challenge for enhanced
      sensor development. Using NPs as building blocks, a bottom-up approach based on
      one-pot morphogen-driven electroclick chemistry is reported to self-construct
      dense and robust conductive Fe3O4 NP films. Deposited covalent NP assemblies
      establish an electrical connection between two gold electrodes separated by a 100
      nm-wide nanotrench.

PMID- 26097150
TI  - Surface Tension Triggered Wetting and Point of Care Sensor Design.
AB  - Rapid, simple, and inexpensive point-of-care (POC) medical tests are of
      significant need around the world. The transition between nonwetting and wetted
      states is used to create instrument-free surface tension sensors for POC
      diagnosis, using a layered electrospun mesh with incorporated dye to change color
      upon wetting. 

PMID- 26097152
TI  - Probing the Primary Photochemical Processes of Octahedral Iron(V) Formation with
      Femtosecond Mid-infrared Spectroscopy.
AB  - Species containing iron at an oxidation state higher than +III are often termed
      "high-valent iron" and are considered to be key catalytic intermediates in
      biochemistry. Here, we report the direct time-domain probing of the photochemical
      formation of an octahedral nitrido iron(V) complex through dinitrogen cleavage
      from an diazido iron(III) precursor by using femtosecond mid-infrared (MIR)
      spectroscopy. From the time-resolved vibrational spectra, a mechanism is
      suggested for the photooxidation of the metal within 10 ps. This mechanism
      involves an initial ultrafast non-adiabatic transition, followed by a
      quasithermal N-N bond rupture on the ground-state surface.

PMID- 26097153
TI  - The influence of mesh topology in the abdominal wall repair process.
AB  - The tissue integration and the formation of adhesions in the repair of abdominal
      wall defects are principally led to the topology and the mechanical properties of
      implanted prosthesis. In this study we analyzed the influence of the topology of
      the meshes for abdominal wall repair, made of polypropylene (PP), evaluating its
      ability to prevent and to minimize the formation of adhesions, and to promote
      tissue ingrowth. Two series of in vivo studies were performed. In the first, two
      types of PP meshes, a lightweight macroporous mesh (LWM) and a heavyweight
      microporous mesh (HWM) were compared with determine the optimal porosity for
      tissue integration. In the second, a composite mesh, Clear Mesh Composite (CMC),
      made of a LWM sewn on a PP planar smooth film, was compared with a PP planar
      film, to demonstrate how two different topologies of same material are able to
      induce different tissue integration with the abdominal wall and different
      adhesion with internal organs. In both studies, the prostheses were implanted in
      Wistar rats and histological analysis and mechanical characterization of tissue
      coupled with the implants were performed. LWM showed better host tissue ingrowth
      in comparison to HWM. CMC prosthesis showed no adhesions to the viscera and no
      strong foreign body reaction, moreover its elasticity and anisotropy index were
      more similar to that of natural tissue. These results demonstrated that the
      surface morphology of PP surgical meshes allowed to modulate their repair
      ability. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl
      Biomater, 104B: 1220-1228, 2016.

PMID- 26097154
TI  - Extended plasma cannabinoid excretion in chronic frequent cannabis smokers during
      sustained abstinence and correlation with psychomotor performance.
AB  - Cannabis smoking increases motor vehicle accident risk. Empirically defined
      cannabinoid detection windows are important to drugged driving legislation. Our
      aims were to establish plasma cannabinoid detection windows in frequent cannabis
      smokers and to determine if residual cannabinoid concentrations were correlated
      with psychomotor performance. Twenty-eight male chronic frequent cannabis smokers
      resided on a secure research unit for up to 33 days with daily blood collection.
      Plasma specimens were analyzed for Delta(9) -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11
      hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC), and 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC (THCCOOH) by gas chromatography
      mass spectrometry. Critical tracking and divided attention tasks were
      administered at baseline (after overnight stay to ensure lack of acute
      intoxication) and after 1, 2, and 3 weeks of cannabis abstinence. Twenty-seven of
      the twenty-eight participants were THC-positive at admission (median 4.2 ug/L).
      THC concentrations significantly decreased 24 h after admission, but were still
      >=2 ug/L in 16 of the 28 participants 48 h after admission. THC was detected in 3
      of 5 specimens on day 30. The last positive 11-OH-THC specimen was 15 days after
      admission. THCCOOH was measureable in 4 of 5 participants after 30 days of
      abstinence. Years of prior cannabis use significantly correlated with THC
      concentrations on admission, and days 7 and 14. Tracking error, evaluated by the
      Divided Attention Task, was the only evaluated psychomotor assessment
      significantly correlated with cannabinoid concentrations at baseline and day 8
      (11-OH-THC only). Median THC was 0.3 ug/L in 5 chronic frequent cannabis smokers'
      plasma samples after 30 days of sustained abstinence. Published 2015. This
      article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. 

PMID- 26097155
TI  - Leisure Time Activities and Mental Health in Informal Dementia Caregivers.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Dementia prevalence and the demand for dementia care are increasing.
      Informal caregiving accounts for a large proportion of dementia care, but can
      come at high cost for caregivers. Informal dementia caregivers are at higher risk
      for mental health problems than the general population. This study examines
      whether perceived change in leisure activities is one working mechanism linking
      stress and burden experience in dementia caregiving to lower mental health
      (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and reduced satisfaction with life), and
      whether there are group-based leisure activities that can buffer this detrimental
      effect. METHODS: A total of 346 informal Australian dementia caregivers (88.15%
      female, age 18-82 years) participated in an online study. RESULTS: Mediation and
      moderation analyses using multiple regression demonstrated that perceived changes
      in leisure activities linked caregiving stress and burden to lower mental health,
      and that membership in groups engaging in affiliation or social activities
      attenuates negative effects of caregiving. CONCLUSION: Informal dementia
      caregivers benefit from satisfying leisure activities. In particular, engaging in
      social activities and self-help groups buffered the negative impact of
      caregiving.

PMID- 26097156
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25417958.

PMID- 26097157
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25545240.

PMID- 26097158
TI  - Influence of respiratory physiotherapy on gastro-oesophageal reflux in infants: A
      systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To provide a survey on the literature concerning the influence of
      respiratory physiotherapy on gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) in infants and young
      children. METHODS: Electronic databases (Pubmed, Web of Science, PEDro) and
      reference lists of articles and narrative reviews were searched. Articles were
      included when infants and small children underwent oesophageal pH monitoring or
      pH-multichannel intraluminal impedance monitoring while respiratory physiotherapy
      was administered. Descriptive analysis was performed and two researchers scored
      the methodological quality of these studies. RESULTS: Out of 985 articles, seven
      (six English, one French) have been included, In total 277 patients were
      involved, 71 with cystic fibrosis. Depending on the technique used, four studies
      showed GOR to be aggravated during therapy, three studies reported no effect.
      CONCLUSION: The evidence is not conclusive on whether respiratory physiotherapy
      induces or aggravates GOR in infants and small children. Age, disease, and
      treatment options play an important role. More specific research, also focussing
      on the influence of respiratory physiotherapy on non-acid reflux and the impact
      of recently developed airway clearance techniques (ACT's) on GOR is necessary.

PMID- 26097159
TI  - Ultra-small Palladium Nanoparticle Decorated Carbon Nanotubes: Conductivity and
      Reactivity.
AB  - Carbon nanotubes decorated with ultra-small metal nanoparticles are of great
      value in catalysis. We report that individual multiwalled carbon nanotubes
      decorated with ultra-small palladium nanoparticles can be detected by using the
      nano-impacts method. The high conductivity and reactivity of each decorated
      carbon nanotube is directly evidenced; this is achieved through studying the
      proton-reduction reaction for the underpotential deposition of hydrogen onto the
      nanoparticles decorated on the carbon nanotube walls. The reductive spikes from
      current amplification are analyzed to estimate the approximate length of the
      decorated carbon nanotubes, revealing that the decorated carbon nanotubes are
      electroactive along its entire length of several micrometers. 

PMID- 26097160
TI  - Developmental nicotine exposure enhances inhibitory synaptic transmission in
      motor neurons and interneurons critical for normal breathing.
AB  - Nicotine exposure in utero negatively affects neuronal growth, differentiation,
      and synaptogenesis. We used rhythmic brainstems slices and immunohistochemistry
      to determine how developmental nicotine exposure (DNE) alters inhibitory
      neurotransmission in two regions essential to normal breathing, the hypoglossal
      motor nucleus (XIIn), and preBotzinger complex (preBotC). We microinjected
      glycine or muscimol (GABAA agonist) into the XIIn or preBotC of rhythmic
      brainstem slices from neonatal rats while recording from XII nerve roots to
      obtain XII motoneuron population activity. Injection of glycine or muscimol into
      the XIIn reduced XII nerve burst amplitude, while injection into the preBotC
      altered nerve burst frequency. These responses were exaggerated in preparations
      from DNE animals. Quantitative immunohistochemistry revealed a significantly
      higher GABAA receptor density on XII motoneurons from DNE pups. There were no
      differences in GABAA receptor density in the preBotC, and there were no
      differences in glycine receptor expression in either region. Nicotine, in the
      absence of other chemicals in tobacco smoke, alters normal development of
      brainstem circuits that are critical for normal breathing.

PMID- 26097161
TI  - Titanium and hydroxyapatite coating of polyetheretherketone and carbon fiber
      reinforced polyetheretherketone: A pilot study in sheep.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bone formation capability
      of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK (CFR-PEEK)
      implants coated with different titanium and hydroxyapatite plasma-sprayed layers
      after 2 and 12 weeks. METHODS: In six sheep 108 implants were placed in the
      pelvis. Altogether six different surface modifications were tested. After 2 and
      12 weeks, n = 3 implants per group were examined histologically and n = 6
      implants per group were tested by a pull-out test. RESULTS: Biomechanically (p =
      0.001) as well as histologically (p > 0.05) surface coating of PEEK/CFR-PEEK led
      to an increase of osseointegration from 2 to 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, coated
      implants demonstrated significant (p < 0.001) higher pull-out values in
      comparison to uncoated implants. Overall, the double coating (titanium bond layer
      and hydroxyapatite top layer) showed the most favorable results after 2 and 12
      weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma-sprayed titanium and hydroxyapatite coatings on PEEK
      or CFR-PEEK demonstrated a significant improvement of osseointegration. (c) 2015
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1182
      1191, 2016.

PMID- 26097162
TI  - Identification of six cell surface proteins for specific liver targeting.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cell surface proteins are the primary means for a cell to sense and
      interact with its environment and their dysregulation has been linked to numerous
      diseases. In particular, the identification of proteins specific to a single
      tissue type or to a given disease phenotype may enable the characterization of
      novel therapeutic targets. We tested here the feasibility of a cell surface
      proteomics approach to identify pertinent markers directly in a clinically
      relevant tissue. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We analyzed the cell surface proteome of
      freshly isolated primary heptatocytes using a glycocapture-specific approach
      combined with a robust bioinformatics filtering. RESULTS: Using primary lung
      epithelial cell cultures as negative controls, we identified 32 hepatocyte
      specific cell surface proteins candidates. We used mRNA expression to select six
      markers that may provide adequate specificity for targeting therapeutics to the
      liver. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: We demonstrate the feasibility and the
      importance of conducting such studies directly in a clinically relevant tissue.
      In particular, the cell surface proteome of freshly isolated hepatocytes differed
      substantially from cultured cell lines.

PMID- 26097163
TI  - Losing sight of science in the regulatory push to ban microbeads from consumer
      products and industrial use.

PMID- 26097164
TI  - Hair analysis for Delta(9) -tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (THCA-A) and Delta(9) 
      tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) after handling cannabis plant material.
AB  - A previous study has shown that Delta(9) -tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (THCA-A),
      the non-psychoactive precursor of Delta(9) -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the
      cannabis plant does not get incorporated in relevant amounts into the hair
      through the bloodstream after repeated oral intake. However, THCA-A can be
      measured in forensic hair samples in concentrations often exceeding the detected
      THC concentrations. To investigate whether the handling of cannabis plant
      material prior to consumption is a contributing factor for THC-positive hair
      results and also the source for THCA-A findings in hair, a study comprising ten
      participants was conducted. In this study, the participants rolled a marijuana
      joint on five consecutive days and hair samples of each participant were
      obtained. Urine samples were taken to exclude cannabis consumption prior to and
      during the study. THCA-A and THC could be detected in the hair samples from all
      participants taken at the end of the exposure period (concentration range: 15
      1800 pg/mg for THCA-A and < 10-93 pg/mg for THC). Four weeks after the first
      exposure, THCA-A could still be detected in the hair samples of nine participants
      (concentration range: 4-57 pg/mg). Furthermore, THC could be detected in the hair
      samples of five participants (concentration range: < 10-17 pg/mg). Based on these
      results, it can be concluded that at least parts of the THC as well as the major
      part of THCA-A found in routine hair analysis derives from external contamination
      caused by direct transfer through contaminated fingers. This finding is of
      particular interest in interpreting THC-positive hair results of children or
      partners of cannabis users, where such a transfer can occur due to close body
      contact. Analytical findings may be wrongly interpreted as a proof of consumption
      or at least passive exposure to cannabis smoke. Such misinterpretation could lead
      to severe consequences for the people concerned.

PMID- 26097165
TI  - A Rationally Designed Thymidine-Based Self-Assembled Monolayer on a Gold
      Electrode for Electroanalytical Applications.
AB  - A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 1-(3,5-epidithio-2,3,5-trideoxy-beta-D-threo
      pentofuranosyl)thymine (EFT) on a gold electrode was prepared and characterized
      by Raman spectral and electrochemical measurements. Voltammetric and
      electrochemical impedance measurements show that the SAM of EFT on a Au electrode
      impedes the electron-transfer reaction. The SAM of EFT was successfully used for
      the voltammetric sensing of urate in neutral solution. The coexisting ascorbate
      anion does not interfere and therefore the EFT-based electrode was able to
      quantify urate at the micromolar level in the presence of a large excess amount
      of ascorbate. To demonstrate the practical applications, the amount of urate in
      two different human serum samples was quantified by using the EFT-based
      electrode; the results are in good agreement with those determined by the
      clinical method. DFT calculations show that both ascorbate and urate have
      noncovalent interactions including hydrogen-bonding interactions with EFT.

PMID- 26097167
TI  - Has the possible inclusion of nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis been
      factored into the ABILITY-2 study? Comment on the article by Mease et al.

PMID- 26097166
TI  - Medication Nonadherence Is Associated With Increased Subsequent Acute Care
      Utilization Among Medicaid Beneficiaries With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We examined whether nonadherence to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) or
      immunosuppressive medications (ISMs) was associated with higher subsequent acute
      care utilization among Medicaid beneficiaries with systemic lupus erythematosus
      (SLE). METHODS: We utilized US Medicaid data from 2000-2006 to identify adults
      ages 18-64 years with SLE who were new users of HCQ or ISMs. We defined the index
      date as receipt of HCQ or ISMs without use in the prior 6 months. We measured
      adherence using the medication possession ratio (MPR), the proportion of days
      covered by total days' supply dispensed, for the 1-year post-index date. Our
      outcomes were all-cause and SLE-related emergency department (ED) visits and
      hospitalizations in the subsequent year. We used multivariable Poisson regression
      models to examine the association between nonadherence (MPR <80%) and acute care
      utilization, adjusting for sociodemographics and comorbidities. RESULTS: We
      identified 9,600 HCQ new users and 3,829 ISM new users with SLE. The mean +/- SD
      MPR for HCQ was 47.8% +/- 30.3% and for ISMs was 42.7% +/- 30.7%. Seventy-nine
      percent of HCQ users and 83% of ISM users were nonadherent (MPR <80%). In
      multivariable models, among HCQ users, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of ED
      visits was 1.55 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.43-1.69) and the IRR of
      hospitalizations was 1.37 (95% CI 1.25-1.50), comparing nonadherers to adherers.
      For ISM users, the IRR of ED visits was 1.64 (95% CI 1.42-1.89) and of
      hospitalizations was 1.67 (95% CI 1.41-1.96) for nonadherers versus adherers.
      CONCLUSION: In this cohort, nonadherence to HCQ and ISMs was common and was
      associated with significantly higher subsequent acute care utilization.

PMID- 26097168
TI  - Breakthrough therapies: Cystic fibrosis (CF) potentiators and correctors.
AB  - Cystic Fibrosis is caused by mutations in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane
      conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene resulting in abnormal protein function. Recent
      advances of targeted molecular therapies and high throughput screening have
      resulted in multiple drug therapies that target many important mutations in the
      CFTR protein. In this review, we provide the latest results and current progress
      of CFTR modulators for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, focusing on potentiators
      of CFTR channel gating and Phe508del processing correctors for the Phe508del CFTR
      mutation. Special emphasis is placed on the molecular basis underlying these new
      therapies and emerging results from the latest clinical trials. The future
      directions for augmenting the rescue of Phe508del with CFTR modulators are also
      emphasized.

PMID- 26097169
TI  - Detection of silent cells, synchronization and modulatory activity in developing
      cellular networks.
AB  - Developing networks in the immature nervous system and in cellular cultures are
      characterized by waves of synchronous activity in restricted clusters of cells.
      Synchronized activity in immature networks is proposed to regulate many different
      developmental processes, from neuron growth and cell migration, to the refinement
      of synapses, topographic maps, and the mature composition of ion channels. These
      emergent activity patterns are not present in all cells simultaneously within the
      network and more immature "silent" cells, potentially correlated with the
      presence of silent synapses, are prominent in different networks during early
      developmental periods. Many current network analyses for detection of synchronous
      cellular activity utilize activity-based pixel correlations to identify cellular
      based regions of interest (ROIs) and coincident cell activity. However, using
      activity-based correlations, these methods first underestimate or ignore the
      inactive silent cells within the developing network and second, are difficult to
      apply within cell-dense regions commonly found in developing brain networks. In
      addition, previous methods may ignore ROIs within a network that shows transient
      activity patterns comprising both inactive and active periods. We developed
      analysis software to semi-automatically detect cells within developing neuronal
      networks that were imaged using calcium-sensitive reporter dyes. Using an
      iterative threshold, modulation of activity was tracked within individual cells
      across the network. The distribution pattern of both inactive and active,
      including synchronous cells, could be determined based on distance measures to
      neighboring cells and according to different anatomical layers.

PMID- 26097170
TI  - Risk factors contributing to postoperative delirium in geriatric patients
      postorthopedic surgery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Postoperative delirium is a common clinical manifestation in
      geriatric patients, resulting in prolonged hospitalization and increased economic
      burden, in addition to higher morbidity and mortality rates. Therefore,
      identifying non-obvious risk factors that contribute to the development of
      postoperative delirium in geriatric patients is crucial. METHODS: From January
      2011 to June 2013, 200 geriatric patients of over 65 years of age scheduled for
      orthopedic surgery were randomly selected and statistically analyzed with respect
      to the effects of the following 12 factors on postoperative delirium: sex, age,
      anesthesia type, surgical type (i.e. spine, hip replacement, and pelvic or
      femoral fracture repair), operative duration, intraoperative hypoxia,
      intraoperative hypercapnia, intraoperative hypotension, intraoperative blood
      loss, preoperative affective state, postoperative sleep disorders, and underlying
      disease (i.e. hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and
      chronic bronchitis). RESULTS: Seven factors--age, anesthesia type, duration of
      operation, intraoperative hypercapnia, intraoperative hypotension, preoperative
      affective state, and postoperative sleep disorders--were found to be
      significantly differentiated, suggesting that these factors have an impact on the
      development of postoperative delirium. Sex, surgical type, intraoperative
      hypoxia, intraoperative blood loss (with 300 ml as a cutoff value), and
      underlying disease were not directly related to the development of postoperative
      delirium. DISCUSSION: Advanced age (>70 years), the use of general anesthesia,
      longer surgical duration (>3 hours), the presence of intraoperative hypercapnia
      and hypotension, the presence of preoperative affective dysfunction, and the
      presence of postoperative sleep disorders appear to be associated with the
      development of postoperative delirium in geriatric patients after orthopedic
      surgery.

PMID- 26097171
TI  - Imaging of subchondral bone by optical coherence tomography upon optical clearing
      of articular cartilage.
AB  - Optical clearing is an effective method to reduce light scattering of biological
      tissues that provides significant enhancement of light penetration into the
      biological tissues making non-invasive diagnosis more feasible. In current report
      Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) in conjunction with optical clearing is
      applied for assessment of deep cartilage layers and cartilage-bone interface. The
      solution of Iohexol in water has been used as an optical clearing agent. The
      cartilage-bone boundary becomes visible after 15 min of optical clearing that
      enabling non-invasive estimation of its roughness: Sa = 10 +/- 1 um. The results
      show that for 0.9 mm thick cartilage optical clearing is stopped after 50 min
      with an increase of refractive index from 1.386 +/- 0.008 to 1.510 +/- 0.009.
      Current approach enables more reliable detection of arthroscopically inaccessible
      regions, including cartilage-bone boundary and subchondral bone, and potentially
      improves accuracy of the osteoarthritis diagnosis.

PMID- 26097176
TI  - Marfan syndrome database information unreliable for diagnoses.

PMID- 26097172
TI  - Visible light crosslinking of methacrylated hyaluronan hydrogels for injectable
      tissue repair.
AB  - Tissue engineering hydrogels are primarily cured in situ using ultraviolet (UV)
      radiation which limits the use of hydrogels as drug or cell carriers. Visible
      green light activated crosslinking systems are presented as a safe alternative to
      UV photocrosslinked hydrogels, without compromising material properties such as
      viscosity and stiffness. The objective of this study was to fabricate and
      characterize photocrosslinked hydrogels with well-regulated gelation kinetics and
      mechanical properties for the repair or replacement of soft tissue. An anhydrous
      methacrylation of hyaluronan (HA) was performed to control the degree of
      modification (DOM) of HA, verified by (1) H-NMR spectroscopy. UV-activated
      crosslinking was compared to visible green light activated crosslinking. While
      the different photocrosslinking techniques resulted in varied crosslinking times,
      comparable mechanical properties of UV and green light activated crosslinked
      hydrogels were achieved using each photocrosslinking method by adjusting time of
      light exposure. Methacrylated HA (HA-MA) hydrogels of varying molecular weight,
      DOM, and concentration exhibited compressive moduli ranging from 1 kPa to 116
      kPa, for UV crosslinking, and 3 kPa to 146 kPa, for green light crosslinking. HA
      MA molecular weight and concentration were found to significantly influence
      moduli values. HA-MA hydrogels did not exhibit any significant cytotoxic effects
      toward human mesenchymal stem cells. Green light activated crosslinking systems
      are presented as a viable method to form natural-based hydrogels in situ. (c)
      2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1229
      1236, 2016.

PMID- 26097173
TI  - "CHARGE-like presentation, craniosynostosis and mild Mowat-Wilson Syndrome
      diagnosed by recognition of the distinctive facial gestalt in a cohort of 28 new
      cases" American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A. 164:2557-2566, 2014.

PMID- 26097177
TI  - Respectful communication by geneticists important for parents of children with
      undiagnosed disorders.

PMID- 26097179
TI  - Levels of lipocalin-2 in crevicular fluid and tear fluid in chronic periodontitis
      and obesity subjects.
AB  - AIM: Lipocalin-2, a 25 kDa secretory glycoprotein, was first found in the
      neutrophilic granules of humans and in mouse kidney cells. It has been shown to
      have an important role in inflammation. The aim of this study was to determine
      the levels of lipocalin-2 in gingival crevicular fluid and tear fluid in patients
      with obesity and chronic periodontitis. METHODS: A total of 40 subjects in the
      age group 25-40 years were divided into four groups based on probing depth,
      gingival index, clinical attachment level, body mass index, and radiographic
      evidence of bone loss. The groups were: nonobese healthy group; obese healthy
      group; nonobese chronic periodontitis group; obese chronic periodontitis group
      Gingival crevicular fluid and tear fluid samples were collected on the subsequent
      day. RESULTS: There was an increase in lipocalin-2 levels from group 1 to group 4
      (with the nonobese healthy group showing the least levels and obese chronic
      periodontitis group showing the highest levels) in both gingival crevicular fluid
      and tear fluid. CONCLUSION: Lipocalin-2 may be an important inflammatory marker
      that may help link obesity and chronic periodontitis.

PMID- 26097181
TI  - Rheumatology-Specific Electronic Health Record Software: Comment on the Article
      by Newman et al.

PMID- 26097182
TI  - Robotic sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity: report of a 5 year experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Robotic bariatric procedures are nowadays in the surgeon's arsenal
      for the treatment of morbid obesity. With proven efficacy and advantages in
      gastric bypass procedures, we attempted to employ robotics and study the results
      in the other major bariatric procedure, sleeve gastrectomy. METHODS: We used the
      da Vinci S(r) system to perform 19 robotic sleeve gastrectomies (RSGs) and
      reviewed the 5-year results as far as excess body weight loss is concerned, and
      amelioration of obesity-related comorbidities. RESULTS: Mean percentage of excess
      body weight loss (%EWL) was 64.4%, 67.1%, 61.7%, 63.1%, 64.8% for the first,
      second, third, fourth and fifth year, respectively. Neither of our two patients
      with diabetes mellitus (0%) or hypertension (0%) showed remission, while all six
      of our patients (100%) showed remission of their sleep apnoea after 5 years.
      CONCLUSIONS: Robotic sleeve gastrectomy is an effective procedure as far as
      initial excess weight loss is concerned and this loss is well maintained 5 years
      post-operatively, a finding similar to relevant data after conventional
      laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26097180
TI  - ZFIN, The zebrafish model organism database: Updates and new directions.
AB  - The Zebrafish Model Organism Database (ZFIN; http://zfin.org) is the central
      resource for genetic and genomic data from zebrafish (Danio rerio) research. ZFIN
      staff curate detailed information about genes, mutants, genotypes, reporter
      lines, sequences, constructs, antibodies, knockdown reagents, expression
      patterns, phenotypes, gene product function, and orthology from publications.
      Researchers can submit mutant, transgenic, expression, and phenotype data
      directly to ZFIN and use the ZFIN Community Wiki to share antibody and protocol
      information. Data can be accessed through topic-specific searches, a new site
      wide search, and the data-mining resource ZebrafishMine
      (http://zebrafishmine.org). Data download and web service options are also
      available. ZFIN collaborates with major bioinformatics organizations to verify
      and integrate genomic sequence data, provide nomenclature support, establish
      reciprocal links, and participate in the development of standardized structured
      vocabularies (ontologies) used for data annotation and searching. ZFIN-curated
      gene, function, expression, and phenotype data are available for comparative
      exploration at several multi-species resources. The use of zebrafish as a model
      for human disease is increasing. ZFIN is supporting this growing area with three
      major projects: adding easy access to computed orthology data from gene pages,
      curating details of the gene expression pattern changes in mutant fish, and
      curating zebrafish models of human diseases.

PMID- 26097183
TI  - A BAFF receptor His159Tyr mutation in Sjogren's syndrome-related
      lymphoproliferation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence, clinical associations, and functional
      implications of the His159Tyr mutation of the BAFF receptor (BAFF-R) in patients
      with Sjogren's syndrome (SS). METHODS: The BAFF-R His159Tyr mutation was
      evaluated using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays in 247 patients with
      SS (of whom 70 had SS complicated by lymphoma [SS-lymphoma]), 145 with systemic
      lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 101 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as well as 180
      healthy controls. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were performed for the
      quantification of both NF-kappaB1 and NF-kappaB2 messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript
      and protein levels in isolated B cells from patients with SS-lymphoma carrying
      the mutation (SS-lymphoma-BAFF-RHis159Tyr -derived B cells) compared to B cells
      from patients with SS-lymphoma who were not carriers of the mutation and healthy
      controls. RESULTS: Both the SS-lymphoma and SS-nonlymphoma patient subgroups
      exhibited significantly higher frequencies of the His159Tyr BAFF-R mutation
      compared to healthy controls (8.6% of SS-lymphoma patients and 6.2% of SS
      nonlymphoma patients versus 1.7% of healthy controls; P = 0.02 and P = 0.04,
      respectively). The corresponding frequencies of the His159Tyr BAFF-R mutation in
      SLE and RA patients were 3.5% and 3%, respectively. Of interest, 71.4% of the SS
      patients with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma who were between
      the ages of 31 and 40 years at disease onset were mutation carriers. The
      generalized odds ratio for the development of SS-related MALT lymphoma in the
      younger age at onset (age <40 years) group in the presence of the BAFF-R mutation
      was 6.1 (95% confidence interval 2.0-18.7) (P < 0.01). Expression of NF-kappaB at
      both the mRNA and protein level was up-regulated in SS-lymphoma-BAFF-RHis159Tyr 
      derived B cells. CONCLUSION: This study identifies an increased prevalence of the
      BAFF-R His159Tyr mutation in patients with SS, particularly in those with SS
      complicated by MALT lymphoma whose disease onset occurred at a younger age. BAFF
      RHis159Tyr -mediated activation of the alternate NF-kappaB pathway might
      contribute to the pathogenesis of SS-related lymphoproliferative disease.

PMID- 26097186
TI  - Quantitative proteomics using SILAC: Principles, applications, and developments.
AB  - SILAC is based on direct addition of selected stable isotope amino acids into the
      cell culture medium, allowing superior quantitative analysis of the cellular
      proteome compared to other labeling methods. The great advantages of SILAC lie in
      its straight-forward implementation, quantitative accuracy, and reproducibility
      over chemical labeling or label-free quantification strategies, favoring its
      adoption for proteomic research. SILAC has been widely applied to characterize
      the proteomic changes between different biological samples, to investigate
      dynamic changes of protein PTMs, to distinguish specific interacting proteins in
      interaction proteomic analysis, and to analyze protein turnover in the proteome
      wide scale. The present review summarizes the principles of SILAC technology, its
      applications in biological research, and the present state of this technology. 

PMID- 26097187
TI  - History and development of the Schmidt-Hunter meta-analysis methods.
AB  - In this article, I provide answers to the questions posed by Will Shadish about
      the history and development of the Schmidt-Hunter methods of meta-analysis. In
      the 1970s, I headed a research program on personnel selection at the US Office of
      Personnel Management (OPM). After our research showed that validity studies have
      low statistical power, OPM felt a need for a better way to demonstrate test
      validity, especially in light of court cases challenging selection methods. In
      response, we created our method of meta-analysis (initially called validity
      generalization). Results showed that most of the variability of validity
      estimates from study to study was because of sampling error and other research
      artifacts such as variations in range restriction and measurement error.
      Corrections for these artifacts in our research and in replications by others
      showed that the predictive validity of most tests was high and generalizable.
      This conclusion challenged long-standing beliefs and so provoked resistance,
      which over time was overcome. The 1982 book that we published extending these
      methods to research areas beyond personnel selection was positively received and
      was followed by expanded books in 1990, 2004, and 2014. Today, these methods are
      being applied in a wide variety of areas.

PMID- 26097191
TI  - De novo 4q duplication/deletion in a fetus with a congenital heart defect.

PMID- 26097188
TI  - Extended evolution: A conceptual framework for integrating regulatory networks
      and niche construction.
AB  - This paper introduces a conceptual framework for the evolution of complex systems
      based on the integration of regulatory network and niche construction theories.
      It is designed to apply equally to cases of biological, social and cultural
      evolution. Within the conceptual framework we focus especially on the
      transformation of complex networks through the linked processes of
      externalization and internalization of causal factors between regulatory networks
      and their corresponding niches and argue that these are an important part of
      evolutionary explanations. This conceptual framework extends previous
      evolutionary models and focuses on several challenges, such as the path-dependent
      nature of evolutionary change, the dynamics of evolutionary innovation and the
      expansion of inheritance systems.

PMID- 26097193
TI  - Assessment of jawbone trabecular bone structure amongst osteoporotic women by
      cone-beam computed tomography: the OSTEOSYR project.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the trabecular bone structure of jawbones and the dens (the
      odontoid process of the second cervical vertebra) amongst osteoporotic and
      nonosteoporotic women using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Analysis of the
      dens trabecular bone structure aimed to test the validity of CBCT in such
      analysis. METHODS: Thirty-eight women who went under dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry (DXA) examination were scanned by CBCT. Cuboids from different
      areas of jawbones and the dens were extracted from each scan. Trabecular
      thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular separation (Tb.S), bone volume fraction (BV/TV),
      specific bone surface (BS/TV) and connectivity density were calculated. Student's
      t-test, Pearson correlation, and logistic regression analysis were used to
      explore differences in these measures between groups. RESULTS: Jawbone-derived
      measures showed insignificant differences (P > 0.05) between osteoporotic and non
      osteoporotic groups, and weak correlations with femoral neck and lumbar vertebrae
      T-scores (r <= 0.4). Dens-derived measures, however, resulted in the opposite (r
      = 0.34-0.38 [P value = 0.02-0.036] and r = 0.48-0.61 [P value <= 0.003]) and the
      highest accuracy of osteoporosis prediction: 84.2% and 78.9% respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Trabecular bone structure of the mandible and maxilla is not affected
      in osteoporosis as assessed by CBCT. Dens trabecular bone analysis revealed the
      opposite, so some trabecular bone measures may be assessed by CBCT, which may aid
      in predicting osteoporosis.

PMID- 26097192
TI  - Cross-organism analysis using InterMine.
AB  - InterMine is a data integration warehouse and analysis software system developed
      for large and complex biological data sets. Designed for integrative analysis, it
      can be accessed through a user-friendly web interface. For bioinformaticians,
      extensive web services as well as programming interfaces for most common
      scripting languages support access to all features. The web interface includes a
      useful identifier look-up system, and both simple and sophisticated search
      options. Interactive results tables enable exploration, and data can be filtered,
      summarized, and browsed. A set of graphical analysis tools provide a rich
      environment for data exploration including statistical enrichment of sets of
      genes or other entities. InterMine databases have been developed for the major
      model organisms, budding yeast, nematode worm, fruit fly, zebrafish, mouse, and
      rat together with a newly developed human database. Here, we describe how this
      has facilitated interoperation and development of cross-organism analysis tools
      and reports. InterMine as a data exploration and analysis tool is also described.
      All the InterMine-based systems described in this article are resources freely
      available to the scientific community.

PMID- 26097195
TI  - Learning a new robotic surgical device: Telelap Alf X in gynaecological surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To assess the learning curve associated with tele-assisted surgery.
      METHODS: We performed a training box-based study, describing speed and accuracy
      in volunteers performing basic and complex laparoscopic tasks, to assess
      performance and in the skill acquisition of inexperienced users, using the
      Telelap Alf X system. Ten surgeons in gynaecology who had never received formal
      instruction on this new surgical device, completed four modules during a
      consecutive 3 day training programme. RESULTS: All the participants completed the
      training programme with a good learning curve. CONCLUSIONS: Use of the TELELAP
      Alf X advanced surgical robotic system is associated with a rapid learning curve
      among experienced surgeons. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26097194
TI  - Etanercept-Methotrexate Combination Therapy Initiators Have Greater Adherence and
      Persistence Than Triple Therapy Initiators With Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate adherence and persistence with etanercept plus
      methotrexate (ETN-MTX) combination therapy and MTX, hydroxychloroquine, and
      sulfasalazine triple therapy at 1 year following treatment initiation in adults
      with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: This retrospective analysis used data
      from the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental databases
      from January 2009 to July 2013. Adherence was defined as having percentage of
      days covered >80% for all drugs within each regimen. Persistence was defined as
      no treatment gap >45 days for any drug and no addition or switching to other
      disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Multiple logistic regression models were
      employed in the analyses to control for potential confounders. RESULTS: A total
      of 3,724 ETN-MTX patients and 818 triple therapy patients were eligible. At 1
      year, 27.9% who were taking ETN-MTX and 18.2% using triple therapy were adherent
      to all agents in their regimen (P < 0.0001), and 29.4% who were taking ETN-MTX
      and 23.2% using triple therapy were persistent (P < 0.001). After adjusting for
      confounders, ETN-MTX patients had significantly greater odds of being adherent
      (odds ratio [OR] 1.79, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.47-2.17) and persistent
      (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.20-1.72) compared with patients using triple therapy.
      CONCLUSION: Patients with RA initiating treatment with ETN-MTX combination
      therapy demonstrated greater adherence and persistence at 1 year than patients
      initiating triple therapy.

PMID- 26097196
TI  - Rational design of antirheumatic prodrugs specific for sites of inflammation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Biologic drugs, such as the anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF)
      antibody adalimumab, have represented a breakthrough in the treatment of
      rheumatoid arthritis. Yet, concerns remain over their lack of efficacy in a
      sizable proportion of patients and their potential for systemic side effects such
      as infection. Improved biologic prodrugs specifically targeted to the site of
      inflammation have the potential to alleviate current concerns surrounding
      biologic anticytokine therapies. The purpose of this study was to design,
      construct, and evaluate in vitro and ex vivo the targeting and antiinflammatory
      capacity of activatable bispecific antibodies. METHODS: Activatable dual variable
      domain (aDVD) antibodies were designed and constructed to target intercellular
      adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), which is up-regulated at sites of inflammation, and
      anti-TNF antibodies (adalimumab and infliximab). These bispecific molecules
      included an external arm that targets ICAM-1 and an internal arm that comprises
      the therapeutic domain of an anti-TNF antibody. Both arms were linked to matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP)-cleavable linkers. The constructs were tested for their
      ability to bind and neutralize both in vitro and ex vivo targets. RESULTS: Intact
      aDVD constructs demonstrated significantly reduced binding and anti-TNF activity
      in the prodrug formulation as compared to the parent antibodies. Human synovial
      fluid and physiologic concentrations of MMP enzyme were capable of cleaving the
      external domain of the antibody, revealing a fully active molecule. Activated
      antibodies retained the same binding and anti-TNF inhibitory capacities as the
      parent molecules. CONCLUSION: The design of a biologic prodrug with enhanced
      specificity for sites of inflammation (synovium) and reduced specificity for off
      target TNF is described. This construct has the potential to form a platform
      technology that is capable of enhancing the therapeutic index of drugs for the
      treatment of RA and other inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 26097197
TI  - Extraction of natural red colorants from the fermented broth of Penicillium
      purpurogenum using aqueous two-phase polymer systems.
AB  - Safety concerns related to the increasing and widespread application of synthetic
      coloring agents have increased the demand for natural colorants. Fungi have been
      employed in the production of novel and safer colorants. In order to obtain the
      colorants from fermented broth, suitable extraction systems must be developed.
      Aqueous two-phase polymer systems (ATPPS) offer a favorable chemical environment
      and provide a promising alternative for extracting and solubilizing these
      molecules. The aim of this study was to investigate the partitioning of red
      colorants from the fermented broth of Penicillium purpurogenum using an ATPPS
      composed of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and sodium polyacrylate (NaPA). Red
      colorants partitioned preferentially to the top (PEG-rich phase). In systems
      composed of PEG 6,000 g/mol/NaPA 8,000 g/mol, optimum colorant partition
      coefficient (KC ) was obtained in the presence of NaCl 0.1 M (KC  = 10.30) while
      the PEG 10,000 g/mol/NaPA 8,000 g/mol system in the presence of Na2 SO4 0.5 M
      showed the highest KC (14.78). For both polymers, the mass balance (%MB) and
      yield in the PEG phase (%etaTOP ) were close to 100 and 79%, respectively. The
      protein selectivity in all conditions evaluated ranged from 2.0-3.0, which shows
      a suitable separation of the red colorants and proteins present in the fermented
      broth. The results suggest that the partitioning of the red colorants is
      dependent on both the PEG molecular size and salt type. Furthermore, the results
      obtained support the potential application of ATPPS as the first step of a
      purification process to recover colorants from fermented broth of microorganisms.

PMID- 26097199
TI  - Form meets function: A commentary on meta-analytic history.

PMID- 26097200
TI  - Low-Temperature Synthesis of Hierarchical Amorphous Basic Nickel Carbonate
      Particles for Water Oxidation Catalysis.
AB  - Amorphous nickel carbonate particles are catalysts for the oxygen evolution
      reaction (OER), which plays a critical role in the electrochemical splitting of
      water. The amorphous nickel carbonate particles can be prepared at a temperature
      as low as 60  degrees C by an evaporation-induced precipitation (EIP) method. The
      products feature hierarchical pore structures. The mass-normalized activity of
      the catalysts, measured at an overpotential of 0.35 V, was 55.1 A g(-1) , with a
      Tafel slope of only 60 mV dec(-1) . This catalytic activity is superior to the
      performance of crystalline NiOx particles and beta-Ni(OH)2 particles, and
      compares favorably to state-of-the-art RuO2 catalysts. The activity of the
      amorphous nickel carbonate is remarkably stable during a 10 000 s
      chronoamperometry test. Further optimization of synthesis parameters reveals that
      the amorphous structure can be tuned by adjusting the H2 O/Ni ratio in the
      precursor mixture. These results suggest the potential application of easily
      prepared hierarchical basic nickel carbonate particles as cheap and robust OER
      catalysts with high activity. 

PMID- 26097198
TI  - Applications of targeted proteomics in systems biology and translational
      medicine.
AB  - Biological systems are composed of numerous components of which proteins are of
      particularly high functional significance. Network models are useful abstractions
      for studying these components in context. Network representations display
      molecules as nodes and their interactions as edges. Because they are difficult to
      directly measure, functional edges are frequently inferred from suitably
      structured datasets consisting of the accurate and consistent quantification of
      network nodes under a multitude of perturbed conditions. For the precise
      quantification of a finite list of proteins across a wide range of samples,
      targeted proteomics exemplified by selected/multiple reaction monitoring (SRM,
      MRM) mass spectrometry has proven useful and has been applied to a variety of
      questions in systems biology and clinical studies. Here, we survey the literature
      of studies using SRM-MS in systems biology and clinical proteomics. Systems
      biology studies frequently examine fundamental questions in network biology,
      whereas clinical studies frequently focus on biomarker discovery and validation
      in a variety of diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Targeted
      proteomics promises to advance our understanding of biological networks and the
      phenotypic significance of specific network states and to advance biomarkers into
      clinical use. 

PMID- 26097201
TI  - The Authors Reply: "Changes to inpatient versus outpatient hospitalization:
      Medicare's 2-midnight rule".

PMID- 26097202
TI  - Low, rather than high, body mass index confers increased risk for post-liver
      transplant death and graft loss: Risk modulated by model for end-stage liver
      disease.
AB  - With increasing attention being paid to optimizing patient outcomes, it has been
      proposed that liver transplantation (LT) for individuals with elevated body mass
      index (BMI) values and high Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores may
      adversely affect post-LT outcomes. We investigated the impact of BMI on post-LT
      outcomes in the context of MELD at LT. Using United Network for Organ Sharing
      data, we identified all adult (>= 18 years) primary LT recipients from March 1,
      2002 to September 30, 2011. BMI categories included the following: underweight,
      normal, overweight, class I obese, class II obese, and class III obese (<18.5;
      18.5-24.9; 25-29.9; 30-34.9; 35-39.9; >= 40 kg/m(2), respectively). One-year post
      LT death and graft loss were modeled using Cox regression, including interactions
      between BMI and MELD. A total of 45,551 adult recipients were identified: 68%
      male; median (interquartile range [IQR]) age 55 years (IQR, 49-60 years); MELD,
      19 (IQR, 13-26); and donor risk index, 1.39 (IQR, 1.12-1.69). Representations in
      the BMI categories were underweight (n = 863, 2%), normal (n = 13,262, 29%),
      overweight (n = 16,329, 36%), class I obese (n = 9639, 21%), class II obese (n =
      4062, 9%), and class III obese (n = 1396, 3%). In adjusted analyses, elevated BMI
      was not associated with increased risk for death or graft loss. Among the
      underweight, there were significant interactions between BMI and MELD with
      respect to death (P = 0.02) and graft loss (P = 0.01), with significantly
      increased risks for death (hazard ratio [HR], 1.70; 95% confidence interval [CI],
      1.38-2.09; P = 0.006) and graft loss (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.21-1.74; P = 0.02)
      among those with low MELD (<= 26), compared to normal BMI recipients with low
      MELD. In conclusion, overweight and obese LT recipients do not have increased
      risk of death or graft loss regardless of MELD. Underweight patients are at
      increased risk for poor outcomes post-LT, specifically underweight recipients
      with low MELD have increased risk for death and graft loss. Mechanisms underlying
      this phenomenon warrant further investigation.

PMID- 26097203
TI  - Inside the 8p23.1 duplication syndrome; eight microduplications of likely or
      uncertain clinical significance.
AB  - The 8p23.1 duplication syndrome (8p23.1 DS) is a recurrent genomic condition with
      an estimated prevalence of 1 in 58,000. The core 3.68 Mb duplication contains 32
      genes of which five are currently candidates for the phenotypic features. Here we
      describe four patients and five families with eight microduplications of 8p23.1
      ranging from 187 to 1082 kb in size and one atypical duplication of 4 Mb. These
      indicate that a minimal region of overlap (MRO) in medial 8p23.1 can give rise to
      features of 8p23.1 DS including developmental delay, dysmorphism, macrocephaly
      and otitis media, but not congenital heart disease (CHD). This MRO spans 776 kb
      (chr8:10,167,881-10,943,836 hg19) and contains SOX7 and seven of the other 32
      core 8p23.1 DS genes. In centromeric 8p23.1, microduplications including GATA4
      can give rise to non-syndromic CHD but the clinical significance of two smaller
      centromeric microduplications without GATA4 was uncertain due to severe
      neurological profiles not usually found in 8p23.1 DS. The clinical significance
      of three further 8p23.1 microduplications was uncertain due to additional genetic
      factors without which the probands might not have come to medical attention.
      Variable expressivity was indicated by the almost entirely unaffected parents in
      all five families and the mildly affected sibling in one. Intronic interruptions
      of six genes by microduplication breakpoint intervals had no apparent additional
      clinical consequences. Our results suggest that 8p23.1 DS is an oligogenetic
      condition largely caused by the duplication and interactions of the SOX7 and
      GATA4 transcription factors.

PMID- 26097204
TI  - Significance of urethral fibrosis evaluated by preoperative magnetic resonance
      imaging as a predictor of continence status after robot-assisted radical
      prostatectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of urethral
      fibrosis on the continence status following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy
      (RARP). METHODS: The findings of fibrosis of the urethral wall and periurethral
      tissue in 185 patients undergoing RARP were each divided into grade 0 to 3 based
      on preoperative T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Urethral fibrosis was
      defined as the sum of both grades, and scores <= 2 and >= 3 were considered as
      'no/mild' and 'severe' fibrosis, respectively. RESULTS: The incidences of
      continence in patients with no/mild fibrosis were significantly higher at 3, 6,
      and 12 months after RARP than those with severe fibrosis. Furthermore, urethral
      fibrosis was identified as an independent predictor of the postoperative
      continence status at 3, 6, and 12 months after RARP. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of
      urethral fibrosis could be a significant predictor of recovery of the urinary
      continence status after RARP. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26097205
TI  - Stimulatory effects of histamine on migration of nasal fibroblasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fibroblast migration is crucial for normal wound repair after
      sinonasal surgery. Histamine is known to be involved in wound healing by its
      effects on cell proliferation and migration. This study aimed to determine
      whether histamine affects the migration of nasal fibroblasts and to investigate
      the mechanism of action of histamine on nasal fibroblasts. METHODS: Primary
      cultures of nasal fibroblasts were established from inferior turbinate samples.
      Fibroblast migration was evaluated with scratch assays. Cells were treated with
      histamine and/or histamine receptor-selective antagonists. U-73122 and pertussis
      toxin, which are selective inhibitors of the lower signaling pathway of H1R and
      H4R, were used to confirm the modulation of nasal fibroblast migration by
      histamine. Fibroblast cytoskeletal structures were visualized with
      immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: Histamine significantly stimulated the migration of
      nasal fibroblasts. Antagonists selective for HR1 and HR4 significantly reduced
      nasal fibroblast migration. In immunocytochemical staining, histamine treatment
      increased membrane ruffling and pyrilamine, diphenhydramine, fexofenadine, and
      JNJ7777120 decreased histamine-induced membrane ruffling. U-73122 and pertussis
      toxin also decreased histamine-induced migration of fibroblasts. Histamine
      maintains its stimulatory effects on fibroblast migration in the presence of
      mitomycin C, which blocks proliferation of cells. CONCLUSION: We showed that
      histamine stimulates fibroblast migration in nasal fibroblasts. This effect
      appeared to be mediated by HR1 and HR4. However, because fibroblast migration
      also can be involved in scaring and fibrosis, more research is necessary to
      determine the effects of antihistamine on wound healing after sinus surgery.

PMID- 26097206
TI  - Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli dissimilarity: Closely related
      bacteria with distinct metabolic profiles.
AB  - Live attenuated strains of Salmonella typhimurium have been extensively
      investigated as vaccines for a number of infectious diseases. However, there is
      still little information available concerning aspects of their metabolism. S.
      typhimurium and Escherichia coli show a high degree of similarity in terms of
      their genome contents and metabolic networks. However, this work presents
      experimental evidence showing that significant differences exist in their
      abilities to direct carbon fluxes to biomass and energy production. It is
      important to study the metabolism of Salmonella to elucidate the formation of
      acetate and other metabolites involved in optimizing the production of biomass,
      essential for the development of recombinant vaccines. The metabolism of
      Salmonella under aerobic conditions was assessed using continuous cultures
      performed at dilution rates ranging from 0.1 to 0.67 h(-1), with glucose as main
      substrate. Acetate assimilation and glucose metabolism under anaerobic conditions
      were also investigated using batch cultures. Chemostat cultivations showed
      deviation of carbon towards acetate formation, starting at dilution rates above
      0.1 h(-1). This differed from previous findings for E. coli, where acetate
      accumulation was only detected at dilution rates exceeding 0.4 h(-1), and was due
      to the lower rate of acetate assimilation by S. typhimurium under aerobic
      conditions. Under anaerobic conditions, both microorganisms mainly produced
      ethanol, acetate, and formate. A genome-scale metabolic model, reconstructed for
      Salmonella based on an E. coli model, provided a poor description of the mixed
      fermentation pattern observed during Salmonella cultures, reinforcing the
      different patterns of carbon utilization exhibited by these closely related
      bacteria.

PMID- 26097207
TI  - Interleukin-21 receptor blockade inhibits secondary humoral responses and halts
      the progression of preestablished disease in the (NZB * NZW)F1 systemic lupus
      erythematosus model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease
      that is driven in part by chronic B and T lymphocyte hyperresponsiveness to self
      antigens. A deficiency of interleukin-21 (IL-21) or IL-21 receptor (IL-21R) in
      mice dramatically reduces inflammation and B and T cell activation in models of
      autoimmunity, including SLE. However, whether IL-21 is essential for the
      maintenance and amplification of preestablished inflammation has not been widely
      examined in various animal models. The purpose of this study was to examine the
      impact of novel mouse IL-21R neutralizing antibodies on recall responses to
      antigen challenge and on disease progression in the (NZB * NZW)F1 (NZB/NZW) mouse
      model of SLE. METHODS: Humoral and cellular immune responses to immunization with
      sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) were measured in mice dosed with IL-21R blocking
      antibodies. Progression of nephritis and markers of immune activation was
      monitored in NZB/NZW mice following different anti-IL-21R treatment regimens.
      RESULTS: IL-21R blockade specifically inhibited secondary IgG responses to SRBC
      immunization. In NZB/NZW mice, IL-21R blockade completely inhibited the onset of
      nephritis, which was associated with dramatic reductions in splenomegaly and in B
      cell and T cell activation. When administered to mice with preexisting disease,
      anti-IL-21R antibody halted the disease progression and mortality and reversed
      the nephritis in a subset of mice. Furthermore, treatment cessation was not
      followed by rapid reemergence of disease. CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the
      importance of IL-21 in promoting humoral recall responses and in sustaining
      autoimmune inflammation.

PMID- 26097209
TI  - "Opinions differ significantly": Early experiences with meta-analysis and the
      people who made it possible.

PMID- 26097208
TI  - Gene Expression Factor Analysis to Differentiate Pathways Linked to Fibromyalgia,
      Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Depression in a Diverse Patient Sample.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if independent candidate genes can be grouped into
      meaningful biologic factors, and whether these factors are associated with the
      diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS),
      while controlling for comorbid depression, sex, and age. METHODS: We included
      leukocyte messenger RNA gene expression from a total of 261 individuals,
      including healthy controls (n = 61), patients with FMS only (n = 15), with CFS
      only (n = 33), with comorbid CFS and FMS (n = 79), and with medication-resistant
      (n = 42) or medication-responsive (n = 31) depression. We used exploratory factor
      analysis (EFA) on 34 candidate genes to determine factor scores and regression
      analysis to examine whether these factors were associated with specific
      diagnoses. RESULTS: EFA resulted in 4 independent factors with minimal overlap of
      genes between factors, explaining 51% of the variance. We labeled these factors
      by function as 1) purinergic and cellular modulators, 2) neuronal growth and
      immune function, 3) nociception and stress mediators, and 4) energy and
      mitochondrial function. Regression analysis predicting these biologic factors
      using FMS, CFS, depression severity, age, and sex revealed that greater
      expression in factors 1 and 3 was positively associated with CFS and negatively
      associated with depression severity (Quick Inventory for Depression
      Symptomatology score), but not associated with FMS. CONCLUSION: Expression of
      candidate genes can be grouped into meaningful clusters, and CFS and depression
      are associated with the same 2 clusters, but in opposite directions, when
      controlling for comorbid FMS. Given high comorbid disease and interrelationships
      between biomarkers, EFA may help determine patient subgroups in this population
      based on gene expression.

PMID- 26097210
TI  - In reference to "Changes to inpatient versus outpatient hospitalization:
      Medicare's 2-Midnight rule".

PMID- 26097211
TI  - The Challenge of Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis: A New Perspective on the Role
      of Nitrogen Scaling Relations.
AB  - The electrochemical production of NH3 under ambient conditions represents an
      attractive prospect for sustainable agriculture, but electrocatalysts that
      selectively reduce N2 to NH3 remain elusive. In this work, we present insights
      from DFT calculations that describe limitations on the low-temperature
      electrocatalytic production of NH3 from N2 . In particular, we highlight the
      linear scaling relations of the adsorption energies of intermediates that can be
      used to model the overpotential requirements in this process. By using a two
      variable description of the theoretical overpotential, we identify fundamental
      limitations on N2 reduction analogous to those present in processes such as
      oxygen evolution. Using these trends, we propose new strategies for catalyst
      design that may help guide the search for an electrocatalyst that can achieve
      selective N2 reduction. 

PMID- 26097212
TI  - Needles in the blue sea: sub-species specificity in targeted protein biomarker
      analyses within the vast oceanic microbial metaproteome.
AB  - Proteomics has great potential for studies of marine microbial biogeochemistry,
      yet high microbial diversity in many locales presents us with unique challenges.
      We addressed this challenge with a targeted metaproteomics workflow for NtcA and
      P-II, two nitrogen regulatory proteins, and demonstrated its application for
      cyanobacterial taxa within microbial samples from the Central Pacific Ocean.
      Using METATRYP, an open-source Python toolkit, we examined the number of shared
      (redundant) tryptic peptides in representative marine microbes, with the number
      of tryptic peptides shared between different species typically being 1% or less.
      The related cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus shared an average of
      4.8 +/- 1.9% of their tryptic peptides, while shared intraspecies peptides were
      higher, 13 +/- 15% shared peptides between 12 Prochlorococcus genomes. An NtcA
      peptide was found to target multiple cyanobacteria species, whereas a P-II
      peptide showed specificity to the high-light Prochlorococcus ecotype.
      Distributions of NtcA and P-II in the Central Pacific Ocean were similar except
      at the Equator likely due to differential nitrogen stress responses between
      Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus. The number of unique tryptic peptides coded
      for within three combined oceanic microbial metagenomes was estimated to be ~4 *
      10(7) , 1000-fold larger than an individual microbial proteome and 27-fold larger
      than the human proteome, yet still 20 orders of magnitude lower than the peptide
      diversity possible in all protein space, implying that peptide mapping algorithms
      should be able to withstand the added level of complexity in metaproteomic
      samples. 

PMID- 26097213
TI  - End-ischemic machine perfusion reduces bile duct injury in donation after
      circulatory death rat donor livers independent of the machine perfusion
      temperature.
AB  - A short period of oxygenated machine perfusion (MP) after static cold storage
      (SCS) may reduce biliary injury in donation after cardiac death (DCD) donor
      livers. However, the ideal perfusion temperature for protection of the bile ducts
      is unknown. In this study, the optimal perfusion temperature for protection of
      the bile ducts was assessed. DCD rat livers were preserved by SCS for 6 hours.
      Thereafter, 1 hour of oxygenated MP was performed using either hypothermic
      machine perfusion, subnormothermic machine perfusion, or with controlled
      oxygenated rewarming (COR) conditions. Subsequently, graft and bile duct
      viability were assessed during 2 hours of normothermic ex situ reperfusion. In
      the MP study groups, lower levels of transaminases, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH),
      and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were measured compared to SCS. In
      parallel, mitochondrial oxygen consumption and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
      production were significantly higher in the MP groups. Biomarkers of biliary
      function, including bile production, biliary bicarbonate concentration, and pH,
      were significantly higher in the MP groups, whereas biomarkers of biliary
      epithelial injury (biliary gamma-glutamyltransferase [GGT] and LDH), were
      significantly lower in MP preserved livers. Histological analysis revealed less
      injury of large bile duct epithelium in the MP groups compared to SCS. In
      conclusion, compared to SCS, end-ischemic oxygenated MP of DCD livers provides
      better preservation of biliary epithelial function and morphology, independent of
      the temperature at which MP is performed. End-ischemic oxygenated MP could reduce
      biliary injury after DCD liver transplantation.

PMID- 26097214
TI  - Direct Synthesis of Palladium Catalyst on Supporting WS2 Nanotubes and its
      Reactivity in Cross-Coupling Reactions.
AB  - Palladium nanoparticles were deposited on multiwall WS2 nanotubes. The composite
      nanoparticles were characterized by a variety of techniques. The Pd nanoparticles
      were deposited uniformly on the surface of WS2 nanotubes. An epitaxial
      relationship between the (111) plane of Pd and the (013) plane of WS2 was mostly
      observed. The composite nanoparticles were found to perform efficiently as
      catalysts for cross-coupling (Heck and Suzuki) reactions. The role of the
      nanotubes' support in the catalytic process is briefly discussed. 

PMID- 26097216
TI  - Intestinal malrotation in Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome.
AB  - Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RSTS) is a multiple congenital anomaly syndrome which
      may include malformations of the central nervous system, heart, genitourinary
      tract, and other organs. However, intestinal malrotation has not been previously
      known to be associated with RSTS. This report documents six persons with RSTS who
      also had malrotation of the intestine requiring surgical repair. This suggests a
      possible increased frequency of malrotation in RSTS. Diagnostic studies for
      malrotation should be considered if recurrent vomiting, abdominal pain, and other
      symptoms of possible malrotation are present.

PMID- 26097215
TI  - Long-term safety, efficacy, and quality of life in patients with juvenile
      idiopathic arthritis treated with intravenous abatacept for up to seven years.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The efficacy and safety of abatacept in patients with juvenile
      idiopathic arthritis (JIA) who experienced an inadequate response to disease
      modifying antirheumatic drugs were previously established in a phase III study
      that included a 4-month open-label lead-in period, a 6-month double-blind
      withdrawal period, and a long-term extension (LTE) phase. The aim of this study
      was to present the safety, efficacy, and patient-reported outcomes of abatacept
      treatment (10 mg/kg every 4 weeks) during the LTE phase, for up to 7 years of
      followup. METHODS: Patients enrolled in the phase III trial could enter the open
      label LTE phase if they had not achieved a response to treatment at month 4 or if
      they had received abatacept or placebo during the double-blind period. RESULTS:
      One hundred fifty-three (80.5%) of 190 patients entered the LTE phase, and 69
      patients (36.3%) completed it. The overall incidence rate (events per 100 patient
      years) of adverse events decreased during the LTE phase (433.61 events during the
      short-term phase [combined lead-in and double-blind periods] versus 132.39 events
      during the LTE phase). Similar results were observed for serious adverse events
      (6.82 versus 5.60), serious infections (1.13 versus 1.72), malignancies (1.12
      versus 0), and autoimmune events (2.26 versus 1.18). American College of
      Rheumatology (ACR) Pediatric 30 (Pedi 30) responses, Pedi 70 responses, and
      clinically inactive disease status were maintained throughout the LTE phase in
      patients who continued to receive therapy. Improvements in the Child Health
      Questionnaire physical and psychosocial summary scores were maintained over time.
      CONCLUSION: Long-term abatacept treatment for up to 7 years was associated with
      consistent safety, sustained efficacy, and quality-of-life benefits in patients
      with JIA.

PMID- 26097217
TI  - Improved assembly of bispecific antibodies from knob and hole half-antibodies.
AB  - A process was developed for large-scale assembly of IgG1 and IgG4 bispecific
      antibodies from knob and hole half-antibodies. We optimized assembly conditions
      such as pH, temperature, stabilizers, and reducing agent. We also identified and
      exploited structural changes unique to knob and hole half-antibodies with the
      result of improving assembly outcome, specifically storing half-antibodies at
      higher pH will condition them to assemble more rapidly and produce fewer high
      molecular-weight species (HMWS). Application of heat to the assemblies resulted
      in an acceleration of assembly rate, with optimal formation of bispecific
      achieved at 37 degrees C. IgG4 half-antibodies were unusually sensitive to
      temperature-dependent formation of HMWS in pre-assembly conditioning as well as
      during assembly. We selected l-histidine and Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as
      stabilizers to prevent HMWS formation in IgG4 , and achieved rapid and high
      efficiency assemblies. Using optimized assembly conditions, we developed and
      scaled up a method for assembling bispecific antibody with 90% assembly
      efficiency over 6 h with minimal impact to product quality, generating a pool
      with bispecific antibody for downstream processing.

PMID- 26097218
TI  - Dosing of sublingual immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis: evidence-based review
      with recommendations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since the mid 1980s, the clinical use of sublingual immunotherapy
      (SLIT) has dramatically increased. However, 1 of the primary barriers to
      providing SLIT is lack of a published dosing recommendations. The purpose of this
      work is to provide a range of effective SLIT dosing based upon a rigorous review
      of the existing evidence base. An appendix with SLIT dosing recommendations is
      also included. METHODS: A comprehensive search of the past 25 years of the
      medical literature using PubMed was performed for specific antigens. Inclusion
      criteria for articles included: randomized, placebo-controlled studies of SLIT,
      studies with clinical allergic rhinitis outcomes, and dosing units available to
      determine the micrograms per month of major allergen administered. The extracted
      data was used to compile a range of effective SLIT dosing for individual
      antigens. RESULTS: Seventy-five articles met the inclusion criteria, providing a
      range of effective dosing for some allergens. There was commonly a wide range in
      doses for particular antigens between the individual studies. For some antigens,
      there was significant overlap in dosage amount between studies showing efficacy
      and lack of efficacy. Clinical trials meeting inclusion criteria are not
      available for many allergens. CONCLUSION: This study provided a comprehensive
      review of the published sublingual dosing ranges for specific antigens. The
      review provided a range of effective sublingual doses for some allergens, whereas
      for other allergens there was insufficient published data to determine specific
      doses. Recommendations for SLIT dosing were produced based on the data revealed
      in the review and expert opinion.

PMID- 26097219
TI  - Physician Preferences and Variations in Prescription of Biologic Drugs for
      Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Register-Based Study of 4,010 Patients in Sweden.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The prescription of biologic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
      patients has varied considerably across different regions. Previous studies have
      shown physician preferences to be an important determinant in the decision to
      select biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) rather than
      nonbiologic, synthetic DMARDs (sDMARDs) alone. The aim of this study was to test
      the hypothesis that physician preferences are an important determinant for
      prescribing bDMARDs for RA patients in Sweden. METHODS: Using data from the
      Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register, we identified 4,010 RA patients who were
      not prescribed bDMARDs during the period 2008-2012, but who, on at least 1
      occasion, had an sDMARD prescription and changed treatment for the first time to
      either a new sDMARD or a bDMARD. Physician preference for the use of bDMARDs was
      calculated using data on each physician's prescriptions during the study period.
      The relationship between prescription of a bDMARD and physician preference,
      controlling for patient characteristics, disease activity, and the physician's
      local context was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: When
      adjusting for patient characteristics, disease activity, and the physician's
      local context, physician preference was an important predictor for prescription
      of bDMARDs. Compared with patients of a physician in the lowest preference
      tertile, patients of physicians in the highest and middle tertiles had an odds
      ratio for receiving bDMARDs of 2.8 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.13-3.68)
      and 1.28 (95% CI 1.05-1.57), respectively. CONCLUSION: Physician preference is an
      important determinant for prescribing bDMARDs.

PMID- 26097220
TI  - Commentary for history special issue of Research Synthesis Methods.

PMID- 26097221
TI  - Catalytic production of branched small alkanes from biohydrocarbons.
AB  - Squalane, C30 algae-derived branched hydrocarbon, was successfully converted to
      smaller hydrocarbons without skeletal isomerization and aromatization over
      ruthenium on ceria (Ru/CeO2 ). The internal CH2 ?CH2 bonds located between
      branches are preferably dissociated to give branched alkanes with very simple
      distribution as compared with conventional methods using metal-acid bifunctional
      catalysts. 

PMID- 26097222
TI  - Hospital medicine in 2015: Remarkable successes and a crucial crossroads.

PMID- 26097223
TI  - Co-Culture of Human Endothelial Cells and Foreskin Fibroblasts on 3D Silk-Fibrin
      Scaffolds Supports Vascularization.
AB  - A successful strategy to enhance the in vivo survival of engineered tissues would
      be to prevascularize them. In this study, fabricated silk fibroin scaffolds from
      mulberry and non-mulberry silkworms are investigated and compared for supporting
      the co-culture of human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human foreskin
      fibroblasts. Scaffolds are cytocompatible and when combined with fibrin gel
      support capillary-like structure formation. Density and interconnectivity of the
      formed structures are found to be better in mulberry scaffolds. ELISA shows that
      levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) released in co-cultures with
      fibrin gel are significantly higher than in co-cultures without fibrin gel. RT
      PCR shows an increase in VEGFR2 expression in mulberry scaffolds indicating these
      scaffolds combined with fibrin provide a suitable microenvironment for the
      development of capillary-like structures. 

PMID- 26097224
TI  - Photon-Quantitative 6pi-Electrocyclization of a Diarylbenzo[b]thiophene in Polar
      Medium.
AB  - The high reactivity of 6pi-electrocyclization in polar solvents has remained one
      of the important challenges for diarylethenes because of the emergence of a
      twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state at the excited state in such
      polar media, which usually quenches the photocyclization reaction. Herein we
      report on the preparation and highly efficient photocyclization of 2,3
      diarylbenzo[b]thiophenes with nonsymmetric side-aryl units in a polar solvent.
      While the dithiazolylbenzo[b]thiophene showed a suppressed quantum yield of 6pi
      electrocyclization of 54 % in methanol, the replacement of a thiazole unit with a
      thiophene ring led to a photon-quantitative 6pi-cyclization reaction. The
      nonsymmetrical modification into the side-aryl units was considered to enhance
      the CH/pi interactions between side-aryl units to support a photoreactive
      conformation in methanol. The stabilization of the photochromic reactive
      conformation is expected to suppress the formation of the TICT state at the
      excited state, leading to highly efficient photoreactivity. 

PMID- 26097225
TI  - Use of ultrasound-guided small joint biopsy to evaluate the histopathologic
      response to rheumatoid arthritis therapy: recommendations for application to
      clinical trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine in a cohort of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients
      undergoing serial ultrasound (US)-guided biopsies of small joints in the context
      of clinical trials whether sufficient synovial tissue could be obtained at both
      baseline and second biopsy to: 1) accurately evaluate the synovial immune
      phenotype, 2) permit adequate RNA extraction to determine molecular signatures,
      and 3) sensitively detect change in the number of synovial sublining macrophages
      (CD68+) following effective therapy. METHODS: Synovial samples from RA patients
      undergoing US-guided biopsy of small joints as part of 2 clinical trials (Barts
      Early Arthritis Cohort [n = 18] and the Clinical and Pathological Response to
      Certolizumab Pegol (CLIP-Cert) study [n = 17]) were examined, and the quality and
      quantity of histologic samples and RNA extracted per joint were determined and
      compared to synovial thickness and power Doppler scores determined by US before
      biopsy. Modulation of the number of CD68+ sublining macrophages was correlated
      with clinical response to treatment. RESULTS: Good quality synovial tissue that
      accurately reflected the synovial immune phenotype of the total joint was
      obtained in 80% of US-guided procedures when synovial thickness (higher than
      grade 2) was documented before biopsy. In 100% of the procedures, sufficient RNA
      was extracted to permit molecular analysis. There was a significant correlation
      between change in CD68+ sublining macrophage number and clinical response to
      treatment. CONCLUSION: This study provides minimum standards for sample retrieval
      for small joint biopsy. Furthermore, our findings confirm the clinical utility of
      the procedure in the largest reported cohort of US-guided small joint biopsies.
      The demonstration that small joint synovial tissue can be readily accessed by a
      technically simple, minimally invasive procedure is likely to facilitate critical
      advancements in the knowledge of RA pathobiology and personalized health care.

PMID- 26097226
TI  - Annual Incidence of Knee Symptoms and Four Knee Osteoarthritis Outcomes in the
      Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate annual incidence rates (IRs) of knee symptoms and 4 knee
      osteoarthritis (OA) outcomes (radiographic, symptomatic, severe radiographic, and
      severe symptomatic), overall and stratified by sociodemographic characteristics
      and knee OA risk factors. METHODS: We analyzed baseline (1991-1997) and first
      followup (1999-2003) data (n = 1,518) from the Johnston County Osteoarthritis
      Project. Participants were African American and white adults, ages >=45 years,
      living in Johnston County, North Carolina, US. Knee symptoms were pain, aching,
      or stiffness on most days in a knee. Radiographic OA was Kellgren/Lawrence grade
      <=2 (severe radiographic >=3) in at least 1 knee. Symptomatic OA was defined as
      symptoms in a radiographically affected knee; severe symptomatic OA was defined
      as severe symptoms and severe radiographic OA. RESULTS: The median followup time
      was 5.5 years. Average annual IRs were 6% for symptoms, 3% for radiographic OA,
      2% for symptomatic OA, 2% for severe radiographic OA, and 0.8% for severe
      symptomatic OA. Across outcomes, IRs were highest among those with the following
      baseline characteristics: age >=75 years, obese, a history of knee injury, or an
      annual household income <=$15,000. CONCLUSION: The annual onset of knee symptoms
      and 4 OA outcomes in Johnston County was high. This may preview the future of
      knee OA in the US and underscores the urgency of clinical and public health
      collaborations that reduce risk factors for, and manage the impact of, these
      outcomes. Inexpensive, convenient, and proven strategies (e.g., physical
      activity, self-management education courses) complement clinical care and can
      reduce pain and improve quality of life for people with arthritis.

PMID- 26097227
TI  - Management of the orbit during endoscopic sinonasal tumor surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The primary aims of the study were to report preoperative imaging
      characteristics and intraoperative management of the orbit during endoscopic
      resection of benign and malignant sinonasal tumors. METHODS: This study was a
      case series at an academic tertiary care center. Retrospective chart review and
      prospective imaging assessment was performed on 159 cases treated between July
      2009 and December 2012. RESULTS: A total of 41 patients met predetermined
      inclusion criteria. Squamous cell carcinoma (17.1%) and inverted papilloma
      (31.7%) were the most common malignant and benign histology, respectively.
      Preoperative computed tomography (CT) scanning most commonly demonstrated erosion
      of the lamina papyracea (80.5%), whereas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) most
      commonly illustrated loss of fat plane between tumor and extraocular muscle
      (53.1%). Endoscopic procedures to address the orbital interface included lamina
      papyracea resection (85.4%), dacryocystorhinostomy (26.8%), periorbita resection
      (26.8%), optic nerve decompression (7.3%), and orbital exenteration (2.4%).
      Oculoplastic surgery involvement was required in 31.7% of cases. Orbital
      complications included epiphora in 3 (7.3%) and diplopia in 2 (5.1%) patients.
      Postoperatively, no recurrences were noted in the benign group, whereas 6 (28.6%)
      recurrences were noted in 21 patients in the malignant group treated with intent
      to cure. Two patients died of disease due to distant metastases from mucosal
      melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma. CONCLUSION: This represents the largest
      series to date on endoscopic management of the orbit in benign and malignant
      sinonasal tumors. A majority of these cases can be managed by a purely endoscopic
      approach with low complication and recurrence rates, although a subset still
      require adjunct open approaches for successful tumor extirpation.

PMID- 26097228
TI  - Elucidating the role of copper in CHO cell energy metabolism using (13)C
      metabolic flux analysis.
AB  - (13)C-metabolic flux analysis was used to understand copper deficiency-related
      restructuring of energy metabolism, which leads to excessive lactate production
      in recombinant protein-producing CHO cells. Stationary-phase labeling experiments
      with U-(13)C glucose were conducted on CHO cells grown under high and limiting
      copper in 3 L fed-batch bioreactors. The resultant labeling patterns of soluble
      metabolites were measured by GC-MS and used to estimate metabolic fluxes in the
      central carbon metabolism pathways using OpenFlux. Fluxes were evaluated 300
      times from stoichiometrically feasible random guess values and their confidence
      intervals calculated by Monte Carlo simulations. Results from metabolic flux
      analysis exhibited significant carbon redistribution throughout the metabolic
      network in cells under Cu deficiency. Specifically, glycolytic fluxes increased
      (25%-79% relative to glucose uptake) whereas fluxes through the TCA and pentose
      phosphate pathway (PPP) were lower (15%-23% and 74%, respectively) compared with
      the Cu-containing condition. Furthermore, under Cu deficiency, 33% of the flux
      entering TCA via the pyruvate node was redirected to lactate and malate
      production. Based on these results, we hypothesize that Cu deficiency disrupts
      the electron transport chain causing ATP deficiency, redox imbalance, and
      oxidative stress, which in turn drive copper-deficient CHO cells to produce
      energy via aerobic glycolysis, which is associated with excessive lactate
      production, rather than the more efficient route of oxidative phosphorylation.

PMID- 26097229
TI  - Possible confounding by axial involvement in the ABILITY-2 study: comment on the
      article by Mease et al.

PMID- 26097230
TI  - Evaluation of olfactory function in adults with primary hypothyroidism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sufficient clinical data are not available on the effect of
      hypothyroidism on olfactory function in adults. In this study, we aimed to
      evaluate the olfactory function of adult patients diagnosed with primary
      hypothyroidism. METHODS: Forty-five patients aged between 18 and 60 years who
      were diagnosed with clinical primary hypothyroidism and 45 healthy controls who
      had normal thyroid function tests were included in the study. Sniffin' Sticks
      olfactory test results of the 2 groups were compared. The relationships between
      thyroid function tests and olfactory parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: Odor
      threshold, identification, and discrimination scores of the hypothyroid group
      were significantly lower than those of the control group (p < 0.001). A
      significant positive correlation was detected between free triiodothyronine (FT3)
      levels and odor threshold, identification, and discrimination scores (p < 0.001).
      There was no significant relationship between thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
      or free thyroxine (FT4) levels and olfactory parameters. CONCLUSION: Our study
      revealed diminished olfactory function in adults with hypothyroidism. FT3 levels
      were found to have a more significant relationship with olfactory parameters than
      TSH or FT4 levels.

PMID- 26097231
TI  - Cause-Specific Mortality in Male US Veterans With Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There has been limited investigation into cause-specific mortality and
      the associated risk factors in men with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We
      investigated all-cause and cause-specific mortality in men with RA, examining
      determinants of survival. METHODS: Men from a longitudinal RA registry were
      followed from enrollment until death or through 2013. Vital status and cause of
      death were determined using the National Death Index. Crude mortality rates and
      standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for all-cause,
      cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and respiratory mortality. Associations
      with all-cause and cause-specific mortality were examined using multivariable Cox
      proportional hazards and competing-risks regression. RESULTS: There were 1,652
      men with RA and 332 deaths. The leading causes of death were CVD (31.6%; SMR 1.77
      [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.46-2.14]), cancer (22.9%; SMR 1.50 [95% CI
      1.20-1.89]), and respiratory disease (15.1%; SMR 2.90 [95% CI 2.20-3.83]).
      Factors associated with all-cause mortality included older age, white race,
      smoking, low body weight, comorbidity, disease activity, and prednisone use.
      Rheumatoid factor concentration and nodules were associated with CVD mortality.
      There were no associations of methotrexate or biologic agent use with all-cause
      or cause-specific mortality. CONCLUSION: Men in this RA cohort experienced
      increased all-cause and cause-specific mortality, with a 3-fold risk of
      respiratory-related deaths compared to age-matched men in the general population.
      Further studies are needed in order to examine whether interventions targeting
      potentially modifiable correlates of mortality might lead to improved long-term
      survival in men with RA.

PMID- 26097232
TI  - Application of multivariate analysis and mass transfer principles for refinement
      of a 3-L bioreactor scale-down model--when shake flasks mimic 15,000-L
      bioreactors better.
AB  - Characterization of manufacturing processes is key to understanding the effects
      of process parameters on process performance and product quality. These studies
      are generally conducted using small-scale model systems. Because of the
      importance of the results derived from these studies, the small-scale model
      should be predictive of large scale. Typically, small-scale bioreactors, which
      are considered superior to shake flasks in simulating large-scale bioreactors,
      are used as the scale-down models for characterizing mammalian cell culture
      processes. In this article, we describe a case study where a cell culture unit
      operation in bioreactors using one-sided pH control and their satellites (small
      scale runs conducted using the same post-inoculation cultures and nutrient feeds)
      in 3-L bioreactors and shake flasks indicated that shake flasks mimicked the
      large-scale performance better than 3-L bioreactors. We detail here how
      multivariate analysis was used to make the pertinent assessment and to generate
      the hypothesis for refining the existing 3-L scale-down model. Relevant
      statistical techniques such as principal component analysis, partial least
      square, orthogonal partial least square, and discriminant analysis were used to
      identify the outliers and to determine the discriminatory variables responsible
      for performance differences at different scales. The resulting analysis, in
      combination with mass transfer principles, led to the hypothesis that observed
      similarities between 15,000-L and shake flask runs, and differences between
      15,000-L and 3-L runs, were due to pCO2 and pH values. This hypothesis was
      confirmed by changing the aeration strategy at 3-L scale. By reducing the initial
      sparge rate in 3-L bioreactor, process performance and product quality data moved
      closer to that of large scale.

PMID- 26097233
TI  - Skeletal fluorosis--a tricky diagnosis.

PMID- 26097234
TI  - Identification of Onodi cell and new classification of sphenoid sinus for
      endoscopic sinus surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is no effective classification method for the opening of the
      sphenoid sinus. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of
      identification of the Onodi cell and classification of the sphenoid sinus using
      sagittal computed tomography (CT) for sphenoidotomy. METHODS: CT images of the
      sinuses of surgical patients (n = 261; 522 sides) were studied. Using sagittal
      CT, the relationships between the lateral side of the anterior wall of the
      sphenoid sinus and the optic nerve, and between the middle of the anterior wall
      of the sphenoid sinus and the skull base or pituitary gland were studied. Images
      were classified as demonstrating skull base (without the Onodi cell), optic
      canal, sella, or infra-sella (all with the Onodi cell) type. RESULTS: Two hundred
      and fifty-eight sides (49.2%) were of the skull-base type, 181 (34.7%) were of
      the optic-canal type, 58 (11.1%) were of the sella type, and 26 (5.0%) were of
      the infra-sella type; ie, the Onodi cell was present in 50.8% of sides. The width
      of the anterior wall of the sphenoid sinus became narrower as it shifted from the
      skull-base type to the infra-sella type. CONCLUSION: Classification of the
      anterior wall of the sphenoid sinus based on the Onodi cell allows 3-dimensional
      assessment of the shape of the sphenoid sinus. We believe that the sphenoid sinus
      can be opened safely by full preoperative assessment of the anterior wall type,
      the position of the superior turbinate, and the position of the ostium of the
      sphenoid sinus.

PMID- 26097235
TI  - Characterizing the release of bioactive N-glycans from dairy products by a novel
      endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase.
AB  - Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase isolated from B. infantis ATCC 15697 (EndoBI-1)
      is a novel enzyme that cleaves N-N'-diacetyl chitobiose moieties found in the N
      glycan core of high mannose, hybrid, and complex N-glycans. These conjugated N
      glycans are recently shown as a new prebiotic source that stimulates the growth
      of a key infant gut microbe, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. Infantis. The effects
      of pH (4.45-8.45), temperature (27.5-77.5 degrees C), reaction time (15-475 min),
      and enzyme/protein ratio (1:3,000-1:333) were evaluated on the release of N
      glycans from bovine colostrum whey by EndoBI-1. A central composite design was
      used, including a two-level factorial design (2(4)) with four center points and
      eight axial points. In general, low pH values, longer reaction times, higher
      enzyme/protein ratio, and temperatures around 52 degrees C resulted in the
      highest yield. The results demonstrated that bovine colostrum whey, considered to
      be a by/waste product, can be used as a glycan source with a yield of 20 mg N
      glycan/g total protein under optimal conditions for the ranges investigated.
      Importantly, these processing conditions are suitable to be incorporated into
      routine dairy processing activities, opening the door for an entirely new class
      of products (released bioactive glycans and glycan-free milk). The new enzyme's
      activity was also compared with a commercially available enzyme, showing that
      EndoBI-1 is more active on native proteins than PNGase F and can be efficiently
      used during pasteurization, streamlining its integration into existing processing
      strategies.

PMID- 26097236
TI  - Promotion of hypercoagulability in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated
      vasculitis by C5a-induced tissue factor-expressing microparticles and neutrophil
      extracellular traps.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated
      vasculitis (AAV) have a high frequency of venous thromboembolic events and a
      hypercoagulable state. As C5a-primed neutrophils play an important role in the
      development of AAV, we investigated whether C5a-induced neutrophil tissue factor
      (TF)-expressing microparticles (MPs) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs)
      might promote hypercoagulability in AAV. METHODS: TF-expressing MPs were measured
      by flow cytometry. TF-expressing NETs were assessed by confocal microscopy.
      Levels of thrombin-antithrombin complexes were determined by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. The effect of C5a in sera from AAV patients was evaluated by
      treating neutrophils with C5a receptor antagonist before incubation with sera
      from AAV patients with active disease. RESULTS: Treatment of C5a-primed
      neutrophils with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-positive IgG resulted
      in the release of TF-bearing MPs and NETs. Neutrophils from healthy donors
      treated with sera from patients with active AAV released TF-bearing MPs and NETs,
      which were abolished by treatment with C5a receptor antagonist. Involvement of TF
      in MP- or NET-dependent thrombin generation was indicated by the findings of
      antibody neutralization studies. NETs with thrombin-generating capacity were
      demonstrated by DNase I treatment. CONCLUSION: C5a-primed neutrophils produce TF
      expressing MPs and NETs after stimulation with ANCAs, indicating a mechanism for
      hypercoagulability in AAV that was not previously recognized.

PMID- 26097237
TI  - Staphylococcus aureus triggers nitric oxide production in human upper airway
      epithelium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide (NO) is an important antibacterial defense molecule
      produced by upper airway (sinonasal) epithelial cells. We previously showed that
      a bitter taste receptor expressed in airway epithelium detects quorum-sensing
      molecules secreted by Gram-negative bacteria and subsequently triggers
      bactericidal NO production. We hypothesized that the upper airway epithelium may
      also be able to detect the Gram-positive aerobe Staphylococcus aureus and mount
      an NO response. METHODS: Human sinonasal air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures were
      treated with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA)-conditioned medium (CM), and
      NO production was measured using fluorescence imaging. Inhibitors of bitter taste
      receptor signaling were used to pharmacologically determine if this pathway was
      involved in the production of NO. RESULTS: A low-molecular-weight, heat, and
      protease-stabile product found in MRSA CM induced differential, NO synthase (NOS)
      mediated NO production. This response varied markedly between individual
      patients. The MRSA-stimulated NO production was not dependent on 2 important
      components of bitter taste signaling: phospholipase C isoform beta-2 or the
      transient receptor potential melastatin isoform 5 (TRPM5) ion channel.
      CONCLUSION: This study shows that a S. aureus product elicits an NO-mediated
      innate defense response in human upper airway epithelium. The active bacterial
      product is likely a small, nonpeptide molecule that triggers a pathway
      independent of bitter taste receptors. Patient variation in the NO response to
      MRSA product(s), potentially due to genetic differences, might play a role in
      pathophysiology of Gram-positive upper respiratory infections and/or pathogenesis
      of chronic rhinosinusitis.

PMID- 26097238
TI  - Atom-Economic Synthesis of Fully Substituted 2-Aminopyrroles via Gold-Catalyzed
      Formal [3+2] Cycloaddition between Ynamides and Isoxazoles.
AB  - A concise and flexible synthesis of fully substituted 2-aminopyrroles via gold
      catalyzed formal [3+2] cycloaddition between ynamides and isoxazoles has been
      developed. Under mild reaction conditions, various 2-aminopyrrole derivatives
      were obtained in good to excellent yields, thus providing an efficient and atom
      economic way for the construction of fully substituted 2-aminopyrroles. 

PMID- 26097239
TI  - Brief report: association of CCR1, KLRC4, IL12A-AS1, STAT4, and ERAP1 With
      Behcet's disease in Iranians.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To independently replicate the top findings from 4 published genome
      wide association studies (GWAS) of susceptibility genes in Behcet's disease (BD).
      METHODS: We tested 14 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 13 genomic loci
      (excluding the major histocompatibility complex [MHC], IL10, and IL23R-IL12RB2,
      which have already been associated with BD in Iranians) for allelic and genotypic
      associations with BD in 973 patients and 828 controls from Iran and performed
      meta-analyses of the significantly associated markers. RESULTS: Six SNPs (in
      decreasing order of significance, rs7616215 located 38 kb downstream of CCR1,
      rs2617170 [p.Asn104Ser] in KLRC4, rs17810546 in IL12A-AS1, rs7574070 in STAT4,
      and rs10050860 [p.Asp575Asn] and rs13154629 in ERAP1) were nominally associated
      with BD in both allelic association tests (5.05 * 10(-9) <= Pallele <= 7.55 * 10(
      3) ) and sex-adjusted genotypic association tests (6.01 * 10(-9) <= adjusted P
      value <= 1.30 * 10(-2) ). For all 6 SNPs tested by meta-analysis (Pmeta ), the
      association with BD was strengthened, because the direction and magnitude of
      association were similar across populations (e.g., for rs7574070, odds ratio [OR]
      for A allele 1.29 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.21-1.37], Pmeta  = 2.34 *
      10(-16) ; for rs7616215, OR for C allele 0.70 [95% CI 0.65-0.76], Pmeta  = 1.54 *
      10(-19) ; for rs17810546, OR for A allele 0.60 [95% CI 0.52-0.70], Pmeta  = 6.34
      * 10(-11) ; for rs2617170, OR for T allele 0.76 [95% CI 0.70-0.81], Pmeta  = 2.75
      * 10(-14) ; for rs13154629, OR for TT genotype 2.76 [95% CI 2.01-3.80], Pmeta  =
      3.57 * 10(-10) ). CONCLUSION: This study reinforces the notion that CCR1, KLRC4,
      IL12A-AS1, STAT4, and ERAP1 are bona fide susceptibility genes for BD, in
      addition to the MHC, IL10, and IL23R-IL12RB2 loci. Future genetic and functional
      studies are now warranted to uncover the roles of these genes in the pathogenesis
      of BD.

PMID- 26097240
TI  - Shifts in indigenous culture relate to forest tree diversity: a case study from
      the Tsimane', Bolivian Amazon.
AB  - Understanding how indigenous peoples' management practices relate to biological
      diversity requires addressing contemporary changes in indigenous peoples' way of
      life. This study explores the association between cultural change among a
      Bolivian Amazonian indigenous group, the Tsimane', and tree diversity in forests
      surrounding their villages. We interviewed 86 informants in six villages about
      their level of attachment to traditional Tsimane' values, our proxy for cultural
      change. We estimated tree diversity (Fisher's Alpha index) by inventorying trees
      in 48 0.1-ha plots in old-growth forests distributed in the territory of the same
      villages. We used multivariate models to assess the relation between cultural
      change and alpha tree diversity. Cultural change was associated with alpha tree
      diversity and the relation showed an inverted U-shape, thus suggesting that tree
      alpha diversity peaked in villages undergoing intermediate cultural change.
      Although the results do not allow for testing the direction of the relation, we
      propose that cultural change relates to tree diversity through the changes in
      practices and behaviors that affect the traditional ecological knowledge of
      Tsimane' communities; further research is needed to determine the causality. Our
      results also find support in the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, and suggest
      that indigenous management can be seen as an intermediate form of anthropogenic
      disturbance affecting forest communities in a subtle, non-destructive way.

PMID- 26097241
TI  - Gender, Friendship Networks, and Delinquency: A Dynamic Network Approach.
AB  - Researchers have examined selection and influence processes in shaping
      delinquency similarity among friends, but little is known about the role of
      gender in moderating these relationships. Our objective is to examine differences
      between adolescent boys and girls regarding delinquency-based selection and
      influence processes. Using longitudinal network data from adolescents attending
      two large schools in AddHealth (N = 1,857) and stochastic actor-oriented models,
      we evaluate whether girls are influenced to a greater degree by friends' violence
      or delinquency than boys (influence hypothesis) and whether girls are more likely
      to select friends based on violent or delinquent behavior than boys (selection
      hypothesis). The results indicate that girls are more likely than boys to be
      influenced by their friends' involvement in violence. Although a similar pattern
      emerges for nonviolent delinquency, the gender differences are not significant.
      Some evidence shows that boys are influenced toward increasing their violence or
      delinquency when exposed to more delinquent or violent friends but are immune to
      reducing their violence or delinquency when associating with less violent or
      delinquent friends. In terms of selection dynamics, although both boys and girls
      have a tendency to select friends based on friends' behavior, girls have a
      stronger tendency to do so, suggesting that among girls, friends' involvement in
      violence or delinquency is an especially decisive factor for determining
      friendship ties.

PMID- 26097242
TI  - Sleep, Memory & Brain Rhythms.
AB  - Sleep occupies roughly one-third of our lives, yet the scientific community is
      still not entirely clear on its purpose or function. Existing data point most
      strongly to its role in memory and homeostasis: that sleep helps maintain basic
      brain functioning via a homeostatic mechanism that loosens connections between
      overworked synapses, and that sleep helps consolidate and re-form important
      memories. In this review, we will summarize these theories, but also focus on
      substantial new information regarding the relation of electrical brain rhythms to
      sleep. In particular, while REM sleep may contribute to the homeostatic weakening
      of overactive synapses, a prominent and transient oscillatory rhythm called
      "sharp-wave ripple" seems to allow for consolidation of behaviorally relevant
      memories across many structures of the brain. We propose that a theory of sleep
      involving the division of labor between two states of sleep-REM and non-REM, the
      latter of which has an abundance of ripple electrical activity-might allow for a
      fusion of the two main sleep theories. This theory then postulates that sleep
      performs a combination of consolidation and homeostasis that promotes optimal
      knowledge retention as well as optimal waking brain function.

PMID- 26097243
TI  - Are ecologically important tree species the most useful? A case study from
      indigenous people in the Bolivian Amazon.
AB  - Researchers have argued that indigenous peoples preferably use the most apparent
      plant species, particularly for medicinal uses. However, the association between
      the ecological importance of a species and its usefulness remains unclear. In
      this paper we quantify such association for six use categories (firewood,
      construction, materials, food, medicines and other uses). We collected data on
      the uses of 58 tree species, as reported by 93 informants in 22 villages in the
      Tsimane' territory (Bolivian Amazon). We calculated the ecological importance of
      the same species by deriving their importance value index (IVI) in 48 0.1-ha old
      growth forest plots. Matching both data sets, we found a positive relation
      between the IVI of a species and its overall use value (UV) as well as with its
      UV for construction and materials. We found a negative relation between IVI and
      UV for species that were reportedly used for medicine and food uses, and no clear
      pattern for the other categories. We hypothesize that species used for
      construction or crafting purposes because of their physical properties are more
      easily substitutable than species used for medicinal or edible purposes because
      of their chemical properties.

PMID- 26097244
TI  - Effects of a Multitier Support System on Calculation, Word Problem, and
      Prealgebraic Performance Among At-Risk Learners.
AB  - The focus of the present study was enhancing word-problem and calculation
      achievement in ways that support pre-algebraic thinking among 2nd-grade students
      at risk for mathematics difficulty. Intervention relied on a multi-tier support
      system (i.e., responsiveness-to-intervention or RTI) in which at-risk students
      participate in general classroom instruction and receive supplementary small
      group tutoring. Participants were 265 students in 110 classrooms in 25 schools.
      Teachers were randomly assigned to 3 conditions: calculation RTI, word-problem
      RTI, and business-as-usual control. Intervention lasted 17 weeks. Multilevel
      modeling indicated that calculation RTI improved calculation but not word-problem
      outcomes; word-problem RTI enhanced proximal word-problem outcomes as well as
      performance on some calculation outcomes; and word-problem RTI provided a
      stronger route than calculation RTI to pre-algebraic knowledge.

PMID- 26097246
TI  - Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE) for Fibroid Treatment - Results of the 5th
      Radiological Gynecological Expert Meeting.

PMID- 26097245
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Guided Focused Ultrasound for Fibroid Treatment - Results of
      the Second Radiological Gynecological Expert Meeting.

PMID- 26097247
TI  - Radiofrequency Volumetric Thermal Ablation of Fibroids and Laparoscopic
      Myomectomy: Long-Term Follow-up From a Randomized Trial.
AB  - Aims: Laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) has been the gold standard treatment for
      uterine fibroids in women desiring uterine conservation. To evaluate a new
      fibroid treatment modality - radiofrequency volumetric thermal ablation (RFVTA) -
      we compare 12-month results in women who had symptomatic uterine fibroids and who
      were randomized to laparoscopic ultrasound-guided RFVTA or LM. Materials and
      Methods: Our study is a 1 : 1 parallel, randomized, prospective, single-center,
      longitudinal, comparative analysis of RFVTA to LM for fibroid treatment in women
      >= 18 years of age who desired uterine conservation. Fifty women were randomized
      intraoperatively to RFVTA (n = 25) or to LM (n = 25) after laparoscopic
      ultrasound mapping of the uterus. Results: Post surgery, ablation and myomectomy
      subjects took pain medications for 4 days (range: 1-46) and 7 days (range: 1-83
      days) respectively (p = 0.60). Ablation and myomectomy subjects missed 10.0
      workdays (range: 2-86 days) and 17.0 workdays (range: 7-30 days) (p = 0.28),
      resumed normal activities in 20.5 days (range: 5-103 days) versus 28.0 days
      (range: 10-42 days) (p = 0.86) respectively. Mean symptom severity scores
      decreased (improved) by - 7.8 for the ablation subjects and by - 17.9 for the
      myomectomy subjects (p = 0.16). Health-related quality of life improved
      (increased) by 7.5 and 13.1, respectively, for the two groups (p = 0.46). Two
      myomectomy subjects had pregnancies that ended in a Cesarean delivery and a
      vaginal delivery of healthy infants. Two pregnancies in the RFVTA group ended in
      full-term vaginal deliveries of healthy infants. Conclusions: Early postoperative
      recovery and twelve-month results attest to similar clinical benefits from RFVTA
      and LM.

PMID- 26097248
TI  - Duration of Sick Leave, Patient's Postoperative Satisfaction and Impairment of
      Daily Living after Open Abdominal Myoma Enucleation in Dependence on Myoma Size.
AB  - Purpose: What is the average duration of sick leave and the postoperative
      impairment to daily living in dependence on the size of the removed myoma? Does
      patient satisfaction depend on the size of the removed myoma? Is there a
      difference in the rate of improvement of symptoms depending on the size of the
      myoma? Patient Collective: This is a retrospective survey of the data of 377
      consecutive female patients treated for symptomatic uterus myomatosus by open
      abdominal myoma enucleation between 2/2002 and 12/2009; the number of removed
      myomas, myoma size and localisation, myoma-associated complaints, length of sick
      leave, postoperative impairments of daily living and scar length were assessed.
      Results: The response rate amounted to 61 % (230/377 patients). The average sick
      leave of patients with a myoma diameter >= 10 cm was 1.5 days shorter than that
      for patients with myomas < 10 cm. Depending on the symptoms between 7 and 75 % of
      the patients reported an improvement of their complaints. For those patients with
      myomas > 10 cm the proportion with an improvement in symptoms was smaller than
      that for the patients with smaller myomas - exception "feeling of pressure in the
      bladder". Conclusions: Even for relatively large myomas, the quality of life is
      not impaired more strongly or for longer periods than that after removal of
      smaller myomas. Activities of daily life are impaired for about 4 weeks.

PMID- 26097249
TI  - Deciding Factors for the Referral of a Female Patient to a Specific Hospital from
      the Viewpoint of Practice-Based Specialists.
AB  - Background: One of the key points of patient care is the cooperation between
      practice-based specialists and clinical facilities. The present study was
      undertaken in order to illustrate the deciding factors, from the viewpoint of
      practice-based specialists, for the referral of a female patient to a specific
      hospital. Methods: Altogether a total of 322 practice-based specialists from
      various disciplines were contacted in writing and sent a questionnaire. In this
      survey the recipients were questioned about the criteria, in order of importance,
      applied for the referral of a (female) patient to a specific clinical facility.
      Results: In the foreground for the referral of a patient to a specific hospital
      are the aspects of medical quality and competence. On a closer look we find the
      surgical spectrum, especially the availability of endoscopic and special
      operations as a main factor. Further factors are a low rate of complications and
      the availability of modern diagnostic methods. Also evaluated as an important
      aspect was the easy reachability of a competent consultant. Factors of lower
      relevance for referral behaviour were personal familiarity with the colleagues
      employed in the hospital, specific further training events and the course of
      previous cooperation. Conclusions: A modern diagnostic and therapeutic spectrum
      coupled with an easy reachability of competent contact partners are the main
      factors for cooperation from the viewpoint of the practice-based specialist. Of
      lowest relevance, among others, was the aspect of previous cooperation. Thus, it
      can be seen that by means of changes in cooperation an improvement in patient
      care can be achieved at any time.

PMID- 26097250
TI  - Supporting and Inhibiting Factors When Coping with Endometriosis From the
      Patients' Perspective.
AB  - Aim: Endometriosis is a chronic gynaecological disorder with manifold symptoms
      and psychosocial effects on the lives of affected women. The prevalence of
      endometriosis is estimated to be up to ten percent of women of reproductive age.
      As a result of its unclear aetiology, only limited treatment options are
      available. The treatment and care of affected women is therefore a challenge for
      their doctors. There is a need for healthcare services to provide affected women
      with support to cope with the disorder better. The aim of the study was to
      identify supporting and inhibiting factors on disease management to develop new
      support ideas. Materials and Methods: The results are based on a content analysis
      evaluation of text responses from 135 women with confirmed endometriosis. Open
      questions about disease management were posed in a patient questionnaire. A
      classification system was developed according to Mayrings Qualitative Content
      Analysis, which allowed the main topics to be identified and summarised
      qualitatively using a quantitative intermediate step. Results: Social support,
      treatment, as well as professional and healthcare system performance were found
      to be particularly supportive by patients. However, when questioned about
      inhibiting factors, healthcare system professionals and their performance were
      most commonly criticised. Just over 50 % of women expressed their criticism of
      doctors. Quality of care and empathy towards the patients were especially
      criticised. There is also a need for improvement with regard to communication and
      general support from doctors. The results illustrate the importance of doctors
      for women affected by endometriosis, but make it clear that there is a great need
      for improvement with regard to the profession. Conclusion: The results provide
      the first indication of problem areas in the management of endometriosis from
      which approaches could be developed to improve care. However, it must be pointed
      out that the perspective of affected women was solely investigated. For a
      comprehensive analysis, it would be necessary to include the perspective of care
      providers and the influence of society as well as the healthcare system.

PMID- 26097251
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy Detected Long-Lived Spin Magnetization.
AB  - Magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM), which combines magnetic resonance
      imaging with scanning probe microscopy together, is capable of performing ultra
      sensitive detection of spin magnetization. In an attempt to observe dynamic
      nuclear polarization (DNP) in an MRFM experiment, which could possibly further
      improve its sensitivity towards a single proton spin, a film of perdeuterated
      polystyrene doped with a nitroxide electron-spin probe was prepared. A high
      compliance cantilever with a 4 MUm diameter magnetic tip was brought near the
      film at a temperature of 7.3 K and in a background magnetic field of ~0.6 T. The
      film was irradiated with 16.7 GHz microwaves while the resulting transient change
      in cantilever frequency was recorded in real time. In addition to observing the
      expected prompt change in cantilever frequency due to saturation of the
      nitroxide's electron-spin magnetization, we observed a persistent cantilever
      frequency change. Based on its magnitude, lifetime, and field dependence, we
      tentatively attribute the persistent signal to polarized deuteron magnetization
      created via transfer of magnetization from electron spins. Further measurements
      of the persistent signal's dependence on the cantilever amplitude and tip-sample
      separation are presented and explained by the cross-effect DNP mechanism in high
      magnetic field gradients.

PMID- 26097252
TI  - Cryptic extended brood care in the facultatively eusocial sweat bee Megalopta
      genalis.
AB  - As a result of different brood cell provisioning strategies, nest-making insects
      may differ in the extent to which adults regularly provide extended parental care
      to their brood beyond nest defense. Mass-provisioning species cache the entire
      food supply needed for larval development prior to the oviposition and typically
      seal the brood cell. It is usually assumed that there is no regular contact
      between the adult(s) and brood. Here, we show that the bee, Megalopta genalis,
      expresses a form of cryptic brood care, which would not be observed during normal
      development. Following experimental injections of different provisioning
      materials into brood cells, foundresses reopened manipulated cells and the brood
      were aborted in some cases, implying that the foundresses assessed conditions
      within the cells. In aborted cells, foundresses sometimes laid a second egg after
      first removing dead larvae, previously stored pollen and contaminants. Our
      results show that hygienic brood care can be cryptic and hence may be more
      widespread than previously believed, lending support to the hypothesis that
      extended parental care is a preadaptation toward eusociality.

PMID- 26097253
TI  - The Relationship Between Multiple Forms of Discrimination, Neighborhood
      Characteristics, and Depression Among Illicit Drug Users in New York City.
AB  - It is plausible that features of the social environment combined with experiences
      of discrimination may help further explain experiences of depression among
      illicit drug users. We examined the influence of census tract-level
      characteristics and multiple forms of individual-level discrimination on lifetime
      depression among illicit drug users in New York City enrolled in the "Social Ties
      Associated With Risk of Transition" study. Population average models accounted
      for clustering of individuals within census tracts. Discrimination based on prior
      incarceration explained Hispanic/White differences in depression and was
      independently associated with depression after accounting for neighborhood
      characteristics. Neighborhood poverty was only marginally related to lifetime
      depression. These data provide evidence supporting the influence of
      discrimination on depression among drug users. Research is needed to confirm
      these findings and highlight specific mechanisms through which discrimination and
      neighborhood socioeconomic status may operate to influence mental health.

PMID- 26097254
TI  - The Thermal Instability of 2,4 and 2,6-N-Alkylamino Disubstituted and 2-N
      Alkylamino Substituted Nitrobenzenes in Weakly Alkaline Solution: sec-Amino
      Effect.
AB  - We report herein the preparation of two families of secondary amines by the
      reactions of two equivalents of monoamines with either 2,4 or 2,6
      difluoronitrobenzenes in N,N-dimethylacetamide in the presence of anhydrous
      potassium carbonate, as precursors of biologically important nitric oxide
      donating N-nitrosamines. In both instances, these compounds could be prepared in
      quantitative yield when the reaction temperature was held below 130 degrees C.
      Above this reaction temperature, an unexpected cyclization reaction between the
      nitro and newly formed adjacent secondary amine group leads to the formation of
      benzimidazole or quinoxaline rings in low yields. Reasonable reaction mechanisms
      for the cyclization reaction are proposed.

PMID- 26097255
TI  - Gender Wage Disparities among the Highly Educated.
AB  - In the U.S. college-educated women earn approximately 30 percent less than their
      non-Hispanic white male counterparts. We conduct an empirical examination of this
      wage disparity for four groups of women-non-Hispanic white, black, Hispanic, and
      Asian-using the National Survey of College Graduates, a large data set that
      provides unusually detailed information on higher-level education. Nonparametric
      matching analysis indicates that among men and women who speak English at home,
      between 44 and 73 percent of the gender wage gaps are accounted for by such pre
      market factors as highest degree and major. When we restrict attention further to
      women who have "high labor force attachment" (i.e., work experience that is
      similar to male comparables) we account for 54 to 99 percent of gender wage gaps.
      Our nonparametric approach differs from familiar regression-based decompositions,
      so for the sake of comparison we conduct parametric analyses as well. Inferences
      drawn from these latter decompositions can be quite misleading.

PMID- 26097256
TI  - Experimental and Computational Studies of Sound Transmission in a Branching
      Airway Network Embedded in a Compliant Viscoelastic Medium.
AB  - Breath sounds are often used to aid in the diagnosis of pulmonary disease.
      Mechanical and numerical models could be used to enhance our understanding of
      relevant sound transmission phenomena. Sound transmission in an airway mimicking
      phantom was investigated using a mechanical model with a branching airway network
      embedded in a compliant viscoelastic medium. The Horsfield self-consistent model
      for the bronchial tree was adopted to topologically couple the individual airway
      segments into the branching airway network. The acoustics of the bifurcating
      airway segments were measured by microphones and calculated analytically. Airway
      phantom surface motion was measured using scanning laser Doppler vibrometry.
      Finite element simulations of sound transmission in the airway phantom were
      performed. Good agreement was achieved between experiments and simulations. The
      validated computational approach can provide insight into sound transmission
      simulations in real lungs.

PMID- 26097258
TI  - Accounting for Impact? The Journal Impact Factor and the Making of Biomedical
      Research in the Netherlands.
AB  - The range and types of performance metrics has recently proliferated in academic
      settings, with bibliometric indicators being particularly visible examples. One
      field that has traditionally been hospitable towards such indicators is
      biomedicine. Here the relative merits of bibliometrics are widely discussed, with
      debates often portraying them as heroes or villains. Despite a plethora of
      controversies, one of the most widely used indicators in this field is said to be
      the Journal Impact Factor (JIF). In this article we argue that much of the
      current debates around researchers' uses of the JIF in biomedicine can be classed
      as 'folk theories': explanatory accounts told among a community that seldom (if
      ever) get systematically checked. Such accounts rarely disclose how knowledge
      production itself becomes more-or-less consolidated around the JIF. Using
      ethnographic materials from different research sites in Dutch University Medical
      Centers, this article sheds new empirical and theoretical light on how
      performance metrics variously shape biomedical research on the 'shop floor.' Our
      detailed analysis underscores a need for further research into the constitutive
      effects of evaluative metrics.

PMID- 26097259
TI  - The Academic Manifesto: From an Occupied to a Public University.
AB  - Universities are occupied by management, a regime obsessed with 'accountability'
      through measurement, increased competition, efficiency, 'excellence', and
      misconceived economic salvation. Given the occupation's absurd side-effects, we
      ask ourselves how management has succeeded in taking over our precious
      universities. An alternative vision for the academic future consists of a public
      university, more akin to a socially engaged knowledge commons than to a
      corporation. We suggest some provocative measures to bring about such a
      university. However, as management seems impervious to cogent arguments, such
      changes can only happen if academics take action. Hence, we explore several
      strategies for a renewed university politics.

PMID- 26097260
TI  - Studies toward the synthesis of cinachyramine. An efficient route to 1,5
      diazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-enes.
AB  - Hydrogenation (3 atm) of readily available pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidines 10, 14, and
      17 over 5% Rh/Al2O3 forms 1,5-diazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-enes 9, 15, and 18 in >
      95% yield, providing a general route to this little-studied class of compounds.
      All attempts to form the tetrahydro-1,2,4-triazine moiety of cinachyramine (1) by
      rearrangement of amidinium dimethylhydrazone 8 using the procedures developed by
      Kamatori to convert hydrazone 3a to tetrahydro-1,2,4-triazine 4a were
      unsuccessful.

PMID- 26097261
TI  - Spirastrellolide E: Synthesis of an advanced C(1)-C(24) southern hemisphere.
AB  - The synthesis of a C(1)-C(24) advanced southern hemisphere fragment towards the
      total synthesis of spirastrellolide E has been achieved. Highlights of the route
      include a highly convergent Type I Anion Relay Chemistry (ARC) tactic for
      fragment assembly, in conjunction with a directed, regioselective gold-catalyzed
      alkyne functionalization to generate the central unsaturated [6,6]-spiroketal.

PMID- 26097262
TI  - Computational studies of electronic circular dichroism spectra predict absolute
      configuration assignments for the guanine oxidation product 5-carboxamido-5
      formamido-2-iminohydantoin.
AB  - Oxidation of the guanine heterocycle by two electrons can yield the chiral
      product 5-carboxamido-5-formamido-2-iminohydantoin (2Ih). The 2Ih free base
      enantiomers were synthesized from 2'-deoxyguanosine oxidized with a Cu(II)/H2O2
      oxidant system followed by hydrolysis of the N-glycosidic bond. These isomers
      were each studied by electronic circular dichroism spectroscopy for determination
      of their absolute configurations. Time-dependent density functional theory
      calculations of the expected spectra were completed in both the gas phase and
      with solvent modeling in order to interpret the experimental spectra and provide
      the absolute configuration assignments.

PMID- 26097263
TI  - Construction of the 5,6,7-tricyclic skeleton of lancifodilactone F.
AB  - We report herein the synthesis of a fully functionalized B,C,D-ring system of
      lancifodilactone F. The key transformations involve an arene-olefin meta
      photocycloaddition reaction and a palladium-catalyzed oxidative C-C cleavage
      reaction to establish its B,C-rings.

PMID- 26097264
TI  - Multigram Synthesis of 1-O-Acetyl-3-O-(4-methoxybenzyl)-4-N-(9
      fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-4-N-methyl-L-pyrrolosamine.
AB  - A synthesis of 1-O-acetyl-3-O-(4-methoxybenzyl)-4-N-(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)
      4-N-methyl-L-pyrrolosamine (7), which constitutes a protected form of the N,N
      dimethyl-L-pyrrolosamine residues found within the antiproliferative bacterial
      metabolites (-)-lomaiviticins A and B (1 and 2, respectively), is reported. The
      synthetic route to 7 proceeds in eight steps and 13% overall yield from (E)
      crotyl alcohol. The protected carbohydrate 7 is envisioned to be a useful
      derivative for syntheses of 1 and 2.

PMID- 26097265
TI  - LiOOt-Bu as a terminal oxidant in a titanium alkoxide-mediated [2+2+2] reaction
      cascade.
AB  - LiOOt-Bu is an effective oxidant for converting the penultimate organometallic
      intermediate generated in a titanium alkoxide-mediated [2+2+2] reaction cascade
      to an allylic alcohol. Oxidation of the presumed allylic titanium species is
      highly regioselective, providing direct access to substituted hydroindanes
      containing a primary allylic alcohol. In addition to demonstrating the
      feasibility of this oxidation process, we document the ability to convert the
      primary allylic alcohol products to angularly substituted cis-fused hydroindanes.

PMID- 26097266
TI  - Synthesis of N-substituted aryl amidines by strong base activation of amines.
AB  - We describe an efficient method for the direct preparation of N-substituted aryl
      amidines from nitriles and primary amines. The protocol employs activation of
      amines by a strong base and provides greater access to a pharmaceutically
      relevant functional group. This synthetic approach tolerates deactivated
      nitriles, nitriles with competing substitution sites, and aryl amines.

PMID- 26097267
TI  - Traditional Livelihoods, Conservation and Meadow Ecology in Jiuzhaigou National
      Park, Sichuan, China.
AB  - Jiuzhaigou National Park (JNP) is a site of global conservation significance.
      Conservation policies in JNP include the implementation of two national
      reforestation programs to increase forest cover and the exclusion of local land
      use. We use archaeological excavation, ethnographic interviews, remote sensing
      and vegetation surveys to examine the implications of these policies for non
      forest, montane meadows. We find that Amdo Tibetan people cultivated the valley
      for >2,000 years, creating and maintaining meadows through land clearing, burning
      and grazing. Meadows served as sites for gathering plants and mushrooms and over
      40 % of contemporary species are ethnobotanically useful. Remote sensing analyses
      indicate a substantial (69.6 %) decline in meadow area between 1974 and 2004.
      Respondents report a loss of their "true history" and connections to the past
      associated with loss of meadows. Conservation policies intended to preserve
      biodiversity are unintentionally contributing to the loss of these ecologically
      and culturally significant meadow habitats.

PMID- 26097269
TI  - Reactive and proactive aggression and suicide attempts among criminal offenders.
AB  - Outwardly-directed aggression is associated with suicide attempts, but aggression
      is a heterogeneous construct. Increased specificity in our understanding of the
      link between aggression and suicide attempts can be attained by examining
      subtypes of aggression. We studied the relationships of reactive and proactive
      aggression to history of a suicide attempt among 96 criminal offenders in a
      pretrial supervision program. Consistent with prior findings in non-offender
      samples, reactive aggression was associated with a history of suicide attempt
      after controlling for gender and depression. Proactive aggression was unrelated
      to suicide attempts. Results indicate that suicide risk assessments in forensic
      settings may be informed by the measurement of reactive aggression.

PMID- 26097268
TI  - Whole Trait Theory.
AB  - Personality researchers should modify models of traits to include mechanisms of
      differential reaction to situations. Whole Trait Theory does so via five main
      points. First, the descriptive side of traits should be conceptualized as density
      distributions of states. Second, it is important to provide an explanatory
      account of the Big 5 traits. Third, adding an explanatory account to the Big 5
      creates two parts to traits, an explanatory part and a descriptive part, and
      these two parts should be recognized as separate entities that are joined into
      whole traits. Fourth, Whole Trait Theory proposes that the explanatory side of
      traits consists of social-cognitive mechanisms. Fifth, social-cognitive
      mechanisms that produce Big-5 states should be identified.

PMID- 26097270
TI  - Sensitivity of Optimal Solutions to Control Problems for Second Order Evolution
      Subdifferential Inclusions.
AB  - In this paper the sensitivity of optimal solutions to control problems described
      by second order evolution subdifferential inclusions under perturbations of state
      relations and of cost functionals is investigated. First we establish a new
      existence result for a class of such inclusions. Then, based on the theory of
      sequential [Formula: see text]-convergence we recall the abstract scheme
      concerning convergence of minimal values and minimizers. The abstract scheme
      works provided we can establish two properties: the Kuratowski convergence of
      solution sets for the state relations and some complementary [Formula: see text]
      convergence of the cost functionals. Then these two properties are implemented in
      the considered case.

PMID- 26097271
TI  - Ionization of covalent immobilized poly(4-vinylphenol) monolayers measured by
      ellipsometry, QCM and SPR.
AB  - Covalently immobilized poly(4-vinylphenol) (PVP) monolayer films were fabricated
      by spin coating PVP on perfluorophenyl azide (PFPA)-functionalized surface
      followed by UV irradiation. The pH-responsive behavior of these PVP ultrathin
      films was evaluated by ellipsometry, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and
      surface plasmon resonance (SPR). By monitoring the responses of these films to pH
      in situ, the ionization constant of the monolayer thin films was obtained. The
      apparent pKa value of these covalently immobilized PVP monolayers, 13.4 by SPR,
      was 3 units higher than that of the free polymer in aqueous solution.

PMID- 26097273
TI  - Hard Times and Heart Break: Linking Economic Hardship and Relationship Distress.
AB  - We used the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study to examine an integrated
      mediational model linking economic hardship to relationship distress. Depressive
      symptoms, partner's discord, parenting stress, and coparenting are combined into
      a joint model linking economic hardship to relationship distress among mothers
      and fathers in intimate relationships. Although economic hardship is
      significantly associated with each mediating factor, only discord is associated
      with both relationship distress and dissolution in the full model. Moreover,
      comparisons using multigroup structural equation modeling indicate that while
      economic hardship is associated with higher discord among both mothers and
      fathers, the influence is substantially larger among fathers. We suggest that the
      link between hardship and relationship distress is largely contingent on
      interactional processes (i.e., discord) and how mothers perceive their child's
      father in the midst of economic hard times.

PMID- 26097274
TI  - Reading, Mathematics, and Behavioral Difficulties Interrelate: Evidence from a
      Cross-lagged Panel Design and Population-based Sample.
AB  - We examined three questions. First, do reading difficulties increase children's
      risk of behavior difficulties? Second, do behavioral difficulties increase
      children's risk of reading difficulties? Third, do mathematics difficulties
      increase children's risk of reading or behavioral difficulties? We investigated
      these questions using a sample of 9,324 children followed from third to fifth
      grade as they participated in a nationally representative dataset, conducting
      multilevel logistic regression modeling and including statistical control for
      many potential confounds. Results indicated that poor readers in third grade were
      significantly more likely to display poor task management, poor self-control,
      poor interpersonal skills, internalizing behavior problems, and externalizing
      behavior problems in fifth grade (odds ratio [OR] range = 1.30 - 1.57).
      Statistically controlling for a prior history of reading difficulties, children
      with poor mathematics skills in third grade were also significantly more likely
      to display poor task management, poor interpersonal skills, internalizing
      behavior problems, and reading difficulties in fifth grade (OR range = 1.38 -
      5.14). In contrast, only those children exhibiting poor task management, but not
      other types of problem behaviors, in third grade were more likely to be poor
      readers in fifth grade (OR = 1.49).

PMID- 26097275
TI  - The effects of synthesis method on the physical and chemical properties of
      dextran coated iron oxide nanoparticles.
AB  - Iron oxide nanoparticles coated with dextran were synthesized via four variations
      on the co-precipitation method. The methods ranged from in situ formation of the
      nanoparticles within the dextran solution to the adsorption of dextran to the
      nanoparticle surface following nucleation and extensive washing. The timing of
      the addition of dextran into the reaction mixture was found to greatly influence
      the physical and chemical properties of the magnetic nanoparticles. Batches of
      dextran coated iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by each method in
      triplicate, and the nanoparticles were further crosslinked with epichlorohydrin.
      The properties of the nanoparticles such as size, percentage of dextran coating,
      stability in solution, crystallinity, and magnetic properties were evaluated. The
      simultaneous semi-two-step method injected the reducing agent and the dextran
      solution into the reaction vessel at the same time. This method resulted in the
      greatest batch-to-batch reproducibility of nanoparticle properties and the least
      variation in nanoparticles synthesized in the same batch. The two-step method
      resulted in the greatest variation of the characteristics examined between
      batches. The one-step method was synthesized with both five grams and one gram of
      dextran to investigate the effects of solution viscosity on the resulting
      nanoparticle characteristics. The one-step method with five grams of dextran
      resulted in nanoparticles with significantly smaller crystal sizes (5.4 +/- 1.9
      nm) and lower specific adsorption rate (SAR) values (138.4 +/- 13.6 W/g) in an
      alternating magnetic field (58 kA/m, 292 kHz). However, this method resulted in
      nanoparticles that were very stable in PBS over 12 hours, which is most likely
      due to the greater dextran coating (60.0 +/- 2.7 weight percent). For comparison,
      the simultaneous semi-two-step method generated nanoparticles 179.2 +/- 18.3 nm
      in diameter (crystal size 12.1 +/- 0.2 nm) containing 18.3 +/- 1.2 weight percent
      dextran with a SAR value of 321.1 +/- 137.3 W/g.

PMID- 26097276
TI  - Barremian decapod crustaceans from Serre de Bleyton (Drome, SE France).
AB  - Based on mostly small-sized isolated cheliped fingers, a new decapod crustacean
      assemblage is described from the Barremian of Serre de Bleyton (Drome, SE
      France). The assemblage is composed mostly of representatives of the crab family
      Dynomenidae. In addition, remains of astacidean lobsters, axiidean shrimps,
      paguroid hermit crabs and brachyurous crabs of the families Necrocarcinidae and
      ?Cenomanocarcinidae occur in low numbers. Graptocarcinus moosleitneri
      (Dynomenidae) and ?Paranecrocarcinus schloegli (Necrocarcinidae) are introduced
      as new species. They both exhibit presence of multi-setal pores on dactyli that
      are interpreted as parts of a sieving mechanism used in feeding. The
      stratigraphic range of Graptocarcinus is extended herein to the Barremian.

PMID- 26097272
TI  - Encapsulated microbubbles and echogenic liposomes for contrast ultrasound imaging
      and targeted drug delivery.
AB  - Micron- to nanometer-sized ultrasound agents, like encapsulated microbubbles and
      echogenic liposomes, are being developed for diagnostic imaging and ultrasound
      mediated drug/gene delivery. This review provides an overview of the current
      state of the art of the mathematical models of the acoustic behavior of
      ultrasound contrast microbubbles. We also present a review of the in vitro
      experimental characterization of the acoustic properties of microbubble based
      contrast agents undertaken in our laboratory. The hierarchical two-pronged
      approach of modeling contrast agents we developed is demonstrated for a lipid
      coated (SonazoidTM) and a polymer shelled (poly D-L-lactic acid) contrast
      microbubbles. The acoustic and drug release properties of the newly developed
      echogenic liposomes are discussed for their use as simultaneous imaging and
      drug/gene delivery agents. Although echogenicity is conclusively demonstrated in
      experiments, its physical mechanisms remain uncertain. Addressing questions
      raised here will accelerate further development and eventual clinical approval of
      these novel technologies.

PMID- 26097277
TI  - The frequency of explosive volcanic eruptions in Southeast Asia.
AB  - There are ~750 active and potentially active volcanoes in Southeast Asia. Ash
      from eruptions of volcanic explosivity index 3 (VEI 3) and smaller pose mostly
      local hazards while eruptions of VEI >= 4 could disrupt trade, travel, and daily
      life in large parts of the region. We classify Southeast Asian volcanoes into
      five groups, using their morphology and, where known, their eruptive history and
      degassing style. Because the eruptive histories of most volcanoes in Southeast
      Asia are poorly constrained, we assume that volcanoes with similar morphologies
      have had similar eruption histories. Eruption histories of well-studied examples
      of each morphologic class serve as proxy histories for understudied volcanoes in
      the class. From known and proxy eruptive histories, we estimate that decadal
      probabilities of VEI 4-8 eruptions in Southeast Asia are nearly 1.0, ~0.6, ~0.15,
      ~0.012, and ~0.001, respectively.

PMID- 26097278
TI  - Augmentation of spelling therapy with transcranial direct current stimulation in
      primary progressive aphasia: Preliminary results and challenges.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative disease that
      primarily affects language functions and often begins in the fifth or sixth
      decade of life. The devastating effects on work and family life call for the
      investigation of treatment alternatives. In this article, we present new data
      indicating that neuromodulatory treatment, using transcranial direct current
      stimulation (tDCS) combined with a spelling intervention, shows some promise for
      maintaining or even improving language, at least temporarily, in PPA. AIMS: The
      main aim of the present article is to determine whether tDCS plus spelling
      intervention is more effective than spelling intervention alone in treating
      written language in PPA. We also asked whether the effects of tDCS are sustained
      longer than the effects of spelling intervention alone. METHODS & PROCEDURES: We
      present data from six PPA participants who underwent anodal tDCS or sham plus
      spelling intervention in a within-subject crossover design. Each stimulation
      condition lasted 3 weeks or a total of 15 sessions with a 2-month interval in
      between. Participants were evaluated on treatment tasks as well as on other
      language and cognitive tasks at 2-week and 2-month follow-up intervals after each
      stimulation condition. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: All participants showed improvement in
      spelling (with sham or tDCS). There was no difference in the treated items
      between the two conditions. There was, however, consistent and significant
      improvement for untrained items only in the tDCS plus spelling intervention
      condition. Furthermore, the improvement lasted longer in the tDCS plus spelling
      intervention condition compared to sham plus spelling intervention condition.
      CONCLUSIONS: Neuromodulation with tDCS offers promise as a means of augmenting
      language therapy to improve written language function at least temporarily in
      PPA. The consistent finding of generalisation of treatment benefits to untreated
      items and the superior sustainability of treatment effects with tDCS justifies
      further investigations. However, the small sample size still requires caution in
      interpretation. Present interventions need to be optimised, and particular
      challenges, such as ways to account for the variable effect of degeneration in
      each individual, are discussed.

PMID- 26097279
TI  - Sensitivity analysis of imaging geometries for prostate diffuse optical
      tomography.
AB  - Endoscopic and interstitial diffuse optical tomography have been studied in
      clinical investigations for imaging prostate tissues, yet, there is no
      comprehensive comparison of how these two imaging geometries affect the quality
      of the reconstruction images. In this study, the effect of imaging geometry is
      investigated by comparing the cross-section of the Jacobian sensitivity matrix
      and reconstructed images for three-dimensional mathematical phantoms. Next, the
      effect of source-detector configurations and number of measurements in both
      geometries is evaluated using singular value analysis. The amount of information
      contained for each source-detector configuration and different number of
      measurements are compared. Further, the effect of different measurements
      strategies for 3D endoscopic and interstitial tomography is examined. The pros
      and cons of using the in-plane measurements and off-plane measurements are
      discussed. Results showed that the reconstruction in the interstitial geometry
      outperforms the endoscopic geometry when deeper anomalies are present. Eight
      sources 8 detectors and 6 sources 12 detectors are sufficient for 2D
      reconstruction with endoscopic and interstitial geometry respectively. For a 3D
      problem, the quantitative accuracy in the interstitial geometry is significantly
      improved using off-plane measurements but only slightly in the endoscopic
      geometry.

PMID- 26097280
TI  - Initial results from a prototype whole-body photon-counting computed tomography
      system.
AB  - X-ray computed tomography (CT) with energy-discriminating capabilities presents
      exciting opportunities for increased dose efficiency and improved material
      decomposition analyses. However, due to constraints imposed by the inability of
      photon-counting detectors (PCD) to respond accurately at high photon flux, to
      date there has been no clinical application of PCD-CT. Recently, our lab
      installed a research prototype system consisting of two x-ray sources and two
      corresponding detectors, one using an energy-integrating detector (EID) and the
      other using a PCD. In this work, we report the first third-party evaluation of
      this prototype CT system using both phantoms and a cadaver head. The phantom
      studies demonstrated several promising characteristics of the PCD sub-system,
      including improved longitudinal spatial resolution and reduced beam hardening
      artifacts, relative to the EID sub-system. More importantly, we found that the
      PCD sub-system offers excellent pulse pileup control in cases of x-ray flux up to
      550 mA at 140 kV, which corresponds to approximately 2.5*1011 photons per cm2 per
      second. In an anthropomorphic phantom and a cadaver head, the PCD sub-system
      provided image quality comparable to the EID sub-system for the same dose level.
      Our results demonstrate the potential of the prototype system to produce
      clinically-acceptable images in vivo.

PMID- 26097281
TI  - Context-dependent evaluation of prospective mates in a fish.
AB  - Female choice is often assumed to be based on absolute preference, driven by a
      threshold value of mate attractiveness. However, increasing evidence suggests
      that females may instead perform a comparative evaluation of prospective mates,
      possibly incurring in violation of rational decision rules (e.g. independence
      from irrelevant alternative, IIA). A prototypical case is the 'asymmetrically
      dominated decoy' effect where the preference for a target option over a
      competitor is altered by the addition of an irrelevant alternative. Here, we test
      for this effect in the peacock blenny Salaria pavo. Females, in binary test (i.e.
      focal option dyad differing in body size and extension of a yellow spot),
      strongly preferred one of the options. The effect of decoys, asymmetrically
      dominating the focal options for either yellow spot extension or body size,
      varied according to the initially preferred trait and the decoy type. Indeed, the
      addition of a decoy caused a shift in preference only when the decoy exhibited
      the intermediate expression of the trait less preferred initially. By contrast,
      females did not modify their preference in the presence of the decoy for their
      preferred trait. Although females' evaluation was context-dependent, the
      violation of IIA was clearly observed only with respect to the initially less
      preferred trait. This does not exclude that females are in any case using
      comparative decision rules. Indeed, when faced with three alternatives, two of
      which are proportionally closer to each other than to the third one, they might
      not be able to discriminate among them, perceiving stimulus absolute magnitude.

PMID- 26097282
TI  - Differences in exploration behaviour in common ravens and carrion crows during
      development and across social context.
AB  - Exploration is particularly important for young animals, as it enables them to
      learn to exploit their surroundings. It is likely to be affected by species
      ecology and social context, though there are few comparative, longitudinal
      studies that control for effects of early experience. Here, we investigated group
      level exploration behaviour in two closely related and identically reared,
      generalist corvid species: common ravens (Corvus corax) and carrion crows (C.
      corone, C. cornix), during development and across social context. Subjects were
      repeatedly presented with a range of novel items, whilst alone and in a dyad/
      subgroup, at the fledging (1-2 months old), juvenile (3-8 months old) and sub
      adult (14-18 months old) stages. Whilst alone, they were also presented with a
      novel and familiar person, at the fledging and juvenile stages. We expected
      developmental differences and a facilitating influence of social context on
      exploration. Developmental differences were present, with both species
      interacting most frequently with novel items as juveniles, which may relate to
      major developmental steps, such as dispersal and a neophobia increase as sub
      adults. When a conspecific(s) was present, subjects generally interacted more
      frequently, though took longer to interact, with novel items. Additionally, we
      found unexpected species differences, with the most striking difference being the
      crows' significantly lower rate of interaction with the novel person, though not
      the familiar person; a species difference that was present from fledging. We
      discuss these findings by relating to potential differences in the two species
      ecology and behaviour, such as habitat use and caching proficiency.

PMID- 26097283
TI  - Friendship chemistry: An examination of underlying factors?.
AB  - Interpersonal chemistry refers to a connection between two individuals that
      exists upon first meeting. The goal of the current study is to identify beliefs
      about the underlying components of friendship chemistry. Individuals respond to
      an online Friendship Chemistry Questionnaire containing items that are derived
      from interdependence theory and the friendship formation literature. Participants
      are randomly divided into two subsamples. A principal axis factor analysis with
      promax rotation is performed on subsample 1 and produces 5 factors: Reciprocal
      candor, mutual interest, personableness, similarity, and physical attraction. A
      confirmatory factor analysis is conducted using subsample 2 and provides support
      for the 5-factor model. Participants with agreeable, open, and conscientious
      personalities more commonly report experiencing friendship chemistry, as do those
      who are female, young, and European/white. Responses from participants who have
      never experienced chemistry are qualitatively analyzed. Limitations and
      directions for future research are discussed.

PMID- 26097284
TI  - Perceptual Integration of Visual Evidence of the Airstream from Aspirated Stops.
AB  - This study investigates whether indirect visual evidence of aspiration can
      influence speech perception as previously found for tactile information.
      Participants were shown video of a speaker producing the sequence "pom" and
      "bomb" in a noisy setting. In some tokens, a candle was visibly perturbed by
      aspiration. All participants were more likely to correctly identify "pom" and
      incorrectly identify "bomb" in the presence of visible perturbation, indicating
      that perceptual integration was taking place. This effect was stronger for
      participants who reported being consciously aware of the candle as a predictor.
      This indicates that ambient information can be incorporated in speech perception
      even when presented via an indirect modality, and that active attention can
      amplify this effect.

PMID- 26097285
TI  - Inference for local autocorrelations in locally stationary models.
AB  - For non-stationary processes, the time-varying correlation structure provides
      useful insights into the underlying model dynamics. We study estimation and
      inferences for local autocorrelation process in locally stationary time series.
      Our constructed simultaneous confidence band can be used to address important
      hypothesis testing problems, such as whether the local autocorrelation process is
      indeed time-varying and whether the local autocorrelation is zero. In particular,
      our result provides an important generalization of the R function acf() to
      locally stationary Gaussian processes. Simulation studies and two empirical
      applications are developed. For the global temperature series, we find that the
      local autocorrelations are time-varying and have a "V" shape during 1910-1960.
      For the S&P 500 index, we conclude that the returns satisfy the efficient-market
      hypothesis whereas the magnitudes of returns show significant local
      autocorrelations.

PMID- 26097288
TI  - Container-based sanitation: assessing costs and effectiveness of excreta
      management in Cap Haitien, Haiti.
AB  - Container-based sanitation (CBS) - in which wastes are captured in sealable
      containers that are then transported to treatment facilities - is an alternative
      sanitation option in urban areas where on-site sanitation and sewerage are
      infeasible. This paper presents the results of a pilot household CBS service in
      Cap Haitien, Haiti. We quantify the excreta generated weekly in a dense urban
      slum,(1) the proportion safely removed via container-based public and household
      toilets, and the costs associated with these systems. The CBS service yielded an
      approximately 3.5-fold decrease in the unmanaged share of faeces produced, and
      nearly eliminated the reported use of open defecation and "flying toilets" among
      service recipients. The costs of this pilot small-scale service were higher than
      those of large-scale waterborne sewerage, but economies of scale have the
      potential to reduce CBS costs over time. The paper concludes with a discussion of
      planning and policy implications of incorporating CBS into the menu of sanitation
      options for rapidly growing cities.

PMID- 26097287
TI  - The effect of spontaneous curvature on a two-phase vesicle.
AB  - Vesicles are membrane-bound structures commonly known for their roles in cellular
      transport and the shape of a vesicle is determined by its surrounding membrane
      (lipid bilayer). When the membrane is composed of different lipids, it is natural
      for the lipids of similar molecular structure to migrate towards one another (via
      spinodal decomposition), creating a multi-phase vesicle. In this article, we
      consider a two-phase vesicle model which is driven by nature's propensity to
      maintain a minimal state of elastic energy. The model assumes a continuum limit,
      thereby treating the membrane as a closed three-dimensional surface. The main
      purpose of this study is to reveal the complexity of the Helfrich two-phase
      vesicle model with non-zero spontaneous curvature and provide further evidence to
      support the relevance of spontaneous curvature as a modelling parameter. In this
      paper, we illustrate the complexity of the Helfrich two-phase model by providing
      multiple examples of undocumented solutions and energy hysteresis. We also
      investigate the influence of spontaneous curvature on morphological effects and
      membrane phenomena such as budding and fusion.

PMID- 26097286
TI  - Feasibility of intensive parent-child interaction therapy (I-PCIT): Results from
      an open trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The current pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and
      initial outcome of an intensive and more condensed version of Parent-Child
      Interaction Therapy (90 minute sessions for 5 days/week over the course of 2
      weeks). METHOD: Using an open trial design, 11 children (M child age = 5.01
      years) and their mothers completed a baseline period of 2 weeks, a treatment
      period of 2 weeks, and a post-treatment evaluation. A follow-up evaluation was
      also conducted 4 months following treatment completion. Across all assessments,
      mothers completed measures of child behavior and parenting stress, and
      observational data was collected during three 5-minute standard situations that
      vary in the degree of parental control (child-led play, parent-led play, & clean
      up). RESULTS: All 11 families completed the intervention with extremely high
      attendance and reported high satisfaction. Results across both mother report and
      observations showed that: a) externalizing behavior problems were stable during
      the baseline period; b) treatment was effective in reducing externalizing
      behavior problems (ds = 1.67-2.50), improving parenting skills (ds = 1.93-6.04),
      and decreasing parenting stress (d = .91); and c) treatment gains were maintained
      at follow-up (ds = .53-3.50). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, preliminary data suggest that
      a brief and intensive format of a parent-training intervention is a feasible and
      effective treatment for young children with externalizing behavior problems with
      clinical implications for improving children's behavioral impairment in a very
      brief period of time.

PMID- 26097289
TI  - Long-chain omega-3 from low-trophic-level fish provides value to farmed seafood.
AB  - Low-trophic-level fish are a crucial source of long-chain (LC) omega-3 fatty
      acids for farmed fish and humans. Many farm-raised fish species have a clear need
      for these nutrients. Farmed fish deposit the LC omega-3s in their flesh and
      transfer them up the food chain. However, the content of LC omega-3s in farm
      raised seafood continues to decline, while the content of shorter-chain plant
      sourced omega-3s, and pro-inflammtory omega-6s continue to increase. This reduces
      its nutritional worth. The value of low-trophic-level fish is often viewed merely
      as its price at the dock. Some reports and metrics steer public attention towards
      the mass balance between quantities of low-trophic-level fish and farmed seafood.
      However, the the nutritional value of seafood is more important than its mere
      quantities. The role of low-trophic-level fish in human nutrition, health, and
      wellbeing is a fundamental component of its economic value to society.

PMID- 26097290
TI  - Dietary sources, current intakes, and nutritional role of omega-3
      docosapentaenoic acid.
AB  - Fish oils and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are well recognized for their
      critical role in human diets. Docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22 : 5n-3) has always
      been a part of healthy nutrition, since infants obtain almost as much DPA as DHA
      from human milk. Fish oil supplements and ingredients, oily fish, and grass-fed
      beef can serve as the primary DPA sources for the general population. Although
      the DPA levels in fish oils are substantially lower than those of EPA and DHA,
      concentrated DPA products are now becoming commercially available, and DPA-based
      drugs are under development. Epidemiological studies show that similar to
      eicosapentaenoic (EPA, 20 : 5n-3) and docosahexaenoic (DHA, 22 : 6n-3) acids, DPA
      is linked to various improvements in human health, perhaps owing to its
      structural similarity to the other two molecules. Studies in mammals, platelets,
      and cell cultures have demonstrated that DPA reduces platelet aggregation, and
      improves lipid metabolism, endothelial cell migration, and resolution of chronic
      inflammation. Further, other in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that DPA can
      improve neural health. A human supplementation trial with 99.8% pure DPA
      suggested that it serves as a storage depot for EPA and DHA in the human body.
      Future randomized controlled human trials with purified DPA will help clarify its
      effects on human health. They may confirm the available evidence pointing to its
      nutritional and biological functions, unique or overlapping with those of EPA and
      DHA.

PMID- 26097291
TI  - Rapid ecosystem change challenges the adaptive capacity of Local Environmental
      Knowledge.
AB  - The use of Local Environmental Knowledge has been considered as an important
      strategy for adaptive management in the face of Global Environmental Change.
      However, the unprecedented rates at which global change occurs may pose a
      challenge to the adaptive capacity of local knowledge systems. In this paper, we
      use the concept of the shifting baseline syndrome to examine the limits in the
      adaptive capacity of the local knowledge of an indigenous society facing rapid
      ecosystem change. We conducted semi-structured interviews regarding perceptions
      of change in wildlife populations and in intergenerational transmission of
      knowledge amongst the Tsimane', a group of hunter-gatherers of Bolivian Amazonia
      (n = 300 adults in 13 villages). We found that the natural baseline against which
      the Tsimane' measure ecosystem changes might be shifting with every generation as
      a result of (a) age-related differences in the perception of change and (b) a
      decrease in the intergenerational sharing of environmental knowledge. Such
      findings suggest that local knowledge systems might not change at a rate quick
      enough to adapt to conditions of rapid ecosystem change, hence potentially
      compromising the adaptive success of the entire social-ecological system. With
      the current pace of Global Environmental Change, widening the gap between the
      temporal rates of on-going ecosystem change and the timescale needed for local
      knowledge systems to adjust to change, efforts to tackle the shifting baseline
      syndrome are urgent and critical for those who aim to use Local Environmental
      Knowledge as a tool for adaptive management.

PMID- 26097292
TI  - Amperometric immunosensor for rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) has been a major public health problem, which can be better
      controlled by using accurate and rapid diagnosis in low-resource settings. A
      simple, portable, and sensitive detection method is required for point-of-care
      (POC) settings. This paper studies an amperometric biosensor using a microtip
      immunoassay for a rapid and low cost detection of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
      (MTB) in sputum. MTB in sputum is specifically captured on the functionalized
      microtip surface and detected by electric current. According to the numerical
      study, the current signal on microtip surface is linearly changed with increasing
      immersion depth. Using a reference microtip, the immersion depth is compensated
      for a sensing microtip. On the microtip surface, target bacteria are concentrated
      and organized by a coffee ring effect, which amplifies the electric current. To
      enhance the signal-to-noise ratio, both the sample processing- and rinsing steps
      are presented with use of deionized water as a medium for the amperometric
      measurement. When applied to cultured MTB cells spiked into human sputum, the
      detection limit was 100 CFU/mL, comparable to a more labor-intensive fluorescence
      detection method reported previously.

PMID- 26097293
TI  - Piecewise Approximate Bayesian Computation: fast inference for discretely
      observed Markov models using a factorised posterior distribution.
AB  - Many modern statistical applications involve inference for complicated stochastic
      models for which the likelihood function is difficult or even impossible to
      calculate, and hence conventional likelihood-based inferential techniques cannot
      be used. In such settings, Bayesian inference can be performed using Approximate
      Bayesian Computation (ABC). However, in spite of many recent developments to ABC
      methodology, in many applications the computational cost of ABC necessitates the
      choice of summary statistics and tolerances that can potentially severely bias
      the estimate of the posterior. We propose a new "piecewise" ABC approach suitable
      for discretely observed Markov models that involves writing the posterior density
      of the parameters as a product of factors, each a function of only a subset of
      the data, and then using ABC within each factor. The approach has the advantage
      of side-stepping the need to choose a summary statistic and it enables a
      stringent tolerance to be set, making the posterior "less approximate". We
      investigate two methods for estimating the posterior density based on ABC samples
      for each of the factors: the first is to use a Gaussian approximation for each
      factor, and the second is to use a kernel density estimate. Both methods have
      their merits. The Gaussian approximation is simple, fast, and probably adequate
      for many applications. On the other hand, using instead a kernel density estimate
      has the benefit of consistently estimating the true piecewise ABC posterior as
      the number of ABC samples tends to infinity. We illustrate the piecewise ABC
      approach with four examples; in each case, the approach offers fast and accurate
      inference.

PMID- 26097295
TI  - Message from IAOMP President.

PMID- 26097294
TI  - Modeling the Dynamics of the U.S. Healthcare Expenditure Using a Hyperbolastic
      Function.
AB  - In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of the U.S. national healthcare
      expenditures from 1960 to 2011. The data were obtained from the U.S. Department
      of Health and Human Services, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The
      analytical method allows extracting the long-run deterministic trend from the
      cyclical and the random components. The long-run trend is estimated using six
      classical growth models and three more recent growth curves called Hyperbolastic
      growth models of types I, II, and III, denoted by H1, H2, and H3, respectively.
      The statistical results indicate that the H1 model provides the best fit of the
      data. The study is complemented by a mathematical analysis of the deterministic
      long-run component of the national healthcare expenditure (NHE) as modeled by H1.
      This analysis is performed by examining the behavior of the absolute growth rate
      (pace of increase curve), the relative growth rate, and the acceleration of the
      U.S. NHE over the 52-year time frame. To the best of our knowledge, this paper
      provides the first application of Hyperbolastic models to economics data. This
      study can be used by researchers and policy makers as a descriptive as well as a
      predictive tool.

PMID- 26097296
TI  - Message from the IAOMP secretary.

PMID- 26097297
TI  - From the Editor's desk.

PMID- 26097298
TI  - CANCER CONUNDRUM.

PMID- 26097299
TI  - CELLULAR CANNIBALISM.

PMID- 26097300
TI  - Prevalence of fungal hyphae in potentially malignant lesions and conditions-does
      its occurrence play a role in epithelial dysplasia?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral cancer is a major public health problem in India. A key factor
      that has led to lack of improvement in prognosis of oral cancer over the years,
      is delay in diagnosis and treatment. In many instances, a significant proportion
      of oral squamous cell carcinomas develop from premalignant lesions and
      conditions. Identification of such lesions and conditions is very important in
      order to prevent malignant transformation. The role of fungal infections has been
      studied and holds promise as an indicator to predict malignant transformation. So
      we designed a study to analyze the prevalence of fungal hyphae in biopsies of
      patients with clinically diagnosed cases of premalignant lesions and conditions.
      AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine and compare the prevalence of fungal hyphae in
      biopsies of patients with clinically diagnosed cases of potentially malignant
      lesions and conditions and to assess the possible association between the degree
      of epithelial dysplasia and presence or absence of fungal hyphae. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Clinically suspected and histopathologically diagnosed 70 cases of
      potentially malignant lesions and conditions (29 leukoplakia, 16 submucous
      fibrosis and 25 lichen planus) made up the study group. Three tissue sections
      (5MUm) of each were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H and E), periodic acid
      Schiff's reagent (PAS) and Grocott's methenamine silver (GMS) and evaluated for
      fungal hyphae. The data collected was statistically analyzed by using Chi-square
      test and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. RESULTS: The
      estimated prevalence of fungal hyphae in cases with or without dysplasia in
      leukoplakia was 41.4%, lichen planus 36% and submucous fibrosis 25%. There was a
      significant association between degree of epithelial dysplasia with presence or
      absence of fungal hyphae in all the study groups. CONCLUSION: Presence of fungal
      hyphae in potentially malignant lesions and conditions may prove to be a useful
      indicator in predicting malignant transformation.

PMID- 26097302
TI  - The master switch: Comparative study of mast cell in oral epithelial dysplasia,
      oral submucous fibrosis and oral squamous cells carcinoma and their association
      with inflammation and angiogenesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dental and medical practitioners encounter wide spectrum of oral
      lesions in their day-to-day practice. Many of the lesions such as leukoplakia,
      oral submucous fibrosis (OSF), etc., are associated with tobacco and betel nut
      chewing. Oral leukoplakia, OSF, oral lichen planus and oral squamous cell
      carcinoma (OSCC) are the most commonly occurring oral diseases associated with
      characteristic clinical and histological features and are associated with chronic
      inflammation at some stage of the disease process. AIMS: To study and compare the
      number, morphology and topographical distribution of mast cells in oral
      epithelial dysplasia (OED), OSF and OSCC and to correlate different types of mast
      cells with the inflammatory infiltrate and vascularity of the lesions. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Total number of subjects was 120 and equally divided into four
      groups of 30 as controls, OED, OSF and OSCC cases. Two sections of from each
      tissue embedded in paraffin wax block were made which were stained with
      hematoxylin and eosin and toluidine blue stain. Mast cells were counted in five
      different zones. RESULTS: In the present study, increased numbers of mast cells
      were seen in all lesions. The cases with mild, moderate and severe inflammation
      showed increased number of typical (TMCs), atypical (AMCs) and granular mast
      cells (GMCs), respectively. CONCLUSION: The result of the present study concludes
      that the mast cells play a key role in mediating the cross links between external
      angiogenic agent and local immunologic factors.

PMID- 26097301
TI  - Evaluation of histomorphological and immunohistochemical parameters as biomarkers
      of cervical lymph node metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity: A
      retrospective study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is seen worldwide but is more
      common in India. Lymph node (LN) metastasis has been shown to be the strongest
      prognostic factor in OSCC. Many histopathological and immunohistochemical markers
      have been studied to predict the LN metastasis. AIMS: To identify
      clinicopathological factors and immunohistochemical (IHC) biomarkers which
      predict cervical metastasis in OSCC patients. STUDY AND DESIGN: A total of 105
      cases of OSCC were taken up for our study. Histopathological parameters such as
      tumor thickness, depth, degree of differentiation, pattern of invasion (POI),
      lymphovascular and neural invasion were assessed. IHC was done on all cases using
      antibodies against Ki-67, cyclin D, E-cadherin, p53, CD31 and each antibody was
      assessed according to the standard protocol. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: To calculate
      the relation between clinical, histopathological parameter, IHC marker and the
      occurrence of LN metastasis, chi-square test was used. Variables were tested
      using multivariate logistic regression method to assess the predictive
      significance. RESULTS: Out of 105 cases studied, 29 cases showed LN metastasis.
      Maximum numbers of cases affected were females with involvement of buccal mucosa.
      We found significant association of cervical LN metastasis with high grade of
      differentiation, lack of E-cadherin expression, high Ki-67 and cyclin D1
      expression. In our study; tumor depth, thickness, extent of peritumoral lympho
      plasmacytic infiltration, presence of eosinophils, tumor nest type, p53 and
      microvessel density (MVD) showed no significant correlation. CONCLUSION:
      Significant association of cervical LN metastasis with high grade of
      differentiation, lack of E-cadherin expression, high Ki-67 and cyclin D1
      expression was seen.

PMID- 26097304
TI  - Prevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen in dental personnel.
AB  - CONTEXT: Hepatitis B, a viral disease affecting the liver has high morbidity and
      mortality. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in serum is used to detect
      presence of active disease and chronic carrier status. The disease is transmitted
      predominantly through blood and saliva, hence dental professionals are considered
      a high risk group. AIM: To detect presence of HBsAg in serum of dental
      professionals. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in two parts viz.,
      one in the year 1991 on 100 dental professionals in Nagpur using reverse passive
      hemagglutination and the other in 2012 on 50 dental professionals in Chennai
      using immunochromatography. RESULTS: Ten percent of dental professionals screened
      in 1991 and 2% of dental professionals screened in 2012 showed HBsAg positive
      status and were predominantly periodontists with a history of needle-stick
      injury. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of Hepatitis B
      vaccination and periodic evaluation of antibody titer to prevent spread of the
      disease.

PMID- 26097303
TI  - Immunohistochemical analysis of CD34 expression in salivary gland tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor growth depends on angiogenesis which is assessed by measuring
      the tumor microvessel density (MVD) through CD34 immunostaining. The present
      study was performed to evaluate the situation of angiogenic activity in salivary
      gland neoplasms. The possible role of CD34 in progression and invasion of
      salivary gland tumors is also investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tissue
      specimens of 15 pleomorphic adenoma (PA) and 15 malignant salivary gland tumors
      including mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC) and
      salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) were immunostained for CD34 protein. The most
      vascularized areas at low power magnification (hotspots) were selected for vessel
      counting at *400 magnification. Then, the mean number of microvessels in three
      fields within the tumor mass was calculated. RESULTS: MVD in PA and malignant
      salivary gland tumors were 10.93 +/- 5.95 and 26.46 +/- 7.32, respectively. Tumor
      angiogenesis in PA was much lower than other lesions (P < 0.05). No significant
      difference was observed between malignant tumors (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Salivary
      gland carcinomas demonstrated higher vascular density than benign PA despite of
      cell types and architecture. The reason for this higher angiogenic activity could
      be related to metabolic characteristics of malignant cells.

PMID- 26097305
TI  - Aphthous ulcers, salivary peroxidase and stress: Are they related?
AB  - BACKGROUND: In today's high strung lifestyle, stress plays a major role on our
      health. Studies using ultraweak chemiluminescence have been able to demonstrate
      this effect, of psychological stress on the immune system, using saliva as a
      psychological stress marker. The impact of psychosocial factors on the oral
      mucosal lesions of individuals found that stress can contribute to weakened
      immunity and increased susceptibility to infection. AIM: To study the role of
      salivary peroxidase (SPOx) in psychologically stressed individuals with and
      without the presence of aphthous ulcer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved
      evaluating subjects for stress, using Perceived Stress Scale. Depending on the
      stress scores and the presence or absence of oral aphthae, they were assigned
      into 3 groups of 30 each. After a thorough oral examination, individual samples
      of saliva was collected and subjected to microprotein estimation using a
      biochemical analyzer. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and
      Student's t-test. RESULTS: Decreased levels of peroxidase were found in
      individuals' with aphthous ulcers, while the same was increased when no lesions
      were found and also on a lower stress scale. CONCLUSIONS: Our study analysis does
      show a variation in enzyme levels between the different groups highlighting the
      influence of stress on the peroxidase levels, which in turn when imbalanced,
      results in tissue damage, leading to aphthous formation.

PMID- 26097306
TI  - Evaluation of myofibroblasts in oral squamous cell carcinoma using H1 calponin:
      An immunohistochemical study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy of
      the oral mucosa. Stromal myofibroblasts play an important role in tumor invasion
      and metastasis, due to its ability to modify the extracellular matrix. The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the presence of myofibroblasts
      in normal mucosa, early invasive carcinoma and different grades of OSCC.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included the archival tissues of 18 OSCC of
      well, moderate and poorly differentiated grades, three early invasive carcinomas
      and five normal mucosa. Myofibroblasts were identified by immunohistochemical
      detection of h1 calponin. RESULTS: The percentage and intensity of h1 calponin
      were examined and positive immunostaining was observed in the myofibroblasts of
      all SCCs and early invasive carcinomas; however, these cells did not stain in the
      normal epithelium specimens. The presence of myofibroblasts was significantly
      higher in invasive pattern of OSCCs compared to normal mucosa cases (P < 0.070).
      A significant difference was not observed between the different grades of OSCC (P
      <= 0.812). CONCLUSION: These findings show the presence of myofibroblasts in OSCC
      but not in normal mucosa, suggesting that the genetically altered epithelium
      (carcinomatous epithelium) may have an inductive effect on the adjacent stroma to
      produce myofibroblasts. Also transdifferentiation of myofibroblasts is induced
      somewhere in the invasive stage of SCC irrespective of the epithelial cell
      differentiation.

PMID- 26097307
TI  - Primary malignant epithelial salivary gland tumors in an Iranian population: A
      retrospective study of 81 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Salivary gland tumors of epithelial origin are rare lesions. Few
      epidemiologic studies on prevalence of such condition in Iranian population have
      been published. This study with the aim of determining the relative frequency of
      epithelial salivary tumors was performed in Yazd city from 2001 to 2012.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cases diagnosed as primary malignant epithelial salivary
      gland tumor were collected from the Pathology Department of main hospitals and
      Health Department of Medical Science Yazd University from 2001-2012.
      Histopathologic type, tumor location, age, gender and whether patients were
      native or non-native were analyzed. RESULTS: Eighty-one cases of primary
      malignant epithelial salivary gland tumors were recorded. Male to female ratio
      was 1:1.3. The most common malignancy was adenoid cystic carcinoma (35.8%) and
      the most common effected site was the parotid gland. Mean age for malignancy was
      52.57 +/- 18.25 years. CONCLUSION: According to the findings of this study,
      predilection of adenoid cystic carcinoma was more in non-natives as compared to
      natives (from Yazd). This could suggest the influence of racial and environmental
      factors on prevalence of such malignancies.

PMID- 26097308
TI  - Heat shock protein (HSP70) as a marker of epithelial dysplasia in oral dysplastic
      lesions: A clinicopathological study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In the present study, expression of heat shock protein (HSP70) was
      evaluated and compared in oral dysplastic lesions, in particular leukoplakia
      (study group) and in normal mucosal tissues (control group). Additionally,
      correlation of HSP70 expression with clinical disease status was investigated.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 60 fresh tissue specimens were obtained from the
      oral cavity, consisting of 30 dysplastic cases and 30 normal mucosal tissues. The
      presence of epithelial dysplasia and its histologic grading was evaluated.
      Immunohistochemistry was carried out with the monoclonal HSP70 antibodies and
      expression of cytoplasmic HSP70 within the epithelium was compared between
      dysplastic and normal mucosal samples using Student's t-test. RESULTS: Expression
      of HSP70 was detected in 93% of the oral dysplastic tissues and 20% of the normal
      mucosal tissues. Statistical significant difference in the HSP70 expression was
      seen between oral dysplastic tissues and normal oral mucosal tissues (P < 0.000).
      The interexaminer reliability was 93.3%. Statistical significant difference was
      seen in the HSP70 expression between controls and different grades of dysplasia
      (mild, moderate and severe). There was no relationship of HSP70 expression with
      clinical parameters like age, sex, site of the lesion, history of adverse habits
      and duration of adverse habits. CONCLUSION: In the present study, HSP70 activity
      was significantly higher in oral dysplastic (leukoplakia) group than in the
      control group. Further, as the grade of dysplasia increased, the staining
      intensity and/or distribution increased, indicating that enhanced HSP70
      expression occurs during oral carcinogenesis. Hence, it is concluded that
      increased HSP70 immunoexpression could be an objective marker for the presence of
      epithelial dysplasia.

PMID- 26097309
TI  - Relationship of long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy on salivary flow
      rate and CD4 Count among HIV-infected patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine if long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy
      (HAART) therapy alters salivary flow rate and also to compare its relation of CD4
      count with unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      cross-sectional study was performed on 150 individuals divided into three groups.
      Group I (50 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive patients, but not on
      HAART therapy), Group II (50 HIV-infected subjects and on HAART for less than 3
      years called short-term HAART), Group III (50 HIV-infected subjects and on HAART
      for more than or equal to 3 years called long-term HAART). Spitting method
      proposed by Navazesh and Kumar was used for the measurement of unstimulated and
      stimulated salivary flow rate. Chi-square test and analysis of variance (ANOVA)
      were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The mean CD4 count was 424.78 +/-
      187.03, 497.82 +/- 206.11 and 537.6 +/- 264.00 in the respective groups. Majority
      of the patients in all the groups had a CD4 count between 401 and 600. Both
      unstimulated and stimulated whole salivary (UWS and SWS) flow rates in Group I
      was found to be significantly higher than in Group II (P < 0.05). Unstimulated
      salivary flow rate between Group II and III subjects were also found to be
      statistically significant (P < 0.05). ANOVA performed between CD4 count and
      unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva in each group demonstrated a
      statistically significant relationship in Group II (P < 0.05). There were no
      significant results found between CD4 count and stimulated whole saliva in each
      groups. CONCLUSION: The reduction in CD4 cell counts were significantly
      associated with salivary flow rates of HIV-infected individuals who are on long
      term HAART.

PMID- 26097310
TI  - Loricrin - an overview.
AB  - Loricrin is a terminally differentiating structural protein comprising more than
      70% of the cornified envelope. It contributes to the protective barrier function
      of the stratum corneum. In vivo, loricrin is expressed inall mammalian stratified
      epithelia with the highest levels of expression in humid tissues such as newborn
      epidermis, the epithelia of oral and anal mucosa, esophagus, foreskin, vagina and
      the epidermal parts of sweat ducts. Loricrin is not expressed in non keratinizing
      epithelia and its expression at these sites actually represents a defensive or
      protective mechanismof the body. An insight into this protein- "Loricrin" can
      shed light to its potential as a marker in the early stages of potentially
      malignant disorders like oral sub mucous fibrosis and leukoplakia. This
      compilation has been done by taking into account the existing literature, reviews
      and original studies on loricrin, a major component of the cornifiedcell
      envelope, its structure and the alterations that result due to its absence or
      presence of both the epidermis and the oral mucosa. 

PMID- 26097311
TI  - Various terminologies associated with areca nut and tobacco chewing: A review.
AB  - Globally, arecanut and tobacco are among the most common addictions. Tobacco and
      arecanut alone or in combination are practiced in different regions in various
      forms. Subsequently, oral mucosal lesions also show marked variations in their
      clinical as well as histopathological appearance. However, it has been found that
      there is no uniformity and awareness while reporting these habits. Various
      terminologies used by investigators like 'betel chewing','betel quid
      chewing','betel nut chewing','betel nut habit','tobacco chewing'and 'paan
      chewing' clearly indicate that there is lack of knowledge and lots of confusion
      about the exact terminology and content of the habit. If the health promotion
      initiatives are to be considered, a thorough knowledge of composition and way of
      practicing the habit is essential. In this article we reviewed composition and
      various terminologies associated with areca nut and tobacco habits in an effort
      to clearly delineate various habits. 

PMID- 26097312
TI  - Polymorphous low grade adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma (PLGA), is a rare, salivary gland intraoral
      tumor with complexities in diagnosis and this review highlights the difficulties.

PMID- 26097313
TI  - Linear IgA dermatosis adult variant with oral manifestation: A rare case report.
AB  - Linear immunoglobulin A (IgA) dermatosis (LAD) is a rare autoimmune disorder that
      presents as a vesiculo-bullous lesion with cutaneous manifestations, but rare
      oral mucosal involvement. Here we discuss a case of a vesiculobullous lesion with
      severe oral and ocular mucosal involvement mimicking pemphigoid with
      histopathological evidence of subepithelial blisters. Direct immunofluorescence
      (DIF) confirmed the lesion as LAD of adult variant, although with atypical
      clinical features. 

PMID- 26097314
TI  - Cervical ganglioneuroma in collision with a metastatic undifferentiated
      carcinoma.
AB  - Cervical ganglioneuromas are extremely rare with approximately six case reports.
      The current report highlights a unique collision tumor between a cervical
      ganglioneuroma and a metastatic undifferentiated carcinoma arising from a primary
      gingival mass. A 53-year-old male presented with a 2 cm left gingival mass that
      was excised and treated with systemic chemotherapy. Consequently, 9 months later,
      he developed a 3.2 cm left submandibular mass followed by recurrence of the left
      gingival mass. From the clinicopathologic perspective, this had to be separated
      from the differentials: ganglioneuroblastoma or metastatic involvement of a lymph
      node from primary gingival undifferentiated carcinoma. 

PMID- 26097315
TI  - Lipomatous hemangiopericytoma in a child: A case report with immunohistochemical
      evaluation.
AB  - Lipomatous hemangiopericytomas are rare soft-tissue tumors that show areas of
      hemangiopericytoma like vascular pattern admixed with lipid containing cells. It
      is now considered a subtype of solitary fibrous tumor due to histopathological
      and immunohistochemical similarities. To date, only a few cases have been
      adequately reported in the medical literature. A case of lipomatous
      hemangiopericytoma in an 11-year-old female patient is presented and the
      clinical, histopathological and immunohistochemical features are discussed, along
      with a literature review. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first known
      case of a lipomatous hemangiopericytoma in a pediatric patient. Our case report
      further emphasizes that a number of studies should be evaluated to delineate
      hemangiopericytomas from solitary fibrous tumors. 

PMID- 26097316
TI  - An uncommon oral infection in a diabetic patient.

PMID- 26097317
TI  - Age estimation by modified Demirjian's method (2004) and its applicability in
      Tibetan young adults: A digital panoramic study.
AB  - CONTEXT: Estimation of the age is a procedure adopted by anthropologists,
      archeologists and forensic scientists. Different methods have been undertaken.
      However none of them meet the standards as Demirjian's method since 1973. Various
      researchers have applied this method, in both original and modified form
      (Chaillet and Demirjian in 2004) in different ethnic groups and the results
      obtained were not satisfactory. AIMS: To determine the applicability and accuracy
      of modified Demirjian's method of dental age estimation (AE) in 8-18 year old
      Tibetan young adults to evaluate the interrelationship between dental and
      chronological age and the reliability between intra- and inter observer
      relationship. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Clinical setting and computerized design.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 300 Tibetan young adults with an age range from
      8 to 18 years were recruited in the study. Digital panoramic radiographs (DPRs)
      were evaluated as per the modified Demirjian's method (2004). STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS USED: Pearson correlation, paired t-test, linear regression analysis.
      RESULTS: Inter -and intraobserver reliability revealed a strong agreement. A
      positive and strong association was found between chronological age and estimated
      dental age (r = 0.839) with P < 0.01. Modified Demirjian method (2004)
      overestimated the age by 0.04 years (2.04 months)in Tibetan young adults.
      CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that, the modified Demirjian method of AE is not
      suitable for Tibetan young adults. Further studies: With larger sample size and
      comparision with different methods of AE in a given population would be an
      interesting area for future research.

PMID- 26097318
TI  - Basal cell adenoma of the parotid gland: Cytological diagnosis of an uncommon
      tumor.
AB  - Basal cell adenoma (BCA) is a rare benign epithelial tumor of the salivary gland,
      displaying monomorphic basaloid cells without a myxochondroid component,
      representing 1-3% of all salivary gland neoplasms seen predominantly in women
      over 50 years of age. It is uncommon in young adults. Cytodiagnosis of basaloid
      tumors chiefly basal cell adenoma of the salivary gland, is extremely
      challenging. The cytological differential diagnoses range from benign to
      malignant, neoplastic to non- neoplastic lesions. Histopathological examination
      is a must for definitive diagnosis, as these entities differ in prognosis and
      therapeutic aspects. We present a 22-years-old male with this uncommon diagnosis
      with a discussion on the role of cytological diagnosis. Fine needle aspiration
      cytology is a simple, minimally invasive method for the preoperative diagnosis of
      various types of neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions. The knowledge of its
      pitfalls and limitations contributes to a more effective approach to treatment. 

PMID- 26097319
TI  - Actinomycosis of submandibular gland: An unusual presentation of a rare entity.
AB  - Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative infection that can occur in the head and
      neck region. Though cervico-facial actinomycosis is well described, primary
      actinomycosis of the salivary gland is rare and can present as any other
      suppurative infection or can simulate malignancy. We hereby report a case of a
      young male with primary actinomycosis of submandibular gland, presenting as acute
      suppurative infection and diagnosed on histopathology. 

PMID- 26097320
TI  - Benign lymphoepithelial cysts of parotid and submandibular glands in a HIV
      positive patient.
AB  - Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been reported to
      have parotid swellings of various types such as diffuse infiltrative
      lymphocytosis syndrome, parotitis, intraparotid lymphadenopathy, benign
      lymphoepithelial cyst (BLEC), as well as salivary gland neoplasms such as adenoid
      cystic carcinoma, Kaposi sarcoma and lymphoma. LECs in the parotid gland are
      uncommon benign entities with increased incidence associated with HIV infection.
      We are presenting a case of 28-year-old HIV-positive patient with BLECs in the
      parotid and submandibular glands. 

PMID- 26097321
TI  - Sinonasal hemangiopericytoma: A rare case report with review of literature.
AB  - Hemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a rare tumor of uncertain malignant potential. Stout
      and Murray described HPC as "vascular tumor arising from Zimmerman's pericyte" in
      1942. The World Health Organization (WHO) reclassified HPC as a
      fibroblastic/myofibroblastic tumor, after further characterization. HPC is found
      mostly wherever there is increased vascularity seen. The incidence of the tumor
      in head and neck area is only 15%, mostly seen in adults. We report here a case
      of HPC of a 22-year-old female, who presented to our department with a tender
      swelling in maxillary anterior region and the mass was well-circumscribed,
      sessile and soft on palpation. The skin over the tumor was intact and normal. The
      tumor was completely removed with wide surgical resection. The histopathological
      staining supported the diagnosis of HPC, this was further confirmed by
      immunohistochemistry (IHC) in which CD99 showed strong positivity. 

PMID- 26097322
TI  - Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia in the angle region of the mandible.
AB  - Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE), also called epithelioid
      hemangioma, is a rare benign vascular lesion usually affecting the muscular
      arteries of the head and neck in female patients. Here, we report a 30-year-old
      male patient who presented with painless swelling in the angle region of the
      mandible. The diagnosis of the specimen, which was surgically removed under local
      anesthesia, was made as ALHE. The patient has remained uneventful for 3 years. 

PMID- 26097323
TI  - Giant cell tumor of the mandible.
AB  - Giant cell tumor (GCT) of bone is a distinctive neoplasm characterized by
      abundance of multinucleated giant cells scattered throughout the stroma of
      mononuclear cells. Its importance lies in recognizing and differentiating the
      characteristic histology, which at times may mimic several other bone tumors and
      endocrine disorders ranging from locally aggressive giant cell granulomas to
      hyperparathyroidism to malignant tumors. The jaw bones account for less than 1%
      of the lesion. Ina literature search, we found only five cases of GCT of jaw
      bones based on the new criteria. We present a rare case of GCT of the mandible
      which occurred in a 12-year-old female. 

PMID- 26097324
TI  - Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome associated with severe maxillofacial and skeletal
      anomalies.
AB  - This article reports an unusual case of Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome (ARS) associated
      with severe maxillofacial and skeletal anomalies. A 55-year-old man with ARS
      revealed interesting and unexpected radiological findings. Severe maxillofacial
      and skeletal anomalies, in addition to the well-recognized extraocular findings,
      that occurs in patients with ARS is reported and our case highlights this
      possible rare association between ARS and maxillofacial and skeletal anomalies. 

PMID- 26097325
TI  - Bizarre parosteal osteochondromatous proliferation presenting in the nasal
      dorsum.
AB  - We present the first bizarre parosteal osteochondromatous proliferation (BPOP) in
      the nasal dorsum. These lesions have been described since 1983; however, the vast
      majority of these lesions do not present in the head and neck, although five
      cases exist in the literature. An understanding of the potential sites for
      bizarre paraosteal osteochondromatous proliferations will help lead to successful
      diagnosis and proper treatment. 

PMID- 26097326
TI  - Dentin dysplasia type I - A rare entity.
AB  - Dentin dysplasia is a rare disturbance of dentin formation characterized by
      normal enamel but atypical dentin formation with abnormal pupal morphology. The
      teeth appear clinically normal in morphologic appearance and color. The teeth
      characteristically exhibit extreme mobility and are commonly exfoliated
      prematurely. Radiograph shows obliteration of all pulp chambers, short, blunted
      and malformed or absent roots with periapical radiolucencies involving apparently
      intact tooth. This case is reported here because of its rarity along with the
      description of various clinical, radiological and histological features. 

PMID- 26097327
TI  - Osteochondroma at the angle of mandible: A rare case.
AB  - Osteochondroma (OC) is one of the most common benign tumor of osseous and
      cartilaginous origin. It usually occurs in the skeletal bones and very rarely in
      craniofacial region. In the craniofacial region, condyle and coronoid process of
      the mandible are the most commonly affected areas. The present article reports
      the extremely rare case of OC arising from the angle of the mandible causing
      facial asymmetry. 

PMID- 26097328
TI  - Pleomorphic adenoma of the buccal salivary gland.
AB  - Salivary gland swellings can result from tumors, an inflammatory process or
      cysts. It can sometimes be difficult to establish; whether pathology arises from
      the salivary gland itself or adjacent structures. Neoplasms of the salivary
      glands account for less than 1% of all tumors, 3-5% of all head and neck tumors
      and benign pleomorphic adenoma (PA) of minor salivary glands arising de novo is
      very rare. PA is the most common tumor of the salivary gland. While the majority
      arises from the parotid gland, only a small percentage arises from the buccal
      minor salivary gland. A case of PA of minor salivary glands in the buccal mucosa
      in a 70-year-old female is discussed. It includes review of literature, clinical
      features, histopathology, radiological findings and treatment of the tumor; with
      emphasis on diagnosis. 

PMID- 26097329
TI  - Voluntary blood donation in India: Achievements, expectations and challenges.

PMID- 26097330
TI  - Advances in detection of antenatal alloimmunization and its management.

PMID- 26097331
TI  - Automation in Blood Centre: Its impact on Blood Safety.

PMID- 26097332
TI  - Anti-tobacco campaign: Together we can....

PMID- 26097333
TI  - Microbiologic Evaluation of Matricaria and Chlorhexidine against E. faecalis and
      C. albicans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of different concentrations of
      Matricaria chamomilla and Chlorhexidine gel against Candida albicans and
      Enterococcus faecalis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The agar diffusion test was used to
      evaluate the antimicrobial activity of 15%, 25% Matricaria chamomilla in aq. base
      and 2% chlorhexidine gel against C. albicans (ATCC 24433) and E. faecalis (ATCC
      24212) strains. Vancomycin was used as the positive control for E. faecalis and
      fluconazole for C. albicans . The agar plates were incubated at 37 degrees C for
      48 h after which the zone of inhibition were measured separately for each
      material. Data thus obtained were statistically analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank
      order test. RESULTS: 2% chlorhexidine showed maximum inhibitory zone for C.
      albicans (33.26 mm) and E. faecalis (24.54 mm). 25% Matricaria showed zones of
      24.16 mm and 20.62 mm for C. albicans and E. faecalis, respectively. 15%
      Matricaria did not show any antimicrobial activity (0 mm). CONCLUSION: The
      results of the current in vitro study suggest that 25% Matricaria can be used as
      an antimicrobial agent, but it is less effective than 2% chlorhexidine gluconate
      gel against C. albicans and E. faecalis. Matricaria at a lesser concentration of
      15% aq. base is ineffective against both the microorganisms.

PMID- 26097334
TI  - Estimation of salivary nitric oxide levels in children with congenital heart
      diseases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oral health problems, especially dental caries are known to be
      common in children with severe heart disease, especially at early ages. The role
      of nitric oxide (NO) in protection against oral diseases owing to its strong
      antimicrobial action has been a topic of interest. OBJECTIVE: The current study
      was carried out to estimate the NO levels in the salivary samples of children
      diagnosed with congenital heart diseases (CHDs) and to determine whether salivary
      NO can serve as a potential biomarker for the evaluation of dental caries-risk.
      METHODOLOGY: This prospective study was performed on 50 children suffering from
      CHDs who reported to the department of pediatrics and the levels were compared
      with those of 50 healthy caries-free children. NO levels in the collected
      salivary levels were determined spectrophotometrically using the Griess reaction
      method. RESULTS: Subjects between the age group of 6 and 12 years had maximum
      decayed teeth (20.95%). The mean NO level in children in study group (60.63) was
      decreased in comparison to the control group (132.40), which was statistically
      significant (P value of 0.001). The mean age of the subjects in the study group
      was 7.24 and the salivary NO levels decreased with age, which was statistically
      significant. CONCLUSION: Children are suffering from medically compromising
      conditions such as CHDs are at a higher risk for dental caries and decreased
      salivary NO levels in these patients may prove as a critical indicator of the
      same. Saliva can be further utilized as an important biomarker for the
      determination of the relationship between salivary NO levels and development of
      dental caries.

PMID- 26097335
TI  - Immunoexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor and Ki-67 in human
      gingival samples: An observational study.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate immunohistochemically vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
      and Ki-67 in human gingival samples and to compare these factors between healthy
      and diabetic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 50 subjects were
      included in the study. They were categorized into three groups: Periodontally
      healthy group, periodontally diseased gingiva without any systemic disease group
      and periodontally diseased gingiva with controlled type II diabetes mellitus (DM)
      group. Gingival biopsies were performed and immunohistochemical analysis were
      done for VEGF and Ki-67 staining in gingival samples. RESULTS: The present study
      found moderate intensity staining for VEGF in periodontitis group and
      periodontitis with controlled type II DM group and mild intensity staining for
      VEGF in periodontally healthy group. With regard to Ki-67, negative staining was
      observed in periodontally healthy group and mild staining in periodontitis group
      and periodontitis with controlled type II DM group. CONCLUSION: Further
      investigation needs to be conducted to identify how VEGF and Ki-67 are involved
      in the tissue inflammation associated processes and the relationship between VEGF
      and Ki-67 in progression of periodontitis.

PMID- 26097336
TI  - The relationship of forensic odontology with various dental specialties in the
      articles published in the Journal of Forensic odonto-stomatology from 2005 to
      2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of information about the relationship of forensic
      odontology with various dental specialties in the articles published in the
      Journal of Forensic Odonto-Stomatology. This study aimed to find the relationship
      of forensic odontology with various dental specialties in the articles published
      in the Journal of Forensic Odonto-Stomatology from 2005 to 2012 over an 8-year
      period. METHODS: Bibliometric analysis was performed using web-based search
      during December 2013. RESULTS: Out of the total 97 published articles, the
      maximum number of published articles were related to oral medicine and radiology
      (20) and community dentistry (20), followed by orthodontics (18), prosthodontics
      (15), and oral pathology and microbiology (8), pedodontics (7), oral and
      maxillofacial surgery (4) and conservative dentistry and endodontics (3). Among
      the articles published in Journal of Forensic Odonto-Stomatology, mass disasters
      (10) and bite mark analysis (10), followed by sexual dimorphism (8) and dental
      fraud and malpractice (8), followed by craniofacial superimposition (6) and
      identification (6) form the major attraction of the contributors. CONCLUSION:
      This paper has tried to evaluate the new working classification proposed for
      forensic odontology based on its relationship with other dental specialties.

PMID- 26097337
TI  - Association of lipid profile test values, type-2 diabetes mellitus, and
      periodontitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A two-way relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease has
      been suggested; whereas obesity and impaired lipid profile are risk factors for
      type-2 diabetes mellitus. This study examined the relationship between lipid
      profile, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with periodontal health/disease
      dependent variables in healthy, diabetic and impaired glucose tolerance subjects.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: 120 patients were selected for the study and were
      determined to be periodontally healthy or diseased. All these patients underwent
      biochemical tests for OGTT and Lipid profile analysis and data was compared using
      Z-test. RESULTS: The OGTT results deteriorated with deteriorating periodontal
      condition. A similar correlation was also observed between worsening lipid
      profile test values, OGTT score, and periodontal condition. CONCLUSION: This
      study indicates that hyperlipidemia may be one of the factors associated with
      periodontitis and that periodontitis may itself lead to abnormal serum lipid
      levels. Therefore, in addition to effects on diabetes, periodontitis may
      contribute to elevated serum lipid levels and therefore potentially to systemic
      disease arising from chronic hyperlipidemia.

PMID- 26097338
TI  - An in-vitro evaluation of the effect of 980 nm diode laser irradiation on intra
      canal dentin surface and dentinal tubule openings after biomechanical
      preparation: Scanning electron microscopic study.
AB  - CONTEXT: Very recently, diode laser has been used for disinfecting the root
      canals in endodontic treatment and increasing its success rate and longevity
      utilizing the thermal effect of laser on surrounding tissues. AIMS: The aim of
      this study is to evaluate the effect of 980 nm laser irradiation on intra-canal
      dentin surface - scanning electron microscopic (SEM) - in-vitro study. METHODS: A
      total of 40 single-rooted freshly extracted permanent teeth were collected. Teeth
      were sectioned at the cemento-enamel junction using diamond disc. Root canals of
      all samples were prepared using hand ProTaper, which were randomly assigned into
      two groups (n = 20 each). Group 1: Receiving no treatment after biomechanical
      preparation; Group 2: 980 nm diode laser-treated root canals. Teeth were prepared
      for SEM analysis to check the size of intra-canal dentinal tubule openings.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were analyzed using SPSS V.16 software and
      compared using Levene's and independent t-test. RESULTS: On statistical analysis,
      width of intracanal dentinal tubule openings in Group 1 (control) was
      significantly higher than those observed in Group 2 (diode laser-treated) (P <
      0.001). CONCLUSION: This study showed that the application of 980 nm diode laser
      on intra-radicular dentin resulted in ultrastructural alterations resulting in
      melting of dentin.

PMID- 26097339
TI  - Role of human papillomavirus in oral squamous cell carcinoma and oral potentially
      malignant disorders: A review of the literature.
AB  - Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are epitheliotropic viruses with an affinity for
      keratinocytes and are principally found in the anogenital tract, urethra, skin,
      larynx, tracheobronchial and oral mucosa. On the basis of high, but variable
      frequency of HPV in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), malignant potential of
      HPV infection has been hypothesized but not definitely confirmed. The aim of this
      review was to highlight the genomic structure and possible mechanism of infection
      and carcinogenesis by HPV in the oral mucosa and to review the frequency of HPV
      prevalence in OSCC and oral potentially malignant disorders. A computer database
      search was performed through the use of PubMed from 1994 to 2014. Search keywords
      used were: HPV and oral cancer, HPV and oral leukoplakia, HPV and oral lichen
      planus, HPV and OSCC, HPV and verrucous carcinoma, HPV and proliferative
      verrucous leukoplakia, HPV and oral papilloma. 

PMID- 26097340
TI  - Enamel hypoplasia and its role in identification of individuals: A review of
      literature.
AB  - Identification of individuals is the mainstay of any forensic investigation
      especially in cases of mass disasters when mutilated remains are brought for
      examination. Dental examination helps in establishing the identity of an
      individual and thus, has played a vital role in forensic investigation process
      since long. In this regard, description on the role of enamel hypoplasia is
      limited in the literature. The present article reviews the literature on the
      enamel hypoplasia and discusses its utility in forensic identification. Enamel
      hypoplasia is a surface defect of the tooth crown caused by disturbance of enamel
      matrix secretion. Enamel defects can be congenital or acquired. In cases of mass
      disasters, or when the body is completely charred, putrefied and mutilated beyond
      recognition, the unique dental features can help in identification of the
      victims. 

PMID- 26097341
TI  - Fixed drug eruptions with intraoral presentation.
AB  - Fixed-drug eruption (FDE) is an unusual and rare adverse drug reaction. This type
      of reaction is actually a delayed type of hypersensitivity reaction that occurs
      as lesions recurring at the same skin site due to repeated intake of an offending
      drug. Here is a case report of a 58-year-old male patient who developed intraoral
      FDEs after ingestion of the first dose of ornidazole. 

PMID- 26097342
TI  - Bilateral mandibular fracture related to osteoradionecrosis.
AB  - Mandible is the most frequently affected bone during head and neck irradiation.
      Late changes in the mandible may manifest in the form of reduced bone density,
      dental caries, loss of spongiosa trabeculations, delayed healing following dental
      extraction, pathologic fractures, osteoradionecrosis, trismus, growth defects in
      children or second malignancies. Pathologic fractures of mandibular bone are rare
      and may be spontaneous or traumatic (following dental extraction). We report the
      case of a 55-year lady, who had undergone surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy for
      carcinoma oral tongue T2N0M0 on a cobalt-60 unit and was disease-free. After a
      follow-up of 8 years post-irradiation, she presented with sudden onset oral pain
      and inability to open mouth. Pantomogram showed fracture at the junction of body
      and ramus of the mandible bilaterally. 

PMID- 26097343
TI  - The doppelganger tooth: A diagnostic conundrum!
AB  - Abnormalities in tooth morphology and number are not uncommon. However, an exact
      clone of a normal tooth is a recondite clinical finding. Presence of
      supplementary teeth is mostly noticed in maxillary anterior, molar or premolar
      region, followed by mandibular premolar region in descending order of its site of
      occurrence. Supplemental tooth in mandibular anterior has a low prevalence of
      0.01%. This paper reports one such rare case of nonsyndromic incisive jumeaux in
      mandibular anterior region during mixed dentition period. 

PMID- 26097344
TI  - Current views and implications of journal impact factor: A key note.

PMID- 26097345
TI  - Tobacco (Electronic cigarette): An evil in many faces.

PMID- 26097346
TI  - High-risk human papilloma virus in archival tissues of oral pathosis and normal
      oral mucosa.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Oral cancer ranks third among all cancers in the Indian population.
      Human papilloma virus (HPV) plays a significant role in oral carcinogenesis.
      Population-based subtype variations are present in the HPV prevalence. This study
      gives an emphasis on the parameters to be considered in formalin fixed paraffin
      embedded tissues for polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based research work.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study on archival paraffin-embedded tissue
      samples of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), epithelial dysplasia, and normal
      oral mucosa surrounding impacted tooth was amplified by PCR for the E6 gene of
      HPV type 16 and E1 gene of HPV type 18. RESULTS: HPV 18 was positive in three
      OSCC cases. There was no statistically significant association of the positivity
      of HPV with the age, gender or habit. The HPV positive patients had a tobacco
      habit and were of a younger age group. CONCLUSION: The presence of HPV in
      carcinomatous tissue highlights the possible role of HPV in carcinogenesis and
      archival paraffin embedded tissue specimen can be used for this analysis. Recent
      studies on genomic analyses have highlighted that the HPV positive tumors are a
      separate subgroup based on genomic sequencing. The results of a larger
      retrospective study will help further in our understanding of the role of HPV in
      carcinogenesis, this study could form the baseline for such follow-up studies.

PMID- 26097347
TI  - Clinical evaluation and comparison of the efficacy of coronally advanced flap
      alone and in combination with platelet rich fibrin membrane in the treatment of
      Miller Class I and II gingival recessions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical efficacy of
      coronally advanced flap (CAF) alone and in combination with autologous platelet
      rich fibrin membrane (PRF) in Miller's class I and II gingival recessions.
      MATERIALS AND METHOD: Thirty isolated Miller class I or II sites in 26 subjects
      were randomly divided into test (15 sites- CAF+PRF) and control (15 sites- CAF
      alone). Parameters probing pocket depth (PPD), Recession depth (RD), Clinical
      attachment loss (CAL), Keratinised tissue width (KTW) and Gingival tissue
      thickness (GTH) were evaluated at baseline, 3 months and 6 months
      postoperatively. Data was subjected to statistical analysis. P< 0.05 was
      considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Mean percentage root coverage was
      91.00+/-19.98% and 86.60+/-23.83% for test and control group respectively.
      Difference between the groups in all parameters at baseline, 3 months and 6
      months was non significant. Complete root coverage was obtained in 12 (80%) and
      11 (73.3%) subjects in test and control group respectively. The difference was
      found to be non-significant. Both groups showed significant differences in all
      parameters at 3 and 6 months respectively except difference in gingival tissue
      thickness which was non-significant in control group at 3 months. CONCLUSION:
      Combination of PRF to CAF procedure did not provide any added advantage in term
      of recession coverage in Miller class I and II recessions. Long term trials with
      more sample size are needed to validate these findings.

PMID- 26097348
TI  - A comparative evaluation of the marginal accuracy of crowns fabricated from four
      commercially available provisional materials: An in vitro study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate and compare the
      primary marginal accuracy of four commercially available provisional materials
      (Protemp 4, Luxatemp Star, Visalys Temp and DPI tooth moulding powder and liquid)
      at 2 time intervals (10 and 30 min). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A customized
      stainless steel master model containing two interchangeable dies was used for
      fabrication of provisional crowns. Forty crowns (n = 10) were fabricated, and
      each crown was evaluated under a stereomicroscope. Vertical marginal
      discrepancies were noted and compared at 10 min since the start of mixing and
      then at 30 min. OBSERVATIONS AND RESULTS: Protemp 4 showed the least vertical
      marginal discrepancy (71.59 MU), followed by Luxatemp Star (91.93 MU) at 10 min.
      DPI showed a marginal discrepancy of 95.94 MU while Visalys Temp crowns had
      vertical marginal discrepancy of 106.81 MU. There was a significant difference in
      the marginal discrepancy values of Protemp 4 and Visalys Temp. At 30 min, there
      was a significant difference between the marginal discrepancy of Protemp 4 crowns
      (83.11 MU) and Visalys Temp crowns (128.97 MU) and between Protemp 4 and DPI
      (118.88 MU). No significant differences were observed between Protemp 4 and
      Luxatemp Star. CONCLUSION: The vertical marginal discrepancy of temporary crowns
      fabricated from the four commercially available provisional materials ranged from
      71 to 106 MU immediately after fabrication (at 10 min from the start of mix) to
      83-128 MU (30 min from the start of mix). The time elapsed after mixing had a
      significant influence on the marginal accuracy of the crowns.

PMID- 26097349
TI  - Determination of antibacterial activity of green coffee bean extract on
      periodontogenic bacteria like Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia,
      Fusobacterium nucleatum and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans: An in vitro
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of
      pure green coffee bean extract on periodonto pathogenic bacteria Porphyromonas
      gingivalis (Pg), Prevotella intermedia (Pi), Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) and
      Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Minimum
      inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC)
      were used to assess the antibacterial effect of pure green coffee bean extract
      against periodonto pathogenic bacteria by micro dilution method and culture
      method, respectively. RESULTS: MIC values of Pg, Pi and Aa were 0.2 MUg/ml
      whereas Fn showed sensitive at concentration of 3.125 MUg/ml. MBC values mirrors
      the values same as that of MIC. CONCLUSION: Antimicrobial activity of pure green
      coffee bean extract against Pg, Pi, Fn and Aa suggests that it could be
      recommended as an adjunct to mechanical therapy in the management of periodontal
      disease.

PMID- 26097350
TI  - Enamel morphology after microabrasion with experimental compounds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enamel microabrasion is an esthetic treatment for removing
      superficial stains or defects of enamel. AIM: This study evaluated the roughness
      after enamel microabrasion using experimental microabrasive systems. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: One hundred and ten samples (5 * 5 mm) were obtained from bovine
      incisors and divided into 11 groups (n = 10) in accordance with the treatment:
      Microabrasion using 6.6% hydrochloric acid (HCl) or 35% phosphoric acid (H3PO4)
      associated with aluminum oxide (AlO3) or pumice (Pum) with active application
      (using rubber cup coupled with a micro-motor of low rotation) or passive
      application (just placing the mixture on the enamel surface); just the use of
      acids in a passive application (negative control), and a group without treatment
      (positive control). Roughness analysis was performed before and after treatments.
      The statistical analysis used analysis of variance (PROC MIXED), Tukey-Kramer and
      Dunnet tests (P < 0.05). Representative specimens were evaluated using scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM). RESULTS: There was no significant difference between
      the acids used (P = 0.0510) and the applications (P = 0.8989). All of the treated
      groups were statistically different from the positive control. When using passive
      application, the use of HCl + AlO3 resulted in higher roughness when compared
      with HCl + Pum. Additionally, this treatment was statistically different from the
      passive application of H3PO4 (negative control) (P < 0.05). However, SEM analysis
      showed that the treatment with AlO3 resulted in an enamel surface with a more
      polished aspect when compared with Pum. CONCLUSION: AlO3 may be a suitable
      particle for use in microabrasive systems.

PMID- 26097351
TI  - Study of the association between the interleukin-1 beta c.3954C>T polymorphism
      and periodontitis in a population sample from Bahia, Brazil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease characterized by the loss of
      connective tissue and alveolar bone. Different factors are associated with the
      onset and prognosis of this disease, both environmental and genetic. The latter
      particularly relate to molecules secreted as a function of the host immune
      response, such as pro-inflammatory cytokines. Studies indicate that the
      polymorphism c. 3954C > T in the interleukin-1 beta encoding gene (IL1B) can be
      considered as an aggravating factor in the periodontitis condition. AIMS: This
      study aimed to evaluate whether there is an association between the IL1B c. 3954C
      > T gene polymorphism and the prevalence of periodontitis in the population from
      Vitoria da Conquista-Bahia, Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 347
      subjects (134 cases and 213 controls) who provided epithelial tissue of the oral
      cavity and saliva samples for DNA extraction and quantification of IL1B,
      respectively, were selected. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain
      reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism followed by electrophoresis in
      agarose gel. The evaluation of the cytokine concentration was performed by enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Statistical calculations
      involved in this work include Chi-square test, Fisher Exact test, Mann-Whitney
      and Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that: (i) No
      statistically significant relationship between periodontitis and the polymorphism
      studied was observed; (ii) no significant difference between the concentrations
      of IL1B in saliva between the case and control subjects and between the genotypes
      of these individuals and the concentrations of this cytokine. CONCLUSIONS: We
      conclude that, in the sample evaluated, the IL1B c. 3954C > T polymorphism did
      not present as an etiological factor for periodontitis.

PMID- 26097353
TI  - Comparative evaluation of the amount of gingival displacement produced by three
      different gingival retraction systems: An in vivo study.
AB  - STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Tetrahydrozoline has been introduced as new gingival
      retraction agent but its clinical efficacy with widely used conventional
      retraction agents has not been tested. PURPOSE: The study was designed to
      clinically evaluate efficacy of newer retraction agent tetrahydrozoline with two
      widely used retraction systems i.e., Expasyl retraction system and medicated
      retraction cords on basis of amount of gingival retraction. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: 30 subjects were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria.
      Maxillary Impressions were made with irreversible hydrocolloid for all subjects.
      Tray material was used for making the special tray. Latin Block Design was Used
      in the Study to avoid tissue fatigue. Retraction was done with aluminium
      chloride; Tetrahydrozoline and Expasyl according to Latin block design.
      Impressions were poured with die stone. Casts were retrieved and sections were
      made with die cutter. 3 mm thin slices were obtained. Each slice was used to
      measure the amount of retraction under stereomicroscope under 20x and images were
      transferred to image analyser. RESULTS: The amount of gingival retraction
      obtained by using aluminium chloride as gingival retraction agent was maximum
      (148238.33 MUm(2)) compared to tetrahydrozoline (140737.87 MUm(2)) and Expasyl
      (67784.90 MUm(2)).

PMID- 26097352
TI  - Cephalometric norms for the upper airway in a healthy North Indian population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim was to obtain normative data for cephalometric measurements of
      the upper airway in the North Indian population. DESIGN: Observational study.
      SETTING: University department and teaching hospital out-patient clinic. SUBJECTS
      AND METHODS: A total of 180 healthy patients were included out of which 90 were
      males (age range, 8-16 years), and 90 were females (age range, 8-16 years), with
      normal skeletal facial profile, no history of snoring, sleep apnea, upper airway
      disease, tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy, obesity, or pathology in the pharynx.
      Twenty cephalometric airway measurements, including size of the tongue, soft
      palate, nasopharynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx, and relative position of the hyoid
      bone and valleculae were obtained. Landmarks on cephalometric radiographs were
      digitized and measurements were made using a specially designed computer program.
      Error analysis of measurements was performed and comparison of measurements
      according to sex was made. RESULTS: Significant sex dimorphism was seen for the
      majority of measurements, with the exception of minimal depth of the airway,
      oropharyngeal depth of the airway, and the soft palate angle with the hard
      palate. CONCLUSION: A minimum sagittal dimension of the upper airway was evident
      despite differences in measurements between sexes. Findings from this study
      should be a useful reference for the assessment of sleep apnea in the North
      Indian population.

PMID- 26097354
TI  - Comparison of shear bond strength of two porcelain repair systems after different
      surface treatment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intraoral chair side porcelain repair system is a quick, painless
      and highly patient acceptable procedure, without removal of restoration or
      fabrication of new restoration. There are very limited studies conducted to
      evaluate the shear bond strength of repair systems after different surface
      treatment. OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH: The objective of research was to evaluate the
      shear bond strength of two intraoral porcelain repair systems Clearfil repair
      system (Kuraray) and Ceramic repair system (Ivoclar) to repair metal-ceramic
      restoration after three different surface treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Totally, 120 discs of base metal alloy were fabricated. The opaque, dentine and
      enamel of ceramic were applied to achieve the uniform thickness. Defect was
      created, and repair was done using two repair systems after different surface
      treatment. Shear bond strength was measured. RESULTS: Analysis of variance was
      utilized. Ceramic repair system after 40% phosphoric acid surface treatment
      showed the highest mean value and Clearfil repair system after surface treatment
      with 37% phosphoric acid showed the lowest. The statistical difference was found
      to be significant between the groups. CONCLUSION: The shear bond strength of
      Ceramic repair system with 40% phosphoric acid etching showed highest shear bond
      strength as compared to other system and surface treatment used in the study.

PMID- 26097355
TI  - Decalcifying capability of irrigating solutions on root canal dentin mineral
      content.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chelating agents are believed to aid root canal irrigation and to be
      able to remove the inorganic smear layer. AIMS: The purpose of the present study
      was to evaluate and to compare the decalcifying capability of different
      irrigating solutions (Tubuliclean, Largal Ultra, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
      17%, Tetraclean, Tetraclean NA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty maxillary central
      incisors were used. Root canals were instrumented and irrigated. From each root,
      four comparable slices of cervical dentin were obtained. At three successive 5
      min interval immersion times, the concentration of calcium extracted from root
      canal dentin was assessed with an inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission
      spectrometer. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were analyzed by means of Kruskal
      Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Significance was predetermined at P < 0.05.
      RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: For all irrigating solutions, the maximum amount of
      Ca(2+) extracted from root canal dentin samples was reached after 10 min contact
      time except for citric acid-based agents (Tetraclean and Tetraclean NA) which
      induced a higher and still increasing calcium release even after 10 min contact
      time. In order to obtain an efficient decalcifying action on dentin and to
      facilitate the biomechanical procedures, citric acid-based irrigants can be
      applied.

PMID- 26097356
TI  - Evaluation of glutathione level in gingival crevicular fluid in periodontal
      health, in chronic periodontitis and after nonsurgical periodontal therapy: A
      clinicobiochemical study.
AB  - CONTEXT: Periodontitis is predominantly due to exaggerated host response to
      pathogenic microorganisms and their products which causes an imbalance between
      the reactive oxygen species-antioxidant in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF).
      Glutathione is an important redox regulator in GCF and maintenance of stable
      reduced glutathione (GSH):oxidized glutathione (GSSG) ratio is essential for
      periodontal health. AIMS: The present study was undertaken to evaluate and
      compare the level of glutathione and redox balance (GSH: GSSG ratio) in GCF of
      chronic periodontitis patients, periodontally healthy controls and also to
      evaluate the effect of nonsurgical periodontal therapy on the level of
      glutathione and redox balance during 3 months postoperative visit. STUDY DESIGN:
      Baseline GCF samples were collected from 20 chronic periodontitis patients and 20
      periodontally healthy subjects for GSH and GSSG levels estimation. Periodontitis
      patients were recalled 3 months postnonsurgical periodontal therapy to re-sample
      GCF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: GSH and GSSG levels were measured by high-performance
      liquid chromatography. The values were statistically analyzed by Paired t-test.
      RESULTS: The mean GSH and GSSG values in GCF were found to be significantly lower
      in periodontitis patients pre- and 3 months post-nonsurgical periodontal therapy,
      compared with those in the control group subjects. In addition, the successful
      nonsurgical therapy even though leading to a significant improvement in the GSH
      and GSSG levels, does not restore glutathione concentration to the levels seen in
      healthy subjects. CONCLUSION: Successful nonsurgical periodontal therapy leads to
      significant improvement in the redox balance (GSH: GSSG ratio) in chronic
      periodontitis patients.

PMID- 26097357
TI  - Influence of nail biting and finger sucking habits on the oral carriage of
      Enterobacteriaceae.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral habits like thumb sucking and nail biting are pernicious habits
      that act as an adaptive function in obtaining pleasure and subduing anxiety.
      These habits may also act as carriers of numerous microorganisms into the oral
      cavity, of which, Enterobacteriaceae members are transient pathogens, which might
      result in debilitating systemic conditions. AIM: To study the oral carriage of
      Enterobacteriaceae in children having habit of nail biting and thumb sucking. And
      to study the association of the organism with the individual's respective plaque
      indices. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Totally, 40 chronic nail biters, 40 chronic thumb
      suckers, and 20 controls (no habit) (8-15 years old) were enrolled in the study.
      Appropriate history and their plaque indices recorded. Sterile containers were
      used to collect the salivary samples and later cultured on Agar plates.
      Biochemical tests categorized the organisms into subspecies. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
      USED: ANNOVA, Student's t-test. RESULTS: Presence of a nail biting habit
      indicated a higher plaque index, which in turn showed a higher carriage of
      Enterobacteria spps, predominantly Escherichia coli. CONCLUSIONS: Oral surgical
      intervention in individuals with pernicious oral habits need to be counseled and
      educated on the possible complications, which might otherwise provide an
      environment that disseminates these microorganisms resulting in a broad range of
      local and systemic infections.

PMID- 26097358
TI  - Evaluation of anxiety, depression and suicidal intent in undergraduate dental
      students: A cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is an increasing amount of stress in undergraduate dental
      students leading to anxiety, depression, and suicidal attempts/suicide. AIMS:
      This study aims to evaluate anxiety, depression and suicidal intent in
      undergraduate dental students and to find out the various areas of stress.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a semi
      structured questionnaire (to assess academic and nonacademic areas of stress) and
      three scales-Hamilton scale for anxiety (HAM-A); Hamilton depression rating scale
      (HDRS) and Beck's Suicide Intent Scale (BSI). Descriptive statistics; Pearson's
      Chi-square test; Multiple ANOVA; Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test were
      used to analyze the data at the significant level of P <= 0.05. RESULTS: In a
      total of 258 dental undergraduate students, academic areas of stress that were
      found to be statistically significant were long teaching hours (P = 0.002); high
      workload (P <= 0.001); frequency of tests (P <= 0.001) and competition/fear of
      failure (P = 0.009). Lack of interest in the profession was a statistically
      significant nonacademic area for stress (P <= 0.001). The students of first and
      final year reported higher anxiety (HAM-A 13.93 +/- 6.908 and 16.44 +/- 7.637
      respectively) and depression (HDRS 14.29 +/- 6.302 and 14.22 +/- 5.422); whereas
      suicidal intent was reported almost the same throughout the study sample (BSI
      5.65 +/- 5.465). CONCLUSION: An increasing level of anxiety, depression and
      suicidal intent due to various stressors in undergraduate dental students
      indicate a need to modify current education system and timely help to have
      psychological healthy dental professionals in future.

PMID- 26097359
TI  - Hyperactive lesions of gingiva associated with severe alveolar bone loss: A rare
      finding.
AB  - Pyogenic granuloma (PG) is an inflammatory reactive hyperplasia of connective
      tissue. It usually arises in response to various stimuli such as low-grade local
      irritation, traumatic injury, hormonal factors or certain kinds of drugs. It
      predominantly occurs in the second decade of life in young females and rarely may
      cause significantly alveolar bone loss. It managed by conservative surgical
      excision and removal of causative irritants. This paper presents the case of a PG
      in a 55-year-old male with severe alveolar bone loss in the affected site,
      managed by surgical intervention. 

PMID- 26097360
TI  - Distalization of maxillary arch and correction of Class II with mini-implants: A
      report of two cases.
AB  - This article reports the successful use of mini-screws in the maxilla to treat
      two patients of age 21-year and 17-year-old girls. Both the patients had a
      skeletal Class II malocclusion with protrusive maxillary teeth and angels Class
      II mal-occlusion. Temporary anchorage devices (TADs) in the posterior dental
      region between maxillary second premolar and maxillary first molar teeth on both
      sides were used as anchorage for the retraction and intrusion of her maxillary
      anterior teeth. Those appliances, combined with a compensatory curved maxillary
      archwire, eliminated spacing, deep bite, forwardly placed and proclined upper
      front teeth and the protrusive profile, corrected the molar relationship from
      Class II to Class I. With no extra TADs in the anterior region for intrusion, the
      treatment was workable and simple. The patient received a satisfactory occlusion
      and an attractive smile. This technique requires minimal compliance and is
      particularly useful for correcting Class II patients with protrusive maxillary
      front teeth and dental deep bite. 

PMID- 26097361
TI  - Lipoid proteinosis: A review with two case reports.
AB  - Lipoid proteinosis (LP) is a rare autosomal recessive genodermatoses
      characterized by deposition of amorphous hyaline material in different parts of
      the body, especially the skin, mucous membranes of the upper aerodigestive tract,
      and internal organs. Oral cavity is most extensively affected area by the
      disease. This paper reports two classic cases of LP with oral manifestations but
      without a history of consanguinity along with a concise review of the literature
      on the disease. 

PMID- 26097362
TI  - Regional odontodysplasia: Report of an unusual case involving mandibular arch.
AB  - Regional odontodysplasia (RO) is a rare developmental anomaly involving both
      mesodermal and ectodermal components in primary or permanent dentition. It
      affects the maxilla and the mandible or both; however, maxilla is more commonly
      involved. This article reports the case of 33-month-old boy who came with the
      chief complaint of delayed eruption of mandibular teeth. Findings of clinical and
      radiographic examination were consistent with those of RO. Maxillary dentition
      was unaffected. Clinical and radiographic features and treatment options are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26097363
TI  - "Whisking of ugly tissue"... A surgical management of gingival fibromatosis in a
      15-year-old girl: A rare case report.
AB  - Gingival fibromatosis is a condition characterized by a slow, progressive
      increase in the gingival tissue that develops as either an isolated disorder or
      as part of the clinical characteristics of diverse syndrome. The present case
      report describes a rare case of gingival fibromatosis and its management using
      scalpel in combination with electrosurgery. A 15-year-old girl patient presented
      with a chief complaint of gingival overgrowth covering all the surfaces upper and
      lower teeth. The growth was excised with periodontal knife in combination with
      electrosurgery under local anesthesia. After 1-year of follow-up, healing was
      uneventful with no recurrence. Combined technique for the removal of gingival
      overgrowth represents a unique treatment approach where minimal postoperative
      bleeding and discomfort were observed. 

PMID- 26097364
TI  - Bilateral maxillary sinus floor augmentation with tissue-engineered autologous
      osteoblasts and demineralized freeze-dried bone.
AB  - The pneumatization of the maxillary sinus often results in a lack of sufficient
      alveolar bone for implant placement. In the last decades, maxillary sinus lift
      has become a very popular procedure with predictable results. Sinus floor
      augmentation procedures are generally carried out using autologous bone grafts,
      bone substitutes, or composites of bone and bone substitutes. However, the
      inherent limitations associated with each of these, have directed the attention
      of investigators to new technologies like bone tissue engineering. Bone marrow
      stromal cells have been regarded as multi-potent cells residing in bone marrow.
      These cells can be harvested from a person, multiplied outside his body using
      bioengineering principles and technologies and later introduced into a tissue
      defect. We present a case where tissue-engineered autologous osteoblasts were
      used along with demineralized freeze-dried bone for sinus floor augmentation. 

PMID- 26097365
TI  - A benign salivary gland tumor of minor salivary gland mimicking an epithelial
      malignancy.
AB  - Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is the most common benign tumor of major or minor
      salivary glands. Microscopically, PA exhibits a great diversity of morphological
      aspects. Here, we present an unusual case of PA with extensive squamous
      metaplasia and keratin-filled cysts in the left retromolar region of a 50-year
      old edentulous person whose microscopic finding may represent a diagnostic
      dilemma for pathologists. 

PMID- 26097366
TI  - Amalgamation of allogenic bone graft, platelet-rich fibrin gel, and PRF membrane
      in auto-transplantation of an impacted central incisor.
AB  - "Social six" teeth refers to the maxillary incisors and canines that play a vital
      role in the appearance of an individual and absence of any one of them has a
      significant psycho-social impact. Hence, early treatment and rehabilitation of
      the same are extremely important. A multitude of treatment options ranging from
      orthodontic extrusion, extraction followed by implant placement, fixed partial
      denture, and auto-transplantation have been advocated. This case report discusses
      the unique amalgamation of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), demineralized freeze-dried
      bone graft with use of PRF membrane during auto-transplantation of an impacted
      central incisor. The authors have focused on maximum usage of autogenous
      materials in the most economic and least invasive manner. Furthermore, this
      amalgamation has been used to provide rehabilitation in the least span of time. 

PMID- 26097367
TI  - Phlebolith in arteriovenous malformation in buccal fat pad masquerading
      sialolith: A rare case report.
AB  - Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are rare vascular lesion in the buccal fat pad
      (BFP). One of the important complications associated with these lesions is
      phlebolith formation within it. To the best of authors' knowledge, there is no
      medical literature on AVM with phlebolith formation in BFP till date. The present
      case is a 12-year-old boy who presented with a swelling in the right side of the
      face, clinically diagnosed to be sialocele with sialolith. Excision of the mass
      was done, and histopathology revealed AVM with the formation of phlebolith. This
      rare entity needs to be kept in mind while evaluating a case of calcification in
      BFP. The first case of AVM with phlebolith formation in BFP is reported here
      along with brief review of literature. 

PMID- 26097368
TI  - Cone-beam computed tomography: An inevitable investigation in cleidocranial
      dysplasia.
AB  - Cleidocranial dysplasia is a heritable skeletal dysplasia and one of the most
      common features of this syndrome is multiple impacted supernumerary teeth. Cone
      beam computed tomography, the most recent advancement in maxillofacial imaging,
      provides the clinician to view the morphology of the skull and the dentition in
      all three dimensions and help in treatment planning for the patient. 

PMID- 26097369
TI  - Bilateral nephrocalcinosis and amelogenesis imperfecta: A case report.
AB  - Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a group of hereditary disorders that affect the
      quality and/or quantity of dental enamel. This paper describes the
      clinicopathological features of a patient who was born of nonconsanguineous
      parents and who presented with oral alterations, including yellow and misshapen
      teeth, intrapulpal calcifications, delayed tooth eruption, and gum enlargement.
      Scanning electron microscopy of the teeth revealed hypoplastic enamel, and a
      renal ultrasound detected bilateral nephrocalcinosis, leading to a diagnosis of
      AI and nephrocalcinosis syndrome. Since nephrocalcinosis is often asymptomatic
      and can be associated with impaired renal function, dentists who see children
      with a generalized and thin hypoplastic AI should consider a renal ultrasound
      scan and referral to a Nephrologist. Children with nephrocalcinosis should also
      be considered for a dental check. 

PMID- 26097370
TI  - Lipoma or hemangioma: A diagnostic dilemma?
AB  - Lipomas and hemangiomas are well-known benign lesions of the body. However, their
      occurrence in the oral cavity is rare. Lipoma accounts for 1-4% of benign
      neoplasms of mouth affecting predominantly the buccal mucosa, floor of mouth and
      tongue. Hemangiomas occur mostly on the lips, buccal mucosa, tongue, and palate.
      Lipomas when superficially placed show yellowish surface discoloration and
      hemangiomas usually have reddish blue to deep blue color. Here, we report an
      unusual case of benign tumor occurring in the buccal vestibule. 

PMID- 26097371
TI  - Management of Class II malocclusion with ectopic maxillary canines.
AB  - Correction of Class II relationship, deep bite and ectopically erupting canines
      is an orthodontic challenge for the clinician. A 13-year-old male patient
      presented with Class II malocclusion, ectopically erupting canines, and cross
      bite with maxillary left lateral incisor. He was treated with a combination of
      Headgear, ForsusTM fatigue resistant device [FFRD] with fixed mechanotherapy for
      the management of space deficiency and correction of Class II malocclusions.
      Headgear was used to distalize upper first molars and also to prevent further
      downward and forward growth of the maxilla. Then ForsusTM FFRD was used for the
      advancement of the mandible. The molar and canine relationship were corrected
      from a Class II to a Class I. The objectives were to establish good occlusion and
      enable eruption of unerupted canines. All these objectives were achieved and
      remained stable. 

PMID- 26097372
TI  - Christ Siemens Touraine syndrome: Two case reports and felicitous approaches to
      prosthetic management.
AB  - Ectodermal dysplasia is a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders, which
      exhibit a classic triad of hypohydrosis, hypotrichosis, and hypodontia.
      Hypohidrotic or anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia or Christ Siemens Touraine
      syndrome is the most common condition among ectodermal dysplasia patients. This
      is a case report on two Christ Siemens Touraine syndrome cases and two different
      approaches to prosthetic management. 

PMID- 26097373
TI  - A roentgenographic assessment of regenerative efficacy of bioactive Gengigel((r))
      in conjunction with amnion membrane in grade II furcation defect.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nowadays, techniques are being developed to guide and instruct the
      specialized cellular components of the periodontium to participate in the
      regenerative process. This approach of reconstruction makes use of understanding
      of the development of the periodontium and the cellular processes that are
      involved. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring non-sulfated high molecular
      weight glycosaminoglycan that forms a critical component of the extracellular
      matrix and contributes significantly to tissue hydrodynamics, cell migration, and
      proliferation. Hence, its administration to periodontal wound sites could achieve
      comparable beneficial effects in periodontal tissue regeneration. Hence, the
      purpose of the present case report was to assess roentgenographically, the
      regenerative capacity of Gengigel((r)) in conjunction with bioactive amnion
      guided tissue regeneration (GTR) membrane in a patient with Grade II furcation
      defect. CASE PRESENTATION: A patient complained of bleeding gums from the lower
      back tooth region, reportedly found Grade II furcation in the lower right
      mandibular first molar. After Phase, I therapy, Gengigel((r)) along with
      bioactive amnion membrane was placed in the furcation area during the surgical
      phase. Roentgenographic assessment was done at 4 months and 6 months
      postoperatively. It resulted in complete defect-fill and loss of radiolucency at
      6 months. CONCLUSION: Surgical placement of Gengigel((r)) along with amnion
      membrane in the furcation defect can significantly improve the periodontal defect
      morphology.

PMID- 26097374
TI  - Autotetraploid plant regeneration by indirect somatic embryogenesis from leaf
      mesophyll protoplasts of diploid Gentiana decumbens L.f.
AB  - Somaclonal variation, often manifested as the increased ploidy of plants observed
      following in vitro culture, can be advantageous in ornamental species or those
      used for secondary metabolite production. Polyploidy occurs especially when
      plantlets are produced by protoplast and callus cultures. Plants were regenerated
      from green leaf mesophyll protoplasts of diploid Gentiana decumbens L.f. through
      somatic embryogenesis. A yield of more than 9 * 105 protoplasts per gram of fresh
      weight was achieved by incubating fully expanded young leaves in an enzyme
      mixture containing 1.0% (w/v) cellulase and 0.5% (w/v) macerozyme. Protoplasts,
      cultured in agarose beads using a modified Murashige and Skoog medium, divided
      and formed microcalli, with the highest plating efficiency obtained on medium
      containing 2.0 mg l-1 1-naphthaleneacetic acid and 0.1 mg l-1 thidiazuron. Callus
      proliferation was also promoted by including thidiazuron in agar-solidified
      medium, while somatic embryogenesis was induced from microcalli on medium
      supplemented with 1.0 mg l-1 kinetin, 0.5 mg l-1 gibberellic acid, and 80 mg l-1
      adenine sulfate. Flow cytometric analysis and chromosome counting revealed that
      all regenerants were tetraploid.

PMID- 26097375
TI  - Rely to Vogel et al.

PMID- 26097376
TI  - HIV-Risk Reduction with Juvenile Offenders on Probation.
AB  - Youth involved in the juvenile justice system are at elevated risk for HIV as a
      result of high rates of sexual risk taking, substance use, mental health problems
      and sexually transmitted infections. Yet few HIV prevention programs exist for
      young offenders. This pilot study examined change in juvenile offenders' sexual
      activity, drug/alcohol use, HIV testing and counseling, and theoretical mediators
      of risk taking following participation in PHAT Life, an HIV-prevention program
      for teens on probation. Participants (N=54) were 13-17 year-old arrested males
      and females remanded to a detention alternative setting. Youth participated in a
      uniquely tailored HIV prevention intervention and completed a baseline and 3
      month follow up assessment of their HIV and substance use knowledge, attitudes,
      beliefs, and behaviors. At 3-month follow up, teens reported less alcohol use,
      more positive attitudes toward peers with HIV, greater ability to resist
      temptation to use substances, and for males, improved HIV prevention self
      efficacy and peer norms supporting prevention. Teens were also more likely to
      seek HIV counseling and males were more likely to get tested for HIV. Effect
      sizes revealed moderate change in sexual behavior. Findings support PHAT Life as
      a promising intervention to reduce HIV-risk among youth in juvenile justice.

PMID- 26097377
TI  - Crossover Effects Among Parental Hostility and Parent-Child Relationships During
      the Preschool Period.
AB  - Parental hostility may have widespread effects across members of the family,
      whereby one parent's hostility might disrupt the other parent's ability to
      maintain a positive relationship with his or her children. The present study
      prospectively examined crossover effects of parental hostility on parent-child
      relationship quality in a sample of 210 families. At child ages 3, 4, and 5,
      mothers and fathers completed questionnaires assessing feelings of hostility. In
      addition, mother-child and father-child dyadic relationship quality were coded at
      each age during naturalistic home observations. Results from structural equation
      analyses indicated that mother and father hostility were relatively stable over
      the two year period. Further, results were consistent with notions of fathering
      vulnerability, such that the father-child relationship might be especially
      susceptible to parental hostility. Possible compensatory processes, wherein
      mothers may compensate for father hostility, were also explored. Child and parent
      gender add further complexity to the results, as the father-son relationship
      appears most susceptible to crossover effects of parental hostility, whereas the
      father-daughter relationship might be somewhat protected in the early childhood
      period. Findings from the current investigation highlight the need for broader
      perspectives on family functioning, considering influences across family
      subsystems and the effects of both parent and child gender.

PMID- 26097379
TI  - The expression of LGR5 in healthy human stem cell niches and its modulation in
      inflamed conditions.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aims of this study are to investigate the expression of leucine-rich
      repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5) protein in the normal human
      cornea and limbus and to analyze modifications of this expression under
      inflammatory conditions. METHODS: The expression of LGR5 was evaluated in seven
      limbal epithelial crypts (LECs), collected from healthy cadaver donors, and five
      inflamed LECs obtained from enucleated eyes. Central corneal buttons were used as
      controls. LGR5 protein distribution was determined by immunohistochemistry
      staining analysis. RESULTS: The cytoplasmic expression of LGR5 protein was
      observed in 100% of healthy LECs. Three out of five inflamed tissues analyzed
      were completely negative, while in the two remaining cases, we observed a
      moderate positivity in the basal cells of LECs. No relation was found between the
      expression of LGR5 and the grade of inflammatory cells. CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings demonstrate the presence of LGR5-positive cells in human LECs and their
      decrease in inflamed conditions, which suggests a critical role of this protein
      during inflammation and its possible use as a marker in normal crypts.

PMID- 26097378
TI  - Phenotypes of trypsin- and collagenase-prepared bovine corneal endothelial cells
      in the presence of a selective Rho kinase inhibitor, Y-27632.
AB  - PURPOSE: To optimize isolation of viable bovine corneal endothelial cells
      (BCECs), we evaluated the effectiveness of various preparation protocols. This
      entailed comparing the effects of collagenase A and trypsin in the presence and
      absence of a Rho kinase inhibitor, Y-27632, on proliferation and tight junctional
      and cytoskeletal integrity during their expansion. METHODS: 5-bromo-2'
      deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation evaluated cell proliferation. Western blot
      analysis evaluated F-actin, zonule occludin, and ZO-1 associated nucleic acid
      binding protein (ZONAB) and RhoA expression. Rho A pulldown assay evaluated Rho A
      activity. RESULTS: In the trypsin (TrypLE)-prepared BCECs, BrdU incorporation
      decreased whereas nuclear ZONAB expression increased and became stable from day 3
      to 7. In contrast, in the collagenase-A-prepared BCECs, we observed preserved ZO
      1 integrity, invariant nuclear ZONAB expression, and dense cortical F-actin
      expression, and BrdU incorporation was invariant from days 1 to 7. Y-27632 did
      not increase BrdU incorporation and nuclear ZONAB expression in the TrypLE
      prepared and the collagenase-A-prepared BCECs. Moreover, Y-27632 increased
      irregular cellular morphology and downregulated the expression of ZO-1 in the
      collagenase-A-prepared BCECs from days 1 to 7. Y-27632 inhibited RhoA activation
      irrespective of whether the cells were isolated with trypsin or collagenase A.
      CONCLUSIONS: It is preferable to isolate BCECs with collagenase A and expand them
      without Y-27632. With this protocol, proliferative activity and tight junctional
      and cytoskeletal integrity are better preserved than if trypsin is used in the
      presence or absence of Y-27632.

PMID- 26097380
TI  - Novel targeted therapies in chordoma: an update.
AB  - Chordomas are rare, locally aggressive skull base neoplasms known for local
      recurrence and not-infrequent treatment failure. Current evidence supports the
      role of maximal safe surgical resection. In addition to open skull-base
      approaches, the endoscopic endonasal approach to clival chordomas has been
      reported with favorable albeit early results. Adjuvant radiation is prescribed
      following complete resection, alternatively for gross residual disease or at the
      time of recurrence. The modalities of adjuvant radiation therapy reported vary
      widely and include proton-beam, carbon-ion, fractionated photon radiotherapy, and
      photon and gamma-knife radiosurgery. As of now, no direct comparison is
      available, and high-level evidence demonstrating superiority of one modality over
      another is lacking. While systemic therapies have yet to form part of any first
      line therapy for chordomas, a number of targeted agents have been evaluated to
      date that inhibit specific molecules and their respective pathways known to be
      implicated in chordomas. These include EGFR (erlotinib, gefitinib, lapatinib),
      PDGFR (imatinib), mTOR (rapamycin), and VEGF (bevacizumab). This article provides
      an update of the current multimodality treatment of cranial base chordomas, with
      an emphasis on how current understanding of molecular pathogenesis provides a
      framework for the development of novel targeted approaches. 

PMID- 26097381
TI  - Nanotechnology in the Regeneration of Complex Tissues.
AB  - Modern medicine faces a growing crisis as demand for organ transplantations
      continues to far outstrip supply. By stimulating the body's own repair
      mechanisms, regenerative medicine aims to reduce demand for organs, while the
      closely related field of tissue engineering promises to deliver "off-the-self"
      organs grown from patients' own stem cells to improve supply. To deliver on these
      promises, we must have reliable means of generating complex tissues. Thus far,
      the majority of successful tissue engineering approaches have relied on
      macroporous scaffolds to provide cells with both mechanical support and
      differentiative cues. In order to engineer complex tissues, greater attention
      must be paid to nanoscale cues present in a cell's microenvironment. As the
      extracellular matrix is capable of driving complexity during development, it must
      be understood and reproduced in order to recapitulate complexity in engineered
      tissues. This review will summarize current progress in engineering complex
      tissue through the integration of nanocomposites and biomimetic scaffolds.

PMID- 26097382
TI  - Ionizing radiation-induced foci persistence screen to discover enhancers of
      accelerated senescence.
AB  - Much like replicative senescence, the irreversible cell-cycle arrest induced by
      eroded telomeres, accelerated senescence occurs when replicative cells suffer
      irreparable DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Along with apoptosis and necrosis,
      senescence is a desirable outcome in cancer treatment with ionizing radiation
      (IR) or chemotherapy. In both normal and cancer cells, DSBs promote the assembly
      of IR-induced foci (IRIF), domains of modified chromatin that serve a key role in
      DNA damage signaling. IRIF persistence is a critical determinant of accelerated
      senescence, making drugs that promote persistent IRIF an attractive strategy to
      sensitize cancer to genotoxic therapy. As an IRIF reporter, we have expressed an
      inducible green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion to the IRIF-binding domain (IBD)
      of 53BP1 (GFP-IBD) in the breast cancer cell line MCF7. Within minutes of
      exposure to IR, the GFP-IBD relocalizes to form fluorescent nuclear foci, which
      disperse within several hours. A pair of high-content screening assays for IRIF
      formation and persistence were established in multiwell plates based on imaging
      and quantifying GFP-IBD foci per Hoechst-stained MCF7 nucleus at 2 hours and 24
      hours. Using the ataxia telangiectasia-mutated inhibitor CGK733 to block IRIF
      formation and the topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide to prevent IRIF
      resolution, we obtained a Z' >0.8 both for IRIF formation at 2 hours and IRIF
      persistence at 24 hours. Screening the diverse drugs and natural products in the
      National Cancer Institute Developmental Therapeutics Program Approved Oncology
      Drugs Set, the National Institutes of Health Clinical Collection, and the
      MicroSource Spectrum Collection yielded multiple hits that significantly delayed
      IRIF resolution. Secondary screening suggested some of these otherwise nontoxic
      drugs also enhance accelerated senescence, indicating strong potential for their
      repurposing as radiation sensitizers to improve the efficacy of cancer therapy.

PMID- 26097383
TI  - New method for identifying abnormal milling states of an otological drill.
AB  - Surgeons are continuing to strive toward achieving higher quality minimally
      invasive surgery. With the growth of modern technology, intelligent medical
      devices are being used to improve the safety of surgery. Milling beyond the bone
      tissue wall is a common abnormal milling state in ear surgery, as well as
      entanglement of the drill bit with the cotton swab, which will do harm to the
      patient's encephalic tissues. Various methods have been investigated by engineers
      and surgeons in an effort to avoid this type of abnormal milling state during
      surgery. This paper outlines a new method for identifying these two types of
      abnormal milling states. Five surgeons were invited to perform experiments on
      calvarial bones. The average recognition rate for otological drill milling
      through a bone tissue wall was 93%, with only 2% of normal millings being
      incorrectly identified as milling faults. The average recognition rate for
      entanglement of the drill bit with a cotton swab was 92%, with only 2% of normal
      millings being identified as milling faults. The method presented here can be
      adapted to the needs of the individual surgeon and reliably identify milling
      faults. 

PMID- 26097384
TI  - Patchy distributions of myelin and vesicular glutamate transporter 2 align with
      cytochrome oxidase blobs and interblobs in the superficial layers of the primary
      visual cortex.
AB  - Blobs are a modular component of the primary visual cortex (area 17) of all
      primates, but not of other mammals closely related to primates. They are
      characterized as an even distribution of patches, puffs, or blobs of dense
      cytochrome oxidase (CO) expression in layer III of area 17, and are now known to
      differ from surrounding, nonblob cortex in thalamic, intrinsic, and extrastriate
      connections. Previous studies have also recognized a blob-like pattern of myelin
      dense patches in layer III of area 17 of primates, and more recently the
      vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT)-2 isoform of the VGLUT family has been
      found to selectively distribute to layer III patches in a similar blob-like
      pattern. Here, we sought to determine if the blob-like patterns all identify the
      same modular structures in area 17 of primates by staining alternate brain
      sections cut parallel to the surface of area 17 of a prosimian primate (Otolemur
      garnettii) for CO, myelin, and VGLUT2. By aligning the sections from the three
      preparations, we provide clear evidence that the three preparations all identify
      the same modular blob structures. The results provide a further understanding of
      the functional nature of the blobs by demonstrating that their higher level of CO
      activity is related to thalamic inputs from the lateral geniculate nucleus that
      use VGLUT2 as their main glutamate transporter, and via myelinated axons.

PMID- 26097385
TI  - Correlation of ultrasound estimated placental volume and umbilical cord blood
      volume in term pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between ultrasound measured placental
      volume and collected umbilical cord blood (UCB) volume in term pregnancy.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study of term singleton
      pregnant women in the labor ward at Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center was
      conducted. Placental thickness, height, and width were measured using two
      dimensional (2D) ultrasound and calculated for placental volume using the
      volumetric mathematic model. After the delivery of the baby, UCB was collected
      and measured for its volume immediately. Then, birth weight, placental weight,
      and the actual placental volume were analyzed. The Pearson's correlation was used
      to determine the correlation between each two variables. RESULTS: A total of 35
      pregnant women were eligible for the study. The mean and standard deviation of
      estimated placental volume and actual placental volume were 534+/-180 mL and
      575+/-118 mL, respectively. The median UCB volume was 140 mL (range 98-220 mL).
      The UCB volume did not have a statistically significant correlation with the
      estimated placental volume (correlation coefficient 0.15; p=0.37). However, the
      UCB volume was significantly correlated with the actual placental volume
      (correlation coefficient 0.62; p<0.001) and birth weight (correlation coefficient
      0.38; p=0.02). CONCLUSION: The estimated placental volume by 2D ultrasound was
      not significantly correlated with the UCB volume. Further studies to establish
      the correlation between the UCB volume and the estimated placental volume using
      other types of placental imaging may be needed.

PMID- 26097386
TI  - Labial adhesion and bacteriuria.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical presentation,
      laboratory findings, and response to treatment in girls with labial adhesion
      younger than 23 months. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all
      girls younger than 23 months with the diagnosis of labial adhesion was referred
      to Dr Sheikh children's clinic in Mashhad in northeast Iran between 1998 and
      2013. RESULTS: Sixty-three patients were diagnosed with labial adhesion during
      the review period. Most patients were diagnosed by physicians during the physical
      examination or during the evaluation for their voiding problems. The most
      prevalent symptom among patients was dysuria and restlessness while voiding.
      Twenty-one (33.3%) patients had a history of urinary tract infection. 17 (26.9%)
      patients had sterile pyuria and 69.8% showed presence of bacteria in their urine
      samples. CONCLUSION: Physicians may frequently encounter pre-pubertal girls whose
      urinalysis may show sterile pyuria or presence of bacteria with colony counts
      <105 in the absence of urinary tract infection symptoms. In these cases, labial
      adhesion should always be suspected and genital examination should be performed.

PMID- 26097387
TI  - The Great Recession of 2007 in the United States and the male: female ratio at
      birth.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Male live births slightly exceed female live births by approximately
      3%. The ratio of male to total live births is conventionally represented as M/F.
      Many factors have been shown to affect M/F, mainly privation, toxins, and stress,
      all of which reduce M/F. Population stress may be engendered by natural phenomena
      such as earthquakes and man-made events such as short wars, terrorist attacks,
      and contracting economies. This study was conducted to ascertain whether the
      onset of the "Great Recession" (2007) was associated with changes in M/F in the
      United States (US). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Annual monthly live births by gender
      for January 2006 to December 2008 were obtained from United States Centres for
      Disease Control and Prevention. RESULTS: In 2007, there were 4316233 live births
      [M/F: 0.51157; 95% confidence intervals: 0.51110-0.51205). M/F rose between
      January and June, and then fell sharply between August and December. M/F was
      statistically significantly lower in the second half of 2007 (p=0.007). The dip
      in M/F from June to July was also significant (p=0.02). These findings were not
      replicated in the amalgamated data for 2006 and 2008. CONCLUSION: The United
      States housing boom of the mid-2000s was fueled by rising house prices and cheap
      mortgages given to credit-poor buyers. A halt in rising house prices resulted in
      defaults and foreclosures, triggering the worst financial crisis since the Great
      Depression. The associated stress appears to have decreased M/F in the US.

PMID- 26097388
TI  - The impact of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy on fetal cardiac and
      peripheral circulation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in fetal cardiac and
      peripheral circulation in pregnancies complicated with intrahepatic cholestasis.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: The Doppler examination results of 22 pregnant subjects
      complicated with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and 44 healthy
      controls were compared. The parameters of fetal cardiac circulation were
      pulmonary artery and aortic (Ao) peak systolic velocity (PSV), pulmonary vein
      (Pv), peak velocity index (PVI) and pulsatility index (PI), mitral valve (MV) and
      tricuspid valve (TV), early diastole (E)- and atrial contraction (A)-wave peak
      velocity ratio (E/A), and isthmus aortic peak systolic velocity (IAo PSV). The
      parameters of fetal peripheral circulation were middle cerebral artery (MCA) and
      umbilical artery (UA) PI, resistance index (RI), systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratio.
      Fetal obstetric Doppler monitoring was conducted weekly before 36 weeks and
      biweekly after that, and the results were compared with the normal reference
      values for gestational age. RESULTS: The Doppler parameters of fetal cardiac and
      peripheral circulation did not significantly differ between the two groups. S/D
      ratio readings in the ICP group were significantly above 2 SD before 35 weeks of
      gestation. Women with ICP had increased risks of preterm delivery, neonatal unit
      admission, and meconium-stained amniotic fluid compared with those in the
      controls. CONCLUSION: Fetuses of pregnant women with ICP showed no differences in
      the evaluation of cardiac and peripheral Doppler measurements compared with
      fetuses of healthy mothers. The Doppler investigation of the umbilical artery may
      be useful in monitoring of pregnancies complicated by early onset intrahepatic
      cholestasis.

PMID- 26097389
TI  - Comparison of effects of nifedipine and ritodrine on maternal and fetal blood
      flow patterns in preterm labor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of
      nifedipine and ritodrine treatment on fetomaternal blood flow parameters in women
      with preterm labor. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty women with gestational age
      between 24 and 36 weeks admitted to the obstetrics clinic for preterm labor were
      enrolled in this study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either
      nifedipine (n=30) or ritodrine (n=30) treatment. Demographic features, clinic and
      laboratory parameters, fetal and maternal side effects, and Doppler ultrasound
      indices of the umbilical artery (UA), uterine arteries (UtA), and middle cerebral
      artery (MCA) before, 2 hours after, and 48 hours after the initiation of
      tocolytic treatments were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In both the
      groups, early- and late-onset changes in the pulsatility index (PI) and other
      Doppler indices for UA, UtA, and MCA were similar. In addition, time elapsed till
      delivery, fetal mortality, and maternal morbidity in both the groups were not
      statistically significant (p>0.05). However, maternal side effects such as
      tachycardia was more frequent (p<0.05) in the ritodrine group. Besides, in the
      ritodrine group, anxiety was only minimally observed. CONCLUSION: Nifedipine and
      ritodrine used as tocolytic agents did not significantly alter early- and late
      onset changes in Doppler ultrasonography parameters in fetal and fetomaternal
      circulation.

PMID- 26097390
TI  - Hyperprolactinemia has no effect on plasma ghrelin levels in patients with
      prolactinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Accumulating evidence suggests that prolactin is a modulator of body
      weight and composition and that it regulates some transporters in adipose tissue.
      It was demonstrated that hyperprolactinemia is associated with weight gain and
      obesity. Ghrelin is a novel hormone secreted from many organs including the
      pituitary gland. Ghrelin acts by regulating energy homeostasis and stimulating
      appetite. The aim of this study is to investigate whether ghrelin has a role in
      the case of weight gain in patients with prolactinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Forty-four patients with prolactinoma, both newly diagnosed and undergoing
      cabergoline treatment, were included in this study. Age- and sex-matched healthy
      subjects were included in the control group. Serum fasting glucose, insulin,
      lipid profile, and ghrelin levels were measured. Homeostasis model assessment of
      insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was also calculated. Body mass index (BMI) and total
      fat ratio (%) of all the participants were assessed by bioelectrical impedance
      analysis using TBF-310GSTM (Tanita Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). RESULTS: Patients
      with prolactinoma demonstrated significantly higher serum levels of fasting
      insulin, triglyceride, and waist and hip circumference measurement. No
      significant difference was found between the fasting glucose, high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and HOMA-IR levels.
      BMI was significantly higher in the patients with prolactinoma than that in the
      control group (p<0.05). Additionally, the total body fat percentage was higher in
      the patients with prolactinoma than that in the control group; however, the
      difference was not significant (p>0.05). Furthermore, there was no significant
      difference in terms of the ghrelin levels between these groups. There was a
      correlation with serum ghrelin and growth hormone levels (p<0.02, rho=0.489).
      However, no significant correlation was obtained between serum prolactin or
      ghrelin levels and body fat percentage. CONCLUSION: According to the results of
      our study, ghrelin has no effect on weight gain in patients with prolactinoma.
      Further studies are needed to evaluate whether ghrelin affects the prevalence of
      obesity in patients with prolactinoma.

PMID- 26097391
TI  - Mislocated extrauterine intrauterine devices: Diagnosis and surgical management.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Presentation of the diagnostic and surgical treatment methods of our
      extrauterine intrauterine device (IUD) cases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We
      retrospectively evaluated the data of 21 extrauterine IUD cases at our clinic
      between 2008 and 2010. The symptoms, diagnostic methods, and surgical treatments
      were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 14 copper and seven levonorgestrel (LNG) IUDs
      were used. IUD had been inserted during lactation in 71.4% of the patients. The
      reasons for presentation of patients were unintended pregnancy in 19.05%, pelvic
      pain in 19.05%, and pelvic pain with vaginal bleeding in 23.8%. IUD in two
      patients were located the retroperitoneal area. IUD string had not been visible
      during routine follow-up in 38.1% of the patients. Laparoscopy was performed in
      14 patients and laparotomy was performed for dense adhesions in seven patients.
      CONCLUSION: Extrauterine IUDs can present with various clinical symptoms.
      Ultrasonography and X-Ray are sufficient for the diagnosis. Surgical removal is
      needed to prevent possible complications, and the preferred surgical technique in
      appropriate patients is laparoscopy.

PMID- 26097392
TI  - Addition of gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist for luteal phase support in in
      vitro fertilization: an analysis of 2739 cycles.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Luteal phase is defective in in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles, and
      many regimens were tried for the very best luteal phase support (LPS).
      Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist use, which was administered as an
      adjunct to the luteal phase support in IVF cycles, was suggested to improve
      pregnancy outcome measures in certain randomized studies. We analyzed the effects
      of addition of GnRH agonist to standard progesterone luteal support on pregnancy
      outcome measures, particularly the live birth rates. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This
      is a retrospective cohort study, including 2739 IVF cycles. Long GnRH agonist and
      antagonist stimulation IVF cycles with cleavage-stage embryo transfer were
      included. Cycles were divided into two groups: Group A included cycles with
      single-dose GnRH agonist plus progesterone LPS and Group B included progesterone
      only LPS. Live birth rates were the primary outcome measures of the analysis.
      Miscarriage rates and multiple pregnancy rates were the secondary outcome
      measures. RESULTS: Live birth rates were not statistically different in GnRH
      agonist plus progesterone (Group A) and progesterone only (Group B) groups in
      both the long agonist and antagonist stimulation arms (40.8%/41.2% and
      32.8%/34.4%, p<0.05 respectively). Moreover, pregnancy rates, implantation rates,
      and miscarriage rates were found to be similar between groups. Multiple pregnancy
      rates in antagonist cycles were significantly higher in Group A than those in
      Group B (12.0% and 6.9%, respectively). CONCLUSION: A beneficial effect of a
      single dose of GnRH agonist administration as a luteal phase supporting agent is
      yet to be determined because of the wide heterogeneity of data present in
      literature. Well-designed randomized clinical studies are required to clarify any
      effect of luteal GnRH agonist addition on pregnancy outcome measures with
      different doses, timing, and administration routes of GnRH agonists.

PMID- 26097393
TI  - Bilateral sacrospinous fixation without hysterectomy: 18-month follow-up.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of bilateral
      sacrospinous fixation (SSF), which was performed with surgical mesh interposition
      and bilateral vaginal repair. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients underwent
      SSF between 2010 and 2012, and the results were evaluated retrospectively. The
      results at preoperative and postoperative 6(th), 12(th), and 18(th) months of the
      pelvic organ prolapse quantification system (POP-Q) and the Pelvic Organ
      Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-12 (PISQ-12) were compared
      using Friedman and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests. Values of p<0.05 and <0.01 were
      considered statistically significant. RESULTS: According to the POP-Q,
      significant healing was observed on all vaginal vault points (p=0.001), and no
      prolapse was observed until the 18-month follow-up stage. There were also
      prominent patients who felt satisfactory with respect to their sexual life
      according to PISQ-12 (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: This technique appears to provide an
      adequate clinical resolution, and it may be the primary surgical option for women
      with pelvic organ prolapse.

PMID- 26097394
TI  - PARP inhibitors and more.
AB  - Polyadenosine diphosphate (ADP) ribose polymerase (PARP) lends a panoramic view
      to the inner mystery of protection of integrity of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in
      a cell genome. They are a balancing part of an even more dynamic equilibrium of
      normalcy against daily assaults. PARP finds its companion candidates in other
      tumor suppressors, with the most prominent and glaring one being breast cancer
      (BRCA) 1 and 2. The strength of both is split by PARP inhibitors, inculcating the
      synthetic lethality of tumor cell, which is now in the market for ovarian cancer
      treatment. There are many reasons for the resistance of such inhibitors, which
      are now becoming clinically important. These are seen along with other damage
      repair approaches. 

PMID- 26097396
TI  - Prenatal diagnosis and management of a fetal neck mass.
AB  - We report the case of a benign mesenchymal spindle-cell tumor located on fetal
      neck, diagnosed during prenatal ultrasound and magnetic resonance investigation.
      A 30-year-old woman (gravida 2, para 1) was referred to our perinatology unit for
      evaluation of a fetal neck mass that had been identified on ultrasonography at 29
      weeks gestation. A right lateral neck mass was observed (size: 42*40 mm) that
      extended from the preauricular region to right clavicula. Fetal MRI revealed a
      solid heterogeneous mass arising from the right lateral neck and there was no
      invasion around tissue and no extension of the mass into the chest. At 37 weeks
      after birth, we observed that the mass was subcutaneous and there was no invasion
      to the surrounding tissue. The trachea was not compressed and there was no
      extension of the mass into the chest. Then, the neck mass was completely resected
      after birth without any complications. Histopathological examination of tumor was
      consistent with mesenchymal spindle-cell tumor. Immunohistochemical staining with
      CD34 and actin was positive; however, caldesmone, epithelial membrane antigen
      (EMA), and S-100 was negative. Fetal MRI performed during the pregnancy for
      investigation of fetal neck masses detected on ultrasound gives compatible
      results observed in the neonate after birth and maintains adequate findings for
      follow-up and planning of treatment. 

PMID- 26097395
TI  - Impact of obesity on infertility in women.
AB  - The prevalence of obesity and overweight are increasing and have become an
      epidemic worldwide. Obesity has detrimental influences on all systems, including
      reproductive health. The prevalence of obesity in infertile women is high, and it
      is well known that there is an association between obesity and infertility. The
      relationship between obesity and reproductive functions is still being explored.
      Overweight women have a higher incidence of menstrual dysfunction and
      anovulation. Overweight and obese women are at a high risk for reproductive
      health. The risk of subfecundity and infertility, conception rates, miscarriage
      rates, and pregnancy complications are increased in these women. They have poor
      reproductive outcomes in natural as well as assisted conception. These poor
      reproductive outcomes include assisted reproduction such as ovulation induction,
      in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI), and ovum
      donation cycles. Weight loss has beneficial effects on the reproductive outcomes
      in these patients. 

PMID- 26097397
TI  - What is your diagnosis?

PMID- 26097398
TI  - Drug use and/or exposure in pregnancy: Presence of risk versus quantity of risk.

PMID- 26097399
TI  - Prior vaginal delivery is a predictive factor affecting success in trial of labor
      after cesarean section.

PMID- 26097400
TI  - A clinician's quick guide of evidence-based approaches: Childhood anxiety
      disorders.

PMID- 26097401
TI  - Risky Bodies in the Plasma Bioeconomy: A Feminist Analysis.
AB  - In 2003 the UK National Blood Service introduced a policy of 'male donor
      preference' which involved women's plasma being discarded following blood
      collection. The policy was based on the view that data relating to the incidence
      of Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury (TRALI) was linked to transfusion with
      women's plasma. While appearing to treat female donors as equal to male donors,
      exclusion criteria operate after donation at the stage of processing blood, thus
      perpetuating myths of universality even though only certain 'extractions' from
      women are retained for use in transfusion. Many women in the UK receive a plasma
      derived product called Anti-D immunoglobulin which is manufactured from pooled
      male plasma. This article examines ways in which gender has significance for
      understanding blood relations, and how the blood economy is gendered. In our
      study of relations between blood donors and recipients, we explore how gendered
      bodies are produced through the discursive and material practices within blood
      services. We examine both how donation policies and the manufacturing and use of
      blood products produces gendered blood relations.

PMID- 26097402
TI  - One Bioregion/One Health: An Integrative Narrative for Transboundary Planning
      along the US-Mexico Border.
AB  - Global megatrends-including climate change, food and water insecurity, economic
      crisis, large-scale disasters and widespread increases in preventable diseases
      are motivating a bioregionalisation of planning in city-regions around the world.
      Bioregionalisation is an emergent process. It is visible where societies have
      begun grappling with complex socio-ecological problems by establishing place
      based (territorial) approaches to securing health and well-being. This article
      examines a bioregional effort to merge place-based health planning and ecological
      restoration along the US-Mexico border. The theoretical construct underpinning
      this effort is called One Bioregion/One Health (OBROH). OBROH frames health as a
      transborder phenomenon that involves human-animal-environment interactions. The
      OBROH approach aims to improve transborder knowledge networking, ecosystem
      resilience, community participation in science-society relations, leadership
      development and cross-disciplinary training. It is a theoretically informed
      narrative to guide action. OBROH is part of a paradigm shift evident worldwide;
      it is redefining human-ecological relationships in the quest for healthy place
      making. The article concludes on a forward-looking note about the promise of
      environmental epidemiology, telecoupling, ecological restoration, the engaged
      university and bioregional justice as concepts pertinent to reinventing place
      based planning.

PMID- 26097403
TI  - A thermodynamic study of the cyclodextrin-UC781 inclusion complex using a HPLC
      method.
AB  - UC781, a very potent HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor with
      extreme hydrophobicity and poor water solubility, is under development as a
      topical vaginal microbicide product to prevent HIV transmission. In this study,
      the thermodynamic behavior of the interaction between UC781 with three
      cyclodextrins (CDs): beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD), hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin
      (HPbetaCD) and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MbetaCD), was investigated using a
      reversed-phase HPLC method. A mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile: H2O
      (30:70) solution containing various CD concentrations was used. The retention
      time at different temperatures was determined to evaluate the inclusion process.
      The influence of betaCDs on the solubility and hydrophobicity of UC781 was
      characterized by retention time values. The results showed that the inclusion
      capacity of cyclodextrins follows the order MbetaCD > betaCD > HPbetaCD. An
      enthalpy-entropy compensation effect was also observed. In addition, the results
      revealed that the change of DeltaH is greater than that of DeltaS. These results
      suggested that the complexation of UC781 with betaCDs is an enthalpy driven
      process. The modification on beta-cyclodextrin will influence the inclusion
      process.

PMID- 26097405
TI  - Large-Scale Synthesis of Crystalline 1,2,3,4,6,7-Hexa-O-acetyl-l-glycero-alpha-d
      manno-heptopyranose.
AB  - The higher-carbon sugar l-glycero-d-manno-heptose is a major constituent of the
      inner core region of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of many Gram-negative bacteria.
      All preparative routes used to date require multiple steps, and scalability has
      been rarely addressed. Here a highly practical synthesis of crystalline
      1,2,3,4,6,7-hexa-O-acetyl-l-glycero-alpha-d-manno-heptopyranose by a simple four
      step sequence starting from l-lyxose is disclosed. Only two recrystallisations
      are required and the process was demonstrated on a >100 mmol scale, yielding 41 g
      of the target compound.

PMID- 26097404
TI  - Toward the correction of effective electrostatic forces in explicit-solvent
      molecular dynamics simulations: restraints on solvent-generated electrostatic
      potential and solvent polarization.
AB  - Despite considerable advances in computing power, atomistic simulations under
      nonperiodic boundary conditions, with Coulombic electrostatic interactions and in
      systems large enough to reduce finite-size associated errors in thermodynamic
      quantities to within the thermal energy, are still not affordable. As a result,
      periodic boundary conditions, systems of microscopic size and effective
      electrostatic interaction functions are frequently resorted to. Ensuing artifacts
      in thermodynamic quantities are nowadays routinely corrected a posteriori, but
      the underlying configurational sampling still descends from spurious forces. The
      present study addresses this problem through the introduction of on-the-fly
      corrections to the physical forces during an atomistic molecular dynamics
      simulation. Two different approaches are suggested, where the force corrections
      are derived from special potential energy terms. In the first approach, the
      solvent-generated electrostatic potential sampled at a given atom site is
      restrained to a target value involving corrections for electrostatic artifacts.
      In the second approach, the long-range regime of the solvent polarization around
      a given atom site is restrained to the Born polarization, i.e., the solvent
      polarization corresponding to the ideal situation of a macroscopic system under
      nonperiodic boundary conditions and governed by Coulombic electrostatic
      interactions. The restraints are applied to the explicit-water simulation of a
      hydrated sodium ion, and the effect of the restraints on the structural and
      energetic properties of the solvent is illustrated. Furthermore, by means of the
      calculation of the charging free energy of a hydrated sodium ion, it is shown how
      the electrostatic potential restraint translates into the on-the-fly
      consideration of the corresponding free-energy correction terms. It is discussed
      how the restraints can be generalized to situations involving several solute
      particles. Although the present study considers a very simple system only, it is
      an important step toward the on-the-fly elimination of finite-size and
      approximate-electrostatic artifacts during atomistic molecular dynamics
      simulations.

PMID- 26097406
TI  - Generation and Trapping of Ketenes in Flow.
AB  - Ketenes were generated by the thermolysis of alkoxyalkynes under flow conditions,
      and then trapped with amines and alcohols to cleanly give amides and esters. For
      a 10 min reaction time, temperatures of 180, 160, and 140  degrees C were
      required for >95 % conversion of EtO, iPrO, and tBuO alkoxyalkynes, respectively.
      Variation of the temperature and flow rate with inline monitoring of the output
      by IR spectroscopy allowed the kinetic parameters for the conversion of 1-ethoxy
      1-octyne to be easily estimated (Ea = 105.4 kJ/mol). Trapping of the in-situ
      generated ketenes by alcohols to give esters required the addition of a tertiary
      amine catalyst to prevent competitive [2+2] addition of the ketene to the
      alkoxyalkyne precursor.

PMID- 26097408
TI  - Interference effects in BSM processes with a generalised narrow-width
      approximation.
AB  - A generalisation of the narrow-width approximation (NWA) is formulated which
      allows for a consistent treatment of interference effects between nearly mass
      degenerate particles in the factorisation of a more complicated process into
      production and decay parts. It is demonstrated that interference effects of this
      kind arising in BSM models can be very large, leading to drastic modifications of
      predictions based on the standard NWA. The application of the generalised NWA is
      demonstrated both at tree level and at one-loop order for an example process
      where the neutral Higgs bosons h and H of the MSSM are produced in the decay of a
      heavy neutralino and subsequently decay into a fermion pair. The generalised NWA,
      based on on-shell matrix elements or their approximations leading to simple
      weight factors, is shown to produce UV- and IR-finite results which are
      numerically close to the result of the full process at tree level and at one-loop
      order, where an agreement of better than [Formula: see text] is found for the
      considered process. The most accurate prediction for this process based on the
      generalised NWA, taking into account also corrections that are formally of higher
      orders, is briefly discussed.

PMID- 26097410
TI  - Rare exclusive hadronic W decays in a [Formula: see text] environment.
AB  - The large cross section for [Formula: see text] production at the large hadron
      collider (LHC) and at any future hadron collider provides a high-statistics and
      relatively clean environment for a study of W boson properties: after tagging on
      a leptonic decay of one of the Ws and the two b jets, an additional W still
      remains in the event. We study the prospect of making the first exclusive
      hadronic decay of a fundamental boson of the standard model, using the decay
      modes [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], and other related decays. By
      using strong isolation criteria, which we impose by searching for jets with a
      single particle constituent, we show that the three-particle hadronic W decays
      have potential to be measured at the LHC. The possibility of measuring an
      involved spectrum of decay products could considerably expand our knowledge of
      how the W decays, and experimental techniques acquired in making these
      measurements would be useful for application to future measurements of exclusive
      hadronic Higgs boson decays.

PMID- 26097409
TI  - Hadronic Higgs production through NLO [Formula: see text] PS in the SM, the 2HDM
      and the MSSM.
AB  - The next-to-leading order (NLO) cross section of the gluon fusion process is
      matched to parton showers in the MC@NLO approach. We work in the framework of
      MadGraph5_aMC@NLO and document the inclusion of the full quark-mass dependence in
      the Standard Model (SM) as well as the state-of-the-art squark and gluino effects
      within the Minimal Supersymmetric SM  embodied in the program SusHi. The
      combination of the two programs is realized by a script which is publicly
      available and whose usage is detailed. We discuss the input cards and the
      relevant parameter switches. One of our focuses is on the shower scale which is
      specifically important for gluon-induced Higgs production, particularly in models
      with enhanced Higgs-bottom Yukawa coupling.

PMID- 26097412
TI  - The residential segregation of detailed Hispanic and Asian groups in the United
      States: 1980-2010.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Racial and ethnic diversity continues to grow in communities across
      the United States, raising questions about the extent to which different ethnic
      groups will become residentially integrated. OBJECTIVE: While a number of studies
      have examined the residential patterns of pan-ethnic groups, our goal is to
      examine the segregation of several Asian and Hispanic ethnic groups - Cubans,
      Dominicans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Salvadorans, Asian Indians, Chinese,
      Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, and Vietnamese. We gauge the segregation of each
      group from several alternative reference groups using two measures over the 1980
      to 2010 period. RESULTS: We find that the dissimilarity of Hispanics and Asians
      from other groups generally held steady or declined, though, because most
      Hispanic and Asian groups are growing, interaction with Whites also often
      declined. Our analyses also indicate that pan-ethnic segregation indexes do not
      always capture the experience of specific groups. Among Hispanics, Mexicans are
      typically less residentially segregated (as measured using the dissimilarity
      index) from Whites, Blacks, Asians, and other Hispanics than are other Hispanic
      origin groups. Among Asian ethnic groups, Japanese and Filipinos tend to have
      lower levels of dissimilarity from Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics than other Asian
      groups. Examining different dimensions of segregation also indicates that
      dissimilarity scores alone often do not capture to what extent various ethnic
      groups are actually sharing neighborhoods with each other. Finally, color lines
      vary across groups in some important ways, even as the dominant trend has been
      toward reduced racial and ethnic residential segregation over time. CONCLUSIONS:
      The overarching trend is that ethnic groups are becoming more residentially
      integrated, suggestive of assimilation, though there is significant variation
      across ethnic groups.

PMID- 26097415
TI  - Clinical Trials and Molecular Radiotherapy.

PMID- 26097418
TI  - Management of Radioactive Spills in Nuclear Medicine; Teaching and Assessing with
      Objectively Structured Assessment of Technical Skills.
AB  - Routine work in nuclear medicine requires the careful elution of radioactivity
      and its subsequent, storage and handling. Though all effort is maintained to
      prevent any "spill" of this radioactivity, accidents are bound to happen. The
      response to this spill is a methodically worked out a plan that is written and
      adopted as a "standard operating procedure." This protocol is taught to all
      involved in the area of working as a mock drill/apprenticeship model. No formal
      evaluation of learning is in place except for the mock drills. The objectively
      structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) is a variation on the Objective
      Structured Clinical Examination, which is a form of workplace based assessment.
      The OSATS is cited in the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education
      evaluation toolbox on the website as the most desirable evaluation tool for the
      patient care topics. It is the objective of this paper is to introduce the
      "OSATS" for teaching, and assessment of the learning, of the protocol for the
      management of radioactive spill. As a review of the literature on the subject
      failed to reveal any such teaching protocol/material/document for this important
      technical skill, we hope that it may act as a landmark for the development of
      teaching and assessment of other technical skills also. 

PMID- 26097414
TI  - Describing the factors that influence the process of making a shared-agenda in
      Japanese family physician consultations: a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients cannot always share all necessary relevant information with
      doctors during medical consultations. Regardless, in order to ensure the best
      quality consultation and care, it is imperative that a doctor clearly understands
      each patient's agenda. The purpose of this study was to analyze the process of
      developing a shared-agenda during family physician consultations in Japan.
      METHODS: We interviewed 15 first time patients visiting the outpatient clinic of
      the Department of Family Medicine in the hospital chosen for the investigation,
      and the 8 family physicians who examined them. In total we observed 16
      consultations. We analyzed both patients' and doctors' narratives using a
      modified grounded theory approach. RESULTS: For patients, we found four main
      factors that influenced the process of making a shared-agenda: past medical
      experiences, undisclosed but relevant information, relationship with the family
      physician, and the patient's own explanatory model. In addition, we found five
      factors that influenced the shared agenda making process for family physicians:
      understanding the patient's explanatory model, constructing the patient-doctor
      relationship, physical examination centered around the patient's explanatory
      model, discussion-styled explanation, and self-reflection on action. CONCLUSIONS:
      The findings suggest that patient satisfaction would be increased if family
      physicians are proactive in considering these factors with respect to both the
      patient's agenda, and their own.

PMID- 26097413
TI  - Flexibility is everything: prey capture throughout the seasonal habitat switches
      in the smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris.
AB  - Transitions between aquatic and terrestrial habitats are significant steps in
      vertebrate evolution. Due to the different biophysical demands on the whole
      organism in water and air, such transitions require major changes of many
      physiological functions, including feeding. Accordingly, the capability to
      modulate the pre-programmed chain of prey-capture movements might be essential to
      maintain performance in a new environment. Newts are of special interest in this
      regard as they show a multiphasic lifestyle where adults change seasonally
      between an aquatic and a terrestrial stage. For instance, the Alpine newt is
      capable of using tongue prehension to feed on land only when in the terrestrial
      stage, but still manages to suction feed if immersed whilst in terrestrial stage.
      During the aquatic stage, terrestrial feeding always involved grasping prey by
      the jaws. Here, we show that this seasonal shift in feeding behavior is also
      present in a species with a shorter terrestrial stage, the smooth newt
      Lissotriton vulgaris. Behavioral variability increases when animals change from
      aquatic to terrestrial strikes in the aquatic stage, but prey-capture movements
      seem to be generally well-coordinated across the feeding modes. Only suction
      feeding in the terrestrial stage was seldom performed and appeared uncoordinated.
      Our results indicate that newts exhibit a high degree of seasonal flexibility of
      the prey-capture behavior. The similarity between movement patterns of suction
      feeding and terrestrial feeding suggests that only relatively subtle neuromotoric
      adjustments to the ancestral, suction-feeding motor program are required to
      successfully feed in the new environment.

PMID- 26097417
TI  - Radiosynovectomy of Painful Synovitis of Knee Joints Due to Rheumatoid Arthritis
      by Intra-Articular Administration of (177)Lu-Labeled Hydroxyapatite Particulates:
      First Human Study and Initial Indian Experience.
AB  - The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of Radiosynovectomy (RSV)
      using (177)Lu-labeled hydroxyapatite ((177)Lu-HA) in the treatment of painful
      synovitis and recurrent joint effusion of knee joints in rheumatoid arthritis
      (RA). Ten patients, diagnosed with RA and suffering from chronic painful
      resistant synovitis of the knee joints were referred for RSV. The joints were
      treated with 333 +/- 46 MBq of (177)Lu-HA particles administered intra
      articularly. Monitoring of activity distribution was performed by static imaging
      of knee joint and whole-body gamma imaging. The patients were evaluated
      clinically before RSV and at 6 months after the treatment by considering the pain
      improvement from baseline values in terms of a 100-point visual analog scale
      (VAS), the improvement of knee flexibility and the pain remission during the
      night. RSV response was classified as poor (VAS < 25), fair (VAS >= 25-50), good
      (VAS >= 50-75) and excellent (VAS >= 75), with excellent and good results
      considered to be success, while fair and poor as failure and also by range of
      motion. Three phase bone scan (BS) was repeated after 6 months and changes in the
      second phase of BS3 were assessed visually, using a four-degree scale and in the
      third phase, semiquantitatively with J/B ratio to see the response. Biochemical
      analysis of C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen was repeated after 48 h, 4
      and 24 weeks. In all 10 patients, no leakage of administered activity to
      nontarget organs was visible in the whole-body scan. Static scans of the joint at
      1 month revealed complete retention of (177)Lu-HA in the joints. All patients
      showed decreased joint swelling and pains, resulting in increased joint motion
      after 6 months. The percentage of VAS improvement from baseline values was 79.5
      +/- 20.0% 6 months after RS and found to be significantly related to patients'
      age (P = 0.01) and duration of the disease (P = 0.03). Knees with Steinbrocker's
      Grades 0 and I responded better than those with more advanced changes
      (Steinbrocker's Grades III and IV) in terms of VAS improvement (75% vs. 45.8%) (P
      < 0.001). The overall success rate (VAS >= 50) was 80%. Remission of pain during
      the night was achieved in 100%, and knee flexibility was improved in 80%. The
      changes in the blood pool phase before RSV were 3.2 +/- 0.7 and after the therapy
      1.4 +/- 0.7 (P < 0.001). The J/B ratio was: Before RSV 2.4 +/- 0.3; after
      treatment 1.0 +/- 0.2 (P < 0.05). CRP concentration 4 and 24 weeks after the
      therapy was significantly lower than before treatment. The fibrinogen level was
      not different before and after RSV. RSV side-effects assessed for the whole
      follow-up period were minor and not significant. RSV with (177)Lu-HA was safe and
      effective in patients with knee joint chronic painful synovitis of rheumatoid
      origin. It exhibited significant therapeutic effect after 6 months follow-up
      period with no significant side-effects. The preliminary investigations reveal
      that (177)Lu-labeled HA particles hold considerable promise as a cost-effective
      agent for RSV. More elaborate and controlled clinical trials are necessary to
      evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of the agent compared with the
      treatment with other radionuclides and glucocorticosteroids. 

PMID- 26097416
TI  - Advances in SPECT for Optimizing the Liver Tumors Radioembolization Using Yttrium
      90 Microspheres.
AB  - Radioembolization (RE) with Yttrium-90 ((90)Y) microspheres is an effective
      treatment for unresectable liver tumors. The activity of the microspheres to be
      administered should be calculated based on the type of microspheres. Technetium
      99m macroaggregated albumin ((99m)Tc-MAA) single photon emission computed
      tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) is a reliable assessment before RE to
      ensure the safe delivery of microspheres into the target. (90)Y bremsstrahlung
      SPECT imaging as a posttherapeutic assessment approach enables the reliable
      determination of absorbed dose, which is indispensable for the verification of
      treatment efficacy. This article intends to provide a review of the methods of
      optimizing (90)Y bremsstrahlung SPECT imaging to improve the treatment efficacy
      of liver tumor RE using (90)Y microspheres. 

PMID- 26097419
TI  - Studies on the Labeling of Ethylenediaminetetramethylene Phosphonic Acid,
      Methylene Diphosphonate, Sodium Pyrophosphate and Hydroxyapatite with Lutetium
      177 for use in Nuclear Medicine.
AB  - For the treatment of skeletal metastasis, a therapeutic radionuclide tagged with
      a bone seeking ligand is required, while for radiation synovectomy (RS), a
      therapeutic radionuclide irreversibly attached to pre-formed particles of
      appropriate size is required. Radio lanthanides are mostly therapeutic, and
      ligands containing phosphate groups are predominantly bone seekers. Exploiting
      these facts, number of new therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals could be developed.
      Labeling of four phosphate containing materials was pursued in the present study.
      It was hypothesized that various (177)Lu-labeled bone-seeking complexes such as
      (177)Lu-ethylenediaminetetramethylene phosphonic acid (EDTMP), (177)Lu-methylene
      diphosphonate (MDP) and (177)Lu-pyrophosphate (PYP) could be developed as agents
      for palliative radiotherapy of bone pain due to skeletal metastases, and (177)Lu
      Hydroxyapatite (HA) could be developed as an agent for radiosynovectomy of small
      joints. Lyophilized kit vials of EDTMP, MDP and sodium pyrophosphate (Na-PYP)
      were formulated. HA particles were synthesized locally and purity was checked by
      high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). (177)Lu was labeled with EDTMP,
      MDP, PYP, and HA and the behavior of all was studied by radio-thin layer
      chromatography (TLC) radio-HPLC and radio-electrophoresis. Radio-TLC confirmed
      the labeling. HPLC analysis too verified the labeling. Radio-electrophoresis
      results depicted peaks for (177)Lu-MDP, (177)Lu-EDTMP and (177)Lu-PYP at 3.37 +/-
      0.06 cm, 5.53 +/- 0.15 cm and 7.03 +/- 0.06 cm respectively confirming negative
      charge on each specie as all migrated toward positive anode. All 3 methods
      verified the labeling. The study demonstrated that EDTMP, MDP and PYP form stable
      complexes with (177)Lu in injectable solution form. HA particulates could too be
      labeled with (177)Lu with high radiochemical yields (>98%) in suspension form.
      Former three could be utilized as bone-pain palliation agents for the treatment
      of bone metastases, and the later could be applied for the treatment of
      Rheumatoid arthritis of small joints. The study has also indicated the
      possibility of developing other numerous radiolanthanide analogs with the
      potentials of possible use in radiation therapy. 

PMID- 26097420
TI  - Utility of (99m)Tc-Hynic-TOC in 131I Whole-Body Scan Negative Thyroid Cancer
      Patients with Elevated Serum Thyroglobulin Levels.
AB  - Several studies have reported on the expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs)
      in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). The aim of this study was
      to evaluate the imaging abilities of a recently developed Technetium-99m labeled
      somatostatin analog, (99m)Tc-Hynic-TOC, in terms of precise localization of the
      disease. The study population consisted of 28 patients (16 men, 12 women; age
      range: 39-72 years) with histologically confirmed DTC, who presented with
      recurrent or persistent disease as indicated by elevated serum thyroglobulin (Tg)
      levels after initial treatment (serum Tg > 10 ng/ml off T4 suppression for 4-6
      weeks). All patients were negative on the Iodine-131 posttherapy whole-body
      scans. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18)F-FDG
      PET) was performed in all patients. SSTR scintigraphy was true positive in 23
      cases (82.1%), true negative in two cases (7.1%) and false negative in three
      cases (10.7%) which resulted in a sensitivity of 88.46%, specificity of 100% and
      an accuracy of 89.2%. Sensitivity of (99m)Tc-Hynic-TOC scan was higher (93.7%)
      for patients with advanced stages, that is stages III and IV. (18)F-FDG showed a
      sensitivity of 93.7%, a specificity of 50% and an accuracy of 89.3%. (18)F-FDG
      PET was found to be more sensitive, with lower specificity due to false positive
      results in 2 patients. Analysis on a lesion basis demonstrated substantial
      agreement between the two imaging techniques with a Cohen's kappa of 0.66.
      Scintigraphy with (99m)Tc-Hynic-TOC might be a promising tool for treatment
      planning; it is easy to perform and showed sufficient accuracy for localization
      diagnostics in thyroid cancer patients with recurrent or metastatic disease. 

PMID- 26097421
TI  - Metastatic Bone Pain Palliation using (177)Lu-Ethylenediaminetetramethylene
      Phosphonic Acid.
AB  - (177)Lu-ethylenediaminetetramethylene phosphonic acid (EDTMP) is presently
      suggested as an excellent bone seeking radionuclide for developing metastatic
      bone pain (MBP) palliation agent owing to its suitable nuclear decay
      characteristics. To find the exact dosage and its efficiency, this clinical study
      was performed on the human being, using (177)Lu-EDTMP for MBP palliation. (177)Lu
      EDTMP was prepared by Iran, atomic energy organization. Thirty consecutive
      patients with determined tumors, incontrollable MBP, and positive bone scan at 4
      weeks before the beginning of the study participated in this study in the nuclear
      medicine ward. (177)Lu-EDTMP in the form of sterile slow IV injection was
      administered with a dose of 29.6 MBq/kg. Short form of brief pain inventory
      questionnaire was used to evaluate the efficiency of the intervention.
      Questionnaires were filled out by an expert nuclear physician every 2 weeks while
      the cell blood count was also checked every 2 weeks up to 12 weeks for evaluation
      of bone marrow suppression and hematological toxicity. Furthermore, whole body
      scan was done at days 1, 3, and 7. Twenty-five patients showed a significant pain
      relief since 2 weeks after the injection, and continued until the end of the
      follow up period (12 weeks). There were no significant early complications such
      as bone marrow suppression, hematological toxicity, and no systemic adverse
      effects. No complication was observed in renal function. Twenty one patients
      showed flare phenomenon that was started after the 12.2 +/- 1.78 h lasting for
      38.4 +/- 23.08. Sixteen patients (53%) were completely treated; nine patients
      (30%) showed a partial response, and five patients (17%) had no response to
      treatment. Total response to treatment was achieved in 25 patients (83%). At the
      end of the evaluation, no bone marrow suppression or hematologic toxicity was
      observed. (177)Lu-EDTMP has shown suitable physical and biological properties
      with good results in long term bone pain relief for patients with bone
      metastasis. 

PMID- 26097422
TI  - A Comprehensive Software and Database Management System for Glomerular Filtration
      Rate Estimation by Radionuclide Plasma Sampling and Serum Creatinine Methods.
AB  - Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimation by plasma sampling method is
      considered as the gold standard. However, this method is not widely used because
      the complex technique and cumbersome calculations coupled with the lack of
      availability of user-friendly software. The routinely used Serum Creatinine
      method (SrCrM) of GFR estimation also requires the use of online calculators
      which cannot be used without internet access. We have developed user-friendly
      software "GFR estimation software" which gives the options to estimate GFR by
      plasma sampling method as well as SrCrM. We have used Microsoft Windows((r)) as
      operating system and Visual Basic 6.0 as the front end and Microsoft Access((r))
      as database tool to develop this software. We have used Russell's formula for GFR
      calculation by plasma sampling method. GFR calculations using serum creatinine
      have been done using MIRD, Cockcroft-Gault method, Schwartz method, and Counahan
      Barratt methods. The developed software is performing mathematical calculations
      correctly and is user-friendly. This software also enables storage and easy
      retrieval of the raw data, patient's information and calculated GFR for further
      processing and comparison. This is user-friendly software to calculate the GFR by
      various plasma sampling method and blood parameter. This software is also a good
      system for storing the raw and processed data for future analysis. 

PMID- 26097423
TI  - Value of Oblique View in Nodular Thyroid Disease; Revisiting Fundamentals.
AB  - Thyroid scintigraphy plays an important role in the anatomical and functional
      evaluation of thyroid nodules which carry the risk of malignancy. The presence of
      multiple nodules carries overall smaller risk of cancer than solitary nodule.
      Missing nodules, whether solitary or multiple, may mean delaying detection of
      possible cancer. Therefore, it is important to improve the delectability of
      thyroid scintigraphy using most optimal imaging techniques. For pinhole thyroid
      imaging, there is a recent trend to omit oblique projections by some
      laboratories. The objective of this study was to reevaluate the impact of oblique
      projections in the detection of thyroid nodules. A total of 92 cases with nodular
      thyroid disease on routine pinhole thyroid scintigraphy was reviewed
      retrospectively. Two nuclear medicine physicians recorded the number of nodules
      based on the anterior view only and another time with adding the oblique views. A
      total of 192 nodules was detected using the three views. Sixty nodules (31%) were
      only seen on the oblique views and were missed on the anterior projections.
      Oblique pinhole projections are mandatory for adequate thyroid scintigraphy since
      31% of nodules are missed if only anterior projection was used for
      interpretation. Following proper techniques will avoid missing of detection of
      nodule that may harbor cancer. 

PMID- 26097424
TI  - Primary Retroperitoneal Seminoma Staging and Surveillance by Means of Fluoro-2
      Deoxyglucose-Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography.
AB  - Primary retroperitoneal seminoma is a very rare entity. We present a case of 39
      year-old male with primary retroperitoneal seminoma with staging and surveillance
      by means of F-18 fluoro-2-deoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed
      tomography (FDG-PET/CT). The case demonstrates that primary retroperitoneal
      seminoma can be easy to identify with FDG-PET/CT and potential follow-up on
      recurrence, or metastatic disease can be performed using this technique. 

PMID- 26097425
TI  - Retroperitoneal Endometriosis: A Possible Cause of False Positive Finding at
      (18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography.
AB  - Endometriosis is a frequent and clinically relevant problem in young women.
      Laparoscopy is still the gold standard for the diagnosis of endometriosis, but
      frequently both morphologic and functional imaging techniques are involved in the
      diagnostic course before achieving a conclusive diagnosis. We present a case of a
      patient affected by infiltrating retroperitoneal endometriosis falsely
      interpreted as a malignant mass by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging
      and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography. 

PMID- 26097426
TI  - A Unique Case of Diffuse Metastatic Neuroendocrine Cancer with Subcutaneous
      Nodules on (18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computer
      Assisted Tomography.
AB  - Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) account for 8-10% of cases of carcinomas of unknown
      primary. Most of these cases are poorly differentiated with metastatic disease at
      the time of diagnosis. However, cutaneous metastatic presentation is rare. We
      present an interesting case of a 74-year-old woman presenting with cutaneous
      metastatic involvement from high grade poorly differentiated NET of unknown
      origin. She was referred to us with a diagnosis of lymphoma. (18)F
      fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computer assisted tomography
      imaging at our institution offered a differential diagnosis, including
      neuroendocrine cancer. Repeat skin lesion biopsy demonstrated "non-Merkel cell"
      carcinoma, favoring metastatic high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma. 

PMID- 26097427
TI  - Hybrid Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography Imaging
      Features of Tumoral Calcinosis in Technetium-99m Methylene Diphosphonate Bone
      Scintigraphy.
AB  - Tumoral calcinosis (TC) is an uncommon ectopic calcification syndrome. TC is a
      benign condition characterized by the presence of large calcific soft tissue
      deposits occurring predominantly in a periarticular location. It generally occurs
      as a complication of renal dialysis or trauma, and is rarely seen in familial and
      sporadic cases. Bone scintigraphy is a sensitive method for diagnosing TC. We
      report a case of year old female with. She underwent bone scintigraphy to see the
      sites of involvement, which showed intense foci of tracer activity in soft tissue
      in bilateral thigh and gluteal region. Hybrid single-photon emission computed
      tomography/computed tomography of the pelvis and thigh localized tracer uptake to
      the calcification in the gluteal and thigh region. 

PMID- 26097429
TI  - Increasing Specificity of (99m)Tc-HDP Three-phase bone Scintigraphy and (99m)Tc
      Besilesomab Scan in Case of Osteomyelitis Complicated with Necrotizing Fasciitis.

PMID- 26097428
TI  - Giant Schmorl's Node may Cause High Uptake and Mimic a Bone Metastasis on (18)F
      Choline Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography.
AB  - Bone metastasis in prostate cancer are detected by choline positron emission
      tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with high sensitivity and specificity. We
      report the case of a patient with previous prostatectomy for prostate cancer who
      underwent F-choline PET/CT for a recent increased of prostate-specific antigen
      value and showed focal vertebral uptake suggestive for skeletal metastasis;
      magnetic resonance imaging revealed unexpectedly a Schmorl's node (SN). False
      positives on choline PET-CT caused by SN has not be reported in the literature
      and the present case highlights that this possibility should be considered in
      case of choline vertebral increased uptake in the patient with prostate cancer. 

PMID- 26097430
TI  - Profiles of importance, readiness and confidence in quitting tobacco use.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether rulers of importance, readiness and
      confidence (IRC) in quitting smoking could be used to identify subgroups of
      smokers, with the future goal of potentially tailoring interventions to specific
      readiness profiles. METHODS: Consecutive emergency department patients >=18 years
      old were considered for enrolment. Participants provided information on their
      tobacco use and motivation to quit smoking using 10-point IRC rulers. We used
      latent profile analysis on the IRC rulers to identify subgroups of smokers and
      examined associations between profile membership and participant's nicotine
      dependence and demographics. RESULTS: A total of 1549 patients were screened,
      yielding a sample of 609 tobacco users. According to statistical fit indices, a
      four-profile solution fits best: 32% displayed maximum importance and readiness
      with strong confidence, 43% of the sample displayed relatively average levels of
      all three variables, 17% displayed below average importance with least favourable
      readiness and confidence and 7% displayed least favourable importance and
      readiness but relatively high confidence. Profiles were then shown to differ on
      nicotine dependence and educational level. CONCLUSIONS: Four distinct profiles of
      IRC responses were observed. Identifying and describing these patterns has the
      potential to enhance future targeted intervention efforts and has implications
      for theory development.

PMID- 26097431
TI  - Optimising web site designs for people with learning disabilities.
AB  - Much relevant internet-mediated information is inaccessible to people with
      learning disabilities because of difficulties in navigating the web. This paper
      reports on the methods undertaken to determine how information can be optimally
      presented for this cohort. Qualitative work is outlined where attributes relating
      to site layout affecting usability were elicited. A study comparing web sites of
      different design layouts exhibiting these attributes is discussed, with the
      emphasis on methodology. Eight interfaces were compared using various
      combinations of menu position (vertical or horizontal), text size and the absence
      or presence of images to determine which attributes of a site have the greatest
      performance impact. Study participants were also asked for their preferences, via
      a 'smiley-face' rating scale and simple interviews. 'Acquiescence bias' was
      minimised by avoiding polar ('yes/no') interrogatives, achieved by asking
      participants to compare layouts (such as horizontal versus vertical menu), with
      reasons coaxed from those able to articulate them. Preferred designs were for
      large text and images. This was the reverse of those facilitating fastest
      retrieval times, a discrepancy due to preferences being judged on aesthetic
      considerations. Design recommendations that reconcile preference and performance
      findings are offered. These include using a horizontal menu, juxtaposing images
      and text, and reducing text from sentences to phrases, thus facilitating
      preferred large text without increasing task times.

PMID- 26097432
TI  - IEEN workshop report: Teaching and learning in interdisciplinary and empirical
      ethics.
AB  - Bioethics is an interdisciplinary field that accommodates a broad range of
      perspectives and disciplines. This inherent diversity sets a number of challenges
      for both teachers and students of bioethics, notably in respect to the
      appropriate aims and methods of bioethics education, standards and criteria for
      evaluating performance and disciplinary identity. The Interdisciplinary and
      Empirical Ethics Network (IEEN) was established, with funding from the Wellcome
      Trust, to facilitate critical and constructive discussion about the ongoing
      development of bioethics as an evolving field of interdisciplinary study. In
      November 2012 the IEEN organised a workshop at the University of Birmingham to
      discuss the issues relating to teaching and learning in interdisciplinary and
      empirical bioethics. This paper reports on that meeting.

PMID- 26097433
TI  - IEEN workshop report: Professionalism in interdisciplinary and empirical
      bioethics.
AB  - The Interdisciplinary and Empirical Ethics Network was established in 2012 with
      funding from the Wellcome Trust in order to facilitate critical and constructive
      discussion around the nature of the disciplinary diversity within bioethics and
      to consider the ongoing development of bioethics as an evolving field of
      interdisciplinary study. In April 2013, the Interdisciplinary and Empirical
      Ethics Network organized a workshop at the Centre for Public Policy Research,
      King's College London, which discussed the nature and possibility of
      professionalism within interdisciplinary and empirical bioethics. This paper
      provides a report of that workshop.

PMID- 26097434
TI  - Economic evaluation of a single-pill triple antihypertensive therapy with
      valsartan, amlodipine, and hydrochlorothiazide against its dual components.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the cost-utility of the first available
      single-pill triple combination antihypertensive therapy containing valsartan (V),
      amlodipine (A) and hydrochlorothiazide (H), with each of the same components dual
      combinations in patients with moderate to severe hypertension. A Markov model
      with eight health states was constructed. The short-term effect of
      antihypertensive treatment on blood pressure was extrapolated through the
      Hellenic SCORE and Framingham risk equations, estimating the long-term survival
      and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) saved. Costs and outcomes were evaluated
      over lifetime, divided into annual cycles and discounted at 3.0 % with 2013 as
      reference year. The analysis was conducted by the Greek third-party-payer
      perspective. The triple combination treatment cost was estimated at ?16,525
      compared to ?15,480 for V/A, ?14,125 for V/H and ?11,690 for A/H. The QALYs saved
      with the triple combination were 12.76 vs. 12.64, 12.61 and 12.38 for double
      combinations respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of the triple
      combination versus V/A and A/H was far lower than the Greek GDP per capita
      (?8,690/QALY and ?12,695/QALY, respectively) and really close for V/H
      (?16,192/QALY), suggesting V/A/H combination to be cost-effective. Extensive
      sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the results. The probability
      that the triple combination is cost effective was more than 90 % at a willingness
      to-pay threshold of ?18,000/QALY. This is the first study to evaluate the cost
      utility of a single-pill triple combination. The single-pill V/A/H therapy is a
      cost-effective antihypertensive choice for the treatment of moderate to severe
      hypertension, compared to its dual components. 

PMID- 26097435
TI  - Level of agreement between patient-reported EQ-5D responses and EQ-5D responses
      mapped from the SF-12 in an injury population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Comparing health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcomes between
      studies is difficult due to the wide variety of instruments used. Comparing study
      outcomes and facilitating pooled data analyses requires valid "crosswalks"
      between HRQL instruments. Algorithms exist to map 12-item Short Form Health
      Survey (SF-12) responses to EQ-5D item responses and preference weights, but none
      have been validated in populations where disability is prevalent, such as injury.
      METHODS: Data were extracted from the Validating and Improving injury Burden
      Estimates Study (Injury-VIBES) for 10,166 adult, hospitalized trauma patients,
      with both the three-level EQ-5D (EQ-5D-3L) and SF-12 data responses at six and 12
      months postinjury. Agreement between actual (patient-reported) and estimated
      (mapped from SF-12) EQ-5D-3L item responses and preference weights was assessed
      using Kappa, Prevalence-Adjusted Bias-Adjusted Kappa statistics and Bland-Altman
      plots. RESULTS: Moderate agreement was observed for usual activities,
      pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Agreement was substantial for mobility
      and self-care items. The mean differences in preference weights were -0.024 and 
      0.012 at six and 12 months (p < 0.001), respectively. The Bland-Altman plot
      limits of agreement were large compared to the range of valid preference weight
      values (-0.56 to 1.00). Estimated EQ-5D-3L responses under-reported disability
      for all items except pain/discomfort. CONCLUSIONS: Caution should be taken when
      using EQ-5D-3L responses mapped from the SF-12 to describe patient outcomes or
      when undertaking economic evaluation, due to the underestimation of disability
      associated with mapped values. The findings from this study could be used to
      adjust expected EQ-5D-3L preference weights when estimated from SF-12 item
      responses when combining data from studies that use either instrument.

PMID- 26097436
TI  - Predicting visceral adipose tissue by MRI using DXA and anthropometry in
      adolescents and young adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Accumulation of intra-abdominal (visceral) adipose tissue, independent
      of total adiposity, is associated with development of metabolic abnormalities
      such as insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes in children and adults. The
      objective of this study was to develop prediction equations for estimating
      visceral adiposity (VAT) measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using
      anthropometric variables and measures of abdominal fat mass from DXA in
      adolescents and young adults. METHODS: Cross-sectional data was collected from a
      multiethnic population of seventy males and females, aged 12-25 years, with BMI
      ranging from 14.5-38.1 kg/m2. Android (AFM; android region as defined by
      manufacturers instruction) and lumbar L1-L4 regional fat masses were assessed
      using DXA (GE Lunar Prodigy; GE Lunar Corp, Madison, WI, USA). Criterion measures
      of intra-abdominal visceral fat were obtained using single-slice MRI (General
      Electric Signa Model 5x 1.5T) and VAT area was analyzed at the level OF L4-L5.
      Image analysis was carried out using ZedView 3.1. RESULTS: DXA measures of AFM
      (r=0.76) and L1-L4 (r=0.71) were significantly (P<0.0001) correlated with MRI
      measured VAT. DXA AFM, together with gender and weight, explained 62% of the
      variance in VAT (SEE=10.06 cm2). DXA L1-L4 fat mass with gender explained 54% of
      the variance in VAT (SEE=11.08 cm2). Addition of the significant interaction,
      gender * DXA fat mass, improved prediction of VAT from AFM (Radj2=0.61,
      SEE=10.10cm2) and L1-L4 (Radj2=0.59, SEE=10.39cm2). CONCLUSION: These results
      demonstrate that VAT is accurately estimated from regional fat masses measured by
      DXA in adolescents and young adults.

PMID- 26097437
TI  - Exploring Intergenerational Discontinuity in Problem Behavior: Bad Parents with
      Good Children.
AB  - Using data from the Rochester Youth Development Study, a series of regression
      models are estimated on offspring problem behavior with a focus on the
      interaction between parental history of delinquency and the parent-child
      relationship. Good parenting practices significantly interact with the particular
      shape of parental propensity of offending over time, functioning as protective
      factors to protect against problematic behaviors among those who are most at
      risk. The moderation effects vary slightly by the age of our subjects.
      Accordingly, it is important to distinguish the effect of not only the level of
      parental delinquency at one point in time, but also the shape of the delinquency
      trajectory on outcomes for their children. Good parenting holds the hope of
      breaking the vicious cycle of intergenerational transmission of delinquency.

PMID- 26097438
TI  - Co-Immunoprecipitation of Membrane-Bound Receptors.
AB  - The study of cell-surface receptor dynamics is critical for understanding how
      cells sense and respond to changing environments. Therefore, elucidating the
      mechanisms by which signals are perceived and communicated into the cell is
      necessary to understand immunity, development, and stress. Challenges in testing
      interactions of membrane-bound proteins include their dynamic nature, their
      abundance, and the complex dual environment (lipid/soluble) in which they reside.
      Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) of tagged membrane proteins is a widely used
      approach to test protein-protein interaction in vivo. In this protocol we present
      a method to perform Co-IP using enriched membrane proteins in isolated microsomal
      fractions. The different variations of this protocol are highlighted, including
      recommendations and troubleshooting guides in order to optimize its application.
      This Co-IP protocol has been developed to test the interaction of receptor-like
      kinases, their interacting partners, and peptide ligands in stable Arabidopsis
      thaliana lines, but can be modified to test interactions in transiently expressed
      proteins in tobacco, and potentially in other plant models, or scaled for large
      scale protein-protein interactions at the membrane. 

PMID- 26097439
TI  - A single word in a population of words.
AB  - Carey and Bartlett introduced a new method for studying lexical development, one
      of presenting the child with a word and a single context of use and asking what
      was learned from that one encounter. They also reported a then new finding: By
      using what they already knew about previously learned words, young children could
      narrow the range of possibilities for likely meanings in a single encounter. This
      papers honors that original contribution and the robust literature and set of
      phenomena it generated by considering how newly learned categories must fit into
      a population of already learned categories. This paper presents an overview of
      Packing Theory, a formal geometrical analysis of how local interactions in a
      large population of categories create a global structure of feature relevance
      such that near categories in the population of have similar generalization
      patterns. The implications of these ideas for learning from a single encounter,
      their relation to the evidence of artificial word learning studies, and new
      predictions are discussed.

PMID- 26097440
TI  - Sodium bicarbonate intake improves high-intensity intermittent exercise
      performance in trained young men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sodium bicarbonate intake has been shown to improve exercise
      tolerance, but the effects on high-intensity intermittent exercise are less
      clear. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of sodium
      bicarbonate intake on Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 2 performance in
      trained young men. METHOD: Thirteen men aged 23 +/- 1 year (height: 180 +/- 2 cm,
      weight: 78 +/- 3 kg; VO2max: 61.3 +/- 3.3 mlO2 . kg(-1) . min(-1); means +/- SEM)
      performed the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 2 (Yo-Yo IR2) on two
      separate occasions in randomized order with (SBC) and without (CON) prior intake
      of sodium bicarbonate (0.4 g . kg(-1) body weight). Heart rate and rating of
      perceived exertion (RPE) were measured during the test and venous blood samples
      were taken frequently. RESULTS: Yo-Yo IR2 performance was 14 % higher (P = 0.04)
      in SBC than in CON (735 +/- 61 vs 646 +/- 46 m, respectively). Blood pH and
      bicarbonate were similar between trials at baseline, but higher (P = 0.003)
      immediately prior to the Yo-Yo IR2 test in SBC than in CON (7.44 +/- 0.01 vs 7.32
      +/- 0.01 and 33.7 +/- 3.2 vs 27.3 +/- 0.6 mmol . l(-1), respectively). Blood
      lactate was 0.9 +/- 0.1 and 0.8 +/- 0.1 mmol . l(-1) at baseline and increased to
      11.3 +/- 1.4 and 9.4 +/- 0.8 mmol . l(-1) at exhaustion in SBC and CON,
      respectively, being higher (P = 0.03) in SBC. Additionally, peak blood lactate
      was higher (P = 0.02) in SBC than in CON (11.7 +/- 1.2 vs 10.2 +/- 0.7 mmol . l(
      1)). Blood glucose, plasma K(+) and Na(+) were not different between trials. Peak
      heart rate reached at exhaustion was 197 +/- 3 and 195 +/- 3 bpm in SBC and CON,
      respectively, with no difference between conditions. RPE was 7% lower (P = 0.003)
      in SBC than in CON after 440 m, but similar at exhaustion (19.3 +/- 0.2 and 19.5
      +/- 0.2). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, high-intensity intermittent exercise
      performance is improved by prior intake of sodium bicarbonate in trained young
      men, with concomitant elevations in blood alkalosis and peak blood lactate
      levels, as well as lowered rating of perceived exertion.

PMID- 26097442
TI  - Approaching Ultimate Intrinsic SNR in a Uniform Spherical Sample with Finite
      Arrays of Loop Coils.
AB  - We investigated to what degree and at what rate the ultimate intrinsic (UI)
      signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) may be approached using finite radiofrequency
      detector arrays. We used full-wave electromagnetic field simulations based on
      dyadic Green's functions to compare the SNR of arrays of loops surrounding a
      uniform sphere with the ultimate intrinsic SNR (UISNR), for increasing numbers of
      elements over a range of magnetic field strengths, voxel positions, sphere sizes,
      and acceleration factors. We evaluated the effect of coil conductor losses and
      the performance of a variety of distinct geometrical arrangements such as
      "helmet" and "open-pole" configurations in multiple imaging planes. Our results
      indicate that UISNR at the center is rapidly approached with encircling arrays
      and performance is substantially lower near the surface, where a quadrature
      detection configuration tailored to voxel position is optimal. Coil noise is
      negligible at high field, where sample noise dominates. Central SNR for practical
      array configurations such as the helmet is similar to that of close-packed
      arrangements. The observed trends can provide physical insights to improve coil
      design.

PMID- 26097441
TI  - Combined L-citrulline and glutathione supplementation increases the concentration
      of markers indicative of nitric oxide synthesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide (NO) is endogenously synthesized from L-arginine and L
      citrulline. Due to its effects on nitric oxide synthase (NOS), reduced
      glutathione (GSH) may protect against the oxidative reduction of NO. The present
      study determined the effectiveness of L-citrulline and/or GSH on markers
      indicative of NO synthesis in in vivo conditions with rodents and humans and also
      in an in vitro condition. METHODS: In phase one, human umbilical vein endothelial
      cells (HUVECs) were treated with either 0.3 mM L-citrulline, 1 mM GSH (Setria(r))
      or a combination of each at 0.3 mM. In phase two, Sprague-Dawley rats (8 weeks
      old) were randomly assigned to 3 groups and received either purified water, L
      citrulline (500 mg/kg/day), or a combination of L-citrulline (500 mg/kg/day) and
      GSH (50 mg/kg/day) by oral gavage for 3 days. Blood samples were collected and
      plasma NOx (nitrite + nitrate) assessed. In phase three, resistance-trained males
      were randomly assigned to orally ingest either cellulose placebo (2.52 g/day), L
      citrulline (2 g/day), GSH (1 g/day), or L-citrulline (2 g/day) + GSH (200 mg/day)
      for 7 days, and then perform a resistance exercise session involving 3 sets of 10
      RM involving the elbow flexors. Venous blood was obtained and used to assess
      plasma cGMP, nitrite, and NOx. RESULTS: In phase one, nitrite levels in cells
      treated with L-citrulline and GSH were significantly greater than control (p <
      0.05). In phase two, plasma NOx with L-citrulline + GSH was significantly greater
      than control and L-citrulline (p < 0.05). In phase three, plasma cGMP was
      increased, but not significantly (p > 0.05). However, nitrite and NOx for L
      citrulline + GSH were significantly greater at 30 min post-exercise when compared
      to placebo (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Combining L-citrulline with GSH augments
      increases in nitrite and NOx levels during in vitro and in vivo conditions.

PMID- 26097443
TI  - Acute-phase ITIH4 levels distinguish multi-system from single-system Langerhans
      cell histiocytosis via plasma peptidomics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a proliferative disorder in
      which abnormal Langerhans cell (LC)-like cells (LCH cells) intermingle with
      inflammatory cells. Whether LCH is reactive or neoplastic remains a controversial
      matter. We recently described Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) as a possible
      causative agent of LCH and proposed interleukin-1 loop model: LCH is a reactive
      disorder with an underlying oncogenic potential and we now propose to test this
      theory by looking for acute markers of inflammation. We detected MCPyV-DNA in the
      peripheral blood cells of patients with high-risk organ-type (LCH-risk organ (RO)
      (+)) but not those with non-high-risk organ-type LCH (LCH-RO (-)); this
      difference was significant. LCH-RO (-) is further classified by its involvement
      of either a single organ system (SS-LCH) or multiple organ systems (MS-LCH). In
      patients with LCH-RO (-), MCPyV-DNA sequences were present in LCH tissues, and
      significant differences were observed between LCH tissues and control tissues
      associated with conditions such as dermatopathic lymphadenopathy and reactive
      lymphoid hyperplasia. Although MCPyV causes subclinical infection in nearly all
      people and 22 % of healthy adults will harbor MCPyV in their buffy coats,
      circulating monocytes could serve as MCPyV reservoirs and cause disseminated skin
      lesions. METHODS: Plasma sample from 12 patients with LCH-RO (-) (5 MS-LCH and 7
      SS-LCH) and 5 non-LCH patients were analyzed by peptidomics. Mass spectrometry
      (MS) spectra were acquired and peptides exhibiting quantitative differences
      between MS-LCH and SS-LCH patients were targeted. RESULTS: One new candidate
      biomarker, m/z 3145 was selected and identified after obtaining a MS/MS
      fragmentation pattern using liquid chromatography-MS/MS. This peak was identified
      as a proteolytic fragment derived from inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain
      4 (ITIH4, [PDB: Q14624]). CONCLUSIONS: Peptidomics of LCH have revealed that the
      level of acute-phase ITIH4 distinguishes MS-LCH-RO (-) from SS-LCH-RO (-). Acute
      phase proteins serve non-specific, physiological immune functions within the
      innate immune system. LCH may be a reactive disorder with both underlying
      neoplastic potential of antigen presenting cells harboring BRAF mutations and
      hyper-immunity of other inflammatory cells against MCPyV infection. Among LCH-RO
      (-), MCPyV-DNA sequences were present in both MS-LCH tissues and SS-LCH tissues
      without significant differences. ITIH4 may show that LCH activity or LCH subtypes
      correlates with the systemic or localized reactions of MCPyV infection.

PMID- 26097444
TI  - Magnetically Decorated Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as Dual MRI and SPECT
      Contrast Agents.
AB  - Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been proposed as one of the most promising
      nanomaterials to be used in biomedicine for their applications in drug/gene
      delivery as well as biomedical imaging. The present study developed radio-labeled
      iron oxide decorated multi-walled CNTs (MWNT) as dual magnetic resonance (MR) and
      single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging agents. Hybrids
      containing different amounts of iron oxide were synthesized by in situ
      generation. Physicochemical characterisations revealed the presence of
      superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) granted the magnetic
      properties of the hybrids. Further comprehensive examinations including high
      resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), fast Fourier transform
      simulations (FFT), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
      (XPS) assured the conformation of prepared SPION as gamma-Fe2O3. High r2
      relaxivities were obtained in both phantom and in vivo MRI compared to the
      clinically approved SPION Endorem(r). The hybrids were successfully radio-labeled
      with technetium-99m through a functionalized bisphosphonate and enabled SPECT/CT
      imaging and gamma-scintigraphy to quantitatively analyze the biodistribution in
      mice. No abnormality was found by histological examination and the presence of
      SPION and MWNT were identified by Perls stain and Neutral Red stain,
      respectively. TEM images of liver and spleen tissues showed the co-localization
      of SPION and MWNT within the same intracellular vesicles, indicating the in vivo
      stability of the hybrids after intravenous injection. The results demonstrated
      the capability of the present SPION-MWNT hybrids as dual MRI and SPECT contrast
      agents for in vivo use.

PMID- 26097445
TI  - Cationic Polymer Modified Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Targeted SiRNA
      Delivery to HER2+ Breast Cancer.
AB  - In vivo delivery of siRNAs designed to inhibit genes important in cancer and
      other diseases continues to be an important biomedical goal. We now describe a
      new nanoparticle construct that has been engineered for efficient delivery of
      siRNA to tumors. The construct is comprised of a 47-nm mesoporous silica
      nanoparticle (MSNP) core coated with a cross-linked PEI-PEG copolymer, carrying
      siRNA against the HER2 oncogene, and coupled to the anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody
      (trastuzumab). The construct has been engineered to increase siRNA blood half
      life, enhance tumor-specific cellular uptake, and maximize siRNA knockdown
      efficacy. The optimized anti-HER2-nanoparticles produced apoptotic death in HER2
      positive (HER2+) breast cancer cells grown in vitro, but not in HER2 negative
      (HER2-) cells. One dose of the siHER2-nanoparticles reduced HER2 protein levels
      by 60% in trastuzumab-resistant HCC1954 xenografts. Multiple doses administered
      intravenously over 3 weeks significantly inhibited tumor growth (p < 0.004). The
      siHER2-nanoparticles have an excellent safety profile in terms of blood
      compatibility and low cytokine induction, when exposed to human peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells. The construct can be produced with high batch-to-batch
      reproducibility and the production methods are suitable for large-scale
      production. These results suggest that this siHER2-nanoparticle is ready for
      clinical evaluation.

PMID- 26097446
TI  - Role of serotonin in fish reproduction.
AB  - The neuroendocrine mechanism regulates reproduction through the hypothalamo
      pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis which is evolutionarily conserved in vertebrates.
      The HPG axis is regulated by a variety of internal as well as external factors.
      Serotonin, a monoamine neurotransmitter, is involved in a wide range of
      reproductive functions. In mammals, serotonin regulates sexual behaviors,
      gonadotropin release and gonadotropin-release hormone (GnRH) secretion. However,
      the serotonin system in teleost may also play unique role in the control of
      reproduction as the mechanism of reproductive control in teleosts is not always
      the same as in the mammalian models. In fish, the serotonin system is also
      regulated by natural environmental factors as well as chemical substances. In
      particular, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly detected
      as pharmaceutical contaminants in the natural environment. Those factors may
      influence fish reproductive functions via the serotonin system. This review
      summarizes the functional significance of serotonin in the teleosts reproduction.

PMID- 26097447
TI  - Rapid P300 brain-computer interface communication with a head-mounted display.
AB  - Visual ERP (P300) based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) allow for fast and
      reliable spelling and are intended as a muscle-independent communication channel
      for people with severe paralysis. However, they require the presentation of
      visual stimuli in the field of view of the user. A head-mounted display could
      allow convenient presentation of visual stimuli in situations, where mounting a
      conventional monitor might be difficult or not feasible (e.g., at a patient's
      bedside). To explore if similar accuracies can be achieved with a virtual reality
      (VR) headset compared to a conventional flat screen monitor, we conducted an
      experiment with 18 healthy participants. We also evaluated it with a person in
      the locked-in state (LIS) to verify that usage of the headset is possible for a
      severely paralyzed person. Healthy participants performed online spelling with
      three different display methods. In one condition a 5 * 5 letter matrix was
      presented on a conventional 22 inch TFT monitor. Two configurations of the VR
      headset were tested. In the first (glasses A), the same 5 * 5 matrix filled the
      field of view of the user. In the second (glasses B), single letters of the
      matrix filled the field of view of the user. The participant in the LIS tested
      the VR headset on three different occasions (glasses A condition only). For
      healthy participants, average online spelling accuracies were 94% (15.5 bits/min)
      using three flash sequences for spelling with the monitor and glasses A and 96%
      (16.2 bits/min) with glasses B. In one session, the participant in the LIS
      reached an online spelling accuracy of 100% (10 bits/min) using the glasses A
      condition. We also demonstrated that spelling with one flash sequence is possible
      with the VR headset for healthy users (mean: 32.1 bits/min, maximum reached by
      one user: 71.89 bits/min at 100% accuracy). We conclude that the VR headset
      allows for rapid P300 BCI communication in healthy users and may be a suitable
      display option for severely paralyzed persons. 

PMID- 26097448
TI  - Integration of exteroceptive and interoceptive information within the
      hippocampus: a computational study.
AB  - Many episodic memory studies have critically implicated the hippocampus in the
      rapid binding of sensory information from the perception of the external
      environment, reported by exteroception. Other structures in the medial temporal
      lobe, especially the amygdala, have been more specifically linked with emotional
      dimension of episodic memories, reported by interoception. The hippocampal
      projection to the amygdala is proposed as a substrate important for the formation
      of extero-interoceptive associations, allowing adaptive behaviors based on past
      experiences. Recently growing evidence suggests that hippocampal activity
      observed in a wide range of behavioral tasks could reflect associations between
      exteroceptive patterns and their emotional valences. The hippocampal
      computational models, therefore, need to be updated to elaborate better
      interpretation of hippocampal-dependent behaviors. In earlier models,
      interoceptive features, if not neglected, are bound together with other
      exteroceptive features through autoassociative learning mechanisms. This way of
      binding integrates both kinds of features at the same level, which is not always
      suitable for example in the case of pattern completion. Based on the anatomical
      and functional heterogeneity along the septotemporal and transverse axes of the
      hippocampus, we suggest instead that distinct hippocampal subregions may be
      engaged in the representation of these different types of information, each
      stored apart in autoassociative memories but linked together in a
      heteroassociative way. The model is developed within the hard constraint of
      rapid, even single trial, learning of episodic memories. The performance of the
      model is assessed quantitatively and its resistance to interference is
      demonstrated through a series of numerical experiments. An experiment of reversal
      learning in patients with amnesic cognitive impairment is also reproduced. 

PMID- 26097449
TI  - A Time Series Approach to Random Number Generation: Using Recurrence
      Quantification Analysis to Capture Executive Behavior.
AB  - The concept of executive functions plays a prominent role in contemporary
      experimental and clinical studies on cognition. One paradigm used in this
      framework is the random number generation (RNG) task, the execution of which
      demands aspects of executive functioning, specifically inhibition and working
      memory. Data from the RNG task are best seen as a series of successive events.
      However, traditional RNG measures that are used to quantify executive functioning
      are mostly summary statistics referring to deviations from mathematical
      randomness. In the current study, we explore the utility of recurrence
      quantification analysis (RQA), a non-linear method that keeps the entire sequence
      intact, as a better way to describe executive functioning compared to traditional
      measures. To this aim, 242 first- and second-year students completed a non-paced
      RNG task. Principal component analysis of their data showed that traditional and
      RQA measures convey more or less the same information. However, RQA measures do
      so more parsimoniously and have a better interpretation. 

PMID- 26097450
TI  - Electrophysiological correlates associated with contributions of perceptual and
      conceptual fluency to familiarity.
AB  - The present research manipulated the fluency of unstudied items using masked
      repetition priming procedures during an explicit recognition test. Based on
      fluency-attribution accounts, which posit that familiarity can be driven by
      multiple forms of fluency, the relationship between masked priming-induced
      fluency and familiarity was investigated. We classified pictographic characters
      into High-Meaningfulness (High-M) and Low-Meaningfulness (Low-M) categories on
      the basis of subjective meaningfulness ratings and identified the distinct
      electrophysiological correlates of perceptual and conceptual fluency. The two
      types of fluency differed in associated ERP effects: 150-250 ms effects for
      perceptual fluency and FN400 effects for conceptual fluency. The ERPs of Low-M MP
      same (items that were preceded by matching masked items) false alarms were more
      positive than correct rejections during 150-250 ms, whereas the ERPs of High-M MP
      same false alarms were more positive than correct rejections during 300-500 ms.
      The topographic patterns of FN400 effects between High-M MP-same false alarms and
      Low-M MP-same false alarms were not different from those of High-M hits and Low-M
      hits. These results indicate that both forms of fluency can contribute to
      familiarity, and the neural correlates of conceptual fluency are not different
      from those of conceptual priming induced by prior study-phase exposure. We
      conclude that multiple neural signals potentially contribute to recognition
      memory, such as numerous forms of fluency differing in terms of their time
      courses. 

PMID- 26097451
TI  - Altered sleep composition after traumatic brain injury does not affect
      declarative sleep-dependent memory consolidation.
AB  - Individuals with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) often report sleep
      disturbances, which may be caused by changes in sleep architecture or reduced
      sleep quality (greater time awake after sleep onset, poorer sleep efficiency, and
      sleep stage proportion alterations). Sleep is beneficial for memory formation,
      and herein we examine whether altered sleep physiology following TBI has
      deleterious effects on sleep-dependent declarative memory consolidation.
      Participants learned a list of word pairs in the morning or evening, and recall
      was assessed 12-h later, following an interval awake or with overnight sleep.
      Young adult participants (18-22 years) were assigned to one of four experimental
      groups: TBI Sleep (n = 14), TBI Wake (n = 12), non-TBI Sleep (n = 15), non-TBI
      Wake (n = 15). Each TBI participant was >1 year post-injury. Sleep physiology was
      measured with polysomnography. Memory consolidation was assessed by comparing
      change in word-pair recall over 12-h intersession intervals. The TBI group spent
      a significantly greater proportion of the night in SWS than the non-TBI group at
      the expense of NREM1. The TBI group also had marginally lower EEG delta power
      during SWS in the central region. Intersession changes in recall were greater for
      intervals with sleep than without sleep in both groups. However, despite abnormal
      sleep stage proportions for individuals with a TBI history, there was no
      difference in the intersession change in recall following sleep for the TBI and
      non-TBI groups. In both Sleep groups combined, there was a positive correlation
      between Intersession Change and the proportion of the night in NREM2 + SWS.
      Overall, sleep composition is altered following TBI but such deficits do not
      yield insufficiencies in sleep-dependent memory consolidation. 

PMID- 26097452
TI  - Linear summation of outputs in a balanced network model of motor cortex.
AB  - Given the non-linearities of the neural circuitry's elements, we would expect
      cortical circuits to respond non-linearly when activated. Surprisingly, when two
      points in the motor cortex are activated simultaneously, the EMG responses are
      the linear sum of the responses evoked by each of the points activated
      separately. Additionally, the corticospinal transfer function is close to linear,
      implying that the synaptic interactions in motor cortex must be effectively
      linear. To account for this, here we develop a model of motor cortex composed of
      multiple interconnected points, each comprised of reciprocally connected
      excitatory and inhibitory neurons. We show how non-linearities in neuronal
      transfer functions are eschewed by strong synaptic interactions within each
      point. Consequently, the simultaneous activation of multiple points results in a
      linear summation of their respective outputs. We also consider the effects of
      reduction of inhibition at a cortical point when one or more surrounding points
      are active. The network response in this condition is linear over an
      approximately two- to three-fold decrease of inhibitory feedback strength. This
      result supports the idea that focal disinhibition allows linear coupling of motor
      cortical points to generate movement related muscle activation patterns; albeit
      with a limitation on gain control. The model also explains why neural activity
      does not spread as far out as the axonal connectivity allows, whilst also
      explaining why distant cortical points can be, nonetheless, functionally coupled
      by focal disinhibition. Finally, we discuss the advantages that linear
      interactions at the cortical level afford to motor command synthesis. 

PMID- 26097453
TI  - Corrigendum: Harnessing modern web application technology to create intuitive and
      efficient data visualization and sharing tools.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 71 in vol. 8, PMID: 25206330.]. 

PMID- 26097454
TI  - Duration-dependent effects of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on anodal tDCS
      induced motor cortex plasticity in older adults: a group and individual
      perspective.
AB  - The brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism and
      stimulation duration are thought to play an important role in modulating motor
      cortex plasticity induced by non-invasive brain stimulation (NBS). In the present
      study we sought to determine whether these factors interact or exert independent
      effects in older adults. Fifty-four healthy older adults (mean age = 66.85 years)
      underwent two counterbalanced sessions of 1.5 mA anodal transcranial direct
      current stimulation (atDCS), applied over left M1 for either 10 or 20 min. Single
      pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to assess corticospinal
      excitability (CSE) before and every 5 min for 30 min following atDCS. On a group
      level, there was an interaction between stimulation duration and BDNF genotype,
      with Met carriers (n = 13) showing greater post-intervention potentiation of CSE
      compared to Val66Val homozygotes homozygotes (n = 37) following 20 min (p =
      0.002) but not 10 min (p = 0.219) of stimulation. Moreover, Met carriers, but not
      Val/Val homozygotes, exhibited larger responses to TMS (p = 0.046) after 20 min
      atDCS, than following 10 min atDCS. On an individual level, two-step cluster
      analysis revealed a considerable degree of inter-individual variability, with
      under half of the total sample (42%) showing the expected potentiation of CSE in
      response to atDCS across both sessions. Intra-individual variability in response
      to different durations of atDCS was also apparent, with one-third of the total
      sample (34%) exhibiting LTP-like effects in one session but LTD-like effects in
      the other session. Both the inter-individual (p = 0.027) and intra-individual (p
      = 0.04) variability was associated with BDNF genotype. In older adults, the BDNF
      Val66Met polymorphism along with stimulation duration appears to play a role in
      modulating tDCS-induced motor cortex plasticity. The results may have
      implications for the design of NBS protocols for healthy and diseased aged
      populations. 

PMID- 26097455
TI  - Outcome measures for hand function naturally reveal three latent domains in older
      adults: strength, coordinated upper extremity function, and sensorimotor
      processing.
AB  - Understanding the mapping between individual outcome measures and the latent
      functional domains of interest is critical to a quantitative evaluation and
      rehabilitation of hand function. We examined whether and how the associations
      among six hand-specific outcome measures reveal latent functional domains in
      elderly individuals. We asked 66 healthy older adult participants (38F, 28M, 66.1
      +/- 11.6 years, range: 45-88 years) and 33 older adults (65.8 +/- 9.7 years, 44
      81 years, 51 hands) diagnosed with osteoarthritis (OA) of the carpometacarpal
      (CMC) joint, to complete six functional assessments: hand strength (Grip, Key and
      Precision Pinch), Box and Block, Nine Hole Pegboard, and Strength-Dexterity
      tests. The first three principal components suffice to explain 86% of variance
      among the six outcome measures in healthy older adults, and 84% of variance in
      older adults with CMC OA. The composition of these dominant associations revealed
      three distinct latent functional domains: strength, coordinated upper extremity
      function, and sensorimotor processing. Furthermore, in participants with thumb
      CMC OA we found a blurring of the associations between the latent functional
      domains of strength and coordinated upper extremity function. This motivates
      future work to understand how the physiological effects of thumb CMC OA lead
      upper extremity coordination to become strongly associated with strength, while
      dynamic sensorimotor ability remains an independent functional domain. Thus, when
      assessing the level of hand function in our growing older adult populations, it
      is particularly important to acknowledge its multidimensional nature-and
      explicitly consider how each outcome measure maps to these three latent and
      fundamental domains of function. Moreover, this ability to distinguish among
      latent functional domains may facilitate the design of treatment modalities to
      target the rehabilitation of each of them. 

PMID- 26097456
TI  - Inositols affect the mating circadian rhythm of Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Accumulating evidence indicates that the molecular circadian clock underlies the
      mating behavior of Drosophila melanogaster. However, information about which food
      components affect circadian mating behavior is scant. The ice plant,
      Mesembryanthemum crystallinum has recently become a popular functional food.
      Here, we showed that the close-proximity (CP) rhythm of D. melanogaster courtship
      behavior was damped under low-nutrient conditions, but significantly enhanced by
      feeding the flies with powdered ice plant. Among various components of ice
      plants, we found that myo-inositol increased the amplitude and slightly shortened
      the period of the CP rhythm. Real-time reporter assays showed that myo-inositol
      and D-pinitol shortened the period of the circadian reporter gene Per2-luc in NIH
      3T3 cells. These data suggest that the ice plant is a useful functional food and
      that the ability of inositols to shorten rhythms is a general phenomenon in
      insects as well as mammals. 

PMID- 26097457
TI  - Computational identification of potential multi-drug combinations for reduction
      of microglial inflammation in Alzheimer disease.
AB  - Like other neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer Disease (AD) has a prominent
      inflammatory component mediated by brain microglia. Reducing microglial
      inflammation could potentially halt or at least slow the neurodegenerative
      process. A major challenge in the development of treatments targeting brain
      inflammation is the sheer complexity of the molecular mechanisms that determine
      whether microglia become inflammatory or take on a more neuroprotective
      phenotype. The process is highly multifactorial, raising the possibility that a
      multi-target/multi-drug strategy could be more effective than conventional
      monotherapy. This study takes a computational approach in finding combinations of
      approved drugs that are potentially more effective than single drugs in reducing
      microglial inflammation in AD. This novel approach exploits the distinct
      advantages of two different computer programming languages, one imperative and
      the other declarative. Existing programs written in both languages implement the
      same model of microglial behavior, and the input/output relationships of both
      programs agree with each other and with data on microglia over an extensive test
      battery. Here the imperative program is used efficiently to screen the model for
      the most efficacious combinations of 10 drugs, while the declarative program is
      used to analyze in detail the mechanisms of action of the most efficacious
      combinations. Of the 1024 possible drug combinations, the simulated screen
      identifies only 7 that are able to move simulated microglia at least 50% of the
      way from a neurotoxic to a neuroprotective phenotype. Subsequent analysis shows
      that of the 7 most efficacious combinations, 2 stand out as superior both in
      strength and reliability. The model offers many experimentally testable and
      therapeutically relevant predictions concerning effective drug combinations and
      their mechanisms of action. 

PMID- 26097458
TI  - Response: Behind the closed doors of mentalizing. A commentary on "Another step
      closer to measuring the ghosts in the nursery: preliminary validation of the
      Trauma Reflective Functioning Scale".

PMID- 26097459
TI  - Happiness and arousal: framing happiness as arousing results in lower happiness
      ratings for older adults.
AB  - Older adults have been shown to describe their happiness as lower in arousal when
      compared to younger adults. In addition, older adults prefer low arousal positive
      emotions over high arousal positive emotions in their daily lives. We
      experimentally investigated whether or not changing a few words in the
      description of happiness could influence a person's rating of their happiness. We
      randomly assigned 193 participants, aged 22-92 years, to one of three conditions
      (high arousal, low arousal, or control). In line with previous findings, we found
      that older participants rated their happiness lower when framed as high in
      arousal (i.e., ecstatic, to be bursting with positive emotions) and rated their
      happiness higher when framed as low in arousal (i.e., satisfied, to have a life
      filled with positive emotions). Younger adults remained uninfluenced by the
      manipulation. Our study demonstrates that arousal is essential to understanding
      ratings of happiness, and gives support to the notion that there are age
      differences in the preference for arousal. 

PMID- 26097460
TI  - Social justice in education: how the function of selection in educational
      institutions predicts support for (non)egalitarian assessment practices.
AB  - Educational institutions are considered a keystone for the establishment of a
      meritocratic society. They supposedly serve two functions: an educational
      function that promotes learning for all, and a selection function that sorts
      individuals into different programs, and ultimately social positions, based on
      individual merit. We study how the function of selection relates to support for
      assessment practices known to harm vs. benefit lower status students, through the
      perceived justice principles underlying these practices. We study two assessment
      practices: normative assessment-focused on ranking and social comparison, known
      to hinder the success of lower status students-and formative assessment-focused
      on learning and improvement, known to benefit lower status students. Normative
      assessment is usually perceived as relying on an equity principle, with rewards
      being allocated based on merit and should thus appear as positively associated
      with the function of selection. Formative assessment is usually perceived as
      relying on corrective justice that aims to ensure equality of outcomes by
      considering students' needs, which makes it less suitable for the function of
      selection. A questionnaire measuring these constructs was administered to
      university students. Results showed that believing that education is intended to
      select the best students positively predicts support for normative assessment,
      through increased perception of its reliance on equity, and negatively predicts
      support for formative assessment, through reduced perception of its ability to
      establish corrective justice. This study suggests that the belief in the function
      of selection as inherent to educational institutions can contribute to the
      reproduction of social inequalities by preventing change from assessment
      practices known to disadvantage lower-status student, namely normative
      assessment, to more favorable practices, namely formative assessment, and by
      promoting matching beliefs in justice principles. 

PMID- 26097461
TI  - The benefit of amplification on auditory working memory function in middle-aged
      and young-older hearing impaired adults.
AB  - Untreated hearing loss can interfere with an individual's cognitive abilities and
      intellectual function. Specifically, hearing loss has been shown to negatively
      impact working memory function, which is important for speech understanding,
      especially in difficult or noisy listening conditions. The purpose of the present
      study was to assess the effect of hearing aid use on auditory working memory
      function in middle-aged and young-older adults with mild to moderate
      sensorineural hearing loss. Participants completed two objective measures of
      auditory working memory in aided and unaided listening conditions. An aged
      matched control group followed the same experimental protocol except they were
      not fit with hearing aids. All participants' aided scores on the auditory working
      memory tests were significantly improved while wearing hearing aids. Thus,
      hearing aids worn during the early stages of an age-related hearing loss can
      improve a person's performance on auditory working memory tests. 

PMID- 26097462
TI  - Four converging measures of temporal discounting and their relationships with
      intelligence, executive functions, thinking dispositions, and behavioral
      outcomes.
AB  - Temporal discounting is the tendency to devalue temporally distant rewards. Past
      studies have examined the k-value, the indifference point, and the area under the
      curve as dependent measures on this task. The current study included these three
      measures and a fourth measure, called the interest rate total score, which
      differentiated good from poor choices. The interest rate total score was based on
      scoring only those items in which the delayed choice should be preferred given
      the expected return based on simple interest rates. In addition, associations
      with several individual difference measures were examined including intelligence,
      executive functions (inhibition, working memory, and set-shifting), thinking
      dispositions [Need for Cognition and Consideration of Future Consequences (CFCs)]
      and engagement in substance use and gambling behavior. A staircase temporal
      discounting task was examined in a sample of 99 university students. Replicating
      previous studies, temporal discounting increased with longer delays to reward and
      decreased with higher reward magnitudes. A hyperbolic function accounted for more
      variance in temporal discounting than an exponential function. Reaction time at
      the indifference point was significantly longer than at the other choice points.
      The four dependent measures of temporal discounting were all significantly
      correlated and were also significantly associated with our individual difference
      measures. That is, the tendency to wait for a larger delayed reward on all of the
      temporal discounting measures was associated with higher intelligence, higher
      executive functions, and more CFCs. Associations between our measures of temporal
      discounting and outcomes related to substance use and gambling behavior were
      modest in our university sample. 

PMID- 26097463
TI  - Gene Expression Associated with Early and Late Chronotypes in Drosophila
      melanogaster.
AB  - The circadian clock provides the temporal framework for rhythmic behavioral and
      metabolic functions. In the modern era of industrialization, work, and social
      pressures, clock function is jeopardized, and can result in adverse and chronic
      effects on health. Understanding circadian clock function, particularly
      individual variation in diurnal phase preference (chronotype), and the molecular
      mechanisms underlying such chronotypes may lead to interventions that could
      abrogate clock dysfunction and improve human (and animal) health and welfare. Our
      preliminary studies suggested that fruit-flies, like humans, can be classified as
      early rising "larks" or late rising "owls," providing a convenient model system
      for these types of studies. We have identified strains of flies showing increased
      preference for morning emergence (Early or E) from the pupal case, or more
      pronounced preference for evening emergence (Late or L). We have sampled pupae
      the day before eclosion (fourth day after pupariation) at 4 h intervals in the E
      and L strains, and examined differences in gene expression by RNA-seq. We have
      identified differentially expressed transcripts between the E and L strains,
      which provide candidate genes for subsequent studies of Drosophila chronotypes
      and their human orthologs. 

PMID- 26097464
TI  - Social and Behavioral Determinants of Perceived Insufficient Sleep.
AB  - Insufficient sleep is associated with cardiometabolic disease and poor health.
      However, few studies have assessed its determinants in a nationally
      representative sample. Data from the 2009 behavioral risk factor surveillance
      system were used (N = 323,047 adults). Insufficient sleep was assessed as
      insufficient rest/sleep over 30 days. This was evaluated relative to
      sociodemographics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, region),
      socioeconomics (education, income, employment, insurance), health behaviors
      (diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol), and health/functioning (emotional support,
      BMI, mental/physical health). Overall, insufficient sleep was associated with
      being female, White or Black/African-American, unemployed, without health
      insurance, and not married; decreased age, income, education, physical activity;
      worse diet and overall health; and increased household size, alcohol, and
      smoking. These factors should be considered as risk factors for insufficient
      sleep. 

PMID- 26097466
TI  - A Pediatric Patient with Refractory Seizures and a Mesial Temporal Lobe Lesion.
AB  - A 12-year-old adolescent presented with refractory seizures and was found to have
      a mesial temporal lobe lesion. The patient underwent biopsy and was diagnosed
      with an arteriovenous malformation. Supratentorial lesions in the pediatric
      population can have a large variety of underlying etiologies, which can be
      challenging to differentiate on neuroimaging. In this report, we discuss the key
      features on MRI of several neoplastic, vascular, and infectious processes that
      can aide in the diagnosis. 

PMID- 26097467
TI  - Epigenetic Regulation of Non-Lymphoid Cells by Bisphenol A, a Model Endocrine
      Disrupter: Potential Implications for Immunoregulation.
AB  - Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) abound in the environment since many
      compounds are released from chemical, agricultural, pharmaceutical, and consumer
      product industries. Many of the EDCs such as Bisphenol A (BPA) have estrogenic
      activity or interfere with endogenous sex hormones. Experimental studies have
      reported a positive correlation of BPA with reproductive toxicity, altered
      growth, and immune dysregulation. Although the precise relevance of these studies
      to the environmental levels is unclear, nevertheless, their potential health
      implications remain a concern. One possible mechanism by which BPA can alter
      genes is by regulating epigenetics, including microRNA, alteration of
      methylation, and histone acetylation. There is now wealth of information on BPA
      effects on non-lymphoid cells and by comparison, paucity of data on effects of
      BPA on the immune system. In this mini review, we will highlight the BPA
      regulation of estrogen receptor-mediated immune cell functions and in different
      inflammatory conditions. In addition, BPA-mediated epigenetic regulation of non
      lymphoid cells is emphasized. We recognize that most of these studies are on non
      lymphoid cells, and given that BPA also affects the immune system, it is
      plausible that BPA could have similar epigenetic regulation in immune cells. It
      is hoped that this review will stimulate studies in this area to ascertain
      whether or not BPA epigenetically regulates the cells of the immune system. 

PMID- 26097468
TI  - A balanced perspective on unbalanced growth and thymineless death.
AB  - The early history of the esoteric phenomenon of thymineless death (TLD) is
      recounted, from the pioneering discovery by Seymour Cohen and Hazel Barner,
      through my graduate studies at Yale and postdoctoral research in Copenhagen. My
      principal contribution was the discovery that restricted synthesis of protein and
      RNA permits cultures of Escherichia coli to complete their DNA replication cycles
      without initiating new ones, and that cells held in this physiological state are
      immune to the lethality of thymine deprivation; unbalanced growth is not the
      fundamental cause of TLD. The successful synchronization of the DNA replication
      cycle contributed to formulation of the replicon concept. Studies at Stanford
      revealed a specific requirement for transcription and led to the discovery of a
      TLD-resistant mutant in a new gene, termed recQ, with important homologs in
      humans and most other organisms. The lessons learned from research on TLD
      underscore the value of basic research in bacterial systems that can have
      profound implications for human health. 

PMID- 26097469
TI  - Archaeal viruses at the cell envelope: entry and egress.
AB  - The cell envelope represents the main line of host defense that viruses encounter
      on their way from one cell to another. The cytoplasmic membrane in general is a
      physical barrier that needs to be crossed both upon viral entry and exit.
      Therefore, viruses from the three domains of life employ a wide range of
      strategies for perforation of the cell membrane, each adapted to the cell surface
      environment of their host. Here, we review recent insights on entry and egress
      mechanisms of viruses infecting archaea. Due to the unique nature of the archaeal
      cell envelope, these particular viruses exhibit novel and unexpected mechanisms
      to traverse the cellular membrane. 

PMID- 26097470
TI  - A Replisome's journey through the bacterial chromosome.
AB  - Genome duplication requires the coordinated activity of a multi-component
      machine, the replisome. In contrast to the background of metabolic diversity
      across the bacterial domain, the composition and architecture of the bacterial
      replisome seem to have suffered few changes during evolution. This immutability
      underlines the replisome's efficiency in copying the genome. It also highlights
      the success of various strategies inherent to the replisome for responding to
      stress and avoiding problems during critical stages of DNA synthesis. Here we
      summarize current understanding of bacterial replisome architecture and highlight
      the known variations in different bacterial taxa. We then look at the mechanisms
      in place to ensure that the bacterial replisome is assembled appropriately on
      DNA, kept together during elongation, and disassembled upon termination. We put
      forward the idea that the architecture of the replisome may be more flexible that
      previously thought and speculate on elements of the replisome that maintain its
      stability to ensure a safe journey from origin to terminus. 

PMID- 26097471
TI  - Discovery of new protein families and functions: new challenges in functional
      metagenomics for biotechnologies and microbial ecology.
AB  - The rapid expansion of new sequencing technologies has enabled large-scale
      functional exploration of numerous microbial ecosystems, by establishing catalogs
      of functional genes and by comparing their prevalence in various microbiota.
      However, sequence similarity does not necessarily reflect functional
      conservation, since just a few modifications in a gene sequence can have a strong
      impact on the activity and the specificity of the corresponding enzyme or the
      recognition for a sensor. Similarly, some microorganisms harbor certain
      identified functions yet do not have the expected related genes in their genome.
      Finally, there are simply too many protein families whose function is not yet
      known, even though they are highly abundant in certain ecosystems. In this
      context, the discovery of new protein functions, using either sequence-based or
      activity-based approaches, is of crucial importance for the discovery of new
      enzymes and for improving the quality of annotation in public databases. This
      paper lists and explores the latest advances in this field, along with the
      challenges to be addressed, particularly where microfluidic technologies are
      concerned. 

PMID- 26097465
TI  - Synchronization of Biological Clock Neurons by Light and Peripheral Feedback
      Systems Promotes Circadian Rhythms and Health.
AB  - In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) functions as a circadian clock that
      drives 24-h rhythms in both physiology and behavior. The SCN is a multicellular
      oscillator in which individual neurons function as cell-autonomous oscillators.
      The production of a coherent output rhythm is dependent upon mutual
      synchronization among single cells and requires both synaptic communication and
      gap junctions. Changes in phase-synchronization between individual cells have
      consequences on the amplitude of the SCN's electrical activity rhythm, and these
      changes play a major role in the ability to adapt to seasonal changes. Both aging
      and sleep deprivation negatively affect the circadian amplitude of the SCN,
      whereas behavioral activity (i.e., exercise) has a positive effect on amplitude.
      Given that the amplitude of the SCN's electrical activity rhythm is essential for
      achieving robust rhythmicity in physiology and behavior, the mechanisms that
      underlie neuronal synchronization warrant further study. A growing body of
      evidence suggests that the functional integrity of the SCN contributes to health,
      well-being, cognitive performance, and alertness; in contrast, deterioration of
      the 24-h rhythm is a risk factor for neurodegenerative disease, cancer,
      depression, and sleep disorders. 

PMID- 26097472
TI  - The Campylobacter jejuni RacRS two-component system activates the glutamate
      synthesis by directly upregulating gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT).
AB  - The highly conserved enzyme gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) plays an important
      role in metabolism of glutathione and glutamine. Yet, the regulation of ggt
      transcription in prokaryotes is poorly understood. In the human pathogen
      Campylobacter jejuni, GGT is important as it contributes to persistent
      colonization of the gut. Here we show that the GGT activity in C. jejuni is
      dependent on a functional RacRS (reduced ability to colonize) two-component
      system. Electrophoretic mobility shift and luciferase reporter assays indicate
      that the response regulator RacR binds to a promoter region ~80 bp upstream of
      the ggt transcriptional start site, which contains a recently identified RacR DNA
      binding consensus sequence. RacR needs to be phosphorylated to activate the
      transcription of the ggt gene, which is the case under low oxygen conditions in
      presence of alternative electron acceptors. A functional GGT and RacR are needed
      to allow C. jejuni to grow optimally on glutamine as sole carbon source under
      RacR inducing conditions. However, when additional carbon sources are present C.
      jejuni is capable of utilizing glutamine independently of GGT. RacR is the first
      prokaryotic transcription factor known to directly up-regulate both the
      cytoplasmic [glutamine-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GOGAT)] as well as the
      periplasmic (GGT) production of glutamate. 

PMID- 26097474
TI  - SDF-1/CXCL12: A Chemokine in the Life Cycle of HIV.

PMID- 26097475
TI  - Maraviroc - A CCR5 Antagonist for the Treatment of HIV-1 Infection.

PMID- 26097476
TI  - Discovery of IL-8/CXCL8 (The Story from Frederick).

PMID- 26097473
TI  - From ingestion to colonization: the influence of the host environment on
      regulation of the LEE encoded type III secretion system in enterohaemorrhagic
      Escherichia coli.
AB  - Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) binds to host tissue and intimately
      attaches to intestinal cells using a dedicated type III secretion system (T3SS).
      This complex multi-protein organelle is encoded within a large pathogenicity
      island called the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), which is subject to
      extensive regulatory control. Over the past 15 years we have gained a wealth of
      knowledge concerning how the LEE is regulated transcriptionally by specific,
      global and phage encoded regulators. More recently, significant advances have
      been made in our understanding of how specific signals, including host or
      microbiota derived metabolic products and various nutrient sources, can affect
      how the LEE-encoded T3SS is regulated. In this review we discuss regulation of
      the LEE, focusing on how these physiologically relevant signals are sensed and
      how they affect the expression of this major virulence factor. The implications
      for understanding the disease process by specific regulatory mechanisms are also
      discussed. 

PMID- 26097477
TI  - The Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines DARC/ACKR1.

PMID- 26097478
TI  - D6/ACKR2.

PMID- 26097479
TI  - Viral Chemokine Receptors.

PMID- 26097480
TI  - The Structure of a CXCR4:Chemokine Complex.

PMID- 26097481
TI  - Generation of Adaptive Immune Responses Following Influenza Virus Challenge is
      Not Compromised by Pre-Treatment with the TLR-2 Agonist Pam2Cys.
AB  - Immunostimulatory agents provide a new category of anti-microbial agents that
      activate the host's innate immune system allowing control of viral and/or
      bacterial infections. The TLR-2 agonist PEG-Pam2Cys has been shown to mediate
      potent anti-viral activity against influenza viruses when administered
      prophylactically (1). Here, we demonstrate that the treatment of mice with PEG
      Pam2Cys does not compromise their ability to generate adaptive immune responses
      following subsequent challenge with influenza virus. The antibody induced in mice
      pre-treated with Pam2Cys possessed hemagglutination-inhibiting activities and the
      CD8(+) T-cell responses that were elicited provided protection against
      heterologous viral challenge. In the absence of an effective influenza vaccine,
      an agent that provides immediate protection against the virus and does not
      compromise the induction of influenza-specific immunity on exposure to infectious
      virus provides an opportunity for population immunity to be achieved through
      natural exposure to virus. 

PMID- 26097482
TI  - Animal Models of Interferon Signature Positive Lupus.
AB  - Human lupus is strongly associated with a gene expression signature characterized
      by over-expression of Type I interferon-regulated genes. A strong interferon
      signature generally is not seen in the standard mouse models of lupus, despite
      considerable evidence for the involvement of toll-like receptor-driven interferon
      production. In contrast, pristane-induced lupus exhibits a prominent TLR7
      dependent interferon signature. Importantly, genetic disorders with dysregulated
      interferon production in both human beings and mice cause severe autoinflammatory
      diseases but not the typical manifestations of lupus, suggesting that interferon
      over-production is insufficient to cause systemic lupus erythematosus itself.
      Single-gene models in mice suggest that lupus-like disease may result from
      abnormalities in B-cell activation and the clearance of dead cells. Pristane may
      mimic human systemic lupus erythematosus by causing synergistic abnormalities in
      interferon production along with defective clearance of apoptotic cells and over
      active B-cell signaling. 

PMID- 26097485
TI  - Quantifying the source-sink balance and carbohydrate content in three tomato
      cultivars.
AB  - Supplementary lighting is frequently applied in the winter season for crop
      production in greenhouses. The effect of supplementary lighting on plant growth
      depends on the balance between assimilate production in source leaves and the
      overall capacity of the plants to use assimilates. This study aims at quantifying
      the source-sink balance and carbohydrate content of three tomato cultivars
      differing in fruit size, and to investigate to what extent the source/sink ratio
      correlates with the potential fruit size. Cultivars Komeet (large size), Capricia
      (medium size), and Sunstream (small size, cherry tomato) were grown from 16
      August to 21 November, at similar crop management as in commercial practice.
      Supplementary lighting (High Pressure Sodium lamps, photosynthetic active
      radiation at 1 m below lamps was 162 MUmol photons m(-2) s(-1); maximum 10 h per
      day depending on solar irradiance level) was applied from 19 September onward.
      Source strength was estimated from total plant growth rate using periodic
      destructive plant harvests in combination with the crop growth model TOMSIM. Sink
      strength was estimated from potential fruit growth rate which was determined from
      non-destructively measuring the fruit growth rate at non-limiting assimilate
      supply, growing only one fruit on each truss. Carbohydrate content in leaves and
      stems were periodically determined. During the early growth stage, 'Komeet' and
      'Capricia' showed sink limitation and 'Sunstream' was close to sink limitation.
      During this stage reproductive organs had hardly formed or were still small and
      natural irradiance was high (early September) compared to winter months.
      Subsequently, during the fully fruiting stage all three cultivars were strongly
      source-limited as indicated by the low source/sink ratio (average source/sink
      ratio from 50 days after planting onward was 0.17, 0.22, and 0.33 for 'Komeet,'
      'Capricia,' and 'Sunstream,' respectively). This was further confirmed by the
      fact that pruning half of the fruits hardly influenced net leaf photosynthesis
      rates. Carbohydrate content in leaves and stems increased linearly with the
      source/sink ratio. We conclude that during the early growth stage under high
      irradiance, tomato plants are sink-limited and that the level of sink limitation
      differs between cultivars but it is not correlated with their potential fruit
      size. During the fully fruiting stage tomato plants are source-limited and the
      extent of source limitation of a cultivar is positively correlated with its
      potential fruit size. 

PMID- 26097483
TI  - Alternative Antigen Processing for MHC Class I: Multiple Roads Lead to Rome.
AB  - The well described conventional antigen-processing pathway is accountable for
      most peptides that end up in MHC class I molecules at the cell surface. These
      peptides experienced liberation by the proteasome and transport by the peptide
      transporter TAP. However, there are multiple roads that lead to Rome, illustrated
      by the increasing number of alternative processing pathways that have been
      reported during last years. Interestingly, TAP-deficient individuals do not
      succumb to viral infections, suggesting that CD8 T cell immunity is sufficiently
      supported by alternative TAP-independent processing pathways. To date, a
      diversity of viral and endogenous TAP-independent peptides have been identified
      in the grooves of different MHC class I alleles. Some of these peptides are not
      displayed by normal TAP-positive cells and we therefore called them TEIPP, for "T
      cell epitopes associated with impaired peptide processing." TEIPPs are hidden
      self-antigens, are derived from normal housekeeping proteins, and are processed
      via unconventional processing pathways. Per definition, TEIPPs are presented via
      TAP-independent pathways, but recent data suggest that part of this repertoire
      still depend on proteasome and metalloprotease activity. An exception is the C
      terminal peptide of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-membrane-spanning ceramide
      synthase Trh4 that is surprisingly liberated by the signal peptide peptidase
      (SPP), the proteolytic enzyme involved in cleaving leader sequences. The
      intramembrane cleaving SPP is thereby an important contributor of TAP-independent
      peptides. Its family members, like the Alzheimer's related presenilins, might
      contribute as well, according to our preliminary data. Finally, alternative
      peptide routing is an emerging field and includes processes like the unfolded
      protein response, the ER-associated degradation, and autophagy-associated
      vesicular pathways. These data convince us that there is a world to be discovered
      in the field of unconventional antigen processing. 

PMID- 26097484
TI  - Epi-fingerprinting and epi-interventions for improved crop production and food
      quality.
AB  - Increasing crop production at a time of rapid climate change represents the
      greatest challenge facing contemporary agricultural research. Our understanding
      of the genetic control of yield derives from controlled field experiments
      designed to minimize environmental variance. In spite of these efforts there is
      substantial residual variability among plants attributable to Genotype *
      Environment interactions. Recent advances in the field of epigenetics have
      revealed a plethora of gene control mechanisms that could account for much of
      this unassigned variation. These systems act as a regulatory interface between
      the perception of the environment and associated alterations in gene expression.
      Direct intervention of epigenetic control systems hold the enticing promise of
      creating new sources of variability that could enhance crop performance. Equally,
      understanding the relationship between various epigenetic states and responses of
      the crop to specific aspects of the growing environment (epigenetic
      fingerprinting) could allow for a more tailored approach to plant agronomy. In
      this review, we explore the many ways in which epigenetic interventions and
      epigenetic fingerprinting can be deployed for the improvement of crop production
      and quality. 

PMID- 26097486
TI  - Proteomic analysis of crop plants under abiotic stress conditions: where to focus
      our research?

PMID- 26097487
TI  - Species specific and environment induced variation of delta(13)C and delta(15)N
      in alpine plants.
AB  - Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope signals in plant tissues integrate plant
      environment interactions over long periods. In this study, we hypothesized that
      humid alpine life conditions are narrowing the scope for significant deviations
      from common carbon, water and nitrogen relations as captured by stable isotope
      signals. We explored the variation in delta(13)C and delta(15)N in 32 plant
      species from tissue type to ecosystem scale across a suite of locations at c. Two
      thousand five hundred meter elevation in the Swiss Alps. Foliar delta(13)C and
      delta(15)N varied among species by about 3-40/00 and 7-80/00 respectively.
      However, there was no overall difference in means of delta(13)C and delta(15)N
      for species sampled in different plant communities or when bulk plant dry matter
      harvests of different plant communities were compared. delta(13)C was found to be
      highly species specific, so that the ranking among species was mostly maintained
      across 11 habitats. However, delta(15)N varied significantly from place to place
      in all species (a range of 2.70/00) except in Fabaceae (Trifolium alpinum) and
      Juncaceae (Luzula lutea). There was also a substantial variation among
      individuals of the same species collected next to each other. No difference was
      found in foliar delta(15)N of non-legumes, which were either collected next to or
      away from the most common legume, T. alpinum. delta(15)N data place Cyperaceae
      and Juncaceae, just like Fabaceae, in a low discrimination category, well
      separated from other families. Soil delta(15)N was higher than in plants and
      increased with soil depth. The results indicate a high functional diversity in
      alpine plants that is similar to that reported for low elevation plants. We
      conclude that the surprisingly high variation in delta(13)C and delta(15)N
      signals in the studied high elevation plants is largely species specific
      (genetic) and insensitive to obvious environmental cues. 

PMID- 26097488
TI  - Redrawing the frontiers in the age of post-publication review.
AB  - Publication forms the core structure supporting the development and transmission
      of scientific knowledge. For this reason, it is essential that the highest
      standards of quality control be maintained, in particular to ensure that the
      information being transmitted allows reproducible replication of the described
      experiments, and that the interpretation of the results is sound. Quality control
      has traditionally involved editorial decisions based on anonymous pre-publication
      peer review. Post-publication review of individual articles took the lesser role
      since it did not feed directly back to the original literature. Rapid advances in
      computer and communications technologies over the last thirty years have
      revolutionized scientific publication, and the role and scope of post-publication
      review has greatly expanded. This perspective examines the ways in which pre- and
      post-publication peer review influence the scientific literature, and in
      particular how they might best be redrawn to deal with the twin problems of
      scientific non-reproducibility and fraud increasingly encountered at the
      frontiers of science. 

PMID- 26097490
TI  - Has aging ever been considered healthy?

PMID- 26097489
TI  - Desmin common mutation is associated with multi-systemic disease manifestations
      and depletion of mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA.
AB  - Desmin (DES) is a major muscle scaffolding protein that also functions to anchor
      mitochondria. Pathogenic DES mutations, however, have not previously been
      recognized as a cause of multi-systemic mitochondrial disease. Here, we describe
      a 45-year-old man who presented to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
      Mitochondrial-Genetics Diagnostic Clinic for evaluation of progressive cardiac,
      neuromuscular, gastrointestinal, and mood disorders. Muscle biopsy at age 45 was
      remarkable for cytoplasmic bodies, as well as ragged red fibers and SDH
      positive/COX negative fibers that were suggestive of a mitochondrial myopathy.
      Muscle also showed significant reductions in mitochondrial content (16% of
      control mean for citrate synthase activity) and mitochondrial DNA (35% of control
      mean). His family history was significant for cardiac conduction defects and
      myopathy in multiple maternal relatives. Multiple single gene and panel-based
      sequencing studies were unrevealing. Whole exome sequencing identified a known
      pathogenic p.S13F mutation in DES that had previously been associated with desmin
      related myopathy. Desmin-related myopathy is an autosomal dominant disorder
      characterized by right ventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, myopathy, and
      arrhythmias. However, neuropathy, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and depletion of
      both mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA have not previously been widely
      recognized in this disorder. Recognition that mitochondrial dysfunction occurs in
      desmin-related myopathy clarifies the basis for the multi-systemic
      manifestations, as are typical of primary mitochondrial disorders. Understanding
      the mitochondrial pathophysiology of desmin-related myopathy highlights the
      possibility of new therapies for this otherwise untreatable and often fatal class
      of disease. We postulate that drug treatments aimed at improving mitochondrial
      biogenesis or reducing oxidative stress may be effective therapies to ameliorate
      the effects of desmin-related disease. 

PMID- 26097491
TI  - Stabilization Methods for a Multiagent System with Complex Behaviours.
AB  - The main focus of the paper is the stability analysis of a class of multiagent
      systems based on an interaction protocol which can generate different types of
      overall behaviours, from asymptotically stable to chaotic. We present several
      interpretations of stability and suggest two methods to assess the stability of
      the system, based on the internal models of the agents and on the external,
      observed behaviour. Since it is very difficult to predict a priori whether a
      system will be stable or unstable, we propose three heuristic methods that can be
      used to stabilize such a system during its execution, with minimal changes to its
      state. 

PMID- 26097492
TI  - Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Global Environmental Change: Research
      findings and policy implications.
AB  - This paper introduces the special feature of Ecology and Society entitled
      "Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Global Environmental Change. The special
      feature addresses two main research themes. The first theme concerns the
      resilience of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (hereafter TEK) and the conditions
      that might explain its loss or persistence in the face of global change. The
      second theme relates to new findings regarding the way in which TEK strengthens
      community resilience to respond to the multiple stressors of global environmental
      change. Those themes are analyzed using case studies from Africa, Asia, America
      and Europe. Theoretical insights and empirical findings from the studies suggest
      that despite the generalized worldwide trend of TEK erosion, substantial pockets
      of TEK persist in both developing and developed countries. A common trend on the
      studies presented here is hybridization, where traditional knowledge, practices,
      and beliefs are merged with novel forms of knowledge and technologies to create
      new knowledge systems. The findings also reinforce previous hypotheses pointing
      at the importance of TEK systems as reservoirs of experiential knowledge that can
      provide important insights for the design of adaptation and mitigation strategies
      to cope with global environmental change. Based on the results from papers in
      this feature, we discuss policy directions that might help to promote maintenance
      and restoration of living TEK systems as sources of social-ecological resilience.

PMID- 26097493
TI  - Lipodystrophy among HIV-infected patients: a cross-sectional study on impact on
      quality of life and mental health disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lipodystrophy (LD) is a frequent adverse event of combination
      antiretroviral therapy (ART) and occurs mainly in patients exposed to first
      generation antiretroviral drugs. The aim of this study was to explore and measure
      the interaction between LD, mental health, and quality of life of human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive individuals seen in a metabolic clinic.
      METHODS: We conducted a single-site cross-sectional study including all HIV
      infected patients attending the LIPO group and metabolism day clinic at the
      University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland between January 31, 2008 and November
      28, 2013. Data on LD were prospectively collected using the HIV Outpatient Study
      (HOPS) score, the Lipodystrophy Case Definition (LDCD), ART regimens,
      anthropometric measures, imaging, and standardized questionnaires. Quality of
      life was evaluated using a visual analog scale of 0-100. Depression and anxiety
      were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory and the State Trait Anxiety
      Inventory scales, respectively. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-four patients (54.6%
      male; 45.4% female; median age, 50 years) on successful ART (median CD4 cell
      count, 569.0 cells/mm(3); median viral load, 20 copies/mL) were evaluated. Among
      these, 62.7, 63.5 and 35.5% of patients reported at least one body site affected
      by fat hypertrophy, atrophy or both, respectively. Using the LDCD score
      conservative definition, including imaging and biological values, 57.8% were
      diagnosed with LD. Of these, 39.7% suffered from severe/very severe LD.
      Depression was reported by 35.6% of individuals; 51.9% had anxiety symptoms and
      49.5% reported poor quality of life (defined as being inferior to 50% on a scale
      from 0 to 100%). LD (odds ratio (OR = 5.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07
      25.37, p-value: 0.040), depression (OR = 4.67, 95% CI 1.08-20.31, p-value 0.040),
      and anxiety (OR = 7.83, 95% CI 1.91-32.03, p-value 0.004) all affected
      significantly the quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: LD, depression and anxiety were
      frequent features among HIV-infected individuals seen in the metabolic clinic and
      significantly impacted on their quality of life.

PMID- 26097494
TI  - Bayesian models as a unified approach to estimate relative risk (or prevalence
      ratio) in binary and polytomous outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disadvantages have already been pointed out on the use of odds ratio
      (OR) as a measure of association for designs such as cohort and cross sectional
      studies, for which relative risk (RR) or prevalence ratio (PR) are preferable.
      The model that directly estimates RR or PR and correctly specifies the
      distribution of the outcome as binomial is the log-binomial model, however,
      convergence problems occur very often. Robust Poisson regression also estimates
      these measures but it can produce probabilities greater than 1. RESULTS: In this
      paper, the use of Bayesian approach to solve the problem of convergence of the
      log-binomial model is illustrated. Furthermore, the method is extended to
      incorporate dependent data, as in cluster clinical trials and studies with
      multilevel design, and also to analyse polytomous outcomes. Comparisons between
      methods are made by analysing four data sets. CONCLUSIONS: In all cases analysed,
      it was observed that Bayesian methods are capable of estimating the measures of
      interest, always within the correct parametric space of probabilities.

PMID- 26097495
TI  - Risk factors for seizures and antiepileptic drug-associated adverse effects in
      high-grade glioma patients: A multicentre, retrospective study in Hong Kong.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this present study was to determine the frequency, as well as
      risk factors, for seizures and antiepileptic drug (AED)-associated adverse
      effects among high-grade glioma (HGG) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      multicentre, retrospective study of adult Chinese Hong Kong patients from three
      neurosurgical centres diagnosed with supratentorial HGG between 1 January 2001
      and 31 December 2010 was performed. RESULTS: A total of 198 patients, with a mean
      age of 55 years (range: 18-88) and a mean follow up of 15 months, was recruited.
      Most suffered from glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) (63 per cent) followed by
      anaplastic astrocytoma (25 per cent). Median overall survival for patients with
      GBM was 8 months, and 11 months for those with grade III gliomas. Prophylactic
      AED was prescribed in 165 patients (83 per cent), and 64 per cent of patients
      were continued until end of life or last follow up. A total of 112 patients (57
      per cent) experienced seizures at a mean duration of 8 months postoperatively
      (range: 1 day-75 months). Independent predictors for seizures were a diagnosis of
      GBM [adjusted odds ratio (OR): 2.33, 95 per cent confidence interval (CI): 1.21
      4.52] and adjuvant radiotherapy (adjusted OR: 2.97, 95 per cent CI: 1.49-6.62).
      One-fifth of patients (21 per cent) experienced AED adverse effects, with
      idiosyncratic cutaneous reactions and hepatotoxicity most frequently observed. An
      independent predictor for adverse effects was exposure to aromatic AED, such as
      phenytoin, carbamazepine and phenobarbital (adjusted OR: 3.32, 95 per cent CI:
      1.32-8.40). CONCLUSIONS: Antiepileptic drug prescription for primary seizure
      prophylaxis is both pervasive and prolonged for HGG patients. Seizures occur
      frequently, but most were delayed and none were life threatening. Judicious
      prescription of AED is required, especially when a significant proportion of
      patients experience adverse effects. Patients with a diagnosis of GBM and
      exposure to radiotherapy are at risk. We suggest, contrary to present practice,
      that primary seizure prophylaxis be given only during the perioperative period
      and resumed when they occur. We also recommend avoidance of aromatic AED due to
      their association with idiosyncratic adverse effects.

PMID- 26097497
TI  - Gaps in Glaucoma care: A systematic review of monoscopic disc photos to screen
      for glaucoma.

PMID- 26097496
TI  - Human parvovirus B19: a mechanistic overview of infection and DNA replication.
AB  - Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a human pathogen that belongs to genus
      Erythroparvovirus of the Parvoviridae family, which is composed of a group of
      small DNA viruses with a linear single-stranded DNA genome. B19V mainly infects
      human erythroid progenitor cells and causes mild to severe hematological
      disorders in patients. However, recent clinical studies indicate that B19V also
      infects nonerythroid lineage cells, such as myocardial endothelial cells, and may
      be associated with other disease outcomes. Several cell culture systems,
      including permissive and semipermissive erythroid lineage cells, nonpermissive
      human embryonic kidney 293 cells and recently reported myocardial endothelial
      cells, have been used to study the mechanisms underlying B19V infection and B19V
      DNA replication. This review aims to summarize recent advances in B19V studies
      with a focus on the mechanisms of B19V tropism specific to different cell types
      and the cellular pathways involved in B19V DNA replication including cellular
      signaling transduction and cell cycle arrest.

PMID- 26097498
TI  - Conducting Ethical Research with Correctional Populations: Do Researchers and IRB
      Members Know the Federal Regulations?
AB  - Conducting or overseeing research in correctional settings requires knowledge of
      specific federal rules and regulations designed to protect the rights of
      individuals in incarceration. To investigate the extent to which relevant groups
      possess this knowledge, using a 10-item questionnaire, we surveyed 885 IRB
      prisoner representatives, IRB members and chairs with and without experience
      reviewing HIV/AIDS correctional protocols, and researchers with and without
      correctional HIV/AIDS research experience. Across all groups, respondents
      answered 4.5 of the items correctly. Individuals who have overseen or conducted
      correctional research had the highest scores; however, even these groups
      responded correctly only to slightly more than half of the items. These findings
      emphasize the need for ongoing training in federal guidelines governing
      correctional research, particularly for those individuals who are embarking on
      this type of research.

PMID- 26097499
TI  - High-Fat Diet Alters the Orosensory Sensitivity to Fatty Acids in Obesity
      Resistant but not Obesity-Prone Rats.
AB  - Gene-environment interactions play a role in the development of obesity but
      specific effects of diet on the orosensory detection of fatty acids have yet to
      be clarified. The objective of this study is to characterize the effect of
      prolonged (5-week) exposure to a high-fat (60%) diet on the behavioral
      sensitivity to the fatty acid linoleate following a conditioned taste aversion in
      obesity-prone and obesity-resistant rats. Exposure to the high-fat diet
      significantly enhanced the sensitivity of obesity-resistant (S5B/Pl) rats to
      linoleate while producing no effect on the fatty acid sensitivity for obesity
      prone rats. Specifically, high-fat diet fed S5B/Pl rats showed stronger initial
      avoidance of linoleate and slower extinction rates than their normal diet
      cohorts. Our study suggests that prolonged dietary fat consumption may alter the
      behavioral sensitivity to fatty acids particularly in obesity-resistant animals.

PMID- 26097500
TI  - Treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer and bone metastases with radium
      223 dichloride.
AB  - Radium-223 dichloride (Ra-223) is the first alpha-particle emitting
      radiopharmaceutical to be approved for the treatment of patients with castration
      resistant prostate cancer and associated bone metastases, and the first bone
      targeting agent to significantly improve patient overall survival whilst reducing
      pain and the symptomatic skeletal events (SSEs) associated with bone metastases.
      Ra-223 exhibits a favourable safety profile, with low myelosuppression rates and
      fewer adverse events than placebo. Compared with other approved
      radiopharmaceuticals, the alpha-particle emitting Ra-223 has a high biological
      efficiency and a short penetration range, potentially sparing bone marrow
      toxicity and limiting unwanted exposure. Ra-223 has a short half-life and decays
      to a stable product, reducing the problem of storage and disposal associated with
      radiopharmaceuticals. Ra-223 offers a new treatment option with great potential
      in this setting. However, concerns remain amongst patients, their families and
      health care professionals over the use of radiopharmaceuticals. This article,
      which draws on the experiences of health care workers during the ALSYMPCA
      (ALpharadin in SYMtomatic Prostate CAncer) study, reviews the clinical
      development of Ra-223, highlighting the key issues for the uro-oncology nurse who
      has a pivotal role within the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to ensure safe and
      effective treatment to the patient. The role of the uro-oncology nurse is
      multifaceted, including patient pre-assessment and post-treatment monitoring and
      coordination of the MDT. In addition, their role in communicating with and
      educating those involved with Ra-223 on what to expect from the agent can
      alleviate fears associated with its use.

PMID- 26097501
TI  - Modeling the CO2-effects of forest management and wood usage on a regional basis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At the 15th Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on
      Climate Change, Copenhagen, 2009, harvested wood products were identified as an
      additional carbon pool. This modification eliminates inconsistencies in
      greenhouse gas reporting by recognizing the role of the forest and timber sector
      in the global carbon cycle. Any additional CO2-effects related to wood usage are
      not considered by this modification. This results in a downward bias when the
      contribution of the forest and timber sector to climate change mitigation is
      assessed. The following article analyses the overall contribution to climate
      protection made by the forest management and wood utilization through CO2
      emissions reduction using an example from the German state of North Rhine
      Westphalia. Based on long term study periods (2011 to 2050 and 2100,
      respectively). Various alternative scenarios for forest management and wood usage
      are presented. RESULTS: In the mid- to long-term (2050 and 2100, respectively)
      the net climate protection function of scenarios with varying levels of wood
      usage is higher than in scenarios without any wood usage. This is not observed
      for all scenarios on short and mid term evaluations. The advantages of wood usage
      are evident although the simulations resulted in high values for forest storage
      in the C pools. Even the carbon sink effect due to temporal accumulation of
      deadwood during the period from 2011 to 2100 is outbalanced by the potential of
      wood usage effects. CONCLUSIONS: A full assessment of the CO2-effects of the
      forest management requires an assessment of the forest supplemented with an
      assessment of the effects of wood usage. CO2-emission reductions through both
      fuel and material substitution as well as CO2 sink in wood products need to be
      considered. An integrated assessment of the climate protection function based on
      the analysis of the study's scenarios provides decision parameters for a
      strategic approach to climate protection with regard to forest management and
      wood use at regional and national levels. The short-term evaluation of subsystems
      can be misleading, rendering long-term evaluations (until 2100, or even longer)
      more effective. This is also consistent with the inherently long-term perspective
      of forest management decisions and measures.

PMID- 26097502
TI  - Monitoring forest carbon in a Tanzanian woodland using interferometric SAR: a
      novel methodology for REDD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: REDD+ implementation requires establishment of a system for
      measuring, reporting and verification (MRV) of forest carbon changes. A challenge
      for MRV is the lack of satellite based methods that can track not only
      deforestation, but also degradation and forest growth, as well as a lack of
      historical data that can serve as a basis for a reference emission level. Working
      in a miombo woodland in Tanzania, we here aim at demonstrating a novel 3D
      satellite approach based on interferometric processing of radar imagery (InSAR).
      RESULTS: Forest carbon changes are derived from changes in the forest canopy
      height obtained from InSAR, i.e. decreases represent carbon loss from logging and
      increases represent carbon sequestration through forest growth. We fitted a model
      of above-ground biomass (AGB) against InSAR height, and used this to convert
      height changes to biomass and carbon changes. The relationship between AGB and
      InSAR height was weak, as the individual plots were widely scattered around the
      model fit. However, we consider the approach to be unique and feasible for large
      scale MRV efforts in REDD+ because the low accuracy was attributable partly to
      small plots and other limitations in the data set, and partly to a random pixel
      to-pixel variation in trunk forms. Further processing of the InSAR data provides
      data on the categories of forest change. The combination of InSAR data from the
      Shuttle RADAR Topography Mission (SRTM) and the TanDEM-X satellite mission
      provided both historic baseline of change for the period 2000-2011, as well as
      annual change 2011-2012. CONCLUSIONS: A 3D data set from InSAR is a promising
      tool for MRV in REDD+. The temporal changes seen by InSAR data corresponded well
      with, but largely supplemented, the changes derived from Landsat data.

PMID- 26097503
TI  - Quantitative analysis of an engineered CO2-fixing Escherichia coli reveals great
      potential of heterotrophic CO2 fixation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Production of fuels from the abundant and wasteful CO2 is a promising
      approach to reduce carbon emission and consumption of fossil fuels. Autotrophic
      microbes naturally assimilate CO2 using energy from light, hydrogen, and/or
      sulfur. However, their slow growth rates call for investigation of the
      possibility of heterotrophic CO2 fixation. Although preliminary research has
      suggested that CO2 fixation in heterotrophic microbes is feasible after
      incorporation of a CO2-fixing bypass into the central carbon metabolic pathway,
      it remains unclear how much and how efficient that CO2 can be fixed by a
      heterotrophic microbe. RESULTS: A simple metabolic flux index was developed to
      indicate the relative strength of the CO2-fixation flux. When two sequential
      enzymes of the cyanobacterial Calvin cycle were incorporated into an E. coli
      strain, the flux of the CO2-fixing bypass pathway accounts for 13 % of that of
      the central carbon metabolic pathway. The value was increased to 17 % when the
      carbonic anhydrase involved in the cyanobacterial carbon concentrating mechanism
      was introduced, indicating that low intracellular CO2 concentration is one
      limiting factor for CO2 fixation in E. coli. The engineered CO2-fixing E. coli
      with carbonic anhydrase was able to fix CO2 at a rate of 19.6 mg CO2 L(-1) h(-1)
      or the specific rate of 22.5 mg CO2 g DCW(-1) h(-1). This CO2-fixation rate is
      comparable with the reported rates of 14 autotrophic cyanobacteria and algae
      (10.5-147.0 mg CO2 L(-1) h(-1) or the specific rates of 3.5-23.7 mg CO2 g DCW(-1)
      h(-1)). CONCLUSIONS: The ability of CO2 fixation was created and improved in E.
      coli by incorporating partial cyanobacterial Calvin cycle and carbon
      concentrating mechanism, respectively. Quantitative analysis revealed that the
      CO2-fixation rate of this strain is comparable with that of the autotrophic
      cyanobacteria and algae, demonstrating great potential of heterotrophic CO2
      fixation.

PMID- 26097504
TI  - Eubacteria and archaea communities in seven mesophile anaerobic digester plants
      in Germany.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Only a fraction of the microbial species used for anaerobic digestion
      in biogas production plants are methanogenic archaea. We have analyzed the
      taxonomic profiles of eubacteria and archaea, a set of chemical key parameters,
      and biogas production in samples from nine production plants in seven facilities
      in Thuringia, Germany, including co-digesters, leach-bed, and sewage sludge
      treatment plants. Reactors were sampled twice, at a 1-week interval, and three
      biological replicates were taken in each case. RESULTS: A complex taxonomic
      composition was found for both eubacteria and archaea, both of which strongly
      correlated with digester type. Plant-degrading Firmicutes as well as
      Bacteroidetes dominated eubacteria profiles in high biogas-producing co
      digesters; whereas Bacteroidetes and Spirochaetes were the major phyla in leach
      bed and sewage sludge digesters. Methanoculleus was the dominant archaea genus in
      co-digesters, whereas Methanosarcina and Methanosaeta were the most abundant
      methanogens in leachate from leach-bed and sewage sludge digesters, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: This is one of the most comprehensive characterizations of the
      microbial communities of biogas-producing facilities. Bacterial profiles
      exhibited very low variation within replicates, including those of semi-solid
      samples; and, in general, low variation in time. However, facility type
      correlated closely with the bacterial profile: each of the three reactor types
      exhibited a characteristic eubacteria and archaea profile. Digesters operated
      with solid feedstock, and high biogas production correlated with abundance of
      plant degraders (Firmicutes) and biofilm-forming methanogens (Methanoculleus
      spp.). By contrast, low biogas-producing sewage sludge treatment digesters
      correlated with high titers of volatile fatty acid-adapted Methanosaeta spp.

PMID- 26097505
TI  - On the relative role of different age groups in influenza epidemics.
AB  - The identification of key "driver" groups in influenza epidemics is of much
      interest for the implementation of effective public health response strategies,
      including vaccination programs. However, the relative importance of different age
      groups in propagating epidemics is uncertain. During a communicable disease
      outbreak, some groups may be disproportionately represented during the outbreak's
      ascent due to increased susceptibility and/or contact rates. Such groups or
      subpopulations can be identified by considering the proportion of cases within
      the subpopulation occurring before (Bp) and after the epidemic peak (Ap) to
      calculate the subpopulation's relative risk, RR=Bp/Ap. We estimated RR for
      several subpopulations (age groups) using data on laboratory-confirmed US
      influenza hospitalizations during epidemics between 2009-2014. Additionally, we
      simulated various influenza outbreaks in an age-stratified population, relating
      the RR to the impact of vaccination in each subpopulation on the epidemic's
      initial effective reproductive number R_e(0). We found that children aged 5-17
      had the highest estimates of RR during the five largest influenza A outbreaks,
      though the relative magnitude of RR in this age group compared to other age
      groups varied, being highest for the 2009 A/H1N1 pandemic. For the 2010-2011 and
      2012-2013 influenza B epidemics, adults aged 18-49, and 0-4 year-olds had the
      highest estimates of RR respectively. For 83% of simulated epidemics, the group
      with the highest RR was also the group for which initial distribution of a given
      quantity of vaccine would result in the largest reduction of R_e(0). In the
      largest 40% of simulated outbreaks, the group with the highest RR and the largest
      vaccination impact was children 5-17. While the relative importance of different
      age groups in propagating influenza outbreaks varies, children aged 5-17 play the
      leading role during the largest influenza A epidemics. Extra vaccination efforts
      for this group may contribute to reducing the epidemic's impact in the whole
      community.

PMID- 26097506
TI  - Testing multiple hypotheses through IMP weighted FDR based on a genetic
      functional network with application to a new zebrafish transcriptome study.
AB  - In genome-wide studies, hundreds of thousands of hypothesis tests are performed
      simultaneously. Bonferroni correction and False Discovery Rate (FDR) can
      effectively control type I error but often yield a high false negative rate. We
      aim to develop a more powerful method to detect differentially expressed genes.
      We present a Weighted False Discovery Rate (WFDR) method that incorporate
      biological knowledge from genetic networks. We first identify weights using
      Integrative Multi-species Prediction (IMP) and then apply the weights in WFDR to
      identify differentially expressed genes through an IMP-WFDR algorithm. We
      performed a gene expression experiment to identify zebrafish genes that change
      expression in the presence of arsenic during a systemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa
      infection. Zebrafish were exposed to arsenic at 10 parts per billion and/or
      infected with P. aeruginosa. Appropriate controls were included. We then applied
      IMP-WFDR during the analysis of differentially expressed genes. We compared the
      mRNA expression for each group and found over 200 differentially expressed genes
      and several enriched pathways including defense response pathways, arsenic
      response pathways, and the Notch signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26097507
TI  - Low BMI and low TSH value as risk factors related to lower bone mineral density
      in postmenospausal women under levothyroxine therapy for differentiated thyroid
      carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) includes
      suppression of TSH with levothyroxine therapy, which may negatively influence
      bone mineral density (BMD), but the effects are controversial. We aimed to
      evaluate the relationship between TSH-suppressive therapy and BMD in
      postmenopausal women with DTC. METHODOLOGY: Cross-sectional study that assessed
      BMD by densitometry and risk factors for decreased BMD in 109 postmenopausal
      women under TSH-suppressive therapy for DTC, compared to an age-matched euthyroid
      women control group. Conditions that might have affected BMD were exclusion
      criteria. RESULTS: Patients were 58.4 +/- 8.3 years-old, mean serum TSH was 0.21
      +/- 0.28MUIU/ml. In BMD evaluation, T-scores were -1.09 +/- 1.43 SD (lumbar
      spine) and -0.12 +/- 1.18 SD (total femur). No significant differences were found
      between lumbar or femoral T-scores of patients and control group. Multivariate
      logistic regression analysis evidenced that low BMI and low mean TSH levels
      (assessed in the year of BMD measurement) were factors significantly related to
      lower lumbar and spinal BMD. CONCLUSION: Although low TSH levels and low BMI were
      correlated with lower BMD, it was not observed an increased prevalence of
      osteopenia or osteoporosis in this cohort of post-menopausal women under
      levothyroxine treatment for DTC, when compared to age-matched control women.
      Nevertheless, such risk factors should be carefully observed in individual
      patients at high risk of decrease in BMD.

PMID- 26097508
TI  - Modelling the conditional regulatory activity of methylated and bivalent
      promoters.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Predictive modelling of gene expression is a powerful framework for
      the in silico exploration of transcriptional regulatory interactions through the
      integration of high-throughput -omics data. A major limitation of previous
      approaches is their inability to handle conditional interactions that emerge when
      genes are subject to different regulatory mechanisms. Although chromatin
      immunoprecipitation-based histone modification data are often used as proxies for
      chromatin accessibility, the association between these variables and expression
      often depends upon the presence of other epigenetic markers (e.g. DNA methylation
      or histone variants). These conditional interactions are poorly handled by
      previous predictive models and reduce the reliability of downstream biological
      inference. RESULTS: We have previously demonstrated that integrating both
      transcription factor and histone modification data within a single predictive
      model is rendered ineffective by their statistical redundancy. In this study, we
      evaluate four proposed methods for quantifying gene-level DNA methylation levels
      and demonstrate that inclusion of these data in predictive modelling frameworks
      is also subject to this critical limitation in data integration. Based on the
      hypothesis that statistical redundancy in epigenetic data is caused by
      conditional regulatory interactions within a dynamic chromatin context, we
      construct a new gene expression model which is the first to improve prediction
      accuracy by unsupervised identification of latent regulatory classes. We show
      that DNA methylation and H2A.Z histone variant data can be interpreted in this
      way to identify and explore the signatures of silenced and bivalent promoters,
      substantially improving genome-wide predictions of mRNA transcript abundance and
      downstream biological inference across multiple cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: Previous
      models of gene expression have been applied successfully to several important
      problems in molecular biology, including the discovery of transcription factor
      roles, identification of regulatory elements responsible for differential
      expression patterns and comparative analysis of the transcriptome across distant
      species. Our analysis supports our hypothesis that statistical redundancy in
      epigenetic data is partially due to conditional relationships between these
      regulators and gene expression levels. This analysis provides insight into the
      heterogeneous roles of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 in the presence of the H2A.Z histone
      variant (implicated in cancer progression) and how these signatures change during
      lineage commitment and carcinogenesis.

PMID- 26097509
TI  - The correlation between postural control and upper limb position sense in people
      with chronic ankle instability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is attributed to functional
      instability driven by insufficient proprioception. However, it is not clear
      whether the deficits are related to global impaired performance or to specific
      decrease in ankle motor-control. The aim of this study was to assess the
      correlation between lower limb postural control and upper limb position sense
      among people with CAI, in order to further explore the function of the central
      neural control in people with CAI. METHODS: Fourteen participants (10 males, 4
      females) with self-reported CAI and 14 age- and gender-matched, healthy controls
      participated in this study. Each participant completed single-limb stance
      postural control tests and shoulder position sense tests. The Overall Stability
      Index (OSI) was used as a measure of postural stability. The average of the
      absolute error score (AES) was calculated as a measure of shoulder position
      sense. Pearson correlations between the scores of the four body sites -lower limb
      postural stability (preferred/non-preferred), shoulder (preferred/non-preferred)
      were determined separately for each group. RESULTS: In the control group,
      significant correlations were found between the OSI score of the right and left
      ankles (r = 0.887, p < 0.001), between the AES of the right and left shoulders (r
      = 0.656, p = 0.011), as well as between the OSI score and the AES of the non
      preferred side (r = 0.649, p = 0.012). In the CAI group, significant correlation
      was found only between the OSI score at both ankles (r = 0.6, p = 0.002).
      CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with CAI demonstrated lower limb postural control and
      upper limb position sense similar to those shown in healthy controls. However,
      correlations between the lower and upper limbs were observed only in the healthy
      controls. Clinicians can use this information and employ activities that focus on
      coordinating the upper and lower extremities when designing neuromuscular control
      training programs for people with CAI.

PMID- 26097510
TI  - SANCDB: a South African natural compound database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Natural products (NPs) are important to the drug discovery process.
      NP research efforts are expanding world-wide and South Africa is no exception to
      this. While freely-accessible small molecule databases, containing compounds
      isolated from indigenous sources, have been established in a number of other
      countries, there is currently no such online database in South Africa.
      DESCRIPTION: The current research presents a South African natural compound
      database, named SANCDB. This is a curated and fully-referenced database
      containing compound information for 600 natural products extracted directly from
      journal articles, book chapters and theses. There is a web interface to the
      database, which is simple and easy to use, while allowing for compounds to be
      searched by a number of different criteria. Being fully referenced, each compound
      page contains links to the original referenced work from which the information
      was obtained. Further, the website provides a submission pipeline, allowing
      researchers to deposit compounds from their own research into the database.
      CONCLUSIONS: SANCDB is currently the only web-based NP database in Africa. It
      aims to provide a useful resource for the in silico screening of South African
      NPs for drug discovery purposes. The database is supported by a submission
      pipeline to allow growth by entries from researchers. As such, we currently
      present SANCDB the starting point of a platform for a community-driven, curated
      database to further natural products research in South Africa. SANCDB is freely
      available at https://sancdb.rubi.ru.ac.za/.

PMID- 26097511
TI  - High-fat diet feeding significantly attenuates anagliptin-induced regeneration of
      islets of Langerhans in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: DPP-4 inhibitors reportedly exert effects on both alpha and beta
      cells, and promote the proliferation and survival of beta cells. We investigated
      the effects of anagliptin on structurally-impaired islets of Langerhans in
      streptozotocin (STZ)-treated mice, fed either a normal or a high-fat diet. Pdx-1
      expression in the pancreas and serum insulin/glucagon concentrations were also
      examined. FINDINGS: Anagliptin treatment significantly up-regulated pancreatic
      Pdx-1 expression, with elevated serum glucagon-like peptide-1 concentrations,
      regardless of whether the diet was normal or high-fat. However, interestingly,
      the beta cell regeneration, structural normalization of islets of Langerhans
      including alpha cell: beta cell area ratios, and serum insulin elevation, all
      observed with anagliptin administration in the animals fed a normal diet, were
      markedly suppressed in the high-fat fed group. CONCLUSIONS: High-fat diet feeding
      clearly weakened the regenerative effects of anagliptin on the islets of
      Langerhans in STZ-treated mice. Our findings suggest the importance of
      normalizing lipid metabolism for full manifestation of DPP-4 inhibitor effects on
      the islets of Langerhans.

PMID- 26097513
TI  - Dynamic intracellular delivery of antibiotics via pH-responsive polymersomes.
AB  - Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization was
      employed to prepare a series of copolymers consisting of 2-hdroxyethyl
      methacrylate (HEMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (FWavg ~
      950 Da) (O950) with variable comonomer compositions and molecular weights for use
      as polymeric scaffolds. Reactivity ratios for the monomer pair were determined to
      be 1.37 and 0.290 respectively. To these scaffolds trithiocarbonate-based RAFT
      chain transfer agents (CTAs) were grafted using carbodiimide chemistry. The
      resultant graft chain transfer agents (gCTA) were subsequently employed to
      polymerize dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and (HPMA) between degrees of
      polymerization (DP) of 25 and 200. Kinetic analysis for the polymerization of
      DMAEMA targeting a DP of 100 from a 34 arm graft gCTA show linear Mn conversion
      and pseudo first order rate plots with narrow molecular weight distributions that
      move toward lower elution volumes with monomer conversion. D values for these
      polymerizations remain low at around 1.20 at monomer conversions as high as 70 %.
      pH-responsive endosomalytic brushes capable of spontaneously self-assembling into
      polymersomes were synthesized and a combination of dynamic light scattering
      (DLS), cryoTEM, and red blood cell hemolysis were employed to evaluate the
      aqueous solution properties of the polymeric brush as a function of pH.
      Successful encapsulation of ceftazidime and pH-dependent drug release properties
      were confirmed by HPLC. Intracellular antibiotic activity of the drug-loaded
      polymersomes was confirmed in a macrophage coculture model of infection with B.
      thailandensis and RAW 264.7 cells.

PMID- 26097514
TI  - Well-defined single polymer nanoparticles for the antibody-targeted delivery of
      chemotherapeutic agents.
AB  - Aqueous reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization
      was employed to prepare a series of linear copolymers of N,N-dimethylacrylamide
      (DMA) and 2-hydroxyethylacrylamide (HEAm) with narrow D values over a molecular
      weight range spanning three orders of magnitude (103 to 106 Da). Trithiocarbonate
      based RAFT chain transfer agents (CTAs) were grafted onto these scaffolds using
      carbodiimide chemistry catalyzed with DMAP. The resultant graft chain transfer
      agent (gCTA) was subsequently employed to synthesize polymeric brushes with a
      number of important vinyl monomer classes including acrylamido, methacrylamido,
      and methacrylate. Brush polymerization kinetics were evaluated for the aqueous
      RAFT polymerization of DMA from a 10 arm gCTA. Polymeric brushes containing
      hydroxyl functionality were further functionalized in order to prepare 2nd
      generation gCTAs which were subsequently employed to prepare polymers with a
      brushed-brush architecture with molecular weights in excess of 106 Da. These
      resultant single particle nanoparticles (SNPs) were employed as drug delivery
      vehicles for the anthracycline-based drug doxorubicin via copolymerization of DMA
      with a protected carbazate monomer (bocSMA). Cell-specific targeting
      functionality was also introduced via copolymerization with a biotin-functional
      monomer (bioHEMA). Drug release of the hydrazone linked doxorubicin was evaluated
      as function of pH and serum and chemotherapeutic activity was evaluated in SKOV3
      ovarian cancer cells.

PMID- 26097512
TI  - Human resistin and the RELM of Inflammation in diabesity.
AB  - The initial discovery of resistin and resistin-like molecules (RELMs) in rodents
      suggested a role for these adipocytokines in molecular linkage of obesity, Type 2
      Diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. Since then, it became apparent that the
      story of resistin and RELMs was very much of mice and men. The putative role of
      this adipokine family evolved from that of a conveyor of insulin resistance in
      rodents to instigator of inflammatory processes in humans. Structural
      dissimilarity, variance in distribution profiles and a lack of corroborating
      evidence for functional similarities separate the biological functions of
      resistin in humans from that of rodents. Although present in gross visceral fat
      deposits in humans, resistin is a component of inflammation, being released from
      infiltrating white blood cells of the sub-clinical chronic low grade inflammatory
      response accompanying obesity, rather than from the adipocyte itself. This led
      researchers to further explore the functions of the resistin family of proteins
      in inflammatory-related conditions such as atherosclerosis, as well as in cancers
      such as endometrial and gastric cancers. Although elevated levels of resistin
      have been found in these conditions, whether it is causative or as a result of
      these conditions still remains to be determined. 

PMID- 26097515
TI  - Cortical venous thrombosis presenting with subarachnoid haemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our study retrospectively reviewed the presentation, neuro
      radiological findings, and outcomes of eight adult patients presenting at our
      institution with subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), which was subsequently proven to
      be due to cortical venous thrombosis (CVT). METHODS: We reviewed the case records
      and neuroimaging findings of eight patients diagnosed with SAH and CVT over a
      span of two years at our institution, a tertiary care centre in Western India.
      All details pertaining to their presentation, clinical findings, neuroimaging,
      management, and outcome following therapy with anticoagulants were collected
      until patient discharge. RESULTS: There were a total of eight patients, with the
      average age being 34 years (range 25-42). Only one patient was female. Six
      patients had a history of recent binge drinking. None of the patients had a past
      or family history of common risk factors for thrombosis. All patients presented
      acutely, with headache (n=6) and seizures (n=6) being the most common presenting
      features, occurring in three-quarters of the patients examined. Non-contrast
      computed tomography (NCCT) was the initial imaging study for all but one of the
      patients and showed cortical SAH (cSAH) without basilar haemorrhage. Magnetic
      resonance imaging/magnetic resonance venography (MRI/MRV) confirmed the
      underlying CVT. Unfractionated heparin was used in all cases. Seven patients
      improved and were discharged on oral anticoagulation. The eighth patient died.
      CONCLUSION: Localised cSAH with sparing of basal cisterns can be a presentation
      for CVT. In patients with cSAH, MRI/MRV can be useful to make a diagnosis of CVT.
      Anticoagulation for CVT, even in the presence of SAH was related to seven out of
      eight patients being discharged.

PMID- 26097516
TI  - Neck of femur fracture management by general surgeons at a rural hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neck of femur (NOF) fractures are the most common injury among
      elderly patients and a significant burden on our healthcare system. AIMS: This
      study aimed toevaluate if an Australian rural hospital serviced by general
      surgeons can meet the established standards of care for the management of NOF
      fractures by undertaking surgery within 48 hours. METHODS: An audit of patients
      presenting to an Australian rural hospital with NOF fractures over a seven-year
      period. Patients were excluded if they were transferred or suffered peri
      prosthetic or multi-trauma-related fractures. Outcomes included time to surgery,
      length of stay, and in-hospital mortality, and were compared to three similar
      Australian studies from hospitals with specialist orthopedic units. Descriptive
      statistics and meta-analysis were performed. RESULTS: Overall, 182 patients
      presented with NOF fractures and 114 met our inclusion criteria. Only 12 per cent
      of patients were transferred. Patients were mostly female (74 per cent) and
      elderly (mean age 84.0 years). A total of 79 per cent of patients were operated
      on within48 hours; other studies reported 67-86 per cent. Mean length of stay was
      11.9 days (versus 7.7-13.7), and in-hospital mortality was 4 per cent (versus 2-7
      per cent). CONCLUSION: This audit suggests that an Australian rural hospital
      serviced by general surgeons can meet the established standards of care for
      management of most NOF fractures. Some post-surgery outcomes are similar to those
      reported by larger centers with specialized orthopedics units.

PMID- 26097517
TI  - General practice and residential aged care: A qualitative study of barriers to
      access to care and the role of remuneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: More than 169,000 people live in residential aged care facilities
      (RACFs). As people age they use health services, particularly general
      practitioner (GP) services, more frequently but many GPs do not attend patients
      in RACFs. AIMS: To examine GPs' perceptions of barriers to providing care to
      patients in RACFs. METHODS: This study was conducted in June 2014 in the Bayside
      Medicare Local (BML) region in Victoria, Australia; all participants were drawn
      from this region. Two focus groups (FGs) were conducted. One was for GPs (n=5)
      that have a specific interest in practicing in RACFs, the other with RACF staff
      (n=8) representing public, private, and not-for-profit aged care providers.
      Results were presented to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
      (RACGP) National Standing Committee for General Practice Advocacy and Support for
      feedback and validation of the findings against national perspectives of the
      effect of remuneration on the provision of GP services in RACFs. RESULTS:
      Remuneration problems are a barrier to the provision of GP services to patients
      in RACFs. These problems can be grouped into: direct remuneration, opportunity
      cost, additional administrative burden, and unremunerated work. GPs' perceptions
      of the effects of these problems on willingness to practice in RACFs are
      described. CONCLUSION: Innovative models of remuneration for GPs attending RACFs
      are needed to ameliorate the problems identified. Such models need to capture and
      pay for activities that are time consuming but often unremunerated.

PMID- 26097518
TI  - Unilateral anatomical variation of the ansa cervicalis.
AB  - The ansa cervicalis is a loop of nerves that is usually formed by the union of
      ventral rami of spinal nerves C1, C2, and C3. It is located in the carotid
      triangle of the neck, lying superficial to the carotid sheath. During routine
      dissection, unilateral variation of the ansa cervicalis was observed. The
      superior root, arising from hypoglossal nerve, was initially bifurcated and later
      united to form a single superior root. IN addition, the inferior root consisted
      of fibres arising from the spinal accessory nerve, C1, C2 and C3 spinal nerves
      that joined separately. Fibres from the spinal accessory and C1 joined to form a
      single root. Thus, a 'triple form' of ansa cervicalis was observed. An
      interconnection was observed between the C2 and C3 fibres. Knowledge of such
      anatomical variations is important for surgery, clinical intervention or trauma
      involving the carotid triangle or the structures within or deep to this region. 

PMID- 26097519
TI  - Automation of diagnostics by new disruptive technologies supports local general
      practice and medical screening in the third world.

PMID- 26097520
TI  - Talin Dependent Mechanosensitivity of Cell Focal Adhesions.
AB  - A fundamental question in mechanobiology is how mechanical stimuli are sensed by
      mechanosensing proteins and converted into signals that direct cells to adapt to
      the external environment. A key function of cell adhesion to the extracellular
      matrix (ECM) is to transduce mechanical forces between cells and their
      extracellular environment. Talin, a cytoplasmic adapter essential for integrin
      mediated adhesion to the ECM, links the actin cytoskeleton to integrin at the
      plasma membrane. Here, we review recent progress in the understanding of talin
      dependent mechanosensing revealed by stretching single talin molecules. Rapid
      progress in single-molecule force manipulation technologies has made it possible
      to directly study the impact of mechanical force on talin's conformations and its
      interactions with other signaling proteins. We also provide our views on how
      findings from such studies may bring new insights into understanding the
      principles of mechanobiology on a broader scale, and how such fundamental
      knowledge may be harnessed for mechanopharmacology.

PMID- 26097521
TI  - Memory in language-impaired children with and without autism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A subgroup of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
      have significant language impairments (phonology, grammar, vocabulary), although
      such impairments are not considered to be core symptoms of and are not unique to
      ASD. Children with specific language impairment (SLI) display similar impairments
      in language. Given evidence for phenotypic and possibly etiologic overlap between
      SLI and ASD, it has been suggested that language-impaired children with ASD (ASD
      + language impairment, ALI) may be characterized as having both ASD and SLI.
      However, the extent to which the language phenotypes in SLI and ALI can be viewed
      as similar or different depends in part upon the age of the individuals studied.
      The purpose of the current study is to examine differences in memory abilities,
      specifically those that are key "markers" of heritable SLI, among young school
      age children with SLI, ALI, and ALN (ASD + language normal). METHODS: In this
      cross-sectional study, three groups of children between ages 5 and 8 years
      participated: SLI (n = 18), ALI (n = 22), and ALN (n = 20). A battery of
      cognitive, language, and ASD assessments was administered as well as a nonword
      repetition (NWR) test and measures of verbal memory, visual memory, and
      processing speed. RESULTS: NWR difficulties were more severe in SLI than in ALI,
      with the largest effect sizes in response to nonwords with the shortest syllable
      lengths. Among children with ASD, NWR difficulties were not associated with the
      presence of impairments in multiple ASD domains, as reported previously. Verbal
      memory difficulties were present in both SLI and ALI groups relative to children
      with ALN. Performance on measures related to verbal but not visual memory or
      processing speed were significantly associated with the relative degree of
      language impairment in children with ASD, supporting the role of verbal memory
      difficulties in language impairments among early school-age children with ASD.
      CONCLUSIONS: The primary difference between children with SLI and ALI was in NWR
      performance, particularly in repeating two- and three-syllable nonwords,
      suggesting that shared difficulties in early language learning found in previous
      studies do not necessarily reflect the same underlying mechanisms.

PMID- 26097407
TI  - Search for a standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a top-quark
      pair and decaying to bottom quarks using a matrix element method.
AB  - A search for a standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a top
      quark pair and decaying to bottom quarks is presented. Events with hadronic jets
      and one or two oppositely charged leptons are selected from a data sample
      corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.5[Formula: see text] collected by
      the CMS experiment at the LHC in [Formula: see text] collisions at a centre-of
      mass energy of 8[Formula: see text]. In order to separate the signal from the
      larger [Formula: see text]  + jets background, this analysis uses a matrix
      element method that assigns a probability density value to each reconstructed
      event under signal or background hypotheses. The ratio between the two values is
      used in a maximum likelihood fit to extract the signal yield. The results are
      presented in terms of the measured signal strength modifier, [Formula: see text],
      relative to the standard model prediction for a Higgs boson mass of 125[Formula:
      see text]. The observed (expected) exclusion limit at a 95 % confidence level is
      [Formula: see text] (3.3), corresponding to a best fit value [Formula: see text].

PMID- 26097522
TI  - Discovery of Allostery in PKA Signaling.
AB  - cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) was the second protein kinase to be
      discovered and the PKA catalytic (C) subunit serves as a prototype for the large
      protein kinase superfamily that contains over 500 gene products. The protein
      kinases regulate much of biology in eukaryotic cells and they are now also a
      major therapeutic target. Although PKA was discovered nearly 50 years ago and the
      subsequent discovery of the regulatory subunits that bind cAMP and release the
      catalytic activity from the holoenzyme followed quickly. Thus in PKA we see the
      convergence of two major signaling mechanisms - protein phosphorylation and
      second messenger signaling through cAMP. Crystallography provides a foundation
      for understanding function, and the structure of the isolated regulatory (R) and
      C-subunits have been extremely informative. Yet it is the R2C2 holoenzyme that
      predominates in cells, and one can only appreciate the allosteric features of PKA
      signaling by seeing the full length protein. The symmetry and the quaternary
      constraints that one R:C hetero-dimer exerts on the other in the holoenzyme
      simply are not present in the isolated subunits or even in the R:C hetero-dimer.

PMID- 26097523
TI  - Antioxidative effects of cerium dioxide nanoparticles ameliorate age-related male
      infertility: optimistic results in rats and the review of clinical clues for
      integrative concept of men health and fertility.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Male infertility has largely idiopathic, multifactorial origin.
      Oxidative stress is a major factor that affects spermatogenesis, in particular in
      aging. Cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CNPs) due to their antioxidative properties
      are promising to impact on the development of male infertility. The aims of this
      study were to investigate the effects of CNPs on fertility parameters in 24-month
      male rats and to overview relevant literature in the field of personalized
      treatments, predictive diagnosis, and preventive measures for male health and
      fertility. METHODS: We included 30 24-month-old male rats. After a week of
      adaptation to the standard diet, the rats were randomly divided into three groups
      with ten rats in each. Group 1 (controls) received only a standard diet. The rats
      of group 2 and 3 in adjunct to the standard diet during 10 days received
      intragastrically 10 % sodium citrate and citrate-coated CNPs in dose 1 mg/kg,
      respectively. We assessed sex hormones, epididymal sperm parameters and
      spermatogenesis, ultrasound, and morphological data of rat reproductive organs.
      RESULTS: After a 10-day administration of CNPs, we revealed significant decrease
      of lipid peroxidation product levels in serum and increase of catalase and SOD
      activity, associated with increase of sperm count (p < 0.001) and improvement in
      quantitative sperm parameters (motility, viability, and percentage of
      spermatozoa). We found no significant changes between sperm quantitative
      parameters in citrate-treated rats and controls and observed age-related decrease
      of activated Leydig cell number and focal atrophy of the seminiferous tubules. In
      CNP group, we observed regeneration of seminiferous tubules, increase number and
      activation of Leydig cells, and 2.5-fold significant increase of serum
      testosterone. Ultrasound data showed the slight increase of linear measurement
      and volume of rat testes in CNP group. Review highlights the benefits for
      predictive diagnosis, preventive measures, and personalized approaches to manage
      male infertility in the general concept of male health also related to aging.
      CONCLUSION: Citrate-coated 2-5-nm CNPs lead to increase in sex hormones levels,
      sperm count, and quality, as well as the activation of spermatogenesis in 24
      month-old male rats. Nanoceria demonstrated the perspectives to be an effective
      infertility treatment via reduction of oxidative stress in male reproductive
      organs, in particular in aging.

PMID- 26097525
TI  - Reorganization of Language Areas in Patient with a Frontal Lobe Low Grade Glioma 
      fMRI Case Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) studies results in case of an
      adult patient with low grade glioma (LGG) in dominant hemisphere suggest brain
      plasticity process with acquisition of language functions by the non-dominant
      hemisphere speech regions. CASE REPORT: A 36-years old right-handed woman was
      admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery for surgical treatment of brain tumor.
      An MRI examination revealed a pathological mass in the left frontal lobe, in
      close topographical relationship to the Broca's area. A left fronto-parietal
      craniotomy was performed, with an intraoperative awake language mapping
      procedure. A total resection of the pathological mass was achieved. The tumor was
      examined histologically as LGG. In the follow-up MRI exam 32 months after the
      operation a tumor recurrence was suggested. The fMRI exams performed preoperative
      and 3, 32 and 41 months after the operation showed changes in language regions
      activation patterns, with a progressive right-sided activation of Broca's and
      Wernicke's areas. Pre- and postoperative cognitive evaluation by a
      neuropsychologist did not detect any language impairment. We present a running
      process of reorganization of language areas in a patient after brain tumor
      resection, from strong left-sided to symmetrical lateralization. CONCLUSIONS: 1.
      FMRI results in comparison with the psychological status of the patient proved
      contribution of functional reorganization to the preservation of language
      performance. 2. A slow growing LGG as well as the recurrence of the tumor near
      the left Broca's area might be the factors leading to reorganization of language
      related areas by recruiting the right hemisphe.

PMID- 26097524
TI  - Diffuse Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Secondary to Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal rupture accounts for the majority of nontraumatic
      subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Increasingly recognized is the occurrence of
      nontraumatic convexity SAH unaccounted for by aneurysmal rupture. CASE REPORT:
      These presentations require consideration of rare but clinically significant
      sources of SAH. We report a patient presenting with prolonged mild headaches and
      acute onset of seizure like activity found to have diffuse subarachnoid
      hemorrhage and extensive dural venous sinus thrombosis involving the superior
      sagittal sinus and right transverse-sigmoid sinuses. CONCLUSIONS: There are few
      reported cases of SAH secondary to dural sinus thrombosis; however most of these
      are convexity hemorrhage. Sinus thrombosis presenting as diffuse SAH is extremely
      rare, as is showcased in this report.

PMID- 26097526
TI  - Understanding Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Diseases: Is It Preventable?
AB  - Fine particulate matter (<2.5 um, PM2.5) air pollution is a leading risk factor
      for morbidity and mortality worldwide. The largest portion of adverse health
      effects is from cardiovascular diseases. In North America, PM2.5 concentrations
      have shown a steady decline over the past several decades; however, the opposite
      trend has occurred throughout much of the developing world whereby daily
      concentrations commonly reach extraordinarily high levels. While air quality
      regulations can reduce air pollution at a societal level, what individuals can do
      to reduce their personal exposures remains an active field of investigation.
      Here, we review the emerging evidence that several interventions (e.g., air
      filters) and/or behavioral changes can lower PM pollution exposure and as such,
      may be capable of mitigating the ensuing adverse cardiovascular health
      consequences. Air pollution remains a worldwide epidemic and a multi-tiered
      prevention strategy is required in order to optimally protect global public
      health.

PMID- 26097528
TI  - 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol suppresses irradiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis in
      adult rats.
AB  - The present study demonstrates the effect of DHPEA on suppression of irradiation
      induced pulmonary fibrosis. A (60)Co irradiator was used to induce pulmonary
      fibrosis in a rat model at a dose of 22 Gy. The rats of the treatment and
      positive control group were intraperitoneally injected DHPEA (10 mg/kg) or
      dexamethasone (DEX; 5 mg/kg) daily for 30 days. Hydroxyproline assay was used to
      evaluate the fibrosis of pulmonary and lung tissue sections after irradiation.
      Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson's trichrome stained lung section were used
      for alveolitis and fibrosis score analyses, respectively. Immunohistochemistry
      was used for surfactant protein-B (SPB) and alpha-SMA expression analysis.
      Western blot analysis was employed for analysis of nuclear transcription factor
      NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) and its associated antioxidant enzymes like heme
      oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD (P) H: quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO-1). Results
      revealed a significant decrease in mortality rates and lung index scores,
      decreased collagen deposition, reduced MDA content and enhanced superoxide
      dismutase (SOD) activity in DHPEA treated rats compared to DEX-treated rats.
      DHPEA treatment also inhibited (myo) fibroblast proliferation, and regulated
      serum levels of TGF-beta1, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-alpha. In addition, DHPEA
      treatment activated Nrf-2 and its downstream antioxidant enzymes HO-1 and NQO-1.
      Thus DHPEA can be a promising agent for the suppression of irradiation-induced
      pulmonary fibrosis. 

PMID- 26097527
TI  - Preventing effects of joint contracture by high molecular weight hyaluronan
      injections in a rat immobilized knee model.
AB  - PURPOSE: To elucidate preventive effects of high molecular weight hyaluronan
      (HMWHA) on the joint capsule of immobilized knees in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Unilateral knee joints of rats were immobilized with an internal fixator. Either
      50 MUl of HMWHA (Im-HA group) or 50 MUl of saline (control group) was
      administered intra-articularly once a week after surgery. Sagittal sections were
      prepared from the medial midcondylar region of the knee joints and assessed by
      histological, histomorphometric, and immunohistochemical methods. Gene
      expressions related to inflammation, fibrotic conditions, and hypoxia were
      evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT
      PCR). Tissue elasticity of the capsule from both groups was examined using a
      scanning acoustic microscope (SAM). RESULTS: CD68 positive cells decreased in
      adhesion areas of the synovial membrane after 1 week in both groups. The length
      of the superficial layer in the synovial membrane of the Im-HA group was
      significantly longer than those in the control group over a period of 4 to 8
      weeks with significantly small numbers of CD68 positive cells. The gene
      expressions of IL-6, IL-1beta, TGF-beta, CTGF, COL1a1, COL3a1, SPARC, and HIF1
      alpha were significantly lower in the Im-HA group compared to those in the
      control group. The sound speed of the anterior and posterior synovial membrane
      increased significantly (a reduction in elasticity) in the control group compared
      to those in the Im-HA group during weeks 1 to 4. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      demonstrated that HMWHA injections suppressed inflammatory, fibrotic, and hypoxic
      conditions observed in the immobilized joint capsule.

PMID- 26097529
TI  - Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of curcumin on acute lung injury in a
      rodent model of intestinal ischemia reperfusion by inhibiting the pathway of NF
      Kb.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect of
      curcumin on lung lesion induced by intestinal ischemia reperfusion injury (IIR).
      METHODS: Rats were divided into four groups: sham, intestinal IIR (IIR), 1 mg/kg
      of curcumin treatment group (1 mg/kg), and 5 mg/kg of curcumin treatment group (5
      mg/kg). Curcumin was given respectively (1 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg) following the above
      doses. IIR was produced by 1 h of intestinal ischemia followed by 2 h of
      reperfusion. Rats were sacrificed at the end of reperfusion and lung tissues were
      collected for biochemical and histopathological examination in 4 groups. Lung
      tissues histology and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) protein were assayed.
      Serum IL-6, lung superoxide dismutase (SOD) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were
      measured. The expression level of NF-kappaB and ICAM-1 (including
      immunohistochemical analysis and western blot analysis) were also measured.
      RESULTS: Lung tissue injury induced by IIR was obviously observed through
      pathology and BALF protein. MPO activity, IL-6 level and ICAM-1 expression were
      significantly increased with the elevation of NF-kappaB, simultaneously, SOD
      activity was decreased. With Treatment of curcumin, pathology and BALF protein of
      lung tissue were improved clearly. Inflammatory indexes (MPO activity, IL-6 level
      and ICAM-1) were improved and antioxidant index (SOD activity) was enhanced
      paralleled with NF-kappaB. CONCLUSION: Using curcumin effectively prevented IIR
      induced lung injury. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of curcumin could
      be observed by inhibiting the pathway of NF-kappaB.

PMID- 26097530
TI  - An enterovirus 71 strain causes skeletal muscle damage in infected mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the target organs for enterovirus 71 (EV71) in infected
      suckling mice. METHODS: 5-day-old BALB/c suckling mice were infected with an EV71
      strain. Tissues of the infected mice were processed for histopathological
      examination, including immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization,
      ultrastructural observation. RESULTS: Some mice developed limb paralysis, trouble
      walking and loss of balance. Results of the histopathological study showed that a
      large amount of EV71 existed in the skeletal muscle tissues, accounting for the
      damage of the skeletal muscles. CONCLUSION: The EV71 clinical isolate used in
      this study presented evident myotropism. Skeletal muscles are important target
      organs for EV71 in the infected suckling mice. To clarify the relationship
      between EV71 infection and muscle diseases may contribute to a better
      understanding of the pathogenesis of EV71.

PMID- 26097531
TI  - Collagenous micronodules in prostate cancer revisited: are they solely associated
      with Gleason pattern 3 adenocarcinomas?
AB  - Collagenous micronodules (CMs) are microscopic stromal nodular eosinophilic
      fibrillar collagen deposition of uncertain histogenesis seen in prostatic
      adenocarcinoma. Per the 2005 International Society of Urologic Pathology (ISUP)
      consensus conference, they are categorized as Gleason pattern 3. This study
      analyzes morphological and clinical features of CMs from a large series of
      radical prostatectomies. Hematoxylin and eosin stained slides for 129 radical
      prostatectomies for adenocarcinoma of prostate with CMs and for 93 prostatic
      adenocarcinoma cases without CMs as comparison were examined out of a total of
      667 cases performed from January 2010 to December 2011 at Houston Methodist
      Hospital. CMs were identified in 19% of all radical prostatectomies (129/667
      cases). Almost all tumors with CMs were located in the peripheral zone (98%) as
      single or multiple foci of prostatic cancer glands. The vast majority of cases
      (96%) were identified in association with mucinous secretion. A cribriform
      Gleason pattern 4 was associated in 86 cases (67%). The CMs were associated with
      glomerulation (42%) and amphophilic luminal secretion (59%). 88 cases (68%)
      showed tumor foci with Gleason pattern >= 4 in close association with CMs.
      Multivariate analysis revealed CMs of the prostatic adenocarcinoma are closely
      related to mucinous secretion, cribriform growth pattern, and Gleason pattern 4.
      This study suggests that CMs are more frequently associated with Gleason pattern
      4 cancer warranting morphologic reappraisal of CMs, rather than the consensus
      assignment of Gleason pattern 3. 

PMID- 26097533
TI  - CB2R orchestrates fibrogenesis through regulation of inflammatory response during
      the repair of skeletal muscle contusion.
AB  - Skeletal muscle injuries repair typically is an overlapping event between
      inflammation and tissue repair. Our previous study has demonstrated that
      activation of cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2R) by JWH-133 alleviates fibrosis
      in the repair of rat skeletal muscle contusion. Meanwhile, accumulated data show
      that CB2R stimulation exerts anti-inflammatory property in sepsis and cystitis.
      However, the effects of CB2R on inflammatory cytokines in response to the repair
      of skeletal muscle contusion are still unknown. In this study, we used selective
      agonist or antagonist of CB2R to observe the role of CB2R on inflammation and
      fibrogenesis during the repair of contused skeletal muscles in rats. Our results
      revealed that treatment with Gp1a, a selective CB2R agonist, significantly
      decreased the infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages, the expression of pro
      inflammatory cytokines MCP-1, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6, the expression of pro
      fibrotic cytokines IL-4, IL-13, TGF-beta and P-Smad3 while increased anti
      fibrotic cytokine IL-10 production as compared with Vehicle. The opposite results
      were observed in the CB2R inhibition group with AM630. Our study demonstrated
      that CB2R orchestrates fibrogenesis through regulation of inflammatory response
      during the repair of skeletal muscle contusion. 

PMID- 26097532
TI  - Possible antiosteoporotic mechanism of Cicer arietinum extract in ovariectomized
      rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to throw the light on the anti-osteoprotic
      mechanism of Cicer arietinum extract (CAE) seeds against ovariectomized (OVX)
      rats. METHODS: Seventy female rats were divided into two groups. The first group
      (14 rats/group) represented normal rats (Sham operated) while the second group
      (56 rats/group) underwent bilateral ovariectomy (OVX). After one week of recovery
      from ovariectomy surgery, the second group was randomly subdivided into 4
      subgroups (14 rats/ each subgroup). The rats administered orally; distilled water
      (vehicle) (1st subgroup), Cicer arietinum extract (CAE) (500 or 1000 mg/kg body
      weight/day) (2nd and 3rd subgroups), alendronate (6.5 mg/kg mg/kg body weight) as
      a positive control one time/week (4(rh) subgroup), daily for 10 weeks. RESULTS:
      The present study demonstrated that ovariectomy caused significant decrease in
      bone mineral; density (BMD) and content (BMC), Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase
      (BALP), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin
      levels. Furthermore, ovariectomy induced significant elevation of tartrate
      resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRAP 5b) and receptor activator of nuclear factor
      (NF-kappa beta) ligand (RANKL) concentration. Conversely, osteoprotegerin (OPG)
      and OPG/RANKL ratio were decreased following ovariectomy. The present work
      suggests that CAE has antiosteoporotic action against ovariectomy effects and its
      activity may results from its phytochemical and/or phytoestrogen contents.
      CONCLUSION: The ongoing study speculates that the CAE exerts its action through
      regulation of RANK/RANKL/OPG system. As, CAE not only promotes osteoblast
      differentiation, but also up-regulates OPG and downregulates RANKL secretion in
      osteoblasts, subsequently prevents bone loss and osteoporosis.

PMID- 26097534
TI  - Protective effects of calcitriol on diabetic nephropathy are mediated by down
      regulation of TGF-beta1 and CIP4 in diabetic nephropathy rat.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the protective effects of calcitriol on diabetic
      nephropathy by modulating the expressions of transforming growth factor-beta 1
      (TGF-beta1) and Cdc42 interacting protein-4 (CIP4). METHODS: Streptozotocin
      induced diabetic nephropathy rats (n=36) were randomly divided into control group
      (control-H, control-M, control-L) and calcitriol group (calcitriol-H, calcitriol
      M, calcitriol-L). The expression of TGF-beta1 gradually decreased in control-H,
      control-M and control-L subgroups by injection of different virus vectors. Peanut
      oil and calcitriol were given to control and calcitriol group, respectively. The
      expressions of TGF-beta1 and CIP4 in kidney, the pathology, and the renal
      function and lipid profiles were compared between control and calcitriol
      treatment groups. RESULTS: In the control group, the higher level of TGF-beta1
      was associated with more severe glomerular pathology (P<0.05). There is a
      positive correlation between the expression of CIP4 and TGF-beta1. Control-H
      subgroup had significant more severe kidney disease, higher levels of
      cholesterol, triglyceride, blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and
      creatinine (Cr) than control-M and control-L subgroups. After calcitriol
      treatment, the expression of TGF-beta1 and CIP4 were significantly decreased
      compared to the corresponding control subgroups (all P<0.05). Renal fibrosis and
      pathological changes were markedly improved. The levels of cholesterol,
      triglyceride, blood glucose, BUN and Cr were significantly reduced (P<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Calcitriol may protect diabetic nephropathy from fibrosis via
      inhibition of TGF-beta1 and CIP4.

PMID- 26097536
TI  - Inhibition of 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide-induced oral carcinogenesis by dietary
      calcium.
AB  - Calcium is a strong inducer of keratinocyte differentiation. We have previously
      demonstrated that extracellular calcium promotes keratinocyte differentiation via
      E-cadherin-catenin complex-mediated phospholipase C-gamma1 (PLC-gamma1)
      activation in the plasma membrane. However, it is unclear whether dietary calcium
      regulates keratinocyte proliferation, differentiation or carcinogenesis. To
      address this issue, the rates of oral tumor and levels of proliferation and
      differentiation in the oral epithelium were assessed in mice on different calcium
      diets and the carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide. The results showed that mice
      on the high calcium diet had lower rates of oral tumors, lower levels of
      proliferation and higher levels of differentiation in the normal oral epithelium
      than those on the normal calcium diet. Higher levels of E-cadherin, beta-catenin,
      p120-catenin (p120), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and calcium and
      lower levels of PLC-gamma1 were also noted in the normal oral epithelium in mice
      on high calcium diet than the control mice. In contrast, mice on low calcium diet
      had opposite effects. However, dietary calcium had no effect on the
      proliferation, differentiation or the levels of E-cadherin, beta-catenin, p120,
      PLC-gamma1 and EGFR in oral tumors. These data indicate that dietary calcium
      increases calcium levels in oral epithelium, suppresses oral carcinogenesis,
      inhibits proliferation and promotes differentiation of normal oral epithelium.
      Increased E-cadherin, beta-catenin, p120 and EGFR and decreased PLC-gamma1 may
      participate in the inhibitory effect of dietary calcium in oral carcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26097535
TI  - Combined cancer testis antigens enhanced prediction accuracy for prognosis of
      patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Cancer testis antigens (CTAs) are selectively expressed in malignant cells and
      can serve as ideal targets for immunotherapy. We investigated the expressions of
      MAGE-A3, MAGE-A4, MAGE-C2 and NY-ESO-1 to determine if combinatorial expressions
      of CTAs might be as potential prognostic markers for patients with hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC). In tumor tissues of 142 HCC patients, the mRNA expressions of
      MAGE-A3, MAGE-A4, MAGE-C2 and NY-ESO-1 were 78.9%, 33.8%, 74.6% and 14.1%
      respectively. Furthermore, the expressions of MAGE-A3, MAGE-A4 and combination of
      MAGE-A3, MAGE-A4 and NY-ESO-1 (CTAs-A3/A4/NY) showed positive correlations with
      serum AFP, tumor stages and Ki-67 (P < 0.05). In addition, mRNA expressions of
      CTAs were significantly consistent with protein expressions of CTAs by
      immunohistochemistry (P > 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC)
      analysis showed that CTAs-A3/A4/NY had larger areas under ROC curve (0.768),
      specificity (99.1%), Youden's index (44.6), positive predictive value (90.9%) and
      negative predictive value (89.9%) for predicting HCC recurrence than other CTAs.
      Moreover, the combinatorial expression of CTAs-A3/A4/NY was significantly
      associated with HCC recurrence by Kaplan-Meier analysis (HR = 69.36, P < 0.01)
      and multivariate Cox analysis (RR = 17.11, P < 0.01). The combinatorial
      expression of CTAs-A3/A4/NY mRNA promotes the predictive accuracy of HCC
      recurrence and itself may be a potential target for immunotherapy of HCC as well.

PMID- 26097537
TI  - Anti-neoplastic activities of Sepia officinalis ink and Coelatura aegyptiaca
      extracts against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in Swiss albino mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: With the development of sophisticated instruments for the isolation
      and elucidation of natural products structures from marine and freshwater
      organisms, major advances have been made in the discovery of aquatic derived
      therapeutics. Present investigations were carried out to evaluate cuttlefish
      (Sepia officinalis) ink extract (IE) and freshwater clam (Coelatura aegyptiaca)
      extract (CE) for their anticancer and antioxidant activities as compared to 5
      flurouracil (5-Fu), in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC). METHODS: Sixty female
      Swiss albino mice were divided into five groups (n = 12). All groups except group
      I received EAC cells (5 * 10(6) cells/mouse i.p.) and this was taken as the 0th
      day. Group I served as saline control (5 ml/kg 0.9% NaCl w/v p.o). Group II
      served as EAC control. Rats of groups III, IV and V received IE, CE (200 mg/kg
      body weight i.p.), and reference drug (5-Fu, 20 mg/kg body weight i.p.),
      respectively. RESULTS: The reduction in tumor volume, packed cell volume, tumor
      cell counts and increase in median survival time and percentage increase in life
      span in treated animals were observed. There was a significant increase in RBC
      count; Hb content in treated animals and reduction in total WBC count. There was
      a significant decrease in AST, ALT, ALP and liver MDA levels and increase in GSH,
      SOD and NO levels were observed in all treated animals. CONCLUSION: Both IE and
      CE were effective in inhibiting the tumor growth in ascitic tumor models. The
      biochemical, antioxidants and histopathological studies were also supported their
      antitumor properties.

PMID- 26097538
TI  - Expression of MMP14 in invasive pituitary adenomas: relationship to invasion and
      angiogenesis.
AB  - Pituitary adenomas (PAs) are noncancerous tumors, and about 35% of those reported
      to be invasive have been classified as "invasive pituitary adenomas (IPAs)". In
      clinical, operative complications, total resection failures, and high relapse
      rates result from invasive features during the therapeutic process. Invasive
      mechanism is a complex process, including metalloproteases, inhibitors and tumor
      microenvironment factors etc. Thus, studying invasive mechanism of PAs might
      contribute to understanding its biological behavior. In our research, three type
      tissue samples of human, pituitaries, PAs, IPAs, their mRNA expression of MMP1,
      MMP2, MMP9, MMP14 and MMP15 were measured using real-time PCR. MMP2 and MMP14
      protein levels also were measured with immunohistochemistry in same samples. We
      confirmed that elevated matrix metalloproteinase-14 expression correlates with
      invasive characteristics of IPAs. To investigate molecular mechanism of how MMP14
      contributes to invasiveness, an ATT20 cell was used in this study. After
      transient-transfection of the MMP14-shRNA expression vector into ATT20 cells, we
      observed that mRNA expression of PTTG, VEGF, and TGFbeta was significantly
      suppressed in interference groups. Meanwhile, ATT20 cells in high concentration
      TIMP-1 environment exhibit reduced PTTG, VEGF, and TGFbeta expression accompanied
      with the down-regulation of MMP14. Thus, we propose that MMP14 plays an important
      role in tumor invasion and angiogenesis and that a novel regulatory pathway for
      MMP14 may exist through VEGF and PTTG. In brief, MMP14 may be a target for
      therapeutic treatment. 

PMID- 26097539
TI  - Enhanced circulating ILC2s accompany by upregulated MDSCs in patients with
      asthma.
AB  - Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are considered to be the most significant
      mediators during the orchestration of immune responses in asthma. Myeloid-derived
      suppressor cells (MDSCs) has received a great deal of attention for their
      immunosuppressive activity, and our early studies indicate that the increased Th2
      cytokines are associated with MDSCs. In this study, we sought to determine
      whether MDSCs are also participation in immune imbalance and its relationship
      with ILC2s in asthma. The data showed that the circulatory ILC2s or MDSCs and
      their characteristic cytokines or transcription factors were significantly
      enhanced in asthmatic patients, as well as in chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD) or respiratory viral infections (RVI). Meanwhile, a Th2-dominated
      phenotype was found in patients with asthma which closely related to the
      expression levels of ILC2s and MDSCs associated moleculars. These findings
      indicated that Th2 polarization was close related to synergistically increased
      ILC2s and MDSCs, it may allow to further the comprehension of the contribution of
      these cells to the inflammatory response involved in asthma or other respiratory
      tract inflammatory diseases, such as COPD and RVI, as well as to develop novel
      therapeutic strategies. 

PMID- 26097540
TI  - LRIG1 enhances the radiosensitivity of radioresistant human glioblastoma U251
      cells via attenuation of the EGFR/Akt signaling pathway.
AB  - The radiotherapy as a local and regional modality is widely applied in treatment
      of glioma, but most glioblastomas are commonly resistant to irradiation
      treatment. It remains challengeable to seek out efficient strategies to conquer
      the resistance of human glioblastoma cells to radiotherapy. Leucine-rich repeats
      and immunoglobulin-like domains protein 1 (LRIG1) is a newly discovered tumor
      suppressor which involved in regulation of chemosensitivity in various human
      cancer cells. In the present study, we established a radioresistant U251 cell
      line (U251R) to investigate the role of LRIG1 in regulation of radiosensitivity
      in human glioblastoma cells. Significantly decreased expression level of LRIG1
      and enhanced expression of EGFR and phosphorylated Akt were detected in U251R
      cells compared with the parental U251 cells. U251R cells exhibited an advantage
      in colony formation ability, which accompanied by remarkably reduced X-ray
      induced gamma-H2AX foci formation and cell apoptosis. LRIG1 overexpression
      significantly inhibited the colony formation ability of U251R cells and obviously
      enhanced X-ray-inducedgamma-H2AX foci formation and cell apoptosis. In addition,
      up-regulated expression of LRIG1 suppressed the expression level of EGFR and
      phosphorylated Akt protein. Our results demonstrated that LRIG1 expression was
      related to the radiosensitivity of human glioblastoma cells and may play an
      important role in the regulation of cellular radiosensitivity of human
      glioblastoma cells through the EGFR/Akt signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26097541
TI  - Elevated DNA polymerase iota (Poli) is involved in the acquisition of aggressive
      phenotypes of human esophageal squamous cell cancer.
AB  - DNA polymerase iota (Poliota) can repair several types of DNA damage but has
      extremely low fidelity. Previous studies have shown an aberrantly elevated
      Poliota expression in human esophageal squamous cell cancer tissues. However,
      there were few reports describing the role of Poliota in esophageal cancer
      progression. Based on Real-time PCR assay, we found Poliota expression was up
      regulated in esophageal cancer tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues and
      overexpression of Poliota was correlated to lymph node metastasis. Clonogenic
      assay and transwell chamber assay showed that overexpression of Poliota had
      higher clongenic capability and invasive tendency in human esophageal squamous
      cell cancer cells. Expression of cyclin D1, an important cell cycle regulator,
      was found to be associated with that of Poliota in tissue samples and cancer
      cells as analyzed by real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and
      immunofluorescence assay. Flow cytometry analysis further showed that cell cycle
      distribution was altered in Poliota overexpressing cells. These results indicated
      that expression of Poliota correlates significantly with tumor proliferation and
      invasion. We conclude that Poliota is involved in the degree of aggressiveness of
      human esophageal squamous cell cancer.

PMID- 26097542
TI  - Effects of nicotine on a rat model of early stage osteoarthritis.
AB  - The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of nicotine on
      articular cartilage degeneration and inflammation in a rat model of early stage
      osteoarthritis (OA), using T2 mapping. In this study, a rat model of early stage
      OA was established by immobilizing the left knee joints of adult male rats for
      two weeks. Subsequently, rats were fed with nicotine for two and four weeks.
      Changes in the articular cartilage from the medial femoral condylar region of the
      knee were evaluated by gross observation and histological grading with the
      contents of cartilage matrix detected. T2 values of the articular cartilage were
      estimated through high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (7.0 T). Levels of
      serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were assessed by ELISA. The
      expression of TNF-alpha and the cholinergic receptor, alpha7nAChR, in the
      synovial tissue was measured by RT-PCR. Nicotine treatment ameliorated cartilage
      destruction, promoted matrix production, reduced the serum level of TNF-alpha and
      the expression of TNF-alpha in the synovial tissue, and increased the expression
      of alpha7nAChR in the synovial tissue in the rat model of early stage OA. In
      conclusion, nicotine prevented cartilage damage and had an anti-inflammatory
      effect in a rat model of early stage OA. Thus nicotine may have potential as a
      therapeutic strategy for early stage OA.

PMID- 26097543
TI  - HOXA10 controls proliferation, migration and invasion in oral squamous cell
      carcinoma.
AB  - Although HOX genes are best known for acting in the regulation of important
      events during embryogenesis, including proliferation, differentiation and
      migration, alterations in their expression patterns have been frequently
      described in cancers. In previous studies we analyzed the expression profile of
      the members of the HOX family of homeobox genes in oral samples of normal mucosa
      and squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and identified differently expressed genes
      such as HOXA10. The present study aimed to validate the increased expression of
      HOXA10 in OSCCs, and to investigate the effects arising from its knockdown in
      OSCC cells. The levels of HOXA10 mRNA were determined in human OSCC samples and
      cell lines by quantitative PCR, and HOXA10-mediated effects on proliferation,
      apoptosis, adhesion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration and
      invasion were studied in HSC-3 tongue carcinoma cells by using retrovirus
      mediated RNA interference. Higher expression of HOXA10 mRNA was observed in OSCC
      cell lines and in tumor tissues compared to normal controls. HOXA10 knockdown
      significantly reduced the proliferation of the tumor cells which was accompanied
      by increased levels of p21. HOXA10 silencing also significantly induced the
      expression of EMT markers and enhanced the adhesion, migration and invasion of
      HSC-3 cells. No effects on cell death were observed after HOXA10 knockdown. The
      results of the current study confirm the overexpression of HOXA10 in OSCCs, and
      further demonstrate that its expression is functionally associated with several
      important biological processes related to oral tumorigenesis, such as
      proliferation, migration and invasion. 

PMID- 26097544
TI  - Effects of early and late adverse experiences on morpho-quantitative
      characteristics of Sprague-Dawley rat spleen subjected to stress during
      adulthood.
AB  - Morpho-quantitative studies of the spleen indicate that the proportions of the
      compartments and sub-compartments are stable in normal conditions. However,
      disorders due to stress can influence the number and function of the immune cells
      in this organ. The aim of this study was to determine, through the model of
      altering the early mother-infant bond and altering the late social bond through
      isolation, the effect on the morpho-quantitative characteristics of the spleen in
      adult Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to intermittent chronic stress in adulthood.
      Twenty-five newborn female rats were used, kept under the standardized lactation
      and feeding conditions. The rats were assigned randomly to 2 control groups (C1
      and C2) and 3 experimental groups, exposed to early (E1), late (E2) or early-late
      (E3) adverse experiences and then subjected to intermittent chronic stress in
      adulthood (C2, E1, E2 and E3). The spleen of each animal was isolated and its
      morphometric characteristics were determined: volume density (Vv) of the red
      pulp, white pulp, marginal zone, splenic lymph nodule, periarterial lymphatic
      sheath and germinal center; areal number density (Na), surface density (Sv),
      number density (Nv), diameter (D) and total number of splenic lymph nodules. The
      mass of each compartment was also determined. A one-way analysis of variance
      (ANOVA) and Scheffe's post hoc test were used for the statistical analysis. The p
      values were considered significant when they were less than 0.05 (*) and very
      significant at less than 0.025 (**). There were significant differences in the Vv
      of the red pulp, white pulp and their sub-compartments between the control and
      experimental groups. The white pulp increased significantly (P = 0.000) in E1, E2
      and E3 compared to C1 and C2. The average Na and D values of the splenic lymph
      nodules were also higher in the experimental groups. The ANOVA for the mass of
      the spleen and the red pulp revealed no differences between the groups. The mass
      of the white pulp and its subcompartments was greater in the experimental groups.
      A higher proportion of white pulp in the experimental groups could be associated
      with an increase in spleen immune activity, with alterations depending on certain
      cell subsets. The chronic stress produced morpho-quantitative changes in the rat
      spleen, and these depended on the animal's history of stress, whether it had been
      previously stressed or not, with further exposure to stress in adulthood. 

PMID- 26097545
TI  - Chromosomal imbalances revealed in primary renal cell carcinomas by comparative
      genomic hybridization.
AB  - Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for approximately 3% of all new cancer cases.
      Although the classification of RCC is based mainly on histology, this method is
      not always accurate. We applied comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to
      determine genomic alterations in 46 cases of different RCC histological subtypes
      [10 cases of clear cell RCC (CCRCC), 13 cases of papillary RCC (PRCC), 12 cases
      of chromophobe RCC (CRCC), 9 cases of Xp11.2 translocation RCC (Xp11.2RCC), 2
      cases of undifferentiated RCC (unRCC)], and investigated the relationships
      between clinical parameters and genomic aberrations. Changes involving one or
      more regions of the genome were seen in all RCC patients; DNA sequence gains were
      most frequently (>30%) seen in chromosomes 7q, 16p, and 20q; losses from 1p, 3p,
      13q, 14q, and 8p. We conclude CGH is a useful complementary method for
      differential diagnosis of RCC. Loss of 3p21-25, 15q, and gain of 16p11-13 are
      relatively particular to CCRCC vs. other types of RCC. Gain of 7p13-22, 8q21-24,
      and loss of 18q12-ter, 14q13-24, and Xp11-q13/Y are more apparent in PRCC, and
      gain of 8q21-24 is characteristic of type 2 PRCC vs. type 1 PRCC. Loss of 2q12
      32, 10p12-15, and 11p11-15, 13p are characteristic of CRCC, and gain of 3p and
      loss of 11p11-15 and 13p are significant differentiators between common CRCC and
      CRCC accompanied by sarcomatous change groups. Gain of Xp11-12 is characteristic
      of the Xp11.2RCC group. Based on Multivariate Cox regression analysis, aberration
      in 5 chromosome regions were poor prognostic markers of RCC, and include the gain
      of chromosome 12p12-ter (P = 0.034, RR = 3.502, 95% CI 1.097-11.182), 12q14-ter
      (P = 0.002, RR = 5.115, 95% CI 1.847-14.170), 16q21-24 (P = 0.044, RR = 2.629,
      95% CI 1.027-6.731), 17p12-ter (P = 0.017, RR = 3.643, 95% CI 1.262-10.512) and
      the loss of 18q12-23 (P = 0.049, RR = 2.911, 95% CI 1.006-8.425), which may
      provide clues of new genes involved in RCC tumorigenesis. 

PMID- 26097546
TI  - Intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction participates in the progress of
      nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
AB  - Intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction is closely related to liver diseases,
      which implies impaired gut-liver axis may play a role in the pathogenesis of
      NAFLD. In our study, rats were divided into three groups: normal chow diet (NCD)
      group, high-fat diet (HFD) group and TNBS-induced colitis with high-fat diet (C
      HFD) group. Liver tissues were obtained for histological observation and TNF
      alpha, IL-6 mRNA determination and blood samples were collected for liver enzymes
      and LPS analysis. Ultrastructural changes of jejuna epithelium, SIBO and amounts
      of CD103(+)MHCII(+)DCs and CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+)T-regs in terms of percentage in
      mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) were observed by electron microscope, bacterial
      cultivation and flow cytometry, respectively. The results demonstrated the
      pathological characteristics accorded with nonalcoholic simple fatty liver (NAFL)
      and NASH in HFD group by week 8 and 12, respectively. Besides, the degree of
      hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis was more severe in C-HFD group compared
      with HFD-group at the same time point. NAFLD activity score (NAS), liver enzymes,
      concentration of LPS and mRNA expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-6 were higher
      significantly in C-HFD group compared with HFD and NCD group at week 4, 8 and 12,
      respectively. In HFD group, epithelium microvilli atrophy, disruptive tight
      junctions and SIBO were present, and these changes were more severe in NASH
      compared with NAFL. The percentage of CD103+MHCII+DCs and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+T-regs
      decreased significantly in NAFL and NASH compared with NCD group. Our conclusion
      was that gut-liver axis was impaired in NAFLD, which played crucial role in the
      pathogenesis of NAFLD. 

PMID- 26097547
TI  - Abnormal immunomodulatory ability on memory T cells in humans with severe
      aplastic anemia.
AB  - Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) is a bone marrow failure disease induced by
      hyperfunctional autoimmunic Th1 lymphocytes. Memory T cells (TM) are a component
      of the adaptive immune system. They ensure the host of more aggressive and faster
      immune response to efficiently eliminate the specific antigens after re-exposure
      and thus play a key role in T-cell functions. In this study we investigate the
      quantities and functions of memory T cells in SAA patients before and after
      immunosuppressive therapy (IST) to further clarify the mechanism of SAA apoptosis
      of bone marrow hematopoietic cells. Results showed that the percentage of CD4+
      effector T cells in peripheral blood and bone marrow lymphocytes was decreased in
      SAA patients. The ratio of CD4+ memory T lymphocytes to CD8+ memory T subsets
      (CD4+/CD8+TM) in SAA patients was also lower. The percentage of CD8+ effector T
      cells in peripheral blood and CD8+ central memory T cells in the bone marrow
      lymphocytes was significantly higher in newly diagnosed patients. Furthermore,
      the median expressions of perforin and granzyme B on memory T cells were higher
      in SAA patients compared to those in normal controls. After IST, the quantities
      and functions of memory T cells return to normal level. Therefore, we concluded
      that the abnormal immunomodulatory ability on memory T cells may contribute to
      the imbalance of Th1/Th2 subsets and thus lead to over-function of T lymphocytes
      and hematopoiesis failure in SAA. 

PMID- 26097548
TI  - Role of cd56 and e-cadherin expression in the differential diagnosis of papillary
      thyroid carcinoma and suspected follicular-patterned lesions of the thyroid: the
      prognostic importance of e-cadherin.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The pathological diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is
      generally easy on routine sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E).
      However, the differentiation of the follicular variant of PTC (FVPTC) from other
      suspected follicular-patterned lesions of the thyroid is highly difficult. Among
      these, the lesions for which FVPTC cannot be excluded are classified as well
      differentiated tumors of uncertain malignant potential (WDT-UMP). The most common
      immunohistochemical (IHC) markers used in the differential diagnosis include HBME
      1, galectin-3, and CK19. However, none of these markers provide a 100%
      differential diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: The present study compared the diagnostic
      value of CD56 and E-cadherin for the differentiation of FVPTC from the other
      benign follicular-patterned lesions, with HBME-1, galectin-3, and CK19. Using
      these markers, the controversial cases within the WDT-UMP group were
      reclassified. Additionally, the relationship between the reductions in E-cadherin
      expression with poor prognostic factors was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The IHC expressions of CD56, E-cadherin, HBME-1, galectin-3, and CK19 were
      evaluated in 181 thyroid lesions, including 101 PTCs (45 classical variant PTCs
      and 56 FVPTCs), 20 WDT-UMPs, 20 follicular adenomas (FAs), 20 hyperplastic
      nodules (HN), and 20 hyperplastic foci of lymphocytic thyroiditis. The results
      were statistically compared via SPSS. RESULTS: The expressions of all of the
      markers were statistically significantly different in PTC and follicular
      patterned lesions (P<0.05). It was found that the only marker with both
      sensitivity and specificity above 90% was CD56 negativity (sensitivity 91.1%,
      specificity 91.7%). The most sensitive and also the most specific double panel
      was CD56 negativity and galectin-3 positivity (sensitivity 96%, specificity 85%),
      and the most sensitive and specific triple panel was CD56 negativity, HBME-1
      positivity, and galectin-3 positivity (97% and 70%, respectively).

PMID- 26097549
TI  - Ursolic acid derivative ameliorates streptozotocin-induced diabestic bone
      deleterious effects in mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to investigate bone deteriorations of
      diabetic mice in response to the treatment of ursolic acid derivative (UAD).
      METHODS: The biomarkers in serum and urine were measured, tibias were taken for
      the measurement on gene and protein expression and histomorphology analysis, and
      femurs were taken for the measurement on bone Ca and three-dimensional
      architecture of trabecular bone. RESULTS: UAD showed a greater increase in bone
      Ca, BMD and significantly increased FGF-23 and OCN, reduced PTH and CTX in
      diabetic mice. UAD reversed STZ-induced trabecular deleterious effects and
      stimulated bone remodeling. The treatment of STZ group with UAD significantly
      elevated the ratio of OPG/RANKL. Moreover, insulin and IGF-1 showed a negative
      correlation with both FBG and Hb1Ac in STZ group. We attributed down-regulating
      the level of Hb1Ac in diabetic mice to that ursolic acid derivative could primely
      control blood sugar levels. After analyzing of two adipocyte markers, PPARgamma
      and aP2, increased expression in the tibias of diabetic mice, and UAD could
      improve STZ-induced adipocyte dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      demonstrated that UAD could ameliorate STZ-induced bone deterioration through
      improving adipocyte dysfunction and enhancing new bone formation and inhibiting
      absorptive function of osteoclast in the bone of diabetic mice.

PMID- 26097550
TI  - Golgi phosphoprotein 3 regulates metastasis of prostate cancer via matrix
      metalloproteinase 9.
AB  - Recent studies suggest that Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) protein is a
      candidate metastasis gene in human cancer. The goal of this study was to
      determine the function of GOLPH3 in prostate cancer metastasis and to identify
      GOLPH3-regulated pathways and genes involved in prostate cancer metastasis.
      GOLPH3 expression was detected in prostate cancer. To investigate its function,
      PC-3 cells were stably transfected with shRNA targeting GOLPH3. Cell abilities of
      invasion and migration were measured in vitro. Downstream regulatory pathways of
      GOLPH3 were characterized using quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting
      analysis. Immunohistochemical studies in prostate cancer specimens revealed a
      positive correlation of GOLPH3 expression with prostate cancer. GOLPH3 was
      expressed in prostate cancer cell lines. GOLPH3 repression resulted in the
      reduction of mRNA level and protein level of MMP9, accompanied with reduced
      phosphorylation of mTOR, EGFR and Src. Our findings suggest GOLPH3 regulate MMP9
      expression which impact cell migration and invasion. This regulation is probably
      mediated by EGFR and Src signaling pathways. 

PMID- 26097551
TI  - Kruppel-like factors 4 and 5 expression and their involvement in differentiation
      of oral carcinomas.
AB  - Proliferation-differentiation balance of epithelial cells is regulated by Kruppel
      like factors (KLF) 4 and 5, and the unbalanced expression relates to carcinoma
      progression. However, little is known about the expression and role in oral
      carcinomas. This study examined expression of KLF4 and KLF 5 in the carcinomas by
      immunohistochemistry (n = 67) and the involvement in proliferation and
      differentiation of carcinoma cells. KLF4 was detected in keratinizing carcinoma
      cells and KLF5 in non-keratinizing cells. KLF4 staining declined in the patient
      with lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05) and in parallel with the histological
      dedifferentiation (P = 0.09). Exogenous overexpression of KLF4 arranged cells in
      a cobble-like structure with desmosomes and KLF5 elongated cells like fibroblasts
      without desmosomes. KLF4 suppressed fibronectin expression, and KLF5 down
      regulated and degraded E-cadherin. The proliferation was not affected by KLFs.
      Thus, down-regulation of KLF4 and up-regulation of KLF5 may stimulate oral
      carcinoma progression through the dedifferentiation of carcinoma cells.

PMID- 26097552
TI  - Decreased SATB2 expression is associated with metastasis and poor prognosis in
      human clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - In this study, we investigate the expression and role of special AT-rich sequence
      binding protein-2 (SATB2) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) tissue, and
      to evaluate the clinical and prognostic significance of SATB2 protein in patients
      with ccRCC. The expression of SATB2 and SATB1 was examined in ccRCC tissue by
      Western blotting, real-time PCR and immunohistochemical staining. The association
      between clinicopathological features and SATB2 level was investigated. The
      correlation of SATB2 expression with overall survival was also analyzed. The
      expression of SATB2 protein in tumor tissues was much lower than that in paired
      normal tissues. The overall survival of the patients with high SATB2 expression
      was significantly higher than that of the low SATB2 expression group. Low or
      negative SATB2 expression was significantly correlated with AJCC staging and
      Furman grade in ccRCC. In contrast, the expression of SATB1 was significantly
      higher in adjacent tumor tissue than that in normal and tumor tissues. This study
      provides the first evidence of the expression and clinical significance of SATB2
      in ccRCC. Our data suggest that SATB2 functions as a tumor suppressor in the
      development and progression of ccRCC, and is thereby implicated as a valuable
      prognostic marker for ccRCC patients. 

PMID- 26097553
TI  - HGF/MET signaling promotes glioma growth via up-regulation of Cox-2 expression
      and PGE2 production.
AB  - Cyclooxygenase2 (Cox-2) is well known for glioma growth through up-regulation of
      prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels. MET, a hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptor,
      is also frequently high expressed in glioma, which promotes glioma growth and
      invasion. Here, we demonstrate that HGF/MET signaling can promote PGE2 production
      in glioma cells via Cox-2 up-regulation. RNA inhibition of MET suggested that MET
      signaling is essential for Cox-2 up-regulation. Moreover, HGF could enhance Cox-2
      expression and PGE2 release. Knockdown of Cox-2 inhibited growth-promoting
      effects of HGF, suggesting that HGF/MET functioned via Cox-2/PGE2 pathway.
      Therefore, our work reveals a critical relationship of Cox-2/PGE2 and HGF/MET
      signaling in promoting glioma cells proliferation. Further, targeting MET and Cox
      2 may represent an attractive target therapy for glioma. 

PMID- 26097554
TI  - Spatiotemporal expression of BMP7 in the development of anorectal malformations
      in fetal rats.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the expression patterns of bone
      morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) during anorectal development in normal rat embryos
      and in embryos with anorectal malformations (ARM), and to investigate the
      possible role of BMP7 in the pathogenesis of ARM. ARM was induced by treating rat
      embryos with ethylenethiourea on the 10th gestational day (GD10). Embryos were
      harvested by Cesarean delivery and the spatiotemporal expression of BMP7 was
      evaluated in normal (n=168) and ARM embryos (n=171) from GD13 to GD16 using
      immunohistochemistry staining and western blot analysis. Immunohistochemical
      staining in normal embryos revealed that BMP7 was abundantly expressed on the
      epithelium of the urorectal septum (URS) and the hindgut on GD13, and BMP7
      immunopositive cells were extensively detected in the URS, hindgut, and cloacal
      membrane by GD14. Increased positive tissue staining was noted on the fused
      tissue of the URS and the thin anal membrane on GD15. In ARM embryos, the
      epithelium of the cloaca, URS, and anorectum were negatively or only faintly
      immunostained for BMP7. BMP7 protein expression showed time-dependent changes in
      the developing hindgut according to western blotting, and reached a peak on GD15
      during anus formation. BMP7 expression levels from GD14 to GD15 were
      significantly lower in the ARM group compared with the normal group (P<0.05).
      Spatiotemporal expression of BMP7 was disrupted in ARM embryos during anorectal
      morphogenesis from GD13 to GD16. These results suggest that downregulation of
      BMP7 at the time of cloacal separation into the primitive rectum and UGS might be
      related to the development of ARM. 

PMID- 26097555
TI  - Trimetazidine protects against hypoxia-reperfusion-induced cardiomyocyte
      apoptosis by increasing microRNA-21 expression.
AB  - Myocardial tissue injury caused by ischemia and hypoxia is a major cause of fatal
      diseases, including coronary atherosclerosis resulting from myocardial infarction
      and stroke. Trimetazidine (TMZ), as an anti-ischemic and antioxidant agent, has
      been demonstrated to preventing ischemia/reperfusion-induced cardiomyocyte
      apoptosis. However, the anti-apoptosis mechanism of TMZ has not been fully
      elucidated. The present study demonstrated that miR-21 involved trimetazidine
      induced anti-apoptosis during H/R injury in H9C2 cell. In this study, TMZ
      increased miR-21 expression which further upregulated the Akt signaling activity
      via suppressing the expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in H/R
      H9C2 cell. The increased activity of Akt signaling decreased the ratio of Bax/Bcl
      2 and the expression of caspase-3 and inhibited H/R induced apoptosis. In
      conclusion, this study revealed the mechanism that TMZ up-regulated miR-21
      expression, then miR-21 targeted PTEN increasing the PI3K pathway and finally the
      activation of this pathway counteracted the apoptotic effect of
      hypoxia/reperfusion. 

PMID- 26097556
TI  - Expression of androgen receptor in coronary artery in the cases of sudden
      coronary death.
AB  - To study the expression of androgen receptor (AR) in the cases of sudden death
      caused by coronary heart disease (CHD) and relationship between AR and sudden
      coronary death (SCD) to explore the mechanism of the development of coronary
      atherosclerosis and provide references for the prevent and treatment of CHD and
      medicolegal identification of SCD. 53 cases selected from the autopsied cases in
      our department from 2011 to 2012 were divided into 3 groups: 18 case of SCD,
      including 11 males and 7 females, as experimental group, another 18 cases,
      including 11 males and 7 females, with CHD but died of mechanical injuries and
      poisoning as control group I, and 17 cases without CHD who also died of
      mechanical injuries and poisoning including 10 males and 7 females, as control
      group II. After HE-stained and immunohistochemistry-stained (SP) for the slices,
      the expression of AR in coronary arteries were observed and the average optical
      density (AOD) of positive signal in each case were detected by using Image-Pro
      Plus 6.0 software. We found strongly positive expression of AR in control group
      II, weakly positive expression in control group I and a little weaker in the
      experimental group. The expression of AR in coronary artery was reduced in CHD
      patients, which suggested that androgen may have favorable effects on the
      cardiovascular system. 

PMID- 26097557
TI  - Predictors for contralateral prophylactic mastectomy in breast cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years, radical breast cancer surgery has been largely
      replaced by breast conservation treatment, due to early diagnosis and more
      effective adjuvant treatment. While breast conservation is mostly preferred, the
      trend of bilateral mastectomy has risen in the United States. The aim of this
      study is to determine factors influencing patients' choice for having
      contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM). METHODS: This is a retrospective
      study of 373 patients diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer who were
      treated by bilateral or unilateral mastectomy (BM or UM) at the Revlon/UCLA
      Breast Center between Jan. 2002 and Dec. 2010. In the BM group, only those with
      unilateral breast cancer who chose CPM were included in the analysis. RESULTS:
      When compared with the UM group, the following factors were found to be
      associated with BM: younger age, pre-menopausal, a family history of
      breast/ovarian cancer, BRCA mutation, more breast biopsies, history of breast
      augmentation, having MRI study within 6 months before the surgery, more likely to
      have reconstruction and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and fewer had
      neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy/radiation. When patients with bilateral breast
      cancer were excluded, multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated younger
      patients with negative nodes, SLNB as the only nodal surgery and positive family
      history were significant factors predicting CPM and immediate reconstruction
      using tissue expanders or implants. CONCLUSION: Younger age, lower TN stage,
      requiring only SLNB and high risk family history predict contralateral
      prophylactic mastectomy. Tissue expander/implant-based reconstructions were more
      frequently chosen by patients with BM.

PMID- 26097558
TI  - Decreased expression of long non-coding RNA NBAT-1 is associated with poor
      prognosis in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: accumulating evidence suggest that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may
      play important roles in human cancers. LncRNA neuroblastoma associated transcript
      1 (NBAT-1) was initially identified to be involved in the progression of
      neuroblastoma. However, there is no report about the role of NBAT-1 in clear cell
      renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). The purpose of this study is to investigate the
      clinical significant of NBAT-1 in ccRCC. METHODS: the expression pattern of NBAT
      1 in ccRCC patients and renal cancer cell lines was detected by using
      quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and its correlation with clinicopathologic
      features and prognosis of patients with ccRCC was assessed by Kaplan-Meier method
      and Cox proportional hazards model, respectively. Small interfering RNA (siRNA)
      was transfected into 786-O and ACHN cells to determine the effect of NBAT-1
      knockdown on renal cancer cells. RESULT: NBAT-1 expression is significantly
      decreased in ccRCC tissues and renal cancer cells compared with adjacent normal
      tissues and normal human proximal tubule epithelial cell line HK-2, and its low
      level is associated with advanced features and poor prognosis. Also, multivariate
      analysis identified NBAT-1 expression as an independent prognostic factor for
      ccRCC. In vitro assays indicated that knockdown of NBAT-1 expression increased
      renal cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. CONCLUSIONS: NBAT-1 is a
      novel molecular correlated with ccRCC progression; and it may represent a
      prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in renal cancer diagnosis and
      treatment.

PMID- 26097559
TI  - Targeting eradication of chronic myeloid leukemia using chimeric oncolytic
      adenovirus to drive IL-24 expression.
AB  - Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal disorder in which cells of the myeloid
      lineage undergo massive clonal expansion as well as resistance to conventional
      chemotherapy. Gene therapy hold a great promise for treatment of malignancies
      based on the transfer of genetic material to the tissues. In this study, we
      explore whether chimeric oncolytic adenovirus-mediated transfer of human
      interleukin-24 (IL-24) gene induce the enhanced antitumor potency. Our results
      showed that chimeric oncolytic adenovirus carrying hIL-24 (AdCN205-11-IL-24)
      could produce high levels of hIL-24 in CML cancer cells, as compared with
      constructed double-regulated oncolytic adenovirus expressing hIL-24 (AdCN205-IL
      24). AdCN205-11-IL-24 could specifically induce cytotoxocity to CML cancer cells,
      but little or no effect on normal cell lines. AdCN205-11-IL-24 exhibited
      remarkable anti-tumor activities and induce higher antitumor activity to CML
      cancer cells by inducing apoptosis in vitro. Our study may provides a potent and
      safe tool for CML gene therapy. 

PMID- 26097560
TI  - beta-arrestin1 over-expression is associated with an unfavorable prognosis in
      lung adenocarcinomas and correlated with vascular endothelial growth factor.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine beta-arrestin1 expression in patients with
      lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) and explore the relationship of beta-arrestin1 protein
      with clinicopathologic factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and
      prognosis. A total of 105 surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma patients were
      recruited for the study. The expression of beta-arrestin1 and VEGF were
      determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The score measuring the beta-arrestin1
      and VEGF were calculated by combining the percentage of positive cells and the
      intensity of staining. Kaplan-Meier method and multivariable Cox proportional
      hazards regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between beta
      arrestin1 and survival. The results demonstrated that a notably higher level of
      beta-arrestin1 expression was found in lung ADC tissues. We also found that an
      elevated nuclear Beta-arrestin1 correlates with higher intratumoral VEGF (P =
      0.007). beta-arrestin 1 over-expression indicated a poor 5-year overall survival
      (P = 0.016), and the Cox regression model confirmed that beta-arrestin1 over
      expression were independent prognostic factor for tumor progression (P = 0.027)
      and unfavorable overall survival (P = 0.015). We conclude that beta-arrestin1 had
      a high expression in ADC and beta-arrestin1 may be a promising biomarker to
      identify individuals with poor prognosis for patients with ADC. 

PMID- 26097561
TI  - PABPC1 exerts carcinogenesis in gastric carcinoma by targeting miR-34c.
AB  - As one of the common malignant tumors that threaten human health severely,
      gastric carcinoma is the second highest cause of cancer death and the fourth most
      common cancer globally. However, the mechanism underlying gastric cancer is still
      not fully understood. PABPC1 plays an important role in translation, control the
      rate of mRNA deadenylation and participates in mRNA decay, which is involved in
      carcinogenesis. Here in present study, we reported that PABPC1 is an oncogenic
      protein in gastric carcinoma. The results showed that PABPC1 is upregulated in
      gastric carcinoma tissues, and high PABPC1 expression predicts poor survival.
      PABPC1 regulates proliferation and transformation of gastric cancer cells in
      vitro and in vivo. PABPC1 knockdown induces apoptosis by upregulating pro
      apoptotic proteins and downregulating anti-apoptotic proteins. In addition, miR
      34c is a target of PABPC1, and miR-34c is critically essential for the function
      of PABPC1. In summary, PABPC1 exerts carcinogenesis and promotes growth and
      survival of gastric cancer cells by regulating miR-34c.

PMID- 26097562
TI  - Carboplatin-docetaxel-induced activity against ovarian cancer is dependent on up
      regulated lncRNA PVT1.
AB  - Ovarian cancer is the fourth most ordinary cause of cancer-related deaths in
      women. In recent, combination chemotherapy with carboplatin and docetaxel was
      developed as first-line drug to treat ovarian carcinoma. However, the detailed
      molecular mechanism, which accounts for the cells to apoptosis induced by
      administration of carboplatin and docetaxel, was unrecognized. In present study,
      we provide the mechanistic link between mixture of carboplatin plus docetaxel and
      its anticancer activity. Primarily, a majority of 30 cancer-related long non
      coding RNA (lncRNA) showed differential alteration in carboplatin-docetaxel
      treated 3AO cells. Among six up-regulating lncRNAs, we screened out carboplatin
      docetaxel-induced lncRNA PVT1 which may be a central downstream target of
      carboplatin plus docetaxel because expression of PVT1 positively correlates with
      anticancer action of carboplatin plus docetaxel. Besides, p53 and tissue
      inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP1) were mediated by lncRNA PVT1,
      which may explain partially the anticancer activity of lncRNA PVT1. Collectively,
      we have identified a potential mechanism by which PVT1 regulated by carboplatin
      plus docetaxel contributes to the carboplatin-docetaxel-induced anticancer action
      in ovarian cancer. These discoveries also give proof of the potential of PVT1 as
      significant downstream targets for therapeutic intervention in ovarian cancer. 

PMID- 26097563
TI  - Combinatorial effects of miR-20a and miR-29b on neuronal apoptosis induced by
      spinal cord injury.
AB  - Neuronal apoptosis is one of the prominent features involved in spinal cord
      injury (SCI). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that functions in a
      variety of cellular processes including apoptosis. MiRNAs have been implicated as
      effectors of SCI. However, role of miRNAs in SCI-associated neuronal apoptosis
      remains to be investigated. A number of bioinformatics approaches have suggested
      Mcl-1 and BH3-only family genes as potential downstream targets regulated by miR
      20a and miR-29b, respectively. To determine whether miR-20a and miR-29b play a
      role in neuronal apoptosis of SCI by regulating those genes, we transfected Neuro
      2A neuroblastoma cells with mimic and inhibitor for the two miRNAs. The miR-20a
      mimic decreased Mcl-1 expression and the miR-29b mimic reduced the expression of
      Bad, Bim, Noxa and Puma. The repressor role of miR-20a and miR-29b is confirmed
      by the transfection of Neuro-2A cells with their inhibitor. Moreover, miR-20a
      mimic or miR-29b inhibitor attenuated Neuro-2A cell viability and co-transfection
      of both further diminished the viability of these cells. The in vitro effects of
      miR-20a and miR-29b on neuronal apoptosis were corroborated by the in vivo
      studies. Injection of miR-20a mimic or miR-29b inhibitor into the lesion of the
      injured spinal cord rescued the neuronal death and co-injection of both
      completely abolished SCI-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, altered expression of
      miR-20a and miR-29b may cooperatively contribute to the neuronal cell death of
      SCI through down-regulating anti-apoptotic myeloid cell leukemia sequence-1 (Mcl
      1) and up-regulating pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins. 

PMID- 26097564
TI  - Upregulated expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 and nitric oxide
      synthase during form-deprivation myopia in guinea pigs.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1
      (NMDAR1) and neuronal constitutive nitric oxide synthase (ncNOS) during form
      deprivation myopia (FDM). FDM models were established in guinea pigs with
      facemasks. NMDAR1 expression in the retina was detected by immunohistochemistry
      and Western blot analysis. ncNOS mRNA expression was examined by in situ
      hybridization. cGMP content was measured by radioimmunoassay. In control group,
      NMDAR1 and ncNOS were expressed in binocular retinas, and there was no
      significant difference in NMDAR1 and ncNOS expression and cGMP content between
      the two eyes. However, NMDAR1 and ncNOS expression and cGMP content in the retina
      of FDM eyes were significantly higher than that of contralateral untreated eyes.
      Furthermore, ncNOS mRNA level and cGMP content was highly correlated. In
      conclusion, FDM upregulates the expression of NMDAR1 and ncNOS and increases cGMP
      content in the retina. NMDAR1/NO-cGMP pathway may contribute to abnormal visual
      signals during myopic progression. 

PMID- 26097565
TI  - miR-106a promotes growth and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer by
      targeting PTEN.
AB  - MicroRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs that play essential roles in
      cancer development and progression. Recent studies suggested that abnormal
      expression of miRNAs occurs frequently in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. In this study, we investigated the
      expression and the biological roles of miR-106a in non-small cell lung cancer.
      Our results showed that miR-106a was up-regulated in NSCLC tissues and cell
      lines. Inhibition of miR-106a in NSCLC cells substantially inhibited cell
      proliferation, migration, and invasion. Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) was
      identified as a direct target of miR-106a, and over-expression of miR-106a
      suppressed PTEN by direct binding to its 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR).
      Furthermore, the presence of miR-106a was inversely correlated with PTEN in NSCLC
      tissues. Overall, this study suggested that miR-106a inhibited the growth and
      metastasis of NSCLC cells by decreasing PTEN expression. These data provide novel
      insights with potential therapeutic applications for the treatment of NSCLC. 

PMID- 26097566
TI  - Endogenous neural stem cells in central canal of adult rats acquired limited
      ability to differentiate into neurons following mild spinal cord injury.
AB  - Endogenous neural stem cells in central canal of adult mammalian spinal cord
      exhibit stem cell properties following injury. In the present study, the
      endogenous neural stem cells were labeled with Dil to track the differentiation
      of cells after mild spinal cord injury (SCI). Compared with 1 and 14 days post
      mild injury, the number of endogenous neural stem cells significantly increased
      at the injured site of spinal cord on 3 and 7 days post-injury. Dil-labeled
      betaIII-tublin and GFAP expressing cells could be detected on 7 days post-injury,
      which indicated that the endogenous neural stem cells in central canal of spinal
      cord differentiated into different type of neural cells, but there were more
      differentiated astrocytes than the neurons after injury. Furthermore, after
      injury the expression of inhibitory Notch1 and Hes1 mRNA began to increase at 6
      hours and was evident at 12 and 24 hours, which maintained high levels up to 7
      days post-injury. These results indicated that a mild SCI in rat is sufficient to
      induce endogenous neural stem cells proliferation and differentiation. However,
      the ability to differentiate into neurons is limited, which may be, at least in
      part, due to high expression of inhibitory Notch1 and Hes1 genes after injury. 

PMID- 26097567
TI  - Nitric oxide donor, NOC7, reveals dose dependently and cGMP pathway independently
      biphasic effects on contractile force of isolated rat heart after global
      ischemia.
AB  - PURPOSE: Our purpose was to investigate whether the 3-(2-hydroxy-1-methyl-2
      nitroso-hydrazino)-N-methyl-1-propanamine (NOC7), an ideal NO donor was dose
      dependently and cGMP-independent in restored cardiac function after global
      ischemia in an isolated rat heart model. METHODS: Langendorff preparations of an
      isolated rat heart model were established. Isolated rat hearts (n = 40) were
      randomly divided into 5 groups (ischemic control group, NOC7 groups and
      NOC7+NS2028 groups). All groups were subjected to 35 min global ischemia,
      followed by 30 min reperfusion with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer (KHB), and
      NOC7, NOC7+NS2028 at 2 and 200 MUM, respectively. Left ventricular developed
      pressure (LVDP), the maximum and the minimal rate of rise in LVP (+/- dP/dt), and
      coronary flows were measured continuously. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)
      and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels were measured in myocardium
      homogenate, using enzyme immunoassay (EIA). RESULTS: 30 min of global ischemia
      increased LVDP to 121.9 +/- 11.5% at 35 min of reperfusion of 2 MUM NOC7 group
      and 2 MUM NOC7 associated with NS2028 group from the ischemic control group (P <
      0.05). While in 200 MUM NOC7 group and 200 MUM NOC7 associated with NS2028 group,
      the LVDP value only slightly reduced, resulting in a value of only 45.3 +/- 10.4%
      and 35.3 +/- 6.0% of baseline (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: NOC7 has biphasic effect on
      isolated rat heart after ischemia and reperfusion myocardial contractility. This
      biphasic effect shows neither concentration-dependent nor the cGMP-dependent
      characteristics.

PMID- 26097568
TI  - Mesothelial/monocytic incidental cardiac excrescences (cardiac MICE) associated
      with acute aortic dissection: a study of two cases.
AB  - Acute aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition mainly caused by
      hypertension, atherosclerotic disease and other degenerative diseases of the
      connective tissue of the aortic wall. Mesothelial/monocytic incidental cardiac
      excrescences (cardiac MICE) is a rare benign reactive tumor-like lesion composed
      of admixture of histiocytes, mesothelial cells, and inflammatory cells set within
      a fibrinous meshwork without a vascular network or supporting stroma. Cardiac
      MICE occurring in association with aortic dissection is exceptionally rare (only
      one such case reported to date). We herein report on the surgical repair of two
      Stanford type A aortic dissections caused by idiopathic giant cell aortitis in a
      66-year-old-woman and by atherosclerotic disease in a 58-year-old-man,
      respectively. In both cases, the dissections could be visualized via computed
      tomography. Histopathology showed cardiac incidental MICE within the external
      aortic wall near the pericardial surface which was confirmed by
      immunohistochemistry. 

PMID- 26097569
TI  - Increased expression of metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 in renal cell
      carcinoma is associated with poor prognosis.
AB  - Metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 (MACC1) expression in tumor specimens is
      an independent prognostic indicator of metastasis, which has recently gained
      considerable attention in cancer research, due to its overexpression in several
      types of carcinoma. However, MACC1 expression patterns and its possible role in
      renal cell carcinoma remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate MACC1
      expression in renal cell carcinoma via immunohistochemical analysis and determine
      the relationship between MACC1 expression and cancer prognosis. Positive MACC1
      expression was found to significantly correlate with distant metastasis and TNM
      stage (P < 0.05). A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with
      higher MACC1 expression had a significantly lower disease-free rate (P < 0.05).
      These results indicate that MACC1 expression is significantly associated with
      prognosis in patients with renal cell carcinoma. To the best of our knowledge,
      this is the first study on the significance of MACC1 as a prognostic marker in
      renal cell carcinoma. MACC1 expression may be a useful target for the development
      of new therapeutic approaches, including molecular targeted therapeutic agents,
      for renal cell carcinoma. 

PMID- 26097570
TI  - MicroRNA-139-5p inhibits cell proliferation and invasion by targeting insulin
      like growth factor 1 receptor in human non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Increasing evidence suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a
      critical role in tumorigenesis. Decreased expression of miRNA-139-5p has been
      observed in various types of cancers. However, the biological function of miRNA
      139-5p in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still largely unknown. METHODS:
      Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to explore the expression level of
      miRNA-139-5p in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Then, we investigated the role of
      miRNA-139-5p to determine its potential roles on lung cancer cell proliferation,
      migration and invasion in vitro. A luciferase reporter assay was performed to
      confirm the target gene of miRNA-139-5p and the results were validated in renal
      cancer cells. RESULTS: miRNA-139-5p was significantly decreased in NSCLC tissues
      and cell lines. Over-expression of miRNA-139-5p could inhibit lung cancer cell
      proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Furthermore, we identified
      insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) as a target of miR-139-5p and miR
      139-5p function as a tumor suppressor via targeting IGF1R in NSCLC. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our results indicated that miR-139-5p acts as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC
      partially via down-regulating IGF1R expression.

PMID- 26097571
TI  - SOX9 was involved in TKIs resistance in renal cell carcinoma via Raf/MEK/ERK
      signaling pathway.
AB  - Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is common genitourinary malignancy in human, 30-40% of
      patients with RCC would be diagnosed with metastatic RCC (mRCC). Even in the era
      of targeted therapy, patients with mRCC would inevitably progress due to drug
      resistance. Herein, exploration of the mechanisms of resistance is noteworthy to
      study. In the present study, we firstly reported the expression profile of SOX9
      in renal carcinoma cells and tissues, and found that its expression was
      significantly associated with Fuhrman grading. Dual luciferase analysis confirmed
      that Raf/MEK/ERK pathway could directly be regulated by SOX9, and sequential
      experiments demonstrated that, renal carcinoma cells could sensitize to
      Sorafenib/Sunitinib through Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway inhibition regulated by
      SOX9 down-regulation. In a small cases with mRCC treated with Sorafenib/Sunitinib
      (n=38), comparative analysis showed that patients with SOX9 (-) had much better
      therapeutic response to TKIs than those with SOX9 (+) (PD: 9.1% vs. 56.2%,
      P=0.002, DCR: 90.9% vs. 43.8%, P=0.002). Based on these findings, we concluded
      that, SOX9 was firstly described to be highly expressed in renal cell carcinoma,
      and its expression was involved in TKIs drug resistance through activation of
      Raf/MEK/ERK pathway. In vitro, patients with SOX9 (-) was related to better
      response to TKIs treatment than those with SOX9 (+). SOX9 could be expected to be
      a promising biomarker predicting TKIs response and even expected to be another
      novel target in the treatment of mRCC.

PMID- 26097411
TI  - Search for a new resonance decaying to a W or Z boson and a Higgs boson in the
      [Formula: see text] final states with the ATLAS detector.
AB  - A search for a new resonance decaying to a W or Z boson and a Higgs boson in the
      [Formula: see text] final states is performed using 20.3 fb[Formula: see text] of
      pp collision data recorded at [Formula: see text] 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector
      at the Large Hadron Collider. The search is conducted by examining the WH / ZH
      invariant mass distribution for a localized excess. No significant deviation from
      the Standard Model background prediction is observed. The results are interpreted
      in terms of constraints on the Minimal Walking Technicolor model and on a
      simplified approach based on a phenomenological Lagrangian of Heavy Vector
      Triplets.

PMID- 26097572
TI  - Expression and clinical significances of Beclin1, LC3 and mTOR in colorectal
      cancer.
AB  - Autophagy is related to cancer and other diseases, and compromised autophagy
      could promote chromosome instability associated with carcinogenesis and tumor
      progression. The role of autophagy in the growth and metastasis of colorectal
      cancer (CRC) remains poorly understood. Beclin1 mediates autophagic initiation,
      and LC3 is a specific marker for autophagy. Inactivation of mTOR caused by
      cellular hypoxia or energy deficiency induces autophagic activity. This study
      aims to examine the expression and clinical significance of these proteins in
      CRC. Immunohistochemistry results showed that the positive expression rates of
      Beclin1, LC3, and mTOR in cancer tissues were 90.50%, 87.19%, and 46.28%,
      respectively, which were higher than those in adjacent tissues (P < 0.05).
      Differentiation degree and lymph node metastasis were associated with LC3
      overexpression (P < 0.05) but not with Beclin1 (P > 0.05). Lymph node metastasis
      was also related to mTOR. Spearman analysis results showed that LC3 expression
      was positively correlated with Beclin1 but negatively correlated with mTOR (r =
      0.593 and -0.165, respectively; P < 0.01). Beclin1 expression was also not
      associated with mTOR (P > 0.05). Survival analysis further indicated that LC3,
      mTOR, and lymph node metastasis were independent prognostic factors in CRC. Real
      time PCR results and Western blot indicated that Beclin1, LC3, and mTOR
      expression in CRC was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissues (P <
      0.01). The aberrant protein expression may be associated with the development and
      progression of CRC. The LC3 and mTOR genes must be simultaneously detected to
      evaluate progression and prognosis of CRC. 

PMID- 26097574
TI  - Epithelioid angiosarcoma: a clinicopathological study of 16 Chinese cases.
AB  - AIMS: To review retrospectively 16 cases of epithelioid angiosarcomas (EAs) with
      emphasis on their clinical and pathological characteristics, treatment and
      possible prognostic factors. METHODS AND RESULTS: All eligible cases were
      searched and acquired from archives of the pathology departments of two hospitals
      in Shanghai, The Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University, and the
      Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, China. The patients ranged in age from
      19 to 77 years, and 5 patients were below 50 years of age. Microscopically, the
      tumors were mostly composed of large, round or polygonal epithelioid cells that
      were predominantly arranged in solid sheets or nests. The tumor cells had
      basophilic or eosinophilic cytoplasm, vesicular nuclei, and prominent nucleoli.
      Mitotic figures including abnormal mitoses were frequently encountered. In all 16
      cases in our series, immunohistochemical studies showed positivity for CD31, and
      partial positivity for Fli-1, CD34 and factor VIII-related antigen. Of the 14
      patients available for follow-up, 3 patients were alive with disease, 9 patients
      died as a result of the tumor, 1 died of local hemorrhage, and one died of
      unknown etiology. The median survival was 17.1 months. CONCLUSIONS: EA is highly
      aggressive and carries a very poor prognosis. Therefore, the clinical recognition
      and correct diagnosis of EA are essential.

PMID- 26097573
TI  - LOXL4 is downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma with a favorable prognosis.
AB  - Lysyl oxidase like 4 (LOXL4), a member of the secreted copper-dependent amine
      oxidases that contribute to the assemble and maintenance of the extracellular
      matrix (ECM), was found to be up-regulated or down-regulated in different cancer
      types, suggesting its paradoxical roles in cancer. The specific role of LOXL4 in
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, is still yet to be defined. Twenty-eight
      pairs of HCC specimens were used for LOXL4 mRNA expression analysis. The mRNA
      expression in HCC cell lines was examined, and HepG2 was selected for LOXL4 small
      interfering RNA (siRNA) interference to investigate the biological function of
      LOXL4, LOXL4 immunohistochemical staining was performed using a tissue microarray
      containing 298 HCC patients. The prognostic and diagnostic value of LOXL4 was
      evaluated using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. LOXL4 mRNA or protein
      expression was significantly lower in HCC tissues than peritumoral tissues (LOXL4
      mRNA expression, P = 0.018; LOXL4 protein expression, P < 0.001). Low LOXL4
      expression was associated with lower overall survival (OS) rates and higher
      cumulative recurrence rates. Multivariate analysis indicated that LOXL4 was an
      independent prognostic indicator for OS and time to recurrence (TTR). Our results
      revealed that LOXL4 was down-regulated in HCC and correlated with aggressive
      tumors and a worse clinical outcome. LOXL4 may be a potential biomarker to
      identify the HCC patients with a higher risk of recurrence. 

PMID- 26097579
TI  - Evaluation of oxidative events and copper accumulation in oral tissues of
      patients with Wilson's disease: three case report.
AB  - Wilson's disease (WD), also known as hepatolenticular degeneration, was first
      described in 1912 by Kinnear Wilson. It is an autosomal recessive disorder caused
      by mutations in the ATP7B gene, a membrane-bound copper transporting ATPase. The
      disorder is caused by impairment of the copper transporting ATPase, ATP7B, in the
      liver, which disturbs copper transport, excretion into the bile, and
      incorporation into apoceruloplasmin. WD is an inherited copper metabolism
      disorder with pathological copper accumulation in many tissues, but especially in
      brain and liver. We conducted this study because copper accumulation in oral
      tissues in patients with WD have not been studied before. We think that copper
      accumulation and differences of oxidative events in oral tissues can cause
      tendency to periodontal diseases. 

PMID- 26097575
TI  - Vascular invasion as an independent predictor of poor prognosis in nonmetastatic
      gastric cancer after curative resection.
AB  - The prognostic significance of vascular invasion (VI) in nonmetastatic gastric
      cancer (GC) remains a matter of controversy. The purpose of this study was to
      assess the impact of VI on survival in this group of GC patients. We enrolled 361
      GC patients without metastasis who underwent curative gastrectomy between 1996
      and 2009 in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. A retrospective analysis of the
      clinicopathological data was performed, focusing on the impact of VI detected by
      routine H&E staining on disease-free survival (DFS) and cancer-specific survival
      (CSS). The presence of VI was detected in 13.9% of our cohort. The VI status was
      significantly correlated with the tumor size, infiltration depth, and TNM stage
      (P < 0.05). Patients with VI showed significantly lower DFS and CSS compared with
      patients without VI (P < 0.0001 for both). The subgroup analysis indicated that
      the presence of VI was a negative predictor of DFS in all TNM stages and a
      predictor of lower CSS only in stage I (P < 0.05 for all). A multivariate Cox
      proportional analysis identified VI as an independent predictor of CSS (P =
      0.022). The presence of VI is a risk factor for recurrence and an independent
      predictor of poor survival in nonmetastatic GC after curative resection. The VI
      status should be considered to stratify with this group of GC patients for
      adjuvant treatment and more effective follow-up protocol. 

PMID- 26097576
TI  - High expression of Zinc-finger protein X-linked is associated with reduced E
      cadherin expression and unfavorable prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
AB  - Zinc-finger protein X-linked (ZFX), a novel transcription factor required for
      self-renewal of embryonic stem cells, has recently been implicated in the
      initiation and progression of various human malignancies. However, its clinical
      significance in cancer patients remains largely inconclusive and its role in
      nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has never been reported. In this study,
      quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot and
      Immunohistochemistry were performed to detect ZFX expression in NPC and normal
      nasopharyngeal tissues. As a result, we found ZFX expression was significantly
      elevated in NPC tissues compared with that in normal nasopharyngeal tissues. The
      statistical analysis based on immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that ZFX
      expression was significantly correlated with lymph node stage and clinical stage.
      Furthermore, we found NPC patients with high ZFX expression had lower 5-year
      overall survival rates, progression-free survival rates, loco-regional relapse
      free survival rates and distant metastasis-free survival rates than those with
      low ZFX expression (all P<0.05). The multivariate analysis indicated that ZFX
      expression was an independent prognostic factor for patients with NPC. More
      importantly, we also detected E-cadherin expression in NPC tissues and found it
      was inversely correlated with ZFX expression in NPC tissues, suggesting a
      potential involvement of ZFX in Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).
      Therefore, it is speculated that ZFX may promote NPC progression partly by
      regulating EMT. In summary, our study not only for the first time identified that
      ZFX could serve as an effective prognostic biomarker for NPC patients, but also
      suggested that targeting ZFX might be a novel therapeutic strategy for preventing
      NPC progression and metastasis. 

PMID- 26097580
TI  - Selection of reference genes for expression analyses in liver of rats with
      impaired glucose metabolism.
AB  - Hepatic gene expression studies are vital for identification of molecular factors
      involved in insulin resistance. However, the need of normalized gene expression
      data has led to the search of stable genes which are useful as a reference in
      specific experimental conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate
      expression stability of potential reference genes for real-time PCR gene
      expression studies, in rats with insulin resistance, early programmed in
      intrauterine environment of maternal insulin resistance and triggered by exposure
      to a high sucrose and fat diet in adult life. Male rats coming from insulin
      resistant (F1IR) mothers or normal (F1N) mothers were fed a standard rodent diet
      from postnatal day 21 to day 56, and then divided in two groups each. One of each
      subgroups were fed a high sucrose and fat diet (groups F1IR + HSFD and F1N + HSFD
      respectively), the rest were fed a control diet (groups F1IR + CD and F1N + CD)
      for 14 days. Glucose metabolism related tests were later performed. After liver
      extraction, RNA was isolated and gene expression analyzes of seven potential
      reference genes (Actb, Gapdh, Gusb, Hprt1, Ldha, Rpl13a and Rplp1) were carried
      out. LinRegPCR software was used to analyze raw data and determinate baseline
      corrections, threshold lines, efficiency of PCR reactions and corrected Cq
      values. Evaluations of gene expression stabilities as well as the number of
      necessary genes for normalization were assessed with geNorm tool. All samples
      from all groups showed acceptable PCR amplification efficiencies. The most stable
      genes were Rplp1, Ldha, Hprt1 and Rpl13a and the less stable was Gapdh. For all
      groups, just 2 to 3 of the most stable genes were necessary for optimal gene
      expression data normalization in rat liver. Genes encoding ribosomal proteins are
      the most appropriated for normalization of expression data in the presented
      animal model. By contrast, Gapdh, one of the most used genes in normalization, is
      not recommendable due to its high intergroup variation.

PMID- 26097577
TI  - Associations between the properties of the cartilage matrix and findings from
      quantitative MRI in human osteoarthritic cartilage of the knee.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between the properties
      of the cartilage matrix and the results of T2 mapping and delayed gadolinium
      enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (dGEMRIC) in human knee osteoarthritic
      cartilage. Osteochondral samples were harvested from the middle part of the
      femoral condyle and tibial plateaus of 20 patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA)
      during total knee arthroplasty. Sagittal T2 mapping, T1pre, and T1Gd were
      performed using 7.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Glycosaminoglycan (GAG)
      distribution was evaluated by OARSI, collagen anisotropy was assessed by
      polarized light microscopy (PLM), and biochemical analyses measured water, GAG,
      and collagen content. Associations between properties of the cartilage matrix and
      T2 and DeltaR1 (1/T1Gd-1/T1pre) values were explored using correlation analysis.
      T2 and DeltaR1 values were significantly correlated with the degree of cartilage
      degeneration (OARSI grade; Rho = 0.53 and 0.77). T2 values were significantly
      correlated with water content (r = 0.69; P < 0.001), GAG content (r = -0.43; P <
      0.001), and PLM grade (r = 0.47; P < 0.001), but not with collagen content (r = 
      0.02; P = 0.110). DeltaR1 values were significantly correlated with GAG content
      (r = -0.84; P < 0.001) and PLM grade (r = 0.41; P < 0.001). Taken together, T2
      mapping and dGEMRIC results were correlated with the properties of the cartilage
      matrix in human knee osteoarthritic cartilage. Combination T2 mapping and dGEMRIC
      represents a potential non-invasive monitoring technique to detect the progress
      of knee OA.

PMID- 26097578
TI  - Bronchogenic cyst of the conus medullaris with spinal cord tethering: a case
      report and review of the literature.
AB  - Bronchogenic cysts (BCs) are congenital malformations that originate from
      remnants of the primitive foregut. Intraspinal BCs, especially those of the conus
      medullaris are rare with only one case reported until now. To date, a
      bronchogenic cyst with spinal cord tethering has not been previously reported. We
      reviewed the clinical course of a 44-year-old woman, who presented with low back
      pain and leg weakness as well as sphincter disturbance. Magnetic resonance
      imaging showed an intradural oval mass located at the conus medullaris. A
      tethered cord was also observed, as well as a dermal sinus tract. The mass was
      totally removed after an L3-L4 laminectomy without detethering during operation.
      Pathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of bronchogenic cyst. By six
      months after treatment, the patient had experienced nearly complete recovery. The
      review of literature indicated that detethering was performed in most reported
      cases of neurenteric cysts with spinal cord tethering, and one of six patients
      was diagnosed with a postoperative recurrence. The co-existence of bronchogenic
      cyst and a tethered spinal cord would imply associated developmental errors in
      embryogenesis. It is worth noting that whether detethering is necessary after the
      cyst removal.

PMID- 26097582
TI  - Large palpable ductal carcinoma in situ is Her-2 positive with high nuclear
      grade.
AB  - Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast is a heterogeneous group with
      variable clinical presentation. The exact molecular mechanism is not known why
      some ductal carcinomas may reach to such a large size but still remains in situ.
      Although, molecular classification of DCIS lesions and nuclear grading are
      important for identification of more aggressive lesions but it is not sufficient.
      Our aim was to examine the expression pattern of immunohistochemical (IHC)
      markers of ER, PR, HER-2 in palpable DCIS lesions and compare with
      clinicopathological findings. Our center is referral hospital from South of Iran.
      Samples were obtained from fifty four patients with a diagnosis of palpable DCIS.
      Equivocal (2+) case in HER-2 IHC testing was more characterized by chromogenic in
      situ hybridization. The positive frequency of HER2, ER, and PR was 92%, 48%, and
      37% respectively. Palpable DCIS lesions were significantly more HER-2 positive
      (92%). The DCIS cases were more likely to be of high nuclear grade (grade III)
      and Her-2 positive cases were more likely to be of high nuclear grade than
      intermediate grade. All ER negative tumors had high nuclear grade. The Her-2
      positivity is suggested as the most important factor responsible for marked in
      situ proliferation and production of palpable mass. 

PMID- 26097581
TI  - Prognostic significance of phosphorylated 4E-binding protein 1 in non-small cell
      lung cancer.
AB  - Phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binding
      protein (4E-BP1) results in release of eIF4E, which sequentially relieves
      translational repression and enhances oncogenic protein synthesis. We assessed
      the expression of phosphorylated 4E-BP1 (p-4E-BP1) in non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC) and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters and patient
      survival. In addition, we investigated whether phosphorylation site made a
      difference in outcome. Tissue microarray blocks were generated from 73 NSCLC
      samples and immunohistochemically stained for p-4E-BP1 Thr37/46 and p-4E-BP1
      Thr70. Both p-4E-BP1 Thr37/46 and p-4E-BP1 Thr70 were more highly expressed in
      squamous cell carcinoma than in adenocarcinoma (P = 0.006 and P = 0.003,
      respectively). Expression of p-4E-BP1 Thr70 was higher in tumours with a diameter
      larger than 3 cm (P = 0.024) and nodal metastasis (P = 0.053). High p-4E-BP1
      Thr70 expression significantly correlated with worse overall survival (P = 0.001)
      and was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio 2.64, P = 0.004). p-4E-BP1
      Thr37/46 had no prognostic significance. Phosphorylation site affected the
      prognostic significance of p-4E-BP1. p-4E-BP1 Thr70 is a candidate biomarker to
      predict poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC. 

PMID- 26097583
TI  - Effects of Smad decoy ODN on shear stress-induced atherosclerotic ApoE-/-mouse.
AB  - Atherosclerosis is a complex disease which involves both genetic and
      environmental factors in its development and progression. Shear stress is the
      drag force per unit area acting on the endothelium as a result of blood flow, and
      it plays a critical role in plaque location and progression. TGF-beta1 is often
      regarded to have pro-atherosclerotic effect on vascular disease. TGF-beta1
      downstream targets Smad, for regulating a set of genes associated with
      atherosclerosis. Therefore, modulation of TGF-beta1 and Smad expression may be
      the important targets for the prevention and treatment of shear stress-induced
      vascular disease. However, the precise mechanism of the anti-atherosclerotic
      effects of novel therapeutic approach has not been elucidated by using animal
      models regarding the shear stress-induced vascular disease. Therefore, we
      designed to test whether Smad decoy ODN would prevent the development of
      atherosclerosis in the shear stress-induced ApoE-/-mice on a western diet. We
      examined the effect of cast placement on the development of atherosclerosis, and
      the carotid artery was harvested at the sacrifice to observe histological
      changes. Also, we evaluated the impact of Smad decoy ODN in the regulation of
      genes expression related to atherosclerosis, including TGF-beta1, PAI-1, and
      alpha-SMA. Our results showed that western diet with cast placement developed
      atherosclerosis in ApoE-/-mouse. Also, administration of Smad decoy ODN decreases
      the expression of TGF-beta1, PAI-1, and alpha-SMA. These results demonstrate the
      potential of Smad decoy ODN to prevent the progression of atherosclerosis in ApoE
      /-mouse model with western diet and shear stress. 

PMID- 26097584
TI  - Differential expression of FOXA1, DUSP6, and HA117 in colon segments of
      Hirschsprung's disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the expression profiles of FOXA1, DUSP6, and HA117 in
      different portions of the colon of patients diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease
      (HSCR). METHODS: Colon specimens were collected from 34 HSCR patients and grouped
      into 3 segments: proximal anastomosis, dilated segment and stenotic segment.
      Levels of FOXA1, DUSP6, and HA117 RNA were evaluated by real-time PCR. Levels of
      FOXA1 and DUSP6 protein were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western
      blotting. RESULTS: The levels of FOXA1 and DUSP6 RNA were significantly lower in
      the stenotic segment compared to proximal anastomosis (P < 0.05). The level of
      HA117 RNA was significantly higher in the stenotic segment compared to proximal
      anastomosis (P < 0.05). In proximal anastomosis, FOXA1 and DUSP6 were both
      expressed at the protein level in ganglion cells and nerve fibers between the
      circular and longitudinal muscles. In the stenotic segments, positive staining
      for FOXA1 and DUSP6 was diminished. The levels of FOXA1 and DUSP6 protein were
      significantly lower in the stenotic segment compared to proximal anastomosis (P <
      0.05). CONCLUSION: Suppression of the FOXA1/DUSP6 signaling pathway may
      contribute to the development of HSCR. LncRNA HA117 may have an anti
      differentiation function, and play a pivotal role in the progression of HSCR.

PMID- 26097585
TI  - A novel method to identify and isolate proliferative inflammatory atrophy (PIA)
      clusters and to extract high-quality PIA RNA.
AB  - Epidemiological and histopathological studies have indicated that proliferative
      inflammatory atrophy (PIA) of the prostate is closely associated with the onset
      and development of prostate cancer (PCa). However, accurate isolation of PIA
      still remains a difficult matter, as well as high-quality RNA extraction from
      isolated PIA. These issues generated a lack of molecular evidence to support the
      mechanistic explanation proposed for the progression of PIA to PCa. Therefore,
      the isolation of PIA and the extraction of high-quality RNA from isolated PIA are
      of great importance to further demonstrate the correlation between PIA and the
      development of PCa at a molecular level. In this study, clinical samples from
      radical prostatectomy were stored in liquid nitrogen, PIA was identified by H&E
      staining of cryosections, PIA clusters were isolated by manual microdissection,
      total RNA was extracted from the PIA clusters by Trizol, and RNA quality was
      determined using the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer. Our results showed that PIA might
      be isolated by manual microdissection of cryosections stored in liquid nitrogen
      from clinical radical prostatectomy and used for extracting high-quality RNA (RIN
      > 7.5) by Trizol. Therefore, the present study established a valid method to
      discover molecular evidence in support of the correlation between PIA and the
      development of PCa. 

PMID- 26097587
TI  - Cullin1 is up-regulated and associated with poor patients' survival in
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Cullin1 (Cul1) is a scaffold protein of the ubiquitin E3 ligase
      Skp1/Cullin1/Rbx1/F-box protein complex, which ubiquitinates a broad range of
      proteins involved in cell-cycle progression, signal transduction, and
      transcription. To investigate the role of Cul1 in the development of
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we evaluated the Cul1 expression by
      immunohistochemistry using a tissue microarray (TMA) containing 90 cases HCC
      tissues and paired adjacent non-cancerous tissues. We analyzed the correlation
      between Cul1 expression and clinicopathologic variables and patients survival
      using two independent HCC cohorts TMA. Our data showed that Cul1 expression was
      apparently increased in HCC tissues compared with paired adjacent non-tumor
      tissues. We also demonstrated that Cul1 staining was significantly correlated
      with tumor size, histology grade and TNM stage. Furthermore, we showed a strong
      correlation between high Cul1 expression and worse 5-year overall and disease
      specific survival rates in HCC patients. Finally, univariate and multivariate Cox
      proportional hazards regression analysis investigated that high Cul1 expression
      was a strong independent prognostic indicator of HCC. Our data indicated that
      Cul1 may be an important prognosis marker for human HCC. 

PMID- 26097586
TI  - miR-144 regulates transforming growth factor-beta1 iduced hepatic stellate cell
      activation in human fibrotic liver.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) into collagen producing
      myofibroblasts is critical for pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. Transforming
      growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is one of the main profibrogenic mediators for
      HSC transdifferentiation. Recent studies have shown effect of microRNAs (miRNAs)
      on regulating TGF-beta1-induced HSC activation during liver fibrosis. Here, we
      aimed to explore the roles of miR-144 and miR-200c in human liver fibrosis.
      METHODS: Expression of TGF-beta1 was detected in 42 fibrotic and 18 normal human
      liver tissues by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and
      immunohistochemistry, and its correlation with alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha
      SMA) was calculated. miR-144 and miR-200c expression level in fibrotic liver
      tissues were also detected by qRT-PCR. The correlation of TGF-beta1 expression
      with miR-200c and miR-144 in the fibrotic liver was analyzed. RESULTS: The
      results showed that TGF-beta1 expression was much higher in fibrotic liver than
      that in normal liver tissues (P<0.05). TGF-beta1 protein high expressing liver
      fibrosis showed alpha-SMA positive cells in the liver parenchyma indicating
      activated HSCs. Expression of TGF-beta1 in fibrotic liver was significantly
      correlated with alpha-SMA expression (R=0.633, P<0.001). Furthermore, miR-144 was
      less expressed in liver fibrosis (P<0.05) and was significantly correlated with
      expression of TGF-beta1 in fibrotic liver tissues (R=-0.442, P<0.01). However,
      miR-200c did not show significant difference between normal and fibrotic liver
      (P=0.48) and correlation with TGF-beta1 expression (R=0.106, P=0.51). CONCLUSION:
      All the results indicate that miR-144 can be a novel regulator of TGF-beta1
      induced HSC activation during liver fibrosis.

PMID- 26097588
TI  - Up-regulation of long non-coding RNA Sox2ot promotes hepatocellular carcinoma
      cell metastasis and correlates with poor prognosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to have important
      regulatory roles in cancer biology, and the lncRNA Sox2ot is up-regulated in some
      tumors. However, the contributions of Sox2ot to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      remain largely unknown. METHODS: In the present study, expression of lncRNA
      Sox2ot was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR in tumor tissues and adjacent
      non-tumor tissues in 84 HCC patients. The association of lncRNA Sox2ot expression
      with clinicopathological features and the prognosis of HCC patients were also
      analyzed. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox's
      proportional hazards model. Small interfering RNA assay was used to explore the
      function of lncRNA Sox2ot on HCC cell migration and invasion. RESULTS: lncRNA
      Sox2ot expression level was significantly higher in HCC tissues compared with
      adjacent non-tumor tissues (P<0.05). High expression of lncRNA Sox2ot was
      associated with histological grade, TNM stage, and vein invasion. The 5-year
      overall survival of high lncRNA Sox2ot expression group was significantly shorter
      than that of low lncRNA Sox2ot expression group (P<0.05). The multivariate Cox
      regression analysis indicated that lncRNA Sox2ot expression was an independent
      prognostic factor for overall survival. In addition, the metastasis ability of
      HCC cells was significantly decreased by knocking down lncRNA Sox2ot expression.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that lncRNA Sox2ot played crucial roles in
      promoting HCC cell migration and invasion, and might represent a novel prognostic
      biomarker for HCC.

PMID- 26097589
TI  - NKD1 down-regulation is associated with poor prognosis in breast invasive ductal
      carcinoma.
AB  - As a negative modulator of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, Naked1 (NKD1) is
      widely expressed in many normal tissues. However, the expression and
      clinicopathological significance of NKD1 in patients with breast cancer is still
      unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate NKD1 expression in breast cancer
      and to investigate the question of whether reduced expression of NKD1 may have
      any pathological significance in breast cancer development or progression. In
      this study, we performed western blotting and immunohistochemistry to evaluate
      the expression of NKD1 and relevance with clinicopathological factors in the
      breast invasive ductal carcinoma. Reduction of NKD1 was significantly correlated
      with lymph node metastasis, histological grade and ER expression in breast
      cancer. Patients with negative NKD1 expression had significantly lower cumulative
      postoperative 5 year survival rate than those with positive NKD1 expression. This
      interpretation is in keeping with the results obtained from our in vitro
      experiments on MDA-MB-231 cells, we demonstrated that upregulation of NKD1
      expression by infect with an adenovirus containing a NKD1 vector significantly
      reduced the migration of breast cancer cells. These data suggest that NKD1 plays
      an important role in invasion in human breast cancer and it appears to be a
      potential prognostic marker for patients with breast cancer. 

PMID- 26097590
TI  - Combination of CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(-) regulatory T cells with MLC-BE and BE-Ab2:
      an efficient evaluation of the therapy of paternal lymphocyte induced
      immunization in unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion patients.
AB  - The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the immune tolerance status of
      patients suffered from unexplained spontaneous abortion (URSA) before and after
      treatment with paternal lymphocyte induced immunization (PLII) four times, and
      its relationship to the pregnancy outcome. 168 URSA patients were included in the
      present study. Among 168 couples, 138 couples were conceived again, of whom 86
      were successfully pregnant till 20 gestational weeks, 31 cases again failed in
      the first trimester, 21 cases were still under follow-up, another 30 cases still
      had not conceived. Both the level of one way mixed lymphocyte culture blocking
      efficiency (MLC-BE) and anti-idio blocking antibody (BE-Ab2) were markedly
      elevated in succeeded group after PLII. In contrast, although a significant
      increase could be observed in the failed group after treatment, the elevation of
      BE-Ab2 was much lower than that in successful group. PLII therapy significantly
      up-regulated the percentage of peripheral CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(-) regulatory T
      cells (Tregs) in successfully pregnant women; however, there was no significant
      change of Tregs in pregnancy loss cases although receiving PLII therapy. These
      results suggested a positive correlation between higher frequency of Tregs and
      rate of successful pregnancies. The sensitivity and specificity of combination of
      Tregs with MLC-BE and BE-Ab2 were 81.8% and 81.3%, respectively. Therefore, the
      percentage of Tregs in peripheral blood may hopefully serve as a potential
      biomarker for monitoring the efficacy of therapy in URSA patients. Combination of
      Tregs with MLC-BE and BE-Ab2 may expect to better evaluate the efficacy of PLII
      in URSA patients. 

PMID- 26097591
TI  - Erythropoietin and erythropoietin receptor in hepatocellular carcinoma:
      correlation with vasculogenic mimicry and poor prognosis.
AB  - To evaluate erythropoietin (Epo) and erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) expression,
      its relationship with vasculogenic mimicry (VM) and its prognostic value in human
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we examined Epo/EpoR expression and VM formation
      using immunohistochemistry and CD31/PAS (periodic acid-Schiff) double staining on
      92 HCC specimens. The correlation between Epo/EpoR expression and VM formation
      was analyzed using two-tailed Chi-square test and Spearman correlation analysis.
      Survival curves were generated using Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate analysis
      was performed using Cox regression model to assess the prognostic values. Results
      showed positive correlation between Epo/EpoR expression and VM formation (P <
      0.05). Patients with Epo or EpoR expression exhibited poorer overall survival
      (OS) than Epo-negative or EpoR-negative patients (P < 0.05). Epo-positive/VM
      positive and EpoR-positive/VM-positive patients had the worst OS (P < 0.05). In
      multivariate survival analysis, age, Epo and EpoR were independent prognostic
      factors related to OS. These results will provide evidence for further research
      on HCC microcirculation patterns and also will provide new possible targets for
      HCC diagnosis and treatment. 

PMID- 26097592
TI  - Relationship between MLH-1, MSH-2, PMS-2,MSH-6 expression and clinicopathological
      features in colorectal cancer.
AB  - Colorectal cancers are the third most common in both sexes and they are the
      second most common cause of cancer-related death. 12-15% of colorectal cancers
      develop through microsatellite instability (the hereditary mutation in at least
      one of DNA mismatch repair genes) pathway and they are 2-5% hereditary. In this
      study, we investigated the correlation between the clinicopathological features
      themselves and also the correlation between them and the immunohistochemical MLH
      1, MSH-2, PMS-2, MSH-6 expressions in a total of 186 resection materials with
      colorectal adenocarcinoma between 2008 and 2012. All the cases were
      retrospectively evaluated in terms of age, sex, localization, size, accompanying
      polyp, multiple tumor, arising from polyp, differentiation, mucinous
      differentiation, pathological tumor stage, lymphovascular and perineural
      invasion, lymphocyte amount in the tumor microenvironment, surgical border and
      lymph node metastasis. We prepared multiple tissue blocks which had 4-millimeter
      tumor. Immunohistochemically, MLH-1, MSH-2, PMS-2, MSH-6 primary antibodies were
      studied. Statistically, "Kruskal-Wallis" ve "Pearson's chi-squared" tests were
      used. We found a positive correlation between loss of MLH-1 and PMS-2 expressions
      and the right-colon location, poor and mucinous differentiation and dense
      lymphocytic infiltration. In addition, loss of MSH-2 and MSH-6 expressions was
      correlated with the right-colon location, poor and mucinous differentiation. We
      found a meaningful relationship between immunohistochemical markers and
      clinicopathological features usually observed in tumors with microsatellite
      instability. This finding may arouse suspicion for MSI. However, the findings in
      our study must be supported with studies conducted in large series including
      molecular methods. 

PMID- 26097594
TI  - Differential expression of GSK3beta and pS9GSK3beta in normal human tissues: can
      pS9GSK3beta be an epithelial marker?
AB  - Glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta) and phosphorylated GSK3beta at Ser9
      (pS9GSK3beta) are crucial in cellular proliferation and metabolism. GSK3beta and
      pS9GSK3beta are deregulated in many diseases including tumors. Data on altered
      expression of GSK3beta and pS9GSK3beta are mainly limited to tumor tissues, thus
      the expression of GSK3beta and pS9GSK3beta in normal human tissue has been
      largely unknown. Thus, we examined the immunohistochemical localization of
      GSK3beta and pS9GSK3beta in human fetal and adult tissues, and also compared the
      expression pattern of GSK3beta and pS9GSK3beta with that of the CK7 and CK20. We
      found GSK3beta expression in neurons of brain, myenteric plexus in
      gastrointestinal tract, squamous epithelium of skin, and mammary gland. The
      expression of pS9GSK3beta was restricted to the epithelial cells of breast and
      pancreaticobiliary duct, distal nephron of kidney, gastrointestinal tract,
      fallopian tube, epididymis, secretory cell of prostatic gland, and umbrella cell
      of urinary tract. The staining pattern of pS9GSK3beta and CK7 was overlapped in
      most organs except for gastrointestinal tract where CK7 was negative and CK20 was
      positive. Our results show that the expression of GSK3beta may be associated with
      differentiation of ectodermal derived tissues and pS9GSK3beta with that of
      epithelial cells of endodermal derived tissues in human. In addition, the
      expression of pS9GSK3beta in the selective epithelial cells may indicate its
      association with secretory or barrier function of specific cells and may serve as
      another immunohistochemical marker for epithelial cells. 

PMID- 26097593
TI  - HK2 is a radiation resistant and independent negative prognostic factor for
      patients with locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - The mechanism by which overexpression of hexokinase 2 (HK2) indicates locally
      advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma (LACSCC) with radio-resistance is still
      unknown despite being an independent biomarker of poor prognosis. Here, we
      retrospectively analyzed 132 female patients receiving radiotherapy for cervical
      squamous cell carcinoma including 85 radiation-sensitive cases and 47 radiation
      resistant cases. The expression of HK2 was examined by immunohistochemistry. The
      percentage of high HK2 expression in the radiation-resistant group differed from
      the radiation-sensitive group with statistical significance (P < 0.001) even if
      divided into three subgroups including a lower 5-year progression free survival
      group (PFS) for comparison (P < 0.001). The Kaplan Meier curve analysis showed
      that there were differences between the two groups (P < 0.001). Therefore, this
      study proves a close relationship between HK2 expression and radio-resistance.
      Multivariate Cox regression analysis implied that HK2 was an independent
      prognostic indicator of cervical squamous carcinoma (HR (95% CI), 2.940 (1.609,
      1.609); P = 0.002). 

PMID- 26097595
TI  - Significance of serum levels of vitamin D and some related minerals in breast
      cancer patients.
AB  - Vitamin D and calcium are involved in a wide range of proliferation, apoptosis
      and cell signaling activities in the body. Suboptimal concentrations may lead to
      cancer development. The role of phosphate in cancer metabolism is particularly
      relevant in breast cancer while, magnesium deficiency favors DNA mutations
      leading to carcinogenesis. OBJECTIVES: To determine serum levels of vitamin D,
      calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and parathormone in female breast cancer patients
      and to assess their association with some prognostic factors in breast cancer.
      DESIGN AND METHODS: This study is done on 98 newly diagnosed female breast cancer
      patients and 49 age matched apparently healthy female volunteers as controls.
      Serum samples from all patients and controls were subjected to 25-OH Vit D,
      calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and parathormone measurements. RESULTS: In the
      breast cancer group, the median serum levels of 25-OH Vit D were 15 ng/ml, while
      it was 21 ng/ml in the control group. Levels of 25-OH Vit D and other tested
      minerals were significantly lower while calcium:magnesium (Ca:Mg) ratio, and
      calcium:phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio were significantly higher in the breast cancer
      group. Significant negative correlation was detected between phosphorus and
      calcium, ionized calcium , calcium magnesium ratio, and calcium phosphorus ratio.
      CONCLUSION: It is not only the deficient levels of Vit D and other related
      minerals, but the combination of the abnormal levels of all the studied
      parameters that might contribute to the development of cancer. Further studies
      with larger number of patient are needed.

PMID- 26097596
TI  - FRZB up-regulation is correlated with hepatic metastasis and poor prognosis in
      colon carcinoma patients with hepatic metastasis.
AB  - Frizzled-related protein (FRZB) was up-regulated in hepatic metastasis samples
      compared with primary colon cancer samples in our previous work. However, the
      clinical relevance of FRZB in colon cancer hepatic metastasis remains uncertain.
      The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of FRZB in patients with
      colon carcinoma hepatic metastasis after hepatic resection. FRZB expression was
      evaluated by immunohistochemistry in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE)
      primary colon carcinoma and paired hepatic metastasis tissues from 136 patients
      with liver metastasis from colon carcinoma that underwent hepatic resection. The
      relation between FRZB expression and clinicopathologic factors and long-term
      prognosis in these 136 patients was retrospectively examined. The prognostic
      significance of negative or positive FRZB expression in colon carcinoma hepatic
      metastasis was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank tests.
      Positive expression of FRZB was correlated with liver metastasis of colon cancer.
      Univariate analysis indicated significantly worse overall survival (OS) for
      patients with a positive FRZB expression in colon carcinoma hepatic metastasis
      than for patients with a negative FRZB expression. Multivariate analysis showed
      positive-FRZB in colon carcinoma hepatic metastasis to be an independent
      prognostic factor for OS after hepatic resection (P = 0.001). Positive expression
      of FRZB was statistically significantly associated with poor prognosis of
      patients with colon carcinoma hepatic metastasis. FRZB could be a novel predictor
      for poor prognosis of patients with colon carcinoma hepatic metastasis after
      hepatic resection.

PMID- 26097597
TI  - Interleukin-10 promotor -592A/C polymorphism is associated with slow coronary
      flow in Han Chinese.
AB  - An accumulating body of evidence suggests that slow coronary flow (SCF)
      phenomenon seems to be an early-form of atherosclerosis and low-grade
      inflammation plays a major role in the atherosclerotic vascular processes.
      Interleukin (IL)-10 is a multifunctional cytokine involved in both innate and
      adaptive immune response. The aim of the present study is to investigate the
      association of IL-10 gene -592A/C polymorphism with SCF in Han Chinese. 250
      patients who underwent coronary angiography and had angiographically normal
      coronary arteries of varying coronary flow rates without any atherosclerotic
      lesion were enrolled in this study. Patients who had thrombolysis in myocardial
      infarction frame counts (TFC) above the normal cutoffs were considered to have
      SCF and those within normal limits were considered to have normal coronary flow
      (NCF). The PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)
      technique was used to assess the genotypes frequencies. The distribution of the
      IL-10 -592A/C genotypes (AA, AC, and CC) was 46.34%, 41.46%, and 12.20% in the
      NCF group, and 66.51%, 28.71%, and 4.78% in SCF subjects, respectively (P =
      0.0280). The frequency of the A allele in the SCF group was significantly higher
      than that in the NCF group (80.86% vs. 67.07%, P = 0.0054). Compared with the CC
      genotype, the AA genotype had increased risk of SCF in both unadjusted and
      adjusted analyses. In SCF patients, the average serum IL-10 levels in AA genotype
      were statistically lower than in AC + CC genotype (P = 0.0000). These findings
      suggest that IL-10 -592A/C polymorphism is associated with SCF and the A allele
      has increased risk for SCF in Han Chinese. 

PMID- 26097598
TI  - Effects of storage conditions on the stability of serum CD163, NGAL, HMGB1 and
      MIP2.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several cytokines have been involved in the diagnosis and prognosis
      for the pathogenesis and severity of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) such as cluster of
      differentiation 163 (CD163), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL),
      high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2).
      Nevertheless, the stability and reliability of these cytokines can be greatly
      influenced by handling and storage processes. METHODS: In this study, potential
      utility of serum samples of a CHB cohort was evaluated to investigate several
      processes that might impact cytokine profiles such as temperature, storage time
      and number of freeze-thaw cycles. Blood samples collected from 100 patients with
      CHB were separated immediately and divided into two groups. In one group, samples
      (n=50) stored at -80  degrees C were subject to 1-3 freeze-thaw cycles. In the
      other group, samples (n=50) were stored at 4  degrees C and 25  degrees C for 3
      h, 9 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 7 d time points, respectively. To assess the
      influence of different storage conditions on cytokines, the levels of CD163,
      NGAL, HMGB1 and MIP-2 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays
      (ELISA) kits. RESULTS: No significant differences of these four cytokines after 1
      3 repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Significant differences of NAGL levels were seen
      between 9 h and 7 d (P<0.05), and also in HMGB1 at 25  degrees C, while the other
      cytokines were relatively stable at the two storage temperatures over the various
      time points. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that these four cytokines remained
      stable within three freeze-thaw cycles and 7 d at 4  degrees C. No perceptible
      effects on CD163 and MIP-2 levels were presented under the storage condition of 7
      d at room temperature, whereas the degradation of NGAL and HMGB1 were notable.

PMID- 26097599
TI  - Genetic variability of DNA repair mechanisms influences chemotherapy outcome of
      gastric cancer.
AB  - Genetic variability of DNA repair mechanisms influences chemotherapy treatment
      outcome of gastric cancer. We conducted a cohort study to investigate the role of
      ERCC1-ERCC2 gene polymorphisms in the chemotherapy response and clinic outcome of
      gastric cancer. Between March 2011 and March 2013, 228 gastric patients who were
      newly diagnosed with histopathology were enrolled in our study. Genotypes of
      ERCC1 rs11615, rs3212986, rs2298881 and ERCC2 rs3212986 were conducted by
      polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)
      assay. We found that individuals carrying TT genotype of ERCC1 rs11615 and CC
      genotype of ERCC1 rs2298881 were associated with better response to chemotherapy
      and longer survival time of gastric cancer. Moreover, individuals with AA
      genotype of ERCC2 rs1799793 were correlated with shorter survival of gastric
      cancer. In conclusion, ERCC1 rs11615, rs2298881 and ERCC2 rs1799793 polymorphism
      play an important role in the treatment outcome of gastric cancer. 

PMID- 26097600
TI  - Association of GSTP1 and XRCC1 gene polymorphisms with clinical outcome of
      advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
AB  - We investigated the association between the clinical outcome and GSTP1 and XRCC1
      gene polymorphisms in advanced NSCLC patients with cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
      We prospectively recruited 325 NSCLC patients between January 2010 and January
      2014. Genotypes of GSTP1 A313G, XRCC1 Arg194Trp, Arg280His and Arg399Gln were
      conducted using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length
      polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. AG and GG genotypes of GSTP1 A313G were correlated
      with a higher CR + PR when compared with AA genotype. Furthermore, GA and AA
      genotypes of XRCC1 Arg399Gln were associated with more CR + PR when compared with
      GG genotype. In the Cox proportional hazards model, GG genotype of GSTP1 A313G
      was significantly correlated with a longer median survival time when compared
      with AA genotype, and it is associated with a heavy decreased risk of death from
      NSCLC. Moreover, GA and AA genotypes of XRCC1 Arg399Gln had a significantly
      longer median survival time, and GA and AA genotypes were significantly
      associated with a moderate reduced risk of death from NSCLC. GSTP1 A313G and
      XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphisms might influence the response to cisplatin
      based chemotherapy and affect the clinical outcome of advanced NSCLC. 

PMID- 26097601
TI  - Whether Alzheimer's diseases related genes also differently express in the
      hippocampus of Ts65Dn mice?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Down syndrome is a condition which extra genetic material causes
      delays in child development, both mentally and physically. Strengthening the
      study of the neural defects of DS is of great significance. METHODS: Ts65Dn mice
      were used in this study. We removed the brain and isolated their hippocampus. We
      customized 54 genes in one PCR arrays, included some important genes related to
      Alzheimer's disease. The expression of genes were detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS:
      PCR arrays contained 54 genes related to Alzheimer's disease. After real-time
      PCR, three genes (Nae1, APP and Mapt) expressed differently in the hippocampus of
      Ts65Dn, compared with the normal mice. Nae1 was decreased significantly, while
      APP and Mapt were increased obviously. The levels of fold-changes of Nae1, APP
      and Mapt were 86.19, 4.49 and 2.89 respectively. Significantly different levels
      of expression were found in the Ts65Dn mice compared with the normal control
      group (P=0.00 for Nae1, P=0.02 for APP, P=0.01 for Mapt respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: There are differential expressed genes in the hippocampus of Ts65Dn
      mice that may be closely related to Alzheimer's disease. PCR array technology was
      used in the screening and identification of these genes.

PMID- 26097602
TI  - Prognostic significance of long non-coding RNA PCAT-1 expression in human
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play widespread roles in gene
      regulation and cellular processes. However, the functional roles of lncRNAs in
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are not yet well elucidated. The aim of the
      present study was to measure the levels of lncRNA PCAT-1 expression in HCC and
      evaluate its clinical significance in the development and progression of HCC.
      METHODS: We examined the expression of PCAT-1 in 117 HCC tissues and adjacent non
      tumor tissues using quantitative real-time-PCR and analyzed its correlation with
      the clinical parameters. RESULTS: Our data showed that PCAT-1 expression in HCC
      tissues was significantly increased compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues
      (P<0.05). Up-regulated expression of PCAT-1 was significantly associated with TNM
      stage and metastasis (P<0.05), but not other clinical parameters. Moreover,
      Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that a high expression level of PCAT-1
      resulted in a significantly poor overall survival of HCC patients. The
      multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that PCAT-1 expression level
      was an independent prognostic factor for the overall survival rate of HCC
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggested that the increased expression of PCAT-1
      was associated with advanced clinical parameters and poor overall survival of HCC
      patients, indicating that PCAT-1 up-regulation may serve as a novel biomarker of
      poor prognosis in HCC patients.

PMID- 26097604
TI  - Inhibitory effect of 5F on development of lung cancer in A/J mice.
AB  - The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of ent-11alpha-hydroxy-15
      oxo-kaur-16-en-19-oic-acid (5F) on the model of induced A/J mice lung cancer in
      A/J mice. The expressions of tumor-related molecules including P65 and Bcl-2 at
      protein level were examined using the immunohistochemical method (IHC). Side
      effects of 5F were also monitored. The results indicated that 5F significantly
      suppressed the development of B[a]P and NNK-induced lung cancer in vivo by
      facilitating cell apoptosis with minimal side effects. Compared to the
      expressions of P65 and Bcl-2 in model group, the levels were strongly attenuated
      both in blank and 5F injection groups. Moreover, P65 and Bcl-2 levels varied
      among different groups receiving 5F treatment. The expressions of P65 and Bcl-2
      were much lower in groups receiving high-concentration 5F treatment than those
      with low-concentration 5F injection. Findings revealed that 5F inhibited the
      pathogenesis of lung cancer through accelerating apoptosis in a dose-dependent
      manner. 

PMID- 26097603
TI  - Increased expression of microRNA-196a predicts poor prognosis in human ovarian
      carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Overexpression of MicroRNA-196a (miR-196a) has recently been reported
      in different types of human cancers. However, the prognostic value of miR-196a in
      ovarian carcinoma remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the expression
      of miR-196a in ovarian carcinoma and its relationship with tumor progression and
      clinical prognosis. METHODS: The expression level of miR-196a was examined by
      quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in surgically removed ovarian cancer tissues
      and ovarian cancer cell lines. The correlation between miR-196a expression and
      clinical features and prognosis were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The results
      showed that the miR-196a expression was significantly upregulated in tumor
      tissues and ovarian cancer cell lines compared with that in normal ovarian
      surface tissues and normal ovarian epithelial cells. Moreover, miR-196a
      expression was positively correlated with FIGO stage (P<0.001), tumor size
      (P=0.020), and lymph nodes metastasis (P=0.019). Kaplan-Meier analysis
      demonstrated that high levels of miR-196a expression was associated with poorer
      overall survival (P<0.001) and recurrent-free survival (P=0.003), especially in
      patients with advanced disease (P=0.002). Multivariate analysis suggested that
      miR-196a expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of
      patients with ovarian carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, miR-196a may play an
      important role in the progression of ovarian carcinoma, and could be used as an
      independent prognostic biomarker for patients with ovarian carcinoma.

PMID- 26097605
TI  - Stereological evaluation of fibronectin in the periurethral region of the
      transitional zone from normal human prostates compared with benign prostatic
      hyperplasia.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the volumetric density (Vv) of the
      fibronectin in the periurethral region of patients with benign prostatic
      hyperplasia (BPH) and compare with a control group. Prostatic periurethral tissue
      samples were obtained from ten patients (age range 65 to 79 years, mean 66) with
      clinical symptoms of bladder outlet obstruction who had undergone open
      prostatectomy. The control group samples (periurethral tissue samples from the
      transitional zone) were collected from prostates obtained during autopsy of
      accidental death adults of less than 25 years. The volumetric density (Vv) of the
      fibronectin was determined with stereological methods from 25 random fields per
      sample using the point-count method with an M-42 grid test system. The
      quantitative data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Mann-Whitney U
      tests. The Vv in the control and BPH groups was 21.9% +/- 1.5% and 29.1% +/- 1.2%
      in the fibronectin, respectively. BPH tissues presented a significant increase of
      fibronectin in prostatic periurethral region in the transitional zone that may
      cause lengthening of the prostatic urethra.

PMID- 26097606
TI  - Prognostic implications of adhesion molecule expression in colorectal cancer.
AB  - Research on the expression of adhesion molecules, E-cadherin (ECAD), CD24, CD44
      and osteopontin (OPN) in colorectal cancer (CRC) has been limited, even though
      CRC is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. This study was
      conducted to evaluate the expression of adhesion molecules in CRC and to
      determine their relationships with clinicopathologic variables, and the
      prognostic significance. The expression of ECAD, CD24, CD44 and OPN was examined
      in 174 stage II and III CRC specimens by immunohistochemistry of TMA. Negative
      ECAD expression was significantly correlated with advanced nodal stage and poor
      tumor differentiation. Multivariate analysis showed that both negative expression
      of ECAD and positive expression of CD24 were independent prognostic factors for
      disease-free survival (DFS) in CRC patients (P<0.001, relative risk [RR] = 5.596,
      95% CI = 2.712-11.549; P = 0.038, RR = 3.768, 95% CI = 1.077-13.185,
      respectively). However, for overall survival (OS), only ECAD negativity showed
      statistically significant results in multivariate analysis (P<0.001, RR = 4.819,
      95% CI = 2.515-9.234). Positive expression of CD24 was associated with poor OS in
      univariate analysis but was of no prognostic value in multivariate analysis. In
      conclusion, our study suggests that among these four adhesion molecules, ECAD and
      CD24 expression can be considered independent prognostic factors. The role of
      CD44 and OPN may need further evaluation. 

PMID- 26097607
TI  - Clinical experience of uterine tumors resembling ovarian sex cord tumors: a
      clinicopathological analysis of 6 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinicopathological features, diagnosis, treatment, and
      prognosis of two types of uterine sex cord-like tumors. METHODS: The
      clinicopathological features of four uterine tumors resembling ovarian sex cord
      tumors (UTROSCTs) and two endometrial stromal tumors with sex cord-like elements
      (ESTSCLEs) were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: All patients were
      premenopausal women. The most common clinical presentation was vaginal bleeding
      (four cases). Total hysterectomy with or without bilateral adnexectomy was the
      most common treatment pattern (five cases). A patient with UTROSCTs, presenting
      with recurrence 10 months after transvaginal submucous myomectomy, underwent a
      total hysterectomy (case 2). All tumors were polypoid or intramural masses,
      usually located in the uterine fundus or submucosa. The majority of UTROSCTs were
      positive for cytokeratin (4/4 cases), one was positive for Wilms tumor protein,
      and of two cases with smooth muscle actin immunoreactivity, two were positive for
      desmin. UTROSCTs were positive for two or more sex cord markers, whereas sex cord
      markers were less frequently detected in ESTSCLEs. CD10 was variably positive in
      two UTROSCT patients and strongly positive in all ESTSCLE patients. Three
      UTROSCTs and one ESTSCLE were positive for both estrogen and progesterone
      receptors. All patients with UTROSCTs were alive without evidence of recurrence.
      One patient with ESTSCLEs underwent postoperative chemotherapy after total
      vaginal hysterectomy but developed recurrence at the vaginal stump (case 5). The
      other patient with ESTSCLEs was lost to follow-up. CONCLUSION: These UTROSCTs are
      polymorphic neoplasms with true sex cord differentiation and uncertain malignant
      potential, which possess a distinct biology from ESTSCLEs.

PMID- 26097608
TI  - Interactions of central obesity with rs3918242 on risk of non-alcoholic fat liver
      disease: a preliminary case-control study.
AB  - NAFLD is a complex disease characterized by inflammation and insulin resistance
      which is determined by an interaction of genetics and environmental factors. MMP
      gene has been implicated in relation to inflammation and insulin resistance. The
      preliminary case-control study aimed to investigate the association between
      Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9-1562C/T (rs3918242), MMP-2-1306C/T (rs243865)
      and risk of NAFLD and to further evaluate the interactions of central obesity
      with rs3918242 and rs243865. Two variants, rs3918242 and rs243865, were genotyped
      by polymerase chain reaction -restriction fragment length polymorphism. Gene
      environment interactions on risk of NAFLD was preliminarily investigated by
      generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) and further confirmed by
      unconditional logistic regression methods. After adjusting for covariates,
      increased risk of NAFLD were observed in subjects carrying TT/CT genotypes in
      rs3918242 ((Adjust)OR=1.64, 95% CI: 1.24, 2.11, P=0.006). However, decreased risk
      of non-alcoholic fat liver disease was found when MMP-2 rs243865 (TT/CT) genotype
      carriers compared with CC carrier ((Adjust)OR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.47, 0.72,
      P=0.000).Interactions of central obesity with rs3918242 was preliminarily found
      by GMDR, with a maximum prediction accuracy (67.61%) and a maximum Cross
      validation Consistency (10/10).The unconditional logistic regression method
      indicated central obesity-positive subject with genotype TT/CT had 4.54 times
      risk of NAFLD compared to central obesity-negative subjects with genotype CC
      (OR(add)(a)=4.54, 95% CI: 2.81, 7.21, P(add)(a)=0.000), which further confirmed
      the interactions. The results indicate that both rs3918242 and rs243865 is
      associated with risk of NAFLD. Furthermore, rs3918242 and central obesity have
      synergistic effects on risk of NAFLD.

PMID- 26097609
TI  - Assoication of XRCC1 gene polymorphisms with risk of non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - DNA repair genes is a key factor for cancer susceptibility, and we conducted a
      case-control study to investigate the association of XRCC1 codons 194 (Arg to
      Trp), 280 (Arg to His) and 399 (Arg to Gln) with risk of NSCLC. 210 NSCLC
      patients and 210 health control subjects were randomly selected from Huaihe
      Hospital between January 2012 and June 2014. The polymerase chain reaction
      restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was taken to assess the
      genotyping of XRCC1 Arg194Trp, Arg280His and Arg399Gln. By multivariate logistic
      regression analysis, we found individuals carrying with Trp/Trp and Arg/Trp +
      Trp/Trp genotypes were associated with a significantly increased risk of NSCLC
      compared with Arg/Arg genotype, and the OR (95% CI) were 3.15 (1.32-8.09) and
      1.52 (1.02-2.28), respectively. The potential association of Arg/Trp+ Trp/Trp
      genotype of XRCC1 Arg194Trp with the risk of NSCLC is more evidence in smokers,
      and the OR (95% CI) was 1.78 (1.01-3.24). In conclusion, we found that XRCC1
      Arg194Trp polymorphism may be associated with NSCLC risk, especially in smokers. 

PMID- 26097610
TI  - Association of -308G/A and -238G/A polymorphisms of TNF-alpha and osteosarcoma
      risk.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: As a proinflammatory cytokine, TNF-alpha is associated with increased
      risk of osteosarcoma (OS). Our study aimed to explore the association of TNF
      alpha polymorphisms and OS susceptibility in the Han Chinese population. METHODS:
      80 OS patients and 99 healthy people, matched on the age and sex, participated in
      the study. Genotyping was conducted by the method of polymerase chain reaction
      restricted fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLP). Then logistic regression was
      used to evaluate the effects of TNF-alpha polymorphisms (-308 G/A and -238 G/A)
      on the pathology of OS. RESULTS: The frequency of AA genotype in -308 G/A locus
      in the cases was significantly higher than that of the healthy group (20.0% vs.
      6.1%). Patients with OS were more likely to possess AA genotype of -308 G/A locus
      (OR=4.00, 95% CI=1.41-11.38). For the patients with A allele, the risk for OS
      increased 0.62 fold (OR=1.62, 95% CI=1.04-2.50). There was no remarkable
      relationship of -238 G/A polymorphisms and OS susceptibility. In addition, we
      found that patients with G-A and A-A haplotypes was much higher in the cases than
      that of control group (68.0% and 25.0%, 53.0% and 38.9%, respectively). A-G
      haplotype appeared to increase the risk for OS (OR=1.93, 95% CI=1.13-2.94).
      CONCLUSION: The AA genotype of -308 G/A locus of TNF-alpha gene was a risk factor
      for OS, however there was no correlation between -238 G/A of TNF-alpha and OS.

PMID- 26097611
TI  - Association of IL-1alpha rs17561 and IL-1 RN rs315952 polymorphisms with Tourette
      syndrome: a family-based study.
AB  - AIM: Immune system dysregulation has been implicated to play a key role in
      pathogenesis of Tourette syndrome (TS). IL-1alpha and IL-1RN are important
      inflammatory cytokines that mediate the inflammation. In this study, we
      investigated the relationship between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of
      IL-1alpha and IL-1RN and the susceptibility to TS in Chinese Han population.
      METHODS: A total of 276 children with TS and their parents were recruited in the
      study. All DNA from our subjects were genotyped for SNPs of IL-1alpha rs17561 and
      IL-1RN rs315952 using predesigned TaqMan SNP genotyping assay. The genetic
      contributions of two polymorphisms were evaluated using transmission
      disequilibrium test (TDT) and haplotype relative risk (HRR) design. In addition,
      to increase the efficiency of the test, the haplotype-based HRR (HHRR) was
      performed. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in allelic and
      genotypic frequency of rs17561 in IL-1alpha and rs315952 in IL-1RN between the
      transmitted group and non-transmitted group (for IL-1alpha rs17561: TDT=0.890,
      df=1, P=0.402; HRR=1.011, X(2)=3.016, P=0.082, 95% CI=0.999-1.024; for IL-1RN
      rs315952: TDT=0.095, df=1, P=0.805; HRR=0.984, X(2)=0.008, P=0.929, 95% CI=0.695
      1.394). Similarly, the analysis of HHRR also did not support a significant
      association (for IL-1alpha rs17561: HHRR=1.226, X(2)=0.915, P=0.339, 95% CI=0.807
      1.863; for IL-1RN rs315952: HHRR=0.963, X(2)=0.094, P=0.759, 95% CI=0.758-1.225).
      CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that IL-1alpha rs17561 and IL-1RN rs315952
      polymorphisms may not be associated with susceptibility to TS in Chinese Han
      population. However, the results still need to be replicated in a larger sample
      size and different populations.

PMID- 26097612
TI  - Peripheral T cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified with myelofibrosis: report of
      a case with review of the literature.
AB  - A 68-year-old man presented to us with pancytopenia, erythroderma, and multiple
      lymphadenopathies. Lymph node biopsy led to the diagnosis of peripheral T-Cell
      lymphoma-not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS). Immunostaining of the lymph node
      biopsy specimens for cytokines revealed that the tumor cells were positive for
      plated-derived growth factor (PDGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF),
      vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF
      alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), interleukin-2
      (IL-2), and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). Bone marrow biopsy
      revealed infiltration by the PTCL-NOS and myelofibrosis (MF). Bone marrow blood
      was negative for JAK-2V617F. Bone marrow immunostaining for cytokines showed that
      the tumor cells were positive for PDGF, b-FGF, VEGF, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL
      1beta, IL-2, and TGF-beta. The patient was initiated on treatment, and after the
      first course of CHOP therapy, the bone marrow infiltration by the PTCL-NOS and MF
      improved. Repeat immunostaining of bone marrow biopsy specimens for cytokines
      showed that the tumor cells had become negative for PDGF, VEGF, TNF-alpha and TGF
      beta. However, after the second course of CHOP therapy, the bone marrow
      infiltration by the PTCL-NOS and MF worsened. Immunostaining of bone marrow
      specimens for cytokines again revealed positive staining results of the tumor
      cells for PDGF, TNF-alpha, and TGF-beta. At the completion of the first course of
      treatment, the infiltration by the PTCL-NOS improved, but not the pancytopenia. 

PMID- 26097613
TI  - P120 catenin attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced blood-brain barrier
      dysfunction and inflammatory responses in human brain microvascular endothelial
      cells.
AB  - Increasing evidences suggest that p120 catenin (p120ctn) exerts important
      functions in the regulation of pro-inflammatory molecules. However, the
      relationship among p120ctn, inflammatory responses and blood-brain barrier (BBB)
      dysfunction as they are the initiator of sepsis is not unknown. In this study, we
      found that p120ctn expression was correlated with an increase in the permeability
      of BBB and a decrease in the expression of tight-junction proteins in human brain
      microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) after LPS challenge. Transfection with
      p120ctn small interfering RNA (siRNA) induced disruption of BBB integrity,
      monocyte migration across BBB and inflammatory responses at basal level and after
      LPS treatment. Conversely, over-expression of p120ctn with adenovirus
      significantly ameliorated BBB disruption and inflammatory responses in LPS
      treated cells. Mechanistically, up-regulation of p120ctn inhibited LPS-induced NF
      kappaB activation by suppressing IKKbeta and IkappaBalpha phosphorylation,
      IkappaBalpha degradation. Therefore, we conclude that p120ctn improves the BBB
      dysfunction and inflammatory responses through the inhibition of NF-kappaB
      activation, suggesting that forced p120ctn expression may provide a novel
      therapeutic strategy to attenuate LPS-induced BBB compromise and sepsis. 

PMID- 26097614
TI  - Epithelioid inflammatory myofibroblastic sarcoma in abdominal cavity: a case
      report and review of literature.
AB  - In this study, we present a rare and difficult case of epithelioid inflammatory
      myofibroblastic sarcoma (EIMS) in abdominal cavity. A 47-year-old female
      presented as left upper abdominal pain for 6 months and abdominal distention for
      1 month. CT examination showed a solid mass in the left upper intra-abdomen.
      Grossly, the tumor was found in the mesenterium of colon with the size of 7.5 *
      6.5 * 3.5 cm, and was solid and gray-yellowish in the cut surface. Focal
      myxomatous appearance was observed. Microscopically, stromal myxoid change
      together with prominant infiltrated lymphocytes, neutrophils and eosinophils were
      found in the tumor, and the tumor cells were round, epithelioid with vesicular
      nuclei, large prominant nucleoli and high mitotic rate. Immunohistochemically,
      strong diffused positive for vimentin, desmin, ALK (nuclear membrane staining
      pattern) and AAT, focally positive for CD99 and CD30, were showed, Ki67 index was
      about 20%; Especially, WT-1 and D240 were focally expressed in this tumor. FISH
      analysis showed rearrangement of ALK, and reverse-transcription polymerase chain
      reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was used to detect the fusion location of the RANBP2
      and ALK gene. The diagnosis of EMIS was made based on its location, typical
      morphology, the immunohistochemical features especially the nuclear membranous
      immunostaining of ALK and rearrangement of RANBP2-ALK. The tumor showed higher
      aggressive behaviors and a poor prognosis. The differential diagnosis and other
      treatments of EMIS are also discussed in the present study. This finding may
      increase the case information of EMIS. 

PMID- 26097615
TI  - Transient elastography-derived liver stiffness measurements were found to be
      useful for predicting liver infiltration in a case of mature T-cell neoplasm
      involving liver dysfunction.
AB  - Transient elastography (TE) is a novel, non-invasive imaging technique for
      measuring liver stiffness (LS). It is considered to be useful for predicting the
      severity of fibrosis and the risk of cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma.
      However, the association between the presence of diffuse regions of increased
      cell density in the liver and elevated LS values has not been assessed. We
      experienced a case in which a mature T-cell neoplasm had invaded the liver, but
      the infiltrating lesion was not detected by contrast-enhanced computed tomography
      (CT) or fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT scans. Instead, the
      tumor's presence was indicated by the change in the patient's TE-derived LS
      values after chemotherapy. At diagnosis liver dysfunction was detected in a
      biochemical examination, and mean LS value was as high as 25.4 kPa [interquartile
      range (IQR): 0.3, success rate (SR):100%]. After chemotherapy, the patient's mean
      LS value fell to 4.3 kPa (IQR: 0.8, SR:100%). A follow-up pathological
      investigation demonstrated that proliferating abnormal T-cells were no longer
      present in the patient's liver. This is the first report to describe the use of
      LS data to support a diagnosis of liver infiltration by tumor cells exhibiting a
      portal and sinusoidal distribution pattern rather than a focal pattern. Elevated
      TE-derived LS values should lead to hepatic tumor infiltration being considered
      during initial examinations or a suspicion of recurrence during follow-up
      examination of lymphoma patients who achieve complete remission, even when
      radiological investigations do not detect abnormalities in the liver. 

PMID- 26097616
TI  - Fibrosarcoma arising from gouty tophi: report of a unique case and review of
      literature.
AB  - Fibrosarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal tumor. To the author's best knowledge, no
      previous case of fibrosarcoma arising from gouty tophi has been reported. Here we
      reported the first case of fibrosarcoma arising from gouty tophi. A case of 58
      year-old man was presented with a mass with ulcer and infection in the second
      joint of left middle finger for 2 months, with long standing gouty tophi. The
      tumor was biopsied and the biopsy showed complete excision of the tumor. With the
      pathological and immunohistochemical features considered, the diagnosis of
      fibrosarcoma associated with gouty tophi was made. The clinical findings,
      pathological characteristics and treatment were described. 

PMID- 26097617
TI  - A case report of sclerosing thymoma of the anterior mediastinum: an exceedingly
      rare morphology.
AB  - The morphology of thymoma is diverse, although 5 basic subtypes are recognized in
      the World Health Organization classification system. Sclerosing thymoma was first
      documented in 1994 and to date only 13 cases have been reported. Sclerosis itself
      is considered to be an ancient change and can occur in various histological
      subtypes. Herein, we present a case of a 62-year-old woman incidentally found to
      have an anterior mediastinal mass, 31 * 24 * 17 mm in size, without an associated
      autoimmune disease such as myasthenia gravis. The mass was finally diagnosed as
      sclerosing thymoma derived from type A thymoma. Intraoperative pathological
      examination using a limited amount of sample did not allow a definitive diagnosis
      of thymoma in this case. When dealing with fibrous lesions observed in limited
      samples such as biopsy and intraoperative frozen specimens, recognizing
      sclerosing thymoma is important since there are several disease entities
      accompanying fibrosis in the anterior mediastinum. 

PMID- 26097618
TI  - Endogenous lipoid pneumonia in a cachectic patient after brain injury.
AB  - Endogenous lipoid pneumonia (EnLP) is an uncommon non-life-threatening
      inflammatory lung disease that usually occurs in patients with conditions such as
      lung cancers, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and undifferentiated connective
      tissue disease. Here we report a case of EnLP in a paralytic and cachectic
      patient with bronchopneumonia after brain injury. A 40-year-old man experienced a
      severe brain injury in an automobile accident. He was treated for 1 month and his
      status plateaued. However, he became paralyzed and developed cachexia and
      ultimately died 145 days after the accident. Macroscopically, multifocal
      yellowish firm nodules were visible on scattered gross lesions throughout the
      lungs. Histologically, many foam cells had accumulated within the alveoli and
      alveolar walls accompanied by a surrounding interstitial infiltration of
      lymphocytes. The findings were in accordance with a diagnosis of EnLP.
      Bronchopneumonia was also noted. To our knowledge, there have been few reports of
      EnLP associated with bronchopneumonia and cachexia after brain injury. This
      uncommon pathogenesis should be well recognized by clinicians and forensic
      pathologists. The case reported here should prompt medical staff to increase the
      nutritional status and fight pulmonary infections in patients with brain injury
      to prevent the development of EnLP. 

PMID- 26097619
TI  - Articular nodular fasciitis of the right shoulder joint: report of an unusual
      case with focus on immunohistochemical differential diagnosis.
AB  - The mesenchymal lesion nodular fasciitis (NF) can affect various sites of the
      body but usually arises in subcutaneous tissue or occasionally skeletal muscle.
      NF is not commonly known to arise in joints, and articular NF is extremely rare.
      Herein, we present a case of a 54-year-old woman with articular NF. No sign of
      recurrence was observed after surgical piecemeal removal with a suspected
      positive surgical margin. In our case, a differential diagnosis of NF, desmoid
      type fibromatosis, and low-grade myofibroblastic sarcoma was considered. Stromal
      hyalinization, a characteristic of articular NF, made the diagnosis somewhat
      difficult, although typical NF morphology was present. Immunohistochemical
      analysis of alpha-smooth muscle actin, desmin, beta-catenin, and protein gene
      product 9.5 expression along with close morphological examination provided a
      reliable distinction. 

PMID- 26097620
TI  - Porokeratosis with follicular involvement: report of three cases and review of
      literatures.
AB  - Porokeratosis is characterized clinically by annular plaques with a distinct
      peripheral keratotic ridge and histologically by the cornoid lamella.
      Porokeratosis with follicular involvement is rarely reported. To provide the
      basis of that follicular porokeratosis is a clinical variant or not. Biopsy was
      taken from three patients who were diagnosed porokeratosis. Routine stain was
      made and reviewed the literatures about well-documented cases of porokeratosis
      with follicular involvement. Porokeratosis with follicular involvement may have
      some clinical features: asymptomatic, erythematous, brownish or skin-color, less
      than 1 cm in the areas excluding palm and plantar, which commonly involved on
      middle-age. But there have still not enough proof as an independent clinical
      variant. 

PMID- 26097621
TI  - Death by aortoesophageal fistula due to disseminated tuberculosis: a case study.
AB  - Tuberculosis remains a serious public health problem worldwide, especially in
      Korea. Although tuberculosis is generally considered a non-fatal chronic disease,
      deaths have occurred. In this case study, a 68-year-old man was admitted to the
      hospital with dyspepsia, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Nine hours later, he
      suffered severe hematemesis and died despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation. A
      medico-legal autopsy was performed and an external examination revealed no
      external injuries. However, an internal examination revealed an aortoesophageal
      fistula and a large amount of blood in the stomach. A histologic examination
      confirmed tuberculous mediastinitis with disseminated tuberculosis involving
      multiple organs, including the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and spleen. Both an
      aortoesophageal fistula and sudden death due to tuberculosis infection are rare.
      This paper reports the case of a fatal aortoesophageal fistula associated with
      disseminated tuberculosis. 

PMID- 26097622
TI  - Primary adrenal leiomyosarcoma: a case report and review of literature.
AB  - Primary adrenal leiomyosarcoma (PAL) is an extremely rare mesenchymal tumors and
      originates from the smooth muscle wall of the central adrenal vein and its
      branches. Herein we report a case of a 49-year-old female suffering from PAL.
      Computed tomography revealed a well-circumscribed heterogeneously mass measuring
      6 * 5 * 5 cm located in the left suprarenal areal, and a left laparoscopic
      adrenalectomy was underwent. Microscopic examination showed a hypercellular tumor
      with intersecting fascicled of spindled cells. Immunohistochemical staining
      showed that the cells were positive for desmin, smooth muscle actin (SMA),
      vimentin and negative for CD34, CD117, S100, Bcl-2 and Dog1. No oncological
      treatment underwent after surgery, and the patient had no recurrence or
      metastasis at 6 months postoperatively.

PMID- 26097623
TI  - A rare occurrence of lymphoepithelial cyst in the palatine tonsil: a case report
      and discussion of the etiopathogenesis.
AB  - Lymphoepithelial cysts are uncommon benign lesions that present as painless
      yellowish nodules arising from various sites in the oral cavity and other parts
      of the body. Their etiopathogenesis is controversial, but most authors have
      assumed that they develop from obstruction of crypts in oral lymphoid aggregates,
      thus they are not true cysts but pseudocysts of retention. This paper describes a
      case of a large lymphoepithelial cyst located in the tonsil of a 21-year-old man
      complaining of a lump in the throat for four months. The patient underwent
      excisional biopsy, and the histopathological features showed squamous epithelium
      surrounded by lymphoid tissue, which were characteristically consistent with a
      lymphoepithelial cyst. We discuss the etiopathogenesis of these lesions and
      treatment modalities, which can consist of conservative surgery or only follow-up
      examination. 

PMID- 26097624
TI  - In vitro studies of phenethyl isothiocyanate against the growth of LN229 human
      glioma cells.
AB  - Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) is one of the best studied members of
      isothiocyanates (ITC), a variety of edible cruciferous vegetables including
      broccoli, watercress, and cabbage, and have generated particular interest because
      of its remarkable chemopreventive activity. Many literature reports proved that
      phenethyl isothiocyanate exhibited significant anti-cancer chemopreventive
      effects including lung, glioma and leukemia cancer. In this study, we explored
      the inhibitory effects as well as mechanisms of PEITC on human glioma LN229
      cells. Results demonstrated that PEITC possesses the potential ability to inhibit
      proliferation, induce apoptosis and arrest cell cycling against LN229 human
      glioma cells. Moreover, investigated results showed that PEITC inhibited the
      expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH), and caused
      oxidative stress to tumor cells. Collective results suggested us to believe that
      PEITC can inhibit the growth of LN229 cells and its mechanism can be related to
      the fact that PEITC can cause oxidative stress to tumor cells. 

PMID- 26097625
TI  - A PROOF OF CONVERGENCE OF THE HORN AND SCHUNCK OPTICAL FLOW ALGORITHM IN
      ARBITRARY DIMENSION.
AB  - The Horn and Schunck (HS) method, which amounts to the Jacobi iterative scheme in
      the interior of the image, was one of the first optical flow algorithms. In this
      article, we prove the convergence of the HS method, whenever the problem is well
      posed. Our result is shown in the framework of a generalization of the HS method
      in dimension n >= 1, with a broad definition of the discrete Laplacian. In this
      context, the condition for the convergence is that the intensity gradients are
      not all contained in a same hyperplane. Two other articles ([17] and [13])
      claimed to solve this problem in the case n = 2, but it appears that both of
      these proofs are erroneous. Moreover, we explain why some standard results on the
      convergence of the Jacobi method do not apply for the HS problem, unless n = 1.
      It is also shown that the convergence of the HS scheme implies the convergence of
      the Gauss-Seidel and SOR schemes for the HS problem.

PMID- 26097626
TI  - Chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells in human umbilical cord stroma with
      PGA and PLLA scaffolds.
AB  - The stem cells in the umbilical cord stroma, or Wharton's jelly, are referred to
      as human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells (hUCMSCs) and have been shown
      to differentiate along a chondrogenic lineage. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the chondrogenic differentiation of hUCMSCs in either polyglycolic acid
      (PGA) or poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) non-woven mesh scaffolds for cartilage tissue
      engineering. PGA is widely known to degrade faster than PLLA, and over longer
      time scales, and differences may be expected to emerge after extended culture
      periods. Therefore, the focus of this study was to evaluate differences over a
      shorter duration. After 21 days of culture in PLLA or PGA scaffolds, hUCMSC
      constructs were analyzed for biochemical content, histology, and gene expression.
      Overall, there were only minute differences between the two scaffold groups, with
      similar gene expression and biosynthesis. The most notable difference was a
      change in shape from cylindrical to spherical by the PGA, but not PLLA, scaffold
      group. The overall similar behavior of the groups may suggest that in vivo
      application of hUCMSC-seeded PLLA or PGA scaffolds, following a 21-day pre
      culture period, may yield similar constructs at the time of implantation.
      However, differences may begin to become more apparent with in vivo performance
      following implantation, or with in vitro performance over longer time periods.

PMID- 26097627
TI  - Isolated posterior malleolus fracture: a rare injury mechanism.
AB  - Sprain of the ankle is undoubtedly a common injury during athletic activity, and
      the sprain can be also associated with fracture of the ankle. Isolated posterior
      malleolus fracture is a very rare condition, which is usually missed. Here, we
      are presenting a 37 years old female patient, who suffered injury secondary
      pressing on brake pedal during collision in a traffic accident. Clinical
      evaluation is based on Ottawa Ankle Rules and a fracture is diagnosed; patient is
      started on daily activities at postoperative Week 8. This study aims to emphasize
      that Ottawa Ankle Rules are usually efficient for evaluating fractures of ankle,
      but clinicians should always make a detailed physical examination. 

PMID- 26097628
TI  - Vaginal metastasis of pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Vaginal metastasis from pancreatic cancer is an extreme case and often indicates
      a poor prognosis. We present a case of pancreatic carcinoma with metastasis to
      the vagina that was discovered by vaginal bleeding. To our knowledge, this is the
      third case in the world of a primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma discovered of
      symptoms from a vaginal metastasis. 

PMID- 26097630
TI  - [Acquired vulvar lymphangioma after treatment of a gynecological cancer].

PMID- 26097629
TI  - [Prevalence of hepatitis B in people infected with HIV in Parakou in Benin].

PMID- 26097631
TI  - A rare case of urinary tract infection due to Trichosporon asahii in a diabetic
      patient.
AB  - Trichosporon asahii is a basidiomycete yeast responsible for white piedra and
      onychomycosis in the immunocompetent host. In the immunocompromised patients,
      invasive infections are reported; their diagnosis is difficult and they are
      associated with high mortality rate. Urinary infection due to Trichosporon Asahi
      is rare but its incidence increasing. We report the case of a 58 year old
      diabetic patient. The yeast was isolated from urine samples of three consecutive
      crops in pure form. The patient improved after antifungal therapy.

PMID- 26097632
TI  - [Healthcare journey of the elderly in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso: a cross
      sectional survey].

PMID- 26097634
TI  - [Non secreting paraganglioma of Zuckerkandl organ].

PMID- 26097633
TI  - [Blunt and penetrating trauma the abdomen: retrospective analysis of 175 cases
      and review of literature].

PMID- 26097635
TI  - [Cardiac involvement in Steinert myotonic dystrophy: Moroccan experience, about
      18 cases].

PMID- 26097636
TI  - [Place of non-operative treatment of abdominal contusions in developing
      countries].

PMID- 26097637
TI  - [Allergic asthma in central Tunisia].

PMID- 26097638
TI  - [A hemorrhagic stroke revealing Neisseria meningitidis meningitis].

PMID- 26097639
TI  - [A carotidynia revealing Takayasu's arteritis in a man of 54 years].

PMID- 26097640
TI  - Early seizures in acute stroke.
AB  - Early seizures (ES) may complicate the clinical course of patients with acute
      stroke. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and the predictive
      factors for early seizures as well the clinical outcome in patients with first
      ever stroke. A total of 352 consecutive patients with first-ever stroke, admitted
      to our department, were included in this retrospective study. Early seizures were
      defined as seizures occurring within 7 days from acute stroke. Patients with
      history of epilepsy were excluded. About 47 patients (13%) had early seizure, and
      8 had a status epilepticus. We had 28 women and 19 men. The mean age was 71.6 +/-
      14.6. They were significantly more common in patients with cortical involvement,
      severe and large stroke, and in patient with cortical associated hemorrhage. ES
      were associated with an increase in adverse outcome (mortality and disability).
      Early seizures occurred in about 13% of patients with acute stroke. In these
      patients hemorrhagic transformation is a predictive factor for ES. ES seem to be
      associated with a worse outcome after acute stroke.

PMID- 26097641
TI  - A cross-population extended haplotype-based homozygosity score test to detect
      positive selection in genome-wide scans.
AB  - In this article, we developed a cross-population comparison test statistic to
      detect chromosome regions in which there is no significant excess homozygosity in
      one population but homozygosity remains high in the other. We treated an extended
      stretch of homozygosity as a surrogate indicator of a recent positive selection.
      Conditioned on existing linkage disequilibrium, we proposed to test the haplotype
      version of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). For each population, we assumed
      that a random sample of unrelated individuals were typed on a large number of
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A pooled-test statistic was constructed
      by comparing the measurements of homozygosity of the two samples around a core
      SNP. In the chromosome regions where HWE is roughly true in one population and
      HWE is not true in the other, the pooled-test statistic led to significant
      results to detect the positive selection. We evaluated the performance of the
      test statistic by type I error comparison and power evaluation. We showed that
      the proposed test statistic was very conservative and it had good power when the
      selected allele remains polymorphic. Then, we applied the test to HapMap Phase II
      data to make a comparison with previous results and to search for new candidate
      regions.

PMID- 26097642
TI  - Chronic urticaria merits serum vitamin D evaluation and supplementation; a
      randomized case control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies suggest that Vitamin D (Vit-D3) supplementation
      reduces Chronic Urticaria (CU) symptoms. OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin-D (25 (OH)2D) level and assessment of therapeutic effect of
      VitD3in CU patients. METHODS: 192 subjects were stratified according to the
      baseline 25(OH)2D levels and subsequently randomized into three subgroups to
      receive Vit-D3 alone (VD) or antihistamine and systemic corticosteroid (H+S) or
      VitD3 with antihistamine and systemic corticosteroid (VD+H+S) for 6 weeks between
      July 2012 to Oct 2014. 130 healthy controls (HC) were followed without any
      intervention. The patients were evaluated for reduction in urticarial symptoms
      using visual analogue scale (VAS) and 5-D itch score. RESULTS: Low serum levels
      of 25 (OH)2D was observed in 91% of CU patients and 64% of the healthy controls
      (P < 0.0001). VAS and 5-D Score in subgroups VD, H + S and VD + H + S decreased
      significantly from 6 . 7 +/- 0 . 043, 6 . 6 +/- 0 . 42 and 6 . 68 +/- 0 . 40 at
      baseline to 5 . 2 +/- 0 . 70 (P = 0 . 0088), 3 . 3 +/- 0 . 50 (P < 0 . 0001) and1
      . 86 +/- 0 . 39 (P < 0 . 0001) after treatment and from 14 . 5 +/- 0 . 72, 13 . 9
      +/- 0 . 77 and 13 . 9 +/- 0 . 221 to 12 . 06 +/- 1 . 10 (P = 0 . 0072), 8 . 1 +/-
      1 . 13 (P < 0 . 0001) and 5 . 01 +/- 0 . 94 (P < 0 . 0001) respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: CU patients have low serum 25(OH)2D levels and Vit-D3
      supplementation in combination with antihistamine and systemic corticosteroid
      show elevated response in resolving the symptoms of CU. This study also warrants
      that each subject with CU should be screened for serum 25 (OH)2D levels before
      starting a treatment.

PMID- 26097643
TI  - Acne-Related Quality of Life Among Female Adults of Different Races/Ethnicities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acne impairs quality of life, but its effect on different
      races/ethnicities is unclear. This study evaluated racial/ethnic differences in
      acne-related quality of life and psychological symptoms among female adults.
      METHODS: A Web-based survey was conducted with U.S. female adults (25-45 years
      old) with facial acne (>=25 visible lesions). Outcomes included
      sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, acne-related quality of life (Acne
      Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire), psychological symptoms (Patient Health
      Questionnaire), and work/school productivity. Racial/ethnic differences were
      evaluated using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance/chi-square
      analyses. RESULTS: Three-hundred twelve subjects (Black = 30.8%, Hispanic =
      17.6%, Asian/other = 17.3%, White = 34.3%) completed the survey (mean age = 35.3
      +/- 5.9 years). Acne negatively impacted quality of life for all subjects. Black
      subjects reported significantly less negative impact on self-perception versus
      Asian/other (Black = 12.6 +/- 9.9, Asian/other = 8.4 +/- 8.6; p = .05). Social
      functioning was less negatively impacted in White and Black subjects versus
      Asian/other (White = 12.7 +/- 7.5, Asian/other = 8.4 +/- 7.8, p < .05; Black =
      12.1 +/- 9.2, Asian/other = 8.4 +/- 7.8, p = .06). Over one third (total sample =
      40.7%, Black = 31.3%, Hispanic = 36.4%, Asian/other = 50.0%, White = 46.7%)
      reported moderate/severe anxiety/depression symptoms. Acne also impacted ability
      to concentrate on work/school. CONCLUSION: Racial/ethnic differences were
      observed in acne-related quality of life and psychological symptoms in female
      adults; acne negatively impacted self-perceptions and social/emotional
      functioning.

PMID- 26097644
TI  - Detection of plant oil addition to cheese by synchronous fluorescence
      spectroscopy.
AB  - The fraudulent addition of plant oils during the manufacturing of hard cheeses is
      a real issue for the dairy industry. Considering the importance of monitoring
      adulterations of genuine cheeses, the potential of fluorescence spectroscopy for
      the detection of cheese adulteration with plant oils was investigated.
      Synchronous fluorescence spectra were collected within the range of 240 to 700 nm
      with different wavelength intervals. The lowest detection limits of adulteration,
      3.0 and 4.4%, respectively, were observed for the application of wavelength
      intervals of 60 and 80 nm. Multiple linear regression models were used to
      calculate the level of adulteration, with the lowest root mean square error of
      prediction and root mean square error of cross validation equalling 1.5 and 1.8%,
      respectively, for the measurement acquired at the wavelength interval of 60 nm.
      Lower classification errors were obtained for the successive projections
      algorithm-linear discriminant analysis (SPA-LDA) rather than for the principal
      component analysis (PCA)-LDA method. The lowest classification error rates
      equalled 3.8% (?lambda = 10 and 30 nm) and 0.0% (?lambda = 60 nm) for the PCA-LDA
      and SPA-LDA classification methods, respectively. The applied technique is useful
      for detecting the addition of plant fat to hard cheese.

PMID- 26097645
TI  - New insights about phenotypic heterogeneity within Propionibacterium
      freudenreichii argue against its division into subspecies.
AB  - Propionibacterium freudenreichii is widely used in Swiss-type cheese manufacture,
      where it contributes to flavour and eye development. It is currently divided into
      two subspecies, according to the phenotype for lactose fermentation and nitrate
      reduction (lac+/nit- and lac-/nit+ for P. freudenreichii subsp. shermanii and
      subsp. freudenreichii, respectively). However, the existence of unclassifiable
      strains (lac+/nit+ and lac-/nit-) has also been reported. The aim of this study
      was to revisit the relevance of the subdivision of P. freudenreichii into
      subspecies, by confirming the existence of unclassifiable strains. Relevant
      conditions to test the ability of P. freudenreichii for lactose fermentation and
      nitrate reduction were first determined, by using 10 sequenced strains, in which
      the presence or absence of the lactose and nitrate genomic islands were known. We
      also determined whether the subdivision based on lac/nit phenotype was related to
      other phenotypic properties of interest in cheese manufacture, in this case, the
      production of aroma compounds, analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry,
      for a total of 28 strains. The results showed that a too short incubation time
      can lead to false negative for lactose fermentation and nitrate reduction. They
      confirmed the existence of four lac/nit phenotypes instead of the two expected,
      thus leading to 13 unclassifiable strains out of the 28 characterized (7
      lac+/nit+ and 6 lac-/nit-). The production of the 15 aroma compounds detected in
      all cultures varied more within a lac/nit phenotype (up to 20 times) than between
      them. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the division of P.
      freudenreichii into two subspecies does not appear to be relevant.

PMID- 26097646
TI  - Gait Analysis in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Gait analysis of patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy
      (CSM) by using a sheet-type gait analysis system. PURPOSE: The aim of this study
      was to compare the gait patterns of patients with CSM, evaluated by the Nurick
      grades, and to determine the threshold values of gait parameters predicting the
      occurrence of a fall by using a gait recorder. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Gait
      disorder due to CSM may progress to severe paraplegia, following even a minor
      trauma such as a fall. The indications for the surgery of CSM without severe
      paralysis remain controversial. The quantitative gait analysis and the decision
      for decompressive surgery in patients with CSM are important in order to prevent
      severe paraplegia from a fall. METHODS: One hundred thirty-two subjects (normal,
      34; CSM, 98) underwent gait analysis by using a sensor sheet. Measurements of
      gait cycle parameters included the step and stride length, step width, foot
      angle, swing phase, and stance phase. CSM was assessed by Nurick grade. RESULTS:
      Although the clinical symptoms were lacking, Nurick grade 1 had significant
      abnormalities in the parameters of velocity, step length, and step angle
      (p<0.05). Regarding the Nurick grade and walking phase, the length of the stance
      phase was increased to more than 70% of the entire walking cycle in Nurick grade
      4. CONCLUSIONS: Gait analysis was an objective tool for evaluating the gait
      stability. Our results suggested that when the percentage of the stance phase in
      the gait cycle increases to above 70%, the CSM patients have an increased fall
      risk.

PMID- 26097647
TI  - Detecting Facet Joint and Lateral Mass Injuries of the Subaxial Cervical Spine in
      Major Trauma Patients.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Radiologic imaging measurement study. PURPOSE: To assess the
      accuracy of detecting lateral mass and facet joint injuries of the subaxial
      cervical spine on plain radiographs using computed tomography (CT) scan images as
      a reference standard; and the integrity of morphological landmarks of the lateral
      mass and facet joints of the subaxial cervical spine. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE:
      Injuries of lateral mass and facet joints potentially lead to an unstable
      subaxial cervical spine and concomitant neurological sequelae. However, no study
      has evaluated the accuracy of detecting specific facet joint injuries. METHODS:
      Eight spinal surgeons scored four sets of the same, randomly re-ordered, 30 cases
      with and without facet joint injuries of the subaxial cervical spine. Two surveys
      included conventional plain radiographs series (test) and another two surveys
      included CT scan images (reference). Facet joint injury characteristics were
      assessed for accuracy and reliability. Raw agreement, Fleiss kappa, Cohen's kappa
      and intraclass correlation coefficient statistics were used for reliability
      analysis. Majority rules were used for accuracy analysis. RESULTS: Of the 21
      facet joint injuries discerned on CT scan images, 10 were detected in both plain
      radiograph surveys (sensitivity, 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26-0.70).
      There were no false positive facet joint injuries in either of the first two X
      ray surveys (specificity, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.63-1.0). Five of the 11 cases with
      missed injuries had an injury below the lowest visible articulating level on
      radiographs. CT scan images resulted in superior inter- and intra-rater agreement
      values for assessing morphologic injury characteristics of facet joint injuries.
      CONCLUSIONS: Plain radiographs are not accurate, nor reliable for the assessment
      of facet joint injuries of the subaxial cervical spine. CT scans offer reliable
      diagnostic information required for the detection and treatment planning of facet
      joint injuries.

PMID- 26097648
TI  - The Time Course Changes in Bone Metabolic Markers after Administering the Anti
      Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-Kappa B Ligand Antibody and Drug Compliance
      among Patients with Osteoporosis.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. PURPOSE: We conducted a study to investigate
      the time course changes in bone metabolic markers after the administration of the
      anti-receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) antibody and to
      assess drug compliance among osteoporotic patients. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The
      anti-RANKL antibody is expected to provide an improvement in those with a bone
      metabolism disorder. However there are only a few clinical reports available on
      the effect of treatment. METHODS: We included 40 post-menopausal osteoporotic
      patients who received the anti-RANKL antibody. To determine the time course
      changes in the bone metabolic markers, we measured the serum tartrate-resistant
      acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP 5b; a bone resorption marker) and the serum N-terminal
      propeptide of type 1 collagen (P1NP; a bone formation marker) levels prior to and
      1 month after administrating the anti-RANKL antibody. To evaluable drug
      compliance, we assessed the dropout rate during treatment and at 6 months after
      treatment. RESULTS: The average TRACP 5b level significantly decreased from 574.8
      mU/dL before treatment to 153.2 mU/dL 1 month after treatment (p<0.05). There was
      no significant difference in the average P1NP level, which was 56.9 uG/L and 35.1
      uG/L before and 1 month after treatment, respectively (p>0.05). As for drug
      compliance, we did not have any dropouts during the treatment or after 6 months
      (dropout rate: 0%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that anti-RANKL antibody
      treatment suppresses bone resorption and maintains bone formation.

PMID- 26097649
TI  - Demographics of Thoracolumbar Fracture in Indian Population Presenting to a
      Tertiary Level Trauma Centre.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, cross-sectional, observational study. PURPOSE: Spine
      traumata are devastating injuries, which may result in serious disabilities and
      dire consequences. The current study involves a detailed analysis and description
      of patients, who were operated at a tertiary care, urban level 1 Spine Centre in
      India. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Various studies in literature have discussed the
      epidemiology and patterns of these injuries in trauma patients. However,
      literature describing the demographic profile and distribution of these traumata
      in the Indian population is scarce. METHODS: The current study was conducted as a
      prospective trial involving patients, who were treated at our Spine Centre in
      India between July 2009 to December 2012. We studied 92 patients with thoraco
      lumbar spine fracture, who were operated with short or long segment posterior
      stabilization. Epidemiological details, pre- and post-hospitalisation care
      received and other injury pattern factors were studied. RESULTS: Fall from height
      (46 patients, 50%) was the most common mechanism observed in the patients. Sixty
      three percent injuries belonged to AO type A fractures, while 16.2% and 19.4% of
      the patients had suffered from AO types B and C injuries, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: We identified interesting epidemiological data and prevailing
      inadequacies in Emergency Spine care management in the study patients. These
      observations could facilitate implementation of the changes required to improve
      current standards of patient care.

PMID- 26097650
TI  - Restoration of Lumbar Lordosis in Flat Back Deformity: Optimal Degree of
      Correction.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective comparative study. PURPOSE: To provide an ideal
      correction angle of lumbar lordosis (LL) in degenerative flat back deformity.
      OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The degree of correction in degenerative flat back in
      relation to pelvic incidence (PI) remains controversial. METHODS: Forty-nine
      patients with flat back deformity who underwent corrective surgery were enrolled.
      Posterior-anterior-posterior sequential operation was performed. Mean age and
      mean follow-up period was 65.6 years and 24.2 months, respectively. We divided
      the patients into two groups based on immediate postoperative radiographs-optimal
      correction (OC) group (PI-9 degrees <=LL<PI+9 degrees ) and under-correction (UC)
      group (LL<PI-9 degrees ). We also classified the patients according to the PI of
      each patient-low PI group (PI<55 degrees ) and high PI group (PI>=55 degrees ).
      Radiological and clinical results were analyzed. RESULTS: Patients in OC group
      had significantly less correction loss and maintained normal sagittal alignment
      (sagittal vertical axis<5 cm), as compared to patients in UC group (p<0.05). LL
      of low PI group significantly maintained within 9 degrees  better than high PI
      group (p<0.05). Oswestry disability index (ODI) significantly decreased at last
      follow-up, as compared to preoperative state. However, there was no significant
      difference in last follow-up ODI between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: In flat back
      deformity, correction of LL to within 9 degrees  of PI will result in better
      sagittal balance. Thus, we recommend sufficient LL to prevent correction loss,
      especially in patients with high PI.

PMID- 26097651
TI  - Three Different Methods in Deformity Correction of Degenerative Flat Back: A
      Single Surgeon's Experience with 64 Consecutive Cases.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. PURPOSE: To evaluate the radiological and
      clinical results of three different methods in the deformity correction of a
      degenerative flat back. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: There are no comparative studies
      about different procedures in the treatment of degenerative flat back. METHODS:
      Sixty-four patients who consecutively underwent corrective surgery for
      degenerative flat back were reviewed. The operations were performed by three
      different methods: posterior-only (group P, n=20), one-stage anterior-posterior
      (group AP, n=12), and two-stage anterior-posterior with iliac screw fixation
      (group AP-I, n=32). Medical and surgical complications were examined and
      radiological and clinical results were compared. RESULTS: The majority of medical
      and surgical complications were found in group AP (5/12) and group P (7/20). The
      sagittal vertical axes were within normal range immediately postoperatively in
      all groups, but only group AP-I showed normal sagittal alignment at the final
      follow-up. Postoperative lumbar lordosis was also significantly higher in group
      AP-I than in group P or group AP and the finding did not change through the last
      follow-up. The Oswestry disability index was significantly lower in groups AP and
      AP-I than in group P at the final follow-up. Meanwhile, the operating time was
      the longest in group AP-I, and total amount of blood loss was larger in group AP
      I and group AP than in group P. CONCLUSIONS: Anterior-posterior correction showed
      better clinical results than posterior-only correction. Two-staged anterior
      posterior correction with iliac screw fixation showed better radiological results
      than posterior-only or one-staged anterior-posterior correction. Two-staged
      anterior-posterior correction with iliac screw fixation also showed a lower
      complication rate than one-staged anterior-posterior correction.

PMID- 26097652
TI  - Epidural Fibrosis after Lumbar Disc Surgery: Prevention and Outcome Evaluation.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective, randomized, controlled study designed and
      conducted over 10 years from 2002 to 2012. PURPOSE: The study aimed to monitor
      the effect of suction drains (SD) on the incidence of epidural fibrosis (EF) and
      to test, if the use of SD alone, SD with local steroids application, SD combined
      with fat grafts and local steroids application, or SD combined with fat grafts
      and without local steroids application, would improve outcome. OVERVIEW OF
      LITERATURE: EF contributes to significant unsatisfactory failed-back syndrome.
      Efforts have been tried to reduce postoperative EF, but none were ideal. METHODS:
      Between September 2002 and 2012, 290 patients with symptomatic unilateral or
      bilateral, single-level lumbar disc herniation were included in the study. Two
      groups were included, with 165 patients in group I (intervention group) and 125
      patients in group II (control group). Group I was subdivided into four subgroups:
      group Ia (SD alone), group Ib (SD+fat graft), group Ic (SD+local steroids), and
      group Id (SD+fat graft+local steroids). RESULTS: The use of SD alone or combined
      with only fat grafts, fats grafts and local steroids application, or only local
      steroids application significantly improved patient outcome and significantly
      reduced EF as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). CONCLUSIONS: This
      study has clearly demonstrated the fact that the use of suction drainage alone or
      combined with only fat grafts, fats grafts and local steroids application, or
      only local steroids application significantly improved patient outcome with
      respect to pain relief and functional outcome and significantly reduced EF as
      measured by an MRI. A simple grading system of EF on MRI was described.

PMID- 26097653
TI  - Clinical Findings and Results of Surgical Resection in 19 Cases of Spinal Osteoid
      Osteoma.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive cases series. PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical findings
      and results of conventional surgery in patients with spinal osteoid osteoma (OO).
      OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: OO is a rare benign tumor with spinal involvement rate of
      about 10%-20%. METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted on 19 patients (11
      males and 8 females with an average age of 19.8 years) with documented
      histopathological and imaging findings of OO referred to a university hospital.
      Neurologic symptoms and pain were scored before and after the open surgical
      excision. Data were analyzed by SPSS ver. 16 software using chi-square and
      significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: The most common complaint was back or neck
      pain (84.2%) and in 68.4% spinal deformity (mostly scoliosis) shown with an
      average cobb angle of 21 degrees  at presentation. The sites of involvement were
      35% in the lumbar, 35% in the thoracic, 25% in the cervical, and 5% in the
      sacrum. Lamina was the most common site (50%) of involvement with predilection
      for the right side (p=0.001). All patients were treated by conventional surgical
      excision with a complete recovery of pain and deformity. No recurrence occurred
      after a mean follow up of 44.5 months, but 4 of 19 cases instrumented because of
      induced instability. In one case there were two levels of involvement (C7-T1)
      simultaneously. Interestingly, 10 out of 19 of our cases belonged to a specific
      race (Bakhtiari). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical intra-lesional curettage is potentially
      an effective method without any recurrence, which can lead to spontaneous
      scoliosis recovery and pain relief. Race may be a potential risk factor for
      spinal (OO).

PMID- 26097654
TI  - Computed Tomography-Guided Biopsy for Potts Disease: An Institutional Experience
      from an Endemic Developing Country.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review. PURPOSE: In endemic resource poor
      countries like Pakistan, most patients are diagnosed and treated for Potts
      disease on clinical and radiological grounds without a routine biopsy. The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate the use and effect of computed tomography
      (CT)-guided biopsy in the management of Potts disease since the technique is
      becoming increasingly available. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: CT-guided biopsy of
      spinal lesions is routinely performed. Literature on the utility of the technique
      in endemic resource poor countries is little. METHODS: This study was conducted
      at the Neurosurgery section of Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi. All the
      patients with suspected Potts disease who underwent CT-guided biopsy during the 7
      year period from 2007 to 2013 were included in this study. Details of the
      procedure, histopathology and microbiology were recorded. RESULTS: One hundred
      and seventy-eight patients were treated for suspected Potts disease during the
      study period. CT-guided biopsies of the spinal lesions were performed in 91
      patients (51.12%). Of the 91 procedures, 22 (24.2%) were inconclusive because of
      inadequate sample (10), normal tissue (6) or reactive tissue (6). Sixty-nine
      biopsies were positive (75.8%). Granulomatous inflammation was seen in 58
      patients (84.05%), positive acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear in 4 (5.7%) and
      positive AFB culture in 12 patients (17.3%). All 91 cases in which CT-guided
      biopsy was performed responded positively to antituberculosis therapy (ATT).
      CONCLUSIONS: 75.8% of the specimens yielded positive diagnoses. Granulomatous
      inflammation on histopathology was the commonest diagnostic feature. In this
      series, the rates of positive AFB smear and culture were low compared to previous
      literature.

PMID- 26097655
TI  - Lumbar Spinal Canal Stenosis Classification Criteria: A New Tool.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study. PURPOSE: To design a new tool for classifying
      lumbar spinal canal stenosis (CLSCS). OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Grading of patients
      with lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS) is controversial. METHODS: The Oswestry
      disability index (ODI) and the neurogenic claudication outcome score (NCOS) were
      recorded. Four parameters, which indicate the severity of LSCS disease, including
      Hufschmidt-grade, grading of magnetic resonance imaging, self-paced walking test,
      and stenosis ratio (SR) were employed. For the SR, quartile analysis was applied
      for classifying LSCS and the Hufschmidt-grade was modified into a 4-grade score.
      An initial score was assigned to each metric based on the severity of LSCS. Using
      the inverse-variance weighting method, the relative weights of these domains and
      their categories were determined. The score for all of the cases was obtained
      based on their weight by summing up the points of the four variables. Quartile
      analysis was used and a CLSCS score was proposed. Finally, intra- and
      interobserver reliability, and validity were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 357
      patients were studied. The final CLSCS score for each case ranged from 4 to 16.5.
      Based on the quartile analysis, using the new criteria set, the CLSCS score was
      divided into four categories: CLSCS<7 (grade 0); 7<=CLSCS<10 (grade 1);
      10<=CLSCS<13 (grade 2); and 13<=CLSCS<=16.5 (grade 3). The kappa values of for
      the CLSCS score indicated a perfect agreement. The CLSCS was correlated with the
      ODI and NCOS. All patients with grade 3 CLSCS were observed in the surgical
      group. CONCLUSIONS: The CLSCS score can be helpful for classifying LSCS patients
      and in the decision-making process.

PMID- 26097656
TI  - Adolescent Scoliosis Screening in Nara City Schools: A 23-Year Retrospective
      Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. PURPOSE: To determine the
      prevalence of idiopathic scoliosis, define the distribution of the curve
      magnitude, evaluate the accuracy of Moire topography as a screening tool, and
      investigate the cost-effectiveness of our screening system. OVERVIEW OF
      LITERATURE: Early detection of idiopathic scoliosis provides the opportunity for
      conservative treatment before the deformity is noticeable. We believe that
      scoliosis screening in schools is useful for detection; however, screening
      programs are controversial owing to over referral of students who do not require
      further testing or follow-up. In Japan, school scoliosis screening programs are
      mandated by law with individual policies determined by local educational
      committees. We selected Moire topography as the scoliosis screening tool for
      schools in Nara City. METHODS: We selected Moire topography as the scoliosis
      screening tool for schools in Nara City. We screened boys and girls aged 11-14
      years and reviewed the school scoliosis screening results from 1990 to 2012.
      RESULTS: A total of 195,149 children aged 11-14 years were screened. The
      prevalence of scoliosis (defined as >=10 degrees  curvature) was 0.057%, 0.010%,
      and 0.059% in fifth, sixth, and seventh grade boys and 0.337%, 0.369%, and 0.727%
      in fifth, sixth, and seventh grade girls, respectively. The false-positive rate
      of our Moire topography was 66.7%. The minimum cost incurred for scoliosis
      detection in one student was 2,000 USD. CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of
      scoliosis was low in the students of Nara City schools. Over 23 years, the
      prevalence of scoliosis in girls increased compared to that in the first decade
      of the study.

PMID- 26097657
TI  - Evaluating Kyphosis and Lordosis in Students by Using a Flexible Ruler and Their
      Relationship with Severity and Frequency of Thoracic and Lumbar Pain.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional, descriptive study. PURPOSE: This study aimed to
      investigate the relationship between kyphosis and lordosis measured by using a
      flexible ruler and musculoskeletal pain in students of Hamadan University of
      Medical Sciences. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The spine supports the body during
      different activities by maintaining appropriate body alignment and posture.
      Normal alignment of the spine depends on its structural, muscular, bony, and
      articular performance. METHODS: Two hundred forty-one students participated in
      this study. A single examiner evaluated the angles of lumbar lordosis and
      thoracic kyphosis by using a flexible ruler. To determine the severity and
      frequency of pain in low-back and inter-scapular regions, a tailor-made
      questionnaire with visual analog scale was used. Finally, using the Kendall
      correlation coefficient, the data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The mean
      value of lumbar lordosis was 34.46 degrees +/-12.61 degrees  in female students
      and 22.46 degrees +/-9.9 degrees  in male students. The mean value of lumbar
      lordosis significantly differed between female and male students (p<0.001).
      However, there was no difference in the level of the thoracic curve (p=0.288).
      Relationship between kyphosis measured by using a flexible ruler and inter
      scapular pain in male and female students was not significant (p=0.946). However,
      the relationship between lumbar lordosis and low back pain was statistically
      significant (p=0.006). Also, no significant relationship was observed between
      abnormal kyphosis and frequency of inter-scapular pain, and between lumbar
      lordosis and low back pain. CONCLUSIONS: Lumbar lordosis contributes to low back
      pain. The causes of musculoskeletal pain could be muscle imbalance and muscle and
      ligament strain.

PMID- 26097658
TI  - Optimal Timing of Preoperative Skin Preparation with Povidone-Iodine for Spine
      Surgery: A Prospective, Randomized Controlled Study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, controlled study. PURPOSE: The objective
      of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two techniques of skin
      preparation with povidone-iodine. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Preoperative skin
      preparation is important for preventing surgical site infection by reducing the
      bacteria in the surgical area. Povidone-iodine is a commonly used agent for
      preoperative skin preparation, and further decrease in surgical site infections
      can be expected by understanding how to apply it more effectively. METHODS:
      Eighty-nine spine surgery patients were randomly allocated to two groups. In
      group A, povidone-iodine was applied to the surgical site just before starting
      the operation; in group B, povidone-iodine was applied several minutes prior to
      starting the operation and was allowed to dry. We collected samples from the
      wound edge before suturing, and we compared the rates of positive culture between
      the two groups. RESULTS: The rate of positive culture was 30.2% (13 out of 43
      patients) in group A, and 6.5% (3 out of 46 patients) in group B. This indicates
      that there was a significant difference in postoperative infection rates between
      group A and group B. CONCLUSIONS: Because bacteria on the skin appeared
      significantly reduced by allowing povidone-iodine to dry for several minutes
      prior to surgery, we recommend this approach to reduce the incidence of
      postoperative infections.

PMID- 26097659
TI  - Radiological Outcome of Short Segment Posterior Instrumentation and Fusion for
      Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. PURPOSE: To evaluate the radiological outcome
      of the surgical treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures by using short segment
      posterior instrumentation (SSPI) and fusion. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The optimal
      surgical treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures remains a matter of debate.
      SSPI is one of a number of possible choices, yet some studies have revealed high
      rates of poor radiological outcome for this SSPI. METHODS: Patients treated using
      the short segment instrumentation and fusion technique at the Spinal Injuries
      Center (Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan) from January 1, 2006 to July 31, 2012 were
      selected for this study. Radiographic parameters such as local sagittal angle,
      regional sagittal angle, disc angle, anterior or posterior height of the
      vertebral body at admission, postoperation and final observation were collected
      for radiological outcome evaluation. RESULTS: There were 31 patients who met the
      inclusion criteria with a mean follow-up duration of 22.7 months (range, 12-48
      months). The mean age of this group was 47.9 years (range, 15-77 years). The mean
      local sagittal angles at the time of admission, post-operation and final
      observation were 13.1 degrees , 7.8 degrees  and 14.8 degrees , respectively.
      There were 71% good cases and 29% poor cases based on our criteria for the
      radiological outcome evaluation. The correction loss has a strong correlation
      with the load sharing classification score (Spearman rho=0.64, p<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: The loss of kyphotic correction following the surgical treatment of
      thoracolumbar burst fracture by short segment instrumentation is common and has a
      close correlation with the degree of comminution of the vertebral body. Patients
      with high load sharing scores are more susceptible to correction loss and
      postoperative kyphotic deformity than those with low scores.

PMID- 26097660
TI  - Effectiveness of Posterolateral Lumbar Fusion Varies with the Physical Properties
      of Demineralized Bone Matrix Strip.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A randomized, controlled animal study. PURPOSE: To investigate the
      effectiveness of fusion and new bone formation induced by demineralized bone
      matrix (DBM) strips with jelly strengths. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The form of the
      DBM can make a difference to the outcome. The effect of different jelly strengths
      on the ability of DBM to form new bone is not known. METHODS: Forty-eight rabbits
      were randomized into a control group and two experimental groups. In the control
      group (group 1), 1.4 g of autologous iliac crest bone was placed bilaterally. In
      the experimental groups, a high jelly strength DBM-hyaluronic acid (HA)-gelatin
      strip (group 2) and a low jelly strength DBM-HA-gelatin strip (group 3) were
      used. The fusion was assessed with manual manipulation and radiographs. The
      volume of the fusion mass was determined from computed tomographic images.
      RESULTS: The fusion rates as determined by manual palpation were 37.5%, 93.8% and
      50.0% in group 1, group 2, and group 3, respectively (p<0.05). By radiography,
      the fusion rate of High jelly strength DBM strip was statistically significantly
      greater than that of the other alternatives (p<0.05). The mean bone volume of the
      fusion mass as determined by computed tomography was 2,142.2+/-318.5 mm(3),
      3,132.9+/-632.1 mm(3), and 2,741.5+/-380.4 mm(3) in group 1, group 2, and group
      3, respectively (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that differences in
      the structural and mechanical properties of gelatin that are associated with
      jelly strength influenced cellular responses such as cell viability and bony
      tissue ingrowth, facilitating greater bone fusion around high jelly strength
      implants.

PMID- 26097662
TI  - Migrated Disc at Cervicothoracic Junction Presenting as Acute Paraplegia.
AB  - Herein, we report on an inferior migration of an intervertebral disc C6-7 to the
      cervicothoracic junction manifesting as acute paraplegia. The patient showed a
      remarkable recovery after the surgery. The diagnostic dilemma and management
      difficulties of such an entity are briefly discussed. 

PMID- 26097661
TI  - Short-Term Results of Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion Using Pedicle Screw
      with Cortical Bone Trajectory Compared with Conventional Trajectory.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study. PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical and radiological
      results of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) performed with cortical
      bone trajectory (CBT) pedicle screw insertion with those of TLIF using
      'conventional' or percutaneous pedicle screw insertion. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE:
      CBT is a new trajectory for pedicle screw insertion in the lumbar spine; clinical
      and radiological results of TLIF using pedicle screws inserted with CBT are
      unclear. METHODS: In total, 26 patients (11 males, 15 females) were enrolled in
      this retrospective study and divided into three groups: TLIF with pedicle screw
      insertion by conventional minimally invasive methods via the Wiltse approach (M
      TLIF, n=10), TLIF with percutaneous pedicle screw insertion (P-TLIF, n=6), and
      TLIF with pedicle screw insertion with CBT (CBT-TLIF, n=10). Surgical results and
      preand postoperative radiological findings were evaluated and compared. RESULTS:
      Intraoperative blood loss was significantly less with CBT-TLIF (p=0.03) than with
      M-TLIF. Postoperative lordotic angles did not differ significantly among the
      three groups. Complete fusions were obtained in 10 of 12 levels (83%) with M
      TLIF, in seven levels (100%) with P-TLIF, and in 10 of 11 levels (91%) with CBT
      TLIF. On postoperative computed tomography, correct positioning was seen in 84.1%
      of M-TLIF screws, 88.5% of P-TLIF screws, and 90% of CBT-TLIF screws.
      CONCLUSIONS: CBT-TLIF resulted in less blood loss and a shorter operative
      duration than M-TLIF or P-TLIF. Postoperative rates of bone union, maintenance of
      lordotic angles, and accuracy of pedicle screw positions were similar among the
      three groups.

PMID- 26097663
TI  - Hemophilia A in a Senior Patient: A Case Report of Spinal Epidural Hematoma as
      First Presentation.
AB  - Hemophilia A is a hereditary coagulation disorder. Most cases are diagnosed at
      birth or at least during childhood. A spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma was
      developed in a 74-year-old male patient who hadn't had a family or past medical
      history of bleeding disorders. On magnetic resonance imaging, epidural hematoma
      at L1-2 was accompanied by spinal stenosis at L4-5 and spondylolytic
      spondylolisthesis at L5. Hematoma evacuation and surgery for distal lumbar
      lesions were performed at once. After transient improvement, complete paraplegia
      was developed due to redevelopment of large epidural hematomas at L1-2 and L4-S1
      which blocked epidural canal completely. Emergency evacuation was performed and
      we got to know that he had a hemophilia A. Factor VIII was 28% of normal value.
      Mild type hemophilia A could have not been diagnosed until adulthood. Factor VIII
      should have been replaced before the surgical decompression. 

PMID- 26097664
TI  - Heterotopic Ossification Causing Radiculopathy after Lumbar Total Disc
      Arthroplasty.
AB  - To date, no reports have presented radiculopathy secondary to heterotopic
      ossification following lumbar total disc arthroplasty. The authors present a
      previously unpublished complication of lumbar total disk arthroplasty (TDA)
      secondary to heterotopic ossification (HO) in the spinal canal, and they propose
      a modification to the McAfee classification of HO. The patient had undergone an
      L5/S1 lumbar TDA two years prior due to discogenic back pain. His preoperative
      back pain was significantly relieved, but he developed new, atraumatic onset
      radiculopathy. Radiographs and a computed tomography myelogram revealed an
      implant malposition posteriorly with heterotopic bone formation in the canal,
      causing an impingement of the traversing nerve root. Revision surgery was
      performed with implant extraction, L5/S1 anterior lumbar interbody fusion,
      supplemental posterior decompression, and pedicle screw fixation. The patient
      tolerated the procedure well, with complete resolution of the radicular leg pain.
      At a two-year follow up, the patient had a solid fusion without subsidence or
      recurrence of heterotopic bone. This case represents a novel pattern of
      heterotopic ossification, and it describes a previously unreported cause for
      implant failure in lumbar disc replacement surgery-reinforcing the importance of
      proper intraoperative component positioning. We propose a modification to the
      existing McAfee classification of HO after TDA with the addition of Class V and
      VI HO. 

PMID- 26097665
TI  - A Retained Epidural Catheter Fragment Treated by Surgery.
AB  - The breakage of an epidural catheter is an extremely rare complication. We
      describe a unique case where a retained epidural catheter fragment after epidural
      anesthesia was treated by surgery. The epidural catheter broke during its
      removal, requiring surgery to remove the retained catheter. Intraoperatively, the
      removal of the catheter was attempted by simple traction, but was impossible
      because of the adhesion. The adhesion of the dura mater surface was carefully
      exfoliated and the successful removal of the catheter was accomplished.
      Conventionally, it was said that this follow-up was enough for the retained
      catheter. However, if a catheter is retained within the spinal canal, surgical
      removal should thus be considered before the adhesion advances. 

PMID- 26097666
TI  - Pitfalls in the Management of Atlanto-Occipital Dislocation.
AB  - Atlanto-occipital dislocation (AOD) is rarely seen in clinic because it is
      characteristically immediately fatal. With recent progress in the pre-hospital
      care, an increasing number of AOD survivors have been reported. However, because
      the pathophysiology of AOD is not clearly understood yet, the appropriate
      strategy for the initial management remains still unclear. We report a case of
      successful AOD treatment and describe important points in the management of this
      condition. It is important to note that abducens nerve palsy is a warning sign of
      AOD and that AOD can result in a life-threatening distortion of the arteries and
      the brain stem. We recommend the application of a halo vest to protect the
      patient's neural and vascular competence as the immediate initial step in the
      treatment of AOD. Horn's grading system is useful in assessing indications for
      surgery. Finally, when performing posterior fixation, C2 should be included
      because of the anatomy of the ligamentous architecture. 

PMID- 26097667
TI  - Reoperations Following Cervical Disc Replacement.
AB  - Cervical disc replacement (CDR) has emerged as an alternative surgical option to
      cervical arthrodesis. With increasing numbers of patients and longer follow-ups,
      complications related to the device and/or aging spine are growing, leaving us
      with a new challenge in the management and surgical revision of CDR. The purpose
      of this study is to review the current literature regarding reoperations
      following CDR and to discuss about the approaches and solutions for the current
      and future potential complications associated with CDR. The published rates of
      reoperation (mean, 1.0%; range, 0%-3.1%), revision (mean, 0.2%; range, 0%-0.5%),
      and removal (mean, 1.2%; range, 0%-1.9%) following CDR are low and comparable to
      the published rates of reoperation (mean, 1.7%; range; 0%-3.4%), revision (mean,
      1.5%; range, 0%-4.7%), and removal (mean, 2.0%; range, 0%-3.4%) following
      cervical arthrodesis. The surgical interventions following CDR range from the
      repositioning to explantation followed by fusion or the reimplantation to
      posterior foraminotomy or fusion. Strict patient selection, careful preoperative
      radiographic review and surgical planning, as well as surgical technique may
      reduce adverse events and the need for future intervention. Minimal literature
      and no guidelines exist for the approaches and techniques in revision and for the
      removal of implants following CDR. Adherence to strict indications and precise
      surgical technique may reduce the number of reoperations, revisions, and removals
      following CDR. Long-term follow-up studies are needed, assessing the implant
      survivorship and its effect on the revision and removal rates. 

PMID- 26097668
TI  - Blood Loss in Surgery for Aggressive Vertebral Haemangioma with and without
      Embolisation.
AB  - Despite their benign nature some symptomatic aggressive vertebral haemangiomas
      (AVH) require surgery to decompress spinal cord and/or stabilise pathological
      fractures. Preoperative embolisation may reduce the considerable blood loss
      during surgical decompression. This systematic review investigated whether
      preoperative embolisation reduced surgical blood loss during treatment of
      symptomatic AVH. PubMed Medline, Web of Science, and Ovid Medline were searched
      for case reports and clinical studies on surgical AVH treatment. Included were
      cases from all publications on surgical treatment of AVH where the amount of
      surgical blood loss and the use of preoperative embolisation were documented. 51
      cases with surgically treated AVH were retrieved from the included studies. Blood
      loss in the embolised treatment group (980+/-683 mL) was lower than the non
      embolised control group (1,629+/-946 mL). This systematic review found that
      embolisation prior to AVH resection reduced surgical blood loss (level of
      evidence, very low) and can be recommended (strong recommendation). 

PMID- 26097669
TI  - Coccygectomy as a Surgical Option in the Treatment of Chronic Traumatic
      Coccygodynia.

PMID- 26097670
TI  - Comments on Brown Tumor of Cervical Spines.

PMID- 26097671
TI  - Effects of opium consumption on coronary artery disease risk factors and oral
      health: Results of Kerman Coronary Artery Disease Risk factors Study a population
      based survey on 5900 subjects aged 15-75 years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Opium abuse as a relatively common behavior among Iranian population
      may have an association with the other coronary artery disease (CAD) risk
      factors. Here, we reported the prevalence of opium abuse and its co-exposures
      with oral health and other CAD risk factors. METHODS: We recruited 5900
      inhabitant aged 15-75 years using a randomized cluster household survey. All were
      interviewed for level of physical activity (PA), depression, anxiety and opium
      use and assessed for hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and oral health
      status. Regarding to opium abuse, participants were grouped into: "Non-,"
      "occasional," and "dependent" users. Using logistic regression model for every
      CAD risk factor, we assessed whether the co-exposure of opium and CAD risk factor
      is significant. RESULTS: Overall, 10.6% reported ever opium use including 5.6%
      dependent and 5% occasional users. The prevalence of opium abuse was increased
      from 2.1% in 15-25 years to 24.5% in 55-64 years group. Opium abuse, in
      occasional and dependent forms, was associated with depression (adjusted odds
      ratio [AOR] 1.81 and 2.49) and low PS (AOR 1.43 and 1.71 respectively).
      Dependents were less obese than nonusers (P < 0.01). Opium abuse had no
      significant association with hypertension, diabetes, oral health status and lipid
      profile. CONCLUSIONS: Opium abuse was associated with depression and low PA. No
      ameliorative effect was observed on hypertension, diabetes, and plasma lipid
      profile. Therefore, positive association of opium with depression and LPA and the
      incorrectness of belief on its ameliorative effect on three other important risk
      factors of CAD should be clearly highlighted in public health messages to the
      community.

PMID- 26097672
TI  - Epidemiology of Sexual Dysfunction in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the cumulative prevalence rate
      of every sexual dysfunctions (SDs) in Iranian population. METHODS: We searched
      international database such as: PubMed/Medline, Scopus, PsychNET, and Scholar
      Google and Iranian database such as Iran Psych, IranDoc, IranMedex, and SID.
      Search duration was between 1990 and 2013. RESULTS: From 449 articles were
      retrieved, then 11 articles on male with total sample size of 2142 and 8 articles
      on female with total sample size of 4391 were selected after critical appraisal.
      For quality assessment check list to evaluate a prevalence article was contained
      study population, sampling method, sample size, criteria for SD diagnosis,
      specific rates, study location, and authors list. In male, erectile dysfunction
      was 56.1%. In female, pooled estimation prevalence of hypoactive sexual desire
      disorder in complained group was 65.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 51.1-80.6%)
      compared to general population 35% (95% CI: 17.6-52.1%). Sexual arousal disorder
      in clinical patient was 59.6% (95% CI: 39-80%) against 33.8% (95% CI: 18.3-49.3%)
      in general population. Orgasmic disorder in complained was 35.5% (95% CI: 16-55%)
      and in general population was 35.3% (95% CI: 26.8-43.8%). Sexual pain disorder
      pooled estimation prevalence were 35.2% (95% CI: 14.5-56%) versus 20.1% (95% CI:
      6.4-33.8%) in complained and general population consecutively. CONCLUSIONS: The
      rate of SD in Iran was approximately the same of worldwide except orgasmic
      disorder which was two times more than the worldwide average.

PMID- 26097673
TI  - Effect of Chewing Xylitol Containing and Herbal Chewing Gums on Salivary Mutans
      Streptococcus Count among School Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present study aims to assess and compare the reduction in
      salivary Mutans Streptococci counts after chewing Xylitol, herbal and placebo
      gums among high school children. METHODS: The study was conducted among 72 school
      children (12-15 years) from 3 randomly selected schools (blocks). Xylitol, herbal
      and placebo gums were randomly allocated to 3 blocks. Subjects were instructed to
      chew one pellet four times a day for 21 days. The mean reduction in salivary
      Streptococcus mutans count was assessed. RESULTS: The 100% Xylitol sweetened
      chewing gum "Xylitol"has shown statistically significant reduction in salivary
      Mutans Streptococci colony forming units at the end of 21 days (P < 0.01). The
      reduction was not statistically significant in herbal and placebo chewing gum.
      CONCLUSIONS: Hundred percentage Xylitol sweetened chewing gum was found to be
      more effective in reducing salivary Mutans Streptococci count when compared to
      herbal and placebo chewing gums.

PMID- 26097674
TI  - Measuring the value of social engagement in adults with and without autism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Differences in social communication are commonly reported in autism
      spectrum condition (ASC). A recent theory attributes this to a reduced motivation
      to engage with others, that is, deficits in social motivation. However, there are
      currently few simple, direct, behavioural ways to test this claim. This study
      uses a new behavioural measure of social motivation to test if preferences for
      direct gaze and face stimuli are linked to autistic traits or an ASC diagnosis.
      Our novel choose-a-movie (CAM) paradigm measures the effort participants invest
      to see particular stimuli. This aspect of social motivation is also known as
      social seeking. METHODS: In experiment 1, 80 typical adults completed the CAM
      task and a measure of autistic traits. In experiment 2, 30 adults with ASC and 24
      age/IQ-matched typical adults completed the CAM paradigm. RESULTS: The results
      from study one showed that typical adults prefer social stimuli over non-social,
      but this preference is weaker in those with higher levels of autistic traits. In
      study two, adults with ASC showed a significant reduction in their preference for
      direct gaze but little difference in their preference for faces without direct
      gaze. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that social motivation can be measured in a
      simple, direct, behavioural paradigm. Furthermore, adults with ASC prefer direct
      gaze less than typical adults but may not avoid faces without direct gaze. This
      data advance our understanding of how social motivation may differ between those
      with and without autism.

PMID- 26097675
TI  - Erratum to: NTRK2 expression levels are reduced in laser captured pyramidal
      neurons from the anterior cingulate cortex in males with autism spectrum
      disorder.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13229-015-0023-2.]. 

PMID- 26097676
TI  - Erratum: Sex differences in the corpus callosum in preschool-aged children with
      autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13229-015-0005-4.]. 

PMID- 26097677
TI  - Metabolomic profiling of Burkholderia pseudomallei using UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS
      reveals specific biomarkers including 4-methyl-5-thiazoleethanol and unique
      thiamine degradation pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Burkholderia pseudomallei is an emerging pathogen that causes
      melioidosis, a serious and potentially fatal disease which requires prolonged
      antibiotics to prevent relapse. However, diagnosis of melioidosis can be
      difficult, especially in culture-negative cases. While metabolomics represents an
      uprising tool for studying infectious diseases, there were no reports on its
      applications to B. pseudomallei. To search for potential specific biomarkers, we
      compared the metabolomics profiles of culture supernatants of B. pseudomallei (15
      strains), B. thailandensis (3 strains), B. cepacia complex (14 strains), P.
      aeruginosa (4 strains) and E. coli (3 strains), using ultra-high performance
      liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadruple time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS). Multi- and univariate analyses were used to
      identify specific metabolites in B. pseudomallei. RESULTS: Principal component
      and partial-least squares discrimination analysis readily distinguished the
      metabolomes between B. pseudomallei and other bacterial species. Using multi
      variate and univariate analysis, eight metabolites with significantly higher
      levels in B. pseudomallei were identified. Three of the eight metabolites were
      identified by MS/MS, while five metabolites were unidentified against database
      matching, suggesting that they may be potentially novel compounds. One
      metabolite, m/z 144.048, was identified as 4-methyl-5-thiazoleethanol, a
      degradation product of thiamine (vitamin B1), with molecular formula C6H9NOS by
      database searches and confirmed by MS/MS using commercially available authentic
      chemical standard. Two metabolites, m/z 512.282 and m/z 542.2921, were identified
      as tetrapeptides, Ile-His-Lys-Asp with molecular formula C22H37N7O7 and Pro-Arg
      Arg-Asn with molecular formula C21H39N11O6, respectively. To investigate the high
      levels of 4-methyl-5-thiazoleethanol in B. pseudomallei, we compared the thiamine
      degradation pathways encoded in genomes of B. pseudomallei and B. thailandensis.
      While both B. pseudomallei and B. thailandensis possess thiaminase I which
      catalyzes degradation of thiamine to 4-methyl-5-thiazoleethanol, thiM, which
      encodes hydroxyethylthiazole kinase responsible for degradation of 4-methyl-5
      thiazoleethanol, is present and expressed in B. thailandensis as detected by
      PCR/RT-PCR, but absent or not expressed in all B. pseudomallei strains. This
      suggests that the high 4-methyl-5-thiazoleethanol level in B. pseudomallei is
      likely due to the absence of hydroxyethylthiazole kinase and hence reduced
      downstream degradation. CONCLUSION: Eight novel biomarkers, including 4-methyl-5
      thiazoleethanol and two tetrapeptides, were identified in the culture supernatant
      of B. pseudomallei.

PMID- 26097679
TI  - Public attitudes and values in priority setting.
AB  - There is growing recognition that critical decisions concerning investments in
      new health care technologies and services should incorporate society's values
      along with the scientific evidence. From a normative perspective, public
      engagement can help realize the democratic ideals of legitimacy, transparency,
      and accountability. On a more pragmatic level, public engagement can help
      stakeholders understand the degree of popular support for policy options, and may
      enhance public trust in decision-making processes. To better understand public
      attitudes and values relating to priority setting in health care, researchers and
      decision-makers will have to employ a range of quantitative and qualitative
      approaches, drawing on different disciplines and methodological traditions. 

PMID- 26097678
TI  - Leishmaniases diagnosis: an update on the use of immunological and molecular
      tools.
AB  - Leishmaniases are caused by obligate intracellular protozoan parasites of the
      genus Leishmania. They cause a spectrum of diseases, most notably visceral (VL),
      cutaneous (CL), and mucosal (ML) leishmaniasis, which affect millions of people
      around the world, each year. Despite scientific advances, leishmaniases cases are
      expanding, constituting an important public health problem. Immunological and
      molecular diagnostic tools have been increasingly applied for the early detection
      of these parasitic infections, since the existence of limitations in clinical and
      parasitological examinations may provide false results, thus interfering in
      epidemiological research and diseases control. Although there is a great
      diversity of available immunological assays, important common deficiencies
      persist, which explains the current exploration of the molecular biology in
      research fields, especially the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and its variants,
      such as real-time quantitative PCR. However, in the last years, significant
      results have also been reached inside of immunological context (especially by
      Flow Cytometry), for humans and dogs, demonstrated by research works of the New
      and Old worlds. In spite of their potential to clarify and minimize the present
      global situation of the diseases, the implementation of molecular or
      immunological innovative reference assays for VL and CL at health services is
      still a challenge due to several reasons, including lack of standardization among
      laboratories and structural concerns. In this article we bring classical and
      current information about technological advances for the immunological and
      molecular leishmaniases diagnosis, their features, and applications. 

PMID- 26097680
TI  - Prolonged efficacy of the 300IR 5-grass pollen tablet up to 2 years after
      treatment cessation, as measured by a recommended daily combined score.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 300IR (index of reactivity) 5-grass pollen tablet has favorable
      short-term and sustained clinical efficacy in patients with grass pollen-induced
      allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC). Here, we report maintenance of efficacy and
      safety over 2 years following treatment discontinuation. METHODS: Randomized,
      double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter Phase 3 trial in
      patients aged 18-50 years with ARC. During study years 1-3, patients received a
      daily sublingual tablet containing either 300IR 5-grass pollen extract or
      placebo, according to a discontinuous pre- and coseasonal protocol. Study years 4
      and 5 were treatment-free. In response to health authorities' recommendations,
      the daily combined score (DCS) was assessed in a post-hoc analysis as the
      efficacy endpoint. Components of the DCS were daily rhinoconjunctivitis total
      symptom score (DRTSS) and daily rescue medication score (DRMS). RESULTS: 633
      patients with ARC were randomized to placebo (n = 219) or 300IR 5-grass pollen
      tablet, beginning 4 months (4 M, n = 207) or 2 months (2 M, n = 207) prior to the
      estimated start of the grass pollen season and continuing until season's end.
      During the first post-treatment year, a statistically significant difference
      versus placebo in least squares (LS) mean DCS was noted in patients previously
      receiving active treatment (300IR (2 M) point estimate: -0.16, 95% confidence
      interval (CI95%): [-0.26, -0.06], p = 0.0019; -31.1%; 300IR (4 M) point estimate:
      -0.13, CI95%: [-0.23, -0.03], p = 0.0103, -25.3%). During the second post
      treatment year, patients in the 300IR (4 M) group, but not the 300IR (2 M) group,
      showed a statistically significant difference in LS mean DCS versus placebo
      (point estimate: -0.11, CI95%: [-0.21; 0.00], p = 0.0478, -28.1%). This
      significant efficacy seen during the post-treatment years in patients previously
      treated with 5-grass pollen tablet compared favorably with that during the 3
      prior years of active treatment. A statistically significant difference versus
      placebo was also noted in secondary efficacy measures in both post-treatment
      years (except for DRTSS in year 5). In the absence of any active treatment, the
      safety profile was similar in the active groups versus placebo group during
      either post-treatment year. CONCLUSIONS: In adults with grass pollen-associated
      ARC, 5-grass pollen tablet therapy beginning 4 months before the pollen season
      and continuing to season's end demonstrated efficacy across all variables during
      active treatment, and this effect was prolonged for up to 2 years post-treatment.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00418379.

PMID- 26097681
TI  - Foot lesions in lame cows on 10 dairy farms in Ireland.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about foot lesions in dairy cattle in Ireland,
      managed under a pasture based system with housing during the winter and grazing
      for the rest of the year. Ten Irish dairy herds, with a lameness prevalence
      ranging from 9 to 17 % were locomotion scored routinely during the 2013 grazing
      season. Lame cows were foot trimmed and foot lesions recorded. FINDINGS: 11.8 %
      and 89.6 % of cows had lesions recorded on front and hind feet respectively. No
      lesions were found in 6.9 % of cows. Sole haemorrhage and white line disease were
      the most prevalent lesions, and overall 76.8 % of lesions affecting the claw horn
      were diagnosed on the lateral hind claw. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment success, as
      measured by improved LS post treatment, was not significantly affected by the LS
      prior to foot trimming, the presence of lesions or the type of lesion identified.
      Exposure to both risk factors for lameness at housing and pasture may have
      resulted in the development of a combination of foot lesions typically associated
      with zero-grazing or all-year-round grazing management systems.

PMID- 26097682
TI  - Reliability and reproducibility of spectral and time domain optical coherence
      tomography images before and after correction for patients with age-related
      macular degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the reproducibility and reliability of Optical Coherence
      Tomography scans (OCT) obtained using the Time Domain (TD-OCT) StratusTM OCT, and
      the Spectral Domain (SD-OCT) SpectralisTM and CirrusTM OCT devices before and
      after manual correction in eyes with either Neovascular (NV-AMD) or Non
      Neovascular (NNV-AMD) Age-related Macular Degeneration. METHODS: We conducted a
      prospective observational study of 36 patients (50 eyes) with NV-AMD or NNV-AMD
      at a university-based retina practice. OCT scans were taken simultaneously using
      one TD-OCT and two SD-OCT devices. Macular thickness measurements were assessed
      before and after correction of the OCT algorithm by constructing Bland-Altman
      plots for agreement and calculating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs)
      and coefficients of repeatability (COR) to evaluate intraclass repeatability.
      RESULTS: The Spectralis device had the highest number of images needing manual
      correction. All machines had high ICCs, with Spectralis having the highest. Bland
      Altman plots indicated that there was low agreement between both CirrusTM and
      StratusTM and SpectralisTM and StratusTM, while there was good agreement between
      the CirrusTM and SpectralisTM devices. The CORs were lowest for SpectralisTM and
      similar with each other and had higher values for CirrusTM and StratusTM.
      Agreement, CORs, and ICCs generally improved after manual correction, but only
      minimally.   CONCLUSION: Agreement is low between devices, except between both SD
      OCT machines. Manual correction tends to improve results.

PMID- 25580237
TI  - Active learning and decision making: an introduction to the collection.
AB  - The importance of exploratory behaviors by which agents actively sample
      information has been long appreciated in a wide range of disciplines ranging from
      machine and robot learning to neuroscience and psychology.  Given the complexity
      of these behaviors, progress in understanding them will require a confluence of
      ideas from these multiple fields.  This collection of articles in F1000Research
      aims to provide a home for a broad range of studies addressing this topic,
      including full length research articles, brief communications, single figure
      studies, and review/opinion articles, and studies using computational, behavioral
      or neural approaches.  Here, we provide an introduction to the collection which
      we hope will grow and become a valuable resource for the researchers exploring
      this topic. 

PMID- 26097684
TI  - Oxygen-binding and sensing proteins.
AB  - This collection of papers is a snapshot of topics presented at the international
      conference on Oxygen-Binding and Sensing Proteins (O2BiP)  held in Sheffield, UK,
      on 6 (th)-10 (th) July 2014. The collection will grow over time as new papers
      relating to O2BiP topics are completed and published. 

PMID- 26097685
TI  - Nelfinavir and other protease inhibitors in cancer: mechanisms involved in
      anticancer activity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the mechanisms of anti-cancer activity of nelfinavir and
      other protein inhibitors (PIs) based on evidences reported in the published
      literature. METHODS: We extensively reviewed the literature concerning nelfinavir
      (NFV) as an off target anti-cancer drug and other PIs. A classification of PIs
      based on anti-cancer mode of action was proposed. Controversies regarding
      nelfinavir mode of action were also addressed. CONCLUSIONS: The two main
      mechanisms involved in anti-cancer activity are endoplasmic reticulum stress
      unfolded protein response pathway and Akt inhibition. However there are many
      other effects, partially dependent and independent of those mentioned, that may
      be useful in cancer treatment, including MMP-9 and MMP-2 inhibition, down
      regulation of CDK-2, VEGF, bFGF, NF-kB, STAT-3, HIF-1 alfa, IGF, EGFR, survivin,
      BCRP, androgen receptor, proteasome, fatty acid synthase (FAS), decrease in
      cellular ATP concentration and upregulation of TRAIL receptor DR5, Bax, increased
      radiosensitivity, and autophagy. The end result of all these effects is slower
      growth, decreased angiogenesis, decreased invasion and increased apoptosis, which
      means reduced proliferation and increased cancer cells death. PIs may be
      classified according to their anticancer activity at clinically achievable doses,
      in AKT inhibitors, ER stressors and Akt inhibitors/ER stressors. Beyond the phase
      I trials that have been recently completed, adequately powered and well-designed
      clinical trials are needed in the various cancer type settings, and specific
      trials where NFV is tested in association with other known anti-cancer
      pharmaceuticals should be sought, in order to find an appropriate place for NFV
      in cancer treatment. The analysis of controversies on the molecular mechanisms of
      NFV hints to the possibility that NFV works in a different way in tumor cells and
      in hepatocytes and adipocytes.

PMID- 26097686
TI  - ISCB Ebola Award for Important Future Research on the Computational Biology of
      Ebola Virus.
AB  - Speed is of the essence in combating Ebola; thus, computational approaches should
      form a significant component of Ebola research. As for the development of any
      modern drug, computational biology is uniquely positioned to contribute through
      comparative analysis of the genome sequences of Ebola strains as well as 3-D
      protein modeling. Other computational approaches to Ebola may include large-scale
      docking studies of Ebola proteins with human proteins and with small-molecule
      libraries, computational modeling of the spread of the virus, computational
      mining of the Ebola literature, and creation of a curated Ebola database. Taken
      together, such computational efforts could significantly accelerate traditional
      scientific approaches. In recognition of the need for important and immediate
      solutions from the field of computational biology against Ebola, the
      International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) announces a prize for an
      important computational advance in fighting the Ebola virus. ISCB will confer the
      ISCB Fight against Ebola Award, along with a prize of US$2,000, at its July 2016
      annual meeting (ISCB Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB) 2016,
      Orlando, Florida). 

PMID- 26097687
TI  - Entering new publication territory in chemoinformatics and chemical information
      science.
AB  - The F1000Research publishing platform offers the opportunity to launch themed
      article collections as a part of its dynamic publication environment. The idea of
      article collections is further expanded through the generation of publication
      channels that focus on specific scientific areas or disciplines. This editorial
      introduces the Chemical Information Science channel of F1000Research designed to
      collate high-quality publications and foster a culture of open peer review.
      Articles will be selected by guest editor(s) and a group of experts, the channel
      Editorial Board, and subjected to open peer review. 

PMID- 26097688
TI  - How do we improve peer review for manuscripts from culturally divergent origins?
AB  - Objective and informed peer review is critically important to the progress of
      science. These standards can sometimes be at risk in the evaluation of
      manuscripts from less culturally familiar places and such evaluations therefore
      require particular vigilance. Alternative publication strategies may be
      particularly helpful in these circumstances. 

PMID- 26097689
TI  - A communication hub for a decentralized collaboration on studying real-life
      cognition.
AB  - Studying the brain's behavior in situations of real-life complexity is crucial
      for an understanding of brain function as a whole. However, methodological
      difficulties and a general lack of public resources are hindering scientific
      progress in this domain. This channel will serve as a communication hub to
      collect relevant resources and curate knowledge about working paradigms,
      available resources, and analysis techniques. 

PMID- 26097690
TI  - Digital collaborative learning: identifying what students value.
AB  - Digital technologies are changing the learning landscape and connecting
      classrooms to learning environments beyond the school walls.  Online
      collaborations among students, teachers, and scientists are new opportunities for
      authentic science experiences.  Here we present findings generated on
      PlantingScience ( www.plantingscience.org), an online community where scientists
      from more than 14 scientific societies have mentored over 14,000 secondary school
      students as they design and think through their own team investigations on plant
      biology.  The core intervention is online discourse between student teams and
      scientist mentors to enhance classroom-based plant investigations.  We asked: (1)
      what attitudes about engaging in authentic science do students reveal, and (2)
      how do student attitudes relate to design principles of the program? Lexical
      analysis of open-ended survey questions revealed that students most highly value
      working with plants and scientists.  By examining student responses to this
      cognitive apprenticeship model, we provide new perspectives on the importance of
      the personal relationships students form with scientists and plants when working
      as members of a research community. These perspectives have implications for
      plant science instruction and e-mentoring programs. 

PMID- 26097691
TI  - Teaching and communicating science in a digital age.
AB  - We assume that digital literacy and access are common to all who teach and
      communicate their science and to their audiences. We also assume that our digital
      communication is effective and that by using digital technologies learning
      experiences are enhanced. But are these reasonable assumptions to make? This
      F1000Research channel brings together papers developed from presentations made at
      Teaching and Communicating Science in a Digital Age, a Society for Experimental
      Biology symposium involving Higher Education Professionals from across the globe
      to reflect upon the impact that digital technologies have and will have upon
      aspects of the communication of science. Here I share some thoughts on the
      discussion that took place and on the papers collated through this channel. 

PMID- 26097692
TI  - Sports cardiology: lessons from the past and perspectives for the future.
AB  - The possibility of myocardial damage as a result of endurance sport has been
      known about since ancient times. According to a leg-end, a soldier named
      Pheidippides (more likely Philippides) dropped dead after run-ning from war-torn
      Marathon to Athens with the news of victory. Millennia later, we do not know
      whether he was a soldier or a courier, or whether he really ran the entire 240 km
      from Athens to Sparta and then back from Marathon to Athens. What is clear
      however, is that his death went down in history as the first documented exercise
      related death and provides a tangible starting-point for the discipline of sport
      cardiology. Sports cardiology today covers a broad range of areas; from patients
      with cardiomyopathies, coronary disease and metabolic syndrome through to fitness
      fans, high-performance athletes and those with physically demanding professions.
      The following editorial introduces the primary topics for discussion to be
      included in the F1000Research channel Sports cardiology with the hope that this
      will evoke open, controversial and broad discourse in the form of reviews and
      original research papers in this important field. 

PMID- 26097694
TI  - The five deadly sins of science publishing.
AB  - Science cannot progress without scientists reporting their findings. And yet
      researchers have given control of this central pillar of the scientific process
      to science publishers, who are in the business of serving the interests of their
      journals; these are not always the same as the interests of science. This
      editorial describes the problems with the process of preparing and publishing
      research findings, and with judging their veracity and significance, and then
      explains how we at Faculty of 1000 are starting to tackle the 'deadly sins' of
      science publishing. 

PMID- 26097693
TI  - Linking patient outcome to high throughput protein expression data identifies
      novel regulators of colorectal adenocarcinoma aggressiveness.
AB  - A key question in cancer systems biology is how to use molecular data to predict
      the biological behavior of tumors from individual patients. While genomics data
      have been heavily used, protein signaling data are more directly connected to
      biological phenotype and might predict cancer phenotypes such as invasion,
      metastasis, and patient survival. In this study, we mined publicly available data
      for colorectal adenocarcinoma from the Cancer Genome Atlas and identified protein
      expression and signaling changes that are statistically associated with patient
      outcome. Our analysis identified a number of known and potentially new regulators
      of colorectal cancer. High levels of insulin growth factor binding protein 2
      (IGFBP2) were associated with both recurrence and death, and this was validated
      by immunohistochemical staining of a tissue microarray for a secondary patient
      dataset. Interestingly, GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3) was the protein most
      frequently associated with death in our analysis, and GATA3 expression was
      significantly decreased in tumor samples from stage I-II deceased patients.
      Experimental studies using engineered colon cancer cell lines show that exogenous
      expression of GATA3 decreases three-dimensional colony growth and invasiveness of
      colon cancer cells but does not affect two-dimensional proliferation. These
      findings suggest that protein data are useful for biomarker discovery and
      identify GATA3 as a regulator of colorectal cancer  aggressiveness. 

PMID- 26097695
TI  - It's never too late to publish an abandoned trial.
AB  - It is estimated that half of all trials have never been published which can lead
      to patients being denied the most effective treatment and being exposed to
      unnecessary side effects.  Furthermore the trial participants have been
      misinformed since the trial results have not contributed to the care of future
      patients. However the non-publication of trials is often not due to a deliberate
      decision to cover up results.  Commonly in academia it is due to more
      understandable reasons such as researchers having busy clinical posts, moving
      onto other more demanding projects, changing research areas or starting a family.
      This is called the "file drawer" problem. The examples in this editorial
      demonstrate that it is possible to go back, even decades later, and make the
      results available to inform future evidence based medicine.  We call on others to
      look into their "file drawer" for unpublished trials. 

PMID- 26097696
TI  - Enhancement of performance in porous bead-based microchip sensors: Effects of
      chip geometry on bio-agent capture.
AB  - Measuring low concentrations of clinically-important biomarkers using porous bead
      based lab-on-a-chip (LOC) platforms is critical for the successful implementation
      of point-of-care (POC) devices. One way to meet this objective is to optimize the
      geometry of the bead holder, referred to here as a micro-container. In this work,
      two geometric micro-containers were explored, the inverted pyramid frustum (PF)
      and the inverted clipped pyramid frustum (CPF). Finite element models of this
      bead array assay system were developed to optimize the micro-container and bead
      geometries for increased pressure, to increase analyte capture in porous bead
      based fluorescence immunoassays. Custom micro-milled micro-container structures
      containing an inverted CPF geometry resulted in a 28% reduction in flow-through
      regions from traditional anisotropically-etched pyramidal geometry derived from
      Si-111 termination layers. This novel "reduced flow-through" design resulted in a
      33% increase in analyte penetration into the bead and twofold increase in
      fluorescence signal intensity as demonstrated with C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
      antigen, an important biomarker of inflammation. A consequent twofold decrease in
      the limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) of a proof-of
      concept assay for the free isoform of Prostate-Specific Antigen (free PSA), an
      important biomarker for prostate cancer detection, is also presented.
      Furthermore, a 53% decrease in the bead diameter is shown to result in a 160%
      increase in pressure and 2.5-fold increase in signal, as estimated by COMSOL
      models and confirmed experimentally by epi-fluorescence microscopy. Such
      optimizations of the bead micro-container and bead geometries have the potential
      to significantly reduce the LODs and reagent costs for spatially programmed bead
      based assay systems of this type.

PMID- 26097698
TI  - The effect of glycosaminoglycan content on polyethylenimine-based gene delivery
      within three-dimensional collagen-GAG scaffolds.
AB  - The design of biomaterials for increasingly complex tissue engineering
      applications often requires exogenous presentation of biomolecular signals.
      Integration of gene delivery vectors with a biomaterial scaffold offers the
      potential to bypass the use of expensive and relatively inefficient growth factor
      supplementation strategies to augment cell behavior. However, integration of
      cationic polymer based gene delivery vectors within three-dimensional
      biomaterials, particularly matrices which can carry significant surface charge,
      remains poorly explored. We examined the potential of polyethylenimine (PEI) as a
      gene delivery vector for three-dimensional collagen-glycosaminoglycan (CG)
      scaffolds under development for tendon repair. While acetylated versions of PEI
      have demonstrated improved transfection efficiency in 2D culture assays, we
      investigated translation of this effect to a 3D biomaterial that contains
      significant electrostatic charge. A reporter gene was used to examine the impact
      of polymer modification, polymer:DNA ratio, and the degree of sulfation of the
      biomaterial microenvironment on gene delivery in vitro. We observed highest
      transgene expression in acetylated and unmodified PEI at distinct polymer:DNA
      ratios; notably, the enhancement often seen in two-dimensional culture for
      acetylated PEI did not fully translate to three-dimensional scaffolds. We also
      found highly sulfated heparin-based CG scaffolds showed enhanced initial
      luciferase expression but not prolonged activity. While PEI constructs
      significantly reduced tenocyte metabolic health during the period of
      transfection, heparin-based CG scaffolds showed the greatest recovery in tenocyte
      metabolic health over the full 2 week culture. These results suggest that the
      electrostatic environment of three-dimensional biomaterials may be an important
      design criterion for cationic polymer-based gene delivery. 

PMID- 26097699
TI  - Short- and long-term reliability of adult recall of vegetarian dietary patterns
      in the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2).
AB  - Past dietary patterns may be more important than recent dietary patterns in the
      aetiology of chronic diseases because of the long latency in their development.
      We developed an instrument to recall vegetarian dietary patterns during the
      lifetime and examined its reliability of recall over 5.3 and 32.6 years on
      average. The short-term/5-year recall ability study (5-RAS) was done using 24 690
      participants from the cohort of the Adventist Health Study-2 (mean age 62.2
      years). The long-term/33-year recall ability study (33-RAS) included an overlap
      population of 1721 individuals who joined the Adventist Health Study-1 and
      Adventist Health Study-2 (mean age 72.5 years). Spearman correlation coefficients
      for recall of vegetarian status were 0.78 and 0.72 for the 5-RAS and 33-RAS,
      respectively, when compared with 'reference' data. For both time periods
      sensitivity and positive predictive values were highest for the lacto-ovo
      vegetarian and non-vegetarian patterns (vegans, lacto-ovo-vegetarians, pesco
      vegetarians, semi-vegetarians and non-vegetarians). In the 5-RAS analyses, male,
      non-black, younger, and more educated participants, lifetime Adventists, and
      those with more stability of consumption of animal products generally showed
      higher recall ability. Somewhat similar tendencies were shown for the 33-RAS
      analyses. Our findings show that the instrument has higher reliability for
      recalled lacto-ovo-vegetarian and non-vegetarian than for vegan, semi- and pesco
      vegetarian dietary patterns in both short- and long-term recalls. This is in part
      because these last dietary patterns were greatly contaminated by recalls that
      correctly would have belonged in the adjoining category that consumed more animal
      products. 

PMID- 26097700
TI  - Evaluation of a nutrient-rich food index score in the Netherlands.
AB  - Nutrient-rich food (NRF) index scores are dietary quality indices based on
      nutrient density. We studied the design aspects involved in the development and
      validation of NRF index scores, using the Dutch consumption data and guidelines
      as an example. We evaluated fifteen NRF index scores against the Dutch Healthy
      Diet Index (DHD-index), a measure of adherence to the Dutch dietary guidelines,
      and against energy density. The study population included 2106 adults from the
      Dutch National Food Consumption Survey 2007-2010. The index scores were composed
      of beneficial nutrients (protein, fibre, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals),
      nutrients to limit (saturated fat, sugar, Na) or a combination. Moreover, the
      influence of methodological decisions was studied, such as the choice of
      calculation basis (100 g or 100 kcal (418 kJ)). No large differences existed in
      the prediction of the DHD-index by the fifteen NRF index scores. The score that
      best predicted the DHD-index included nine beneficial nutrients and three
      nutrients to limit on a 100-kcal basis, the NRF9.3 with a model R (2) of 0.34.
      The scores were quite robust with respect to sex, BMI and differences in
      calculation methods. The NRF index scores were correlated with energy density,
      but nutrient density better predicted the DHD-index than energy density.
      Consumption of vegetables, cereals and cereal products, and dairy products
      contributed most to the individual NRF9.3 scores. In conclusion, many
      methodological considerations underlie the development and evaluation of nutrient
      density models. These decisions may depend upon the purpose of the model, but
      should always be based upon scientific, objective and transparent criteria. 

PMID- 26097701
TI  - Prevalence of nutritional risk in the non-demented hospitalised elderly: a cross
      sectional study from Norway using stratified sampling.
AB  - There is a lack of accurate prevalence data on undernutrition and the risk of
      undernutrition among the hospitalised elderly in Europe and Norway. We aimed at
      estimating the prevalence of nutritional risk by using stratified sampling along
      with adequate power calculations. A cross-sectional study was carried out in the
      period 2011 to 2013 at a university hospital in Norway. Second-year nursing
      students in acute care clinical studies in twenty hospital wards screened non
      demented elderly patients for nutritional risk, by employing the Nutritional Risk
      Screening 2002 (NRS2002) form. In total, 508 patients (48.8 % women and 51.2 %
      men) with a mean age of 79.6 (sd 6.4) years were screened by the students. Mean
      BMI was 24.9 (sd 4.9) kg/m(2), and the patients had been hospitalised for on
      average 5.3 (sd 6.3) d. WHO's BMI cut-off values identified 6.5 % as underweight,
      48.0 % of normal weight and 45.5 % as overweight. Patients nutritionally at risk
      had been in hospital longer and had lower average weight and BMI compared with
      those not at risk (all P < 0.001); no differences in mean age or sex were
      observed. The prevalence of nutritional risk was estimated to be 45.4 (95 % CI
      41.7 %, 49.0) %, ranging between 20.0 and 65.0 % on different hospital wards. The
      present results show that the prevalence of nutritional risk among elderly
      patients without dementia is high, suggesting that a large proportion of the
      hospitalised elderly are in need of nutritional treatment. 

PMID- 26097702
TI  - Rapid and selective manipulation of milk fatty acid composition in mice through
      the maternal diet during lactation.
AB  - Dietary fatty acid (FA) composition in early postnatal life can modulate growth
      and development and later metabolic health. Investigating programming effects of
      early dietary FA manipulations in rodents may be stressful and complicated due to
      the need of artificial feeding techniques. It is largely unknown to what extent
      breast milk (BM) FA composition can be directly manipulated by the diet. We
      exposed dams to different dietary FA compositions from postnatal day (PN) 2 until
      PN28. Dams with litters were randomly assigned to control (CTRL), high-medium
      chain FA (MCFA), low-linoleic acid (LowLA), high-n-3 long-chain PUFA (n-3LCP) or
      high-n-3LCP and MCFA (n-3LCP/MCFA) diets, and diets were continued after weaning
      until PN28. FA compositions were determined in feeds, milk and in erythrocytes.
      BM MCFA content was independent from dietary MCFA intake. In contrast, the LowLA
      diet reduced BM LA content by about 50 % compared with the CTRL diet at PN7. BM
      of dams fed the n-3LCP or n-3LCP/MCFA diet contained about 6-fold more n-3 LCP
      than BM of the dams fed the CTRL diet at PN7. These changes in milk FA
      composition established after 5 d of dietary exposure did not further change over
      the lactation period. At PN28, the erythrocyte FA composition of the male pups
      correlated with analysed milk FA profiles. In conclusion, manipulation of the
      diet of lactating mice can strongly and rapidly affect BM FA composition, in
      particular of n-6 LA and n-3 LCP. Our present findings will facilitate
      mechanistic studies on the programming of adult metabolic health by dietary FA in
      the early postnatal period via direct and selective manipulation of the maternal
      diet. 

PMID- 26097703
TI  - Plate waste and intake of school lunch based on the new Nordic diet and on packed
      lunches: a randomised controlled trial in 8- to 11-year-old Danish children.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to compare total food intake, total and relative
      edible plate waste and self-reported food likings between school lunch based on
      the new Nordic diet (NND) and packed lunch from home. In two 3-month periods in a
      cluster-randomised controlled unblinded cross-over study 3rd- and 4th-grade
      children (n 187) from two municipal schools received lunch meals based on NND
      principles and their usual packed lunch (control). Food intake and plate waste (n
      1558) were calculated after weighing lunch plates before and after the meal for
      five consecutive days and self-reported likings (n 905) assessed by a web-based
      questionnaire. Average food intake was 6 % higher for the NND period compared
      with the packed lunch period. The quantity of NND intake varied with the menu (P
      < 0.0001) and was positively associated with self-reported likings. The edible
      plate waste was 88 (sd 80) g for the NND period and 43 (sd 60) g for the packed
      lunch period whereas the relative edible plate waste was no different between
      periods for meals having waste (n 1050). Edible plate waste differed between
      menus (P < 0.0001), with more waste on soup days (36 %) and vegetarian days (23
      %) compared with the packed lunch period. Self-reported likings were negatively
      associated with percentage plate waste (P < 0.0001). The study suggests that
      portion sizes need to be considered in new school meal programmes. New strategies
      with focus on reduction of plate waste, children's likings and nutritious school
      meals are crucial from both a nutritional, economic and environmental point of
      view. 

PMID- 26097697
TI  - The ocean sampling day consortium.
AB  - Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial
      Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the
      marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world's oceans. It is a
      simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest
      standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only
      through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive
      partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the
      establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a
      sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional
      traits. 

PMID- 26097704
TI  - Intestinal B(0)AT1 (SLC6A19) and PEPT1 (SLC15A1) mRNA levels in European sea bass
      (Dicentrarchus labrax) reared in fresh water and fed fish and plant protein
      sources.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to examine the effect of diets with
      descending fish meal (FM) inclusion levels and the addition of salt to the diet
      containing the lowest FM level on growth performances, feed conversion ratio, and
      intestinal solute carrier family 6 member 19 (SLC6A19) and oligopeptide
      transporter 1 (PEPT1) transcript levels, in freshwater-adapted European sea bass
      (Dicentrarchus labrax). We first isolated by molecular cloning and sequenced a
      full-length cDNA representing the neutral amino acid transporter SLC6A19 in sea
      bass. The cDNA sequence was deposited in GenBank database (accession no.
      KC812315). The twelve transmembrane domains and the 'de novo' prediction of the
      three-dimensional structure of SLC6A19 protein (634 amino acids) are presented.
      We then analysed diet-induced changes in the mRNA copies of SLC6A19 and PEPT1
      genes in different portions of sea bass intestine using real-time RT-PCR. Sea
      bass were fed for 6 weeks on different diets, with ascending levels of fat or
      descending levels of FM, which was replaced with vegetable meal. The salt
      enriched diet was prepared by adding 3 % NaCl to the diet containing 10 % FM.
      SLC6A19 mRNA in the anterior and posterior intestine of sea bass were not
      modulated by dietary protein sources and salt supplementation. Conversely,
      including salt in a diet containing a low FM percentage up-regulated the mRNA
      copies of PEPT1 in the hindgut. Fish growth correlated positively with the
      content of FM in the diets. Interestingly, the addition of salt to the diet
      containing 10 % FM improved feed intake, as well as specific growth rate and feed
      conversion ratio. 

PMID- 26097705
TI  - The effect of long-term feeding of skin barrier-fortified diets on the owner
      assessed incidence of atopic dermatitis symptoms in Labrador retrievers.
AB  - We investigated the effect of feeding a skin barrier function-augmenting diet
      early in dogs' lives on the appearance of clinical signs associated with canine
      atopic dermatitis. Pregnant bitches (starting 5 weeks after mating) and their
      subsequent litters (up to 1 year of age) were fed either supplemented or
      unsupplemented diets. Nutrients supplemented were nicotinamide, pantothenate,
      histidine, inositol and choline. Circulating IgE levels to dust mute allergens
      Der f and Der p were measured when the puppies were 6 and 12 months old. Two
      owner questionnaires were used to assess the occurrence of typical signs
      associated with atopic dermatitis when dogs were between the ages of 22 and 36,
      and 34 and 48 months. Using linear mixed models we observed higher levels of
      circulating anti-Der f (P = 0.021) and -Der p IgE (P = 0.01) during the first
      year in the dogs fed the unsupplemented than in those fed the supplemented diet.
      The owner-assessed incidence of atopic dermatitis signs amongst the dogs was
      significantly greater in the unsupplemented group at the time of the second
      follow-up questionnaire (10/33 dogs v. 2/24 dogs). These outcomes suggest that a
      nutritionally derived improvement to barrier function early in life may reduce
      the frequency of signs associated with atopic dermatitis. The effect is possibly
      the result of making the epidermis, now thought to be a major route of
      environmental allergen exposure, more resistant to penetration. 

PMID- 26097706
TI  - Ingestion of coffee polyphenols increases postprandial release of the active
      glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1(7-36)) amide in C57BL/6J mice.
AB  - The widespread prevalence of diabetes, caused by impaired insulin secretion and
      insulin resistance, is now a worldwide health problem. Glucagon-like peptide 1
      (GLP-1) is a major intestinal hormone that stimulates glucose-induced insulin
      secretion from beta cells. Prolonged activation of the GLP-1 signal has been
      shown to attenuate diabetes in animals and human subjects. Therefore, GLP-1
      secretagogues are attractive targets for the treatment of diabetes. Recent
      epidemiological studies have reported that an increase in daily coffee
      consumption lowers diabetes risk. The present study examined the hypothesis that
      the reduction in diabetes risk associated with coffee consumption may be mediated
      by the stimulation of GLP-1 release by coffee polyphenol extract (CPE). GLP-1
      secretion by human enteroendocrine NCI-H716 cells was augmented in a dose
      dependent manner by the addition of CPE, and was compatible with the increase in
      observed active GLP-1(7-36) amide levels in the portal blood after administration
      with CPE alone in mice. CPE increased intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels in a
      dose-dependent manner, but this was not mediated by G protein-coupled receptor
      119 (GPR119). The oral administration of CPE increased diet (starch and glyceryl
      trioleate)-induced active GLP-1 secretion and decreased glucose-dependent
      insulinotropic polypeptide release. Although CPE administration did not affect
      diet-induced insulin secretion, it decreased postprandial hyperglycaemia, which
      indicates that higher GLP-1 levels after the ingestion of CPE may improve insulin
      sensitivity. We conclude that dietary coffee polyphenols augment gut-derived
      active GLP-1 secretion via the cAMP-dependent pathway, which may contribute to
      the reduced risk of type 2 diabetes associated with daily coffee consumption. 

PMID- 26097707
TI  - Levodropropizine for treating cough in adult and children: a meta-analysis of
      published studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cough is one of the most common symptoms for which patients seek
      medical attention from primary care physicians and lung specialists. About 40% of
      the population at any one time report cough. Cough is associated with
      significantly impaired health-related quality of life. Levodropropizine is an
      effective and very well tolerated peripheral antitussive drug. We want to compare
      it to central cough suppressants efficacy (opioids and non-opioids) that may be
      associated with side effects limiting their use. METHODS: After a comprehensive
      literature search, a meta-analysis of 7 clinical studies of levodropropizine vs.
      control, including a total of 1,178 patients, was performed with the aim to
      evaluate the overall comparative efficacy of levodropropizine in the pediatric
      and adult population. Three electronic databases and reference list were used to
      search for studies that assessed the efficacy of levodropropizine for treating
      cough in children and adults using as standardized efficacy parameters the cough
      frequency and severity, and number of night awakenings as outcome parameters.
      RESULTS: The meta-analysis of all standardized efficacy parameters showed a
      highly statistically significant difference in the overall antitussive efficacy
      in favor of levodropropizine vs. control treatments (p = 0.0015). The
      heterogeneity test for the efficacy outcome was not statistically significant (p
      = 0.0534). Seven studies met out inclusion criteria. A meta-analysis of the
      eligible ones showed a statistically significant difference in the overall anti
      tussive effect of levodropropizine versus control (p = 0.0015). CONCLUSIONS: This
      analysis indicates that levodropropizine is an effective antitussive drug in
      children and adults, with statistically significant better overall efficacy
      outcomes vs. central antitussive drugs (codeine, cloperastine, dextromethorphan)
      in terms of reducing cough intensity and frequency, and nocturnal awakenings.
      This result further reinforces the favorable benefit/risk profile of
      levodropropizine in the management of cough. The efficacy of levodropropizine in
      the treatment of cough in children and adults is higher than that of the common
      centrally-acting anti-tussive.

PMID- 26097708
TI  - Aspects of social support and disclosure in the context of institutional abuse -
      long-term impact on mental health.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The psychological sequelae of institutionalized abuse and its long
      term consequences has not been systematically documented in existing literature
      in regarding social support once disclosure has been made. Reporting abuse is
      crucial, in particular for adult victims of childhood IA within the Catholic
      Church. Nevertheless, there is ongoing controversy about the benefits of
      disclosure. Our study examines the interaction of disclosure and subsequent
      social support in relation to mental health. We look into the times of
      disclosure, the behaviour during the disclosure to a commission as adults,
      different level of perceived social support, and the effect on mental health.
      METHODS: The data were collected in a sample of financially compensated adult
      survivors who experienced institutionalized abuse during their childhood, using
      instruments to measure perceived social support, reaction to disclosure, PTSD,
      and further symptoms. RESULTS: High levels of perceived social support after
      early disclosure result in a higher level of mental health and contribute to less
      emotionally reactive behaviour during disclosure of past institutionalized abuse.
      Highly perceived levels of social support seem to play a crucial role in mental
      health, but this inference may be weakened by a possible interference of a
      lasting competence in looking for social support versus social influences.
      CONCLUSION: Future research should thus disentangle perceived social support into
      the competence of looking for social support versus socially influenced factors
      to provide more clarity about the positive association of perceived social
      support and mental health.

PMID- 26097709
TI  - Botulinum toxin-A for the treatment of overactive bladder: UK contributions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Botulinum toxin-A (BoNT/A) is now established second-line management
      for refractory overactive bladder (OAB) and recognised in many incontinence
      guidelines and pathways. For those with neurogenic detrusor overactivity
      secondary to spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis, the toxin is currently
      licensed in certain parts of the world, including the UK. It is an effective
      treatment in those in whom antimuscarinics and conservative measures have failed
      who have symptoms of OAB and or detrusor overactivity (DO). METHODS: Treatment
      can be given in an outpatient setting and can be administered under local
      anaesthesia. Its efficacy lasts for between six and 12 months. RESULTS: It has an
      acceptable safety profile with the biggest risk being urinary tract infection and
      difficulty emptying the bladder, necessitating clean intermittent self
      catheterisation (CISC). Medium-term follow-up suggests repeated injections are
      also safe and efficacious. CONCLUSIONS: The mechanism of action of the toxin is
      more complicated than originally thought, and it seems likely that it affects
      motor and sensory nerves of the bladder. In the last 10 years much of the
      progress of this treatment from early experimental trials to mainstream clinical
      use, and a better understanding of how it works in the bladder, are as a result
      of research conducted in the UK. This review summarises the significant and
      substantial evidence for BoNT/A to treat refractory OAB from UK centres.

PMID- 26097710
TI  - Erectile dysfunction - an update of current practice and future strategies.

PMID- 26097711
TI  - Liver X receptors and cholesterol metabolism: role in ventral midbrain
      development and neurodegeneration.
AB  - The development of the ventral midbrain is orchestrated by a number of cell
      extrinsic and -intrinsic factors that control critical processes, such as the
      patterning of the neural tube along the main body axis and the specification of
      diverse neuronal cell types in distinct positions of the neural tube.
      Subsequently, the regulation of neurogenesis and survival- acquire particular
      relevance in order to define the final size of diverse neuronal populations. In a
      series of studies during the last few years, we have identified liver X receptors
      (LXRs) as critical regulators of ventral midbrain development. Moreover, specific
      cholesterol derivatives present in the midbrain or in the cerebrospinal fluid
      were identified as LXR ligands, capable of specifically and selectively
      regulating neurogenesis and the survival of distinct neuronal populations,
      including midbrain dopamine neurons. These studies have shown that cholesterol
      derivatives are an entirely new class of factors capable of regulating both
      neuronal survival and neurogenesis, thus providing a direct link between
      cholesterol metabolism and brain development. In addition, LXRs and cholesterol
      metabolism were found to play a critical role in regulating the balance between
      neuronal survival and death in diverse midbrain neuronal populations. In this
      review, we will focus on these two aspects and on the possible role of
      cholesterol metabolism and LXRs in neurodegeneration. 

PMID- 26097712
TI  - Memory CD8 T cell transcriptional plasticity.
AB  - Memory CD8 T cells generated after acute viral infections or live vaccines can
      persist for extended periods, in some instances for life, and play an important
      role in protective immunity. This long-lived immunity is achieved in part through
      cytokine-mediated homeostatic proliferation of memory T cells while maintaining
      the acquired capacity for rapid recall of effector cytokines and cytolytic
      molecules. The ability of memory CD8 T cells to retain their acquired properties,
      including their ability to remain poised to recall effector functions, is a truly
      impressive feat given that these acquired properties can be maintained for
      decades without exposure to cognate antigen. Here, we discuss general mechanisms
      for acquisition and maintenance of transcriptional programs in memory CD8 T cells
      and the potential role of epigenetic programming in maintaining the phenotypic
      and functional heterogeneity of cellular subsets among the pool of memory cells. 

PMID- 26097713
TI  - Recent advances in the prevention and management of preterm birth.
AB  - The management of preterm birth has seen major transformations in the last few
      decades with increasing interest worldwide, due to the impact of preterm birth on
      neonatal morbidity and mortality. The prevention strategies currently available
      for asymptomatic women at risk of preterm birth include progesterone, cervical
      cerclage and cervical pessary. Each approach has varying effects depending on the
      patient's prior history of preterm birth, cervical length and the presence of
      multiple gestations. There is a shift in the focus of antenatal treatment, with
      the use of prenatal magnesium sulphate and corticosteroids, to reduce neonatal
      intensive care admissions and longer-term disabilities associated with preterm
      birth, consequently relieving emotional and economical burden. This article
      provides an update on the recent advances in prevention and management approaches
      available for women at risk of preterm birth. 

PMID- 26097714
TI  - Chicken or the egg: Warburg effect and mitochondrial dysfunction.
AB  - Compared with normal cells, cancer cells show alterations in many cellular
      processes, including energy metabolism. Studies on cancer metabolism started with
      Otto Warburg's observation at the beginning of the last century. According to
      Warburg, cancer cells rely on glycolysis more than mitochondrial respiration for
      energy production. Considering that glycolysis yields much less energy compared
      with mitochondrial respiration, Warburg hypothesized that mitochondria must be
      dysfunctional and this is the initiating factor for cancer formation. However,
      this hypothesis did not convince every scientist in the field. Some believed the
      opposite: the reduction in mitochondrial activity is a result of increased
      glycolysis. This discrepancy of opinions is ongoing. In this review, we will
      discuss the alterations in glycolysis, pyruvate metabolism, and the Krebs cycle
      in cancer cells and focus on cause and consequence. 

PMID- 26097715
TI  - Mitochondria and apoptosis: emerging concepts.
AB  - As mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, their damage during the cell
      suicide process of apoptosis is essentially responsible for cellular demise in
      most cells. A key family of proteins, the B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) family,
      determines the integrity of mitochondria in the face of apoptotic insult. A
      comprehensive understanding of the molecular details of how apoptosis is
      initiated and how it culminates is essential if apoptosis is to fulfil its
      undoubted potential as a therapeutic target to treat diseases ranging from cancer
      to neurodegenerative conditions. Recent advances have provided significant
      insight into the control of this fundamental process while prompting a re
      evaluation of what was considered dogma in the field. Emerging evidence also
      points to a potential overarching control network that governs not only apoptosis
      but other fundamental mitochondrial processes, including mitochondrial
      fission/fusion and quality control. 

PMID- 26097716
TI  - The problem of dropout from "gold standard" PTSD therapies.
AB  - Understanding of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased substantially
      in the past several decades. There is now more awareness of the many different
      types of trauma that can lead to PTSD, greater refinement of diagnostic criteria,
      and the development and testing of various treatments for it. As implementation
      of PTSD therapies has increased, there is also increased attention to the key
      issues of retention and dropout. Retention refers to the percentage of patients
      who stay in a treatment for its intended dose, and dropout is the opposite (the
      percentage who leave prior to the intended dose); both of which have major
      implications for treatment outcomes. The two PTSD therapies most studied in
      relation to retention and dropout are Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing
      Therapy, which have been the subject of massive, formal, multi-year dissemination
      roll-outs. Both of these evidence-based treatments are defined as gold-standard
      therapies for PTSD and showed positive outcomes and reasonable retention of
      patients in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). But an emerging picture based on
      real-world practice indicates substantial dropout. Such real-world studies are
      distinct from RCTs, which have consistently evidenced far lower dropout rates,
      but under much more restricted conditions (e.g. a more selective range of
      patients and clinicians). In this paper, the phenomena of retention and dropout
      are described based on real-world studies of Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive
      Processing Therapy, including rates, characteristics of patients, clinicians, and
      programs in relation to retention and dropout, and identification of clinical
      issues and future research on these topics. It is suggested that the term "gold
      standard" evidence-based treatments should be reserved for treatments that
      evidence both positive results in RCTs but also feasibility and strong retention
      in real-world settings. 

PMID- 26097718
TI  - Cochlear implantation: a biomechanical prosthesis for hearing loss.
AB  - Cochlear implants are a medical prosthesis used to treat sensorineural deafness,
      and one of the greatest advances in modern medicine. The following article is an
      overview of cochlear implant technology. The history of cochlear implantation and
      the development of modern implant technology will be discussed, as well as
      current surgical techniques. Research regarding expansion of candidacy, hearing
      preservation cochlear implantation, and implantation for unilateral deafness are
      described. Lastly, innovative technology is discussed, including the hybrid
      cochlear implant and the totally implantable cochlear implant. 

PMID- 26097719
TI  - Recent advances in the entirely subcutaneous ICD System.
AB  - The entirely subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD((r))) is
      emerging as a widely accepted therapeutic alternative to a conventional
      implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) for prevention of sudden cardiac
      death. Essentially, the S-ICD((r)) is promising in terms of reduction of
      electrode-related complications such as lead failure and infections. The
      conventional transvenous ICD has proven efficacy in various randomized clinical
      trials. The first results of S-ICD((r)) studies confirm efficacy and safety in
      primary and secondary prevention as well. Owing to basic differences between S
      ICD((r)) and transvenous ICD-such as limited programming options and lack of
      pacing-not all patients are eligible for the S-ICD((r)). Concerns exist regarding
      inappropriate shocks due to T-wave oversensing, dimensions of the device, and
      shorter battery longevity. However, the S-ICD((r)) should be considered a useful
      supplementation of ICD therapy in those patients at risk for sudden cardiac death
      who are not expected to require pacing due to bradycardia or antitachycardic
      pacing. 

PMID- 26097720
TI  - Non-native invasive species and novel ecosystems.
AB  - Invasions by non-native species have caused many extinctions and greatly modified
      many ecosystems and are among the major anthropogenic global changes transforming
      the earth. Beginning in the mid-1980s, a dramatic burst of research in invasion
      biology has revealed a plethora of previously unrecognized impacts and laid bare
      the scope of the phenomenon. Similarly, research on various methods of managing
      invasions has expanded enormously, yielding incremental improvements in
      traditional methods and the advent of several new approaches, including the use
      of species-specific genetic and pheromonal methods. This research has advanced
      the field of restoration ecology, of which invasion management is a key
      component. Amidst this research progress, a group of critics has attempted to
      cast doubt on the extent of damaging impacts caused by non-native invasive
      species, the feasibility of counteracting them and restoring ecosystems, and the
      motives of scientists engaged in such endeavors. The criticisms are misguided but
      can potentially impede management of this pressing problem. 

PMID- 26097717
TI  - Pathogenesis of Crohn's disease.
AB  - Significant progress in our understanding of Crohn's disease (CD), an archetypal
      common, complex disease, has now been achieved. Our ability to interrogate the
      deep complexities of the biological processes involved in maintaining gut mucosal
      homeostasis is a major over-riding factor underpinning this rapid progress. Key
      studies now offer many novel and expansive insights into the interacting roles of
      genetic susceptibility, immune function, and the gut microbiota in CD. Here, we
      provide overviews of these recent advances and new mechanistic themes, and
      address the challenges and prospects for translation from concept to clinic. 

PMID- 26097721
TI  - New insights into nucleolar structure and function.
AB  - The nucleolus is a non-membrane-bound nuclear organelle found in all eukaryotes.
      It is the quintessential 'RNA-seeded' nuclear body, forming around specific
      chromosomal features called nucleolar organizing regions that contain arrays of
      ribosomal DNA. Assembly is triggered by activation of RNA polymerase I-mediated
      transcription and regulated in mammalian cells in a cell cycle-dependent manner.
      Although the nucleolus is best known for its role in coordinating ribosome
      biogenesis, biochemical and proteomic analyses have revealed a much wider
      functional complexity than previously appreciated, including roles in cell cycle
      regulation, DNA damage sensing and repair, pre-mRNA processing, telomere
      metabolism, processing of non-coding RNAs, and coordination of the cellular
      response to various stresses. Despite these advances, much remains to be learned
      about the full range of biological processes that occur within, or involve, this
      organelle and how its assembly/disassembly and functional reorganization in
      response to various stimuli are regulated. Here, we review the impact of recent
      studies that provide major insights into these fundamental questions, and we
      highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting nucleolar pathways. 

PMID- 26097722
TI  - From Darwin's Origin of Species toward a theory of natural history.
AB  - Darwin is the father of evolutionary theory because he identified evolutionary
      patterns and, with Natural Selection, he ascertained the exquisitely ecological
      ultimate processes that lead to evolution. The proximate processes of evolution
      he proposed, however, predated the discovery of genetics, the backbone of modern
      evolutionary theory. The later discovery of the laws of inheritance by Mendel and
      the rediscovery of Mendel in the early 20th century led to two reforms of
      Darwinism: Neo-Darwinism and the Modern Synthesis (and subsequent refinements).
      If Darwin's evolutionary thought required much refinement, his ecological insight
      is still very modern. In the first edition of The Origin of Species, Darwin did
      not use either the word "evolution" or the word "ecology". "Ecology" was not
      coined until after the publication of the Origin. Evolution, for him, was the
      origin of varieties, then species, which he referred to as well-marked varieties,
      whereas, instead of using ecology, he used "the economy of nature". The Origin
      contains a high proportion of currently accepted ecological principles. Darwin
      labelled himself a naturalist. His discipline (natural history) was a blend of
      ecology and evolution in which he investigated both the patterns and the
      processes that determine the organization of life. Reductionist approaches,
      however, often keep the two disciplines separated from each other, undermining a
      full understanding of natural phenomena that might be favored by blending ecology
      and evolution through the development of a modern Theory of Natural History based
      on Darwin's vision of the study of life. 

PMID- 26097723
TI  - Advances in the prevention of Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia, has reached epidemic
      proportions, with major social, medical and economical burdens. With no currently
      available curative treatments, both the World Health Organization and the G8
      Dementia Summit recently identified dementia and AD prevention as a major public
      health priority. Dementia and AD have a wide range of risk factors (genetic,
      vascular/metabolic and lifestyle-related), which often co-occur and thus interact
      with each other. Previous intervention efforts aimed at preventing dementia and
      AD focused on the management of single risk factors, with relatively modest
      findings. Also, the effect of risk factors depends on age at exposure, indicating
      that the timing of preventive interventions needs to be carefully considered. In
      view of the complex multifactorial nature of AD, as well as its long pre-clinical
      (asymptomatic) phase, interventions simultaneously targeting multiple risk
      factors and disease mechanisms at an early stage of the disease are most likely
      to be effective. Three large European multidomain prevention trials have been
      launched with the goal of preventing cognitive decline, dementia and AD in older
      adults with different risk profiles. Pharmacological trials are also shifting
      towards prevention of Alzheimer dementia, by targeting at-risk individuals prior
      to the onset of cognitive symptoms. The current review will summarize and discuss
      the evidence on risk and protective factors from observational studies, ongoing
      lifestyle-related and pharmacological randomized controlled trials (RCTs), as
      well as future directions for dementia and AD prevention. 

PMID- 26097724
TI  - Recent advances in renal transplantation: antibody-mediated rejection takes
      center stage.
AB  - Overlooked for decades, antibodies have taken center stage in renal
      transplantation and are now widely recognized as the first cause of allograft
      failure. Diagnosis of antibody-mediated rejection has considerably improved with
      identification of antibody-mediated lesions in graft biopsies and advances made
      in the detection of circulating donor-specific antibodies. Unfortunately, this
      progress has not yet translated into better outcomes for patients. Indeed, in the
      absence of a drug able to suppress antibody generation by plasma cells, available
      therapies can only slow down graft destruction. This review provides an overview
      of the current knowledge of antibody-mediated rejection and discusses future
      interesting research directions. 

PMID- 26097725
TI  - Advances in the understanding and management of heart transplantation.
AB  - Cardiac transplantation represents one of the great triumphs in modern medicine
      and remains the cornerstone in the treatment of advanced heart failure. In this
      review, we contextualize pivotal developments in our understanding and management
      of cardiac transplant immunology, histopathology, rejection surveillance, drug
      development and surgery. We also discuss current limitations in their application
      and the impact of the left ventricular assist devices in bridging this gap. 

PMID- 26097726
TI  - Advances in the management of basal cell carcinoma.
AB  - Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), a malignant neoplasm derived from non-keratinizing
      cells that originate in the basal layer of the epidermis, is the most common
      cancer in humans. Several factors such as anatomic location, histologic features,
      primary or recurrent tumors, and patient characteristics influence the choice of
      treatment modality for BCC. Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) facilitates optimal
      margin control and conservation of normal tissue for the management of BCC;
      however, other treatment modalities may also be implemented in the correct
      clinical scenario. Other treatment modalities that will be reviewed include
      simple excision, electrodesiccation and curettage, cryotherapy, topical
      immunotherapy and chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and radiation therapy. In
      addition, targeted molecular therapeutic options for the treatment of advanced or
      metastatic BCC will be discussed in this informal review based on recent
      literature obtained by using PubMed with relevant search terms. 

PMID- 26097727
TI  - Non-celiac gluten hypersensitivity: What is all the fuss about?
AB  - Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) has been introduced recently as a
      potentially common disease on the basis of studies of patients with claimed
      reactivity to gluten but without the characteristics of celiac disease (CD). CD
      is characterized by antibody reactivity toward the autoantigen transglutaminase
      2, characteristic histological abnormalities of the small intestine, and an
      almost obligatory genetic haplotype (HLA-DQ2 or DQ8). The diagnosis of NCGS is
      based largely on the clinical suspicion of hyper-reactivity to gluten and the
      absence of the characteristics of CD. Few published studies have used double
      blind placebo-controlled food challenges (DBPCFCs) for the diagnosis of NCGS, and
      none in children. Innate immune reactivity to amylase trypsin inhibitors has been
      suggested as the pathogenic principle in NCGS, but confirmatory evidence is
      lacking. Also, further clinical studies including DBPCFCs are needed. 

PMID- 26097728
TI  - Recent advances in understanding and managing leiomyosarcomas.
AB  - Leiomyosarcomas are malignant mesenchymal tumours that derive from the smooth
      muscle lineage. They are studied and frequently treated as if they are the same
      as other soft tissue sarcomas. Recent developments suggest that a different
      approach may be more appropriate. Their underlying genetic mechanisms remain
      unclear, and complex. Unbalanced karyotypic defects are the only shared features
      observed across different leiomyosarcoma subtypes. Unlike other soft tissue
      sarcomas, leiomyosarcomas are particularly sensitive to the combination of
      gemcitabine and docetaxel. Furthermore, treatment with trabectedin has shown a
      good efficacy in leiomyosarcomas, mainly in the form of chronic disease
      stabilisation. 

PMID- 26097730
TI  - Recent advances in the management of peritoneal dialysis patients.
AB  - Peritoneal dialysis is a form of kidney dialysis that is used to remove
      accumulated metabolic waste products and water in patients with end stage kidney
      disease. Long-term exposure to high concentrations of glucose and its by
      products, both found in peritoneal dialysis fluid, has been implicated in
      contributing to peritoneal damage over time, in turn limiting long-term use of
      the technique. Newer peritoneal dialysis solutions have been developed in the
      hope of reducing the unfavorable effects of peritoneal dialysis solutions. In
      vitro and in vivo studies have suggested that newer peritoneal dialysis fluids
      have salutary effects on the peritoneal membrane. Short-term clinical studies
      have also found some metabolic benefits of glucose-sparing regimens in chronic
      peritoneal dialysis. Mixed results have been found in studies examining whether
      newer peritoneal dialysis fluids reduce peritonitis rates. Long-term studies are
      needed to investigate whether newer peritoneal dialysis fluids provide better
      peritoneal dialysis technique and/or patient survival, compared to standard
      glucose-based peritoneal dialysis fluids. 

PMID- 26097732
TI  - Recent advances in understanding and managing rhabdomyosarcoma.
AB  - Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common childhood soft tissue sarcoma and the fourth
      most common pediatric solid tumor. For most patients, treatment consists of a
      multimodality approach, including chemotherapy, surgery, and/or radiotherapy. To
      guide treatment, patients with rhabdomyosarcoma are risk stratified based on a
      number of factors. These factors include clinical group, which depends largely on
      the extent of resection and nodal involvement, and stage, which takes into
      account tumor size, invasion, nodal involvement, and disease site. Histology of
      the tumor and age at diagnosis are also factored into risk stratification. Recent
      advances in understanding the biology of the disease have allowed for the further
      sub-classification of rhabdomyosarcoma. In addition, elucidation of additional
      clinical features associated with poor prognosis has allowed for better
      understanding of risk and provides more clarity regarding those patients who
      require more intensive therapy. Many areas of active investigation are ongoing,
      including the following: further delineation of the biological underpinnings of
      the various disease subtypes with the possibility of molecularly targeted
      therapy; a better understanding of clinical risk factors, including the
      evaluation and management of potentially involved lymph nodes; determination of
      the appropriate role of post-treatment imaging and assessment of response to
      therapy; and incorporation of advanced radiotherapeutic techniques, including
      conformal intensity-modulated photon and proton therapy. 

PMID- 26097731
TI  - Endogenous opioids: opposing stress with a cost.
AB  - The stress response is characterized by the coordinated engagement of central and
      peripheral neural systems in response to life-threatening challenges. It has been
      conserved through evolution and is essential for survival. However, the frequent
      or continual elicitation of the stress response by repeated or chronic stress,
      respectively, results in the dysfunction of stress response circuits, ultimately
      leading to stress-related pathology. In an effort to best respond to stressors,
      yet at the same time maintain homeostasis and avoid dysfunction, stress response
      systems are finely balanced and co-regulated by neuromodulators that exert
      opposing effects. These opposing systems serve to restrain certain stress
      response systems and promote recovery. However, the engagement of opposing
      systems comes with the cost of alternate dysfunctions. This review describes, as
      an example of this dynamic, how endogenous opioids function to oppose the effects
      of the major stress neuromediator, corticotropin-releasing hormone, and promote
      recovery from a stress response and how these actions can both protect and be
      hazardous to health. 

PMID- 26097733
TI  - Management of tachycardia.
AB  - Tachycardia, conventionally, but arbitrarily, defined as an atrial and/or
      ventricular rate of >100 beats per minute, is encountered commonly and can be
      physiological or pathological in origin. Various adverse consequences from
      tachycardia have been recognized, and an important one is the association between
      persistent tachycardia and cardiomyopathy. In this article, we provide an up-to
      date review on the etiology of tachycardia, management strategies, and the
      prognosis of patients presenting with tachycardia and cardiomyopathy. 

PMID- 26097734
TI  - Recent treatment advances and novel therapeutic approaches in epilepsy.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to review recent advances in the treatment of
      epilepsy. It includes five antiepileptic drugs that have been recently added to
      the pharmacologic armamentarium and surgical techniques that have been developed
      in the last few years. Finally, we review ongoing research that may have a
      potential role in future treatments of epilepsy. 

PMID- 26097729
TI  - The search for novel analgesics: targets and mechanisms.
AB  - The management of the pain state is of great therapeutic relevance to virtually
      every medical specialty. Failure to manage its expression has deleterious
      consequence to the well-being of the organism. An understanding of the complex
      biology of the mechanisms underlying the processing of nociceptive information
      provides an important pathway towards development of novel and robust
      therapeutics. Importantly, preclinical models have been of considerable use in
      determining the linkage between mechanism and the associated behaviorally defined
      pain state. This review seeks to provide an overview of current thinking
      targeting pain biology, the use of preclinical models and the development of
      novel pain therapeutics. Issues pertinent to the strengths and weaknesses of
      current development strategies for analgesics are considered. 

PMID- 26097737
TI  - Recent advances in understanding and managing cystic fibrosis transmembrane
      conductance regulator dysfunction.
AB  - Cystic fibrosis is the most common autosomal recessive genetic disease in
      Caucasians and has been extensively studied for many decades. The cystic fibrosis
      transmembrane conductance regulator gene was identified in 1989. It encodes a
      complex protein which has numerous cellular functions. Our understanding of
      cystic fibrosis pathophysiology and genetics is constantly expanding and being
      refined, leading to improved management of the disease and increased life
      expectancy in affected individuals. 

PMID- 26097735
TI  - Advances in understanding Giardia: determinants and mechanisms of chronic
      sequelae.
AB  - Giardia lamblia is a flagellated protozoan that is the most common cause of
      intestinal parasitic infection in children living in resource-limited settings.
      The pathogenicity of Giardia has been debated since the parasite was first
      identified, and clinical outcomes vary across studies. Among recent perplexing
      findings are diametrically opposed associations between Giardia and acute versus
      persistent diarrhea and a poorly understood potential for long-term sequelae,
      including impaired child growth and cognitive development. The mechanisms driving
      these protean clinical outcomes remain elusive, but recent advances suggest that
      variability in Giardia strains, host nutritional status, the composition of
      microbiota, co-infecting enteropathogens, host genetically determined mucosal
      immune responses, and immune modulation by Giardia are all relevant factors
      influencing disease manifestations after Giardia infection. 

PMID- 26097736
TI  - Insomnia and sleep apnea in midlife women: prevalence and consequences to health
      and functioning.
AB  - Sleep disturbance is common during the menopausal transition, with numerous
      downstream consequences to health and functioning, including reduced quality of
      life, impaired mental health, and increased physical health morbidity. Insomnia
      affects approximately 50% of midlife women and is characterized by nocturnal
      symptoms of difficulties initiating or maintaining sleep (or both) and daytime
      symptoms that impair occupational, social, or other components of functioning. In
      addition, approximately 20% of midlife women develop sleep-disordered breathing
      during the menopausal transition. This commentary summarizes the prevalence, risk
      factors, and treatment options for each of these sleep disorders in midlife
      women, with specific focus on first-line treatments for insomnia (cognitive
      behavioral therapy for insomnia) and sleep-disordered breathing (continuous
      positive airway pressure) and unique considerations for treating sleep disorders
      in midlife women. Future directions are also discussed. 

PMID- 26097738
TI  - Advancing our knowledge of the complexity and management of intimate partner
      violence and co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems in women.
AB  - Globally, intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive and insidious human
      rights problem with significant adverse physical health outcomes for women.
      Intimate partner violence has also been closely associated with poor mental
      health and substance use problems. However, little is known about the
      relationship among these co-occurring problems and how to best intervene or
      manage them. Here, we present findings from recent systematic reviews and meta
      analyses (where available) to highlight developments in understanding and
      managing the complex co-occurring problems of intimate partner violence and
      mental health and substance use in women. 

PMID- 26097739
TI  - Hematopoietic transcription factor mutations and inherited platelet dysfunction.
AB  - The molecular and genetic mechanisms in most patients with inherited platelet
      dysfunction are unknown. There is increasing evidence that mutations in
      hematopoietic transcription factors are major players in the pathogenesis of
      defective megakaryopoiesis and platelet dysfunction in patients with inherited
      platelet disorders. These hematopoietic transcription factors include RUNX1,
      FLI1, GATA-1, and GFI1B. Mutations involving these transcription factors affect
      diverse aspects of platelet production and function at the genetic and molecular
      levels, culminating in clinical manifestations of thrombocytopenia and platelet
      dysfunction. This review focuses on these hematopoietic transcription factors in
      the pathobiology of inherited platelet dysfunction. 

PMID- 26097740
TI  - The Brave New World of Personality Disorder-Trait Specified: Effects of
      Additional Definitions on Coverage, Prevalence, and Comorbidity.
AB  - The alternative dimensional model for personality disorder (PD) in DSM-5, Section
      III (DSM-5-III) includes two main criteria: (A) personality-functioning
      impairment, and (B) personality-trait pathology; provides specific functioning
      and-trait criteria for six PD-type diagnoses; and introduces PD-trait specified
      (PD-TS), which requires meeting the general PD criteria and not meeting criteria
      for any specific PD type. We termed this Simple PD-TS and developed two
      additional definitions: Mixed PD-TS, meeting criteria for one or two PD types and
      having five or more additional pathological traits; and Complex PD-TS, meeting
      criteria for three or more PD types. In a mixed sample of 165 outpatients and 215
      community adults screened to be at high-risk for PD, we investigated the effect
      of these additional definitions on prevalence, coverage, comorbidity, and within
      diagnosis heterogeneity, and conclude that eliminating the PD-type diagnoses and
      thus having PD-TS as the only PD diagnosis would be both more parsimonious and
      more useful clinically.

PMID- 26097741
TI  - Effectiveness of lower target temperature therapeutic hypothermia in post-cardiac
      arrest syndrome patients with a resuscitation interval of <=30 min.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is a standard strategy to reduce brain
      damage in post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) patients. However, it is unknown
      whether the target temperature should be adjusted for PCAS patients in different
      states. METHODS: Participants in the J-PULSE-Hypo study database were divided
      into lower (32.0-33.5  degrees C; Group L) or moderate (34.0-35.0  degrees C;
      Group M) temperature groups. Primary outcome was a favourable neurological
      outcome (proportion of patients with a Glasgow-Pittsburgh Cerebral Performance
      Category [CPC] of 1-2 on day 30). We compared between the two groups and in
      subgroups of patients divided by age and resuscitation interval (interval from
      collapse to return of spontaneous circulation) by propensity score (PS) analysis.
      RESULTS: Overall, 467 participants were analysed. The proportions of patients
      with favourable neurological outcomes were as follows (Group L vs. Group M) (OR;
      Odds ratio): all patients, 64 % (n = 42) vs. 55 % ((n = 424) (PS; OR 1.381 (0.596
      3.197)), P = 0.452) and resuscitation interval <= 30 min, 88 % (n = 24) vs. 64 %
      ((n = 281) (PS; OR 7.438 (1.769-31.272)), P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: PCAS patients
      with a resuscitation interval of <30 min may be candidates for TH with a target
      temperature of <34  degrees C. TRIAL REGISTRATION: University Hospital Medical
      Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000001935; available at:
      https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open
      bin/ctr/ctr.cgi?function=brows&action=brows&type=summary&recptno=R000002348&langu
      ge=J.

PMID- 26097742
TI  - Global database of paleocurrent trends through the Phanerozoic and Precambrian.
AB  - Paleocurrents are sedimentological features contained in all sedimentary
      deposits, enabling the direction of movement of the sediment and the containing
      fluid at the time of deposition to be determined. This database contains
      paleocurrent directions and other relevant associated data from published sources
      and theses and dissertations for the entire Phanerozoic and Precambrian for all
      continents. Such information may be of general interest to sedimentologists and
      will be of specific interest in sedimentary basin analysis, and to petroleum
      geologists and mineralogists seeking source areas. Paleocurrents may also be
      useful in plate reconstructions and in testing the timing of global tectonic
      events. 

PMID- 26097743
TI  - Snapshot Serengeti, high-frequency annotated camera trap images of 40 mammalian
      species in an African savanna.
AB  - Camera traps can be used to address large-scale questions in community ecology by
      providing systematic data on an array of wide-ranging species. We deployed 225
      camera traps across 1,125 km(2) in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, to evaluate
      spatial and temporal inter-species dynamics. The cameras have operated
      continuously since 2010 and had accumulated 99,241 camera-trap days and produced
      1.2 million sets of pictures by 2013. Members of the general public classified
      the images via the citizen-science website www.snapshotserengeti.org. Multiple
      users viewed each image and recorded the species, number of individuals,
      associated behaviours, and presence of young. Over 28,000 registered users
      contributed 10.8 million classifications. We applied a simple algorithm to
      aggregate these individual classifications into a final 'consensus' dataset,
      yielding a final classification for each image and a measure of agreement among
      individual answers. The consensus classifications and raw imagery provide an
      unparalleled opportunity to investigate multi-species dynamics in an intact
      ecosystem and a valuable resource for machine-learning and computer-vision
      research.

PMID- 26097744
TI  - A daily global mesoscale ocean eddy dataset from satellite altimetry.
AB  - Mesoscale ocean eddies are ubiquitous coherent rotating structures of water with
      radial scales on the order of 100 kilometers. Eddies play a key role in the
      transport and mixing of momentum and tracers across the World Ocean. We present a
      global daily mesoscale ocean eddy dataset that contains ~45 million mesoscale
      features and 3.3 million eddy trajectories that persist at least two days as
      identified in the AVISO dataset over a period of 1993-2014. This dataset, along
      with the open-source eddy identification software, extract eddies with any
      parameters (minimum size, lifetime, etc.), to study global eddy properties and
      dynamics, and to empirically estimate the impact eddies have on mass or heat
      transport. Furthermore, our open-source software may be used to identify
      mesoscale features in model simulations and compare them to observed features.
      Finally, this dataset can be used to study the interaction between mesoscale
      ocean eddies and other components of the Earth System.

PMID- 26097745
TI  - Dynamic Crystallography Reveals Early Signalling Events in Ultraviolet
      Photoreceptor UVR8.
AB  - Arabidopsis thaliana UVR8 (AtUVR8) is a long-sought-after photoreceptor that
      undergoes dimer dissociation in response to UV-B light. Crystallographic and
      mutational studies have identified two crucial tryptophan residues for UV-B
      responses in AtUVR8. However, the mechanism of UV-B perception and structural
      events leading up to dimer dissociation remain elusive at the molecular level. We
      applied dynamic crystallography to capture light-induced structural events in
      photoactive AtUVR8 crystals. Here we report two intermediate structures at 1.67A
      resolution. At the epicenter of UV-B signaling, concerted motions associated with
      Trp285/Trp233 lead to ejection of a water molecule, which weakens an intricate
      network of hydrogen bonds and salt bridges at the dimer interface. Partial
      opening of the beta-propeller structure due to thermal relaxation of
      conformational strains originating in the epicenter further disrupts the dimer
      interface and leads to dimer dissociation. These dynamic crystallographic
      observations provide structural insights into the photo-perception and signaling
      mechanism of UVR8.

PMID- 26097746
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of three different MRI protocols in patients with
      inflammatory bowel disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used for workup and control of
      inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, disagreement remains as to how the MRI
      should be performed. PURPOSE: To compare prospectively the diagnostic accuracy of
      MRI with neither oral nor intravenous contrast medium (plain MRI), magnetic
      resonance follow-through (MRFT) and MR enteroclysis (MRE) using MRE as the
      reference standard in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Plain MRI and MRE were carried out in addition to MRFT. All patients
      underwent both plain MR and MRFT on the same day and MRE within seven days. For
      the evaluation, the bowel was divided into nine segments. One radiologist,
      blinded to clinical findings, evaluated bowel wall thickness, diffusion weighted
      imaging (DWI), mural hyperenhancement, and other inflammatory changes in each
      bowel segment. RESULTS: Twenty patients (6 men, 14 women; median age, 43.5 years;
      age range, 26-76 years) underwent all three examinations; 10 with Crohn's disease
      (CD), three with ulcerative colitis (UC), and seven with IBD unclassified (IBD
      U). Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were in the range of 0-75%, 81-96%,
      and 75-95% for wall thickening, and 0-37%, 59-89%, and 50-86% for DWI in plain
      MRI, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were in the range of 0
      50%, 96-100%, and 90-100% for wall thickening, 0-50%, 84-97%, and 82-95% for DWI,
      and 0-71%, 94-100%, and 85-100% for mural hyperenhancement in MRFT, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The use of oral and intravenous contrast agent improves detection of
      bowel lesions resulting in MRFT remaining the superior choice over plain MRI for
      diagnostic workup in patients with IBD.

PMID- 26097747
TI  - Structure-Dependent Immune Modulatory Activity of Protegrin-1 Analogs.
AB  - Protegrins are porcine antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that belong to the
      cathelicidin family of host defense peptides. Protegrin-1 (PG-1), the most
      investigated member of the protegrin family, is an arginine-rich peptide
      consisting of 18 amino acid residues, its main chain adopting a beta-hairpin
      structure that is linked by two disulfide bridges. We report on the immune
      modulatory activity of PG-1 and its analogs in neutralizing bacterial endotoxin
      and capsular polysaccharides, consequently inhibiting inflammatory mediators'
      release from macrophages. We demonstrate that the beta-hairpin structure motif
      stabilized with at least one disulfide bridge is a prerequisite for the immune
      modulatory activity of this type of AMP. 

PMID- 26097748
TI  - Novel GUCY2D Gene Mutations in Japanese Male Twins with Leber Congenital
      Amaurosis.
AB  - Purpose. Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a genetically and clinically
      heterogeneous disease, is the earliest onset retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and is the
      most severe of hereditary retinal dystrophies. This study was conducted to
      investigate genetic and clinical features of LCA in a set of Japanese male twins
      with LCA. Methods. To identify causative mutations, 74 genes known to cause RP or
      LCA were examined by targeted-next generation sequencing (NGS). Targeted-NGS was
      performed using a custom designed Agilent HaloPlex target enrichment kit with
      Illumina Miseq sequencer. Identified potential pathogenic mutations were
      confirmed using Sanger sequencing. Clinical analyses were based on ophthalmic
      examination, fundus photography, and electroretinography (ERG). Results. Compound
      heterozygous GUCY2D mutations of novel splicing mutation c.2113+2_2113+3insT and
      novel missense mutation p.L905P were detected in both twins. Their father and
      mother were heterozygous for c.2113+2_2113+3insT and p.L905P, respectively. The
      twins had phenotypic features similar to those previously reported in patients
      with GUCY2D mutations. This included early childhood onset of visual loss,
      nystagmus, unrecordable ERG, photophobia, and hyperopia. Conclusions. To the best
      of our knowledge, this is the first report of genetic and clinical features of
      Japanese LCA twins with GUCY2D mutation, which were detected using targeted-NGS. 

PMID- 26097749
TI  - Anterior and Posterior Corneal Astigmatism after Refractive Lenticule Extraction
      for Myopic Astigmatism.
AB  - Purpose. To assess the amount and the axis orientation of anterior and posterior
      corneal astigmatism after refractive lenticule extraction (ReLEx) for myopic
      astigmatism. Methods. We retrospectively examined 53 eyes of 53 consecutive
      patients (mean age +/- standard deviation, 33.2 +/- 6.5 years) undergoing ReLEx
      to correct myopic astigmatism (manifest cylinder = 0.5 diopters (D)). Power
      vector analysis was performed with anterior and posterior corneal astigmatism
      measured with a rotating Scheimpflug system (Pentacam HR, Oculus) and refractive
      astigmatism preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. Results. Anterior
      corneal astigmatism was significantly decreased, measuring 1.42 +/- 0.73 diopters
      (D) preoperatively and 1.11 +/- 0.53 D postoperatively (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon
      signed-rank test). Posterior corneal astigmatism showed no significant change,
      falling from 0.44 +/- 0.12 D preoperatively to 0.42 +/- 0.13 D postoperatively (p
      = 0.18). Refractive astigmatism decreased significantly, from 0.92 +/- 0.51 D
      preoperatively to 0.27 +/- 0.44 D postoperatively (p < 0.001). The anterior
      surface showed with-the-rule astigmatism in 51 eyes (96%) preoperatively and 48
      eyes (91%) postoperatively. By contrast, the posterior surface showed against-the
      rule astigmatism in all eyes preoperatively and postoperatively. Conclusions. The
      surgical effects were largely attributed to the astigmatic correction of the
      anterior corneal surface. Posterior corneal astigmatism remained unchanged even
      after ReLEx for myopic astigmatism. 

PMID- 26097751
TI  - Translational Research in Bipolar Disorders.

PMID- 26097750
TI  - The Use of Cannabis as a Predictor of Early Onset of Bipolar Disorder and Suicide
      Attempts.
AB  - Introduction. Bipolar disorder (BD) implies risk of suicide. The age at onset
      (AAO) of BD carries prognostic significance. Substance abuse may precede the
      onset of BD and cannabis is the most common illicit drug used. The main goal of
      this study is to review the association of cannabis use as a risk factor for
      early onset of BD and for suicide attempts. Materials and Methods. PubMed
      database was searched for articles using key words "bipolar disorder," "suicide
      attempts," "cannabis," "marijuana," "early age at onset," and "early onset."
      Results. The following percentages in bipolar patients were found: suicide
      attempts 3.6-42%; suicide attempts and substance use 5-60%; suicide attempts and
      cannabis use 15-42%. An early AAO was associated with cannabis misuse. The mean
      age of the first manic episode in individuals with and without BD and cannabis
      use disorder (CUD) was 19.5 and 25.1 years, respectively. The first depressive
      episode was at 18.5 and 24.4 years, respectively. Individuals misusing cannabis
      showed increased risk of suicide. Discussion. Cannabis use is associated with
      increased risk of suicide attempts and with early AAO. However, the effect of
      cannabis at the AAO and suicide attempts is not clear. 

PMID- 26097752
TI  - Coronal Pulpotomy Technique Analysis as an Alternative to Pulpectomy for
      Preserving the Tooth Vitality, in the Context of Tissue Regeneration: A
      Correlated Clinical Study across 4 Adult Permanent Molars.
AB  - Aim. (1) The aim of the clinical study revolves around the accurate diagnosis,
      proper case selection, and the management of acute irreversible pulpitis in
      permanent molars with closed apices using conservative and economical treatment
      modalities like vital pulpotomies with regenerative approaches over conventional
      root canal procedures. (2) To evaluate the use of autologous substances such as
      platelet concentrates and calcium silicate based materials in promoting the
      healing and regeneration of the inflamed pulp. Summary. Vital pulpotomy was
      performed on 5 carious involved, permanent molars diagnosed with acute
      irreversible pulpitis in 17- to 22-year-old patients. Taking into consideration
      the patient's age and the condition of the underlying pulp tissue, PRF pulpotomy
      was planned in view of preserving the vitality of the intact radicular pulps.
      Regenerative procedures with second generation blood matrices were chosen to
      encourage the recovery of the inflamed pulps. The systematic follow-up
      examinations performed at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 22, and 24 months revealed a
      successful clinical and radiological outcome. Within the limits of the present
      clinical study and correlating the success across the treated clinical cases, we
      safely conclude the potential scope of regenerative pulpotomy approaches in acute
      irreversible pulpitis in adult permanent teeth. 

PMID- 26097754
TI  - Medical Schools for Profit?

PMID- 26097753
TI  - Deletion of IFT20 in early stage T lymphocyte differentiation inhibits the
      development of collagen-induced arthritis.
AB  - IFT20 is the smallest member of the intraflagellar transport protein (IFT)
      complex B. It is involved in cilia formation. Studies of IFT20 have been confined
      to ciliated cells. Recently, IFT20 was found to be also expressed in non-ciliated
      T cells and have functions in immune synapse formation and signaling in vitro.
      However, how IFT20 regulates T-cell development and activation in vivo is still
      unknown. We deleted the IFT20 gene in early and later stages of T-cell
      development by crossing IFT20(flox/flox) (IFT20(f/f) ) mice with Lck-Cre and CD4
      Cre transgenic mice, and investigated the role of IFT20 in T-cell maturation and
      in the development of T cell-mediated collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). We found
      that both Lck-Cre/IFT20(f/f) and CD4-Cre/IFT20(f/f) mice were indistinguishable
      from their wild-type littermates in body size, as well as in the morphology and
      weight of the spleen and thymus. However, the number of CD4- and CD8-positive
      cells was significantly lower in thymus and spleen in Lck-Cre/IFT20(f/f) mice.
      Meanwhile, the incidence and severity of CIA symptoms were significantly
      decreased, and inflammation in the paw was significantly inhibited in Lck
      Cre/IFT20(f/f) mice compared to Lck-Cre/IFT20(+/+) littermates. Deletion IFT20 in
      more mature T cells of CD4-Cre/IFT20(f/f) mice had only mild effects on the
      development of T cells and CIA. The expression of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TGF-beta1
      were significantly downregulated in the paw of Lck-Cre/IFT20(f/f) mice, but just
      slight decreased in CD4-Cre/IFT20(f/f) mice. These results demonstrate that
      deletion of IFT20 in the early stage of T-cell development inhibited CIA
      development through regulating T-cell development and the expression of critical
      cytokines. 

PMID- 26097755
TI  - Clinical Evaluation of the Efficacy of Arthocare Forte, a Chondro-Protective and
      Anti-Arthritic Drug in the Management of Bacterial Plaque-Induced Chronic
      Periodontitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arthocare forte medication is made up of different constituents and
      the advantages offered by this disposition have not been explored in the
      management of chronic periodontitis. AIM: The aim was to assess the clinical
      response of bacterial plaque-induced generalized chronic periodontitis to
      arthocare medication, and the relationship of age and gender to the prevalence of
      chronic periodontal disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study was done at the
      Dental Surgery Clinic of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. It
      was a Prospective randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of arthocare
      treatment on 81/162 patients with teeth mobility over a period of 5 years. All
      the patients (162) underwent root planing, and 81/162 (50%) were treated with
      arthocare for comparative analysis. The variables recorded were patient's age,
      gender, and degree of tooth mobility, periodontal pocket, and bleeding from the
      pocket after treatment. Statistical analysis was done using EPI INFO 7. RESULTS:
      Majority of the patients were between 46 and 75 years in both control (n = 59/81,
      72.8%) and experimental groups (n = 52/81, 64.2%). There were 86/162 (53.1%)
      males and 76/162 (46.9%) females, giving a male-to-female ratio of 1.1:1. Seventy
      seven patients (95.1%) in the experimental group had total remission in
      comparison to 32/81 (39.5%) in control group which was statistically significant
      (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The arthocare administered to patients in the
      experimental group speeds up the regenerative capacity and stability of the
      periodontium when compared with the control. Multicentre clinical trials are
      recommended to validate the use of arthocare forte in the treatment of
      generalized chronic periodontitis.

PMID- 26097756
TI  - Tsutsugamushi Disease (Scrub Typhus) Meningoencephalitis in North Eastern India:
      A Prospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scrub typhus is rampant in northern, eastern, and southern India.
      Central nervous system involvement in the form of meningitis or
      meningoencephalitis is common in scrub typhus. As specific laboratory methods
      remain inadequate or inaccessible in developing countries, prompt diagnosis is
      often difficult. AIM: The aim of this study was to characterize neurological
      complications in scrub typhus from northeastern region of India. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: We did a prospective study of scrub meningoencephalitis at North Eastern
      Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Medical Sciences among patients admitted to
      hospital between October 2009 and November 2011. The diagnosis was made based on
      the clinical pictures, presence of an eschar, and a positive Weil-Felix test
      (WFT) with a titer of >1:160 and if required a positive scrub IgM enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. Lumbar puncture was performed in patients with headache,
      nuchal rigidity, altered sensorium or cranial nerve deficits, and magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) brain performed if needed. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients
      of scrub typhus meningitis that were serologically confirmed were included in the
      study. There were 13 males and 10 females. Fever >=1 week was the most common
      manifestation (39.1%). Interestingly, none had an eschar. Median cerebrospinal
      fluid (CSF) cell count, lymphocyte percentage, CSF protein, CSF glucose/blood
      glucose, CSF ADA were 17 cells/MUL, 90%, 86 mg/dL, 0.6605 and 3.6 U/mL,
      respectively. All patients were treated with doxycycline. There was no mortality
      in our study. CONCLUSIONS: Absence of Eschar does not rule out scrub typhus.
      Clinical features and CSF findings can mimic tuberculous meningitis so
      misdiagnosis may lead to unwarranted prolonged empirical antituberculous therapy
      in cases of lymphocytic meningoencephalitis. Delay in treatment can be
      potentially fatal. WFT still serves as a useful and affordable diagnostic tool
      for this disease in resource-poor countries.

PMID- 26097757
TI  - Clinical and Socio-Demographic Profile of Women with Post-Partum Psychiatric
      Conditions at a Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Southeast Nigeria between
      2009 and 2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregnancy and labor in areas with high maternal morbidities as in
      Nigeria could be sufficiently stressful to precipitate mental disorders in women
      after delivery, which may be a new or a relapse of previously existing one, or an
      exacerbation of an attenuated mental illness in the nursing mother. Mental
      illness in a nursing mother, if not treated may result in impaired mother-infant
      relationship. AIM: To determine the clinical and socio-demographic
      characteristics of women diagnosed with postpartum psychiatric conditions in a
      tertiary mental health facility of a developing country. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A
      retrospective case note reviews of 76 women diagnosed with postpartum psychiatric
      conditions for the first time in the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu
      between January 2009 and December 2011. RESULTS: The mean age of the women was
      27.76 years, with 63% (48/76) of them coming from the rural areas. 93% (71/76) of
      them had at least a secondary education and 78% (59/76) of the women had a family
      history of psychiatric disorders. Schizophrenia was commonest, 48.7% (37/76)
      followed by depression, 22% (17/76) and mania, 15% (11/76). Those presenting with
      schizophrenia were younger when compared with other diagnostic groups, had a
      lower level of education and presented earlier for treatment. The husbands were
      the primary caregivers in 48% of them. CONCLUSION: With 63% (48/76) of them being
      rural dwellers, policy changes become imperative that would encourage
      establishment of psychiatric services in rural areas to ensure early detection
      and prompt treatment of postpartum women with a need for psychiatric services.

PMID- 26097758
TI  - Antihypertensive Medications Adherence Among Nigerian Hypertensive Subjects in a
      Specialist Clinic Compared to a General Outpatient Clinic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poor adherence to antihypertensive medications has been linked with
      increased cardiovascular risk and mortality in many population. Africans have
      been shown to have a worse prognosis from hypertension, poorer blood pressure
      control, and increased risk of complications arising from hypertension compared
      to Caucasians. AIM: The aim was to describe the level of adherence to
      antihypertensive medications, its determinants and whether any difference exist
      between those attending specialty clinic or general outpatient department (GOPD)
      Clinic in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: An
      analytical cross-sectional study. The Morisky scale was used to assess for
      adherence to antihypertensive medications. Clinical and demographic data were
      taken. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 17.0. (Chicago, IL, USA). P
      < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 114
      hypertensive subjects were recruited for this study. Seventy-nine were from the
      cardiology clinic whereas 35 were from the GOPD. They consisted of 60 males
      (52.6%, 60/114) and 54 females (47.4%, 54/110). The mean age was 63.6 (14.1)
      years. High adherence, low adherence and medium adherence as defined by Morisky
      scale was found in 36.8% (42/114), 23.9% (27/114) and 39.5% (45/114),
      respectively. Adherence level was higher among those attending specialty clinic
      despite shorter duration of hypertension and use of more medications. More than
      four-fifth of those attending cardiology clinic had at least medium level of
      adherence compared to a little bit over half of those attending GOPD clinic.
      Those with good adherence were likely to be older, had a higher level of
      education and higher average monthly income than those with poor adherence.
      CONCLUSION: Poor adherence to medications is very common in the hypertensive
      Nigerians. Hypertensive subjects attending specialty clinic seems to have a
      better adherence to antihypertensive medications possibly due to the level of
      health education and information provided to patients. Effective health education
      and regular screening for compliance and adherence is a potential way to reduce
      cardiovascular risk associated with uncontrolled hypertension.

PMID- 26097759
TI  - An Assessment of Female Prisoners' Perception of the Accessibility of Quality
      Healthcare: A Survey in the Kumasi Central Prisons, Ghana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accessibility of quality healthcare across the globe has generated a
      lot of attention among public health practitioners. AIM: This study explored the
      background characteristics of female prisoners and how it influences their
      assessment of the quality of accessible healthcare in the Kumasi Female Prison.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted at
      the Female section of the Kumasi Central Prisons from June to December 2011. We
      used pretested questionnaires to obtain quantitative data from all 39 inmates of
      the female Prisons. An in-depth interview was used to obtain qualitative data
      from the prison healthcare giver. Data were analyzed with Epi Info Version 3.5.1,
      (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Excel, and Graph Pad Prism version
      5.00 for Windows (Graph Pad software, San Diego California USA,
      www.graphpad.com). RESULTS: Using a 12-point scale inventory questionnaire,
      inmates with no formal education gave the highest mean health provision
      assessment score (6.0) whereas those with tertiary education gave the lowest
      (4.5). Females serving prison sentences gave the highest mean health assessment
      score whereas remand prisoners gave the lowest. Single females' mean health
      assessment score was 5.7 whereas that of married inmates was 4.9. Unemployed
      inmates scored 5.8, informal 5.4 while civil servants scored 5.0. CONCLUSION:
      Access to quality healthcare was poor and demographic characteristics, marital
      status, educational background, and occupation influenced inmates' perceptions of
      accessibility to quality healthcare. Inmates should be encouraged to be proactive
      in seeking healthcare irrespective of their background characteristics.

PMID- 26097760
TI  - Effects of Prestorage Leukoreduction on the Rate of Febrile Nonhemolytic
      Transfusion Reactions to Red Blood Cells in a Tertiary Care Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reactions (FNHTRs) are relatively
      common complications associated with allogenic transfusion. White blood cells
      (WBCs or leukocytes) are considered to be an important cause of FNHTRs; the rate
      of WBC derived pro-inflammatory cytokines increase with storage due to active
      synthesis of cytokines by these cells. The removal of the WBCs before storage
      will prevent the accumulation of cytokines during storage that leads to a
      reduction in the number of FNHTRs. AIM: We have conducted a retrospective
      analysis comparing the rate of FNHTRs in prestorage leukoreduced (PrSLR) and non
      leukoreduced RBCs transfusion. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of
      all the transfusion reactions (TRs) reported to the department over a period of 2
      years from July 2012 to June 2014 was done. Patients were stratified by the date
      of reaction and by component received and then divided into two groups: (1)
      Patients who received allogeneic PrSLR RBCs and (2) nonleukoreduced RBCs. For the
      PrSLR RBC units, leukoreduction was performed by using buffy coat method of
      component preparation by quadruple bags and integral bags containing
      Sepacell((r)) Pure RC filters (FenwalTM France). RESULTS: 37,232 RBCs units were
      transfused and out of which 14149 (38% i.e. is 14149/37232) were prestorage
      leukoreduced (PrSLR) and 23083 (62%) were non leukoreduced. A total of 142
      (0.38%) TRs were reported during that time period, of which 62 (0.17%) were
      classified as FNHTRs. In the nonleukoreduced group 124 TRs were reported, of
      which 55 were classified as FNHTRs to RBCs and the overall rate of FNHTR to RBCs
      was 0.24%. In pre storage leukoreduced group, 18 TRs were reported, of which 7
      were classified as FNHTRs to RBCs and the overall rate of FNHTR to RBCs was 0.05%
      (P <= 0.001). This represents a significant reduction in the rate of FNHTR after
      institution of prestorage leukoreduction. CONCLUSION: The rate of FNHTRs to
      allogenic RBC units after the implementation of prestorage leukoreduction has
      decreased significantly. Cytokines and chemokines accumulating during storage of
      cellular blood products are responsible for residual FNHTRs.

PMID- 26097761
TI  - Comparison of the Effects of Zonisamide, Ethosuximide and Pregabalin in the
      Chronic Constriction Injury Induced Neuropathic Pain in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence has been generated that various anticonvulsant agents
      provide relief of several chronic pain syndromes and therefore as an alternative
      to opioids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, and tricyclic antidepressant drugs in
      the treatment of neuropathic pain. The results of these studies thus raise the
      question of whether all anticonvulsant drugs or particular mechanistic classes
      may be efficacious in the treatment of neuropathic pain syndromes. AIM: The aim
      was to compare the clinically used anticonvulsant drugs which are differ in their
      mechanism of action in a chronic pain model, the chronic constriction injury, in
      order to determine if all anticonvulsants or only particular mechanistic classes
      of anticonvulsants are analgesic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included
      zonisamide, ethosuximide and pregabalin. All compounds were anticonvulsant with
      diverse mechanism of actions. The peripheral neuropathic pain was induced by
      chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve in male Sprague-Dawley rats.
      Zonisamide (80 and 40 mg/kg), ethosuximide (300 and 100 mg/kg), pregabalin (50
      and 20 mg/kg), and saline was administered intraperitoneally in respective groups
      in a blinded, randomized manner from postoperative day (POD) 7-13. Paw withdrawal
      duration to spontaneous pain, chemical allodynia and mechanical hyperalgesia and
      paw withdrawal latency to mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia were
      tested before drug administration on POD7 and after administration on POD 7, 9,
      11 and 13. RESULTS: The present study suggests that these drugs could provide an
      effective alternative in the treatment of neuropathic pain. However, zonisamide
      and pregabalin appears to have suitable efficacy to treat a wide spectrum of
      neuropathic pain condition. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that the
      inhibition of N-type calcium channels or voltage-gated sodium and T-type calcium
      channels provides better analgesic potential instead of inhibition of T-type
      calcium channels alone.

PMID- 26097762
TI  - Psychiatric Morbidity among Subjects with Leprosy and Albinism in South East
      Nigeria: A Comparative Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skin, which is the largest organ in the body, carries immense
      psychological significance. Disfiguring skin disorders may impact negatively on
      the mental health of individuals. AIM: This study compared the psychiatric
      morbidity of subjects with leprosy and albinism. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One
      hundred subjects with leprosy and 100 with albinism were interviewed.
      Sociodemographic questionnaire and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) assessed
      the sociodemographic characteristics and psychiatric morbidity, respectively. GHQ
      positive cases and 10% of noncases for each group were interviewed with Mini
      International Neuropsychiatric Inventory for specific ICD-10 diagnoses. RESULTS:
      Fifty-five percent (55/100) subjects with leprosy were GHQ positive cases while
      41% (41/100) with albinism were GHQ positive cases. The risk of developing
      psychiatric morbidity was significantly higher in subjects with leprosy than in
      subjects with albinism (OR = 1.76, CI = 1.00 - 3.08, P = 0.04). The prevalence of
      specific psychiatric disorders among subjects with leprosy were depression 49%
      (49/100), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) 18% (18/100), alcohol/drug abuse 16%
      (16/100), whereas in albinism depression was 51% (51/100), GAD 27% (27/100), and
      alcohol/drug abuse 7% (7/100). Male, married and uneducated subjects with leprosy
      had significantly higher psychiatric morbidity than the male, married and
      uneducated subjects with albinism, respectively. CONCLUSION: Psychiatric
      morbidity was higher in subjects with leprosy than in subjects with albinism.
      Male, married and uneducated subjects with leprosy significantly had higher
      morbidity than male, married and uneducated subjects with albinism respectively.

PMID- 26097763
TI  - Oxidative Stress -a Phenotypic Hallmark of Fanconi Anemia and Down Syndrome: The
      Effect of Antioxidants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis of leukemia
      prone diseases such as Fanconi anemia (FA) and Down syndrome (DS). AIM: To
      explore the oxidative stress state in children with DS and FA by estimating the
      levels of antioxidants (e.g., malondialdehyde [MDA], total antioxidant capacity,
      and superoxide dismutase [SOD] activity) and DNA damage, and to evaluate of the
      effect of antioxidant treatment on these patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The
      study included 32 children clinically diagnosed with (15 patients) and FA (17
      patients) in addition to 17 controls matched for age and sex. MDA, total
      antioxidant capacity, SOD activity, and DNA damage were measured. Antioxidants
      including Vitamin A, E, and C were given to the patients according to the
      recommended daily allowance for 6 months. Clinical follow-up and re-evaluation
      were conducted for all patients. Laboratory tests including complete blood count,
      karyotyping, DNA damage, and oxidative stress were re-evaluated. Statistical
      analysis was performed using statistical computer program Statistical Package for
      the Social Sciences version 14.0. RESULTS: Children with FA and DS had elevated
      levels of oxidative stress and more DNA damage than controls. Oxidative stress
      parameters and DNA damage improved in FA and DS patients after antioxidant
      administration. CONCLUSION: Early administration of antioxidants to FA and DS
      patients is recommended for slowing of the disease course with symptoms
      amelioration and improvement of general health.

PMID- 26097764
TI  - Periodontal Condition and Treatment Needs of Some Pregnant Women in Ibadan,
      Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Periodontal diseases had been reported to be worse in the presence of
      hormonal imbalance as seen during pregnancy, which if that is the case, should
      resolve following childbirth when the hormonal level of the women should have
      reverted to normal. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Periodontal health of 345 pregnant
      women was assessed once during pregnancy and at 14(th) week following their
      childbirth. The clinical variant of community periodontal index of treatment
      needs probe was used in the assessment. RESULTS: During pregnancy, 167/345
      (48.4%) of the women had deep pockets, 178/345 (51.6%) had shallow pockets. After
      childbirth, 5/345 (1.5%) had healthy periodontium, 25/345 (7.2%) had calculus and
      7/345 (2.0%) had deep pockets. All of the respondents required oral hygiene
      instructions (OHI) and prophylaxis and 167/345 (48.4%) required complex treatment
      during pregnancy. After childbirth, 340/345 (98.5%) of the women required OHI and
      prophylaxis. Despite the great need for dental treatment among the respondents,
      majority never sought any treatment as 308/345 (89.3%) of the respondents had
      never visited a dentist before the study. CONCLUSION: The fact that the deep
      pocket reduced drastically following childbirth shows that it was not a true
      pocket. The high unmet treatment needs among the respondents require a concerted
      effort from dentists and policy makers in order to enlighten the women,
      especially those of child bearing age concerning the need for preventive dental
      visitation.

PMID- 26097765
TI  - Estimation of Stature from Arm Span in Medical Students of Maharashtra, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stature can be estimated from body parameters in dead and mutilated
      bodies using regression equation or multiplication factor. However, regression
      equations and multiplication factors are specific for the region only and can't
      be used in all population. AIM: To formulate regression equation and
      multiplication factor for the estimation of stature from arm span (AS) for a
      region in Maharashtra, India. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: It was a cross-sectional
      study, did over a period of 2 years, from October 2011 to September 2013. Four
      hundred students of three Government medical colleges of Maharashtra, aged 18-24
      years were enrolled in the study. Stature and AS were measured and subjected to
      statistical analysis. Unpaired t-test and simple linear regression were used.
      RESULTS: Stature and AS of 400 medical students (219 males and 181 females) were
      measured. Subjects were divided into six groups depending upon age. Simple
      regression equation and multiplication factor for male and female and for each
      age group were derived for estimation of stature. We found correlation
      coefficient (R) of 0.89 in male and 0.90 in female using simple regression, which
      shows strong correlation between stature and AS. CONCLUSION: Mean stature and AS
      of male were more than female with statistical significance. Stature can be
      accurately estimated from AS using simple regression equation or multiplication
      factor.

PMID- 26097766
TI  - Giant Mucinous Cystadenoma in Nnewi, Nigeria.
AB  - Mucinous ovarian tumors are the second commonest type of epithelial ovarian
      tumors. Most of these tumors are benign. Occasionally, these tumors may reach
      enormous dimensions without being symptomatic. We reported the occurrence of a
      huge benign ovarian tumor (mucinous cystadenoma) in Nnewi. The data were
      collected from history taking, clinical examination, laboratory investigation,
      ultrasonographic examination, operative findings and histopathological
      examination of the surgical specimen. The case was reported as a massive ovarian
      mucinous cystadenoma. This case report emphasizes the importance of a thorough
      evaluation of women who presented with vague abdominal pain. Although the
      condition is very rare, it is potentially hazardous if early diagnosis and timely
      intervention is not instituted. 

PMID- 26097767
TI  - Staphylococcal Blood Stream Infections in Cancer Patients.

PMID- 26097768
TI  - Predictors of Urinary Tract Infections in Nursing Students in India.

PMID- 26097769
TI  - Biomarkers and genetics of brain injury risk in diabetic ketoacidosis: A pilot
      study.
AB  - Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the primary cause of death for children with
      diabetes, especially when complicated by cerebral edema. Central nervous system
      (CNS) involvement is common, however the mechanism of, and predictors of CNS
      dysfunction/injury are largely unknown. In this observational pilot study, blood
      was collected from pediatric DKA patients at three time points (consent, 12 hr
      and 24 hr after beginning treatment), to test genetic markers, ribonucleic acid
      expression and plasma biomarkers reflecting inflammation (tumor necrosis factor
      alpha [TNF-alpha], interleukin-6 [IL-6]) and cerebral dysfunction and/or possible
      injury (S100beta, glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]). Thirty patients were
      enrolled in the study. The average age was 11.3 yr, 73% were new onset diabetes
      and 53% were female. Forty percent exhibited abnormal mentation (Glasgow Coma
      Scale <15), consistent with CNS dysfunction. IL-6 and TNF-alpha were elevated in
      plasma, suggesting systemic inflammation. GFAP was measurable in 45% of patients
      and correlated positively with GCS. Only two patients had detectable levels of
      S100beta. In conclusion, children with DKA often present with evidence of acute
      neurologic dysfunction or injury. We have demonstrated the feasibility of
      exploring genetic and biochemical markers of potential importance in the
      pathophysiology of CNS dysfunction and/or possible injury in DKA. We have
      identified IL-6, TNF-alpha and GFAP as potentially important markers for further
      exploration. A larger, follow-up study will help to better understand the extent
      and type of CNS injury in DKA as well as the mechanism underlying this
      dysfunction/injury.

PMID- 26097770
TI  - Motion Planning under Uncertainty for Medical Needle Steering Using Optimization
      in Belief Space.
AB  - We present an optimization-based motion planner for medical steerable needles
      that explicitly considers motion and sensing uncertainty while guiding the needle
      to a target in 3D anatomy. Motion planning for needle steering is challenging
      because the needle is a nonholonomic and underactuated system, the needle's
      motion may be perturbed during insertion due to unmodeled needle/tissue
      interactions, and medical sensing modalities such as ultrasound imaging and x-ray
      projection imaging typically provide only noisy and partial state information. To
      account for these uncertainties, we introduce a motion planner that computes a
      trajectory and corresponding linear controller in the belief space - the space of
      distributions over the state space. We formulate the needle steering motion
      planning problem as a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) that
      approximates belief states as Gaussians. We then compute a locally optimal
      trajectory and corresponding controller that minimize in belief space a cost
      function that considers avoidance of obstacles, penalties for unsafe control
      inputs, and target acquisition accuracy. We apply the motion planner to simulated
      scenarios and show that local optimization in belief space enables us to compute
      higher quality plans compared to planning solely in the needle's state space.

PMID- 26097772
TI  - Methodological problems with population cancer studies: The forgotten confounding
      factors.
AB  - Among clinical physicians it is the population study that is considered to be the
      "gold standard" of medical evidence concerning acceptable treatments. As new
      information comes to light concerning the many variables and confounding factors
      that can affect such studies, many older studies lose much of their original
      impact. While newer population studies take into consideration a far greater
      number of confounding factors many are still omitted and a number of these
      omitted factors can have profound effects on interpretation and validity of the
      study. In this editorial, I will discuss some of the omitted confounding factors
      and demonstrate how they can alter the interpretation of these papers and their
      clinical application. 

PMID- 26097773
TI  - A vertebral extra dural chordoma at C5, possibly deriving from a clival chordoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clival chordomas are a rare type of cancer with low metastatic
      potential and primary metastasize to the lung or bones. CASE DESCRIPTION: This
      case report describes a possible metastatic, paravertebral chordoma at level C4
      C5 in a patient with a past medical history of a clival chordoma. CONCLUSION:
      Chordomas are unpredictable and may metastasise.

PMID- 26097771
TI  - Cancer microenvironment, inflammation and cancer stem cells: A hypothesis for a
      paradigm change and new targets in cancer control.
AB  - Since President Nixon officially declared a war on cancer with the National
      Cancer Act, billions of dollars have been spent on research in hopes of finding a
      cure for cancer. Recent reviews have pointed out that over the ensuing 42 years,
      cancer death rates have barely changed for the major cancers. Recently, several
      researchers have questioned the prevailing cancer paradigm based on recent
      discoveries concerning the mechanism of carcinogenesis and the origins of cancer.
      Over the past decade we have learned a great deal concerning both of these
      central issues. Cell signaling has taken center stage, particularly as regards
      the links between chronic inflammation and cancer development. It is now evident
      that the common factor among a great number of carcinogenic agents is activation
      of genes controlling inflammation cell-signaling pathways and that these signals
      control all aspects of the cancer process. Of these pathways, the most important
      and common to all cancers is the NFkappaB and STAT3 pathways. The second
      discovery of critical importance is that mutated stem cells appear to be in
      charge of the cancer process. Most chemotherapy agents and radiotherapy kill
      daughter cells of the cancer stem cell, many of which are not tumorigenic
      themselves. Most cancer stem cells are completely resistant to conventional
      treatments, which explain dormancy and the poor cure rate with metastatic tumors.
      A growing number of studies are finding that several polyphenol extracts can kill
      cancer stem cells as well as daughter cells and can enhance the effectiveness and
      safety of conventional treatments. These new discoveries provide the clinician
      with a whole new set of targets for cancer control and cure. 

PMID- 26097775
TI  - Scoring the Strengths and Weaknesses of Underage Drinking Laws in the United
      States.
AB  - Several studies have examined the impact of a number of minimum legal drinking
      age 21 (MLDA-21) laws on underage alcohol consumption and alcohol-related crashes
      in the United States. These studies have contributed to our understanding of how
      alcohol control laws affect drinking and driving among those who are under age
      21. However, much of the extant literature examining underage drinking laws use a
      "Law/No law" coding which may obscure the variability inherent in each law.
      Previous literature has demonstrated that inclusion of law strengths may affect
      outcomes and overall data fit when compared to "Law/No law" coding. In an effort
      to assess the relative strength of states' underage drinking legislation, a
      coding system was developed in 2006 and applied to 16 MLDA-21 laws. The current
      article updates the previous endeavor and outlines a detailed strength coding
      mechanism for the current 20 MLDA-21 laws.

PMID- 26097774
TI  - Superficial temporal artery to proximal posterior cerebral artery bypass through
      the anterior temporal approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The superficial temporal artery (STA) to proximal posterior cerebral
      artery (PCA) (P2 segment) bypass is one of the most difficult procedures to
      perform because the proximal PCA is located deep and high within the ambient
      cistern. STA to proximal PCA bypass is usually performed through a subtemporal
      approach or posterior transpetrosal approach, and rarely through a transsylvian
      approach. The aim of this study was to describe the operative technique of STA to
      proximal PCA bypass through a modified transsylvian approach (anterior temporal
      approach). METHODS: STA to proximal PCA bypass was performed through an anterior
      temporal approach in three patients with intracranial aneurysm. We describe the
      details of the surgical technique. RESULTS: The STA was successfully anastomosed
      to the proximal PCA in all cases. One patient suffered hemiparesis and aphasia
      due to infarction in the anterior thalamoperforating artery territory.
      CONCLUSIONS: STA to proximal PCA bypass can be performed through an anterior
      temporal approach in selected patients. We recommend that every precaution,
      including complete hemostasis, placement of cellulose sponges beneath the
      recipient artery to elevate the site of the anastomosis, and placement of a
      continuous drainage tube at the bottom of the operative field to avoid blood
      contamination during the anastomosis, should be taken to shorten the temporary
      occlusion time.

PMID- 26097777
TI  - Sharing knowledge on dialysis registries worldwide.

PMID- 26097776
TI  - Renal Function Recovery and HIV Viral Suppression Following Tenofovir
      Discontinuation for Renal Impairment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tenofovir associated nephrotoxicity (TDFN) is well recognized. This
      study describes the trend of renal function recovery and virologic consequences
      after cessation of tenofovir (TDF) for suspected TDFN. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective chart review of 241 patients who underwent HLA-B*5701 allele
      testing between January 2007-December 2010. Demographics and clinical
      characteristics were compared at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 month between patients
      that continued and discontinued TDF. Factors associated with renal function
      recovery were assessed by multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Eighty
      patients were identified with TDFN; 84% male, 74% African American (AA) with a
      median age of 55 years, and median length of TDF use for 122 weeks. Renal
      recovery at 12 months differed in those who stopped versus (vs.) continued TDF
      (83% vs. 57% p=0.03). In a crude analysis, baseline chronic kidney disease was
      negatively associated with renal recovery (p=0.01). An adjusted analysis showed
      that those who stopped TDF had 3.76 higher odds of renal recovery compared to
      those who did not stop TDF (95% CI: 1.26-11.27, p=0.02). There were no
      significant differences in virologic response after switching TDF to an
      alternative agent. CONCLUSION: In this mostly AA male population with suspected
      TDFN, discontinuation of TDF was strongly associated with renal function recovery
      without affecting viral suppression.

PMID- 26097778
TI  - United States Renal Data System public health surveillance of chronic kidney
      disease and end-stage renal disease.
AB  - The United States Renal Data System (USRDS) began in 1989 through US
      Congressional authorization under National Institutes of Health competitive
      contracting. Its history includes five contract periods, two of 5 years, two of
      7.5 years, and the fifth, awarded in February 2014, of 5 years. Over these 25
      years, USRDS reporting transitioned from basic incidence and prevalence of end
      stage renal disease (ESRD), modalities, and overall survival, as well as focused
      special studies on dialysis, in the first two contract periods to a comprehensive
      assessment of aspects of care that affect morbidity and mortality in the second
      two periods. Beginning in 1999, the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation
      investigative team transformed the USRDS into a total care reporting system
      including disease severity, hospitalizations, pediatric populations, prescription
      drug use, and chronic kidney disease and the transition to ESRD. Areas of focus
      included issues related to death rates in the first 4 months of treatment, sudden
      cardiac death, ischemic and valvular heart disease, congestive heart failure,
      atrial fibrillation, and infectious complications (particularly related to
      dialysis catheters) in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients; the burden
      of congestive heart failure and infectious complications in pediatric dialysis
      and transplant populations; and morbidity and access to care. The team documented
      a plateau and decline in incidence rates, a 28% decline in death rates since
      2001, and changes under the 2011 Prospective Payment System with expanded bundled
      payments for each dialysis treatment. The team reported on Bayesian methods to
      calculate mortality ratios, which reduce the challenges of traditional methods,
      and introduced objectives under the Health People 2010 and 2020 national health
      care goals for kidney disease.

PMID- 26097779
TI  - Dialysis registries in the world: Korean Dialysis Registry.
AB  - The Korean Society of Nephrology (KSN) end-stage renal disease (ESRD) registry
      was established in 1985 in which all KSN members are participating voluntarily:
      the 'Insan Prof. Byung-Suk Min Memorial ESRD Patient Registry'. The ESRD registry
      committee of KSN has collected the data through the internet online program that
      was opened in 2001 and revised in 2013. The registry internet program has
      collected data throughout the years, which includes dialysis center information,
      vascular access, dialysis doses, and laboratory data with dialysis adequacy and
      rehabilitation status. In Korea, the number of dialysis patients has been rapidly
      growing (~8-9% per year) in recent years, especially elderly patients. The total
      number of patients with renal replacement therapy (RRT) was 75,042 at the end of
      2013. The prevalence of RRT was 1446.4 patients per million population. The
      proportion of RRT for hemodialysis (HD) is 69.8%, for peritoneal dialysis (PD) is
      10.0%, and for renal transplant is 20.2%. In about half (48%) of new dialysis
      patients, the underlying disease was diabetic nephropathy in 2013. Mean urea
      reduction ratio in HD was 68.1% in male patients and 74.2% in female patients.
      Survey on rehabilitation status of dialysis patients showed that 22% of HD
      patients have full-time job and 8% have part-time job. About 29% of PD patients
      have full-time job and 17% have part-time job.

PMID- 26097780
TI  - Fifty years of ERA-EDTA Registry-a registry in transition.
AB  - In 1964 the ERA-EDTA Registry was started as one of the first renal registries in
      the world. This meeting report describes how this European registry has developed
      over the 50 years of its existence. Where the first report presented patient
      numbers, nowadays the Registry acts as a platform for collaborative renal
      research in Europe. In addition, it provides training in epidemiology methods to
      nephrologists and other renal researchers.

PMID- 26097781
TI  - Japanese society for dialysis therapy renal data registry-a window through which
      we can view the details of Japanese dialysis population.
AB  - The Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy (JSDT) collects the clinical data from
      all the facilities to create a nation-wide registry system named JSDT Renal Data
      Registry (JRDR). This survey was begun in 1966 as a form of facility survey.
      Patient survey started in 1983. More than 95% of facilities respond to the survey
      on the basis of voluntary work of facility staffs. Therefore, JRDR has the
      longest history and the most comprehensive coverage. As for the prevalent
      patients, 304,856 patients are treated by dialysis therapy in Japan as of the
      year 2011. The demographics of the Japanese dialysis population have been
      markedly changing in terms of age, primary diagnoses and dialysis vintage. The
      mean age of prevalent population reaches 66.55 years at the end of 2011. The
      increase in the numbers of dialysis population is due to the growth of those
      older than 65 years old. Patients with the vintage longer than 20 years account
      for 8% of the entire population. Around 38 thousands patients started their
      dialysis treatments, whereas 31 thousands deceased. The disease burden of
      cardiovascular diseases as well as infection is substantial due to the
      demographic changes. Many evidences have been reported from the data obtained
      from JRDR to date. These findings covers a wide range of dialysis practice and
      are utilized for the development of JSDT guidelines. Therefore, JRDR has provided
      indispensable and fundamental data of Japanese dialysis population.

PMID- 26097782
TI  - Thresholds of iron markers for iron deficiency erythropoiesis-finding of the
      Japanese nationwide dialysis registry.
AB  - Reportedly, serum ferritin levels are much lower in Japanese hemodialysis (HD)
      patients than their Western counterparts. Therefore, the cutoff values of
      ferritin and transferrin saturation (TSAT) for iron deficiency might differ from
      other countries. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study using the
      Japanese nationwide registry data. We enrolled 142,339 maintenance HD patients
      and assessed the association between these markers, hemoglobin (Hb), and
      erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) resistance index (ERI) utilizing
      restricted cubic spline analyses. Median ferritin and TSAT levels were 73 (IQR:
      31-158) ng/ml and 23.7 (16.8-32.0)%, respectively. These lower ferritin ranges
      may possibly stem from a lower inflammatory state in Japanese patients, as shown
      in median CRP of 1.0 mg/l. An adjusted nonlinear association between Hb and TSAT
      showed that Hb levels drop with the decrease in TSAT below 20%, regardless of
      serum ferritin levels, suggesting the absolute iron deficiency cutoff as 20% for
      TSAT. In patients with TSAT >20%, the association between Hb and ferritin levels
      is nearly flat, whereas in patients with TSAT <20%, ferritin <50 ng/ml was
      associated with low Hb. In long-acting ESAs-users with TSAT >20%, U-shaped
      relationship was observed between ERI and ferritin with the bottom of ERI around
      100 ng/ml of ferritin, possibly because high ferritin levels reflected an
      inflamed state leading to hyporesponsiveness to ESA. The patient subgroup with
      TSAT <20% and ferritin >100 ng/ml had significantly higher ERIs compared with the
      subgroup with TSAT >20% and ferritin <100 ng/ml, implying that TSAT, rather than
      ferritin, should be a primary iron marker predicting ESA response.

PMID- 26097783
TI  - Renal registry in Hong Kong-the first 20 years.
AB  - Renal Registry was started by the Hospital Authority (HA) in Hong Kong in 1995.
      It is an online system developed by HA. It collects all patients under care in
      HA, which is about 90-95 % of all requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT) in
      Hong Kong. The total number of patients treated increased from 3312 in 1996 to
      8510 in 2013. In 2013, there were 3501 renal transplant, 1192 hemodialysis (HD)
      and 3817 peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. In 2013, 1147 new patients joined the
      RRT program, 49.6% of them suffered from diabetic nephropathy. Glomerulonephritis
      and hypertension are the 2nd and 3rd most common causes of RRT in Hong Kong. The
      median age was 59.1 years with male to female ratio of 1.54 to 1. Hong Kong
      practices 'PD first' policy and the majority of the patients are on CAPD
      treatment. The ratio of PD to HD was 76.2% to 23.8%. Eighty-six percent of all PD
      patients are on CAPD; the remaining 14% are on automated peritoneal dialysis
      (APD). Sixty-five percent of all dialysis patients are on erythropoiesis
      stimulating agent treatment. The Hong Kong Renal Registry with online real-time
      data input and access can provide timely data and information to facilitate
      patient care and management and also provides invaluable data to help in
      development and planning of renal services in Hong Kong.

PMID- 26097784
TI  - Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry.
AB  - The ANZDATA Registry includes all patients treated with renal replacement therapy
      (RRT) throughout Australia and New Zealand. Funding is predominantly from
      government sources, together with the non-government organization Kidney Health
      Australia. Registry operations are overseen by an Executive committee, and a
      Steering Committee with wide representation. Data is collected from renal units
      throughout Australia and New Zealand on a regular basis, and forwarded to the
      Registry. Areas covered include demographic details, primary renal disease, type
      of renal replacement therapy, process measures, and a variety of outcomes. From
      this data collection a number of themes of work are produced. These include
      production of Registry reports with an extensive range of national and regional
      data, a suite of quality assurance reports, key process indicator (KPI) reports,
      and data sets for a variety of audit and research purposes. The various types of
      information from the ANZDATA Registry are used in a wide variety of areas,
      including health services planning, safety and quality programs, and clinical
      research projects.

PMID- 26097785
TI  - Nonstationary Gaussian Process Regression for Evaluating Clinical Laboratory Test
      Sampling Strategies.
AB  - Sampling repeated clinical laboratory tests with appropriate timing is
      challenging because the latent physiologic function being sampled is in general
      nonstationary. When ordering repeated tests, clinicians adopt various simple
      strategies that may or may not be well suited to the behavior of the function.
      Previous research on this topic has been primarily focused on cost-driven
      assessments of oversampling. But for monitoring physiologic state or for
      retrospective analysis, undersampling can be much more problematic than
      oversampling. In this paper we analyze hundreds of observation sequences of four
      different clinical laboratory tests to provide principled, data-driven estimates
      of undersampling and oversampling, and to assess whether the sampling adapts to
      changing volatility of the latent function. To do this, we developed a new method
      for fitting a Gaussian process to samples of a nonstationary latent function. Our
      method includes an explicit estimate of the latent function's volatility over
      time, which is deterministically related to its nonstationarity. We find on
      average that the degree of undersampling is up to an order of magnitude greater
      than oversampling, and that only a small minority are sampled with an adaptive
      strategy.

PMID- 26097786
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of Single-Dose Dolutegravir in HIV-Seronegative Subjects With
      Moderate Hepatic Impairment Compared to Healthy Matched Controls.
AB  - This study evaluated dolutegravir pharmacokinetics (PK) in subjects with moderate
      hepatic impairment compared to matched, healthy controls. In this open-label,
      parallel-group study, eight adult subjects with moderate hepatic impairment
      (Child-Pugh Score 7-9) and eight healthy subjects matched for gender, age, and
      body mass index received a single dolutegravir 50-mg dose. Following dosing, 72
      hour PK sampling was performed to determine total and unbound dolutegravir
      concentrations. PK parameters were calculated using non-compartmental analysis.
      Geometric least squares mean ratios (GMR) and 90% confidence intervals (CIs) in
      subjects with hepatic impairment versus healthy subjects were generated by
      analysis of variance. Results showed that PK parameters of total plasma
      dolutegravir were similar between subject groups. The unbound fraction was higher
      in subjects with moderate hepatic impairment than in healthy subjects with GMR
      (90% CI) of 2.20 (1.62, 2.99) for unbound fraction at 3 hours post-dose and 1.76
      (1.23, 2.51) for unbound fraction at 24 hours post-dose; this correlated with
      lower serum albumin concentrations and was not considered clinically significant.
      Dolutegravir was well tolerated in both groups; all adverse events were reported
      as minor. Although free fraction was increased, no dose adjustment is required
      for patients treated with dolutegravir who have mild to moderate hepatic
      impairment.

PMID- 26097787
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of Eicosapentaenoic Acid in Plasma and Red Blood Cells After
      Multiple Oral Dosing With Icosapent Ethyl in Healthy Subjects.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Icosapent ethyl (IPE) is a prescription form of eicosapentaenoic acid
      (EPA) ethyl ester. This randomized, open-label study characterized EPA
      pharmacokinetics. METHODS: Four healthy subject groups received IPE for 28 days:
      three received 2 g/day (1 * 1,000 mg BID, 2 * 1,000 mg QD, or 2 * 500 mg BID);
      one received 4 g/day (2 * 1,000 mg BID) administered with meals. Blood sampling
      was before the morning dose on days 1, 14, 26, 28, and at specified intervals
      during an 18-day pharmacokinetic period. EPA was measured in plasma (total and
      unesterified) and red blood cells (RBCs) by liquid chromatography/tandem mass
      spectrometry. RESULTS: Mean plasma total EPA increased from 19 ug/mL to a peak
      (Cmax) of 366 ug/mL at 5 hours postdosing 4 g/day IPE on Day 28. Mean RBC EPA
      Cmax after 4 g/day was 89 ug/mL (baseline, 12 ug/mL). Mean steady state (SD) for
      half-life, clearance, and volume of distribution of total EPA were 79 (47) hours,
      757 (283) mL/h, and 82 (56) L, respectively. Steady state for total and
      unesterified plasma EPA was reached by Day 28, whereas RBC levels were still
      increasing. CONCLUSIONS: EPA pharmacokinetic profile demonstrated a slowly
      cleared, extensively distributed molecule with dose linearity and comparable
      exposures with BID and QD regimens.

PMID- 26097788
TI  - Analgesic and Decongestant Efficacy of the Combination of Aspirin with
      Pseudoephedrine in Patients With Symptoms of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection.
AB  - The study investigated the efficacy and safety of a combination therapy of 1,000
      mg aspirin (ASA) and 60 mg pseudoephedrine (PSE) on the symptoms of pain
      (combined score for headache and sore throat) and nasal congestion in 833
      patients with acute upper respiratory tract viral infection (URTI), over 4 hours
      after a single dose in the clinic and over 3 days with multiple doses at home.
      The study demonstrated that over 4 hours in the clinic the combination ASA plus
      PSE was superior to PSE or placebo for relief of pain symptoms measured
      subjectively with pain scores, and was superior to ASA or placebo for relief of
      nasal congestion as measured objectively with rhinomanometry and subjectively
      with congestion scores. After 3 days of treatment, ASA plus PSE was superior to
      PSE but not to placebo or ASA for global pain assessments, and ASA plus PSE was
      superior to ASA and placebo but not to PSE for congestion assessments. No
      unexpected adverse events occurred and no serious adverse events were attributed
      to study medicines. This study demonstrates that a combination therapy of ASA
      plus PSE provides safe and effective relief of both common cold pain related
      symptoms and nasal congestion.

PMID- 26097789
TI  - Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics of Vilanterol, a
      Novel Inhaled Long-Acting beta-Agonist, in Children Aged 5-11 Years with
      Persistent Asthma: A Randomized Trial.
AB  - This multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-way
      crossover study was designed to characterize the safety, tolerability,
      pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic profile of single and once-daily repeat
      doses of vilanterol 25 ug in children aged 5-11 years. Twenty-eight children with
      persistent asthma received a single inhaled dose of vilanterol 25 ug or placebo
      via the ELLIPTATM dry powder inhaler (DPI) on Day 1, followed 7 days later by
      once-daily treatment for 7 days. Nine (33%) subjects reported adverse events
      (AEs) with vilanterol 25 ug and 6 (23%) with placebo. No serious or drug-related
      AEs were reported; 3 subjects experienced upper respiratory tract infection
      (URTI) with vilanterol 25 ug versus none with placebo. Similar pharmacokinetic
      profiles of vilanterol 25 ug were observed irrespective of age or gender. No
      clinically relevant changes in heart rate, Fridericia's correction (QTcF),
      maximum glucose or minimum potassium parameters were observed during treatment
      with vilanterol 25 ug compared with placebo treatment. Vilanterol was well
      tolerated and no long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA)-mediated AEs were observed. The
      pharmacokinetic profile of vilanterol 25 ug suggests exposure is similar
      regardless of age or gender in a pediatric population aged 5-11 years.

PMID- 26097790
TI  - The pharmacokinetic effect of coadministration of apremilast and methotrexate in
      individuals with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
AB  - Apremilast is a novel agent for the treatment of inflammatory based autoimmune
      disorders. The objective of this study was to assess the pharmacokinetic effects
      of co administration of apremilast and methotrexate on both agents. This was an
      open-label, multi-center, 3-treatment period, sequential study conducted in
      otherwise healthy subjects with psoriatic arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis who
      were receiving a stable oral dose of methotrexate between 7.5 to 20 mg once
      weekly. Subjects received their dose of methotrexate on Days 1 and 8 of the study
      in addition to Apremilast 30 mg oral every 12 hours on Days 3-8. Pharmacokinectic
      profiles of methotrexate and 7-OH methotrexate were characterized after
      methotrexate alone (Day 1) and after co-administration of methotrexate and
      Apremilast (on Day 8). The pharmacokinetic profile of Apremilast was
      characterized after Apremilast alone (on Day 7) and after co-administration of
      methotrexate and Apremilast (on Day 8). The 90% confidence interval of the ratio
      of the geometric means for the Cmax and AUC parameters for methotrexate, 7-OH
      methotrexate, and Apremilast alone and after co-adminstration are all within the
      FDA acceptance range for equivalency (80-125%). This study showed that
      methotrexate and apremilast can be co-administered without any effect on the
      pharmacokinetic exposure of either agent.

PMID- 26097791
TI  - Absence of QTc Prolongation with Domperidone: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo
      and Positive-Controlled Thorough QT/QTc Study in Healthy Volunteers.
AB  - Domperidone effects on QTc duration were assessed in a single-center, double
      blind, four-way crossover study of 44 healthy participants randomized to one of
      four treatment sequences consisting of four treatment periods separated by 4-9
      days washout. On Day 1 of each 4-day period, participants began oral domperidone
      10 or 20 mg q.i.d., matching placebo q.i.d., or single-dose moxifloxacin 400 mg
      (positive control)/placebo q.i.d. In each period, triplicate 12-lead
      electrocardiograms were recorded at baseline (30, 20, and 10 minutes predose), 8
      timepoints after dosing on Days 1 and 4, and predose on Day 4. In mixed effects
      models, the largest difference for domperidone in least squares means for change
      from baseline QTcP versus placebo was 3.4 milliseconds (20 mg q.i.d., Day 4), 90%
      CI: 1.0-5.9, and <10 milliseconds at all timepoints for both domperidone dosages.
      Moxifloxacin response confirmed assay sensitivity. Participants achieved expected
      domperidone plasma exposures. No significant exposure-response relationship was
      found for QTc increase per ng/mL domperidone (90% CI of the slope estimate
      included zero at mean Cmax on Day 1 or Day 4). In summary, domperidone at doses
      up to 80 mg/day did not cause clinically relevant QTc interval prolongation.

PMID- 26097792
TI  - The Effect of Food and Formulation on the Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and
      Tolerability of GSK1322322 in Healthy Volunteers.
AB  - GSK1322322 is the first in a new class of antibiotics that inhibit peptide
      deformylase, necessary for bacterial protein maturation. Previously, low absolute
      bioavailability was observed for the 1500-mg oral tablet formulation, resulting
      in a less than dose-proportional increase from the 1000-mg dose. Furthermore,
      high variability of pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters within cohorts was suggested
      to be associated with differences in body weight. This open-label, randomized, 4
      period, crossover, single-dose phase I study in healthy individuals compared the
      PK, safety, and tolerability of free base oral tablets under fasted or fed
      conditions with intravenous and oral mesylate salt solution of GSK1322322 under
      fasted conditions. Absolute bioavailability of GSK1322322 1500-mg free base
      tablets under fasted conditions, fed conditions, and oral mesylate salt solution
      was 57%, 77%, and 92%, respectively. Moderate-fat/calorie food intake increased
      area under the concentration-time curve (AUC0-infinity) by 36%, maintained
      maximum observed concentration (Cmax), and delayed time to Cmax. It appeared that
      AUC0-infinity decreased with body weight, whereas clearance increased. GSK1322322
      administration resulted in only mild-to-moderate adverse events. These results
      support future clinical investigations of the free base oral tablet formulation
      of GSK1322322 1500 mg after intake of a moderate-fat/calorie meal, including
      further investigation of a potential weight-based dosage change.

PMID- 26097793
TI  - Intravenous Pharmacokinetics, Local Tolerability, and Hemolysis of an SBE7-beta
      Cyclodextrin Formulation of the Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonist Vestipitant.
AB  - Vestipitant is a potent and selective neurokinin 1 (NK-1) receptor antagonist
      that was investigated as a potential treatment for post-operative nausea and
      vomiting (PONV). A previous mannitol-based formulation of vestipitant was
      associated with hemolytic activity in preclinical studies. In an effort to reduce
      the hemolytic potential and develop an IV formulation of vestipitant that could
      be administered more rapidly, an IV formulation containing sulfobutylether-7-beta
      cyclodextrin (SBE7-beta-CD, CaptisolTM) was developed and tested in a phase 1
      clinical study. This was a randomized, single-blind (subjects and investigator
      blinded, sponsor-unblinded), placebo controlled, dose escalation study in healthy
      subjects in which 7 cohorts of 8 subjects per cohort received SBE7-beta-CD -based
      vestipitant (2 mg/mL) or placebo (saline) in a 3:1 ratio (active:placebo) at
      different doses and infusion rates. The results demonstrated the ability to
      infuse up to 48 mg vestipitant in a 2 mg/mL formulation over 30 seconds with no
      evidence of hemolytic effects. Cohorts of subjects at lower doses and longer
      infusion duration (>1 minute) reported more AEs related to the infusion site than
      those at the higher doses and faster infusion rates.

PMID- 26097794
TI  - Effects of Icosapent Ethyl (Eicosapentaenoic Acid Ethyl Ester) on Pharmacokinetic
      Parameters of Rosiglitazone in Healthy Subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Icosapent ethyl is a high-purity form of eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl
      ester approved to reduce triglyceride levels in adults with triglycerides >=500
      mg/dL. Candidates for triglyceride-lowering therapy include patients with
      diabetes mellitus who may be receiving rosiglitazone. We assessed the effects of
      icosapent ethyl on the pharmacokinetic parameters of rosiglitazone. METHODS:
      Subjects received a single 8-mg oral dose of rosiglitazone alone and with oral
      icosapent ethyl 4 g/day in this open-label drug-drug interaction study.
      Pharmacokinetic end points included area under the concentration versus time
      curve from time zero to infinity (AUC0-inf) and maximum observed concentration
      (Cmax) for rosiglitazone with and without icosapent ethyl. RESULTS: Of 30
      subjects enrolled, 28 completed the study. Icosapent ethyl 4 g/day at steady
      state did not significantly change the single-dose AUC0-inf or Cmax of
      rosiglitazone 8 mg. Least squares geometric mean ratios (90% confidence interval)
      for AUC0-inf and Cmax of rosiglitazone given with icosapent ethyl versus
      rosiglitazone alone were 0.90 (87.00-93.40) and 1.01 (92.02-109.9), respectively.
      No serious adverse events were reported and no subject discontinued due to an
      adverse event. CONCLUSIONS: At steady-state concentrations, icosapent ethyl did
      not inhibit the pharmacokinetics of rosiglitazone. Co-administration of icosapent
      ethyl and rosiglitazone was safe and well tolerated.

PMID- 26097795
TI  - Effects of Ketoconazole on the Pharmacokinetics of Lenvatinib (E7080) in Healthy
      Participants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lenvatinib is an oral, multitargeted, tyrosine kinase inhibitor under
      clinical investigation in solid tumors. In vitro evidence indicates that
      lenvatinib metabolism may be modulated by ketoconazole, an inhibitor of CYP3A4
      and p-glycoprotein. METHODS: In this Phase I, single-center, randomized, open
      label, two-period, crossover study, healthy adults (18-55 years; N = 18) were
      randomized to one of two sequences (ketoconazole -> placebo or vice versa).
      Ketoconazole (400 mg) or placebo was administered orally once daily for 18 days;
      a 5 mg dose of lenvatinib was orally administered on Day 5 of each treatment
      period. Blood samples were collected over 14 days and lenvatinib plasma
      concentrations measured by high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass
      spectrometry. RESULTS: Systemic exposure to lenvatinib increased slightly (15
      19%) with coadministration of ketoconazole. Although the 90% confidence interval
      (CI) for area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) was within the
      prespecified bioequivalence interval of 80-125%, Cmax slightly exceeded the 125%
      CI bound (134%). No changes in tmax, tlag, or t1/2 were observed. Thirteen
      subjects (72%) experienced treatment-emergent adverse events (11 mild, 2
      moderate), most commonly headache (22%) and diarrhea (17%). CONCLUSIONS:
      Lenvatinib exposure was slightly increased by ketoconazole; however, the
      magnitude of the change was relatively small, and likely not clinically
      meaningful.

PMID- 26097797
TI  - The prognostic impact of specific CD4 T-cell responses is critically dependent on
      the target antigen in melanoma.
AB  - The melanoma-associated antigens Melan-A and NY-ESO-1 stimulate different T-cell
      responses in late-stage melanoma patients. Either CD4+ or CD8+ T-cell reactivity
      against NY-ESO-1 was associated with better prognosis, but for Melan-A, only CD8+
      but not CD4+ T-cell responses were associated with longer survival.

PMID- 26097796
TI  - Metformin- A Promising Agent for Chemoprevention in BRCA1 Carriers.

PMID- 26097798
TI  - Review of Abby Kinchy's "Seeds, science and struggle: the global politics of
      transgenic crops": Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012.

PMID- 26097799
TI  - Microlearning mApp raises health competence: hybrid service design.
AB  - Work place health support interventions can help support our aging work force,
      with mApps offering cost-effectiveness opportunities. Previous research shows
      that health support apps should offer users enough newness and relevance each
      time they are used. Otherwise the 'eHealth law of attrition' applies: 90 % of
      users are lost prematurely. Our research study builds on this prior research with
      further investigation on whether a mobile health quiz provides added value for
      users within a hybrid service mix and whether it promotes long term health? We
      developed a hybrid health support intervention solution that uses a mix of
      electronic and physical support services for improving health behaviours,
      including a mobile micro-learning health quiz. This solution was evaluated in a
      multiple-case study at three work sites with 86 users. We find that both our
      mobile health quiz and the overall hybrid solution contributed to improvements in
      health readiness, -behaviour and -competence. Users indicated that the micro
      learning health quiz courses provided new and relevant information. Relatively
      high utilization rates of the health quiz were observed. Participants indicated
      that health insights were given that directly influenced every day health
      perceptions, -choices, coping and goal achievement strategies, plus motivation
      and self-norms. This points to increased user health self-management competence.
      Moreover, even after 10 months they indicated to still have improved health
      awareness, -motivation and -behaviours (food, physical activity, mental
      recuperation). A design analysis was conducted regarding service mix efficacy;
      the mobile micro-learning health quiz helped fulfil a set of key requirements
      that exist for designing ICT-enabled lifestyle interventions, largely in the way
      it was anticipated.

PMID- 26097800
TI  - Assumption Trade-Offs When Choosing Identification Strategies for Pre-Post
      Treatment Effect Estimation: An Illustration of a Community-Based Intervention in
      Madagascar.
AB  - Failure (or success) in finding a statistically significant effect of a large
      scale intervention may be due to choices made in the evaluation. To highlight the
      potential limitations and pitfalls of some common identification strategies used
      for estimating causal effects of community-level interventions, we apply a
      roadmap for causal inference to a pre-post evaluation of a national nutrition
      program in Madagascar. Selection into the program was non-random and strongly
      associated with the pre-treatment (lagged) outcome. Using structural causal
      models (SCM), directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) and simulated data, we illustrate
      that an estimand with the outcome defined as the post-treatment outcome controls
      for confounding by the lagged outcome but not by possible unmeasured confounders.
      Two separate differencing estimands (of the pre- and post-treatment outcome) have
      the potential to adjust for a certain type of unmeasured confounding, but
      introduce bias if the additional identification assumptions they rely on are not
      met. In order to illustrate the practical impact of choice between three common
      identification strategies and their corresponding estimands, we used
      observational data from the community nutrition program in Madagascar to estimate
      each of these three estimands. Specifically, we estimated the average treatment
      effect of the program on the community mean nutritional status of children 5
      years and under and found that the estimate based on the post-treatment estimand
      was about a quarter of the magnitude of either of the differencing estimands
      (0.066 SD vs. 0.26-0.27 SD increase in mean weight-for-age z-score). Choice of
      estimand clearly has important implications for the interpretation of the success
      of the program to improve nutritional status of young children. A careful
      appraisal of the assumptions underlying the causal model is imperative before
      committing to a statistical model and progressing to estimation. However,
      knowledge about the data-generating process must be sufficient in order to choose
      the identification strategy that gets us closest to the truth.

PMID- 26097801
TI  - Clinical criteria to screen for inpatient diagnostic errors: a scoping review.
AB  - Diagnostic errors are common and costly, but difficult to detect. "Trigger" tools
      have promise to facilitate detection, but have not been applied specifically for
      inpatient diagnostic error. We performed a scoping review to collate all
      individual "trigger" criteria that have been developed or validated that may
      indicate that an inpatient diagnostic error has occurred. We searched three
      databases and screened 8568 titles and abstracts to ultimately include 33
      articles. We also developed a conceptual framework of diagnostic error outcomes
      using real clinical scenarios, and used it to categorize the extracted criteria.
      Of the multiple criteria we found related to inpatient diagnostic error and
      amenable to automated detection, the most common were death, transfer to a higher
      level of care, arrest or "code", and prolonged length of hospital stay. Several
      others, such as abrupt stoppage of multiple medications or change in procedure,
      may also be useful. Validation for general adverse event detection was done in 15
      studies, but only one performed validation for diagnostic error specifically.
      Automated detection was used in only two studies. These criteria may be useful
      for developing diagnostic error detection tools.

PMID- 26097802
TI  - Hypothermic Oxygenated Liver Perfusion: Basic Mechanisms and Clinical
      Application.
AB  - Dynamic preservation strategies such as hypothermic machine perfusion are
      increasingly discussed to improve liver graft quality before transplantation.
      This review summarizes current knowledge of this perfusion technique for liver
      preservation. We discuss optimization of perfusion conditions and current
      strategies to assess graft quality during cold perfusion. Next, we provide an
      overview of possible pathways of protection from ischemia-reperfusion injury.
      Finally, we report on recent clinical applications of human hypothermic machine
      liver perfusion.

PMID- 26097803
TI  - Raxibacumab augments hemodynamic support and improves outcomes during shock with
      B. anthracis edema toxin alone or together with lethal toxin in canines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lethal and edema toxin contribute to shock and lethality with
      Bacillus anthracis. We showed previously in a 96-h sedated canine model that
      raxibacumab, a monoclonal antibody against protective antigen, augmented
      hemodynamic support (HS) and improved survival with lethal toxin challenge. Here
      we study raxibacumab further. Using this model, we have now studied raxibacumab
      with 24 h edema toxin challenges (Study 1), and lethal and edema toxin challenges
      together (Study 2). METHODS: Using our canine model, we have now studied
      raxibacumab with 24h edema toxin challenges (Study-1), and lethal and edema toxin
      challenges together (Study-2). RESULTS: In Study 1, compared to no treatment, HS
      (titrated fluid and norepinephrine) increased mean arterial blood pressure (MAP,
      p <= 0.05) but not survival [0 of 10 (0/10) animals survived in each group] or
      median survival time [43.8 h (range 16.8 to 80.3) vs. 45.2 h (21.0 to 57.1)].
      Compared to HS, HS with raxibacumab treatment at or 6 h after the beginning of
      edema toxin increased MAP and survival rate (6/7 and 7/8, respectively) and time
      [96.0 h (39.5 to 96.0) and 96.0 h (89.5 to 96.0), respectively]; (p <= 0.05). HS
      with raxibacumab at 12 h increased MAP (p <= 0.05) but not survival [1/5; 55.3 h
      (12.6 to 96.0)]. In Study-2, survival rate and time increased with HS and
      raxibacumab at 0 h (4/4) or 6 h after (3/3) beginning lethal and edema toxin
      compared to HS [0/5; 71.5 h (65 to 93)] (p = 0.01 averaged over raxibacumab
      groups). CONCLUSIONS: Raxibacumab augments HS and improves survival during shock
      with lethal and edema toxin.

PMID- 26097804
TI  - An Overview of Ultraviolet B Radiation-Induced Skin Cancer Chemoprevention by
      Silibinin.
AB  - Skin cancer incidences are rising worldwide, and one of the major causative
      factors is excessive exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Annually, ~5
      million skin cancer patients are treated in United States, mostly with
      nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC), which is also frequent in other Western
      countries. As sunscreens do not provide adequate protection against deleterious
      effects of UVR, additional and alternative chemoprevention strategies are
      urgently needed to reduce skin cancer burden. Over the last couple of decades,
      extensive research has been conducted to understand the molecular basis of skin
      carcinogenesis, and to identifying novel agents which could be useful in the
      chemoprevention of skin cancer. In this regard, several natural non-toxic
      compounds have shown promising efficacy in preventing skin carcinogenesis at
      initiation, promotion and progression stages, and are considered important in
      better management of skin cancer. Consistent with this, we and others have
      studied and established the notable efficacy of natural flavonolignan silibinin
      against UVB-induced skin carcinogenesis. Extensive pre-clinical animal and cell
      culture studies report strong anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, DNA damage repair,
      immune-modulatory and anti-proliferative properties of silibinin. Molecular
      studies have identified that silibinin targets pleotropic signaling pathways
      including mitogenic, cell cycle, apoptosis, autophagy, p53, NF-kappaB, etc.
      Overall, the skin cancer chemopreventive potential of silibinin is well supported
      by comprehensive mechanistic studies, suggesting its greater use against UV
      induced cellular damages and photocarcinogenesis.

PMID- 26097805
TI  - Gender susceptibility to mycobacterial infections in patients with non-CF
      bronchiectasis.
AB  - Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental microbes that cause a
      variety of diseases both in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients.
      Epidemiologic data indicate that there has been a global rise in the incidence of
      NTM infections. It has also been noted that NTM infections have a predilection to
      occur in postmenopausal women. In a recent study, it was demonstrated that in
      patients with non-CF bronchiectasis the probability of NTM isolation was
      significantly higher in elderly female patients and in those with a low body mass
      index. However, the mechanisms of causality of these gender differences and
      morpho-phenotypes remain enigmatic. The present study reviews the data and
      plausible mechanisms which might provide clues to this gender susceptibility and
      morpho-phenotypes of patients with bronchiectasis and NTM.

PMID- 26097806
TI  - RNA-Seq analysis and whole genome DNA-binding profile of the Vibrio cholerae
      histone-like nucleoid structuring protein (H-NS).
AB  - The data described in this article pertain to the genome-wide transcription
      profiling of a Vibrio cholerae mutant lacking the histone-like nucleoid
      structuring protein (H-NS) and the mapping of the H-NS chromosome binding sites
      [1, 2]. H-NS is a nucleoid-associated protein with two interrelated functions:
      organization of the bacterial nucleoid and transcriptional silencing [3]. Both
      functions require DNA binding and protein oligomerization [4, 5]. H-NS commonly
      silences the expression of virulence factors acquired by lateral gene transfer
      [6]. The highly pleiotropic nature of hns mutants in V. cholerae indicates that H
      NS impacts a broad range of cellular processes such as virulence, stress
      response, surface attachment, biofilm development, motility and chemotaxis. We
      used a V. cholerae strain harboring a deletion of hns and a strain expressing H
      NS tagged at the C-terminus with the FLAG epitope to generate datasets
      representing the hns transcriptome and DNA binding profile under laboratory
      conditions (LB medium, 37 degrees C). The datasets are publicly available at the
      Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) repository (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/) with
      accession numbers GSE62785 and GSE64249.

PMID- 26097807
TI  - A reproducible radiation delivery method for unanesthetized rodents during
      periods of hind limb unloading.
AB  - Exposure to the spaceflight environment has long been known to be a health
      challenge concerning many body systems. Both microgravity and/or ionizing
      radiation can cause acute and chronic effects in multiple body systems. The hind
      limb unloaded (HLU) rodent model is a ground-based analogue for microgravity that
      can be used to simulate and study the combined biologic effects of reduced
      loading with spaceflight radiation exposure. However, studies delivering
      radiation to rodents during periods of HLU are rare. Herein we report the
      development of an irradiation protocol using a clinical linear accelerator that
      can be used with hind limb unloaded, unanesthetized rodents that is capable of
      being performed at most academic medical centers. A 30.5 cm*30.5 cm*40.6 cm30.5
      cm*30.5 cm*40.6 cm rectangular chamber was constructed out of polymethyl
      methacrylate (PMMA) sheets (0.64 cm thickness). Five centimeters of water
      equivalent material were placed outside of two PMMA inserts on either side of the
      rodent that permitted the desired radiation dose buildup (electronic equilibrium)
      and helped to achieve a flatter dose profile. Perforated aluminum strips
      permitted the suspension dowel to be placed at varying heights depending on the
      rodent size. Radiation was delivered using a medical linear accelerator at an
      accelerating potential of 10 MV. A calibrated PTW Farmer ionization chamber,
      wrapped in appropriately thick tissue-equivalent bolus material to simulate the
      volume of the rodent, was used to verify a uniform dose distribution at various
      regions of the chamber. The dosimetry measurements confirmed variances typically
      within 3%, with maximum variance <10% indicated through optically stimulated
      luminescent dosimeter (OSLD) measurements, thus delivering reliable spaceflight
      relevant total body doses and ensuring a uniform dose regardless of its location
      within the chamber. Due to the relative abundance of LINACs at academic medical
      centers and the reliability of their dosimetry properties, this method may find
      great utility in the implementation of future ground-based studies that examine
      the combined spaceflight challenges of reduced loading and radiation while using
      the HLU rodent model.

PMID- 26097809
TI  - Maternal - Child Health Needs Assessment in Haiti.
AB  - Maternal and neonatal mortality in Haiti are among the highest in the world. This
      study investigated maternal-child health needs in Haiti, using a mixed method
      approach including qualitative and quantitative data collection. Participants
      (n=119) comprised of 39 healthcare workers and 80 Haitian women. The focus group
      centered around three major themes: difficult access to healthcare; health issues
      affecting mothers-child; and healthcare workers training. The interviews revealed
      that 60% of the deliveries happened at home, 52.5% of them were assisted by a lay
      birth attendant, 42% of the women gave their newborn a drink other than breast
      milk within the first week of birth, 70% of the women had not been, or did not
      know, if they had been tested for HIV, 92% did not use condoms during sexual
      encounters, and 47.5% justified violence against themselves from their partner.
      Considering the dearth of research concerning maternal-child health in Haiti that
      incorporates the opinions of healthcare workers and Haitian women, identifying
      their needs is essential to developing programs, such as the following that
      contribute to improving their health: nurse-midwife programs, training for lay
      birth attendants, obstetric-pediatric training, breastfeeding training, and
      programs to prevent intimate partner violence and HIV.

PMID- 26097808
TI  - Heterochromatin, histone modifications, and nuclear architecture in disease
      vectors.
AB  - Interactions between a pathogen and a vector are plastic and dynamic. Such
      interactions can be more rapidly accommodated by epigenetic changes than by
      genetic mutations. Gene expression can be affected by the proximity to the
      heterochromatin, by local histone modifications, and by the three-dimensional
      position within the nucleus. Recent studies of disease vectors indicate that gene
      regulation by these factors can be important for susceptibility to pathogens,
      reproduction, immunity, development, and longevity. Knowledge about
      heterochromatin, histone modifications, and nuclear architecture will help our
      understanding of epigenetic mechanisms that control gene function at traits
      related to vectorial capacity.

PMID- 26097810
TI  - Aging: Molecular insight.

PMID- 26097811
TI  - Real world data: Additional source for making clinical decisions.

PMID- 26097812
TI  - The association between abdominal obesity and serum cholesterol level.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The main aim of this study is to evaluate the association between
      serum cholesterol level and abdominal obesity in adult men and women in the north
      of Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional and analytical study was
      conducted on the 1956 subjects (990 men and 966 women) between 25 and 65 years
      old chosen by cluster sampling. Plasma cholesterol was measured in the morning
      after a 12 h fast and determined by auto-analyzer. Hypercholesterolemia (HC) was
      defined by a total plasma cholesterol level over 200 mg/dl. Waist circumference
      >=102 cm and >=88 cm in men and women were defined as abdominal obesity. SPSS
      16.0 software was used for statistical analysis and P < 0.05 considered as
      statistical significance. RESULTS: Averagely, the mean of age was 44.2 years and
      mean +/- standard deviation of plasma total cholesterol level was 203 +/- 11.3
      mg/dl. The HC was seen in 50.8% of subjects with a more common in women than in
      men. Compared with normal subjects, in abdominal obese people, the odds ratio
      (OR) of HC was (OR = 4.208 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.939-9.130]) and (OR =
      3.956 [95% CI: 1.821-8.592]) in men aged 25-35 and 35-45 years, respectively. In
      women aged 25-35 years, it was (OR = 3.444 [95% CI: 1.959-6.056]) in abdominal
      obese compared with normal subjects. CONCLUSION: Hypercholesterolemia was
      revealed as a major health problem among adults, and it was associated with
      abdominal obesity especially in the early middle-age in the north of Iran. This
      association was not significant in men and women after the age of 45 and 35,
      respectively.

PMID- 26097813
TI  - A prescription event monitoring study on the utility of garenoxacin, a newer
      fluoroquinolone in India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prescription event monitoring (PEM) study is conducted worldwide. The
      main objective of such study is to monitor the adverse events when a drug is
      being prescribed in "real life clinical" settings. PEM studies are being looked
      upon as an essential observational tool of postmarketing surveillance.
      Garenoxacin, a newer fluoroquinolone offers an excellent spectrum of
      antimicrobial coverage, which includes Gram-positive, Gram-negative, anaerobes
      and atypical microorganism. This broad spectrum of activity is attributed to its
      unique structure. AIM: The aim was to assess the safety profile of garenoxacin in
      Indian settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 400 doctors across the country
      participated in the study. Data from 12,498 patients was obtained. Monitoring of
      each patient was done for any adverse events. RESULTS: As an initial line of
      therapy garenoxacin was preferred in majority of cases of community-acquired
      pneumonia (CAP) and acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. Adverse events
      were reported in 159 patients which included 0.5% cases with nausea/vomiting,
      0.1% cases with diarrhea. Central nervous system side-effects like drowsiness or
      dizziness was reported in 0.02% of the cases. All the adverse events were of mild
      to moderate severity and did not require hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Garenoxacin
      a novel desfluoroquinolone appears to be an ideal antimicrobial agent for the
      treatment of various respiratory tract infections including CAP. With superior
      safety profile, excellent antimicrobial coverage and a convenient once a day
      dosing garenoxacin appears to improve the patient compliance.

PMID- 26097814
TI  - Which score should be used in intubated patients' Glasgow coma scale or full
      outline of unresponsiveness?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Today Glasgow coma scale (GCS) is the most well-known and
      common score for evaluation of the level of consciousness and outcome predict
      after traumatic brain injuries in the world. Regarding to some advantages of the
      full outline of unresponsiveness (FOUR) score over GCS in intubated patients,
      we're going to compare the precision of these two scores in predicting the
      outcome predict in intubated patients. METHODS: This research was a diagnostic
      based study, which was conducted prospectively on 80 patients with Traumatic
      brain injury who were intubated and admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of
      Educational Hospitals of Mazandaran University of Medical Science during February
      2013 to August 2013. The scores of FOUR and GCS were measured by the researcher
      in the first 24 h of admission in ICU. The information's recorded in the check
      list including the mortality rate of early and late inside of the hospital
      interred to excel. The findings were analyzed using SPSS software, through
      descriptive statistics and regression logistic. RESULTS: The results showed of 80
      patients 21 patients (20%) were female and 59 patients (80%) were male. The age
      average of the samples was 33.80 +/- 12.60 ranging from 16 to 60 years old. 21
      patients (26.2%) died during treatment. Of 21 patients, 15 patients died during
      first 14 days (18.7%) and 6 patients died after 14 years (7.5%). The area under
      curve (AUC) of FOUR score in early mortality was 0.90 (C1 = 0.95, 0.88-0.90). The
      amount AUC for GCS was 0.80 (C1 = 0.95, 0.78-0.84), which in delayed mortality it
      was ordered as 0.86 (C1 = 0.95, 0.84-0.90) and 0.89 (C1 = 0.95, 0.78-0.88).
      CONCLUSION: The research results indicated that FOUR score is more exact and more
      practical in intubated patients regarding lack of verbal response factor in early
      mortality prediction in GCS. Hence, it is recommended for health professionals to
      use the FOUR score to predict the early outcome of intubated patients with
      traumatic brain injuries.

PMID- 26097815
TI  - Volumetric and cost evaluation study of glaucoma medical therapy.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the difference in mentioned volume and
      measured volume of the eye drops and to find out the yearly cost of various
      antiglaucoma drugs. METHODS: It was an experimental and purely laboratory study.
      Total of 245 bottles of 49 different brands, five of each brand of antiglaucoma
      drug were analyzed. Number of drops were counted, and volume was measured from
      each bottle. On the basis of data collected yearly cost of each brand was
      calculated. RESULTS: Of the 245 bottles, 152 bottles (62.04%) had underfilling.
      Yearly cost of most of the antiglaucoma drugs lies between Rs. 423.40 and Rs.
      6263.40. CONCLUSION: Measured volume and drops are the major determinants of the
      cost of medical therapy of glaucoma. Most of the bottles showed underfilling and
      it was the significant finding. Less number of drops and lesser volume increases
      the cost of treatment indirectly.

PMID- 26097816
TI  - Growth inhibitory effects of crude pomegranate peel extract on chronic myeloid
      leukemia, K562 cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is currently a member of Lythraceae
      family which has potentially cytotoxic activities. Numerous studies have been
      done on cytotoxic components of pomegranate's juices, barks and leaves. The
      peels, which considered as a waste, contain higher antioxidant components
      compared with other parts of the plant. AIM: To investigate the potential anti
      cancer activity of pomegranate peel on growth and cell death mechanisms of
      chronic myeloid leukemic (CML) cells, K562. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Punica
      granatum peels extract (PGPE) was extracted by successive ethanol extraction, 80%
      (v/v), freeze dried, diluted to 20 mg/mL working concentration and was subjected
      to phytochemical screening. K562 cell was treated with crude PGPE for 72 h.
      Following IC50 concentration, the apoptosis, cell cycle and protein analysis were
      evaluated. Cell growth inhibition assay was performed by conventional trypan blue
      exclusion assay. Apoptosis and cell cycle were analyzed by flow-cytometry using
      BD apoptosis and cell cycle kits and protein analysis by western blotting. All
      the results are expressed as mean +/- standard error of mean of three independent
      experiments. Statistical analysis was performed by nonparametric Mann-Whitney U
      test. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that PGPE promotes growth inhibition of K562
      cells mainly via G2/M phase arrest while still conserving apoptosis induction,
      but at a lower rate. Apoptosis activities were proposed by the up-regulation of
      caspases and cytochrome c with an elevated level of p21 and p53. CONCLUSION: PGPE
      caused an inhibition in cell proliferation of CML cell mainly by cell cycle
      arrest.

PMID- 26097817
TI  - A comparative study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination topical
      preparations in acne vulgaris.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The combinations of topical keratolytics with anti-microbials and
      topical retinoids with antimicrobials are commonly prescribed in the treatment of
      acne. AIM: The present study was undertaken with the aim of comparing the
      efficacy and safety of topical benzoyl peroxide and clindamycin versus topical
      benzoyl peroxide and nadifloxacin versus topical tretinoin and clindamycin in
      patients of acne vulgaris. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 100 patients between 15 and 35
      years having >=2 and <=30 inflammatory and/or noninflammatory lesions with
      Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) score 2/3 were randomly divided into 3
      groups. Group A was prescribed benzoyl peroxide 2.5% gel and clindamycin 1% gel,
      Group B was prescribed benzoyl peroxide 2.5% gel and nadifloxacin 1% cream and
      Group C was prescribed tretinoin 0.025% and clindamycin 1% gel. Total number of
      lesions and adverse effects during the treatment were assessed at 0, 4, 8, 12
      weeks with IGA score. RESULTS: There was statistically significant reduction in
      total number of lesions with better improvement in Group A. Adverse drug
      reactions during the study showed a better safety profile of Group B which is
      found to be statistically significant also. CONCLUSION: These findings confirm
      that Group A is more efficacious and Group B is safest among the other two
      groups.

PMID- 26097818
TI  - Blood utilization in orthopedic and trauma practice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Very little is known about blood utilization in orthopedic and trauma
      surgery and there is no definite policy in this regard. Our objective is to
      perform an audit on our practice of blood utilization in the orthopedic
      department. METHODS: We have retrospectively analyzed the data of patients who
      were admitted between January 2011 and December 2012 to the orthopedic male,
      female and pediatric wards for which blood products were requested. RESULTS:
      Three hundred and eight patients were admitted for surgery during the study
      period. The average age was 35.12 +/- 20.4 years and postsurgery they stayed in
      the hospital for 25.60 +/- 10.5 days. Blood products were requested for 223
      trauma surgeries. In elective orthopedic procedures, only 42.78% of the blood
      requested was utilized while in trauma patients it was 55.25%. CONCLUSIONS: A
      substantial amount of blood and its product was used in trauma and elective
      orthopedic surgeries. There was a major discrepancy between the blood requested
      and utilized and secondly in the majority single unit transfusion was utilized,
      which is not within the fundamentals of blood transfusion.

PMID- 26097819
TI  - Comparative efficacy of methylphenidate and atomoxetine in oppositional defiant
      disorder comorbid with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is frequently comorbid with
      attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and is associated with
      substantial functional impairments. Methylphenidate and atomoxetine are well
      established drugs for the management of ADHD. Some studies from Western countries
      have reported these drugs to be effective in the management of ODD comorbid with
      ADHD. This study aimed to assess if methylphenidate and atomoxetine are
      efficacious in treating Indian children with ODD comorbid with ADHD. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: In this prospective, open-label study, 37 patients of age 6-14 years
      with a diagnosis of ODD comorbid with ADHD randomly received either
      methylphenidate (dose 0.2-1 mg/kg/day) or atomoxetine (dose 0.5-1.2 mg/kg/day)
      for 8 weeks. Improvements in ADHD and ODD symptoms were assessed using Vanderbilt
      ADHD diagnostic parent rating scale (VADPRS). RESULTS: At 8 weeks, there were
      statistically significant improvements in both ADHD and ODD symptoms in both
      methylphenidate and atomoxetine groups, as per VADPRS. The improvements produced
      and tolerability was comparable in the two groups. 80% of the patients from
      methylphenidate group and 64.3% patients from atomoxetine group ceased to fulfill
      the criteria for the presence of ODD at 8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Methylphenidate and
      atomoxetine are effective in the treatment of ODD comorbid with ADHD in short
      duration.

PMID- 26097820
TI  - Clinical profile of human immunodeficiency virus patients with opportunistic
      infections: A descriptive case series study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virus, causative agent in acquired
      immunodeficiency syndrome, is fast becoming a major threat in the Indian
      subcontinent, with an estimated 3.7 million persons being infected with HIV. HIV
      infection is complicated by various opportunistic infections (OIs) such as
      tuberculosis (TB), candidiasis, herpes zoster, Pneumocystis jirvoceii,
      cytomegalovirus (CMV) etc., This study carried out to know the clinical profile
      of HIV patients with OIs. METHODS: A case series study was carried out at a
      tertiary care hospital in Bellary, Karnataka, India. A hospital based case series
      study was conducted among 164 HIV patients with OIs admitted to various wards as
      well as attending outpatient department at Vijayanagara Institute of Medical
      Sciences Hospital, Bellary during Jan 2013 to Nov 2013. Both primary and
      secondary data was collected to gather information on clinical profile. The
      statistical tests used were descriptive statistics and independent t test.
      RESULTS: Among 164 patients, 29.3% were females and 68.3% males. High proportions
      of patients were observed in 28-37 years of age group and heterosexual route was
      the most common mode of transmission. TB (50%) is the most frequent OI followed
      by candidiasis (49%), pneumocystis (16%) and others. The mean CD4 cell count in
      TB was 237.02/mL and in candidiasis 189.07/mL. Low values were observed in
      promyelocytic leukemia (18.10/mL), CMV (18.5/mL) and in toxoplasmosis (73.1/mL).
      CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory system was the most common system involved by OIs and
      most of patients with OIs had CD4 T cell count below 200/mL, whereas there were
      no patients in the study with counts above 500/mL.

PMID- 26097821
TI  - A comparative study of visual and auditory reaction times on the basis of gender
      and physical activity levels of medical first year students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reaction time (RT) is a measure of the response to a stimulus. RT
      plays a very important role in our lives as its practical implications may be of
      great consequences. Factors that can affect the average human RT include age,
      sex, left or right hand, central versus peripheral vision, practice, fatigue,
      fasting, breathing cycle, personality types, exercise, and intelligence of the
      subject. AIM: The aim was to compare visual RTs (VRTs) and auditory RTs (ARTs) on
      the basis of gender and physical activity levels of medical 1(st) year students.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 120
      healthy medical students in age group of 18-20 years. RT for target stimulus that
      is, for the beep tone for measuring ART, and red circle for measuring VRT was
      determined using Inquisit 4.0 (Computer Software) in the laptop. The task was to
      press the spacebar as soon as the stimulus is presented. Five readings of each
      stimulus were taken, and their respective fastest RT's for each stimuli were
      recorded. Statistical analysis was done. RESULTS: In both the sexes' RT to the
      auditory stimulus was significantly less (P < 0.001) as compared to the visual
      stimulus. Significant difference was found between RT of male and female medical
      students (P < 0.001) as well as between sedentary and regularly exercising
      healthy medical 1(st) year students. CONCLUSION: The ART is faster than the VRT
      in medical students. Furthermore, male medical students have faster RTs as
      compared to female medical students for both auditory as well as visual stimuli.
      Regularly exercising medical students have faster RTs when compared with medical
      students with sedentary lifestyles.

PMID- 26097823
TI  - Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The diabetic condition is influenced by several factors, some of
      which can accelerate the disease's progression to various complications that
      aggravate the morbidity. AIMS: This study aimed at determining the prevalence of
      metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its individual components and the most critical
      predictive risk factors of MetS in type 2 diabetic patients. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 150 type 2 diabetes mellitus
      patients and was conducted at the Diabetes Centre of the Komfo Anokye Teaching
      Hospital in Kumasi, the Ashanti Region of Ghana, from February, 2013 to April,
      2013. The study involved the use of a questionnaire to obtain some information on
      the diabetics, undertaking anthropometric measurements, as well as collecting
      blood samples for the measurement of some biochemical parameters; fasting blood
      glucose and lipid profile. MetS was defined according to the National Cholesterol
      Education Program/Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. RESULTS: The prevalence of
      MetS was 58% in the studied Ghanaian population. Hypertension was the commonest
      risk factor (60%), followed by central obesity (48.67%) and dyslipidemia (37%).
      Female type 2 diabetics had a higher prevalence of MetS, and carried more
      components than their male counterparts. Regression analysis showed three
      factors; femininity, high body mass index and low educational status were the
      most critical predictive risk factors of MetS, according to this study.
      CONCLUSION: With hypertension being the commonest component, future
      cardiovascular disease prevention strategies should focus attention on its
      management and prevention, through education.

PMID- 26097822
TI  - Long term outcome analysis of role of radiotherapy in Grade I meningiomas: A
      single centre experience from North India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intracranial meningiomas are the second most common tumor of the
      central nervous system. Grade I tumors are the most common variety of meningioma
      and have a benign course. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment. Radiotherapy (RT)
      decreases the local recurrence rates and progression in patients with subtotal
      excision (STE). The authors present our institute's experience in combined
      modality management of 18 successive patients of Grade I meningioma. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 18 patients of Grade I meningioma
      treated in our institute from 2003 to 2011. Clinical characteristics and
      treatment modality in form of surgery and RT were noted. Statistical analysis was
      done with regards to recurrence free survival and overall survival using Kaplan
      Meier survival analysis. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 52.5 years.
      Seven patients were males and 11 patients were females. The median duration of
      symptoms was 8 months. Headache was the most common presenting symptom followed
      by vomiting, seizures, motor weakness and visual deficits. Five patients
      underwent complete excision while 13 had STE. 11 patients received early RT while
      5 patients received RT at recurrence. Median RT dose delivered was 50 Gy. RT had
      significant effect on local control especially in subtotal resections, with
      overall 93.75% local control rates. CONCLUSIONS: Grade I meningiomas represent a
      benign neoplasm. The mainstay of therapy is gross total resection at the initial
      surgery. Postoperative adjuvant RT should be offered to patients with subtotal
      resection. Long-term follow-up is important as local recurrences and progression
      can develop years after the initial treatment.

PMID- 26097824
TI  - Papillary cystic variant of acinic cell carcinoma presenting as parotid tail
      tumor.
AB  - Acinic cell carcinoma (ACC) is an uncommon low-grade tumor of the salivary glands
      that constitutes 2.5-4% of parotid gland tumors. Papillary cystic variant (PCV)
      of ACC is even rarer and can be diagnosed on histopathological examination only.
      It is important to diagnose this variant as it carries a poor prognosis when
      compared with other variants of ACC and is known to be universally fatal in 10
      years. The present case describes ACC-PCV in a 20-year-old male, which presented
      as a slow growing parotid tail tumor and was misdiagnosed as a benign lesion both
      cytologically and radiologically. This case emphasizes the importance of
      histopathological examination in parotid masses as well as the need to consider
      malignant lesion in the differential diagnosis of a parotid tail tumor. 

PMID- 26097825
TI  - Angiosarcoma of mandible: An uncommon clinical entity.
AB  - Angiosarcoma is a malignant neoplasm of endothelial cells of blood vessels,
      representing 2% of all sarcomas. The occurrence of angiosarcoma in the oral
      cavity is a rare. In general management includes resection and wide-field
      postoperative radiation therapy. The risk of local-regional failure and distant
      relapse is still a cause of worry. Herewith, a case of angiosarcoma of mandible
      in a female patient is presented, who presented with small, innocent-looking
      mass, which became a highly destructive malignant tumor within few days. 

PMID- 26097826
TI  - Cytological features of malignant eccrine acrospiroma presenting as a soft tissue
      mass axilla: A rare sweat gland tumor with histologic correlation.
AB  - Malignant eccrine acrospiroma is an infrequent, highly malignant primary skin
      tumor derived from eccrine sweat glands. Though fine-needle aspiration cytology
      (FNAC) is a well-established diagnostic tool, but if a skin adnexal tumor or
      primary skin lesion is suspected clinically, the usual approach is biopsy due to
      easy accessibility. Being itself rare, cytologic features of this lesion is
      hardly encountered in case reports. As a result, very little is known about the
      appearance of adnexal tumors like malignant eccrine acrospiroma on fine-needle
      aspiration samples. A 50-year-old man presented with swelling in the left axilla,
      clinically suspected to be a soft tissue sarcoma. Fine-needle aspiration was
      advised, and a cytological diagnosis of malignant eccrine acrospiroma was
      rendered which was later confirmed on histological examination. Rapid, accurate
      diagnosis of these tumors is imperative as they have very poor prognosis and an
      aggressive course with recurrence and/or metastasis. FNAC plays a decisive and
      easy diagnostic modality in these unusual, rare cases of highly malignant primary
      skin tumor, and awareness of the lesions is indispensable in their management. 

PMID- 26097827
TI  - Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the urinary bladder: A diagnostic challange
      and therapeutic dilemma.
AB  - Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare, aggressive tumor of
      indeterminate malignant potential with myofibroblastic differentiation. Though
      bladder location is very uncommon, it arises from the bladder submucosal stroma
      as a polypoidal growth and is easily mistaken for a malignant neoplasm-
      clinically, radiologically and histologically. Essential criteria for the
      diagnosis of IMT are: spindle myoepithelial cell proliferation and
      lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate. Here we report the case of a 30 years old man who
      presented with painless gross haematuria for 2 weeks. The patient underwent open
      partial cystectomy and the final pathological diagnosis was IMT of bladder. 

PMID- 26097828
TI  - Ruptured ovarian pregnancy in a primigravida.
AB  - Primary ovarian ectopic pregnancy is a rare entity and is associated with rupture
      very early in the gestation. We present a case of ovarian pregnancy in a primi
      gravida, which ruptured relatively late in the first trimester. The patient did
      not have any predisposing factors for ovarian pregnancy. The case was managed
      laparoscopically, and the diagnosis was based on surgical and histopathological
      findings. 

PMID- 26097829
TI  - Intraparotid schwannoma: A rare case report.
AB  - Pleomorphic adenomas are the most common tumors which present as parotid masses.
      Shwannoma (peripheral nerve sheath tumor) is a rare entity in this region. Very
      few schwannomas originate from the facial nerve and in the majority of these
      cases the tumor involves its intratemporal part. The following case is reported
      because it presented as an asymptomatic parotid swelling with normal seventh
      nerve function, which masqueraded as pleomorphic adenoma clinically,
      radiologically and cytologically. However, it turned out to be peripheral nerve
      sheath tumor on histopathological examination. 

PMID- 26097830
TI  - Phentermine-topiramate: First combination drug for obesity.
AB  - Obesity is spreading globally at an alarming speed. The management of obesity is
      multifaceted and includes lifestyle modifications as the cornerstone. Until only
      orlistat was approved for long term use in obesity. The US Food and Drug
      Administration granted approval to a fixed dose mid 2012 combination of
      phentermine immediate release and topiramate extended release in 2012 for
      treatment of obese patients or overweight patients with comorbid conditions. The
      new drug has shown significant weight loss compared with placebo for a period up
      to 2 years. 

PMID- 26097832
TI  - Why a stem cell diagnosis is quite difficult.

PMID- 26097831
TI  - Phase I Trial of Carboplatin and Gemcitabine Chemotherapy and Stereotactic
      Ablative Radiosurgery for the Palliative Treatment of Persistent or Recurrent
      Gynecologic Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We conducted a phase I trial to determine the safety of systemic
      chemotherapy prior to abdominopelvic robotic stereotactic ablative radiotherapy
      (SABR) in women with persistent or recurrent gynecologic cancers. METHODS:
      Patients were assigned to dose-finding cohorts of day 1 carboplatin (AUC 2 or 4)
      and gemcitabine (600 or 800 mg/m(2)) followed by day 2 to day 4 Cyberknife SABR
      (8 Gy * three consecutive daily doses). Toxicities were graded prospectively by
      common terminology criteria for adverse events, version 4.0. SABR target and best
      overall treatment responses were recorded according to response evaluation
      criteria in solid tumors, version 1.1. FINDINGS: The maximum tolerated dose of
      chemotherapy preceding SABR was carboplatin AUC 4 and gemcitabine 600 mg/m(2).
      One patient experienced manageable, dose-limiting grade 4 neutropenia, grade 4
      hypokalemia, and grade 3 nausea attributed to study treatment. One patient had a
      late grade 3 rectovaginal fistula 16 months after trial therapy. Among 28 SABR
      targets, 22 (79%) showed a partial response and 6 (21%) remained stable.
      INTERPRETATION: Systemic chemotherapy may be given safely prior to abdominopelvic
      robotic SABR with further investigation warranted.

PMID- 26097833
TI  - Vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentrations and lethality in Staphylococcus
      aureus bacteremia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: After the dissemination of penicillin and oxacillin resistance in
      Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-intermediate and vancomycin resistant isolates
      have been reported. Even between isolates with minimum inhibitory concentrations
      (MICs) within the susceptible range, some authors have demonstrated that higher
      MICs correlate with higher lethality. METHODS: To test this hypothesis in our
      setting, we compared vancomycin MICs evaluated by two methods and clinical
      outcomes in hospitalized patients with S. aureus bacteremia. RESULTS: We compared
      lethality in patients infected with isolates that had MICs under or over 2 mg/L.
      Among patients infected with isolates that had microdilution MICs <2 mg/L, the
      lethality was 25%; among patients infected with strains that had microdilution
      MICs >=2 mg/L, 33% died. Among patients infected with isolates that had Etest
      MICs <2 mg/L, 23% died; in comparison, patients infected with strains that had
      Etest MICs >=2 mg/L had a lethality of 44%. CONCLUSION: Our results showed a
      slight tendency of higher lethality when higher MICs were present. However, this
      difference did not reach statistical significance, possibly due to the relatively
      small number of patients included in the study. Future prospective studies are
      needed to further evaluate this correlation and to help clinicians guide
      antimicrobial therapy.

PMID- 26097834
TI  - HLA class II alleles in Romanian patients with chronic hepatitis C.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The objective of the study was to determine the association of host
      human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II genotype DRB1 alleles with the response to
      interferon therapy, viral loads and extent of liver fibrosis in a group of
      Romanian patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C, with different clinical
      outcomes. Class II HLA genes, particularly the HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 genes, have been
      shown to have an important role in self-limiting or persistent viral infection,
      in different genetic populations. In chronic hepatitis C both susceptible and
      protective alleles have been described, influencing the development of
      autoimmunity and progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS:
      The study included 54 patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C, registered and
      monitored from January 2014 to January 2015 at the Clinical Hospital of
      Infectious Diseases, Constanta, Romania. The selected patients were positive for
      anti-HCV antibodies and HCV-RNA, with screening laboratory results indicating HCV
      genotype 1b. The method used for the assignment of alleles at HLA-DRB1 and DQB1
      loci was molecular genotyping, by the sequence specific oligonucleotide (SSO)
      hybridization method, and when required, by the sequence specific primers method
      (SSP). The presence of different alleles in patients has been analyzed for
      statistical significance. RESULTS: The presence of HLA-DRB1*0301 had a high
      frequency (14.8%) in null-responders (NR) while alleles DRB1*0701 (11.1%),
      DRB1*11# (22.2%) and DRB1*0101 (16.7%) were prevalent in sustained virologic
      responders (SVR). No significant correlation was found between the presence of
      HLA-DRB1* alleles and viral loads or liver fibrosis with p values not
      statistically significant after the Bonferroni correction. CONCLUSION: The
      presented data suggest that in this group of Romanian patients, certain HLA
      alleles influence the therapeutic response in HCV infection and genetic
      predisposition may play a role in hepatitis C virus infection in those patients.

PMID- 26097835
TI  - Seroprevalence of rubella virus IgG in pregnant women in Harare, Zimbabwe.

PMID- 26097836
TI  - The Prevalence of Substance use and Associated Risk Factors Among University
      Students in the City of Jahrom, Southern Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Substance use among college students in Iran is a serious problem.
      Determining the pattern of substance use among University students is an
      important issue for implementing prevention and treatment programs. OBJECTIVES:
      The present survey attempts to determine the prevalence of substance usage and
      associated risk factors among the students of Jahrom University of Medical
      Sciences and Islamic Azad University of Jahrom, Jahrom, Iran. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out from December 2012 to
      February 2013 and included 1149 randomly selected students of two Jahrom
      universities. A standard questionnaire was used for data gathering. Data were
      analyzed using the SPSS version 15 for Windows. T-test and Chi-square T-test and
      Chi-square and Logestic regression tests were used for data analysis. RESULTS:
      Tobacco (28.3%), alcohol (13.0%), and cannabis and marijuana (5.2%) were the most
      common substances used by the students. The prevalence of substance use among the
      male students was significantly higher (OR: 1.5, 95%CI: 1.42 - 2.68, P < 0.001).
      The risk of at least single episode of substance usage was higher among the
      students which were living alone (OR: 3.03, 95%CI: 1.74 - 5.28, P < 0.001) The
      most important motivators for beginning substance use were curiosity, in 46.4%,
      and seeking pleasure, in 28.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Substance usage is considered as a
      risk factor for students' health among University students in Iran. Design of
      educational courses addressing the detrimental effects and dire consequences of
      substance usage could help to improve control programs. Universities could
      improve their drug abuse control programs by focusing on the high risk groups
      determined by relevant studies.

PMID- 26097837
TI  - Alcohol Consumption, Depression, Insomnia and Colorectal Cancer Screening: Racial
      Differences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mortality from colorectal cancer (CRC) can be reduced drastically by
      early detection and early treatment. However, uptake of CRC screening is
      relatively low, about 50% for those whom the test is highly recommended.
      OBJECTIVES: We examined the influence of and racial differences in depression,
      insomnia, alcohol use, and tobacco use on CRC screening uptake in the US.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Analysis of the 2012 National Health Information Survey
      data was conducted. Both weighted univariate and multiple logistic regression
      analyses were performed in SAS to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and their 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 21511 participants were included in the
      analysis. RESULTS: Prevalence of CRC screening in the participants was 19%.
      Adjusting for all factors, insomnia (OR = 1.18, 95%CI = 1.06 - 1.32), moderate
      alcohol drinking (OR = 1.16, 95%CI = 1.01 - 1.30), past smoking (OR = 1.17, 95%CI
      = 1.04 - 1.32), depression (OR = 1.37, 95%CI = 1.18 - 1.58), African American
      (AA) race, and cancer history were positively associated with CRC screening.
      Females and Single were inversely associated with CRC screening prevalence. In
      stratified analysis by races (White and AA), depression was associated with CRC
      screening in both races. Marital status, smoking, cancer history and insomnia
      were associated with CRC screening in Whites only; while alcohol use was
      associated with CRC screening in AAs only. CONCLUSIONS: We have found significant
      associations between lifestyle factors (alcohol consumption and smoking) and
      mental health problems (depression and insomnia) and CRC screening uptake. To
      improve overall CRC screening uptake in the US, it is important to consider
      racial differences in predictors and tailor appropriate interventions to each
      racial/ethnic group.

PMID- 26097838
TI  - QTc Prolongation in Veterans With Heroin Dependence on Methadone Maintenance
      Treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: QTc prolongation and Torsade de Ppointes have been reported in
      patients on methadone maintenance. OBJECTIVES: In this study, QTc was compared
      before and after the veteran (n = 49) was on a stable dosage of methadone for
      8.72 +/- 4.50 years to treat heroin dependence. Risk factors were correlated with
      the QTc once the veteran was on a stable dose of methadone. Differences in the
      clinical risk factors in subgroups of veterans with below and above mean QTc
      change was compared. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ECG data was obtained from a 12-lead
      electrocardiogram (pre-methadone and on methadone) on 49 veterans. Data and risk
      factors were retrospectively collected from the medical records. RESULTS: The
      mean QTc at baseline (pre-methadone) was 426 +/- 34 msec and after being on
      methadone for an average of 8.72 +/- 4.50 years was significantly higher at 450
      +/- 35 msec. No significant relationships were found between QTc prolongation and
      risk factors except for calcium. The methadone dosage was significantly higher in
      veterans with a QTc change above the mean change of >= 24 msec (88.48 +/- 27.20
      mg v.s 68.96 +/- 19.84 mg). None of the veterans experienced cardiac arrhythmias.
      CONCLUSIONS: The low complexity of medical co-morbidities may explain the lack of
      a significant correlation between any risk factor with the QTc except calcium and
      methadone dosage. The absence of TdP may be explained by the low prevalence of
      QTc values > 500 msec as well as the retrospective design of the study. During
      long-term methadone treatment, there was a slight increase in the QTc interval
      but we did not find evidence of increased cardiac toxicity as a reason for
      treatment termination.

PMID- 26097839
TI  - Self-Medication With Analgesics and Helicobacter pylori Infection.

PMID- 26097840
TI  - The Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast Clubs According to Parents,
      Children, and School Staff in the North East of England, UK.
AB  - The provision of school breakfast has become increasingly popular in the UK in
      recent years. However, UK-based studies highlighting the views of parents,
      children, and school staff on school breakfast clubs are lacking. The current
      study set out to address this dearth in the literature by investigating the views
      of these key user and stakeholder groups on breakfast clubs within the North East
      of England. Fourteen parents, 21 children, and 17 school staff were recruited
      from four primary schools where breakfast clubs were available on site. Parents
      and school staff took part in semistructured interviews and children participated
      in focus groups, through which the advantages and disadvantages of breakfast
      clubs were discussed. Thematic analysis revealed that breakfast clubs provided
      children with a settled and enjoyable start to the school day. As well as
      providing children with a healthy and varied breakfast meal and unique
      opportunities for social interaction, breakfast clubs were recognized as an
      integral part of the school system that offered support to parents, particularly
      those who worked and relied on breakfast clubs as a means of affordable and
      reliable childcare. The few disadvantages identified related to practical issues
      such as a lack of adherence to school food standards, breakfast club staff
      missing class preparation time and concerns that some children were being
      excluded from participating in breakfast clubs particularly due to costs
      associated with attendance. The findings are discussed in relation to the School
      Food Plan, and areas for further investigation are proposed. 

PMID- 26097841
TI  - Multi-layered molecular mechanisms of polypeptide holding, unfolding and
      disaggregation by HSP70/HSP110 chaperones.
AB  - Members of the HSP70/HSP110 family (HSP70s) form a central hub of the chaperone
      network controlling all aspects of proteostasis in bacteria and the ATP
      containing compartments of eukaryotic cells. The heat-inducible form HSP70
      (HSPA1A) and its major cognates, cytosolic HSC70 (HSPA8), endoplasmic reticulum
      BIP (HSPA5), mitochondrial mHSP70 (HSPA9) and related HSP110s (HSPHs), contribute
      about 3% of the total protein mass of human cells. The HSP70s carry out a
      plethora of housekeeping cellular functions, such as assisting proper de novo
      folding, assembly and disassembly of protein complexes, pulling polypeptides out
      of the ribosome and across membrane pores, activating and inactivating signaling
      proteins and controlling their degradation. The HSP70s can induce structural
      changes in alternatively folded protein conformers, such as clathrin cages,
      hormone receptors and transcription factors, thereby regulating vesicular
      trafficking, hormone signaling and cell differentiation in development and
      cancer. To carry so diverse cellular housekeeping and stress-related functions,
      the HSP70s act as ATP-fuelled unfolding nanomachines capable of switching
      polypeptides between different folded states. During stress, the HSP70s can bind
      (hold) and prevent the aggregation of misfolding proteins and thereafter act
      alone or in collaboration with other unfolding chaperones to solubilize protein
      aggregates. Here, we discuss the common ATP-dependent mechanisms of holding,
      unfolding-by-clamping and unfolding-by-entropic pulling, by which the HSP70s can
      apparently convert various alternatively folded and misfolded polypeptides into
      differently active conformers. Understanding how HSP70s can prevent the formation
      of cytotoxic protein aggregates, pull, unfold, and solubilize them into harmless
      species is central to the design of therapies against protein conformational
      diseases. 

PMID- 26097842
TI  - Preparation and Characterization of Solid Dispersions of Artemether by Freeze
      Dried Method.
AB  - Solid dispersions of artemether and polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG6000) were
      prepared in ratio 12 : 88 (group-1). Self-emulsified solid dispersions of
      artemether were prepared by using polyethylene glycol 6000, Cremophor-A25, olive
      oil, Transcutol, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) in ratio 12 : 75 : 5 :
      4 : 2 : 2, respectively (group-2). In third group, only Cremophor-A25 was
      replaced with Poloxamer 188 compared to group-2. The solid dispersions and self
      emulsified solid dispersions were prepared by physical and freeze dried methods,
      respectively. All samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, attenuated
      total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning
      calorimeter, scanning electron microscopy, and solubility, dissolution, and
      stability studies. X-ray diffraction pattern revealed artemether complete
      crystalline, whereas physical mixture and freeze-dried mixture of all three
      groups showed reduced peak intensities. In attenuated total reflectance Fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy spectra, C-H stretching vibrations of artemether
      were masked in all prepared samples, while C-H stretching vibrations were
      representative of polyethylene glycol 6000, Cremophor-A25, and Poloxamer 188.
      Differential scanning calorimetry showed decreased melting endotherm and
      increased enthalpy change (DeltaH) in both physical mixture and freeze-dried
      mixtures of all groups. Scanning electron microscopy of freeze-dried mixtures of
      all samples showed glassy appearance, size reduction, and embedment, while their
      physical mixture showed size reduction and embedment of artemether by excipients.
      In group-1, solubility was improved up to 15 times, whereas group-2 showed up to
      121 times increase but, in group-3, when Poloxamer 188 was used instead of
      Cremophor-A25, solubility of freeze-dried mixtures was increased up to 135 times.
      In fasted state simulated gastric fluid at pH 1.6, the dissolution of physical
      mixture was increased up to 12 times and freeze-dried mixtures up to 15 times.
      The stability of artemether was substantially enhanced in freeze-dried mixtures
      by using polyethylene glycol 6000, Cremophor-A25, and Poloxamer 188 of self
      emulsified solid dispersions of artemether in Hank's balanced salt solution at pH
      7.4. 

PMID- 26097843
TI  - A Systematic Analysis of Candidate Genes Associated with Nicotine Addiction.
AB  - Nicotine, as the major psychoactive component of tobacco, has broad physiological
      effects within the central nervous system, but our understanding of the molecular
      mechanism underlying its neuronal effects remains incomplete. In this study, we
      performed a systematic analysis on a set of nicotine addiction-related genes to
      explore their characteristics at network levels. We found that NAGenes tended to
      have a more moderate degree and weaker clustering coefficient and to be less
      central in the network compared to alcohol addiction-related genes or cancer
      genes. Further, clustering of these genes resulted in six clusters with themes in
      synaptic transmission, signal transduction, metabolic process, and apoptosis,
      which provided an intuitional view on the major molecular functions of the genes.
      Moreover, functional enrichment analysis revealed that neurodevelopment,
      neurotransmission activity, and metabolism related biological processes were
      involved in nicotine addiction. In summary, by analyzing the overall
      characteristics of the nicotine addiction related genes, this study provided
      valuable information for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying
      nicotine addiction. 

PMID- 26097844
TI  - Improved Monosegment Pedicle Instrumentation for Treatment of Thoracolumbar
      Incomplete Burst Fractures.
AB  - AIM: Comparing the clinical results of improved monosegment pedicle
      instrumentation (iMSPI) and short-segment pedicle instrumentation (SSPI)
      retrospectively. METHOD: 63 patients with thoracolumbar incomplete burst fracture
      were managed with iMSPI or SSPI. 30 patients were managed with iMSPI and fusion.
      33 patients were managed with SSPI and fusion. Operative time, blood loss,
      postoperative drainage, and complications were recorded. Percentage of anterior
      body height compression (ABHC%) and sagittal index (SI) were obtained
      preoperatively, one week postoperatively, and at the last followup. RESULTS: The
      blood loss and postoperative drainage were significantly less in the iMSPI group
      than in SSPI group (P < 0.05). The follow-up duration of the two groups was not
      significantly different (P > 0.05). At 12 months postoperatively posterolateral
      fusion was obtained satisfactorily. Neither preoperative ABHC% and SI nor
      postoperative SI were significantly different (P > 0.05), but there was a
      significant difference in postoperative ABHC% (P = 0.000). The ABHC% and SI were
      not significantly different between the two groups at the last followup (P >
      0.05). There were no fixation failures or other complications. SUMMARY: IMSPI
      yielded satisfactory results similar to those of SSPI in patients with type
      A3.1/3.2 thoracolumbar fractures. IMSPI is recommended for minor trauma, reducing
      one-segment fusion, and maximization of the remaining motor function.

PMID- 26097845
TI  - Generation and Characterization of a Transgenic Mouse Carrying a Functional Human
      beta -Globin Gene with the IVSI-6 Thalassemia Mutation.
AB  - Mouse models that carry mutations causing thalassemia represent a suitable tool
      to test in vivo new mutation-specific therapeutic approaches. Transgenic mice
      carrying the beta-globin IVSI-6 mutation (the most frequent in Middle-Eastern
      regions and recurrent in Italy and Greece) are, at present, not available. We
      report the production and characterization of a transgenic mouse line (TG-beta
      IVSI-6) carrying the IVSI-6 thalassemia point mutation within the human beta
      globin gene. In the TG-beta-IVSI-6 mouse (a) the transgenic integration region is
      located in mouse chromosome 7; (b) the expression of the transgene is tissue
      specific; (c) as expected, normally spliced human beta-globin mRNA is produced,
      giving rise to beta-globin production and formation of a human-mouse tetrameric
      chimeric hemoglobin (mu) alpha-globin2/(hu) beta-globin2 and, more importantly,
      (d) the aberrant beta-globin-IVSI-6 RNAs are present in blood cells. The TG-beta
      IVSI-6 mouse reproduces the molecular features of IVSI-6 beta-thalassemia and
      might be used as an in vivo model to characterize the effects of antisense
      oligodeoxynucleotides targeting the cryptic sites responsible for the generation
      of aberrantly spliced beta-globin RNA sequences, caused by the IVSI-6 mutation.
      These experiments are expected to be crucial for the development of a
      personalized therapy for beta-thalassemia. 

PMID- 26097846
TI  - Ethical considerations in sex selection.
AB  - Advances in modern medicine are resulted from unrestricted and unlimited research
      disregarding many essentials of a research including ethical issues. Following
      ethical issues, many of unwanted pregnancies and abortions can be avoided.
      Several factors such as medical issues including X linked disease, has encouraged
      couples to select traditional or modern techniques in selecting the gender of
      their children. Some of these methods are corrected Swim-up method or washing of
      spermatozoa, Percoll gradient sperm separation method, grass wool column filter
      method method, albumin separation method, microsort method using FISH
      (Fluorescence in situ hybridization), free electrophoresis method, Ph adjustment
      method, pre implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)/fluorescence in situ
      hybridization. This technology is confronted with many ethical issues. Ethical
      considerations PGD in the SEX SELECTION differ in different religions and their
      perspectives on this issue. In this this review, electronic databases, books and
      Internet sites were completely searched and full articles including required
      keywords and techniques were obtained and reviewed. The rites and religions, were
      different and had legal perspectives and opinions about PGD. In some non-Islamic
      countries there are strict rules to control the use of technology. Some of these
      methods are costly and even risky. They also involve ethical issues such as
      legitimacy of the conceived fetus; recommending final touches in sex selection is
      still considered a taboo and a big issue in some cultures or mono-sexual
      families. Islamic views and beliefs are more flexible and the use of these
      technologies are allowed to preserve the health and lives permit. Islam strongly
      favors humanity and supports different issues if they are not in conflict with
      the primary concept of legitimate reproduction and are beneficial to human
      beings. 

PMID- 26097847
TI  - "Hepatitis" - Prevention and management in dental practice.
AB  - Today, viral hepatitis has become a silent epidemic worldwide. It is the major
      cause of liver cirrhosis and liver carcinoma. In a dental office, infections can
      be expedited through several routes, including direct or indirect contact with
      blood, oral fluids, droplet splatter, aerosols, etc. The aim of the present
      review is to increase the awareness among dental practitioners, so as to reduce
      the burden of hepatitis in their community. Electronic databases like PubMed,
      Medline, ProQuest, etc. were searched using the keywords hepatitis, dentist,
      liver disease, and infection control. Manual search of various journals and books
      was also carried out. Only highly relevant articles from English literature were
      considered for the present review. The results revealed that the dentists were
      among the high-risk groups for hepatitis, and they have little information on the
      factors associated with adherence to hepatitis B vaccination. A dentist can play
      a major role in the prevention of hepatitis by considering each and every patient
      as a potential carrier of hepatitis. Proper infection control, sterilization, and
      prophylactic vaccination protocols should be followed in order to reduce the risk
      of hepatitis. 

PMID- 26097848
TI  - Introducing a spiritual care training course and determining its effectiveness on
      nursing students' self-efficacy in providing spiritual care for the patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: How to train nurses to provide spiritual care, as one of the basic
      competencies of nursing, based on patient's perception and culture has been
      considered highly important. Although nurses' training is recommended in this
      area, few researches have studied the format of such programs. This study is
      conducted with the aim of introducing the training course of spiritual care and
      determining its effectiveness on nursing students' self-efficacy in providing
      spiritual care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The method of this study was of a pre-post
      interventional research. Senior students (n = 30) of the Shahrekord University of
      Medical Sciences, passing the training course in the field, were chosen as the
      studied sample. Study intervention was the implementation of the designed
      curriculum based on nursing books, focusing on providing the spiritual care for
      patients. The dependent variable of the study was the students' self-efficacy
      feeling in providing spiritual care to the patients. A researcher
      madequestionnaire, as well as the pre-post interventional tests, was used, then,
      to assess this variable. By means of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
      software, data were analyzed, and the level of significance was considered at P
      <0.05. FINDINGS: The findings of the study showed that self-efficacy mean score
      of nursing students in providing spiritual care in the pretest was 13.74, showing
      the average level of perceived self-efficacy. The students' self-efficacy mean,
      after participating in the training spiritual care programs, however, changed to
      21.1, indicating the increased level of self-efficacy. Results of paired t-test,
      also, showed that self-efficacy mean score of the study samples has significantly
      increased in the posttest, compared with the pretest. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION:
      According to these findings, it can be concluded that based on this designated
      curriculum, students have a chance of getting acquaintance with some concepts as:
      Spirituality and spiritual care, identifying the spiritual needs of patients, and
      designing a care plan to meet these requirements. These factors, therefore, have
      a great impact on students' effectiveness in providing spiritual care for
      patients.

PMID- 26097849
TI  - A study conducted on the demographic factors of victims of violence in support
      and administrative departments of hospital in 2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Violence is now regarded as a serious problem and its complication
      causes heavy costs on the healthcare systems. The present study aimed to
      investigate the correlation between some demographic characteristics and
      confrontation with violence. Since there is no study on the prevalence of
      violence among the support and administration staff of hospitals in Iran, this
      study was conducted to investigate violence in these departments. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This descriptive-analytical and correlation survey was carried out by
      census among the support and administrative staff interacting with patients and
      their companions in Al-Zahra University Hospital of Isfahan in 2013. Research
      tool was a researcher-made questionnaire including five domains: Personal
      information, workplace information, verbal violence, physical violence, and other
      violent acts. Its validity was evaluated by experts reviewing it and its
      reliability by test-retest (r =0.9). Finally, data were analyzed using
      descriptive statistical indicators and statistical tests such as Chi-square for
      sex, marital status, and work department and Mann-Whitney U test for age, level
      of education, work experience, and violence types by the statistical software
      SPSS version 20. RESULTS: According to the results obtained, 81% of subjects had
      been abused at least once and the most reported violence was related to verbal
      violence (78.4%). There was significant correlation between sex and violence and
      men were the main victims of violence, but there was no relation between marital
      status, age, and violence. Work experience was correlated to physical violence
      and other violent acts conversely. There was also an inverse correlation between
      physical violence and education; also, security staff faced more violence than
      others. CONCLUSION: As high prevalence of violence was found especially among the
      security staff and personnel with less education and work experience, it is
      suggested to take actions such as educating about patient accompaniment and
      visiting condition, holding training workshops on confronting with violence and
      appropriate communication with patients and families, using experienced and
      patient staff to interact with clients.

PMID- 26097850
TI  - Watching television by kids: How much and why?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Television (TV) viewing by children may be linked to a range of
      adverse health and behavioral outcomes. This study was aimed at examining the
      relationship between socioeconomic factors of families and TV watching behavior
      among 3-5 years old children in Ardakan, Yazd, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In
      the cross-sectional study, mothers of 188 children (93 boys and 95 girls) between
      3 and 5 years old completed a researcher-designed questionnaire. Data were
      analyzed by using SPSS, using bivariate correlations and t-test for independent
      samples. RESULTS: The mean of TV viewing was 2.68 +/- 1.6 h daily, ranging from 0
      to 9 h. There were no statistically significant gender differences on the basis
      of daily TV watching. There were positive associations between the children's
      daily TV watching and age as well aschildren's daily TV watching and their
      mothers' time spent on watching TV. Children who lived in houses with the yard
      and could use it as a playground watched less TV than did the children who lived
      in houses without the yard. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that health care
      professionals should be aware of the association between different socioeconomic
      status aspects of families, such as the children's and mothers' time spent on
      watching TV and having a yard in the house in an attempt to develop effective
      strategies and interventions to prevent excess TV watching.

PMID- 26097851
TI  - Comparison of anxiety prevalence among based and offshore National Iranian
      Drilling Company staff's children in Ahvaz, 2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anxiety is one of the most common psychological issues among all age
      groups including children. The main role of parents has been known to support
      their children. Being far away from a source of support has been shown to be a
      potential trigger for childhood anxiety. Periodical jobs, including offshore
      work, are among the main reasons for absence of one of the parents. Therefore,
      this study aims to assess anxiety in children of National Iranian Drilling
      Company offshore staff. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this historical cohort study,
      160 students including 80 boys and 80 girls were selected through convenient
      random sampling from the schools of National Iranian Drilling Company. Data were
      collected using Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Inventory (by Reynolds and
      Richmond), consisting 37 items and a demographic questionnaire. The collected
      data were statistically analyzed by t-test and logistic regression tests through
      SPSS software. RESULTS: The mean anxiety score was 12.80 among offshore staff's
      children and 11.67 among the children of the based staff. The ratio of manifest
      anxiety among the offshore workers' children was significantly more than the
      based ones'. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings, offshore fathers' job affects
      the anxiety of the children.

PMID- 26097852
TI  - The study of inpatient medical records on hospital deductions: An interventional
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rate of hospital deductions is a commonly cited concern among
      teaching hospitals in Iran. The objective of the present study is to access the
      effect of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of inpatient medical records
      on deductions and identifying the major resources of deductions. There are
      currently no published interventional studies that have investigated this issue
      quantitatively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In an interventional study, we reviewed
      all the 192 patient's medical records (PMRs) for any documentation errors, to
      determine the rate of deductions. We conducted a pilot of 30 cases prior to the
      actual survey. Nonprobability-based consecutive sampling was used. The main study
      was conducted in three phases: 1. Primary evaluation; 2. Training, performance of
      intervention and corrective actions; and 3. Final assessment. Comprehensive
      assessments of medical records and follow-upof error correction were carried out
      systematically and according to the pre-set schedule. Pre- and post-intervention
      assessments were compared in order to evaluate the effect of the intervention.
      Data were analyzed using the SPSS-20 statistical software. Paired-sample t-test
      was used to compare changes in deduction scores before and after the
      intervention. Differences at a P value less than 0.05 were considered
      statistically significant. RESULTS: In the initial survey of 800 PMRs, nearly one
      quarter (24%) (Or 192 cases) had at least one type of deduction. The three top
      types of deductions were Laboratory (47.9%), Medical radiation (45.3%), and
      Physician visit (35.9%). The results showed a 2.7- to about 36-fold lower rate of
      hospital deductions (average: 6.4-fold; reduction from21131 to 3285 US dollars).
      CONCLUSION: All in all, the results of the present study indicated that
      educational interventions and quantitative and qualitative analysis of inpatient
      medical records are very beneficial and effective in the reduction of medical
      record deductions.

PMID- 26097853
TI  - Investigation of educational intervention based on Theory of Planned Behavior on
      breakfast consumption among middle school students of Qom City in 2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Eating breakfast is crucial for adolescents to be healthy. It also
      improves students' capacity of learning and doing school homework. Although
      healthy habits such as eating breakfast, weight control, and regular sleep
      increase the lifespan in adults, the effects of healthy habits on school-age
      children have not been studied much. The present study aimed at investigating the
      impact of an educational program based on Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) on
      eating breakfast among middle school students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      interventional study was conducted on sixth-grade students in Qom City during the
      academic year 2012-2013. First, 97 students were randomly assigned to the
      experimental group and 97 other students were assigned to the control group.
      Then, a questionnaire was developed on eating breakfast by the researchers
      according to the TPB. A pilot study was conducted to assess the reliability of
      the questionnaire. To assess the validity of the questionnaire, advice by a panel
      of experts was sought. To carry out a pre-test, both groups answered the
      questions. After analyzing the pre-test results, the required content was
      developed for the experimental group. Educational methods included delivering
      speech, discussion groups, pamphlets, and posters. The required
      educationalcontent was provided for students during five sessions and for parents
      in one session. To determine the effect of educational intervention, a post-test
      study was carried out 2 months after the intervention. Collected data were
      analyzed using independent t-test, chi,([2]) and repeated measures. RESULTS: In
      the experimental group, 36.7% of students were eating breakfast at least in a day
      of a week, before educational intervention. After implementation of the
      educational program, only 32.7% of them were continuing their past habit. There
      was a significant difference between themean scores of attitudes, perceived
      behavioral control, intention, and practice of eating breakfast in the
      experimental and control groups (P < 0.05), while there was no significant
      difference between the mean scores of subjective norms after implementing the
      educational program in both groups (P < 0.26). CONCLUSION: Using the TPB improved
      students' intentions and behavior of eating breakfast. Thus, it seems necessary
      to consider all effective environmental factors on the subjective norms in the
      education of healthy eating behaviors or improving breakfast-eating practice
      among students.

PMID- 26097854
TI  - Risk factors of low birth weight and effect of them on growth pattern of children
      up to sixth months of life: A cross-sectional study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Children are more risk-prone group of the population and low birth
      weight (LBW) is the leadingcause of newborns' mortality and morbidity. LBW is
      defined as child's birth weight lower than 2500 g. Many maternal and fetal
      factors are determined as risk factors of LBW. This study tries to detect related
      factors to LBW and effect of them on children's growth pattern up to sixth month
      of life in Health centers of Urmia city, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross
      sectional study was carried out in Urmia city using registered data from mothers'
      documents. All related data such age and weight of infants, mothers' age,
      gestational age (GA) at the time of delivery, time gap between two pregnancies,
      past history of abortion, prenatal care history, systemic and underlying
      diseases, hemoglobin of mothers during pregnancy, and pattern of infant's growth
      up to sixth month of age were registered in a questionnaire. All registered data
      were transferred to SPSS 15 software and analyzed. RESULTS: Mean +/- SD of birth
      weight was 3071 +/- 625.66 g. There was a significant relationship between birth
      weight and mother's age (P < 0.001) and weight (P < 0.001). Children of mothers
      younger than 18 years had much birth weights. There was a significant
      relationship between birth weight and GA during delivery (P < 0.001). Children of
      preterm labor had lower birth weights. In twins, LBW was more prevalent (P <
      0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results show that LBW is related to multiple causes and
      that most of them are preventable with educational programs and also strict and
      regular prenatal care. Decreasing incidence of LBW children can be achieved by
      cooperation between different parts of health and clinical systems.

PMID- 26097855
TI  - Standardization of European Medical Risk Related History questionnaire for use
      with Persian-speaking population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Today, the dental practitioners are finding many more medically
      compromised patients in their practice. AIMS: The aim of this study was
      standardization of the European Medical Risk Related History (EMRRH)
      questionnaire for use among Persian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      English original version of the EMRRH questionnaire was translated into Persian
      language by a forward-backward translation method. Then reliability was tested on
      50 subjects. Also, the sensitivity, specificity, and validity of the
      questionnaire were assessed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Cohen's kappa, a measure
      of agreement between observers that includes an adjustment for chance agreement,
      was likewise calculated. RESULTS: The reliability coefficient (Cronbach's alpha)
      of the EMRRH was above the recommended 0.7 threshold and considered excellent
      (alpha 0.87). Specificity of the questions was 94% and of per EMRRH item was 93%.
      Sensitivity per question was 86.1% and of per EMRRH item was 94%. Cohen's kappa
      for the questionnaire was 0.89 and for subsequent questions was 0.82.
      CONCLUSIONS: The EMRRH (Persian version) has been shown to be valid in comparison
      with the gold standard (a medical history taken by a physician experienced) and
      this instrument would be an effectual method of history taking for the dentist.

PMID- 26097856
TI  - Contribution of marital conflict to marital quality in short and long-term
      marriages: An actor-partner interdependence model.
AB  - AIMS: In the field of family research, previous studies have made great strides
      toward understanding the relationship between marital conflict and quality.
      However, they have only studied couples in short-term marriages. Therefore, much
      remains to be unraveled with regard to long-term marriages. We aimed investigate
      the comparative contribution of aspects of marital conflict to marital quality in
      short-and long-term marriages in Iranian families. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using
      random clustered sampling, 400 dyads in intact first marriages were surveyed
      across eight provinces of Iran. Complete surveys for both husbands and wives were
      returned for 162 households (couple's response rate: 40.5%). Survey measures
      included demographics questionnaire, Barati and Sanai's Marital Conflict
      Questionnaire and Blum and Mehrabian's Comprehensive Marital Satisfaction Scale.
      Structural equation modeling was used to test the actor-partner interdependence
      model of marital conflict-marital quality. RESULTS: Generalized additive models
      were incorporated to define what constitutes short-and long-term marriages. Based
      on the models regressed, duration <= 10 years was defined as short-term, whereas
      duration >= 25 years was labeled long-term. In short-term marriages (n = 44),
      decreased sexual relations, increased daily hassles and sidedness in relations
      with parents were negatively associated with marital quality in both actor and
      actor-to-partner paths. In long-term married couples (n = 46), only increased
      daily hassles (P < 0.001) and disagreement over financial affairs (P = 0.005)
      contributed to actor paths and only sidedness in relationships with parents
      showed significant negative association to marital quality in actor-to-partner
      paths. CONCLUSIONS: Different themes of conflict contribute to the diminished
      level of marital quality in early and late stages of the marriage. Conflicts over
      sex, relationship with extended family and daily hassles are emphasized in the
      early years of marriage, while in later years; dispute over money and daily
      hassles dominate.

PMID- 26097857
TI  - Comparative study of the density of L2, L3, and L4 vertebrae in menopausal women
      aged over 50 years with osteoporosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Index used for osteoporosis detection was BMD measured in L2, L3,
      and L4 vertebrae. We compared the density of the vertebrae to select the one with
      maximum change in the density for decreasing the cost and the time. METHODS AND
      MATERIALS: Ninety seven osteoporotic post-menopausal women with a mean age of
      61.78 +/- 8.48 (50 - 86) years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 24.75 +/- 2.66
      (kg/m(2)) (18 - 30) without any known diseases and on any medication affecting
      bone mineral density (BMD) were examined at osteoporosis section of a teaching
      hospital. The vertebral bodies (L2 - L4) of participants were measured by using a
      dual energy X-ray absorptiometry system (DEXA). To investigate if the BMD
      measurement of a single vertebra could replace the total L2 - L4 measurement, the
      mean BMDs and the correlations of the L2 - L4 were compared. RESULTS: Among the
      97 studied women, the mean BMI was 24.75 +/- 2.66. The mean BMD of L2, L3, and L4
      vertebrae were 0.7199, 0.7258, and 0.7402, respectively. There was no significant
      difference between the mean BMD of L2 and L3 vertebrae (P > 0.05), suggesting a
      strong relationship between L2 and L3. The mean BMD in the L4 vertebra was
      significantly higher than the other two vertebrae (P < 0.05), Statistical
      analysis showed that the BMD in all three L2, L3, and L4 vertebrae were
      associated with BMI (r > 0 and P < 0.05), but there was no significant
      relationship between BMD and age in the three L2, L3, and L4 vertebrae (r ? 0 and
      P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Since the mean BMDs of L2 and L3 were not significantly
      different, and due to a very high correlation between L2 and L3, we recommend the
      measurement of L2 rather than L2 - L4 in order to save patient scanning time,
      cost, and the patient X-ray exposure.

PMID- 26097858
TI  - Predicting the educational performance of Isfahan University students of medical
      sciences based on their behaviour profile, mental health and demographic
      characteristic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The issue of students' academic failure is one of the most important
      educational, economic, and social issues. Cognizance of the factors related to
      academic downfall is so efficient in its prevention and control and leads to
      protecting governmental assets and labor force. In order to achieve this goal,
      this study intends to determine the predictive factors of the students' academic
      performance in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in terms of their
      personality profile, mental health, and their demographic characteristics.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a descriptive-correlation study on 771
      students who entered Isfahan University of Medical Sciences between 2005 and
      2007. The information was gathered through using the students' educational and
      clinical files (for measuring personality characteristics and mental health) and
      SAMA Software (To get the mean scores). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
      Inventory short form and General Health Questionnaire were used for collecting
      clinical data. The data were analyzed using SPSS 15 (stepwise regression
      coefficient, variance analysis, Student's t-test, and Spearman correlation
      coefficient). RESULT: The results showed that the aforementioned students
      obtained a normal average for their personality profile and mental health
      indicators. Of all the reviewed variables, education, age, gender, depression,
      and hypochondria were the predictive factors of the students' educational
      performance. CONCLUSION: It could be concluded that some of the personality
      features, mental health indicators, and personality profile play such a
      significant role in the students' educational life that the disorder in any of
      them affects the students' educational performance and academic failure.

PMID- 26097859
TI  - Comparative investigation of the effectiveness of face-to-face verbal training
      and educational pamphlets on readiness of patients before undergoing non
      emergency surgeries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The thought of having a surgery can be stressful for everyone.
      Providing the necessary information to the patient can help both the patient and
      the treatment team. This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of face
      to-face verbal training and educational pamphlets on the readiness of patients
      for undergoing non-emergency surgeries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was a
      before-after randomized clinical trial. 90 patients scheduled to undergo non
      emergency surgery who referred to Shahrekord Ayatollah Kashani Hospital in 2013
      were distributed randomly and gradually into two experimental groups (group of
      face-to-face verbal training and group of educational pamphlet) and one control
      group. Dependent variable of the study was pre-surgery readiness. Data analysis
      was carried out by using SPSS statistical software. Statistical analysis were
      analysis of variance (ANOVA) and correlation test. RESULTS: Results showed that
      the mean scores of pre-surgery readiness in both interventional groups were
      significantly higher than that in the control group after the intervention (P <
      0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two experimental
      groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Each of the methods of face-to-face verbal
      education and using the pamphlet could be equally effective in improving the
      readiness of the patients undergoing surgery. Therefore, in environments where
      the health care providers are facing with the pressure of work and lack of
      sufficient time for face-to-face verbal training, suitable educational pamphlets
      can be used to provide the necessary information to patients and prepare them for
      surgery.

PMID- 26097860
TI  - Exploring nursing students' experience of peer learning in clinical practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peer learning is an educational process wherein someone of the same
      age or level of experience level interacts with other students interested in the
      same topic. There is limited evidence specifically focusing on the practical use
      of peer learning in Iran. The aim of this study was to explore nursing students'
      experiences of peer learning in clinical practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      qualitative content analysis was conducted. Focus groups were used to find the
      students' experiences about peerlearning. Twenty-eight baccalaureate nursing
      students at Bushehr University of Medical Sciences were selected purposively, and
      were arranged in four groups of seven students each. The focus group interviews
      were conducted using a semi-structured interview schedule. All interviews were
      tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using conventional content
      analysis method. RESULTS: The analysis identified four themes: Paradoxical
      dualism, peer exploitation, first learning efficacy, and socialization practice.
      Gained advantages and perceived disadvantages created paradoxical dualism, and
      peer exploitation resulted from peer selection and peer training. CONCLUSION:
      Nursing students reported general satisfaction concerning peer learning due to
      much more in-depth learning with little stress than conventional learning
      methods. Peer learning is a useful method for nursing students for practicing
      educational leadership and learning the clinical skills before they get a job.

PMID- 26097861
TI  - The effect of four-phase teaching method on midwifery students' emotional
      intelligence in managing the childbirth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An active teaching method has been used widely in medical education.
      The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the four-phase
      teaching method on midwifery students' emotional intelligence (EQ) in managing
      the childbirth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an experimental study that
      performed in 2013 in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Thirty midwifery
      students were involved in this study and selected through a random sampling
      method. The EQ questionnaire (43Q) was completed by both the groups, before and
      after the education. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 14, the
      independent t-test, and the paired t-test. The statistically significant level
      was considered to be <0.05. RESULTS: The findings of the independent t-test did
      not show any significant difference between EQ scores of the experimental and the
      control group before the intervention, whereas a statistically significant
      difference was observed after the intervention between the scores of two groups
      (P = 0.009). The paired t-test showed a statistically significant difference in
      EQ scores in the two groups after the intervention in the four-phase and the
      control group, respectively, as P = 0.005 and P = 0.018. Furthermore, the rate of
      self-efficiency has increased in the experimental group and control group as 66%
      and 13% (P = 0.024), respectively. CONCLUSION: The four-phase teaching method can
      increase the EQ levels of midwifery students. Therefore, the conduction of this
      educational model is recommended as an effective learning method.

PMID- 26097862
TI  - Improving the medical records department processes by lean management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lean management is a process improvement technique to identify waste
      actions and processes to eliminate them. The benefits of Lean for healthcare
      organizations are that first, the quality of the outcomes in terms of mistakes
      and errors improves. The second is that the amount of time taken through the
      whole process significantly improves. AIMS: The purpose of this paper is to
      improve the Medical Records Department (MRD) processes at Ayatolah-Kashani
      Hospital in Isfahan, Iran by utilizing Lean management. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This research was applied and an interventional study. The data have been
      collected by brainstorming, observation, interview, and workflow review. The
      study population included MRD staff and other expert staff within the hospital
      who were stakeholders and users of the MRD. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The MRD
      were initially taught the concepts of Lean management and then formed into the
      MRD Lean team. The team then identified and reviewed the current processes
      subsequently; they identified wastes and values, and proposed solutions. RESULTS:
      The findings showed that the MRD units (Archive, Coding, Statistics, and
      Admission) had 17 current processes, 28 wastes, and 11 values were identified. In
      addition, they offered 27 comments for eliminating the wastes. CONCLUSION: The
      MRD is the critical department for the hospital information system and,
      therefore, the continuous improvement of its services and processes, through
      scientific methods such as Lean management, are essential. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The
      study represents one of the few attempts trying to eliminate wastes in the MRD.

PMID- 26097863
TI  - The Role of Osteoclasts in Early Dissemination of Prostate Cancer Tumor Cells.
AB  - Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common neoplasms that metastasize to
      bone. The aim of this study was to determine if osteoclasts play a role in the
      seeding of disseminated tumor cells to the bone marrow by mobilizing
      hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) out of their marrow niche. Human PC-3Luc cells
      were introduced into male SCID mice by intracardiac (i.c.) injection after mice
      were treated with the antiresorptive agent Zoledronic Acid (bisphosphonate (BP))
      and/or AMD3100, which mobilizes HSCs out of the marrow. Short term homing of PC-3
      was assessed at 24 hours by QPCR for human Alu and luciferase and HSC number was
      determined by FACS. Mice also received pre and/or post treatments of BP by
      intraperiteneal (i.p.) injections, in addition to PC-3 luc by intratibial (i.t.)
      injections. TRAP assays were used to determine the osteoclast (OC) number in both
      studies. AMD3100 enhanced the release of HSCs from the bone marrow, while BP
      increased the retention of HSCs. PCa entry into bone was facilitated in AMD3100,
      BP, and AMD3100+BP treatments. Before PCa injection, the number of TRAP+ OC was
      increased in mice treated with AMD3100, while treatment with BP resulted in
      relatively lower TRAP+ OCs. TRAP+ OCs were not detected in the AMD3100 + BP
      treatment. After PCa injection, however, the number of TRAP+ OCs was dramatically
      increased, but did not differ significantly amongst the treatment groups. The pre
      and post BP treatments in the Nude mice decreased the size of PCa lesions in the
      tibia compared to the control. The results indicate that OC activation is not
      necessary for PCa metastasis to bone at the earliest stages. These findings are
      critical in proving that OCs' contribution to metastasis occur during the growth
      phase of the tumor rather than at the initiation phase.

PMID- 26097864
TI  - New insights into malignant cell survival mechanisms in medulloblastoma.
AB  - mRNA translation and protein synthesis is an important determinant for cell
      metabolism and cell homeostasis. Perturbations in cellular homeostasis often
      result in activation of negative feedback loops as compensatory mechanisms.
      Although, these mechanisms are important for mammalian cells to adjust to
      environmental changes, they also pose a major challenge for targeted cancer
      therapy as they provide escape mechanisms for cancer cells. The mammalian target
      of rapamycin (mTOR) is a crucial regulator of mRNA translation, protein synthesis
      and metabolism and represents an attractive target for anticancer therapy. We
      have recently reported that selective inhibition of mTORC1 by rapamycin or its
      analogs in medulloblastoma cells results in phosphorylation of eukaryotic
      translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) on serine-209, an event known to be
      associated with induction of protein translation and cell transformation. We have
      also previously established that this event is mediated by mitogen-activated
      protein (MAP) kinase-interacting kinase 2 (Mnk2) independently of MAPKs, the
      conventional activators of Mnks. Here we discuss the implications for our current
      understanding of negative feedback regulation by mTOR and Mnk in cancer.

PMID- 26097865
TI  - Erratum: Glycolysis, tumor metabolism, cancer growth and dissemination. A new pH
      based etiopathogenic perspective and therapeutic approach to an old cancer
      question.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 777 in vol. 1, PMID: 25621294.]. 

PMID- 26097866
TI  - Oncogene-induced NAD(+) depletion in tumorigenesis.

PMID- 26097868
TI  - MiR-148a, a microRNA upregulated in the WNT subgroup tumors, inhibits invasion
      and tumorigenic potential of medulloblastoma cells by targeting Neuropilin 1.
AB  - Medulloblastoma, a common pediatric malignant brain tumor consists of four
      molecular subgroups viz. WNT, SHH, Group 3 and Group 4. MiR-148a is over
      expressed in the WNT subgroup tumors, which have the lowest incidence of
      metastasis and excellent survival among all medulloblastomas. MiR-148a was
      expressed either in a transient manner using a synthetic mimic or in a stable
      doxycycline inducible manner using a lentiviral vector in non-WNT medulloblastoma
      cell lines. Expression of miR-148a to levels comparable to that in the WNT
      subgroup tumors was found to inhibit proliferation, clonogenic potential,
      invasion potential and tumorigenicity of medulloblastoma cells. MiR-148a
      expression in medulloblastoma cells brought about reduction in the expression of
      NRP1, a novel miR-148a target. Restoration of NRP1 expression in medulloblastoma
      cells was found to rescue the reduction in the invasion potential and
      tumorigenicity brought about by miR-148a expression. NRP1 is known to play role
      in multiple signaling pathways that promote tumor growth, invasion and
      metastasis. NRP1 expression in medulloblastomas was found to be associated with
      poor survival, with little or no expression in majority of the WNT tumors. The
      tumor suppressive effect of miR-148a expression accompanied by the down
      regulation of NRP1 makes miR-148a an attractive therapeutic agent for the
      treatment of medulloblastomas. 

PMID- 26097867
TI  - AID/APOBEC deaminases and cancer.
AB  - Mutations are the basis for evolution and the development of genetic diseases.
      Especially in cancer, somatic mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes
      alongside the occurrence of passenger mutations have been observed by recent deep
      sequencing approaches. While mutations have long been considered random events
      induced by DNA-replication errors or by DNA damaging agents, genome sequencing
      led to the discovery of non-random mutation signatures in many human cancer.
      Common non-random mutations comprise DNA strand-biased mutation showers and
      mutations restricted to certain DNA motifs, which recently have become attributed
      to the activity of the AID/APOBEC family of DNA deaminases. Hence, APOBEC
      enzymes, which have evolved as key players in natural and adaptive immunity, have
      been proposed to contribute to cancer development and clonal evolution of cancer
      by inducing collateral genomic damage due to their DNA deaminating activity. This
      review focuses on how mutagenic events through AID/APOBEC deaminases may
      contribute to cancer development. 

PMID- 26097869
TI  - Induction of functional Brm protein from Brm knockout mice.
AB  - Once the knockout of the Brm gene was found to be nontumorigenic in mice, the
      study of BRM's involvement in cancer seemed less important compared with that of
      its homolog, Brg1. This has likely contributed to the disparity that has been
      observed in the publication ratio between BRG1 and BRM. We show that a previously
      published Brm knockout mouse is an incomplete knockout whereby a truncated
      isoform of Brm is detected in normal tissue and in tumors. We show that this
      truncated Brm isoform has functionality comparable to wild type Brm. By
      immunohistochemistry (IHC), this truncated Brm is undetectable in normal lung
      tissue and is minimal to very low in Brmnull tumors. However, it is significant
      in a subset (~40%) of Brg1/Brm double knockout (DKO) tumors that robustly express
      this truncated BRM, which in part stems from an increase in Brm mRNA levels.
      Thus, it is likely that this mutant mouse model does not accurately reflect the
      role that Brm plays in cancer development. We suggest that the construction of a
      completely new mouse Brm knockout, where Brm is functionally absent, is needed to
      determine whether or not Brm is actually tumorigenic and if Brm might be a tumor
      suppressor. 

PMID- 26097870
TI  - The DAXX co-repressor is directly recruited to active regulatory elements genome
      wide to regulate autophagy programs in a model of human prostate cancer.
AB  - While carcinoma of the prostate is the second most common cause of cancer death
      in the US, current methods and markers used to predict prostate cancer (PCa)
      outcome are inadequate. This study was aimed at understanding the genome-wide
      binding and regulatory role of the DAXX transcriptional repressor, recently
      implicated in PCa. ChIP-Seq analysis of genome-wide distribution of DAXX in PC3
      cells revealed over 59,000 DAXX binding sites, found at regulatory enhancers and
      promoters. ChIP-Seq analysis of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), which is a key
      epigenetic partner for DAXX repression, revealed that DNMT1 binding was
      restricted to a small number of DAXX sites. DNMT1 and DAXX bound close to
      transcriptional activator motifs. DNMT1 sites were found to be dependent on DAXX
      for recruitment by analyzing DNMT1 ChIP-Seq following DAXX knockdown (K/D),
      corroborating previous findings that DAXX recruits DNMT1 to repress its target
      genes. Massively parallel RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was used to compare the
      transcriptomes of WT and DAXX K/D PC3 cells. Genes induced by DAXX K/D included
      those involved in autophagy, and DAXX ChIP-Seq peaks were found close to the
      transcription start sites (TSS) of autophagy genes, implying they are more likely
      to be regulated by DAXX. In conclusion, DAXX binds active regulatory elements and
      co-localizes with DNMT1 in the prostate cancer genome. Given DAXX's putative
      regulatory role in autophagy, future studies may consider DAXX as a candidate
      marker and therapeutic target for prostate cancer. 

PMID- 26097871
TI  - Drug conjugation to hyaluronan widens therapeutic indications for ovarian cancer.
AB  - Management of ovarian cancer still requires improvements in therapeutic options.
      A drug delivery strategy was tested that allows specific targeting of tumor cells
      in combination with a controlled release of a cytotoxic molecule. To this aim,
      the efficacy of a loco-regional intraperitoneal treatment with a bioconjugate
      (ONCOFID-S) derived by chemical linking of SN-38, the active metabolite of
      irinotecan (CPT-11), to hyaluronan was assessed in a mouse model of ovarian
      carcinomatosis. In vitro, the bioconjugate selectively interacted with ovarian
      cancer cells through the CD44 receptor, disclosed a dose-dependent tumor growth
      inhibition efficacy comparable to that of free SN-38 drug, and inhibited
      Topoisomerase I function leading to apoptosis by a mechanism involving caspase-3
      and -7 activation and PARP cleavage. In vivo, the intraperitoneal administration
      of ONCOFID-S in tumor-bearing mice did not induce inflammation, and evidenced an
      improved therapeutic efficacy compared with CPT-11. In conclusion, SN-38
      conjugation to hyaluronan significantly improved the profile of in vivo
      tolerability and widened the field of application of irinotecan. Therefore, this
      approach can be envisaged as a promising therapeutic strategy for loco-regional
      treatment of ovarian cancer. 

PMID- 26097872
TI  - mTOR pathway activation in multiple myeloma cell lines and primary tumour cells:
      pomalidomide enhances cytoplasmic-nuclear shuttling of mTOR protein.
AB  - mTOR is a protein kinase that plays a central role in regulating critical
      cellular processes. We evaluated the activation and cellular localization of the
      mTOR pathway in multiple myeloma (MM) and analyzed the role of pomalidomide in
      regulating mTOR. By immunohistochemistry cytoplasmic p-mTOR stained positive in
      57 out 101 (57.6%) cases with a nuclear p-mTOR localization in 14 out 101 samples
      (13.8%). In the 70 MM samples analyzed for the entire pathway, p-mTOR expression
      significantly correlated with p-AKT, p-P70S6K, and p-4E-BP1 suggesting that the
      AKT/mTOR pathway is activated in a subset of MM patients. Immunofluorescence
      assays demonstrated that mTOR protein is distributed throughout the cytoplasm and
      the nucleus at baseline in MM cell lines and in plasma cells of 13 MM patients
      and that pomalidomide facilitated the shift of the mTOR protein in the nucleus.
      By western blotting, treatment with pomalidomide increased nuclear mTOR and p
      mTOR expression levels in the nucleus with a concomitant decrease of the
      cytoplasmic fractions while does not seem to affect significantly AKT
      phosphorylation status. In MM cells the anti-myeloma activity of pomalidomide may
      be mediated by the regulation of the mTOR pathway. 

PMID- 26097873
TI  - Sorafenib induces cathepsin B-mediated apoptosis of bladder cancer cells by
      regulating the Akt/PTEN pathway. The Akt inhibitor, perifosine, enhances the
      sorafenib-induced cytotoxicity against bladder cancer cells.
AB  - Sorafenib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been demonstrated to exert anti-tumor
      effects. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its effects on bladder
      cancer remain unknown. Here, we evaluated the mechanisms responsible for the
      sorafenib-induced anti-tumor effects on 5637 and T24 bladder cancer cells. We
      demonstrated that sorafenib reduces cell viability, stimulates lysosome
      permeabilization and induces apoptosis of bladder cancer cells. These effects are
      dependent by the activation of cathepsin B released from lysosomes. The sorafenib
      increased cathepsin B activity induced the proteolysis of Bid into tBid that
      stimulates the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis characterized by mitochondrial
      membrane depolarization, oxygen radical generation and cytochrome c release.
      Moreover, we found that cathepsin B enzymatic activity, induced by sorafenib, is
      dependent on its dephosphorylation via PTEN activation and Akt inactivation.
      Pretreatment with orthovanadate rescued bladder cancer cells from apoptosis. In
      addition, the Akt inhibitor perifosine increased the sensitivity of bladder
      cancer cells to sorafenib-induced cytotoxicity. Overall, our results show that
      apoptotic cell death induced by sorafenib in bladder cancer cells is dependent on
      cathepsin B activity and involved PTEN and Akt signaling pathways. The Akt
      inhibitor perifosine increased the cytotoxic effects of sorafenib in bladder
      cancer cells. 

PMID- 26097874
TI  - Epigenetic silencing of S100A2 in bladder and head and neck cancers.
AB  - S100A2, a member of the S100 protein family, is known to be downregulated in a
      number of human cancers, leading to its designation as a potential tumor
      suppressor gene. Here, we investigated the expression and methylation status of
      S100A2 in head&neck and bladder cancer. Reduced mRNA and protein expression was
      observed in 8 head&neck and bladder cancer cell lines. To explore the mechanism
      responsible for the downregulation of S100A2, we treated six cell lines with 5
      aza-2'-deoxycytidine. We found S100A2 is silenced in association with aberrant
      promoter-region methylation and its expression is restored with 5-aza-2'
      deoxycytidine treatment. Of 31 primary head&neck cancer cases and 31 bladder
      cancer cases, promoter methylation was detected in 90% and 80% of cases,
      respectively. Interestingly, only 1/9 of normal head&neck tissues and 2/6 of
      normal bladder tissues showed promoter methylation. S100A2 promoter methylation
      can be detected in urine and is more frequent in bladder cancer patients than in
      healthy subjects (96% vs 48% respectively). Moreover, increased methylation of
      S100A2 is linked to the progression of the tumor in bladder cancer (p<0.01).
      Together, this data shows that methylation-associated inactivation of S100A2 is
      frequent and may be an important event in the tumorigenesis of head&neck and
      bladder cancer. 

PMID- 26097875
TI  - FS-93, an Hsp90 inhibitor, induces G2/M arrest and apoptosis via the degradation
      of client proteins in oncogene addicted and derived resistant cancer cells.
AB  - Inhibition of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) abrogates signaling of multiple
      aberrantly activated oncogenic proteins simultaneously, particularly mutated or
      amplified kinases, which provides an attractive approach for cancer treatment.
      Here, we described that FS-93, a potent Hsp90 inhibitor, impacted the survival of
      several types of oncogene addicted cancer cells through inducing G2/M arrest and
      apoptosis. Mechanistically, FS-93 treatment triggered the degradation of key
      client proteins such as HER2, EML4-ALK and c-Met and thereby abolished their
      downstream signaling pathways. Importantly, FS-93 alone circumvented MET
      amplification contributed acquired resistance to EGFR inhibition. Our study
      implicates that targeting Hsp90 is a promising alternative therapeutic tactic in
      oncogene addicted and derived resistant cancer cells. 

PMID- 26097876
TI  - Circadian disruption-induced microRNAome deregulation in rat mammary gland
      tissues.
AB  - Breast cancer is the most common malignancy affecting women worldwide, and
      evidence is mounting that circadian-disruption-induced breast cancer is a
      warranted concern. Although studies on the role of epigenetics have provided
      valuable insights, and although epigenetics has been increasingly recognized in
      the etiology of breast cancer, relatively few studies have investigated the
      epigenetic link between circadian disruption (CD) and breast cancer. Using a
      proven photoperiod-shifting paradigm, differing degrees of CD, various tissue
      extraction time points, and Illumina sequencing, we investigated the effect of CD
      on miRNA expression in the mammary tissues of a rodent model system. To our
      knowledge, our results are the first to illustrate CD-induced changes in miRNA
      expressions in mammary tissues. Furthermore, it is likely that these miRNA
      expression changes exhibit varying time frames of plasticity linked to both the
      degree of CD and length of reentrainment, and that the expression changes are
      influenced by the light and dark phases of the 24-hour circadian cycle. Of the
      differentially expressed miRNAs identified in the present study, all but one have
      been linked to breast cancer, and many have predicted circadian-relevant targets
      that play a role in breast cancer development. Based on the analysis of protein
      levels in the same tissues, we also propose that the initiation and development
      of CD-induced breast cancer may be linked to an interconnected web of increased
      NF-kappaB activity and increased levels of Tudor-SN, STAT3, and BCL6, with
      aberrant CD-induced downregulation of miR-127 and miR-146b potentially
      contributing to this dynamic. This study provides direct evidence that CD induces
      changes in miRNA levels in mammary tissues with potentially malignant
      consequences, thus indicating that the role of miRNAs in CD-induced breast cancer
      should not be dismissed. 

PMID- 26097877
TI  - Expression of cancer stem cell biomarkers as a tool for a correct therapeutic
      approach to hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Liver cancer is the fifth most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the second most
      frequent cause of cancer death in men worldwide. Amongst liver cancers,
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the major histological subtype and it
      is one of the most common malignant human tumors worldwide. Research into the
      molecular biology of hepatocarcinogenesis has identified several biomarkers,
      which could provide additional informations in order to better understand the
      biology of HCC. A large number of biomarkers have been shown to have potential
      predictive significance and a wide variety of molecular markers have been proven
      to be excellent diagnostic tools for HCC but it is difficult to characterize HCC
      with a single biomarker. Thus, signatures of a combination of biomarkers may be
      more valuable for the diagnosis, staging and prognosis of HCC. Specifically, a
      correlation of HCC-CSCs phenotype to specific hepatic cancer subtypes and to
      specific clinical and pathological features has not yet been reported in human
      liver tumors. In this view we will first discuss the possible sources of liver
      stem cells and their relation with liver cancer development and we will secondly
      focus on the prognostic significance of clinical and pathological features of
      HCC. 

PMID- 26097878
TI  - Inhibition of 19S proteasome-associated deubiquitinases by metal-containing
      compounds.
AB  - Copper and gold complexes have clinical activity in several diseases including
      cancer. Recently, we have reported that the anti-cancer activity of copper (II)
      pyrithione CuPT and gold (I) complex auranofin is associated with targeting the
      19S proteasome-associated deubiquitinases (DUBs), UCHL5 and USP14. Here we
      discuss metal DUB inhibitors in treating cancer and other diseases. (from
      Editor). Several copper and gold complexes have clinical activity in treating
      some human diseases including cancer. Recently, we have reported that the anti
      cancer activity of copper (II) pyrithione CuPT and gold (I) complex auranofin is
      tightly associated with their ability to target and inhibit the 19S proteasome
      associated deubiquitinases (DUBs), UCHL5 and USP14. In this article we review
      small molecule inhibitors of DUBs and 19S proteasome-associated DUBs. We then
      describe and discuss the ubique nature of CuPT and auranofin, which is inhibition
      of 19S proteasome-associated UCHL5 and USP14. We finally suggest the potential to
      develop novel, specific metal-based DUB inhibitors for treating cancer and other
      diseases. 

PMID- 26097879
TI  - The migration ability of stem cells can explain the existence of cancer of
      unknown primary site. Rethinking metastasis.
AB  - Cancers of unknown primary site are metastatic cancers for which primary tumors
      are not found after detailed investigations. In many cases, the site of origin is
      not identified even on postmortem examination. These cancers are the fourth most
      common cause of cancer death. The biological events involved in the development
      of this type of cancers remain unknown. This manuscript discusses that, like
      metastatic cells, stem cells have a natural ability to migrate. A cancer of
      unknown primary site would form when deregulated, premalignant or cancerous stem
      cells migrated away from their natural tissue and gave rise to a cancer in a new
      site before or without generating a tumor in their original tissue. It is
      important to realize that forming a tumor in a tissue is not a prerequisite for
      stem cells to migrate away from that tissue. This view is in accordance with
      recent observations that strongly support the tumorigenesis model in which cancer
      arises from normal stem cells. Evidence has accumulated that cancer stem cells
      may play a key role in cancer progression and resistance to therapy. Successful
      treatment of cancer, including that of unknown primary site, may therefore
      require the development of therapies against cancer stem cells. 

PMID- 26097880
TI  - Rapid and efficient transfer of the T cell aging marker CD57 from glioblastoma
      stem cells to CAR T cells.
AB  - Adoptive transfer of T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) holds
      great promise for cancer treatment. We recently developed CAR T cells targeting
      the prototypic cancer stem cell marker AC133 and showed that these CAR T cells
      killed AC133+ glioblastoma stem cells (GBM-SCs) in vitro and inhibited the growth
      of brain tumors initiated from GBM-SCs in xenograft mouse models in vivo . Upon
      coincubation with GBM-SCs, we observed strong upregulation of the T cell aging
      marker CD57, but other phenotypical or functional changes usually associated with
      terminal T cell differentiation could not immediately be detected. Here, we
      provide evidence suggesting that CD57 is rapidly and efficiently transferred from
      CD57+ GBM-SCs to preactivated T cells and that the transfer is greatly enhanced
      by specific CAR/ligand interaction. After separation from CD57+ tumor cells, CD57
      epitope expression on T cells decreased only slowly over several days. We
      conclude that CD57 transfer from tumor cells to T cells may occur in patients
      with CD57+ tumors and that it may have to be considered in the interpretation of
      phenotyping results for tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and perhaps also in the
      characterization of tumor-specific T cells from tumor or lymph node homogenates
      or peripheral blood mononuclear cells. 

PMID- 26097881
TI  - Another small molecule in the oncometabolite mix: L-2-Hydroxyglutarate in kidney
      cancer.
AB  - Alterations in metabolism are now considered a hallmark of cancer. One of the
      clearest links between metabolism and malignancy are oncometabolites. To date,
      several putative oncometabolites with transforming properties have been
      identified in the context of tumors due to both gain and loss of function
      mutations in genes encoding enzymes of intermediary metabolism. Through an
      unbiased metabolomics approach, we identified elevations of the metabolite 2
      hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) in the most common histology of kidney cancer that is
      among the most common malignancies in both men and women. Subsequent analyses
      demonstrate that the predominant enantiomer of 2-HG elevated in renal cancer is
      the L(S) form. Notably, elevations of L-2HG are due in part to loss of expression
      of the L-2HG dehydrogenase (L2HGDH) which normally serves as an enzyme of
      "metabolite repair" to keep levels of this metabolite from accumulating. Lowering
      L-2HG levels in RCC through re-expression of L2HGDH mitigates tumor phenotypes
      and reverses epigenetic alterations known to be targeted by oncometabolites.
      These data add to the growing body of evidence that metabolites, similarly to
      oncogenes and oncoproteins, can play a role in tumor development and/or
      progression. As such, they represent a unique opportunity to utilize these
      findings in the clinic setting. 

PMID- 26097883
TI  - Uncovering potential downstream targets of oncogenic GRPR overexpression in
      prostate carcinomas harboring ETS rearrangements.
AB  - Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) is known to be overexpressed in several
      human malignancies, including prostate cancer, and has been implicated in
      multiple important neoplastic signaling pathways. We recently have shown that
      GRPR is an ERG and ETV1 target gene in prostate cancer, using a genome-wide scale
      and exon-level expression microarray platform. Due to its cellular localization,
      the relevance of its function and the availability of blocking agents, GRPR seems
      to be a promising candidate as therapeutic target. Our present work shows that
      effective knockdown of GRPR in LNCaP and VCaP cells attenuates their malignant
      phenotype by decreasing proliferation, invasion and anchorage-independent growth,
      while increasing apoptosis. Using an antibody microarray we were able to validate
      known and identify new targets of GRPR pathway, namely AKT1, PKCepsilon, TYK2 and
      MST1. Finally, we show that overexpression of these GRPR targets is restricted to
      prostate carcinomas harboring ERG and/or ETV1 rearrangements, establishing their
      potential as therapeutic targets for these particular molecular subsets of the
      disease. 

PMID- 26097882
TI  - A meta-analysis to evaluate the cellular processes regulated by the interactome
      of endogenous and over-expressed estrogen receptor alpha.
AB  - The nature of the proteins complexes that regulate ERalpha subcellular
      localization and activity is still an open question in breast cancer biology.
      Identification of such complexes will help understand development of endocrine
      resistance in ER+ breast cancer. Mass spectrometry (MS) has allowed comprehensive
      analysis of the ERalpha interactome. We have compared six published works
      analyzing the ERalpha interactome of MCF-7 and HeLa cells in order to identify a
      shared or different pathway-related fingerprint. Overall, 806 ERalpha interacting
      proteins were identified. The cellular processes were differentially represented
      according to the ERalpha purification methodology, indicating that the
      methodologies used are complementary. While in MCF-7 cells, the interactome of
      endogenous and over-expressed ERalpha essentially represents the same biological
      processes and cellular components, the proteins identified were not over-lapping;
      thus, suggesting that the biological response may differ as the
      regulatory/participating proteins in these complexes are different.
      Interestingly, biological processes uniquely associated to ERalpha over-expressed
      in HeLa cell line included L-serine biosynthetic process, cellular amino acid
      biosynthetic process and cell redox homeostasis. In summary, all the approaches
      analyzed in this meta-analysis are valid and complementary; in particular, for
      those cases where the processes occur at low frequency with normal ERalpha
      levels, and can be identified when the receptor is over-expressed. However
      special effort should be put into validating these findings in cells expressing
      physiological ERalpha levels. 

PMID- 26097884
TI  - Methylation changes in the TFAP2E promoter region are associated with BRAF
      mutation and poorer overall & disease free survival in colorectal cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: BRAF mutant colorectal cancer carries a poor prognosis which is
      thought to be related to poor response to conventional chemotherapy. BRAF
      mutation is associated with the serrated tumour phenotype. We hypothesised that
      one of the mechanisms by which BRAF mutant colorectal cancer demonstrate poor
      outcomes with chemotherapy is abnormal gene methylation. METHODS: The Cancer
      Genome Atlas (TCGA) methylation data was analysed using a linear regression model
      with BRAF mutation as an independent variable. Expression datasets were also
      obtained to correlate functional changes. Top differentially methylated probes
      were taken forward for validation by methylation pyrosequencing. These probes
      were analysed on a cohort of patients enriched for BRAF mutations taken from the
      VICTOR and QUASAR2 studies. RESULTS: In an analysis of 91 tumours (9 BRAF mutant,
      82 wild type), the Illumina probe cg11835197 was the probe identified as top
      differentially methylated (p = 2.56*10-7, Bayes Factor (BF) =6.54). This probe
      covered a region -413bp from the promoter region of TFAP2E. We found a complex
      pattern of CpG specific methylation of this region which was associated with both
      overall (p=0.044) and disease free (p=0.046) survival. DISCUSSION: BRAF mutant
      tumours may attain part of their chemoresistance from abnormal TFAP2E
      methylation, which has not previously been described.

PMID- 26097885
TI  - Identification of artesunate as a specific activator of ferroptosis in pancreatic
      cancer cells.
AB  - Oncogenic KRas reprograms pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells to states
      which are highly resistant to apoptosis. Thus, a major preclinical goal is to
      identify effective strategies for killing PDAC cells. Artesunate (ART) is an anti
      malarial that specifically induces programmed cell death in different cancer cell
      types, in a manner initiated by reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generation. In this
      study we demonstrate that ART specifically induced ROS- and lysosomal iron
      dependent cell death in PDAC cell lines. Highest cytotoxicity was obtained in
      PDAC cell lines with constitutively-active KRas, and ART did not affect non
      neoplastic human pancreatic ductal epithelial (HPDE) cells. We determined that
      ART did not induce apoptosis or necroptosis. Instead, ART induced ferroptosis, a
      recently described mode of ROS- and iron-dependent programmed necrosis which can
      be activated in Ras-transformed cells. Co-treatment with the ferroptosis
      inhibitor ferrostatin-1 blocked ART-induced lipid peroxidation and cell death,
      and increased long-term cell survival and proliferation. Importantly, analysis of
      PDAC patient mRNA expression indicates a dependency on antioxidant homeostasis
      and increased sensitivity to free intracellular iron, both of which correlate
      with Ras-driven sensitivity to ferroptosis. Overall, our findings suggest that
      ART activation of ferroptosis is an effective, novel pathway for killing PDAC
      cells. 

PMID- 26097886
TI  - Retrospective Review of MET Gene Mutations.
AB  - C-MET proto-oncogene is a tyrosine kinase situated on chromosome 7. C-MET and its
      ligand hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) play a role in
      proliferation, differentiation and organ development. C-MET genetic aberrations
      are found associated with driving tumorigenesis. In this retrospective study, we
      reviewed molecular analysis data gathered from a cancer institute during a two
      year period (2010-2012). Upon detection of tumors harboring c-MET mutations, we
      determined the status of the other mutations tested and evaluated c-MET
      expression by fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH). Our search resulted in
      identification of 134 c-MET mutations, 44% of which had mutations of at least one
      of the other genes tested. No c-MET expression aberrancy was detected in this
      subset by FISH. Survival amongst the patients with surgically resected metastatic
      colorectal cancers (CRC) was slightly better in those with only a c-MET mutation
      compared to those with no mutation detected, although the difference was not
      statistically significant. When c-MET inhibition becomes an integrated part of
      chemotherapy practice, our observed frequency of co-mutations will be an argument
      for utilizing c-MET targeted treatment in combination with other targeted drugs
      and therapeutic strategies. Larger studies can aid to further parse out c-MET
      prognostic and therapeutic significance. 

PMID- 26097887
TI  - A quasi-quantitative dual multiplexed immunoblot method to simultaneously analyze
      ATM and H2AX Phosphorylation in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
AB  - Pharmacologic inhibition of DNA repair may increase the efficacy of many
      cytotoxic cancer agents. Inhibitors of DNA repair enzymes including APE1, ATM,
      ATR, DNA-PK and PARP have been developed and the PARP inhibitor olaparib is the
      first-in-class approved in Europe and the USA for the treatment of advanced BRCA
      mutated ovarian cancer. Sensitive pharmacodynamic (PD) biomarkers are needed to
      further evaluate the efficacy of inhibitors of DNA repair enzymes in clinical
      trials. ATM is a protein kinase that mediates cell-cycle checkpoint activation
      and DNA double-strand break repair. ATM kinase activation at DNA double-strand
      breaks (DSBs) is associated with intermolecular autophosphorylation on serine
      1981. Exquisite sensitivity and high stoichiometry as well as facile extraction
      suggest that ATM serine-1981 phosphorylation may be a highly dynamic PD biomarker
      for both ATM kinase inhibitors and radiation- and chemotherapy-induced DSBs. Here
      we report the pre-clinical analytical validation and fit-for-purpose biomarker
      method validation of a quasi-quantitative dual multiplexed immunoblot method to
      simultaneously analyze ATM and H2AX phosphorylation in human peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We explore the dynamics of these phosphorylations in
      PBMCs exposed to chemotherapeutic agents and DNA repair inhibitors in vitro, and
      show that ATM serine-1981 phosphorylation is increased in PBMCs in sarcoma
      patients treated with DNA damaging chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26097888
TI  - TALEN-mediated apc mutation in Xenopus tropicalis phenocopies familial
      adenomatous polyposis.
AB  - Truncating mutations in the tumor suppressor gene adenomatous polyposis coli
      (APC) are the initiating step in the vast majority of sporadic colorectal
      cancers, and they underlie familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) syndromes.
      Modeling of APC- driven tumor formation in the mouse has contributed
      substantially to our mechanistic understanding of the associated disease, but
      additional models are needed to explore therapeutic opportunities and overcome
      current limitations of mouse models. We report on a novel and penetrant genetic
      cancer model in Xenopus tropicalis, an aquatic tetrapod vertebrate with external
      development, diploid genome and short life cycle. Tadpoles and froglets derived
      from embryos injected with TAL effector nucleases targeting the apc gene rapidly
      developed intestinal hyperplasia and other neoplasms observed in FAP patients,
      including desmoid tumors and medulloblastomas. Bi-allelic apc mutations causing
      frame shifts were detected in the tumors, which displayed activation of the
      Wnt/beta-catenin pathway and showed increased cellular proliferation. We further
      demonstrate that simultaneous double bi-allelic mutation of apc and a non
      relevant gene is possible in the neoplasias, opening the door for identification
      and characterization of effector or modifier genes in tumors expressing truncated
      apc. Our results demonstrate the power of modeling human cancer in Xenopus
      tropicalis using mosaic TALEN-mediated bi-allelic gene disruption. 

PMID- 26097889
TI  - Targeting Matrix Metalloproteinases in Cancer: Bringing New Life to Old Ideas.
AB  - Since the identification of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a family of zinc
      dependent endopeptidases, as being a driving factor for cancer progression and
      patient prognosis, MMPs have been studied extensively. Although early programs
      targeting MMPs were largely unsuccessful in clinical trials, they remain a viable
      and highly desirable therapeutic target based on preclinical studies and their
      role in disease progression. As information regarding the structure and function
      of these proteinases is compiled and biotechnology evolves, tools to develop
      better inhibitors is within our grasp. Improved methods for high throughput
      screening and in silico drug design programs have identified compounds which are
      highly potent, have high binding affinities, and exhibit favorable
      pharmacokinetic profiles. More recently, advances in drug delivery methods or
      compounds which bind outside the active site have brought new light to the field.
      In this review, we highlight the role of MMPs in cancer, clinical trials for MMP
      inhibitors, and novel approaches to targeting MMPs in cancer.

PMID- 26097890
TI  - The Effect of Mutations on Drug Sensitivity and Kinase Activity of Fibroblast
      Growth Factor Receptors: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study.
AB  - Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are recognized therapeutic targets in
      cancer. We here describe insights underpinning the impact of mutations on FGFR1
      and FGFR3 kinase activity and drug efficacy, using a combination of computational
      calculations and experimental approaches including cellular studies, X-ray
      crystallography and biophysical and biochemical measurements. Our findings reveal
      that some of the tested compounds, in particular TKI258, could provide
      therapeutic opportunity not only for patients with primary alterations in FGFR
      but also for acquired resistance due to the gatekeeper mutation. The accuracy of
      the computational methodologies applied here shows a potential for their wider
      application in studies of drug binding and in assessments of functional and
      mechanistic impacts of mutations, thus assisting efforts in precision medicine.

PMID- 26097891
TI  - Low Dose Total Body Irradiation Combined With Recombinant CD19-Ligand * Soluble
      TRAIL Fusion Protein is Highly Effective Against Radiation-Resistant B-Precursor
      Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Mice.
AB  - In high-risk remission B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BPL) patients,
      relapse rates have remained high post-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      (HSCT) even after use of very intensive total body irradiation (TBI)-based
      conditioning regimens, especially in patients with a high "minimal residual
      disease" (MRD) burden. New agents capable of killing radiation-resistant BPL
      cells and selectively augmenting their radiation sensitivity are therefore
      urgently needed. We report preclinical proof-of-principle that the potency of
      radiation therapy against BPL can be augmented by combining radiation with
      recombinant human CD19-Ligand * soluble TRAIL ("CD19L-sTRAIL") fusion protein.
      CD19L-sTRAIL consistently killed radiation-resistant primary leukemia cells from
      BPL patients as well as BPL xenograft cells and their leukemia-initiating in vivo
      clonogenic fraction. Low dose total body irradiation (TBI) combined with CD19L
      sTRAIL was highly effective against (1) xenografted CD19+ radiochemotherapy
      resistant human BPL in NOD/SCID (NS) mice challenged with an otherwise invariably
      fatal dose of xenograft cells derived from relapsed BPL patients as well as (2)
      radiation-resistant advanced stage CD19+ murine BPL with lymphomatous features in
      CD22DeltaE12xBCR-ABL double transgenic mice. We hypothesize that the
      incorporation of CD19L-sTRAIL into the pre-transplant TBI regimens of patients
      with very high-risk BPL will improve their survival outcome after HSCT.

PMID- 26097892
TI  - Aspirin Prevents Colorectal Cancer by Normalizing EGFR Expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aspirin intake reduces the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), but the
      molecular underpinnings remain elusive. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR),
      which is overexpressed in about 80% of CRC cases, is implicated in the etiology
      of CRC. Here, we investigated whether aspirin can prevent CRC by normalizing EGFR
      expression. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry staining was performed on paraffin
      embedded tissue sections from normal colon mucosa, adenomatous polyps from FAP
      patients who were classified as regular aspirin users or nonusers. The interplay
      between cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and EGFR was studied in primary intestinal
      epithelial cells isolated from ApcMin mice, immortalized normal human colon
      epithelial cells (HCEC) as well as murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). RESULTS:
      Immunohistochemistry staining results established that EGFR overexpression is an
      early event in colorectal tumorigenesis, which can be greatly attenuated by
      regular use of aspirin. Importantly, EGFR and COX-2 were co-overexpressed and co
      localized with each other in FAP patients. Further mechanistic studies revealed
      that COX-2 overexpression triggers the activation of the c-Jun-dependent
      transcription factor, activator protein-1 (AP-1), which binds to the Egfr
      promoter. Binding facilitates the cellular accumulation of EGFR and lowers the
      threshold required for pre-neoplastic cells to undergo transformation.
      CONCLUSION: Aspirin might exert its chemopreventive activity against CRC, at
      least partially, by normalizing EGFR expression in gastrointestinal precancerous
      lesions.

PMID- 26097893
TI  - Impact of binge alcohol on mortality among people who inject drugs.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: While the impacts of illicit drug use on mortality have been well
      described, the impact of poly-substance that includes alcohol has received less
      attention. We examined the impact of binge alcohol use on mortality among a
      cohort of people who inject drugs (PWID) in a Canadian setting. METHODS: Using
      data derived from a prospective cohort study of PWID in Vancouver, Canada
      recruited between May 1996 and November 2013. We ascertained dates and causes of
      death through a confidential linkage with the provincial registry and examined
      the impact of binge alcohol use. The primary outcome of interest was all-cause
      mortality. We used Cox proportional hazard regression to determine factors
      associated with mortality, including socio-demographic characteristics, drug use
      patterns and other risk behaviours. RESULTS: During the study period, 2550
      individuals were followed (844 of whom were HIV positive at baseline) for a
      median of 75.4 months (interquartile range 37.9 113.2). Of these, 795 (31%)
      participants reported binge alcohol use at some time during the study period. In
      multivariable analyses, binge alcohol use remained independently associated with
      all-cause-mortality (adjusted hazard ratio=1.41; 95% confidence interval: 1.06
      1.88) after adjustment for other drug use patterns. CONCLUSIONS: Binge alcohol
      use was associated with time to all-cause mortality among PWID in this setting.
      Since alcohol use is often overlooked as a risk factor for mortality among this
      population, these findings highlight the continued need to incorporate addiction
      treatment and public health interventions and policies that address binge alcohol
      use to reduce alcohol related-harms.

PMID- 26097894
TI  - The roles of redox enzymes in Parkinson's disease: Focus on glutaredoxin.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) results from the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the
      substantia nigra portion of the midbrain, and represents the second most common
      neurodegenerative disease in the world. Although the etiology of PD is currently
      unclear, oxidative stress and redox dysfunction are generally understood to play
      key roles in PD pathogenesis and progression. Aging and environmental factors
      predispose cells to adverse effects of redox changes. In addition to these
      factors, genetic mutations linked to PD have been observed to disrupt the redox
      balance. Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are associated with
      autosomal dominant PD, and several of these mutations have also been shown to
      increase the levels of reactive oxygen species in cells. Anti-oxidant proteins
      are necessary to restore the redox balance and maintain cell viability. Over the
      past decade studies have started to demonstrate the critical importance for redox
      proteins mediating neuronal protection in models of PD. This commentary briefly
      describes some of the factors hypothesized to contribute to PD, specifically
      regarding the redox changes that occur in PD. Dysregulation of redox proteins in
      PD is highlighted by some of the work detailing the roles of peroxiredoxin-3 and
      thioredoxin-1 in models of PD. In an attempt to generate novel therapies for PD,
      several potent inhibitors of LRRK2 have been developed. The use of these
      compounds, both as tools to understand the biology of LRRK2 and as potential
      therapeutic strategies is also discussed. This mini-review then provides a
      historical prospective on the discovery and characterization of glutaredoxin
      (Grx1), and briefly describes current understanding of the role of Grx1 in PD.
      The review concludes by highlighting our recent publication describing the novel
      role for Grx1 in mediating dopaminergic neuronal protection both in vitro and in
      vivo.

PMID- 26097895
TI  - Role of Kruppel-like factor 5 in the maintenance of the stem cell niche in the
      intestinal crypt.
AB  - The intestinal epithelium is a tissue that undergoes continuous self-renewal
      initiated at the bottom of the crypts, which harbor the intestinal stem cell
      (ISC) pool. The ISC pool is sub-divided into crypt base columnar (CBC) cells at
      the crypt bottom and label retention cells (LRC) at position +4 from the crypt
      bottom. CBC cells are marked by Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled
      receptor (Lgr5) while LRC cells are identified by several markers including Bmi1,
      mTert, Hopx, Lrig1, and Sox9. Kruppel-like factors (KLFs) belong to a family of
      transcription factors that exert important physiological function in various
      tissues. In the intestine, KLF4 is predominantly expressed in the terminally
      differentiated, non-proliferating cells lining the villus. Its deletion in the
      adult mouse intestine results in perturbed homeostasis. In contrast, KLF5 is
      expressed in actively proliferating cells of the intestinal crypt, including CBC
      cells and transit amplifying (TA) cells. We recently investigated the effect of
      Klf5 deletion specifically from the Lgr5-expressing CBC cells in adult mouse
      intestine using an inducible Cre recombinase system. Shortly (3-5 days) after Cre
      induction, proliferation of both CBC and TA cells ceased, which was accompanied
      by an increase in apoptosis in the crypt. Beginning at two weeks following Cre
      induction, both Klf5 expression and proliferation re-appeared but without the re
      emergence of Lgr5-positive CBC cells, which were eventually depleted by four
      months following induction. These findings indicate that KLF5 plays an important
      role in regulating proliferation and survival of CBC stem cells in the intestine.

PMID- 26097897
TI  - REPRODUCING SINGLETONS AND FAKE GEMINATES.
AB  - Thirty-two native American-English speaking children and adults reliably
      reproduced a non-contrastive segmental length distinction encoded in a set of
      monomorphemic nonce words. However, participants were unable to explicitly
      identify the contrast in a same/different judgment task. The results support the
      view that grammatically irrelevant, lexically specific temporal patterns can be
      learned and are represented in the lexicon.

PMID- 26097896
TI  - Microbiome-generated amyloid and potential impact on amyloidogenesis in
      Alzheimer's disease (AD).
AB  - According to the 'amyloid cascade hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease' first
      proposed about 16 years ago, the accumulation of Abeta peptides in the human
      central nervous system (CNS) is the primary influence driving Alzheimer's disease
      (AD) pathogenesis, and Abeta peptide accretion is the result of an imbalance
      between Abeta peptide production and clearance. In the last 18 months multiple
      laboratories have reported two particularly important observations: (i) that
      because the microbes of the human microbiome naturally secrete large amounts of
      amyloid, lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and other related pro-inflammatory pathogenic
      signals, these may contribute to both the systemic and CNS amyloid burden in
      aging humans; and (ii) that the clearance of Abeta peptides appears to be
      intrinsically impaired by deficits in the microglial plasma-membrane enriched
      triggering receptor expressed in microglial/myeloid-2 cells (TREM2). This brief
      general commentary-perspective paper: (i) will highlight some of these very
      recent findings on microbiome-secreted amyloids and LPS and the potential
      contribution of these microbial-derived pro-inflammatory and neurotoxic exudates
      to age-related inflammatory and AD-type neurodegeneration in the host; and (ii)
      will discuss the contribution of a defective microglial-based TREM2 transmembrane
      sensor-receptor system to amyloidogenesis in AD that is in contrast to the
      normal, homeostatic clearance of Abeta peptides from the human CNS.

PMID- 26097898
TI  - TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE PROTRACTED ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH RHYTHM.
AB  - Several global and specific rhythm metrics and speech rate were used to
      characterize differences in the rhythms of 5- and 8-year-olds' spoken English.
      The results were that only speech rate and the rate-normalized Pairwise
      Variability Index (nPVI) differentiated between 5- and 8-year-olds' speech. A
      further result was that the variance in nPVI values was better explained by a
      specific measure devised to capture patterns of supralexical accenting than by
      the factor of age expressed in months. These results are taken to suggest that
      the protracted acquisition of English rhythm may be due in part to the slow rate
      at which children acquire prosodically conditioned vowel reduction.

PMID- 26097899
TI  - A Low-Cost Smartphone-Based Electrochemical Biosensor for Point-of-Care
      Diagnostics.
AB  - This paper describes the development of a smartphone-based electrochemical
      biosensor module. The module contains a low power potentiostat that interfaces
      and harvests power from a smartphone through the phone's audio jack. A prototype
      with two different potentiostat designs was constructed and used to conduct proof
      of concept cyclic voltammetry experiments with potassium ferro-/ferricyanide
      (K4[Fe(CN)6] / K3[Fe(CN)6]) in a side-by-side comparison with a laboratory grade
      instrument. Results show that the module functions within the available power
      budget and that the recovered voltammogram data matches well with the data from
      an expensive bench top tool. Excluding the loses from supply rectification and
      regulation, the module consumes either 5.7 mW or 4.3 mW peak power, depending on
      which of the two discussed potentiostat designs is used. At single quantity
      pricing, the hardware for the prototype device costs less than $30.

PMID- 26097900
TI  - A Question of Scope? Direct Comparison of Clear and In-Focus Speech Productions.
AB  - Parallels in the production of clear speech and words under prosodic focus
      suggest that both may be realized in the same way: as hyper-articulated speech.
      To directly investigate this possibility, school-aged children and college-aged
      adults produced target words in a default conversational style, a clear speech
      style, and with prosodic focus. The results were that children and adults both
      produced target vowels more distinctly and with greater mouth opening in the
      clear speech and prosodic focus conditions than in the default condition. Whereas
      the temporal scope of production changes varied as a function of condition in
      adults' speech, there was no evidence of this in children's speech.

PMID- 26097901
TI  - Daclatasvir for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
AB  - Daclatasvir is a nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) replication complex inhibitor
      that has shown potent in vitro activity against multiple hepatitis C virus (HCV)
      genotypes (GT). It is currently in advanced clinical development as a component
      of combination treatment regimens in a variety of HCV-infected patient
      populations. In studies conducted thus far, it has been generally well tolerated.
      It has been approved for the treatment of HCV GTs 1-4 in the European Union. The
      combination of daclatasvir and asunaprevir (an HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitor) has
      been approved in Japan for the treatment of patients with GT1 HCV infection. Here
      we review the available literature on daclatasvir, including its information on
      its discovery, mechanism of action, pharmacology, preclinical and clinical
      activity, resistance and safety. 

PMID- 26097902
TI  - Faldaprevir for the treatment of hepatitis C.
AB  - Enormous progress has been made in the understanding of the hepatitis C virus and
      the development of novel therapeutic agents since the identification of the
      virus, from initial interferon monotherapy to PEGylated interferon in combination
      with ribavirin for 48-72 weeks that used to be the standard of care in hepatitis
      C virus therapy. However, this combination has limited efficacy and a significant
      side effect profile including flu-like symptoms, anemia, leukopenia, autoimmune
      disorders and depression, so it is often poorly tolerated. Recently, direct
      acting antiviral agents, such as the first-generation NS3/4A protease inhibitors,
      have been added to this combination, improving the percentage of successful
      treatments. Faldaprevir is a first-generation, second wave, protease inhibitor
      that, when combined with PEGylated interferon and ribavirin, has been shown to
      increase treatment success with shorter treatment duration. Various direct-acting
      antiviral agent combinations in interferon-free regimens have been effective in
      over 95% of patients and are now in licensed use. 

PMID- 26097903
TI  - Working together to tackle HCV infection: ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir and
      dasabuvir combination.
AB  - An estimated 184 million people worldwide have hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
      Chronic infection can ultimately result in liver cirrhosis and hepatic failure.
      Eradication of the virus by antiviral treatment can hinder the development of the
      aforementioned complications. Historically, the combination therapy of PEGylated
      interferon/ribavirin was considered the standard-of-care therapy for HCV. Such
      therapy did not demonstrate satisfactory cure rates and had significant side
      effects that precluded its widespread use among HCV patients. In view of this
      situation, scientific advances have led to the development of new interferon-free
      regimens that are better tolerated, more effective and with shorter duration of
      therapy. One of the newest members of this family is the all-oral regimen
      (ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir co-packaged with dasabuvir) that has recently
      received FDA approval for the treatment of adult patients with genotype 1 HCV
      infection, including those with compensated cirrhosis. This new combination was
      found to be safe and well tolerated with high rates of sustained virologic
      response of up to 100%. An overview of the current knowledge about this regimen
      is reviewed herein. 

PMID- 26097904
TI  - Current treatment and future prospects of dopa-induced dyskinesias.
AB  - Levodopa-induced dyskinesias (LID) are one of the main issues in the management
      of Parkinson's disease (PD); once these dyskinesias are established treatment
      becomes difficult, so preventive strategies should be first evaluated. Although
      levodopa (LD) treatment has recently been related as risk factor for LID, the
      main strategy to delay LID is to start PD treatment with dopamine agonists,
      adding LD at low doses. After LID onset, approaches include reducing single LD
      doses, reducing or discontinuing monoamine oxidase type B/catechol O
      methyltransferase (MAO-B/COMT) inhibitors and extended-release (ER) LD.
      Amantadine represents the best antidyskinetic tool, and ER amantadine is the most
      promising upcoming antidyskinetic drug. New LD formulations such as IPX-066 (able
      to provide continuous dopaminergic stimulation) also represent promising new
      approaches. The involvement of a nondopaminergic system in the pathogenesis of
      LID suggests that the modulation of glutamate, serotonin and adenosine could have
      potential as new upcoming drug targets, but the role of such drugs will still
      need to be confirmed in randomized controlled trials. 

PMID- 26097905
TI  - A report from the American Association of Urology Annual Meeting 2015 (May 15-19 
      New Orleans, Louisiana, USA).
AB  - Sharing knowledge and setting standards were the main goals of the American
      Urological Association annual meeting 2015 held in the New Orleans Morial
      Convention Center. A short walk away from the famous French Quarter, and a walk
      that a very high number of attendees took daily for the duration of the
      conference to attend plenary, podium and moderated poster sessions wherein the
      latest research and advances in urologic medicine were being presented. Many
      novel scientific issues were discussed, notably in the setting of biomarkers
      cancer diagnosis, treatment and monitoring, but the conference included a vast
      array of topics covering all diseases affecting the urinary tract. 

PMID- 26097906
TI  - Covalent nitrophenyl diazonium functionalized silicene for spintronics: a first
      principles study.
AB  - We predict some novel electronic and magnetic properties of a functionalized
      silicene sheet by nitrophenyl diazonium (NPD) using first-principles calculations
      in the framework of density functional theory with dispersion corrections. Our
      calculations at the HSE06 level show that for the three coverage ratios of NPD
      considered in this work (i.e., NPD : Si = 1 : 8, 1 : 18 and 1 : 32), spin
      polarized electronic structures can be always realized with NPD adsorption
      although the bandgap decreases upon reducing the NPD coverage ratio. The quasi
      localized pz electrons of Si are identified to be responsible for the
      ferrimagnetism in these two-dimensional systems. Remarkably, the system with the
      NPD : Si = 1 : 8 ratio is predicted to be a bipolar magnetic semiconductor. As
      such, half-metallicity can be realized by applying a gate voltage with reversible
      spin polarization, making NPD-1/8 a potential candidate for future spintronic
      applications. This work offers a new tailor-made functionalization approach to
      realize magnetic semiconducting silicene.

PMID- 26097907
TI  - 3D silicon neural probe with integrated optical fibers for optogenetic
      modulation.
AB  - Optogenetics is a powerful modality for neural modulation that can be useful for
      a wide array of biomedical studies. Penetrating microelectrode arrays provide a
      means of recording neural signals with high spatial resolution. It is highly
      desirable to integrate optics with neural probes to allow for functional study of
      neural tissue by optogenetics. In this paper, we report the development of a
      novel 3D neural probe coupled simply and robustly to optical fibers using a
      hollow parylene tube structure. The device shanks are hollow tubes with rigid
      silicon tips, allowing the insertion and encasement of optical fibers within the
      shanks. The position of the fiber tip can be precisely controlled relative to the
      electrodes on the shank by inherent design features. Preliminary in vivo rat
      studies indicate that these devices are capable of optogenetic modulation
      simultaneously with 3D neural signal recording. 

PMID- 26097908
TI  - Synthesis of concave gold nanocuboids with high-index facets and their enhanced
      catalytic activity.
AB  - Novel concave gold nanocuboids bounded by 24 high-index {611} facets are
      synthesized using the seed-mediated growth method via an overgrowth mechanism.
      The as-synthesized products demonstrated greatly enhanced catalytic activity for
      the electro-oxidation of glucose and the reduction of 4-nitrothiophenol (4-NTP)
      under a laser. 

PMID- 26097909
TI  - Multiple single-crystal-to-single-crystal guest exchange in a dynamic 1D
      coordination polymer.
AB  - A novel 1D coordination polymer that dynamically expands or shrinks upon the
      uptake of vapours of volatile small chlorinated molecules, such as 1,2
      dichloroethane (DCE), dichloromethane (DCM) and trichloromethane (TCM), is
      reported. This system is robust enough to withstand multiple guest exchange via
      single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation, as proved by (1)H-NMR and X-ray
      diffraction. The single crystal of guest-free, host framework, stable at 400 K,
      can also be obtained. 

PMID- 26097910
TI  - High catalytic activity for water oxidation based on nanostructured nickel
      phosphide precursors.
AB  - For the first time, noble-metal-free nickel phosphide (Ni2P) was used as an
      excellent catalyst precursor for water oxidation catalysis. The lowest onset
      potential was observed at ~1.54 V (vs. RHE) and a Tafel slope of 60 mV dec(-1)
      was obtained in alkaline solution (pH = 13.6). 

PMID- 26097911
TI  - Effect of microtubule polymerization on photoinduced hydrogen generation.
AB  - Herein we report a novel reaction field for photoinduced H2 generation by using
      microtubules as a medium. By controlling the tubulin/microtubule hierarchical
      structure, synergistic effects by which the Ru(bpy)3(2+)-conjugated microtubule
      network causes suppression of energy loss by collision are clarified. 

PMID- 26097912
TI  - Hybridization chain reaction engineered dsDNA for Cu metallization: an enzyme
      free platform for amplified detection of cancer cells and microRNAs.
AB  - A novel enzyme-free platform for amplified detection of cancer cells and miRNAs
      was constructed with high sensitivity by fluorescent Cu metallization on HCR
      engineered dsDNA templates. 

PMID- 26097913
TI  - Azo-functionalized microporous organic polymers: synthesis and applications in
      CO2 capture and conversion.
AB  - Azo-functionalized MOPs (Azo-MOPs) were synthesized via oxidative polymerization
      of aromatic amines catalyzed by t-BuOCl/NaI (25  degrees C, 1 h, yield: >95%),
      which displayed an excellent coordinating ability with a Ru complex. The
      resulting Ru-coordinated Azo-MOPs displayed high CO2 capacity and high
      performances for catalyzing the methylation of amines with CO2 under low pressure
      (0.5 MPa). 

PMID- 26097914
TI  - Chemical etching of manganese oxides for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction
      reaction.
AB  - Mixed-valent MnO(x) (1 < x < 2) was selectively synthesized by chemically etching
      MnO and Mn2O3 with ceric ammonium nitrate. The obtained MnO(x) exhibited greatly
      enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as
      compared to the corresponding pristine oxides.

PMID- 26097915
TI  - Enhanced stability of Zr-doped Ba(CeTb)O(3-delta)-Ni cermet membrane for hydrogen
      separation.
AB  - A mixed protonic and electronic conductor material BaCe(0.85)Tb(0.05)Zr(0.1)O(3
      delta) (BCTZ) is prepared and a Ni-BCTZ cermet membrane is synthesized for
      hydrogen separation. Stable hydrogen permeation fluxes can be obtained for over
      100 h through the Ni-BCTZ membrane in both dry and humid conditions, which
      exhibits an excellent stability compared with Ni-BaCe(0.95)Tb(0.05)O(3-delta)
      membrane due to the Zr doping.

PMID- 26097916
TI  - The detection of multiple DNA targets with a single probe using a conformation
      sensitive acoustic sensor.
AB  - By using an acoustic wave methodology that allows direct sensing of biomolecular
      conformations, we achieved the detection of multiple target DNAs using a single
      probe, exploiting the fact that each bound target results in a hybridized product
      of a different shape. 

PMID- 26097917
TI  - Construction of the [6-7-5-5] tetracyclic core of all the carbocyclic frameworks
      of yuzurimine-type alkaloids.
AB  - Yuzurimine-type alkaloids make up a sub-family of Daphniphyllum alkaloids
      structurally featuring a [6-7-5-5] tetracarbocyclic core framework. In this
      manuscript, we describe our construction of the [6-7-5-5] tetracarbocyclic core
      of yuzurimine-type alkaloids by using a unique in situ intramolecular Wittig
      reaction and Sm-mediated cyclization as key steps. 

PMID- 26097918
TI  - Metal-free hydrogen evolution with nanoparticles derived from pyrene via two
      photon ionization induced by laser irradiation.
AB  - Laser irradiation of a cyclohexane solution containing pyrene resulted in
      hydrogen evolution as pyrene was converted to a metal-free nanoparticle
      photocatalyst. When C6H12 was replaced by C6D12, D2 was mainly evolved. This
      result suggests that the hydrogen source is cyclohexane used as a solvent.
      Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution was also observed in an aqueous solution by
      using a water-soluble pyrene derivative. 

PMID- 26097919
TI  - A supramolecular approach for designing emissive solid-state carbazole arrays.
AB  - Reactions of 5-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-isophthalate and metal salts provide laminar
      metal organic frameworks (MOFs) wherein interlayer interactions of the pendant
      carbazoles engender extended aromatic stacks or non-stacked structures with
      enhanced solid-state emission. These studies emphasize that MOFs serve as
      versatile supramolecular platforms to direct the aggregation and electroptical
      behaviours of organic chromophores. 

PMID- 26097920
TI  - An imine-based approach to prepare amine-functionalized Janus gold nanoparticles.
AB  - An imine-based approach was developed to prepare Janus gold nanoparticles (Janus
      AuNPs) having amine functionality on one patch of the surface and a polyethylene
      glycol unit on the other. This unique technique features covalent bonding as the
      force to immobilize AuNPs on the template, enabling direct modification of AuNPs
      in both water and organic solvents. Colloidal clusters were then obtained via
      electrostatic assembly of these Janus AuNPs with citrate stabilized AuNPs or
      AgNPs. 

PMID- 26097921
TI  - Iridium-catalyzed regioselective decarboxylative allylation of beta-ketoacids:
      efficient construction of gamma,delta-unsaturated ketones.
AB  - A highly regioselective protocol for the direct synthesis of gamma,delta
      unsaturated ketones from beta-ketoacids and allylic alcohols was proposed and
      accomplished relying on the combination of [Ir(cod)Cl]2 and 10-camphorsulfonic
      acid via decarboxylative allylation. 

PMID- 26097922
TI  - Increasing Families' Health  Care Access and Choice  Through Full Practice 
      Authority.

PMID- 26097923
TI  - NAPNAP Position Statement  on Immunizations.

PMID- 26097924
TI  - Update on Emerging Infections: News From the Centers for  Disease Control and
      Prevention. Pertussis Epidemic-California, 2014.

PMID- 26097925
TI  - Treatment solution by Miyahara et al.: Treatment of choice for aortic arch
      aneurysm in a patient with cold agglutinin disease.

PMID- 26097926
TI  - A new species of Noblella (Anura: Craugastoridae) from the Amazonian Slopes of
      the Ecuadorian Andes with Ccomments on Noblella lochites (Lynch).
AB  - We describe a new species of Noblella from wet, montane forest at the Sardinayacu
      Lake Complex between 1600-1920 m elevation in Morona Santiago, Ecuador. The new
      species differs from congeners in having three phalanges in the fourth finger,
      finely tuberculate skin on the dorsal body, pointed digital tips with marginal
      grooves on the fingers, a yellow to pale yellow venter, and a reduced facial mask
      not extending beyond the arm. The new species also lacks the pair of inguinal
      spots on the dorsal flanks of most congeners. Since its discovery in 1976, N.
      lochites has remained poorly known. We describe variation, color in life, and
      basic ecology of N. lochites based on a large series from the Cordillera del
      Condor.

PMID- 26097927
TI  - Parapleisticantha Yokoya, 1933, a valid genus of deep-sea inachid spider crab
      from Japan and the Philippines (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Majoidea), with
      the description of a new species.
AB  - The inachid spider crab genus, Parapleisticantha Yokoya, 1933 [type species:
      Parapleisticantha japonica Yokoya, 1933] is removed from the synonymy of
      Pleistacantha Miers, 1879 [type species: Pleistacantha sanctijohannis Miers,
      1879], and recognised as a valid genus. Parapleisticantha differs from
      Pleistacantha sensu stricto primarily by having a less spiny carapace, stouter
      and more inflated male chelipeds, and by lacking a slender subdistal process on
      the male first gonopod. We redescribe Parapleisticantha japonica based on the
      Japanese type material and describe as new a second species, Parapleisticantha
      ludivinae n. sp., recently discovered in the Philippines.

PMID- 26097928
TI  - The genus Adicella McLachlan (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae) in Japan.
AB  - The Japanese species of the genus Adicella McLachlan (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae)
      are reviewed and confirmed, including a described species and 3 new species: A.
      makaria Malicky & Chantaramongkol 2002, originally described from Taiwan, A.
      trichotoma Ito & Kuhara sp. nov., A. paludicola Ito & Kuhara sp. nov., and A.
      strigillata Katsuma & Ito sp. nov. For clear comparisons, adults of all species
      are redescribed or described.

PMID- 26097929
TI  - Three new species of the genus Nothrholaspis (Acari: Macrochelidae) from the
      Kelkit Valley, Turkey.
AB  - Three new species of mites of the genus Nothrholaspis Berlese, 1918 are described
      from specimens collected in the Kelkit Valley, Turkey--Nothrholaspis turcicus sp.
      nov., N. anatolicus sp. nov. and N. dogani sp. nov. The genus Nothrholaspis is
      recorded from Turkey for the first time. An identification key for the new
      species and a tabular key for the all known species of the genus are included.

PMID- 26097930
TI  - A new species of masked-owl (Aves: Strigiformes: Tytonidae) from Seram,
      Indonesia.
AB  - We describe a new species of masked-owl from the lower montane forest of Seram,
      one of the largest islands in the Moluccas of eastern Indonesia, for which we
      propose the name Tyto almae (Seram Masked-Owl), sp. nov. Molecular (mitochondrial
      cyt-b) differences show that Tyto sororcula of Buru and Tanimbar is closely
      related to T novaehollandiae of Australia and New Guinea (-1% uncorrected
      pairwise distance), and that Tyto almae of Seram differs by -3% (uncorrected
      pairwise distance) from both of them. These differences are further corroborated
      by morphology and colouration. Although a photograph from Seram published in 1987
      had already established the presence of a Tyto owl on the island, ours represents
      the first specimen of this species. The bird was mist-netted in wet, mossy lower
      montane forest at an elevation of 1,350 m. No further observations of the owl
      were made during four weeks of fieldwork in Seram.

PMID- 26097931
TI  - The identity of the cyprinid fishes Rasbora dusonensis and R. tornieri
      (Teleostei: Cyprinidae).
AB  - Rasbora dusonensis, R. tornieri and R. myersi are valid species. Rasbora
      dusonensis sensu Brittan (1954) is R. tornieri and R. dusonensis sensu Kottelat
      (1991) is R. myersi. Both R. dusonensis and R. tornieri are members of the R.
      argyrotaenia group and can be distinguished from congeners in having a broad,
      dark, sharply-defined midlateral stripe on body extending from opercle to caudal
      fin base and separated from the dark dorsum by a highly contrasting light
      longitudinal area; 12-14 predorsal scales; the dorsohypural distance equal to or
      slightly less than the distance between the dorsal-fin origin and the posterior
      orbital margin and 14 circumpeduncular scale rows. The two species differ from
      each other by the color and color pattern on the caudal fin, and caudal peduncle
      depth.

PMID- 26097932
TI  - On the crab spider genus Angaeus Thorell, 1881 and its junior synonym
      Paraborboropactus Tang and Li, 2009 (Araneae: Thomisidae).
AB  - Morphological comparison of the genera Angaeus Thorell, 1881 and
      Paraborboropactus Tang and Li, 2009 (Araneae: Thomisidae) shows that the latter
      should be relegated to a junior synonym of the former. Further, I propose the
      following new synonyms: Angaeus leucomenus (Thorell, 1895), Stephanopis weyersi
      Simon, 1899 and Paraborboropactus leguminaceus Tang and Li, 2009 = Angaeus
      rhombifer Thorell, 1890 syn. nov., Paraborboropactus oblatus Tang and Li, 2010 =
      Angaeus lenticulosus Simon, 1903 syn. nov. The following species are transferred
      from Paraborboropactus: Angaeus canalis (Tang & Li, 2010) comb. nov., Angaeus
      liangweii (Tang & Li, 2010) comb. nov., Angaeus rhombus (Tang & Li, 2009) comb.
      nov. and Angaeus zhengi (Tang & Li, 2009) comb. nov. The holotype of Angaeus
      pudicus (type species of the genus) is illustrated, and the male and female of
      Angaeus rhombifer are redescribed and illustrated based partly on fresh material
      from Singapore. A new species, Angaeus christae sp. nov. is described based on
      both sexes, and a syntype of Angaeus comatulus Simon, 1909 is illustrated.

PMID- 26097933
TI  - Four new records of Conidae (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda) from the Andaman Islands,
      India.
AB  - The Andaman and Nicobar archipelago comprises 572 islands spread over an area of
      8,249 sq. km. These islands are within the 'Indo-Malayan region' and near the
      'faunistic centre' from which other Indo-West Pacific regions recruit their
      tropical marine fauna (Ekman, 1953). The topographically complex nature of the
      nearshore environments of these islands creates a plethora of niches that support
      a rich and diverse molluscan fauna. Many of the Conus species (e.g., C.
      geographus Linnaeus, 1758; C. miles Linnaeus, 1758; and C. striatus Linnaeus,
      1758) that occupy these islands are broadly distributed throughout the Indo-West
      Pacific. However, a few Indo-West Pacific species (e.g., Conus andamanensis
      Smith, 1878; and C. araneosus nicobaricus Hwass in Bruguiere, 1792) are
      restricted to small geographic regions (Rockel et. al. 1995). Early oceanographic
      expeditions of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that began in 1788 report only 10
      Conus species from these islands (Smith, 1878; Melvill & Sykes, 1898; Preston,
      1908). More recently, Subba Rao (1980) of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
      reports a total of 51 Conus species from this region. In the past two decades,
      the Conus fauna has not been studied extensively due to lack of focused studies
      in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Several recent surveys conducted by the
      Andaman and Nicobar Centre for Ocean Science and Technology investigated the
      intertidal and subtidal macrobenthic fauna of the Andaman Islands. The present
      study reports four Conus species for the first time from this location. The
      observations of multiple living specimens of each species confirm this report.
      Three species (Conus leopardus Roding, 1798, C. litoglyphus Hwass in Bruguiere,
      1792 and C. striatellus Link, 1807) are new records from Andaman Islands and one
      (Conus coffeae Gmelin, 1791) represents a new record for India. One specimen of
      each species was deposited in the National Zoological Collections, ZSI/ANRC, Port
      Blair, India.

PMID- 26097934
TI  - A new miniature species of the milliped genus Cleidogona from Costa Rica
      (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Cleidogonidae), with a review of Central American
      Cleidogonidae.
AB  - Cleidogona huebnerae, n. sp., is described from La Gamba Tropical Research
      Station, Costa Rica. A total of sixteen species in three genera of Cleidogonidae
      are known from Central America (Guatemala south to Panama), and they are reviewed
      here.

PMID- 26097935
TI  - Description of the male of Sebasthetops omaliniformis Jach, 1998--a
      phylogenetically isolated water beetle from South Africa, with notes on its
      ecology (Coleoptera, Hydraenidae).
AB  - Sebasthetops omaliniformis Jach, 1998, is a morphologically aberrant hydraenid,
      known from two female specimens collected from the Western Cape of South Africa
      in 1988. Recent fieldwork has resulted in the rediscovery of the species, close
      to the type locality. The male of S. omaliniformis is described from this
      material, and the opportunity taken to publish a record of Sebasthetops from the
      Langeberg, where it was collected in 1979. S. omaliniformis lives in deep water
      riffles in the upper reaches of mountain streams, and is strongly brachypterous.
      Like a number of other running-water insects known from the Cape fold mountains
      the species appears to have a narrow geographical and ecological range, deserving
      of high conservation status.

PMID- 26097936
TI  - Three new species in the subfamily Eriopeltinae Sulc from Italy (Hemiptera,
      Coccoidea, Coccidae) with comments on the genus Lecanopsis.
AB  - Three new coccid species, namely Hadzibejliaspis ferenci Pellizzari n. sp.,
      Lecanopsis sicula Pellizzari n. sp. and L. salvatorei Pellizzari n. sp. are
      described and illustrated. Identification keys for the genera in the subfamily
      Eriopeltinae Sulc and to species in the genera Hadzibejliaspis Koteja and
      Lecanopsis Targioni Tozzetti are provided.

PMID- 26097937
TI  - Paleocene origin of the cockroach families Blaberidae and Corydiidae: Evidence
      from Amur River region of Russia.
AB  - Morphna paleo sp. n., the earliest winged representative of any living cockroach
      genus and the earliest representative of the family Blaberidae, is described from
      the Danian Arkhara-Boguchan coal mine in the Amur River region (Russian Far
      East). The branched Sc and A suggest Ectobiidae (=Blattellidae) probably is not
      the ancestral family because Blaberidae were derived directly from the extinct
      family Mesoblattindae. The associated Danian locality Belaya Gora yielded Ergaula
      stonebut sp. n., the earliest record of the family Corydiidae. Both species
      belong to genera codominant in the Messel locality, thus validating their
      dominance in early Cenozoic assemblages.

PMID- 26097938
TI  - Brachyrhynchus n. gen. n. sp., a new genus of Polycystididae Graff, 1905
      (Rhabdocoela: Kalyptorhynchia), with the description of three new species from
      the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean.
AB  - Three new species of Polycystididae are described: Brachyrhynchus triplostylis n.
      gen. n. sp., B. acutus n. sp. and B. oosterlyncki n. sp. They are the first
      species of Polycystididae to be described with a second, single-walled accessory
      stylet connected to a small glandular vesicle in the male system. The three
      species can be distinguished from each other by the detailed morphology and the
      relative lengths of the three stylets in the male system. The relationships of
      these species with other representatives of Polycystididae are discussed.

PMID- 26097939
TI  - Benthic amphipods (Amphipoda: Gammaridea and Corophiidea) from the Mexican
      southeast sector of the Gulf of Mexico: checklist, new records and zoogeographic
      comments.
AB  - The southeast region of the Gulf of Mexico is considered to be biologically
      important, because it is a connection and transition zone between the Caribbean
      and the Gulf of Mexico, harboring great marine biodiversity. Nevertheless,
      benthic amphipods have been poorly studied in the Mexican southeast sector of the
      Gulf of Mexico with few studies listing species. The aim of this study is to
      provide an update checklist of species for the Mexican southeast sector (based on
      literature review and records from the present study) as well as a brief
      zoogeographical analysis for the Gulf of Mexico amphipod fauna, putting them in
      context with the fauna on the tropical western Atlantic. Fifty-five species were
      listed for the Mexican southeast sector; 36 of them showed a geographical
      extension to the Yucatan continental shelf representing 23 new records for the
      Mexican southeast sector, nine for the southeast region and four for the Gulf of
      Mexico. Based on the zoogeographical analysis, there is support of the
      application of Carolinian and Caribbean zoogeographic provinces to amphipods in
      the Gulf of Mexico.

PMID- 26097940
TI  - Rediscovery of the troglobious palpigrade Eukoenenia draco (Peyerimhoff 1906)
      (Palpigradi: Eukoeneniidae), with notes on the adaptations to a cave-dwelling
      life.
AB  - Several females, a male, and an immature of the species Eukoenenia draco
      (Peyerimhoff, 1906) have been captured recently in Majorca, more than a century
      after its description. The male of this enigmatic species is described for the
      first time and the female is redescribed, with new data and figures. The level of
      adaptation of this species to a cave-dwelling life is discussed and compared with
      those of other troglobitic species of palpigrades. Comparison of E. draco draco
      with E. draco zariquieyi (Conde, 1951) reveals substantial differences that lead
      us to consider E. zariquieyi stat. nov. as a full species.

PMID- 26097941
TI  - New species of Macrophyllodromia (Blattaria, Blattellidae) from Ecuador and a key
      to males of the genus.
AB  - Representatives of the cockroach genus Macrophyllodromia are widely distributed
      in Central and South Americas. The genus involves 10 species, including one new
      species described here, that are divided into 3 species groups--splendida,
      amabile and maximiliani. Macrophyllodromia onorei sp. n. is described as the
      fourth species of this genus from Ecuador. A key is provided for males of all
      known species of Macrophyllodromia and a species distribution map is presented.

PMID- 26097942
TI  - Description of Megistoleon thaumatopteryx sp. nov. with notes on the genus
      Megistoleon Navas (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae).
AB  - A new African species of antlion, Megistoleon thaumatopteryx sp. nov., is
      described from Mozambique. The poorly known genus Megistoleon Navas, 1931 and the
      only other species currently attributed to it, M. ritsemae (van der Weele, 1907)
      are redescribed in order to provide a better comparison with the new taxon. These
      myrmeleontids are easily distinguishable by means of an exclusive set of
      characters besides a striking appearance.

PMID- 26097943
TI  - Fifty Shades of Grey: giving colour to the poorly known Angolan Ashy reed frog
      (Hyperoliidae: Hyperolius cinereus), with the description of a new species.
AB  - Phylogenetic reconstruction using the mitochondrial 16S marker shows that
      geographically separated populations of the poorly known Hyperolius cinereus
      (Anura: Hyperoliidae) from Angola form two distinct clades. The description of H.
      cinereus was originally based on only a single preserved adult male. Fresh
      material of both sexes allowed a detailed redescription of the species, which is
      restricted mainly to the south-draining Cunene and Cubango river systems.
      Bioacoustic and morphological characters, in conjunction with colouration
      differences, allow the description of a cryptic sister species from Lagoa Carumbo
      in north-eastern Angola, occurring in the Luele and Lovuo river systems of the
      Congo drainage basin. Tadpoles, for H. cinereus and the new species, are
      described.

PMID- 26097944
TI  - Mononchida (Nematoda) from Silent Valley National Park, India.
AB  - Four known and a new species of nematodes belonging to the Order Mononchida
      Jairajpuri, 1969 are described and illustrated from Silent Valley National Park,
      India. Cobbonchus vulvastriatus n. sp. has 0.92-0.11 mm long body; buccal cavity
      25-27 x 12-13 MUm, dorsal tooth comparatively large with its apex at 72-81% from
      base of stoma; subventral teeth slightly smaller with their apices at 40-41% from
      the base of stoma; female genital system amphidelphic, 1-3 pre-vulval and 2-4
      post-vulval cuticular infoldings present; spicules 1.2-1.4 times the cloacal body
      diameter long; gubernaculum trough-shaped with distal thickening; lateral guiding
      pieces small; ventromedian supplements six, spaced; tail conoid, curved ventrad
      with a strong angular bending, slender portion of tail about twice the anterior
      part; caudal glands well developed, arranged in tandem, spinneret terminal.
      Clarkus sheri (Mulvey, 1967) Jairajpuri, 1970; Mylonchulus amurus Khan &
      Jairajpuri, 1979; Mylonchulus mulveyi Jairajpuri, 1970 and Mylonchulus paraindex
      Ahmad, Baniyamuddin & Jairajpuri, 2005 are recorded for the first time from this
      park.

PMID- 26097945
TI  - Three new species of Idiops Perty, 1833 (Araneae: Idiopidae) from India.
AB  - Three new species of the front-eyed trapdoor genus Idiops, viz., Idiops joida sp.
      nov. from the Western Ghats of Karnataka, I. mettupalayam sp. nov. from the
      foothills of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and I. oriya sp. nov. from Odhisa,
      are described. Natural history information for all these species is provided as
      is an identification key to Idiops species from South and Southeast Asia.

PMID- 26097946
TI  - Larvae of Amphipsyche species (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) from Thailand.
AB  - Morphological characters and scanning electron microscope images of the larvae of
      Amphipsyche meridiana and A. gratiosa are given. Pupal identifications are based
      on genitalic features in common with described adults, and larvae were associated
      with the pupae based on residual larval sclerites captured in the pupal case.
      Herein, the final larval instar is described, diagnosed, and photographed for
      each species.

PMID- 26097947
TI  - Three new caddisflies species of the fossil genus Archaeotinodes (Insecta:
      Trichoptera: Ecnomidae) from the Baltic Amber.
AB  - Three new caddisflies species of the fossil genus Archaeotinodes: Archaeotinodes
      petropolitana sp. nov., Archaeotinodes regiomontana sp. nov., and Archaeotinodes
      rossica sp. nov. from the Baltic amber (Upper Eocene, 40 million years old), are
      described and illustrated.

PMID- 26097948
TI  - The bioregionalisation revival.
AB  - The aim of this paper is to review some of the economic drivers of large scale
      bioregionalisation, using examples from deep sea hydrothermal vent communities,
      the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic, and Australia. These economic drivers are mainly
      recent conservation efforts, while early 20th century bioregionalisation was
      driven by 19th century taxonomy and exploration to assess available biological
      resources for economic exploitation. Modern regionalisation, particularly of the
      Antarctic and deep sea hydrothermal vent communities, are driven by conservation
      studies to protect areas from economic exploitation, rather than biogeographical
      questions concerning endemism and natural classification.

PMID- 26097949
TI  - Cyrtodactylus sanook (Squamata: Gekkonidae), a new cave-dwelling gecko from
      Chumphon Province, southern Thailand.
AB  - We describe a new cave-dwelling species, Cyrtodactylus sanook sp. nov., from Tham
      Sanook, Chumphon Province, southern Thailand, characterized by a maximum SVL of
      79.5 mm; 18-20 longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles at midbody; a continuous
      series of enlarged femoral and precloacal scales, no femoral pores, three or four
      precloacal pores in males (no pores in females), no precloacal groove nor
      depression; 19-20 subdigital lamellae on 4th toe; transversally enlarged
      subcaudal plates; and 6-7 irregular pale narrow dorsal bands between limb
      insertions. It seems endemic to this cave and is the 7th Thai Cyrtodactylus
      species that is known only from a cave environment.

PMID- 26097950
TI  - Hamodactylus macrophthalmus spec. nov., a new coral-associated pontoniine shrimp
      (Decapoda, Caridea, Palaemonidae) from Indonesia.
AB  - A new coral-associated species of the genus Hamodactylus is described from Lembeh
      Strait, NE Sulawesi, Indonesia. The three other known species in the genus have
      been recorded in association with octocorals. The single ovigerous female
      specimen of the new species was collected from a scleractinian host. It can be
      easily separated from its congeners by the very long eyestalks and the chela of
      the second pereiopods having blunt tips of the fingers with tufts of long simple
      setae giving it an atyid-like appearance.

PMID- 26097951
TI  - Two new remarkable Callimicra Deyrolle, 1864 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae)
      from Central America.
AB  - Collections from Panama and the recent Arthropods of La Selva biodiversity
      inventory project in Costa Rica yielded specimens of two unusual species of the
      genus Callimicra Deyrolle, both of which exhibit striking color patterns. A brief
      review of the history of treatment of the genus is presented and the two new
      species are described and illustrated: Callimicra timmonsae sp.n. species, and C.
      prenai sp.n.

PMID- 26097952
TI  - A taxonomic revision of the Meranoplus F. Smith of Madagascar (Hymenoptera:
      Formicidae: Myrmicinae) with keys to species and diagnosis of the males.
AB  - The species-level taxonomy of the ant genus Meranoplus F. Smith from Madagascar
      is revised. Two new species, M. cryptomys sp. n. and sylvarius sp. n. are
      described from workers and queens; M. mayri Forel, 1910, and M. radamae Forel,
      1891, are redescribed, and queens and males for these two species are described
      for the first time. The first diagnosis of Meranoplus males for any biogeographic
      region is provided based on Malagasy species. Illustrated keys to all known
      Malagasy castes and species are presented. Diagnoses are given for two species
      groups: the M. mayri group and the M. nanus group. The diagnosis of the M. nanus
      species group from Bolton (1981) is thereby expanded with six new characters. Two
      species are known from the M. mayri species group and seven described species are
      known for the M. nanus species group, including the two new species described
      herein. The mouthparts, genitalia, and all castes, where known, of Malagasy
      Meranoplus are illustrated.

PMID- 26097953
TI  - A comparison of external and internal maxilla and mandible morphology of water
      bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Nepomorpha).
AB  - This paper describes the file of the mandible, the apices of the maxillae, the
      rupturing device on the maxillae, and the internal structures of the mouthparts
      in sixty representatives of the nepomorphan families (Heteroptera), using
      scanning electron microscopy. Eight morphologically distinct types of files are
      identified on the mandibular tip, as well as six distinct types of the maxillary
      endings, and three distinct types of rupturing devices of the maxillae. The
      features of the internal maxillary and mandibular structures share a common
      connection model, differing only by virtue of specific appendages in different
      subfamilies. The water bugs morphological ground plan is represented by a
      mandibular file identically serrated, asymmetrical apices of maxillae (left
      maxilla tapers with lobe + right maxilla tapers and straight), rupturing device
      evidently exposed ventrally and inner structures: the maxillae are extended dorso
      laterally, forming a wide lobe; symmetrical processes connect with the mandibles.
      The main patterns (belostomatid and nepid) together with two more specialized
      patterns (gelastocorids, corixids, micronectids, and diaprepocorids) and
      (ochterid, aphelocheirid, naucorid, notonectid, pleid and helotrephid) are
      reported. Diversity of the elements (maxillae and mandibles) are analyzed from a
      phylogenetic signals and nutrition perspective. Finally, further lines of study
      are suggested for future work on the phylogeny of the group based on the studied
      characters.

PMID- 26097954
TI  - Diversity within the Redeye Bass, Micropterus coosae (Perciformes: Centrarchidae)
      species group, with descriptions of four new species.
AB  - The Redeye Bass, Micropterus coosae, was described from the Mobile River basin,
      Chattahoochee, and Savannah rivers in Alabama and Georgia, USA, by Hubbs and
      Bailey (1940). At that time the authors recognized significant variation in the
      Black Warrior River population, and noted that with further study this form may
      be recognized as a separate taxon. An examination of variation in morphology and
      mitochondrial DNA supported this observation, and highlighted additional species
      level variation, resulting in descriptions of a total of four new species:
      Micropterus cahabae, new sp., restricted to the Cahaba River system; Micropterus
      tallapoosae, new sp., restricted to the Tallapoosa River system; Micropterus
      warriorensis, new sp., from the Black Warrior River system; and Micropterus
      chattahoochae, new sp., from the Chattahoochee River system. Micropterus coosae
      is restricted to the Coosa River system. The new species differ from each other
      and from M. coosae by a combination of pigmentation and scale count
      characteristics, development of the tooth patch, and divergence within the ND2
      gene. While two of these species are relatively common in upland streams within
      their ranges, M. warriorensis, M. cahabae and M. chattahoochae are uncommon and
      may warrant protection.

PMID- 26097955
TI  - The genus Laccobius in China: new species and new records (Coleoptera:
      Hydrophilidae).
AB  - The species of the water scavenger beetle genus Laccobius Erichson, 1837 occuring
      in China are reviewed. Two new species are described: Laccobius (Glyptolaccobius)
      qinlingensis sp. nov. (Shaanxi) and L. (Cyclolaccobius) hainanensis sp. nov.
      (Hainan). Five species are recorded for the first time: Laccobius
      (Dimorpholaccobius) bipunctatus (Fabricius, 1775), L. (D.) striatulus (Fabricius,
      1801) and L. (Compsolaccobius) pallidissimus Reitter, 1899 (all from Xinjiang),
      L. (Microlaccobius) tonkinensis Gentili, 1979 (Shaanxi), and L. (Compsolaccobius)
      decorus (Gyllenhal, 1827) (Qinghai). Additional faunistic data from China are
      provided for the following species: L. (Cyclolaccobius) hingstoni Orchymont.
      1926, L. (C.) nitidus Gentili, 1984, L. (C.) politus Gentili, 1979, L. (C.)
      yunnanensis Gentili, 2003, L. (Dimorpholaccobius) simulans Orchymont, 1923, L.
      (s.str.) binotatus Orchymont, 1934, L. (s.str.) cinereus Motschulsky, 1860, L.
      (s.str.) colon (Stephens, 1829), L. (s.str.) inopinus Gentili, 1980, L. (s.str.)
      minutus (Linnaeus, 1758), L. (s.str.) nobilis Gentili, 1979, L. (Microlaccobius)
      elegans Gentili, 1979, L. (M.) florens Gentili, 1979, L. (M.) formosus Gentili,
      1979, L. (M.) hammondi Gentili, 1984, L. (M.) himalayanus Gentili, 1988, and L.
      (M.) nepalensis Gentili, 1982. An updated checklist of Laccobius species
      occurring in China is provided.

PMID- 26097956
TI  - Revision of the peristediid genus Satyrichthys (Actinopterygii: Teleostei) with
      the description of a new species, S. milleri sp. nov.
AB  - The Indo-Pacific peristediid genus Satyrichthys Kaup, 1873 was first diagnosed as
      having a broad head with mesethmoid, postocular, parietal and preopercular
      spines. Later, most ichthyologists characterized Satyrichthys by its toothless
      jaws and strong preopercular spine. Kawai (2008) divided Satyrichthys into two
      genera, Satyrichthys and Scalicus, on the basis of a phylogenetic hypothesis, and
      redefined Satyrichthys. Seven species of Satyrichthys are recognized here,
      including one new species: S. clavilapis, S. laticeps, S. longiceps, S. milleri
      sp. nov., S. moluccensis, S. rieffeli and S. welchi. The new species is
      distinguished from its congeners in having equilateral-triangular rostral
      projections, 4 lip and 4 chin barbels, and no anterior directed spines on the
      upper lateral row of the caudal peduncle. Satyrichthys laticeps, previously
      treated as a junior synonym of S. moluccensis, is regarded as a valid species.
      The following new synonyms are noted: S. adeni, S. halyi and S. magnus are all
      junior synonyms of S. laticeps; S. isokawae is a junior synonym of S.
      moluccensis; and S. lingi is a junior synonym of S. welchi. In addition, a
      neotype is designated for S. moluccensis.

PMID- 26097957
TI  - New species and records of Euphranta Loew and other Adramini (Diptera:
      Tephritidae: Trypetinae) from south and southeast Asia.
AB  - Seven new species of Euphranta Loew are described, viz., Euphranta dysoxyli
      David, sp. nov., E. hyalipennis David & Freidberg, sp. nov, E. diffusa David, sp.
      nov., E. haldwanica Hancock & Goodger, sp. nov. and E. thandikudi David, sp. nov.
      from India; E. neochrysopila David, Freidberg, Hancock & Goodger, sp. nov. from
      Sri Lanka and E. ridleyi Hancock & Goodger, sp. nov. from Singapore. Notes are
      provided on the identities of E. corticicola (Hering) and E. klugii (Wiedemann);
      E. signatifacies Hardy is synonymised with E. klugii; E. dissoluta (Bezzi) and E.
      burtoni Hardy are synonymised with E. crux (Fabricius) and Dimeringophrys parilis
      (Hardy) is reinstated as a valid species. Coelotrypes latilimbatus (Enderlein),
      Dimeringophrys pallidipennis Hardy, D. parilis (Hardy) and Hardyadrama
      excoecariae Lee are newly recorded from India, E. crux from Sri Lanka and E.
      klugii from Indonesia. An unnamed species of Coelopacidia Enderlein from India is
      illustrated. An illustrated key to species of Euphranta Loew from India is also
      provided.

PMID- 26097958
TI  - A new species of Leposoma (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) with four fingers from the
      Atlantic Forest central corridor in Bahia, Brazil.
AB  - Leposoma sinepollex sp. nov., a new species of the scincoides group, is described
      from a mountain region in the Atlantic Forest central corridor in state of Bahia,
      Brazil. The new species is characterized by elongate dorsal and lanceolate
      ventral scales arranged in diagonal rows, a single and smooth frontonasal, five
      supraoculars, absence of pollex, third toe as long as or longer than fourth,
      absence of striations in lower part of head, parietals longer than wide and as
      long as interparietal, 27-29 dorsals, 25-29 scales around body, 17-19 ventrals,
      12-14 total pores in the male (absent in females), 9-10 and 9-11 subdigital
      lamellae respectively under IV Finger and IV Toe, and strong sexual color
      dichromatism with a black pigmentation in the ventral parts of males, creamy in
      females. The new species is morphologically similar to Leposoma nanodactylus,
      sharing with it among other features the synapomorphic division of the first
      supraocular. Phylogenetic analyses of 981 bp of combined sequences (cyt b+ ND4)
      recovered also a strongly supported (PP = 1,0; BP = 100) sister relationship
      between both species. The new species and Leposoma nanodactylus are placed sister
      to all the other Atlantic Forest species, with L. baturitensis being the first to
      diverge in this radiation. We discuss the distribution of the Atlantic Forest
      Leposoma, as well as possible scenarios for the origin of the new species.

PMID- 26097960
TI  - Description of the male of Architis catuaba Santos & Nogueira, 2008 and new
      records of Architis capricorna Carico, 1981 (Araneae: Pisauridae).

PMID- 26097959
TI  - New data on Rhyacophila (Trichoptera: Rhyacophilidae) from West Malaysia and
      Indonesia (Lombok and Bali) with descriptions of two new species.
AB  - A new species, Rhyacophila langkawia sp. n., belonging to the R. curvata Group
      sensu Schmid (1970) is described. The samples provide also material of the
      previously undescribed species cited by Schmid (1970) as R. schmidi, a nomen
      nudum; this species is described as R. schmidirossia sp. n., also in the R.
      curvata Group. Other sampled species were Rhyacophila curvata Morton, recorded
      for the first time from Negeri Sembilan (West Malaysia) and Lombok (Indonesia);
      Rhyacophila stheneboia Malicky & Prommi (Pahang and Negeri Sembilan, West
      Malaysia), and Rhyacophila anakbatukau Malicky, recorded for the first time from
      Lombok (Indonesia). Updated lists of the Rhyacophila species found in West
      Malaysia and Indonesia are provided.

PMID- 26097961
TI  - A review of the genera Acathrito Lyneborg, Phycus Walker and Salentia Costa
      (Diptera: Therevidae: Phycinae) from Egypt.
AB  - The Egyptian fauna of the three genera Acathrito Lyneborg, Phycus Walker and
      Salentia Costa of subfamily Phycinae (Therevidae) is revised. Five species are
      recognized, three species of Phycus (including Phycus rufofemoratus Krober as a
      new record) and one species for each of Acathrito and Salentia. A key to Egyptian
      Phycus species is included. Illustrations, specimens examined and distributions
      are given for each species.

PMID- 26097962
TI  - The tadpole of Pleurodema cordobae Valetti, Salas & Martino, 2009 (Anura:
      Leiuperidae) from Cordoba, Argentina.

PMID- 26097963
TI  - Description of the newly-hatched juvenile of Aegla paulensis (Decapoda, Anomura,
      Aeglidae).
AB  - The postembryonic development of Aegla paulensis is epimorphic (= direct), in
      which the hatching form is a juvenile that morphologically resembles the adult.
      Hatching is asynchronous, taking 3-5 days for all juveniles from a single brood
      to hatch. This paper provides a complete description of the external morphology
      of the newly-hatched juvenile of A. paulensis as analyzed through light
      microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). One of the striking
      features ob- served in the newly-hatched juvenile of A. paulensis was the
      presence of four pairs of rudimentary pleopods, a trait never described before in
      early juveniles of Aegla. Additional novelties include three unique types of
      setae and two types of pore sensilla.

PMID- 26097964
TI  - Macrostylopyga gen. nov., a new genus of cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattidae),
      with descriptions of two new species.
AB  - The genus Macrostylopyga gen. nov. and two species (M. grandis sp. nov. and M.
      bidupi sp. nov.) are described. A detailed morphological description with special
      attention to the male genitalic structures is provided. Some aspects of the
      evolution of wingless cockroaches are briefly discussed.

PMID- 26097965
TI  - The millipede order Chordeumatida (Diplopoda) in Kazakhstan, with descriptions of
      three new species.
AB  - The order Chordeumatida is represented in Kazakhstan by five species in three
      genera and three families. All species are recorded in the Altai and Dzhungarskii
      Alatau Mountains. Three species are described here as new to science: Altajosoma
      arshaty sp. nov., Altajosoma bukhtarma sp. nov. and Tarbagataya zaisanica sp.
      nov. The family Diplomaragnidae and the genus Altajosoma Gulicka, 1972 are
      formally new to the fauna of Kazakhstan. Diagnosis of the genus Tarbagataya has
      been supplemented. All currently known Chordeumatida from Kazakhstan are keyed,
      including the new species. The distributions of all Kazakhstan chordeumatidan
      species are mapped.

PMID- 26097966
TI  - Two new species of ricinuleids of the genus Pseudocellus (Arachnida: Ricinulei:
      Ricinoididae) from southern Mexico.
AB  - Two new species of ricinuleids of the genus Pseudocellus are described from
      Mexico: Pseudocellus cruzlopezi sp. nov. from Oaxaca, and Pseudocellus monjarazi
      sp. nov. from Chiapas. Both species are described from adult males and females.
      The first species is epigean and edaphomorphic, whereas the second is
      cavernicolous and troglomorphic. The number of known species of the genus
      Pseudocellus increases to 25, and Mexican species to 16, indicating that Mexico
      has the highest diversity of ricinuleids in the world. An updated identification
      key to adult males of the 16 described species found in Mexico and southern USA
      is provided.

PMID- 26097967
TI  - A survey of the internal oral morphology in larvae of the genus Hylodes
      Fitzinger, 1826 (Amphibia, Anura, Hylodidae).
AB  - From the 24 species allocated in the genus Hylodes, 16 have their tadpoles
      described, which five have information on the oral anatomy. Herein, the internal
      oral morphology of the tadpoles of H. dactylocinus, H. heyeri, H. aff.
      lateristrigatus, H. magalhaesi, H. meridionalis, H. phyllodes, H. sazimai, and H.
      uai is described, along with comparisons among all species in the genus with
      previously known oral morphology.

PMID- 26097968
TI  - Four new species of the genus Lobrathium Mulsant & Rey (Coleoptera:
      Staphylinidae: Paederinae) from China.
AB  - Four new species of the genus Lobrathium Mulsant & Rey, 1878 from the mainland
      China are described: L. quadrum sp. n. from Sichuan, L. rutilum sp. n. from
      Hubei, L. tortuosum sp. n. from Zhejiang and L. zonalis sp. n. from Sichuan. In
      addition, the paper reviews the history of the research on the Chinese fauna of
      the genus. Some important morphological characters are illustrated for the new
      species.

PMID- 26097969
TI  - The nymph of Anacroneuria payagua Froehlich (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from Brazil.
AB  - The unknown nymph of Anacroneuria payagua Froehlich is described based on the
      association with reared adult females from streams located in Mato Grosso do Sul
      State, Brazil. Anacroneuria guaikuru Froehlich also occurred in these streams.

PMID- 26097970
TI  - The release call as a diagnostic character between cryptic related species
      Odontophrynus cordobae and O. americanus (Anura: Cycloramphidae).

PMID- 26097971
TI  - Description of two new species of Meharia Chretien, 1915 (Lepidoptera: Cossidae)
      from East Africa.

PMID- 26097972
TI  - Hypsilara breweri n.sp. from Venezuela: description of new species with notes on
      the morphology and phylogenetic relationships of the genus (Coleoptera: Elmidae:
      Larainae).
AB  - A new species of the genus Hypsilara Maier & Spangler, 2011, collected in the
      Eastern Venezuela, is described and illustrated. We provide habitus photographs,
      detail drawings of both male and female genitalia, and description of some
      morphological features, which were omitted in the description of the genus.
      Included are also remarks on the distribution and genetic distance of the
      Hypsilara species and possible relations to other South American Larainae.

PMID- 26097973
TI  - Designation of a lectotype for Deuterodon pedri Eigenmann, 1908 (Characiformes:
      Characidae).

PMID- 26097974
TI  - Nomenclatural changes in the genus Bambusananus Li & Xing, 2011 (Hemiptera:
      Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Athysanini).

PMID- 26097975
TI  - Visible-Light Photoexcited Electron Dynamics of Scandium Endohedral
      Metallofullerenes: The Cage Symmetry and Substituent Effects.
AB  - Endohedral metallofullerenes (EMFs) have become an important class of molecular
      materials for optoelectronic applications. The performance of EMFs is known to be
      dependent on their symmetries and characters of the substituents, but the
      underlying electron dynamics remain unclear. Here we report a systematic study on
      several scandium EMFs and representative derivatives to examine the cage symmetry
      and substituent effects on their photoexcited electron dynamics using ultrafast
      transient absorption spectroscopy. Our attention is focused on the visible-light
      (530 nm as a demonstration) photoexcited electron dynamics, which is of broad
      interest to visible-light solar energy harvesting but is considered to be quite
      complicated as the visible-light photons would promote the system to a high-lying
      energy region where dense manifolds of electronic states locate. Our ultrafast
      spectroscopy study enables a full mapping of the photoinduced deactivation
      channels involved and reveals that the long-lived triplet exciton plays a
      decisive role in controlling the photoexcited electron dynamics under certain
      conditions. More importantly, it is found that the opening of the triplet
      channels is highly correlated to the fullerene cage symmetry as well as the
      electronic character of the substituents. 

PMID- 26097976
TI  - The burden of secrecy? No effect on hill slant estimation and beanbag throwing.
AB  - Slepian, Masicampo, Toosi, and Ambady (2012, Experiment 1) reported that
      participants who recalled a big secret estimated a hill as steeper than
      participants who recalled a small secret. This finding was interpreted as
      evidence that secrets are experienced as physical burdens. In 2 experiments, we
      tried to replicate this finding, but, despite larger power, did not find a
      difference in slant estimates between participants who recalled a big secret and
      those who recalled a small secret. This finding was further corroborated by a
      meta-analysis that included 8 published data sets of exact replications, which
      indicates that thinking of a big secret does not affect hill slant estimation. In
      a third experiment, we also failed to replicate the effect of recalling a secret
      on throwing a beanbag at a target (Slepian et al., 2012, Experiment 2). Together,
      our findings question the robustness of the original empirical findings.

PMID- 26097977
TI  - The snooze of lose: Rapid reaching reveals that losses are processed more slowly
      than gains.
AB  - Decision making revolves around weighing potential gains and losses. Research in
      economic decision making has emphasized that humans exercise disproportionate
      caution when making explicit choices involving loss. By comparison, research in
      perceptual decision making has revealed a processing advantage for targets
      associated with potential gain, though the effects of loss have been explored
      less systematically. Here, we use a rapid reaching task to measure the relative
      sensitivity (Experiment 1) and the time course (Experiments 2 and 3) of rapid
      actions with regard to the reward valence and probability of targets. We show
      that targets linked to a high probability of gain influence actions about 100 ms
      earlier than targets associated with equivalent probability and value of loss.
      These findings are well accounted for by a model of stimulus response in which
      reward modulates the late, postpeak phase of the activity. We interpret our
      results within a neural framework of biased competition that is resolved in
      spatial maps of behavioral relevance. As implied by our model, all visual stimuli
      initially receive positive activation. Gain stimuli can build off of this initial
      activation when selected as a target, whereas loss stimuli have to overcome this
      initial activation in order to be avoided, accounting for the observed delay
      between valences. Our results bring clarity to the perceptual effects of losses
      versus gains and highlight the importance of considering the timeline of
      different biasing factors that influence decisions.

PMID- 26097978
TI  - The role of attention in motivated behavior.
AB  - All too frequently, people fail to take actions that are in their best interest
      (e.g., not taking necessary medications). Researchers have attempted to explain
      such behaviors by identifying subtle motivational forces that foster an avoidance
      of attractive outcomes. However, in many cases, such motivational forces have
      been difficult to identify. We propose that failures such as these to act in
      valued ways are in some cases caused by insufficient levels of orienting
      attention. To test this hypothesis, we first created a laboratory analog of real
      world failures to act in valued ways, 1 in which participants persisted in
      viewing lower-valenced images even though they could have, at no cost, viewed a
      higher-valenced image. When we experimentally increased their orienting attention
      toward a caption stating they had the option to switch, participants more
      frequently elected to view the higher valenced image (Studies 1a-c). In real
      world behavioral contexts, increasing attention, without an apparent change in
      valuation, also led to increased levels of approach motivation in behavioral
      contexts involving purchasing apples (Study 2) and electing to take the stairs
      instead of the escalator (Studies 3a-c). In light of these findings, we consider
      the role of orienting attention in motivated behavior.

PMID- 26097979
TI  - The Scientific Basis of Uncertainty Factors Used in Setting Occupational Exposure
      Limits.
AB  - The uncertainty factor concept is integrated into health risk assessments for all
      aspects of public health practice, including by most organizations that derive
      occupational exposure limits. The use of uncertainty factors is predicated on the
      assumption that a sufficient reduction in exposure from those at the boundary for
      the onset of adverse effects will yield a safe exposure level for at least the
      great majority of the exposed population, including vulnerable subgroups. There
      are differences in the application of the uncertainty factor approach among
      groups that conduct occupational assessments; however, there are common areas of
      uncertainty which are considered by all or nearly all occupational exposure limit
      setting organizations. Five key uncertainties that are often examined include
      interspecies variability in response when extrapolating from animal studies to
      humans, response variability in humans, uncertainty in estimating a no-effect
      level from a dose where effects were observed, extrapolation from shorter
      duration studies to a full life-time exposure, and other insufficiencies in the
      overall health effects database indicating that the most sensitive adverse effect
      may not have been evaluated. In addition, a modifying factor is used by some
      organizations to account for other remaining uncertainties-typically related to
      exposure scenarios or accounting for the interplay among the five areas noted
      above. Consideration of uncertainties in occupational exposure limit derivation
      is a systematic process whereby the factors applied are not arbitrary, although
      they are mathematically imprecise. As the scientific basis for uncertainty factor
      application has improved, default uncertainty factors are now used only in the
      absence of chemical-specific data, and the trend is to replace them with chemical
      specific adjustment factors whenever possible. The increased application of
      scientific data in the development of uncertainty factors for individual
      chemicals also has the benefit of increasing the transparency of occupational
      exposure limit derivation. Improved characterization of the scientific basis for
      uncertainty factors has led to increasing rigor and transparency in their
      application as part of the overall occupational exposure limit derivation
      process. 

PMID- 26097980
TI  - Intensive HIV Partner Notification Is Effective in Identifying New and Previously
      Diagnosed HIV Infections in Edmonton, Canada.

PMID- 26097981
TI  - Inter-rater reliability for scoring children's dichotic words test responses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether rater agreement is randomly distributed or varies
      importantly with test-taker characteristics, test words, or rater experience with
      the dichotic words test (DWT). DESIGN: DWT was administered to 34 children in 1st
      4th grade and responses scored by two raters. The proportion of rater agreement
      was calculated for each child and for each word. Correlates of inter-rater
      agreement were explored. STUDY SAMPLE: Two raters judged 6686 total responses
      from 34 children. RESULTS: Overall agreement between the two raters was 0.97.
      Test-taker scores ranged from 35%-91% (mean = 81%). Agreement was associated with
      score but not with test-taker age or sex. Test words spanned the full range of
      difficulty (pass proportion 0.06-1.00). Rater agreement was not randomly
      distributed among the words. Inter-rater agreement for test words ranged from
      0.82-1.00 and was associated with pass proportion (Spearman's rho = 0.28; p <
      0.0001). However, there were words at all pass proportions with perfect or near
      perfect agreement. Rater agreement improved from 0.94 on the first day of data
      collection to 0.98 on the fifth day (p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: Inter-rater
      reliability should be considered along with test item difficulty when developing
      speech audiometry materials, scoring protocols, and rater training.

PMID- 26097982
TI  - Influence of noise type on speech reception thresholds across four languages
      measured with matrix sentence tests.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare speech reception thresholds (SRTs) in noise using matrix
      sentence tests in four languages: German, Spanish, Russian, Polish. DESIGN: The
      four tests were composed of equivalent five-word sentences and were all designed
      and optimized using the same principles. Six stationary speech-shaped noises and
      three non-stationary noises were used as maskers. STUDY SAMPLE: Forty native
      listeners with normal hearing: 10 for each language. RESULTS: SRTs were about 3
      dB higher for the German and Spanish tests than for the Russian and Polish tests
      when stationary noise was used that matched the long-term frequency spectrum of
      the respective speech test materials. This general SRT difference was also
      observed for the other stationary noises. The within-test variability across
      noise conditions differed between languages. About 56% of the observed variance
      was predicted by the speech intelligibility index. The observed SRT benefit in
      fluctuating noise was similar for all tests, with a slightly smaller benefit for
      the Spanish test. CONCLUSIONS: Of the stationary noises employed, noise with the
      same spectrum as the speech yielded the best masking. SRT differences across
      languages and noises could be attributed in part to spectral differences. These
      findings provide the feasibility and limits of comparing audiological results
      across languages.

PMID- 26097983
TI  - The Relationship Between Plasma Inflammatory Cytokines and Labor Pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Proinflammatory cytokines are increased in maternal blood at term
      pregnancy and are associated with cervical ripening and the initiation of labor.
      We hypothesize that maternal plasma cytokines also affect the sensitivity to
      labor pain. METHODS: By using a previously validated model describing labor pain,
      we used a deidentified database derived from healthy nulliparous parturients who
      delivered singleton pregnancies at term. Numerical rating scores for pain were
      recorded after the onset of regular contractions using an 11-point scale.
      Maternal blood was drawn for the measurement of interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-4, IL
      6, IL-8, and IL-10; interferon-gamma; and tumor necrosis factor-alpha on
      admission or at the onset of painful contractions, whichever occurred later.
      Individual demographic, physiognomic, and cytokine variables that significantly
      affected labor pain at P < 0.05 were reported and included stepwise into a
      multivariable model. RESULTS: One hundred sixty parturients provided 411
      numerical analog scores for pain that were evaluated with our model. The
      relationship between numerical analog scores and cervical dilation was
      significantly affected by the type of membrane rupture, membrane status,
      induction, oxytocin administration, maternal race, and plasma IL-1beta
      concentration as individual variables. Only the association between the highest
      IL-1beta quartile and slower acceleration of pain during labor remained
      significant in the multivariate model (P = 0.0003). Women with IL-1beta
      concentration in the highest quartile arrived at the labor room with a more
      dilated cervix than those with lower plasma concentrations of IL-1beta (5.1 +/-
      3.0 vs 4.1 +/- 2.6 cm; P < 0.02) and had faster labor progress. CONCLUSIONS:
      Inflammatory cytokines including IL-1beta play a role in cervical ripening. High
      maternal plasma concentrations of IL-1beta may serve as a marker of advanced
      cervical ripening and readiness for labor that proceeds with less pain.

PMID- 26097984
TI  - A Recirculatory Model for Pharmacokinetics and the Effects on Bispectral Index
      After Intravenous Infusion of the Sedative and Anesthetic AZD3043 in Healthy
      Volunteers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: AZD3043 is a positive allosteric modulator of the gamma-aminobutyric
      acid type A receptor, with sedative and anesthetic properties. We describe a
      population pharmacokinetic (PK) model of arterial and venous concentrations of
      AZD3043 and the pharmacodynamic effects on bispectral index (BIS) in healthy
      volunteers. METHODS: Arterial and venous plasma concentrations of AZD3043 and BIS
      were measured in 2 clinical studies in 125 healthy volunteers, where AZD3043 was
      given as a 1-minute bolus (1-6 mg/kg), a 30-minute infusion (1-81 mg/kg/h), or
      0.8 + 10, 1 + 15, 3 + 30, and 4 + 40 (mg/kg bolus + mg/kg/h infusion for 30
      minutes). Population PK/pharmacodynamic analysis was performed with NONMEM.
      RESULTS: A recirculatory model, comprising a series of 5 compartments for the
      transit of drug between venous and arterial plasma, 2 peripheral distribution
      compartments, and 1 compartment for the nondistributive transit of drug from
      arterial to venous plasma, described the PK of AZD3043. Systemic clearance was
      high (2.2 L/min; 95% confidence interval, 2.12-2.25), and apparent volumes of
      distribution were low, leading to a short elimination half-life. The apparent
      volumes of distribution of the arterial and peripheral compartments increased
      with increasing administered dose, giving a total apparent volume of distribution
      of 15 L after the lowest dose and 37 L after the greatest dose. A sigmoid maximum
      effect (Emax) model with an EC50 of 15.6 ug/mL and a gamma of 1.7 described the
      relationship between AZD3043 effect-site concentrations and BIS. The between
      subject variability in EC50 was 37%. An effect compartment model, with a half
      life of the equilibration rate constant ke0 of 1.1 min, described the delay in
      effect in relation to the arterial plasma concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: AZD3043
      had a high clearance and a low apparent volume of distribution, leading to a
      short half-life. However, the apparent volume of distribution was dose dependent
      (P < 0.001), leading to an increased half-life with increasing dose. The
      distribution to the effect site was fast and together with the short plasma half
      life led to a fast onset and offset of effects.

PMID- 26097985
TI  - A Prospective Observational Comparison Between Arm and Wrist Blood Pressure
      During Scheduled Cesarean Delivery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Shivering is common during cesarean delivery (CD) under neuraxial
      anesthesia and may disrupt the measurement of noninvasive blood pressure (BP). BP
      measured at the wrist may be less affected by shivering. There have been no
      studies comparing trends in BP measured on the upper arm and wrist. We
      hypothesized that wrist systolic blood pressure (sBP) would accurately trend with
      upper arm sBP measurements (agree within a limit of +/-10%) in parturients
      undergoing elective CD under spinal anesthesia or combined spinal-epidural
      anesthesia. METHODS: After initiation of spinal anesthesia, BP measurements were
      obtained simultaneously from the upper arm and wrist on opposite arms. The
      interval between measurements was 1 to 2 minutes, and data were collected for 20
      minutes or until delivery. The primary outcome was agreement in dynamic changes
      in sBP measurements between the upper arm and the wrist. Bland-Altman plots
      indicating the levels of agreement between the methods were drawn for baseline
      measurements, over multiple measurements, and over multiple measurements on
      percentage change from baseline. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients were recruited and
      completed the study. The wrist sBP tended to overestimate the upper sBP for both
      baseline data (sBP bias = 13.4 mm Hg; 95% confidence interval = +10.4 to +16.4 mm
      Hg) and data obtained over multiple measurements (sBP bias = 12.8 mm Hg; 95%
      confidence interval = +9.3 to +16.3 mm Hg). For change in sBP from baseline over
      multiple measurements, the mean difference between the wrist and the arm sBP was 
      0.2 percentage points (99% limits of agreement -25 to +25 percentage points).
      CONCLUSIONS: The wrist measurement overestimated the reading relative to the
      upper arm measurement for multiple measurements over time. However, when the time
      series for each subject was examined for percentage change from baseline, the 2
      methods mirrored each other in most cases. Nevertheless, our hypothesis was
      rejected as the limits of agreement were higher than +/-10%. This finding
      suggests that wrist BP may not be an accurate method of detecting hypotension or
      hypertension during spinal or combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for CD.

PMID- 26097986
TI  - A Bolus and Bolus Followed by Infusion Study of AZD3043, an Investigational
      Intravenous Drug for Sedation and Anesthesia: Safety and Pharmacodynamics in
      Healthy Male and Female Volunteers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: AZD3043 (THRX-918661) is an investigational phenylpropanoid
      sedative/anesthetic that is rapidly metabolized by esterases in blood and liver.
      In the first-in-man study, a 30-minute constant IV infusion of AZD3043 induced
      anesthesia without major safety or tolerability concerns and with rapid recovery
      characteristics. METHODS: The primary objective of this phase 1, single-center,
      open-label study (clinicaltrials.gov NCT00984880) was to evaluate the safety and
      tolerability of AZD3043 administered as a single IV bolus and as a bolus followed
      by infusion. Secondary objectives included evaluation of AZD3043 pharmacodynamics
      and efficacy. Sequential ascending dose cohorts of 8 healthy volunteers aged 18
      to 65 years received either a single 1-minute bolus IV infusion (part A) or a 1
      minute bolus followed by a 30-minute infusion (part B). Assessments included
      adverse events, vital signs, blood gases, laboratory values, clinical signs of
      sedation/anesthesia, and bispectral index score. RESULTS: Seventy-two subjects (8
      females, 64 males) received AZD3043 doses of 1, 1.5, 2, 4, and 6 mg/kg bolus over
      1 minute (part A) or 0.8 + 10, 1 + 15, 3 + 30, and 4 + 40 mg/kg bolus + mg/kg/h
      infusion for 30 minutes (part B). There were no discontinuations. Adverse events
      occurring in >1 subject were headache (n = 15; 21%), nausea (n = 7; 10%),
      vomiting (n = 3; 4%), and fatigue (n = 2; 3%). Twenty-one subjects experienced at
      least 1 adverse event. There seemed to be no dose relationship associated with
      any adverse event. Ventilation was maintained, but there was a dose-dependent
      increase in heart rate. There were no spontaneous reports of pain on injection.
      Thirty-two subjects were anesthetized, including all subjects in the highest dose
      group in part A and all subjects in the 2 highest dose groups in part B. Recovery
      from anesthesia was rapid, with swift return of orientation and proprioception.
      All subjects were able to walk 10 m without support at their first assessment, 30
      minutes after end of dosing, except for 1 subject in each of the 2 mg/kg bolus
      (part A) and 4 mg/kg bolus + 40 mg/kg/h 30-minute infusion (part B) dose groups,
      who passed this test at the subsequent assessment, 45 minutes after the end of
      dosing. Involuntary movements were observed at higher doses, accompanied by
      increased muscle tone. CONCLUSIONS: AZD3043 provided rapid recovery from
      anesthesia with maintained ventilation. Further studies are warranted in a
      clinical setting.

PMID- 26097987
TI  - Dexmedetomidine Does Not Affect Evoked Potentials During Spine Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of dexmedetomidine on evoked potentials (EPs) has not been
      elucidated. We aimed to investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on
      somatosensory, motor, and visual EPs. METHODS: After IRB approval, 40 adult
      patients scheduled for elective spine surgery using total IV anesthesia with
      propofol and remifentanil were randomly assigned to receive either
      dexmedetomidine (n = 20) or placebo (n = 20) in a double-blind, placebo
      controlled trial. After obtaining informed consent, positioning, and baseline EPs
      recording, patients were randomly assigned to either IV dexmedetomidine 0.6
      MUg/kg infused over 10 minutes, followed by 0.6 MUg/kg/h, or a corresponding
      volume of IV normal saline (placebo). EP measures at 60 +/- 30 minutes after
      initiation of study drug were defined as T1 and at 150 +/- 30 minutes were
      defined as T2. Changes from baseline to T1 (primary end point) and from baseline
      to T2 (secondary end point) in EP latencies (milliseconds) and amplitudes
      (microvolts) were compared between groups. Data presented as mean +/- SD (95%
      confidence interval). RESULTS: Data from 40 patients (dexmedetomidine: n = 20;
      age, 54 +/- 3 years; 10 males; placebo: n = 20; age, 52 +/- 2 years; 5 males)
      were analyzed. There was no difference between dexmedetomidine versus placebo
      groups in primary end points: change of somatosensory EPs at T1, latency: 0.01 +/
      1.3 (-0.64, 0.65) vs 0.01 +/- 1.3 (-0.64, 0.65), P = 0.43 (-1.24, 0.45);
      amplitude: 0.03 +/- 0.14 (-0.06, 0.02) vs -0.01 +/- 0.13 (-0.07, 0.05), P = 0.76
      (-0.074, 0.1); motor EPs amplitude at T1: 65.1 +/- 194.8 (-35, 165; n = 18) vs
      109.2 +/- 241.4 (-24, 243; n = 16), P = 0.57 (-113.5, 241.57); visual EPs at T1
      (right eye), amplitude: 2.3 +/- 3.6 (-0.4, 5.1; n = 11) vs 0.3 +/- 6.0 (-3.3,
      3.9; n = 16), P = 0.38 (-6.7, 2.6); latency N1: 2.3 +/- 3.6 (-0.4, 5.1) vs 0.3 +/
      6.0 (-3.3, 3.9), P = 0.38 (-6.7, 2.6); latency P1: -1.6 +/- 13.4 (-11.9, 8.7) vs
      -1.4 +/- 8.1 (-6.3, 3.5), P = 0.97 (-9.3, 9.7) or secondary end points. There
      were no differences between right and left visual EPs either at T1 or at T2.
      CONCLUSIONS: In clinically relevant doses, dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to total
      IV anesthesia does not seem to alter EPs and therefore can be safely used during
      surgeries requiring monitoring of EPs.

PMID- 26097988
TI  - Bedside Gastric Ultrasonography in Term Pregnant Women Before Elective Cesarean
      Delivery: A Prospective Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bedside gastric ultrasound can reliably assess gastric contents in
      the perioperative period. We aimed to describe the qualitative and quantitative
      ultrasound assessment of the gastric antrum in fasted pregnant women at term.
      METHODS: Pregnant women were examined after a minimum period of overnight fasting
      (solid food, 6 hours; clear liquids, 2 hours) before their scheduled cesarean
      delivery. A standardized ultrasound examination of the gastric antrum was
      performed. Based on the qualitative assessment in the supine and right lateral
      decubitus positions, women were classified using a 3-point grading system (grade
      0, no fluid; grade 1, fluid seen in right lateral decubitus position only; and
      grade 2, fluid seen in the both supine and right lateral decubitus positions). A
      quantitative assessment of the antral cross-sectional area (CSA) was performed
      using still images in the right lateral decubitus position. RESULTS: One hundred
      three women were included in the study; 53 of 103 exhibited grade 0 and 49 of 103
      exhibited grade 1 antrum. One woman presented a grade 2 antrum (1/103 = 0.97%;
      95% confidence interval [CI], 0.05%-6.06%). Overall, 95% of fasting subjects
      presented with an antral CSA <=9.6 cm (95% CI, 8.6-10.3 cm) in the right lateral
      decubitus position (median [interquartile range] = 4.5 [3.2] cm), corresponding
      to an estimated gastric volume of <=117 mL (95% CI, 108-127 mL) or <=1.5 mL/kg
      (95% CI, 1.3-1.7 mL/kg). CONCLUSIONS: All women but one presented with antral CSA
      compatible with residual gastric fluid. The qualitative 3-point grading system
      may be used to assess individual risk of perioperative gastric content
      aspiration. Our results suggest that an antral CSA of 10.3 cm in the right
      lateral decubitus position more accurately describes the upper limit of normal
      findings in the fasted pregnant patient at term.

PMID- 26097989
TI  - Associations Between Age and Dosing of Volatile Anesthetics in 2 Academic
      Hospitals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The inverse relationship between age and dose requirement for potent
      volatile anesthetics is well established, but the question of whether anesthetic
      providers consider this relationship in practice remains unanswered. We sought to
      determine whether there is an association between patient age and the mean dose
      of volatile anesthetic delivered during maintenance of anesthesia. METHODS: This
      was a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients receiving a single potent
      volatile anesthetic at 2 academic hospitals using data recorded in an anesthesia
      information management system. Multivariate linear models were constructed at
      each hospital to examine the relationship between age and mean minimum alveolar
      concentration (MAC) fraction delivered during the maintenance of anesthesia.
      RESULTS: A total of 7878 cases at the 2 hospitals were included for analysis. For
      patients aged <65 years, we observed decreasing doses of volatile anesthetics as
      age increased. Per decade, mean delivered MAC fraction decreased by an estimated
      1.8% (95% confidence interval, 1.5-2.2, P < 0.0001), smaller than the 6.7%
      decrease suggested by previous studies of human anesthetic requirements. At age
      >65 years, the magnitude of the inverse association between age and MAC fraction
      was higher (3.8% decrease per decade; 95% confidence interval, 2.9-4.7).
      CONCLUSIONS: Increasing age is associated with decreased absolute doses of potent
      volatile anesthetics, an association that seems to strengthen as patients enter
      the geriatric age range. The observed decreases in absolute anesthetic dose were
      less than those predicted by previous research and therefore represent an overall
      increase in "age-adjusted dose" as patients grow older.

PMID- 26097990
TI  - Mixed-effects varying-coefficient model with skewed distribution coupled with
      cause-specific varying-coefficient hazard model with random-effects for
      longitudinal-competing risks data analysis.
AB  - It is well known that there is strong relationship between HIV viral load and CD4
      cell counts in AIDS studies. However, the relationship between them changes
      during the course of treatment and may vary among individuals. During treatments,
      some individuals may experience terminal events such as death. Because the
      terminal event may be related to the individual's viral load measurements, the
      terminal mechanism is non-ignorable. Furthermore, there exists competing risks
      from multiple types of events, such as AIDS-related death and other death. Most
      joint models for the analysis of longitudinal-survival data developed in
      literatures have focused on constant coefficients and assume symmetric
      distribution for the endpoints, which does not meet the needs for investigating
      the nature of varying relationship between HIV viral load and CD4 cell counts in
      practice. We develop a mixed-effects varying-coefficient model with skewed
      distribution coupled with cause-specific varying-coefficient hazard model with
      random-effects to deal with varying relationship between the two endpoints for
      longitudinal-competing risks survival data. A fully Bayesian inference procedure
      is established to estimate parameters in the joint model. The proposed method is
      applied to a multicenter AIDS cohort study. Various scenarios-based potential
      models that account for partial data features are compared. Some interesting
      findings are presented.

PMID- 26097991
TI  - Lanthanide Coordination Polymers with 4,4'-Azobenzoic Acid: Enhanced Stability
      and Magnetocaloric Effect by Removing Guest Solvents.
AB  - Three lanthanide coordination polymers (Ln-CPs) formulated as [Ln(azdc)(HCOO)]n
      [Ln = Gd(III) (1), Tb(III) (2), Dy(III) (3); H2azdc = 4,4'-azobenzoic acid] have
      been successfully obtained by the solvothermal reaction of Ln(III) ions with
      H2azdc ligands in the mixed solvent N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)/H2O. Compared
      with our previous work on Ln-CPs with H2azdc ligands, [Gd2(azdc)3(DMA)2]n.2nDMA
      (1'; DMA = dimethylacetamide), in which the DMA molecules coordinate to Gd(III)
      ions that are replaced by HCOO(-) groups in 1, resulting in the distinct
      structures and properties of the final products. Adjacent Ln(III) ions in 1-3 are
      connected by HCOO(-) groups through bridging and chelating modes to give 2D
      layers, which are further linked by azdc(2-) ligands to produce 3D frameworks.
      Magnetic results declare that antiferromagnetic couplings exist in 1, although
      two different magnetic interactions among adjacent Gd(III) ions derived from
      antiferromagnetic interactions of the smaller Gd-O-Gd angles (Gd...Gd distances)
      and weak ferromagnetic interactions of the larger Gd-O-Gd angles (Gd...Gd
      distances) coexist in 1. Furthermore, the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) value of 1
      is 1.5 times as large as that of 1'. More importantly, 1 exhibits excellent
      stabilities toward air, thermal, solvent, and acid/alkaline conditions. The
      results manifest that the crystalline structure of 1 can be stable at at least
      425  degrees C supported by the in situ variable-temperature powder X-ray
      diffraction patterns and thermogravimetric analyses, in air for at least 3
      months, and in common solvents for more than 1 week, as well as in aqueous
      solutions ranging from pH = 2 to 12 for more than 1 week. 

PMID- 26097992
TI  - Health professionals' perceptions regarding family witnessed resuscitation in
      adult critical care settings.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To deepen our understanding of the perceptions of health
      professionals regarding family witnessed resuscitation in Jordanian adult
      critical care settings. BACKGROUND: The issue of family witnessed resuscitation
      has developed dramatically in the last three decades. The traditional practice of
      excluding family members during cardiopulmonary resuscitation had been
      questioned. Family witnessed resuscitation has been described as good practice by
      many researchers and health organisations. However, family witnessed
      resuscitation has been perceived by some practitioners to be unhealthy and
      harmful to the life-saving process. The literature showed that there are no
      policies or guidelines to allow or to prevent family witnessed resuscitation in
      Jordan. DESIGN: An exploratory qualitative design was adopted. METHODS: A
      purposive sample of 31 health professionals from several disciplines was
      recruited over a period of six months. Individual semi-structured interviews were
      used. These interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.
      FINDINGS: It was found that most healthcare professionals were against family
      witnessed resuscitation. They raised several concerns related to being verbally
      and physically attacked if they allowed family witnessed resuscitation. Almost
      all of the respondents expressed their fears of patients' family members'
      interfering in their work. Most of the participants in this study stated that
      family witnessed resuscitation is traumatic for family members. This was viewed
      as a barrier to allowing family witnessed resuscitation in Jordanian critical
      care settings. CONCLUSION: The study provides a unique understanding of Jordanian
      health professionals' perceptions regarding family witnessed resuscitation. They
      raised some views that contest some arguments in the broader literature. Further
      research with patients, family members, health professionals and policy makers is
      still required. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This is the first study about
      family witnessed resuscitation in Jordan. Considering multi-disciplinary
      healthcare professionals' views would be helpful when starting to implement this
      practice in Jordanian hospitals.

PMID- 26097993
TI  - Maternal Hypercalcemia Due to Failure of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin-D3 Catabolism in a
      Patient With CYP24A1 Mutations.
AB  - CONTEXT: Calcium metabolism changes in pregnancy and lactation to meet fetal
      needs, with increases in 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25-(OH)2D] during pregnancy
      playing an important role. However, these changes rarely cause maternal
      hypercalcemia. When maternal hypercalcemia occurs, further investigation is
      essential, and disorders of 1,25-(OH)2D catabolism should be carefully considered
      in the differential diagnosis. CASE: A patient with a childhood history of
      recurrent renal stone disease and hypercalciuria presented with recurrent
      hypercalcemia and elevated 1,25-(OH)2D levels during pregnancy. Laboratory tests
      in the fourth pregnancy showed suppressed PTH, elevated 1,25-(OH)2D, and high
      normal 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, suggesting disordered vitamin D metabolism.
      Analysis revealed low 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and high 25-hydroxyvitamin D3
      levels, suggesting loss of function of CYP24A1 (25-hydroxyvitamin-D3-24
      hydroxylase). Gene sequencing confirmed that she was a compound heterozygote with
      the E143del and R396W mutations in CYP24A1. CONCLUSIONS: This case broadens
      presentations of CYP24A1 mutations and hypercalcemia in pregnancy. Furthermore,
      it illustrates that patients with CYP24A1 mutations can maintain normal calcium
      levels during the steady state but can develop hypercalcemia when challenged,
      such as in pregnancy when 1,25-(OH)2D levels are physiologically elevated.

PMID- 26097994
TI  - Feasibility Investigation of Cellulose Polymers for Mucoadhesive Nasal Drug
      Delivery Applications.
AB  - The feasibility of various cellulose polymer derivatives, including
      methylcellulose (MC), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), sodium
      carboxymethylcellulose (sodium-CMC), and cationic-hydroxyethylcellulose (cationic
      HEC), for use as an excipient to enhance drug delivery in nasal spray
      formulations was investigated. Three main parameters for evaluating the polymers
      in nasal drug delivery applications include rheology, ciliary beat frequency
      (CBF), and permeation across nasal tissue. Reversible thermally induced viscosity
      enhancement was observed at near nasal physiological temperature when cellulose
      derivatives were combined with an additional excipient, poly(vinyl caprolactam)
      poly(vinyl acetate)-poly(ethylene glycol) graft copolymer (PVCL-PVA-PEG).
      Cationic-HEC was shown to enhance acyclovir permeation across the nasal mucosa.
      None of the tested cellulosic polymers caused any adverse effects on porcine
      nasal tissues and cells, as assessed by alterations in CBF. Upon an increase in
      polymer concentration, a reduction in CBF was observed when ciliated cells were
      immersed in the polymer solution, and this decrease returned to baseline when the
      polymer was removed. While each cellulose derivative exhibited unique advantages
      for nasal drug delivery applications, none stood out on their own to improve more
      than one of the performance characteristics examined. Hence, these data may be
      useful for the development of new cellulose derivatives in nasal drug
      formulations. 

PMID- 26097995
TI  - Novel high-sensitivity troponin assay requires higher cut-off value to separate
      acute myocardial infarction from non-acute myocardial infarction in a high-risk
      population.
AB  - PURPOSE: The novel high-sensitivity troponin T assay (hs-cTnT) has been validated
      for diagnosing AMI in the emergency room. However its utility in high-risk in
      patient populations is unknown. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed admissions
      to a general cardiology unit that had 2 hs-cTnT measurements in the first 12 h of
      presentation. We assessed 8 diagnostic algorithms that used hs-cTnT concentration
      and changes in concentration (including the 99th percentile cut-off of 14 ng/L)
      for their diagnostic utility in separating AMI patients from cardiac/nonACS and
      non-cardiac chest-pain patients. UA was excluded. RESULTS: There were 233
      patients (mean age 67 years, 153 were males (66%)) admitted over a 2 month
      period, with AMI diagnosed in 118 of these patients (51%). The recommended 99th
      percentile cut-off had modest accuracy (65%), good sensitivity (88%), and poor
      specificity (25%); a higher cut-off of 75 ng/L had a better diagnostic accuracy
      of 73%, p < 0.05. While some hs-cTnT algorithms were either highly sensitive or
      specific, none were both. CONCLUSION: In high-risk cardiology in-patients, no hs
      cTnT concentration cut-off or change more accurately diagnosed and excluded AMI,
      although higher cut-offs had better diagnostic utility.

PMID- 26097996
TI  - Effects of polyphenol-rich plant products from grape or hop as feed supplements
      on iron, zinc and copper status in piglets.
AB  - Polyphenol-rich plant products as feed supplements have been shown to exert
      beneficial effects on feed efficiency in piglets. However, tannins as components
      of polyphenol-rich plant products are able to reduce the absorption of various
      trace elements. The present study investigated the effect of two polyphenol-rich
      dietary supplements, grape seed and grape marc meal extract (GME) and spent hops
      (SH), on iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) status in piglets supplied
      adequately with those trace elements. A trial with three groups of piglets which
      received a Control diet or the same diet supplemented with either 1% GME or 1% SH
      over a period of 4 weeks was performed. Concentrations of Fe, Zn and Cu in
      plasma, total iron binding capacity and saturation of transferrin in plasma did
      not differ between the three groups. Piglets fed the diet supplemented with SH
      showed no differences in the concentrations of Fe, Zn and Cu in the liver in
      comparison to the Control group. Piglets fed the diets supplemented with GME
      showed slightly lower concentrations of Zn and Cu in the liver than Control
      piglets (p < 0.05); however, concentrations of both elements remained in the
      physiological range. Overall, this study shows that the polyphenol-rich plant
      products GME and SH had marginal effect on the status of Fe, Zn and Cu in
      piglets.

PMID- 26097997
TI  - Effects of Gold-Nanoparticle Surface and Vertical Coverage by Conducting Polymer
      between Indium Tin Oxide and the Hole Transport Layer on Organic Light-Emitting
      Diodes.
AB  - The effect of varying degrees of surface and vertical coverage of gold
      nanoparticles (Au-NPs) by poly(styrenesulfonate)-doped poly(3,4
      ethylenedioxythiophene) ( PEDOT: PSS), which was used as a capping layer between
      indium tin oxide (ITO) and a hole transport layer (HTL) on small-molecule
      fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), was systemically investigated.
      With respect to the Au-NP loading amount and size, the resultant current
      densities influenced the charge balance and, therefore, the OLED device
      performance. When the capping layer consisted of ITO/Au-NPs/ PEDOT: PSS+Au-NPs,
      superior device performance was obtained with 10-nm Au-NPs through increased
      surface coverage in comparison to other Au-NP PEDOT:PSS coverage conditions.
      Furthermore, the Au-NP size determined the vertical coverage of the capping
      layer. The current densities of OLEDs containing small Au-NPs (less than 30 nm,
      small vertical coverage) covered by PEDOT: PSS decreased because of the
      suppression of the hole carriers by the Au-NP trapping sites. However, the
      current densities of the devices with large Au-NPs (over 30 nm, large vertical
      coverage) increased. The increased electromagnetic fields observed around
      relatively large Au-NPs under electrical bias were attributed to increased
      current densities in the OLEDs, as confirmed by the finite-difference time-domain
      simulation. These results show that the coverage conditions of the Au-NPs by the
      PEDOT: PSS clearly influenced the OLED current density and efficiency.

PMID- 26097998
TI  - FBXW7 negatively regulates ENO1 expression and function in colorectal cancer.
AB  - FBXW7 (F-box and WD40 domain protein 7) is a tumor suppressor frequently
      inactivated in human cancers. The precise molecular mechanisms by which FBXW7
      exerts antitumor activity remain under intensive investigation and are thought to
      relate in part to FBXW7-mediated destruction of key cancer-relevant proteins.
      Enolase 1 (ENO1) possesses oncogenic activity and is often overexpressed in
      various human cancers, besides its critical role in glycolysis. However, the
      detailed regulatory mechanisms of ENO1 expression remain unclear. Here we show
      that the elevated expression of ENO1 was identified in FBXW7-depletion HCT116
      cells through two-dimensional protein electrophoresis and mass spectrometry
      assays (2DE-MS). Subsequent western blotting and immunohistochemical assays
      confirmed that ENO1 expression reversely correlates with FBXW7 expression in
      several cells and colon cancer tissues. Furthermore, we show that FBXW7
      physically binds to ENO1 and targets ENO1 for ubiquitin-mediated degradation.
      Functionally, we found that FBXW7 suppresses the ENO1-induced gene expression,
      lactate production, cell proliferation and migration. These findings suggest that
      ENO1 is a novel substrate of FBXW7, and its activity can be negatively regulated
      by FBXW7 at the posttranslational level. Our work provides a novel molecular
      insight into FBXW7-directed tumor suppression through regulation of ENO1.

PMID- 26097999
TI  - The role of iNOS in cholesterol-induced liver fibrosis.
AB  - Accumulation of cholesterol in the liver is associated with the development of
      non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-related fibrosis. However, underlying mechanisms
      are not well understood. The present study investigated the role of inducible
      nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in cholesterol-induced liver fibrosis by feeding
      wild-type (WT) and iNOS-deficient mice with control or high-cholesterol diet
      (HCD) for 6 weeks. WT mice fed with HCD developed greater liver fibrosis,
      compared with iNOS-deficient mice, as evident by Sirius red staining and higher
      expression levels of profibrotic genes. Enhanced liver fibrosis in the presence
      of iNOS was associated with hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha stabilization, matrix
      metalloproteinase-9 expression, and enhanced hepatic DNA damage. The profibrotic
      role of iNOS was also demonstrated in vivo using a selective inhibitor of iNOS as
      well as in vitro in a rat liver stellate cell line (HSC-T6). In conclusion, these
      findings suggest that iNOS is an important mediator in HCD-induced liver
      fibrosis. 

PMID- 26098001
TI  - Increased risk of preterm birth in women with autoimmune hepatitis - a nationwide
      cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: The aim of our study was to investigate the risks of pregnancy
      and childbirth complications in women with autoimmune hepatitis compared to the
      population controls. METHODS: In a nationwide cohort study of all pregnancies
      between 2006 and 2011 we investigated the risks of adverse pregnancy outcome in
      171 births in women with diagnosed autoimmune hepatitis using the data from the
      Swedish Medical Birth and Patient Registries. Births to women without autoimmune
      hepatitis served as population controls (n = 576 642). Relative risks (RR) with
      95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Poisson regression models
      adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: Women with AIH had an increased
      risk of gestational diabetes (RR = 4.35, 95% CI 2.21-8.57), of preterm birth (RR
      = 3.21, 95% CI 1.97-4.92) and of low-birth-weight child (RR = 2.51, 95% CI 1.51
      4.19). We found no statistically significant association between autoimmune
      hepatitis and pre-eclampsia, caesarean section, low 5-min Apgar score, small for
      gestational age birth, congenital malformation and neonatal mortality.
      CONCLUSIONS: Autoimmune hepatitis is a risk factor for adverse pregnancy
      outcomes. High quality prenatal and antenatal care is important for women with
      autoimmune hepatitis and their infants.

PMID- 26098002
TI  - Terradynamically streamlined shapes in animals and robots enhance traversability
      through densely cluttered terrain.
AB  - Many animals, modern aircraft, and underwater vehicles use fusiform, streamlined
      body shapes that reduce fluid dynamic drag to achieve fast and effective
      locomotion in air and water. Similarly, numerous small terrestrial animals move
      through cluttered terrain where three-dimensional, multi-component obstacles like
      grass, shrubs, vines, and leaf litter also resist motion, but it is unknown
      whether their body shape plays a major role in traversal. Few ground vehicles or
      terrestrial robots have used body shape to more effectively traverse environments
      such as cluttered terrain. Here, we challenged forest-floor-dwelling discoid
      cockroaches (Blaberus discoidalis) possessing a thin, rounded body to traverse
      tall, narrowly spaced, vertical, grass-like compliant beams. Animals displayed
      high traversal performance (79 +/- 12% probability and 3.4 +/- 0.7 s time).
      Although we observed diverse obstacle traversal strategies, cockroaches primarily
      (48 +/- 9% probability) used a novel roll maneuver, a form of natural parkour,
      allowing them to rapidly traverse obstacle gaps narrower than half their body
      width (2.0 +/- 0.5 s traversal time). Reduction of body roundness by addition of
      artificial shells nearly inhibited roll maneuvers and decreased traversal
      performance. Inspired by this discovery, we added a thin, rounded exoskeletal
      shell to a legged robot with a nearly cuboidal body, common to many existing
      terrestrial robots. Without adding sensory feedback or changing the open-loop
      control, the rounded shell enabled the robot to traverse beam obstacles with gaps
      narrower than shell width via body roll. Such terradynamically 'streamlined'
      shapes can reduce terrain resistance and enhance traversability by assisting
      effective body reorientation via distributed mechanical feedback. Our findings
      highlight the need to consider body shape to improve robot mobility in real-world
      terrain often filled with clutter, and to develop better locomotor-ground contact
      models to understand interaction with 3D, multi-component terrain. 

PMID- 26098003
TI  - [25 years after the fall of the Berlin wall - what differences does child and
      adolescent psychiatry (still) see?].

PMID- 26098000
TI  - MicroRNA-19 triggers epithelial-mesenchymal transition of lung cancer cells
      accompanied by growth inhibition.
AB  - The miR-19 family (miR-19a and miR-19b-1) are key oncogenic components of the miR
      17-92 cluster. Overexpression of miR-19 is strongly associated with cancer
      invasion and metastasis, and poor prognosis of cancer patients. However, the
      underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In the present study, we found that
      enforced expression of miR-19 including miR-19a and miR-19b-1 triggered
      epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of lung cancer cells A549 and HCC827 as
      shown by mesenchymal-like morphological conversion, downregulation of epithelial
      proteins (e.g., E-cadherin, ZO-1 (zona occludens 1), and alpha-catenin),
      upregulation of mesenchymal proteins (e.g., vimentin, fibronectin 1, N-cadherin,
      and snail1), formation of stress fibers, and reduced cell adhesion. In addition,
      enhanced migration and invasion were observed in the cancer cells A549 and HCC827
      undergoing EMT. In contrast, silencing of endogenous miR-19 reversed EMT and
      reduced the migration and invasion abilities of A549 and HCC827 cells. DNA
      microarray results revealed significant changes of the expression of genes
      related to EMT, migration, and metastasis of miR-19-expressing A549 cells.
      Moreover, siRNA-mediated knockdown of PTEN, a target of miR-19, also resulted in
      EMT, migration, and invasion of A549 and HCC827 cells, suggesting that PTEN is
      involved in miR-19-induced EMT, migration and invasion of lung cancer cells.
      Furthermore, lung cancer cells undergoing EMT induced by miR-19 demonstrated
      reduced proliferation in vitro and in vivo, and enhanced resistance to apoptosis
      caused by TNF-alpha. Taken together, these findings suggest that miR-19 triggers
      EMT, which has an important role in the invasion and migration of lung cancer
      cells, accompanied by the reduced proliferation of cells.

PMID- 26098004
TI  - [Home treatment - especially effective among boys with externalizing disorders?
      Age- and sex-specific effectiveness of home treatment for internalizing and
      externalizing disorders].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Indications for home treatment for specific diagnoses in child and
      adolescent psychiatry have not yet been evaluated. METHOD: In a recent
      intervention study (primary outcome: length of stay), 92 patients aged 5 to 17
      years were randomized into an intervention group (early discharge followed by
      home treatment in combination with inpatient treatment, where needed) and a
      control group (regular length inpatient treatment). The aim of this explorative
      analysis was to retrieve additional information on "what works for whom." Outcome
      parameters were as follows: Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS), Health of
      the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA), Strengths and
      Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Columbia Impairment Scale (CIS) at T1
      (within 14 days after intake), T2 (end of treatment) and T3 (? 8.4-month follow
      up). Multiple regression was used to investigate the association between
      diagnoses, treatment setting, age, sex, and improvement in both groups. RESULTS:
      In children externalizing disorders were predominant, whereas in adolescents
      internalizing disorders were prominent. Patients improved equally under both
      types of treatment. Home treatment, however, was rated by the patients to be
      significantly more effective in adolescents (SDQ p = .017), boys (CIS p = .009,
      SDQ p < .001), and with externalizing disorders (SDQ p = .005). CONCLUSIONS: Home
      treatment may be considered an alternative to inpatient treatment, especially in
      boys with externalizing disorders.

PMID- 26098005
TI  - [Food addiction - substance use disorder or behavioral addiction?].
AB  - This article looks at food addiction as a subject situated between psychiatry,
      neurobiology, nutritional science, internal medicine, food industry, and public
      health. Essentially, the question is whether or not individual nutritional
      components can induce physical dependence, similar to the well-known effects of
      drugs such as alcohol and cocaine, or whether food addiction is rather a
      behavioral addiction. The literature describes many overlaps as well as
      differences of substance-based and non-substance-based addiction in both clinical
      and neurobiological terms. Until recently it was argued that food addiction
      appears only in the realms of obesity and eating disorders (e.g., binge-eating
      disorder, BED). Some studies, however, described the prevalence of food addiction
      symptoms and diagnoses independent of overweight or that they were in subjects
      who do not fulfill the criteria for BED. This article sums up the controversial
      discussion about the phenomenological and neurobiological classification of food
      addiction. Implications of food addiction for children and adolescents as well as
      public-health-related issues are also discussed.

PMID- 26098006
TI  - [The comorbidity of learning difficulties and ADHD symptoms in primary-school-age
      children].
AB  - Children having difficulties in acquiring early literacy and mathematical skills
      often show an increased rate of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. This
      study provides data on the comorbidity rates of specific learning difficulties
      and ADHD symptoms. We analyzed the data of 273 children with learning
      difficulties despite an at least average IQ, 57 children with low IQ, and 270
      children without learning difficulties and average IQ (comparison group). We
      assessed children's IQ and school achievement using standardized achievement
      tests. ADHD symptoms were assessed via parents' ratings. Our results showed that
      only 5 % of both the control group and the group with solely mathematical
      difficulties fulfilled the criteria of an ADHD subtype according to the DSM-IV
      based on parents' ratings. In contrast, this was the case in even 20 % of the
      children with difficulties in reading/writing and of those with low IQ. Compared
      to girls, boys in the control group had a 150% higher risk for matching the
      criteria of one of the ADHD subtypes in parents' ratings, whereas boys with
      learning difficulties and those with low IQ had an even 200% to 600% higher risk
      for it. The relationship between learning difficulties and ADHD symptoms can be
      found predominantly in the inattentive type. Possible reasons for the results are
      discussed.

PMID- 26098007
TI  - [Visual perception abilities in children with reading disabilities].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Visual perceptual abilities are increasingly being neglected in
      research concerning reading disabilities. This study measures the visual
      perceptual abilities of children with disabilities in reading. METHOD: The visual
      perceptual abilities of 35 children with specific reading disorder and 30
      controls were compared using the German version of the Developmental Test of
      Visual Perception - Adolescent and Adult (DTVP-A). RESULTS: 11 % of the children
      with specific reading disorder show clinically relevant performance on the DTVP
      A. The perceptual abilities of both groups differ significantly. No significant
      group differences exist after controlling for general IQ or Perceptional
      Reasoning Index, but they do remain after controlling for Verbal Comprehension,
      Working Memory, and Processing Speed Index. CONCLUSIONS: The number of children
      with reading difficulties suffering from visual perceptual disorders has been
      underestimated. For this reason, visual perceptual abilities should always be
      tested when making a reading disorder diagnosis. Profiles of IQ-test results of
      children suffering from reading and visual perceptual disorders should be
      interpreted carefully.

PMID- 26098008
TI  - [Screening interview for early detection of high-functioning autism spectrum
      disorders].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Various different questionnaires are available for the screening of
      autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These screening instruments show high
      sensitivity and are able to identify a large number of individuals with ASD, but
      they lack the specificity to differentiate individuals with ASD from those
      children and adolescents with other complex neurobehavioural disorders (such as
      attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, emotional disorders, and others),
      especially for those without intellectual disabilities. METHOD: The present study
      evaluates the data of 309 individuals (153 with high-functioning ASD, 156 with
      other psychiatric disorders, IQ > 70) to find out whether selected items of the
      ADI-R can be used for an economic and sensitive screening of high-functioning
      ASD. RESULTS: The results show that 8 items of the ADI-R can be used to
      discriminate high-functioning ASD and other psychiatric disorders. A cutoff of 5
      led to a sensitivity of 0.93 and a cutoff of 6 to a specificity of 0.74.
      CONCLUSION: The combination of early onset, serious abnormalities in social
      contact with stereotyped or compulsive-ritualized behaviour or interests can be
      detected with few interview questions for screening of ASD. Nevertheless, a more
      detailed and specific assessment in an expert setting should follow the screening
      process.

PMID- 26098012
TI  - Incivility is (not) the very essence of love: Passion for work and incivility
      instigation.
AB  - This study explored the relationship between obsessive passion for work and
      incivility instigations, as well as the moderating role of a mastery motivational
      climate. A longitudinal, 3-wave study was conducted among 1,263 employees from a
      large Norwegian workers' union across a 10-month time span. The results show that
      obsessive passion for work relates positively to incivility instigations and that
      this relationship is stable over time. Building on the person-environment fit
      perspective, we find that the relationship between obsessive passion for work and
      incivility instigations is stronger for employees with both high levels of
      obsessive passion and high perceptions of a mastery climate. Our results
      underline the importance of considering not only the individual in his or her
      context but also of considering the match between the individual's values and the
      contextual values.

PMID- 26098013
TI  - Cerebral cavernous malformations: natural history and clinical management.
AB  - Cavernous malformations (CMs) are angiographically-occult clusters of dilated
      sinusoidal channels that may present clinically with seizures, focal neurological
      deficits and/or hemorrhage. Across natural history studies, the annual hemorrhage
      rate ranged from 1.6-3.1% per patient-year, decreasing to 0.08-0.2% per patient
      year for incidental CMs and to 0.3-0.6% for the collective group of unruptured
      CMs. Prior hemorrhage is a significant risk factor for subsequent CM hemorrhage.
      Hemorrhage clustering, particularly within the first 2 years, is an established
      phenomenon that may confound results of natural history studies evaluating the
      rate of rehemorrhage. Indeed, rehemorrhage rates for hemorrhagic CMs range from
      4.5-22.9% in the literature. Surgical resection is the gold standard treatment
      for surgically-accessible, symptomatic CMs. Incidental CMs or minimally
      symptomatic, surgically inaccessible eloquent lesions may be considered for
      observation. Stereotactic radiosurgery is a controversial treatment approach of
      consideration only for cases of highly aggressive, surgically inaccessible CMs. 

PMID- 26098014
TI  - Musculoskeletal pain may be associated with imatinib withdrawal syndrome in
      chronic myeloid leukemia patients.

PMID- 26098015
TI  - Graphical representation of clinical outcomes for patients with myelodysplastic
      syndromes.
AB  - The causes of death in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are diverse:
      infections, hemorrhage, complications of chronic anemia and repeated blood
      transfusions, and complications of progression to acute myeloid leukemia. Since
      most patients with MDS are diagnosed late in life, some individuals with MDS will
      succumb to an unrelated condition, such as one of the disorders that are common
      in geriatric populations. Currently, only a small proportion of patients with MDS
      - less than 5% - undergo allogeneic stem cell transplantation, a procedure that
      offers the only possibility of cure. This brief review summarizes outcomes for
      patients diagnosed with MDS using a pictographical format that illustrates both
      the challenges patients face and the pressing need for development of novel
      therapies, as well as highlighting the potential for increased use of allogeneic
      stem cell transplant. This informational graphic may be useful for teaching or in
      counseling certain patients. 

PMID- 26098016
TI  - Surface-Functionalized Porous Lignin for Fast and Efficient Lead Removal from
      Aqueous Solution.
AB  - The development of ecofriendly sorbents for fast and efficient removal of heavy
      metals from aqueous media still remains a significant challenge. Here, we report
      that this task can be addressed by creating a porous naturally occurring polymer,
      as illustrated by functionalizing lignin with large numbers of mesopores and
      functional groups. We show that surface-functionalized porous lignin (SFPL),
      obtained by a two-step process, has a large surface area of 22.3 m2/g, 12 times
      that of lignin, and a high density of dithiocarbamate groups (2.8 mmol/g). SFPL
      was found to exhibit an excellent adsorption performance toward lead ions
      dissolved in water. For example, 99% of the lead ions from 50 mL of a solution
      containing 20 mg/L lead ions was removed in just 30 min by 0.01 g of SFPL. The
      saturated adsorption capacity of SFPL for lead ions was found to be 188 mg/g,
      which is 13 times that of the original lignin and 7 times that of activated
      carbon. The adsorption process is endothermic and involves intraparticle
      diffusion and chemical adsorption between lead ions and the functional groups of
      SFPL. The cost effectiveness and environmental friendliness of SFPL make it a
      promising material for removing lead and other heavy metals from wastewater.

PMID- 26098017
TI  - A Few Case Studies on the Correlation of Particle Network and Its Stability on
      the Ionic Conductivity of Solid-Liquid Composite Electrolytes.
AB  - We discuss here the crucial role of the particle network and its stability on the
      long-range ion transport in solid-liquid composite electrolytes. The solid-liquid
      composite electrolytes chosen for the study here comprise nanometer sized silica
      (SiO2) particles having various surface chemical functionalities dispersed in
      nonaqueous lithium salt solutions, viz. lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) in two
      different polyethylene glycol based solvents. These systems constitute
      representative examples of an independent class of soft matter electrolytes known
      as "soggy sand" electrolytes, which have tremendous potential in diverse
      electrochemical devices. The oxide additive acts as a heterogeneous dopant
      creating free charge carriers and enhancing the local ion transport. For long
      range transport, however, a stable spanning particle network is needed.
      Systematic experimental investigations here reveal that the spatial and time
      dependent characteristics of the particle network in the liquid solution are
      nontrivial. The network characteristics are predominantly determined by the
      chemical makeup of the electrolyte components and the chemical interactions
      between them. It is noteworthy that in this study the steady state macroscopic
      ionic conductivity and viscosity of the solid-liquid composite electrolyte are
      observed to be greatly determined by the additive oxide surface chemical
      functionality, solvent chemical composition, and solvent dielectric constant. 

PMID- 26098018
TI  - Deep burn of hand and forearm treated by abdominal wall flap. A case report.
AB  - AIM: Post-traumatic hand and forearm defects always represent a challenge for
      reconstructive surgeons, especially when multiple structures are involved,
      because of a high rate of amputation. MATERIAL OF STUDY: A 21 years old woman
      arrived to the E.R. with a complex crush-burn trauma of the upper limb caused by
      an accident with an industrial ironing machine, resulting in a ulnar bone
      fracture, ulnar artery laceration and a wide burn of the dorsum of the right
      forearm. RESULT: We achieved toTAL limb salvage with coverage of the "nobles"
      structures of the forearm. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Different reconstructive
      methods have been used over time to treat these defects focusing the attention on
      both functional and cosmetic aspects. The abdominal pedicle flap was one of the
      achiest reconstructive methods for hand and forearm defects. In an era in which
      microsurgery takes the lion's share, some basic procedure may be helpful,
      especially in certain cases. In this study the authors reported a case of a young
      woman with a complex trauma of the right arm resulting from an occupational
      accident.

PMID- 26098019
TI  - Single-cell magnetic imaging using a quantum diamond microscope.
AB  - We apply a quantum diamond microscope for detection and imaging of
      immunomagnetically labeled cells. This instrument uses nitrogen-vacancy (NV)
      centers in diamond for correlated magnetic and fluorescence imaging. Our device
      provides single-cell resolution and a field of view (~1 mm(2)) two orders of
      magnitude larger than that of previous NV imaging technologies, enabling
      practical applications. To illustrate, we quantified cancer biomarkers expressed
      by rare tumor cells in a large population of healthy cells. 

PMID- 26098020
TI  - A naturally monomeric infrared fluorescent protein for protein labeling in vivo.
AB  - Infrared fluorescent proteins (IFPs) provide an additional color to GFP and its
      homologs in protein labeling. Drawing on structural analysis of the dimer
      interface, we identified a bacteriophytochrome in the sequence database that is
      monomeric in truncated form and engineered it into a naturally monomeric IFP
      (mIFP). We demonstrate that mIFP correctly labels proteins in live cells,
      Drosophila and zebrafish. It should be useful in molecular, cell and
      developmental biology. 

PMID- 26098021
TI  - Combining protein and mRNA quantification to decipher transcriptional regulation.
AB  - We combine immunofluorescence and single-molecule fluorescence in situ
      hybridization (smFISH), followed by automated image analysis, to quantify the
      concentration of nuclear transcription factors, number of transcription factors
      bound, and number of nascent mRNAs synthesized at individual gene loci. A
      theoretical model is used to decipher how transcription factor binding modulates
      the stochastic kinetics of mRNA production. We demonstrate this approach by
      examining the regulation of hunchback in the early Drosophila embryo. 

PMID- 26098022
TI  - Multiyear Measurements of Flame Retardants and Organochlorine Pesticides in Air
      in Canada's Western Sub-Arctic.
AB  - Fourteen polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 14 non-BDE flame retardants
      (FRs), and 25 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were analyzed in air samples
      collected at Little Fox Lake (LFL) in Canada's Yukon Territory from August 2011
      to December 2014. LFL is a long-term monitoring station operated under the
      Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) and one of only a few stations that
      contribute to the assessment of air pollution levels and pathways to the sub
      Arctic region. BDE-47 was the most abundant congener among the 14 PBDEs, followed
      by BDE-99. Non-BDE FRs pentabromotoluene (PBT) and dechlorane plus (DP) were
      detected in all the samples. Dechlorane 602, 2,3-dibromopropyl-2,4,6
      tribromophenyl ether (DPTE), hexabromobenzene (HBB), and 2-ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5
      tetrabromobenzoate (EH-TBB) were also detected in >75% of all samples. PBDEs have
      shown a decreasing tendency as of 2013, which may reflect the phase-out of penta-
      and octa-BDE mixtures has led to significant decline in the atmosphere. The
      highest concentrations of OCPs were observed for hexachlorobenzene (HCB), with a
      median concentration of 61 pg/m(3), followed by alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane
      (alpha-HCH) and alpha-endosulfan. Potential source contribution function (PSCF)
      highlights Northern Canada, Pacific, and East Asia as potential sources in warm
      seasons; whereas in cold seasons, the chemicals mainly came from the Pacific Rim.

PMID- 26098023
TI  - Response-adaptive randomization for multi-arm clinical trials using the forward
      looking Gittins index rule.
AB  - The Gittins index provides a well established, computationally attractive,
      optimal solution to a class of resource allocation problems known collectively as
      the multi-arm bandit problem. Its development was originally motivated by the
      problem of optimal patient allocation in multi-arm clinical trials. However, it
      has never been used in practice, possibly for the following reasons: (1) it is
      fully sequential, i.e., the endpoint must be observable soon after treating a
      patient, reducing the medical settings to which it is applicable; (2) it is
      completely deterministic and thus removes randomization from the trial, which
      would naturally protect against various sources of bias. We propose a novel
      implementation of the Gittins index rule that overcomes these difficulties,
      trading off a small deviation from optimality for a fully randomized, adaptive
      group allocation procedure which offers substantial improvements in terms of
      patient benefit, especially relevant for small populations. We report the
      operating characteristics of our approach compared to existing methods of
      adaptive randomization using a recently published trial as motivation. 

PMID- 26098025
TI  - Do Drinking Episodes Contribute to Sexual Aggression Perpetration in College Men?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Survey and experimental analog studies suggest that alcohol
      consumption contributes to perpetration of sexual aggression. However, few
      studies have considered the temporal association between naturally occurring
      episodes of drinking and subsequent sexual aggression. This daily report study
      was designed to examine whether alcohol consumption increases the odds of
      aggressive sexual activity within the next 4 hours. METHOD: First-year male
      college students (N = 427) completed daily online reports of drinking and sexual
      activity for up to 56 days. Multilevel modeling was used to determine whether
      drinking episodes increased the odds of the following outcomes occurring within 4
      hours: (a) aggressive sex with a new partner, (b) non-aggressive sex with a new
      partner, (c) aggressive sex with a previous partner, and (d) non-aggressive sex
      with a previous partner. RESULTS: Drinking episodes increased the odds of both
      aggressive and non-aggressive sex with a new partner. In contrast, drinking
      episodes did not predict aggression involving previous partners and decreased the
      odds of non-aggressive sex with a previous partner. Contrary to hypotheses,
      individual difference variables associated with propensity toward sexual
      aggression (sexual misperception, antisocial behavior, hostility toward women)
      did not interact with daily alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: The complex pattern of results
      is more consistent with situational as opposed to pharmacological effects of
      alcohol on sexual aggression and suggests that prevention efforts focus on
      drinking contexts known to facilitate sexual activity.

PMID- 26098026
TI  - Alcohol-Induced Blackouts and Other Negative Outcomes During the Transition Out
      of College.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There is considerable debate about the prospective association between
      alcohol-dependence symptoms and alcohol-related blackouts. The goal of this study
      was to examine the associations among alcohol-dependence symptoms, blackouts, and
      social and emotional consequences during the transition out of college. METHOD:
      Participants (N = 829; 66% female) were part of a 6-year longitudinal study
      designed to explore alcohol use and risky behaviors during and after college.
      Data for these analyses were from Years 4 and 5 of data collection, which most
      closely corresponded to the transition out of college. Using cross-lagged models,
      we tested the prospective associations of alcohol-dependence symptoms, blackout
      frequency, and social and emotional consequences. RESULTS: Alcohol-dependence
      symptoms in Year 4 predicted increased frequency of blackouts and social and
      emotional consequences during the subsequent year. Blackouts during Year 4 also
      significantly predicted increased alcohol-related social and emotional
      consequences, but not dependence symptoms, in Year 5. CONCLUSIONS: Although
      blackouts do not predict the development of alcohol-dependence symptoms, they
      increase the risk for less severe alcohol-related consequences during the
      transition out of college. This may result from the cognitive reconciliation of
      negative behaviors that occur during these episodes of amnesia.

PMID- 26098027
TI  - A Brief Orientation Week Ecological Momentary Intervention to Reduce University
      Student Alcohol Consumption.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Orientation Week is a series of events at the beginning of the
      university year that introduces incoming students to university life. It is also
      the period of the academic year when students consume more alcohol than at any
      other time. Recently, we demonstrated that alcohol consumption during Orientation
      Week was related to alcohol consumption during the academic year. The aim of the
      present study was to determine whether a brief Ecological Momentary Intervention
      (EMI) implemented during Orientation Week could reduce alcohol consumption during
      Orientation Week and throughout the academic year. METHOD: Participants were 130
      freshman-year university students (72 women, 58 men) randomly assigned to either
      an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) condition or an EMA-EMI condition. In
      both conditions, participants reported pre-university, Orientation Week, and
      academic year weekend alcohol consumption. Those in the EMA-EMI condition also
      received EMI text messages promoting moderation every night during Orientation
      Week. RESULTS: Although the EMI did not reduce men's drinking, women in the EMA
      EMI condition, compared with women in the EMA condition, consumed significantly
      fewer drinks during Orientation Week, M = 17.1, SD = 13.3, vs. M = 26.4, SD =
      22.5, respectively, t(70) = -1.927, p < .05, Cohen's d = 0.473, and reported
      consuming fewer weekend drinks during the academic semester, M = 5.0, SD = 3.3,
      vs. M = 7.5, SD = 6.3, respectively, t(70) = -2.263, p < .05, d = 0.451.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the first important step in reducing drinking
      among university students by developing and using EMIs during Orientation Week.

PMID- 26098029
TI  - The Relationship of Alcoholism and Alcohol Consumption to All-Cause Mortality in
      Forty-One-Year Follow-up of the Swedish REBUS Sample.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of alcoholism,
      alcohol consumption amount, and alcohol consumption pattern on mortality in a
      general population sample. METHOD: This study used a 1970 prospective population
      sample (double-phase random sample) of 2,300 individuals ages 18-65 years in
      Stockholm County, which was also linked to mortality registers. A total of 1,895
      individuals participated in a semi-structured, baseline psychiatric interview
      with a psychiatrist and social worker. Alcoholism and other mental disorders were
      recorded according to the eighth revision of the International Classification of
      Diseases (ICD-8). Information on the usual amount and frequency of alcohol
      consumption was collected at the psychiatric interview. Mortality up to year 2011
      was assessed with Cox proportional hazard regression models. RESULTS: At
      baseline, there were 65 men and 21 women diagnosed with alcoholism. During
      followup, there were 873 deaths in the study population of 1,895. Alcoholism was
      associated with increased mortality rate. Former drinkers, but not never
      drinkers, also had increased risk for mortality compared with moderate drinkers.
      We found no associations between heavy consumption and mortality. Frequent heavy
      episodic drinking was uncommon but related to mortality before, but not after,
      adjusting for an alcoholism diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that
      alcoholism-but not a reported high consumption of alcohol or frequent heavy
      episodic drinking-predicted a long-term risk of death.

PMID- 26098028
TI  - Single-Session Alcohol Interventions for Heavy Drinking College Students: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis summarizing
      the effectiveness of brief, single-session interventions to reduce alcohol use
      among heavy drinking college students. METHOD: A comprehensive literature search
      identified 73 studies comparing the effects of single-session brief alcohol
      intervention with treatment-as-usual or no-treatment control conditions on
      alcohol use among heavy drinking college students. Random-effects meta-analyses
      with robust variance estimates were used to synthesize 662 effect sizes,
      estimating the average overall effect of the interventions and the variability in
      effects across a range of moderators. RESULTS: An overall mean effect size of g =
      0.18, 95% CI [0.12, 0.24] indicated that, on average, single-session brief
      alcohol interventions significantly reduced alcohol use among heavy drinking
      college students relative to comparison conditions. There was minimal variability
      in effects associated with study method and quality, general study
      characteristics, participant demographics, or outcome measure type. However,
      studies using motivational enhancement therapy/motivational interviewing (MET/MI)
      modalities reported larger effects than those using psychoeducational therapy
      (PET) interventions. Further investigation revealed that studies using MET/ MI
      and feedback-only interventions, but not those using cognitive-behavioral therapy
      or PET modalities, reported average effect sizes that differed significantly from
      zero. There was also evidence that long-term effects were weaker than short-term
      effects. CONCLUSIONS: Single-session brief alcohol interventions show modest
      effects for reducing alcohol consumption among heavy drinking college students
      and may be particularly effective when they incorporate MET/MI principles. More
      research is needed to directly compare intervention modalities, to develop more
      potent interventions, and to explore the persistence of long-term effects.

PMID- 26098030
TI  - Drinking Level, Drinking Pattern, and Twenty-Year Total Mortality Among Late-Life
      Drinkers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Research on moderate drinking has focused on the average level of
      drinking. Recently, however, investigators have begun to consider the role of the
      pattern of drinking, particularly heavy episodic drinking, in mortality. The
      present study examined the combined roles of average drinking level (moderate vs.
      high) and drinking pattern (regular vs. heavy episodic) in 20-year total
      mortality among late-life drinkers. METHOD: The sample comprised 1,121 adults
      ages 55-65 years. Alcohol consumption was assessed at baseline, and total
      mortality was indexed across 20 years. We used multiple logistic regression
      analyses controlling for a broad set of sociodemographic, behavioral, and health
      status covariates. RESULTS: Among individuals whose high level of drinking placed
      them at risk, a heavy episodic drinking pattern did not increase mortality odds
      compared with a regular drinking pattern. Conversely, among individuals who
      engage in a moderate level of drinking, prior findings showed that a heavy
      episodic drinking pattern did increase mortality risk compared with a regular
      drinking pattern. Correspondingly, a high compared with a moderate drinking level
      increased mortality risk among individuals maintaining a regular drinking
      pattern, but not among individuals engaging in a heavy episodic drinking pattern,
      whose pattern of consumption had already placed them at risk. CONCLUSIONS:
      Findings highlight that low-risk drinking requires that older adults drink low to
      moderate average levels of alcohol and avoid heavy episodic drinking. Heavy
      episodic drinking is frequent among late-middle-aged and older adults and needs
      to be addressed along with average consumption in understanding the health risks
      of late-life drinkers.

PMID- 26098031
TI  - Predictors of Postpartum Change in Alcohol Use in Norwegian Mothers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between marital status, family
      size, and postpartum alcohol use from birth to 36 months postpartum, based on
      data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. METHOD: Mothers' self
      reported alcohol frequency and alcohol units per drinking occasion at 0-3 months,
      4-6 months, 18 months, and 36 months postpartum were modeled using linear mixed
      models for repeated measures. RESULTS: There was a strong main effect of time on
      alcohol use, with increases in alcohol use from childbirth to 36 months after
      childbirth. Adjusting for covariates, there were threeway interaction effects for
      Time * Family Structure * Family Size for alcohol units and alcohol frequency,
      indicating that a change in alcohol use varied as a function of family structure
      and family size. Single mothers had a lower increase in frequency of alcohol use
      but a steeper increase in the number of alcohol units. However, this effect was
      less pronounced with increasing family size. CONCLUSIONS: The patterns of
      findings are consistent with a differential opportunity perspective on alcohol
      use.

PMID- 26098033
TI  - Drinking to Cope Motivation as a Prospective Predictor of Negative Affect.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Consistent with research indicating that drinking to cope (DTC)
      motivation might exacerbate negative affective states within or immediately
      proximal to discrete drinking episodes, we examined whether yearly deviations in
      more global levels of DTC motivation prospectively predicted depressive and
      anxious affect over several weeks. METHOD: College students (N = 521, 52% women)
      completed baseline measures of drinking motives, recent depression and anxiety
      symptoms, recent alcohol use, and alcohol use disorder symptoms on a secure
      website. Approximately 2 weeks after completing this survey, participants
      completed the 30-day daily diary portion of the study in which they reported on
      their current-day affective states. This yearly assessment burst in which
      participants completed a baseline survey and a daily diary assessment was
      repeated for 3 additional years. RESULTS: We found that changes in DTC motivation
      were positively associated with changes in depressive and anxious affect in the
      subsequent month, after we controlled for changes in concurrent anxiety and
      depressive symptoms, drinking level, enhancement drinking motivation, and alcohol
      use disorder symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are consistent with the notion
      that DTC motivation confers a unique vulnerability for emotion dysregulation, and
      that drinking for such reasons possibly prolongs or exacerbates negative
      affective states.

PMID- 26098032
TI  - Differences Between African-American and European-American Women in the
      Association of Childhood Sexual Abuse With Initiation of Marijuana Use and
      Progression to Problem Use.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with elevated risk of early
      marijuana use and cannabis use disorder (CUD). Both the prevalence of CSA and the
      course of marijuana use differ between African Americans and European Americans.
      The current study aimed to determine whether these differences manifest in
      racial/ ethnic distinctions in the association of CSA with early and problem use
      of marijuana. METHOD: Data were derived from female participants in a female twin
      study and a high-risk family study of substance use (n = 4,193, 21% African
      American). Cox proportional hazard regression analyses using CSA to predict
      initiation of marijuana use and progression to CUD symptom(s) were conducted
      separately by race/ethnicity. Sibling status on the marijuana outcome was used to
      adjust for familial influences. RESULTS: CSA was associated with both stages of
      marijuana use in African-American and European-American women. The association
      was consistent over the risk period (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.57, 95% confidence
      interval [CI] [1.37, 1.79] for initiation; HR = 1.51, 95% CI [1.21, 1.88] for CUD
      symptom onset) in European-American women. In African-American women, the HRs for
      initiation were 2.52 (95% CI [1.52, 4.18]) before age 15, 1.82 (95% CI [1.36,
      2.44]) at ages 15-17, and nonsignificant after age 17. In the CUD symptom model,
      CSA predicted onset only at age 21 and older (HR = 2.17, 95% CI [1.31, 3.59]).
      CONCLUSIONS: The association of CSA with initiation of marijuana use and
      progression to problem use is stable over time in European-American women, but in
      African-American women, it varies by developmental period. Findings suggest the
      importance of considering race/ethnicity in prevention efforts with this high
      risk population.

PMID- 26098034
TI  - Depressive Symptoms Anticipate Changes in the Frequency of Alcohol Intoxication
      Among Low-Accepted Adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There is strong evidence that depression anticipates later drinking
      problems among adults. These associations have not been consistently documented
      during adolescence, perhaps because little attention has been given to individual
      differences in peer relationships, which are the primary setting for adolescent
      alcohol consumption. This study investigated associations between depressive
      affect and alcohol misuse as moderated by peer group acceptance. METHOD: A
      community sample of 1,048 Swedish youth provided self-reports of depressive
      symptoms and intoxication frequency at annual intervals across the middle school
      years (seventh grade: M = 13.21 years old; eighth grade: M = 14.27 years old;
      ninth grade: M = 15.26 years old). Peer nominations provided a measure of
      individual acceptance. RESULTS: Growth curve analyses revealed differences in the
      extent to which initial levels of depressive symptoms predicted the slope of
      increase in intoxication frequency. Higher levels of depressive symptoms at the
      outset anticipated sharp increases in intoxication frequency from seventh to
      ninth grades for low-accepted youth but not for average- or high-accepted youth.
      CONCLUSIONS: poor peer relations and depressive affect are vulnerabilities that
      set the stage for escalating adolescent alcohol misuse. Across the middle school
      years, when most youth have their first experiences with alcohol, peer
      difficulties exacerbated the tendency of depressed youth to drink to excess.

PMID- 26098035
TI  - The Chicken or the Egg: Examining Temporal Precedence Among Attitudes, Injunctive
      Norms, and College Student Drinking.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to test for projection, conformity, or
      reciprocal associations among attitudes, injunctive norms, and drinking. Assuming
      that these constructs are not independent, we proposed three possible
      trajectories. A conformity model would suggest that injunctive norms should
      temporally precede drinking or attitudes. Alternatively, a projection model would
      suggest that attitudes or alcohol use would precede injunctive norms.
      Furthermore, by examining the processes over three time points, the current study
      would also examine whether both conformity and projection processes were at work,
      indicating reciprocal relationships. METHOD: participants included 249 college
      students (63.1% female), who participated as a control group in a larger
      intervention trial. Structural equation modeling was used to examine cross
      sectional and prospective associations among injunctive norms, attitudes, and
      drinking across each of the three time points. RESULTS: Findings demonstrated
      three significant cross-lagged associations. Injunctive norms at Time 1 was
      significantly associated with drinking at Time 2 (conformity), and both attitudes
      and drinking at Time 2 were significantly associated with injunctive norms at
      Time 3 (projection). The pattern of cross-lagged associations suggested one
      meaningful indirect pathway, from Time 1 injunctive norms to Time 2 drinking to
      Time 3 injunctive norms (reciprocal association). CONCLUSIONS: The present study
      suggests that both the conformity and the projection processes seem to be
      important and evident for college student drinking when considering injunctive
      norms and drinking over time. Interventions that focus on both conformity and
      projection may be particularly effective at reducing longer-term alcohol use.

PMID- 26098036
TI  - Readiness to Change and to Accept Help and Drinking Outcomes in Young Adults of
      Mexican Origin.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess whether readiness to change
      drinking (RCD) and readiness to accept help (RAH) improve short- and longer term
      drinking outcomes. METHOD: Data from a randomized controlled trial of screening
      and brief intervention (SBI) conducted in a U.S. emergency department at the U.S.
      Mexico border are reported. A total of 620 at-risk and dependent Mexican-origin
      drinkers (56% male), ages 18-30, received either an assessment only or
      intervention (SBI). Drinking outcomes included drinking days per week, average
      and maximum drinks per drinking day, heavy drinking (5+ drinks) days per week,
      and negative consequences. Random effects longitudinal models predicted baseline,
      3-month, and 12-month drinking outcomes from baseline RCD and RAH. Models tested
      if (a) outcomes were significantly reduced at follow-ups and (b) differential
      reduction occurred by RCD, RAH, and post-intervention changes in readiness among
      those receiving SBI. RESULTS: For both study groups, outcomes improved from
      baseline to each follow-up across RCD and RAH status. RCD was not associated with
      differential improvement in outcomes for either group. In the SBI group, those
      RAH reported larger reductions at 3 months in average and maximum quantity than
      those not RAH but did not differ from those not RAH at 12-month outcomes. Among
      the SBI group, changing from not ready to ready (RTC or RAH) post-intervention
      was not associated with greater reductions in drinking compared with remaining
      not ready or ready post-intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline RCD is not associated
      with drinking outcomes. Baseline RAH may facilitate greater reductions in
      drinking for those receiving SBI and should be further examined as a possible
      mediator of SBI effects for young adults of Mexican origin.

PMID- 26098038
TI  - Combined Use of Alcohol and Energy Drinks Increases Participation in High-Risk
      Drinking and Driving Behaviors Among College Students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A recent study suggested that college students who combined alcohol
      and energy drinks were more likely than students who consumed only alcohol to
      drive when their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was higher than the .08% limit
      and to choose to drive despite knowing they had too much alcohol to drive safely.
      This study sought to replicate those findings with a larger sample while also
      exploring additional variables related to impaired driving. METHOD: College
      students (N = 549) completed an anonymous online survey to assess differences in
      drinking and driving-related behaviors between alcohol-only users (n = 281) and
      combined alcohol-energy drink users (n = 268). RESULTS: Combined users were more
      likely than alcohol-only users to choose to (a) drive when they perceived they
      were over the .08% BAC limit (35.0% vs. 18.1%, p < .001), (b) drive despite
      knowing they had too much alcohol to drive safely (36.3% vs. 17.0%, p < .001),
      and (c) be a passenger when they knew the driver had too much alcohol to drive
      safely (44.1% vs. 23.6%, p < .001). Combined users were significantly more likely
      (p < .001) to report indicators of high-risk alcohol use, such as larger number
      of drinks consumed, number of days drinking, number of days drunk, number of
      heavy episodic drinking episodes, greatest number of drinks on one occasion, and
      average hours of consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Combined use of alcohol and energy
      drinks may place drinkers at greater risk when compared with those who consume
      only alcohol. College students in this sample who combined alcohol and energy
      drinks were more likely to participate in high-risk driving behaviors than those
      who consumed only alcohol.

PMID- 26098037
TI  - Physical Pain in Alcohol-Dependent Patients Entering Treatment in Poland
      Prevalence and Correlates.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Chronic pain and problematic alcohol use commonly co-exist, as the use
      of alcohol is commonly considered a useful pain self-management strategy. The
      purpose of this study was to characterize pain and pain-related problems in a
      group of primary alcohol-dependent individuals entering treatment facilities.
      METHOD: A sample of 366 (73.5% men and 26.5% women) alcohol-dependent (according
      to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition,
      criteria) subjects was recruited in alcohol treatment centers in Warsaw, Poland.
      Information was obtained about demographics, social functioning, sexual and
      physical abuse during childhood, and severity of alcohol and sleep problems as
      well as level of impulsivity and general psychopathology. The study group was
      divided into a "mild or no pain" group and a "moderate or greater pain" group.
      RESULTS: Among the study group, 34.4% of individuals reported moderate or greater
      physical pain during the last 4 weeks. The statistical analysis revealed that the
      experience of physical pain was significantly associated with lower level of
      education, unemployment, experience of sexual abuse before 18 years of age, and
      severity of alcohol dependence as well as other potential predictors of relapse
      (impulsivity, sleep problems, general psychopathology). When entered into
      logistic regression analysis with other dependent variables, the level of general
      psychopathology, severity of sleep problems, age, and education were all
      significantly associated with pain severity. CONCLUSIONS: Physical pain is a
      prevalent and potentially impairing experience in adults seeking treatment for
      alcohol dependence. Therapeutic interventions aimed at reducing pain in alcohol
      dependent individuals should be studied to evaluate their impact on improving
      overall treatment outcomes.

PMID- 26098039
TI  - Virtual Reality Therapy for the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence: A Preliminary
      Investigation With Positron Emission Tomography/Computerized Tomography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Virtual reality therapy (VRT) uses multimodal stimulation that
      includes visual, auditory, olfactory, and gustatory stimuli. The aim of this
      study was to assess the effectiveness of VRT in treating subjects with alcohol
      dependence (AD) by evaluating changes in brain metabolism. METHOD: The VRT
      protocol consisted of three steps: relaxation, presentation of a high-risk
      situation, and presentation of an aversive situation. Twelve alcohol-dependent
      subjects underwent 10 sessions of VRT. The alcohol-dependent subjects were
      assessed with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography images before
      and after VRT, whereas the control group underwent imaging according to the same
      protocol only at baseline. RESULTS: Compared with the healthy control group, AD
      subjects showed higher metabolism in the right lentiform nucleus and right
      temporal lobe (BA20) at baseline (P(FDR < .05) = .026). In addition, the
      metabolism in the left anterior cingulate was lower in subjects with AD
      (P(uncorr) = .001). After VRT, alcohol-dependent subjects showed decreased brain
      metabolism in the right lentiform nucleus (P(FDR < .05) = .026) and right
      temporal lobe (BA38, P(FDR < .05) = .032) relative to that at baseline.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a neurobiological imbalance, notably, a high
      sensitivity to stimuli, in the limbic system in subjects with AD. Furthermore, we
      determined that metabolism decreased in the basal ganglia after VRT, which may
      explain the limbic-regulated responses of reward and regulation. Therefore, we
      tentatively recommend VRT to treat AD through its regulating effect on limbic
      circuits.

PMID- 26098040
TI  - Relationships Between Minimum Alcohol Pricing and Crime During the Partial
      Privatization of a Canadian Government Alcohol Monopoly.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the independent effects of
      increases in minimum alcohol prices and densities of private liquor stores on
      crime outcomes in British Columbia, Canada, during a partial privatization of off
      premise liquor sales. METHOD: A time-series cross-sectional panel study was
      conducted using mixed model regression analysis to explore associations between
      minimum alcohol prices, densities of liquor outlets, and crime outcomes across 89
      local health areas of British Columbia between 2002 and 2010. Archival data on
      minimum alcohol prices, per capita alcohol outlet densities, and ecological
      demographic characteristics were related to measures of crimes against persons,
      alcohol-related traffic violations, and non-alcohol-related traffic violations.
      Analyses were adjusted for temporal and regional autocorrelation. RESULTS: A 10%
      increase in provincial minimum alcohol prices was associated with an 18.81% (95%
      CI: +/-17.99%, p < .05) reduction in alcohol-related traffic violations, a 9.17%
      (95% CI: +/-5.95%, p < .01) reduction in crimes against persons, and a 9.39% (95%
      CI: +/-3.80%, p < .001) reduction in total rates of crime outcomes examined.
      There was no significant association between minimum alcohol prices and non
      alcohol-related traffic violations (p > .05). Densities of private liquor stores
      were not significantly associated with alcohol-involved traffic violations or
      crimes against persons, though they were with non-alcohol-related traffic
      violations. CONCLUSIONS: Reductions in crime events associated with minimum
      alcohol-price changes were more substantial and specific to alcohol-related
      events than the countervailing increases in densities of private liquor stores.
      The findings lend further support to the application of minimum alcohol prices
      for public health and safety objectives.

PMID- 26098041
TI  - "Hey Everyone, I'm Drunk." An Evaluation of Drinking-Related Twitter Chatter.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The promotion of drinking behaviors correlates with increased drinking
      behaviors and intent to drink, especially when peers are the promotion source.
      Similarly, online displays of peer drinking behaviors have been described as a
      potential type of peer pressure that might lead to alcohol misuse when the peers
      to whom individuals feel attached value such behaviors. Social media messages
      about drinking behaviors on Twitter (a popular social media platform among young
      people) are common but understudied. In response, and given that drinking alcohol
      is a widespread activity among young people, we examined Twitter chatter about
      drinking. METHOD: Tweets containing alcohol- or drinking-related keywords were
      collected from March 13 to April 11, 2014. We assessed a random sample (n =
      5,000) of the most influential Tweets for sentiment, theme, and source. RESULTS:
      Most alcohol-related Tweets reflected a positive sentiment toward alcohol use,
      with pro-alcohol Tweets outnumbering anti-alcohol Tweets by a factor of more than
      10. The most common themes of pro-drinking Tweets included references to frequent
      or heavy drinking behaviors and wanting/needing/planning to drink alcohol. The
      most common sources of pro-alcohol Tweets were organic (i.e., noncommercial).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the need for online prevention messages about
      drinking to counter the strong pro-alcohol presence on Twitter. However, to
      enhance the impact of anti-drinking messages on Twitter, it may be prudent for
      such Tweets to be sent by individuals who are widely followed on Twitter and
      during times when heavy drinking is more likely to occur (i.e., weekends,
      holidays).

PMID- 26098043
TI  - Effect of drug physico-chemical properties on the efficiency of top-down process
      and characterization of nanosuspension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The top-down approach is frequently used for drug nanocrystal
      production. A large number of review papers have referred to the top-down
      approach in terms of process parameters such as stabilizer selection. However, a
      very important factor, that is, the influence of drug properties, has been not
      addressed so far. AREAS COVERED: This review will first discuss different
      nanocrystal technologies in brief. The focus will be on reviewing the different
      drug properties such as solid state and particle morphology on the efficiency of
      particle size reduction during top-down processes. Furthermore, the drug
      properties in the final nanosuspensions are critical for drug dissolution
      velocity. Therefore, another focus is the characterization of drugs in obtained
      nanosuspension. EXPERT OPINION: Drug physical properties play an important role
      in the production efficiency. The combinative technologies using modified drugs
      could significantly improve the performances of top-down processes. However,
      further understanding of the drug millability and homogenization will still be
      needed. In addition, a carefully established characterization system for
      nansuspension is essential.

PMID- 26098042
TI  - The Supply of Physicians Waivered to Prescribe Buprenorphine for Opioid Use
      Disorders in the United States: A State-Level Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of buprenorphine in
      2002 expanded options for treating opioid use disorder (OUD). Physicians who
      intend to treat OUD patients with buprenorphine must seek a waiver to prescribe
      it, which may contribute to state-by-state variation in the supply of waivered
      physicians. METHOD: This study integrates data extracted from the U.S. Drug
      Enforcement Agency's database of waivered physicians with state-level indicators
      of the macro environment, health-related resources, and treatment demand.
      RESULTS: In December 2013, the average state had 8.0 waivered physicians per
      100,000 residents (SD = 5.2). Large regional differences between states in the
      Northeast relative to states in the Midwest, South, and West were observed. The
      percentage of residents covered by Medicaid as well as the population-adjusted
      availability of opioid treatment programs and substance use disorder treatment
      facilities were positively associated with buprenorphine physician supply.
      Buprenorphine physician supply was positively correlated with states' rates of
      overdose deaths, suggesting that physicians may seek the waiver in response to
      the magnitude of the opioid problem in their state. CONCLUSIONS: States with
      greater health-related resources, particularly in terms of the supply of opioid
      treatment programs and substance use disorder treatment programs, had more
      waivered physicians in 2013. The finding regarding Medicaid coverage suggests
      that states implementing Medicaid expansion under health reform may experience
      additional growth in buprenorphine physician supply. However, large regional
      disparities in the supply of waivered physicians may impede access to care for
      many Americans with OUD.

PMID- 26098044
TI  - Cholesterol Modified Self-Assemblies and Their Application to Nanomedicine.
AB  - Cholesterol is a ubiquitous molecule in biological systems, and in particular
      plays various important roles in mammalian cellular processes. The presence of
      cholesterol is integral to the structure and behavior of biological membranes,
      and profoundly influences membrane involvement in cellular mechanisms. This
      review focuses on the incorporation of cholesterol into synthetic nanomaterials
      and assemblies, focusing on LC phase behavior, morphology/self-organization and
      hydrophobic interactions, all important factors in the design of nanomedicines.
      We highlight cholesteryl conjugates, liposomes and polymeric micelles, focusing
      on self-assembly capabilities, drug encapsulation and intracellular delivery. An
      area of considerable interest identified in this review is the use of cholesteryl
      functional vectors to deliver drugs or nucleic acids. Such applications depend on
      the ability of the nanoparticle carrier to associate with both the cellular and
      endosomal membrane.

PMID- 26098045
TI  - Trends in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia Grade 2+ after human papillomavirus
      vaccination: The devil is in the details.

PMID- 26098046
TI  - Method matters: Understanding diagnostic reliability in DSM-IV and DSM-5.
AB  - Diagnostic reliability is essential for the science and practice of psychology,
      in part because reliability is necessary for validity. Recently, the DSM-5 field
      trials documented lower diagnostic reliability than past field trials and the
      general research literature, resulting in substantial criticism of the DSM-5
      diagnostic criteria. Rather than indicating specific problems with DSM-5,
      however, the field trials may have revealed long-standing diagnostic issues that
      have been hidden due to a reliance on audio/video recordings for estimating
      reliability. We estimated the reliability of DSM-IV diagnoses using both the
      standard audio-recording method and the test-retest method used in the DSM-5
      field trials, in which different clinicians conduct separate interviews.
      Psychiatric patients (N = 339) were diagnosed using the SCID-I/P; 218 were
      diagnosed a second time by an independent interviewer. Diagnostic reliability
      using the audio-recording method (N = 49) was "good" to "excellent" (M kappa =
      .80) and comparable to the DSM-IV field trials estimates. Reliability using the
      test-retest method (N = 218) was "poor" to "fair" (M kappa = .47) and similar to
      DSM-5 field-trials' estimates. Despite low test-retest diagnostic reliability,
      self-reported symptoms were highly stable. Moreover, there was no association
      between change in self-report and change in diagnostic status. These results
      demonstrate the influence of method on estimates of diagnostic reliability.

PMID- 26098048
TI  - [Operability assessment - simply reasonable].

PMID- 26098047
TI  - Progression in substance use initiation: A multilevel discordant monozygotic twin
      design.
AB  - Considerable attention has been paid to the "gateway" pattern of drug use
      initiation in which individuals progress from tobacco and alcohol use to cannabis
      and other illicit drugs. The extent to which this sequence reflects a causal
      impact of licit substance use on illicit substance involvement remains unclear.
      Clarifying the mechanisms underlying substance use initiation may help inform our
      understanding of risk for psychopathology, as increasing research is
      demonstrating associations between initiation patterns and heavier involvement.
      This study examined patterns of substance use initiation using a discordant twin
      design. Participants were 3,476 monozygotic twins (37% male) from the Australian
      Twin Registry who reported on their ages of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis
      initiation. Multilevel proportional hazard regression models were used to (a)
      estimate within-twin-pair and between-twin-pair contributions to associations
      between the ages of onset of different drugs; and (b) examine whether the
      magnitude of effects differed as a function of the order of substance use
      initiation. Finding significant effects within twin pairs would support the
      hypothesis that the age of initiation of a substance causally influences the age
      of initiation of a subsequent substance. Finding significant effects between twin
      pairs would support the operation of familial influences that explain variation
      in the ages of initiation of multiple drugs. Within-twin-pair effects for typical
      patterns were modest. When initiation was atypical, however, larger within-twin
      pair effects were observed and causal influences were more strongly implicated.
      Results support the utility of examining the timing and ordering of substance use
      initiation within sophisticated, genetically informative designs.

PMID- 26098049
TI  - [Plasma cell myeloma: good collaboration of the team helps].

PMID- 26098050
TI  - [Help me--I do not tolerate my statin].
AB  - Statins represent the most widely prescribed drugs. Accordingly, in daily
      practice statin-related muscle pain and other myopathic sensations are frequently
      seen. In this practice review the clinical approach to statin myopathy is
      discussed.

PMID- 26098052
TI  - [Cardiovascular assessment and management before non-cardiac surgery].
AB  - The preoperative cardiovascular risk management accounts for patient-related risk
      factors, the circumstances leading to the surgical procedure, and the risk of the
      operation. While urgent operations should not be delayed for cardiac testing, an
      elective surgical intervention should be postponed in unstable cardiac
      conditions. In stable cardiac situations, prophylactic coronary interventions to
      reduce the risk of perioperative complications are rarely indicated. Therefore,
      in most cases, the planned operation can be performed without previous cardiac
      stress testing or coronary angiography. Preoperative imaging stress testing is
      recommended for patients with poor functional capacities that are at high
      cardiovascular risk prior to a high-risk operation. According to the literature,
      preoperative prophylactic administration of betablockers and aspirin is
      controversial. Preoperative discontinuation of dual anti-platelet therapy within
      six months following drug-eluting stent implantation is not recommended.

PMID- 26098053
TI  - [Sitting just hurts!].
AB  - We report on the history of a 53-year-old patient who went to his primary care
      physician due to pain while sitting. Clinical, gastroenterological and urological
      examination did not lead diagnostic. A radiography of the pelvis revealed a kinky
      sacrum and the MRT showed a tumor mass of about 9 cm in diameter. A plasmacytoma
      was histologically diagnosed in the biopsy.

PMID- 26098055
TI  - [Anorexia nervosa: when is an emergency somatic hospitalization indicated?].

PMID- 26098054
TI  - [How is agonizing leg pain associated with an intrauterine device?].
AB  - We report on a typical clinical course of pelvic actinomycosis: initial
      uncharacteristic discomfort develops into a systemic illness associated with a
      pelvic mass, which progresses so fast that along with the systemic infection
      further symptoms can be reduced to its growth rate--tiredness, abdominal pain,
      micturition deficiency, and leg pain. Distinction between malignancy and pelvic
      actinomycosis could be made only intraoperative. After hysterectomy and with
      antibiotics the patient recovered quickly.

PMID- 26098056
TI  - [Comprehensive care for patients older than 70 years with femoral neck fractures
      improves postoperative mobility].

PMID- 26098057
TI  - [Pregnancy after bariatric surgery].

PMID- 26098059
TI  - [Persistent Achilles tendon pain].

PMID- 26098061
TI  - [Personalities in the history of medicine. Marie Francois Xavier Bichat].

PMID- 26098063
TI  - C-Terminal-oriented Immobilization of Enzymes Using Sortase A-mediated Technique.
AB  - In the present study, sortase A-mediated immobilization of enzymes was used for
      the preparation of immobilized enzymes. Thermobifida fusca YX beta-glucosidase
      (BGL) or Streptococcus bovis 148 alpha-amylase (AmyA) were produced with C
      terminal sortase A recognition sequences. The resulting fusion proteins were
      successfully immobilized on nanoparticle surfaces using sortase A. Some
      properties (activity, stability, and reusability) of the immobilized fusion
      proteins were evaluated. Both immobilized BGL and immobilized AmyA prepared by
      the sortase A-mediated technique retained their catalytic activity, exhibiting
      activities 3.0- or 1.5-fold (respectively) of those seen with the same enzymes
      immobilized by chemical crosslinking. Immobilized enzymes prepared by the sortase
      A-mediated technique did not undergo dramatic changes in stability compared with
      the respective free enzymes. Thus, the sortase A-mediated technique provides a
      promising method for immobilization of active, stable enzymes. 

PMID- 26098062
TI  - Renitrosylation of banked human red blood cells improves deformability and
      reduces adhesivity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transfusion of red blood cells (RBCs) is a frequent health care
      practice. However, unfavorable consequences may occur from transfusions of stored
      RBCs and are associated with RBC changes during storage. Loss of S
      nitrosohemoglobin (SNO-Hb) and other S-nitrosothiols (SNOs) during storage is
      implicated as a detriment to transfusion efficacy. It was hypothesized that
      restoring SNOs within banked RBCs would improve RBC functions relevant to
      successful transfusion outcomes, namely, increased deformability and decreased
      adhesivity. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Stored human RBCs were incubated with
      nitric oxide (NO) donors PROLI/NO and DEA/NO (disodium 1-[2-(carboxylato)
      pyrrolidin-1-yl]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate and diethylammonium (Z)-1-(N,N
      diethylamino)diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate) under varying experimental conditions
      (e.g., aerobic/anaerobic incubation, NO donor to RBC ratio). SNO restoration was
      evaluated in vitro and in vivo as a means to improve RBC function after storage.
      RESULTS: Incubation of RBCs with the NO donors resulted in 10-fold greater levels
      of SNO-Hb versus untreated control or sham RBCs, with significantly higher Hb
      bound NO yields from an NO dose delivered by DEA/NO. RBC incubation with DEA/NO
      at a stoichiometry of 1:62.5 NO:Hb significantly increased RBC deformabilty and
      reduced adhesion to cultured endothelial cells. RBC incubation with DEA/NO also
      increased S-nitrosylation of RBC cytoskeletal and membrane proteins, including
      the beta-spectrin chain. Renitrosylation attenuated both RBC sequestration in the
      lung and the mild blood oxygen saturation impairments seen with banked RBCs in a
      mouse model of transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: RBC renitrosylation using NO donors has
      promise for correcting deficient properties (e.g., adhesivity, rigidity, and SNO
      loss) of banked RBCs and in turn improving transfusion outcomes.

PMID- 26098064
TI  - A highly sensitive pressure sensor using a double-layered graphene structure for
      tactile sensing.
AB  - In this paper, we propose a graphene sensor using two separated single-layered
      graphenes on a flexible substrate for use as a pressure sensor, such as for soft
      electronics. The working pressure corresponds to the range in which human
      perception recognizes surface morphologies. A specific design of the sensor
      structure drives the piezoresistive character due to the contact resistance
      between two graphene layers and the electromechanical properties of graphene
      itself. Accordingly, sensitivity in resistance change is given by two modes for
      low pressure (-0.24 kPa(-1)) and high pressure (0.039 kPa(-1)) with a crossover
      pressure (700 Pa). This sensor can detect infinitesimal pressure as low as 0.3 Pa
      with uniformly applied vertical force. With the attachment of the artificial
      fingerprint structure (AFPS) on the sensor, the detection ability for both the
      locally generated shear force and actual human touch confirms recognition of the
      surface morphology constructed by periodic structures. 

PMID- 26098065
TI  - [Physical inactivity is the new smoking].

PMID- 26098066
TI  - [Passing the staff].

PMID- 26098067
TI  - [Physical inactivity and chronic diseases].
AB  - The genetic program of contemporary human beings is still that of hunters and
      gatherers of the Stone Age, dedicated to optimal storage of energy for physical
      activities in hunger periods. Life-style of humans living in western industrial
      countries however, is often characterized by physical inactivity and overeating.
      The resulting positive energy balance is associated with fat accumulation
      (abdomen, liver, skeletal and heart muscle) followed by insulin resistance,
      glucose intolerance, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and reduced
      production of nitric oxide, endothelial dysfunction and chronic inflammatory
      processes. All these changes and their interactions are involved in the complex
      pathomechanisms of many metabolic, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative
      disorders.

PMID- 26098068
TI  - [The athletes' ECG and the exercise related sudden cardiac death].
AB  - Regular physical activity induces structural, electrical and functional cardiac
      adaptations. The main challenge for the athletes' physician is to distinguish
      abnormal structural changes of the heart from training-induced adaptations (so
      called "athlete's heart"). In athletes with underlying cardiac disease, physical
      activity may be a trigger, not the cause of exercise-induced tachyarrhythmia's
      and sudden cardiac death (SCD). To identify athletes with cardiac diseases and
      increased risk for an SCD, the European society of cardiology (ESC) recommends a
      pre-participation screening in elite athletes which was adopted by the Swiss
      society of sports medicine. The screening includes a specific medical history,
      cardiac auscultation and a resting ECG. Due to the high number of false-positive
      cases of athletes' ECGs based on traditional criteria, the ESC assessment
      criteria were adjusted to account for training-related changes of the ECG. The
      sensitivity and especially the specificity could be improved in the "revised
      Seattle criteria" in 2014. During the last years main attention has been shifted
      to the early repolarization pattern: additionally to (endurance-) training there
      is a clear association with male gender, ethnicity, changes in autonomic nervous
      system activity and high QRS-voltage criteria

PMID- 26098069
TI  - [Laboratory analyses in sports medicine].
AB  - Laboratory analyses in sports medicine are relevant for three reasons: 1. In
      actively exercising individuals laboratory analysis are one of the central
      elements in the diagnosis of diseases and overreaching. 2. Regularly done
      laboratory analysis in competitive athletes with high load of training and
      competition may help to detect certain deficiencies early on. 3. Physical
      activity in general and competitive exercise training specifically do change
      certain routine laboratory parameters significantly although not reflecting
      pathological changes. These so-called preanalytic variations should be taken into
      consideration while interpreting laboratory data in medical emergency and routine
      diagnostics. This article intends to help the physician to interprete laboratory
      data of actively exercising sportsmen.

PMID- 26098070
TI  - [Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) - indication and clinical impact].
AB  - Dyspnoea is a common symptom of exercice intolerance. Tests performed at rest
      often leave the reason open. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a tool
      for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of the cardio-circulatory,
      pulmonary and metabolic response to exercise. It is the gold-standard in the
      evaluation of dyspnoea and identifying its etiology (obstructive/restrictive lung
      disease, heart failure, physical fitness ...). CPET is particularly useful, if
      previous evaluations including history, physical examination, ECG, pulmonary
      function testing (PFT), X-ray, blood tests, and blood gases do not lead to a
      decisive diagnosis. The measurement of peak oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide
      production, minute ventilation and heart rate provides substantial diagnostic and
      prognostic information in a wide variety of clinical settings. Interpreting CPET
      requires pathophysiological knowledge and can sometimes be challenging. An easy
      to-use algorithm may provide a useful assistance for interpretation the results.
      In addition to its use as a diagnostic tool, CPET can be used to support
      sportsmen reaching their training goals and evaluate subject's ability to work.

PMID- 26098071
TI  - [Exercise guidelines for health-oriented recreational sports].
AB  - Physical inactivity is one the biggest Public Health problems of the 21th
      century. Regular physical activity and sports can contribute to a reduction of
      overall mortality and morbidity and, thus, can have a considerable health impact
      for individuals as well as for the society as a whole. The beneficial health
      effects of exercise are convincingly evaluated yet and there is further evidence
      that physical activity can result in improvements in specific cardiorespiratory
      and metabolic diseases similar to pharmacological treatments. It is the aim of
      this review article to outline evidence-based guidelines for exercise to improve
      physical fitness and health in primary prevention in healthy adults. Based on the
      current scientific evidence a dose-response-relationship between physical
      activity and health markers as well as physical fitness is likely. Health
      oriented exercise training should allow for an exercise-induced energy
      expenditure of at least 1000 kcal per week. This should be approached by an
      appropriate combination of exercises targeting on an improvement in
      cardiorespiratory and metabolic functioning as well as muscular fitness. It is
      recommended to supplement such a training regimen by appropriate amounts of
      functional and flexibility exercises. Usually, sports targeting on these
      particular fitness areas are recommended, for instance, typical endurance sports
      like cycling, jogging, (Nordic) walking or swimming for the cardiorespiratory and
      metabolic domains and strength training for muscular fitness. In recent years,
      scientific studies have evaluated potentially more attractive sports like
      football, dancing and Tai Chi and reported promising results. Such sports may
      contribute to an increased long-term compliance to health-oriented exercise
      programmes. Although regular physical activity is associated with considerable
      health benefits, risks and side effects should be taken into account. The most
      frequent side effects are injuries, and the most severe are fatal cardiac events.
      Preventive measures should be applied to reduce the risk of these side effects.
      Health-oriented exercise guidelines should incorporate individual preferences and
      training responses to support a permanent adaptation towards a sportive life
      style.

PMID- 26098072
TI  - [Health-related strength and power training in seniors: Purpose and
      recommendations].
AB  - The proportion of older people in western societies rapidly increases. Aging
      induced disease conditions accompanied with declines in cardiocirculatory and
      neuromuscular performance constitute a major individual and economic health
      burden. Besides decreasing vascular and cardiac function during the process of
      aging, a loss of skeletal muscle mass, muscle structure and function seem to
      mainly account for decreasing maximal strength, strength development and strength
      endurance. These findings adversely interfer with static and dynamic postural
      control and may lead to an increased risk of falling with impairments of autonomy
      and quality of life. Traditional strength training recommendations basing on
      health-related exercise prescriptions for elderly people have been proven to
      counteract or at least attenuate aging-induced declines of neuromuscular muscular
      function. Multimodal and combined strength and balance training deliver
      additional improvements of neuromuscular capacity. Recent evidence additionally
      underpin the need of trunk muscle training and claimed for regimes considering
      explosive and high-velocity strength training in seniors. High quality RCTs
      revealed notable strength training effects on mobility, autonomy, quality of life
      and the reduction of the risk of falling (up to 50%). Available evidence also
      indicates that various strength training regimes elicit preventive and
      therapeutic effects on osteoporosis, diabetes type 2 and other chronic diseases,
      with effect sizes comparable to medication intake. Thus, health care providers,
      health insurances, Employers' Liability Insurance Associations and politicians
      should promote infrastructural developments that enable feasible and cost
      effective access to health-related fitness centers or other sport facilities (e.
      g. sport clubs). These environmental requirements should be embedded in multi
      centric education programs and campaigns that might enable regularly conducted
      strength and endurance training perceived as beneficial and valuable from an
      individual health care perspective.

PMID- 26098073
TI  - [Running and the association with anthropometric and training characteristics].
AB  - Running can be performed as a sprint discipline on the track over a few meters up
      to 10 km to the marathon and ultramarathon running distances over hundreds to
      thousands of kilometers. Running performance is influenced by a variety of
      anthropometric and training factors. Morphological features such as skin fold
      thickness, body fat percentage, circumferences and length of limbs, body weight,
      body height and body mass index (BMI) seem to have an influence on the running
      performance. The training volume and running speed during training are also
      correlated with running performance. When all variables were investigated
      comparatively, body fat and running speed during training were usually the most
      important influencing factors. For longer running performances (over 6 hours or
      100 km, respectively), the aspects of experience (number of successfully finished
      races) and personal best times were, however, far more important than training
      volume or morphological characteristics such as body fat. It was also shown that
      ultra runners prepare differently (lower running speed and higher running volume)
      as runners competing over shorter distances such as half-marathon and marathon.

PMID- 26098074
TI  - A new route for the synthesis of highly substituted 4-aminoquinoline drug like
      molecules via aza hetero-Diels-Alder reaction.
AB  - We have demonstrated for the first time the use of 2H-indazole as a diene partner
      in an aza hetero-Diels-Alder reaction leading to highly substituted 4
      aminoquinolines via a heterocylic-heterocylic (H-H) strategy and have further
      developed a tandem one-pot method starting from 2-azidobenzaldehyde by the
      formation of 2C-N, 1N-N and 1C-C bonds. The key features of the present protocol
      are readily available starting materials, mild reaction conditions, being work-up
      free and having easy purification. This is the first time where the synthesis of
      4-aminoquinoline drug like molecules has been achieved starting from simple
      starting materials in an atom economical manner. 

PMID- 26098075
TI  - Understanding of sub-band gap absorption of femtosecond-laser sulfur hyperdoped
      silicon using synchrotron-based techniques.
AB  - The correlation between sub-band gap absorption and the chemical states and
      electronic and atomic structures of S-hyperdoped Si have been extensively
      studied, using synchrotron-based x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray
      absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES), extended x-ray absorption fine
      structure (EXAFS), valence-band photoemission spectroscopy (VB-PES) and first
      principles calculation. S 2p XPS spectra reveal that the S-hyperdoped Si with the
      greatest (~87%) sub-band gap absorption contains the highest concentration of S(2
      ) (monosulfide) species. Annealing S-hyperdoped Si reduces the sub-band gap
      absorptance and the concentration of S(2-) species, but significantly increases
      the concentration of larger S clusters [polysulfides (Sn(2-), n > 2)]. The Si K
      edge XANES spectra show that S hyperdoping in Si increases (decreased) the
      occupied (unoccupied) electronic density of states at/above the conduction-band
      minimum. VB-PES spectra evidently reveal that the S-dopants not only form an
      impurity band deep within the band gap, giving rise to the sub-band gap
      absorption, but also cause the insulator-to-metal transition in S-hyperdoped Si
      samples. Based on the experimental results and the calculations by density
      functional theory, the chemical state of the S species and the formation of the S
      dopant states in the band gap of Si are critical in determining the sub-band gap
      absorptance of hyperdoped Si samples.

PMID- 26098076
TI  - Effect of Reduction in the Use of Computed Tomography on Clinical Outcomes of
      Appendicitis.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Advanced diagnostic imaging is commonly used in the evaluation of
      suspected appendicitis in children. Despite its inferior diagnostic performance,
      ultrasonography (US) is now preferred to computed tomography (CT) owing to
      concerns about ionizing radiation exposure. With changes in imaging modalities,
      the influence on outcomes should be assessed. OBJECTIVES: To review trends in the
      use of US and CT for children with appendicitis and to investigate simultaneous
      changes in the proportions of negative appendectomy, appendiceal perforation, and
      emergency department (ED) revisits. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We
      reviewed the Pediatric Health Information System administrative database for
      children who presented to the ED with the diagnosis of appendicitis or who
      underwent an appendectomy in 35 US pediatric institutions from January 1, 2010,
      through December 31, 2013. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: We studied the use of US
      and CT for trends and their association with negative appendectomy, appendiceal
      perforation, and 3-day ED revisits. RESULTS: Our investigation included 52,153
      children with appendicitis. Use of US increased 46% (from 24.0% in 2010 to 35.3%
      in 2013; absolute difference, 11.3%; adjusted test for linear trend, P = .02),
      whereas use of CT decreased 48% (from 21.4% in 2010 to 11.6% in 2013; absolute
      difference, -9.8%; adjusted test for linear trend, P < .001). The proportion of
      negative appendectomy declined during the 4-year study period from 4.7% in 2010
      to 3.6% in 2013 (test for linear trend, P = .002), whereas the proportion of
      perforations (32.3% in 2010 to 31.9% in 2013) and ED revisits (5.6% in 2010 and
      2013) did not change (adjusted tests for linear trend, P = .64 and P = .84,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among children with suspected
      appendicitis, the use of US imaging has increased substantially as the use of CT
      has declined. Despite the increased reliance on the diagnostically inferior US,
      important condition-specific quality measures, including the frequency of
      appendiceal perforation and ED revisits, remained stable, and the proportion of
      negative appendectomy declined slightly.

PMID- 26098077
TI  - Faster Drug Approvals Are Not Always Better and Can Be Worse.

PMID- 26098078
TI  - Physical Fitness in Older People with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia.
AB  - Maintenance of physical activity and good physical fitness is important for
      functional independence. This study had two aims: examine the physical fitness
      level in older persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, and
      examine the relationship between the components of physical fitness and cognitive
      domains in this group. The cross-sectional study included community-living older
      people >= 65 years of age with MCI or dementia. Physical fitness and cognition
      were assessed using the Senior Fitness Test and five cognitive tests. Most of the
      participants scored below the criteria for maintaining physical independence in
      later years. There were significant associations between the components of
      physical fitness and cognition, except flexibility. Declines in executive
      function were most related to declines in physical fitness. These factors should
      receive more attention in people with MCI and dementia because they risk losing
      independence. 

PMID- 26098080
TI  - [Risk Factors for Depression an Anxiety Disorders and Use of Light Therapy].

PMID- 26098079
TI  - The Competitive Influences of Perceptual Load and Working Memory Guidance on
      Selective Attention.
AB  - The perceptual load theory in selective attention literature proposes that the
      interference from task-irrelevant distractor is eliminated when perceptual
      capacity is fully consumed by task-relevant information. However, the biased
      competition model suggests that the contents of working memory (WM) can guide
      attentional selection automatically, even when this guidance is detrimental to
      visual search. An intriguing but unsolved question is what will happen when
      selective attention is influenced by both perceptual load and WM guidance. To
      study this issue, behavioral performances and event-related potentials (ERPs)
      were recorded when participants were presented with a cue to either identify or
      hold in memory and had to perform a visual search task subsequently, under
      conditions of low or high perceptual load. Behavioural data showed that high
      perceptual load eliminated the attentional capture by WM. The ERP results
      revealed an obvious WM guidance effect in P1 component with invalid trials
      eliciting larger P1 than neutral trials, regardless of the level of perceptual
      load. The interaction between perceptual load and WM guidance was significant for
      the posterior N1 component. The memory guidance effect on N1 was eliminated by
      high perceptual load. Standardized Low Resolution Electrical Tomography Analysis
      (sLORETA) showed that the WM guidance effect and the perceptual load effect on
      attention can be localized into the occipital area and parietal lobe,
      respectively. Merely identifying the cue produced no effect on the P1 or N1
      component. These results suggest that in selective attention, the information
      held in WM could capture attention at the early stage of visual processing in the
      occipital cortex. Interestingly, this initial capture of attention by WM could be
      modulated by the level of perceptual load and the parietal lobe mediates target
      selection at the discrimination stage. 

PMID- 26098081
TI  - [Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms in Persons with Intellectual Disabilities].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive symptoms are common with a high prevalence of
      3.5 % in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). The present article reviews
      different aspects (epidemiology, aetiology, clinical features, diagnostic methods
      and treatment). METHOD: A computerized search of the relevant literature was done
      using Pubmed and Cochrane databases. RESULTS: Difficulties in diagnosing
      obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults with ID result from difficulties in
      differentiating true compulsions from stereotypical and repetitive behaviors as
      also from the fact that patients with ID have cognitive and language impairments.
      Genetic diseases are most frequently the cause of congenital intellectual
      disability but only a few with ID are affected by OCD symptoms. Low-dose
      serotonergic anti-depressants are used in the treatment of OCD symptoms. However,
      there are only a few controlled treatment studies of obsessive-compulsive
      symptoms in people with ID. CONCLUSION: Further research especially regarding
      treatment of OCD in people with ID is urgently needed.

PMID- 26098082
TI  - [Common Risk Factors of Depressive and Anxiety Symptomatics in Childhood and
      Adolescence: A Systematic Review from Transdiagnostic Perspectives].
AB  - Common causes of mental disorders are revealed by transdiagnostic perspectives.
      In this context, based on the study of Epkins and Heckler, the present study
      investigates common risk factors in depressive and anxiety symptomatics of
      children and adolescents. In a systematic literature search between 2012 and
      2014, 35 studies were identified which demonstrated 44 common risk factors in
      internalising symptomatics in childhood and adolescence. Female gender, the onset
      of puberty, compliance with chronic illness, increased stress experience of
      children and mothers, negative parenting, misuse or rejective experiences in
      peers are evident factors in the developmental psychopathology of depression and
      anxiety disorders in childhood or adolescence. These common risk factors suggest
      a similar treatment of these diseases. 

PMID- 26098083
TI  - [Rehabilitation in Huntington's Disease].
AB  - Huntington's disease (HD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease for which as yet
      no disease-modifying therapy is available. Even at the early stage of the
      disease, HD patients suffer from motor and cognitive impairments. They are in
      need of physical, occupational and speech therapy or (inpatient)
      multidisciplinary rehabilitation. This paper reviews the available evidence for
      the usefulness of these therapeutic interventions. Studies using HD animal models
      have shown that motor training per se or as part of an enriched environment
      setting may have a positive impact on disease onset and progression. There are
      four clinical randomized controlled trials (RCT) showing beneficial effects of
      physical therapy (standardized home-based training program). In particular,
      inpatient neurological rehabilitation may have positive effects on activities of
      daily living (ADL) in HD patients. A non-controlled trial on multidisciplinary
      rehabilitation showed a reduction of oxidative stress and associated
      neurodegeneration, with another study even demonstrating an increase in the
      volume of the right caudate and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Among the
      studies focusing on multidisciplinary rehabilitation, there is only one RCT.
      Further controlled studies are needed. 

PMID- 26098084
TI  - [Effect of Light Color Temperature on Human Concentration and Creativity].
AB  - Light has different biological effects depending on the color temperature and
      intensity. This may be the reason for its differing effects. We investigated the
      influence of color temperature (3000 K, 4500 K, 6000 K) under constant high
      intensity (1000 Lux) on concentration and creativity of 50 students and employees
      of the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Campus Gummersbach (age: 30.9 +/-
      10.8y.). As test method we used d2-bq-test, creativity test (mean of the number
      of ideas on 5 themes), word test and logic test. In addition, test subjects were
      asked to evaluate their impression of light by means of a questionnaire. To
      exclude the circadian influence and learning effects on the result, we performed
      tests at the same time of the day using a random order of color temperature. We
      found that creativity was better under warm light (3000 K) than under colder
      light (4500 K, 6000 K). Concentration was best under cold light (6000 K). Under
      the same light intensity conditions, subjects judged blue light (6000 K) to be
      brighter than red light (3000 K). 

PMID- 26098085
TI  - [Hoarding as a Disorder of the Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum].
AB  - Hoarding often occurs without obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), it shows
      distinguishable neuropsychological and neurobiological correlates and a distinct
      comorbidity spectrum. Further, it occurs secondarily to other psychiatric and
      neurobiological disorders. Therefore hoarding disorder has been included as a
      distinct diagnosis in DSM-5.Neuroimaging studies point to functional and
      structural abnormalities of networks subserving decision making, attention,
      action planning and emotional regulation.The cognitive-behavioral model outlines
      the most important characteristics of pathological hoarding, comprising deficits
      of information processing, maladaptive beliefs about information processing
      deficits, maladaptive beliefs about posessions as well as emotional attachment to
      them accompanied with emotional distress and avoidance.Because of a low
      willingness for therapy plus a high rate of discontinuation of therapy, a
      manualized cognitive-behavioral therapy approach for pathological hoarding has
      been established. It builds on observational learning, cognitive strategies,
      graduated exposure, response prevention, training/coaching to sort out, and
      relapse prevention are key components of the treatment. Particularily in case of
      lacking motivation for any kind of behavioral therapy or other psychological
      treatments, a pharmacotherapy with SSRIs is recommended. 

PMID- 26098087
TI  - Adrenomedullin Up-regulates the Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor
      in Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma Cells via JNK/AP-1 Pathway.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Adrenomedullin (AM), a potent vasodilator peptide, presents in various
      kinds of tumors and promotes angiogenesis. We have previously reported that AM is
      expressed in epithelial ovarian carcinoma tissue. Here, we investigated the
      hypothesis that AM might regulate production of vascular endothelial growth
      factor (VEGF) in epithelial ovarian carcinoma and further promote angiogenic
      processes. METHODS: The messenger RNA expression of VEGF in human epithelial
      ovarian carcinoma cells (HO-8910) was examined by real-time polymerase chain
      reaction. Transcriptional control was analyzed by transient transfection assay of
      VEGF promoter-luciferase hybrid genes and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay.
      Activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) was detected by Western blotting. The
      formation of capillarylike structures by EA.hy926 cells cocultured with HO-8910
      cells on Matrigel was also studied. RESULTS: We found that in HO-8910 cells, AM
      (10-10 to 10-7 mol/L) enhanced VEGF messenger RNA expression in a time- and
      concentration-dependent manner, as well as promoter activity. Furthermore, JNK
      was activated by AM stimulation. The AM-induced increase in VEGF expression was
      significantly attenuated by SP600125, a specific JNK inhibitor. Chromatin
      immunoprecipitation assay and promoter activity analysis showed that VEGF
      expression induced by AM required the activator protein 1 motif on the VEGF
      promoter. In an in vitro angiogenesis system for endothelial cells (EA.hy926)
      cocultured with HO-8910 cells, we observed that the addition of AM stimulated
      endothelial cell tube formation, which could be abolished by VEGF neutralizing
      antibody. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the JNK/Activator protein 1
      pathway is involved in AM-induced VEGF expression in HO-8910 cells.

PMID- 26098088
TI  - Prediction of Optimal Cytoreductive Surgery of Serous Ovarian Cancer With Gene
      Expression Data.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cytoreductive surgery is the cornerstone of ovarian cancer (OVCA)
      treatment. Detractors of initial maximal surgical effort argue that aggressive
      tumor biology will dictate survival, not the surgical effort. We investigated the
      role of biology in achieving optimal cytoreduction in serous OVCA using
      microarray gene expression analysis. METHODS: For the initial model, we used a
      gene expression signature from a microarray expression analysis of 124 women with
      serous OVCA, defining optimal cytoreduction as removal of all disease greater
      than 1 cm (with 64 women having optimal and 60 suboptimal cytoreduction). We then
      applied this model to 2 independent data sets: the Australian Ovarian Cancer
      Study (AOCS; 190 samples) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA; 468 samples). We
      performed a second analysis, defining optimal cytoreduction as removal of all
      disease to microscopic residual, using data from AOCS to create the gene
      signature and validating results in TCGA data set. RESULTS: Of the 12,718 genes
      included in the initial analysis, 58 predicted accuracy of cytoreductive surgery
      69% of the time (P = 0.005). The performance of this classifier, measured by the
      area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, was 73%. When applied to
      TCGA and AOCS, accuracy was 56% (P = 0.16) and 62% (P = 0.01), respectively, with
      performance at 57% and 65%, respectively. In the second analysis, 220 genes
      predicted accuracy of cytoreductive surgery in the AOCS set 74% of the time, with
      performance of 73%. When these results were validated in TCGA set, accuracy was
      57% (P = 0.31) and performance was at 62%. CONCLUSION: Gene expression data, used
      as a proxy of tumor biology, do not predict accurately nor consistently the
      ability to perform optimal cytoreductive surgery. Other factors, including
      surgical effort, may also explain part of the model. Additional studies
      integrating more biological and clinical data may improve the prediction model.

PMID- 26098089
TI  - Chemotherapy Response Rates Among Patients With Endometrial Cancer Who Have
      Elevated Serum Platelets.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study evaluates the influence of serum platelet
      count on chemotherapy response rates among women with endometrial cancer.
      METHODS: From 3 separate cancer centers, a total of 318 patients with endometrial
      cancer who received postoperative chemotherapy between June 1999 and October 2009
      were retrospectively identified. Endometrioid, serous, clear cell, and
      carcinosarcoma histologies were included. Patients were classified as having an
      elevated platelet count if their serum platelet count was greater than 400 *
      109/L at the time of initial diagnosis. Primary outcome was chemotherapy
      response, classified as either complete or partial/refractory. Secondary outcomes
      were disease-free and disease-specific survival. chi2 Test and Student t test
      were performed as appropriate. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards
      models were used to assess serum platelet effect on survival. RESULTS: There were
      125 deaths, 76 recurrences, and 48 disease progressions. Of the total group, 53
      (16.7%) were categorized as having an elevated platelet count. An elevated
      platelet count was associated with a lower chemotherapy response rate in
      univariate analysis (hazard ratio [HR], 2.8; 95% 95% confidence interval [CI],
      1.46-5.38; P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed elevated platelets to be
      independently associated with decreased disease-free survival (HR, 2.24; 95% CI,
      1.26-3.98; P < 0.01) but not disease-specific survival (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.56
      1.88, P = 0.93). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with endometrial cancer who have an
      elevated serum platelet count greater than 400 * 109/L may have lower
      chemotherapy response rates and are at increased risk for recurrence when
      compared with patients with a count within the reference range.

PMID- 26098090
TI  - The European Network for Gynaecological Oncological Trial Groups Charta for
      Privileged Partnership.

PMID- 26098091
TI  - Thrombocytosis is Predictive of Postoperative Pulmonary Embolism in Patients With
      Gynecologic Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The prompt diagnosis of postoperative pulmonary embolism (PE) in
      gynecologic oncology patients is imperative, but the clinical presentation is
      nonspecific in this high-risk group. We sought to determine risk factors and
      clinical findings that may assist clinicians in diagnosing PE in the inpatient
      setting. METHODS: Radiology data were queried to identify patients with
      gynecologic cancer who had a postoperative PE evaluation with computed tomography
      pulmonary angiography (CT-PA). Patient clinical findings at the time of the PE
      evaluation were abstracted, and univariate and multivariate regression analyses
      were performed to identify predictors of PE. RESULTS: For 6 years, there were
      2498 major gynecologic oncology surgical procedures performed at our institution.
      Within 14 days of surgery, 107 CT-PA studies were obtained with a positive study
      rate of 24.3%. In patients with and without PE, there was no significant
      difference noted for age, oxygen saturations, body mass index and heart rate.
      After controlling for stage, history of venous thromboembolism (VTE), heart rate,
      and oxygen saturation, platelet count (odds ratio, 1.26 per 50 counts increase;
      95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.48; P = 0.006) and history of VTE (odds ratio,
      17.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.77-Inf, P = 0.014) were identified as
      independent predictors of PE in the multivariate model. CONCLUSIONS: Although
      clinicians often use tachycardia and low oxygen saturation as triggers to order
      PE imaging studies, these signs have a very low specificity. Given the findings
      of our study, accounting for high platelet count and history of VTE increases the
      pretest probability of CT-PA study.

PMID- 26098092
TI  - Cost-Effectiveness of Conventional vs Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopy in Gynecologic
      Oncologic Indications.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Robotic surgical techniques are known to be expensive, but they can
      decrease the cost of hospitalization and improve patients' outcomes. The aim of
      this study was to compare the costs and clinical outcomes of conventional
      laparoscopy vs robotic-assisted laparoscopy in the gynecologic oncologic
      indications. METHODS: Between 2007 and 2010, 312 patients referred for
      gynecologic oncologic indications (endometrial and cervical cancer), including
      226 who underwent conventional laparoscopy and 80 who underwent robot-assisted
      laparoscopy, were included in this prospective multicenter study. The direct
      costs, operating theater costs, and hospital costs were calculated for both
      surgical strategies using the microcosting method. RESULTS: Based on an average
      number of 165 surgical cases performed per year with the robot, the total extra
      cost of using the robot was ?1456 per intervention. The robot-specific costs
      amounted to ?2213 per intervention, and the cost of the robot-specific surgical
      supplies was ?957 per intervention. The cost of the surgical supplies
      specifically required by conventional laparoscopy amounted to ?1432, which is
      significantly higher than that of the robotic supplies (P < 0.001). Hospital
      costs were lower in the case of the robotic strategy (?2380 vs ?2841, P < 0.001)
      because these patients spent less time in intensive care (0.38 vs 0.85 days).
      Operating theater costs were higher in the case of the robotic strategy (?1490 vs
      ?1311, P = 0.0004) because the procedure takes longer to perform (4.98 hours vs
      4.38 hours). CONCLUSIONS: The main driver of additional costs is the fixed cost
      of the robot, which is not compensated by the lower hospital room costs. The
      robot would be more cost-effective if robotic interventions were performed on a
      larger number of patients per year or if the purchase price of the robot was
      reduced. A shorter learning curve would also no doubt decrease the operating
      theater costs, resulting in financial benefits to society.

PMID- 26098093
TI  - Sexual Activity and Function in Patients With Gynecological Malignancies After
      Completed Treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Sexual activity (SA) and sexual function (SF) after completion of
      treatment are central for quality of life (QoL) in women affected by
      gynecological cancer (GC). The aim of this study was to analyze the sexual
      outcome and overall QoL of women after treatment for primary GC compared with a
      healthy control group (CG). METHODS: In a multicenter cross-sectional study, 77
      women aged 28 to 67 years were surveyed at least 12 months after completion of
      primary therapy for cervical, endometrial, or vulvar cancer [gynecological cancer
      group (GCG)]. Data were collected through validated questionnaires (Female Sexual
      Function Index-d, EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30, and Sexual Activity
      Questionnaire) and compared to a control of 60 healthy women (CG). RESULTS: In
      the GCG, 41.3% were sexually active compared to 78.0% in the CG. Twelve women of
      the CG and 42 women of the GCG indicated the reasons for their sexual inactivity.
      The most common reason for sexual inactivity in the GCG was "the-presence-of-a
      physical-problem" [18/42 (42.9%) vs 2/12 (16.7%) in the CG], whereas in the CG,
      "because-I-do-not-have-a-partner" was most common [6/12 (50.0%) vs 11/42 (26.2%)
      in the GCG]. Sexually active patients in the GCG had an SF comparable to the CG.
      In multivariate analysis of the total cohort (n = 137), relationship status
      [solid partnership vs living alone; odds ratio (OR), 33.82; 95% confidence
      interval (CI), 4.83-236.70], smoking (OR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.06-1.03), and age (OR,
      0.87; 95% CI, 0.79-0.94) influenced SA significantly. The probability of SA
      thereby decreased with increasing age. Quality of life and subjective general
      health status were not significantly different between the GCG and the CG (EORTC
      Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 score 68.25 vs 69.67). CONCLUSIONS: A high
      number of patients with GC remain sexually inactive after treatment, indicating
      that women experience persistent functional problems. However, women who regain
      SA after completed treatment have a good overall SF and vice versa.

PMID- 26098094
TI  - Retraction.

PMID- 26098095
TI  - Orchestrated scientific collaboration: critical to the control of MERS-CoV.

PMID- 26098096
TI  - Virtual High-Throughput Screening To Identify Novel Activin Antagonists.
AB  - Activin belongs to the TGFbeta superfamily, which is associated with several
      disease conditions, including cancer-related cachexia, preterm labor with
      delivery, and osteoporosis. Targeting activin and its related signaling pathways
      holds promise as a therapeutic approach to these diseases. A small-molecule
      ligand-binding groove was identified in the interface between the two activin
      betaA subunits and was used for a virtual high-throughput in silico screening of
      the ZINC database to identify hits. Thirty-nine compounds without significant
      toxicity were tested in two well-established activin assays: FSHbeta
      transcription and HepG2 cell apoptosis. This screening workflow resulted in two
      lead compounds: NUCC-474 and NUCC-555. These potential activin antagonists were
      then shown to inhibit activin A-mediated cell proliferation in ex vivo ovary
      cultures. In vivo testing showed that our most potent compound (NUCC-555) caused
      a dose-dependent decrease in FSH levels in ovariectomized mice. The Blitz
      competition binding assay confirmed target binding of NUCC-555 to the activin
      A:ActRII that disrupts the activin A:ActRII complex's binding with ALK4-ECD-Fc in
      a dose-dependent manner. The NUCC-555 also specifically binds to activin A
      compared with other TGFbeta superfamily member myostatin (GDF8). These data
      demonstrate a new in silico-based strategy for identifying small-molecule activin
      antagonists. Our approach is the first to identify a first-in-class small
      molecule antagonist of activin binding to ALK4, which opens a completely new
      approach to inhibiting the activity of TGFbeta receptor superfamily members. in
      addition, the lead compound can serve as a starting point for lead optimization
      toward the goal of a compound that may be effective in activin-mediated diseases.

PMID- 26098101
TI  - Predicting disability pension - depression as hazard: a 10 year population-based
      cohort study in Norway.
AB  - Disability pension (DP) is an escalating challenge to individuals and the welfare
      state, with mental health problems as imminent hazard. The objective of the
      present paper was to determine if a diagnosis of depression increased the risk of
      subsequent DP, and whether the risk differed by gender. A population cohort of
      1230 persons were diagnostically interviewed (Composite International Diagnostic
      Interview, CIDI) in a population study examining mental health, linked to the DP
      registry and followed for 10 years. The risk for DP following depression was
      estimated using Cox regression. Life-time depression, as well as current
      depression, increased the risk of subsequent DP for both genders. The fully
      adjusted [baseline health, health behavior and socio-economic status (SES)]
      hazard ratios (HRs) for life-time depressed men and women were 2.9 [95%
      confidence interval (CI) 1.5-5.8] and 1.6 (95% CI 1.0-2.5) respectively. Men were
      significantly older at time of DP. There are reasons to believe that depression
      went under-recognized and under-treated. To augment knowledge in the field,
      without underestimating depression as risk for DP, a deeper understanding of the
      nature and effects of other distress is needed.

PMID- 26098097
TI  - Non Digestible Oligosaccharides Modulate the Gut Microbiota to Control the
      Development of Leukemia and Associated Cachexia in Mice.
AB  - We tested the hypothesis that changing the gut microbiota using pectic
      oligosaccharides (POS) or inulin (INU) differently modulates the progression of
      leukemia and related metabolic disorders. Mice were transplanted with Bcr-Abl
      transfected proB lymphocytes mimicking leukemia and received either POS or INU in
      their diet (5%) for 2 weeks. Combination of pyrosequencing, PCR-DGGE and qPCR
      analyses of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that POS decreased microbial diversity and
      richness of caecal microbiota whereas it increased Bifidobacterium spp.,
      Roseburia spp. and Bacteroides spp. (affecting specifically B. dorei) to a higher
      extent than INU. INU supplementation increased the portal SCFA propionate and
      butyrate, and decreased cancer cell invasion in the liver. POS treatment did not
      affect hepatic cancer cell invasion, but was more efficient than INU to decrease
      the metabolic alterations. Indeed, POS better than INU delayed anorexia linked to
      cancer progression. In addition, POS treatment increased acetate in the caecal
      content, changed the fatty acid profile inside adipose tissue and counteracted
      the induction of markers controlling beta-oxidation, thereby hampering fat mass
      loss. Non digestible carbohydrates with prebiotic properties may constitute a new
      nutritional strategy to modulate gut microbiota with positive consequences on
      cancer progression and associated cachexia. 

PMID- 26098102
TI  - Alleviating Redox Imbalance Enhances 7-Dehydrocholesterol Production in
      Engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - Maintaining redox balance is critical for the production of heterologous
      secondary metabolites, whereas on various occasions the native cofactor balance
      does not match the needs in engineered microorganisms. In this study, 7
      dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC, a crucial precursor of vitamin D3) biosynthesis
      pathway was constructed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4742 with endogenous
      ergosterol synthesis pathway blocked by knocking out the erg5 gene (encoding C-22
      desaturase). The deletion of erg5 led to redox imbalance with higher ratio of
      cytosolic free NADH/NAD+ and more glycerol and ethanol accumulation. To alleviate
      the redox imbalance, a water-forming NADH oxidase (NOX) and an alternative
      oxidase (AOX1) were employed in our system based on cofactor regeneration
      strategy. Consequently, the production of 7-dehydrocholesterol was increased by
      74.4% in shake flask culture. In the meanwhile, the ratio of free NADH/NAD+ and
      the concentration of glycerol and ethanol were reduced by 78.0%, 50.7% and 7.9%
      respectively. In a 5-L bioreactor, the optimal production of 7-DHC reached
      44.49(+/-9.63) mg/L. This study provides a reference to increase the production
      of some desired compounds that are restricted by redox imbalance. 

PMID- 26098104
TI  - Customized Finite Element Modelling of the Human Cornea.
AB  - AIM: To construct patient-specific solid models of human cornea from ocular
      topographer data, to increase the accuracy of the biomechanical and optical
      estimate of the changes in refractive power and stress caused by photorefractive
      keratectomy (PRK). METHOD: Corneal elevation maps of five human eyes were taken
      with a rotating Scheimpflug camera combined with a Placido disk before and after
      refractive surgery. Patient-specific solid models were created and discretized in
      finite elements to estimate the corneal strain and stress fields in preoperative
      and postoperative configurations and derive the refractive parameters of the
      cornea. RESULTS: Patient-specific geometrical models of the cornea allow for the
      creation of personalized refractive maps at different levels of IOP. Thinned
      postoperative corneas show a higher stress gradient across the thickness and
      higher sensitivity of all geometrical and refractive parameters to the
      fluctuation of the IOP. CONCLUSION: Patient-specific numerical models of the
      cornea can provide accurate quantitative information on the refractive properties
      of the cornea under different levels of IOP and describe the change of the stress
      state of the cornea due to refractive surgery (PRK). Patient-specific models can
      be used as indicators of feasibility before performing the surgery.

PMID- 26098105
TI  - Temporally Unpredictable Sounds Exert a Context-Dependent Influence on Evaluation
      of Unrelated Images.
AB  - Temporally unpredictable stimuli influence murine and human behaviour, as
      previously demonstrated for sequences of simple sounds with regular or irregular
      onset. It is unknown whether this influence is mediated by an evaluation of the
      unpredictable sound sequences themselves, or by an interaction with task context.
      Here, we find that humans evaluate unrelated neutral pictures as more negative
      when these are presented together with a temporally unpredictable sound sequence,
      compared to a predictable sequence. The same is observed for evaluation of
      neutral, angry and fearful face photographs. Control experiments suggest this
      effect is specific to interspersed presentation of negative and neutral visual
      stimuli. Unpredictable sounds presented on their own were evaluated as more
      activating, but not more aversive, and were preferred over predictable sounds.
      When presented alone, these sound sequences also did not elicit tonic autonomic
      arousal or negative mood change. We discuss how these findings might account for
      previous data on the effects of unpredictable sounds, in humans and rodents. 

PMID- 26098103
TI  - Dissecting Allele Architecture of Early Onset IBD Using High-Density Genotyping.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are common, complex disorders
      in which genetic and environmental factors are believed to interact leading to
      chronic inflammatory responses against the gut microbiota. Earlier genetic
      studies performed in mostly adult population of European descent identified 163
      loci affecting IBD risk, but most have relatively modest effect sizes, and
      altogether explain only ~20% of the genetic susceptibility. Pediatric onset
      represents about 25% of overall incident cases in IBD, characterized by distinct
      disease physiology, course and risks. The goal of this study is to compare the
      allelic architecture of early onset IBD with adult onset in population of
      European descent. METHODS: We performed a fine mapping association study of early
      onset IBD using high-density Immunochip genotyping on 1008 pediatric-onset IBD
      cases (801 Crohn's disease; 121 ulcerative colitis and 86 IBD undetermined) and
      1633 healthy controls. Of the 158 SNP genotypes obtained (out of the 163
      identified in adult onset), this study replicated 4% (5 SNPs out of 136) of the
      SNPs identified in the Crohn's disease (CD) cases and 0.8% (1 SNP out of 128) in
      the ulcerative colitis (UC) cases. Replicated SNPs implicated the well known NOD2
      and IL23R. The point estimate for the odds ratio (ORs) for NOD2 was above and
      outside the confidence intervals reported in adult onset. A polygenic liability
      score weakly predicted the age of onset for a larger collection of CD cases (p<
      0.03, R2= 0.007), but not for the smaller number of UC cases. CONCLUSIONS: The
      allelic architecture of common susceptibility variants for early onset IBD is
      similar to that of adult onset. This immunochip genotyping study failed to
      identify additional common variants that may explain the distinct phenotype that
      characterize early onset IBD. A comprehensive dissection of genetic loci is
      necessary to further characterize the genetic architecture of early onset IBD.

PMID- 26098107
TI  - Unveiling Undercover Cropland Inside Forests Using Landscape Variables: A
      Supplement to Remote Sensing Image Classification.
AB  - The worldwide demand for food has been increasing due to the rapidly growing
      global population, and agricultural lands have increased in extent to produce
      more food crops. The pattern of cropland varies among different regions depending
      on the traditional knowledge of farmers and availability of uncultivated land.
      Satellite images can be used to map cropland in open areas but have limitations
      for detecting undergrowth inside forests. Classification results are often biased
      and need to be supplemented with field observations. Undercover cropland inside
      forests in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia was assessed using field observed
      percentage cover of land use/land cover classes, and topographic and location
      parameters. The most influential factors were identified using Boosted Regression
      Trees and used to map undercover cropland area. Elevation, slope, easterly
      aspect, distance to settlements, and distance to national park were found to be
      the most influential factors determining undercover cropland area. When there is
      very high demand for growing food crops, constrained under restricted rights for
      clearing forest, cultivation could take place within forests as an undercover.
      Further research on the impact of undercover cropland on ecosystem services and
      challenges in sustainable management is thus essential. 

PMID- 26098106
TI  - Facilitators and Barriers to Safe Medication Administration to Hospital
      Inpatients: A Mixed Methods Study of Nurses' Medication Administration Processes
      and Systems (the MAPS Study).
AB  - CONTEXT: Research has documented the problem of medication administration errors
      and their causes. However, little is known about how nurses administer
      medications safely or how existing systems facilitate or hinder medication
      administration; this represents a missed opportunity for implementation of
      practical, effective, and low-cost strategies to increase safety. AIM: To
      identify system factors that facilitate and/or hinder successful medication
      administration focused on three inter-related areas: nurse practices and
      workarounds, workflow, and interruptions and distractions. METHODS: We used a
      mixed-methods ethnographic approach involving observational fieldwork, field
      notes, participant narratives, photographs, and spaghetti diagrams to identify
      system factors that facilitate and/or hinder successful medication administration
      in three inpatient wards, each from a different English NHS trust. We
      supplemented this with quantitative data on interruptions and distractions among
      other established medication safety measures. FINDINGS: Overall, 43 nurses on 56
      drug rounds were observed. We identified a median of 5.5 interruptions and 9.6
      distractions per hour. We identified three interlinked themes that facilitated
      successful medication administration in some situations but which also acted as
      barriers in others: (1) system configurations and features, (2) behaviour types
      among nurses, and (3) patient interactions. Some system configurations and
      features acted as a physical constraint for parts of the drug round, however some
      system effects were partly dependent on nurses' inherent behaviour; we grouped
      these behaviours into 'task focused', and 'patient-interaction focused'. The
      former contributed to a more streamlined workflow with fewer interruptions while
      the latter seemed to empower patients to act as a defence barrier against
      medication errors by being: (1) an active resource of information, (2) a passive
      information resource, and/or (3) a 'double-checker'. CONCLUSIONS: We have
      identified practical examples of system effects on work optimisation and nurse
      behaviours that potentially increase medication safety, and conceptualized ways
      in which patient involvement can increase medication safety in hospitals.

PMID- 26098108
TI  - Prevalence and Correlates of Food Insecurity among Palestinian Refugees in
      Lebanon: Data from a Household Survey.
AB  - Lebanon hosts the highest per capita refugee concentration worldwide. The
      Palestinian presence in Lebanon dates from 1948 and they remain a marginalized
      population. No information on their food security status has been reported
      previously. A survey of a representative sample of Palestinian refugee households
      in Lebanon (n = 2501) was conducted using a stratified two stage cluster sampling
      approach. We measured food insecurity using a modified USDA household food
      security module, locally validated. We collected data on household demographic,
      socioeconomic, health, housing, coping strategies and household intake of food
      groups and analysed these by food security status. About 41% (CI: 39-43) of
      households reported being food insecure and 20% (CI: 18-22) severely food
      insecure. Poor households were more likely to be severely food insecure (OR 1.41
      (1.06-1.86)) while higher education of the head of household was significantly
      associated with protection against severe food insecurity (OR 0.66 (0.52-0.84)).
      Additionally, higher food expenditure and possession of food-related assets were
      significantly associated with food security (OR 0.93 (0.89-0.97) and OR 0.74
      (0.59-0.92), respectively). After adjusting for confounders, households where at
      least one member suffered from an acute illness remained significantly more
      likely to be severely food insecure (OR 1.31(1.02-1.66)), as were households
      whose proxy respondent reported poor mental health (OR 2.64 (2.07-3.38)) and poor
      self-reported health (OR 1.62 (1.22-2.13). Severely food insecure households were
      more likely to eat cheaper foods when compared to non-severely food insecure
      households (p<0.001) and were more likely to rely on gifts (p<0.001) or welfare
      (p<0.001). They were also more likely to have exhausted all coping strategies,
      indicating significantly more frequently that they could not do anything (p =
      0.0102). Food insecurity is a significant problem among Palestinian refugees in
      Lebanon and is likely to be exacerbated at this time when the Syrian crisis
      amplifies the problem. 

PMID- 26098109
TI  - High Stimulus-Related Information in Barrel Cortex Inhibitory Interneurons.
AB  - The manner in which populations of inhibitory (INH) and excitatory (EXC)
      neocortical neurons collectively encode stimulus-related information is a
      fundamental, yet still unresolved question. Here we address this question by
      simultaneously recording with large-scale multi-electrode arrays (of up to 128
      channels) the activity of cell ensembles (of up to 74 neurons) distributed along
      all layers of 3-4 neighboring cortical columns in the anesthetized adult rat
      somatosensory barrel cortex in vivo. Using two different whisker stimulus
      modalities (location and frequency) we show that individual INH neurons-
      classified as such according to their distinct extracellular spike waveforms-
      discriminate better between restricted sets of stimuli (<=6 stimulus classes)
      than EXC neurons in granular and infra-granular layers. We also demonstrate that
      ensembles of INH cells jointly provide as much information about such stimuli as
      comparable ensembles containing the ~20% most informative EXC neurons, however
      presenting less information redundancy - a result which was consistent when
      applying both theoretical information measurements and linear discriminant
      analysis classifiers. These results suggest that a consortium of INH neurons
      dominates the information conveyed to the neocortical network, thereby
      efficiently processing incoming sensory activity. This conclusion extends our
      view on the role of the inhibitory system to orchestrate cortical activity.

PMID- 26098110
TI  - Imaging of Intracellular and Extracellular ROS Levels in Atherosclerotic Mouse
      Aortas Ex Vivo: Effects of Lipid Lowering by Diet or Atorvastatin.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The first objective was to investigate if intracellular and
      extracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within the mouse aorta
      increase before or after diet-induced lesion formation. The second objective was
      to investigate if intracellular and extracellular ROS correlates to cell
      composition in atherosclerotic lesions. The third objective was to investigate if
      intracellular and extracellular ROS levels within established atherosclerotic
      lesions can be reduced by lipid lowering by diet or atorvastatin. APPROACH AND
      RESULTS: To address our objectives, we established a new imaging technique to
      visualize and quantify intracellular and extracellular ROS levels within intact
      mouse aortas ex vivo. Using this technique, we found that intracellular, but not
      extracellular, ROS levels increased prior to lesion formation in mouse aortas.
      Both intracellular and extracellular ROS levels were increased in advanced
      lesions. Intracellular ROS correlated with lesion content of macrophages.
      Extracellular ROS correlated with lesion content of smooth muscle cells. The high
      levels of ROS in advanced lesions were reduced by 5 days high dose atorvastatin
      treatment but not by lipid lowering by diet. Atorvastatin treatment did not
      affect lesion inflammation (aortic arch mRNA levels of CXCL 1, ICAM-1, MCP-1, TNF
      alpha, VCAM, IL-6, and IL-1beta) or cellular composition (smooth muscle cell,
      macrophage, and T-cell content). CONCLUSIONS: Aortic levels of intracellular ROS
      increase prior to lesion formation and may be important in initiation of
      atherosclerosis. Our results suggest that within lesions, macrophages produce
      mainly intracellular ROS whereas smooth muscle cells produce extracellular ROS.
      Short term atorvastatin treatment, but not lipid lowering by diet, decreases ROS
      levels within established advanced lesions; this may help explain the lesion
      stabilizing and anti-inflammatory effects of long term statin treatment.

PMID- 26098113
TI  - Correction: First Shark from the Late Devonian (Frasnian) Gogo Formation, Western
      Australia Sheds New Light on the Development of Tessellated Calcified Cartilage.

PMID- 26098111
TI  - Metabolic Syndrome Is Associated with Increased Oxo-Nitrative Stress and Asthma
      Like Changes in Lungs.
AB  - Epidemiological studies have shown an increased obesity-related risk of asthma.
      In support, obese mice develop airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). However, it
      remains unclear whether the increased risk is a consequence of obesity,
      adipogenic diet, or the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Altered L-arginine and nitric
      oxide (NO) metabolism is a common feature between asthma and metabolic syndrome
      that appears independent of body mass. Increased asthma risk resulting from such
      metabolic changes would have important consequences in global health. Since high
      sugar diets can induce MetS, without necessarily causing obesity, studies of
      their effect on arginine/NO metabolism and airway function could clarify this
      aspect. We investigated whether normal-weight mice with MetS, due to high
      fructose diet, had dysfunctional arginine/NO metabolism and features of asthma.
      Mice were fed chow-diet, high-fat-diet, or high-fructose-diet for 18 weeks. Only
      the high-fat-diet group developed obesity or adiposity. Hyperinsulinemia,
      hyperglycaemia, and hyperlipidaemia were common to both high-fat-diet and high
      fructose-diet groups and the high-fructose-diet group additionally developed
      hypertension. At 18 weeks, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) could be seen in
      obese high-fat-diet mice as well as non-obese high-fructose-diet mice, when
      compared to standard chow-diet mice. No inflammatory cell infiltrate or goblet
      cell metaplasia was seen in either high-fat-diet or high-fructose-diet mice.
      Exhaled NO was reduced in both these groups. This reduction in exhaled NO
      correlated with reduced arginine bioavailability in lungs. In summary, mice with
      normal weight but metabolic obesity show reduced arginine bioavailability,
      reduced NO production, and asthma-like features. Reduced NO related
      bronchodilation and increased oxo-nitrosative stress may contribute to the
      pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26098114
TI  - Enhanced Lacto-Tri-Peptide Bio-Availability by Co-Ingestion of Macronutrients.
AB  - Some food-derived peptides possess bioactive properties, and may affect health
      positively. For example, the C-terminal lacto-tri-peptides Ile-Pro-Pro (IPP), Leu
      Pro-Pro (LPP) and Val-Pro-Pro (VPP) (together named here XPP) are described to
      lower blood pressure. The bioactivity depends on their availability at the site
      of action. Quantitative trans-organ availability/kinetic measurements will
      provide more insight in C-terminal tri-peptides behavior in the body. We
      hypothesize that the composition of the meal will modify their systemic
      availability. We studied trans-organ XPP fluxes in catheterized pigs (25 kg;
      n=10) to determine systemic and portal availability, as well as renal and hepatic
      uptake of a water-based single dose of synthetic XPP and a XPP containing protein
      matrix (casein hydrolyte, CasH). In a second experiment (n=10), we compared the
      CasH-containing protein matrix with a CasH-containing meal matrix and the
      modifying effects of macronutrients in a meal on the availability (high
      carbohydrates, low quality protein, high fat, and fiber). Portal availability of
      synthetic XPP was 0.08 +/- 0.01% of intake and increased when a protein matrix
      was present (respectively 3.1, 1.8 and 83 times for IPP, LPP and VPP). Difference
      between individual XPP was probably due to release from longer peptides. CasH
      prolonged portal bioavailability with 18 min (absorption half-life, synthetic
      XPP: 15 +/- 2 min, CasH: 33 +/- 3 min, p<0.0001) and increased systemic
      elimination with 20 min (synthetic XPP: 12 +/- 2 min; CasH: 32 +/- 3 min,
      p<0.0001). Subsequent renal and hepatic uptake is about 75% of the portal
      release. A meal containing CasH, increased portal 1.8 and systemic
      bioavailability 1.2 times. Low protein quality and fiber increased XPP systemic
      bioavailability further (respectively 1.5 and 1.4 times). We conclude that the
      amount and quality of the protein, and the presence of fiber in a meal, are the
      main factors that increase the systemic bioavailability of food-derived XPP. 

PMID- 26098116
TI  - Correction: The Effect on Mortality of Fluconazole or Echinocandins Treatment in
      Candidemia in Internal Medicine Wards.

PMID- 26098115
TI  - The Early-Onset Myocardial Infarction Associated PHACTR1 Gene Regulates Skeletal
      and Cardiac Alpha-Actin Gene Expression.
AB  - The phosphatase and actin regulator 1 (PHACTR1) locus is a very commonly
      identified hit in genome-wide association studies investigating coronary artery
      disease and myocardial infarction (MI). However, the function of PHACTR1 in the
      heart is still unknown. We characterized the mechanisms regulating Phactr1
      expression in the heart, used adenoviral gene delivery to investigate the effects
      of Phactr1 on cardiac function, and analyzed the relationship between MI
      associated PHACTR1 allele and cardiac function in human subjects. Phactr1 mRNA
      and protein levels were markedly reduced (60%, P<0.01 and 90%, P<0.001,
      respectively) at 1 day after MI in rats. When the direct myocardial effects of
      Phactr1 were studied, the skeletal alpha-actin to cardiac alpha-actin isoform
      ratio was significantly higher (1.5-fold, P<0.05) at 3 days but 40% lower
      (P<0.05) at 2 weeks after adenovirus-mediated Phactr1 gene delivery into the
      anterior wall of the left ventricle. Similarly, the skeletal alpha-actin to
      cardiac alpha-actin ratio was lower at 2 weeks in infarcted hearts overexpressing
      Phactr1. In cultured neonatal cardiac myocytes, adenovirus-mediated Phactr1
      overexpression for 48 hours markedly increased the skeletal alpha-actin to
      cardiac alpha-actin ratio, this being associated with an enhanced DNA binding
      activity of serum response factor. Phactr1 overexpression exerted no major
      effects on the expression of other cardiac genes or LV structure and function in
      normal and infarcted hearts during 2 weeks' follow-up period. In human subjects,
      MI associated PHACTR1 allele was not associated significantly with cardiac
      function (n = 1550). Phactr1 seems to regulate the skeletal to cardiac alpha
      actin isoform ratio. 

PMID- 26098119
TI  - Auditory and motor contributions to the timing of melodies under cognitive load.
AB  - Current theoretical models and empirical research suggest that sensorimotor
      control and feedback processes may guide time perception and production. In the
      current study, we investigated the role of motor control and auditory feedback in
      an interval-production task performed under heightened cognitive load. We
      hypothesized that general associative learning mechanisms enable the calibration
      of time against patterns of dynamic change in motor control processes and
      auditory feedback information. In Experiment 1, we applied a dual-task
      interference paradigm consisting of a finger-tapping (continuation) task in
      combination with a working memory task. Participants (nonmusicians) had to either
      perform or avoid arm movements between successive key presses (continuous vs.
      discrete). Auditory feedback from a key press (a piano tone) filled either the
      complete duration of the target interval or only a small part (long vs. short).
      Results suggested that both continuous movement control and long piano feedback
      tones contributed to regular timing production. In Experiment 2, we gradually
      adjusted the duration of the long auditory feedback tones throughout the duration
      of a trial. The results showed that a gradual shortening of tones throughout time
      increased the rate at which participants performed tone onsets. Overall, our
      findings suggest that the human perceptual-motor system may be important in
      guiding temporal behavior under cognitive load.

PMID- 26098117
TI  - Changes in the Acetylome and Succinylome of Bacillus subtilis in Response to
      Carbon Source.
AB  - Lysine residues can be post-translationally modified by various acyl
      modifications in bacteria and eukarya. Here, we showed that two major acyl
      modifications, acetylation and succinylation, were changed in response to the
      carbon source in the Gram-positive model bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Acetylation
      was more common when the cells were grown on glucose, glycerol, or pyruvate,
      whereas succinylation was upregulated when the cells were grown on citrate,
      reflecting the metabolic states that preferentially produce acetyl-CoA and
      succinyl-CoA, respectively. To identify and quantify changes in acetylation and
      succinylation in response to the carbon source, we performed a stable isotope
      labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)-based quantitative proteomic
      analysis of cells grown on glucose or citrate. We identified 629 acetylated
      proteins with 1355 unique acetylation sites and 204 succinylated proteins with
      327 unique succinylation sites. Acetylation targeted different metabolic pathways
      under the two growth conditions: branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis and
      purine metabolism in glucose and the citrate cycle in citrate. Succinylation
      preferentially targeted the citrate cycle in citrate. Acetylation and
      succinylation mostly targeted different lysine residues and showed a preference
      for different residues surrounding the modification sites, suggesting that the
      two modifications may depend on different factors such as characteristics of acyl
      group donors, molecular environment of the lysine substrate, and/or the modifying
      enzymes. Changes in acetylation and succinylation were observed in proteins
      involved in central carbon metabolism and in components of the transcription and
      translation machineries, such as RNA polymerase and the ribosome. Mutations that
      modulate protein acylation affected B. subtilis growth. A mutation in acetate
      kinase (ackA) increased the global acetylation level, suggesting that acetyl
      phosphate-dependent acetylation is common in B. subtilis, just as it is in
      Escherichia coli. Our results suggest that acyl modifications play a role in the
      physiological adaptations to changes in carbon nutrient availability of B.
      subtilis. 

PMID- 26098118
TI  - Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Human Studies to Support a Quantitative
      Recommendation for Whole Grain Intake in Relation to Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Due to the increasing evidence of their health benefits, whole grains
      are recommended for consumption worldwide. Such recommendations are, however,
      rarely quantitative. Our aim was to perform a quantitative evaluation of the
      relationship between whole grain consumption and the occurrence of type 2
      diabetes (T2D) to support a recommendation on the daily consumption of whole
      grains. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a systematic review by searching three
      bibliographic databases. We included human studies addressing the relationship
      between whole grain consumption and T2D occurrence, and providing quantitative
      information on daily intake of whole grains. A dose-response meta-regression
      analysis between whole grain intake and T2D occurrence was performed, using a
      hierarchical mixed least square linear regression model. Eight observational
      studies were included (all but one prospective), with a total of 15,573 cases of
      T2D among 316,051 participants. Quantitative meta-regression demonstrated a
      significant linear inverse relationship between whole grain intake and T2D
      occurrence (P<0.0001), with an overall absolute reduction of 0.3% in the T2D rate
      for each additional 10 g of whole grain ingredient consumed daily. The
      association persisted when adjusted on sex, age, country, study design, follow up
      duration, and mode of report of whole grain intakes (as foods or ingredients).
      CONCLUSIONS: The meta-regression model made it possible to estimate the decrease
      in T2D risk corresponding to various changes in whole grain intakes, and the
      results contribute to setting up quantitative recommendations. For instance,
      consuming three servings of whole grain foods (45 g of whole grain ingredients)
      daily would induce a 20% relative reduction in the T2D risk as compared to
      consuming a half serving (7.5 g of whole grain ingredients). These results should
      be considered for future recommendations, by considering the actual whole grain
      intake of the concerned populations. The systematic review protocol was published
      on the PROSPERO register (CRD42013006925).

PMID- 26098120
TI  - Confirmation bias in visual search.
AB  - In a series of experiments, we investigated the ubiquity of confirmation bias in
      cognition by measuring whether visual selection is prioritized for information
      that would confirm a proposition about a visual display. We show that attention
      is preferentially deployed to stimuli matching a target template, even when
      alternate strategies would reduce the number of searches necessary. We argue that
      this effect is an involuntary consequence of goal-directed processing, and show
      that it can be reduced when ample time is provided to prepare for search. These
      results support the notion that capacity-limited cognitive processes contribute
      to the biased selection of information that characterizes confirmation bias.
      (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26098121
TI  - Voluminous oesophageal bronchogenic cyst treated with thoracoscopic approach.
AB  - AIM: Bronchogenic cysts are congenital lesions deriving from the primitive
      foregut, and are usually located in close relation to tracheobronchial tree or
      oesophagus. We report a case of an oesophageal bronchogenic cyst appearing at
      preoperative examinations as a benign fibromuscular tumour (leiomyoma). CASE
      REPORT: A 62 years old male patient in good general conditions, was admitted to
      our Institution because of moderate dysphagia and upper post-prandial abdominal
      pain. Conventional imaging, endoscopy and echo endoscopy detected a parietal
      oesophageal wall mass looking like a solid formation, determining extrinsic
      compression and narrowing of the lumen. RESULTS: The mass has been radically
      removed with thoracoscopic approach. Postoperative stay was uneventful and the
      patient was discharged three days after the operation. At histological
      examination the mass appeared as a cystic formation with fibromuscular wall and
      ciliated epithelium (so-called disembriogenetic bronchogenic cyst). CONCLUSION:
      The case we have reported describes a very unusual case of a voluminous
      symptomatic intramural oesophageal disembriogenetic cyst whose characteristics
      had not been defined at preoperative examinations. Surgical removal of the mass
      has been achieved with a minimally invasive approach.

PMID- 26098122
TI  - An 8-Week Exercise Intervention Based on Zumba Improves Aerobic Fitness and
      Psychological Well-Being in Healthy Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although Zumba is practiced by millions of people worldwide, there is
      a paucity of research about its potential benefits. The objective of this study
      was to investigate the effects of Zumba on physiological and psychological
      outcomes in healthy women. METHODS: Cardiovascular fitness, body composition,
      physical self-perception and psychological well-being were assessed before and
      immediately after 8 weeks of Zumba performed 3 times weekly (Zumba group, n = 22,
      age: 26.6 +/- 5.4 years old; height: 165.8 +/- 7.1 cm) or no intervention
      (control group, n = 22, age: 27.9 +/- 6.0 years old; height: 164.7 +/- 6.2 cm).
      All variables were analyzed by a 2-way (Group * Time) analysis of variance with
      repeated measures, and a Bonferroni post hoc test. Pearson correlation
      coefficient assessed the relationship between changes in anthropometric,
      physiological and psychological variables. RESULTS: Zumba provided significant
      positive changes in maximal aerobic fitness (+3.6%), self-perception of physical
      strength (+16.3%) and muscular development (+18.6%), greater autonomy (+8.0%),
      and purpose in life (+4.4%). No significant changes were observed in the control
      group. In addition, some psychological changes were significantly correlated to
      body fat at baseline, and changes in fitness. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      highlight that Zumba is beneficial to improve fitness and well-being in healthy
      women, but does not change body composition.

PMID- 26098124
TI  - A simple retinal mechanism contributes to perceptual interactions between rod-
      and cone-mediated responses in primates.
AB  - Visual perception across a broad range of light levels is shaped by interactions
      between rod- and cone-mediated signals. Because responses of retinal ganglion
      cells, the output cells of the retina, depend on signals from both rod and cone
      photoreceptors, interactions occurring in retinal circuits provide an opportunity
      to link the mechanistic operation of parallel pathways and perception. Here we
      show that rod- and cone-mediated responses interact nonlinearly to control the
      responses of primate retinal ganglion cells; these nonlinear interactions,
      surprisingly, were asymmetric, with rod responses strongly suppressing subsequent
      cone responses but not vice-versa. Human psychophysical experiments revealed a
      similar perceptual asymmetry. Nonlinear interactions in the retinal output cells
      were well-predicted by linear summation of kinetically-distinct rod- and cone
      mediated signals followed by a synaptic nonlinearity. These experiments thus
      reveal how a simple mechanism controlling interactions between parallel pathways
      shapes circuit output and perception. 

PMID- 26098123
TI  - Promoter nucleosome dynamics regulated by signalling through the CTD code.
AB  - The phosphorylation of the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain (CTD) plays a key
      role in delineating transcribed regions within chromatin by recruiting histone
      methylases and deacetylases. Using genome-wide nucleosome mapping, we show that
      CTD S2 phosphorylation controls nucleosome dynamics in the promoter of a subset
      of 324 genes, including the regulators of cell differentiation ste11 and
      metabolic adaptation inv1. Mechanistic studies on these genes indicate that
      during gene activation a local increase of phospho-S2 CTD nearby the promoter
      impairs the phospho-S5 CTD-dependent recruitment of Set1 and the subsequent
      recruitment of specific HDACs, which leads to nucleosome depletion and efficient
      transcription. The early increase of phospho-S2 results from the phosphorylation
      of the CTD S2 kinase Lsk1 by MAP kinase in response to cellular signalling. The
      artificial tethering of the Lsk1 kinase at the ste11 promoter is sufficient to
      activate transcription. Therefore, signalling through the CTD code regulates
      promoter nucleosomes dynamics. 

PMID- 26098125
TI  - Descriptive norms and expectancies as mediators of a brief motivational
      intervention for mandated college students receiving stepped care for alcohol
      use.
AB  - Stepped care approaches for mandated college students provide individual brief
      motivational interventions (BMI) only for individuals who do not respond to an
      initial, low-intensity level of treatment such as Brief Advice (BA). However, how
      BMIs facilitate change in this higher-risk group of mandated students remains
      unclear. Perceived descriptive norms and alcohol-related expectancies are the
      most commonly examined mediators of BMI efficacy but have yet to be examined in
      the context of stepped care. Participants were mandated college students (N =
      598) participating in a stepped care trial in which mandated students first
      received BA. Those who reported continued risky drinking 6 weeks following a BA
      session were randomized to either a single-session BMI (N = 163) or an assessment
      only comparison condition (AO; N = 165). BMI participants reduced alcohol-related
      problems at the 9 month follow up significantly more than AO participants.
      Multiple mediation analyses using bootstrapping techniques examined whether
      perceived descriptive norms and alcohol-related expectancies mediated the
      observed outcomes. Reductions in perceptions of average student drinking (B = 
      .24; 95% CI [-.61, -.04]) and negative expectancies (B = -.13; 95% CI [-.38, 
      .01]) mediated the BMI effects. Furthermore, perceived average student norms were
      reduced after the BMI to levels approximating those of students who had exhibited
      lower risk drinking following the BA session. Findings highlight the utility of
      addressing perceived norms and expectancies in BMIs, especially for students who
      have not responded to less intensive prevention efforts.

PMID- 26098126
TI  - Measurement error and outcome distributions: Methodological issues in regression
      analyses of behavioral coding data.
AB  - Behavioral coding is increasingly used for studying mechanisms of change in
      psychosocial treatments for substance use disorders (SUDs). However, behavioral
      coding data typically include features that can be problematic in regression
      analyses, including measurement error in independent variables, non normal
      distributions of count outcome variables, and conflation of predictor and outcome
      variables with third variables, such as session length. Methodological research
      in econometrics has shown that these issues can lead to biased parameter
      estimates, inaccurate standard errors, and increased Type I and Type II error
      rates, yet these statistical issues are not widely known within SUD treatment
      research, or more generally, within psychotherapy coding research. Using
      minimally technical language intended for a broad audience of SUD treatment
      researchers, the present paper illustrates the nature in which these data issues
      are problematic. We draw on real-world data and simulation-based examples to
      illustrate how these data features can bias estimation of parameters and
      interpretation of models. A weighted negative binomial regression is introduced
      as an alternative to ordinary linear regression that appropriately addresses the
      data characteristics common to SUD treatment behavioral coding data. We conclude
      by demonstrating how to use and interpret these models with data from a study of
      motivational interviewing. SPSS and R syntax for weighted negative binomial
      regression models is included in online supplemental materials.

PMID- 26098127
TI  - Predictors of patient retention in methadone maintenance treatment.
AB  - This study sought to determine whether select pretreatment demographic and in
      treatment clinical variables predict premature treatment discharge at 6 and 12
      months among patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Data were
      abstracted from electronic medical records for 1,644 patients with an average age
      of 34.7 years (SD = 11.06) admitted to 26 MMT programs located throughout the
      United States from 2009 to 2011. Patients were studied through retrospective
      chart review for 12 months or until treatment discharge. Premature discharge at 6
      and 12-month intervals were the dependent variables, analyzed in logistic
      regressions. Clinical predictor variables included average methadone dosage
      (mg/d) and urinalysis drug screen (UDS) findings for opioids and various
      nonopioid substances at intake and 6 months. Pretreatment demographic variables
      included gender, race/ethnicity, employment status, marital status, payment
      method, and age at admission. UDS findings positive (UDS+) for cocaine at intake
      and 6 months were found to be independent predictors of premature discharge at 12
      months. UDS+ for opioids at 6 months was also an independent predictor of
      premature discharge at 12 months. Higher average daily methadone dosages were
      found to predict retention at both 6 and 12 months. Significant demographic
      predictors of premature discharge at 6 months included Hispanic ethnicity,
      unemployment, and marital status. At 12 months, male gender, younger age, and
      self-pay were found to predict premature discharge. Select demographic
      characteristics may be less important as predictors of outcome after patients
      have been in treatment beyond a minimum period of time, while others may become
      more important later on in treatment.

PMID- 26098128
TI  - Adjuvant Rosa Damascena has a Small Effect on SSRI-induced Sexual Dysfunction in
      Female Patients Suffering from MDD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treating major depressive disorders (MDD) with selective serotonin
      reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may impact negatively on sexual function. On the
      other hand, a satisfying sexual life is associated with overall life
      satisfaction. Therefore, managing this negative side effect of SSRIs may have an
      important role in the treatment of MDD. In a former study, adjuvant Rosa
      damascena oil improved sexual dysfunction in male patients suffering from both
      MDD and SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction (SSRI-I SD). The aim of the present study
      was to test whether the same pattern of results would be observed among female
      patients suffering from both SSRI-I SD and MDD. METHOD: In a double-blind,
      randomized and placebo-controlled clinical trial, a total of 50 female patients
      (mean age: 34 years) treated with an SSRI and suffering from MDD and SSRI-I SD
      were randomly assigned either to the verum (Rosa damascena oil) or to the placebo
      condition. Patients completed self-ratings of depression and sexual function at
      baseline, 4 weeks later, and at the end of the study 8 weeks after its start.
      RESULTS: Sexual desire, sexual orgasms, and sexual satisfaction increased over
      time. Patients in the verum group reported decreased pain. Overall sexual score
      increased in the verum as compared to the placebo condition. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas
      in male patients suffering from both MDD and SSRI-I SD adjuvant Rosa damascena
      oil improved sexual function, data on female patients are less robust and suggest
      only modest effects on female sexual function.

PMID- 26098129
TI  - Enforcing Multifunctionality: A Pressure-Induced Spin-Crossover Photomagnet.
AB  - Photomagnetic compounds are usually achieved by assembling preorganized
      individual molecules into rationally designed molecular architectures via the
      bottom-up approach. Here we show that a magnetic response to light can also be
      enforced in a nonphotomagnetic compound by applying mechanical stress. The
      nonphotomagnetic cyano-bridged Fe(II)-Nb(IV) coordination polymer
      {[Fe(II)(pyrazole)4]2[Nb(IV)(CN)8].4H2O}n (FeNb) has been subjected to high
      pressure structural, magnetic and photomagnetic studies at low temperature, which
      revealed a wide spectrum of pressure-related functionalities including the light
      induced magnetization. The multifunctionality of FeNb is compared with a simple
      structural and magnetic pressure response of its analog
      {[Mn(II)(pyrazole)4]2[Nb(IV)(CN)8].4H2O}n (MnNb). The FeNb coordination polymer
      is the first pressure-induced spin-crossover photomagnet. 

PMID- 26098130
TI  - Further Validation of the Female Sexual Function Index: Specificity and
      Associations With Clinical Interview Data.
AB  - Female sexual function is a multi-faceted psychophysiological construct. The
      Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) is considered a "gold standard" self-report
      instrument that assesses the various aspects of sexual function. However,
      researchers have recently proposed potential limitations of the FSFI,
      highlighting the need for continued validation research. The aims of the current
      analyses were (a) to assess the correlations between FSFI scores and information
      regarding specific rates of functional impairment gained via clinical interview;
      and (b) to assess the specificity of FSFI subscale scores in reflecting
      corresponding aspects of sexual function (e.g., whether the Sexual Desire
      subscale reflects sexual desire specifically rather than sexual arousal, orgasm,
      etc.). The participants were 97 sexually active women who reported impairments in
      sexual function. Clinical interview data exhibited moderate-to-strong
      correlations with FSFI scores. Additionally, FSFI subscales generally exhibited
      adequate specificity in terms of reflecting their corresponding aspects of sexual
      function more strongly than other aspects. The results generally supported the
      validity of the FSFI. Implications for the measurement and conceptualization of
      female sexual function are discussed. 

PMID- 26098131
TI  - Computational Pathology: A Path Ahead.
AB  - CONTEXT: We define the scope and needs within the new discipline of computational
      pathology, a discipline critical to the future of both the practice of pathology
      and, more broadly, medical practice in general. OBJECTIVE: To define the scope
      and needs of computational pathology. DATA SOURCES: A meeting was convened in
      Boston, Massachusetts, in July 2014 prior to the annual Association of Pathology
      Chairs meeting, and it was attended by a variety of pathologists, including
      individuals highly invested in pathology informatics as well as chairs of
      pathology departments. CONCLUSIONS: The meeting made recommendations to promote
      computational pathology, including clearly defining the field and articulating
      its value propositions; asserting that the value propositions for health care
      systems must include means to incorporate robust computational approaches to
      implement data-driven methods that aid in guiding individual and population
      health care; leveraging computational pathology as a center for data
      interpretation in modern health care systems; stating that realizing the value
      proposition will require working with institutional administrations, other
      departments, and pathology colleagues; declaring that a robust pipeline should be
      fostered that trains and develops future computational pathologists, for those
      with both pathology and nonpathology backgrounds; and deciding that computational
      pathology should serve as a hub for data-related research in health care systems.
      The dissemination of these recommendations to pathology and bioinformatics
      departments should help facilitate the development of computational pathology.

PMID- 26098132
TI  - DNA Yield From Tissue Samples in Surgical Pathology and Minimum Tissue
      Requirements for Molecular Testing.
AB  - CONTEXT: Complex molecular assays are increasingly used to direct therapy and
      provide diagnostic and prognostic information but can require relatively large
      amounts of DNA. OBJECTIVES: To provide data to pathologists to help them assess
      tissue adequacy and provide prospective guidance on the amount of tissue that
      should be procured. DESIGN: We used slide-based measurements to establish a
      relationship between processed tissue volume and DNA yield by A260 from 366
      formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples submitted for the 3 most common
      molecular assays performed in our laboratory (EGFR, KRAS, and BRAF). We
      determined the average DNA yield per unit of tissue volume, and we used the
      distribution of DNA yields to calculate the minimum volume of tissue that should
      yield sufficient DNA 99% of the time. RESULTS: All samples with a volume greater
      than 8 mm(3) yielded at least 1 MUg of DNA, and more than 80% of samples
      producing less than 1 MUg were extracted from less than 4 mm(3) of tissue. Nine
      square millimeters of tissue should produce more than 1 MUg of DNA 99% of the
      time. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that 2 tissue cores, each 1 cm long and obtained
      with an 18-gauge needle, will almost always provide enough DNA for complex
      multigene assays, and our methodology may be readily extrapolated to individual
      institutional practice.

PMID- 26098133
TI  - A Stable Planar-Chiral N-Heterocyclic Carbene with a 1,1'-Ferrocenediyl Backbone.
AB  - This paper focuses on the stable, ferrocene-based N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)
      rac-[Fe{(eta(5)-t-BuC5H3)NpN}2C:] (A'-Np, Np = neopentyl), which is planar-chiral
      due to the two tert-butyl substituents in 3,3'-positions. A'-Np was synthesized
      in nine steps starting from 1,1'-di-tert-butylferrocene (1), the first step being
      its 3,3'-dilithiation to afford rac-[Fe(eta(5)-t-BuC5H3Li)2] (rac-fc'Li2, 2). The
      structures of rac-fc'(SiMe3)2 (3), rac-fc'Br2 (4), rac-fc'(N3)2 (5), and the
      immediate carbene precursor [A'-NpH]BF4 were determined by single-crystal X-ray
      diffraction (XRD). The chemical properties of A'-Np were found to be very similar
      to those of its tert-butyl-free congener A-Np, both being ambiphilic NHCs with
      rather high calculated HOMO energies (ca. -4.0 eV) and low singlet-triplet gaps
      (ca. 35 kcal/mol). A Tolman electronic parameter value of 2050 cm(-1) was derived
      from IR data of cis-[RhCl(A'-Np)(CO)2], indicating the high donicity of A'-Np as
      a ligand. Consistent with its ambiphilic nature, A'-Np was found to react readily
      with carbon monoxide, affording the betainic enolate (A'-Np)2CO as four
      stereoisomers, viz. (RpRp-A'-Np)?C(O(-))(RpRp-A'-Np(+)), (SpSp-A'-Np)?C(O(
      ))(SpSp-A'-Np(+)), (RpRp-A'-Np)?C(O(-))(SpSp-A'-Np(+)), and (SpSp-A'-Np)?C(O(
      ))(RpRp-A'-Np(+)). The former two isomers were structurally characterized as a
      racemic compound by single-crystal XRD. A'-Np was found to react swiftly with
      dichloromethane, affording the addition product A'-NpH-CHCl2 in a reaction that
      is unprecedented for diaminocarbenes. A-NpH-CHCl2 was obtained analogously. Both
      compounds were structurally characterized by single-crystal XRD. An
      electrochemical investigation of A'-Np by cyclic and square wave voltammetry
      revealed a reversible oxidation of the carbene at a half-wave potential of -0.310
      vs ferrocene/ferrocenium (THF/NBu4PF6). The electrochemical data previously
      published for A-Np were identified to be incorrect, since unnoticed hydrolysis of
      the NHC had taken place, affording A-Np(H2O). The hydrolysis products of A-Np and
      A'-Np were found to be reversibly oxidized at half-wave potentials of -0.418 and 
      0.437 V, respectively. 

PMID- 26098134
TI  - Multilayer Transparent Top Electrode for Solution Processed
      Perovskite/Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 Four Terminal Tandem Solar Cells.
AB  - Halide perovskites (PVSK) have attracted much attention in recent years due to
      their high potential as a next generation solar cell material. To further improve
      perovskites progress toward a state-of-the-art technology, it is desirable to
      create a tandem structure in which perovskite may be stacked with a current
      prevailing solar cell such as silicon (Si) or Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 (CIGS). The
      transparent top electrode is one of the key components as well as challenges to
      realize such tandem structure. Herein, we develop a multilayer transparent top
      electrode for perovskite photovoltaic devices delivering an 11.5% efficiency in
      top illumination mode. The transparent electrode is based on a
      dielectric/metal/dielectric structure, featuring an ultrathin gold seeded silver
      layer. A four terminal tandem solar cell employing solution processed CIGS and
      perovskite cells is also demonstrated with over 15% efficiency. 

PMID- 26098135
TI  - Mussel-Inspired Artificial Grafts for Functional Ligament Reconstruction.
AB  - The development of an artificial graft with distinct osteogenetic activity to
      enhance osseointegration and to induce the formation of biomimetic tissue
      structure for ligament reconstruction remains a significant challenge. Inspired
      by mussels, biomimetic calcium phosphate apatite/polydopamine hybridized
      polyethylene terephthalate (APA/PDA-PET) grafts were successfully prepared. The
      efficacy and mechanism of APA/PDA-PET grafts to induce osseointegration were
      systematically investigated. The results from the in vitro study indicated that
      the prepared APA/PDA-PET grafts support the attachment of bone marrow stromal
      cells (BMSCs) and stimulate the proliferation and osteogenic/angiogenic
      differentiation of BMSCs via activation of the PKC/p-ERK1/2 signaling pathway. In
      vivo, histological and radiological results further demonstrate that the APA/PDA
      PET grafts significantly improve osseointegration by inducing the formation of
      new bone tissue and the fibrocartilage transitional zone compared with pure PET
      grafts. In addition, the pull-out strength of the APA/PDA-PET grafts is
      significantly higher than that of the pure PET grafts 12 weeks after surgery.
      These results suggest that this mussel-inspired biomimetic method is an effective
      strategy for modifying artificial grafts, and the prepared APA/PDA-PET grafts,
      which possess a beneficial interface, can significantly improve in vivo
      osseointegration for ligament reconstruction via the synergistic effect of
      polydopamine and apatite. 

PMID- 26098136
TI  - Spray Dried Aerosol Particles of Pyrazinoic Acid Salts for Tuberculosis Therapy.
      [Corrected].
AB  - Tuberculosis is the most serious infectious disease caused by a single organism,
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The standard of care is a protracted and
      complex drug treatment regimen made more complicated and of longer duration by
      the incidence of multiple and extensively drug resistant disease. Pulmonary
      delivery of aerosols as a supplement to the existing regimen offers the advantage
      of delivering high local drug doses to the initial site of infection and most
      prominent organ system involved in disease. Pyrazinamide is used in combination
      with other drugs to treat tuberculosis. It is postulated that the action of
      pyrazinoic acid (POA), the active moiety of pyrazinamide, may be enhanced by
      local pH adjustment, when presented as a salt form. POA was prepared as leucine
      (POA-leu) and ammonium salts (POA-NH4), spray dried, and characterized in terms
      of physicochemical properties (melting point, crystallinity, moisture content),
      aerodynamic performance (aerodynamic particle size distribution, emitted dose),
      and in vitro inhibitory effect on two mycobacteria (Mtb and Mycobacterium bovis).
      Particles were prepared in sizes suitable for inhalation (3.3 and 5.4 MUm mass
      median aerodynamic diameter and 61 and 40% of the aerodynamic particle size
      distribution less than 4.46 MUm, as measured by inertial impaction, for POA-leu
      and POA-NH4, respectively) and with properties (stoichiometric 1:1 ratio of salt
      to drug, melting points at ~180  degrees C, with water content of <1%) that would
      support further development as an inhaled dosage form. In addition, POA salts
      demonstrated greater potency in inhibiting mycobacterial growth compared with POA
      alone, which is promising for therapy.

PMID- 26098137
TI  - Naive and radiolabeled antibodies to E6 and E7 HPV-16 oncoproteins show
      pronounced antitumor activity in experimental cervical cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In spite of profound reduction in incidence, cervical cancer claims
      >275,000 lives annually. Previously we demonstrated efficacy and safety of
      radioimmunotherapy directed at HPV16 E6 oncoprotein in experimental cervical
      cancer. MATERIALS & METHODS: We undertook a direct comparison of targeting E7 and
      E6 oncoproteins with specific (188)Rhenium-labeled monoclonal antibodies in CasKi
      subcutaneous xenografts of cervical cancer cells in mice. RESULTS: The most
      significant tumor inhibition was seen in radioimmunotherapy-treated mice,
      followed by the unlabeled monoclonal antibodies to E6 and E7. No hematological
      toxicity was observed. Immunohistochemistry suggests that the effect of unlabeled
      antibodies is C3 complement mediated. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated for the
      first time that radioimmunotherapy directed toward E7 oncoprotein inhibits
      experimental tumors growth, decreases E7 expression and may offer a novel
      approach to cervical cancer therapy.

PMID- 26098138
TI  - Adaptive strategies in designing the simultaneous global drug development
      program.
AB  - Many methods have been proposed to account for the potential impact of
      ethnic/regional factors when extrapolating results from multiregional clinical
      trials (MRCTs) to targeted ethnic (TE) patients, i.e., "bridging." Most of them
      either focused on TE patients in the MRCT (i.e., internal bridging) or a separate
      local clinical trial (LCT) (i.e., external bridging). Huang et al. (2012)
      integrated both bridging concepts in their method for the Simultaneous Global
      Drug Development Program (SGDDP) which designs both the MRCT and the LCT
      prospectively and combines patients in both trials by ethnic origin, i.e., TE vs.
      non-TE (NTE). The weighted Z test was used to combine information from TE and NTE
      patients to test with statistical rigor whether a new treatment is effective in
      the TE population. Practically, the MRCT is often completed before the LCT. Thus
      to increase the power for the SGDDP and/or obtain more informative data in TE
      patients, we may use the final results from the MRCT to re-evaluate initial
      assumptions (e.g., effect sizes, variances, weight), and modify the LCT
      accordingly. We discuss various adaptive strategies for the LCT such as sample
      size reassessment, population enrichment, endpoint change, and dose adjustment.
      As an example, we extend a popular adaptive design method to re-estimate the
      sample size for the LCT, and illustrate it for a normally distributed endpoint.

PMID- 26098139
TI  - Discovering What Dimensionality Reduction Really Tells Us About RNA-Seq Data.
AB  - Biology is being inundated by noisy, high-dimensional data to an extent never
      before experienced. Dimensionality reduction techniques such as principal
      component analysis (PCA) are common approaches for dealing with this onslaught.
      Though these unsupervised techniques can help uncover interesting structure in
      high-dimensional data they give little insight into the biological and technical
      considerations that might explain the uncovered structure. Here we introduce a
      hybrid approach--component selection using mutual information (CSUMI)--that uses
      a mutual information--based statistic to reinterpret the results of PCA in a
      biologically meaningful way. We apply CSUMI to RNA-seq data from GTEx. Our hybrid
      approach enables us to unveil the previously hidden relationship between
      principal components (PCs) and the underlying biological and technical sources of
      variation across samples. In particular, we look at how tissue type affects PCs
      beyond the first two, allowing us to devise a principled way of choosing which
      PCs to consider when exploring the data. We further apply our method to RNA-seq
      data taken from the brain and show that some of the most biologically informative
      PCs are higher-dimensional PCs; for instance, PC 5 can differentiate the basal
      ganglia from other tissues. We also use CSUMI to explore how technical artifacts
      affect the global structure of the data, validating previous results and
      demonstrating how our method can be viewed as a verification framework for
      detecting undiscovered biases in emerging technologies. Finally we compare CSUMI
      to two correlation-based approaches, showing ours outperforms both. A python
      implementation is available online on the CSUMI website.

PMID- 26098140
TI  - New Method for Super Hydrophobic Treatment of Gas Diffusion Layers for Proton
      Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Using Electrochemical Reduction of Diazonium Salts.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to report a new method for the surface
      functionalization of commercially available gas diffusion layers (GDLs) by the
      electrochemical reduction of diazonium salt containing hydrophobic functional
      groups. The method results in superhydrophobic GDLs, over a large area, without
      pore blocking. An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study based on core level
      spectra and chemical mapping has demonstrated the successful grafting route,
      resulting in a homogeneous distribution of the covalently bonded hydrophobic
      molecules on the surface of the GDL fibers. The result was corroborated by
      contact angle measurement, showing similar hydrophobicity between the grafted and
      PTFE-modified GDLs. The electrochemically modified GDLs were tested in proton
      exchange membrane fuel cells under automotive, wet, and dry conditions and
      demonstrated improved performance over traditional GDLs. 

PMID- 26098141
TI  - Single-arm Phase II cancer survival trial designs.
AB  - The current practice for designing single-arm Phase II trials with time-to-event
      endpoints is limited to using either a maximum likelihood estimate test under the
      exponential model or a naive approach based on dichotomizing the event time at a
      landmark time point. A trial designed under the exponential model may not be
      reliable, and the naive approach is inefficient. The modified one-sample log-rank
      test statistic proposed in this article fills the void. In general, the proposed
      test can be used to design single-arm Phase II survival trials under any
      parametric survival distribution. Simulation results showed that it preserves
      type I error well and provides adequate power for Phase II cancer trial designs
      with time-to-event endpoints.

PMID- 26098142
TI  - Measurement of Gas and Aerosol Phase Absorption Spectra across the Visible and
      Near-IR Using Supercontinuum Photoacoustic Spectroscopy.
AB  - We demonstrate a method to measure the absorption spectra of gas and aerosol
      species across the visible and near-IR (500 to 840 nm) using a photoacoustic (PA)
      spectrometer and a pulsed supercontinuum laser source. Measurements of gas phase
      absorption spectra were demonstrated using H2O(g) as a function of relative
      humidity (RH). The measured absorption intensities and peak shapes were able to
      be quantified and compared to spectra calculated using the 2012 High Resolution
      Transmission (HITRAN2012) database. Size and mass selected nigrosin aerosol was
      used to measure absorption spectra across the visible and near-IR. Spectra were
      measured as a function of aerosol size/mass and show good agreement to Mie theory
      calculations. Lastly, we measured the broadband absorption spectrum of flame
      generated soot aerosol at 5% and 70% RH. For the high RH case, we are able to
      quantifiably separate the soot and water absorption contributions. For soot, we
      observe an enhancement in the mass specific absorption cross section ranging from
      1.5 at 500 nm (p < 0.01) to 1.2 at 840 nm (p < 0.2) and a concomitant increase in
      the absorption Angstrom exponent from 1.2 +/- 0.4 (5% RH) to 1.6 +/- 0.3 (70%
      RH). 

PMID- 26098143
TI  - Adherence to, and effectiveness of, subcutaneous interferon beta-1a administered
      by RebiSmart(r) in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis: results of the 1
      year, observational SMART study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with multiple sclerosis who have poor adherence to treatment
      have a higher risk of relapse than adherent patients. This study assessed
      adherence to, and effectiveness and convenience of, treatment with subcutaneous
      (sc) interferon (IFN) beta-1a (Rebif(r), Merck Serono SA) 44 or 22 MUg three
      times weekly in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) using the
      RebiSmart(r) electronic, multidose, autoinjector for 1 year. STUDY DESIGN:
      European, multicentre, observational study among neurologists: inclusion criteria
      included RMS, Expanded Disability Status Scale score <= 6, sc IFN beta-1a
      administered by RebiSmart for <= 6 weeks. The primary endpoint was cumulative
      adherence recorded by RebiSmart. RESULTS: The safety population included 912
      patients, 77.4% (n = 823) of whom completed the Month-12 visit. Mean (+/-
      standard deviation) cumulative adherence was 97.1 +/- 7.3% (n = 791). The most
      common reason for missed injection was 'forgot to inject' (37.0%). At Month
      12/ED, 79.5% of patients were relapse-free. Of 353 patients who rated the
      convenience of the device, 68.3% found injecting 'very easy'. No unknown safety
      issues were detected. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with RMS self-injecting sc IFN beta
      1a with RebiSmart had excellent adherence at Month 12/ED, which was associated
      with good clinical outcomes and no unexpected safety issues. Patients rated
      RebiSmart as convenient and easy to use.

PMID- 26098144
TI  - Effect of biofilm on fluorescence measurements derived from fast repetition rate
      fluorometers.
AB  - This study evaluates, for the first time, the influence of biofilms on single and
      double optical window (SOW and DOW, respectively) fast repetition rate
      fluorometer (FRRF) measurements of microalgal photosystem-II initial fluorescence
      (F0), maximum fluorescence (Fm), variable fluorescence (Fv = Fm - F0), quantum
      yield (Fv/Fm) and functional absorption cross section (sigmaPSII)]. Biofilms with
      chlorophyll > 0.1 MUg cm(-2) and > 0.3 MUgcm(-2) on SOW and DOW, respectively,
      produced a substantial increase in fluorescence. However, the relative magnitude
      of biofouling effects depended on sample chlorophyll concentrations, being more
      critical at concentrations < 1 mg m(-3). In DOW-FRRF, biofilms affected F0
      (increased) and Fv/Fm (decreased) but not Fv and sigmaPSII, whereas in SOW-FRRF,
      biofilms increased fluorescence and showed a variable effect on Fv/Fm and
      sigmaPSII, because only biofilms on SOW attained actual Fm. As a result, the
      biofilm effect was substantial on SOW-FRRF measurements. On the other hand, the
      neutral-density filters (representing non-chlorophyll containing biofilms) with
      different transmission levels reduced the fluorescence signal. Correction
      procedures for the above photosystem-II parameters are proposed here.

PMID- 26098146
TI  - Oral drugs in multiple sclerosis therapy: an overview and a critical appraisal.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by demyelination and axonal loss that
      results in progressive disability. Recent advances in understanding the immune
      pathogenesis of MS resulted in the introduction of numerous effective drugs with
      diverse mechanisms of actions, routes of administration and benefit-risk
      profiles. New oral drugs recently approved for MS treatment has led to
      significant achievements in MS management. The oral route of administration
      promotes patient satisfaction and increases therapeutic compliance; but their
      introduction has raised concerns regarding safety and tolerability; and a
      thorough analysis of the benefit/risk ratio is required. This article reviews the
      mechanisms of action, safety and efficacy of the licensed and experimental oral
      drugs in MS. Moreover, we put into perspective the disease, drug and patient
      related factors that should be taken into account when considering the
      appropriate oral drug and treatment strategy to the appropriate patient, thus
      paving the road for personalized medicine in MS. 

PMID- 26098147
TI  - Occurrence and Characterization of Steroid Growth Promoters Associated with
      Particulate Matter Originating from Beef Cattle Feedyards.
AB  - Studies of steroid growth promoters from beef cattle feedyards have previously
      focused on effluent or surface runoff as the primary route of transport from
      animal feeding operations. There is potential for steroid transport via fugitive
      airborne particulate matter (PM) from cattle feedyards; therefore, the objective
      of this study was to characterize the occurrence and concentration of steroid
      growth promoters in PM from feedyards. Air sampling was conducted at commercial
      feedyards (n = 5) across the Southern Great Plains from 2010 to 2012. Total
      suspended particulates (TSP), PM10, and PM2.5 were collected for particle size
      analysis and steroid growth promoter analysis. Particle size distributions were
      generated from TSP samples only, while steroid analysis was conducted on extracts
      of PM samples using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Of seven targeted
      steroids, 17alpha-estradiol and estrone were the most commonly detected,
      identified in over 94% of samples at median concentrations of 20.6 and 10.8 ng/g,
      respectively. Melengestrol acetate and 17alpha-trenbolone were detected in 31%
      and 39% of all PM samples at median concentrations of 1.3 and 1.9 ng/g,
      respectively. Results demonstrate PM is a viable route of steroid transportation
      and may be a significant contributor to environmental steroid hormone loading
      from cattle feedyards. 

PMID- 26098145
TI  - Connecting the speckles: Splicing kinases and their role in tumorigenesis and
      treatment response.
AB  - Alternative pre-mRNA splicing in higher eukaryotes enhances transcriptome
      complexity and proteome diversity. Its regulation is mediated by a complex RNA
      protein network that is essential for the maintenance of cellular and tissue
      homeostasis. Disruptions to this regulatory network underlie a host of human
      diseases and contribute to cancer development and progression. The splicing
      kinases are an important family of pre-mRNA splicing regulators, , which includes
      the CDC-like kinases (CLKs), the SRSF protein kinases (SRPKs) and pre-mRNA
      splicing 4 kinase (PRP4K/PRPF4B). These splicing kinases regulate pre-mRNA
      splicing via phosphorylation of spliceosomal components and serine-arginine (SR)
      proteins, affecting both their nuclear localization within nuclear speckle
      domains as well as their nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling. Here we summarize the
      emerging evidence that splicing kinases are dysregulated in cancer and play
      important roles in both tumorigenesis as well as therapeutic response to
      radiation and chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26098149
TI  - [Opiates yes, but ....].

PMID- 26098148
TI  - Covalent Modification of Synthetic Hydrogels with Bioactive Proteins via Sortase
      Mediated Ligation.
AB  - Synthetic extracellular matrices are widely used in regenerative medicine and as
      tools in building in vitro physiological culture models. Synthetic hydrogels
      display advantageous physical properties, but are challenging to modify with
      large peptides or proteins. Here, a facile, mild enzymatic postgrafting approach
      is presented. Sortase-mediated ligation was used to conjugate human epidermal
      growth factor fused to a GGG ligation motif (GGG-EGF) to poly(ethylene glycol)
      (PEG) hydrogels containing the sortase LPRTG substrate. The reversibility of the
      sortase reaction was then exploited to cleave tethered EGF from the hydrogels for
      analysis. Analyses of the reaction supernatant and the postligation hydrogels
      showed that the amount of tethered EGF increases with increasing LPRTG in the
      hydrogel or GGG-EGF in the supernatant. Sortase-tethered EGF was biologically
      active, as demonstrated by stimulation of DNA synthesis in primary human
      hepatocytes and endometrial epithelial cells. The simplicity, specificity, and
      reversibility of sortase-mediated ligation and cleavage reactions make it an
      attractive approach for modification of hydrogels. 

PMID- 26098150
TI  - [CME. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IFP)].

PMID- 26098152
TI  - [Relevance and Application of Opioids in the Treatment of Chronic Pain in
      Switzerland-a National Survey].
AB  - METHOD: National survey on treatment with opioids among 1206 Swiss general
      internists and rheumatologists, using a questionnaire. TYPES OF PAIN: More self
      declared pain specialists than non-specialists treat neuropathic pain (49,3 vs.
      35,8%; p=0,002), whereas other types of pain are similarly often treated by
      specialists and non-specialists. OPIOID PRESCRIPTION: Pain specialists more often
      than non-specialists use opioids in visceral (12,8 vs. 5,9%, p=0,004) and
      postoperative pain (29,3 vs. 20,1%, p=0,013). TUMOR PAIN: Non-specialists rather
      than specialists prescribe opioids (80,4 vs. 72,8%, p=0,039); younger physicians
      (<50 years) rather than older ones often prescribe opioids (82,5 vs. 76,9%;
      p=0,026), and rheumatologists use opioids less often than general internists
      (43,3 vs. 83,0%, p<0,0001). WHO ANALGESIC LADDER: Specialists more often change
      directly from level 1 to level 3 analgesics (66,4 vs. 53,8%; p=0,001).

PMID- 26098153
TI  - [Low Back Pain in Pregnancy: Diagnosis, Treatment Options and Outcomes].
AB  - Low back pain in pregnancy is a common occurrence and is mainly caused by
      hormonal and biomechanical changes. Patients with pregnancy-induced low back pain
      (PILBP) frequently complain of moderate to severe and disabling pain often
      restricting their daily activities. In these cases, a "watch and wait" approach
      cannot be the best solution. On the basis of anamnesis and examination PILBP can
      be divided into three subgroups: pregnancy-related low back pain (PLBP), pelvic
      girdle pain (PGP) and the combination of PLBP and PGP. The three entities ask for
      different diagnostic workups and therapeutic modalities. There are many possible
      treatments for PLBP, however, only a few are based on sound evidence. Information
      and advice, exercise and training programs, acupuncture, stabilizing belts and
      analgesic medication can have a positive impact on pain and disability. PGP und
      PLBP respond well to chiropractic interventions.

PMID- 26098154
TI  - [New Aspects and Controversies in the Current European and American Hypertension
      Guidelines].
AB  - At the end of 2013, the long-awaited guidelines of the Eighth Joint National
      Committee (JNC8) were published. These guidelines developed nine specific
      recommendations for the management of arterial hypertension. The harmonization of
      blood pressure treatment thresholds and goals represents a convenient
      simplification for the practicing physician. However, the recommendations did not
      come without controversy. Especially the raise of the treatment goal in patients
      aged 60 years or older was criticized. In this and other aspects, the 2013
      guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology and European Society of
      Hypertension (ESC/ESH 2013) share a different point of view. The article tries to
      summarize the different viewpoints and to provide an overview over the increasing
      number of hypertension guidelines.

PMID- 26098155
TI  - [My Back is Still Hurting!].
AB  - We present the case of a 39-year-old man who reported to the primary care
      physician for low back pain. Pain persisted despite extensive assessment and
      therapy. During the course, bilateral femoral neck fractures occurred and due to
      multiple enrichments in scintigraphy chronic multifocal (sterile) osteomyelitis
      was suspected. In the further follow-up the appropriate diagnosis of osteomalacia
      was established in bone biopsy and adequate treatment with Vitamin D was
      initiated. During therapy, the patient was free of pain or discomfort.

PMID- 26098156
TI  - [What is the value of measles passive vaccination after exposure?].

PMID- 26098157
TI  - [Nodes in the thyroid gland: The natural history is better than expected].

PMID- 26098158
TI  - [Mindfulness meditation improves sleep quality in the elderly].

PMID- 26098163
TI  - Discovery of 4,5,6,7-Tetrahydrobenzo[1,2-d]thiazoles as Novel DNA Gyrase
      Inhibitors Targeting the ATP-Binding Site.
AB  - Bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV are essential enzymes that control the
      topological state of DNA during replication and validated antibacterial drug
      targets. Starting from a library of marine alkaloid oroidin analogues, we
      identified low micromolar inhibitors of Escherichia coli DNA gyrase based on the
      5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinazoline and 4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[1,2-d]thiazole
      scaffolds. Structure-based optimization of the initial hits resulted in low
      nanomolar E. coli DNA gyrase inhibitors, some of which exhibited micromolar
      inhibition of E. coli topoisomerase IV and of Staphylococcus aureus homologues.
      Some of the compounds possessed modest antibacterial activity against Gram
      positive bacterial strains, while their evaluation against wild-type, impA and
      DeltatolC E. coli strains suggests that they are efflux pump substrates and/or do
      not possess the physicochemical properties necessary for cell wall penetration.
      Our study provides a rationale for optimization of this class of compounds toward
      balanced dual DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV inhibitors with antibacterial
      activity. 

PMID- 26098164
TI  - The role of proximal social contexts: Assessing stigma-by-association effects on
      leader appraisals.
AB  - Prior research suggests that segregation in the U.S. workplace is on the rise
      (Hellerstein, Neumark, & McInerney, 2008); as such, leaders are more likely to
      lead groups of followers composed primarily of their own race (Elliot & Smith,
      2001; Smith & Elliott, 2002). Drawing from theory on stigma-by-association, the
      authors posit that such segregated proximal social contexts (i.e., the leader's
      group of followers) can have detrimental effects on leader appraisals.
      Specifically, they argue that leaders of mostly Black follower groups experience
      stigmatization based on race stereotypic beliefs, which affects how they are
      viewed in the eyes of observers. The results of a large field study show
      performance evaluations generally tend to be lower when the proportion of Black
      followers is higher. Moreover, 3 experiments demonstrate that the impact of
      proximal social contexts extends to other outcomes (i.e., perceptions of market
      value and competency) but appears limited to those who are less internally and
      externally motivated to control their prejudice. Taken together, these findings
      explain how workplace segregation systematically can create a particular
      disadvantage for Black leaders.

PMID- 26098165
TI  - Relational energy at work: Implications for job engagement and job performance.
AB  - Energy is emerging as a topic of importance to organizations, yet we have little
      understanding of how energy can be useful at an interpersonal level toward
      achieving workplace goals. We present the results of 4 studies aimed at
      developing, validating, and testing the relational energy construct. In Study 1,
      we report qualitative insights from 64 individuals about the experience and
      functioning of relational energy in the workplace. Study 2 draws from 3 employee
      samples to conduct exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on a measure of
      relational energy, differentiating relational energy from related constructs. To
      test the predictive validity of the new relational energy scale, Study 3
      comprises data from employees rating the level of relational energy they
      experienced during interactions with their leaders in a health services context.
      Results showed that relational energy employees experienced with their leaders at
      Time 1 predicted job engagement at Time 2 (1 month later), while controlling for
      the competing construct of perceived social support. Study 4 shows further
      differentiation of relational energy from leader-member exchange (LMX),
      replicates the positive relationship between relational energy (Time 1) and job
      engagement (Time 2), and shows that relational energy is positively associated
      with employee job performance (Time 3) through the mechanism of job engagement.
      We discuss the theoretical implications of our findings and highlight areas for
      future research.

PMID- 26098166
TI  - A review of post-nuclear-catastrophe management.
AB  - The purpose of this paper is to make radioactive risk more generally
      understandable. To that end, we compare it to smoking tobacco. Further, we show
      that the concept of loss of life expectancy permits a quantitative comparison
      between various aggressions. The demystification of radioactive risk should lead
      to basic changes in post-catastrophe management, allowing victims to choose
      whether or not to leave contaminated areas. A less emotional appreciation of
      radioactive risks should lead to the adaptation of legal practices when dealing
      with probabilistic situations. 

PMID- 26098167
TI  - Life span decrements in fluid intelligence and processing speed predict mortality
      risk.
AB  - We examined life span changes in 5 domains of cognitive performance as predictive
      of mortality risk. Data came from the Manchester Longitudinal Study of Cognition,
      a 20-plus-year investigation of 6,203 individuals ages 42-97 years. Cognitive
      domains were general crystallized intelligence, general fluid intelligence,
      verbal memory, visuospatial memory, and processing speed. Life span decrements
      were evident across these domains, controlling for baseline performance at age 70
      and adjusting for retest effects. Survival analyses stratified by sex and
      conducted independently by cognitive domain showed that lower baseline
      performance levels in all domains-and larger life span decrements in general
      fluid intelligence and processing speed-were predictive of increased mortality
      risk for both women and men. Critically, analyses of the combined predictive
      power of cognitive performance variables showed that baseline levels of
      processing speed (in women) and general fluid intelligence (in men), and
      decrements in processing speed (in women and in men) and general fluid
      intelligence (in women), accounted for most of the explained variation in
      mortality risk. In light of recent evidence from brain-imaging studies, we
      speculate that cognitive abilities closely linked to cerebral white matter
      integrity (such as processing speed and general fluid intelligence) may represent
      particularly sensitive markers of mortality risk. In addition, we presume that
      greater complexity in cognition-survival associations observed in women (in
      analyses incorporating all cognitive predictors) may be a consequence of longer
      and more variable cognitive declines in women relative to men.

PMID- 26098168
TI  - Age differences in the effect of framing on risky choice: A meta-analysis.
AB  - The framing of decision scenarios in terms of potential gains versus losses has
      been shown to influence choice preferences between sure and risky options.
      Normative cognitive changes associated with aging have been known to affect
      decision making, which has led to a number of studies investigating the influence
      of aging on the effect of framing. Mata, Josef, Samanez-Larkin, and Hertwig
      (2011) systematically reviewed the available literature using a meta-analytic
      approach, but did not include tests of homogeneity or subsequent moderator
      variable analyses. The current review serves to extend the previous analysis to
      include such tests as well as update the pool of studies available for analysis.
      Results for both positively and negatively framed conditions were reviewed using
      2 meta-analyses encompassing data collected from 3,232 subjects across 18
      studies. Deviating from the previous results, the current analysis found a
      tendency for younger adults to choose the risky option more often than older
      adults for positively framed items. Moderator variable analyses found this effect
      likely to be driven by the specific decision scenario, showing a significant
      effect, with younger adults choosing the risky option more often in small-amount
      financial and large-amount mortality-based scenarios. For negatively framed
      items, the current review found no overall age difference in risky decision
      making, confirming the results from the prior meta-analysis. Moderator variable
      analyses conducted to address heterogeneity found younger adults to be more
      likely than older adults to choose the risky option for negatively framed high
      amount mortality-based decision scenarios. Practical implications for older
      adults are discussed.

PMID- 26098169
TI  - Four-year stability, change, and multidirectionality of well-being in very-old
      age.
AB  - We examined stability, change, and dedifferentiation of well-being in 124
      participants with a baseline age between 87 and 97 years (M = 90.56, SD = 2.92)
      across 7 measurement occasions over 4 years. Measures of hedonic (life
      satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect) and eudaimonic well-being
      (autonomy, purpose in life, self-acceptance, environmental mastery), as well as
      indicators of mental distress (depressive symptoms, attitudes toward death and
      dying, disease phobia) were included. Average levels indicated high well-being at
      all measurement occasions in the majority of indicators analyzed. However, mean
      numbers of depressive symptoms were close to the cutoff point of clinical
      depression. Analyses of intra-individual correlations revealed high loadings of
      depressive symptoms, positive affect, and environmental mastery on a common
      factor. However, several well-being indicators were not substantially
      interrelated on the intra-individual level, suggesting their trajectories were
      rather independent of each other. Acceptance of death and dying was surprisingly
      high and even increased, whereas mean levels in fear of death were very low and
      declined over time. Overall, our findings do not suggest late-life
      dedifferentiation of well-being trajectories in very-old age. Our results rather
      support the need to consider indicators of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, as
      well as mental distress, to understand the multifaceted and multidirectional
      dynamics of well-being in very-old age.

PMID- 26098170
TI  - [Imaging of panniculitis-like subcutaneous T-cell lymphoma].

PMID- 26098171
TI  - Aerobic Fitness and Context Processing in Preadolescent Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a growing trend of inactivity among children, which may not
      only result in poorer physical health but also poorer cognitive health. The
      purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between aerobic fitness
      and proactive and reactive cognitive control using a continuous performance task
      (CPT). METHODS: Forty-eight 9- to 10-year-old children (n = 24 higher fit [HF]
      and n = 24 lower fit [LF]) performed an AX-CPT requiring them to respond to
      target cue-probe pairs (AX) or nontarget pairs (AY, BX, BY) under 2 different
      trial duration conditions, which modulated working memory demands. RESULTS:
      Across trials and conditions, HF children had greater accuracy than LF children.
      For target trials, the long duration resulted in lower accuracy than the short
      duration. For nontarget trials, an interaction of duration and trial was
      observed, indicating that the long duration resulted in decreased BX and BY
      accuracy relative to the short duration. AY trials had greater accuracy during
      the long duration compared with the short duration. CONCLUSIONS: These data
      suggest that fitness may modulate cognitive control strategies during tasks
      requiring context updating and maintenance, key components of working memory and
      further support aerobic fitness as a marker of cognitive and brain health in
      children.

PMID- 26098172
TI  - Shlnc-EC6 regulates murine erythroid enucleation by Rac1-PIP5K pathway.
AB  - Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) are longer than 200 nucleotide noncoding RNAs
      without apparent functional coding capacity that function as regulators of cell
      growth and development. In recent years, increasing evidence implicates the
      involvement of LncRNAs in erythropoiesis. shlnc-EC6 is a LncRNA associated with
      erythroid differentiation but the mechanism remains undefined. In this study, we
      found that knockdown of shlnc-EC6 in purified mouse fetal liver erythroid
      progenitor and hematopoietic stem cells (FLEPHSCs) significantly blocked
      erythroid enucleation. We also showed that Rac1 was negatively regulated by shlnc
      EC6 at the posttranscriptional level via specific binding to sites within the
      3'UTR of Rac1 mRNA. Moreover, we found that knockdown of shlnc-EC6 led to
      upregulation of Rac1, followed by the activation of the downstream protein PIP5K,
      and subsequently resulted in the inhibition of enucleation in cultured mouse
      fetal erythroblasts. Thus, our findings suggest that shlnc-EC6 acts as a novel
      modulator to regulate mouse erythropoiesis via Rac1/PIP5K signaling pathway.

PMID- 26098173
TI  - Bis(cyano) Iron(III) Porphyrinates: What Is the Ground State?
AB  - The synthesis of six new bis(cyano) iron(III) porphyrinate derivatives is
      reported. The anionic porphyrin complexes utilized tetraphenylporphyrin,
      tetramesitylporphyrin, and tetratolylporphyrin as the porphyrin ligand. The
      potassium salts of Kryptofix-222 and 18-C-6 were used as the cations. These
      complexes have been characterized by X-ray structure analysis, solid-state
      Mossbauer spectroscopy, and EPR spectroscopy, both in frozen CH2Cl2 solution and
      in the microcrystalline state. These data show that these anionic complexes can
      exist in either the (dxz,dyz)(4)(dxy)(1) or the (dxy)(2)(dxz,dyz)(3) electronic
      configuration and some can clearly readily interconvert. This is a reflection
      that these two states can be very close in energy. In addition to the effects of
      varying the porphyrin ligand, subtle effects of the cyanide ligand environment in
      the solid state and in solution are sufficient to shift the balance between the
      two electronic states. 

PMID- 26098174
TI  - Design Concepts and Preclinical Results of a Miniaturized HeartWare Platform: The
      MVAD System.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ventricular assist device (VAD) miniaturization is one design trend
      that may result in less-invasive implantation techniques and more versatility
      with patient selection. The MVAD System is a miniature, continuous-flow device
      implanted in the ventricle. The pump is capable of delivering between 0 and 7
      L/min of flow at a mean arterial pressure of 75 mm Hg. The impeller was optimized
      from its original design to improve hydraulic performance, minimize shear
      regions, and enhance the impeller's radial stiffness. These studies evaluated the
      MVAD System with modified impeller in the preclinical setting. METHODS: This
      modified pump design was tested through chronic studies (n = 6) in a healthy
      ovine model where 4 animals were implanted for a duration of 30 +/- 5 days and 2
      animals were implanted for a duration of 90 +/- 5 days. The pump was placed in
      the left ventricular apex with the outflow graft anastomosed to the descending
      aorta. Postoperatively, no anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapies were
      administered throughout the study duration. RESULTS: All 6 animals reached their
      elective date of kill, demonstrating no evidence of organ compromise or device
      related complications. Average pump parameters did not deviate significantly, and
      average rotational speed, pump flow, and power consumption were 14095 +/- 139
      RPM, 4.1 +/- 0.4 L/min, and 4.3 +/- 0.1 W, respectively. Examination of pump
      components postexplant demonstrated no mechanical wear or thrombus formation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Hemocompatibility and biocompatibility of the modified MVAD System
      were demonstrated through pump parameters, blood chemistry panels, and
      histopathology analysis.

PMID- 26098175
TI  - Effects of Fabrication on Early Patency and Regeneration of Small Intestinal
      Submucosa Vascular Grafts.
AB  - Small intestinal submucosa grafts for vascular regeneration have produced
      variable patency (0-100%) that has been concurrent with variability in
      fabrication techniques. We hypothesized that 1) preservation (P) or removal (R)
      of the stratum compactum layer of the intestine and 2) a dehydrated (D) or
      hydrated (H) state of the graft, affect early patency and tissue regeneration. We
      combined both parameters through a 2(2) factorial experimental design into four
      groups (PD, RD, PH, RH), and compared them in an in vivo early response
      predictive model (swine, ID 4.5 mm, 7d, n = 4). Patency, thrombogenicity,
      vascularization, fibroblast infiltration, macrophage polarization profile,
      endothelialization, and biaxial mechanics were assessed. PD grafts remained
      patent (4/4) but had scarce vascularization and fibroblast infiltration. RD and
      RH had extensive vascularization and fibroblast infiltration, however, RD had
      sustained patency (4/4) and the highest number of regeneration-associated
      phenotype macrophages (M2), whereas RH had lower patency (3/4) and less M2
      macrophages. PH had a modest cellular infiltration, but the lowest patency (2/4)
      and a dominant adverse macrophage phenotype. Elasticity of R grafts evolved
      toward that of native carotids (particularly RD), while P grafts kept their
      initial stiffness. We concluded that fabrication parameters drastically affected
      early patency and regeneration, with RD providing the best results.

PMID- 26098176
TI  - First In Vivo Results of a Novel Pediatric Oxygenator with an Integrated
      Pulsatile Pump.
AB  - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a pivotal bridge to recovery for
      cardiopulmonary failure in children. Besides its life-saving quality, it is often
      associated with severe system-related complications, such as hemolysis,
      inflammation, and thromboembolism. Novel oxygenator and pump systems may reduce
      such ECMO-related complications. The ExMeTrA oxygenator is a newly designed
      pediatric oxygenator with an integrated pulsatile pump minimizing the priming
      volume and reducing the surface area of blood contact. The aim of our study was
      to investigate the feasibility and safety of this new ExMeTrA (expansion mediated
      transport and accumulation) oxygenator in an animal model. During 6 h of
      extracorporeal circulation (ECC) in pigs, parameters of the hemostatic system
      including coagulation, platelets and complement activation, and flow rates were
      investigated. A nonsignificant trend in C3 consumption, thrombin-antithrombin-III
      (TAT) complex formation and a slight trend in hemolysis were detected. During the
      ECC, the blood flow was constantly at 500 ml/min using only flexible silicone
      tubes inside the oxygenator as pulsatile pump. Our data clearly indicate that the
      hemostatic markers were only slightly influenced by the ExMeTrA oxygenator.
      Additionally, the oxygenator showed a constant quality of blood flow. Therefore,
      this novel pediatric oxygenator shows the potential to be used in pediatric and
      neonatal support with ECMO. 

PMID- 26098177
TI  - Trimetallic PtSnRh Wavy Nanowires as Efficient Nanoelectrocatalysts for Alcohol
      Electrooxidation.
AB  - The design and creation of efficient catalysts for alcohol oxidation reaction has
      attracted great research attention because alcohols are promising fuels for
      direct fuel cell reactions because of their high energy density, easy storage,
      and transportation. We herein report an efficient strategy that allows the
      preparation of ternary PtSnM (M=Co, Ni, and Rh) wavy nanowires (WNWs) with
      ultrathin diameter of only around 2 nm and tunable compositions in high yield.
      Detailed catalytic studies show that all the ternary WNWs exhibit high
      performance for ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and methanol oxidation reaction
      (MOR), and their performance shows interesting composition-dependent
      electrocatalytic activity with PtSnRh WNWs having the best activity for both EOR
      and MOR. The PtSnRh WNWs are also more stable than commercial Pt/C catalyst, as
      revealed by long-time chronoamperometric (CA) measurements. The present work
      highlights the use of multimetallic WNWs as highly active and durable
      nanocatalysts in enhancing alcohol electrooxidation, which will open a new way in
      tuning 1D multimetallic nanostructures for boosting other fuel cell reactions,
      various heterogeneous reactions, and beyond.

PMID- 26098178
TI  - Central Adiposity and Cortical Thickness in Midlife.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Excessive visceral fat is associated with greater metabolic
      fluctuation and increased risk for dementia in older adults. The aim of the
      current study is to directly determine the impact of central adiposity on brain
      structure at midlife by examining the thickness of the cerebral cortex. METHODS:
      High-resolution magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo images
      were obtained from 103 participants aged 40 to 60 years (mean [standard
      deviation] = 49.63 [6.47] years) on a 3-T Siemens Skyra scanner. Visceral fat was
      measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: Individuals with higher
      visceral fat mass and volume had significantly thicker cortex in the right
      posterior cingulate gyrus (beta = 0.29 [p = .019] and beta = 0.31 [p = .011],
      respectively), controlling for age, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol
      level, and blood glucose level. CONCLUSIONS: Visceral fat was significantly
      associated with thicker cortex in the posterior cingulate gyrus. Although future
      studies are necessary, these results indicate that central adiposity is
      associated with significant metabolic changes that impinge upon the central
      nervous system in middle age.

PMID- 26098179
TI  - Nonlinear Optical Properties of X(C6H5)4 (X = B(-), C, N(+), P(+)): A New Class
      of Molecules with a Negative Third-Order Polarizability.
AB  - Organic pi-conjugated materials have been widely used for a variety of nonlinear
      optical (NLO) applications. Molecules with negative real components Re(gamma) of
      the third-order polarizability, which leads to nonlinear refraction in
      macroscopic systems, have important benefits for several NLO applications.
      However, few organic systems studied to date have negative Re(gamma) in the long
      wavelength limit, and all inorganic materials show positive nonlinear refraction
      in this limit. Here, we introduce a new class of molecules of the form X(C6H5)4,
      where X = B(-), C, N(+), and P(+), that have negative Re(gamma). The molecular
      mechanism for the NLO properties in these systems is very different from those in
      typical linear conjugated systems: These systems have a band of excited states
      involving single-electron excitations within the pi-system, several of which have
      significant coupling to the ground state. Thus, Re(gamma) cannot be understood in
      terms of a simplified essential-state model and must be analyzed in the context
      of the full sum-over-states expression. Although Re(gamma) is significantly
      smaller than that of other commonly studied NLO chromophores, the introduction of
      a new molecular architecture offering the potential for a negative Re(gamma)
      introduces new avenues of molecular design for NLO applications. 

PMID- 26098180
TI  - Correction to Shao et al. (2015).
AB  - Reports an error in "Selective Inhibition and Naming Performance in Semantic
      Blocking, Picture-Word Interference, and Color-Word Stroop Tasks" by Zeshu Shao,
      Ardi Roelofs, Randi C. Martin and Antje S. Meyer (Journal of Experimental
      Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, Advanced Online Publication, Jun 1,
      2015, np). Antje S. Meyer should not be affiliated with Rice University. All
      versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the
      original article appeared in record 2015-23895-001.) In 2 studies, we examined
      whether explicit distractors are necessary and sufficient to evoke selective
      inhibition in 3 naming tasks: the semantic blocking, picture-word interference,
      and color-word Stroop task. Delta plots were used to quantify the size of the
      interference effects as a function of reaction time (RT). Selective inhibition
      was operationalized as the decrease in the size of the interference effect as a
      function of naming RT. For all naming tasks, mean naming RTs were significantly
      longer in the interference condition than in the control condition. The slopes of
      the interference effects for the longest naming RTs correlated with the magnitude
      of the mean interference effect in both the semantic blocking task and the
      picture-word interference task, suggesting that selective inhibition was involved
      to reduce the interference from strong semantic competitors either invoked by a
      single explicit competitor or strong implicit competitors in picture naming.
      However, there was no correlation between the slopes and the mean interference
      effect in the Stroop task, suggesting less importance of selective inhibition in
      this task despite explicit distractors. Whereas the results of the semantic
      blocking task suggest that an explicit distractor is not necessary for triggering
      inhibition, the results of the Stroop task suggest that such a distractor is not
      sufficient for evoking inhibition either.

PMID- 26098181
TI  - Reading skill and word skipping: Implications for visual and linguistic accounts
      of word skipping.
AB  - We investigated whether high-skill readers skip more words than low-skill readers
      as a result of parafoveal processing differences based on reading skill. We
      manipulated foveal load and word length, two variables that strongly influence
      word skipping, and measured reading skill using the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. We
      found that reading skill did not influence the probability of skipping five
      letter words, but low-skill readers were less likely to skip three-letter words
      when foveal load was high. Thus, reading skill is likely to influence word
      skipping when the amount of information in the parafovea falls within the word
      identification span. We interpret the data in the context of visual-based
      (extended optimal viewing position model) and linguistic based (E-Z Reader model)
      accounts of word skipping. The models make different predictions about how and
      why a word and skipped; however, the data indicate that both models should take
      into account the fact that different factors influence skipping rates for high-
      and low-skill readers.

PMID- 26098182
TI  - Language switching-but not foreign language use per se-reduces the framing
      effect.
AB  - Recent studies reported reductions of well-established biases in decision making
      under risk, such as the framing effect, during foreign language (FL) use. These
      modulations were attributed to the use of FL itself, which putatively entails an
      increase in emotional distance. A reduced framing effect in this setting,
      however, might also result from enhanced cognitive control associated with
      language-switching in mixed-language contexts, an account that has not been
      tested yet. Here we assess predictions of the 2 accounts in 2 experiments with
      over 1,500 participants. In Experiment 1, we tested a central prediction of the
      emotional distance account, namely that the framing effect would be reduced at
      low, but not high, FL proficiency levels. We found a strong framing effect in the
      native language, and surprisingly also in the foreign language, independent of
      proficiency. In Experiment 2, we orthogonally manipulated foreign language use
      and language switching to concurrently test the validity of both accounts. As in
      Experiment 1, foreign language use per se had no effect on framing. Crucially,
      the framing effect was reduced following a language switch, both when switching
      into the foreign and the native language. Thus, our results suggest that reduced
      framing effects are not mediated by increased emotional distance in a foreign
      language, but by transient enhancement of cognitive control, putting the
      interplay of bilingualism and decision making in a new light. (PsycINFO Database
      Record 

PMID- 26098183
TI  - Reproductive Justice, Health Disparities And Incarcerated Women in the United
      States.

PMID- 26098184
TI  - ["Arterial hypertension again already?"].

PMID- 26098185
TI  - [Cardiovascular risk stratification and therapeutic implications in arterial
      hypertension].
AB  - To improve the prevention of cardiovascular complications and events in
      hypertensive patients, it is of major importance to estimate the patient's
      individual risk for cardiovascular events. Antihypertensive treatment should not
      only be based on blood pressure values anymore, but also on the patient's
      comorbidities and risk profile. Risk stratification takes into account
      cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes, asymptomatic organ damage and established
      cardiovascular or renal disease. The most important markers for asymptomatic
      organ damage which should be searched for are microalbuminuria and LVH. Current
      guidelines emphasize the importance of the adaption and selection of treatment
      according to asymptomatic and established organ damage and provide assistance for
      treatment decisions. They focus also on the different non-pharmacological therapy
      options and lifestyle modifications. The goal of this article is to summarize the
      most important innovations and to point out the importance of simple tools for
      the implementation of cardiovascular risk stratification in hypertensive
      patients.

PMID- 26098186
TI  - [Renal hypertension--the role of the kidneys in blood pressure regulation and the
      kidneys as end organ].
AB  - Hypertension affects approximately 25%-30% of the adult population and it is
      predicted that its prevalence will increase. It is a main risk factor for the
      development of kidney failure and cardiovascular disease and on the other hand 80
      % of patients with chronic kidney disease are hypertensive. The interactions
      between hypertension and kidney disease are complex and it is important to keep
      pathophysiology in mind in order to get a better understanding of treating
      hypertension. Renovascular hypertension or renal hypertension means hypertension
      in context of renal artery stenosis and kidney disease. Thus, patients with newly
      diagnosed hypertension should be screened for underlying kidney disease and
      hypertension should be treated in the sense of optimal "nephroprotective" therapy
      within the target values (blood pressure<130/80 mmHg and proteinuria<1 g/d).
      First line antihypertensive drugs for treating patients with kidney disease are
      ACE-Inhibitors or Angiotensin receptor blockers in combination with diuretics and
      a low sodium diet.

PMID- 26098187
TI  - [Arterial hypertension secondary to endocrine disorders].
AB  - Endocrine hypertension offers a potentially curative therapy if the underlying
      cause is identified and treated accordingly. In contrast to the high prevalence
      of arterial hypertension especially in the elderly, the classical endocrine
      causes remain a rare entity. Among patients with arterial hypertension the
      prevalence of Cushing's syndrome or pheochromocytoma is less than 1%. Primary
      hyperaldosteronism is more frequent with a reported prevalence of up to 9%. In
      order to avoid unnecessary, costly and potentially harmful evaluations and
      therapies due to the limited sensitivity and specificity of the critical
      endocrine tests it is mandatory to limit the exploration for endocrine causes to
      preselected patients with high pretest probability for an endocrine disorder.
      Younger age at manifestation of arterial hypertension or drug resistant
      hypertension together with other clinical signs of an endocrine disorder should
      raise the suspicion and prompt the appropriate evaluation.

PMID- 26098188
TI  - [Blood pressure limits--the lower, the better?].
AB  - Arterial hypertension is a widespread risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The
      benefit of a consistent drug therapy is proportionally associated with the degree
      of blood pressure reduction. By extrapolating the data, the assumption arose "the
      lower the better" and was widely accepted. However, several studies found an
      increase in morbidity and mortality with an excessive reduction of blood pressure
      (J-curve). This seems to affect mainly cardiac risk, and only at lower blood
      pressures<60 mmHg also the cerebral risk. An important factor here is the
      diastolic blood pressure. Others found a linear correlation. Overall, a j-shaped
      connection remains controversial and is not considered equally for all organ
      systems. At the same time cardiovascular risk seems not to increase with
      additional reduction in blood pressure of <140 mm Hg to <120 mmHg. This has led
      to the latest guidelines of all societies recommending higher target values.
      Reasons for higher targets in drug therapy of arterial hypertension, are
      increased adverse drug reactions or increased healthcare costs with few
      additional benefit. The current recommendations of the ESH/ESC, AHA/ACC/ASH and
      the JNC 8 set a higher target value for some subgroups, but remain inconsistent
      among themselves.

PMID- 26098189
TI  - [Therapy-resistant arterial hypertension].
AB  - Therapy-resistant hypertension is a frequent finding in clinical practice. It is
      associated with a significantly increased risk for cardiovascular and renal
      events. Causes include but are not limited to erroneous blood pressure
      measurements, compliance issues, blood pressure increasing co-medication, and
      secondary hypertension. During the last years, several medical and interventional
      therapeutic approaches have been described and introduced into clinical practice.
      The goal of this paper is to summarize the clinically relevant diagnostic and
      therapeutic aspects related to therapy-resistant hypertension and to give an
      overview on the rational approach to this clinical problem.

PMID- 26098190
TI  - [Hypertension in the elderly].
AB  - Arterial hypertension remains the most important risk factor for cardiovascular
      and renal diseases. In view of an increasing prevalence with older age and an
      increasingly aging population, the treatment of elderly patients with arterial
      hypertension will become increasingly important in daily practice. Arterial
      hypertension in the elderly differs in many aspects from arterial hypertension in
      younger patients. For example, isolated systolic hypertension is the predominant
      form of arterial hypertension in the elderly. In comparison to younger patients,
      treatment of hypertension in the elderly is less well investigated. However,
      available data suggest that lowering of blood pressure in the elderly and very
      elderly reduces the risk of heart failure, stroke, and even mortality. The best
      evidence for the treatment of hypertension in the elderly exists for diuretics
      and calcium antagonists. However, the primary choice of antihypertensive therapy
      should be guided by the presence of existing cardiovascular and/or renal
      comorbidities.

PMID- 26098191
TI  - [Hypertensive urgency and emergency].
AB  - European and North-American guidelines for the diagnosis and therapy of arterial
      hypertension refer to hypertensive crisis as an acute and critical increase of
      blood pressure>180/120 mmHg. Presence of acute hypertensive target organ damage,
      such as stroke, myocardial infarction or heart failure, in this situation defines
      a "hypertensive emergency". In these patients, immediate lowering of blood
      pressure (about 25% within one to two hours) in an intensive care setting is
      mandatory to prevent further progression of target organ damage. In contrast to
      hypertensive emergencies, hypertensive urgencies are characterized by an acute
      and critical increase in blood pressure without signs or symptoms of acute
      hypertensive target organ damage. In these patients, blood pressure should be
      lowered within 24 to 48 hours in order to avoid hypertensive target organ damage.
      In general, hospitalization is not required, and oral antihypertensive therapy
      usually is sufficient. However, further and continuing outpatient care has to be
      ensured.

PMID- 26098192
TI  - Being Sexually Attracted to Minors: Sexual Development, Coping With Forbidden
      Feelings, and Relieving Sexual Arousal in Self-Identified Pedophiles.
AB  - This article aims to provide more insight into pedophilic attraction and risk and
      protective factors for offending in nonclinical pedophiles. Fifteen participants
      were interviewed about sexuality, coping, and sexual self-regulation. Many
      participants struggled with acknowledging pedophilic interest in early puberty
      and experienced psychological difficulties as a result. Furthermore, many
      committed sex offenses during adolescence when they were still discovering their
      feelings. Early recognition of risk factors and early start of interventions seem
      vital in preventing offending. Moreover, results suggest that risk for offending
      can be diminished by creating more openness about pedophilia and by providing
      pedophiles with social support and control.

PMID- 26098193
TI  - Do not forget the joint involvement of sarcoidosis.

PMID- 26098194
TI  - Sulfamethoxazole-induced thrombocytopenia masquerading as posttransfusion
      purpura: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia (DITP) is a rare clinical
      disorder characterized by accelerated platelet (PLT) clearance in the presence of
      drug-dependent antibodies. Distinguishing DITP from other immune-mediated
      disorders such as posttransfusion purpura (PTP) and autoimmune thrombocytopenia
      can represent a clinical challenge. CASE REPORT: A 68-year-old male with no prior
      transfusion history presented to the emergency department (ED) with dyspnea,
      epistaxis, and severe thrombocytopenia (<10 * 10(9)/L) 12 days after discharge
      from a hospital admission for a coronary artery bypass graft. Evaluation of the
      degree of thrombocytopenia and the temporal association between the peri- and
      postoperative receipt of multiple transfusions and the acute decrease in PLT
      count indicated PTP as a possible cause of the severe thrombocytopenia. Treatment
      with 1 g/kg intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was initiated and followed by a
      rapid 48-hour increase in the PLT count. PLT antibodies lacking serologic
      specificity were subsequently identified in a sample collected upon presentation.
      Two weeks later he again presented to the ED with epistaxis and severe
      thrombocytopenia (<10 * 10(9)/L). Clinical history now revealed that the patient
      had been treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole by his primary care physician
      after his first hospitalization for a "cellulitic-appearing" leg and again before
      his final presentation for surgical site erythema and edema. IVIG was
      administered again with a rapid return of PLT count to baseline. Sulfamethoxazole
      dependent PLT antibodies were subsequently identified in the original patient
      sample. CONCLUSION: This case report documents a case of IVIG-responsive DITP
      initially misdiagnosed as PTP, highlighting the clinical overlap of these
      immunologic-mediated phenomena.

PMID- 26098196
TI  - Rural nurses: a convenient co-location strategy for the rural mental health care
      of young people.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was to understand new ways that
      young rural people with mental health problems could be helped at an early point
      in their mental health decline. BACKGROUND: Rural nurses represent skilled mental
      health helping capital in their local communities, yet this important mental
      health helping resource, or helping capital, is both under-recognised and under
      used in providing early mental health help in rural communities. In recent years
      international momentum has gathered in support of a paradigm change to reform the
      delivery of youth mental health services so that they align more closely to the
      developmental and social needs of young people with mental health problems.
      DESIGN: A mixed methods case study design was used to explore the early mental
      health care needs of young rural people. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was
      conducted and data were analysed with descriptive techniques. In-depth interviews
      were conducted and the transcribed data were analysed using thematic techniques.
      RESULTS: The results of this study demonstrate that in general rural people are
      willing to seek mental health care, and that rural nurses are well suited to
      provide initial care to young people. CONCLUSIONS: Non-traditional venues such as
      community, school and justice settings are ideal places where more convenient
      first conversations about mental health with young people and their families, and
      rural nurses should be deployed to these settings. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL
      PRACTICE: Rural nurses are able to contribute important initial engagement
      interventions that enhance the early mental health care for young people when it
      is needed.

PMID- 26098195
TI  - CuS Nanodots with Ultrahigh Efficient Renal Clearance for Positron Emission
      Tomography Imaging and Image-Guided Photothermal Therapy.
AB  - Translation of nanoparticles (NPs) into clinical practice has been limited by
      toxic effects induced by nonspecific accumulation of NPs in healthy organs after
      systemic administration. The ideal NPs should accumulate in the target site,
      carry out their function, and then ultimately be eliminated from the body. Here,
      we show a single-compartment, multifunctional ultrasmall copper sulfide nanodot
      (CuS ND) that is rapidly cleared from the body. These CuS NDs have a hydrodynamic
      diameter of <6 nm, can efficiently absorb near-infrared light for photothermal
      ablation therapy, and stably incorporate the copper-64 radioisotope for
      noninvasive positron emission tomography (PET). Importantly, ~95% of CuS NDs are
      excreted intact through the renal-urinary system within 24 h with minimal
      retention in the liver and the spleen. The ultrasmall CuS NDs accumulate in 4T1
      tumors in Balb/c mice, as monitored by PET imaging, and mediate tumor ablation
      when combined with near-infrared light irradiation. As a first example of PET
      visible, renal-clearable inorganic nanomaterials with peak absorption in the near
      infrared region, CuS NDs represent a robust platform for cancer imaging and
      therapy. 

PMID- 26098197
TI  - Co-Eradication of Breast Cancer Cells and Cancer Stem Cells by Cross-Linked
      Multilamellar Liposomes Enhances Tumor Treatment.
AB  - The therapeutic limitations of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs have emerged
      as a challenge for breast cancer therapy; these shortcomings are likely due, at
      least in part, to the presence of the cancer stem cells (CSCs). Salinomycin, a
      polyether antibiotic isolated from Streptomyces albus, has been shown to
      selectively inhibit cancer stem cells; however, its clinical application has been
      hindered by the drug's hydrophobility, which limits the available administration
      routes. In this paper, a novel drug delivery system, cross-linked multilamellar
      liposomal vesicles (cMLVs), was optimized to allow for the codelivery of
      salinomycin (Sal) and doxorubicin (Dox), targeting both CSCs and breast cancer
      cells. The results show that the cMLV particles encapsulating different drugs
      have similar sizes with high encapsulation efficiencies (>80%) for both Dox and
      Sal. Dox and Sal were released from the particles in a sustained manner,
      indicating the stability of the cMLVs. Moreover, the inhibition of cMLV(Dox+Sal)
      against breast cancer cells was stronger than either single-drug treatment. The
      efficient targeting of cMLV(Dox+Sal) to CSCs was validated through in vitro
      experiments using breast cancer stem cell markers. In accordance with the in
      vitro combination treatment, in vivo breast tumor suppression by cMLV(Dox+Sal)
      was 2-fold more effective than single-drug cMLV treatment or treatment with the
      combination of cMLV(Dox) and cMLV(Sal). Thus, this study demonstrates that cMLVs
      represent a novel drug delivery system that can serve as a potential platform for
      combination therapy, allowing codelivery of an anticancer agent and a CSC
      inhibitor for the elimination of both breast cancer cells and cancer stem cells.

PMID- 26098198
TI  - Determining agreement using rater characteristics.
AB  - When evaluating the usefulness of clinical information for the diagnosis of
      disease, multiple raters provide a diagnosis for the same set of data. These
      ratings provide important insights into the performance of the diagnosis,
      determining the accuracy of each rater's diagnosis compared to the truth standard
      and the level of agreement among the raters. We demonstrate that the intraclass
      correlation coefficient (ICC) is dependent on the sensitivities and specificities
      of the raters involved in the study. Given the sensitivity and specificity of any
      number of raters, along with the prevalence of disease, the expected ICC can be
      determined.

PMID- 26098199
TI  - Combinatorics of RNA Secondary Structures with Base Triples.
AB  - The structure of RNA has been the subject of intense research over the last
      decades due to its importance for the correct functioning of RNA molecules in
      biological processes. Hence, a large number of models for RNA folding and
      corresponding algorithms for structure prediction have been developed. However,
      previous models often only consider base pairs, although every base is capable of
      up to three edge-to-edge interactions with other bases. Recently, Honer zu
      Siederdissen et al. presented an extended model of RNA secondary structure,
      including base triples together with a folding algorithm-the first thermodynamics
      based algorithm that allows the prediction of secondary structures with base
      triples. In this article, we investigate the search space processed by this new
      algorithm, that is, the combinatorics of extended RNA secondary structures with
      base triples. We present generalized definitions for structural motifs like
      hairpins, stems, bulges, or interior loops occurring in structures with base
      triples. Furthermore, we prove precise asymptotic results for the number of
      different structures (size of search space) and expectations for various
      parameters associated with structural motifs (typical shape of folding). Our
      analysis shows that the asymptotic number of secondary structures of size n
      increases exponentially to [Formula: see text] compared to the classic model by
      Stein and Waterman for which [Formula: see text] structures exist. A comparison
      with the classic model reveals large deviations in the expected structural
      appearance, too. The inclusion of base triples constitutes a significant
      refinement of the combinatorial model of RNA secondary structure, which, by our
      findings, is quantitatively characterized. Our results are of special theoretical
      interest, because a closer look at the numbers involved suggests that extended
      RNA secondary structures constitute a new combinatorial class not bijective with
      any other combinatorial objects studied so far.

PMID- 26098200
TI  - Sample size considerations for historical control studies with survival outcomes.
AB  - Historical control trials (HCTs) are frequently conducted to compare an
      experimental treatment with a control treatment from a previous study, when they
      are applicable and favored over a randomized clinical trial (RCT) due to
      feasibility, ethics and cost concerns. Makuch and Simon developed a sample size
      formula for historical control (HC) studies with binary outcomes, assuming that
      the observed response rate in the HC group is the true response rate. This method
      was extended by Dixon and Simon to specify sample size for HC studies comparing
      survival outcomes. For HC studies with binary and continuous outcomes, many
      researchers have shown that the popular Makuch and Simon method does not preserve
      the nominal power and type I error, and suggested alternative approaches. For HC
      studies with survival outcomes, we reveal through simulation that the conditional
      power and type I error over all the random realizations of the HC data have
      highly skewed distributions. Therefore, the sampling variability of the HC data
      needs to be appropriately accounted for in determining sample size. A flexible
      sample size formula that controls arbitrary percentiles, instead of means, of the
      conditional power and type I error, is derived. Although an explicit sample size
      formula with survival outcomes is not available, the computation is
      straightforward. Simulations demonstrate that the proposed method preserves the
      operational characteristics in a more realistic scenario where the true hazard
      rate of the HC group is unknown. A real data application of an advanced non-small
      cell lung cancer (NSCLC) clinical trial is presented to illustrate sample size
      considerations for HC studies in comparison of survival outcomes.

PMID- 26098201
TI  - Direct Covalent Biomolecule Immobilization on Plasma-Nanotextured Chemically
      Stable Substrates.
AB  - A new method for direct covalent immobilization of protein molecules (including
      antibodies) on organic polymers with plasma-induced random micronanoscale
      topography and stable-in-time chemical functionality is presented. This is
      achieved using a short (1-5 min) plasma etching and simultaneous
      micronanotexturing process, followed by a fast thermal annealing step, which
      induces accelerated hydrophobic recovery while preserving important chemical
      functionality created by the plasma. Surface-bound biomolecules resist harsh
      washing with sodium dodecyl sulfate and other detergents even at elevated
      temperatures, losing less than 40% of the biomolecules bound even at the harshest
      washing conditions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary-ion mass
      spectrometry, and electron paramagnetic resonance are used to unveil the chemical
      modification of the plasma-treated and stabilized surfaces. The nanotextured and
      chemically stabilized surfaces are used as substrates for the development of
      immunochemical assays for the sensitive detection of C-reactive protein and
      salmonella lipopolysaccharides through immobilization of the respective analyte
      specific antibodies onto them. Such substrates are stable for a period of 1 year
      with ambient storage. 

PMID- 26098202
TI  - Galvanic Cell Type Sensor for Soil Moisture Analysis.
AB  - Here we report the first potentiometric sensor for soil moisture analysis by
      bringing in the concept of Galvanic cells wherein the redox energies of Al and
      conducting polyaniline are exploited to design a battery type sensor. The sensor
      consists of only simple architectural components, and as such they are
      inexpensive and lightweight, making it suitable for on-site analysis. The sensing
      mechanism is proved to be identical to a battery type discharge reaction wherein
      polyaniline redox energy changes from the conducting to the nonconducting state
      with a resulting voltage shift in the presence of soil moisture. Unlike the state
      of the art soil moisture sensors, a signal derived from the proposed moisture
      sensor is probe size independent, as it is potentiometric in nature and, hence,
      can be fabricated in any shape or size and can provide a consistent output signal
      under the strong aberration conditions often encountered in soil moisture
      analysis. The sensor is regenerable by treating with 1 M HCl and can be used for
      multiple analysis with little read out hysteresis. Further, a portable sensor is
      fabricated which can provide warning signals to the end user when the moisture
      levels in the soil go below critically low levels, thereby functioning as a smart
      device. As the sensor is inexpensive, portable, and potentiometric, it opens up
      avenues for developing effective and energy efficient irrigation strategies,
      understanding the heat and water transfer at the atmosphere-land interface,
      understanding soil mechanics, forecasting the risk of natural calamities, and so
      on. 

PMID- 26098204
TI  - Palliative Care Training during Fellowship: A National Survey of U.S. Hematology
      and Oncology Fellows.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite requirements for palliative care training during fellowship,
      there is a paucity of recent data regarding the attitudes, knowledge, and skills
      of hematology/ oncology fellows in palliative care. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to
      assess fellows' attitudes toward and quality of training in palliative care
      during fellowship and perceived preparedness to care for patients at the end of
      life (EOL). METHODS: In May 2013 a cross-sectional survey of hematology/oncology
      fellows was conducted. RESULTS: Fellows from 93 of 138 fellowship programs
      responded (67.4%). Of the 347 fellows e-mailed, 176 participated. Nearly all
      fellows (99%) indicated that physicians have a responsibility to help patients at
      EOL. Fellows felt their overall training in fellowship was superior to training
      in EOL care (4.24+/-0.78 versus 3.53+/-0.99 on a 5-5 scale where 1=poor and
      5=excellent, p<0.0001). Fellows who had a rotation in palliative care during
      fellowship (44.9%) reported better teaching on managing a patient at EOL than
      those who did not (3.91+/-1.0 versus 3.21+/-0.87, p<0.0001). Fellows reporting
      better teaching in EOL care felt better prepared to care for patients at EOL
      (r=0.52, p<0.0001). More than 25% reported not being explicitly taught how to
      assess prognosis, when to refer a patient to hospice, or how to conduct a family
      meeting to discuss treatment options. CONCLUSION: Many recent oncology fellows
      are still inadequately prepared to provide palliative care to their patients.
      There is significant room for improvement with regards to the quality of
      palliative care training in U.S. hematology/oncology fellowship programs.

PMID- 26098205
TI  - The relationship between alloying elements and biologically produced ennoblement
      in natural waters.
AB  - A range of stainless steels, nickel-chromium and nickel-chromium-molybdenum
      alloys were exposed to coastal seawater from Mandapam (Indian Ocean) and
      freshwater from a perennial pond. Biofilms from both test waters produced an
      ennoblement of the open circuit potential (OCP) on all alloys as expected, which
      was slower but substantially larger in freshwater. In both waters an interesting
      relationship was perceived between the plateau OCP (Emax) and the mass percentage
      of the major alloying elements. In particular, iron exhibited strong positive
      correlations with Emax (r(2) >= 0.77; p < 0.0005), while the sum of chromium,
      nickel and molybdenum presented significant negative correlations (r(2) <= -0.81;
      p = 0.0002). Consistent with the regression analyses, Euclidean distance
      clustering yielded patterns where Inconel-600 and the nickel-chromium-molybdenum
      alloys had the smallest similarities of OCP with other alloys. The results
      emphatically reinforce a key role for surface passive films in the ennoblement
      phenomenon in natural waters.

PMID- 26098203
TI  - Beyond standard therapy: drugs under investigation for the treatment of
      gastrointestinal stromal tumor.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common
      nonepithelial malignancy of the GI tract. With the discovery of KIT and later
      platelet-derived growth factor alpha (PDGFRA) gain-of-function mutations as
      factors in the pathogenesis of the disease, GIST was the quintessential model for
      targeted therapy. Despite the successful clinical use of imatinib mesylate, a
      selective receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor that targets KIT, PDGFRA and
      BCR-ABL, we still do not have treatment for the long-term control of advanced
      GIST. AREAS COVERED: This review summarizes the drugs that are under
      investigation or have been assessed in trials for GIST treatment. The article
      focuses on their mechanisms of actions, the preclinical evidence of efficacy, and
      the clinical trials concerning safety and efficacy in humans. EXPERT OPINION: It
      is known that KIT and PDGFRA mutations in GIST patients influence the response to
      treatment. This observation should be taken into consideration when investigating
      new drugs. RECIST was developed to help uniformly report efficacy trials in
      oncology. Despite the usefulness of this system, many questions are being
      addressed about its validity in evaluating the true efficacy of drugs knowing
      that new targeted therapies do not affect the tumor size as much as they halt
      progression and prolong survival.

PMID- 26098206
TI  - Epigenetic programming of glucose-regulated insulin release.
AB  - Pancreatic beta cells support glucose homeostasis with great precision by
      matching insulin release to the metabolic needs of the moment. Previous gene
      expression analysis indicates that adult beta cells not only produce cell
      specific proteins, but also repress a small set of housekeeping genes - such as
      those encoding lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), solute transporter MCT1, and
      hexokinase 1 (HK1) - that would otherwise interfere with normal beta cell
      function. In this issue of the JCI, Dhawan et al. elucidate a molecular mechanism
      involved in beta cell-specific repression of Ldha and Hk1 that is mediated by
      induction of the de novo DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A during the first weeks
      after birth. Failure to induce DNMT3A-dependent methylation disrupts normal
      glucose-induced insulin release in adult life. The results of this study
      reinforce the idea that the phenotype of adult beta cells has two faces and that
      failure to achieve selective gene repression undermines beta cell support of
      normal glucose homeostasis. 

PMID- 26098207
TI  - Fetal-to-maternal signaling to initiate parturition.
AB  - Multiple processes are capable of activating the onset of parturition; however,
      the specific contributions of the mother and the fetus to this process are not
      fully understood. In this issue of the JCI, Gao and colleagues present evidence
      that steroid receptor coactivators 1 and 2 (SRC-1 and SRC-2) regulate surfactant
      protein-A (SP-A) and platelet-activating factor (PAF) expression, which increases
      in the developing fetal lung. WT dams crossed with males deficient for both SRC-1
      and SRC-2 had suppressed myometrial inflammation, increased serum progesterone,
      and delayed parturition, which could be reconciled by injection of either SP-A or
      PAF into the amnion. Together, the results of this study demonstrate that the
      fetal lungs produce signals to initiate labor in the mouse. This work underscores
      the importance of the fetus as a contributor to the onset of murine, and
      potentially human, parturition. 

PMID- 26098208
TI  - The many faces of type I interferon in systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease with a
      broad spectrum of clinical presentations involving multiple organ systems. An
      abnormal response to self-antigens is thought to drive the development of SLE;
      however, the factors that underlie this dysfunction are not clear. In this issue
      of the JCI, Li and colleagues present compelling evidence to show that type I
      interferons (IFNs) produced by plasmacytoid dendritic cells inhibit the clearance
      of apoptotic cells (ACs) by marginal zone macrophages. Specifically, type I IFNs
      increase the translocation of marginal zone (MZ) B cells to the follicular region
      of the spleen, thereby disrupting interactions between these B cells and MZ
      macrophages (MZMs), which in turn disrupts megakaryoblastic leukemia 1-mediated
      (MKL1-mediated) mechanosensing and inhibits AC phagocytosis by MZMs. The results
      of this study provide important insight into factors that inhibit AC clearance
      and promote the development of SLE. 

PMID- 26098209
TI  - Hypoactivity following perturbed estrogen signaling in the medial amygdala.
AB  - Activation of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) in the brain prevents obesity as
      the result of increased energy expenditure and decreased food intake. While
      ERalpha is present on several neural populations, it is not clear how different
      regions of the brain mediate the weight-regulating effects of ERalpha activation.
      In this issue of the JCI, Xu and colleagues provide extensive evidence that
      ERalpha is abundant on neurons expressing single-minded-1 (SIM1) in the medial
      amygdala (MeA) and that loss of ERalpha in these cells enhances weight gain in
      both male and female mice, as the result of reduced physical activity. Moreover,
      focal deletion of ERalpha from the MeA recapitulated these alterations in energy
      homeostasis. Conversely, overexpression of ERalpha in the MeA partially prevented
      mice from diet-induced obesity, while chemogenetic activation of SIM1-expressing
      neurons in the MeA transiently promoted physical activity. The results of this
      study provide important insight into the regions of the brain that mediate
      ERalpha-dependent energy homeostasis. 

PMID- 26098210
TI  - Restoration of synaptic function in sight for degenerative retinal disease.
AB  - Synaptic disorganization is a prominent feature of many neurological diseases of
      the CNS, including Parkinson's disease, intellectual development disorders, and
      autism. Although synaptic plasticity is critical for learning and memory, it is
      unclear whether this innate property helps restore synaptic function in disease
      once the primary cause of disease is abrogated. An answer to this question may
      come from a recent investigation in X-linked retinoschisis, a currently
      untreatable retinopathy. In this issue of the JCI, Ou, Vijayasarathy, and
      colleagues showed progressive disorganization of key functional elements of the
      synapse between photoreceptors and ON-bipolar cells in a retinoschisin-deficient
      mouse model. Moreover, they demonstrated that adeno-associated virus-mediated
      (AAV-mediated) delivery of the retinoschisin gene restores structure and function
      to the photoreceptor to ON-bipolar cell synapse in mouse models, even in adults
      at advanced stages of the disease. The results of this study hold promise that
      AAV-based supplemental gene therapy will benefit patients with X-linked
      retinoschisis in a forthcoming clinical trial. 

PMID- 26098211
TI  - Interferon-induced mechanosensing defects impede apoptotic cell clearance in
      lupus.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a severe autoimmune disease that is
      associated with increased circulating apoptotic cell autoantigens (AC-Ags) as
      well as increased type I IFN signaling. Here, we describe a pathogenic mechanism
      in which follicular translocation of marginal zone (MZ) B cells in the spleens of
      BXD2 lupus mice disrupts marginal zone macrophages (MZMs), which normally clear
      AC debris and prevent follicular entry of AC-Ags. Phagocytosis of ACs by splenic
      MZMs required the megakaryoblastic leukemia 1 (MKL1) transcriptional coactivator
      mediated mechanosensing pathway, which was maintained by MZ B cells through
      expression of membrane lymphotoxin-alpha1beta2 (mLT). Specifically, type I IFN
      induced follicular shuttling of mLT-expressing MZ B cells disengaged interactions
      between these MZ B cells and LTbeta receptor-expressing MZMs, thereby
      downregulating MKL1 in MZMs. Loss of MKL1 expression in MZMs led to defective F
      actin polymerization, inability to clear ACs, and, eventually, MZM dissipation.
      Aggregation of plasmacytoid DCs in the splenic perifollicular region, follicular
      translocation of MZ B cells, and loss of MKL1 and MZMs were also observed in an
      additional murine lupus model and in the spleens of patients with SLE.
      Collectively, the results suggest that lupus might be interrupted by strategies
      that maintain or enhance mechanosensing signaling in the MZM barrier to prevent
      follicular entry of AC-Ags. 

PMID- 26098212
TI  - Estrogen receptor-alpha in medial amygdala neurons regulates body weight.
AB  - Estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) activity in the brain prevents obesity in both
      males and females. However, the ERalpha-expressing neural populations that
      regulate body weight remain to be fully elucidated. Here we showed that single
      minded-1 (SIM1) neurons in the medial amygdala (MeA) express abundant levels of
      ERalpha. Specific deletion of the gene encoding ERalpha (Esr1) from SIM1 neurons,
      which are mostly within the MeA, caused hypoactivity and obesity in both male and
      female mice fed with regular chow, increased susceptibility to diet-induced
      obesity (DIO) in males but not in females, and blunted the body weight-lowering
      effects of a glucagon-like peptide-1-estrogen (GLP-1-estrogen) conjugate.
      Furthermore, selective adeno-associated virus-mediated deletion of Esr1 in the
      MeA of adult male mice produced a rapid body weight gain that was associated with
      remarkable reductions in physical activity but did not alter food intake.
      Conversely, overexpression of ERalpha in the MeA markedly reduced the severity of
      DIO in male mice. Finally, an ERalpha agonist depolarized MeA SIM1 neurons and
      increased their firing rate, and designer receptors exclusively activated by
      designer drug-mediated (DREADD-mediated) activation of these neurons increased
      physical activity in mice. Collectively, our results support a model where
      ERalpha signals activate MeA neurons to stimulate physical activity, which in
      turn prevents body weight gain. 

PMID- 26098213
TI  - DNA methylation directs functional maturation of pancreatic beta cells.
AB  - Pancreatic beta cells secrete insulin in response to postprandial increases in
      glucose levels to prevent hyperglycemia and inhibit insulin secretion under
      fasting conditions to protect against hypoglycemia. beta cells lack this
      functional capability at birth and acquire glucose-stimulated insulin secretion
      (GSIS) during neonatal life. Here, we have shown that during postnatal life, the
      de novo DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A initiates a metabolic program by repressing
      key genes, thereby enabling the coupling of insulin secretion to glucose levels.
      In a murine model, beta cell-specific deletion of Dnmt3a prevented the metabolic
      switch, resulting in loss of GSIS. DNMT3A bound to the promoters of the genes
      encoding hexokinase 1 (HK1) and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) - both of which
      regulate the metabolic switch - and knockdown of these two key DNMT3A targets
      restored the GSIS response in islets from animals with beta cell-specific Dnmt3a
      deletion. Furthermore, DNA methylation-mediated repression of glucose-secretion
      decoupling genes to modulate GSIS was conserved in human beta cells. Together,
      our results reveal a role for DNA methylation to direct the acquisition of
      pancreatic beta cell function. 

PMID- 26098214
TI  - Steroid receptor coactivators 1 and 2 mediate fetal-to-maternal signaling that
      initiates parturition.
AB  - The precise mechanisms that lead to parturition are incompletely defined.
      Surfactant protein-A (SP-A), which is secreted by fetal lungs into amniotic fluid
      (AF) near term, likely provides a signal for parturition; however, SP-A-deficient
      mice have only a relatively modest delay (~12 hours) in parturition, suggesting
      additional factors. Here, we evaluated the contribution of steroid receptor
      coactivators 1 and 2 (SRC-1 and SRC-2), which upregulate SP-A transcription, to
      the parturition process. As mice lacking both SRC-1 and SRC-2 die at birth due to
      respiratory distress, we crossed double-heterozygous males and females.
      Parturition was severely delayed (~38 hours) in heterozygous dams harboring SRC
      1/-2-deficient embryos. These mothers exhibited decreased myometrial NF-kappaB
      activation, PGF2alpha, and expression of contraction-associated genes; impaired
      luteolysis; and elevated circulating progesterone. These manifestations also
      occurred in WT females bearing SRC-1/-2 double-deficient embryos, indicating that
      a fetal-specific defect delayed labor. SP-A, as well as the enzyme
      lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase-1 (LPCAT1), required for synthesis of
      surfactant dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, and the proinflammatory
      glycerophospholipid platelet-activating factor (PAF) were markedly reduced in SRC
      1/-2-deficient fetal lungs near term. Injection of PAF or SP-A into AF at 17.5
      days post coitum enhanced uterine NF-kappaB activation and contractile gene
      expression, promoted luteolysis, and rescued delayed parturition in SRC-1/-2
      deficient embryo-bearing dams. These findings reveal that fetal lungs produce
      signals to initiate labor when mature and that SRC-1/-2-dependent production of
      SP-A and PAF is crucial for this process. 

PMID- 26098215
TI  - Fresolimumab treatment decreases biomarkers and improves clinical symptoms in
      systemic sclerosis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: TGF-beta has potent profibrotic activity in vitro and has long been
      implicated in systemic sclerosis (SSc), as expression of TGF-beta-regulated genes
      is increased in the skin and lungs of patients with SSc. Therefore, inhibition of
      TGF-beta may benefit these patients. METHODS: Patients with early, diffuse
      cutaneous SSc were enrolled in an open-label trial of fresolimumab, a high
      affinity neutralizing antibody that targets all 3 TGF-beta isoforms. Seven
      patients received two 1 mg/kg doses of fresolimumab, and eight patients received
      one 5 mg/kg dose of fresolimumab. Serial mid-forearm skin biopsies, performed
      before and after treatment, were analyzed for expression of the TGF-beta
      regulated biomarker genes thrombospondin-1 (THBS1) and cartilage oligomeric
      protein (COMP) and stained for myofibroblasts. Clinical skin disease was assessed
      using the modified Rodnan skin score (MRSS). RESULTS: In patient skin, THBS1
      expression rapidly declined after fresolimumab treatment in both groups (P =
      0.0313 at 7 weeks and P = 0.0156 at 3 weeks), and skin expression of COMP
      exhibited a strong downward trend in both groups. Clinical skin disease
      dramatically and rapidly decreased (P < 0.001 at all time points). Expression
      levels of other TGF-beta-regulated genes, including SERPINE1 and CTGF, declined
      (P = 0.049 and P = 0.012, respectively), and a 2-gene, longitudinal
      pharmacodynamic biomarker of SSc skin disease decreased after fresolimumab
      treatment (P = 0.0067). Dermal myofibroblast infiltration also declined in
      patient skin after fresolimumab (P < 0.05). Baseline levels of THBS1 were
      predictive of reduced THBS1 expression and improved MRSS after fresolimumab
      treatment. CONCLUSION: The rapid inhibition of TGF-beta-regulated gene expression
      in response to fresolimumab strongly implicates TGF-beta in the pathogenesis of
      fibrosis in SSc. Parallel improvement in the MRSS indicates that fresolimumab
      rapidly reverses markers of skin fibrosis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov
      NCT01284322.

PMID- 26098216
TI  - Mature T cell responses are controlled by microRNA-142.
AB  - T cell proliferation is critical for immune responses; however, the molecular
      mechanisms that mediate the proliferative response are poorly understood.
      MicroRNAs (miRs) regulate various molecular processes, including development and
      function of the immune system. Here, utilizing multiple complementary genetic and
      molecular approaches, we investigated the contribution of a hematopoietic
      specific miR, miR-142, in regulating T cell responses. T cell development was not
      affected in animals with a targeted deletion of Mir142; however, T cell
      proliferation was markedly reduced following stimulation both in vitro and in
      multiple murine models of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). miR-142-deficient T
      cells demonstrated substantial cell-cycling defects, and microarray and
      bioinformatics analyses revealed upregulation of genes involved in cell cycling.
      Moreover, 2 predicted miR-142 target genes, the atypical E2F transcription
      factors E2f7 and E2f8, were most highly upregulated in miR-142-deficient cells.
      Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat interference-mediated
      (CRISPRi-mediated) silencing of E2F7 and E2F8 in miR-142-deficient T cells
      ameliorated cell-cycling defects and reduced GVHD, and overexpression of these
      factors in WT T cells inhibited the proliferative response. Together, these
      results identify a link between hematopoietic-specific miR-142 and atypical E2F
      transcription factors in the regulation of mature T cell cycling and suggest that
      targeting this interaction may be relevant for mitigating GVHD. 

PMID- 26098217
TI  - Synaptic pathology and therapeutic repair in adult retinoschisis mouse by AAV-RS1
      transfer.
AB  - Strategies aimed at invoking synaptic plasticity have therapeutic potential for
      several neurological conditions. The human retinal synaptic disease X-linked
      retinoschisis (XLRS) is characterized by impaired visual signal transmission
      through the retina and progressive visual acuity loss, and mice lacking
      retinoschisin (RS1) recapitulate human disease. Here, we demonstrate that
      restoration of RS1 via retina-specific delivery of adeno-associated virus type 8
      RS1 (AAV8-RS1) vector rescues molecular pathology at the photoreceptor
      depolarizing bipolar cell (photoreceptor-DBC) synapse and restores function in
      adult Rs1-KO animals. Initial development of the photoreceptor-DBC synapse was
      normal in the Rs1-KO retina; however, the metabotropic glutamate receptor
      6/transient receptor potential melastatin subfamily M member 1-signaling
      (mGluR6/TRPM1-signaling) cascade was not properly maintained. Specifically, the
      TRPM1 channel and G proteins Galphao, Gbeta5, and RGS11 were progressively lost
      from postsynaptic DBC dendritic tips, whereas the mGluR6 receptor and RGS7
      maintained proper synaptic position. This postsynaptic disruption differed from
      other murine night-blindness models with an electronegative electroretinogram
      response, which is also characteristic of murine and human XLRS disease. Upon
      AAV8-RS1 gene transfer to the retina of adult XLRS mice, TRPM1 and the signaling
      molecules returned to their proper dendritic tip location, and the DBC resting
      membrane potential was restored. These findings provide insight into the
      molecular plasticity of a critical synapse in the visual system and demonstrate
      potential therapeutic avenues for some diseases involving synaptic pathology. 

PMID- 26098219
TI  - Upcycling of Packing-Peanuts into Carbon Microsheet Anodes for Lithium-Ion
      Batteries.
AB  - Porous carbon microsheet anodes with Li-ion storage capacity exceeding the
      theoretical limit are for the first time derived from waste packing-peanuts.
      Crystallinity, surface area, and porosity of these 1 MUm thick carbon sheets were
      tuned by varying the processing temperature. Anodes composed of the carbon sheets
      outperformed the electrochemical properties of commercial graphitic anode in Li
      ion batteries. At a current density of 0.1 C, carbon microsheet anodes exhibited
      a specific capacity of 420 mAh/g, which is slightly higher than the theoretical
      capacity of graphite (372 mAh/g) in Li-ion half-cell configurations. At a higher
      rate of 1 C, carbon sheets retained 4-fold higher specific capacity (220 mAh/g)
      compared to those of commercial graphitic anode. After 100 charge-discharge
      cycles at current densities of 0.1 and 0.2 C, optimized carbon sheet anodes
      retained stable specific capacities of 460 and 370 mAh/g, respectively.
      Spectroscopic and microscopic investigations proved the structural integrity of
      these high-performance carbon anodes during numerous charge-discharge cycles.
      Considerably higher electrochemical performance of the porous carbon microsheets
      are endorsed to their disorderness that facilitate to store more Li-ions than the
      theoretical limit, and porous 2-D microstructure enabling fast solid-state Li-ion
      diffusion and superior interfacial kinetics. The work demonstrated here
      illustrates an inexpensive and environmentally benign method for the upcycling of
      packaging materials into functional carbon materials for electrochemical energy
      storage. 

PMID- 26098218
TI  - Engineering the gut microbiota to treat hyperammonemia.
AB  - Increasing evidence indicates that the gut microbiota can be altered to
      ameliorate or prevent disease states, and engineering the gut microbiota to
      therapeutically modulate host metabolism is an emerging goal of microbiome
      research. In the intestine, bacterial urease converts host-derived urea to
      ammonia and carbon dioxide, contributing to hyperammonemia-associated
      neurotoxicity and encephalopathy in patients with liver disease. Here, we
      engineered murine gut microbiota to reduce urease activity. Animals were depleted
      of their preexisting gut microbiota and then inoculated with altered Schaedler
      flora (ASF), a defined consortium of 8 bacteria with minimal urease gene content.
      This protocol resulted in establishment of a persistent new community that
      promoted a long-term reduction in fecal urease activity and ammonia production.
      Moreover, in a murine model of hepatic injury, ASF transplantation was associated
      with decreased morbidity and mortality. These results provide proof of concept
      that inoculation of a prepared host with a defined gut microbiota can lead to
      durable metabolic changes with therapeutic utility. 

PMID- 26098220
TI  - Heterogeneous Charge Carrier Dynamics in Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials:
      Nanoscale Lateral and Depth-Dependent Variation of Recombination Rates in
      Methylammonium Lead Halide Perovskite Thin Films.
AB  - We reveal substantial luminescence yield heterogeneity among individual
      subdiffraction grains of high-performing methylammonium lead halide perovskite
      films by using high-resolution cathodoluminescence microscopy. Using considerably
      lower accelerating voltages than is conventional in scanning electron microscopy,
      we image the electron beam-induced luminescence of the films and statistically
      characterize the depth-dependent role of defects that promote nonradiative
      recombination losses. The highest variability in the luminescence intensity is
      observed at the exposed grain surfaces, which we attribute to surface defects. By
      probing deeper into the film, it appears that bulk defects are more homogeneously
      distributed. By identifying the origin and variability of a surface-specific loss
      mechanism that deleteriously impacts device efficiency, we suggest that producing
      films homogeneously composed of the highest-luminescence grains found in this
      study could result in a dramatic improvement of overall device efficiency. We
      also show that although cathodoluminescence microscopy is generally used only to
      image inorganic materials it can be a powerful tool to investigate radiative and
      nonradiative charge carrier recombination on the nanoscale in organic-inorganic
      hybrid materials. 

PMID- 26098221
TI  - From global proteome profiling to single targeted molecules of follicular fluid
      and oocyte: contribution to embryo development and IVF outcome.
AB  - The development of in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques for infertility
      management has led to the investigation of the proteome of follicular fluid and
      oocyte. In addition, different markers contributing to oocyte maturation and
      embryo development potential have been reported in the literature. Different
      techniques were utilized to analyze whole proteome or single protein markers in
      follicular fluid and oocytes, particularly in animal models. Data from several
      studies have generated large amounts of information, however, an ideal profile to
      predict the best oocytes and embryos suitable for implantation are still to be
      uncovered. The identification of such profiles and markers from follicular fluid,
      oocytes and endometrium should help scientists and clinicians develop better
      strategies to improving clinical outcome of IVF cycles. 

PMID- 26098222
TI  - Conditional knockout of Nlgn2 in the adult medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)
      induces delayed loss of inhibitory synapses.

PMID- 26098223
TI  - Advances in colloidal assembly: the design of structure and hierarchy in two and
      three dimensions.

PMID- 26098224
TI  - 3D Coincidence Imaging Disentangles Intense Field Double Detachment of SF6(-).
AB  - The efficient intense field double detachment of molecular anions observed in
      SF6(-) is studied by 3D coincidence imaging of the dissociation products. The
      dissociation anisotropy and kinetic energy release distributions are determined
      for the energetically lowest double detachment channel by virtue of disentangling
      the SF5(+) + F fragmentation products. The observed nearly isotropic dissociation
      with respect to the linear laser polarization and surprisingly high kinetic
      energy release events suggest that the dissociation occurs on a highly excited
      state. Rydberg (SF6(+))* states composed of a highly repulsive dication core and
      a Rydberg electron are proposed to explain the observed kinetic energy release,
      accounting also for the efficient production of all possible cationic fragments
      at equivalent laser intensities.

PMID- 26098225
TI  - Peptide-modified Substrate for Modulating Gland Tissue Growth and Morphology In
      Vitro.
AB  - In vitro fabricated biological tissue would be a valuable tool to screen newly
      synthesized drugs or understand the tissue development process. Several studies
      have attempted to fabricate biological tissue in vitro. However, controlling the
      growth and morphology of the fabricated tissue remains a challenge. Therefore,
      new techniques are required to modulate tissue growth. RGD (arginine-glycine
      aspartic acid), which is an integrin-binding domain of fibronectin, has been
      found to enhance cell adhesion and survival; it has been used to modify
      substrates for in vitro cell culture studies or used as tissue engineering
      scaffolds. In addition, this study shows novel functions of the RGD peptide,
      which enhances tissue growth and modulates tissue morphology in vitro. When an
      isolated submandibular gland (SMG) was cultured on an RGD-modified alginate
      hydrogel sheet, SMG growth including bud expansion and cleft formation was
      dramatically enhanced. Furthermore, we prepared small RGD-modified alginate beads
      and placed them on the growing SMG tissue. These RGD-modified beads successfully
      induced cleft formation at the bead position, guiding the desired SMG morphology.
      Thus, this RGD-modified material might be a promising tool to modulate tissue
      growth and morphology in vitro for biological tissue fabrication. 

PMID- 26098226
TI  - A pH-independent DNA nanodevice for quantifying chloride transport in organelles
      of living cells.
AB  - The concentration of chloride ions in the cytoplasm and subcellular organelles of
      living cells spans a wide range (5-130 mM), and is tightly regulated by
      intracellular chloride channels or transporters. Chloride-sensitive protein
      reporters have been used to study the role of these chloride regulators, but they
      are limited to a small range of chloride concentrations and are pH-sensitive.
      Here, we show that a DNA nanodevice can precisely measure the activity and
      location of subcellular chloride channels and transporters in living cells in a
      pH-independent manner. The DNA nanodevice, called Clensor, is composed of
      sensing, normalizing and targeting modules, and is designed to localize within
      organelles along the endolysosomal pathway. It allows fluorescent, ratiometric
      sensing of chloride ions across the entire physiological regime. We used Clensor
      to quantitate the resting chloride concentration in the lumen of acidic
      organelles in Drosophila melanogaster. We showed that lumenal lysosomal chloride,
      which is implicated in various lysosomal storage diseases, is regulated by the
      intracellular chloride transporter DmClC-b. 

PMID- 26098227
TI  - Symmetry and scale orient Min protein patterns in shaped bacterial sculptures.
AB  - The boundary of a cell defines the shape and scale of its subcellular
      organization. However, the effects of the cell's spatial boundaries as well as
      the geometry sensing and scale adaptation of intracellular molecular networks
      remain largely unexplored. Here, we show that living bacterial cells can be
      'sculpted' into defined shapes, such as squares and rectangles, which are used to
      explore the spatial adaptation of Min proteins that oscillate pole-to-pole in rod
      shaped Escherichia coli to assist cell division. In a wide geometric parameter
      space, ranging from 2 * 1 * 1 to 11 * 6 * 1 MUm(3), Min proteins exhibit
      versatile oscillation patterns, sustaining rotational, longitudinal, diagonal,
      stripe and even transversal modes. These patterns are found to directly capture
      the symmetry and scale of the cell boundary, and the Min concentration gradients
      scale with the cell size within a characteristic length range of 3-6 MUm.
      Numerical simulations reveal that local microscopic Turing kinetics of Min
      proteins can yield global symmetry selection, gradient scaling and an adaptive
      range, when and only when facilitated by the three-dimensional confinement of the
      cell boundary. These findings cannot be explained by previous geometry-sensing
      models based on the longest distance, membrane area or curvature, and reveal that
      spatial boundaries can facilitate simple molecular interactions to result in far
      more versatile functions than previously understood. 

PMID- 26098228
TI  - Graphene on hexagonal boron nitride as a tunable hyperbolic metamaterial.
AB  - Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a natural hyperbolic material, in which the
      dielectric constants are the same in the basal plane (epsilon(t) = epsilon(x) =
      epsilon(y)) but have opposite signs (epsilon(t)epsilon(z) < 0) in the normal
      plane (epsilon(z)). Owing to this property, finite-thickness slabs of h-BN act as
      multimode waveguides for the propagation of hyperbolic phonon polaritons-
      collective modes that originate from the coupling between photons and electric
      dipoles in phonons. However, control of these hyperbolic phonon polaritons modes
      has remained challenging, mostly because their electrodynamic properties are
      dictated by the crystal lattice of h-BN. Here we show, by direct nano-infrared
      imaging, that these hyperbolic polaritons can be effectively modulated in a van
      der Waals heterostructure composed of monolayer graphene on h-BN. Tunability
      originates from the hybridization of surface plasmon polaritons in graphene with
      hyperbolic phonon polaritons in h-BN, so that the eigenmodes of the graphene/h-BN
      heterostructure are hyperbolic plasmon-phonon polaritons. The hyperbolic plasmon
      phonon polaritons in graphene/h-BN suffer little from ohmic losses, making their
      propagation length 1.5-2.0 times greater than that of hyperbolic phonon
      polaritons in h-BN. The hyperbolic plasmon-phonon polaritons possess the combined
      virtues of surface plasmon polaritons in graphene and hyperbolic phonon
      polaritons in h-BN. Therefore, graphene/h-BN can be classified as an
      electromagnetic metamaterial as the resulting properties of these devices are not
      present in its constituent elements alone.

PMID- 26098229
TI  - Overcoming recalcitrance - Auxin response factor functions in plant regeneration.
AB  - De novo meristem formation in tissue culture critically depends on the correct
      organization of hormonal domains, which is followed by expression shoot meristem
      pattern genes. The genetic basis of plant regeneration is fragmentary, but mutant
      studies demonstrate that signaling through MONOPTEROS (MP)/AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR
      5 is necessary for the formation of shoots from Arabidopsis calli. Most
      strikingly, variants of MP, uncoupling MP activity from negative regulation by
      Aux/IAA proteins, showed that MP is also sufficient for promoting de novo shoot
      formation even from normally recalcitrant tissues. In this function MP acts
      through pathways involving the homeobox transcription factor SHOOT MERISTEMLESS
      (STM) and AP2 domain transcription factor CYTOKININ RESPONSE FACTOR2 (CRF2). Our
      findings provide an entry point to better address the molecular genetics
      underlying divergent regeneration properties and demonstrate the potential of ARF
      derived constructs as novel genetic tools to develop high frequency regeneration
      systems in recalcitrant explants and species. 

PMID- 26098230
TI  - A role of nucleus accumbens dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbens core, but
      not shell, in fear prediction error.
AB  - Two experiments used an associative blocking design to study the role of dopamine
      receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) and core (AcbC) in fear
      prediction error. Rats in the experimental groups were trained to a visual fear
      conditioned stimulus (conditional stimulus [CS]) A in Stage I, whereas rats in
      the control groups were not. In Stage II, all rats received compound fear
      conditioning of the visual CSA and an auditory CSB. Rats were later tested for
      their fear responses to CSB. All rats received microinjections of saline or the
      D1-D2 receptor antagonist cis-(z)-flupenthixol prior to Stage II. These
      microinjections targeted either the AcbSh (Experiment 1) or the AcbC (Experiment
      2). In each experiment, Stage I fear conditioning of CSA blocked fear learning to
      CSB. Microinjection of cis-(z)-flupenthixol (10 or 20 MUg) into the AcbSh
      (Experiment 1) had no effect on fear learning or associative blocking. In
      contrast, microinjection of cis-(z)-flupenthixol (10 or 20 MUg) into the AcbC
      (Experiment 2) attenuated blocking and so enabled fear learning to CSB. These
      results identify the AcbC as the critical locus for dopamine receptor
      contributions to fear prediction error and the associative blocking of fear
      learning.

PMID- 26098231
TI  - A developmental examination of the psychometric properties and predictive utility
      of a revised psychological self-concept measure for preschool-age children.
AB  - Accurate assessment of psychological self-concept in early childhood relies on
      the development of psychometrically sound instruments. From a developmental
      perspective, the current study revised an existing measure of young children's
      psychological self-concepts, the Child Self-View Questionnaire (CSVQ; Eder,
      1990), and examined its psychometric properties using a sample of preschool-age
      children assessed at approximately 4 years old with a follow-up at age 5 (N =
      111). The item compositions of lower order dimensions were revised, leading to
      improved internal consistency. Factor analysis revealed 3 latent psychological
      self-concept factors (i.e., sociability, control, and assurance) from the lower
      order dimensions. Measurement invariance by gender was supported for sociability
      and assurance, not for control. Test-retest reliability was supported by
      stability of the psychological self-concept measurement model during the
      preschool years, although some evidence of increasing differentiation was
      obtained. Validity of children's scores on the 3 latent psychological self
      concept factors was tested by investigating their concurrent associations with
      teacher-reported behavioral adjustment on the Social Competence and Behavior
      Evaluation Scale-Short Form (SCBE-SF; LaFreniere & Dumas, 1996). Children who
      perceived themselves as higher in sociability at 5 years old displayed less
      internalizing behavior and more social competence; boys who perceived themselves
      as higher in control at age 4 exhibited lower externalizing behavior; children
      higher in assurance had greater social competence at age 4, but displayed more
      externalizing behavior at age 5. Implications relevant to the utility of the
      revised psychological self-concept measure are discussed. (PsycINFO Database
      Record 

PMID- 26098232
TI  - Intraoperative nerve monitoring in thyroid surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nerve injury is one of the specific complications of thyroid surgery
      despite many advances in surgical technique. The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN)
      and the external branch of superior laryngeal nerve are the nerves at risk during
      thyroid surgery (1). Morbidity related to recurrent laryngeal nerve injury varies
      from changes in voice quality to severe dyspnea requiring tracheal intubation or
      tracheostomy. To minimize the risk of nerve injury, intraoperative nerve
      monitoring (IONM) being suggested as a tool for helping visual control for RLN
      has gained significant interest in recent years (1,2). We aimed to determine the
      effectiveness of nerve monitoring during thyroid surgery and to provide a
      clinical experience. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was performed from June
      2010 to June 2012. We prospectively evaluated 94 patients who had thyroid surgery
      with or without nerve monitoring. Of those patients 48 were in monitored group
      (M) and 46 were in unmonitored group (UM). RESULTS: The mean age was 48 (27-76)
      in M group and 52 (73-17) in UM. There was only one patient had transient
      hoarseness in M group and also one patient had transient hoarseness in UM group.
      One each in both groups had persistent hoarseness. No patients experienced airway
      problem. Operation time was significantly shorter in M group (p<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Use of a nerve monitoring system does not substitute for careful
      dissection and visual identification of nerves, but monitoring can assist the
      surgeon in identifying the RLN anatomic variability and may decrease the
      operation time during thyroid surgery.

PMID- 26098233
TI  - Study of the Reactivity of [Hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]benzene Toward Enol Esters to
      Access alpha-Tosyloxy Ketones.
AB  - The reactivity of enol esters toward [hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]benzene (HTIB) was
      assessed. These substrates were found to be rapidly converted in high yields to
      their corresponding alpha-tosyloxy ketones. This transformation demonstrates that
      these substrates can act as ketone surrogates. The scope of the method was
      investigated and aromatic, aliphatic, and cyclic enol esters were found to be
      suitable substrates for the reaction. The relative reactivity of a model
      substrate toward HTIB and m-CPBA was investigated, and it was found that the
      reaction could be performed under catalytic conditions. 

PMID- 26098234
TI  - [Emergency service - an emergency?].

PMID- 26098235
TI  - [CME. Hypertension in pregnancy].

PMID- 26098237
TI  - [Abnormal Early Pregnancy: What Matters for Practice].
AB  - The first trim ester is referred to as early pregnancy and comprehends the lapse
      of time between conception and the end of the 12th week of gestation with embryo
      nic implantation and organogenesis. A pathological early gestation takes place
      when the embryo does not correctly implant in the cavity of the uterus
      (extrauterine pregnancy), when th ere is no growth of the embryo (missed
      abortion) or the embryo is not developing at all (blighted ovum) and sooner or
      later there is a miscarriage. A special case of missed abortion is the so called
      vanishing twin, when during a twin gestation, one embryo stops to grow. Rarely
      gestational trophoblastic disorders as the complete mole (without fetal tissue)
      or incomplete mole (with fetal tissue) and the invasive mole as villous
      trophoblastic diseases as well as the non-villous trophoblastic diseases with the
      extremely rare chorioniccarcinoma are detected.

PMID- 26098238
TI  - [Medications in Emergency Medicine - an Update].
AB  - Every doctor, whether responsible for a hospital or a clinic, should have a solid
      foundation in the care of the emergent patient. Nearly all specialties require
      some medications to be administered by in section - a reanimation or an
      anaphylactic shock must be correctly treated and promptly, before further help
      arrives. Medications are an essential onerstone in the care of emerge nices.
      Varying medications are in demand based on specialty, ED structure, and location
      in which care is provided. This must be synchronised with the eventual likely
      emergencies, as well as with personal knowledge and experience of the ED staff.

PMID- 26098239
TI  - [Diabetic Retinopathy and Neuropathy: New in 2015].
AB  - In 2014 interesting new results were published in the field of diabetic
      microangiopathy: (1) In tensive treatment of type 1 diabetes for a mean of 6,5
      years confers a lifelong reduction of the risk of diabetic retinopathy; (2)
      although the rates of diabetes-related complication have declined since 1990, the
      burden of disease persists because the prevalence of diabetes tripled during the
      same time; (3) subjects with diabetic neuropathy have structural brain changes,
      i.e. gray matter loss, findings with possible implications for the prognosis; (4)
      over 80% of type 2 diabetics who consider their feet to be normal have serious
      foot pathology.

PMID- 26098240
TI  - [Jaundice after Herbage Walking Tour of a 44 Year Old Man].
AB  - We report about a 44-year old patient with severe acute hepatitis E after herbage
      walking-to ur. Transmission occurred with ingestion of contaminated herbs.
      Symptoms were jaundice, dark urine, rheumatic pains and distinctive fatigue. We
      could document a benign self-limiting course under regular clinical controls.
      Hepatitis Eisa worldwide common cause for acute hepatitis with jaundice. In
      Switzerland contamination of this autochthonic infection is aquired by
      consumption of pork and venison (seroprevalence up to 22%). Infection can be
      without symptoms but also can result in acute liver failure. Extrahepatic
      symptoms are not uncommon.

PMID- 26098241
TI  - ["When to test for and treat H. pylori"].

PMID- 26098242
TI  - [Backache in elderly patients - delay imaging?].

PMID- 26098243
TI  - [Clindamycin vs. trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole: equally effective in skin
      infections].

PMID- 26098245
TI  - [CME ultrasound diagnosis. Palpable finding in the thigh].

PMID- 26098247
TI  - [Personalities in medical history. Pierre Paul Broca].

PMID- 26098248
TI  - Considerations When Disseminating American-Developed, Evidence-Based Health
      Promotion Programs in China.

PMID- 26098250
TI  - T1, T2 Mapping and Extracellular Volume Fraction (ECV): Application, Value and
      Further Perspectives in Myocardial Inflammation and Cardiomyopathies.
AB  - Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) is a versatile diagnostic tool. One of
      its main advantages is the possibility of tissue characterization. T1-weighted
      images for scar and T2-weighted images for edema visualization are key methods
      for tissue characterization. Otherwise these sequences are strongly limited for
      the detection of diffuse myocardial pathologies. Recently, rapid technical
      innovations have generated new techniques. T1, T2 mapping and evaluation of the
      extracellular volume fraction (ECV) allow quantification of diffuse myocardial
      pathologies and showed great potential in the visualization of fibrosis, edema,
      amyloid, iron overload and lipid. In the future these techniques might enable the
      detection of early cardiac involvement, even act as a prognosticator. Moreover,
      therapy monitoring and follow-up might be possible due to versatile parameter
      quantification with these new techniques. KEY POINTS: CMR allows for tissue
      characterization via T1- and T2-weighted sequences. In cases of diffuse, global
      myocardial pathologies, correct image interpretation with traditional CMR
      sequences might be difficult. T1, T2 mapping and ECV can quantify diffuse, global
      myocardial pathologies. Alterations of myocardial T1 and T2 relaxation times
      occur in various myocardial diseases (e.g. acute myocarditis). In the future
      mapping might act as a prognosticator or therapy monitoring tool.

PMID- 26098251
TI  - [Persistent mesenteric panniculitis after cholecystectomy in chronic
      cholecystitis].

PMID- 26098252
TI  - Comparison of Cine-MRI and Transthoracic Echocardiography for the Assessment of
      Aortic Root Diameters in Patients with Suspected Marfan Syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: Patients with Marfan syndrome require repeated imaging for monitoring of
      aortic root aneurysms. Therefore, we evaluated the agreement and reproducibility
      of cine-MRI and echocardiography measurements of the sinuses of Valsalva in
      patients with suspected Marfan syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 51 consecutive
      patients with suspected Marfan syndrome were prospectively examined using cine
      MRI and echocardiography. Two readers independently measured aortic root
      diameters at the level of the sinuses of Valsalva in both cine-MRI and
      echocardiography. Statistics included intraclass correlation coefficient, Pearson
      correlation coefficient, Bland-Altman analysis, and two-sided t-test. RESULTS: In
      38 of the 51 individuals (74.5 %), the diagnosis of Marfan syndrome was
      established according to the criteria of the Ghent-2 nosology. Cine-MRI
      measurements of the sinuses of Valsalva revealed a strong correlation with
      echocardiography (r = 0.929), but a statistically significant bias of -1.0  mm (p
      < 0.001). The mean absolute diameter for sinuses of Valsalva obtained by cine-MRI
      was 32.3  +/-  5.8 mm as compared to 33.4  +/-  5.4 mm obtained by
      echocardiography. Interobserver agreement of measurements of the sinuses of
      Valsalva was higher for cine-MRI than for echocardiography (p = 0.029).
      CONCLUSION: Despite small, but statistically significant differences in terms of
      agreement and reproducibility, cine-MRI and echocardiographic measurements of
      aortic root diameters provide comparable results without a significant clinical
      difference. Therefore both techniques may be used for monitoring of the aortic
      root in patients with Marfan syndrome.

PMID- 26098253
TI  - A Conceptual Model of Irritability Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A
      Qualitative, Participatory Research Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) may have
      chronic problems with irritability, which can negatively affect their lives.
      OBJECTIVES: (1) To describe the experience (thoughts and feelings) of
      irritability from the perspectives of multiple people living with or affected by
      the problem, and (2) to develop a conceptual model of irritability. DESIGN:
      Qualitative, participatory research. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-four stakeholders
      (individuals with a history of TBI, family members, community professionals,
      healthcare providers, and researchers) divided into 5 focus groups. PROCEDURES:
      Each group met 10 times to discuss the experience of irritability following TBI.
      Data were coded using grounded theory to develop themes, metacodes, and theories.
      MEASURES: Not applicable. RESULTS: A conceptual model emerged in which
      irritability has 5 dimensions: affective (related to moods and feelings);
      behavioral (especially in areas of self-regulation, impulse control, and time
      management); cognitive-perceptual (self-talk and ways of seeing the world);
      relational issues (interpersonal and family dynamics); and environmental
      (including environmental stimuli, change, disruptions in routine, and cultural
      expectations). CONCLUSIONS: This multidimensional model provides a framework for
      assessment, treatment, and future research aimed at better understanding
      irritability, as well as the development of assessment tools and treatment
      interventions.

PMID- 26098254
TI  - Cerebral Blood Flow During Treadmill Exercise Is a Marker of Physiological
      Postconcussion Syndrome in Female Athletes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Some patients with postconcussion syndrome (PCS) have reduced exercise
      capacity that may reflect altered central cardiorespiratory control. The purpose
      of this study was to evaluate control of cerebral blood flow (CBF) during
      exercise in females with PCS. SETTING: University Concussion Clinic.
      PARTICIPANTS: Nine female Division 1 collegiate team athletes with PCS (23 +/- 6
      years) and a reference group of 13 healthy female recreational aerobic athletes
      (21 +/- 3 years). DESIGN: A prospective experimental study. All PCS athletes were
      compared with the reference group at the beginning of the study. Six of the PCS
      athletes were subsequently measured before and after a subsymptom threshold
      aerobic exercise treatment program. MAIN MEASURES: Exercise treadmill test during
      which blood pressure (BP), minute ventilation ((Equation is included in full-text
      article.)E), end-tidal CO2 (PETCO2), and CBF velocity (CBFV, by transcranial
      Doppler) were measured. RESULTS: Participants with PCS had significantly lower
      (Equation is included in full-text article.)E (by 18%) and greater PETCO2 (5%)
      and CBFV (14%) versus the reference group at similar workloads in association
      with appearance of symptoms and premature exercise cessation. Subthreshold
      exercise normalized (Equation is included in full-text article.)E, PETCO2, CBFV
      and exercise tolerance. Before treatment, PCS had low CO2 sensitivity that
      blunted their exercise ventilation. CO2 sensitivity and ventilation improved
      after exercise treatment. CONCLUSION: Some PCS patients have exercise intolerance
      due to abnormal CBF regulation that may be the result of concussion-induced
      altered sensitivity to CO2. Return of normal CBF control and exercise tolerance
      may be physiological markers of recovery from concussion.

PMID- 26098255
TI  - A Case-control Study Examining the Characteristics of Patients who Fall in an
      Inpatient Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation Setting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to describe the characteristics of
      patients who fall in the inpatient traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation
      setting. SETTING: Specialized inpatient TBI rehabilitation unit. PARTICIPANTS:
      Fifty-four patients with history of falls and 55 nonequivalent patients without
      history of falls. DESIGN: Retrospective nonequivalent case-control study. MAIN
      MEASURES: The Functional Independence Measure, Glasgow Coma Scale, Westmead Post
      traumatic Amnesia Scale, demographic and functional characteristics, and behavior
      and medication variables. RESULTS: No significant difference between patients
      with and without history of falls for age, sex, medication class or total number
      of medications administered on admission, and median admission Westmead Post
      traumatic Amnesia Scale score was observed. Patients with history of falls had a
      significantly longer duration of post-traumatic amnesia, rehabilitation length of
      stay, and lower mean total admission Functional Independence Measure score and
      median Glasgow Coma Scale score at the time of injury. Patients with history of
      falls were more than 10 times more likely than patients without history of falls
      to require assistance on admission for activities of daily living, transfers, and
      continence/toileting. Neurobehaviors including noncompliance and anosognosia were
      significantly associated with patients with history of falls. CONCLUSIONS: A
      patient in the rehabilitation setting with a more severe TBI characterized by
      multisystem impairments is at an increased risk of falling, whereas some
      traditional fall risk factors were not associated with patients who fall.
      Rehabilitation settings should consider cohort-specific fall risk profiling. The
      Ontario STRATIFY Falls Risk Screening Tool is perhaps not the best tool to screen
      for falls in this inpatient population.

PMID- 26098256
TI  - Use of Visual Cues by Adults With Traumatic Brain Injuries to Interpret Explicit
      and Inferential Information.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Concomitant visual and cognitive impairments following traumatic brain
      injuries (TBIs) may be problematic when the visual modality serves as a primary
      source for receiving information. Further difficulties comprehending visual
      information may occur when interpretation requires processing inferential rather
      than explicit content. The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy with
      which people with and without severe TBI interpreted information in contextually
      rich drawings. PARTICIPANTS: Fifteen adults with and 15 adults without severe
      TBI. DESIGN: Repeated-measures between-groups design. MAIN MEASURES: Participants
      were asked to match images to sentences that either conveyed explicit (ie, main
      action or background) or inferential (ie, physical or mental inference)
      information. The researchers compared accuracy between participant groups and
      among stimulus conditions. RESULTS: Participants with TBI demonstrated
      significantly poorer accuracy than participants without TBI extracting
      information from images. In addition, participants with TBI demonstrated
      significantly higher response accuracy when interpreting explicit rather than
      inferential information; however, no significant difference emerged between
      sentences referencing main action versus background information or sentences
      providing physical versus mental inference information for this participant
      group. CONCLUSIONS: Difficulties gaining information from visual environmental
      cues may arise for people with TBI given their difficulties interpreting
      inferential content presented through the visual modality.

PMID- 26098257
TI  - Loss to Follow-Up and Social Background in an Inception Cohort of Patients With
      Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Results From the PariS-TBI Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess determinants of loss to follow-up (FU) at 2 time points of
      an inception traumatic brain injury (TBI) cohort. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: The
      PariS-TBI study consecutively included 504 adults with severe TBI on the accident
      scene (76% male, mean age 42 years, mean Glasgow Coma Scale 5). No exclusion
      criteria were used. MAIN MEASURE: Loss to FU at 1 and 4 years was defined among
      survivors as having no outcome data other than survival status. RESULTS: Among
      257 1-year survivors, 118 (47%) were lost to FU at 1 year and 98 (40%) at 4
      years. Main reasons for loss to FU were impossibility to achieve contact (109 at
      1 year, 52 at 4 years) and refusal to participate (respectively 5 and 24). At 1
      year, individuals not working preinjury or with nonaccidental traumas were more
      often lost to FU in univariate and multivariable analyses. At 4 years, loss to FU
      was significantly associated with preinjury alcohol abuse and unemployment.
      Relationship with injury severity was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Socially
      disadvantaged persons are underrepresented in TBI outcome research. It could
      result in overestimation of outcome and biased estimates of sociodemographic
      characteristics' effects. These persons, particularly unemployed individuals,
      require special attention in clinical practice.

PMID- 26098259
TI  - Association of Chronic Pain and Community Integration of Returning Veterans With
      and Without Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between community integration and pain in
      veterans with and without mild blast-related traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN
      AND PARTICIPANTS: A cross-sectional study of 198 Operation Enduring
      Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans, 135 with mild TBI and 63 without TBI
      exposure. MAIN MEASURES: Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ), Community
      Reintegration of Injured Service Members Instrument, Brief Pain Inventory.
      RESULTS: Pain interference was significantly associated with CIQ social
      integration (P = .037), and pain severity was significantly associated with CIQ
      home integration (P = .038) and CIQ social integration (P = .044). Pain
      interference and pain severity had a significant interaction as related to the
      CIQ total score (P = .046), CIQ job score (P = .034), and CIQ productivity score
      (P = .034). Pain interference (P = .042) and pain severity (P = .015) were
      associated with community participation, but not perceived limitations (P > .05)
      or satisfaction (P > .05) as measures by the Community Reintegration of Injured
      Service Members Instrument. There was a significant interaction between TBI
      status and pain severity (P = .021) with community participation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Chronic pain has a negative association with the community integration of
      returning veterans. Although TBI status was associated with overall community
      integration ratings, depression had a stronger association with impairments.
      These findings suggest, above and beyond the treatment of depression, the
      importance of effectively managing TBI-related pain to foster improved social
      functioning and to promote the psychological and social well-being of returning
      veterans.

PMID- 26098258
TI  - Association Between Traumatic Brain Injury-Related Brain Lesions and Long-term
      Caregiver Burden.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between traumatic brain injury (TBI)
      related brain lesions and long-term caregiver burden in relation to dysexecutive
      syndrome. SETTING: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke,
      National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 256
      participants: 105 combat veterans with TBI, 23 healthy control combat veterans
      (HCv), and 128 caregivers. OUTCOME MEASURE: Caregiver burden assessed by the
      Zarit Burden Interview at 40 years postinjury. DESIGN: Participants with
      penetrating TBI were compared with HCv on perceived caregiver burden and
      neuropsychological assessment measures. Data of computed tomographic scans
      (overlay lesion maps of participants with a penetrating TBI whose caregivers have
      a significantly high burden) and behavioral statistical analyses were combined to
      identify brain lesions associated with caregiver burden. RESULTS: Burden was
      greater in caregivers of veterans with TBI than in caregivers of HCv. Caregivers
      of participants with lesions affecting cognitive and behavioral indicators of
      dysexecutive syndrome (ie, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and dorsal
      anterior cingulate cortex) showed greater long-term burden than caregivers of
      participants with lesions elsewhere in the brain. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION: The
      TBI-related brain lesions have a lasting effect on long-term caregiver burden due
      to cognitive and behavioral factors associated with dysexecutive syndrome.

PMID- 26098260
TI  - Comparing Prospectively Recorded Posttraumatic Amnesia Duration With
      Retrospective Accounts.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Limited research has been conducted comparing different methods for
      determining the duration of posttraumatic amnesia (PTA). This study compared
      prospectively recorded PTA duration (P-PTA) with retrospective reports of the
      return of continuous memory (R-PTA). PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-nine individuals
      admitted to a head injury rehabilitation unit with a traumatic brain injury who
      had their PTA duration recorded using the Westmead Post-Traumatic Amnesia Scale.
      Participants were between 6 months and 6 years postinjury at the time of study.
      MEASURES: P-PTA was determined on the basis of Westmead Post-Traumatic Amnesia
      Scale responses. R-PTA was ascertained using a semistructured telephone
      interview. RESULTS: Although the PTA measures were significantly positively
      correlated (r = 0.76), mean R-PTA was significantly longer than mean P-PTA. In 34
      cases (57.6%), R-PTA was longer than P-PTA (13 participants moved to a higher
      injury severity band), and in 22 cases (37.3%), R-PTA was shorter than P-PTA (8
      participants moved to a lower injury severity band). The difference between P-PTA
      and R-PTA was not significantly associated with age, Glasgow Coma Scale score,
      overall PTA duration, or the number of days postinjury of the retrospective
      interview. CONCLUSIONS: Prospective and retrospective estimates of PTA duration
      were not comparable within the present sample. Further research comparing the two
      methods is needed.

PMID- 26098261
TI  - Military Deployment May Increase the Risk for Traumatic Brain Injury Following
      Deployment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare rates of traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnosis before and
      after overseas military deployment. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective
      examination of a cohort of 119 353 active duty US military service members (Army,
      Navy, Air Force, and Marines) whose first lifetime overseas deployment began at
      any time between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2011, and lasted at least for
      30 days. For this cohort, TBI diagnoses were examined during the 76 weeks prior
      to deployment, during deployment, and 76 weeks following the end of deployment.
      MAIN MEASURES: 4-week rates of TBI diagnosis. RESULTS: The risk of being
      diagnosed with TBI within 4 weeks after returning from deployment was 8.4 times
      higher than the average risk before deployment. The risk gradually decreased
      thereafter up to 40 weeks postdeployment. However, during the 41 to 76 weeks
      following deployment, risk stabilized but remained on average 1.7 times higher
      than before deployment. CONCLUSION: An increased rate of TBI diagnosis following
      deployment was identified, which may be partly due to delayed diagnosis of TBIs
      that occurred while service members were deployed. Also, the increased rate may
      partly be due to riskier behaviors of service members following deployment that
      results in an increased occurrence of TBIs.

PMID- 26098262
TI  - The Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on Self-Identity: A Systematic Review of the
      Evidence for Self-Concept Changes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This review systematically appraised the evidence for changes to self
      identity after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adults and investigated
      associations between self-concept changes and neurocognitive and psychosocial
      functioning. METHODS: Systematic searches of 4 databases (PsycINFO, PubMed,
      CINAHL, and Cochrane Systematic Review Database) were undertaken from January
      1983 to July 2014. Empirical studies were included if they used a quantitative
      measure of pre-/postinjury changes in self-concept after TBI or compared levels
      of self-concept between TBI and control participants. RESULTS: Fifteen studies
      met the review criteria and, despite methodological differences, provided mostly
      evidence of negative changes to self-concept. However, stability in self-concept
      and positive changes to sense of self were also reported in some studies.
      Furthermore, levels of self-esteem and personality characteristics did not
      significantly differ between participants with TBI and orthopedic/trauma
      controls. Negative self-concept changes were associated with emotional distress
      in 3 studies. CONCLUSIONS: People with TBI most commonly experience negative
      changes in self-identity; however, such changes are also reported after other
      traumatic events or injuries. Greater consistency in measurement of self-identity
      change and use of longitudinal designs is recommended to improve understanding of
      factors contributing to self-concept changes after TBI and to guide clinical
      interventions.

PMID- 26098263
TI  - Time to Follow Commands and Duration of Posttraumatic Amnesia Predict GOS-E Peds
      Scores 1 to 2 Years After TBI in Children Requiring Inpatient Rehabilitation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of time to follow commands (TFC) in predicting
      functional outcome after pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), as assessed by
      an outcome measure sensitive to the range of outcomes observed after pediatric
      TBI, the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended, Pediatric Revision (GOS-E Peds).
      SETTING: Pediatric inpatient rehabilitation hospital and associated
      multidisciplinary brain injury follow-up clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-seven
      children with moderate-to-severe TBI (mean age at injury = 10.9 years; range, 3
      18 years). DESIGN: Outcomes were scored retrospectively on the basis of
      documentation from an outpatient follow-up evaluation 1 to 2 years postinjury
      (days from injury to follow-up: mean = 518, SD = 137). Correlations between
      measures of severity and functional outcome were examined. Hierarchical logistic
      and linear regression analyses were performed to examine predictors of outcome.
      MAIN MEASURES: Earliest documented Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), TFC, posttraumatic
      amnesia (PTA), total duration of impaired consciousness (TFC + PTA), and GOS-E
      Peds. RESULTS: For the logistic regression, TFC and TFC + PTA were significant
      predictors of outcome above and beyond GCS. For the linear analysis, PTA was also
      a significant predictor of functional outcome above and beyond GCS and TFC. The
      overall models were very comparable, with R values ranging from 0.31 to 0.36 for
      prediction of GOS-E Peds scores. CONCLUSION: Above and beyond the influence of
      GCS, TFC, PTA, and TFC + PTA are important predictors of later outcome after TBI.

PMID- 26098264
TI  - Comparing the Injury Profile, Service Use, Outcomes, and Comorbidities of People
      With Severe TBI Across Urban, Regional, and Remote Populations in New South
      Wales: A Multicentre Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the demographic/injury profile, outcomes, service
      utilization, and unmet service needs of individuals with severe traumatic brain
      injury across urban, regional, and remote areas of New South Wales. SETTING: The
      11 community-based rehabilitation teams of the New South Wales Brain Injury
      Rehabilitation Program. PARTICIPANTS: Active clients (N = 503) with severe
      traumatic brain injury. DESIGN: A prospective cross-sectional multicenter study.
      MAIN MEASURES: Overt Behaviour Scale, Health of the Nation Outcome Scale-Acquired
      Brain Injury, Disability Rating Scale, Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Scale-2,
      Care and Needs Scale, data protocol on service utilization, and unmet needs.
      RESULTS: There were no differences in injury severity or functional outcomes
      across the 3 locations. However, clients in regional and remote areas had
      significantly higher levels of premorbid and postinjury comorbidities and lower
      levels of participation in comparison to urban clients. Although accessing the
      same number of services as their urban counterparts, clients in regional and
      remote areas had significantly higher levels of unmet needs suggesting problems
      with under-servicing. CONCLUSIONS: Geographical location had a significant impact
      on service access and outcomes.

PMID- 26098265
TI  - Cloth-Based Power Shirt for Wearable Energy Harvesting and Clothes Ornamentation.
AB  - Harvesting ambient mechanical energy from human body motion has attracted great
      research interest. In this work, a power shirt based on triboelectrification and
      the electrostatic induction effect between fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP)
      and external objects is demonstrated. This power shirt can effectively convert
      the ambient mechanical energy into electric power, and the working mechanism is
      systematically discussed. A maximum short-circuit current density of ~0.37
      MUA/cm2 and a maximum peak power density of ~4.65 MUW/cm2 were achieved.
      Simultaneously, 11 blue LEDs were lit by sliding the sleeve and power shirt,
      indicating the potential application of the power shirt in clothes ornamentation
      and risk warning. This study develops an efficient path for harvesting human body
      energy and promoting the development of wearable electronics and smart garments.

PMID- 26098266
TI  - Two-dimensional iron-phthalocyanine (Fe-Pc) monolayer as a promising single-atom
      catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction: a computational study.
AB  - Searching for low-cost non-Pt catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has
      been a key scientific issue in the development of fuel cells. In this work, the
      potential of utilizing the experimentally available two-dimensional (2D) Fe
      phthalocyanine (Fe-Pc) monolayer with precisely-controlled distribution of Fe
      atoms as a catalyst of ORR was systematically explored by means of comprehensive
      density functional theory computations. The computations revealed that O2
      molecules can be sufficiently activated on the surface of the Fe-Pc monolayer,
      and the subsequent ORR steps prefer to proceed on the Fe-Pc monolayer through a
      more efficient 4e pathway with a considerable limiting potential of 0.68 V.
      Especially, the Fe-Pc monolayer is more stable than the Fe-Pc molecule in acidic
      medium, and can present good catalytic performance for ORR on the addition of
      axial ligands. Therefore, the Fe-Pc monolayer is quite a promising single-atom
      catalyst with high efficiency for ORR in fuel cells. 

PMID- 26098267
TI  - Structural Design Parameters for Highly Birefringent Coordination Polymers.
AB  - A series of coordination polymer materials incorporating the highly anisotropic 2
      (2-pyridyl)-1,10-phenanthroline (phenpy) building block have been synthesized and
      structurally characterized. M(phenpy)[Au(CN)2]2 (M = Cd, Mn) are isostructural
      and form a 1-D chain through bridging [Au(CN)2](-) units and extend into a 2-D
      sheet through aurophilic interactions. M(phenpy)(H2O)[Au(CN)2]2.2H2O (M = Cd, Mn,
      and Zn) are also isostructural but differ from the first set via the inclusion of
      a water molecule into the coordination sphere, resulting in a 1-D topology
      through aurophilic interactions. In(phenpy)(Cl)2[Au(CN)2].0.5H2O forms a dimer
      through bridging chlorides and contains a free [Au(CN)2](-) unit. In the plane of
      the primary crystal growth direction, the birefringence values (Deltan) of
      0.37(2) (Cd(phenpy)[Au(CN)2]2), 0.50(3) (In(phenpy)(Cl)2[Au(CN)2].0.5H2O),
      0.56(3) and 0.59(6) (M(phenpy)(H2O)[Au(CN)2]2.2H2O M = Cd and Zn, respectively)
      were determined. beta, a structural parameter defined by phenpy units rotated in
      the A-C plane relative to the light propagation (C) direction, was found to
      correlate to Deltan magnitudes. The addition of a carbon-carbon double bond to
      terpy has increased the molecular polarizability anisotropy of the building
      block, and all structures have reduced deviation from planarity in comparison to
      terpy and terpy derivative structures, leading to these higher Deltan values,
      which are among the highest reported for crystalline solids. 

PMID- 26098271
TI  - Self-Efficacy Manipulation Influences Physical Activity Enjoyment in Chinese
      Adolescents.
AB  - PURPOSE: In this study, we examined the effect of the manipulation of exercise
      self-efficacy on the enjoyment of physical activity in a sample of 44 Chinese
      adolescents (age = 14.27 +/- .87 y), including 22 boys and 22 girls. METHODS: The
      participants were randomized into a low-efficacy or high-efficacy condition, and
      their self-efficacy beliefs for engaging in moderate-intensity physical activity
      were manipulated by providing false feedback after a submaximal exercise test.
      The participants' self-efficacy was measured and compared before and after the
      exercise test and the participants' enjoyment of physical activity was assessed
      after the exercise test. RESULTS: It was found that exercise self-efficacy was
      successfully manipulated in the expected direction in both conditions, which
      significantly influenced the participants' enjoyment of physical activity. After
      the exercise test, the participants in the low-efficacy condition reported lower
      enjoyment scores relative to the high-efficacy participants. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results suggest that self-efficacy may have an important influence on the
      enjoyment of physical activity among Chinese adolescents. We recommend that
      physical activity promotion programs should be tailored to enhance adolescents'
      self-efficacy beliefs and enjoyment of the experience of physical activity.

PMID- 26098272
TI  - Arch-Taping Techniques for Altering Navicular Height and Plantar Pressures During
      Activity.
AB  - CONTEXT: Arch tapings have been used to support the arch by increasing navicular
      height. Few researchers have studied navicular height and plantar pressures after
      physical activity. OBJECTIVE: To determine if taping techniques effectively
      support the arch during exercise. DESIGN: Crossover study. SETTING: Athletic
      training research laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-five
      individuals (13 men, 12 women; age = 20.0 +/- 1.0 years, height = 172.3 +/- 6.6
      cm, mass = 70.1 +/- 10.2 kg) with a navicular drop of more than 8 mm (12.9 +/-
      3.3 mm) volunteered. INTERVENTION(S): All individuals participated in 3 days of
      testing, with 1 day for each tape condition: no tape, low dye, and navicular
      sling. On each testing day, navicular height and plantar pressures were measured
      at 5 intervals: baseline; posttape; and after 5, 10, and 15 minutes of running.
      The order of tape condition was counterbalanced. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The
      dependent variables were navicular height in millimeters and plantar pressures in
      kilopascals. Plantar pressures were divided into 5 regions: medial forefoot,
      lateral forefoot, lateral midfoot, lateral rearfoot, and medial rearfoot.
      Separate repeated-measures analyses of variance were conducted for each dependent
      variable. RESULTS: Navicular height was higher immediately after application of
      the navicular-sling condition (P = .004) but was reduced after 5 minutes of
      treadmill running (P = .12). We observed no differences from baseline to posttape
      for navicular height for the low-dye (P = .30) and no-tape conditions (P = .25).
      Both the low-dye and navicular-sling conditions increased plantar pressures in
      the lateral midfoot region compared with the no-tape condition. The low-dye
      condition created decreased pressure in the medial and lateral forefoot regions
      compared with the no-tape condition. All changes were identified immediately
      after application and were maintained during running. No changes were noted in
      plantar pressures for the no-tape condition (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Both taping
      techniques effectively changed plantar pressures in the lateral midfoot, and
      these changes were sustained throughout the 15 minutes of exercise.

PMID- 26098274
TI  - Reply: To PMID 24978430.

PMID- 26098273
TI  - Subcutaneous and Intramuscular Hemodynamics and Oxygenation After Cold-Spray
      Application as Monitored by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.
AB  - CONTEXT: Vapocoolant spray, commonly known as cold spray (CS), is a cryotherapy
      modality used in sports medicine, athletic training, and rehabilitation settings.
      Proposed physiologic effects of cryotherapy modalities include reductions in
      tissue blood flow, oxygenation, and cell metabolism in addition to attenuation of
      pain perception attributed to reduced superficial nerve conduction velocity.
      OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of CS on subcutaneous and intramuscular blood
      flow and oxygenation on the thigh muscle using near-infrared spectroscopy, an
      optical method to monitor changes in tissue oxygenated (O2Hb), deoxygenated
      (HHb), and total (tHb) hemoglobin. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Muscle
      Biophysics Laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 13
      healthy adults (8 men, 5 women; age = 37.4 +/- 6 years, body mass index = 27.4 +/
      2.6, adipose tissue thickness = 7.2 +/- 1.8 mm). INTERVENTION(S): Conventional
      CS was applied to the vastus medialis muscles. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Changes
      in chromophore concentrations of O2Hb, HHb, and tHb at superficial and deep
      layers were monitored for 5 minutes using a 2-channel near-infrared spectroscopy.
      RESULTS: Thirty seconds after CS application, we observed a decrease from
      baseline in O2Hb and tHb only in the superficial layer that was maintained for 3
      minutes. CONCLUSIONS: Application of CS induced a transient change in blood flow
      and oxygenation of the superficial tissues with no change in deeper tissues over
      the healthy vastus medialis muscle. The limited physiologic effect of CS on the
      superficial hemodynamics and oxygenation of limb muscles may limit the
      therapeutic benefit of this cryotherapy modality to a temporary analgesic effect,
      a hypothesis that warrants a clinical trial on traumatized muscles.

PMID- 26098275
TI  - Re: Changing Trends in the Management of Diabetic Macular Edema at a Single
      Institution Over the Past Decade.

PMID- 26098276
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25590856.

PMID- 26098277
TI  - Re: Impact of Macula-off Retinal Detachment on Visual Outcome, A Systematic
      Review and Meta-Analysis of Literature.

PMID- 26098279
TI  - Nature of the interaction between rare gas atoms and transition metal doped
      silicon clusters: the role of shielding effects.
AB  - Mass spectrometry experiments show an exceptionally weak bonding between Si7Mn(+)
      and rare gas atoms as compared to other exohedrally transition metal (TM) doped
      silicon clusters and other SinMn(+) (n = 5-10) sizes. The Si7Mn(+) cluster does
      not form Ar complexes and the observed fraction of Xe complexes is low. The
      interaction of two cluster series, SinMn(+) (n = 6-10) and Si7TM(+) (TM = Cr, Mn,
      Cu, and Zn), with Ar and Xe is investigated by density functional theory
      calculations. The cluster-rare gas binding is for all clusters, except Si7Mn(+)
      and Si7Zn(+), predominantly driven by short-range interaction between the TM
      dopant and the rare gas atoms. A high s-character electron density on the metal
      atoms in Si7Mn(+) and Si7Zn(+) shields the polarization toward the rare gas atoms
      and thereby hinders formation of short-range complexes. Overall, both Ar and Xe
      complexes are similar except that the larger polarizability of Xe leads to larger
      binding energies. 

PMID- 26098278
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25121930.

PMID- 26098280
TI  - Effects of l-Alanyl-l-Glutamine Ingestion on One-Hour Run Performance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy of l-alanyl-l-glutamine ingestion with a
      commercially available sports drink compared to the sports drink only on time to
      exhaustion and physiological measures during prolonged endurance exercise.
      METHODS: Twelve endurance-trained men (23.5 +/- 3.7 years; 175.5 +/- 5.4 cm; 70.7
      +/- 7.6 kg) performed 4 trials, each consisting of a 1-hour treadmill run at 75%
      VO2peak followed by a run to exhaustion at 90% VO2peak. One trial consisted of no
      hydration (NHY), another required ingestion of only a sports drink (ED), and 2
      trials required ingestion of a low dose (LD; 300 mg.500 ml(-1)) and high dose
      (HD) of l-alanyl-l-glutamine (1 g.500 ml(-1)) added to the sports drink. During
      the fluid ingestion trials, 250 ml was consumed every 15 minutes. Plasma
      glutamine, glucose, electrolytes, and osmolality were measured prior to the run
      (PRE) and at 30, 45, and 60 minutes. VO2, respiratory quotient (RQ), and heart
      rate (HR) were measured every 15 minutes. RESULTS: Time to exhaustion was
      significantly longer during the LD and HD trials compared to NHY. No differences
      were noted in time to exhaustion between ED and NHY. Plasma glutamine
      concentrations were significantly elevated at 45 minutes in LD and HD trials and
      remained elevated at 60 minutes during HD. Sodium concentrations increased from
      the beginning of exercise and remained stable for the duration of the 1-hour run.
      At 60 minutes, plasma sodium was significantly lower in all trials compared to
      NHY. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated that ingestion of the alanine-glutamine
      dipeptide at either the low or high dose significantly improved time to
      exhaustion during high-intensity exercise compared to a no-hydration trial.

PMID- 26098281
TI  - L-cysteine functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (LCMNP): a novel magnetically
      separable organocatalyst for one-pot synthesis of 2-amino-4H-chromene-3
      carbonitriles in water.
AB  - In this study, L-cysteine was chemically grafted to magnetic nanoparticles in
      order to prepare a reusable magnetic material incorporating an amino acid moiety.
      For this purpose, silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2) were reacted
      with trimethoxy(vinyl)silane to produce vinyl-functionalized magnetic
      nanoparticles (VMNP). Reaction of a VMNP substrate with L-cysteine in the
      presence of azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) resulted in the production of L
      cysteine-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (LCMNP). The LCMNP material was
      characterized using different microscopy and spectroscopy techniques such as FT
      IR, XRD, TEM, SEM, EDX, VSM, and elemental analysis. Also, LCMNP was analyzed by
      thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in order to determine its thermal behavior. The
      applicability of the LCMNP material was evaluated in a three-component coupling
      reaction between a nucleophile, salicylaldehyde and malononitrile as the catalyst
      for one-pot synthesis of 2-amino-4H-chromene-3-carbonitrile derivatives. The
      catalyst system showed high catalytic activity in this process and target
      products were obtained in high isolated yields in water as a green solvent. The
      LCMNP catalyst was reusable in this reaction at least 7 times with no significant
      decrease in its catalytic activity.

PMID- 26098282
TI  - Kinetics Tuning of Li-Ion Diffusion in Layered Li(NixMnyCoz)O2.
AB  - Using ab initio calculations combined with experiments, we clarified how the
      kinetics of Li-ion diffusion can be tuned in LiNixMnyCozO2 (NMC, x + y + z = 1)
      materials. It is found that Li-ions tend to choose oxygen dumbbell hopping (ODH)
      at the early stage of charging (delithiation), and tetrahedral site hopping (TSH)
      begins to dominate when more than 1/3 Li-ions are extracted. In both ODH and TSH,
      the Li-ions surrounded by nickel (especially with low valence state) are more
      likely to diffuse with low activation energy and form an advantageous path. The
      Li slab space, which also contributes to the effective diffusion barriers, is
      found to be closely associated with the delithiation process (Ni oxidation) and
      the contents of Ni, Co, and Mn. 

PMID- 26098283
TI  - A Survey of Teenagers' Attitudes Toward Moving Oral Contraceptives Over the
      Counter.
AB  - CONTEXT: Evidence suggests that over-the-counter access to oral contraceptives
      may help expand use among adult women. Teenagers may particularly benefit from
      this approach, as they experience disproportionately high rates of unintended
      pregnancy and face unique challenges accessing contraceptives. However, limited
      research has explored teenagers' attitudes toward over-the-counter access.
      METHODS: In 2014, a sample of 348 females aged 14-17, recruited via Facebook
      advertisements, participated in an online survey assessing teenagers' attitudes
      toward over-the-counter access and their understanding of how to use oral
      contraceptives after reading a prototype over-the-counter product label.
      Differences by participants' characteristics were assessed in bivariate analyses
      (Pearson chi-square and Fisher's exact tests for categorical measures, and
      independent t tests and one-way analyses of variance for continuous measures).
      RESULTS: Seventy-three percent of participants supported over-the-counter access,
      and 61% reported that they would likely use oral contraceptives available through
      this approach. Few subgroup differences were found. Notably, sexually experienced
      participants were significantly more likely than others both to support this
      approach (85% vs. 63%) and to be interested in obtaining oral contraceptives this
      way (77% vs. 48%). Participants understood an average of 7.1 of eight key
      concepts that the prototype product label was intended to convey; no significant
      differences were found among subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Over-the-counter access may
      be a promising approach for providing oral contraceptives to teenagers.
      Additional research is needed to evaluate whether teenagers can screen themselves
      for contraindications to oral contraceptive use and correctly use oral
      contraceptives obtained over the counter.

PMID- 26098284
TI  - Accurate Characterization of Skeletal Lesions in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Using
      99mTc MDP SPECT/CT.
AB  - We report a 15-year-old patient with tuberous sclerosis complex or Bourneville's
      disease with history of generalized tonic-clonic seizure for last 2 years and was
      currently on antiepileptic medication. He also had a history of left nephrectomy
      for renal cell carcinoma clear cell type. The patient had multiple adenoma
      sebaceum over the nasolabial region, ash leaf spots over the lower limbs, a
      Shagreen patch over the back, and multiple calcified tubers in the subependymal
      region. He was then referred for the skeletal scintigraphy to look for skeletal
      lesions, which revealed involvement of bilateral humeri, tibiae, and iliac bones
      accurately characterized on SPECT/CT. 

PMID- 26098285
TI  - Dual Diagnostic Role of 123I-MIBG Scintigraphy in Inverted-Takotsubo Pattern
      Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - We highlight the dual role of I-MIBG scintigraphy in inverted-Takotsubo pattern
      cardiomyopathy, the diagnosis of which is sometimes challenging: Firstly, I-MIBG
      scintigraphy can show myocardial sympathetic dysfunction (low I-MIBG uptake) in
      the hypokinetic basal segments, sparing the left ventricle apex. It is helpful in
      the imaging diagnosis of inverted-Takotsubo pattern cardiomyopathy and confirms
      that acute dysfunction of myocardial sympathetic nerve endings occurs with this
      cardiomyopathy. Secondly, I-MIBG scintigraphy is an accurate imaging examination
      to detect and localize pheochromocytoma; it can help in the search for an
      endogenous cause of this adrenergic stress-related cardiomyopathy. 

PMID- 26098286
TI  - FDG PET/CT Findings of the Recurrent Posttransplantation Lymphoproliferative
      Disorder in a Pediatric Liver Transplant Recipient With Right Leg Pain as the
      Only Complaint.
AB  - The most commonly observed symptoms of posttransplantation lymphoproliferative
      disorder (PTLD) after a liver transplantation were diarrhea and fever. Although
      PTLD can involve bones, bone pain is a rare manifestation of PTLD, much less to
      say a sole presentation. We report a case of a pediatric patient with recurrent
      PTLD after liver transplantation, whose only complaint was right tibial pain. FDG
      PET/CT revealed not only hypermetabolic activity in the right proximal tibia but
      also in many other parts of the body. Recurrent PTLD was confirmed after bone
      biopsy. 

PMID- 26098287
TI  - Prognostic Significance of Intratumoral Metabolic Heterogeneity on 18F-FDG PET/CT
      in Pathological N0 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of
      intratumoral metabolic heterogeneity on pretreatment F-FDG PET/CT in patients
      with lung cancer who were pathologically N0 (pN0) after curative surgical
      resection. METHODS: We examined 119 patients (M/F = 79/40; mean age, 64.6 +/- 9.0
      years) who had undergone pretreatment F-FDG PET/CT and were diagnosed as pN0
      after curative surgery for adenocarcinoma (ADC; n = 67) or squamous cell
      carcinoma (SQCC; n = 52). Heterogeneity factor (HF) and other metabolic
      parameters (SUVmax, metabolic tumor volume [MTV] and total lesion glycolysis
      [TLG]) for the primary lesions were measured, and the results were analyzed for
      recurrence. The HF, defined as the derivative of the volume-threshold function
      from 20% to 80%, was computed for primary lesions. Univariate and multivariate
      analyses for recurrence were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and using
      the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: SUVmax, MTV, TLG, and HF were
      statistically different between patients with ADC and SQCC. Forty-one (34.5%) of
      119 patients experienced recurrence (ADC, 25/67 = 37.3% vs. SQCC, 16/52 = 30.8%).
      Results of univariate analysis indicate that SUVmax, MTV, TLG, and HF in ADC and
      TLG and HF in SQCC were predictors for recurrence. After adjusting for sex, age,
      and histological grade in multivariate analysis, high SUVmax, MTV, TLG, and HF in
      ADC exhibited an association with increased risk of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS:
      Metabolic parameters and heterogeneity of primary tumor on pretreatment F-FDG
      PET/CT can predict recurrence in pN0 NSCLC patients of ADC type who have
      undergone curative surgery but not in patients of SQCC type.

PMID- 26098288
TI  - Brain SPECT and MRI Findings in a Uremic Patient With Parkinsonism.
AB  - Parkinsonism associated with basal ganglia pathology represents a rare
      complication in uremia patients, characterized by acute hyperkinetic or
      hypokinetic extrapyramidal movement disorders. We herein present brain SPECT and
      MR findings of uremic patients with end-stage renal failure exhibiting
      parkinsonian symptoms. The bilateral basal ganglia exhibited decreased uptake on
      SPECT, and abnormal signals on MR, suggesting pathology. 

PMID- 26098289
TI  - 18F-FDG PET/CT Findings of Scrub Typhus.
AB  - Scrub typhus is an acute infectious disease caused by Orienta tsutsugamushi,
      which is clinically manifested by fever, generalized lymphadenopathy, diffuse
      myalgia, headache, maculopapular rash, and eschars at the site of chigger
      feedings. Diagnosis of scrub typhus requires compatible clinical features,
      history of exposure, and result of selorogic testing. In recent years, F-FDG
      PET/CT is seen as having increasing potential for use in examination and
      management of patients with infectious or inflammatory disorders. This is a
      PET/CT case demonstrating scrub typhus in a patient without evidence of
      recurrence of thyroid papillary cancer. 

PMID- 26098290
TI  - 18F-FDG PET/CT in Extranodal Burkitt Lymphoma.
AB  - Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a poorly differentiated non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma,
      more frequent in children than in adults. The extranodal debut of the disease is
      rare. We report a 43-year-old male patient with history of dyspnea. Burkitt
      lymphoma diagnosis was reached after biopsy of a pleural lesion. An initial
      staging F-FDG-PET/CT revealed large high-uptake lymphatic clusters in
      mediastinum, lung hilum, and extranodal involvement in pleura, pericardium,
      periphery of liver and spleen, all the omentum and peritoneum down to the pelvic
      floor, and bone marrow infiltration. 

PMID- 26098291
TI  - FDG-PET/CT Manifestation of Tumor Seeding Along Percutaneous Biliary Drainage
      Catheter Tract.
AB  - A 55-year-old man with liver metastases from colon cancer developed obstructive
      jaundice secondary to bile duct compression from tumor burden, which required
      percutaneous biliary drainage until subsequent internal biliary stent could be
      placed. Follow-up FDG-PET/CT performed 2 months after removal of percutaneous
      biliary drainage catheter revealed FDG avid metastases along the catheter tract,
      extending from anterior abdominal wall to the peripheral liver at the insertion
      site of previous biliary catheter. 

PMID- 26098292
TI  - Is there evidence for anti-TNF drugs in joint involvement in sarcoidosis?

PMID- 26098293
TI  - Blood donation and blood donor mortality after adjustment for a healthy donor
      effect.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that blood donors experience
      lower mortality than the general population. While this may suggest a beneficial
      effect of blood donation, it may also reflect the selection of healthy persons
      into the donor population. To overcome this bias, we investigated the relation
      between blood donation frequency and mortality within a large cohort of blood
      donors. In addition, our analyses also took into consideration the effects of
      presumed health differences linked to donation behavior. STUDY DESIGN AND
      METHODS: Using the Scandinavian Donation and Transfusion database (SCANDAT), we
      assessed the association between annual number of donations in 5-year windows and
      donor mortality by means of Poisson regression analysis. The analyses included
      adjustment for demographic characteristics and for an internal healthy donor
      effect, estimated among elderly donors exempted from continued donation because
      of age criteria. RESULTS: Statistical analyses included 1,182,495 donors of whom
      15,401 died during 9,526,627 person-years of follow-up. Analyses adjusted only
      for demographic characteristics showed a 18.6% reduction in mortality per
      additional annual donation (95% confidence interval [CI], 16.8%-20.4%). After
      additional adjustment for the internal healthy donor effect, each additional
      annual donation was associated with a 7.5% decreased mortality risk 7.5% (95% CI,
      5.7%-9.4%). CONCLUSION: We observed an inverse relationship between donation
      frequency and mortality. The magnitude of the association was reduced after
      adjustment for an estimate of self-selection in the donor population. Our
      observations indicate that repeated blood donation is not associated with
      premature death, but cannot be interpreted as conclusive evidence of a beneficial
      health effect.

PMID- 26098294
TI  - Bariatric Surgery and Urinary Incontinence.

PMID- 26098295
TI  - Population-based trends in high-grade cervical lesions in the early human
      papillomavirus vaccine era in the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2, 3, and adenocarcinoma in
      situ (CIN2+) lesions can be monitored as early indicators of human papillomavirus
      (HPV) vaccine impact. Changes to screening utilization will affect observed
      reductions in CIN2+ rates and complicate the interpretation of vaccine impact.
      METHODS: From 2008 to 2012, 9119 cases of CIN2+ among 18- to 39-year-old
      residents of catchment areas in California, Connecticut, New York, and Oregon
      were reported to the HPV-IMPACT Project, a sentinel system for monitoring the
      population impact of HPV vaccine. Age-stratified CIN2+ incidence rates were
      calculated for each catchment. Annual cervical screening was estimated for
      California, New York, and Oregon catchments with administrative and survey data.
      The Cochran-Armitage test was used to examine trends. RESULTS: From 2008 to 2012,
      the incidence of CIN2+ significantly decreased among 18- to 20-year-olds
      (California, from 94 to 5 per 100,000 women; Connecticut, from 450 to 57 per
      100,000 women; New York, from 299 to 43 per 100,000 women; and Oregon, from 202
      to 37 per 100,000 women; Ptrend  < .0001) and among 21- to 29-year-olds in
      Connecticut (from 762 to 589 per 100,000 women) and New York (from 770 to 465 per
      100,000 women; Ptrend  < .001); rates did not differ among 30- to 39-year-olds.
      During the same period, screening rates also declined, with the largest decreases
      among 18- to 20-year-olds (from 67% in Oregon to 88% in California) and with
      smaller declines among 21- to 29-year-olds (13%-27%) and 30- to 39-year-olds (3%
      21%). CONCLUSIONS: The declines in CIN2+ detection in young women were likely due
      to reduced screening but could also reflect the impact of vaccination. These data
      illustrate challenges in interpreting CIN2+ ecologic trends in the new era of
      cervical cancer prevention and emphasize the importance of information such as
      HPV types detected in lesions to assess the impact of HPV vaccine on cervical
      precancers.

PMID- 26098296
TI  - Structure and Redox Properties of 5-Amino-3-nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazole (ANTA)
      Adsorbed on a Silica Surface: A DFT M05 Computational Study.
AB  - A cluster approximation was applied at the M05/tzvp level to model an adsorption
      of 5-amino-3-nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazole (ANTA) on the (001) surface of alpha-quartz.
      Structures of the obtained ANTA-silica complexes confirm a nearly parallel
      orientation of the nitro compound toward the surface. The atoms in molecules
      (AIM) method was applied to analyze binding between ANTA and the silica surface.
      Attachment or loss of an electron was found to lead to a significant deviation
      from coplanarity in the complexes and to a strengthening of a hydrogen bonding.
      Redox properties of the adsorbed ANTA were compared with those of gas-phase and
      hydrated species by calculation of the ionization potential, electron affinity,
      oxidation and reduction Gibbs free energies, and oxidation and reduction
      potentials. It was shown that the adsorbed ANTA has a lower ability to undergo
      redox transformations as compared to that of the hydrated one. 

PMID- 26098297
TI  - Pediatric post-marketing safety systems in North America: assessment of the
      current status.
AB  - PURPOSE: It is critical to have pediatric post-marketing safety systems that
      contain enough clinical and epidemiological detail to draw regulatory, public
      health, and clinical conclusions. The pediatric safety surveillance workshop
      (PSSW), coordinated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), identified these
      pediatric systems as of 2010. This manuscript aims to update the information from
      the PSSW and look critically at the systems currently in use. METHODS: We
      reviewed North American pediatric post-marketing safety systems such as
      databases, networks, and research consortiums found in peer-reviewed journals and
      other online sources. We detail clinical examples from three systems that FDA
      used to assess pediatric medical product safety. RESULTS: Of the 59 systems
      reviewed for pediatric content, only nine were pediatric-focused and met the
      inclusion criteria. Brief descriptions are provided for these nine. The strengths
      and weaknesses of three systems (two of the nine pediatric-focused and one
      including both children and adults) are illustrated with clinical examples.
      CONCLUSIONS: Systems reviewed in this manuscript have strengths such as clinical
      detail, a large enough sample size to capture rare adverse events, and/or a
      patient denominator internal to the database. Few systems include all of these
      attributes. Pediatric drug safety would be better informed by utilizing multiple
      systems to take advantage of their individual characteristics.

PMID- 26098298
TI  - Principal bicorrelation analysis: Unraveling associations between three data
      sources.
AB  - In this article, we propose a statistical explorative method for data
      integration. It is developed in the context of early drug development for which
      it enables the detection of chemical substructures and the identification of
      genes that mediate their association with the bioactivity (BA). The core of the
      method is a sparse singular value decomposition for the identification of the
      gene set and a permutation-based method for the control of the false discovery
      rate. The method is illustrated using a real dataset, and its properties are
      empirically evaluated by means of a simulation study. Quantitative Structure
      Transcriptional Activity Relationship (QSTAR, www.qstar-consortium.org ) is a new
      paradigm in early drug development that extends QSAR by not only considering data
      on the chemical structure of the compounds and on the compound-induced BA, but by
      simultaneously using transcriptomics data (gene expression). This approach
      enables, for example, the detection of chemical substructures that are associated
      with BA, while at the same time a gene set is correlated with both these
      substructures and the BA. Although causal associations cannot be formally
      concluded, these associations may suggest that the compounds act on the BA
      through a particular genomic pathway.

PMID- 26098299
TI  - Host Subtraction, Filtering and Assembly Validations for Novel Viral Discovery
      Using Next Generation Sequencing Data.
AB  - The use of next generation sequencing (NGS) to identify novel viral sequences
      from eukaryotic tissue samples is challenging. Issues can include the low
      proportion and copy number of viral reads and the high number of contigs (post
      assembly), making subsequent viral analysis difficult. Comparison of assembly
      algorithms with pre-assembly host-mapping subtraction using a short-read mapping
      tool, a k-mer frequency based filter and a low complexity filter, has been
      validated for viral discovery with Illumina data derived from naturally infected
      liver tissue and simulated data. Assembled contig numbers were significantly
      reduced (up to 99.97%) by the application of these pre-assembly filtering
      methods. This approach provides a validated method for maximizing viral contig
      size as well as reducing the total number of assembled contigs that require down
      stream analysis as putative viral nucleic acids. 

PMID- 26098300
TI  - Improving recombinant protein production in the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
      chloroplast using vivid Verde Fluorescent Protein as a reporter.
AB  - Microalgae have potential as platforms for the synthesis of high-value
      recombinant proteins due to their many beneficial attributes including ease of
      cultivation, lack of pathogenic agents, and low-cost downstream processing.
      However, current recombinant protein levels are low compared to other microbial
      platforms and stable insertion of transgenes is available in only a few
      microalgal species. We have explored different strategies aimed at increasing
      growth rate and recombinant protein production in the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
      chloroplast. A novel fluorescent protein (vivid Verde Fluorescent Protein, VFP)
      was expressed under the control of the native atpA promoter/5'UTR element. VFP
      levels were detected by western blotting, with increased protein levels observed
      when co-expressed with a gene encoding the Escherichia coli Spy chaperone. We
      used these transformant lines to study the effect of temperature, light and media
      on recombinant protein production and cell growth. VFP levels and fluorescence,
      assessed by flow cytometry, allowed a determination of improved cultivation
      conditions as 30 degrees C under mixotrophic mode. These conditions were tested
      for the accumulation of an antimicrobial endolysin (Cpl-1) of potential
      commercial interest, observing that the outcome obtained for VFP could not be
      easily replicated for Cpl-1. This study suggests that recombinant protein
      expression is product-specific and needs to be optimized individually. 

PMID- 26098301
TI  - Current-Driven Supramolecular Motor with In Situ Surface Chiral Directionality
      Switching.
AB  - Surface-supported molecular motors are nanomechanical devices of particular
      interest in terms of future nanoscale applications. However, the molecular motors
      realized so far consist of covalently bonded groups that cannot be reconfigured
      without undergoing a chemical reaction. Here we demonstrate that a platinum
      porphyrin-based supramolecularly assembled dimer supported on a Au(111) surface
      can be rotated with high directionality using the tunneling current of a scanning
      tunneling microscope (STM). Rotational direction of this molecular motor is
      determined solely by the surface chirality of the dimer, and most importantly,
      the chirality can be inverted in situ through a process involving an intradimer
      rearrangement. Our result opens the way for the construction of complex molecular
      machines on a surface to mimic at a smaller scale versatile biological
      supramolecular motors. 

PMID- 26098302
TI  - Multi-Stage Tuberculosis Subunit Vaccine Candidate LT69 Provides High Protection
      against Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Mice.
AB  - Effective tuberculosis (TB) vaccine should target tubercle bacilli with various
      metabolic states and confer long-term protective immunity. In this study, we
      constructed a novel multi-stage TB subunit vaccine based on fusion protein ESAT6
      Ag85B-MPT64(190-198)-Mtb8.4-HspX (LT69 for short) which combined early expressed
      antigens and latency-associated antigen. The fusion protein was mixed with an
      adjuvant being composed of N, N'-dimethyl-N, N'-dioctadecylammonium bromide (DDA)
      and polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid (PolyI:C) to construct subunit
      vaccine, whose immunogenicity and protective ability were evaluated in C57BL/6
      mice. The results showed that LT69 had strong immunogenicity and high protective
      effect against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) H37Rv aerosol
      challenge. Low-dose (2 MUg) of LT69 generated long-term immune memory responses
      and provided effective protection, which was even higher than traditional vaccine
      BCG did at 30 weeks post the last vaccination. In conclusion, multistage subunit
      vaccine LT69 showed high and long-term protection against M. tuberculosis
      infection in mice, whose effect could be enhanced by using a relative low dosage
      of antigen. 

PMID- 26098303
TI  - The combined benefits of motorcycle antilock braking systems (ABS) in preventing
      crashes and reducing crash severity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Several studies have reported the benefits of motorcycle antilock
      braking systems (ABS) in reducing injury crashes, due to improved stability and
      braking performance. Both aspects may prevent crashes but may also reduce the
      crash severity when a collision occurs. However, it is still unknown to what
      extent the reductions in injury crashes with ABS may be due to a combination of
      these mechanisms. METHODS: Swedish hospital and police reports (2003-2012) were
      used. The risk for permanent medical impairment (RPMI) was calculated, showing
      the risk of at least 1 or 10% permanent medical impairment. In total, 165 crashes
      involving ABS-equipped motorcycles were compared with 500 crashes with similar
      motorcycles without ABS. The analysis was performed in 3 steps. First, the
      reduction in emergency care visits with ABS was calculated using an induced
      exposure approach. Secondly, the injury mitigating effects of ABS were
      investigated. The mean RPMI 1+ and RPMI 10+ were analyzed for different crash
      types. The distributions of impairing injuries (PMI 1+) and severely impairing
      injuries (PMI 10+) were also analyzed. In the third step, the total reduction of
      PMI 1+ and PMI 10+ injured motorcyclists was calculated by combining the
      reductions found in the previous steps. An additional analysis of combined
      braking systems (CBS) together with ABS was also performed. RESULTS: The results
      showed that emergency care visits were reduced by 47% with ABS. In the second
      step, it was found that the mean RPMI 1+ and RPMI 10+ with ABS were 15 and 37%
      lower, respectively. Finally, the third step showed that the total reductions in
      terms of crash avoidance and mitigation of PMI 1+ and PMI 10+ injured
      motorcyclists with ABS were 67 and 55%, respectively. However, PMI 1+ and PMI 10+
      leg injuries were not reduced by ABS to the same extent. Indications were found
      suggesting that the benefits of ABS together with CBS may be greater than ABS
      alone. CONCLUSIONS: This article indicated that motorcycle ABS reduced impairing
      injuries, mostly due to fewer emergency care visits but also due to a reduction
      in crash severity. This may seem reasonable as the improved stability and braking
      performance provided by ABS could prevent some crashes but would also decrease
      crash severity if a collision still occurs. As suggested by previous studies,
      however, the lower extremities would be more exposed in a crash with ABS. It is
      recommended that future research should follow up these results with additional
      data.

PMID- 26098304
TI  - Improving prediction of secondary structure, local backbone angles, and solvent
      accessible surface area of proteins by iterative deep learning.
AB  - Direct prediction of protein structure from sequence is a challenging problem. An
      effective approach is to break it up into independent sub-problems. These sub
      problems such as prediction of protein secondary structure can then be solved
      independently. In a previous study, we found that an iterative use of predicted
      secondary structure and backbone torsion angles can further improve secondary
      structure and torsion angle prediction. In this study, we expand the iterative
      features to include solvent accessible surface area and backbone angles and
      dihedrals based on Calpha atoms. By using a deep learning neural network in three
      iterations, we achieved 82% accuracy for secondary structure prediction, 0.76 for
      the correlation coefficient between predicted and actual solvent accessible
      surface area, 19 degrees  and 30 degrees  for mean absolute errors of backbone
      phi and psi angles, respectively, and 8 degrees  and 32 degrees  for mean
      absolute errors of Calpha-based theta and tau angles, respectively, for an
      independent test dataset of 1199 proteins. The accuracy of the method is slightly
      lower for 72 CASP 11 targets but much higher than those of model structures from
      current state-of-the-art techniques. This suggests the potentially beneficial use
      of these predicted properties for model assessment and ranking. 

PMID- 26098305
TI  - The Association between Provider Practice and Knowledge of ORS and Zinc
      Supplementation for the Treatment of Childhood Diarrhea in Bihar, Gujarat and
      Uttar Pradesh, India: A Multi-Site Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Programs aimed at reducing the burden of diarrhea among children
      under-five in low-resource settings typically allocate resources to training
      community-level health workers, but studies have suggested that provider
      knowledge does not necessarily translate into adequate practice. A diarrhea
      management program implemented in Bihar, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, India trained
      private sector rural medical practitioners (RMPs) and public sector Accredited
      Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and Anganwadi workers (AWWs) in adequate
      treatment of childhood diarrhea with oral rehydration salts (ORS) and zinc. We
      used cross-sectional program evaluation data to determine the association between
      observed diarrhea treatment practices and reported knowledge of ORS and zinc
      among each provider cadre. METHODS: We conducted principal components analysis on
      providers' responses to diarrhea treatment questions in order to generate a novel
      scale assessing ORS/zinc knowledge. We subsequently regressed a binary indicator
      of whether ORS/zinc was prescribed during direct observation onto the resulting
      knowledge scores, controlling for other relevant knowledge predictors. RESULTS:
      There was a positive association between ORS/zinc knowledge score and prescribing
      ORS and zinc to young children with diarrhea among private sector RMPs (aOR:
      2.32; 95% CI: 1.29-4.17) and public sector ASHAs and AWWs (aOR 2.48; 95% CI: 1.90
      3.24). Controlling for knowledge score, receipt of training in the preceding 6
      months was a good predictor of adequate prescribing in the public but not the
      private sector. In the public sector, direct access to ORS and zinc supplies was
      also highly associated with prescribing. CONCLUSIONS: To enhance the management
      of childhood diarrhea in India, programmatic activities should center on
      increasing knowledge of ORS and zinc among public and private sector providers
      through biannual trainings but should also focus on ensuring sustained access to
      an adequate supply chain.

PMID- 26098306
TI  - Lateral Resolution and Image Formation in Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy.
AB  - The scanning ion conductance microscope (SICM) is a powerful tool for imaging the
      topography of soft samples in an aqueous environment. Despite the rising
      popularity of the SICM, the image formation process and the fundamental limit of
      the lateral resolution are still a matter of debate. Using microfabricated
      samples, we investigated the imaging of small cylindrical particles, elongated
      objects, and topography steps and present the first direct comparison of
      numerical and experimental data. For the lateral resolution we considered two
      alternative definitions: the distance at which two small particles can clearly be
      resolved from each other in an image, and the apparent full width at half-maximum
      of small particles. For both definitions, we found a lateral resolution of about
      3 times the inner opening radius of the pipet. We further validated this
      resolution limit in measurements on supported lipid bilayers and a polycarbonate
      sample using pipets with opening radii down to 8 nm. 

PMID- 26098307
TI  - GDM Women's Pre-Pregnancy Overweight/Obesity and Gestational Weight Gain on
      Offspring Overweight Status.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index
      (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) with anthropometry in the offspring of
      mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective cohort study in 1263 GDM mother-child pairs. General linear models
      and Logistic regression models were used to assess the single and joint
      associations of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI (normal weight, overweight, and
      obesity) and GWG (inadequate, adequate and excessive GWG) with anthropometry and
      overweight status in the offspring from birth to 1-5 years old. RESULTS: Maternal
      pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG were positively associated with birth weight for
      gestational age Z score and birth weight for length for gestational age Z score
      at birth, and weight for age Z score, length/height for age Z score, and weight
      for length/height Z score at of 1-5 years old offspring. Maternal pre-pregnancy
      overweight, obesity, and excessive GWG were associated with increased risks of
      large for gestational age [ORs 95% CIs = 1.87 (1.37-2.55), 2.98 (1.89-4.69), and
      2.93 (2.07-4.13), respectively] and macrosomia [ORs 95% CIs = 2.06 (1.50-2.84),
      2.89 (1.78-4.70), and 2.84 (1.98-4.06), respectively] at birth and childhood
      overweight at 1-5 years old [ORs 95% CIs = 1.26 (0.92-1.73), 1.96 (1.24-3.09),
      and 1.59 (1.15-2.21), respectively]. CONCLUSIONS: Offspring born to GDM mothers
      with pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity or excessive GWG were associated with
      increased risks of large for gestational age and macrosomia at birth, and
      childhood overweight at 1-5 years old, compared with those born to GDM mothers
      with pre-pregnancy normal weight and adequate GWG.

PMID- 26098308
TI  - Factor XIII Transglutaminase Supports the Resolution of Mucosal Damage in
      Experimental Colitis.
AB  - The thrombin-activated transglutaminase factor XIII (FXIII) that covalently
      crosslinks and stablizes provisional fibrin matrices is also thought to support
      endothelial and epithelial barrier function and to control inflammatory
      processes. Here, gene-targeted mice lacking the FXIII catalytic A subunit were
      employed to directly test the hypothesis that FXIII limits colonic pathologies
      associated with experimental colitis. Wildtype (WT) and FXIII-/- mice were found
      to be comparable in their initial development of mucosal damage following
      exposure to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) challenge. However, unlike FXIII
      sufficient mice, FXIII-deficient cohorts failed to efficiently resolve colonic
      inflammatory pathologies and mucosal damage following withdrawal of DSS.
      Consistent with prior evidence of ongoing coagulation factor activation and
      consumption in individuals with active colitis, plasma FXIII levels were markedly
      decreased in colitis-challenged WT mice. Treatment of colitis-challenged mice
      with recombinant human FXIII-A zymogen significantly mitigated weight loss,
      intestinal bleeding, and diarrhea, regardless of whether cohorts were FXIII
      sufficient or were genetically devoid of FXIII. Similarly, both qualitative and
      quantitative microscopic analyses of colonic tissues revealed that exogenous
      FXIII improved the resolution of multiple colitis disease parameters in both
      FXIII-/- and WT mice. The most striking differences were seen in the resolution
      of mucosal ulceration, the most severe histopathological manifestation of DSS
      induced colitis. These findings directly demonstrate that FXIII is a significant
      determinant of mucosal healing and clinical outcome following inflammatory
      colitis induced mucosal injury and provide a proof-of-principle that clinical
      interventions supporting FXIII activity may be a means to limit colitis pathology
      and improve resolution of mucosal damage. 

PMID- 26098309
TI  - Regional Variation in Parasite Species Richness and Abundance in the Introduced
      Range of the Invasive Lionfish, Pterois volitans.
AB  - Parasites can play an important role in biological invasions. While introduced
      species often lose parasites from their native range, they can also accumulate
      novel parasites in their new range. The accumulation of parasites by introduced
      species likely varies spatially, and more parasites may shift to new hosts where
      parasite diversity is high. Considering that parasitism and disease are generally
      more prevalent at lower latitudes, the accumulation of parasites by introduced
      hosts may be greater in tropical regions. The Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois
      volitans) has become widely distributed across the Western Atlantic. In this
      study, we compared parasitism across thirteen locations in four regions, spanning
      seventeen degrees of latitude in the lionfish's introduced range to examine
      potential spatial variation in parasitism. In addition, as an initial step to
      explore how indirect effects of parasitism might influence interactions between
      lionfish and ecologically similar native hosts, we also compared parasitism in
      lionfish and two co-occurring native fish species, the graysby grouper,
      Cephalopholis cruentata, and the lizardfish, Synodus intermedius, in the
      southernmost region, Panama. Our results show that accumulation of native
      parasites on lionfish varies across broad spatial scales, and that colonization
      by ectoparasites was highest in Panama, relative to the other study sites.
      Endoparasite richness and abundance, on the other hand, were highest in Belize
      where lionfish were infected by twice as many endoparasite species as lionfish in
      other regions. The prevalence of all but two parasite species infecting lionfish
      was below 25%, and we did not detect an association between parasite abundance
      and host condition, suggesting a limited direct effect of parasites on lionfish,
      even where parasitism was highest. Further, parasite species richness and
      abundance were significantly higher in both native fishes compared to lionfish,
      and parasite abundance was negatively associated with the condition index of the
      native grouper but not that of the lionfish or lizardfish. While two co-occurring
      native fishes were more heavily parasitized compared to lionfish in Panama any
      indirect benefits of differential parasitism requires further investigation.
      Future parasitological surveys of lionfish across the eastern coast of North
      America and the Lesser Antilles would further resolve geographic patterns of
      parasitism in invasive lionfish. 

PMID- 26098310
TI  - Polymerase Bypass of N(6)-Deoxyadenosine Adducts Derived from Epoxide Metabolites
      of 1,3-Butadiene.
AB  - N(6)-(2-Hydroxy-3-buten-1-yl)-2'-deoxyadenosine (N(6)-HB-dA I) and N(6),N(6)-(2,3
      dihydroxybutan-1,4-diyl)-2'-deoxyadenosine (N(6),N(6)-DHB-dA) are exocyclic DNA
      adducts formed upon alkylation of the N(6) position of adenine in DNA by epoxide
      metabolites of 1,3-butadiene (BD), a common industrial and environmental chemical
      classified as a human and animal carcinogen. Since the N(6)-H atom of adenine is
      required for Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding with thymine, N(6)-alkylation can
      prevent adenine from normal pairing with thymine, potentially compromising the
      accuracy of DNA replication. To evaluate the ability of BD-derived N(6)
      alkyladenine lesions to induce mutations, synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides
      containing site-specific (S)-N(6)-HB-dA I and (R,R)-N(6),N(6)-DHB-dA adducts were
      subjected to in vitro translesion synthesis in the presence of human DNA
      polymerases beta, eta, iota, and kappa. While (S)-N(6)-HB-dA I was readily
      bypassed by all four enzymes, only polymerases eta and kappa were able to carry
      out DNA synthesis past (R,R)-N(6),N(6)-DHB-dA. Steady-state kinetic analyses
      indicated that all four DNA polymerases preferentially incorporated the correct
      base (T) opposite (S)-N(6)-HB-dA I. In contrast, hPol beta was completely blocked
      by (R,R)-N(6),N(6)-DHB-dA, while hPol eta and kappa inserted A, G, C, or T
      opposite the adduct with similar frequency. HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of primer
      extension products confirmed that while translesion synthesis past (S)-N(6)-HB-dA
      I was mostly error-free, replication of DNA containing (R,R)-N(6),N(6)-DHB-dA
      induced significant numbers of A, C, and G insertions and small deletions. These
      results indicate that singly substituted (S)-N(6)-HB-dA I lesions are not
      miscoding, but that exocyclic (R,R)-N(6),N(6)-DHB-dA adducts are strongly
      mispairing, probably due to their inability to form stable Watson-Crick pairs
      with dT. 

PMID- 26098311
TI  - Performance of HIV Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission Programs in Sub
      Saharan Africa: Longitudinal Assessment of 64 Nevirapine-Based Programs
      Implemented in 25 Countries, 2000-2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the performance and to identify predictive factors of
      performance in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programs (PMTCT) in
      sub-Saharan African countries. METHODS: From 2000 to 2011, PMTCT programs
      included in the Viramune Donation Programme (VDP) were prospectively followed.
      Each institution included in the VDP provided data on program implementation,
      type of management institution, number of PMTCT sites, key programs outputs (HIV
      counseling and testing, NVP regimens received by mothers and newborns).
      Nevirapine Coverage Ratio (NCR), defined as the number of women who should have
      received nevirapine (observed HIV prevalence x number of women in antenatal
      care), was used to measure performance. Included programs were followed every six
      months through progress reports. RESULTS: A total of 64 programs in 25 sub
      Saharan African countries were included. The mean program follow-up was 48.0
      months (SD = 24.5); 20,084,490 women attended in antenatal clinics were included.
      The overall mean NCR was 0.52 (SD = 0.25), with an increase from 0.37 to 0.57
      between the first and last progress reports (p<.0001); NCR increased by 3.26% per
      year-program. Between the first and the last report, the number of women
      counseled and tested increased from 64.3% to 86.0% (p<.0001), the number of women
      post-counseled from 87.5% to 91.3% (p = 0.08). After mixed linear regression
      analysis, type of responsible institution, number of women attended in ANC, and
      program initiation in 2005-2006 were significant predictive factors associated
      with the NCR. The effect of the time period increased from earlier to later
      periods. CONCLUSION: A longitudinal assessment of large PMTCT programs shows that
      scaling-up of programs was increased in sub-Saharan African countries. The PMTCT
      coverage increased throughout the study period, especially after 2006.
      Performance may be better for programs with a small or medium number of women
      attended in ANC. Identification of factors that predict PMTCT program performance
      may help in the development and expansion of additional large PMTCT services in
      sub-Saharan Africa.

PMID- 26098313
TI  - Patent Deployment Strategies and Patent Value in LED Industry.
AB  - This study applies two variables in the measurement of company patent deployment
      strategies: patent family depth and earn plan ratio. Patent family depth
      represents the degree to which certain fields and markets are valued by the
      patent owner. Earn plan ratio defined as the ratio of the number of patent
      forward citations to patent family size. Earn plan ratio indicates the degree to
      which a patent family could be cited by later innovators and competitors. This
      study applies a logistic regression model in the analysis LED industry data. The
      results demonstrate that patent value has a positive relationship with the patent
      family depth, and earn plan ratio. 

PMID- 26098312
TI  - Mest but Not MiR-335 Affects Skeletal Muscle Growth and Regeneration.
AB  - When skeletal muscle fibers are injured, they regenerate and grow until their
      sizes are adjusted to surrounding muscle fibers and other relevant organs. In
      this study, we examined whether Mest, one of paternally expressed imprinted genes
      that regulates body size during development, and miR-335 located in the second
      intron of the Mest gene play roles in muscle regeneration. We generated miR-335
      deficient mice, and found that miR-335 is a paternally expressed imprinted
      microRNA. Although both Mest and miR-335 are highly expressed during muscle
      development and regeneration, only Mest+/- (maternal/paternal) mice show
      retardation of body growth. In addition to reduced body weight in Mest+/-; DMD
      null mice, decreased muscle growth was observed in Mest+/- mice during
      cardiotoxin-induced regeneration, suggesting roles of Mest in muscle
      regeneration. Moreover, expressions of H19 and Igf2r, maternally expressed
      imprinted genes were affected in tibialis anterior muscle of Mest+/-; DMD-null
      mice compared to DMD-null mice. Thus, Mest likely mediates muscle regeneration
      through regulation of imprinted gene networks in skeletal muscle. 

PMID- 26098314
TI  - Glycoengineered cell models for the characterization of cancer O-glycoproteome:
      an innovative strategy for biomarker discovery.
AB  - Glycosylation is one of the most abundant forms of protein posttranslational
      modification. O-glycosylation is a major type of protein glycosylation,
      comprising different types and structures expressed in several physiologic and
      pathologic conditions. The understanding of protein attachment site and glycan
      structure is of the utmost importance for the clarification of the role
      glycosylation plays in normal cells and in pathological conditions. Neoplastic
      transformation frequently shows the expression of immature truncated O-glycans.
      These aberrantly expressed O-glycans have been shown to induce oncogenic
      properties and can be detected in premalignant lesions, meaning that they are an
      important source of biomarkers. This article addresses the recent application of
      genetically engineered cancer cell models to produce simplified homogenous O
      glycans allowing the characterization of cancer cells O-glycoproteomes, using
      advanced mass spectrometry methods and the identification of potential cancer
      specific O-glycosylation sites. This article will also discuss possible
      applications of these biomarkers in the cancer field. 

PMID- 26098316
TI  - Small-RNA asymmetry is directly driven by mammalian Argonautes.
AB  - Asymmetric selection of single-stranded guide RNAs from double-stranded RNA
      precursors is crucial in RNA silencing-mediated gene regulation. However, the
      precise mechanisms of small-RNA asymmetry are unclear, especially because
      asymmetric selection can still occur when the putative asymmetry sensors
      Drosophila R2D2 and mammalian Dicer are depleted. Here we report a direct
      contribution of mammalian Argonaute 2 (Ago2) to microRNA (miRNA) asymmetry. Ago2
      selects strands with 5'-uridine or 5'-adenosine and thermodynamically unstable 5'
      ends in parallel through its two sensor regions, which contact the 5' nucleobases
      and 5'-phosphates of prospective guide strands. Hence, miRNA asymmetry shows
      superposed patterns reflecting 5'-end nucleotide identity ('digital' pattern) and
      thermodynamic stability ('analog' pattern). Furthermore, we demonstrate that
      cancer-associated miRNA variations reprogram asymmetric selection. Finally, our
      study presents a model of this universal principle, to aid in comprehensive
      understanding of miRNA function and development of new RNA-silencing therapies in
      precision medicine. 

PMID- 26098318
TI  - Correction: High Throughput Measurement of gammaH2AX DSB Repair Kinetics in a
      Healthy Human Population.

PMID- 26098317
TI  - Crystal structure of human stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase in complex with
      substrate.
AB  - Stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase-1 (SCD1) has an important role in lipid
      metabolism, and SCD1 inhibitors are potential therapeutic agents for the
      treatment of metabolic diseases and cancers. Here we report the 3.25-A crystal
      structure of human SCD1 in complex with its substrate, stearoyl-coenzyme A, which
      defines the new SCD1 dimetal catalytic center and reveals the determinants of
      substrate binding to provide insights into the catalytic mechanism of
      desaturation of the stearoyl moiety. The structure also provides a mechanism for
      localization of SCD1 in the endoplasmic reticulum: human SCD1 folds around a
      tight hydrophobic core formed from four long alpha-helices that presumably
      function as an anchor spanning the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. Furthermore,
      our results provide a framework for the rational design of pharmacological
      inhibitors targeting the SCD1 enzyme. 

PMID- 26098320
TI  - Raynaud?s phenomenon - assessment and differential diagnoses.
AB  - Raynaud?s phenomenon (RP) is characterised by paroxysmal reversible episodes of
      vasospasm, usually involving peripheral small vessels of the fingers or toes and
      resulting in a triple-colour change starting with pallor and followed by cyanosis
      and erythema. Attacks are typically triggered by cold or emotional stress. The
      diagnosis of RP can be made on the basis of the patient?s clinical symptoms.
      Primary RP occurs without underlying disease and is considered a benign
      condition. A normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate, negative testing for
      antinuclear antibodies, normal nailfold capillaries and the absence of structural
      micro- or macrovascular damage and other diseases lead to the diagnosis of
      primary RP. Digital photoplethysmography and pulse contour analysis can be used
      as an additional tool to exclude structural macro- or microvascular disease. In
      contrast, secondary RP is associated with other diseases, mainly connective
      tissue diseases such as systemic sclerosis. If there is a suspicion of secondary
      RP, a thorough laboratory and vascular assessment is required to make the
      diagnosis of underlying disease. Acrocyanosis and erythromelalgia are additional
      functional vascular disorders that can be easily distinguished when patients are
      carefully assessed for their history and clinical symptoms. 

PMID- 26098319
TI  - Atherosclerotic plaque neovascularization and inflammation - is there a link?

PMID- 26098315
TI  - Crystal structure, conformational fixation and entry-related interactions of
      mature ligand-free HIV-1 Env.
AB  - As the sole viral antigen on the HIV-1-virion surface, trimeric Env is a focus of
      vaccine efforts. Here we present the structure of the ligand-free HIV-1-Env
      trimer, fix its conformation and determine its receptor interactions. Epitope
      analyses revealed trimeric ligand-free Env to be structurally compatible with
      broadly neutralizing antibodies but not poorly neutralizing ones. We coupled
      these compatibility considerations with binding antigenicity to engineer
      conformationally fixed Envs, including a 201C 433C (DS) variant specifically
      recognized by broadly neutralizing antibodies. DS-Env retained nanomolar affinity
      for the CD4 receptor, with which it formed an asymmetric intermediate: a closed
      trimer bound by a single CD4 without the typical antigenic hallmarks of CD4
      induction. Antigenicity-guided structural design can thus be used both to
      delineate mechanism and to fix conformation, with DS-Env trimers in virus-like
      particle and soluble formats providing a new generation of vaccine antigens. 

PMID- 26098321
TI  - Hypothenar hammer syndrome.
AB  - The diagnosis of hypothenar hammer syndrome (HHS) should be considered in the
      case of hand ischemia in people who occupationally or recreationally use the
      hypothenar region literally as a ?hammer?. Routine diagnostics should consist of
      physical examination including Allen?s test, acral plethysmography and duplex
      sonography. According to the prevailing opinion angiography remains the "gold
      standard test" for establishing the diagnosis of HHS. Early diagnosis allows more
      effective therapeutic strategies and is important to prevent long-term negative
      medical sequelae. Several basic principles apply to all patients, for example
      hand protection and smoking cessation. The optimal treatment options,
      particularly the indication for surgery, remain controversial due to a lack of
      sound data from case series or prospective randomized trials. 

PMID- 26098322
TI  - Positive correlation between neovascularization degree of carotid atherosclerosis
      determined by contrast-enhanced ultrasound and level of serum C-reactive protein.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neovascularization is one of the most important risk factors for
      unstable plaque. This study was designed to correlate plaque thickness, artery
      stenosis and levels of serum C-reactive protein with the degree of intraplaque
      enhancement determined by contrast-enhanced ultrasound. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Contrast-enhanced ultrasound was performed on 72 carotid atherosclerotic plaques
      in 48 patients. Contrast enhancement within the plaque was categorized as grade
      1, 2 or 3. Maximum plaque thickness was measured in short-axis view. Carotid
      artery stenosis was categorized as mild, moderate or severe. RESULTS: Plaque
      contrast enhancement was not associated with the degree of artery stenosis or
      with plaque thickness. Serum C-reactive protein levels were positively correlated
      with the number of new vessels in the plaque. C-reactive protein levels increased
      in the three groups(Grade 1: 3.72+/-1.79mg/L; Grade 2: 7.88+/-4.24 mg/L; Grade 3:
      11.02+/-3.52 mg/L), with significant differences among them (F=10.14, P<0.01),
      and significant differences between each two groups (P<0.05). Spearman?s rank
      correlation analysis showed that serum C-reactive protein levels were positively
      correlated with the degree of carotid plaque enhancement (Rs =0.69, P<0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: The combination of C-reactive protein levels and intraplaque
      neovascularization detected by contrast-enhanced ultrasound may allow more
      accurate evaluation of plaque stability.

PMID- 26098323
TI  - Catheter-directed thrombolysis plus anticoagulation versus anticoagulation alone
      in the treatment of proximal deep vein thrombosis - a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the clinical outcomes of
      catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) plus anticoagulation with anticoagulation
      alone in patients with lower-extremity proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: We systematically searched Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane
      Library from inception to October, 2014. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
      and non-randomized studies comparing the clinical outcomes between additional CDT
      and anticoagulation alone were included. The primary outcomes were postthrombotic
      syndrome and major bleeding complications. The secondary outcomes included the
      iliofemoral patency rate, deep venous function, mortality, pulmonary embolism,
      and recurrent DVT. RESULTS: Three RCTs and 3 non-randomized studies were
      included. Compared with standard anticoagulation treatment, additional CDT was
      associated with a significantly higher rate of complete lysis within 30 days (OR
      = 91; 95 % CI 19.28 to 429.46), a higher rate of 6-month patency (OR = 5.77; 95 %
      CI 1.99 to 16.73), a lower rate of postthrombotic syndrome (OR = 0.4; 95 % CI
      0.19 to 0.96), and a lower rate of venous obstruction (OR = 0.20; 95 % CI 0.09 to
      0.44). More major bleeding episodes occurred in the CDT group (Peto OR 2.0; 95 %
      CI 1.62 to 2.62). CDT was not found to reduce mortality, pulmonary embolism, or
      recurrent DVT. CONCLUSIONS: Additional CDT therapy appeared to be more effective
      than standard anticoagulation treatment in improving the venous patency and
      preventing venous obstruction and postthrombotic syndrome. Caution should be
      taken when performing CDT given the increased risk of major bleeding. However, no
      evidence supported benefits of CDT in reducing mortality, recurrent DVT, or
      pulmonary embolism.

PMID- 26098324
TI  - Occlusion rate, venous symptoms and patient satisfaction after radiofrequency
      induced thermotherapy (RFITT(r)): are there differences between the great and the
      small saphenous veins?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies on the therapy of insufficient saphenous veins
      mainly compare different treatment methods. Only a few investigate differences of
      a specific treatment option between the great (GSV) and the small saphenous vein
      (SSV). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, clinical improvement
      and patient satisfaction after radiofrequency-induced thermotherapy (RFITT(r))
      with regard to the treated vein. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We included 65 patients
      (40 women, 25 men; mean age 54.75 years) who were treated with RFITT(r) for
      incompetent saphenous veins (n = 83: 62 GSV, 21 SSV). Occlusion rates were
      determined by duplex-sonography. Additionally, we performed a prospective
      analysis of venous symptoms and signs by means of a standardized questionnaire
      and of patient satisfaction using a semi-quantitative rating (1 = very good, 6 =
      insufficient). RESULTS: The GSV group showed a significantly greater reduction of
      venous symptoms in comparison to the SSV group (p = 0.005) despite no significant
      differences in long term occlusion rates (mean time after operation: 22 months)
      of 90 % in the GSV group and 81.8 % in the SSV group (p = 0.598). Following the
      procedure, detailed analysis revealed significantly more swelling (p = 0.022),
      feeling of heavy legs (p = 0.002) and nightly calf cramps (p = 0.001) in the SSV
      group. Additionally, RFITT(r) led to a significant improvement in patient
      satisfaction in the GSV group (from 1.93 at day 1 - 3 to 1.41 after 6 - 12
      months, p = 0.009) but not in the SSV group (from 2.29 to 2.07, p = 0.43).
      CONCLUSIONS: With regard to the improvement of venous symptoms and patient
      satisfaction, the benefit of RFITT(r) is greater for patients with incompetent
      GSV compared to those with incompetent SSV.

PMID- 26098325
TI  - Retrograde thrombendarterectomy vs. ilio-femoral bypass in unilateral iliac TASC
      C and D lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To compare short and long term results of retrograde
      Thrombendarterectomy (rTEA) and ilio-femoral Bypass (IFBP) to treat iliac TASC C
      and D lesions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 108 patients
      treated at a single vascular center by either rTEA (n = 42) or IFBP (n = 66) over
      a period of 4 years. RESULTS: Both methods did not significantly differ in 30-day
      (rTEA 0 % vs IFBP 2 %) or long-term mortality (rTEA 24 % vs IFBP 30 % at 4 years)
      with a median follow-up of 46 months. There were no procedure related deaths.
      Patency was similar for both groups (rTEA 93 % vs IFBP 98 % at 30 days; rTEA 83 %
      vs 92 % IFBP at 4 years). We could not find a significant difference in limb
      salvage rates (rTEA 93 % vs IFBP 100 % at 30 days and at 4 years). The incidence
      of prolonged lymphorrhea was significantly higher in the IFBP group (rTEA 0 % vs
      IFBP 21 %). In 4 IFBP patients a prosthetic graft infection occurred.
      CONCLUSIONS: Regarding short and long term results operative procedures as rTEA
      and IFBP still represent the gold standard in the treatment of TASC C and D
      lesions of the external iliac artery especially in patients with additional
      lesions in the common femoral and profundal femoral artery. Taking into account
      certain anatomical characteristics (heavily calcified lesions, narrow external
      iliac arteries or very tortuous iliac segments) and individual local conditions
      (prior vascular procedures involving the femoral bifurcation) the single incision
      retrograde approach to the EIA with rTEA may have advantages over IFBP,
      especially concerning postoperative complications like lymphorrhea and graft
      infection.

PMID- 26098327
TI  - Fatal giant cell arteritis of small to medium-sized visceral arteries: atypical
      manifestation or new entity?

PMID- 26098326
TI  - Comparison of one-year prognosis of patients classified as chronic critical lower
      limb ischaemia according to TASC II or European consensus definition in the
      COPART cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We compared one-year amputation and survival rates in patients
      fulfilling 1991 European consensus critical limb ischaemia (CLI) definition to
      those clas, sified as CLI by TASC II but not European consensus (EC) definition.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were selected from the COPART cohort of
      hospitalized patients with peripheral occlusive arterial disease suffering from
      lower extremity rest pain or ulcer and who completed one-year follow-up. Ankle
      and toe systolic pressures and transcutaneous oxygen pressure were measured. The
      patients were classified into two groups: those who could benefit from
      revascularization and those who could not (medical group). Within these groups,
      patients were separated into those who had CLI according to the European
      consensus definition (EC + TASC II: group A if revascularization, group C if
      medical treatment) and those who had no CLI by the European definition but who
      had CLI according to the TASC II definition (TASC: group B if revascularization
      and D if medical treatment). RESULTS: 471 patients were included in the study
      (236 in the surgical group, 235 in the medical group). There was no difference
      according to the CLI definition for survival or cardiovascular event-free
      survival. However, major amputations were more frequent in group A than in group
      B (25 vs 12 %, p = 0.046) and in group C than in group D (38 vs 20 %, p = 0.004).
      CONCLUSIONS: Major amputation is twice as frequent in patients with CLI according
      to the historical European consensus definition than in those classified to the
      TASC II definition but not the EC. Caution is required when comparing results of
      recent series to historical controls. The TASC II definition of CLI is too wide
      to compare patients from clinical trials so we suggest separating these patients
      into two different stages: permanent (TASC II but not EC definition) and critical
      ischaemia (TASC II and EC definition).

PMID- 26098328
TI  - Deep vein thrombosis caused by an exostosis in an adolescent patient with
      peripheral neurofibromatosis type 1.

PMID- 26098330
TI  - Benefits from invasive treatment in intermittent claudication: It is definitely
      not IRONIC!

PMID- 26098329
TI  - Peripheral arterial embolism due to involvement of the aortic arch with hydatid
      cyst.

PMID- 26098331
TI  - Expectation Suppression in Early Visual Cortex Depends on Task Set.
AB  - Stimulus expectation can modulate neural responses in early sensory cortical
      regions, with expected stimuli often leading to a reduced neural response.
      However, it is unclear whether this expectation suppression is an automatic
      phenomenon or is instead dependent on the type of task a subject is engaged in.
      To investigate this, human subjects were presented with visual grating stimuli in
      the periphery that were either predictable or non-predictable while they
      performed three tasks that differently engaged cognitive resources. In two of the
      tasks, the predictable stimulus was task-irrelevant and spatial attention was
      engaged at fixation, with a high load on either perceptual or working memory
      resources. In the third task, the predictable stimulus was task-relevant, and
      therefore spatially attended. We observed that expectation suppression is
      dependent on the cognitive resources engaged by a subjects' current task. When
      the grating was task-irrelevant, expectation suppression for predictable items
      was visible in retinotopically specific areas of early visual cortex (V1-V3)
      during the perceptual task, but it was abolished when working memory was loaded.
      When the grating was task-relevant and spatially attended, there was no
      significant effect of expectation in early visual cortex. These results suggest
      that expectation suppression is not an automatic phenomenon, but dependent on
      attentional state and type of available cognitive resources. 

PMID- 26098333
TI  - Correction: ALIX and ESCRT-III Coordinately Control Cytokinetic Abscission during
      Germline Stem Cell Division In Vivo.

PMID- 26098332
TI  - Presenilin-1 Dependent Neurogenesis Regulates Hippocampal Learning and Memory.
AB  - Presenilin-1 (PS1), the catalytic core of the aspartyl protease gamma-secretase,
      regulates adult neurogenesis. However, it is not clear whether the role of
      neurogenesis in hippocampal learning and memory is PS1-dependent, or whether PS1
      loss of function in adult hippocampal neurogenesis can cause learning and memory
      deficits. Here we show that downregulation of PS1 in hippocampal neural
      progenitor cells causes progressive deficits in pattern separation and novelty
      exploration. New granule neurons expressing reduced PS1 levels exhibit decreased
      dendritic branching and dendritic spines. Further, they exhibit reduced survival.
      Lastly, we show that PS1 effect on neurogenesis is mediated via beta-catenin
      phosphorylation and notch signaling. Together, these observations suggest that
      impairments in adult neurogenesis induce learning and memory deficits and may
      play a role in the cognitive deficits observed in Alzheimer's disease. 

PMID- 26098334
TI  - Biological fitness and the fundamental theorem of natural selection.
AB  - Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection is proved satisfactorily for
      the first time, resolving confusions in the literature about the nature of
      reproductive value and fitness. Reproductive value is defined following Fisher,
      without reference to genetic variation, and fitness is the proportional rate of
      increase in an individual's contribution to the demographic population size. The
      mean value of fitness is the same in each age class, and it also equals the
      population's Malthusian parameter. The statement and derivation are regarded as
      settled here, and so the general biological significance of the fundamental
      theorem can be debated. The main purpose of the theorem is to find a quantitative
      measure of the effect of natural selection in a Mendelian system, thus founding
      Darwinism on Mendelism and identifying the design criterion for biological
      adaptation, embodied in Fisher's ingenious definition of fitness. The relevance
      of the newly understood theorem to five current research areas is discussed. 

PMID- 26098335
TI  - The phenome-wide distribution of genetic variance.
AB  - A general observation emerging from estimates of additive genetic variance in
      sets of functionally or developmentally related traits is that much of the
      genetic variance is restricted to few trait combinations as a consequence of
      genetic covariance among traits. While this biased distribution of genetic
      variance among functionally related traits is now well documented, how it
      translates to the broader phenome and therefore any trait combination under
      selection in a given environment is unknown. We show that 8,750 gene expression
      traits measured in adult male Drosophila serrata exhibit widespread genetic
      covariance among random sets of five traits, implying that pleiotropy is common.
      Ultimately, to understand the phenome-wide distribution of genetic variance, very
      large additive genetic variance-covariance matrices (G) are required to be
      estimated. We draw upon recent advances in matrix theory for completing high
      dimensional matrices to estimate the 8,750-trait G and show that large numbers of
      gene expression traits genetically covary as a consequence of a single genetic
      factor. Using gene ontology term enrichment analysis, we show that the major axis
      of genetic variance among expression traits successfully identified genetic
      covariance among genes involved in multiple modes of transcriptional regulation.
      Our approach provides a practical empirical framework for the genetic analysis of
      high-dimensional phenome-wide trait sets and for the investigation of the extent
      of high-dimensional genetic constraint. 

PMID- 26098336
TI  - No synergy needed: ecological constraints favor the evolution of eusociality.
AB  - In eusocial species, some individuals sacrifice their own reproduction for the
      benefit of others. It has been argued that the evolution of sterile helpers in
      eusocial insects requires synergistic efficiency gains through cooperation that
      are uncommon in cooperatively breeding vertebrates and that this precludes a
      universal ecological explanation of social systems with alloparental care. In
      contrast, using a model that incorporates realistic ecological mechanisms of
      population regulation, we show here that constraints on independent breeding
      (through nest-site limitation and dispersal mortality) eliminate any need for
      synergistic efficiency gains: sterile helpers may evolve even if they are
      relatively inefficient at rearing siblings, reducing their colony's per-capita
      productivity. Our approach connects research fields by using hypotheses developed
      for cooperative breeding to explain the evolution of eusociality. The results
      suggest that these hypotheses may apply more generally than previously thought. 

PMID- 26098337
TI  - Here's to the losers: evolvable residents accelerate the evolution of high
      fitness invaders.
AB  - Recent work has shown that evolvability plays a key role in determining the long
      term population dynamics of asexual clones. However, simple considerations
      suggest that the evolvability of a focal lineage of bacteria should also be
      influenced by the evolvability of its competitors. First, evolvable competitors
      should accelerate evolution by impeding the fixation of the focal lineage through
      a clonal interference-like mechanism. Second, evolvable competitors should
      increase the strength of selection by rapidly degrading the environment,
      increasing selection for adaptive mutations. Here we tested these ideas by
      allowing a high-fitness clone of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to invade
      populations of two low-fitness resident clones that differ in their evolvability.
      Both competition from mutations in the resident lineage and environmental
      degradation lead to faster adaptation in the invader through fixing single
      mutations with a greater fitness advantage. The results suggest that competition
      from mutations in both the successful invader and the unsuccessful resident
      shapes the adaptive trajectory of the invader through both direct competition and
      indirect environmental effects. Therefore, to predict evolutionary outcomes, it
      will be necessary to consider the evolvability of all members of the community
      and the effects of adaptation on the quality of the environment. This is
      particularly relevant to mixed microbial communities where lineages differ in
      their adaptive potential, a common feature of chronic infections. 

PMID- 26098338
TI  - Factors influencing the detectability of early warning signals of population
      collapse.
AB  - The recent description of potentially generic early warning signals is a
      promising development that may help conservationists to anticipate a population's
      collapse prior to its occurrence. So far, the majority of such warning signals
      documented have been in highly controlled laboratory systems or in theoretical
      models. Data from wild populations, however, are typically restricted both
      temporally and spatially due to limited monitoring resources and intrinsic
      ecological heterogeneity-limitations that may affect the detectability of generic
      early warning signals, as they add additional stochasticity to population
      abundance estimates. Consequently, spatial and temporal subsampling may serve to
      either muffle or magnify early warning signals. Using a combination of
      theoretical models and analysis of experimental data, we evaluate the extent to
      which statistical warning signs are robust to data corruption. 

PMID- 26098339
TI  - Resident-invader phylogenetic relatedness, not resident phylogenetic diversity,
      controls community invasibility.
AB  - A central goal of invasion biology is to elucidate mechanisms regulating
      community invasibility. Darwin's naturalization hypothesis, one of the oldest
      hypotheses in invasion biology, emphasizes the importance of phylogenetic
      relatedness (PR) between resident and invader species for predicting
      invasibility. Alternatively, a recent extension of the diversity-invasibility
      hypothesis predicts that phylogenetic diversity (PD) of resident communities
      influences invasibility. Neither of these hypotheses has undergone rigorous
      experimental testing, and the relative contributions of PR and PD to community
      invasibility are unknown, in part because their effects tend to be confounded
      with each other. Here we consider both perspectives together by independently
      manipulating PR and PD in laboratory bacterial assemblages. We found that,
      although invader abundance decreased significantly as PR increased, it was
      unaffected by PD. Likewise, we found that resident-invader functional similarity,
      not functional diversity of resident communities, was a significant predictor of
      invader abundance. Nevertheless, invader abundance was better predicted by PR
      than by functional similarity. These results highlight the importance of
      considering species evolutionary relationships, especially the PR between
      resident and invader species, for the prediction, prevention, and management of
      biological invasions. 

PMID- 26098340
TI  - Competition for light and nutrients in layered communities of aquatic plants.
AB  - Dominance of free-floating plants poses a threat to biodiversity in many
      freshwater ecosystems. Here we propose a theoretical framework to understand this
      dominance, by modeling the competition for light and nutrients in a layered
      community of floating and submerged plants. The model shows that at high supply
      of light and nutrients, floating plants always dominate due to their primacy for
      light, even when submerged plants have lower minimal resource requirements. The
      model also shows that floating-plant dominance cannot be an alternative stable
      state in light-limited environments but only in nutrient-limited environments,
      depending on the plants' resource consumption traits. Compared to unlayered
      communities, the asymmetry in competition for light-coincident with symmetry in
      competition for nutrients-leads to fundamentally different results: competition
      outcomes can no longer be predicted from species traits such as minimal resource
      requirements ([Formula: see text] rule) and resource consumption. Also, the same
      two species can, depending on the environment, coexist or be alternative stable
      states. When applied to two common plant species in temperate regions, both the
      model and field data suggest that floating-plant dominance is unlikely to be an
      alternative stable state. 

PMID- 26098341
TI  - Scale-dependent phenological synchrony between songbirds and their caterpillar
      food source.
AB  - In seasonal environments, the timing of reproduction has important fitness
      consequences. Our current understanding of the determinants of reproductive
      phenology in natural systems is limited because studies often ignore the spatial
      scale on which animals interact with their environment. When animals use a
      restricted amount of space and the phenology of resources is spatially variable,
      selection may favor sensitivity to small-scale environmental variation.
      Population-level studies of how songbirds track the changing phenology of their
      food source have been influential in explaining how populations adjust to
      changing climates but have largely ignored the spatial scale at which phenology
      varies. We explored whether individual great tits (Parus major) synchronize their
      breeding with phenological events in their local environment and investigated the
      spatial scale at which this occurs. We demonstrate marked variation in the timing
      of food availability, at a spatial scale relevant to individual birds, and that
      such local variation predicts the breeding phenology of individuals. Using a 45
      year data set, we show that measures of vegetation phenology at very local scales
      are the most important predictors of timing of breeding within years, suggesting
      that birds can fine-tune their phenology to that of other trophic levels.
      Knowledge of the determinants of variation in reproductive behavior at different
      spatial scales is likely to be critical in understanding how selection operates
      on breeding phenology in natural populations. 

PMID- 26098342
TI  - Evolutionary divergence of adult body size and juvenile growth in sympatric
      subpopulations of a top predator in aquatic ecosystems.
AB  - Evolutionary theory predicts that different selective regimes may contribute to
      divergent evolution of body size and growth rate among populations, but most
      studies have focused on allopatric populations. Here, we studied five sympatric
      subpopulations of anadromous northern pike (Esox lucius) in the Baltic Sea
      subjected to allopatric habitats for a short period of their life cycle due to
      homing behavior. We report differences in adult body size among subpopulations
      that were in part due to variation in growth rate. Body size of emigrating
      juveniles also differed among subpopulations, and differences remained when
      individuals were reared in a common environment, thus indicating evolutionary
      divergence among subpopulations. Furthermore, a QST-FST comparison indicated that
      differences had evolved due to divergent selection rather than genetic drift,
      possibly in response to differences in selective mortality among spawning
      habitats during the allopatric life stage. Adult and juvenile size were
      negatively correlated across subpopulations, and reconstruction of growth
      trajectories of adult fishes suggested that body size differences developed
      gradually and became accentuated throughout the first years of life. These
      results represent rare evidence that sympatric subpopulations can evolve
      differences in key life-history traits despite being subjected to allopatric
      habitats during only a very short fraction of their life. 

PMID- 26098343
TI  - Optimal forager against ideal free distributed prey.
AB  - The introduced dispersal-foraging game is a combination of prey habitat selection
      between two patch types and optimal-foraging approaches. Prey's patch preference
      and forager behavior determine the prey's survival rate. The forager's energy
      gain depends on local prey density in both types of exhaustible patches and on
      leaving time. We introduce two game-solution concepts. The static solution
      combines the ideal free distribution of the prey with optimal-foraging theory.
      The dynamical solution is given by a game dynamics describing the behavioral
      changes of prey and forager. We show (1) that each stable equilibrium dynamical
      solution is always a static solution, but not conversely; (2) that at an
      equilibrium dynamical solution, the forager can stabilize prey mixed patch use
      strategy in cases where ideal free distribution theory predicts that prey will
      use only one patch type; and (3) that when the equilibrium dynamical solution is
      unstable at fixed prey density, stable behavior cycles occur where neither
      forager nor prey keep a fixed behavior. 

PMID- 26098344
TI  - Rearing-group size determines social competence and brain structure in a
      cooperatively breeding cichlid.
AB  - Social animals can greatly benefit from well-developed social skills. Because the
      frequency and diversity of social interactions often increase with the size of
      social groups, the benefits of advanced social skills can be expected to increase
      with group size. Variation in social skills often arises during ontogeny,
      depending on early social experience. Whether variation of social-group sizes
      affects development of social skills and related changes in brain structures
      remains unexplored. We investigated whether, in a cooperatively breeding cichlid,
      early group size (1) shapes social behavior and social skills and (2) induces
      lasting plastic changes in gross brain structures and (3) whether the development
      of social skills is confined to a sensitive ontogenetic period. Rearing-group
      size and the time juveniles spent in these groups interactively influenced the
      development of social skills and the relative sizes of four main brain regions.
      We did not detect a sensitive developmental period for the shaping of social
      behavior within the 2-month experience phase. Instead, our results suggest
      continuous plastic behavioral changes over time. We discuss how developmental
      effects on social behavior and brain architecture may adaptively tune phenotypes
      to their current or future environments. 

PMID- 26098345
TI  - Frequency-dependent selection on female morphs driven by premating interactions
      with males.
AB  - Species showing color polymorphisms-the presence of two or more genetically
      determined color morphs within a single population-are excellent systems for
      studying the selective forces driving the maintenance of genetic diversity.
      Despite a shortage of empirical evidence, it is often suggested that negative
      frequency-dependent mate preference by males (or diet choice by predators)
      results in fitness benefits for the rare female morph (or prey type). Moreover,
      most studies have focused on the male (or predator) behavior in these systems and
      largely overlooked the importance of female (or prey) resistance behavior. Here,
      we provide the first explicit test of the role of frequency-dependent and
      frequency-independent intersexual interactions in female polymorphic damselflies.
      We identify the stage of the mating sequence when frequency-dependent selection
      is likely to act by comparing indexes of male mate preference when the female has
      little (females presented on sticks), moderate (females in cages), and high
      (females free to fly in the field) ability to avoid male mating attempts.
      Frequency-dependent male preferences were found only in those experiments where
      females had little ability to resist male harassment, indicating that premating
      interactions most likely drive negative frequency-dependent selection in this
      system. In addition, by separating frequency-dependent male mating preference
      from the baseline frequency-independent component, we reconcile the seemingly
      contradictory results of previous studies and highlight the roles of both forms
      of selection in maintaining the polymorphism at a given equilibrium. We conclude
      that considering interactions among all players-here, males and females-is
      crucial to fully understanding the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of
      genetic polymorphisms in the wild. 

PMID- 26098346
TI  - Trade-offs and coexistence in fluctuating environments: evidence for a key
      dispersal-fecundity trade-off in five nonpollinating fig wasps.
AB  - The ecological principle of competitive exclusion states that species competing
      for identical resources cannot coexist, but this principle is paradoxical because
      ecologically similar competitors are regularly observed. Coexistence is possible
      under some conditions if a fluctuating environment changes the competitive
      dominance of species. This change in competitive dominance implies the existence
      of trade-offs underlying species' competitive abilities in different
      environments. Theory shows that fluctuating distance between resource patches can
      facilitate coexistence in ephemeral patch competitors, given a functional trade
      off between species dispersal ability and fecundity. We find evidence supporting
      this trade-off in a guild of five ecologically similar nonpollinating fig wasps
      and subsequently predict local among-patch species densities. We also introduce a
      novel colonization index to estimate relative dispersal ability among ephemeral
      patch competitors. We suggest that a dispersal ability-fecundity trade-off and
      spatiotemporally fluctuating resource availability commonly co-occur to drive
      population dynamics and facilitate coexistence in ephemeral patch communities. 

PMID- 26098347
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26098348
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26098349
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26098350
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26098351
TI  - Evolution of plant growth and defense in a continental introduction.
AB  - Substantial research has addressed adaptation of nonnative biota to novel
      environments, yet surprisingly little work has integrated population genetic
      structure and the mechanisms underlying phenotypic differentiation in
      ecologically important traits. We report on studies of the common milkweed
      Asclepias syriaca, which was introduced from North America to Europe over the
      past 400 years and which lacks most of its specialized herbivores in the
      introduced range. Using 10 populations from each continent grown in a common
      environment, we identified several growth and defense traits that have diverged,
      despite low neutral genetic differentiation between continents. We next developed
      a Bayesian modeling approach to account for relationships between molecular and
      phenotypic differences, confirming that continental trait differentiation was
      greater than expected from neutral genetic differentiation. We found evidence
      that growth-related traits adaptively diverged within and between continents.
      Inducible defenses triggered by monarch butterfly herbivory were substantially
      reduced in European populations, and this reduction in inducibility was
      concordant with altered phytohormonal dynamics, reduced plant growth, and a trade
      off with constitutive investment. Freedom from the community of native and
      specialized herbivores may have favored constitutive over induced defense. Our
      replicated analysis of plant growth and defense, including phenotypically plastic
      traits, suggests adaptive evolution following a continental introduction. 

PMID- 26098352
TI  - The evolution of foraging rate across local and geographic gradients in predation
      risk and competition.
AB  - Multiple theories predict the evolution of foraging rates in response to
      environmental variation in predation risk, intraspecific competition, time
      constraints, and temperature. We tested six hypotheses for the evolution of
      foraging rate in 24 spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) populations from
      three latitudinally divergent sites using structural equation models derived from
      theory and applied to our system. We raised salamander larvae in a common-garden
      experiment and then assayed foraging rate under controlled conditions. Gape
      limited predation risk from marbled salamanders solely explained foraging rate
      variation among populations at the southern site, which was dominated by this
      form of selection. However, at the middle and northern sites, populations evolved
      different foraging rates depending on their unique responses to local
      intraspecific density. The coupling of gape-limited predation risk from marbled
      salamanders and high intraspecific density at the middle site jointly contributed
      to selection for rapid foraging rate. At the northernmost site, intraspecific
      density alone explained 97% of the interpopulation variation in foraging rate.
      These results suggest that foraging rate has evolved multiple times in response
      to varying contributions from predation risk and intraspecific competition.
      Predation risk often varies along environmental gradients, and, thus, organisms
      might often shift evolutionary responses from minimizing predation risk to
      maximizing intraspecific competitive performance. 

PMID- 26098353
TI  - Insight into the Migration Routes of Plutella xylostella in China Using mtCOI and
      ISSR Markers.
AB  - The larvae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, cause major economic
      losses to cruciferous crops, including cabbage, which is an important vegetable
      crop in China. In this study, we used the mitochondrial COI gene and 11 ISSR
      markers to characterize the genetic structure and seasonal migration routes of 23
      P. xylostella populations in China. Both the mitochondrial and nuclear markers
      revealed high haplotype diversity and gene flow among the populations, although
      some degree of genetic isolation was evident between the populations of Hainan
      Island and other sampling sites. The dominant haplotypes, LX1 and LX2, differed
      significantly from all other haplotypes both in terms of the number of
      individuals with those haplotypes and their distributions. Haplotypes that were
      shared among populations revealed that P. xylostella migrates from the lower
      reaches of the Yangtze River to northern China and then to northeastern China.
      Our results also revealed another potential migration route for P. xylostella,
      i.e., from southwestern China to both northwestern and southern China. 

PMID- 26098354
TI  - Characterization of ESBL- and AmpC-Producing Enterobacteriaceae from Diseased
      Companion Animals in Europe.
AB  - The study aimed to characterize beta-lactam resistance mechanisms of
      Enterobacteriaceae isolates recovered from diseased dogs and cats between 2008
      and 2010 in a European surveillance program (ComPath I) for the antibiotic
      susceptibility of bacterial pathogens. A total of 608 non-duplicated
      Enterobacteriaceae isolates were obtained prior antibiotic treatment from
      diseased dogs (n=464) and cats (n=144). Among the 608 Enterobacteriaceae
      isolates, 22 presented a minimal inhibitory concentration against cefotaxime
      above EUCAST breakpoints of susceptibility. All the 22 isolates remained
      susceptible to carbapenems. Ten isolates were confirmed as extended-spectrum-beta
      lactamase (ESBL) producers by PCR-sequencing of bla coding genes including 9
      blaCTX-M (CTX-M-1, 14, 15, 32,...) and 1 blaTEM-52 and 12 were AmpC-producing
      isolates (10 plasmidic CMY-2 group and 2 isolates overexpressing their
      chromosomal AmpC). ESBLs and plasmid-mediated AmpC (pAmpC)-producing isolates
      were mainly recovered from dogs (n=17) suffering from urinary tract infections
      (n=13) and originated from eight different countries. ESBL-bearing plasmids were
      mostly associated with IncFII incompatibility groups while CMY-2 was
      predominantly associated with plasmid of the IncI1 group. ESBL/pAmpC-producing
      Escherichia coli belonged to phylogroup A (n=5), B2 (n=4), and D (n=5).
      Multilocus sequence typing analysis revealed that among three CTX-M-15-producing
      E. coli, two belong to sequence type (ST) 131 and one to ST405. The presence of
      CTX-M-15 including on IncFII plasmids in E. coli ST131-B2 has also been described
      in isolates of human origin. This suggests the possibility of exchanges of these
      isolates from humans to companion animals or vice-versa. 

PMID- 26098355
TI  - What Determines Habitat Quality for a Declining Woodland Bird in a Fragmented
      Environment: The Grey-Crowned Babbler Pomatostomus temporalis in South-Eastern
      Australia?
AB  - Understanding what constitutes high quality habitat is crucial for the
      conservation of species, especially those threatened with extinction. Habitat
      quality frequently is inferred by comparing the attributes of sites where a
      species is present with those where it is absent. However, species presence may
      not always indicate high quality habitat. Demographic parameters are likely to
      provide a more biologically relevant measure of quality, including a species'
      ability to successfully reproduce. We examined factors believed to influence
      territory quality for the grey-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus temporalis), a
      cooperatively breeding woodland bird that has experienced major range contraction
      and population decline in south-eastern Australia. Across three broad regions, we
      identified active territories and determined the presence of fledglings and the
      size of family groups, as surrogates of territory quality. These measures were
      modelled in relation to habitat attributes within territories, the extent of
      surrounding wooded vegetation, isolation from neighbouring groups, and the size
      of the neighbourhood population. Fledgling presence was strongly positively
      associated with group size, indicating that helpers enhance breeding success.
      Surprisingly, no other territory or landscape-scale variables predicted territory
      quality, as inferred from either breeding success or group size. Relationships
      between group size and environmental variables may be obscured by longer-term
      dynamics in group size. Variation in biotic interactions, notably competition
      from the noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala), also may contribute. Conservation
      actions that enhance the number and size of family groups will contribute towards
      reversing declines of this species. Despite associated challenges, demographic
      studies have potential to identify mechanistic processes that underpin population
      performance; critical knowledge for effective conservation management. 

PMID- 26098356
TI  - High-speed intravascular spectroscopic photoacoustic imaging at 1000 A-lines per
      second with a 0.9-mm diameter catheter.
AB  - Intravascular spectroscopic photoacoustic technology can image atherosclerotic
      plaque composition with high sensitivity and specificity, which is critical for
      identifying vulnerable plaques. Here, we designed and engineered a catheter of
      0.9 mm in diameter for intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging, smaller than
      the critical size of 1 mm required for clinical translation. Further, a
      quasifocusing photoacoustic excitation scheme was developed for the catheter,
      producing well-detectable IVPA signals from stents and lipids with a laser energy
      as low as ~30 MUJ/pulse. As a result, this design enabled the use of a low
      energy, high-repetition rate, ns-pulsed optical parametric oscillator laser for
      high-speed spectroscopic IVPA imaging at both the 1.2-MUm and 1.7-MUm spectral
      bands for lipid detection. Specifically, for each wavelength, a 1-kHz IVPA A-line
      rate was achieved, ~100-fold faster than previously reported IVPA systems
      offering a similar wavelength tuning range. Using the system, spectroscopic IVPA
      imaging of peri-adventitial adipose tissue from a porcine aorta segment was
      demonstrated. The significantly improved imaging speed, together with the reduced
      catheter size and multiwavelength spectroscopic imaging ability, suggests that
      the developed high-speed IVPA technology is of great potential to be further
      translated for in vivo applications.

PMID- 26098357
TI  - Errata: Simulation study of melanoma detection in human skin tissues by laser
      generated surface acoustic waves.

PMID- 26098358
TI  - Change in the Green-Up Dates for Quercus mongolica in Northeast China and Its
      Climate-Driven Mechanism from 1962 to 2012.
AB  - The currently available studies on the green-up date were mainly based on ground
      observations and/or satellite data, and few model simulations integrated with
      wide coverage satellite data have been reported at large scale over a long time
      period (i.e., > 30 years). In this study, we combined phenology mechanism model,
      long-term climate data and synoptic scale remote sensing data to investigate the
      change in the green-up dates for Quercus mongolica over 33 weather stations in
      Northeast China and its climate-driven mechanism during 1962-2012. The results
      indicated that the unified phenology model can be well parameterized with the
      satellite derived green-up dates. The optimal daily mean temperature for chilling
      effect was between -27 degrees C and 1 degrees C for Q. mongolica in Northeast
      China, while the optimal daily mean temperature for forcing effect was above -3
      degrees C. The green-up dates for Q. mongolica across Northeast China showed a
      delayed latitudinal gradient of 2.699 days degree-1, with the earliest date on
      the Julian day 93 (i.e., 3th April) in the south and the latest date on the
      Julian day 129 (i.e., 9th May) in the north. The green-up date for Q. mongolica
      in Northeast China has advanced 6.6 days (1.3 days decade-1) from 1962 to 2012.
      With the prevailing warming in autumn, winter and spring in Northeast China
      during the past 51 years, the chilling effect for Q. mongolica has been weakened,
      while the forcing effect has been enhanced. The advancing trend in the green-up
      dates for Q. mongolica implied that the enhanced forcing effect to accelerate
      green-up was stronger than the weakened chilling effect to hold back green-up
      while the changes of both effects were caused by the warming climate. 

PMID- 26098359
TI  - Ethical Dilemmas in Palliative Care: A Case Study of Fertility Preservation in
      the Context of Metastatic Cancer.

PMID- 26098360
TI  - Correction: TreeSeq, a Fast and Intuitive Tool for Analysis of Whole Genome and
      Metagenomic Sequence Data.

PMID- 26098361
TI  - Alcohol-Preferring Rats Show Goal Oriented Behaviour to Food Incentives but Are
      Neither Sign-Trackers Nor Impulsive.
AB  - Drug addiction is often associated with impulsivity and altered behavioural
      responses to both primary and conditioned rewards. Here we investigated whether
      selectively bred alcohol-preferring (P) and alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats show
      differential levels of impulsivity and conditioned behavioural responses to food
      incentives. P and NP rats were assessed for impulsivity in the 5-choice serial
      reaction time task (5-CSRTT), a widely used translational task in humans and
      other animals, as well as Pavlovian conditioned approach to measure sign- and
      goal-tracking behaviour. Drug-naive P and NP rats showed similar levels of
      impulsivity on the 5-CSRTT, assessed by the number of premature, anticipatory
      responses, even when the waiting interval to respond was increased. However,
      unlike NP rats, P rats were faster to enter the food magazine and spent more time
      in this area. In addition, P rats showed higher levels of goal-tracking responses
      than NP rats, as measured by the number of magazine nose-pokes during the
      presentation of a food conditioned stimulus. By contrast, NP showed higher levels
      of sign-tracking behaviour than P rats. Following a 4-week exposure to
      intermittent alcohol we confirmed that P rats had a marked preference for, and
      consumed more alcohol than, NP rats, but were not more impulsive when re-tested
      in the 5-CSRTT. These findings indicate that high alcohol preferring and drinking
      P rats are neither intrinsically impulsive nor do they exhibit impulsivity after
      exposure to alcohol. However, P rats do show increased goal-directed behaviour to
      food incentives and this may be associated with their strong preference for
      alcohol. 

PMID- 26098363
TI  - Entinostat (SNDX-275) for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Epigenetic aberrations play an important role in lung
      carcinogenesis. Chromatin deacetylation is a fundamental mechanism of gene
      silencing. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are an emerging class of
      antineoplastic agents that enable the accessibility of DNA to transcription
      factors, therefore promoting gene expression. Entinostat is a selective HDAC
      inhibitor that has shown anti-neoplastic activity and tolerability in hematologic
      and solid tumors, including lung cancer. AREAS COVERED: This article summarizes
      the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, mechanisms of action, safety,
      tolerability, pre-clinical studies and clinical trials of the HDAC inhibitor
      entinostat, as a novel promissory agent for the treatment of NSCLC. EXPERT
      OPINION: The field of targeted therapy has increased in lung cancer. However,
      even now with the current FDA-approved agents, < 15% of patients benefit from
      these interventions and we are still far from curing lung cancer. New targets are
      needed. Either in combination with cytotoxic drugs, epigenetic therapy or other
      molecular targeted drugs, entinostat represents a new potential agent for the
      treatment of non-small cell carcinomas. However, the preliminary safety and
      efficacy results from several clinical trials still need to be validated in large
      Phase III trials.

PMID- 26098362
TI  - Prevalence and Effect of Cyberbullying on Children and Young People: A Scoping
      Review of Social Media Studies.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Social media has had a profound effect on how children and
      adolescents interact. While there are many benefits to the use of social media,
      cyberbullying has emerged as a potential harm, raising questions regarding its
      influence on mental health. OBJECTIVE: To review existing publications that
      examine the health-related effects of cyberbullying via social media among
      children and adolescents. EVIDENCE REVIEW: We searched 11 electronic databases
      from January 1, 2000, through January 17, 2012 (updated June 24, 2014). Studies
      were screened by 2 independent reviewers and were included if they reported
      primary research, described or evaluated the use of a social media tool in the
      context of cyberbullying, and were conducted with children or adolescents. Data
      were extracted by 1 reviewer and verified by a second. All studies were assessed
      by 2 reviewers for methodological quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.
      Results were not pooled owing to heterogeneity in study objectives and outcomes;
      a narrative analysis is presented. FINDINGS: Thirty-six studies in 34
      publications were included. Most were conducted in the United States (21
      [58.3%]), sampled middle and high school populations (24 [66.7%]), and included
      adolescents who were 12 to 18 years of age (35 [97.2%]). The median reported
      prevalence of cyberbullying was 23.0% (interquartile range, 11.0%-42.6%). Five
      studies reported inconsistent and/or weak correlations between cyberbullying and
      anxiety. Ten studies found a statistically significant association between
      cyberbullying and report of depression. Five studies investigated self-harm or
      suicidality, with conflicting results. Results indicate that the most common
      reason for cyberbullying is relationship issues, with girls most often being the
      recipients. Responses to cyberbullying are most often passive, with a pervasive
      lack of awareness or confidence that anything can be done. CONCLUSIONS AND
      RELEVANCE: There is a consistent relationship across studies between
      cyberbullying and depression among children and adolescents; however, the
      evidence of the effect of cyberbullying on other mental health conditions is
      inconsistent. This review provides important information that characterizes
      cyberbullying within the context of social media, including attributes of the
      recipients and perpetrators, reasons for and the nature of bullying behaviors,
      and how recipients react to and manage bullying behaviors. This information is
      critical to the development of effective prevention and management strategies.

PMID- 26098364
TI  - Ecological and Landscape Drivers of Neonicotinoid Insecticide Detections and
      Concentrations in Canada's Prairie Wetlands.
AB  - Neonicotinoids are commonly used seed treatments on Canada's major prairie crops.
      Transported via surface and subsurface runoff into wetlands, their ultimate
      aquatic fate remains largely unknown. Biotic and abiotic wetland characteristics
      likely affect neonicotinoid presence and environmental persistence, but
      concentrations vary widely between wetlands that appear ecologically (e.g., plant
      composition) and physically (e.g., depth) similar for reasons that remain
      unclear. We conducted intensive surveys of 238 wetlands, and documented 59
      wetland (e.g., dominant plant species) and landscape (e.g., surrounding crop)
      characteristics as part of a novel rapid wetland assessment system. We used
      boosted regression tree (BRT) analysis to predict both probability of
      neonicotinoid analytical detection and concentration. BRT models effectively
      predicted the deviance in neonicotinoid detection (62.4%) and concentration
      (74.7%) from 21 and 23 variables, respectively. Detection was best explained by
      shallow marsh plant species identity (34.8%) and surrounding crop (13.9%).
      Neonicotinoid concentration was best explained by shallow marsh plant species
      identity (14.9%) and wetland depth (14.2%). Our research revealed that plant
      composition is a key indicator and/or driver of neonicotinoid presence and
      concentration in Prairie wetlands. We recommend wetland buffers consisting of
      diverse native vegetation be retained or restored to minimize neonicotinoid
      transport and retention in wetlands, thereby limiting their potential effects on
      wetland-dependent organisms. 

PMID- 26098365
TI  - First Evidence of Rh Nano-Hydride Formation at Low Pressure.
AB  - Rh-based nanoparticles supported on a porous carbon host were prepared with
      tunable average sizes ranging from 1.3 to 3.0 nm. Depending on the vacuum or
      hydrogen environment during thermal treatment, either Rh metal or hydride is
      formed at nanoscale, respectively. In contrast to bulk Rh that can form a hydride
      phase under 4 GPa pressure, the metallic Rh nanoparticles (~2.3 nm) absorb
      hydrogen and form a hydride phase at pressure below 0.1 MPa, as evidenced by the
      presence of a plateau pressure in the pressure-composition isotherm curves at
      room temperature. Larger metal nanoparticles (~3.0 nm) form only a solid solution
      with hydrogen under similar conditions. This suggests a nanoscale effect that
      drastically changes the Rh-H thermodynamics. The nanosized Rh hydride phase is
      stable at room temperature and only desorbs hydrogen above 175  degrees C. Within
      the present hydride particle size range (1.3-2.3 nm), the hydrogen desorption is
      size-dependent, as proven by different thermal analysis techniques. 

PMID- 26098366
TI  - Redox rhythm reinforces the circadian clock to gate immune response.
AB  - Recent studies have shown that in addition to the transcriptional circadian
      clock, many organisms, including Arabidopsis, have a circadian redox rhythm
      driven by the organism's metabolic activities. It has been hypothesized that the
      redox rhythm is linked to the circadian clock, but the mechanism and the
      biological significance of this link have only begun to be investigated. Here we
      report that the master immune regulator NPR1 (non-expressor of pathogenesis
      related gene 1) of Arabidopsis is a sensor of the plant's redox state and
      regulates transcription of core circadian clock genes even in the absence of
      pathogen challenge. Surprisingly, acute perturbation in the redox status
      triggered by the immune signal salicylic acid does not compromise the circadian
      clock but rather leads to its reinforcement. Mathematical modelling and
      subsequent experiments show that NPR1 reinforces the circadian clock without
      changing the period by regulating both the morning and the evening clock genes.
      This balanced network architecture helps plants gate their immune responses
      towards the morning and minimize costs on growth at night. Our study demonstrates
      how a sensitive redox rhythm interacts with a robust circadian clock to ensure
      proper responsiveness to environmental stimuli without compromising fitness of
      the organism. 

PMID- 26098367
TI  - Rapidly rotating second-generation progenitors for the 'blue hook' stars of omega
      Centauri.
AB  - Horizontal branch stars belong to an advanced stage in the evolution of the
      oldest stellar galactic population, occurring either as field halo stars or
      grouped in globular clusters. The discovery of multiple populations in clusters
      that were previously believed to have single populations gave rise to the
      currently accepted theory that the hottest horizontal branch members (the 'blue
      hook' stars, which had late helium-core flash ignition, followed by deep mixing)
      are the progeny of a helium-rich 'second generation' of stars. It is not known
      why such a supposedly rare event (a late flash followed by mixing) is so common
      that the blue hook of omega Centauri contains approximately 30 per cent of the
      horizontal branch stars in the cluster, or why the blue hook luminosity range in
      this massive cluster cannot be reproduced by models. Here we report that the
      presence of helium core masses up to about 0.04 solar masses larger than the core
      mass resulting from evolution is required to solve the luminosity range problem.
      We model this by taking into account the dispersion in rotation rates achieved by
      the progenitors, whose pre-main-sequence accretion disk suffered an early
      disruption in the dense environment of the cluster's central regions, where
      second-generation stars form. Rotation may also account for frequent late-flash
      mixing events in massive globular clusters. 

PMID- 26098368
TI  - Hypoxia fate mapping identifies cycling cardiomyocytes in the adult heart.
AB  - Although the adult mammalian heart is incapable of meaningful functional recovery
      following substantial cardiomyocyte loss, it is now clear that modest
      cardiomyocyte turnover occurs in adult mouse and human hearts, mediated primarily
      by proliferation of pre-existing cardiomyocytes. However, fate mapping of these
      cycling cardiomyocytes has not been possible thus far owing to the lack of
      identifiable genetic markers. In several organs, stem or progenitor cells reside
      in relatively hypoxic microenvironments where the stabilization of the hypoxia
      inducible factor 1 alpha (Hif-1alpha) subunit is critical for their maintenance
      and function. Here we report fate mapping of hypoxic cells and their progenies by
      generating a transgenic mouse expressing a chimaeric protein in which the oxygen
      dependent degradation (ODD) domain of Hif-1alpha is fused to the tamoxifen
      inducible CreERT2 recombinase. In mice bearing the creERT2-ODD transgene driven
      by either the ubiquitous CAG promoter or the cardiomyocyte-specific alpha myosin
      heavy chain promoter, we identify a rare population of hypoxic cardiomyocytes
      that display characteristics of proliferative neonatal cardiomyocytes, such as
      smaller size, mononucleation and lower oxidative DNA damage. Notably, these
      hypoxic cardiomyocytes contributed widely to new cardiomyocyte formation in the
      adult heart. These results indicate that hypoxia signalling is an important
      hallmark of cycling cardiomyocytes, and suggest that hypoxia fate mapping can be
      a powerful tool for identifying cycling cells in adult mammals. 

PMID- 26098369
TI  - Engineered CRISPR-Cas9 nucleases with altered PAM specificities.
AB  - Although CRISPR-Cas9 nucleases are widely used for genome editing, the range of
      sequences that Cas9 can recognize is constrained by the need for a specific
      protospacer adjacent motif (PAM). As a result, it can often be difficult to
      target double-stranded breaks (DSBs) with the precision that is necessary for
      various genome-editing applications. The ability to engineer Cas9 derivatives
      with purposefully altered PAM specificities would address this limitation. Here
      we show that the commonly used Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) can be
      modified to recognize alternative PAM sequences using structural information,
      bacterial selection-based directed evolution, and combinatorial design. These
      altered PAM specificity variants enable robust editing of endogenous gene sites
      in zebrafish and human cells not currently targetable by wild-type SpCas9, and
      their genome-wide specificities are comparable to wild-type SpCas9 as judged by
      GUIDE-seq analysis. In addition, we identify and characterize another SpCas9
      variant that exhibits improved specificity in human cells, possessing better
      discrimination against off-target sites with non-canonical NAG and NGA PAMs
      and/or mismatched spacers. We also find that two smaller-size Cas9 orthologues,
      Streptococcus thermophilus Cas9 (St1Cas9) and Staphylococcus aureus Cas9
      (SaCas9), function efficiently in the bacterial selection systems and in human
      cells, suggesting that our engineering strategies could be extended to Cas9s from
      other species. Our findings provide broadly useful SpCas9 variants and, more
      importantly, establish the feasibility of engineering a wide range of Cas9s with
      altered and improved PAM specificities. 

PMID- 26098370
TI  - X-ray structure of a mammalian stearoyl-CoA desaturase.
AB  - Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is conserved in all eukaryotes and introduces the
      first double bond into saturated fatty acyl-CoAs. Because the monounsaturated
      products of SCD are key precursors of membrane phospholipids, cholesterol esters
      and triglycerides, SCD is pivotal in fatty acid metabolism. Humans have two SCD
      homologues (SCD1 and SCD5), while mice have four (SCD1-SCD4). SCD1-deficient mice
      do not become obese or diabetic when fed a high-fat diet because of improved
      lipid metabolic profiles and insulin sensitivity. Thus, SCD1 is a pharmacological
      target in the treatment of obesity, diabetes and other metabolic diseases. SCD1
      is an integral membrane protein located in the endoplasmic reticulum, and
      catalyses the formation of a cis-double bond between the ninth and tenth carbons
      of stearoyl- or palmitoyl-CoA. The reaction requires molecular oxygen, which is
      activated by a di-iron centre, and cytochrome b5, which regenerates the di-iron
      centre. To understand better the structural basis of these characteristics of SCD
      function, here we crystallize and solve the structure of mouse SCD1 bound to
      stearoyl-CoA at 2.6 A resolution. The structure shows a novel fold comprising
      four transmembrane helices capped by a cytosolic domain, and a plausible pathway
      for lateral substrate access and product egress. The acyl chain of the bound
      stearoyl-CoA is enclosed in a tunnel buried in the cytosolic domain, and the
      geometry of the tunnel and the conformation of the bound acyl chain provide a
      structural basis for the regioselectivity and stereospecificity of the
      desaturation reaction. The dimetal centre is coordinated by a unique spacial
      arrangement of nine conserved histidine residues that implies a potentially novel
      mechanism for oxygen activation. The structure also illustrates a possible route
      for electron transfer from cytochrome b5 to the di-iron centre. 

PMID- 26098371
TI  - Impermanence of dendritic spines in live adult CA1 hippocampus.
AB  - The mammalian hippocampus is crucial for episodic memory formation and
      transiently retains information for about 3-4 weeks in adult mice and longer in
      humans. Although neuroscientists widely believe that neural synapses are
      elemental sites of information storage, there has been no direct evidence that
      hippocampal synapses persist for time intervals commensurate with the duration of
      hippocampal-dependent memory. Here we tested the prediction that the lifetimes of
      hippocampal synapses match the longevity of hippocampal memory. By using time
      lapse two-photon microendoscopy in the CA1 hippocampal area of live mice, we
      monitored the turnover dynamics of the pyramidal neurons' basal dendritic spines,
      postsynaptic structures whose turnover dynamics are thought to reflect those of
      excitatory synaptic connections. Strikingly, CA1 spine turnover dynamics differed
      sharply from those seen previously in the neocortex. Mathematical modelling
      revealed that the data best matched kinetic models with a single population of
      spines with a mean lifetime of approximately 1-2 weeks. This implies ~100%
      turnover in ~2-3 times this interval, a near full erasure of the synaptic
      connectivity pattern. Although N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blockade
      stabilizes spines in the neocortex, in CA1 it transiently increased the rate of
      spine loss and thus lowered spine density. These results reveal that adult
      neocortical and hippocampal pyramidal neurons have divergent patterns of spine
      regulation and quantitatively support the idea that the transience of hippocampal
      dependent memory directly reflects the turnover dynamics of hippocampal synapses.

PMID- 26098372
TI  - An early modern human from Romania with a recent Neanderthal ancestor.
AB  - Neanderthals are thought to have disappeared in Europe approximately 39,000
      41,000 years ago but they have contributed 1-3% of the DNA of present-day people
      in Eurasia. Here we analyse DNA from a 37,000-42,000-year-old modern human from
      Pestera cu Oase, Romania. Although the specimen contains small amounts of human
      DNA, we use an enrichment strategy to isolate sites that are informative about
      its relationship to Neanderthals and present-day humans. We find that on the
      order of 6-9% of the genome of the Oase individual is derived from Neanderthals,
      more than any other modern human sequenced to date. Three chromosomal segments of
      Neanderthal ancestry are over 50 centimorgans in size, indicating that this
      individual had a Neanderthal ancestor as recently as four to six generations
      back. However, the Oase individual does not share more alleles with later
      Europeans than with East Asians, suggesting that the Oase population did not
      contribute substantially to later humans in Europe. 

PMID- 26098373
TI  - Evidence-based preventive intervention for preadolescent aggressive children: One
      year outcomes following randomization to group versus individual delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Some research suggests that group interventions with antisocial youth
      may, on occasion, have iatrogenic effects. This is the first study to test the
      effects of group versus individual delivery of evidence-based intervention for
      aggressive children. METHOD: Three hundred sixty fourth-grade children were
      randomly assigned by school to group coping power (GCP) or individual coping
      power (ICP). Longitudinal assessments of teacher and parent reports of behavior
      (Behavior Assessment System for Children [BASC]; Peer Affiliation and Social
      Acceptance [PASA]) were collected from baseline through a 1-year follow-up.
      RESULTS: Growth curve analyses revealed that children in both conditions reduced
      teacher- and parent-reported externalizing behavior problems and internalizing
      behavior problems by the end of the 1-year follow-up. However, the degree of
      improvement in teacher-reported outcomes was significantly greater for children
      receiving an individual version of the program. In addition, children's baseline
      level of inhibitory control moderated intervention effects, showing children with
      low initial levels of inhibitory control to respond poorly in teacher-rated
      outcomes to group interventions compared to those delivered individually.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests overall benefits to children for either group or
      individual delivery of the Coping Power program under high-fidelity conditions;
      however, for children with low levels of initial self-regulation, individualized
      interventions will likely yield the most significant reduction in externalizing
      behavior in the school setting in preadolescence.

PMID- 26098374
TI  - Direct-to-consumer marketing of psychological treatments: A randomized controlled
      trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing of pharmacologic
      interventions is effective and common, similar approaches have yet to be
      evaluated in the promotion of psychological treatments (PTs). This is the first
      randomized controlled trial evaluating the potential of DTC marketing of PTs.
      METHOD: Participants (N = 344; 75.0% female, mean age = 18.6 years, 48.5% non
      Hispanic White) were randomly assigned to consume one of four extended commercial
      campaigns embedded within unrelated programming across 3 weeks. The four campaign
      conditions were a PT campaign, a PT informing about medication side effects
      campaign, a medication campaign, and a neutral campaign. Attitudes about and
      intention to seek psychological treatment were assessed prior to campaign
      exposure (T1), 1 week following the final week of campaign exposure (T2), and at
      a 3-month follow-up evaluation (T3). RESULTS: The percentage of participants who
      newly intended psychological treatment at T2 or T3 differed by condition, with
      those assigned to the PT campaign slightly more likely to have intended to
      receive psychological treatment at T2 or T3 than those in other conditions.
      Baseline reports of emotional symptoms moderated the effect of condition on
      attitudes toward PT and perceived likelihood of seeking treatment in the future.
      CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the preliminary utility of DTC marketing of
      psychological treatments. Increasing consumer knowledge of PTs may be a
      worthwhile complement to current dissemination and implementation efforts aimed
      at promoting the uptake of PTs in mental health care.

PMID- 26098376
TI  - From retrograde signaling to flowering time.
AB  - Plant's transition from vegetative to reproductive phase is balanced by intricate
      cascade of genes regulated by both endogenous and environmental inputs. Stress
      causes suppression of vegetative growth and acceleration of flowering as an
      emergency response for preservation of the species. Recently, we determined that
      expression levels of a transcription factor with 2 B-Box motifs, BBX19, is
      notably reduced in response to accumulation of high levels of Methylerythritol
      cyclodiphosphate (MEcPP), a plastidial produced isoprenoids intermediate that
      also functions as a stress-specific retrograde signaling metabolite. We now have
      identified BBX19 as a repressor of Flower locus T (FT) expression and the
      corresponding downstream genes, SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1
      (SOC1), Leafy (LFY) and Fruitful (FUL), through competition with CONSTANS (CO).
      Collectively our finding identifies BBX19 as a link between the stress-specific
      retrograde signal MEcPP and regulation of flowering time by depleting the active
      CO pool required for transcription of FT. 

PMID- 26098375
TI  - Association between physical pain and alcohol treatment outcomes: The mediating
      role of negative affect.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Physical pain and negative affect have been described as risk factors
      for alcohol use following alcohol treatment. The current study was a secondary
      analysis of 2 clinical trials for alcohol use disorder (AUD) to examine the
      associations between pain, negative affect and AUD treatment outcomes. METHOD:
      Participants included 1,383 individuals from the COMBINE Study (COMBINE
      Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Interventions for Alcohol Dependence; COMBINE
      Study Research Group, 2003; 31% female, 23% ethnic minorities, average age = 44.4
      [SD = 10.2]), a multisite combination pharmacotherapy and behavioral intervention
      study for AUD in the United States, and 742 individuals from the United Kingdom
      Alcohol Treatment Trial (UKATT Research Team, 2001; 25.9% female, 4.4% ethnic
      minorities, average age = 41.6 [SD = 10.1]) a multisite behavioral intervention
      study for AUD in the United Kingdom. The Form-90 was used to collect alcohol use
      data, the Short Form Health Survey and Quality of Life measures were used to
      assess pain, and negative affect was assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory
      (COMBINE) and the General Health Questionnaire (UKATT). RESULTS: Pain scores were
      significantly associated with drinking outcomes in both datasets. Greater pain
      scores were associated with greater negative affect and increases in pain were
      associated with increases in negative affect. Negative affect significantly
      mediated the association between pain and drinking outcomes and this effect was
      moderated by social behavior network therapy (SBNT) in the UKATT study, with SBNT
      attenuating the association between pain and drinking. CONCLUSION: Findings
      suggest pain and negative affect are associated among individuals in AUD
      treatment and that negative affect mediated pain may be a risk factor for alcohol
      relapse.

PMID- 26098377
TI  - Emotional switching in borderline personality disorder: A daily life study.
AB  - Despite large efforts to understand emotional instability in borderline
      personality disorder (BPD), it is still unclear exactly how this is manifested in
      the daily lives of people suffering from the disorder. Building on theoretical
      and clinical observations of BPD, we propose that the emotional instability in
      BPD particularly consists of the occurrence of strong changes between positive
      and negative emotional states from 1 moment to the next, labeled emotional
      switching. We tested this proposal by means of an experience sampling study in
      which 30 BPD patients and 28 healthy controls reported in their daily lives the
      level of pleasantness/unpleasantness of their emotional states 10 times a day for
      8 consecutive days using handheld palmtops. Results showed that although BPD
      patients did not differ from healthy controls regarding their overall tendency to
      switch from a positive to a negative emotional state or vice versa, the size of
      such changes between positive and negative states was found to be significantly
      larger in BPD patients. In contrast, the magnitude of emotional changes that
      remained within the negative emotional range or positive emotional range was not
      particularly larger for BPD patients compared with healthy participants. These
      findings imply that the emotional instability in BPD is particularly
      characterized by larger changes from positive to negative states and vice versa,
      rather than overall larger changes in intensity, providing insight into possible
      processes underlying emotion dysfunction in BPD.

PMID- 26098378
TI  - Narcissism and newlywed marriage: Partner characteristics and marital
      trajectories.
AB  - Despite narcissism's relation with interpersonal dysfunction, surprisingly little
      empirical research has been devoted to understanding narcissism's effect on
      intimate relationships in general or marital relationships in particular. The
      current study addressed this gap using longitudinal data from a community sample
      of 146 newlywed couples assessed 6 times over the first 4 years of marriage.
      First, we examined partner characteristics associated with higher levels of
      narcissism to determine the degree to which couples were matched on narcissism
      and related traits. Second, we examined how narcissism predicted the trajectory
      of marital quality over time, testing narcissism's association with initial
      levels of relationship functioning (the intercept) and changes in relationship
      functioning (the slope). Results indicated a small degree of homophily but
      otherwise no clear pattern of partner characteristics for individuals higher in
      narcissism. Hierarchical linear modeling indicated that wives' total narcissism
      and entitlement/exploitativeness scores predicted the slope of marital quality
      over time, including steeper declines in marital satisfaction and steeper
      increases in marital problems. Husbands' narcissism scores generally had few
      effects on their own marital quality or that of their wives. These findings are
      notable in indicating that the effects of personality characteristics on marital
      functioning may take some time to manifest themselves, even if they were present
      from early in the marriage. Future research into the mediating psychological and
      interpersonal processes that link wives' narcissism with poorer marital
      functioning over time would be valuable.

PMID- 26098380
TI  - [Abstracts SGIM Annual Meeting 2015].

PMID- 26098379
TI  - Nonoperative management for major blunt hepatic trauma. A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Over the past 20 years the management of blunt liver trauma has
      evolved from a primary operative approach to a nonoperative one, for both low and
      high grade injuries, only on the basis of hemodynamic stability. However, in
      spite of a high success rate of non operative management, it is frequently
      observed, also in our country, an old fashioned way to approach these patients,
      based on habit more than observation and evidence based medicine. CASE REPORT: We
      present a case of successful nonoperative treatment of a grade IV blunt liver
      trauma (lacero-contusive injury of V, VI and VII segments) in a 34-year-old
      woman. DISCUSSION: Nowadays more than 85% of liver injuries are managed without
      operative intervention, irrespective of the injury grade. Success rate of the
      conservative approach ranges from 82% to 100% and almost all complications (14%
      in high grade injuries) can be managed with interventional radiology procedures,
      still avoiding major surgery. CONCLUSION: Today, in the absence of other
      abdominal injuries requiring surgical exploration, hemodynamic instability from
      ongoing hemorrhage after primary evaluation and resuscitative treatment, is the
      only indication to an operative management of traumatic liver injuries.

PMID- 26098382
TI  - Simple Microfluidic Approach to Fabricate Monodisperse Hollow Microparticles for
      Multidrug Delivery.
AB  - Herein, we report the production of monodisperse hollow microparticles from three
      different polymers, namely, pH-responsive acetylated dextran and hypromellose
      acetate succinate and biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), at varying
      polymer concentrations using a poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based microfluidic device.
      Hollow microparticles formed during solvent diffusion into the continuous phase
      when the polymer close to the interface solidified, forming the shell. In the
      inner part of the particle, phase separation induced solvent droplet formation,
      which dissolved the shell, forming a hole and a hollow-core particle.
      Computational simulations showed that, despite the presence of convective
      recirculation around the droplet, the mass-transfer rate of the solvent
      dissolution from the droplet to the surrounding phase was dominated by diffusion.
      To illustrate the potential use of hollow microparticles, we simultaneously
      encapsulated two anticancer drugs and investigated their loading and release
      profiles. In addition, by utilizing different polymer shells and polymer
      concentrations, the release profiles of the model drugs could be tailored
      according to specific demands and applications. The high encapsulation
      efficiency, controlled drug release, unique hollow microparticle structure, small
      particle size (<7 MUm), and flexibility of the polymer choice could make these
      microparticles advanced platforms for pulmonary drug delivery. 

PMID- 26098381
TI  - Targeting hypoxia in inflammatory bowel disease.
AB  - In this review, I summarize some of the recent insight into pharmacological
      targeting of hypoxia in disease models. Studies from cultured cell systems,
      animal models, and translation to human patients have revealed that
      posttranslational modifications of individual proteins within NF-kappaB and
      hypoxia-inducible factor pathways serve as ideal targets for analysis in disease
      models. Studies defining differences and similarities between these responses
      have taught us a number of important lessons about the complexity of the
      inflammatory response. A clearer definition of these pathways has provided new
      insight into disease pathogenesis and, importantly, the potential for new
      therapeutic targets. 

PMID- 26098384
TI  - Carbon coating stabilized Ti(3+)-doped TiO2 for photocatalytic hydrogen
      generation under visible light irradiation.
AB  - Self-doping by Ti(3+) is a useful method to expand the light response of TiO2
      into the visible light region. However, to obtain a stable Ti(3+)-doped TiO2
      seems to be a challenge due to the easy oxidation of Ti(3+) during the
      heterogeneous reaction. Here, we propose a simple carbon coating route to
      stabilize the Ti(3+)-doped TiO2, in which both the Ti(3+) and precursor of the
      carbon coating layer were in situ formed from the hydrothermal hydrolysis of
      titanium isopropoxide. The carbon coated Ti(3+)-doped TiO2 exhibited excellent
      stability for photocatalytic hydrogen production. Based on electron paramagnetic
      resonance (EPR) analysis, the proposed stabilizing mechanism is that the
      conductive carbon coating layer as a barrier layer prevents the H2O and O2 from
      diffusing into the surface of the photocatalyst, which can oxidize the surface O
      vacancies and Ti(3+) in TiO2. Our findings offer a simple route to prepare a
      highly stable TiO2-based photocatalyst with visible light response. 

PMID- 26098383
TI  - [Birth in Out-of-Hospital Settings--Differences in Maternal and Neonatal Outcome
      of Women with their Second Child and a Prior Caesarean Section Compared to First
      Paras].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vaginal birth after Caesarean (VBAC) in out-of-hospital settings is
      controversial. With increasing Caesarean rates, more women with a prior Caesarean
      will decide to give birth in midwife-led birth-centres or at home. Therefore the
      study explores the question about maternal and neonatal outcomes in German out-of
      hospital settings. METHOD: A retrospective study of German out-of-hospital data
      from 2005 to 2011 was undertaken. Included were 66,437 singleton pregnancies in
      cephalic presentation at term. This study describes the outcome parameters of
      first paras compared to mothers with their second child who had a prior
      Caesarean. RESULTS: The VBAC rate was 77.8%, and the first para vaginal birth
      rate was 89.8% (p<0.001). The intrapartum transfer rate of women with a prior
      Caesarean section was significantly more than for the first paras (38.2 vs.
      27.2%; p<0.001). A prolonged first stage was the most frequently documented
      indication for intrapartal transfer in both groups. There were no significant
      differences in rates of maternal postpartum complications, or in postpartum
      hospital transfer rates. Also, neither neonatal transfer rates nor Apgar scores
      were statistically different between the groups. DISCUSSION: These results are
      consistent with other studies which reported that an out-of-hospital setting is
      an alternative to the clinical setting for women with a prior Caesarean. However,
      the fact that the intrapartum transfer rate of women with a prior Caesarean was
      almost 40% should be included in antenatal counselling about the place of labour
      and birth.

PMID- 26098385
TI  - CHOROIDAL THICKNESS IN RELATION TO ETHNICITY MEASURED USING ENHANCED DEPTH
      IMAGING OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the posterior choroidal thickness in healthy subjects of
      three different ethnicities. METHODS: In this prospective cross-sectional study,
      the choroidal thickness of 88 individuals (176 eyes) was measured using enhanced
      depth imaging-spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Subfoveal choroidal
      thickness was measured between the retinal pigment epithelium-Bruch membrane
      complex and chorioscleral interface. Nasal, temporal, superior, and inferior
      choroidal thicknesses at 0.5, 1.5, and 3.0 mm locations from the fovea were
      evaluated as well. RESULTS: Males and females were perfectly matched by number in
      all groups. The mean age of the entire study population was 27.43 +/- 1 years.
      Mean subfoveal choroidal thicknesses of whites, Africans, Asians, and entire
      study population were 403.62 +/- 37.4 MUm, 372.47 +/- 31.4 MUm, 383.64 +/- 40
      MUm, 386.64 +/- 10.5 MUm, respectively. Mean spherical error of the entire study
      population was -1.2685 diopter. Whites had the longest eyes on average 24.17 mm >
      24.08 mm (Africans) > 23.86 mm (Asians), with the statistical mean of 24.04 mm
      for the entire study population. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was not
      significantly correlated with ethnicity in either ethnic group (P > 0.05).
      Subfoveal choroid thinned by 2.51 MUm per 1 year increase in age (P = 0.282).
      Subfoveal choroidal thickness and sex were not significantly correlated to (P =
      0.402). Subfoveal choroidal thickness was in strong negative correlation only
      with refractive error (P = 0.01) and axial length (P = 0.008). The intereye
      difference in subfoveal choroidal thickness was not statistically significant (P
      = 0.845). CONCLUSION: Enhanced depth imaging-spectral domain optical coherence
      tomography is a productive imaging method to study the choroidal thickness.
      Subfoveal choroidal thickness is not significantly correlated with ethnicity. The
      study reproduced previously found relations between thinner choroids and longer
      axial lengths, and increasing myopic refraction and showed no significant
      associations between subfoveal choroidal thickness and age and sex. Either the
      right or left eye can be used in future studies.

PMID- 26098386
TI  - IMPACT OF PHYSICIAN COMMUNICATION ON DIABETIC EYE EXAMINATION ADHERENCE: Results
      From a Retrospective Cohort Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of written communication between an
      ophthalmologist and a primary care physician (PCP) on patient adherence to
      diabetic eye examination recommendations. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort
      study of a multiethnic population at an urban ophthalmology center, records of
      all patients with diabetes and clinic visits between 2007 and 2010 were reviewed.
      Data collected included patient demographics, insurance status, hemoglobin A1C,
      severity of diabetic retinopathy, follow-up examinations, and written
      communication between a patient's ophthalmologist and PCP. Statistical analyses
      were performed to examine the relationship between physician communication and
      adherence to diabetic eye examination based on the American Academy of
      Ophthalmology-published recommendations. RESULTS: A total of 1,968 people with
      diabetes were included. Written communication from an ophthalmologist to a PCP
      was associated with increased adherence to follow-up eye examination
      recommendations (Odds Ratio: 1.49; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.16-1.92; P =
      0.0018). Communication from a PCP to an ophthalmologist was also associated with
      increased adherence (Odds Ratio: 1.94; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.37-2.77; P =
      0.0002). Multivariable analysis controlling for other factors associated with
      examination adherence confirmed that communication both to and from an
      ophthalmologist was independently and significantly associated with increased
      follow-up adherence. CONCLUSION: Patients with communication between
      ophthalmologists and PCPs are more likely to adhere to diabetic eye examinations.

PMID- 26098387
TI  - SPECTRAL DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY EVIDENCE OF RETINAL NERVE FIBER
      LAYER AND GANGLION CELL LOSS IN ADULT PATIENTS WITH NEUROFIBROMATOSIS TYPE 1.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, macular retinal
      nerve fiber layer, and ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform layer thickness and
      analyze their correlations in adult patients with neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1)
      and disease-free controls. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed at
      the Azienda Policlinico Umberto I, University of Rome "La Sapienza." All
      participants underwent complete ophthalmologic examination. Spectral domain
      optical coherence tomography was used to evaluate peripapillary retinal nerve
      fiber layer and obtain retinal segmentation measurements to assess macular
      retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform layer at 1,000
      MUm nasal, temporal, superior, and inferior to the fovea. RESULTS: Thirty-four
      eyes of 17 patients with NF1 (mean age, 42.2 +/- 14.3 years) and 34 eyes of 17
      disease-free control subjects (mean age, 41.4 +/- 12.2 years) were included. All
      participants had best-corrected visual acuity of 20/20. The mean thickness of
      peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, macular retinal nerve fiber layer, and
      ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform layer was lower in patients with NF1 with
      respect to controls (P = 0.003, P = 0.022, P < 0.001, respectively). Regression
      analysis showed a significant correlation (P < 0.001) between mean ganglion cell
      layer-inner plexiform layer thickness and mean peripapillary retinal nerve fiber
      layer thickness in patients with NF1. CONCLUSION: Retinal nerve fiber layer and
      ganglion cell loss correlate well with each other in adult patients with NF1 in
      comparison with a healthy control population.

PMID- 26098388
TI  - A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of the
      impact of sleep duration on adiposity and components of energy balance.
AB  - Recent epidemiological and ecological trends in humans indicate a possible causal
      relationship between sleep duration and energy balance. We aimed to find
      experimental evidence that has tested this relationship between sleep duration
      and measures of body composition, food intake or biomarkers related to food
      intake. We conducted a systematic literature review using six databases
      throughout 7 August 2014. We sought reports of randomized controlled trials where
      sleep duration was manipulated and measured outcomes were body weight or other
      body composition metrics, food intake, and/or biomarkers related to eating. We
      found 18 unique studies meeting all criteria: eight studies with an outcome of
      body weight (4 - increased sleep, 4 - reduced sleep); four studies on food
      intake; four studies of sleep restriction on total energy expenditure and three
      of respiratory quotient; and four studies on leptin and/or ghrelin. Few
      controlled experimental studies have addressed the question of the effect of
      sleep on body weight/composition and eating. The available experimental
      literature suggests that sleep restriction increases food intake and total energy
      expenditure with inconsistent effects on integrated energy balance as
      operationalized by weight change. Future controlled trials that examine the
      impact of increased sleep on body weight/energy balance factors are warranted. 

PMID- 26098392
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26098391
TI  - Lower Extremity Biomechanics and Self-Reported Foot-Strike Patterns Among Runners
      in Traditional and Minimalist Shoes.
AB  - CONTEXT: The injury incidence rate among runners is approximately 50%. Some
      individuals have advocated using an anterior-foot-strike pattern to reduce ground
      reaction forces and injury rates that they attribute to a rear-foot-strike
      pattern. The proportion of minimalist shoe wearers who adopt an anterior-foot
      strike pattern remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of self
      reported foot-strike patterns, compare negative ankle- and knee-joint angular
      work among runners using different foot-strike patterns and wearing traditional
      or minimalist shoes, and describe average vertical-loading rates. DESIGN:
      Descriptive laboratory study. SETTING: Research laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER
      PARTICIPANTS: A total of 60 healthy volunteers (37 men, 23 women; age = 34.9 +/-
      8.9 years, height = 1.74 +/- 0.08 m, mass = 70.9 +/- 13.4 kg) with more than 6
      months of experience wearing traditional or minimalist shoes were instructed to
      classify their foot-strike patterns. INTERVENTION(S): Participants ran in their
      preferred shoes on an instrumented treadmill with 3-dimensional motion capture.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Self-reported foot-strike patterns were compared with 2
      dimensional video assessments. Runners were classified into 3 groups based on
      video assessment: traditional-shoe rear-foot strikers (TSR; n = 22), minimalist
      shoe anterior-foot strikers (MSA; n = 21), and minimalist-shoe rear-foot strikers
      (MSR; n = 17). Ankle and knee negative angular work and average vertical-loading
      rates during stance phase were compared among groups. RESULTS: Only 41 (68.3%)
      runners reported foot-strike patterns that agreed with the video assessment
      (kappa = 0.42, P < .001). The TSR runners demonstrated greater ankle-dorsiflexion
      and knee-extension negative work than MSA and MSR runners (P < .05). The MSA (P <
      .001) and MSR (P = .01) runners demonstrated greater ankle plantar-flexion
      negative work than TSR runners. The MSR runners demonstrated a greater average
      vertical-loading rate than MSA and TSR runners (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Runners
      often cannot report their foot-strike patterns accurately and may not
      automatically adopt an anterior-foot-strike pattern after transitioning to
      minimalist running shoes.

PMID- 26098393
TI  - At the Mercy of the Gods: Associations Between Weather, Physical Activity, and
      Sedentary Time in Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study investigated associations between weather conditions,
      physical activity, and sedentary time in primary school-aged children in
      Australia and Canada. METHODS: Cross-sectional data on 9-11-year-old children
      from the Australian (n = 491) and Canadian (n = 524) sites of the International
      Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment were used. Minutes of
      daily moderate-to-vigorous-physical-activity (MVPA) and sedentary time were
      determined from 7-day, 24-h accelerometry (Actigraph GT3X+ triaxial
      accelerometer). Day-matched weather data (temperature, rainfall, snowfall,
      relative humidity, wind speed) were obtained from the closest weather station to
      participants' schools. Covariates included parental highest education level, day
      type, sex, and BMI z-scores. Generalized mixed model analyses allowing for
      clustering of participants within schools were completed. Scatterplots with Loess
      curves were created for maximum temperature, MVPA, and sedentary time. RESULTS:
      Daily maximum temperature was significantly associated with MVPA and sedentary
      time in Australia (MVPA p = .05, sedentary p = .01) and Canada (p < .001, p =
      .001). Rainfall was negatively associated with MVPA in Australia (p < .001) and
      positively associated with sedentary time in Canada (p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: MVPA
      and sedentary time appear to be optimal when the maximum temperature ranges
      between 20 degrees C and 25 degrees C in both countries. The findings have
      implications for study design and interpretation for surveillance and
      intervention studies.

PMID- 26098395
TI  - Resistance in antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation of bacteria.
AB  - Antibiotics have increasingly lost their impact to kill bacteria efficiently
      during the last 10 years. The emergence and dissemination of superbugs with
      resistance to multiple antibiotic classes have occurred among Gram-positive and
      Gram-negative strains including Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus,
      Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and
      Enterobacter strains. These six superbugs can "escape" more or less any single
      kind of antibiotic treatment. That means bacteria are very good at developing
      resistance against antibiotics in a short time. One new approach is called
      photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) which already has demonstrated an
      efficient antimicrobial efficacy among multi-resistant bacteria. Until now it has
      been questionable if bacteria can develop resistance against PACT. This
      perspective summarises the current knowledge about the susceptibility of bacteria
      towards oxidative stress and sheds some light on possible strategies of the
      development of photodynamic inactivation of bacteria (PACT)-induced oxidative
      stress resistance by bacteria. 

PMID- 26098394
TI  - Sunlight and Vitamin D: Necessary for Public Health.

PMID- 26098396
TI  - A "Caged" Luciferin for Imaging Cell-Cell Contacts.
AB  - Cell-cell interactions underlie fundamental biological processes but remain
      difficult to visualize over long times and large distances in tissues and live
      organisms. Bioluminescence imaging with luciferase-luciferin pairs is
      sufficiently sensitive to image cells in vivo but lacks the spatial resolution to
      identify cellular locations and interactions. To repurpose this technology for
      visualizing cellular networks, we developed a "caged" luciferin that produces
      light only when cells are in close contact. This molecule comprises a
      nitroaromatic core that can be selectively reduced ("uncaged") by one cell type,
      liberating a luciferin that can be selectively consumed by neighboring,
      luciferase-expressing cells. When the two cell types are in contact, robust light
      emission is observed. This imaging strategy will enable the noninvasive
      visualization of cell-cell interactions relevant to organismal biology. 

PMID- 26098397
TI  - Meeting Incarcerated Women's Needs For Pregnancy-Related and Postpartum Services:
      Challenges and Opportunities.

PMID- 26098398
TI  - What is the antiallergic potential of DNA vaccination?

PMID- 26098400
TI  - Quality of Life Among Breast Cancer Survivors 2 Years After Diagnosis: The
      Relationship With Adverse Childhood Events and Posttraumatic Growth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quality of life (QoL) is an important patient outcome in oncology.
      Many breast cancer survivors report difficulties with QoL. Adverse childhood
      events (ACEs) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) may influence QoL in breast cancer
      survivors after diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the
      association of QoL with ACEs and PTG among breast cancer survivors 2 years after
      diagnosis. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study, conducted on 93 Chinese
      breast cancer survivors diagnosed at least 2 years prior to the study. Measures
      included a self-reported demographic questionnaire, the Adverse Childhood
      Experiences questionnaires, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, and the
      Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer QoL questionnaire. RESULTS:
      Among the 93 participants, more than one-third (34.4%) experienced childhood
      adversity. We found a negative relationship between ACEs and QoL and a positive
      relationship between PTG and QoL. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that
      childhood adversity and PTG are important predictors of QoL among breast cancer
      survivors at least 2 years after diagnosis. Women who had experienced ACEs had
      poorer health-related QoL than did those who did not. Individuals who experienced
      PTG following a cancer diagnosis also reported better QoL than did those who did
      not. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: A better understanding of how ACE and PTG
      contribute to breast cancer survivors' QoL will help in tailoring and therefore
      enhancing the efficacy of interventions aimed at improving QoL.

PMID- 26098399
TI  - Managing One's Symptoms: A Qualitative Study of Low-Income African Americans With
      Advanced Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: African Americans endure disproportionately high advanced cancer
      rates and also are disproportionately represented in the lower socioeconomic
      strata. These individuals work to manage symptoms in order to function and have a
      satisfactory quality of life. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to
      discover what low-income African American adults with advanced cancer do on a day
      to-day basis to relieve and manage symptoms. This study viewed the individuals as
      experts and asked them not what they are told to do, but rather what they
      actually do. METHODS: A purposive sample of 27 individuals participated in
      semistructured interviews conducted by 2 research interviewers. This qualitative
      descriptive approach used content analysis to develop themes to describe symptom
      self-management. RESULTS: Participants described 2 approaches: making continual
      adjustments and finding stability through spirituality. In seeking comfort from
      the distress of their symptoms, they were constantly altering their activities
      and fine-tuning strategies. They adjusted medical regimens and changed the speed
      and selection of daily activities, including comfort measures and diet
      modifications. In contrast, their spirituality was a consistent presence in their
      lives that provided balance to their unstable symptom experience. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study illustrates that people with advanced cancer actively engage in
      multiple complex self-management strategies in response to symptoms. IMPLICATIONS
      FOR PRACTICE: As providers assess how individuals manage their symptoms, they
      must find ways to support those efforts. Providers then will recognize the
      challenges faced by advanced cancer patients in obtaining the best quality of
      life while managing multiple symptoms, activities, and family responsibilities.

PMID- 26098401
TI  - Effects of Healing Touch and Relaxation Therapy on Adult Patients Undergoing
      Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: A Feasibility Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stem cell transplant (SCT), considered the current standard of care
      for adults with advanced cancers, can lead to substantial deconditioning and
      diminished well-being. Attending to life quality of SCT recipients is now viewed
      as essential. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify the
      feasibility and preliminary efficacy of healing touch (HT) and relaxation therapy
      (RT) with patients undergoing SCT. METHODS: A randomized prospective design
      compared 13 SCT patients who received HT daily while hospitalized to 13 similar
      SCT patients who received daily RT. The clinical outcomes of the 2 groups were
      also compared with retrospective clinical data of 20 patients who received SCT
      during the same year. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 57 years, with
      54% receiving autologous and 46% receiving allogeneic transplants. All patients
      assigned to the HT group completed the protocol. Only 60% of the relaxation group
      completed the intervention. Both interventions produced improvement in
      psychosocial measures and a shorter hospital length of stay (LOS) than the
      historical group. Differential results for LOS were related to the type of
      transplant received. The LOS differences were not statistically significant but
      could be clinically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Healing touch was a better
      tolerated modality by this population. Future research is needed to validate the
      LOS advantage of the HT and RT interventions, explore the differences in effect
      found with different transplant types, and identify patients who can tolerate RT.
      IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The LOS reduction could result in decreased cost.
      Second, mood and function improvements support quality of life during SCT
      treatment.

PMID- 26098402
TI  - Lived Experiences of "Illness Uncertainty" of Iranian Cancer Patients: A
      Phenomenological Hermeneutic Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For cancer patients, uncertainty is a pervasive experience and a
      major psychological stressor that affects many aspects of their lives.
      Uncertainty is a multifaceted concept, and its understanding for patients depends
      on many factors, including factors associated with various sociocultural
      contexts. Unfortunately, little is known about the concept of uncertainty in
      Iranian society and culture. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to clarify the concept
      and explain lived experiences of illness uncertainty in Iranian cancer patients.
      METHODS: In this hermeneutic phenomenological study, 8 cancer patients
      participated in semistructured in-depth interviews about their experiences of
      uncertainty in illness. Interviews continued until data saturation was reached.
      All interviews were recorded, transcribed, analyzed, and interpreted using 6
      stages of the van Manen phenomenological approach. RESULTS: Seven main themes
      emerged from patients' experiences of illness uncertainty of cancer. Four themes
      contributed to uncertainty including "Complexity of Cancer," "Confusion About
      Cancer," "Contradictory Information," and "Unknown Future." Two themes
      facilitated coping with uncertainty including "Seeking Knowledge" and "Need for
      Spiritual Peace." One theme, "Knowledge Ambivalence," revealed the struggle
      between wanting to know and not wanting to know, especially if bad news was
      delivered. CONCLUSION: Uncertainty experience for cancer patients in different
      societies is largely similar. However, some experiences (eg, ambiguity in access
      to medical resources) seemed unique to Iranian patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR
      PRACTICE: This study provided an outlook of cancer patients' experiences of
      illness uncertainty in Iran. Cancer patients' coping ability to deal with
      uncertainty can be improved.

PMID- 26098403
TI  - "From Patient to Survivor": Women's Experience With Breast Cancer After 5 Years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Women who have survived breast cancer for 5 years without recurrence
      are not subject to active follow-up because of limited resources. Their life
      experiences more than 5 years subsequent to diagnosis and treatment are unknown.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to understand the life experiences and care
      needs of women who have survived breast cancer for more than 5 years in Taiwan.
      METHODS: A purposive sampling was used. Women diagnosed with breast cancer more
      than 5 years previously and without recurrence were recruited in this study. The
      interviews were conducted in a comfortable and convenient place decided by the
      participants. The interviews were converted into transcripts and analyzed using
      content analysis. RESULTS: Thirteen women participated in this study whose ages
      were between 48 and 72 years. Five main themes were identified: (1) fear of
      recurrence, with women attempting to use ways to reduce recurrence, including
      dependence on drugs, desire for information, and promoting health; (2) hoping for
      alleviation of adverse effects; (3) seeking a body image; (4) expectations for
      the patient-physician relationship; (5) concerns of a mother; and (6) positive
      thinking. CONCLUSIONS: Taiwanese women with post 5-year breast cancer survival
      continue to have physiological and emotional needs. They long for attention and
      care from their healthcare team. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: It is pivotal to
      formulate a care plan suitable for 5-year-plus survivors of breast cancer and to
      assist them in gaining an understanding of the latest treatments and self-care
      information. It is crucial that nurses play a greater role in caring for long
      term survivors.

PMID- 26098404
TI  - Implementing evidence-based practices in supported employment on the Gold Coast
      for people with severe mental illness.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this project was to evaluate program outcomes following the
      implementation of an evidence-based approach to supported employment on the Gold
      Coast, Queensland, Australia. METHOD: A prospective observational design was used
      to evaluate employment outcomes and fidelity to the evidence-based principles and
      practices of a specialised form of supported employment. The cohort was defined
      as all those (n = 114) that entered the program at each of three sites within a
      21-month period. Each participant was followed up for a minimum of six months.
      All three sites implemented the employment program by establishing a partnership
      between a non-government organisation and the Gold Coast community mental health
      service. RESULTS: The primary outcome variable was the proportion commencing
      competitive employment during the follow-up period from among those that
      commenced receiving assistance (the denominator). This ranged from 12% at Site C
      to 33.3% at Site A, and 37% at Site B. Fidelity to evidence-based principles was
      fair at Sites A and C and good at Site B. These results were below expectations
      based on international-controlled trials. The variation in site effectiveness
      appeared related to both fidelity to evidence-based principles and to other
      factors at each site, which could not be clearly identified. CONCLUSIONS:
      Delivering an effective supported employment program using an inter-agency
      partnership method is challenging. There are several roles in which occupational
      therapists can be involved that facilitate improving both the implementation and
      the effectiveness of supported employment for people with severe mental illness
      in Australia.

PMID- 26098405
TI  - Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in the United States, 2007-2012.

PMID- 26098406
TI  - Digital Denture Fabrication in Pre- and Postdoctoral Education: A Survey of U.S.
      Dental Schools.
AB  - PURPOSE: To survey chairs of prosthodontics or restorative departments and
      program directors of postdoctoral prosthodontic programs in the United States
      regarding digital denture fabrication. The key objectives of the survey were to
      identify the current trends in complete denture fabrication using CAD/CAM
      technology and to determine how and to what extent this technique is taught and
      used in U.S. pre- and postdoctoral prosthodontic programs. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      An invitation to participate in an online survey was sent to 52
      prosthodontics/restorative chairs of U.S. dental schools and to all of the 50
      program directors of postdoctoral prosthodontics programs. A version of the
      survey with the same questions was sent to a national sample of
      prosthodontics/restorative chairs and program directors of postdoctoral
      prosthodontics. The 20-item survey took approximately 15 minutes to complete.
      Dependent samples paired t-test was run on items that were the same in both
      surveys. RESULTS: The response rate for the survey was 63% for department chairs
      and 44% for program directors. All respondents with the exception of one
      department chair were aware of CAD/CAM technology used for denture fabrication.
      More than half of the program directors (52.4%) compared to 12.1% of chairs have
      incorporated some aspects of CAD/CAM denture fabrication technology into their
      curriculum. When asked if the fabrication cost prevented introducing this
      technology in the predoctoral/postdoctoral curriculum, 52.4% of the department
      chairs affirmed this response compared to 12.1% of the program directors. There
      was a significant difference between groups when asked if they had incorporated
      the CAD/CAM denture fabrication technique into the postgraduate/predoctoral
      curriculum. Department chairs reported less usage of CAD/CAM technology. Only
      12.1% of department chairs reported using some aspects of CAD/CAM technology in
      the predoctoral curriculum compared to 52.4% in the postdoctoral curriculum (F =
      13.528, p <= 0.001). While this technology is used in four predoctoral clinics,
      none of the chairs reported including CAD/CAM denture fabrication in their
      preclinical complete denture courses. For the schools using the technology, 33.3%
      of postdoctoral and 30.3% of predoctoral programs use it to make a denture with a
      try-in step; however, 19% of the postdoctoral and 18.2% of predoctoral programs
      process the dentures without a try-in appointment. Slightly less than half
      (42.9%) of graduate programs are using the technology to make just the denture
      bases. Only a small proportion (10% or less) of the total number of dentures
      processed in post- and predoctoral programs are made using CAD/CAM technology.
      The proportion of postdoctoral programs that process cases using CAD/CAM
      technology was significantly higher than in predoctoral programs (F = 5.106, p <=
      0.028). Many schools indicated that they are in a "trial phase" to evaluate the
      technique, especially at the predoctoral level. Also, 19% (n = 4) of postdoctoral
      and 15.2% (n = 5) of predoctoral respondents have created continuing education
      courses. Of postdoctoral programs, 38.1% (n = 8) plan to introduce this
      technology at some point in the near future (next 1 to 4 years); 27.3% of
      predoctoral programs plan to as well. CONCLUSIONS: All program directors and
      department chairs who participated in the survey are aware of this technology
      with the exception of one department chair. More than half of the program
      directors reported that they have incorporated this technology in their curricula
      compared to only 12% of department chairs. Currently, only 10% or less of
      complete denture cases are processed using the CAD/CAM technology, at either the
      post- or predoctoral levels. Both groups reported that the main use of this
      technology is for the fabrication of denture bases and for processing dentures
      including the try-in step. The majority of respondents in both groups indicated
      they plan to add digital denture fabrication into their curricula within the next
      1 to 4 years.

PMID- 26098407
TI  - Emilio Del Giudice, 1940-2014.

PMID- 26098408
TI  - Testing Models Relating Rejection, Depression, Interpersonal Needs, and Psychache
      to Suicide Risk in Nonclinical Individuals.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Using structural equation modeling, we tested a primary model of
      suicide risk and 3 competing, alternative models based on 4 psychological
      variables deemed important in the literature (perception of parental rejection,
      depression, interpersonal needs comprising perceived burdensomeness and thwarted
      belongingness, and psychache), in a nonclinical sample of Portuguese adults.
      METHOD: A convenience sample of 203 adults (100 men, 103 women; aged 18-65 years)
      participated in this study. RESULTS: Analyses demonstrated that the proposed
      primary model had the best fit to the observed data. The differences in fit
      indexes for this model and one of the alternative models, however, were not
      substantial. CONCLUSION: Perceived parental rejection related directly to suicide
      risk and indirectly via depression and interpersonal needs. Depression linked
      indirectly to suicide risk via interpersonal needs and psychache. Interpersonal
      needs related directly to suicide risk and indirectly via psychache, which
      related directly to suicide risk.

PMID- 26098409
TI  - Large Dipolar Spin-Spin Interaction in a Photogenerated U-Shaped Triradical.
AB  - Transient electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) spectroscopy has been used to
      study the spin-spin interactions in a novel U-shaped electron donor-chromophore
      acceptor-radical (D-C-A-R(*)) system in which a xanthene bridge holds a tert
      butylphenyl nitroxide (BPNO(*)) radical in close proximity to a naphthalene
      1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide) (NDI) acceptor. Photoexcitation of the 4
      aminonaphthalene-1,8-dicarboximide (ANI) chromophore results in rapid, two-step
      electron transfer to generate the triradical (D(+*)-C-A(-*)-R(*)). The large
      through-bond distance between A(-*) and R(*) makes their spin-spin exchange
      interaction (2JAR) negligibly small, whereas their short through-space distance
      results in a strong dipolar interaction (DAR), which is observed as a set of
      broad lines in the TREPR spectra of D(+*)-C-A(-*)-R(*) in solid toluene solution
      at 85 K. Transient nutation experiments show that these transitions belong to a
      species with spin S = 1, whereas experiments on D(+*)-C-A(-*)-R(*) in the
      oriented nematic liquid crystal 4-cyano-4'-n-pentylbiphenyl at 85 K demonstrate
      the anisotropy of DAR. 

PMID- 26098410
TI  - Domperidone, cytochrome P450 3A4 isoenzyme inhibitors and ventricular arrhythmia:
      a nationwide case-crossover study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggested that oral form of domperidone may possess
      pro-arrhythmic effects and increase the risk of ventricular arrhythmia. The
      concomitant use of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 isoenzyme inhibitors may further
      potentiate this association. Nevertheless, empirical data supporting these
      associations are very limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      association between oral domperidone, CYP 3A4 inhibitors, and ventricular
      arrhythmia. METHODS: We identified 25,356 patients who were admitted or were seen
      in the emergency room for ventricular arrhythmia between 2000 and 2011 from
      Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. We adopted a case-crossover
      study design to compare the exposure to oral domperidone for the same patient
      within a "case period" and within a "control period". RESULTS: Conditional
      logistic regression models showed that domperidone use was significantly
      associated with an increased odds of ventricular arrhythmia (aOR 1.56, 95%CI
      [1.41-1.72]). The association was stronger with a higher daily dose of
      domperidone (>30 mg, aOR 1.98, 95%CI [1.50-2.63]). Furthermore, the co-exposure
      of domperidone and CYP 3A4 inhibitors was significantly associated with an
      increased odds of ventricular arrhythmia, especially considering the lasting
      effect of CYP 3A4 inhibitors (1 day apart: aOR 1.91, 95%CI [1.33-2.75], 3 days
      apart: aOR 1.90, 95%CI [1.33-2.71], 7 days apart: aOR 1.80, 95%CI [1.28-2.54]).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that oral domperidone was significantly
      associated with an increased odds of ventricular arrhythmia and that the
      association was stronger with exposure to >30 mg of domperidone. In addition, our
      study reported increased odds of ventricular arrhythmia among those who
      concomitantly used domperidone and CYP 3A4 inhibitors.

PMID- 26098411
TI  - Mixed models approaches for joint modeling of different types of responses.
AB  - In many biomedical studies, one jointly collects longitudinal continuous, binary,
      and survival outcomes, possibly with some observations missing. Random-effects
      models, sometimes called shared-parameter models or frailty models, received a
      lot of attention. In such models, the corresponding variance components can be
      employed to capture the association between the various sequences. In some cases,
      random effects are considered common to various sequences, perhaps up to a
      scaling factor; in others, there are different but correlated random effects.
      Even though a variety of data types has been considered in the literature, less
      attention has been devoted to ordinal data. For univariate longitudinal or
      hierarchical data, the proportional odds mixed model (POMM) is an instance of the
      generalized linear mixed model (GLMM; Breslow and Clayton, 1993). Ordinal data
      are conveniently replaced by a parsimonious set of dummies, which in the
      longitudinal setting leads to a repeated set of dummies. When ordinal
      longitudinal data are part of a joint model, the complexity increases further.
      This is the setting considered in this paper. We formulate a random-effects based
      model that, in addition, allows for overdispersion. Using two case studies, it is
      shown that the combination of random effects to capture association with further
      correction for overdispersion can improve the model's fit considerably and that
      the resulting models allow to answer research questions that could not be
      addressed otherwise. Parameters can be estimated in a fairly straightforward way,
      using the SAS procedure NLMIXED.

PMID- 26098412
TI  - Maximizing the utilization of Laminaria japonica as biomass via improvement of
      alginate lyase activity in a two-phase fermentation system.
AB  - Brown seaweed contains up to 67% of carbohydrates by dry weight and presents high
      potential as a polysaccharide feedstock for biofuel production. To effectively
      use brown seaweed as a biomass, degradation of alginate is the major challenge
      due to its complicated structure and low solubility in water. This study focuses
      on the isolation of alginate degrading bacteria, determining of the optimum
      fermentation conditions, as well as comparing the conventional single
      fermentation system with the two-phase fermentation system which is separately
      using alginate and mannitol extracted from Laminaria japonica. Maximum yield of
      organic acids production and volatile solids reduction obtained were 0.516 g/g
      and 79.7%, respectively, using the two-phase fermentation system in which
      alginate fermentation was carried out at pH 7 and mannitol fermentation at pH 8.
      The two-phase fermentation system increased the yield of organic acids production
      by 1.14 times and led to a 1.45-times reduction of VS when compared to the
      conventional single fermentation system at pH 8. The results show that the two
      phase fermentation system improved the utilization of alginate by separating
      alginate from mannitol leading to enhanced alginate lyase activity. 

PMID- 26098413
TI  - A unique in vivo approach for investigating antimicrobial materials utilizing
      fistulated animals.
AB  - Unique in vivo tests were conducted through the use of a fistulated ruminant,
      providing an ideal environment with a diverse and vibrant microbial community.
      Utilizing such a procedure can be especially invaluable for investigating the
      performance of antimicrobial materials related to human and animal related
      infections. In this pilot study, it is shown that the rumen of a fistulated
      animal provides an excellent live laboratory for assessing the properties of
      antimicrobial materials. We investigate microbial colonization onto model
      nanocomposites based on silver (Ag) nanoparticles at different concentrations
      into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). With implantable devices posing a major risk
      for hospital-acquired infections, the present study provides a viable solution to
      understand microbial colonization with the potential to reduce the incidence of
      infection through the introduction of Ag nanoparticles at the optimum
      concentrations. In vitro measurements were also conducted to show the validity of
      the approach. An optimal loading of 0.25 wt% Ag is found to show the greatest
      antimicrobial activity and observed through the in vivo tests to reduce the
      microbial diversity colonizing the surface. 

PMID- 26098414
TI  - An estimate of the effectiveness of an in-vehicle automatic collision
      notification system in reducing road crash fatalities in South Australia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to estimate the potential effectiveness of
      an in-vehicle automatic collision notification (ACN) system in reducing all road
      crash fatalities in South Australia (SA). METHODS: For the years 2008 to 2009,
      traffic accident reporting system (TARS) data, emergency medical services (EMS)
      road crash dispatch data, and coroner's reports were matched and examined. This
      was done to initially determine the extent to which there were differences
      between the reported time of a fatal road crash in the mass crash data and the
      time EMS were notified and dispatched. In the subset of fatal crashes where there
      was a delay, injuries detailed by a forensic pathologist in individual coroner's
      reports were examined to determine the likelihood of survival had there not been
      a delay in emergency medical assistance. RESULTS: In 25% (N = 53) of fatalities
      in SA in the period 2008 to 2009, there was a delay in the notification of the
      crash event, and hence dispatch of EMS, that exceeded 10 min. In the 2-year crash
      period, 5 people were likely to have survived through more prompt crash
      notification enabling quicker emergency medical assistance. Additionally, 3
      people potentially would have survived if surgical intervention (or emergency
      medical assistance to sustain life until surgery) occurred more promptly.
      CONCLUSIONS: The minimum effectiveness rate of an ACN system in SA with full
      deployment is likely to be in the range of 2.4 to 3.8% of all road crash
      fatalities involving all vehicle types and all vulnerable road users
      (pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists) from 2008 to 2009. Considering only
      passenger vehicle occupants, the benefit is likely to be 2.6 to 4.6%. These
      fatality reductions could only have been achieved through earlier notification of
      each crash and their location to enable a quicker medical response. This might be
      achievable through a fully deployed in-vehicle ACN system.

PMID- 26098415
TI  - The Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor Family Member LILRB5 Binds to HLA
      Class I Heavy Chains.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor (LILR) family includes
      inhibitory and stimulatory members which bind to classical and non-classical HLA
      class I. The ligands for many LILR including LILRB5 have not yet been identified.
      METHODS: We generated C-terminal eGFP and N-terminal FLAG-tagged fusion
      constructs for monitoring LILR expression. We screened for LILR binding to HLA
      class I by tetramer staining of 293T cells transfected with LILRA1, A4, A5 A6 and
      LILRB2 and LILRB5. We also studied HLA class I tetramer binding to LILRB5 on
      peripheral monocyte cells. LILRB5 binding to HLA-class I heavy chains was
      confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation. RESULTS: HLA-B27 (B27) free heavy chain
      (FHC) dimer but not other HLA-class I stained LILRB5-transfected 293T cells. B27
      dimer binding to LILRB5 was blocked with the class I heavy chain antibody HC10
      and anti-LILRB5 antisera. B27 dimers also bound to LILRB5 on peripheral
      monocytes. HLA-B7 and B27 heavy chains co-immunoprecipitated with LILRB5 in
      transduced B and rat basophil RBL cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that
      class I free heavy chains are ligands for LILRB5. The unique binding specificity
      of LILRB5 for HLA-class I heavy chains probably results from differences in the
      D1 and D2 immunoglobulin-like binding domains which are distinct from other LILR
      which bind to beta2m-associated HLA-class I.

PMID- 26098416
TI  - Impaired Coronary and Renal Vascular Function in Spontaneously Type 2 Diabetic
      Leptin-Deficient Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is associated with macro- and microvascular
      complications in man. Microvascular dysfunction affects both cardiac and renal
      function and is now recognized as a main driver of cardiovascular mortality and
      morbidity. However, progression of microvascular dysfunction in experimental
      models is often obscured by macrovascular pathology and consequently demanding to
      study. The obese type 2 diabetic leptin-deficient (ob/ob) mouse lacks
      macrovascular complications, i.e. occlusive atherosclerotic disease, and may
      therefore be a potential model for microvascular dysfunction. The present study
      aimed to test the hypothesis that these mice with an insulin resistant phenotype
      might display microvascular dysfunction in both coronary and renal vascular beds.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study we used non-invasive Doppler ultrasound
      imaging to characterize microvascular dysfunction during the progression of
      diabetes in ob/ob mice. Impaired coronary flow velocity reserve was observed in
      the ob/ob mice at 16 and 21 weeks of age compared to lean controls. In addition,
      renal resistivity index as well as pulsatility index was higher in the ob/ob mice
      at 21 weeks compared to lean controls. Moreover, plasma L-arginine was lower in
      ob/ob mice, while asymmetric dimethylarginine was unaltered. Furthermore, a
      decrease in renal vascular density was observed in the ob/ob mice. CONCLUSION: In
      parallel to previously described metabolic disturbances, the leptin-deficient
      ob/ob mice also display cardiac and renal microvascular dysfunction. This model
      may therefore be suitable for translational, mechanistic and interventional
      studies to improve the understanding of microvascular complications in type 2
      diabetes.

PMID- 26098417
TI  - Novel Phenanthrene-Degrading Bacteria Identified by DNA-Stable Isotope Probing.
AB  - Microorganisms responsible for the degradation of phenanthrene in a clean forest
      soil sample were identified by DNA-based stable isotope probing (SIP). The soil
      was artificially amended with either 12C- or 13C-labeled phenanthrene, and soil
      DNA was extracted on days 3, 6 and 9. Terminal restriction fragment length
      polymorphism (TRFLP) results revealed that the fragments of 219- and 241-bp in
      HaeIII digests were distributed throughout the gradient profile at three
      different sampling time points, and both fragments were more dominant in the
      heavy fractions of the samples exposed to the 13C-labeled contaminant. 16S rRNA
      sequencing of the 13C-enriched fraction suggested that Acidobacterium spp. within
      the class Acidobacteria, and Collimonas spp. within the class Betaproteobacteria,
      were directly involved in the uptake and degradation of phenanthrene at different
      times. To our knowledge, this is the first report that the genus Collimonas has
      the ability to degrade PAHs. Two PAH-RHDalpha genes were identified in 13C
      labeled DNA. However, isolation of pure cultures indicated that strains of
      Staphylococcus sp. PHE-3, Pseudomonas sp. PHE-1, and Pseudomonas sp. PHE-2 in the
      soil had high phenanthrene-degrading ability. This emphasizes the role of a
      culture-independent method in the functional understanding of microbial
      communities in situ. 

PMID- 26098418
TI  - Multiclass Support Vector Machine-Based Lesion Mapping Predicts Functional
      Outcome in Ischemic Stroke Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate if ischemic stroke final
      infarction volume and location can be used to predict the associated functional
      outcome using a multi-class support vector machine (SVM). MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Sixty-eight follow-up MR FLAIR datasets of ischemic stroke patients with known
      modified Rankin Scale (mRS) functional outcome after 30 days were used. The
      infarct regions were segmented and used to calculate the percentage of lesioned
      voxels in the predefined MNI, Harvard-Oxford cortical and subcortical atlas
      regions as well as using four problem-specific VOIs, which were identified from
      the database using voxel-based lesion symptom mapping. An overall of 12 SVM
      classification models for predicting the corresponding mRS score were generated
      using the lesion overlap values from the different brain region definitions,
      stroke laterality information, and the optional parameters infarct volume,
      admission NIHSS, and patient age. RESULTS: Leave-one-out cross validations
      revealed that including information about the stroke location in terms of lesion
      overlap measurements led to improved mRS prediction results compared to
      classification models not utilizing the stroke location information. Furthermore,
      integration of the optional features led to improved mRS prediction results in
      all cases tested. The problem-specific brain regions and additional integration
      of the optional features led to the best mRS predictions with a precise multi
      value mRS prediction accuracy of 56%, sliding window multi-value mRS prediction
      accuracy (mRS+/-1) of 82%, and binary mRS (0-2 vs. 3-5) prediction accuracy of
      85%. CONCLUSION: Therefore, a graded SVM-based functional stroke outcome
      prediction using the problem-specific brain regions for lesion overlap
      quantification leads to promising results but needs to be further validated using
      an independent database to rule out a potential methodical bias and overfitting
      effects. The prediction of the graded mRS functional outcome could be a valuable
      tool if combined with voxel-wise tissue outcome predictions based on multi
      parametric datasets acquired at the acute phase.

PMID- 26098419
TI  - Adjunctive Treatment with Rhodiola Crenulata in Patients with Chronic Obstructive
      Pulmonary Disease--A Randomized Placebo Controlled Double Blind Clinical Trial.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a low grade systemic inflammatory
      disease characterized by dyspnea and exercise intolerance even under standard
      therapy. Rhodiola crenulata (RC) has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory
      effects and to enhance exercise endurance, thereby having the potential to treat
      COPD. In this 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical
      trial, 57 patients with stable moderate-to-severe COPD aged 70+/-8.8 years were
      given RC (250 mg twice/day) (n=38) or a placebo (250 mg twice/day) (n=19) in
      addition to their standard regimen. There were no significant differences in
      anthropometrics, quality of life, lung function, six-minute walk and incremental
      exercise tests between the two groups at enrollment. Over the 12 weeks, RC was
      well tolerated, significantly reduced triceps skin thickness (Delta=-1 mm,
      p=.04), change of FEV1 (4.5%, p=.03), and improved workload (Delta=10%, p=.01);
      although there were no significant differences in these factors between the two
      groups. However, there were significant between-group differences in tidal volume
      and ventilation-CO2-output ratio at peak exercise (both p=.05), which were
      significantly related to peak work rate (both p<.0001). RC tended to protect
      against acute exacerbation of COPD (p=.1) but not other measurements. RC did not
      improve the six-minute walk test distance but significantly improved tidal
      breathing and ventilation efficiency, most likely through improvements in work
      rate. Further studies with a larger patient population are needed in order to
      confirm these findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov number
      NCT02242461.

PMID- 26098420
TI  - 64Cu-ATSM Hypoxia Positron Emission Tomography for Detection of Conduit Ischemia
      in an Experimental Rat Esophagectomy Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We designed a hypoxia-imaging modality to detect ischemia of the
      gastric conduit after esophagectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A rat esophagectomy
      model was created using 12-16-week-old, 300-350 g male Sprague-Dawley rats. In
      the operation group (n=6), partial gastric devascularization was performed by
      ligating the left gastric artery and the short gastric arteries and an
      esophagogastric anastomosis was performed. In the control group (n=6), the
      esophageal-gastric junction was incised and suturing was performed without
      gastric devascularization. Positron emission tomography (PET) images were taken
      using a microPET rodent model scanner, 24 h after the initial operation, after
      injection of 200 MUCi 64Cu-diacetyl-bis (N4-methylsemicarbazone) (64Cu-ATSM) and
      pimonidazole 120 mg/kg. After microPET imaging, autoradiography and
      immunohistochemistry were performed. RESULTS: The PET image revealed 64Cu-ATSM
      uptake at the fundus in the operation group 3 h after 64Cu-ATSM injection. The
      maximum percentage of the injected dose per gram of tissue was higher in the
      operation group (0.047+/-0.015 vs. 0.026+/-0.006, p=0.021). The fundus/liver
      ratio was also higher in the operation group (0.541+/-0.126 vs. 0.278+/-0.049,
      p=0.002). Upon autoradiography, 64Cu-ATSM uptake was observed in the fundus in
      the operation group, and was well-correlated to that observed on the PET image.
      Upon immunohistochemistry, expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1a and
      pimonidazole were significantly increased at the fundus and lesser curvature
      compared to the greater curvature in the operation group. CONCLUSION: Hypoxia PET
      imaging with 64Cu-ATSM can detect ischemia in a rat esophagectomy model. Further
      clinical studies are needed to verify whether hypoxia imaging may be useful in
      humans.

PMID- 26098422
TI  - Mortality Dynamics of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Immatures in
      Maize.
AB  - We characterized the dynamics of mortality factors affecting immature
      developmental stages of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)
      (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Multiple decrement life tables for egg and early larval
      stages of S. frugiperda in maize (Zea mays L.) fields were developed with and
      without augmentative releases of Telenomus remus Nixon (Hymenoptera:
      Platygastridae) from 2009 to 2011. Total egg mortality ranged from 73 to 81% and
      the greatest egg mortality was due to inviability, dislodgement, and predation.
      Parasitoids did not cause significant mortality in egg or early larval stages and
      the releases of T. remus did not increase egg mortality. Greater than 95% of
      early larvae died from predation, drowning, and dislodgment by rainfall. Total
      mortality due to these factors was largely irreplaceable. Results indicate that a
      greater effect in reducing generational survival may be achieved by adding
      mortality to the early larval stage of S. frugiperda. 

PMID- 26098421
TI  - Oviductal Transcriptome Is Modified after Insemination during Spontaneous
      Ovulation in the Sow.
AB  - Gene Expression Microarray technology was used to compare oviduct transcriptome
      between inseminated and non-inseminated pigs during spontaneous oestrus. We used
      an in vivo model approaching the study from a physiological point of view in
      which no hormonal treatment (animals were in natural oestrus) and no artificial
      sperm selection (selection was performed within the female genital) were imposed.
      It is therefore emphasised that no surgical introduction of spermatozoa and no
      insemination at a site other than the physiological one were used. This approach
      revealed 17 genes that were two-fold or more up-regulated in oviducts exposed to
      spermatozoa and/or developing embryos and 9 genes that were two-fold or more down
      regulated. Functional analysis of the genes revealed that the top canonical
      pathways affected by insemination were related to the inflammatory response and
      immune system (Network 1) to molecular transport, protein trafficking and
      developmental disorder (Network 2) and to cell-to-cell signalling and interaction
      (Network 3). Some of the genes in network 1 had been previously detected in the
      oviduct of human and animals, where they were over-expressed in the presence of
      spermatozoa or pre-implantation embryos (C3, IGHG1, ITIH4, TNF and SERPINE1)
      whereas others were not previously reported (SAA2, ALOX12, CD1D and SPP1). Genes
      in Network 2 included RAB1B and TOR3A, the latter being described for the first
      time in the oviduct and clearly expressed in the epithelial cells of the mucosa
      layer. Network 3 integrated the genes with the highest down-regulation level
      (CYP51, PTH1R and TMOD3). Data in the present study indicate a change in gene
      expression during gamete encounter at the site of fertilization after a natural
      sperm selection within the female genital tract. These changes would indicate a
      modification of the environment preparing the oviduct for a successful
      fertilization and for an adequate embryo early development. 

PMID- 26098423
TI  - Age at Mycobacterium bovis BCG Priming Has Limited Impact on Anti-Tuberculosis
      Immunity Boosted by Respiratory Mucosal AdHu5Ag85A Immunization in a Murine
      Model.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global pandemic despite the use of Bacillus Calmette
      Guerin (BCG) vaccine, partly because BCG fails to effectively control adult
      pulmonary TB. The introduction of novel boost vaccines such as the human
      Adenovirus 5-vectored AdHu5Ag85A could improve and prolong the protective
      immunity of BCG immunization. Age at which BCG immunization is implemented varies
      greatly worldwide, and research is ongoing to discover the optimal stage during
      childhood to administer the vaccine, as well as when to boost the immune response
      with potential novel vaccines. Using a murine model of subcutaneous BCG
      immunization followed by intranasal AdHu5Ag85A boosting, we investigated the
      impact of age at BCG immunization on protective efficacy of BCG prime and
      AdHu5Ag85A boost immunization-mediated protection. Our results showed that age at
      parenteral BCG priming has limited impact on the efficacy of BCG prime-AdHu5Ag85A
      respiratory mucosal boost immunization-enhanced protection. However, when BCG
      immunization was delayed until the maturity of the immune system, longer
      sustained memory T cells were generated and resulted in enhanced boosting effect
      on T cells of AdHu5Ag85A respiratory mucosal immunization. Our findings hold
      implications for the design of new TB immunization protocols for humans. 

PMID- 26098424
TI  - Molecular Basis for the Selective Inhibition of Respiratory Syncytial Virus RNA
      Polymerase by 2'-Fluoro-4'-Chloromethyl-Cytidine Triphosphate.
AB  - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes severe lower respiratory tract
      infections, yet no vaccines or effective therapeutics are available. ALS-8176 is
      a first-in-class nucleoside analog prodrug effective in RSV-infected adult
      volunteers, and currently under evaluation in hospitalized infants. Here, we
      report the mechanism of inhibition and selectivity of ALS-8176 and its parent ALS
      8112. ALS-8176 inhibited RSV replication in non-human primates, while ALS-8112
      inhibited all strains of RSV in vitro and was specific for paramyxoviruses and
      rhabdoviruses. The antiviral effect of ALS-8112 was mediated by the intracellular
      formation of its 5'-triphosphate metabolite (ALS-8112-TP) inhibiting the viral
      RNA polymerase. ALS-8112 selected for resistance-associated mutations within the
      region of the L gene of RSV encoding the RNA polymerase. In biochemical assays,
      ALS-8112-TP was efficiently recognized by the recombinant RSV polymerase complex,
      causing chain termination of RNA synthesis. ALS-8112-TP did not inhibit
      polymerases from host or viruses unrelated to RSV such as hepatitis C virus
      (HCV), whereas structurally related molecules displayed dual RSV/HCV inhibition.
      The combination of molecular modeling and enzymatic analysis showed that both the
      2'F and the 4'ClCH2 groups contributed to the selectivity of ALS-8112-TP. The
      lack of antiviral effect of ALS-8112-TP against HCV polymerase was caused by
      Asn291 that is well-conserved within positive-strand RNA viruses. This represents
      the first comparative study employing recombinant RSV and HCV polymerases to
      define the selectivity of clinically relevant nucleotide analogs. Understanding
      nucleotide selectivity towards distant viral RNA polymerases could not only be
      used to repurpose existing drugs against new viral infections, but also to design
      novel molecules. 

PMID- 26098425
TI  - Expression of OsCAS (Calcium-Sensing Receptor) in an Arabidopsis Mutant Increases
      Drought Tolerance.
AB  - The calcium-sensing receptor (CaS), which is localized in the chloroplasts, is a
      crucial regulator of extracellular calcium-induced stomatal closure in
      Arabidopsis. It has homologs in Oryza sativa and other plants. These sequences
      all have a rhodanese-like protein domain, which has been demonstrated to be
      associated with specific stress conditions. In this study, we cloned the Oryza
      sativa calcium-sensing receptor gene (OsCAS) and demonstrated that OsCAS could
      sense an increase of extracellular Ca2+ concentration and mediate an increase in
      cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. The OsCAS gene was transformed into an Arabidopsis
      CaS knockout mutant (Salk) and overexpressed in the transgenic plants. OsCAS
      promoted stomatal closure. We screened homozygous transgenic Arabidopsis plants
      and determined physiological indices such as the oxidative damage biomarker
      malondialdehyde (MDA), relative membrane permeability (RMP), proline content, and
      chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, after 21 days of drought treatment. Our
      results revealed lower RMP and MDA contents and a higher Proline content in
      transgenic Arabidopsis plants after drought stress, whereas the opposite was
      observed in Salk plants. With respect to chlorophyll fluorescence, the electron
      transport rate and effective PSII quantum yield decreased in all lines under
      drought stress; however, in the transgenic plants these two parameters changed
      fewer and were higher than those in wild-type and Salk plants. The quantum yield
      of regulated energy dissipation and nonregulated energy dissipation in PSII were
      higher in Salk plants, whereas these values were lower in the transgenic plants
      than in the wild type under drought stress. The above results suggest that the
      transgenic plants showed better resistance to drought stress by decreasing damage
      to the cell membrane, increasing the amount of osmoprotectants, and maintaining a
      relatively high photosynthetic capacity. In conclusion, OsCAS is an extracellular
      calcium-sensing receptor that helps to compensate for the absence of CaS in
      Arabidopsis and increases the drought stress tolerance of transgenic plants. 

PMID- 26098426
TI  - Recombinant Factor VIIa Reduces Bleeding after Blunt Liver Injury in a Pig Model
      of Dilutional Coagulopathy under Severe Hypothermia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) is registered for use in haemophilia
      with inhibitors and other rare bleeding disorders, but has also been used in
      various other clinical conditions to terminate life-threatening bleeding.
      Underlying conditions (e.g. coagulopathy) and dosing may affect treatment
      efficacy. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of
      increasing doses of rFVIIa on blood loss and coagulation assays in haemodiluted
      and hypothermic pigs undergoing blunt liver injury. METHODS: A grade III blunt
      liver injury was induced in 28 pigs after 70% haemodilution and cooling to 32.6
      33.4 degrees C. Ten minutes after trauma, animals randomly received placebo or
      90, 180 or 360 MUg/kg rFVIIa. Global coagulation parameters, thromboelastometry
      (TEM) and plasma thrombin generation (TG) were determined at different time
      points during the observation period of 120 minutes. RESULTS: Total blood loss
      was significantly lower following 90 MUg/kg rFVIIa (1206 [1138-1470] mL) relative
      to placebo (2677 [2337-3068] mL; p<0.05), with no increased effect with higher
      dose levels of rFVIIa. Following trauma and haemodilution, coagulation was
      impaired relative to baseline in both TEM and TG analysis. At 60 and 120 minutes
      after trauma, TEM variables improved in the rFVIIa-treated animals compared with
      the placebo group. Similarly, rFVIIa improved coagulation kinetics in TG. As was
      observed with blood loss, no significant effect between different rFVIIa dose
      levels was found in TEM or TG. Macro- and microscopic post-mortem examination did
      not reveal any signs of thromboembolic events. CONCLUSION: Early administration
      of 90 MUg/kg rFVIIa reduced blood loss in pigs undergoing blunt liver injury even
      after severe haemodilution and hypothermia, with no further effect of higher dose
      levels. Coagulation assays showed impaired coagulation in coagulopathic animals,
      with a dose-independent improvement in animals treated with rFVIIa.

PMID- 26098427
TI  - Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid Improve Gross Motor and Problem-Solving Skills in
      Young North Indian Children: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Deficiencies of vitamin B12 and folate are associated with delayed
      development and neurological manifestations. The objective of this study was to
      measure the effect of daily supplementation of vitamin B12 and/or folic acid on
      development in young North Indian children. METHODS: In a randomized, double
      blind trial, children aged six to 30 months, received supplement with placebo or
      vitamin B12 and/or folic acid for six months. Children were allocated in a
      1:1:1:1 ratio in a factorial design and in blocks of 16. We measured development
      in 422 children by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire 3rd ed. at the end of the
      intervention. RESULTS: Compared to placebo, children who received both vitamin
      B12 and folic acid had 0.45 (95% CI 0.19, 0.73) and 0.28 (95% CI 0.02, 0.54)
      higher SD-units in the domains of gross motor and problem solving functioning,
      respectively. The effect was highest in susceptible subgroups consisting of
      stunted children, those with high plasma homocysteine (> 10 MUmol/L) or in those
      who were younger than 24 at end study. With the exception of a significant
      improvement on gross motor scores by vitamin B12 alone, supplementation of either
      vitamin alone had no effect on any of the outcomes. CONCLUSION: Our findings
      suggest that supplementation of vitamin B12 and folic acid benefit development in
      North Indian Children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00717730.

PMID- 26098429
TI  - Modified Early Warning Score Changes Prior to Cardiac Arrest in General Wards.
AB  - PURPOSE: The frequency, extent, time frame, and implications of changes to the
      modified early warning score (MEWS) in the 24 hours prior to cardiac arrest are
      not known. Our aim was to determine the prevalence and trends of the MEWS prior
      to in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) on a ward, and to evaluate the association
      between changes in the MEWS and in-hospital mortality. METHODS: A total of 501
      consecutive adult IHCA patients who were monitored and resuscitated by a medical
      emergency team on the ward were enrolled in the study between March 2009 and
      February 2013. The MEWS was calculated at 24 hours (MEWS24), 16 hours (MEWS16),
      and 8 hours (MEWS8) prior to cardiac arrest. RESULTS: Out of 380 patients, 268
      (70.5%) had a return of spontaneous circulation. The survival rate to hospital
      discharge was 25.8%. When the MEWS was divided into three risk groups (low: <=2,
      intermediate: 3-4, high: >=5), the distribution of the low-risk MEWS group
      decreased at each time point before cardiac arrest. However, even 8 hours prior
      to cardiac arrest, 45.3% of patients were still in the low MEWS group. The MEWS
      was associated with in-hospital mortality at each time point. However, increasing
      MEWS value from MEWS24 to MEWS8 was not associated with in-hospital mortality [OR
      1.24 (0.77-1.97), p = 0.38]. CONCLUSIONS: About half of patients were still in
      low MEWS group 8 hours prior to cardiac arrest and an increasing MEWS only
      occurred in 46.8% of patients, suggesting that monitoring the MEWS alone is not
      enough to predict cardiac arrest.

PMID- 26098430
TI  - Mapping Fishing Effort through AIS Data.
AB  - Several research initiatives have been undertaken to map fishing effort at high
      spatial resolution using the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). An alternative to
      the VMS is represented by the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which in the
      EU became compulsory in May 2014 for all fishing vessels of length above 15
      meters. The aim of this paper is to assess the uptake of the AIS in the EU
      fishing fleet and the feasibility of producing a map of fishing effort with high
      spatial and temporal resolution at European scale. After analysing a large AIS
      dataset for the period January-August 2014 and covering most of the EU waters, we
      show that AIS was adopted by around 75% of EU fishing vessels above 15 meters of
      length. Using the Swedish fleet as a case study, we developed a method to
      identify fishing activity based on the analysis of individual vessels' speed
      profiles and produce a high resolution map of fishing effort based on AIS data.
      The method was validated using detailed logbook data and proved to be
      sufficiently accurate and computationally efficient to identify fishing grounds
      and effort in the case of trawlers, which represent the largest portion of the EU
      fishing fleet above 15 meters of length. Issues still to be addressed before
      extending the exercise to the entire EU fleet are the assessment of coverage
      levels of the AIS data for all EU waters and the identification of fishing
      activity in the case of vessels other than trawlers. 

PMID- 26098428
TI  - Chenodeoxycholic Acid Reduces Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1alpha Protein and Its
      Target Genes.
AB  - This study evaluated HIF-1alpha inhibitors under different hypoxic conditions,
      physiological hypoxia (5% O2) and severe hypoxia (0.1% O2). We found that
      chenodeoxy cholic acid (CDCA) reduced the amount of HIF-1alpha protein only under
      physiological hypoxia but not under severe hypoxia without decreasing its mRNA
      level. By using a proteasome inhibitor MG132 and a translation inhibitor
      cyclohexamide, we showed that CDCA reduced HIF-1alpha protein by decreasing its
      translation but not by enhancing its degradation. The following findings
      indicated that farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a CDCA receptor and its target gene,
      Small heterodimer partner (SHP) are not involved in this effect of CDCA.
      Distinctly from CDCA, MG132 prevented SHP and an exogenous FXR agonist, GW4064
      from reducing HIF-1alpha protein. Furthermore a FXR antagonist, guggulsterone
      failed to prevent CDCA from decreasing HIF-1alpha protein. Furthermore,
      guggulsterone by itself reduced HIF-1alpha protein even in the presence of MG132.
      These findings suggested that CDCA and guggulsterone reduced the translation of
      HIF-1alpha in a mechanism which FXR and SHP are not involved. This study reveals
      novel therapeutic functions of traditional nontoxic drugs, CDCA and
      guggulsterone, as inhibitors of HIF-1alpha protein. 

PMID- 26098431
TI  - Nickel and iron pincer complexes as catalysts for the reduction of carbonyl
      compounds.
AB  - The reductions of aldehydes, ketones, and esters to alcohols are important
      processes for the synthesis of chemicals that are vital to our daily life, and
      the reduction of CO2 to methanol is expected to provide key technology for carbon
      management and energy storage in our future. Catalysts that affect the reduction
      of carbonyl compounds often contain ruthenium, osmium, or other precious metals.
      The high and fluctuating price, and the limited availability of these metals,
      calls for efforts to develop catalysts based on more abundant and less expensive
      first-row transition metals, such as nickel and iron. The challenge, however, is
      to identify ligand systems that can increase the thermal stability of the
      catalysts, enhance their reactivity, and bypass the one-electron pathways that
      are commonly observed for first-row transition metal complexes. Although many
      other strategies exist, this Account describes how we have utilized pincer
      ligands along with other ancillary ligands to accomplish these goals. The
      bis(phosphinite)-based pincer ligands (also known as POCOP-pincer ligands) create
      well-defined nickel hydride complexes as efficient catalysts for the
      hydrosilylation of aldehydes and ketones and the hydroboration of CO2 to methanol
      derivatives. The hydride ligands in these complexes are substantially
      nucleophilic, largely due to the enhancement by the strongly trans-influencing
      aryl groups. Under the same principle, the pincer-ligated nickel cyanomethyl
      complexes exhibit remarkably high activity (turnover numbers up to 82,000) for
      catalytically activating acetonitrile and the addition of H-CH2CN across the C?O
      bonds of aldehydes without requiring a base additive. Cyclometalation of
      bis(phosphinite)-based pincer ligands with low-valent iron species "Fe(PR3)4"
      results in diamagnetic Fe(II) hydride complexes, which are active catalysts for
      the hydrosilylation of aldehydes and ketones. Mechanistic investigation suggests
      that the hydride ligand is not delivered to the carbonyl substrates but is
      important to facilitate ligand dissociation prior to substrate activation. In the
      presence of CO, the amine-bis(phosphine)-based pincer ligands are also able to
      stabilize low-spin Fe(II) species. Iron dihydride complexes supported by these
      ligands are bifunctional as both the FeH and NH moieties participate in the
      reduction of C?O bonds. These iron pincer complexes are among the first iron
      based catalysts for the hydrogenation of esters, including fatty acid methyl
      esters, which find broad applications in industry. Our studies demonstrate that
      pincer ligands are promising candidates for promoting the first-row transition
      metal-catalyzed reduction of carbonyl compounds with high efficiency. Further
      efforts in this research area are likely to lead to more efficient and practical
      catalysts. 

PMID- 26098433
TI  - Correction: Translational Activation of Oskar mRNA: Reevaluation of the Role and
      Importance of a 5' Regulatory Element.

PMID- 26098432
TI  - Cardiac Myocyte De Novo DNA Methyltransferases 3a/3b Are Dispensable for Cardiac
      Function and Remodeling after Chronic Pressure Overload in Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies reported altered DNA methylation in failing human
      hearts. This may suggest a role for de novo DNA methylation in the development of
      heart failure. Here, we tested whether cardiomyocyte-specific loss of de novo DNA
      methyltransferases Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b altered cardiac function and remodeling
      after chronic left ventricular pressure overload. METHODS: Mice with specific
      ablation of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b expression in cardiomyocytes were generated by
      crossing floxed Dnmt3afl and Dnmt3bfl alleles with mice expressing Cre
      recombinase under control of the atrial myosin light chain gene promoter. The
      efficacy of combined Dnmt3a/3b ablation (DKO) was characterized on cardiomyocyte
      specific genomic DNA and mRNA levels. Cardiac phenotyping was carried out without
      (sham) or with left ventricular pressure overload induced by transverse aortic
      constriction (TAC). Under similar conditions, cardiac genome-wide transcriptional
      profiling was performed and DNA methylation levels of promoters of differentially
      regulated genes were assessed by pyrosequencing. RESULTS: DKO cardiomyocytes
      showed virtual absence of targeted Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b mRNA transcripts. Cardiac
      phenotyping revealed no significant differences between DKO and control mice
      under sham and TAC conditions. Transcriptome analyses identified upregulation of
      44 and downregulation of 9 genes in DKO as compared with control sham mice. TAC
      mice showed similar changes with substantial overlap of regulated genes compared
      to sham. Promoters of upregulated genes were largely unmethylated in DKO compared
      to control mice. CONCLUSION: The absence of cardiac pathology in the presence of
      the predicted molecular phenotype suggests that de novo DNA methylation in
      cardiomyocytes is dispensable for adaptive mechanisms after chronic cardiac
      pressure overload.

PMID- 26098435
TI  - Targeting the VEGF pathway in metastatic bladder cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bladder cancer represents 7% of all new cancers diagnosed in the
      USA in 2015. Furthermore, the mortality of metastatic bladder cancer has not
      decreased substantially in the last four decades. Angiogenesis is known to play a
      major role in the pathogenesis of bladder cancer. AREAS COVERED: The following
      article provides an overview of the first results of agents targeting the VEGF
      pathway in the treatment of metastatic bladder cancer. EXPERT OPINION: Despite a
      few clinical trials providing preliminary encouraging results, the overall
      outcomes of the first published trials have been rather disappointing. In some
      instances, especially the case of trials which have investigated the use of new
      targeted agents as a single agent, no significant improvement in outcomes was
      seen, or was not sustained. In other cases, such as with combination trials,
      intolerable adverse effects have compromised the trials, due to overlapping
      toxicity between the targeted agent and chemotherapeutic agent(s). Further trials
      are warranted possibly combining different targeted agents or the use of
      sequential therapy. A better selection of the patient population may also be a
      key factor to improve patient outcomes, as many predictive factors of response
      seem to have already been identified.

PMID- 26098437
TI  - Monosynaptic convergence of somatic and visceral C-fiber afferents on projection
      and local circuit neurons in lamina I: a substrate for referred pain.
AB  - Referred pain is a phenomenon of feeling pain at a site other than the site of
      the painful stimulus origin. It arises from a pathological mixing of nociceptive
      processing pathways for visceral and somatic inputs. Despite numerous studies
      based on unit recordings from spinal and supraspinal neurons, the exact mechanism
      and site of this mixing within the central nervous system are not known. Here, we
      selectively recorded from lamina I neurons, using a visually guided patch-clamp
      technique, in thoracic spinal cord preparation with preserved intercostal
      (somatic) and splanchnic (visceral) nerves. We show that somatic and visceral C
      fibers converge monosynaptically onto a group of lamina I neurons, which includes
      both projection and local circuit neurons. Other groups of lamina I neurons
      received inputs from either somatic or visceral afferents. We have also
      identified a population of lamina I local circuit neurons showing overall
      inhibitory responses upon stimulation of both nerves. Thus, the present data
      allow us to draw two major conclusions. First, lamina I of the spinal cord is the
      first site in the central nervous system where somatic and visceral pathways
      directly converge onto individual projection and local circuit neurons. Second,
      the mechanism of somatovisceral convergence is complex and based on functional
      integration of monosynaptic and polysynaptic excitatory as well as inhibitory
      inputs in specific groups of neurons. This complex pattern of convergence
      provides a substrate for alterations in the balance between visceral and somatic
      inputs causing referred pain. 

PMID- 26098438
TI  - Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1 is involved in spinal nociceptive
      plasticity.
AB  - Activation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase, and consequent production of nitric
      oxide (NO), contributes to spinal hyperexcitability and enhanced pain sensation.
      All NOS isoforms are inhibited endogenously by asymmetric dimethylarginine, which
      itself is metabolised by dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH).
      Inhibition of DDAH can indirectly attenuate NO production by elevating asymmetric
      dimethylarginine concentrations. Here, we show that the DDAH-1 isoform is
      constitutively active in the nervous system, specifically in the spinal dorsal
      horn. DDAH-1 was found to be expressed in sensory neurons within both the dorsal
      root ganglia and spinal dorsal horn; L-291 (NG-[2-Methoxyethyl]-L-arginine methyl
      ester), a DDAH-1 inhibitor, reduced NO synthesis in cultured dorsal root ganglia
      neurons. Spinal application of L-291 decreased N-methyl-D-aspartate-dependent
      postdischarge and windup of dorsal horn sensory neurons--2 measures of spinal
      hyperexcitability. Finally, spinal application of L-291 reduced both neuronal and
      behavioral measures of formalin-induced central sensitization. Thus, DDAH-1 may
      be a potential therapeutic target in neuronal disorders, such as chronic pain,
      where elevated NO is a contributing factor.

PMID- 26098439
TI  - Deficits in pain perception in borderline personality disorder: results from the
      thermal grill illusion.
AB  - It is well documented that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized
      by reduced pain sensitivity, which might be related to nonsuicidal self-injury
      and dissociative experiences in patients with BPD. However, it remains an open
      question whether this insensitivity relies at least partly on altered sensory
      integration or on an altered evaluation of pain or a combination of both. In this
      study, we used the thermal grill illusion (TGI), describing a painful sensation
      induced by the application of alternating cold and warm nonnoxious stimuli, in
      patients with either current or remitted BPD as well as matched healthy controls.
      Two additional conditions, applying warm or cold temperatures only, served as
      control. We further assessed thermal perception, discrimination, and pain
      thresholds. We found significantly reduced heat and cold pain thresholds for the
      current BPD group, as well as reduced cold pain thresholds for the remitted BPD
      group, as compared with the HC group. Current BPD patients perceived a less
      intense TGI in terms of induced pain and unpleasantness, while their general
      ability to perceive this kind of illusion seemed to be unaffected. Thermal grill
      illusion magnitude was negatively correlated with dissociation and traumatization
      only in the current BPD patients. These results indicate that higher-order pain
      perception is altered in current BPD, which seems to normalize after remission.
      We discuss these findings against the background of neurophysiological evidence
      for the TGI in general and reduced pain sensitivity in BPD and suggest a
      relationship to alterations in N-methyl-D-aspartate neurotransmission. 

PMID- 26098440
TI  - Primary preventive effects of a multifaceted workplace intervention on low back
      pain.

PMID- 26098441
TI  - Neonatal vaginal irritation results in long-term visceral and somatic
      hypersensitivity and increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis output in
      female mice.
AB  - Experiencing early life stress or injury increases a woman's likelihood of
      developing vulvodynia and concomitant dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary
      adrenal (HPA) axis. To investigate the outcome of neonatal vaginal irritation
      (NVI), female mouse pups were administered intravaginal zymosan on postnatal days
      8 and 10 and were assessed as adults for vaginal hypersensitivity by measuring
      the visceromotor response to vaginal balloon distension (VBD). Western blotting
      and calcium imaging were performed to measure transient receptor potential
      ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) and vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) in the vagina and innervating primary
      sensory neurons. Serum corticosterone (CORT), mast cell degranulation, and
      corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRF1) expression were measured as
      indicators of peripheral HPA axis activation. Colorectal and hind paw sensitivity
      were measured to determine cross-sensitization resulting from NVI. Adult NVI mice
      had significantly larger visceromotor response during VBD than naive mice. TRPA1
      protein expression was significantly elevated in the vagina, and calcium
      transients evoked by mustard oil (TRPA1 ligand) or capsaicin (TRPV1 ligand) were
      significantly decreased in dorsal root ganglion from NVI mice, despite displaying
      increased depolarization-evoked calcium transients. Serum CORT, vaginal mast cell
      degranulation, and CRF1 protein expression were all significantly increased in
      NVI mice, as were colorectal and hind paw mechanical and thermal sensitivity.
      Neonatal treatment with a CRF1 antagonist, NBI 35965, immediately before zymosan
      administration largely attenuated many of the effects of NVI. These results
      suggest that NVI produces chronic hypersensitivity of the vagina, as well as of
      adjacent visceral and distant somatic structures, driven in part by increased HPA
      axis activation. 

PMID- 26098442
TI  - Altered pain modulation in patients with persistent postendodontic pain.
AB  - Persistent pain may follow nerve injuries associated with invasive therapeutic
      interventions. About 3% to 7% of the patients remain with chronic pain after
      endodontic treatment, and these are described as suffering from painful
      posttraumatic trigeminal neuropathy (PTTN). Unfortunately, we are unable to
      identify which patients undergoing such procedures are at increased risk of
      developing PTTN. Recent findings suggest that impaired endogenous analgesia may
      be associated with the development of postsurgical chronic pain. We hypothesized
      that patients with PTTN display pronociceptive pain modulation, in line with
      other chronic pain disorders. Dynamic (conditioned pain modulation, temporal
      summation) and static (response to mechanical and cold stimulation)
      psychophysical tests were performed intraorally and in the forearm of 27 patients
      with PTTN and 27 sex- and age-matched controls. The dynamic sensory testing
      demonstrated less efficient conditioned pain modulation, suggesting reduced
      function of the inhibitory endogenous pain-modulatory system, in patients with
      PTTN, mainly in those suffering from the condition for more than a year. The
      static sensory testing of patients with PTTN demonstrated forearm hyperalgesia to
      mechanical stimulation mainly in patients suffering from the condition for less
      than a year and prolonged painful sensation after intraoral cold stimulus mainly
      in patients suffering from the condition for more than a year. These findings
      suggest that PTTN is associated more with the inhibitory rather than the
      facilitatory arm of pain modulation and that the central nervous system has a
      role in PTTN pathophysiology, possibly in a time-dependent fashion. 

PMID- 26098443
TI  - Fluarix quadrivalent vaccine for influenza.
AB  - Influenza A and B infections cause significant morbidity and mortality. Over the
      past 30 years, two main influenza B strains have been circulating globally. The
      trivalent influenza vaccine used in the last 25 years contains one B strain, with
      approximately 31% of B strain disease coverage over the last 10 years. Fluarix
      quadrivalent vaccine, containing two A and two B strains, combines the components
      of two existing trivalent vaccines to prevent this mismatch. This review gives an
      overview of the published data about Fluarix quadrivalent vaccines, showing an
      immunogenicity and safety profile of the vaccine comparable with the two licensed
      trivalent vaccines containing the same strains, but with no evidence for efficacy
      in the literature. Future vaccines aim for a universal influenza vaccine that
      will give a long-lasting protection against all influenza strains. 

PMID- 26098444
TI  - Retinal arteriolar narrowing is associated with a 4-year risk of incident
      metabolic syndrome.
AB  - We aimed to determine whether retinal microvascular changes in vessel calibers at
      baseline are associated with the future risk of developing the metabolic syndrome
      over 4 years in an adult cohort of Japanese individuals (n=90) who attended a
      health-screening program. Retinal vessel caliber was calculated as the central
      retinal artery equivalent and vein equivalent (CRAE) from non-mydriatic digital
      fundus images using semiautomated standardized software. There were 18 cases
      (20%) that developed metabolic syndrome over 4 years. Narrower arteriolar caliber
      at baseline was associated with an increased risk of incident metabolic syndrome
      over 4 years after adjusting for potential confounding risk factors including
      individual cardiovascular risk factors related to the metabolic syndrome
      (adjusted odds ratio per 1 s.d. change in CRAE: 2.92, 95% confidence interval
      1.03, 8.24; P=0.043). Persons with wider venular caliber at baseline were more
      likely to have incident metabolic syndrome, but this was not statistically
      significant. Retinal vascular caliber might provide independent and useful
      information to predict incident metabolic syndrome in a health screening program.

PMID- 26098445
TI  - Implications of iron deficiency/anemia on the classification of diabetes using
      HbA1c.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Nonglycemic factors like iron deficiency (ID) or anemia
      may interfere with classification of diabetes and prediabetes using hemoglobin
      A1c (HbA1c). However, few population-based studies of diabetes in areas with
      endemic ID/anemia have been conducted. We aimed to determine how mutually
      exclusive categories of ID alone, anemia alone and iron-deficiency anemia (IDA)
      were each associated with prediabetes and diabetes prevalence using fasting blood
      glucose (FBG) versus HbA1c in a population-based study of adults with endemic
      ID/anemia. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We used data from the China Health and Nutrition
      Survey, a longitudinal, population-based study across 228 communities within nine
      provinces of China. This analysis included 7308 adults seen in the 2009 survey
      aged 18-75 years. We used descriptive and covariate-adjusted models to examine
      relative risk of prediabetes and diabetes using FBG alone, HbA1c alone, HbA1c and
      FBG, or neither (normoglycemia) by anemia alone, ID alone, IDA or normal
      iron/hemoglobin. RESULTS: Approximately 65% of individuals with diabetes in our
      sample were concordantly classified with diabetes using both FBG and HbA1c, while
      35% had a discordant diabetes classification: they were classified using either
      FBG or HbA1c, but not both. Fewer participants with ID alone versus normal
      iron/hemoglobin were classified with diabetes using HbA1c only. From covariate
      adjusted, multinomial regression analyses, the adjusted prevalence of prediabetes
      using HbA1c only was 22% for men with anemia alone, but 13% for men with normal
      iron/hemoglobin. In contrast, the predicted prevalence of prediabetes using HbA1c
      only was 8% for women with ID alone, compared with 13% for women with normal
      iron/hemoglobin. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest potential misclassification
      of diabetes using HbA1c in areas of endemic ID/anemia. Estimating diabetes
      prevalence using HbA1c may result in under-diagnosis in women with ID and over
      diagnosis in men with anemia.

PMID- 26098446
TI  - The endocannabinoid anandamide during lactation increases body fat content and
      CB1 receptor levels in mice adipose tissue.
AB  - Type 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1R) modulate energy balance; thus, their
      premature activation may result in altered physiology of tissues involved in such
      a function. Activation of CB1R mainly occurs after binding to the endocannabinoid
      Anandamide (AEA). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of AEA
      treatment during lactation on epididymal and body fat content, in addition to
      CB1R protein level at weaning. With this purpose, male mice pups were orally
      treated with AEA (20 MUg g(-1) body weight) or vehicle during lactation. Mice (21
      days old) were killed and epididymal fat was extracted to evaluate its amount,
      adipocyte size and CB1R protein levels by western blot analysis. Total body fat
      percentage was also evaluated. Anandamide-treated mice showed an increased body
      fat content at 21 and 150 days of age. Moreover, epididymal adipose tissue
      amount, adipocyte size and CB1R protein levels were higher in the AEA-treated
      group. This in vivo study shows for the first time that a progressive increase in
      body fat accumulation can be programmed in early stages of life by oral treatment
      with the endocannabinoid AEA, a fact associated with an increased amount of
      epididymal fat pads and a higher expression of CB1R in this tissue. 

PMID- 26098447
TI  - Analysis of intronic and exonic reads in RNA-seq data characterizes
      transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation.
AB  - RNA-seq experiments generate reads derived not only from mature RNA transcripts
      but also from pre-mRNA. Here we present a computational approach called exon
      intron split analysis (EISA) that measures changes in mature RNA and pre-mRNA
      reads across different experimental conditions to quantify transcriptional and
      post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. We apply EISA to 17 diverse
      data sets to show that most intronic reads arise from nuclear RNA and changes in
      intronic read counts accurately predict changes in transcriptional activity.
      Furthermore, changes in post-transcriptional regulation can be predicted from
      differences between exonic and intronic changes. EISA reveals both
      transcriptional and post-transcriptional contributions to expression changes,
      increasing the amount of information that can be gained from RNA-seq data sets.

PMID- 26098448
TI  - Transient acquisition of pluripotency during somatic cell transdifferentiation
      with iPSC reprogramming factors.
AB  - Somatic cells can be transdifferentiated to other cell types without passing
      through a pluripotent state by ectopic expression of appropriate transcription
      factors. Recent reports have proposed an alternative transdifferentiation method
      in which fibroblasts are directly converted to various mature somatic cell types
      by brief expression of the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) reprogramming
      factors Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc (OSKM) followed by cell expansion in media
      that promote lineage differentiation. Here we test this method using genetic
      lineage tracing for expression of endogenous Nanog and Oct4 and for X chromosome
      reactivation, as these events mark acquisition of pluripotency. We show that the
      vast majority of reprogrammed cardiomyocytes or neural stem cells obtained from
      mouse fibroblasts by OSKM-induced 'transdifferentiation' pass through a transient
      pluripotent state, and that their derivation is molecularly coupled to iPSC
      formation mechanisms. Our findings underscore the importance of defining
      trajectories during cell reprogramming by various methods. 

PMID- 26098449
TI  - Optogenetics for in vivo cardiac pacing and resynchronization therapies.
AB  - Abnormalities in the specialized cardiac conduction system may result in slow
      heart rate or mechanical dyssynchrony. Here we apply optogenetics, widely used to
      modulate neuronal excitability, for cardiac pacing and resynchronization. We used
      adeno-associated virus (AAV) 9 to express the Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) transgene
      at one or more ventricular sites in rats. This allowed optogenetic pacing of the
      hearts at different beating frequencies with blue-light illumination both in vivo
      and in isolated perfused hearts. Optical mapping confirmed that the source of the
      new pacemaker activity was the site of ChR2 transgene delivery. Notably, diffuse
      illumination of hearts where the ChR2 transgene was delivered to several
      ventricular sites resulted in electrical synchronization and significant
      shortening of ventricular activation times. These findings highlight the unique
      potential of optogenetics for cardiac pacing and resynchronization therapies. 

PMID- 26098450
TI  - Lineage conversion induced by pluripotency factors involves transient passage
      through an iPSC stage.
AB  - Brief expression of pluripotency-associated factors such as Oct4, Klf4, Sox2 and
      c-Myc (OKSM), in combination with differentiation-inducing signals, has been
      reported to trigger transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into other cell types.
      Here we show that OKSM expression in mouse fibroblasts gives rise to both induced
      pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) under
      conditions previously shown to induce only iNSCs. Fibroblast-derived iNSC
      colonies silenced retroviral transgenes and reactivated silenced X chromosomes,
      both hallmarks of pluripotent stem cells. Moreover, lineage tracing with an Oct4
      CreER labeling system demonstrated that virtually all iNSC colonies originated
      from cells transiently expressing Oct4, whereas ablation of Oct4(+) cells
      prevented iNSC formation. Lastly, an alternative transdifferentiation cocktail
      that lacks Oct4 and was reportedly unable to support induced pluripotency yielded
      iPSCs and iNSCs carrying the Oct4-CreER-derived lineage label. Together, these
      data suggest that iNSC generation from fibroblasts using OKSM and other
      pluripotency-related reprogramming factors requires passage through a transient
      iPSC state. 

PMID- 26098451
TI  - Kinetic fingerprinting to identify and count single nucleic acids.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising diagnostic biomarkers. We introduce
      a kinetic fingerprinting approach called single-molecule recognition through
      equilibrium Poisson sampling (SiMREPS) for the amplification-free counting of
      single unlabeled miRNA molecules, which circumvents thermodynamic limits of
      specificity and virtually eliminates false positives. We demonstrate high
      confidence, single-molecule detection of synthetic and endogenous miRNAs in both
      buffer and minimally treated biofluids, as well as >500-fold discrimination
      between single nucleotide polymorphisms. 

PMID- 26098452
TI  - Impact of Biofuel Poplar Cultivation on Ground-Level Ozone and Premature Human
      Mortality Depends on Cultivar Selection and Planting Location.
AB  - Isoprene and other volatile organic compounds emitted from vegetation play a key
      role in governing the formation of ground-level ozone. Emission rates of such
      compounds depend critically on the plant species. The cultivation of biofuel
      feedstocks will contribute to future land use change, altering the distribution
      of plant species and hence the magnitude and distribution of emissions. Here we
      use relationships between biomass yield and isoprene emissions derived from
      experimental data for 29 commercially available poplar hybrids to assess the
      impact that the large-scale cultivation of poplar for use as a biofuel feedstock
      will have on air quality, specifically ground-level ozone concentrations, in
      Europe. We show that the increases in ground-level ozone across Europe will
      increase the number of premature deaths attributable to ozone pollution each year
      by up to 6%. Substantial crop losses (up to ~9 Mt y(-1) of wheat and maize) are
      also projected. We further demonstrate that these impacts are strongly dependent
      on the location of the poplar plantations, due to the prevailing meteorology, the
      population density, and the dominant crop type of the region. Our findings
      indicate the need for a concerted and centralized decision-making process that
      considers all aspects of future land use change in Europe, and not just the
      effect on greenhouse gas emissions. 

PMID- 26098453
TI  - Tandem Alkyne Hydroacylation and Oxo-Michael Addition: Diastereoselective
      Synthesis of 2,3-Disubstituted Chroman-4-ones and Fluorinated Derivatives.
AB  - Tandem reactions involving Rh-catalyzed intermolecular hydroacylations of alkynes
      with salicylaldehydes followed by intramolecular oxo-Michael additions are
      described for the diastereoselective synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted chroman-4
      ones. The tandem hydroacylation/oxo-Michael additions occur to form 2,3
      disubstituted chroman-4-ones in high yields from a range of 1,2-disubstituted
      acetylenes and substituted salicylaldehyes. The resulting 2,3-disubstituted
      chroman-4-ones are readily fluorinated to form trans-3-fluoro-2,3-disubstituted
      chroman-4-ones in high yields with excellent diastereoselectivity. 

PMID- 26098455
TI  - Personal discrimination and satisfaction with life: Exploring perceived
      functional effects of Asian American race/ethnicity as a moderator.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to understand the relations between experiences of
      racial/ethnic discrimination, perceptions of the harmful or helpful effects of
      one's Asian American race/ethnicity within educational and occupational contexts
      (perceived functional effects), and well-being (i.e., satisfaction with life). A
      primary focus was to evaluate whether the association between racial/ethnic
      discrimination and satisfaction with life varied based on the degree to which
      Asian Americans believe that their race or ethnicity is helpful or harmful to
      educational and occupational functioning. METHOD: This study draws on nationally
      representative data from ethnically diverse Asian American adults (N = 3,335) and
      utilizes weighted descriptive, correlational, and logistic regression moderation
      analyses. RESULTS: Ethnic variations emerged across analyses. Logistic regression
      analyses revealed a significant moderation effect for Chinese and Filipino
      Americans. Follow-up analyses revealed a protective effect of perceiving more
      positive or helpful functional effects in nullifying the link between
      discrimination and dissatisfaction with life for Chinese Americans. By contrast,
      viewing more harmful functional effects had a buffering effect for Filipino
      Americans. CONCLUSIONS: Results have implications for conceptualizing the
      potential impact of perspectives that imply Asian American advantage or
      disadvantage. Opportunities to apply and extend these initial findings are
      discussed.

PMID- 26098454
TI  - Help-seeking intentions among Asian American and White American students in
      psychological distress: Application of the health belief model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Underutilization of needed mental health services continues to be the
      major mental health disparity affecting Asian Americans (Sue, Cheng, Saad, & Chu,
      2012). The goal of this study was to apply a social psychological theoretical
      framework-the health belief model (Rosenstock, 1966)-to understand potential
      reasons why Asian Americans underutilize mental health services relative to White
      Americans. METHOD: Using a cross-sectional online questionnaire, this study
      examined how perceived severity of symptoms, perceived susceptibility to mental
      health problems, perceived benefits of treatment, and perceived barriers to
      treatment influenced intentions to seek help among a sample of 395 Asian American
      and 261 White American students experiencing elevated levels of psychological
      distress. RESULTS: Analyses using structural equation modeling indicated that
      Asian Americans in distress had relatively lower intentions to seek help compared
      with White Americans. Perceived benefits partially accounted for differences in
      help-seeking intentions. Although Asian Americans perceived greater barriers to
      help seeking than did White Americans, this did not significantly explain
      racial/ethnic differences in help-seeking intentions. Perceived severity and
      barriers were related to help-seeking intentions in both groups. CONCLUSIONS:
      Outreach efforts that particularly emphasize the benefits of seeking mental
      health services may be a particularly promising approach to address
      underutilization. The findings have implications in help-seeking promotion and
      outreach. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26098456
TI  - The privilege and burden of peer review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Peer review is a core value and method of quality control in
      psychological research, academic psychology, and other disciplines, but little is
      known about the peer-reviewing behavior of ethnic minority reviewers in
      particular. The purpose of this study was to examine the self-identified
      ethnicity of those invited to peer review articles for 76 journals that utilized
      the American Psychological Association's Journals Back Office (JBO) system from
      2003 to 2012. It was hypothesized that a modest increase in the ratio of requests
      for reviews from self-identified ethnic minority reviewers would be observed over
      time, that self-identified ethnic minority reviewers would be less likely to
      refuse a review request than those who do not self-identify as an ethnic
      minority, and finally that increases in reviewer burden would be evident in
      significant increases in declines to requests by all reviewers. METHOD: Reviewer
      requests and responses were examined among the 76 journals that used the JBO
      system over a 10-year period. RESULTS: Using hierarchical linear models, the
      percentage of review invitations extended to ethnic minorities was found to
      significantly increase over time: Initially, an estimated 8.34% of review
      requests were made to ethnic minority reviewers, and that percentage increased an
      average of 0.41% per year. CONCLUSIONS: Ethnic minority reviewers were
      significantly less likely to refuse a review request than ethnic majority
      reviewers. Results are discussed in terms of perceived pressure to demonstrate
      scholastic impact and the disproportionate service burden often borne by ethnic
      minority psychologists.

PMID- 26098457
TI  - Incidence of Internal Mammary Lymph Nodes with Silicone Breast Implants at MR
      Imaging after Oncoplastic Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the incidence of benign and malignant internal mammary lymph
      nodes (IMLNs) at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging among women with a history of
      treated breast cancer and silicone implant reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The institutional review board approved this HIPAA-compliant retrospective study
      and waived informed consent. Women were identified who (a) had breast cancer, (b)
      underwent silicone implant oncoplastic surgery, and (c) underwent postoperative
      implant-protocol MR imaging with or without positron emission tomography
      (PET)/computed tomography (CT) between 2000 and 2013. The largest IMLNs were
      measured. A benign IMLN was pathologically proven or defined as showing 1 year of
      imaging stability and/or no clinical evidence of disease. Malignant IMLNs were
      pathologically proven. Incidence of IMLN and positive predictive value (PPV) were
      calculated on a per-patient level by using proportions and exact 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs). The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to assess the difference in
      axis size. RESULTS: In total, 923 women with breast cancer and silicone implants
      were included (median age, 46 years; range, 22-89 years). The median time between
      reconstructive surgery and first MR imaging examination was 49 months (range, 5
      513 months). Of the 923 women, 347 (37.6%) had IMLNs at MR imaging. Median short-
      and long-axis measurements were 0.40 cm (range, 0.20-1.70 cm) and 0.70 cm (range,
      0.30-1.90 cm), respectively. Two hundred seven of 923 patients (22.4%) had
      adequate follow-up; only one of the 207 IMLNs was malignant, with a PPV of 0.005
      (95% CI: 0.000, 0.027). Fifty-eight of 923 patients (6.3%) had undergone PET/CT;
      of these, 39 (67.2%) had IMLN at MR imaging. Twelve of the 58 patients (20.7%)
      with adequate follow-up had fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose-avid IMLN, with a
      median standardized uptake value of 2.30 (range, 1.20-6.10). Only one of the 12
      of the fluorodeoxyglucose-avid IMLNs was malignant, with a PPV of 0.083 (95% CI:
      0.002, 0.385). CONCLUSION: IMLNs identified at implant-protocol breast MR imaging
      after oncoplastic surgery for breast cancer are overwhelmingly more likely to be
      benign than malignant. Imaging follow-up instead of immediate metastatic work-up
      may be warranted.

PMID- 26098458
TI  - Prostate Cancer: Interobserver Agreement and Accuracy with the Revised Prostate
      Imaging Reporting and Data System at Multiparametric MR Imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate accuracy and interobserver variability with the use of the
      Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) version 2.0 for detection of
      prostate cancer at multiparametric magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in a biopsy
      naive patient population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective HIPAA
      compliant study was approved by the local ethics committee, and written informed
      consent was obtained from all patients for use of their imaging and
      histopathologic data in future research studies. In 101 biopsy-naive patients
      with elevated prostate-specific antigen levels who underwent multiparametric MR
      imaging of the prostate and subsequent transrectal ultrasonography (US)-MR
      imaging fusion-guided biopsy, suspicious lesions detected at multiparametric MR
      imaging were scored by five readers who were blinded to pathologic results by
      using to the newly revised PI-RADS and the scoring system developed in-house.
      Interobserver agreement was evaluated by using kappa statistics, and the
      correlation of pathologic results with each of the two scoring systems was
      evaluated by using the Kendall tau correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Specimens of
      162 lesions in 94 patients were sampled by means of transrectal US-MR imaging
      fusion biopsy. Results for 87 (54%) lesions were positive for prostate cancer.
      Kendall tau values with the PI-RADS and the in-house-developed scoring system,
      respectively, at T2-weighted MR imaging in the peripheral zone were 0.51 and 0.17
      and in the transitional zone, 0.45 and -0.11; at diffusion-weighted MR imaging,
      0.42 and 0.28; at dynamic contrast material-enhanced MR imaging, 0.23 and 0.24,
      and overall suspicion scores were 0.42 and 0.49. Median kappa scores among all
      possible pairs of readers for PI-RADS and the in-house-developed scoring system,
      respectively, for T2-weighted MR images in the peripheral zone were 0.47 and
      0.15; transitional zone, 0.37 and 0.07; diffusion-weighted MR imaging, 0.41 and
      0.57; dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging, 0.48 and 0.41; and overall suspicion
      scores, 0.46 and 0.55. CONCLUSION: Use of the revised PI-RADS provides moderately
      reproducible MR imaging scores for detection of clinically relevant disease.

PMID- 26098459
TI  - Cost-Effectiveness of Carotid Plaque MR Imaging as a Stroke Risk Stratification
      Tool in Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a decision-making rule based on
      the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging assessment of intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) in
      patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two
      competing stroke prevention strategies were compared: (a) an intensive medical
      therapy-based management strategy versus (b) an imaging-based strategy in which
      the subset of patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis with IPH on MR
      images would undergo immediate carotid endarterectomy in addition to ongoing
      intensive medical therapy. Patients in the medical therapy-only group could
      undergo carotid endarterectomy only with substantial carotid artery stenosis
      disease progression. Lifetime quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and costs were
      modeled for patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis with 70%-89% and
      50%-69% carotid artery stenosis at presentation. Risks of stroke and
      complications from carotid endarterectomy, costs, and quality of life values were
      estimated from published sources. RESULTS: The medical therapy-based strategy had
      a lower life expectancy (12.65 years vs 12.95 years), lower lifetime QALYs (9.96
      years vs 10.05 years), and lower lifetime costs ($13 699 vs $15 297) when
      compared with the MR imaging IPH-based strategy. The incremental cost
      effectiveness ratio (ICER) for the MR imaging IPH strategy compared with the
      medical therapy-based strategy was $16 000 per QALY by using a base-case 70-year
      old patient. When using starting patient ages of 60 and 80 years, the ICERs for
      the MR imaging IPH strategy were $3100 per QALY and $73 000 per QALY,
      respectively. The ICERs for the MR imaging IPH strategy were slightly higher at
      all ages for 50%-69% stenosis but remained below a willingness-to-pay threshold
      of $100 000 per QALY for starting ages of 60 and 70 years. CONCLUSION: MR imaging
      IPH can be used as a cost-effective tool to identify patients with asymptomatic
      carotid artery stenosis most likely to benefit from carotid endarterectomy.

PMID- 26098460
TI  - The Diagnostic Performance of Dynamic Contrast-enhanced MR Imaging for Detection
      of Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma Measuring Up to 2 cm: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the performance of dynamic contrast material-enhanced
      magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the diagnosis of small (<=2-cm) hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) and to identify factors that influence this performance.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medline and Embase databases were searched for studies
      performed from January 2000 to March 2014 in which the performance of MR imaging
      was reported for the detection of HCC up to 2 cm on either a lesion- or patient
      based level, with sufficient data to construct 2 * 2 contingency tables.
      Diagnostic performance was quantitatively pooled for all studies by using a
      bivariate random-effects model with exploration involving subgroup analysis, meta
      regression, and determination of study heterogeneity. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies
      with 1387 small HCC lesions in 1908 patients met inclusion criteria.
      Heterogeneity was higher for sensitivity (range, 30%-99%) than specificity
      (range, 61%-100%). Overall sensitivity was 78% (95% confidence interval [CI]:
      68%, 85%; I(2) = 89%), and overall specificity was 92% (95% CI: 88%, 95%; I(2) =
      69%). The primary potential source of bias was use of explant as the reference
      standard in only 13% of studies, although lower sensitivity in such studies was
      not significant (59% vs 80%, P = .165). Sensitivities were significantly higher
      for studies that originated from Asia compared with those that originated
      elsewhere (89% vs 71%, P = .028), those performed with hepatobiliary phase
      imaging compared with those without (87% vs 65%, respectively; P = .004), and
      those in which gadoxetate disodium was used versus an extracellular agent (92% vs
      67%, P <= .001). Specificity was not significantly different between subgroups (P
      >= .122). At pairwise meta-regression analysis with either study origin from Asia
      or performance of hepatobiliary phase imaging, only gadoxetate disodium contrast
      agent showed significant independent association with higher sensitivity (P =
      .002-.007). CONCLUSION: Results of this meta-analysis suggest that dynamic
      contrast-enhanced MR imaging has moderate sensitivity and excellent specificity
      in the detection of HCC up to 2 cm. Gadoxetate disodium contrast agent showed the
      strongest association with increased sensitivity.

PMID- 26098461
TI  - Subcellular Partitioning and Analysis of Gd3+-Loaded Ultrashort Single-Walled
      Carbon Nanotubes.
AB  - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is of vast clinical utility, with tens of
      millions of scans performed annually. Chemical contrast agents (CAs) can greatly
      enhance the diagnostic potential of MRI, and ~50% of MRI scans use CAs. However,
      CAs have significant limitations such as low contrast enhancement, lack of
      specificity, and potential toxicity. Recently developed, Gd3+-loaded ultrashort
      single-walled carbon nanotubes, also referred to as gadonanotubes or GNTs,
      exhibit ~40 times the relaxivities of clinical CAs, representing a potential
      major advance in clinically relevant MRI CA materials. Although initial
      cytotoxicity and MRI studies have suggested great promise for GNTs, relatively
      little is known regarding their subcellular interactions, which are crucial for
      further, safe development of GNTs as CAs. In this work, we administered GNTs to a
      well-established human cell line (HeLa) and to murine macrophage-like cells
      (J774A.1). GNTs were not acutely cytotoxic and did not reduce proliferation,
      except for the highest exposure concentration of 27 MUg/mL for J774A.1
      macrophages, yet bulk uptake of GNTs occurred in minutes at picogram quantities,
      or millions of GNTs per cell. J774A.1 macrophages internalized substantially more
      GNTs than HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner, and Raman imaging of the
      subcellular distribution of GNTs revealed perinuclear localization. Fluorescence
      intensity and lifetime imaging demonstrated that GNTs did not grossly alter
      subcellular compartments, including filamentous-actin structures. Together, these
      results provide subcellular evidence necessary to establish GNTs as a new MRI CA
      material.

PMID- 26098462
TI  - Artificial Neural Network Approach for Differentiating Open-Angle Glaucoma From
      Glaucoma Suspect Without a Visual Field Test.
AB  - PURPOSE: To increase the effectiveness of treating open-angle glaucoma (OAG), we
      tried to find a screening method of differentiating OAG from glaucoma suspect
      (GS) without a visual field (VF) test. METHODS: Data were collected from the
      Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) conducted in
      2010. Of 8958 participants, 386 suspected OAG subjects underwent a VF test. For
      the training dataset, five OAG risk prediction models were created using
      multivariate logistic regression and an artificial neural network (ANN) with
      various clinical variables. Informative variables were selected by an algorithm
      of consistency subset evaluation, and cross validation was used to optimize
      performance. The test dataset was used subsequently to assess OAG-prediction
      performance using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver-operating
      characteristic. RESULTS: Among five OAG risk prediction models, an ANN model with
      nine noncategorized factors had the greatest AUC (0.890). It predicted OAG with
      an accuracy of 84.0%, sensitivity of 78.3%, and specificity of 85.9%. It included
      four nonophthalmologic factors (sex, age, menopause, and duration of
      hypertension) and five ophthalmologic factors (IOP, spherical equivalent
      refractive errors, vertical cup-to-disc ratio, presence of superotemporal retinal
      nerve fiber layer [RNFL] defect, and presence of inferotemporal RNFL defect).
      CONCLUSIONS: Though VF tests are considered the most important examination to
      distinguish OAG from GS, they sometimes are impractical to conduct for small
      private eye clinics and during large scale medical check-ups. The ANN approach
      may be a cost-effective screening tool for differentiating OAG patients from GS
      subjects.

PMID- 26098463
TI  - Halo and Through-Focus Performance of Four Diffractive Multifocal Intraocular
      Lenses.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare, as a function of pupil size, the through-focus performance
      and halo features of four diffractive intraocular lenses (IOLs). METHODS: Three
      diffractive bifocal IOLs (ReSTOR +2.5 D SV25T0, Tecnis +2.75 D ZKB00, and AT LISA
      +3.75 D 809M) and a diffractive trifocal IOL (AT LISA tri +3.33 D, +1.66 D 839MP)
      were tested in vitro in a modified International Organization for Standardization
      eye model. The modulation transfer function (MTF) at the IOLs' foci was obtained
      with pupils ranging from 2.0 to 5.0 mm. Through-focus MTF curves (at 50
      cycles/mm) were compared among all the IOLs. The halo formation and
      characteristics were obtained from image analysis. RESULTS: The multifocal IOLs
      studied in this work showed, at their foci, secondary out-of-focus images, which
      originate halos and whose characteristics depend on the lens design and pupil
      size. The smallest halo occurred for the distance focus of the SV25T0. The
      distance and near foci of the SV25T0 yielded, respectively, the best and lowest
      optical quality among the studied IOLs. The distance focus of the ZKB00, AT LISA,
      and AT LISA tri were of similar quality, but the near focus of the ZKB00
      outperformed the near foci of the rest of the IOLs. The IOLs' optical performance
      gradually deteriorates as pupil increases. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in the design
      of the diffractive IOLs translate into differences in optical quality at their
      foci, through-focus performance, and halo features, which can offer further
      information to surgeons when selecting which IOL to implant.

PMID- 26098464
TI  - Quantitative Comparison of Retinal Capillary Images Derived By Speckle Variance
      Optical Coherence Tomography With Histology.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to correlate human retinal capillary
      network information derived from a prototype speckle variance optical coherence
      tomography (svOCT) device with histology to determine the utility of this
      instrument for quantitative angiography. METHODS: A retina location 3 mm superior
      to the optic disk was imaged with svOCT in 14 healthy human eyes. Qualitative and
      quantitative features of capillary networks, including capillary diameter and
      density, were compared with perfusion-labeled histological specimens from the
      same eccentricity. Twelve human donor eyes with no history of eye disease were
      used for histological comparisons. RESULTS: svOCT was able to clearly distinguish
      the morphological features of the nerve fiber layer capillary network, the
      retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer capillary network, the capillary network at the
      border of the inner plexiform layer and superficial boundary of the inner nuclear
      layer, and the capillary network at the boundary of the deep inner nuclear layer
      and outer plexiform layer. The morphological features of these networks were
      highly comparable to those in previous histological studies. There were no
      statistical differences in mean capillary diameter between svOCT images and
      histology for all networks other than the RGC capillary network. Capillary
      density measurements were significantly greater in svOCT images, except in the
      RGC capillary network. CONCLUSIONS: svOCT has the capacity to provide histology
      like anatomical information about human retinal capillary networks in vivo. It
      may have great potential as a research and diagnostic tool in the management of
      retinal vascular diseases. Further work is required to clarify the cause of some
      quantitative differences between svOCT and histology.

PMID- 26098465
TI  - An Assessment of Dynamic Retinal Microvascular Changes in Healthy Subjects.

PMID- 26098466
TI  - Two Subtypes of Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy: Idiopathic Disease or Age
      Related Macular Degeneration.

PMID- 26098468
TI  - Layer-Specific Manganese-Enhanced MRI of the Diabetic Rat Retina in Light and
      Dark Adaptation at 11.7 Tesla.
AB  - PURPOSE: To employ high-resolution manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) to study
      abnormal calcium activity in different cell layers in streptozotocin-induced
      diabetic rat retinas, and to determine whether MEMRI detects changes at earlier
      time points than previously reported. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were studied
      14 days (n = 8) and 30 days (n = 5) after streptozotocin (STZ) or vehicle (n = 7)
      injection. Manganese-enhanced MRI at 20 * 20 * 700 MUm, in which contrast is
      based on manganese as a calcium analogue and an MRI contrast agent, was obtained
      in light and dark adaptation of the retina in the same animals in which one eye
      was covered and the fellow eye was not. The MEMRI activity encoding of the light
      and dark adaptation was achieved in awake conditions and imaged under anesthesia.
      RESULTS: Manganese-enhanced MRI showed three layers, corresponding to the inner
      retina, outer retina, and the choroid. In normal animals, the outer retina showed
      higher MEMRI activity in dark compared to light; the inner retina displayed lower
      activity in dark compared to light; and the choroid showed no difference in
      activity. Manganese-enhanced MRI activity changed as early as 14 days after
      hyperglycemia and decreased with duration of hyperglycemia in the outer retina in
      dark relative to light adaptation. The choroid also had altered MEMRI activity at
      14 days, which returned to normal by 30 days. No differences in MEMRI activity
      were detected in the inner retina. CONCLUSIONS: Manganese-enhanced MRI detects
      progressive reduction in calcium activity with duration of hyperglycemia in the
      outer retina as early as 14 days after hyperglycemia, earlier than any other time
      point reported in the literature.

PMID- 26098467
TI  - African Ancestry Analysis and Admixture Genetic Mapping for Proliferative
      Diabetic Retinopathy in African Americans.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between proportion of African ancestry (PAA)
      and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and to identify genetic loci
      associated with PDR using admixture mapping in African Americans with type 2
      diabetes (T2D). METHODS: Between 1993 and 2013, 1440 participants enrolled in
      four different studies had fundus photographs graded using the Early Treatment
      Diabetic Retinopathy Study scale. Cases (n = 305) had PDR while controls (n =
      1135) had nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR) or no DR. Covariates
      included diabetes duration, hemoglobin A1C, systolic blood pressure, income, and
      education. Genotyping was performed on the Affymetrix platform. The association
      between PAA and PDR was evaluated using logistic regression. Genome-wide
      admixture scanning was performed using ANCESTRYMAP software. RESULTS: In the
      univariate analysis, PDR was associated with increased PAA (odds ratio [OR] =
      1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.16-1.59, P = 0.0002). In multivariate
      regression adjusting for traditional DR risk factors, income and education, the
      association between PAA and PDR was attenuated and no longer significant (OR =
      1.21, 95% CI = 0.59-2.47, P = 0.61). For the admixture analyses, the maximum
      genome-wide score was 1.44 on chromosome 1. CONCLUSIONS: In this largest study of
      PDR in African Americans with T2D to date, an association between PAA and PDR is
      not present after adjustment for clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic
      factors. No genome-wide significant locus (defined as having a locus-genome
      statistic > 5) was identified with admixture analysis. Further analyses with even
      larger sample sizes are needed to definitively assess if any admixture signal for
      DR is present.

PMID- 26098470
TI  - Role of Endothelium in Abnormal Cannabidiol-Induced Vasoactivity in Retinal
      Arterioles.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cannabinoids have been reported to mediate changes in vascular
      resistance through endothelial receptor targets. We examined involvement of the
      endothelium in cannabinoid-mediated vasoactive responses in resistance arterioles
      of the retina. METHODS: Vascular responses to both intraluminal (IL) and
      extraluminal (EL) administration of the atypical cannabinoid, abnormal
      cannabidiol (abn-CBD), a prototypical agonist at the non-CB1/CB2 endothelial
      cannabinoid receptor (CBeR), were studied in endothelial intact and endothelial
      denuded, isolated perfused porcine retinal arterioles with and without endothelin
      1 (ET-1) precontraction. The effects of AM251, a CB1 receptor antagonist, and O
      1918, an analog of CBD reported to antagonize CBeR, were also studied. RESULTS:
      Dose-dependent vasocontractile responses were induced by both IL and EL
      administration of abn-CBD in the absence of precontraction. Significantly greater
      vasoconstriction was induced by IL administration of abn-CBD than with EL
      administration. In contrast, only vasodilation to abn-CBD was observed in ET-1
      precontracted retinal arterioles. Endothelium removal significantly reduced abn
      CBD-induced vasoactivity when abn-CBD was used IL but not when applied EL. IL abn
      CBD-induced vasoactivity was antagonized by O-1918 and AM251. CONCLUSIONS:
      Cannabinoids show complex vasoactive actions in isolated perfused retinal
      arterioles. The fact that abn-CBD-mediated vasorelaxation was seen only in
      precontracted retinal vessels indicates that the abn-CBD-induced vasoactive
      response is highly dependent on vascular tone. Furthermore, IL and EL
      administration produced differential responses, and removal of endothelium
      blunted abn-CBD vasoactivity, highlighting the critical role of endothelium in
      abn-CBD vasoactivity. AM251 and O-1918 inhibition of abn-CBD-induced vasoactivity
      suggests the possibility of modulating abn-CBD-induced vasoactivity.

PMID- 26098469
TI  - A Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Human Asymptomatic CD8+ T-Cell Epitopes-Based
      Vaccine Protects Against Ocular Herpes in a "Humanized" HLA Transgenic Rabbit
      Model.
AB  - PURPOSE: A clinical vaccine that protects from ocular herpes simplex virus type 1
      (HSV-1) infection and disease still is lacking. In the present study, preclinical
      vaccine trials of nine asymptomatic (ASYMP) peptides, selected from HSV-1
      glycoproteins B (gB), and tegument proteins VP11/12 and VP13/14, were performed
      in the "humanized" HLA-transgenic rabbit (HLA-Tg rabbit) model of ocular herpes.
      We recently reported that these peptides are highly recognized by CD8+ T cells
      from "naturally" protected HSV-1-seropositive healthy ASYMP individuals (who have
      never had clinical herpes disease). METHODS: Mixtures of three ASYMP CD8+ T-cell
      peptides derived from either HSV-1 gB, VP11/12, or VP13/14 were delivered
      subcutaneously to different groups of HLA-Tg rabbits (n = 10) in incomplete
      Freund's adjuvant, twice at 15-day intervals. The frequency and function of HSV-1
      epitope-specific CD8+ T cells induced by these peptides and their protective
      efficacy, in terms of survival, virus replication in the eye, and ocular herpetic
      disease were assessed after an ocular challenge with HSV-1 (strain McKrae).
      RESULTS: All mixtures elicited strong and polyfunctional IFN-gamma- and TNF-alpha
      producing CD107+CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, associated with a significant reduction
      in death, ocular herpes infection, and disease (P < 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: The
      results of this preclinical trial support the screening strategy used to select
      the HSV-1 ASYMP CD8+ T-cell epitopes, emphasize their valuable immunogenic and
      protective efficacy against ocular herpes, and provide a prototype vaccine
      formulation that may be highly efficacious for preventing ocular herpes in
      humans.

PMID- 26098471
TI  - The Plane of Vitreoretinal Separation and Results of Vitrectomy Surgery in
      Patients Given Ocriplasmin for Idiopathic Macular Hole.
AB  - PURPOSE: We assessed whether ocriplasmin (OCP) given to patients with idiopathic
      macular hole (IMH) results in an altered plane of vitreoretinal (VR) separation
      compared to patients without OCP exposure. METHODS: A prospective study was done
      of 12 patients with IMH and vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) given OCP. Patients in
      whom the IMH failed to close underwent vitrectomy with peeling of the internal
      limiting membrane (ILM). The intraoperative staining pattern of the ILM using
      Brilliant Blue G (BBG) and examination of the excised ILM with transmission
      electron microscopy (TEM) were compared to results of a matched cohort of 31
      patients with IMH who had not received OCP. RESULTS: Among 12 patients treated
      with OCP, VMA release occurred in 7 (58%) and hole closure was achieved in 3
      (25%). Vitrectomy was done on the nine patients without hole closure. In seven of
      these nine (78%) the ILM had less than 5% of its vitreous surface covered in
      residual material on TEM, which was significantly less than in the control group
      (5/31, 16%, P = 0.001). In two OCP patients, large amounts of vitreous side
      material were present, but the rim of the hole stained evenly with BBG,
      suggesting that epiretinal material had avulsed with VR separation, a pattern not
      seen in any of the control patients. All patients had IMH closure after
      vitrectomy and visual results were not significantly different from the control
      group. CONCLUSIONS: Ocriplasmin facilitates more complete VR separation in
      patients undergoing surgery for IMH, although it does not result in more
      eccentric epiretinal tissue release.

PMID- 26098472
TI  - Multiscale Investigation of the Depth-Dependent Mechanical Anisotropy of the
      Human Corneal Stroma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the depth-dependent mechanical anisotropy of the human
      corneal stroma at the tissue (stroma) and molecular (collagen) level by using
      atomic force microscopy (AFM). METHODS: Eleven human donor corneas were dissected
      at different stromal depths by using a microkeratome. Mechanical measurements
      were performed in 15% dextran on the surface of the exposed stroma of each sample
      by using a custom-built AFM in force spectroscopy mode using both microspherical
      (38-MUm diameter) and nanoconical (10-nm radius of curvature) indenters at 2
      MUm/s and 15-MUm/s indentation rates. Young's modulus was determined by fitting
      force curve data using the Hertz and Hertz-Sneddon models for a spherical and a
      conical indenter, respectively. The depth-dependent anisotropy of stromal
      elasticity was correlated with images of the corneal stroma acquired by two
      photon microscopy. RESULTS: The force curves were obtained at stromal depths
      ranging from 59 to 218 MUm. At the tissue level, Young's modulus (ES) showed a
      steep decrease at approximately 140-MUm stromal depth (from 0.8 MPa to 0.3 MPa; P
      = 0.03) and then was stable in the posterior stroma. At the molecular level,
      Young's modulus (EC) was significantly greater than at the tissue level; EC
      decreased nonlinearly with increasing stromal depth from 3.9 to 2.6 MPa (P =
      0.04). The variation of microstructure through the thickness correlated highly
      with a nonconstant profile of the mechanical properties in the stroma.
      CONCLUSIONS: The corneal stroma exhibits unique anisotropic elastic behavior at
      the tissue and molecular levels. This knowledge may benefit modeling of corneal
      behavior and help in the development of biomimetic materials.

PMID- 26098474
TI  - Seven Questions for Personalized Medicine.

PMID- 26098473
TI  - Effects of continuous nicotine treatment and subsequent termination on cocaine
      versus food choice in male rhesus monkeys.
AB  - One complicating factor in cocaine addiction may be concurrent exposure and
      potential dependence on nicotine. The aim of the present study was to determine
      the effects of continuous nicotine treatment and subsequent termination on
      cocaine versus food choice in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). For comparison, we
      also determined effects of the nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine on
      cocaine versus food choice during continuous saline and nicotine treatment.
      Rhesus monkeys (N = 3) responded under a concurrent schedule of food pellet (1 g)
      and intravenous cocaine (0-0.1 mg/kg/injection) availability. Saline and
      ascending nicotine doses (0.1-1.0 mg/kg/hr, intravenous) were continuously
      infused for 7-day treatment periods and separated by 24-hr saline treatment
      periods. Acute effects of mecamylamine (0.32-1.8 mg/kg, intramuscular, 15 min
      pretreatment) were determined during continuous saline and 0.32-mg/kg/hr nicotine
      treatments. During saline treatment, cocaine maintained a dose-dependent increase
      in cocaine choice. Nicotine treatment did not alter cocaine versus food choice.
      In contrast, preference of 0.032 mg/kg/injection cocaine was attenuated 24 hr
      following termination of 0.32-mg/kg/hr nicotine treatment, despite no somatic
      abstinence signs being observed. Acute mecamylamine enhanced cocaine choice
      during saline treatment and mainly suppressed rates of behavior during nicotine
      treatment. Overall, continuous nicotine exposure, up to 1 mg/kg/hr, does not
      enhance cocaine choice and does not produce nicotine dependence, as demonstrated
      by the lack of abstinence signs.

PMID- 26098475
TI  - Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, and Dietary Therapeutical Approaches with a Special
      Focus on Nutraceuticals (Polyphenols): A Mini-Review.
AB  - More than half of all global deaths in 2010 were related to non-communicable
      diseases, including obesity, cancers, diabetes, and cardiovascular illnesses. It
      has been suggested that the alarming increase in the incidence of cardiovascular
      disease is the epidemiologic result of a nutrition transition characterized by
      dietary patterns featuring an increase in the intake of total fat, cholesterol,
      sugars, and other refined carbohydrates, concomitant with low consumption of
      polyunsaturated fatty acids and fiber. Although traditional dietary approaches
      have proven successful as part of the treatment for obesity and cardiometabolic
      derangements within clinical trial scenarios, they lack effectiveness in the long
      term, mainly due to poor compliance. Research has thus turned its attention to
      nutraceutics, nutrients that have the ability to modulate physiological and
      pathophysiological molecular mechanisms, thus resulting in favorable health
      outcomes. Polyphenols have been considered as among the bioactive molecules as
      they are thought to yield beneficial effects by exerting antioxidant activity;
      however, there are other--and even more robust--metabolic pathways through which
      polyphenols enhance cardiovascular health, such as via promoting vasodilatory,
      anti-atherogenic, antithrombotic, and anti-inflammatory effects. No standard dose
      has yet been determined, as the effects greatly vary among polyphenols and food
      sources; thus, there is an imperative need to generate more evidence in order to
      support dietary recommendations aimed at the prevention and therapeutics of
      obesity and its associated cardiometabolic diseases.

PMID- 26098476
TI  - Effects of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation on Bone Turnover in
      Older Women.
AB  - Animal and human studies indicate that omega (n)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
      (PUFA) can influence bone health. We conducted a randomized, double-blind,
      placebo-controlled trial of the effects of n-3 long chain (LC) PUFA
      supplementation (N-3 LCPUFA) on red blood cell (RBC) fatty acid levels and bone
      turnover markers in older postmenopausal women. One hundred and twenty-six
      postmenopausal women (mean age 75+/-7 years) were treated with n-3 LCPUFA (1.2 g
      eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]/docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]/day, n=85) or placebo
      (olive oil, n=41) for 6 months. All women received 315 mg calcium citrate and
      1000 IU cholecalciferol. RBC DHA (weight %) increased in the n-3 LCPUFA group,
      compared to no change in the placebo group (P<0.001). The ratio of
      DHA+EPA:arachidonic acid (AA) increased by 42 % in the n-3 LCPUFA group and by 5%
      in the placebo group (P<0.001). Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and
      osteocalcin decreased in the n-3 LCPUFA group (P<0.05) with no between-group
      difference. Short-term n-3 LCPUFA supplementation increased RBC concentrations of
      DHA and n-3:n-6 ratios. Bone turnover decreased with n-3 LCPUF, but not
      statistically compared to placebo. The results point to the need for
      investigations with greater dosages of n-3 LCPUFA for a longer duration to
      understand the contribution to bone metabolism in postmenopausal women.

PMID- 26098477
TI  - Successful Management of Type 2 Diabetes with Lifestyle Intervention: A Case
      Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of diabetes is growing worldwide. The primary symptom
      of diabetes mellitus is elevated blood sugar. This is usually treated with
      lifestyle intervention and drugs according to an algorithm based on glycated
      hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. We present the case of a patient who successfully
      managed his type 2 diabetes solely through lifestyle modification. CASE REPORT: A
      45-year-old businessman with a body mass index of 27 kg/m2 was examined within a
      secondary prevention program in Austria. His HbA1c was 9.7%-type 2 diabetes
      mellitus was diagnosed. General recommendations for lifestyle were given and
      metformin was prescribed. Upon his diagnosis the patient searched for all the
      information he could get about diabetes and implemented this new knowledge in his
      everyday life. He had a strong desire to defeat his disease and he wanted to stop
      using medications. He identified some nutritional ingredients and spices that
      affected his blood sugar in a positive way. He stopped taking metformin after 4
      weeks and handled his diabetes with his personal lifestyle program. Three months
      after the diagnosis his HbA1c was 6.4%; after 6 months he had an HbA1c of 6.0%
      without the use of medication. DISCUSSION: Usually, multiple drug therapy is
      necessary to handle high blood glucose levels. Our business manager ate as much
      as before his diagnosis but he modified the contents of his diet so that the
      lifestyle intervention was not hard for him. General recommendations for
      lifestyle modification usually include: more exercise, reduced sugar and
      monosaccharides, and less alcohol and nicotine. With the knowledge of the effects
      of specific dietary ingredients, it might be possible to modify a regular diet in
      such a way as to benefit people with type 2 diabetes, to substantially improve
      quality of life.

PMID- 26098478
TI  - Cytoprotective Effect of Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction and alpha-Tocopherol Vitamin E
      Isoforms Against Glutamate-Induced Cell Death in Neuronal Cells.
AB  - Glutamate is the major mediator of excitatory signals in the mammalian central
      nervous system. Extreme amounts of glutamate in the extracellular spaces can lead
      to numerous neurodegenerative diseases. We aimed to clarify the potential of the
      following vitamin E isomers, tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) and alpha-tocopherol
      (alpha-TCP), as potent neuroprotective agents against glutamate-induced injury in
      neuronal SK-N-SH cells. Cells were treated before and after glutamate injury (pre
      and post-treatment, respectively) with 100-300 ng/ml TRF/alpha-TCP. Exposure to
      120 mM glutamate significantly reduced cell viability to 76% and 79% in the pre-
      and post-treatment studies, respectively; however, pre- and post-treatment with
      TRF/alpha-TCP attenuated the cytotoxic effect of glutamate. Compared to the
      positive control (glutamate-injured cells not treated with TRF/alpha-TCP), pre
      treatment with 100, 200, and 300 ng/ml TRF significantly improved cell viability
      following glutamate injury to 95.2%, 95.0%, and 95.6%, respectively (p<0.05).The
      isomers not only conferred neuroprotection by enhancing mitochondrial activity
      and depleting free radical production, but also increased cell viability and
      recovery upon glutamate insult. Our results suggest that vitamin E has potent
      antioxidant potential for protecting against glutamate injury and recovering
      glutamate-injured neuronal cells. Our findings also indicate that both TRF and
      alpha-TCP could play key roles as anti-apoptotic agents with neuroprotective
      properties.

PMID- 26098479
TI  - Vitamin Intake from Food Supplements in a German Cohort - Is there a Risk of
      Excessive Intake?
AB  - Food supplements, if not properly used, may lead to potentially harmful nutrient
      intake. The purpose of this survey was to examine vitamin intake from food
      supplements. Taking into account the intake from food, as obtained from the
      National Nutrition Survey, it was determined whether the tolerable upper intake
      levels (ULs) were exceeded via supplements alone, or in combination with food.
      Data from 1070 supplement users (18-93 years) was available. The dietary and
      supplemental vitamin intakes of three groups were analyzed: average intake (50th
      percentile food+50th percentile supplements), middle-high intake (50th+95th) and
      high intake (95th+95th). Vitamin C (53%), vitamin E (45%) and B vitamins (37-45%)
      were consumed most frequently. Few subjects (n=7) reached or exceeded the ULs
      through supplements alone. The UL for vitamin A and folate was reached by a few
      men in the middle-high group, and by a few men and women in the high intake
      group. Otherwise, even in the high intake group, the recommended vitamin D intake
      of 20 ug/day (in case of insufficient endogenous synthesis) could not be
      achieved. The use of food supplements was not associated with excessive vitamin
      intake in this survey, except in a small number of cases. Vitamin A intake above
      the UL was the result of high dietary intake which also included the intake of
      beta-carotene, rather than the result of overconsumption of food supplements.
      Diets mainly included folate from natural sources, which has no associated risk.

PMID- 26098480
TI  - Curcumin Modulates Muscle Damage but not Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defense
      Following Eccentric Exercise in Rats.
AB  - AIM: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of curcumin on
      eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage and oxidative stress in rats. METHODS:
      Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Control (C; no curcumin,
      no exercise; n=6), Curcumin (Cur; n=8), Exercise (E; n=8) and Exercise Plus
      Curcumin (ECur; n=8). Curcumin was given for 20 days via oral gavage at doses of
      200 mg/kg(-1) of body weight per day, dissolved in corn oil. On the 21st day
      eccentric exercise was provided via a treadmill run and the rats were sacrificed
      immediately after. RESULTS: Eccentric exercise resulted in significant (p<0.05)
      increases in all injury markers such as creatine kinase (CK) and myoglobin, but
      curcumin supplementation tended to decrease CK activity (p>0.05) and
      significantly decreased myoglobin levels (p<0.05). In blood and muscle samples,
      malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were not affected by either curcumin or exercise
      (p>0.05). MDA levels in liver tissue decreased in the ECur group, compared to the
      control (p<0.05). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and glutathione (GSH)
      levels were affected by neither curcumin nor exercise (p>0.05), in blood, muscle
      and liver tissues. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that curcumin
      has a protective effect on eccentric exercise induced muscle damage, and that
      this effect might be independent of oxidative stress and antioxidant systems.

PMID- 26098481
TI  - Vitamin D, Parathormone and Associated Minerals among Students in Zagazig
      District, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt.
AB  - AIM: To determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and associated factors
      among students of age 13-18 years. METHODS:  DESIGN: Community-based cross
      sectional survey. SETTING: Two schools were selected using multistage sampling
      techniques. SAMPLING: Cluster sampling of all enrolled students (550 students).
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 OHD), parathyroid
      hormone and calcium. Data was collected about nutritional intake, physical
      activity and lifestyle variables that are potential risk factors for
      hypovitaminosis D. RESULTS: Hypovitaminosis D prevalence was 23.8%, of which 5.3%
      was deficiency and 18.5% insufficiency. Serum 25 OHD levels inversely correlated
      with parathyroid hormone levels (r=-0.206, P= 0.00). Low calcium and ionized
      calcium levels were 40.6% and 45.9%, respectively, and significantly correlated
      with vitamin D levels. Female students have significantly higher levels of
      hypovitaminosis D compared to males (29.3% to 15.0%, respectively) and the level
      of vitamin D significantly improved with increased age. Exposure to sun had a
      significant effect on vitamin D levels, and physical activity, soft drink
      consumption and smoking did not. Multinomial regression analysis revealed that
      age, sun exposure and Ca level were the only significant independent predictors
      of hypovitaminosis D among the studied group. CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed
      that hypovitaminosis D is a prevalent health problem in adolescents, especially
      girls, who were at higher risk, and increased age and sun exposure improved
      vitamin D status among the studied group. There is therefore a need to consider
      vitamin D supplementation for school children together with increased awareness
      through a health education program.

PMID- 26098482
TI  - The Oral Intake of Organic Germanium, Ge-132, Elevates alpha-Tocopherol Levels in
      the Plas-ma and Modulates Hepatic Gene Expression Profiles to Promote Immune
      Activation in Mice.
AB  - The common water-soluble organic germanium compound poly-trans-[(2-carboxyethyl)
      germasesquioxane] (Ge-132) exhibits activities related to immune responses and
      antioxidant induction. In this study, we evaluated the antioxidative effect of
      dietary Ge-132 in the plasma of mice. Male ICR mice (seven mice per group)
      received an AIN-76 diet with 0.05% Ge-132; three groups received the Ge-132
      containing diet for 0, 1 or 4 days. The plasma alpha-tocopherol (alpha
      tocopherol) concentration increased from 6.85 to 9.60 MUg/ml after 4 days of Ge
      132 intake (p<0.05). We evaluated the changes in hepatic gene expression related
      to antioxidative activity as well as in the entire expression profile after one
      day of Ge-132 intake, using DNA microarray technology. We identified 1,220 genes
      with altered expression levels greater than 1.5-fold (increased or decreased) as
      a result of Ge-132 intake, and alpha-tocopherol transfer protein (Ttpa) gene
      expression was increased 1.62-fold. Immune activation was identified as the
      category with the most changes (containing 60 Gene Ontology (GO) term biological
      processes (BPs), 41 genes) via functional clustering analysis of altered gene
      expression. Ge-132 affected genes in clusters related to ATP production (22 GO
      term BPs, 21 genes), lipid metabolism (4 GO term BPs, 38 genes) and apoptosis (5
      GO term BPs). Many GO term BPs containing these categories were significantly
      affected by the Ge-132 intake. Oral Ge-132 intake may therefore have increased
      plasma alpha-tocopherol levels by up-regulating alpha-tocopherol transfer protein
      (Ttpa) gene expression.

PMID- 26098483
TI  - Effect of Fenugreek Seeds on Serum Metabolic Factors and Adiponectin Levels in
      Type 2 Diabetic Patients.
AB  - This triple-blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 88 type 2
      diabetic (T2DM) patients (males and females). Subjects in the fenugreek seed
      (n=44) and placebo (n=44) groups consumed 10 g/d of powdered whole fenugreek
      seeds or 5 g/d of wheat starch for 8 weeks. Fasting blood samples, anthropometric
      measurements and dietary records were collected at the baseline and at the end of
      the trial. Fenugreek seeds significantly decreased fasting blood glucose
      (P=0.007) and HbA1c (P=0.0001), serum levels of insulin (P=0.03), homeostatic
      model assessment for insulin resistance (P=0.004), total cholesterol (P=0.005)
      and triglycerides (P=0.0001) and increased serum levels of adiponectin (P=0.001)
      compared with placebo. No significant changes were shown in serum low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in both groups.
      In conclusion, fenugreek seeds improved glucose metabolism, serum lipid profile
      and adiponectin levels in studied subjects, and may be useful in the control of
      diabetes risk factors in TD2M patients.

PMID- 26098484
TI  - Higher Dietary Acidity is Associated with Lower Bone Mineral Density in
      Postmenopausal Iranian Women, Independent of Dietary Calcium Intake.
AB  - Findings of studies on the link between dietary acid-base balance and bone mass
      are relatively mixed. We examined the association between dietary acid-base
      balance and bone mineral density (BMD) in a sample of Iranian women,
      hypothesizing that a higher dietary acidity would be inversely associated with
      BMD, even when dietary calcium intake is adequate. In this cross-sectional study,
      lumbar spine and femoral neck BMDs of 151 postmenopausal women aged 50-85 years
      were measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Dietary intakes were
      assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Renal net acid excretion
      (RNAE), an estimate of acid-base balance, was then calculated indirectly from the
      diet using the formulae of Remer (based on dietary intakes of protein,
      phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium; RNAERemer) and Frassetto (based on dietary
      intakes of protein and potassium; RNAEFrassetto), and was energy adjusted by the
      residual method. After adjusting for potential confounders, multivariable
      adjusted means of the lumbar spine BMD of women in the highest tertiles of
      RNAERemer and RNAEFrassetto were significantly lower than those in the lowest
      tertiles (for RNAERemer: mean difference -0.084 g/cm2; P=0.007 and for
      RNAEFrassetto: mean difference -0.088 g/cm2; P=0.004). Similar results were
      observed in a subgroup analysis of subjects with dietary calcium intake of >800
      mg/day. In conclusion, a higher RNAE (i. e. more dietary acidity), which is
      associated with greater intake of acid-generating foods and lower intake of
      alkali-generating foods, may be involved in deteriorating the bone health of
      postmenopausal Iranian women, even in the context of adequate dietary calcium
      intake.

PMID- 26098485
TI  - Regio- and Diastereoselective Synthesis of Highly Substituted, Oxygenated
      Piperidines from Tetrahydropyridines.
AB  - Diastereoselective epoxidation and regioselective ring-opening methods were
      developed for the synthesis of densely substituted, oxygenated piperidines from
      two classes of tetrahydropyridines with distinct stereochemical displays of
      functionalities. A new and practical in situ prepared epoxidation reagent was
      developed for the diastereoselective epoxidation of one class of sterically
      hindered tetrahydropyridines. The novel bifunctional epoxidation reagent, 2
      carboperoxy-3,4,5,6-tetrafluorobenzoic acid, was designed to incorporate highly
      reactive percarboxy acid and pendant carboxylic acid groups, which through
      hydrogen bonding to the amino group successfully overrode steric effects and
      directed epoxidation to occur at the more hindered face of the
      tetrahydropyridine. Nucleophilic ring-opening of the epoxides with water,
      alcohols, and HF proceeded with high regioselectivity, affording piperidinol
      products with adjacent tetrasubstituted carbons. 

PMID- 26098486
TI  - Reduced graphene oxide-coated hydroxyapatite composites stimulate spontaneous
      osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have great potential as cell sources for
      bone tissue engineering and regeneration, but the control and induction of their
      specific differentiation into bone cells remain challenging. Graphene-based
      nanomaterials are considered attractive candidates for biomedical applications
      such as scaffolds in tissue engineering, substrates for SC differentiation and
      components of implantable devices, due to their biocompatible and bioactive
      properties. Despite the potential biomedical applications of graphene and its
      derivatives, only limited information is available regarding their osteogenic
      activity. This study concentrates upon the effects of reduced graphene oxide
      (rGO)-coated hydroxyapatite (HAp) composites on osteogenic differentiation of
      hMSCs. The average particle sizes of HAp and rGO were 1270 +/- 476 nm and 438 +/-
      180 nm, respectively. When coated on HAp particulates, rGO synergistically
      enhanced spontaneous osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs, without hampering their
      proliferation. This result was confirmed by determining alkaline phosphatase
      activity and mineralization of calcium and phosphate as early and late stage
      markers of osteogenic differentiation. It is suggested that rGO-coated HAp
      composites can be effectively utilized as dental and orthopedic bone fillers
      since these graphene-based particulate materials have potent effects on
      stimulating the spontaneous differentiation of MSCs and show superior bioactivity
      and osteoinductive potential. 

PMID- 26098487
TI  - [Validity comparison of various biological samples from lower airway and their
      contribution for the detection of nosocomial pneumonia etiological agents].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to compare the validity of bronchial
      secretion sampling and bronchoscopy-assisted protected specimen brushing (PSB) in
      patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In
      patients with HAP, bronchial secretion samples (aspiration of lower airway
      secretions from an orotracheal tube with a suctioning catheter) and PSB
      (bronchoscopy-assisted sampling from the most affected area of the lung, verified
      by CT scan) were taken at the same time. Both samples were processed by
      semiquantitative routine microbiological techniques. Identification of
      microorganisms was performed by standard microbiological techniques using the
      MALDI-TOF automated system. For similarity or identity determination of bacterial
      isolates from bronchial secretion sampling and PSB, pulsed-field gel
      electrophoresis was used. RESULTS: Thirty patients were enrolled into the study.
      Thirty pairs of bronchial secretion samples and PSB samples were obtained and
      processed. The samples were positive in 23 patients (77 %) and 15 patients (50
      %), respectively. In 15 cases, the same pathogen was determined in both samples,
      and in all those cases, the isolates were genetically identical. CONCLUSION: The
      results of the study show that bronchial secretion samples analysis enabled
      identification of all pathogens that were identified by PSB. Given the high
      sensitivity of the bronchial secretion aspiration technique and genetic identity
      of isolates in both samples, bronchial secretion sampling may be recommended for
      determining HAP etiological agents as the samples are much easier to obtain from
      patients.

PMID- 26098488
TI  - [Bacterial pathogens causing hospital-acquired pneumonia - a multicenter study in
      the Czech Republic].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The objectives were to assess the prevalence of etiologic agents of
      hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) in patients staying in four big hospitals in
      the Czech Republic and requiring artificial ventilation. The resistance of the
      isolated pathogens to antibiotics was determined and initial antibiotic therapy
      was discussed. METHODS: Included in the study were 155 patients with HAP staying
      from May 1, 2013 to January 31, 2014 in the Departments of Anesthesiology and
      Critical Care in the following four centers: Thomayer Hospital Prague, University
      Hospital Brno, University Hospital Hradec Kralove and University Hospital
      Olomouc. From these patients, endotracheal secretion samples were processed using
      standard microbiology methods. In identified bacterial strains, susceptibility to
      antibiotics was tested with the microdilution method according to the EUCAST
      recommendations. Production of ESBL and AmpC beta-lactamases was detected by disk
      diffusion tests specific for the particular enzymes. ESBL- and AmpC-positive
      isolates were subjected to basic genetic analysis. RESULTS: Over the study
      period, a total of 266 isolates were obtained from 140 patients, with 15 patients
      having negative culture result. Late-onset pneumonia was present in 72 %. Gram
      negative bacteria were most prevalent (81 %), namely Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
      Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. Phenotypic tests for production of
      broad spectrum beta-lactamases were positive in 37 % of Enterobacteriaceae. Genes
      for CTX-M, SHV, TEM beta-lactamases or CIT and DHA types of AmpC enzymes were
      detected. No carbapenemase-producing bacteria, methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus or vancomycin-resistant enterococci were detected.
      CONCLUSION: The study showed that HAP in the Czech Republic was mostly of Gram
      negative etiology. Variable antibiotic susceptibility in the two most frequent
      etiological agents (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae) resulted in
      severe therapeutic difficulties. A total of 49 % of patients received inadequate
      therapy. This fact suggests the impact of antibiotic resistance on intensive care
      patients' survival or death. Our study confirmed that one in three patients dies
      because of HAP.

PMID- 26098489
TI  - [Current view of vancomycin in the treatment of methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections].
AB  - The review article interprets recommendations for treating methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections with vancomycin. These stem from a 2009
      consensus followed by numerous preclinical and clinical studies carried out until
      now. They are based on defining the predictors of the bactericidal activity of
      vancomycin that are different from those in beta-lactam and aminoglycoside
      antibiotics. The predictors are AUC0-24/MIC >400 and Cm?n. Practice requires
      recommendations on how to achieve maximum effectiveness and safety of vancomycin
      administered by intermittent vs. continuous infusion by setting target
      concentrations under dynamically changing conditions. Changes in the kinetics and
      dynamics of the antibiotic due to pathological covariates (SIRS, sepsis) and
      treatment should be detected as soon as possible by therapeutic monitoring aimed
      at individual adjustment of dosage. 

PMID- 26098490
TI  - [When should empirical antibiotic therapy be indicated in acute community-onset
      diarrhea of suspected bacterial etiology].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to describe the basic parameters of adult
      patients with acute community-onset salmonellosis or campylobacteriosis
      responsible for more than 90 % of all cases of community-onset diarrhea in the
      Czech Republic, and, according to the results of this analysis, to update the
      diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data were
      collected retrospectively between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2013. Patients
      with systemic signs of infection having at least 2 signs of systemic inflammatory
      response syndrome (SIRS) or with elevated serum procalcitonin levels (more than
      0.5 ng/ml) were classified as being at risk for the invasive form of the disease.
      The remaining patients were classified as having the simple intestinal form of
      the disease. Patients with community-onset post-antibiotic diarrhea were
      excluded. The data were statistically processed. RESULTS: The following clinical
      factors were statistically significantly correlated with the high-risk form of
      the disease: duration of illness of less than 3 days before admission and any of
      the following (some of them are part of the SIRS classification), even after
      being adjusted for age: body temperature above 38  degrees C, peripheral blood
      white cell count (WBC) above 12 * 109/l, neutrophil count above 9 * 109/l and CRP
      level above 150 mg/l. The risk form of the disease occurred in 60 cases (18.7 %).
      The mean WBC was 9.4 * 109/l (median, 8.4; range, 1.7-89.0). The WBC within the
      normal range was seen in 194 cases (60.4 %). The mean CRP level was 92.9 mg/l
      (median, 77.0; range, 1.0-342.0). An elevated procalcitonin level was seen in 21
      patients; the marker was not routinely measured. Positive blood culture results
      were obtained in 2 persons with salmonellosis; the examination was not routinely
      performed. There were 34 patients (10.6 %) with documented immune system
      dysfunction; the risk form of salmonellosis or campylobacteriosis was seen in
      only 11 of them (3.4 %). A total of 306 patients (95.3 %) were treated with
      antibiotics; the mean duration of antibiotic therapy was 8.7 days (median, 7;
      range, 2-31). CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic treatment in
      salmonellosis/campylobacteriosis should not be indicated only due to elevated CRP
      levels but rather after comprehensive evaluation of the duration of symptoms,
      individual risk factors and dynamic changes in markers of inflammation. Blood
      culture tests should be carried out more frequently.

PMID- 26098492
TI  - Faculty Development for Simulation Programs: Five Issues for the Future of
      Debriefing Training.
AB  - STATEMENT: Debriefing is widely recognized as a critically important element of
      simulation-based education. Simulation educators obtain and/or seek debriefing
      training from various sources, including workshops at conferences, simulation
      educator courses, formal fellowships in debriefings, or through advanced degrees.
      Although there are many options available for debriefing training, little is
      known about how faculty development opportunities should be structured to
      maintain and enhance the quality of debriefing within simulation programs. In
      this article, we discuss 5 key issues to help shape the future of debriefing
      training for simulation educators, specifically the following: (1) Are we
      teaching the appropriate debriefing methods? (2) Are we using the appropriate
      methods to teach debriefing skills? (3) How can we best assess debriefing
      effectiveness? (4) How can peer feedback of debriefing be used to improve
      debriefing quality within programs? (5) How can we individualize debriefing
      training opportunities to the learning needs of our educators?

PMID- 26098493
TI  - A Bone Marrow Aspirate and Trephine Simulator.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bone marrow aspirate and trephine (BMAT) biopsy is a commonly
      performed procedure in hematology-oncology practice. Although complications are
      uncommon, they can cause significant morbidity and mortality. Simulation models
      are an excellent tool to teach novice doctors basic procedural skills before
      performing the actual procedure on patients to improve patient safety and well
      being. METHODS: There are no commercial BMAT simulators, and this technical
      report describes the rationale, technical specifications, and construction of a
      low-cost, easily constructed, reusable BMAT simulator that reproduced the tactile
      properties of tissue layers for use as a teaching tool in our resident BMAT
      simulation course. Preliminary data of learner responses to the simulator were
      also collected. RESULTS: From April 2013 to November 2013, 32 internal medicine
      residents underwent the BMAT simulation course. Eighteen (56%) completed the
      online survey, 11 residents with previous experience doing BMAT and 7 without
      experience. Despite the difference in operative experience, both experienced and
      novice residents all agreed or strongly agreed that the model aided their
      understanding of the BMAT procedure. All agreed or strongly agreed that this
      enhanced their knowledge of anatomy and 16 residents (89%) agreed or strongly
      agreed that this model was a realistic simulator. CONCLUSIONS: We present a
      novel, low-cost, easily constructed, realistic BMAT simulator for training novice
      doctors to perform BMAT.

PMID- 26098494
TI  - Interrater Reliability of Standardized Actors Versus Nonactors in a Simulation
      Based Assessment of Interprofessional Collaboration.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is a need for reliable and practical interprofessional
      simulations that measure collaborative practice in outpatient/community scenarios
      where most health care takes place. The authors applied generalizability theory
      to examine reliability in an ambulatory care scenario using the following 2
      trained observer groups: standardized patient (SP, actor) raters and those who
      received rater training alone (non-SPs). METHODS: Twenty-one graduate health
      professions students participated as health care providers in an
      interprofessional care simulation involving an SP, caregiver, and clinicians. Six
      observers in each group received frame-of-reference training and rated aspects of
      collaborative care using a behavioral observation checklist. The authors examined
      sources of measurement variance using generalizability theory and extended this
      technique to statistically compare the rater types and compute reliability for
      subsets of raters. RESULTS: Standardized patient ratings were significantly more
      reliable than non-SPs' despite both groups receiving extensive rater training. A
      single SP was predicted to generate scores with a reliability of 0.74, whereas a
      single non-SP rater's scores were predicted at a reliability of 0.40. Removing
      each rater one by one from the full 6-member SP sample reduced reliability
      similarly for all raters (reliability, 0.86-0.89). However, removing individual
      raters from the full 6-member non-SP sample led to more variable reductions in
      reliability (0.58-0.72). CONCLUSIONS: Ongoing experience rating performance from
      within a particular simulation-based assessment may be a valuable rater
      characteristic and more effective than rater training alone. The extensions of
      reliability estimation introduced here can also be used to support more
      insightful reliability research and subsequent improvement of rater training and
      assessment protocols.

PMID- 26098495
TI  - Cryptococcosis in solid organ transplant recipients.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Cryptococcosis among solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients
      is a source of significant morbidity. Its pathogenesis, the etiology of immune
      reconstitution syndrome, and the optimal therapy in this setting are still not
      well defined. Herein, we review the epidemiology, the latest findings on
      pathogenesis, unique clinical manifestations, and the treatment of Cryptococcosis
      in this specific vulnerable population. RECENT FINDINGS: Cryptococcosis is a
      common fungal complication among SOT recipients. It follows in frequency only to
      aspergillosis and candidiasis. Cryptococcal infection carries a high mortality,
      up to 27% during the first year posttransplantation. Host factors, environmental
      factors, medications, and the type of transplant all play a role in the clinical
      presentation and severity of infection. Clinical manifestations can be atypical
      among SOT recipients, and therefore, clinical suspicion and diagnostic evaluation
      must consider cryptococcal central nervous system disease. During meningitis
      treatment, measurement of Flucytosine levels is recommended to increase safety
      and optimize the therapeutic effect. SUMMARY: Cryptococcosis among SOT recipients
      is an evolving field. Increased recognition and understanding of the disease
      pathogenesis, its uncommon clinical manifestations, complications and particular
      therapeutic strategies are the cornerstone for the optimal outcome of this often
      fatal condition.

PMID- 26098496
TI  - Differential diagnosis of diffuse alveolar haemorrhage in immunocompromised
      patients.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Diffuse alveolar haemorrhage (DAH) is a life-threatening
      medical emergency in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients characterized
      by haemoptysis, anaemia, acute respiratory failure and diffuse pulmonary
      infiltrates on radiologic examination. This review describes DAH imaging
      features, causes and main differential diagnosis. RECENT FINDINGS: In
      immunosuppressed patients, DAH occurs most frequently in haematologic neoplasms,
      after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation or solid organ transplantation,
      secondary to drug reaction or infection, and associated with AIDS. However,
      differential diagnoses of all of these conditions include several conditions with
      similar findings. SUMMARY: Imaging patterns of DAH do not differ significantly
      from those of conditions included in the main differential diagnosis. The
      differential diagnosis depends on the patient's immunity status. In
      immunocompromised patients, infection and lung injury of other causes must be
      considered.

PMID- 26098497
TI  - Clinical utility of cytomegalovirus viral load in solid organ transplant
      recipients.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Quantitative nucleic acid testing (QNAT) to measure viral load
      has become a mainstay in the management of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and
      disease in solid organ transplant recipients. In this article, we review the
      clinical applications of CMV QNAT in the management of solid organ transplant
      recipients. RECENT FINDINGS: Because several platforms were available for CMV
      QNAT, there was a wide inter-assay variability in the viral load reporting, and
      this limited the generation of widely applicable viral load thresholds that can
      be used for various clinical applications. With the recent availability of
      international standard and certified reference materials, there is now
      opportunity to standardize viral load reporting, with the goal of deriving viral
      load thresholds for various clinical applications, such as rapid diagnosis of CMV
      infection and disease, predicting the risk of disease and assessing the severity
      of illness, monitoring efficacy of antiviral therapies and assessing the risk of
      viral relapse and drug resistance. SUMMARY: Recent advances in the field such as
      CMV QNAT standardization, as discussed in this review, are anticipated to
      optimize the management of CMV infection and disease in solid organ transplant
      recipients.

PMID- 26098498
TI  - Risks to healthcare workers with emerging diseases: lessons from MERS-CoV, Ebola,
      SARS, and avian flu.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Several viral diseases have emerged and impacted healthcare
      systems worldwide. Healthcare personnels (HCPs) are at high risk of acquiring
      some emerging infections while caring for patients. We provide a review of risk
      factors, evidence of infection in HCPs, and prevention strategies with Middle
      East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Ebola virus disease (Ebola), severe acute
      respiratory syndrome (SARS), and avian influenza. RECENT FINDINGS: HCP-related
      infections with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Ebola, and SARS
      have been reported among 1-27%, 2.5-12%, and 11-57% of total cases, respectively.
      The case fatality rate of Ebola in HCPs has been reported up to 73%. The WHO
      guidelines for the global surveillance of SARS were developed in 2004 and used as
      a template for other emerging diseases preparedness. Risks to HCPs with emerging
      diseases are related to inappropriate and insufficient infection control measures
      during an initial encounter, at the beginning of outbreak and with an
      overwhelming number of patient cases. To date, there are no reports of avian
      influenza transmission to HCPs from affected cases. SUMMARY: Early and rapid
      detection of suspected infected patients with communicable diseases along with
      appropriate infection control practice, education, national and global
      preparedness guidelines would help to prevent disease transmission to HCPs.

PMID- 26098499
TI  - Approach to drug-resistant cytomegalovirus in transplant recipients.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this study is to provide updated information on
      diagnosis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) drug resistance, treatments for drug-resistant
      infection and potential uses of experimental antiviral compounds. RECENT
      FINDINGS: For established CMV antivirals, uncommon viral UL97 kinase and UL54 DNA
      polymerase drug resistance mutations are sporadically described that expand an
      extensive existing database. Some novel mutations reported from treated patients
      have no drug-resistant phenotype and may be genotyping artefacts. Next-generation
      sequencing technology may enable earlier detection of emerging resistance
      mutations in treated patients. Management options for drug-resistant infection
      include optimization of host defenses, antiviral dose escalation, substitutions
      or combinations of standard or experimental antivirals. Maribavir and letermovir
      have antiviral targets distinct from the classic DNA polymerase. UL97 mutations
      elicited by ganciclovir and maribavir are different, although a single p-loop
      mutation can confer significant cross-resistance. High-grade resistance mutations
      in the UL56 terminase gene are readily selected in vitro under letermovir and
      await clinical correlation. SUMMARY: Technical advancements can enhance the
      accurate and timely genotypic detection of drug resistance. Antivirals undergoing
      clinical trial offer the prospect of new viral targets and drug combinations, but
      unresolved issues exist with regard to their therapeutic potential for drug
      resistant CMV and their genetic barriers to resistance.

PMID- 26098500
TI  - Toxoplasma prophylaxis in haematopoietic cell transplant recipients: a review of
      the literature and recommendations.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Toxoplasmosis in haematopoietic cell transplant (HCT)
      recipients is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Prophylaxis
      following HCT is recommended for high-risk pre-HCT toxoplasma-seropositive (pre
      HCTSP) recipients. However, there is no agreement or consistency among programmes
      on whether to adopt prophylaxis or not, or if used, on the chosen antitoxoplasma
      prophylactic regimen. This review discusses the role of prophylaxis, and
      preemptive treatment, for toxoplasmosis in the setting of HCT. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Approximately two-thirds of toxoplasmosis cases following HCT are reported in
      allogeneic pre-HCTSP (allo pre-HCTSP) patients. This finding confirms a major
      role of reactivation of latent infection in the pathogenesis of toxoplasmosis in
      this patient population. Toxoplasma disease-related mortality in allo pre-HCTSP
      patients was reported at 62%, but it can be significantly decreased with early
      detection and treatment of toxoplasma infection. There are no randomized trials
      comparing the efficacy of different prophylactic agents to prevent toxoplasmosis
      after HCT. Several observational studies have demonstrated the efficacy of
      trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) in decreasing the incidence of
      toxoplasmosis following HCT. There is limited information regarding efficacy of
      other prophylactic agents. Preemptive treatment using routine blood PCR
      monitoring seems to be beneficial in detecting infection early and preventing
      disease in several observational studies and has been adopted for allo pre-HCTSP
      HCT patients when universal prophylaxis is not possible. SUMMARY: Universal
      prophylaxis with TMP/SMX in allo pre-HCTSP patients should be implemented by all
      transplant programmes. Preemptive treatment with routine blood PCR monitoring is
      an option if prophylaxis cannot be used.

PMID- 26098501
TI  - Operating room myths: what is the evidence for common practices.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In order to ensure patient safety and prevent surgical site
      infections (SSIs), operating theaters/rooms have evolved into complex, highly
      technical environments. Prevention of healthcare-associated infections, and
      strategies to limit patient harm, have gained momentum over the last decade. This
      article aims to examine and dispute some commonly held beliefs with specific
      reference to: laminar airflow, noise and operating theater door openings and how
      these impact SSI. RECENT FINDINGS: Laminar airflow may not be necessary for
      prosthetic implant surgery. Some recent data suggest that there may be patient
      harm. With the development of better surgical techniques and perioperative care,
      such costly systems may not be needed. Operating rooms with a high number of door
      openings have also been shown to experience higher SSI rates, as have operating
      rooms with high noise levels. These may serve as surrogate markers for operating
      room discipline. Initiatives which target these areas may be worth considering
      when devising strategies to reduce SSIs. SUMMARY: Improved surveillance systems
      for SSIs are needed and should include operating theater airflow type. This will
      allow further analysis of the effect of laminar air flow on SSIs and provide
      evidence for a decisive recommendation. Cultivating a culture of good operating
      theater discipline may also reduce SSIs.

PMID- 26098503
TI  - Cytomegalovirus in immunocompromised children.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this study is to explore the latest
      developments in the risk factors, prevention and treatment of cytomegalovirus
      (CMV) infection in immunocompromised children, including those with congenital
      immunodeficiency or iatrogenic immune suppression related to solid organ
      transplantation (SOT) or haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). RECENT
      FINDINGS: CMV viral load measurements now have international standards, allowing
      for more reliable comparison across sites and within individuals. Preemptive and
      prophylactic therapy with routine CMV monitoring in transplant patients has
      yielded significant reduction in CMV morbidity and mortality in these patients.
      The majority of U.S. states have adopted routine newborn screening for severe
      combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Viral infections, including CMV, are a major
      obstacle preventing optimal curative transplantation in these patients. Several
      new antiviral agents are currently being investigated for CMV infection in
      immunocompromised patients. Knowledge on CMV drug resistance in children is
      emerging and requires further study. SUMMARY: Conditions that diminish cell
      mediated immunity impact the development of CMV infection and disease. These
      conditions include certain congenital immunodeficiencies and SOT and HCT. Infants
      identified as having SCID should be screened for CMV risk factors. A preemptive
      or prophylactic strategy should be chosen for CMV management in children who are
      high risk posttransplantation. In those who develop disease, viral loads should
      be monitored and resistance testing considered if response is not deemed
      adequate. Oral valganciclovir is being used as an alternative to ganciclovir in
      children, although pharmacokinetic data are limited. Other oral antiviral agents
      under development are promising future options for paediatric CMV therapy.

PMID- 26098502
TI  - Expanding the statistical toolbox: analytic approaches for cohort studies with
      healthcare-associated infectious outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a leading cause of
      adverse patient outcomes. Further elucidation of the etiology of these infections
      and the pathogens that cause them has been a primary goal of research in
      infection control and healthcare epidemiology. Longitudinal studies, in
      particular, afford a range of statistical methods to better understand the
      process of pathogen acquisition or HAI development. This review intends to convey
      the scope of available statistical methodology. RECENT FINDINGS: Despite the
      range of methods available, logistic regression remains the dominant statistical
      approach in use. Poisson regression, survival methods, and mechanistic
      (mathematical) models remain underutilized. Recent studies that use these
      approaches are looking beyond associations to answer questions about the timing,
      duration, and mechanism of infectious risk. SUMMARY: Logistic regression remains
      an important approach to the study of HAIs, but in the context of cohort studies,
      it is most appropriate for short observation periods, during which mechanism is
      not of primary interest. Additional statistical methodologies are available to
      build upon risk factor analysis to better inform the process of risk and
      infection in the hospital setting.

PMID- 26098504
TI  - Ebola virus disease: preparedness and infection control lessons learned from two
      biocontainment units.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review details infection control issues encountered in
      the management of patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD), with emphasis on how
      these issues were confronted in two biocontainment patient care units in the
      United States. RECENT FINDINGS: There is a notable paucity of medical literature
      to guide infection control policies and procedures when caring for patients with
      EVD. Thus, the experience of the Serious Communicable Diseases Unit at Emory
      University Hospital and the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit at the University of
      Nebraska Medical Center serves as the basis for this review. Facility issues,
      staffing, transportation logistics, and appropriate use of personal protective
      equipment are detailed. Other topics addressed include the evaluation of patients
      under investigation and ethical issues concerning the safe utilization of
      advanced life support. SUMMARY: This review intends to serve as a reference for
      facilities that are in the process of creating protocols for managing patients
      with EVD. Given the lack of literature to support many of the recommendations
      discussed, it is important to utilize the available referenced guidelines, along
      with the practical experiences of biocontainment units, to optimize the care
      provided to patients with EVD while strictly adhering to infection control
      principles.

PMID- 26098505
TI  - The role of surveillance systems in confronting the global crisis of antibiotic
      resistant bacteria.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: It is widely accepted that infection control, advanced
      diagnostics, and novel therapeutics are crucial to mitigate the impact of
      antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The role of global, national, and regional
      surveillance systems as part of the response to the challenge posed by antibiotic
      resistance is not sufficiently highlighted. We provide an overview of
      contemporary surveillance programs, with emphasis on gram-negative bacteria.
      RECENT FINDINGS: The WHO and public health agencies in Europe and the United
      States recently published comprehensive surveillance reports. These highlight the
      emergence and dissemination of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and other
      multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. In Israel, public health action to
      control carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, especially Klebsiella pneumoniae
      carbapenemase producing K. pneumoniae, has advanced together with a better
      understanding of its epidemiology. Surveillance models adapted to the
      requirements and capacities of each country are in development. SUMMARY: Robust
      surveillance systems are essential to combat antibiotic resistance, and need to
      emphasize a 'one health' approach. Refinements in surveillance will come from
      advances in bioinformatics and genomics that permit the integration of global and
      local information about antibiotic consumption in humans and animals, molecular
      mechanisms of resistance, and bacterial genotyping.

PMID- 26098506
TI  - Diarrhea in solid organ transplant recipients.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Diarrhea is a common complaint in the solid organ transplant
      recipient. Unlike the immune-competent patient, diarrhea in an organ transplant
      recipient may result in dehydration, increased toxicity of medications, and
      rejection. There is a wide range of causes for diarrhea in transplant recipients,
      but the most common causes are Clostridium difficile infection, cytomegalovirus,
      and norovirus. This review will focus on new epidemiology data as to the cause of
      diarrhea in the transplant population. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent data have
      identified C. difficile, cytomegalovirus, and norovirus as important causes of
      diarrhea in this population, and management should be focused on these causes.
      Newer diagnostic platforms (such as PCR) are being evaluated, which may help in
      identification of the cause of diarrhea. SUMMARY: New epidemiologic data and new
      testing techniques offer an opportunity for research into better testing
      strategies for transplant patients with diarrhea. These newer testing strategies
      may offer better insight into the cause of diarrhea and more appropriate
      treatment for this illness.

PMID- 26098507
TI  - Acute encephalitis in the immunocompromised individual.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article describes recent advances in the diagnosis and
      management of encephalitis in immunocompromised individuals. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) are common causes of
      encephalitis in immunocompromised individuals, although clinical manifestations
      may be atypical, and thus challenging to recognize. Recently, an increased
      incidence of HSV and VZV central nervous system infections has been reported in
      association with novel immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory treatments. The
      free-living ameba Balamuthia mandrillaris causes granulomatous encephalitis
      predominantly in immunocompromised individuals and is associated with nearly
      uniform fatality. In the setting of organ transplantation, the recipient's
      immunocompromised state along with the potential for donor-transmitted infections
      can result in a unique epidemiology of encephalitis, including infection by human
      herpes virus-6 and BK virus. Recent studies utilizing next-generation sequencing
      techniques have identified several pathogens, including Leptospira santarosai and
      a neurotropic astrovirus, as causes of encephalitis in immunocompromised
      individuals. SUMMARY: Diagnosis and management of encephalitis is challenging in
      immunocompromised individuals, in part because of atypical clinical presentations
      and the presence of uncommon or novel infectious agents. Unbiased techniques for
      pathogen discovery are likely to play an increasing role in the diagnosis of
      central nervous system infections in immunocompromised individuals.

PMID- 26098508
TI  - The pregnant healthcare worker: fact and fiction.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A pregnant healthcare worker (HCW) may be at risk of
      occupational exposure to pathogens associated with increased maternal morbidity
      and mortality as well as perinatal complications. In this article, we review
      recent literature on infectious diseases commonly encountered in the healthcare
      setting and of highest concern for a pregnant HCW, focusing on prevention and
      management of exposures. RECENT FINDINGS: Pregnancy does not seem to be an
      independent risk factor for occupationally acquired infectious diseases.
      Vaccination and standard precautions continue to be the most effective means of
      preventing transmission to HCWs. Pandemic 2009 influenza A (H1N1) is associated
      with increased risk of fetal death, highlighting the importance of influenza
      vaccination. A recent meta-analysis highlights the safety of influenza
      vaccination during pregnancy. New treatments for hepatitis C have not been
      studied in pregnancy but pose an important area for research and advancement.
      Cytomegalovirus immunoglobulin may play a role in postexposure prophylaxis but
      recent results are inconclusive. SUMMARY: Primary prevention with vaccination and
      use of appropriate infection control precautions is imperative for prevention of
      occupationally acquired infectious diseases. Pregnant HCWs with occupational
      exposure to communicable diseases should be evaluated immediately for appropriate
      postexposure prophylaxis and followed for development of active infection.

PMID- 26098510
TI  - Modeling Active Mechanosensing in Cell-Matrix Interactions.
AB  - Cells actively sense the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix, such
      as its rigidity, morphology, and deformation. The cell-matrix interaction
      influences a range of cellular processes, including cell adhesion, migration, and
      differentiation, among others. This article aims to review some of the recent
      progress that has been made in modeling mechanosensing in cell-matrix
      interactions at different length scales. The issues discussed include specific
      interactions between proteins, the structure and mechanosensitivity of focal
      adhesions, the cluster effects of the specific binding, the structure and
      behavior of stress fibers, cells' sensing of substrate stiffness, and cell
      reorientation on cyclically stretched substrates. The review concludes by looking
      toward future opportunities in the field and at the challenges to understanding
      active cell-matrix interactions. 

PMID- 26098509
TI  - Is the relationship between sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic health in
      adolescents independent of dietary intake? A systematic review.
AB  - Screen time, but not overall sedentary behaviour, is consistently related to
      cardiometabolic health in adolescents. Because of the associations screen time
      has with dietary intake, diet may be an important factor in the screen time and
      health relationship; however, evidence has not previously been synthesized. Thus,
      the aim of this systematic review was to explore whether the associations between
      various sedentary behaviours and cardiometabolic risk markers are independent of
      dietary intake in adolescents. Online databases and personal libraries were
      searched for peer-reviewed original research articles published in English before
      March 2014. Included studies assessed associations between sedentary behaviour
      and cardiometabolic markers in 12- to 18-year-olds and adjusted for dietary
      intake. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. From the 21 studies
      examining sedentary behaviour and adiposity, the majority found significant
      positive associations between television viewing, screen time and self-reported
      overall sedentary behaviour with markers of adiposity, independent of dietary
      intake. No significant associations between screen time with blood pressure and
      cholesterol were reported. Sedentary behaviour appears to be associated with
      adiposity in adolescents, irrespective of dietary intake. However, the
      variability of dietary variables between studies suggests further work is needed
      to understand the role of dietary intake when examining these associations in
      youth. 

PMID- 26098511
TI  - Anatomy of Nanoscale Propulsion.
AB  - Nature supports multifaceted forms of life. Despite the variety and complexity of
      these forms, motility remains the epicenter of life. The applicable laws of
      physics change upon going from macroscales to microscales and nanoscales, which
      are characterized by low Reynolds number (Re). We discuss motion at low Re in
      natural and synthetic systems, along with various propulsion mechanisms,
      including electrophoresis, electrolyte diffusiophoresis, and nonelectrolyte
      diffusiophoresis. We also describe the newly uncovered phenomena of motility in
      non-ATP-driven self-powered enzymes and the directional movement of these enzymes
      in response to substrate gradients. These enzymes can also be immobilized to
      function as fluid pumps in response to the presence of their substrates. Finally,
      we review emergent collective behavior arising from interacting motile species,
      and we discuss the possible biomedical applications of the synthetic nanobots and
      microbots. 

PMID- 26098512
TI  - Biophysics of Channelrhodopsin.
AB  - Channelrhodopsins (ChRs) are directly light-gated ion channels that function as
      sensory photoreceptors in flagellated green algae, allowing these algae to
      identify optimal light conditions for growth. In neuroscience, ChRs constitute
      the most versatile tools for the light-induced activation of selected cells or
      cell types with unprecedented precision in time and space. In recent years, many
      ChR variants have been discovered or engineered, and countless electrical and
      spectroscopic studies of these ChRs have been carried out, both in host cells and
      on purified recombinant proteins. With significant support from a high-resolution
      3D structure and from molecular dynamics calculations, scientists are now able to
      develop models that conclusively explain ChR activation and ion conductance on
      the basis of chromophore isomerization, structural changes, proton transfer
      reactions, and water rearrangement on timescales ranging from femtoseconds to
      minutes. 

PMID- 26098513
TI  - Structure and Mechanism of RNA Mimics of Green Fluorescent Protein.
AB  - RNAs have highly complex and dynamic cellular localization patterns. Technologies
      for imaging RNA in living cells are important for uncovering their function and
      regulatory pathways. One approach for imaging RNA involves genetically encoding
      fluorescent RNAs using RNA mimics of green fluorescent protein (GFP). These
      mimics are RNA aptamers that bind fluorophores resembling those naturally found
      in GFP and activate their fluorescence. These RNA-fluorophore complexes,
      including Spinach, Spinach2, and Broccoli, can be used to tag RNAs and to image
      their localization in living cells. In this article, we describe the generation
      and optimization of these aptamers, along with strategies for expanding the
      spectral properties of their associated RNA-fluorophore complexes. We also
      discuss the structural basis for the fluorescence and photophysical properties of
      Spinach, and we describe future prospects for designing enhanced RNA-fluorophore
      complexes with enhanced photostability and increased sensitivity. 

PMID- 26098515
TI  - Structural Biology of the Major Facilitator Superfamily Transporters.
AB  - The ancient and ubiquitous major facilitator superfamily (MFS) represents the
      largest secondary transporter family and plays a crucial role in a multitude of
      physiological processes. MFS proteins transport a broad spectrum of ions and
      solutes across membranes via facilitated diffusion, symport, or antiport. In
      recent years, remarkable advances in understanding the structural biology of the
      MFS transporters have been made. This article reviews the history,
      classification, and general features of the MFS proteins; summarizes recent
      structural progress with a focus on the sugar porter family transporters
      exemplified by GLUT1; and discusses the molecular mechanisms of substrate
      binding, alternating access, and cotransport coupling. 

PMID- 26098516
TI  - Specification of Architecture and Function of Actin Structures by Actin
      Nucleation Factors.
AB  - The actin cytoskeleton is essential for diverse processes in mammalian cells;
      these processes range from establishing cell polarity to powering cell migration
      to driving cytokinesis to positioning intracellular organelles. How these many
      functions are carried out in a spatiotemporally regulated manner in a single
      cytoplasm has been the subject of much study in the cytoskeleton field. Recent
      work has identified a host of actin nucleation factors that can build
      architecturally diverse actin structures. The biochemical properties of these
      factors, coupled with their cellular location, likely define the functional
      properties of actin structures. In this article, we describe how recent advances
      in cell biology and biochemistry have begun to elucidate the role of individual
      actin nucleation factors in generating distinct cellular structures. We also
      consider how the localization and orientation of actin nucleation factors, in
      addition to their kinetic properties, are critical to their ability to build a
      functional actin cytoskeleton. 

PMID- 26098514
TI  - Regulation of Rad6/Rad18 Activity During DNA Damage Tolerance.
AB  - Replicative polymerases (pols) cannot accommodate damaged template bases, and
      these pols stall when such offenses are encountered during S phase. Rather than
      repairing the damaged base, replication past it may proceed via one of two DNA
      damage tolerance (DDT) pathways, allowing replicative DNA synthesis to resume. In
      translesion DNA synthesis (TLS), a specialized TLS pol is recruited to catalyze
      stable, yet often erroneous, nucleotide incorporation opposite damaged template
      bases. In template switching, the newly synthesized sister strand is used as a
      damage-free template to synthesize past the lesion. In eukaryotes, both pathways
      are regulated by the conjugation of ubiquitin to the PCNA sliding clamp by
      distinct E2/E3 pairs. Whereas monoubiquitination by Rad6/Rad18 mediates TLS,
      extension of this ubiquitin to a polyubiquitin chain by Ubc13-Mms2/Rad5 routes
      DDT to the template switching pathway. In this review, we focus on the
      monoubiquitination of PCNA by Rad6/Rad18 and summarize the current knowledge of
      how this process is regulated. 

PMID- 26098518
TI  - The Synaptic Vesicle Release Machinery.
AB  - Extensive research has yielded crucial insights into the mechanism of
      neurotransmitter release, and working models for the functions of key proteins
      involved in release. The SNAREs Syntaxin-1, Synaptobrevin, and SNAP-25 play a
      central role in membrane fusion, forming SNARE complexes that bridge the vesicle
      and plasma membranes and that are disassembled by NSF-SNAPs. Exocytosis likely
      starts with Syntaxin-1 folded into a self-inhibited closed conformation that
      binds to Munc18-1. Munc13s open Syntaxin-1, orchestrating SNARE complex assembly
      in an NSF-SNAP-resistant manner together with Munc18-1. In the resulting primed
      state, with partially assembled SNARE complexes, fusion is inhibited by
      Synaptotagmin-1 and Complexins, which also perform active functions in release.
      Upon influx of Ca(2+), Synaptotagmin-1 activates fast release, likely by
      relieving the inhibition caused by Complexins and cooperating with the SNAREs in
      bringing the membranes together. Although alternative models exist and
      fundamental questions remain unanswered, a definitive description of the basic
      release mechanism may be available soon. 

PMID- 26098519
TI  - Growth of Thin, Anisotropic, pi-Conjugated Molecular Films by Stepwise "Click"
      Assembly of Molecular Building Blocks: Characterizing Reaction Yield, Surface
      Coverage, and Film Thickness versus Addition Step Number.
AB  - We report the systematic characterization of anisotropic, pi-conjugated
      oligophenyleneimine (OPI) films synthesized using stepwise imine condensation, or
      "click" chemistry. Film synthesis began with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of
      4-formylthiophenol or 4-aminothiophenol on Au, followed by repetitive, alternate
      addition of terephthalaldehyde (benzene-1,4-dicarbaldehyde) or 1,4-benzenediamine
      to form pi-conjugated films ranging from 0.6-5.5 nm in thickness. By
      systematically capping the OPI films with a redox or halogen label, we were able
      to measure the relative surface coverage after each monomer addition via
      Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,
      spectroscopic ellipsometry, reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy, and
      cyclic voltammetry. Nuclear reaction analysis was also employed for the first
      time on a SAM to calculate the surface coverage of carbon atoms after each
      stepwise addition. These six different analysis methods indicate that the average
      extent of reaction is 99% for each addition step. The high yield and molecular
      surface coverage confirm the efficacy of Schiff base chemistry, at least with the
      terephthalaldehyde and 1,4-benzenediamine monomers, for preparing high-quality
      molecular films with pi conjugation normal to the substrate. 

PMID- 26098517
TI  - Structural Symmetry in Membrane Proteins.
AB  - Symmetry is a common feature among natural systems, including protein structures.
      A strong propensity toward symmetric architectures has long been recognized for
      water-soluble proteins, and this propensity has been rationalized from an
      evolutionary standpoint. Proteins residing in cellular membranes, however, have
      traditionally been less amenable to structural studies, and thus the prevalence
      and significance of symmetry in this important class of molecules is not as well
      understood. In the past two decades, researchers have made great strides in this
      area, and these advances have provided exciting insights into the range of
      architectures adopted by membrane proteins. These structural studies have
      revealed a similarly strong bias toward symmetric arrangements, which were often
      unexpected and which occurred despite the restrictions imposed by the membrane
      environment on the possible symmetry groups. Moreover, membrane proteins
      disproportionately contain internal structural repeats resulting from duplication
      and fusion of smaller segments. This article discusses the types and origins of
      symmetry in membrane proteins and the implications of symmetry for protein
      function. 

PMID- 26098520
TI  - Timely blockade of ICAM-1.LFA-1 interaction prevents disease onset in a mouse
      model of emphysema.
AB  - AIM: It is becoming apparent that emphysema is partly driven by self-reactive T
      cells inducing inflammatory damage. Thus, T cells become targets for therapy
      similar to other autoimmune diseases. Costimulatory blockade therapy targets
      disease-specific T cells, rendering them ineffective by blocking a necessary
      costimulatory event on the T-cell surface. This therapy is tested here in mouse
      emphysema. MATERIALS & METHODS: Peptides representing contact domains of counter
      receptors LFA-1 and ICAM-1 were used as blockade therapy in elastase-induced
      emphysema. RESULTS: When administered during the first week after disease
      induction, blockade prevented lung destruction, reduced leukocyte infiltration
      and inhibited the decrease in T-cell CD4:CD8 ratio, also common in human
      emphysema. CONCLUSION: Costimulatory blockade therapy can affect the progress of
      emphysema.

PMID- 26098521
TI  - Transduction of DNA information through water and electromagnetic waves.
AB  - The experimental conditions by which electromagnetic signals (EMS) of low
      frequency can be emitted by diluted aqueous solutions of some bacterial and viral
      DNAs are described. That the recorded EMS and nanostructures induced in water
      carry the DNA information (sequence) is shown by retrieval of that same DNA by
      classical PCR amplification using the TAQ polymerase, including both primers and
      nucleotides. Moreover, such a transduction process has also been observed in
      living human cells exposed to EMS irradiation. These experiments suggest that
      coherent long-range molecular interaction must be present in water to observe the
      above-mentioned features. The quantum field theory analysis of the phenomenon is
      presented in this article. 

PMID- 26098522
TI  - Illuminating water and life: Emilio Del Giudice.
AB  - The quantum electrodynamics theory of water put forward by Del Giudice and
      colleagues provides a useful foundation for a new science of water for life. The
      interaction of light with liquid water generates quantum coherent domains in
      which the water molecules oscillate between the ground state and an excited state
      close to the ionizing potential of water. This produces a plasma of almost free
      electrons favoring redox reactions, the basis of energy metabolism in living
      organisms. Coherent domains stabilized by surfaces, such as membranes and
      macromolecules, provide the excited interfacial water that enables photosynthesis
      to take place, on which most of life on Earth depends. Excited water is the
      source of superconducting protons for rapid intercommunication within the body.
      Coherent domains can also trap electromagnetic frequencies from the environment
      to orchestrate and activate specific biochemical reactions through resonance, a
      mechanism for the most precise regulation of gene function. 

PMID- 26098523
TI  - Influence of electromagnetic field on soliton-mediated charge transport in
      biological systems.
AB  - It is shown that electromagnetic fields affect dynamics of Davydov's solitons
      which provide charge transport processes in macromolecules during metabolism of
      the system. There is a resonant frequency of the field at which it can cause the
      transition of electrons from bound soliton states into delocalised states. Such
      decay of solitons reduces the effectiveness of charge transport, and, therefore,
      inhibits redox processes. Solitons radiate their own electromagnetic field of
      characteristic frequency determined by their average velocity. This self-radiated
      field leads to synchronization of soliton dynamics and charge transport
      processes, and is the source of the coherence in the system. Exposition of the
      system to the oscillating electromagnetic field of the frequency, which coincides
      with the eigen-frequency of solitons can enhance eigen-radiation of solitons,
      and, therefore, will enhance synchronization of charge transpor, stimulate the
      redox processes and increase coherence in the system. Electromagnetic oscillating
      field causes also ratchet phenomenon of solitons, i.e., drift of solitons in
      macromolecules in the presence of unbiased periodic field. Such additional drift
      enhances the charge transport processes. It is shown that temperature facilitates
      the ratchet drift. In particular, temperature fluctuations lead to the lowering
      of the critical value of the intensity and period of the field, above which the
      drift of solitons takes place. Moreover, there is a stochastic resonance in the
      soliton dynamics in external electromagnetic fields. This means, that there is
      some optimal temperature at which the drift of solitons is maximal. 

PMID- 26098524
TI  - Water's quantum structures and life.
AB  - This article discusses several clues pointing to the spontaneous quantum origin
      of the recently discovered dissipative structures induced in liquid water by low
      energy physical perturbations. These structures show an astonishing permanence,
      so much that large ponderal quantities of supramolecular aggregates of water - at
      ambient pressure and temperature - subsist even in the solid phase, strongly
      suggesting the possibility that these structures are the matrix itself of life. 

PMID- 26098525
TI  - The role of coherence in emergent behavior of biological systems.
AB  - In his research activity, Emilio Del Giudice explored the possibility to move
      towards a unified view of some long-range dynamics in nature, ranging from
      quantum field theory in physics up to biology. Such a view is adopted in this
      contribution by discussing a mathematical model for synchronized electrical
      behavior of pancreatic beta cells. The stochasticity is a fundamental component
      of the physiological synchronized behavior of this system. On the contrary, in a
      pathological type I diabetes scenario, the cells are destroyed by the autoimmune
      system and their coherent behavior is lost. This phenomenology conceptually links
      to ideas of coherent dynamics in quantum physics. Possible implications both for
      physical sciences and for the epistemology of life sciences are outlined. 

PMID- 26098526
TI  - Nanoassociate formation in highly diluted water solutions of potassium phenosan
      with and without permalloy shielding.
AB  - Diluted water solutions of anti-oxidant potassium phenosan, kept before
      explorations in "usual" conditions and in conditions of "permalloy container",
      i.e. shielding of solution from the influence of external low-frequency
      electromagnetic and/or geomagnetic fields, were studied. It is shown that in
      solutions kept in shielded conditions in the area of high dilution with a
      concentration of solutions lower than "threshold", nanoobjects called
      "nanoassociates", are not formed, and anomalous physicochemical and biological
      properties observed in solutions kept in "usual" conditions, are not found. We
      conclude that anomalous physicochemical and biological properties of highly
      diluted water solutions of potassium phenosan made under "usual" conditions are
      determined by "nanoassociates", in which an external low-frequency
      electromagnetic and/or geomagnetic field is a necessary condition of the
      formation.

PMID- 26098527
TI  - The trail from quantum electro dynamics to informative medicine.
AB  - Several years ago just before Christmas, in a small meeting room at the Institute
      of Pharmacology at the University of Rome, we had the opportunity to attend a
      meeting on "The role of QED in medicine" by Emilio Del Giudice and Giuliano
      Preparata. Before that meeting, we were more oriented towards a mechanistic view
      of Biochemistry and Medicine, believing that chemical reactions could only take
      place when a random collision between molecules with a gain in energy takes
      place. We envisioned water as just a solvent in which was possible to dissolve a
      solute. After we listened to Giuliano's and Emilio's speech on the "New physics
      of water", and on "The possible origin of coherence in cell, tissues and the
      interaction of very weak and low frequency magnetic fields with the ions, systems
      of the cell", we realized that living organisms are complex electrochemical
      systems which evolved in a relatively narrow range of well-defined environmental
      parameters. Environmental natural electro-magnetic fields are an ubiquitous
      factor in nature. If nature gave certain organisms the ability to receive
      information about the environment via invisible electromagnetic signals, then
      there must also the capability to discriminate between significant and
      meaningless ones. Bearing in mind that electromagnetic fields can be perceived by
      living organisms by means a resonance effect, we should not be amazed if they can
      be able to induce different biological effects. The work that we will present in
      memory of Emilio is based on the hypotheses that an aqueous system a chemical
      differentiation agent such as retinoic acid (RA) were electronically captured and
      transferred to the culture medium of Neuroblastoma Cell Line (LAN-5) and the
      proliferation rate was assessed to assess cell responses to the electromagnetic
      information transfer through the aqueous system. Like those enfolded in living
      organisms could play a synergic role in modulating biological functions,
      generating dissipative structures under appropriate patterns of electromagnetic
      signals providing basis for storing and retrieving biological activities. An
      external electro-magnetic stimulus from a source molecule can be stored,
      translated, and transferred by the aqueous systems to the biological target,
      selectively driving their endogenous activity and mimicking the effect of a
      source molecule. 

PMID- 26098528
TI  - Diseases caused by defects of energy level and loss of coherence in living cells.
AB  - Human and animal diseases are brought about by pathological alterations of
      production, composition, and conformation of macromolecules and structures in
      cells. Additional contributing factors include changes in physiological states
      caused by disturbances of energy supply, energy transduction, energy dissipation
      in moving or oscillating parts, and parasitic energy consumption. Disturbances of
      energy states may endanger existence of the system. The cell-mediated immunity
      (CMI) response of T lymphocytes correlating with their adherence properties was
      examined using antigen prepared from the serum of inbred laboratory mice strain
      C3H H(2k) infected with lactate dehydrogenase elevating (LDH) virus. LDH virus is
      a parasite on the cellular energy system. Significant CMI response was elicited
      in T lymphocytes prepared from the blood of patients with cancer of different
      phenotypes, acute myocardial infarctions, schizophrenia, and recurrent
      spontaneous abortions in early pregnancy from unknown reasons. The CMI response
      is assumed to monitor transferred information about decreased levels of energy
      states and decoherence in the cells caused by mitochondrial malfunction,
      parasitic consumption, production of lactate, and possibly other disturbances.
      The LDH virus infection or similar pathological processes caused by different
      agents might be connected with the diseases and monitored by the examined CMI
      response. A large amount of mitoses with chromosome defects in aborted fetuses
      suggest increased mutability of genomes caused by defective energy states. 

PMID- 26098529
TI  - Biophysical approach to low back pain: a pilot report.
AB  - Since biophysical treatment has been reported to be effective in the general
      management of pain, we decided to assess the specific effect and treatment
      duration of this therapeutic strategy in low back pain. We were interested in
      verifying the possibility that a single clinical procedure could reduce pain and
      improve patients' quality of life within a period of three months. An
      Electromagnetic Information Transfer Through Aqueous System was employed to
      record endogenous therapeutic signals from each individual using an
      electromagnetic recording device (Med Select 729). A highly significant reduction
      in the Roland Morris low back pain and disability questionnaire score was
      observed after 3 months following a single biophysical intervention (11.83 +/- 6
      at baseline versus 2.3 +/- 3.25 at 3 months, p < 0.0001). This preliminary report
      provides further evidence of the theoretical implications and clinical
      applications of Quantum Electro Dynamic concepts in biology and medicine. 

PMID- 26098530
TI  - Stabilizing effects of hydrated fullerenes C60 in a wide range of concentrations
      on luciferase, alkaline phosphatase, and peroxidase in vitro.
AB  - Hydrated fullerene (HyFnC60) is a highly hydrophilic supra-molecular complex
      consisting of unmodified S60 fullerene molecule enclosed into a hydrated shell.
      It has been shown in numerous experiments that aqueous solutions of HyFnC60
      manifest a wide range of biological activities both in vivo and in vitro even at
      very low concentrations of HyFnC60. We used a spectrophotometric method and a
      method of biochemoluminescence to demonstrate that HyFnC60 in concentrations
      below 10(-9) M down to 10(-23) M stabilizes peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase, and
      bacterial luciferase against inactivation due to long-term incubation of the
      enzymes at room temperature and also against heat inactivation. In addition,
      HyFnC60 was able to "revive" heat inactivated enzymes. These effects cannot be
      explained by the direct action of the fullerene molecules upon the enzymes. We
      suggest that the effects of HyFnC60 on the enzymes are related to the ability of
      hydrated fullerene C60 molecules to organize thick aqueous shells around them.
      One of the specific properties of water phase in these shells is its ability to
      optimize redox reactions, which can support enzyme stability against factors
      deteriorating their structure.

PMID- 26098531
TI  - Copper ion fluxes through the floating water bridge under strong electric
      potential.
AB  - We have performed a series of experiments applying high voltage between two
      electrodes, immersed in two beakers containing bidistilled water in a way similar
      to experiments conducted by Fuchs and collaborators, which showed that a water
      bridge can be formed between the two containers. We also observed the formation
      of water bridge. Moreover, choosing different pairs of electrodes depending on
      the material they are made up of, we observed that copper ions flow can pass
      along the bridge if the negative electrode is made up of copper. We show that the
      direction of the flux not only depends on the applied electrostatic field but on
      the relative electronegativity of the electrodes too. These results open new
      perspectives in understanding the properties of water. We suggest a possible
      explanation of the obtained results. 

PMID- 26098532
TI  - Oral malodour among adolescents and its association with health behaviour and
      oral health status.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess oral malodour level and its association with health
      behaviour, oral health behaviour and oral health status among adolescents.
      METHOD: A questionnaire survey and clinical examination that included tongue
      coating and oral malodour status were conducted on 665 senior high school
      students in Saitama, Japan. Analyses of Pearson chi-square, independent samples t
      test and logistic regression were conducted using SPSS 19.0 with the significance
      level set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: There were 173 (26.0%) subjects who had oral
      malodour and 54.7% of subjects reported they were conscious of their own oral
      malodour. Logistic regression analysis showed that subjects who skipped breakfast
      were 1.7 times more likely to have oral malodour than those who had breakfast.
      Subjects who did not have the habit of cleaning their tongue daily were also 1.7
      times more likely to have oral malodour compared to those who had the habit. The
      odds of having oral malodour increased as the area of tongue coating widened.
      CONCLUSION: Tongue coating, daily tongue cleaning and breakfast are significant
      factors for oral malodour among adolescents. Proper tongue coating management
      together with other healthy lifestyle behaviours, especially having breakfast,
      should be advocated in adolescents' health education.

PMID- 26098533
TI  - Structural and functional roles of the N- and C-terminal extended modules in
      channelrhodopsin-1.
AB  - Channelrhodopsins have become a focus of interest because of their ability to
      control neural activity by light, used in a technology called optogenetics. The
      channelrhodopsin in the eukaryote Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (CrChR-1) is a light
      gated cation channel responsible for motility changes upon photo-illumination and
      a member of the membrane-embedded retinal protein family. Recent crystal
      structure analysis revealed that CrChR-1 has unique extended modules both at its
      N- and C-termini compared to other microbial retinal proteins. This study reports
      the first successful expression of a ChR-1 variant in Escherichia coli as a
      holoprotein: the ChR-1 variant lacking both the N- and C-termini (CrChR-1_82
      308). However, compared to ChR-1 having the extended modules (CrChR-1_1-357),
      truncation of the termini greatly altered the absorption maximum and
      photochemical properties, including the pKa values of its charged residues around
      the chromophore, the reaction rates in the photocycle and the photo-induced ion
      channeling activity. The results of some experiments regarding ion transport
      activity suggest that CrChR-1_82-308 has a proton channeling activity even in the
      dark. On the basis of these results, we discuss the structural and functional
      roles of the N- and C-terminal extended modules in CrChR-1. 

PMID- 26098534
TI  - Are Birth Weight, Early Growth, and Motor Development Determinants of Physical
      Activity in Children and Youth? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - The purpose of this systematic review was to explore whether birth weight, early
      growth and motor development act as determinants of physical activity in children
      and youth. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search on the possible
      early life determinants. A meta-analysis was performed on the association between
      birthweight and objectively measured physical activity. RESULTS: We identified 9
      studies examining birth weight, in which none of the studies with objectively
      measured physical activity observed an association between birth weight and
      physical activity. The meta-analysis confirmed this result (b=-3.08, 95% CI 
      10.20, 4.04). The 3 studies examining early growth and physical activity in youth
      differ in methodology and the results are inconsistent. Two studies suggest an
      association between earlier motor development and physical activity and sport
      participation in youth. This was not confirmed in a third study. CONCLUSION: Our
      meta-analysis suggests that birth weight is not an important determinant of
      physical activity in youth. Available data does not allow firm conclusions
      whether early growth and motor development act as determinants of physical
      activity in youth.

PMID- 26098535
TI  - Retrieval of Inferior Vena Cava Filters With Prolonged Dwell Time: A Single
      Center Experience in 648 Retrieval Procedures.

PMID- 26098536
TI  - Occupational therapists' experiences of career progression following promotion.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: The recruitment and retention of a skilled occupational therapy
      workforce is highlighted as a key issue for the profession, and yet there have
      been relatively few studies into the career progression of occupational
      therapists. METHODS: A qualitative, naturalistic approach was adopted to answer
      the research question, using semi-structured interviews to gather data. Eleven
      purposefully selected participants at an Australian health service were
      interviewed as part of this study. Categories representing the most common themes
      and topics supplied by participants within their individual interviews were
      identified and consolidated by the research team. The trustworthiness of this
      study was supported by strategies to maximise its credibility, dependability and
      confirmability. RESULTS: Four main themes were elicited from the data - (i)
      Readiness for progression, (ii) Tools and processes, (iii) Expectations and (iv)
      What I wish I had known first. Within these themes, related findings were also
      identified by both Grade 2 and Grade 3 staff. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates
      that the readiness of occupational therapists to climb the career ladder is
      influenced by the tools and processes they can utilise, and the expectations they
      have around the realities of their new position. With hindsight, participants
      highlighted some things they wish they had known at the time of transition, which
      appeared to have been implicit. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY: This study is the first to
      address the common issues for occupational therapy staff around progression
      between grade levels. It therefore provides a basis for further research in other
      practice settings and for the development of supports for therapists climbing the
      career ladder.

PMID- 26098537
TI  - Robust variable selection method for nonparametric differential equation models
      with application to nonlinear dynamic gene regulatory network analysis.
AB  - The gene regulation network (GRN) evaluates the interactions between genes and
      look for models to describe the gene expression behavior. These models have many
      applications; for instance, by characterizing the gene expression mechanisms that
      cause certain disorders, it would be possible to target those genes to block the
      progress of the disease. Many biological processes are driven by nonlinear
      dynamic GRN. In this article, we propose a nonparametric differential equation
      (ODE) to model the nonlinear dynamic GRN. Specially, we address following
      questions simultaneously: (i) extract information from noisy time course gene
      expression data; (ii) model the nonlinear ODE through a nonparametric smoothing
      function; (iii) identify the important regulatory gene(s) through a group
      smoothly clipped absolute deviation (SCAD) approach; (iv) test the robustness of
      the model against possible shortening of experimental duration. We illustrate the
      usefulness of the model and associated statistical methods through a simulation
      and a real application examples.

PMID- 26098538
TI  - What are we treating with opioid and sedative-hypnotic combination therapy?

PMID- 26098540
TI  - Effects of unregulated anthropogenic activities on mixing ratios of volatile
      organic air pollutants--A case study.
AB  - During the months of October to November, many important festivals are celebrated
      in India. Celebration of these festivals are marked by extensive use of fireworks
      or pyrotechnics, bonfire, incense burning, open air community cooking, and
      temporary eateries using crude fuel such as coal, wood, kerosene, cow dung,
      burning of raw/semiwood, and coconut shells. The present study deals with the
      influence of these unregulated anthropogenic activities on ambient mixing level
      of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), especially some carbonyl compounds. The
      study was undertaken in the metropolitan city of Kolkata, India, with very high
      population density, which is even higher during festival period. The average
      total carbonyl level at different sites in Kolkata varied from 134.8 to 516.5 MUg
      m(-3) in pre-festival season, whereas in post-festival season the same varied
      from 252.2 to 589.3 MUg m(-3). Formaldehyde to acetaldehyde ratio altered from
      0.62 in pre-festival season to 1.78 in post-festival season. Diurnal variation
      also altered, indicating variation in source composition of carbonyls. The total
      ozone forming potential calculated for all 14 carbonyls in pre-festival season
      increased by 35% in post-festival season. The effect of anthropogenic activities
      typical to the event of Diwali night characterized by intense execution of
      pyrotechnics resulted in significantly high level of carbonyl VOCs. Principal
      component analysis study for the event of Diwali shows clear contribution of the
      event on certain carbonyl VOCs. The results indicate elevated primary emissions
      of these pollutants and also their effect on formation of secondary pollutants.
      The study emphasizes the need of generating awareness among the communities in
      society as well as need for regulations to minimize the emissions and related
      hazards to the extent possible. IMPLICATIONS: Altered anthropogenic activities
      typical of festival season including extensive use of pyrotechnics affect ambient
      level of volatile organic compounds, especially some carbonyls. Such activities
      have considerable effect on interspecies ratio and diurnal variation. They also
      affect formation of secondary pollutants such as tropospheric ozone. Principal
      component analysis (PCA) study shows clear contribution of the pyrotechnics
      execution on certain carbonyl VOCs. The findings emphasize the need of generating
      awareness in society and need for regulations to minimize the emissions.

PMID- 26098539
TI  - Polystyrene-Templated Aerosol Synthesis of MoS2 -Amorphous Carbon Composite with
      Open Macropores as Battery Electrode.
AB  - MoS2 -amorphous carbon (MoS2 -AC) composite microspheres with macroporous
      structure were fabricated by one-pot spray pyrolysis. Single- or few-layered MoS2
      were uniformly dispersed and oriented in random directions in the amorphous
      carbon microsphere with macropores sizes between 50 and 90 nm. The macroporous
      microspheres having a high contact area with liquid electrolyte exhibited overall
      superior Li- and Na-ion storage properties compared with those of the dense
      microspheres. After 250 charge/discharge cycles at a current density of 1.5 A g(
      1) , the discharge capacities of the MoS2 -AC microspheres with dense and
      macroporous structures for Li-ion storage were 694 and 896 mAh g(-1) ,
      respectively. In the case of Na-ion storage, discharge capacities of 336 and 425
      mAh g(-1) were achieved for the dense and macroporous microspheres, respectively,
      after 100 cycles at 0.3 A g(-1) . 

PMID- 26098541
TI  - Accelerated materials design of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 oxygen ionic conductors based on
      first principles calculations.
AB  - We perform a first principles computational study of designing the Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3
      (NBT) perovskite material to increase its oxygen ionic conductivity. In agreement
      with the previous experiments, our computation results confirm fast oxygen ionic
      diffusion and good stability of the NBT material. The oxygen diffusion mechanisms
      in this new material were systematically investigated, and the effects of local
      atomistic configurations and dopants on oxygen diffusion were revealed. Novel
      doping strategies focusing on the Na/Bi sublattice were predicted and
      demonstrated by the first principles calculations. In particular, the K doped NBT
      compound achieved good phase stability and an order of magnitude increase in
      oxygen ionic conductivity of up to 0.1 S cm(-1) at 900 K compared to the previous
      Mg doped compositions. This study demonstrated the advantages of first principles
      calculations in understanding the fundamental structure-property relationship and
      in accelerating the materials design of the ionic conductor materials. 

PMID- 26098542
TI  - Conservation of Olfactory Avoidance in Drosophila Species and Identification of
      Repellents for Drosophila suzukii.
AB  - Flying insects use olfaction to navigate towards fruits in complex odor
      environments with remarkable accuracy. Some fruits change odor profiles
      substantially during ripening and related species can prefer different stages. In
      Drosophila species attractive odorants have been studied extensively, but little
      is understood about the role of avoidance pathways. In order to examine the role
      of the avoidance cue CO2 emitted from fruit on behavior of two species with
      different ripening stage preferences, we investigated the CO2-detection pathway
      in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila suzukii, a harmful pest of fruits.
      Avoidance to CO2 is not conserved in D. suzukii suggesting a behavioral
      adaptation that could facilitate attraction to younger fruit with higher CO2
      emission levels. We investigated known innate avoidance pathways from five
      species at different evolutionary distances: D. melanogaster, D. yakuba, D.
      suzukii, D. pseudoobscura and D. virilis. Surprisingly, only DEET shows strong
      repellency across all species, whereas CO2, citronellal and ethyl 3
      hydroxybutyrate show only limited conservation. These findings guide us to test
      recently discovered safe DEET substitutes, and we identify one that protects
      fruits from D. suzukii thus providing a new behavioral strategy for controlling
      agricultural pests. 

PMID- 26098543
TI  - Is Inferior Oblique Overaction Associated With Astigmatism?
AB  - PURPOSE: To study the relationship between inferior oblique muscle overaction and
      astigmatism, and to explore any change in astigmatism after surgery. METHODS:
      This was a retrospective chart review of patients undergoing strabismus surgery.
      Demographic data collected included age, diagnosis, preoperative refraction,
      presence of inferior oblique overaction, surgery performed, and postoperative
      refraction. Patients were divided into three groups: those having only horizontal
      strabismus without inferior oblique overaction (no inferior oblique group) as a
      control group, those having bilateral inferior oblique overaction (bilateral
      inferior oblique group), and those having unilateral inferior oblique overaction
      (unilateral inferior oblique group). Right eyes of the bilateral inferior oblique
      and no inferior oblique groups were chosen for analysis, whereas the eye with
      inferior oblique overaction was included in the unilateral cases. Refractions
      were converted to power vector coordinates for comparison. Statistical analysis
      was performed to compare the power vectors among groups using the no inferior
      oblique group as controls and to explore any postoperative change in astigmatism.
      RESULTS: One hundred eighteen patients undergoing strabismus surgery were
      included (60 males and 58 females; mean age: 11.31 +/- 10.59 years). Patients
      were divided into three groups: those having only horizontal strabismus without
      inferior oblique overaction (no inferior oblique group; 60 patients) as controls,
      those having bilateral inferior oblique overaction (bilateral inferior oblique
      group; 41 patients), and those having unilateral inferior oblique overaction
      (unilateral inferior oblique group; 17 patients). Preoperatively, there were no
      differences in astigmatism when comparing eyes with and without inferior oblique
      overaction. Postoperatively, both the no inferior oblique group and the bilateral
      inferior oblique group equally showed an increase in with-the-rule cylinder power
      (P = .02 and .01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Inferior oblique muscle overaction
      did not result in an increased prevalence of astigmatism along the axis of the
      overacting muscle.

PMID- 26098544
TI  - Three and Four Horizontal Muscle Surgery for Large Angle Exotropia.
AB  - PURPOSE: Surgery on two horizontal recti typically is most effective for angles
      less than 40 prism diopters (PD). The authors evaluate their experience operating
      on three or four rectus muscles for angles exceeding 40 PD. METHODS:
      Retrospective chart review of 47 patients who underwent a first surgical
      procedure for a large angle comitant exodeviation. Patients were observed for a
      minimum of 2 months. Success was defined as deviation +/-10 PD. RESULTS: Median
      age was 48 years (range: 1 to 79 years). Thirty-four patients underwent three
      muscle surgery and 13 underwent four muscle surgery. Mean preoperative angles
      were 55 +/- 9.8 and 72 +/- 8.8 PD, respectively. Following three muscle surgery,
      rates of success, undercorrection, and overcorrection were 67%, 27%, and 7% at 2
      months and 42%, 58%, and 0% at final follow-up (12 +/- 8.7 months), respectively.
      Rates for four muscle surgery were 44%, 33%, and 22% at 2 months and 50%, 38%,
      and 13% at final follow-up (11 +/- 12.2 months), respectively. Patients who were
      successfully aligned at 2 months had a mean preoperative angle of 55 PD, whereas
      those who were undercorrected had a mean preoperative angle of 67 PD (P = .009).
      Between 1 week and 2 months, 77% of patients experienced exotropic drift
      averaging 10 +/- 9.1 PD. By final follow-up, 90% experienced exotropic drift
      averaging 15 +/- 14.1 PD. Success rates for traditional and adjustable suture
      surgeries did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Three and four horizontal
      muscle surgeries are effective for correcting large angle exotropia. Higher
      preoperative deviations predisposed to undercorrection. Postoperative exotropic
      drift should be anticipated.

PMID- 26098545
TI  - Reduction in Rectus Muscle Recession Depending on the Distance Between Rectus
      Muscle Suture Placement and Scleral Insertion in Rabbit Eyes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To quantitatively determine how a large tendon remnant reduces the
      effect of the rectus muscle recession procedure with respect to the distance
      between the placement of the muscle suture and the scleral insertion. METHODS:
      Thirty-six eyes from 18 rabbits were randomly divided into four groups according
      to the distance between the superior rectus muscle suture placement and the
      scleral insertion (1, 2, 3, and 4 mm). The superior rectus muscle was sutured at
      the previously listed distances from the insertion. Each superior rectus muscle
      was reattached using a scleral pass at a site 4 mm posterior to its original
      insertion. The amount of recession was measured as the distance between the most
      anterior aspect of the reattached muscle and the original insertion site.
      RESULTS: The mean amount of recession was 4.07 +/- 0.25 mm in the 1-mm group and
      2.76 +/- 0.55 mm in the 4-mm group at postoperative week 4. There were
      significant differences in the amount of recession between the four groups.
      Linear regression analyses revealed a significant relationship between the
      distance of the muscle suture placement from the scleral insertion and the amount
      of recession (r(2) = 0.521). The superior rectus muscle was estimated to be
      reattached 0.437 mm anterior to the desired location for every 1 mm that the
      muscle suture was placed posterior to the scleral insertion. CONCLUSIONS: The
      potential error that depends on the distance between the muscle suture placement
      and the scleral insertion should be considered to reduce undercorrection and
      ensure a good surgical outcome.

PMID- 26098546
TI  - Surgical Treatment of V-pattern Exotropia in Crouzon Syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: Strabismus affects as many as 60% to 70% of patients with Crouzon
      syndrome. V-pattern strabismus is common and is thought to be secondary to severe
      oblique muscle dysfunction. The complex motility disorders produced by abnormal
      extraocular muscles in this syndrome can be difficult to manage. Few studies have
      reported findings regarding the extraocular muscles or how to plan and adapt the
      required surgery for this condition. METHODS: The surgical management and
      outcomes of four patients with Crouzon syndrome who had undergone craniofacial
      reconstruction surgery were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: All patients
      showed significant improvement in the primary eye position, but had residual
      ocular motility dysfunction postoperatively, especially relating to the up gaze
      position. During surgery it was noted that the lateral rectus muscle or superior
      oblique tendons were absent or anomalous in one of the four patients. In two of
      the patients, there was an absence of both inferior rectus muscles. The
      extraocular muscles were examined pathologically and revealed evidence of tendon
      capsule and mild fiber degeneration. CONCLUSIONS: Strabismus in Crouzon syndrome
      is complex and the absence of certain extraocular muscles is unpredictable. It is
      not possible to perform strabismus surgery according to a defined surgical plan;
      one needs to adapt according to the patient's individual anatomy. Also, the
      strabismus is difficult to completely correct. However, improving ocular motility
      in the most functional fields of gaze will benefit the quality of life for both
      children and their families.

PMID- 26098547
TI  - Revealing Genomic Profile That Underlies Tropism of Myeloma Cells Using Whole
      Exome Sequencing.
AB  - Background. Previously we established two cell lines (SNU_MM1393_BM and
      SNU_MM1393_SC) from different tissues (bone marrow and subcutis) of mice which
      were injected with single patient's myeloma sample. We tried to define genetic
      changes specific for each cell line using whole exome sequencing (WES). Materials
      and Methods. We extracted DNA from SNU_MM1393_BM and SNU_MM1393_SC and performed
      WES. For single nucleotide variants (SNV) calling, we used Varscan2. Annotation
      of mutation was performed using ANNOVAR. Results. When calling of somatic
      mutations was performed, 68 genes were nonsynonymously mutated only in
      SNU_MM1393_SC, while 136 genes were nonsynonymously mutated only in
      SNU_MM1393_BM. KIAA1199, FRY, AP3B2, and OPTC were representative genes
      specifically mutated in SNU_MM1393_SC. When comparison analysis was performed
      using TCGA data, mutational pattern of SNU_MM1393_SC resembled that of melanoma
      mostly. Pathway analysis using KEGG database showed that mutated genes specific
      of SNU_MM1393_BM were related to differentiation, while those of SNU_MM1393_SC
      were related to tumorigenesis. Conclusion. We found out genetic changes that
      underlie tropism of myeloma cells using WES. Genetic signature of cutaneous
      plasmacytoma shares that of melanoma implying common mechanism for skin tropism.
      KIAA1199, FRY, AP3B2, and OPTC are candidate genes for skin tropism of cancers. 

PMID- 26098548
TI  - Soil Tillage Management Affects Maize Grain Yield by Regulating Spatial
      Distribution Coordination of Roots, Soil Moisture and Nitrogen Status.
AB  - The spatial distribution of the root system through the soil profile has an
      impact on moisture and nutrient uptake by plants, affecting growth and
      productivity. The spatial distribution of the roots, soil moisture, and fertility
      are affected by tillage practices. The combination of high soil density and the
      presence of a soil plow pan typically impede the growth of maize (Zea mays L.).We
      investigated the spatial distribution coordination of the root system, soil
      moisture, and N status in response to different soil tillage treatments (NT: no
      tillage, RT: rotary-tillage, SS: subsoiling) and the subsequent impact on maize
      yield, and identify yield-increasing mechanisms and optimal soil tillage
      management practices. Field experiments were conducted on the Huang-Huai-Hai
      plain in China during 2011 and 2012. The SS and RT treatments significantly
      reduced soil bulk density in the top 0-20 cm layer of the soil profile, while SS
      significantly decreased soil bulk density in the 20-30 cm layer. Soil moisture in
      the 20-50 cm profile layer was significantly higher for the SS treatment compared
      to the RT and NT treatment. In the 0-20 cm topsoil layer, the NT treatment had
      higher soil moisture than the SS and RT treatments. Root length density of the SS
      treatment was significantly greater than density of the RT and NT treatments, as
      soil depth increased. Soil moisture was reduced in the soil profile where root
      concentration was high. SS had greater soil moisture depletion and a more
      concentration root system than RT and NT in deep soil. Our results suggest that
      the SS treatment improved the spatial distribution of root density, soil moisture
      and N states, thereby promoting the absorption of soil moisture and reducing N
      leaching via the root system in the 20-50 cm layer of the profile. Within the
      context of the SS treatment, a root architecture densely distributed deep into
      the soil profile, played a pivotal role in plants' ability to access nutrients
      and water. An optimal combination of deeper deployment of roots and resource
      (water and N) availability was realized where the soil was prone to leaching. The
      correlation between the depletion of resources and distribution of patchy roots
      endorsed the SS tillage practice. It resulted in significantly greater post
      silking biomass and grain yield compared to the RT and NT treatments, for summer
      maize on the Huang-Huai-Hai plain. 

PMID- 26098550
TI  - Emergence of complex chemistry on an organic monolayer.
AB  - In many origin-of-life scenarios, inorganic materials, such as FeS or mineral
      clays, play an important role owing to their ability to concentrate and select
      small organic molecules on their surface and facilitate their chemical
      transformations into new molecules. However, considering that life is made up of
      organic matter, at a certain stage during the evolution the role of the inorganic
      material must have been taken over by organic molecules. How this exactly
      happened is unclear, and, indeed, a big gap separates the rudimentary level of
      organization involving inorganic materials and the complex organization of cells,
      which are the building blocks of life. Over the past years, we have extensively
      studied the interaction of small molecules with monolayer-protected gold
      nanoparticles (Au NPs) for the purpose of developing innovative sensing and
      catalytic systems. During the course of these studies, we realized that the
      functional role of this system is very similar to that typically attributed to
      inorganic surfaces in the early stages of life, with the important being
      difference that the functional properties (molecular recognition, catalysis,
      signaling, adaptation) originate entirely from the organic monolayer rather than
      the inorganic support. This led us to the proposition that this system may serve
      as a model that illustrates how the important role of inorganic surfaces in
      dictating chemical processes in the early stages of life may have been taken over
      by organic matter. Here, we reframe our previously obtained results in the
      context of the origin-of-life question. The following functional roles of Au NPs
      will be discussed: the ability to concentrate small molecules and create
      different local populations, the ability to catalyze the chemical transformation
      of bound molecules, and, finally, the ability to install rudimentary signaling
      pathways and display primitive adaptive behavior. In particular, we will show
      that many of the functional properties of the system originate from two features:
      the presence of metal ions that are complexed in the organic monolayer and the
      multivalent nature of the system. Complexed metal ions play an important role in
      determining the affinity and selectivity of the interaction with small molecules,
      but serve also as regulatory elements for determining how many molecules are
      bound simultaneously. Importantly, neighboring metal ion complexes also create
      catalytic pockets in which two metal ions cooperatively catalyze the cleavage of
      an RNA-model compound. The multivalent nature of the system permits multiple
      noncovalent interactions with small molecules that enhances the affinity, but is
      also at the basis of simple signal transduction pathways and adaptive behavior. 

PMID- 26098549
TI  - Cardioprotective Signature of Short-Term Caloric Restriction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To understand the molecular pathways underlying the cardiac
      preconditioning effect of short-term caloric restriction (CR). BACKGROUND:
      Lifelong CR has been suggested to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease
      through a variety of mechanisms. However, prolonged adherence to a CR life-style
      is difficult. Here we reveal the pathways that are modulated by short-term CR,
      which are associated with protection of the mouse heart from ischemia. METHODS:
      Male 10-12 wk old C57bl/6 mice were randomly assigned to an ad libitum (AL) diet
      with free access to regular chow, or CR, receiving 30% less food for 7 days (d),
      prior to myocardial infarction (MI) via permanent coronary ligation. At d8, the
      left ventricles (LV) of AL and CR mice were collected for Western blot, mRNA and
      microRNA (miR) analyses to identify cardioprotective gene expression signatures.
      In separate groups, infarct size, cardiac hemodynamics and protein abundance of
      caspase 3 was measured at d2 post-MI. RESULTS: This short-term model of CR was
      associated with cardio-protection, as evidenced by decreased infarct size (18.5+/
      2.4% vs. 26.6+/-1.7%, N=10/group; P=0.01). mRNA and miR profiles pre-MI
      (N=5/group) identified genes modulated by short-term CR to be associated with
      circadian clock, oxidative stress, immune function, apoptosis, metabolism,
      angiogenesis, cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix (ECM). Western blots pre-MI
      revealed CR-associated increases in phosphorylated Akt and GSK3beta, reduced
      levels of phosphorylated AMPK and mitochondrial related proteins PGC-1alpha,
      cytochrome C and cyclooxygenase (COX) IV, with no differences in the levels of
      phosphorylated eNOS or MAPK (ERK1/2; p38). CR regimen was also associated with
      reduced protein abundance of cleaved caspase 3 in the infarcted heart and
      improved cardiac function.

PMID- 26098552
TI  - Prevalence of Low Bone Mass and Osteoporosis in Long-Term Users of the Injectable
      Contraceptive Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bone mineral density (BMD) loss among depot medroxyprogesterone
      acetate (DMPA) users is a controversial issue. Aspects under debate include
      whether the number of years of use has any effect on continuous BMD loss, whether
      this loss will stabilise over the years of use or if it will progress to low bone
      mass, osteoporosis and an increased fracture risk. The aim of this study was to
      compare the difference in osteoporosis and low bone mass between DMPA and copper
      intrauterine device (Cu-IUD) users. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study
      that evaluated BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck in 47 long-term DMPA
      users and 41 Cu-IUD users as control group. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry. The participants were 27 to 57 years of age, had used either DMPA
      or a Cu-IUD uninterruptedly for at least ten years, had initiated use of the
      method prior to 40 years of age and had follicle stimulating hormone values <40
      mIU/mL. RESULTS: Findings showed that 68.1% and 36.6% of the DMPA and Cu-IUD
      users, respectively, had low bone mass and 29.8% and 2.4% of DMPA and Cu-IUD
      users, respectively, had osteoporosis. BMD decreased as the number of years of
      DMPA use increased. CONCLUSION: Long-term DMPA use was associated with low bone
      mass and osteoporosis in women who had used the method for 10 years or more. DMPA
      users with longer time of use showed a greater bone mass loss.

PMID- 26098551
TI  - Phenotypic Variation Is Almost Entirely Independent of the Host-Pathogen
      Relationship in Clinical Isolates of S. aureus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A key feature of Staphylococcus aureus biology is its ability to
      switch from an apparently benign colonizer of ~30% of the population to a
      cutaneous pathogen, to a deadly invasive pathogen. Little is known about the
      mechanisms driving this transition or the propensity of different S. aureus
      strains to engender different types of host-pathogen interactions. At the same
      time, significant weight has been given to the role of specific in vitro
      phenotypes in S. aureus virulence. Biofilm formation, hemolysis and pigment
      formation have all been associated with virulence in mice. DESIGN: To determine
      if there is a correlation between in vitro phenotype and the three types of host
      pathogen relationships commonly exhibited by S. aureus in the context of its
      natural human host, we assayed 300 clinical isolates for phenotypes implicated in
      virulence including hemolysis, sensitivity to autolysis, and biofilm formation.
      For comparative purposes, we also assayed phenotype in 9 domesticated S. aureus
      strains routinely used for analysis of virulence determinants in laboratory
      settings. RESULTS: Strikingly, the clinical strains exhibited significant
      phenotypic uniformity in each of the assays evaluated in this study. One
      exception was a small, but significant, correlation between an increased
      propensity for biofilm formation and isolation from skin and soft tissue
      infections (SSTIs). In contrast, we observed a high degree of phenotypic
      variation between common laboratory strains that exhibit virulence in mouse
      models. These data suggest the existence of significant evolutionary pressure on
      the S. aureus genome and highlight a role for host factors as a strong
      determinant of the host-pathogen relationship. In addition, the high degree of
      variation between laboratory strains emphasizes the need for caution when
      applying data obtained in one lab strain to the analysis of another.

PMID- 26098553
TI  - Development of a Multivalent Subunit Vaccine against Tularemia Using Tobacco
      Mosaic Virus (TMV) Based Delivery System.
AB  - Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular pathogen, and is the
      causative agent of a fatal human disease known as tularemia. F. tularensis is
      classified as a Category A Biothreat agent by the CDC based on its use in
      bioweapon programs by several countries in the past and its potential to be used
      as an agent of bioterrorism. No licensed vaccine is currently available for
      prevention of tularemia. In this study, we used a novel approach for development
      of a multivalent subunit vaccine against tularemia by using an efficient tobacco
      mosaic virus (TMV) based delivery platform. The multivalent subunit vaccine was
      formulated to contain a combination of F. tularensis protective antigens: OmpA
      like protein (OmpA), chaperone protein DnaK and lipoprotein Tul4 from the highly
      virulent F. tularensis SchuS4 strain. Two different vaccine formulations and
      immunization schedules were used. The immunized mice were challenged with lethal
      (10xLD100) doses of F. tularensis LVS on day 28 of the primary immunization and
      observed daily for morbidity and mortality. Results from this study demonstrate
      that TMV can be used as a carrier for effective delivery of multiple F.
      tularensis antigens. TMV-conjugate vaccine formulations are safe and multiple
      doses can be administered without causing any adverse reactions in immunized
      mice. Immunization with TMV-conjugated F. tularensis proteins induced a strong
      humoral immune response and protected mice against respiratory challenges with
      very high doses of F. tularensis LVS. This study provides a proof-of-concept that
      TMV can serve as a suitable platform for simultaneous delivery of multiple
      protective antigens of F. tularensis. Refinement of vaccine formulations coupled
      with TMV-targeting strategies developed in this study will provide a platform for
      development of an effective tularemia subunit vaccine as well as a vaccination
      approach that may broadly be applicable to many other bacterial pathogens. 

PMID- 26098554
TI  - Transporting Cells in Semi-Solid Gel Condition and at Ambient Temperature.
AB  - Mammalian cells including human cancer cells are usually transported in cryovials
      on dry ice or in a liquid nitrogen vapor shipping vessel between different places
      at long distance. The hazardous nature of dry ice and liquid nitrogen, and the
      associated high shipping cost strongly limit their routine use. In this study, we
      tested the viability and properties of cells after being preserved or shipped
      over long distance in Matrigel mixture for different days. Our results showed
      that cells mixed with Matrigel at suitable ratios maintained excellent viability
      (>90%) for one week at room temperature and preserved the properties such as
      morphology, drug sensitivity and metabolism well, which was comparable to cells
      cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. We also sent cells in the Matrigel mixture via
      FedEx service to different places at ambient temperature. Upon arrival, it was
      found that over 90% of the cells were viable and grew well after replating. These
      data collectively suggested that our Matrigel-based method was highly convenient
      for shipping live cells for long distances in semi-solid gel condition and at
      ambient temperature. 

PMID- 26098555
TI  - Health Facility Graduation from Donor-Supported Intensive Technical Assistance
      and Associated Factors in Zambia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The FHI360-led Zambia Prevention Care and Treatment partnership II
      (ZPCT II) with funding from United States Agency for International Development,
      supports the Zambian Ministry of Health in scaling up HIV/AIDS services. To
      improve the quality of HIV/AIDS services, ZPCT II provides technical assistance
      until desired standards are met and districts are weaned-off intensive technical
      support, a process referred to as district graduation. This study describes the
      graduation process and determines performance domains associated with district
      graduation. METHODS: Data were collected from 275 health facilities in 39
      districts in 5 provinces of Zambia between 2008 and 2012. Performance in
      technical capacity, commodity management, data management and human resources
      domains were assessed in the following services areas: HIV counselling and
      testing and prevention of mother to child transmission, antiretroviral
      therapy/clinical care, pharmacy and laboratory. The overall mean percentage score
      was calculated by obtaining the mean of mean percentage scores for the four
      domains. Logistic regression models were used to obtain odds ratios (OR) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) for the domain mean percentage scores in graduated
      versus non-graduated districts; according to rural-urban, and province strata.
      RESULTS: 24 districts out of 39 graduated from intensive donor supported
      technical assistance while 15 districts did not graduate. The overall mean
      percentage score for all four domains was statistically significantly higher in
      graduated than non-graduated districts (93.2% versus 91.2%, OR = 1.34, 95%CI:1.20
      1.49); including rural settings (92.4% versus 89.4%, OR = 1.43,95%CI:1.24-1.65).
      The mean percentage score in human resource domain was statistically
      significantly higher in graduated than non-graduated districts (93.6% versus
      71.6%, OR = 5.81, 95%CI: 4.29-7.86) and in both rural and urban settings.
      CONCLUSIONS: QA/QI tools can be used to assess performance at health facilities
      and determine readiness for district graduation. Human resources management
      domain was found to be an important factor associated with district graduation.

PMID- 26098556
TI  - The Application of Auto-Disturbance Rejection Control Optimized by Least Squares
      Support Vector Machines Method and Time-Frequency Representation in Voltage
      Source Converter-High Voltage Direct Current System.
AB  - In order to improve the performance of voltage source converter-high voltage
      direct current (VSC-HVDC) system, we propose an improved auto-disturbance
      rejection control (ADRC) method based on least squares support vector machines
      (LSSVM) in the rectifier side. Firstly, we deduce the high frequency transient
      mathematical model of VSC-HVDC system. Then we investigate the ADRC and LSSVM
      principles. We ignore the tracking differentiator in the ADRC controller aiming
      to improve the system dynamic response speed. On this basis, we derive the
      mathematical model of ADRC controller optimized by LSSVM for direct current
      voltage loop. Finally we carry out simulations to verify the feasibility and
      effectiveness of our proposed control method. In addition, we employ the time
      frequency representation methods, i.e., Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD) and
      adaptive optimal kernel (AOK) time-frequency representation, to demonstrate our
      proposed method performs better than the traditional method from the perspective
      of energy distribution in time and frequency plane. 

PMID- 26098558
TI  - Cancer Workup after Unprovoked Clot--Less Is More.

PMID- 26098557
TI  - Targeting Hormone-Related Pathways to Improve Grain Yield in Rice: A Chemical
      Approach.
AB  - Sink/source relationships, regulating the mobilization of stored carbohydrates
      from the vegetative tissues to the grains, are of key importance for grain
      filling and grain yield. We used different inhibitors of plant hormone action to
      assess their effects on grain yield and on the expression of hormone-associated
      genes. Among the tested chemicals, 2-indol-3-yl-4-oxo-4-phenylbutanoic acid (PEO
      IAA; antagonist of auxin receptor), nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA; abscisic
      acid (ABA) biosynthesis inhibitor), and 2-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB; ethylene
      biosynthesis inhibitor) improved grain yield in a concentration dependent manner.
      These effects were also dependent on the plant developmental stage. NDGA and AIB
      treatments induced an increase in photosynthesis in flag leaves concomitant to
      the increments of starch content in flag leaves and grains. NDGA inhibited the
      expression of ABA-responsive gene, but did not significantly decrease ABA
      content. Instead, NDGA significantly decreased jasmonic acid and jasmonic acid
      isoleucine. Our results support the notion that the specific inhibition of
      jasmonic acid and ethylene biosynthesis resulted in grain yield increase in rice.

PMID- 26098559
TI  - Factors Associated with Low Levels of HIV Testing among Men Who Have Sex with Men
      (MSM) in Brazil.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess risk factors associated with low levels of
      HIV testing among MSM recruited through respondent driven sampling (RDS) in
      Brazil. Of 3,617 participants, 48.4% had never tested previously for HIV. A
      logistic model indicated that younger age, lower socioeconomic class, education,
      poor HIV/AIDS knowledge, no history of cruising, and having been tested during
      the study were characteristics independently associated with low levels of
      previous HIV testing. The HIV testing rate among MSM in Brazil is still low in
      spite of the availability of a large number services providing universal and free
      access to HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment. To respond to low utilization, the
      authors propose a higher priority for testing for key populations such as MSM,
      expanded education, expanding testing sites and a welcoming and nonjudgmental
      environment in health services. 

PMID- 26098560
TI  - The MicroRNA-217 Functions as a Potential Tumor Suppressor in Gastric Cancer by
      Targeting GPC5.
AB  - Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Emerging
      evidence has shown that aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) plays important
      roles in cancer progression. However, little is known about the potential role of
      miR-217 in GC. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-217 on GC cell
      proliferation and invasion. The expression of miR-217 was down-regulated in GC
      cells and human GC tissues. Enforced expression of miR-217 inhibited GC cells
      proliferation and invasion. Moreover, Glypican-5 (GPC5), a new ocncogene, was
      identified as the potential target of miR-217. In addition, overexpression of miR
      217 impaired GPC5-induced promotion of proliferation and invasion in GC cells. In
      conclusion, these findings revealed that miR-217 functioned as a tumor suppressor
      and inhibited the proliferation and invasion of GC cells by targeting GPC5, which
      might consequently serve as a therapeutic target for GC patients. 

PMID- 26098561
TI  - Evidence of a Double Burden of Malnutrition in Urban Poor Settings in Nairobi,
      Kenya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many low- and middle-income countries are undergoing a nutrition
      transition associated with rapid social and economic transitions. We explore the
      coexistence of over and under- nutrition at the neighborhood and household level,
      in an urban poor setting in Nairobi, Kenya. METHODS: Data were collected in 2010
      on a cohort of children aged under five years born between 2006 and 2010.
      Anthropometric measurements of the children and their mothers were taken.
      Additionally, dietary intake, physical activity, and anthropometric measurements
      were collected from a stratified random sample of adults aged 18 years and older
      through a separate cross-sectional study conducted between 2008 and 2009 in the
      same setting. Proportions of stunting, underweight, wasting and
      overweight/obesity were dettermined in children, while proportions of underweight
      and overweight/obesity were determined in adults. RESULTS: Of the 3335 children
      included in the analyses with a total of 6750 visits, 46% (51% boys, 40% girls)
      were stunted, 11% (13% boys, 9% girls) were underweight, 2.5% (3% boys, 2% girls)
      were wasted, while 9% of boys and girls were overweight/obese respectively. Among
      their mothers, 7.5% were underweight while 32% were overweight/obese. A large
      proportion (43% and 37%%) of overweight and obese mothers respectively had
      stunted children. Among the 5190 adults included in the analyses, 9% (6% female,
      11% male) were underweight, and 22% (35% female, 13% male) were overweight/obese.
      CONCLUSION: The findings confirm an existing double burden of malnutrition in
      this setting, characterized by a high prevalence of undernutrition particularly
      stunting early in life, with high levels of overweight/obesity in adulthood,
      particularly among women. In the context of a rapid increase in urban population,
      particularly in urban poor settings, this calls for urgent action. Multisectoral
      action may work best given the complex nature of prevailing circumstances in
      urban poor settings. Further research is needed to understand the pathways to
      this coexistence, and to test feasibility and effectiveness of context-specific
      interventions to curb associated health risks.

PMID- 26098562
TI  - L-Arginine and SDMA Serum Concentrations Are Associated with Subclinical
      Atherosclerosis in the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Even though ?-arginine (ARG) derivatives can predict cardiovascular
      mortality, their role as atherosclerotic biomarkers is unclear. We tested the
      hypothesis if asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), symmetric dimethylarginine
      (SDMA) and the sum of both (DMA) are positively, while ARG and ARG/ADMA ratio are
      inversely associated with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and
      atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid artery. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Cross
      sectional data of 1999 subjects (age: 45-81 years; 48.2% ?) from the population
      based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-0) was used. Analysis of variance and
      logistic regression models were calculated and all adjusted models were corrected
      for sex, age, smoking status, waist-to-hip ratio and estimated glomerular
      filtration rate. Increased cIMT (>75th age-sex specific percentile) was found in
      517 subjects (25.7%), while atherosclerotic plaque was detected in 1413 subjects
      (70.4%). SDMA tertiles were significantly positively associated with larger cIMT
      among subjects with high SDMA levels [>66th: 0.82 (95%-CI 0.80; 0.85) mm]. High
      SDMA levels were related to a higher odds ratio (OR) of increased cIMT [OR 1.39
      (95%-CI 1.08; 1.79)]. Furthermore, ARG was positively associated with
      atherosclerotic plaques [OR 1.41 (95%-CI 1.07; 1.85)]. No relation was found for
      ADMA and atherosclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the hypothesis of a
      positive association between SDMA with an increased cIMT was confirmed.
      Unexpectedly, ARG was positively related to atherosclerotic plaque. In view of
      these inconsistent findings, the impact of ARG derivatives as atherosclerotic
      biomarkers deserves further research.

PMID- 26098563
TI  - Contraceptive use among young women in Estonia: Association with contraceptive
      services.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Our study aimed to explore the association between the use of
      effective contraceptive methods and access to different contraceptive services,
      as well as to describe accessibility-related obstacles when using contraceptive
      services and satisfaction with those services. METHODS: From a population-based
      cross-sectional study carried out in 2004 (response rate 53.8%), the data of 16-
      to 24-year-old women requiring contraception (N = 868) were analysed. Factors
      associated with the use of effective contraceptive methods and, specifically,
      hormonal methods, were explored using multiple logistic regression analysis.
      RESULTS: Effective contraception was used by 75.1% of the respondents. The use of
      effective contraceptive methods was associated with school-based sexuality
      education (adjusted prevalence odds ratio 2.69; 95% confidence interval 1.32 -
      5.50), visiting a youth-friendly clinic (YFC) (1.82; 1.03-3.23) or a private
      gynaecologist (2.08; 1.11-3.92). The use of hormonal methods was additionally
      associated with being a native Estonian speaker and visiting a family doctor.
      More than half of the respondents reported some obstacle in accessing
      contraceptive services. The highest satisfaction ratings were given to YFCs.
      CONCLUSIONS: Steps to promote the use of services that are youth-friendly and
      associated with better uptake of effective contraceptive methods are needed among
      all 16- to 24-year-old women.

PMID- 26098564
TI  - Water Stress and Foliar Boron Application Altered Cell Wall Boron and Seed
      Nutrition in Near-Isogenic Cotton Lines Expressing Fuzzy and Fuzzless Seed
      Phenotypes.
AB  - Our previous research, conducted under well-watered conditions without fertilizer
      application, showed that fuzziness cottonseed trait resulted in cottonseed
      nutrition differences between fuzzy (F) and fuzzless (N) cottonseed. Under water
      stress conditions, B mobility is further limited, inhibiting B movement within
      the plant, affecting seed nutrition (quality). Therefore, we hypothesized that
      both foliar B and water stress can affect B mobility, altering cottonseed
      protein, oil, and mineral nutrition. The objective of the current research was to
      evaluate the effects of the fuzziness seed trait on boron (B) and seed nutrition
      under water stress and foliar B application using near-isogenic cotton lines
      (NILs) grown in a repeated greenhouse experiment. Plants were grown under-well
      watered conditions (The soil water potential was kept between -15 to -20 kPa,
      considered field capacity) and water stress conditions (soil water potential
      between -100 and -150 kPa, stressed conditions). Foliar B was applied at a rate
      of 1.8 kg B ha(-1) as H3BO3. Under well-watered conditions without B the
      concentrations of seed oil in N lines were higher than in F lines, and seed K and
      N levels were lower in N lines than in F lines. Concentrations of K, N, and B in
      leaves were higher in N lines than in F lines, opposing the trend in seeds. Water
      stress resulted in higher seed protein concentrations, and the contribution of
      cell wall (structural) B to the total B exceeded 90%, supporting the structural
      role of B in plants. Foliar B application under well-watered conditions resulted
      in higher seed protein, oil, C, N, and B in only some lines. This research showed
      that cottonseed nutrition differences can occur due to seed fuzziness trait, and
      water stress and foliar B application can alter cottonseed nutrition.

PMID- 26098566
TI  - Human rotavirus vaccine (Rotarix): focus on effectiveness and impact 6 years
      after first introduction in Africa.
AB  - A decade after licensure of the human rotavirus vaccine (HRV), a wealth of
      evidence supports a reduction of rotavirus (RV) gastroenteritis-associated
      mortality and hospitalizations following HRV inclusion in national immunization
      programs. Nevertheless, the majority of real-world data has been generated in
      high- or middle-income settings. Clinical efficacy trials previously indicated RV
      vaccine performance may be lower in less-developed countries compared with
      wealthier counterparts. Using recently published data from Africa, we examine the
      effectiveness and impact of HRV in resource-deprived areas, exploring whether
      vaccine performance differs by socioeconomic setting and the potential underlying
      factors. HRV vaccine effectiveness in early adopting African countries has proven
      to be similar or even superior to the efficacy results observed in pre-licensure
      studies. 

PMID- 26098565
TI  - Peripheral Blood Mitochondrial DNA as a Biomarker of Cerebral Mitochondrial
      Dysfunction following Traumatic Brain Injury in a Porcine Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been shown to activate the
      peripheral innate immune system and systemic inflammatory response, possibly
      through the central release of damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Our
      main purpose was to gain an initial understanding of the peripheral mitochondrial
      response following TBI, and how this response could be utilized to determine
      cerebral mitochondrial bioenergetics. We hypothesized that TBI would increase
      peripheral whole blood relative mtDNA copy number, and that these alterations
      would be associated with cerebral mitochondrial bioenergetics triggered by TBI.
      METHODOLOGY: Blood samples were obtained before, 6 h after, and 25 h after focal
      (controlled cortical impact injury: CCI) and diffuse (rapid non-impact rotational
      injury: RNR) TBI. PCR primers, unique to mtDNA, were identified by aligning
      segments of nuclear DNA (nDNA) to mtDNA, normalizing values to nuclear 16S rRNA,
      for a relative mtDNA copy number. Three unique mtDNA regions were selected, and
      PCR primers were designed within those regions, limited to 25-30 base pairs to
      further ensure sequence specificity, and measured utilizing qRT-PCR. RESULTS:
      Mean relative mtDNA copy numbers increased significantly at 6 and 25 hrs after
      following both focal and diffuse traumatic brain injury. Specifically, the mean
      relative mtDNA copy number from three mitochondrial-specific regions pre-injury
      was 0.84 +/- 0.05. At 6 and 25 h after diffuse non-impact TBI, mean mtDNA copy
      number was significantly higher: 2.07 +/- 0.19 (P < 0.0001) and 2.37 +/- 0.42 (P
      < 0.001), respectively. Following focal impact TBI, relative mtDNA copy number
      was also significantly higher, 1.35 +/- 0.12 (P < 0.0001) at 25 hours.
      Alterations in mitochondrial respiration in the hippocampus and cortex post-TBI
      correlated with changes in the relative mtDNA copy number measured in peripheral
      blood. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations in peripheral blood relative mtDNA copy numbers
      may be a novel biosignature of cerebral mitochondrial bioenergetics with exciting
      translational potential for non-invasive diagnostic and interventional studies.

PMID- 26098567
TI  - Transcriptome Analysis to Identify Cold-Responsive Genes in Amur Carp (Cyprinus
      carpio haematopterus).
AB  - The adaptation of fish to low temperatures is the result of long-term evolution.
      Amur carp (Cyprinus carpio haematopterus) survives low temperatures (0-4 degrees
      C) for six months per year. Therefore, we chose this fish as a model organism to
      study the mechanisms of cold-adaptive responses using high-throughput sequencing
      technology. This system provided an excellent model for exploring the
      relationship between evolutionary genomic changes and environmental adaptations.
      The Amur carp transcriptome was sequenced using the Illumina platform and was
      assembled into 163,121 cDNA contigs, with an average read length of 594 bp and an
      N50 length of 913 bp. A total of 162,339 coding sequences (CDSs) were identified
      and of 32,730 unique CDSs were annotated. Gene Ontology (GO), EuKaryotic
      Orthologous Groups (KOG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG)
      analyses were performed to classify all CDSs into different functional
      categories. A large number of cold-responsive genes were detected in different
      tissues at different temperatures. A total of 9,427 microsatellites were
      identified and classified, with 1952 identifying in cold-responsive genes. Based
      on GO enrichment analysis of the cold-induced genes, "protein localization" and
      "protein transport" were the most highly represented biological processes.
      "Circadian rhythm," "protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum," "endocytosis,"
      "insulin signaling pathway," and "lysosome" were the most highly enriched
      pathways for the genes induced by cold stress. Our data greatly contribute to the
      common carp (C. carpio) transcriptome resource, and the identification of cold
      responsive genes in different tissues at different temperatures will aid in
      deciphering the genetic basis of ecological and environmental adaptations in this
      species. Based on our results, the Amur carp has evolved special strategies to
      survive low temperatures, and these strategies include the system-wide or tissue
      specific induction of gene expression during their six-month overwintering
      period. 

PMID- 26098568
TI  - Association Between Force-Time Curve Characteristics and Vertical Jump
      Performance in Trained Athletes.
AB  - Countermovement jump (CMJ) has been extensively used in training; yet, limited
      and contradictory kinematic data are available for trained subjects. To our best
      knowledge, no other studies have evaluated the associations between force-time
      curve characteristics and CMJ in a large sample of trained athletes using a
      linear transducer. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the association
      between force-time measures and CMJ performance collected with a linear
      transducer. Thirty-five trained athletes were asked to perform 3 maximal weighted
      CMJ using a linear transducer attached to a barbell (17 kg). The data indicated
      that the maximal rate of force development (RFD(max)) was strongly related to CMJ
      displacement (r = 0.809/0.807, p < 0.001) and also to the percentage of peak
      force (r = -0.823/-0.809, p < 0.001) at RFD(max). Velocity and displacement at
      RFD(max) were not correlated to CMJ height. It was therefore concluded that the
      percentage of PF applied at RFD(max) and RFD(max) were the best predictive
      variables for CMJ performance in this study.

PMID- 26098569
TI  - Correction: Self-Organising Maps and Correlation Analysis as a Tool to Explore
      Patterns in Excitation-Emission Matrix Data Sets and to Discriminate Dissolved
      Organic Matter Fluorescence Components.

PMID- 26098570
TI  - Personalized Modeling for Prediction with Decision-Path Models.
AB  - Deriving predictive models in medicine typically relies on a population approach
      where a single model is developed from a dataset of individuals. In this paper we
      describe and evaluate a personalized approach in which we construct a new type of
      decision tree model called decision-path model that takes advantage of the
      particular features of a given person of interest. We introduce three
      personalized methods that derive personalized decision-path models. We compared
      the performance of these methods to that of Classification And Regression Tree
      (CART) that is a population decision tree to predict seven different outcomes in
      five medical datasets. Two of the three personalized methods performed
      statistically significantly better on area under the ROC curve (AUC) and Brier
      skill score compared to CART. The personalized approach of learning decision path
      models is a new approach for predictive modeling that can perform better than a
      population approach. 

PMID- 26098571
TI  - Magnetic Properties of 3D Heptanuclear Lanthanide Frameworks Supported by Mixed
      Ligands.
AB  - Two 3D lanthanide frameworks, [Ln7(DPA)5(NA)3(MU3-OH)8(H2O)3].2.5H2O [H2DPA =
      diphenic acid; HNA = nicotinic acid; Ln = Gd (1), Dy (2)], were synthesized and
      structurally characterized. They were rarely seen examples of 3D frameworks
      constructed from heptanuclear trigonal-antiprismatic lanthanide clusters with
      mixed H2DPA and HNA ligands. Both 1 and 2 show typical antiferromagnetic
      interactions. Additionally, complex 1 possesses a large magnetocaloric effect of
      34.15 J kg(-1) K(-1). 

PMID- 26098572
TI  - The oncogene c-Jun impedes somatic cell reprogramming.
AB  - Oncogenic transcription factors are known to mediate the conversion of somatic
      cells to tumour or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Here we report c-Jun
      as a barrier for iPSC formation. c-Jun is expressed by and required for the
      proliferation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), but not mouse embryonic stem
      cells (mESCs). Consistently, c-Jun is induced during mESC differentiation, drives
      mESCs towards the endoderm lineage and completely blocks the generation of iPSCs
      from MEFs. Mechanistically, c-Jun activates mesenchymal-related genes, broadly
      suppresses the pluripotent ones, and derails the obligatory mesenchymal to
      epithelial transition during reprogramming. Furthermore, inhibition of c-Jun by
      shRNA, dominant-negative c-Jun or Jdp2 enhances reprogramming and replaces Oct4
      among the Yamanaka factors. Finally, Jdp2 anchors 5 non-Yamanaka factors (Id1,
      Jhdm1b, Lrh1, Sall4 and Glis1) to reprogram MEFs into iPSCs. Our studies reveal c
      Jun as a guardian of somatic cell fate and its suppression opens the gate to
      pluripotency. 

PMID- 26098573
TI  - A conserved mechanism of TOR-dependent RCK-mediated mRNA degradation regulates
      autophagy.
AB  - Autophagy is an essential eukaryotic pathway requiring tight regulation to
      maintain homeostasis and preclude disease. Using yeast and mammalian cells, we
      report a conserved mechanism of autophagy regulation by RNA helicase RCK family
      members in association with the decapping enzyme Dcp2. Under nutrient-replete
      conditions, Dcp2 undergoes TOR-dependent phosphorylation and associates with RCK
      members to form a complex with autophagy-related (ATG) mRNA transcripts, leading
      to decapping, degradation and autophagy suppression. Simultaneous with the
      induction of ATG mRNA synthesis, starvation reverses the process, facilitating
      ATG mRNA accumulation and autophagy induction. This conserved post
      transcriptional mechanism modulates fungal virulence and the mammalian
      inflammasome, the latter providing mechanistic insight into autoimmunity reported
      in a patient with a PIK3CD/p110delta gain-of-function mutation. We propose a
      dynamic model wherein RCK family members, in conjunction with Dcp2, function in
      controlling ATG mRNA stability to govern autophagy, which in turn modulates vital
      cellular processes affecting inflammation and microbial pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26098574
TI  - Mechanosensitive pannexin-1 channels mediate microvascular metastatic cell
      survival.
AB  - During metastatic progression, circulating cancer cells become lodged within the
      microvasculature of end organs, where most die from mechanical deformation.
      Although this phenomenon was first described over a half-century ago, the
      mechanisms enabling certain cells to survive this metastasis-suppressive barrier
      remain unknown. By applying whole-transcriptome RNA-sequencing technology to
      isogenic cancer cells of differing metastatic capacities, we identified a
      mutation encoding a truncated form of the pannexin-1 (PANX1) channel, PANX1(1
      89), as recurrently enriched in highly metastatic breast cancer cells. PANX1(1
      89) functions to permit metastatic cell survival during traumatic deformation in
      the microvasculature by augmenting ATP release from mechanosensitive PANX1
      channels activated by membrane stretch. PANX1-mediated ATP release acts as an
      autocrine suppressor of deformation-induced apoptosis through P2Y-purinergic
      receptors. Finally, small-molecule therapeutic inhibition of PANX1 channels is
      found to reduce the efficiency of breast cancer metastasis. These data suggest a
      molecular basis for metastatic cell survival on microvasculature-induced
      biomechanical trauma. 

PMID- 26098575
TI  - Microtubule-associated proteins control the kinetics of microtubule nucleation.
AB  - Microtubules are born and reborn continuously, even during quiescence. These
      polymers are nucleated from templates, namely gamma-tubulin ring complexes (gamma
      TuRCs) and severed microtubule ends. Using single-molecule biophysics, we show
      that nucleation from gamma-TuRCs, axonemes and seed microtubules requires tubulin
      concentrations that lie well above the critical concentration. We measured
      considerable time lags between the arrival of tubulin and the onset of steady
      state elongation. Microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) alter these time lags.
      Catastrophe factors (MCAK and EB1) inhibited nucleation, whereas a polymerase
      (XMAP215) and an anti-catastrophe factor (TPX2) promoted nucleation. We observed
      similar phenomena in cells. We conclude that GTP hydrolysis inhibits microtubule
      nucleation by destabilizing the nascent plus ends required for persistent
      elongation. Our results explain how MAPs establish the spatial and temporal
      profile of microtubule nucleation. 

PMID- 26098577
TI  - Dietary calcium and zinc deficiency risks are decreasing but remain prevalent.
AB  - Globally, more than 800 million people are undernourished while >2 billion people
      have one or more chronic micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs). More than 6% of
      global mortality and morbidity burdens are associated with undernourishment and
      MNDs. Here we show that, in 2011, 3.5 and 1.1 billion people were at risk of
      calcium (Ca) and zinc (Zn) deficiency respectively due to inadequate dietary
      supply. The global mean dietary supply of Ca and Zn in 2011 was 684 +/- 211 and
      16 +/- 3 mg capita(-1) d(-1) (+/- SD) respectively. Between 1992 and 2011, global
      risk of deficiency of Ca and Zn decreased from 76 to 51%, and 22 to 16%,
      respectively. Approximately 90% of those at risk of Ca and Zn deficiency in 2011
      were in Africa and Asia. To our knowledge, these are the first global estimates
      of dietary Ca deficiency risks based on food supply. We conclude that continuing
      to reduce Ca and Zn deficiency risks through dietary diversification and food and
      agricultural interventions including fortification, crop breeding and use of
      micronutrient fertilisers will remain a significant challenge.

PMID- 26098576
TI  - Molecular characterization of LC3-associated phagocytosis reveals distinct roles
      for Rubicon, NOX2 and autophagy proteins.
AB  - LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) is a process wherein elements of autophagy
      conjugate LC3 to phagosomal membranes. We characterize the molecular requirements
      for LAP, and identify Rubicon as being required for LAP but not autophagy.
      Rubicon is recruited to LAPosomes and is required for the activity of a Class III
      PI(3)K complex containing UVRAG but lacking ATG14 and Ambra1. This allows for the
      sustained localization of PtdIns(3)P, which is critical for recruitment of
      downstream autophagic proteins and stabilization of the NOX2 complex to produce
      reactive oxygen species. Both PtdIns(3)P and reactive oxygen species are required
      for conjugation of LC3 to LAPosomes and subsequent association with LAMP1(+)
      lysosomes. LAP is induced by engulfment of Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungal
      pathogen that commonly afflicts immunocompromised hosts, and is required for its
      optimal clearance in vivo. Therefore, we have identified molecules that
      distinguish LAP from canonical autophagy, thereby elucidating the importance of
      LAP in response to A. fumigatus infection. 

PMID- 26098579
TI  - Test experience effects in longitudinal comparisons of adult cognitive
      functioning.
AB  - It is widely recognized that experience with cognitive tests can influence
      estimates of cognitive change. Prior research has estimated experience effects at
      the level of groups by comparing the performance of a group of participants
      tested for the second time with the performance of a different group of
      participants at the same age tested for the first time. This twice-minus-once
      tested method was adapted in the current study to derive estimates of test
      experience at the level of individual participants. Among the major findings were
      that experience estimates were smaller at older ages, with measures of vocabulary
      and speed compared to measures of memory, reasoning, and spatial visualization,
      and with longer intervals between the first and second occasion. Although
      relations of overall cognitive ability with test experience effects were weak,
      there were significant correlations among the experience estimates in different
      cognitive domains. These results imply that at least in adulthood, simple
      measures of cognitive change likely underestimate maturational influences on
      cognitive functioning, and to a greater extent in young adults than in older
      adults.

PMID- 26098578
TI  - Patterns of body image concerns and disordered weight- and shape-related
      behaviors in heterosexual and sexual minority adolescent males.
AB  - This study investigates body image concerns and disordered weight- and shape
      related behaviors across adolescence and young adulthood in males and how
      patterns vary by sexual orientation. Participants were 5,388 males from the U.S.
      national Growing Up Today Study. In 2001, 2003, and 2005 (spanning ages 15-20
      years), participants reported sexual orientation, past-year desire for
      toned/defined muscles and concerns with weight and shape, and past-year binge
      eating, restrictive dieting, purging (vomiting or laxative use), and use of
      products to increase muscularity (e.g., creatine, steroids). Latent class
      analyses identified 2 patterns at ages 15-16 years and 3 patterns at 17-18 and 19
      20 years: healthy (all ages; low body image concerns and weight- and shape
      related behaviors; 54-74% of observations), muscle-concerned (ages 17-18 and 19
      20; relatively high muscularity concern and product use; 18-21% of observations),
      and lean-concerned (all ages; relatively high weight and shape concern, dieting,
      and binge eating; 19-28% of observations). Latent transition analyses revealed
      that sexual minority males (i.e., mostly heterosexual, gay, and bisexual) were
      more likely than completely heterosexual males to be lean-concerned at ages 17-18
      and 19-20 years and to transition to the lean-concerned class from the healthy
      class. There were no sexual orientation differences in odds of being muscle
      concerned. Both heterosexual and sexual minority males are at risk for presenting
      body image concerns and weight- and shape-related behaviors that may have
      deleterious health consequences. Results suggest the need for screening for
      concerns and behaviors related to leanness and muscularity in early adolescence
      among all males, regardless of sexual orientation.

PMID- 26098580
TI  - Affiliative structures and social competence in Portuguese preschool children.
AB  - The goal of this study was to determine whether peer social competence (SC),
      defined as the capacity to use behavioral, cognitive, and emotional resources in
      the service of achieving personal goals within preschool peer groups, was related
      to the type of affiliative subgroups to which children belonged. Two hundred
      forty Portuguese preschool children (152 seen in consecutive years of data
      collection) from middle-class families participated. Affiliative subgroup type
      was assessed from observed proximity data. Social competence was assessed using
      observational and sociometric measures. Children in more cohesive affiliative
      subgroups had higher levels of SC, whereas ungrouped children had the lowest SC
      scores. Follow-up analyses indicated that 2 of the measured SC domains (social
      engagement/motivation, profiles of behavior/personality attributes) were
      responsible for the overall difference in SC. Further, membership in a more
      cohesive subgroup in 1 year contributed to increases in scores for 2 of 3 SC
      domains (i.e., profiles of behavior/personality attributes and peer acceptance)
      in the following year. Results suggest that affiliative subgroups both reflect
      and support individual differences in peer SC during early childhood.

PMID- 26098581
TI  - Does aggregate school-wide achievement mediate fifth grade outcomes for former
      early childhood education participants?
AB  - This study used a multilevel mediation model to test the theory that former early
      childhood education (ECE) attendees' 5th grade achievement is mediated by the
      aggregate school-wide achievement of their elementary school. Aggregate school
      wide achievement was defined as the percentage of 5th graders in a school who
      were at/above academic proficiency in reading or math. Research questions were:
      (a) Do ECE program participants have better achievement at 5th grade compared
      with their matched peers who did not participate in an ECE program?; and (b) Is
      the association between ECE attendance and 5th grade academic performance
      mediated by school-wide achievement? Results indicated that children who attended
      prekindergarten (pre-K) and child care outperformed their matched peers who had
      not attended ECE programs; conversely, those children who did not attend ECE
      actually outperformed their Head Start counterparts. Mediation analyses indicated
      that aggregate school-wide achievement at 5th grade partially mediated the
      association between former ECE attendance and 5th grade performance; however,
      these mediated effects were small. Overall, the size of the total effects of ECE
      and the 5th grade academic outcomes were consistent with prior studies. This
      research confirms the long-term effects of pre-K and child care until 5th grade.

PMID- 26098583
TI  - Pursuing frequency standards and control: the invention of quartz clock
      technologies.
AB  - The quartz clock, the first to replace the pendulum as the time standard and
      later a ubiquitous and highly influential technology, originated in research on
      means for determining frequency for the needs of telecommunication and the
      interests of its users. This article shows that a few groups in the US, Britain,
      Italy and the Netherlands developed technologies that enabled the construction of
      the new clock in 1927-28. To coordinate complex and large communication networks,
      the monopolistic American Telephone and Telegraph Company, and national
      laboratories needed to determine and maintain a common 'standard' frequency
      measurement unit. Exploiting novel piezoelectric quartz methods and valve
      electronics techniques, researchers in these organizations constructed a new
      crystal-based frequency standard. To ensure its accuracy they compared it to an
      accepted absolute standard - an astronomical clock, constructing thereby the
      first quartz clock. Other groups, however, had different, though connected,
      technological aims, which originated from the diverse interests of the
      industrial, governmental and academic institutes to which they belonged, and for
      which they needed to measure, control and manipulate with frequencies of electric
      oscillations. The present article suggests a comparative examination of the
      research and development paths of these groups on their incentives, the
      technological and scientific resources they utilized, and the kind of research
      carried out in the various institutional settings.

PMID- 26098582
TI  - Historical improvements in well-being do not hold in late life: Birth- and death
      year cohorts in the United States and Germany.
AB  - One key objective of life span research is to examine how individual development
      is shaped by the historical time people live in. Secular trends favoring later
      born cohorts on fluid cognitive abilities have been widely documented, but
      findings are mixed for well-being. It remains an open question whether secular
      increases in well-being seen in earlier phases of life also manifest in the last
      years of life. To examine this possibility, we made use of longitudinal data
      obtained from the mid-1980s until the late 2000s in 2 large national samples in
      the United States (Health and Retirement Study [HRS]) and Germany (German Socio
      Economic Panel [SOEP]). We operationally defined historical time from 2
      complementary perspectives: birth-year cohorts based on the years in which people
      were born (earlier: 1930s vs. later: 1940s) and death-year cohorts based on the
      years in which people died (earlier: 1990s vs. later: 2000s). To control for
      relevant covariates, we used case-matched groups based on age (at death) and
      education and covaried for gender, health, and number of observations. Results
      from both countries revealed that well-being in old age was indeed developing at
      higher levels among later-born cohorts. However, for later-deceased cohorts, no
      evidence for secular increases in well-being was found. To the contrary, later
      dying SOEP participants reported lower levels of well-being at age 75 and 2 years
      prior to death and experienced steeper late-life declines. Our results suggest
      that secular increases in well-being observed in old age do not manifest in late
      life, where "manufactured" survival may be exacerbating age- and mortality
      related declines.

PMID- 26098584
TI  - Step-Economical Syntheses of Functional BODIPY-EDOT pi-Conjugated Materials
      through Direct C-H Arylation.
AB  - Palladium-catalyzed direct C-H arylations of 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s
      indacene (BODIPY) with 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) derivatives at
      relatively low temperature (60  degrees C) provide moderate to good yields (47%
      72%) of products having potential applications in fluorescent bioimaging and
      organic optoelectronics. 

PMID- 26098585
TI  - Paper-Based Device for Rapid Visualization of NADH Based on Dissolution of Gold
      Nanoparticles.
AB  - We describe a paper-based device that enables rapid and sensitive room
      temperature detection of dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) via a
      colorimetric readout and demonstrate its value for monitoring NAD+-driven
      enzymatic reactions. Our system is based on NADH-mediated inhibition of gold
      nanoparticle (AuNPs) dissolution in a Au3+-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)
      solution. We fabricated a device consisting of a mixed cellulose ester paper
      featuring a wax-encircled, AuNP-coated film atop a cotton absorbent layer
      sandwiched between two plastic cover layers. In the absence of NADH, the Au3+
      CTAB complex dissolves the AuNP layer completely, generating a white color in the
      test zone. In the presence of NADH, Au3+ is rapidly reduced to Au+, greatly
      decreasing the dissolution of AuNPs and yielding a red color that becomes
      stronger at increasing concentrations of NADH. This device exploits capillary
      force-assisted vertical diffusion, allowing us to apply a 25 MUL sample to a
      surface-confined test zone to achieve a detection limit of 12.5 MUM NADH. We used
      the enzyme glucose dehydrogenase as a model to demonstrate that our paper-based
      device can monitor NAD+-driven biochemical processes with and without selective
      dehydrogenase inhibitors by naked-eye observation within 4 min at room
      temperature in a small sample volume. We believe that our paper-based device
      could offer a valuable and low-cost analytical tool for monitoring NAD+
      associated enzymatic reactions and screening for dehydrogenase inhibitors in a
      variety of testing contexts.

PMID- 26098586
TI  - Avoidance orientation and the escalation of negative communication in intimate
      relationships.
AB  - Avoidance goals heighten the salience of negative social experiences, and in
      intimate relationships such an orientation may contribute to communication
      difficulties and the perpetuation of avoidance. We therefore hypothesized that
      individuals with stronger avoidance goals would be particularly prone to engage
      in escalating levels of negative communication with their intimate partner, and
      we tested this prediction by conducting sequential analyses on videotaped
      observational data (28,470 observations) collected from 365 heterosexual couples
      engaging in a relationship-related conflict. While less avoidance-oriented
      spouses showed a decline in their likelihood of negative communication over the
      course of the 8-min conflict discussion, the likelihood that more avoidance
      oriented spouses would display negative communication behaviors remained at a
      high level. The likelihood of negative communication even increased when
      avoidance-oriented spouses were confronted with negative communication behavior
      of their partners. The effects of avoidance orientation were independent of
      relationship satisfaction and neuroticism. These findings demonstrate that
      avoidance goals underlie individuals' heightened reactivity to the partner's
      negative behavior, while also clarifying 1 possible reason why some individuals
      engage in communication behaviors that may prove maladaptive to their
      relationship.

PMID- 26098587
TI  - It only takes once: The absent-exempt heuristic and reactions to comparison-based
      sexual risk information.
AB  - Three studies (N = 545) investigated the effects of social comparison on the
      "absent-exempt" (AE) heuristic (feeling exempt from future risk). Study 1
      examined how comparison with an infected peer (comparison target) who was similar
      or nonsimilar in terms of sexual risk (number of partners, lack of condom use),
      influenced willingness and intentions to engage in sex without a condom, and
      conditional perceived vulnerability to an STD. Participants generally reported
      lower willingness and higher conditional vulnerability if they compared with a
      similar-risk level target. However, high-risk students who compared with a low
      risk target engaged in what appeared to be AE thinking, reporting the highest
      willingness and lowest conditional vulnerability. Intentions to have sex without
      a condom were not influenced. Study 2 included a direct measure of AE thinking
      and compared the impact of a low-risk comparison target with a Public Service
      Announcement (PSA) stating that negative outcomes (STDs) can happen even to low
      risk targets. Among high-risk participants, comparing with the low-risk target
      increased AE thinking. The effects in Studies 1 and 2 were strongest among
      participants high in tendencies to socially compare. Study 3 explored whether AE
      thinking could be decreased by encouraging more reasoned processing. Results
      indicated that asking participants to think about the illogicality of AE thinking
      reduces AE endorsement and increases STD testing intentions. Findings suggest
      that comparison-based information can have a stronger influence on health
      cognitions than analytic-based information (e.g., most PSAs). Implications for
      dual-processing models of decision-making and their applicability to health
      messages are discussed.

PMID- 26098588
TI  - Building social resilience in soldiers: A double dissociative randomized
      controlled study.
AB  - Can social resilience be trained? We report results of a double-dissociative
      randomized controlled study in which 48 Army platoons were randomly assigned to
      social resilience training (intervention condition) or cultural awareness
      training (active control group). The same surveys were administered to all
      platoons at baseline and after the completion of training to determine the short
      term training effects, generalization effects beyond training, and possible
      adverse effects. Multilevel modeling analyses indicated that social resilience,
      compared with cultural awareness, training produced small but significant
      improvements in social cognition (e.g., increased empathy, perspective taking, &
      military hardiness) and decreased loneliness, but no evidence was found for
      social resilience training to generalize beyond these training foci nor to have
      adverse effects. Moreover, as predicted, cultural awareness, compared with social
      resilience, training produced increases in knowledge about and decreases in
      prejudice toward Afghans. Additional research is warranted to determine the long
      term durability, safety, and generalizability of social resilience training.

PMID- 26098589
TI  - Thrombus formation in the left ventricle after large myocardial infarction -
      assessment with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Left ventricular thrombus (LVT) formation may worsen the post
      infarct outcome as a result of thromboembolic events. It also complicates the use
      of modern antiplatelet regimens, which are not compatible with long-term oral
      anticoagulation. The knowledge of the incidence of LVT may therefore be of
      importance to guide antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapy after acute
      myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: In 177 patients with large, mainly anterior
      AMI, standard cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) including cine and late
      gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging was performed shortly after AMI as per
      protocol. CMR images were analysed at an independent core laboratory blinded to
      the clinical data. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was not mandatory for the
      trial, but was performed in 64% of the cases following standard of care. In a
      logistic model, 3 out of 61 parameters were used in a multivariable model to
      predict LVT. RESULTS: LVT was detected by use of CMR in 6.2% (95% confidence
      interval [CI] 3.1%-10.8%). LGE sequences were best to detect LVT, which may be
      missed in cine sequences. We identified body mass index (odds ratio 1.18; p =
      0.01), baseline platelet count (odds ratio 1.01, p = 0.01) and infarct size as
      assessed by use of CMR (odds ratio 1.03, p = 0.02) as best predictors for LVT.
      The agreement between TTE and CMR for the detection of LVT is substantial (kappa
      = 0.70). DISCUSSION: In the current analysis, the incidence of LVT shortly after
      AMI is relatively low, even in a patient population at high risk. An optimal
      modality for LVT detection is LGE-CMR but TTE has an acceptable accuracy when LGE
      CMR is not available.

PMID- 26098590
TI  - Motor Vehicle Crash Fatalities in States With Primary Versus Secondary Seat Belt
      Laws: A Time-Series Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) remain a leading cause of injury-related
      deaths in the United States. Primary seat belt laws allow vehicle occupants to be
      ticketed solely for not wearing seat belts, and secondary laws allow ticketing
      only for failure to wear seat belts in the setting of other violations.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between MVC fatality rates and primary
      versus secondary seat belt laws. DESIGN: Retrospective time-series analysis.
      SETTING: United States, 2001 to 2010. PARTICIPANTS: MVC fatalities in occupants
      aged 10 years or older identified in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
      MEASUREMENTS: Population-based rates of fatal crashes. RESULTS: There were 283
      183 MVC fatalities in occupants aged 10 years or older from 2001 to 2010 (overall
      rate, 13.0 per 100 000 persons). In 2001, the mean fatality rate was 14.6 per 100
      000 persons, 16 states had primary seat belt laws, and 33 states had secondary
      laws. In 2010, the mean fatality rate was 9.7 per 100 000 persons, 30 states had
      primary seat belt laws, and 19 states had secondary laws. In the multivariate
      regression model, states with primary seat belt laws had lower MVC fatality rates
      than states with secondary laws (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 0.83 [95% CI,
      0.78 to 0.90]). LIMITATION: Only fatalities were analyzed from the database, and
      the degree of law enforcement could not be ascertained. CONCLUSION: States with
      primary seat belt laws had lower rates of MVC fatalities than those with
      secondary laws. Adoption of primary seat belt laws may offer optimal occupant
      protection. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: None.

PMID- 26098592
TI  - Ruthenium Catalyzed Stereo/Chemo/Regioselective One-Pot Synthesis of C(2)-C(3)
      Unsaturated and alpha-D-Mannopyranosyl Sulfones.
AB  - An efficient and divergent approach to C(2)-C(3) unsaturated glycosyl and alpha-D
      mannopyranosyl sulfones has been developed via ruthenium-promoted direct
      glycosylation, oxidation, and dihydroxylation from glycal in one-pot. The
      presence of stoichiometric amounts of NaIO4 and in situ generation of RuO4 from a
      RuCl3-NaIO4 reagent system were crucial for chemoselective oxidation of sulfide
      in the presence of an olefin moiety. The dual-role of ruthenium in sequential
      glycosylation-oxidation-dihydroxylation is amenable to a wide range of thio
      acceptors to access alpha-D-mannopyranosyl sulfones in good yields with high
      regioselectivity.

PMID- 26098591
TI  - Reversal of the Transcriptome by Prostaglandin E2 during Myofibroblast
      Dedifferentiation.
AB  - Myofibroblasts, the major effector cells in pathologic fibrosis, derive from the
      differentiation of fibroblasts driven by mediators such as transforming growth
      factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and biomechanical signals. Although the myofibroblast
      has traditionally been considered a terminally differentiated cell, the lipid
      mediator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) has been shown to not only prevent but also
      reverse myofibroblast differentiation, as characterized by the ability of PGE2 to
      diminish expression of collagen I and alpha-smooth muscle actin in established
      myofibroblasts. Here, we use microarrays to examine the extent of transcriptomic
      changes that occur during TGF-beta1-induced differentiation and PGE2-induced
      dedifferentiation of myofibroblasts. Normal primary human adult lung fibroblasts
      were cultured for 24 hours with or without TGF-beta1 and treated for 48 hours
      with PGE2. Gene expression levels were assessed from total RNA on the Affymetrix
      U219 microarray. TGF-beta1 up-regulated 588 genes and down-regulated 689 genes
      compared with control cells. PGE2 reversed the expression of 363 (62%) of the TGF
      beta1-up-regulated genes and 345 (50%) of the TGF-beta1-down-regulated genes.
      Genes up-regulated by TGF-beta1 and reversed by PGE2 were enriched in annotations
      for Cell Adhesion, Contractile Fiber, and Actin Binding, whereas genes down
      regulated by TGF-beta1 but subsequently reversed by PGE2 were enriched in
      annotations for Glycoprotein, Polysaccharide Binding, and Regulation of Cell
      Migration. Surprisingly, the genes whose expression was affected by PGE2 differed
      between TGF-beta1-induced myofibroblasts and undifferentiated fibroblasts. These
      data demonstrate the capacity of PGE2 to effect marked global alterations in the
      transcriptomic program of differentiated myofibroblasts and emphasize the
      considerable plasticity of these cells.

PMID- 26098593
TI  - Surface engineering on CeO2 nanorods by chemical redox etching and their enhanced
      catalytic activity for CO oxidation.
AB  - Controllable surface properties of nanocerias are desired for various catalytic
      processes. There is a lack of efficient approaches to adjust the surface
      properties of ceria to date. Herein, a redox chemical etching method was
      developed to controllably engineer the surface properties of ceria nanorods.
      Ascorbic acid and hydrogen peroxide were used to perform the redox chemical
      etching process, resulting in a rough surface and/or pores on the surface of
      ceria nanorods. Increasing the etching cycles induced a steady increase of the
      specific surface area, oxygen vacancies and surface Ce(3+) fractions. As a
      result, the etched nanorods delivered enhanced catalytic activity for CO
      oxidation, compared to the non-etched ceria nanorods. Our method provides a novel
      and facile approach to continuously adjust the surface properties of ceria for
      practical applications. 

PMID- 26098594
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Antiglucocorticoid treatments for mood disorders.

PMID- 26098595
TI  - Pneumatic positioning and mesh fixation in laparoscopic ventral/incisional hernia
      repair. New surgical technique and a new device.
AB  - AIM: To achieve full-surface contact of a prosthetic mesh with the abdominal wall
      (avoiding folds and wrinkles) in laparoscopic ventral/ incisional hernia repair
      (LVHR/ LIHR) and to fix the mesh with glue using a new surgical technique and a
      new device, developed for this specific procedure. MATERIAL OF STUDY: New
      surgical technique associated with a new surgical pneumatic device allows perfect
      positioning and extension of the intraperitoneal mesh and facilitates the glue
      application and mesh fixation. A polyester composite mesh is used for
      intraperitoneal placement, cyanoacrylate glue is used for mesh fixation. Pigs
      cadavers were used to test this new technique and the device*. RESULTS: With the
      help of a pneumatic device the intraperitoneal mesh can be well positioned and
      perfectly extended without folds, thus allowing an efficient and strong mesh glue
      fixation. CONCLUSION: Presented pneumatic positioning device is useful to achieve
      an ideal alignment of mesh with the abdominal wall and supports the fixation
      task. The proposed technique enables the glue application safely, by avoiding
      possible spillage over intestinal loops and offering the necessary time for the
      distribution of such fast polymerizing glue. This technique could also be applied
      with other types of glue or self-adhesive mesh.

PMID- 26098596
TI  - Enhanced photocurrent by the co-sensitization of ZnO with dye and CuInSe
      nanocrystals.
AB  - ZnO nanocrystals with a particle size of 20-30 nm have been synthesised for the
      first time using a template-free method. Chalcopyrite Cu0.28In1.72Se2.72
      nanocrystals (5-10 nm) were directly anchored on ZnO nanocrystals by a vacuum one
      pot-nanocasting process without any long ligands. We further investigated
      Cu0.28In1.72Se2.72 quantum dots and dye bilayer-sensitized solar cells, which
      exhibited power conversion efficiency of 57.4% higher than the single-dye
      sensitized solar cells. 

PMID- 26098597
TI  - Argument for a non-linear relationship between severity of human obesity and
      dopaminergic tone.
AB  - Alterations in the dopaminergic system have been implicated in both animal and
      human obesity. However, to date, a comprehensive model on the nature and
      functional relevance of this relationship is missing. In particular, human data
      remain equivocal in that seemingly inconsistent reports exist of positive,
      negative or even no relationships between dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability in
      the striatum and measures of obesity. Further, data on receptor availability have
      been commonly interpreted as reflecting receptor density, despite the possibility
      of an alternative interpretation, namely alterations in the basal levels of
      endogenous dopaminergic tone. Here, we provide a unifying framework that is able
      to explain the seemingly contradictory findings and offer an alternative and
      novel perspective on existing data. In particular, we suggest (i) a quadratic
      relationship between alterations in the dopaminergic system and degree of
      obesity, and (ii) that the observed alterations are driven by shifts in the
      balance between general dopaminergic tone and phasic dopaminergic signalling. The
      proposed model consistently integrates human data on molecular and behavioural
      characteristics of overweight and obesity. Further, the model provides a
      mechanistic framework accounting not only for the consistent observation of
      altered (food) reward-responsivity but also for the differences in reinforcement
      learning, decision-making behaviour and cognitive performance associated with
      measures of obesity. 

PMID- 26098598
TI  - Observations on home HIV testing.

PMID- 26098599
TI  - HIV+ patient on suppressive antiretroviral therapy with steroid injection-induced
      myopathy.

PMID- 26098600
TI  - Thrombocytopenia and risk of cancer during treated HIV disease.

PMID- 26098601
TI  - Thrombocytopenia and cancer risk during HIV infection.

PMID- 26098602
TI  - New study suggests resistance testing may not be best use of resources for HIV
      treatment programmes in low-income settings.

PMID- 26098603
TI  - Perioperative quality of life in functionally dependent glioblastoma patients: A
      prospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Functionally dependent patients with glioblastoma have a poor
      prognosis which may in part be due to a negative treatment selection. Prospective
      data on patient-reported quality of life (QoL) following surgery, together with
      an updated survival analysis, are lacking with regard to functionally dependent
      glioblastoma patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult patients (>= 18 years) with a
      histologically confirmed primary glioblastoma with preoperative Karnofsky
      Performance Status (KPS) <= 60, who were treated between January 1, 2007 and
      March 30, 2014, were eligible for inclusion. EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D) was scored before
      surgery and at 4-6 weeks postoperatively. A control group of 20 independent
      (i.e., KPS >= 70) adult primary glioblastoma patients was constructed. RESULTS:
      Among the 27 patients included, only 22 patients were willing to participate in
      QoL research, with complete QoL follow-up data obtained for 16. There were 22
      resections and 5 biopsies. In resection cases, the median extent of resection was
      93% (IQR 78-99), with gross-total resection achieved in 24%. In the 16 patients
      with complete QoL data, the EQ-5D index score increased from 0.34 +/- 0.38
      preoperatively to 0.45 +/- 0.32 postoperatively (p = 0.30), with 3 patients that
      deteriorated in QoL following surgery. Median survival was 7.3 months (95%, CI:
      4.6-9.9, n = 27), and the perioperative mortality was 7%. Treatment
      characteristics between dependent and independent patients were similar, as were
      the unfavorable outcomes defined as QoL reduction, QoL drop-out, and dead before
      QoL assessment (41% vs. 45%, p = 0.79). However, a difference was seen in 6-month
      survival (42% vs. 15%, p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: In most functionally dependent
      patients with glioblastoma, cytoreductive surgery is possible, and improved or
      unchanged postoperative QoL may be seen in approximately half of the cases. This
      must be weighed against the risk of complications and the modest effect of
      cytoreductive surgery.

PMID- 26098604
TI  - Lipomyelocele with osseous dysraphic hamartoma: A rare case report.
AB  - Lipomyelocele is the most common occult spinal dysraphism. However, it can rarely
      be associated with aberrant tissues such as bone--making it one of the rarest of
      spinal dysraphism type, called as "osseous dysraphic hamartoma." The authors
      report such a rare case of lipomyelocele with osseous dysraphic hamartoma. CT and
      MRI play a complimentary role in accurate diagnosis of this rare dysraphism.
      Detection of aberrant bone helps plan the surgery.

PMID- 26098605
TI  - Clinical impact of residual lateral spread response after adequate microvascular
      decompression for hemifacial spasm: A retrospective analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Residual lateral spread response (LSR) after seemingly adequate
      decompression for hemifacial spasms (HFSs) can provide prognostic information
      about the outcome of microvascular decompression (MVD). In the present study, the
      main objective was to evaluate the clinical and prognostic impact of residual LSR
      after adequate MVD for HFS. METHODS: An observational study was conducted in
      patients who underwent MVD for HFS at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
      between January 2000 and December 2007. Clinical and neurophysiological outcomes
      after pre- and post-MVD, including spasm relief, amplitude and latency of LSR,
      and postoperative complications were collected from groups with and without
      residual LSR after adequate decompression. Data analysis was performed to see the
      impact of residual LSR on HFS outcomes. RESULTS: There was no significant
      difference in preoperative clinical characteristics as well as postoperative
      complications between the two groups. The patient had significantly higher spasm
      relief in immediate postoperative period (p = 0.01) and at discharge (p = 0.002)
      when LSR disappeared during the procedure. There is no difference in spasm relief
      at follow-up period between the two groups (p = 0.69). CONCLUSION: Lateral spread
      is an invaluable tool in MVD for HFSs. Adequate decompression in patients with
      residual LSR improved long-term spasm relief. Constant communication between
      neurophysiologists and the surgeon might be vital to achieve adequate
      decompression. The amplitude of residual LSR after adequate decompression does
      not significantly affect the long-term spasm relief.

PMID- 26098606
TI  - World Health Organization grade III meningiomas. A retrospective study for
      outcome and prognostic factors assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anaplastic meningiomas are uncommon primary intracranial tumours
      associated with high level of recurrence and low life expectancy. Through three
      institutions experience, we analysed the clinical characteristics of patients
      with malignant meningiomas to determine their outcome and identify prognostic
      factors that may influence recurrence and survival. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A
      retrospective search identified 62 cases of WHO grade III meningiomas, of whom 9
      (14.5%) were not considered in the survival analysis as no follow-up data were
      available. Thirty patients (48.4%) had a previous history of non-malignant
      meningioma surgery. The patients underwent a total of 139 surgical resections and
      42 courses of radiotherapy of which 27 were given after the WHO grade III
      meningioma diagnosis. RESULTS: Eighteen patients (29.5%) were re-operated for a
      relapse of their anaplastic meningioma. Median time between the first and the
      second surgery was 1.3 years. Median overall survival time was 3.5 years. Overall
      survival probabilities at 1, 2 and 5 years were 74.6%, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) [63.8, 87.1], 58.7%, 95% CI [46.4, 74.3] and 37.7%, 95% CI [25, 56.8],
      respectively. Extent of resection was associated with the survival. DISCUSSION:
      This retrospective series highlights the poor prognosis associated with the
      diagnosis of malignant meningioma. Complete or subtotal resection may prolong the
      patients' survival. We could not confirm the usefulness of postoperative
      radiotherapy.

PMID- 26098607
TI  - Recurrence of meralgia paresthetica years after a neurexeresis procedure: A case
      report.
AB  - Recurrence of meralgia paresthetica after a pain-free interval following a
      neurexeresis or neurectomy procedure has not been reported before. We present a
      case of recurrence 5 years after neurexeresis of the lateral femoral cutaneous
      nerve. Resection of the proximal stump through a suprainguinal approach in this
      case again led to complete and long-lasting pain relief. 

PMID- 26098608
TI  - Nonracemic Antifolates Stereoselectively Recruit Alternate Cofactors and Overcome
      Resistance in S. aureus.
AB  - While antifolates such as Bactrim (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole; TMP-SMX)
      continue to play an important role in treating community-acquired methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA), resistance-conferring mutations,
      specifically F98Y of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), have arisen and compromise
      continued use. In an attempt to extend the lifetime of this important class, we
      have developed a class of propargyl-linked antifolates (PLAs) that exhibit potent
      inhibition of the enzyme and bacterial strains. Probing the role of the
      configuration at the single propargylic stereocenter in these inhibitors required
      us to develop a new approach to nonracemic 3-aryl-1-butyne building blocks by the
      pairwise use of asymmetric conjugate addition and aldehyde dehydration protocols.
      Using this new route, a series of nonracemic PLA inhibitors was prepared and
      shown to possess potent enzyme inhibition (IC50 values <50 nM), antibacterial
      effects (several with MIC values <1 MUg/mL) and to form stable ternary complexes
      with both wild-type and resistant mutants. Unexpectedly, crystal structures of a
      pair of individual enantiomers in the wild-type DHFR revealed that the single
      change in configuration of the stereocenter drove the selection of an alternative
      NADPH cofactor, with the minor alpha-anomer appearing with R-27. Remarkably, this
      cofactor switching becomes much more prevalent when the F98Y mutation is present.
      The observation of cofactor site plasticity leads to a postulate for the
      structural basis of TMP resistance in DHFR and also suggests design strategies
      that can be used to target these resistant enzymes. 

PMID- 26098609
TI  - Targeting the T-cell co-stimulatory CD27/CD70 pathway in cancer immunotherapy:
      rationale and potential.
AB  - In 2013, cancer immunotherapy was named 'breakthrough of the year' based on the
      outcome of clinical trials with blocking antibodies to the T-cell co-inhibitory
      receptors CTLA-4 and PD-1. This success has emphasized that cytotoxic T-cell
      responses to cancer can occur, but are limited by peripheral tolerance and by
      immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. Targeting of CTLA-4, PD-1 or its
      ligands partly overcomes these limitations and can now be applied in multiple
      immunogenic cancer types. Furthermore, an increased success rate is expected from
      combining CTLA-4 and/or PD-1 blocking with deliberate engagement of T-cell co
      stimulatory receptors, particularly TNF receptor (R) family members. The TNFR
      family includes CD27 (Tnfrsf7), for which an agonistic antibody has recently
      entered clinical trials. In this review, we describe how CD27 co-stimulation
      impacts the T-cell response, with the purpose to illuminate how CD27 agonism can
      be exploited in cancer immunotherapy. 

PMID- 26098610
TI  - Effects of thymosin beta4 and its N-terminal fragment Ac-SDKP on TGF-beta-treated
      human lung fibroblasts and in the mouse model of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis.
AB  - Thymosin beta4 (Tbeta4) and its amino-terminal fragment comprising N-acetyl-seryl
      aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP) have been reported to act as anti-inflammatory
      and anti-fibrotic agents in vitro and in vivo. In recent papers, we have shown
      that Tbeta4 exerts a widely protective role in mice treated with bleomycin, and
      in particular, we have demonstrated its inhibitory effects on both inflammation
      and early fibrosis. OBJECTIVES: In this study, the putative anti-proliferative
      and anti-fibrogenic effects of Tbeta4 and Ac-SDKP were evaluated in vitro. In
      addition, the effects of Tbeta4 up to 21 days were evaluated in the bleomycin
      mouse model of lung fibrosis. METHODS: We utilized both control and TGF-beta
      stimulated primary human lung fibroblasts isolated from both idiopathic pulmonary
      fibrosis (IPF) and control tissues. The in vivo effects of Tbeta4 were assessed
      in CD1 mice treated with bleomycin. RESULTS: In the in vitro experiments, we
      observed significant anti-proliferative effects of Ac-SDKP in IPF fibroblasts. In
      those cells, Ac-SDKP significantly inhibited TGF-beta-induced alpha-SMA and
      collagen expression, hallmarks of fibroblast differentiation into myofibroblasts
      triggered by TGF-beta. In vivo, despite its previously described protective role
      in mice treated with bleomycin at 7 days, Tbeta4 failed to prevent fibrosis
      induced by the drug at 14 and 21 days. CONCLUSION: We conclude that, compared to
      Tbeta4, Ac-SDKP may have greater potential as an anti-fibrotic agent in the lung.
      Further in vivo experiments are warranted.

PMID- 26098611
TI  - Generalization of Wertheim's theory for the assembly of various types of rings.
AB  - We generalize Wertheim's first order perturbation theory to account for the
      effect in the thermodynamics of the self-assembly of rings characterized by two
      energy scales. The theory is applied to a lattice model of patchy particles and
      tested against Monte Carlo simulations on a fcc lattice. These particles have 2
      patches of type A and 10 patches of type B, which may form bonds AA or AB that
      decrease the energy by epsilonAA and by epsilonAB = repsilonAA, respectively. The
      angle theta between the 2 A-patches on each particle is fixed at 60 degrees , 90
      degrees  or 120 degrees . For values of r below 1/2 and above a threshold
      rth(theta) the models exhibit a phase diagram with two critical points. Both
      theory and simulation predict that rth increases when theta decreases. We show
      that the mechanism that prevents phase separation for models with decreasing
      values of theta is related to the formation of loops containing AB bonds.
      Moreover, we show that by including the free energy of B-rings (loops containing
      one AB bond), the theory describes the trends observed in the simulation results,
      but that for the lowest values of theta, the theoretical description deteriorates
      due to the increasing number of loops containing more than one AB bond. 

PMID- 26098612
TI  - Trismus in patients with head and neck cancer: etiopathogenesis, diagnosis and
      management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Trismus indicates severely restricted mouth opening of any aetiology.
      A mouth opening of 35 mm or less should be regarded as trismus. Aim of this study
      was to review the etiopathogenesis, incidence, treatment and prevention of
      trismus in patients with head and neck cancer. OBJECTIVE OF REVIEW: Trismus is
      frequently seen in patients suffering from malignant tumours of the head and
      neck. The reported prevalence of trismus in those patients varies considerably in
      the literature and ranges from 0 to 100% depending on the tumour site and
      extension. Trismus may worsen or remain the same over time, or the symptoms may
      reduce, even in the absence of treatment. When a patient presents with trismus
      after tumour treatment, it is important to determine whether the trismus is the
      result of the treatment, or is the first sign of a recurrence. Restricted mouth
      opening may impede inspection of the oral cavity as needed for dental care, and
      particularly for oncologic follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Mouth opening after
      radiotherapy (RT) decreases on average by approximately 20% compared to mouth
      opening prior to RT. The prevalence of trismus increases with increasing doses of
      RT to mastication structures. The use of intensity-modulated RT seems to lower
      the percentage and severity of RT-induced trismus. Treatment of trismus can be
      conservative (with either medical or physical therapy) or surgical. Exercise
      therapy is the mainstay of treatment and exercise should start as soon as
      possible after treatment. The prevention of trismus, rather than its treatment,
      is the most important objective.

PMID- 26098613
TI  - Introduction.

PMID- 26098615
TI  - Re: "Quantitative analysis of transcranial and intraparenchymal light penetration
      in human cadaver brain tissue" Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 2015;47(4):312
      322.

PMID- 26098616
TI  - Effectiveness of a School-Based Fitness Program on Youths' Physical and
      Psychosocial Health Outcomes.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an existing physical
      fitness program (CHAMPIONS) implemented during physical education on health
      related indices (BMI percentile, waist circumference, cardiorespiratory
      endurance), self-perceptions, academic performance, and behavioral conduct over a
      school year. Students in 3 intervention (n = 331) and 3 control (n = 745) middle
      schools participated in the study that included assessments at pre, mid, and
      postintervention. Multivariate repeated measures analyses indicated that boys and
      girls in CHAMPIONS compared favorably (p < .0125) to Controls at postintervention
      on cardiorespiratory endurance, and boys significantly improved on BMI percentile
      from pre- to mid- and postintervention (p < .0125). Students in CHAMPIONS
      maintained healthy BMI percentile and waist circumference values over the year.
      Findings provide preliminary evidence that CHAMPIONS is effective in improving or
      maintaining physical health indices among middle school youth. 

PMID- 26098617
TI  - Reducing unnecessary measurements in clinical trials with multiple primary
      endpoints.
AB  - Clinical trials often involve two or more primary endpoints. However, observing
      or measuring high-cost endpoints often reduces the efficiency of the study
      because of high medical costs, highly invasive measurements, or long-term follow
      up. Further, the individual powers to demonstrate the overall efficacy of a new
      intervention for the multiple endpoints often differ under a given sample size.
      We propose an efficient clinical trial design in which the sample size for each
      of the endpoints is individually determined, taking into consideration both the
      cost and the individual power for each endpoint. We compared the efficiency of
      the proposed design with that of the conventional design using three variables:
      (1) the number of participants in the study, (2) the total number of measurements
      for all endpoints, and (3) the cost of enrolling the participants and obtaining
      the measurements for all endpoints. We extended the proposed design to a group
      sequential design. Numerical examples show that the proposed design can reduce
      unnecessary measurements and adjust the individual powers for the endpoints,
      especially when the individual power for one endpoint is relatively higher than
      that for other endpoints in a study with multiple co-primary endpoints.

PMID- 26098618
TI  - Immunocytochemical Localization of Monoamine Oxidase Type B in Rat's Peripheral
      Nervous System.
AB  - Immunohistochemistry is used to investigate subcellular localization of monoamine
      oxidase type B (MAOB) in the axon of the rat's peripheral nervous system. Through
      light and electron microscopy, the presence of MAOB-immunoreactive structures in
      the propria lamina of tongue and on the outer membranes of mitochondria in both
      myelinated and unmyelinated axons can be detected. As a result, MAOB may
      potentially play a crucial role in the axons of the rat's peripheral nervous
      system and may be closely associated with both axonal transport and nerve
      conduction.

PMID- 26098619
TI  - Generalized allergic contact dermatitis caused by methylisothiazolinone in a
      spray tan.

PMID- 26098620
TI  - Urinary Incontinence Before and After Bariatric Surgery.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Among women and men with severe obesity, evidence for improvement in
      urinary incontinence beyond the first year after bariatric surgery-induced weight
      loss is lacking. OBJECTIVES: To examine change in urinary incontinence before and
      after bariatric surgery and to identify factors associated with improvement and
      remission among women and men in the first 3 years after bariatric surgery.
      DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric
      Surgery 2 is an observational cohort study at 10 US hospitals in 6 geographically
      diverse clinical centers. Participants were recruited between February 21, 2005,
      and February 17, 2009. Adults undergoing first-time bariatric surgical procedures
      as part of clinical care by participating surgeons between March 14, 2006, and
      April 24, 2009, were followed up for 3 years (through October 24, 2012).
      INTERVENTION: Participants undergoing bariatric surgery completed research
      assessments before the procedure and annually thereafter. MAIN OUTCOMES AND
      MEASURES: The frequency and type of urinary incontinence episodes in the past 3
      months were assessed using a validated questionnaire. Prevalent urinary
      incontinence was defined as at least weekly urinary incontinence episodes, and
      remission was defined as change from prevalent urinary incontinence at baseline
      to less than weekly urinary incontinence episodes at follow-up. RESULTS: Of 2458
      participants, 1987 (80.8%) completed baseline and follow-up assessments. At
      baseline, the median age was 47 years (age range, 18-78 years), the median body
      mass index was 46 kg/m2 (range, 34-94 kg/m2), and 1565 of 1987 (78.8%) were
      women. Urinary incontinence was more prevalent among women (49.3%; 95% CI, 46.9%
      51.9%) than men (21.8%; 95% CI, 18.2%-26.1%) (P < .001). After a mean 1-year
      weight loss of 29.5% (95% CI, 29.0%-30.1%) in women and 27.0% (95% CI, 25.9%
      28.6%) in men, year 1 urinary incontinence prevalence was significantly lower
      among women (18.3%; 95% CI, 16.4%-20.4%) and men (9.8%; 95% CI, 7.2%-13.4%) (P <
      .001 for all). The 3-year prevalence was higher than the 1-year prevalence for
      both sexes (24.8%; 95% CI, 21.8%-26.5% among women and 12.2%; 95% CI, 9.0%-16.4%
      among men) but was substantially lower than baseline (P < .001 for all). Weight
      loss was independently related to urinary incontinence remission (relative risk,
      1.08; 95% CI, 1.06-1.10 in women and 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.13 in men) per 5%
      weight loss, as were younger age and the absence of a severe walking limitation.
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among women and men with severe obesity, bariatric
      surgery was associated with substantially reduced urinary incontinence over 3
      years. Improvement in urinary incontinence may be an important benefit of
      bariatric surgery.

PMID- 26098621
TI  - Association and interaction of PPARalpha, delta, and gamma gene polymorphisms
      with low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in a Chinese Han population.
AB  - AIMS: Elevated low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) is regarded as one of
      major risks of cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerotic events. It has been
      previously reported that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) play
      an important role in the regulation of lipid metabolism. In this study, we aimed
      to investigate the influence of PPARalpha/delta/gamma gene polymorphisms on LDL-C
      level. Eight hundred twenty unrelated participants were recruited. Ten single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped to analyze the gene-gene
      interactions among these polymorphisms using the generalized multifactor
      dimensionality reduction (GMDR) method. RESULTS: The results of single-locus
      analyses indicated that the genotypes with minor allele variants at the
      rs1800206, rs9794, rs1805192, rs709158, and rs3856806 loci are associated with
      higher LDL-C levels (p<0.05) after adjusting for covariates. In contrast,
      individuals that were homozygous for the major allele (CC) of rs10865710 had
      significantly higher LDL-C than those with either one or more minor type alleles
      (CG+GG, mean difference: -0.21 mM; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.37 to -0.04
      mM; p=0.013). Significant gene-gene interactions among PPAR gene polymorphisms on
      LDL-C were identified by a generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction
      (GMDR) approach in 2- to 8-locus models (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results provide
      evidence that multiple PPARalpha/delta/gamma gene polymorphisms are individually
      associated with increased LDL-C, and that interactions, among these alleles
      result in additional increased risk suggesting that PPAR genes may contribute
      substantially to the risk of cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26098623
TI  - Assessing multi-variable coupling effects of UV illumination, heat and oxygen on
      porous ZnO nanocrystalline film through electron concentration and mobility
      extraction.
AB  - Porous ZnO nanocrystalline films have been widely used in optoelectronic and gas
      sensing applications. However, the effect mechanisms of the external fields, such
      as light, heat and atmosphere, are still controversial. In this work, the multi
      variable coupling effects of the UV light, heat and oxygen were thoroughly
      studied by a newly proposed method, the central idea of which was to first
      isolate each effect of the fields on electron concentration and mobility, and
      then analyze how the coupling effects were achieved. Our results revealed the
      important roles of oxygen adsorption-induced interface barriers and photo
      assisted thermal ionization first proposed here, because of which the positive
      coupling effect of UV light/heat and oxygen, as well as the negative coupling
      effect of UV light and heat was observed. Our work provides inspiration for
      studies on metal oxides from both the whole idea and the detailed argument. 

PMID- 26098622
TI  - Minimally Invasive Monitoring of Chronic Central Venous Catheter Patency in Mice
      Using Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Repetitive administration of medication or contrast agents is
      frequently performed in mice. The introduction of vascular access mini-ports
      (VAMP) for mice allows long-term vascular catheterization, hereby eliminating the
      need for repeated vessel puncture. With catheter occlusion being the most
      commonly reported complication of chronic jugular vein catheterization, we tested
      whether digital subtraction angiography (DSA) can be utilized to evaluate VAMP
      patency in mice. METHODS: Twenty-three mice underwent catheterization of the
      jugular vein and subcutaneous implantation of a VAMP. The VAMP was flushed every
      second day with 50 MUL of heparinized saline solution (25 IU/ml). DSA was
      performed during injection of 100 MUL of an iodine based contrast agent using an
      industrial X-ray inspection system intraoperatively, as well as 7+/-2 and 14+/-2
      days post implantation. RESULTS: DSA allowed localization of catheter tip
      position, to rule out dislocation, kinking or occlusion of a microcatheter, and
      to evaluate parent vessel patency. In addition, we observed different ante- and
      retrograde collateral flow patterns in case of jugular vein occlusion. More
      exactly, 30% of animals showed parent vessel occlusion after 7+/-2 days in our
      setting. At this time point, nevertheless, all VAMPs verified intravascular
      contrast administration. After 14+/-2 days, intravascular contrast injection was
      verified in 70% of the implanted VAMPs, whereas at this point of time 5 animals
      had died or were sacrificed and in 2 mice parent vessel occlusion hampered
      intravascular contrast injection. Notably, no occlusion of the catheter itself
      was observed. CONCLUSION: From our observations we conclude DSA to be a fast and
      valuable minimally invasive tool for investigation of catheter and parent vessel
      patency and for anatomical studies of collateral blood flow in animals as small
      as mice.

PMID- 26098624
TI  - Phenotype-Genotype Analysis of Chinese Patients with Early-Onset LMNA-Related
      Muscular Dystrophy.
AB  - This study aimed to analyze the correlation between the phenotype and genotype of
      Chinese patients with early-onset lamin A (LMNA)-related muscular dystrophy (MD).
      The clinical and myopathological data of 21 Chinese pediatric patients with early
      onset LMNA-related MD were collected and analyzed. LMNA gene mutation analysis
      was performed by direct sequencing of genomic DNA. Sublocalization of wild-type
      and mutant proteins were observed by immunofluorescence using cultured
      fibroblasts and human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cell. Seven patients were
      diagnosed with Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) and 14 were diagnosed
      with LMNA-associated congenital muscular dystrophy (L-CMD). Four biopsy specimens
      from the L-CMD cases exhibited inflammatory changes. Abnormal nuclear morphology
      was observed with both transmission electron microscopy and lamin A/C staining.
      We identified 10 novel and nine known LMNA gene mutations in the 21 patients.
      Some mutations (c.91G>A, c.94_96delAAG, c.116A>G, c.745C>T, c.746G>A, and
      c.1580G>C) were well correlated with EDMD or L-CMD. LMNA-related MD has a common
      symptom triad of muscle weakness, joint contractures, and cardiac involvement,
      but the severity of symptoms and disease progression differ greatly. Inflammatory
      change in biopsied muscle is a characteristic of early-stage L-CMD. Phenotype
      genotype analysis determines that some mutations are well correlated with LMNA
      related MD. 

PMID- 26098625
TI  - A High Throughput Screening Assay for Anti-Mycobacterial Small Molecules Based on
      Adenylate Kinase Release as a Reporter of Cell Lysis.
AB  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is well-established to be one of the most
      important bacterial pathogens for which new antimicrobial therapies are needed.
      Herein, we describe the development of a high throughput screening assay for the
      identification of molecules that are bactericidal against Mycobacteria. The assay
      utilizes the release of the intracellular enzyme adenylate kinase into the
      culture medium as a reporter of mycobacterial cell death. We demonstrate that the
      assay is selective for mycobactericidal molecules and detects anti-mycobacterial
      activity at concentrations below the minimum inhibitory concentration of many
      molecules. Thus, the AK assay is more sensitive than traditional growth assays.
      We have validated the AK assay in the HTS setting using the Mtb surrogate
      organism M. smegmatis and libraries of FDA approved drugs as well as a
      commercially available Diversity set. The screen of the FDA-approved library
      demonstrated that the AK assay is able to identify the vast majority of drugs
      with known mycobactericidal activity. Importantly, our screen of the Diversity
      set revealed that the increased sensitivity of the AK assay increases the ability
      of M. smegmatis-based screens to detect molecules with relatively poor activity
      against M. smegmatis but good to excellent activity against Mtb. 

PMID- 26098626
TI  - Modified Leukocyte Filter Removes Tumor Cells from the Salvaged Blood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intraoperative blood salvage, an effective blood conservation
      strategy, has not been applied in onco-surgery, because of potential malignant
      cell contamination. In this study we tested effectiveness of a modified leukocyte
      depletion filter (M-LDF) for removal of tumor cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      effects of M-LDF and regular LDF on removal of cells (HepG2 cell line) were
      compared. The safety of M-LDF was tested with blood (collected and washed during
      onco-surgery), the salvaged blood mixed with tumor cells from the solid tumor of
      the same patient, or mixed with HepG2 cells (n=30 in each protocol). Cancer cells
      were identified by flow cytometry, culture and bioassay with and without
      filtration. RESULTS: M-LDF removed 5-log of HepG2 and nucleated cells, which was
      much higher than regular LDF, and cells were destroyed when they passed through M
      LDF. Cytokeratin-positive cells in all samples were removed by M-LDF. Invasive
      growth adherent cells were found in most of unfiltered samples and 67% of the
      inoculated nude mice developed tumors in LDF-treated sample. Neither adherent
      cells nor nude mice developed tumors were found in M-LDF-treated samples.
      DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Since M-LDF can effectively remove and destroy cancer
      cells in the salvaged blood, it has great potential for clinical application.

PMID- 26098627
TI  - Bio-Inspired Aggregation Control of Carbon Nanotubes for Ultra-Strong Composites.
AB  - High performance nanocomposites require well dispersion and high alignment of the
      nanometer-sized components, at a high mass or volume fraction as well. However,
      the road towards such composite structure is severely hindered due to the easy
      aggregation of these nanometer-sized components. Here we demonstrate a big step
      to approach the ideal composite structure for carbon nanotube (CNT) where all the
      CNTs were highly packed, aligned, and unaggregated, with the impregnated polymers
      acting as interfacial adhesions and mortars to build up the composite structure.
      The strategy was based on a bio-inspired aggregation control to limit the CNT
      aggregation to be sub 20-50 nm, a dimension determined by the CNT growth. After
      being stretched with full structural relaxation in a multi-step way, the
      CNT/polymer (bismaleimide) composite yielded super-high tensile strengths up to
      6.27-6.94 GPa, more than 100% higher than those of carbon fiber/epoxy composites,
      and toughnesses up to 117-192 MPa. We anticipate that the present study can be
      generalized for developing multifunctional and smart nanocomposites where all the
      surfaces of nanometer-sized components can take part in shear transfer of
      mechanical, thermal, and electrical signals.

PMID- 26098628
TI  - An Internet-Based Real-Time Audiovisual Link for Dual MEG Recordings.
AB  - HYPERSCANNING: Most neuroimaging studies of human social cognition have focused
      on brain activity of single subjects. More recently, "two-person neuroimaging"
      has been introduced, with simultaneous recordings of brain signals from two
      subjects involved in social interaction. These simultaneous "hyperscanning"
      recordings have already been carried out with a spectrum of neuroimaging
      modalities, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI),
      electroencephalography (EEG), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
      DUAL MEG SETUP: We have recently developed a setup for simultaneous
      magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings of two subjects that communicate in real
      time over an audio link between two geographically separated MEG laboratories.
      Here we present an extended version of the setup, where we have added a video
      connection and replaced the telephone-landline-based link with an Internet
      connection. Our setup enabled transmission of video and audio streams between the
      sites with a one-way communication latency of about 130 ms. Our software that
      allows reproducing the setup is publicly available. VALIDATION: We demonstrate
      that the audiovisual Internet-based link can mediate real-time interaction
      between two subjects who try to mirror each others' hand movements that they can
      see via the video link. All the nine pairs were able to synchronize their
      behavior. In addition to the video, we captured the subjects' movements with
      accelerometers attached to their index fingers; we determined from these signals
      that the average synchronization accuracy was 215 ms. In one subject pair we
      demonstrate inter-subject coherence patterns of the MEG signals that peak over
      the sensorimotor areas contralateral to the hand used in the task.

PMID- 26098629
TI  - An Exercise-Based Program for Veterans with Substance Use Disorders: Formative
      Research.
AB  - Substance use disorders (SUDs) are prevalent among veteran populations.
      Adjunctive treatments for SUDs are warranted for many reasons, including high
      relapse rates. Physical exercise has broad health benefits as well as mood
      enhancing, anxiolytic, and withdrawal-reducing effects, but veterans with SUDs
      report low rates of regular exercise. Evaluating exercise-based interventions
      that incorporate evidence-based behavior change strategies tailored to meet the
      unique needs of veterans with SUDs is warranted. This article describes the
      formative research conducted to evaluate the following information among veterans
      receiving treatment for SUDs: (1) interest in an adjunctive exercise program to
      supplement their current SUD treatment; and (2) exercise program design
      considerations. A survey and small group interviews were conducted to obtain both
      quantitative and qualitative data. Results suggested that veterans with SUDs are
      interested in exercise, and participants provided perceptive suggestions for
      modifying an existing evidence-based program. These findings will be used to
      design an exercise-based treatment program tailored specifically for veterans
      with SUDs. 

PMID- 26098630
TI  - A Novel Protein Interaction between Nucleotide Binding Domain of Hsp70 and p53
      Motif.
AB  - Currently, protein interaction of Homo sapiens nucleotide binding domain (NBD) of
      heat shock 70 kDa protein (PDB: 1HJO) with p53 motif remains to be elucidated.
      The NBD-p53 motif complex enhances the p53 stabilization, thereby increasing the
      tumor suppression activity in cancer treatment. Therefore, we identified the
      interaction between NBD and p53 using STRING version 9.1 program. Then, we
      modeled the three-dimensional structure of p53 motif through homology modeling
      and determined the binding affinity and stability of NBD-p53 motif complex
      structure via molecular docking and dynamics (MD) simulation. Human DNA binding
      domain of p53 motif (SCMGGMNR) retrieved from UniProt (UniProtKB: P04637) was
      docked with the NBD protein, using the Autodock version 4.2 program. The binding
      energy and intermolecular energy for the NBD-p53 motif complex were -0.44
      Kcal/mol and -9.90 Kcal/mol, respectively. Moreover, RMSD, RMSF, hydrogen bonds,
      salt bridge, and secondary structure analyses revealed that the NBD protein had a
      strong bond with p53 motif and the protein-ligand complex was stable. Thus, the
      current data would be highly encouraging for designing Hsp70 structure based drug
      in cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26098631
TI  - 24-Month-Olds' Selective Learning Is Not an All-or-None Phenomenon.
AB  - Evidence that children maintain some memories of labels that are unlikely to be
      shared by the broader linguistic community suggests that children's selective
      learning is not an all-or-none phenomenon. Across three experiments, we examine
      the contexts in which 24-month-olds show selective learning and whether they
      adjust their selective learning if provided with cues of in-context relevance. In
      each experiment, toddlers were first familiarized with a source who acted on
      familiar objects in either typical or atypical ways (e.g., used a car to mimic
      driving or hop like a rabbit) or labeled familiar objects incorrectly (e.g.,
      called a spoon a "brush"). The source then labeled unfamiliar objects using
      either a novel word (e.g., fep; Experiment 1) or sound (e.g., ring; Experiments 2
      and 3). Results indicated that toddlers learnt words from the typical source but
      not from the atypical or inaccurate source. In contrast, toddlers extended sound
      labels only when a source who had previously acted atypically provided the sound
      labels. Thus, toddlers, like preschoolers, avoid forming semantic representations
      of new object labels that are unlikely to be relevant in the broader community,
      but will form event-based memories of such labels if they have reason to suspect
      such labels will have in-context relevance. 

PMID- 26098632
TI  - Serum CD121a (Interleukin 1 Receptor, Type I): A Potential Novel Inflammatory
      Marker for Coronary Heart Disease.
AB  - Inflammation is now believed to be responsible for coronary heart disease (CHD).
      This belief has stimulated the evaluation of various inflammatory markers for
      predicting CHD. This study was designed to investigate the association between
      four inflammatory cytokines (CD121a, interleukin [IL]-1beta, IL-8, and IL-11) and
      CHD. Here, we evaluated 443 patients with CHD and 160 CHD-free controls who
      underwent coronary angiography. Cytokines were evaluated using flow cytometry,
      and statistical analyses were performed to investigate the association between
      cytokine levels and the risk of CHD. Patients with CHD had significantly higher
      levels of CD121a. The odds ratios for CHD according to increasing CD121a
      quartiles were 1.00, 1.47 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.79-2.72], 2.67 (95%
      CI: 1.47-4.84), and 4.71 (95% CI: 2.65-8.37) in an age- and sex-adjusted model,
      compared to 1.00, 1.48 (95% CI: 0.70-3.14), 2.25 (95% CI: 1.10-4.62), and 4.39
      (95% CI: 2.19-8.79) in a model that was adjusted for multiple covariates. A
      comparison of the stable angina, unstable angina, and acute myocardial infarction
      (AMI) subgroups revealed that patients with AMI had the highest CD121a levels,
      although IL-1beta levels were similar across all groups. IL-8 levels were also
      increased in AMI patients, and IL-11 levels were higher in CHD patients than in
      non-CHD patients. Correlation analysis revealed a positive association between
      CD121a, IL-8, and the Gensini score. Together, the significant increase in CD121a
      levels among CHD patients suggests that it may be a novel inflammatory marker for
      predicting CHD. 

PMID- 26098633
TI  - MeCP2 Affects Skeletal Muscle Growth and Morphology through Non Cell-Autonomous
      Mechanisms.
AB  - Rett syndrome (RTT) is an autism spectrum disorder mainly caused by mutations in
      the X-linked MECP2 gene and affecting roughly 1 out of 10.000 born girls.
      Symptoms range in severity and include stereotypical movement, lack of spoken
      language, seizures, ataxia and severe intellectual disability. Notably, muscle
      tone is generally abnormal in RTT girls and women and the Mecp2-null mouse model
      constitutively reflects this disease feature. We hypothesized that MeCP2 in
      muscle might physiologically contribute to its development and/or homeostasis,
      and conversely its defects in RTT might alter the tissue integrity or function.
      We show here that a disorganized architecture, with hypotrophic fibres and tissue
      fibrosis, characterizes skeletal muscles retrieved from Mecp2-null mice.
      Alterations of the IGF-1/Akt/mTOR pathway accompany the muscle phenotype. A
      conditional mouse model selectively depleted of Mecp2 in skeletal muscles is
      characterized by healthy muscles that are morphologically and molecularly
      indistinguishable from those of wild-type mice raising the possibility that
      hypotonia in RTT is mainly, if not exclusively, mediated by non-cell autonomous
      effects. Our results suggest that defects in paracrine/endocrine signaling and,
      in particular, in the GH/IGF axis appear as the major cause of the observed
      muscular defects. Remarkably, this is the first study describing the selective
      deletion of Mecp2 outside the brain. Similar future studies will permit to
      unambiguously define the direct impact of MeCP2 on tissue dysfunctions. 

PMID- 26098634
TI  - Association of Lp-PLA2 Mass and Aysmptomatic Intracranial and Extracranial
      Arterial Stenosis in Hypertension Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) is a common cause
      of ischemic stroke in Asians, whereas whites tend to have more extracranial
      lesions. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) has been associated
      with ischemic stroke by a large amount of work. However, there are few studies
      focusing on the relationship of Lp-PLA2 and asymptomatic ICAS or extracranial
      arterial stenosis (ECAS). Wehereby sought to explore the relationship of Lp-PLA2
      and ICAS, ECAS and concurrent stenosis in stroke-free hypertensive patients in
      Chinese population. METHODS: All the subjects were evaluated for the presence and
      severity of ICAS and ECAS through computerized tomographic angiography (CTA)
      covered the whole brain down to the level of aortic arch. Lp-PLA2 mass was
      measured by enzyme linked immunoassay. The association of Lp-PLA2 and vascular
      stenosis was analyzed through multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Among
      414 participants, 163 (39.4%) had no ICAS or ECAS, 63 (15.2%) had ECAS only, 111
      (26.8%) had ICAS only and 77 (18.6%) had concurrent extraintracranial stenosis.
      Lp-PLA2 mass was significantly associated with isolated ICAS (OR: 2.3; 95% CI:
      1.14-4.64), and concurrent stenosis (OR: 3.93; 95% CI: 1.62-9.51), but was not
      related to isolated ECAS (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 0.68-3.48). Lp-PLA2 mass was also
      associated with moderate to severe ICAS no matter how was the ECAS. Moreover,
      patients with higher Lp-PLA2 mass showed more sever ICAS and had more
      intracranial arterial lesions. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the association of
      Lp-PLA2 mass with ICAS in stroke-free hypertensive patients in Chinese
      population. The further long-term cohort study was warranted to elucidate the
      concrete effect of Lp-PLA2 on the asymptomatic ICAS.

PMID- 26098635
TI  - Self-Expandable Metal Stents for Persisting Esophageal Variceal Bleeding after
      Band Ligation or Injection-Therapy: A Retrospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Despite a pronounced reduction of lethality rates due
      to upper gastrointestinal bleeding, esophageal variceal bleeding remains a
      challenge for the endoscopist and still accounts for a mortality rate of up to
      40% within the first 6 weeks. A relevant proportion of patients with esophageal
      variceal bleeding remains refractory to standard therapy, thus making a call for
      additional tools to achieve hemostasis. Self-expandable metal stents (SEMS)
      incorporate such a tool. METHODS: We evaluated a total number of 582 patients
      admitted to our endoscopy unit with the diagnosis "gastrointestinal bleeding"
      according to our documentation software between 2011 and 2014. 82 patients
      suffered from esophageal variceal bleeding, out of which 11 cases were refractory
      to standard therapy leading to SEMS application. Patients with esophageal
      malignancy, fistula, or stricture and a non-esophageal variceal bleeding source
      were excluded from the analysis. A retrospective analysis reporting a series of
      clinically relevant parameters in combination with bleeding control rates and
      adverse events was performed. RESULTS: The initial bleeding control rate after
      SEMS application was 100%. Despite this success, we observed a 27% mortality rate
      within the first 42 days. All of these patients died due to non-directly
      hemorrhage-associated reasons. The majority of patients exhibited an extensive
      demand of medical care with prolonged hospital stay. Common complications were
      hepatic decompensation, pulmonary infection and decline of renal function.
      Interestingly, we found in 7 out of 11 patients (63.6%) stent dislocation at time
      of control endoscopy 24 h after hemostasis or at time of stent removal. The
      presence of hiatal hernia did not affect obviously stent dislocation rates.
      Refractory patients had significantly longer hospitalization times compared to
      non-refractory patients. CONCLUSIONS: Self-expandable metal stents for esophageal
      variceal bleeding seem to be safe and efficient after failed standard therapy.
      Stent migration appeared to be a common incident that did not lead to
      reactivation of bleeding in any of our patients. SEMS should be considered a
      reasonable treatment option for refractory esophageal variceal bleeding after
      treatment failure of ligature and sclerotherapy and non-availability of or
      contraindication for other measures (e.g. TIPS).

PMID- 26098636
TI  - High-performance aqueous/organic dye-sensitized solar cells based on sensitizers
      containing triethylene oxide methyl ether.
AB  - Metal-free dyes (EO1 to EO4) containing the hydrophilic triethylene oxide methyl
      ether (TEOME) unit in the spacer have been synthesized and used in dye-sensitized
      solar cells (DSSCs). Efficient lithium-ion trapping by TEOME results in improved
      open-circuit voltage (VOC ), leading to excellent conversion efficiency of the
      cells, ranging from 9.02 to 9.98 % with I(-) /I3 (-) electrolyte in acetonitrile
      under AM 1.5 illumination. The TEOME unit also enhances the wettability of the
      dye molecules for application in aqueous-based DSSCs. Aqueous-based DSSCs with a
      dual TEMPO/iodide electrolyte exhibit high VOC values (0.80-0.88 V) and very
      promising cell performances of up to 5.97 %. 

PMID- 26098637
TI  - Interference of Overlapping Insect Vibratory Communication Signals: An Eushistus
      heros Model.
AB  - Plants limit the range of insect substrate-borne vibratory communication by their
      architecture and mechanical properties that change transmitted signal time,
      amplitude and frequency characteristics. Stinkbugs gain higher signal-to-noise
      ratio and increase communication distance by emitting narrowband low frequency
      vibratory signals that are tuned with transmission properties of plants. The
      objective of the present study was to investigate hitherto overlooked
      consequences of duetting with mutually overlapped narrowband vibratory signals.
      The overlapped vibrations of the model stinkbug species Eushistus heros, produced
      naturally or induced artificially on different plants, have been analysed. They
      represent female and male strategies to preserve information within a complex
      masked signal. The brown stinkbugs E. heros communicate with species and gender
      specific vibratory signals that constitute characteristic duets in the calling,
      courtship and rivalry phases of mating behaviour. The calling female pulse
      overlaps the male vibratory response when the latency of the latter is shorter
      than the duration of the female triggering signal or when the male response does
      not inhibit the following female pulse. Overlapping of signals induces
      interference that changes their amplitude pattern to a sequence of regularly
      repeated pulses in which their duration and the difference between frequencies of
      overlapped vibrations are related inversely. Interference does not occur in
      overlapped narrow band female calling pulses and broadband male courtship pulse
      trains. In a duet with overlapped signals females and males change time
      parameters and increase the frequency difference between signals by changing the
      frequency level and frequency modulation pattern of their calls. 

PMID- 26098638
TI  - Tennis Play Intensity Distribution and Relation with Aerobic Fitness in
      Competitive Players.
AB  - The aims of this study were (i) to describe the relative intensity of simulated
      tennis play based on the cumulative time spent in three metabolic intensity
      zones, and (ii) to determine the relationships between this play intensity
      distribution and the aerobic fitness of a group of competitive players. 20 male
      players of advanced to elite level (ITN) performed an incremental on-court
      specific endurance tennis test to exhaustion to determine maximal oxygen uptake
      (VO2max) and the first and second ventilatory thresholds (VT1, VT2). Ventilatory
      and gas exchange parameters were monitored using a telemetric portable gas
      analyser (K4 b2, Cosmed, Rome, Italy). Two weeks later the participants played a
      simulated tennis set against an opponent of similar level. Intensity zones (1:
      low, 2: moderate, and 3: high) were delimited by the individual VO2 values
      corresponding to VT1 and VT2, and expressed as percentage of maximum VO2 and
      heart rate. When expressed relative to VO2max, percentage of playing time in zone
      1 (77 +/- 25%) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in zone 2 (20 +/- 21%)
      and zone 3 (3 +/- 5%). Moderate to high positive correlations were found between
      VT1, VT2 and VO2max, and the percentage of playing time spent in zone 1 (r = 0.68
      0.75), as well as low to high inverse correlations between the metabolic
      variables and the percentage of time spent in zone 2 and 3 (r = -0.49-0.75).
      Players with better aerobic fitness play at relatively lower intensities. We
      conclude that players spent more than 75% of the time in their low-intensity
      zone, with less than 25% of the time spent at moderate to high intensities.
      Aerobic fitness appears to determine the metabolic intensity that players can
      sustain throughout the game. 

PMID- 26098639
TI  - Antioxidant Activity of Caffeic Acid against Iron-Induced Free Radical Generation
      -A Chemical Approach.
AB  - Caffeic acid (CA) is a phenolic compound widely found in coffee beans with known
      beneficial effects in vivo. Many studies showed that CA has anti-inflammatory,
      anti-mutagenic, antibacterial and anti-carcinogenic properties, which could be
      linked to its antioxidant activity. Taking in consideration the reported in vitro
      antioxidant mechanism of other polyphenols, our working hypothesis was that the
      CA antioxidant activity could be related to its metal-chelating property. With
      that in mind, we sought to investigate the chemical antioxidant mechanism of CA
      against in vitro iron-induced oxidative damage under different assay conditions.
      CA was able to prevent hydroxyl radical formation promoted by the classical
      Fenton reaction, as determined by 2-deoxyribose (2-DR) oxidative degradation and
      DMPO hydroxylation. In addition to its ability to prevent hydroxyl radical
      formation, CA had a great inhibition of membrane lipid peroxidation. In the lipid
      peroxidation assays CA acted as both metal-chelator and as hydrogen donor,
      preventing the deleterious action promoted by lipid-derived peroxyl and alkoxyl
      radicals. Our results indicate that the observed antioxidant effects were mostly
      due to the formation of iron-CA complexes, which are able to prevent 2-DR
      oxidation and DMPO hydroxylation. Noteworthy, the formation of iron-CA complexes
      and prevention of oxidative damage was directly related to the pH of the medium,
      showing better antioxidant activity at higher pH values. Moreover, in the
      presence of lipid membranes the antioxidant potency of CA was much higher,
      indicating its enhanced effectiveness in a hydrophobic environment. Overall, our
      results show that CA acts as an antioxidant through an iron chelating mechanism,
      preventing the formation of free hydroxyl radicals and, therefore, inhibiting
      Fenton-induced oxidative damage. The chemical properties of CA described here--in
      association with its reported signaling effects--could be an explanation to its
      beneficial effects observed in vivo.

PMID- 26098640
TI  - Changing from whole-cell to acellular pertussis vaccines would trade superior
      tolerability for inferior protection.
AB  - Notifications of infant deaths, assumed to be related to the introduction of new
      pentavalent DTwP-Hib-HBV childhood vaccines, caused, during 2008-2010 in few
      Asian countries, temporary interruptions of the respective vaccination programs.
      The sudden appearance of fatal cases was due to increased awareness/publicity and
      improved safety monitoring/reporting in countries with relatively high background
      infant mortalities. WHO investigations could not establish any causal
      relationships and vaccinations were again resumed. Recently, questions were
      raised in one concerned country as to why not to change to less reactogenic
      acellular pertussis (aP)-containing vaccines that are available in private
      practice and are generally perceived as 'better'. For resource-poor countries,
      the financial impacts render such a switch impossible and would also not be
      supported by external funding. Furthermore, it would be a disservice to the
      children, as in recent years evidence of inferior long-term efficacy of aP
      vaccines has accumulated. This report summarizes current knowledge on comparative
      whole-cell pertussis (wP) and aP vaccine performance, outlines the new July 2014
      WHO guidance on the choice of pertussis vaccines and presents recent data on
      outbreak protection, antibody waning, long-term protection, wP-priming, pathogen
      adaptation, transmission and herd immunity. 

PMID- 26098641
TI  - Matured Hop Bittering Components Induce Thermogenesis in Brown Adipose Tissue via
      Sympathetic Nerve Activity.
AB  - Obesity is the principal symptom of metabolic syndrome, which refers to a group
      of risk factors that increase the likelihood of atherosclerosis. In recent
      decades there has been a sharp rise in the incidence of obesity throughout the
      developed world. Iso-alpha-acids, the bitter compounds derived from hops in beer,
      have been shown to prevent diet-induced obesity by increasing lipid oxidation in
      the liver and inhibition of lipid absorption from the intestine. Whereas the
      sharp bitterness induced by effective dose of iso-alpha-acids precludes their
      acceptance as a nutrient, matured hop bittering components (MHB) appear to be
      more agreeable. Therefore, we tested MHB for an effect on ameliorating diet
      induced body fat accumulation in rodents. MHB ingestion had a beneficial effect
      but, compared to iso-alpha-acids and despite containing structurally similar
      compounds, acted via different mechanisms to reduce body fat accumulation. MHB
      supplementation significantly reduced body weight gain, epididymal white adipose
      tissue weight, and plasma non-esterified free fatty acid levels in diet-induced
      obese mice. We also found that uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression in brown
      adipose tissue (BAT) was significantly increased in MHB-fed mice at both the mRNA
      and protein levels. In addition, MHB administration in rats induced the beta
      adrenergic signaling cascade, which is related to cAMP accumulation in BAT,
      suggesting that MHB could modulate sympathetic nerve activity innervating BAT
      (BAT-SNA). Indeed, single oral administration of MHB elevated BAT-SNA in rats,
      and this elevation was dissipated by subdiaphragmatic vagotomy. Single oral
      administration of MHB maintained BAT temperature at a significantly higher level
      than in control rats. Taken together, these findings indicate that MHB
      ameliorates diet-induced body fat accumulation, at least partly, by enhancing
      thermogenesis in BAT via BAT-SNA activation. Our data suggests that MHB is a
      useful tool for developing functional foods or beverages to counteract the
      accumulation of body fat. 

PMID- 26098642
TI  - The Possible Mechanism of Idiosyncratic Lapatinib-Induced Liver Injury in
      Patients Carrying Human Leukocyte Antigen-DRB1*07:01.
AB  - Idiosyncratic lapatinib-induced liver injury has been reported to be associated
      with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1*07:01. In order to investigate its
      mechanism, interaction of lapatinib with HLA-DRB1*07:01 and its ligand peptide
      derived from tetanus toxoid, has been evaluated in vitro. Here we show that
      lapatinib enhances binding of the ligand peptide to HLA-DRB1*07:01. Furthermore
      in silico molecular dynamics analysis revealed that lapatinib could change the
      beta chain helix in the HLA-DRB1*07:01 specifically to form a tightly closed
      binding groove structure and modify a large part of the binding groove. These
      results indicate that lapatinib affects the ligand binding to HLA-DRB1*07:01 and
      idiosyncratic lapatinib-induced liver injury might be triggered by this
      mechanism. This is the first report showing that the clinically available drug
      can enhance the binding of ligand peptide to HLA class II molecules in vitro and
      in silico. 

PMID- 26098643
TI  - Correction: Transcriptional Dynamics of Immortalized Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
      during Transformation.

PMID- 26098644
TI  - Higher Serum Angiotensinogen Is an Indicator of IgA Vasculitis with Nephritis
      Revealed by Comparative Proteomes Analysis.
AB  - IgA vasculitis (IgAV), previously named as Henoch-Schonlein purpura, is the most
      common systematic vasculitis with unknown etiology. Lack of appropriate study
      system and/or animal model limits the understanding of its molecular pathogenesis
      and hinders the identification of targets for rational therapy, especially for
      its long-term complication, IgAV nephritis (IgAVN). In this study, we applied
      comparative analysis of serum proteomes to obtain an insight about disease
      pathogenesis. This study has utilized high sensitivity nanoscale ultra
      performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS) to investigate
      the alterations in serum proteomic profiles in patients with IgAV (n=6), IgAVN
      (n=6) and healthy subjects (n=7). The differentially expressed proteins were
      subjected to functional pathway analysis by PANTHER and DAVID software. We
      identified 107 differentially expressed proteins among three different groups,
      and functional analysis suggested that, in addition to earlier reported pathways,
      such as acute phase response, immune response, complement and blood coagulation
      pathways, hemostasis and Wnt signaling pathway were probably involved in
      pathogenesis of IgAV. A few differentially abundant proteins identified, such as
      C4a, serum amyloid A, angiotensinogen, and kininogen 1, were further validated by
      ELISA. More importantly, we found that angiotensinogen concentration is
      correlated with IgAVN and could be used as a potential marker for the progression
      of IgAV. This is the first report of analyzing the proteomic alterations in IgAV
      patients and the differentially proteins identified in this study may enhance
      understanding of the pathology of IgAV and a few of them may be used to monitor
      disease progression. 

PMID- 26098645
TI  - Novel Photoresponsive Linear, Graft, and Comb-Like Copolymers with Azobenzene
      Chromophores in the Main-Chain and/or Side-Chain: Facile One-Pot Synthesis and
      Photoresponse Properties.
AB  - Novel photoresponsive linear, graft, and comb-like copolymers with azobenzene
      chromophores in the main-chain and/or side-chain are prepared via a sequential
      ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) and head-to-tail acyclic diene
      metathesis (ADMET) polymerization in a one-pot procedure using Grubbs ruthenium
      based catalysts. The diluted solutions of these as-prepared copolymers containing
      azobenzene chromophores exhibit photochemical trans-cis isomerization under the
      irradiation of UV light, followed by their cis-trans back-isomerization in
      visible light. The rates of photoisomerization are found to be slower than those
      of back-isomerization, and the rate for the comb-like copolymer is found to be
      from 3 to 7 times slower than that obtained for the linear or graft copolymer.
      This is ascribed to the differences in structure of the copolymers and the
      specific location of azobenzene chromophores in the copolymer, which favor a side
      chain graft structure. 

PMID- 26098646
TI  - Metabolomic analyses reveal that anti-aging metabolites are depleted by palmitate
      but increased by oleate in vivo.
AB  - Recently, we reported that saturated and unsaturated fatty acids trigger
      autophagy through distinct signal transduction pathways. Saturated fatty acids
      like palmitate (PA) induce autophagic responses that rely on phosphatidylinositol
      3-kinase, catalytic subunit type 3 (PIK3C3, best known as VPS34) and beclin 1
      (BECN1). Conversely, unsaturated fatty acids like oleate (OL) promote non
      canonical, PIK3C3- and BECN1-independent autophagy. Here, we explored the
      metabolic effects of autophagy-inducing doses of PA and OL in mice. Mass
      spectrometry coupled to principal component analysis revealed that PA and OL
      induce well distinguishable changes in circulating metabolites as well as in the
      metabolic profile of the liver, heart, and skeletal muscle. Importantly, PA (but
      not OL) causes the depletion of multiple autophagy-inhibitory amino acids in the
      liver. Conversely, OL (but not PA) increased the hepatic levels of nicotinamide
      adenine dinucleotide (NAD), an obligate co-factor for autophagy-stimulatory
      enzymes of the sirtuin family. Moreover, PA (but not OL) raised the
      concentrations of acyl-carnitines in the heart, a phenomenon that perhaps is
      linked to its cardiotoxicity. PA also depleted the liver from spermine and
      spermidine, 2 polyamines have been ascribed with lifespan-extending activity. The
      metabolic changes imposed by unsaturated and saturated fatty acids may contribute
      to their health-promoting and health-deteriorating effects, respectively. 

PMID- 26098648
TI  - [Diagnostic significance of protein NMP22 in bladder cancer].
AB  - Bladder cancer is a malignancy that affects mainly the elderly and males. Up to
      90% of these cancers originate from urothelial epithelial cells and therefore
      they are called Transitional (Urothelial) Cell Carcinoma (TCC). Another types
      are: Squamous Cell Carcionoma (SCC), which involves about 5% of cases and
      Adenocarcinoma (less than 2%). The factors that may lead to the development of
      bladder cancer include: genetic disorders, molecular changes, environmental
      exposures, industrial carcinogens, chemical contaminants and chronic cystitis.
      This article depicts the current state of diagnostics of bladder cancer, with
      particular focus on urine-based tests. Although many markers with different
      structure are under research, only the following have gained FDA approval for
      bladder cancer screening: BTAstat, BTA TRAK, UroVysion and NMP22 BladderChek. For
      follow-up NMP22 ELISA and Immunocyt (uCyt+) are approved. This work is mainly
      focused on mainly on evaluating the diagnostic value of nuclear matrix protein
      NMP22 for bladder cancer in terms of the outlined researches among people
      susceptible to environmental toxins. A review of the current literature depicts
      that no research on correlation between NMP22 and genetic susceptibility has been
      conducted so far. There is some evidence that NMP22 protein is particularly
      important in high-risk groups, e.g. among tobacco smokers. The work also
      describes the methods of detecting NMP22 protein and factors that may influence
      the results. The review of current literature showed that NMP22 cannot replace
      invasive cystoscopy neither in screening for bladder cancer nor in follow-up. The
      NMP22 test could be useful for determining the frequency of cystoscopy and for
      early detection of high-grade tumors. Research focused on improving the
      specificity of this marker seems to be crucial, e.g. through the correlation
      between NMP22 and other parameters (e.g. other laboratory tests), which is
      confirmed by preliminary data about combining various markers. 

PMID- 26098647
TI  - Broken-Symmetry DFT Computations for the Reaction Pathway of IspH, an Iron-Sulfur
      Enzyme in Pathogenic Bacteria.
AB  - The recently discovered methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway provides new
      targets for the development of antibacterial and antimalarial drugs. In the final
      step of the MEP pathway, the [4Fe-4S] IspH protein catalyzes the 2e(-)/2H(+)
      reductive dehydroxylation of (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl diphosphate
      (HMBPP) to afford the isoprenoid precursors isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and
      dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP). Recent experiments have attempted to
      elucidate the IspH catalytic mechanism to drive inhibitor development. Two
      competing mechanisms have recently emerged, differentiated by their proposed
      HMBPP binding modes upon 1e(-) reduction of the [4Fe-4S] cluster: (1) a Birch
      reduction mechanism, in which HMBPP remains bound to the [4Fe-4S] cluster through
      its terminal C4-OH group (ROH-bound) until the -OH is cleaved as water; and (2)
      an organometallic mechanism, in which the C4-OH group rotates away from the [4Fe
      4S] cluster, allowing the HMBPP olefin group to form a metallacycle complex with
      the apical iron (eta(2)-bound). We perform broken-symmetry density functional
      theory computations to assess the energies and reduction potentials associated
      with the ROH- and eta(2)-bound states implicated by these competing mechanisms.
      Reduction potentials obtained for ROH-bound states are more negative (-1.4 to 
      1.0 V) than what is typically expected of [4Fe-4S] ferredoxin proteins. Instead,
      we find that eta(2)-bound states are lower in energy than ROH-bound states when
      the [4Fe-4S] cluster is 1e(-) reduced. Furthermore, eta(2)-bound states can
      already be generated in the oxidized state, yielding reduction potentials of ca. 
      700 mV when electron addition occurs after rotation of the HMBPP C4-OH group. We
      demonstrate that such eta(2)-bound states are kinetically accessible both when
      the IspH [4Fe-4S] cluster is oxidized and 1e(-) reduced. The energetically
      preferred pathway gives 1e(-) reduction of the cluster after substrate
      conformational change, generating the 1e(-) reduced intermediate proposed in the
      organometallic mechanism. 

PMID- 26098649
TI  - [Emotional regulation in aspect of action vs. state orientation, stress and self 
      injurious behavior among people with borderline personality disorder].
AB  - In the bordeline personality disorder a large role ascribe to biopsychosocial
      factors. Studies have shown that more than 70% patients BPD reported experiencing
      traumatic events in childhood. The findings are confirming that making self
      harming is a frequent symptom of bordeline disorder and 70-75% patients show at
      least one act of self-harming. Selfharming can be a reaction to maladaptive
      emotional regulation. Moreover a lowered tolerance level is characteristic of
      them to the stress and determined course learning dysfunctional patterns of
      behavior. AIM: The aim of this study is to determine the level of emotional
      regulation through the variable action vs state orientation and to investigate
      their relation to stress, self-harming and suicidal behavior. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In study participated 45 persons with emotionally unstable borderline
      personality diagnosis. In the group was 33 women and 12 men in age 19-43. A
      Polish adaptation of standardized questionnaires was used to measure stress and
      action vs state orientation (SSI-K), self-injurious behavior (SHI) and suicidal
      tendencies (RFL-I). RESULTS: By patients with borderline personality disorder the
      level of action control, reasons for living and stress are predictors of
      selfharming behavior. The mediation analyze showed, that stress and reasons for
      living are mediators between action vs. state control and the level of self
      harming behavior. CONCLUSIONS: A high level of stress correlates positively with
      self-harming and negatively with action control in patients with borderline
      personality disorder, and a high level of reasons for living correlates
      positively with action control and negatively with self-harming in people with
      BPD.

PMID- 26098650
TI  - [Social awareness related to the rights of the patient and knowledge of the
      possible actions in case of a breach of those under 30 years old].
AB  - Patients' rights are a special case of broadly defined human rights. They specify
      what patient can expect during treatment process and determine his status in
      contacts with the healthcare system. AIM: The aim of this study was to
      investigate the awareness of patients' rights and knowledge of possible
      proceedings in case of violation of them among people under 30 years of age.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research was conducted in February and March 2014 on a
      group of 269 respondents. Research tool was an author-made questionnaire.
      RESULTS: More than half of respondents (54.6%) had never heard about patients'
      rights. Among rights, that respondents know the best were: the right to health
      benefits (58.2%), the right to information (39.3%), the right to consent to
      health services (33.6%) and the right to the secrecy of information associated
      with the patient (32%). More than half of respondents declared that they would
      report a violation of their rights to appropriate institution - 49.2% of
      respondents indicated the Commissioner for Patients' Rights, 14.8% the National
      Health Fund, 11.5% Ministry of Health. The study showed also that the main source
      of acquiring knowledge about patients' rights for the study population is the
      internet. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the results showed that the awareness of the
      patients' rights and knowledge of possible proceedings for violation of them
      among the study population is low.

PMID- 26098651
TI  - [The characteristics of sexual offenders abusing alcohol in view of forensic
      psychiatric assessments].
AB  - The relationship between alcohol consumption and sexual crime appears to be
      unquestionable. However, the mechanisms that lead to violence and aggression
      under the influence of alcohol are not entirely understood in this group of
      offenders. AIM: The aim of this paper was to attempt answering the question: what
      are the features characterizing sexual offenders declaring alcohol abuse.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research material consisted of 180 forensic
      psychiatric- sexology assessments issued by experts from Outpatient Psychiatric
      Clinic in 10 Military Hospital Clinic in Bydgoszcz between 2004 to 2012. A
      specially designed questionnaire titled "Charter of Diagnosis of Factors
      Determining Criminal Sexual Activity" has been used. RESULTS: Relevant
      statistical dependences were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results show
      that, a alcohol abuse has a sexual criminogenic effect especially in the
      coincidence that there are sustainable personality abnormalities and organic CNS
      damage. The conducted study prove that the sexual perpetrators who abuse alcohol
      have a poor level of social functioning and brought up in dysfunction families
      having alcoholic problems.

PMID- 26098652
TI  - [The relation of selected psychiatric disorders to occurrence of suicide attempts
      among teenage psychiatrically hospitalized patients].
AB  - Suicide is the third cause of death globally in the age group 10-19. Multiple
      risk factors (genetic, psychiatric, psychological, familial, social) increased
      number of suicide attempts. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore whether
      mental disorders are associated with the number of suicide attempts among
      psychiatric hospitalized adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective, chart
      based analysis of 119 patients, aged 13-18, treated in 2013-2014 in the
      Department of Adolescent Psychiatry in Lodz. Inclusion criteria was diagnosis of
      schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders, mood disorders, neurotic,
      stress-related and somatoform disorders, behavioral and emotional disorders
      according to ICD 10. Exclusion criteria were other psychiatric diagnosis,
      incomplete information about intention of self-harm behaviors. For statistical
      analysis used Statistica 9.1. RESULTS: Among psychiatricaly hospitalized
      patients, 51.2% of people attempted suicide. No relationship was found (p > 0.05)
      between psychiatric diagnosis and frequency of suicide attempts in adolescents,
      but the most common suicide attempts related to people with a diagnosis of mood
      disorders (59.3%) and neurotic disorders (54.6%), and least frequently in
      patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia , schizotypal and delusional disorders
      (40%) and behavioral and emotional disorders (44.4%). CONCLUSIONS: There is no
      relation between the occurrence of suicide attempts and the type of mental
      disorders among psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents.

PMID- 26098653
TI  - [Unusual clinical picture of Meckel's diverticulum intussusception in 19-year-old
      man - a case report].
AB  - Meckel diverticulum is the most common congenital defect of samll intestine. In
      most cases it remains asymptomatic, however in some patients it may be the cause
      of many nonspecific signs and symptoms. In this paper we would like to present a
      case of intestinal obstruction caused by Meckel diverticulum intussusception in
      the ileum in 19- year-old patient. The patient complaint of dull abdominal pain
      which have been subsiding for hours and vomiting. Results of laboratory test were
      within normal limits. Abdomian X-ray suggested mechanic obstruction of small
      intestine. Patient was qualified for urgent surgery. During the operation
      intussusception of 10 cm of small intestine was found. The leading point of
      intussusception was long Meckel diverticulum with single, small connection with
      omentum. The authors wish to note that in the differential diagnosis of non
      specific, recurrent pain and mechanical small bowel obstruction, regardless of
      age, the presence of Meckel diverticulum should always be taken into
      consideration. 

PMID- 26098654
TI  - [Bilateral external auditory canal cholesteatoma - a case report].
AB  - The external auditory canal cholesteatoma is a rare and difficult to diagnose
      disease. Symptoms are similar to the external ear canal inflammation and can be
      masked by retained cerumen. In the article we described a case of 22 year old,
      mentally impairment women with bilateral otorrhea, in the past treated for
      external ear canal inflammation. The otoscopic examination showed bilateral
      congenital auditory canal stenosis, with masses obstructing ear canals. Imaging
      and histopathologic studies revealed bilateral external ear canal cholesteatoma.
      The patient was qualified for surgery, which, together with a guardian, did not
      consent. Presented case indicates the necessity for widening the diagnostic of
      recurrent external ear canal inflammation. 

PMID- 26098655
TI  - [Pituitary apoplexy - not always correctly recognized life-threatening entity].
AB  - Pituitary apoplexy is a life-threatening circumstance developing as a result of
      ischemia or hemorrhage into pre-existing pituitary tumor. Frequency of this
      condition is hard to be precisely estimated. Clinical course is characteristic
      and commonly consists of severe headache accompanied by nausea, vomiting,
      impaired consciousness, visual field impairment as well as eyeballs movement
      restriction. Symptoms are typically accompanied by secondary adrenal
      insufficiency. Severe course of pituitary apoplexy requires hospitalization and
      immediate medical treatment. Corticosteroids are drugs of choice regarding
      coexisting adrenal insufficiency. In case of a lack of expected both general and
      neurological improvement during conservative treatment, a surgery might be
      necessary. Prognosis in case of a proper treatment is good. Every patient after
      pituitary apople. 

PMID- 26098656
TI  - [Gestational diabetes in the light of current literature].
AB  - This paper presents current data on the pathophysiology of gestational diabetes
      mellitus, classification and new diagnostic methods. Gestational Diabetes
      Mellitus (GDM) is defined as carbohydrate intolerance first detected during
      pregnancy. It is the most common metabolic disorder of pregnant women. The
      frequency of its occurrence depends on inter alia body weight, belonging to a
      particular ethnic group and diagnostic methods. GDM reveals usually between 24
      and 28 weeks of gestation. The development of diabetes in pregnancy poses a
      threat to both the mother and the fetus. It is associated with an increased
      incidence of birth defects in newborns, impaired intrauterine fetal growth,
      higher incidence of premature births and greater percentage of the intrauterine
      fetus death. Amongst women complicated by gestational diabetes arterial
      hypertension more often unfolds. In the development of gestational diabetes
      mellitus important role apart from maternal and fetal hyperinsulinemia play:
      antagonistic to insulin placental hormones, TNFalpha, placental pro-inflammatory
      cytokines, resistin, leptin ghrelin. 

PMID- 26098657
TI  - Significance of selenium in thyroid physiology and pathology.
AB  - Selenium is pivotal element in maintaining homeostasis of human body. It is
      capable of exerting an influence on immunological responses, cell growth and
      viral defence. Nevertheless, it is mostly required for the proper thyroid
      function. There were described 25 selenoproteins, which play various roles in
      human body. Selenium is an essential particle in the active site of enzymes such
      as GPXs (glutathione peroxidases), Ds (deiodinases) and TRs (thioredoxin
      reductases). Owing to this, it has a fundamental importance in the synthesis and
      function of thyroid hormones, and protects cells against free radicals and
      oxidative damage. Intake of selenium necessary to maintain suitable selenoenzyme
      activity ranges from 60 MUg to 75 MUg per day. Selenium deficiency contributes to
      decreased activity of GPXs, which can lead to oxidative damage, or Ds, which is
      connected with impaired thyroid activity. Moreover, a low selenium concentration
      causes autoimmune processes in the thyroid gland, thus selenium deficiency is
      essential in pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroiditis or Graves' disease. Because
      of regulation of the cell cycle, a decreased concentration of selenium impacts on
      the development of thyroid cancer. 

PMID- 26098658
TI  - [Gout - from pathogenesis to treatment - progress in the XXI century].
AB  - Gout has recently become the most common arthritis in developed countries.
      However studies indicate that treatment of gout is still insufficient. New
      discoveries including the role of inflammasome, inflammatory cytokines ( Il1beta,
      IL-8,TNF-alpha), but also identification of the URAT -1 transporter or genetic
      mutation of SLC2A9 has given better understanding of the pathophysiology of gout
      and enable to use new therapies. New options in treatment significantly reduced
      the number of patients resistant to existing procedures, and created
      opportunities for a better individualization of the treatment. In this authors
      article in a practical way try to summary knowledge about the pathogenesis of the
      disease and the current guidelines for the diagnosis, the treatment of non
      pharmacological and pharmacological treatment. 

PMID- 26098659
TI  - [Medical simulation as a professional tool which affect the safety of the patient
      used in the learning process].
AB  - Simulation is the methodology of teaching, learning process using educational
      equipment from simple simulators, designed to study individual tasks, through
      advanced mannequins called human patient stimulators faithfully mimic the human
      and its parameters. The medical simulation's main task is education and
      improvement patients' safety. Advanced human simulators can realistically cough,
      vomit with artificial chyme and bleed with artificial blood causing a real stress
      of medical personnel and the need for immediate action. Medical simulation gives
      the opportunity to prepare medical personnel to the profession more effectively,
      in less time than traditional education and also clearly affects the patients'
      safety. 

PMID- 26098660
TI  - Copper-Catalyzed Synthesis of 2-Arylquinazolinones from 2-Arylindoles with Amines
      or Ammoniums.
AB  - A novel copper-catalyzed synthesis of quinazolinones from easily available 2
      arylindoles and amines or ammoniums has been developed, which provided various
      quinazolinones in up to 99% yields for 43 examples. This strategy features
      tolerance of a wide range of functional groups, easily available starting
      materials, simple operation, mild reaction conditions, and environmental
      friendliness. 

PMID- 26098661
TI  - Monitoring the Stability of Perfluorocarbon Nanoemulsions by Cryo-TEM Image
      Analysis and Dynamic Light Scattering.
AB  - Perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions (PFC-NE) are disperse systems consisting of
      nanoscale liquid perfluorocarbon droplets stabilized by an emulsifier, usually
      phospholipids. Perfluorocarbons are chemically inert and non-toxic substances
      that are exhaled after in vivo administration. The manufacture of PFC-NE can be
      done in large scales by means of high pressure homogenization or
      microfluidization. Originally investigated as oxygen carriers for cases of severe
      blood loss, their application nowadays is more focused on using them as marker
      agents in 19F Magnetic Resonance Imaging (19F MRI). 19F is scarce in organisms
      and thus PFC-NE are a promising tool for highly specific and non-invasive imaging
      of inflammation via 19F MRI. Neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages phagocytize
      PFC-NE and subsequently migrate to inflamed tissues. This technique has proven
      feasibility in numerous disease models in mice, rabbits and mini pigs. The
      translation to clinical trials in human needs the development of a stable
      nanoemulsion whose droplet size is well characterized over a long storage time.
      Usually dynamic light scattering (DLS) is applied as the standard method for
      determining particle sizes in the nanometer range. Our study uses a second
      method, analysis of transmission electron microscopy images of cryo-fixed samples
      (Cryo-TEM), to evaluate stability of PFC-NE in comparison to DLS. Four
      nanoemulsions of different composition are observed for one year. The results
      indicate that DLS alone cannot reveal the changes in particle size, but can even
      mislead to a positive estimation of stability. The combination with Cryo-TEM
      images gives more insight in the particulate evolution, both techniques
      supporting one another. The study is one further step in the development of
      analytical tools for the evaluation of a clinically applicable
      perfluorooctylbromide nanoemulsion. 

PMID- 26098662
TI  - Role of Subunit Exchange and Electrostatic Interactions on the Chaperone Activity
      of Mycobacterium leprae HSP18.
AB  - Mycobacterium leprae HSP18, a major immunodominant antigen of M. leprae pathogen,
      is a small heat shock protein. Previously, we reported that HSP18 is a molecular
      chaperone that prevents aggregation of different chemically and thermally
      stressed client proteins and assists refolding of denatured enzyme at normal
      temperature. We also demonstrated that it can efficiently prevent the thermal
      killing of E. coli at higher temperature. However, molecular mechanism behind the
      chaperone function of HSP18 is still unclear. Therefore, we studied the structure
      and chaperone function of HSP18 at normal temperature (25 degrees C) as well as
      at higher temperatures (31-43 degrees C). Our study revealed that the chaperone
      function of HSP18 is enhanced significantly with increasing temperature. Far- and
      near-UV CD experiments suggested that its secondary and tertiary structure remain
      intact in this temperature range (25-43 degrees C). Besides, temperature has no
      effect on the static oligomeric size of this protein. Subunit exchange study
      demonstrated that subunits of HSP18 exchange at 25 degrees C with a rate constant
      of 0.018 min(-1). Both rate of subunit exchange and chaperone activity of HSP18
      is found to increase with rise in temperature. However, the surface
      hydrophobicity of HSP18 decreases markedly upon heating and has no correlation
      with its chaperone function in this temperature range. Furthermore, we observed
      that HSP18 exhibits diminished chaperone function in the presence of NaCl at 25
      degrees C. At elevated temperatures, weakening of interactions between HSP18 and
      stressed client proteins in the presence of NaCl results in greater reduction of
      its chaperone function. The oligomeric size, rate of subunit exchange and
      structural stability of HSP18 were also found to decrease when electrostatic
      interactions were weakened. These results clearly indicated that subunit exchange
      and electrostatic interactions play a major role in the chaperone function of
      HSP18.

PMID- 26098663
TI  - Antitumor and Adjuvant Activity of lambda-carrageenan by Stimulating Immune
      Response in Cancer Immunotherapy.
AB  - lambda-Carrageenan is a seaweed polysaccharide which has been generally used as
      proinflammatory agent in the basic research, however, how the immunomodulating
      activity of lambda-carrageenan affects tumor microenvironment remains unknown. In
      this study, we found that intratumoral injection of lambda-carrageenan could
      inhibit tumor growth in B16-F10 and 4T1 bearing mice and enhance tumor immune
      response by increasing the number of tumor-infiltrating M1 macrophages, DCs and
      more activated CD4(+)CD8(+) T lymphocytes in spleen. In addition, lambda
      carrageenan could enhance the secretion of IL17A in spleen and significantly
      increase the level of TNF-alpha in tumor, most of which was secreted by
      infiltrating macrophages. Moreover, lambda-carrageenan exhibited an efficient
      adjuvant effect in OVA-based preventative and therapeutic vaccine for cancer
      treatment, which significantly enhanced the production of anti-OVA antibody. The
      toxicity analysis suggested that lambda-carrageenan was with a good safety
      profile. Thus, lambda-carrageenan might be used both as a potent antitumor agent
      and an efficient adjuvant in cancer immunotherapy. 

PMID- 26098664
TI  - Getting Everyone to Buckle Up on Every Trip: What More Can Be Done?

PMID- 26098666
TI  - Correction to: J Neurotrauma 2011;28(3):383-400.

PMID- 26098665
TI  - Prognostic Value of Circulating Tumor Cells in Ovarian Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in ovarian
      cancer has been investigated in previous studies, but the results are
      controversial. Therefore we performed a meta-analysis to systematically review
      these data and evaluate the value of CTCs in ovarian cancer. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A literary search for relevant studies was performed on Embase, Medline
      and Web of Science databases. Then pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for survival with
      95% confidence intervals (CIs), subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses, meta
      regression analyses and publication bias were conducted. RESULTS: This meta
      analysis is based on 11 publications and comprises a total of 1129 patients. The
      prognostic value of the CTC status was significant in overall survival (OS) (HR,
      1.61;95% CI,1.22-2.13) and progression-free survival (PFS)/disease-free survival
      (DFS) (HR, 1.44; 95%CI, 1.18-1.75). Furthermore, subgroup analysis revealed that
      the value of CTC status in OS was significant in "RT-PCR" subgroup (HR, 2.02; 95%
      CI, 1.34-3.03), whereas it was not significant in "CellSearch" subgroup (HR,
      1.15; 95% CI 0.45-2.92) and "other ICC" subgroup (HR, 1.09; 95% CI 0.62-1.90).
      The presence of CTC was also associated with an increased CA-125 (OR, 4.07;
      95%CI, 1.87-8.85). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that CTC status is
      associated with OS and PFS/DFS in ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26098668
TI  - Magnetic and dendritic catalysts.
AB  - The recovery and reuse of catalysts is a major challenge in the development of
      sustainable chemical processes. Two methods at the frontier between homogeneous
      and heterogeneous catalysis have recently emerged for addressing this problem:
      loading the catalyst onto a dendrimer or onto a magnetic nanoparticle. In this
      Account, we describe representative examples of these two methods, primarily from
      our research group, and compare them. We then describe new chemistry that
      combines the benefits of these two methods of catalysis. Classic dendritic
      catalysis has involved either attaching the catalyst covalently at the branch
      termini or within the dendrimer core. We have used chelating pyridyltriazole
      ligands to insolubilize catalysts at the termini of dendrimers, providing an
      efficient, recyclable heterogeneous catalysts. With the addition of dendritic
      unimolecular micelles olefin metathesis reactions catalyzed by commercial Grubbs
      type ruthenium-benzylidene complexes in water required unusually low amounts of
      catalyst. When such dendritic micelles include intradendritic ligands, both the
      micellar effect and ligand acceleration promote faster catalysis in water. With
      these types of catalysts, we could carry out azide alkyne cycloaddition ("click")
      chemistry with only ppm amounts of CuSO4.5H2O and sodium ascorbate under ambient
      conditions. Alternatively we can attach catalysts to the surface of
      superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), essentially magnetite
      (Fe3O4) or maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3), offering the opportunity to recover the
      catalysts using magnets. Taking advantage of the merits of both of these
      strategies, we and others have developed a new generation of recyclable
      catalysts: dendritic magnetically recoverable catalysts. In particular, some of
      our catalysts with a gamma-Fe2O3@SiO2 core and 1,2,3-triazole tethers and loaded
      with Pd nanoparticles generate strong positive dendritic effects with respect to
      ligand loading, catalyst loading, catalytic activity and recyclability. In other
      words, the dendritic catalysts were more efficient and more stable than their
      nondendritic gamma-Fe2O3@SiO2 analogues. The bulk at the dendritic periphery
      helps to localize the metal nanoparticles at the SPION core surface, which
      confers these advantages. We could also use sonification as a remarkably simple
      and efficient method to impregnate the SPIONs with dendrimer-encapsulated PdNPs.
      Catalysis within the hydrophobic dendrimer pockets that include ligands leads to
      rapid turnover with or without a gamma-Fe2O3@SiO2 core. In addition,
      catalytically active metal nanoparticles are more robust when they are loaded
      onto the surface of a gamma-Fe2O3@SiO2 dendritic core. Herein, we illustrate this
      chemistry with examples including olefin metathesis, click chemistry, cross
      carbon-carbon bond forming reactions, and selective alcohol oxidation. 

PMID- 26098667
TI  - Topical nasal steroids for treating nasal polyposis in people with cystic
      fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nasal polyps frequently occur in people with cystic fibrosis. Sinus
      infections have been shown to be a factor in the development of serious chest
      complications in these people. Nasal polyps have been linked to a higher risk of
      lower respiratory tract infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Topical nasal
      steroids are of proven efficacy for treating nasal polyposis in the non-cystic
      fibrosis population. There is no clear current evidence for the efficacy of
      topical steroids for nasal polyps in people with cystic fibrosis. This is an
      updated version of a previously published review. OBJECTIVES: To assess the
      effectiveness of topical nasal steroids for treating symptomatic nasal polyps in
      people with cystic fibrosis. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Cystic
      Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Group Trials Register comprising references
      identified from comprehensive electronic database searches and handsearches of
      relevant journals and abstract books of conference proceedings.Latest search: 10
      June 2015. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled
      comparing the effects of topical nasal steroids to placebo in people with nasal
      polyps with cystic fibrosis. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors
      independently assessed risk of bias in the included trial and extracted data.
      MAIN RESULTS: One single-centred trial (46 participants) was identified comparing
      a topical steroid (betamethasone) given as nasal drops to placebo. Treatment was
      given twice daily for six weeks; 22 participants received the active
      drug.Subjective symptom scores, change in polyp size, and side effects were
      assessed. There was no difference in nasal symptom scores between the treatment
      and placebo groups. Betamethasone was effective in reducing the size of polyps,
      but was associated with increased reports of mild side effects, nasal bleeding
      and discomfort.Risk of bias was high since over 50% of people enrolled did not
      complete the study. Follow-up of participants was short (six weeks) also reducing
      the significance of the results for clinical practice. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: This
      review suggests topical steroids for nasal polyposis in people with cystic
      fibrosis have no demonstrable effect on subjective nasal symptom scores. They
      have some effect in reducing the size of the polyps, but due to the small sample
      size, poor completion rates and lack of follow-up, the trial is at high risk of
      bias and evidence for efficacy is limited. Overall there is no clear evidence for
      using topical steroids in people with cystic fibrosis and nasal polyposis.A well
      designed randomised controlled trial of adequate power and long-term follow-up is
      needed. Validated measures of symptoms and physical findings should be performed
      and quality of life issues addressed.

PMID- 26098669
TI  - Do You Need to Use a Collar After a 2-level Instrumented ACDF?

PMID- 26098670
TI  - Acute Spinal Cord Injury.
AB  - Our understanding of the pathophysiological processes that comprise the early
      secondary phases of spinal cord injury such as spinal cord ischemia, cellular
      excitotoxicity, ionic dysregulation, and free-radical mediated peroxidation is
      far greater now than ever before, thanks to substantial laboratory research
      efforts. These discoveries are now being translated into the clinical realm and
      have led to targeted upfront medical management with a focus on tissue
      oxygenation and perfusion and include avoidance of hypotension, induction of
      hypertension, early transfer to specialized centers, and close monitoring in a
      critical care setting. There is also active exploration of neuroprotective and
      neuroregenerative agents; a number of which are currently in late stage clinical
      trials including minocycline, riluzole, AC-105, SUN13837, and Cethrin.
      Furthermore, new data have emerged demonstrating that the timing of spinal cord
      decompression after injury impacts recovery and that early decompression leads to
      significant improvements in neurological recovery. With this review we aim to
      provide a concise, clinically relevant and up-to-date summary of the topic of
      acute spinal cord injury, highlighting recent advancements and areas where
      further study is needed.

PMID- 26098672
TI  - Partial conversion of current collectors into nickel copper oxide electrode
      materials for high-performance energy storage devices.
AB  - A novel substrate sacrifice process is proposed and developed for converting part
      of a current collector into supercapacitor active materials, which provides a new
      route in achieving high energy density of supercapacitor device. Part of a copper
      foam current collector is successfully converted into highly porous nickel copper
      oxide electrode for light- and high-performance supercapacitors. Remarkably, this
      strategy circumvents the problem associated with poor contact interface between
      electrode and current collector. Meanwhile, the overall weight of the
      supercapacitor could be minimized. The charge transfer kinetics is improved while
      the advantage of the excellent mechanical properties of metal current collector
      is not traded off. By virtue of this unique current collector self-involved
      architecture, the material derived from the current collector manifests large
      areal capacitance of 3.13 F cm(-2) at a current density of 1 A g(-1). The
      capacitance can retain 2.97 F cm(-2) at a much higher density (4 A g(-1)). Only a
      small decay of 6.5% appears at 4 A g(-1) after 1600 cycles. The strategy reported
      here sheds light on new strategies in making additional use of the metal current
      collector. Furthermore, asymmetric supercapacitor using both solid-state gel
      electrolyte and liquid counterpart are obtained and analyzed. The liquid
      asymmetric supercapacitor can deliver a high energy density up to 0.5 mWh cm(-2)
      (53 Wh kg(-1)) at a power density of 13 mW cm(-2) (1.4 kW kg(-1)). 

PMID- 26098671
TI  - Risk stratification systems for surgically treated localized primary
      Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST). Review of literature and comparison of
      the three prognostic criteria: MSKCC Nomogramm, NIH-Fletcher and AFIP-Miettinen.
AB  - PURPOSE: The discovery of Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec(r)) has revolutionized the
      treatment of GIST, increasing diseasefree survival (DFS) after complete surgical
      resection of a primary localized GIST and extending overall survival in
      metastatic disease. The definition of an accurate prognostic system is critical
      for the therapeutic decision making process. In literature, there are three main
      prognostic criteria F/NIH consensus, AFIP standards and modified NIH standards.
      In recent years were added various risk identification methods applying
      mathematical calculation model, including MSKCC risk nomogram, Rossi nomogram and
      Joensuu high Hotline Dengjun. Despite all these attempts, it seems that the
      recurrence risk probability still cannot be predicted accurately. The aim of our
      study was to assess and compare the real ability of these prognostic instruments
      in our single-centre clinical experience, and to define if the use of the MSKCC
      nomogram can bring benefits in the therapeutic decision. METHODS: All data
      regarding 37 GIST, who underwent surgical resection from 1996 to 2011 in our
      institution were retrospectively reviewed. We selected only primary GIST without
      metastatic disease who underwent a radical resection (R0) but no other therapy.
      The literature data concerning GISTs prognostication criteria were reviewed. All
      patients were classified according to the three prognostic criteria (NIH, AFIP
      and Nomogram MSKCC) and the three instruments were compared with the Kaplan-Meier
      method. Then we compared the three criteria for their c-index value and we
      assessed the performance of the nomogram with the calibration test. RESULTS: We
      observed 9 recurrences (24%) with an average time to relapse of 43 months; the
      median follow-up was 65 months. In the study selected sample occurred 5 relapses.
      The probability of relapsing after radical surgery was 7.9% (95% CI 0 - 17.3) at
      2 years and 13.3% at 5 years (95% CI 0 - 26.4). The C-Index of the three risk
      assessment tools was 0.93 (95% CI 0.83-1) for the Nomogram at 5 years, 0.86 (95%
      CI 0.76-0.95) for the NIH risk criteria and 0.88 (95% CI 0.74-1) for the AFIP
      risk criteria. The calibration analysis of the nomogram showed an overestimating
      trend both at 2 and 5 years. CONCLUSION: MSKCC nomogram seems to perform better
      than NIH, NIH modified and AFIP in our sample and can be used in clinical
      practice to predict the risk of recurrence, being especially helpful for the
      therapeutic decision making since it is at the same time simple to use and
      accurate. As showed from calibration, MSKCC doesn't seem to neglect relapses,
      even though it is not impeccable in predicting the RFS. Among the 2 older
      criteria AFIP was more precise than NIH, but considering size in not linear way
      represented a limit in comparison with the MSKCC Nomogram. All the three risk
      assessement tools criteria con sidered are capable to predict recurrence in high
      risk GISTs while they performed worse in those with lower risk. MSKCC nomogram
      main limit remains the not linear consideration of mitotic count.

PMID- 26098673
TI  - Procurement and Supply Management System for MDR-TB in Nigeria: Are the Early
      Warning Targets for Drug Stock Outs and Over Stock of Drugs Being Achieved?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The World Health Organisation (WHO) introduced the twelve early
      warning indicators for monitoring and evaluating drug Procurement and Supply
      management (PSM) systems, intended to prevent drug stock-outs and overstocking.
      Nigeria--one of the high Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) burden
      countries, scaled-up treatment in 2012 with the concurrent implementation of a
      PSM system. METHOD: We evaluated how well this system functioned using the WHO
      indicators, including all seven MDR-TB treatment centres in the country that were
      functional throughout 2013. RESULTS: The quantity of MDR-TB drugs ordered for
      2013 matched the annual forecast and all central orders placed during the year
      were delivered in full and on time. Drug consumption was 81%-106% of the quantity
      allocated for routine consumption. Timely submission of complete inventory
      reports ranged from 86-100%, late submissions being 5-15 days late. Forty to 71%
      of treatment centres placed a drug order when stock was below the minimum level
      of three months. The proportion of drug orders received at the treatment centres
      in full and on time ranged from 29-80%, late orders being 1-19 days late.
      CONCLUSION: The PSM was found to be performing well in terms of forecasting and
      procurement of MDR-TB drugs, but there were shortcomings in drug distribution,
      reporting at treatment centre level and in drug order placements. Despite these
      gaps, there were no stock outs. These findings indicate that where it matters
      most, namely ensuring that no drug stock outs affect patient management, the PSM
      system is effective. Addressing the observed shortcomings will help to strengthen
      the existing PSM system in anticipation of a growing MDR-TB case burden in the
      country.

PMID- 26098674
TI  - Entrepreneurial Regions: Do Macro-Psychological Cultural Characteristics of
      Regions Help Solve the "Knowledge Paradox" of Economics?
AB  - In recent years, modern economies have shifted away from being based on physical
      capital and towards being based on new knowledge (e.g., new ideas and
      inventions). Consequently, contemporary economic theorizing and key public
      policies have been based on the assumption that resources for generating
      knowledge (e.g., education, diversity of industries) are essential for regional
      economic vitality. However, policy makers and scholars have discovered that,
      contrary to expectations, the mere presence of, and investments in, new knowledge
      does not guarantee a high level of regional economic performance (e.g., high
      entrepreneurship rates). To date, this "knowledge paradox" has resisted
      resolution. We take an interdisciplinary perspective to offer a new explanation,
      hypothesizing that "hidden" regional culture differences serve as a crucial
      factor that is missing from conventional economic analyses and public policy
      strategies. Focusing on entrepreneurial activity, we hypothesize that the
      statistical relation between knowledge resources and entrepreneurial vitality
      (i.e., high entrepreneurship rates) in a region will depend on "hidden" regional
      differences in entrepreneurial culture. To capture such "hidden" regional
      differences, we derive measures of entrepreneurship-prone culture from two large
      personality datasets from the United States (N = 935,858) and Great Britain (N =
      417,217). In both countries, the findings were consistent with the knowledge
      culture-interaction hypothesis. A series of nine additional robustness checks
      underscored the robustness of these results. Naturally, these purely
      correlational findings cannot provide direct evidence for causal processes, but
      the results nonetheless yield a remarkably consistent and robust picture in the
      two countries. In doing so, the findings raise the idea of regional culture
      serving as a new causal candidate, potentially driving the knowledge paradox;
      such an explanation would be consistent with research on the psychological
      characteristics of entrepreneurs. 

PMID- 26098675
TI  - Isolation of Vaginal Lactobacilli and Characterization of Anti-Candida Activity.
AB  - Healthy vaginal microbiota is dominated by Lactobacillus spp., which form a
      critical line of defence against pathogens, including Candida spp. The present
      study aims to identify vaginal lactobacilli exerting in vitro activity against
      Candida spp. and to characterize their antifungal mechanisms of action.
      Lactobacillus strains were isolated from vaginal swabs of healthy premenopausal
      women. The isolates were taxonomically identified to species level (L. crispatus
      B1-BC8, L. gasseri BC9-BC14 and L. vaginalis BC15-BC17) by sequencing the 16S
      rRNA genes. All strains produced hydrogen peroxide and lactate. Fungistatic and
      fungicidal activities against C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. krusei, C. tropicalis,
      C. parapsilosis and C. lusitaniae were evaluated by broth micro-dilution method.
      The broadest spectrum of activity was observed for L. crispatus BC1, BC4, BC5 and
      L. vaginalis BC15, demonstrating fungicidal activity against all isolates of C.
      albicans and C. lusitaniae. Metabolic profiles of lactobacilli supernatants were
      studied by 1H-NMR analysis. Metabolome was found to be correlated with both
      taxonomy and activity score. Exclusion, competition and displacement experiments
      were carried out to investigate the interference exerted by lactobacilli toward
      the yeast adhesion to HeLa cells. Most Lactobacillus strains significantly
      reduced C. albicans adhesion through all mechanisms. In particular, L. crispatus
      BC2, L. gasseri BC10 and L. gasseri BC11 appeared to be the most active strains
      in reducing pathogen adhesion, as their effects were mediated by both cells and
      supernatants. Inhibition of histone deacetylases was hypothesised to support the
      antifungal activity of vaginal lactobacilli. Our results are prerequisites for
      the development of new therapeutic agents based on probiotics for prophylaxis and
      adjuvant therapy of Candida infection. 

PMID- 26098677
TI  - Ultralow-power non-volatile memory cells based on P(VDF-TrFE) ferroelectric-gate
      CMOS silicon nanowire channel field-effect transistors.
AB  - Nanowire-based ferroelectric-complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (NW FeCMOS)
      nonvolatile memory devices were successfully fabricated by utilizing single n-
      and p-type Si nanowire ferroelectric-gate field effect transistors (NW FeFETs) as
      individual memory cells. In addition to having the advantages of single channel n
      and p-type Si NW FeFET memory, Si NW FeCMOS memory devices exhibit a direct
      readout voltage and ultralow power consumption. The reading state power
      consumption of this device is less than 0.1 pW, which is more than 10(5) times
      lower than the ON-state power consumption of single-channel ferroelectric memory.
      This result implies that Si NW FeCMOS memory devices are well suited for use in
      non-volatile memory chips in modern portable electronic devices, especially where
      low power consumption is critical for energy conservation and long-term use. 

PMID- 26098676
TI  - Sudden Death in Patients With Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Interrogations and autopsies of sudden deaths with cardiac
      implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are rarely performed. Therefore, causes of
      sudden deaths with these devices and the incidence of device failure are unknown.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine causes of death in individuals with CIEDs in a
      prospective autopsy study of all sudden deaths over 35 months as part of the San
      Francisco, California, Postmortem Systematic Investigation of Sudden Cardiac
      Death (POST SCD) study. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Full autopsy,
      toxicology, histology, and device interrogation were performed on incident sudden
      cardiac deaths with pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).
      The setting was the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, City and County of San
      Francisco. Participants included all sudden deaths captured through active
      surveillance of all deaths reported to the medical examiner and San Francisco
      residents with an ICD (January 1, 2011, to November 30, 2013). MAIN OUTCOMES AND
      MEASURES: Identification of a device concern in sudden deaths with CIEDs,
      including hardware failures, device algorithm issues, device programming issues,
      and improper device selection. For the ICD population, outcomes were the
      cumulative incidence of death and sudden cardiac death and the proportion of
      deaths with an ICD concern. RESULTS: Twenty-two of 517 sudden deaths (4.3%) had
      CIEDs, and autopsy revealed a noncardiac cause of death in 6. Six of 14 pacemaker
      sudden deaths and 7 of 8 ICD sudden deaths died of ventricular tachycardia or
      ventricular fibrillation. Device concerns were identified in half (4 pacemakers
      and 7 ICDs), including 3 hardware failures contributing directly to death (1
      rapid battery depletion with a sudden drop in pacing output and 2 lead
      fractures), 5 ICDs with ventricular fibrillation undersensing, 1 ICD with
      ventricular tachycardia missed due to programming, 1 improper device selection,
      and a pacemaker-dependent patient with pneumonia and concern about lead fracture.
      Of 712 San Francisco residents with an ICD during the study period, 109 died
      (15.3% cumulative 35-month incidence of death), and the 7 ICD concerns represent
      6.4% of all ICD deaths. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Systematic interrogation and
      autopsy of sudden deaths in one city identified concerns about CIED function that
      might otherwise not have been observed. Current passive surveillance efforts may
      underestimate device malfunction. These methods can provide unbiased data
      regarding causes of sudden death in individuals with CIEDs and improve
      surveillance for CIED problems.

PMID- 26098678
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of manganese triple-decker complexes.
AB  - The use of the highly sterically demanding Cp(BIG) ligand (Cp(BIG) = C5(4
      nBuC6H4)5) and white phosphorus (P4) enables the synthesis of new P-rich
      derivatives of the rare Pn ligand complexes of manganese. The obtained complexes,
      [{Cp(BIG)Mn}2(MU,eta(5:5)-P5)] (2) and [{Cp(BIG)Mn}2(MU,eta(2:2)-P2)2] (3),
      exhibit the highest number of P atoms in this class of manganese compounds
      identified by X-ray structure analyses. The EPR spectrum of the 29 VE triple
      decker complex 2 shows one unpaired electron coupling with two 5/2 spin Mn
      nuclei. 

PMID- 26098679
TI  - Structural analysis of leader peptide binding enables leader-free cyanobactin
      processing.
AB  - Regioselective modification of amino acids within the context of a peptide is
      common to a number of biosynthetic pathways, and many of the resulting products
      have potential as therapeutics. The ATP-dependent enzyme LynD heterocyclizes
      multiple cysteine residues to thiazolines within a peptide substrate. The enzyme
      requires the substrate to have a conserved N-terminal leader for full activity.
      Catalysis is almost insensitive to immediately flanking residues in the
      substrate, suggesting that recognition occurs distant from the active site.
      Nucleotide and peptide substrate co-complex structures of LynD reveal that the
      substrate leader peptide binds to and extends the beta-sheet of a conserved
      domain of LynD, whereas catalysis is accomplished in another conserved domain.
      The spatial segregation of catalysis from recognition combines seemingly
      contradictory properties of regioselectivity and promiscuity, and it appears to
      be a conserved strategy in other peptide-modifying enzymes. A variant of LynD
      that efficiently processes substrates without a leader peptide has been
      engineered.

PMID- 26098680
TI  - 5-Formylcytosine can be a stable DNA modification in mammals.
AB  - 5-Formylcytosine (5fC) is a rare base found in mammalian DNA and thought to be
      involved in active DNA demethylation. Here, we show that developmental dynamics
      of 5fC levels in mouse DNA differ from those of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC),
      and using stable isotope labeling in vivo, we show that 5fC can be a stable DNA
      modification. These results suggest that 5fC has functional roles in DNA that go
      beyond being a demethylation intermediate.

PMID- 26098681
TI  - Coadministration of Hedera helix L. Extract Enabled Mice to Overcome Insufficient
      Protection against Influenza A/PR/8 Virus Infection under Suboptimal Treatment
      with Oseltamivir.
AB  - Several anti-influenza drugs that reduce disease manifestation exist, and
      although these drugs provide clinical benefits in infected patients, their
      efficacy is limited by the emergence of drug-resistant influenza viruses. In the
      current study, we assessed the therapeutic strategy of enhancing the antiviral
      efficacy of an existing neuraminidase inhibitor, oseltamivir, by coadministering
      with the leaf extract from Hedera helix L, commonly known as ivy. Ivy extract has
      anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and antihelminthic properties. In
      the present study, we investigated its potential antiviral properties against
      influenza A/PR/8 (PR8) virus in a mouse model with suboptimal oseltamivir that
      mimics a poor clinical response to antiviral drug treatment. Suboptimal
      oseltamivir resulted in insufficient protection against PR8 infection. Oral
      administration of ivy extract with suboptimal oseltamivir increased the antiviral
      activity of oseltamivir. Ivy extract and its compounds, particularly hedrasaponin
      F, significantly reduced the cytopathic effect in PR8-infected A549 cells in the
      presence of oseltamivir. Compared with oseltamivir treatment alone,
      coadministration of the fraction of ivy extract that contained the highest
      proportion of hedrasaponin F with oseltamivir decreased pulmonary inflammation in
      PR8-infected mice. Inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2, were reduced by
      treatment with oseltamivir and the fraction of ivy extract. Analysis of
      inflammatory cell infiltration in the bronchial alveolar of PR8-infected mice
      revealed that CD11b+Ly6G+ and CD11b+Ly6Cint cells were recruited after virus
      infection; coadministration of the ivy extract fraction with oseltamivir reduced
      infiltration of these inflammatory cells. In a model of suboptimal oseltamivir
      treatment, coadministration of ivy extract fraction that includes hedrasaponin F
      increased protection against PR8 infection that could be explained by its
      antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities. 

PMID- 26098682
TI  - Selectivity of pyoverdine recognition by the FpvA receptor of Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa from molecular dynamics simulations.
AB  - The Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a ubiquitous human
      opportunistic pathogen, has developed resistances to multiple antibiotics. It
      uses its primary native siderophore, pyoverdine, to scavenge the iron essential
      to its growth in the outside medium and transport it back into its cytoplasm. The
      FpvA receptor on the bacterial outer membrane recognizes and internalizes
      pyoverdine bearing its iron payload, but can also bind pyoverdines from other
      Pseudomonads or synthetic analogues. Pyoverdine derivatives could therefore be
      used as vectors to deliver antibiotics into the bacterium. In this study, we use
      molecular dynamics and free energy calculations to characterize the mechanisms
      and thermodynamics of the recognition of the native pyoverdines of P. aeruginosa
      and P. fluorescens by FpvA. Based on these results, we delineate the features
      that pyoverdines with high affinity for FpvA should possess. In particular, we
      show that (i) the dynamics and interaction of the unbound pyoverdines with water
      should be optimized with equal care as the interface contacts in the complex with
      FpvA; (ii) the C-terminal extremity of the pyoverdine chain, which appears to
      play no role in the bound complex, is involved in the intermediate stages of
      recognition; and (iii) the length and cyclicity of the pyoverdine chain can be
      used to fine-tune the kinetics of the recognition mechanism. 

PMID- 26098684
TI  - Diagnostic efficacy of 3-D hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography in the detection
      of tubal occlusion: Systematic meta-analysis.
AB  - AIM: Evaluation of tubal status is critical in the diagnostic work-up of
      infertile women. The purpose of this study was to explore the diagnostic efficacy
      of three-dimensional hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography (3-D HyCoSy) for tubal
      occlusion. METHODS: MedLine, Embase, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, CNKI,
      Chinese VIP Database, Chinese Wanfang Database and Chinese Biomedicine Database
      were searched for relevant trials published from June 1994 to August 2013. Meta
      DiSc (version 1.4) was used for the meta-analysis. Diagnostic accuracy was
      determined by pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity, as well as area
      under the curve (AUC) and the pooled diagnostic accuracy (Q*) derived from a
      summary receiver operating characteristic analysis. The heterogeneity test was
      done using the Cochran Q statistic and the I(2) statistic. Significant difference
      was defined as P < 0.10 (Q-statistic) or I(2) > 50% (I(2) -statistic) and a
      random effect model was used to pool data, otherwise the fixed effects model was
      used. RESULTS: A total of 11 studies (1037 Fallopian tubes) were included in this
      meta-analysis. The pooled estimates for diagnostic efficacy of 3-D HyCoSy had a
      sensitivity of 0.92 (95%CI: 0.89-0.94) and specificity of 0.95 (95%CI: 0.93
      0.96). AUC and Q* were 0.976 and 0.929, respectively, but there was significant
      heterogeneity in sensitivity across the included studies. CONCLUSIONS: 3-D HyCoSy
      had good diagnostic performance in the detection of tubal occlusion.

PMID- 26098683
TI  - In vitro Anti-Tumor Effects of Statins on Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma:
      A Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Statins are commonly used against arteriosclerotic disease, but
      recent retrospective analyses have suggested that statins also prevent cancer.
      The aim of this systematic review is to verify the vitro anti-tumor effects of
      statins on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: Studies were gathered
      by searching Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, and PubMed, up until May 9, 2015,
      with no time or language restrictions. Only in vitro studies that discuss the
      effect of statins on head and neck carcinoma were selected. RESULTS: Of 153
      identified papers, 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies
      demonstrated that statins had a significant effect on head and neck squamous cell
      carcinoma cell lines and influenced cell viability, cell cycle, cell death, and
      protein expression levels involved in pathways of carcinogenesis, which
      corroborates with the potential in vitro anti-tumor effects. It provides
      highlights about the biological mechanisms of statins used alone or associated
      with traditional therapy for cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Though there are few studies on
      the topic, currently available evidence suggests that statins shows that
      preclinical experiments supports the potentiality of statin as an adjuvant agent
      in chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy approaches routinely used in the management
      of HNSCC and should undergo further clinical assessment.

PMID- 26098685
TI  - Childhood hyperactivity/inattention and eating disturbances predict binge eating
      in adolescence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identifying childhood predictors of binge eating and understanding
      risk mechanisms could help improve prevention and detection efforts. The aim of
      this study was to examine whether features of attention-deficit/hyperactivity
      disorder (ADHD), as well as childhood eating disturbances, predicted binge eating
      later in adolescence. METHOD: We studied specific risk factors for the
      development of binge eating during mid-adolescence among 7120 males and females
      from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a cohort study
      of children in the UK, using data from multiple informants to develop structural
      equation models. Repeated assessment of eating disturbances during childhood (mid
      childhood overeating, late-childhood overeating and early-adolescent strong
      desire for food), as well as teacher- and parent-reported
      hyperactivity/inattention during mid- and late childhood, were considered as
      possible predictors of mid-adolescent binge eating. RESULTS: Prevalence of binge
      eating during mid-adolescence in our sample was 11.6%. The final model of
      predictors of binge eating during mid-adolescence included direct effects of late
      childhood overeating [standardized estimate 0.145, 95% confidence interval (CI)
      0.038-0.259, p = 0.009] and early-adolescent strong desire for food (standardized
      estimate 0.088, 95% CI -0.002 to 0.169, p = 0.05). Hyperactivity/inattention
      during late childhood indirectly predicted binge eating during mid-adolescence
      (standardized estimate 0.085, 95% CI 0.007-0.128, p = 0.03) via late-childhood
      overeating and early-adolescent strong desire for food. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      indicate that early ADHD symptoms, in addition to an overeating phenotype,
      contribute to risk for adolescent binge eating. These findings lend support to
      the potential role of hyperactivity/inattention in the development of overeating
      and binge eating.

PMID- 26098686
TI  - Support for and From Aging Mothers Whose Adult Daughters are Seriously Mentally
      Ill.
AB  - This article discusses, from the grandmother's perspective, the ways in which
      support is exchanged in families coping with serious mental illness. A strengths
      perspective was utilized to identify ways in which family members help each
      other. Employing a qualitative approach, this study focuses on interviews
      obtained from a sample of 22 aging mothers, aged 52-90, who are in contact with
      their daughters who have a mental illness. Grandmothers provided several kinds of
      support to their mentally ill adult daughters and to their grandchildren, who
      also supported the aging mother in numerous ways. As social workers seek to
      assist individuals with mental illness, it is important to assess the existing
      strengths of their intergenerational family context. 

PMID- 26098687
TI  - Litter Breakdown and Microbial Succession on Two Submerged Leaf Species in a
      Small Forested Stream.
AB  - Microbial succession during leaf breakdown was investigated in a small forested
      stream in west-central Georgia, USA, using multiple culture-independent
      techniques. Red maple (Acer rubrum) and water oak (Quercus nigra) leaf litter
      were incubated in situ for 128 days, and litter breakdown was quantified by ash
      free dry mass (AFDM) method and microbial assemblage composition using
      phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA), ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis
      (RISA), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and bar-coded next
      generation sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. Leaf breakdown was faster for
      red maple than water oak. PLFA revealed a significant time effect on microbial
      lipid profiles for both leaf species. Microbial assemblages on maple contained a
      higher relative abundance of bacterial lipids than oak, and oak microbial
      assemblages contained higher relative abundance of fungal lipids than maple. RISA
      showed that incubation time was more important in structuring bacterial
      assemblages than leaf physicochemistry. DGGE profiles revealed high variability
      in bacterial assemblages over time, and sequencing of DGGE-resolved amplicons
      indicated several taxa present on degrading litter. Next-generation sequencing
      revealed temporal shifts in dominant taxa within the phylum Proteobacteria,
      whereas gamma-Proteobacteria dominated pre-immersion and alpha- and beta
      Proteobacteria dominated after 1 month of instream incubation; the latter groups
      contain taxa that are predicted to be capable of using organic material to fuel
      further breakdown. Our results suggest that incubation time is more important
      than leaf species physicochemistry in influencing leaf litter microbial
      assemblage composition, and indicate the need for investigation into seasonal and
      temporal dynamics of leaf litter microbial assemblage succession. 

PMID- 26098688
TI  - Sudden cardiac death in forensic medicine - Swiss recommendations for a
      multidisciplinary approach.
AB  - Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is by definition unexpected and cardiac in nature. The
      investigation is almost invariably performed by a forensic pathologist. Under
      these circumstances the role of the forensic pathologist is twofold: (1.) to
      determine rapidly and efficiently the cause and manner of death and (2.) to
      initiate a multidisciplinary process in order to prevent further deaths in
      existing family members. If the death is determined to be due to "natural" causes
      the district attorney in charge often refuses further examinations. However,
      additional examinations, i.e. extensive histopathological investigations and/or
      molecular genetic analyses, are necessary in many cases to clarify the cause of
      death. The Swiss Society of Legal Medicine created a multidisciplinary working
      group together with clinical and molecular geneticists and cardiologists in the
      hope of harmonising the approach to investigate SCD. The aim of this paper is to
      close the gap between the Swiss recommendations for routine forensic post-mortem
      cardiac examination and clinical recommendations for genetic testing of inherited
      cardiac diseases; this is in order to optimise the diagnostic procedures and
      preventive measures for living family members. The key points of the
      recommendations are (1.) the forensic autopsy procedure for all SCD victims under
      40 years of age, (2.) the collection and storage of adequate samples for genetic
      testing, (3.) communication with the families, and (4.) a multidisciplinary
      approach including cardiogenetic counselling. 

PMID- 26098689
TI  - Thymosin alpha1 modifies podosome architecture and promptly stimulates the
      expression of podosomal markers in mature macrophages.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The immunomodulatory activity of thymosin alpha1 (Talpha1)
      on innate immunity has been extensively described, but its mechanism of action is
      not completely understood. We explored the possibility that Talpha1-stimulation
      could affect the formation of podosomes, the highly dynamic, actin-rich, adhesion
      structures involved in macrophage adhesion/chemotaxis. METHODS: The following
      methods were used: optical and scanning electron microscopy for analyzing
      morphology of human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs); time-lapse imaging for
      visualizing the time-dependent modifications induced at early times by Talpha1
      treatment; confocal microscopy and Western blot for analyzing localization and
      expression of podosome components; and Matrigel Migration Assay and zymography
      for testing MDM invasive ability and metalloproteinase secretion. RESULTS: We
      obtained data to support that Talpha1 could affect MDM motility, invasion and
      chemotaxis by promptly stimulating assembly and disassembly of podosomal
      structures. At very early times after its addition to cell culture medium and
      within 1 h of treatment, Talpha1 induces modifications in MDM morphology and in
      podosomal components that are suggestive of increased podosome turnover.
      CONCLUSIONS: Since impairment of podosome formation leads to reduced innate
      immunity and is associated with several immunodeficiency disorders, we confirm
      the validity of Talpha1 as a potent activator of innate immunity and suggest
      possible new clinical application of this thymic peptide.

PMID- 26098690
TI  - Antidrug Antibodies: B Cell Immunity Against Therapy.
AB  - Chronic inflammatory diseases are now treated with a range of different
      biopharmaceuticals, often requiring lifelong parenteral administrations. This
      exposure to drugs is unnatural and can trigger the immune system and result in
      the formation of antidrug antibodies. Drug-specific antibodies will, if of
      sufficiently high titre and affinity, block the intended effect of the drug,
      increase its clearance and make continued treatment worthless. We expect the
      immune system to react towards therapies against which tolerance has never been
      established, which is the case for factor VIII treatment in patients with
      haemophilia A. However, even biopharmaceutical molecules that we should be
      tolerant against can elicit antidrug antibodies, for instance in treatment of
      multiple sclerosis patients with recombinant human interferon-beta. Possible
      immunological mechanisms behind the breaking of tolerance against drugs, the
      impact this has on continuous treatment success, clinical practice and drug
      development, will be discussed in this review. 

PMID- 26098691
TI  - Combining alpha-Radioimmunotherapy and Adoptive T Cell Therapy to Potentiate
      Tumor Destruction.
AB  - Ionizing radiation induces direct and indirect killing of cancer cells and for
      long has been considered as immunosuppressive. However, this concept has evolved
      over the past few years with the demonstration that irradiation can increase
      tumor immunogenicity and can actually favor the implementation of an immune
      response against tumor cells. Adoptive T-cell transfer (ACT) is also used to
      treat cancer and several studies have shown that the efficacy of this
      immunotherapy was enhanced when combined with radiation therapy. alpha
      Radioimmunotherapy (alpha-RIT) is a type of internal radiotherapy which is
      currently under development to treat disseminated tumors. alpha-particles are
      indeed highly efficient to destroy small cluster of cancer cells with minimal
      impact on surrounding healthy tissues. We thus hypothesized that, in the setting
      of alpha-RIT, an immunotherapy like ACT, could benefit from the immune context
      induced by irradiation. Hence, we decided to further investigate the
      possibilities to promote an efficient and long-lasting anti-tumor response by
      combining alpha-RIT and ACT. To perform such study we set up a multiple myeloma
      murine model which express the tumor antigen CD138 and ovalbumine (OVA). Then we
      evaluated the therapeutic efficacy in the mice treated with alpha-RIT, using an
      anti-CD138 antibody coupled to bismuth-213, followed by an adoptive transfer of
      OVA-specific CD8+ T cells (OT-I CD8+ T cells). We observed a significant tumor
      growth control and an improved survival in the animals treated with the combined
      treatment. These results demonstrate the efficacy of combining alpha-RIT and ACT
      in the MM model we established. 

PMID- 26098693
TI  - Effect of Sphingosine 1-Phosphate on Cyclo-Oxygenase-2 Expression, Prostaglandin
      E2 Secretion, and beta2-Adrenergic Receptor Desensitization.
AB  - Tachyphylaxis of the beta2-adrenergic receptor limits the efficacy of
      bronchodilatory beta2-agonists in respiratory disease. Cellular studies in airway
      smooth muscle (ASM) have shown that inflammatory mediators and infectious stimuli
      reduce beta2-adrenergic responsiveness in a cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2-mediated,
      prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)-dependant manner. Herein, we show that sphingosine 1
      phosphate (S1P), a bioactive sphingolipid that plays an important role in
      pathophysiology of asthma, also induces beta2-adrenergic receptor desensitization
      in bronchial ASM cells and exerts hyporesponsiveness to beta2-agonists. We
      treated ASM cells with S1P (1 MUM) for up to 24 hours and then examined the
      temporal kinetics of COX-2 mRNA expression, protein up-regulation, and PGE2
      secretion. S1P significantly enhanced COX-2 expression and PGE2 secretion, and
      this was repressed by the selective COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib, the corticosteroid
      dexamethasone, or small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown of COX-2 expression. In
      combination with another proinflammatory mediator found elevated in asthmatic
      airways, the cytokine TNF-alpha, we observed that S1P-induced COX-2 mRNA
      expression and protein up-regulation and PGE2 secretion from ASM cells were
      significantly enhanced. Notably, S1P induced heterologous beta2-adrenergic
      desensitization, as measured by inhibition of cyclic adenosine monophosphate
      production in response to the short-acting beta2-agonist, salbutamol, and the
      long-acting beta2-agonist, formoterol. Taken together, these data indicate that
      S1P represses beta2-adrenergic activity in ASM cells by increasing COX-2-mediated
      PGE2 production, and suggest that this bioactive sphingolipid found elevated in
      asthma may contribute to beta2-adrenergic desensitization.

PMID- 26098692
TI  - Novel Autoantigens Associated with Lupus Nephritis.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by production of a variety of
      autoantibodies. Although anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibodies
      contribute to the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis (LN), they are not sufficient
      for diagnosis and evaluation of disease activity. To obtain other autoantibodies
      associated with LN, we screened autoantigens reacting with the sera of LN
      patients by using an N-terminal biotinylated protein library created from a wheat
      cell-free protein production system. We screened 17 proteins that showed higher
      positive signals in the active phase than in the inactive phase of SLE, and
      higher positive signals in the serum of SLE patient with nephritis than in that
      of patient without nephritis. Of these, two LN-associated autoantigens, ribosomal
      RNA-processing protein 8 (RRP8) and spermatid nuclear transition protein 1 (TNP1)
      were identified by immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence of renal tissues.
      Circulating anti-RRP8 and anti-TNP1 autoantibodies were recognized and deposited
      as an immune complex (IC) in glomeruli. IC was deposited preferentially in
      glomeruli rather than in other organs in C57BL/6 mice injected with RRP8 or TNP1.
      ELISA analysis of sera from patients with various rheumatic diseases demonstrated
      reactivity for RRP8 and TNP1 in 20% and 14.7% of SLE patients, respectively,
      whereas there was little or no reactivity in patients with other rheumatic
      diseases. Among SLE patients, 63.6% and 45.5% of those with LN were positive for
      anti-RRP8 and anti-TNP1 antibodies, compared with 12.5% and 9.4% of SLE patients
      without nephritis, respectively. Both proteins are cationic, and their respective
      antibodies did not cross-react with dsDNA. These proteins released from apoptotic
      cells form ICs with each autoantibody, and their ICs may become trapped at
      anionic sites in the glomerular basement membrane, leading to deposition in
      glomeruli. These autoantibodies may be useful for prediction of LN in subsets of
      SLE patients who are negative for anti-dsDNA antibodies. 

PMID- 26098694
TI  - Examining the Causes and Consequences of Short-Term Behavioral Change during the
      Middle Stone Age at Sibudu, South Africa.
AB  - Sibudu in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) with its rich and high-resolution
      archaeological sequence provides an ideal case study to examine the causes and
      consequences of short-term variation in the behavior of modern humans during the
      Middle Stone Age (MSA). We present the results from a technological analysis of
      11 stratified lithic assemblages which overlie the Howiesons Poort deposits and
      all date to ~58 ka. Based on technological and typological attributes, we
      conducted inter-assemblage comparisons to characterize the nature and tempo of
      cultural change in successive occupations. This work identified considerable
      short-term variation with clear temporal trends throughout the sequence,
      demonstrating that knappers at Sibudu varied their technology over short time
      spans. The lithic assemblages can be grouped into three cohesive units which
      differ from each other in the procurement of raw materials, the frequency in the
      methods of core reduction, the kind of blanks produced, and in the nature of
      tools the inhabitants of Sibudu made and used. These groups of assemblages
      represent different strategies of lithic technology, which build upon each other
      in a gradual, cumulative manner. We also identify a clear pattern of development
      toward what we have previously defined as the Sibudan cultural taxonomic unit.
      Contextualizing these results on larger geographical scales shows that the later
      phase of the MSA during MIS 3 in KwaZulu-Natal and southern Africa is one of
      dynamic cultural change rather than of stasis or stagnation as has at times been
      claimed. In combination with environmental, subsistence and contextual
      information, our high-resolution data on lithic technology suggest that short
      term behavioral variability at Sibudu can be best explained by changes in
      technological organization and socio-economic dynamics instead of environmental
      forcing. 

PMID- 26098695
TI  - Detection of HIV-1 p24 at Attomole Level by Ultrasensitive ELISA with Thio-NAD
      Cycling.
AB  - To reduce the window period between HIV-1 infection and the ability to diagnose
      it, a fourth-generation immunoassay including the detection of HIV-1 p24 antigen
      has been developed. However, because the commercially available systems for this
      assay use special, high-cost instruments to measure, for example,
      chemiluminescence, it is performed only by diagnostics companies and hub
      hospitals. To overcome this limitation, we applied an ultrasensitive ELISA
      coupled with a thio-NAD cycling, which is based on a usual enzyme immunoassay
      without special instruments, to detect HIV-1 p24. The p24 detection limit by our
      ultrasensitive ELISA was 0.0065 IU/assay (i.e., ca. 10(-18) moles/assay). Because
      HIV-1 p24 antigen is thought to be present in the virion in much greater numbers
      than viral RNA copies, the value of 10(-18) moles of the p24/assay corresponds to
      ca. 10(3) copies of the HIV-1 RNA/assay. That is, our ultrasensitive ELISA is
      chasing the detection limit (10(2) copies/assay) obtained by PCR-based nucleic
      acid testing (NAT) with a margin of only one different order. Further, the
      detection limit by our ultrasensitive ELISA is less than that mandated for a CE
      marked HIV antigen/antibody assay. An additional recovery test using blood
      supported the reliability of our ultrasensitive ELISA.

PMID- 26098696
TI  - Evaluating efficiency and statistical power of self-controlled case series and
      self-controlled risk interval designs in vaccine safety.
AB  - The self-controlled case series (SCCS) and self-controlled risk interval (SCRI)
      designs have recently become widely used in the field of post-licensure vaccine
      safety monitoring to detect potential elevated risks of adverse events following
      vaccinations. The SCRI design can be viewed as a subset of the SCCS method in
      that a reduced comparison time window is used for the analysis. Compared to the
      SCCS method, the SCRI design has less statistical power due to fewer events
      occurring in the shorter control interval. In this study, we derived the
      asymptotic relative efficiency (ARE) between these two methods to quantify this
      loss in power in the SCRI design. The equation is formulated as [Formula: see
      text] (a: control window-length ratio between SCRI and SCCS designs; b: ratio of
      risk window length and control window length in the SCCS design; and [Formula:
      see text]: relative risk of exposed window to control window). According to this
      equation, the relative efficiency declines as the ratio of control-period length
      between SCRI and SCCS methods decreases, or with an increase in the relative risk
      [Formula: see text]. We provide an example utilizing data from the Vaccine Safety
      Datalink (VSD) to study the potential elevated risk of febrile seizure following
      seasonal influenza vaccine in the 2010-2011 season.

PMID- 26098697
TI  - Ebola virus screening during pregnancy in West Africa: unintended consequences.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that predictive value of traditional Ebola virus
      disease (EVD) screening in West African pregnant women is low because febrile and
      hemorrhagic complications of pregnancy that can mimic EVD are common. METHODS:
      Proportions of various categories of pregnancy loss from a hypothetical cohort of
      West African gravidas were used to construct a Kaplan-Meier curve. The incidence
      rate of each category was determined by multiplying its proportion by the overall
      incidence rate, calculated from the inverse of the area under the curve.
      Incidence rates of Ebola-like illnesses during pregnancy were obtained by
      multiplying their percentages by the incidence rates of categories of loss with
      which they coincide. RESULTS: During pregnancy about 1.5% of suspected EVD cases
      would prove to have EVD. Most of the remaining 98.5% would have hemorrhagic and
      febrile complications of pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Current guidelines consider
      obstetrical interventions inappropriate in suspected EVD during pregnancy.
      However, because the overwhelming majority of cases suspected by screening do not
      have EVD and might benefit from obstetrical intervention, policy makers must
      consider whether the small risk to properly protected health care workers from
      the 1.5% with true EVD justifies withholding potentially life-saving care from
      the 98.5% who ultimately test negative for EVD.

PMID- 26098698
TI  - Are there treatments for atypical parkinsonism? An update on actual options.
AB  - Success in treating patients with atypical parkinsonism remains exceedingly low.
      It is particularly important for both neurologists and general practicians to
      have a guideline in the actual possible cure options. This study reviews the
      limited available literature reporting treatment trials about treatment in
      parkinsonism. Various therapeutical approaches have been tried with rasagiline,
      immunoglobulin, autologous mesenchymal stem cells, davunetide, lithium, and
      tideglusib. Recently, the transdermal rotigotine has been proposed for the
      treatment of atypical parkinsonism, as well as deep brain stimulation (DBS) of
      the peduncolopontine nucleus alone or combined with globus pallidus internus
      stimulation. The outcomes reviewed here highlight the need for the development of
      randomized, placebo-controlled trials to validate outcomes about rotigotine, DBS,
      and all other new therapies directed at altering the underlying biological
      mechanisms involved in the disease process. 

PMID- 26098699
TI  - Anti-hyperlipidemic activity of an extract from roots and rhizomes of Panicum
      repens L. on high cholesterol diet-induced hyperlipidemia in rats.
AB  - The hypolipidemic effect of an ethanolic extract from the roots and rhizomes of
      Panicum repens L. was investigated in rats suffering from high-cholesterol, diet
      induced hyperlipidemia, and the phytochemicals in the extract were analyzed. The
      extract was administered p.o. in doses of 250 mg/kg/day together with cholesterol
      at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day for 7 weeks. The high-cholesterol diet caused a
      significant increase in total lipids, total cholesterol (TC), total triglycerides
      (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and the atherogenic index,
      whereas the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was
      significantly decreased. Administration of the P. repens extract (p<0.05)
      significantly reduced the rise of the serum levels of total lipids, TC, TG, and
      LDL-C, as well as the atherogenic index, whereas it significantly increased
      (p<0.05) the level of HDL-C. HPLC analysis of the phenolics and flavonoids in the
      extract revealed the presence of gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, chicoric acid,
      primulic acid, rutin, apigenin-7-glucoside, and quercetin. In conclusion, the P.
      repens extract was found to possess hypolipidemic activity in high-fat, diet
      induced hyperlipidemic rats. 

PMID- 26098700
TI  - Polymorphisms of CYP1A2 and CYP2A6 activity: phenotypes and the effect of age and
      sex in a Nigerian population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CYP1A2 and CYP2A6 are polymorphic enzymes that metabolise several
      compounds of clinical importance. This study investigated the prevalent
      phenotypes of these enzymes and the influence of age and sex on enzyme activity
      in a Nigerian population. METHODS: Caffeine (110 mg) was administered to each of
      129 healthy, unrelated subjects (85 males and 44 females) who were non-smokers.
      Urine voided within 7 h after caffeine administration was collected for a high
      performance liquid chromatographic assay of caffeine (137X), 1,7-dimethyluric
      acid (17U) and 1,7-dimethylxanthine (17X). CYP1A2 activity was measured as a
      ratio of (17U+17X) to 137X, while 17U/17X served as marker for CYP2A6.
      Transformed data were analysed and the influences of age and sex on activity were
      also determined. RESULTS: Distribution of CYP1A2 activity in the population was
      bimodal with a mean+/-SD of 0.82+/-0.41, while that of CYP2A6 was trimodal with a
      mean+/-SD activity of 0.27+/-0.42 of the log-transformed urinary molar ratio of
      metabolites. The influences of age and sex on enzyme activity for both CYP1A2 and
      CYP2A6 were not significant (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The study established the
      prevalence of polymorphism in phenotypes of CYP1A2 and CYP2A6 activity in the
      Nigerian population, but no influence of age and sex on enzyme activity was
      observed in this population.

PMID- 26098701
TI  - Pathophysiology of hypertension in obese children: a systematic review.
AB  - Hypertension is increasingly common in overweight and obese children. The
      mechanisms behind the development of hypertension in obesity are complex, and
      evidence is limited. In order to effectively treat obese children for
      hypertension, it is important to have a deeper understanding of the
      pathophysiology of hypertension in obese children. The present review summarizes
      the main factors associated with hypertension in obese children and discusses
      their potential role in its pathophysiology. Systematic searches were conducted
      in PubMed and EMBASE for articles published up to October 2014. In total, 60
      relevant studies were included. The methodological quality of the included
      studies ranged from weak to strong. Several factors important in the development
      of hypertension in obese children have been suggested, including endocrine
      determinants, such as corticosteroids and adipokines, sympathetic nervous system
      activity, disturbed sodium homeostasis, as well as oxidative stress, inflammation
      and endothelial dysfunction. Understanding the pathophysiology of hypertension in
      overweight and obese children is important and could have implications for its
      screening and treatment. Based on solely cross-sectional observational studies,
      it is impossible to infer causality. Longitudinal studies of high methodological
      quality are needed to gain more insight into the complex mechanisms behind the
      development of hypertension in obese children. 

PMID- 26098702
TI  - Nature of noncovalent carbon-bonding interactions derived from experimental
      charge-density analysis.
AB  - In an effort to better understand the nature of noncovalent carbon-bonding
      interactions, we undertook accurate high-resolution X-ray diffraction analysis of
      single crystals of 1,1,2,2-tetracyanocyclopropane. We selected this compound to
      study the fundamental characteristics of carbon-bonding interactions, because it
      provides accessible sigma holes. The study required extremely accurate
      experimental diffraction data, because the interaction of interest is weak. The
      electron-density distribution around the carbon nuclei, as shown by the
      experimental maps of the electrophilic bowl defined by a (CN)2 C?C(CN)2 unit, was
      assigned as the origin of the interaction. This fact was also evidenced by
      plotting the Delta(2) rho(r) distribution. Taken together, the obtained results
      clearly indicate that noncovalent carbon bonding can be explained as an
      interaction between confronted oppositely polarized regions. The interaction is,
      thus electrophilic-nucleophilic (electrostatic) in nature and unambiguously
      considered as attractive. 

PMID- 26098703
TI  - Human neutralizing antibodies against MERS coronavirus: implications for future
      immunotherapy.

PMID- 26098704
TI  - Genotypes of ITS region of rRNA in Microcystis (Cyanobacteria) populations in
      Erhai Lake (China) and their correlation with eutrophication level.
AB  - Previous studies on spatiotemporal changes of Microcystis genotypes have shown
      that the existence and succession of dominant genotypes always occur in
      eutrophicated freshwater bodies. However, few studies have focused on the
      correlation between genotype composition and eutrophication level. In the present
      study, clone libraries of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of rrn operon
      were sequenced from Microcystis populations in Erhai Lake, a subtropical plateau
      lake in the preliminary eutrophication stage. The genotype composition of the
      Microcystis populations was highly variable at spatiotemporal scales, and 473 ITS
      genotypes were identified from the 800 ITS sequences obtained. However, no
      significantly dominant ITS genotypes existed in the lake. Comparison of Erhai
      Lake with four major lakes in China, namely, Taihu, Chaohu, Gucheng, and Shijiu
      Lakes, showed that the Microcystis ITS genotypes and genetic diversity were
      negatively correlated with eutrophication level. Extensive comparison of the
      Microcystis ITS genotypes from waters worldwide revealed that 440 ITS genotypes
      were unique to Erhai Lake, and no obvious phylogenetic correlations can be
      detected among the dominant genotypes from different water bodies. The high
      genetic diversity of the Microcystis populations in Erhai Lake may have resulted
      from the effect of the early stage of eutrophication. 

PMID- 26098705
TI  - Assessment of caecal parameters in layer hens fed on diets containing wheat
      distillers dried grains with solubles.
AB  - There is much interest in quantifying the nutritional value of UK wheat
      distillers dried grains with solubles (W-DDGS) for livestock species. A study was
      designed to evaluate caecal parameters (pH, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and
      bacterial diversity) in layer hens fed on balanced diets containing graded
      concentrations of W-DDGS. A total of 32 layer hens (Bovans Brown strain at 27
      weeks of age) were randomly allocated to one of 4 dietary treatments containing W
      DDGS at 0, 60, 120 or 180 g/kg. Each treatment was fed to 8 replicate
      individually housed layer hens over a 5-d acclimatisation period, followed by a 4
      week trial. Individual feed intakes were monitored and all eggs were collected
      daily for weeks 2, 3 and 4 of the trial, weighed and an assessment of eggshell
      "dirtiness" made. All hens were culled on d 29 and caecal pH and SCFAs measured.
      Polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of the
      bacterial 16 S rDNA gene was used to assess total bacterial diversity of luminal
      caecal content from hens fed the 0 and 180 g W-DDGS/kg diets. Unweighted pair
      group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) dendrograms were generated from DGGE
      banding patterns. Increasing W-DDGS dietary concentrations resulted in a more
      acidic caecal environment. Caecal SCFAs were unaffected by diet aside from a
      quadratic effect for molar proportions of isobutyric acid. Diversity profiles of
      the bacterial 16S rRNA gene from luminal caecal contents were unaffected by W
      DDGS inclusion. The results of the current study suggest that W-DDGS can be
      successfully formulated into nutritionally balanced layer diets (supplemented
      with xylanase and phytase) at up to 180 g/kg with no detrimental effects to the
      caecal environment. 

PMID- 26098706
TI  - Cost-Effectiveness of Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis Prevention Based on Its
      Predicted Incidence within the Datong Coal Mine Group in China.
AB  - We aimed to estimate the economic losses currently caused by coal workers'
      pneumoconiosis (CWP) and, on the basis of these measurements, confirm the
      economic benefit of preventive measures. Our cohort study included 1,847 patients
      with CWP and 43,742 coal workers without CWP who were registered in the
      employment records of the Datong Coal Mine Group. We calculated the cumulative
      incidence rate of pneumoconiosis using the life-table method. We used the dose
      response relationship between cumulative incidence density and cumulative dust
      exposure to predict the future trend in the incidence of CWP. We calculate the
      economic loss caused by CWP and economic effectiveness of CWP prevention by a
      step-wise model. The cumulative incidence rates of CWP in the tunneling, mining,
      combining, and helping cohorts were 58.7%, 28.1%, 21.7%, and 4.0%, respectively.
      The cumulative incidence rates increased gradually with increasing cumulative
      dust exposure (CDE). We predicted 4,300 new CWP cases, assuming the dust
      concentrations remained at the levels of 2011. If advanced dustproof equipment
      was adopted, 537 fewer people would be diagnosed with CWP. In all, losses of
      1.207 billion Renminbi (RMB, official currency of China) would be prevented and
      4,698.8 healthy life years would be gained. Investments in advanced dustproof
      equipment would be total 843 million RMB, according to our study; the ratio of
      investment to restored economic losses was 1:1.43. Controlling workplace dust
      concentrations is critical to reduce the onset of pneumoconiosis and to achieve
      economic benefits. 

PMID- 26098707
TI  - Optical regulation of cell chain.
AB  - Formation of cell chains is a straightforward and efficient method to study the
      cell interaction. By regulating the contact sequence and interaction distance,
      the influence of different extracellular cues on the cell interaction can be
      investigated. However, it faces great challenges in stable retaining and precise
      regulation of cell chain, especially in cell culture with relatively low cell
      concentration. Here we demonstrated an optical method to realize the precise
      regulation of cell chain, including removing or adding a single cell, adjusting
      interaction distance, and changing cell contact sequence. After injecting a 980
      nm wavelength laser beam into a tapered optical fiber probe (FP), a cell chain of
      Escherichia colis (E. colis) is formed under the optical gradient force. By
      manipulating another FP close to the cell chain, a targeted E. coli cell can be
      trapped by the FP and removed from the chain. Further, the targeted cell can be
      added back to the chain at different positions to change the cell contact
      sequence. The experiments were interpreted by numerical simulations and the
      impact of cell sizes and shapes on this method was analyzed. 

PMID- 26098709
TI  - Spindle Cell Atypical Fibroxanthoma: Myofibroblastic Differentiation Represents a
      Diagnostic Pitfall in This Variant of AFX.
AB  - Atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) is a low-grade, dermal, mesenchymal neoplasm, which
      lacks a specific lineage of differentiation. The classical histologic appearance
      of AFX is that of a pleomorphic and spindle cell neoplasm with marked nuclear
      pleomorphism, mitotic figures, and often prominent storiform pattern that
      superficially resembles a pleomorphic high-grade sarcoma ("malignant fibrous
      histiocytoma"). Many histologic variants have been described. We have reviewed 15
      cases of AFX characterized by a pure spindle cell morphology that could be easily
      mistaken for other spindle cell dermal neoplasms. All of our cases were stained
      with CD68, CD163, CD10, S-100p, p63, wide-spectrum keratin, CD31, CD34, smooth
      muscle actin (SMA), desmin, calponin, and h-caldesmon. All 15 cases showed an
      immunoprofile consistent with AFX. In 9 cases, SMA was also strongly expressed;
      this finding, coupled with the malignant spindle cell histomorphology, can lead
      to an erroneous diagnosis of cutaneous leiomyosarcoma with potential clinical
      consequences. Awareness of this pattern of immunoreactivity in this unusual
      variant of AFX is of importance for avoiding diagnostic misinterpretation. This
      study intends to characterize the nature and frequency of SMA immunoreactivity in
      AFX and to discuss the potential diagnostic pitfalls of immunohistochemical
      markers in distinguishing this entity from other malignant spindle cell
      neoplasms. 

PMID- 26098708
TI  - A Mechanism of Subunit Recruitment in Human Small Heat Shock Protein Oligomers.
AB  - Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) make up a class of molecular chaperones broadly
      observed across organisms. Many sHSPs form large oligomers that undergo dynamic
      subunit exchange that is thought to play a role in chaperone function. Though
      remarkably heterogeneous, sHSP oligomers share three types of intermolecular
      interactions that involve all three defined regions of a sHSP: the N-terminal
      region (NTR), the conserved alpha-crystallin domain (ACD), and a C-terminal
      region (CTR). Here we define the structural interactions involved in
      incorporation of a subunit into a sHSP oligomer. We demonstrate that a minimal
      ACD dimer of the human sHSP, HSPB5, interacts with an HSPB5 oligomer through two
      types of interactions: (1) interactions with CTRs in the oligomer and (2) via
      exchange into and out of the dimer interface composed of two ACDs. Unexpectedly,
      although dimers are thought to be the fundamental building block for sHSP
      oligomers, our results clearly indicate that subunit exchange into and out of
      oligomers occurs via monomers. Using structure-based mutants, we show that
      incorporation of a subunit into an oligomer is predicated on recruitment of the
      subunit via its interaction with CTRs on an oligomer. Both the rate and extent of
      subunit incorporation depend on the accessibility of CTRs within an HSPB5
      oligomer. We show that this mechanism also applies to formation of
      heterooligomeric sHSP species composed of HSPB5 and HSPB6 and is likely general
      among sHSPs. Finally, our observations highlight the importance of NTRs in the
      thermodynamic stability of sHSP oligomers. 

PMID- 26098710
TI  - Friction of polymer hydrogels studied by resonance shear measurements.
AB  - The friction between an elastomer and a hard surface typically has two
      contributors, i.e., the interfacial and deformation components. The friction of
      viscoelastic hydrogel materials has been extensively studied between planar gel
      and planar substrate surfaces from the viewpoint of an interfacial interaction.
      However, the geometry of the contact in practical applications is much more
      complex. The contribution of geometric and elastic deformation terms of a gel to
      friction could not be neglected. In this study, we used resonance shear
      measurements (RSMs) for characterizing the shear response of a glass sphere on a
      flat polymer hydrogel, a double network (DN) gel of 2-acrylamide-2
      methylpropanesulfonic acid and N,N-dimethylacrylamide. The contact mechanics
      conformed to the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts theory. The observed resonance curves
      exhibited rather sharp peaks when the DN gel and the silica sphere were brought
      into contact, and their intensity and frequency increased with the increase in
      the normal load. We proposed a simple physical model of the shearing system, and
      the elastic (k2) and viscous (b2) parameters of the interface between a silica
      sphere and a flat DN gel were obtained. The friction force from elastic
      deformation and viscous dissipation terms was then estimated using the obtained
      parameters. It was revealed that the elastic parameter (k2) increased up to 1780
      N m(-1) at a normal load of 524 mN, while the viscous parameter (b2) was zero or
      quite low (<0.1 N s m(-1)) for a silica sphere (radius of 18.4 mm). Thus, the
      friction force between a flat DN gel and a silica sphere in air was dominated by
      the elastic term due to the local deformation by contact with the silica sphere.
      By adding water, the elastic parameter (k2) remained the same, while the viscous
      parameter (b2) slightly increased. However, the viscous term fviscous was still
      much smaller than felastic. To the best of our knowledge, this study was the
      first quantitative estimation of the contribution of the elastic deformation term
      to the friction in the case when deformation of non-flat contact regions occurs.
      The obtained results can be basic knowledge for designing gels for applications
      such as artificial cartilages and sliding bearings. 

PMID- 26098712
TI  - Efficient Synthesis of Octahydrophenanthrene Derivatives with Mild Cascade
      Reactions of Isochromenylium Tetrafluoroborates and Bifunctional Styrenes.
AB  - A highly efficient catalyst-free cascade reaction of air-stable isochromenylium
      tetrafluoroborates and bifunctional styrenes containing a 1,3-diketone moiety has
      been developed, affording the corresponding single diastereomeric
      ocatahydrophenanthrene derivatives (21 examples, up to 86% yield). A cascade
      process of [4 + 2]-cyclization and subsequent intramolecular nucleophilic
      addition is proposed to generate the three new C-C bonds diastereoselectively in
      the reactions. 

PMID- 26098711
TI  - DNA hypomethylation-mediated activation of Cancer/Testis Antigen 45 (CT45) genes
      is associated with disease progression and reduced survival in epithelial ovarian
      cancer.
AB  - Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a highly lethal malignancy due to a lack of
      early detection approaches coupled with poor outcomes for patients with
      clinically advanced disease. Cancer-testis (CT) or cancer-germline genes encode
      antigens known to generate spontaneous anti-tumor immunity in cancer patients.
      CT45 genes are a recently discovered 6-member family of X-linked CT genes with
      oncogenic function. Here, we determined CT45 expression in EOC and fully defined
      its epigenetic regulation by DNA methylation. CT45 was silent and hypermethylated
      in normal control tissues, but a large subset of EOC samples showed increased
      CT45 expression in conjunction with promoter DNA hypomethylation. In contrast,
      copy number status did not correlate with CT45 expression in the TCGA database
      for EOC. CT45 promoter methylation inversely correlated with both CT45 mRNA and
      protein expression, the latter determined using IHC staining of an EOC TMA. CT45
      expression was increased and CT45 promoter methylation was decreased in late
      stage and high-grade EOC, and both measures were associated with poor survival.
      CT45 hypomethylation was directly associated with LINE-1 hypomethylation, and
      CT45 was frequently co-expressed with other CT antigen genes in EOC. Decitabine
      treatment induced CT45 mRNA and protein expression in EOC cells, and promoter
      transgene analyses indicated that DNA methylation directly represses CT45
      promoter activity. These data verify CT45 expression and promoter hypomethylation
      as possible prognostic biomarkers, and suggest CT45 as an immunological or
      therapeutic target in EOC. Treatment with decitabine or other epigenetic
      modulators could provide a means for more effective immunological targeting of
      CT45. 

PMID- 26098713
TI  - beta-Hydrogen Elimination Mechanism in the Absence of Low-Lying Acceptor Orbitals
      in EH2(t-C4H9) (E = N-Bi).
AB  - The beta-hydrogen elimination reactions of group 15 alkyl compounds at the
      example of EH2(t-C4H9) (element E = N-Bi) were investigated and compared to the
      group 13 example of GaH2(t-C4H9). With the aid of extensive density functional
      theory based analysis of atomic and electronic structures at the transition
      state, we can derive three distinct reaction classes. The gallium compound
      follows the well-known beta-hydride route with participation of an empty p
      orbital at the metal in a concerted, synchronous fashion, exhibiting a low
      barrier. For compounds with group 15 elements, we find highly nonsynchronous
      reactions with high reaction barriers. In the case of nitrogen, a proton-like H
      atom is transferred via attack of the nitrogen nonbonding electron pair. For the
      heavier homologues (P-Bi), E-Calpha bond breaking occurs first and the H atom
      does not carry charge at the transition state. The reaction barrier in group 15
      homologues is thus determined by the E-Calpha bond strength down the group. The
      results enable a rationale for ligand design for precursors involved in chemical
      vapor-phase deposition processes because a good ligand needs to stabilize the
      positive charge at Calpha. 

PMID- 26098714
TI  - Ionizing radiation affects protein composition of exosomes secreted in vitro from
      head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - Exosomes are membrane vesicles of endocytic origin that participate in inter
      cellular communication. Environmental and physiological conditions affect
      composition of secreted exosomes, their abundance and potential influence on
      recipient cells. Here, we analyzed protein component of exosomes released in
      vitro from cells exposed to ionizing radiation (2Gy dose) and compared their
      content with composition of exosomes released from control not irradiated cells.
      Exosomes secreted from FaDu cells originating from human squamous head and neck
      cell carcinoma were analyzed using LC-MS/MS approach. We have found that exposure
      to ionizing radiation resulted in gross changes in exosomal cargo. There were 217
      proteins identified in exosomes from control cells and 384 proteins identified in
      exosomes from irradiated cells, including 148 "common" proteins, 236 proteins
      detected specifically after irradiation and 69 proteins not detected after
      irradiation. Among proteins specifically overrepresented in exosomes from
      irradiated cells were those involved in transcription, translation, protein
      turnover, cell division and cell signaling. This indicated that exosomal cargo
      reflected radiation-induced changes in cellular processes like transient
      suppression of transcription and translation or stress-induced signaling. 

PMID- 26098715
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA variability in Gyimesi Racka and Turcana sheep breeds.
AB  - The current knowledge and documentation on the origins and relationship between
      Gyimesi Racka reared in Hungary and the Romanian Turcana is rather controversial.
      Lack of information and scientific reliable proofs for the divergent theories
      found in the two countries motivated us to implement a trial using molecular
      methods to assess the genetic distance and diversity in the two breeds. Hair
      follicles were collected from Gyimesi Racka (2 phenotypes) and from Turcana (6
      ecotypes). The 599 bp segment of the D-loop region of the mitochondrial DNA was
      sequenced. Altogether, 42 haplotypes were identified, while 23 were found in both
      populations. Populations were highly diverse according to the haplotype and
      nucleotide diversity indices. AMOVA analysis showed that most of the variation
      was observed within populations (98%), indicating a weak genetic structure
      between the two breeds. Animals were grouped into seven groups based on their
      phenotype; however genetic distances among them were also low. Tajima's D, Fu's
      Fs, goodness-of-fit statistics, mismatch distribution and network analysis
      suggested recent demographic expansion. Current comprehensive mtDNA study
      indicates that there is very low level of genetic differentiation between the
      Gyimesi Racka and Turcana populations therefore they are de facto one trans
      boundary breed. 

PMID- 26098716
TI  - Quantification of 5-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine in the DNA.
AB  - Methylation at position 5 of cytosine (Cyt) at the CpG sequences leading to
      formation of 5-methyl-cytosine (m(5)Cyt) is an important element of epigenetic
      regulation of gene expression. Modification of the normal methylation pattern,
      unique to each organism, leads to the development of pathological processes and
      diseases, including cancer. Therefore, quantification of the DNA methylation and
      analysis of changes in the methylation pattern is very important from a practical
      point of view and can be used for diagnostic purposes, as well as monitoring of
      the treatment progress. In this paper we present a new method for quantification
      of 5-methyl-2'deoxycytidine (m(5)C) in the DNA. The technique is based on
      conversion of m(5)C into fluorescent 3,N(4)-etheno-5-methyl-2'deoxycytidine
      (epsilonm(5)C) and its identification by reversed-phase high-performance liquid
      chromatography (RP-HPLC). The assay was used to evaluate m(5)C concentration in
      DNA of calf thymus and peripheral blood of cows bred under different conditions.
      This approach can be applied for measuring of 5-methylcytosine in cellular DNA
      from different cells and tissues. 

PMID- 26098717
TI  - Association of the DIO2 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms with recurrent
      depressive disorder.
AB  - Genetic factors may play a role in the etiology of depressive disorder. The type
      2 iodothyronine deiodinase gene (DIO2) encoding the enzyme catalyzing the
      conversion of T4 to T3 is suggested to play a role in the recurrent depressive
      disorder (rDD). The current study investigates whether a specific single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the DIO2 gene, Thr92Ala (T/C); rs 225014 or ORFa
      Gly3Asp (C/T); rs 12885300, correlate with the risk for recurrent depression.
      Genotypes for these two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were determined in
      179 patients meeting the ICD-10 criteria for rDD group and in 152 healthy
      individuals (control group) using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based method.
      The specific variant of the DIO2 gene, namely the CC genotype of the Thr92Ala
      polymorphism, was more frequently found in healthy subjects than in patients with
      depression, what suggests that it could potentially serve as a marker of a lower
      risk for recurrent depressive disorder. The distribution of four haplotypes was
      also significantly different between the two study groups with the TC (Thr-Gly)
      haplotype more frequently detected in patients with depression. In conclusion,
      data generated from this study suggest for the first time that DIO2 gene may play
      a role in the etiology of the disease, and thus should be further investigated. 

PMID- 26098719
TI  - A novel method of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strain differentiation using
      polymorphic GC-rich gene sequences.
AB  - Tuberculosis is one of the leading infectious diseases. In this work, a new
      genotyping method of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) complex strain is
      presented. 27 Mtb genomes were analyzed for the presence of length polymorphism
      within polymorphic GC-rich gene sequences. Four genes, Rv3345c, Rv3507, Rv0747
      and Rv3511, showing variation in length depending on the Mtb strain were selected
      for designing primer sequences flanking variable regions for the PCR method.
      Identification of 16 genotypes among 27 analyzed genomes demonstrated usefulness
      of our genotyping method in differentiation of Mtb genomes based on sequence
      polymorphism in the four PGRS genes. 

PMID- 26098718
TI  - Quinone- and nitroreductase reactions of Thermotoga maritima thioredoxin
      reductase.
AB  - The Thermotoga maritima NADH:thioredoxin reductase (TmTR) contains FAD and a
      catalytic disulfide in the active center, and uses a relatively poorly studied
      physiological oxidant Grx-1-type glutaredoxin. In order to further assess the
      redox properties of TmTR, we used series of quinoidal and nitroaromatic oxidants
      with a wide range of single-electron reduction potentials (E(1)7, -0.49-0.09 V).
      We found that TmTR catalyzed the mixed single- and two-electron reduction of
      quinones and nitroaromatic compounds, which was much faster than the reduction of
      Grx-1. The reactivity of both groups of oxidants increased with an increase in
      their E(1)7, thus pointing to the absence of their structural specificity. The
      maximal rates of quinone reduction in the steady-state reactions were lower than
      the maximal rates of reduction of FAD by NADH, obtained in presteady-state
      experiments. The mixed-type reaction inhibition by NAD(+) was consistent with its
      competition for a NADH binding site in the oxidized enzyme form, and also with
      the reoxidation of the reduced enzyme form. The inhibition data yielded a value
      of the standard potential for TmTR of -0.31+/-0.03 V at pH 7.0, which may
      correspond to the FAD/FADH2 redox couple. Overall, the mechanism of quinone- and
      nitroreductase reactions of T. maritima TR was similar to the previously
      described mechanism of Arabidopsis thaliana TR, and points to their prooxidant
      and possibly cytotoxic role. 

PMID- 26098720
TI  - Diverse expression of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V and complex-type beta1,6
      branched N-glycans in uveal and cutaneous melanoma cells.
AB  - Although both uveal (UM) and cutaneous (CM) melanoma cells derive from the
      transformed melanocytes, their biology varies significantly in several aspects.
      Malignant transformation is frequently associated with alternations in cell
      glycosylation, in particular those concerning branched complex-type N-glycans.
      These changes occur principally in beta1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase III
      (GnT-III) that catalyzes the synthesis of glycans with bisected N
      acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and beta1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT-V)
      that is involved in forming beta1,6-branched antenna in complex-type glycans. We
      searched for the reasons of a different behavior of CM and UM cells in the
      expression of GnT-III and GnT-V and their oligosaccharide products. Our study
      showed that UM cells have more beta1,6-branched glycans than CM cells, what
      results from a higher expression of MGAT5 gene encoding GnT-V. The higher beta1,6
      branching of glycans in UM may contribute to their higher potential to migrate on
      fibronectin and weaker binding to main extracellular matrix proteins, observed in
      our previous studies. 

PMID- 26098721
TI  - The avian influenza vaccine Emerflu. Why did it fail?
AB  - Emerflu is an inactivated, split-virion pandemic preparedness vaccine, containing
      30 MUg of hemagglutinin (HA) and 600 MUg of aluminum hydroxide adjuvant. It is
      administered in two doses, 3 weeks apart. Only moderate immunogenicity was
      evident from clinical studies with the vaccine in adults, and HA antibody
      responses were below the criteria established by the EMA and US FDA for
      licensure. With the exception of Australia, the vaccine remains unlicensed.
      Further clinical development appears to have been suspended, and newer adjuvants
      such as MF59 and AS03 have since demonstrated safety and superior immunogenicity
      with lower HA doses. Emerflu is symbolic of the failure of aluminum salts as an
      adjuvant for influenza vaccines. Reasons for this failure are unclear, and may
      reflect problems with the adjuvant-antigen complex or interference in the immune
      response by heterosubtypic immunity. 

PMID- 26098722
TI  - Anagliptin decreases serum lathosterol level in patients with type 2 diabetes: a
      pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The mechanism responsible for the lipid-lowering effect of dipeptidyl
      peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors remains unknown in humans. We evaluated the effect
      of anagliptin on serum lipid profiles, including cholesterol synthesis and
      absorption markers, in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Thirty
      patients with type 2 diabetes (20 - 70 years old, low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (LDL-C) level over 120 mg/dl, and no history of treatment with
      antidiabetic or antihyperlipidemic drugs) were enrolled. One hundred milligrams
      of anagliptin were administered twice a day for a month. RESULTS: After treatment
      of anagliptin, the LDL-C and total cholesterol (TC) levels did not decrease
      overall, but the TC level decreased significantly in 28 patients whose HbA1c
      levels decreased. Lathosterol decreased significantly, whereas no changes in
      campesterol, sitosterol or cholestanol were observed. CONCLUSION: These results
      of our study show no significant change in LDL-C, a tendency of decrease in TC
      and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) after treatment of
      anagliptin for 1 month. Anagliptin therapy decreased the cholesterol synthesis
      marker lathosterol without changing cholesterol absorption markers.

PMID- 26098723
TI  - MALDI-TOF-MS Platform for Integrated Proteomic and Peptidomic Profiling of Milk
      Samples Allows Rapid Detection of Food Adulterations.
AB  - Adulteration of ovine, caprine, and buffalo milks with more common bovine
      material occurs for economic reasons and seasonal availability. Frauds are also
      associated with the use of powdered milk instead of declared, fresh material. In
      this context, various analytical methods have been adapted to dairy science
      applications with the aim to evaluate adulteration of milk samples, although time
      consuming, suitable only for speciation or thermal treatment analysis, or useful
      for a specific fraud type. An integrated MALDI-TOF-MS platform for the combined
      peptidomic and proteomic profiling of milk samples is here presented, which
      allows rapid detection of illegal adulterations due to the addition of either
      nondeclared bovine material to water buffalo, goat, and ovine milks or of
      powdered bovine milk to the fresh counterpart. Peptide and protein markers of
      each animal milk were identified after direct analysis of a large number of
      diluted skimmed and/or enriched diluted skimmed filtrate samples. In parallel,
      markers of thermal treatment were characterized in different types of commercial
      milks. Principal components scores of ad hoc prepared species- or thermal
      treatment-associated adulterated milk samples were subjected to partial least
      squares regression, permitting a fast accurate estimate of the fraud extents in
      test samples at either protein and peptide level. With respect to previous
      reports on MALDI-TOF-MS protein profiling methodologies for milk speciation, this
      study extends that approach to the analysis of the thermal treatment and
      introduces an independent, complementary peptide profiling measurement, which
      integrates protein data with additional information on peptides, validating final
      results and ultimately broadening the method applicability. 

PMID- 26098724
TI  - Exploring the Attractiveness of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) among
      Experienced Drug Users.
AB  - A growing number of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) appear yearly on the
      European market (81 for the first time in 2013, adding to a total of over 350
      NPS). Using semi-structured interviews with 25 Dutch experienced recreational
      drug users, the role of the Internet and friends in gathering and exchanging
      information about NPS was elaborated. Furthermore, we investigated how NPS were
      acquired and which aspects make NPS more or less attractive, including their
      legal status. It appeared that the Internet was an important source of
      information about NPS in general. Personal experiences with NPS were preferably
      shared face-to-face with friends, as for privacy reasons users were cautious to
      post their experiences on web sites and forums. NPS were usually obtained or
      bought from friends or-to a lesser extent-purchased via the Internet. The
      preference for a specific NPS depended on the desired effects (mostly stimulant
      or psychedelic), price (similar to MDMA or amphetamine), duration of effect
      (preferably around four hours), and setting (at home, at festivals, or in
      nightlife). Legal status was not relevant for the decision to use NPS. Most NPS
      are not superior to the already marketed drugs, and do not displace conventional
      illicit drugs. 

PMID- 26098725
TI  - Palladium-Catalyzed Carbonylation of (Hetero)Aryl, Alkenyl and Allyl Halides by
      Means of N-Hydroxysuccinimidyl Formate as CO Surrogate.
AB  - An efficient Pd-catalyzed carbonylation protocol is described for the coupling of
      a large panel of aryl, heteroaryl, benzyl, vinyl and allyl halides 2 with the
      unusual N-hydroxysuccinimidyl (NHS) formate 1 as a CO surrogate to afford the
      corresponding valuable NHS esters 3. High conversion to the coupling products was
      achieved with up to 98% yield by means of Pd(OAc)2/Xantphos catalyst system. 

PMID- 26098726
TI  - Vicarious learning of children's social-anxiety-related fear beliefs and
      emotional Stroop bias.
AB  - Models of social anxiety suggest that negative social experiences contribute to
      the development of social anxiety, and this is supported by self-report research.
      However, there is relatively little experimental evidence for the effects of
      learning experiences on social cognitions. The current study examined the effect
      of observing a social performance situation with a negative outcome on children's
      (8 to 11 years old) fear-related beliefs and cognitive processing. Two groups of
      children were each shown 1 of 2 animated films of a person trying to score in
      basketball while being observed by others; in 1 film, the outcome was negative,
      and in the other, it was neutral. Children's fear-related beliefs about
      performing in front of others were measured before and after the film and
      children were asked to complete an emotional Stroop task. Results showed that
      social fear beliefs increased for children who saw the negative social
      performance film. In addition, these children showed an emotional Stroop bias for
      social-anxiety-related words compared to children who saw the neutral film. The
      findings have implications for our understanding of social anxiety disorder and
      suggest that vicarious learning experiences in childhood may contribute to the
      development of social anxiety.

PMID- 26098727
TI  - Examining factors involved in stress-related working memory impairments:
      Independent or conditional effects?
AB  - A large and growing body of research demonstrates the impact of psychological
      stress on working memory. However, the typical study approach tests the effects
      of a single biological or psychological factor on changes in working memory. The
      current study attempted to move beyond the standard single-factor assessment by
      examining the impact of 2 possible factors in stress-related working memory
      impairments. To this end, 60 participants completed a working memory task before
      and after either a psychological stressor writing task or a control writing task
      and completed measures of both cortisol and mind wandering. We also included a
      measure of state anxiety to examine the direct and indirect effect on working
      memory. We found that mind wandering mediated the relationship between state
      anxiety and working memory at the baseline measurement. This indirect
      relationship was moderated by cortisol, such that the impact of mind wandering on
      working memory increased as cortisol levels increased. No overall working memory
      impairment was observed following the stress manipulation, but increases in state
      anxiety and mind wandering were observed. State anxiety and mind wandering
      independently mediated the relationship between change in working memory and
      threat perception. The indirect paths resulted in opposing effects on working
      memory. Combined, the findings from this study suggest that cortisol enhances the
      impact of mind wandering on working memory, that state anxiety may not always
      result in stress-related working memory impairments, and that high working memory
      performance can protect against mind wandering.

PMID- 26098728
TI  - The influence of stimulus sex and emotional expression on the attentional blink.
AB  - Past studies have demonstrated that angry faces used as the first target (T1) in
      an attentional blink paradigm interfere with processing of a second, neutral
      target (T2). However, despite research that suggests that the sex and emotional
      expression of a face are confounded, no study has investigated whether the sex of
      a stimulus might interact with emotional expression to influence the attentional
      blink. In the current study, both the sex and emotional expression of a T1
      stimulus were manipulated to assess participants' ability to report the presences
      of a subsequent neutral target. Although the findings revealed limited evidence
      to support an interaction between sex and emotion, both the sex and emotional
      expression of the T1 stimulus were found to independently affect reporting of T2.
      These findings suggest that both emotional expression and stimulus sex are
      important in the temporal allocation of attentional resources to faces.

PMID- 26098730
TI  - Negative emotional stimuli enhance vestibular processing.
AB  - Recent studies have shown that vestibular stimulation can influence affective
      processes. In the present study, we examined whether emotional information can
      also modulate vestibular perception. Participants performed a vestibular
      discrimination task on a motion platform while viewing emotional pictures. Six
      different picture categories were taken from the International Affective Picture
      System: mutilation, threat, snakes, neutral objects, sports, and erotic pictures.
      Using a Bayesian hierarchical approach, we were able to show that vestibular
      discrimination improved when participants viewed emotionally negative pictures
      (mutilation, threat, snake) when compared to neutral/positive objects. We
      conclude that some of the mechanisms involved in the processing of vestibular
      information are also sensitive to emotional content. Emotional information
      signals importance and mobilizes the body for action. In case of danger, a
      successful motor response requires precise vestibular processing. Therefore,
      negative emotional information improves processing of vestibular information.

PMID- 26098729
TI  - Blocking opioids attenuates physical warmth-induced feelings of social
      connection.
AB  - "Heartwarming" social experiences, when one feels interpersonally connected to
      others, have recently been linked with physical warmth. According to one theory
      (Panksepp, 1998), "social warmth" and physical warmth may be closely linked
      because both experiences are supported by similar neurobiological mechanisms;
      however, the neurochemical substrates underlying this overlap have not been
      explored. Here, an opioid antagonist, naltrexone, was administered in order to
      examine the role of opioids, previously shown to alter temperature and social
      bonding behavior, on perceived thermal intensity, general positive affect, and
      feelings of social connection from physical warmth. Thirty-one participants took
      both naltrexone and a placebo and completed a temperature manipulation task (held
      a warm pack, cold pack, and neutral object) while on each drug. Replicating
      previous research, holding a warm (vs. a cold or neutral) object increased
      feelings of social connection. Moreover, blocking opioids reduced this effect.
      Hence, naltrexone specifically reduced feelings of social connection to holding a
      warm (vs. neutral) object but not to holding a cold (vs. neutral) object. These
      results lend further support to the theory that social and physical warmth share
      neurobiological, opioid receptor dependent mechanisms.

PMID- 26098731
TI  - Control when it counts: Change in executive control under stress predicts
      depression symptoms.
AB  - Individual differences in the ability to regulate affect following stressful life
      events have been associated with an increased risk for experiencing depression
      symptoms. Research further suggests that emotion regulation may depend on
      executive control which, in turn, has been shown to decline following stress
      exposure. Whether individual differences in stress-induced change in executive
      control predict depression symptoms, however, remains unknown. The current study
      examined whether trait executive control as well as stress-induced change in
      executive control predicts depression symptoms during a stressful time of life.
      The current study recruited 43 individuals during their first year of college.
      Participants completed an executive control task before and after a laboratory
      stress induction. Participants reported baseline depression symptoms during the
      laboratory session and follow-up depression symptoms during the final weeks of
      the semester. Results demonstrate that stress-induced change in executive control
      predicted an increase in depression symptoms at the end of the semester. The
      findings suggest that individual differences in the degree of decline in
      executive control following stress exposure may be a key factor in explaining why
      some individuals are vulnerable to depression during a stressful time of life.

PMID- 26098732
TI  - Emotions facilitate the communication of ambiguous group memberships.
AB  - It is well known that emotions intersect with obvious social categories (e.g.,
      race), influencing both how targets are categorized and the emotions that are
      read from their faces. Here, we examined the influence of emotional expression on
      the perception of less obvious group memberships for which, in the absence of
      obvious and stable physical markers, emotion may serve as a major avenue for
      group categorization and identification. Specifically, we examined whether
      emotions are embedded in the mental representations of sexual orientation and
      political affiliation, and whether people may use emotional expressions to
      communicate these group memberships to others. Using reverse correlation methods,
      we found that mental representations of gay and liberal faces were characterized
      by more positive facial expressions than mental representations of straight and
      conservative faces (Study 1). Furthermore, participants were evaluated as
      expressing more positive emotions when enacting self-defined "gay" and "liberal"
      versus "straight" and "conservative" facial expressions in the lab (Study 2). In
      addition, neutral faces morphed with happiness were perceived as more gay than
      when morphed with anger, and when compared to unmorphed controls (Study 3).
      Finally, we found that affect facilitated perceptions of sexual orientation and
      political affiliation in naturalistic settings (Study 4). Together, these studies
      suggest that emotion is a defining characteristic of person construal that people
      tend to use both when signaling their group memberships and when receiving those
      signals to categorize others.

PMID- 26098733
TI  - Emotion categories and dimensions in the facial communication of affect: An
      integrated approach.
AB  - We investigated the role of facial behavior in emotional communication, using
      both categorical and dimensional approaches. We used a corpus of enacted
      emotional expressions (GEMEP) in which professional actors are instructed, with
      the help of scenarios, to communicate a variety of emotional experiences. The
      results of Study 1 replicated earlier findings showing that only a minority of
      facial action units are associated with specific emotional categories. Likewise,
      facial behavior did not show a specific association with particular emotional
      dimensions. Study 2 showed that facial behavior plays a significant role both in
      the detection of emotions and in the judgment of their dimensional aspects, such
      as valence, arousal, dominance, and unpredictability. In addition, a mediation
      model revealed that the association between facial behavior and recognition of
      the signaler's emotional intentions is mediated by perceived emotional
      dimensions. We conclude that, from a production perspective, facial action units
      convey neither specific emotions nor specific emotional dimensions, but are
      associated with several emotions and several dimensions. From the perceiver's
      perspective, facial behavior facilitated both dimensional and categorical
      judgments, and the former mediated the effect of facial behavior on recognition
      accuracy. The classification of emotional expressions into discrete categories
      may, therefore, rely on the perception of more general dimensions such as valence
      and arousal and, presumably, the underlying appraisals that are inferred from
      facial movements.

PMID- 26098734
TI  - Emotional and instrumental support provision interact to predict well-being.
AB  - Individuals in close relationships help each other in many ways, from listening
      to each other's problems, to making each other feel understood, to providing
      practical support. However, it is unclear if these supportive behaviors track
      each other across days and as stable tendencies in close relationships. Further,
      although past work suggests that giving support improves providers' well-being,
      the specific features of support provision that improve providers' psychological
      lives remain unclear. We addressed these gaps in knowledge through a daily diary
      study that comprehensively assessed support provision and its effects on well
      being. We found that providers' emotional support (e.g., empathy) and
      instrumental support represent distinct dimensions of support provision,
      replicating prior work. Crucially, emotional support, but not instrumental
      support, consistently predicted provider well-being. These 2 dimensions also
      interacted, such that instrumental support enhanced well-being of both providers
      and recipients, but only when providers were emotionally engaged while providing
      support. These findings illuminate the nature of support provision and suggest
      targets for interventions to enhance well-being.

PMID- 26098735
TI  - When Is Group Membership Zero-Sum? Effects of Ethnicity, Threat, and Social
      Identity on Dual National Identity.
AB  - This paper presents an investigation into marginalizing racism, a form of
      prejudice whereby ingroup members claim that specific individuals belong to their
      group, but also exclude them by not granting them all of the privileges of a full
      ingroup member. One manifestation of this is that perceived degree of outgroup
      membership will covary negatively with degree of ingroup membership. That is,
      group membership may be treated as a zero-sum quantity (e.g., one cannot be both
      Australian and Iraqi). Study 1 demonstrated that judges allocate more zero-sum
      membership assignments and lower combined membership in their country of origin
      and their adopted country to high-threat migrants than low-threat migrants. Study
      2 identified a subtle type of zero-sum reasoning which holds that stronger degree
      of membership in one's original nationality constrains membership in a new
      nationality to a greater extent than stronger membership in the new nationality
      constrains membership in one's original nationality. This pattern is quite
      general, being replicated in large samples from four nations (USA, UK, India, and
      China). Taken together, these studies suggest that marginalizing racism is more
      than a belief that people retain a "stain" from membership in their original
      group. Marginalizing racism also manifests itself as conditional zero-sum beliefs
      about multiple group memberships. 

PMID- 26098736
TI  - Prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptoms in United States Air Force
      intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance agency imagery analysts.
AB  - Imagery analysts are critical to the intelligence capabilities of the United
      States Air Force (USAF) and are known as the "eyes" of the USAF. The purpose of
      this study was to assess for posttraumatic disorder (PTSD) symptoms among this
      cohort. Of the 498 imagery analysts who participated, a total of 4.22% met
      provisional diagnostic criteria for PTSD as outlined in the Diagnostic and
      Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric
      Association, 2000) which was lower than established rates of PTSD (up to 18%)
      among military personnel returning from deployment. Implications of subclinical
      PTSD symptoms on occupational functioning and overall diagnostic picture are
      discussed.

PMID- 26098737
TI  - Time course of treatment dropout in cognitive-behavioral therapies for
      posttraumatic stress disorder.
AB  - A substantial minority of people drop out of cognitive-behavioral therapies
      (CBTs) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There has been considerable
      research investigating who drops out of PTSD treatment; however, the question of
      when dropout occurs has received far less attention. The purpose of the current
      study was to examine when individuals drop out of CBT for PTSD. Women
      participants (N = 321) were randomized to 1 of several PTSD treatment conditions.
      The conditions included prolonged exposure (PE), cognitive processing therapy
      (CPT), CPT-cognitive only (CPT-C), and written accounts (WA). Survival analysis
      was used to examine temporal pattern of treatment dropout. Thirty-nine percent of
      participants dropped out of treatment, and those who dropped out tended to do so
      by midtreatment. Moreover, the pattern of treatment dropout was consistent across
      CBT conditions. Additional research is needed to examine if treatment dropout
      patterns are consistent across treatment modalities and settings.

PMID- 26098738
TI  - The coffee paradox in stroke: Increased consumption linked with fewer strokes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the association in amount of daily coffee consumption
      with incidence of stroke in a broad cohort, considering other vascular risk
      factors. METHODS: We utilized the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination
      Survey (1988-1994; NHANES III) data on participants aged >=17 years old to
      examine coffee consumption and stroke. Multivariate logistic regression models
      related the amount of coffee use reported in a food frequency questionnaire with
      stroke, controlling for other vascular risk factors. RESULTS: Of 33 994 NHANES
      III subjects, coffee consumption and stroke data in adults >=17 years old were
      available in 19 994. Daily coffee consumption ranged from 0 to 20 (median 1) cups
      and 644 (3.2%) participants had a stroke diagnosed by a physician. Coffee intake
      varied with age, gender, and ethnicity (P < 0.001). Interestingly, heart failure,
      diabetes, and hypertension were less frequent, and high cholesterol more frequent
      in those consuming >=3 cups per day (P < 0.001). Smoking was more frequent in all
      coffee drinkers (P < 0.0001). Multivariate analyses revealed an independent
      effect of heavier coffee consumption (>=3 cups/day) on reduced stroke (OR 0.44,
      95% CI 0.22-0.87, P < 0.02) in healthy subjects that was attenuated by vascular
      risk factors (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.58-1.07, P ~ 0.12). CONCLUSION: Heavier daily
      coffee consumption is associated with decreased stroke prevalence, despite
      smoking tendency in heavy coffee drinkers.

PMID- 26098739
TI  - An Improved Instrument Table for Use in Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical motivation for the current study was that various
      instrument tables are located far away from the patient's head, and the only way
      for the surgeon to access an instrument is via a scrub nurse. Thus, the idea for
      this study was the development and evaluation of an improved and conveniently
      positioned instrument table. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An improved instrument table
      (IT) was designed, built, and tested. We assessed its use in 150 surgeries from 1
      October 2013 to 30 June 2014 (group A), and another 150 surgeries without use of
      the IT from 1 February 2013 to 31 October 2014 as a control group (group B).
      RESULTS: With use of the improved IT during functional endoscopic sinus surgery
      (FESS), preparation-time was extended by 0.1 min and the SLOT-time was reduced by
      19.6%. The number of different instruments (35.3%) used was reduced, as well as
      the number of manual interactions with instruments (7.8%) and the number of
      manual interactions with the scrub nurse (66.1%). In addition, the ergonomics
      with use of the IT improved by 40.0%. The only potential disadvantage was a
      reduction of working space and thereby a constraint of the scope. Compared to the
      benefits, this problem is minor. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusively, the improved IT is of
      value for everyday use in surgery and offers a great benefit for FESS, and may be
      useful in other kinds of surgery (e.g., duraplasty).

PMID- 26098740
TI  - Summaries for Patients: Motor Vehicle Crash Fatalities and Seat Belt Laws.

PMID- 26098741
TI  - Steeling Ourselves: Intragroup Communication while Anticipating Intergroup
      Contact Evokes Defensive Intergroup Perceptions.
AB  - Two experiments investigated the role of intragroup communication in intergroup
      conflict (de-)escalation. Experiment 1 examined the effects of intragroup
      communication (vs. individual thought) and anticipated face-to-face intergroup
      contact (vs. no anticipated face-to-face intergroup contact). The group
      discussions of stigmatized group members who anticipated face-to-face intergroup
      contact revolved more around intergroup hostility. This boosted ingroup
      identification and increased social creativity but also led to steeling (a
      hardening of perceived intergroup relations). In Experiment 2, new participants
      listened to the taped group discussions. The discussions of groups anticipating
      face-to-face intergroup contact evoked more intergroup anxiety-related discomfort
      than discussions of groups not anticipating face-to-face intergroup encounters.
      Together, these results support the idea that steeling is a defensive reaction to
      prepare for an anxiety-arousing intergroup confrontation. Although steeling is
      also associated with positive consequences such as increased ingroup solidarity
      and social creativity, this hardened stance may be an obstacle to conflict de
      escalation. 

PMID- 26098743
TI  - Correction: Re-Examination of 30-Day Survival and Relapse Rates in Patients with
      Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura-Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome.

PMID- 26098742
TI  - SNSMIL, a real-time single molecule identification and localization algorithm for
      super-resolution fluorescence microscopy.
AB  - Single molecule localization based super-resolution fluorescence microscopy
      offers significantly higher spatial resolution than predicted by Abbe's
      resolution limit for far field optical microscopy. Such super-resolution images
      are reconstructed from wide-field or total internal reflection single molecule
      fluorescence recordings. Discrimination between emission of single fluorescent
      molecules and background noise fluctuations remains a great challenge in current
      data analysis. Here we present a real-time, and robust single molecule
      identification and localization algorithm, SNSMIL (Shot Noise based Single
      Molecule Identification and Localization). This algorithm is based on the
      intrinsic nature of noise, i.e., its Poisson or shot noise characteristics and a
      new identification criterion, QSNSMIL, is defined. SNSMIL improves the
      identification accuracy of single fluorescent molecules in experimental or
      simulated datasets with high and inhomogeneous background. The implementation of
      SNSMIL relies on a graphics processing unit (GPU), making real-time analysis
      feasible as shown for real experimental and simulated datasets. 

PMID- 26098744
TI  - Acylation of Antioxidant of Bamboo Leaves with Fatty Acids by Lipase and the
      Acylated Derivatives' Efficiency in the Inhibition of Acrylamide Formation in
      Fried Potato Crisps.
AB  - This study selectively acylated the primary hydroxyl groups on flavonoids in
      antioxidant of bamboo leaves (AOB) using lauric acid with Candida antarctica
      lipase B in tert-amyl-alcohol. The separation and isolation of acylated
      derivatives were performed using silica gel column chromatography with a mixture
      of dichloromethane/diethyl ether/methanol as eluents. Both thin layer
      chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography analyses confirmed the
      high efficiency of the isolation process with the purified orientin-6"-laurate,
      isoorientin-6"-laurate, vitexin-6"-laurate, and isovitexin-6"-laurate that were
      obtained. The addition of AOB and acylated AOB reduced acrylamide formation in
      fried potato crisps. Results showed that 0.05% AOB and 0.05% and 0.1% acylated
      AOB groups significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the content of acrylamide in potato
      crisps by 30.7%, 44.5%, and 46.9%, respectively. 

PMID- 26098745
TI  - Flavonoids in Microheterogeneous Media, Relationship between Their Relative
      Location and Their Reactivity towards Singlet Oxygen.
AB  - In this work, the relationship between the molecular structure of three
      flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin and morin), their relative location in
      microheterogeneous media (liposomes and erythrocyte membranes) and their
      reactivity against singlet oxygen was studied. The changes observed in membrane
      fluidity induced by the presence of these flavonoids and the influence of their
      lipophilicity/hydrophilicity on the antioxidant activity in lipid membranes were
      evaluated by means of fluorescent probes such as Laurdan and diphenylhexatriene
      (DPH). The small differences observed for the value of generalized polarization
      of Laurdan (GP) curves in function of the concentration of flavonoids, indicate
      that these three compounds promote similar alterations in liposomes and
      erythrocyte membranes. In addition, these compounds do not produce changes in
      fluorescence anisotropy of DPH, discarding their location in deeper regions of
      the lipid bilayer. The determined chemical reactivity sequence is similar in all
      the studied media (kaempferol < quercetin < morin). Morin is approximately 10
      times more reactive than quercetin and 20 to 30 times greater than kaempferol,
      depending on the medium. 

PMID- 26098746
TI  - Exercise rehabilitation following intensive care unit discharge for recovery from
      critical illness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle wasting and weakness are significant complications of
      critical illness, associated with degree of illness severity and periods of
      reduced mobility during mechanical ventilation. They contribute to the profound
      physical and functional deficits observed in survivors. These impairments may
      persist for many years following discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) and
      can markedly influence health-related quality of life. Rehabilitation is a key
      strategy in the recovery of patients after critical illness. Exercise-based
      interventions are aimed at targeting this muscle wasting and weakness. Physical
      rehabilitation delivered during ICU admission has been systematically evaluated
      and shown to be beneficial. However, its effectiveness when initiated after ICU
      discharge has yet to be established. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of
      exercise rehabilitation programmes, initiated after ICU discharge, for functional
      exercise capacity and health-related quality of life in adult ICU survivors who
      have been mechanically ventilated longer than 24 hours. SEARCH METHODS: We
      searched the following databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled
      Trials (CENTRAL), Ovid SP MEDLINE, Ovid SP EMBASE and the Cumulative Index to
      Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) via EBSCO host to 15 May 2014. We
      used a specific search strategy for each database. This included synonyms for ICU
      and critical illness, exercise training and rehabilitation. We searched the
      reference lists of included studies and contacted primary authors to obtain
      further information regarding potentially eligible studies. We also searched
      major clinical trials registries (Clinical Trials and Current Controlled Trials)
      and the personal libraries of the review authors. We applied no language or
      publication restriction. We reran the search in February 2015 and will deal with
      the three studies of interest when we update the review. SELECTION CRITERIA: We
      included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-RCTs and controlled clinical
      trials (CCTs) that compared an exercise intervention initiated after ICU
      discharge versus any other intervention or a control or 'usual care' programme in
      adult (>= 18 years) survivors of critical illness. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:
      We used standard methodological procedures as expected by the Cochrane
      Collaboration. MAIN RESULTS: We included six trials (483 adult ICU participants).
      Exercise-based interventions were delivered on the ward in two studies; both on
      the ward and in the community in one study; and in the community in three
      studies. The duration of the intervention varied according to length of hospital
      stay following ICU discharge (up to a fixed duration of 12 weeks).Risk of bias
      was variable for all domains across all trials. High risk of bias was evident in
      all studies for performance bias, although blinding of participants and personnel
      in therapeutic rehabilitation trials can be pragmatically challenging. For other
      domains, at least half of the studies were at low risk of bias. One study was at
      high risk of selection bias, attrition bias and other sources of bias. Risk of
      bias was unclear for the remaining studies across domains. We decided not to
      undertake a meta-analysis because of variation in study design, types of
      interventions and outcome measurements. We present a narrative description of
      individual studies for each outcome.All six studies assessed functional exercise
      capacity, although we noted wide variability in the nature of interventions,
      outcome measures and associated metrics and data reporting. Overall quality of
      the evidence was very low. Individually, three studies reported positive results
      in favour of the intervention. One study found a small short-term benefit in
      anaerobic threshold (mean difference (MD) 1.8 mL O2/kg/min, 95% confidence
      interval (CI) 0.4 to 3.2; P value = 0.02). In a second study, both incremental
      (MD 4.7, 95% CI 1.69 to 7.75 watts; P value = 0.003) and endurance (MD 4.12, 95%
      CI 0.68 to 7.56 minutes; P value = 0.021) exercise testing results were improved
      with intervention. Finally self reported physical function increased
      significantly following use of a rehabilitation manual (P value = 0.006).
      Remaining studies found no effect of the intervention.Similar variability was
      evident with regard to findings for the primary outcome of health-related quality
      of life. Only two studies evaluated this outcome. Individually, neither study
      reported differences between intervention and control groups for health-related
      quality of life due to the intervention. Overall quality of the evidence was very
      low.Four studies reported rates of withdrawal, which ranged from 0% to 26.5% in
      control groups, and from 8.2% to 27.6% in intervention groups. The quality of
      evidence for the effect of the intervention on withdrawal was low. Very low
      quality evidence showed rates of adherence with the intervention. Mortality
      ranging from 0% to 18.8% was reported by all studies. The quality of evidence for
      the effect of the intervention on mortality was low. Loss to follow-up, as
      reported in all studies, ranged from 0% to 14% in control groups, and from 0% to
      12.5% in intervention groups, with low quality of evidence. Only one non
      mortality adverse event was reported across all participants in all studies (a
      minor musculoskeletal injury), and the quality of the evidence was low. AUTHORS'
      CONCLUSIONS: At this time, we are unable to determine an overall effect on
      functional exercise capacity, or on health-related quality of life, of an
      exercise-based intervention initiated after ICU discharge for survivors of
      critical illness. Meta-analysis of findings was not appropriate because the
      number of studies and the quantity of data were insufficient. Individual study
      findings were inconsistent. Some studies reported a beneficial effect of the
      intervention on functional exercise capacity, and others did not. No effect on
      health-related quality of life was reported. Methodological rigour was lacking
      across several domains, influencing the quality of the evidence. Wide variability
      was noted in the characteristics of interventions, outcome measures and
      associated metrics and data reporting.If further trials are identified, we may be
      able to determine the effects of exercise-based intervention following ICU
      discharge on functional exercise capacity and health-related quality of life
      among survivors of critical illness.

PMID- 26098747
TI  - Associations between Dietary Antioxidant Intake and Metabolic Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between
      dietary antioxidant intake (carotenoid, vitamin C, E and selenium) intake and
      metabolic syndrome (MS). METHOD: This cross-sectional study included 2069
      subjects undergoing a regular health checkup. Biochemical test results and data
      on dietary intakes were collected for analysis. Adjustment for energy intake and
      multi-variable logistic regression were performed to determine adjusted odds
      ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for the
      relationship between dietary antioxidants intake and MS. The lowest quartile of
      antioxidant intake was regarded as the reference category. RESULT: Dietary
      vitamin C intake (P values for trend were 0.02 in energy adjusted analysis and
      0.08 in multivariable adjusted analysis) had a negative association with MS, as
      did selenium intake in the second quartile (energy adjusted OR: 0.60, 95%CI: 0.43
      to 0.85; multivariable adjusted OR: 0.60, 95%CI: 0.43 to 0.86). However, there
      was no significant relationship between dietary carotenoid and vitamin E intake
      and MS. CONCLUSION: Subjects with low intake of vitamin C might be predisposed to
      development of MS, while dietary selenium intake had a moderate negative
      association with MS. Dietary carotenoid and vitamin E intake was not associated
      with MS.

PMID- 26098749
TI  - Profiling of Oncogenic Driver Events in Lung Adenocarcinoma Revealed MET Mutation
      as Independent Prognostic Factor.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oncogenic driver mutations activating receptor tyrosine kinase
      pathways are promising predictive markers for targeted treatment. We investigated
      the mutation profile of an updated driver events list on receptor tyrosine
      kinase/RAS/PI3K axis and the clinicopathologic implications in a cohort of never
      smoker predominated Chinese lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We tested 154 lung
      adenocarcinomas and adenosquamous carcinomas for EGFR, KRAS, HER2, BRAF, PIK3CA,
      MET, NRAS, MAP2K1, and RIT1 mutations by polymerase chain reaction-direct
      sequencing. MET amplification and ALK and ROS1 translocations were assessed by
      fluorescent in situ hybridizations. MET and thyroid transcription factor-1
      protein expressions were investigated by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Seventy
      percent of lung adenocarcinomas carried actionable driver events. Alterations on
      EGFR (43%), KRAS (11.4%), ALK (6%), and MET (5.4%) were frequently found. ROS1
      translocation and mutations involving BRAF, HER2, NRAS, and PIK3CA were also
      detected. No mutation was observed in RIT1 and MAP2K1. Patients with EGFR
      mutations had a favorable prognosis, whereas those with MET mutations had poorer
      overall survival. Multivariate analysis further demonstrated that MET mutation
      was an independent prognostic factor. Although MET protein expression was
      detected in 65% of lung adenocarcinoma, only 10% of the MET-immunohistochemistry
      positive tumors harbor MET DNA alterations that drove protein overexpression.
      Appropriate predictive biomarker is essential for selecting patients who might
      benefit from specific targeted therapy. CONCLUSION: Actionable driver events can
      be detected in two thirds of lung adenocarcinoma. MET DNA alterations define a
      subset of patients with aggressive diseases that might potentially benefit from
      anti-MET targeted therapy. High negative predictive values of thyroid
      transcription factor-1 and MET expression suggest potential roles as surrogate
      markers for EGFR and/or MET mutations.

PMID- 26098751
TI  - Single molecule magnet behaviour in a {Dy4P2} octahedron.
AB  - Two new tetrametallic lanthanide-phosphonate complexes have been structurally and
      magnetically characterised. The {Dy4} complex is a single molecule magnet. 

PMID- 26098750
TI  - Retrorectal multilocular cyst in a adult female. Case report and review of
      literature.
AB  - Tumors occurring in the retrorectal space are heterogeneous and uncommon.
      Multiple embryologie remnants derived from a variety of tissues are found in this
      space and this explains the heterogeneous pathology of cysts and tumors that
      arise in retrorectal space. Presacral cysts are rare in adults. Most of the
      lesions are benign. The cysts may be unilocular or multilocular. They are often
      asymptomatic. These tumors pose a diagnostic and therapeutic interest. Presacral
      epidermoid cysts are classified as a type of developmental cysts. We report the
      case of a 57-year-old woman who presented with a painless mass posterior of the
      anus. Imaging studies showed a multilocular cyst (65 * 100 * 60 mm) in the
      retrorectal space. The patient underwent surgery via a posterior approach.
      Histological study revealed a epidermoid cyst. A review of literature of this
      rare tumor is performed.

PMID- 26098748
TI  - Safety and Efficacy of Buparlisib (BKM120) in Patients with PI3K Pathway
      Activated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Results from the Phase II BASALT-1 Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway promotes tumor
      growth and treatment resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of
      the open-label, two-stage, Phase II study BASALT-1 (NCT01820325) was to
      investigate the pan-PI3K inhibitor buparlisib (BKM120) in patients with PI3K
      pathway-activated, relapsed NSCLC. METHODS: After prescreening for PI3K pathway
      activation, patients with PI3K pathway-activated, metastatic, squamous or
      nonsquamous NSCLC, who had relapsed after prior systemic antineoplastic therapy,
      were enrolled. In Stage 1, patients received single-agent buparlisib (100
      mg/day). A futility analysis was performed independently in each histology group,
      based on the 12-week progression-free survival rate for the first 30 patients
      treated in each group being less than 50%. Exploratory biomarker analyses were
      performed in archival tissue samples and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). RESULTS:
      Of 1242 prescreened patients, 13.5% exhibited PI3K pathway activation. As of June
      5, 2014, 63 patients (30 squamous and 33 nonsquamous) were treated in Stage 1.
      The 12-week progression-free survival rates were 23.3% (95% confidence interval:
      9.9-42.3) and 20.0% (95% confidence interval: 7.7-38.6) in the squamous and
      nonsquamous groups, respectively. Stage 2 was therefore not initiated in either
      group. PI3K pathway mutations in ctDNA were more concordant with metastatic
      tissue than with primary biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: Despite preselecting patients for
      targeted treatment, BASALT-1 did not meet its primary objective during Stage 1.
      PI3K pathway activation can be detected using ctDNA, but may not be the main
      oncogenic driver in NSCLC. Combinations of PI3K inhibitors with other agents may
      demonstrate greater efficacy than monotherapy.

PMID- 26098752
TI  - Brute-Force Hyperpolarization for NMR and MRI.
AB  - Hyperpolarization (HP) of nuclear spins is critical for ultrasensitive nuclear
      magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We demonstrate an
      approach for >1500-fold enhancement of key small-molecule metabolites: 1-(13)C
      pyruvic acid, 1-(13)C-sodium lactate, and 1-(13)C-acetic acid. The (13)C solution
      NMR signal of pyruvic acid was enhanced 1600-fold at B = 1 T and 40  degrees C by
      pre-polarizing at 14 T and ~2.3 K. This "brute-force" approach uses only field
      and temperature to generate HP. The noted 1 T observation field is appropriate
      for benchtop NMR and near the typical 1.5 T of MRI, whereas high-field
      observation scales enhancement as 1/B. Our brute-force process ejects the frozen,
      solid sample from the low-T, high-B polarizer, passing it through low field (B <
      100 G) to facilitate "thermal mixing". That equilibrates (1)H and (13)C in
      hundreds of milliseconds, providing (13)C HP from (1)H Boltzmann polarization
      attained at high B/T. The ejected sample arrives at a room-temperature, permanent
      magnet array, where rapid dissolution with 40  degrees C water yields HP solute.
      Transfer to a 1 T NMR system yields (13)C signals with enhancements at 80% of
      ideal for noted polarizing conditions. High-resolution NMR of the same product at
      9.4 T had consistent enhancement plus resolution of (13)C shifts and J-couplings
      for pyruvic acid and its hydrate. Comparable HP was achieved with frozen aqueous
      lactate, plus notable enhancement of acetic acid, demonstrating broader
      applicability for small-molecule NMR and metabolic MRI. Brute-force avoids co
      solvated free-radicals and microwaves that are essential to competing methods.
      Here, unadulterated samples obviate concerns about downstream purity and also
      exhibit slow solid-state spin relaxation, favorable for transporting HP samples. 

PMID- 26098753
TI  - High-Performance Zn-TiC-C Nanocomposite Alloy Anode with Exceptional Cycle Life
      for Lithium-Ion Batteries.
AB  - A Zn-based nanocomposite has been prepared through a facile, low-cost high-energy
      mechanochemical process and employed as an anode material for lithium-ion
      batteries. Structural characterization reveals that the micrometer-sized Zn-TiC-C
      nanocomposite is composed of Zn nanocrystals uniformly dispersed in a
      multifunctional TiC and conductive carbon matrix with a tap density of 1.3 g cm(
      3). The Zn-TiC-C nanocomposite exhibits high reversible volumetric capacity (468
      mA h cm(-3)), excellent cyclability over 800 cycles (79.2% retention), and good
      rate performance up to 12.5C (75% of its capacity at 0.25C rate). The enhanced
      electrochemical performance is mainly due to the presence of the well-mixed TiC+C
      matrix that plays an important role in providing high conductivity as well as
      mechanical buffer that mitigates the huge volume expansion and contraction during
      prolonged cycling. In addition, it prevents the particle growth by uniformly
      dispersing nanosized Zn within itself during cycling, maintaining high
      utilization (~100%) and fast reaction kinetics of Zn anode.

PMID- 26098754
TI  - Influence of carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum on the growth hormone-insulin-like
      growth factor I axis in mid- and late-pregnancy rats.
AB  - AIM: We investigated the influence of carbon dioxide (CO2) pneumoperitoneum on
      the growth hormone(GH)-insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) axis in mid- and late
      pregnancy Sprague-Dawley rats. METHODS: A total of 48 mid-pregnancy rats were
      randomly assigned to one of three groups: anesthesia only (control group); 1-h
      CO2 pneumoperitoneum; or 2-h CO2 pneumoperitoneum. Blood samples were collected
      immediately after the procedure or in late pregnancy. Maternal concentration of
      serum GH and IGF-I was measured on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and compared
      between different groups. RESULTS: Under the same CO2 pneumoperitoneum pressure,
      serum GH and IGF-I concentration in the 2-h pneumoperitoneum group were
      significantly lower than those of the 1-h pneumoperitoneum group or the control
      group in both mid- and late pregnancy (P < 0.05), but there was no significant
      difference between the 1-h pneumoperitoneum group and the control group (P >
      0.05). Serum GH and IGF-I concentrations were positively correlated in pregnant
      rats (R(2) = 0.3434, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Under the same CO2 pneumoperitoneum
      pressure, exposure duration was correlated with effect on maternal GH-IGF-I axis
      in mid- and late-pregnancy rats. Two h of exposure inhibited the GH-IGF-I axis in
      both mid- and late pregnancy, and therefore may restrict development of the
      placenta and fetus.

PMID- 26098756
TI  - A Difference in Fatty Acid Composition of Isocaloric High-Fat Diets Alters
      Metabolic Flexibility in Male C57BL/6JOlaHsd Mice.
AB  - Poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are considered to be healthier than
      saturated fatty acids (SFAs), but others postulate that especially the ratio of
      omega-6 to omega-3 PUFAs (n6/n3 ratio) determines health. Health can be
      determined with biomarkers, but functional health status is likely better
      reflected by challenge tests that assess metabolic flexibility. The aim of this
      study was to determine the effect of high-fat diets with different fatty acid
      compositions, but similar n6/n3 ratio, on metabolic flexibility. Therefore, adult
      male mice received isocaloric high-fat diets with either predominantly PUFAs
      (HFpu diet) or predominantly SFAs (HFs diet) but similar n6/n3 ratio for six
      months, during and after which several biomarkers for health were measured.
      Metabolic flexibility was assessed by the response to an oral glucose tolerance
      test, a fasting and re-feeding test and an oxygen restriction test (OxR;
      normobaric hypoxia). The latter two are non-invasive, indirect calorimetry-based
      tests that measure the adaptive capacity of the body as a whole. We found that
      the HFs diet, compared to the HFpu diet, increased mean adipocyte size, liver
      damage, and ectopic lipid storage in liver and muscle; although, we did not find
      differences in body weight, total adiposity, adipose tissue health, serum
      adipokines, whole body energy balance, or circadian rhythm between HFs and HFpu
      mice. HFs mice were, furthermore, less flexible in their response to both fasting
      re-feeding and OxR, while glucose tolerance was indistinguishable. To conclude,
      the HFs versus the HFpu diet increased ectopic fat storage, liver damage, and
      mean adipocyte size and reduced metabolic flexibility in male mice. This study
      underscores the physiological relevance of indirect calorimetry-based challenge
      tests. 

PMID- 26098757
TI  - Pathway-specific reorganization of projection neurons in somatosensory cortex
      during learning.
AB  - In the mammalian brain, sensory cortices exhibit plasticity during task learning,
      but how this alters information transferred between connected cortical areas
      remains unknown. We found that divergent subpopulations of cortico-cortical
      neurons in mouse whisker primary somatosensory cortex (S1) undergo functional
      changes reflecting learned behavior. We chronically imaged activity of S1 neurons
      projecting to secondary somatosensory (S2) or primary motor (M1) cortex in mice
      learning a texture discrimination task. Mice adopted an active whisking strategy
      that enhanced texture-related whisker kinematics, correlating with task
      performance. M1-projecting neurons reliably encoded basic kinematics features,
      and an additional subset of touch-related neurons was recruited that persisted
      past training. The number of S2-projecting touch neurons remained constant, but
      improved their discrimination of trial types through reorganization while
      developing activity patterns capable of discriminating the animal's decision. We
      propose that learning-related changes in S1 enhance sensory representations in a
      pathway-specific manner, providing downstream areas with task-relevant
      information for behavior. 

PMID- 26098759
TI  - Solvent-like ligand-coated ultrasmall cadmium selenide nanocrystals: strong
      electronic coupling in a self-organized assembly.
AB  - Strong inter-nanocrystal electronic coupling is a prerequisite for delocalization
      of exciton wave functions and high conductivity. We report 170 meV electronic
      coupling energy of short chain poly(ethylene glycol) thiolate-coated ultrasmall
      (<2.5 nm in diameter) CdSe semiconductor nanocrystals (SNCs) in solution. Cryo
      transmission electron microscopy analysis showed the formation of a pearl
      necklace assembly of nanocrystals in solution with regular inter-nanocrystal
      spacing. The electronic coupling was studied as a function of CdSe nanocrystal
      size where the smallest nanocrystals exhibited the largest coupling energy. The
      electronic coupling in spin-cast thin-film (<200 nm in thickness) of
      poly(ethylene glycol) thiolate-coated CdSe SNCs was studied as a function of
      annealing temperature, where an unprecedentedly large, ~400 meV coupling energy
      was observed for 1.6 nm diameter SNCs, which were coated with a thin layer of
      poly(ethylene glycol) thiolates. Small-angle X-ray scattering measurements showed
      that CdSe SNCs maintained an order array inside the films. The strong electronic
      coupling of SNCs in a self-organized film could facilitate the large-scale
      production of highly efficient electronic materials for advanced optoelectronic
      device application. 

PMID- 26098755
TI  - Clinical and Radiologic Disease in Smokers With Normal Spirometry.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Airflow obstruction on spirometry is universally used to define
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and current or former smokers
      without airflow obstruction may assume that they are disease free. OBJECTIVE: To
      identify clinical and radiologic evidence of smoking-related disease in a cohort
      of current and former smokers who did not meet spirometric criteria for COPD, for
      whom we adopted the discarded label of Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung
      Disease (GOLD) 0. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Individuals from the Genetic
      Epidemiology of COPD (COPDGene) cross-sectional observational study completed
      spirometry, chest computed tomography (CT) scans, a 6-minute walk, and
      questionnaires. Participants were recruited from local communities at 21 sites
      across the United States. The GOLD 0 group (n = 4388) (ratio of forced expiratory
      volume in the first second of expiration [FEV1] to forced vital capacity >0.7 and
      FEV1 >=80% predicted) from the COPDGene study was compared with a GOLD 1 group (n
      = 794), COPD groups (n = 3690), and a group of never smokers (n = 108).
      Recruitment began in January 2008 and ended in July 2011. MAIN OUTCOMES AND
      MEASURES: Physical function impairments, respiratory symptoms, CT abnormalities,
      use of respiratory medications, and reduced respiratory-specific quality of life.
      RESULTS: One or more respiratory-related impairments were found in 54.1% (2375 of
      4388) of the GOLD 0 group. The GOLD 0 group had worse quality of life (mean [SD]
      St George's Respiratory Questionnaire total score, 17.0 [18.0] vs 3.8 [6.8] for
      the never smokers; P < .001) and a lower 6-minute walk distance, and 42.3% (127
      of 300) of the GOLD 0 group had CT evidence of emphysema or airway thickening.
      The FEV1 percent predicted distribution and mean for the GOLD 0 group were lower
      but still within the normal range for the population. Current smoking was
      associated with more respiratory symptoms, but former smokers had greater
      emphysema and gas trapping. Advancing age was associated with smoking cessation
      and with more CT findings of disease. Individuals with respiratory impairments
      were more likely to use respiratory medications, and the use of these medications
      was associated with worse disease. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Lung disease and
      impairments were common in smokers without spirometric COPD. Based on these
      results, we project that there are 35 million current and former smokers older
      than 55 years in the United States who may have unrecognized disease or
      impairment. The effect of chronic smoking on the lungs and the individual is
      substantially underestimated when using spirometry alone.

PMID- 26098758
TI  - Subtype-specific plasticity of inhibitory circuits in motor cortex during motor
      learning.
AB  - Motor skill learning induces long-lasting reorganization of dendritic spines,
      principal sites of excitatory synapses, in the motor cortex. However, mechanisms
      that regulate these excitatory synaptic changes remain poorly understood. Here,
      using in vivo two-photon imaging in awake mice, we found that learning-induced
      spine reorganization of layer (L) 2/3 excitatory neurons occurs in the distal
      branches of their apical dendrites in L1 but not in the perisomatic dendrites.
      This compartment-specific spine reorganization coincided with subtype-specific
      plasticity of local inhibitory circuits. Somatostatin-expressing inhibitory
      neurons (SOM-INs), which mainly inhibit distal dendrites of excitatory neurons,
      showed a decrease in axonal boutons immediately after the training began, whereas
      parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory neurons (PV-INs), which mainly inhibit
      perisomatic regions of excitatory neurons, exhibited a gradual increase in axonal
      boutons during training. Optogenetic enhancement and suppression of SOM-IN
      activity during training destabilized and hyperstabilized spines, respectively,
      and both manipulations impaired the learning of stereotyped movements. Our
      results identify SOM inhibition of distal dendrites as a key regulator of
      learning-related changes in excitatory synapses and the acquisition of motor
      skills. 

PMID- 26098760
TI  - Evolution of the tRNALeu (UAA) Intron and Congruence of Genetic Markers in Lichen
      Symbiotic Nostoc.
AB  - The group I intron interrupting the tRNALeu UAA gene (trnL) is present in most
      cyanobacterial genomes as well as in the plastids of many eukaryotic algae and
      all green plants. In lichen symbiotic Nostoc, the P6b stem-loop of trnL intron
      always involves one of two different repeat motifs, either Class I or Class II,
      both with unresolved evolutionary histories. Here we attempt to resolve the
      complex evolution of the two different trnL P6b region types. Our analysis
      indicates that the Class II repeat motif most likely appeared first and that
      independent and unidirectional shifts to the Class I motif have since taken place
      repeatedly. In addition, we compare our results with those obtained with other
      genetic markers and find strong evidence of recombination in the 16S rRNA gene, a
      marker widely used in phylogenetic studies on Bacteria. The congruence of the
      different genetic markers is successfully evaluated with the recently published
      software Saguaro, which has not previously been utilized in comparable studies. 

PMID- 26098761
TI  - Spatial Change of Cruciate Ligaments in Rat Embryo Knee Joint by Three
      Dimensional Reconstruction.
AB  - This study aimed to analyze the spatial developmental changes of rat cruciate
      ligaments by three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction using episcopic fluorescence
      image capture (EFIC). Cruciate ligaments of Wister rat embryos between embryonic
      day (E) 16 and E20 were analyzed. Samples were sectioned and visualized using
      EFIC. 3D reconstructions were generated using Amira software. The length of the
      cruciate ligaments, distances between attachment points to femur and tibia,
      angles of the cruciate ligaments and the cross angle of the cruciate ligaments
      were measured. The shape of cruciate ligaments was clearly visible at E17. The
      lengths of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament
      (PCL) increased gradually from E17 to E19 and drastically at E20. Distances
      between attachment points to the femur and tibia gradually increased. The ACL
      angle and PCL angle gradually decreased. The cross angle of the cruciate
      ligaments changed in three planes. The primordium of the 3D structure of rat
      cruciate ligaments was constructed from the early stage, with the completion of
      the development of the structures occurring just before birth. 

PMID- 26098762
TI  - AMP-Activated Kinase Regulates Lipid Droplet Localization and Stability of
      Adipose Triglyceride Lipase in C. elegans Dauer Larvae.
AB  - Animals have developed diverse mechanisms to adapt to their changing environment.
      Like many organisms the free-living nematode C. elegans can alternate between a
      reproductive mode or a diapause-like "dauer" stage during larval development to
      circumvent harsh environmental conditions. The master metabolic regulator AMP
      activated protein kinase (AMPK) is critical for survival during the dauer stage,
      where it phosphorylates adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL-1) at multiple sites to
      block lipid hydrolysis and ultimately protect the cellular triglyceride-based
      energy depot from rapid depletion. However, how the AMPK-mediated phosphorylation
      affects the function of ATGL-1 has not been characterised at the molecular level.
      Here we show that AMPK phosphorylation leads to the generation of 14-3-3 binding
      sites on ATGL-1, which are recognized by the C. elegans 14-3-3 protein orthologue
      PAR-5. Physical interaction of ATGL-1 with PAR-5 results in sequestration of ATGL
      1 away from the lipid droplets and eventual proteasome-mediated degradation. In
      addition, we also show that the major AMPK phosphorylation site on ATGL-1, Ser
      303, is required for both modification of its lipid droplet localization and its
      degradation. Our data provide mechanistic insight as to how AMPK functions to
      enhance survival through its ability to protect the accumulated triglyceride
      deposits from rapid hydrolysis to preserve the energy stores during periods of
      extended environmental duress. 

PMID- 26098763
TI  - Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) -308G>A, Nitric Oxide Synthase 3 (NOS3) +894G>T
      Polymorphisms and Migraine Risk: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Conflicting data have been reported on the association
      between tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -308G>A and nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3)
      +894G>T polymorphisms and migraine. We performed a meta-analysis of case-control
      studies to evaluate whether the TNF -308G>A and NOS3 +894G>T polymorphisms confer
      genetic susceptibility to migraine. METHOD: We performed an updated meta-analysis
      for TNF -308G>A and a meta-analysis for NOS3 +894G>T based on studies published
      up to July 2014. We calculated study specific odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence
      intervals (95% CI) assuming allele contrast, dominant model, recessive model, and
      co-dominant model as pooled effect estimates. RESULTS: Eleven studies in 6682
      migraineurs and 22591 controls for TNF -308G>A and six studies in 1055
      migraineurs and 877 controls for NOS3 +894G>T were included in the analysis.
      Neither indicated overall associations between gene polymorphisms and migraine
      risk. Subgroup analyses suggested that the "A" allele of the TNF -308G>A variant
      increases the risk of migraine among non-Caucasians (dominant model: pooled OR =
      1.82; 95% CI 1.15 - 2.87). The risk of migraine with aura (MA) was increased
      among both Caucasians and non-Caucasians. Subgroup analyses suggested that the
      "T" allele of the NOS3 +894G>T variant increases the risk of migraine among non
      Caucasians (co-dominant model: pooled OR = 2.10; 95% CI 1.14 - 3.88).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings appear to support the hypothesis that the TNF -308G>A
      polymorphism may act as a genetic susceptibility factor for migraine among non
      Caucasians and that the NOS3 +894G>T polymorphism may modulate the risk of
      migraine among non-Caucasians.

PMID- 26098764
TI  - Bayesian Estimation of the Active Concentration and Affinity Constants Using
      Surface Plasmon Resonance Technology.
AB  - Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has previously been employed to measure the
      active concentration of analyte in addition to the kinetic rate constants in
      molecular binding reactions. Those approaches, however, have a few restrictions.
      In this work, a Bayesian approach is developed to determine both active
      concentration and affinity constants using SPR technology. With the appropriate
      prior probabilities on the parameters and a derived likelihood function, a Markov
      Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm is applied to compute the posterior
      probability densities of both the active concentration and kinetic rate constants
      based on the collected SPR data. Compared with previous approaches, ours exploits
      information from the duration of the process in its entirety, including both
      association and dissociation phases, under partial mass transport conditions; do
      not depend on calibration data; multiple injections of analyte at varying flow
      rates are not necessary. Finally the method is validated by analyzing both
      simulated and experimental datasets. A software package implementing our approach
      is developed with a user-friendly interface and made freely available. 

PMID- 26098765
TI  - Electronic cigarette: use and perceptions among French military nurses in 2013.
AB  - AIMS: Paramedical personnel are exposed to tobacco smoking. Electronic cigarettes
      (e-cigarettes) may be considered as a lower-risk substitute for cigarettes. The
      aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of e-cigarette use, the motives
      for use and the perceptions among French military nurses. METHODS: A cross
      sectional survey, using self-administered questionnaires, was conducted in 2013
      among 300 students and instructors of the French school of military paramedical
      personnel. Prevalences of e-cigarette use among smokers and nonsmokers were
      compared using logistic regressions adjusted on age and gender. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of smoking was 40% among the 200 responders. E-cigarette current use
      prevalence was 25% (6% daily users), without significant difference according to
      gender and age. Tobacco smokers reported significantly more e-cigarette current
      use (51% vs7%). Motives for e-cigarette use reported by smokers were curiosity
      (48%), intention to reduce tobacco consumption (43%) or to quit smoking (8%).
      Among users of both tobacco and e-cigarettes, 48% reported a significant decrease
      in tobacco consumption following e-cigarette initiation (average decrease of 5-10
      cigarettes smoked per day; p <0.001). Both tobacco smokers and nonsmokers (88%)
      estimated that e-cigarette use was potentially harmful for health, but it was
      perceived as less harmful than tobacco by 46%. CONCLUSIONS: E-cigarette use among
      military nurses follows the trends observed in the general population in terms of
      prevalence and motives. E-cigarettes, which are seen as an attractive alternative
      to cigarettes, may contribute to a reduction in tobacco use among healthcare
      workers.

PMID- 26098766
TI  - Conducting Rapid Street Assessment of Drug Users in New York City Using Oral
      Fluid and Brief Interviews: A Feasibility Study.
AB  - This study piloted the feasibility of rapidly collecting both self-reports of
      drug use and saliva specimens for drug toxicology in field settings. The use of
      oral fluid collection devices to supplement self-reports is unproven in street
      settings and may pose challenges for field research. Sixty adults who identified
      as recent illicit drug users were recruited in public settings in New York City
      and were asked to complete a brief drug screening inventory and provided saliva
      specimens. Descriptive findings are detailed along with critical best research
      practices and limitations that provide important directions for researchers
      looking to employ both toxicology and self-report in rapid field recruitment
      designs. 

PMID- 26098767
TI  - Parenteral nutrition with fish oil supplements is safe and seems to be effective
      in severe preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome.

PMID- 26098768
TI  - Historical review of thymosin alpha 1 in infectious diseases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thymosin alpha 1 (Talpha1) is a peptidic biological response
      modifier, which plays a significant role in activating and regulating various
      cells of the immune system. For the above-mentioned activities it is expected to
      exert a clinical benefit in the treatment of diseases where the immune system is
      altered. AREAS COVERED: Several clinical trials have been carried out with
      Talpha1 for treatment or prevention of many different infectious diseases such as
      hepatitis B and C, sepsis and Aspergillosis in bone marrow-transplanted patients.
      Data available on the use of Talpha1 in infectious disease as well as a vaccine
      enhancer will be reviewed to possibly generate new working hypothesis. EXPERT
      OPINION: Talpha1 has been widely used in thousands of patients. Nevertheless,
      there are some issues that have not yet been properly addressed (i.e., dose,
      schedule, combination treatments, end-points to be evaluated in clinical trials).
      In the most recent clinical trials Talpha1 has been used at higher doses than
      those commonly used in the past showing a direct proportionality between the dose
      and the effect. The safety profile of Talpha1 is excellent and it is virtually
      devoid of toxicity.

PMID- 26098769
TI  - Correlation between Body Composition and Walking Capacity in Severe Obesity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with mobility reduction due to mechanical
      factors and excessive body fat. The six-minute walk test (6MWT) has been used to
      assess functional capacity in severe obesity. OBJECTIVE: To determine the
      association of BMI, total and segmental body composition with distance walked
      (6MWD) during the six-minute walk test (6MWT) according to gender and obesity
      grade. SETTING: University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Brazil; Public Practice.
      METHODS: Functional capacity was assessed by 6MWD and body composition (%) by
      bioelectrical impedance analysis in 90 patients. RESULTS: The mean 6MWD was 514.9
      +/- 50.3 m for both genders. The male group (M: 545.2 +/- 46.9 m) showed a 6MWD
      higher (p = 0.002) than the female group (F: 505.6 +/- 47.9 m). The morbid obese
      group (MO: 524.7 +/- 44.0 m) also showed a 6MWD higher (p = 0.014) than the super
      obese group (SO: 494.2 +/- 57.0 m). There was a positive relationship between
      6MWD and fat free mass (FFM), FFM of upper limps (FFM_UL), trunk (FFM_TR) and
      lower limbs (FFM_LL). Female group presented a positive relationship between 6MWD
      and FFM, FFM_UL and FFM_LL and male group presented a positive relationship
      between 6MWD and FFM_TR. In morbid obese group there was a positive relationship
      between 6MWD with FFM, FFM_UL, FFM_TR and FFM_LL. The super obese group presented
      a positive relationship between 6MWD with FFM, FFM_TR and FFM_LL. CONCLUSIONS:
      Total and segmental FFM is associated with a better walking capacity than BMI.

PMID- 26098770
TI  - Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma and microRNA 98 in Hypoxia
      Induced Endothelin-1 Signaling.
AB  - Endothelin-1 (ET-1) plays a critical role in endothelial dysfunction and
      contributes to the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH). We hypothesized
      that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) stimulates
      microRNAs that inhibit ET-1 and pulmonary artery endothelial cell (PAEC)
      proliferation. The objective of this study was to clarify molecular mechanisms by
      which PPARgamma regulates ET-1 expression in vitro and in vivo. In PAECs isolated
      from patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, microRNA (miR)-98 expression
      was reduced, and ET-1 protein levels and proliferation were increased. Similarly,
      hypoxia reduced miR-98 and increased ET-1 levels and PAEC proliferation in vitro.
      In vivo, hypoxia reduced miR-98 expression and increased ET-1 and proliferating
      cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) levels in mouse lung, derangements that were
      aggravated by treatment with the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor
      antagonist Sugen5416. Reporter assays confirmed that miR-98 binds directly to the
      ET-1 3'-untranslated region. Compared with littermate control mice, miR-98 levels
      were reduced and ET-1 and PCNA expression were increased in lungs from
      endothelial-targeted PPARgamma knockout mice, whereas miR-98 levels were
      increased and ET-1 and PCNA expression was reduced in lungs from endothelial
      targeted PPARgamma-overexpression mice. Gain or loss of PPARgamma function in
      PAECs in vitro confirmed that alterations in PPARgamma were sufficient to
      regulate miR-98, ET-1, and PCNA expression. Finally, PPARgamma activation with
      rosiglitazone regimens that attenuated hypoxia-induced PH in vivo and human PAEC
      proliferation in vitro restored miR-98 levels. The results of this study show
      that PPARgamma regulates miR-98 to modulate ET-1 expression and PAEC
      proliferation. These results further clarify molecular mechanisms by which
      PPARgamma participates in PH pathogenesis and therapy.

PMID- 26098771
TI  - The LPA1/ZEB1/miR-21-activation pathway regulates metastasis in basal breast
      cancer.
AB  - Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive lipid promoting cancer metastasis. LPA
      activates a series of six G protein-coupled receptors (LPA1-6). While blockage of
      LPA1in vivo inhibits breast carcinoma metastasis, down-stream genes mediating LPA
      induced metastasis have not been yet identified. Herein we showed by analyzing
      publicly available expression data from 1488 human primary breast tumors that the
      gene encoding the transcription factor ZEB1 was the most correlated with LPAR1
      encoding LPA1. This correlation was most prominent in basal primary breast
      carcinomas and restricted to cell lines of basal subtypes. Functional experiments
      in three different basal cell lines revealed that LPA-induced ZEB1 expression was
      regulated by the LPA1/Phosphatidylinositol-3-Kinase (Pi3K) axis. DNA microarray
      and real-time PCR analyses further demonstrated that LPA up-regulated the oncomiR
      miR-21 through an LPA1/Pi3K/ZEB1-dependent mechanism. Strikingly, treatment with
      a mirVana miR-21 inhibitor, or silencing LPA1 or ZEB1 completely blocked LPA
      induced cell migration in vitro, invasion and tumor cell bone colonization in
      vivo, which can be restored with a mirVana miR-21 mimic. Finally, high LPAR1
      expression in basal breast tumors predicted worse lung-metastasis-free survival.
      Collectively, our results elucidate a new molecular pathway driving LPA-induced
      metastasis, thus underscoring the therapeutic potential of targeting LPA1 in
      patients with basal breast carcinomas.

PMID- 26098772
TI  - Anti-CSF-1 treatment is effective to prevent carcinoma invasion induced by
      monocyte-derived cells but scarcely by microglia.
AB  - The mononuclear phagocytic system is categorized in three major groups: monocyte
      derived cells (MCs), dendritic cells and resident macrophages. During breast
      cancer progression the colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) can reprogram MCs into
      tumor-promoting macrophages in the primary tumor. However, the effect of CSF-1
      during colonization of the brain parenchyma is largely unknown. Thus, we analyzed
      the outcome of anti-CSF-1 treatment on the resident macrophage population of the
      brain, the microglia, in comparison to MCs, alone and in different in vitro co
      culture models. Our results underline the addiction of MCs to CSF-1 while
      surprisingly, microglia were not affected. Furthermore, in contrast to the brain,
      the bone marrow did not express the alternative ligand, IL-34. Yet treatment with
      IL-34 and co-culture with carcinoma cells partially rescued the anti-CSF-1
      effects on MCs. Further, MC-induced invasion was significantly reduced by anti
      CSF-1 treatment while microglia-induced invasion was reduced to a lower extend.
      Moreover, analysis of lung and breast cancer brain metastasis revealed
      significant differences of CSF-1 and CSF-1R expression. Taken together, our
      findings demonstrate not only differences of anti-CSF-1 treatment on MCs and
      microglia but also in the CSF-1 receptor and ligand expression in brain and bone
      marrow as well as in brain metastasis.

PMID- 26098773
TI  - The c-Jun/RHOB/AKT pathway confers resistance of BRAF-mutant melanoma cells to
      MAPK inhibitors.
AB  - The response of BRAF-mutant melanoma patients to BRAF inhibitors is dramatically
      impaired by secondary resistances and rapid relapse. So far, the molecular
      mechanisms driving these resistances are not completely understood. Here, we show
      that, in BRAF-mutant melanoma cells, inhibition of BRAF or its target MEK induces
      RHOB expression by a mechanism that depends on the transcription factor c-Jun. In
      those cells, RHOB deficiency causes hypersensitivity to BRAF and MEK inhibitors
      induced apoptosis. Supporting these results, loss of RHOB expression in
      metastatic melanoma tissues is associated with an increased progression-free
      survival of BRAF-mutant patients treated with vemurafenib. Following BRAF
      inhibition, RHOB activates AKT whose inhibition causes hypersensitivity of BRAF
      mutant melanoma cells to BRAF inhibitors. In mice, AKT inhibition synergizes with
      vemurafenib to block tumor growth of BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma. Our
      findings reveal that BRAF inhibition activates a c-Jun/RHOB/AKT pathway that
      promotes tumor cell survival and further support a role of this pathway in the
      resistance of melanoma to vemurafenib. Our data also highlight the importance of
      using RHOB tumor levels as a biomarker to predict vemurafenib patient's response
      and to select those that would benefit of the combination with AKT inhibitors. 

PMID- 26098774
TI  - By recruiting HDAC1, MORC2 suppresses p21 Waf1/Cip1 in gastric cancer.
AB  - Microrchidia (MORC) family CW-type zinc-finger 2 (MORC2) regulates chromatin
      remodeling during the DNA-damage response, represses gene transcription, promotes
      lipogenesis. Here, we found that MORC2 down-regulated p21 by recruiting HDAC1 to
      the p21 promoter, in a p53-independent manner. MORC2-mediated down-regulation of
      p21 in turn promoted cell cycle progression in gastric cancer cells. Furthermore,
      MORC2 expression correlated negatively with p21 expression in gastric tumors in
      patients. We suggest that MORC2 may be a potential therapeutic target in cancer.

PMID- 26098775
TI  - Citrus limon-derived nanovesicles inhibit cancer cell proliferation and suppress
      CML xenograft growth by inducing TRAIL-mediated cell death.
AB  - Nanosized vesicles are considered key players in cell to cell communication, thus
      influencing physiological and pathological processes, including cancer.
      Nanovesicles have also been found in edible-plants and have shown therapeutic
      activity in inflammatory bowel diseases; however information on their role in
      affecting cancer progression is missing.Our study identify for the first time a
      fraction of vesicles from lemon juice (Citrus limon L.), obtained as a result of
      different ultracentrifugation, with density ranging from 1,15 to 1,19 g/ml and
      specific proteomic profile. By using an in vitro approach, we show that isolated
      nanovesicles inhibit cancer cell proliferation in different tumor cell lines, by
      activating a TRAIL-mediated apoptotic cell death. Furthermore, we demonstrate
      that lemon nanovesicles suppress CML tumor growth in vivo by specifically
      reaching tumor site and by activating TRAIL-mediated apoptotic cell processes.
      Overall, this study suggests the possible use of plant-edible nanovesicles as a
      feasible approach in cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26098776
TI  - Lymphatic dysfunction attenuates tumor immunity through impaired antigen
      presentation.
AB  - Tumor growth and metastasis of cancer involve autonomous tumor cell growth and
      host-tumor interactions. While tumor-specific immunity has been intensively
      studied in vitro, dynamic roles of lymphatic transport on tumor immunity in vivo
      have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we examined tumor growth and anti
      tumor immune responses using kCYC mice, which demonstrate severe lymphatic
      dysfunction. Primary tumor growth was augmented in kCYC mice (compared to wild
      type mice) when B16 melanoma or EL-4 lymphoma cells were subcutaneously injected.
      Expression of inflammatory cytokines such as IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-2 as
      well as IL-10 expression in draining lymph nodes (LNs) was significantly reduced
      in kCYC mice after tumor inoculation. Moreover, decreased levels of tumor
      associated antigens were detected in draining LNs in kCYC mice, together with
      impaired antigen presentation. CD8+ T cells in draining LNs derived from kCYC
      mice bearing B16 melanoma also showed significantly decreased cytotoxic activity
      in vitro. Finally, tumor suppression activity of CD8+ T cells derived from kCYC
      mice bearing B16 melanoma was reduced when adoptively transferred to naive wild
      type mice. In summary, these findings suggest that lymphatic transport is
      essential in generating optimal tumor-specific immune responses mediated by CD8+
      T cells.

PMID- 26098777
TI  - Ergosterol purified from medicinal mushroom Amauroderma rude inhibits cancer
      growth in vitro and in vivo by up-regulating multiple tumor suppressors.
AB  - We have previously screened thirteen medicinal mushrooms for their potential anti
      cancer activities in eleven different cell lines and found that the extract of
      Amauroderma rude exerted the highest capacity in inducing cancer cell death. The
      current study aimed to purify molecules mediating the anti-cancer cell activity.
      The extract of Amauroderma rude was subject to fractionation, silica gel
      chromatography,and HPLC. We purified a compound and identified it as ergosterol
      by EI-MS and NMR,which was expressed at the highest level in Amauroderma rude
      compared with other medicinal mushrooms tested. We found that ergosterol induced
      cancer cell death,which was time and concentration dependent. In the in vivo
      experiment, normal mice were injected with murine cancer cell line B16 that is
      very aggressive and caused mouse death severely. We found that treatment with
      ergosterol prolonged mouse survival. We found that ergosterol-mediated
      suppression of breast cancer cell viability occurred through apoptosis and that
      ergosterol up-regulated expression of the tumor suppressor Foxo3. In addition,
      the Foxo3 down-stream signaling molecules Fas, FasL,BimL, and BimS were up
      regulated leading to apoptosis in human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231. Our
      results suggest that ergosterol is the main anti-cancer ingredient in Amauroderma
      rude, which activated the apoptotic signal pathway. Ergosterol may serve as a
      potential lead for cancer therapy.

PMID- 26098778
TI  - Liposome encapsulated curcumin-difluorinated (CDF) inhibits the growth of
      cisplatin resistant head and neck cancer stem cells.
AB  - Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer,
      with 600,000 new cases every year worldwide. Although chemotherapeutics exist,
      five-year survival is only 50%. New strategies to overcome drug resistance are
      required to improve HNSCC treatment. Curcumin-difluorinated (CDF), a synthetic
      analog of curcumin, was packaged in liposomes and used to evaluate growth
      inhibition of cisplatin resistant HNSCC cell lines CCL-23R and UM-SCC-1R
      generated from the parental cell lines CCL-23 and UM-SCC-1 respectively. Growth
      inhibition in vitro and expression levels of the CD44 (cancer stem cell marker),
      cytokines, and growth factors were investigated after liposomal CDF treatment.
      The in vivo growth inhibitory effect of liposomal CDF was evaluated in the nude
      mice xenograft tumor model of UM-SCC-1R and the inhibition of CD44 was measured.
      Treatment of the resistant cell lines in vitro with liposomal CDF resulted in a
      statistically significant growth inhibition (p < 0.05). The nude mice xenograft
      study showed a statistically significant tumor growth inhibition of UM-SCC-1R
      cells and a reduction in the expression of CD44 (p < 0.05), indicating an
      inhibitory effect of liposomal CDF on CSCs. Our results demonstrate that delivery
      of CDF through liposomes may be an effective method for the treatment of
      cisplatin resistant HNSCC. 

PMID- 26098780
TI  - C-Peptide Is Independently Associated with an Increased Risk of Coronary Artery
      Disease in T2DM Subjects: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: C-peptide has been reported to be a marker of subclinical
      atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, whereas its role in
      coronary artery disease (CAD) has not been clarified, especially in diabetics
      with differing body mass indices (BMIs). DESIGN AND METHODS: This cross-sectional
      study included 501 patients with T2DM. First, all subjects were divided into the
      following two groups: CAD and non-CAD. Then, binary logistic regression was used
      to determine the risk factors for CAD for all patients. To clarify the role of
      obesity, we re-divided all subjects into two additional groups (obese and non
      obese) based on BMI. Finally, binary logistic regression was used to determine
      the risk factors for CAD for each weight group. RESULTS: The patients with CAD
      showed a higher BMI and fasting C-peptide level in addition to an increased
      prevalence of traditional risk factors for CAD, such as hypertension, insulin
      resistance, higher cholesterol, cysteine-C (Cys-C) and lower estimated glomerular
      filtration rate (eGFR). Logistic regression analysis showed that fasting C
      peptide (OR=1.513, p=0.005), insulin treatment (OR=1.832, p=0.027) hypertension
      (OR=1.987, p=0.016) and hyperlipidemia (OR=4.159, p<0.001) significantly
      increased the risk of clinical CAD in the T2DM patients independent of age,
      gender, diabetes duration, smoking and alcohol statuses, fasting insulin and
      glucose, hypoglycemic episodes, UA and eGFR. Additionally, in both of the obese
      (OR=1.488, p=0.049) and non-obese (OR=1.686, p=0.037) DM groups, C-peptide was
      associated with an increased risk of CAD after multiple adjustments. CONCLUSIONS:
      C-peptide is associated with an increased CAD risk in T2DM patients, no matter
      whether they are obese or not.

PMID- 26098779
TI  - Activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling in the tumor stroma drives endocrine
      therapy-dependent breast tumor regression.
AB  - Improved efficacy of neoadjuvant endocrine-targeting therapies in luminal breast
      carcinomas could be achieved with optimal use of pathway targeting agents. In a
      mouse model of ductal breast carcinoma we identify a tumor regressive stromal
      reaction that is induced by neoadjuvant endocrine therapy. This reparative
      reaction is characterized by tumor neovascularization accompanied by infiltration
      of immune cells and carcinoma-associated fibroblasts that stain for
      phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 (pS6), downstream the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.
      While tumor variants with higher PI3K/Akt/mTOR activity respond well to a
      combination of endocrine and PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors, tumor variants with lower
      PI3K/Akt/mTOR activity respond more poorly to the combination therapy than to the
      endocrine therapy alone, associated with inhibition of stromal pS6 and the
      reparative reaction. In human breast cancer xenografts we confirm that such
      differential sensitivity to therapy is primarily determined by the level of
      PI3K/Akt/mTOR in tumor cells. We further show that the clinical response of
      breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant endocrine therapy is associated
      with the reparative stromal reaction. We conclude that tumor level and
      localization of pS6 are associated with therapeutic response in breast cancer and
      represent biomarkers to distinguish which tumors will benefit from the
      incorporation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors with neoadjuvant endocrine therapy. 

PMID- 26098782
TI  - Adaptive Phase I clinical trial design using Markov models for conditional
      probability of toxicity.
AB  - Many Phase I trials in oncology involve multiple-dose administrations on the same
      patient over multiple cycles, with a typical cycle lasting 3 weeks and having
      about six cycles per patient with a goal to find the maximum tolerated dose (MTD)
      and study the dose-toxicity relationship. A patient's dose is unchanged over the
      cycles and the data are reduced to a binary endpoint and the occurrence of a
      toxicity and analyzed by considering the toxicity either from the first dose or
      from any cycle on the study. In this article, an alternative approach allowing an
      assessment of toxicity from each cycle and dose variations for patient over
      cycles is presented. A Markov model for the conditional probability of toxicity
      on any cycle given no toxicity in previous cycles is formulated as a function of
      the current and previous doses. The extra information from each cycle provides
      more precise estimation of the dose-toxicity relationship. Simulation results
      demonstrating gains in using the Markov model as compared to analyses of a single
      binary outcome are presented. Methods for utilizing the Markov model to conduct a
      Phase I study, including choices for selecting doses for the next cycle for each
      patient, are developed and presented via simulation.

PMID- 26098781
TI  - Impact of Pre-Transplant Anti-T Cell Globulin (ATG) on Immune Recovery after
      Myeloablative Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pre-transplant infusion of rabbit anti-T cell globulin (ATG) is
      increasingly used as prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after
      allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). However, the
      precise impact of pre-transplant ATG on immune recovery after PBSCT is still
      poorly documented. METHODS: In the current study, we compared immune recovery
      after myeloablative PBSCT in 65 patients who either received (n = 37) or did not
      (n = 28) pre-transplant ATG-Fresenius (ATG-F). Detailed phenotypes of circulating
      T, B, natural killer (NK) and invariant NKT (iNKT) cells were analyzed by
      multicolor flow cytometry at serial time-points from day 40 to day 365 after
      transplantation. Thymic function was also assessed by sjTREC quantification.
      Serious infectious events were collected up to 2 years post-transplantation.
      RESULTS: Pre-transplant ATG-F had a prolonged (for at least up to 1-year) and
      selective negative impact on the T-cell pool, while it did not impair the
      recovery of B, NK nor iNKT cells. Among T cells, ATG-F selectively compromised
      the recovery of naive CD4+, central memory CD4+ and naive CD8+ cells, while it
      spared effector memory T and regulatory T cells. Levels of sjTRECs were similar
      in both cohorts at 1-year after PBSCT, suggesting that ATG-F unlikely impaired
      thymopoiesis at long-term after PBSCT. Finally, the incidence and rate of serious
      infections were similar in both groups, while ATG-F patients had a lower
      incidence of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease. CONCLUSIONS: Pre
      transplant ATG-F induces long-lasting modulation of the circulating T-cell pool
      after myeloablative PBSCT, that may participate in preventing graft-versus-host
      disease without deeply compromising anti-pathogen defenses.

PMID- 26098783
TI  - Prevention of Type 1 diabetes through parasite infection.

PMID- 26098784
TI  - Largely Improving the Robustness and Lifetime of Triboelectric Nanogenerators
      through Automatic Transition between Contact and Noncontact Working States.
AB  - Although a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been developed to be an
      efficient approach to harvest mechanical energy, its robustness and lifetime are
      still to be improved through an effective and widely applicable way. Here, we
      show a rational designing methodology for achieving a significant improvement of
      the long-term stability of TENGs through automatic transition between contact and
      noncontact working states. This is realized by structurally creating two opposite
      forces in the moving part of the TENG, in which the pulling-away force is
      controlled by external mechanical motions. In this way, TENGs can work in the
      noncontact state with minimum surface wear and also transit into contact state
      intermittently to maintain high triboelectric charge density. A wind-driven disk
      based TENG and a rotary barrel-based TENG that can realize automatic state
      transition under different wind speeds and rotation speeds, respectively, have
      been demonstrated as two examples, in which their robustness has been largely
      improved through this automatic transition. This methodology will further expand
      the practical application of TENGs for long-time usage and for harvesting
      mechanical energies with fluctuating intensities. 

PMID- 26098785
TI  - Perfluorooctanoic acid-induced toxicity in primary cultures of chicken embryo
      cardiomyocytes.
AB  - Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a widespread environmental contaminant that
      induces developmental cardiotoxicity. It is detectable in late stage chicken
      embryos and hatchling chickens. To investigate mechanism(s) of cardiotoxicity,
      primary cultures of cardiomyocytes were prepared from 10-day-old chicken embryos
      that were (A) pre-exposed to vehicle or 2 mg of PFOA/kg of egg weight in ovo or
      (B) incubated with PFOA in vitro at concentrations ranging from 0 to 100 ug/mL in
      medium for 1 or 36 h. When viability was assessed, survival of cardiomyocytes
      prepared from pre-exposed embryos did not differ from vehicle controls, even
      under conditions of serum starvation designed to challenge the cells. However, 1
      h of exposure to 100 ug/mL of PFOA in vitro and 36 h of exposure to 75 and 100
      ug/mL PFOA in vitro decreased viability. When contractility was evaluated,
      cardiomyocytes cultured from pre-exposed embryos exhibited decreases in time to
      maximum departure velocity and cell length at peak contraction, whereas
      cardiomyocytes exposed in vitro exhibited a reduction in the 50% relaxation time
      at a concentration of 1 ug/mL relative to vehicle controls. Morphological
      assessment revealed decreased cardiomyocytes axial length following in ovo PFOA
      exposure and 24 h in vitro PFOA 50 ug/mL exposure. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      generation, which was evaluated only in cardiomyocytes exposed to PFOA in vitro,
      was significantly elevated following incubation with 50 ug/mL of PFOA for 1 h.
      These data indicate that while in vitro exposure to relatively high
      concentrations of PFOA can induce cytotoxicity and ROS, developmental
      cardiotoxicity observed in ovo is not likely mediated via PFOA-induced overt
      cytotoxicity, but likely by altering early cardiac morphologic and function
      processes. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1580-1590, 2016.

PMID- 26098786
TI  - Correction: Live Birth and Cumulative Live Birth Rates in Expected Poor Ovarian
      Responders Defined by the Bologna Criteria Following IVF/ICSI Treatment.

PMID- 26098787
TI  - Do I have enough to write a paper? Where should I start and end?

PMID- 26098792
TI  - Comparative effects of zinc-nano complexes, zinc-sulphate and zinc-methionine on
      performance in broiler chickens.
AB  - Micronutrients, especially zinc, have an important role in normal metabolism and
      growth of broilers. Using novel technologies helps to synthesise novel zinc
      complexes to deliver this micronutrient more efficiently. In the present study,
      the effects of different zinc complexes and nano complexes on broiler performance
      were compared. Broilers in 6 groups were given basal diet (without zinc) and
      basal diet supplemented with zinc-sulphate, zinc-methionine, zinc-nano-sulphate,
      zinc-nano-methionine and zinc-nano-max (that was synthesised based on
      nanochelating technology) at a concentration of 80 mg/kg of diet. At 1-42 d of
      age, dietary zinc-nano-sulphate supplementation decreased weight gain and feed
      intake. However, feed conversion ratio was not influenced by treatments. Carcass
      yield (%) of birds in the zinc-nano-sulphate and control groups were dramatically
      reduced at 42 d of age and abdominal fat (%) increased in these groups. Relative
      to the control group, the antibody titre, spleen and bursa of Fabricius (%) were
      significantly higher in groups supplemented with zinc. Heterophil (%) was also
      significantly higher in the zinc-nano-methionine group in blood on d 42 compared
      to the control, zinc-sulphate and zinc-nano-sulphate. Compared to the controls,
      the mean malondialdehyde content in thigh tissue was significantly reduced in
      groups supplemented with zinc at the time 0, 50, 100 and 150 min after oxidation.
      Tibia zinc concentration in nanoparticle zinc samples was significantly higher
      relative to the control and zinc-sulphate groups. Taken together, our data
      indicate that delivery of zinc in the structure of zinc-nano-methionine and zinc
      nano-max at concentrations of 80 mg/kg of diet improves growth performance.
      However, dietary zinc-nano-sulphate decreased growth performance in broilers. 

PMID- 26098791
TI  - Interactions between amino acid-defined major histocompatibility complex class II
      variants and smoking in seropositive rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To define the interaction between cigarette smoking and HLA
      polymorphisms in seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in the context of a
      recently identified amino acid-based HLA model for RA susceptibility. METHODS: We
      imputed Immunochip data on HLA amino acids and classical alleles from 3 case
      control studies (the Swedish Epidemiological Investigation of Rheumatoid
      Arthritis [EIRA] study [1,654 cases and 1,934 controls], the Nurses' Health Study
      [NHS] [229 cases and 360 controls], and the Korean RA Cohort Study [1,390 cases
      and 735 controls]). We examined the interaction effects of heavy smoking (>10
      pack-years) and the genetic risk score (GRS) of multiple RA-associated amino acid
      positions (positions 11, 13, 71, and 74 in HLA-DRbeta1, position 9 in HLA-B, and
      position 9 in HLA-DPbeta1), as well as the interaction effects of heavy smoking
      and the GRS of HLA-DRbeta1 4-amino acid haplotypes (assessed via attributable
      proportion due to interaction [AP] using the additive interaction model).
      RESULTS: Heavy smoking and all investigated HLA amino acid positions and
      haplotypes were associated with RA susceptibility in the 3 populations. In the
      interaction analysis, we found a significant deviation from the expected additive
      joint effect between heavy smoking and the HLA-DRbeta1 4-amino acid haplotype (AP
      0.416, 0.467, and 0.796, in the EIRA, NHS, and Korean studies, respectively). We
      further identified the key interacting variants as being located at HLA-DRbeta1
      amino acid positions 11 and 13 but not at any of the other RA risk-associated
      amino acid positions. For residues in positions 11 and 13, there were similar
      patterns between RA risk effects and interaction effects. CONCLUSION: Our
      findings of significant gene-environment interaction effects indicate that a
      physical interaction between citrullinated autoantigens produced by smoking and
      HLA-DR molecules is characterized by the HLA-DRbeta1 4-amino acid haplotype,
      primarily by positions 11 and 13.

PMID- 26098794
TI  - Assessment of Work-Life Balance of Resident Physicians.

PMID- 26098793
TI  - Improved cognitive content endures for 2 years among unstable responders to acute
      phase cognitive therapy for recurrent major depressive disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cognitive model of depression suggests that cognitive therapy
      (CT) improves major depressive disorder (MDD) in part by changing depressive
      cognitive content (e.g. dysfunctional attitudes, hopelessness). The current
      analyses clarified: (1) the durability of improvements in cognitive content made
      by acute-phase CT responders; (2) whether continuation-phase CT (C-CT) or
      fluoxetine (FLX) further improves cognitive content; and (3) the extent to which
      cognitive content mediates continuation treatments' effects on depressive
      symptoms and major depressive relapse/recurrence. METHOD: Out-patients with
      recurrent MDD who responded to acute-phase CT (n = 241) were randomized to 8
      months of C-CT, FLX or pill placebo (PBO) and followed for an 24 additional
      months. Cognitive content was assessed approximately every 4 months using five
      standard patient-report measures. RESULTS: Large improvements in cognitive
      content made during acute-phase CT were maintained for 32 months, with 78-90% of
      patients scoring in normal ranges, on average. Cognitive content varied little
      between C-CT, FLX and PBO arms, overall. Small, transient improvements in
      cognitive content in C-CT or FLX compared with PBO patients did not clearly
      mediate the treatments' effects on depressive symptoms or on major depressive
      relapse/recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Outpatients with recurrent MDD who respond to
      acute-phase CT show durable improvements in cognitive content. C-CT or FLX may
      not continue to improve patient-reported cognitive content substantively, and
      thus may treat recurrent MDD by other paths.

PMID- 26098796
TI  - The Millennium Development Goals and the social commitment of Nursing research.

PMID- 26098797
TI  - [Association between the functional capacity of dependent elderly people and the
      burden of family caregivers].
AB  - The aim of this study was to characterize dependent elderly people and their main
      family caregivers and the association between functional capacity of the elderly
      and the burden of caregivers. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 112
      elderly people and caregivers connected to a primary care service in Porto
      Alegre, Brazil. The applied instruments related to care and socioeconomic
      variables were Physical and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (PADL and
      IADL) and the Burden Interview. The Spearman correlation coefficient was also
      used. Average age of the elderly individuals in this study was 81.41 years, while
      the average score for PADL was 10.36 and 6.25 for IADL. Of the 112 elderly
      individuals, 71.4% had severe dependence. Among caregivers, 75% were women, 61.6%
      were the sons or daughters with an average age of 57.98 and an average burden of
      29.53, which is equivalent to moderate burden. Results revealed a significant
      correlation between functional capacity of the elderly and caregiver burden. It
      was verified that the higher the dependence of elderly people, the greater the
      burden of caregivers. 

PMID- 26098795
TI  - Huntingtin N-Terminal Monomeric and Multimeric Structures Destabilized by
      Covalent Modification of Heteroatomic Residues.
AB  - Early stage oligomer formation of the huntingtin protein may be driven by self
      association of the 17-residue amphipathic alpha-helix at the protein's N-terminus
      (Nt17). Oligomeric structures have been implicated in neuronal toxicity and may
      represent important neurotoxic species in Huntington's disease. Therefore, a
      residue-specific structural characterization of Nt17 is crucial to understanding
      and potentially inhibiting oligomer formation. Native electrospray ion mobility
      spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) techniques and molecular dynamics
      simulations (MDS) have been applied to study coexisting monomer and multimer
      conformations of Nt17, independent of the remainder of huntingtin exon 1. MDS
      suggests gas-phase monomer ion structures comprise a helix-turn-coil
      configuration and a helix-extended-coil region. Elongated dimer species comprise
      partially helical monomers arranged in an antiparallel geometry. This stacked
      helical bundle may represent the earliest stages of Nt17-driven oligomer
      formation. Nt17 monomers and multimers have been further probed using
      diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC). An N-terminal site (N-terminus of Threonine-3) and
      Lysine-6 are modified at higher DEPC concentrations, which led to the formation
      of an intermediate monomer structure. These modifications resulted in decreased
      extended monomer ion conformers, as well as a reduction in multimer formation.
      From the MDS experiments for the dimer ions, Lys6 residues in both monomer
      constituents interact with Ser16 and Glu12 residues on adjacent peptides;
      therefore, the decrease in multimer formation could result from disruption of
      these or similar interactions. This work provides a structurally selective model
      from which to study Nt17 self-association and provides critical insight toward
      Nt17 multimerization and, possibly, the early stages of huntingtin exon 1
      aggregation. 

PMID- 26098798
TI  - [Assessment of bariatric surgery results].
AB  - The objective was to evaluate the results of bariatric surgery in patients in the
      late postoperative period using the Bariatric Analysis and Reporting Outcome
      System (BAROS). This cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2011 to
      June 2012 at a hospital in the state of Ceara, Brazil. Data were collected from
      92 patients using the BAROS protocol, which analyzes weight loss, improved
      comorbidities, complications, reoperations and Quality of Life (QoL). Data were
      analysed using the chi-squared test, Fischer's exact test and the Mann-Whitney
      test. There was a reduction in the Body Mass Index (47.2+/-6.8 kg/m2 in the pre
      operatory and 31.3+/-5.0 kg/m2 after surgery, p<0.001). The comorbidity with the
      highest resolution was arterial hypertension (p<0.001), and QV improved in 94.6%
      of patients. The main complications were hair loss, incisional hernia and
      cholelithiasis. The surgery provided satisfactory weight loss and improvements in
      the comorbidities associated to a better QL. Use of the BAROS protocol allows
      nurses to plan interventions and maintain the good results.

PMID- 26098799
TI  - [Term base for nursing practices with elderly women with HIV/AIDS].
AB  - The aim of this study was to create a term base for nursing practices with
      elderly women with HIV/AIDS. This documental descriptive research was conducted
      at the Universidade Federal de Paraiba, from August 2012 to July 2013, based on a
      list of terms from the Integrated Plan to Combat the Feminization of AIDS and
      other STDs. These terms were cross-mapped with those of the International
      Classification for Nursing Practices 2011 (CIPEr 2011) and use of these terms in
      nursing practices was confirmed with the help of 15 participants. The base
      comprised 106 constant terms and 69 non-constant terms in the CIPEr 2011. Results
      revealed the need to reconsider nursing care for elderly women with HIV/AIDS in
      light of epidemiological changes in relation to aging and feminization of the
      disease. The term base will support the construction of more appropriate wording
      for nursing diagnoses, results and interventions for elderly women with HIV/AIDS.

PMID- 26098800
TI  - [Growth of infants assisted in nursing appointments in childcare].
AB  - This study aimed to describe the growth during the introduction of complementary
      feeding to infants assisted in the nursing appointment in childcare. It is a
      descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative study developed through research in 51
      medical records of children aged 4-8 months, from September to October 2012 in a
      university hospital in the city of Recife, PE. Data were analyzed using Epi Info
      software, version 6.04 and described in simple and relative frequencies. It was
      found that for 33% of the children. complementary foods were introduced at six
      months. Of these, 88.2%, 69.2% and 57.1% showed ascending weight-for-age growth
      curves, and 88.2%, 66.7% and 71.4% ascending length-for-age growth curves at six,
      seven and eight months respectively. Children with appropriate and timely
      introduction of complementary feeding showed upward growth curves and adequate
      nutritional status. 

PMID- 26098801
TI  - [Knowledge of family members on the rights of individuals affected by mental
      illness].
AB  - The objective of this investigation was to understand what family members know
      about the rights of individuals affected by mental illness. To this end, a
      qualitative exploratory study was conducted. A semi-structured interview was used
      for data collection. Eighteen family members were interviewed at a psychosocial
      care center (CAPS) and a civil society organization (CSO) located in a
      municipality in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, between March and September 2013.
      Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis and the following categories
      were constructed: mental health services and the rights of individuals affected
      by mental illness. We were able to infer that in addition to drug-based therapy,
      mental health services must provide therapeutic activities. Family members of
      those affected by mental illness were unaware of the Brazilian Psychiatric Reform
      Law and mentioned the following rights: welfare benefits, free public transport,
      basic food basket and medications. 

PMID- 26098802
TI  - [Mothers of children with autistic disorder: perceptions and trajectories].
AB  - Childhood autism is characterized by severe and global impairment in several
      areas of human development and demands extensive care and dependence on the
      parents. The objective of this study was to understand the perceptions of mothers
      of children with autism regarding changes suffered by the child and their
      trajectories in search of an autism diagnosis. This is an exploratory descriptive
      study with a qualitative approach conducted with ten participant mothers. Data
      were collected in 2013 by means of semi-structured interviews. Thematic content
      analysis produced the following categories: perceptions of mothers as to changes
      in behaviour and/or development of their children; and trajectories of mothers in
      search of a diagnosis for their children. After the perception of changes in
      behaviour/development, mothers face an arduous trajectory of healthcare service
      utilization. 

PMID- 26098803
TI  - [The care for institutionalized elderly perceived by the nursing team].
AB  - This article aimed to analyze the perception of the nursing team about the care
      of institutionalized elderly. It consists of a qualitative and exploratory study
      developed in the six long-term care nursing homes for elderly in the city of Joao
      Pessoa/PB, Brazil, from January to June 2013. The sample was comprised 50% of the
      nurses from all the institutions, totaling 13 participants, whose data were
      collected through semi-structured questionnaires. Content analysis was used in
      the study, which enabled the construction of two thematic categories: I)
      Perceptions of the delivery of care by the nursing staff of the institutions; II)
      Perceptions of the care activity to be performed by the nursing staff in the
      institutions. We conclude that the participants are aware of the need for an
      individualized and systematized care by the nursing staff, aimed to the
      prevention of diseases, health promotion and active aging. 

PMID- 26098804
TI  - [Perceptions of the family members of children regarding well-child check-ups in
      the family healthcare strategy].
AB  - A qualitative descriptive study aimed at understanding the perceptions of the
      family members of children regarding well-child check-ups in the context of
      attention to child healthcare. Data collection was done using semi-structured
      interviews of 19 families, in the city of Maringa, in the state of Parana,
      Brazil, from December 2012 to February 2013. The data was analyzed using content
      analysis, a thematic modality, which resulted in the thematic category "Revealing
      well-child check-ups from the family's point of view" and two secondary
      categories. The results showed the interviewees' insipient knowledge of well
      child check-ups, reflecting the lack of adequate guidance about this type of
      care. The family members showed a preference for care of children by a
      pediatrician. Although secondary, the family noted the participation of the nurse
      in this activity. It is considered extremely important that well-child check-ups
      are valued by family members in order to promote effective multi-professional
      participation in this modality of attention. 

PMID- 26098805
TI  - [Profile and motivation for smoking cessation in surgical inpatients].
AB  - The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe the profile of smokers
      hospitalized for surgery, and investigate their motivation to quit. The sample
      consisted of 100 patients recruited from a university hospital in southern
      Brazil. Data were collected between February and May 2013, and analyzed using
      descriptive statistics. The sample was predominantly male (n=58; 58%) and had a
      mean age of 54.5+/-13.8 years. Seventy-nine (79%) of the participants were white,
      38(38%) were married and 67(67%) had primary education only. Patients started
      smoking at a mean age of 17+/-6.6 years, smoked approximately 20(10 to 28.7)
      cigarettes/day and had been smoking for a mean of 37.4+/-14.4 years. Ninety-one
      (91%) patients wanted to stop smoking, 57(57%) were in the preparation phase,
      36(36%) had low nicotine dependence and 35(35%) had been encouraged to quit. We
      concluded that, although hospitalization is a good moment to address smoking
      cessation, health care professionals do not enact effective and systematic
      interventions in this regard. 

PMID- 26098806
TI  - [Sociodemographic and academic profile of nursing students from four Brazilian
      institutions].
AB  - This study aimed to describe the sociodemographic and academic characteristics of
      nursing students from four Brazilian Educational Institutions. It is a
      prospective cross-sectional study. The data were collected between April 2011 and
      March 2012, through a survey form with questions about sociodemographic and
      academic characteristics of the students. The participants were graduate students
      enrolled in the nursing course, aged 18 years or older. 705 students
      participated, and these were mostly women, single, childless, who lived with
      their families, did not take part in sport activities and performed leisure
      activities. Also, most students do not participate in research groups, were not
      granted scholarships, are not employed, are satisfied with the course and do not
      intend to leave it. This study may become an important tool for the development
      of strategies that address the needs of students and also improve the quality of
      the teaching and learning process, reducing dropout rates. 

PMID- 26098807
TI  - [Social representations of adolescents on sexual relations and the use of
      condoms].
AB  - The objective of this investigation was to identify how adolescents structure the
      social representations of sexual intercourse and use of condoms. Exploratory and
      descriptive research was conducted with a convenience sample consisting of 234
      students of a public secondary school in Fortaleza-CE, Brazil, between July 2009
      and April 2010. Data were collected using a questionnaire with variables on
      socioeconomic status and sexual behaviour, and Free Association test with three
      terms: 'sex', 'unprotected sex' and 'sex with a condom'. Sexual intercourse was
      represented by love and affection among the women, while men associated sex to
      pleasure, desire and attraction toward the female body. The condom was considered
      important by both groups, but men represented condoms as being something bad that
      restricts pleasure. Health professionals are granted the opportunity to identify
      vulnerabilities of this population to DST/HIV/AIDS and work with these
      vulnerabilities in the most appropriate way. 

PMID- 26098808
TI  - [Mental health care technologies for treating crack users].
AB  - The aim of this study was to identify mental health care technologies for
      treating crack users in a Psychosocial Care Center for Alcohol and other Drugs
      (CAPsad, as per its acronym in Portuguese). A qualitative, evaluative case study
      was developed in a CAPSad, using fourth generation evaluation. Data collection
      occurred from January to March 2013 by means of semi-structured interviews
      applied to 36 subjects, these being health care professionals, patients,
      patients' relatives and managers. Data analysis identified the category
      strategies in mental health work. Results showed that recovery programs should
      provide spaces for dialogue, aiming to clarify the process of psychiatric
      internment to the user and family, and involve these in the therapy, implementing
      educational practices and ongoing consideration of mental health activities. In
      conclusion, it is important to discuss the technologies used in everyday care
      services, in light of the complexity of crack use. 

PMID- 26098809
TI  - [Use of narrative as an awareness strategy for a Family-Centered Care model].
AB  - The aim of this study was to comprehend the meaning of using illness narratives
      to raise awareness among nursing students and healthcare professionals toward the
      family-centred care model. The adopted methodological framework was Qualitative
      Content Analysis based on the philosophy of Family-Centered Care. Data were
      collected by means of assessments provided by 29 participants at an event in
      2013, in Sao Paulo. The resulting analytical category was "transformed by the
      family narrative", which consisted of three sub-categories: Favours a better
      understanding of the family's experience; facilitates learning of family issues;
      and triggers thought on family-centered care. Results showed that hearing the
      family narrative on experiences with illness and hospitalization raises awareness
      among nursing students and healthcare professionals toward the family-centered
      care model, and facilitates learning of this model of care. 

PMID- 26098810
TI  - [Nursing diagnosis "impaired walking" in elderly patients: integrative literature
      review].
AB  - The impaired walking nursing diagnosis has been included in NANDA International
      classification taxonomy in 1998, and this review aims to identify the defining
      characteristics and related factors in elderly patients in recent literature.
      Integrative literature review based on the following guiding question: Are there
      more defining characteristics and factors related to the nursing diagnosis
      impaired walking than those included in NANDA International classification
      taxonomy in elderly patients? Search conducted in 2007-2013 on international and
      Portuguese databases. Sample composed of 15 papers. Among the 6 defining
      characteristics classified at NANDA International, 3 were identified in the
      search results, but 13 were not included in the classification. Regarding the 14
      related factors that are classified, 9 were identified in the sample and 12 were
      not included in the NANDA International taxonomy. This review allowed the
      identification of new elements not included in NANDA International Taxonomy and
      may contribute to the development of taxonomy and nursing knowledge. 

PMID- 26098811
TI  - [Ethical problems experienced by nurses in primary health care: integrative
      literature review].
AB  - The aim of this study is to identify ethical problems experienced by nurses in
      primary health care and resources for coping based on publications on the
      subject. An integrative literature review was performed between the months of
      October and November 2013, using the databases: BDTD, CINAHL, LILACS, MEDLINE,
      Biblioteca Cochrane, PubMed, RCAAP and SciELO. Articles, dissertations and theses
      published in Portuguese, English and Spanish were included, totalling 31 studies
      published from 1992 to 2013. This analysis resulted in four categories: ethical
      problems in the relationship between team members, ethical problems in the
      relationship with the user, ethical problems in health services management and
      resources for coping with ethical problems. Results showed that nurses need to be
      prepared to face ethical problems, emphasizing the importance of ethics education
      during the education process before and during professional practice to enhance
      the development of ethical sensitivity and competence for problem resolution. 

PMID- 26098812
TI  - Men's Intentions to Engage in Behaviors to Protect Against Human Papillomavirus
      (HPV): Testing the Risk Perception Attitude Framework.
AB  - Guided by the risk perception attitude framework (RPA), this study examined men's
      perceptions of risk and efficacy beliefs as predictors of their intentions to
      engage in self-protective behaviors. The results of multiple regression analyses
      did not provide support for the RPA prediction that efficacy beliefs moderate the
      relationship between risk perceptions and self-protective behavior. However, the
      results provide support for the main effects of risk and efficacy on all four
      behavioral intentions examined (i.e., Internet information seeking, communication
      with a health provider, HPV vaccination, and condom use). Risk and efficacy were
      positively related to (and significant individual predictors of) all four
      behavioral intentions. Scholarly and practical implications of these findings are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26098814
TI  - Direct Catalytic Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Saturated and Unsaturated
      Thioamides.
AB  - Direct catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition of thiolactams to alpha,beta
      unsaturated thioamides was efficiently promoted by a soft Lewis acid/hard
      Bronsted base cooperative catalyst in a highly stereocontrolled manner. Thioamide
      functionality was crucial to promote both the efficient enolization of thiolactam
      pronucleophiles and the subsequent stereoselective conjugate addition to
      alpha,beta-unsaturated thioamides. Differential manipulation of the two thioamide
      functionalities of the product highlights the synthetic utility of the present
      catalytic system. 

PMID- 26098813
TI  - Local chromatin microenvironment determines DNMT activity: from DNA
      methyltransferase to DNA demethylase or DNA dehydroxymethylase.
AB  - Insights on active DNA demethylation disproved the original assumption that DNA
      methylation is a stable epigenetic modification. Interestingly, mammalian DNA
      methyltransferases 3A and 3B (DNMT-3A and -3B) have also been reported to induce
      active DNA demethylation, in addition to their well-known function in catalyzing
      methylation. In situations of extremely low levels of S-adenosyl methionine
      (SAM), DNMT-3A and -3B might demethylate C-5 methyl cytosine (5mC) via
      deamination to thymine, which is subsequently replaced by an unmodified cytosine
      through the base excision repair (BER) pathway. Alternatively, 5mC when converted
      to 5- hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) by TET enzymes, might be further modified to
      an unmodified cytosine by DNMT-3A and -3B under oxidized redox conditions,
      although exact pathways are yet to be elucidated. Interestingly, even direct
      conversion of 5mC to cytosine might be catalyzed by DNMTs. Here, we summarize the
      evidence on the DNA dehydroxymethylase and demethylase activity of DNMT-3A and 
      3B. Although physiological relevance needs to be demonstrated, the current
      indications on the 5mC- and 5hmC-modifying activities of de novo DNA C-5
      methyltransferases shed a new light on these enzymes. Despite the extreme
      circumstances required for such unexpected reactions to occur, we here put
      forward that the chromatin microenvironment can be locally exposed to extreme
      conditions, and hypothesize that such waves of extremes allow enzymes to act in
      differential ways. 

PMID- 26098815
TI  - From Ramachandran Maps to Tertiary Structures of Proteins.
AB  - Sequence to structure of proteins is an unsolved problem. A possible coarse
      grained resolution to this entails specification of all the torsional (Phi, Psi)
      angles along the backbone of the polypeptide chain. The Ramachandran map quite
      elegantly depicts the allowed conformational (Phi, Psi) space of proteins which
      is still very large for the purposes of accurate structure generation. We have
      divided the allowed (Phi, Psi) space in Ramachandran maps into 27 distinct
      conformations sufficient to regenerate a structure to within 5 A from the native,
      at least for small proteins, thus reducing the structure prediction problem to a
      specification of an alphanumeric string, i.e., the amino acid sequence together
      with one of the 27 conformations preferred by each amino acid residue. This still
      theoretically results in 27(n) conformations for a protein comprising "n" amino
      acids. We then investigated the spatial correlations at the two-residue
      (dipeptide) and three-residue (tripeptide) levels in what may be described as
      higher order Ramachandran maps, with the premise that the allowed conformational
      space starts to shrink as we introduce neighborhood effects. We found, for
      instance, for a tripeptide which potentially can exist in any of the 27(3)
      "allowed" conformations, three-fourths of these conformations are redundant to
      the 95% confidence level, suggesting sequence context dependent preferred
      conformations. We then created a look-up table of preferred conformations at the
      tripeptide level and correlated them with energetically favorable conformations.
      We found in particular that Boltzmann probabilities calculated from van der Waals
      energies for each conformation of tripeptides correlate well with the observed
      populations in the structural database (the average correlation coefficient is
      ~0.8). An alpha-numeric string and hence the tertiary structure can be generated
      for any sequence from the look-up table within minutes on a single processor and
      to a higher level of accuracy if secondary structure can be specified. We tested
      the methodology on 100 small proteins, and in 90% of the cases, a structure
      within 5 A is recovered. We thus believe that the method presented here provides
      the missing link between Ramachandran maps and tertiary structures of proteins. A
      Web server to convert a tertiary structure to an alphanumeric string and to
      predict the tertiary structure from the sequence of a protein using the above
      methodology is created and made freely accessible at http://www.scfbio
      iitd.res.in/software/proteomics/rm2ts.jsp.

PMID- 26098818
TI  - [Postraumatic mental disorders in traders victims of crime].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Crime consequences are not only a security problem; they are also a
      community health question. Because shop assistants are particularly exposed to
      crime victimization, they are at risk from suffering posttraumatic stress
      disorders. OBJECTIVES: To describe posttraumatic symptomatology of crime
      victimized shop assistants and to explore the relationship between the symptoms
      and demographic, victim and situational factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Self
      reported information about mental symptomatology was gathered from 126 victimized
      shop assistants identified during cross-sectional study. Case and control groups
      were formed to explore association between symptomatology and crime and victim
      characteristics. RESULTS: The 20.6% of respondents reported information
      compatible with posttraumatic stress disorder; the 13 %, with moderate/severe
      depression and the 69.8% with adjustment disorder. The condition of being a case
      was associated with the violent characteristic of the crime, with the subtraction
      of goods and the economic value of the goods.

PMID- 26098817
TI  - Highly Polarizable Triiodide Anions (I3(-)) as Cross-Linkers for Coordination
      Polymers: Closing the Semiconductive Band Gap.
AB  - From a hydrothermal reaction using CuI, KI, and 3,3'5,5'-tetramethyl-4,4'
      bipyrazole (TMBP), the triiodide anion I3(-) has been integrated into the water
      stable 2D coordination polymer Cu(TMBP)I3 (1). In contrast with other metal
      triiodide complexes, 1 features remarkably small distortions in the bond
      distances associated with the I3(-) units (i.e., the Cu-I and I-I bonds), which
      effectively link up the copper(I) centers into infinite CuI3 chains. The
      electronic band gaps and electrical conductivity data are also found to be
      consistent with the I3(-) ion acting as an effective linker across the copper(I)
      centers. 

PMID- 26098816
TI  - Implantable cardioverter defibrillators in diabetics: efficacy and safety in
      patients at risk of sudden cardiac death.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for arrhythmogenesis and is associated
      with a two-fold increase in all-cause mortality and a four-fold increase in
      cardiovascular mortality including sudden cardiac death when compared with
      nondiabetics. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) have been shown to
      effectively reduce arrhythmic death and all-cause mortality in patients with
      severe myocardial dysfunction. With a high competing risk of nonarrhythmic
      cardiac and noncardiac death, survival benefit of ICD in patients with diabetes
      mellitus could be reduced, but the subanalysis of diabetic patients in randomized
      clinical trials provides reassurance regarding a similar beneficial survival
      effect of ICD and cardiac resynchronization therapy in diabetics, as observed in
      the overall population with advanced heart disease. In this article, the authors
      highlight some of the clinical issues related to diabetes, summarize the data on
      the efficacy of ICD in diabetics when compared with nondiabetics and discuss
      concerns related to ICD implantation in patients with diabetes. 

PMID- 26098819
TI  - [A new star in the sky of psychiatry: The European College of
      Neuropsychopharmacology].
AB  - A commentary about the activities of the ECNP, whose congresses have become a new
      destination for many professionals interested in clinic and high level research
      in psychiatry and brain is made. The author presents the goals of the ECNP, the
      meeting activities in general, and, in particular, the press conferences that
      took place during the congresses. The 26th Congress (Barcelona, Spain, October,
      2013) and the 27th Congress (Berlin, Germany, October, 2014) are reviewed. The
      high scientific level of both congresses is highlighted. 

PMID- 26098821
TI  - [Memory is not everything: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer's
      disease].

PMID- 26098820
TI  - [Neurodegenerative disorders].

PMID- 26098822
TI  - [Movement from the social cognitive neuroscience: The case of Parkinson's
      disease].
AB  - Parkinson's disease is a multisystemic disorder that affects movement in its
      different levels of integration from the simplest motor act to the complexity of
      communication and social inclusion. The study of movement from the social
      cognitive neuroscience can contribute elements to the development of better
      rehabilitation treatments for Parkinson's disease patients. As a cognitive and
      social phenomenon, movement involves perception and action; paradoxical kinesia,
      as a property of motor system, is shown in this perception-action dialogue. We
      introduce the internal-external control hypothesis as a possible explanatory
      model of movement in Parkinson's disease patients. This model can explain the
      occurrence of paradoxical kinesia and, combined with the mirror neurons theory,
      accounts for the capability of people with Parkinson's disease to move like
      healthy controls do when there is a given sensorial space with emotional and
      ludic languages. Eventually, we highlight the utility of paradoxical kinesia as a
      rehabilitation tool for movement in people with Parkinson's disease. 

PMID- 26098823
TI  - [Update on the diagnosis and management of vascular cognitive impairment].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The term vascular cognitive impairment refers to a clinical and
      etiological heterogeneous group of entities that may appear as a result of brain
      lesions caused by vascular disease. AIM: To update the evidence and
      recommendations on the diagnosis and management of vascular cognitive impairment.
      RESULTS: vascular mild cognitive impairment and vascular dementia are entities
      that capture the entire spectrum of cognitive impairment following stroke or
      subclinical vascular brain injury. The recent update on the diagnostic criteria
      of these entities, with the incorporation of biomarkers and genetic tests for
      concomitant disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, may lead to the development of
      new epidemiological and therapeutics studies. Different aspects should be
      considered in the management of these entities: control of vascular risk factors,
      inclusion in rehabilitation programs, secondary prevention and symptomatic
      pharmacological therapy. Donepezil can be useful for cognitive enhancement in
      patients with vascular dementia (Class IIa; Level of Evidence A) and Galantamine
      can be beneficial for patients with mixed Alzheimer's disease/vascular dementia
      (Class IIa; Level of Evidence A). CONCLUSIONS: Early detection and accurate
      diagnosis and management of vascular cognitive impairment can benefit the quality
      of life of the affected patients. Prevention is still the best medical strategy
      in cerebrovascular disorders.

PMID- 26098824
TI  - [Structural neuroimaging in dementia for outpatient clinic visit].
AB  - Dementia is a common illness to find in a psychiatric consultation and its
      incidence is rising as the aged population increases. Traditionally the imagines
      in dementia were used to rule out etiologies that had pharmacological o surgery
      treatments. However, in the last years neuroimaging has played a very important
      role in the field of dementia. Structural imaging (particularly MRI) has become
      an important tool in the diagnosis of degenerative dementias because of findings
      that help us to support the diagnosis of different etiologies. Different patterns
      of atrophy can be identified on visual inspection of MRI in various
      neurodegenerative conditions. However, it's sometimes difficult to recognize or
      acknowledge these patterns during a regular outpatient clinic visit. In this
      review we describe the most important findings in structural neuroimaging in the
      most common causes of dementia and we analyze the most useful visual scales that
      can help us in the differential diagnosis of dementia during a regular outpatient
      clinic visit. 

PMID- 26098825
TI  - [Bioethics and dementia(s)].
AB  - Population aging among the world will bring up an exponential increasing of
      dementia in the next 40 years. This will create more demands in medical care
      areas. And this will defeated psychiatrists with bioethical issues: capacity to
      obtain agreement for treatment, participation in research studies, dealing with
      own economy, institutionalization, and manager of behavioral symptoms. Guidelines
      delineating probable issues or ethical problems will be defined. The theoretical
      framework will be defi- ned concerning bioethical issues involved in the
      different stages of cognitive impairment. 

PMID- 26098826
TI  - [Geriatric vs. non-geriatric psychiatric hospitalization to the psychiatric
      services of a general hospital in Chile].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It is estimated that Chilean geriatric population (=65 years) will
      hit 16% in the year 2030. Psychiatric longer stays have been described for those
      equal 65 years vs. less than 65 years. We aim to describe the characteristics
      associated with lengths of stay in our psychiatric unit. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Retrospective review of 3112 admissions between July 2001 and June 2010 to the
      general psychiatric service of the Pontific Catholic University of Chile.
      RESULTS: 5.1% (n=132) of the sample was geriatric patients. The average length of
      stay for this group was 12.4 days (p=0.41). Both the geriatric and non-geriatric
      population presented a high prevalence of affective disorders (63.7% and 55.1%,
      respectively). In the geriatric group, there was a higher presence of bipolar
      disorder (27.3 vs. 19.5%; p less than 0.05) and dementia (16.7% vs. 0.5%). In
      contrast, for = 65 years, there was significantly less prevalence of adaptive and
      anxiety disorders (3% vs. 13%; p less than 0.01). There was just one case of
      personality disorder and no cases of eating disorders in the geriatric group.
      There were no differences in the lengths of stay according to diagnosis.
      CONCLUSIONS: We did not find longer stay times, in general or associated with
      specific diagnoses, in geriatric patients versus non-geriatric patients.

PMID- 26098827
TI  - [From coercion to healing: The moral treatment of Francois Leuret].

PMID- 26098828
TI  - Brain Signature Predicts Negative Emotion in Individuals.

PMID- 26098829
TI  - Association of the COQ2 V393A Variant with Parkinson's Disease: A Case-Control
      Study and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Both Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) are
      neurodegenerative diseases of uncertain etiology, but they show similarities in
      their pathology and clinical course. The fact that the gene encoding alpha
      synuclein is associated with both diseases also suggests that they share some
      genetic determinants. Recent studies in Japan associating MSA with a variant in
      the COQ2 gene led us to question whether variants in the COQ2 gene are associated
      with PD in Han Chinese in a case-control study. A total of 564 patients with PD
      were genotyped using the ligase detection rection, together with 484 gender- and
      age-matched healthy subjects. The M128V and R387X variants of COQ2 were not
      detected in patients or controls; instead, we detected only the heterozygous
      V393A variant (CT genotype). The frequency of the CT genotype encoding the V393A
      mutation was significantly higher in patients PD (4.08%) than in controls
      (1.86%), corresponding to an odds ratio of 2.24 (95%CI 1.03 to 4.90, p = 0.037).
      The frequency of the C allele of the V393A variant was significantly higher in
      patients with PD than in controls (OR 2.22, 95%CI 1.02 to 4.82, p = 0.039), and
      this was also observed in a meta-analysis of studies from mainland China, Taiwan
      and Japan. Subgroup analysis of our data showed that the V393A variant was
      significantly associated with early-onset PD (OR 3.71, 95%CI 1.51 to 9.15, p =
      0.002) but not with late-onset disease (OR 1.65, 95%CI 0.69 to 3.95, p = 0.260).
      Gender was not significantly associated with either genotype or minor allele
      frequencies. In conclusion, our findings show for the first time that the V393A
      variant in the COQ2 gene increases risk of PD among the population of east Asia.
      These results, combined with research on Japanese, lend genetic support to the
      hypothesis that oxidative stress underlies pathogenesis of both PD and MSA. 

PMID- 26098830
TI  - Invadopodia: a new therapeutic target to block cancer metastasis.
AB  - Cancer cells become dangerous when they acquire the ability to invade through
      physical barriers in the body and disseminate to distant sites. Recent evidence
      has demonstrated that cancer cells utilize specialized structures called
      invadopodia, unique protrusions that concentrate proteases such as matrix
      metalloproteinases (MMPs), to escape blood vessels during the process of
      extravasation. Perhaps most exciting is the fact that inhibition of invadopodia
      through genetic or pharmacological means reduces the ability of cancer cells to
      extravasate and effectively blocks metastasis. This opens the door for the
      development of novel therapies targeting invadopodia and cancer metastasis. 

PMID- 26098831
TI  - ASCONA: Rapid Detection and Alignment of Protein Binding Site Conformations.
AB  - The usage of conformational ensembles constitutes a widespread technique for the
      consideration of protein flexibility in computational biology. When experimental
      structures are applied for this purpose, alignment techniques are usually
      required in dealing with structural deviations and annotation inconsistencies.
      Moreover, many application scenarios focus on protein ligand binding sites. Here,
      we introduce our new alignment algorithm ASCONA that has been specially geared to
      the problem of aligning multiple conformations of sequentially similar binding
      sites. Intense efforts have been directed to an accurate detection of highly
      flexible backbone deviations, multiple binding site matches within a single
      structure, and a reliable, but at the same time highly efficient, search
      algorithm. In contrast, most available alignment methods rather target other
      issues, e.g., the global alignment of distantly related proteins that share
      structurally conserved regions. For conformational ensembles, this might not only
      result in an overhead of computation time but could also affect the achieved
      accuracy, especially for more complicated cases as highly flexible proteins.
      ASCONA was evaluated on a test set containing 1107 structures of 65 diverse
      proteins. In all cases, ASCONA was able to correctly align the binding site at an
      average alignment computation time of 4 ms per target. Furthermore, no false
      positive matches were observed when searching the same query sites in the
      structures of other proteins. ASCONA proved to cope with highly deviating
      backbone structures and to tolerate structural gaps and moderate mutation rates.
      ASCONA is available free of charge for academic use at http://www.zbh.uni
      hamburg.de/ascona . 

PMID- 26098832
TI  - Adolescent Sexual Debut and Initiation into New-Type Drug Use among a Sample of
      Young Adults.
AB  - We examined the association between adolescent sexual debut and age at new-type
      drug initiation among a sample of young adult new-type drug users. A total of 276
      participants were recruited using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) in Shanghai,
      China. The analyses were restricted to a total of 201 participants aged between
      18 and 30 years. The average age at sexual debut and age at first new-type drug
      use were 18.8 and 20.9 years, respectively. About 94% of participants reported
      having sexual experience (n=188); of those, 137 (72.9%) had sexual debut before
      they first used new-type drugs, while 32 (17.0%) initiated both events at the
      same age. After adjustment for age, income, education, and sexual orientation,
      adolescent sexual debut was independently associated with younger age at new-type
      drug initiation. Adolescent sexual debut is associated with early onset of new
      type drug use. Our findings underscore the importance of implementing sex
      education programs for adolescents in schools in China.

PMID- 26098833
TI  - The Efficacy and Safety of Chinese Herbal Medicine Jinlida as Add-On Medication
      in Type 2 Diabetes Patients Ineffectively Managed by Metformin Monotherapy: A
      Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metformin plays an important role in diabetes treatment. Studies have
      shown that the combined use of oral hypoglycemic medications is more effective
      than metformin monotherapy. In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled,
      multicenter trial, we evaluated whether Jinlida, a Chinese herbal medicine,
      enhances the glycemic control of metformin in type 2 diabetes patients whose
      HbA1c was ineffectively controlled with metformin alone. METHODS: A total of 186
      diabetes patients were enrolled in this double-Blind, randomized, placebo
      controlled, multicenter trial. Subjects were randomly allocated to receive either
      Jinlida (9 g) or the placebo TID for 12 consecutive weeks. All subjects in both
      groups also continuously received their metformin without any dose change. During
      this 12-week period, the HbA1c, FPG, 2 h PG, body weight, BMI were assessed. HOMA
      insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and beta-cell function (HOMA-beta) were also
      evaluated. RESULTS: At week 12, compared to the HbA1c level from week 0, the
      level of the Jinlida group was reduced by 0.92 +/- 1.09% and that of the placebo
      group was reduced by 0.53 +/- 0.94%. The 95% CI was 0.69-1.14 for the Jinlida
      group vs. 0.34-0.72 for the placebo group. There was a very significant HbA1c
      reduction between the two groups after 12 weeks (p < 0.01). Both FG and 2 h PG
      levels of the Jinlida group and placebo group were reduced from week 0. There
      were a very significant FG and 2 h PG level reductions between the two groups
      after 12 weeks (both p < 0.01). The Jinlida group also showed improved beta-cell
      function with a HOMA-beta increase (p < 0.05). No statistical significance was
      observed in the body weight and BMI changes. No serious adverse events were
      reported. CONCLUSION: Jinlida significantly enhanced the hypoglycemic action of
      metformin when the drug was used alone. This Chinese herbal medicine may have a
      clinical value as an add-on medication to metformin monotherapy. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Register ChiCTR-TRC-13003159.

PMID- 26098834
TI  - Comparison of two automatic cell-counting solutions for fluorescent microscopic
      images.
AB  - Cell counting in microscopic images is one of the fundamental analysis tools in
      life sciences, but is usually tedious, time consuming and prone to human error.
      Several programs for automatic cell counting have been developed so far, but most
      of them demand additional training or data input from the user. Most of them do
      not allow the users to online monitor the counting results, either. Therefore, we
      designed two straightforward, simple-to-use cell-counting programs that also
      allow users to correct the detection results. In this paper, we present the
      Cellcounter and Learn123 programs for automatic and semiautomatic counting of
      objects in fluorescent microscopic images (cells or cell nuclei) with a user
      friendly interface. Although Cellcounter is based on predefined and fine-tuned
      set of filters optimized on sets of chosen experiments, Learn123 uses an
      evolutionary algorithm to determine the adapt filter parameters based on a
      learning set of images. Cellcounter also includes an extension for analysis of
      overlaying images. The efficiency of both programs was assessed on images of
      cells stained with different fluorescent dyes by comparing automatically obtained
      results with results that were manually annotated by an expert. With both
      programs, the correlation between automatic and manual counting was very high
      (R(2) < 0.9), although Cellcounter had some difficulties processing images with
      no cells or weakly stained cells, where sometimes the background noise was
      recognized as an object of interest. Nevertheless, the differences between manual
      and automatic counting were small compared to variations between experimental
      repeats. Both programs significantly reduced the time required to process the
      acquired images from hours to minutes. The programs enable consistent, robust,
      fast and accurate detection of fluorescent objects and can therefore be applied
      to a range of different applications in different fields of life sciences where
      fluorescent labelling is used for quantification of various phenomena. Moreover,
      Cellcounter overlay extension also enables fast analysis of related images that
      would otherwise require image merging for accurate analysis, whereas Learn123's
      evolutionary algorithm can adapt counting parameters to specific sets of images
      of different experimental settings. 

PMID- 26098835
TI  - Hydrogen-Bonding Complexes of 5-Azauracil and Uracil Derivatives in Organic
      Medium.
AB  - Uracil derivatives form strong complexes with complementary 2,4-diaminotriazine
      and adenine compounds, whereas derivatives of 5-azauracil (2,4-dioxotriazine) are
      known to form weak complexes in aqueous medium. However, herein we report that in
      organic medium (CDCl3), the 5-azauracil moiety forms hydrogen-bond-mediated
      complexes with complementary 2,4-diaminotriazine and adenine compounds, with
      strengths comparable to those formed by uracil compounds. Such dichotomous base
      pairing behavior of the 5-azauracil moiety, in organic versus aqueous media, is
      found to be consistent with the ionization of the 5-azauracil moiety in aqueous
      medium leading to competitive interference from water molecules (via solvation),
      which is absent (lack of such ionization and solvent interference) in organic
      medium. This discriminating role of solvent (e.g., water) could have been an
      important factor in the selection of molecules, based on their physicochemical
      properties, and subsequently in the emergence of potential primordial
      informational oligomers that would have played a role in the origins of life. 

PMID- 26098836
TI  - Maintained directional navigation across environments in the Morris water task is
      dependent on vestibular cues.
AB  - An experiment was designed to test the hypothesis that an internally generated
      sense of spatial orientation contributes to navigation by rats in the Morris
      water task and to determine whether this strategy is dependent on vestibular
      cues. Rats were trained in a standard hidden platform procedure in which they
      received 8 daily swim trials. In a probe test, rats were carried in an opaque box
      to a pool located in a novel adjacent environment. During transport, 1 cohort of
      rats received a disorientation procedure, composed of gentle rotation in the box,
      while a second cohort served as transport controls. Upon being placed in the pool
      in the novel room, controls displayed a preference for the pool quadrant
      predicted by a retained directional response across rooms, whereas disoriented
      rats failed to display a preference for the same quadrant. Furthermore, control
      rats swam faster and more directly toward the target quadrant. Together, these
      findings suggest that rats retain a directional response based on vestibular cues
      across environments, which can be used to disambiguate geometrically equivalent
      locations in a novel room and apparatus. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26098837
TI  - Analysis of Multiple Brachyspira hyodysenteriae Genomes Confirms That the Species
      Is Relatively Conserved but Has Potentially Important Strain Variation.
AB  - The intestinal spirochete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae is an important pathogen in
      swine, causing mucohemorrhagic colitis in a disease known as swine dysentery.
      Based on the detection of significant linkage disequilibrium in multilocus
      sequence data, the species is considered to be clonal. An analysis of the genome
      sequence of Western Australian B. hyodysenteriae strain WA1 has been published,
      and in the current study 19 further strains from countries around the world were
      sequenced with Illumina technology. The genomes were assembled and aligned to
      over 97.5% of the reference WA1 genome at a percentage sequence identity better
      than 80%. Strain regions not aligned to the reference ranged between 0.2 and
      2.5%. Clustering of the strain genes found on average 2,354 (88%) core genes, 255
      (8.6%) ancillary genes and 77 (2.9%) unique genes per strain. Depending on the
      strain the proportion of genes with 100% sequence identity to WA1 ranged from 85%
      to 20%. The result is a global comparative genomic analysis of B. hyodysenteriae
      genomes revealing potential differential phenotypic markers for numerous strains.
      Despite the differences found, the genomes were less varied than those of the
      related pathogenic species Brachyspira pilosicoli, and the analysis supports the
      clonal nature of the species. From this study, a public genome resource has been
      created that will serve as a repository for further genetic and phenotypic
      studies of these important porcine bacteria. This is the first intra-species B.
      hyodysenteriae comparative genomic analysis. 

PMID- 26098838
TI  - Size of Dominant Diatom Species Can Alter Their Evenness.
AB  - Traditionally, biodiversity has often been estimated on the basis of abundance
      partly due to the need for complicated measurements of biomass. Here, we
      conducted robust measurements of the community composition and of the size
      structure of diatoms in the North Pacific to evaluate the importance of biomass
      on the biodiversity. We found that the two most useful evenness indices increased
      in most cases where small species were numerically dominant when calculations
      were based on biomass compared with those on abundance. Size-abundance spectra of
      diatoms revealed that numerically dominant small species rarely dominated in
      terms of biomass. On the other hand, intermediate to large diatom species
      generally played a dominant role in terms of biomass in diatom community. The
      results suggest that the size of the dominant species is a crucial factor in
      determining the role of diatoms in the ecosystem functioning. Because such size
      variability can also be observed in other organisms, we need to pay attention to
      the effect of size structures on biodiversity. 

PMID- 26098839
TI  - Effects of Flavonoids from Potamogeton crispus L. on Proliferation, Migration,
      and Invasion of Human Ovarian Cancer Cells.
AB  - In order to explore the efficient utilization of plant resources from constructed
      wetlands, the potential anti-metastatic effects of flavonoids from Potamogeton
      crispus L. were investigated in human ovarian cancer cells (ES-2). Two major
      flavonoids, luteolin-3'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and flavone-6-C-beta-D
      glucopyranoside, were isolated from P. crispus and identified. The effects of
      these flavonoids on cell proliferation, cell morphology, cell cycle, apoptosis,
      and cell migration and invasion were then investigated. Furthermore, reverse
      transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays and western blotting analysis were
      conducted to examine the expression level of mRNA and protein. Results indicated
      that Luteolin-3'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside inhibited ES-2 cell migration and
      invasion and suppressed the expression of two matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs),
      MMP-2 and MMP-9, and Flavone-6-C-beta-D-glucopyranoside had no significant
      inhibitory effects on ES-2 cells. Thus, this study demonstrated the potential
      anti-metastatic properties of a P. crispus flavonoid, and provided a scientific
      approach for the screening of promising natural resources from constructed
      wetlands to identify useful products for use in the pharmaceutical and healthcare
      industries. 

PMID- 26098840
TI  - Hemispheric dominance underlying the neural substrate for learned vocalizations
      develops with experience.
AB  - Many aspects of song learning in songbirds resemble characteristics of speech
      acquisition in humans. Genetic, anatomical and behavioural parallels have most
      recently been extended with demonstrated similarities in hemispheric dominance
      between humans and songbirds: the avian higher order auditory cortex is left
      lateralized for processing song memories in juvenile zebra finches that already
      have formed a memory of their fathers' song, just like Wernicke's area in the
      left hemisphere of the human brain is dominant for speech perception. However, it
      is unclear if hemispheric specialization is due to pre-existing functional
      asymmetry or the result of learning itself. Here we show that in juvenile male
      and female zebra finches that had never heard an adult song before, neuronal
      activation after initial exposure to a conspecific song is bilateral. Thus, like
      in humans, hemispheric dominance develops with vocal proficiency. A left
      lateralized functional system that develops through auditory-vocal learning may
      be an evolutionary adaptation that could increase the efficiency of transferring
      information within one hemisphere, benefiting the production and perception of
      learned communication signals. 

PMID- 26098841
TI  - Herbivory and Stoichiometric Feedbacks to Primary Production.
AB  - Established theory addresses the idea that herbivory can have positive feedbacks
      on nutrient flow to plants. Positive feedbacks likely emerge from a greater
      availability of organic carbon that primes the soil by supporting nutrient
      turnover through consumer and especially microbially-mediated metabolism in the
      detrital pool. We developed an entirely novel stoichiometric model that
      demonstrates the mechanism of a positive feedback. In particular, we show that
      sloppy or partial feeding by herbivores increases detrital carbon and nitrogen
      allowing for greater nitrogen mineralization and nutritive feedback to plants.
      The model consists of differential equations coupling flows among pools of:
      plants, herbivores, detrital carbon and nitrogen, and inorganic nitrogen. We test
      the effects of different levels of herbivore grazing completion and of the
      stoichiometric quality (carbon to nitrogen ratio, C:N) of the host plant. Our
      model analyses show that partial feeding and plant C:N interact because when
      herbivores are sloppy and plant biomass is diverted to the detrital pool, more
      mineral nitrogen is available to plants because of the stoichiometric difference
      between the organisms in the detrital pool and the herbivore. This model helps to
      identify how herbivory may feedback positively on primary production, and it
      mechanistically connects direct and indirect feedbacks from soil to plant
      production. 

PMID- 26098842
TI  - The cost-effectiveness of UGT1A1 genotyping before colorectal cancer treatment
      with irinotecan from the perspective of the German statutory health insurance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The evidence concerning the cost-effectiveness of UGT1A1*28
      genotyping is ambiguous and does not allow drawing valid conclusions for Germany.
      This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of UGT1A1 genotyping in patients with
      metastatic colorectal cancer undergoing irinotecan-based chemotherapy compared to
      no testing from the perspective of the German statutory health insurance.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: A decision-analytic Markov model with a life time horizon
      was developed. No testing was compared to two genotype-dependent therapy
      strategies: 1) dose reduction by 25%; and 2) administration of a prophylactic G
      CSF growth factor analog for homozygous and heterozygous patients. Probability,
      quality of life and cost parameters used in this study were based on published
      literature. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed
      to account for parameter uncertainties. RESULTS: Strategy 1 dominated all
      remaining strategies. Compared to no testing, it resulted in only marginal QALY
      increases (0.0002) but a cost reduction of ?580 per patient. Strategy 2 resulted
      in the same health gains but increased costs by ?10 773. In the probabilistic
      analysis, genotyping and dose reduction was the optimal strategy in approximately
      100% of simulations at a threshold of ?50 000 per QALY. Deterministic sensitivity
      analysis shows that uncertainty for this strategy originated primarily from costs
      for irinotecan-based chemotherapy, from the prevalence of neutropenia among
      heterozygous patients, and from whether dose reduction is applied to both
      homozygotes and heterozygotes or only to the former. CONCLUSION: This model-based
      synthesis of the most recent evidence suggests that pharmacogenetic UGT1A1
      testing prior to irinotecan-based chemotherapy dominates non-personalized colon
      cancer care in Germany. However, as structural uncertainty remains high, these
      results require validation in clinical practice, e.g. based on a managed-entry
      agreement.

PMID- 26098845
TI  - Gender differences in spatial learning, synaptic activity, and long-term
      potentiation in the hippocampus in rats: molecular mechanisms.
AB  - In tests of spatial ability, males outperform females both in rats and in humans.
      The mechanism underlying this gender differential learning ability and memory in
      spatial tasks remains unknown. Long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus is
      considered the basis for spatial learning and memory. The aims of this work were
      (a) to assess spatial learning and memory in male and female rats in the radial
      and Morris mazes; (b) to assess whether basal synaptic activity and LTP in the
      hippocampus are different in male and female rats; and (c) to identify the
      molecular mechanisms responsible for the gender differences in LTP. We analyzed
      in young male and female rats (a) performance in spatial tasks in the radial and
      Morris water mazes; (b) basal synaptic activity in hippocampal slices; and (c)
      LTP and some mechanisms modulating its magnitude. The results reported allow us
      to conclude that female rats show larger AMPA receptor-mediate synaptic responses
      under basal conditions, likely due to enhanced phosphorylation of GluR2 in Ser880
      and increased amounts of GluR2-containing AMPA receptors in postsynaptic
      densities. In contrast, the magnitude of tetanus-induced LTP was lower in females
      than in males. This is due to reduced activation of soluble guanylate cyclase and
      the formation of cGMP, leading to lower activation of cGMP-dependent protein
      kinase and phosphorylation of GluR1 in Ser845, which results in lower insertion
      of AMPA receptors in the synaptic membrane and a lower magnitude of LTP. These
      mechanisms may contribute to the reduced performance of females in the radial and
      Morris water mazes. 

PMID- 26098843
TI  - Predictors of Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients With Lupus: A Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Because systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) affects women of
      reproductive age, pregnancy is a major concern. OBJECTIVE: To identify predictors
      of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) in patients with inactive or stable active
      SLE. DESIGN: Prospective cohort. SETTING: Multicenter. PATIENTS: 385 patients
      (49% non-Hispanic white; 31% with prior nephritis) with SLE in the PROMISSE
      (Predictors of Pregnancy Outcome: Biomarkers in Antiphospholipid Antibody
      Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) study. Exclusion criteria were urinary
      protein-creatinine ratio greater than 1000 mg/g, creatinine level greater than
      1.2 mg/dL, prednisone use greater than 20 mg/d, and multifetal pregnancy.
      MEASUREMENTS: APOs included fetal or neonatal death; birth before 36 weeks due to
      placental insufficiency, hypertension, or preeclampsia; and small-for-gestational
      age (SGA) neonate (birthweight below the fifth percentile). Disease activity was
      assessed with the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Pregnancy Disease Activity Index
      and the Physician's Global Assessment (PGA). RESULTS: APOs occurred in 19.0% (95%
      CI, 15.2% to 23.2%) of pregnancies; fetal death occurred in 4%, neonatal death
      occurred in 1%, preterm delivery occurred in 9%, and SGA neonate occurred in 10%.
      Severe flares in the second and third trimesters occurred in 2.5% and 3.0%,
      respectively. Baseline predictors of APOs included presence of lupus
      anticoagulant (LAC) (odds ratio [OR], 8.32 [CI, 3.59 to 19.26]), antihypertensive
      use (OR, 7.05 [CI, 3.05 to 16.31]), PGA score greater than 1 (OR, 4.02 [CI, 1.84
      to 8.82]), and low platelet count (OR, 1.33 [CI, 1.09 to 1.63] per decrease of 50
      * 109 cells/L). Non-Hispanic white race was protective (OR, 0.45 [CI, 0.24 to
      0.84]). Maternal flares, higher disease activity, and smaller increases in C3
      level later in pregnancy also predicted APOs. Among women without baseline risk
      factors, the APO rate was 7.8%. For those who either were LAC-positive or were
      LAC-negative but nonwhite or Hispanic and using antihypertensives, the APO rate
      was 58.0% and fetal or neonatal mortality was 22.0%. LIMITATION: Patients with
      high disease activity were excluded. CONCLUSION: In pregnant patients with
      inactive or stable mild/moderate SLE, severe flares are infrequent and, absent
      specific risk factors, outcomes are favorable. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National
      Institutes of Health.

PMID- 26098844
TI  - Virulence Structure of Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici and Its Genetic Diversity
      by ISSR and SRAP Profiling Analyses.
AB  - Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, which causes wheat powdery mildew, is an
      obligate biotrophic pathogen that can easily genetically adapt to its host plant.
      Understanding the virulence structure of and genetic variations in this pathogen
      is essential for disease control and for breeding resistance to wheat powdery
      mildew. This study investigated 17 pathogenic populations in Sichuan, China and
      classified 109 isolates into two distinct groups based on pathogenicity analysis:
      high virulence (HV, 92 isolates) and low virulence (LV, 17 isolates). Populations
      from Yibin (Southern region), Xichang (Western region), and Meishan (Middle
      region) showed lower virulence frequencies than populations from other regions.
      Many of the previously known resistance genes did not confer resistance in this
      study. The resistance gene Pm21 displayed an immune response to pathogenic
      challenge with all populations in Sichuan, and Pm13, Pm5b, Pm2+6, and PmXBD
      maintained resistance. AMOVA revealed significantly higher levels of variation
      within populations and lower levels of variation among populations within
      regions. High levels of gene flow were detected among populations in the four
      regions. Closely related populations within each region were distinguished by
      cluster analyses using ISSR and SRAP alleles. Both ISSR and SRAP allele profiling
      analyses revealed high levels of genetic diversity among pathogenic populations
      in Sichuan. Although ISSR and SRAP profiling analysis showed similar resolutions,
      the SRAP alleles appeared to be more informative. We did not detect any
      significant association between these alleles and the virulence or pathogenicity
      of the pathogen. Our results suggest that ISSR and SRAP alleles are more
      efficient for the characterization of small or closely related populations versus
      distantly related populations. 

PMID- 26098846
TI  - Natural Abundance (17)O DNP Two-Dimensional and Surface-Enhanced NMR
      Spectroscopy.
AB  - Due to its extremely low natural abundance and quadrupolar nature, the (17)O
      nuclide is very rarely used for spectroscopic investigation of solids by NMR
      without isotope enrichment. Additionally, the applicability of dynamic nuclear
      polarization (DNP), which leads to sensitivity enhancements of 2 orders of
      magnitude, to (17)O is wrought with challenges due to the lack of spin diffusion
      and low polarization transfer efficiency from (1)H. Here, we demonstrate new DNP
      based measurements that extend (17)O solid-state NMR beyond its current
      capabilities. The use of the PRESTO technique instead of conventional (1)H-(17)O
      cross-polarization greatly improves the sensitivity and enables the facile
      measurement of undistorted line shapes and two-dimensional (1)H-(17)O HETCOR NMR
      spectra as well as accurate internuclear distance measurements at natural
      abundance. This was applied for distinguishing hydrogen-bonded and lone (17)O
      sites on the surface of silica gel; the one-dimensional spectrum of which could
      not be used to extract such detail. Lastly, this greatly enhanced sensitivity has
      enabled, for the first time, the detection of surface hydroxyl sites on
      mesoporous silica at natural abundance, thereby extending the concept of DNP
      surface-enhanced NMR spectroscopy to the (17)O nuclide. 

PMID- 26098848
TI  - Evaluation of a Brief Personalised Intervention for Alcohol Consumption in
      College Students.
AB  - In the current study we investigated the effect of a brief personalised feedback
      intervention (BPI), compared to an active control intervention, on outcome
      measures of (i) alcohol consumption (ii) frequency of binge drinking and (iii)
      readiness to change (RTC). A sample of 103 college students (mean age=23.85) who
      consumed alcohol regularly provided baseline measures of drinking behaviour and
      readiness to change before completing an alcohol-related quiz on the UK
      Department of Health's Change4Life website (active control). The study was a
      between subjects design and half the participants were randomly allocated to the
      BPI group (N=52), who received 10 minutes personalised feedback on their drinking
      in addition to the alcohol-related quiz. At a two-week follow-up, participants
      (N=103) repeated the questionnaire battery, and attempted to recall the answers
      to the alcohol quiz. Results indicated that both groups significantly reduced
      their alcohol consumption and frequency of binge drinking but there were no
      significant group differences in either of these measures. We conclude that the
      provision of generalised information can be as efficient as a BPI for the
      reduction of alcohol consumption in students. 

PMID- 26098847
TI  - The Decrement of Hemoglobin Concentration with Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker
      Treatment Is Correlated with the Reduction of Albuminuria in Non-Diabetic
      Hypertensive Patients: Post-Hoc Analysis of ESPECIAL Trial.
AB  - Blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system exhibits a renoprotective
      effect; however, blockade of this system may also decrease hemoglobin (Hb) and
      erythropoietin (EPO) levels. We evaluated the correlation between reduced
      albuminuria and decreased hemoglobin concentrations after treatment with an
      angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB). Two hundred forty-five non-diabetic
      hypertensive participants with established albuminuria and relatively preserved
      renal function were treated with an ARB (40 mg/day olmesartan) for eight weeks.
      Subsequent changes in various clinical parameters, including Hb, EPO, and
      albuminuria, were analyzed following treatment. After the 8-week treatment with
      an ARB, Hb and EPO levels significantly decreased. Patients with a greater
      decrease in Hb exhibited a greater reduction in 24-hour urinary albumin excretion
      compared with patients with less of a decrease or no decrease in Hb, whereas no
      associations with a decline in renal function and EPO levels were noted.
      Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated a correlation between the
      reduction of urine albumin excretion and the decrease in Hb levels (after natural
      logarithm transformation, adjusted odds ratio 1.76, 95% confidence interval 1.21
      2.56, P = 0.003). Linear regression analysis also supported this positive
      correlation (Pearson correlation analysis; R = 0.24, P < 0.001). Decreased Hb
      concentrations following ARB treatment were positively correlated with reduced
      albuminuria in non-diabetic hypertensive patients, regardless of decreased blood
      pressure and EPO levels or renal function decline. 

PMID- 26098849
TI  - Tumor T1 Relaxation Time for Assessing Response to Bevacizumab Anti-Angiogenic
      Therapy in a Mouse Ovarian Cancer Model.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess whether T1 relaxation time of tumors may be used to assess
      response to bevacizumab anti-angiogenic therapy. PROCEDURES: 12 female nude mice
      bearing subcutaneous SKOV3ip1-LC ovarian tumors were administered bevacizumab
      (6.25ug/g, n=6) or PBS (control, n=6) therapy twice a week for two weeks. T1 maps
      of tumors were generated before, two days, and 2 weeks after initiating therapy.
      Tumor weight was assessed by MR and at necropsy. Histology for microvessel
      density, proliferation, and apoptosis was performed. RESULTS: Bevacizumab
      treatment resulted in tumor growth inhibition (p<0.04, n=6), confirming
      therapeutic efficacy. Tumor T1 relaxation times increased in bevacizumab treated
      mice 2 days and 2 weeks after initiating therapy (p<.05, n=6). Microvessel
      density decreased 59% and cell proliferation (Ki67+) decreased 50% in the
      bevacizumab treatment group (p<.001, n=6), but not apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS:
      Findings suggest that increased tumor T1 relaxation time is associated with
      response to bevacizumab therapy in ovarian cancer model and might serve as an
      early indicator of response.

PMID- 26098850
TI  - N-Linked Glycans Are Assembled on Highly Reduced Dolichol Phosphate Carriers in
      the Hyperthermophilic Archaea Pyrococcus furiosus.
AB  - In all three domains of life, N-glycosylation begins with the assembly of glycans
      on phosphorylated polyisoprenoid carriers. Like eukaryotes, archaea also utilize
      phosphorylated dolichol for this role, yet whereas the assembled oligosaccharide
      is transferred to target proteins from dolichol pyrophosphate in eukaryotes,
      archaeal N-linked glycans characterized to date are derived from a dolichol
      monophosphate carrier, apart from a single example. In this study, glycan-charged
      dolichol phosphate from the hyperthermophile Pyrococcus furiosus was identified
      and structurally characterized. Normal and reverse phase liquid chromatography
      electrospray ionization mass spectrometry revealed the existence of dolichol
      phosphate charged with the heptasaccharide recently described in in vitro studies
      of N-glycosylation on this species. As with other described archaeal dolichol
      phosphates, the alpha- and omega-terminal isoprene subunits of the P. furiosus
      lipid are saturated, in contrast to eukaryal phosphodolichols that present only a
      saturated alpha-position isoprene subunit. Interestingly, an additional 1-4 of
      the 12-14 isoprene subunits comprising P. furiosus dolichol phosphate are
      saturated, making this lipid not only the longest archaeal dolichol phosphate
      described to date but also the most highly saturated. 

PMID- 26098851
TI  - Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis of Soil Bacterial
      Communities under Different Vegetation Types in Subtropical Area.
AB  - Soil microbes are active players in energy flow and material exchange of the
      forest ecosystems, but the research on the relationship between the microbial
      diversity and the vegetation types is less conducted, especially in the
      subtropical area of China. In this present study, the rhizosphere soils of
      evergreen broad-leaf forest (EBF), coniferous forest (CF), subalpine dwarf forest
      (SDF) and alpine meadow (AM) were chosen as test sites. Terminal-restriction
      fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) analysis was used to detect the
      composition and diversity of soil bacterial communities under different
      vegetation types in the National Natural Reserve of Wuyi Mountains. Our results
      revealed distinct differences in soil microbial composition under different
      vegetation types. Total 73 microbes were identified in soil samples of the four
      vegetation types, and 56, 49, 46 and 36 clones were obtained from the soils of
      EBF, CF, SDF and AM, respectively, and subsequently sequenced. The
      Actinobacteria, Fusobacterium, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria were the most
      predominant in all soil samples. The order of Shannon-Wiener index (H) of all
      soil samples was in the order of EBF>CF>SDF>AM, whereas bacterial species
      richness as estimated by four restriction enzymes indicated no significant
      difference. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the soil bacterial
      communities' structures of EBF, CF, SDF and AM were clearly separated along the
      first and second principal components, which explained 62.17% and 31.58% of the
      total variance, respectively. The soil physical-chemical properties such as total
      organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and total
      potassium (TK) were positively correlated with the diversity of bacterial
      communities. 

PMID- 26098854
TI  - A rare case of Amyand's hernia in a 67-year-old male. A case report and review of
      the literature.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the study is to indicate the Amyand's hernia as a possible
      complication during surgery for hernia repair performed in emergency CASE REPORT:
      A case Amyand's hernia complicated by the presence of acute gangrenous
      appendicitis perforated at the base is reported. DISCUSSION: Amyand's hernia is
      an hernia which is the vermiform appendix inside. This condition may remain
      asymptomatic and behave like a normal inguinal hernia or can simulate
      strangulated hernia when the hernia contains inflamed appendix. CONCLUSION: Acute
      appendicitis in an incarcerated inguinal hernia is a rare event. The preoperative
      diagnosis is very difficult because it simulates the behavior of a strangulated
      inguinal hernia. The treatment depends on the severity of appendicitis. The
      appendicitis status influences the type of surgery and the type of access.

PMID- 26098852
TI  - The Axolotl Fibula as a Model for the Induction of Regeneration across Large
      Segment Defects in Long Bones of the Extremities.
AB  - We tested the ability of the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) fibula to regenerate
      across segment defects of different size in the absence of intervention or after
      implant of a unique 8-braid pig small intestine submucosa (SIS) scaffold, with or
      without incorporated growth factor combinations or tissue protein extract.
      Fractures and defects of 10% and 20% of the total limb length regenerated well
      without any intervention, but 40% and 50% defects failed to regenerate after
      either simple removal of bone or implanting SIS scaffold alone. By contrast,
      scaffold soaked in the growth factor combination BMP-4/HGF or in protein extract
      of intact limb tissue promoted partial or extensive induction of cartilage and
      bone across 50% segment defects in 30%-33% of cases. These results show that BMP
      4/HGF and intact tissue protein extract can promote the events required to induce
      cartilage and bone formation across a segment defect larger than critical size
      and that the long bones of axolotl limbs are an inexpensive model to screen
      soluble factors and natural and synthetic scaffolds for their efficacy in
      stimulating this process. 

PMID- 26098855
TI  - Dimer formation upon deprotonation: synthesis and structure of a m-terphenyl
      substituted (R,S)-dilithium disiloxanolate disilanol.
AB  - The synthesis and structural characterization of the first dilithium salt of a
      tetrahydroxydisiloxane, [DmpSi(OH)OLi]2O (6), is described (Dmp = 2,6
      dimesitylphenyl). The solid state structure reveals the presence of a dimeric
      motif where two disiloxane units are linked by coordinating lithium atoms which
      differs from those found for the sodium and potassium analogs. The arrangement
      imposed by the cluster formation leads to diastereomeric silicon atoms exhibiting
      (R,S) configuration in the solid state. In addition, the intermediates of the
      reaction, monolithiated and dilithiated silanetriol could be identified by means
      of high-resolution mass spectrometry and the formation of 6 is discussed.
      Moreover, the fully protonated tetrahydroxydisiloxane, [DmpSi(OH)2]2O has been
      obtained as well and its solid state structures with varying hydrogen bond
      acceptors have been surveyed.

PMID- 26098853
TI  - The Effects of Game-Based Breathing Exercise on Pulmonary Function in Stroke
      Patients: A Preliminary Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reduction of respiratory function along with hemiparesis leads to
      decreased endurance, dyspnea, and increased sedentary behavior, as well as to an
      increased risk of stroke. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the
      preliminary effects of game-based breathing exercise (GBE) on pulmonary function
      in stroke patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-eight in-patients with stroke
      (22 men, 16 women) were recruited for the study. Participants were randomly
      allocated into 2 groups: patients assigned to the GBE group (n=19), and the
      control group (n=19). The GBE group participated in a GBE program for 25 minutes
      a day, 3 days a week, during a 5 week period. For the same period, both groups
      participated in a conventional stroke rehabilitation program. Forced vital
      capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC, and
      maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) were measured by a spirometer in pre- and
      post-testing. RESULTS: The GBE group had significantly improved FVC, FEV1, and
      MVV values compared with the control group (p<0.05), although there was no
      significant difference in FEV1/FVC value between groups. Significant short-term
      effects of the GBE program on pulmonary function in stroke patients were recorded
      in this study. CONCLUSIONS: These findings gave some indications that it may be
      feasible to include GBE in rehabilitation interventions with this population.

PMID- 26098856
TI  - Patients with an extraordinarily elevated serum ferritin: think of
      haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We retrospectively analysed charts of patients with blood ferritin
      level >5000 ug/l. The aim of the study was to look for the likelihood of
      haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) in these patients. METHODS: Forty-two
      patients demonstrated hyperferritinaemia and could be evaluated. The diagnosis of
      HLH was based on a recently published HScore and an earlier diagnostic algorithm.
      RESULTS: According to the algorithm, 20 patients fulfilled the criteria for a
      diagnosis of HLH. However, patients with Still's disease have macrophage
      activation and, in this context, a rise in ferritin without having HLH. Fourteen
      patients with carcinoma, haematological malignancies or infection and
      hyperferritinaemia remained. Signs and symptoms were: systemic inflammatory
      response syndrome (SIRS 100%), fever (95%), cytopenia of >=2 lines (70%),
      immunosuppression (61.5%), splenomegaly (50%), elevated liver enzymes (45%),
      lymphadenopathy (35%), hepatomegaly (30%). These are nonspecific parameters.
      Therefore HLH may be overdiagnosed. Using the HScore, only 10 patients had >80%
      probability of having HLH. Patients demonstrating cytopenia of >=2 cell lines had
      a >60% mortality rate. Time to death was 13.8 days; death was most often due to
      multiorgan failure. CONCLUSION: HScore reflects a higher specificity than the
      algorithm for diagnosing HLH. The discrepancy may indicate the difficulty that a
      specific marker still is missing. Hyperferritinaemia was strongly associated with
      HLH in patients with haematological or oncological malignancies. HLH may be
      underdiagnosed because the majority of these patients suffer from a severe
      underlying disease, which easily might suggest a flare or infection. In this
      population, hyperferritinaemia and SIRS should rise suspicion because mortality
      in HLH is high.

PMID- 26098857
TI  - Reliability and Validity of the Alberta Context Tool (ACT) with Professional
      Nurses: Findings from a Multi-Study Analysis.
AB  - Although organizational context is central to evidence-based practice,
      underdeveloped measurement hinders its assessment. The Alberta Context Tool,
      comprised of 59 items that tap 10 modifiable contextual concepts, was developed
      to address this gap. The purpose of this study to examine the reliability and
      validity of scores obtained when the Alberta Context Tool is completed by
      professional nurses across different healthcare settings. Five separate studies
      (N = 2361 nurses across different care settings) comprised the study sample.
      Reliability and validity were assessed. Cronbach's alpha exceeded 0.70 for 9/10
      Alberta Context Tool concepts. Item-total correlations exceeded acceptable
      standards for 56/59 items. Confirmatory Factor Analyses coordinated acceptably
      with the Alberta Context Tool's proposed latent structure. The mean values for
      each Alberta Context Tool concept increased from low to high levels of research
      utilization(as hypothesized) further supporting its validity. This study provides
      robust evidence for reliability and validity of scores obtained with the Alberta
      Context Tool when administered to professional nurses.

PMID- 26098858
TI  - Improving the Rank Precision of Population Health Measures for Small Areas with
      Longitudinal and Joint Outcome Models.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute has published
      the County Health Rankings since 2010. These rankings use population-based data
      to highlight health outcomes and the multiple determinants of these outcomes and
      to encourage in-depth health assessment for all United States counties. A
      significant methodological limitation, however, is the uncertainty of rank
      estimates, particularly for small counties. To address this challenge, we explore
      the use of longitudinal and pooled outcome data in hierarchical Bayesian models
      to generate county ranks with greater precision. METHODS: In our models we used
      pooled outcome data for three measure groups: (1) Poor physical and poor mental
      health days; (2) percent of births with low birth weight and fair or poor health
      prevalence; and (3) age-specific mortality rates for nine age groups. We used the
      fixed and random effects components of these models to generate posterior samples
      of rates for each measure. We also used time-series data in longitudinal random
      effects models for age-specific mortality. Based on the posterior samples from
      these models, we estimate ranks and rank quartiles for each measure, as well as
      the probability of a county ranking in its assigned quartile. Rank quartile
      probabilities for univariate, joint outcome, and/or longitudinal models were
      compared to assess improvements in rank precision. RESULTS: The joint outcome
      model for poor physical and poor mental health days resulted in improved rank
      precision, as did the longitudinal model for age-specific mortality rates. Rank
      precision for low birth weight births and fair/poor health prevalence based on
      the univariate and joint outcome models were equivalent. CONCLUSION:
      Incorporating longitudinal or pooled outcome data may improve rank certainty,
      depending on characteristics of the measures selected. For measures with
      different determinants, joint modeling neither improved nor degraded rank
      precision. This approach suggests a simple way to use existing information to
      improve the precision of small-area measures of population health.

PMID- 26098859
TI  - Validation of an IGF-CTP scoring system for assessing hepatic reserve in Egyptian
      patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Child-Turcotte-Pugh score (CTP) is the standard tool for hepatic
      reserve assessment in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, we reported that
      integrating plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) level into the CTP score
      was associated with better patient risk stratification in two U.S. independent
      cohorts. Our current study aimed to validate the IGF-CTP score in patients who
      have different demographics and risk factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We
      prospectively recruited 100 Egyptian patients and calculated their IGF-CTP score
      compared to CTP score. C-index was used to compare the prognostic significance of
      the two scoring systems. Finally, we compared our results with our U.S. cohorts
      published data. RESULTS: IGF-CTP score showed significant better patient
      stratification compared to CTP score in the international validation cohort.
      Among CTP class A patients, who usually considered for active treatment and
      clinical trial enrollment, 32.5% were reclassified as IGF-CTP class B with
      significantly shorter OS than patients reclassified as class A with hazard ratio
      [HR] = 6.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.18 -17.37. CONCLUSIONS: IGF-CTP
      score showed significantly better patient stratification and survival prediction
      not only in the U.S. population but also in international validation population,
      who had different demographics and HCC risk factors.

PMID- 26098860
TI  - Sick Leave within 5 Years of Whiplash Trauma Predicts Recovery: A Prospective
      Cohort and Register-Based Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 10-22% of individuals sustaining whiplash trauma develop persistent
      symptoms resulting in reduced working ability and decreased quality of life, but
      it is poorly understood why some people do not recover. Various collision and
      post-collision risk factors have been studied, but little is known about pre
      collision risk factors. In particular, the impact of sickness and socioeconomic
      factors before the collision on recovery is sparsely explored. The aim of this
      study was to examine if welfare payments received within five years pre-collision
      predict neck pain and negative change in provisional situation one year post
      collision. METHODS AND FINDINGS: 719 individuals with acute whiplash trauma
      consecutively recruited from emergency departments or primary care after car
      accidents in Denmark completed questionnaires on socio-demographic and health
      factors immediately after the collision. After 12 months, a visual analogue scale
      on neck pain intensity was completed. 3595 matched controls in the general
      population were sampled, and national public register data on social benefits and
      any other welfare payments were obtained for participants with acute whiplash
      trauma and controls from five years pre-collision to 15 months after.
      Participants with acute whiplash trauma who had received sickness benefit for
      more than 12 weeks pre-collision had increased odds for negative change in future
      provisional situation (Odds Ratio (OR) (95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 3.8
      (2.1;7.1)) and future neck pain (OR (95%CI) = 3.3 (1.8;6.3)), controlling for
      other known risk factors. Participants with acute whiplash trauma had weaker
      attachment to labour market (more weeks of sick leave (chi2(2) = 36.7, p < 0.001)
      and unemployment (chi2(2) = 12.5, p = 0.002)) pre-collision compared with
      controls. Experiencing a whiplash trauma raised the odds for future negative
      change in provisional situation (OR (95%CI) = 3.1 (2.3;4.4)) compared with
      controls. CONCLUSIONS: Sick leave before the collision strongly predicted
      prolonged recovery following whiplash trauma. Participants with acute whiplash
      trauma had weaker attachment to labour market pre-collision compared with the
      general population. Neck pain at inclusion predicted future neck pain. Acute
      whiplash trauma may trigger pre-existing vulnerabilities increasing risk of
      developing whiplash-associated disorders.

PMID- 26098861
TI  - Formaldehyde migration in aqueous extracts from paper and cardboard food
      packaging materials in Turkey.
AB  - Migration of formaldehyde to aqueous extracts from paper and cardboard food
      packaging materials was determined by an ultraviolet visible-spectrophotometric
      method at 410 nm. Intraday and interday precision of the method, expressed as
      coefficient of variation, varied between 1.5 to 4.4% and 7 to 8.8%, respectively.
      The limit of quantification was 0.28 mg kg(-1) for formaldehyde in aqueous
      extracts. The recovery of the method was over 90% for two different concentration
      levels in aqueous extracts. The method was applied to the migration of
      formaldehyde to aqueous extracts from 31 different paper and cardboard materials
      collected from the packaging sector, intended for food contact, such as tea
      filters, hot water filters, paper pouches and folding boxes. The results were
      between limit of detection 0.23 mg/kg and 40 mg kg(-1) and were evaluated
      according to the relevant directives.

PMID- 26098862
TI  - Tubal pregnancy associated with additional conception in a contralateral tube.
AB  - Pregnancy of unknown location is defined as empty endometrial cavity despite
      positive pregnancy test, and often develops as overt intrauterine or ectopic
      pregnancy. The pathophysiology of persistent pregnancy of unknown location,
      however, which involves continuous low serum human chorionic gonadotropin without
      any visible implantation site, is unknown. We report a case of left tubal
      pregnancy associated with additional conception in the contralateral tube. Left
      tubal pregnancy was suspected in a 40-year-old nulligravid woman after two embryo
      transfers following in vitro fertilization. Laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy
      was performed for bilateral hydrosalpinx. Products from an additional conception
      were identified in the right tube. Short tandem repeat analysis using genomic DNA
      from resected specimens indicated two conceptions of different origin. The extra
      conception identified on microscopy may indicate one pathogenesis of persistent
      pregnancy of unknown location. Salpingectomy of the contralateral tube with
      hydrosalpinx is an option to prevent persistent occult pregnancy. 

PMID- 26098863
TI  - Mode-specific study of nanoparticle-mediated optical interactions in an
      absorber/metal thin film system.
AB  - We present an experimental and theoretical study of the electromagnetic
      interaction between a single gold nanoparticle and a thin gold substrate
      separated by a sub-50 nm-thick optically absorptive polythiophene spacer layer.
      Single-particle dark-field scattering spectra show distinct resonance features
      assigned to four different modes: a horizontal image dipole coupling mode, a
      vertical image dipole coupling mode and horizontal and vertical coupling modes
      between localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) and surface plasmon
      polaritons (SPPs). Relatively broadband spectral tuning of the modes can be
      achieved by modification of the thickness of either the absorptive spacer or the
      underlying metal film. Dark-field images also reveal the existence of particles
      for which the signal of the horizontal image dipole coupling mode is suppressed.
      This is attributed to partial-embedding of gold nanoparticles into the
      polythiophene spacer and leads to higher scattered light intensities at longer
      wavelengths. Full-field electromagnetic simulations show good agreement with the
      experimental results for the various sample conditions. Strong local electric
      field confinement at longer wavelengths in the polythiophene spacer, due to the
      vertical image dipole coupling mode and a LSPR-SPP coupling mode, is also
      observed in simulations and contributes to absorption enhancement in the spacer.
      Furthermore, we find absorption enhancement in the semiconducting polythiophene
      spacer increases with decreasing thickness, indicating the increased light
      trapping ability of the gold nanoparticles for ultra-thin semiconductor layers.
      The need for ever-thinner semiconductor layers in optoelectronic devices requires
      effective light trapping at deeply-subwavelength scales. This work demonstrates
      that light trapping in sub-50 nm-thick semiconductor layers is possible using a
      "sphere-on-plane" system and offers insight into how coupling modes can be
      manipulated in this system. 

PMID- 26098864
TI  - Correction: A Novel Approach to Delayed-Start Analyses for Demonstrating Disease
      Modifying Effects in Alzheimer's Disease.

PMID- 26098865
TI  - Optimal force magnitude loaded to orthodontic microimplants: A finite element
      analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To find an optimal force that can be loaded onto an orthodontic
      microimplant to fulfill the biomechanical demands of orthodontic treatment
      without diminishing the stability of the microimplant. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Using the finite element analysis method, 3-D computer-aided design models of a
      microimplant and four cylindrical bone pieces (incorporating cortical bone
      thicknesses of 0.5, 1.2, 2.0, and 3.0 mm) into which the microimplant was
      inserted were used. Various force magnitudes of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0,
      3.5, and 4.0 N were then horizontally and separately applied to the microimplant
      head as inserted into the different bone assemblies. For each bone/force assembly
      tested, peak stresses developed at areas of intimate contact with the
      microimplant along the force direction were then calculated using regression
      analysis and compared with a threshold value at which pathologic bone resorption
      might develop. RESULTS: The resulting peak stresses showed that bone pieces with
      thicker cortical bone tolerated higher force magnitudes better than did thinner
      ones. For cortical bone thicknesses of 0.5, 1.2, 2.0, and 3.0 mm, the maximum
      force magnitudes that could be applied safely were 3.75, 4.1, 4.3, and 4.45 N,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: For the purpose of diminishing orthodontic
      microimplant failure, an optimal force that can be safely loaded onto a
      microimplant should not exceed a value of around 3.75-4.5 N.

PMID- 26098866
TI  - Loss-of-function variants in ATM confer risk of gastric cancer.
AB  - Gastric cancer is a serious health problem worldwide, with particularly high
      prevalence in eastern Asia. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in Asian
      populations have identified several loci that associate with gastric cancer risk.
      Here we report a GWAS of gastric cancer in a European population, using
      information on 2,500 population-based gastric cancer cases and 205,652 controls.
      We found a new gastric cancer association with loss-of-function mutations in ATM
      (gene test, P = 8.0 * 10(-12); odds ratio (OR) = 4.74). The combination of the
      loss-of-function variants p.Gln852*, p.Ser644* and p.Tyr103* (combined minor
      allele frequency (MAF) = 0.3%) also associates with pancreatic and prostate
      cancers (OR = 3.81 and 2.18, respectively) and gives an indication of risk of
      breast and colorectal cancers (OR = 1.82 and 1.97, respectively). Cancers in
      those carrying loss-of-function ATM mutations are diagnosed at a significantly
      earlier age than in non-carriers. Our results confirm an association between
      gastric cancer in Europeans and three loci previously reported in Asians, MUC1,
      PRKAA1 and PSCA, refine the association signal at PRKAA1 and support a pathogenic
      role for the tandem repeat identified in MUC1. 

PMID- 26098867
TI  - Consistent in-frame internal tandem duplications of BCOR characterize clear cell
      sarcoma of the kidney.
AB  - Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) is one of the major pediatric renal
      neoplasms, but its associated genetic abnormalities are largely unknown. We
      identified internal tandem duplications in the BCOR gene (BCL6 corepressor)
      affecting the C terminus in 100% (20/20) of CCSK tumors but in none (0/193) of
      the other pediatric renal tumors. CCSK tumors expressed only an aberrant BCOR
      allele, indicating a close correlation between BCOR aberration and CCSK
      tumorigenesis. 

PMID- 26098868
TI  - GmHs1-1, encoding a calcineurin-like protein, controls hard-seededness in
      soybean.
AB  - Loss of seed-coat impermeability was essential in the domestication of many
      leguminous crops to promote the production of their highly nutritious seeds. Here
      we show that seed-coat impermeability in wild soybean is controlled by a single
      gene, GmHs1-1, which encodes a calcineurin-like metallophosphoesterase
      transmembrane protein. GmHs1-1 is primarily expressed in the Malpighian layer of
      the seed coat and is associated with calcium content. The transition from
      impermeability to permeability in domesticated soybean was caused by artificial
      selection of a point mutation in GmHs1-1. Interestingly, a number of soybean
      landraces evaded selection for permeability because of an alternative selection
      for seed-coat cracking that also enables seed imbibition. Despite the single
      origin of the mutant allele Gmhs1-1, the distribution pattern of allelic variants
      in the context of soybean population structure and the detected signature of
      genomic introgression between wild and cultivated soybeans suggest that Gmhs1-1
      may have experienced reselection for seed-coat permeability. 

PMID- 26098871
TI  - The Strength of Association Between Surrogate End Points and Survival in
      Oncology: A Systematic Review of Trial-Level Meta-analyses.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: The strength of association between surrogate end points and survival
      in oncology is important to understand because surrogate end points are
      frequently used in oncology clinical trials, supporting US Food and Drug
      Administration approvals and National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline
      recommendations. OBJECTIVE: To identify and evaluate trial-level meta-analyses of
      randomized clinical trials quantifying the association between a surrogate end
      point and overall survival in medical oncology. Trial-level correlations test
      whether treatments that improve the surrogate end point also improve the final
      end point and are widely considered the strongest evidence to validate a
      surrogate end point. EVIDENCE REVIEW: Our literature search was built on earlier
      reported data sets and updated with Google Scholar and MEDLINE searches conducted
      on December 26, 2014. For MEDLINE, search terms included ("regression" or
      "correlation") and "surrogate" and "end point [or endpoint]" and ("oncology" or
      "cancer"). For Google scholar, search terms included ("regression" or
      "correlation") and "surrogate end point [or endpoint]" and "overall survival" and
      "trial level." A total of 108 abstracts were retrieved, and 62 articles were read
      in full in addition to articles identified through prior reviews. FINDINGS: We
      found 36 articles in which 65 specific correlations between a surrogate end point
      and survival were identified. Surrogate end points were studied in the
      neoadjuvant, adjuvant, locally advanced, and metastatic settings. The most common
      sources for trials included in the 36 articles were systematic reviews of the
      published literature (10 of 36; 28%), and published literature and meeting
      abstracts (14 of 36; 39%). Four meta-analyses (11%) used a convenience sample,
      and only 5 studies (14%) attempted to include unpublished trials by surveying
      clinical trial registries. Among these 5 studies, only 352 of 684 eligible trials
      (51.1%) were included in the analyses. More than half of reported correlations
      (34 of 65; 52%) were of low strength (r <= 0.7). Approximately a quarter (16 of
      65; 25%) were of medium strength (r > 0.7 to r < 0.85), and 15 of 65 (23%) were
      highly correlated (r >= 0.85) with survival. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Most
      trial-level validation studies of surrogate end points in oncology find low
      correlations with survival. All validation studies use only a subset of available
      trials. The evidence supporting the use of surrogate end points in oncology is
      limited.

PMID- 26098870
TI  - Structural forms of the human amylase locus and their relationships to SNPs,
      haplotypes and obesity.
AB  - Hundreds of genes reside in structurally complex, poorly understood regions of
      the human genome. One such region contains the three amylase genes (AMY2B, AMY2A
      and AMY1) responsible for digesting starch into sugar. Copy number of AMY1 is
      reported to be the largest genomic influence on obesity, although genome-wide
      association studies for obesity have found this locus unremarkable. Using whole
      genome sequence analysis, droplet digital PCR and genome mapping, we identified
      eight common structural haplotypes of the amylase locus that suggest its
      mutational history. We found that the AMY1 copy number in an individual's genome
      is generally even (rather than odd) and partially correlates with nearby SNPs,
      which do not associate with body mass index (BMI). We measured amylase gene copy
      number in 1,000 obese or lean Estonians and in 2 other cohorts totaling ~3,500
      individuals. We had 99% power to detect the lower bound of the reported effects
      on BMI, yet found no association. 

PMID- 26098869
TI  - Common variation at 2p13.3, 3q29, 7p13 and 17q25.1 associated with susceptibility
      to pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the developed
      world. Both inherited high-penetrance mutations in BRCA2 (ref. 2), ATM, PALB2
      (ref. 4), BRCA1 (ref. 5), STK11 (ref. 6), CDKN2A and mismatch-repair genes and
      low-penetrance loci are associated with increased risk. To identify new risk
      loci, we performed a genome-wide association study on 9,925 pancreatic cancer
      cases and 11,569 controls, including 4,164 newly genotyped cases and 3,792
      controls in 9 studies from North America, Central Europe and Australia. We
      identified three newly associated regions: 17q25.1 (LINC00673, rs11655237, odds
      ratio (OR) = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.19-1.34, P = 1.42 * 10(-14)),
      7p13 (SUGCT, rs17688601, OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.84-0.92, P = 1.41 * 10(-8)) and
      3q29 (TP63, rs9854771, OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.85-0.93, P = 2.35 * 10(-8)). We
      detected significant association at 2p13.3 (ETAA1, rs1486134, OR = 1.14, 95% CI =
      1.09-1.19, P = 3.36 * 10(-9)), a region with previous suggestive evidence in Han
      Chinese. We replicated previously reported associations at 9q34.2 (ABO), 13q22.1
      (KLF5), 5p15.33 (TERT and CLPTM1), 13q12.2 (PDX1), 1q32.1 (NR5A2), 7q32.3 (LINC
      PINT), 16q23.1 (BCAR1) and 22q12.1 (ZNRF3). Our study identifies new loci
      associated with pancreatic cancer risk. 

PMID- 26098872
TI  - Genetic Interactions between the Members of the SMN-Gemins Complex in Drosophila.
AB  - The SMN-Gemins complex is composed of Gemins 2-8, Unrip and the survival motor
      neuron (SMN) protein. Limiting levels of SMN result in the neuromuscular
      disorder, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which is presently untreatable. The most
      documented function of the SMN-Gemins complex concerns the assembly of
      spliceosomal small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs). Despite multiple genetic
      studies, the Gemin proteins have not been identified as prominent modifiers of
      SMN-associated mutant phenotypes. In the present report, we make use of the
      Drosophila model organism to investigate whether viability and motor phenotypes
      associated with a hypomorphic Gemin3 mutant are enhanced by changes in the levels
      of SMN, Gemin2 and Gemin5 brought about by various genetic manipulations. We show
      a modifier effect by all three members of the minimalistic fly SMN-Gemins complex
      within the muscle compartment of the motor unit. Interestingly, muscle-specific
      overexpression of Gemin2 was by itself sufficient to depress normal motor
      function and its enhanced upregulation in all tissues leads to a decline in fly
      viability. The toxicity associated with increased Gemin2 levels is conserved in
      the yeast S. pombe in which we find that the cytoplasmic retention of Sm
      proteins, likely reflecting a block in the snRNP assembly pathway, is a
      contributing factor. We propose that a disruption in the normal stoichiometry of
      the SMN-Gemins complex depresses its function with consequences that are
      detrimental to the motor system. 

PMID- 26098873
TI  - A Sensitive and Specific Neural Signature for Picture-Induced Negative Affect.
AB  - Neuroimaging has identified many correlates of emotion but has not yet yielded
      brain representations predictive of the intensity of emotional experiences in
      individuals. We used machine learning to identify a sensitive and specific
      signature of emotional responses to aversive images. This signature predicted the
      intensity of negative emotion in individual participants in cross validation (n
      =121) and test (n = 61) samples (high-low emotion = 93.5% accuracy). It was
      unresponsive to physical pain (emotion-pain = 92% discriminative accuracy),
      demonstrating that it is not a representation of generalized arousal or salience.
      The signature was comprised of mesoscale patterns spanning multiple cortical and
      subcortical systems, with no single system necessary or sufficient for predicting
      experience. Furthermore, it was not reducible to activity in traditional "emotion
      related" regions (e.g., amygdala, insula) or resting-state networks (e.g.,
      "salience," "default mode"). Overall, this work identifies differentiable neural
      components of negative emotion and pain, providing a basis for new, brain-based
      taxonomies of affective processes. 

PMID- 26098875
TI  - Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance of the Graphene-V2O5 Nanocomposite in the
      Degradation of Methylene Blue Dye under Direct Sunlight.
AB  - A simple and efficient solution mixing method has been developed for the
      synthesis of the G-V2O5 nanocomposite. By this method, one-dimensional V2O5 rods
      are decorated onto the two-dimensional graphene sheets. The synthesized
      nanocomposites are characterized by XRD, SEM with elemental mapping, TEM, FT-IR,
      Raman, BET, and XPS analyses. The photocatalytic activity of the G-V2O5
      nanocomposite studied with methylene blue dye shows strong degradation efficiency
      with direct sunlight irradiation compared to UV and visible light sources. The
      mechanism of methylene blue dye degradation by the G-V2O5 nanocomposite has been
      elucidated through the kinetics of the degradation process by calculating the
      rate constant and half-life time of the degradation process. 

PMID- 26098874
TI  - Nanomicellar Formulation of Clotrimazole Improves Its Antitumor Action toward
      Human Breast Cancer Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although demonstrated as a selective anticancer drug, the clinical
      use of clotrimazole (CTZ) is limited due to its low solubility in hydrophilic
      fluids. Thus, we prepared a water-soluble nanomicellar formulation of CTZ (nCTZ)
      and tested on the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 biology.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: CTZ was nanoencapsulated in tween 80 micelles,
      which generated nanomicelles of, approximately, 17 nm of diameter. MCF-7 cells
      were treated with nCTZ and unencapsulated DMSO-solubilized drug (sCTZ) was used
      for comparison. After treatment, the cells were evaluated in terms of metabolism,
      proliferation, survival and structure. We found that nCTZ was more efficient than
      sCTZ at inhibiting glycolytic and other cytosolic and mitochondrial enzymes.
      Moreover, this increased activity was also observed for lactate production,
      intracellular ATP content, ROS production and antioxidant potential. As a
      consequence, nCTZ-treated MCF-7 cells displayed alterations to the plasma
      membrane, mitochondria and the nucleus. Finally, nCTZ induced both apoptosis and
      necrosis in MCF-7 cells. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: MCF-7 cells are more sensible
      to nCTZ than to sCTZ. This was especially evident on regard to antioxidant
      potential, which is an important cell defense against drugs that affect cell
      metabolism. Moreover, this water-soluble formulation of CTZ strengths its
      potential use as an anticancer medicine.

PMID- 26098876
TI  - Impact of Antithrombotic Therapy in Atrial Fibrillation on the Presentation of
      Coronary Artery Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about whether atrial fibrillation is a presentation
      of coronary disease. There is a paucity of knowledge about their causal
      relationship and also the impact of different antithrombotic strategies on the
      subsequent presentation of symptomatic coronary disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: We
      studied 7,526 Chinese patients diagnosed with non-valvular atrial fibrillation
      and no documented history of coronary artery disease. The primary endpoint was
      the new occurrence of coronary artery disease--either stable coronary artery
      disease or acute coronary syndrome. After a mean follow-up of 3.2+/-3.5 years
      (24,071 patient-years), a primary endpoint occurred in 987 patients (13.1%). The
      overall annual incidence of coronary artery disease was 4.10%/year. No
      significant differences in age, sex, and mean CHA2DS2-VASc score were observed
      between patients with and without the primary endpoint. When stratified according
      to the antithrombotic strategies applied for stroke prevention, the annual
      incidence of coronary artery disease was 5.49%/year, 4.45%/year and 2.16%/year
      respectively in those prescribed no antithrombotic therapy, aspirin, and
      warfarin. Similar trends were observed in patients with acute coronary syndromes.
      Diabetes mellitus, smoking history and renal failure requiring dialysis were
      predictors for primary endpoint in all antithrombotic therapies. CONCLUSION: In
      patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, there is a modest association
      with coronary artery disease. Patients prescribed warfarin had the lowest risk of
      new onset coronary artery disease.

PMID- 26098877
TI  - Weak Evidence of Regeneration Habitat but Strong Evidence of Regeneration Niche
      for a Leguminous Shrub.
AB  - The identification of an ecological niche specific to the regeneration phase has
      mobilised significant attention. However, the importance of the regeneration
      niche concept remains unclear. Our main objective was to study the existence of
      such a regeneration niche for a leguminous shrub, Ulex europaeus. This study was
      carried out in southwest France in the context of water and nutrient stresses
      (mainly phosphorus limitation) due to the presence of nutrient-poor sandy soils.
      We analysed the regeneration of the species from the germination of seeds and
      emergence of new seedlings until the seedlings reached young shrub size. Our
      design included a P fertilisation treatment. We also investigated microsite
      characteristics (micro-topography and vegetation development) as they can
      interact with meteorological conditions and determine water availability for
      seeds and seedlings. We found that P availability controlled seedling growth and
      the time necessary to reach young shrub size. Water availability appeared to
      impact the species germination and seedlings survival. We also found that P and
      water availability depended on the interactions between microsite characteristics
      and climatic variations. Finally we found evidence that P and water availability
      are important ecological factors shaping the regeneration niche of the species,
      but we found weak evidence that any microsite would be appropriate for the
      regeneration of the species in the long term. Future studies regarding
      regeneration niches need to distinguish more clearly the ecological factors
      important for regeneration (the regeneration niche per se) and the physical world
      where the seedlings appear and develop (the regeneration habitat). 

PMID- 26098878
TI  - Thymosin alpha1: burying secrets in the thymus.
AB  - Thymosin alpha1 (Talpha1), an epithelial cell (EC)-derived cytokine, has the
      strong ability to modulate signals delivered through innate immune receptors on
      dendritic cells (DCs), thus instructing the initiation of appropriate immune
      responses to T cells. In its ability to activate indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1
      dependent tolerogenic programs in DCs, Talpha1 pivotally contributes to the
      maintenance of self-tolerance by regulating the function of regulatory T (Treg)
      cells. How Talpha1 may contribute to the Treg cell ontogeny is not known. The
      transcriptional regulator autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is known to control central
      and peripheral tolerance. AIRE is highly expressed in thymic medullary ECs where
      it controls the ectopic expression of tissue restricted antigens for negative
      selection. The absence of AIRE-induced tissue-specific antigens in the thymus can
      lead to autoimmunity in the antigen-expressing target organ. Recently, AIRE
      protein has been detected in peripheral lymphoid organs, suggesting that
      peripheral AIRE may play a complementary role. We have addressed the possible
      relationship between AIRE and Talpha1 and discovered an intricate crosstalk,
      whereby AIRE may promote prothymosin cleavage to Talpha1, and Talpha1 in turn
      transcriptionally regulates AIRE expression. Thus, similar to other members of
      thymic stromal poietins, Talpha1 expressed within the thymus and peripheral
      tissues regulates the EC/DC crosstalk required for salutary immune homeostasis. 

PMID- 26098879
TI  - Fructose Mediated Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Is Attenuated by HO-1-SIRT1 Module in
      Murine Hepatocytes and Mice Fed a High Fructose Diet.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress underlies the etiopathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty
      liver disease (NAFLD), obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Heme Oxygenase-1
      (HO-1) is a potent endogenous antioxidant gene that plays a key role in
      decreasing oxidative stress. Sirtuin1 (SIRT1) belongs to the family of NAD
      dependent de-acyetylases and is modulated by cellular redox. HYPOTHESIS: We
      hypothesize that fructose-induced obesity creates an inflammatory and oxidative
      environment conducive to the development of NAFLD and metabolic syndrome. The aim
      of this study is to determine whether HO-1 acts through SIRT1 to form a
      functional module within hepatocytes to attenuate steatohepatitis, hepatic
      fibrosis and cardiovascular dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined the
      effect of fructose, on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and fibrosis in murine
      hepatocytes and in mice fed a high fructose diet in the presence and absence of
      CoPP, an inducer of HO-1, and SnMP, an inhibitor of HO activity. Fructose
      increased oxidative stress markers and decreased HO-1 and SIRT1 levels in
      hepatocytes (p<0.05). Further fructose supplementation increased FAS, PPARalpha,
      pAMPK and triglycerides levels; CoPP negated this increase. Concurrent treatment
      with CoPP and SIRT1 siRNA in hepatocytes increased FAS, PPARalpha, pAMPK and
      triglycerides levels suggesting that HO-1 is upstream of SIRT1 and suppression of
      SIRT1 attenuates the beneficial effects of HO-1. A high fructose diet increased
      insulin resistance, blood pressure, markers of oxidative stress and lipogenesis
      along with fibrotic markers in mice (p<0.05). Increased levels of HO-1 increased
      SIRT1 levels and ameliorated fructose-mediated lipid accumulation and fibrosis in
      liver along with decreasing vascular dysfunction (p<0.05 vs. fructose). These
      beneficial effects of CoPP were reversed by SnMP. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our
      study demonstrates, for the first time, that HO-1 induction attenuates fructose
      induced hepatic lipid deposition, prevents the development of hepatic fibrosis
      and abates NAFLD-associated vascular dysfunction; effects that are mediated by
      activation of SIRT1 gene expression.

PMID- 26098880
TI  - Phenotypic Characterisation of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 Exposed to X-Radiation.
AB  - Biogeochemical processes mediated by Fe(III)-reducing bacteria such as Shewanella
      oneidensis have the potential to influence the post-closure evolution of a
      geological disposal facility for radioactive wastes and to affect the solubility
      of some radionuclides. Furthermore, their potential to reduce both Fe(III) and
      radionuclides can be harnessed for the bioremediation of radionuclide
      contaminated land. As some such sites are likely to have significant radiation
      fluxes, there is a need to characterise the impact of radiation stress on such
      microorganisms. There have, however, been few global cell analyses on the impact
      of ionizing radiation on subsurface bacteria, so here we address the metabolic
      response of S. oneidensis MR-1 to acute doses of X-radiation. UV/Vis spectroscopy
      and CFU counts showed that although X-radiation decreased initial viability and
      extended the lag phase of batch cultures, final biomass yields remained
      unchanged. FT-IR spectroscopy of whole cells indicated an increase in lipid
      associated vibrations and decreases in vibrations tentatively assigned to nucleic
      acids, phosphate, saccharides and amines. MALDI-TOF-MS detected an increase in
      total protein expression in cultures exposed to 12 Gy. At 95 Gy, a decrease in
      total protein levels was generally observed, although an increase in a putative
      cold shock protein was observed, which may be related to the radiation stress
      response of this organism. Multivariate statistical analyses applied to these FT
      IR and MALDI-TOF-MS spectral data suggested that an irradiated phenotype
      developed throughout subsequent generations. This study suggests that significant
      alteration to the metabolism of S. oneidensis MR-1 is incurred as a result of X
      irradiation and that dose dependent changes to specific biomolecules characterise
      this response. Irradiated S. oneidensis also displayed enhanced levels of poorly
      crystalline Fe(III) oxide reduction, though the mechanism underpinning this
      phenomenon is unclear. 

PMID- 26098882
TI  - Viability of a [2 + 2 + 1] Hetero-Pauson-Khand Cycloaddition Strategy toward
      Securinega Alkaloids: Synthesis of the BCD-Ring Core of Securinine and Related
      Alkaloids.
AB  - Preliminary results related to the development of [2 + 2 + 1]-oxa-hetero-Pauson
      Khand cycloaddition strategy toward the Securinega alkaloids are reported. The
      critical tricyclic BCD-ring core was assembled in only nine linear steps from
      cheap 4-hydroxy-l-proline. The study provides valuable insight into the scope of
      a rare hetero-Pauson-Khand reaction, a powerful tool for the rapid construction
      of butenolide-containing natural products. 

PMID- 26098881
TI  - A Transition Zone Showing Highly Discontinuous or Alternating Levels of Stem Cell
      and Proliferation Markers Characterizes the Development of PTEN-Haploinsufficient
      Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stepwise acquisition of oncogene mutations and deletion/inactivation
      of tumor suppressor genes characterize the development of colorectal cancer
      (CRC). These genetic events interact with discrete morphologic transitions from
      hyperplastic mucosa to adenomatous areas, followed by in situ malignant
      transformation and finally invasive carcinoma. The goal of this study was to
      identify tissue markers of the adenoma-carcinoma morphogenetic transitions in
      CRC. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We analyzed the patterns of expression of growth
      regulatory and stem cell markers across these distinct morphologic transition
      zones in 735 primary CRC tumors. In 202 cases with preserved adenoma
      adenocarcinoma transition, we identified, in 37.1% of cases, a zone of
      adenomatous epithelium, located immediately adjacent to the invasive component,
      that showed rapidly alternating intraglandular stretches of PTEN+ and PTEN-
      epithelium. This zone exactly overlapped with similar alternating expression of
      Ki-67 and inversely with the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) growth
      regulator SMAD4. These zones also show parallel alternating levels and/or
      subcellular localization of multiple cancer stem/progenitor cell (CSC) markers,
      including beta-catenin/CTNNB1, ALDH1, and CD44. PTEN was always re-expressed in
      the invasive tumor in these cases, unlike those with complete loss of PTEN
      expression. Genomic microarray analysis of CRC with prominent CSC-like expansions
      demonstrated a high frequency of PTEN genomic deletion/haploinsufficiency in
      tumors with CSC-like transition zones (62.5%) but not in tumors with
      downregulated but non-alternating PTEN expression (14.3%). There were no
      significant differences in the levels of KRAS mutation or CTNNB1 mutation in CSC
      like tumors as compared to unselected CRC cases. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we
      have identified a distinctive CSC-like pre-invasive transition zone in PTEN
      haploinsufficient CRC that shows convergent on-off regulation of the PTEN/AKT,
      TGF-beta/SMAD and Wnt/beta-catenin pathways. This bottleneck-like zone is usually
      followed by the emergence of invasive tumors with intact PTEN expression but
      dysregulated TP53 and uniformly high proliferation rates.

PMID- 26098883
TI  - Caffeine Consumption and Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Response to Regadenoson.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend that caffeinated products should be
      avoided for at least 12 hours prior to regadenoson administration. We intended to
      examine the effect of caffeine consumption and of timing of last dose on
      hemodynamic effects after regadenoson administration for cardiac stress testing.
      METHODS: 332 subjects undergoing regadenoson stress testing were enrolled.
      Baseline characteristics, habits of coffee/caffeine exposure, baseline vital
      signs and change in heart rate, blood pressure, percent of maximal predicted
      heart rate, and percent change in heart rate were prospectively collected.
      RESULTS: Non-coffee drinkers (group 1) (73 subjects) and subjects who last drank
      coffee >24 hours (group 3) (139 subjects) prior to regadenoson did not
      demonstrate any difference in systolic blood pressure, heart rate change, maximal
      predicted heart rate and percent change in heart rate. Systolic blood pressure
      change (15.2+/-17.1 vs. 7.2+/-10.2 mmHg, p = 0.001), heart rate change (32.2+/-14
      vs. 27.3+/-9.6 bpm, p = 0.038) and maximal predicted heart rate (65.5+/-15.6 vs.
      60.7+/-8.6%, p = 0.038) were significantly higher in non-coffee drinkers (group
      1) compared to those who drank coffee 12-24 hours prior (group 2) (108 subjects).
      Subjects who drank coffee >24 hours prior (group 3) exhibited higher systolic
      blood pressure change (13+/-15.8 vs. 7+/-10.2, p = 0.007), and heart rate change
      (32.1+/-15.3 vs. 27.3+/-9.6, p = 0.017) as compared to those who drank coffee 12
      24 hours prior to testing (group 2). CONCLUSIONS: Caffeine exposure 12-24 hours
      prior to regadenoson administration attenuates the vasoactive effects of
      regadenoson, as evidenced by a blunted rise in heart rate and systolic blood
      pressure. These results suggest that caffeine exposure within 24 hours may reduce
      the effects of regadenoson administered for vasodilatory cardiac stress testing.

PMID- 26098884
TI  - Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Ethnicity Are Independent Factors Associated with
      Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) profile and
      factors affecting its degree of severity including cardiovascular risk profile,
      age, ethnicity, education level and prostate volume in a multiethnic Asian
      setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1021 men
      aged 40-79 years with no clinical evidence of prostate cancer, prostate surgery
      or 5alpha-reductase inhibitor treatment of known prostate conditions. The
      severity of LUTS was assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score
      (IPSS). Potential factors associated with LUTS including age, ethnicity,
      education, history of hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia, height,
      weight, and prostate volume were evaluated using univariable and multivariable
      analyses. RESULTS: There were 506 (50%) men found to have moderate-to-severe LUTS
      attaining an IPSS above 7. Overall, nocturia (45.5%) was the most frequently
      reported symptom. Multivariable analysis showed that age, ethnicity, prostate
      volume and history of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia were independent
      factors associated with severity of LUTS (p < 0.05). Considering individual lower
      urinary tract symptoms, we found a strong association of storage symptom with
      history of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Malay men were significantly
      bothered by post micturition symptom compared to their Chinese and Indian
      counterparts. Stratified analyses of LUTS demonstrated a mutually exclusive
      cardiovascular risk factors profile defined by ethnicity. CONCLUSION: Severity of
      LUTS varies between different ethnicities across all age groups. In addition to
      age and prostate volume, ethnicity and cardiovascular risk factors including
      hypertension and hypercholesterolemia may also need to be taken into account in
      managing men with LUTS.

PMID- 26098885
TI  - Mutations in the 5' NTR and the Non-Structural Protein 3A of the Coxsackievirus
      B3 Selectively Attenuate Myocarditogenicity.
AB  - The 5' non-translated region (NTR) is an important molecular determinant that
      controls replication and virulence of coxsackievirus B (CVB)3. Previous studies
      have reported many nucleotide (nt) sequence differences in the Nancy strain of
      the virus, including changes in the 5' NTR with varying degrees of disease
      severity. In our studies of CVB3-induced myocarditis, we sought to generate an
      infectious clone of the virus for routine in vivo experimentation. By determining
      the viral nt sequence, we identified three new nt substitutions in the clone that
      differed from the parental virus strain: C97U in the 5' NTR; a silent mutation,
      A4327G, in non-structural protein 2C; and C5088U (resulting in P1449L amino acid
      change) in non-structural protein 3A of the virus leading us to evaluate the role
      of these changes in the virulence properties of the virus. We noted that the
      disease-inducing ability of the infectious clone-derived virus in three mouse
      strains was restricted to pancreatitis alone, and the incidence and severity of
      myocarditis were significantly reduced. We then reversed the mutations by
      creating three new clones, representing 1) U97C; 2) G4327A and U5088C; and 3)
      their combination together in the third clone. The viral titers obtained from all
      the clones were comparable, but the virions derived from the third clone induced
      myocarditis comparable to that induced by wild type virus; however, the
      pancreatitis-inducing ability remained unaltered, suggesting that the mutations
      described above selectively influence myocarditogenicity. Because the
      accumulation of mutations during passages is a continuous process in RNA viruses,
      it is possible that CVB3 viruses containing such altered nts may evolve
      naturally, thus favoring their survival in the environment. 

PMID- 26098886
TI  - Englerin A Agonizes the TRPC4/C5 Cation Channels to Inhibit Tumor Cell Line
      Proliferation.
AB  - Englerin A is a structurally unique natural product reported to selectively
      inhibit growth of renal cell carcinoma cell lines. A large scale phenotypic cell
      profiling experiment (CLiP) of englerin A on !over 500 well characterized cancer
      cell lines showed that englerin A inhibits growth of a subset of tumor cell lines
      from many lineages, not just renal cell carcinomas. Expression of the TRPC4
      cation channel was the cell line feature that best correlated with sensitivity to
      englerin A, suggesting the hypothesis that TRPC4 is the efficacy target for
      englerin A. Genetic experiments demonstrate that TRPC4 expression is both
      necessary and sufficient for englerin A induced growth inhibition. Englerin A
      induces calcium influx and membrane depolarization in cells expressing high
      levels of TRPC4 or its close ortholog TRPC5. Electrophysiology experiments
      confirmed that englerin A is a TRPC4 agonist. Both the englerin A induced current
      and the englerin A induced growth inhibition can be blocked by the TRPC4/C5
      inhibitor ML204. These experiments confirm that activation of TRPC4/C5 channels
      inhibits tumor cell line proliferation and confirms the TRPC4 target hypothesis
      generated by the cell line profiling. In selectivity assays englerin A weakly
      inhibits TRPA1, TRPV3/V4, and TRPM8 which suggests that englerin A may bind a
      common feature of TRP ion channels. In vivo experiments show that englerin A is
      lethal in rodents near doses needed to activate the TRPC4 channel. This toxicity
      suggests that englerin A itself is probably unsuitable for further drug
      development. However, since englerin A can be synthesized in the laboratory, it
      may be a useful chemical starting point to identify novel modulators of other TRP
      family channels. 

PMID- 26098887
TI  - Quantitative Measurements in the Human Hippocampus and Related Areas:
      Correspondence between Ex-Vivo MRI and Histological Preparations.
AB  - The decrease of volume estimates in different structures of the medial temporal
      lobe related to memory correlate with the decline of cognitive functions in
      neurodegenerative diseases. This study presents data on the association between
      MRI quantitative parameters of medial temporal lobe structures and their
      quantitative estimate in microscopic examination. Twelve control cases had ex
      vivo MRI, and thereafter, the temporal lobe of both hemispheres was sectioned
      from the pole as far as the level of the splenium of the corpus callosum. Nissl
      stain was used to establish anatomical boundaries between structures in the
      medial temporal lobe. The study included morphometrical and stereological
      estimates of the amygdaloid complex, hippocampus, and temporal horn of the
      lateral ventricle, as well as different regions of grey and white matter in the
      temporal lobe. Data showed a close association between morphometric MRI images
      values and those based on the histological determination of boundaries. Only
      values in perimeter and circularity of the piamater were different. This
      correspondence is also revealed by the stereological study, although irregular
      compartments resulted in a lesser agreement. Neither age (< 65 yr and > 65 yr)
      nor hemisphere had any effect. Our results indicate that ex-vivo MRI is highly
      associated with quantitative information gathered by histological examination,
      and these data could be used as structural MRI biomarker in neurodegenerative
      diseases.

PMID- 26098888
TI  - Altered Structural and Functional Connectivity in Late Preterm Preadolescence: An
      Anatomic Seed-Based Study of Resting State Networks Related to the Posteromedial
      and Lateral Parietal Cortex.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Late preterm birth confers increased risk of developmental delay,
      academic difficulties and social deficits. The late third trimester may represent
      a critical period of development of neural networks including the default mode
      network (DMN), which is essential to normal cognition. Our objective is to
      identify functional and structural connectivity differences in the posteromedial
      cortex related to late preterm birth. METHODS: Thirty-eight preadolescents (ages
      9-13; 19 born in the late preterm period (>=32 weeks gestational age) and 19 at
      term) without access to advanced neonatal care were recruited from a low
      socioeconomic status community in Brazil. Participants underwent neurocognitive
      testing, 3-dimensional T1-weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging and
      resting state functional MRI (RS-fMRI). Seed-based probabilistic diffusion
      tractography and RS-fMRI analyses were performed using unilateral seeds within
      the posterior DMN (posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus) and lateral parietal
      DMN (superior marginal and angular gyri). RESULTS: Late preterm children
      demonstrated increased functional connectivity within the posterior default mode
      networks and increased anti-correlation with the central-executive network when
      seeded from the posteromedial cortex (PMC). Key differences were demonstrated
      between PMC components with increased anti-correlation with the salience network
      seen only with posterior cingulate cortex seeding but not with precuneus seeding.
      Probabilistic tractography showed increased streamlines within the right inferior
      longitudinal fasciculus and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus within late
      preterm children while decreased intrahemispheric streamlines were also observed.
      No significant differences in neurocognitive testing were demonstrated between
      groups. CONCLUSION: Late preterm preadolescence is associated with altered
      functional connectivity from the PMC and lateral parietal cortex to known
      distributed functional cortical networks despite no significant executive
      neurocognitive differences. Selective increased structural connectivity was
      observed in the setting of decreased posterior interhemispheric connections.
      Future work is needed to determine if these findings represent a compensatory
      adaptation employing alternate neural circuitry or could reflect subtle pathology
      resulting in emotional processing deficits not seen with neurocognitive testing.

PMID- 26098889
TI  - Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery Increases Respiratory Quotient and Energy
      Expenditure during Food Intake.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The mechanisms determining long-term weight maintenance after Roux-en
      Y gastric bypass (RYGB) remain unclear. Cross sectional studies have suggested
      that enhanced energy expenditure (EE) may play a significant role and the aim of
      this study was to reveal the impact of RYGB on each major component constituting
      total EE. DESIGN: Six obese female subjects, without other co-morbidities, were
      assessed before and at 10 days, 3 and 20 months after RYGB. Indirect calorimetry
      in a metabolic chamber was used to assess 24 h EE at each study visit. Other
      measurements included body composition by DEXA, gut hormone profiles and physical
      activity (PA) using high sensitivity accelerometers. RESULTS: Median Body Mass
      Index decreased from 41.1 (range 39.1-44.8) at baseline to 28 kg/m2 (range 22.3
      30.3) after 20 months (p<0.05). Lean tissue decreased from 55.9 (range 47.5-59.3)
      to 49.5 (range 41.1-54.9) kg and adipose tissue from 61 (range 56-64.6) to 27
      (range 12-34.3) kg (both p<0.05). PA over 24 h did not change after surgery
      whereas 24 h EE and basal metabolic rate (BMR) decreased. EE after a standard
      meal increased after surgery when adjusted for total tissue (p<0.05). After an
      initial drop, RQ (respiratory quotient) had increased at 20 months, both as
      measured during 24 h and after food intake (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: RYGB surgery up
      regulates RQ and EE after food intake resulting in an increased contribution to
      total EE over 24 h when corrected for total tissue.

PMID- 26098890
TI  - Reduced Incidence of Foot-Related Hospitalisation and Amputation amongst Persons
      with Diabetes in Queensland, Australia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine trends in the incidence of foot-related hospitalisation
      and amputation amongst persons with diabetes in Queensland (Australia) between
      2005 and 2010 that coincided with changes in state-wide ambulatory diabetic foot
      related complication management. METHODS: All data from cases admitted for the
      principal reason of diabetes foot-related hospitalisation or amputation in
      Queensland from 2005-2010 were obtained from the Queensland Hospital Admitted
      Patient Data Collection dataset. Incidence rates for foot-related hospitalisation
      (admissions, bed days used) and amputation (total, minor, major) cases amongst
      persons with diabetes were calculated per 1,000 person-years with diabetes
      (diabetes population) and per 100,000 person-years (general population). Age-sex
      standardised incidence and age-sex adjusted Poisson regression models were also
      calculated for the general population. RESULTS: There were 4,443 amputations,
      24,917 hospital admissions and 260,085 bed days used for diabetes foot-related
      complications in Queensland. Incidence per 1,000 person-years with diabetes
      decreased from 2005 to 2010: 43.0% for hospital admissions (36.6 to 20.9), 40.1%
      bed days (391 to 234), 40.0% total amputations (6.47 to 3.88), 45.0% major
      amputations (2.18 to 1.20), 37.5% minor amputations (4.29 to 2.68) (p < 0.01
      respectively). Age-sex standardised incidence per 100,000 person-years in the
      general population also decreased from 2005 to 2010: 23.3% hospital admissions
      (105.1 to 80.6), 19.5% bed days (1,122 to 903), 19.3% total amputations (18.57 to
      14.99), 26.4% major amputations (6.26 to 4.61), 15.7% minor amputations (12.32 to
      10.38) (p < 0.01 respectively). The age-sex adjusted incidence rates per calendar
      year decreased in the general population (rate ratio (95% CI)); hospital
      admissions 0.949 (0.942-0.956), bed days 0.964 (0.962-0.966), total amputations
      0.962 (0.946-0.979), major amputations 0.945 (0.917-0.974), minor amputations
      0.970 (0.950-0.991) (p < 0.05 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: There were significant
      reductions in the incidence of foot-related hospitalisation and amputation
      amongst persons with diabetes in the population of Queensland over a recent six
      year period.

PMID- 26098891
TI  - Ryanodine Receptor Activation Induces Long-Term Plasticity of Spine Calcium
      Dynamics.
AB  - A key feature of signalling in dendritic spines is the synapse-specific
      transduction of short electrical signals into biochemical responses. Ca2+ is a
      major upstream effector in this transduction cascade, serving both as a
      depolarising electrical charge carrier at the membrane and an intracellular
      second messenger. Upon action potential firing, the majority of spines are
      subject to global back-propagating action potential (bAP) Ca2+ transients. These
      transients translate neuronal suprathreshold activation into intracellular
      biochemical events. Using a combination of electrophysiology, two-photon Ca2+
      imaging, and modelling, we demonstrate that bAPs are electrochemically coupled to
      Ca2+ release from intracellular stores via ryanodine receptors (RyRs). We
      describe a new function mediated by spine RyRs: the activity-dependent long-term
      enhancement of the bAP-Ca2+ transient. Spines regulate bAP Ca2+ influx
      independent of each other, as bAP-Ca2+ transient enhancement is compartmentalized
      and independent of the dendritic Ca2+ transient. Furthermore, this functional
      state change depends exclusively on bAPs travelling antidromically into dendrites
      and spines. Induction, but not expression, of bAP-Ca2+ transient enhancement is a
      spine-specific function of the RyR. We demonstrate that RyRs can form specific
      Ca2+ signalling nanodomains within single spines. Functionally, RyR mediated Ca2+
      release in these nanodomains induces a new form of Ca2+ transient plasticity that
      constitutes a spine specific storage mechanism of neuronal suprathreshold
      activity patterns. 

PMID- 26098892
TI  - A TNM Staging System for Nasal NK/T-Cell Lymphoma.
AB  - Ann Arbor stage has limited utility in the prognostication and treatment decision
      making in patients with NK/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL), as NKTCL is almost
      exclusively extranodal and the majority is localized at presentation for which
      radiotherapy is the most important treatment and local invasiveness is the most
      important prognostic factor. In this study, we attempted to establish a TNM
      (Tumor-Node-Metastasis) staging system for nasal NKTCL (N-NKTCL). The staging
      rules of other head and neck cancers were used as reference along with the data
      of our 271 eligible patients. The primary tumor was classified into T1 to T4, and
      cervical lymph node metastasis was classified into N0 to N2 according to the
      extent of involvement. Any lesions outside the head and neck were classified as
      M1. N-NKTCL thereby was classified into four stages: stage I comprised T1-2N0M0;
      stage II comprised T1-2N1M0 and T3N0M0; stage III comprised T3N1M0, T1-3N2M0, and
      T4N0-2M0; and stage IV comprised TanyNanyM1. This staging system showed excellent
      performance in prognosticating survival. In the current series, the 5-year
      survival rates of patients with stages I, II, III, and IV N-NKTCL were 92%, 64%,
      23%, and 0, respectively. Moreover, the predictive value of several currently
      used factors was abrogated in the presence of the TNM stage. The TNM staging
      system is highly effective in stratifying tumor burden and survival risk, which
      may have significant implications in the treatment decision making for patients
      with N-NKTCL. 

PMID- 26098893
TI  - A Cysteine Zipper Stabilizes a Pre-Fusion F Glycoprotein Vaccine for Respiratory
      Syncytial Virus.
AB  - Recombinant subunit vaccines should contain minimal non-pathogen motifs to reduce
      potential off-target reactivity. We recently developed a vaccine antigen against
      respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which comprised the fusion (F) glycoprotein
      stabilized in its pre-fusion trimeric conformation by "DS-Cav1" mutations and by
      an appended C-terminal trimerization motif or "foldon" from T4-bacteriophage
      fibritin. Here we investigate the creation of a cysteine zipper to allow for the
      removal of the phage foldon, while maintaining the immunogenicity of the parent
      DS-Cav1+foldon antigen. Constructs without foldon yielded RSV F monomers, and
      enzymatic removal of the phage foldon from pre-fusion F trimers resulted in their
      dissociation into monomers. Because the native C terminus of the pre-fusion RSV F
      ectodomain encompasses a viral trimeric coiled-coil, we explored whether
      introduction of cysteine residues capable of forming inter-protomer disulfides
      might allow for stable trimers. Structural modeling indicated the introduced
      cysteines to form disulfide "rings", with each ring comprising a different set of
      inward facing residues of the coiled-coil. Three sets of rings could be placed
      within the native RSV F coiled-coil, and additional rings could be added by
      duplicating portions of the coiled-coil. High levels of neutralizing activity in
      mice, equivalent to that of the parent DS-Cav1+foldon antigen, were elicited by a
      4-ring stabilized RSV F trimer with no foldon. Structure-based alteration of a
      viral coiled-coil to create a cysteine zipper thus allows a phage trimerization
      motif to be removed from a candidate vaccine antigen. 

PMID- 26098894
TI  - Inhibition of Donor-Reactive CD8+ T Cell Responses by Selective CD28 Blockade Is
      Independent of Reduced ICOS Expression.
AB  - Programmed T cell differentiation is critically influenced by the complement of
      costimulatory and coinhibitory signals transmitted during initial antigen
      encounter. We previously showed that selective CD28 blockade with novel domain
      antibodies that leave CTLA-4-mediated coinhibitory signaling intact resulted in
      more profound attenuation of donor-reactive T cell responses and improved graft
      survival in a murine transplant model. Selective CD28 blockade was also
      associated with decreased ICOS expression on donor-reactive CD8+ T cell responses
      as compared to CTLA-4 Ig, but the functional importance of this reduced ICOS
      expression was not known. In this study, we created retrogenic donor-reactive
      CD8+ T cells that overexpress ICOS in order to determine whether reduced ICOS
      expression mechanistically underlies the increased efficacy of selective CD28
      blockade in controlling graft-specific T cell responses as compared to
      conventional costimulation blockade with CTLA-4 Ig. Results indicated that the
      ability of selective CD28 blockade to blunt donor-reactive CD8+ T cell expansion
      following transplantation was independent of its ability to inhibit ICOS
      expression. Furthermore, we have previously published that 2B4 coinhibitory
      signals are functionally important for controlling graft-specific CD8+ T cell
      responses in mice treated with CD28 blockade. Here we used a co-adoptive transfer
      approach to determine that 2B4 coinhibitory signals on antigen-specific CD8+ T
      cells function in a cell-intrinsic manner to limit ICOS expression in the setting
      of selective CD28 blockade. 

PMID- 26098895
TI  - Microglia Activate Migration of Glioma Cells through a Pyk2 Intracellular
      Pathway.
AB  - Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive and fatal brain cancers due to the
      highly invasive nature of glioma cells. Microglia infiltrate most glioma tumors
      and, therefore, make up an important component of the glioma microenvironment. In
      the tumor environment, microglia release factors that lead to the degradation of
      the extracellular matrix and stimulate signaling pathways to promote glioma cell
      invasion. In the present study, we demonstrated that microglia can promote glioma
      migration through a mechanism independent of extracellular matrix degradation.
      Using western blot analysis, we found upregulation of proline rich tyrosine
      kinase 2 (Pyk2) protein phosphorylated at Tyr579/580 in glioma cells treated with
      microglia conditioned medium. This upregulation occurred in rodent C6 and GL261
      as well as in human glioma cell lines with varying levels of invasiveness (U
      87MG, A172, and HS683). siRNA knock-down of Pyk2 protein and pharmacological
      blockade by the Pyk2/focal-adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor PF-562,271 reversed
      the stimulatory effect of microglia on glioma migration in all cell lines. A
      lower concentration of PF-562,271 that selectively inhibits FAK, but not Pyk2,
      did not have any effect on glioma cell migration. Moreover, with the use of the
      CD11b-HSVTK microglia ablation mouse model we demonstrated that elimination of
      microglia in the implanted tumors (GL261 glioma cells were used for brain
      implantation) by the local in-tumor administration of Ganciclovir, significantly
      reduced the phosphorylation of Pyk2 at Tyr579/580 in implanted tumor cells. Taken
      together, these data indicate that microglial cells activate glioma cell
      migration/dispersal through the pro-migratory Pyk2 signaling pathway in glioma
      cells. 

PMID- 26098896
TI  - Distribution and Morphology of Calcium-Binding Proteins Immunoreactive Neurons
      following Chronic Tungsten Multielectrode Implants.
AB  - The development of therapeutic approaches to improve the life quality of people
      suffering from different types of body paralysis is a current major medical
      challenge. Brain-machine interface (BMI) can potentially help reestablishing lost
      sensory and motor functions, allowing patients to use their own brain activity to
      restore sensorimotor control of paralyzed body parts. Chronic implants of
      multielectrodes, employed to record neural activity directly from the brain
      parenchyma, constitute the fundamental component of a BMI. However, before this
      technique may be effectively available to human clinical trials, it is essential
      to characterize its long-term impact on the nervous tissue in animal models. In
      the present study we evaluated how chronic implanted tungsten microelectrode
      arrays impact the distribution and morphology of interneurons reactive to calcium
      binding proteins calbindin (CB), calretinin (CR) and parvalbumin (PV) across the
      rat's motor cortex. Our results revealed that chronic microelectrode arrays were
      well tolerated by the nervous tissue, with recordings remaining viable for up to
      6 months after implantation. Furthermore, neither the morphology nor the
      distribution of inhibitory neurons were broadly impacted. Moreover, restricted
      microglial activation was observed on the implanted sites. On the whole, our
      results confirm and expand the notion that tungsten multielectrodes can be deemed
      as a feasible candidate to future human BMI studies. 

PMID- 26098897
TI  - Aboriginal Consumption of Estuarine Food Resources and Potential Implications for
      Health through Trace Metal Exposure; A Study in Gumbaynggirr Country, Australia.
AB  - Fishing and resource use continues to be an essential aspect of life for many
      Aboriginal communities throughout Australia. It is important for dietary
      sustenance, and also retains deep social, cultural and economic significance,
      playing a fundamental role in maintaining group cohesion, transferring cultural
      knowledge and affirming Indigenous identities. We surveyed approximately 20% of
      the Gumbaynggirr Aboriginal community of Nambucca Heads, New South Wales,
      Australia. This paper explores Gumbaynggirr Connection to Country and engagement
      in cultural practice. It quantifies fishing efforts and consumption of seafood
      within the community. We found 95% of the sample group fish, with the highest
      rate of fishing being 2-3 times a week (27%). Furthermore, 98% of participants
      eat seafood weekly or more frequently, up to more than once a day (24%). Survey
      results revealed that Myxus elongatus (Sand mullet) and naturally recruited
      Saccostrea glomerata (Sydney rock oysters) continue to be important wild
      resources to the Gumbaynggirr community. Trace metals were measured in M.
      elongatus and S. glomerata samples collected by community participants in this
      study. Maximum levels prescribed in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code
      were not exceeded in the edible tissue for either species, however both species
      exceeded the generally expected levels for zinc and copper and S. glomerata
      samples exceeded the generally expected level for selenium. Furthermore the
      average dietary exposure to trace metals from consuming seafood was calculated
      for the surveyed population. Trace metal intake was then compared to the
      provisional tolerable weekly intake prescribed by the Joint Expert Committee on
      Food Additives. This process revealed that copper and selenium intake were both
      within the provisional tolerable weekly intake, while there is no guideline for
      zinc. Furthermore, participants relying heavily on wild resources from the
      Nambucca River estuary may exceed the provisional tolerable weekly intake for
      cadmium. This suggests the need for further investigation of this issue to
      minimize any possible health risk. 

PMID- 26098898
TI  - Next Generation Sequencing and Transcriptome Analysis Predicts Biosynthetic
      Pathway of Sennosides from Senna (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.), a Non-Model Plant
      with Potent Laxative Properties.
AB  - Senna (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.) is a world's natural laxative medicinal plant.
      Laxative properties are due to sennosides (anthraquinone glycosides) natural
      products. However, little genetic information is available for this species,
      especially concerning the biosynthetic pathways of sennosides. We present here
      the transcriptome sequencing of young and mature leaf tissue of Cassia
      angustifolia using Illumina MiSeq platform that resulted in a total of 6.34 Gb of
      raw nucleotide sequence. The sequence assembly resulted in 42230 and 37174
      transcripts with an average length of 1119 bp and 1467 bp for young and mature
      leaf, respectively. The transcripts were annotated using NCBI BLAST with 'green
      plant database (txid 33090)', Swiss Prot, Kyoto Encylcopedia of Genes & Genomes
      (KEGG), Cluster of Orthologous Gene (COG) and Gene Ontology (GO). Out of the
      total transcripts, 40138 (95.0%) and 36349 (97.7%) from young and mature leaf,
      respectively, were annotated by BLASTX against green plant database of NCBI. We
      used InterProscan to see protein similarity at domain level, a total of 34031
      (young leaf) and 32077 (mature leaf) transcripts were annotated against the Pfam
      domains. All transcripts from young and mature leaf were assigned to 191 KEGG
      pathways. There were 166 and 159 CDS, respectively, from young and mature leaf
      involved in metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides. Many CDS encoding enzymes
      leading to biosynthesis of sennosides were identified. A total of 10,763 CDS
      differentially expressing in both young and mature leaf libraries of which 2,343
      (21.7%) CDS were up-regulated in young compared to mature leaf. Several
      differentially expressed genes found functionally associated with sennoside
      biosynthesis. CDS encoding for many CYPs and TF families were identified having
      probable roles in metabolism of primary as well as secondary metabolites. We
      developed SSR markers for molecular breeding of senna. We have identified a set
      of putative genes involved in various secondary metabolite pathways, especially
      those related to the synthesis of sennosides which will serve as an important
      platform for public information about gene expression, genomics, and functional
      genomics in senna. 

PMID- 26098899
TI  - Sulfate Reducing Bacteria and Mycobacteria Dominate the Biofilm Communities in a
      Chloraminated Drinking Water Distribution System.
AB  - The quantity and composition of bacterial biofilms growing on 10 water mains from
      a full-scale chloraminated water distribution system were analyzed using real
      time PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene and next-generation, high-throughput
      Illumina sequencing. Water mains with corrosion tubercles supported the greatest
      amount of bacterial biomass (n = 25; geometric mean = 2.5 * 10(7) copies cm(-2)),
      which was significantly higher (P = 0.04) than cement-lined cast-iron mains (n =
      6; geometric mean = 2.0 * 10(6) copies cm(-2)). Despite spatial variation of
      community composition and bacterial abundance in water main biofilms, the
      communities on the interior main surfaces were surprisingly similar, containing a
      core group of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) assigned to only 17 different
      genera. Bacteria from the genus Mycobacterium dominated all communities at the
      main wall-bulk water interface (25-78% of the community), regardless of main age,
      estimated water age, main material, and the presence of corrosion products.
      Further sequencing of the mycobacterial heat shock protein gene (hsp65) provided
      species-level taxonomic resolution of mycobacteria. The two dominant Mycobacteria
      present, M. frederiksbergense (arithmetic mean = 85.7% of hsp65 sequences) and M.
      aurum (arithmetic mean = 6.5% of hsp65 sequences), are generally considered to be
      nonpathogenic. Two opportunistic pathogens, however, were detected at low
      numbers: M. hemophilum (arithmetic mean = 1.5% of hsp65 sequences) and M.
      abscessus (arithmetic mean = 0.006% of hsp65 sequences). Sulfate-reducing
      bacteria from the genus Desulfovibrio, which have been implicated in microbially
      influenced corrosion, dominated all communities located underneath corrosion
      tubercules (arithmetic mean = 67.5% of the community). This research provides
      novel insights into the quantity and composition of biofilms in full-scale
      drinking water distribution systems, which is critical for assessing the risks to
      public health and to the water supply infrastructure. 

PMID- 26098900
TI  - Effects of Modified Handling on the Physiological Stress of Trawled-and-Discarded
      Yellowfin Bream (Acanthopagrus australis).
AB  - Modified handling is often claimed to reduce (sub-)lethal impacts among organisms
      caught-and-released in fisheries. Improving welfare of discarded fish warrants
      investigation, when their survival is of both economic and ecological importance.
      In this study, juvenile yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis) were trawled in
      an Australian penaeid fishery and then discarded after on-board sorting in either
      dry or water-filled (modified) trays and with delays in starting sorting of
      either 2 or 15 mins. Blood plasma cortisol, glucose and potassium were sampled
      immediately from some yellowfin bream, while others were placed into cages (with
      controls) and sampled after five days. Irrespective of their on-board handling,
      all trawled fish incurred a relatively high acute stress response (i.e. an
      increase in Mean +/- SE cortisol from a baseline of <4 to 122.0 +/- 14.9 ng/mL)
      that was mostly attributed to the trawling process, and exacerbated by variation
      in key parameters (low salinity, changes in water temperature and the presence of
      jellyfish Catostylus mosaicus in catches). When C. mosaicus was present, the
      potassium concentrations of fish sampled immediately after sorting were
      significantly elevated, possibly due to nematocyst contact and subsequent
      inhibition of ion pumps or cytolysis. Stress also increased during handling in
      response to warmer air temperatures and longer exposure. While most fish had
      substantially recovered by 120 hours after discarding, deploying selective trawls
      (to reduce jellyfish) for short periods and then quickly sorting catches in water
      would benefit discard welfare. 

PMID- 26098901
TI  - Extreme Levels of HbA1c Increase Incident ESRD Risk in Chinese Patients with Type
      2 Diabetes: Competing Risk Analysis in National Cohort of Taiwan Diabetes Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whether HbA1c is a predictor of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in
      type 2 diabetes patients remains unclear. This study evaluated relationship
      between HbA1c and ESRD in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS:
      Patients aged >= 30 years who were free of ESRD (n = 51 681) were included from
      National Diabetes Care Management Program from 2002-2003. Extended Cox
      proportional hazard model with competing risk of death served to evaluate
      association between HbA1c level and ESRD. RESULTS: A total of 2613 (5.06%) people
      developed ESRD during a follow-up period of 8.1 years. Overall incidence rate of
      ESRD was 6.26 per 1000 person-years. Patients with high levels of HbA1c had a
      high incidence rate of ESRD, from 4.29 for HbA1c of  6.0%-6.9% to 10.33 for HbA1c
      >= 10.0% per 1000 person-years. Patients with HbA1c < 6.0% particularly had a
      slightly higher ESRD incidence (4.34 per 1000 person-years) than those with HbA1c
      of 6.0%-6.9%. A J-shaped relationship between HbA1c level and ESRD risk was
      observed. After adjustment, patients with HbA1c < 6.0% and >= 10.0% exhibited an
      increased risk of ESRD (HR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.62-2.44; HR: 4.42, 95% CI: 3.80-5.14,
      respectively) compared with those with HbA1c of 6.0%-6.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes
      care has focused on preventing hyperglycemia, but not hypoglycemia. Our study
      revealed that HbA1c level >= 7.0% was linked with increased ESRD risk in type 2
      diabetes patients, and that HbA1c < 6.0% also had the potential to increase ESRD
      risk. Our study provides epidemiological evidence that appropriate glycemic
      control is essential for diabetes care to meet HbA1c targets and improve outcomes
      without increasing the risk to this population. Clinicians need to pay attention
      to HbA1c results on diabetic nephropathy.

PMID- 26098902
TI  - Mortality in Children with Optic Pathway Glioma Treated with Up-Front BB-SFOP
      Chemotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In terms of overall survival (OS), limited data are available for the
      very long-term outcomes of children treated for optic pathway glioma (OPG) with
      up-front chemotherapy. Therefore, we undertook this study with the aim of
      clarifying long-term OS and causes of death in these patients. METHODS: We
      initiated and analyzed a historical cohort study of 180 children with OPG treated
      in France with BB-SFOP chemotherapy between 1990 and 2004. The survival
      distributions were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. The effect of potential
      risk factors on the risk of death was described using Cox regression analysis.
      RESULTS: The OS was 95% [95% CI: 90.6-97.3] 5 years after diagnosis and
      significantly decreased over time without ever stabilizing: 91.6% at 10 years
      [95% CI: 86.5-94.8], 80.7% at 15 years [95% CI: 72.7-86.8] and 75.5% [95% CI:
      65.6-83] at 18 years. Tumor progression was the most common cause of death (65%).
      Age and intracranial hypertension at diagnosis were significantly associated with
      a worse prognosis. Risk of death was increased by 3.1[95% CI: 1.5-6.2] (p=0.002)
      for patients less than 1 year old at diagnosis and by 5.2[95% CI: 1.5-17.6]
      (p=0.007) for patients with initial intracranial hypertension. Boys without
      diencephalic syndrome had a better prognosis (HR: 0.3 [95% CI: 0.1-0.8],
      p=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that i) in children with OPG, OS is not
      as favorable as previously described and ii) patients can be classified into 2
      groups depending on risk factors (age, intracranial hypertension, sex and
      diencephalic syndrome) with an OS rate of 50.4% at 18 years [95% CI: 31.4-66.6]
      in children with the worst prognosis. These findings could justify, depending on
      the initial risk, a different therapeutic approach to this tumor with more
      aggressive treatment (especially chemotherapy) in patients with high risk
      factors.

PMID- 26098903
TI  - Promoter Hypermethylation Profiling Identifies Subtypes of Head and Neck Cancer
      with Distinct Viral, Environmental, Genetic and Survival Characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epigenetic and genetic alteration plays a major role to the
      development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Consumption of
      tobacco (smoking/chewing) and human papilloma virus (HPV) are also associated
      with an increase the risk of HNSCC. Promoter hypermethylation of the tumor
      suppression genes is related with transcriptional inactivation and loss of gene
      expression. We investigated epigenetic alteration (promoter methylation of tumor
      related genes/loci) in tumor tissues in the context of genetic alteration, viral
      infection, and tobacco exposure and survival status. METHODOLOGY: The study
      included 116 tissue samples (71 tumor and 45 normal tissues) from the Northeast
      Indian population. Methylation specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) was used
      to determine the methylation status of 10 tumor-related genes/loci (p16, DAPK,
      RASSF1, BRAC1, GSTP1, ECAD, MLH1, MINT1, MINT2 and MINT31). Polymorphisms of
      CYP1A1, GST (M1 & T1), XRCC1and XRCC2 genes were studied by using polymerase
      chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and multiplex
      PCR respectively. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Unsupervised hierarchical clustering
      analysis based on methylation pattern had identified two tumor clusters, which
      significantly differ by CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), tobacco, GSTM1,
      CYP1A1, HPV and survival status. Analyzing methylation of genes/loci
      individually, we have found significant higher methylation of DAPK, RASSF1, p16
      and MINT31 genes (P = 0.031, 0.013, 0.031 and 0.015 respectively) in HPV (+)
      cases compared to HPV (-). Furthermore, a CIMP-high and Cluster-1 characteristic
      was also associated with poor survival. CONCLUSIONS: Promoter methylation
      profiles reflecting a correlation with tobacco, HPV, survival status and genetic
      alteration and may act as a marker to determine subtypes and patient outcome in
      HNSCC.

PMID- 26098904
TI  - Label-free fluorescence light-up detection of T4 polynucleotide kinase activity
      using the split-to-intact G-quadruplex strategy by ligation-triggered and toehold
      mediated strand displacement release.
AB  - A label-free, fluorescence light-up detection method for T4 polynucleotide kinase
      activity has been developed using the split-to-intact G-quadruplex strategy. 

PMID- 26098905
TI  - Nitrogen Dioxide Sterilization in Low-Resource Environments: A Feasibility Study.
AB  - Access to sterilization is a critical need for global healthcare, as it is one of
      the prerequisites for safe surgical care. Lack of sterilization capability has
      driven up healthcare infection rates as well as limited access to healthcare,
      especially in low-resource environments. Sterilization technology has for the
      most part been static and none of the established sterilization methods has been
      so far successfully adapted for use in low-resource environments on a large
      scale. It is evident that healthcare facilities in low-resource settings require
      reliable, deployable, durable, affordable, easily operable sterilization
      equipment that can operate independently of scarce resources. Recently
      commercialized nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sterilization technology was analyzed and
      adapted into a form factor suitable for use in low-resource environments. Lab
      testing was conducted in microbiological testing facilities simulating low
      resource environments and in accordance with the requirements of the
      international sterilization standard ANSI/AAMI/ISO 14937 to assess effectiveness
      of the device and process. The feasibility of a portable sterilizer based on
      nitrogen dioxide has been demonstrated, showing that sterilization of medical
      instruments can occur in a form factor suitable for use in low-resource
      environments. If developed and deployed, NO2 sterilization technology will have
      the twin benefits of reducing healthcare acquired infections and limiting a major
      constraint for access to surgical care on a global scale. Additional benefits are
      achieved in reducing costs and biohazard waste generated by current health care
      initiatives that rely primarily on disposable kits, increasing the effectiveness
      and outreach of these initiatives. 

PMID- 26098906
TI  - The Role of School Environment in Physical Activity among Brazilian Adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association of physical activity facilities and
      extracurricular sports activities in schools with physical activity among
      adolescents. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used data collected for the
      National Survey of School Health in 2012. The national representative sample
      comprised 109,104 Brazilian students from 2,842 schools. We calculated the
      prevalence of participation in physical education classes, leisure-time physical
      activity, and total physical activity level. We also evaluated the following
      physical activity facilities: sports courts, running/athletics tracks, schoolyard
      with teacher-directed physical activities, swimming pools, locker rooms; and the
      offer of extracurricular sports activities. Schools with at least one physical
      activity facility had increased odds of participation in physical education (OR
      1.59; 95% CI 1.20 to 2.10). However, in order to increase leisure-time physical
      activity (OR1.14; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.26) and total physical activity level (OR
      1.15; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.24) at least four and two facilities, respectively, were
      necessary. Extracurricular sports activities in schools were positively
      associated with leisure-time physical activity and physical activity level. The
      number of sports courts and swimming pool in a school were associated with
      participation in physical education classes. Availability of sports courts,
      running/athletics tracks, and swimming pool in schools were associated with
      leisure-time physical activity. Total physical activity was associated with
      schools with sports courts, schoolyard with teacher-directed physical activities,
      and swimming pool. CONCLUSIONS: School-level characteristics have important
      potential to increase the possibility of engagement in physical activity in and
      out of school, and therefore have a fundamental role in promoting these
      practices.

PMID- 26098907
TI  - Reading deficits in very low birthweight children are associated with vocabulary
      and attention issues at the age of seven.
AB  - AIM: This Swedish study compared reading skills between seven-year-old children
      with a very low birthweight (VLBW) and controls with a normal birthweight,
      exploring associations between reading variables and cognition, parent-rated
      behaviour, perinatal factors and family factors. METHODS: We studied 51 VLBW
      children, with no major neurodevelopmental impairments and attending their first
      year at a regular school, and compared them with the 51 sex- and age-matched
      controls. The test battery, carried out at 7.8 +/- 0.4 years of age, included
      reading skills, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - III and the Child
      Behaviour Checklist. RESULTS: Very low birthweight children with a mean
      birthweight of 1105 g (+/- 291 g) and a gestational age of 28.8 (+/- 2.2) weeks
      scored significantly lower in all reading subtests and cognition and demonstrated
      more behavioural problems than normal birthweight controls. We also found
      significant associations between poor vocabulary, combined with attention
      problems, and phonological awareness, rapid naming and spelling control.
      Perinatal factors had no association with reading function, and socio-economic
      factors had very few. CONCLUSION: Very low birthweight children demonstrated
      deficits in all reading domains and had poorer cognition and more behavioural
      problems at the age of seven, with reading ability related to vocabulary and
      attention.

PMID- 26098908
TI  - Transcriptional responses in male Japanese medaka exposed to antiandrogens and
      antiandrogen/androgen mixtures.
AB  - The occurrence of androgenic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in water is
      thought to be linked to deviation from normal male developmental and reproductive
      functions in exposed aquatic organisms. Because aquatic environments represent a
      chemically complex medium, the combined effects of androgenic EDCs require urgent
      attention. In the present study, the effects of two model androgen receptor (AR)
      antagonists, flutamide (FLU), and vinclozolin (VIN), were first determined
      individually in male Japanese medaka using the transcriptional response for genes
      associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. The fish were further
      exposed to binary mixtures of VIN and 17beta-trenbolone (TRE, AR agonist) to
      confirm the theoretical opposing effects of the AR antagonist and agonist. The
      results showed that exposure to FLU or VIN alone induced very similar
      transcriptional responses, demonstrating that gene transcription analysis could
      be successfully employed in identifying the action of single chemicals. For
      example, both exposures increased the transcription of cyp17b but decreased that
      of cyp19b in the gonad, demonstrating the compensatory response for AR blockage.
      However, in the case of exposure to mixtures, although the joint antagonistic
      action of TRE and VIN affected the most genes, the transcription profiles after
      exposure to mixtures were not consistent with expectations based on the results
      for individual chemicals, such as hepatic vtg, and star or cyp19a in gonads.
      Therefore, the limitation of gene transcription analyses in exposures to
      mixtures, as well as the potential for the extrapolation of single chemicals,
      should be considered in future studies. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ
      Toxicol 31: 1591-1599, 2016.

PMID- 26098909
TI  - Genome-Wide Association Identifies SLC2A9 and NLN Gene Regions as Associated with
      Entropion in Domestic Sheep.
AB  - Entropion is an inward rolling of the eyelid allowing contact between the
      eyelashes and cornea that may lead to blindness if not corrected. Although many
      mammalian species, including humans and dogs, are afflicted by congenital
      entropion, no specific genes or gene regions related to development of entropion
      have been reported in any mammalian species to date. Entropion in domestic sheep
      is known to have a genetic component therefore, we used domestic sheep as a model
      system to identify genomic regions containing genes associated with entropion. A
      genome-wide association was conducted with congenital entropion in 998 Columbia,
      Polypay, and Rambouillet sheep genotyped with 50,000 SNP markers. Prevalence of
      entropion was 6.01%, with all breeds represented. Logistic regression was
      performed in PLINK with additive allelic, recessive, dominant, and genotypic
      inheritance models. Two genome-wide significant (empirical P<0.05) SNP were
      identified, specifically markers in SLC2A9 (empirical P = 0.007; genotypic model)
      and near NLN (empirical P = 0.026; dominance model). Six additional genome-wide
      suggestive SNP (nominal P<1x10(-5)) were identified including markers in or near
      PIK3CB (P = 2.22x10(-6); additive model), KCNB1 (P = 2.93x10(-6); dominance
      model), ZC3H12C (P = 3.25x10(-6); genotypic model), JPH1 (P = 4.68x20(-6);
      genotypic model), and MYO3B (P = 5.74x10(-6); recessive model). This is the first
      report of specific gene regions associated with congenital entropion in any
      mammalian species, to our knowledge. Further, none of these genes have previously
      been associated with any eyelid traits. These results represent the first genome
      wide analysis of gene regions associated with entropion and provide target
      regions for the development of sheep genetic markers for marker-assisted
      selection.

PMID- 26098912
TI  - A Calcium-Dependent Mechanism of Neuronal Memory.
AB  - A neuron's record of its previous activity underlies animal memory. A new study
      reveals a role for the release of calcium ions from intracellular stores in
      mediating spatially compartmentalized memory of the activity history of a neuron.

PMID- 26098910
TI  - The Effects of Anti-Dementia and Nootropic Treatments on the Mortality of
      Patients with Dementia: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the contribution of treatment on the
      mortality of dementia based on a population-based study. OBJECTIVE: To
      investigate the effects of anti-dementia and nootropic treatments on the
      mortality of dementia using a population-based cohort study. METHODS: 12,193
      incident dementia patients were found from 2000 to 2010. Their data were compared
      with 12,193 age- and sex-matched non-dementia controls that were randomly
      selected from the same database. Dementia was classified into vascular (VaD) and
      degenerative dementia. Mortality incidence and hazard ratios (HRs) were
      calculated. RESULTS: The median survival time was 3.39 years (95% confidence
      interval [CI]: 2.88-3.79) for VaD without medication, 6.62 years (95% CI: 6.24
      7.21) for VaD with nootropics, 3.01 years (95% CI: 2.85-3.21) for degenerative
      dementia without medication, 8.11 years (95% CI: 6.30-8.55) for degenerative
      dementia with anti-dementia medication, 6.00 years (95% CI: 5.73-6.17) for
      degenerative dementia with nootropics, and 9.03 years (95% CI: 8.02-9.87) for
      degenerative dementia with both anti-dementia and nootropic medications. Compared
      to the non-dementia group, the HRs among individuals with degenerative dementia
      were 2.69 (95% CI: 2.55-2.83) without medication, 1.46 (95% CI: 1.39-1.54) with
      nootropics, 1.05 (95% CI: 0.82-1.34) with anti-dementia medication, and 0.92 (95%
      CI: 0.80-1.05) with both nootropic and anti-dementia medications. VaD with
      nootropics had a lower mortality (HR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.15-1.37) than VaD without
      medication (HR: 2.46, 95% CI: 2.22-2.72). CONCLUSION: Pharmacological treatments
      have beneficial effects for patients with dementia in prolonging their survival.

PMID- 26098913
TI  - Correction: No Own-Age Advantage in Children's Recognition of Emotion on
      Prototypical Faces of Different Ages.

PMID- 26098911
TI  - Deletion of IFT80 Impairs Epiphyseal and Articular Cartilage Formation Due to
      Disruption of Chondrocyte Differentiation.
AB  - Intraflagellar transport proteins (IFT) play important roles in cilia formation
      and organ development. Partial loss of IFT80 function leads Jeune asphyxiating
      thoracic dystrophy (JATD) or short-rib polydactyly (SRP) syndrome type III,
      displaying narrow thoracic cavity and multiple cartilage anomalies. However, it
      is unknown how IFT80 regulates cartilage formation. To define the role and
      mechanism of IFT80 in chondrocyte function and cartilage formation, we generated
      a Col2alpha1; IFT80f/f mouse model by crossing IFT80f/f mice with inducible
      Col2alpha1-CreER mice, and deleted IFT80 in chondrocyte lineage by injection of
      tamoxifen into the mice in embryonic or postnatal stage. Loss of IFT80 in the
      embryonic stage resulted in short limbs at birth. Histological studies showed
      that IFT80-deficient mice have shortened cartilage with marked changes in
      cellular morphology and organization in the resting, proliferative, pre
      hypertrophic, and hypertrophic zones. Moreover, deletion of IFT80 in the
      postnatal stage led to mouse stunted growth with shortened growth plate but
      thickened articular cartilage. Defects of ciliogenesis were found in the
      cartilage of IFT80-deficient mice and primary IFT80-deficient chondrocytes.
      Further study showed that chondrogenic differentiation was significantly
      inhibited in IFT80-deficient mice due to reduced hedgehog (Hh) signaling and
      increased Wnt signaling activities. These findings demonstrate that loss of IFT80
      blocks chondrocyte differentiation by disruption of ciliogenesis and alteration
      of Hh and Wnt signaling transduction, which in turn alters epiphyseal and
      articular cartilage formation. 

PMID- 26098915
TI  - Preferential Accumulation of 14C-N-Glycolylneuraminic Acid over 14C-N
      Acetylneuraminic Acid in the Rat Brain after Tail Vein Injection.
AB  - The two main molecular species of sialic acid existing in nature are N
      acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). Neu5Ac is
      abundant in mammalian brains and plays crucial roles in many neural functions. In
      contrast, Neu5Gc is present only at a trace level in vertebrate brains. The brain
      specific suppression of Neu5Gc synthesis, which is a common feature in mammals,
      suggests that Neu5Gc has toxicity against brain functions. However, in vivo
      kinetics of Neu5Gc in the whole body, especially in the brain, has not been
      studied in sufficient detail. To determine the in vivo kinetics of Neu5Gc, 14C
      Neu5Gc was enzymatically synthesized and injected into rat tail veins. Although
      most of 14C-Neu5Gc was excreted in urine, a small amount of 14C-Neu5Gc was
      detected in the brain. Brain autoradiography indicated that 14C-Neu5Gc was
      accumulated predominantly in the hippocampus. 14C-Neu5Gc transferred into the
      brain was incorporated into gangliosides including GM1, GD1a, GD1b, GT1b and
      GQ1b. Reduction of 14C-Neu5Gc after intracerebroventricular infusion was slower
      than that of 14C-Neu5Ac in the brain and hippocampus. The results suggest that
      Neu5Gc is transferred from blood into the brain across the blood brain barrier
      and accumulates in the brain more preferentially than does Neu5Ac. 

PMID- 26098914
TI  - AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Interacts with the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated
      Receptor Delta to Induce Genes Affecting Fatty Acid Oxidation in Human
      Macrophages.
AB  - AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) maintains energy homeostasis by suppressing
      cellular ATP-consuming processes and activating catabolic, ATP-producing pathways
      such as fatty acid oxidation (FAO). The transcription factor peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARdelta) also affects fatty acid
      metabolism, stimulating the expression of genes involved in FAO. To question the
      interplay of AMPK and PPARdelta in human macrophages we transduced primary human
      macrophages with lentiviral particles encoding for the constitutively active
      AMPKalpha1 catalytic subunit, followed by microarray expression analysis after
      treatment with the PPARdelta agonist GW501516. Microarray analysis showed that co
      activation of AMPK and PPARdelta increased expression of FAO genes, which were
      validated by quantitative PCR. Induction of these FAO-associated genes was also
      observed upon infecting macrophages with an adenovirus coding for AMPKgamma1
      regulatory subunit carrying an activating R70Q mutation. The pharmacological AMPK
      activator A-769662 increased expression of several FAO genes in a PPARdelta- and
      AMPK-dependent manner. Although GW501516 significantly increased FAO and reduced
      the triglyceride amount in very low density lipoproteins (VLDL)-loaded foam
      cells, AMPK activation failed to potentiate this effect, suggesting that
      increased expression of fatty acid catabolic genes alone may be not sufficient to
      prevent macrophage lipid overload. 

PMID- 26098917
TI  - Nitrogen Fuelling of the Pelagic Food Web of the Tropical Atlantic.
AB  - We estimated the relative contribution of atmosphere (ic Nitrogen (N) input (wet
      and dry deposition and N fixation) to the epipelagic food web by measuring N
      isotopes of different functional groups of epipelagic zooplankton along 23
      degrees W (17 degrees N-4 degrees S) and 18 degrees N (20-24 degrees W) in the
      Eastern Tropical Atlantic. Results were related to water column observations of
      nutrient distribution and vertical diffusive flux as well as colony abundance of
      Trichodesmium obtained with an Underwater Vision Profiler (UVP5). The thickness
      and depth of the nitracline and phosphocline proved to be significant predictors
      of zooplankton stable N isotope values. Atmospheric N input was highest (61% of
      total N) in the strongly stratified and oligotrophic region between 3 and 7
      degrees N, which featured very high depth-integrated Trichodesmium abundance (up
      to 9.4*10(4) colonies m(-2)), strong thermohaline stratification and low
      zooplankton delta15N (~20/00). Relative atmospheric N input was lowest south of
      the equatorial upwelling between 3 and 5 degrees S (27%). Values in the Guinea
      Dome region and north of Cape Verde ranged between 45 and 50%, respectively. The
      microstructure-derived estimate of the vertical diffusive N flux in the
      equatorial region was about one order of magnitude higher than in any other area
      (approximately 8 mmol m(-2) d(1)). At the same time, this region received
      considerable atmospheric N input (35% of total). In general, zooplankton delta15N
      and Trichodesmium abundance were closely correlated, indicating that N fixation
      is the major source of atmospheric N input. Although Trichodesmium is not the
      only N fixing organism, its abundance can be used with high confidence to
      estimate the relative atmospheric N input in the tropical Atlantic (r2 = 0.95).
      Estimates of absolute N fixation rates are two- to tenfold higher than incubation
      derived rates reported for the same regions. Our approach integrates over large
      spatial and temporal scales and also quantifies fixed N released as dissolved
      inorganic and organic N. In a global analysis, it may thus help to close the gap
      in oceanic N budgets.

PMID- 26098916
TI  - Phylogenetic Structure of Tree Species across Different Life Stages from
      Seedlings to Canopy Trees in a Subtropical Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forest.
AB  - Investigating patterns of phylogenetic structure across different life stages of
      tree species in forests is crucial to understanding forest community assembly,
      and investigating forest gap influence on the phylogenetic structure of forest
      regeneration is necessary for understanding forest community assembly. Here, we
      examine the phylogenetic structure of tree species across life stages from
      seedlings to canopy trees, as well as forest gap influence on the phylogenetic
      structure of forest regeneration in a forest of the subtropical region in China.
      We investigate changes in phylogenetic relatedness (measured as NRI) of tree
      species from seedlings, saplings, treelets to canopy trees; we compare the
      phylogenetic turnover (measured as betaNRI) between canopy trees and seedlings in
      forest understory with that between canopy trees and seedlings in forest gaps. We
      found that phylogenetic relatedness generally increases from seedlings through
      saplings and treelets up to canopy trees, and that phylogenetic relatedness does
      not differ between seedlings in forest understory and those in forest gaps, but
      phylogenetic turnover between canopy trees and seedlings in forest understory is
      lower than that between canopy trees and seedlings in forest gaps. We conclude
      that tree species tend to be more closely related from seedling to canopy layers,
      and that forest gaps alter the seedling phylogenetic turnover of the studied
      forest. It is likely that the increasing trend of phylogenetic clustering as tree
      stem size increases observed in this subtropical forest is primarily driven by
      abiotic filtering processes, which select a set of closely related evergreen
      broad-leaved tree species whose regeneration has adapted to the closed canopy
      environments of the subtropical forest developed under the regional monsoon
      climate. 

PMID- 26098918
TI  - De Novo Generated Human Red Blood Cells in Humanized Mice Support Plasmodium
      falciparum Infection.
AB  - Immunodeficient mouse-human chimeras provide a powerful approach to study host
      specific pathogens like Plasmodium (P.) falciparum that causes human malaria.
      Existing mouse models of P. falciparum infection require repeated injections of
      human red blood cells (RBCs). In addition, clodronate lipsomes and anti
      neutrophil antibodies are injected to suppress the clearance of human RBCs by the
      residual immune system of the immunodeficient mice. Engraftment of NOD-scid Il2rg
      /- mice with human hematopoietic stem cells leads to reconstitution of human
      immune cells. Although human B cell reconstitution is robust and T cell
      reconstitution is reasonable in the recipient mice, human RBC reconstitution is
      generally poor or undetectable. The poor reconstitution is mainly the result of a
      deficiency of appropriate human cytokines that are necessary for the development
      and maintenance of these cell lineages. Delivery of plasmid DNA encoding human
      erythropoietin and interleukin-3 into humanized mice by hydrodynamic tail-vein
      injection resulted in significantly enhanced reconstitution of erythrocytes. With
      this improved humanized mouse, here we show that P. falciparum infects de novo
      generated human RBCs, develops into schizonts and causes successive reinvasion.
      We also show that different parasite strains exhibit variation in their ability
      to infect these humanized mice. Parasites could be detected by nested PCR in the
      blood samples of humanized mice infected with P. falciparum K1 and HB3 strains
      for 3 cycles, whereas in other strains such as 3D7, DD2, 7G8, FCR3 and W2mef
      parasites could only be detected for 1 cycle. In vivo adaptation of K1 strain
      further improves the infection efficiency and parasites can be detected by
      microscopy for 3 cycles. The parasitemia ranges between 0.13 and 0.25% at the
      first cycle of infection, falls between 0.08 and 0.15% at the second cycle, and
      drops to barely detectable levels at the third cycle of infection. Compared to
      existing mouse models, our model generates human RBCs de novo and does not
      require the treatment of mice with immunomodulators. 

PMID- 26098920
TI  - Efficacy of Proprioceptive Exercises in Patients with Subacromial Impingement
      Syndrome: A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of
      proprioceptive exercises on shoulder proprioception, range of motion, pain,
      muscle strength, and function in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome.
      DESIGN: Sixty-one patients with subacromial impingement syndrome participated in
      this prospective, single-blind randomized controlled trial. All patients were
      randomly divided into two groups: control group (conventional physiotherapy, n =
      30) and intervention group (proprioceptive exercise and conventional
      physiotherapy, n = 31). The primary outcome measures were sense of kinesthesia
      and active and passive repositioning for proprioception at 0 degrees and 10
      degrees external rotation at 12 wks. The secondary outcome measures were pain at
      rest, at night, and during activities of daily living with the visual analog
      scale (0-10 cm), the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff index, the American Shoulder
      and Elbow Surgeons index, range of motion, and isometric muscle strength at both
      6 and 12 wks. RESULTS: After treatment, significant improvement was found in
      range of motion, pain, isometric muscle strength, kinesthesia at 0 degrees
      external rotation, and functional tests in both groups. The intervention group
      showed a significant improvement in kinesthesia at 10 degrees external rotation
      and active and passive repositioning at 10 degrees external rotation. When groups
      were compared, there were no statistically significant differences in any of the
      parameters at 12 wks. CONCLUSIONS: Although proprioceptive exercises may provide
      better proprioceptive acuity, no additional positive effect on other clinical
      parameters was observed.

PMID- 26098919
TI  - Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) for the treatment of advanced melanoma.
AB  - Melanoma often spreads to cutaneous or subcutaneous sites that are amenable to
      direct, intralesional injection. As such, developing effective injectable agents
      has been of considerable interest. Talimogene laherperepvec (T-VEC) is an
      injectable modified oncolytic herpes virus being developed for the treatment of
      advanced melanoma. Pre-clinical studies have shown that T-VEC preferentially
      infects melanoma cells and exerts antitumor activity through directly mediating
      cell death and by augmenting local and even distant immune responses. T-VEC has
      now been assessed in Phase II and III clinical trials and has demonstrated a
      tolerable side-effect profile and promising efficacy, showing an improved durable
      response rate and a trend toward superior overall survival compared to
      granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Despite these promising
      results, responses have been uncommon in patients with visceral metastases. T-VEC
      is currently being evaluated in combination with other immune therapies
      (ipilimumab and pembrolizumab) with early signs of activity. In this review, we
      discuss the preclinical rationale, the clinical experience, and future directions
      for T-VEC in advanced melanoma. 

PMID- 26098922
TI  - Physiatry Reviews for Evidence in Practice (PREP), Second-Order Peer Reviews of
      Clinically Relevant Articles for the Physiatrist.
AB  - The busy clinically active physiatrist who wishes to practice evidence-based
      medicine has a daunting challenge to keep up to date with the significant amount
      of new information that is developing and available across the wide spectrum of
      medical literature. Accordingly, the authors have developed a method to survey
      the applicable medical literature to identify pertinent and clinically relevant
      articles. These articles are then critically appraised and presented in a
      standard format with clinically applicable conclusions. The authors will be
      presenting these reviews in future issues of the American Journal of Physical
      Medicine & Rehabilitation. 

PMID- 26098921
TI  - Association of Strength Measurement with Rotator Cuff Tear in Patients with
      Shoulder Pain: The Rotator Cuff Outcomes Workgroup Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examines the association between strength measurements and
      supraspinatus tear in patients with shoulder pain. This study characterized
      determinants of abduction strength among patients with tears. DESIGN: A total of
      208 patients with shoulder pain were recruited. Strength was tested using a
      handheld dynamometer. Supraspinatus tears were diagnosed by combination of
      clinical assessment and blinded magnetic resonance imaging review. Associations
      of supraspinatus tear with patient characteristics and strength measurements
      (abduction, internal rotation and external rotation) were assessed using
      multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS: Patients with supraspinatus
      tear had decreased abduction strength (P = 0.02) and decreased external rotation
      strength (P < 0.01). When adjusted for age, sex, tear laterality, and body mass
      index, decreased abduction strength (odds ratio, 1.18/kg; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.06-1.32) and decreased external rotation strength (odds ratio,
      1.29/kg; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-1.48) were associated with supraspinatus
      tear. In patients with tear, age 60 yrs or older, female sex, and visual analog
      scale pain score were significantly associated with decreased abduction strength
      but tear size, fatty infiltration, and atrophy were not. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased
      abduction and external rotation strength were associated with supraspinatus tear
      in patients with shoulder pain. In this cohort, the abduction strength of
      patients with tears was influenced by demographic factors but not tear
      characteristics.

PMID- 26098923
TI  - Framework for Assessment of the Usability of Lower-Extremity Robotic Exoskeletal
      Orthoses.
AB  - Persons with neurologic conditions such as spinal cord injury, stroke, and
      multiple sclerosis often lose the ability to stand and walk. Robotic hip-knee
      ankle-foot exoskeletal orthoses have become commercially available and may allow
      some of these people to stand and walk again. These devices may also have
      applications beyond mobility, such as exercise, amelioration of secondary
      complications related to lack of ambulation, and the promotion of
      neuroplasticity. The authors present a framework for assessment of the usability
      of robotic exoskeletal orthoses available now or in the near future. The
      framework contains six modules: Functional applications, Personal factors, Device
      factors, External factors, Activities, and Health outcomes. Metrics and measures
      are suggested for each framework factor. 

PMID- 26098925
TI  - Strengthening Rehabilitation for People with Disabilities: A Human Rights
      Approach as the Essential Next Step to Accelerating Global Progress.

PMID- 26098924
TI  - Resident-Perceived Benefit of a Diagnostic and Interventional Musculoskeletal
      Ultrasound Curriculum: A Multifaceted Approach Using Independent Study, Peer
      Teaching, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration.
AB  - Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) training is now a required component of
      physiatry residency, but formal curriculum guidelines are not yet required or
      established. The authors' objective was to assess the educational value of a
      collaborative residency MSUS training program. The authors designed a structured
      MSUS training curriculum for residents based on the authors' experience and
      previous literature. Twenty-five residents participated in this MSUS curriculum
      designed by faculty and chief residents. Resident volunteers were trained by the
      faculty as "table trainers" who taught their peers in small groups. Hands-on MSUS
      training sessions were led by a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation faculty MSUS
      expert. A Likert scale-formatted questionnaire assessed resident-perceived value
      of the curriculum. Response rate was 96% (22 of 23). Self-reported MSUS knowledge
      comparing precurriculum and postcurriculum implementation resulted in significant
      improvement (P = 0.001). Peer teaching was highly valued, with 86% of residents
      rating it "very" or "extremely" beneficial (mean [SD] score, 3.9 [1.1]). Self
      guided learning, by supplemental scanning and reading, was rated "beneficial" or
      "very beneficial" by 73% of residents (3.0 [0.7]). The authors' successful pilot
      program may serve as a teaching model for other residency programs. 

PMID- 26098926
TI  - Atypical Location of Low-Back Pain in a High School Basketball Player.

PMID- 26098927
TI  - RE: "Review of Secondary Health Conditions in Post-Polio Syndrome" by McNalley
      TE, Jenson MP, Truitt AR, Schomer KG, Baylor C, Molton IR: Am J Phys Med Rehabil
      2015;94: 139-45.

PMID- 26098928
TI  - Color scaling in sonoelastography.

PMID- 26098929
TI  - Author reply to "color scaling in sonoelastography".

PMID- 26098930
TI  - Use of Continuous Femoral and Sciatic Nerve Catheters to Facilitate a
      Multidisciplinary Inpatient-Based Rehabilitation Plan in a Child with Lower
      Extremity Type 1 Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

PMID- 26098933
TI  - Flow-Driven Rapid Vesicle Fusion via Vortex Trapping.
AB  - Fusion between suspended lipid vesicles is difficult to achieve without membrane
      proteins or ions because the vesicles have extremely low equilibrium membrane
      tension and high poration energy. Nonetheless, vesicle fusion in the absence of
      mediators can also be achieved by mechanical forcing that is strong enough to
      induce membrane poration. Here, we employ a strong fluid shear stress to achieve
      vesicle fusion. By utilizing a unique vortex formation phenomenon in branched
      channels as a platform for capturing, stressing, and fusing the lipid vesicles,
      we directly visualize using high-speed imaging the vesicle fusion events, induced
      solely by shear, on the time scale of submilliseconds. We show that a large
      vesicle with a size of up to ~10 MUm can be achieved by the fusion of nanoscale
      vesicles. This technique has the potential to be utilized as a fast and simple
      way to produce giant unilamellar vesicles and to serve as a platform for
      visualizing vesicle interactions and fusions in the presence of shear. 

PMID- 26098932
TI  - The Effect of Natural Multidecadal Ocean Temperature Oscillations on Contiguous
      U.S. Regional Temperatures.
AB  - Atmospheric temperature time series for the nine climate regions of the
      contiguous U.S. are accurately reproduced by the superposition of oscillatory
      modes, representing the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) and the Pacific
      decadal oscillation (PDO), on a monotonic mode representing, at least in part,
      the effect of radiant forcing due to increasing atmospheric CO2. The relative
      importance of the different modes varies among the nine climate regions, grouping
      them into three mega-regions: Southeastern comprising the South, Southeast and
      Ohio Valley; Central comprising the Southwest, Upper Midwest, and Northeast; and
      Northwestern comprising the West, Northwest, and Northern Rockies & Plains. The
      defining characteristics of the mega-regions are: Southeastern--dominated by the
      AMO, no PDO influence; Central--influenced by the AMO, no PDO influence,
      Northwestern--influenced by both the AMO and PDO. Temperature vs. time curves
      calculated by combining the separate monotonic and oscillatory modes agree well
      with the measured temperature time series, indicating that the 1938-1974 small
      decrease in contiguous U.S. temperature was caused by the superposition of the
      downward-trending oscillatory mode on the upward-trending monotonic mode while
      the 1980-2000 large increase in temperature was caused by the superposition of
      the upward-trending oscillatory mode on the upward-trending monotonic mode. The
      oscillatory mode, mostly representing the AMO, was responsible for about 72% of
      the entire contiguous U.S. temperature increase over that time span with the
      contribution varying from 86 to 42% for individual climate regions.

PMID- 26098931
TI  - (17)O relaxation times in the rat brain at 16.4 tesla.
AB  - PURPOSE: Measurement of the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2 ) by means
      of direct imaging of the (17) O signal can be a valuable tool in neuroscientific
      research. However, knowledge of the longitudinal and transverse relaxation times
      of different brain tissue types is required, which is difficult to obtain because
      of the low sensitivity of natural abundance H2 (17) O measurements. METHODS:
      Using the improved sensitivity at a field strength of 16.4 Tesla, relaxation time
      measurements in the rat brain were performed in vivo and postmortem with
      relatively high spatial resolutions, using a chemical shift imaging sequence.
      RESULTS: In vivo relaxation times of rat brain were found to be T1 = 6.84 +/-
      0.67 ms and T2 * = 1.77 +/- 0.04 ms. Postmortem H2 (17) O relaxometry at enriched
      concentrations after inhalation of (17) O2 showed similar T2 * values for gray
      matter (1.87 +/- 0.04 ms) and white matter, significantly longer than muscle
      (1.27 +/- 0.05 ms) and shorter than cerebrospinal fluid (2.30 +/- 0.16 ms).
      CONCLUSION: Relaxation times of brain H2 (17) O were measured for the first time
      in vivo in different types of tissues with high spatial resolution. Because the
      relaxation times of H2 (17) O are expected to be independent of field strength,
      our results should help in optimizing the acquisition parameters for experiments
      also at other MRI field strengths.

PMID- 26098934
TI  - Intelligent Scheduling for Underground Mobile Mining Equipment.
AB  - Many studies have been carried out and many commercial software applications have
      been developed to improve the performances of surface mining operations,
      especially for the loader-trucks cycle of surface mining. However, there have
      been quite few studies aiming to improve the mining process of underground mines.
      In underground mines, mobile mining equipment is mostly scheduled instinctively,
      without theoretical support for these decisions. Furthermore, in case of
      unexpected events, it is hard for miners to rapidly find solutions to reschedule
      and to adapt the changes. This investigation first introduces the motivation, the
      technical background, and then the objective of the study. A decision support
      instrument (i.e. schedule optimizer for mobile mining equipment) is proposed and
      described to address this issue. The method and related algorithms which are used
      in this instrument are presented and discussed. The proposed method was tested by
      using a real case of Kittila mine located in Finland. The result suggests that
      the proposed method can considerably improve the working efficiency and reduce
      the working time of the underground mine. 

PMID- 26098935
TI  - Brief Report: Meta-analysis of Antacid Use and Alzheimer's Disease: Implications
      for the Aluminum Hypothesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exposure to aluminum remains a controversial risk factor for
      Alzheimer's disease. Antacids are aluminum-rich medications that are widely used
      in substantial amounts, but their association with Alzheimer's disease has not
      been systematically quantified. METHODS: We conducted electronic searches of
      PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library up to January 2015 for case-control and
      cohort studies published in any language. Summary risk estimates were derived
      using random-effects models. RESULTS: Seven case-control studies (n = 5,468; 829
      Alzheimer's disease cases) and two cohort studies (n = 842; 110 Alzheimer's
      disease cases) met the criteria for inclusion. Study quality was limited by
      imprecise characterization of the timing and duration of antacid use. Regular
      antacid use was not associated with Alzheimer's disease in either case-control
      (odds ratio = 1.0; 95% confidence interval = 0.8, 1.2) or cohort studies
      (relative risk = 0.8; 95% confidence interval = 0.4, 1.8). Sensitivity analysis
      including studies specifically examining aluminum-containing antacids did not
      reveal an association. CONCLUSIONS: Although the findings of this meta-analysis
      do not support an association between aluminum intake and Alzheimer's disease,
      prospective studies with longer follow-up and more precise characterization of
      exposure are required to definitively exclude an etiologic role for aluminum.

PMID- 26098936
TI  - Synthesis of Novel N9-Substituted Purine Derivatives from Polymer Supported alpha
      Amino Acids.
AB  - Solid-phase synthesis of purine derivatives bearing an alpha-amino acid motif in
      position 9 is described herein. Polymer supported amines were acylated with
      various Fmoc-alpha-amino acids and, after cleavage of the protecting group,
      arylation with 4,6-dichloro-5-nitropyrimidine or 2,4-dichloro-5-nitropyrimidine
      was performed. The second chlorine atom was replaced with various amines.
      Subsequent reduction of the nitro group, followed by reaction with aldehydes,
      afforded the purine scaffold. After cleavage from the polymer support, the target
      compounds were obtained in very good crude purity, good overall yields, and
      excellent enantiomeric purity. The anticancer activity of prepared compounds was
      tested in vitro against human cancer cell lines MCF7 and K562, and they were
      found to have mild, but clear dose-dependent effects. 

PMID- 26098937
TI  - Radiosensitization of DNA by Cisplatin Adducts Results from an Increase in the
      Rate Constant for the Reaction with Hydrated Electrons and Formation of Pt(I).
AB  - Pulse radiolysis measurements of the decay of hydrated electrons in solutions
      containing different concentrations of the oligonucleotide GTG with and without a
      cisplatin adduct show that the presence of a cisplatin moiety accelerates the
      reaction between hydrated electrons and the oligonucleotide. The rate constant of
      the reaction is found to be 2.23 * 10(10) mol(-1) L s(-1), which indicates that
      it is diffusion controlled. In addition, we show for the first time the formation
      of a Pt(I) intermediate as a result of the reaction of hydrated electrons with
      GTG-cisplatin. A putative reaction mechanism is proposed, which may form the
      basis of the radiosensitization of cancer cells in concomitant chemoradiation
      therapy with cisplatin. 

PMID- 26098938
TI  - Retrovirus-Mediated Expression of E2A-PBX1 Blocks Lymphoid Fate but Permits
      Retention of Myeloid Potential in Early Hematopoietic Progenitors.
AB  - The oncogenic transcription factor E2A-PBX1 is expressed consequent to
      chromosomal translocation 1;19 and is an important oncogenic driver in cases of
      pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Elucidating the mechanism by which
      E2A-PBX1 induces lymphoid leukemia would be expedited by the availability of a
      tractable experimental model in which enforced expression of E2A-PBX1 in
      hematopoietic progenitors induces pre-B-cell ALL. However, hematopoietic
      reconstitution of irradiated mice with bone marrow infected with E2A-PBX1
      expressing retroviruses consistently gives rise to myeloid, not lymphoid,
      leukemia. Here, we elucidate the hematopoietic consequences of forced E2A-PBX1
      expression in primary murine hematopoietic progenitors. We show that introducing
      E2A-PBX1 into multipotent progenitors permits the retention of myeloid potential
      but imposes a dense barrier to lymphoid development prior to the common lymphoid
      progenitor stage, thus helping to explain the eventual development of myeloid,
      and not lymphoid, leukemia in transplanted mice. Our findings also indicate that
      E2A-PBX1 enforces the aberrant, persistent expression of some genes that would
      normally have been down-regulated in the subsequent course of hematopoietic
      maturation. We show that enforced expression of one such gene, Hoxa9, a proto
      oncogene associated with myeloid leukemia, partially reproduces the phenotype
      produced by E2A-PBX1 itself. Existing evidence suggests that the 1;19
      translocation event takes place in committed B-lymphoid progenitors. However, we
      find that retrovirus-enforced expression of E2A-PBX1 in committed pro-B-cells
      results in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Our findings indicate that the
      neoplastic phenotype induced by E2A-PBX1 is determined by the developmental stage
      of the cell into which the oncoprotein is introduced. 

PMID- 26098939
TI  - Cardioprotection Resulting from Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Administration Involves
      Shifting Metabolic Substrate Utilization to Increase Energy Efficiency in the Rat
      Heart.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) provides
      cardiovascular benefits independent of its role on peripheral glycemic control.
      However, the precise mechanism(s) by which GLP-1 treatment renders
      cardioprotection during myocardial ischemia remain unresolved. Here we examined
      the role for GLP-1 treatment on glucose and fatty acid metabolism in normal and
      ischemic rat hearts following a 30 min ischemia and 24 h reperfusion injury, and
      in isolated cardiomyocytes (CM). Relative carbohydrate and fat oxidation levels
      were measured in both normal and ischemic hearts using a 1-13C glucose clamp
      coupled with NMR-based isotopomer analysis, as well as in adult rat CMs by
      monitoring pH and O2 consumption in the presence of glucose or palmitate. In
      normal heart, GLP-1 increased glucose uptake (?64%, p<0.05) without affecting
      glycogen levels. In ischemic hearts, GLP-1 induced metabolic substrate switching
      by increasing the ratio of carbohydrate versus fat oxidation (?14%, p<0.01) in
      the LV area not at risk, without affecting cAMP levels. Interestingly, no
      substrate switching occurred in the LV area at risk, despite an increase in cAMP
      (?106%, p<0.05) and lactate (?121%, p<0.01) levels. Furthermore, in isolated CMs
      GLP-1 treatment increased glucose utilization (?14%, p<0.05) and decreased fatty
      acid oxidation (?15%, p<0.05) consistent with in vivo finding. Our results show
      that this benefit may derive from distinct and complementary roles of GLP-1
      treatment on metabolism in myocardial sub-regions in response to this injury. In
      particular, a switch to anaerobic glycolysis in the ischemic area provides a
      compensatory substrate switch to overcome the energetic deficit in this region in
      the face of reduced tissue oxygenation, whereas a switch to more energetically
      favorable carbohydrate oxidation in more highly oxygenated remote regions
      supports maintaining cardiac contractility in a complementary manner. 

PMID- 26098940
TI  - Using Network Methodology to Infer Population Substructure.
AB  - One of the main caveats of association studies is the possible affection by bias
      due to population stratification. Existing methods rely on model-based approaches
      like structure and ADMIXTURE or on principal component analysis like EIGENSTRAT.
      Here we provide a novel visualization technique and describe the problem of
      population substructure from a graph-theoretical point of view. We group the
      sequenced individuals into triads, which depict the relational structure, on the
      basis of a predefined pairwise similarity measure. We then merge the triads into
      a network and apply community detection algorithms in order to identify
      homogeneous subgroups or communities, which can further be incorporated as
      covariates into logistic regression. We apply our method to populations from
      different continents in the 1000 Genomes Project and evaluate the type 1 error
      based on the empirical p-values. The application to 1000 Genomes data suggests
      that the network approach provides a very fine resolution of the underlying
      ancestral population structure. Besides we show in simulations, that in the
      presence of discrete population structures, our developed approach maintains the
      type 1 error more precisely than existing approaches. 

PMID- 26098941
TI  - Sex-Specific Habitat Utilization and Differential Breeding Investments in
      Christmas Island Frigatebirds throughout the Breeding Cycle.
AB  - In seabirds, equal bi-parental care is the rule, as it is considered crucial for
      raising chicks successfully because seabirds forage in an environment with
      unpredictable and highly variable food supply. Frigatebirds forage in poor
      tropical waters, yet males reduce and even stop parental care soon after chick
      brooding, leaving the female to provision the chick alone for an extended
      fledging period. Using bird-borne tracking devices, male and female Christmas
      Island Frigatebirds (Fregata andrewsi) were investigated during the brooding,
      late chick rearing and post-fledging period to examine whether sexes exhibit
      foraging strategies that may be linked to differential breeding investments.
      During brooding, males and females showed similar foraging behaviour under
      average marine productivity of oceanic waters close to the colony, but males
      shifted to more distant and more productive habitats when conditions deteriorated
      to continue with reduced chick provisioning. During the late chick rearing
      period, females progressively increased their foraging range to the more distant
      but productive marine areas that only males had visited during brooding. Birds
      spent the non-breeding period roosting in highly productive waters of the Sunda
      Shelf. The sex-specific utilisation of three different foraging habitats with
      different primary productivity (oceanic, coastal, and shelf areas) allowed for
      temporal and spatial segregation in the exploitation of favourable habitats which
      seems to enable each sex to optimise its foraging profitability. In addition,
      post-fledging foraging movements of females suggest a biennial breeding cycle,
      while limited information on males suggests the possibility of an annual breeding
      cycle. 

PMID- 26098942
TI  - Health Disparity Still Exists in an Economically Well-Developed Society in Asia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The socioeconomic inequalities in child health continue to widen
      despite improved economy. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between socio
      economic factors and health risk behaviors and psychosocial well-being of
      children in Hong Kong. HYPOTHESIS: The null hypothesis is that for this
      particular developed region, there exists little or no correlation between social
      economic factors and health risk behaviors and psychosocial well-being of
      children. DESIGN: Cross sectional territory wide survey. PARTICIPANTS: Caregivers
      of 7,000 children in kindergartens in Hong Kong. MEASURING TOOLS: Youth Risk
      Behavior Surveillance questionnaire, health-related knowledge and hygienic
      practice questionnaire, and Children Behavior Checklist (CBCL). RESULTS: Children
      were less likely to have somatic complaints and anxiety/depression as reflected
      by CBCL scores coming from families of higher income, not being recipients of
      social assistance, with fathers in employment, and with higher parental
      education. Children with only mother or father as caretakers had lower odds
      ratios (ORs) 0.71 (95% CI 0.58-0.89) and 0.53 (95% CI 0.33-0.84) respectively to
      have the habit of eating breakfast, whilst parental education at post-secondary
      level and higher family income had higher ORs 1.91 (95% CI 1.31-2.78), and 1.63
      (95% CI 1.11-2.39). Fathers unemployed, relatives as main caretakers and living
      in districts with low median household inome incurred higher ORs, as 1.46 (95% CI
      1.10-1.94),1.52 (95% CI 1.27-1.83) and 1.17 (95% CI 1.02-1.34) respectively, of
      watching television over two hours daily, whilst children with parental education
      at secondary level or above incurred lower OR 0.33 (95% CI 0.24-0.45). Children
      with parental education at post-secondary level and higher family income had
      lower ORs of 0.32 (95% CI 0.48-0.97) and 0.52 (95% CI 0.34-0.79) respectively,
      with regard to exposing to passive smoking, and reversed for those living in
      districts with lower median household income, lower family income and recipient
      of CSSA with ORs 1.24 (95% CI 1.06-1.44) and 1.6 (95% CI 1.09-2.37) respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Null hypothesis was not supported. A strong gradient was still found
      to exist among different socio-economic groups for various health-related
      behaviors in developed society like Hong Kong.

PMID- 26098944
TI  - Consensual Victim-Perpetrator Intercourse after Nonconsensual Sex: The Impact of
      Prior Relationship.
AB  - Some female victims of nonconsensual sex subsequently have consensual sexual
      intercourse with the perpetrator and are more likely to do so if intercourse
      occurred during the nonconsensual sex than if it did not. Some evolutionary
      psychologists have postulated that there is something significant about
      nonconsensual intercourse that causes women to subsequently have a sexual
      relationship with the perpetrator (e.g., risk of pregnancy). In this study, we
      investigated a parsimonious explanation that has previously been overlooked:
      Intercourse is more likely during nonconsensual sex when the victim and
      perpetrator have previously had a sexual relationship; thus, subsequent
      consensual intercourse may simply be a continuation of that prior relationship. A
      sample of 945 women completed an Internet-based survey, of whom 41% had
      experienced nonconsensual sex since age 14. As expected, victims who had
      intercourse with perpetrators prior to the nonconsensual sex event were
      significantly more likely than other victims to experience nonconsensual
      intercourse and to engage in subsequent consensual intercourse with the
      perpetrator. When considering only the small subsample of victims who never had a
      prior romantic or sexual relationship with the perpetrator, the odds of
      subsequent consensual intercourse were still significantly greater following
      nonconsensual sex with intercourse versus without intercourse. 

PMID- 26098943
TI  - Computer-Based Cognitive Programs for Improvement of Memory, Processing Speed and
      Executive Function during Age-Related Cognitive Decline: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies have assessed the effects of computer-based cognitive
      programs (CCP) in the management of age-related cognitive decline, but the role
      of CCP remains controversial. Therefore, this systematic review evaluated the
      evidence on the efficacy of CCP for age-related cognitive decline in healthy
      older adults. METHODS: Six electronic databases (through October 2014) were
      searched. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool.
      The standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of a
      random-effects model were calculated. The heterogeneity was assessed using the
      Cochran Q statistic and quantified with the I2 index. RESULTS: Twelve studies
      were included in the current review and were considered as moderate to high
      methodological quality. The aggregated results indicate that CCP improves memory
      performance (SMD, 0.31; 95% CI 0.16 to 0.45; p < 0.0001) and processing speed
      (SMD, 0.50; 95% CI 0.14 to 0.87; p = 0.007) but not executive function (SMD, 
      0.12; 95% CI -0.33 to 0.09; p = 0.27). Furthermore, there were long-term gains in
      memory performance (SMD, 0.59; 95% CI 0.13 to 1.05; p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: CCP
      may be a valid complementary and alternative therapy for age-related cognitive
      decline, especially for memory performance and processing speed. However, more
      studies with longer follow-ups are warranted to confirm the current findings.

PMID- 26098945
TI  - Valuable lessons-learned in transcriptomics experimentation.
AB  - We have collected several valuable lessons that will help improve transcriptomics
      experimentation. These lessons relate to experiment design, execution, and
      analysis. The cautions, but also the pointers, may help biologists avoid common
      pitfalls in transcriptomics experimentation and achieve better results with their
      transcriptome studies. 

PMID- 26098946
TI  - Investigation of Water Dynamics and the Effect of Evapotranspiration on Grain
      Yield of Rainfed Wheat and Barley under a Mediterranean Environment: A Modelling
      Approach.
AB  - Agro-hydrological models have increasingly become useful and powerful tools in
      optimizing water and fertilizer application, and in studying the environmental
      consequences. Accurate prediction of water dynamics in such models is essential
      for models to produce reasonable results. In this study, detailed simulations
      were performed for water dynamics of rainfed winter wheat and barley grown under
      a Mediterranean climate over a 10-year period. The model employed (Yang et al.,
      2009. J. Hydrol., 370, 177-190) uses easily available agronomic data, and takes
      into consideration of all key soil and plant processes in controlling water
      dynamics in the soil-crop system, including the dynamics of root growth. The
      water requirement for crop growth was calculated according to the FAO56, and the
      soil hydraulic properties were estimated using peto-transfer functions (PTFs)
      based on soil physical properties and soil organic matter content. Results show
      that the simulated values of soil water content at the depths of 15, 45 and 75 cm
      agreed with the measurements well with the root of the mean squared errors of
      0.027 cm(3) cm(-3) and the model agreement index of 0.875. The simulated seasonal
      evapotranspiration (ET) ranged from 208 to 388 mm, and grain yield was found to
      correlate with the simulated seasonal ET in a linear manner within the studied ET
      range. The simulated rates of grain yield increase were 17.3 and 23.7 kg ha(-l)
      for every mm of water evapotranspired for wheat and barley, respectively. The
      good agreement of soil water content between measurement and simulation and the
      simulated relationships between grain yield and seasonal ET supported by the data
      in the literature indicates that the model performed well in modelling water
      dynamics for the studied soil-crop system, and therefore has the potential to be
      applied reliably and widely in precision agriculture. Finally, a two-staged
      approach using inverse modelling techniques to further improve model performance
      was discussed.

PMID- 26098949
TI  - The importance of the tumor microenvironment in the therapeutic management of
      cancer.
AB  - Tumor prognosis is generally defined by various tumor parameters. However, it is
      well known that paracrine, endocrine and cell-cell interactions between the tumor
      and its microenvironment contribute to its growth. The tumor microenvironment
      (TME) can also influence disease prognosis and is likely to be considered as an
      important prognostic factor. In addition, conventional therapies can influence
      the microenvironment and antitumor immunity. Similarly, the TME will influence
      the effectiveness of therapy. The purpose of this review is to demonstrate how
      TME is important in therapeutic management. Key interactions between TME and
      different cancer therapies as well as their current clinical consequences have
      been described. More research is needed to establish the important network
      between tumor cells and their environment to highlight their relationships with
      conventional therapies and develop global therapeutic strategies. 

PMID- 26098948
TI  - Sequential Cytokine-Induced Killer Cell Immunotherapy Enhances the Efficacy of
      the Gemcitabine Plus Cisplatin Chemotherapy Regimen for Metastatic Nasopharyngeal
      Carcinoma.
AB  - In this study, we investigated the efficacy of sequential cytokine-induced killer
      cell (CIK) immunotherapy with gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) regimen
      chemotherapy in metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. Between
      September 2006 and April 2010, 222 NPC patients with distant metastasis after
      radiotherapy completion were retrospectively analyzed: 112 patients received 4-6
      cycles of GC chemotherapy at 4-week intervals, followed by at least 4 cycles of
      CIK immunotherapy at 2-week intervals (GC+CIK group); the remaining 110 patients
      received 4-6 cycles of GC chemotherapy alone (GC group). The evaluation of long
      term efficacy showed that the progression-free survival (PFS) rate was
      significantly higher in the GC+CIK group (log-rank test; p = 0.009), as was the
      overall survival (OS) rate (p = 0.006). In conclusion, sequential CIK treatment
      may be effective in enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of GC chemotherapy for
      metastatic NPC patients. This study provides a basis for alternative therapeutic
      strategies for metastatic NPC. 

PMID- 26098950
TI  - Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Near-Infrared Fluorescent Indole-Based
      Squaraines.
AB  - A microwave-assisted method for the preparation of a wide color range of 2,3,3
      trimethylindolenine-based squaraines and their intermediates is described. This
      practical approach allows the rapid preparation of both symmetrical and
      nonsymmetrical squaraine dyes, reducing reaction time from days to minutes with
      more than 2-fold improvement in product yields when compared to conventional
      methods. 

PMID- 26098947
TI  - Suppression of MAPK Signaling and Reversal of mTOR-Dependent MDR1-Associated
      Multidrug Resistance by 21alpha-Methylmelianodiol in Lung Cancer Cells.
AB  - Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and remains
      the most prevalent. Interplay between PI3K/AMPK/AKT and MAPK pathways is a
      crucial effector in lung cancer growth and progression. These signals
      transduction protein kinases serve as good therapeutic targets for non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC) which comprises up to 90% of lung cancers. Here, we described
      whether 21alpha-Methylmelianodiol (21alpha-MMD), an active triterpenoid
      derivative of Poncirus trifoliate, can display anticancer properties by
      regulating these signals and modulate the occurrence of multidrug resistance in
      NSCLC cells. We found that 21alpha-MMD inhibited the growth and colony formation
      of lung cancer cells without affecting the normal lung cell phenotype. 21alpha
      MMD also abrogated the metastatic activity of lung cancer cells through the
      inhibition of cell migration and invasion, and induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest
      with increased intracellular ROS generation and loss of mitochondrial membrane
      integrity. 21alpha-MMD regulated the expressions of PI3K/AKT/AMPK and MAPK
      signaling which drove us to further evaluate its activity on multidrug resistance
      (MDR) in lung cancer cells by specifying on P-glycoprotein (P-gp)/MDR1
      association. Employing the established paclitaxel-resistant A549 cells (A549
      PacR), we further found that 21alpha-MMD induced a MDR reversal activity through
      the inhibition of P-gp/MDR1 expressions, function, and transcription with
      regained paclitaxel sensitivity which might dependently correlate to the
      regulation of PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway. Taken together, these findings
      demonstrate, for the first time, the mechanistic evaluation in vitro of 21alpha
      MMD displaying growth-inhibiting potential with influence on MDR reversal in
      human lung cancer cells. 

PMID- 26098951
TI  - Preserved in vivo reconstitution ability of PBSCs cryopreserved for a decade at 
      80  degrees C.
AB  - PBSC products for auto- and allografting can be cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen
      with controlled-rate freezing until their use. Alternatively, they can be stored
      at -80  degrees C in a mechanical chest freezer, but it remains to be clarified
      whether PBSCs can be stored for the long term. We evaluated viability and
      functions of PBSCs cryopreserved for more than 10 years with this simplified
      method. Although recovery rate and viability of CD34(+) cells were significantly
      decreased, myeloid differentiation potential and in vivo reconstitution and self
      renewal potential of CD34(+) cells in a xenogeneic engraftment assay were
      maintained for more than 10 years. These results indicate that PBSCs can be
      stored at -80  degrees C for years. Although accumulation of clinical engraftment
      data is required to confirm our results, this simplified cryopreservation will
      thus meet the increasing worldwide demand for PBSC transplantation in a region
      with limited resources. 

PMID- 26098952
TI  - High-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation with melphalan,
      etoposide and carboplatin for high-risk osteosarcoma.

PMID- 26098953
TI  - Donor choice in haploidentical stem cell transplantation: fetal microchimerism is
      associated with better outcome in pediatric leukemia patients.

PMID- 26098954
TI  - Validation of a new integrated prognostic score to predict non-relapse mortality
      in patients undergoing reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic hematopoietic
      cell transplantation.

PMID- 26098956
TI  - Correction: Reduction of Metal Artifact in Single Photon-Counting Computed
      Tomography by Spectral-Driven Iterative Reconstruction Technique.

PMID- 26098955
TI  - X-ray Crystallographic, Multifrequency Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, and
      Density Functional Theory Characterization of the Ni(P(Cy)2N(tBu)2)2(n+) Hydrogen
      Oxidation Catalyst in the Ni(I) Oxidation State.
AB  - The Ni(I) hydrogen oxidation catalyst [Ni(P(Cy)2N(tBu)2)2](+) (1(+);
      P(Cy)2N(tBu)2 = 1,5-di(tert-butyl)-3,7-dicyclohexyl-1,5-diaza-3,7
      diphosphacyclooctane) has been studied using a combination of electron
      paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques (X-, Q-, and D-band, electron-nuclear
      double resonance, hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy), X-ray
      crystallography, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
      Crystallographic and DFT studies indicate that the molecular structure of 1(+) is
      highly symmetrical. EPR spectroscopy has allowed determination of the electronic
      g tensor and the spin density distribution on the ligands, and revealed that the
      Ni(I) center does not interact strongly with the potentially coordinating
      solvents acetonitrile and butyronitrile. The EPR spectra and magnetic parameters
      of 1(+) are found to be distinctly different from those for the related compound
      [Ni(P(Ph)2N(Ph)2)2](+) (4(+)). One significant contributor to these differences
      is that the molecular structure of 4(+) is unsymmetrical, unlike that of 1(+).
      DFT calculations on derivatives in which the R and R' groups are systematically
      varied have allowed elucidation of structure/substituent relationships and their
      corresponding influence on the magnetic resonance parameters. 

PMID- 26098957
TI  - Listen Doctor, the Patient Just Might Be Right.

PMID- 26098958
TI  - Patterns of Spontaneous Local Network Activity in Developing Cerebral Cortex:
      Relationship to Adult Cognitive Function.
AB  - Detecting neurodevelopMUental disorders of cognition at the earliest possible
      stages could assist in understanding them mechanistically and ultimately in
      treating them. Finding early physiological predictors that could be visualized
      with functional neuroimaging would represent an important advance in this regard.
      We hypothesized that one potential source of physiological predictors is the
      spontaneous local network activity prominent during specific periods in
      development. To test this we used calcium imaging in brain slices and analyzed
      variations in the frequency and intensity of this early activity in one area, the
      entorhinal cortex (EC), in order to correlate early activity with level of
      cognitive function later in life. We focused on EC because of its known role in
      different types of cognitive processes and because it is an area where
      spontaneous activity is prominent during early postnatal development in rodent
      models of cortical development. Using rat strains (Long-Evans, Wistar, Sprague
      Dawley and Brattleboro) known to differ in cognitive performance in adulthood we
      asked whether neonatal animals exhibit corresponding strain-related differences
      in EC spontaneous activity. Our results show significant differences in this
      activity between strains: compared to a high cognitive-performing strain, we
      consistently found an increase in frequency and decrease in intensity in neonates
      from three lower performing strains. Activity was most different in one strain
      considered a model of schizophrenia-like psychopathology. While we cannot
      necessarily infer a causal relationship between early activity and adult
      cognition our findings suggest that the pattern of spontaneous activity in
      development could be an early predictor of a developmental trajectory advancing
      toward sub-optimal cognitive performance in adulthood. Our results further
      suggest that the strength of dopaminergic signaling, by setting the balance
      between excitation and inhibition, is a potential underlying mechanism that could
      explain the observed differences in early spontaneous activity patterns. 

PMID- 26098960
TI  - Structural Basis for the Brilliant Colors of the Sapphirinid Copepods.
AB  - Males of sapphirinid copepods use regularly alternating layers of hexagonal
      shaped guanine crystals and cytoplasm to produce spectacular structural colors.
      In order to understand the mechanism by which the different colors are produced,
      we measured the reflectance of live individuals and then characterized the
      organization of the crystals and the cytoplasm layers in the same individuals
      using cryo-SEM. On the basis of these measurements, we calculated the expected
      reflectance spectra and found that they are strikingly similar to the measured
      ones. We show that variations in the cytoplasm layer thickness are mainly
      responsible for the different reflected colors and also that the copepod color
      strongly depends on the angular orientation relative to the incident light, which
      can account for its appearance and disappearance during spiral swimming in the
      natural habitat. 

PMID- 26098959
TI  - Electrophysiological Correlates of Subitizing in Healthy Aging.
AB  - To understand the nature of age-related changes in enumeration abilities we
      measured two ERP responses -N2pc and CDA, associated respectively to attentive
      individuation and VWM- and posterior alpha band (8-15 Hz) event-related
      desynchronization (ERD), traditionally linked to enhanced target processing. Two
      groups of old and young participants enumerated a variable number (1-6) of
      targets presented among distractors. Older participants were less accurate in
      enumerating targets. ERP results in old participants showed a suppression of N2pc
      amplitudes for all numerosities, and a decrease in CDA only for the largest set
      (4-6 targets). In contrast with the pattern for young adults, time/frequency
      results on older adults revealed neither a modulation of alpha oscillations as a
      function of target numerosity, nor an effect of ERD lateralization. These
      patterns indicate that both attention and working memory contribute to the age
      related decline in enumeration, and point to an overall decrease in the activity
      of the visual areas responsible for the processing of the hemifield where the
      relevant objects are presented. 

PMID- 26098962
TI  - Association of Paraneoplastic Neurological Disorders With Glutamic Acid
      Decarboxylase Antibodies.

PMID- 26098961
TI  - Positive Association of Fibroadenomatoid Change with HER2-Negative Invasive
      Breast Cancer: A Co-Occurrence Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Risk assessment of a benign breast disease/lesion (BBD) for invasive
      breast cancer (IBC) is typically done through a longitudinal study. For an
      infrequently-reported BBD, the shortage of occurrence data alone is a limiting
      factor to conducting such a study. Here we present an approach based on co
      occurrence analysis, to help address this issue. We focus on fibroadenomatoid
      change (FAC), an under-studied BBD, as our preliminary analysis has suggested its
      previously unknown significant co-occurrence with IBC. METHODS: A cohort of 1667
      female patients enrolled in the Clinical Breast Care Project was identified. A
      single experienced breast pathologist reviewed all pathology slides for each case
      and recorded all observed lesions, including FAC. Fibroadenoma (FA) was studied
      for comparison since FAC had been speculated to be an immature FA. FA and
      Fibrocystic Changes (FCC) were used for method validation since they have been
      comprehensively studied. Six common IBC and BBD risk/protective factors were also
      studied. Co-occurrence analyses were performed using logistic regression models.
      RESULTS: Common risk/protective factors were associated with FA, FCC, and IBC in
      ways consistent with the literature in general, and they were associated with
      FAC, FA, and FCC in distinct patterns. Age was associated with FAC in a bell
      shape curve so that middle-aged women were more likely to have FAC. We report for
      the first time that FAC is positively associated with IBC with odds ratio (OR)
      depending on BMI (OR = 6.78, 95%CI = 3.43-13.42 at BMI<25 kg/m2; OR = 2.13, 95%CI
      = 1.20-3.80 at BMI>25 kg/m2). This association is only significant with HER2
      negative IBC subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that FAC is a candidate risk
      factor for HER2-negative IBCs, and it is a distinct disease from FA. Co
      occurrence analysis can be used for initial assessment of the risk for IBC from a
      BBD, which is vital to the study of infrequently-reported BBDs.

PMID- 26098963
TI  - Large vestibular aqueduct syndrome: Impedance changes over time with different
      cochlear implant electrode arrays.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess if large vestibular aqueduct
      syndrome (LVAS), with the increase in perilymphatic pressure, affects impedance
      changes over time with different types of Cochlear((r)) implant electrode arrays
      Contour, Straight, and CI 422. To report speech perception outcomes for these
      cochlear implant recipients. METHODS: Retrospective case review of impedance
      levels and categories of auditory performance. Impedance data were collected at
      switch on, 1 month, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after cochlear implantation and
      compared with control (non-LVAS cochlear implant recipient) data for each array
      type. Forty-seven patients with exclusive LVAS and no other vestibulocochlear
      abnormalities or other identifiable cause of deafness were eligible for inclusion
      in the study. RESULTS: In LVAS patients, there was a significant difference in
      impedance between the three types of device (P < 0.0001). Time since switch on
      was associated with a decrease in impedance for all three devices (P < 0.0001).
      The mean impedance reduced between switch on and 1 month and remained relatively
      constant thereafter. Sound variation with softening of sounds was seen in four CI
      422 (Straight Research Array) recipients due to ongoing fluctuations in electrode
      compliance. DISCUSSION: For all three array types, there was no significant
      difference in the mean impedance between the LVAS patients and controls over the
      first 12 months. In keeping with previous studies cochlear implant recipients
      with LVAS hear very well through the cochlear implant.

PMID- 26098964
TI  - Summaries for Patients. Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients With Lupus.

PMID- 26098966
TI  - Donor characteristics and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver
      transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To date, studies assessing the risk of post-transplant hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) recurrence have focused on tumour characteristics. This study
      investigated the impact of donor characteristics and graft quality on post
      transplant HCC recurrence. METHODS: Using the Scientific Registry of Transplant
      Recipients patients with HCC who received a liver transplant between 2004 and
      2011 were included, and post-transplant HCC recurrence was assessed. A
      multivariable competing risk regression model was fitted, adjusting for
      confounders such as recipient sex, age, tumour volume, alpha-fetoprotein, time on
      the waiting list and transplant centre. RESULTS: A total of 9724 liver transplant
      recipients were included. Patients receiving a graft procured from a donor older
      than 60 years (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.38, 95 per cent c.i. 1.10 to 1.73; P
      = 0.006), a donor with a history of diabetes (adjusted HR 1.43, 1.11 to 1.83; P =
      0.006) and a donor with a body mass index of 35 kg/m(2) or more (adjusted HR
      1.36, 1.04 to 1.77; P = 0.023) had an increased rate of post-transplant HCC
      recurrence. In 3007 patients with documented steatosis, severe graft steatosis
      (more than 60 per cent) was also linked to an increased risk of recurrence
      (adjusted HR 1.65, 1.03 to 2.64; P = 0.037). Recipients of organs from donation
      after cardiac death donors with prolonged warm ischaemia had higher recurrence
      rates (adjusted HR 4.26, 1.20 to 15.1; P = 0.025). CONCLUSION: Donor-related
      factors such as donor age, body mass index, diabetes and steatosis are associated
      with an increased rate of HCC recurrence after liver transplantation.

PMID- 26098967
TI  - A simple Bayesian approach to quantifying confidence level of adverse event
      incidence proportion in small samples.
AB  - In both clinical development and post-marketing of a new therapy or a new
      treatment, incidence of an adverse event (AE) is always a concern. When sample
      sizes are small, large sample-based inferential approaches on an AE incidence
      proportion in a certain time period no longer apply. In this brief discussion, we
      introduce a simple Bayesian framework to quantify, in small sample studies and
      the rare AE case, (1) the confidence level that the incidence proportion of a
      particular AE p is over or below a threshold, (2) the lower or upper bounds on p
      with a certain level of confidence, and (3) the minimum required number of
      patients with an AE before we can be certain that p surpasses a specific
      threshold, or the maximum allowable number of patients with an AE after which we
      can no longer be certain that p is below a certain threshold, given a certain
      confidence level. The method is easy to understand and implement; the
      interpretation of the results is intuitive. This article also demonstrates the
      usefulness of simple Bayesian concepts when it comes to answering practical
      questions.

PMID- 26098965
TI  - Immunomodulatory role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.
AB  - Worldwide, preeclampsia is a significant health risk to both pregnant women and
      their unborn children. Despite scientific advances, the exact pathogenesis of
      preeclampsia is not yet fully understood. Meanwhile, the incidence of
      preeclampsia is expected to increase. A series of potential etiologies for
      preeclampsia has been identified, including endothelial dysfunction,
      immunological dysregulation and trophoblastic invasion. In this literature
      review, we have critically reviewed existing literature regarding the research
      findings that link the role of vitamin D to the pathogenesis and immunoregulation
      of preeclampsia. The relationship of vitamin D with the suspected etiologies of
      preeclampsia underscores its clinical potential in the diagnosis and treatment of
      preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26098968
TI  - Counter-regulating on the Internet: Threat elicits preferential processing of
      positive information.
AB  - The Internet is a central source of information. It is increasingly used for
      information search in self-relevant domains (e.g., health). Self-relevant topics
      are also associated with specific emotions and motivational states. For example,
      individuals may fear serious illness and feel threatened. Thus far, the impact of
      threat has received little attention in Internet-based research. The current
      studies investigated how threat influences Internet search. Threat is known to
      elicit the preferential processing of positive information. The self-directed
      nature of Internet search should particularly provide opportunities for such
      processing behavior. We predicted that during Internet search, more positive
      information would be processed (i.e., allocated more attention to) and more
      positive knowledge would be acquired under threat than in a control condition.
      Three experiments supported this prediction: Under threat, attention is directed
      more to positive web pages (Study 1) and positive links (Study 2), and more
      positive information is acquired (Studies 1 and 3) than in a control condition.
      Notably, the effect on knowledge acquisition was mediated by the effect on
      attention allocation during an actual Internet search (Study 1). Thus, Internet
      search under threat leads to selective processing of positive information and
      dampens threatened individuals' negative affect.

PMID- 26098971
TI  - Psychological testing and the German labor market, 1925 to 1965.
AB  - From the 1920s to the 1950s, the massive German Labor Administration used loosely
      standardized, pragmatic evaluations of personality to steer young people into
      appropriate jobs. Starting in the late 1950s, the Administration shifted to
      American scientific methods of trait and factor psychological testing. Behind
      this change lay not a change in academic psychology but a power shift in the
      German labor market. Originally, the Labor Administration had to appeal to
      employers, for whom pragmatic evaluations of personality seemed most convincing.
      Thanks to the Economic Miracle in the 1950s, the Administration had to gain the
      trust of young Germans, their parents, and the public, who, it was hoped, would
      be won over by science.

PMID- 26098970
TI  - Translation of the Risk Avoidance Partnership (RAP) for Implementation in
      Outpatient Drug Treatment Clinics.
AB  - Scientific literature increasingly calls for studies to translate evidence-based
      interventions into real-world contexts balancing fidelity to the original design
      and fit to the new setting. The Risk Avoidance Partnership (RAP) is a health
      promotion intervention originally designed to train active drug users to become
      Peer Health Advocates. A theoretically driven approach was used to adapt RAP to
      fit implementation in outpatient methadone treatment clinics and pilot it with
      clinic patients. Ethnographic observations and process tracking documented the
      RAP translation and pilot experience, and clinic and community characteristics
      relevant to program implementation. Clinic administrators, staff, and patients
      were interviewed on their values, capacities, interest in RAP, perceived
      challenges of implementing RAP in drug treatment clinics, and experiences during
      the pilot. Findings indicated that RAP core components can be met when
      implemented in these settings and RAP can fit with the goals, interests, and
      other programs of the clinic. Balancing fidelity and fit requires recognition of
      the mutual impacts RAP and the clinic have on each other, which generate new
      interactions among staff and require ongoing specification of RAP to keep abreast
      of clinic and community changes. Collaboration of multiple stakeholders
      significantly benefited translation and pilot processes. 

PMID- 26098969
TI  - Overlapping neurobehavioral circuits in ADHD, obesity, and binge eating: evidence
      from neuroimaging research.
AB  - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conditions involving
      excessive eating (eg, obesity, binge/loss of control eating) are increasingly
      prevalent within pediatric populations, and correlational and some longitudinal
      studies have suggested inter-relationships between these disorders. In addition,
      a number of common neural correlates are emerging across conditions, eg,
      functional abnormalities within circuits subserving reward processing and
      executive functioning. To explore this potential cross-condition overlap in
      neurobehavioral underpinnings, we selectively review relevant functional
      neuroimaging literature, specifically focusing on studies probing (i) reward
      processing, (ii) response inhibition, and (iii) emotional processing and
      regulation, and we outline 3 specific shared neurobehavioral circuits. Based on
      our review, we also identify gaps within the literature that would benefit from
      further research.

PMID- 26098972
TI  - Estimates of Octanol-Water Partitioning for Thousands of Dissolved Organic
      Species in Oil Sands Process-Affected Water.
AB  - In this study, the octanol-water distribution ratios (DOW, that is, apparent KOW
      at pH 8.4) of 2114 organic species in oil sands process-affected water were
      estimated by partitioning to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coated stir bars and
      analysis by ultrahigh resolution orbitrap mass spectrometry in electrospray
      positive ((+)) and negative ((-)) ionization modes. At equilibrium, the majority
      of species in OSPW showed negligible partitioning to PDMS (i.e., DOW <1), however
      estimated DOW's for some species ranged up to 100,000. Most organic acids
      detected in ESI- had negligible partitioning, although some naphthenic acids (O2(
      ) species) had estimated DOW ranging up to 100. Polar neutral and basic compounds
      detected in ESI+ generally partitioned to PDMS to a greater extent than organic
      acids. Among these species, DOW was greatest among 3 groups: up to 1000 for mono
      oxygenated species (O(+) species), up to 127,000 for NO(+) species, and up to
      203,000 for SO(+) species. A positive relationship was observed between DOW and
      carbon number, and a negative relationship was observed with the number of double
      bonds (or rings). The results highlight that nonacidic compounds in OSPW are
      generally more hydrophobic than naphthenic acids and that some may be highly
      bioaccumulative and contribute to toxicity.

PMID- 26098973
TI  - Probing Majorana bound states via counting statistics of a single electron
      transistor.
AB  - We propose an approach for probing Majorana bound states (MBSs) in a nanowire via
      counting statistics of a nearby charge detector in the form of a single-electron
      transistor (SET). We consider the impacts on the counting statistics by both the
      local coupling between the detector and an adjacent MBS at one end of a nanowire
      and the nonlocal coupling to the MBS at the other end. We show that the Fano
      factor and the skewness of the SET current are minimized for a symmetric SET
      configuration in the absence of the MBSs or when coupled to a fermionic state.
      However, the minimum points of operation are shifted appreciably in the presence
      of the MBSs to asymmetric SET configurations with a higher tunnel rate at the
      drain than at the source. This feature persists even when varying the nonlocal
      coupling and the pairing energy between the two MBSs. We expect that these MBS
      induced shifts can be measured experimentally with available technologies and can
      serve as important signatures of the MBSs. 

PMID- 26098975
TI  - Recent advances in cyclodextrin delivery techniques.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are evolving from low
      molecular-weight drugs to peptide-, protein-, gene-, oligonucleotide- and cell
      based drugs. Therefore, advanced pharmaceutical technologies are required to
      achieve manifestation of the drug efficacy, side effect reduction and the
      adequate dosage form design. AREAS COVERED: In this review, the authors highlight
      the recent advances in drug delivery techniques utilizing cyclodextrins (CyDs),
      and cyclic oligosaccharides consisting of alpha-1,4-linked alpha-D-glucopyranose
      units, for various drugs described above. Especially, drug delivery system
      consisting of combination systems of CyDs and functional materials such as
      dendrimer, liposome and PEG are introduced. Furthermore, the utilities of CyDs as
      APIs have been also described. EXPERT OPINION: To achieve the controlled release
      and/or targeting of low-molecular-weight drugs in systemic administration, the
      construction of novel CyDs and CyD the supramolecular system should be a useful
      approach because of the stable complexation of drugs with CyDs. In addition, the
      combination systems of CyDs and various carriers have the potential as advanced
      drug delivery systems for proteins and nucleic acids. Furthermore, CyDs have
      great potential as APIs for various diseases with few side effects, although the
      detailed mechanism, especially cellular uptake of CyDs, should be clarified.

PMID- 26098974
TI  - DNA methylation mediates the impact of exposure to prenatal maternal stress on
      BMI and central adiposity in children at age 131/2 years: Project Ice Storm.
AB  - Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) in animals and humans predicts obesity and
      metabolic dysfunction in the offspring. Epigenetic modification of gene function
      is considered one possible mechanism by which PNMS results in poor outcomes in
      offspring. Our goal was to determine the role of maternal objective exposure and
      subjective distress on child BMI and central adiposity at 131/2 years of age, and
      to test the hypothesis that DNA methylation mediates the effect of PNMS on
      growth. Mothers were pregnant during the January 1998 Quebec ice storm. We
      assessed their objective exposure and subjective distress in June 1998. At age
      131/2 their children were weighed and measured (n = 66); a subsample provided
      blood samples for epigenetic studies (n = 31). Objective and subjective PNMS
      correlated with central adiposity (waist-to-height ratio); only objective PNMS
      predicted body mass index (BMI). Bootstrapping analyses showed that the
      methylation level of genes from established Type-1 and -2 diabetes mellitus
      pathways showed significant mediation of the effect of objective PNMS on both
      central adiposity and BMI. However, the negative mediating effects indicate that,
      although greater objective PNMS predicts greater BMI and adiposity, this effect
      is dampened by the effects of objective PNMS on DNA methylation, suggesting a
      protective role of the selected genes from Type-1 and -2 diabetes mellitus
      pathways. We provide data supporting that DNA methylation is a potential
      mechanism involved in the long-term adaptation and programming of the genome in
      response to early adverse environmental factors. 

PMID- 26098976
TI  - Nursing execs key to PFCC.

PMID- 26098978
TI  - A collaborative model for the CNL and CNS.

PMID- 26098979
TI  - Extending evidence through shared governance.

PMID- 26098980
TI  - Advanced degrees: Meeting the needs of nurses and patients.

PMID- 26098982
TI  - How the other half lives.

PMID- 26098983
TI  - Patient-centered care: Impacting quality with the acuity adaptable model.

PMID- 26098984
TI  - Regulatory update: CoPs for nursing services.

PMID- 26098985
TI  - A clinical nurse's perspective on Magnet(r) recognition: Is your staff prepared?

PMID- 26098986
TI  - More than a cliche: Choosing your battles wisely.

PMID- 26098987
TI  - Leadership Q&A. Brushing up on patient safety systems.

PMID- 26098988
TI  - Chiral N,N'-dioxide-FeCl3 complex-catalyzed asymmetric intramolecular Cannizzaro
      reaction.
AB  - An environmentally benign catalyst, the N,N'-dioxide-FeCl3 complex, has been
      developed for the asymmetric intramolecular Cannizzaro reaction. Aryl and alkyl
      glyoxal monohydrates were applied to obtain alpha-hydroxy acid esters with
      excellent results. Deuterium-label and control experiments shed light on the
      reaction mechanism. 

PMID- 26098989
TI  - Humidity Dependence of Tribochemical Wear of Monocrystalline Silicon.
AB  - The nanowear tests of monocrystalline silicon against a SiO2 microsphere were
      performed using an atomic force microscope in air as a function of relative
      humidity (RH=0%-90%) and in liquid water at a contact pressure of about 1.20 GPa.
      The experimental results indicated that RH played an important role in the
      nanowear of the Si/SiO2 interface. In dry air, a hillock-like wear scar with a
      height of ~0.4 nm was formed on the silicon surface. However, with the increase
      of RH, the wear depth on the silicon surface first increased to a maximum value
      of ~14 nm at 50% RH and then decreased below the detection limit at RH above 85%
      or in water. The transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that the
      serious wear on the silicon surface at low and medium RHs occurred without
      subsurface damage, indicating that the wear was due to tribochemical reactions
      between the Si substrate and the SiO2 counter surface, rather than mechanical
      damages. The RH dependence of the tribochemical wear could be explained with a
      model involving the formation of "Si-O-Si" chemical bonds (bridges) between two
      solid surfaces. The suppression of tribochemical wear at high RHs or in liquid
      water might be attributed to the fact that the thickness of the interfacial water
      layer is thick enough to prevent the solid surfaces from making chemical bridges.
      The results may help us understand the nanowear mechanism of silicon that is an
      important material for dynamic microelectromechanical systems.

PMID- 26098990
TI  - Bamboo leaf derived ultrafine Si nanoparticles and Si/C nanocomposites for high
      performance Li-ion battery anodes.
AB  - Silicon-based nanomaterials are promising anode materials in lithium-ion
      batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical capacity of 4200 mA h g(-1), more
      than 10 times that of commercial graphite. Si nanoparticles (NPs) with a diameter
      of or below 10 nm generally exhibit enhanced lithium storage properties due to
      their small size and large surface area. However, it is challenging to generate
      such ultrafine Si NPs by a facile and scalable method. This paper reports a
      scalable method to fabricate ultrafine Si NPs 5-8 nm in size from dead bamboo
      leaves (BLs) by thermally decomposing the organic matter, followed by
      magnesiothermic reduction in the presence of NaCl as a heat scavenger. The
      ultrafine Si NPs show a high capacity of 1800 mA h g(-1) at a 0.2 C (1 C = 4200
      mA g(-1)) rate and are thus promising anode materials in lithium-ion batteries.
      To achieve better rate capability, the BLs-derived ultrafine Si NPs are coated
      with a thin amorphous carbon layer (Si@C) and then dispersed and embedded in a
      reduced graphene oxide (RGO) network to produce Si@C/RGO nanocomposites by a
      layer-by-layer assembly method. The double protection rendered by the carbon
      shell and RGO network synergistically yield structural stability, high electrical
      conductivity and a stable solid electrolyte interface during Li
      insertion/extraction. The Si@C/RGO nanocomposites show excellent battery
      properties with a high capacity of 1400 mA h g(-1) at a high current density of 2
      C and remarkable rate performance with a capacity retention of 60% when the
      current density is increased 20 times from 0.2 to 4 C. This work provides a
      simple, low cost, and scalable approach enabling the use of BL waste as a
      sustainable source for the production of ultrafine Si NPs towards high
      performance LIBs. 

PMID- 26098991
TI  - Comparative Mutagenesis Studies of Retinal Release in Light-Activated Zebrafish
      Rhodopsin Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy.
AB  - Rhodopsin is the visual pigment responsible for initiating scotopic (dim-light)
      vision in vetebrates. Once activated by light, release of all-trans-retinal from
      rhodopsin involves hydrolysis of the Schiff base linkage, followed by
      dissociation of retinal from the protein moiety. This kinetic process has been
      well studied in model systems such as bovine rhodopsin, but not in rhodopsins
      from cold-blooded animals, where physiological temperatures can vary
      considerably. Here, we characterize the rate of retinal release from light
      activated rhodopsin in an ectotherm, zebrafish (Danio rerio), demonstrating in a
      fluorescence assay that this process occurs more than twice as fast as bovine
      rhodopsin at similar temperatures in 0.1% dodecyl maltoside. Using site-directed
      mutagenesis, we found that differences in retinal release rates can be attributed
      to a series of variable residues lining the retinal channel in three key
      structural motifs: an opening in metarhodopsin II between transmembrane helix 5
      (TM5) and TM6, in TM3 near E122, and in the "retinal plug" formed by
      extracellular loop 2 (EL2). The majority of these sites are more proximal to the
      beta-ionone ring of retinal than the Schiff base, indicating their influence on
      retinal release is more likely due to steric effects during retinal dissociation,
      rather than alterations to Schiff base stability. An Arrhenius plot of zebrafish
      rhodopsin was consistent with this model, inferring that the activation energy
      for Schiff base hydrolysis is similar to that of bovine rhodopsin. Functional
      variation at key sites identified in this study is consistent with the idea that
      retinal release might be an adaptive property of rhodopsin in vertebrates. Our
      study is one of the few investigating a nonmammalian rhodopsin, which will help
      establish a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms contributing to
      vision in cold-blooded vertebrates. 

PMID- 26098992
TI  - Utility of a very high IRT/No mutation referral category in cystic fibrosis
      newborn screening.
AB  - Newborn screening for Cystic Fibrosis (CF) began in New York in October, 2002
      using immunoreactive trypsinogen (IRT)/DNA methodology. Infants with at least one
      CFTR mutation or very high IRT and no mutations (VHIRT) are referred for sweat
      testing. In a preliminary analysis, we noted a very low positive predictive value
      (PPV) and preponderance of Hispanic infants in the group of infants with CF
      referred for VHIRT, which led to a decision to revise, but not eliminate, the
      VHIRT category. Automatic referral for specimens with VHIRT collected on the day
      of birth was eliminated, and the VHIRT threshold was raised from 0.2% to 0.1%. In
      this report, we describe outcomes from VHIRT referrals among 2.4 million infants
      screened between March 2003 and February 2013. Following the algorithm change,
      referrals decreased by 37.8% overall (annual mean 1,485 vs. 923), and the VHIRT
      PPV improved (0.6-1.0%). The number of infants diagnosed has remained consistent
      at 1 in 4,400 births. The proportion of Black/Hispanic/Asian/Other infants with
      confirmed CF, CFTR-related metabolic syndrome (CRMS), or possible CF/CRMS was
      21.3% in infants with 1-2 mutations, but 75.8% in the VHIRT group. In conclusion,
      although the PPV among VHIRT referrals remains low, had this category never been
      implemented, 24 infants with confirmed CF, and 9 infants with CRMS or possible
      CF/CRMS, most of whom were Hispanic, would have been missed over the 10 years.
      Information from this study may be helpful in assessing the need for the VHIRT
      category and algorithm changes in other screening programs.

PMID- 26098994
TI  - In Vitro Determination of Respimat(r) Dose Delivery in Children: An Evaluation
      Based on Inhalation Flow Profiles and Mouth-Throat Models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aerosol therapy in young children can be difficult. A realistic model
      based on handling studies and in vitro investigations can complement clinical
      deposition studies and be used to enable dose-to-the-lung (DTL) predictions.
      METHODS: Predictions on dose delivery to the lung were based on (1)
      representative inhalation flow profiles from children enrolled in a Respimat(r)
      handling study, (2) in vitro measurement of the fine-particle DTL using mouth
      throat models derived from nuclear magnetic resonance/computed tomography
      (NMR/CT) scans of children, and (3) a mathematical model to predict the
      tiotropium DTL. Accuracy of the prediction was confirmed using pharmacokinetic
      (PK) data from children with cystic fibrosis enrolled in a phase 3 clinical trial
      of tiotropium Respimat with valved holding chamber (VHC). RESULTS: Representative
      inhalation flow profiles for each age group were obtained from 56 children who
      successfully inhaled a volume >0.15 L from the Respimat with VHC. Average
      dimensions of the mouth-throat region for 38 children aged 1-<2 years, 2-<3
      years, 3-<4 years, and 4-<5 years were determined from NMR/CT scans. The DTL from
      the Respimat plus VHC were determined by in vitro measurement and were 5.1+/
      1.1%, 15.6%+/-1.4%, 17.9%+/-1.5%, and 37.1%+/-1.8% of the delivered dose for
      child models 0-<2 years, 2-<3 years, 3-<4 years, and 4-<5 years, respectively.
      This provides a possible explanation for the age dependence of clinical PK data
      obtained from the phase 3 tiotropium trial. Calculated in vitro DTL per body mass
      (MUg/kg [+/-SD]) were 0.031+/-0.014, 0.066+/-0.031, 0.058+/-0.024, and 0.059+/
      0.029, respectively, compared to 0.046 in adults. Therefore, efficacy of the
      treatment was not negatively impacted in spite of the seemingly low percentages
      of the DTL. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the combination of real-life inhalation
      profiles with respective mouth-throat models and in vitro determination of
      delivered DTL is a good predictor of the drug delivery to children via the
      Respimat with VHC. The data provided can be used to support data from appropriate
      clinical trials.

PMID- 26098993
TI  - Response to treatment following recently acquired hepatitis C virus infection in
      a multicentre collaborative cohort.
AB  - Pegylated interferon therapy is highly effective in recently acquired HCV. The
      optimal timing of treatment, regimen and influence of host factors remains
      unclear. We aimed to measure sustained virological response (SVR) during recent
      HCV infection and identify predictors of response. Data were from five
      prospective cohorts of high-risk individuals in Australia, Canada, Germany and
      the United States. Individuals with acute or early chronic HCV who commenced
      pegylated interferon therapy were included. The main outcome was SVR, and
      predictors were assessed using logistic regression. Among 516 with documented
      recent HCV infection, 237 were treated (pegylated interferon n = 161; pegylated
      interferon/ribavirin n = 76) (30% female, median age 35 years, 56% ever injected
      drugs, median duration of infection 6.2 months). Sixteen per cent (n = 38) were
      HIV/HCV co-infected. SVR among those with HCV mono-infection was 64% by intention
      to treat; SVR was 68% among HCV/HIV co-infection. Independent predictors of SVR
      in HCV mono-infection were duration of HCV infection (the odds of SVR declined by
      8% per month of infection, aOR 0.92, 95% CI 0.85-0.99, P = 0.033), IFNL4 genotype
      (adjusted OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.13-4.56, P = 0.021), baseline HCV RNA <400 000 IU/mL
      (aOR 2.06, 95% CI 1.03-4.12, P = 0.041) and age >=40 years (vs <30: aOR 2.92, 95%
      CI 1.31-6.49, P = 0.009), with no difference by drug regimen, HCV genotype,
      symptomatic infection or gender. The effect of infection duration on odds of SVR
      was greater among genotype-1 infection. Interferon-based HCV treatment is highly
      effective in recent HCV infection. Duration of infection, IFNL4 genotype and
      baseline HCV RNA levels can predict virological response and may inform clinical
      decision-making. 

PMID- 26098995
TI  - Novel Broad Spectrum Inhibitors Targeting the Flavivirus Methyltransferase.
AB  - The flavivirus methyltransferase (MTase) is an essential enzyme that sequentially
      methylates the N7 and 2'-O positions of the viral RNA cap, using S-adenosyl-L
      methionine (SAM) as a methyl donor. We report here that small molecule compounds,
      which putatively bind to the SAM-binding site of flavivirus MTase and inhibit its
      function, were identified by using virtual screening. In vitro methylation
      experiments demonstrated significant MTase inhibition by 13 of these compounds,
      with the most potent compound displaying sub-micromolar inhibitory activity. The
      most active compounds showed broad spectrum activity against the MTase proteins
      of multiple flaviviruses. Two of these compounds also exhibited low cytotoxicity
      and effectively inhibited viral replication in cell-based assays, providing
      further structural insight into flavivirus MTase inhibition. 

PMID- 26098996
TI  - Efficient cross-section preparation method for high-resolution imaging of hard
      polymer composites with a scanning electron microscope.
AB  - Characterization of distribution and arrangement of filler particles in polymer
      composites is of primary importance to understand and maximize their mechanical,
      electrical and thermal properties. An innovative procedure that allows reliable
      and straightforward preparation of cross-sections of polymer composites with the
      use of mechanical polishing, ion beam etching and soft gaseous etching is
      presented in this paper. Because of the inherent difference between the organic
      amorphous matrix and the inorganic crystalline nature of composite fillers, the
      removal of matrix layers at the surface of the cross-section at the expense of
      the inorganic materials allowed characterizing the composite filler particles
      structure and distribution over the surface. Since beam broadening did not occur
      before the beam hit the nanoparticles, high-resolution imaging in the scanning
      electron microscope was possible and true dimensions and orientation of the
      particles were observed. This provided more flexibility in selecting the primary
      beam voltage; especially, the use of low beam energy greatly improved the image
      contrast and reduced charging effects resulting from the primary electron beam
      bombardment. It was shown that only polymers with a carbonated main chain could
      be etched selectively by the gaseous etching process. 

PMID- 26098998
TI  - Inhibitory effects of wild bitter melon leaf extract on Propionibacterium acnes
      induced skin inflammation in mice and cytokine production in vitro.
AB  - Propionibacterium acnes is a key pathogen involved in acne inflammation. Wild
      bitter melon (WBM, Momordica charantia L. var. abbreviate Seringe) is consumed as
      both a vegetable and as folk medicine in Taiwan. We examined the inhibitory
      activity of the total phenolic extract (TPE) of WBM leaf on P. acnes-induced
      inflammatory responses in vivo and in vitro. Our data showed that TPE
      significantly attenuated P. acnes-induced ear swelling in mice along with
      microabscess. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that TPE treatment significantly
      decreased the migration of neutrophils and interleukin (IL)-1beta(+) populations
      in vivo. In P. acnes-stimulated human monocytic THP-1 cells, TPE suppressed the
      mRNA levels and production of IL-8, IL-1beta, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
      alphain vitro. In addition, TPE suppressed P. acnes-induced matrix
      metalloproteinase-9 levels. TPE blocked nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB)
      activation and inactivated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK); these
      actions may partially account for its inhibitory effect on cytokine production.
      The quantitative HPLC analysis revealed gallic, chlorogenic, caffeic, ferulic,
      and cinnamic acids, myricetin, quercetin, luteolin, apigenin, and thymol in TPE.
      All these phenolics significantly suppressed P. acnes-induced IL-8 production in
      vitro. Our results suggest that WBM leaf extract effectively inhibits P. acnes
      induced inflammatory responses and may be useful to relieve the inflammation of
      acne. 

PMID- 26098997
TI  - The receptor NLRP3 is a transcriptional regulator of TH2 differentiation.
AB  - The receptor NLRP3 is involved in the formation of the NLRP3 inflammasome that
      activates caspase-1 and mediates the release of interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) and
      IL-18. Whether NLRP3 can shape immunological function independently of
      inflammasomes is unclear. We found that NLRP3 expression in CD4(+) T cells
      specifically supported a T helper type 2 (TH2) transcriptional program in a cell
      intrinsic manner. NLRP3, but not the inflammasome adaptor ASC or caspase-1,
      positively regulated a TH2 program. In TH2 cells, NLRP3 bound the Il4 promoter
      and transactivated it in conjunction with the transcription factor IRF4. Nlrp3
      deficient TH2 cells supported melanoma tumor growth in an IL-4-dependent manner
      and also promoted asthma-like symptoms. Our results demonstrate the ability of
      NLRP3 to act as a key transcription factor in TH2 differentiation. 

PMID- 26098999
TI  - Prepubertal exposure to bisphenol-A induces ERalpha upregulation and hyperplasia
      in adult gerbil female prostate.
AB  - Prostate physiology is highly dependent on oestrogenic and androgenic
      homeostasis. Interferences in this equilibrium, especially in early periods of
      life, may disrupt the prostate and increase the susceptibility to the development
      of diseases with ageing. Taking this into account, and considering the increase
      of environmental chemicals with endocrine-disrupting potential such as bisphenol
      A (BPA), this study aimed to evaluate the prostates of adult female gerbils
      exposed to BPA and BPA plus testosterone from pubertal to adult periods.
      Morphological, stereological and chemical analyses revealed that long-term BPA
      exposure, even in environmental dosages, increases the proliferative status of
      the prostate, increases the number of ERalpha-positive stromal cells and elicits
      the development of prostatic hyperplasia in adult female gerbils. Moreover, we
      also observed that the association with testosterone did not increase the
      proliferative status of the gland, which shows that low levels of BPA are enough
      to cause an oestrogenic disruption of the prostate in young adults. This evidence
      suggests that this oestrogenic endocrine disruptor may increase the
      susceptibility to prostatic disorders with ageing. 

PMID- 26099000
TI  - Deep gluteal grounding pad burn after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.
AB  - Although skin burns at the site of grounding pad are a known risk of surgery,
      their exact incidence is unknown. We first report the case of a patient who
      presented a deep gluteal burn at the site of the grounding pad after an abdominal
      aortic aneurism repair, the etiology and the challenging treatment required to
      overcome this complication.

PMID- 26099005
TI  - Time-trends in assisted and unassisted suicides completed with different methods:
      Swiss National Cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The number of suicides assisted by right-to-die associations has
      increased in recent years in Switzerland. The aim of our study was to compare
      time trends in rates of assisted and unassisted suicide from 1991-2008. METHODS:
      The Swiss National Cohort is a longitudinal study of mortality in the Swiss
      population; based on linkage of census data with mortality records up to 2008.
      The Federal Statistical Office coded suspected assisted suicides from 1998
      onwards; and from 2003 onwards right-to-die associations reported the suicides
      they assisted. We used Poisson regression to analyse trends in rates of suicide
      per 100'000 person-years, by gender and age groups (15-34, 35-64, 65-94 years).
      RESULTS: A total of 7'940'297 individuals and 24'842 suicides were included. In
      women, rates changed little in the younger age groups but increased in 65-94-year
      olds, due to an increase in suicide by poisoning (from 5.1 to 17.2 per 100'000; p
      <0.001). An increase in suicides by poisoning was also observed in older men
      (from 8.6 to 18.2; p<0.001). Most suicides by poisoning were assisted. In men,
      suicide rates declined in all age groups, driven by declines in suicide with
      firearms. CONCLUSIONS: Research is needed to gain a better understanding of the
      reasons for the tripling of assisted suicide rates in older women, and the
      doubling of rates in older men, of attitudes and vulnerabilities of those
      choosing assisted suicide, and of access to palliative care. Rates of assisted
      suicide should be monitored; including data on patient characteristics and
      underlying comorbidities.

PMID- 26099006
TI  - Correction: Spatiotemporal Patterns and Predictability of Cyberattacks.

PMID- 26099007
TI  - Efficiency and hospital effectiveness in improving Hospital Consumer Assessment
      of Healthcare Providers and Systems ratings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Efficiency has emerged as a central goal to the operations of health
      care organizations. There are two competing perspectives on the relationship
      between efficiency and organizational performance. Some argue that organizational
      slack is a waste and that efficiency contributes to organizational performance,
      whereas others maintain that slack acts as a buffer, allowing organizations to
      adapt to environmental demands and contributing to organizational performance.
      PURPOSES: As value-based purchasing becomes more prevalent, health care
      organizations are incented to become more efficient and, at the same time,
      improve their patients' experiences and outcomes. Unused slack resources might
      facilitate the timely implementation of these improvements. Building on previous
      research on organizational slack and inertia, we test whether efficiency and
      other organizational factors predict organizational effectiveness in improving
      Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS)
      ratings. METHODOLOGY: We rely on data from the American Hospital Association and
      HCAHPS. We estimate hospital cost-efficiency by Stochastic Frontier Analysis and
      use regression analysis to determine whether efficiency, competition, hospital
      size, and other organizational factors are significant predictors of hospital
      effectiveness. FINDINGS: Our findings indicate that efficiency and hospital size
      have a significant negative association with organizational ability to improve
      HCAHPS ratings. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Although achieving organizational
      efficiency is necessary for health care organizations, given the changes that are
      currently occurring in the U.S. health care system, it is important for health
      care managers to maintain a certain level of slack to respond to environmental
      demands and have the resources needed to improve their performance.

PMID- 26099009
TI  - Diagnosis of "Poorly Formed Glands" Gleason Pattern 4 Prostatic Adenocarcinoma on
      Needle Biopsy: An Interobserver Reproducibility Study Among Urologic Pathologists
      With Recommendations.
AB  - Accurate recognition of Gleason pattern (GP) 4 prostate carcinoma (PCa) on needle
      biopsy is critical for patient management and prognostication. "Poorly formed
      glands" are the most common GP4 subpattern. We studied the diagnostic
      reproducibility and the quantitative threshold of grading GP4 "poorly formed
      glands" and the criteria to distinguish them from tangentially sectioned GP3
      glands. Seventeen urologic pathologists were first queried for the definition of
      "poorly formed glands" using cases representing a spectrum of PCa glandular
      differentiation. Cancer glands with no or rare lumens, elongated compressed
      glands, and elongated nests were considered "poorly formed glands" by consensus.
      Participants then graded a second set of 23 PCa cases that potentially contained
      "poorly formed glands" with a fair interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.34). The
      consensus diagnoses, defined as agreement by > 70% participants, were then
      correlated with the quantitative (<= 5, 6 to 10, >10) and topographic features of
      poorly formed glands (clustered, immediately adjacent to, and intermixed with
      other well-formed PCa glands) in each case. Poorly formed glands immediately
      adjacent to other well-formed glands regardless of their number and small foci of
      <= 5 poorly formed glands regardless of their location were not graded as GP4. In
      contrast, large foci of >10 poorly formed glands that were not immediately
      adjacent to well-formed glands were graded as GP4. Grading "poorly formed glands"
      is challenging. Some morphologic features are, however, reproducible for and
      against a GP4 diagnosis. This study represents an important step in
      standardization of grading of "poorly formed glands" based on quantitative and
      topographic morphologic features.

PMID- 26099008
TI  - Morphologic and Molecular Characteristics of Mixed Epithelial Ovarian Cancers.
AB  - Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) consists of 5 major histotypes: high-grade serous
      carcinoma (HGSC), endometrioid carcinoma (EC), clear cell carcinoma (CCC),
      mucinous carcinoma (MC), and low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC). Each can have a
      broad spectrum of morphologic appearances, and 1 histotype can closely mimic
      histopathologic features more typical of another. Historically, there has been a
      relatively high frequency of mixed, defined by 2 or more distinct histotypes
      present on the basis of routine histopathologic assessment, histotype carcinoma
      diagnoses (3% to 11%); however, recent immunohistochemical (IHC) studies
      identifying histotype-specific markers and allowing more refined histotype
      diagnoses suggest a much lower incidence. We reviewed hematoxylin and eosin
      stained slides from 871 cases of EOC and found the frequency of mixed carcinomas
      to be 1.7% when modern diagnostic criteria are applied. Through international
      collaboration, we established a cohort totaling 22 mixed EOCs, consisting of 9
      EC/CCC, 4 EC/LGSC, 3 HGSC/CCC, 2 CCC/MC, and 4 other combinations. We
      interrogated the molecular differences between the different components of each
      case using IHC, gene expression, and hotspot sequencing analyses. IHC data alone
      suggested that 9 of the 22 cases were not mixed tumors, as they presented a
      uniform immuno-phenotype throughout, and these cases most probably represent
      morphologic mimicry and variation within tumors of a single histotype. Synthesis
      of molecular data further reduces the incidence of mixed carcinomas. On the basis
      of these results, true mixed carcinomas with both morphologic and molecular
      support for the presence of >1 histotype within a given tumor represent <1% of
      EOCs. 

PMID- 26099010
TI  - Nuclear Brachyury Expression Is Consistent in Chordoma, Common in Germ Cell
      Tumors and Small Cell Carcinomas, and Rare in Other Carcinomas and Sarcomas: An
      Immunohistochemical Study of 5229 Cases.
AB  - Brachyury is a transcription factor of the T-box family typically expressed in
      notochord and chordoma. Some studies report brachyury as highly specific for
      chordoma, whereas others have concluded that brachyury is expressed in many types
      of common carcinomas by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and
      immunohistochemistry and could be involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition and metastatic process. In this study, we immunohistochemically
      evaluated 5229 different tumors for nuclear brachyury expression using a new
      rabbit monoclonal antibody and automated immunostaining (Leica Bond Max). Only
      nuclear labeling was scored, and antibody dilution of 1:2000 was used. In normal
      tissues, only rare cells in seminiferous tubules were labeled; all other organs
      were negative. All chordomas (75/76), except a sarcomatous one, were positive,
      whereas chondrosarcomas were negative. Among epithelial tumors, positivity was
      often detected in embryonal carcinoma (74%) and seminoma (45%). Pulmonary small
      cell carcinoma was often positive (41%), whereas pulmonary and pancreatic
      adenocarcinomas only rarely showed nuclear brachyury positivity (3% to 4%).
      Common carcinomas such as ductal carcinomas of the breast or adenocarcinomas of
      the prostate only exceptionally showed nuclear positivity (<1%). No colorectal,
      hepatocellular, renal cell, squamous cell, thyroid or urothelial carcinoma, or
      mesothelioma showed nuclear brachyury positivity. Among mesenchymal and
      neuroectodermal tumors, only isolated cases of melanoma, malignant peripheral
      nerve sheath tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, and follicular lymphoma
      showed nuclear expression. However, as shown previously with lung carcinoma,
      experiments with lower antibody dilutions (1:200 to 1:500) showed weak
      cytoplasmic and nuclear labeling in breast cancers. In addition to chordoma, we
      show here for the first time that nuclear brachyury expression is prevalent in
      embryonal carcinoma, seminoma, and small cell carcinoma of the lung but very rare
      in common carcinomas, sarcomas, and melanoma. With these reservations, we have
      demonstrated the presence of nuclear brachyury immunoreactivity to be a sensitive
      and fairly specific marker for chordoma. 

PMID- 26099011
TI  - Heterogenous MSH6 loss is a result of microsatellite instability within MSH6 and
      occurs in sporadic and hereditary colorectal and endometrial carcinomas.
AB  - Mismatch-repair (MMR) immunohistochemistry is used to detect tumor MMR deficiency
      associated with high-level microsatellite instability (MSI). Rare tumors show
      heterogenous loss of mutS homolog 6 (MSH6) with immunohistochemistry, defined by
      areas of retained staining and separate areas of complete loss of staining. To
      investigate the clinical interpretation of this phenomenon, we identified 22
      cases of heterogenous MSH6 loss interpreted at Mayo Clinic from January 2001
      through December 2012 and reviewed histologic features, MSH6 and other MMR
      immunohistochemistry, and accompanying MSI testing results (n=20). Heterogenous
      MSH6 loss was seen in colorectal carcinoma (n=18), endometrial carcinoma (n=3),
      and sebaceous neoplasm (n=1). In the 18 colorectal carcinoma cases, it
      accompanied complete loss of mutL homolog 1 (MLH1) or PMS2, or both. Heterogenous
      MSH6 loss was characterized by MSI and MSH6 C8 tract instability in treatment
      naive cases and showed mucinous or signet-ring zones in one quarter of cases. Two
      cases status post neoadjuvant chemoradiation showed heterogenous MSH6 loss but
      were microsatellite and C8 tract stable. C8 tracts were unstable in 2 of 4 MSH6
      associated Lynch syndrome (LS) tumors, but all 4 showed complete MSH6 loss on
      immunohistochemistry. Further, 12 such MSH6-associated LS cases showed complete
      MSH6 loss. In conclusion, heterogenous MSH6 loss is uncommon, usually caused by
      instability in MSH6 exon 5 polycytosine tract, and not associated with germline
      MSH6 mutation. Although heterogenous MSH6 loss provides evidence against germline
      MSH6 mutation, patients whose tumors exhibit this immunolabeling pattern may have
      LS due to a defect in a different MMR gene.

PMID- 26099012
TI  - Myocardial Sleeve Tissues in Surgical Lung Specimens.
AB  - Left atrial myocardial extensions over the pulmonary veins (PVs), known as
      myocardial sleeves, are present in the physiological anatomy of most individuals.
      Although this structure has recently received clinical attention as a major
      origin of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), it has not been documented in
      surgical specimens. Here, we examine incidentally identified myocardial sleeve
      tissue in routinely processed lung resection specimens to determine its incidence
      and diagnostic implications. Among 694 lung resection specimens with evaluable PV
      margins, myocardial sleeve tissue was identified in 26 cases (3.7%). The tissue
      was located within the adventitia of the PVs, mostly in margin preparations, and
      existed outside the pericardium in the majority of cases. Carcinoma infiltration
      of the sleeves was evident in 6 cases. No heart injuries were observed, and no
      tumors invaded the heart. Preoperative electrocardiography showed sinus rhythm in
      all cases, whereas postoperative monitoring revealed sinus rhythm in all patients
      except one who showed AF and flutter. Myocardial sleeve tissue is an
      underrecognized incidental finding in lung resection specimens, and it is not
      indicative of heart injury. Cancer infiltration into this tissue indicates
      neither heart invasion nor, by itself, invasion into the pericardium. Although
      surgical transection of the myocardial sleeve did not evoke immediate arrhythmia
      in most cases, the overall influence of this procedure on the postsurgical risk
      of AF remains to be determined in further studies involving extensive rhythm
      assessment. 

PMID- 26099013
TI  - Beware of R(2): Simple, Unambiguous Assessment of the Prediction Accuracy of QSAR
      and QSPR Models.
AB  - The statistical metrics used to characterize the external predictivity of a
      model, i.e., how well it predicts the properties of an independent test set, have
      proliferated over the past decade. This paper clarifies some apparent confusion
      over the use of the coefficient of determination, R(2), as a measure of model fit
      and predictive power in QSAR and QSPR modeling. R(2) (or r(2)) has been used in
      various contexts in the literature in conjunction with training and test data for
      both ordinary linear regression and regression through the origin as well as with
      linear and nonlinear regression models. We analyze the widely adopted model fit
      criteria suggested by Golbraikh and Tropsha ( J. Mol. Graphics Modell. 2002 , 20
      , 269 - 276 ) in a strict statistical manner. Shortcomings in these criteria are
      identified, and a clearer and simpler alternative method to characterize model
      predictivity is provided. The intent is not to repeat the well-documented
      arguments for model validation using test data but rather to guide the
      application of R(2) as a model fit statistic. Examples are used to illustrate
      both correct and incorrect uses of R(2). Reporting the root-mean-square error or
      equivalent measures of dispersion, which are typically of more practical
      importance than R(2), is also encouraged, and important challenges in addressing
      the needs of different categories of users such as computational chemists,
      experimental scientists, and regulatory decision support specialists are
      outlined. 

PMID- 26099014
TI  - Aflatoxin B1 and aflatoxins in ground red chilli pepper after drying.
AB  - In this study, 180 red chilli pepper (RCP) berry samples were obtained from two
      different croplands of Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras (Turkey) in August, September
      and October. RCP berry samples were dried under sunlight and grinded. Ground red
      chilli pepper (GRCP) samples were analysed for aflatoxins (AFs, sum of B1, B2, G1
      and G2) and AFB1 contamination. According to the results, in 49 of 180 samples,
      AFB1 and in 37 samples, AFs were higher than legal limits. The lowest amounts of
      AFs and AFB1 were obtained in August and the highest amounts in October. chi(2)
      analysis showed that there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between
      cities among 3 months according to number of samples with AFs and AFB1 above
      legal limits. According to the Duncan multiple-range test, there was no
      significant difference between all months. Strict measures are necessary to
      produce high-quality GRCP. RCP berry must be treated to reduce moulds before
      production of GRCP.

PMID- 26099015
TI  - Inadequate Diet Is Associated with Acquiring Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection
      in an Inuit Community. A Case-Control Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis predominantly affects socioeconomically disadvantaged
      communities. The extent to which specific dietary and lifestyle factors
      contribute to tuberculosis susceptibility has not been established. METHODS: A
      total of 200 residents of a village in Northern Quebec were investigated during a
      tuberculosis outbreak and identified to have active tuberculosis, latent
      tuberculosis infection, or neither. Participants completed questionnaires about
      their intake of food from traditional and commercial sources, and provided blood
      samples. Adults were asked about recent smoking and drug and alcohol intake.
      Nutritional adequacy was evaluated with reference to North American standards.
      Multiple dietary, lifestyle, and housing factors were combined in a logistic
      regression model evaluating the contributions of each to disease and infection.
      FINDINGS: After adjusting for potential confounding, new infection was associated
      with inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables (odds ratio [OR], 2.1; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 1.03-4.3), carbohydrates (OR, 4.4; 95% CI, 1.2-16.3),
      and certain vitamins and minerals. A multivariable model, combining nutrition,
      housing, and lifestyle factors, found associations between new infection and
      inadequate fruit and vegetable intake (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.0-5.1), living in the
      same house as a person with smear-positive tuberculosis (OR, 14.7; 95% CI, 1.6
      137.3), and visiting a community gathering house (OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.7-8.3).
      Current smoking was associated with new infection (OR, 9.4; 95% CI, 1.2-72) among
      adults completing a detailed lifestyle survey. INTERPRETATION: Inadequate
      nutrition was associated with increased susceptibility to infection, but not
      active tuberculosis. Interventions addressed at improving nutrition may reduce
      susceptibility to infection in settings where access to healthy foods is limited.

PMID- 26099016
TI  - Nanostructural Reorganization Manifests in Sui-Generis Density Trend of
      Imidazolium Acetate/Water Binary Mixtures.
AB  - Ionic liquids (ILs) are emerging as a novel class of solvents in chemical and
      biochemical research. Their range of applications further expands when a small
      quantity of water is added. Thus, the past decade has seen extensive research on
      IL/water binary mixtures. While the thermophysical properties of most of these
      mixtures exhibited the expected trend, few others have shown deviations from the
      general course. One such example is the increase in density of the 1-alkyl-3
      methyl imidazolium acetate ([Rn mim][Ac])-based ILs with the addition of low to
      moderate concentrations of water. Although such a unique trend was observed for
      imidazolium cations of different tail lengths and also from independent
      experiments, the molecular basis of this unique behavior remains unknown. In this
      study, we examine the nanostructural reordering in [Rn mim][Ac] (n = 2-6) ILs due
      to added water by means of molecular dynamics simulations, and correlate the
      observed changes to the sui-generis density trend. Results suggest that the
      initial rise in density in these ILs mainly pertains to the water-induced
      increased spatial correlation among the polar components, where high basicity of
      the acetate anion plays a key role. At moderate water concentration, the density
      can rise further for ILs with longer cation tails due to hydrophobic clustering.
      Thus, while [emim][Ac]/water mixtures exhibit the density turnover at Xw = 0.5,
      [bmim][Ac] and [hmim][Ac] show the turnover at Xw = 0.7. The detailed
      understanding provided here could help the preparation of optimal IL/water binary
      mixtures for various biochemical applications.

PMID- 26099017
TI  - Gender Nonconformity, Homophobic Peer Victimization, and Mental Health: How Same
      Sex Attraction and Biological Sex Matter.
AB  - We assessed whether homophobic name-calling accounts for the relationship between
      gender nonconformity and mental health (social anxiety and psychological
      distress) in a sample of 1,026 Dutch adolescents (boys: n = 517) ages 11 to 16
      (Mage = 13.4). We also explored whether this hypothesized mediation differs by
      sexual attraction and biological sex. Data were collected by means of paper-and
      pencil questionnaires at five secondary schools located in urban areas in the
      Netherlands. Mediation analysis indicated that gender nonconformity was related
      to both social anxiety and psychological distress partially via homophobic name
      calling. Moderated mediation analysis further showed that the mediating role of
      homophobic name-calling varied according to levels of same-sex attraction (SSA)
      and biological sex. The mediation effects increased in magnitude when levels of
      SSA increased and were significant only for adolescents with mean and high levels
      of SSA. The mediation effects were significant for boys and girls in general,
      although the mediation effects were stronger for boys than for girls. Our
      findings emphasize the importance of research and school-level interventions to
      focus on factors that promote acceptance of cross-gender behavior among
      adolescents.

PMID- 26099019
TI  - Stabilized Skyrmion Phase Detected in MnSi Nanowires by Dynamic Cantilever
      Magnetometry.
AB  - Using dynamic cantilever magnetometry we measure an enhanced skyrmion lattice
      phase extending from around 29 K down to at least 0.4 K in single MnSi nanowires
      (NWs). Although recent experiments on two-dimensional thin films show that
      reduced dimensionality stabilizes the skyrmion phase, our results are surprising
      given that the NW dimensions are much larger than the skyrmion lattice constant.
      Furthermore, the stability of the phase depends on the orientation of the NWs
      with respect to the applied magnetic field, suggesting that an effective magnetic
      anisotropy, likely due to the large surface-to-volume ratio of these
      nanostructures, is responsible for the stabilization. The compatibility of our
      technique with nanometer-scale samples paves the way for future studies on the
      effect of confinement and surfaces on magnetic skyrmions. 

PMID- 26099020
TI  - P2Et Phosphazene: A Mild, Functional Group Tolerant Base for Soluble, Room
      Temperature Pd-Catalyzed C-N, C-O, and C-C Cross-Coupling Reactions.
AB  - The non-nucleophilic organic superbase P2Et phosphazene can enable a broad range
      of palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, including C-C, C-N, and C-O
      couplings of aryl chlorides, bromides, and iodides at room temperature. The
      mildness and substrate compatibility of this chemistry can deliver immediate
      synthetic utility for the preparation of complex molecules. 

PMID- 26099018
TI  - The TET2 interactors and their links to hematological malignancies.
AB  - Ten-eleven translocation (TET) family proteins are dioxygenases that oxidize 5
      methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, 5-formylcytosine, and 5
      carboxylcytosine in DNA, early steps of active DNA demethylation. TET2, the
      second member of TET protein family, is frequently mutated in patients with
      hematological malignancies, leading to aberrant DNA methylation profiling and
      decreased 5hmC levels. Located in the nucleus and acting as a DNA-modifying
      enzyme, TET2 is thought to exert its function via TET2-containing protein
      complexes. Identifying the interactome network of TET2 likely holds the key to
      uncover the mechanisms by which TET2 exerts its function in cells. Here, we
      review recent literature on TET2 interactors and discuss their possible roles in
      TET2 loss-mediated dysregulation of hematopoiesis and pathogenesis of
      hematological malignancies.

PMID- 26099021
TI  - Response to the letter to the editor.

PMID- 26099022
TI  - Leukemic Polyradiculopathy Due to Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm.

PMID- 26099023
TI  - Conditional PDK1 Ablation Promotes Epidermal and T-Cell-Mediated Dysfunctions
      Leading to Inflammatory Skin Disease.
AB  - Phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK1) is a key signaling molecule downstream
      of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway and is a master regulator of
      multiple kinases in cells of epithelial and hematopoietic lineages. The
      physiological role of PDK1 in regulating skin and immune homeostasis is not
      known. Here we developed a mouse model in which PDK1 is conditionally ablated in
      activated CD4 T cells, regulatory T cells, and mature keratinocytes through OX40
      Cre recombinase expression. The resultant mice (PDK1-CKO) spontaneously developed
      severe dermatitis, skin fibrosis, and systemic T helper type 2 immunity,
      succumbing by 11 weeks of age. Through a series of T-cell transfers, bone marrow
      reconstitutions, and crossing to lymphocyte-deficient backgrounds, we demonstrate
      that ablation of PDK1 in keratinocytes is the major driver of disease
      pathogenesis. PDK1-deficient keratinocytes exhibit intrinsic defects in the
      expression of key structural proteins including cytokeratin-10 and loricrin,
      resulting in increased keratinocyte turnover, which in turn triggers
      inflammation, T-cell recruitment, and immune-mediated destruction. Our results
      reveal PDK1 as a central regulator of keratinocyte homeostasis that prevents skin
      immune infiltration and inflammation. 

PMID- 26099024
TI  - CCN1, a Pro-Inflammatory Factor, Aggravates Psoriasis Skin Lesions by Promoting
      Keratinocyte Activation.
AB  - Psoriasis is a common chronic skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperplasia
      and inflammation. The pathogenesis of psoriasis is multifactorial and is not
      fully understood. Here we demonstrate that CCN1 (also called Cyr61, which is
      short for cysteine-rich 61), an extracellular matrix protein that is also
      considered a pro-inflammatory factor, is highly expressed in the lesional skin of
      psoriasis patients, as well as in that of imiquimod (IMQ)- and IL-23-treated
      psoriasis-like mice. Then we show that blocking CCN1 function in vivo attenuates
      epidermal hyperplasia and inflammation in psoriasis-like mice. Further, in
      primary cultured normal human keratinocytes and HaCaT (human keratinocyte cell
      line) cells, CCN1 promotes keratinocyte activation, including the proliferation
      and expression of immune-related molecules. Finally, we observe that integrin
      alpha6beta1 is the receptor of CCN1 in keratinocytes, and CCN1 stimulation
      activates the downstream phosphoinositide-3 kinase/Akt/NF-kappaB signaling
      pathway. Taken together, our findings reveal that CCN1 has a critical role in
      psoriasis pathogenesis. Moreover, as CCN1 is a secreted extracellular matrix
      (ECM) protein, our study also provides evidence that ECM, which is involved in
      psoriatic pathogenesis, could be a potent target for psoriasis treatment. 

PMID- 26099025
TI  - Aspartame Attenuates 2, 4-Dinitrofluorobenzene-Induced Atopic Dermatitis-Like
      Clinical Symptoms in NC/Nga Mice.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common multifactorial chronic skin disease that has a
      multiple and complex pathogenesis. AD is gradually increasing in prevalence
      globally. In NC/Nga mice, repetitive applications of 2, 4-dinitrofluorobenzene
      (DNFB) evoke AD-like clinical symptoms similar to human AD. Aspartame (N-L-alpha
      aspartyl-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester) is a methyl ester of a dipeptide, which
      is used as an artificial non-nutritive sweetener. Aspartame has analgesic and
      anti-inflammatory functions that are similar to the function of nonsteroidal anti
      inflammatory drugs such as aspirin. We investigated whether aspartame can relieve
      AD-like clinical symptoms induced by DNFB treatment in NC/Nga mice. Sucrose did
      not relieve AD-like symptoms, whereas aspartame at doses of 0.5 MUg kg(-1) and
      0.5 mg kg(-1) inhibited ear swelling and relieved AD-like clinical symptoms.
      Aspartame inhibited infiltration of inflammatory cells including eosinophils,
      mast cells, and CD4(+) T cells, and suppressed the expression of cytokines
      including IL-4 and IFN-gamma, and total serum IgE levels. Aspartame may have
      therapeutic value in the treatment of AD. 

PMID- 26099026
TI  - Dact1 Regulates the Ability of 3T3-J2 Cells to Support Proliferation of Human
      Epidermal Keratinocytes.

PMID- 26099027
TI  - IL-10 signaling in dendritic cells attenuates anti-Leishmania major immunity
      without affecting protective memory responses.

PMID- 26099029
TI  - Campaigns Against Ionizing Radiation and Changed Practice Patterns for Imaging
      Use in Pediatric Appendicitis.

PMID- 26099030
TI  - Effects of long-term chloroquine administration on the natural history of aortic
      aneurysms in mice.
AB  - Autophagy regulates cellular homeostasis and integrates the cellular pro-survival
      machinery. We investigated the role of autophagy in the natural history of murine
      abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). ApoE(-/-) mice were implanted with saline- or
      angiotensin II (Ang-II)-filled miniosmotic pumps then treated with either the
      autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (CQ; 50 mg.(kg body mass)(-1).day(-1), by
      intraperitoneal injection) or saline. Ang-II-elicited aneurysmal expansion of the
      suprarenal aorta coupled with thrombus formation were apparent 8 weeks later. CQ
      had no impact on the incidence (50% for Ang-II compared with 46.2% for Ang-II +
      CQ; P = NS) and categorical distribution of aneurysms. The markedly reduced
      survival rate observed with Ang-II (57.1% for Ang-II compared with 100% for
      saline; P < 0.05) was unaffected by CQ (61.5% for Ang-II + CQ; P = NS compared
      with Ang-II). CQ did not affect the mean maximum suprarenal aortic diameter (1.91
      +/- 0.19 mm for Ang-II compared with 1.97 +/- 0.21 mm for Ang-II + CQ; P = NS).
      Elastin fragmentation, collagen accumulation, and smooth muscle attrition, which
      were higher in Ang-II-treated mice, were unaffected by CQ treatment. Long-term CQ
      administration does not affect the natural history and prognosis of experimental
      AAA, suggesting that global loss of autophagy is unlikely to be a causal factor
      in the development of aortic aneurysms. Manipulation of autophagy as a mechanism
      to reduce AAA may need re-evaluation.

PMID- 26099028
TI  - Transient Alterations of Cutaneous Sensory Nerve Function by Noninvasive
      Cryolipolysis.
AB  - Cryolipolysis is a noninvasive, skin cooling treatment for local fat reduction
      that causes prolonged hypoesthesia over the treated area. We tested the
      hypothesis that cryolipolysis can attenuate nociception of a range of sensory
      stimuli, including stimuli that evoke itch. The effects of cryolipolysis on
      sensory phenomena were evaluated by quantitative sensory testing (QST) in 11
      healthy subjects over a period of 56 days. Mechanical and thermal pain thresholds
      were measured on treated and contralateral untreated (control) flanks. Itch
      duration was evaluated following histamine iontophoresis. Unmyelinated epidermal
      nerve fiber and myelinated dermal nerve fiber densities were quantified in skin
      biopsies from six subjects. Cryolipolysis produced a marked decrease in
      mechanical and thermal pain sensitivity. Hyposensitivity started between two to
      seven days after cryolipolysis and persisted for at least thirty-five days post
      treatment. Skin biopsies revealed that cryolipolysis decreased epidermal nerve
      fiber density, as well as dermal myelinated nerve fiber density, which persisted
      throughout the study. In conclusion, cryolipolysis causes significant and
      prolonged decreases in cutaneous sensitivity. Our data suggest that controlled
      skin cooling to specifically target cutaneous nerve fibers has the potential to
      be useful for prolonged relief of cutaneous pain and might have a use as a
      research tool to isolate and study cutaneous itch-sensing nerves in human skin. 

PMID- 26099031
TI  - Collapse of Particle-Laden Interfaces under Compression: Buckling vs Particle
      Expulsion.
AB  - Colloidal particles can bind to fluid interfaces with a capillary energy that is
      thousands of times the thermal energy. This phenomenon offers an effective route
      to emulsion and foam stabilization where the stability is influenced by the phase
      behavior of the particle-laden interface under deformation. Despite the vast
      interest in particle-laden interfaces, the key factors that determine the
      collapse of such an interface under compression have remained relatively
      unexplored. In this study, we illustrate the significance of the particle surface
      wettability and presence of electrolyte in the subphase on interparticle
      interactions at the interface and the resulting collapse mode. Various collapse
      mechanisms including buckling, particle expulsion, and multilayer formation are
      reported and interpreted in terms of particle-particle and particle-interface
      interactions. 

PMID- 26099032
TI  - Quantitative Brightness Analysis of Fluorescence Intensity Fluctuations in E.
      Coli.
AB  - The brightness measured by fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy specifies the
      average stoichiometry of a labeled protein in a sample. Here we extended
      brightness analysis, which has been mainly applied in eukaryotic cells, to
      prokaryotic cells with E. coli serving as a model system. The small size of the
      E. coli cell introduces unique challenges for applying brightness analysis that
      are addressed in this work. Photobleaching leads to a depletion of fluorophores
      and a reduction of the brightness of protein complexes. In addition, the E. coli
      cell and the point spread function of the instrument only partially overlap,
      which influences intensity fluctuations. To address these challenges we developed
      MSQ analysis, which is based on the mean Q-value of segmented photon count data,
      and combined it with the analysis of axial scans through the E. coli cell. The
      MSQ method recovers brightness, concentration, and diffusion time of soluble
      proteins in E. coli. We applied MSQ to measure the brightness of EGFP in E. coli
      and compared it to solution measurements. We further used MSQ analysis to
      determine the oligomeric state of nuclear transport factor 2 labeled with EGFP
      expressed in E. coli cells. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of
      quantifying the stoichiometry of proteins by brightness analysis in a prokaryotic
      cell. 

PMID- 26099033
TI  - K4Fe3F12: An Fe(2+)/Fe(3+) Charge-Ordered, Ferrimagnetic Fluoride with a Cation
      Deficient, Layered Perovskite Structure.
AB  - A new mixed-valence iron (Fe(2+)/Fe(3+)) fluoride material with a layered
      perovskite-related structure has been synthesized and characterized. The
      material, K4Fe3F12 [K4(Fe(2+))(Fe(3+))2F12], was synthesized using mild
      hydrothermal conditions. The material exhibits a layered perovskite structure
      consisting of alternating sheets of apex-linked Fe(2+)F6 and Fe(3+)F6 octahedra;
      thus, each layer of Fe(2+)F6 centers is sandwiched between two layers of Fe(3+)F6
      centers. Magnetization and neutron powder diffraction data show that, upon
      cooling below 120 K, K4Fe3F12 adopts a magnetically ordered state in which the
      Fe(3+) and Fe(2+) spins are aligned in an approximately antiparallel manner to
      each other to yield a pseudoferrimagnetic structure with a net spontaneous moment
      of 5.41 MUB per formula unit at 10 K. Crystal data: K4Fe3F12, trigonal space
      group R3m (No. 166), a = b = 5.7649(9) A, c = 28.086(9) A, V = 808.36(3) A(3), Z
      = 3, T = 296(2) K. 

PMID- 26099034
TI  - Development of a bread delivery vehicle for dietary prebiotics to enhance food
      functionality targeted at those with metabolic syndrome.
AB  - Prebiotics are dietary carbohydrates that favourably modulate the gut microbiota.
      The aims of the present study were to develop a functional prebiotic bread using
      Bimuno(r), (galactooligosaccharide (B-GOS) mixture), for modulation of the gut
      microbiota in vitro in individuals at risk of metabolic syndrome. A control
      bread, (no added prebiotic) and positive control bread (containing equivalent
      carbohydrate to B-GOS bread) were also developed. A 3-stage continuous in vitro
      colonic model was used to assess prebiotic functionality of the breads. Bacteria
      were quantified by fluorescence in situ hybridization and short chain fatty acids
      by gas chromatography. Ion-exchange chromatography was used to determine GOS
      concentration after bread production. Following B-GOS bread fermentation numbers
      of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli were significantly higher compared to
      controls. There was no significant degradation of B-GOS during bread manufacture,
      indicating GOS withstood the manufacturing process. Furthermore, based on
      previous research, increased bifidobacteria and butyrate levels could be of
      benefit to those with obesity related conditions. Our findings support
      utilization of prebiotic enriched bread for improving gastrointestinal health.

PMID- 26099035
TI  - Comparison of asymptotic confidence sets for regression in small samples.
AB  - In case of small samples, asymptotic confidence sets may be inaccurate, with
      their actual coverage probability far from a nominal confidence level. In a
      single framework, we consider four popular asymptotic methods of confidence
      estimation. These methods are based on model linearization, F-test, likelihood
      ratio test, and nonparametric bootstrapping procedure. Next, we apply each of
      these methods to derive three types of confidence sets: confidence intervals,
      confidence regions, and pointwise confidence bands. Finally, to estimate the
      actual coverage of these confidence sets, we conduct a simulation study on three
      regression problems. A linear model and nonlinear Hill and Gompertz models are
      tested in conditions of different sample size and experimental noise. The
      simulation study comprises calculation of the actual coverage of confidence sets
      over pseudo-experimental datasets for each model. For confidence intervals, such
      metrics as width and simultaneous coverage are also considered. Our comparison
      shows that the F-test and linearization methods are the most suitable for the
      construction of confidence intervals, the F-test - for confidence regions and the
      linearization - for pointwise confidence bands.

PMID- 26099036
TI  - Genetic drift of human coronavirus OC43 spike gene during adaptive evolution.
AB  - Coronaviruses (CoVs) continuously threaten human health. However, to date, the
      evolutionary mechanisms that govern CoV strain persistence in human populations
      have not been fully understood. In this study, we characterized the evolution of
      the major antigen-spike (S) gene in the most prevalent human coronavirus (HCoV)
      OC43 using phylogenetic and phylodynamic analysis. Among the five known HCoV-OC43
      genotypes (A to E), higher substitution rates and dN/dS values as well as more
      positive selection sites were detected in the S gene of genotype D, corresponding
      to the most dominant HCoV epidemic in recent years. Further analysis showed that
      the majority of substitutions were located in the S1 subunit. Among them, seven
      positive selection sites were chronologically traced in the temporal evolution
      routes of genotype D, and six were located around the critical sugar binding
      region in the N-terminal domain (NTD) of S protein, an important sugar binding
      domain of CoV. These findings suggest that the genetic drift of the S gene may
      play an important role in genotype persistence in human populations, providing
      insights into the mechanisms of HCoV-OC43 adaptive evolution. 

PMID- 26099038
TI  - Pregnancy in Women With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Messages for the Clinician.

PMID- 26099037
TI  - The Relationship Between Early Maladaptive Schemas, Depression, and Generalized
      Anxiety among Adults Seeking Residential Treatment for Substance Use Disorders.
AB  - Previous research has shown that early maladaptive schemas (EMS) play an
      important role in substance use, depression, and anxiety. However, few studies
      have examined the role of EMS within the context of all three concurrently. The
      goal of this study was to determine the role of EMS in predicting symptoms of
      Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) among
      adults in residential treatment for substance dependence. We used pre-existing
      patient records of adults diagnosed with a substance use disorder from a
      residential substance use treatment facility (N=122). The EMS domains of
      disconnection and rejection and impaired limits were associated with symptoms of
      MDD and the domain of impaired autonomy and performance was associated with
      symptoms of GAD, even after controlling for age, gender, years of education,
      alcohol use, drug use, and symptoms of MDD (when predicting GAD) and GAD (when
      predicting MDD). Findings suggest that EMS may play an important role in comorbid
      mental health problems among men and women in residential substance use
      treatment. Continued treatment outcome research is needed to examine whether
      modification of EMS results in improved mental health and substance use outcomes.

PMID- 26099039
TI  - Left ventricular thrombus formation after acute myocardial infarction: vigilance
      still required in the modern era.

PMID- 26099040
TI  - The role of sports and exercise in allergic disease: drawbacks and benefits.
AB  - Although training and exercise have several benefits, overdoing it might not
      necessarily be a good thing. For instance, elite athletes have an increased risk
      for asthma and allergy. Several mechanisms can be implicated for this risk, which
      include the interplay between environmental training factors and athlete's
      personal risk factors, such as genetic susceptibility, neurogenic-mediated
      inflammation, and epithelial sensitivity. However, an overwhelming amount of
      scientific evidence shows the positive effects of sports as part of a healthy
      lifestyle. Training reduces breathlessness and asthma symptoms and attenuates Th2
      mediated inflammatory responses. Taken together, the benefits far outweigh the
      potential hazards of training. An easily administered therapeutic healthy
      lifestyle intervention, which could be used alongside current treatment, must be
      developed. 

PMID- 26099041
TI  - High surface area and Z' in a thermally stable 8-fold polycatenated hydrogen
      bonded framework.
AB  - 1,3,5-Tris(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene assembles into an intricate 8-fold
      polycatenated assembly of (6,3) hexagonal nets formed through hydrogen bonds and
      pi-stacking. One polymorph features 56 independent molecules in the asymmetric
      unit, the largest Z' reported to date. The framework is permanently porous, with
      a BET surface area of 1095 m(2) g(-1) and readily adsorbs N2, H2 and CO2. 

PMID- 26099042
TI  - A V2O3-ordered mesoporous carbon composite with novel peroxidase-like activity
      towards the glucose colorimetric assay.
AB  - It is of great scientific and practical significance to explore inorganic mimetic
      enzymes to replace natural enzymes due to their instability and high cost. Herein
      we present an interesting discovery that a V2O3-ordered mesoporous carbon
      composite (V2O3-OMC) has a novel peroxidase-like activity towards fast redox
      reaction of typical peroxidase substrates H2O2 and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzo
      thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS). Due to the small size effect
      and large surface area of V2O3 nanoparticles supported by OMC, V2O3-OMC exhibited
      excellent catalytic performance with a k(cat) of 1.28 * 10(4) s(-1), K(M) (ABTS)
      of 0.067 mM and K(M) (H2O2) of 0.16 mM, and a significantly higher catalytic
      efficiency (k(cat)/K(M)) towards the oxidation of ABTS in comparison with the
      natural peroxidases. Furthermore, the Ping-pong BiBi mechanism was proposed to
      explain the catalytic reaction by V2O3-OMC. Based on this highly active
      biomimetic peroxidase and the colorimetric detection of H2O2, a facile analytical
      method was developed to detect glucose by using V2O3-OMC and glucose oxidase,
      which had a wide linear range (0.01-4 mM glucose), good selectivity and
      reliability for successful detection of various real samples. Thus, the novel
      V2O3-OMC peroxidase mimetic holds great promise for broad potential applications.

PMID- 26099043
TI  - Fenofibrate and diabetic retinopathy.

PMID- 26099044
TI  - Comment on Larmer et al. "Perceptions of the Living Dead".

PMID- 26099045
TI  - Subclonal diversification of primary breast cancer revealed by multiregion
      sequencing.
AB  - The sequencing of cancer genomes may enable tailoring of therapeutics to the
      underlying biological abnormalities driving a particular patient's tumor.
      However, sequencing-based strategies rely heavily on representative sampling of
      tumors. To understand the subclonal structure of primary breast cancer, we
      applied whole-genome and targeted sequencing to multiple samples from each of 50
      patients' tumors (303 samples in total). The extent of subclonal diversification
      varied among cases and followed spatial patterns. No strict temporal order was
      evident, with point mutations and rearrangements affecting the most common breast
      cancer genes, including PIK3CA, TP53, PTEN, BRCA2 and MYC, occurring early in
      some tumors and late in others. In 13 out of 50 cancers, potentially targetable
      mutations were subclonal. Landmarks of disease progression, such as resistance to
      chemotherapy and the acquisition of invasive or metastatic potential, arose
      within detectable subclones of antecedent lesions. These findings highlight the
      importance of including analyses of subclonal structure and tumor evolution in
      clinical trials of primary breast cancer. 

PMID- 26099046
TI  - Interleukin 18 function in atherosclerosis is mediated by the interleukin 18
      receptor and the Na-Cl co-transporter.
AB  - Interleukin-18 (IL18) participates in atherogenesis through several putative
      mechanisms. Interruption of IL18 action reduces atherosclerosis in mice. Here, we
      show that absence of the IL18 receptor (IL18r) does not affect atherosclerosis in
      apolipoprotein E-deficient (Apoe(-/-)) mice, nor does it affect IL18 cell surface
      binding to or signaling in endothelial cells. As identified initially by co
      immunoprecipitation with IL18, we found that IL18 interacts with the Na-Cl co
      transporter (NCC; also known as SLC12A3), a 12-transmembrane-domain ion
      transporter protein preferentially expressed in the kidney. NCC is expressed in
      atherosclerotic lesions, where it colocalizes with IL18r. In Apoe(-/-) mice,
      combined deficiency of IL18r and NCC, but not single deficiency of either
      protein, protects mice from atherosclerosis. Peritoneal macrophages from Apoe(-/
      ) mice or from Apoe(-/-) mice lacking IL18r or NCC show IL18 binding and
      induction of cell signaling and cytokine and chemokine expression, but
      macrophages from Apoe(-/-) mice with combined deficiency of IL18r and NCC have a
      blunted response. An interaction between NCC and IL18r on macrophages was
      detected by co-immunoprecipitation. IL18 binds to the cell surface of NCC
      transfected COS-7 cells, which do not express IL18r, and induces cell signaling
      and cytokine expression. This study identifies NCC as an IL18-binding protein
      that collaborates with IL18r in cell signaling, inflammatory molecule expression,
      and experimental atherogenesis. 

PMID- 26099047
TI  - Inhibition of amyloid-beta plaque formation by alpha-synuclein.
AB  - Amyloid-beta (Abeta) plaques and alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn)-rich Lewy bodies are
      the major neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's
      disease, respectively. An overlap of pathologies is found in most individuals
      with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and in more than 50% of AD cases. Their
      brains display substantial alpha-syn accumulation not only in Lewy bodies, but
      also in dystrophic neurites decorating Abeta plaques. Several studies report
      binding and coaggregation of Abeta and alpha-syn, yet the precise role of alpha
      syn in amyloid plaque formation remains elusive. Here we performed intracerebral
      injections of alpha-syn-containing preparations into amyloid precursor protein
      (APP) transgenic mice (expressing APP695(KM670/671NL) and PSEN1(L166P) under the
      control of the neuron-specific Thy-1 promoter; referred to here as 'APPPS1').
      Unexpectedly, alpha-syn failed to cross-seed Abeta plaques in vivo, but rather it
      inhibited plaque formation in APPPS1 mice coexpressing SNCA(A30P) (referred to
      here as 'APPPS1 * [A30P]aSYN' double-transgenic mice). This was accompanied by
      increased Abeta levels in cerebrospinal fluid despite unchanged overall Abeta
      levels. Notably, the seeding activity of Abeta-containing brain homogenates was
      considerably reduced by alpha-syn, and Abeta deposition was suppressed in grafted
      tissue from [A30P]aSYN transgenic mice. Thus, we conclude that an interaction
      between Abeta and alpha-syn leads to inhibition of Abeta deposition and to
      reduced plaque formation. 

PMID- 26099048
TI  - Potential Clinical and Economic Impact of Switching Branded Medications to
      Generics.
AB  - Switching branded to generic medications has become a common cost-containment
      measure. Although this is an important objective for health care systems
      worldwide, the impact of this practice on patient outcomes needs to be carefully
      considered. We reviewed the literature summarizing the potential clinical and
      economic consequences of switching from branded to generic medications on patient
      outcomes. A literature search of peer-reviewed articles published 2003-2013 using
      key words of "generic switching" or "substitution" was conducted using PubMed,
      OvidSP, and ScienceDirect. Of 30 articles identified and reviewed, most were
      related to the diseases of the central nervous system, especially epilepsy. Based
      on our review, potential impacts of switching fell into 3 broad categories:
      patient attitudes and adherence, clinical and safety outcomes, and cost and
      resource utilization. Although in many cases generics may represent an
      appropriate alternative to branded products, this may not always be the case.
      Specifically, several studies suggested that switching may negatively impact
      medication adherence, whereas other studies found that generic switching was
      associated with poorer clinical outcomes and more adverse events. In some
      instances, switching accomplished cost savings but did so at increased total cost
      of care because of increased physician visits or hospitalizations. Although in
      many cases generics may represent an appropriate alternative, mandatory generic
      switching may lead to unintended consequences, especially in certain therapeutic
      areas. Although further study is warranted, based on our review, it may be
      medically justifiable for physicians and patients to retain the right to request
      the branded product in certain cases.

PMID- 26099049
TI  - British-Pakistani women's perspectives of diabetes self-management: the role of
      identity.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore the effects of type 2 diabetes on British
      Pakistani women's identity and its relationship with self-management. BACKGROUND:
      Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent and has worse outcomes among some ethnic
      minority groups. This may be due to poorer self-management and an inadequate
      match of health services to patient needs. The influence that type 2 diabetes has
      on British-Pakistani women's identity and subsequent self-management has received
      limited attention. DESIGN: An explorative qualitative study. METHODS: Face-to
      face semi-structured English and Urdu language interviews were conducted with a
      purposively selected heterogeneous sample of 15 British-Pakistani women with type
      2 diabetes. Transcripts were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Four themes emerged:
      Perceived change in self emphasised how British-Pakistani women underwent a
      conscious adaptation of identity following diagnosis; Familiarity with ill health
      reflected women's adjustment to their changed identity over time; Diagnosis
      improves social support enabled women to accept changes within themselves and
      Supporting family is a barrier to self-management demonstrated how family roles
      were an aspect of women's identities that was resilient to change. The over
      arching theme Role re-alignment enables successful self-management encapsulated
      how self-management was a continuous process where achievements needed to be
      sustained. Inter-generational differences were also noted: first generation women
      talked about challenges associated with ageing and co-morbidities; second
      generation women talked about familial and work roles competing with self
      management. CONCLUSIONS: The complex nature of British-Pakistani women's self
      identification requires consideration when planning and delivering healthcare.
      RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Culturally competent practice should recognise
      how generational status influences self-identity and diabetes self-management in
      ethnically diverse women. Health professionals should remain mindful of effective
      self-management occurring alongside, and being influenced by, other aspects of
      life.

PMID- 26099050
TI  - Photoinduced Oxidation of Secondary Alcohols Using 4-Benzoylpyridine as an
      Oxidant.
AB  - Photoinduced oxidation of secondary alcohols to ketones was achieved by utilizing
      an equimolar amount of 4-benzoylpyridine as an oxidant. This transformation
      proceeds at ambient temperature and exhibits high compatibility with polar
      functionalities including benzoyl, silyl, and methoxymethyl alcohol protecting
      groups as well as tosyloxy, bromo, sulfonyl, carbamate, ester, and carboxylic
      acid units. The present oxidation is solely promoted by the action of organic
      molecules without the aid of metallic reagents. 

PMID- 26099051
TI  - Mild tracheal compression by aberrant innominate artery and chronic dry cough in
      children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In children with aberrant innominate artery (AIA) one of the most
      prevalent respiratory symptom is dry cough. How frequently this mediastinal
      vessels anomaly, that can induce tracheal compression (TC) of different degree,
      may be detected in children with chronic dry cough is not known. METHODS: In a 3
      year retrospective study, the occurrence of mediastinal vessels abnormalities and
      the presence and degree of TC was evaluated in children with recurrent/chronic
      dry cough. RESULTS: Vascular anomalies were detected in 68 out of the 209
      children evaluated. A significant TC was detected in 54 children with AIA, in
      eight with right aortic arch, in four with double aortic arch but not in two with
      aberrant right subclavian artery. In AIA patients, TC evaluated on computed
      tomography scans, was mild in 47, moderate in six and severe in one. During
      bronchoscopy TC increased in expiration or during cough, but this finding was
      more pronounced in children with right aortic arch and double aortic arch in
      which a concomitant tracheomalacia was more evident. Comorbidities were detected
      in 21 AIA patients, including atopy, reversible bronchial obstruction and
      gastroesophageal reflux. Aortopexy was performed in eight AIA patients, while the
      remaining AIA patients were managed medically and showed progressive improvement
      with time. CONCLUSION: Mild TC induced by AIA can be detected in a sizeable
      proportion of children with recurrent/chronic dry cough. The identification of
      this anomaly, that may at least partially explain the origin of their symptom,
      may avoid further unnecessary diagnostic examinations and ineffective chronic
      treatments.

PMID- 26099052
TI  - Febrile reaction associated with the infusion of haploidentical peripheral blood
      stem cells: incidence, clinical features, and risk factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We reported febrile reaction after the infusion of haploidentical
      peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs). The aim of this study was to better
      characterize this new clinical entity named by infusion-related febrile reaction
      (IRFR). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 490 patients
      received allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) between October 2009 and
      December 2011 at our institution. RESULTS: The distribution of transplant type
      was 173 patients in HLA-identical siblings, 30 in unrelated, and 287 in
      haploidentical. IRFR was defined as unexplained fever of more than 38 degrees C
      within 24 hours after the infusion of allogeneic PBSCs. We did not observe any
      IRFRs in patients undergoing HLA-identical sibling and unrelated transfusions.
      After excluding patients with a known source of infection, we classified
      haploidentical patients into IRFR and non-IRFR groups. Eighty-eight patients
      (30.7%) of 287 cases after the infusion of haploidentical PBSCs were diagnosed as
      IRFRs, chills in 3.5% (10/88), diarrhea in 21.6% (19/88), an erythematous skin
      rash in 0.3% (1/88), hypoxemia in 1.0% (3/88), and no other accompanying symptoms
      in 62.5% (55/88). Significantly higher elevation of C-reactive protein and
      complement C3 was seen in the IRFR group compared with the non-IRFR group.
      Multivariate analysis showed higher CD34+ dose was a significant predictor for
      IRFR (p = 0.023; hazard ratio = 1.848; 95% confidence interval, 1.087-3.142).
      CONCLUSION: As a clinical feature belonging to haploidentical SCT, IRFR was
      associated with the higher numbers of CD34+ from PBSCs.

PMID- 26099053
TI  - Biphasic decline of beta-cell function with age in euglycemic nonobese diabetic
      mice parallels diabetes onset.
AB  - A gradual decline in insulin response is known to precede the onset of type 1
      diabetes (T1D). To track age-related changes in the beta-cell function of
      nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, the most commonly used animal model for T1D, and to
      establish differences between those who do and do not become hyperglycemic, we
      performed a long-term longitudinal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) study (10
      42 weeks) in combination with immunofluorescence imaging of islet morphology and
      cell proliferation. We observed a clear biphasic decline in insulin secretion
      (AUC0-30 min ) even in euglycemic animals. A first phase (10-28 weeks) consisted
      of a relatively rapid decline and paralleled diabetes development in the same
      cohort of animals. This was followed by a second phase (29-42 weeks) during which
      insulin secretion declined much slower while no additional animals became
      diabetic. Blood glucose profiles showed a corresponding, but less pronounced
      change: the area under the concentration curve (AUC0-150 min ) increased with
      age, and fit with a bilinear model indicated a rate-change in the trendline
      around 28 weeks. In control NOD scids, no such changes were observed. Islet
      morphology also changed with age as islets become surrounded by mononuclear
      infiltrates, and, in all mice, islets with immune cell infiltration around them
      showed increased beta-cell proliferation. In conclusion, insulin secretion
      declines in a biphasic manner in all NOD mice. This trend, as well as increased
      beta-cell proliferation, is present even in the NODs that never become diabetic,
      whereas, it is absent in control NOD scid mice.

PMID- 26099054
TI  - A Living Systematic Review of Nebulized Hypertonic Saline for Acute Bronchiolitis
      in Infants.

PMID- 26099055
TI  - Assessment of Bulbar Redness with a Newly Developed Keratograph.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the validity and reliability of the clinical assessment of
      bulbar redness (BR) using a newly developed corneal topographer. METHODS: This is
      a cross-sectional diagnostic evaluation study. The BR scores [Oculus Index (OI)]
      from 30 eyes of 26 patients with different degrees of conjunctival hyperemia were
      assessed and scored automatically using a new method: a keratograph equipped with
      scanning and scoring software. The values obtained via this system were
      correlated with three image-based comparative subjective scales: the Institute
      for Eye Research (IER), the Efron, and the Validated Bulbar Redness (VBR) grading
      scales. The IER and Efron scores were interpolated to 0.1 unit, and the VBR
      scores were interpolated to 1 unit. We also evaluated the repeatability of each
      method and the level of agreement between the OI score and the scores achieved
      using the three other image-based methods. RESULTS: There was a significant
      correlation between the OI score and the scores obtained with the IER (r = 0.921,
      p < 0.001), Efron (r = 0.958, p < 0.001), and VBR (r = 0.965, p < 0.001) scales.
      The intraobserver intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.947, 0.874, 0.810,
      and 0.920 for the OI, IER, Efron, and VBR, respectively, and the intraobserver
      coefficients of repeatability were 13.924, 16.111, 17.684, and 16.900,
      respectively. Furthermore, the interobserver intraclass correlation coefficients
      were 0.889, 0.880, 0.884, and 0.881 for the OI, IER, Efron, and VBR,
      respectively, and the interobserver coefficients of repeatability were 15.934,
      16.366, 22.059, and 21.373, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The OI is an objective and
      reliable method for scoring BR. Its reproducibility was the highest of all the
      four modalities. The keratograph is recommended, therefore, as a suitable
      alternative for BR assessment.

PMID- 26099056
TI  - Efficacy of Blue-Light Cross-linking on Human Scleral Reinforcement.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the biomechanical effects of collagen cross-linking by
      riboflavin/blue light (460 nm) on human sclera. METHODS: Forty-two sclera samples
      from donated human eyes were treated with riboflavin at 0.5% on the equatorial
      sclera for 20 minutes and then randomly divided into seven groups and irradiated,
      respectively, with blue light at different intensities (14.6, 19.5, 22.5, 26,
      32.5, and 40.6 mW/cm) for 20 minutes using a light-emitting diode source with an
      exposure area of 10 mm in diameter. The untreated samples constituted the control
      group. During irradiation, continuous riboflavin solution infiltration was
      carried out for 20 minutes. Stress-strain measurements of scleral strips were
      performed with a biomaterial tester. Stress data and Young modulus values in
      different groups were compared by one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: Blue
      light (460 nm) cross-linking was efficient in stiffening human sclera strips.
      Interestingly, eyes treated with 22.5 mW/cm exhibited higher Young modulus values
      (19.12 [+/-4.88] MPa) at 8% strain compared with other groups, representing a
      307.68% increase over control eye values (4.69 [+/-1.26] MPa). Stress and Young
      modulus increased gradually with irradiation intensity from 19.5 to 22.5 mW/cm
      before decreasing for higher intensities. CONCLUSIONS: The biomechanical strength
      of human sclera may be enhanced by collagen cross-linking with riboflavin/460 nm
      blue-light irradiation; the dose of 22.5 mW/cm might be used for blue-light (460
      nm) scleral cross-linking to achieve a higher efficacy.

PMID- 26099057
TI  - Sarcoidosis Presenting with Cicatrizing Conjunctivitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report two patients with sarcoidosis initially presenting with
      cicatrizing conjunctivitis. CASE REPORTS: Both patients with chronic
      conjunctivitis were referred for further management. The first patient had
      conjunctival granulomas, subepithelial fibrosis, and forniceal foreshortening.
      The second patient had extensive upper and lower conjunctival scarring with
      forniceal foreshortening and symblepharon formation of both eyes. Conjunctival
      biopsy specimens revealed noncaseating granulomas. Immunofluorescein studies were
      negative for immunoreactant deposition in the basement membrane. Because of
      further diagnostic evaluations, sarcoidosis was determined to be the final cause
      of the cicatrizing conjunctivitis. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcoidosis should be included in
      the differential diagnosis of cicatrizing conjunctivitis. Recognition of the
      characteristic noncaseating granulomas in the conjunctival biopsy and initiation
      of the appropriate evaluations are essential in establishing the diagnosis and
      determining the extent of systemic involvement.

PMID- 26099058
TI  - Repeatability of Associated Phoria Tests.
AB  - PURPOSE: H.J. Haase developed a set of tests for measuring associated phoria and
      stereopsis using a variety of different targets for each. This testing method is
      known as the MKH-Haase method and it is used commonly in Germany. The aim of this
      study was to investigate the test-retest repeatability of the distance and near
      associated phoria tests for the MKH-Haase charts and other clinical tests.
      METHODS: Horizontal and vertical associated phorias were measured at distance and
      near for 34 symptomatic and 40 asymptomatic participants with different tests.
      The tests are Cross, Pointer, Double Pointer, and Rectangle tests of MKH-Haase
      charts at distance and near. The other common tests include the Mallett Test and
      the American Optical (AO) Slide at distance. At near, there are the Mallett Test,
      the AO Card, the Saladin Card, the Wesson Card, and the Sheedy Disparometer.
      RESULTS: The 95% limits of agreement for all of the distance horizontal values
      for the symptomatic group were within +/-1.25, except for the AO Slide limits,
      which were larger by 0.43. The limits of agreement for the asymptomatic group
      were within +/-0.875. At near, the 95% limits of agreement for most of the
      horizontal associated phoria tests were +/-2.00. The exception was the
      symptomatic group's Sheedy Disparometer limits, which were -4.25 to 5.75. Except
      for the Disparometer values for the asymptomatic group, the mean between-session
      differences were not statistically significant different from zero based on the
      95% confidence interval. The asymptomatic group's mean Disparometer value was
      less eso at the second session. The 95% limits of agreement for all of the
      vertical values at distance and near for both groups were very narrow (i.e.,
      within +/-0.375). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the tests showed good repeatability for
      both subject groups at distance and near, except for the Sheedy Disparometer. The
      reason for the lower repeatability could be the design of the Disparometer.

PMID- 26099059
TI  - Novel Mutation in BEST1 Associated with Atypical Best Vitelliform Dystrophy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Best vitelliform macular dystrophy is a hereditary retinal disease
      characterized by accumulation of lipofuscin in the central macula of both eyes.
      Lesions typically emerge in the first to second decade and frequently lead to
      significant visual acuity reduction. The diagnosis is made by the presence of
      characteristic fundus appearance, identification of a family history,
      electrooculography abnormalities, and genetic testing for mutations of the BEST1
      gene. The following report illustrates a case of an atypical Best vitelliform
      dystrophy associated with a novel variant in the BEST1 gene. CASE REPORT: A 52
      year-old man with a history of Best disease diagnosed at age 16 presented for a
      routine examination. Retinal examinations and fundus photographs over 13 years
      demonstrated bilateral paramacular lesions transitioning from vitelliform to
      atrophic in appearance. Electrooculography testing revealed a reduced Arden ratio
      of 1.371 OD and 1.291 OS. Optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence,
      fluorescein angiography, and electroretinography were also performed. Sequence
      analysis of the BEST1 gene revealed a novel missense mutation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Genetic sequence analysis of BEST1 is important in the diagnosis of Best
      vitelliform dystrophy, particularly in unusual cases, and helps to further our
      knowledge and understanding of this disease.

PMID- 26099060
TI  - Intrasubject Difference in CCT among POAG versus Normal Individuals.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate intrasubject asymmetry in central corneal thickness (CCT)
      among patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) as compared with that of
      normal subjects and to determine whether the eye with thinner cornea has more
      severe glaucomatous visual field damage. METHODS: In this case-control study, CCT
      of both eyes was measured using an ultrasonic pachymeter (UP-1000; Nidek
      Technologies, Gamagori, Japan) among POAG patients and normal subjects. The
      intrasubject difference in CCT was calculated and compared between the study
      groups; correlations between CCT and intraocular pressure (IOP), vertical cup-to
      disc ratio (VCDR), and visual field defects were also evaluated. RESULTS: A total
      of 62 patients with bilateral POAG and 56 normal subjects were included. There
      was no significant difference between the study groups in terms of age, sex, and
      ocular parameters except for visual acuity, IOP, and VCDR. The POAG patients
      demonstrated significantly greater intrasubject asymmetry in CCT (8 +/- 7 MUm vs.
      5 +/- 3 MUm; p = 0.041) and a higher prevalence of significant (>10 MUm)
      intrasubject CCT difference (30.6 vs. 5.4%; p < 0.001) as compared with normal
      subjects. Although each higher level of glaucomatous damage was associated with 4
      MUm thinner CCT, the correlation was not statistically significant (95%
      confidence interval, -8 to 1 MUm; p = 0.117; GEE analysis). No significant
      correlation was observed between CCT and IOP or VCDR (p = 0.302 and 0.137,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with POAG demonstrate a larger amount of
      intrasubject difference in CCT as compared with normal subjects.

PMID- 26099061
TI  - Pigmented Lesions of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium.
AB  - : The primary eye care practitioner assumes an important role in clinical
      decisions involving the differentiation between malignant and nonmalignant
      pigmented lesions. A misdiagnosis may have profound consequences on patient
      management and visual or life prognosis. However, information on these lesions,
      particularly their appearance using advanced imaging, is fragmented throughout
      the literature. The purpose of this review is to describe these features in
      detail, so that the implications of this information on clinical practice are
      more readily apparent. Clinically relevant descriptions of pigmented lesions of
      the retinal pigment epithelium using traditional and advanced imaging modalities
      in the literature were collated and integrated with findings from patients seen
      at the Centre for Eye Health. The information was then organized and tabulated.
      Finally, a flow diagram was created to be used as a clinical reference in the
      differential diagnosis of pigmented lesions of the retinal pigment epithelium. 

PMID- 26099062
TI  - Hemorrhagic Retinopathy after Spondylosis Surgery and Seizure.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report bilateral hemorrhagic retinopathy in an adult female subject
      after lumbar spinal surgery and seizure. CASE REPORT: A 38-year-old woman
      presented with bilateral blurry vision and spots in the visual field. The patient
      had lumbar spondylosis surgery that was complicated by a dural tear with
      persistent cerebrospinal fluid leak. Visual symptoms started immediately after
      witnessed seizure-like activity. At presentation, visual acuity was 20/100 and
      20/25 in the right and left eye, respectively. Dilated fundus examination
      demonstrated bilateral hemorrhagic retinopathy with subhyaloid, intraretinal, and
      subretinal involvement. At 4-month follow-up, visual acuity improved to 20/60 and
      20/20 in the right and left eye, respectively. Dilated fundus examination and
      fundus photography showed resolution of retinal hemorrhages in both eyes.
      CONCLUSIONS: The first case of bilateral hemorrhagic retinopathy after lumbar
      spondylosis surgery and witnessed seizure in an adult was reported. Ophthalmic
      examination may be warranted after episodes of seizure in adults.

PMID- 26099063
TI  - Modeling the finger instability in an expanding cell monolayer.
AB  - Collective motion occurs in many biological processes, such as wound healing,
      tumor invasion and embryogenesis. Experiments of cell monolayer migration have
      revealed the spontaneous formation of finger-like instabilities, with leader
      cells at their tips. We present a particle-based model for collective cell
      migration, based on several elements that have been found experimentally to
      influence cellular movement. Inside the bulk we include velocity alignment
      interactions between neighboring cells. At the border contour of the layer we
      introduce the following additional forces: surface-elasticity restoring force,
      curvature-dependent positive feedback, and contractile acto-myosin cables. We
      find that the curvature-driven instability at the layer edge is necessary and
      sufficient for the formation of cellular fingers, which are in good agreement
      with experimental observations. 

PMID- 26099064
TI  - Bilayer Charge Reversal and Modification of Lipid Organization by Dendrimers as
      Observed by Sum-Frequency Vibrational Spectroscopy.
AB  - Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers are hyperbranched, nanosized polymers with
      promising biomedical applications as nanocarriers in targeted drug delivery and
      gene therapy. For the development of safe dendrimer-based biomedical applications
      it is necessary to gain an understanding of the detailed mechanism of the
      interactions of both cationic and anionic dendrimers with cell membranes. To
      characterize dendrimer-membrane interactions we applied solid-supported lipid
      bilayers as biomembrane models and utilized infrared-visible sum-frequency
      vibrational spectroscopy to independently probe the interactions of cationic G5
      NH2 and anionic G4.5-COONa dendrimers with the two leaflets of the lipid
      bilayers. Interaction with both dendrimers led to changes in the interfacial
      water structure and charge density as evidenced by the changes in the OH band
      intensities in the sum-frequency spectra of the bilayers. Interaction with the G5
      NH2 dendrimer also led to a unique inversion of the sign of the OH-stretch
      amplitudes, in addition to a decrease in their absolute values. We suggest that
      the positively charged amino groups on the G5-NH2 dendrimer surface bind to the
      negatively charged bilayer, while uncompensated positive charges not involved in
      the binding cause a reversal of the electric field and thus an opposite
      orientation of the interfacial water molecules. More subtle but nonetheless
      significant changes were seen in the relative magnitudes of the CH amplitudes.
      The methyl antisymmetric to symmetric stretch amplitude ratios are altered,
      implying changes in the tilt angles of the phospholipid alkyl chains. The
      conformational order of the phospholipid alkyl chains of both leaflets is also
      influenced by the G5-NH2 dendrimer while G4.5-COONa has no effect on the alkyl
      chain conformation. 

PMID- 26099065
TI  - Coping Strategies and Psychological Outcomes of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel
      Disease in the First 6 Months After Diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with reduced physical
      and mental well-being. The first 6 months after diagnosis is an important time in
      a patient's life with IBD. On top of the physical symptoms, psychological
      characteristics, such as coping strategies and personality, may contribute to
      impaired or improved health-related quality of life (HRQOL), anxiety, and
      depression. This study aimed to measure the stability of coping strategies and
      personality over the first 6 months after diagnosis and identify the associations
      of coping strategies and personality traits with the level of HRQOL and degree of
      anxiety and depression. This study aimed to measure HRQOL, anxiety, depression,
      IBD symptoms, coping, and personality at baseline and 6 months. METHODS:
      Questionnaires about HRQOL, anxiety, depression, IBD symptoms, coping,
      personality, and demographic information were administered to patients at
      baseline and 6 months after diagnosis. RESULTS: Personality characteristics were
      stable over the first 6 months but coping strategies were not. Maladaptive coping
      strategies were associated with worse outcomes but adaptive coping strategies
      were not associated with better outcomes. All measures of HRQOL improved.
      Neuroticism was associated with worse psychological anxiety, depression, and
      HRQOL outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to psychologically test
      patients with IBD during the first 6 months after diagnosis. Generally, the HRQOL
      of patients with IBD improves over this time. Maladaptive coping is associated
      with worse psychological anxiety, depression, and HRQOL physical outcomes;
      although until an interventional study is performed, reverse causation cannot be
      ruled out.

PMID- 26099066
TI  - Extent of Early Clinical Response to Infliximab Predicts Long-term Treatment
      Success in Active Ulcerative Colitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The long-term effectiveness of infliximab (IFX) in ulcerative colitis
      (UC) and predictors of treatment response remain poorly characterized. METHODS: A
      retrospective cohort study was conducted in 213 consecutive patients with active
      steroid-refractory or steroid-dependent UC treated with induction and scheduled
      maintenance IFX at an inflammatory bowel disease referral center. Outcomes
      included annual steroid-free remission (SFR), IFX failure with discontinuation,
      colectomy, and serious adverse events. RESULTS: The 1- and 5-year cumulative
      probabilities for SFR were 39% and 14%, for IFX failure were 31.7% and 55.6%, and
      for colectomy were 19.2% and 37.4%, respectively. A sensitivity analysis
      considering the last clinical observation in patients with incomplete follow-up
      demonstrated a long-term SFR rate of 36%. Among responders to IFX induction
      therapy, achieving clinical remission before maintenance IFX therapy predicted
      SFR at 1 year (adjusted odds ratio = 4.50; 95% CI, 1.75-11.53), whereas the need
      for IFX dose intensification during the first year of therapy predicted a lower
      odds of SFR at 1 year (adjusted odds ratio = 0.28; 95% CI, 0.11-0.67) and a
      greater hazard of IFX failure beyond 1 year (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.57; 95%
      CI, 1.14-5.81). Older age and shorter UC duration at IFX initiation predicted
      poorer long-term outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with moderate-to-severe UC
      treated with scheduled IFX at an inflammatory bowel disease center, close to half
      of the patients are still on IFX at 5 years, although a smaller proportion of
      patients achieve long-term SFR. The magnitude and stability of early response to
      IFX is associated with long-term therapeutic benefit to this agent.

PMID- 26099067
TI  - Tumor Necrosis Factor-like Cytokine TL1A and Its Receptors DR3 and DcR3:
      Important New Factors in Mucosal Homeostasis and Inflammation.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-like cytokine 1A (TL1A) is a member of the TNF
      superfamily of proteins (TNFSF15), which signals through association with death
      domain receptor 3 (DR3). Decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) competes with DR3 for TL1A
      binding and inhibits functional signaling. These proteins are significantly
      upregulated in inflamed intestinal tissues, and their pathogenetic importance for
      inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is suggested by accumulating evidence. TL1A/DR3
      induce costimulatory signals to activated lymphocytes, including the gut-specific
      populations of CD4+CD161+ and CD4+CCR9+ cells, affecting all major effector
      pathways and inducing the mucosal upregulation of Th1, Th2, and Th17 factors.
      They may also participate in mucosal homeostasis and defense against pathogens
      through their effects on the development and function of the recently described
      innate lymphoid cells. T-regulatory lymphocytes highly express DR3, and they
      respond to TL1A stimulation also. Mechanistic studies by transgenic expression of
      TL1A, deletion of TL1A or DR3, and therapeutic blockade by anti-TL1A antibodies
      all support the critical involvement of the corresponding pathways in the
      pathogenesis of chronic mucosal inflammation. Wide genome association studies
      have identified IBD-specific polymorphisms in TNFSF15 gene, which have functional
      implications and serve as poor prognostic factors. Recently, TL1A blockade in
      mice was presented as a unique pharmacological treatment for the reversal of
      established intestinal fibrosis. Finally, TL1A/DR3 signaling seems to critically
      participate in extraintestinal inflammatory conditions that are frequently
      associated with IBD as part of the gut-joint-skin-eye axis. These converging
      lines of evidence make TL1A/DR3 a suitable model for personalized approaches to
      IBD therapy.

PMID- 26099068
TI  - Inference for blocked randomization under a selection bias model.
AB  - We provide an asymptotic test to analyze randomized clinical trials that may be
      subject to selection bias. For normally distributed responses, and under permuted
      block randomization, we derive a likelihood ratio test of the treatment effect
      under a selection bias model. A likelihood ratio test of the presence of
      selection bias arises from the same formulation. We prove that the test is
      asymptotically chi-square on one degree of freedom. These results correlate well
      with the likelihood ratio test of Ivanova et al. (2005, Statistics in Medicine
      24, 1537-1546) for binary responses, for which they established by simulation
      that the asymptotic distribution is chi-square. Simulations also show that the
      test is robust to departures from normality and under another randomization
      procedure. We illustrate the test by reanalyzing a clinical trial on retinal
      detachment. 

PMID- 26099069
TI  - Therapeutic Potential of 5-HT6 Receptor Agonists.
AB  - Given its predominant expression in the central nervous system (CNS), 5
      hydroxytryptamine (5-HT: serotonin) subtype 6 receptor (5-HT6R) has been
      considered as a valuable target for the development of CNS drugs with limited
      side effects. After 2 decades of intense research, numerous selective ligands
      have been developed to target this receptor; this holds potential interest for
      the treatment of neuropathological disorders. In fact, some agents (mainly
      antagonists) are currently undergoing clinical trial. More recently, a series of
      potent and selective agonists have been developed, and preclinical studies have
      been conducted that suggest the therapeutic interest of 5-HT6R agonists. This
      review details the medicinal chemistry of these agonists, highlights their
      activities, and discusses their potential for treating cognitive issues
      associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), depression, or obesity. Surprisingly,
      some studies have shown that both 5-HT6R agonists and antagonists exert similar
      procognitive activities. This article summarizes the hypotheses that could
      explain this paradox. 

PMID- 26099070
TI  - Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: implementation of a fluid dynamic model for position
      determination of victims.
AB  - Bloodstain Pattern Analysis is a forensic discipline in which, among others, the
      position of victims can be determined at crime scenes on which blood has been
      shed. To determine where the blood source was investigators use a straight-line
      approximation for the trajectory, ignoring effects of gravity and drag and thus
      overestimating the height of the source. We determined how accurately the
      location of the origin can be estimated when including gravity and drag into the
      trajectory reconstruction. We created eight bloodstain patterns at one meter
      distance from the wall. The origin's location was determined for each pattern
      with: the straight-line approximation, our method including gravity, and our
      method including both gravity and drag. The latter two methods require the volume
      and impact velocity of each bloodstain, which we are able to determine with a 3D
      scanner and advanced fluid dynamics, respectively. We conclude that by including
      gravity and drag in the trajectory calculation, the origin's location can be
      determined roughly four times more accurately than with the straight-line
      approximation. Our study enables investigators to determine if the victim was
      sitting or standing, or it might be possible to connect wounds on the body to
      specific patterns, which is important for crime scene reconstruction. 

PMID- 26099071
TI  - The Global Landscape of Occupational Exposure Limits--Implementation of
      Harmonization Principles to Guide Limit Selection.
AB  - Occupational exposure limits (OELs) serve as health-based benchmarks against
      which measured or estimated workplace exposures can be compared. In the years
      since the introduction of OELs to public health practice, both developed and
      developing countries have established processes for deriving, setting, and using
      OELs to protect workers exposed to hazardous chemicals. These processes vary
      widely, however, and have thus resulted in a confusing international landscape
      for identifying and applying such limits in workplaces. The occupational
      hygienist will encounter significant overlap in coverage among organizations for
      many chemicals, while other important chemicals have OELs developed by few, if
      any, organizations. Where multiple organizations have published an OEL, the
      derived value often varies considerably-reflecting differences in both risk
      policy and risk assessment methodology as well as access to available pertinent
      data. This article explores the underlying reasons for variability in OELs, and
      recommends the harmonization of risk-based methods used by OEL-deriving
      organizations. A framework is also proposed for the identification and systematic
      evaluation of OEL resources, which occupational hygienists can use to support
      risk characterization and risk management decisions in situations where multiple
      potentially relevant OELs exist. 

PMID- 26099073
TI  - Enhancing cognitive aging: clinical highlights of a report from the Institute of
      Medicine.

PMID- 26099072
TI  - Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndromes and Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase Antibodies.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Little is known of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GAD-abs)
      in the paraneoplastic context. Clinical recognition of such cases will lead to
      prompt tumor diagnosis and appropriate treatment. OBJECTIVE: To report the
      clinical and immunological features of patients with paraneoplastic neurological
      syndromes (PNS) and GAD-abs. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective
      case series study and immunological investigations conducted in February 2014 in
      a center for autoimmune neurological disorders. Fifteen cases with GAD65-abs
      evaluated between 1995 and 2013 who fulfilled criteria of definite or possible
      PNS without concomitant onconeural antibodies were included in this study. MAIN
      OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Analysis of the clinical records of 15 patients and review
      of 19 previously reported cases. Indirect immunofluorescence with rat hippocampal
      neuronal cultures and cell-based assays with known neuronal cell-surface antigens
      were used. One hundred six patients with GAD65-abs and no cancer served as
      control individuals. RESULTS: Eight of the 15 patients with cancer presented as
      classic paraneoplastic syndromes (5 limbic encephalitis, 1 paraneoplastic
      encephalomyelitis, 1 paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, and 1 opsoclonus
      myoclonus syndrome). When compared with the 106 non-PNS cases, those with PNS
      were older (median age, 60 years vs 48 years; P = .03), more frequently male (60%
      vs 13%; P < .001), and had more often coexisting neuronal cell-surface
      antibodies, mainly against gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors (53% vs 11%; P <
      .001). The tumors more frequently involved were lung (n = 6) and thymic neoplasms
      (n = 4). The risk for an underlying tumor was higher if the presentation was a
      classic PNS, if it was different from stiff-person syndrome or cerebellar ataxia
      (odds ratio, 10.5; 95% CI, 3.2-34.5), or if the patient had coexisting neuronal
      cell-surface antibodies (odds ratio, 6.8; 95% CI, 1.1-40.5). Compared with the
      current series, the 19 previously reported cases had more frequent stiff-person
      syndrome (74% vs 13%; P = .001) and better responses to treatment (79% vs 27%; P
      = .005). Predictors of improvement in the 34 patients (current and previously
      reported) included presentation with stiff-person syndrome and the presence of a
      thymic tumor. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Patients with GAD-abs must be screened
      for an underlying cancer if they have clinical presentations different from those
      typically associated with this autoimmunity or develop classic PNS. The risk for
      cancer increases with age, male sex, and the presence of coexisting neuronal cell
      surface antibodies.

PMID- 26099074
TI  - A Mallory-Weiss tear treated with transarterial embolization complicated by
      disseminated intravascular coagulation.

PMID- 26099075
TI  - Adenocarcinoma of a colonic interposition graft for benign esophageal stricture
      in a young woman.

PMID- 26099076
TI  - Endoscopic intraluminal cutting technique for indwelling devices using a
      lithotripter handle and guidewire.

PMID- 26099077
TI  - Over-the-scope clips for transoral gastric outlet reduction as salvage therapy
      for weight regain after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

PMID- 26099078
TI  - Proctitis cystica profunda diagnosed by endoscopic submucosal dissection: use of
      a therapeutic procedure for diagnosis.

PMID- 26099079
TI  - Porta hepatis schwannoma diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle
      biopsy.

PMID- 26099080
TI  - Endoscopic bridge to radiology: a sequential life-saving hemostatic approach.

PMID- 26099081
TI  - Endoscopic needle knife fistulotomy technique for ileal pouch-to-pouch fistula.

PMID- 26099082
TI  - Endoscopic ultrasound-guided therapy of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST).

PMID- 26099083
TI  - Duodenal ulcer caused by a surgical clip after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

PMID- 26099084
TI  - Endoscopic ultrasound-guided pelvic abscess drainage using a dedicated, wide,
      flared-end, fully covered self-expandable metal stent.

PMID- 26099085
TI  - Endoscopic submucosal dissection of early duodenal tumor using the Clutch Cutter:
      a preliminary clinical study.

PMID- 26099086
TI  - Ectopic varices in a pancreatojejunal anastomosis: a rare cause of hemorrhage.

PMID- 26099087
TI  - Esophageal involvement by pemphigus vulgaris resulting in dysphagia.

PMID- 26099088
TI  - External pancreatic fistula treated by endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage with
      a novel lumen-apposing metal stent mounted on a cautery-tipped delivery system.

PMID- 26099089
TI  - Endoscopic ultrasound of pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis.

PMID- 26099090
TI  - Premature explantation of an EndoBarrier gastrointestinal liner because of sleeve
      invagination.

PMID- 26099091
TI  - A rare cause of biliary colic.

PMID- 26099092
TI  - Use of an over-the-scope clip for endoscopic sealing of anastomotic dehiscence
      after anterior resection for rectal cancer.

PMID- 26099093
TI  - Fatal aortic hemorrhage after over-the-scope clipping and subsequent esophageal
      stenting for sealing of iatrogenic esophageal perforation.

PMID- 26099094
TI  - Real-time measurement of luminal compliance during transoral incisionless
      fundoplication.

PMID- 26099095
TI  - Single-step retrieval of a proximally migrated biliary stent.

PMID- 26099096
TI  - A new traction method with use of the snare as a "second hand" during endoscopic
      submucosal dissection.

PMID- 26099097
TI  - A case of incidental sloughing esophagitis.

PMID- 26099098
TI  - Inadvertent submucosal esophageal tunnel complicating ERCP.

PMID- 26099099
TI  - Small-bowel pseudomelanosis.

PMID- 26099100
TI  - Successful treatment of a proximal esophageal rupture with a luminal sponge.

PMID- 26099101
TI  - Complete removal of a colonic neoplasm extending into a diverticulum with hybrid
      endoscopic submucosal dissection-mucosal resection and endoscopic band ligation.

PMID- 26099102
TI  - A new tissue acquisition technique in pancreatic cystic neoplasm: endoscopic
      ultrasound-guided through-the-needle forceps biopsy.

PMID- 26099103
TI  - Endoscopic removal of a migrated and long-indwelling self-expandable metal stent.

PMID- 26099104
TI  - Over-the-scope-clip two-side closure of a coloduodenal fistula caused by a
      dislocated prosthesis of the pancreatic duct.

PMID- 26099105
TI  - Endoscopic ultrasound-guided choledochojejunostomy with a forward-viewing
      echoendoscope for severe benign bilioenteric stricture in a patient with Child's
      resection.

PMID- 26099106
TI  - Safe endoscopic removal of a swallowed partial denture with a grip-seal plastic
      bag.

PMID- 26099107
TI  - A combination of the clip-with-line method and the tunnel technique during
      esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection: a technical solution?

PMID- 26099108
TI  - Enhancing Light Emission of ZnO-Nanofilm/Si-Micropillar Heterostructure Arrays by
      Piezo-Phototronic Effect.
AB  - n-ZnO nanofilm/p-Si micropillar heterostructure light-emitting diode (LED) arrays
      for white light emissions are achieved and the light emission intensity of LED
      array is enhanced by 120% under -0.05% compressive strains. These results
      indicate a promising approach to fabricate Si-based light-emitting components
      with high performances enhanced by the piezo-phototronic effect, with potential
      applications in touchpad technology, personalized signatures, smart skin, and
      silicon-based photonic integrated circuits.

PMID- 26099109
TI  - A kirigami approach to engineering elasticity in nanocomposites through patterned
      defects.
AB  - Efforts to impart elasticity and multifunctionality in nanocomposites focus
      mainly on integrating polymeric and nanoscale components. Yet owing to the
      stochastic emergence and distribution of strain-concentrating defects and to the
      stiffening of nanoscale components at high strains, such composites often possess
      unpredictable strain-property relationships. Here, by taking inspiration from
      kirigami-the Japanese art of paper cutting-we show that a network of notches made
      in rigid nanocomposite and other composite sheets by top-down patterning
      techniques prevents unpredictable local failure and increases the ultimate strain
      of the sheets from 4 to 370%. We also show that the sheets' tensile behaviour can
      be accurately predicted through finite-element modelling. Moreover, in marked
      contrast to other stretchable conductors, the electrical conductance of the
      stretchable kirigami sheets is maintained over the entire strain regime, and we
      demonstrate their use to tune plasma-discharge phenomena. The unique properties
      of kirigami nanocomposites as plasma electrodes open up a wide range of novel
      technological solutions for stretchable electronics and optoelectronic devices,
      among other application possibilities.

PMID- 26099110
TI  - In situ NMR and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance techniques reveal the
      structure of the electrical double layer in supercapacitors.
AB  - Supercapacitors store charge through the electrosorption of ions on microporous
      electrodes. Despite major efforts to understand this phenomenon, a molecular
      level picture of the electrical double layer in working devices is still lacking
      as few techniques can selectively observe the ionic species at the
      electrode/electrolyte interface. Here, we use in situ NMR to directly quantify
      the populations of anionic and cationic species within a working microporous
      carbon supercapacitor electrode. Our results show that charge storage mechanisms
      are different for positively and negatively polarized electrodes for the
      electrolyte tetraethylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate in acetonitrile; for positive
      polarization charging proceeds by exchange of the cations for anions, whereas for
      negative polarization, cation adsorption dominates. In situ electrochemical
      quartz crystal microbalance measurements support the NMR results and indicate
      that adsorbed ions are only partially solvated. These results provide new
      molecular-level insight, with the methodology offering exciting possibilities for
      the study of pore/ion size, desolvation and other effects on charge storage in
      supercapacitors.

PMID- 26099111
TI  - Potential-dependent dynamic fracture of nanoporous gold.
AB  - When metallic alloys are exposed to a corrosive environment, porous nanoscale
      morphologies spontaneously form that can adversely affect the mechanical
      integrity of engineered structures. This form of stress-corrosion cracking is
      responsible for the well-known 'season cracking' of brass and stainless steel
      components in nuclear power generating stations. One explanation for this is that
      a high-speed crack is nucleated within the porous layer, which subsequently
      injects into non-porous parent-phase material. We study the static and dynamic
      fracture properties of free-standing monolithic nanoporous gold as a function
      electrochemical potential using high-speed photography and digital image
      correlation. The experiments reveal that at electrochemical potentials typical of
      porosity formation these structures are capable of supporting dislocation
      mediated plastic fracture at crack velocities of 200 m s(-1). Our results
      identify the important role of high-speed fracture in stress-corrosion cracking
      and are directly applicable to the behaviour of monolithic dealloyed materials at
      present being considered for a variety of applications. 

PMID- 26099112
TI  - Dynamic polymer systems with self-regulated secretion for the control of surface
      properties and material healing.
AB  - Approaches for regulated fluid secretion, which typically rely on fluid
      encapsulation and release from a shelled compartment, do not usually allow a fine
      continuous modulation of secretion, and can be difficult to adapt for monitoring
      or function-integration purposes. Here, we report self-regulated, self-reporting
      secretion systems consisting of liquid-storage compartments in a supramolecular
      polymer-gel matrix with a thin liquid layer on top, and demonstrate that dynamic
      liquid exchange between the compartments, matrix and surface layer allows
      repeated, responsive self-lubrication of the surface and cooperative healing of
      the matrix. Depletion of the surface liquid or local material damage induces
      secretion of the stored liquid via a dynamic feedback between polymer
      crosslinking, droplet shrinkage and liquid transport that can be read out through
      changes in the system's optical transparency. We foresee diverse applications in
      fluid delivery, wetting and adhesion control, and material self-repair.

PMID- 26099113
TI  - PhI(OAc)2-mediated one-pot oxidative decarboxylation and aromatization of
      tetrahydro-beta-carbolines: synthesis of norharmane, harmane, eudistomin U and
      eudistomin I.
AB  - Iodobenzene diacetate was employed as a mild and efficient reagent for one-pot
      oxidative decarboxylation of tetrahydro-beta-carboline acids and dehydrogenation
      of tetrahydro-beta-carbolines to access the corresponding aromatic beta
      carbolines. To the best of our knowledge this is the first synthesis of beta
      carbolines via a one-pot oxidative decarboxylation at ambient temperature. The
      utility of this protocol has been demonstrated in the synthesis of beta-carboline
      alkaloids norharmane (2o), harmane (2p), eudistomin U (9) and eudistomin I (12). 

PMID- 26099114
TI  - In-depth comparative proteomic analysis of yeast proteome using iTRAQ and SWATH
      based MS.
AB  - Quantitative proteomics using LC-MS has emerged as an essential tool for
      addressing different biological questions. Various labelling methods have been
      effectively employed for quantitative proteomics studies. However, these are
      fraught with several challenges, including reproducibility and the number of
      samples that can be analysed at a given time. To this end, unlabelled proteomics
      is a promising field, and the recently developed sequential window acquisition of
      all theoretical fragment ion spectra (SWATH-MS) method aims to address these
      limitations. In this study, we compared SWATH-MS to isobaric tag for relative and
      absolute quantitation (iTRAQ), a widely used labelled method for relative
      quantitation. For this, we used yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, since almost all
      its proteins are identified. More importantly, the abundance of each protein is
      well documented. We found that although a similar number of proteins could be
      quantitated using the two techniques, SWATH had the advantage of quantifying a
      larger percentage of low abundance proteins (below 60 ppm). Thus, based on our
      analysis, we believe that these two techniques are complementary and can
      synergistically improve the number of quantifiable proteins. SWATH's ability to
      quantify low abundant proteins could be an asset in biomarker discovery studies. 

PMID- 26099115
TI  - Phytotoxicity, Translocation, and Biotransformation of NaYF4 Upconversion
      Nanoparticles in a Soybean Plant.
AB  - The increasing uses of rare-earth-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have
      obviously caused many concerns about their potential toxicology on live
      organisms. In addition, the UCNPs can be released into the environment, then
      transported into edible crop plants, and finally entered into food chain. Here,
      the soybean is chosen as a model plant to study the subchronic phytotoxicity,
      translocation, and biotransformation of NaYF4 UCNPs. The incubation with UCNPs at
      a relative low concentration of 10 MUg mL(-1) leads to growth promotion for the
      roots and stems, while concentration exceeding 50 MUg mL(-1) brings concentration
      dependent inhibition. Upconversion luminescence imaging and scanning electron
      microscope characterization show that the UCNPs can be absorbed by roots and
      parts of the adsorbed UCNPs are then transported through vessels to stems and
      leaves. The near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra reveal that the
      adsorbed NaYF4 nanoparticles are relatively stable during a 10 d incubation.
      Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrum further indicates that a small amount of NaYF4
      is dissolved/digested and can transform into Y-phosphate clusters in roots. 

PMID- 26099116
TI  - Ethics in publication.
AB  - Publication of scientific manuscripts remains our core method of sharing
      knowledge and advanced scientific inquiry. Pressures to publish for reasons other
      than pure discovery have the potential to corrupt this process. The core
      principles of scientific ethics outlined above provide guidance on how to
      maintain the integrity of our scientific process. We, as journal editors, are
      committed to the advancement of scientific knowledge and the ethical process of
      publication. We do the best we can to make sure that the articles we publish
      fulfill all the criteria of a well-conducted study. 

PMID- 26099117
TI  - Management of dyslipidemia for cardiovascular disease risk reduction: synopsis of
      the 2014 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense
      clinical practice guideline.
AB  - DESCRIPTION: In December 2014, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and
      U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) approved a joint clinical practice guideline for
      the management of dyslipidemia for cardiovascular disease risk reduction in
      adults. This synopsis summarizes the major recommendations. METHODS: On 30
      September 2013, the VA/DoD Evidence-Based Practice Work Group convened a joint
      VA/DoD guideline development effort that included clinical stakeholders and
      conformed to the Institute of Medicine's tenets for trustworthy clinical practice
      guidelines. The guideline panel developed key questions, systematically searched
      and evaluated the literature, developed a simple 1-page algorithm, and rated each
      of 26 recommendations by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment,
      Development, and Evaluation system. RECOMMENDATIONS: This synopsis summarizes key
      features of the guideline in 5 areas: elimination of treatment targets,
      additional tests for risk prediction, primary and secondary prevention, and
      laboratory testing.

PMID- 26099118
TI  - Strengthening Medical Device Postmarket Safety Surveillance.

PMID- 26099121
TI  - Hypobaric Decompression Sickness Treatment Model.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Hypobaric Decompression Sickness (DCS) Treatment Model links a
      decrease in computed bubble volume from increased pressure (DeltaP), increased
      oxygen (O2) partial pressure, and passage of time during treatment to the
      probability of symptom resolution [P(SR)]. The decrease in offending volume is
      realized in two stages: 1) during compression via Boyles law; and 2) during
      subsequent dissolution of the gas phase via the oxygen window. METHODS: We
      established an empirical model for the P(SR) while accounting for multiple
      symptoms within subjects. The data consisted of 154 cases of hypobaric DCS
      symptoms with ancillary information from tests on 56 men and 18 women. RESULTS:
      Our best estimated model is P(SR)=1/(1+exp(-(ln(DeltaP)-1.510+0.795*AMB
      0.00308*Ts)/0.478)), where DeltaP is pressure difference (psid); AMB=1 if
      ambulation took place during part of the altitude exposure, otherwise AMB=0; and
      Ts is the elapsed time in minutes from the start of altitude exposure to
      recognition of a DCS symptom. DISCUSSION: Values of DeltaP as inputs to the model
      would be calculated from the Tissue Bubble Dynamics Model based on the effective
      treatment pressure: DeltaP=P2-P1|=P1*V1/V2-P1, where V1 is the computed volume of
      a bubble at low pressure P1 and V2 is computed volume after a change to a higher
      pressure P2. If 100% ground-level oxygen was breathed in place of air, then V2
      continues to decrease through time at P2 at a faster rate.

PMID- 26099122
TI  - Preliminary Results of the LF/HF Ratio as an Indicator for Estimating Difficulty
      Level of Flight Tasks.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The main aim of this study was to differentiate the magnitude of a
      pilot's heart rate variability (HRV) when performing assisted and unassisted
      flights, as well as simple and complex flight tasks. METHODS: Cardiac monitoring
      in flights was carried out using a compact, mobile ECG recorder. A frequency
      analysis of the heart rate (HR) signal was performed to determine the ratio of
      low-frequency spectral power (LF) to high-frequency spectral power (HF). RESULTS:
      The LF/HF ratio observed in the zone (M=1.047, SD=0.059) was significantly
      different than the LF/HF calculated preflight (M=0.877, SD=0.043) and postflight
      (M=0.793, SD=0.037). There was no main effect of the flight type (unassisted zone
      flight vs. zone flight with an instructor) on the LF/HF parameter. However,
      greater psychophysiological load of a pilot was observed in the training zone
      flights when compared to simple circle flights (main effect of the flight type).
      CONCLUSIONS: As the LF/HF ratio turned out to be significantly higher in the zone
      than pre- and postflight, this parameter can be useful for predicting the risk of
      excessive stress and arousal of pilots during flights. Based on the LF/HF ratio
      we can also estimate difficulty level of flight tasks, because our research has
      shown higher values of this parameter in the training zone flights than in simple
      circle flights.

PMID- 26099123
TI  - 5-Day Bed Rest: Portal and Lower Limb Veins With and Without Artificial Gravity
      Countermeasures.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of short-term,
      head-down bed rest (HDBR), with and without artificial gravity countermeasures,
      on splanchnic and lower limb vein properties. METHODS: Data were collected from
      12 men before and after 5 d of continuous -6 degrees  HDBR without
      countermeasures (CON) and with two artificial gravity countermeasure protocols:
      30-min continuous centrifugation (AG1), and 30-min intermittent centrifugation
      (AG2). Portal (PV), tibial (TibV), and gastrocnemius (GastV) veins were
      investigated by echography supine and after 30 min of head-up tilt. RESULTS:
      After HDBR, there was no change in PV, TibV, or GastV cross-sectional area at
      rest in any of the three conditions. In response to tilt, GastV and TibV area
      increased (168+/-141% and 192+/-124%, respectively) with no change in this
      response post-HDBR in any of the experimental conditions (P>0.05). PV area
      decreased with tilt (-33+/-13%) and was not different pre- to post-HDBR in the
      CON or AG1 conditions. However, there was a greater reduction in PV area in the
      AG2 group post-HDBR (-32+/-10% pre, -49+/-9% post-HDBR, P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS:
      Calf veins were not significantly affected by 5 d of HDBR and did not appear to
      be negatively impacted by the artificial gravity countermeasures over this time
      period. In addition, the intermittent protocol resulted in better splanchnic
      vasoconstriction in response to head-up tilt, which may have contributed to a
      better maintenance of orthostatic tolerance post-HDBR.

PMID- 26099124
TI  - Pulmonary Artery Pressure Response to Simulated Air Travel in a Hypobaric
      Chamber.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypoxia-induced elevation in pulmonary artery pressure during air
      travel may contribute to the worldwide burden of in-flight medical emergencies.
      The pulmonary artery pressure response may be greater in older passengers, who
      are more likely to require flight diversion due to a medical event. Understanding
      these effects may ultimately improve the safety of air travel. METHODS: We
      studied 16 healthy volunteers, consisting of a younger group (aged <25 yr) and an
      older group (aged >60 yr). Using a hypobaric chamber, subjects undertook a 2-h
      simulated flight at the maximum cabin pressure altitude for commercial airline
      flights (8000 ft; 2438 m). Higher and lower altitudes within the aeromedical
      range were also explored. Systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) was assessed
      by Doppler echocardiography. RESULTS: There was a progressive increase in sPAP
      which appeared to be biphasic, with a small initial increase and a larger
      subsequent rise. Overall, sPAP increased by 5+/-1 mmHg from baseline to 35+/-1
      mmHg at 8000 ft, an increase of 18%. The sPAP response to 8000 ft was greater in
      the older group than the younger group. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that
      pulmonary artery pressure increases during simulated air travel, and provides
      preliminary evidence that this response is greater in older people. Advancing age
      may increase in-flight susceptibility to adverse pulmonary vascular responses in
      passengers, aircrew, and aeromedical patients.

PMID- 26099125
TI  - Dose-Effect Relationship Between Mild Levels of Hypergravity and Autonomic
      Circulatory Regulation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The dose-effect relationships between different levels of
      hypergravity (>+1.0 Gz) and steady-state hemodynamic parameters have been
      reported in several studies. However, little has been reported on the dose-effect
      relationship between hypergravity levels and estimates of autonomic circulatory
      regulation, such as heart rate variability, arterial pressure variability, and
      spontaneous cardiac baroreflex sensitivity. We investigated dose-effect
      relationships between hypergravity levels from +1.0 Gz to +2.0 Gz (Delta0.5 Gz)
      and autonomic circulatory regulation to test our hypothesis that autonomic
      circulatory regulation has a linear relationship with hypergravity levels.
      METHODS: Using a short-arm human centrifuge, 10 healthy seated men were subjected
      to +1.0 Gz, +1.5 Gz, and +2.0 Gz hypergravity. We evaluated steady-state
      hemodynamic parameters and autonomic circulatory regulation indices. Heart rate
      variability, arterial pressure variability, and spontaneous cardiac baroreflex
      sensitivity between arterial pressure and R-R interval variabilities were
      assessed by spectral analysis, sequence analysis, and transfer function analysis.
      RESULTS: Steady-state heart rate, stroke volume, and sequence slope (indicating
      spontaneous cardiac baroreflex sensitivity in response to rapid changes in
      arterial pressure) showed linear correlations with increases in gravity (from
      +1.0 Gz to +2.0 Gz). On the other hand, steady-state cardiac output, steady-state
      systolic arterial pressure, and low-frequency power of diastolic arterial
      pressure (indicating peripheral vasomotor sympathetic activity) remained
      unchanged with gravity increases. CONCLUSION: Contrary to our hypothesis, the
      present study suggested that autonomic circulatory regulations show complex
      changes with hypergravity levels. Spontaneous cardiac baroreflex sensitivity
      reduces in a dose-dependent manner from +1.0 Gz to +2.0 Gz, whereas peripheral
      vasomotor sympathetic activity seems to be maintained.

PMID- 26099126
TI  - Low Back Pain in Microgravity and Bed Rest Studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of low back pain (LBP) for astronauts in space (68%)
      is higher than the 1-mo prevalence for the general population on Earth (39%). It
      is unclear whether differences occur between healthy subjects and astronauts with
      a history of LBP. Knowledge of this issue is important to assess whether a
      history of LBP could have an operational impact. METHODS: We evaluated LBP
      prospectively during short duration spaceflight (15 d; N=20) and compared this
      with similar data collected during two bed rest studies (N=40). Astronauts
      completed a questionnaire 5-10 d preflight, during each flight day, and 5-10 d
      postflight. RESULTS: All astronauts with a history of LBP also developed LBP in
      flight. These astronauts reported a significantly longer duration of LBP and a
      different pain location. LBP was most often experienced in the central area of
      the lower back during spaceflight with an incidence of 70% and a mean pain level
      of 3 (on a scale of 0-10). Pain resolved within 10 d of flight. No neurological
      signs were present. The most frequently reported countermeasure was assuming a
      "knees to chest (fetal tuck) position" combined with stretching. Greater LBP
      intensity was reported in spaceflight than bed rest with a trend indicating a
      greater number of days of pain during spaceflight. DISCUSSION: The current study
      represents a prospective study of LBP in spaceflight. The results indicate that
      LBP is self-limiting in spaceflight and should not pose an operational risk.
      Prior LBP on Earth appears to be a risk factor for LBP in spaceflight.

PMID- 26099127
TI  - Team Composition Issues for Future Space Exploration: A Review and Directions for
      Future Research.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Future space exploration, such as a mission to Mars, will require
      space crews to live and work in extreme environments unlike those of previous
      space missions. Extreme conditions such as prolonged confinement, isolation, and
      expected communication time delays will require that crews have a higher level of
      interpersonal compatibility and be able to work autonomously, adapting to
      unforeseen challenges in order to ensure mission success. Team composition, or
      the configuration of member attributes, is an important consideration for
      maximizing crewmember well-being and team performance. METHODS: We conducted an
      extensive search to find articles about team composition in long-distance space
      exploration (LDSE)-analogue environments, including a search of databases,
      specific relevant journals, and by contacting authors who publish in the area.
      RESULTS: We review the team composition research conducted in analogue
      environments in terms of two paths through which team composition is likely to be
      related to LDSE mission success, namely by 1) affecting social integration, and
      2) the team processes and emergent states related to team task completion.
      DISCUSSION: Suggestions for future research are summarized as: 1) the need to
      identify ways to foster unit-level social integration within diverse crews; 2)
      the missed opportunity to use team composition variables as a way to improve team
      processes, emergent states, and task completion; and 3) the importance of
      disentangling the effect of specific team composition variables to determine the
      traits (e.g., personality, values) that are associated with particular risks
      (e.g., subgrouping) to performance.

PMID- 26099128
TI  - Spaceflight-Induced Intracranial Hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although once a widely speculated about and largely theoretical
      topic, spaceflight-induced intracranial hypertension has gained acceptance as a
      distinct clinical phenomenon, yet the underlying physiological mechanisms are
      still poorly understood. In the past, many terms were used to describe the
      symptoms of malaise, nausea, vomiting, and vertigo, though longer duration
      spaceflights have increased the prevalence of overlapping symptoms of headache
      and visual disturbance. Spaceflight-induced visual pathology is thought to be a
      manifestation of increased intracranial pressure (ICP) because of its similar
      presentation to cases of known intracranial hypertension on Earth as well as the
      documentation of increased ICP by lumbar puncture in symptomatic astronauts upon
      return to gravity. The most likely mechanisms of spaceflight-induced increased
      ICP include a cephalad shift of body fluids, venous outflow obstruction, blood
      brain barrier breakdown, and disruption to CSF flow. The relative contribution of
      increased ICP to the symptoms experienced during spaceflight is currently
      unknown, though other factors recently posited to contribute include local
      effects on ocular structures, individual differences in metabolism, and the
      vasodilator effects of carbon dioxide. This review article attempts to
      consolidate the literature regarding spaceflight-induced intracranial
      hypertension and distinguish it from other pathologies with similar
      symptomatology. It discusses the proposed physiological causes and the
      pathological manifestations of increased ICP in the spaceflight environment and
      provides considerations for future long-term space travel. In the future, it will
      be critical to develop countermeasures so that astronauts can participate at
      their peak potential and return safely to Earth.

PMID- 26099129
TI  - Flight Bags as a Cause of Back Injuries Among Commercial Pilots.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pilots of fixed wing commercial aircraft face numerous occupational
      hazards. Low back pain is among the most common and costly workplace injury,
      though relatively little is known about causes of back injuries among pilots. The
      awkward lifting and twisting maneuvers in the flight deck to position flight bags
      has not been described as a cause of occupational back injury among pilots.
      METHODS: A case series of low back injuries among pilots was identified and
      described by a retrospective review of charts at an airport-based clinic.
      Circumstances of occupational back injury, initial direct medical costs,
      treatment, and work status following evaluation were described. RESULTS: Over a 6
      yr period, 37 occupational low back injuries among 35 pilots were evaluated and
      treated. Of these, 24 (65%) involved flight bags. Only 27% of pilots with flight
      bag-associated injuries were returned to work after initial evaluation;
      medications with sedating properties were frequently required for treatment.
      Injuries due to slips, trips, and falls, typically in jet bridges or associated
      with hotel shuttles, were common among pilots with back injuries not related to
      flight bags. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of occupational low back injuries seen
      among pilots in an airport based clinic were attributable to use of flight bags.
      Substituting electronic flight bags for traditional flight bags could contribute
      to back injury prevention among pilots.

PMID- 26099130
TI  - Fearless Temperament and Overconfidence in an Unsuccessful Special Forces Polar
      Expedition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Assessment of the influence of personality and decision processes on
      the performance of two-person expedition teams has application for the
      composition of small teams for planetary exploration and potentially responding
      to off-nominal situations. CASE REPORT: We studied a two-man Special Forces team
      with a goal of reaching the North Pole in the shortest amount of time. Both
      subjects had high scores on measures of leadership/dominance, fearlessness, and
      achievement, and low scores on harm avoidance (high risk-taking). Differences
      were noted on scales measuring empathy, agreeableness, extraversion, emotional
      regulation, and callousness. Individual differences in the primacy of personal
      values of tradition vs. pleasure-seeking were evident. DISCUSSION: High dominance
      traits of both team members, incompatibility in other characteristics and values,
      and minimal pretraining had a significant impact on the decision to abort the
      trek because of severe frostbite suffered by one subject. Implications for dyads
      exploring the Mars surface are discussed.

PMID- 26099131
TI  - AsMA Medical Guidelines for Air Travel: Reported In-Flight Medical Events and
      Death.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Medical Guidelines for Airline Travel provide information that
      enables healthcare providers to properly advise patients who plan to travel by
      air. Although there are no publicly available databases providing information on
      the number of in-flight medical emergencies, the few studies published in the
      literature indicate that they are uncommon. Minor illnesses such as near
      fainting, dizziness, and hyperventilation occur more frequently. However, serious
      illnesses, such as seizures and myocardial infarction, also occur. In-flight
      deaths are also rare.

PMID- 26099132
TI  - AsMA Medical Guidelines for Air Travel: In-Flight Medical Care.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Medical Guidelines for Airline Travel provide information that
      enables healthcare providers to properly advise patients who plan to travel by
      air. All airlines are required to provide first aid training for cabin crew, and
      the crew are responsible for managing any in-flight medical events. There are
      also regulatory requirements for the carriage of first aid and medical kits. AsMA
      has developed recommendations for first aid kits, emergency medical kits, and
      universal precaution kits.

PMID- 26099133
TI  - You're the Flight Surgeon. Sore left wrist.

PMID- 26099134
TI  - You're the Flight Surgeon. Lower chest pain.

PMID- 26099135
TI  - Hermann von Schrotter (1870-1928): Inventor of the Sealed Cabin.

PMID- 26099136
TI  - This Month in Aerospace Medicine History.

PMID- 26099139
TI  - Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry for Measurement of Phalangeal Bone Mineral
      Density on a Slot-Scanning Digital Radiography System.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we assess the feasibility of using two detectors in a
      slot-scanning digital radiography system to acquire images for measuring bone
      mineral density (BMD) of the middle phalanx of the middle finger using dual
      energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). METHODS: Simulations were used to evaluate the
      spectral separation of the low- and high-energy spectra and detective quantum
      efficiency was used for assessing image quality. Scan parameters were chosen to
      optimize spectral separation, image quality, and radiation dose. We introduce the
      measurement of volumetric BMD (vBMD) using basis material decomposition. We
      assess the accuracy of our methods by comparing measurements taken using bone
      images against reference data derived from subsequent incineration of the bones.
      In vivo scans were conducted to evaluate the system precision (repeatability) and
      agreement with a clinical densitometer. RESULTS: Average errors for bone mineral
      content (BMC), areal BMD (aBMD), and vBMD were 4.85%, 5.49%, and 12.77%,
      respectively. Our system had good agreement with a clinical densitometer based on
      concordance correlation coefficient values of 0.92 and 0.98 for aBMD and BMC,
      respectively. Precision studies yielded coefficient of variation (CV) values of
      1.35% for aBMD, 1.48% for BMC, and 1.80% for vBMD. The CV values of all
      measurements were within 2%, indicating that the methods have clinically
      acceptable precision. CONCLUSION: We conclude that our techniques yield bone
      measurements with high accuracy, clinically acceptable precision, and good
      agreement with a clinical densitometer. SIGNIFICANCE: We have shown the clinical
      potential of phalangeal DXA measurements of aBMD and vBMD on a slot-scanning
      digital radiography system.

PMID- 26099138
TI  - Prospective multicentre randomised, double-blind, equivalence study comparing
      clonidine and midazolam as intravenous sedative agents in critically ill
      children: the SLEEPS (Safety profiLe, Efficacy and Equivalence in Paediatric
      intensive care Sedation) study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) require analgesia
      and sedation but both undersedation and oversedation can be harmful. OBJECTIVE:
      Evaluation of intravenous (i.v.) clonidine as an alternative to i.v. midazolam.
      DESIGN: Multicentre, double-blind, randomised equivalence trial. SETTING: Ten UK
      PICUs. PARTICIPANTS: Children (30 days to 15 years inclusive) weighing <= 50 kg,
      expected to require ventilation on PICU for > 12 hours. INTERVENTIONS: Clonidine
      (3 ug/kg loading then 0-3 ug/kg/hour) versus midazolam (200 ug/kg loading then 0
      200 ug/kg/hour). Maintenance infusion rates adjusted according to behavioural
      assessment (COMFORT score). Both groups also received morphine. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Primary end point Adequate sedation defined by COMFORT score of 17-26
      for >= 80% of the time with a +/- 0.15 margin of equivalence. Secondary end
      points Percentage of time spent adequately sedated, increase in
      sedation/analgesia, recovery after sedation, side effects and safety data.
      RESULTS: The study planned to recruit 1000 children. In total, 129 children were
      randomised, of whom 120 (93%) contributed data for the primary outcome. The
      proportion of children who were adequately sedated for >= 80% of the time was 21
      of 61 (34.4%) - clonidine, and 18 of 59 (30.5%) - midazolam. The difference in
      proportions for clonidine-midazolam was 0.04 [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.13
      to 0.21], and, with the 95% CI including values outside the range of equivalence
      (-0.15 to 0.15), equivalence was not demonstrated; however, the study was
      underpowered. Non-inferiority of clonidine to midazolam was established, with the
      only values outside the equivalence range favouring clonidine. Times to reach
      maximum sedation and analgesia were comparable hazard ratios: 0.99 (95% CI 0.53
      to 1.82) and 1.18 (95% CI 0.49 to 2.86), respectively. Percentage time spent
      adequately sedated was similar [medians clonidine 73.8% vs. midazolam 72.8%:
      difference in medians 0.66 (95% CI -5.25 to 7.24)]. Treatment failure was 12 of
      64 (18.8%) on clonidine and 7 of 61 (11.5%) on midazolam [risk ratio (RR) 1.63,
      95% CI 0.69 to 3.88]. Proportions with withdrawal symptoms [28/60 (46.7%) vs.
      30/58 (52.6%)] were similar (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.28), but a greater
      proportion required clinical intervention in those receiving midazolam [11/60
      (18.3%) vs. 16/58 (27.6%) (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.34 to 1.31)]. Post treatment, one
      child on clonidine experienced mild rebound hypertension, not requiring
      intervention. A higher incidence of inotropic support during the first 12 hours
      was required for those on clonidine [clonidine 5/45 (11.1%) vs. midazolam 3/52
      (5.8%)] (RR 1.93 95% CI 0.49 to 7.61). CONCLUSIONS: Clonidine is an alternative
      to midazolam. Our trial-based economic evaluation suggests that clonidine is
      likely to be a cost-effective sedative agent in the PICU in comparison with
      midazolam (probability of cost-effectiveness exceeds 50%). Rebound hypertension
      did not appear to be a significant problem with clonidine but, owing to its
      effects on heart rate, specific cardiovascular attention needs to be taken during
      the loading and early infusion phase. Neither drug in combination with morphine
      provided ideal sedation, suggesting that in unparalysed patients a third
      background agent is necessary. The disappointing recruitment rates reflect a
      reluctance of parents to provide consent when established on a sedation regimen,
      and reluctance of clinicians to allow sedation to be studied in unstable
      critically ill children. Future studies will require less exacting protocols
      allowing enhanced recruitment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials
      ISRCTN02639863. FUNDING: This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology
      Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology
      Assessment; Vol. 18, No. 71. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further
      project information.

PMID- 26099140
TI  - A Multimodal Image Reconstruction Method Using Ultrasonic Waves and Electrical
      Resistance Tomography.
AB  - In this paper, a new system that improves the image obtained by an array of
      ultrasonic sensors using electrical resistance tomography (ERT) is presented. One
      of its target applications can be in automatic exploration of soft tissues, where
      different organs and eventual anomalies exhibit simultaneously different
      electrical conductivities and different acoustic impedances. The exclusive usage
      of the ERT technique usually leads to some significant uncertainties around the
      regions' boundaries and usually generates images with relatively low resolutions.
      The proposed method shows that by properly combining this technique with an
      ultrasonic-based method, which can provide good localization of some edge points,
      the accuracy of the shape of individual cells can be improved, if these edge
      points are used as constraints during the inversion procedure. The performance of
      the proposed reconstruction method was assessed by conducting extensive tests on
      some simulated phantoms which mimic soft tissues. The obtained results clearly
      show the outperformance of this method over single modalities techniques that use
      either ultrasound or ERT imaging. 

PMID- 26099141
TI  - A Fast Single Image Haze Removal Algorithm Using Color Attenuation Prior.
AB  - Single image haze removal has been a challenging problem due to its ill-posed
      nature. In this paper, we propose a simple but powerful color attenuation prior
      for haze removal from a single input hazy image. By creating a linear model for
      modeling the scene depth of the hazy image under this novel prior and learning
      the parameters of the model with a supervised learning method, the depth
      information can be well recovered. With the depth map of the hazy image, we can
      easily estimate the transmission and restore the scene radiance via the
      atmospheric scattering model, and thus effectively remove the haze from a single
      image. Experimental results show that the proposed approach outperforms state-of
      the-art haze removal algorithms in terms of both efficiency and the dehazing
      effect. 

PMID- 26099142
TI  - Non-Rigid Object Contour Tracking via a Novel Supervised Level Set Model.
AB  - We present a novel approach to non-rigid objects contour tracking in this paper
      based on a supervised level set model (SLSM). In contrast to most existing
      trackers that use bounding box to specify the tracked target, the proposed method
      extracts the accurate contours of the target as tracking output, which achieves
      better description of the non-rigid objects while reduces background pollution to
      the target model. Moreover, conventional level set models only emphasize the
      regional intensity consistency and consider no priors. Differently, the curve
      evolution of the proposed SLSM is object-oriented and supervised by the specific
      knowledge of the targets we want to track. Therefore, the SLSM can ensure a more
      accurate convergence to the exact targets in tracking applications. In
      particular, we firstly construct the appearance model for the target in an online
      boosting manner due to its strong discriminative power between the object and the
      background. Then, the learnt target model is incorporated to model the
      probabilities of the level set contour by a Bayesian manner, leading the curve
      converge to the candidate region with maximum likelihood of being the target.
      Finally, the accurate target region qualifies the samples fed to the boosting
      procedure as well as the target model prepared for the next time step. We firstly
      describe the proposed mechanism of two-phase SLSM for single target tracking,
      then give its generalized multi-phase version for dealing with multi-target
      tracking cases. Positive decrease rate is used to adjust the learning pace over
      time, enabling tracking to continue under partial and total occlusion.
      Experimental results on a number of challenging sequences validate the
      effectiveness of the proposed method. 

PMID- 26099143
TI  - Detecting Curvilinear Features Using Structure Tensors.
AB  - Few published articles on curvilinear structures exist compared with works on
      detecting lines or corners with high accuracy. In medical ultrasound imaging, the
      structures that need to be detected appear as a collection of microstructures
      correlated along a path. In this paper, we investigated techniques that extract
      meaningful low-level information for curvilinear structures, using techniques
      based on structure tensor. We proposed a novel structure tensor enhancement
      inspired by bilateral filtering. We compared the proposed approach with five
      state-of-the-art curvilinear structure detectors. We tested the algorithms
      against simulated images with known ground truth and real images from three
      different domains (medical ultrasound, scanning electron microscope, and
      astronomy). For the real images, we employed experts to delineate the ground
      truth for each domain. Techniques borrowed from machine learning robustly
      assessed the performance of the methods (area under curve and cross validation).
      As a practical application, we used the proposed method to label a set of 5000
      ultrasound images. We conclude that the proposed tensor-based approach
      outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in providing magnitude and orientation
      information for curvilinear structures. The evaluation methodology ensures that
      the employed feature-detection method will yield reproducible performance on new,
      unseen images. We published all the implemented methods as open-source software. 

PMID- 26099144
TI  - Local Sparse Structure Denoising for Low-Light-Level Image.
AB  - Sparse and redundant representations perform well in image denoising. However,
      sparsity-based methods fail to denoise low-light-level (LLL) images because of
      heavy and complex noise. They consider sparsity on image patches independently
      and tend to lose the texture structures. To suppress noises and maintain textures
      simultaneously, it is necessary to embed noise invariant features into the sparse
      decomposition process. We, therefore, used a local structure preserving sparse
      coding (LSPSc) formulation to explore the local sparse structures (both the
      sparsity and local structure) in image. It was found that, with the introduction
      of spatial local structure constraint into the general sparse coding algorithm,
      LSPSc could improve the robustness of sparse representation for patches in
      serious noise. We further used a kernel LSPSc (K-LSPSc) formulation, which
      extends LSPSc into the kernel space to weaken the influence of linear structure
      constraint in nonlinear data. Based on the robust LSPSc and K-LSPSc algorithms,
      we constructed a local sparse structure denoising (LSSD) model for LLL images,
      which was demonstrated to give high performance in the natural LLL images
      denoising, indicating that both the LSPSc- and K-LSPSc-based LSSD models have the
      stable property of noise inhibition and texture details preservation. 

PMID- 26099145
TI  - Depth Map Coding Optimization Using Rendered View Distortion for 3D Video Coding.
AB  - In order to improve 3D video coding efficiency, we propose methods to estimate
      rendered view distortion in synthesized views as a function of the depth map
      quantization error. Our approach starts by calculating the geometric error caused
      by the depth map error based on the camera parameters. Then, we estimate the
      rendered view distortion based on the local video characteristics. The estimated
      rendered view distortion is used in the rate-distortion optimized mode selection
      for depth map coding. A Lagrange multiplier is derived using the proposed
      distortion metric, which is estimated based on an autoregressive model.
      Experimental results show the efficiency of the proposed methods, with average
      savings of 43% in depth map bitrate as compared with encoding the depth maps
      using the same coding tools but with the rate-distortion optimization based on
      the conventional distortion metric. 

PMID- 26099146
TI  - Motion Estimation for Dynamic Texture Videos Based on Locally and Globally
      Varying Models.
AB  - Motion estimation, i.e., optical flow, of fluid-like and dynamic texture (DT)
      images/videos is an important challenge, particularly for understanding outdoor
      scene changes created by objects and/or natural phenomena. Most optical flow
      models use smoothness-based constraints using terms such as fluidity from the
      fluid dynamics framework, with constraints typically being incompressibility and
      low Reynolds numbers (Re ). Such constraints are assumed to impede the clear
      capture of locally abrupt image intensity and motion changes, i.e.,
      discontinuities and/or high Re over time. This paper exploits novel physics-based
      optical flow models/constraints for both smooth and discontinuous changes using a
      wave generation theory that imposes no constraint on Re or compressibility of an
      image sequence. Iterated two-step optimization between local and global
      optimization is also used: first, an objective function with varying multiple
      sine/cosine bases with new local image properties, i.e., orientation and
      frequency, and with a novel transformed dispersion relationship equation are
      used. Second, the statistical property of image features is used to globally
      optimize model parameters. Experiments on synthetic and real DT image sequences
      with smooth and discontinuous motions demonstrate that the proposed locally and
      globally varying models outperform the previous optical flow models. 

PMID- 26099147
TI  - Image Restoration Using Gaussian Mixture Models With Spatially Constrained Patch
      Clustering.
AB  - In this paper, we address the problem of recovering degraded images using
      multivariate Gaussian mixture model (GMM) as a prior. The GMM framework in our
      method for image restoration is based on the assumption that the accumulation of
      similar patches in a neighborhood are derived from a multivariate Gaussian
      probability distribution with a specific covariance and mean. Previous methods of
      image restoration with GMM have not considered spatial (geometric) distance
      between patches in clustering. Our conducted experiments show that in the case of
      constraining Gaussian estimates into a finite-sized windows, the patch clusters
      are more likely to be derived from the estimated multivariate Gaussian
      distributions, i.e., the proposed statistical patch-based model provides a better
      goodness-of-fit to statistical properties of natural images. A novel approach for
      computing aggregation weights for image reconstruction from recovered patches is
      introduced which is based on similarity degree of each patch to the estimated
      Gaussian clusters. The results admit that in the case of image denoising, our
      method is highly comparable with the state-of-the-art methods, and our image
      interpolation method outperforms previous state-of-the-art methods. 

PMID- 26099148
TI  - Extraction and Classification of Multichannel Electromyographic Activation
      Trajectories for Hand Movement Recognition.
AB  - This paper proposes a system for hand movement recognition using multichannel
      electromyographic (EMG) signals obtained from the forearm surface. This system
      can be used to control prostheses or to provide inputs for a wide range of human
      computer interface systems. In this work, the hand movement recognition problem
      is formulated as a multi-class distance based classification of multi-dimensional
      sequences. More specifically, the extraction of multi-channel EMG activation
      trajectories underlying hand movements, and classifying the extracted
      trajectories using a metric based on multi-dimensional dynamic time warping are
      investigated. The developed methods are evaluated using the publicly available
      NINAPro database comprised of 40 different hand movements performed by 40
      subjects. The average movement error rate obtained across the 40 subjects is
      0.09+/-0.047. The low error rate demonstrates the efficacy of the proposed
      trajectory extraction method and the discriminability of the utilized distance
      metric.

PMID- 26099149
TI  - Comparison Analysis: Granger Causality and New Causality and Their Applications
      to Motor Imagery.
AB  - In this paper we first point out a fatal drawback that the widely used Granger
      causality (GC) needs to estimate the autoregressive model, which is equivalent to
      taking a series of backward recursive operations which are infeasible in many
      irreversible chemical reaction models. Thus, new causality (NC) proposed by Hu et
      al. (2011) is theoretically shown to be more sensitive to reveal true causality
      than GC. We then apply GC and NC to motor imagery (MI) which is an important
      mental process in cognitive neuroscience and psychology and has received growing
      attention for a long time. We study causality flow during MI using scalp
      electroencephalograms from nine subjects in Brain-computer interface competition
      IV held in 2008. We are interested in three regions: Cz (central area of the
      cerebral cortex), C3 (left area of the cerebral cortex), and C4 (right area of
      the cerebral cortex) which are considered to be optimal locations for recognizing
      MI states in the literature. Our results show that: 1) there is strong
      directional connectivity from Cz to C3/C4 during left- and right-hand MIs based
      on GC and NC; 2) during left-hand MI, there is directional connectivity from C4
      to C3 based on GC and NC; 3) during right-hand MI, there is strong directional
      connectivity from C3 to C4 which is much clearly revealed by NC than by GC, i.e.,
      NC largely improves the classification rate; and 4) NC is demonstrated to be much
      more sensitive to reveal causal influence between different brain regions than
      GC.

PMID- 26099150
TI  - A Global Covariance Descriptor for Nuclear Atypia Scoring in Breast
      Histopathology Images.
AB  - Nuclear atypia scoring is a diagnostic measure commonly used to assess tumor
      grade of various cancers, including breast cancer. It provides a quantitative
      measure of deviation in visual appearance of cell nuclei from those in normal
      epithelial cells. In this paper, we present a novel image-level descriptor for
      nuclear atypia scoring in breast cancer histopathology images. The method is
      based on the region covariance descriptor that has recently become a popular
      method in various computer vision applications. The descriptor in its original
      form is not suitable for classification of histopathology images as cancerous
      histopathology images tend to possess diversely heterogeneous regions in a single
      field of view. Our proposed image-level descriptor, which we term as the geodesic
      mean of region covariance descriptors, possesses all the attractive properties of
      covariance descriptors lending itself to tractable geodesic-distance-based k
      nearest neighbor classification using efficient kernels. The experimental results
      suggest that the proposed image descriptor yields high classification accuracy
      compared to a variety of widely used image-level descriptors. 

PMID- 26099151
TI  - Adaptive Neural Control of MIMO Nonstrict-Feedback Nonlinear Systems With Time
      Delay.
AB  - In this paper, an adaptive neural output-feedback tracking controller is designed
      for a class of multiple-input and multiple-output nonstrict-feedback nonlinear
      systems with time delay. The system coefficient and uncertain functions of our
      considered systems are both unknown. By employing neural networks to approximate
      the unknown function entries, and constructing a new input-driven filter, a
      backstepping design method of tracking controller is developed for the systems
      under consideration. The proposed controller can guarantee that all the signals
      in the closed-loop systems are ultimately bounded, and the time-varying target
      signal can be tracked within a small error as well. The main contributions of
      this paper lie in that the systems under consideration are more general, and an
      effective design procedure of output-feedback controller is developed for the
      considered systems, which is more applicable in practice. Simulation results
      demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.

PMID- 26099152
TI  - Editor's Foreword.

PMID- 26099153
TI  - Development of a Faith-Based Mental Health Literacy Program to Improve Treatment
      Engagement Among Caribbean Latinos in the Northeastern United States of America.
AB  - Depression is one of the leading causes of years lived with disability (YLDs)
      worldwide. Although depression can be successfully treated, 75% of Americans do
      not receive care. Treatment rates among Latinos immigrants are significantly
      lower than non-immigrant Latinos and non-Hispanic Whites. Known factors for
      mental health-care disparities such as poverty, insurance coverage, language
      barriers, and access to specialty mental health services in Latino neighborhoods
      do not fully explain the differences in treatment rates. Significant, but poorly
      understood factors influencing depression treatment among Latinos in the United
      States are lack of culturally congruent care, low mental health literacy, and
      stigma. Even though churches are a major source of health information, social and
      spiritual support for Latinos, the conceptualization of culturally congruent care
      rarely addresses religious beliefs. Therefore, one strategy to reduce disparities
      in depression treatment is to partner with churches to address faith-based
      stigma. Community-based participatory research is recognized as a methodology
      particularly well suited for creating successful culturally targeted
      interventions. The purpose of this article is to describe the process of creating
      a faith-based mental health literacy intervention in the Caribbean Latino
      community using the principles of community-based participatory research. 

PMID- 26099154
TI  - The Influence of Cultural Factors on HIV/AIDS Education in Ivorian Schools.
AB  - This qualitative study focuses on culturally embedded beliefs about the teaching
      and learning of HIV/AIDS topics in the Ivory Coast. We aim to analyze and
      describe factors influencing the implementation of the HIV/AIDS curricula in
      Ivorian sixth-grade classrooms. With continuous spreading of AIDS in the Ivory
      Coast, education about HIV/AIDS has to increase; therefore, an urgent need to
      document, evaluate, and disseminate Ivorian perspectives on what is understood as
      valuable HIV/AIDS knowledge to prioritize such content in the curriculum is
      needed. Multiple qualitative methods were collected: individual interviews with
      39 teachers, 63 sixth-grade students, eight school administrators, 20 community
      elders as well as field notes, and document analysis. By promoting HIV/AIDS
      curricula that is responsive to and inclusive of youth cultural beliefs and
      aligning teaching practice to Ivorian youth cultural interests, there is a chance
      that HIV/AIDS education could lead to safer sexual behaviors among Ivorian youth.

PMID- 26099155
TI  - Health Beliefs About Tobacco With Betel Nut Use Among Adults in Yap, Micronesia.
AB  - Tobacco use is high among Pacific Islanders in general and little tobacco
      research has been done in Yap, Micronesia. This study aimed to explore
      perceptions of tobacco use coupled with chewing of betel (areca) nut among adults
      in Yap using self-administered questionnaires based on the health belief model. A
      Likert scale (ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree or very unlikely
      to very likely) was used to measure susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers,
      cues to action, and self-efficacy among individuals aged 18 and older. Older
      adults felt quitting tobacco or betel nut use would be significantly more
      difficult because of social reasons and withdrawal problems. Most participants
      felt susceptible to tobacco-related diseases. These findings possibly indicate a
      receptive attitude toward any future tobacco use prevention and intervention
      program. Older Yapese population would need to be especially targeted. Health
      promotion programs should target smoking behaviors and risk reduction. 

PMID- 26099156
TI  - Influence of Exposure to Sexually Explicit Films on the Sexual Behavior of
      Secondary School Students in Ibadan, Nigeria.
AB  - Young people in secondary schools who are prone to engage in risky sexual
      behaviors spend considerable time watching Television (TV) which often presents
      sex scenes. The influence of exposure to sex scenes on TV (SSTV) has been little
      researched in Nigeria. This study was therefore designed to determine the
      perceived influence of exposure to SSTV on the sexual behavior of secondary
      school students in Ibadan North Local Government Area. A total of 489 randomly
      selected students were surveyed. Mean age of respondents was 14.1 +/- 1.9 years
      and 53.8% were females. About 91% had ever been exposed to sex scenes. The type
      of TV program from which most respondents reported exposure to sexual scenes was
      movies (86.9%). Majority reported exposure to all forms of SSTV from secondary
      storage devices. Students whose TV watching behavior was not monitored had
      heavier exposures to SSTV compared with those who were. About 56.3% of females
      and 26.5% of males affirmed that watching SSTV had affected their sexual
      behavior. Predictor of sex-related activities was exposure to heavy sex scenes.
      Peer education and school-based programs should include topics to teach young
      people on how to evaluate presentations of TV programs. 

PMID- 26099158
TI  - Segment Kinematics Differ Between Jump and Drop Landings Regardless of Practice.
AB  - Joint kinematics differ between jump and drop landings and there is evidence that
      segment kinematics may also be different. The purpose of this research was to
      compare lower extremity segment kinematics for jump and drop landings, and to
      examine if multiple days of practice would influence these kinematics. Men (n =
      9) and women (n = 15) performed 4 sessions of jump and drop landings (40 cm and
      60 cm) in a motion-capture laboratory. Segment kinematics at initial contact,
      foot flat, and peak knee flexion were compared between landing types and across
      visits. At initial contact, foot plantar flexion was greater in jump versus drop
      landings (P < .05). At initial contact and foot flat, forward leg inclination and
      pelvis flexion were greater in jump landing (P < .05), while thigh flexion was
      greater in drop landings (P > .05). The differences in leg and thigh angles at
      initial contact and foot flat altered lower extremity posture. These results are
      in contrast to a previous study; this suggests that drop landing can be modified
      to have the same mechanics as jump landing. As practice did not influence drop
      landing mechanics (P > .05), specific control strategies and instructions need to
      be identified. 

PMID- 26099159
TI  - Three-Dimensional Rotations of the Scapula During Arm Abduction: Evaluation of
      the Acromion Marker Cluster Method in Comparison With a Model-Based Approach
      Using Biplanar Radiograph Images.
AB  - Noninvasive methods enabling measurement of shoulder bone positions are paramount
      in clinical and ergonomics applications. In this study, the acromion marker
      cluster (AMC) method is assessed in comparison with a model-based approach
      allowing scapula tracking from low-dose biplanar radiograph images. Six healthy
      male subjects participated in this study. Data acquisition was performed for 6
      arm abduction positions (0 degrees , 45 degrees , 90 degrees , 120 degrees , 150
      degrees , 180 degrees ). Scapula rotations were calculated using the coordinate
      systems and angle sequence was defined by the ISB. The comparison analysis was
      based on root mean square error (RMSE) calculation and nonparametric statistical
      tests. RMSE remained under 8 degrees  for 0 degrees  to 90 degrees  arm abduction
      and under 13.5 degrees  for 0 degrees  to 180 degrees  abduction; no significant
      differences were found between the 2 methods. Compared with previous works, an
      improved accuracy of the AMC approach at high arm abduction positions was
      obtained. This could be explained by the different sources of data used as the
      "gold standard." 

PMID- 26099160
TI  - The Contribution of Trunk Axial Kinematics to Poststrike Ball Velocity During
      Maximal Instep Soccer Kicking.
AB  - To date, biomechanical analyses of soccer kicking have focused predominantly on
      lower-extremity motions, with little emphasis on the trunk and upper body. The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in trunk axial kinematics
      between novice (n = 10) and skilled (n = 10) participants, as well as to
      establish the relationship of trunk axial motion and sagittal plane thigh
      rotation to poststrike ball velocity. Three-dimensional body segmental motion
      data were captured using high-resolution motion analysis (120 Hz) while each
      participant completed 5 maximal instep soccer-style kicks. The results
      demonstrate that skilled participants use 53% greater axial trunk range of motion
      compared with novice participants (P < .01), as well as 62% greater peak trunk
      rotation velocity (P < .01). The results also show a moderate, positive
      correlation of peak trunk rotation velocity with poststrike ball velocity (r =
      .57; P < .01), and peak hip flexion velocity with poststrike ball velocity (r =
      .63; P < .01). The current study highlights the potential for trunk rotation
      specific training to improve maximum instep kick velocity in developing soccer
      athletes. 

PMID- 26099161
TI  - The Effect of Work Boots on Knee Mechanics and the Center of Pressure at the Knee
      During Static Kneeling.
AB  - Occupational kneeling is associated with an increased risk for the development of
      knee osteoarthritis. Previous work studying occupational kneeling has neglected
      to account for the fact that in many industrial settings, workers are required to
      wear steel-toe work boots. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the
      effect of work boot wear on the center of pressure location of the ground
      reaction force, knee joint angle, and magnitude of the ground reaction force in a
      kneeling posture. Fifteen healthy males were fit with 3D motion capture markers
      and knelt statically over a force plate embedded in the floor. Using the tibial
      tuberosity as the point of reference, the center of pressure in shod condition
      was shifted significantly medially (on average 0.009 m [P = .005]) compared with
      the barefoot condition. The knee was significantly less internally rotated (shod:
      -12.5 degrees  vs. barefoot: -17.4 degrees  [P = .009]) and the
      anterior/posterior shear force was significantly greater in the shod condition
      (shod: 6.0% body weight vs. barefoot: 1.5% body weight [P = .002]). Therefore,
      wearing work boots alters the kneeling posture compared with barefoot kneeling,
      potentially loading different surfaces of the knee, as well as altering knee
      joint moments. 

PMID- 26099162
TI  - Evaluation of Tai Chi Program Effectiveness for People with Arthritis in the
      Community: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evaluate effectiveness of the Arthritis Foundation Tai Chi Program for
      community participants with arthritis. METHODS: 343 individuals were randomized
      to either the intervention or wait-list control group. Performance and self
      reported outcome (SRO) measures were assessed at baseline and eight weeks. At one
      year, SROs only were assessed. Adjusted means were determined using regression
      models adjusting for covariates, and effect sizes (ES) were calculated. RESULTS:
      Average participant age was 66 years, 87% were female, and 87% were Caucasian.
      Among 284 (83%) participants who returned at eight weeks, balance by reach (ES =
      0.30) and helplessness, sleep, and role participation satisfaction (ES = 0.24
      0.54) improved significantly; pain, fatigue, and stiffness improvement (ES = 0.15
      0.23) approached significance. No change was noted in mobility, lower extremity
      strength, or single-leg stance balance. At one year, improvements in pain,
      fatigue, stiffness, helplessness, and role participation satisfaction at eight
      weeks were maintained; 30% continued tai chi practice. CONCLUSION: Moderate
      effectiveness of the Arthritis Foundation Tai Chi Program was confirmed.

PMID- 26099164
TI  - Adverse psychological outcomes following colposcopy and related procedures: a
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although colposcopy is the leading follow-up option for women with
      abnormal cervical cytology, little is known about its psychological consequences.
      OBJECTIVES: We performed a systematic review to examine: (1) what, if any, are
      the adverse psychological outcomes following colposcopy and related procedures;
      (2) what are the predictors of adverse psychological outcomes post-colposcopy;
      and (3) what happens to these outcomes over time. SEARCH STRATEGY: Five
      electronic databases (PubMed, PsychINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus) were
      searched for studies published in English between January 1986 and February 2014.
      SELECTION CRITERIA: Eligible studies assessed psychological wellbeing at one or
      more time-points post-colposcopy. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers
      independently screened titles and abstracts. Full texts of potentially eligible
      papers were reviewed. Data were abstracted from, and a quality appraisal
      performed of, eligible papers. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-three papers reporting 16
      studies were eligible. Colposcopy and related procedures can lead to adverse
      psychological outcomes, particularly anxiety. Ten studies investigated predictors
      of adverse psychological outcomes; management type and treatment had no impact on
      this. Seven studies investigated temporal trends in psychological outcomes post
      colposcopy; findings were mixed, especially in relation to anxiety and distress.
      Studies were methodologically heterogeneous. CONCLUSIONS: Follow-up
      investigations and procedures for abnormal cervical cytology can cause adverse
      psychological outcomes among women. However, little is known about the predictors
      of these outcomes or how long they persist. There is a need for a more
      standardised approach to the examination of the psychological impact of
      colposcopy, especially longer-term outcomes. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Follow-up
      investigations for abnormal cervical cytology can cause adverse psychological
      outcome among women.

PMID- 26099165
TI  - A computational method for clinically relevant cancer stratification and driver
      mutation module discovery using personal genomics profiles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Personalized genomics instability, e.g., somatic mutations, is
      believed to contribute to the heterogeneous drug responses in patient cohorts.
      However, it is difficult to discover personalized driver mutations that are
      predictive of drug sensitivity owing to diverse and complex mutations of
      individual patients. To circumvent this problem, a novel computational method is
      presented to discover potential drug sensitivity relevant cancer subtypes and
      identify driver mutation modules of individual subtypes by coupling
      differentially expressed genes (DEGs) based subtyping analysis with the driver
      mutation network analysis. RESULTS: The proposed method was applied to breast
      cancer and lung cancer samples available from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).
      Cancer subtypes were uncovered with significantly different survival rates, and
      more interestingly, distinct driver mutation modules were also discovered among
      different subtypes, indicating the potential mechanism of heterogeneous drug
      sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: The research findings can be used to help guide the
      repurposing of known drugs and their combinations in order to target these
      dysfunctional modules and their downstream signaling effectively for achieving
      personalized or precision medicine treatment.

PMID- 26099166
TI  - Research Review: Use of EEG biomarkers in child psychiatry research - current
      state and future directions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Electroencephalography (EEG) and related measures have a long and
      productive history in child psychopathology research and are currently
      experiencing a renaissance in interest, particularly for use as putative
      biomarkers. METHOD AND SCOPE: First, the recent history leading to the use of EEG
      measures as endophenotypes and biomarkers for disease and treatment response are
      reviewed. Two key controversies within the area of noninvasive human
      electrophysiology research are discussed, and problems that currently either
      function as barriers or provide gateways to progress. First, the differences
      between the main types of EEG measurements (event-related potentials,
      quantitative EEG, and time-frequency measures) and how they can contribute
      collectively to better understanding of cortical dynamics underlying cognition
      and behavior are highlighted. Second, we focus on the ongoing shift in analytic
      focus to specific cortical sources and source networks whose dynamics are
      relevant to the clinical and experimental focus of the study, and the effective
      increase in source signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that may be obtained in the
      process. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding of these issues informs any discussion of
      current trends in EEG research. We highlight possible ways to evolve our
      understanding of brain dynamics beyond the apparent contradictions in
      understanding and modeling EEG activity highlighted by these controversies.
      Finally, we summarize some promising future directions of EEG biomarker research
      in child psychopathology.

PMID- 26099167
TI  - Inactivation of pathogenic bacteria inoculated onto a BactoTM agar model surface
      using TiO2-UVC photocatalysis, UVC and chlorine treatments.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to study inactivation of different pathogenic
      bacteria on agar model surface using TiO2-UV photocatalysis (TUVP). METHODS AND
      RESULTS: A unified food surface model was simulated using Bacto(TM) agar, a
      routinely used microbial medium. The foodborne pathogenic bacteria Escherichia
      coli K12 (as a surrogate for E. coli O157:H7), Salmonella Typhimurium,
      Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes were inoculated onto the agar
      surface, followed by investigation of TUVP-assisted inactivation and
      morphological changes in bacterial cells. The TUVP process showed higher
      bacterial inactivation, particularly for Gram-negative bacteria, than UVC alone
      and a control (dark reaction). A TUVP treatment of 17.2 mW cm(-2) (30% lower than
      the UVC light intensity) reduced the microbial load on the agar surface by 4.5
      6.0 log CFU cm(-2). UVC treatment of 23.7 mW cm(-2) caused 3.0-5.3 log CFU cm(-2)
      reduction. CONCLUSIONS: The use of agar model surface is effective for
      investigation of bacterial disinfection and TUVP is a promising nonthermal
      technique. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The results showing effects of
      photocatalysis and other treatments for inactivation of bacterial pathogens on
      model surface can be useful for applying such processes for disinfection of
      fruit, vegetables and other similar surfaces.

PMID- 26099168
TI  - MicroRNAs as promising novel biomarkers and potential drug targets for
      inflammatory neurological diseases.

PMID- 26099169
TI  - CLIPPERS: Long term management?

PMID- 26099171
TI  - Regulation of BAX/BCL2 gene expression in breast cancer cells by docetaxel-loaded
      human serum albumin nanoparticles.
AB  - Today, using nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems has expanded to avoid
      anticancer side effects. Taxanes are important chemotherapeutic agents in the
      treatment of metastatic breast cancer. In this study, docetaxel (DTX)-loaded
      human serum albumin (HSA) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared and characterized.
      Drug toxicity of the nanoparticles was measured by MTT assay with different drug
      concentrations (0.01, 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 5 MUM) at different incubation times (24,
      48 and 72 h). Expression of BAX/BCL2 mRNA levels was determined by real-time PCR.
      The size of NPs prepared and used in our study was about 147 nm with surface
      charge of -29.6 mV. Results obtained from MTT assay showed that 0.5 MUM of free
      drug had 50 % toxicity on MCF-7 cells after 48-h incubation. Real-time PCR
      results showed an increase in expression of BAX and no change for BCL2. In
      conclusion, a significant overexpression of BAX gene and changes in BAX/BCL2
      ratio were observed for DTX-loaded HSA nanoparticles compared with free DTX and
      may provide a potential therapy to inhibit anticancer drug resistance.

PMID- 26099170
TI  - GM1 ganglioside in Parkinson's disease: Pilot study of effects on dopamine
      transporter binding.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: GM1 ganglioside has been suggested as a treatment for Parkinson's
      disease (PD), potentially having symptomatic and disease modifying effects. The
      current pilot imaging study was performed to examine effects of GM1 on dopamine
      transporter binding, as a surrogate measure of disease progression, studied
      longitudinally. METHODS: Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging data were
      obtained from a subset of subjects enrolled in a delayed start clinical trial of
      GM1 in PD [1]: 15 Early-start (ES) subjects, 14 Delayed-start (DS) subjects, and
      11 Comparison (standard-of-care) subjects. Treatment subjects were studied over a
      2.5 year period while Comparison subjects were studied over 2 years. Dynamic PET
      scans were performed over 90 min following injection of [(11)C]methylphenidate.
      Regional values of binding potential (BPND) were analyzed for several striatal
      volumes of interest. RESULTS: Clinical results for this subset of subjects were
      similar to those previously reported for the larger study group. ES subjects
      showed early symptomatic improvement and slow symptom progression over the study
      period. DS and Comparison subjects were initially on the same symptom progression
      trajectory but diverged once DS subjects received GM1 treatment. Imaging results
      showed significant slowing of BPND loss in several striatal regions in GM1
      treated subjects and in some cases, an increased BPND in some striatal regions
      was detected after GM1 use. INTERPRETATION: Results of this pilot imaging study
      provide additional data to suggest a potential disease modifying effect of GM1 on
      PD. These results need to be confirmed in a larger number of subjects.

PMID- 26099172
TI  - The crucial role of SRPK1 in TGF-beta-induced proliferation and apoptosis in the
      esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.
AB  - In recent years, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and the serine
      arginine protein kinase 1 (SRPK1) have been recommended as a key signal mediator
      that is involved in oncogenesis. However, the mechanisms underlying TGF-beta
      SRPK1 pathway-mediated proliferation and apoptosis in the esophageal squamous
      cell carcinomas (ESCC) have not been well featured till now. We used
      immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and RT-PCR to assess the expression of
      SRPK1 in 120 cases of ESCC samples and cell lines. Subsequently, some in vitro
      assays were also applied where cells were administrated with TGF-beta. We found
      that SRPK1 was highly expressed in ESCC tissues and acts as an independent
      prognostic factor for ESCC patients. In vitro studies indicated that
      overexpression of wild-type SRPK1 promoted ESCC cell proliferation, while
      overexpression of the kinase-dead mutant of SRPK1 or RNA interference against
      SRPK1 suppressed cell growth and enhanced apoptosis. The knockdown of SRPK1 also
      inhibited subcutaneous xenografts' growth of ESCC cells in nude mice.
      Furthermore, Western bolt analysis showed SRPK1 can activate Akt phosphorylation
      and inhibit JNK phosphorylation. In conclusion, SRPK1 mediates TGF-beta-induced
      proliferation and apoptosis by regulating AKT and JNK in ESCC, which indicates
      TGF-beta-SRPK1 pathway may be suggested as a useful target to affect the
      progression of ESCC. 

PMID- 26099173
TI  - Clinical implications of epithelial cell plasticity in cancer progression.
AB  - In the last few years, the role of epithelial cell plasticity in cancer biology
      research has gained increasing attention. This concept refers to the ability of
      the epithelial cells to dynamically switch between different phenotypic cellular
      states. This programme is particularly relevant during the epithelial-to
      mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer progression. During colonization,
      epithelial cells first activate the EMT programme to disseminate from a primary
      tumour to reach a distant tissue site. During this process, cells are transported
      into the circulation and are able to escape the immune system of the host. Then,
      a reverse process called mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) occurs on
      cells that settle in the distant organs. Although epithelial cell plasticity has
      an important impact on tumour biology, the clinical relevance of this concept
      remains to be recapitulated. In this review, we will update the current state of
      epithelial cell plasticity in cancer progression and its clinical implications
      for the design of therapeutic strategies, the acquisition of multidrug
      resistance, and future perspectives for the management of cancer patients. 

PMID- 26099174
TI  - Staged Biventricular Repair-Oriented Strategy in Borderline Biventricular Repair
      Candidates with Ventricular Septal Defect.
AB  - Although borderline biventricular repair (BVR) candidates unsuitable for primary
      BVR are often subjected to single-ventricle repair (SVR), some of them reach BVR
      by staged strategy. We evaluated our staged BVR-oriented strategy in borderline
      BVR candidates with ventricular septal defect (VSD) in whom a BVR/SVR decision
      was deferred beyond the neonatal period. Forty-two patients were treated with the
      approach between 1991 and 2012. They had been followed toward BVR until it was
      judged impossible. Outcomes, time course toward definitive repair (DR: BVR, SVR,
      or 1 + 1/2 ventricle repair), and hemodynamics were reviewed. A total of 57
      palliative surgeries were performed before BVR or bidirectional Glenn (BDG),
      namely procedures to control pulmonary blood flow in 40, to improve mixing in 5,
      and to promote left ventricle (LV) growth in 5. LV growth was achieved in four
      patients. There were three cardiac deaths. Except for four awaiting patients, 19
      reached BVR (50 %), 11 patients were converted to other than BVR, and 28 patients
      achieved DR (74 %) at the median age of 30.9 months. Cardiac cath before BVR or
      BDG performed at the median age of 22.5 months revealed well-preserved pulmonary
      vasculature with the median pulmonary artery pressure of 14 mmHg, except three
      patients unsuitable for SVR. In conclusion, our staged BVR-oriented strategy
      required longer time course and more complex palliative surgeries compared with a
      simple SVR strategy. Leaving open the possibility of a late crossover to an SVR
      pathway is mandatory when adopting staged BVR-oriented strategy in these complex
      patients. 

PMID- 26099176
TI  - Subjective well-being and hookah use among adults in the United States: A
      nationally-representative sample.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Using a nationally-representative dataset of adults 18-30 years old
      in the United States, this study examined the relationship between hookah use and
      subjective well-being. Levels of sadness, happiness, tiredness, pain, and stress
      were compared between persons who have used hookah and those who have not.
      METHODS: Data were merged from the Tobacco Use Supplement of the Current
      Population Survey, the American Time Use Survey, and the Subjective Well-being
      Supplement to the American Time Use Survey for the years 2010-2012 for persons 18
      30 years old (n=1147). Wald tests were used to compare mean differences in
      subjective well-being between hookah users and non-users. Lastly, multivariable
      regression was used to determine whether there were significant differences in
      subjective well-being between hookah users and non-users, controlling for
      demographic factors, self-perceived health, and cigarette smoking. RESULTS: The
      lifetime prevalence rate of hookah use was 5.2% among 18-30 year olds. Hookah
      users reported higher levels of stress and sadness than non-users. These
      relationships remained significant after controlling for demographic
      characteristics, self-perceived health, and cigarette use. The results were
      robust to the use of different statistical models, different age cut-offs, the
      inclusion of additional covariates (such as income and population density), and
      separate analyses by sex. CONCLUSIONS: Hookah use is an emerging public health
      issue associated with increased levels of stress and sadness. Similar to
      cigarette use, healthcare providers may consider expanding their screening tests
      to include hookah use. Public policy geared toward greater prevention and control
      of hookah use is also recommended.

PMID- 26099175
TI  - The role of mitochondria and the CIA machinery in the maturation of cytosolic and
      nuclear iron-sulfur proteins.
AB  - Mitochondria have been derived from alpha-bacterial endosymbionts during the
      evolution of eukaryotes. Numerous bacterial functions have been maintained inside
      the organelles including fatty acid degradation, citric acid cycle, oxidative
      phosphorylation, and the synthesis of heme or lipoic acid cofactors.
      Additionally, mitochondria have inherited the bacterial iron-sulfur cluster
      assembly (ISC) machinery. Many of the ISC components are essential for cell
      viability because they generate a still unknown, sulfur-containing compound for
      the assembly of cytosolic and nuclear Fe/S proteins that perform important
      functions in, e.g., protein translation, DNA synthesis and repair, and chromosome
      segregation. The sulfur-containing compound is exported by the mitochondrial ABC
      transporter Atm1 (human ABCB7) and utilized by components of the cytosolic iron
      sulfur protein assembly (CIA) machinery. An appealing minimal model for the
      striking compartmentation of eukaryotic Fe/S protein biogenesis is provided by
      organisms that contain mitosomes instead of mitochondria. Mitosomes have been
      derived from mitochondria by reductive evolution, during which they have lost
      virtually all classical mitochondrial tasks. Nevertheless, mitosomes harbor all
      core ISC components which presumably have been maintained for assisting the
      maturation of cytosolic-nuclear Fe/S proteins. The current review is centered
      around the Atm1 export process. We present an overview on the mitochondrial
      requirements for the export reaction, summarize recent insights into the 3D
      structure and potential mechanism of Atm1, and explain how the CIA machinery uses
      the mitochondrial export product for the assembly of cytosolic and nuclear Fe/S
      proteins. 

PMID- 26099178
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099179
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099180
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099177
TI  - Bromodomain inhibitors regulate the C9ORF72 locus in ALS.
AB  - A hexanucleotide repeat expansion residing within the C9ORF72 gene represents the
      most common known cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and places the
      disease among a growing family of repeat expansion disorders. The presence of RNA
      foci, repeat-associated translation products, and sequestration of RNA binding
      proteins suggests that toxic RNA gain-of-function contributes to pathology while
      C9ORF72 haploinsufficiency may be an additional pathological factor. One viable
      therapeutic strategy for treating expansion diseases is the use of small molecule
      inhibitors of epigenetic modifier proteins to reactivate expanded genetic loci.
      Indeed, previous studies have established proof of this principle by increasing
      the drug-induced expression of expanded (and abnormally heterochromatinized)
      FMR1, FXN and C9ORF72 genes in respective patient cells. While epigenetic
      modifier proteins are increasingly recognized as druggable targets, there have
      been few screening strategies to address this avenue of drug discovery in the
      context of expansion diseases. Here we utilize a semi-high-throughput gene
      expression based screen to identify siRNAs and small molecule inhibitors of
      epigenetic modifier proteins that regulate C9ORF72 RNA in patient fibroblasts,
      lymphocytes and reprogrammed motor neurons. We found that several bromodomain
      small molecule inhibitors increase the expression of C9ORF72 mRNA and pre-mRNA
      without affecting repressive epigenetic signatures of expanded C9ORF72 alleles.
      These data suggest that bromodomain inhibition increases the expression of
      unexpanded C9ORF72 alleles and may therefore compensate for haploinsufficiency
      without increasing the production of toxic RNA and protein products, thereby
      conferring therapeutic value. 

PMID- 26099181
TI  - [Pneumatosis intestinalis].

PMID- 26099182
TI  - [Enterolith ileus complicating jejunal diverticulosis].
AB  - Jejunal diverticulosis is uncommon and usually asymptomatic. One of the rarest
      complications is ileus due to migrated enteroliths formed in the diverticula. We
      present a case of a 95-year-old man admitted with small bowel obstruction. During
      operation extensive jejunal diverticulosis was found along with intraluminal
      enteroliths causing obstruction of the ileum. An enterotomy was made and three 3
      * 3 * 2 cm enteroliths were removed. The patient was discharged on the sixth post
      operative day. Less than 50 similar cases have been reported worldwide.

PMID- 26099183
TI  - [Three-dimensional laparoscopy has the potential to replace two-dimensional
      laparoscopy in abdominal surgery].
AB  - Studies comparing three-dimensional (3D) laparoscopy with 2D laparoscopy have
      shown shorter operation time, a short learning curve as well as better depth
      perception. Robotic surgery includes the EndoWrist function in addition to the 3D
      view; however robotic surgery lacks haptic feedback. No evidence from clinical
      trials for the potential benefits of robotic surgery exists. Thus, 3D laparoscopy
      is an eligible alternative to both 2D laparoscopy and robotic surgery.

PMID- 26099184
TI  - [Sparse evidence for treating whiplash associated disorders].
AB  - This article summarises the current evidence for the treatment of whiplash
      associated disorders. The effect of immobilisation, physiotherapy, information
      and cognitive behavioural therapy was examined. Immobilisation was associated
      with a poorer outcome and could not be recommended. Physiotherapy was not more
      effective than information. Cognitive behavioural therapy seemed effective for
      the chronic patients. In conclusion, immobilisation cannot be recommended, but
      physiotherapy seems to be similar in effectiveness to information. 

PMID- 26099186
TI  - [Skin-sparing surgical revision in a woman with necrotizing fasciitis in her
      face].
AB  - Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a life-threatening infection which is treated with
      aggressive debridement, antibiotics, intensive care and hyperbaric oxygen. We
      present a case where a 66-year-old woman with NF of the face and neck following
      an eye infection was treated with skin-sparing surgical revision. The affected
      subcutaneous tissue as well as necrosis around the left eye was removed, but the
      skin was left untouched. She was reconstructed with a full-skin transplant
      periorbitally. We suggest using a skin-sparing technique when the skin is
      unaffected and vital as a means to reduce morbidity. 

PMID- 26099185
TI  - [Field cancerization in the face of a 44-year-old female welder].
AB  - Welding generates ultraviolet radiation and has been suggested to cause skin
      cancer. However, it remains questionable whether welding is in fact causally
      associated with the development of skin cancer. We report on a 44-year-old female
      with ten years occupational experience as a welder, who developed multiple
      squamous cell carcinomas located exclusively on the right side of her face.
      During welding she had experienced numerous facial burns limited to the right
      side. This marked anatomical relationship between exposure and illness supports a
      causal association between welding and skin cancer. 

PMID- 26099187
TI  - [Prolonged disease in a farmer with simultaneous Q fever pneumonia and subacute
      hypersensitivity pneumonitis].
AB  - This case report describes the first incident of a patient with simultaneous
      occurrence of Q fever pneumonia and subacute hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP).
      The 52-year-old patient was from his occupation as a farmer exposed to agents
      causing both diseases. Except for a weight loss in subacute/chronic incidents of
      HP the symptoms of Q fever and HP are similar. However, differences in CT
      findings and histopathology make it possible to differentiate between the two
      diseases. This report highlights the importance of a thorough occupational
      history. 

PMID- 26099188
TI  - [Ectopic varices in the terminal ileum causing gastrointestinal bleeding].
AB  - Varices of the terminal ileum are not a common complication to portal
      hypertension but we describe a case where a 60-year-old male patient had massive,
      recurrent intestinal bleeding due to collateral blood supply from umbilical veins
      to varicose veins of the terminal ileum. 

PMID- 26099189
TI  - Workshop report: The medaka model for comparative assessment of human disease
      mechanisms.
AB  - Results of recent studies showing the utility of medaka as a model of various
      human disease states were presented at the 7th Aquatic Models of Human Disease
      Conference (December 13-18, 2014, Austin, TX). This conference brought together
      many of the most highly regarded national and international scientists that
      employ the medaka model in their investigations. To take advantage of this
      opportunity, a cohort of established medaka researchers were asked to stay an
      extra day and represent the medaka scientific community in a workshop entitled
      "The Medaka Model for Comparative Assessment of Human Disease Mechanisms." The
      central purpose of this medaka workshop was to assess current use and project the
      future resource needs of the American medaka research community. The workshop
      sought to spur discussions of issues that would promote more informative
      comparative disease model studies. Finally, workshop attendees met together to
      propose, discuss, and agree on recommendations regarding the most effective
      research resources needed to enable US scientists to perform experiments leading
      to impacting experimental results that directly translate to human disease.
      Consistent with this central purpose, the workshop was divided into two sessions
      of invited speakers having expertise and experience in the session topics. The
      workshop hosted 20 scientific participants (Appendices 1 and 2), and of these,
      nine scientists presented formal talks. Here, we present a summary report
      stemming from workshop presentations and subsequent round table discussions and
      forward recommendations from this group that we believe represent views of the
      overall medaka research community. 

PMID- 26099190
TI  - Fluoroquinolones in children: update of the literature.
AB  - The use of fluoroquinolones (FQ), antibiotics, which have excellent
      pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics and a broad spectrum of
      action, has increased dramatically in recent years, both in adults and children.
      Numerous safety and efficacy data are now available on FQ use in children,
      particularly regarding the treatment of complicated infections of the urinary
      tract, typhoid fever, pneumonia, acute external otitis, acute media otitis,
      meningoencephalitis, sepsis in neutropenic children and multidrug-resistant
      tuberculosis (MDR-TB), though sometimes studies have the limitations that they
      were conducted in selected populations, such as children with cystic fibrosis.
      Despite available safety data are encouraging, there is still an open debate on
      the toxicity of this class of antibiotics on weight-bearing joints in children.
      Not being able to exclude the possibility that, in rare cases, this event is
      likely to occur, their use in children should be limited to cases where the cost
      benefit has been carefully examined, for example, in the case of sepsis or other
      severe infections from multi-resistant bacteria and not responsive to other
      classes of drugs. Furthermore, considering the increased use of FQ in children,
      it is possible that there is an increase in the incidence of infections from
      resistant germs (such as Escherichia coli, and pneumococci), as occurred in
      adults. In order to limit the diffusion of resistance, a judicious and
      appropriate use of this class of drugs is recommended. 

PMID- 26099191
TI  - Giant Left Atrium with Large Thrombus-Comprehensive Evaluation and Management.

PMID- 26099193
TI  - Association of sedentary behavior with the risk of breast cancer in women: update
      meta-analysis of observational studies.
AB  - PURPOSE: Increasing studies focus on the health consequences of sedentary
      behavior, and whether sedentary behavior is associated with the risk of breast
      cancer remains uncertain. We applied quantitative techniques to synthesize
      relevant original observational studies to investigate this issue. METHODS:
      PubMed and Embase were searched through September 2014 to identify cohort and
      case-control studies that evaluated the association between sedentary behavior
      and breast cancer risk in women. Information on the characteristics of the
      included studies, risk estimates, and control for possible confounding factors,
      was extracted independently by two authors. A random effects model of meta
      analysis was used to calculate the pooled risk estimate. RESULTS: Twenty one
      studies with 34 reports were included in our quantitative analysis. Sedentary
      behavior was found to slightly increase the risk of breast cancer in women and
      the pooled odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were 1.08 and
      1.04 to 1.13, without substantial heterogeneity (P = .579, I(2) = 0.0%). Subgroup
      analysis showed that the risks of breast cancer for different domains of
      sedentary behavior were similar, although only occupational behavior showed
      statistical significance (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.02-1.18) and the combined ORs of
      breast cancer are of borderline significance for sedentary behavior of daily life
      (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.00-1.20) and sedentary behavior of leisure time (OR, 1.08;
      95% CI, 0.98-1.19). Exclusion of any single study did not materially alter the
      combined risk estimate. Visual inspection of funnel plot, Begg's and Egger's
      tests did not indicate evidence of publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: Integrated
      evidence from observational studies suggests a statistically significant slightly
      positive association of sedentary behavior with breast cancer risk.

PMID- 26099192
TI  - In vitro testing to a panel of potential chemotherapeutics and current concepts
      of chemotherapy in benign meningiomas.
AB  - Treatment of benign meningiomas remains a challenge, especially when they involve
      the skull-base or when surgery and radiation fail. Moreover, a recent in vitro
      MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) study
      testing hydroxyurea, temozolomide and other targeting agents failed to identify
      drugs effective in their treatment; therefore the search for further more
      effective agents continues. We performed a thorough review of in vitro
      investigations, animal studies and human clinical trials and endeavoured to
      integrate our results of MTT assay into current concepts of chemotherapy in
      benign meningiomas. Our results demonstrated that other chemotherapeutics with
      various mechanisms of action have the potential to be incorporated into second
      line therapy. Our study shows for the first time that chemosensitivity/resistance
      may be associated with histopathological variants of benign meningiomas.

PMID- 26099194
TI  - Sweet Is the Memory of Past Troubles: NK Cells Remember.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells are important in host defense against tumors and
      microbial pathogens. Recent studies indicate that NK cells share many features
      with the adaptive immune system, and like B cells and T cells, NK cells can
      acquire immunological memory. Here, we review evidence for NK cell memory and the
      molecules involved in the generation and maintenance of these self-renewing NK
      cells that provide enhanced protection of the host. 

PMID- 26099195
TI  - The effect of zinc supplementation on pregnancy outcomes: a double-blind,
      randomised controlled trial, Egypt.
AB  - The present randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to evaluate the
      effect of two regimens of Zn supplementation on pregnancy outcomes in Alexandria,
      Egypt. Healthy pregnant women aged 20-45 years and having low serum Zn level
      below the estimated median for the gestational age were eligible to participate
      in the trial. Of 1055 pregnant women assessed for the eligibility of low serum Zn
      level, 675 were eligible. These women were randomly assigned to one of the three
      groups: the Zn alone group (n 225) received a daily dose of 30 mg ZnSO4, the
      combined group (n 227) received 30 mg ZnSO4 plus multivitamins (B1, B6, D3, C and
      E) and the control group (n 223) received placebo (270 mg lactose). They were
      followed up from the time of recruitment till 1 week after delivery. Overall,
      there was no detectable difference in the mean birth weight between the three
      groups (mean 2929.12 (SD 330.28), 2922.22 (SD 324.05) and 2938.48 (SD 317.39) g
      for the placebo, Zn and Zn plus multivitamin groups, respectively, P = 0.88).
      Both the single and the combined Zn supplements were almost equally effective in
      reducing second- and third-stage complications (relative risk (RR) 0.43, 95% CI
      0.31, 0.60 for the Zn group and RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.40, 0.73 for the combined
      group). Stillbirth and preterm delivery were significantly lower among the two
      supplemented groups than the placebo group (P = 0.001). Early neonatal morbidity
      was also significantly lower in the supplemented groups (RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.15,
      0.35 for the Zn group and RR 0.25, 95% CI 0.16, 0.37 for the combined group).
      Collectively, Zn supplementation was effective in reducing pregnancy
      complications and early neonatal infection among the Zn-deficient women of the
      present trial.

PMID- 26099196
TI  - Revealing the planar chemistry of two-dimensional heterostructures at the atomic
      level.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals and their heterostructures are an intense
      area of study owing to their unique properties that result from structural planar
      confinement. Intrinsically, the performance of a planar vertical device is linked
      to the quality of its 2D components and their interfaces, therefore requiring
      characterization tools that can reveal both its planar chemistry and morphology.
      Here, we propose a characterization methodology combining (micro-) Raman
      spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass
      spectrometry to provide structural information, morphology and planar chemical
      composition at virtually the atomic level, aimed specifically at studying 2D
      vertical heterostructures. As an example system, a graphene-on-h-BN
      heterostructure is analysed to reveal, with an unprecedented level of detail, the
      subtle chemistry and interactions within its layer structure that can be assigned
      to specific fabrication steps. Such detailed chemical information is of crucial
      importance for the complete integration of 2D heterostructures into functional
      devices. 

PMID- 26099197
TI  - Education, collaboration, and innovation: intelligent biology and medicine in the
      era of big data.
AB  - Here we present a summary of the 2014 International Conference on Intelligent
      Biology and Medicine (ICIBM 2014) and the editorial report of the supplement to
      BMC Genomics and BMC Systems Biology that includes 20 research articles selected
      from ICIBM 2014. The conference was held on December 4-6, 2014 at San Antonio,
      Texas, USA, and included six scientific sessions, four tutorials, four keynote
      presentations, nine highlight talks, and a poster session that covered cutting
      edge research in bioinformatics, systems biology, and computational medicine. 

PMID- 26099198
TI  - Reflections on the use of poetry in nurse education: Speaking a credible language
      of care.
AB  - Based on the experience of using the poem 'The Nurse's Pockets' by Cortney Davis
      in reflective practice teaching sessions this paper considers the centrality of
      language as conveyed in poetry as a way of communicating nursing knowledge and
      experience. Using this poem facilitated a mutual position between the educator
      and the students that enhanced the reflective practice environment. An argument
      for using creative arts based approaches in nurse education is presented as a
      means of overcoming the threats to the unique nature of nursing knowledge
      evidenced in healthcare and higher education reform. 

PMID- 26099200
TI  - Mechanical characterization and validation of poly (methyl methacrylate)/multi
      walled carbon nanotube composite for the polycentric knee joint.
AB  - Trans femoral amputation is one of the most uncomfortable surgeries in patient's
      life, where the prosthesis consisting of a socket, knee joint, pylon and foot is
      used to do the walking activities. The artificial prosthetic knee joint imitates
      the functions of human knee to achieve the flexion-extension for the above knee
      amputee. The objective of present work is to develop a light weight composite
      material for the knee joint to reduce the metabolic cost of an amputee. Hence, an
      attempt was made to study the mechanical properties of multi walled carbon
      nanotubes (MWCNT) reinforced Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) prepared through
      melt mixing technique and optimize the concentration of reinforcement. The PMMA
      nanocomposites were prepared by reinforcing 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3 and 0.4 wt% of
      MWCNT using injection moulding machine via twin screw extruder. It is observed
      that the tensile and flexural strength of PMMA, which were studied as per ASTM
      D638 and D790, respectively, were increased by 32.9% and 26.3% till 0.25 wt%
      reinforcement of MWCNT. The experimental results of strength and modulus were
      compared with theoretical prediction, where a good correlation was noted. It is
      concluded that the mechanical properties of PMMA were found to be increased to
      maximum at 0.25 wt% reinforcement of MWCNT, where the Pukanszky model and
      modified Halpin-Tsai model are suggested to predict the strength and modulus,
      respectively, of the PMMA/MWCNT composite, which can be opted as a suitable
      materiel for the development of polycentric knee joint.

PMID- 26099201
TI  - Extracting accurate strain measurements in bone mechanics: A critical review of
      current methods.
AB  - Osteoporosis related fractures are a social burden that advocates for more
      accurate fracture prediction methods. Mechanistic methods, e.g. finite element
      models, have been proposed as a tool to better predict bone mechanical behaviour
      and strength. However, there is little consensus about the optimal constitutive
      law to describe bone as a material. Extracting reliable and relevant strain data
      from experimental tests is of fundamental importance to better understand bone
      mechanical properties, and to validate numerical models. Several techniques have
      been used to measure strain in experimental mechanics, with substantial
      differences in terms of accuracy, precision, time- and length-scale. Each
      technique presents upsides and downsides that must be carefully evaluated when
      designing the experiment. Moreover, additional complexities are often encountered
      when applying such strain measurement techniques to bone, due to its complex
      composite structure. This review of literature examined the four most commonly
      adopted methods for strain measurements (strain gauges, fibre Bragg grating
      sensors, digital image correlation, and digital volume correlation), with a focus
      on studies with bone as a substrate material, at the organ and tissue level. For
      each of them the working principles, a summary of the main applications to bone
      mechanics at the organ- and tissue-level, and a list of pros and cons are
      provided. 

PMID- 26099199
TI  - Anatomical evidence of pruriceptive trigeminothalamic and trigeminoparabrachial
      projection neurons in mice.
AB  - Itch is relayed to higher centers by projection neurons in the spinal and
      medullary dorsal horn. We employed a double-label method to map the ascending
      projections of pruriceptive and nociceptive trigeminal and spinal neurons. The
      retrograde tracer fluorogold (FG) was stereotaxically injected into the right
      thalamus or lateral parabrachial area (LPb) in mice. Seven days later, mice
      received intradermal (id) microinjection of histamine, chloroquine, capsaicin, or
      vehicle into the left cheek. Histamine, chloroquine, and capsaicin intradermally
      elicited similar distributions of Fos-positive neurons in the medial aspect of
      the superficial medullary and spinal dorsal horn from the trigeminal subnucleus
      caudalis to C2. Among neurons retrogradely labeled from the thalamus, 43%, 8%,
      and 22% were Fos-positive following id histamine, chloroquine, or capsaicin.
      Among the Fos-positive neurons following pruritic or capsaicin stimuli, ~1-2%
      were retrogradely labeled with FG. Trigeminoparabrachial projection neurons
      exhibited a higher incidence of double labeling in the superficial dorsal horn.
      Among the neurons retrogradely labeled from LPb, 36%, 29%, and 33% were Fos
      positive following id injection of histamine, chloroquine, and capsaicin,
      respectively. Among Fos-positive neurons elicited by id histamine, chloroquine,
      and capsaicin, respectively, 3.7%, 4.3%, and 4.1% were retrogradely labeled from
      LPb. The present results indicate that, overall, relatively small subpopulations
      of pruriceptive and/or nociceptive neurons innervating the cheek project to
      thalamus or LPb. These results imply that the vast majority of pruritogen- and
      algogen-responsive spinal neurons are likely to function as interneurons relaying
      information to projection neurons and/or participating in segmental nocifensive
      circuits.

PMID- 26099202
TI  - Integrated analysis of gene expression and DNA methylation changes induced by
      hepatocyte growth factor in human hepatocytes.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the one of most common malignant tumors. The
      tumor microenvironment has a role in not only supporting growth and survival of
      tumor cells, but also triggering tumor recurrence and metastasis. Hepatocyte
      growth factor (HGF), one of the important growth factors in the tumor
      microenvironment, has an important role in angiogenesis, tumorigenesis and
      regeneration. However, the exact mechanism by which HGF regulates HCC initiation
      and development via epigenetic reprogramming has remained elusive. The present
      study focused on the epigenetic modification and target tumor-suppressive genes
      of HGF treatment in HCC. Expression profiling and DNA methylation array were
      performed to investigate the function of HGF and examine global genomic DNA
      methylation changes, respectively. Integrated analysis of gene expression and DNA
      methylation revealed potential tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) in HCC. The present
      study showed the multiple functions of HGF in tumorous and non-tumorous pathways
      and global genomic DNA methylation changes. HGF treatment upregulated the
      expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1). Overexpression of DNMT1 in HCC
      patients correlated with the malignant potential and poor prognosis of HCC.
      Furthermore, integration analysis of gene expression and DNA methylation changes
      revealed novel potential tumor suppressor genes TSGs including MYOCD, PANX2 and
      LHX9. The present study has provided mechanistic insight into epigenetic
      repression of TSGs through HGF-induced DNA hypermethylation.

PMID- 26099204
TI  - Correlation of lumbar-hip kinematics between trunk flexion and other functional
      tasks.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the
      kinematic profiles of flexion of the upper lumbar and lower lumbar (LL) spine and
      hip and 3 sagittally dominant functional tasks (lifting, stand-to-sit, and sit-to
      stand). METHODS: Fifty-three participants were recruited for this study. Four
      sensors were attached to the skin over the S1, L3, T12, and lateral thigh.
      Relative angles between adjacent sensors were used to quantify the motion for the
      hip, LL, and upper lumbar spine. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to
      explore the relationship between the movements and more functional tasks. One-way
      analysis of variance was used to determine the significance of differences
      between the variables. RESULTS: Flexion resulted in a greater or similar range of
      motion (ROM) to the other tasks investigated for both spinal regions but less ROM
      for the hip. Strong correlations for ROM are reported between forward flexion
      tasks and lifting for the LL spine (r = 0.83) and all regions during stand-to-sit
      and sit-to-stand (r = 0.70-0.73). No tasks were strongly correlated for velocity
      (r = 0.03-0.55). CONCLUSION: Strong correlations were only evident for the LL
      spine ROM between lifting and flexion; all other tasks afforded moderate or weak
      correlations. This study suggests that sagittal tasks use different lumbar-hip
      kinematics and place different demands on the lumbar spine and hip.

PMID- 26099203
TI  - Structural basis of the broadly neutralizing anti-interferon-alpha antibody
      rontalizumab.
AB  - Interferons-alpha (IFN-alpha) are the expressed gene products comprising thirteen
      type I interferons with protein pairwise sequence similarities in the 77-96%
      range. Three other widely expressed human type I interferons, IFN-beta, IFN-kappa
      and IFN-omega have sequences 29-33%, 29-32% and 56-60% similar to the IFN-alphas,
      respectively. Type I interferons act on immune cells by producing subtly
      different immune-modulatory effects upon binding to the extracellular domains of
      a heterodimeric cell-surface receptor composed of IFNAR1 and IFNAR2, most notably
      anti-viral effects. IFN-alpha has been used to treat infection by hepatitis-virus
      type C (HCV) and a correlation between hyperactivity of IFN-alpha-induced
      signaling and systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE), or lupus, has been noted. Anti
      IFN-alpha antibodies including rontalizumab have been under clinical study for
      the treatment of lupus. To better understand the rontalizumab mechanism of action
      and specificity, we determined the X-ray crystal structure of the Fab fragment of
      rontalizumab bound to human IFN-alpha2 at 3A resolution and find substantial
      overlap of the antibody and IFNA2 epitopes on IFN-alpha2. 

PMID- 26099205
TI  - Effect of Connective Tissue Manipulation on Symptoms and Quality of Life in
      Patients With Chronic Constipation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of connective
      tissue manipulation (CTM) on the severity of constipation and health-related
      quality of life in individuals diagnosed with chronic constipation. METHODS:
      Fifty patients with a diagnosis of chronic constipation according to Rome III
      criteria were recruited and randomized to an intervention (n = 25) or control
      group (n = 25). The intervention group received CTM in addition to the lifestyle
      advice, whereas the control group was given only lifestyle advice for
      constipation. All assessments were performed at baseline and at the end of 4
      weeks. The primary outcome measure was the Constipation Severity Instrument.
      Secondary outcomes included Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life
      Questionnaire, Bristol Stool Scale, and 7-day bowel diary. Differences between
      groups were analyzed with t tests, Mann-Whitney U test and chi(2) test. RESULTS:
      Compared with the control group, subjects in the intervention group reported
      significantly greater improvement in total and subscale scores of the
      Constipation Severity Instrument and Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality
      of Life Questionnaire (P < .05). Based on the results from bowel diaries, the
      improvements in the number of bowel movements, duration of defecation, stool
      consistency, and the feeling of incomplete evacuation in the intervention group
      were also significantly more than the control group (P < .05). CONCLUSION: This
      study showed that CTM and lifestyle advice were superior to reducing symptoms of
      constipation and quality of life compared with lifestyle advice alone for
      patients with chronic constipation.

PMID- 26099206
TI  - Efficacy of Hand Behind Back Mobilization With Movement for Acute Shoulder Pain
      and Movement Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hand-behind
      back (HBB) Mulligan mobilization with movement (MWM) techniques on acute shoulder
      pain, impairment, and disability. METHODS: This double-blind, randomized,
      controlled trial recruited 44 patients with acute shoulder pain and movement
      impairment presenting to an Indian general hospital. Participants were allocated
      to receive either MWM and exercise/hot pack (n = 22) or exercise/hot pack alone
      (n = 22). The average duration of symptoms was 4.1 and 4.7 weeks in the exercise
      and MWM groups, respectively. The primary outcome was HBB range of motion (ROM).
      Secondary variables were shoulder internal rotation ROM, pain intensity score,
      and shoulder disability identified by the shoulder pain and disability index. All
      variables were evaluated by a blinded assessor before and immediately after 9
      treatment sessions over 3 weeks. RESULTS: Paired t tests revealed that both
      groups demonstrated statistically significant improvements (P < .001) with large
      effect sizes for all variables. However, for all variables, the MWM-with-exercise
      group showed significantly greater improvements (P < .05) than the exercise
      group. Hand-behind-back ROM showed a mean difference of 9.31 degrees  (95%
      confidence interval, 7.38-11.27), favoring greater improvement in the MWM-with
      exercise group. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the outcomes of patients with acute
      shoulder pain and disability receiving shoulder HBB MWM with exercise improved
      greater than those receiving exercise/hot packs alone.

PMID- 26099207
TI  - Are Parents Getting it Right? A Survey of Parents' Internet Use for Children's
      Health Care Information.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of the Internet to search for medical and health-related
      information is increasing and associated with concerns around quality and safety.
      OBJECTIVE: We investigated the current use and perceptions on reliable websites
      for children's health information by parents. METHODS: Following institutional
      ethics approval, we conducted a survey of parents/guardians of children
      presenting for day surgery. A 20-item survey instrument developed and tested by
      the investigators was administered. RESULTS: Ninety-eight percent of respondents
      reported that they used the Internet to search for information about their
      child's health. Many respondents reported beginning their search at public search
      engines (80%); less than 20% reported starting their search at
      university/hospital-based websites. Common conditions such as colds/flu, skin
      conditions and fever were the most frequently searched, and unique conditions
      directly affecting the child were second. Despite low usage levels of
      university/hospital-based websites for health information, the majority of
      respondents (74%) regarded these as providing safe, accurate, and reliable
      information. In contrast, only 24% of respondents regarded public search engines
      as providing safe and reliable information. Fifty percent of respondents reported
      that they cross-checked information found on the internet with a family
      physician. CONCLUSIONS: An unprecedented majority of parents and guardians are
      using the Internet for their child's health information. Of concern is that
      parents and guardians are currently not using reliable and safe sources of
      information. Health care providers should begin to focus on improving access to
      safe, accurate, and reliable information through various modalities including
      education, designing for multiplatform, and better search engine optimization.

PMID- 26099208
TI  - Altered baseline brain activity differentiates regional mechanisms subserving
      biological and psychological alterations in obese men.
AB  - Obesity as a chronic disease is a major factor for insulin resistance and Type 2
      diabetes, which has become a global health problem. In the present study, we used
      resting state functional MRI to investigate the amplitude of low frequency
      fluctuations of spontaneous signal during both hunger and satiety states in 20
      lean and 20 obese males. We found that, before food intake, obese men had
      significantly greater baseline activity in the precuneus and lesser activity in
      dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) relative to lean subjects. Furthermore,
      after food intake, obese males had significantly lesser activity in dACC than
      lean males. We further found a significant positive correlation between precuneus
      activation and hunger ratings before food intake, while dACC activity was
      negatively correlated with plasma insulin levels before and after food intake.
      These results indicated that both precuneus and dACC may play an important role
      in eating behavior. While precuneus rather seemed to mediate subjective satiety,
      dACC levels rather reflected indirect measures of glucose utilization. 

PMID- 26099209
TI  - Developing a spinal cord injury research strategy using a structured process of
      evidence review and stakeholder dialogue. Part II: Background to a research
      strategy.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Literature review/semi-structured interviews. OBJECTIVE: To develop
      a spinal cord injury (SCI) research strategy for Australia and New Zealand.
      SETTING: Australia. METHODS: The National Trauma Research Institute Forum
      approach of structured evidence review and stakeholder consultation was employed.
      This involved gathering from published literature and stakeholder consultation
      the information necessary to properly consider the challenge, and synthesising
      this into a briefing document. RESULTS: A research strategy 'roadmap' was
      developed to define the major steps and key planning questions to consider; next,
      evidence from published SCI research strategy initiatives was synthesised with
      information from four one-on-one semi-structured interviews with key SCI research
      stakeholders to create a research strategy framework, articulating six key themes
      and associated activities for consideration. These resources, combined with a
      review of SCI prioritisation literature, were used to generate a list of draft
      principles for discussion in a structured stakeholder dialogue meeting.
      CONCLUSION: The research strategy roadmap and framework informed discussion at a
      structured stakeholder dialogue meeting of 23 participants representing key SCI
      research constituencies, results of which are published in a companion paper.
      These resources could also be of value in other research strategy or planning
      exercises. SPONSORSHIP: This project was funded by the Victorian Transport
      Accident Commission and the Australian and New Zealand Spinal Cord Injury
      Network.

PMID- 26099210
TI  - Incidence of pulmonary embolism after the first 3 months of spinal cord injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a significant cause of morbidity and
      mortality in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Prophylactic anticoagulation
      is associated with a reduction in mortality rates, but there is limited evidence
      regarding the incidence rate of PE following cessation of anticoagulation after
      the first 3 months of injury. STUDY DESIGN: Single-centre retrospective study.
      OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incidence rate of PE after 90 days of SCI. SETTING:
      The National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury, UK.
      METHODS: The study includes 640 new-onset SCI patients. All computer tomography
      pulmonary angiograms (CTPAs) or ventilation-perfusion lung scans between 2008 and
      2013 were identified. Medical notes and scans were reviewed and clinical outcomes
      and radiological findings were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 91 patients with a
      new-onset SCI had a CTPA or a perfusion lung scan. PE was detected in a total of
      8 patients. The incidence of PE was 1.25%; 95% confidence interval (0.39-2.11)
      over a 6-year period. The duration of injury at the time of PE was 7 months.
      CONCLUSION: The incidence rate of PE post 3 months of SCI remains significant,
      though much lower than immediately post injury.

PMID- 26099211
TI  - Developing a spinal cord injury research strategy using a structured process of
      evidence review and stakeholder dialogue. Part III: outcomes.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Focus Group. OBJECTIVES: To develop a unified, regional spinal cord
      injury (SCI) research strategy for Australia and New Zealand. SETTING: Australia.
      METHODS: A 1-day structured stakeholder dialogue was convened in 2013 in
      Melbourne, Australia, by the National Trauma Research Institute in collaboration
      with the SCI Network of Australia and New Zealand. Twenty-three experts
      participated, representing local and international research, clinical, consumer,
      advocacy, government policy and funding perspectives. Preparatory work
      synthesised evidence and articulated draft principles and options as a starting
      point for discussion. RESULTS: A regional SCI research strategy was proposed,
      whose objectives can be summarised under four themes. (1) Collaborative networks
      and strategic partnerships to increase efficiency, reduce duplication, build
      capacity and optimise research funding. (2) Research priority setting and
      coordination to manage competing studies. (3) Mechanisms for greater consumer
      engagement in research. (4) Resources and infrastructure to further develop SCI
      data registries, evaluate research translation and assess alignment of research
      strategy with stakeholder interests. These are consistent with contemporary
      international SCI research strategy development activities. CONCLUSION: This
      first step in a regional SCI research strategy has articulated objectives for
      further development by the wider SCI research community. The initiative has also
      reinforced the importance of coordinated, collective action in optimising
      outcomes following SCI.

PMID- 26099212
TI  - Good validity of the international spinal cord injury quality of life basic data
      set.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional validation study. OBJECTIVES: To examine the
      construct and concurrent validity of the International Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
      Quality of Life (QoL) Basic Data Set. SETTING: Dutch community. PARTICIPANTS:
      People 28-65 years of age, who obtained their SCI between 18 and 35 years of age,
      were at least 10 years post SCI and were wheelchair users in daily life.
      MEASURE(S): The International SCI QoL Basic Data Set consists of three single
      items on satisfaction with life as a whole, physical health and psychological
      health (0=complete dissatisfaction; 10=complete satisfaction). Reference measures
      were the Mental Health Inventory-5 and three items of the World Health
      Organization Quality of Life measure. RESULTS: Data of 261 participants were
      available. Mean time after SCI was 24.1 years (s.d. 9.1); 90.4% had a traumatic
      SCI, 81.5% a motor complete SCI and 40% had tetraplegia. Mean age was 47.9 years
      (s.d. 8.8) and 73.2% were male. Mean scores were 6.9 (s.d. 1.9) for general QoL,
      5.8 (s.d. 2.2) for physical health and 7.1 (s.d. 1.9) for psychological health.
      No floor or ceiling effects were found. Strong inter-correlations (0.48-0.71)
      were found between the items, and Cronbach's alpha of the scale was good (0.81).
      Correlations with the reference measures showed the strongest correlations
      between the WHOQOL general satisfaction item and general QoL (0.64), the WHOQOL
      health and daily activities items and physical health (0.69 and 0.60) and the
      Mental Health Inventory-5 and psychological health (0.70). CONCLUSIONS: This
      first validity study of the International SCI QoL Basic Data Set shows that it
      appears valid for persons with SCI.

PMID- 26099213
TI  - Developing a spinal cord injury research strategy using a structured process of
      evidence review and stakeholder dialogue. Part I: rapid review of SCI
      prioritisation literature.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: This is a rapid evidence review. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this
      study was to gain an overview of the volume, nature and findings of studies
      regarding priorities for spinal cord injury (SCI) research. SETTING: A worldwide
      literature search was conducted. METHODS: Six medical literature databases and
      Google Scholar were searched for reviews in which the primary aim was to identify
      SCI research priorities. RESULTS: Two systematic reviews were identified-one of
      quantitative and one of qualitative studies. The quality of the reviews was
      variable. Collectively, the reviews identified 31 primary studies; 24
      quantitative studies totalling 5262 participants and 7 qualitative studies
      totalling 120 participants. Despite the difference in research paradigms, there
      was convergence in review findings in the areas of body impairments and
      relationships. The vast majority of literature within the reviews focused on the
      SCI patient perspective. CONCLUSION: The reviews inform specific research topics
      and highlight other important research considerations, most notably those
      pertaining to SCI patients' perspectives on quality of life, which may be of use
      in determining meaningful research outcome measures. The views of other SCI
      research stakeholders such as researchers, clinicians, policymakers, funders and
      carers would help shape a bigger picture of SCI research priorities, ultimately
      optimising research outputs and translation into clinical practice and health
      policy change. Review findings informed subsequent activities in developing a
      regional SCI research strategy, as described in two companion papers.
      SPONSORSHIP: This project was funded by the Victorian Transport Accident
      Commission and the Australian and New Zealand SCI Network.

PMID- 26099214
TI  - Staggered multi-site low-frequency electrostimulation effectively induces
      locomotor patterns in the isolated rat spinal cord.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Experimental animal study. OBJECTIVES: Epidural stimulation has
      been used to activate locomotor patterns after spinal injury and typically
      employs synchronous trains of high-frequency stimuli delivered directly to the
      dorsal cord, thereby recruiting multiple afferent nerve roots. Here we
      investigate how spinal locomotor networks integrate multi-site afferent input and
      address whether frequency coding is more important than amplitude to activate
      locomotor patterns. SETTING: Italy and Belgium. METHODS: To investigate the
      importance of input intensity and frequency in eliciting locomotor activity, we
      used isolated neonatal rat spinal cords to record episodes of fictive locomotion
      (FL) induced by electrical stimulation of single and multiple dorsal roots (DRs),
      employing different stimulating protocols. RESULTS: FL was efficiently induced
      through staggered delivery (delays 0.5 to 2 s) of low-frequency pulse trains
      (0.33 and 0.67 Hz) to three DRs at intensities sufficient to activate ventral
      root reflexes. Delivery of the same trains to a single DR or synchronously to
      multiple DRs remained ineffective. Multi-site staggered trains were more
      efficient than randomized pulse delivery. Weak trains simultaneously delivered to
      DRs failed to elicit FL. Locomotor rhythm resetting occurred with single pulses
      applied to various distant DRs. CONCLUSION: Electrical stimulation recruited
      spinal networks that generate locomotor programs when pulses were delivered to
      multiple sites at low frequency. This finding might help devising new protocols
      to optimize the increasingly more common use of epidural implantable arrays to
      treat spinal dysfunctions.

PMID- 26099215
TI  - Rationale, design and critical end points for the Riluzole in Acute Spinal Cord
      Injury Study (RISCIS): a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled parallel
      multi-center trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Riluzole is a sodium channel-blocking agent used in treating
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
      Administration, Canadian and Australian authorities, and in many other countries.
      A phase I trial of riluzole for acute spinal cord injury (SCI) provided safety
      and pharmacokinetic data and suggested neuroprotective benefits. A phase IIB/III
      double-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT) started in January 2014
      (https://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01597518). This article describes the
      pathophysiological rationale, preclinical experience and design of the phase
      IIB/III RCT of Riluzole in Acute Spinal Cord Injury Study (RISCIS). OBJECTIVES:
      The primary objective of the trial is to evaluate the superiority of riluzole, at
      a dose of 100 mg BID in the first 24 h followed by 50 mg BID for the following 13
      days post injury, compared with placebo in improving neurological motor outcomes
      in patients with C4-C8 level, International Standards for Neurological
      Classification of Spinal Cord Injury Examination (ISNCSCI) grade A, B or C acute
      (within 12 h post injury) SCI. SETTING: Acute trauma centers worldwideMethods:A
      double-blind, multi-center, placebo-controlled RCT will enroll 351 participants
      randomized 1:1 to riluzole and placebo. The primary end point is the change
      between 180 days and baseline in ISNCSCI Motor Score. This study has 90% power to
      detect a change of nine points in ISNCSCI Motor Score at one-sided alpha=0.025.
      RESULTS: Currently enrolling in 11 centers. CONCLUSION: This study will provide
      class I evidence regarding the safety and neuroprotective efficacy of riluzole in
      patients with acute cervical SCI.

PMID- 26099216
TI  - Time-series analysis of the barriers for admission into a spinal rehabilitation
      unit.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective open-cohort case series. OBJECTIVES: The
      objective of this study was to assess changes over time in the duration of key
      acute hospital process barriers for patients with spinal cord damage (SCD) from
      admission until transfer into spinal rehabilitation unit (SRU) or other
      destinations. SETTING: The study was conducted in Acute hospitals, Victoria,
      Australia (2006-2013). METHODS: Duration of the following discrete sequential
      processes was measured: acute hospital admission until referral to SRU, referral
      until SRU assessment, SRU assessment until ready for SRU transfer and ready for
      transfer until SRU admission. Time-series analysis was performed using a
      generalised additive model (GAM). Seasonality of non-traumatic spinal cord
      dysfunction (SCDys) was examined. RESULTS: GAM analysis shows that the waiting
      time for admission into SRU was significantly (P<0.001) longer for patients who
      were female, who had tetraplegia, who were motor complete, had a pelvic pressure
      ulcer and who were referred from another health network. Age had a non-linear
      effect on the duration of waiting for transfer from acute hospital to SRU and
      both the acute hospital and SRU length of stay (LOS). The duration patients spent
      waiting for SRU admission increased over the study period. There was an increase
      in the number of referrals over the study period and an increase in the number of
      patients accepted but not admitted into the SRU. There was no notable seasonal
      influence on the referral of patients with SCDys. CONCLUSIONS: Time-series
      analysis provides additional insights into changes in the waiting times for SRU
      admission and the LOS in hospital for patients with SCD.

PMID- 26099217
TI  - Hepatolithiasis associated with intrahepatic heterotopic pancreas: a case report
      and literature review.
AB  - Intrahepatic heterotopic pancreas is rarely reported in the literature. Here, we
      report a case of a 39-year-old male with intrahepatic heterotopic pancreas
      associated with primary cholesterol hepatolithiasis. Computed tomography (CT)
      scans revealed multiple cholesterol stones in intrahepatic bile ducts of the left
      lobe concomitant with intrahepatic cholangiectases. These observations were
      confirmed by magnetic resonance cholangiopaneretography (MRCP). The patient
      underwent transabdominal left hepatic lobectomy. Postoperative histological
      examination of the resected specimen showed pancreatic tissues distributed along
      the wall of the bile duct and composed of acinar cells and duct elements without
      islets of Langerhans, therefore strongly suggesting that the heterotopic pancreas
      occurred in response to chronic injury due to the primary cholesterol
      hepatolithiasis and was derived from the biliary epithelial cells. VIRTUAL
      SLIDES: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here:
      http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1461819267158980 .

PMID- 26099218
TI  - Dietary Cordyceps militaris protects against Vibrio splendidus infection in sea
      cucumber Apostichopus japonicus.
AB  - Vibrio splendidus is the common pathogen that causes infectious diseases widely
      spread in cultured sea cucumber in China. Therefore, we investigated the ability
      of Cordyceps militaris to protect against infection caused by V. splendidus. In
      this study, sea cucumbers were fed with a diet containing 0 (control), 1%, 2% or
      3% C. militaris for 28 days, and subsequently challenged with V. splendidus by
      injection with 1.0 * 10(9) cfu per animal. Parameters of immune response such as
      phagocytosis (PC), lysozyme (LSZ) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity,
      alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity and acid phosphatase (ACP) activity were
      determined on days 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 after injection. The results showed that
      dietary C. militaris at a dose of 2% or 3% significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05)
      all the immune parameters on day 0. One day after injection with V. splendidus,
      all the immune indices except ACP exhibited a tendency to decrease and then
      increase again, returning to the initial level on days 5 and/or 7 after
      injection. All the immune parameters of those fed with C. militaris were found
      significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of the control group on day 1 after
      injection. Only LSZ activity of those fed with 1%- or 3%-C. militaris diet on day
      5 showed significantly increases (P < 0.05) than the controls. As for ACP
      activity, the values remained steady with time, but with significant increase (P
      < 0.05) seen in sea cucumbers fed with 2%-C. militaris diet, and lasted for up to
      7 days after V. splendidus injection. The cumulative mortality of sea cucumbers
      fed with the basal diet followed V. splendidus infection was significantly higher
      (P < 0.05) than those fed with 2% and 3% C. militaris diet. Under the
      experimental conditions, dietary C. militaris could enhance the immune responses
      of Apostichopus japonicus and improve its resistance to infection by V.
      splendidus.

PMID- 26099219
TI  - Early protein ORF086 is an effective vaccine candidate for infectious spleen and
      kidney necrosis virus in mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi.
AB  - Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) has caused significant loss
      in the Mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) aquaculture industry. Vaccination is an
      important measure to prevent fatal ISKNV infection. In this study, the ORF086
      gene encoding an early protein helicase of ISKNV was cloned into the prokaryotic
      pET32a (+) and eukaryotic pcDNA3.1 (+) expression vectors and designated as
      pET086 and pcDNA086, respectively. A recombinant 36 kDa protein was detected in
      Escherichia coli BL21 (harboring pET086) after isopropyl beta-d-1
      thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) induction. Polyclonal antibodies against the
      purified ORF086 protein were raised in rabbits. The antibody reaction and the
      pcDNA086 expression in muscle tissues of vaccinated fish were confirmed using
      Western blot analysis. The protective efficacy of ORF086 was also investigated.
      The cumulative mortality rates of Mandarin fish were significantly different
      between immune and control groups (P < 0.05) after ISKNV challenge. The relative
      percentage survival (RPS) values of the recombinant ORF086 protein emulsified
      with ISA763A adjuvant and pcDNA086 added with QCDC adjuvant were 73% and 63%,
      respectively. Transcriptional analysis of non-specific and specific immune
      related genes revealed that the expression levels of IRF-7, IRAK1, Mx, Viperin,
      and IgM were strongly up-regulated in the vaccinated groups post-immunization. In
      particular, the expression levels in the QCDC + pcDNA086 group was higher than
      those in the control groups (P < 0.05). These results indicated that the early
      protein ORF086 could be an effective antigen candidate for controlling ISKNV
      disease in Mandarin fish.

PMID- 26099220
TI  - Differential innate immune response of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)
      against Streptococcus iniae.
AB  - Streptococcus iniae is a Gram-positive bacteria that causes invasive infections
      with severe septicemia and meningitis, producing high economic losses in marine
      and continental aquaculture. Head kidney leukocytes of European sea bass
      (Dicentrarchus labrax) were used to measure the differential innate immune
      response upon infection with S. iniae. The complete inhibition in the production
      of intracellular superoxide radicals and total peroxidase content was observed in
      infected cells. This study also elucidates changes in the relative expression of
      some immune-related genes. Interleukin 1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and
      interleukin-6 reached a peak of expression at 4-8 h post-infection, subsequently
      decreasing significantly up to 48 h post-infection. However, interleukin-10 and
      Mx protein increased over time, reaching the pick of expression at 48 h post
      infection, whereas caspase-3 showed down regulation until 48 h post-infection.
      The in vivo study of immune related genes show the same kinetics of mRNAs
      expression as in vitro experience. The proinflammatory cytokines mRNA
      transcription levels peaked at an earlier time in vivo than in vitro system. Our
      findings indicate that there is a direct relationship between the dissemination
      of bacteria and the resulting infection-associated inhibition of respiratory
      burst, apoptosis, and the pro- and anti-inflammatory gene expression profiles.

PMID- 26099221
TI  - Percutaneous intervention of de novo unprotected left main stenosis in patients
      with acute coronary syndrome or stable coronary artery disease: in-hospital and
      long-term results.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to assess in-hospital and long-term results of the novo unprotected
      left main (UPLM) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute
      coronary syndrome (ACS) or stable coronary artery disease (CAD), in an unselected
      population admitted to a single high- volume cathlab without on-site cardiac
      surgery. METHODS: from 2008 to 2011, among 317 PCI performed in patients with the
      novo UPLM stenosis, 49 patients presented ST-elevation myocardial infarction
      (STEMI), 152 non ST-elevation MI/unstable angina (NSTEMI/UA), 116 stable CAD.
      RESULTS: in-hospital mortality was 20% in STEMI, 5.3% in NSTEMI/UA and 1.7% in
      stable CAD patients (p<0.001). Two-year total mortality was 24.5%, 25.6% and 6%
      in the 3 groups, and cardiac death was 20%, 13.8% and 3.4% (p=0.002). Left main
      target lesion revascularization (TLR) was similar in the 3 groups, as the
      clinically- driven TLR (10% vs 11% vs 7.7% , p= 0.642), with neither definite nor
      probable stent thrombosis. Multivariate analysis showed the following independent
      predictors of 2-year mortality: bare-metal stent use (OR 4.53, p<0.001), Syntax
      score >32 (OR 3.53, p=0.012), ACS as the indication (OR 3.24, p=0.012),
      peripheral artery disease (OR 2.20, p=0.042), and age > 75 years (OR 2.09,
      p=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: our experience showed acceptable results of UPLM PCI in
      STEMI patients, where short-term prognosis was related to hemodynamic conditions,
      good results in NSTEMI/UA patients where mortality increased in the follow-up due
      to comorbidities, and very good results in patients with stable CAD.

PMID- 26099222
TI  - Role of the old and new echocardiographic technologies in cardiac
      resynchronization therapy.
AB  - Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an important tool for the treatment of
      patients with chronic heart failure, as it can correct the heterogeneity of
      regional left ventricular mechanical contraction, known as dyssynchrony. Although
      this therapy is strongly indicated in patients with both heart failure with left
      ventricular systolic dysfunction and wide Q-, R- and S-waves (QRS) on
      electrocardiogram, about one-third of these patients are non-responders. Since
      the degree of mechanical dyssynchrony can vary greatly, it is interesting to
      quantify dyssynchrony by means of imaging methods, such as echocardiography,
      which might be able to lead to a better selection of CRT candidates. This article
      will review the role of old and new echocardiographic techniques to predict CRT
      response. 

PMID- 26099224
TI  - [Structural requirements for the management of patients with highly contagious
      life-threatening infectious diseases: update 2015].
AB  - The care of highly contagious life-threatening infectious diseases (HLID)
      requires specialized treatment facilities that are capable of strict isolation
      measures and appropriate medical treatment. The German approach to the management
      of these diseases, which is maintained by the Permanent Working Group of Medical
      Competence and Treatment Centers for Highly Contagious and Life-Threatening
      Diseases (STAKOB) is adjusted in the present publication with regards to recent
      experiences and upcoming needs. Clear synergies in using infrastructures and
      bundling of resources have led to similar efforts at the European level. The
      German concept, therefore, has a pioneering role. This update is intended to
      improve professional patient care and also minimize the risk of disease spread
      and transmission. 

PMID- 26099223
TI  - Association of hemoglobin A1c and glycated albumin with carotid atherosclerosis
      in community-dwelling Japanese subjects: the Hisayama Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is not clear which glucose measure is more useful in the
      assessment of atherosclerosis. We investigated the associations of hemoglobin A1c
      (HbA1c), glycated albumin (GA), 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG), fasting plasma
      glucose (FPG), and 2-hour postload glucose (PG) with carotid intima-media
      thickness (IMT) in community-dwelling Japanese subjects. METHODS: A total of 2702
      subjects aged 40-79 years underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test and
      measurements of HbA1c, GA, 1,5-AG, and carotid IMT by ultrasonography in 2007
      2008. Carotid wall thickening was defined as a maximum IMT of >1.0 mm. The crude
      and multivariable-adjusted linear and logistic regression models were used to
      analyze cross-sectional associations between levels of glycemic measures and
      carotid IMT. RESULTS: The crude average of the maximum IMT increased
      significantly with rising quartiles of HbA1c, GA, FPG, and 2-hour PG levels in
      subjects with and without glucose intolerance (GI), while no clear association
      was observed for 1,5-AG. After adjustment for other confounding factors, positive
      trends for HbA1c, GA, and FPG (all p for trend < 0.05), but not 2-hour PG (p =
      0.07) remained robust in subjects with GI, but no such associations were found in
      those without GI. When estimating multivariable-adjusted beta values for the
      associations of 1 SD change in glycemic measures with the maximum IMT in subjects
      with GI, the magnitude of the influence of HbA1c (beta = 0.021), GA (beta =
      0.024), and FPG (beta = 0.024) was larger than that of 2-hour PG (beta = 0.014)
      and 1,5-AG (beta = 0.003). The multivariable-adjusted odds ratios for the
      presence of carotid wall thickening increased significantly with elevating HbA1c,
      GA, and FPG levels only in subjects with GI (all p for trend < 0.001). Among
      subjects with GI, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve
      significantly increased by adding HbA1c (p = 0.04) or GA (p = 0.04), but not 1,5
      AG, FPG, or 2-hour PG, to the model including other cardiovascular risk factors.
      CONCLUSIONS: In community-dwelling Japanese subjects with GI, elevated HbA1c, GA,
      and FPG levels were significantly associated with increased carotid IMT, and
      HbA1c and GA provided superior discrimination for carotid wall thickening
      compared to 1,5-AG, FPG, and 2-hour PG, suggesting that HbA1c and GA are useful
      for assessing carotid atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26099225
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26099226
TI  - PREventing Delayed Graft Function by Driving Immunosuppressive InduCtion
      Treatment (PREDICT-DGF): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In kidney transplantation, the use of Anti-Thymocyte Globulins (ATG)
      as induction therapy has been described as a possible treatment for reducing the
      prevalence of Delayed Graft Function (DGF). ATG possesses pharmaceutical
      proprieties that could help control the lesions caused by ischemia reperfusion
      injury. However, other studies have questioned this potential protective effect.
      We hypothesized that the benefits related to ATG for reducing DGF prevalence may
      be higher and more consistently recognized if only patients with high DGF risk
      are considered. We recently proposed a scoring system entitled DGFS (Delayed
      Graft Function Score) for such stratification of kidney transplant recipients
      according to their risk of DGF. Using the DGFS calculation, we aim to determine
      whether a short course of ATG can decrease the incidence of DGF in comparison
      with Basiliximab in kidney transplant recipients with low immunological risk but
      high DGF risk. METHODS: We conduct a phase IV, open label, randomized,
      multicentric and prospective study, to compare ATG in parallel with a control
      group treated by Basiliximab. The 1:1 randomized allocation of patients between
      groups is stratified on the clinical center, and on the hypothermic machine
      perfusion device. We aimed to include a total of 384 patients to achieve a
      statistical power at 0.80. The study was initiated at the Nantes University
      hospital in July 2014, with data collection continuing until April 2018, and
      publication of the results proposed for 2019. DISCUSSION: The main expected
      benefits of this study are i) the reduction of unjustified ATG over-prescriptions
      associated with serious adverse events, ii) the reduction of chance losses
      related to ATG under-prescription, iii) the decrease in the incidence of DGF
      which was described as a risk factor of graft failure and patient death, and iv)
      the reduction in hospitalization duration and number of post transplantation
      dialysis sessions, both being associated with reduced medical costs. In
      conclusion, the current study is innovative by proposing a more efficient and
      personalized induction therapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered in
      the Clinical Trials Registry (# NCT02056938, February 5, 2014), and in the
      European Clinical Trials Database (EudraCT #2014-000332-42, January 30, 2014).

PMID- 26099227
TI  - Early side effects and first results of radioligand therapy with (177)Lu-DKFZ-617
      PSMA of castrate-resistant metastatic prostate cancer: a two-centre study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radioligand therapy (RLT) with (177)Lu-DKFZ-617 PSMA (Lu-PSMA)
      (prostate-specific membrane antigen) is a novel targeted therapy of metastatic
      prostate cancer. We analysed retrospectively the early side effects and the
      response rate in the first patients, who received a therapy with Lu-PSMA in our
      departments. METHODS: RLT was performed in ten hormone- and/or chemo-refractory
      patients with distant metastases and progressive disease (mean age 73.5 years).
      (68)Ga-PSMA HBED-CC PET/CT was performed in all patients prior to RLT. The median
      PSA level prior to the therapy was 298.5 ng/ml (range 5-853 ng/ml). All patients
      received CBC, renal and liver function tests the day before and 2 days after
      application (mean administered activity 5.6 GBq, range 4.1-6.1 GBq), followed by
      further tests every 2 weeks. All patients were contacted by telephone every week
      regarding side effects or any positive and negative changes. RESULTS: Eight weeks
      after the therapy, seven patients (70 %) experienced a PSA decline, of whom six
      experienced more than 30 % and five more than 50 %. Three patients showed a
      progressive disease according to the PSA increase. No patient experienced any
      side effects immediately after injection of Lu-PSMA. Relevant hematotoxicity
      (grade 3 or 4) occurred 7 weeks after the administration in just one patient. The
      same patient showed a leucopenia grade 2. Two patients showed a disturbance of
      only 1 hematologic cell line, whereas one patient showed a reduction of grades 1
      and 2 in leucocytes and thrombocytes, respectively. Six patients did not show any
      hematotoxicity during the 8 weeks after therapy. There was no relevant
      nephrotoxicity (grade 3 or 4). CONCLUSIONS: Our initial results indicate that RLT
      with Lu-PSMA is safe and seems to have low early side-effect profile. A relevant
      PSA decline was detected in 70 % of patients.

PMID- 26099228
TI  - Relationship of organizational culture, teamwork and job satisfaction in
      interprofessional teams.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Team effectiveness is often explained on the basis of input-process
      output (IPO) models. According to these models a relationship between
      organizational culture (input = I), interprofessional teamwork (process = P) and
      job satisfaction (output = O) is postulated. The aim of this study was to examine
      the relationship between these three aspects using structural analysis. METHODS:
      A multi-center cross-sectional study with a survey of 272 employees was conducted
      in fifteen rehabilitation clinics with different indication fields in Germany.
      Structural equation modeling (SEM) was carried out using AMOS software version
      20.0 (maximum-likelihood method). RESULTS: Of 661 questionnaires sent out to
      members of the health care teams in the medical rehabilitation clinics, 275 were
      returned (41.6%). Three questionnaires were excluded (missing data greater than
      30%), yielding a total of 272 employees that could be analyzed. The confirmatory
      models were supported by the data. The results showed that 35% of job
      satisfaction is predicted by a structural equation model that includes both
      organizational culture and teamwork. The comparison of this predictive IPO model
      (organizational culture (I), interprofessional teamwork (P), job satisfaction
      (O)) and the predictive IO model (organizational culture (I), job satisfaction
      (O)) showed that the effect of organizational culture is completely mediated by
      interprofessional teamwork. The global fit indices are a little better for the IO
      model (TLI: .967, CFI: .972, RMSEA .052) than for the IPO model (TLI: .934, CFI:
      .943, RMSEA: .61), but the prediction of job satisfaction is better in the IPO
      model (R(2) = 35%) than in the IO model (R(2) = 24%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      results underpin the importance of interprofessional teamwork in health care
      organizations. To enhance interprofessional teamwork, team interventions can be
      recommended and should be supported. Further studies investigating the
      organizational culture and its impact on interprofessional teamwork and team
      effectiveness in health care are important.

PMID- 26099229
TI  - The whole spectrum of cystic periventricular leukomalacia of the preterm infant:
      results from a large consecutive case series.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to describe features of cystic
      periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) in a large consecutive cohort study including
      long-term neurodevelopmental follow-up. METHODS: We performed a retrospective
      single-centre cohort study including all preterm infants <=35 weeks of
      gestational age with PVL diagnosed by ultrasound scans (US) from a tertiary care
      university hospital between 1988 and 2012. RESULTS: The majority of 160
      consecutively diagnosed cases had a gestational age between 28 and 32 weeks
      (60.6%), and male sex was predominant (60.6%). The most common associated
      clinical findings included respiratory distress syndrome, preterm premature
      rupture of the membranes, and chorioamnionitis (57.5, 49.4, and 39.4%,
      respectively). Infants presented with apnoeas in 66.3 and neonatal seizures in
      23.1%. Any kind of respiratory support was present in 75.0%. Associated low-grade
      intraventricular haemorrhage was evident in 33.1, high-grade haemorrhage in 9.4%.
      Cysts were located on both hemispheres in 75% and PVL grades 3 and 4 were
      predominant (75.6%). Neurodevelopmental follow-up of 146 cases at a median age of
      72 months revealed normal development in 11.0, mental retardation in 50.0, and
      cerebral palsy in 83.6%. Visual impairment was diagnosed in 21.9% and hearing
      impairment in one case. A quarter of cases (27.4%) developed seizure disorders.
      Outcome data were significantly better in unilateral compared to bilateral PVL.
      CONCLUSIONS: Long-term neurodevelopmental outcome of bilateral PVL always was
      adverse and different from unilateral PVL. The latter might be negatively
      influenced by associated intra- and periventricular haemorrhages.

PMID- 26099230
TI  - Vertical extraventricular functional hemispherotomy: a new variant for
      hemispheric disconnection. Technical notes and results in three patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hemispherectomy and disconnective hemispherotomy are the most effective
      epilepsy surgical procedures for the treatment of epilepsy due to hemispheric
      pathologies such as Sturge-Weber syndrome, diffuse hemispheric cortical
      dysplasia, and posttraumatic and postischemic focal lesions. Disconnective
      hemispherotomy is nowadays preferred to reduce surgical morbidity in term of
      early and late complications (i.e., cerebral superficial hemosiderosis). Despite
      the number of existing technical variants conceived to further reduce the amount
      of brain tissue to be removed, postoperative hydrocephalus still persists and may
      account for an average incidence of 15-41% according to different series and
      reviews. A new variant of disconnective vertical hemispherotomy we termed
      vertical extraventricular parasagittal hemispherotomy is described aiming to
      further reduce the amount of removed brain tissue and so the risk of
      postoperative hydrocephalus in favor of a pure hemispheric disconnection.
      METHODS: Three patients affected by drug-resistant epilepsy due to different
      hemispheric pathologies (posttraumatic epilepsy, Sturge-Weber syndrome, diffuse
      hemispheric cortical dysplasia) were considered to be candidates for vertical
      extraventricular parasagittal hemispherotomy disconnective based on presurgical
      evaluation protocol. The oldest patient was 15 years old, the two youngest were
      both 2 years old. RESULTS: None of the patients experienced early and late
      surgical complications. After a mean follow-up of 36 months (range 12-60 months),
      two patients were seizure free, one relapsed seizures 18 months later.
      Postoperative hydrocephalus never occurred. CONCLUSION: Vertical extraventricular
      parasagittal hemispherotomy may be an efficacious and less invasive technique as
      it consists in a pure disconnection of the hemisphere with less amount of brain
      tissue removed and a theoretical reduced risk of postoperative hydrocephalus.

PMID- 26099231
TI  - The vanishing shunt valve.
AB  - PURPOSE: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is one of the most commonly performed
      procedures by a neurosurgeon. It is occasionally fraught with the most bizarre
      complications. Understanding the pathophysiology of these complications can help
      us make the procedure safe and more effective. METHODS: The authors report a case
      of 8-year-old boy, previously operated for lumbar myelomeningocele and
      hydrocephalus with an intra diploic migration of shunt tube and shunt
      dysfunction, and discuss the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and surgical strategy.
      RESULTS: After diagnosis of shunt malfunction, shunt revision was done with
      placement of new system and removal of the old apparatus. Patient had a
      remarkable recovery after the surgery. CONCLUSION: Intradiploic migration is an
      extremely rare cause of shunt malfunction and has never been reported in
      literature before. Possible mechanism is that prolonged pressure on the valve due
      to recumbent head position in a paraplegic child might have led to new bone
      formation and subsequent intradiploic migration of the valve. Careful planning
      the position of shunt valve in relation to head position, especially in children
      who are recumbent due to paraplegia might avoid this untoward complication.

PMID- 26099232
TI  - Functional hemispherectomy for catastrophic epilepsy in very young infants:
      technical considerations and complication avoidance.
AB  - PURPOSE: We report on our experience in performing peri-insular functional
      hemispherectomy (PIH) in very young infants with catastrophic epilepsy. METHODS:
      We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of all infants with catastrophic
      epilepsy that underwent PIH under the age of 4 months at our institution.
      RESULTS: Four infants (three female, one male) were included (median age at time
      of surgery 2.9 months, range from 2.4 to 4.2 months; median patient's weight at
      time of surgery 5650 g, range from 4300 to 7500 g). None of the patients
      experienced hemodynamic instability during surgery. All four patients were given
      red blood cell replacement (median 435 ml, range from 230 to 800 ml), three of
      the four patients experienced coagulopathy during surgery and were given platelet
      cells transfusion in one (50 ml) and fresh frozen plasma in two patients (191 and
      320 ml). Two patients experienced severe complications that, however, did not
      cause a permanent morbidity due to prompt diagnosis and correct management. After
      a median follow-up time of 4.3 years (range from 1.3 to 7.9 years), three of four
      patients are completely seizure free. The remaining patient is experiencing brief
      daily staring episodes. All of them have a hemiparesis but are fully ambulatory
      and have a useful upper limb function. CONCLUSION: In catastrophic epilepsy, PIH
      within the first months of life is feasible provided that an experienced
      multidisciplinary team is involved. Awareness of surgical challenges and
      potential complications is indispensible when the life-threatening nature of the
      epilepsy compels neurosurgeons to operate at this very young age.

PMID- 26099233
TI  - Antibiotics for acute otitis media in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the most common diseases in early
      infancy and childhood. Antibiotic use for AOM varies from 56% in the Netherlands
      to 95% in the USA, Canada and Australia. This is an update of a Cochrane review
      first published in The Cochrane Library in Issue 1, 1997 and previously updated
      in 1999, 2005, 2009 and 2013. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of antibiotics
      for children with AOM. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL (2015, Issue 3),
      MEDLINE (1966 to April week 3, 2015), OLDMEDLINE (1958 to 1965), EMBASE (January
      1990 to April 2015), Current Contents (1966 to April 2015), CINAHL (2008 to April
      2015) and LILACS (2008 to April 2015). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled
      trials (RCTs) comparing 1) antimicrobial drugs with placebo and 2) immediate
      antibiotic treatment with expectant observation (including delayed antibiotic
      prescribing) in children with AOM. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review
      authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. MAIN RESULTS:
      For the review of antibiotics against placebo, 13 RCTs (3401 children and 3938
      AOM episodes) from high-income countries were eligible and had generally low risk
      of bias. The combined results of the trials revealed that by 24 hours from the
      start of treatment, 60% of the children had recovered whether or not they had
      placebo or antibiotics. Pain was not reduced by antibiotics at 24 hours (risk
      ratio (RR) 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78 to 1.01) but almost a third
      fewer had residual pain at two to three days (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.86;
      number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) 20). A quarter
      fewer had pain at four to seven days (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.91; NNTB 16) and
      two-thirds fewer had pain at 10 to 12 days (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.66; NNTB 7)
      compared with placebo. Antibiotics did reduce the number of children with
      abnormal tympanometry findings at two to four weeks (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.74 to
      0.90; NNTB 11), at six to eight weeks (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.00; NNTB 16) and
      the number of children with tympanic membrane perforations (RR 0.37, 95% CI 0.18
      to 0.76; NNTB 33) and halved contralateral otitis episodes (RR 0.49, 95% CI 0.25
      to 0.95; NNTB 11) compared with placebo. However, antibiotics neither reduced the
      number of children with abnormal tympanometry findings at three months (RR 0.97,
      95% CI 0.76 to 1.24) nor the number of children with late AOM recurrences (RR
      0.93, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.10) when compared with placebo. Severe complications were
      rare and did not differ between children treated with antibiotics and those
      treated with placebo. Adverse events (such as vomiting, diarrhoea or rash)
      occurred more often in children taking antibiotics (RR 1.38, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.59;
      number needed to treat for an additional harmful outcome (NNTH) 14). Funnel plots
      do not suggest publication bias. Individual patient data meta-analysis of a
      subset of included trials found antibiotics to be most beneficial in children
      aged less than two years with bilateral AOM, or with both AOM and otorrhoea.For
      the review of immediate antibiotics against expectant observation, five trials
      (1149 children) from high-income countries were eligible and had low to moderate
      risk of bias. Four trials (1007 children) reported outcome data that could be
      used for this review. From these trials, data from 959 children could be
      extracted for the meta-analysis of pain at three to seven days. No difference in
      pain was detectable at three to seven days (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.50 to 1.12). One
      trial (247 children) reported data on pain at 11 to 14 days. Immediate
      antibiotics were not associated with a reduction in the number of children with
      pain (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.10) compared with expectant observation.
      Additionally, no differences in the number of children with abnormal tympanometry
      findings at four weeks, tympanic membrane perforations and AOM recurrence were
      observed between groups. No serious complications occurred in either the
      antibiotic or the expectant observation group. Immediate antibiotics were
      associated with a substantial increased risk of vomiting, diarrhoea or rash
      compared with expectant observation (RR 1.71, 95% CI 1.24 to 2.36; NNTH
      9).Results from an individual patient data meta-analysis including data from six
      high-quality trials (1643 children) that were also included as individual trials
      in our review showed that antibiotics seem to be most beneficial in children
      younger than two years of age with bilateral AOM (NNTB 4) and in children with
      both AOM and otorrhoea (NNTB 3). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: This review reveals that
      antibiotics have no early effect on pain, a slight effect on pain in the days
      following and only a modest effect on the number of children with tympanic
      perforations, contralateral otitis episodes and abnormal tympanometry findings at
      two to four weeks and at six to eight weeks compared with placebo in children
      with AOM. In high-income countries, most cases of AOM spontaneously remit without
      complications. The benefits of antibiotics must be weighed against the possible
      harms: for every 14 children treated with antibiotics one child experienced an
      adverse event (such as vomiting, diarrhoea or rash) that would not have occurred
      if antibiotics were withheld. Therefore clinical management should emphasise
      advice about adequate analgesia and the limited role for antibiotics. Antibiotics
      are most useful in children under two years of age with bilateral AOM, or with
      both AOM and otorrhoea. For most other children with mild disease in high-income
      countries, an expectant observational approach seems justified.

PMID- 26099234
TI  - Mixed Expectations: Effects of Goal Ambivalence during Pregnancy on Maternal Well
      Being, Stress, and Coping.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We hypothesised that experiencing ambivalence toward the childbearing
      goal would be related to indicators of well-being, stress, and coping among women
      with planned pregnancies. METHODS: Study 1 (N = 208) tested cross-sectional
      associations between goal ambivalence and measures of well-being, stress, and
      coping. It also included a postpartum measurement point (N = 71) to examine
      prospective effects of goal ambivalence. Study 2 (N = 109) extended the
      investigation to within-person effects in a three-week daily diary assessment.
      RESULTS: In Study 1, goal ambivalence in pregnant women was positively associated
      with depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and pregnancy-specific avoidance
      oriented coping, and negatively associated with coping self-efficacy. Goal
      ambivalence also predicted changes in life satisfaction, depressive symptoms,
      perceived stress, and coping self-efficacy postpartum. Study 2 revealed within
      person effects of daily fluctuations in goal ambivalence on day-to-day changes in
      positive emotions, negative activation, and avoidance-oriented coping.
      CONCLUSIONS: Ambivalence towards the childbearing goal is a source of significant
      distress to pregnant women with planned pregnancies and its effects seem to
      extend into the postpartum period. These findings may have important clinical
      implications for maternal and child well-being. Future studies should examine
      whether goal ambivalence during pregnancy affects the maternal-child relationship
      in the long term.

PMID- 26099235
TI  - Lessons learned about primary weight maintenance and secondary weight
      maintenance: results from a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is now a worldwide problem and Ireland is no exception with
      approximately two thirds of the adult population now overweight or obese. A
      recent report has found that 53% of Irish adults aged 50 years and over are
      classified as centrally obese and at substantially increased risk of metabolic
      complications. While most studies investigating weight maintenance have been
      conducted on those who have managed to lose weight and/or achieved weight loss
      maintenance (secondary weight maintainers), few studies have been undertaken to
      understand the attitudes, behaviours, motivations and strategies of those who
      maintain their weight within normal weight ranges over their lifetime, so called
      primary weight maintainers. This study aims to explore this issue through
      qualitative exploration of primary weight maintainers in an Irish University.
      METHODS: Seven focus groups were conducted (including three single interviews)
      with 17 participants in total across three different groups, 1) primary weight
      maintainers, 2) secondary weight maintainers, and 3) those unable to sustain or
      achieve weight loss. The interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was
      applied to interpret the findings. RESULTS: After analyzing the participant's
      interviews, planning and organization or lack of, emerged as themes across the
      three groups in varying degrees. Strategizing, perseverance and willpower were
      seen as integral to weight maintenance and weight loss in groups one and two,
      these were lacking in group three. Prioritizing exercise and perseverance in
      maintaining a high level of activity was evident in groups one and two and was
      lacking in group three. Motivational influences were equal across the groups
      however, group three found it difficult to turn this into action. Group one had
      behavioural control of calorie intake maintaining a balance between week and
      weekend eating. Group three found it difficult to control calorie intake and
      portion size. Self-image differed across the three groups with cognitive
      dissonance evident amongst those in group three. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed
      that there are many factors that influence primary weight maintenance.
      Considering that we live in a society that is predominantly sedentary,
      predominantly overweight and with poor food choice options facing us every day,
      fighting our way through to ensure healthy weight maintenance requires active,
      conscious efforts. The factors identified in this study which are important in
      healthy weight maintenance are all potentially modifiable with life-coach,
      nutrition, exercise and cognitive interventions particularly if peer support and
      a whole family approach are incorporated.

PMID- 26099237
TI  - Cloning, expression, and partial characterization of FBPA from Schistosoma
      japonicum, a molecule on that the fluke may develop nutrition competition and
      immune evasion from human.
AB  - Carbohydrate metabolism is the most important physiological process for
      Schistosoma japonicum which resides in host. However, as a key glycolytic enzyme
      in carbohydrate metabolism, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBPA), there is
      no study on its enzymatic kinetics and antigenic peptides. Here, we report the
      gene cloning, expression, purification, and kinetics of the FBPA from S.
      japonicum (sjFBPA). After cloning, sjFBPA gene was introduced into pET-28a and
      transformed BL21, and a soluble His6-sjFBPA was expressed and purified
      successfully at the expected molecular mass of ~45 kDa. We first reported that
      the diversities in IGS regions and the features of residues position 346 and 357
      362 of sjFBPA may be conferred either through conformational changes influencing
      easily the active site from a distance and/or causing the C-terminal region to
      interact directly with the active site, which lead His6-sjFBPA to exhibit a
      higher specific activity of 197.43 units/mg and degrades FBP with a typical
      substrate inhibition model and a higher efficiency of k cat  = 6261.3/s and K m 
      = 0.061 MUM than human aldolases, which might be the strategy that S. japonicum
      gaining energy and surviving in its environment with low concentration of
      carbohydrate, and benefitting to get more metabolic substances for parasites in
      nutrition competition with their host. sjFBPA exhibits a high similarity of 81.46
      % with that of hosts, especially in antigenic peptide regions, and 14 of 15
      antigenic peptides of sjFBPA were conserved to those of human aldolase A, B,
      and/or C with high identity (17, 16, or 16 antigenic peptides, respectively),
      which may result in a molecular mimicry of FBPA with that of host, and an immune
      evasion from their hosts. This work would supply an experimental base for using
      FBPA to prevent the schistosomiasis in the future.

PMID- 26099236
TI  - Phosphorylation of Pex11p does not regulate peroxisomal fission in the yeast
      Hansenula polymorpha.
AB  - Pex11p plays a crucial role in peroxisomal fission. Studies in Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris indicated that Pex11p is activated by
      phosphorylation, which results in enhanced peroxisome proliferation. In S.
      cerevisiae but not in P. pastoris, Pex11p phosphorylation was shown to regulate
      the protein's trafficking to peroxisomes. However, phosphorylation of PpPex11p
      was proposed to influence its interaction with Fis1p, another component of the
      organellar fission machinery. Here, we have examined the role of Pex11p
      phosphorylation in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha. Employing mass spectrometry,
      we demonstrate that HpPex11p is also phosphorylated on a Serine residue present
      at a similar position to that of ScPex11p and PpPex11p. Furthermore, through the
      use of mutants designed to mimic both phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms
      of HpPex11p, we have investigated the role of this post-translational
      modification. Our data demonstrate that mutations to the phosphorylation site do
      not disturb the function of Pex11p in peroxisomal fission, nor do they alter the
      localization of Pex11p. Also, no effect on peroxisome inheritance was observed.
      Taken together, these data lead us to conclude that peroxisomal fission in H.
      polymorpha is not modulated by phosphorylation of Pex11p. 

PMID- 26099238
TI  - In vivo evaluation of Phthirus pubis with reflectance confocal microscopy.

PMID- 26099239
TI  - Juvenile-specific cathepsin proteases in Fasciola spp.: their characteristics and
      vaccine efficacies.
AB  - Fasciolosis, caused by Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica, is one of the
      most neglected tropical zoonotic diseases. One sustainable control strategy
      against these infections is the employment of vaccines that target proteins
      essential for parasites' invasion and nutrition acquiring processes. Cathepsin
      proteases are the most abundantly expressed proteins in Fasciola spp. that have
      been tested successfully as vaccines against fasciolosis in experimental as well
      as large animals because of their important roles in digestion of nutrients,
      invasion, and migration. Specifically, juvenile-specific cathepsin proteases are
      the more effective vaccines because they could block the invasion and migration
      of juvenile parasites whose immune evasion mechanism has not yet been fully
      developed. Moreover, because of high sequence similarity and identity of
      cathepsins from juveniles with those of adults, the vaccines can attack both the
      juvenile and adult stages. In this article, the characteristics and vaccine
      potentials of juvenile-specific cathepsins, i.e., cathepsins L and B, of Fasciola
      spp. were reviewed. 

PMID- 26099240
TI  - Characterization and bioassay for larvicidal activity of Anacardium occidentale
      (cashew) shell waste fractions against dengue vector Aedes aegypti.
AB  - Recent studies regarding the harmful effects of synthetic larvicides initiated
      the need to investigate for unconventional measures that are environmentally safe
      and target-specific against Aedes aegypti larvae. Thus, the main objectives of
      the study are to evaluate the larvicidal toxicity of the solvent fractions of
      Anacardium occidentale shell wastes against the third and fourth instar larvae of
      A. aegypti and to compare the results with the commercial larvicide product. The
      shell wastes were extracted with 95% EtOH followed by polarity-based
      fractionation. The fractions were tested for larvicidal activity according to the
      World Health Organization bioassay method. These were then characterized by
      quantitative thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) fingerprinting. The hexane fraction
      gave the strongest activity among the fractions with an LC50 of 4.01 mg/L and
      LC90 of 11.29 mg/L highly comparable to the commercial larvicide, which exhibited
      an LC50 of 1.71 mg/L and LC90 of 8.41 mg/L. The dichloromethane fraction
      exhibited 9.70 mg/L LC50 and 18.44 mg/L LC90. The remarkable toxicity effects
      exhibited by these fractions indicate their potential to provide core structures
      from which sustainable and environmentally safe plant-based larvicidal agents can
      be synthesized.

PMID- 26099241
TI  - Exercise capacity impairment in COPD patients with comorbidities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Comorbidities are common in COPD and have been associated with
      reduced health status, increased health care utilization, all-cause
      hospitalization, and mortality. There is a scarcity of data on the relationship
      between comorbidities and functional capacity. OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the impact
      of comorbidities on functional capacity of COPD patients. METHODS: a cross
      sectional study was conducted at two teaching hospitals in Fortaleza, Brazil. The
      functional capacity was assessed by spirometry and the 6-min walking test (6MWT).
      The health status was assessed by the St. George's respiratory questionnaire
      (SGRQ) and the COPD assessment test (CAT). The sample was stratified as having
      "none", "one" and "two or three" comorbidities groups. One-way ANOVA was used to
      compare means of the three groups and a multiple linear regression was run to
      predict the impact of comorbidities on 6MWT. RESULTS: Comorbidities
      (hypertension, coronary disease and diabetes) were found in 54% of the studied
      patients. The mean age of the 79 patients was 67+/-8 years and 55% were male. CAT
      scores increased from "no comorbidity" (17.9+/-7.7) to "one comorbidity" (22.8+/
      6.8) and "two or three comorbidities" groups (24.2+/-10.2). A post hoc test
      showed a significant difference in the "no comorbidity" compared to the "two or
      three comorbidities" groups (p=0.01). The distance walked by the patients
      decreased from "no comorbidity" (386.1+/-83.2m) to "one comorbidity" (350+/-98m)
      and "two or three comorbidities" groups (312.6+/-91m). A post hoc test showed
      significant difference in the "no comorbidity" compared to "two or three
      comorbidities" groups (p=0.007). Numbers of comorbidities were independently
      associated with the 6MWT adjusting for age, severity of COPD and CAT scores.
      CONCLUSION: in the studied sample, the presence of comorbidities contributed to
      impair exercise capacity in patients with COPD.

PMID- 26099242
TI  - Caffeine protects against memory loss induced by high and non-anxiolytic dose of
      cannabidiol in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio).
AB  - Cannabidiol (CBD) has been investigated in a wide spectrum of clinical approaches
      due to its psychopharmacological properties. CBD has low affinity for cannabinoid
      neuroreceptors and agonistic properties to 5-HT receptors. An interaction between
      cannabinoid and purinergic receptor systems has been proposed. The purpose of
      this study is to evaluate CBD properties on memory behavioral and locomotor
      parameters and the effects of pre-treatment of adenosine receptor blockers on CBD
      impacts on memory using adult zebrafish. CBD (0.1, 0.5, 5, and 10mg/kg) was
      tested in the avoidance inhibitory paradigm and anxiety task. We analyzed the
      effect of a long-term caffeine pre-treatment (~20mg/L - four months). Also, acute
      block of adenosine receptors was performed in co-administration with CBD exposure
      in the memory assessment. CBD promoted an inverted U-shaped dose-response curve
      in the anxiety task; in the memory assessment, CBD in the dose of 5mg/Kg promoted
      the strongest effects without interfering with social and aggressive behavior.
      Caffeine treatment was able to prevent CBD (5mg/kg) effects on memory when CBD
      was given after the training session. CBD effects on memory were partially
      prevented by co-treatment with a specific A2A adenosine receptor antagonist when
      given prior to or after the training session, while CBD effects after the
      training session were fully prevented by adenosine A1 receptor antagonist. These
      results indicated that zebrafish have responses to CBD anxiolytic properties that
      are comparable to other animal models, and high doses changed memory retention in
      a way dependent on adenosine. 

PMID- 26099243
TI  - Larva of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, is a suitable alternative
      host for studying virulence of fish pathogenic Vibrio anguillarum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microbial diseases cause considerable economic losses in aquaculture
      and new infection control measures often rely on a better understanding of
      pathogenicity. However, disease studies performed in fish hosts often require
      specialist infrastructure (e.g., aquaria), adherence to strict legislation and do
      not permit high-throughput approaches; these reasons justify the development of
      alternative hosts. This study aimed to validate the use of larvae of the greater
      wax moth (Galleria mellonella) to investigate virulence of the important fish
      pathogen, Vibrio anguillarum. RESULTS: Using 11 wild-type isolates of V.
      anguillarum, these bacteria killed larvae in a dose-dependent manner and
      replicated inside the haemolymph, but infected larvae were rescued by antibiotic
      therapy. Crucially, virulence correlated significantly and positively in larva
      and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) infection models. Challenge studies with
      mutants knocked out for single virulence determinants confirmed conserved roles
      in larva and fish infections in some cases (pJM1 plasmid, rtxA), but not all
      (empA, flaA, flaE). CONCLUSIONS: The G. mellonella model is simple, more
      ethically acceptable than experiments on vertebrates and, crucially, does not
      necessitate liquid systems, which reduces infrastructure requirements and
      biohazard risks associated with contaminated water. The G. mellonella model may
      aid our understanding of microbial pathogens in aquaculture and lead to the
      timely introduction of new effective remedies for infectious diseases, while
      adhering to the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement (3Rs) and
      considerably reducing the number of vertebrates used in such studies.

PMID- 26099246
TI  - Commentary on "Monosodium glutamate neurotoxicity increases beta amyloid in the
      rat hippocampus: A potential role for cyclic AMP protein kinase" (Dief et al.,
      2014).

PMID- 26099249
TI  - Regio- and Stereoselective Modification of Chiral alpha-Amino Ketones by Pd
      Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation.
AB  - Chiral alpha-amino ketones are excellent nucleophiles for stereoselective
      palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylations. Both chiral as well as achiral allylic
      substrates can be applied, while the stereochemical outcome of the reaction is
      controlled by the chiral ketone enolate. The substituted amino ketones formed can
      be reduced stereoselectively, and up to five consecutive stereogenic centers can
      be obtained. This approach can be used for the synthesis of highly substituted
      piperidine derivatives. 

PMID- 26099244
TI  - Reducing HIV Risks in the Places Where People Drink: Prevention Interventions in
      Alcohol Venues.
AB  - Apart from individual alcohol drinking behavior, the context or places where
      people drink play a significant role in HIV transmission risk. In this paper, we
      review the research that has been conducted on alcohol venues to identify the
      social and structural factors (e.g., social norms, sexual behavior) that are
      associated with HIV risk in these places, to review HIV prevention interventions
      based in alcohol venues, and to discuss appropriate methodologies for alcohol
      venue research. Alcohol venues are defined here as places that sell or serve
      alcohol for onsite consumption, including bars, bottle stores, nightclubs, wine
      shops, and informal shebeens. Despite the many established HIV risk factors at
      play in alcohol venues, limited prevention strategies have been implemented in
      such places. A total of 11 HIV prevention interventions or programs were
      identified. HIV prevention interventions in alcohol venues may be conducted at
      the individual, social, or structural level. However, multilevel interventions
      that target more than one level appear to lead to the most sustainable behavior
      change. Strategies to incorporate alcohol venues in biomedical prevention
      strategies including antiretroviral therapy for alcohol users are also discussed.

PMID- 26099250
TI  - Bifunctional non-noble metal oxide nanoparticle electrocatalysts through lithium
      induced conversion for overall water splitting.
AB  - Developing earth-abundant, active and stable electrocatalysts which operate in
      the same electrolyte for water splitting, including oxygen evolution reaction and
      hydrogen evolution reaction, is important for many renewable energy conversion
      processes. Here we demonstrate the improvement of catalytic activity when
      transition metal oxide (iron, cobalt, nickel oxides and their mixed oxides)
      nanoparticles (~20 nm) are electrochemically transformed into ultra-small
      diameter (2-5 nm) nanoparticles through lithium-induced conversion reactions.
      Different from most traditional chemical syntheses, this method maintains
      excellent electrical interconnection among nanoparticles and results in large
      surface areas and many catalytically active sites. We demonstrate that lithium
      induced ultra-small NiFeOx nanoparticles are active bifunctional catalysts
      exhibiting high activity and stability for overall water splitting in base. We
      achieve 10 mA cm(-2) water-splitting current at only 1.51 V for over 200 h
      without degradation in a two-electrode configuration and 1 M KOH, better than the
      combination of iridium and platinum as benchmark catalysts. 

PMID- 26099251
TI  - Ultrasound signs of pulmonary fibrosis in systemic sclerosis as timely indicators
      for chest computed tomography.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients in the early stages of pulmonary
      fibrosis (PF) often have few or no symptoms, normal to borderline pulmonary
      function tests, and negative chest X-ray (CXR); high-resolution computed
      tomography (HRCT) is the only reliable means of detecting the early signs of PF.
      However, thoracic ultrasound (TUS) enables detection of pleural thickening,
      pleural/subpleural nodules, and other subpleural lung abnormalities across 70% of
      the subpleural surface. We reassessed concordance between TUS abnormalities and
      HRCT findings in SSc patients, to see whether TUS pleural line thickness
      (normally <3.0 mm) could be used to earmark those with asymptomatic PF for timely
      HRCT assessment. METHOD: In total, 175 SSc patients (nine males, 166 females),
      aged 46.46+/-15.33 years, were given CXR, TUS, HRCT, echocardiography, and
      pulmonary function tests. RESULTS: In the 26 patients without HRCT signs of PF,
      pleural line thickness was <=3.0 mm. In diffuse SSc, 97/137 patients showed
      pleural line thickening (between 3.0 and 5 mm) and subpleural nodules in 32/97;
      and 35/137 showed major pleural line thickening (>=5.0 mm) with nodules, with
      good concordance with HRCT patterns indicating lung fibrosis severity. HRCT was
      normal in 5/137, with pleural line thickness<=3.0 mm. CONCLUSIONS: TUS imaging of
      pleural/subpleural structures can detect ultrasonographic signs of initial PF
      prior to the onset of respiratory symptoms and function test abnormalities and,
      together with current criteria, could thereby enable exclusion of PF in SSc
      patients. Indicating some patients for selective referral to HRCT can thereby
      delay unwarranted procedures, provided that pulmonary function and TUS images are
      stable.

PMID- 26099252
TI  - Alterations of Bacteroides sp., Neisseria sp., Actinomyces sp., and Streptococcus
      sp. populations in the oropharyngeal microbiome are associated with liver
      cirrhosis and pneumonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The microbiomes of humans are associated with liver and lung
      inflammation. We identified and verified alterations of the oropharyngeal
      microbiome and assessed their association with cirrhosis and pneumonia. METHODS:
      Study components were as follows: (1) determination of the temporal stability of
      the oropharyngeal microbiome; (2) identification of oropharyngeal microbial
      variation in 90 subjects; (3) quantitative identification of disease-associated
      bacteria. DNAs enriched in bacterial sequences were produced from low-biomass
      oropharyngeal swabs using whole genome amplification and were analyzed using
      denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis. RESULTS: Whole genome
      amplification combined with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis
      monitored successfully oropharyngeal microbial variations and showed that the
      composition of each subject's oropharyngeal microbiome remained relatively stable
      during the follow-up. The microbial composition of cirrhotic patients with
      pneumonia differed from those of others and clustered together in subgroup
      analysis. Further, species richness and the value of Shannon's diversity and
      evenness index increased significantly in patients with cirrhosis and pneumonia
      versus others (p < 0.001, versus healthy controls; p < 0.01, versus cirrhotic
      patients without pneumonia). Moreover, we identified variants of Bacteroides,
      Eubacterium, Lachnospiraceae, Neisseria, Actinomyces, and Streptococcus through
      phylogenetic analysis. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays revealed
      that the populations of Bacteroides, Neisseria, and Actinomycetes increased,
      while that of Streptococcus decreased in cirrhotic patients with pneumonia versus
      others (p < 0.001, versus Healthy controls; p < 0.01, versus cirrhotic patients
      without pneumonia). CONCLUSIONS: Alterations of Bacteroides, Neisseria,
      Actinomyces, and Streptococcus populations in the oropharyngeal microbiome were
      associated with liver cirrhosis and pneumonia.

PMID- 26099253
TI  - Accumulation and toxicity of intravenously-injected functionalized graphene oxide
      in mice.
AB  - Graphene and its functionalized derivatives have recently emerged as interesting
      nanomaterials with promising applications in biomedicine. In this study, the long
      term in vivo biodistribution of intravenously injected nanographene oxide (NGO)
      functionalized with poly sodium 4-styrenesulfonate (PSS) was systematically
      examined and the potential toxicity over 6 months of NGO-PSS nanoparticles was
      investigated. Our results showed that the nanoparticles mainly accumulate in the
      lung, liver and spleen, where they persist for at least 6 months. These
      nanoparticles result in acute liver injury and chronic inflammation of the lung,
      liver and spleen, as evidenced by blood biochemistry results and histological
      examinations.

PMID- 26099254
TI  - Distinguishing between emotional distress and psychiatric disorder in primary
      care attenders: A cross sectional study of the four-dimensional symptom
      questionnaire (4DSQ).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Detection of psychiatric disorder in primary care is a complex issue.
      Distinctions between 'normal' emotional distress and psychiatric disorder depend
      on how disorder is conceptualized. Our aim was to explore two different
      conceptualizations by examining patients' scores on one-dimensional depression
      measures and scores on the Four Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ), a
      measure that uniquely has separate dimensions for general distress and depressive
      disorder. METHODS: This was a cross sectional study of 487 primary care patients
      attending general clinics in Hampshire, UK. Patients completed the 4DSQ, Patient
      Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) and the
      Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) whilst in the waiting room. RESULTS:
      The 4DSQ classified 26% (126/485) of patients as having heightened distress
      levels and 8% (38/468) as possible cases of depressive disorder. Casesness was
      consistently higher across the one-dimensional measures (PHQ-9: 16%, GHQ-12: 28%,
      HADS-D: 13%). Of those patients deemed possible cases by the PHQ-9 (>= 10), the
      4DSQ classified 91% (71/78) as having heightened distress and 44% (32/72) as
      possible cases of depressive disorder. LIMITATIONS: The sample was predominately
      older and white, which may limit generalizability of the findings to more diverse
      patient groups. There are limits to self-report measures in the assessment of
      complex diagnostic issues. CONCLUSIONS: Inclusion of a distinct general distress
      dimension alongside a dimension focusing on specific depression symptomatology
      lowered the number of primary care patients classified as possible cases of
      disorder. This view of symptoms may have implications for the targeting of
      existing treatments, and may be useful in guiding the development of novel self
      management interventions.

PMID- 26099255
TI  - Transcatheter Structural Heart Interventions for the Treatment of Chronic Heart
      Failure.

PMID- 26099257
TI  - Superficial thrombophlebitis (superficial venous thrombosis).

PMID- 26099256
TI  - Update on strategies limiting iatrogenic hypoglycemia.
AB  - The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing all over the
      world. Targeting good glycemic control is fundamental to avoid the complications
      of diabetes linked to hyperglycemia. This narrative review is based on material
      searched for and obtained via PubMed up to April 2015. The search terms we used
      were: 'hypoglycemia, diabetes, complications' in combination with 'iatrogenic,
      treatment, symptoms.' Serious complications might occur from an inappropriate
      treatment of hyperglycemia. The most frequent complication is iatrogenic
      hypoglycemia that is often associated with autonomic and neuroglycopenic
      symptoms. Furthermore, hypoglycemia causes acute cardiovascular effects, which
      may explain some of the typical symptoms: ischemia, QT prolongation, and
      arrhythmia. With regards to the latter, the night represents a dangerous period
      because of the major increase in arrhythmias and the prolonged period of
      hypoglycemia; indeed, sleep has been shown to blunt the sympatho-adrenal response
      to hypoglycemia. Two main strategies have been implemented to reduce these
      effects: monitoring blood glucose values and individualized HbA1c goals. Several
      drugs for the treatment of T2DM are currently available and different
      combinations have been recommended to achieve individualized glycemic targets,
      considering age, comorbidities, disease duration, and life expectancy. In
      conclusion, according to international guidelines, hypoglycemia-avoiding therapy
      must reach an individualized glycemic goal, which is the lowest HbA1c not causing
      severe hypoglycemia and preserving awareness of hypoglycemia. 

PMID- 26099258
TI  - Can We Identify Genes with Increased Phylogenetic Reliability?
AB  - Topological heterogeneity among gene trees is widely observed in phylogenomic
      analyses and some of this variation is likely caused by systematic error in gene
      tree estimation. Systematic error can be mitigated by improving models of
      sequence evolution to account for all evolutionary processes relevant to each
      gene or identifying those genes whose evolution best conforms to existing models.
      However, the best method for identifying such genes is not well established.
      Here, we ask if filtering genes according to their clock-likeness or posterior
      predictive effect size (PPES, an inference-based measure of model violation)
      improves phylogenetic reliability and congruence. We compared these approaches to
      each other, and to the common practice of filtering based on rate of evolution,
      using two different metrics. First, we compared gene-tree topologies to accepted
      reference topologies. Second, we examined topological similarity among gene trees
      in filtered sets. Our results suggest that filtering genes based on clock
      likeness and PPES can yield a collection of genes with more reliable phylogenetic
      signal. For the two exemplar data sets we explored, from yeast and amniotes,
      clock-likeness and PPES outperformed rate-based filtering in both congruence and
      reliability. 

PMID- 26099259
TI  - Lipophilicity of porphyrins and their retention in IAM, C8-C18 and HILIC
      chromatographic systems.
AB  - Porphyrins are a class of photosensitizers used in photodynamic therapy (PDT).
      Understanding the interaction of porphyrins with membrane cells components is
      important in order to improve this therapy. Many analytical methods can be used
      for this aim. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the
      separation of porphyrins on RP and HILIC stationary phases as well as on a
      biomimetic membrane IAM phase. Twenty-six tetraphenyl porphyrins (TPP) were
      successfully separated on an IAM column, a C18 Gravity RP column, a C8 Gravity RP
      column, a PolarTec RP column and a HILIC column. Stationary phases were chosen as
      the most appropriate to cover the study of different types of interactions.
      Elution was performed with a 45 min linear gradient. Obtained gradient retention
      times were converted to gradient chromatography hydrophobicity index (CHI) and to
      an apparent retention factor (kapp). The partition coefficients (logP) of the 26
      compounds were measured in a 2-octanol/PBS system and estimated in silico.
      Correlation between kapp values was studied. Moreover, a multivariate analysis
      was performed to explain columns relationships. Obtained results show that
      porphyrins are separated mainly according to hydrophobic interactions that are
      relative to their structure (sugar number and the disposition around the
      porphyrin macrocycle).

PMID- 26099260
TI  - High-performance liquid chromatographic separation of paclitaxel intermediate
      phenylisoserine derivatives on macrocyclic glycopeptide and cyclofructan-based
      chiral stationary phases.
AB  - High-performance liquid chromatographic methods were developed for the separation
      of enantiomers of four unnatural paclitaxel precursor phenylisoserine analogs on
      chiral stationary phases containing macrocyclic glycopeptides and cyclofructans
      as chiral selectors. The effects of the mobile phase composition, the nature and
      concentration of different mobile phase additives (alcohols, amines and acids) in
      different chromatographic modes, temperature and the structures of the analytes
      on the separations were investigated. Separations were carried out at constant
      mobile phase compositions in the temperature range 10-50 degrees C on macrocyclic
      antibiotic-based and 5-35 degrees C on cyclofructan-based columns and the changes
      in enthalpy, Delta(DeltaH degrees ), entropy, Delta(DeltaS degrees ), and free
      energy, Delta(DeltaG degrees ), were calculated. The elution sequence was
      determined in most cases; no general rule could be observed. 

PMID- 26099261
TI  - Independent comparison study of six different electronic tongues applied for
      pharmaceutical analysis.
AB  - Electronic tongue technology based on arrays of cross-sensitive chemical sensors
      and chemometric data processing has attracted a lot of researchers' attention
      through the last years. Several so far reported applications dealing with
      pharmaceutical related tasks employed different e-tongue systems to address
      different objectives. In this situation, it is hard to judge on the benefits and
      drawbacks of particular e-tongue implementations for R&D in pharmaceutics. The
      objective of this study was to compare the performance of six different e-tongues
      applied to the same set of pharmaceutical samples. For this purpose, two
      commercially available systems (from Insent and AlphaMOS) and four laboratory
      prototype systems (two potentiometric systems from Warsaw operating in flow and
      static modes, one potentiometric system from St. Petersburg, one voltammetric
      system from Barcelona) were employed. The sample set addressed in the study
      comprised nine different formulations based on caffeine citrate, lactose
      monohydrate, maltodextrine, saccharin sodium and citric acid in various
      combinations. To provide for the fair and unbiased comparison, samples were
      evaluated under blind conditions and data processing from all the systems was
      performed in a uniform way. Different mathematical methods were applied to judge
      on similarity of the e-tongues response from the samples. These were principal
      component analysis (PCA), RV' matrix correlation coefficients and Tuckers
      congruency coefficients. 

PMID- 26099262
TI  - Quantitative determination of two polymorphic forms of imatinib mesylate in a
      drug substance and tablet formulation by X-ray powder diffraction, differential
      scanning calorimetry and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy.
AB  - Imatinib has been identified as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that selectively
      inhibits the Abl tyrosine kinases, including Bcr-Abl. The active substance used
      in drug product is the mesylate salt form of imatinib, a phenylaminopyrimidine
      derivative and chemically named as N-(3-(4-(pyridin-3-yl) pyrimidin-2-ylamino)-4
      methylphenyl)-4-((4-methylpiperazin-1-yl) methyl)-benzamide methanesulfonic acid
      salt. It exhibits many polymorphic forms and most stable and commercialized
      polymorphs are known as alpha and beta forms. Molecules in alpha and beta
      polymorphic forms exhibit significant conformational differences due to their
      different intra- and intermolecular interactions, which stabilize their molecular
      conformations and affect their physicochemical properties such as bulk density,
      melting point, solubility, stability, and processability. The manufacturing
      process of a drug tablet included granulation, compression, coating, and drying
      may cause polymorphic conversions. Therefore, polymorphic content of the drug
      substance should be controlled during quality control and stability testing.
      Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy,
      differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD)
      methods were evaluated for determination of the polymorphic content of the drug
      substance and drug product; and PXRD was the most accurate technique and selected
      as preferred method and validated. Prior to development of a quantification
      method, pure alpha and beta polymorphs were characterized and used throughout the
      method development and validation studies. Mixtures with different ratios of
      alpha and beta forms were scanned using X-ray diffractometer with a scan rate of
      0.250 degrees /min over an angular range of 19.5-21.0 degrees  2theta and the
      peak heights for characteristic peak of beta form at 20.5 +/- 0.2 degrees  2theta
      diffraction angle were used to generate a calibration curve. The detection limit
      of beta polymorph in alpha form imatinib mesylate tablets was found as 4% and the
      linear regression analysis data for the calibration plots showed good linear
      relationship with correlation coefficient of 0.992 with respect to relative peak
      height in the concentration range of 12-75 wt% beta form containing tablet
      mixtures. The obtained results at each stage of the validation study proved that
      the method is specific, repeatable, precise and accurate, and could be used for
      determination of beta polymorph content in tablets produced by using alpha
      polymorph of imatinib mesylate. The developed PXRD quantification method was used
      to monitor the polymorphic purity of alpha form drug substance and corresponding
      drug products during the quality control analyses and stability studies, and the
      results indicated that alpha form was stable and not converted to beta form
      during the manufacturing process and stability period.

PMID- 26099263
TI  - Forna (force-directed RNA): Simple and effective online RNA secondary structure
      diagrams.
AB  - MOTIVATION: The secondary structure of RNA is integral to the variety of
      functions it carries out in the cell and its depiction allows researchers to
      develop hypotheses about which nucleotides and base pairs are functionally
      relevant. Current approaches to visualizing secondary structure provide an
      adequate platform for the conversion of static text-based representations to 2D
      images, but are limited in their offer of interactivity as well as their ability
      to display larger structures, multiple structures and pseudoknotted structures.
      RESULTS: In this article, we present forna, a web-based tool for displaying RNA
      secondary structure which allows users to easily convert sequences and secondary
      structures to clean, concise and customizable visualizations. It supports, among
      other features, the simultaneous visualization of multiple structures, the
      display of pseudoknotted structures, the interactive editing of the displayed
      structures, and the automatic generation of secondary structure diagrams from PDB
      files. It requires no software installation apart from a modern web browser.
      AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The web interface of forna is available at
      http://rna.tbi.univie.ac.at/forna while the source code is available on github at
      www.github.com/pkerpedjiev/forna. CONTACT: pkerp@tbi.univie.ac.at SUPPLEMENTARY
      INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 26099264
TI  - Sincell: an R/Bioconductor package for statistical assessment of cell-state
      hierarchies from single-cell RNA-seq.
AB  - Cell differentiation processes are achieved through a continuum of hierarchical
      intermediate cell states that might be captured by single-cell RNA seq. Existing
      computational approaches for the assessment of cell-state hierarchies from single
      cell data can be formalized under a general framework composed of (i) a metric to
      assess cell-to-cell similarities (with or without a dimensionality reduction
      step) and (ii) a graph-building algorithm (optionally making use of a cell
      clustering step). The Sincell R package implements a methodological toolbox
      allowing flexible workflows under such a framework. Furthermore, Sincell
      contributes new algorithms to provide cell-state hierarchies with statistical
      support while accounting for stochastic factors in single-cell RNA seq. Graphical
      representations and functional association tests are provided to interpret
      hierarchies. The functionalities of Sincell are illustrated in a real case study,
      which demonstrates its ability to discriminate noisy from stable cell-state
      hierarchies. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Sincell is an open-source
      R/Bioconductor package available at http://bioconductor.org/packages/sincell. A
      detailed manual and a vignette are provided with the package. CONTACT:
      antonio.rausell@isb-sib.ch SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are
      available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 26099265
TI  - Bandage: interactive visualization of de novo genome assemblies.
AB  - Although de novo assembly graphs contain assembled contigs (nodes), the
      connections between those contigs (edges) are difficult for users to access.
      Bandage (a Bioinformatics Application for Navigating De novo Assembly Graphs
      Easily) is a tool for visualizing assembly graphs with connections. Users can
      zoom in to specific areas of the graph and interact with it by moving nodes,
      adding labels, changing colors and extracting sequences. BLAST searches can be
      performed within the Bandage graphical user interface and the hits are displayed
      as highlights in the graph. By displaying connections between contigs, Bandage
      presents new possibilities for analyzing de novo assemblies that are not possible
      through investigation of contigs alone. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Source
      code and binaries are freely available at https://github.com/rrwick/Bandage.
      Bandage is implemented in C++ and supported on Linux, OS X and Windows. A full
      feature list and screenshots are available at http://rrwick.github.io/Bandage.
      CONTACT: rrwick@gmail.com SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are
      available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 26099266
TI  - Optimization of a multi-well colorimetric assay to determine haem species in
      Plasmodium falciparum in the presence of anti-malarials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The activity of several well-known anti-malarials, including
      chloroquine (CQ), is attributed to their ability to inhibit the formation of
      haemozoin (Hz) in the malaria parasite. The formation of inert Hz, or malaria
      pigment, from toxic haem acquired from the host red blood cell of the parasite
      during haemoglobin digestion represents a pathway essential for parasite
      survival. Inhibition of this critical pathway therefore remains a desirable
      target for novel anti-malarials. A recent publication described the results of a
      haem fractionation assay used to directly determine haemoglobin, free haem and Hz
      in Plasmodium falciparum inoculated with CQ. CQ was shown to cause a dose
      dependent increase in cellular-free haem that was correlated with decreased
      parasite survival. The method provided valuable information but was limited due
      to its low throughput and high demand on parasite starting material. Here, this
      haem fractionation assay has been successfully adapted to a higher throughput
      method in 24-well plates, significantly reducing lead times and starting material
      volumes. METHODS: All major haem species in P. falciparum trophozoites, isolated
      through a series of cellular fractionation steps were determined
      spectrophotometrically in aqueous pyridine (5 % v/v, pH 7.5) as a low spin
      complex with haematin. Cell counts were determined using a haemocytometer and a
      rapid novel fluorescent flow cytometry method. RESULTS: A higher throughput haem
      fractionation assay in 24-well plates, containing at most ten million
      trophozoites was validated against the original published method using CQ and its
      robustness was confirmed. It provided a minimum six-fold improvement in
      productivity and 24-fold reduction in starting material volume. The assay was
      successfully applied to amodiaquine (AQ), which was shown to inhibit Hz
      formation, while the antifolate pyrimethamine (PYR) and the mitochondrial
      electron transporter inhibitor atovaquone (Atov) demonstrated no increase in
      toxic cellular free haem. CONCLUSIONS: This higher throughput cellular haem
      fractionation assay can easily be applied to novel anti-malarials with a
      significantly decreased lead time, providing a valuable tool with which to probe
      the mechanisms of action of both new and established anti-malarials.

PMID- 26099267
TI  - eHealth, Participatory Medicine, and Ethical Care: A Focus Group Study of
      Patients' and Health Care Providers' Use of Health-Related Internet Information.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rapid explosion in online digital health resources is seen as
      transformational, accelerating the shift from traditionally passive patients to
      patients as partners and altering the patient-health care professional (HCP)
      relationship. Patients with chronic conditions are increasingly engaged, enabled,
      and empowered to be partners in their care and encouraged to take responsibility
      for managing their conditions with HCP support. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we
      focus on patients' and HCPs' use of health-related Internet information and how
      it influences the patient-HCP relationship. In particular, we examine the
      challenges emerging in medical encounters as roles and relationships shift and
      apply a conceptual framework of relational ethics to examine explicit and nuanced
      ethical dimensions emerging in patient-HCP interactions as both parties make
      increased use of health-related Internet information. METHODS: We purposively
      sampled patients and HCPs in British Columbia, Canada, to participate in focus
      groups. To be eligible, patients self-reported a diagnosis of arthritis and at
      least one other chronic health condition; HCPs reported a caseload with >25% of
      patients with arthritis and multimorbidity. We used a semistructured, but
      flexible, discussion guide. All discussions were audiotaped and transcribed
      verbatim. Elements of grounded theory guided our constant comparison thematic
      analytic approach. Analysis was iterative. A relational ethics conceptual lens
      was applied to the data. RESULTS: We recruited 32 participants (18 patients, 14
      HCPs). They attended seven focus groups: four with patients and three with
      rehabilitation professionals and physicians. Predominant themes to emerge were
      how use of health-related Internet information fostered (1) changing roles, (2)
      patient-HCP partnerships, and (3) tensions and burdens for patients and HCPs.
      CONCLUSIONS: Relational aspects such as mutual trust, uncertainty, and
      vulnerability are illuminated in patient-HCP interactions around health-related
      Internet information and the negotiated space of clinical encounters. New roles
      and associated responsibilities have key ethical dimensions that make clear the
      changes are fundamental and important to understand in ethical care. When faced
      with tensions and burdens around incorporating health-related Internet
      information as a resource in clinical encounters, participants described a
      particular ambivalence illustrating the fundamental changes being negotiated by
      both patients and HCPs.

PMID- 26099268
TI  - The Methylome of Soybean Roots during the Compatible Interaction with the Soybean
      Cyst Nematode.
AB  - The soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines) induces the formation of a
      multinucleated feeding site, or syncytium, whose etiology includes massive gene
      expression changes. Nevertheless, the genetic networks underlying gene expression
      control in the syncytium are poorly understood. DNA methylation is a critical
      epigenetic mark that plays a key role in regulating gene expression. To determine
      the extent to which DNA methylation is altered in soybean (Glycine max) roots
      during the susceptible interaction with SCN, we generated whole-genome cytosine
      methylation maps at single-nucleotide resolution. The methylome analysis revealed
      that SCN induces hypomethylation to a much higher extent than hypermethylation.
      We identified 2,465 differentially hypermethylated regions and 4,692
      hypomethylated regions in the infected roots compared with the noninfected
      control. In addition, 703 and 1,346 unique genes were identified as overlapping
      with hyper- or hypomethylated regions, respectively. The differential methylation
      in genes apparently occurs independently of gene size and GC content but exhibits
      strong preference for recently duplicated paralogs. Furthermore, a set of 278
      genes was identified as specifically syncytium differentially methylated genes.
      Of these, we found genes associated with epigenetic regulation, phytohormone
      signaling, cell wall architecture, signal transduction, and ubiquitination. This
      study provides, to our knowledge, new evidence that differential methylation is
      part of the regulatory mechanisms controlling gene expression changes in the
      nematode-induced syncytium. 

PMID- 26099269
TI  - A Potential Role for Mitochondrial Produced Reactive Oxygen Species in Salicylic
      Acid-Mediated Plant Acquired Thermotolerance.
AB  - To characterize the function of salicylic acid (SA) in acquired thermotolerance,
      the effects of heat shock (HS) on wild-type and sid2 (for SA induction deficient
      2) was investigated. After HS treatment, the survival ratio of sid2 mutant was
      lower than that of wild-type. However, pretreatment with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
      rescued the sid2 heat sensitivity. HsfA2 is a key component of acquired
      thermotolerance in Arabidopsis. The expression of HsfA2 induced by SA was highest
      among those of heat-inducible Hsfs (HsfA2, HsfA7a, HsfA3, HsfB1, and HsfB2) in
      response to HS. Furthermore, the application of AsA, an H2O2 scavenger,
      significantly reduced the expression level of HsfA2 induced by SA. Although SA
      enhanced the survival of sid2 mutant, no significant effect on the hsfA2 mutant
      was observed, suggesting that HsfA2 is responsible for SA-induced acquired
      thermotolerance as a downstream factor. Further, real-time PCR analysis revealed
      that after HS treatment, SA also up-regulated mRNA transcription of HS protein
      (Hsp) genes through AtHsfA2. Time course experiments showed an increase in the
      fluorescence intensity of DCF in the mitochondria occurred earlier than in other
      regions of the protoplasts in response to SA. The cytochrome reductase activity
      analysis in isolated mitochondria demonstrated that SA-induced mitochondrial ROS
      possibly originated from complex III in the respiration chain. Collectively, our
      data suggest that SA functions and acts upstream of AtHsfA2 in acquired
      thermotolerance, which requires a pathway with H2O2 production involved and is
      dependent on increased expression of Hsp genes. 

PMID- 26099270
TI  - Large Cellular Inclusions Accumulate in Arabidopsis Roots Exposed to Low-Sulfur
      Conditions.
AB  - Sulfur is vital for primary and secondary metabolism in plant roots. To
      understand the molecular and morphogenetic changes associated with loss of this
      key macronutrient, we grew Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings in low
      sulfur conditions. These conditions induced a cascade of cellular events that
      converged to produce a profound intracellular phenotype defined by large
      cytoplasmic inclusions. The inclusions, termed low-sulfur Pox, show cell type-
      and developmental zone-specific localization. Transcriptome analysis suggested
      that low sulfur causes dysfunction of the glutathione/ascorbate cycle, which
      reduces flavonoids. Genetic and biochemical evidence indicated that low-sulfur
      Pox are the result of peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of quercetin in roots grown
      under sulfur-depleted conditions. 

PMID- 26099271
TI  - Comprehensive Tissue-Specific Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Distinct Regulatory
      Programs during Early Tomato Fruit Development.
AB  - Fruit formation and early development involve a range of physiological and
      morphological transformations of the various constituent tissues of the ovary.
      These developmental changes vary considerably according to tissue type, but
      molecular analyses at an organ-wide level inevitably obscure many tissue-specific
      phenomena. We used laser-capture microdissection coupled to high-throughput RNA
      sequencing to analyze the transcriptome of ovaries and fruit tissues of the wild
      tomato species Solanum pimpinellifolium. This laser-capture microdissection-high
      throughput RNA sequencing approach allowed quantitative global profiling of gene
      expression at previously unobtainable levels of spatial resolution, revealing
      numerous contrasting transcriptome profiles and uncovering rare and cell type
      specific transcripts. Coexpressed gene clusters linked specific tissues and
      stages to major transcriptional changes underlying the ovary-to-fruit transition
      and provided evidence of regulatory modules related to cell division,
      photosynthesis, and auxin transport in internal fruit tissues, together with
      parallel specialization of the pericarp transcriptome in stress responses and
      secondary metabolism. Analysis of transcription factor expression and regulatory
      motifs indicated putative gene regulatory modules that may regulate the
      development of different tissues and hormonal processes. Major alterations in the
      expression of hormone metabolic and signaling components illustrate the complex
      hormonal control underpinning fruit formation, with intricate spatiotemporal
      variations suggesting separate regulatory programs. 

PMID- 26099273
TI  - BMRF-MI: integrative identification of protein interaction network by modeling
      the gene dependency.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identification of protein interaction network is a very important
      step for understanding the molecular mechanisms in cancer. Several methods have
      been developed to integrate protein-protein interaction (PPI) data with gene
      expression data for network identification. However, they often fail to model the
      dependency between genes in the network, which makes many important genes,
      especially the upstream genes, unidentified. It is necessary to develop a method
      to improve the network identification performance by incorporating the dependency
      between genes. RESULTS: We proposed an approach for identifying protein
      interaction network by incorporating mutual information (MI) into a Markov random
      field (MRF) based framework to model the dependency between genes. MI is widely
      used in information theory to measure the uncertainty between random variables.
      Different from traditional Pearson correlation test, MI is capable of capturing
      both linear and non-linear relationship between random variables. Among all the
      existing MI estimators, we choose to use k-nearest neighbor MI (kNN-MI) estimator
      which is proved to have minimum bias. The estimated MI is integrated with an MRF
      framework to model the gene dependency in the context of network. The maximum a
      posterior (MAP) estimation is applied on the MRF-based model to estimate the
      network score. In order to reduce the computational complexity of finding the
      optimal network, a probabilistic searching algorithm is implemented. We further
      increase the robustness and reproducibility of the results by applying a non
      parametric bootstrapping method to measure the confidence level of the identified
      genes. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, we test the method on
      simulation data under different conditions. The experimental results show an
      improved accuracy in terms of subnetwork identification compared to existing
      methods. Furthermore, we applied our method onto real breast cancer patient data;
      the identified protein interaction network shows a close association with the
      recurrence of breast cancer, which is supported by functional annotation. We also
      show that the identified subnetworks can be used to predict the recurrence status
      of cancer patients by survival analysis. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed an
      integrated approach for protein interaction network identification, which
      combines Markov random field framework and mutual information to model the gene
      dependency in PPI network. Improvements in subnetwork identification have been
      demonstrated with simulation datasets compared to existing methods. We then apply
      our method onto breast cancer patient data to identify recurrence related
      subnetworks. The experiment results show that the identified genes are enriched
      in the pathway and functional categories relevant to progression and recurrence
      of breast cancer. Finally, the survival analysis based on identified subnetworks
      achieves a good result of classifying the recurrence status of cancer patients.

PMID- 26099272
TI  - Shell neurons of the master circadian clock coordinate the phase of tissue clocks
      throughout the brain and body.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Daily rhythms in mammals are programmed by a master clock in the
      suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN contains two main compartments (shell and
      core), but the role of each region in system-level coordination remains ill
      defined. Herein, we use a functional assay to investigate how downstream tissues
      interpret region-specific outputs by using in vivo exposure to long day
      photoperiods to temporally dissociate the SCN. We then analyze resulting changes
      in the rhythms of clocks located throughout the brain and body to examine whether
      they maintain phase synchrony with the SCN shell or core. RESULTS: Nearly all of
      the 17 tissues examined in the brain and body maintain phase synchrony with the
      SCN shell, but not the SCN core, which indicates that downstream oscillators are
      set by cues controlled specifically by the SCN shell. Interestingly, we also
      found that SCN dissociation diminished the amplitude of rhythms in core clock
      gene and protein expression in brain tissues by 50-75 %, which suggests that
      light-driven changes in the functional organization of the SCN markedly influence
      the strength of rhythms in downstream tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our results
      reveal that body clocks receive time-of-day cues specifically from the SCN shell,
      which may be an adaptive design principle that serves to maintain system-level
      phase relationships in a changing environment. Further, we demonstrate that
      lighting conditions alter the amplitude of the molecular clock in downstream
      tissues, which uncovers a new form of plasticity that may contribute to seasonal
      changes in physiology and behavior.

PMID- 26099274
TI  - Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology to account for value for money of
      public health interventions: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased scarcity of public resources has led to a concomitant drive
      to account for value-for-money of interventions. Traditionally, cost
      effectiveness, cost-utility and cost-benefit analyses have been used to assess
      value-for-money of public health interventions. The social return on investment
      (SROI) methodology has capacity to measure broader socio-economic outcomes,
      analysing and computing views of multiple stakeholders in a singular monetary
      ratio. This review provides an overview of SROI application in public health,
      explores lessons learnt from previous studies and makes recommendations for
      future SROI application in public health. METHODS: A systematic review of peer
      reviewed and grey literature to identify SROI studies published between January
      1996 and December 2014 was conducted. All articles describing conduct of public
      health SROI studies and which reported a SROI ratio were included. An existing 12
      point framework was used to assess study quality. Data were extracted using pre
      developed codes: SROI type, type of commissioning organisation, study country,
      public health area in which SROI was conducted, stakeholders included in study,
      discount rate used, SROI ratio obtained, time horizon of analysis and reported
      lessons learnt. RESULTS: 40 SROI studies, of varying quality, including 33 from
      high-income countries and 7 from low middle-income countries, met the inclusion
      criteria. SROI application increased since its first use in 2005 until 2011,
      declining afterwards. SROI has been applied across different public health areas
      including health promotion (12 studies), mental health (11), sexual and
      reproductive health (6), child health (4), nutrition (3), healthcare management
      (2), health education and environmental health (1 each). Qualitative and
      quantitative methods have been used to gather information for public health SROI
      studies. However, there remains a lack of consensus on who to include as
      beneficiaries, how to account for counterfactual and appropriate study-time
      horizon. Reported SROI ratios vary widely (1.1:1 to 65:1). CONCLUSIONS: SROI can
      be applied across healthcare settings. Best practices such as analysis involving
      only beneficiaries (not all stakeholders), providing justification for discount
      rates used in models, using purchasing power parity equivalents for monetary
      valuations and incorporating objective designs such as case-control or before-and
      after designs for accounting for outcomes will improve robustness of public
      health SROI studies.

PMID- 26099275
TI  - Infectious endocarditis caused by Helcococcus kunzii in a vascular patient: a
      case report and literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Helcococcus kunzii is a facultative anaerobic bacterium that was
      first described by Collins et al. in 1993, and was initially considered as a
      commensal of the human skin, in particular of lower extremities. Human infections
      caused by H. kunzii remain rare with only a few cases published in the pubmed
      database. Nevertheless recent reports indicate that this microorganism has to be
      considered as an opportunistic pathogen that can be involved in severe infections
      in human. To the best of our knowledge, we describe here the first known case of
      infectious endocarditis caused by H. kunzii. CASE PRESENTATION: A 79 year-old man
      reporting severe polyvascular medical history attended the emergency ward for
      rapid deterioration of his general state of health. After physical examination
      and paraclinical investigations, the diagnosis of infectious endocarditis on
      native mitral valve caused by Helcococcus kunzii was established based on Dukes
      criteria. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and 16S rDNA sequencing allowed an accurate
      identification to the species level of Helcococcus kunzii. The patient was
      successfully treated by a medico-surgical approach. The treatment consisted in
      intravenous amoxicillin during four weeks and mitral valve replacement with a
      bioprosthestic valve. After an in depth review of patient's medical file, the
      origin of infection remained unknown. However, a cutaneous portal of entry cannot
      be excluded as the patient and his General Practitioner reported chronic
      ulcerations of both feet. CONCLUSIONS: We describe here the first case of
      endocarditis caused by H. kunzii in an elderly patient with polyvascular disease.
      This report along with previous data found in the literature emphasizes the
      invasive potential of this bacterial species as an opportunistic pathogen, in
      particular for patient with polyvascular diseases. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
      and 16S rDNA sequencing are reliable tools for H. kunzii identification. We also
      sequenced in this work H.kunzii type strain 103932T CIP and deposited in the
      Genbank under accession number KM403387. We noticed a 14 base difference between
      our sequence and the original sequence deposited by Collins et al. under Genbank
      accession number X69837. Hopefully, the spread of next generation sequencing
      tools would lead to a more accurate classification of clinical strains.

PMID- 26099277
TI  - Network-based stratification analysis of 13 major cancer types using mutations in
      panels of cancer genes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancers are complex diseases with heterogeneous genetic causes and
      clinical outcomes. It is critical to classify patients into subtypes and
      associate the subtypes with clinical outcomes for better prognosis and treatment.
      Large-scale studies have comprehensively identified somatic mutations across
      multiple tumor types, providing rich datasets for classifying patients based on
      genomic mutations. One challenge associated with this task is that mutations are
      rarely shared across patients. Network-based stratification (NBS) approaches have
      been proposed to overcome this challenge and used to classify tumors based on
      exome-level mutations. In routine research and clinical applications, however,
      usually only a small panel of pre-selected genes is screened for mutations. It is
      unknown whether such small panels are effective in classifying patients into
      clinically meaningful subtypes. RESULTS: In this study, we applied NBS to 13
      major cancer types with exome-level mutation data and compared the classification
      based on the full exome data with those focusing only on small sets of genes.
      Specifically, we investigated three panels, FoundationOne (240 genes), PanCan
      (127 genes) and TruSeq (48 genes). We showed that small panels not only are
      effective in clustering tumors but also often outperform full exome data for most
      cancer types. We further associated subtypes with clinical data and identified 5
      tumor types (CRC-Colorectal carcinoma, HNSC-Head and neck squamous cell
      carcinoma, KIRC-Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma, LUAD-Lung adenocarcinoma and
      UCEC-Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma) whose subtypes are significantly
      associated with overall survival, all based on small panels. CONCLUSION: Our
      analyses indicate that effective patient subtyping can be carried out using
      mutations detected in smaller gene panels, probably due to the enrichment of
      clinically important genes in such panels.

PMID- 26099276
TI  - Effect of full flavor and denicotinized cigarettes exposure on the brain
      microvascular endothelium: a microarray-based gene expression study using a human
      immortalized BBB endothelial cell line.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoke (TS) toxicity to the brain microvasculature is still an
      understudied area till date. NF-E2 related factor (Nrf2) is a key transcription
      factor responsible for activating the antioxidant response element (ARE) genes
      following an oxidative insult. Till date, several studies targeting the blood
      brain barrier (BBB) have shown some protective role of Nrf2 in ischemia
      reperfusion (IR) injury, however, its functional role in chronic smokers
      subjected to a life-long oxidative stress has never been addressed. This is of
      crucial importance since smokers have a much higher risk for cerebrovascular
      stroke and tobacco smoke exposure has been clearly shown to enhance BBB damage
      following an ischemia/reperfusion injury. Thus, the goal of our study was to
      investigate the defense pathways activated at the BBB endothelial level by TS
      exposure. Specifically we focused on Nrf2 and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain
      enhancer of activated B signaling response (NF-kappabeta) as the central
      protective mechanisms related to oxidative insult. RESULTS: With the exception of
      Nicotine, both full flavor (3R4F) and decotinized (ULN) cigarettes activated Nrf2
      and NFkappabeta pathways in hCMEC/D3 endothelial cells. Several detoxification
      and anti-oxidant genes including downstream products were also activated
      including NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone 1 (NQO-1), heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX-1),
      catalytic and modifier subunits of glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL), solute
      carrier-SLC7A11). Gene expression levels of cytochrome P450s (CYP2S1 and CYP51A1)
      and efflux transporters P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multi-drug resistance protein-4
      (MRP4) were also enhanced. Increase of P-gp functional activity and depletion of
      GSH were also observed. Strikingly, toxicity of denicotinized ("reduced
      exposure") cigarettes was equivalent to 3R4F (or worse). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      provides a detailed analysis of Nrf2-related cytoprotective mechanisms activated
      in response to 3R4F and ULN-derived TS exposure correlating the results with
      their oxidative and inflammatory potential. Toxicants present in soluble
      cigarette smoke extracts (CSE) and not nicotine seem to be the primary
      determinant of vascular toxicity. In this respect our results from this and
      previous studies suggest that chronic TS exposure can overcome Nrf2 and NFkappaB
      p65 dependent cytoprotective mechanisms of the brain microvascular endothelium
      possibly leading to BBB impairment and loss of BBB integrity.

PMID- 26099278
TI  - Risk of gastrointestinal perforation in cancer patients receiving ramucirumab: a
      meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although existing evidence from clinical trials has demonstrated
      manifestation of gastrointestinal perforation with the use of ramucirumab,
      overall risks have yet to be reported. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis of
      published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to get a better understanding of
      the overall incidence and risk of gastrointestinal perforation associated with
      ramucirumab. METHODS: The PubMed and Web of Science databases as well as
      abstracts presented at American Society of Clinical Oncology conferences were
      searched to identify relevant studies published up to 01 May 2015. Eligible
      studies included randomized trials of ramucirumab either alone or in combination
      with another agent compared with the control arm without ramucirumab and that
      reported gastrointestinal perforation event. Overall incidence, relative risk
      (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using fixed- or random
      effects models depending on the heterogeneity of the included studies. RESULTS: A
      total of 4579 patients with a variety of solid malignancies from six RCTs were
      included in our meta-analysis. The incidence of gastrointestinal perforation
      related to ramucirumab was 1.5% (95% CI 1.1-2.1%) with a mortality of 29.8% (95%
      CI 14.9-50.7%). The RR of gastrointestinal perforation associated with
      ramucirumab was 2.56 (95% CI 1.29-5.09; P  =  0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with
      the ramucirumab is associated with a significant increase in risk of
      gastrointestinal perforation in cancer patients.

PMID- 26099280
TI  - Giant "turtle-egg tumors": a forgotten complication of quinine injections.

PMID- 26099279
TI  - Risk of malignancy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and
      ankylosing spondylitis under immunosuppressive therapy: a single-center
      experience.
AB  - Systemic inflammatory rheumatic diseases are associated with an increased risk of
      malignancy, in particular of lymphoproliferative disorders. Chronic inflammation,
      due to the disease itself, generates a microenvironment able to promote cancer
      development, but it is still controversial whether immunosuppressive therapy may
      contribute to carcinogenesis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the risk of
      malignancy in 399 patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic
      arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, all treated with either tumor necrosis
      factor alpha-inhibitors plus disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or
      DMARDs alone. The risk of malignancy in this cohort of patients, observed in the
      period between 2005 and 2011 at S. Andrea Hospital-Sapienza University of Rome,
      was compared with that of the general Italian population, matched for age, sex,
      and area of residence. Fourteen (3.5%) malignancies, five of which were
      hematologic, have been observed. The overall cancer risk was not significantly
      increased in comparison to the general population, whereas the risk of
      hematologic malignancies appeared significantly higher in RA patients (SIR 4.94,
      95% CI 1.35-12.64), particularly in female gender (SIR 6.9, 0.95% CI 1.88-17.66).
      No significant association between therapy and malignancy was demonstrated in RA
      patients.

PMID- 26099282
TI  - Osteopontin induces vascular endothelial growth factor expression in articular
      cartilage through PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 signaling.
AB  - The expression of osteopontin (OPN) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
      are associated with the severity of cartilage destruction in osteoarthritis.
      However, the biological connection between OPN and VEGF in osteoarthritis remains
      to be elucidated. The present study was performed to investigate the effect of
      OPN on VEGF expression in articular cartilage. Rat articular chondrocytes were
      isolated and cultured in monolayer conditions, and they were treated with OPN for
      different time periods (0, 2, 8, 12 or 24 h) and dosages (0, 0.1, 0.25 or 0.5
      uM). VEGF expression was assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The activation of the
      phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT and extracellular signal-regulated kinase
      (ERK)1/2 pathway was analyzed by detecting the expression of pPI3K, pAKT and
      pERK1/2. To inhibit the PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 pathway, LY294002 and PD98059 were
      used, respectively or in combination. It was identified that OPN increased the
      expression of VEGF in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2
      pathways were activated following OPN stimulation and the effect was concomitant
      with the upregulation of VEGF. Finally, the regulation of VEGF was inhibited by
      LY294002 and PD98059, and their combination exhibited a synergistic effect. In
      conclusion, these findings suggest that OPN may directly upregulate VEGF
      expression through the PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 pathway. Further studies are required
      to reveal the mechanism of action of OPN on cartilage angiogenesis and cartilage
      destruction.

PMID- 26099283
TI  - Usefulness of intracardiac echocardiography during pulmonary vein isolation with
      the novel multipolar irrigated ablation catheter (nMARQTM).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies reported the usefulness of an irrigated circular
      radiofrequency ablation catheter (nMARQ(TM), Biosense Webster) for pulmonary vein
      isolation (PVI). We evaluated the role of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) to
      optimize the manipulation of nMARQ(TM) catheter. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients
      (pts), (mean age 55 +/- 12 years; 28 males) were enrolled to perform PVI. All pts
      underwent PVI with the nMARQ(TM) catheter. In 20 pts (group 1), we utilized ICE
      to guide nMARQ(TM) catheter positioning at the PV ostia; in the other 17 pts
      (group 2), nMARQ(TM) catheter was positioned at the PV ostia guided by
      fluoroscopy and TissueConnect(TM) technology. RESULTS: Radiofrequency (RF)
      applications were significantly lower in group 1 compared to group 2 [left PVs: 6
      (range 3 to 12) in group 1 and 12 (range 5 to 16) in group 2 (p < 0.001); right
      PVs: 7 (range 4 to 14) in group 1 and 10 (range 5 to 16) in group 2 (p = 0.04)];
      similarly regarding the time of RF delivery [left PVs: 318 +/- 194 s in group 1
      vs. 542 +/- 104 s in group 2 (p < 0.001); right PVs: 410 +/- 270 s in group 1 vs.
      550 +/- 156 s in group 2 (p = 0.05)]. Fluoroscopy time (23 +/- 9 min vs. 28 +/- 5
      min; p = 0.05), procedural time (83 +/- 23 min vs. 160 +/- 42 min; p < 0.001),
      and radiation dose (109 +/- 20 Gy/cm(2) vs. 127 +/- 29 Gy/cm(2); p = 0.04) were
      significantly lower in group 1 compared to group 2. CONCLUSION: ICE might be a
      useful tool to guide nMARQ(TM) catheter position in the left atrium during atrial
      fibrillation (AF) ablation procedures.

PMID- 26099284
TI  - Identification and practical management of latex allergy in occupational
      settings.
AB  - Allergy to natural rubber latex (NRL) from Hevea brasiliensis is a relevant
      occupational health hazard. The use of gloves and products manufactured with
      latex and environmental allergen exposure in the work environment are risks
      factors for the development of occupational allergy among different job
      categories. Healthcare workers have been the most commonly affected, but other
      professions with exposure to latex products such as hairdressers, cleaners, food
      handlers and those making natural rubber latex (NRL) products are also at risk of
      developing occupational allergy. Clinical manifestations of IgE-mediated latex
      allergy can range from troublesome skin disorders to life-threatening systemic
      reactions. It is very important to identify the occupational allergic diseases in
      their early stages in order to implement avoidance strategies. For this purpose,
      the interventions for prevention should emphasize the importance of latex allergy
      awareness and surveillance among exposed workforces. 

PMID- 26099285
TI  - Principles of Natural Photosynthesis.
AB  - Nature relies on a unique and intricate biochemical setup to achieve sunlight
      driven water splitting. Combined experimental and computational efforts have
      produced significant insights into the structural and functional principles
      governing the operation of the water-oxidizing enzyme Photosystem II in general,
      and of the oxygen-evolving manganese-calcium cluster at its active site in
      particular. Here we review the most important aspects of biological water
      oxidation, emphasizing current knowledge on the organization of the enzyme, the
      geometric and electronic structure of the catalyst, and the role of calcium and
      chloride cofactors. The combination of recent experimental work on the
      identification of possible substrate sites with computational modeling have
      considerably limited the possible mechanistic pathways for the critical O-O bond
      formation step. Taken together, the key features and principles of natural
      photosynthesis may serve as inspiration for the design, development, and
      implementation of artificial systems. 

PMID- 26099286
TI  - Sun-screening bioactive compounds mycosporine-like amino acids in naturally
      occurring cyanobacterial biofilms: role in photoprotection.
AB  - AIMS: To investigate the occurrence of UV sunscreening biomolecules and their
      role in photoprotection in cyanobacterial biofilms growing in brightly lit
      habitats with high UV fluxes. METHODS AND RESULTS: High performance liquid
      chromatography with photodiode-array and mass spectrometry revealed the presence
      of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) shinorine (lambda(max) 334 nm, m/z 333),
      porphyra-334 (lambda(max) 334 nm, m/z 347), mycosporine-glycine (lambda(max) 310
      nm, m/z 246) and palythinol (lambda(max) 332 nm, m/z 303). Two unknown MAAs with
      lambda(max) at 320 (m/z 289) and 329 nm (m/z 318) were also found. Biosynthesis
      of MAAs was found to increase with increase in exposure time under UV radiation.
      The MAAs from biofilms showed efficient radical scavenging activity as well as
      photoprotective potential on the survival of UV-treated Escherichia coli cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: Biosynthesis of photoprotectants is an important mechanism to
      prevent photodamage in Cyanobacteria. UV-induction and photoprotective function
      of MAAs may facilitate them to perform important ecological functions under harsh
      environmental conditions. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: There are very
      few reports on qualitative and quantitative characterization of different MAAs in
      cyanobacterial biofilms. Due to strong UV absorption and photoprotective
      function, MAAs may be used as an active ingredient in cosmetic and other
      pharmaceutical industries.

PMID- 26099287
TI  - Discussion of photoprotection, screening, and risk behaviors with children and
      grandchildren after melanoma genetic testing.
AB  - The purpose of the current study was to examine changes in frequency of
      discussion about melanoma preventive behaviors among adults who received melanoma
      genetic test reporting and counseling and their children and grandchildren,
      correspondence of frequency of discussion with intentions, and content of
      discussions. Participants received CDKN2A/p16 testing and counseling (N = 24, 46
      % p16-positive). Discussions about preventive behaviors were assessed before
      testing and 1 and 6 months post-testing. Intentions to discuss preventive
      behaviors and perceived preparedness to discuss risk were assessed post-testing.
      Open-ended questions assessed content of reported discussions. Discussion of
      preventive behaviors declined following test reporting, with more rapid decline
      reported by noncarriers. There was a large gap between the percentage of
      participants who intended to discuss preventive behaviors and who then reported
      discussions 1 and 6 months after counseling. Participants felt prepared to
      discuss melanoma risk but also suggested resources to facilitate discussions.
      Genetic test reporting and counseling alone did not sustain discussions about
      preventive behaviors for a hereditary cancer with children and grandchildren. The
      gap between intentions to have discussions and reported discussions has
      implications for augmentation of counseling to support at-risk families'
      discussions about preventive behaviors. 

PMID- 26099288
TI  - [Vocal cord paralysis after thyroid surgery : Current medicolegal aspects of
      intraoperative neuromonitoring].
AB  - Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) has been commercially available for
      approximately 15 years and is highly predictive in thyroid gland surgery
      concerning either postoperative vocal fold mobility in the case of an intact
      signal for muscle action electromyogram (EMG, > 99 % right negative) or vocal
      fold dysfunction in the case of loss of signal (> 70 % right positive). The use
      of IONM improves the intraoperative identification of recurrent laryngeal nerve
      function and due to the high predictive value with respect to the expected vocal
      cord function the result of IONM has to be integrated into the surgical concept
      of thyroidectomy. Unilateral loss of function of the recurrent laryngeal nerve
      cannot be completely avoided despite correct application of IONM; however,
      bilateral vocal fold palsy can be safely avoided when contralateral surgery is
      cancelled after a loss of signal occurs during resection of the first side in
      planned bilateral surgery (alternative strategy). Patients have to be informed
      preoperatively about the limitations of IONM and potential strategy changes
      during planned bilateral surgery. Surgeons should apply IONM according to the
      published current recommendations and by selecting a risk-oriented intraoperative
      strategy in the case of loss of signal from the recurrent laryngeal nerve. 

PMID- 26099289
TI  - [Complications after supra-aortic reconstruction].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical interventions on the supra-aortic vessels are common
      procedures to avoid cerebral ischemia or arm pain during exercise. The safety and
      efficacy has been confirmed by clinical studies. Complications are rare but have
      serious consequences. OBJECTIVES: What special indications and recommendations
      are there for the diagnostics and treatment in the perioperative phase? METHODS:
      The current article is a literature-based review that considers international
      studies, guidelines and personal experiences. RESULTS: There is a broad range of
      complications. A simple systematic physical examination is often sufficient to
      give indications of the problem. Confirming clinical apparative examinations are
      mostly intraoperative angiography or sonography, whereas postoperative procedures
      include color-coded duplex sonography (FKDS) and angiography computed tomography
      (angio-CT). Important basic principles and aspects of operative procedures are
      presented. Evidence-based differences between the treatment options with
      resulting complications are mostly unknown; therefore, clinical management mostly
      relies on expert recommendations. CONCLUSION: There are several modern treatment
      options for invasive therapy. Despite a decrease in previous complication rates,
      typical perioperative complications must be considered. The diagnosis and therapy
      is carried out according to established strategies.

PMID- 26099291
TI  - [Complications following vascular surgery interventions: the vascular surgeon
      must comprehend the spectrum and therapeutic possibilities].

PMID- 26099290
TI  - [Bleeding complications in bariatric surgery: Prophylaxis and therapy].
AB  - Bariatric surgery is an elective intervention, which is also performed in
      patients with additional risk factors, e.g. elderly patients over 65 years old,
      in patients suffering from relevant comorbidities and in patients with a body
      mass index (BMI) greater than 60 kg/m(2). To reduce the perioperative risks
      comorbidities require optimal adjustment. Specialized centers have reported
      complication rates below 1 %. Besides leakage, bleeding is the most common
      surgical complication in bariatric interventions. Bleeding complications occur in
      up to 4 % of cases but are much more common in redo surgery. For the management
      of bleeding, the same general rules apply as those for abdominal surgery and at
      the end of an operation, all bleeding must be under control. To avoid bleeding,
      sealing devices are widely used during tissue dissection. Stapler line bleeding
      is the most common form of intraoperative and postoperative bleeding. Special
      stapler magazines and stapler line reinforcement materials are available to
      minimize stapler line bleeding. Such devices result in relevant extra costs;
      however, they should always be generally available and used in patients with an
      increased risk of bleeding or an increased intraoperative tendency to bleeding.

PMID- 26099292
TI  - Retrobulbar blood flow and carotid intima-media thickness alteration may relate
      to subclinic atherosclerosis in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: AA amyloidosis occurs in the setting of longstanding inflammation. An
      increased incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) was noted in patients with
      chronic inflammatory disease (CID). Retrobulbar blood flow predicts future
      macrovascular events including CAD. Increase in carotid artery intima-media
      thickness is regarded as a marker for early atherosclerosis. The relationship
      between chronic inflammation and atherosclerosis is well known; however, the
      connection between amyloidosis-advanced CIDs and retrobulbar microvascular
      function and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is unidentified. We aimed to
      investigate whether retrobulbar microcirculation and CIMT were impaired or not in
      amyloidosis-advanced CID patients compared to normal subjects. METHODS: Fourteen
      patients with renal AA amyloidosis and a group of healthy volunteers were
      included in the study. Measurement of CIMT and retrobulbar blood flow velocities
      was performed with ultrasound scanner and color Doppler ultrasonography. RESULTS:
      The CIMT of patients with renal amyloidosis was significantly thicker than that
      of the normal population (p < 0.001). The resistivity index of the ophthalmic
      artery (OA) of patients with renal amyloidosis was significantly higher than the
      study group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that accelerated
      atherosclerosis which can be shown by increased OA resistivity index and CIMT are
      found in amyloidal-related CID patients.

PMID- 26099293
TI  - Comprehensive geriatric assessment: comparison of elderly hemodialysis patients
      and primary care patients.
AB  - BACKGROUNDS: The quality of life and survival of elderly depend not only on their
      age but on many social and health factors. In the present study, comprehensive
      geriatric assessment (CGA) was made in elderly patients on regular hemodialysis
      (HD) and those without chronic kidney disease recruited in primary health care in
      order to compare their sociodemographic characteristics, physical health,
      functional ability and social support. METHOD: The 106 HD patients and 300
      primary care patients aged 70 years and more were studied. Data on
      sociodemographic characteristics, neurosensory deficits, pain, falls,
      polypharmacy, basic activities of daily living (ADL) questionnaire, instrumental
      activities of daily living (IADL) questionnaire were obtained during interview.
      The Timed Up and Go, Nutritional Health Checklist, Two Question Instrument for
      depression and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) were applied. RESULTS: No
      significant differences were found for age, gender, education level and dwelling
      between the two groups. A lower percentage of HD patients lived alone when
      compared with controls. BMI >25 kg/m(2) had 43.4% of HD patients and 49.3% of
      controls. CCI differed significantly between HD and primary care patients
      (median: 6 vs. 4) and significantly more HD patients reported depression. No
      significant difference was found between groups for cognitive dysfunction and
      ADL, but HD patients had significantly lower IADL scores than controls. The
      mobility of HD patients was worse; 45.7% of them reported falls in the previous
      year but only 9.7% from the controls. CONCLUSIONS: CGA revealed that HD patients
      had significantly higher CCI, worse IADL score, mobility and reported more
      frequent falls, depression and impaired vision than primary care patients.

PMID- 26099294
TI  - It is time to review concepts on renal involvement in leprosy: pre- and post
      treatment evaluation of 189 patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Functional and morphological renal lesions have been widely described
      in leprosy for decades. Nevertheless few studies have assessed renal function pre
      and during treatment after the advent of multidrug therapy (MDT). METHODS: This
      is a prospective study involving 189 consecutive patients, with all forms of
      leprosy (Ridley-Jopling scale). Laboratory (serum urea and creatinine, estimated
      GFR, urinalysis, microalbuminuria, urinary RBP) and clinical features of renal
      disease were evaluated previously and after onset (3 and 8 months later) of MDT.
      RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-nine patients (M 1.8: F 1; mean age 44 +/- 16
      years) were included just after diagnosis of leprosy and before the introduction
      of MDT. Mean time until manifestation of symptoms and/or signs of leprosy was 29
      +/- 56 months (25 days-480 months). Microhematuria and microalbuminuria were
      detected in 7.5% and 9.6% of the cases, respectively. Elevated serum creatinine
      was detected in 34% pre-MDT; this was statistically more frequent in males,
      hypertensive and frequent users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID),
      as well as in patients with erythema nodosum lepromatosum, 45.5% by the time of
      diagnosis, 18% after 3 months and 9% after 8 months of MDT (p = 0.039).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that functional renal lesions in leprosy are
      currently mild and predominantly of glomerular origin, in opposition to the
      severe involvement described in the past. This improved outcome of renal disease
      secondary to leprosy is possibly due to the advent of MDT and effective treatment
      of episodes of reaction, leading to shorter periods of active infectious disease.

PMID- 26099295
TI  - Admission hypomagnesemia and hypermagnesemia increase the risk of acute kidney
      injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The association between admission serum magnesium (Mg) levels and
      risk of in-hospital acute kidney injury (AKI) is limited. The aim of this study
      was to assess the risk of developing AKI in all hospitalized patients with
      various admission Mg levels. METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective study
      conducted at a tertiary referral hospital. All hospitalized adult patients who
      had admission Mg available from January to December 2013 were analyzed in this
      study. Admission Mg was categorized based on its distribution into six groups
      (less than 1.5, 1.5-1.7, 1.7-1.9, 1.9-2.1, 2.1-2.3 and greater than 2.3 mg/dL).
      The primary outcome was in-hospital AKI occurring after hospital admission.
      Logistic regression analysis was performed to obtain the odds ratio of AKI of
      various admission Mg levels using Mg with lowest AKI incidence (1.9-2.1 mg/dL) as
      the reference group. RESULTS: Of 9241 patients enrolled, AKI occurred in 1124
      patients (12.2%). The lowest incidence of AKI was when serum Mg was within 1.7
      1.9 and 1.9-2.1 mg/dL. A U-shaped curve emerged demonstrating higher incidences
      of AKI associated with both hypoMg (<1.7) and hyperMg (>2.1). After adjusting for
      potential confounders, both hypoMg (<1.5 mg/dL) and hyperMg (>2.3 mg/dL) were
      associated with an increased risk of developing AKI with odds ratios of 1.70 (95%
      CI 1.31-2.18) and 1.42 (95% CI 1.11-1.81), respectively. CONCLUSION: Both
      admission hypoMg and hyperMg were associated with an increased risk for in
      hospital AKI.

PMID- 26099296
TI  - Nephrology elective experience during medical residency: a national survey of US
      nephrology fellowship training program directors.
AB  - Interest in nephrology careers continues to decline in the United States. The
      reasons for this declining interest are not fully understood but it is plausible
      that inadequate exposure to the full spectrum of what a career in nephrology
      encompasses may be part of the explanation. Inpatient-based nephrology electives
      have been a common venue for residents to gain exposure to nephrology but little
      is known regarding the details of such electives and how often they include
      outpatient experiences. We carried out a national survey of nephrology fellowship
      training program directors to obtain data on the content of nephrology elective
      experiences as well as their ideas on how to promote interest in the field. The
      survey revealed the majority of elective experiences to be either exclusively or
      heavily inpatient based, with only a small percentage having a substantial
      outpatient component, particularly in outpatient dialysis or transplantation.
      Training program directors felt that providing greater outpatient experiences to
      residents during elective rotations would be an effective means to promote
      interest in nephrology, along with structured faculty mentoring. Our findings
      suggest that current approaches to the nephrology elective experience are heavily
      inpatient-based and might benefit from incorporating much more of the rich
      spectrum of activities a career in nephrology entails. Hopefully such efforts can
      create and enhance interest in careers in nephrology and potentially begin a
      sustained reversal of an unfortunate and serious decline in interest. 

PMID- 26099297
TI  - Clinical study of B-mode ultrasound-guided retroperitoneal and abdominal catheter
      treatment of severe acute pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of B
      mode ultrasound-guided retroperitoneal and abdominal catheter treatment of severe
      acute pancreatitis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed, regarding 68
      patients diagnosed with severe acute pancreatitis in our hospital from May 2012
      to May 2014. Patients were divided into an observation group (N.=38) and a
      control group (N.=30). Patients in the control group received conventional drug
      therapy and were given CT-guided catheter or surgical treatment when necessary.
      The observation group received conventional drug therapy + B-mode ultrasound
      guided retroperitoneal and abdominal catheter drainage and lavage. The clinical
      efficacy and complication rate differences of the two groups of patients were
      compared and analyzed. RESULTS: The total efficacy rates in the observation group
      were significantly higher than in the control group (P<0.05). The serum calcium
      levels of the observation group were obviously higher than that of the control
      group while their CRP levels and APACHE II scores were significantly lower
      (P<0.05). Complications were significantly lower in the observation group than in
      the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: B-mode ultrasound-guided biopsy for
      retroperitoneal and abdominal subcutaneous catheter drainage and lavage treatment
      of severe acute pancreatitis may improve the clinical effect and reduce
      complications.

PMID- 26099298
TI  - Grain trapping by filamentous cyanobacterial and algal mats: implications for
      stromatolite microfabrics through time.
AB  - Archean and Proterozoic stromatolites are sparry or fine-grained and finely
      laminated; coarse-grained stromatolites, such as many found in modern marine
      systems, do not appear until quite late in the fossil record. The cause of this
      textural change and its relevance to understanding the evolutionary history of
      stromatolites is unclear. Cyanobacteria are typically considered the dominant
      stromatolite builders through time, but studies demonstrating the trapping and
      binding abilities of cyanobacterial mats are limited. With this in mind, we
      conducted experiments to test the grain trapping and binding capabilities of
      filamentous cyanobacterial mats and trapping in larger filamentous algal mats in
      order to better understand grain size trends in stromatolites. Mats were cut into
      squares, inclined in saltwater tanks at angles from 0 to 75 degrees 
      (approximating the angle of lamina in typical stromatolites), and grains of
      various sizes (fine sand, coarse sand, and fine pebbles) were delivered to their
      surface. Trapping of grains by the cyanobacterial mats depended strongly on (i)
      how far filaments protruded from the sediment surface, (ii) grain size, and (iii)
      the mat's incline angle. The cyanobacterial mats were much more effective at
      trapping fine grains beyond the abiotic slide angle than larger grains. In
      addition, the cyanobacterial mats actively bound grains of all sizes over time.
      In contrast, the much larger algal mats trapped medium and coarse grains at all
      angles. Our experiments suggest that (i) the presence of detrital grains beyond
      the abiotic slide angle can be considered a biosignature in ancient stromatolites
      where biogenicity is in question, and, (ii) where coarse grains are present
      within stromatolite laminae at angles beyond the abiotic angle of slide (e.g.,
      most modern marine stromatolites), typical cyanobacterial-type mats are probably
      not solely responsible for the construction, giving insight into the evolution of
      stromatolite microfabrics through time. 

PMID- 26099299
TI  - Context Matters for Social-Emotional Learning: Examining Variation in Program
      Impact by Dimensions of School Climate.
AB  - This paper examines whether three dimensions of school climate-leadership,
      accountability, and safety/respect-moderated the impacts of the INSIGHTS program
      on students' social-emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes. Twenty-two
      urban schools and N = 435 low-income racial/ethnic minority students were
      enrolled in the study and received intervention services across the course of 2
      years, in both kindergarten and first grade. Intervention effects on math and
      reading achievement were larger for students enrolled in schools with lower
      overall levels of leadership, accountability, and safety/respect at baseline.
      Program impacts on disruptive behaviors were greater in schools with lower levels
      of accountability at baseline; impacts on sustained attention were greater in
      schools with lower levels of safety/respect at baseline. Implications for Social
      Emotional Learning program implementation, replication, and scale-up are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26099301
TI  - NMR illuminates the pathways to ALS.
AB  - A combination of NMR techniques is able to explore the structure of short-lived
      protein conformations. 

PMID- 26099300
TI  - Thermal fluctuations of immature SOD1 lead to separate folding and misfolding
      pathways.
AB  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease
      involving cytotoxic conformations of Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1). A major
      challenge in understanding ALS disease pathology has been the identification and
      atomic-level characterization of these conformers. Here, we use a combination of
      NMR methods to detect four distinct sparsely populated and transiently formed
      thermally accessible conformers in equilibrium with the native state of immature
      SOD1 (apoSOD1(2SH)). Structural models of two of these establish that they
      possess features present in the mature dimeric protein. In contrast, the other
      two are non-native oligomers in which the native dimer interface and the
      electrostatic loop mediate the formation of aberrant intermolecular interactions.
      Our results show that apoSOD1(2SH) has a rugged free energy landscape that codes
      for distinct kinetic pathways leading to either maturation or non-native
      association and provide a starting point for a detailed atomic-level
      understanding of the mechanisms of SOD1 oligomerization. 

PMID- 26099302
TI  - Neural population dynamics in human motor cortex during movements in people with
      ALS.
AB  - The prevailing view of motor cortex holds that motor cortical neural activity
      represents muscle or movement parameters. However, recent studies in non-human
      primates have shown that neural activity does not simply represent muscle or
      movement parameters; instead, its temporal structure is well-described by a
      dynamical system where activity during movement evolves lawfully from an initial
      pre-movement state. In this study, we analyze neuronal ensemble activity in motor
      cortex in two clinical trial participants diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral
      Sclerosis (ALS). We find that activity in human motor cortex has similar
      dynamical structure to that of non-human primates, indicating that human motor
      cortex contains a similar underlying dynamical system for movement generation. 

PMID- 26099303
TI  - Anti-Mullerian hormone as a diagnostic tool for ovarian remnant syndrome in
      bitches.
AB  - Ovariohysterectomy is a surgical procedure performed for sterilization. If part
      or all of an ovary remains after the surgical procedure, ovarian remnant syndrome
      (ORS) occurs. After revascularization of the remaining ovarian tissue, the sexual
      cycle of bitches and queens continues. The aim of this study was to investigate
      the usefulness of serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) measurement for the
      diagnosis of ORS in bitches. Forty-six female dogs were divided into four groups:
      the prepubertal, unspayed, spayed, and ORS groups. The serum AMH, progesterone,
      and estradiol concentrations of the bitches in all groups were measured by enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay. The stage in the sexual cycle of each bitch was
      determined based on vaginal cytology findings and serum estradiol and
      progesterone levels. The mean serum AMH concentration of the unspayed bitches
      (4.26 +/- 0.82 ng/ml) was similar to that of the bitches with ORS (4.40 +/- 1.09
      ng/ml). However, the difference between the mean serum AMH level of the bitches
      with ORS and the spayed bitches (0.28 +/- 0.09 ng/ml) was significant. In
      conclusion, the present study has demonstrated that the serum AMH level is
      substantially lower in spayed than in both intact bitches and bitches with ORS.
      According to this result, measurement of the serum AMH level is a useful tool for
      diagnosis of ORS in bitches.

PMID- 26099304
TI  - Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Induce Dopaminergic Damage: In vitro Pathways and In
      Vivo Imaging Reveals Mechanism of Neuronal Damage.
AB  - Various iron-oxide nanoparticles have been in use for a long time as therapeutic
      and imaging agents and for supplemental delivery in cases of iron-deficiency.
      While all of these products have a specified size range of ~ 40 nm and above,
      efforts are underway to produce smaller particles, down to ~ 1 nm. Here, we show
      that after a 24-h exposure of SHSY-5Y human neuroblastoma cells to 10 MUg/ml of
      10 and 30 nm ferric oxide nanoparticles (Fe-NPs), cellular dopamine content was
      depleted by 68 and 52 %, respectively. Increases in activated tyrosine kinase c
      Abl, a molecular switch induced by oxidative stress, and neuronal alpha-synuclein
      expression, a protein marker associated with neuronal injury, were also observed
      (55 and 38 % percent increases, respectively). Inhibition of cell-proliferation,
      significant reductions in the number of active mitochondria, and a dose-dependent
      increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) were observed in neuronal cells.
      Additionally, using a rat in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) model, a dose
      dependent increase in ROS accompanied by increased fluorescein efflux
      demonstrated compromised BBB integrity. To assess translational implications, in
      vivo Fe-NP-induced neurotoxicity was determined using in vivo MRI and post-mortem
      neurochemical and neuropathological correlates in adult male rats after exposure
      to 50 mg/kg of 10 nm Fe-NPs. Significant decrease in T 2 values was observed.
      Dynamic observations suggested transfer and retention of Fe-NPs from brain
      vasculature into brain ventricles. A significant decrease in striatal dopamine
      and its metabolites was also observed, and neuropathological correlates provided
      additional evidence of significant nerve cell body and dopaminergic terminal
      damage as well as damage to neuronal vasculature after exposure to 10 nm Fe-NPs.
      These data demonstrate a neurotoxic potential of very small size iron
      nanoparticles and suggest that use of these ferric oxide nanoparticles may result
      in neurotoxicity, thereby limiting their clinical application.

PMID- 26099305
TI  - Dexmedetomidine Dose-Dependently Attenuates Ropivacaine-Induced Seizures and
      Negative Emotions Via Inhibiting Phosphorylation of Amygdala Extracellular Signal
      Regulated Kinase in Mice.
AB  - Ropivacaine (Ropi), one of the newest and safest amino amide local anesthetics,
      is linked to toxicity, including the potential for seizures, changes in behavior,
      and even cardiovascular collapse. Dexmedetomidine (Dex), an alpha2-adrenergic
      receptor agonist, has been widely used in anesthesia and critical care practice.
      To date, the underlying mechanisms of the effects of Dex premedication on Ropi
      induced toxicity have not been clearly identified. In the current study, we
      investigated the effects of increasing doses of Dex premedication on 50%
      convulsive dose (CD50) of Ropi. With increasing doses of intraperitoneal (i.p.)
      Dex 10 min prior to each i.p. RopiCD50, the latency and duration of seizure
      activity were recorded. Open-field (OF) and elevated plus maze (EPM) test were
      used to measure negative behavioral emotions such as depression and anxiety.
      Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were utilized to investigate
      phosphorylation-extracellular regulated protein kinases (p-ERK) expression in the
      basolateral amygdala (BLA) on 2 h and in the central amygdala (CeA) on 24 h after
      convulsion in mice. The results of our investigation demonstrated that Dex dose
      dependently increased RopiCD50, prolonged the latency and shortened the duration
      of each RopiCD50-induced seizure, improved the negative emotions revealed by both
      OF and EPM test, and inhibited p-ERK expression in the BLA and the CeA.

PMID- 26099306
TI  - P2Y6 Receptor-Mediated Microglial Phagocytosis in Radiation-Induced Brain Injury.
AB  - Microglia are the resident immune cells and the professional phagocytic cells of
      the CNS, showing a multitude of cellular responses after activation. However, how
      microglial phagocytosis changes and whether it is involved in radiation-induced
      brain injury remain unknown. In the current study, we found that microglia were
      activated and microglial phagocytosis was increased by radiation exposure both in
      cultured microglia in vitro and in mice in vivo. Radiation increased the protein
      expression of the purinergic receptor P2Y6 receptor (P2Y6R) located on microglia.
      The selective P2Y6 receptor antagonist MRS2578 suppressed microglial phagocytosis
      after radiation exposure. Inhibition of microglial phagocytosis increased
      inhibitory factor Nogo-A and exacerbated radiation-induced neuronal apoptosis and
      demyelination. We also found that the levels of protein expression for
      phosphorylated Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) and myosin light
      chain kinase (MLCK) were elevated, indicating that radiation exposure activated
      Rac1 and MLCK. The Rac1 inhibitor NSC23766 suppressed expression of MLCK,
      indicating that the Rac1-MLCK pathway was involved in microglial phagocytosis.
      Taken together, these findings suggest that the P2Y6 receptor plays a critical
      role in mediating microglial phagocytosis in radiation-induced brain injury,
      which might be a potential strategy for therapeutic intervention to alleviate
      radiation-induced brain injury.

PMID- 26099307
TI  - Common Aging Signature in the Peripheral Blood of Vascular Dementia and
      Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) are the two most dominant
      forms of dementia in elderly people. Due to the large overlap between AD and VaD
      in clinical observations, great controversies exist regarding the distinction and
      connection between these two types of senile dementia. Here for the first time,
      we resort to the gene expression pattern of the peripheral blood to compare AD
      and VaD objectively. In our previous work, we have demonstrated that the
      dysregulation of gene expression in AD is unique among the examined diseases
      including neurological diseases, cancer, and metabolic diseases. In this study,
      we found that the dysregulation of gene expression in AD and VaD is quite similar
      to each other at both functional and gene levels. Interestingly, the
      dysregulation started at the early stages of the diseases, namely mild cognitive
      impairment (MCI) and vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). We have also shown that
      this signature is distinctive from that of peripheral vascular diseases.
      Comparison with aging studies revealed that the most profound change in AD and
      VaD, namely ribosome, is consistent with the accelerated aging scenario. This
      study may have implications to the common mechanism between AD and VaD.

PMID- 26099308
TI  - Induction of a Proinflammatory Response in Cortical Astrocytes by the Major
      Metabolites Accumulating in HMG-CoA Lyase Deficiency: the Role of ERK Signaling
      Pathway in Cytokine Release.
AB  - 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaric aciduria (HMGA) is an inherited metabolic disorder
      caused by 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA lyase deficiency. It is biochemically
      characterized by predominant tissue accumulation and high urinary excretion of 3
      hydroxy-3-methylglutarate (HMG) and 3-methylglutarate (MGA). Affected patients
      commonly present acute symptoms during metabolic decompensation, including
      vomiting, seizures, and lethargy/coma accompanied by metabolic acidosis and
      hypoketotic hypoglycemia. Although neurological manifestations are common, the
      pathogenesis of brain injury in this disease is poorly known. Astrocytes are
      important for neuronal protection and are susceptible to damage by neurotoxins.
      In the present study, we investigated the effects of HMG and MGA on important
      parameters of redox homeostasis and cytokine production in cortical cultured
      astrocytes. The role of the metabolites on astrocyte mitochondrial function
      (thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction) and viability (propidium
      iodide incorporation) was also studied. Both organic acids decreased astrocytic
      mitochondrial function and the concentrations of reduced glutathione without
      altering cell viability. In contrast, they increased reactive species formation
      (2'-7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFHDA) oxidation), as well as IL-1beta, IL
      6, and TNF alpha release through the ERK signaling pathway. Taken together, the
      data indicate that the principal compounds accumulating in HMGA induce a
      proinflammatory response in cultured astrocytes that may possibly be involved in
      the neuropathology of this disease.

PMID- 26099309
TI  - Hypericum perforatum Attenuates Spinal Cord Injury-Induced Oxidative Stress and
      Apoptosis in the Dorsal Root Ganglion of Rats: Involvement of TRPM2 and TRPV1
      Channels.
AB  - Oxidative stress and cytosolic Ca(2+) overload have important roles on apoptosis
      in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons after spinal cord injury (SCI). Hypericum
      perforatum (HP) has an antioxidant property in the DRGs due to its ability to
      modulate NADPH oxidase and protein kinase C pathways. We aimed to investigate the
      protective property of HP on oxidative stress, apoptosis, and Ca(2+) entry
      through transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) and transient receptor
      potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels in SCI-induced DRG neurons of rats. Rats
      were divided into four groups as control, HP, SCI, and SCI + HP. The HP groups
      received 30 mg/kg HP for three concessive days after SCI induction. The SCI
      induced TRPM2 and TRPV1 currents and cytosolic free Ca(2+) concentration were
      reduced by HP. The SCI-induced decrease in glutathione peroxidase and cell
      viability values were ameliorated by HP treatment, and the SCI-induced increase
      in apoptosis, caspase 3, caspase 9, cytosolic reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      production, and mitochondrial membrane depolarization values in DRG of SCI group
      were overcome by HP treatment. In conclusion, we observed a protective role of HP
      on SCI-induced oxidative stress, apoptosis, and Ca(2+) entry through TRPM2 and
      TRPV1 in the DRG neurons. Our findings may be relevant to the etiology and
      treatment of SCI by HP. Graphical Abstract Possible molecular pathways of
      involvement of Hypericum perforatum (HP) on apoptosis, oxidative stress, and
      calcium accumulation through TRPM2 and TRPV1 channels in DRG neurons of SCI
      induced rats. The TRPM2 channel is activated by ADP-ribose and oxidative stress
      through activation of ADP-ribose pyrophosphate although it was inhibited by N-(p
      amylcinnamoyl) anthranilic acid (ACA) and 2-aminoethyl diphenylborinate (2APB).
      The TRPV1 channel is activated by oxidative stress and capsaicin and it is
      blocked by capsazepine. Injury in the DRG can result in augmented ROS release,
      leading to Ca(2+) uptake through TRPM2 and TRPV1 channels. Mitochondria were
      reported to accumulate Ca(2+), provided intracellular Ca(2+) rises, thereby
      leading to depolarization of mitochondrial membranes and release of apoptosis
      inducing factors such as caspase 3 and caspase 9. HP via regulation of NADPH
      oxidase and PKC inhibits TRPM2 and TRPV1 channels. The molecular pathway may be a
      cause of SCI-induced pain and neuronal death, and the subject should be urgently
      investigated.

PMID- 26099310
TI  - Anti-amyloid Aggregation Activity of Natural Compounds: Implications for
      Alzheimer's Drug Discovery.
AB  - Several plant-derived natural compounds are known to exhibit anti-amyloid
      aggregation activity which makes them attractive as potential therapies to treat
      Alzheimer's disease. The mechanisms of their anti-amyloid activity are not well
      known. In this regard, many natural compounds are known to exhibit direct binding
      to various amyloid species including oligomers and fibrils, which in turn can
      lead to conformational change in the beta-sheet assembly to form nontoxic
      aggregates. This review discusses the mechanism of anti-amyloid activity of 16
      natural compounds and gives structural details on their direct binding
      interactions with amyloid aggregates. Our computational investigations show that
      the physicochemical properties of natural products do fit Lipinski's criteria and
      that catechol and catechol-type moieties present in natural compounds act as
      lysine site-specific inhibitors of amyloid aggregation. Based on these
      observations, we propose a structural template to design novel small molecules
      containing site-specific ring scaffolds, planar aromatic and nonaromatic linkers
      with suitably substituted hydrogen bond acceptors and donors. These studies will
      have significant implications in the design and development of novel amyloid
      aggregation inhibitors with superior metabolic stability and blood-brain barrier
      penetration as potential agents to treat Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26099311
TI  - Effect Comparison of Both Iron Chelators on Outcomes, Iron Deposit, and Iron
      Transporters After Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Rats.
AB  - Iron overload plays a key role in brain injury after intracerebral hemorrhage
      (ICH). We explored the roles of ferric iron chelator-deferiprone (DFP)-and
      ferrous iron chelator-clioquinol (CQ)-in ICH rats through the outcomes, iron
      deposits, reactive oxygen species (ROS), brain water content, and related iron
      transporters. One hundred eight Sprague-Dawley rats received intra-striatal
      infusions of 0.5 U of type IV collagenase to establish ICH models. The rats were
      randomly assigned to the sham, vehicle, DFP, and CQ groups. We evaluated the
      outcomes, iron levels, brain water content, and ROS; meanwhile,
      immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT
      qPCR) were utilized to determine ferritin, transferrin, transferrin receptor,
      divalent metal transport 1 (DMT1), and ferroportin at 48 and 72 h, 7 and 14 days
      after surgery. Our results showed ICH induced iron overload, brain edema, ROS
      formation, and neurological deficits. Both iron chelators decreased iron levels;
      CQ improved the neurological outcome, attenuated brain edema, and ROS production.
      DFP reduced iron contents but not brain water content and ROS generation. DFP
      failed to improve the outcome. ICH initiated endogenous iron chelators and
      transporters, both exogenous iron chelators enhanced expression of transferrin
      and transferrin receptor. CQ enhanced expression of ferroportin but not DMT1,
      while DFP enhanced expression of DMT1 but not ferroportin. Ferrous iron
      contributed to brain injury, and binding ferrous iron can modestly improve
      outcome after ICH in rats. The exogenous ferrous iron chelator possibly
      functioned via endogenous ferrous iron transporters on ICH. Therefore, ferrous
      iron may be a promising target for ICH in future.

PMID- 26099312
TI  - The extraction of the new components from electrogastrogram (EGG), using both
      adaptive filtering and electrocardiographic (ECG) derived respiration signal.
AB  - Electrogastrographic examination (EGG) is a noninvasive method for an
      investigation of a stomach slow wave propagation. The typical range of frequency
      for EGG signal is from 0.015 to 0.15 Hz or (0.015-0.3 Hz) and the signal usually
      is captured with sampling frequency not exceeding 4 Hz. In this paper a new
      approach of method for recording the EGG signals with high sampling frequency
      (200 Hz) is proposed. High sampling frequency allows collection of signal, which
      includes not only EGG component but also signal from other organs of the
      digestive system such as the duodenum, colon as well as signal connected with
      respiratory movements and finally electrocardiographic signal (ECG). The
      presented method allows improve the quality of analysis of EGG signals by better
      suppress respiratory disturbance and extract new components from high sampling
      electrogastrographic signals (HSEGG) obtained from abdomen surface. The source of
      the required new signal components can be inner organs such as the duodenum and
      colon. One of the main problems that appear during analysis the EGG signals and
      extracting signal components from inner organs is how to suppress the respiratory
      components. In this work an adaptive filtering method that requires a reference
      signal is proposed. In the present research, the respiratory component is
      obtained from non standard ECG (NSECG) signal. For purposes of this paper non
      standard ECG (namely NSECG) is used, because ECG signal was recorded by other
      than the standard electrodes placement on the surface of the abdomen. The
      electrocardiographic derived respiration signal (EDR) is extracted using the
      phenomena of QRS complexes amplitude modulation by respiratory movements. The
      main idea of extracting the EDR signal from electrocardiographic signal is to
      obtain the modulating signal. Adaptive filtering is done in the discrete cosine
      transform domain. Next the resampled HSEGG signal with attenuated respiratory
      components is low pass filtered and as a result the extended electrogastrographic
      signals, included EGG signal and components from other inner organs of digestive
      system is obtained. One of additional features of the proposed method is a
      possibility to obtain simultaneously recorded signals, such as: non-standard
      derivation of ECG, heart rate variability signal, respiratory signal, and EGG
      signal that allow investigating mutual interferences among internal human
      systems.

PMID- 26099313
TI  - Whole-exome sequencing identifies novel ECHS1 mutations in Leigh syndrome.
AB  - Leigh syndrome (LS) is a rare heterogeneous progressive neurodegenerative
      disorder usually presenting in infancy or early childhood. Clinical presentation
      is variable and includes psychomotor delay or regression, acute neurological or
      acidotic episodes, hypotonia, ataxia, spasticity, movement disorders, and
      corresponding anomalies of the basal ganglia and brain stem on magnetic resonance
      imaging. To date, 35 genes have been associated with LS, mostly involved in
      mitochondrial respiratory chain function and encoded in either nuclear or
      mitochondrial DNA. We used whole-exome sequencing to identify disease-causing
      variants in four patients with basal ganglia abnormalities and clinical
      presentations consistent with LS. Compound heterozygote variants in ECHS1,
      encoding the enzyme enoyl-CoA hydratase were identified. One missense variant
      (p.Thr180Ala) was common to all four patients and the haplotype surrounding this
      variant was also shared, suggesting a common ancestor of French-Canadian origin.
      Rare mutations in ECHS1 as well as in HIBCH, the enzyme downstream in the valine
      degradation pathway, have been associated with LS or LS-like disorders. A clear
      clinical overlap is observed between our patients and the reported cases with
      ECHS1 or HIBCH deficiency. The main clinical features observed in our cohort are
      T2-hyperintense signal in the globus pallidus and putamen, failure to thrive,
      developmental delay or regression, and nystagmus. Respiratory chain studies are
      not strikingly abnormal in our patients: one patient had a mild reduction of
      complex I and III and another of complex IV. The identification of four
      additional patients with mutations in ECHS1 highlights the emerging importance of
      this pathway in LS. 

PMID- 26099315
TI  - Biodegradable Film for the Targeted Delivery of siRNA-Loaded Nanoparticles to
      Vaginal Immune Cells.
AB  - The goal of this study was to develop and characterize a novel intravaginal film
      platform for targeted delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA)-loaded
      nanoparticles (NP) to dendritic cells as a potential gene therapy for the
      prevention of sexually transmitted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
      Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-functionalized poly(D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid)
      (PLGA)/polyethylenimine (PEI)/siRNA NP (siRNA-NP) were fabricated using a
      modified emulsion-solvent evaporation method and characterized for particle size,
      zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency (EE), and siRNA release. siRNA-NP were
      decorated with anti-HLA-DR antibody (siRNA-NP-Ab) for targeting delivery to HLA
      DR+ dendritic cells (DCs) and homogeneously dispersed in a biodegradable film
      consisting of poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) and lambda-carrageenan. The siRNA-NP-Ab
      loaded film (siRNA-NP-Ab-film) was transparent, displayed suitable
      physicomechanical properties, and was noncytotoxic. Targeting activity was
      evaluated in a mucosal coculture model consisting of a vaginal epithelial
      monolayer (VK2/E6E7 cells) and differentiated KG-1 cells (HLA-DR+ DCs). siRNA-NP
      Ab were rapidly released from the film and were able to penetrate the epithelial
      layer to be taken up by differentiated KG-1 cells. siRNA-NP-Ab demonstrated
      higher targeting activity and significantly higher knockdown of synaptosome
      associated 23-kDa protein (SNAP-23) mRNA and protein when compared to siRNA-NP
      without antibody conjugation. Overall, these data suggest that our novel siRNA-NP
      Ab-film may be a promising platform for preventing HIV infection within the
      female genital tract. 

PMID- 26099314
TI  - KIR and HLA under pressure: evidences of coevolution across worldwide
      populations.
AB  - KIR (killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors) and HLA (human leukocyte
      antigens) are two distinct gene families with remarkable importance for human
      immune responses. The recognition of HLA molecules by activating and inhibitory
      KIR promotes a balance of signals that regulates NK cell function and is
      especially important for the innate defense against pathogens and early
      placentation. There is no documented gametic association between these two gene
      families and no evidence of common regulation. However, due to the critical role
      of KIR recognition for immunity and reproduction, the possibility of KIR-HLA
      combinations being under selective pressure is not surprising. In this
      manuscript, we first summarize the HLA-KIR system, the HLA molecules that are the
      putative ligands for KIR, and then we review the evidences that suggest these two
      gene families are coevolving as an integrated system. 

PMID- 26099316
TI  - Transversus abdominis plane blockade in laparoscopic colorectal surgery: a double
      blind randomized clinical trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Adequate postoperative analgesia is essential for recovery
      following colorectal surgery. Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks have been
      found to be beneficial in improving pain following a variety of abdominal
      operations. The objective of this study was to determine if TAP blocks are useful
      in improving postoperative recovery following laparoscopic colorectal surgery.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective double-blind randomized clinical trial,
      involving 226 consecutive patients having laparoscopic colorectal surgery, was
      performed by a university colorectal surgical department. Patients were
      randomized to either TAP blockade using ultrasound guidance, or control, with the
      primary outcome being postoperative pain, as measured by analgesic consumption.
      Secondary outcomes assessed were pain visual analogue score (VAS), respiratory
      function, time to return of gut function, length of hospital stay, postoperative
      complications, and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: A total of 142 patients were
      followed up to trial completion (74 controls, 68 interventions). Patients were
      well matched with regard to demographics. No complications occurred as a result
      of the intervention of TAP blockade. There was no difference between groups with
      regards to analgesic consumption (161 mEq morphine control vs 175 mEq morphine
      TAP; p = 0.596). There was no difference between the two groups with regards to
      the secondary outcomes of daily VAS, respiratory outcome, time to return of gut
      function, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, and patient
      satisfaction. CONCLUSION: We conclude that TAP blockade appears to be a safe
      intervention but confers no specific advantage following laparoscopic colorectal
      surgery.

PMID- 26099317
TI  - A case and review of aseptic liver abscess in Crohn's disease.

PMID- 26099318
TI  - Does the addition of induction chemotherapy improve outcome in locally advanced
      rectal carcinoma?

PMID- 26099319
TI  - Prophylactic stoma mesh did not prevent parastomal hernias.
AB  - PURPOSE: Parastomal herniation is reported in up to 50 % of patients with a
      colostomy. A prophylactic stoma mesh has been reported to reduce parastomal
      hernia rates. The aim of the study was to evaluate the rate of parastomal hernias
      in a population-based cohort of patients, operated with and without a
      prophylactic mesh at two different time periods. METHODS: All rectal cancer
      patients operated with an abdominoperineal excision or Hartmann's procedure
      between 1996 and 2012 were included. From 2007, a prophylactic stoma mesh was
      placed in the retro-muscular plane. Patients were followed prospectively with
      clinical and computed tomography examinations. RESULTS: There were no differences
      with regard to age, gender, pre-operative albumin levels, ASA score, body mass
      index (BMI), smoking or type of surgical resection between patients with (n = 71)
      and without a stoma mesh (n = 135). After a minimum follow-up of 1 year, 187
      (91%) of the patients were alive and available for analysis. At clinical and
      computed tomography examinations, exactly the same parastomal hernia rates were
      found in the two groups, viz, 25 and 53%, respectively (p = 0.95 and p = 0.18).
      The hernia sac contained omentum or intestinal loops in 26 (81%) versus 26 (60%)
      patients with and without a mesh, respectively (p = 0.155). In the multivariate
      analyses, high BMI was associated with parastomal hernia formation. CONCLUSIONS:
      A prophylactic stoma mesh did not reduce the rate of clinically or computed
      tomography-verified parastomal hernias. High BMI was associated with an increased
      risk of parastomal hernia formation regardless of prophylactic stoma mesh.

PMID- 26099320
TI  - Perioperative use of tamsulosin significantly decreases rates of urinary
      retention in men undergoing pelvic surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: Urinary retention is a common complication of pelvic surgery, leading to
      urinary tract infection and prolonged hospital stays. Tamsulosin is an alpha
      blocker that works by relaxing bladder neck muscles. It is used to treat benign
      prostatic hypertrophy and retention. We aim to investigate the potential benefits
      of preemptive tamsulosin use on rates of urinary retention in men undergoing
      pelvic surgery. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of an institutional
      colorectal database. All men undergoing pelvic surgery between 2004 and 2013 were
      included. Patients given 0.4 mg of tamsulosin 3 days prior and after surgery at
      discretion of surgeon starting in 2007 were compared with patients receiving
      expectant postoperative management. RESULTS: One hundred eighty-five patients
      were included in the study (study group: N = 30; control group: N = 155). Study
      group patients were older (56.8 vs. 50.1 years). Overall urinary retention rate
      was 22% with significantly lower rates in the study group compared with control
      (6.7 vs. 25%; p = 0.029). Study group had higher rates of minimally invasive
      surgery (61 vs. 29.7%); however, this did not impact urinary retention rate (20.6
      vs. 22.7% for minimally invasive surgery vs. open surgery; p = 0.85). Independent
      predictors of urinary retention included lack of preemptive tamsulosin (odds
      ratio (OR), 7.67; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.4-41.7) and cancer location in
      the distal third of the rectum (OR, 18.8; 95% CI, 2.1-172.8). CONCLUSIONS:
      Preemptive perioperative use of tamsulosin may significantly decrease the
      incidence of urinary retention in men undergoing pelvic surgery. This may play a
      role in avoidance of urinary retention, particularly in patients with distal
      rectal cancer.

PMID- 26099321
TI  - Visceral fat accumulation affects risk of colonic diverticular hemorrhage.
AB  - PURPOSES: Factors other than antithrombotic drugs associated with diverticular
      bleeding remain unknown. Visceral adiposity contributes to atherosclerosis and
      may affect arteriolar change at the diverticulum. We investigated whether
      visceral adipose tissue (VAT) measured by computed tomography (CT) is a risk
      factor for diverticular bleeding. METHODS: A cohort of 283 patients (184 with
      asymptomatic diverticulosis and 99 with diverticular bleeding) undergoing
      colonoscopy and CT was analyzed. Associations between body mass index (BMI), VAT,
      subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and diverticular bleeding were assessed by
      logistic regression models adjusted for age, gender, alcohol, smoking, diabetes
      mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease, and antithrombotic
      drugs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), low-dose aspirin, and other
      antiplatelet drugs). RESULTS: In univariate analysis, hypertension, dyslipidemia,
      chronic kidney disease, and NSAIDs use, low-dose aspirin, non-aspirin
      antiplatelets, increasing BMI, and increasing VAT area were associated with
      diverticular bleeding. In multivariate analysis adjusted for confounding factors,
      VAT area (p = 0.021), but not BMI (p = 0.551) or SAT area (p = 0.635), was
      positively associated with diverticular bleeding. When BMI was considered
      simultaneously, VAT area remained positively associated with diverticular
      bleeding (p = 0.018). However, none of obesity indices including VAT area were
      associated with recurrence of diverticular bleeding or prolonged hospitalization.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study presents new information on risk factors for diverticular
      bleeding. A large volume of visceral adipose tissue, but not BMI or SAT, appears
      to entail a risk for diverticular bleeding, after age, gender, metabolic factors,
      and antithrombotic drugs use adjustments.

PMID- 26099323
TI  - Effect of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy on Inflammation in Congestive Heart
      Failure: A Review.
AB  - Congestive heart failure is associated with increased levels of several
      inflammatory mediators, and animal studies have shown that infusion of a number
      of cytokines can induce heart failure. However, several drugs with proven
      efficacy in heart failure have failed to affect inflammatory mediators, and anti
      inflammatory therapy in heart failure patients has thus far been disappointing.
      Hence, to what extent heart failure is caused by or responsible for the increased
      inflammatory burden in the patient is still unclear. Over the past couple of
      decades, resynchronization therapy with a biventricular pacemaker has emerged as
      an effective treatment in a subset of heart failure patients, reducing both
      morbidity and mortality. Such treatment has also been shown to affect the
      inflammation associated with heart failure. In this study, we review recent data
      on the association between heart failure and inflammation, and in particular how
      resynchronization therapy can affect the inflammatory process. 

PMID- 26099322
TI  - Doublet chemotherapy vs. single-agent therapy with 5FU in elderly patients with
      metastatic colorectal cancer. a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical benefit of first-line doublet chemotherapy (including
      oxaliplatin or irinotecan) compared to single-drug therapy (5FU) in elderly
      patients (>70 or >75 years old) with metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC) is
      controversial. Therefore, we undertook a meta-analysis of all published phase III
      studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a PubMed search using keywords
      metastatic colorectal cancer, phase III studies, oxaliplatin, irinotecan,
      survival. We also screened Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and European
      Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) proceedings. Few studies have been published
      corresponding to our inclusion criteria. The efficacy outcomes were overall
      survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Toxicity was also examined
      when available. Hazard ratios (HRs) with their 95 % confidence intervals (CI)
      were collected from the studies and pooled. By convention, HRs <1 corresponded to
      a better outcome for doublets. p values <0.05 were considered statistically
      significant. A fixed-effect model was used. We used Comprehensive Meta-Analysis
      Software (Biostat, Englewood, NJ, USA). RESULTS: This meta-analysis (MA) included
      five original studies (Mitry and Venderbosch for CAIRO both assessing irinotecan,
      De Gramont and Seymour for FOCUS2 and Ducreux assessing oxaliplatin) and an
      already published MA (Folprecht) of four trials comparing FOLFIRI with 5FU
      (Saltz, Douillard, Kohne and Seymour). Our MA included 1225 patients (70 % men).
      For age, we chose a cut-off of 70 years for oxaliplatin and a cut-off of 75 years
      for irinotecan. The performance status (PS) score was 0-1 in about 90 % of
      patients except for the studies by Mitry and Seymour FOCUS2 which both included
      30 % of PS2 patients. Overall, doublet chemotherapy, compared to 5FU alone, did
      not improve OS (HR = 1.00; CI: 0.89-1.13) but significantly improved PFS (HR =
      0.82; CI: 0.72-0.93). When assessed separately, FOLFIRI and FOLFOX both
      significantly improved PFS (HR = 0.83; 0.68-1.00 and HR = 0.81; 0.68-0.97,
      respectively). The main grade 3-4 toxicities for FOLFIRI were diarrhoea, nausea,
      vomiting and neutropenia, which occurred significantly more often than with 5FU
      alone. CONCLUSION: Addition of oxaliplatin or irinotecan to 5FU in metastatic CRC
      significantly improved PFS in elderly patients more than 70 years old but was
      associated with an increased risk of toxicity as shown for irinotecan.

PMID- 26099324
TI  - Prediction of promoters and enhancers using multiple DNA methylation-associated
      features.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Regulatory regions (e.g. promoters and enhancers) play an essential
      role in human development and disease. Many computational approaches have been
      developed to predict the regulatory regions using various genomic features such
      as sequence motifs and evolutionary conservation. However, these DNA sequence
      based approaches do not reflect the tissue-specific nature of the regulatory
      regions. In this work, we propose to predict regulatory regions using multiple
      features derived from DNA methylation profile. RESULTS: We discovered several
      interesting features of the methylated CpG (mCpG) sites within regulatory
      regions. First, a hypomethylation status of CpGs within regulatory regions,
      compared to the genomic background methylation level, extended out >1000 bp from
      the center of the regulatory regions, demonstrating a high degree of correlation
      between the methylation statuses of neighboring mCpG sites. Second, when a
      regulatory region was inactive, as determined by histone mark differences between
      cell lines, methylation level of the mCpG site increased from a hypomethylated
      state to a hypermethylated state, the level of which was even higher than the
      genomic background. Third, a distinct set of sequence motifs was overrepresented
      surrounding mCpG sites within regulatory regions. Using 5 types of features
      derived from DNA methylation profiles, we were able to predict promoters and
      enhancers using machine-learning approach (support vector machine). The
      performances for prediction of promoters and enhancers are quite well, showing an
      area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.992 and 0.817, respectively, which is better
      than that simply based on methylation level, especially for prediction of
      enhancers. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that DNA methylation features of mCpG
      sites can be used to predict regulatory regions.

PMID- 26099326
TI  - A Revision of the Genus Nemobrenthus Sharp (Coleoptera: Brentidae).
AB  - A systematic revision of the Neotropical genus Nemobrenthus Sharp is carried out
      on the basis of morphological characters. Prior to this study, the group included
      eight nominal taxa. Only three species are actually considered valid-Nemobrenthus
      sublaevis Boheman from Atlantic Brazil, Nemobrenthus helmenreichii Redtenbacher
      from South-Central Brazil, and Nemobrenthus aeneipennis Sharp from Central
      America and the northern part of South America-as several new synonymies are
      proposed: Nemocephalus tonsus Kleine, n. syn. for Brenthus sublaevis Boheman;
      Nemocephalus gounellei Kleine, n. syn. for B. sublaevis; Brenthus suratus
      Boheman, n. syn. for B. sublaevis; Nemobrenthus expletus Kleine, n. syn. for
      Trachelizus helmenreichii Redtenbacher; Nemobrenthus bechynei Soares &
      Scivittaro, n. syn. for T. helmenreichii; Nemobrenthus pereirai Soares &
      Scivittaro, n. syn. for T. helmenreichii; Nemobrenthus melzeri Kleine, n. syn.
      for T. helmenreichii. Lectotypes are designated for B. sublaevis and N. tonsus. A
      key to the three recognized species of Nemobrenthus is provided. 

PMID- 26099325
TI  - Gender Differences in Searching for Health Information on the Internet and the
      Virtual Patient-Physician Relationship in Germany: Exploratory Results on How Men
      and Women Differ and Why.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many studies have shown that women use the Internet more often for
      health-related information searches than men, but we have limited knowledge about
      the underlying reasons. We also do not know whether and how women and men differ
      in their current use of the Internet for communicating with their general
      practitioner (GP) and in their future intention to do so (virtual patient
      physician relationship). OBJECTIVE: This study investigates (1) gender
      differences in health-related information search behavior by exploring underlying
      emotional, motivational, attitudinal as well as cognitive variables, situational
      involvement, and normative influences, and different personal involvement
      regarding health-related information searching and (2) gender differences in the
      virtual patient-physician relationship. METHODS: Gender differences were analyzed
      based on an empirical online survey of 1006 randomly selected German patients.
      The sample was drawn from an e-panel maintained by GfK HealthCare. A total of 958
      usable questionnaires were analyzed. Principal component analyses were carried
      out for some variables. Differences between men (517/958) and women (441/958)
      were analyzed using t tests and Kendall's tau-b tests. The survey instrument was
      guided by several research questions and was based on existing literature.
      RESULTS: Women were more engaged in using the Internet for health-related
      information searching. Gender differences were found for the frequency of usage
      of various Internet channels for health-related information searches. Women used
      the Internet for health-related information searches to a higher degree for
      social motives and enjoyment and they judged the usability of the Internet medium
      and of the information gained by health information searches higher than men did.
      Women had a more positive attitude toward Web 2.0 than men did, but perceived
      themselves as less digitally competent. Women had a higher health and nutrition
      awareness and a greater reluctance to make use of medical support, as well as a
      higher personal disposition of being well-informed as a patient. Men may be more
      open toward the virtual patient-physician relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Women have a
      stronger social motive for and experience greater enjoyment in health-related
      information searches, explained by social role interpretations, suggesting these
      needs should be met when offering health-related information on the Internet.
      This may be interesting for governmental bodies as well as for the insurance and
      the pharmaceutical industries. Furthermore, women may be more easily convinced by
      health awareness campaigns and are, therefore, the primary target group for them.
      Men are more open to engaging in a virtual relationship with the GP; therefore,
      they could be the primary target group for additional online services offered by
      GPs. There were several areas for GPs to reinforce the virtual patient-physician
      relationship: the fixing of personal appointments, referral to other doctors,
      writing prescriptions, and discussions of normal test results and doctor's
      notes/certificates of health.

PMID- 26099327
TI  - Evaluation of Left Ventricular Volumes and Function by Real Time Three
      Dimensional Echocardiography in Children with Functional Single Left Ventricle: A
      Comparison between QLAB and TomTec.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Real time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) provides a
      reliable analysis of left ventricular (LV) volume. Despite a wide spectrum of
      tracking algorithms presently available, which software is most suitable for
      evaluating functional single left ventricle (FLSV) is unknown. Herein, we
      compared two of the most commonly used 3DE algorithms for quantification of LV
      volumes in the pediatric population with FLSV. METHODS: Thirty-six children with
      FLSV were prospectively enrolled. The LV volume analysis was performed on QLAB
      8.1 (semiautomated border tracking) and TomTec 4D LV 3.0 (manual dominant border
      tracking) and compared with MRI as the reference standard. RESULTS: 3DE volume
      quantification was achieved for 32 children with QLAB and 34 children with
      TomTec. Analysis time was much shorter for QLAB than TomTec (4.8 +/- 1.2 vs. 6.3
      +/- 1.8 minutes, P < 0.05). Ejection fraction (EF) by either 3DE modality was
      significantly lower than the published normal values (P < 0.01 for each). End
      diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume, and EF
      calculated by both 3DE modalities underestimated MRI values. Compared to QLAB,
      TomTec showed better correlation and smaller intertechnique differences with MRI
      (the 95% limits of agreement, EDV: -20.84 to 5.18 mL in QLAB, -10.66 to 1.84 mL
      in TomTec; ESV: -8.94 to 3.07 mL in QLAB, -2.45 to 0.98 mL in TomTec; SV: -13.31
      to 3.45 mL in QLAB, -9.34 to 2.0 mL in TomTec; EF: -12.07 to 7.76% in QLAB, -9.64
      to 1.52% in TomTec), TomTec was more reproducible with better intraclass
      correlation coefficients and variation coefficients. CONCLUSIONS: Both 3DE
      modalities tend to underestimate LV volumes, but the correlation of LV volumes
      and EF between 3DE and MRI still holds well. Despite a longer operating time,
      TomTec analysis is more accurate and reproducible.

PMID- 26099328
TI  - Identification and expression analysis of irak1 gene in common carp Cyprinus
      carpio L.: indications for a role of antibacterial and antiviral immunity.
AB  - In this study, the full-length complementary (c)DNA of interleukin-1 receptor
      associated kinase 1 gene (irak1) was cloned from common carp Cyprinus carpio. The
      complete open reading frame of irak1 contained 2109 bp encoding a protein of 702
      amino acid residues that comprised a death domain, a ProST region, a serine
      threonine-specific protein kinase catalytic domain and a C-terminal domain. The
      amino-acid sequence of C. carpio Irak1 protein shared sequence homology with
      grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idellus (84.5%). The phylogenetic tree of IRAKs
      separated the polypeptides into four clades, comprising IRAK1s, IRAK2s, IRAK3s
      and IRAK4s. Cyprinus carpio Irak1 fell into the cluster with previously reported
      IRAK1s including teleost Irak1s. The irak1 gene was highly expressed in gills,
      followed by brain, skin, hindgut, buccal epithelium, spleen, foregut, head kidney
      and liver, and was expressed at lowest levels in gonad and muscle. The irak1
      messenger (m)RNA expression was up-regulated in liver, spleen, head kidney,
      foregut, hindgut, gills and skin after stimulation with Vibrio anguillarum and
      poly(I:C), and significantly high up-regulated expression was observed in liver
      and spleen. These results implied that irak1 might participate in antibacterial
      and antiviral innate immunity. These findings gave the indications that irak1 may
      participate in antibacterial and antiviral immunity.

PMID- 26099329
TI  - Erratum to: Baker's Yeast Deficient in Storage Lipid Synthesis Uses cis-Vaccenic
      Acid to Reduce Unsaturated Fatty Acid Toxicity.

PMID- 26099330
TI  - Transcriptional remodeling in response to transfer upon carbon-limited or
      metformin-supplemented media in S. cerevisiae and its effect on chronological
      life span.
AB  - One of the factors affecting chronological life span (CLS) in budding yeast is
      nutrient, especially carbon limitation. Aside from metabolites in the growth
      medium such as glucose, amino acids, and acetic acid, many pharmaceuticals have
      also been proven to alter CLS. Besides their impact on life span, these drugs are
      also prospective chemicals to treat the age-associated diseases, so the
      identification of their action mechanism and their potential side effects is of
      crucial importance. In this study, the effects of caloric restriction and
      metformin, a dietary mimetic pharmaceutical, on yeast CLS are compared.
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells grown in synthetic dextrose complete (SDC) up to
      mid-exponential phase were either treated with metformin or were subjected to
      glucose limitation. The impacts of these perturbations were analyzed via
      transcriptomics, and the common (stimulation of glucose uptake, induction of
      mitochondrial maintenance, and reduction of protein translation) and divergent
      (stimulation of aerobic respiration and reprogramming of respiratory electron
      transport chain (ETC)) cellular responses specific to each treatment were
      determined. These results revealed that both glucose limitation and metformin
      treatment stimulate CLS extension and involve the mitochondrial function,
      probably by creating an efficient mitochondria-to-nucleus signaling of either
      aerobic respiration or ETC signaling stimulation, respectively. 

PMID- 26099331
TI  - Designing and creating Saccharomyces interspecific hybrids for improved, industry
      relevant, phenotypes.
AB  - To remain competitive in increasingly overcrowded markets, yeast strain
      development programmes are crucial for fermentation-based food and beverage
      industries. In a winemaking context, there are many yeast phenotypes that stand
      to be improved. For example, winemakers endeavouring to produce sweet dessert
      wines wrestle with fermentation challenges particular to fermenting high-sugar
      juices, which can lead to elevated volatile acidity levels and extended
      fermentation times. In the current study, we used natural yeast breeding
      techniques to generate Saccharomyces spp. interspecific hybrids as a non
      genetically modified (GM) strategy to introduce targeted improvements in
      important, wine-relevant traits. The hybrids were generated by mating a robust
      wine strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with a wine isolate of Saccharomyces
      bayanus, a species previously reported to produce wines with low concentrations
      of acetic acid. Two hybrids generated from the cross showed robust fermentation
      properties in high-sugar grape juice and produced botrytised Riesling wines with
      much lower concentrations of acetic acid relative to the industrial wine yeast
      parent. The hybrids also displayed suitability for icewine production when bench
      marked against an industry standard icewine yeast, by delivering icewines with
      lower levels of acetic acid. Additionally, the hybrid yeast produced wines with
      novel aroma and flavour profiles and established that choice of yeast strain
      impacts on wine colour. These new hybrid yeasts display the desired targeted
      fermentation phenotypes from both parents, robust fermentation in high-sugar
      juice and the production of wines with low volatile acidity, thus establishing
      their suitability for wine styles that are traditionally troubled by excessive
      volatile acidity levels. 

PMID- 26099333
TI  - Preconcentration and detection of mercury with bioluminescent bioreporter E. coli
      ARL1.
AB  - Cell wall envelopes treated with sodium hydroxide and spray-dried were used as
      mercury sorbents. The sorbent having sorption capacity 17.7 +/- 0.1 MUmol/g
      determined was employed for preconcentration of mercury containing 1-10 ng/L.
      After preconcentration, bioavailable mercury was detected in samples of soil,
      stream, and tap water via induction of bioluminescence of E. coli ARL1. Iron and
      manganese at concentrations of tenth microgram per liter interfered
      bioluminescence detection of mercury. In tap water was detected
      semiquantitatively 0.127 +/- 0.1 nmol/L by the induction of bioluminescence of E.
      coli ARL1 in medium with tryptone after preconcentration using a method of
      standard addition.

PMID- 26099332
TI  - Pseudomonas putida-a versatile host for the production of natural products.
AB  - The biosynthesis of natural products by heterologous expression of biosynthetic
      pathways in amenable production strains enables biotechnological access to a
      variety of valuable compounds by conversion of renewable resources. Pseudomonas
      putida has emerged as a microbial laboratory work horse, with elaborated
      techniques for cultivation and genetic manipulation available. Beyond that, this
      bacterium offers several particular advantages with regard to natural product
      biosynthesis, notably a versatile intrinsic metabolism with diverse enzymatic
      capacities as well as an outstanding tolerance to xenobiotics. Therefore, it has
      been applied for recombinant biosynthesis of several valuable natural products.
      This review provides an overview of applications of P. putida as a host organism
      for the recombinant biosynthesis of such natural products, including
      rhamnolipids, terpenoids, polyketides and non-ribosomal peptides, and other amino
      acid-derived compounds. The focus is on de novo natural product synthesis from
      intrinsic building blocks by means of heterologous gene expression and strain
      engineering. Finally, the future potential of the bacterium as a chassis organism
      for synthetic microbiology is pointed out. 

PMID- 26099334
TI  - Ammonia-oxidizing archaea have better adaptability in oxygenated/hypoxic
      alternant conditions compared to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria.
AB  - Ammonia oxidation is performed by both ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and
      ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Few studies compared the adaptability of AOA
      and AOB for oxygenated/hypoxic alternant conditions in water-level-fluctuating
      zones. Here, using qPCR and 454 high-throughput sequencing of functional amoA
      genes of AOA and AOB, we examined the changes of abundances, diversities, and
      community structures of AOA and AOB in periodically flooded soils compared to the
      non-flooded soils in Three Gorges Reservoir. The increased AOA operational
      taxonomic unit (OTU) numbers and the higher ratios of abundance (AOA:AOB) in the
      periodically flooded soils suggested AOA have better adaptability for
      oxygenated/hypoxic alternant conditions in the water-level-fluctuating zones in
      the Three Gorges Reservoir and probably responsible for the ammonia oxidation
      there. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that oxidation-reduction
      potential (ORP) had the most significant effect on the community distribution of
      AOA (p < 0.01). Pearson analysis also indicated that ORP was the most important
      factor influencing the abundances and diversities of ammonia-oxidizing microbes.
      ORP was significantly negatively correlated with AOA OTU numbers (p < 0.05),
      ratio of OTU numbers (AOA:AOB) (p < 0.01), and ratio of amoA gene abundances
      (AOA:AOB) (p < 0.05). ORP was also significantly positively correlated with AOB
      abundance (p < 0.05).

PMID- 26099335
TI  - Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes: comparative genomics and network
      perspectives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Defective tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) and hyperactive oncogenes
      (OCGs) heavily contribute to cell proliferation and apoptosis during cancer
      development through genetic variations such as somatic mutations and deletions.
      Moreover, they usually do not perform their cellular functions individually but
      rather execute jointly. Therefore, a comprehensive comparison of their mutation
      patterns and network properties may provide a deeper understanding of their roles
      in the cancer development and provide some clues for identification of novel
      targets. RESULTS: In this study, we performed a comprehensive survey of TSGs and
      OCGs from the perspectives of somatic mutations and network properties. For
      comparative purposes, we choose five gene sets: TSGs, OCGs, cancer drug target
      genes, essential genes, and other genes. Based on the data from Pan-Cancer
      project, we found that TSGs had the highest mutation frequency in most tumor
      types and the OCGs second. The essential genes had the lowest mutation frequency
      in all tumor types. For the network properties in the human protein-protein
      interaction (PPI) network, we found that, relative to target proteins, essential
      proteins, and other proteins, the TSG proteins and OCG proteins both tended to
      have higher degrees, higher betweenness, lower clustering coefficients, and
      shorter shortest-path distances. Moreover, the TSG proteins and OCG proteins
      tended to have direct interactions with cancer drug target proteins. To further
      explore their relationship, we generated a TSG-OCG network and found that TSGs
      and OCGs connected strongly with each other. The integration of the mutation
      frequency with the TSG-OCG network offered a network view of TSGs, OCGs, and
      their interactions, which may provide new insights into how the TSGs and OCGs
      jointly contribute to the cancer development. CONCLUSIONS: Our study first
      discovered that the OCGs and TSGs had different mutation patterns, but had
      similar and stronger protein-protein characteristics relative to the essential
      proteins or control proteins in the whole human interactome. We also found that
      the TSGs and OCGs had the most direct interactions with cancer drug targets. The
      results will be helpful for cancer drug target identification, and ultimately,
      understanding the etiology of cancer and treatment at the network level.

PMID- 26099336
TI  - Association between mild cognitive impairment and dementia and undernutrition
      among elderly people in Central Africa: some results from the EPIDEMCA
      (Epidemiology of Dementia in Central Africa) programme.
AB  - Several studies in Western countries have shown an association between cognitive
      disorders and low BMI or weight loss in elderly people. However, few data are
      available in Africa. We analysed the association between cognitive disorders and
      undernutrition among elderly people in Central Africa. A cross-sectional,
      multicentre, population-based study using a two-phase design was carried out in
      subjects aged 65 years and above in the Central African Republic (CAR) and the
      Republic of Congo (ROC). All subjects were interviewed using the Community
      Screening Interview for Dementia, and those with low performance were clinically
      assessed by a neurologist and underwent further psychometrical tests. Diagnostic
      and Statistical Manual-IV and Petersen's criteria were required for the diagnoses
      of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), respectively. Undernutrition was
      evaluated using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) < 24 cm, BMI < 18.5 kg/m(2)
      and arm muscular circumference (AMC) < 5th percentile. Multivariate binary
      logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations. In CAR, MCI
      was associated with MUAC < 24 cm (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.4, 1.0) and dementia with BMI
      < 18.5 kg/m(2) (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.6, 3.1), AMC < 5th percentile (OR 2.3, 95% CI
      1.1, 4.6) and MUAC < 24 cm (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4, 2.4). In ROC, both MCI and
      dementia were associated with all markers of undernutrition, but only AMC < 5th
      percentile was significantly associated with MCI (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.9, 4.8). In
      conclusion, cognitive disorders were associated with undernutrition. However,
      further studies are needed to elucidate the relationship between MCI and
      undernutrition in CAR.

PMID- 26099337
TI  - Cognitive impairment in relation to depression, anxiety and virological response
      in hepatitis C patients in Egypt.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cognitive impairment commonly occurs in hepatitis C virus (HCV)
      patients. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and
      sociodemographic and clinical correlates of cognitive impairment in HCV patients
      before and after 12 weeks of interferon treatment in comparison with a control
      group. METHODS: Hundred and sixteen consecutive HCV patients were included in the
      study and divided into treated and untreated groups. All patients were assessed
      using sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, Montreal Cognitive Assessment
      Scale (MOCA) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) before and after 12
      weeks of treatment or observation. RESULTS: Thirty-eight percent of treated
      patients showed cognitive impairment at baseline, which increased to 69% after 12
      weeks of interferon treatment. This cognitive impairment was reflected in the
      total MOCA score and in visuo-constructional skills, attention, concentration,
      working memory, language, and short-term memory, which was not shown by untreated
      group after 12 weeks of observation. Cognitive impairment was associated with low
      education, but not with depression, anxiety, or virological response.
      CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive impairment is common in HCV patients and increases
      significantly after interferon treatment. It is not related to depression or
      anxiety in HCV patients. Future research should focus on prevention, treatment
      and outcome of cognitive impairment in HCV patients, particularly those receiving
      interferon therapy.

PMID- 26099340
TI  - Brachyury: A sensitive marker, but not a prognostic factor, for skull base
      chordomas.
AB  - Patients with skull base chordomas have a poor prognosis, and the role of the
      protein expression of brachyury in chordomas remains to be fully elucidated. The
      present study used immunohistochemistry to analyze 57 cases of skull base
      chordoma, and analyzed the clinical data of the patients. The results
      demonstrated that the protein expression of brachyury was negative in 8.8% (5/57)
      of the cases. The weak/positive, positive and strong/positive rates were 5.3%
      (3/57), 21.1% (12/57) and 64.9% (37/57), respectively. The association between
      the expression of brachyury and recurrence was not statistically significant.
      Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the degree of surgery, rather than the
      expression of brachyury, was associated with tumor recurrence (P=0.001). In
      conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that the expression of
      Brachyury offers a sensitive marker, but not a risk factor, for skull base
      chordomas, and radical surgery is recommended.

PMID- 26099341
TI  - Does parental monitoring moderate the relationship between bullying and
      adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury and suicidal behavior? A community-based self
      report study of adolescents in Germany.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Being a victim of bullying in school is clearly linked to various
      social, emotional, and behavioral problems including self-harm behavior. However,
      it is not known whether even occasional victimization has similar negative
      consequences and whether protective factors such as social support may prevent
      those harmful developments. The present study therefore focuses on the
      nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal behavior (SB) in victims of bullying
      and the potentially moderating effect of parental monitoring. METHODS: In all, a
      cross-sectional sample of 647 adolescents (mean age 12.8 years) were surveyed
      concerning bullying experiences, NSSI and SB, and parental monitoring. RESULTS: A
      total of 14.4% of respondents reported being a victim of frequent bullying in the
      past few months (with verbal and social bullying playing the most important
      role), which increased the risks of both NSSI (OR = 11.75) and SB (OR = 6.08).
      This relationship could also be shown for occasional victims of bullying (35.6%),
      although to a lesser extent. Parental monitoring had a significant protective
      effect on SB in victims of occasional bullying. However, parental monitoring did
      not show any protective effect in victims of repetitive bullying. CONCLUSIONS:
      Victims of bullying show a substantial risk for engaging in self-harm behavior.
      Therefore, the dissemination of anti-bullying programs in schools would probably
      also prevent such disorders. Parental participation in school-based prevention
      may increase its effect; this also matches the results of the present study,
      showing that parental monitoring may be able to buffer the negative effects of
      bullying victimization, at least to a certain degree.

PMID- 26099342
TI  - Case report: a novel KERA mutation associated with cornea plana and its predicted
      effect on protein function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cornea plana (CNA) is a hereditary congenital abnormality of the
      cornea characterized by reduced corneal curvature, extreme hypermetropia, corneal
      clouding and hazy corneal limbus. The recessive form, CNA2, is associated with
      homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations of the keratocan gene (KERA) on
      chromosome 12q22. To date, only nine different disease-associated KERA mutations,
      including four missense mutations, have been described. CASE PRESENTATION: In
      this report, we present clinical data from a Turkish family with autosomal
      recessive cornea plana. In some of the affected individuals, hypotrichosis was
      found. KERA was screened for mutations using Sanger sequencing. We detected a
      novel KERA variant, p.(Ile225Thr), that segregates with the disease in the
      homozygous form. The three-dimensional structure of keratocan protein was
      modelled, and we showed that this missense variation is predicted to destabilize
      the structure of keratocan, leading to the classical ocular phenotype in the
      affected individuals. All the four known missense mutations, including the
      variation found in this family, affect the conserved residues of the leucine rich
      repeat domain of keratocan. These mutations are predicted to result in
      destabilization of the protein. CONCLUSION: We present the 10th pathogenic KERA
      mutation identified so far. Protein modelling is a useful tool in predicting the
      effect of missense mutations. This case underline the importance of the leucin
      rich repeat domain for the protein function, and this knowledge will ease the
      interpretation of future findings of mutations in these areas in other families
      with cornea plana.

PMID- 26099343
TI  - Cytoreductive conditioning for severe combined immunodeficiency--help or
      hindrance?
AB  - Use of chemotherapy-based conditioning-facilitated engraftment in patients with
      severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is contentious. In T- and NK lymphocyte
      negative, B-lymphocyte-positive (T-B+NK+) and T-B-NK+ SCID, the osteo-medullary
      space is occupied by recipient hematopoietic stem cells and mature B-lymphocytes.
      The thymic niche is empty in T-B+NK+ SCID but fully occupied by developmentally
      arrested T-lymphocyte precursors in T-B-NK+ SCID. The outcome of infusion of
      donor stem cells differs and is dependent on genetic defect and the lymphocyte
      developmental arrest stage. At best, donor hematopoietic stem cell osteo
      medullary engraftment induces normal B-lymphocyte function and long-term
      thymopoiesis; at worst, peripheral expansion of donor T-lymphocytes from the stem
      cell source results in a restricted T-lymphocyte receptor repertoire with
      possible B-lymphocyte failure. Conditioning improves immunoreconstitution but
      causes short- and long-term toxicities, and increased mortality. Newborn
      screening for SCID will propel the search for safe, effective methods of
      achieving donor cell engraftment and full immunoreconstitution without toxic
      sequalae. 

PMID- 26099344
TI  - The immunomodulatory effects of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in Kawasaki
      disease.
AB  - The introduction of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for modulation of
      inflammation in acute Kawasaki disease was a great therapeutic triumph. However,
      three decades later, the mechanisms underlying immune regulation by IVIG are only
      beginning to be revealed. Stimulation of an immature myeloid population of
      dendritic cells that secretes IL-10 and the elucidation of Fc-specific natural
      regulatory T cells provide insights into the mechanisms of IVIG. Other potential
      mechanisms include provision of agent-specific neutralizing antibody, anti
      idiotype and anti-cytokine antibodies, blockade of activating Fcgamma receptors
      and stimulation of the inhibitory FcgammaRIIb receptor. New initiatives must seek
      to understand the mechanisms of IVIG in order to replace it one day with more
      affordable and more targeted therapies. 

PMID- 26099346
TI  - The influence of SrO and CaO in silicate and phosphate bioactive glasses on human
      gingival fibroblasts.
AB  - In this paper, we investigate the effect of substituting SrO for CaO in silicate
      and phosphate bioactive glasses on the human gingival fibroblast activity. In
      both materials the presence of SrO led to the formation of a CaP layer with
      partial Sr substitution for Ca. The layer at the surface of the silicate glass
      consisted of HAP whereas at the phosphate glasses it was close to the DCPD
      composition. In silicate glasses, SrO gave a faster initial dissolution and a
      thinner reaction layer probably allowing for a continuous ion release into the
      solution. In phosphate glasses, SrO decreased the dissolution process and gave a
      more strongly bonded reaction layer. Overall, the SrO-containing silicate glass
      led to a slight enhancement in the activity of the gingival fibroblasts cells
      when compared to the SrO-free reference glass, S53P4. The cell activity decreased
      up to 3 days of culturing for all phosphate glasses containing SrO. Whereas
      culturing together with the SrO-free phosphate glass led to complete cell death
      at 7 days. The glasses containing SrO showed rapid cell proliferation and growth
      between 7 and 14 days, reaching similar activity than glass S53P4. The addition
      of SrO in both silicate and phosphate glasses was assumed beneficial for
      proliferation and growth of human gingival fibroblasts due to Sr incorporation in
      the reaction layer at the glass surface and released in the cell culture medium.

PMID- 26099345
TI  - Degradation and silicon excretion of the calcium silicate bioactive ceramics
      during bone regeneration using rabbit femur defect model.
AB  - The investigation of the bone regeneration ability, degradation and excretion of
      the grafts is critical for development and application of the newly developed
      biomaterials. Herein, the in vivo bone-regeneration, biodegradation and silicon
      (Si) excretion of the new type calcium silicate (CaSiO3, CS) bioactive ceramics
      were investigated using rabbit femur defect model, and the results were compared
      with the traditional beta-tricalcium phosphate [beta-Ca3(PO4)2, beta-TCP]
      bioceramics. After implantation of the scaffolds in rabbit femur defects for 4, 8
      and 12 weeks, the bone regenerative capacity and degradation were evaluated by
      histomorphometric analysis. While urine and some organs such as kidney, liver,
      lung and spleen were resected for chemical analysis to determine the excretion of
      the ionic products from CS implants. The histomorphometric analysis showed that
      the bioresorption rate of CS was similar to that of beta-TCP in femur defect
      model, while the CS grafts could significantly stimulate bone formation capacity
      as compared with beta-TCP bioceramics (P < 0.05). The chemical analysis results
      showed that Si concentration in urinary of the CS group was apparently higher
      than that in control group of beta-TCP. However, no significant increase of the
      Si excretion was found in the organs including kidney, which suggests that the
      resorbed Si element is harmlessly excreted in soluble form via the urine. The
      present studies show that the CS ceramics can be used as safe, bioactive and
      biodegradable materials for hard tissue repair and tissue engineering
      applications. 

PMID- 26099347
TI  - Safety and feasibility of an enhanced recovery pathway after a liver resection:
      prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In contrast to colorectal surgery, enhanced recovery pathways (ERPs)
      have not yet become standard practice after major upper abdominal surgery. The
      aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and outcomes after implementation
      of an ERP after liver a resection. METHODS: Patients who underwent a liver
      resection in two consecutive 6-month periods before (July-December 2013) and
      after (January-June 2014) implementation of an ERP were included in a prospective
      study. Patients who underwent live donation, ALPPS (associating liver partition
      with portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy) or concomitant procedures were
      excluded. Peri-operative outcomes were compared between groups, and multivariate
      analysis of factors influencing the length of hospital stay (LOS) was performed.
      RESULTS: Two hundred and eleven patients (93 pre-ERP and 91 post-ERP patients)
      underwent a liver resection during the study period. There was no significant
      difference in the median LOS (P = 0.907) and 30-day readmission rates (P = 0.645)
      between the groups. Severe (Clavien grade III-V) complications were reduced in
      ERP patients (13.9% versus 4.3%; P = 0.039). On multivariate analysis, an
      increased age (< 0.001), open resection (< 0.001) and complications (< 0.001)
      were associated with an increased LOS. CONCLUSION: Enhanced recovery after a
      liver resection appears to be safe, feasible and may reduce severe complications.
      However, the LOS was significantly influenced by patient age, open surgery and
      post-operative complications, but not by an ERP.

PMID- 26099348
TI  - Orbital lobe resection provides a definite diagnosis of lacrimal gland lesions: a
      report of three cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Entities of lacrimal gland lesions comprise almost inflammatory and
      lymphoproliferative processes as well as benign and malignant solid tumors and
      usually cannot be differentiated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exclusively.
      Hence, representative tissue samples are needed to arrive at sufficient
      histopathological diagnosis for further treatment decisions. CASE REPORT: Three
      women aged between 18 and 67 years were admitted to our center with clinical
      signs of a space-occupying mass in the lacrimal fossa. MRI revealed a
      circumscribed lacrimal gland lesion in all three cases. The orbital lobe was
      resected through a lateral orbitotomy approach for histopathological evaluation.
      Findings confirmed the diagnoses of pleomorphic adenoma, dacryoadenitis, and low
      grade B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Further surgery was not necessary. No
      recurrence or symptoms of "dry eye" were observed over the course of a 1-year
      follow-up. CONCLUSION: In cases of non-specific masses in the lacrimal gland on
      MRI, histopathological diagnoses are vital and can be sufficiently provided by
      resection of the orbital lobe. Symptoms of dry eye are uncommon, and secondary
      surgical intervention can be avoided in cases of the presented entities. Further
      studies with larger patient cohorts are warranted to confirm these findings.

PMID- 26099349
TI  - Cellular Microparticles in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

PMID- 26099351
TI  - Effect of the mixing ratio during co-treatment of landfill leachate and sewage
      with a combined stripping and reversed A2/O process.
AB  - In this study, pilot-scale tests were conducted to evaluate the effect of
      volumetric mixing ratio of landfill leachate to sewage on the performance of the
      combined ammonia stripping and reversed anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A(2)/O) process
      for co-treatment of landfill leachate and municipal sewage. Stripping, as pre
      treatment, could significantly remove ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and total nitrogen
      (TN) by 55% and 52%, respectively. Moreover, chemical oxygen demand (COD) was
      slightly reduced by 6.8%, and little total phosphorus (TP) was removed. The
      subsequent reversed A(2)/O process appeared to be highly influenced by the
      volumetric mixing ratio of leachate to sewage. Typically, the effluent COD, NH3
      N, TN and TP increased with the increasing ratio from 1:30 to 1:15, namely, the
      increasing fraction of leachate. Over the all tested mixing ratio range, the
      effluent COD and NH3-N were satisfied with the primary B standards of Chinese
      Discharge Standard of Pollutants for municipal waste water treatment plant
      (GB18918-2002). The standards different from the primary A standards for water
      reuse are used for discharge into the most surface water bodies in China.
      However, TN and TP would exceed the primary B standard levels at a mixing ratio
      of 1:15 or greater. These findings suggest that an appropriate volumetric mixing
      ratio should be carefully selected to ensure the performance of the reversed
      A(2)/O process. 

PMID- 26099352
TI  - Actinic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma: clinical and pathological
      features.
AB  - Actinic keratoses (AKs) are the most common keratinocytederived precancerous
      lesion in humans; they can be observed predominantly in fair-skinned individuals
      on sun-exposed surfaces. The primary risk factor for AKs is cumulative UV
      exposure from sunlight and/or tanning salons. AKs may present on a patient as a
      few detectable lesions. In addition to these, there are subclinical (invisible)
      AKs that are estimated to occur up to 10 times more often than visible AKs, since
      unprotected skin receives UV radiation from the sun. Clinical and subclinical AK
      lesions occurring in photo-damaged skin are called field cancerization. A field
      of change can be up to 7 cm around the primary lesions, resulting in lesions that
      are genetically similar. AKs are defined at the histologic level by dysplasia and
      consist of keratinocytes manifesting atypical nuclei that are enlarged,
      irregular, and hyperchromatic. The histopathologic changes noted in keratinocytic
      proliferative lesions involve disturbance of normal surface maturation. The
      degree and extent of keratinocytic atypia vary in these lesions. The atypical
      keratinocytes show enlarged nuclei with hyperchromasia, dyskeratosis and mitoses
      in any layer of the epidermis. In lesions of epidermal dysplasias, surface
      keratinocytic maturation is present, and a granular cell layer is usually noted.
      In intraepidermal carcinomas, there is full-thickness involvement of the
      epidermis by the atypical keratinocytes. While molecular techniques have improved
      our ability to distinguish squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from AKs, they have
      also reinforced the concept that non-melanoma skin cancers arise through a
      complex series of aberrations at the molecular level. AKs represent a spectrum
      along the continuum to invasive cancer. They are the most visible manifestation
      of field cancerization which creates a population of atypical cells with the
      potential to progress to invasive malignancy capable of metastasis. As the
      perilesional epithelium also has abnormalities due to photo exposure,
      understanding the existence of a "cancerization field" should be explained to the
      patients, reinforcing the importance of preventive clinical follow-up. The aim of
      the present review was to emphasize the histopathological aspect of the
      morphological spectrum in AK, and SCCs, also elucidating the clinicopathology of
      field canceriziation. 

PMID- 26099353
TI  - Basal cell carcinoma: clinical and pathological features.
AB  - Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a slow-growing, locally invasive malignant
      epidermal skin neoplasm that represents the most common malignancy in Caucasians.
      The clinical presentation of BCC can be extremely variable: nodular, ulcerative,
      superficial, morpheiform, pigmented, and fibroepithelioma of Pinkus are the main
      clinical variants described. Clinical factors influencing negatively prognosis of
      BCC are: anatomic location, recurrence and/or persistance at site after
      treatment, and tumor size. A precise correlations between clinical and
      histopathological variants is not always possible, especially in biopsy samples.
      From a histopathological point of view various subtypes has been described:
      nodular, superficial, infiltrating, morpheiform, micronodular, fibroepithelial
      BCC and basosquamous carcinoma. A classification system based by growth pattern
      allows the identification of high-risk subtypes with potential tumor recurrence
      and aggressive biologic behavior such as infiltrating, morpheiform, micronodular
      and basosquamous subtypes. Further histopathological aspects determining high
      risk clinical morbidity are the level of invasion, perineural and lymphovascular
      invasion, involved surgical margins. The awareness of these clinicopathological
      features is helpful to better select the appropriate treatment management. 

PMID- 26099354
TI  - Reflectance confocal microscopy for mucosal diseases.
AB  - Non-invasive, real-time microscopic imaging using in vivo reflectance confocal
      microscopy (RCM) has been demonstrated to be a useful tool for the evaluation of
      skin diseases and in particular for skin neoplasms. Recently, the RCM devices
      dedicated to the skin have also been applied to perform "virtual biopsies" of the
      oral, genital and ocular mucosa. In fact, mucosa is a sensitive area where non
      invasive imaging techniques are of high interest in order to spare biopsies and
      excisions. Mucosa is particularly suitable for RCM because of its thin or absent
      cornified layer and its thin epithelium that allows a deeper penetration of the
      laser with the consequent possibility of exploring deeper tissue levels. Besides,
      being useful for the diagnosis, RCM may be helpful to identify the area to be
      biopsied in case of large or multifocal lesions and may be regarded as a
      complementary technique for non invasive assessment of treatment efficacy. The
      RCM features of healthy mucosa are described and a revision of the literature of
      the mucosal diseases that can be diagnosed by RCM has been performed. 

PMID- 26099355
TI  - Low glucose-induced ghrelin secretion is mediated by an ATP-sensitive potassium
      channel.
AB  - Ghrelin is synthesized in X/A-like cells of the gastric mucosa, which plays an
      important role in the regulation of energy homeostasis. Although ghrelin
      secretion is known to be induced by neurotransmitters or hormones or by nutrient
      sensing in the ghrelin-secreting cells themselves, the mechanism of ghrelin
      secretion is not clearly understood. In the present study, we found that changing
      the extracellular glucose concentration from elevated (25  mM) to optimal (10 mM)
      caused an increase in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in ghrelin
      secreting mouse ghrelinoma 3-1 (MGN3-1) cells (n=32, P<0.01), whereas changing
      the glucose concentration from elevated to lowered (5 or 1 mM) had little effect
      on [Ca2+]i increase. Overexpression of a closed form of an ATP-sensitive K+
      (KATP) channel mutant suppressed the 10  mM glucose-induced [Ca2+]i increase
      (n=8, P<0.01) and exocytotic events (n=6, P<0.01). We also found that a low
      concentration of a KATP channel opener, diazoxide, with 25  mM glucose induced
      [Ca2+]i increase (n=23, P<0.01) and ghrelin secretion (n>=3, P<0.05). In
      contrast, the application of a low concentration of a KATP channel blocker,
      tolbutamide, significantly induced [Ca2+]i increase (n=15, P<0.01) and ghrelin
      secretion (n>=3, P<0.05) under 5 mM glucose. Furthermore, the application of
      voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel inhibitors suppressed the 10 mM glucose-induced
      [Ca2+]i increase (n>=26, P<0.01) and ghrelin secretion (n>=5, P<0.05). These
      findings suggest that KATP and voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels are involved in
      glucose-dependent ghrelin secretion in MGN3-1 cells.

PMID- 26099350
TI  - Hypoxia, cancer metabolism and the therapeutic benefit of targeting lactate/H(+)
      symporters.
AB  - Since Otto Warburg reported the 'addiction' of cancer cells to fermentative
      glycolysis, a metabolic pathway that provides energy and building blocks,
      thousands of studies have shed new light on the molecular mechanisms contributing
      to altered cancer metabolism. Hypoxia, through hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs),
      in addition to oncogenes activation and loss of tumour suppressors constitute
      major regulators of not only the "Warburg effect" but also many other metabolic
      pathways such as glutaminolysis. Enhanced glucose and glutamine catabolism has
      become a recognised feature of cancer cells, leading to accumulation of
      metabolites in the tumour microenvironment, which offers growth advantages to
      tumours. Among these metabolites, lactic acid, besides imposing an acidic stress,
      is emerging as a key signalling molecule that plays a pivotal role in cancer cell
      migration, angiogenesis, immune escape and metastasis. Although interest in
      lactate for cancer development only appeared recently, pharmacological molecules
      blocking its metabolism are already in phase I/II clinical trials. Here, we
      review the metabolic pathways generating lactate, and we discuss the rationale
      for targeting lactic acid transporter complexes for the development of efficient
      and selective anticancer therapies. 

PMID- 26099356
TI  - Increasing serotonin concentrations alter calcium and energy metabolism in dairy
      cows.
AB  - A 4*4 Latin square design in which varied doses (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg/kg) of 5
      hydroxy-l-tryptophan (5-HTP, a serotonin precursor) were intravenously infused
      into late-lactation, non-pregnant Holstein dairy cows was used to determine the
      effects of serotonin on calcium and energy metabolism. Infusion periods lasted 4
      days, with a 5-day washout between periods. Cows were infused at a constant rate
      for 1 h each day. Blood was collected pre- and 5, 10, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min
      post-infusion, urine was collected pre- and post-infusion, and milk was collected
      daily. All of the 5-HTP doses increased systemic serotonin as compared to the 0
      mg/kg dose, and the 1.0 and 1.5 mg/kg doses increased circulating glucose and non
      esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and decreased beta-hydroxybutyrate (betaHBA)
      concentrations. Treatment of cows with either 1.0 or 1.5 mg/kg 5-HTP doses
      decreased urine calcium elimination, and the 1.5 mg/kg dose increased milk
      calcium concentrations. No differences were detected in the heart rates,
      respiration rates, or body temperatures of the cows; however, manure scores and
      defecation frequency were affected. Indeed, cows that received 5-HTP defecated
      more, and the consistency of their manure was softer. Treatment of late-lactation
      dairy cows with 5-HTP improved energy metabolism, decreased loss of calcium into
      urine, and increased calcium secretion into milk. Further research should target
      the effects of increasing serotonin during the transition period to determine any
      benefits for post-parturient calcium and glucose metabolism.

PMID- 26099357
TI  - Comparative study on the biodegradability of morpholinium herbicidal ionic
      liquids.
AB  - This study focused on evaluating the toxicity as well as primary and ultimate
      biodegradability of morpholinium herbicidal ionic liquids (HILs), which
      incorporated MCPA, MCPP, 2,4-D or Dicamba anions. The studied HILs were also
      subjected to determination of surface active properties in order to assess their
      influence on toxicity and biodegradability. The study was carried out with
      microbiota isolated from different environmental niches: sediments from river
      channel, garden soil, drainage trench collecting agricultural runoff stream,
      agricultural soil and municipal waste repository. The obtained results revealed
      that resistance to toxicity and biodegradation efficiency of the microbiota
      increased in the following order: microbiota from the waste repository >
      microbiota from agricultural soil ~ microbiota from an agricultural runoff stream
      > microbiota from garden soil > microbiota from the river sludge. It was observed
      that the toxicity of HILs increased with the hydrophobicity of the cation,
      however the influence of the anion was more notable. The highest toxicity was
      observed when MCPA was used as the anion (EC50 values ranging from 60 to 190 mg
      L(-1)). The results of ultimate biodegradation tests indicated that only HILs
      with 2,4-D as the anion were mineralized to some extent, with slightly higher
      values for HILs with the 4-decyl-4-ethylmorpholinium cation (10-31 %) compared to
      HILs with the 4,4-didecylmorpholinium cation (9-20 %). Overall, the cations were
      more susceptible (41-94 %) to primary biodegradation compared to anions (0-61 %).
      The obtained results suggested that the surface active properties of the studied
      HILs may influence their toxicity and biodegradability by bacteria in different
      environmental niches. 

PMID- 26099358
TI  - Challenges in implementation of ISTH diagnostic algorithm for diagnosis and
      classification of factor XIII deficiency in Iran.

PMID- 26099359
TI  - P2X7 receptors and Fyn kinase mediate ATP-induced oligodendrocyte progenitor cell
      migration.
AB  - Recruitment of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) to the lesions is the most
      important event for remyelination after central nervous system (CNS) injury or in
      demyelinating diseases. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully
      understood. In the present study, we found high concentrations of ATP could
      increase the number of migrating OPCs in vitro, while after pretreatment with
      oxidized ATP (a P2X7 receptor antagonist), the promotive effect was attenuated.
      The promotive effect of 2'(3')-O-(4-benzoylbenzoyl) adenosine 5'-triphosphate
      (BzATP) (a P2X7 receptor agonist) was more potent than ATP. After incubation with
      BzATP, the activity of Fyn, one member of the Src family of kinases, was
      enhanced. Moreover, the interaction between P2X7 and Fyn was identified by co
      immunoprecipitation. After blocking the activity of Fyn or down-regulating the
      expression of Fyn, the migration of OPCs induced by BzATP was inhibited. These
      data indicate that P2X7 receptors/Fyn may mediate ATP-induced OPC migration under
      pathological conditions. 

PMID- 26099361
TI  - Trade-offs in host choice of an herbivorous insect based on parasitism and larval
      performance.
AB  - Herbivore diet breadth is predicted to evolve in response to both bottom-up and
      top-down selective pressures, including host plant abundance, quality and natural
      enemy pressure. As the relative importance and strength of interactions change
      over an herbivore's geographic range, local patterns of host plant use should
      change in response, altering local diet breadths. Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea)
      is a widespread, polyphagous moth species that feeds on hundreds of plant species
      worldwide. Populations of fall webworm in Colorado remain polyphagous, but their
      diet breadth is restricted compared to other populations and thus present an
      ideal opportunity to test the ecological drivers of host use by a polyphagous
      herbivore. We investigated how host abundance, larval performance, and parasitism
      affect host use for fall webworm to test how these selective pressures may act
      individually or in concert, as well as the role of any trade-offs among fitness
      components, to explain diet breadth and host use. We found that host abundance
      was a significant predictor of host use, which suggests a selective pressure to
      reduce search time for oviposition sites by adult females. We also detected an
      important trade-off between bottom-up and top-down selective pressures: higher
      quality host plants also had a greater proportion of larval mortality due to
      parasitism. Local patterns of host plant abundance appear to narrow the set of
      hosts used by fall webworms in Colorado, while the trade-off between host quality
      and risk of parasitism helps explain the maintenance of a generalized feeding
      strategy within this restricted set of hosts. 

PMID- 26099362
TI  - Direct Observation of Two-Step Photon Absorption in an InAs/GaAs Single Quantum
      Dot for the Operation of Intermediate-Band Solar Cells.
AB  - We present the first direct observation of two-step photon absorption in an
      InAs/GaAs single quantum dot (QD) using photocurrent spectroscopy with two
      lasers. The sharp peaks of the photocurrent are shifted due to the quantum
      confined Stark effect, indicating that the photocurrent from a single QD is
      obtained. In addition, the intensity of the peaks depends on the power of the
      secondary laser. These results reveal the direct demonstration of the two-step
      photon absorption in a single QD. This is an essential result for both the
      fundamental operation and the realization of ultrahigh solar-electricity energy
      conversion in quantum dot intermediate-band solar cells. 

PMID- 26099360
TI  - Post Splenectomy Outcome in beta-Thalassemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate changes in annual blood transfusion requirements and
      complications after splenectomy in patients with beta-thalassemia. METHODS: Forty
      post-splenectomy beta-thalassemic patients aged 8-33 y, receiving regular blood
      transfusions and chelation therapy were included and non transfusion dependant
      patients were excluded from this retrospective cross-sectional study. Details
      about their surgery, transfusion requirements, and platelet levels were recorded
      on a standard proforma. All patients underwent a B-mode and color-coded duplex
      sonography of the hepatoportal system during the study period. RESULTS: The
      average ferritin level in the year prior to the study was 4432 mcg/L (range 480
      12,200 mcg/L). The annual blood transfusion requirement in the first year and 5 y
      post splenectomy [mean +/- SD (138.41 +/- 90.38 ml/kg/y); (116 +/- 41.44
      ml/kg/y)] were significantly different from requirements before splenectomy
      [(mean +/- SD) 294.85 +/- 226 ml/kg/y; p value <0.001]. There was a significant
      rise in platelet counts within 24 h post splenectomy with a mean rise of
      4,51,000/mm(3) (p value < 0.001). During the follow up period, infections were
      noted in 50 % of patients, with malaria (18.75 %) being the most common. Doppler
      study of the portal system in one case showed portal vein thrombosis.
      CONCLUSIONS: A significant sustained fall in annual blood transfusion requirement
      and a rise in platelet counts occurred post-splenectomy. Increase in annual blood
      transfusion requirement should be investigated to find the cause.

PMID- 26099363
TI  - Exploring associations between multipollutant day types and asthma morbidity:
      epidemiologic applications of self-organizing map ambient air quality
      classifications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent interest in the health effects of air pollution focuses on
      identifying combinations of multiple pollutants that may be associated with
      adverse health risks. OBJECTIVE: Present a methodology allowing health
      investigators to explore associations between categories of ambient air quality
      days (i.e., multipollutant day types) and adverse health. METHODS: First, we
      applied a self-organizing map (SOM) to daily air quality data for 10 pollutants
      collected between January 1999 and December 2008 at a central monitoring location
      in Atlanta, Georgia to define a collection of multipollutant day types. Next, we
      conducted an epidemiologic analysis using our categories as a multipollutant
      metric of ambient air quality and daily counts of emergency department (ED)
      visits for asthma or wheeze among children aged 5 to 17 as the health endpoint.
      We estimated rate ratios (RR) for the association of multipollutant day types and
      pediatric asthma ED visits using a Poisson generalized linear model controlling
      for long-term, seasonal, and weekday trends and weather. RESULTS: Using a low
      pollution day type as the reference level, we found significant associations of
      increased asthma morbidity in three of nine categories suggesting adverse effects
      when combinations of primary (CO, NO2, NOX, EC, and OC) and/or secondary (O3,
      NH4, SO4) pollutants exhibited elevated concentrations (typically, occurring on
      dry days with low wind speed). On days with only NO3 elevated (which tended to be
      relatively cool) and on days when only SO2 was elevated (which likely reflected
      plume touchdowns from coal combustion point sources), estimated associations were
      modestly positive but confidence intervals included the null. CONCLUSIONS: We
      found that ED visits for pediatric asthma in Atlanta were more strongly
      associated with certain day types defined by multipollutant characteristics than
      days with low pollution levels; however, findings did not suggest that any
      specific combinations were more harmful than others. Relative to other health
      endpoints, asthma exacerbation may be driven more by total ambient pollutant
      exposure than by composition.

PMID- 26099364
TI  - Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis: is it also an idiopathic entity?
AB  - Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE) is a rare disease that has been recently
      included in the updated consensus on idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. It
      shares some clinical features with other chronic interstitial pneumonias
      (dyspnea, dry cough), and is radiologically characterized by pleural and
      subpleural parenchymal fibrosis and elastosis, mainly in the upper lobes. The
      main histological findings include pleural fibrosis and prominent subpleural and
      parenchymal fibroelastosis. Its characterization is based on the increasing
      number of cases reported in the literature, so several aspects of the etiology,
      pathogenesis and natural history are still unknown. Although some cases have been
      described as idiopathic, PPFE has been reported as a complication after bone
      marrow transplantation, lung transplantation and chemotherapy, especially with
      alkylating agents.Spontaneous or iatrogenic pneumothorax is a frequently reported
      complication of invasive diagnostic tests for identifying PPFE. The disease
      course is variable, ranging from slow progression to rapid clinical
      deterioration. No treatment has shown evidence of efficacy, and lung
      transplantation remains the only option for patients who fulfill the diagnostic
      criteria for this option. Recognizing and disseminating the specific features of
      PPFE is essential to raise the level of clinical suspicion for this entity, and
      to implement appropriate multidisciplinary diagnostic management. 

PMID- 26099365
TI  - Thoracic Surgery Social Media Network: Bringing thoracic surgery scholarship to
      Twitter.

PMID- 26099366
TI  - Esophageal adenocarcinoma: Wanted-new models and better targets.

PMID- 26099367
TI  - Spending 30 minutes to add years to a patient's life: Why is the last step so
      difficult?

PMID- 26099368
TI  - Household Transmission of Zoonotic Influenza Viruses in a Cohort of Egyptian
      Poultry Growers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses and the low
      pathogenic H9N2 viruses are enzootic in Egyptian poultry. Several cases of human
      infection with H5N1 were reported in Egypt. We previously determined that the
      seroprevalence of H5N1 antibodies in Egyptians exposed to poultry is 2.1%
      (15/708), suggesting that mild or subclinical infections with this virus occur.
      We aim to measure the incidence of avian influenza infection in Egyptians exposed
      to poultry, study risk factors of infection, study the resulting immune response,
      study household transmission rates, and characterize the viruses causing
      infections. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to design a 7-year,
      prospective, household-based cohort investigation to determine incidence and
      household transmission of avian influenza viruses in humans exposed to poultry.
      METHODS: At baseline, we will collect sera to measure antibodies against
      influenza A. Field nurses will visit enrolled subjects at least weekly to check
      for influenza-like illness symptoms and verify influenza infection by a point of
      care rapid test. From subjects with influenza infection and their household
      contacts, we will collect nasal swabs, throat swabs, and nasal washes to
      characterize the antigenic and genetic makeup of influenza viruses infecting
      humans. The nurse will also obtain 2x 3-ml blood samples, one for serology, and
      another for isolating peripheral blood mononuclear cells. RESULTS: Results from
      this cohort will enhance our understanding of the transmission of avian influenza
      viruses to humans in a country where such viruses are enzootic. CONCLUSIONS: This
      may enhance public health efforts aimed at reducing this burden.

PMID- 26099370
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099372
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099373
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099369
TI  - Effects of low-fat milk consumption at breakfast on satiety and short-term energy
      intake in 10- to 12-year-old obese boys.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although controversy exists, some researchers have proposed that dairy
      products increase the sense of satiety and decrease energy intake; however, data
      about these effects are lacking in children. Our objective was to assess the
      effect of low-fat milk compared with iso-volumic and iso-volumic/iso-energetic
      controls on satiety and energy intake at lunch in obese boys using a randomized
      three-way crossover controlled clinical trial. METHODS: Thirty-four obese boys
      aged 10-12 years were randomized to consume a fixed content breakfast with low
      fat milk (LFM), apple juice (AJ) or water (W) for two consecutive days.
      Subjective appetite, hunger, fullness, desire to eat and prospective food
      consumption were measured using a visual analogue scale every 1 h after breakfast
      followed by an ad libitum buffet lunch at 5 h. RESULTS: All participants
      completed the study. Energy intake was significantly lower after intake of LFM
      compared with AJ and W (adjusted mean +/- standard error of energy intake: LFM =
      1010 +/- 14 kcal, AJ = 1059 +/- 16 kcal, W = 1236 +/- 20 kcal; P < 0.001). The
      total appetite score and its components were significantly affected by time for
      all intervention beverages (P < 0.05). Obese children reported higher satiety
      score after drinking LFM with breakfast compared with W and AJ (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Low-fat milk consumption might have favorable short-term effects on
      satiety and energy intake in obese boys. Future studies with more participants
      from both genders and longer follow-up periods are merited. CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: The study protocol was registered with the Iranian Registry of
      Clinical Trials (Registration No: IRCT2013022312571N1).

PMID- 26099374
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099375
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099376
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099378
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099379
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099377
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099380
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099382
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099381
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099383
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099384
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099385
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099386
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099387
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099388
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099390
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099389
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099391
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099392
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099393
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099394
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099395
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099396
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099398
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099397
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099399
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099400
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099402
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099401
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099404
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099403
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099405
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099406
TI  - [Panfacial aesthetic minimal-invasive approaches].

PMID- 26099407
TI  - [Complications associated with aesthetic procedures].

PMID- 26099408
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099409
TI  - [Subsequent damage following soccer injuries].

PMID- 26099410
TI  - [Echinococcosis].

PMID- 26099411
TI  - [Endoscopic therapies in inflammatory bowel diseases].

PMID- 26099412
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099413
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099414
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099415
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099416
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099417
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099418
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099419
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099420
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099421
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26099422
TI  - The predictive value of baseline NAA/Cr for treatment response of first-episode
      schizophrenia: A 1H MRS study.
AB  - The study focused on the predictive value of baseline metabolite ratios in
      bilateral hippocampus of first-episode schizophrenia by using proton magnetic
      resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS). (1)H MRS data were acquired from 23
      hallucination and 17 non-hallucination first-episode schizophrenia patients
      compared with 17 healthy participants. Clinical characteristics of patients were
      rated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) before and after 3
      month treatment. The schizophrenia patients showed lower NAA/Cr ratio than
      healthy participants respectively (p=0.024; p=0.001), and non-hallucination
      patients had even lower NAA/Cr ratio than hallucination patients (p=0.033). After
      3-month treatment, hallucination patients had greater improvement in negative
      symptoms than non-hallucination patients (p=0.018). The reduction of PANSS total
      score and negative factor score was positively correlated with the left NAA/Cr in
      both group patients (p<0.05). Given that the bilateral hippocampal baseline
      NAA/Cr had predictive value for the whole treatment response, and the left
      hippocampal NAA/Cr can predict the prognosis of negative symptoms during acute
      phase medication in first-episode schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26099423
TI  - Interventions for rosacea: abridged updated Cochrane systematic review including
      GRADE assessments.
AB  - Rosacea is a common chronic facial dermatosis. This update of our Cochrane review
      on interventions for rosacea summarizes the evidence, including Grading of
      Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group
      assessments, of the effects of the currently available treatments. Searches
      included the following: Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL in The
      Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS and the Science Citation Index, and
      ongoing trials registries (July 2014). We included 106 randomized controlled
      trials (RCTs) with 13 631 participants, a more than 80% increase since the last
      update in 2011. Pooling of data was feasible for a few outcomes, for topical
      metronidazole and azelaic acid and both appeared to be more effective than
      placebo (moderate and high-quality evidence, respectively). Topical ivermectin
      was more effective than placebo based on two studies (high-quality evidence), and
      slightly more effective than metronidazole in one study. Brimonidine was more
      effective than vehicle in reducing erythema in rosacea (high-quality evidence).
      Ciclosporin ophthalmic emulsion was effective for ocular rosacea (low-quality
      evidence). For oral treatments there was moderate-quality evidence for the
      effectiveness of tetracycline based on two old studies, and high-quality evidence
      for doxycycline 40 mg compared with placebo according to physician assessments.
      One study at high risk of bias demonstrated equivalent effectiveness for
      azithromycin and doxycycline 100 mg. Minocycline 45 mg may be effective for
      papulopustular rosacea (low-quality evidence). Low-dose isotretinoin appeared to
      be slightly more effective than doxycycline 50-100 mg (high-quality evidence).
      Laser and light-based therapies for erythema in rosacea were effective (low
      quality evidence). Further RCTs are required for ocular rosacea. 

PMID- 26099424
TI  - Clinical Role of Human Leukocyte Antigen in Health and Disease.
AB  - Most of the genes in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region express
      high polymorphism that is fundamental for their function. The most important
      function of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecule is in the induction,
      regulation of immune responses and the selection of the T cell repertoire. A
      clinician's attention is normally drawn to a system only when it malfunctions.
      The HLA system is no exception in this regard, but in contrast to other systems,
      it also arouses interest when it functions well - too well, in fact. Population
      studies carried out over the last several decades have identified a long list of
      human diseases that are significantly more common among individuals that carry
      particular HLA alleles including inflammatory, autoimmune and malignant
      disorders. HLA-disease association is the name of this phenomenon, and the
      mechanism underlying is still a subject of hot debate. Social behaviours are
      affected by HLA genes and preference for HLA disparate mates may provide 'good
      genes' for an individual's offspring. Also, certain HLA genes may be associated
      with shorter life and others with longer lifespan, but the effects depend both on
      the genetic background and on the environmental conditions. The following is a
      general overview of the important functional aspects of HLA in health and
      diseases. 

PMID- 26099425
TI  - Comprehensive genome-wide transcription factor analysis reveals that a
      combination of high affinity and low affinity DNA binding is needed for human
      gene regulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High-throughput in vivo protein-DNA interaction experiments are
      currently widely used in gene regulation studies. Hitherto, comprehensive data
      analysis remains a challenge and for that reason most computational methods only
      consider the top few hundred or thousand strongest protein binding sites whereas
      weak protein binding sites are completely ignored. RESULTS: A new biophysical
      model of protein-DNA interactions, BayesPI2+, was developed to address the above
      mentioned challenges. BayesPI2+ can be run in either a serial computation model
      or a parallel ensemble learning framework. BayesPI2+ allowed us to analyze all
      binding sites of the transcription factors, including weak binding that cannot be
      analyzed by other models. It is evaluated in both synthetic and real in vivo
      protein-DNA binding experiments. Analysing ESR1 and SPIB in breast carcinoma and
      activated B cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell lines, respectively,
      revealed that the concerted binding to high and low affinity sites correlates
      best with gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: BayesPI2+ allows us to analyze
      transcription factor binding on a larger scale than hitherto achieved. By this
      analysis, we were able to demonstrate that genes are regulated by concerted
      binding to high and low affinity binding sites. The program and output results
      are publicly available at: http://folk.uio.no/junbaiw/BayesPI2Plus.

PMID- 26099426
TI  - [Case report of cholesterolosis bulbi in a Coats disease].

PMID- 26099427
TI  - [Ocular hypertension after intravitreal steroid injections: Clinical update as of
      2015].
AB  - Intravitreal injections are a therapeutic delivery method best suited to the
      treatment of retinal diseases. Recent years have been marked by the use of anti
      VEGF agents as well as the arrival of sustained-release corticosteroid implants
      in France, replacing triamcinolone acetonide. A common complication of IVT
      steroids is secondary ocular hypertension (OHT) resulting from increased outflow
      resistance. This article summarizes current understanding. OHT induced by topical
      steroids has been described for 60 years. Intravitreal use also shows a temporary
      effect if the exposure is short, dose dependence, and varying incidence depending
      on the drug used. Sustained release formulations and discontinuing treatment have
      reduced the risk of induced OHT. Risk factors that induce OHT must be clearly
      identified prior to an injection. Most cases of OHT can be controlled medically,
      although differences exist between different drugs. In cases where it cannot be
      controlled, removal of the implant, selective laser trabeculoplasty, and
      filtration surgery can be discussed.

PMID- 26099428
TI  - Approaches to capturing the financial cost of family care-giving within a
      palliative care context: a systematic review.
AB  - The economic burden faced by family caregivers of people at the end of life is
      well recognised. Financial burden has a significant impact on the provision of
      family care-giving in the community setting, but has seen limited research
      attention. A systematic review with realist review synthesis and thematic
      analysis was undertaken to identify literature relating to the financial costs
      and impact of family care-giving at the end of life. This paper reports findings
      relating to previously developed approaches which capture the financial costs and
      implications of caring for family members receiving palliative/end-of-life care.
      Seven electronic databases were searched from inception to April 2012, for
      original research studies relating to the financial impact of care-giving at the
      end of life. Studies were independently screened to identify those which met the
      study inclusion criteria, and the methodological quality of included studies was
      appraised using realist review criteria of relevance and rigour. A descriptive
      thematic approach was used to synthesise data. Twelve articles met the inclusion
      criteria for the review. Various approaches to capturing data on the financial
      costs of care-giving at the end of life were noted; however, no single tool was
      identified with the sole purpose of exploring these costs. The majority of
      approaches used structured questionnaires and were administered by personal
      interview, with most studies using longitudinal designs. Calculation of costs was
      most often based on recall by patients and family caregivers, in some studies
      combined with objective measures of resource use. While the studies in this
      review provide useful data on approaches to capturing costs of care-giving, more
      work is needed to develop methods which accurately and sensitively capture the
      financial costs of caring at the end of life. Methodological considerations
      include study design and method of administration, contextual and cultural
      relevance, and accuracy of cost estimates.

PMID- 26099429
TI  - Inspiring medical students to love pathology--reply.

PMID- 26099430
TI  - Pure versus combined Merkel cell carcinomas: immunohistochemical evaluation of
      cellular proteins (p53, Bcl-2, and c-kit) reveals significant overexpression of
      p53 in combined tumors.
AB  - Merkel cell polyomavirus is of oncogenic significance in approximately 80% of
      Merkel cell carcinomas. Morphological subcategories of the tumor differ in regard
      to viral status, the rare combined type being uniformly virus negative and the
      predominant pure type being mainly virus positive. Indications that different
      biological subsets of the tumor exist led us to explore this diversity. In an
      Eastern Canadian cohort of cases (75 patients; mean age, 76 years [range, 43-91];
      male/female ratio, 43:32; 51 [68%] pure and 24 [34%] combined tumors), we
      semiquantitatively compared the immunohistochemical expression of 3 cellular
      proteins (p53, Bcl-2, and c-kit) in pure versus combined groups. Viral status was
      known in a subset of cases. The significant overexpression of p53 in the combined
      group (mean [SD], 153.8 [117.8] versus 121.6 [77.9]; P = .01) and the increased
      epidermal expression of this protein (p53 patches) in the same group lend
      credence to a primary etiologic role for sun damage in these cases. Expression of
      Bcl-2 and c-kit did not differ significantly between the 2 morphological groups.
      A relative increase in c-kit expression was significantly associated with a virus
      negative status (median [interquartile range], 100 [60-115] versus 70 [0-100]; P
      = .03). Emerging data reveal divergent biological pathways in Merkel cell
      carcinoma, each with a characteristic immunohistochemical profile. Virus-positive
      tumors (all pure) exhibit high retinoblastoma protein and low p53 expression,
      whereas virus-negative cases (few pure and all combined) show high p53 and
      relatively high c-kit expression. The potential biological implications of this
      dichotomy call for consistent stratification of these tumors in future studies. 

PMID- 26099431
TI  - Focus on the legislative approach to short half life radioactive hospital waste
      releasing.
AB  - PURPOSE: We propose to summarize the advancements introduced by the new Directive
      2013/59/Euratom concerning the concept of clearance, for which the radioactive
      medical waste represents a typical candidate. We also intend to spotlight
      disputable points in the regulatory scheme in force in Italy, as well to make a
      contribution to evaluate whether the practice of patients' urine storing, stated
      by it, can be regarded to be proper. METHODS: With directing our interest to
      radionuclides used in Nuclear Medicine, we first present an overview of how the
      clearance concept, and that of exemption closely related to it, have been
      developed from the previous Directive 96/29 to the new one; then we describe the
      implementation of these concepts in the Italian legislation. Subsequently we
      estimate the exposure due both to keeping the effluent on site and to direct
      discharging it to the environment. RESULTS: In line with a well established
      international consensus, the Directive 2013/59 drives simple and harmonized
      regulation of clearance. On the contrary, some complexity and lack of consistency
      can be found in the framework of the national legislation affecting the
      radioactive medical waste handling. In addition the practice of excreta storing
      is disputed not to be really beneficial. CONCLUSION: The opportunity should be
      taken to make the whole system of these requirements simpler and more consistent
      and effective when it is revised to transpose the new Directive.

PMID- 26099432
TI  - Evaluation of the Distance Between Anterior Commissure of True Vocal Folds and
      the First Tracheal Ring and Related Laryngeal Indices in 40 Human Cadavers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Distorted anatomy in laryngotracheal pathologies expresses the need to
      determine a quantitative mean of the distance between the anterior commissure of
      true vocal folds and the first tracheal ring to better define whether a lesion is
      in the subglottis or has extended toward the trachea. STUDY DESIGN: This is a
      descriptive cross-sectional study. METHODS: In 40 cadavers, the larynx was
      exposed with an apron cut. The laryngofissure cut opened the larynx via the
      lateral aspect so that the anterior commissure was exposed. A needle was passed
      through the thyroid cartilage to reach the anterior commissure. The second needle
      was crossed over the first tracheal ring. The distance between the two needles
      was measured. RESULTS: The mean distance between the anterior commissure of true
      vocal folds and the first tracheal ring was 26.82 +/- 4.28 mm (21.3-42.5 mm) in
      our subjects. This distance was 27.27 +/- 4.45 and 25.05 +/- 3.2 mm, in men and
      women, respectively. There was no statistically significant correlation between
      this distance with body mass index (BMI), age, and sex. CONCLUSIONS: The distance
      between the anterior commissure and the first tracheal ring in patients with
      laryngotracheal pathologies helps in determining the best therapeutic plan for
      patients.

PMID- 26099433
TI  - TDP-35 sequesters TDP-43 into cytoplasmic inclusions through binding with RNA.
AB  - TDP-43 (TAR DNA binding protein of 43 kDa) and its C-terminal fragments are
      thought to be linked to the pathologies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and
      frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Here, we demonstrate that the aggregates or
      inclusions formed by its 35-kDa fragment (namely TDP-35) sequester full-length
      TDP-43 into cytoplasmic inclusions; and this sequestration is mediated by binding
      with RNA that is enriched in the cytoplasmic inclusions. RNA recognition motif 1
      (RRM1) of TDP-43/TDP-35 plays a dominant role in nucleic-acid binding; mutation
      in this moiety abrogates formation of the TDP-35 inclusions and its RNA-assisted
      association with TDP-43. Thus, TDP-35 is able to sequester TDP-43 from nuclear
      localization into cytoplasmic inclusions, and RNA binding plays an essential role
      in this process.

PMID- 26099434
TI  - Reply: To PMID 24642110.

PMID- 26099435
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25158922.

PMID- 26099436
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25083561.

PMID- 26099437
TI  - Bioelectrochemically-assisted reductive dechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane by a
      Dehalococcoides-enriched microbial culture.
AB  - The aim of this study was to verify the possibility to use a polarized graphite
      electrode as an electron donor for the reductive dechlorination of 1,2
      dichloroethane, an ubiquitous groundwater contaminant. The rate of 1,2-DCA
      dechlorination almost linearly increased by decreasing the set cathode potential
      over a broad range of set cathode potentials (i.e., from -300 mV to -900 mV vs.
      the standard hydrogen electrode). This process was primarily dependent on
      electrolytic H2 generation. On the other hand, reductive dechlorination proceeded
      (although quite slowly) with a very high Coulombic efficiency (near 70%) at a set
      cathode potential of -300 mV, where no H2 production occurred. Under this
      condition, reductive dechlorination was likely driven by direct electron uptake
      from the surface of the polarized electrode. Taken as a whole, this study further
      extends the range of chlorinated contaminants which can be treated with
      bioelectrochemical systems.

PMID- 26099438
TI  - Fully reversible current driven by a dual marine photosynthetic microbial
      community.
AB  - The electrochemical activity of two seawater microbial consortia were
      investigated in three-electrode bioelectrochemical cells. Two seawater inocula -
      from the Sunshine Coast (SC) and Gold Coast (GC) shores of Australia - were
      enriched at +0.6 V vs. SHE using 12/12 h day/night cycles. After re-inoculation,
      the SC consortium developed a fully-reversible cathodic/anodic current, with a
      max. of -62 mA m(-2) during the day and +110 mA m(-2) at night, while the GC
      exhibited negligible daytime output but +98 mA m(-2) at night. Community analysis
      revealed that both enrichments were dominated by cyanobacteria, indicating their
      potential as biocatalysts for indirect light conversion to electricity. Moreover,
      the presence of gamma-proteobacterium Congregibacter in SC biofilm was likely
      related to the cathodic reductive current, indicating its effectiveness at
      catalysing cathodic oxygen reduction at a surprisingly high potential. For the
      first time a correlation between a dual microbial community and fully reversible
      current is reported.

PMID- 26099439
TI  - The question of sperm DNA fragmentation testing in the male infertility work-up:
      a response to Professor Lewis' commentary.
AB  - A response to the Commentary 'Should sperm DNA fragmentation testing be included
      in the male infertility work-up?' by Professor Sheena Lewis. 

PMID- 26099440
TI  - Oocyte cryopreservation for social reasons: demographic profile and disposal
      intentions of UK users.
AB  - A small number of studies from the USA and Europe have provided some data on the
      profile and characteristics of women who have undergone oocyte cryopreservation
      for what has been termed elective, social or non-medical reasons; however, little
      is known in a UK context about which women are undergoing oocyte cryopreservation
      or their reproductive intentions and actions after the procedure. Drawing on data
      from an exploratory study of 23 UK resident women who had undergone social oocyte
      cryopreservation, the demographic profile of these women, their reproductive
      intentions and actions are discussed, as well as their attitudes and intentions
      towards their cryopreserved oocytes should they never require them in treatment.
      The study found that, at the time of oocyte cryopreservation, women were on
      average 36.7 years of age, were university educated, with 65% of the sample
      holding further postgraduate or professional qualifications. Fifty-seven per cent
      of the participants were in professional employment. All participants identified
      as heterosexual and 87% were not in a relationship at the time of cryopreserving
      their oocytes. Most (88%) participants stated that they would donate unwanted
      oocytes to research or to other women for use in fertility treatment should they
      never require them. 

PMID- 26099441
TI  - Forever young? The ethical challenges of using ovarian tissue transplants to
      treat menopause.
AB  - Life expectancy statistics predict that in a couple of decades women will enjoy a
      mean life of 90 years. Assuming a median age for the onset of menopause of 51,
      women will spend about 40 years in menopause. Harvesting and freezing ovarian
      cortical tissue at a younger age to permit future transplantation for postponing
      menopause and its sequelae could become a possible option. However, both medical
      and ethical issues need to be addressed before this can be offered as a treatment
      for menopause. 

PMID- 26099442
TI  - Novel use of the ovarian follicular pool to postpone menopause and delay
      osteoporosis.
AB  - Life expectancy has increased by more than 30 years during the last century and
      continues to increase. Many women already live decades in menopause deprived of
      naturally produced oestradiol and progesterone, leading to an increasing
      incidence of menopause-related disorders such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular
      diseases and lack of general well-being. Exogenous oestradiol has traditionally
      been used to alleviate menopause-related effects. This commentary discusses a
      radical new method to postpone menopause. Part of the enormous surplus of ovarian
      follicles can now be cryostored in youth for use after menopause. Excision of
      ovarian tissue will advance menopause marginally and will not reduce natural
      fertility. Grafted tissue restores ovarian function with circulating
      concentrations of sex steroids for years in post-menopausal cancer survivors.
      Future developments may further utilize the enormous store of ovarian follicles.
      Currently, the main goal of ovarian cryopreservation is fertility preservation,
      but grafting of ovarian tissue may also serve endocrine functions as a
      physiological solution to prevent the massive medical legacy of osteoporosis and
      menopause-related conditions in the ageing population. This intriguing solution
      is now technically available; the question is whether this method qualifies for
      postponing menopause, perhaps initially for those patients who already have
      cryostored tissue? 

PMID- 26099443
TI  - Early pregnancy care over time: should we promote an early pregnancy assessment
      unit?
AB  - In this observational study, the effect of the introduction of the first Early
      Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU) in a university hospital in The Netherlands in
      2008 on early pregnancy care is analysed. Derivatives of quality of care were
      measured before and after the establishment of the EPAU, with the aim of reducing
      unnecessary care. Care within three time periods was measured: 2006, 2009 and
      2012. In 2006, 14% of women who had experienced a miscarriage were admitted to
      the hospital, whereas in 2009 and 2012 no women were admitted. The surgical
      management rate for miscarriage decreased from 79% (2006) to 6% (2009) and 28%
      (2012). Karyotyping of couples who had experienced recurrent miscarriage
      decreased from 100% (2006) to 17% (2009) and 33% (2012). The surgical management
      rate for ectopic pregnancy decreased from 50% (2006) to 25% (2009) and 29%
      (2012). The mean total cost per woman treated in 2006 was ?1111 (95% CI ?808 to
      1426), ?436 (95% CI ?307 to 590) in 2009 and ?633 (95% CI ?586 to 788) in 2012.
      We can therefore conclude that an EPAU results in higher quality and cost
      effective care, and has a positive effect on early pregnancy care. 

PMID- 26099444
TI  - Association between p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and recurrent pregnancy loss: an
      updated systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - The p53 tumour suppressor gene plays an important role in angiogenesis and
      apoptosis. The association between Arg72Pro polymorphism and recurrent pregnancy
      loss (RPL) has been studied but with inconsistent results. A meta-analysis was
      conducted to examine whether p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism is a risk factor for RPL.
      Electronic searches of PubMed, Embase and Web of Knowledge were conducted to
      identify relevant studies. The final meta-analysis included six published
      articles with 730 RPL cases and 613 controls. The pooled results suggested that
      the variant genotype was associated with the RPL risk in additive model (Pro
      versus Arg; odds ratio [OR] = 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06 to 1.54)
      and recessive model (Pro/Pro versus Arg/Pro + Arg/Arg; OR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.21 to
      2.73). In the stratified analysis by ethnicity, for white people the results were
      consistent. The Egger's regression asymmetry test suggested a lack of publication
      bias. Results of this meta-analysis suggest that p53 codon 72 polymorphism is
      associated with RPL, especially in white people. Identification of p53 codon 72
      mutation would have some implication for primary prevention of RPL and screening
      of high-risk individuals. Large well-designed studies are needed to fully
      describe the association between this polymorphism and RPL.

PMID- 26099445
TI  - Genetic variants associated with female reproductive ageing--potential markers
      for assessing ovarian function and ovarian stimulation outcome.
AB  - This study searched for genetic markers of ovarian function, ovarian stimulation
      and IVF treatment outcome among genetic variants related to female reproductive
      ageing. It included 471 treatment cycles from 306 women undergoing IVF treatment.
      Genotypes for 36 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were evaluated for their
      association with early follicular phase parameters together with ovarian
      stimulation and IVF outcome parameters. Results show that genetic variation
      related to menopause timing also affects ovarian function, as several selected
      genetic markers were associated with studied traits. For example, rs2153157
      (SYCP2L) was associated with amount of recombinant FSH (rFSH) necessary for
      obtaining one oocyte (P = 0.049) and the chances of biochemical and clinical
      pregnancy (P = 0.024 and P = 0.011, respectively), while rs4886238 (TDRD3) showed
      association with both the number of punctured ovarian follicles and oocytes
      obtained (P = 0.008 and P = 0.037, respectively). Furthermore, FSHB polymorphisms
      influence early follicular phase FSH concentrations and IVF treatment outcome,
      whereas SNPs in FSHR affect early antral follicle count and follicle numbers
      obtained during ovarian stimulation. This study suggests that genetic markers of
      female reproductive ageing are potential new biomarker candidates that could be
      considered in clinical ovarian reserve and function assessment in assisted
      conception. 

PMID- 26099446
TI  - Recipients' views on payment of sperm donors.
AB  - The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how recipients viewed payment of
      sperm donors. The study was conducted in Belgium, where, as in many countries,
      sperm donors receive recompense for their time and expenses. Face-to-face semi
      structured interviews were conducted with 34 heterosexual and lesbian couples
      who, at the time of data collection, had at least one donor-conceived child aged
      7-10 years or who were undergoing donor conception treatment. Although
      participants commonly described the issue of financial compensation as something
      that did not really concern them, all supported the idea that some level of
      payment was acceptable or even necessary. The participants also identified
      several ways in which donor payment offered advantages to their own position as
      (future) parents. Although the idea is commonly rehearsed that sperm donation is
      a gift and that monetary transaction for conception is demeaning, the
      participants of this study did not generally share this view. To them, a small
      financial return served as a symbolic acknowledgement of the donor's contribution
      and helped secure the type of relationship they expected from their donor. There
      was clearly concern, however, over high payments and the risk of attracting the
      wrong kind of donor. 

PMID- 26099447
TI  - Mid-luteal serum progesterone concentrations govern implantation rates for
      cryopreserved embryo transfers conducted under hormone replacement.
AB  - This study explores the relevance of mid-luteal serum hormonal concentrations in
      cryopreserved embryo transfer cycles conducted under hormone replacement therapy
      (HRT) control and which involved single-embryo transfer (SET) of 529 vitrified
      blastocysts. Widely ranging mid-luteal oestradiol and progesterone concentrations
      ensued from the unique HRT regimen. Oestradiol had no influence on clinical
      pregnancy or live birth rates, but an optimal progesterone range between 70 and
      99 nmol/l (P < 0.005) was identified in this study. Concentrations of
      progesterone below 50 nmol/l and above 99 nmol/l were associated with decreased
      implantation rates. There was no clear interaction between oestradiol and
      progesterone concentrations but embryo quality grading did show a significant
      influence on outcomes (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002 for clinical pregnancy and live
      birth rates, respectively). Multiple comparison analysis showed that the
      progesterone effect was influential regardless of embryo grading, body mass index
      or the woman's age, either at vitrification or at cryopreserved embryo transfer.
      The results support the argument that careful monitoring of serum progesterone
      concentrations in HRT-cryopreserved embryo transfer is warranted and that further
      studies should explore pessary adjustments to optimize concentrations for
      individual women to enhance implantation rates. 

PMID- 26099448
TI  - Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Interrupted Aortic Arch Type A by Two-Dimensional
      Echocardiography and Four-Dimensional Echocardiography with B-Flow Imaging and
      Spatiotemporal Image Correlation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fetal interrupted aortic arch (IAA) is a rare cardiac anomaly and its
      prenatal diagnosis is challenging. The purpose of our report is to evaluate the
      use of two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) and 4D echocardiography with B-flow
      imaging and spatiotemporal image correlation (4D BF-STIC) in detecting IAA type A
      (IAA-A). MATERIALS & METHODS: Twenty-three cases of confirmed IAA-A identified by
      fetal echocardiography were involved in the study. The fetal echocardiography
      image data were reviewed to analyze the ratio of right ventricle to left
      ventricle (RV/LV) diameter, the ratio of main pulmonary artery to ascending aorta
      (MPA/AAO) diameter, and the correlation of RV/LV diameter ratio and size of
      ventricular septal defect (VSD). 4D BF-STIC was performed in 21 fetuses using the
      sagittal view (4D BF-STIC-sagittal) and the four-chamber view (4D BF-STIC-4CV) as
      initial planes of view. An additional 183 normal fetuses were also included in
      our study. RV/LV and MPA/AAO ratios were calculated and compared with that of IAA
      A fetuses. Fetal 2DE, 4D BF-STIC-sagittal, and 4D BF-STIC-4CV were used to
      visualize the aortic arch and its associated neck vessels. Six subgroups were
      evaluated according to gestational age. RESULTS: Fetal 2DE, 4D BF-STIC-sagittal,
      and 4D BF-STIC-4CV made the correct prenatal diagnosis of IAA-A in 19/23 (82.6%),
      14/21 (66.7%), and 19/21 (90.5%) of patients, respectively. A significantly
      enlarged MPA combined with symmetric ventricles was found in the IAA-A fetuses,
      while the size of the VSD was negatively correlated with RV/LV ratio. 4D BF-STIC
      sagittal and 4D BF-STIC-4CV were better than traditional 2D ultrasound in
      detecting the aortic arch and neck vessels between 17 and 28 gestational weeks
      and 29 to 40 gestational weeks in normal fetuses. CONCLUSION: It is demonstrated
      that IAA-A could be diagnosed by traditional fetal echocardiography, while 4D
      technique could better display the anatomic structure and the spatial
      relationships of the great arteries. Use of volume reconstruction may promote its
      clinical usage and help prenatal diagnosis.

PMID- 26099449
TI  - Pharmacokinetics and preliminary safety of high dose linezolid for the treatment
      of Gram-positive bacterial infections.

PMID- 26099450
TI  - Negative wound therapy to manage large-for-size liver graft mismatch.
AB  - Liver volume matching in liver transplantation (LT) is of paramount importance.
      There is no agreement for its definition, ranging from a graft-to-recipient
      weight-ratio greater than 4% in paediatric to less than 2.5% in adult LT.
      Advances have been obtained to avoid small for size grafts, but management of
      large grafts remains a major challenge in this setting. Consequences include
      difficult anastomosis, poor vascular alignment, difficult wound closure, graft
      compression and necrosis. We report on two patients who underwent LT with large
      grafts and develop major liver graft injury. Technical solutions used in these
      two cases are presented and discussed. Negative wound therapy allowed a rapid
      closure of abdominal wall and salvage of the graft. 

PMID- 26099451
TI  - Photocatalytic Properties of Layered Metal Oxides Substituted with Silver by a
      Molten AgNO3 Treatment.
AB  - K4Nb6O17 (BG: 3.67 eV) and Na2W4O13 (BG: 3.12 eV) layered oxide photocatalysts
      with wide band gaps were treated with a molten AgNO3 to substitute K+ and Na+
      with Ag+, resulting in red-shifts of absorption edges in diffuse reflectance
      spectra. A part of Na+ ions in the interlayer of Na2W4O13 was substituted with
      Ag+ ions by the molten AgNO3 treatment with keeping the layered structure. Both
      Ag(I)-substituted K4Nb6O17 and Na2W4O13 showed photocatalytic activities for O2
      evolution from aqueous solutions containing a sacrificial reagent utilizing the
      absorption bands newly formed by the Ag(I)-substitution. Notably, the Ag(I)
      substituted Na2W4O13 produced O2 under visible light irradiation. When ball
      milled Na2W4O13 was treated with a molten AgNO3, the Ag(I)-substitution rate
      increased. The Ag(I)-substituted Na2W4O13 with ball-milling showed higher
      photocatalytic activity for O2 evolution than that without ball-milling. Z
      schematic water splitting proceeded under visible light irradiation by combining
      the Ag(I)-substituted Na2W4O13 of an O2-evolving photocatalyst with Ru-loaded
      SrTiO3 doped with Rh of a H2-evolving photocatalyst.

PMID- 26099453
TI  - Primary tuberculosis infection in patients treated with tumor necrosis factor
      alpha antagonists and a negative initial screening.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite screening for latent tuberculosis (TB), new cases of TB
      infection are detected in patients treated with anti-TNF-alpha and negative
      initial screening, some of them after long treatment, which points more to a new
      infection. OBJECTIVES: To describe the cases that have presumably developed a
      primary tuberculous infection during treatment with anti-TNF-alpha drugs.
      METHODS: Retrospective audit (1999-2012). Inclusion criteria were: a) anti-TNF
      alpha treatment; b) initial latent TB screening negative; c) TB diagnosed during
      anti-TNF-alpha treatment; d) suspected primary TB infection (diagnosis after at
      least 12 months on anti-TNF-alpha). Clinical, epidemiological, therapeutic and
      outcome variables were reviewed. RESULTS: Two cases of primary TB infection were
      found out of of 771 anti-TNF-alpha treated patients (0.2%). One woman aged 41
      suffered TB pneumonia after 35 months of treatment with adalimumab, and a male
      aged 37 who developed disseminated TB after 107 months of treatment with
      infliximab. CONCLUSIONS: Although uncommon, during TNF antagonist therapy, TB
      risk persists despite negative initial screening, so clinicians should be aware
      of TB during the entire treatment.

PMID- 26099452
TI  - Network-based survival-associated module biomarker and its crosstalk with cell
      death genes in ovarian cancer.
AB  - Ovarian cancer remains a dismal disease with diagnosing in the late, metastatic
      stages, therefore, there is a growing realization of the critical need to develop
      effective biomarkers for understanding underlying mechanisms. Although existing
      evidences demonstrate the important role of the single genetic abnormality in
      pathogenesis, the perturbations of interactors in the complex network are often
      ignored. Moreover, ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment still exist a large gap
      that need to be bridged. In this work, we adopted a network-based survival
      associated approach to capture a 12-gene network module based on differential co
      expression PPI network in the advanced-stage, high-grade ovarian serous
      cystadenocarcinoma. Then, regulatory genes (protein-coding genes and non-coding
      genes) direct interacting with the module were found to be significantly
      overlapped with cell death genes. More importantly, these overlapping genes
      tightly clustered together pointing to the module, deciphering the crosstalk
      between network-based survival-associated module and cell death in ovarian
      cancer. 

PMID- 26099454
TI  - Metallosis as a cause of pain and inflammation in a patient with a knee
      replacement: A case description.

PMID- 26099455
TI  - Cyclosporin A-sensitive cytotoxicity of flurbiprofen non-stereoselectively
      mediated by cytochrome P450 metabolism in three-dimensional cultured rat
      hepatocytes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: 2-Arylpropionic acid (profen) drugs are associated with severe
      hepatotoxicity; however, risk factors are still poorly understood. Acyl-coenzyme
      A (acyl-CoA) thioesters of profen drugs play a more important role in the
      covalent binding to rat hepatocyte proteins than the respective acyl
      glucuronides. Therefore, we examined whether acyl-glucuronides, acyl-CoA
      thioesters and oxidative metabolites of profen drugs stereoselectively
      participated in liver damage. METHODS: Cytotoxicity was determined by measuring
      lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage from three-dimensional cultured rat
      hepatocytes. KEY FINDINGS: LDH leakage was not induced by R-2-phenylpropionic
      acid and R-ibuprofen greatly forming acyl-CoA thioesters. S-Naproxen metabolized
      mainly by Uridine 5'-diphosphate (UDP)-glucuronosyl-transferase did not enhance
      LDH leakage. However, flurbiprofen (FLP) induced LDH leakage. A selective
      cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C11 inhibitor suppressed 40-50% of the R-FLP and S-FLP
      induced cytotoxicity. Borneol non-stereoselectively accelerated the FLP-induced
      cytotoxicity. The R-FLP-induced cytotoxicity decreased intracellular adenosine
      triphosphate (ATP) levels to 50% of untreated hepatocytes. An inhibitor of
      mitochondrial permeability transition pore, cyclosporin A (Cys A), rescued ATP
      levels and LDH leakage back to control levels. CONCLUSION: The reactive acyl-CoA
      thioesters and acyl-glucuronides were not associated with liver damage, denying
      one of the leading hypotheses. CYP metabolism of FLP non-stereoselectively
      participated in Cys A-sensitive cytotoxicity, suggesting mitochondrial injury.

PMID- 26099456
TI  - The different radiation response and radiation-induced bystander effects in
      colorectal carcinoma cells differing in p53 status.
AB  - Radiation-induced bystander effect, appearing as different biological changes in
      cells that are not directly exposed to ionizing radiation but are under the
      influence of molecular signals secreted by irradiated neighbors, have recently
      attracted considerable interest due to their possible implication for
      radiotherapy. However, various cells present diverse radiosensitivity and
      bystander responses that depend, inter alia, on genetic status including TP53,
      the gene controlling the cell cycle, DNA repair and apoptosis. Here we compared
      the ionizing radiation and bystander responses of human colorectal carcinoma
      HCT116 cells with wild type or knockout TP53 using a transwell co-culture system.
      The viability of exposed to X-rays (0-8 Gy) and bystander cells of both lines
      showed a roughly comparable decline with increasing dose. The frequency of
      micronuclei was also comparable at lower doses but at higher increased
      considerably, especially in bystander TP53-/- cells. Moreover, the TP53-/- cells
      showed a significantly elevated frequency of apoptosis, while TP53+/+
      counterparts expressed high level of senescence. The cross-matched experiments
      where irradiated cells of one line were co-cultured with non-irradiated cells of
      opposite line show that both cell lines were also able to induce bystander
      effects in their counterparts, however different endpoints revealed with
      different strength. Potential mediators of bystander effects, IL-6 and IL-8, were
      also generated differently in both lines. The knockout cells secreted IL-6 at
      lower doses whereas wild type cells only at higher doses. Secretion of IL-8 by
      TP53-/- control cells was many times lower than that by TP53+/+ but increased
      significantly after irradiation. Transcription of the NFkappaBIA was induced in
      irradiated TP53+/+ mainly, but in bystanders a higher level was observed in TP53
      /- cells, suggesting that TP53 is required for induction of NFkappaB pathway
      after irradiation but another mechanism of activation must operate in bystander
      cells.

PMID- 26099457
TI  - White matter atlas of the human spinal cord with estimation of partial volume
      effect.
AB  - Template-based analysis has proven to be an efficient, objective and reproducible
      way of extracting relevant information from multi-parametric MRI data. Using
      common atlases, it is possible to quantify MRI metrics within specific regions
      without the need for manual segmentation. This method is therefore free from user
      bias and amenable to group studies. While template-based analysis is common
      procedure for the brain, there is currently no atlas of the white matter (WM)
      spinal pathways. The goals of this study were: (i) to create an atlas of the
      white matter tracts compatible with the MNI-Poly-AMU template and (ii) to propose
      methods to quantify metrics within the atlas that account for partial volume
      effect. The WM atlas was generated by: (i) digitalizing an existing WM atlas from
      a well-known source (Gray's Anatomy), (ii) registering this atlas to the MNI-Poly
      AMU template at the corresponding slice (C4 vertebral level), (iii) propagating
      the atlas throughout all slices of the template (C1 to T6) using regularized
      diffeomorphic transformations and (iv) computing partial volume values for each
      voxel and each tract. Several approaches were implemented and validated to
      quantify metrics within the atlas, including weighted-average and Gaussian
      mixture models. Proof-of-concept application was done in five subjects for
      quantifying magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) in each tract of the atlas. The
      resulting WM atlas showed consistent topological organization and smooth
      transitions along the rostro-caudal axis. The median MTR across tracts was 26.2.
      Significant differences were detected across tracts, vertebral levels and
      subjects, but not across laterality (right-left). Among the different tested
      approaches to extract metrics, the maximum a posteriori showed highest
      performance with respect to noise, inter-tract variability, tract size and
      partial volume effect. This new WM atlas of the human spinal cord overcomes the
      biases associated with manual delineation and partial volume effect. Combined
      with multi-parametric data, the atlas can be applied to study demyelination and
      degeneration in diseases such as multiple sclerosis and will facilitate the
      conduction of longitudinal and multi-center studies. 

PMID- 26099458
TI  - Mercury methylation in high and low-sulphate impacted wetland ponds within the
      prairie pothole region of North America.
AB  - Using enriched stable (201)Hg injections into intact sediment cores, we provide
      the first reported Hg methylation potential rate constants (km) in prairie
      wetland ponds (0.016-0.17 d(-1)). Our km values were similar to other freshwater
      wetlands and did not differ in ponds categorized with high compared to low
      surface water concentrations of sulphate. Sites with high sulphate had higher
      proportions of methylmercury (MeHg) in sediment (2.9 +/- 1.6% vs. 1.0 +/- 0.3%)
      and higher surface water MeHg concentrations (1.96 +/- 1.90 ng L(-1)vs. 0.56 +/-
      0.55 ng L(-1)). Sediment-porewater partitioning coefficients were small, and
      likely due to high ionic activity. Our work suggests while km measurements are
      useful for understanding mercury cycling processes, they are less important than
      surface water MeHg concentrations for assessing MeHg risks to biota. Significant
      differences in MeHg concentrations between sites with high and low sulphate
      concentrations may also inform management decisions concerning wetland
      remediation and creation.

PMID- 26099459
TI  - Dega osteotomy for the management of developmental dysplasia of the hip in
      children aged 2-8 years: results of 58 consecutive osteotomies after 13-25 years
      of follow-up.
AB  - PURPOSE: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a term used to cover a broad
      spectrum of anomalies ranging from mild dysplasia to high-riding dislocations. We
      report the management of DDH in children using the Dega osteotomy and their long
      term follow-up. METHODS: Fifty-eight hips from 48 children younger than 8 years
      treated using the Dega osteotomy between January 1988 and October 2000 were
      included in this multcenter study. Both prospective (41 hips) and retrospective
      (17 hips) cases were included, and follow-up was for a minimum of 13 years.
      Radiographs were made preoperatively, immediately postoperatively, after 6 weeks
      or at removal of the spica cast if any, at 6-month intervals and/or as indicated
      for 3 years postoperatively and then on annual basis until the last follow-up. A
      single-cut computed tomographic scan was performed for all prospective patients.
      Special attention was paid to the predictive measures of hip arthrosis and the
      survival of the hip after Dega osteotomy. RESULTS: The final clinical outcome was
      favorable in 44 hips (75.9 %). Eleven hips needed a second surgery
      (acetabuloplasty and/or arthroplasty) during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS:
      In our pediatric patient population the Dega osteotomy proved to be an adequate
      measure for the management of this complex condition. The worst complication was
      avascular necrosis, and all of the affected hips ended with failure (pain,
      another surgery, or both).

PMID- 26099460
TI  - Thymoproteasomes produce unique peptide motifs for positive selection of CD8(+) T
      cells.
AB  - Positive selection in the thymus provides low-affinity T-cell receptor (TCR)
      engagement to support the development of potentially useful self-major
      histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I)-restricted T cells. Optimal positive
      selection of CD8(+) T cells requires cortical thymic epithelial cells that
      express beta5t-containing thymoproteasomes (tCPs). However, how tCPs govern
      positive selection is unclear. Here we show that the tCPs produce unique cleavage
      motifs in digested peptides and in MHC-I-associated peptides. Interestingly, MHC
      I-associated peptides carrying these tCP-dependent motifs are enriched with low
      affinity TCR ligands that efficiently induce the positive selection of
      functionally competent CD8(+) T cells in antigen-specific TCR-transgenic models.
      These results suggest that tCPs contribute to the positive selection of CD8(+) T
      cells by preferentially producing low-affinity TCR ligand peptides. 

PMID- 26099461
TI  - Citric acid assisted phytoremediation of copper by Brassica napus L.
AB  - Use of organic acids for promoting heavy metals phytoextraction is gaining
      worldwide attention. The present study investigated the influence of citric acid
      (CA) in enhancing copper (Cu) uptake by Brassica napus L. seedlings. 6 Weeks old
      B. napus seedlings were exposed to different levels of copper (Cu, 0, 50 and
      100uM) alone or with CA (2.5mM) in a nutrient medium for 40 days. Exposure to
      elevated Cu levels (50 and 100uM) significantly reduced the growth, biomass
      production, chlorophyll content, gas exchange attributes and soluble proteins of
      B. napus seedlings. In addition, Cu toxicity increased the production of hydrogen
      peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrolyte leakage (EL) in leaf and
      root tissues of B. napus. Activities of antioxidant enzymes such as guaiacol
      peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalases (CAT), ascorbate
      peroxidase (APX) in root and shoot tissues of B. napus were increased in response
      to lower Cu concentration (50uM) but increased under higher Cu concentration
      (100uM). Addition of CA into nutrient medium significantly alleviated Cu toxicity
      effects on B. napus seedlings by improving photosynthetic capacity and ultimately
      plant growth. Increased activities of antioxidant enzymes in CA-treated plants
      seems to play a role in capturing of stress-induced reactive oxygen species as
      was evident from lower level of H2O2, MDA and EL in CA-treated plants. Increasing
      Cu concentration in the nutrient medium significantly increased Cu concentration
      in in B. napus tissues. Cu uptake was further increased by CA application. These
      results suggested that CA might be a useful strategy for increasing
      phytoextraction of Cu from contaminated soils. 

PMID- 26099462
TI  - Effects of exposure to 17-alpha-ethynylestradiol on sperm quality of tench (Tinca
      tinca).
AB  - Alterations of sperm quality were studied in tench (Tinca tinca) exposed to sub
      lethal doses of 17-alpha-ethynylestradiol-EE2-(50, 100 and 500MUg/kg t.w) under
      semi-static conditions for 30 days. Thus, different biomarkers of sperm quality
      were assessed: concentration and volume of ejaculate, total number of
      spermatozoa, percentage of motile spermatozoa, sperm motility and percentage of
      live and dead spermatozoa. Sperm motility was examined by computer-assisted image
      analysis and the viability of spermatozoa was assessed through flow cytometry.
      The most relevant alterations observed were significant reductions in the
      reproductive parameters such as testicular somatic index, spermatozoa
      concentration, straight line velocity, curvilinear velocity, average path
      velocity and wobble in tench exposed to 50MUg/kg t.w of EE2. Our study about the
      effects of EE2 on the sperm quality in tench provides new evidences which
      strengthen the fact that this synthetic estrogen is included in the list of non
      monotonic dose response compounds in animal studies. 

PMID- 26099463
TI  - Soil and plant response to used potassium silicate drilling fluid application.
AB  - Use of drilling waste generated from the oil and gas industry for land
      reclamation has potential to be a practical and economical means to improve soil
      fertility and to decrease landfills. A four month greenhouse experiment with
      common barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) on three different textured soils was
      conducted to determine soil and plant response to incorporated or sprayed
      potassium silicate drilling fluid (PSDF). Two PSDF types (used once, used twice)
      were applied at six rates (10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 120m(3)ha(-1)) as twelve PSDF
      amendments plus a control (non PSDF). Effects of PSDF amendment on plant
      properties were significant, and varied through physiological growth stages.
      Barley emergence and below ground biomass were greater with used once than used
      twice PSDF at the same application rate in clay loam soil. Used twice PSDF at
      highest rates significantly increased barley above ground biomass relative to the
      control in loam and sand soil. All PSDF treatments significantly increased
      available potassium relative to the control in all three soils. Soil electrical
      conductivity and sodium adsorption ratio increased with PSDF addition, but not to
      levels detrimental to barley. Soil quality rated fair to poor with PSDF
      amendments in clay loam, and reduced plant performance at the highest rate,
      suggesting a threshold beyond which conditions are compromised with PSDF
      utilization. PSDF application method did not significantly affect plant and soil
      responses. This initial greenhouse research demonstrates that PSDF has potential
      as a soil amendment for reclamation, with consideration of soil properties and
      plant species tolerances to determine PSDF types and rates to be used. 

PMID- 26099464
TI  - Effects of chlorpyrifos on the growth and ultrastructure of green algae,
      Ankistrodesmus gracilis.
AB  - The effect of the organophosphorus insecticide chlorpyrifos on the growth,
      biovolume, and ultrastructure of the green microalga Ankistrodesmus gracilis was
      evaluated. Concentrations of 9.37, 18.75, 37.5, 75 and 150mgL(-1) of chlorpyrifos
      were assayed along with a control culture. At the end of the bioassay the
      ultrastructure of algal cells from control culture and from cultures exposed to
      37.5 and 150mgL(-1) was observed under transmission (TEM) and scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM). After 24 and 48h, treatments with 75 and 150mgL(-1) inhibited
      the growth of A. gracilis; whereas after 72 and 96h, all the treatments except at
      9.37mgL(-1) significantly affected the algae growth. The effective concentration
      50 (EC50) after 96h was 22.44mgL(-1) of chlorpyrifos. After the exposure to the
      insecticide, an increase in the biovolume was observed, with a larger increase in
      cells exposed to 75 and 150mgL(-1). Radical changes were observed in the
      ultrastructure of cells exposed to chlorpyrifos. The insecticide affected the
      cell shape and the distribution of the crests in the wall. At 37.5mgL(-1)
      electodense bodies were observed along with an increase in the size and number of
      starch granules. At 150mgL(-1) such bodies occupied almost the whole cytoplasm
      together with lipids and remains of thylakoids. Autospores formation occurred
      normally at 37.5mgL(-1) while at 150mgL(-1) karyokinesis occurred, but cell
      separation-phase was inhibited. The present study demonstrates that the exposure
      of phytoplankton to the insecticide chlorpyrifos leads to effects observed at
      both cellular and population level. 

PMID- 26099465
TI  - Cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in HepG2 cells induced by ionic
      liquid 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium bromide.
AB  - The present study aimed to determine the cytotoxicity of 1-methyl-3
      octylimidazolium bromide ([C8mim]Br) on the human hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HepG2) cells in order to elucidate the biochemical and molecular mechanism of
      [C8mim]Br-cytotoxicity. For this purpose, cell viability, oxidative stress,
      apoptosis, caspase activity, and apoptosis-related gene expression in HepG2 cells
      following [C8mim]Br-exposure were evaluated. The results showed that viability of
      HepG2 cells was decreased by [C8mim]Br-exposure in a concentration-dependent
      pattern. Moreover, biochemical assays reveal that [C8mim]Br-exposure can induce
      apoptosis, cause overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibit
      superoxide dismutase and catalase, reduce glutathione content, and increase the
      cellular malondialdehyde level of HepG2 cells. The transcriptions of p53 and bax
      were markedly up-regulated while bcl-2 was significantly down-regulated in HepG2
      cells after [C8mim]Br-exposure, suggesting that p53 and bcl-2 family may be
      involved in the cytotoxicity and apoptosis of HepG2 cells caused by [C8mim]Br. In
      addition, we also found that caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 were
      significantly activated in HepG2 cells following [C8mim]Br-exposure. Our results
      suggest that ROS may be a key early signal of [C8mim]Br-induced apoptosis and
      caspases play a key role in the initiation and execution of apoptosis of HepG2
      cells. 

PMID- 26099466
TI  - Leaf cDNA-AFLP analysis reveals novel mechanisms for boron-induced alleviation of
      aluminum-toxicity in Citrus grandis seedlings.
AB  - Little information is available on the molecular mechanisms of boron (B)-induced
      alleviation of aluminum (Al)-toxicity. 'Sour pummelo' (Citrus grandis) seedlings
      were irrigated for 18 weeks with nutrient solution containing different
      concentrations of B (2.5 or 20MUM H3BO3) and Al (0 or 1.2mM AlCl3.6H2O). B
      alleviated Al-induced inhibition in plant growth accompanied by lower leaf Al. We
      used cDNA-AFLP to isolate 127 differentially expressed genes from leaves
      subjected to B and Al interactions. These genes were related to signal
      transduction, transport, cell wall modification, carbohydrate and energy
      metabolism, nucleic acid metabolism, amino acid and protein metabolism, lipid
      metabolism and stress responses. The ameliorative mechanisms of B on Al-toxicity
      might be related to: (a) triggering multiple signal transduction pathways; (b)
      improving the expression levels of genes related to transport; (c) activating
      genes involved in energy production; and (d) increasing amino acid accumulation
      and protein degradation. Also, genes involved in nucleic acid metabolism, cell
      wall modification and stress responses might play a role in B-induced alleviation
      of Al-toxicity. To conclude, our findings reveal some novel mechanisms on B
      induced alleviation of Al-toxicity at the transcriptional level in C. grandis
      leaves. 

PMID- 26099467
TI  - Investigation of Fragment Antibody Stability and Its Release Mechanism from
      Poly(Lactide-co-Glycolide)-Triacetin Depots for Sustained-Release Applications.
AB  - Achieving long-term drug release from polymer-based delivery systems continues to
      be a challenge particularly for the delivery of large hydrophilic molecules such
      as therapeutic antibodies and proteins. Here, we report on the utility of an in
      situ-forming and injectable polymer-solvent system for the long-term release of a
      model antibody fragment (Fab1). The delivery system was prepared by dispersing a
      spray-dried powder of Fab1 within poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-triacetin
      solution. The formulation viscosity was within the range 1.0 +/- 0.3 Pa s but it
      was injectable through a 27G needle. The release profile of Fab1, measured in
      phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), showed a lag phase followed by sustained-release
      phase for close to 80 days. Antibody degradation during its residence within the
      depot was comparable to its degradation upon long-term incubation in PBS. On the
      basis of temporal changes in surface morphology, stiffness, and depot mass, a
      mechanism to account for the drug release profile has been proposed. The
      unprecedented release profile and retention of greater than 80% of antigen
      binding capacity even after several weeks demonstrates that PLGA-triacetin
      solution could be a promising system for the long-term delivery of biologics.

PMID- 26099470
TI  - Twin Polymerization--a New Principle for Hybrid Material Synthesis.
AB  - Twin polymerization is a novel modular approach for the synthesis of hybrid
      materials. Using this strategy two distinct polymers of either inorganic or
      organic nature are produced from a single source monomer in a mechanistically
      coupled process. Twin polymerization is an elegant way for producing
      nanostructured organic-inorganic hybrid materials of composition and morphology
      on demand. The main objective of this Review is the explanation of the principle
      of various twin polymerization processes and their appropriate terminologies.
      Different types of twin polymerization are classified with respect to the
      underlying processes as described in individual examples, demonstrating its
      potential in material synthesis. Prospects of the synthetic methodology of twin
      polymerization are demonstrated for different molecular structures of twin
      monomers and the resulting hybrid materials. A comparison with other scenarios
      for the synthesis of two different polymers within one procedure is included. 

PMID- 26099468
TI  - dbEMT: an epithelial-mesenchymal transition associated gene resource.
AB  - As a cellular process that changes epithelial cells to mesenchymal cells,
      Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays important roles in development and
      cancer metastasis. Recent studies on cancer metastasis have identified many new
      susceptibility genes that control this transition. However, there is no
      comprehensive resource for EMT by integrating various genetic studies and the
      relationship between EMT and the risk of complex diseases such as cancer are
      still unclear. To investigate the cellular complexity of EMT, we have constructed
      dbEMT (http://dbemt.bioinfo-minzhao.org/), the first literature-based gene
      resource for exploring EMT-related human genes. We manually curated 377
      experimentally verified genes from literature. Functional analyses highlighted
      the prominent role of proteoglycans in tumor metastatic cascades. In addition,
      the disease enrichment analysis provides a clue for the potential transformation
      in affected tissues or cells in Alzheimer's disease and Type 2 Diabetes.
      Moreover, the global mutation pattern of EMT-related genes across multiple
      cancers may reveal common cancer metastasis mechanisms. Our further
      reconstruction of the EMT-related protein-protein interaction network uncovered a
      highly modular structure. These results illustrate the importance of dbEMT to our
      understanding of cell development and cancer metastasis, and also highlight the
      utility of dbEMT for elucidating the functions of EMT-related genes. 

PMID- 26099469
TI  - The bacterial tubulin FtsZ requires its intrinsically disordered linker to direct
      robust cell wall construction.
AB  - The bacterial GTPase FtsZ forms a cytokinetic ring at midcell, recruits the
      division machinery and orchestrates membrane and peptidoglycan cell wall
      invagination. However, the mechanism for FtsZ regulation of peptidoglycan
      metabolism is unknown. The FtsZ GTPase domain is separated from its membrane
      anchoring C-terminal conserved (CTC) peptide by a disordered C-terminal linker
      (CTL). Here we investigate CTL function in Caulobacter crescentus. Strikingly,
      production of FtsZ lacking the CTL (DeltaCTL) is lethal: cells become
      filamentous, form envelope bulges and lyse, resembling treatment with beta-lactam
      antibiotics. This phenotype is produced by FtsZ polymers bearing the CTC and a
      CTL shorter than 14 residues. Peptidoglycan synthesis still occurs downstream of
      DeltaCTL; however, cells expressing DeltaCTL exhibit reduced peptidoglycan
      crosslinking and longer glycan strands than wild type. Importantly, midcell
      proteins are still recruited to sites of DeltaCTL assembly. We propose that FtsZ
      regulates peptidoglycan metabolism through a CTL-dependent mechanism that extends
      beyond simple protein recruitment. 

PMID- 26099471
TI  - Metabolomics reveals impaired maturation of HDL particles in adolescents with
      hyperinsulinaemic androgen excess.
AB  - Hyperinsulinaemic androgen excess (HIAE) in prepubertal and pubertal girls
      usually precedes a broader pathological phenotype in adulthood that is associated
      with anovulatory infertility, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. The
      metabolic derangements that determine these long-term health risks remain to be
      clarified. Here we use NMR and MS-based metabolomics to show that serum levels of
      methionine sulfoxide in HIAE girls are an indicator of the degree of oxidation of
      methionine-148 residue in apolipoprotein-A1. Oxidation of apo-A1 in methionine
      148, in turn, leads to an impaired maturation of high-density lipoproteins (HDL)
      that is reflected in a decline of large HDL particles. Notably, such metabolic
      alterations occur in the absence of impaired glucose tolerance, hyperglycemia and
      hypertriglyceridemia, and were partially restored after 18 months of treatment
      with a low-dose combination of pioglitazone, metformin and flutamide. 

PMID- 26099472
TI  - Hepatic involvement in HELLP syndrome: an update with emphasis on imaging
      features.
AB  - HELLP syndrome, which consists of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low
      platelet count is an unusual complication of pregnancy that is observed in only
      10% to 15% of women with preeclampsia. Hepatic involvement in HELLP syndrome may
      present with various imaging features depending on the specific condition that
      includes nonspecific abnormalities such as perihepatic free fluid, hepatic
      steatosis, liver enlargement, and periportal halo that may precede more severe
      conditions such as hepatic hematoma and hepatic rupture with hemoperitoneum.
      Maternal clinical symptoms may be nonspecific and easily mistaken for a variety
      of other conditions that should be recognized. Because hepatic hematoma occurring
      in association with preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome is a potentially life
      threatening complication, prompt depiction is critical and may help reduce
      morbidity and mortality. This review provides an update on demographics, risk
      factors, pathophysiology, and clinical features of hepatic complications due to
      HELLP syndrome along with a special emphasis on the imaging features of these
      uncommon conditions. 

PMID- 26099473
TI  - Use of vessel patterns on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography using a perflubutane
      based contrast agent for the differential diagnosis of regenerative nodules from
      early hepatocellular carcinoma or high-grade dysplastic nodules in patients with
      chronic liver disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the use of tumor vessel patterns observed during arterial
      phase contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (US) to differentiate regenerative
      nodules (RN) from early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or high-grade dysplastic
      nodules (HGDN) in patients with chronic liver disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      Pathologically confirmed lesions (83 early HCC, 6 HGDN, and 13 RN with mean
      maximal diameters of 15.4, 15.3, and 16.2 mm, respectively) were enrolled in this
      retrospective study. We performed contrast-enhanced US using a perflubutane-based
      contrast agent. We then classified the tumor vessels observed during the arterial
      phase of contrast-enhanced US into two patterns: peripheral vessels (centripetal
      pattern) and central vessels (centrifugal pattern). RESULTS: Eighty-one (97.6%)
      of the 83 early HCC exhibited various enhancement patterns (hypovascular, 44.6%;
      isovascular, 25.3%; and hypervascular, 27.7%) and a peripheral vessel pattern,
      while the remaining 2 lesions (2.4%) exhibited hypovascular enhancement and a
      central vessel pattern. All 6 HGDN lesions were hypovascular with a peripheral
      vessel pattern. Twelve (92.3%) of the 13 RN were hypovascular with a central
      vessel pattern, and the remaining one (7.7%) was hypervascular with a central
      vessel pattern. When lesions exhibiting a central vessel pattern during arterial
      phase contrast-enhanced US were diagnosed as RN, the sensitivity, specificity,
      and accuracy of these diagnoses were 100%, 97.8%, and 98.0%, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The tumor vessel patterns observed during arterial-phase contrast
      enhanced US may be useful for differentiating RN from early HCC or HGDN in
      patients with chronic liver disease.

PMID- 26099475
TI  - Errors in imaging of traumatic injuries.
AB  - The advent of multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) has drastically improved
      the outcomes of patients with multiple traumatic injuries. However, there are
      still diagnostic challenges to be considered. A missed or the delay of a
      diagnosis in trauma patients can sometimes be related to perception or other non
      visual cues, while other errors are due to poor technique or poor image quality.
      In order to avoid any serious complications, it is important for the practicing
      radiologist to be cognizant of some of the most common types of errors. The
      objective of this article is to review the various types of errors in the
      evaluation of patients with multiple trauma injuries or polytrauma with MDCT. 

PMID- 26099474
TI  - Shortened breath-hold contrast-enhanced MRI of the liver using a new parallel
      imaging technique, CAIPIRINHA (controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in
      higher acceleration): a comparison with conventional GRAPPA technique.
AB  - PURPOSE: We examined whether the shortened breath-hold 3-dimensional volumetric
      interpolated breath-hold examination (3D-VIBE) sequence for high acceleration
      factor (AF) using the controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher
      acceleration (CAIPIRINHA) could substitute for the conventional sequence using
      generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition (GRAPPA) in patients
      undergoing routine gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Thirty patients with clinically suspected focal liver lesions were scanned using
      3D-VIBE sequences with GRAPPA with AF = 2 and AF = 4 and CAIPIRINHA with AF = 4
      (acquisition times: 21, 14, and 12 s, respectively) during the hepatobiliary
      phase. Visual evaluations using a 3- or 5-point scale and signal-to-noise ratio
      (SNR) analysis were performed for the 3 sequences. RESULTS: For CAIPIRINHA with
      AF = 4, there was significantly less image noise in both visual evaluation and
      SNR analysis and fewer parallel imaging artifacts than for GRAPPA with AF = 4 (P
      < 0.0005); it was equal to GRAPPA with AF = 2 and had fewer motion artifacts than
      GRAPPA with AF = 2 and 4 (P < 0.0012). The liver edge sharpness and hepatic
      vessel clarity, lesion conspicuity, and overall image quality were rated
      significantly higher with CAIPIRINHA with AF = 4 than GRAPPA with AF = 2 and AF =
      4 (P < 0.009). For GRAPPA with AF = 4, lesion conspicuity and overall image
      quality were rated significantly lower than for GRAPPA with AF = 2 (P < 0.012).
      CONCLUSION: The shortened breath-hold 3D-VIBE sequence using the new CAIPIRINHA
      technique with a high AF of 4 was superior to the conventional GRAPPA sequence.
      The shortened breath-hold sequence using GRAPPA with a high AF of 4 worsened the
      image quality and lesion conspicuity.

PMID- 26099476
TI  - Reduced-port robotic anterior resection for left-sided colon cancer using the Da
      Vinci single-site((r)) platform.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Single-Site((r)) port plus one conventional robotic port, a reduced
      port robotic surgery (RPRS) for left-sided colorectal cancer, can enable
      lymphovascular dissection using the Endowrist((r)) function; this allows safe
      rectal transection through an additional port and maintains the cosmetic
      advantage of single-incision laparoscopic surgery. METHODS: Between August 2014
      and December 2014, the study group included 11 patients who underwent a RPRS for
      left-sided colon cancer. RESULTS: There was one (9.1%) case of descending colon
      cancer, six (54.5%) cases of sigmoid colon cancer, and four (36.4%) cases of
      rectosigmoid colon cancer. The mean total operation time and docking time were
      289+/-77 and 17+/-7 min. The mean times to soft diet and possible length of stay
      were 5.6+/-0.8 and 7.4+/-0.7 days. The mean total number of lymph nodes harvested
      was 18.7+/-7.9. The mean proximal and distal resection margins were 7.8+/-4.7 and
      4.7+/-2.4 cm. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced-port robotic surgery for left-sided colon
      cancer using the Single-Site((r)) system appears to be feasible and safe using
      the new robotic single-access platform. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons,
      Ltd.

PMID- 26099477
TI  - Lessons from meta-analysis in ecology and evolution: the need for trans
      disciplinary evidence synthesis methodologies.

PMID- 26099478
TI  - The potential for meta-analysis to support decision analysis in ecology.
AB  - Meta-analysis and decision analysis are underpinned by well-developed methods
      that are commonly applied to a variety of problems and disciplines. While these
      two fields have been closely linked in some disciplines such as medicine,
      comparatively little attention has been paid to the potential benefits of linking
      them in ecology, despite reasonable expectations that benefits would be derived
      from doing so. Meta-analysis combines information from multiple studies to
      provide more accurate parameter estimates and to reduce the uncertainty
      surrounding them. Decision analysis involves selecting among alternative choices
      using statistical information that helps to shed light on the uncertainties
      involved. By linking meta-analysis to decision analysis, improved decisions can
      be made, with quantification of the costs and benefits of alternate decisions
      supported by a greater density of information. Here, we briefly review concepts
      of both meta-analysis and decision analysis, illustrating the natural linkage
      between them and the benefits from explicitly linking one to the other. We
      discuss some examples in which this linkage has been exploited in the medical
      arena and how improvements in precision and reduction of structural uncertainty
      inherent in a meta-analysis can provide substantive improvements to decision
      analysis outcomes by reducing uncertainty in expected loss and maximising
      information from across studies. We then argue that these significant benefits
      could be translated to ecology, in particular to the problem of making optimal
      ecological decisions in the face of uncertainty.

PMID- 26099479
TI  - The potential for meta-analysis to support decision analysis in ecology.

PMID- 26099480
TI  - How to critically read ecological meta-analyses.
AB  - Meta-analysis offers ecologists a powerful tool for knowledge synthesis. Albeit a
      form of review, it also shares many similarities with primary empirical research.
      Consequently, critical reading of meta-analyses incorporates criteria from both
      sets of approaches particularly because ecology is a discipline that embraces
      heterogeneity and broad methodologies. The most important issues in critically
      assessing a meta-analysis initially include transparency, replicability, and
      clear statement of purpose by the authors. Specific to ecology, more so than
      other disciplines, tests of the same hypothesis are generally conducted at
      different study sites, have variable ecological contexts (i.e., seasonality), and
      use very different methods. Clear reporting and careful examination of
      heterogeneity in ecological meta-analyses is thus crucial. Ecologists often also
      test similar hypotheses with different species, and in these meta-analyses, the
      reader should expect exploration of phylogenetic dependencies. Finally,
      observational studies not only provide the substrate for potential current
      manipulative experiments in this discipline but also form an important body of
      literature historically for synthesis. Sensitivity analyses of observational
      versus manipulative experiments when aggregated in the same ecological meta
      analysis are also frequent and appropriate. This brief conceptual review is not
      intended as an instrument to rate meta-analyses for ecologists but does provide
      the appropriate framing for those purposes and directs the reader to ongoing
      developments in this direction in other disciplines.

PMID- 26099481
TI  - How to critically read ecological meta-analyses.

PMID- 26099482
TI  - Information retrieval for ecological syntheses.
AB  - Research syntheses are increasingly being conducted within the fields of ecology
      and environmental management. Information retrieval is crucial in any synthesis
      in identifying data for inclusion whilst potentially reducing biases in the
      dataset gathered, yet the nature of ecological information provides several
      challenges when compared with medicine that should be considered when planning
      and undertaking searches. We present ten recommendations for anyone considering
      undertaking information retrieval for ecological research syntheses that
      highlight the main differences with medicine and, if adopted, may help reduce
      biases in the dataset retrieved, increase search efficiency and improve reporting
      standards. They are as follows: (1) plan for information retrieval at an early
      stage, (2) identify and use sources of help, (3) clearly define the question to
      be addressed, (4) ensure that provisions for managing, recording and reporting
      the search are in place, (5) select an appropriate search type, (6) identify
      sources to be used, (7) identify limitations of the sources, (8) ensure that the
      search vocabulary is appropriate, (9) identify limits and filters that can help
      direct the search, and (10) test the strategy to ensure that it is realistic and
      manageable. These recommendations may be of value for other disciplines where
      search infrastructures are not yet sufficiently well developed.

PMID- 26099483
TI  - Quality assessment of qualitative evidence for systematic review and synthesis:
      Is it meaningful, and if so, how should it be performed?
AB  - The critical appraisal and quality assessment of primary research are key stages
      in systematic review and evidence synthesis. These processes are driven by the
      need to determine how far the primary research evidence, singly and collectively,
      should inform findings and, potentially, practice recommendations. Quality
      assessment of primary qualitative research remains a contested area. This article
      reviews recent developments in the field charting a perceptible shift from
      whether such quality assessment should be conducted to how it might be performed.
      It discusses the criteria that are used in the assessment of quality and how the
      findings of the process are used in synthesis. It argues that recent research
      indicates that sensitivity analysis offers one potentially useful means for
      advancing this controversial issue.

PMID- 26099485
TI  - Reporting and handling missing outcome data in mental health: a systematic review
      of Cochrane systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to provide empirical evidence about the
      reporting of methodology to address missing outcome data and the acknowledgement
      of their impact in Cochrane systematic reviews in the mental health field.
      METHODS: Systematic reviews published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic
      Reviews after January 1, 2009 by three Cochrane Review Groups relating to mental
      health were included. RESULTS: One hundred ninety systematic reviews were
      considered. Missing outcome data were present in at least one included study in
      175 systematic reviews. Of these 175 systematic reviews, 147 (84%) accounted for
      missing outcome data by considering a relevant primary or secondary outcome
      (e.g., dropout). Missing outcome data implications were reported only in 61 (35%)
      systematic reviews and primarily in the discussion section by commenting on the
      amount of the missing outcome data. One hundred forty eligible meta-analyses with
      missing data were scrutinized. Seventy-nine (56%) of them had studies with total
      dropout rate between 10 and 30%. One hundred nine (78%) meta-analyses reported to
      have performed intention-to-treat analysis by including trials with imputed
      outcome data. Sensitivity analysis for incomplete outcome data was implemented in
      less than 20% of the meta-analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Reporting of the techniques for
      handling missing outcome data and their implications in the findings of the
      systematic reviews are suboptimal.

PMID- 26099484
TI  - Multivariate meta-analysis using individual participant data.
AB  - When combining results across related studies, a multivariate meta-analysis
      allows the joint synthesis of correlated effect estimates from multiple outcomes.
      Joint synthesis can improve efficiency over separate univariate syntheses, may
      reduce selective outcome reporting biases, and enables joint inferences across
      the outcomes. A common issue is that within-study correlations needed to fit the
      multivariate model are unknown from published reports. However, provision of
      individual participant data (IPD) allows them to be calculated directly. Here, we
      illustrate how to use IPD to estimate within-study correlations, using a joint
      linear regression for multiple continuous outcomes and bootstrapping methods for
      binary, survival and mixed outcomes. In a meta-analysis of 10 hypertension
      trials, we then show how these methods enable multivariate meta-analysis to
      address novel clinical questions about continuous, survival and binary outcomes;
      treatment-covariate interactions; adjusted risk/prognostic factor effects;
      longitudinal data; prognostic and multiparameter models; and multiple treatment
      comparisons. Both frequentist and Bayesian approaches are applied, with example
      software code provided to derive within-study correlations and to fit the models.

PMID- 26099486
TI  - Searches for randomized controlled trials of drugs in MEDLINE and EMBASE using
      only generic drug names compared with searches applied in current practice in
      systematic reviews.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is unclear which terms should be included in bibliographic
      searches for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of drugs, and identifying
      relevant drug terms can be extremely laborious. The aim of our analysis was to
      determine whether a bibliographic search using only the generic drug name
      produces sufficient results for the generation of informative systematic reviews
      (SRs). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of relevant references
      included in SRs of drugs. We determined the proportion of references identified
      by a simplified technique consisting of a systematic search for RCTs in MEDLINE
      and EMBASE via the search interface Ovid and using only the truncated generic
      drug name in all search fields. We calculated aggregated sensitivity and also
      evaluated the unidentified references. RESULTS: Forty-eight SRs contained 873
      primary publications, of which we found 829 in MEDLINE and 757 in EMBASE ("gold
      standard"). The simplified search identified 823 of the 829 MEDLINE references
      (sensitivity 99.3%) and 754 of the 757 EMBASE references (99.6%). Ultimately,
      only three references could not be found by additional searches. CONCLUSION: Our
      findings indicate that when searching for RCTs of drugs in MEDLINE and EMBASE, a
      search using the truncated generic drug name in all fields produces sufficient
      results.

PMID- 26099488
TI  - Understanding sarcopenia as a predictor of response to autologous hematopoietic
      stem cell transplant.

PMID- 26099489
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 26099487
TI  - Broadening public participation in systematic reviews: a case example involving
      young people in two configurative reviews.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arguments supporting the involvement of users in research have even
      more weight when involving the public in systematic reviews of research. We aimed
      to explore the potential for public involvement in systematic reviews of
      observational and qualitative studies. METHODS: Two consultative workshops were
      carried out with a group of young people (YP) aged 12-17 years to examine two
      ongoing reviews about obesity: one about children's views and one on the link
      between obesity and educational attainment. YP were invited to comment on the
      credibility of themes, to propose elements of interventions, to suggest links
      between educational attainment and obesity and to comment on their plausibility.
      RESULTS: Researchers had more confidence in review findings, after checking that
      themes identified as important by YP were emphasised appropriately. Researchers
      were able to use factors linking obesity and attainment identified as important
      by YP to identify limitations in the scope of extant research. CONCLUSION:
      Consultative workshops helped researchers draw on the perspectives of YP when
      interpreting and reflecting upon two systematic reviews. Involving users in
      judging synthesis credibility and identifying concepts was easier than involving
      them in interpreting findings. Involvement activities for reviews should be
      designed with review stage, purpose and group in mind.

PMID- 26099490
TI  - Burden of major diarrheagenic protozoan parasitic  co-infection among amoebic
      dysentery cases from North  East India: a case report.
AB  - Intestinal diarrheagenic polyparasitic infections are among the major public
      health concerns in developing countries. Here we examined stool specimens by
      microscopy, DNA dot blot and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to evaluate the co
      infection of four principal protozoans among amoebic dysentery cases from
      Northeast Indian population. The multiplex PCR confirmed Entamoeba histolytica
      (8.1%), Entamoeba dispar (4.8%) and mixed infection of both the parasites (3.4%)
      in 68 of 356 stool specimens that were positive in microscopy and/or HMe probe
      based DNA dot blot screening. The prevailing parasite that co-exists with E.
      histolytica was Giardia duodenalis (34.1%), followed by Enterocytozoon bieneusi
      (22.0%), Cryptosporidium parvum (14.6%) and Cyclospora cayetanensis (7.3%, P =
      0.017). Symptomatic participants (odds ratio (OR) = 4.07; 95% confidence interval
      (CI) = 1.06, 15.68; P = 0.041), monsoon season (OR = 7.47; 95% CI = 1.40, 39.84;
      P = 0.046) and participants with family history of parasitic infection (OR =
      4.50; 95% CI = 1.16, 17.51; P = 0.030) have significant association with overall
      co-infection rate. According to molecular consensus, comprehensive microscopy
      yielded 3.4% (12/356) false-negative and 7.6% (27/356) false-positive outcome,
      suggesting an improved broad-spectrum PCR-based diagnostic is required to scale
      down the poor sensitivity and specificity as well as implementation of integrated
      control strategy.

PMID- 26099492
TI  - Oxymatrine suppresses proliferation and facilitates apoptosis of human ovarian
      cancer cells through upregulating microRNA-29b and downregulating matrix
      metalloproteinase-2 expression.
AB  - Oxymatrine, an alkaloid extracted from medicinal plants of the genus Sophora, has
      a wide range of pharmacological effects. Previous studies have revealed that
      oxymatrine can inhibit proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells through
      reducing matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) mRNA expression. However, the
      expression of MMP-2 in ovarian cancer is significantly higher than that in normal
      ovaries. Furthermore, the expression of microRNA-29b (miR-29b) in ovarian
      carcinoma is significantly lower than that in normal ovaries. Therefore, MMP-2
      and miR-29b are tumor suppressor factors involved in ovarian cancer. To evaluate
      the anti-cancer effects of oxymatrine the OVCAR-3 ovary cancer cell line was
      treated with oxymatrine at the concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/ml.
      Assessment of the proliferation and apoptosis of OVCAR-3 cells showed that
      oxymatrine had an inhibitory effect on ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore,
      oxymatrine decreased the protein levels of MMP-2 and increased the expression
      levels of miR-29b in OVCAR-3 cells. Through transfection of miR-29b precursor
      into OVCAR-3 cells, it was demonstrated that miR-29b regulated MMP-2 expression
      in OVCAR-3 cells. In addition, anti-miR-29b antibodies were used to verify that
      the apoptotic effect of oxymatrine was due to upregulating miR-29b and
      downregulating MMP-2 expression. These results showed that oxymatrine suppresses
      the proliferation and facilitates apoptosis of human ovarian cancer cells through
      upregulating miR-29b and downregulating MMP-2 expression.

PMID- 26099491
TI  - Network-based gene prediction for Plasmodium falciparum malaria towards genetics
      based drug discovery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malaria is the most deadly parasitic infectious disease. Existing
      drug treatments have limited efficacy in malaria elimination, and the complex
      pathogenesis of the disease is not fully understood. Detecting novel malaria
      associated genes not only contributes in revealing the disease pathogenesis, but
      also facilitates discovering new targets for anti-malaria drugs. METHODS: In this
      study, we developed a network-based approach to predict malaria-associated genes.
      We constructed a cross-species network to integrate human-human, parasite
      parasite and human-parasite protein interactions. Then we extended the random
      walk algorithm on this network, and used known malaria genes as the seeds to find
      novel candidate genes for malaria. RESULTS: We validated our algorithms using 77
      known malaria genes: 14 human genes and 63 parasite genes were ranked averagely
      within top 2% and top 4%, respectively among human and parasite genomes. We also
      evaluated our method for predicting novel malaria genes using a set of 27 genes
      with literature supporting evidence. Our approach ranked 12 genes within top 1%
      and 24 genes within top 5%. In addition, we demonstrated that top-ranked candied
      genes were enriched for drug targets, and identified commonalities underlying top
      ranked malaria genes through pathway analysis. In summary, the candidate malaria
      associated genes predicted by our data-driven approach have the potential to
      guide genetics-based anti-malaria drug discovery.

PMID- 26099493
TI  - The nanoscale structure and unoccupied valence electronic states in FeSe1-xTex
      chalcogenides probed by X-ray absorption measurements.
AB  - We have studied the nanoscale structure and unoccupied electronic states in FeSe1
      xTex by a combined analysis of Se K, Te L1 and Fe K-edges X-ray absorption
      measurements. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) results show that
      iron-chalcogen (Fe-Se and Fe-Te) distances in ternary FeSe1-xTex are similar to
      those measured for binary FeSe and FeTe. The local Fe-Se/Te distances determined
      by different absorption edges fit well in the characteristic Z-plot of random
      alloys, providing unambiguous support to the inhomogeneous nanoscale structure of
      the ternary FeSe1-xTex system. X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES)
      spectra reveal a gradual evolution of the unoccupied valence electronic states as
      a function of Te-substitution in FeSe1-xTex. The Fe 3d-Se 4p/Te 5p hybridization
      is found to decrease with Te-substitution, accompanied by an increase in
      unoccupied Se 4p states and a decrease in unoccupied Te 5p states. The results
      are discussed in the frame of local inhomogeneity in the FeSe1-xTex system driven
      by random alloying of Se/Te atoms. 

PMID- 26099494
TI  - Laser interferometric investigation of solute transport through membrane
      concentration boundary layer system.
AB  - We investigate diffusive transport in a membrane system with a horizontally
      mounted membrane under concentration polarization conditions performed by a laser
      interferometry method. The data obtained from two different theoretical models
      are compared to the experimental results of the substance flux. In the first
      model, the membrane is considered as infinitely thin, while in the second one as
      a wall of finite thickness. The theoretical calculations show sufficient
      correspondence with the experimental results. On the basis of interferometric
      measurements, the relative permeability coefficient (zeta(s)) for the system,
      consisting of the membrane and concentration boundary layers, was also obtained.
      This coefficient reflects the concentration polarization of the membrane system.
      The obtained results indicate that the coefficient zeta(s) of the membrane
      concentration boundary layer system decreases in time and seems to be independent
      of the initial concentration of the solute.

PMID- 26099495
TI  - Doping of inorganic materials in microreactors - preparation of Zn doped Fe3O4
      nanoparticles.
AB  - Microreactor systems are now used more and more for the continuous production of
      metal nanoparticles and metal oxide nanoparticles owing to the controllability of
      the particle size, an important property in many applications. Here, for the
      first time, we used microreactors to prepare metal oxide nanoparticles with
      controlled and varying metal stoichiometry. We prepared and characterised Zn
      substituted Fe3O4 nanoparticles with linear increase of Zn content (ZnxFe3-xO4
      with 0 <= x <= 0.48), which causes linear increases in properties such as the
      saturation magnetization, relative to pure Fe3O4. The methodology is simple and
      low cost and has great potential to be adapted to the targeted doping of a vast
      array of other inorganic materials, allowing greater control on the chemical
      stoichiometry for nanoparticles prepared in microreactors. 

PMID- 26099496
TI  - [The situation of emergency psychiatry in Germany].
AB  - The impact of psychiatric emergencies for the care of patients in preclinical
      emergency medicine, in emergency departments and in psychiatric hospitals has
      been underestimated for a long time. There is still insufficient knowledge and a
      need for further research. There are, however, sufficient reasons to assume that
      annually approximately 500,000 patients with a psychiatric emergency receive
      treatment from a preclinical emergency physician and another 1.5 million in
      emergency departments in Germany. Further, approximately 500,000 patients are
      admitted to psychiatric hospitals as an emergency. The most frequent reasons are
      intoxication, agitation, aggressiveness and suicidal ideation, posing a threat of
      self-harm to the patient or to other persons and evoking other life-threatening
      conditions. Emergency psychiatry also plays a role in collective injuries, such
      as mass disasters, catastrophes and rampage situations. There is some evidence
      that the number of psychiatric emergencies is increasing. Reasons are, among
      others, changes in the services provided for inpatient and outpatient treatment,
      a reduction in stabilizing psychosocial factors and a general increase in the
      utilization of emergency healthcare services.

PMID- 26099497
TI  - [Diagnosis and differential diagnostics of acute and emergency psychiatric
      situations].
AB  - Psychiatric emergency situations are common, not only in psychiatric clinics but
      also in other medical disciplines or the general emergency room. It is crucial
      for every medical doctor to be able to recognize acute psychiatric symptoms and
      appreciate them as parts of different medical conditions. This article presents
      six important acute psychiatric symptoms with reference to the underlying
      differential diagnosis. 

PMID- 26099498
TI  - [Multiple sclerosis and microbiota. From genome to metagenome?].
AB  - The individual risk of contracting multiple sclerosis (MS) is determined by
      genetic predisposition as well as environmental factors. In monozygotic twins the
      concordance rate for MS is approximately 30 % indicating that environmental
      factors are even more important than genetic factors. Observations in a T-cell
      receptor-transgenic, spontaneous mouse model strongly point to an important
      contribution of the individual gut microbiome (microbiota). Mice maintained in a
      germ-free environment are completely protected from experimental autoimmune
      encephalomyelitis (EAE) in this model, whereas mice that are kept under normal
      conditions spontaneously develop a relapsing-remitting central nervous system
      (CNS) disease which is astoundingly similar to human MS. It appears that the
      autoimmune reaction against CNS tissue is "remotely controlled" by the gut
      microbiota. This may be explained by the facts that the microbiota influences the
      gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) and, vice versa, the GALT regulates
      systemic immunity. The precise role of the microbiota in MS remains to be
      clarified. New methods of DNA sequencing and bioinformatics allow the analysis of
      very complex bacterial metagenomes. If individual microbial risk profiles can be
      identified this would provide completely new perspectives for the prophylaxis and
      therapy of MS. 

PMID- 26099500
TI  - [Calculating personnel allocation at 100 % implementation of the Psychiatry
      Personnel Act. Can it be done on the basis of existing routine data?].
AB  - From 1 January 2019, after completion of the convergence phase, the Psychiatry
      Personnel Act (Psych-PV) will no longer be the basis of budget negotiations of
      psychiatric hospitals and departments with the health insurance funds in Germany.
      Instead, the new compounding remuneration system for psychiatric and
      psychosomatic inpatient institutions (PEPP) will provide a new framework. The
      Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss, G-BA) has been given the
      task of elaborating a directive on the basis of the expiring Psych-PV in order to
      redefine standards for personnel allocation within this new framework. This task
      presupposes the existence of reliable data in the psychiatric hospitals and
      departments for categorizing patients following the Psych-PV. It presupposes
      further that these data allow an exact calculation of the personnel to which the
      clinics are entitled. This article shows that the so-called S-21 dataset from the
      database of the VIPP project (indicators of patient care in psychiatric and
      psychosomatic facilities) allows this calculation. The VIPP dataset was used as a
      basis to calculate the personnel requirements. Exemplary analyses illustrate that
      the information available regarding the Psych-PV can be transformed in minutes
      per day, minutes per month and full time positions. Therefore, this information
      would also be available to the Institute for the Hospital Remuneration System
      (InEK). 

PMID- 26099499
TI  - [Experiences of stigma and discrimination in patients with first-episode
      schizophrenia].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with mental illnesses, especially with schizophrenia, suffer
      from stigma and discrimination. In addition, the stigma is a barrier to
      recognising and treating patients with first-episode psychosis; however, a self
      rating instrument that assesses the general burden due to stigma experiences is
      still lacking. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of N = 48 patients with first
      episode schizophrenia who were participants in the multicenter first-episode
      (long-term) study within the German Research Network on Schizophrenia, completed
      a newly developed self-rating questionnaire to assess the burden due to stigma
      experiences (B-STE). The following variables were analyzed as possible
      correlates: psychopathology (CGI, PANSS, CDSS and HAM-D), global functioning
      (GAF), social adjustment (SAS), self-esteem (FSKN), as well as quality of life
      (LQLP), subjective well-being under neuroleptic treatment (SWN) and anticipated
      stigma (PDDQ). RESULTS: Of the participants 25 % showed an increased burden due
      to stigma experiences, which correlated with a lower quality of life, lower
      subjective well-being under neuroleptic treatment, lower self-esteem and higher
      anticipated stigma. The results indicate that patients rated higher on the CGI
      scale who are at the same time better socially adjusted (SAS), are more intensely
      affected by the burden due to stigma experiences. CONCLUSION: The short self
      rating instrument burden due to stigma experiences (B-STE) can help to identify
      patients who might benefit from therapeutic or educational interventions to
      support coping with stigma experiences.

PMID- 26099501
TI  - Acute kidney injury after open ventral hernia repair: an analysis of the 2005
      2012 ACS-NSQIP datasets.
AB  - PURPOSE: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious postoperative complication,
      negatively impacting mortality rates, extending length of stay, and raising
      hospital costs. The purpose of this study was to examine AKI following open
      ventral hernia repair (OVHR) using a large, heterogeneous database to determine
      the incidence and identify risk factors for this complication. METHODS: Using the
      2005-2012 ACS-NSQIP database, patients undergoing open ventral hernia repair were
      identified by CPT codes. Patients with acute kidney injury within 30 days of
      surgery were compared to controls by multivariate logistic regression across
      preoperative and intraoperative characteristics. RESULTS: Of 48,629 open ventral
      hernia repair patients identified in the dataset, AKI developed in 1.4% (681
      patients). Multivariate logistic regression determined a number of factors
      associated with AKI. These include WHO Class III obesity (OR = 2.57, p < 0.001),
      history of cardiovascular disease (OR = 1.81, p < 0.001), diabetes (OR = 1.29, p
      = 0.028), hypoalbuminemia (OR = 1.42, p = 0.004), and chronic kidney disease (for
      a baseline GFR of 60-89 mL/min/1.73 m2, OR = 1.62, p = 0.001; for 30-59
      mL/min/1.73 m2, OR = 2.25, p < 0.001; for 15-29 mL/min/1.73 m2, OR = 4.96, p <
      0.001). Intraoperative factors include prolonged operative time (for >=1 SD above
      the mean, OR = 1.68, p = 0.002; for >=2SD above the mean, OR = 2.76, p < 0.001)
      and intraoperative transfusion (OR = 2.44, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with
      a history of obesity, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular history, diabetes,
      and hypoalbuminemia are at increased risk for AKI when undergoing OVHR.
      Intraoperative variables such as prolonged operative times and blood transfusions
      may also suggest increased risk. Preoperative identification of patients with
      these characteristics and perioperative hemodynamic stabilization are important
      first steps to minimize this complication.

PMID- 26099502
TI  - Synthesis, characterization and theoretical calculations of (1,2
      diaminocyclohexane)(1,3-diaminopropane)gold(III) chloride complexes: in vitro
      cytotoxic evaluations against human cancer cell lines.
AB  - The gold(III) complexes of the type (1,2-diaminocyclohexane)(1,3
      diaminopropane)gold(III) chloride, [(DACH)Au(pn)]Cl3, [where DACH = cis-, trans
      1,2- and S,S-1,2-diaminocyclohexane and pn = 1,3-diaminopropane] have been
      synthesized and characterized using various spectroscopic and analytical
      techniques including elemental analysis, UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopy; solution
      as well as solid-state NMR measurements. The solid-state (13)C NMR shows that 1,2
      diaminocyclohexane (1,2-DACH) and 1,3-diaminopropane (pn) are strongly bound to
      the gold(III) center via N donor atoms. The stability of the mixed diamine ligand
      gold(III) was checked by UV-Vis spectroscopy and NMR measurements. The molecular
      structure of compound 1 (containing cis-1,2-DACH) was determined by X-ray
      diffraction analysis. The structure of 1 consists of [(cis-DACH)Au(pn)](3+)
      complex ion and chloride counter ions. Each gold atom in the complex ion adopts a
      distorted square-planar geometry. The structural details and relative stabilities
      of the four possible isomers of the complexes were also estimated at the
      B3LYP/LANL2DZ level of theoretical calculations. The computational study
      demonstrates that trans- conformations are slightly more stable than the cis-
      conformations. The antiproliferative effects and cytotoxic properties of the
      mixed ligand gold(III) complexes were evaluated in vitro on human gastric SGC7901
      and prostate PC3 cancer cells using MTT assay. The antiproliferative study of the
      gold(III) complexes on PC3 and SGC7901 cells indicate that complex 3 (containing
      1S,2S-(+)-1,2-(DACH)) is the most effective antiproliferative agent. The IC50
      data reveal that the in vitro cytotoxicity of complex 3 against SGC7901 cancer
      cells manifested similar and very pronounced cytotoxic effects with respect to
      cisplatin. Moreover, the electrochemical behavior, and the interaction of complex
      3 with two well-known model proteins, namely, hen egg white lysozyme and bovine
      serum albumin is also reported. 

PMID- 26099503
TI  - Overexpression of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B impairs glucose-stimulated
      insulin secretion in INS-1 cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) has been implicated as a
      negative regulator of insulin signaling. We reported previously that impaired
      glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in rats fed high-fat diet was
      associated with higher PTP1B protein levels in islets. The aim of the present
      study was to investigate the effect of increasing PTP1B on insulin secretion in
      beta-cells. METHODS: INS-1 cells were transduced with recombinant adenoviruses
      containing human PTP1B cDNA (Ad-PTP1B), or no exogenous gene (Ad-ctrl). The
      expression levels of PTP1B, insulin receptor (IR), insulin receptor substrate
      1(IRS-1), glucokinase and glucose transporter-2 were evaluated by Western blot.
      Then insulin-stimulated IR and IRS tyrosine phosphorylation, and Akt pathway
      activation were measured. GSIS was also performed to evaluate INS-1 cells
      function. RESULTS: PTP1B expression level was increased 5.9-fold at 48h post
      transduction. The overexpression of PTP1B had no effect on proliferation and
      apoptosis of INS-1 cells. Compared with control cells, INS-1 cells overexpressing
      PTP1B showed decrease in insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of the
      insulin receptor (IR) and insulin receptor substrate-1(IRS-1) by 56.4% and 53.1%,
      respectively. In addition, Akt phosphorylation was reduced 59.6%. Moreover, in Ad
      PTP1B-transduced cells, 16.7mM glucose caused a 1.6+/-0.2 fold increase (vs.
      3.9+/-0.7 fold in nontransduced cells) in insulin secretion relative to secretion
      at 2.8mM glucose. Further analysis determined that overexpression of PTP1B
      induced down-regulated expression of glucokinase (42%) and glucose transporter-2
      (48%). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that overexpression of PTP1B can
      inhibit GSIS in INS-1 cells through negatively regulating insulin signaling.

PMID- 26099504
TI  - Graphical message transmission using the monotonic vibration function of a smart
      phone.
AB  - This study aimed at evaluating four vibrotactile capabilities for perceiving
      graphical information presented on a smart phone. Thirty-two blindfolded college
      students participated in four experiments to test their capabilities of two-point
      discrimination, relative and absolute judgments of line thickness, and
      recognition of basic shapes. All the information was received through the default
      vibration function of the phone, sensed by their scanning fingers. The results
      showed a good two-point discrimination accuracy rate, reaching 98.8% when the
      distance between two points was set at 3.2 mm; the relative judgment of line
      thickness reached the level of 78.3% accuracy when the two-line width difference
      ratio was set at 3%; the absolute judgment reached the level of 78.8% when the
      participants recognised line thickness from one of two. Overall, especially for
      the shapes judgment, the information transmitted by the various codes may be
      quite low. These findings should inspire advanced investigations and provide
      design guidelines. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: This study tested four vibrotactile
      capabilities for perception of graphical information when solely using the
      monotonic vibration function of a smart phone. The results show low information
      transmission. These findings encourage advanced investigations of new coding
      systems so that relevant mobile applications could be developed to help the
      visually impaired.

PMID- 26099505
TI  - Redox status of high-mobility group box 1 performs a dual role in angiogenesis of
      colorectal carcinoma.
AB  - During inflammation, high-mobility group box 1 in reduced all-thiol form (at
      HMGB1) takes charge of chemoattractant activity, whereas only disulfide-HMGB1 (ds
      HMGB1) has cytokine activity. Also as pro-angiogenic inducer, the role of HMGB1
      in different redox states has never been defined in tumour angiogenesis. To
      verify which redox states of HMGB1 induces angiogenesis in colorectal carcinoma.
      To measure the expression of VEGF-A and angiogenic properties of the endothelial
      cells (ECs), at-HMGB1 or ds-HMGB1 was added to cell medium, further with their
      special inhibitors (DPH1.1 mAb and 2G7 mAb) and antibodies of corresponding
      receptors (RAGE Ab and TLR4 Ab). Also, a co-culture system and conditioned medium
      from tumour cells were applied to mimic tumour microenvironment. HMGB1 triggered
      VEGF-A secretion mainly through its disulfide form interacting with TLR4, while
      co-operation of at-HMGB1 and RAGE mediated migratory capacity of ECs. Functional
      inhibition of HMGB1 and its receptors abrogated HMGB1-induced angiogenic
      properties of ECs co-cultured with tumour cells. HMGB1 orchestrates the key
      events of tumour angiogenesis, migration of ECs and their induction to secrete
      VEGF-A, by adopting distinct redox states. 

PMID- 26099506
TI  - Quantification of Dynamic [18F]FDG Pet Studies in Acute Lung Injury.
AB  - PURPOSE: This work aims to investigate lung glucose metabolism using 2-deoxy-2
      [(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose ([(18)F]FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging
      in acute lung injury (ALI) patients. PROCEDURES: Eleven ALI patients and five
      healthy controls underwent a dynamic [(18)F]FDG PET/X-ray computed tomography
      (CT) scan. The standardized uptake values (SUV) and three different methods for
      the quantification of glucose metabolism (i.e., ratio, Patlak, and spectral
      analysis iterative filter, SAIF) were applied both at the region and the voxel
      levels. RESULTS: SUV reported a lower correlation than the ratio with the net
      tracer uptake. Patlak and SAIF analyses did not show any significant spatial or
      quantitative (R(2) > 0.80) difference. The additional information provided by
      SAIF showed that in lung inflammation, elevated tracer uptake is coupled with
      abnormal tracer exchanges within and between lung tissue compartments.
      CONCLUSIONS: Full kinetic modeling provides a multi-parametric description of
      glucose metabolism in the lungs. This allows characterizing the spatial
      distribution of lung inflammation as well as returning the functional state of
      the tissues.

PMID- 26099507
TI  - High-resolution brain SPECT imaging by combination of parallel and tilted
      detector heads.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To improve the spatial resolution of brain single-photon emission
      computed tomography (SPECT), we propose a new brain SPECT system in which the
      detector heads are tilted towards the rotation axis so that they are closer to
      the brain. In addition, parallel detector heads are used to obtain the complete
      projection data set. We evaluated this parallel and tilted detector head system
      (PT-SPECT) in simulations. METHODS: In the simulation study, the tilt angle of
      the detector heads relative to the axis was 45 degrees . The distance from the
      collimator surface of the parallel detector heads to the axis was 130 mm. The
      distance from the collimator surface of the tilted detector heads to the origin
      on the axis was 110 mm. A CdTe semiconductor panel with a 1.4 mm detector pitch
      and a parallel-hole collimator were employed in both types of detector head. A
      line source phantom, cold-rod brain-shaped phantom, and cerebral blood flow
      phantom were evaluated. The projection data were generated by forward-projection
      of the phantom images using physics models, and Poisson noise at clinical levels
      was applied to the projection data. The ordered-subsets expectation maximization
      algorithm with physics models was used. We also evaluated conventional SPECT
      using four parallel detector heads for the sake of comparison. RESULTS: The
      evaluation of the line source phantom showed that the transaxial FWHM in the
      central slice for conventional SPECT ranged from 6.1 to 8.5 mm, while that for PT
      SPECT ranged from 5.3 to 6.9 mm. The cold-rod brain-shaped phantom image showed
      that conventional SPECT could visualize up to 8-mm-diameter rods. By contrast, PT
      SPECT could visualize up to 6-mm-diameter rods in upper slices of a cerebrum. The
      cerebral blood flow phantom image showed that the PT-SPECT system provided higher
      resolution at the thalamus and caudate nucleus as well as at the longitudinal
      fissure of the cerebrum compared with conventional SPECT. CONCLUSION: PT-SPECT
      provides improved image resolution at not only upper but also at central slices
      of the cerebrum.

PMID- 26099508
TI  - Dynamic Charge Carrier Trapping in Quantum Dot Field Effect Transistors.
AB  - Noncrystalline semiconductor materials often exhibit hysteresis in charge
      transport measurements whose mechanism is largely unknown. Here we study the
      dynamics of charge injection and transport in PbS quantum dot (QD) monolayers in
      a field effect transistor (FET). Using Kelvin probe force microscopy, we measured
      the temporal response of the QDs as the channel material in a FET following step
      function changes of gate bias. The measurements reveal an exponential decay of
      mobile carrier density with time constants of 3-5 s for holes and ~10 s for
      electrons. An Ohmic behavior, with uniform carrier density, was observed along
      the channel during the injection and transport processes. These slow, uniform
      carrier trapping processes are reversible, with time constants that depend
      critically on the gas environment. We propose that the underlying mechanism is
      some reversible electrochemical process involving dissociation and diffusion of
      water and/or oxygen related species. These trapping processes are dynamically
      activated by the injected charges, in contrast with static electronic traps whose
      presence is independent of the charge state. Understanding and controlling these
      processes is important for improving the performance of electronic,
      optoelectronic, and memory devices based on disordered semiconductors. 

PMID- 26099509
TI  - Valorization of cruor slaughterhouse by-product by enzymatic hydrolysis for the
      production of antibacterial peptides: focus on alpha 1-32 family peptides
      mechanism and kinetics modeling.
AB  - Bovine hemoglobin is the major component of the cruor (slaughterhouse by-product)
      and can be considered as an important source of active peptides that could be
      obtained by pepsic hydrolysis. The kinetics of appearance and disappearance of
      several antibacterial peptides from alpha 1-32 family during hydrolysis of
      synthesized alpha 1-32 peptide, of purified bovine hemoglobin and of cruor was
      studied, and reaction scheme for the hydrolysis of alpha 1-32 family peptides
      from these three sources was determined. On this basis, a mathematical model was
      proposed to predict the concentration of each peptide of interest of this family
      depending on hydrolysis time, and also on temperature (in the range 15-37 
      degrees C), pH (in the range 3.5-5.5) and enzyme to substrate ratio (in the range
      1/50-1/200 for the synthesized peptide and 1/5-1/20 for purified bovine
      hemoglobin and cruor). Apparent rate constants of reactions were determined by
      applying the model on a set of experimental data and it was shown that they
      depended on the temperature according to Arrhenius's law, that their dependence
      on the pH was linear, and that enzyme to substrate ratio influence was limited
      (in the studied range).

PMID- 26099510
TI  - Accelerated activation of the coagulation pathway during cardiopulmonary bypass
      in aortic replacement surgery: a prospective observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Any form of surgery or tissue damage causes release of tissue factor
      into the circulation. This may lead to the accelerated consumption of coagulation
      factors, resulting in severe consumptive coagulopathy. In this study, we compared
      the molecular markers involved in coagulation activation during cardiopulmonary
      bypass (CPB) between patients who underwent aortic replacement surgery and those
      who underwent valve surgery. METHODS: This prospective observational study was
      performed in each 14 patients who underwent aortic replacement surgery or valve
      surgery. We evaluated the differences in the levels of fibrinogen, activated
      factor VII (FVIIa), thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), and soluble fibrin
      monomer complex (SFMC) during surgery between these two groups. RESULTS: The
      change in fibrinogen levels showed no difference between the groups. The
      magnitude of increase in TAT was much larger in patients who underwent aortic
      replacement surgery than in those who underwent valve surgery (173.6 vs. 49.4
      ng/mL; p = 0.0001). More importantly, the elevation of FVIIa was significantly
      higher in patients who underwent aortic replacement (28.5 vs. 19.0 mU/mL; p =
      0.0122). The magnitude of increase in SFMC was also larger in the aortic
      replacement surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The activation of coagulation during CPB was
      dramatically higher in the aortic replacement surgery compared with the valve
      surgery, probably owing to the activation of the extrinsic coagulation pathway in
      the former. This could potentially exacerbate consumptive coagulopathy after CPB
      termination in patients who underwent aortic replacement, possibly resulting in
      massive hemorrhage due to impaired hemostasis.

PMID- 26099511
TI  - Safety and efficacy of anti-PCSK9 antibodies: a meta-analysis of 25 randomized,
      controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inhibition of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9)
      has been intensively studied to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)
      levels. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the safety and efficacy
      of anti-PCSK9 antibodies in randomized, controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS:
      PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL databases, and recent conferences were searched. Safety
      outcomes were rates of common adverse events. Efficacy outcomes included
      percentages of LDL-C lowering and other lipid changes compared with placebo and
      ezetimibe, respectively. RESULTS: Twenty-five RCTs encompassing 12,200 patients
      were included. The rates of common adverse events were firstly reported in our
      study by pooling together all evidence in RCTs, showing largely no significant
      difference between anti-PCSK9 antibodies and placebo (or ezetimibe), except that
      alirocumab was associated with reduced rates of death (relative risk (RR): 0.43,
      95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.19 to 0.96, P = 0.04) and an increased rate of
      injection-site reactions (RR: 1.48, 95 % CI: 1.05 to 2.09, P = 0.02); evolocumab
      reduced the rate of abnormal liver function (RR: 0.43, 95 % CI: 0.20 to 0.93, P =
      0.03), both compared with placebo. No significant difference in safety outcomes
      was detected between monthly 420 mg and biweekly 140 mg evolocumab treatments.
      Monthly 420 mg evolocumab treatment significantly reduced LDL-C by -54.6 % (95 %
      CI: -58.7 to -50.5 %) and by absolute -78.9 mg/dl (95 % CI: -88.9 to -68.9 mg/dl)
      versus placebo, and by -36.3 % (95 % CI: -38.8 to -33.9 %) versus ezetimibe, and
      increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) by 7.6 % (95 % CI: 5.7 to
      9.5 %) versus placebo and 6.4 % (95 % CI: 4.3 to 8.4 %) versus ezetimibe. An
      equal or even greater change was observed following biweekly 140 mg
      administration. Significant and favorable changes were also detected in other
      lipids following evolocumab treatment. Biweekly 50 to 150 mg alirocumab lowered
      LDL-C by -52.6 % (95 % CI: -58.2 to -47.0 %) versus placebo, by -29.9 % (95 % CI:
      -32.9 to -26.9 %) versus ezetimibe, and increased HDL-C by 8.0 % (95 % CI: 4.2 to
      11.7 %) versus placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Evolocumab and alirocumab were safe and well
      tolerated from our most-powered analyses. Both antibodies substantially reduced
      the LDL-C level by over 50 %, increased the HDL-C level, and resulted in
      favorable changes in other lipids.

PMID- 26099512
TI  - Supervised oral protein supplementation during dialysis in patients with elevated
      C-reactive protein levels: a two phase, longitudinal, single center, open labeled
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inflammation is considered one of the major causes of protein-energy
      wasting in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. It is unclear whether dietary
      interventions can impact nutritional status and quality of life in MHD patients
      with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Therefore, we examined the
      hypothesis that supervised intra-dialysis protein supplementation in MHD patients
      with elevated plasma CRP will improve protein stores and quality of life.
      METHODS: A 24 week, two phase, longitudinal, single center, open labeled study of
      50 MHD patients with plasma CRP > 3 mg/L was conducted. During the 12-week
      observation phase dietary advice was provided to increase protein intake to 1.2
      g/kg/day. In the 12-week treatment phase 45 g of liquid protein supplement was
      provided at each dialysis treatment. Protein nitrogen appearance (PNA), mid-arm
      muscle circumference (MAMC), serum albumin, body mass index (BMI) and quality of
      life (assessed by Short Form-12 questionnaire) were measured at baseline, 12 and
      24 weeks. RESULTS: Median plasma CRP at baseline was 16.0 (IQR 7.7 to 25.1) mg/L.
      The mean MAMC was 26.5 +/- 3.9 cm, BMI 29.2 +/- 6.9 kg/m(2) and plasma albumin
      3.8 +/- 0.3 g/dl. During the intervention period, mean PNA increased by 0.13
      g/kg/d (p = 0.01) under a mixed effects model. However, there were no clinically
      or statistically significant effects on MAMC (p = 0.87), plasma albumin (p =
      0.70), BMI (p = 0.09), physical (p = 0.32) or mental (p = 0.96) composite scores.
      CONCLUSIONS: In MHD patients with elevated plasma CRP but otherwise mostly normal
      nutritional parameters, intra-dialytic oral protein supplement was effective in
      increasing protein intake but did not provide a detectable impact on nutritional
      status or quality of life.

PMID- 26099513
TI  - Study of genetic variability in Vitis vinifera L. germplasm by high-throughput
      Vitis18kSNP array: the case of Georgian genetic resources.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Georgia, in the Caucasian region, is considered the first
      domestication centre of grapevine. This country is characterized by high
      morphological variability of cultivated (Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sativa (DC.)
      Hegi) and wild (Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris (Gmel.) Hegi) compartments.
      The main objective of this study was to investigate the level of genetic
      diversity obtained by the novel custom Vitis18kSNP array, in order to analyse 71
      grapevine accessions representative of wild and cultivated Georgian germplasms.
      RESULTS: The number of loci successfully amplified was 15,317 out of 18,775 SNP
      and 79 % of loci resulted polymorphic. Sixty-eight unique profiles were
      identified, 42 for the sativa and 26 for the sylvestris compartment. Cluster
      analysis highlighted two main groups, one for cultivars and another for wild
      individuals, while a genetic structure according to accession taxonomic status
      and cultivar geographical origin was revealed by multivariate analysis,
      differentiating clearly the genotypes into 3 main groups, two groups including
      cultivars and one for wild individuals, even though a considerable overlapping
      area was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Pattern of genetic diversity structure presented
      an additional proof that grapevine domestication events took place in the
      Caucasian region contributing to the crop evolution. Our results demonstrated a
      moderate differentiation between sativa and sylvestris compartments, even though
      a connection between several samples of both subspecies may be assumed for the
      occurrence of cross hybridization events among native wild populations and the
      cultivated accessions. Nevertheless, first degree relationships have not been
      discovered between wild and cultivated individuals.

PMID- 26099514
TI  - Erratum to: The effect of postoperative wound infections on functional outcome
      following intra-articular calcaneal fractures.
AB  - Erratum to: Arch Orthop Trauma Surg DOI 10.1007/s00402-015-2219-5. The original
      version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake and has been corrected.
      The fourth author J. Carel Goslings' family name has been published incorrectly.
      The correct family name should be Goslings.

PMID- 26099515
TI  - Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Rivaroxaban in the Secondary Prevention of Acute
      Coronary Syndromes in Sweden.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Worldwide, coronary heart disease accounts for 7 million deaths each
      year. In Sweden, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a leading cause of
      hospitalization and is responsible for 1 in 4 deaths. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this
      analysis was to assess the cost-effectiveness of rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily
      (BID) in combination with standard antiplatelet therapy (ST-APT) versus ST-APT
      alone, for the secondary prevention of ACS in adult patients with elevated
      cardiac biomarkers without a prior history of stroke/transient ischemic attack
      (TIA), from a Swedish societal perspective, based on clinical data from the
      global ATLAS ACS 2-TIMI 51 trial, literature-based quality of life data and costs
      sourced from Swedish national databases. METHODS: A Markov model was developed to
      capture rates of single and multiple myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic and
      hemorrhagic stroke, thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) major, minor,
      and "requiring medical attention" bleeds, revascularization events, and
      associated costs and utilities in patients who were stabilized after an initial
      ACS event. Efficacy and safety data for the first 2 years came from the ATLAS ACS
      2-TIMI 51 trial. Long-term probabilities were extrapolated using safety and
      effectiveness of acetylsalicylic acid data, which was estimated from published
      literature, assuming constant rates in time. Future cost and effects were
      discounted at 3.0%. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were
      conducted. RESULTS: In the base case, the use of rivaroxaban 2.5 mg BID was
      associated with improvements in survival and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs),
      yielding an incremental cost per QALY of 71,246 Swedish Krona (SEK) (?8045). The
      outcomes were robust to changes in inputs. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis
      demonstrated rivaroxaban 2.5 mg BID to be cost-effective in >99.9% of cases,
      assuming a willingness-to-pay threshold of SEK 500,000 (?56,458). CONCLUSION:
      Compared with ST-APT alone, the use of rivaroxaban 2.5 mg BID in combination with
      ST-APT can be considered a cost-effective treatment option for ACS patients with
      elevated cardiac biomarkers without a prior history of stroke/TIA in Sweden.
      FUNDING: Bayer Pharma AG.

PMID- 26099516
TI  - Consumer Quality Index Chronic Skin Disease (CQI-CSD): a new instrument to
      measure quality of care from the patient's perspective.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Assessing quality of care from the patient's perspective is
      considered to be highly relevant. As a standardized instrument in dermatology was
      lacking, we developed a patient experience questionnaire regarding chronic skin
      disease care: the Consumer Quality Index Chronic Skin Disease (CQI-CSD).
      OBJECTIVES: (i) To evaluate the dimensional structure of the CQI-CSD, (ii) to
      assess its ability to distinguish between hospitals according to patients'
      experiences with quality of care, (iii) to explore patients' experiences with
      dermatological care and priorities for quality improvement according to the
      patients, and (iv) to optimize the questionnaire based on psychometric results
      and stakeholders' input. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study 5647 adult patients
      who received dermatological care in the past 12 months in 20 hospitals were
      randomly selected and invited to fill out the questionnaire. RESULTS: Overall
      1160 of 3989 eligible respondents (29% response rate, 30-87 per hospital) were
      included for analysis. The CQI-CSD comprised seven scales with high internal
      consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.74-0.92). The instrument's discriminative power
      was limited. Patients were positive about the care provided by nurses and
      doctors, but the provision of information by healthcare providers, accessibility
      of care and patient involvement could be improved. We optimized the CQI-CSD,
      resulting in a revised questionnaire containing 65 items. CONCLUSIONS: In
      conclusion, the CQI-CSD is a useful instrument to measure patient experiences
      with dermatological care.

PMID- 26099517
TI  - Pachygyria, seizures, hypotonia, and growth retardation in a patient with an
      atypical 1.33Mb inherited microduplication at 22q11.23.
AB  - 22q11.2 microduplication syndrome was recently described as a new disorder with
      variable clinical features that ranged from normal to mental retardation and with
      congenital defects. According to published reports, majority of patients with
      22q11.2 duplications inherit these from unaffected parents rather than by de novo
      mutations, which is different from most microduplication/microdeletion syndromes.
      In this study, we report a patient that carried a paternally inherited atypical
      1.33Mb duplication at 22q11.23. The proband (or proposita) presented with
      hypotonia, feeding difficulties, intractable epilepsy, hearing disability, and
      pachygyria. A pachygyria phenotype had not been previously reported to be
      associated with a 22q11 microduplication syndrome. Cytogenetic and molecular
      genetic analyses based on standard G-banding, SNP array, and fluorescence in situ
      hybridization were performed for the proband and her parents. An atypical 1.33Mb
      duplication at 22q11.23 was detected in both the proband and her father. Thus,
      our findings verify the pathogenicity and diverse phenotypes of 22q11.2
      microduplication and expand its phenotypic spectrum.

PMID- 26099518
TI  - MOST+: A de novo motif finding approach combining genomic sequence and
      heterogeneous genome-wide signatures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Motifs are regulatory elements that will activate or inhibit the
      expression of related genes when proteins (such as transcription factors, TFs)
      bind to them. Therefore, motif finding is important to understand the mechanisms
      of gene regulation. De novo discovery of regulatory elements, like transcription
      factor binding sites (TFBSs), has long been a major challenge to gain insight on
      mechanisms of gene regulation. Recent advances in experimental profiling of
      genome-wide signals such as histone modifications and DNase I hypersensitivity
      sites allow scientists to develop better computational methods to enhance motif
      discovery. However, existing methods for motif finding suffer from high false
      positive rates and slow speed, and it's difficult to evaluate the performance of
      these methods systematically. RESULT: Here we present MOST+, a motif finder
      integrating genomic sequences and genome-wide signals such as intensity and shape
      features from histone modification marks and DNase I hypersensitivity sites, to
      improve the prediction accuracy. MOST+ can detect motifs from a large input
      sequence of about 100 Mbs within a few minutes. Systematic comparison method has
      been established and MOST+ has been compared with existing methods. CONCLUSION:
      MOST+ is a fast and accurate de novo method for motif finding by integrating
      genomic sequence and experimental signals as clues.

PMID- 26099519
TI  - Systemic Lupus Erythematosus--A Disease with A Dysregulated Type I Interferon
      System.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex systemic autoimmune disease
      characterized by the loss of tolerance to nuclear antigens, immune complex
      formation and inflammation in multiple organs. The disease is very heterogeneous,
      and most clinicians consider SLE as a group of diseases with similar features
      where the pathogenesis is driven by a combination of genetic and environmental
      factors. One of the most prominent features, shared by the majority of patients
      with SLE, is a continuous activation of the type I interferon (IFN) system, which
      manifests as increased serum levels of IFNalpha and/or an increased expression of
      type I IFN-induced genes, a so-called type I IFN signature. The mechanisms behind
      this IFN signature have partly been clarified during recent years, although the
      exact function of the IFN-regulated genes in the disease process is unclear. In
      this review, we will describe the type I IFN system and its regulation and
      summarize the numerous findings implicating an important ethiopathogenic role of
      a dysregulated type I IFN system in SLE. Furthermore, strategies to
      therapeutically target the type I IFN system that are currently evaluated
      preclinically and in clinical trials will be mentioned. 

PMID- 26099520
TI  - Safety of daily ethanol locks for urinary catheters in critically ill children: a
      pilot study.
AB  - Catheter-associated urinary tract infections represent a significant medical
      burden in critically ill children. Ethanol locks have been shown to be effective
      and safe for central line-associated bloodstream infection prevention and we
      propose utilizing this strategy for urinary catheters. Because this has never
      been done, we evaluated its safety with a pilot study hypothesizing that ethanol
      locks in urinary catheters would result in negligible alcohol absorption and
      negligible irritation of the bladder. 

PMID- 26099522
TI  - [Nursing role in reporting adverse drug reactions].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The spontaneous report system, in which suspected adverse drug
      reaction (ADR) are reported by healthcare workers, is currently one of the
      primary methods to prevent and discover new and serious ADR to marketed medicinal
      products. The collaboration of nursing professionals with this task makes it
      possible to improve patient safety and to reduce ADR costs. Although a total of
      781 cases of ADR cases were reported in Navarra in 2011, only 7.33% were reported
      by nurses. The objectives werw to determine the factors that influence nurses in
      reporting of ADR, and second, to devise strategies which help to increase
      reporting. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A bibliographic search for articles that
      included the words: reacciones adversas medicamentosas (adverse drug reactions),
      notificacion (reporting) and enfermeria (nursing) was conducted using the PubMed
      and Cinhal databases. A total of 107 articles were retrieved, of which 27 were
      selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS: The conclusion
      learned by reading and analyzing the selected articles was that the factors that
      affect the notification depend on the attitude of the notifier, as well as
      personal and professional factors. The main strategies to encourage notification
      are education and training, motivation, and the availability of facilitating
      tools. CONCLUSIONS: The main factors that have an influence on under-notification
      are the lack of knowledge and motivation among professionals. To solve the
      problem of under-notification, the main actions and strategies to undertake are
      education, motivation and persistence.

PMID- 26099521
TI  - [Perspective of nursing students on the communication and apologies to patients
      for adverse events: a descriptive study].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the approach to the communication and blame of an adverse
      by nursing students. METHOD: A descriptive study on disclosure and apologies for
      adverse events by nursing students in the academic years 2011-12 and 2012-13. The
      study included group discussion and drafting a written communication to the
      injured patient about adverse events during hospitalization. An ad hoc checklist
      was used and an analysis was performed on items related to the disclosure and
      apologies issues. RESULTS: A total of 126 nursing students were involved, and
      they created 21 written The facts about adverse events were reported in 81% of
      written communications, and 47.1% chose an abbreviated disclosure of the facts
      with no detailed explanation of adverse events. The facts were accurately
      reproduced in only 9.5% of written communications to the patients. One third
      (33.3%) apologized for the mistakes, and 47.6% required that the communication
      was signed by the Management. All (100%) of the nursing students chose not to
      report the health professionals who had participated during the events.
      CONCLUSIONS: There is a fear to acknowledge errors within health centers. It is
      recommended that tools are developed for these future nursing professionals to
      make an open and honest disclosure of adverse events, as well as the apologies
      for them.

PMID- 26099523
TI  - Humeral torsion does not dictate shoulder position, but does influence throwing
      speed.

PMID- 26099524
TI  - Pre- and post-training evaluation of dental efficacy and activation measures in
      carers of adults with disabilities in South Australia - a pilot study.
AB  - The aim of this pilot study was to train carers to provide oral care for adults
      with disabilities and to evaluate the training programme. Forty-one carers of 103
      care recipients from three disability organisations in South Australia were
      trained in providing oral care for adults with disabilities (April 2013-April
      2014). The training included an oral presentation and practical session by a
      special needs dentist on completing oral health assessments (OHA), developing
      oral healthcare plans, providing oral hygiene care and assessing the need for
      dental referral. Continued support was provided via home visits by dental
      hygienists for the first 2 months and a dentist visit at 3 months. At 6 months,
      agreement on OHAs between the dentist and trained carers was assessed. Pre- and
      post-training questionnaires (at 6 months) collected information on dental
      behaviours of carers and psychosocial factors: carer activation measure-knowledge
      (CAM-Knowledge), carer activation measure-skills (CAM-Skills), carer activation
      measure-confidence (CAM-Confidence) and carer dental efficacy (CDE) items (carer
      diligence, self-efficacy and priority). Post-training (among 16 retained carers),
      there were significant increases in the mean scores of CAM-Knowledge and CAM
      Confidence, but not for CAM-Skills (paired-samples t-tests, alpha = 0.05). Per
      cent agreement of CDE items varied little between questionnaires. Carer-dentist
      agreement on OHAs was generally high with kappa values ranging from 0.63 for the
      assessment of gums to 1.0 for the assessment of tongue, roof of mouth, denture
      and dental pain. Further, carers were able to assess the need for referral of
      their care recipients' oral health similar to the dentist. These findings suggest
      that with combined theoretical and practical training and continued support, non
      dental professionals like carers can improve their knowledge and confidence in
      providing oral care for adults with disabilities. However, the findings of this
      pilot study need to be confirmed by further research in a larger study.

PMID- 26099525
TI  - Loss of ATOH8 Increases Stem Cell Features of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Levels of atonal homolog 8 (ATOH8) are reduced in 48% of
      hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCCs). ATOH8
      downregulation is associated with loss of tumor differentiation, indicating an
      effect mediated by cancer stem cells. We investigated the effects of loss of
      ATOH8 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and cell lines. METHODS: HCC
      and adjacent nontumor tissues were collected, from 2001 through 2012, from 242
      patients undergoing hepatectomy at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center in China;
      83% of HCCs were associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. CD133(+)
      cells were isolated from tumor tissues by flow cytometry. Experiments were
      performed in HBV-positive and HBV-negative HCC cell lines, the immortalized liver
      cell line LO2, and 8 other HCC cell lines. ATOH8 was expressed from lentiviral
      vectors in PLC8024 and Huh7 cells; levels were knocked down with small
      interfering RNAs in QSG7701 cells. Cells carrying empty vectors were used as
      controls. Gene regulation by ATOH8 was assessed in mobility shift and luciferase
      reporter assays. Cells were analyzed in proliferation, foci formation, and colony
      formation assays. The tumorigenic and chemo-resistant potential of cells were
      investigated by assessing growth of xenograft tumors in immunocompromised mice.
      Metastatic features of cells were assessed in Matrigel invasion assays and wound
      healing analyses. RESULTS: Levels of ATOH8 mRNA were reduced by more than 4-fold,
      compared to nontumor tissues, in 118 of 242 HCC samples (48.8%). Patients with
      tumor reductions in ATOH8 had significantly shorter times of disease-free
      survival (mean, 41.4 months) than patients with normal tissue levels (mean, 52.6
      months). ATOH8 expression was reduced in HepG2, Huh7, PLC8024 and CRL8064 HCC
      cells, as well as CD133(+) cells isolated from human HCC samples. Transgenic
      expression of ATOH8 in HCC cell lines significantly reduced proliferation and
      foci colony formation, as well as their invasive and migratory abilities.
      Transgenic expression of ATOH8 reduced the ability of HBV-positive PLC8024 cells
      to form tumors in mice, compared to control cells. Cells with ATOH8 knockdown
      formed xenograft tumors more rapidly, in more mice, than control cells. ATOH8
      repressed transcription of stem-cell associated genes including OCT4, NANOG, and
      CD133. Knockdown of ATOH8 in CD133-negative QSG7701 cells caused them to express
      CD133; acquire self-renewal, differentiation, chemo-resistance properties; form
      more xenograft tumors in mice; and generate induced pluripotent stem cells (based
      on staining for alkaline phosphatase and their ability to form embryoid bodies
      and teratomas). Alternatively, expression of ATOH8 in PLC8024 and Huh7 cells
      significantly reduced the numbers of cells expressing CD133, and increased the
      chemo-sensitivity of Huh7 cells to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cisplatin, in vitro
      and in mice. CONCLUSIONS: ATOH8 appears to be a tumor suppressor that induces
      stem-cell features and chemoresistance in HCC cells. Strategies to restore its
      levels and activities might be developed to treat patients with liver cancer.

PMID- 26099527
TI  - Genetic Landscape and Biomarkers of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has emerged as a major cause of cancer-related
      death. Its mortality has increased in Western populations, with a minority of
      patients diagnosed at early stages, when curative treatments are feasible. Only
      the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib is available for the management of advanced
      cases. During the last 10 years, there has been a clear delineation of the
      landscape of genetic alterations in HCC, including high-level DNA amplifications
      in chromosome 6p21 (VEGFA) and 11q13 (FGF19/CNND1), as well as homozygous
      deletions in chromosome 9 (CDKN2A). The most frequent mutations affect TERT
      promoter (60%), associated with an increased telomerase expression. TERT promoter
      can also be affected by copy number variations and hepatitis B DNA insertions,
      and it can be found mutated in preneoplastic lesions. TP53 and CTNNB1 are the
      next most prevalent mutations, affecting 25%-30% of HCC patients, that, in
      addition to low-frequency mutated genes (eg, AXIN1, ARID2, ARID1A, TSC1/TSC2,
      RPS6KA3, KEAP1, MLL2), help define some of the core deregulated pathways in HCC.
      Conceptually, some of these changes behave as prototypic oncogenic addiction
      loops, being ideal biomarkers for specific therapeutic approaches. Data from
      genomic profiling enabled a proposal of HCC in 2 major molecular clusters
      (proliferation and nonproliferation), with differential enrichment in prognostic
      signatures, pathway activation and tumor phenotype. Translation of these
      discoveries into specific therapeutic decisions is an unmet medical need in this
      field.

PMID- 26099526
TI  - Fat-Specific Protein 27/CIDEC Promotes Development of Alcoholic Steatohepatitis
      in Mice and Humans.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) is the progressive form of
      alcoholic liver disease and may lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
      We studied mouse models and human tissues to identify molecules associated with
      ASH progression and focused on the mouse fat-specific protein 27 (FSP-27)/human
      cell death-inducing DFF45-like effector C (CIDEC) protein, which is expressed in
      white adipose tissues and promotes formation of fat droplets. METHODS: C57BL/6N
      mice or mice with hepatocyte-specific disruption of Fsp27 (Fsp27(Hep-/-) mice)
      were fed the Lieber-Decarli ethanol liquid diet (5% ethanol) for 10 days to 12
      weeks, followed by 1 or multiple binges of ethanol (5 or 6 g/kg) during the
      chronic feeding. Some mice were given an inhibitor (GW9662) of peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG). Adenoviral vectors were used to
      express transgenes or small hairpin (sh) RNAs in cultured hepatocytes and in
      mice. Liver tissue samples were collected from ethanol-fed mice or from 31
      patients with alcoholic hepatitis (AH) with biopsy-proved ASH and analyzed
      histologically and immunohistochemically and by transcriptome, immunoblotting,
      and real-time PCR analyses. RESULTS: Chronic-plus-binge ethanol feeding of mice,
      which mimics the drinking pattern of patients with AH, produced severe ASH and
      mild fibrosis. Microarray analyses revealed similar alterations in expression of
      many hepatic genes in ethanol-fed mice and humans with ASH, including up
      regulation of mouse Fsp27 (also called Cidec) and human CIDEC. Fsp27(Hep-/-) mice
      and mice given injections of adenovirus-Fsp27shRNA had markedly reduced ASH
      following chronic-plus-binge ethanol feeding. Inhibition of PPARG and cyclic AMP
      responsive element binding protein H (CREBH) prevented the increases in
      Fsp27alpha and FSP27beta mRNAs, respectively, and reduced liver injury in this
      chronic-plus-binge ethanol feeding model. Overexpression of FSP27 and ethanol
      exposure had synergistic effects in inducing production of mitochondrial reactive
      oxygen species and damage to hepatocytes in mice. Hepatic CIDEC mRNA expression
      was increased in patients with AH and correlated with the degree of hepatic
      steatosis and disease severity including mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In mice, chronic
      plus-binge ethanol feeding induces ASH that mimics some histological and
      molecular features observed in patients with AH. Hepatic expression of
      FSP27/CIDEC is highly up-regulated in mice following chronic-plus-binge ethanol
      feeding and in patients with AH; this up-regulation contributes to alcohol
      induced liver damage.

PMID- 26099529
TI  - Fixed functional appliances show definite skeletal and dental changes in the
      short term.
AB  - A meta-analysis of the literature on fixed functional appliances found nine
      unique data sets (n= 418 patients, mean age = 13.2 years) that fulfilled the
      criteria. Small but statistically significant changes in SNA, SNB, and ANB
      occurred, with larger changes in the incisor angulations. The results are
      compared with a previous meta-analysis on the effects of removable functional
      appliances by the same team and discussed in regard to their implications for
      clinical practice.

PMID- 26099528
TI  - Innovative designs of point-of-care comparative effectiveness trials.
AB  - One of the provisions of the health care reform legislation in 2010 was for
      funding pragmatic clinical trials or large observational studies for comparing
      the effectiveness of different approved medical treatments, involving broadly
      representative patient populations. After reviewing pragmatic clinical trials and
      the issues and challenges that have made them just a small fraction of
      comparative effectiveness research (CER), we focus on a recent development that
      uses point-of-care (POC) clinical trials to address the issue of "knowledge
      action gap" in pragmatic CER trials. We give illustrative examples of POC-CER
      trials and describe a trial that we are currently planning to compare the
      effectiveness of newly approved oral anticoagulants. We also develop novel stage
      wise designs of information-rich POC-CER trials under competitive budget
      constraints, by using recent advances in adaptive designs and other statistical
      methodologies.

PMID- 26099530
TI  - Role of Dopamine Type 1 Receptors and Dopamine- and cAMP-Regulated Phosphoprotein
      Mr 32 kDa in Delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-Mediated Induction of DeltaFosB in the
      Mouse Forebrain.
AB  - Delta(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of
      marijuana, produces motor and motivational effects via interactions with the
      dopaminergic system in the caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens. However, the
      molecular events that underlie these interactions after THC treatment are not
      well understood. Our study shows that pretreatment with dopamine D1 receptor
      (D1R) antagonists before repeated administration of THC attenuated induction of
      Delta FBJ murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (DeltaFosB) in the nucleus
      accumbens, caudate-putamen, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex. Anatomical studies
      showed that repeated THC administration induced DeltaFosB in D1R-containing
      striatal neurons. Dopamine signaling in the striatum involves phosphorylation
      specific effects of the dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein Mr 32 kDa
      (DARPP-32), which regulates protein kinase A signaling. Genetic deletion of DARPP
      32 attenuated DeltaFosB expression measured after acute, but not repeated, THC
      administration in both the caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens. THC was then
      acutely or repeatedly administered to wild-type (WT) and DARPP-32 knockout (KO)
      mice, and in vivo responses were measured. DARPP-32 KO mice exhibited enhanced
      acute THC-mediated hypolocomotion and developed greater tolerance to this
      response relative to the WT mice. Agonist-stimulated guanosine 5'-O-(3
      [(35)S]thio)triphosphate ([(35)S]GTPgammaS) binding showed that cannabinoid
      stimulated G-protein activity did not differ between DARPP-32 KO and WT mice
      treated with vehicle or repeated THC. These results indicate that D1Rs play a
      major role in THC-mediated DeltaFosB induction in the forebrain, whereas the role
      of DARPP-32 in THC-mediated DeltaFosB induction and modulation of motor activity
      appears to be more complex. 

PMID- 26099531
TI  - Antibacterial activity of diketopiperazines isolated from a marine fungus using t
      butoxycarbonyl group as a simple tool for purification.
AB  - Nine diketopiperazines were characterized from the culture of marine fungal
      isolate MR2012 which based on DNA amplification and sequencing of the fungal
      internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was identified as Aspergillus fumigatus.
      The isolated fungal metabolites 4-12 were unambiguously identified as a series of
      simple and re-arranged diketopiperazines by analysis of spectroscopic data. t
      Butoxycarbonyl group (BOC) derivatization was used to separate the intractable
      mixture of 4 and 5. When all compounds were evaluated for antimicrobial activity
      against gram positive bacteria, the isolated metabolites showed moderate to weak
      effects, while the semisynthetic derivatives 4a and 5a displayed strong activity
      comparable to the positive control, tetracycline against gram positive bacteria. 

PMID- 26099532
TI  - Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel anti-HCV molecules that deliver
      intracellularly three highly potent NS5A inhibitors.
AB  - The design and synthesis of new non-symmetrical NS5A inhibitors with sulfur
      containing amino acids is reported along with their ability to block HCV
      replication in an HCV 1b replicon system. These compounds display EC50 values in
      the picomolar range with a large therapeutic index (>10(6)). Moreover, cellular
      pharmacology studies show that our preferred compounds intracellularly deliver
      three potent NS5A inhibitors. 

PMID- 26099533
TI  - Cytotoxic triterpene saponins from Cercodemas anceps.
AB  - Seven holostane-type triterpene saponins (1-7), including five new compounds
      namely cercodemasoides A-E (2-6), were isolated from the sea cucumber Cercodemas
      anceps. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence
      including HR ESI MS, ESI MS/MS, 1D and 2D NMR. The cytotoxic effects of isolated
      compounds were evaluated by SRB method on five human cancer cell lines including
      Hep-G2 (hepatoma cancer), KB (epidermoid carcinoma), LNCaP (prostate cancer),
      MCF7 (breast cancer), and SK-Mel2 (melanoma). Compounds 1-7 showed potent
      cytotoxicity on five tested cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 0.03
      +/- 0.01 to 7.36 +/- 0.46 MUM. With respect to the potent cytotoxicity of the
      isolated saponins, further studies are required to confirm efficacy in vivo and
      the mechanism of cytotoxic effects.

PMID- 26099534
TI  - Novel methyl substituted 1-(5,6-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyrazin-7(8H)
      yl)methanones are P2X7 antagonists.
AB  - The optimization efforts that led to a novel series of methyl substituted 1-(5,6
      dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyrazin-7(8H)-yl)methanones that are potent rat and
      human P2X7 antagonists are described. These efforts resulted in the discovery of
      compounds with good drug-like properties that are capable of high P2X7 receptor
      occupancy in rat following oral administration, including compounds 7n (P2X7 IC50
      = 7.7 nM) and 7u (P2X7 IC50 =7 .7 nM). These compounds are expected to be useful
      tools for characterizing the effects of P2X7 antagonism in models of depression
      and epilepsy, and several of the compounds prepared are candidates for effective
      P2X7 PET tracers.

PMID- 26099535
TI  - Synthesis of a novel series of fluoroarene derivatives of artemisinin as potent
      antifungal and anticancer agent.
AB  - A series of new fluoroarene derivatives of artemisinin were prepared using Suzuki
      and Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions. An antifungal and antitumor activity
      was evaluated against opportunistic pathogen Fusarium oxysporum and Hela cancer
      cell line. All these derivatives have shown moderate to good activity. 

PMID- 26099537
TI  - Identification and purification of target protein using affinity resin bearing a
      photo-labile linker.
AB  - This Letter presents an effective method for the identification of target
      proteins of bioactive compounds such as drugs, natural products, and intrinsic
      ligands, using an affinity resin. The application of a photo-labile linker to an
      affinity resin enabled the selective elution of a target protein by irradiation
      for a short duration at 4  degrees C while leaving a large amount of non-specific
      binding protein on the resin. We have named this method the 'STEAP' method
      (selective target elution from affinity resins with photo-labile linker). Only a
      target protein that can bind the bioactive compound, the so-called 'active'
      protein, is eluted by the selective cleavage of the linker between the solid
      matrix and the target compound, and therefore, it is worth considering the
      potential of this method for the hyper-purification of proteins.

PMID- 26099536
TI  - Investigation of 7-benzylidenenaltrexone derivatives as a novel structural
      antitrichomonal lead compound.
AB  - We evaluated antitrichomonal effects of delta opioid receptor (DOR) agonists and
      antagonists. Although all the agonists were inactive, the DOR antagonists BNTX
      (2a) and its derivatives 2b-d showed antitrichomonal activity with MIC of 20-40
      MUM. In addition, the development of a more effective synthetic method for the
      BNTX derivatives was achieved by using the Knoevenagel condensation.

PMID- 26099538
TI  - Docking of competitive inhibitors to the P2X7 receptor family reveals key
      differences responsible for changes in response between rat and human.
AB  - The P2X7 receptor is a calcium permeable cationic channel activated by
      extracellular ATP, playing a role in chronic pain, osteoporosis and arthritis. A
      number of potential lead compounds are inactive against the rat isoform, despite
      good activity against the human homologue, making animal model studies
      problematic. Here we have produced P2X7 models and docked three structurally
      distinct inhibitors using in silico approaches and show they have a similar mode
      of binding in which Phe95 plays a key role by forming pi-stacking interactions.
      Importantly this residue is replaced by Leu in the rat P2X7 receptor resulting in
      a significantly reduced binding affinity. This work provides new insights into
      binding of P2X7 inhibitors and shows the structural difference in human and rat
      P2X7 receptors which results in a difference in affinity. Such information is
      useful both for the rational design of inhibitors based on these scaffolds and
      also the way in which these compounds are tested in animal models. 

PMID- 26099539
TI  - Molecular modeling based approach, synthesis, and cytotoxic activity of novel
      benzoin derivatives targeting phosphoinostide 3-kinase (PI3Kalpha).
AB  - The oncogenic potential of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3Kalpha) has made it
      an attractive target for anticancer drug design. In this work, we describe our
      efforts to optimize the lead PI3Kalpha inhibitor 2-hydroxy-1,2-diphenylethanone
      (benzoin). A series of 2-oxo-1,2-diphenylethyl benzoate analogs were identified
      as potential PI3Kalpha inhibitors. Docking studies confirmed that the aromatic
      interaction is mediating ligand/protein complex formation and identified Lys802
      and Val851 as H-bonding key residues. Our biological data in human colon
      carcinoma HCT116 showed that the structure analogs inhibited cell proliferation
      and induced apoptosis. 

PMID- 26099540
TI  - Novel dammarane-type triterpenes isolated from hydrolyzate of total Gynostemma
      pentaphyllum saponins.
AB  - In this study, five novel triterpenes were isolated from hydrolyzate of total
      saponins from Gynostemma pentaphyllum and identified as gypensapogenin H (1),
      gypensapogenin I (2), gypensapogenin L (3), gypensapogenin J (4) and
      gypensapogenin K (5), three of which (1-3) possess unprecedented ring A. All the
      isolated compounds were evaluated for cytotoxic activities in five cell lines and
      all the tested compounds showed significant anti-cancer activities against a
      series of human cancer cell lines, while having much weaker effect on the growth
      of normal cell. Among them, compound 1 showed strong inhibition toward MCF-7
      human breast cancer cells (IC50 values 6.85 MUM). Further mechanistic study
      demonstrated that compound 1 significantly induced MCF-7 cell apoptosis. Our
      results indicated that compound 1 may be a promising lead agent for further
      study.

PMID- 26099541
TI  - Novel broad-spectrum inhibitors of bacterial methionine aminopeptidase.
AB  - With increasing emergence of multi-drug resistant infections, there is a dire
      need for new classes of compounds that act through unique mechanisms. In this
      work, we describe the discovery and optimization of a novel series of inhibitors
      of bacterial methionine aminopeptidase (MAP). Through a high-throughput screening
      campaign, one azepinone amide hit was found that resembled the native peptide
      substrate and possessed moderate biochemical potency against three bacterial
      isozymes. X-ray crystallography was used in combination with substrate-based
      design to direct the rational optimization of analogs with sub-micromolar
      potency. The novel compounds presented here represent potent broad-spectrum
      biochemical inhibitors of bacterial MAP and have the potential to lead to the
      development of new medicines to combat serious multi-drug resistant infections. 

PMID- 26099542
TI  - Rapid synthesis and antimicrobial activity of novel 4-oxazolidinone heterocycles.
AB  - The synoxazolidinone family of marine natural products bear an unusual 4
      oxazolidinone heterocyclic core and promising antimicrobial activity against
      several strains of pathogenic bacteria. As part of our research program directed
      at the synthesis and chemical biology of this family of natural products we have
      developed a one-step method for the generation of variously substituted 4
      oxazolidinone scaffolds from readily available materials. These studies revealed
      the importance of an electron deficient aromatic ring for antimicrobial activity
      and serve as the basis for future SAR studies around the 4-oxazolidinone core. 

PMID- 26099543
TI  - BMA annual meeting: Government is run "from cloud 9 rather than number 10," BMA
      chief says.

PMID- 26099544
TI  - Efficacy of brief interdisciplinary psychotherapeutic intervention for motor
      conversion disorder and nonepileptic attacks.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective was to compare a brief interdisciplinary
      psychotherapeutic intervention to standard care as treatments for patients
      recently diagnosed with severe motor conversion disorder or nonepileptic attacks.
      METHODS: This randomized controlled trial of 23 consecutive patients compared (a)
      an interdisciplinary psychotherapeutic intervention group receiving four to six
      sessions by a consultation liaison psychiatrist, the first and last sessions
      adding a neurological consultation and a joint psychiatric and neurological
      consultation, and (b) a standard care group. After intervention, patients were
      assessed at 2, 6 and 12 months with the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire
      (SDQ-20), Clinical Global Impression scale, Rankin scale, use of medical care,
      global mental health [Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale, Beck
      Depression Inventory, mental health component of Short Form (SF)-36] and quality
      of life (SF-36). We calculated linear mixed models. RESULTS: Our intervention
      brought a statistically significant improvement of physical symptoms [as measured
      by the SDQ-20 (P<.02) and the Clinical Global Impression scale (P=.02)] and
      psychological symptoms [better scores on the mental health component of the SF-36
      (P<.05) and on the Beck Depression Inventory (P<.05)] and a reduction in new
      hospital stays after intervention (P<.05). CONCLUSION: A brief psychotherapeutic
      intervention taking advantage of a close collaboration with neurology consultants
      in the setting of consultation liaison psychiatry appears effective.

PMID- 26099545
TI  - Physicians' attitudes toward integrating consultation-liaison psychiatric
      services in four major general hospitals in Tehran.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to validate a scale for the evaluation of attitudes
      of physicians toward integrating consultation-liaison psychiatric services and
      then apply it among the nonpsychiatrist attending physicians of four major
      general hospitals in Tehran. METHOD: The eight-item Doctors' Attitudes toward
      Collaborative Care for Mental Health (DACC-MH) Scale was translated to Persian
      and back-translated to English by nonphysician translators and was presented for
      expert opinion to four psychiatrists for assessment of face validity. The
      validated questionnaires were presented to nonpsychiatrist attending physicians
      of four major general university-affiliated hospitals with consultant-liaison
      psychiatric services in Tehran, and the returned questionnaires were analyzed
      using the 21st version of SPSS software. The score for each physician was
      generated by counting positive responses of the eight items questioned. RESULTS:
      Of the 300 questionnaires presented, 193 (64.3%) were returned. The mean score of
      the respondents was 6.62 (+/-1.33) for the Farsi version of the DACC-MH which was
      significantly higher than the assumed mean score of 4, according to the
      independent-sample t test (P<.001). The mean score of the respondents for the
      first four items of the DACC-MH was 3.49, which was significantly higher than
      that of the second four items of the scale which was 3.13 (P<.01) according to
      the Wilcoxon test. CONCLUSION: The respondents have an above-average positive
      attitude toward integrating consultation-liaison psychiatric services for the
      management of psychiatric disorders among inpatients. They had a more positive
      attitude toward requesting psychiatric consultations than managing the patients'
      psychiatric disorders themselves.

PMID- 26099546
TI  - Diet affects the redox system in developing Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) larvae.
AB  - The growth and development of marine fish larvae fed copepods is superior to
      those fed rotifers, but the underlying molecular reasons for this are unclear. In
      the following study we compared the effects of such diets on redox regulation
      pathways during development of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) larvae. Cod larvae
      were fed a control diet of copepods or the typical rotifer/Artemia diet commonly
      used in commercial marine fish hatcheries, from first feeding until after
      metamorphosis. The oxidised and reduced glutathione levels, the redox potential,
      and the mRNA expression of 100 genes in redox system pathways were then compared
      between treatments during larval development. We found that rotifer/Artemia-fed
      cod larvae had lower levels of oxidised glutathione, a more reduced redox
      potential, and altered expression of approximately half of the redox system genes
      when compared to copepod-fed larvae. This rotifer/Artemia diet-induced
      differential regulation of the redox system was greatest during periods of
      suboptimal growth. Upregulation of the oxidative stress response transcription
      factor, nrf2, and NRF2 target genes in rotifer/Artemia fed larvae suggest this
      diet induced an NRF2-mediated oxidative stress response. Overall, the data
      demonstrate that nutritional intake plays a role in regulating the redox system
      in developing fish larvae. This may be a factor in dietary-induced differences
      observed in larval growth. 

PMID- 26099547
TI  - Effect of cortisol and/or DHEA on THP1-derived macrophages infected with
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health problem requiring an appropriate cell immune
      response to be controlled. Macrophages play a central role in the response
      against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Given our prior studies in which
      adrenal steroids were found to modify the cellular immune responses from TB
      patients, it was sensible to analyze the immunomodulatory capability of cortisol
      and DHEA on macrophages infected with Mtb. The human macrophage-like THP-1 cells
      were infected with the H37Rv strain of Mtb and treated with Cortisol and DHEA at
      different doses. We monitored phagocytosis, intracellular-bacterial growth,
      autophagosoma formation, as well as cytokine gene expression and production.
      Cultures exposed to cortisol showed a decreased production of IL-1beta, TNF
      alpha, with DHEA being unable to modify the pattern of cytokine production or to
      reverse the cortisol inhibitory effects. Interestingly the intra-macrophagic
      bacterial burden was found reduced by DHEA treatment. While this effect was not
      related to a different cytokine pattern, in terms their production or mRNA
      expression, DHEA treatment did promote autophagy in Mtb-infected macrophages,
      irrespective of Cortisol presence. In essence, the better control of Mtb load by
      DHEA-treated macrophages seems to be dependent on an autophagic mechanism. The
      present results are relevant for two reasons as autophagy is not only important
      for clearance of mycobacteria but also for the prevention of tissue damage.

PMID- 26099548
TI  - Effect of age and gender in the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness among
      a sample of the Saudi population.
AB  - The aim of this study is to assess whether the effect of gender on the excessive
      daytime sleepiness (EDS) is influenced by two confounders (age and hours of sleep
      per night). A cross-sectional study was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City
      Riyadh (KAMC-R). A total of 2095 respondents answered a questionnaire that
      included questions regarding gender, age, hours of sleep per night, and daytime
      sleepiness using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). The prevalence of EDS was
      20.5% (females 22.2%, males 19.5%, p-value=0.136). The EDS did not differ between
      genders, age groups, or hours of sleep per night (<6 vs. ?6h). However,
      stratified statistical analysis shows that the prevalence of EDS did differ
      according to gender (25.3% in females, 19.0% in males, p-value=0.036) in
      respondents with shorter hours of sleep per night. EDS was strongly related to
      female gender and young age (ages?29years) in respondents with short hours of
      sleep. This study reveals that one out of five of the general Saudi population
      has EDS. The effect of gender on EDS appeared to be influenced by hours of sleep
      per night. High EDS strongly related to female gender with short hours of sleep. 

PMID- 26099549
TI  - Seizure prediction for therapeutic devices: A review.
AB  - Research in seizure prediction has come a long way since its debut almost 4
      decades ago. Early studies suffered methodological caveats leading to
      overoptimistic results and lack of statistical significance. The publication of
      guidelines addressing mainly the question of performance evaluation and
      statistical validation in seizure prediction helped revising the status of the
      field. While many studies failed to prove that above chance prediction is
      possible by applying these guidelines, other studies were successful. Methods
      based on EEG analysis using linear and nonlinear measures were reportedly
      successful in detecting preictal changes and using them to predict seizures above
      chance. In this review, we present a selection of studies in seizure prediction
      published in the last decade. The studies were selected based on the validity of
      the methods and the statistical significance of performance results. These
      results varied between studies and many showed acceptable levels of sensitivity
      and specificity that could be appealing for therapeutic devices. The relatively
      large prediction horizon and early preictal changes reported in most studies
      suggest that seizure prediction may work better in closed loop seizure control
      devices rather than as seizure advisory devices. The emergence of a large
      database of annotated long-term EEG recordings should help prospective assessment
      of prediction methods. Some questions remain to be addressed before large
      clinical trials involving seizure prediction can be carried out. 

PMID- 26099550
TI  - Nanosheet-assembled ZnFe2O4 hollow microspheres for high-sensitive acetone
      sensor.
AB  - Semiconductor oxides with hierarchically hollow architecture can provide
      significant advantages as sensing materials for gas sensors by facilitating the
      diffusion of target gases. Herein, we develop a facile template-free solvothermal
      strategy combined with the subsequent thermal treatment process toward the
      successful synthesis of novel ZnFe2O4 hollow flower-like microspheres. The images
      of electron microscopy unambiguously indicated that the ZnFe2O4 nanosheets with
      thickness of around 20 nm assembled hierarchically to form the unique flower-like
      architecture. As a proof-of-concept demonstration of the function, the as
      prepared product was utilized as sensing material for gas sensor. Significantly,
      in virtue of the porous shell structure, hollow interior, and large surface area,
      ZnFe2O4 hierarchical microspheres exhibited high response, excellent cyclability,
      and long-term stability to acetone at the operating temperature of 215  degrees
      C. 

PMID- 26099551
TI  - In-vivo antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of rosiglitazone, a peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) agonists in animal model of
      bronchial asthma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) has
      been shown to play an important role in the control of immunological and
      inflammatory responses. This study aims at investigating the potential role of
      rosiglitazone, a strong PPAR-gamma agonist in a murine model of bronchial asthma.
      METHODS: Adult male guinea pigs were administered ovalbumin 100 mg/kg
      subcutaneous (SC) and 100 mg/kg intraperitoneal (IP). Treatment with
      rosiglitazone [5 mg/kg/day, per oral (PO)] was assessed for 21 days. On day 21,
      the animals were challenged with the same dose of ovalbumin. The forced
      expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 ) to forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1 /FVC, was
      measured using a spirometer to diagnosis lung obstruction. Serum levels of
      interleukin-5 (IL-5) and immunoglobulin E (IgE) were assessed. The activity of
      superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase and the level of reduced glutathione
      (GSH) were determined in lung tissue homogenates. KEY FINDINGS: Our results
      demonstrated that treatment with rosiglitazone resulted in a statistically
      significant improvement in lung function and histopathological features.
      Significant decrease in the serum levels of IL-5 and IgE were observed. The
      activity of SOD and catalase as well as the GSH level were significantly
      increased in the lung tissues of treated animals compared with untreated
      asthmatic animals. Serum IgE concentrations and IL-5 levels were directly
      correlated to each other and inversely correlated to the SOD, GSH and catalase
      levels in the all studied guinea pigs. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence
      that the PPAR-gamma agonist rosiglitazone may have potential in the development
      of therapies for bronchial asthma.

PMID- 26099552
TI  - An integrated approach to reveal miRNAs' impacts on the functional consequence of
      copy number alterations in cancer.
AB  - Copy number alteration (CNA) is known to induce gene expression changes mainly
      through dosage effect, and therefore affect the initiation and progression of
      tumor. However, tumor samples exhibit heterogeneity in gene dosage sensitivity
      due to the complicated mechanisms of transcriptional regulation. Currently, no
      high-throughput method has been available for identifying the regulatory factors
      affecting the functional consequences of CNA, and determining their effects on
      cancer. In view of the important regulatory role of miRNA, we investigated the
      influence of miRNAs on the dosage sensitivities of genes within the CNA regions.
      By integrating copy number, mRNA expression, miRNA expression profiles of three
      kinds of cancer, we observed a tendency for high dosage-sensitivity genes to be
      more targeted by miRNAs in cancer, and identified the miRNAs regulating the
      dosage sensitivity of amplified/deleted target genes. The results show that
      miRNAs can modulate oncogenic biological functions by regulating the genes within
      the CNA regions, and thus play a role as a trigger or balancer in cancer,
      affecting cancer processes, even survival. This work provided a framework for
      analyzing the regulation of dosage effect, which will shed a light on
      understanding the oncogenic and tumor suppressive mechanisms of CNA. Besides, new
      cancer-related miRNAs were identified. 

PMID- 26099553
TI  - Huo-Luo-Xiao-Ling (HLXL)-Dan, a Traditional Chinese Medicine, for patients with
      osteoarthritis of the knee: a multi-site, randomized, double-blind, placebo
      controlled phase II clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy and safety of Huo-Luo-Xiao-Ling (HLXL)-Dan, a
      Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
      DESIGN: A multi-site, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II dose
      escalation clinical trial was conducted. Eligible patients who fulfilled American
      College of Rheumatology criteria were randomized to receive either HLXL or
      placebo. Clinical assessments included measurement of knee pain and function with
      the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC),
      patient global assessment (PGA), and knee pain scores every 2 weeks. A Data and
      Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) was established to review the data for ensuring
      the quality of the trial. RESULTS: In the first stage, 28 participants were
      randomized to receive either low-dose HLXL-Dan (2400 mg/day) or placebo for 6
      weeks. The results showed no statistical difference between the two groups. The
      study was then re-designed following the recommendation of DSMB. Ninety-two
      patients were enrolled in the second stage and were randomized to receive either
      high-dose HLXL-Dan (4000 mg/day for week 1-2, and 5600 mg/day for week 3-8) or
      placebo for 8 weeks. All outcome assessments showed significant improvements for
      both groups after 8 weeks but no significant between-group differences. The
      change (mean +/- SD) of WOMAC pain and WOMAC function scores of HLXL and placebo
      group after 8 weeks were -1.2 +/- 1.7 vs -1.4 +/- 1.5, and -1.1 +/- 1.6 vs -1.3
      +/- 1.5 respectively. No serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION:
      Although safe to use, an 8-week treatment of HLXL-Dan was not superior to placebo
      for reduction in pain or functional improvement in patients with knee OA.
      CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00755326).

PMID- 26099554
TI  - Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: the End Result of Pulmonary
      Embolism.
AB  - Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) occurs when a pulmonary
      embolism fails to undergo complete thrombolysis leading to vascular occlusion and
      pulmonary hypertension. Despite the fact that CTEPH is a potential consequence of
      pulmonary embolism, diagnosis requires a high degree of vigilance as many
      patients will not have a history of thromboembolic disease. The ventilation
      perfusion scan is used to evaluate for the possibility of CTEPH although right
      heart catheterization and pulmonary artery angiogram are needed to confirm the
      diagnosis. Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy is the first-line treatment for
      patients who are surgical candidates. Recently, riociguat has been approved for
      patients with nonsurgical disease or residual pulmonary hypertension despite
      surgical intervention. This review describes the pathophysiology, risk factors,
      diagnosis, and management of CTEPH. 

PMID- 26099555
TI  - The contribution of pharmaceutically active compounds from healthcare facilities
      to a receiving sewage treatment plant in Canada.
AB  - Concentrations and percent loadings of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs)
      and other emerging contaminants released from healthcare facilities (2 hospitals
      and a long-term care facility) to a sewage treatment plant (STP) in a large urban
      sewershed were evaluated. An additional hospital outside the sewershed was also
      monitored. Fourteen of the 24 steroids/hormones and 88 of the 117 PhACs and
      emerging contaminants were detected at least once. Commonly used substances,
      including cotinine, caffeine and its metabolite 1,7-dimethylxanthine, ibuprofen
      and naproxen (analgesics), venlafaxine (antidepressant), and N,N-diethyl-meta
      toluamide (insect repellant), were detected in all samples at all sites.
      Concentrations detected in the large specialty hospital outside the sewershed
      were similar to those within the sewershed. Cytotoxic drugs (tamoxifen and
      cyclophosphamide) and x-ray contrast media (iopamidol and diatrizoic acid) were
      infrequently detected in hospital effluents. Analysis for antibiotics indicated
      that azithromycin, clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, ofloxacin, and
      sulfamethoxazole were consistently detected in hospital wastewaters, as was
      triclosan (antibacterial agent). Fifteen compounds individually contributed
      greater than 1% to the total PhAC and emerging contaminant load to the STP from
      the 2 hospitals in the sewershed, and 9 compounds in the STP effluent exceeded
      ecotoxicological criteria. The present survey demonstrates that point source
      discharges from healthcare facilities in this sewershed make a small contribution
      to the overall PhAC and emerging contaminant loading compared with the total
      concentrations entering the receiving STP.

PMID- 26099556
TI  - Maxwell's demon in biochemical signal transduction with feedback loop.
AB  - Signal transduction in living cells is vital to maintain life itself, where
      information transfer in noisy environment plays a significant role. In a rather
      different context, the recent intensive research on 'Maxwell's demon'-a feedback
      controller that utilizes information of individual molecules-have led to a
      unified theory of information and thermodynamics. Here we combine these two
      streams of research, and show that the second law of thermodynamics with
      information reveals the fundamental limit of the robustness of signal
      transduction against environmental fluctuations. Especially, we find that the
      degree of robustness is quantitatively characterized by an informational quantity
      called transfer entropy. Our information-thermodynamic approach is applicable to
      biological communication inside cells, in which there is no explicit channel
      coding in contrast to artificial communication. Our result could open up a novel
      biophysical approach to understand information processing in living systems on
      the basis of the fundamental information-thermodynamics link. 

PMID- 26099557
TI  - The Effects of Pretreatment versus De Novo Treatment with Selective Serotonin
      Reuptake Inhibitors on Short-term Outcome after Acute Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) administered in
      patients following acute ischemic stroke have shown to improve clinical recovery
      independently of changes in depression. Animal studies have demonstrated that
      sustained SSRI treatment is superior to short-term SSRI in evoking neurogenesis
      but how this benefit translates into humans remains to be answered. We
      hypothesized that in acute ischemic stroke patients, SSRI treatment started
      before the event leads to improved short-term outcomes compared to de novo SSRI
      treatment poststroke. METHODS: We performed an exploratory analysis in
      consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients and compared patients already
      receiving fluoxetine, citalopram, or escitalopram with those who started
      treatment de novo. RESULTS: Of 2653 screened patients, 239 were included (age, 69
      +/- 14 years; 42% men, baseline median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale
      score, 7 [IQR, 10]). Of these patients, 51 started treatment with SSRI before
      stroke and 188 were prescribed newly SSRIs during hospitalization. In the
      adjusted multivariate logistic regression models, SSRI pretreatment was
      associated with favorable functional outcome at discharge defined as a modified
      Rankin Scale score of 2 or less (odds ratio [OR], 4.00; 95% confidence interval
      [CI], 1.68-9.57; P < .005), improved early clinical recovery (OR, 2.35; 95% CI,
      1.15-4.81; P = .02), and a trend toward prediction of superior motor recovery
      (OR, 1.82; 95% CI, .90-3.68; P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that SSRI
      pretreatment may improve clinical outcomes in the early stages of acute ischemic
      stroke supporting the hypothesis that prolonged SSRI treatment started prestroke
      is superior to poststroke SSRI.

PMID- 26099559
TI  - Simulation of Metabolic Drug-Drug Interactions Perpetrated by Fluvoxamine Using
      Hybridized Two-Compartment Hepatic Drug-Pool-Based Tube Modeling and Estimation
      of In Vivo Inhibition Constants.
AB  - Co-administration of fluvoxamine (FLV) (perpetrator) and ramelteon (victim, high
      clearance CYP1A2 substrate) reportedly showed a 130-fold increase in the area
      under blood-ramelteon-levels curve (AUCR), which is unpredictable by any method
      assuming the traditional well-stirred hepatic extraction (Eh ) model. Thus, in
      order to predict this drug interaction (DDI), a mathematical method that allows
      simulation of dynamic changes in blood victim levels in response to metabolic
      inhibition by a perpetrator, without the use of any specialized tools, was
      derived using hybridized two-compartment hepatic drug-pool-based tube modeling.
      Using this method, the ramelteon-victimized DDI could be simulated in comparison
      with other victim DDIs, assuming a consistent FLV dosing regimen. Despite large
      differences in AUCRs, CYP1A2 or CYP2C19 substrate-victimized DDIs resulted in
      equivalent inhibition constants (Ki , around 3 nM) and net enzymatic inhibitory
      activities calculated by eliminating hepatic availability increases for victims.
      Thus, the unusually large ramelteon DDI could be attributed to the Eh of
      ramelteon itself. This DDI risk could also be accurately predicted from Ki s
      estimated in the other CYP1A2 or CYP2C19-substrate interactions. Meanwhile,
      dynamic changes in blood perpetrator levels were demonstrated to have a small
      effect on DDI, thus suggesting the usefulness of a tube-based static method for
      DDI prediction.

PMID- 26099560
TI  - Monitoring and evaluating transition and sustainability of donor-funded programs:
      Reflections on the Avahan experience.
AB  - PURPOSE: In low and middle-income countries, programs funded and implemented by
      international donors frequently transition to local funding and management, yet
      such processes are rarely evaluated. We reflect upon experience evaluating the
      transition of a large scale HIV/AIDS prevention program in India, known as
      Avahan, in order to draw lessons about transition evaluation approaches and
      implementation challenges. RESULTS: In terms of conceptualizing the transition
      theory, the evaluation team identified tensions between the idea of
      institutionalizing key features of the Avahan program, and ensuring program
      flexibility to promote sustainability. The transition was planned in three rounds
      allowing for adaptations to transition intervention and program design during the
      transition period. The assessment team found it important to track these changes
      in order to understand which strategies and contextual features supported
      transition. A mixed methods evaluation was employed, combining semi-structured
      surveys of transitioning entities (conducted pre and post transition), with
      longitudinal case studies. Qualitative data helped explain quantitative findings.
      Measures of transition readiness appeared robust, but we were uncertain of the
      robustness of institutionalization measures. Finally, challenges to the
      implementation of such an evaluation are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Given the
      scarceness of transition evaluations, the lessons from this evaluation may have
      widespread relevance.

PMID- 26099561
TI  - Development of an educational intervention to promote healthy eating and physical
      activity in Mexican school-age children.
AB  - Mexico has the highest and most alarming rates of childhood obesity worldwide. A
      study conducted in the State of Mexico revealed that one of every three children
      presents overweight or obesity. The objective of this paper is to provide a step
      by-step description of the design and implementation of an educational
      intervention to promote healthy eating and physical activity called "Healthy
      Recess". The educational intervention was designed using the six stages of the
      Health Communication Process. This methodological model allowed identifying the
      needs of school-age children on information and participation in activities. In
      order to improve the strategy, adjustments were made to the print and audiovisual
      materials as well as to assessment tools. Typography was modified as well as the
      color of the images in student's workbook and facilitator's; special effects of
      the videos were increased; the narration of the radio spots was improved and
      common words and phrases were included. The Health Communication Process is an
      effective tool for program planners to design interventions aimed at managing
      prevalent health problems such as overweight and obesity in school-age children. 

PMID- 26099562
TI  - Analysis of perception of training in graduates of the Faculty of Medicine at
      Universidad de Castilla-Mancha.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Problem-based learning has been a key component of the teaching
      method employed at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Castilla La
      Mancha (UCLM) in Albacete, Spain since its creation. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate perceptions of training among residents who graduated from the first
      three years of the UCLM Degree in Medicine. METHODS: Using the Jefferson Medical
      College postgraduate rating form, residents rated their performance in four areas
      of clinical competency (medical knowledge, data gathering skills, clinical
      judgment, and professional attitudes) at the beginning of residency training in
      comparison with colleagues from other faculties. The construct validity of
      responses was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and exploratory factor analysis.
      RESULTS: Over half the respondents (57.8%) considered that they had received
      better training than peers from other medical schools, and 98.5% felt that their
      general performance in the four competencies analyzed was similar or superior to
      that of their colleagues. Factor analysis revealed two major factors: "the
      physician as scientist" and "the physician as manager and communicator".
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that graduates from the UCLM Faculty of Medicine
      perceive their training, which is largely based on problem-based learning, as
      satisfactory.

PMID- 26099563
TI  - Implementation and evaluation of an Exercise is MedicineTM on campus week.
AB  - Exercise is MedicineTM (EiM) on campus targets physical activity (PA)
      participation on college campuses. Limited research has addressed how PA
      initiatives can be operationalized on college campuses. PURPOSE: To describe the
      implementation of EiM on a large U.S. university campus and present preliminary
      outcomes on participation and awareness. METHODS: EiM week was implemented on a
      large university campus. Exercise stations were set-up at campus locations to
      encourage brief bouts of PA and educate about the benefits of PA. Evaluation
      included observations of participation, surveys, and intercept surveys to assess
      awareness and reach. RESULTS: EiM week was implemented during Fall 2013. Exercise
      stations elicited 1771 exercise bouts from participants. Surveys indicated
      widespread reach across the university (13 of 17 colleges); most students (50.8%)
      became aware of the EiM campaign by passing by the exercise stations. Campus
      intercept surveys 1-week post-event indicated 54% students had heard about EiM,
      of which 39% had heard/seen the event through messages encouraging exercise.
      CONCLUSION: The current study was successful in engaging a large, diverse
      population on a college campus. Lessons learned from the development,
      implementation, and evaluation of EiM on campus activities provide insight for
      university campuses looking to target student health and PA participation.

PMID- 26099565
TI  - Strongly correlated two-dimensional plasma explored from entropy measurements.
AB  - Charged plasma and Fermi liquid are two distinct states of electronic matter
      intrinsic to dilute two-dimensional electron systems at elevated and low
      temperatures, respectively. Probing their thermodynamics represents challenge
      because of lack of an adequate technique. Here, we report a thermodynamic method
      to measure the entropy per electron in gated structures. Our technique appears to
      be three orders of magnitude superior in sensitivity to a.c. calorimetry,
      allowing entropy measurements with only 10(8) electrons. This enables us to
      investigate the correlated plasma regime, previously inaccessible experimentally
      in two-dimensional electron systems in semiconductors. In experiments with clean
      two-dimensional electron system in silicon-based structures, we traced entropy
      evolution from the plasma to Fermi liquid regime by varying electron density. We
      reveal that the correlated plasma regime can be mapped onto the ordinary non
      degenerate Fermi gas with an interaction-enhanced temperature-dependent effective
      mass. Our method opens up new horizons in studies of low-dimensional electron
      systems. 

PMID- 26099564
TI  - Prognostic significance of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase and effects on
      proliferation, migration, and invasion of human hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) is a pivotal enzyme in the kynurenine pathway of
      tryptophan degradation and plays a critical role in Huntington's and Alzheimer's
      diseases. This study aimed to examine the expression of KMO in human
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and investigate the relationship between its
      expression and prognosis of HCC patients. We first analyzed KMO expression in 120
      paired HCC samples (HCC tissues vs matched adjacent non-cancerous liver tissues),
      and 205 clinical HCC specimens using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Kaplan-Meier
      survival and Cox regression analyses were executed to evaluate the prognosis of
      HCC. The results of IHC analysis showed that KMO expression was significantly
      higher in HCC tissues than that in normal liver tissues (all p < 0.05). Survival
      and recurrence analyses showed that KMO was an independent prognostic factor for
      overall survival (OS) and time to recurrence (TTR) (both p<0.01). And in vitro
      studies revealed that KMO positively regulated proliferation, migration, and
      invasion of HCC cells. These results suggest that KMO exhibits tumor-promoting
      effects towards HCC and it may serve as a novel prognostic marker in HCC.

PMID- 26099566
TI  - Characterization of Tribolium castaneum oocyte nuclear structures using
      microinjection of a fusion nuclear protein mRNA.

PMID- 26099567
TI  - To be EndMT or not to be, that is the question in pulmonary hypertension.

PMID- 26099568
TI  - ZnO nanowires array grown on Ga-doped ZnO single crystal for dye-sensitized solar
      cells.
AB  - High quality ZnO nanowires arrays were homoepitaxial grown on Ga-doped ZnO single
      crystal (GZOSC), which have the advantages of high conductivity, high carrier
      mobility and high thermal stability. When it was employed as a photoanode in the
      DSSCs, the cell exhibited a 1.44% power-conversion efficiency under the
      illumination of one sun (AM 1.5G). The performance is superior to our ZnO
      nanowires/FTO based DSSCs under the same condition. This enhanced performance is
      mainly attributed to the perfect interface between the ZnO nanowires and the
      GZOSC substrate that contributes to lower carrier scattering and recombination
      rates compared with that grown on traditional FTO substrate. 

PMID- 26099569
TI  - Shade Trading: An Emerging Riparian Forest-Based Payment for Ecosystem Services
      Market in Oregon, USA.
AB  - This paper describes the regulatory and compliance context for Oregon's emerging
      ecosystem services (ES) market in riparian shade to meet water quality
      obligations. In Oregon's market as with many other ES programs, contracts and
      other regulatory documents not only delimit the obligations and liabilities of
      different parties, but also constitute a primary mechanism through which ES
      service delivery is measured. Through a review of compliance criteria I find that
      under Oregon's shade trades, permittees are held to a number of input-based
      criteria, which essentially affirm that parties comply with predetermined
      practices and procedures, and one 'pseudo output based' criterion, in which ES
      delivery is estimated through a model. The case presented in the paper critically
      engages with the challenges of measuring ES and in assessing the outcomes of ES
      projects. It places these challenges as interrelated and proposes that market
      designers, policymakers, and other stakeholders should consider explicit
      efficacy, efficiency, and equity targets. 

PMID- 26099570
TI  - Guidelines for Using Movement Science to Inform Biodiversity Policy.
AB  - Substantial advances have been made in our understanding of the movement of
      species, including processes such as dispersal and migration. This knowledge has
      the potential to improve decisions about biodiversity policy and management, but
      it can be difficult for decision makers to readily access and integrate the
      growing body of movement science. This is, in part, due to a lack of synthesis of
      information that is sufficiently contextualized for a policy audience. Here, we
      identify key species movement concepts, including mechanisms, types, and
      moderators of movement, and review their relevance to (1) national biodiversity
      policies and strategies, (2) reserve planning and management, (3) threatened
      species protection and recovery, (4) impact and risk assessments, and (5) the
      prioritization of restoration actions. Based on the review, and considering
      recent developments in movement ecology, we provide a new framework that draws
      links between aspects of movement knowledge that are likely the most relevant to
      each biodiversity policy category. Our framework also shows that there is
      substantial opportunity for collaboration between researchers and government
      decision makers in the use of movement science to promote positive biodiversity
      outcomes. 

PMID- 26099571
TI  - Optimizing eukaryotic cell hosts for protein production through systems
      biotechnology and genome-scale modeling.
AB  - Eukaryotic cell lines, including Chinese hamster ovary cells, yeast, and insect
      cells, are invaluable hosts for the production of many recombinant proteins. With
      the advent of genomic resources, one can now leverage genome-scale computational
      modeling of cellular pathways to rationally engineer eukaryotic host cells.
      Genome-scale models of metabolism include all known biochemical reactions
      occurring in a specific cell. By describing these mathematically and using tools
      such as flux balance analysis, the models can simulate cell physiology and
      provide targets for cell engineering that could lead to enhanced cell viability,
      titer, and productivity. Here we review examples in which metabolic models in
      eukaryotic cell cultures have been used to rationally select targets for genetic
      modification, improve cellular metabolic capabilities, design media
      supplementation, and interpret high-throughput omics data. As more comprehensive
      models of metabolism and other cellular processes are developed for eukaryotic
      cell culture, these will enable further exciting developments in cell line
      engineering, thus accelerating recombinant protein production and biotechnology
      in the years to come. 

PMID- 26099572
TI  - Biosimilar filgrastim (Zarzio(r)) vs. lenograstim (Myelostim(r)) for peripheral
      blood stem cell mobilization in adult patients with lymphoma and myeloma: a
      single center experience.

PMID- 26099573
TI  - Meta-analysis of time-to-event outcomes from randomized trials using restricted
      mean survival time: application to individual participant data.
AB  - Meta-analysis of time-to-event outcomes using the hazard ratio as a treatment
      effect measure has an underlying assumption that hazards are proportional. The
      between-arm difference in the restricted mean survival time is a measure that
      avoids this assumption and allows the treatment effect to vary with time. We
      describe and evaluate meta-analysis based on the restricted mean survival time
      for dealing with non-proportional hazards and present a diagnostic method for the
      overall proportional hazards assumption. The methods are illustrated with the
      application to two individual participant meta-analyses in cancer. The examples
      were chosen because they differ in disease severity and the patterns of follow
      up, in order to understand the potential impacts on the hazards and the overall
      effect estimates. We further investigate the estimation methods for restricted
      mean survival time by a simulation study.

PMID- 26099574
TI  - Phage-fused epitopes from Leishmania infantum used as immunogenic vaccines confer
      partial protection against Leishmania amazonensis  infection.
AB  - Two mimotopes of Leishmania infantum identified by phage display were evaluated
      as vaccine candidates in BALB/c mice against Leishmania amazonensis infection.
      The epitope-based immunogens, namely B10 and C01, presented as phage-fused
      peptides; were used without association of a Th1 adjuvant, and they were
      administered isolated or in combination into animals. Both clones showed a
      specific production of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-12 (IL-12) and
      granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) after in vitro spleen
      cells stimulation, and they were able to induce a partial protection against
      infection. Significant reductions of parasite load in the infected footpads,
      liver, spleen, bone marrow and paws' draining lymph nodes were observed in the
      immunized mice, in comparison with the control groups (saline, saponin, wild-type
      and non-relevant clones). Protection was associated with an IL-12-dependent
      production of IFN-gamma, mediated mainly by CD8(+) T cells, against parasite
      proteins. Protected mice also presented low levels of IL-4 and IL-10, as well as
      increased levels of parasite-specific IgG2a antibodies. The association of both
      clones resulted in an improved protection in relation to their individual use.
      More importantly, the absence of adjuvant did not diminish the cross-protective
      efficacy against Leishmania spp. infection. This study describes for the first
      time two epitope-based immunogens selected by phage display technology against L.
      infantum infected dogs sera, which induced a partial protection in BALB/c mice
      infected with L. amazonensis.

PMID- 26099575
TI  - Louhi 2014: Special issue on health text mining and information analysis.

PMID- 26099576
TI  - Interaction of iron with a wagon wheel-like ultrathin TiOx film grown on Pt(111).
AB  - The structure and thermal evolution of Fe nanoparticles deposited on a wetting
      TiOx ultrathin film epitaxially grown on Pt(111) has been characterized by
      various surface science techniques. Combining the results obtained it is shown
      that, at room temperature, metallic Fe nucleates randomly and oxidizes at the
      interface. A thermal treatment causes Fe migration through the TiOx layer,
      forming a mixed oxide and a new hexagonal ultrathin film phase. Finally, the
      pristine TiOx phase motif is restored, due to the complete diffusion of Fe into
      the Pt substrate. 

PMID- 26099577
TI  - Correlation between thyroglobulin gene polymorphisms and autoimmune thyroid
      disease.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to detect thyroglobulin (Tg) gene polymorphisms
      in a Han Chinese population from the Northern regions of Henan province, China,
      and to study the correlation between Tg gene polymorphisms and autoimmune thyroid
      disease (AITD). A total of 270 patients with AITD and 135 healthy controls were
      enrolled. Genomic DNA was extracted and fluorescence polymerase chain reaction
      analysis was performed; high-resolution melting curve analysis (HRMA) was used to
      detect single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exons 10, 12 and 33 of the Tg
      gene. SNPs were then correlated with AITD. Han people from the Northern regions
      of Henan displayed four Tg exon SNPs: E10SNP24 T/G, E10SNP158 T/C, E12SNP A/G and
      E33SNP C/T. Several allele and genotype frequencies differed between the AITD
      group and the healthy control group (Tg E10SNP: Allele T, P<0.01; allele G,
      P<0.01; and Tg genotype GG, P<0.01; genotype TG, P<0.01. Tg E12SNP: Allele A,
      P<0.01; allele G, P<0.01; Tg genotype GG, P<0.01; genotype AG, P<0.01). A
      statistically significant difference in the frequency of selected Tg SNPs
      haplotypes was also present between AITD patients and healthy controls (P<0.05).
      There was no significant difference in haplotypes between various types of AITD
      (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and Hashimoto's disease). The Tg SNP frequency
      distribution was significantly different between Han populations of the Northern
      regions of Henan province and the Xi'an regions of Shaanxi province. The results
      of the present study suggested that specific Tg gene alleles or genotypes were
      correlated with AITD; specific Tg SNP haplotypes were associated with
      hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and Hashimoto's disease, and the Tg SNP frequency
      distribution differed depending on the geographical location of the Han Chinese
      populations.

PMID- 26099578
TI  - Ni(II)-catalyzed dehydrative alkynylation of unactivated (hetero)aryl C-H bonds
      using oxygen: a user-friendly approach.
AB  - Ni(II)-catalyzed dehydrative alkynylation of unactivated C(sp(2))-H bonds with
      terminal alkynes under atmospheric pressure of oxygen was developped. This
      reaction features the use of catalytic amounts of nickel as the catalyst and O2
      as the sole oxidant, providing a user-friendly approach to the synthesis of aryl
      alkynes.

PMID- 26099579
TI  - The Periplasmic Nitrate Reductase NapABC Supports Luminal Growth of Salmonella
      enterica Serovar Typhimurium during Colitis.
AB  - The food-borne pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium benefits from
      acute inflammation in part by using host-derived nitrate to respire anaerobically
      and compete successfully with the commensal microbes during growth in the
      intestinal lumen. The S. Typhimurium genome contains three nitrate reductases,
      encoded by the narGHI, narZYV, and napABC genes. Work on homologous genes present
      in Escherichia coli suggests that nitrate reductase A, encoded by the narGHI
      genes, is the main enzyme promoting growth on nitrate as an electron acceptor in
      anaerobic environments. Using a mouse colitis model, we found, surprisingly, that
      S. Typhimurium strains with defects in either nitrate reductase A (narG mutant)
      or the regulator inducing its transcription in the presence of high
      concentrations of nitrate (narL mutant) exhibited growth comparable to that of
      wild-type S. Typhimurium. In contrast, a strain lacking a functional periplasmic
      nitrate reductase (napA mutant) exhibited a marked growth defect in the lumen of
      the colon. In E. coli, the napABC genes are transcribed maximally under anaerobic
      growth conditions in the presence of low nitrate concentrations. Inactivation of
      narP, encoding a response regulator that activates napABC transcription in
      response to low nitrate concentrations, significantly reduced the growth of S.
      Typhimurium in the gut lumen. Cecal nitrate measurements suggested that the
      murine cecum is a nitrate-limited environment. Collectively, our results suggest
      that S. Typhimurium uses the periplasmic nitrate reductase to support its growth
      on the low nitrate concentrations encountered in the gut, a strategy that may be
      shared with other enteric pathogens. 

PMID- 26099580
TI  - Endoplasmic Reticulum Tubule Protein Reticulon 4 Associates with the Legionella
      pneumophila Vacuole and with Translocated Substrate Ceg9.
AB  - Intracellular growth of Legionella pneumophila occurs in a replication vacuole
      constructed by host proteins that regulate vesicular traffic from the host
      endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This process is promoted by a combination of
      approximately 300 Icm/Dot translocated substrates (IDTS). One of these proteins,
      Ceg9, was previously identified in a screen for L. pneumophila IDTS that
      manipulate secretory traffic when overexpressed in yeast. Using ectopic
      expression of Ceg9 in mammalian cells, we demonstrate that Ceg9 interacts with
      isoforms of host reticulon 4 (Rtn4), a protein that regulates ER tubule
      formation. Binding occurs under conditions that prevent association with other
      known reticulon binding proteins, arguing that Ceg9 binding is stable. A
      tripartite complex was demonstrated among Rtn4, Ceg9, and atlastin 1, a
      previously characterized reticulon interacting partner. The binding of Ceg9 to
      Rtn4 was not due to bridging by atlastin 1 but resulted from the two interacting
      partners binding independently to reticulon. When Ceg9 is ectopically expressed
      in mammalian cells, it shows a localization pattern that is indistinguishable
      from that of Rtn4, perhaps due to interactions between and similar structural
      features of the two proteins. Consistent with Rtn4 playing a role in the
      formation of the Legionella-containing vacuole, it was recruited to almost 50% of
      the vacuoles within 20 min postinfection. Our studies suggest that L. pneumophila
      proteins interact with ER tubules at an early stage of replication vacuole
      formation. 

PMID- 26099581
TI  - Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Attenuate Staphylococcal
      Enterotoxin A-Induced Toxic Shock.
AB  - Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs), which are mesenchymal stromal cells
      isolated from adipose tissues, exhibit immunomodulatory effects that are
      promising for several applications, including the therapeutics of inflammatory
      diseases. In the present study, the effect of ASCs on bacterial toxin-induced
      inflammation was investigated. Intraperitoneal administration of ASCs rescued
      mice from lethal shock induced by staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) potentiated
      with lipopolysaccharide. In the sera and/or spleens of mice administered ASCs,
      the production of proinflammatory cytokines, including interferon gamma, tumor
      necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-2 was reduced. By
      quantitative real-time PCR, the expression of Foxp3 in the mice administered ASCs
      was not altered. On the other hand, the expression of IL-12 receptor and STAT4
      was decreased with ASC administration. These results imply that the effect of
      ASCs is not involved in the lineage of regulatory T cells but that these cells
      may modulate TH1 differentiation. This information provides evidence that ASCs
      have properties that are effective to attenuate SEA-induced toxic shock and
      should prompt further exploration on other inflammatory diseases caused by
      bacterial toxins or bacterial infections. 

PMID- 26099582
TI  - Protection against Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli by Non-Genetically Modified
      Organism Receptor Mimic Bacterial Ghosts.
AB  - Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) causes severe gastrointestinal infections
      in humans that may lead to life-threatening systemic sequelae, such as the
      hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Rapid diagnosis of STEC infection early in the
      course of disease opens a window of opportunity for therapeutic intervention, for
      example, by administration of agents that neutralize Shiga toxin (Stx) in the gut
      lumen. We previously developed a recombinant bacterium that expresses a mimic of
      the Stx receptor globotriaosyl ceramide (Gb3) on its surface through modification
      of the lipopolysaccharide (A. W. Paton, R. Morona, and J. C. Paton, Nat Med 6:265
      270, 2000, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/73111). This construct was highly
      efficacious in vivo, protecting mice from otherwise fatal STEC disease, but the
      fact that it is a genetically modified organism (GMO) has been a barrier to
      clinical development. In the present study, we have overcome this issue by
      development of Gb3 receptor mimic bacterial ghosts (BGs) that are not classified
      as GMOs. Gb3-BGs neutralized Stx1 and Stx2 in vitro with high efficiency, whereas
      alternative Gb3-expressing non-GMO subbacterial particles (minicells and outer
      membrane blebs) were ineffective. Gb3-BGs were highly efficacious in a murine
      model of STEC disease. All mice (10/10) treated with Gb3-BGs survived challenge
      with a highly virulent O113:H21 STEC strain and showed no pathological signs of
      renal injury. In contrast, 6/10 mice treated with control BGs succumbed to STEC
      challenge, and survivors exhibited significant weight loss, neutrophilia, and
      histopathological evidence of renal damage. Thus, Gb3-BGs offer a non-GMO
      approach to treatment of STEC infection in humans, particularly in an outbreak
      setting. 

PMID- 26099583
TI  - Toxicity and SidJ-Mediated Suppression of Toxicity Require Distinct Regions in
      the SidE Family of Legionella pneumophila Effectors.
AB  - Intracellular bacteria use a variety of strategies to evade degradation and
      create a replicative niche. Legionella pneumophila is an intravacuolar pathogen
      that establishes a replicative niche through the secretion of more than 300
      effector proteins. The function of most effectors remains to be determined.
      Toxicity in yeast has been used to identify functional domains and elucidate the
      biochemical function of effectors. A library of L. pneumophila effectors was
      screened using an expression plasmid that produces low levels of each protein.
      This screen identified the effector SdeA as a protein that confers a strong toxic
      phenotype that inhibits yeast replication. The toxicity of SdeA was suppressed in
      cells producing the effector SidJ. The effector SdeA is a member of the SidE
      family of L. pneumophila effector proteins. All SidE orthologs encoded by the
      Philadelphia isolate of Legionella pneumophila were toxic to yeast, and SidJ
      suppressed the toxicity of each. We identified a conserved central region in the
      SidE proteins that was sufficient to mediate yeast toxicity. Surprisingly, SidJ
      did not suppress toxicity when this central region was produced in yeast. We
      determined that the amino-terminal region of SidE was essential for SidJ-mediated
      suppression of toxicity. Thus, there is a genetic interaction that links the
      activity of SidJ and the amino-terminal region of SidE, which is required to
      modulate the toxic activity displayed by the central region of the SidE protein.
      This suggests a complex mechanism by which the L. pneumophila effector SidJ
      modulates the function of the SidE proteins after translocation into host cells. 

PMID- 26099584
TI  - ArcA Controls Metabolism, Chemotaxis, and Motility Contributing to the
      Pathogenicity of Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli.
AB  - Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) strains cause one of the three most
      significant infectious diseases in the poultry industry and are also potential
      food-borne pathogens threating human health. In this study, we showed that ArcA
      (aerobic respiratory control), a global regulator important for E. coli's
      adaptation from anaerobic to aerobic conditions and control of that bacterium's
      enzymatic defenses against reactive oxygen species (ROS), is involved in the
      virulence of APEC. Deletion of arcA significantly attenuates the virulence of
      APEC in the duck model. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) analyses comparing the
      APEC wild type and the arcA mutant indicate that ArcA regulates the expression of
      129 genes, including genes involved in citrate transport and metabolism,
      flagellum synthesis, and chemotaxis. Further investigations revealed that
      citCEFXG contributed to APEC's microaerobic growth at the lag and log phases when
      cultured in duck serum and that ArcA played a dual role in the control of citrate
      metabolism and transportation. In addition, deletion of flagellar genes motA and
      motB and chemotaxis gene cheA significantly attenuated the virulence of APEC, and
      ArcA was shown to directly regulate the expression of motA, motB, and cheA. The
      combined results indicate that ArcA controls metabolism, chemotaxis, and motility
      contributing to the pathogenicity of APEC. 

PMID- 26099585
TI  - Lack of the Transcription Factor Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) in
      Macrophages Accelerates the Necrosis of Mycobacterium avium-Induced Granulomas.
AB  - The establishment of mycobacterial infection is characterized by the formation of
      granulomas, which are well-organized aggregates of immune cells, namely, infected
      macrophages. The granuloma's main function is to constrain and prevent
      dissemination of the mycobacteria while focusing the immune response to a limited
      area. In some cases these lesions can grow progressively into large granulomas
      which can undergo central necrosis, thereby leading to their caseation.
      Macrophages are the most abundant cells present in the granuloma and are known to
      adapt under hypoxic conditions in order to avoid cell death. Our laboratory has
      developed a granuloma necrosis model that mimics the human pathology of
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis, using C57BL/6 mice infected intravenously with a low
      dose of a highly virulent strain of Mycobacterium avium. In this work, a mouse
      strain deleted of the hypoxia inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) under the Cre
      lox system regulated by the lysozyme M gene promoter was used to determine the
      relevance of HIF-1alpha in the caseation of granulomas. The genetic ablation of
      HIF-1alpha in the myeloid lineage causes the earlier emergence of granuloma
      necrosis and clearly induces an impairment of the resistance against M. avium
      infection coincident with the emergence of necrosis. The data provide evidence
      that granulomas become hypoxic before undergoing necrosis through the analysis of
      vascularization and quantification of HIF-1alpha in a necrotizing mouse model.
      Our results show that interfering with macrophage adaptation to hypoxia, such as
      through HIF-1alpha inactivation, accelerates granuloma necrosis. 

PMID- 26099586
TI  - Manipulation of Autophagy in Phagocytes Facilitates Staphylococcus aureus
      Bloodstream Infection.
AB  - The capacity for intracellular survival within phagocytes is likely a critical
      factor facilitating the dissemination of Staphylococcus aureus in the host. To
      date, the majority of work on S. aureus-phagocyte interactions has focused on
      neutrophils and, to a lesser extent, macrophages, yet we understand little about
      the role played by dendritic cells (DCs) in the direct killing of this bacterium.
      Using bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs), we demonstrate for the first time that DCs
      can effectively kill S. aureus but that certain strains of S. aureus have the
      capacity to evade DC (and macrophage) killing by manipulation of autophagic
      pathways. Strains with high levels of Agr activity were capable of causing
      autophagosome accumulation, were not killed by BMDCs, and subsequently escaped
      from the phagocyte, exerting significant cytotoxic effects. Conversely, strains
      that exhibited low levels of Agr activity failed to accumulate autophagosomes and
      were killed by BMDCs. Inhibition of the autophagic pathway by treatment with 3
      methyladenine restored the bactericidal effects of BMDCs. Using an in vivo model
      of systemic infection, we demonstrated that the ability of S. aureus strains to
      evade phagocytic cell killing and to survive temporarily within phagocytes
      correlated with persistence in the periphery and that this effect is critically
      Agr dependent. Taken together, our data suggest that strains of S. aureus
      exhibiting high levels of Agr activity are capable of blocking autophagic flux,
      leading to the accumulation of autophagosomes. Within these autophagosomes, the
      bacteria are protected from phagocytic killing, thus providing an intracellular
      survival niche within professional phagocytes, which ultimately facilitates
      dissemination. 

PMID- 26099587
TI  - Expression of the Oligopeptide Permease Operon of Moraxella catarrhalis Is
      Regulated by Temperature and Nutrient Availability.
AB  - Moraxella catarrhalis causes otitis media in children and exacerbations of
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults. Together, these two conditions
      contribute to enormous morbidity and mortality worldwide. The oligopeptide
      permease (opp) ABC transport system is a nutritional virulence factor important
      for the utilization of peptides. The substrate binding protein OppA, which binds
      peptides for uptake, is a potential vaccine antigen, but little was known about
      the regulation of gene expression. The five opp genes oppB, oppC, oppD, oppF, and
      oppA are in the same open reading frame. Sequence analysis predicted two
      promoters, one located upstream of oppB and one within the intergenic region
      between oppF and oppA. We have characterized the gene cluster as an operon with
      two functional promoters and show that cold shock at 26 degrees C for <= 0.5 h
      and the presence of a peptide substrate increase gene transcript levels.
      Additionally, the putative promoter upstream of oppA contributes to the
      transcription of oppA but is not influenced by the same environmental cues as the
      promoter upstream of oppB. We conclude that temperature and nutrient availability
      contribute to the regulation of the Opp system, which is an important nutritional
      virulence factor in M. catarrhalis.

PMID- 26099588
TI  - Multiple Functions of Glutamate Uptake via Meningococcal GltT-GltM L-Glutamate
      ABC Transporter in Neisseria meningitidis Internalization into Human Brain
      Microvascular Endothelial Cells.
AB  - We previously reported that Neisseria meningitidis internalization into human
      brain microvasocular endothelial cells (HBMEC) was triggered by the influx of
      extracellular L-glutamate via the GltT-GltM L-glutamate ABC transporter, but the
      underlying mechanism remained unclear. We found that the DeltagltT DeltagltM
      invasion defect in assay medium (AM) was alleviated in AM without 10% fetal
      bovine serum (FBS) [AM(-S)]. The alleviation disappeared again in AM(-S)
      supplemented with 500 MUM glutamate. Glutamate uptake by the DeltagltT DeltagltM
      mutant was less efficient than that by the wild-type strain, but only upon HBMEC
      infection. We also observed that both GltT-GltM-dependent invasion and
      accumulation of ezrin, a key membrane-cytoskeleton linker, were more pronounced
      when N. meningitidis formed larger colonies on HBMEC under physiological
      glutamate conditions. These results suggested that GltT-GltM-dependent
      meningococcal internalization into HBMEC might be induced by the reduced
      environmental glutamate concentration upon infection. Furthermore, we found that
      the amount of glutathione within the DeltagltT DeltagltM mutant was much lower
      than that within the wild-type N. meningitidis strain only upon HBMEC infection
      and was correlated with intracellular survival. Considering that the L-glutamate
      obtained via GltT-GltM is utilized as a nutrient in host cells, l-glutamate
      uptake via GltT-GltM plays multiple roles in N. meningitidis internalization into
      HBMEC.

PMID- 26099589
TI  - Platelet-Dependent Neutrophil Function Is Dysregulated by M Protein from
      Streptococcus pyogenes.
AB  - Platelets are rapidly responsive sentinel cells that patrol the bloodstream and
      contribute to the host response to infection. Platelets have been reported to
      form heterotypic aggregates with leukocytes and may modulate their function.
      Here, we have investigated platelet-neutrophil complex formation and neutrophil
      function in response to distinct agonists. The endogenous platelet activator
      thrombin gave rise to platelet-dependent neutrophil activation, resulting in
      enhanced phagocytosis and bacterial killing. Streptococcus pyogenes is an
      important causative agent of severe infectious disease, which can manifest as
      sepsis and septic shock. M1 protein from S. pyogenes also mediated platelet
      neutrophil complex formation; however, these neutrophils were dysfunctional and
      exhibited diminished chemotactic ability and bacterial killing. This reveals an
      important agonist-dependent neutrophil dysfunction during platelet-neutrophil
      complex formation and highlights the role of platelets during the immune response
      to streptococcal infection. 

PMID- 26099590
TI  - Moraxella catarrhalis Binds Plasminogen To Evade Host Innate Immunity.
AB  - Several bacterial species recruit the complement regulators C4b-binding protein,
      factor H, and vitronectin, resulting in resistance against the bactericidal
      activity of human serum. It was recently demonstrated that bacteria also bind
      plasminogen, which is converted to plasmin that degrades C3b and C5. In this
      study, we found that a series of clinical isolates (n = 58) of the respiratory
      pathogen Moraxella catarrhalis, which is commonly isolated from preschool
      children and adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
      significantly binds human plasminogen. Ubiquitous surface protein A2 (UspA2) and
      hybrid UspA2 (UspA2H) were identified as the plasminogen-binding factors in the
      outer membrane proteome of Moraxella. Furthermore, expression of a series of
      truncated recombinant UspA2 and UspA2H proteins followed by a detailed analysis
      of protein-protein interactions suggested that the N-terminal head domains bound
      to the kringle domains of plasminogen. The binding affinity constant (KD) values
      of full-length UspA2(30-539) (amino acids 30 to 539 of UspA2) and full-length
      UspA2H(50-720) for immobilized plasminogen were 4.8 * 10(-8) M and 3.13 * 10(-8)
      M, respectively, as measured by biolayer interferometry. Plasminogen bound to
      intact M. catarrhalis or to recombinant UspA2/UspA2H was readily accessible for a
      urokinase plasminogen activator that converted the zymogen into active plasmin,
      as verified by the specific substrate S-2251 and a degradation assay with
      fibrinogen. Importantly, plasmin bound at the bacterial surface also degraded C3b
      and C5, which consequently may contribute to reduced bacterial killing. Our
      findings suggest that binding of plasminogen to M. catarrhalis may lead to
      increased virulence and, hence, more efficient colonization of the host.

PMID- 26099592
TI  - More on the danger of inhaling air at reduced fresh gas flows: a self-experiment.

PMID- 26099591
TI  - In Vivo and Ex Vivo Imaging Reveals a Long-Lasting Chlamydial Infection in the
      Mouse Gastrointestinal Tract following Genital Tract Inoculation.
AB  - Intravaginal infection with Chlamydia muridarum in mice can ascend to the upper
      genital tract, resulting in hydrosalpinx, a pathological hallmark for tubal
      infertility in women infected with C. trachomatis. Here, we utilized in vivo
      imaging of C. muridarum infection in mice following an intravaginal inoculation
      and confirmed the rapid ascent of the chlamydial organisms from the lower to
      upper genital tracts. Unexpectedly, the C. muridarum-derived signal was still
      detectable in the abdominal area 100 days after inoculation. Ex vivo imaging of
      the mouse organs revealed that the long-lasting presence of the chlamydial signal
      was restricted to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which was validated by
      directly measuring the chlamydial live organisms and genomes in the same organs.
      The C. muridarum organisms spreading from the genital to the GI tracts were
      detected in different mouse strains and appeared to be independent of oral or
      rectal routes. Mice prevented from orally taking up excretions also developed the
      long-lasting GI tract infection. Inoculation of C. muridarum directly into the
      upper genital tract, which resulted in a delayed vaginal shedding of live
      organisms, accelerated the chlamydial spreading to the GI tract. Thus, we have
      demonstrated that the genital tract chlamydial organisms may use a systemic route
      to spread to and establish a long-lasting infection in the GI tract. The
      significance of the chlamydial spreading from the genital to GI tracts is
      discussed. 

PMID- 26099593
TI  - [Which diagnostics should be used to clarify persistent, newly occurring cardiac
      complaints in outpatient treatment?].

PMID- 26099594
TI  - Role of augmented transferrin during the retraining for undeveloped left
      ventricle.
AB  - Transposition of great arteries (TGA) is a common congenital heart disease. Left
      ventricle (LV) is rapidly regressing and pulmonary artery banding (PAB) is
      utilized to retrain the undeveloped LV. Hence, it offered a unique human disease
      model to investigate the process of LV hypertrophy under pressure overload. Eight
      late referred children with TGA were enrolled. The plasma was collected at the 30
      min. before and 48 hrs after PAB, and 25 proteins were identified as having
      significant change in proteomic analysis. Transferrin (TF) and ceruloplasmin were
      then confirmed. After 48 hrs incubation with TF, the size of human induced
      pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes increased by two times as large as
      control. Meanwhile, protein synthesis and the expression of natriuretic peptide
      precursor A and B were significantly enhanced. TF treatment also activated both
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and activated protein kinase singling
      pathways. Our data provided a link to molecular components and pathways that
      might be involved in LV retraining. TF severed as the carrier to delivery irons,
      and could directly stimulate cardiomyocytes hypertrophy. TF administration may
      hold therapeutic potential for the biological LV retraining.

PMID- 26099595
TI  - Toxicological assessment of hospital wastewater in different treatment processes.
AB  - This study surveyed the hospital wastewater characters focusing on antibiotic
      contamination in seven hospitals in Bangkok. It detected 19 antibiotics of which
      the high-frequent detection were quinolones such as ofloxacin + levofloxacin,
      norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin including sulfamethoxazole. Norfloxacin and
      ciprofloxacin appeared the highest concentrations of 12.11 and 9.60 MUg/L,
      respectively. Most antibiotic concentrations in the wastewaters of the studied
      hospitals gave a good correlation (r 2  = 0.77-0.99) to the amount of usage. In
      this study, batch acute toxicity tests were performed to assess the toxicity of
      hospital wastewater on mixed liquor, freshwater algae (Chlorella vulgaris and
      Scenedesmus quadricauda), and microcrustacean (Moina macrocopa). The hospital
      wastewaters could inhibit the mixed liquor growth and gave similar toxic levels
      among test species: algae and microcrustacean (9.81-13.63 and 2.62-3.09 TU,
      respectively). The conventional activated sludge (CAS) and rotating biological
      contactor (RBC) could remove fluoroquinolones and tetracycline via biomass
      adsorption. After treatment, most of treatment could reduce the toxicity.
      Nevertheless, the effluent gave slight toxicity on some test species which might
      be caused from chlorination and a common toxicant (NH3-N).

PMID- 26099596
TI  - Differential determination of plasticizers and organophosphorus flame retardants
      in residential indoor air in Japan.
AB  - A variety of chemicals have been used in a wide range of indoor materials, such
      as wallpaper and furniture, and some of them are released into the indoor air.
      The level of consumption as well as the diversity of these chemicals has been
      increasing. The particle size of the materials in the air is known to affect the
      depth of human exposure, e.g., particles >10 MUm can only reach the nasal cavity,
      whereas particles 2.5-10 MUm can reach the respiratory tract and particles <2.5
      MUm can reach the bottom of the lungs. However, information on the concentrations
      and form of these chemicals in indoor air is very limited. In this study, we
      measured 54 compounds, including plasticizers (phthalates, adipates, and others)
      and organophosphorus flame retardants, in indoor air samples from the living
      rooms of 21 dwellings in 11 prefectures across Japan. For sampling, we used a
      four-stage air sampler (multi-nozzle cascade impactor) equipped with three quartz
      fiber filters to capture chemical particulates in three size ranges (<2.5, 2.5
      10, and >10 MUm) and a C18 solid-phase extraction disk to capture chemicals that
      exist in a gas phase in indoor air. Each of the chemicals in the three
      particulate phases and single gas phase was extracted by acetone and measured
      separately using GC/MS. Of the 54 compounds tested, 37 were detected in the
      indoor air samples. The highest concentration observed was that of 2-ethyl-1
      hexanol (5.1 MUg/m3), which was detected in samples from all 21 houses. The 37
      compounds were captured in the four fractions at different rates roughly based on
      their molecular sizes. Compounds with a smaller molecular size were commonly
      detected as a gas phase, whereas compounds with a larger molecular size were
      detected as one or more of the three particulate phases in the indoor air
      samples. Among the three particulate phases, many of the compounds were detected
      from the filter capturing the smallest (<2.5 MUm) particles. Therefore, these
      results suggest that the chemicals measured in this study might penetrate deeply
      into the lungs as many of them tend to exist as a gas and/or as particles smaller
      than 2.5 MUm.

PMID- 26099597
TI  - Integrating ecotoxicity and chemical approaches to compare the effects of ZnO
      nanoparticles, ZnO bulk, and ZnCl2 on plants and microorganisms in a natural
      soil.
AB  - This work compared the toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), ZnO bulk, and
      ZnCl2 on microbial activity (C and N transformations and dehydrogenase and
      phosphatase activities) and their uptake and toxic effects (emergence, root
      elongation, and shoot growth) on three plant species namely wheat, radish, and
      vetch in a natural soil at 1000 mg Zn kg(-1). Additionally, plants were also
      tested at 250 mg Zn kg(-1). The effects of the chemical species on Zn
      extractability in soil were studied by performing single and sequential
      extractions. ZnCl2-1000 presented the highest toxicity for both taxonomic groups.
      For microorganisms, ZnO-NPs demonstrated adverse effects on all measured
      parameters, except on N transformations. The effects of both ZnO forms were
      similar. For plants, ZnO-NPs affected the growth of more plant species than ZnO
      bulk, although the effects were small in all cases. Regarding accumulation, the
      total Zn amounts were higher in plants exposed to ZnO-NP than those exposed to
      ZnO bulk, except for vetch shoots. The soil sequential extraction revealed that
      the Zn concentration in the most labile forms (water soluble (WS) and
      exchangeable (EX)) was similar in soil treated with ZnO (NP and bulk) and lower
      than that of ZnCl2-treated soil, indicating the higher availability of the ionic
      forms. The strong correlations obtained between WS-Zn fraction and the Zn
      concentrations in the roots, shoots, and the effects on shoot weight show the
      suitability of this soil extraction method for predicting bioavailable Zn soil
      for the three plant species when it was added as ZnO-NPs, ZnO bulk, or ZnCl2. In
      this work, the hazard associated with the ZnO-NPs was similar to ZnO bulk in most
      cases.

PMID- 26099598
TI  - A reactive transport model for mercury fate in contaminated soil--sensitivity
      analysis.
AB  - We present a sensitivity analysis of a reactive transport model of mercury (Hg)
      fate in contaminated soil systems. The one-dimensional model, presented in
      Leterme et al. (2014), couples water flow in variably saturated conditions with
      Hg physico-chemical reactions. The sensitivity of Hg leaching and volatilisation
      to parameter uncertainty is examined using the elementary effect method. A test
      case is built using a hypothetical 1-m depth sandy soil and a 50-year time series
      of daily precipitation and evapotranspiration. Hg anthropogenic contamination is
      simulated in the topsoil by separately considering three different sources:
      cinnabar, non-aqueous phase liquid and aqueous mercuric chloride. The model
      sensitivity to a set of 13 input parameters is assessed, using three different
      model outputs (volatilized Hg, leached Hg, Hg still present in the contaminated
      soil horizon). Results show that dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentration in
      soil solution and the binding constant to DOM thiol groups are critical
      parameters, as well as parameters related to Hg sorption to humic and fulvic
      acids in solid organic matter. Initial Hg concentration is also identified as a
      sensitive parameter. The sensitivity analysis also brings out non-monotonic model
      behaviour for certain parameters. 

PMID- 26099599
TI  - Numerical study of a buoyant plume from a multi-flue stack into a variable
      temperature gradient atmosphere.
AB  - Air pollution is one of the major global hazards and industries have been one of
      its major contributors. This paper primarily focuses on analyzing the dispersion
      characteristics of buoyant plumes of the pollutant released from a multi-flue
      vertical stack into a variable temperature gradient atmosphere (alpha) in a
      constant-velocity cross wind using two stack configurations-inline and parallel.
      The study is conducted for different Froude numbers, Fr = 12.64, 9.55, and 8.27.
      The atmospheric temperature gradients considered for the study are 0, +1, +1.5,
      and +2 K/100 m. The numerical study is done using the commercial computational
      fluid dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT. The effects of stack configuration, alpha, and
      Fr on the plume characteristics are presented. It is observed that the plume
      rises higher and disperses over a larger area with the inline configuration due
      to better mixing and shielding effect. With higher alpha, it is seen that the
      plume rises initially and then descends due to variation of the buoyant force.
      The plume rise initially is strongly influenced by the momentum of the jet, and
      as it moves downstream, it is influenced by the cooling rate of the plume.
      Furthermore, the plume rises higher and disperses over a larger area with a
      decrease in Fr.

PMID- 26099600
TI  - Study of peripheral blood multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 expression of
      children intractable epilepsy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze multidrug resistance-associated
      protein 1 (MRP1) expression of peripheral blood of children intractable epilepsy.
      METHODS: Sixty children with epilepsy admitted to outpatient and inpatient
      services of Xuzhou Children's Hospital between November 2010 and October 2011
      were divided into a refractory epilepsy group and a drug-controlled epilepsy
      group, with 30 cases each. Thirty healthy children who went to the hospital in
      the same year for health examination were enrolled as a control group. Reverse
      transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blot method were used to
      determine peripheral blood MRP1 level, mRNA, and protein content of the 3 groups.
      RESULTS: MRP1 expression in the refractory epilepsy group was significantly
      higher than those of the epilepsy group with good drug control and of the control
      group. All differences had statistical significance (P<0.05), except for the
      comparison between the drug-controlled epilepsy group and the control group
      (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral blood MRP1 expression in patients with
      refractory epilepsy increases.

PMID- 26099601
TI  - Technical considerations and precautions in in situ bronchoalveolar lavage and
      alveolar infiltrating cells isolation in rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) is an important tool in
      experimental toxicology and pharmacology. A number of researchers have utilized
      BAL in studies involving rodents. However, the detailed procedure of performing
      BAL in rodents has rarely been reported. In the present article, in situ BAL in
      rats has been described with technical points that ensure the quality and
      validity of BALF samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BAL was performed in rats of
      Wistar strain. Flow cytometry and microscopy were utilized to analyze the BAL
      cells. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The collected volume of BALF was 84.32 +/- 2.7% of
      instilled volume. Alveolar macrophages were found to be prevalent in normal lungs
      when analyzed under microscope and by flow cytometry. The main problem that one
      may face is the accidental contamination of BALF samples with blood of the animal
      itself. Presence of blood in BALF certainly adds a significant number of cells
      and other biochemical variables. No blood contamination was detected in BALF.
      CONCLUSION: Here, a simple procedure for BAL and collection of alveolar cells
      (macrophages in the present study) is explained with an emphasis on technical
      steps and precautions, which ensures the quality of the BALF samples. Data
      exhibit that there is no blood contamination in the BALF and provide evidence
      that the technical points considered in the procedure here are successful in
      maintaining the quality and validity of BALF samples.

PMID- 26099602
TI  - Superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin C1 mutant can reduce paraquat pulmonary
      fibrosis.
AB  - A network of inflammation factors is related to pulmonary fibrosis induced by
      paraquat (PQ) poisoning. At high doses, the superantigen staphylococcal
      enterotoxin C1 (SEC1) can induce immunological unresponsiveness and inhibit
      release of inflammation factors. In this study, site-directed mutagenesis was
      performed at the H118 and H122 amino acid residues of SEC1 to reduce SEC1
      toxicity. The SEC1 mutant showed significantly decreased pyrogenic toxicity, but
      retained clonal anergy at high dosages in vitro. Pretreatment with the SEC1
      mutant prior to PQ poisoning in mice reduced symptom duration and severity,
      prolonged survival time, and decreased the splenocyte response to ConA induction.
      The SEC1 mutant also down-regulated several important cytokines related to
      fibrosis in the plasma after PQ poisoning. SEC1 decreased the expression of genes
      related to pulmonary fibrosis, including alpha-SMA, COL1a1, COL3 and TGF-beta1,
      in PQ poisoned mice. Histomorphological observation indicated alleviation of
      pathological changes in the lungs after SEC1 pretreatment compared to mice in the
      PQ group. In conclusion, the SEC1 mutant reduced pulmonary interstitial fibrosis
      induced by PQ poisoning.

PMID- 26099603
TI  - Efficacy and safety of etoricoxib compared with NSAIDs in acute gout: a
      systematic review and a meta-analysis.
AB  - The aim is to study the efficacy and safety of etoricoxib in the treatment of
      acute gout, as compared with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). We
      conducted a computerized search of electronic databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of
      Science, China Biology Medicine disc, and Cochrane Library. The search terms were
      as follows: gout arthritis, tophus, etoricoxib, indometacin naproxen, diclofenac,
      and NSAIDs. Articles were searched from 1983 until August 2014. A manual search
      of peer-reviewed English documents was performed by cross-checking the
      bibliographies of selected studies. These trials reported pain relief as the
      primary outcome. Tenderness, swelling, patients' global assessments of response
      to treatment, and investigators' global assessments of response to treatment were
      reported as the secondary outcomes. All adverse events were recorded for safety
      assessment. Six trials including 851 patients were identified. Both etoricoxib
      and NSAIDs had an effect on inflammation and analgesia. Compared with indometacin
      and diclofenac, etoricoxib had a lower incidence of adverse events. Etoricoxib
      120 mg administered orally once daily has the same efficacy on acute gout as
      indometacin and diclofenac. Etoricoxib is tolerated better by patients than
      NSAIDs such as indometacin and diclofenac. 

PMID- 26099605
TI  - Engineering targeted chromosomal amplifications in human breast epithelial cells.
AB  - Chromosomal amplifications are among the most common genetic alterations found in
      human cancers. However, experimental systems to study the processes that lead to
      specific, recurrent amplification events in human cancers are lacking. Moreover,
      some common amplifications, such as that at 8p11-12 in breast cancer, harbor
      multiple driver oncogenes, which are poorly modeled by conventional
      overexpression approaches. We sought to develop an experimental system to model
      recurrent chromosomal amplification events in human cell lines. Our strategy is
      to use homologous-recombination-mediated gene targeting to deliver a dominantly
      selectable, amplifiable marker to a specified chromosomal location. We used adeno
      associated virus vectors to target human MCF-7 breast cancer cells at the ZNF703
      locus, in the recurrent 8p11-12 amplicon, using the E. coli inosine monophosphate
      dehydrogenase (IMPDH) enzyme as a marker. We applied selective pressure using
      IMPDH inhibitors. Surviving clones were found to have increased copy number of
      ZNF703 (average 2.5-fold increase) by droplet digital PCR and FISH. Genome-wide
      array comparative genomic hybridization confirmed that amplifications had
      occurred on the short arm of chromosome 8, without changes on 8q or other
      chromosomes. Patterns of amplification were variable and similar to those seen in
      primary human breast cancers, including "sawtooth" patterns, distal copy number
      loss, and large continuous regions of copy number gain. This system will allow
      study of the cis- and trans-acting factors that are permissive for chromosomal
      amplification and provide a model to analyze oncogene cooperativity in
      amplifications harboring multiple candidate driver genes. 

PMID- 26099604
TI  - Rheumatologic emergencies.
AB  - Rheumatological conditions can sometimes present as emergencies. These can occur
      due to the disease process or infection; contrary to what many people think,
      rheumatologic emergencies like a pain, rheumatic crisis, or attack gout do not
      compromise the patient's life. This article mentioned only true emergencies:
      catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (cAPS), kidney-lung syndrome, central
      nervous system (CNS) vasculitis, anti-Ro syndrome (neonatal lupus), and
      macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). The management of above emergencies
      includes critical care, immunosuppression when indicated, and use of a diagnostic
      flowchart as well as fast laboratory profile for making decisions. Anticoagulants
      have to be used in the management of antiphospholipid syndrome. A good
      understanding of these conditions is of paramount importance for proper
      management. 

PMID- 26099606
TI  - Clinical relevance of the deregulated kallikrein-related peptidase 8 mRNA
      expression in breast cancer: a novel independent indicator of disease-free
      survival.
AB  - Examining for new BC biomarkers has proven that kallikrein-related peptidase
      (KLK) family members represent promising serum and/or tissue molecular tools for
      early diagnosis, effective prognosis, and treatment monitoring of patients. The
      aim of this study was to investigate, the previously unexplored, prognostic
      significance of KLK8 in BC. KLK8 mRNA expression was quantitatively analyzed in
      150 cancerous and 100 corresponding normal breast tissue specimens via a SYBR
      Green-based Real-Time PCR methodology. Expression data and patients'
      clinicopathological parameters were used for extensive biostatistical analyses,
      including internal validation. KLK8 mRNA expression was significantly
      downregulated in the cancerous tissue part relative to the non-cancerous
      counterpart (P < 0.001), in the majority of the paired breast tissue samples.
      KLK8 expression was associated with advanced TNM stage (P = 0.019) and positive
      nodal status involvement (P = 0.044). Triple negative (TNBC) and HER2
      overexpressing tumors exhibited higher KLK8 expression levels (P < 0.001),
      compared to Luminal A and B molecular subtypes. Kaplan-Meier survival curve
      analysis revealed that BC patients with high KLK8 expression had significantly
      shorter disease-free survival (DFS) intervals (P < 0.001) compared to those
      belonging in the KLK8-low expression group. Cox univariate analysis confirmed the
      association between KLK8 expression, analyzed as a continuous variable, and poor
      patients' outcome (Hazard ratio [HR] = 3.28, P < 0.001). Most importantly,
      multivariate analysis showed that KLK8 expression is a strong and independent
      predictor of adverse DFS in BC ([HR] = 2.74; P = 0.002). Our results show that
      KLK8 mRNA expression is associated with aggressive tumor characteristics and it
      can serve as a novel independent biomarker of unfavorable prognosis for BC
      patients. 

PMID- 26099607
TI  - Effect of the saturation pulse duration on chemical exchange saturation transfer
      in amide proton transfer MR imaging: a phantom study.
AB  - Amide proton transfer (APT) contrast imaging is based on the chemical exchange
      saturation transfer (CEST) of protons between the amide groups and bulk water.
      Here, we demonstrate the effect of the saturation pulse duration on CEST in APT
      imaging with use of a clinical MR scanner. Four samples were prepared from
      chicken egg white diluted with H2O. Experiments were performed on a 3T clinical
      MR scanner with use of a body coil for two-channel parallel radiofrequency
      transmission. APT images were acquired at six frequency offsets (+/- 3.0, +/-
      3.5, +/- 4.0 ppm) with respect to the water resonance as well as one far off
      resonant frequency (-160 ppm) for signal normalization. The CEST effect was
      defined as asymmetry of the magnetization transfer ratio at 3.5 ppm. We measured
      the CEST effects in the egg white samples with different concentrations at seven
      saturation pulse durations. The influence of the extension of repetition time
      (TR) on the CEST effect was also evaluated. The CEST effect was not influenced by
      the change in TR. The CEST effect was increased significantly with the
      concentration when the duration was >=1.0 s (P < 0.01). The CEST effect was
      highly correlated with the concentration at all saturation pulse durations, and
      its increase ratio was higher at longer saturation pulse durations. In
      conclusion, a long saturation pulse duration is useful for the sensitive
      detection of mobile proteins and peptides in APT imaging. 

PMID- 26099608
TI  - [Toxoplasmosis in immunocompromised patients].
AB  - In humans, toxoplasmosis mostly occurs as a latent infection, but in
      immunocompromised individuals, the agent may reactivate and cause severe to life
      threatening disease. HIV positive individuals and transplant recipients, in
      particular hematopoietic stem cell transplant and heart transplant recipients,
      are at highest risk. The disease most often affects the central nervous system
      but can involve any organ. Because of the alteration of the immune response in
      these patients, the serodiagnosis is not reliable and direct detection of the
      causative agent is needed--namely by microscopy and DNA PCR. If inadequately
      treated or left untreated, toxoplasmosis generally has a fatal prognosis in
      immunocompromised patients and therefore, the treatment must be started as early
      and energetically as possible. The gold standard both in the treatment of
      reactivation and secondary prophylaxis is the pyrimethamine-sulfadiazine
      combination while co-trimoxazole can be used in the primary prophylaxis for high
      risk patients.

PMID- 26099609
TI  - [The possibilities of zoonotic transmission of rotaviruses].
AB  - Rotaviruses are significant enteric pathogens of humans and animals. Rotavirus
      associated mortality is still high in children, especially in developing
      countries. Rotaviruses also account for important economic losses due to
      gastrointestinal disease of livestock animals, notably of young cattle and pigs.
      Increasing numbers of different rotavirus strains stress the necessity of their
      uniform nomenclature and detailed classification with the use of whole-genome
      sequencing. Phylogenetic analyses of the rotavirus genome reveal repeated
      intersections between the evolution of human and animal rotavirus strains which
      is probably a consequence of multiple events of transmission among various animal
      species. The interspecies transmission and subsequent gene reassortment are
      important mechanisms driving the diversity of rotaviruses and enabling the
      emergence of new pathogenic strains. 

PMID- 26099610
TI  - [Hepatitis E--overview of the latest knowledge].
AB  - Hepatitis E (HE) is a ubiquitous infection, occurring both in developing and in
      developed countries. It is caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV), a small, non
      enveloped RNA virus. The reported incidence in the Czech Republic in 2013 was 2
      cases per 100,000 inhabitants and the number of HE cases has been growing over
      the past years. Besides the long known fecal-oral transmission, zoonotic and
      blood product transmission of HEV has recently been observed in industrialized
      countries. Most infections are asymptomatic. Symptomatic infection may present as
      acute hepatitis with nonspecific flu-like symptoms and liver enzymes elevation.
      In immunocompromised patients, HEV can lead to chronic hepatitis E and can even
      cause acute liver failure in pregnant women. Several extrahepatic manifestations
      have also been reported. Antiviral therapy has been successfully used in chronic
      hepatitis E. The first vaccine available for clinical use is licensed in China so
      far.

PMID- 26099611
TI  - [West Nile virus transmission risk in the Czech Republic].
AB  - West Nile Virus (WNV) belongs to the family Flaviviridae. It is transmitted to
      humans by mosquitoes, capable of sucking blood on birds and mammals, most often
      by mosquitoes of the genus Culex. In humans, the virus was first identified in
      1937 in the West Nile region, Uganda, Africa. Later, the virus spread and caused
      more or less severe epidemics of West Nile fever in North Africa, Europe, Asia,
      and North and South America. During the last two decades, WNV has been on the
      rise and is currently ranked as one of the most prevalent arboviruses in the
      world. In humans, WNV infection mostly occurs as asymptomatic, but may have a
      more severe or even fatal course in older and weakened patients. Humans may
      become infected not only by mosquitoes that acquire the virus from infected
      birds, but also through a blood transfusion, organ transplant, breast milk and
      transplacental transmission, or contact with infected animals, their blood, and
      tissues. The first autochthonous human case of West Nile fever in the Czech
      Republic was reported from South Moravia in 1997. In 2013, another case of West
      Nile fever emerged in this country, in the Ostrava area. The issue of WNV has
      recently been studied from many different perspectives, as evidenced by many
      original and review papers. This article briefly reviews the essential knowledge
      about this virus and its spread. 

PMID- 26099612
TI  - Prevalence study on carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella
      pneumoniae isolates in Czech hospitals--results from Czech Part of European
      Survey on Carbapenemase--Producing Enterobacteriaceae (EuSCAPE).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: One of the most important threats of current medicine is the spread of
      multiresistant Gram-negative bacteria. We report here data from a six-month
      prevalence study on carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae and E. coli performed
      in Czech hospitals participating on European Survey on Carbapenemase-Producing
      Enterobacteriaceae (EuSCAPE). METHODS: Ten hospitals covering all regions of the
      Czech Republic were selected. During the study period (1st November 2013 to 30th
      April 2014), first ten carbapenem non-susceptible isolates of K. pneumoniae or E.
      coli isolated from non-surveillance specimens (i.e., blood, lower respiratory
      tract secretions, urine, puncture fluids, and wound secretions) of single
      successive patients were collected. Successive carbapenem-susceptible isolates of
      the same species were also preserved as controls. Susceptibility to 15
      antibiotics was determined using EUCAST recommendations. Carbapenemase activity
      was detected by MALDI-TOF MS meropenem hydrolysis assay. Positive isolates were
      subjected for molecular typing (multi-locus sequence typing, identification of
      carbapenemase gene). RESULTS: During the study period, thirty non-susceptible
      isolates (K. pneumoniae n=28, E. coli n=2) were identified in 5 hospitals. Only
      two of them were confirmed to be carbapenemase producers. A NDM-1-producing K.
      pneumoniae ST11 was recovered from a patient, transferred from Ukraine, being
      injured during a Maidan revolution. The second isolate, an OXA-48-producing K.
      pneumoniae, belonging to ST101, was recovered from a patient admitted to a
      hospital for an ischemic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: This study again confirmed that the
      Czech Republic still belongs to the countries with low prevalence of
      carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE). Cases of CPE are usually
      restricted to an import from high-prevalence countries or countries with unknown
      epidemiological situation.

PMID- 26099613
TI  - [Diagnosis of infections caused by Clostridium difficile in the Czech Republic:
      availability, possibilities, and interpretation of laboratory results].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the availability of the laboratory diagnosis of infections
      caused by C. difficile in the Czech Republic (CR), including the range of tests
      used, possible combinations, and adequate interpretation of model results.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were collected through a web questionnaire survey with
      the participation of representatives of 61 public and private microbiological
      laboratories. The questionnaire addressed the use of diagnostic test kits and
      culture media in the diagnosis of C. difficile infection (CDI). In addition, the
      respondents were asked to interpret a glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) positive and,
      at the same time, toxin A/B negative result, without or with laboratory
      confirmation if available. RESULTS: In the CR, the most commonly used test in the
      diagnosis of CDI is the C. DIFF Quik Chek Complete(r) test (Alere) for the
      detection of GDH and A/B toxins, as reported by 50 (82%) laboratories. Anaerobic
      culture is performed by 43 (70.5%) laboratories, 21 (48.8%) of which use
      selective agar (Oxoid). Direct detection of DNA of toxigenic C. difficile is
      feasible in 17 (27.9%) laboratories, with most of them (15 laboratories) using
      the closed system Xpert(r) C. difficile (Cepheid). The diagnosis based only on
      the detection of GDH and A/B toxins is used by 13 (21.3%) laboratories. Two
      (3.3%) laboratories detect A/B toxins alone and three (4.9%) laboratories carry
      out the detection of A/B toxins followed by anaerobic culture. A three step
      scheme: detection of GDH and A/B toxins with subsequent anaerobic culture is used
      by 26 (42.6%) laboratories. The detection of GDH and A/B toxins along with a PCR
      assay are provided by three (4.9%) laboratories. A complete diagnostic scheme for
      CDI (detection of GDH and A/B toxins, direct detection of DNA, and aerobic
      culture) is feasible in 14 (23%) laboratories. CONCLUSION: This questionnaire
      survey study identified 24 different testing algorithms to be in use within the
      study period (April to July 2014) in the CR. Five (8.2%) laboratories have no
      highly sensitive screening test such as the detection of GDH or nucleic acid
      amplification test (NAAT) included in their testing algorithm. Thirteen (21.3%)
      laboratories perform the detection of GDH and A/B toxins but have no confirmation
      method to be used if only one test turns out positive. In the case of GDH
      positivity and A/B toxin negativity, the result should be provided with a
      supplementary comment on further possibilities for the laboratory detection of
      CDI and the claimed sensitivity of the test used. If no confirmation test is
      available, the result should be considered as epidemiologically and clinically
      significant, once other possible causes of diarrhoea are ruled out.

PMID- 26099614
TI  - [The prevalence of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus aureus and methicillin
      resistant S. aureus (MRSA) among general medicine students of the Palacky
      University Olomouc].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major agents of both healthcare
      and community-associated infections. Nasal carriage of S. aureus has been
      reported in approximately 37% of healthy persons. OBJECTIVES: 1. To investigate
      the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus and MRSA in healthy persons of the
      age group 18-26 years (general medicine students of the Palacky University
      Olomouc). This type of information is not available in the Czech Republic. 2. To
      find whether the prevalence of nasal carriage strains of S. aureus and MRSA
      varies over the years of studies. 3. To compare the Year 1 (baseline) and Year 5
      (after a long, close contact with the indoor environment of health-care
      facilities) general medicine students for nasal carriage of S. aureus and MRSA
      strains. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The prevalence study was conducted for over 12
      months in 2012 and 2013. Nasal swabs were taken from the general medicine
      students participating in the study. Each subject was sampled once. RESULTS: In
      total, 307 samples were collected: 206 samples from the Year 1 students and 101
      from the Year 5 students. Sixty-one (about 32%) Year 1 students and 32 (30%) Year
      5 students were positive for S. aureus. Of them, 94 (30.6%) were males and 213
      (69.4%) were females. CONCLUSIONS: The observed prevalence of nasal S. aureus
      carriage is consistent with the literature data. No statistically significant
      difference in the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus was found between the
      Year 1 and Year 5 general medicine students.

PMID- 26099615
TI  - [Enterovirus sequencing as a new approach to the laboratory diagnosis for
      clinical and epidemiological purposes].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Introducing enterovirus sequencing as an advanced approach to classify
      the viruses isolated according to the novel nomenclature and to characterize
      isolates in detail. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-five specimens collected from
      64 patients in two hospitals, Liberec Regional Hospital, and Plzen University
      Hospital, were analyzed. The study patients' age ranged from four to 54 years,
      with a median of 15 years in males and 16 years in females. In most patients, the
      reasons for admission were intense headache, fever, vomiting, tiredness,
      meningeal symptoms, intestinal symptoms (in two patients), and skin symptoms (in
      one patient). The specimens collected were rectal and throat swabs, cerebrospinal
      fluid (CSF) and stool specimens. Molecular detection and typing were performed
      using the RT-PCR method. A segment of the 5'non-coding RNA was selected for
      typing. Specimens were amplified using single-step PCR with external primers and
      with the same primers extended to include M13 sequences (Generi-Biotech). The
      LASERGENE software (DIASTAR) was used in sequence editing, alignment, and quality
      check. The sequences obtained were checked against the central GenBank sequence
      database using the BLAST algorithm. RESULTS: The identification of the study
      isolates resulted in 61 ECHO viruses 30, three coxsackie viruses B1, one
      coxsackie virus B3, one coxsackie virus A9, one enterovirus 86, one enterovirus
      71, Two ECHO viruses 13/coxsackie virus B5, one ECHO virus 7/30/coxsackie virus
      B4, one coxsackie virus B4/enterovirus B, one enterovirus 87/ECHO virus
      30/enterovirus B, and one ECHO virus 3. All viruses isolated, except enterovirus
      71 classified into group A, were of group B. CONCLUSION: The enteroviruses were
      identified unambigously, although the sequencing only targeted a short, conserved
      segment that showed considerable variability. The sequencing was an effective
      alternative to enterovirus identification by the neutralisation test and allowed
      for detailed characterization of the isolates. The predominance of ECHO 30 as the
      cause of aseptic meningitis is in accordance with the literature data.

PMID- 26099616
TI  - Electromagnetic organ tracking allows for real-time compensation of tissue shift
      in image-guided laparoscopic rectal surgery: results of a phantom study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic resection is a minimally invasive treatment option for
      rectal cancer but requires highly experienced surgeons. Computer-aided
      technologies could help to improve safety and efficiency by visualizing risk
      structures during the procedure. The prerequisite for such an image guidance
      system is reliable intraoperative information on iatrogenic tissue shift. This
      could be achieved by intraoperative imaging, which is rarely available. Thus, the
      aim of the present study was to develop and validate a method for real-time
      deformation compensation using preoperative imaging and intraoperative
      electromagnetic tracking (EMT) of the rectum. METHODS: Three models were compared
      and evaluated for the compensation of tissue deformation. For model A, no
      compensation was performed. Model B moved the corresponding points rigidly to the
      motion of the EMT sensor. Model C used five nested linear regressions with
      increasing level of complexity to compute the deformation (C1-C5). For
      evaluation, 14 targets and an EMT organ sensor were fit into a silicone-molded
      rectum of the OpenHELP phantom. Following a computed tomography, the image
      guidance was initiated and the rectum was deformed in the same way as during
      surgery in a total of 14 experimental runs. The target registration error (TRE)
      was measured for all targets in different positions of the rectum. RESULTS: The
      mean TRE without correction (model A) was 32.8 +/- 20.8 mm, with only 19.6% of
      the measurements below 10 mm (80.4% above 10 mm). With correction, the mean TRE
      could be reduced using the rigid correction (model B) to 6.8 +/- 4.8 mm with
      78.7% of the measurements being <10 mm. Using the most complex linear regression
      correction (model C5), the error could be reduced to 2.9 +/- 1.4 mm with 99.8%
      being below 10 mm. CONCLUSION: In laparoscopic rectal surgery, the combination of
      electromagnetic organ tracking and preoperative imaging is a promising approach
      to compensating for intraoperative tissue shift in real-time.

PMID- 26099617
TI  - 10 cm H2O PEEP application in laparoscopic surgery and cerebral oxygenation: a
      comparative study with INVOS and FORESIGHT.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In the present study, changes in hemodynamic parameters and
      cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) associated with 10 cm H2O PEEP application were
      investigated, which is assumed beneficial for the respiratory functions and
      oxygenation during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) applied at 30 degrees  head
      up left side position. Data gathered via two devices, namely INVOS and FORESIGHT,
      were compared. METHODS: After both the ethics committee approval from the
      hospital and patients' written consents were obtained, patients undergoing
      elective laparoscopic surgery (only ASA I-II) were randomly divided into two
      groups (Clinical trials protocol NCT02071550). Sensors of INVOS and FORESIGHT
      devices were placed on the right side at the forehead region. In total, 11
      evaluation periods were formed, namely pre-induction (1st period), post-induction
      (2nd period), abdominal insufflation outset (3rd period), post-insufflation at 5
      min intervals (4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th period), at the end of insufflation
      (9th period), at the end of operation (10th period), and at the end of anesthesia
      (11th period). While one of the groups did not receive PEEP (ZEEP group), the
      other group received 10 cm H2O along with abdominal insufflation (PEEP group).
      Demographic data, hemodynamic values, and rSO2 values were recorded for both
      groups at all 11 periods. RESULTS: A total of 44 patients in two groups, each
      group containing 22 individuals, were included in the study. Systolic, diastolic,
      and mean arterial pressures, etCO2 and SO2 values, and demographic data were
      found to be similar in both groups. Heart rate was observed to be higher in the
      PEEP group starting with the PEEP administration. INVOS rSO2 values were found
      similar in both groups. However, FORESIGHT rSO2 values were found to be higher in
      the PEEP group compared to the ZEEP group. No patient had cerebral desaturation
      in both groups throughout the study. DISCUSSION: Application of PEEP with 10 cm
      H2O during abdominal insufflation could increase the rSO2 value and heart rate in
      patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. However, all changes observed
      were within normal limits. FORESIGHT device yielded more compatible results with
      hemodynamic data compared to INVOS.

PMID- 26099618
TI  - Single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy with curved versus linear
      instruments assessed by systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized
      trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Single-incision laparoscopic surgery poses significant ergonomic
      limitations. Curved instruments have been developed in order to address the issue
      of lack of triangulation. Direct comparison between single-incision laparoscopic
      surgeries with conventional linear and curved instruments has not been performed
      to date. METHODS: MEDLINE, CENTRAL and OpenGrey were searched to identify
      relevant randomized trials. A network meta-analysis was applied to compare
      operative risks, conversion, duration of surgery and the need for placement of an
      adjunct trocar in single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy with linear and
      curved instruments. The random-effects model was applied for two sets of
      comparisons, with conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy as the reference
      treatment. Odds ratios, mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were
      calculated. RESULTS: Twenty-three randomized trials encompassing 1737 patients
      were included. The use of curved instruments was associated with increased
      operative time (mean difference 32.53 min, 95% CI 24.23-40.83) and higher odds
      for the use of an adjunct trocar (odds ratio 22.81, 95% CI 16.69-28.94) compared
      to the use of linear instruments. Perioperative risks could not be comparatively
      assessed due to the low number of events. CONCLUSION: Single-incision
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy with curved instruments may be associated with an
      increased level of operative difficulty, as reflected by the need for auxiliary
      measures for exposure and increased operative time as compared to the use of
      linear instruments. Current instrumentation requires further improvement,
      tailored to the features of single-incision laparoscopic surgery
      (CRD42015015721).

PMID- 26099619
TI  - A pilot functional MRI study in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients to study
      alteration in taste functions after surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gastric bypass restricts food intake, with a limited component of
      malabsorption. Gut and brain hormone changes also facilitate improvements in
      weight and comorbidities. Patients' perception of taste and smell also change,
      along with reduced appetite for savory meals. Data on how changes in
      gastrointestinal physiology affect brain centers of perception and reward are
      sparse. METHODS: With IRB approval, we recruited 13 patients to undergo pre- and
      postoperative taste testing and functional MRI (fMRI) in response to sweet and
      salty solutions. A delivery system to the tongue was used, and patients rated
      intensity and pleasantness. They then underwent fMRI scanning. Sensory and reward
      areas of the brain were evaluated for activation. Subjects were then compared to
      non-obese non-surgical controls with the same taste paradigm and scanning twice,
      at 1 month apart. RESULTS: All subjects experienced significant weight loss at 1
      month and at 1 year after surgery. As expected, after surgery brain activation in
      the reward center of the brain was significantly decreased in response to sweet
      solutions, but this effect was also seen in non-surgical controls, making this
      result inconclusive. In contrast, surgical patients had significantly increased
      activation in the reward center to salty taste compared both to their
      preoperative scans and to healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: After GBS, brain
      activation in the reward system of obese patients responding to palatable tastes
      may be significantly changed, and such changes can be detected using fMRI. They
      do not always correlate with subjective reports of intensity and pleasantness. To
      verify that such taste-related activation changes are caused specifically by the
      GBS, taste function of a control group of obese patients should be studied during
      the same period of time without GBS intervention but with similar weight loss.

PMID- 26099620
TI  - What errors make a laparoscopic cancer surgery unsafe? An ad hoc analysis of
      competency assessment in the National Training Programme for laparoscopic
      colorectal surgery in England.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Training Programme for laparoscopic colorectal surgery
      in England was implemented to ensure training was supervised, structured, safe
      and effective. Delegates were required to pass a competency assessment (sign-off)
      before undertaking independent practice. This study described the types of errors
      identified and associated these errors with competency to progress to independent
      laparoscopic colorectal practice. METHODS: All sign-off submissions from the
      start of the process in January 2008 until July 2013 were included. Content
      analysis was used to categorise errors. Bayes factor (BF) was used to measure the
      impact of individual error on assessment outcome. A smaller BF indicates that an
      error has stronger associations with unsuccessful assessments. Bayesian network
      was employed to graphically represent the reasoning process whereby the chance of
      successful assessment diminished with the identification of each error. Quality
      of the error feedback was measured by the area under the ROC curve which linked
      the predictions from the Bayesian model to the expert verdict. RESULTS: Among 370
      assessments analysed, 240 passed and 130 failed. On average, 2.5 different types
      of error were identified in each assessment. Cases that were more likely to fail
      had three or more different types of error (chi(2) = 72, p < 0.0001) and
      demonstrated poorer technical skills (CAT score <2.7, chi(2) = 164, p < 0.0001).
      Case complexity or right- versus left-sided resection did not have a significant
      impact. Errors associated with dissection (BF = 0.18), anastomosis (BF = 0.23)
      and oncological quality (BF = 0.19) were critical determinants of surgical
      competence, each reducing the odds of pass by at least fourfold. The area under
      the ROC curve was 0.84. CONCLUSIONS: Errors associated with dissection,
      anastomosis and oncological quality were critical determinants of surgical
      competency. The detailed error analysis reported in this study can guide the
      design of future surgical education and clinical training programmes.

PMID- 26099621
TI  - Function of high-resolution manometry in the analysis of peroral endoscopic
      myotomy for achalasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) was introduced as a new effective
      therapeutic option for esophageal achalasia. METHOD: A total of 112 achalasia
      patients categorized into three subtypes by HRM who underwent POEM were enrolled
      in our study. Eckardt score and HRM were performed preoperation, 6 months, and 1
      year after POEM to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and feasibility of POEM
      and to investigate the treatment response to POEM for the three subtypes of
      achalasia, classified by high-resolution manometry (HRM). RESULTS: POEM was
      successfully performed in all patients. Compared with pre-POEM scores, the
      Eckardt scores were significantly reduced from 7.3 +/- 1.4 to 1.0 +/- 0.8 6
      months after POEM and to 1.2 +/- 0.6 1 year after POEM (p < 0.05). The LESP
      before treatment was 41.8 +/- 15.3 mmHg, compared with a LESP of 18.4 +/- 7.1
      mmHg 6 months after POEM and 20.7 +/- 7.5 mmHg 1 year after POEM (p < 0.05). In
      addition, POEM decreased the 4-s IRP from 33.4 +/- 9.0 to 14.6 +/- 3.8 mmHg 6
      months after POEM and to 16.4 +/- 3.9 mmHg 1 year after POEM (p < 0.05). The 4-s
      IRP was reduced to <15 mmHg in 64 of 112 patients. Type II had the best response
      to POEM, while type III exhibited the worst response. CONCLUSIONS: POEM appears
      to be an effective and less invasive treatment for achalasia. HRM can be useful
      in the classification of achalasia, while these subclassifications help to
      predict the responsiveness to POEM.

PMID- 26099622
TI  - Early results of dual approach hernioplasty (DAH): an innovative laparoscopic
      inguinal hernioplasty technique.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this study, the proposed technique is combining the invented
      method of extraperitoneal dissection utilizing gas insufflation through Veress
      needle introduced from the groin with the transabdominal approach. Such a
      combination minimizes operative demands, achieves major goals, and reduce
      operative time in an attempt to improve laparoscopic hernioplasty techniques.
      METHODS: The study recruited 211 patients having primary reducible inguinal
      hernia upon first diagnosis. Abdominal ultrasound examination achieved to exclude
      any additional pathology and confirming clinical diagnosis. The new technique is
      applied on all patients without any modification through the whole series.
      RESULTS: Patients' epidemiology, operative characteristics, and follow-up are all
      tabulated. Results showed no complications nor conversion to open procedure.
      CONCLUSIONS: The proposed procedure showed preliminary encouraging results
      regarding technique, clinical outcome, time-saving, and patients' safety.
      Combination of extraperitoneal gas-derived dissection, transabdominal field
      review, and preperitoneal mesh application offers an innovative and promising
      laparoscopic hernioplasty technique. The study is introducing the technique and
      as well invites further trials on wider scale to verify the technique.

PMID- 26099623
TI  - Investigations of the synergistic enhancement of antimicrobial activity in
      mixtures of magainin 2 and PGLa.
AB  - Magainins are antimicrobial peptides isolated from the African clawed frog
      Xenopus laevis. They interact with bacterial membranes where they cause channel
      formation and membrane disruption. When added as a cocktail magainin 2 and PGLa
      are considerably more efficient when compared to the corresponding amounts of
      individual components. In order to investigate this synergistic interaction of
      PGLa and magainin a number of magainin variants have been prepared and
      investigated in biological and biophysical assays. In particular we report on the
      antimicrobial activities and solid-state NMR investigations of magainins that
      have been extended by a carboxyterminal GGC tripeptide to form covalently linked
      dimers. Notably, when the formation of the covalent linkage is prevented by
      exchanging the cystein by serine or alanine no loss in efficiency was observed
      indicating that the covalent interaction is not necessary for synergistic
      interaction. In a next step peptides labelled with (15)N and (2)H were
      reconstituted into oriented membranes and their topology studied by solid-state
      NMR spectroscopy. The tendency of some of these peptides to adopt membrane
      spanning alignments does not correlate with their synergistic activities in
      antimicrobial assays. In contrast, the stable alignment of PGLa parallel to the
      surface of membranes made of Escherichia coli lipid extracts is strongly
      suggestive that the peptides develop synergistic activities when in an in-planar
      configuration. Notably, the phospholipid head groups of these samples show a high
      degree of disturbance suggesting that the synergistic interactions between the
      magainin peptides could be mediated through the lipid phase. 

PMID- 26099624
TI  - Management of recurrent or metastatic endometrial cancer in Germany: results of
      the nationwide AGO pattern of care studies from the years 2013, 2009 and 2006.
AB  - PURPOSE: The available literature on the treatment options for recurrent or
      metastatic endometrial cancer (EC) is full of controversies. Therefore, we
      explore the results of the AGO pattern of care studies from the years 2013, 2009
      and 2006. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed and sent to all 682 German
      gynecological departments in 2013 (775 in 2009, 500 in 2006, respectively). The
      results of the questionnaires were compared with each other using Fisher's exact
      test. RESULTS: Responses were available in 40.0 % in 2013, 33.3 % in 2009 and
      35.8 % in 2006. In 2013 the most preferred endocrine drug was progestin (79.8 %),
      followed by tamoxifen (42.8 %), aromatase inhibitor (19.8 %), fulvestrant (16.3
      %) and a combination (3.9 %) (p < 0.001). 65.3, 59.8, 51.7 and 38.2 % of the
      participants used platinum, taxane, a combination of cytostatic drugs,
      anthracycline in metastatic EC, respectively (p = 0.215). 96.2, 92.7, 49.8 and
      60.9 % of the participants performed an operation, radiotherapy, endocrine
      therapy and chemotherapy in 2013 because of a local recurrence, respectively (p <
      0.001). Compared to 2009 and 2006 these rates remained stable (no p value <0.05).
      Because of a distant metastasis 50.4, 64.2, 78.5 and 90.8 % of the participants
      performed an operation, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy and chemotherapy in 2013,
      respectively (p < 0.001). Compared to 2009 and 2006 more participants performed
      an operation or radiotherapy and less an endocrine treatment. CONCLUSIONS:
      Whereas progestin was the favorite drug, the participants of this study did not
      prefer a specific cytostatic drug for metastatic EC in 2013. This might have
      reflected the available literature, which did not provide a real standard of
      care.

PMID- 26099625
TI  - Could surgeon's expertise resolve the debate about surgery effectiveness in
      treatment of endometriosis-related infertility?

PMID- 26099626
TI  - Cost-Effectiveness of Dolutegravir in HIV-1 Treatment-Naive and Treatment
      Experienced Patients in Canada.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Antiretroviral Analysis by Monte Carlo Individual Simulation
      (ARAMIS) model was adapted to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of dolutegravir
      (DTG) in Canada in treatment-naive (TN) and treatment-experienced (TE) human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 patients. METHODS: The ARAMIS-DTG model is a
      microsimulation model with a lifetime analytic time horizon and a monthly cycle
      length. Markov health states were defined by HIV health state (with or without
      opportunistic infection). DTG was compared to efavirenz (EFV), raltegravir (RAL),
      darunavir/ritonavir, rilpivirine (RPV), elvitegravir/cobicistat,
      atazanavir/ritonavir and lopinavir/ritonavir in TN patients and to RAL in TE
      patients. The initial cohort, the main efficacy data and safety data were derived
      from phase III clinical trials. Treatment algorithms were based on expert
      opinion. Costs normalized to the year 2013 included antiretroviral treatment
      cost, testing, adverse event, HIV and cardiovascular disease care and were
      derived from the literature. RESULTS: Dolutegravir was estimated to be the
      dominant strategy compared with all comparators in both TN and TE patients.
      Treatment with DTG was associated with additional quality-adjusted life-years
      that ranged from 0.17 (vs. RAL) to 0.47 (vs. EFV) in TN patients and was 0.60 in
      TE patients over a lifetime. Cost savings ranged from Can$1393 (vs. RPV) to
      Can$28,572 (vs. RAL) in TN patients and amounted to Can$3745 in TE patients.
      Sensitivity analyses demonstrated the robustness of the model. CONCLUSIONS:
      Dolutegravir is a dominant strategy in the management of TN and TE patients when
      compared to recommended comparators. This is mainly related to the high efficacy
      and high barrier to resistance. FUNDING: ViiV Healthcare.

PMID- 26099627
TI  - Is dementia research ready for big data approaches?
AB  - The "big data" paradigm has gained a lot of attention recently, in particular in
      those areas of biomedicine where we face clear unmet medical needs. Coined as a
      new paradigm for complex problem solving, big data approaches seem to open
      promising perspectives in particular for a better understanding of complex
      diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. In this commentary, we
      will provide a brief overview on big data principles and the potential they may
      bring to dementia research, and - most importantly - we will do a reality check
      in order to provide an answer to the question of whether dementia research is
      ready for big data approaches. 

PMID- 26099629
TI  - Lack of myeloid differentiation primary response protein MyD88 L265P mutation in
      primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma.

PMID- 26099628
TI  - Nigral overexpression of alpha-synuclein in the absence of parkin enhances alpha
      synuclein phosphorylation but does not modulate dopaminergic neurodegeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alpha-synuclein is a key protein in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's
      disease. Mutations in the parkin gene are the most common cause of early-onset
      autosomal recessive Parkinson's disease, probably through a loss-of-function
      mechanism. However, the molecular mechanism by which loss of parkin function
      leads to the development of the disease and the role of alpha-synuclein in parkin
      associated Parkinson's disease is still not elucidated. Conflicting results were
      reported about the effect of the absence of parkin on alpha-synuclein-mediated
      neurotoxicity using a transgenic approach. In this study, we investigated the
      effect of loss of parkin on alpha-synuclein neuropathology and toxicity in adult
      rodent brain using viral vectors. Therefore, we overexpressed human wild type
      alpha-synuclein in the substantia nigra of parkin knockout and wild type mice
      using two different doses of recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors. RESULTS:
      No difference was observed in nigral dopaminergic cell loss between the parkin
      knockout mice and wild type mice up to 16 weeks after viral vector injection.
      However, the level of alpha-synuclein phosphorylated at serine residue 129 in the
      substantia nigra was significantly increased in the parkin knockout mice compared
      to the wild type mice while the total expression level of alpha-synuclein was
      similar in both groups. The increased alpha-synuclein phosphorylation was
      confirmed in a parkin knockdown cell line. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support a
      functional relationship between parkin and alpha-synuclein phosphorylation in
      rodent brain.

PMID- 26099630
TI  - Association between 24-hour blood pressure variability and chronic kidney
      disease: a cross-sectional analysis of African Americans participating in the
      Jackson heart study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies suggest 24-h blood pressure (BP) variability has prognostic
      value for cardiovascular disease. Several factors associated with high 24-h BP
      variability are also common among individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
      We hypothesized 24-h BP variability would be higher for individuals with versus
      without CKD. METHODS: We analyzed 1,022 Jackson Heart Study participants who
      underwent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Twenty-four hour BP
      variability was defined by two metrics: day-night standard deviation (SDdn) and
      average real variability (ARV). CKD was defined as ACR >= 30 mg/g or eGFR <60
      mL/min/1.73 m(2). RESULTS: The mean SDdn of systolic BP (SBP) was 10.2 +/- 0.2
      and 9.1 +/- 0.1 mmHg and the mean ARV of SBP was 9.2 +/- 0.2 and 8.6 +/- 0.1 mmHg
      for those with and without CKD, respectively (each p <= 0.001). After adjustment
      for age and sex, SDdn and ARV were 0.98 mmHg (95 % CI 0.59, 1.38) and 0.52 mmHg
      (95 % CI 0.18, 0.86), respectively, higher among participants with versus without
      CKD. These differences were not statistically significant after further
      multivariable adjustment including 24-h mean SBP. Older age, and higher total
      cholesterol and 24-h mean SBP were associated with higher SDdn and ARV of SBP
      among participants with CKD. Mean SDdn and ARV of diastolic BP (DBP) were higher
      for participants with versus without CKD but these associations were not present
      after multivariable adjustment. CONCLUSION: Data from the current study suggest
      that CKD is associated with higher 24-h BP variability, but the association is
      primarily explained by higher mean BP among those with CKD.

PMID- 26099631
TI  - Differential expression analysis of RNA sequencing data by incorporating non
      exonic mapped reads.
AB  - BACKGROUND: RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) is a powerful tool for genome-wide
      expression profiling of biological samples with the advantage of high-throughput
      and high resolution. There are many existing algorithms nowadays for quantifying
      expression levels and detecting differential gene expression, but none of them
      takes the misaligned reads that are mapped to non-exonic regions into account. We
      developed a novel algorithm, XBSeq, where a statistical model was established
      based on the assumption that observed signals are the convolution of true
      expression signals and sequencing noises. The mapped reads in non-exonic regions
      are considered as sequencing noises, which follows a Poisson distribution. Given
      measureable observed and noise signals from RNA-seq data, true expression
      signals, assuming governed by the negative binomial distribution, can be
      delineated and thus the accurate detection of differential expressed genes.
      RESULTS: We implemented our novel XBSeq algorithm and evaluated it by using a set
      of simulated expression datasets under different conditions, using a combination
      of negative binomial and Poisson distributions with parameters derived from real
      RNA-seq data. We compared the performance of our method with other commonly used
      differential expression analysis algorithms. We also evaluated the changes in
      true and false positive rates with variations in biological replicates,
      differential fold changes, and expression levels in non-exonic regions. We also
      tested the algorithm on a set of real RNA-seq data where the common and different
      detection results from different algorithms were reported. CONCLUSIONS: In this
      paper, we proposed a novel XBSeq, a differential expression analysis algorithm
      for RNA-seq data that takes non-exonic mapped reads into consideration. When
      background noise is at baseline level, the performance of XBSeq and DESeq are
      mostly equivalent. However, our method surpasses DESeq and other algorithms with
      the increase of non-exonic mapped reads. Only in very low read count condition
      XBSeq had a slightly higher false discovery rate, which may be improved by
      adjusting the background noise effect in this situation. Taken together, by
      considering non-exonic mapped reads, XBSeq can provide accurate expression
      measurement and thus detect differential expressed genes even in noisy
      conditions.

PMID- 26099632
TI  - Diffraction evidence for the structure of cellulose microfibrils in bamboo, a
      model for grass and cereal celluloses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cellulose from grasses and cereals makes up much of the potential raw
      material for biofuel production. It is not clear if cellulose microfibrils from
      grasses and cereals differ in structure from those of other plants. The
      structures of the highly oriented cellulose microfibrils in the cell walls of the
      internodes of the bamboo Pseudosasa amabilis are reported. Strong orientation
      facilitated the use of a range of scattering techniques. RESULTS: Small-angle
      neutron scattering provided evidence of extensive aggregation by hydrogen bonding
      through the hydrophilic edges of the sheets of chains. The microfibrils had a
      mean centre-to-centre distance of 3.0 nm in the dry state, expanding on
      hydration. The expansion on hydration suggests that this distance between centres
      was through the hydrophilic faces of adjacent microfibrils. However in the other
      direction, perpendicular to the sheets of chains, the mean, disorder-corrected
      Scherrer dimension from wide-angle X-ray scattering was 3.8 nm. It is possible
      that this dimension is increased by twinning (crystallographic coalescence) of
      thinner microfibrils over part of their length, through the hydrophobic faces.
      The wide-angle scattering data also showed that the microfibrils had a relatively
      large intersheet d-spacing and small monoclinic angle, features normally
      considered characteristic of primary-wall cellulose. CONCLUSIONS: Bamboo
      microfibrils have features found in both primary-wall and secondary-wall
      cellulose, but are crystallographically coalescent to a greater extent than is
      common in celluloses from other plants. The extensive aggregation and local
      coalescence of the microfibrils are likely to have parallels in other grass and
      cereal species and to influence the accessibility of cellulose to degradative
      enzymes during conversion to liquid biofuels.

PMID- 26099633
TI  - Developing an activity and absorption-based quality control platform for Chinese
      traditional medicine: Application to Zeng-Sheng-Ping(Antitumor B).
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Zeng-Sheng-Ping (ZSP), also called antitumor B,
      is a marketed Chinese traditional medicine used for cancer prevention. AIM OF THE
      STUDY: Currently, for the quality control of Chinese traditional medicines,
      marker compounds are not selected based on bioactivities and pharmaceutical
      behaviors in most of the cases. Therefore, even if the "quality" of the medicine
      is controlled, the pharmacological effect could still be inconsistent. The aim of
      this study is to establish an activity and absorption-based platform to select
      marker compound(s) for the quality control of Chinese traditional medicines.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used ZSP as a reference Chinese traditional medicine to
      establish the platform. Activity guided fractionation approach was used to purify
      the major components from ZSP. NMR and MS spectra were used to elucidate the
      structure of the isolated compounds. MTT assay against oral carcinoma cell line
      (SCC2095) was performed to evaluate the activities. UPLC-MS/MS was used to
      quantify the pure compounds in ZSP and the active fraction. The permeabilities of
      the identified compounds were evaluated in the Caco-2 cell culture model. The
      intracellular accumulation of the isolated compounds was evaluated in the SCC2095
      cells. RESULTS: The major compounds were identified from ZSP. The contents, anti
      proliferation activities, permeabilities, and intracellular accumulations of
      these compounds were also evaluated. The structure of these purified compounds
      were identified by comparing the NMR and MS data with those of references as
      rutaevine (1), limonin (2), evodol (3), obacunone (4), fraxinellone (5),
      dictamnine (6), maackiain (7), trifolirhizin (8), and matrine (9). The IC50 of
      compounds 5, 6, and 7 against SCC2095 cells were significantly lower than that of
      ZSP. The uptake permeability of compounds 5, 6, and 7 were 2.58 +/- 0.3 * 10(-5),
      4.33 +/- 0.5 * 10(-5), and 4.27 +/- 0.8 * 10(-5) respectively in the Caco-2 cell
      culture model. The intracellular concentrations of these compounds showed that
      compounds 5, 6, and 7 were significantly accumulated inside the cells.
      CONCLUSION: Based on the activity against oral carcinoma cell line as well as the
      absorption permeability, compound 5, 6, and 7 are selected as quality control
      markers for ZSP. An activity and absorption-based platform was established and
      successfully used for the quality control of ZSP.

PMID- 26099635
TI  - Ethnopharmacological study of plants sold for therapeutic purposes in public
      markets in Northeast Brazil.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Studies of ethnobiological nature favor the
      rescue of popular culture, preventing important cultural and biological
      information from being lost over time. Another interesting point is that it can
      support bioprospecting studies focusing on the discovery of new drugs. OBJECTIVE
      OF THE STUDY: Our aim was to conduct a survey of plants sold for therapeutic
      purposes in public markets in the Crajubar Triangle in Northeast Brazil.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a questionnaire, data were collected regarding the
      part of the plant used, method of preparation, quantity needed, instructions for
      use and known adverse effects. From the data obtained, we calculated the relative
      importance of species and informant consensus factor. RESULTS: Vendors indicated
      91 useful species from a therapeutic point of view, distributed in 49 plant
      families. The preparation methods most frequently mentioned by informants were
      decoction, infusion, sauce with part of the plant in water and lozenge. The
      informants of this study mentioned bark, leaves, seeds and roots as parts of the
      plant most sold for therapeutic use. Disorders of the digestive system was the
      disease/disorder category with the highest consensus among the vendors, and the
      species Ximenia americana, Lippia gracillis, Stryphnodendron rotundifolium,
      Anacardium occidentale, Hymenaea courbail, Myracrodruon urundeuva, Amburana
      cearensis and Himatanthus drasticus were the most versatile among the plants sold
      in markets. CONCLUSIONS: Vendors indicated 91 species belonging to 49 botanical
      families and 89 genera. The most frequent forms of preparation were decoction,
      infusion and sauce made with part of the plant in water. The most common form of
      administration was oral. Bark and leaves were the plant parts most used. Thirteen
      species showed great versatility regarding their use. We noted 291 indications
      for use in 13 disease/disorder categories.

PMID- 26099634
TI  - Ethnopharmacological reports on anti-Buruli ulcer medicinal plants in three West
      African countries.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Buruli ulcer (BU) is the third most common
      mycobacterial infection in the world, after tuberculosis and leprosy and has
      recently been recognized as an important emerging disease. This disease is common
      in West Africa where more than 99% of the burden is felt and where most affected
      people live in remote areas with traditional medicine as primary or only option.
      Reports indicate that the ethnopharmacological control approach of the disease in
      such settings has shown promise. However, no or very few compilations of
      traditional knowledge in using medicinal plants to treat BU have been attempted
      so far. This review aimed to record medicinal plants used traditionally against
      BU in three countries in West Africa: Ivory Coast, Ghana and Benin and for which
      ethnopharmacological knowledge supported by pharmacological investigations has
      been reported. The information recorded in this review will support further
      pharmacological research to develop appropriate drugs for a better BU control.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review of the literature on ethnobotanical use
      and anti-BU activity of plants reported for BU treatment was performed. The
      approach consisted to search several resources, including Technical Reports,
      Books, Theses, Conference proceedings, web-based scientific databases such as
      publications on PubMed, Science direct, Springer, ACS, Scielo, PROTA, Google and
      Google scholar reporting ethnobotanical surveys and screening of natural products
      against Mycobacterium ulcerans. This study was limited to papers and documents
      published either in English or French reporting ethnopharmacological knowledge in
      BU treatment or pharmacological potency in vitro. This review covered the
      available literature up to December 2014. RESULTS: The majority of reports
      originated from the three most affected West African countries (Cote d'Ivoire,
      Ghana and Benin). Though, 98 plant species belonging to 48 families have been
      identified as having anti-BU use, many have received no or little attention. Most
      of the pharmacological studies were performed only on 54 species. To a lesser
      extent, ethnopharmacological knowledge was validated in vitro for only 13
      species. Of those, seven species including Ricinus comminus, Cyperus cyperoides
      (cited as Mariscus alternifolius), Nicotiana tabacum, Mangifera indica, Solanum
      rugosum, Carica papaya, and Moringa oleifera demonstrated efficacy in
      hospitalised BU patients. Four isolated and characterized compounds were reported
      to have moderate bioactivity in vitro against M. ulcerans. CONCLUSIONS: This
      review compiles for the first time ethnopharmacologically useful plants against
      BU. The phamacological potential of 13 of them has been demonstrated in vitro and
      support BU evidence-based traditional medicines. In addition, 7 species showed
      activity in BU patients and have emerged as a promising source of the traditional
      medicine for treatment of BU. Yet, further safety and efficacy study should be
      initiated prior any approval as alternative therapy. Overall, a huge gap in
      knowledge appeared, suggesting further well-planned and detailed investigations
      of the in vitro, in vivo, and safety properties of the claimed anti-BU plants.
      Therefore, plants with medicinal potential should be scrutinized for biologically
      active compounds, using bioassay-guided fractionation approach to provide new
      insights to find novel therapeutics for BU control.

PMID- 26099636
TI  - Trichilia catigua ethyl-acetate fraction protects against cognitive impairments
      and hippocampal cell death induced by bilateral common carotid occlusion in mice.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Trichilia catigua preparations have
      antinociceptive, antiinflammatory, and neuroprotective activity. Recently, a
      neuroprotective role for T. catigua was proposed using an in vitro model of
      ischemia-reperfusion in rat hippocampal slices. The aim of the present study was
      to evaluate the effects of an ethyl-acetate fraction (EAF) of T. catigua, which
      has potent antioxidant activity, in mice subjected to an in vivo model of
      cerebral ischemia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Male Swiss mice were subject to the
      bilateral common carotid occlusion (BCCAO) model of cerebral ischemia. The
      animals were orally administered the T. catigua EAF (200, 400, or 800 mg/kg) 30
      min before and once per day for 7 days after BCCAO. Histological and behavioral
      outcomes were assessed using Nissl staining and the Morris water maze test of
      cognition, respectively. RESULTS: Mice that were subjected to BCCAO exhibited
      cognitive impairments in the Morris water maze. The spatial cognitive deficits
      were counteracted by T. catigua EAF administration (200-800 mg/kg). The T.
      catigua EAF significantly increased the number of intact-appearing Nissl-stained
      cells in the hippocampus in BCCAO mice. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that the
      T. catigua EAF promoted functional recovery, decreased the delayed hippocampal
      cell loss, and mitigated the ongoing neurodegenerative processes induced by BCCAO
      in mice.

PMID- 26099638
TI  - The effectiveness of group reminiscence therapy for loneliness, anxiety and
      depression in older adults in long-term care: a systematic review.
AB  - Loneliness, anxiety and depression are common problems for older adults in long
      term care. Reminiscence therapy is a non-pharmacological intervention that may be
      of some benefit. In comparison to individual reminiscence therapy, group
      reminiscence therapy is a preferred option when dealing with the resource
      constraints of long-term care. The aim of this paper was to systematically review
      the literature in order to explore the effectiveness of group reminiscence
      therapy for older adults with loneliness, anxiety and depression in long-term
      care. Results indicated that group reminiscence therapy is an effective treatment
      for depression in older adults, however to date, there is limited research
      support for its effectiveness to treat loneliness and anxiety. Further research
      and an improvement in methodological quality, such as using qualitative and mixed
      methods approaches, is recommended to help establish an evidence base and provide
      better understanding of the effectiveness of group reminiscence therapy.

PMID- 26099637
TI  - Does the gastroprotective action of a medicinal plant ensure healing effects? An
      integrative study of the biological effects of Serjania marginata Casar.
      (Sapindaceae) in rats.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Serjania marginata (Sapindaceae), a medicinal
      plant commonly found in the Brazilian Cerrado, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina,
      is also known as "cipo-uva" or "cipo-timbo". Ethnopharmacological studies
      indicate that the leaves from this medicinal plant are used in folk medicine to
      treat gastric pain. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the
      gastroprotective and healing effect of the hydroalcoholic extract obtained from
      S. marginata (HESM) leaves using rodent experimental models. As part of the
      integrative study of this medicinal plant, we also evaluated the acute toxicity,
      antimicrobial, antidiarrheal, (anti)mutagenic, and hemodynamic effects. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: We performed a pharmacological study to test the acute toxicity and
      antimutagenic effect (Ames assay) of the HESM. The HESM was tested against
      different necrosis-promoting agents and experimental manipulations, such as
      absolute ethanol, cysteamine, pyloric ligature, and ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)
      injury. The gastroprotective effect of the HESM was assessed by analyzing the
      gastric juice (volume, pH, total acidity) and the mucus in the gastric mucosa
      from rats. We assessed the levels of NO, sulfhydryl compounds, PGE2, vanilloid
      receptor, glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as the
      myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. The gastric healing effects of the HESM were
      evaluated during 7 or 14 days of treatment. The intestinal motility,
      antidiarrheal action, and antibacterial effects (microdilution methods) of the
      HESM were also evaluated. RESULTS: The phytochemical analysis of the HESM
      revealed the presence of saponins, flavonoid glycosides, and tannins. The extract
      exhibited no sign of acute toxicity or mutagenic effect in vitro. In contrast,
      this extract exhibited a protective effect against the mutagenic action of direct
      and indirect-acting mutagens. Only the oral administration of HESM (250mg/kg)
      significantly decreased the severity of gastric damage induced by ethanol
      (60.13%) and I/R (58.31%). The HESM exerts its gastroprotective effects by
      decreasing the MPO and MDA activities in the gastric tissue and by increasing the
      amount of adherent mucus covering the gastric mucosa. In vitro, the extract also
      displayed evident antimicrobial effects against Helicobacter pylori. However, the
      preventive effect of the HESM was not accompanied by an ulcer-healing effect. The
      treatment with HESM (14 days) significantly increased gastric lesions in 99% of
      the tested animals compared with the control group. This result represents a
      highly relevant piece of evidence that should resonate as an alert against the
      chronic use of this medicinal plant as an antiulcer in folk medicine.
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite the anti-H. pylori and gastroprotective actions of S.
      marginata in experimental models, the gastric injuries aggravation induced after
      chronic treatment with the HESM argues against the use of this plant species in
      folk medicine.

PMID- 26099639
TI  - CD19-Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells for Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic
      Leukaemia and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.
AB  - Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) for cancer represents a promising new treatment
      modality. ACT based on the administration of cytotoxic T cells genetically
      engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) recognizing CD19
      expressed by B cell malignancies has been shown to induce complete lasting
      responses in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and acute
      lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). So far, eleven clinical trials including 99 CLL
      and ALL patients treated with CAR T cells targeting CD19 have been published, and
      the results from these trials are promising with impressive clinical responses in
      heavily pretreated patients. Thus, CAR T cell therapy has induced complete
      responses in both CLL and ALL, and surprisingly, current results indicate that
      patients with ALL are more prone to respond than are CLL patients. Importantly,
      the majority of CAR cell studies have observed severe therapy-associated
      toxicities, which needs attention. Herein we review current data and discuss key
      aspects of this powerful approach to treat and potentially cure B cell
      malignancies. 

PMID- 26099640
TI  - Skeleton Graph Matching vs. Maximum Weight Cliques aorta registration techniques.
AB  - Vascular diseases are one of the most challenging health problems in developed
      countries. Past as well as ongoing research activities often focus on efficient,
      robust and fast aorta segmentation, and registration techniques. According to
      this needs our study targets an abdominal aorta registration method. The
      investigated algorithms make it possible to efficiently segment and register
      abdominal aorta in pre- and post-operative Computed Tomography (CT) data. In more
      detail, a registration technique using the Path Similarity Skeleton Graph
      Matching (PSSGM), as well as Maximum Weight Cliques (MWCs) are employed to
      realise the matching based on Computed Tomography data. The presented approaches
      make it possible to match characteristic voxels belonging to the aorta from
      different Computed Tomography (CT) series. It is particularly useful in the
      assessment of the abdominal aortic aneurysm treatment by visualising the
      correspondence between the pre- and post-operative CT data. The registration
      results have been tested on the database of 18 contrast-enhanced CT series, where
      the cross-registration analysis has been performed producing 153 matching
      examples. All the registration results achieved with our system have been
      verified by an expert. The carried out analysis has highlighted the advantage of
      the MWCs technique over the PSSGM method. The verification phase proves the
      efficiency of the MWCs approach and encourages to further develop this methods. 

PMID- 26099641
TI  - Is there a role for Digital X-ray Radiogrammetry as surrogate marker for
      radiological progression and imaging of structural integrity in rheumatoid
      arthritis?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The established scoring techniques based on radiographs present
      limitations in the evaluation of structural integrity due to high effectiveness
      of innovative therapeutic strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      periarticular mineralisation as detected by Digital X-ray Radiogrammetry (DXR) as
      surrogate marker for structural integrity during the course of rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA). METHODS: 11 centers throughout Germany contributed data of 94
      patients with verified RA. The patients were treated with leflunomide or
      methotrexate during a mean observation period of 22 months. All patients
      underwent complete computerized calculations of bone mineral density (BMD) and
      metacarpal index (MCI) by DXR using digitized hand radiographs. The radiological
      assessment of disease progression was estimated by the Sharp Score. RESULTS: The
      Sharp Score revealed no significant change during the study period. DXR-BMD
      revealed minimal decrease of -1.4 % (leflunomide group) versus a higher reduction
      of -4.3 % (methotrexate group). Regarding DXR-MCI, a reduction of -2.2 %
      (leflunomide group) and -4.9 % (methotrexate group) was observed. CONCLUSION:
      Quantitative data of hand bone mass estimated by the presented DXR-technique may
      be a complementary precise tool in the identification of RA-related radiographic
      changes and in the assessment of structural integrity.

PMID- 26099642
TI  - Clinical analysis of preoperative deep vein thrombosis risk factors in patients
      undergoing total hip arthroplasty.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this retrospective study was to investigate the risk
      of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients admitted to hospital for total hip
      arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: From September of 2003 to December of 2010, 505
      patients admitted for THA were eligible for the retrospective study. The
      diagnosis of preoperative DVT, which was based on previous venous thromboembolism
      (VTE) management studies, was confirmed by Doppler ultrasonography. The
      prevalence of silent DVT in lower limbs in patients before THA was assessed. And
      the risk factors for preoperative DVT were investigated the correlation of DVT in
      the patient's background and medical history. RESULTS: Preoperative DVT was
      diagnosed in 62 of 505 (12.3%) patients overall. Significantly elevated risks of
      DVT were found in patients with increased age, a history of major surgery,
      revision THA, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and a history of cancer treatment.
      Multiple linear regression analysis showed that increased age, RA, and history of
      major surgery were the independent risk factors for preoperative DVT in this
      study. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence (12.3%) of preoperative DVT was found in
      patients admitted to hospital for THA. Patients with increased age, RA, and a
      history of major surgery may be at an increased risk of preoperative DVT. The
      present results suggest that instrumental screening should be encouraged, at
      least in subgroups at higher risk of preoperative DVT.

PMID- 26099643
TI  - Procoagulant activity induced by transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects
      is associated with exposure of phosphatidylserine on microparticles, platelets
      and red blood cells.
AB  - The mechanism of hypercoagulable state following transcatheter closure of atrial
      septal defects (ASDs) remains unclear. We evaluated the exposure of
      phosphatidylserine (PS) on released microparticles (MPs) and also the cells of
      their origin from peripheral blood, and the associated increase in procoagulant
      activity (PCA) following transcatheter ASD closure. We demonstrate that PS(+) MP
      levels were elevated immediately after device implantation (P <0.002), peaked at
      24hour (P <0.002), and persisted at high levels for 1-week post procedure (P
      <0.002). Flow cytometry analysis indicated that PS(+) MPs were mainly derived
      from platelets, endothelial cells, and the red blood cells (RBCs).
      Concomittantly, PS(+) platelet and RBC count also increased after transcatheter
      closure of ASDs, while PS(+) leukocytes levels remained the same. Compared to the
      baseline, coagulation time of PS(+) MPs, platelets, and RBCs at 24hours post
      procedure decreased by about 18.7% (P <0.004), 21.5% (P <0.001), and 26.8% (P
      <0.001), respectively. Intrinsic factor Xa and prothrombinase were produced
      abundantly by platelets, RBCs, and MPs leading to materialization of fibrin by
      24hours. Additionally, Xase complex formation and thrombin generation was
      inhibited by about 74% by the addition of lactadherin to the assays. Our results
      thus demonstrate that PS exposure on MPs, platelets, and RBCs play an important
      role in hypercoagulability following transcatheter ASD closure. 

PMID- 26099644
TI  - Prognostic significance of arterial and venous thrombosis in resected specimens
      for non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism(VTE) is common after pneumonectomy for
      malignancy and predicts poor survival. Routine screening for VTE with noninvasive
      tests has low sensitivity and specificity. Biopsy of lung has a place in
      establishing the nature and severity of the vascular alterations. In this study,
      we investigated the incidence, clinical and pathological characteristics of
      thrombosis in excised specimens after pneumonectomy, and its association with
      survival rate in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: The
      studied population consisted 94 consecutive patients after pneumonectomy for
      NSCLC in Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, The excised tissue specimens were stained by
      haematoxylin & eosin staining (HE) to observe thrombosis events. All the patients
      were followed up for 2years. The survival data was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier
      analysis. RESULTS: Overall thrombosis events occurred in 56 (59.6%) of 94 NSCLC
      cases, pulmonary arterial thrombosis was found in 24 cases, and pulmonary venous
      thrombosis was found in 32 cases. Furthermore, 30 of 56 cases with thrombosis
      were accompanied by tumor emboli or tumor vascular infiltrating. Thrombosis risk
      was associated with cancer grade (P=0.005). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that
      patients with thrombosis had lower survival rate than those without thrombosis
      (P=0.025). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of thrombosis in excised tissue after
      pneumonectomy was high in patients with NSCLC, and it may be a marker of poor
      outcome.

PMID- 26099645
TI  - [Condensing iliac osteitis as a cause of chronic low back pain].

PMID- 26099646
TI  - Distribution of acquired AmpC beta-lactamase genes in Sydney, Australia.
AB  - Investigation of plasmid-borne AmpC beta-lactamase genes in Escherichia coli and
      Klebsiella spp. revealed blaCMY-2-like genes predominantly in E. coli and blaDHA
      genes equally distributed between both species. This distribution remained stable
      over time, but blaACT/MIR-like genes, initially common in Klebsiella spp., were
      not identified in more recent isolates.

PMID- 26099647
TI  - 'Connecting tracks': exploring the roles of an Aboriginal women's cancer support
      network.
AB  - Aboriginal Australians are at higher risk of developing certain types of cancer
      and, once diagnosed, they have poorer outcomes than their non-Aboriginal
      counterparts. Lower access to cancer screening programmes, deficiencies in
      treatment and cultural barriers contribute to poor outcomes. Additional
      logistical factors affecting those living in rural areas compound these barriers.
      Cancer support groups have positive effects on people affected by cancer;
      however, there is limited evidence on peer-support programmes for Aboriginal
      cancer patients in Australia. This paper explores the roles played by an
      Aboriginal women's cancer support network operating in a regional town in Western
      Australia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 24
      participants including Aboriginal and mainstream healthcare service providers,
      and network members and clients. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed
      verbatim. Transcripts were subjected to inductive thematic analysis. Connecting
      and linking people and services was perceived as the main role of the network.
      This role had four distinct domains: (i) facilitating access to cancer services;
      (ii) fostering social interaction; (iii) providing a culturally safe space; and
      (iv) building relationships with other agencies. Other network roles included
      providing emotional and practical support, delivering health education and
      facilitating engagement in cancer screening initiatives. Despite the network's
      achievements, unresolved tensions around role definition negatively impacted on
      the working relationship between the network and mainstream service providers,
      and posed a threat to the network's sustainability. Different perspectives need
      to be acknowledged and addressed in order to build strong, effective partnerships
      between service providers and Aboriginal communities. Valuing and honouring the
      Aboriginal approaches and expertise, and adopting an intercultural approach are
      suggested as necessary to the way forward.

PMID- 26099648
TI  - Neuropelveology: New Groundbreaking Discipline in Medicine.

PMID- 26099649
TI  - Genetic evidence for the spread of a benzimidazole resistance mutation across
      southern India from a single origin in the parasitic nematode Haemonchus
      contortus.
AB  - It is important to understand how anthelmintic drug resistance mutations arise
      and spread in order to determine appropriate mitigation strategies. We
      hypothesised that a molecular genetic study of Haemonchus contortus in southern
      India, a region where resistance may be less advanced than in western Europe and
      North America, might provide some important insights into the origin and spread
      of anthelmintic resistance. The F200Y (TAC) isotype-1 beta-tubulin benzimidazole
      resistance mutation is common in H. contortus throughout the world and the F167Y
      (TAC) and E198A (GCA) mutations, although less common, have been reported in a
      number of different countries. We have investigated the haplotypic diversity and
      phylogenetic relationship of isotype-1 beta-tubulin benzimidazole resistance
      alleles for 23 H. contortus populations from small ruminants across southern
      India. The F200Y (TAC) mutation was most common, being detected in 18/23
      populations at frequencies between 9% and 84% and the E198A (GCA) mutation was
      also detected in 8/23 populations at frequencies between 8% and 18%. The F167Y
      (TAC) mutation was not detected in any of the 23 populations. Phylogenetic
      haplotype network analysis suggested that the F200Y (TAC) mutation has arisen
      multiple independent times in the region with at least three independent origins
      of resistance alleles across the populations surveyed. In contrast, the E198A
      (GCA) mutation was present on a single haplotype which, given the high level of
      haplotypic diversity of the susceptible alleles in the region, suggests this
      particular mutation has spread from a single origin, likely by anthropogenic
      animal movement. Population genetic analysis of 12 of the H. contortus
      populations, using a panel of eight microsatellite markers, revealed extremely
      low genetic differentiation between populations, consistent with the hypothesis
      of high gene flow among sites. Additionally, there was no significant genetic
      differentiation between H. contortus taken from sheep and goats which is
      consistent with H. contortus populations being freely shared between these two
      different hosts. Overall, we believe these results provide the first clear
      genetic evidence for the spread of an anthelmintic resistance mutation to
      multiple different locations from a single origin. 

PMID- 26099650
TI  - First isolation of a new species of Leishmania responsible for human cutaneous
      leishmaniasis in Ghana and classification in the Leishmania enriettii complex.
AB  - An active case detection approach with PCR diagnosis was used in the Ho District
      of the Volta Region, Ghana that identified individuals with active cutaneous
      leishmaniasis. Three isolates were successfully cultured and DNA sequences from
      these were analysed (ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer 1; ribosomal
      protein L23a intergenic spacer; RNA polymerase II large subunit), showing them to
      be Leishmania, identical to each other but different from all other known
      Leishmania spp. Phylogenetic analysis showed the parasites to be new members of
      the Leishmania enriettii complex, which is emerging as a possible new subgenus of
      Leishmania parasites containing human pathogens. 

PMID- 26099652
TI  - 206th ENMC International Workshop: Care for a novel group of patients - adults
      with Duchenne muscular dystrophy Naarden, The Netherlands, 23-25 May 2014.

PMID- 26099651
TI  - Oxidative stability and quality characteristics of whey protein coated rohu
      (Labeo rohita) fillets.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Edible coatings have beneficial effect on quality of fish and act as
      barrier against moisture transfer and uptake of oxygen. Edible coating made up of
      biodegradable materials is helpful to control the quality deterioration and
      enhance the shelf life. METHODS: The present study was designed to elucidate the
      effects of whey based protein using two plasticizers i.e. sorbitol and glycerol
      on oxidative stability and quality characteristics of Rohu (Labeo rohita).
      Coating solutions were prepared by incorporating whey (8% protein; w/ w) in
      distilled water followed addition of sorbitol and glycerol. Dipping method was
      used to apply coating on fish fillets. The coated fillets were subjected to
      quality characteristics, pH, color, TBARS, peroxide value, volatile basic
      nitrogen (TVBN) and sensory evaluation during 40 days of storage. RESULTS: The
      results showed significant impact on different quality attributes of fish
      fillets. Highest (TVBN) and TBARS were observed in control samples (T0) (12.60 +/
      0.25, mg/100 g, 0.820 +/- 0.02 mg MDA/kg) while lowest in T3 coated samples
      (8.81 +/- 0.18 mg/100 g., 0.352 +/- 0.01 mg MDA/kg of meat). Moreover, sensorial
      findings did not showed adverse effects and T3 coated samples were ranked higher
      by consumers. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, coating fish with Whey: Glycerol:
      Sorbitol (1:1:1) in current investigation enhances the storage life and quality
      of fish fillets.

PMID- 26099653
TI  - The cauldron of the ethical review process in human participant research.

PMID- 26099654
TI  - Three year stability of Five-Factor Model personality traits in relation to
      changes in symptom levels in patients with schizophrenia or related disorders.
AB  - Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality traits are related to a wide range of
      clinical outcome in patients with psychotic disorders. However, it is not
      sufficiently clear whether psychotic illness, particularly fluctuation in
      negative symptoms and psychotic relapse, affects personality. The current study
      examined the 3-year temporal stability of FFM traits in 91 patients with non
      affective psychotic disorders with a maximum duration of illness of 10 years and
      32 control subjects without a (family member with) a diagnosis of psychotic
      illness. In patients, change in negative symptoms predicted changes in
      Neuroticism and (inversely) in Extraversion and Openness. However, when
      correcting for depressive symptoms, negative symptoms no longer predicted change
      in any FFM trait. Clinical characteristics, such as psychotic relapse, were also
      not found to be related to change in FFM traits. Patients showed a slight
      increase in Conscientiousness levels, the other FFM traits showed mean-level
      stability. Rank-order stability of the FFM traits was moderate to strong,
      although weaker for Neuroticism in patients. Our findings indicate that psychotic
      symptoms exert limited effect on the stability of FFM traits in patients with
      psychotic disorders. Consistent with general population findings, one should
      guard against state-trait confusion between Neuroticism/Extraversion and
      depression. 

PMID- 26099655
TI  - Trauma and psychosis: The mediating role of self-concept clarity and
      dissociation.
AB  - Childhood trauma (CT) and psychosis may be associated. Drawing on the
      dissociation and social psychological literature, the current study examined the
      mediating role of structural aspects of self in explaining the relationship
      between childhood trauma and psychosis. Twenty-nine individuals with psychosis
      were compared with 31 healthy volunteers regarding childhood trauma, dissociation
      and self-concept clarity (SCC). High rates of maltreatment were found in the
      psychosis sample. Additionally, clinical participants reported more dissociation
      and less self-concept clarity. Mediational analyses were carried out on pooled
      data from across both clinical and non-clinical samples. These suggested that the
      influence of physical neglect in increasing the likelihood of experiencing
      psychosis was explicable through the effects of increased dissociation. Self
      concept clarity mediated the relationship between psychosis and total childhood
      trauma, emotional abuse, physical abuse, emotional and physical neglect.
      Furthermore, dissociation and self-concept clarity were strongly correlated
      providing evidence that they may form a unitary underlying concept of 'self
      concept integration'. The study provides further evidence of the link between
      childhood trauma and psychosis. Self-concept integration may be adversely
      affected by negative childhood experiences, which increases psychosis risk.
      Methodological limitations, clinical implications and suggestions for future
      research are considered. 

PMID- 26099656
TI  - Perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and suicide ideation: Re
      examination of the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory in two samples.
AB  - The Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) proposes that suicide
      ideation is caused by the interaction of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted
      belongingness, in which each predictor amplifies the harm of the other. Though
      several studies support this synergy hypothesis, research has not considered
      potential quadratic effects of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted
      belongingness, which can distort the sign, size, and significance of
      interactions, if mistakenly neglected in a model. This investigation examined the
      synergy hypothesis in samples of university undergraduates and psychiatric
      inpatients, this time controlling for quadratic effects. Despite adequate power,
      results showed no interaction between perceived burdensomeness and thwarted
      belongingness in either sample, regardless of the presence of quadratic effects.
      Additionally, no quadratic effects were observed. The lower-order, linear
      perceived burdensomeness term was positively associated with suicide ideation in
      both samples, but the thwarted belongingness term was not associated with suicide
      ideation in either sample. The discussion considers implications of current
      findings for the IPTS, highlighting a need to formally test the impact of sample
      characteristics on the estimation of theory parameters. Recommendations for
      systematic evaluation of such sample and theory parameters are offered and their
      clinical implications are discussed. 

PMID- 26099657
TI  - Impact of childhood adversities on the short-term course of illness in psychotic
      spectrum disorders.
AB  - Accumulating evidence indicates an impact of childhood adversities on the
      severity and course of mental disorders, whereas this impact on psychotic
      disorders remains to be specified. Effects of childhood adversities on
      comorbidity, on symptom severity of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and
      global functioning across four months (upon admission, 1 and 4 months after
      initial assessment), as well as the course of illness (measured by the remission
      rate, number of re-hospitalizations and dropout rate) were evaluated in 62
      inpatients with psychotic spectrum disorders. Adverse experiences (of at least 1
      type) were reported by 73% of patients. Patients with higher overall level of
      childhood adversities (n=33) exhibited more co-morbid disorders, especially
      alcohol/substance abuse and dependency, and higher dropout rates than patients
      with a lower levels of adverse experiences (n=29), together with higher levels of
      positive symptoms and symptoms of excitement and disorganization. Emotional and
      physical neglect were particularly related to symptom severity. Results suggest
      that psychological stress in childhood affects the symptom severity and,
      additionally, a more unfavorable course of disorder in patients diagnosed with
      psychoses. This impact calls for its consideration in diagnostic assessment and
      psychiatric care. 

PMID- 26099658
TI  - Changes in autistic trait indicators in parents and their children with ASD: A
      preliminary longitudinal study.
AB  - This study investigated whether the longitudinal changes in symptom severity in
      children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are associated with changes in the
      parents' autistic traits. The results demonstrated two significant correlations
      between the changes in children's Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores and
      the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) score changes in either the father or both
      parents. Autistic symptom mitigation in ASD children was associated with
      increased empathy levels in their parents. 

PMID- 26099659
TI  - The stability of schizotypy across time and instruments.
AB  - Little is known about the stability of schizotypy across relatively long time
      periods and instrumentation. This study assesses the degree of stability between
      schizotypy and its three factor structure as assessed by the Survey of Attitudes
      and Experiences (SAE) at age 17, and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire
      (SPQ) at age 23. A sample of 678 at ages 17 and 23 years from a birth cohort in
      Mauritius were split into two random samples, with initial analyses on the first
      sample independently replicated on the second sample. Cognitive-perceptual,
      interpersonal, and disorganized factors at age 17 correlated from 0.28 to 0.32
      with their respective factors at age 23. Total scores correlated 0.41 (d=0.90)
      across this six year time period and increased to 0.58 (d=1.42) after correcting
      for measurement error. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses showed an
      area under the curve value of 0.74, confirmed prediction over time. Findings on
      predictive validity were closely replicated in the second independent sample. In
      contrast, social anhedonia at age 17 was unrelated to interpersonal deficits at
      age 23. Results provide replicable support for the moderate stability of
      cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, and disorganized schizotypy across time,
      instrumentation, and a period of rapid developmental change. 

PMID- 26099660
TI  - Prevalence and predictors of medication non-adherence among Chinese patients with
      first-episode psychosis.
AB  - Medication non-adherence is one of the major obstacles to recovery in first
      episode psychosis (FEP). This study aimed to identify the predictors and rates of
      medication non-adherence in the first and second year after the start of
      treatment (baseline) in urban Chinese FEP patients. Relevant information on
      medication non-adherence and potential baseline predictors, including demographic
      variables, clinical measures, violence/suicide attempts, stressful life
      experiences, intervention received, and follow-up attendance, were collected from
      case records of 1400 FEP patients in Hong Kong. The non-adherence rate was 16.2%
      in year 1 and 15.4% in year 2. Regression analyses revealed the predictors for
      non-adherence in year 1 were no hospitalization at baseline, non-schizophrenia
      diagnosis, and more years of education. Predictors of non-adherence in year 2
      included acute/subacute onset and older age of onset. Predictors common in both
      years were defaulting from psychiatric follow-up during baseline, standard
      psychiatric care (no early intervention), and lower positive symptoms severity at
      baseline. In assessing non-adherence risk and for planning phase-specific early
      interventions for FEP, particularly in a Chinese context, healthcare
      professionals should consider the common and specific predictors for non
      adherence identified in the first and second years of treatment and should not
      overlook patients with less clinically severe symptoms. 

PMID- 26099661
TI  - Relationship between length variations in Ser/Asp-rich repeats in phosphophoryn
      and in vitro precipitation of calcium phosphate.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Phosphophoryn (PP) is generated from the proteolytic cleavage of
      dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP). PP which contains tandem serine/asparatic acid
      rich repeats (SDrr) is known to enhance dentin mineralization. The nucleotide
      sequences coding SDrr are identified in the DSPP genes of toothed animals and the
      length variations of SDrr between intra- and inter-species have been reported.
      However, it remains unknown about the relationship between the length variations
      in SDrr and the functions of PP in matrix mineralization. DESIGN: By utilizing a
      mammalian expression system, we generated several recombinant PP proteins (rPP)
      containing SDrr of different lengths and analyzed their effects on the
      precipitation of calcium phosphate with an in vitro gel diffusion system.
      RESULTS: rPP-Delta37.6 SDrr and rPP-Delta63.5 SDrr, which possessed shortened
      SDrr that accounted for 62.4 and 36.5% the length of SDrr in full-length rPP (rPP
      full), respectively, induced the precipitation of calcium phosphate similar to
      that of rPP-full at the same molar concentration, whereas rPP-DeltaSDrr, in which
      SDrr were flipped, did not. Furthermore, rPP-Delta63.5 SDrr significantly
      increased the accumulation of calcium compared with rPP-full at adjusted
      concentrations so that the same amounts of SDrr were embedded. The results of an
      ELISA analysis indicated that the amounts of rPP-Delta37.6 SDrr and rPP-Delta63.5
      SDrr secreted from transfected cells were 5.2- and 7.1-fold greater than that of
      rPP-full, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The generated rPP-Delta63.5 SDrr which can
      be substituted for rPP-full may be a candidate for a therapeutic molecule to
      facilitate hard tissue generation such as reparative dentin formation.

PMID- 26099662
TI  - RANKL pretreatment plays an important role in the differentiation of pit-forming
      osteoclasts induced by TNF-alpha on murine bone marrow macrophages.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteoclasts differentiated from bone marrow macrophages (BMMs)
      induced by TNF-alpha alone do not have resorbing activity. When BMMs are
      stimulated with receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL) before TNF-alpha
      stimulation, pit-forming osteoclasts are differentiated. However, the details of
      the effect of RANKL pretreatment on the pit-forming osteoclast differentiation by
      TNF-alpha have not been established. The aim of this study is to examine the
      condition of RANKL pretreatment for differentiation of pit-forming osteoclasts
      induced by TNF-alpha. Murine BMMs were stimulated with various concentrations of
      RANKL for 24h in the presence of M-CSF, then the medium was changed and TNF-alpha
      was added. Osteoclasts and pits formation were examined. Osteoprotegerin (OPG),
      decoy receptor of RANKL, was added to the culture to examine the necessity of co
      existing RANKL with TNF-alpha on the formation of pit-forming osteoclasts. To
      investigate the influence of RANKL of sufficient concentration as pretreatment
      for pit-forming osteoclast formation by TNF-alpha, dose- and time-dependent
      changes of osteoclast formation were checked. RESULTS: The pit formation by
      osteoclasts in response to TNF-alpha required 10ng/mL RANKL pretreatment.
      Stimulation with this concentration of RANKL led to the differentiation of mature
      osteoclasts in the 72h culture. The pit formation was not inhibited by the OPG.
      CONCLUSION: These results suggested that the concentration of RANKL pretreatment,
      which also alone can differentiate BMMs into osteoclasts, may be important in the
      differentiation of pit-forming osteoclasts by TNF-alpha. In addition, the effects
      of TNF-alpha after RANKL treatment might be independent of RANKL.

PMID- 26099663
TI  - The mechanism of acacetin-induced apoptosis on oral squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acacetin (5,7-dihydroxy-40-methoxyflavone), present in safflower
      seeds, plants, flowers, Cirisium rhinoceros Nakai, has been reported to be able
      to exert anti-peroxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-plasmodial, and anti
      proliferative activities by inducing apoptosis and blocking the progression of
      cell cycles. OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: The objective of this study is to investigate
      the mechanism of acacetin-induced apoptosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma cell
      line (HSC-3). RESULTS: Acacetin caused 50% growth inhibition (IC50) of HSC-3
      cells at 25MUg/mL over 24h in the MTT assay. Apoptosis was characterized by DNA
      fragmentation and increase of sub-G1 cells and involved activation of caspase-3
      and PARP (poly-ADP-ribose polymerase). Maximum caspase-3 activity was observed
      with 100MUg/mL of acacetin for 24h. Caspase-8 and -9 activation cascades mediated
      the activation of caspase-3. Acacetin caused reduction of Bcl-2 expression
      leading to an increase of the Bax:Bcl-2 ratio. It also caused a loss of
      mitochondrial membrane potential that induced release of cytochrome c into the
      cytoplasm. Pretreatment with casapse-3 (Z-DEVD-FMK), -8 (Z-IETD-FMK), and 9
      inhibitor (z-LEHD-fmk) inhibited the acacetin-induced loss of mitochondrial
      membrane potential and release of cytochrome c. The mitogen-activated protein
      kinases (MAPKs) were activated by acacetin. Moreover, pretreating the cells with
      each of the caspase inhibitor or MAPKs specific inhibitors apparently inhibited
      acacetin-induced cytotoxicity of HSC-3 cells. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, acacetin
      induce the apoptosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line, which is closely
      related to its ability to activate the MAPK-mediated signaling pathways with the
      subsequent induction of a mitochondria- and caspase-dependent mechanism. These
      results strongly suggest that acacetin might have cancer inhibition and
      therapeutic potential.

PMID- 26099664
TI  - Claims and compensation for complications resulting from blood transfusions in
      China from 1998 to 2013.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to find causes, outcomes, and trends in malpractice
      litigation involving blood transfusions in China. This study examines 108 claims
      resulting from transfusion-related complications over a period of 15 years. The
      primary outcomes associated with these claims included transfusion-transmitted
      infection (98 cases, 90.8%), transfusion reactions (nine cases, 8.3%), and
      failures to obtain informed consent (one case, 0.9%). The specialty of obstetrics
      and gynecology was more likely to be accepted in judgment. As the supreme status
      of law, Blood Donation Law plays an important role in the blood safety, which
      results in less HCV infection cases occurred after 1998. Though the 2002 and
      2010's rules give opposite liability principle, the fault liability and no-fault
      liability, the statistics shows that rules do not have an effect on different
      liabilities in judicial practice. The current study concludes that the risk of
      serious adverse transfusion reactions may be significantly increased by
      unnecessary transfusions. 

PMID- 26099665
TI  - Stem cell mobilization and collection from patients and healthy donors.

PMID- 26099666
TI  - Optimizing mobilization strategies in difficult-to-mobilize patients: The role of
      plerixafor.
AB  - Peripheral blood stem cell collection is currently the most widely used source
      for hematopoietic autologous transplantation. Several factors such as advanced
      age, previous chemotherapy, disease and marrow infiltration at the time of
      mobilization influence the efficacy of CD34(+) progenitor cell mobilization.
      Despite the safety and efficiency of the standard mobilization protocols (G-CSF
      +/- chemotherapy), there is still a significant amount of mobilization failure
      rate (10-40%), which necessitate novel agents for effective mobilization.
      Plerixafor, is a novel agent, has been recently approved for mobilization of
      hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The combination of Plerixafor with G-CSF
      provides the collection of large numbers of stem cells in fewer apheresis
      sessions and can salvage those who fail with standard mobilization regimens. The
      development and optimization of practical algorithms for the use Plerixafor is
      crucial to make hematopoietic stem cell mobilization more efficient in a cost
      effective way. This review is aimed at summarizing how to identify poor
      mobilizers, and define rational use of Plerixafor for planning mobilization in
      hard-to-mobilize patients. 

PMID- 26099667
TI  - A new approach to detection of incomplete antibodies using hydrogel
      chromatography medium.
AB  - In assays for incomplete antibody detection, several washing steps are required
      to remove unbound globulins which may cause false negatives. Here, we present an
      improved approach employing hydrogel chromatography medium (HCM) in the detection
      of incomplete antibodies. After a rapid single-step centrifugation, incomplete
      antibodies, attached to red blood cells (RBCs), were separated from the reaction
      mixture using HCM and sedimentation. This method obviates the need for multiple
      centrifugation steps found in conventional Tube-Coombs tests. The HCM-Coombs
      tests may have a wide range of applications for incomplete antibody detection. 

PMID- 26099668
TI  - Role of 2-Fluoro-2-Deoxyglucose PET/Computed Tomography in Carcinoma of Unknown
      Primary.
AB  - FDG-PET/CT is a potentially useful imaging modality in the setting of Carcinoma
      of Unknown Primary (CUP) from various aspects. The central question is detection
      of site of primary, where most studies have documented the pooled sensitivity and
      specificity of FDG PET/CT in the range of 80%-85% and a tumor detection rate
      (after the failure of conventional imaging procedures) between 30%-37%. The
      heterogeneity in the (i) population studied and (ii) criteria used for labelling
      patient as of unknown primary, have been the prime reason for widely varying
      result amongst various studies. Initiating appropriate treatment strategies owing
      to simultaneous whole body disease staging can be regarded an added utility
      PET/CT, even in the case of failure of primary tumor detection. FDG-PET/CT
      changed the patient management in around 35% of patients (studies reporting
      heterogeneous results ranging from 18.2% to 60%). The futuristic approach will be
      to monitor molecular targeted and cystostatic therapies with FDG-PET/CT which
      obviously has advantages than anatomical imaging alone. 

PMID- 26099669
TI  - PET/Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis and Staging of Gastric Cancers.
AB  - Although there has been a reduction of the incidence and mortality of gastric
      cancer, it remains among the commonest causes of cancer-related death. Accurate
      staging and evaluation of treatment response are vital for management. PET is
      used to complement anatomic imaging in cancer management. PET/computed tomography
      (CT) has demonstrated its potential value for preoperative staging, evaluation of
      response to therapy, and detection of recurrence. Not all types of gastric
      cancers have a high affinity for fluorodeoxyglucose. PET/CT in the evaluation and
      staging of gastric cancer is not established, but studies indicate that there may
      be an evolving role for this imaging modality. 

PMID- 26099670
TI  - FDG PET/CT in Pancreatic and Hepatobiliary Carcinomas: Value to Patient
      Management and Patient Outcomes.
AB  - Fludeoxyglucose F 18 ((18)F-FDG) PET/CT has not been shown to offer additional
      benefit in the initial diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, but studies show benefit
      of (18)F-FDG PET/CT in initial staging and patient prognosis. There is evidence
      for (18)F-FDG PET and (18)F-FDG PET/CT in staging and prognosis of
      cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer. (18)F-FDG PET/CT has shown promise in
      staging liver malignancies by detecting extrahepatic metastasis. There is
      evidence supporting the ability of PET/CT in predicting prognosis in patients
      with hepatocellular carcinoma. Evidence is evolving for the role of (18)F
      FDGPET/CT in predicting prognosis and survival in patients with colorectal liver
      metastasis. 

PMID- 26099671
TI  - Impact of Fluorodeoxyglucose PET/Computed Tomography on the Management of
      Patients with Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the Western world.
      Most colorectal cancers show fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake, although in
      mucinous adenocarcinoma uptake may be limited. A literature search was conducted
      regarding the impact of FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT) on management and
      outcome in patients with colorectal carcinoma. FDG-PET/CT can have a significant
      clinical impact on patient management in various stages of the disease. In
      patients with suspected recurrent disease and patients with liver metastases who
      might be eligible for surgery FDG-PET/CT can have more benefit than conventional
      imaging. FDG-PET/CT can be a useful modality to monitor treatment response. 

PMID- 26099673
TI  - Value of FDG PET/CT in Patient Management and Outcome of Skeletal and Soft Tissue
      Sarcomas.
AB  - Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET/computed tomography (CT) has been increasingly used
      in bone and soft tissue sarcomas and provides advantages in the initial tumor
      staging, tumor grading, therapy assessment, and recurrence detection. FDG-PET/CT
      metabolic parameters are reliable predictors of survival in sarcomas and could be
      implemented in risk stratification models along with other prognostic factors in
      these patients. 

PMID- 26099672
TI  - PET/Computed Tomography in Renal, Bladder, and Testicular Cancer.
AB  - Imaging plays an important role in the clinical management of cancer patients.
      Hybrid imaging with PET/computed tomography (CT) is having a broad impact in
      oncology, and in recent years PET/CT is beginning to have an impact in
      urooncology. In both bladder and renal cancers, there is a need to study the
      efficacy of other tracers than F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), particularly
      tracers with limited renal excretion. Thus, new tracers are being introduced.
      This review focuses on the clinical role of FDG and other PET agents in renal,
      bladder, and testicular cancers. 

PMID- 26099674
TI  - Fludeoxyglucose F 18 PET-Computed Tomography: Management Changes Effecting
      Patient Outcomes in Gynecologic Malignancies.
AB  - Outcome analysis in oncologic imaging is complex because of the multiple
      variables that can affect survival, including how early disease is diagnosed, the
      accuracy of staging at diagnosis, and where and how the patient is treated. Risk
      for tumor recurrence is estimated based on tumor histologic grade, stage at
      diagnosis, and other factors, including expressed molecular markers. This article
      reviews the data supporting the use of F 18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET-computed
      tomography in endometrial, ovarian, and cervical malignancies, with emphasis on
      the impact of imaging on treatment stratification and prognosis. 

PMID- 26099675
TI  - PET/Computed Tomography in Neuroendocrine Tumor: Value to Patient Management and
      Survival Outcomes.
AB  - PET/computed tomography evaluation of neuroendocrine tumors is gaining prominence
      with the availability of novel pet radiotracers, such as (18)F-DOPA and gallium
      68 somatostatin peptide derivatives. These tumors have unique properties and
      hence the basis of use of these new radiotracers. Prominent centers worldwide
      have reported the usefulness of these PET tracers in diagnosis and clinical
      decision making. Portability of 68Ge/68Ga generators has also helped in more
      widespread use of these somatostatin peptide derivatives as PET radiotracers.
      This article reviews established and potential roles of these novel PET
      radiotracers in diagnosis, management, and prognosis of neuroendocrine tumors. 

PMID- 26099676
TI  - (18)F-Flourodeoxy-Glucose PET/Computed Tomography in Brain Tumors: Value to
      Patient Management and Survival Outcomes.
AB  - (18)F-flourodeoxy-glucose (FDG) PET/computed tomography (CT) is most useful in
      the evaluation of primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, important in
      diagnosis, pretherapy prognosis, and therapy response evaluation. Utility in
      working up gliomas is less effective, and FDG PET/CT is most helpful when MR
      imaging is unclear. FDG avidity correlates with the grade of gliomas. FDG PET/CT
      can be used to noninvasively identify malignant transformation. Establishing this
      change in the disease process has significant effects on patient management and
      survival outcome. 

PMID- 26099677
TI  - 18-Fluoro-deoxyglucose-PET/Computed Tomography in Infection and Aseptic
      Inflammatory Disorders: Value to Patient Management.
AB  - This communication is aimed specifically at exploring the possible practical
      advantages and potentials of 18-fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG)-PET/ computed
      tomography (CT) that could translate into routine management of patients with
      infection and aseptic inflammatory disorders. From viewpoint of patient
      management, the applications can be classified into two broad categories, based
      upon primary intent of the investigation: [a] Diagnostic (eg, pyrexia of unknown
      origin and other localized infectious processes) and [b] Undertaking this as part
      of objective imaging assessment of early treatment response and thereby
      tailoring/altering therapy (eg, systemic infectious and non-infectious
      inflammatory diseases). Over the last decade, this promising FDG-PET/CT
      application has been debated and there is need to make systematic approach for
      defining its value to patient management. 

PMID- 26099678
TI  - Cardiac PET/Computed Tomography Applications and Cardiovascular Outcome.
AB  - Cardiac PET/computed tomography (CT) in conjunction with different blood flow
      tracers is increasingly applied for the assessment of myocardial perfusion and
      myocardial flow reserve (MFR) in the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD).
      The ability of PET/CT to noninvasively determine regional myocardial blood flow
      at rest and during vasomotor stress allows the calculation of the MFR, which
      carries important prognostic information in patients with subclinical forms of
      cardiomyopathy. The measured MFR optimizes the identification and
      characterization of the extent and severity of CAD burden, and contributes to the
      flow-limiting effect of single lesions in multivessel CAD. 

PMID- 26099679
TI  - PET/CT: Defining Value to Patients and Health Systems.

PMID- 26099680
TI  - Host preferences and circadian rhythm of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae),
      vectors of African horse sickness and bluetongue viruses in Senegal.
AB  - African horse sickness- and bluetongue virus are orbiviruses transmitted by
      Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) to horses and to ruminants,
      respectively. Since the last epizootic outbreak of African horse sickness in 2007
      in Senegal, extensive investigations have been undertaken to improve our
      knowledge on Culicoides species involved locally in the transmission of the
      virus. The purpose of this study was to compare and quantify the host preferences
      of potential vectors of these orbiviruses on horse and sheep and to study their
      circadian rhythm. We found that Culicoides oxystoma and species of the sub-genus
      Avaritia (Culicoides imicola, Culicoides bolitinos and Culicoides
      pseudopallidipennis) had a preference for horse when compared to sheep (the
      predicted ratio between horse and sheep was 80 for C. oxystoma and 26 for C.
      imicola), and were mostly crepuscular: C. oxystoma had continuous activity
      throughout the diel with peaks in numbers collected after sunrise and sunset,
      while C. imicola was mostly nocturnal with peak after sunset. Unexpectedly,
      species of the subgenus Lasiohelea was also collected during this study. This
      diurnal biting species was a nuisance pest for both animal species used as bait. 

PMID- 26099681
TI  - Comparative pathogenicity of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense strains in Swiss
      white mice and Mastomys natalensis rats.
AB  - We evaluated Mastomys natelensis rat as an animal model for Rhodesian sleeping
      sickness. Parasitaemia, clinical and pathological characteristics induced by T.
      b. rhodesiense isolates, KETRI 3439, 3622 and 3637 were compared in Mastomys rats
      and Swiss white mice. Each isolate was intra-peritonially injected in mice and
      rat groups (n=12) at 1*10(4) trypanosomes/0.2mL. Pre-patent period (PP) range for
      KETRI 3439 and KETRI 3622-groups was 3-6 days for mice and 4-5 days for rats
      while for KETRI 3637-infected mice and rats was 5-9 and 4-12 days, respectively.
      Pairwise comparison between PP of mice and rats separately infected with either
      isolate showed no significant difference (p>0.05). The PP's of KETRI 3637
      infected mice were significantly (p>0.01) longer than those infected with KETRI
      3439 or KETRI 3622, a trend also observed in rats. The second parasitaemic wave
      was more prominent in mice. Clinical signs included body weakness, dyspnoea, peri
      orbital oedema and extreme emaciation which were more common in rats. Survival
      time for KETRI 3439 and 3622-infected groups was significantly (p<0.05) longer in
      mice than rats but similar in KETRI 3637-infected groups. Inflammatory lesions
      were more severe in rats than mice. All mice and KETRI 3622-infected rats had
      splenomegaly, organ congestion with rats additionally showing prominent
      lymphadenopathy. KETRI 3439-infected rats showed hemorrhagic pneumonia, enteritis
      with moderate splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy. KETRI 3637-infected rats had the
      most severe lesions characterized by prominent splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy,
      hepatomegaly, enlarged adrenal glands, organ congestion, generalized oedemas,
      gastroenteritis, pneumonia and brain congestion. KETRI 3637-infected Mastomys is
      a suitable model for studying pathophysiology of HAT.

PMID- 26099682
TI  - Rotation of the external genitalia in male Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera,
      Psychodidae) in laboratory conditions and in captured specimens in Algarve,
      Portugal.
AB  - Protozoal parasites are the causative agents of many insect-borne infectious
      diseases worldwide with impact on human and animal health. Leishmaniasis is
      caused by Leishmania spp. and transmitted by female Phlebotomine sand flies. In
      Portugal, two species of Phlebotomus (Larroussius), namely Phlebotomus
      perniciosus and Phlebotomus ariasi are the proven vectors of Leishmania infantum.
      Phlebotomine females and males rest and breed in the same sites; and these
      locations can be predicted according to the male external genitalia maturation.
      Therefore, this study aimed to determine the timing of complete rotation of the
      male external genitalia in laboratory conditions and to characterize the external
      genitalia rotation in field captured males to predict the male and female sand
      fly breeding and resting sites. This knowledge can be applied in the design and
      implementation of integrated sand fly control strategies targeting these sites.

PMID- 26099683
TI  - Modeling hepatitis B virus infection, immunopathology and therapy in mice.
AB  - Despite the availability of a preventive vaccine, chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)
      infection-induced liver diseases continue to be a major global public health
      problem. HBV naturally infects only humans and chimpanzees. This narrow host
      range has hindered our ability to study the characteristics of the virus and how
      it interacts with its host. It is thus important to establish small animal models
      to study HBV infection, persistence, clearance and the immunopathogenesis of
      chronic hepatitis B. In this review, we briefly summarize currently available
      animal models for HBV research, then focus on mouse models, especially the
      recently developed humanized mice that can support HBV infection and
      immunopathogenesis in vivo. This article is part of a symposium in Antiviral
      Research on "From the discovery of the Australia antigen to the development of
      new curative therapies for hepatitis B: an unfinished story." 

PMID- 26099685
TI  - A missed diagnosis of advanced HIV.
AB  - HIV is now a manageable chronic condition with a near-normal life expectancy if
      diagnosed early. Treatment can be a simple 'one tablet, once a day' regimen with
      minimal side effects or interactions with other medication. Unfortunately,
      healthcare professionals' perception of risk of HIV infection is often incorrect
      and patients remain undiagnosed because healthcare professionals assume that
      their patients are not at risk of HIV. This report demonstrates a case of missed
      HIV diagnosis in the military primary care setting and its consequences because
      of incorrect assumption rather than presenting clinical conditions. 

PMID- 26099684
TI  - Type 2 diabetes-related variants influence the risk of developing multiple
      myeloma: results from the IMMEnSE consortium.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been suggested to be a risk factor for multiple myeloma
      (MM), but the relationship between the two traits is still not well understood.
      The aims of this study were to evaluate whether 58 genome-wide-association
      studies (GWAS)-identified common variants for T2D influence the risk of
      developing MM and to determine whether predictive models built with these
      variants might help to predict the disease risk. We conducted a case-control
      study including 1420 MM patients and 1858 controls ascertained through the
      International Multiple Myeloma (IMMEnSE) consortium. Subjects carrying the
      KCNQ1rs2237892T allele or the CDKN2A-2Brs2383208G/G, IGF1rs35767T/T and
      MADDrs7944584T/T genotypes had a significantly increased risk of MM (odds ratio
      (OR)=1.32-2.13) whereas those carrying the KCNJ11rs5215C, KCNJ11rs5219T and
      THADArs7578597C alleles or the FTOrs8050136A/A and LTArs1041981C/C genotypes
      showed a significantly decreased risk of developing the disease (OR=0.76-0.85).
      Interestingly, a prediction model including those T2D-related variants associated
      with the risk of MM showed a significantly improved discriminatory ability to
      predict the disease when compared to a model without genetic information (area
      under the curve (AUC)=0.645 vs AUC=0.629; P=4.05*10(-) (06)). A gender-stratified
      analysis also revealed a significant gender effect modification for
      ADAM30rs2641348 and NOTCH2rs10923931 variants (Pinteraction=0.001 and 0.0004,
      respectively). Men carrying the ADAM30rs2641348C and NOTCH2rs10923931T alleles
      had a significantly decreased risk of MM whereas an opposite but not significant
      effect was observed in women (ORM=0.71 and ORM=0.66 vs ORW=1.22 and ORW=1.15,
      respectively). These results suggest that TD2-related variants may influence the
      risk of developing MM and their genotyping might help to improve MM risk
      prediction models. 

PMID- 26099686
TI  - Early Pregnancy Cravings, Dietary Intake, and Development of Abnormal Glucose
      Tolerance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the relationships between pregnancy cravings,
      maternal diet, and development of abnormal glucose tolerance. OBJECTIVES: We
      examined relationships of pregnancy cravings with dietary intake and risk of
      developing isolated hyperglycemia (IH), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), or
      gestational diabetes (GDM) later in pregnancy. DESIGN/SETTING: Among 2,022
      mothers in Project Viva, a prospective birth cohort recruited from medical
      practices in eastern Massachusetts between 1999 and 2002, we assessed type of
      pregnancy craving based on self-report at mean gestation of 10.9 weeks. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcomes were cross-sectional dietary intake from a food
      frequency questionnaire and incident IH, IGT, or GDM determined by glucose
      tolerance screening at 26 to 28 weeks. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: We used
      linear regression to analyze the cross-sectional relationships between pregnancy
      cravings and dietary intake and multinomial logistic regression to analyze the
      prospective relationships among pregnancy cravings and development of IH, IGT, or
      GDM. RESULTS: During the first trimester, 443 (22%) women craved sweets, 225
      (11%) craved salty foods, 261 (13%) craved savory foods, and 100 (4.9%) craved
      starchy foods. Sweet cravings were associated with increased intake of sucrose
      (1.9 g/day; 95% CI 0.1 to 3.7), total fat (1.5 g/day; 95% CI 0.1 to 2.9), and
      saturated fat (0.8 g/day; 95% CI 0.2 to 1.4); salty cravings were associated with
      increased fiber (0.7 servings/day; 95% CI -0.1 to 1.6); savory cravings were
      associated with increased n-3 fatty acids (0.10 g/day; 95% CI 0.02 to 0.17); and
      starchy cravings were associated with increased carbohydrates (8.0 g/day; 95% CI
      0.3 to 15.7) and decreased total fat (-2.6 g/day; 95% CI -5.2 to -0.1). Salty
      cravings were associated with lower risk of GDM (adjusted odds ratio 0.34, 95% CI
      0.12-0.97). CONCLUSIONS: New cravings in the first trimester of pregnancy were
      associated with dietary intake. Craving salty foods may predict reduced risk of
      developing GDM, whereas craving sweet food does not appear to alter one's risk.

PMID- 26099689
TI  - Amorphous Ni-Co Binary Oxide with Hierarchical Porous Structure for
      Electrochemical Capacitors.
AB  - A simple and outstanding approach is provided to fabricate amorphous structure Ni
      Co binary oxide as supercapacitors electrode materials. We can easily obtain
      porous Ni-Co oxides composite materials via chemical bath deposition and
      subsequent calcination without any template or complicate operation procedures.
      The amorphous porous Ni-Co binary oxide exhibits brilliant electrochemical
      performance: first, the peculiar porous structure can effectively transport
      electrolytes and shorten the ion diffusion path; second, binary composition and
      amorphous character introduce more surface defects for redox reactions. It shows
      a high specific capacitance up to 1607 F g(-1) and can be cycled for 2000 cycles
      with 91% capacitance retention. In addition, the asymmetric supercapacitor
      delivers superior energy density of 28 W h kg(-1), and the maximum power density
      of 3064 W kg(-1) with a high energy density of 10 W h kg(-1). 

PMID- 26099687
TI  - Obesity Risk Knowledge, Weight Misperception, and Diet and Health-Related
      Attitudes among Women Intending to Become Pregnant.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate obesity risk knowledge, weight misperception,
      and diet and health-related attitudes among women intending to become pregnant
      compared to those not intending to become pregnant. DESIGN: We conducted a cross
      sectional survey of health behaviors, including obesity risk knowledge, weight
      misperception, and diet and health-related attitudes among women (aged 16 to 40
      years) attending reproductive health clinics in southeast Texas. Data were
      collected through self-administered questionnaires and chart review.
      Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the
      association between pregnancy intention and obesity risk knowledge, weight
      misperception, and health-related attitudes after adjusting for age, race,
      income, and gravidity. RESULTS: Overall, 1,726 women completed the survey, of
      which 1,420 responded to a question on pregnancy intention. Of these, 126 stated
      they were intending to become pregnant. Obesity risk knowledge (adjusted odds
      ratio=1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74 to 1.77) and weight misperception
      (adjusted odds ratio=1.17; 95% CI 0.75 to 1.83) did not differ between women
      intending and not intending to become pregnant. In addition, diet and health
      related attitudes did not differ between these two groups (P>0.05 for all). Among
      women intending to become pregnant, 51% had low obesity risk knowledge and 31%
      misperceived their body weight. Further, 76% of these women felt confused about
      what constitutes a healthy diet, although 47% believed that their current diet
      was healthy and saw no reason to change their current eating patterns. While
      weight misperception did not differ significantly between the two groups,
      overweight women intending to become pregnant were more likely to misperceive
      their weight than obese women intending to become pregnant (71% vs 10%; P<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for improved preconception counseling, especially
      for women intending to become pregnant, regarding the risks associated with being
      overweight or obese, misperception of body weight, and negative diet and health
      related attitudes.

PMID- 26099688
TI  - Usefulness of data from magnetic resonance imaging to improve prediction of
      dementia: population based cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the addition of data derived from magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to a model incorporating conventional risk
      variables improves prediction of dementia over 10 years of follow-up. DESIGN:
      Population based cohort study of individuals aged >= 65. SETTING: The Dijon
      magnetic resonance imaging study cohort from the Three-City Study, France.
      PARTICIPANTS: 1721 people without dementia who underwent an MRI scan at baseline
      and with known dementia status over 10 years' follow-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:
      Incident dementia (all cause and Alzheimer's disease). RESULTS: During 10 years
      of follow-up, there were 119 confirmed cases of dementia, 84 of which were
      Alzheimer's disease. The conventional risk model incorporated age, sex,
      education, cognition, physical function, lifestyle (smoking, alcohol use), health
      (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, systolic blood pressure), and the
      apolipoprotein genotype (C statistic for discrimination performance was 0.77, 95%
      confidence interval 0.71 to 0.82). No significant differences were observed in
      the discrimination performance of the conventional risk model compared with
      models incorporating data from MRI including white matter lesion volume (C
      statistic 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.72 to 0.82; P=0.48 for difference of C
      statistics), brain volume (0.77, 0.72 to 0.82; P=0.60), hippocampal volume (0.79,
      0.74 to 0.84; P=0.07), or all three variables combined (0.79, 0.75 to 0.84;
      P=0.05). Inclusion of hippocampal volume or all three MRI variables combined in
      the conventional model did, however, lead to significant improvement in
      reclassification measured by using the integrated discrimination improvement
      index (P=0.03 and P=0.04) and showed increased net benefit in decision curve
      analysis. Similar results were observed when the outcome was restricted to
      Alzheimer's disease. CONCLUSIONS: Data from MRI do not significantly improve
      discrimination performance in prediction of all cause dementia beyond a model
      incorporating demographic, cognitive, health, lifestyle, physical function, and
      genetic data. There were, however, statistical improvements in reclassification,
      prognostic separation, and some evidence of clinical utility.

PMID- 26099690
TI  - Biomarkers for precision medicine in airways disease.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex clinical entity. In
      contrast to previously limited diagnostic definitions, it is now apparent that
      COPD is a clinically and biologically heterogeneous disease process, overlapping
      with other airways diseases like chronic asthma. As such, symptomatic response to
      current standard treatment practices is variable. New clinical guidelines have
      been altered to reflect this, with the inclusion of symptoms and risk factors in
      diagnostic and management algorithms. However, as our understanding of COPD
      pathophysiology deepens, many novel physiological, cellular, proteomic, and
      genetic markers have been identified. Several have been observed to be
      independently predictive of distinct clinical disease patterns, which at present
      are not illustrated by conventional measurements of lung impairment. The
      potential use of these predictive biomarkers to stratify this diverse patient
      population could transform the care we offer. We should aim for precision
      medicine to optimize diagnosis and treatment choices and to monitor and improve
      clinical outcomes in this disease. 

PMID- 26099691
TI  - Preface for companion diagnostics.

PMID- 26099692
TI  - Effect of gamma irradiation on the wear behaviour of human tooth enamel.
AB  - Radiotherapy is a frequently used treatment for oral cancer. Extensive research
      has been conducted to detect the mechanical properties of dental hard tissues
      after irradiation at the macroscale. However, little is known about the influence
      of irradiation on the tribological properties of enamel at the micro- or
      nanoscale. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of gamma
      irradiation on the wear behaviour of human tooth enamel in relation to prism
      orientation. Nanoscratch tests, surface profilometer and scanning electron
      microscope (SEM) analysis were used to evaluate the friction behaviour of enamel
      slabs before and after treatment with identical irradiation procedures. X-ray
      diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were
      performed to analyse the changes in crystallography and chemical composition
      induced by irradiation. Surface microhardness (SMH) alteration was also
      evaluated. The results showed that irradiation resulted in different scratch
      morphologies, friction coefficients and remnant depth and width at different
      loads. An inferior nanoscratch resistance was observed independent of prism
      orientation. Moreover, the variation of wear behaviours was closely related to
      changes in the crystallography, chemical composition and SMH of the enamel.
      Together, these measures indicated that irradiation had a direct deleterious
      effect on the wear behaviour of human tooth enamel. 

PMID- 26099693
TI  - Reorganization of the host cell Crk(L)-PI3 kinase signaling complex by the
      influenza A virus NS1 protein.
AB  - The non-structural protein-1 (NS1) of influenza A virus binds the p85beta subunit
      of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) to induce PI3K activity in the infected
      cells. Some virus strains encode NS1 containing a motif that binds tightly to the
      SH3 domain of the cellular adapter proteins Crk and CrkL to potentiate NS1
      induced PI3K activation. Here we show that this potentiation involves
      reorganization of the natural CrkL-p85beta complex into a novel trimeric complex
      where NS1 serves as a bridging factor. Of note, NS1 proteins that lack the SH3
      binding capacity can also associate with CrkL, but in a less stable trimeric
      complex mediated by p85beta. The data presented here establish Crk proteins as
      general host cell cofactors of NS1, and show that the enhanced PI3K activation by
      SH3 binding-competent NS1 variants is mediated by a more efficient tethering of
      Crk proteins to the NS1-PI3K complex.

PMID- 26099696
TI  - Computational fishing of new DNA methyltransferase inhibitors from natural
      products.
AB  - DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTis) have become an alternative for cancer
      therapies. However, only two DNMTis have been approved as anticancer drugs,
      although with some restrictions. Natural products (NPs) are a promising source of
      drugs. In order to find NPs with novel chemotypes as DNMTis, 47 compounds with
      known activity against these enzymes were used to build a LDA-based QSAR model
      for active/inactive molecules (93% accuracy) based on molecular descriptors. This
      classifier was employed to identify potential DNMTis on 800 NPs from NatProd
      Collection. 447 selected compounds were docked on two human DNA methyltransferase
      (DNMT) structures (PDB codes: 3SWR and 2QRV) using AutoDock Vina and Surflex
      Dock, prioritizing according to their score values, contact patterns at 4 A and
      molecular diversity. Six consensus NPs were identified as virtual hits against
      DNMTs, including 9,10-dihydro-12-hydroxygambogic, phloridzin, 2',4'
      dihydroxychalcone 4'-glucoside, daunorubicin, pyrromycin and centaurein. This
      method is an innovative computational strategy for identifying DNMTis, useful in
      the identification of potent and selective anticancer drugs.

PMID- 26099694
TI  - Interaction between unrelated viruses during in vivo co-infection to limit
      pathology and immunity.
AB  - Great progress has been made in understanding immunity to viral infection.
      However, infection can occur in the context of co-infection by unrelated
      pathogens that modulate immune responses and/or disease. We have studied immunity
      and disease during co-infection with two unrelated viruses: Ectromelia virus
      (ECTV) and Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). ECTV infection can be a
      lethal in mice due in part to the blockade of Type I Interferons (IFN-I). We show
      that ECTV/LCMV co-infection results in decreased ECTV viral load and amelioration
      of ECTV-induced disease, likely due to IFN-I induction by LCMV, as rescue is not
      observed in IFN-I receptor deficient mice. However, immune responses to LCMV in
      ECTV co-infected mice were also lower compared to mice infected with LCMV alone
      and potentially biased toward effector-memory cell generation. Thus, we provide
      evidence for bi-directional effects of viral co-infection that modulate disease
      and immunity.

PMID- 26099695
TI  - Immunogenicity of Newcastle disease virus vectors expressing Norwalk virus capsid
      protein in the presence or absence of VP2 protein.
AB  - Noroviruses are the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in humans.
      Development of an effective vaccine is required for reducing their outbreaks. In
      order to develop a GI norovirus vaccine, Newcastle disease virus vectors, rLaSota
      and modified rBC, were used to express VP1 protein of Norwalk virus. Co
      expression of VP1 and VP2 proteins by Newcastle disease virus vectors resulted in
      enhanced expression of Norwalk virus VP1 protein and self-assembly of VP1 protein
      into virus-like particles. Furthermore, the Norwalk virus-specific IgG response
      induced in mice by Newcastle disease virus vectors was similar to that induced by
      baculovirus-expressed virus-like particles in mice. However, the modified rBC
      vector in the presence of VP2 protein induced significantly higher levels of
      cellular and mucosal immune responses than those induced by baculovirus-expressed
      VLPs. These results indicate that Newcastle disease virus has great potential for
      developing a live Norwalk virus vaccine by inducing humoral, cellular and mucosal
      immune responses in humans. 

PMID- 26099697
TI  - Recurrent Ipsilateral Ovarian Torsion: Case Report and Literature Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recurrent ipsilateral ovarian torsion at pediatric age is a rare
      event. Different surgical techniques for its prevention are available. We present
      a case of recurrent ipsilateral ovarian torsion in a prepubertal girl and we
      reviewed the literature about the management of this condition. CASE: A 6-year
      old girl presented with right ovarian torsion and underwent a laparoscopic
      untwisting. Nine months later an ipsilateral recurrence occurred. Laparoscopic
      untwisting and right-sided oophoropexy with plication to the round ligament was
      performed. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: In addition to our presented case, four cases
      of recurrent ipsilateral ovarian torsion in pediatric patients were identified in
      the literature. The few available reports in the pediatric literature show
      different management techniques. A long-term study is necessary to define the
      most effective treatment.

PMID- 26099698
TI  - The Association between Insurance Status and Acceptance of Chlamydia Screening By
      Teenagers Who Present for Preventive Care Visits.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether providers
      offer chlamydia screening to teenagers and/or whether screening is accepted at
      different rates depending on insurance type. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review.
      SETTING: Academic center serving urban and suburban patients between April 2009
      and October 2011. PARTICIPANTS: Nine hundred eighty-three health maintenance
      visits for asymptomatic, insured female adolescents aged 15-19 years.
      INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Dichotomous dependent variables of
      interest indicated whether chlamydia screening was: (1) offered; and (2)
      accepted. The key independent variable insurance type was coded as 'public' if
      Medicaid or Medicaid Managed Care and 'private' if a commercial plan. chi(2) and
      logistic regression analyses were used to assess the significance of differences
      in screening rates according to insurance type. RESULTS: Of asymptomatic health
      maintenance visits 933 (95%) had a documented sexual history and 339 (34%) had a
      documented history of sexual activity. After excluding those who had a documented
      chlamydia screen in the 12 months before the visit (n = 79; 23%), 260 visits met
      eligibility for chlamydia screening. Only 169 (65%) of eligible visits had
      chlamydia screening offered and there was no difference in offer of screening
      according to insurance type. Significantly more visits covered by public
      insurance had chlamydia screening accepted (98%) than those covered by private
      insurance (82%). Controlling for demographic factors, the odds of accepted
      chlamydia screening was 8 times higher in visits covered by public insurance than
      those with private insurance. CONCLUSION: Although publically and privately
      insured teens were equally likely to be offered chlamydia screening, publically
      insured teens were significantly more likely to accept screening. Future research
      should investigate reasons for this difference in screening acceptance. These
      findings have implications for interventions to improve chlamydia screening
      because more adolescents are covered by parental insurance under the Affordable
      Care Act.

PMID- 26099699
TI  - Sporadic lower motor neuron disease with a snake eyes appearance on the cervical
      anterior horns by MRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Lower motor neuron disease (LMND) is the term generally used to
      describe diseases in which only lower motor neuron signs are detected. A snake
      eyes appearance on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is associated with a wide
      spectrum of neurological conditions including LMND. The author reports on three
      unique LMND patients with upper limb muscle weakness and atrophy who show a snake
      eyes appearance by MRI. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients were aged 18, 40 and
      52 years, respectively, at the onset of the disease and had a longstanding
      clinical course (more than 10 years for two patients and 8 years for one
      patient). They were followed up for more than 6 years. RESULTS: Clinical
      manifestations were characterized by (1) longstanding slow progression or delayed
      spontaneous arrest of asymmetric lower motor neuron signs localized exclusively
      in the upper extremities with unilateral predominance and distal or proximal
      preponderance; (2) the absence of upper motor neuron signs, bulbar signs, sensory
      disturbances and respiratory involvement; (3) a snake eyes appearance on the
      anterior horns of the cervical cord over more than 3 vertebrae by axial T2
      weighted MRI and a longitudinal linear-shaped T2-signal hyperintensity by
      sagittal MRI; (4) neurogenic change with fasciculation and denervation potentials
      (fibrillation and a positive sharp wave) confined to the affected muscles by
      needle electromyogram; and (5) normal cerebrospinal fluid and a normal creatine
      kinase level. These cases did not fall into any existing category of LMND, such
      as progressive muscular atrophy, flail arm syndrome or Hirayama disease.
      CONCLUSIONS: These patients should be classified as sporadic LMND with snake eyes
      on MRI with a relatively benign prognosis.

PMID- 26099700
TI  - Bacterial brain abscess formation in post-irradiated patients: What is the
      possible pathogenesis?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Until recently, post-radiotherapy brain abscess was considered rare,
      but it has become an increasingly important aetiology. Discussions of the
      relationship between bacterial brain abscess and radiotherapy (RT) are rare in
      the literature. Our clinical study was conducted to analyse the role of RT in the
      pathogenesis of bacterial brain abscess. METHODS: For our retrospective study,
      146 patients with bacterial brain abscess were recruited. Ten patients with a
      history of RT before brain abscess formation were reviewed. RESULTS: Eight of
      these patients underwent RT treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, one for
      olfactory neuroblastoma, and another for nasal plasmacytoma. Three showed
      presence of temporal lobe radiation necrosis neighbouring abscess. Eight patients
      were shown to have the evidence of tumour invasion. Seven had evidence of nasal
      infection or otitis media. Statistically significant differences between the RT
      and non-RT patients were observed for radionecrosis, bone defects between the
      middle fossa/sphenoid sinus, and the presence of nasal infection/otitis media.
      The mortality rate was 30%. CONCLUSION: This study shows possible pathogenesis of
      bacterial brain abscess formation in post-irradiated patients, which is
      complicated by both radiation effects and tumour effects. Skull base deficits
      (either from tumour erosion or osteonecrosis) and nasal/ear infection were
      significantly different in patients who received radiation vs. those who did not.
      Radiation-related temporal lobe necrosis was also a predisposing factor. Further
      study based on a proper patient cohort is warranted.

PMID- 26099701
TI  - Advances in Intra-abdominal Sepsis: What Is New?
AB  - We have reviewed the literature regarding recent advances in the management of
      intra-abdominal sepsis, with a focus on antimicrobial agents, duration of
      therapy, and source control. Several important developments in these areas are
      discussed in this review. The introduction of a new antimicrobial agent
      ceftolozane/tazobactam-marks the first novel agent for treating intra-abdominal
      infections in a number of years, and its indications for use and supporting
      evidence are reviewed here. In addition, we discuss recent evidence that
      clarifies the importance of early source control for intra-abdominal infection
      and new data that suggests that an abbreviated course of antimicrobial therapy
      for intra-abdominal infection is equally effective as prolonged therapy. 

PMID- 26099702
TI  - Troubles ahead.

PMID- 26099708
TI  - Heusler alloys: Tuning exchange bias.

PMID- 26099709
TI  - Dislocation nucleation: Diffusive origins.

PMID- 26099710
TI  - X-ray microscopy: Beyond ensemble averages.

PMID- 26099711
TI  - Epidermal electronics: Skin health monitoring.

PMID- 26099712
TI  - Material witness: The complex costs of faking it.

PMID- 26099713
TI  - DNA-peptide complexes: Regulation of interferon production.

PMID- 26099714
TI  - Wound healing: Enzymatically crosslinked scaffolds.

PMID- 26099715
TI  - Silicon photonics: Large-scale dielectric metasurfaces.

PMID- 26099716
TI  - Phonon wave interference and thermal bandgap materials.
AB  - Wave interference modifies phonon velocities and density of states, and in doing
      so creates forbidden energy bandgaps for thermal phonons. Materials that exhibit
      wave interference effects allow the flow of thermal energy to be manipulated by
      controlling the material's thermal conductivity or using heat mirrors to reflect
      thermal vibrations. The technological potential of these materials, such as
      enhanced thermoelectric energy conversion and improved thermal insulation, has
      fuelled the search for highly efficient phonon wave interference and thermal
      bandgap materials. In this Progress Article, we discuss recent developments in
      the understanding and manipulation of heat transport. We show that the rational
      design and fabrication of nanostructures provides unprecedented opportunities for
      creating wave-like behaviour of heat, leading to a fundamentally new approach for
      manipulating the transfer of thermal energy. 

PMID- 26099717
TI  - Erratum: Photochemical transformations on plasmonic metal nanoparticles.

PMID- 26099718
TI  - Nanomaterials and Optical Diagnosis of HIV.
AB  - The investigators had previously shown that the risk of AIDS/HIV-related illness
      and transmission reduced (by 96%) with early antiretroviral treatment.
      Nanomaterials could be applied in early diagnosis of HIV by improving the ability
      to detect serum biomarkers of the blood-borne infectious diseases, with low
      sample volume, rapidity, and more sensitivity than currently available FDA
      approved methods such as ELISA, particle agglutination assay, and Western
      Blotting assay. We have demonstrated several experimental studies for optical HIV
      diagnosis based on nanomaterials in three categories (e.g., the fluorescence-,
      the SPR-, and the SERS- based biosensors), and have explained each assay. 

PMID- 26099719
TI  - Development of Flow Imaging Analysis for Subvisible Particle Characterization in
      Glatiramer Acetate.
AB  - Proteins, peptides, colloids, and polymers present a rapidly growing field of
      pharmaceutical industry. Bringing these products into market, however, is a huge
      regulatory challenge, especially because many of these therapeutics are intended
      for parenteral administration. Physicochemical properties of such products--size,
      shape, surface potential, and extent of particle-particle interaction-have to be
      well understood and monitored throughout manufacturing, release, and stability
      testing. First and foremost, size distribution of subvisible particles (SVP) in
      these products should be reliably measured. We present development of a flow
      imaging method to assess SVP in the polypeptide injectable therapeutic product
      glatiramer acetate (Copaxone((r))). Flow imaging comprises optical inspection of
      a flowing liquid and allows quantitation of particles in the range of 1-500 MUm.
      The challenges of method development are discussed and the method performance
      characteristics--accuracy, precision, linearity, and specificity--are
      demonstrated.

PMID- 26099720
TI  - Universal elastic-hardening-driven mechanical instability in alpha-quartz and
      quartz homeotypes under pressure.
AB  - As a fundamental property of pressure-induced amorphization (PIA) in ice and ice
      like materials (notably alpha-quartz), the occurrence of mechanical instability
      can be related to violation of Born criteria for elasticity. The most outstanding
      elastic feature of alpha-quartz before PIA has been experimentally reported to be
      the linear softening of shear modulus C44, which was proposed to trigger the
      transition through Born criteria B3. However, by using density-functional theory,
      we surprisingly found that both C44 and C66 in alpha-quartz exhibit strong
      nonlinearity under compression and the Born criteria B3 vanishes dominated by
      stiffening of C14, instead of by decreasing of C44. Further studies of archetypal
      quartz homeotypes (GeO2 and AlPO4) repeatedly reproduced the same elastic
      hardening-driven mechanical instability, suggesting a universal feature of this
      family of crystals and challenging the long-standing idea that negative pressure
      derivatives of individual elastic moduli can be interpreted as the precursor
      effect to an intrinsic structural instability preceding PIA. The implications of
      this elastic anomaly in relation to the dispersive softening of the lowest
      acoustic branch and the possible transformation mechanism were also discussed. 

PMID- 26099721
TI  - High-quality sandwiched black phosphorus heterostructure and its quantum
      oscillations.
AB  - Two-dimensional materials such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides
      have attracted great attention because of their rich physics and potential
      applications in next-generation nanoelectronic devices. The family of two
      dimensional materials was recently joined by atomically thin black phosphorus
      which possesses high theoretical mobility and tunable bandgap structure. However,
      degradation of properties under atmospheric conditions and high-density charge
      traps in black phosphorus have largely limited its actual mobility thus hindering
      its future applications. Here, we report the fabrication of stable sandwiched
      heterostructures by encapsulating atomically thin black phosphorus between
      hexagonal boron nitride layers to realize ultra-clean interfaces that allow a
      high field-effect mobility of ~1,350 cm(2)V(-1) s(-1) at room temperature and on
      off ratios exceeding 10(5). At low temperatures, the mobility even reaches ~2,700
      cm(2)V(-1) s(-1) and quantum oscillations in black phosphorus two-dimensional
      hole gas are observed at low magnetic fields. Importantly, the sandwiched
      heterostructures ensure that the quality of black phosphorus remains high under
      ambient conditions. 

PMID- 26099722
TI  - 3D Porous Crystalline Polyimide Covalent Organic Frameworks for Drug Delivery.
AB  - Three-dimensional porous crystalline polyimide covalent organic frameworks
      (termed PI-COFs) have been synthesized. These PI-COFs feature non- or
      interpenetrated structures that can be obtained by choosing tetrahedral building
      units of different sizes. Both PI-COFs show high thermal stability (>450  degrees
      C) and surface area (up to 2403 m(2) g(-1)). They also show high loading and good
      release control for drug delivery applications. 

PMID- 26099723
TI  - Effect of hesperidin on mice bearing Ehrlich solid carcinoma maintained on
      doxorubicin.
AB  - Doxorubicin (DOX) is widely used in cancer therapy of many carcinomas types.
      Unfortunately, DOX is not sufficiently effective in many cases, and increasing
      the dosage of it is limited due to its systemic toxicity. A citrus flavonoid
      hesperidin (HES) is proved to be potent antioxidant and protective agent against
      many diseases including cancer. In this context, the objective of this study was
      to examine effect of HES along with DOX on solid Ehrlich carcinoma (SEC) in mice.
      Forty male mice were divided into four equal groups (n = 10): control SEC, DOX,
      HES, and DOX + HES. HES (50 mg/kg body weight orally) was given day after day for
      16 days along with DOX (4 mg/kg body weight i.p. injection) for 5 cycles every 4
      days in ESC-inoculated mice. After 20 days, tumor volume, tumor weight, survival
      rate, tumor glutathione, nitric oxide content, and serum glutathione were
      determined. Tumor tissue was examined for histopathological and
      immunohistochemical study for p53 and VEGF. Tumor resistance for mdr1a gene was
      assessed in tumor tissue by RT-PCR. HES induced significant increase in tissue
      and serum glutathione with significant decrease in tumor volume and tumor weight.
      A possible role of HES to modulate gene expression of mdr1a in tumor tissue was
      established. In addition, HES alleviated the histopathological changes with
      significant decrease in p53 and VEGF expression. The use of HES as adjuvant
      therapy with DOX would enhance the therapeutic efficacy and alleviate the
      resistance to DOX in treatment of solid tumors.

PMID- 26099725
TI  - Retraction Note to: Erucylphosphocholine induces growth inhibition, cell cycle
      arrest, and apoptosis in human choriocarcinoma cells.

PMID- 26099724
TI  - The relationship between the expression of VEGF, EGFR, and HER-2 mRNA in
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and clinicopathological features of
      different ethnic groups in Xinjiang.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the expression
      of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), human epidermal growth factor
      receptor 2 (HER-2), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mRNA in
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and the clinicopathological
      characteristics of the Han, Uyghur, and Kazakh in Xinjiang. Real-time
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction technology (RT-PCR) was used to detect the
      expression of VEGF, HER-2, and EGFR mRNA in esophageal squamous cancer tissue of
      60 cases and 30 cases of VEGF, HER-2, and EGFR mRNA in esophageal cancer adjacent
      tissues, and analyze its relationship with clinicopathological features. The
      results were as follows: (1) There was no statistically significant difference in
      esophageal tissue VEGF, HER-2, and EGFR mRNA gene expression levels of the Han,
      Uyghur, and Kazakh patients (P > 0.05). (2) The expression levels of VEGF, HER-2,
      and EGFR mRNA in ESCC group were higher than those in adjacent esophageal tissue
      group (P < 0.05). (3) The expression levels of VEGF and HER-2 mRNA in ESCC of the
      Han patients were higher than those of the Uyghur and Kazakh patients (P < 0.05).
      (4) The expression levels of VEGF, HER-2, and EGFR mRNA in lymph node metastases
      were higher than those without lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). (5) The
      expression level of HER-2 mRNA was related with the degrees of pathological
      differentiation, and the higher pathologic degree, the lower expression level in
      HER-2 mRNA (P < 0.05). Therefore, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) There
      were ethnic differences in the VEGF and HER-2 gene mRNA expression levels of the
      Uyghur, Han, and Kazakh patients in Xinjiang. (2) The expressions of VEGF, HER-2,
      and EGFR mRNA were related to the lymph node metastasis in ESCC and pathologic
      differentiation degree.

PMID- 26099726
TI  - Fuzzy clustering demonstrates that codon 72 SNP rs1042522 of TP53 gene associated
      with HNSCC but not with prognoses.
AB  - It is estimated that 7.6 million people will die as a consequence of head and
      neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Genetic predisposition has emerged as an
      important risk factor in the development and prognosis of HNSCC. Considering
      this, the aim of the current study is to assess whether codon 72 SNP of the TP53
      gene (rs1042522) is associated with an increased odds ratio of developing HNSCC
      or with a worse prognosis in patients with HNSCC. Analysis of the rs1042522 in
      HNSCC patients and in control individuals. Differences between the case and
      control groups were determined using chi-squared tests. Multivariate analysis was
      performed to evaluate the odds ratio of HNSCC. Fussy C Means Clustering was to
      cluster HNSCC patients for survival analyses. Time of survival was calculated
      using the Kaplan-Meier estimator and comparing this to the log rank test.
      Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. A total of 71.4 % of the Arg/Arg
      genotype were from HNSCC patients, while only 28.6 % of Arg/Arg genotype were
      found in the control group. Logistic regression demonstrated that the Arg/Arg
      genotype, smoking, and alcohol consumption increase the odds ratio of HNSCC. No
      association between TP53 codon 72 polymorphism and P53 expression. No association
      between rs1042522 and survival or prognoses was observed. This study identified
      that individuals carrying the arginine allele at rs1042522 have an increased odds
      ratio of HNSCC. However, no association between codon 72 SNP of the TP53 gene and
      HNSCC prognosis or P53 expression was observed.

PMID- 26099727
TI  - Origin of photovoltaic effect in superconducting YBa2Cu3O6.96 ceramics.
AB  - We report remarkable photovoltaic effect in YBa2Cu3O6.96 (YBCO) ceramic between
      50 and 300 K induced by blue-laser illumination, which is directly related to the
      superconductivity of YBCO and the YBCO-metallic electrode interface. There is a
      polarity reversal for the open circuit voltage Voc and short circuit current Isc
      when YBCO undergoes a transition from superconducting to resistive state. We show
      that there exists an electrical potential across the superconductor-normal metal
      interface, which provides the separation force for the photo-induced electron
      hole pairs. This interface potential directs from YBCO to the metal electrode
      when YBCO is superconducting and switches to the opposite direction when YBCO
      becomes nonsuperconducting. The origin of the potential may be readily associated
      with the proximity effect at metal-superconductor interface when YBCO is
      superconducting and its value is estimated to be ~10(-8) mV at 50 K with a laser
      intensity of 502 mW/cm(2). Combination of a p-type material YBCO at normal state
      with an n-type material Ag-paste forms a quasi-pn junction which is responsible
      for the photovoltaic behavior of YBCO ceramics at high temperatures. Our findings
      may pave the way to new applications of photon-electronic devices and shed
      further light on the proximity effect at the superconductor-metal interface.

PMID- 26099728
TI  - Risk Factors for Central Compartment Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid
      Microcarcinoma: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The surgical management of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC),
      especially regarding the necessity of central lymph node dissection (CLND),
      remains controversial. This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the
      clinicopathologic factors predictive of central compartment lymph node metastasis
      (CLNM) in patients diagnosed with PTMC. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid, Web of
      Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched from their inception to September
      2013. Published studies that explored the association between clinicopathologic
      factors and CLNM in PTMC patients were included. From the identified studies, we
      extracted the number of individuals with or without each risk factor to calculate
      the CLNM-positive proportions and used fixed/random-effects models for the meta
      analyses of overall relative risk (RR). The pooling analysis on the association
      between CLNM or the different CLNDs and prognosis was also conducted. RESULTS: A
      total of 19 eligible studies that included 8345 patients were identified. Three
      studies did therapeutic CLND, while the other 16 studies performed prophylactic
      CLND in PTMC patients. Meta-analyses revealed that CLNM was associated with male
      gender (RR = 1.36; 95 % CI 1.22-1.52, p = 0.001), younger age (<45 years; RR =
      1.15; 95 % CI 1.04-1.27, p = 0.006), larger tumor size (>5 mm; RR = 1.51 95 % CI
      1.32-1.65, p = 0.001), multifocality (RR = 1.40; 95 % CI 1.27-1.54, p = 0.001),
      and extrathyroidal extension (RR = 1.81; 95 % CI 1.34-2.43, p = 0.001). Meta
      regression analysis indicated that a disparity in the proportion of PTMC patients
      with CLNM in each study was the main factor resulting in heterogeneity among the
      19 studies. In addition, the pooling analyses suggested that CLNM did not
      significantly predict neck recurrences [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.95, 95 % CI 0.67
      1.22, p = 0.054], and the prophylactic CLND group did not improve local control
      significantly compared to the therapeutic group (RR = 0.96, 95 % CI 0.46-2.01, p
      = 0.544). CONCLUSION: Prophylactic CLND may be performed in PTMC patients with
      clinically uninvolved central lymph nodes but with high risk factors; multicenter
      studies with long-term follow-up are recommended to better understand the risk
      factors and surgical management for central nodes in PTMC.

PMID- 26099730
TI  - Epigenetic regulatory elements: Recent advances in understanding their mode of
      action and use for recombinant protein production in mammalian cells.
AB  - Successful generation of high producing cell lines requires the generation of
      cell clones expressing the recombinant protein at high levels and the
      characterization of the clones' ability to maintain stable expression levels. The
      use of cis-acting epigenetic regulatory elements that improve this otherwise long
      and uncertain process has revolutionized recombinant protein production. Here we
      review and discuss new insights into the molecular mode of action of the matrix
      attachment regions (MARs) and ubiquitously-acting chromatin opening elements
      (UCOEs), i.e. cis-acting elements, and how these elements are being used to
      improve recombinant protein production. These elements can help maintain the
      chromatin environment of the transgene genomic integration locus in a
      transcriptionally favorable state, which increases the numbers of positive clones
      and the transgene expression levels. Moreover, the high producing clones tend to
      be more stable in long-term cultures even in the absence of selection pressure.
      Therefore, by increasing the probability of isolating a high producing clone, as
      well as by increasing transcription efficiency and stability, these elements can
      significantly reduce the time and cost required for producing large quantities of
      recombinant proteins. 

PMID- 26099731
TI  - A time of change: Dynamics of chromatin and transcriptional regulation during
      nuclear programming in early Drosophila development.
AB  - In order for a new organism to form, the genomes of the highly specialized egg
      and sperm need to be reprogrammed into a totipotent state that is capable of
      generating all of the cell types that comprise an organism. This reprogramming
      occurs by erasing chromatin modifications, leaving the cells in a naive state,
      followed by the induction of specialized programming events. Pioneer factors bind
      to the genome prior to zygotic genome activation, followed by acetylation of
      histones and further chromatin specialization by the addition of methylation
      marks later during differentiation. Genome-wide approaches have provided insight
      into the genomic and epigenomic regulation of gene expression during development,
      providing a new perspective on the process of cell specification and
      differentiation. In this review, we discuss how distal DNA and core promoter
      elements, RNA polymerase pausing, transcription factors, and co-regulators
      interact to shape the chromatin landscape and direct tissue-specific expression
      patterns during embryo development, focusing on the well-characterized Drosophila
      embryo.

PMID- 26099732
TI  - Secondary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system: the need
      for better predictors.

PMID- 26099734
TI  - Zeolites for the selective adsorption of sulfur hexafluoride.
AB  - Molecular simulations have been used to investigate at the molecular level the
      suitability of zeolites with different topology on the adsorption, diffusion and
      separation of a nitrogen-sulfur hexafluoride mixture containing the latter at low
      concentration. This mixture represents the best alternative for the sulfur
      hexafluoride in industry since it reduces the use of this powerful greenhouse
      gas. A variety of zeolites are tested with the aim to identify the best structure
      for the recycling of sulfur hexafluoride in order to avoid its emission to the
      atmosphere and to overcome the experimental difficulties of its handling. Even
      though all zeolites show preferential adsorption of sulfur hexafluoride, we
      identified local structural features that reduce the affinity for sulfur
      hexafluoride in zeolites such as MOR and EON, providing exclusive adsorption
      sites for nitrogen. Structures such as ASV and FER were initially considered as
      good candidates based on their adsorption features. However, they were further
      discarded based on their diffusion properties. Regarding operation conditions for
      separation, the range of pressure that spans from 3 * 10(2) to 3 * 10(3) kPa was
      identified as the optimal to obtain the highest adsorption loading and the
      largest SF6/N2 selectivity. Based on these findings, zeolites BEC, ITR, IWW, and
      SFG were selected as the most promising materials for this particular separation.

PMID- 26099735
TI  - Care episode retrieval: distributional semantic models for information retrieval
      in the clinical domain.
AB  - Patients' health related information is stored in electronic health records
      (EHRs) by health service providers. These records include sequential
      documentation of care episodes in the form of clinical notes. EHRs are used
      throughout the health care sector by professionals, administrators and patients,
      primarily for clinical purposes, but also for secondary purposes such as decision
      support and research. The vast amounts of information in EHR systems complicate
      information management and increase the risk of information overload. Therefore,
      clinicians and researchers need new tools to manage the information stored in the
      EHRs. A common use case is, given a--possibly unfinished--care episode, to
      retrieve the most similar care episodes among the records. This paper presents
      several methods for information retrieval, focusing on care episode retrieval,
      based on textual similarity, where similarity is measured through domain-specific
      modelling of the distributional semantics of words. Models include variants of
      random indexing and the semantic neural network model word2vec. Two novel methods
      are introduced that utilize the ICD-10 codes attached to care episodes to better
      induce domain-specificity in the semantic model. We report on experimental
      evaluation of care episode retrieval that circumvents the lack of human
      judgements regarding episode relevance. Results suggest that several of the
      methods proposed outperform a state-of-the art search engine (Lucene) on the
      retrieval task.

PMID- 26099736
TI  - The vulnerable aspects of application of "Health Technology Assessment".

PMID- 26099737
TI  - Activation of the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway involving CHOP in the
      lungs of rats with hyperoxia-induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
AB  - The molecular pathomechanisms underlying bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remain
      to be fully elucidated, however, lung injury is considered to be a key event. The
      present study was performed to determine the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
      stress and investigate the apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells in a BPD rat
      model. A total of 48 preterm Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a
      control group and a hyperoxia group. The rats in the BPD group were exposed to
      85% hyperoxia, while the rats in the control group were exposed to room air. A
      total of eight rats in each group were sacrificed 7, 14 or 21 days after
      exposure. The expression levels of 78-kDa glucose-regulated/binding
      immunoglobulin protein (GRP78) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous
      protein (CHOP) in the lung tissues were examined using immunohistochemistry, and
      the mRNA and protein levels of GRP78 and CHOP were detected using reverse
      transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses,
      respectively. In addition, the levels of apoptosis in the lung cells were
      evaluated suing terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end
      labeling. It was demonstrated that the mRNA and protein levels of GRP78 and CHOP,
      and the levels of cell apoptosis in the hyperoxia group differed significantly
      from those in the control group (P<0.05) at different time-points, and increased
      with extension of the duration of hyperoxic exposure. These data demonstrated
      that the ER stress pathway, involving CHOP, is activated and is important in the
      pathogenesis of BPD.

PMID- 26099738
TI  - Influence of Genotype, Environment, and Gypsy Moth Herbivory on Local and
      Systemic Chemical Defenses in Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides).
AB  - Numerous studies have explored the impacts of intraspecific genetic variation and
      environment on the induction of plant chemical defenses by herbivory. Relatively
      few, however, have considered how those factors affect within-plant distribution
      of induced defenses. This work examined the impacts of plant genotype and soil
      nutrients on the local and systemic phytochemical responses of trembling aspen
      (Populus tremuloides) to defoliation by gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar). We
      deployed larvae onto foliage on individual tree branches for 15 days and then
      measured chemistry in leaves from: 1) branches receiving damage, 2) undamaged
      branches of insect-damaged trees, and 3) branches of undamaged control trees. The
      relationship between post-herbivory phytochemical variation and insect
      performance also was examined. Plant genotype, soil nutrients, and damage all
      influenced phytochemistry, with genotype and soil nutrients being stronger
      determinants than damage. Generally, insect damage decreased foliar nitrogen,
      increased levels of salicinoids and condensed tannins, but had little effect on
      levels of a Kunitz trypsin inhibitor, TI3. The largest damage-mediated tannin
      increases occurred in leaves on branches receiving damage, whereas the largest
      salicinoid increases occurred in leaves of adjacent, undamaged branches. Foliar
      nitrogen and the salicinoid tremulacin had the strongest positive and negative
      relationships, respectively, with insect growth. Overall, plant genetics and
      environment concomitantly influenced both local and systemic phytochemical
      responses to herbivory. These findings suggest that herbivory can contribute to
      phytochemical heterogeneity in aspen foliage, which may in turn influence future
      patterns of herbivory and nutrient cycling over larger spatial scales.

PMID- 26099739
TI  - Pseudo nucleotide composition or PseKNC: an effective formulation for analyzing
      genomic sequences.
AB  - With the avalanche of DNA/RNA sequences generated in the post-genomic age, it is
      urgent to develop automated methods for analyzing the relationship between the
      sequences and their functions. Towards this goal, a series of sequence-based
      methods have been proposed and applied to analyze various character-unknown
      DNA/RNA sequences in order for in-depth understanding their action mechanisms and
      processes. Compared with the classical sequence-based methods, the pseudo
      nucleotide composition or PseKNC approach developed very recently has the
      following advantages: (1) it can convert length-different DNA/RNA sequences into
      dimension-fixed digital vectors that can be directly handled by all the existing
      machine-learning algorithms or operation engines; (2) it can contain the desired
      features and properties according to the selection or definition of users; (3) it
      can cover considerable sequence pattern information, both local and global. This
      minireview is focused on the concept of pseudo nucleotide composition, its
      development and applications. 

PMID- 26099740
TI  - Quantification acuity in spontaneous shoaling decisions of three-spined
      sticklebacks.
AB  - The ability to discriminate between different quantities is widespread throughout
      the animal kingdom, and the underlying mechanisms of quantity discrimination are
      currently intensely discussed. In contrast, questions elucidating the limits of
      quantity estimation received rather little attention so far. Here, we examined
      fine-tuned quantity estimation in the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus
      aculeatus) in a natural context, i.e. during shoaling decisions. Wild-caught
      focal fish were given the spontaneous choice between two shoals which differed in
      group size by 1 fish (0 vs. 1, 1 vs. 2, 2 vs. 3, 3 vs. 4, 4 vs. 5, 5 vs. 6 and 6
      vs. 7), based on visual assessment. The results show that sticklebacks generally
      prefer to shoal with the larger group. They discriminated numerical contrasts up
      to 6 versus 7, equalling a numerical ratio of 0.86. Preference patterns followed
      Weber's law, i.e. decreased with increasing numerical ratio. This pattern was
      found across all numerical conditions as well as within the small number range
      (ranging from 1 vs. 2 to 3 vs. 4). The results suggest that wild-caught three
      spined sticklebacks are spontaneously able (i.e. without prior learning) to
      detect subtle differences in shoal sizes. Further, they confirm findings of
      previous studies highlighting the contribution of the analogue magnitude system
      to quantity estimation in fishes. 

PMID- 26099741
TI  - Patterns of Care and Clinical Outcomes of First-Line Trastuzumab-Based Therapy in
      HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Relapsing After (Neo)Adjuvant
      Trastuzumab: An Italian Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We evaluated the patterns of care and clinical outcomes of metastatic
      breast cancer patients treated with first-line trastuzumab-based therapy after
      previous (neo)adjuvant trastuzumab. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 416
      consecutive, HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients who had received
      first-line trastuzumab-based therapy were identified at 14 Italian centers. A
      total of 113 patients had presented with de novo stage IV disease and were
      analyzed separately. Dichotomous clinical outcomes were analyzed using logistic
      regression and time-to-event outcomes using Cox proportional hazards models.
      RESULTS: In the 202 trastuzumab-naive patients and 101 patients with previous
      trastuzumab exposure, we observed the following outcomes, respectively: overall
      response rate, 69.9% versus 61.3% (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.62; p = .131),
      clinical benefit rate, 79.1% versus 72.5% (adjusted OR, 0.73; p = .370), median
      progression-free survival (PFS), 16.1 months versus 12.0 months (adjusted hazards
      ratio [HR], 1.33; p = .045), and median overall survival (OS), 52.2 months versus
      48.2 months (adjusted HR, 1.18; p = .404). Patients with a trastuzumab-free
      interval (TFI) <6 months, visceral involvement, and hormone receptor-negative
      disease showed a worse OS compared with patients with a TFI of >=6 months (29.5
      vs. 48.3 months; p = .331), nonvisceral involvement (48.0 vs. 60.3 months; p =
      .270), and hormone receptor-positive disease (39.8 vs. 58.6 months; p = .003),
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite the inferior median PFS, trastuzumab-based
      therapy was an effective first-line treatment for patients relapsing after
      (neo)adjuvant trastuzumab. Previous trastuzumab exposure and the respective TFI,
      type of first site of disease relapse, and hormone receptor status should be
      considered in the choice of the best first-line treatment option for HER2
      positive metastatic breast cancer patients.

PMID- 26099742
TI  - Long-Term Follow-Up of Chemotherapy-Induced Ovarian Failure in Young Breast
      Cancer Patients: The Role of Vascular Toxicity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We previously reported that chemotherapy-induced ovarian toxicity may
      result from acute vascular insult, demonstrated by decreased ovarian blood flow
      and diminished post-treatment anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels. In the present
      study, we report the continuous prospective evaluation of ovarian function in
      that cohort. METHODS: Patients (aged <43 years) with localized breast cancer were
      evaluated by transvaginal ultrasound prior to initiation of chemotherapy,
      immediately at treatment completion, and at 6 and 12 months after treatment
      cessation. Doppler flow velocity indices of the ovarian vasculature (resistance
      index [RI], pulsatility index [PI]) were visualized. Hormone markers of ovarian
      reserve were assessed at the same time points. RESULTS: Twenty patients were
      enrolled in the study. Median age was 34 +/- 5.24 years. Ovarian blood flow was
      significantly reduced immediately following chemotherapy (both RI and PI; p =
      .01). These parameters were partially recovered at later points of assessment (6
      and 12 months after treatment); patients aged <35 years significantly regained
      ovarian blood flow compared with patients aged >35 years (p < .05). AMH dropped
      dramatically in all patients following treatment (p < .001) and recovered in only
      10 patients. Hormone markers of ovarian reserve shortly after chemotherapy
      depicted a postmenopausal profile for most patients, accompanied by related
      symptoms. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels recovered in 14 of 20
      patients and significantly returned to the premenopausal range in patients aged
      <35 years (p = .04); 10 of 20 resumed menses at 12 months. The pattern of
      vascular impairment was lessened in patients treated with a trastuzumab-based
      protocol, although results did not reach statistical significance (p = .068).
      CONCLUSION: Continuous prospective evaluation of ovarian vasculature and function
      in a cohort of young patients during and after chemotherapy indicated that
      ovarian toxicity may derive from acute vascular insult. Age may affect whether
      patients regain ovarian function, whereas recovery of blood flow and
      premenopausal FSH levels at later assessment was notable in patients aged <35
      years. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study explored the role of vascular
      toxicity in mediating ovarian impairment and recovery following chemotherapy.
      Continuous prospective evaluation of ovarian vasculature and function in a cohort
      of young patients during and after chemotherapy indicated that ovarian toxicity
      may derive from acute vascular insult. Future studies are warranted to further
      characterize patterns of vascular toxicity of various chemotherapies in clinical
      practice and to assess the role of chemotherapy-induced vascular toxicity for
      specific end organs such as the ovary with systemic vascular effect. Elucidating
      the cause of impairment may facilitate development of measures to minimize
      vascular toxicity and consequences of acute vascular insult.

PMID- 26099743
TI  - Romidepsin for the Treatment of Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma.
AB  - Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a heterogeneous group of non-Hodgkin
      lymphomas associated with poor prognosis in most subtypes. Diagnosis of this rare
      disease by expert hematopathologists improves accuracy of subtyping, and referral
      to academic or specialty centers is recommended. Many patients, however, will
      receive treatment in the community, and knowledge of approved agents is key to
      optimizing therapeutic approaches for all patients. There is no current standard
      of care for patients with PTCL and no approved therapies for first-line
      treatment. Although many patients initially respond to induction chemotherapy,
      responses are often brief, and many patients relapse or become treatment
      refractory. For patients with relapsed or refractory PTCL, achievement of durable
      responses is challenging, and there are few treatment options. Romidepsin is a
      histone deacetylase inhibitor approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
      for the treatment of patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma who have received
      one prior systemic therapy or more and patients with PTCL who have received one
      prior therapy or more. Approval of romidepsin for PTCL was based on a pivotal
      phase II study of patients with relapsed or refractory PTCL (n = 131) that
      demonstrated an objective response rate of 25% including 15% with complete
      response; responses lasted a median of >2 years. Long-term responses to
      romidepsin were achieved in patients regardless of baseline characteristics,
      including subtype, heavy pretreatment, response to prior therapy, or advanced
      disease. Common adverse events included hematologic abnormalities,
      gastrointestinal or asthenic conditions, and infections; romidepsin was not
      correlated with clinically meaningful QT prolongation or electrocardiogram
      abnormalities. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Due to the rarity, severity, and
      heterogeneous nature of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), diagnosis by expert
      hematopathologists is preferred, and referral to specialty centers is
      recommended. Many patients, however, will receive treatment in the community, and
      community oncologists play a key role in the recognition and treatment of PTCL.
      Knowledge of approved agents is key for optimizing therapeutic approaches. This
      review provides an overview of PTCL and an in-depth examination of romidepsin, a
      histone deacetylase inhibitor approved for the treatment of relapsed or
      refractory PTCL, and highlights difficulties of diagnosis and optimization of
      treatment modalities for patients with PTCL.

PMID- 26099745
TI  - Real-Life Use and Effectiveness of Adjuvant Trastuzumab in Early Breast Cancer
      Patients: A Study of the Southeast Netherlands Breast Cancer Consortium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of drug prescriptions in real life as opposed to strict
      clinical trial prescription is only rarely assessed, although it is well
      recognized that incorrect use may harm patients and may have a significant impact
      on health care resources. We investigated the use and effectiveness of adjuvant
      trastuzumab in daily practice compared with the effectiveness in clinical trials.
      METHODS: We included all patients with stage I-III invasive breast cancer,
      irrespective of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status, diagnosed
      in five hospitals in the southeast of The Netherlands in 2005-2007. We aimed to
      assess the actual use of adjuvant trastuzumab in early HER2-positive breast and
      its efficacy in daily practice. RESULTS: Of 2,684 patients included, 476 (17.7%)
      had a HER2-positive tumor. Of these, 251 (52.7%) patients had an indication for
      trastuzumab treatment of which 196 (78.1%) patients actually received it. Of the
      225 patients without an indication, 34 (15.1%) received trastuzumab. Five-year
      disease-free survival was 80.7% for (n = 230) patients treated with versus 68.2%
      for (n = 246) patients not treated with trastuzumab (p = .0023), and 5-year
      overall survival rates were 90.7% and 77.4%, respectively (p = .0002). The hazard
      ratio for disease recurrence was 0.63 (95% confidence interval, 0.37-1.06) for
      trastuzumab when adjusting for potential confounders. CONCLUSION: This study
      shows that in real life, patients treated with trastuzumab in early-stage HER2
      positive breast cancer had a 5-year disease-free and overall survival comparable
      to prior randomized trials. For informative decision making, real-life data are
      of additional value, providing insight on outcome of patients considered
      ineligible for treatment.

PMID- 26099744
TI  - The Therapeutic Challenge of Targeting HER2 in Endometrial Cancer.
AB  - Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States,
      diagnosed in more than 50,000 women annually. While the majority of women present
      with low-grade tumors that are cured with surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy, a
      significant subset of women experience recurrence and do not survive their
      disease. A disproportionate number of the more than 8,000 annual deaths
      attributed to endometrial cancer are due to high-grade uterine cancers,
      highlighting the need for new therapies that target molecular alterations
      specific to this subset of tumors. Numerous correlative scientific investigations
      have demonstrated that the HER2 (ERBB2) gene is amplified in 17%-33% of
      carcinosarcoma, uterine serous carcinoma, and a subset of high-grade endometrioid
      endometrial tumors. In breast cancer, this potent signature has directed women to
      anti-HER2-targeted therapies such as trastuzumab and lapatinib. In contrast to
      breast cancer, therapy with trastuzumab alone revealed no responses in women with
      recurrent HER2 overexpressing endometrial cancer, suggesting that these tumors
      may possess acquired or innate trastuzumab resistance mechanisms. This review
      explores the literature surrounding HER2 expression in endometrial cancer,
      focusing on trastuzumab and other anti-HER2 therapy and resistance mechanisms
      characterized in breast cancer but germane to endometrial tumors. Understanding
      resistance pathways will suggest combination therapies that target both HER2 and
      key oncogenic escape pathways in endometrial cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:
      This review summarizes the role of HER2 in endometrial cancer, with a focus on
      uterine serous carcinoma. The limitations to date of anti-HER2 therapy in this
      disease site are examined, and mechanisms of drug resistance are outlined based
      on the experience in breast cancer. Potential opportunities to overcome inherent
      resistance to anti-HER2 therapy in endometrial cancer are detailed, offering
      opportunities for further clinical study with the goal to improve outcomes in
      this challenging disease.

PMID- 26099746
TI  - Metabolic Characteristics of Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer Using 18F
      Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography and Their Clinical Implications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC), the metabolic landscape has
      not been evaluated by (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography
      (PET) yet. Furthermore, reports of the clinical implications of these metabolic
      features are limited. We aimed to evaluate the metabolic features and their
      clinical relevance in advanced BTC using (18)F-FDG PET. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We
      consecutively enrolled patients with advanced BTC who underwent (18)F-FDG PET
      prior to palliative chemotherapy between 2003 and 2013. We evaluated the findings
      of PET, such as SUV(max), the number of lesions and organs with FDG uptake,
      pathologic findings, and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 106 patients were
      enrolled: (53 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma [ICC], 7 extrahepatic BTC, 30
      gallbladder cancer [GB Ca], and 16 ampulla of Vater cancer [AoV Ca]). The median
      SUV(max) differed according to the primary origin (ICC, 9.10; extrahepatic BTC,
      5.90; GB Ca, 9.10; and AoV Ca, 6.37; p = .008) and histologic differentiation
      (well differentiated, 4.95; moderately differentiated, 6.60; poorly
      differentiated, 14.50; p = .004). Patients in the high metabolic group (SUV(max)
      of >=7.5) had more poorly differentiated histology and more organs and lesions
      with FDG uptake than did those in the low metabolic group (SUV(max) of <7.5). The
      low metabolic group had a significantly longer OS (11.4 vs. 7.4 months, p = .007)
      and PFS (6.6 vs. 4.3 months, p = .024) than high metabolic group. In multivariate
      analysis, SUV(max) was a significant prognostic factor for overall survival (OS;
      p = .047) and progression-free survival (PFS; p = .039). CONCLUSION: Metabolic
      characteristics of advanced BTC differ according to primary origin and histology.
      These metabolic features could be prognostic factors for OS and PFS in advanced
      BTC.

PMID- 26099747
TI  - Confronting Therapeutic Failure: A Conversation Guide.
AB  - We reflect on the impact of bad news on both clinician and patient in the setting
      of cancer treatment failure. We review the classic six-step SPIKES (setting,
      perception, invitation for information, knowledge, empathy, summarize and
      strategize) protocol for giving bad news that has been widely adopted since it
      was first published in this journal in 2005. The goal of such a conversation
      guide is to describe both the process and the tasks that constitute vital steps
      for clinicians and to comment on the emotional impact of the conversation on the
      clinician. Confronting therapeutic failure is the hardest task for oncologists.
      We offer practical tips derived from a thorough review of the evidence and our
      clinical experience.

PMID- 26099748
TI  - One-point carotid wave intensity predicts cardiac mortality in patients with
      congestive heart failure and reduced ejection fraction.
AB  - Wave intensity (WI) is a hemodynamic index used to evaluate the interaction
      between the heart and the arterial system, measured with an echo-Doppler system
      at the level of the common carotid artery. WI has two peaks: W1 during early
      systole that represents left ventricular (LV) contractility, and W2 in late
      systole that is related to the inertia force during isovolumetric relaxation. The
      aim of this study was to determine whether WI parameters improve the prediction
      of poor outcome in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction
      (HFrEF). Sixty-two patients (mean age 69.4 +/- 11.5 years) in NYHA class II-III
      were followed up for 43.5 months. They underwent routine clinical work-up,
      transthoracic echocardiography and WI measurement. A stratified survival analysis
      was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method. During follow-up, 23 patients died
      from cardiovascular causes. Survivors and non-survivors were similar in age,
      blood pressure, heart rate and echocardiographic parameters, except for LV end
      diastolic volume indexed to body surface area, E/A ratio (higher in non
      survivors) and deceleration time (lower in non-survivors). W2 (1950 +/- 1006 vs
      1117 +/- 708 mmHg m/s(3), p = 0.001) was significantly lower in non-survivors,
      whereas W1 (6951 +/- 4119 vs 5748 +/- 3891 mmHg m/s(3), p = NS) was similar. At
      the end of follow-up, cardiovascular mortality was higher in patients with W1 <=
      3900 mmHg m/s(3) (p = 0.02) and W2 <= 1000 mmHg m/s(3) (p = 0.0002). Only E/A
      (cut-off 1.5) was predictive of mortality (p = 0.05). In patients with HFrEF, WI
      parameters derived from the carotid artery better identified patients with poor
      prognosis and were significant predictors of cardiovascular mortality.

PMID- 26099750
TI  - Application of zinc chloride precipitation method for rapid isolation and
      concentration of infectious Pectobacterium spp. and Dickeya spp. lytic
      bacteriophages from surface water and plant and soil extracts.
AB  - This is the first report describing precipitation of bacteriophage particles with
      zinc chloride as a method of choice to isolate infectious lytic bacteriophages
      against Pectobacterium spp. and Dickeya spp. from environmental samples. The
      isolated bacteriophages are ready to use to study various (ecological) aspects of
      bacteria-bacteriophage interactions. The method comprises the well-known
      precipitation of phages from aqueous extracts of the test material by addition of
      ZnCl2, resuscitation of bacteriophage particles in Ringer's buffer to remove the
      ZnCl2 excess and a soft agar overlay assay with the host bacterium to isolate
      infectious individual phage plaques. The method requires neither an enrichment
      step nor other steps (e. g., PEG precipitation, ultrafiltration, or
      ultracentrifugation) commonly used in other procedures and results in isolation
      of active viable bacteriophage particles. 

PMID- 26099749
TI  - Sirtuins, aging, and cardiovascular risks.
AB  - The sirtuins comprise a highly conserved family proteins present in virtually all
      species from bacteria to mammals. Sirtuins are members of the highly conserved
      class III histone deacetylases, and seven sirtuin genes (sirtuins 1-7) have been
      identified and characterized in mammals. Sirtuin activity is linked to metabolic
      control, apoptosis, cell survival, development, inflammation, and healthy aging.
      In this review, we summarize and discuss the potential mutual relations between
      each sirtuin and cardiovascular health and the impact of sirtuins on oxidative
      stress and so age-related cardiovascular disorders, underlining the possibility
      that sirtuins will be novel targets to contrast cardiovascular risks induced by
      aging. 

PMID- 26099751
TI  - Integrative genome-wide analysis reveals HLP1, a novel RNA-binding protein,
      regulates plant flowering by targeting alternative polyadenylation.
AB  - Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is a widespread mechanism for gene regulation
      and has been implicated in flowering, but the molecular basis governing the
      choice of a specific poly(A) site during the vegetative-to-reproductive growth
      transition remains unclear. Here we characterize HLP1, an hnRNP A/B protein as a
      novel regulator for pre-mRNA 3'-end processing in Arabidopsis. Genetic analysis
      reveals that HLP1 suppresses Flowering Locus C (FLC), a key repressor of
      flowering in Arabidopsis. Genome-wide mapping of HLP1-RNA interactions indicates
      that HLP1 binds preferentially to A-rich and U-rich elements around cleavage and
      polyadenylation sites, implicating its role in 3'-end formation. We show HLP1 is
      significantly enriched at transcripts involved in RNA metabolism and flowering.
      Comprehensive profiling of the poly(A) site usage reveals that HLP1 mutations
      cause thousands of poly(A) site shifts. A distal-to-proximal poly(A) site shift
      in the flowering regulator FCA, a direct target of HLP1, leads to upregulation of
      FLC and delayed flowering. Our results elucidate that HLP1 is a novel factor
      involved in 3'-end processing and controls reproductive timing via targeting APA.

PMID- 26099753
TI  - Analgesia after major lower limb joint surgery-now a matter of only peripheral
      interest?

PMID- 26099752
TI  - [Efficacy of epidural steroid injections for chronic lumbar pain syndromes
      without neurological deficits. A randomized, double blind study as part of a
      multimodal treatment concept].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic lumbar pain syndromes without neurological deficits are
      generated by a multitude of causes. Functional, morphological and psychosocial
      factors are discussed. In many cases a diseased intervertebral disc is found on
      radiological examination but the clinical relevance of these findings is not
      clear. For this study it was postulated that a diseased disc results in a local
      inflammatory reaction therefore causing pain and impairing treatability of
      patients. An epidural injection of steroids can reduce inflammation and therefore
      improve treatability and ultimately treatment outcome. METHODS: A double blind
      randomized prospective trial was carried out. Patients treated in hospital for a
      chronic lumbar pain syndrome without neurological deficits within a multimodal
      treatment program were screened for indications for an epidural steroid injection
      (e.g. diseased lumbar disc and intention to treat). Patients eligible for the
      study were randomized into two groups. The treatment group received an epidural
      injection of 80 mg triamcinolone and 8 ml bupivacaine 0.25 %. The control group
      received only an epidural injection of 8 ml bupivacaine 0.25 %. RESULTS: In both
      groups pain intensity and treatability showed a statistically significant
      improvement after the epidural injection. The differences between the control and
      treatment groups were small and not clinically relevant. A small subgroup might
      profit from the steroid injection. In addition the treatability was dependent on
      psychometric values and the long-term outcome from a reduction of muscular
      skeletal dysfunctions. DISCUSSION: After the epidural injection the decrease in
      pain and increase in treatability was statistically significant. The mechanism of
      the improvement is not clear and should be examined further. The epidural
      injection of a steroid in this subgroup of patients did not lead to a clinical
      improvement in the outcome.

PMID- 26099754
TI  - Antibiotic prophylaxis for surgery: time to get our house in order.

PMID- 26099755
TI  - Spinal anaesthesia with adjunctive intrathecal morphine versus continuous lumbar
      plexus blockade: a randomised comparison for analgesia after hip replacement.
AB  - Following elective total hip replacement, both continuous lumbar plexus blockade
      and spinal anaesthesia (with adjunctive intrathecal morphine) have shown early
      outcome benefits over opioid analgesia and single-injection nerve block. However,
      the two techniques have not been compared in a prospective randomised manner. Our
      study examined 50 patients undergoing elective hip joint replacement who were
      randomised to receive spinal anaesthesia (with adjunctive intrathecal morphine
      0.1 mg) or patient-controlled continuous lumbar plexus blockade. All surgery was
      conducted under general anaesthesia. Measured outcomes included numerically rated
      postoperative pain, supplemental opioid consumption and indices of mobilisation
      together with complications. Results show that block placement time was
      marginally shorter for the spinal group (5 versus 7 minutes, P=0.01). The primary
      outcome, worst pain on movement/mobilisation during the first 24 hours, was not
      statistically significantly different between groups. Patients in the lumbar
      plexus group were given more intraoperative opioid and rescue morphine in the
      post-anaesthesia care unit (median = 4 versus 0 mg, P <0.001), with
      correspondingly higher pain scores (median 5/10 versus 0/10, P <0.001). Pain
      scores during the subsequent 24 hours were similar between groups, but more
      patients in the spinal group were given rescue morphine (5 versus 0, P=0.02).
      Physiotherapy mobilisation indices appeared similar between groups. More spinal
      group patients reported pruritus (12 versus 5, P=0.01), but antiemetic
      requirements, episodes of disorientation, arterial oxygen desaturation and falls
      were all similar between groups. Postoperative symptoms suggestive of
      neurological irritation or injury did not differ between groups. We found that
      following elective hip joint replacement, compared to continuous lumbar plexus
      blockade, spinal anaesthesia incorporating adjunctive intrathecal morphine did
      not result in a statistically significant difference in worst pain on
      movement/mobilisation during the first 24 hours, although it was associated with
      better analgesia in the post-anaesthesia care unit. Subsequently, however, these
      patients appeared to require more rescue morphine and more of them reported
      pruritus. 

PMID- 26099756
TI  - A randomised controlled trial comparing three analgesia regimens following total
      knee joint replacement: continuous femoral nerve block, intrathecal morphine or
      both.
AB  - This randomised controlled trial compared three analgesia regimens following
      primary unilateral total knee joint replacement: continuous femoral nerve block
      (CFNB), intrathecal morphine (ITM), and both. The primary outcome was pain
      ratings over the first 24 hours. Secondary outcomes included morphine
      consumption, nausea, pruritus and sedation ratings, oxygen saturation (SpO2)
      ratings, and ability to mobilise postoperatively. All patients received a spinal
      anaesthetic and a postoperative patient-controlled morphine pump. Patients were
      randomised to receive CFNB, ITM, or both. In patients with no CFNB, the use of
      ITM was blinded. Eighty-one patients were randomised and there were no
      withdrawals. At 24 hours, the ITM-only group had higher pain ratings than either
      of the other groups (P=0.04 versus CFNB, P=0.01 versus combination). In the 18 to
      24 hour period, the ITM group used more morphine than either of the other groups.
      There were no statistically significant differences in pain ratings or morphine
      consumption at earlier time intervals. The ITM group were less likely to be able
      to sit out of bed on day one. Patients who received ITM were more likely to have
      pruritus. There were no statistically significant differences in nausea, SpO2or
      sedation ratings. This study showed that a CFNB resulted in reduced pain and was
      also associated with less morphine consumption and improved mobilisation at 24
      hours compared to ITM. This study did not show any statistically significant
      differences between CFNB alone and CFNB+ITM.

PMID- 26099757
TI  - Surgical site infection-a population-based study in Australian adults measuring
      the compliance with and correct timing of appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis.
AB  - Prophylaxis for surgical site infection (SSI) is often at variance with
      guidelines, despite the prevalence of SSI and its associated cost, morbidity, and
      mortality. The CareTrack Australia study, undertaken by a number of the authors,
      demonstrated that appropriate care (in line with evidence- or consensus-based
      guidelines) was provided at 38% of eligible SSI healthcare encounters. Here, we
      report the indicator-level CareTrack Australia findings for SSI prophylaxis.
      Indicators were extracted from Australian and international clinical guidelines
      and ratified by clinical experts. A sample designed to be representative of the
      Australian population was recruited (n=1154). Participants' medical records were
      reviewed and analysed for compliance with the five SSI indicators. The main
      outcome measure was the percentage of eligible healthcare encounters with
      documented compliance with indicators for appropriate SSI prophylaxis. Of the
      35,145 CareTrack Australia encounters, 702 (2%) were eligible for scoring against
      the SSI indicators. Where antibiotics were recommended, compliance was 49% for
      contaminated surgery, 57% for clean-contaminated surgery and 85% for surgery
      involving a prosthesis: these fell to 8%, 10% and 14%, respectively (an average
      of 11%), when currently recommended timing of antibiotic administration was
      included. Where antibiotics were not indicated, 72% of patients still received
      them. SSI prophylaxis in our sample was poor; over two-thirds of patients were
      given antibiotics, whether indicated or not, mainly at the wrong time. There is a
      need for national agreement on clinical standards, indicators and tools to guide,
      document and monitor SSI prophylaxis, with both local and national measures to
      increase and monitor their uptake. 

PMID- 26099758
TI  - Comparison of ultrasound-guided supraclavicular, infraclavicular and below-C6
      interscalene brachial plexus block for upper limb surgery: a randomised, observer
      blinded study.
AB  - This prospective, randomised, observer-blinded study was conducted to compare the
      ease of performance and surgical effectiveness of interscalene block below the C6
      nerve root with supraclavicular and infraclavicular techniques of brachial plexus
      block for upper arm and forearm surgery. Sixty adult patients of American Society
      of Anesthesiologists grade 1 to 3, undergoing upper limb surgery, were randomly
      allocated into three groups. Group SC received supraclavicular blockade, group IC
      received infraclavicular blockade and Group IS received interscalene blockade.
      All blocks were guided by ultrasound with nerve stimulator confirmation. The
      anaesthetic mixture consisted of 0.5 ml/kg of equal volumes of 0.75% ropivacaine
      and 2% lignocaine-adrenaline. The imaging and block performance time, onset time,
      success rate, duration of block, and duration of postoperative analgesia were
      recorded by a blinded observer. The onset time was significantly longer in the
      interscalene group as compared with supraclavicular and infraclavicular
      approaches. The imaging time and block performance time were comparable between
      groups. No significant differences were observed between the three groups in
      terms of block-related pain scores, success rates, duration of block or of
      postoperative analgesia. Two patients in the interscalene group developed
      clinically detectable phrenic nerve palsy. Our findings indicate that, although
      interscalene block below the C6 nerve root can provide surgical anaesthesia for
      forearm and hand surgery, it appears to have a longer onset time than supra- and
      infraclavicular approaches and an unacceptable incidence of phrenic nerve palsy. 

PMID- 26099759
TI  - Applicability of risk scores for postoperative nausea and vomiting in a Taiwanese
      population undergoing general anaesthesia.
AB  - Five popular scoring systems for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) were
      validated and compared with two new predictive models in a Taiwanese population.
      Nine hundred and ninety-two patients receiving general anaesthesia in a tertiary
      hospital were investigated in a prospective observational cohort study. Patient
      demographic data and the incidence of nausea or vomiting in the first 24 hours
      after surgery were recorded. The overall incidence of PONV was 42%. The area
      under the curve (AUC) of the five published PONV risk scoring systems was 0.62 to
      0.67. Logistic regression analysis in this study cohort showed that female sex
      and a history of PONV/car sickness were the only statistically significant
      independent risk factors for PONV (likelihood ratio test P <0.001).The AUCs of
      our two-predictor and gender-only models were 0.668 and 0.643, respectively
      (Nagelkerke R2 = 0.122 and 0.109). Goodness-of-fit showed that a two-predictor
      model predicted outcome that was in agreement with the observed outcome
      (P=0.973). Both the two-predictor model and the Apfel score had a similar AUC
      that was significantly different from the AUCs of the other models. The AUC for
      the gender-only model in our population was similar to that of the simplified
      Koivuranta and the Palazzo and Evans scores (AUC=0.659 and 0.632; P=0.137 and
      0.513 respectively). All AUCs had only moderate discrimination power but our
      female gender-only model was much simpler. Using female gender as the only
      predictor of PONV had predictive power with 75% sensitivity and 54% specificity.

PMID- 26099760
TI  - Randomised controlled trial comparing the Ambu(r) aScopeTM2 with a conventional
      fibreoptic bronchoscope in orotracheal intubation of anaesthetised adult
      patients.
AB  - Fibreoptic intubation remains an essential skill for anaesthetists to master. In
      addition to the reusable fibrescope, an alternative disposable videoscope is
      available (aScope(TM)2, Ambu(r), Ballerup, Denmark). A total of 60 anaesthetised
      adult patients were randomised to either having orotracheal intubation using the
      aScope 2 or a Karl Storz fibrescope. Intubations were performed by experienced
      operators who were familiar with both devices. The primary outcome was the Global
      Rating Scale score. Secondary outcomes included intubation success, number of
      intubation attempts and intubation time. Other subjective outcomes including
      practicality, useability and image quality were also recorded. There was no
      significant difference in the Global Rating Scale score, intubation success
      orintubation time between the aScope 2 or Karl Storz fibrescope. Global Rating
      Scale scores were three and two in the aScope 2 and Karl Storz groups
      respectively (P=0.14). All of the other subjective outcomes were similar between
      the two groups, except that operators found it easier to use the aScope 2
      compared to the fibrescope. There was no significant difference in clinical
      performance between the aScope 2 and the Karl Storz fibreoptic bronchoscope. The
      aScope's practicality, disposability and recently improved version (aScope(TM)3)
      potentially make it an acceptable alternative to the reusable fibrescope. 

PMID- 26099761
TI  - The effect of routine reversal of neuromuscular blockade on adequacy of recurrent
      laryngeal nerve stimulation during thyroid surgery.
AB  - Testing of the integrity of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery
      has become routine practice for many surgeons to aid dissection and minimise the
      chance of inadvertent nerve injury. We hypothesised that routine reversal of an
      intermediate-acting, non-depolarising neuromuscular blocking agent would improve
      conditions for stimulation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. We conducted a
      single-centre, randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of patients
      undergoing thyroid surgery by the same surgeon. After randomisation, the
      participants received either neostigmine 2.5 mg with glycopyrrolate 0.4 mg or
      placebo, at 30 minutes after induction of anaesthesia and administration of 0.4
      mg/kg of atracurium. The primary outcome was the subjective assessment by the
      surgeon as to whether the neuromuscular function was adequate for stimulation of
      the recurrent laryngeal nerve using a neuromuscular integrity monitor (NIM). Time
      to NIM stimulation was 44.6 minutes in the placebo group and 41.4 minutes in the
      intervention group (P=0.268). Of the 21 patients who received the neuromuscular
      blockade reversal, 20 (95.2%) had adequate surgical conditions for NIM
      stimulation, compared to 9 out of 18 patients (50%) in the placebo group
      (P=0.002). Three of the ten patients (30%) with inadequate reversal showed no
      evidence of residual blockade assessed peripherally. The routine reversal of
      neuromuscular blockade at 30 minutes post induction appears to result in adequate
      surgical conditions for safe stimulation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Return
      of neuromuscular function at a peripheral site does not guarantee adequate
      laryngeal muscle function for use of the NIM. 

PMID- 26099762
TI  - Does adding ICU data to the POSSUM score improve the prediction of outcomes
      following surgery for upper gastrointestinal malignancies?
AB  - Surgery for upper gastrointestinal malignancy carries a high postoperative
      mortality and morbidity risk. The importance of preoperative physiological
      reserve and intraoperative events in determining clinical outcomes is recognised
      in the Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of
      Mortality and Morbidity (POSSUM) score that comprises variables relevant to both
      phases. Whether adding variables linked to ICU admission characteristics improves
      the predictive capacity of POSSUM is unclear, especially in an Australian/New
      Zealand healthcare context. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive capacity
      of the POSSUM score for 30-day mortality and in-hospital morbidity in 80 patients
      undergoing resection of oesophageal (28%), gastric (26%) or pancreatic (46%)
      malignancies and admitted to ICU. The 30-day mortality was 8.8% and 65% of
      patients developed some postoperative complication. Receiver operating
      characteristics generated an area under the curve (95% CI) to predict mortality
      by Portsmouth POSSUM of 0.87 (0.77 to 0.93) and morbidity by POSSUM of 0.67 (0.55
      to 0.77). Multiple regression analysis including biochemical variables and vital
      signs on admission to ICU identified renal function parameters, fluid balance and
      need for cardiorespiratory support beyond the first postoperative day as
      independent factors associated with mortality and morbidity (in addition to the
      POSSUM score) but the inclusion of these variables in a logistic regression model
      did not significantly improve the predictive capacity for mortality (to area
      under the curve 0.93 [0.85 to 0.97]) or morbidity (to area under the curve 0.67
      [0.55 to 0.78]). In conclusion, the POSSUM score provides clinically useful
      predictive capacity in patients undergoing surgery for upper gastrointestinal
      malignancies. The incorporation of ICU admission variables to the pre- and
      intraoperative POSSUM variables did not significantly enhance the precision. 

PMID- 26099763
TI  - Electromagnetic needle tracking during simulated right internal jugular
      cannulation.
AB  - This study used three-dimensional information from Stealth navigation technology
      during simulated right internal jugular vein cannulation to define the initial
      needle trajectory taken when using three approaches: landmark (LM), short-axis
      (SAX) ultrasound and long-axis (LAX) ultrasound. Nineteen volunteers indicated
      the entry site and needle direction (track) they would use in performing right
      internal jugular vein cannulation by the three approaches. The likelihood of
      cannulation success, arterial puncture and needle direction were recorded.
      Volunteers were asked to assess the suitability of the simulation system for
      validity and educational benefit. The SAX track crossed the jugular vein more
      frequently than the LAX and LM tracks (SAX: 94%; LAX: 80%; LM: 47% [SAX versus
      LM, P <0.01]). The mean indicated needle direction in the coronal plane for LM,
      SAX and LAX were -4, 13 and 11 degrees, respectively. The track associated with
      the LAX technique would have entered the carotid artery by 16% of volunteers. At
      needle depths of over 40 mm, the track crossed the vertebral artery at the
      following rates (LM: 11%; SAX: 16%; LAX: 16%). The use of Stealth technology to
      provide three-dimensional feedback of the needle path taken during simulated
      right internal jugular cannulation was considered realistic (16/19) and of
      benefit for 18 of 19 (95%) respondents. The SAX track was associated with the
      highest likelihood of successful jugular cannulation and the lowest cross rate of
      the carotid artery. The simulation model using Stealth was considered to be
      valuable and realistic by participants despite some limitations. 

PMID- 26099764
TI  - An audit of the haemodynamic and emergence characteristics of single-shot
      'ketofol'.
AB  - 'ketofol', the single-syringe combination of ketamine and propofol (50 mg of
      ketamine and 90 mg of propofol in a 10 ml syringe) is becoming increasingly
      popular for short procedures, progressively replacing the more traditional use of
      ketamine and diazepam in some settings. This audit examined the haemodynamic,
      emergence and other characteristics of ketofol administration in 42, otherwise
      fit, women undergoing bilateral post-partum tubal ligation at Vila Central
      Hospital in Vanuatu. The combination of ketamine and propofol had no clinically
      important adverse haemodynamic effects. Wake-up from ketofol was favourable, with
      low rates of nausea and minimal emergence delirium. However, 43% of patients
      required airway support. For short procedures such as post-partum tubal ligation
      in fit patients, ketofol appears to have minimal adverse haemodynamic effects and
      favourable emergence characteristics. 

PMID- 26099766
TI  - The non-technical skills used by anaesthetic technicians in critical incidents
      reported to the Australian Incident Monitoring System between 2002 and 2008.
AB  - The outcome of critical incidents in the operating theatre has been shown to be
      influenced by the behaviour of anaesthetic technicians (ATs) assisting
      anaesthetists, but the specific non-technical skills involved have not been
      described. We performed a review of critical incidents (n=1433) reported to the
      Australian Incident Monitoring System between 2002 and 2008 to identify which non
      technical skills were used by ATs. The reports were assessed if they mentioned
      anaesthetic assistance or had the boxes ticked to identify "inadequate
      assistance" or "absent supervision or assistance". A total of 90 critical
      incidents involving ATs were retrieved, 69 of which described their use of non
      technical skills. In 20 reports, the ATs ameliorated the critical incident,
      whilst in 46 they exacerbated the critical incident, and three cases had both
      positive and negative non-technical skills described. Situation awareness was
      identified in 39 reports, task management in 23, teamwork in 21 and decision
      making in two, but there were no descriptions of issues related to leadership,
      stress or fatigue management. Situation awareness, task management and teamwork
      appear to be important non-technical skills for ATs in the development or
      management of critical incidents in the operating theatre. This analysis has been
      used to support the development of a non-technical skills taxonomy for
      anaesthetic assistants. 

PMID- 26099765
TI  - The changing face of malignant hyperthermia: less fulminant, more insidious..
AB  - Modern anaesthetic techniques have resulted in the clinical presentation of
      malignant hyperthermia to be more often indolent and/or insidious than truly
      fulminant, as previously known in the anaesthetic community. We present four
      recently referred cases to illustrate this point: one late-onset case, two
      patients with slowly progressive hypercapnia as the sole sign and a fourth
      patient with postoperative myalgias and elevated creatine kinase. We also discuss
      the reasons for the shift in typical clinical presentation. The more insidious
      character of malignant hyperthermia is most likely due to the lower triggering
      potency of modern volatile anaesthetics, the mitigating effects of several
      intravenous drugs (neuromuscular blocking agents, alpha 2 adrenergic receptor
      agonists, beta adrenergic blockade) or techniques (neuraxial anaesthesia) and the
      routine use of end-tidal CO2 monitoring leading to the early withdrawal of
      triggering drugs. Awareness among anaesthetists of this change in presentation is
      important since the clinical diagnosis is often more doubtful and, if
      corroborative evidence is not sought, the diagnosis may be delayed or missed
      altogether. 

PMID- 26099767
TI  - Sevoflurane for analgesia-testing a modified vaporiser for delivery.
AB  - The Diamedica Sevoflurane Inhaler (Diamedica UK Ltd, Bratton Fleming, UK) (DSI)
      is a breathing system which includes a modification of an existing vaporiser
      (Diamedica Draw-over Vaporiser, Diamedica UK Ltd, Bratton Fleming, UK), to enable
      the delivery of 0.8% sevoflurane. Previous studies have suggested that self
      administered sevoflurane at sub-anaesthetic concentration can provide useful pain
      relief during the first stage of labour and that it may be more effective than
      Entonox. Further research and potential clinical use have been impeded by the
      lack of a practical delivery system. In this study, the performance of two
      versions of the DSI (DSI-1 and DSI-2) was investigated. DSI-1 was tested over a
      range of minute volumes (1 to 30 l/min) and ambient temperatures (10 degrees C to
      40 degrees C). The sevoflurane output increased unacceptably with rising ambient
      temperature, therefore the design was modified to create the DSI-2. The results
      from testing this revised version are also described. Mean sevoflurane output
      from the DSI-2 was found to be within a clinically acceptable range at the minute
      volumes tested (0.78% to 0.88%) and ambient temperatures tested (0.69% to 0.9%).
      Based upon these results, the authors propose to undertake further studies of
      sevoflurane analgesia using the DSI-2. 

PMID- 26099768
TI  - A prospective audit of difficult airway equipment at University of Melbourne
      affiliated hospitals.

PMID- 26099769
TI  - Ultrasound-guided lumbar retrolaminar block for acute lumbar trauma.

PMID- 26099770
TI  - Substance use disorder amongst Australian and New Zealand anaesthetic trainees:
      an analysis of 30 years of data.

PMID- 26099771
TI  - Should we really condemn the use of the nasopharyngeal catheter for oxygen
      therapy?

PMID- 26099772
TI  - The time has come for a coordinated and centralised approach to substance abuse
      among anaesthetists.

PMID- 26099773
TI  - Postoperative care after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal
      chemotherapy procedures.

PMID- 26099774
TI  - Inadvertent intra-arterial cannulation due to missed aberrant radial artery
      anatomy revisited.

PMID- 26099775
TI  - Failure of intubation with Aintree intubation catheter via Size 3 'Unique' LMA.

PMID- 26099776
TI  - The evolution of the polyvinyl chloride endotracheal tube.

PMID- 26099777
TI  - A new approach to avoid unnecessary fluid-fasting in healthy children.

PMID- 26099778
TI  - The Tunstall manoeuvre for rapid onset spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section
      lost but not forgotten.

PMID- 26099779
TI  - Inadvertent carotid artery cannulation.

PMID- 26099780
TI  - Occupational exposure of anaesthetists to ionising radiation.

PMID- 26099781
TI  - Airway obstruction due to tumour fragments after pneumonectomy: a critical
      complication.

PMID- 26099782
TI  - Efficacy of continuous veno-venous haemofiltration on transpulmonary
      thermodilution measurements using the EV1000 system.

PMID- 26099784
TI  - Quantity and Quality of the Lower Extremity Muscles in Women with Knee
      Osteoarthritis.
AB  - The objective of the study described here was to compare lower extremity muscle
      quantity and quality between individuals with and those without knee
      osteoarthritis (OA). Twenty-one women with knee OA (mild, n = 8; severe, n = 13)
      and 23 healthy patients participated. Ultrasonography was used to measure muscle
      thickness (MT) and echo intensity (EI) of the rectus femoris, vastus intermedius,
      vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, biceps femoris, gluteus maximus, gluteus
      medius, gastrocnemius, soleus and tibialis anterior. MTs of the vastus medialis
      and vastus intermedius were smaller, and EIs of the vastus medialis, vastus
      intermedius, gluteus medius and tibialis anterior were larger, in the severe OA
      group compared than in the healthy group. Compared with the healthy group, the
      mild OA group had decreased MT and enhanced EI. Changes in quality and quantity
      occurring with knee OA progression differed among muscles. In the vastus
      medialis, change was observed from an earlier stage.

PMID- 26099785
TI  - Improving problem solving in primary school students: The effect of a training
      programme focusing on metacognition and working memory.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite doubts voiced on their efficacy, a series of studies has been
      carried out on the capacity of training programmes to improve academic and
      reasoning skills by focusing on underlying cognitive abilities and working memory
      in particular. No systematic efforts have been made, however, to test training
      programmes that involve both general and specific underlying abilities. If
      effective, these programmes could help to increase students' motivation and
      competence. AIMS: This study examined the feasibility of improving problem
      solving skills in school children by means of a training programme that addresses
      general and specific abilities involved in problem solving, focusing on
      metacognition and working memory. PARTICIPANTS: The project involved a sample of
      135 primary school children attending eight classes in the third, fourth, and
      fifth grades (age range 8-10 years). METHOD: The classes were assigned to two
      groups, one attending the training programme in the first 3 months of the study
      (Training Group 1) and the other serving as a waiting-list control group
      (Training Group 2). In the second phase of the study, the role of the two groups
      was reversed, with Training Group 2 attending the training instead of Training
      Group 1. RESULTS: The training programme led to improvements in both
      metacognitive and working memory tasks, with positive-related effects on the
      ability to solve problems. The gains seen in Training Group 1 were also
      maintained at the second post-test (after 3 months). CONCLUSIONS: Specific
      activities focusing on metacognition and working memory may contribute to
      modifying arithmetical problem-solving performance in primary school children.

PMID- 26099786
TI  - Diagnosis and treatment of Lemierre syndrome.

PMID- 26099787
TI  - Effect of Shenfu injection on intestinal mucosal barrier in a rat model of
      sepsis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The effects of Shenfu injection on protecting the intestinal mucosal
      barrier were investigated in rats with sepsis. METHODS: Severe sepsis was
      established by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in 30 healthy Sprague-Dawley
      rats. Twelve rats that received sham surgery received 10 mL/kg of normal saline.
      Rats with CLP were randomized to receive 10 mL/kg of normal saline (n = 12) and 5
      mL/kg Shenfu (n = 12), and 10 received 10 mL/kg Shenfu injection (n = 12) by tail
      intravenous injection. Rats were killed after 8 hours. Serum levels of tumor
      necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-10, and ileal malondialdehyde and
      superoxide dismutase activity were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
      Ileum tissue structures and pathological score were observed by microscopy. Ileal
      mucosal epithelial cell apoptosis index was calculated by TUNEL assay. Ileal
      proapoptotic protein Bax, antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2, and tight junction
      transmembrane protein occludin were measured by immunohistochemistry and
      immunoblot. RESULTS: The level of tumor necrosis factor alpha, the ileal
      malondialdehyde level, ileum pathological score, apoptosis index of ileal mucosal
      epithelial cells, and Bax protein level were significantly higher, and serum
      level of interleukin-10, the ileal superoxide dismutase activity, Bcl-2 protein
      level, Bcl-2/Bax ratio, and occludin protein level were significantly lower in
      the CLP group than in the sham group (P < .01 or P < .05). Both low- and high
      dose Shenfu significantly ameliorated these changes (P < .01 or P < .05), but
      high-dose injection achieved more significant improvements than did the low-dose
      injection (P < .01 or P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Shenfu injection might ameliorate
      the mucosal barrier function in a model of sepsis in rats in a dose-dependent
      manner.

PMID- 26099789
TI  - Is there a possibility of ranking benthic quality assessment indices to select
      the most responsive to different human pressures?
AB  - Although a plethora of benthic indices exist, there is no agreement on what index
      or indices should be used by environmental managers to establish benthic quality.
      The objective of this investigation was to rank 35 benthic quality assessment
      indices used in different countries to evaluate the impact produced by 15
      different human pressures (including multipressure, aquaculture, sewage
      discharges, eutrophication, physical alteration, chemical pollution, climate
      change, etc.). The ranking was determined by taking into account the coverage
      area of biogeographical provinces, number of citations testing a pressure and
      number of citations with significant correlation with pressure. We analysed 363
      references, of which 169 showed quantitative data. Over a potential total score
      of 100, the highest values were obtained by the following indices: (i) AZTI's
      Marine Biotic Index (AMBI), which scored 77, tested by using 14 pressures in 14
      provinces from the Arctic to tropical seas; (ii) multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI),
      which scored 74, tested with 12 pressures in 13 provinces; (iii) Bentix (BENTIX),
      which scored 68, tested with nine pressures in six provinces; (iv) Benthic
      Quality Index (BQI), which scored 66, tested with five pressures in seven
      provinces; and (v) Benthic Opportunistic Polychaetes Amphipods (BOPA) index,
      which scored 62, tested with eight pressures in six provinces. 

PMID- 26099788
TI  - Plastic in surface waters of the Inside Passage and beaches of the Salish Sea in
      Washington State.
AB  - We summarize results of two independent studies on plastic pollution in the
      marine environment that overlap in time and space. One study evaluated the
      abundance of anthropogenic debris on 37 sandy beaches bordering the Salish Sea in
      Washington State while the other characterized plastic debris in surface waters
      of the Salish Sea and the Inside Passage to Skagway, Alaska. Both studies
      concluded that foam, primarily expanded polystyrene was the dominant pollutant.
      Plastic was found in surface waters the full length of the Inside Passage but was
      concentrated near harbors. At the wrack line, an average square meter of
      Washington's 1180km of sandy beaches in the Salish Sea had 61 pieces of
      anthropogenic debris weighing approximately 5g. The total loading for the entire
      1m wide band is estimated to be 72,000,000 pieces and 5.8metric tons. Most
      anthropogenic debris on beaches is generated within the region. 

PMID- 26099790
TI  - Organophosphorus flame retardants (PFRs) and plasticisers in harbour porpoises
      (Phocoena phocoena) stranded or bycaught in the UK during 2012.
AB  - A suite of twenty organophosphorus flame retardant compounds have been determined
      in blubber and liver tissue of twenty harbour porpoises stranded or bycaught in
      the UK during 2012 in order to establish current levels of contamination.
      Fourteen of the twenty compounds were below the limits of quantification in all
      samples. Six could be quantified at maximum concentrations (in blubber) between
      6.7 and 246MUgkg(-1) wet weight. These levels do not suggest a high level of
      concern regarding potential impacts and do not indicate that routine monitoring
      in UK porpoises is warranted at this time. 

PMID- 26099791
TI  - Effect of Perfusion Fluids on Recovery of Inflammatory Mediators in
      Microdialysis.
AB  - Microdialysis is an excellent tool to assess tissue inflammation in patients, but
      in vitro systems to evaluate recovery of inflammatory mediators have not been
      standardized. We aimed to develop a reference plasma preparation and evaluate
      different perfusion fluids with respect to recovery of metabolic and inflammatory
      markers. The reference preparation was produced by incubation of human blood with
      lipopolysaccharide and cobra venom factor to generate cytokines and activate
      complement, respectively. Microdialysis with 100 kDa catheters was performed
      using different colloid and crystalloid perfusion fluids (hydroxyethyl starch
      (HES) 130/0.4, HES 200/0.5, hyperosmolar HES 200/0.5, albumin 200 g/l, T1
      perfusion fluid and Ringer's acetate) compared to today's recommended dextran 60
      solution. Recovery of glucose, glycerol and pyruvate was not significantly
      different between the perfusion fluids, whereas lactate had lower recovery in HES
      200/0.5 and albumin perfusion fluids. Recovery rates for the inflammatory
      proteins in comparison with the concentration in the reference preparation
      differed substantially: IL-6 = 9%, IL-1beta = 18%, TNF = 0.3%, MCP-1 = 45%, IL-8
      = 48%, MIG = 48%, IP-10 = 25%, C3a = 53% and C5a = 12%. IL-10 was not detectable
      in microdialysis dialysate. HES 130/0.4 and HES 200/0.5 yielded a recovery not
      significantly different from dextran 60. Hyperosmolar HES 200/0.5 and albumin
      showed significantly different pattern of recovery with increased concentration
      of MIG, IP-10, C3a and C5a and decreased concentration of IL-1beta, TNF, MCP-1
      and IL-8 in comparison with dextran 60. In conclusion, microdialysis perfusion
      fluid dextran 60 can be replaced by the commonly used HES 130/0.4, whereas
      albumin might be used if specific immunological variables are in focus. The
      present reference plasma preparation is suitable for in vitro evaluation of
      microdialysis systems.

PMID- 26099792
TI  - Challenges for bovine viral diarrhoea virus antibody detection in bulk milk by
      antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays due to changes in milk production
      levels.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) is considered eradicated from Denmark.
      Currently, very few (if any) Danish cattle herds could be infected with BVD virus
      (BVDV). The Danish antibody blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
      has been successfully used during the Danish BVD eradication program, initiated
      in 1994. During the last decade, the cattle herd size has increased while the
      prevalence of BVDV has decreased. In this study, we investigated how these
      changes could affect the performance of the Danish blocking ELISA and of the
      SVANOVIR(r) BVDV-Ab indirect ELISA. The latter has successfully been used to
      eradicate BVD in Sweden. Data (2003-2010) on changes in median herd size and milk
      production levels, occurrence of viremic animals and bulk milk surveillance were
      analysed. Additionally, the Danish blocking ELISA and the SVANOVIR ELISA were
      compared analyzing milk and serum samples. The prevalence of antibody positive
      milking cows that could be detected by each test was estimated, by diluting
      positive individual milk samples and making artificial milk pools. RESULTS:
      During the study period, the median herd size increased from 74 (2003) to 127
      cows (2010), while the prevalence of BVDV infected herds decreased from 0.51 to
      0.02 %. The daily milk yield contribution of a single seropositive cow to the
      entire daily bulk milk was reduced from 1.61 % in 2003 to 0.95 % in 2010 due to
      the increased herd size. It was observed that antibody levels in bulk milk
      decreased at national level. Moreover, we found that when testing bulk milk, the
      SVANOVIR(r) BVDV-Ab can detect a lower prevalence of seropositive lactating cows,
      compared to the Danish blocking ELISA (0.78 % vs. 50 %). Values in the
      SVANOVIR(r) BVDV-Ab better relate to low concentrations of antibody positive milk
      (R(2) = 94-98 %), than values in the blocking ELISA (R(2) = 23-75 %). For sera,
      the two ELISAs performed equally well. CONCLUSIONS: The SVANOVIR ELISA is
      recommended for analysis of bulk milk samples in the current Danish situation,
      since infected dairy herds e.g. due to import of infected cattle can be detected
      shortly after BVDV introduction, when only few lactating cows have seroconverted.
      In sera, the two ELISAs can be used interchangeably.

PMID- 26099793
TI  - Extremity-dedicated low-field MRI shows good diagnostic accuracy and
      interobserver agreement for the diagnosis of the acutely injured knee.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To estimate diagnostic accuracy and interobserver agreement of
      extremity-dedicated low-field magnetic resonance imaging (lfMRI) for meniscal
      tears, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears and knee fractures. METHODS: We
      enrolled 62 patients with acute knee trauma and 19 patients with suspected knee
      fracture. Arthroscopy/Computed tomography was regarded the gold standard for
      cruciate ligament and meniscal tears/fractures. RESULTS: Arthroscopy showed 39
      meniscal tears. Sensitivity/Specificity of lfMRI was 95.8%/97.4% (reader
      1)/100%/100% (reader 2) for medial and 93.3%/100% (reader 1)/93.3%/93.6% (reader
      2) for lateral meniscal tears. Sensitivity/Specificity was 100% for ACL tears and
      fractures. Interobserver agreement was very good. CONCLUSION: lfMRI showed
      reproducible high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of the acutely
      injured knee.

PMID- 26099794
TI  - Prevalence, risk factors and disability associated with fall-related injury in
      older adults in low- and middle-incomecountries: results from the WHO Study on
      global AGEing and adult health (SAGE).
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2010 falls were responsible for approximately 80 % of disability
      stemming from unintentional injuries excluding traffic accidents in adults 50
      years and over. Falls are becoming a major public health problem in low- and
      middle-income countries (LMICs) where populations are ageing rapidly. METHODS:
      Nationally representative standardized data collected from adults aged 50 years
      and over participating in the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on global
      AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Wave 1 in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, the Russian
      Federation and South Africa are analysed. The aims are to identify the prevalence
      of, and risk factors for, past-year fall-related injury and to assess
      associations between fall-related injury and disability. Regression methods are
      used to identify risk factors and association between fall-related injury and
      disability. Disability was measured using the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule
      Version 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0). RESULTS: The prevalence of past-year fall-related
      injuries ranged from 6.6 % in India to 1.0 % in South Africa and was 4.0 % across
      the pooled countries. The proportion of all past-year injuries that were fall
      related ranged from 73.3 % in the Russian Federation to 44.4 % in Ghana. Across
      the six countries this was 65.7 %. In the multivariable logistic regression, the
      odds of past-year fall-related injury were significantly higher for: women (OR:
      1.27; 95 % CI: 0.99,1.62); respondents who lived in rural areas (OR: 1.36; 95 %
      CI: 1.06,1.75); those with depression (OR: 1.43; 95 % CI: 1.01,2.02); respondents
      who reported severe or extreme problems sleeping (OR: 1.54; 95 % CI: 1.15,2.08);
      and those who reported two or more (compared with no) chronic conditions (OR:
      2.15; 95 % CI: 1.45,3.19). Poor cognition was also a significant risk factor for
      fall-related injury. The association between fall-related injury and the WHODAS
      measure of disability was highly significant (P<0.0001) with some attenuation
      after adjusting for confounders. Reporting two or more chronic conditions
      (compared with none) was significantly associated with disability (P<0.0001).
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide a platform for improving understanding of risk
      factors for falls in older adults in this group of LMICs. Clinicians and public
      health professionals in these countries must be made aware of the extent of this
      problem and the need to implement policies to reduce the risk of falls in older
      adults.

PMID- 26099795
TI  - An anatomy-based lumped parameter model of cerebrospinal venous circulation: can
      an extracranial anatomical change impact intracranial hemodynamics?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between extracranial venous system abnormalities and
      central nervous system disorders has been recently theorized. In this paper we
      delve into this hypothesis by modeling the venous drainage in brain and spinal
      column areas and simulating the intracranial flow changes due to extracranial
      morphological stenoses. METHODS: A lumped parameter model of the cerebro-spinal
      venous drainage was created based on anatomical knowledge and vessels diameters
      and lengths taken from literature. Each vein was modeled as a hydraulic
      resistance, calculated through Poiseuille's law. The inputs of the model were
      arterial flow rates of the intracranial, vertebral and lumbar districts. The
      effects of the obstruction of the main venous outflows were simulated. A database
      comprising 112 Multiple Sclerosis patients (Male/Female = 42/70; median age +/-
      standard deviation = 43.7 +/- 10.5 years) was retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS:
      The flow rate of the main veins estimated with the model was similar to the
      measures of 21 healthy controls (Male/Female = 10/11; mean age +/- standard
      deviation = 31 +/- 11 years), obtained with a 1.5 T Magnetic Resonance scanner.
      The intracranial reflux topography predicted with the model in cases of internal
      jugular vein diameter reduction was similar to those observed in the patients
      with internal jugular vein obstacles. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed model can predict
      physiological and pathological behaviors with good fidelity. Despite the
      simplifications introduced in cerebrospinal venous circulation modeling, the key
      anatomical feature of the lumped parameter model allowed for a detailed analysis
      of the consequences of extracranial venous impairments on intracranial pressure
      and hemodynamics.

PMID- 26099796
TI  - Vulnerability of calbindin, calretinin and parvalbumin in a transgenic/knock-in
      APPswe/PS1dE9 mouse model of Alzheimer disease together with disruption of
      hippocampal neurogenesis.
AB  - The pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD) is characterized by accumulation of
      beta-amyloid protein in the brain (in both soluble and insoluble forms) and by
      the presence of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), leading to
      neurotoxicity. The exact mechanisms whereby Abeta triggers brain alterations are
      unclear. However, accumulating evidence suggests that a deregulation of Ca(2+)
      signaling may play a major role in disease progression. Calcium-buffering
      proteins, including calbindin-D28K (CB), calretinin (CR) and parvalbumin (PV),
      may offer neuroprotection by maintaining calcium homeostasis. Although marked
      reductions in these proteins have been observed in the brains of mice and humans
      with AD, their contribution to AD pathology remains unclear. The aim of the
      present study was to analyze distribution patterns of CB(+,) CR(+) and PV(+)
      interneurons in different areas of the hippocampus, a brain region that is
      severely affected in AD. A transgenic knock-in APPswe/PS1dE9 mouse model of
      familial AD was used. The data were obtained from the brains of 3- and 12-month
      old animals. These ages roughly correspond to an early mature adult (prior to
      clinical manifestations) and a late middle-age (clinical symptoms readily
      detectable) phase in human AD patients. Immunostaining revealed increases in CB
      and PV immunoreactivity (IR) in the hippocampus of 3-month-old transgenic mice,
      compared to wild-type animals. Possibly, these proteins are upregulated in an
      attempt to control cellular homeostasis and synaptic plasticity. However, the
      pattern of CB-IR was reversed in 12-month-old animals, potentially indicating a
      loss of cellular capacity to respond to pathophysiological processes. In
      addition, at this age, a noticeable increase in PV-IR was observed, suggesting
      the presence of hippocampal network hyperactivity in older AD-like mice. Our
      results indicate that CaBP(+) neuronal subpopulations play a role in adult
      neurogenesis and in AD pathology, particularly at early disease stages,
      suggesting that these neurons may serve as potential predictors of future AD in
      non-demented individuals. 

PMID- 26099798
TI  - Ventilation and diaphragm activity during sustained hypoxia in awake canines.
AB  - In humans, isocapnic hypoxia sustained for 20-30 min elicits a biphasic
      ventilatory response with an initial increased peak followed by a roll-off to a
      lesser, intermediate plateau. However, it is uncertain if this hypoxic roll-off
      is common for all mammals, as canines have been a notable exception. We examined
      the effect of moderate isocapnic hypoxia (SpO2 80%) sustained for 20 min in 13
      adult, awake, intact canines. The ventilatory response to sustained isocapnic
      hypoxia in these canines was not maintained: after an initial brisk response,
      ventilation declined significantly to an intermediate plateau. The hypoxic
      ventilatory decline occurred via a decrease in tidal volume, without change in
      breathing frequency. Distinct from airflow, costal diaphragm EMG showed a
      concurrent decline during sustained isocapnic hypoxia. However, the change in
      ventilation during sustained hypoxia in canines was very different from the
      response in humans. Although some decline in ventilation during sustained hypoxia
      may be common to all mammals, there are notable differences among species.

PMID- 26099797
TI  - Global transcriptome analysis profiles metabolic pathways in traditional herb
      Astragalus membranaceus Bge. var. mongolicus (Bge.) Hsiao.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Astragalus membranaceus Bge. var. mongolicus (Bge.) Hsiao (A.
      mongolicus, family Leguminosae) is one of the most important traditional Chinese
      herbs. Among many secondary metabolites it produces, the effective bioactive
      constituents include isoflavonoids and triterpene saponins. The genomic resources
      regarding the biosynthesis of these metabolites in A. mongolicus are limited.
      Although roots are the primary material harvested for medical use, the
      biosynthesis of the bioactive compounds and its regulation in A. mongolicus are
      not well understood. Therefore, a global transcriptome analysis on A. mongolicus
      tissues was performed to identify the genes essential for the metabolism and to
      profile their expression patterns in greater details. RESULTS: RNA-sequencing was
      performed for three different A. mongolicus tissues: leaf, stem, and root, using
      the Illumina Hiseq2000 platform. A total of 159.5 million raw sequence reads were
      generated, and assembled into 186,324 unigenes with an N50 of 1,524bp. Among
      them, 129,966 unigenes (~69.7%) were annotated using four public databases (Swiss
      Prot, TrEMBL, CDD, Pfam), and 90,202, 63,946, and 78,326 unigenes were found to
      express in leaves, roots, and stems, respectively. A total of 8,025 transcription
      factors (TFs) were identified, in which the four largest families, bHLH, MYB,
      C3H, and WRKY, were implicated in regulation of tissue development, metabolisms,
      stress response, etc. Unigenes associated with secondary metabolism, especially
      those with isolavonoids and triterpene saponins biosynthesis were characterized
      and profiled. Most genes involved in the isoflavonoids biosynthesis had the
      lowest expression in the leaves, and the highest in the stems. For triterpene
      saponin biosynthesis, we found the genes in MVA and non-MVA pathways were
      differentially expressed among three examined tissues, indicating the parallel
      but compartmentally separated biosynthesis pathways of IPP and DMAPP in A.
      mongolicus. The first committed enzyme in triterpene saponin biosynthesis from A.
      mongolicus, cycloartenol synthase (AmCAS), which belongs to the oxidosqualene
      cyclase family, was cloned by us to study the astragalosides biosynthesis.
      Further co-expression analysis indicated the candidate CYP450s and
      glycosyltransferases (GTs) in the cascade of triterpene saponins biosynthesis.
      The presence of the large CYP450 families in A. mongolicus was further compared
      with those from Medicago truncatula and Arabidopsis thaliana, and the diversity
      and phylegenetic relationships of the CYP450 families were established.
      CONCLUSION: A transcriptome study was performed for A. mongolicus tissues to
      construct and profile their metabolic pathways, especially for the important
      bioactive molecules. The results revealed a comprehensive profile for metabolic
      activities among tissues, pointing to the equal importance of leaf, stem, and
      root in A. mongolicus for the production of bioactive compounds. This work
      provides valuable resources for bioengineering and in vitro synthesis of the
      natural compounds for medical research and for potential drug development.

PMID- 26099799
TI  - Inhaled carbon dioxide causes dose-dependent paradoxical bradypnea in animals
      anesthetized with pentobarbital, but not with isoflurane or ketamine.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In spontaneously breathing mice anesthetized with pentobarbital, we
      observed unexpected paradoxical bradypnea following 5% inhaled CO2. METHODS:
      Observational study 7-8 week CB6F1/OlaHsd mice (n = 99), anesthetized with 30
      mg/kg intraperitoneal pentobarbital. Interventional study: Adult male Wistar rats
      (n = 18), anesthetized either with 30 mg/kg intraperitoneal pentobarbital, 100
      mg/kg intraperitoneal ketamine or 1.5% isoflurane. Rats had femoral artery
      cannulas inserted for hemodynamic monitoring and serial arterial blood gas
      measurements. RESULTS: Observational study: There was a marked reduction in
      respiratory rate following 4 min of normoxic hypercapnia; average reduction of 9
      breaths/min (p < 0.001) (17% reduction from baseline). Interventional study:
      increasing CO2 caused dose-dependent increase in respiratory rate for ketamine
      xylazine (p = 0.007) and isoflurane (p = 0.016) but dose-dependent decrease in
      respiratory rate for pentobarbital (p = 0.046). Increasing inspired CO2 caused
      dose-dependent acidosis following pentobarbital and isoflurane (p = 0.013 and p =
      0.017, respectively); but not following ketamine-xylazine (p = 0.58).
      CONCLUSIONS: Inhaled CO2 caused paradoxical dose-dependent bradypnea in animals
      anesthetized with pentobarbital, an observation not hitherto reported as a part
      of anesthesia-related respiratory depression.

PMID- 26099800
TI  - Dissociation of skeletal muscle for flow cytometric characterization of immune
      cells in macaques.
AB  - The majority of vaccines and several treatments are administered by intramuscular
      injection. The aim is to engage and activate immune cells, although they are rare
      in normal skeletal muscle. The phenotype and function of resident as well as
      infiltrating immune cells in the muscle after injection are largely unknown.
      While methods for obtaining and characterizing murine muscle cell suspensions
      have been reported, protocols for nonhuman primates (NHPs) have not been well
      defined. NHPs comprise important in vivo models for studies of immune cell
      function due to their high degree of resemblance with humans. In this study, we
      developed and systematically compared methods to collect vaccine-injected muscle
      tissue to be processed into single cell suspensions for flow cytometric
      characterization of immune cells. We found that muscle tissue processed by
      mechanical disruption alone resulted in significantly lower immune cell yields
      compared to enzymatic digestion using Liberase. Dendritic cell subsets,
      monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, B cells, T cells and NK cells were readily
      detected in the muscle by the classic human markers. The methods for obtaining
      skeletal muscle cell suspension established here offer opportunities to increase
      the understanding of immune responses in the muscle, and provide a basis for
      defining immediate post-injection vaccine responses in primates. 

PMID- 26099802
TI  - The role of key workers in supporting people with intellectual disability in the
      self-management of their diabetes: a qualitative New Zealand study.
AB  - The incidence of diabetes in people with an intellectual disability, although
      unknown, is indicated to be higher than the general population. Given the
      challenges individuals with intellectual disability may face, this population is
      often dependent upon key workers to manage their health and well-being. One aim
      of a wider study on the self-management of diabetes by people with intellectual
      disability was to explore how key workers supported their self-management. That
      aim was the focus of this paper. Between 2009 and 2010, 17 staff from five
      residential intellectual disability services and two supported independent living
      services within New Zealand, consented to a semi-structured interview.
      Transcripts of the interviews were analysed using Thomas' General Inductive
      Approach. Three overarching themes emerged; having knowledge and understanding,
      being lifestyle police and ensuring future well-being. While knowledge, skills
      and perspectives varied, all participants were committed to ensuring that the
      lifestyle of the person concerned was compatible with the management of their
      diabetes. A range of perspectives existed between the expectations they had of
      themselves, colleagues and the individual with diabetes. There was an identified
      need for initial and ongoing education of permanent and casual staff and the
      people themselves with diabetes in collaboration with health and disability
      services to build confidence and promote self-management practices. In so doing,
      the impacts of this long-term condition may be reduced and the health outcomes
      improved for people with intellectual disability.

PMID- 26099801
TI  - Arabidopsis leucine-rich repeat extensin (LRX) proteins modify cell wall
      composition and influence plant growth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leucine-rich repeat extensins (LRXs) are extracellular proteins
      consisting of an N-terminal leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain and a C-terminal
      extensin domain containing the typical features of this class of structural
      hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs). The LRR domain is likely to bind an
      interaction partner, whereas the extensin domain has an anchoring function to
      insolubilize the protein in the cell wall. Based on the analysis of the root hair
      expressed LRX1 and LRX2 of Arabidopsis thaliana, LRX proteins are important for
      cell wall development. The importance of LRX proteins in non-root hair cells and
      on the structural changes induced by mutations in LRX genes remains elusive.
      RESULTS: The LRX gene family of Arabidopsis consists of eleven members, of which
      LRX3, LRX4, and LRX5 are expressed in aerial organs, such as leaves and stem. The
      importance of these LRX genes for plant development and particularly cell wall
      formation was investigated. Synergistic effects of mutations with gradually more
      severe growth retardation phenotypes in double and triple mutants suggest a
      similar function of the three genes. Analysis of cell wall composition revealed a
      number of changes to cell wall polysaccharides in the mutants. CONCLUSIONS: LRX3,
      LRX4, and LRX5, and most likely LRX proteins in general, are important for cell
      wall development. Due to the complexity of changes in cell wall structures in the
      lrx mutants, the exact function of LRX proteins remains to be determined. The
      increasingly strong growth-defect phenotypes in double and triple mutants
      suggests that the LRX proteins have similar functions and that they are important
      for proper plant development.

PMID- 26099803
TI  - Cecal volvulus caused by endometriosis in a young woman.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cecal volvulus is relatively rare. Moreover, to the best of our
      knowledge, a case of cecal volvulus caused by endometriosis has not yet been
      reported. CASE PRESENTATION: A 41-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital
      with a 14-day history of subacute intermittent right lower quadrant abdominal
      pain. Simple abdominal radiography and abdominal computed tomography findings
      were suggestive of sigmoid volvulus, and she underwent an emergency colonoscopy.
      Following colonoscopic reduction, the patient's symptoms resolved quickly, and
      elective laparoscopic surgery was scheduled 2 weeks after admission.
      Intraoperative examination revealed a significantly distended cecum and ascending
      colon, which was twisted around a short rope-like adhesion that connected the
      cecum and the mesentery of the transverse colon, whereas the sigmoid colon was
      neither twisted nor extended. We laparoscopically performed an ileocecal
      resection. The postsurgery histopathological examination revealed the presence of
      endometrial tissue in the short rope-like adhesion. This finding confirmed that
      cecal volvulus in this patient was caused by endometriosis. CONCLUSION: Cecal
      volvulus should be considered in relatively young women who present with atypical
      right lower abdominal pain. Whenever possible, secondary factors should be
      evaluated preoperatively, especially in relatively young patients.

PMID- 26099804
TI  - Survival time according to the year of recurrence and subtype in recurrent breast
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Survival for patients with recurrent breast cancer has improved over
      time due to the introduction of modern systemic therapy. The aim of this study
      was to determine the impact of subtype and the year of recurrence on the survival
      times of recurrent breast cancer. METHODS: Between 1979 and 2013, 813 patients
      who underwent initial treatment for primary breast cancer experienced recurrence.
      They were divided into two groups based on the year of recurrence; before 2000
      and after 2001. Survival after recurrence was compared between these groups based
      on following criteria; subtypes, disease free interval (DFI), and dominant
      recurrent site. The median follow-up period after recurrence was 4.3 years.
      RESULTS: Survival improved significantly in the after 2001 group, and a
      significant improvement in survival was only seen in the HER2-enriched subtype.
      Multivariate analysis revealed that DFI, ER, HER2 status, dominant recurrent site
      and the Ki-67 index value were significant prognostic factors. In the HER2
      enriched subtype, the year of recurrence, DFI and dominant recurrent site were
      significant independent factors. In the other subtypes, these factors were not
      correlated with survival. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that the survival rate
      of patients with only the HER2-enriched subtype significantly improved after
      recurrence. To prolong the survival time after recurrence of both luminal and
      triple negative subtypes, the development of novel targeting therapies to
      overcome refractory recurrent breast cancer is extremely important.

PMID- 26099805
TI  - Is CT cystography an accurate study in the evaluation of spontaneous perforation
      of augmented bladder in children and adolescents?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spontaneous bladder perforation (SBP) is a potentially fatal
      complication of augmented bladder. Imaging is often used for diagnosis. In this
      study we present our experience with CT cystography (CTC) in the diagnosis of
      SBP. OBJECTIVE: To determine CTC accuracy in the evaluation of SBP in children
      with an augmented bladder. STUDY DESIGN: The institutional review board approved
      this HIPAA-compliant study; informed consent was waived. All patients under 20
      years old, who underwent CTC for SBP evaluation from 2003 to 2013, were
      identified. Two radiologists independently reviewed CTC studies for contrast
      extravasation, ascites, and pneumoperitoneum. Ascites was graded: small -
      confined to the rectovesical pouch (RVP); moderate - beyond the RVP; large -
      beyond the pelvis. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients (47 males, age 4.2-19.8 years)
      had 132 CTCs. SBP was diagnosed in 14% (19/132). Both radiologists found contrast
      extravasation in 74% (14/19) of patients with SBP; two patients had only
      pneumoperitoneum, and three had only ascites (large = 2, moderate = 1) (Fig.).
      SBP was found in 1% of CTCs with no ascites or small ascites (1 of 98 and 92;
      radiologists 1 and 2, respectively). Findings of extraluminal extravasation,
      unexplained pneumoperitoneum, or large ascites, yielded a detection rate of 95%
      for SBP by each radiologist. In eight patients, small bowel obstruction was
      diagnosed. DISCUSSION: Contrast extravasation was detected in only 74% of
      patients with SBP. The use of indirect signs of perforation (unexplained
      pneumoperitoneum and large ascites) in addition to contrast extravasation,
      increased the detection rate of SBP to 95%. US screening for SBP and selection of
      patients with moderate or large ascites for CTC, may eliminate the need for most
      CT scans. In the absence of SBP, other abdominal abnormalities should be
      evaluated. Bowel obstruction was the most common non-urological emergency
      detected in this series. The main limitations of the study are: the small number
      of SBP cases; the diagnosis of SBP not based on surgical findings in three
      patients; and inability to completely exclude occult SBP in patients not explored
      surgically. CONCLUSION: Extraluminal contrast was seen on CTC in most cases of
      SBP, but some patients with sealed bladder perforation had only pneumoperitoneum
      or moderate/large ascites. Therefore, SBP should be suspected in any patient with
      moderate/large volumes of pelvic fluid or unexplained pneumoperitoneum, even when
      there is no evidence of contrast extravasation. Patients with no ascites, or
      small volumes, are unlikely to have SBP; therefore, US can be used to screen low
      risk patients.

PMID- 26099806
TI  - In vivo porcine lipopolysaccharide inflammation models to study immunomodulation
      of drugs.
AB  - Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a structural part of the outer membrane of Gram
      negative bacteria, is one of the most effective stimulators of the immune system
      and has been widely applied in pigs as an experimental model for bacterial
      infection. For this purpose, a variety of Escherichia coli serotypes, LPS doses,
      routes and duration of administration have been used. LPS administration induces
      the acute phase response (APR) and is associated with dramatic hemodynamic,
      clinical and behavioral changes in pigs. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, including
      tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6 are involved
      in the induction of the eicosanoid pathway and the hepatic production of acute
      phase proteins, including C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin (Hp) and pig
      major acute phase protein (pig-MAP). Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and thromboxane A2
      (TXA2) play a major role in the development of fever and pulmonary hypertension
      in LPS-challenged pigs, respectively. The LPS-induced APR can be modulated by
      drugs. Steroidal and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ((N)SAIDs) possess anti
      inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic properties through (non)-selective
      central and peripheral cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition. Antimicrobial drugs,
      especially macrolide antibiotics, which are commonly used in veterinary medicine
      for the treatment of bacterial respiratory diseases, have been recurrently
      reported to exert clinically important immunomodulatory effects in human and
      murine research. To investigate the influence of these drugs on the clinical
      response, production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, acute phase proteins (APP)
      and the course of the febrile response in pigs, in vivo LPS inflammation models
      can be applied. Yet, to date, in vivo research on the immunomodulatory properties
      of antimicrobial drugs in these models in pigs is largely lacking. This review
      provides acritical overview of the use of in vivo porcine E. coli LPS
      inflammation models for the study of the APR, as well as the potential
      immunomodulatory properties of anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial drugs in pigs.

PMID- 26099807
TI  - Immunomodulatory activity and control of Salmonella Enteritidis colonization in
      the intestinal tract of chickens by Lactobacillus based probiotic.
AB  - Lactobacillus-based probiotics (LBP) are used as competitive exclusion to control
      pathogenic enterobacterial infections and improve the weight gain in broiler
      chickens. This study assessed the inhibition of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE)
      infection in one-week-old broiler chicks, using an experimental LBP containing
      four Lactobacillus strains isolated from chickens (L. acidophilus, L. fermentum,
      L. reuteri, L. salivarius). The immunomodulatory effects of this treatment were
      evaluated, through the analysis of cytokines and influx of macrophages,
      gammadelta, CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the gut. The intestinal colonization by
      SE was reduced by 1.8 CFU/g (log10) in chicks treated with LBP (p<0.05). The
      levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1beta, LITAF) were significantly reduced
      in treated chicks (p<0.05), whilst untreated chicks showed elevated inflammatory
      stimulus and an increased population of CD8(+) T cells in the intestinal mucosa
      after challenge (p<0.05). Additionally, the LBP stimulated TLR2 expression in
      caecal tonsils. The adjuvant property of the Lactobacillus cell wall (LCW) was
      evaluated, demonstrating good capability to stimulate T helper 2 (Th2) cell
      proliferation. Pretreatment of chicks with LBP decreased the intestinal
      colonization by SE, minimizing the tissue lesions and inflammation after
      challenge and showed a potential use as adjuvant with injectable killed vaccines.

PMID- 26099808
TI  - Effect of dexamethasone on bacteriostatic activity of turkey monocytes and
      implications for food safety.
AB  - Stress has been shown to affect the immune system of turkeys making them more
      susceptible to bacterial infections. Five-week-old male and female turkeys were
      treated with 3 intra-muscular injections of dexamethasone (Dex) at 0, 0.5 and
      2.0mg/kg body weight. Twenty-four hours after the third injection birds were bled
      and white blood cell (WBC) differentials and bacteriostatic activity of monocytes
      were measured. Dex at both 0.5 and 2.0mg/kg decreased phagocytic activity in
      females only. Bacteriostatic activity was decreased at both concentrations of Dex
      at 8 and 16 h post-infection in both sexes and was lower in males as compared to
      females. Total WBC counts were increased in females at both concentrations of Dex
      whereas male total WBC counts were unaffected. Both males and females had an
      increase in the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio. Within the same study, replicate
      pens of turkeys were challenged with intra-air sac inoculation of 100 cfu of
      Escherichia coli. Isolation of E. coli was significantly increased by both Dex
      and E. coli challenge, but there were no differences between sexes. These results
      suggest that stress can compromise the bacteriostatic activity of turkey
      monocytes and increase bacterial colonization of blood and tissues, potentially
      affecting food safety.

PMID- 26099809
TI  - Quality control systems in aging.

PMID- 26099810
TI  - Grading diastolic function by echocardiography: hemodynamic validation of
      existing guidelines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While echocardiographic grading of left ventricular (LV) diastolic
      dysfunction (DD) is used every day, the relationship between echocardiographic DD
      grade and hemodynamic abnormalities is uncertain. METHODS: We identified 460
      consecutive patients who underwent transthoracic echocardiography within 24 h of
      elective left heart catheterization and had: normal sinus rhythm, no confounding
      structural heart disease, no change in medications between catheterization and
      echo, and complete echocardiographic data. Patients were grouped based on
      echocardiographic DD grade. Hemodynamic tracings were used to determine time
      constant of isovolumic pressure decay (Tau), LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP)
      and end-diastolic volume index at a pressure of 20 mmHg (EDVi20). RESULTS: Normal
      diastolic function was found in 55 (12.0%) patients, while 132 (28.7%) patients
      had grade 1, 156 (33.9%) grade 2 and 117 (25.4%) grade 3 DD. The median value for
      Tau was 46.9 ms for the overall population (interquartile range 38.6-58.1 ms),
      with a prevalence of a prolonged Tau (>48 ms) of 47.5%. While there was an
      association between DD grade and Tau (p = 0.003), LV dysfunction (ejection
      fraction <50%) was more strongly associated with increased Tau (p < 0.001) than
      was DD grade (p = 0.19). There was also an association between DD grade and LVEDP
      (p < 0.001), with both LV dysfunction (p = 0.029) and DD grade (p < 0.001)
      independently associated with LVEDP. Calculated EDVi20 was related to DD grade,
      but this relationship was driven by findings of paradoxically increased
      compliance in patients with severe DD. CONCLUSIONS: Although echocardiographic
      grading of DD was related to invasive hemodynamics in this population, the
      relationship was modest.

PMID- 26099811
TI  - Additional uses of a vaginal fornices delineator.
AB  - A vaginal fornices delineator was introduced in the mid-90s by a gynecologic
      surgeon named Charles Koh as a device that would facilitate total laparoscopic
      hysterectomy. It is also used in robot-assisted and traditional laparoscopic
      hysterectomies. The delineator delineates the vaginal fornices and provides
      improved visualization of vital structures during a hysterectomy. The
      determination of the anatomic level of the cervix is vital in the identification
      of the inferior borders of a total hysterectomy and to avoid injury to the
      ureters and uterine vessels. As such, we describe 3 gynecologic surgeries in
      which the identification of this level was suboptimal. Our solution was to
      utilize a vaginal fornices delineator as the cervical "guide" to enhance this
      visualization and to allow for a complete and safe surgical outcome. The
      following surgical scenarios and the surgical facilitation provided by the
      vaginal fornices delineator will be presented: (1) a postpartum cesarean
      hysterectomy complicated by a large lower uterine fibroid tumor that distorts the
      cervix, (2) a robotic-assisted placement of an abdominal cerclage in a first
      trimester pregnancy, (3) abdominal hysterectomy complicated by a necrotizing
      uterine infection and the associated difficulty in the identification of the
      cervicouterine junction. 

PMID- 26099812
TI  - Symptom perceptions and help-seeking behaviour prior to lung and colorectal
      cancer diagnoses: a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung and colorectal cancer are common and have high UK mortality
      rates. Early diagnosis is important in reducing cancer mortality, but the
      literature on lung and colorectal cancers suggests many people wait for a
      considerable time before presenting symptoms. OBJECTIVE: To gain in-depth
      understanding of patients' interpretations of symptoms of lung and colorectal
      cancer prior to diagnosis, and to explore processes leading to help-seeking.
      METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients diagnosed with
      lung (N=9) or colorectal (N=20) cancer within the previous 12 months. Patients
      were asked about symptoms experienced in the period preceding diagnosis, their
      interpretations of symptoms, and decision making for help-seeking. Thematic
      analysis was conducted and comparisons drawn within and across the patient
      groups. RESULTS: Patients were proactive and rational in addressing symptoms;
      many developed alternative, non-cancer explanations based on their knowledge and
      experience. Discussions with important others frequently provided the impetus to
      consult, but paradoxically others often initially reinforced alternative
      explanations. Fear and denial did not emerge as barriers to help-seeking, but
      help-seeking was triggered when patients' alternative explanations could no
      longer be maintained, for instance due to persistence or progression of symptoms.
      CONCLUSION: Patients' reasoning, decision making and interpersonal interactions
      prior to diagnosis were complex. Prompting patients for additional detail on
      symptoms within consultations could elicit critical contextual information to aid
      referral decisions. Findings also have implications for the design of public
      health campaigns.

PMID- 26099813
TI  - Chronic heart failure and type 2 diabetes mellitus: The last battle?

PMID- 26099814
TI  - The voltage-gated sodium channel activator veratrine induces anxiogenic-like
      behaviors in rats.
AB  - In this study, we investigated the anxiogenic-like effects of systemically
      administered veratrine in rat models of anxiety. In the light/dark test,
      veratrine (0.6 mg/kg, s.c.) significantly and dose-dependently decreased the time
      rats spent in and the number of entries into a light box 30 min after
      administration, suggesting that veratrine increases anxiety-like behaviors. These
      findings were also supported by results from the elevated-plus maze test and the
      tail-swing behavior test. In addition, veratrine (0.6 mg/kg, s.c.) significantly
      increased the plasma concentration of corticosterone, an endogenous biomarker for
      anxiety, compared to vehicle. On the basis of these results, we conclude that
      veratrine induces anxiogenic-like behaviors in rats. The anxiogenic-like
      behaviors induced by veratrine (0.6 mg/kg, s.c.) were completely abolished by co
      treatment with the typical benzodiazepine anxiolytic diazepam (1 mg/kg, s.c.),
      when assessed in the elevated-plus maze test. Similar results were obtained with
      co-treatment with riluzole (10 mg/kg, p.o.), which directly affects the
      glutamatergic system and has recently been suggested to have anxiolytic-like
      effects. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that systemically
      administered veratrine induces anxiogenic-like behaviors in rats. We propose the
      veratrine model as a novel pathological animal model to explore possible
      candidate drugs for anxiolytics.

PMID- 26099815
TI  - Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on semantic discrimination
      eyeblink conditioning.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulation
      method that has been used to modulate learning. We tested whether anodal tDCS
      targeted at the left DLPFC could enhance learning in a semantic variant of
      discrimination eyeblink conditioning, i.e., whether the stimulation would have a
      specific effect on the discrimination ability, rate of acquisition, amplitude of
      the conditioned response (CR), or all of these. METHODS: Immediately prior to the
      eyeblink conditioning, the participants received either active stimulation of 1
      mA for 10 min or sham stimulation. The anode was placed over F3 and the cathode
      over the right supraorbital area. The conditioned stimuli (CSs) were common
      Finnish male and female names that were presented as text. Male names were
      reinforced with an unconditioned stimulus. RESULTS: Stimulation had no effect on
      the learning rate or discrimination ratio, but the stimulated participants showed
      steeper CR acquisition in the initial phase of the experiment. Nevertheless, the
      participants in the stimulation group showed greater eyeblink CRs to the non
      reinforced CS. DISCUSSION: Contrary to our initial hypothesis, the magnitude and
      rate of CRs to non-reinforced CS was higher in the active stimulation group than
      in the sham stimulation group, which may suggest deterioration of discrimination
      and contingency awareness in the used task. Our observations may suggest a lack
      of effect on the participants' ability to discriminate between two different
      types of CS. Furthermore, cathodal modulation of the right prefrontal cortex may
      explain the change in magnitude and rate of CRs to non-reinforced CS.

PMID- 26099817
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25439369.

PMID- 26099816
TI  - Doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide induce cognitive dysfunction and activate the
      ERK and AKT signaling pathways.
AB  - Chemotherapy is associated with long-term cognitive deficits in breast cancer
      survivors. Studies suggest that these impairments result in the loss of cognitive
      reserve and/or induce a premature aging of the brain. This study has been aimed
      to determine the potential underlying mechanisms that induce cognitive
      impairments by chemotherapeutic agents commonly used in breast cancer. Intact and
      ovariectomized (OVX) female rats were treated intravenously with either saline or
      a combination of cyclophosphamide (40 mg/kg) and doxorubicin (4 mg/kg). All
      subjects were tested for anxiety, locomotor activity, working, visual and spatial
      memory consecutively. Although anxiety and visual memory were not affected,
      chemotherapy significantly decreased locomotor activity and impaired working and
      spatial memory in female rats, independent of their hormonal status. The
      cognitive deficits observed are hippocampal dependent. Therefore, as a first step
      to identity the potential signaling pathways involved in this cognitive
      dysfunction, the protein levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2
      (Erk1/2), Akt (neuroprotectant) BDNF and (structural protein) PSD95 in
      hippocampal lysates were measured. Erk1/2 and Akt pathways are known to modulate
      synaptic plasticity, neuronal survival, aging and cancer. We found an increased
      activation of Erk1/2 and Akt as well as an increase in the protein levels of
      PSD95 in OVX female rodents. However, OVX females had a higher overall BDNF
      level, independent of chemotherapy. These studies provide additional evidence
      that commonly used chemotherapeutic agents affect cognitive function and impact
      synaptic plasticity/aging molecules which may be part of the underlying biology
      explaining cognitive change and can be potential therapeutic targets.

PMID- 26099819
TI  - Characterization of ethnicity among children with eosinophilic esophagitis in
      British Columbia, Canada.

PMID- 26099818
TI  - IgE Antibody Detection and Component Analysis in Patients with Eosinophilic
      Esophagitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although IgE antibodies to cow's milk and wheat are common in
      patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), titers are low and responses to
      diet are not dependent on having IgE antibodies. OBJECTIVE: To better define
      specific IgE antibody responses to foods, focusing on those foods that appear to
      play a role in EoE. METHODS: Adult (n = 46) and pediatric (n = 51) patients with
      EoE were recruited for skin prick testing and serum measurement (whole and
      diluted) of IgE antibodies specific for aeroallergens, food extracts, and
      component allergens by ImmunoCAP. Immuno Solid-phase Allergen Chip analysis was
      also used to measure the specificity of IgE antibodies to 112 allergen molecules.
      RESULTS: In adults and children, there was a higher prevalence of sensitization
      to food extracts by ImmunoCAP than by skin prick testing. Using Immuno Solid
      phase Allergen Chip to assess the specificity of IgE antibodies to 112 allergen
      molecules, we found that results for food allergens were mostly negative. In
      contrast, ImmunoCAP assays for specific milk allergens gave positive IgE antibody
      results in 31 of 34 sera. The correlations between specific IgE antibody to Bos d
      4 or Bos d 5 and milk extract were strong (R = 0.89 and 0.76, respectively; P <
      .001). The evidence that IgE antibodies to foods were directed at minor
      components of the extracts was further supported by measurements on diluted sera.
      CONCLUSIONS: The IgE responses in cow's milk-sensitized patients with EoE are
      frequently to whey proteins Bos d 4 and Bos d 5, minor components of the extract.
      These IgE assays may be able to identify the proteins that are relevant to EoE
      even though IgE is not the primary mechanism.

PMID- 26099820
TI  - Predicting dementia.

PMID- 26099821
TI  - Dinitrogen binding and cleavage by multinuclear iron complexes.
AB  - The iron-molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenase has unprecedented coordination
      chemistry, including a high-spin iron cluster called the iron-molybdenum cofactor
      (FeMoco). Thus, understanding the mechanism of nitrogenase challenges
      coordination chemists to understand the fundamental N2 chemistry of high-spin
      iron sites. This Account summarizes a series of studies in which we have
      synthesized a number of new compounds with multiple iron atoms, characterized
      them using crystallography and spectroscopy, and studied their reactions in
      detail. These studies show that formally iron(I) and iron(0) complexes with three
      and four-coordinate metal atoms have the ability to weaken and break the triple
      bond of N2. These reactions occur at or below room temperature, indicating that
      they are kinetically facile. This in turn implies that iron sites in the FeMoco
      are chemically reasonable locations for N2 binding and reduction. The careful
      evaluation of these compounds and their reaction pathways has taught important
      lessons about what characteristics make iron more effective for N2 activation.
      Cooperation of two iron atoms can lengthen and weaken the N-N bond, while three
      working together enables iron atoms to completely cleave the N-N bond to
      nitrides. Alkali metals (typically introduced into the reaction as part of the
      reducing agent) are thermodynamically useful because the alkali metal cations
      stabilize highly reduced complexes, pull electron density into the N2 unit, and
      make reduced nitride products more stable. Alkali metals can also play a kinetic
      role, because cation-pi interactions with the supporting ligands can hold iron
      atoms near enough to one another to facilitate the cooperation of multiple iron
      atoms. Many of these principles may also be relevant to the iron-catalyzed Haber
      Bosch process, at which collections of iron atoms (often promoted by the addition
      of alkali metals) break the N-N bond of N2. The results of these studies teach
      more general lessons as well. They have demonstrated that N2 can be a redox
      active ligand, accepting spin and electron density in complexes of N2(2-). They
      have shown the power of cooperation between multiple transition metals, and also
      between alkali metals and transition metals. Finally, alkali metal based cation
      pi interactions have the potential to be broadly useful for bringing metals close
      together with sufficient flexibility to allow multistep, multielectron reactions.
      At the same time, the positive charge on the alkali metal cation stabilizes
      charge buildup in intermediates. 

PMID- 26099822
TI  - Synthesis of calcium oxalate trihydrate: New data by vibrational spectroscopy and
      synchrotron X-ray diffraction.
AB  - Calcium oxalate is found in nature in three different crystalline states
      determined by the number of H2O in the unit formula (whewellite CaC2O4.H2O, COM;
      weddellite CaC2O4.(2+x)H2O, COD and caoxite CaC2O4.3H2O, COT). The properties of
      these materials are relevant in the field of biomedicine, cultural heritage and
      mineralogy. In two previous papers, we have used X-ray diffraction and
      vibrational spectroscopy (infrared and Raman) to derive information on crystal
      and molecular structures of COM and COD. In this paper, we complete the synthesis
      and analysis on the third form, COT, and present a comparative study of the data
      collected from the three crystalline states. The experiments clearly highlight
      the role played by the H2O molecules linked within the structure by different
      kinds of hydrogen bonds. The vibrational assignment of the infrared and Raman
      bands are critically proposed. The fact relevant for the work in biomedicine,
      cultural heritage and crystallography is that a simple examination of the spectra
      allows quickly to determine the chemical nature of the material in an unknown
      sample even in a minute quantity or in awkward experimental conditions. 

PMID- 26099823
TI  - A dithienosilole-based fluorescent chemosensor for multiple logic operations at
      the molecular level.
AB  - A chemosensor consisting of two terpyridines covalently linked to a
      dithienosilole unit (1) has been synthesized, and its optical and metal sensing
      properties have been investigated. Due to the metal-organic coordination
      function, 1 can bind with many transition metal ions and display different
      fluorescence responses that cause it to function as a "turn-off" fluorescent
      chemosensor. A significant bathochromic shift in the fluorescence spectra is
      observed in the presence of Zn(2+). Meanwhile, the emission of 1 is weakened upon
      exposure to Ag(+) and Fe(2+) and completely quenched by Ni(2+), Co(2+), and
      Cu(2+). Based on the observed results, several logic gates, such as XNOR,
      INHIBIT, and IMPLICATION, have been achieved by controlling the chemical inputs. 

PMID- 26099824
TI  - Novel Ge-Ga-Te-CsBr glass system with ultrahigh resolvability of halide.
AB  - CO2 molecule, one of the main molecules to create new life, should be probed
      accurately to detect the existence of life in exoplanets. The primary signature
      of CO2 molecule is approximately 15 MUm, and traditional S- and Se-based glass
      fibers are unsuitable. Thus, Te-based glass is the only ideal candidate glass for
      far-infrared detection. In this study, a new kind of Te-based chalcohalide glass
      system was discovered with relatively stable and large optical band gap. A
      traditional melt-quenching method was adopted to prepare a series of
      (Ge15Ga10Te75)100-x (CsBr)x chalcogenide glass samples. Experiment results
      indicate that the glass-forming ability and thermal properties of glass samples
      were improved when CsBr was added in the host of Ge-Ga-Te glass. Ge-Ga-Te glass
      could remarkably dissolve CsBr content as much as 85 at.%, which is the highest
      halide content in all reports for Te-based chalcohalide glasses. Moreover, DeltaT
      values of these glass samples were all above 100  degrees C. The glass sample
      (Ge15Ga10Te75)65 (CsBr)35 with DeltaT of 119  degrees C was the largest, which
      was 7  degrees C larger than that of Ge15Ga10Te75 host glass. The infrared
      transmission spectra of these glasses show that the far-infrared cut-off
      wavelengths of (Ge15Ga10Te75)100-x (CsBr)x chalcogenide glasses were all beyond
      25 MUm. In conclusion, (Ge15Ga10Te75)100-x (CsBr)x chalcogenide glasses are
      potential materials for far-infrared optical application.

PMID- 26099825
TI  - On a magnetic-luminescent nanocomposite for oxygen sensing application:
      Construction, characterization and sensing performance.
AB  - This paper was devoted to the construction of a magnetic-luminescence
      nanocomposite for oxygen sensing application, where superparamagnetic Fe3O4 and
      silica molecular sieve MCM-41 were chosen as the inner core and the outer shell,
      respectively. A Ru(II) complex was grafted into MCM-41 shell through a coupling
      ligand N1-(5H-cyclopenta[1,2-b:5,4-b']dipyridin-5-ylidene)benzene-1,4-diamine
      (denoted as Dafo-Ph-NH2). The final composite was analyzed by electron microscope
      images, XRD, IR spectra, thermogravimetry and N2 adsorption/desorption. Oxygen
      sensing performance of this composite was evaluated. Sensitivity of 5.8 (the
      ratio of emission intensity in pure N2 to that in pure O2) and response time of
      16s were obtained with good photostability. 

PMID- 26099826
TI  - Applications in environmental bioinorganic: Nutritional and ultrastructural
      evaluation and calculus of thermodynamic and structural properties of metal
      oxalate complexes.
AB  - Lead (Pb) is known by its toxicity both for animals and plants. In order to
      evaluate its toxicity, plants of Brachiaria brizantha were cultivated on
      nutritive solution of Hoagland during 90 days and submitted to different
      concentrations of Pb. The content of macro and micronutrients was evaluated and
      there was a reduction on root content of Ca, besides the lowest dosages of Pb had
      induced an increase of N, S, Mn, Cu, Zn and Fe. The cell ultrastructure of leaves
      and roots were analyzed by transmission electronic microscopy (TEM). Among the
      main alterations occurred there were invaginations on cell walls, the presence of
      crystals on the root cells, accumulation of material on the interior of cells and
      vacuolar compartmentalization. On the leaves the degradation of chloroplasts was
      observed, as well as the increase of vacuoles. Structures for the formation of
      oxalate crystals were proposed through molecular modeling and thermodynamic
      stability. Calculi suggest the formation of highly stable metal-oxalate
      complexes.

PMID- 26099827
TI  - Spectroscopic characterisation of the LDH mineral quintinite
      Mg4Al2(OH)12CO3.3H2O.
AB  - Raman and infrared spectroscopy coupled with scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
      and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) have been applied to study the natural
      hydrotalcite quintinite Mg4Al2(OH)12[CO3].3H2O. SEM shows the mineral to be a
      homogenous phase. Quintinite is composed of Mg and Al as the major elements with
      minor amounts of Fe. Two Raman bands at 1046 and 1062 cm are assigned to the nu1
      symmetric stretching modes of the carbonate anion. Thermal treatment shifts these
      bands to higher wavenumbers indicating a change in the carbonate bonding.
      Hydrogen bond distances are calculated using a Libowitzky-type empirical function
      and varied between 2.61 and 3.00 A. Stronger hydrogen bonds were formed by water
      units as compared to the hydroxyl units.

PMID- 26099828
TI  - Synthesis, crystal growth and characterization of an organic material: 2
      Aminopyridinium succinate succinic acid single crystal.
AB  - The 2-aminopyridinium succinate succinic acid (2APS) single crystal was
      synthesized and grown by slow evaporation method. The crystal structure has been
      confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction as well as single crystal X-ray diffraction
      analysis. The crystal perfection has been evaluated by high resolution X-ray
      diffraction (HRXRD). The grown crystal is transparent in the visible and near
      infrared region. The optical absorption edge was found to be 348 nm. The
      fluorescence study was carried out by spectrofluorophotometer. The thermal
      stability of grown crystal was analyzed by thermal gravimetric and differential
      thermal gravimetric (TG-DTA) analysis. Vicker's hardness study carried out at
      room temperature shows increased hardness while increasing the load. Laser damage
      threshold value was determined by Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm. The grown
      2APS crystal was characterized by etching studies using water as etchant.

PMID- 26099829
TI  - Direct molecular targets of resveratrol: identifying key interactions to unlock
      complex mechanisms.
AB  - To truly understand the mechanisms through which resveratrol exerts its
      biological effects, the key direct interactions between resveratrol and its
      target biomolecules must be identified. With an increasing number of biochemical
      tools to measure and quantify direct physical interactions between biomolecules,
      there have been around 20 proteins identified as having a specific affinity to
      resveratrol to date. Resveratrol has been described as a promiscuous molecule,
      and one would expect it to bind with numerous proteins, which would help explain
      why resveratrol appears to have so many health benefits and has been shown to act
      upon various different pathways related to a diverse range of conditions. The aim
      of this review is to present the direct protein targets of resveratrol that are
      currently known and highlight the consequences of direct binding and the methods
      used to identify the nature of these interactions. 

PMID- 26099830
TI  - High-Dose Melphalan Plus Thiotepa as Conditioning Regimen before Second
      Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for "De Novo" Multiple Myeloma Patients: A
      Phase II Study.
AB  - High-dose melphalan (MEL) is the standard therapy for autologous stem cell
      transplantation (ASCT) in multiple myeloma (MM), although the optimal
      conditioning regimen remains yet to be identified. Thiotepa (THIO) appears to be
      a potentially effective option, with broad-spectrum antitumor efficacy that can
      be added to myeloablative multiagent regimens for ASCT in hematopoietic tumors.
      We conducted a phase II trial, adding THIO (275 mg/m(2)) to high-dose MEL (140
      mg/m(2)) before a second ASCT, in a tandem ASCT strategy, in 64 patients with "de
      novo" MM. Overall, there was no transplant-related mortality. The incidence of
      neutropenic fever and mucositis (grades 3 to 4) was 39% and 9%, respectively.
      Median number of days to neutrophil and platelet engraftment were 11 and 12,
      respectively. After the second transplantation, the complete response improved to
      43.8%. Overall response rate was 86%. After a median follow-up of 18.1 months, 13
      patients had progressed and 3 died from MM. Median progression-free survival was
      not reached, and actuarial 2-year rates of progression-free and overall survival
      were 71% and 88.9%, respectively. Our results suggest that THIO/MEL is a feasible
      and safe conditioning regimen for ASCT in MM and should be explored for efficacy
      in a phase III study. 

PMID- 26099831
TI  - Improved antibacterial activity of nanofiltration polysulfone membranes modified
      with silver nanoparticles.
AB  - Polysulfone membranes (PSf) containing silver nanoparticles were prepared by the
      wet phase-inversion process. Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) were dispersed into the
      polymer matrix using two different methodologies. In the first one, the AgNP were
      synthesized and further dispersed into the polymer solution (ex situ process). In
      the second method, the formation of the AgNP was performed in situ. The AgNP
      crystalline structure in the PSf membranes was confirmed by X-ray diffraction.
      Field emission scanning electron microscopy images showed that the addition of
      AgNP in PSf membranes caused no significant changes to the finger-like
      morphology. When the ex situ methodology was applied, 45 nm average size AgNP
      were uniformly distributed in the internal pores of the membranes. However, when
      the AgNP were formed through the in situ process, the AgNP were uniformly and
      preferentially distributed on the top and bottom surfaces of the membrane. In the
      last case, the AgNP showed cubic morphology when present in the bottom and top
      surfaces, however, when inside the membrane their morphology was spherical. The
      cubic-like nanoparticles displayed a 38 nm average edge length. The silver ion
      released from the membrane during water filtration was measured using inductively
      coupled plasma mass spectrometry, which showed a silver leaching of approximately
      2 MUg L(-1). The nanocomposite membranes prepared by the in situ method exhibited
      a better antibacterial activity, in comparison to those prepared by ex situ, and
      also a decrease in 90% Escherichia coli adhered cells compared to the pristine
      PSf membranes. In conclusion, the in situ procedure can be considered a feasible,
      simple, and reproducible methodology to prepare anti-biofouling polysulfone
      membranes containing AgNP. 

PMID- 26099832
TI  - Disinfection by-product formation during seawater desalination: A review.
AB  - Due to increased freshwater demand across the globe, seawater desalination has
      become the technology of choice in augmenting water supplies in many parts of the
      world. The use of chemical disinfection is necessary in desalination plants for
      pre-treatment to control both biofouling as well as the post-disinfection of
      desalinated water. Although chlorine is the most commonly used disinfectant in
      desalination plants, its reaction with organic matter produces various
      disinfection by-products (DBPs) (e.g., trihalomethanes [THMs], haloacetic acids
      [HAAs], and haloacetonitriles [HANs]), and some DBPs are regulated in many
      countries due to their potential risks to public health. To reduce the formation
      of chlorinated DBPs, alternative oxidants (disinfectants) such as chloramines,
      chlorine dioxide, and ozone can be considered, but they also produce other types
      of DBPs. In addition, due to high levels of bromide and iodide concentrations in
      seawater, highly cytotoxic and genotoxic DBP species (i.e., brominated and
      iodinated DBPs) may form in distribution systems, especially when desalinated
      water is blended with other source waters having higher levels of organic matter.
      This article reviews the knowledge accumulated in the last few decades on DBP
      formation during seawater desalination, and summarizes in detail, the occurrence
      of DBPs in various thermal and membrane plants involving different desalination
      processes. The review also identifies the current challenges and future research
      needs for controlling DBP formation in seawater desalination plants and to reduce
      the potential toxicity of desalinated water. 

PMID- 26099833
TI  - A worldwide bibliometric analysis of published literature in plastic and
      reconstructive surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bibliometrics is the analysis of the content and citations of journal
      articles to quantify trends in published data. In this study, we aimed to use
      bibliometric analysis to identify the contribution of various countries to the
      plastic surgical literature over a 5-year period. METHODS: In this study, the top
      20 countries publishing articles on surgery and 10 plastic surgical journals with
      the highest impact factors (IFs) were included. The number of scientific articles
      published in each journal per year (2009-2013) in each country was found using
      PubMed. As a marker of quality, the mean IF for each country was calculated using
      the number of articles and journal IF. These data were compared with population,
      gross domestic product (GDP) and dollars spent on research. RESULTS: A total of
      10,051 articles were included. The USA was the largest contributor, with 4008
      articles published over 5 years, followed by the UK (1163 articles). The USA's
      mean IF was 2.084, closely followed by Canada (2.037). The UK had the highest
      number of publications per million population (PMP; 18.14 publications PMP). When
      considering the overall research spending per country, Turkey had the most cost
      effective publication output. The least cost-effective country was South Korea.
      Sweden, the Netherlands and Canada had the greatest increase in publication
      quality. CONCLUSIONS: Bibliometric analysis can be used to identify not only
      major centres of plastic surgical research, such as the USA and UK, but also
      centres that produce high-quality data, such as Canada, and cost-effective
      research, such as Turkey. It can also highlight the areas of increasing success
      in plastic surgical research.

PMID- 26099834
TI  - Why screening for type 2 diabetes is necessary even in poor resource settings.
AB  - Screening for type 2 diabetes (T2DM) remains controversial, in spite of the
      explosive increase in the prevalence of the disorder and the morbidity and
      mortality associated with its complications. In this review, we attempt to show
      that T2DM is an ideal candidate disease for screening, and why screening is
      needed to improve clinical outcomes and prevent complications. We also suggest
      that screening can be made more cost-effective by adopting a targeted approach
      and utilizing low-cost tools. We conclude that screening for T2DM is warranted
      even in resource-constrained settings, and provide examples from rural India
      showing that such an approach is feasible with meticulous planning and judicious
      allocation of resources. 

PMID- 26099835
TI  - Colloidal metasurfaces displaying near-ideal and tunable light absorbance in the
      infrared.
AB  - Metasurfaces are ultrathin, two-dimensional arrays of subwavelength resonators
      that have been demonstrated to control the flow of light in ways that are
      otherwise unattainable with natural materials. These arrays are typically
      composed of metallic Ag or Au nanostructures shaped like split rings, nanowire
      pairs or nanorods (commonly referred to as meta-atoms) that are arranged to
      produce a collective optical response spanning an impressive range of properties,
      from the perfect absorption of incident light to superresolution imaging.
      However, metasurfaces pose major challenges in their fabrication over large
      areas, which can be prohibitively expensive and time consuming using conventional
      nanolithography techniques. Here we show that differently shaped colloidal
      nanocrystals can be organized into metasurface architectures using robust,
      scalable assembly methods. These metasurfaces exhibit extreme in-plane
      electromagnetic coupling that is strongly dependent on nanocrystal size, shape
      and spacing. Colloidal metasurfaces that display near-ideal electromagnetic
      absorbance can be tuned from the visible into the mid-infrared wavelengths. 

PMID- 26099836
TI  - Expression and tissue distribution of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its
      receptor (c-Met) in alpacas (Vicugna pacos) skins associated with white and brown
      coat colors.
AB  - Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-Met signaling has been considered as a key
      pathway in both melanocyte development and melanogenesis. To understand better
      the expression patterns and tissue distribution characterization of HGF and its
      receptor c-Met in skin of white versus brown alpaca (Vicugna pacos), we detected
      the tissue distribution of HGF and c-Met using immunohistochemistry and analyzed
      the expression patterns by using Western blot and quantitative real time PCR
      (qPCR). Immunohistochemistry analysis demonstrated that HGF staining robustly
      increased in the dermal papilla and mesenchymal cells of white alpaca skin
      compared with that of brown. However, c-Met staining showed strongly positive
      result, particularly inhair matrix and root sheath in brown alpaca skin. Western
      blot and qPCR results suggested that HGF and c-Met were expressed at
      significantly high levels in white and brown alpaca skins, respectively, and
      protein and transcripts possessed the same expression pattern in white and brown
      alpaca skins. The results suggested that HGF/c-Met signaling functions in alpaca
      coat color formation offer essential theoretical basis for further exploration of
      the role of HGF/c-Met signaling in pigment formation. 

PMID- 26099837
TI  - Group velocity mismatch-absent nonlinear frequency conversions for mid-infrared
      femtosecond pulses generation.
AB  - A novel group velocity mismatch (GVM) absent scheme for nonlinear optical
      parametric procedure in mid-infrared was developed with type-I quasi phase
      matching by use of an off-digital nonlinear optical coefficient d31. This was
      achieved by matching of the group velocities of the pump and the signal waves,
      while the phase velocities were quasi phase matched. The system employs MgO-doped
      periodically poled LiNbO3 as the nonlinear medium. Desired group-velocity
      dispersion would be obtained via appropriately temperature regulation. To
      demonstrate its potential applications in ultrafast mid-infrared pulses
      generation, aiming at a typical mid-infrared wavelength of ~3.2 MUm, design
      examples of two basic nonlinear frequency conversion procedures are studied for
      both the narrow-band seeding mid-IR optical parametric amplification (OPA) and
      the synchronously pumped femtosecond optical parametric oscillation (SPOPO).
      Compared with the conventional scheme of type-0 QPM, the quantum-efficiency can
      be more than doubled with nearly unlimited bandwidth. The proposed GVM- absent
      phase matching design may provide a promising route to efficient and broadband
      sub-100 fs mid-infrared ultrafast pulses generation without group-velocity walk
      off.

PMID- 26099838
TI  - Three-dimensional printing models improve understanding of spinal fracture--A
      randomized controlled study in China.
AB  - Three-dimensional printing (3 Dp) is being increasingly used in medical
      education. Although the use of such lifelike models is beneficial, well-powered,
      randomized studies supporting this statement are scarce. Two spinal fracture
      simulation models were generated by 3 Dp. Altogether, 120 medical students (54.2%
      females) were randomized into three teaching module groups [two-dimensional
      computed tomography images (CT), 3D, or 3 Dp] and asked to answer 10 key
      anatomical and 4 evaluative questions. Students in the 3 Dp or 3D group performed
      significantly better than those in the CT group, although males in the 3D group
      scored higher than females. Students in the 3 Dp group were the first to answer
      all questions, and there were no sex-related differences. Pleasure, assistance,
      effect, and confidence were more predominant in students in the 3 Dp group than
      in those in the 3D and CT groups. This randomized study revealed that the 3 Dp
      model markedly improved the identification of complex spinal fracture anatomy by
      medical students and was equally appreciated and comprehended by both sexes.
      Therefore, the lifelike fracture model made by 3 Dp technology should be used as
      a means of premedical education.

PMID- 26099839
TI  - ACTH administration during formation of preovulatory follicles impairs
      steroidogenesis and angiogenesis in association with ovulation failure in
      lactating cows.
AB  - Ovulation failure, follicular persistence, and formation of follicular cysts are
      known to impair dairy cow fertility. Although the underlying mechanism is not
      entirely clear, stress-induced alteration in adrenal hormone secretion can cause
      these ovarian pathologies. Six synchronized lactating cows were scanned daily by
      ultrasound, and plasma samples were taken throughout the estrous cycle. Treatment
      cows (n = 3) were administered with ACTH analog every 12 h from day 15 to day 21
      of the cycle to induce formation of follicular cysts. Ovaries were collected at
      the slaughterhouse on day 23 of the cycle before appearance of follicular
      pathologies. Control cows (n = 3) were administered placebo, resynchronized, and
      administered PGF2alpha on day 6 of the new cycle to induce development of a
      preovulatory follicle. Follicular fluid was aspirated from the preovulatory
      follicles of each group to determine their steroid milieu. Slices were taken from
      the follicular wall for total messenger (m) RNA isolation and semiquantitative
      reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Administration of ACTH
      increased (P < 0.02) plasma cortisol concentration and reduced (P < 0.01) milk
      production. Androstenedione and estradiol concentrations in the follicular fluids
      were lower (P < 0.05) in ACTH-treated follicles than those in controls. The mRNA
      expression of luteinizing hormone receptor, 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase,
      cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450arom), and cytochrome P450 17alpha-hydroxylase
      (P450c17) were lower (P < 0.02) in the ACTH-treated vs control cows. On the other
      hand, the expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein and cytochrome
      P450 side-chain cleavage did not differ between groups. In addition, mRNA
      expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)120 and VEGF164 was higher
      (P < 0.01) in control than in ACTH-treated follicles, but that for angiopoietin-1
      and 2 did not differ between groups. Findings indicated that ACTH administration
      throughout preovulatory follicle development alters follicular steroidogenesis in
      association with impaired angiogenesis. Such alterations might explain, in part,
      the mechanism underlying ovulation failure and the formation of persistent or
      cystic follicles under stress. 

PMID- 26099840
TI  - Zeno dynamics in quantum open systems.
AB  - Quantum Zeno effect shows that frequent observations can slow down or even stop
      the unitary time evolution of an unstable quantum system. This effect can also be
      regarded as a physical consequence of the statistical indistinguishability of
      neighboring quantum states. The accessibility of quantum Zeno dynamics under
      unitary time evolution can be quantitatively estimated by quantum Zeno time in
      terms of Fisher information. In this work, we investigate the accessibility of
      quantum Zeno dynamics in quantum open systems by calculating noisy Fisher
      information when a trace preserving and completely positive map is assumed. We
      firstly study the consequences of non-Markovian noise on quantum Zeno effect and
      give the exact forms of the dissipative Fisher information and the quantum Zeno
      time. Then, for the operator-sum representation, an achievable upper bound of the
      quantum Zeno time is given with the help of the results in noisy quantum
      metrology. It is of significance that the noise reducing the accuracy in the
      entanglement-enhanced parameter estimation can conversely be favorable for the
      accessibility of quantum Zeno dynamics of entangled states. 

PMID- 26099841
TI  - Analysis of survival by tumor response: have we learnt any better?

PMID- 26099842
TI  - Dyslipidaemia: No limit to the benefits of LDL-cholesterol lowering.

PMID- 26099844
TI  - Dyslipidaemia: Promising results for TA-8995 in TULIP.

PMID- 26099845
TI  - Industrial production of clotting factors: Challenges of expression, and choice
      of host cells.
AB  - The development of recombinant forms of blood coagulation factors as safer
      alternatives to plasma derived factors marked a major advance in the treatment of
      common coagulation disorders. These are complex proteins, mostly enzymes or co
      enzymes, involving multiple post-translational modifications, and therefore are
      difficult to express. This article reviews the nature of the expression
      challenges for the industrial production of these factors, vis-a-vis the
      translational and post-translational bottlenecks, as well as the choice of host
      cell lines for high-fidelity production. For achieving high productivities of
      vitamin K dependent proteins, which include factors II (prothrombin), VII, IX and
      X, and protein C, host cell limitation of gamma-glutamyl carboxylation is a major
      bottleneck. Despite progress in addressing this, involvement of yet unidentified
      protein(s) impedes a complete cell engineering solution. Human factor VIII
      expresses at very low levels due to limitations at several steps in the protein
      secretion pathway. Protein and cell engineering, vector improvement and alternate
      host cells promise improvement in the productivity. Production of Von Willebrand
      factor is constrained by its large size, complex structure, and the need for
      extensive glycosylation and disulfide-bonded oligomerization. All the licensed
      therapeutic factors are produced in CHO, BHK or HEK293 cells. While HEK293 is a
      recent adoption, BHK cells appear to be disfavored. 

PMID- 26099843
TI  - Cardiovascular risks and benefits of moderate and heavy alcohol consumption.
AB  - The heart and vascular system are susceptible to the harmful effects of alcohol.
      Alcohol is an active toxin that undergoes widespread diffusion throughout the
      body, causing multiple synchronous and synergistic effects. Alcohol consumption
      decreases myocardial contractility and induces arrhythmias and dilated
      cardiomyopathy, resulting in progressive cardiovascular dysfunction and
      structural damage. Alcohol, whether at binge doses or a high cumulative lifetime
      consumption-both of which should be discouraged-is clearly deleterious for the
      cardiovascular system, increasing the incidence of total and cardiovascular
      mortality, coronary and peripheral artery disease, heart failure, stroke,
      hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and diabetes mellitus. However, epidemiological,
      case-control studies and meta-analyses have shown a U-type bimodal relationship
      so that low-to-moderate alcohol consumption (particularly of wine or beer) is
      associated with a decrease in cardiovascular events and mortality, compared with
      abstention. Potential confounding influences-alcohol-dose quantification, tobacco
      use, diet, exercise, lifestyle, cancer risk, accidents, and dependence-can affect
      the results of studies of both low-dose and high-dose alcohol consumption.
      Mendelian methodological approaches have led to doubts regarding the beneficial
      cardiovascular effects of alcohol, and the overall balance of beneficial and
      detrimental effects should be considered when making individual and population
      wide recommendations, as reductions in alcohol consumption should provide overall
      health benefits. 

PMID- 26099846
TI  - Knowledge and awareness of Canadian Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour
      Guidelines: a synthesis of existing evidence.
AB  - The aim of this review was to consolidate and synthesize existing evidence
      regarding current knowledge and awareness of the Canadian Physical Activity (PA)
      and Sedentary Behaviour (SB) Guidelines. MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO were
      searched for peer-reviewed publications pertaining to the guidelines. Content
      experts, key organizations (i.e., ParticipACTION and the Canadian Fitness and
      Lifestyle Research Institute), journal Web sites, and service organizations
      (i.e., the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) and the Public Health
      Agency of Canada) were consulted for additional evidence. Scientific publications
      (n = 6) and research from ParticipACTION and the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle
      Research Institute reported that awareness of the guidelines is low, especially
      with respect to the SB guidelines. Less than 10% of survey respondents from the
      Canadian population were aware of the PA guidelines, and less than 5% were aware
      of the SB guidelines. Information on the guidelines was available on 51% of
      public health unit and CSEP partner Web sites. Online metrics (e.g., downloads,
      site accessions) from CSEP, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and journal Web
      sites showed that online accession of the guidelines was high (e.g., all "highly
      accessed" on journal Web sites). This review showed that awareness of the
      Canadian PA and SB Guidelines is low among the general population but higher
      among the scientific and stakeholder communities. Governmental, nongovernmental,
      and stakeholder organizations should collaborate in creating sustained, long
      term, and well-resourced communication plans to reach the Canadian population to
      raise awareness of PA and SB guidelines and should implement programs to
      facilitate their uptake. 

PMID- 26099847
TI  - Maternal nutrition influences angiogenesis in the placenta through peroxisome
      proliferator activated receptors: A novel hypothesis.
AB  - Placental angiogenesis is critical to maintain adequate blood flow during
      gestation, and any alterations in this process can result in an adverse
      pregnancy. Growing evidence indicates that suboptimal maternal nutrition can
      alter placental development. Although the underlying mechanisms are not clear,
      maternal nutrition likely influences the expression of genes involved in
      placental development through regulation of various transcription factors such as
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), which can be activated by
      ligands including long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Indeed, several studies
      demonstrated a role for PPAR in implantation, trophoblast differentiation, and
      angiogenesis. Alterations in maternal nutrition during pregnancy can affect the
      expression of PPARs via epigenetic mechanisms or through homocysteine, which is
      known to compete for PPARs. This review discusses the role of maternal nutrition
      particularly micronutrients like folate, vitamin B12 , and omega-3 fatty acids-in
      modulating the activity of PPARs during placentation and angiogenesis, which
      affects placental and fetal growth. Additional animal and human studies need to
      be undertaken to elucidate the molecular mechanisms through which maternal
      nutrition regulates PPARs, specifically to determine whether PPARs affect
      placental angiogenesis directly through angiogenic factors or indirectly by
      modulating trophoblast differentiation.

PMID- 26099848
TI  - Effect of alpha-lipoic acid on boar spermatozoa quality during freezing-thawing.
AB  - Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is known to be a natural antioxidant. The aim of the
      present study was to evaluate the cryoprotective effect of ALA on the motility of
      boar spermatozoa and its antioxidant effect on boar spermatozoa during freezing
      thawing. Different concentrations (2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0 or 10.0 mg/ml) of ALA were
      added to the extender used to freeze boar semen, and the effects on the quality
      and endogenous antioxidant enzyme activities of frozen-thawed spermatozoa were
      assessed. The results indicated that the addition of ALA to the extender resulted
      in a higher percentage of motile spermatozoa post-thaw (P < 0.05). The activities
      of superoxide dismutase, lactate dehydrogenase, glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase
      and catalase improved after adding ALA to the extender (P < 0.05). Artificial
      insemination results showed that pregnancy rate and litter size were
      significantly higher at 6.0 mg/ml in the ALA group than in the control group (P <
      0.05). In conclusion, ALA conferred a cryoprotective capacity to the extender
      used for boar semen during the process of freezing-thawing, and the optimal
      concentration of ALA for the frozen extender was 6.0 mg/ml. 

PMID- 26099849
TI  - Large-scale preparation of clove essential oil and eugenol-loaded liposomes using
      a membrane contactor and a pilot plant.
AB  - Based on our previous study where optimal conditions were defined to encapsulate
      clove essential oil (CEO) into liposomes at laboratory scale, we scaled-up the
      preparation of CEO and eugenol (Eug)-loaded liposomes using a membrane contactor
      (600 mL) and a pilot plant (3 L) based on the principle of ethanol injection
      method, both equipped with a Shirasu Porous Glass membrane for injection of the
      organic phase into the aqueous phase. Homogenous, stable, nanometric-sized and
      multilamellar liposomes with high phospholipid, Eug loading rates and
      encapsulation efficiency of CEO components were obtained. Saturation of
      phospholipids and drug concentration in the organic phase may control the
      liposome stability. Liposomes loaded with other hydrophobic volatile compounds
      could be prepared at large scale using the ethanol injection method and a
      membrane for injection.

PMID- 26099850
TI  - Postmolar gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: beyond the traditional risk
      factors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the slope of linear regression of postevacuation serum
      hCG as an independent risk factor for postmolar gestational trophoblastic
      neoplasia (GTN). DESIGN: Multicenter retrospective cohort study. SETTING:
      Academic referral health care centers. PATIENT(S): All subjects with confirmed
      hydatidiform mole and at least four measurements of beta-hCG titer.
      INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Type and magnitude of the
      relationship between the slope of linear regression of beta-hCG as a new risk
      factor and GTN using Bayesian logistic regression with penalized log-likelihood
      estimation. RESULT(S): Among the high-risk and low-risk molar pregnancy cases, 11
      (18.6%) and 19 cases (13.3%) had GTN, respectively. No significant relationship
      was found between the components of a high-risk pregnancy and GTN. The beta-hCG
      return slope was higher in the spontaneous cure group. However, the initial level
      of this hormone in the first measurement was higher in the GTN group compared
      with in the spontaneous recovery group. The average time for diagnosing GTN in
      the high-risk molar pregnancy group was 2 weeks less than that of the low-risk
      molar pregnancy group. In addition to slope of linear regression of beta-hCG
      (odds ratio [OR], 12.74, confidence interval [CI], 5.42-29.2), abortion history
      (OR, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.27-5.04) and large uterine height for gestational age (OR,
      1.26; CI, 1.04-1.54) had the maximum effects on GTN outcome, respectively.
      CONCLUSION(S): The slope of linear regression of beta-hCG was introduced as an
      independent risk factor, which could be used for clinical decision making based
      on records of beta-hCG titer and subsequent prevention program.

PMID- 26099851
TI  - The R- and S-diastereoisomeric effects on the guanidinohydantoin-induced
      mutations in DNA.
AB  - Direct and indirect oxidation of guanine in DNA produces guanidinohydantoin (Gh),
      which is capable of inhibiting replication and inducing mutations during cellular
      activities. Although some biochemical studies have proposed that Gh may induce
      exclusively G to C mutations in DNA, other studies have predicted the occurrence
      of both G to C and G to T mutations. However, the exact reasons for these
      mutations and the dubious character of Gh in this context are not yet understood.
      Further, due to insufficient structural data, the electronic structure of Gh that
      can participate in the formation of different base pair complexes in DNA is also
      not known. Here, density functional theory (DFT) is used to find the most stable
      tautomers of Gh at the base level out of a total 112 possible tautomers and their
      involvement in mutagenesis is investigated by computing structures, energies and
      electronic properties of different base pair complexes formed between the syn-
      and anti-conformations of the most stable tautomer of Gh (aGh) and all the bases
      of DNA. It is found that aGh can coexist in R- and S-diastereoisomeric
      configurations. Due to the flexible guanidinium group, it can rotate about the N3
      C4 bond in each of the above diastereoisomers to form two different stable
      conformations (aGh1 and aGh2). It is further shown that among the different base
      pair complexes involving aGh1, syn-aGh1:G is the most stable. This indicates that
      G would be easily incorporated against syn-aGh1 giving rise to G to C mutations
      in DNA. However, in the case of aGh2, G is the preferred base pair partner of syn
      aGh2 and T is the preferred base pair partner of anti-aGh2. This implies that in
      addition to G to C mutations, the occurrence of aGh2 in DNA may also induce G to
      A mutations. Further, due to similarities between base pairing patterns and
      binding energies of syn-aGh1:A and syn-aGh2:A complexes with those of the T:A
      complex, DNA polymerases may mistakenly insert A opposite aGh1 or aGh2 by
      misrecognizing the latter as T. This may ultimately induce G to T mutations in
      DNA. However, as the constraints imposed by the DNA backbones and stacking
      interactions were not considered here, the possibilities of aGh2:T and aGh2:A
      base pairs need to be investigated experimentally. It is further found that the
      mutagenic character of aGh in the R- and S-diastereoisomeric forms is similar. 

PMID- 26099852
TI  - Investigation of the structure of anti-human seminal plasma protein single-chain
      antibody and its association with linker peptide length.
AB  - To enhance the activity of seminoprotein single-chain variable fragment (gamma-Sm
      ScFv) antibodies, modulation of the length of the linker peptide, which connects
      the variable region of the heavy chain (VH) and the light chain (VL) of single
      chain antibodies, was performed in the present study. Homologous modeling of
      single VH and VL were performed, respectively. Subsequently, modeling of the
      whole ScFv sequence, which was previously modified with added linkers of
      different lengths was also performed, and the (Gly4Ser)n peptide chain structure
      was used as the linker. The similarities between VH and VL prior to and following
      the addition of the linker were compared by applying the algorithm of protein
      similarity, based on spherical coordinates layering. In addition, changes in the
      fore and aft distance, and diffusion radius were calculated using a MATLAB tool,
      based on which changes in structural stability were analyzed. Finally, the single
      chain antibody was assessed in a nude mouse model. When n=3 or n=6, the
      similarity between the original distance and VH and VL were the highest, and the
      fore and aft distance and diffusion radius were relatively close. In addition,
      the nude mouse model indicated that, when n=3 or n=6, the inhibitory rate of the
      single-chain antibody against tumor cells was significantly higher, compared with
      the other linker peptides of different lengths. The effect of structural changes
      of the linker peptides in the single-chain antibodies on the whole antibody
      molecule was examined at different levels using a combination of mathematical
      modeling, bioinformatics methods and biological experiments. The findings of the
      present study may provide a foundation for further investigation into the
      preparation of single-chain antibodies.

PMID- 26099853
TI  - Using text mining techniques to extract phenotypic information from the PhenoCHF
      corpus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phenotypic information locked away in unstructured narrative text
      presents significant barriers to information accessibility, both for clinical
      practitioners and for computerised applications used for clinical research
      purposes. Text mining (TM) techniques have previously been applied successfully
      to extract different types of information from text in the biomedical domain.
      They have the potential to be extended to allow the extraction of information
      relating to phenotypes from free text. METHODS: To stimulate the development of
      TM systems that are able to extract phenotypic information from text, we have
      created a new corpus (PhenoCHF) that is annotated by domain experts with several
      types of phenotypic information relating to congestive heart failure. To ensure
      that systems developed using the corpus are robust to multiple text types, it
      integrates text from heterogeneous sources, i.e., electronic health records
      (EHRs) and scientific articles from the literature. We have developed several
      different phenotype extraction methods to demonstrate the utility of the corpus,
      and tested these methods on a further corpus, i.e., ShARe/CLEF 2013. RESULTS:
      Evaluation of our automated methods showed that PhenoCHF can facilitate the
      training of reliable phenotype extraction systems, which are robust to variations
      in text type. These results have been reinforced by evaluating our trained
      systems on the ShARe/CLEF corpus, which contains clinical records of various
      types. Like other studies within the biomedical domain, we found that solutions
      based on conditional random fields produced the best results, when coupled with a
      rich feature set. CONCLUSIONS: PhenoCHF is the first annotated corpus aimed at
      encoding detailed phenotypic information. The unique heterogeneous composition of
      the corpus has been shown to be advantageous in the training of systems that can
      accurately extract phenotypic information from a range of different text types.
      Although the scope of our annotation is currently limited to a single disease,
      the promising results achieved can stimulate further work into the extraction of
      phenotypic information for other diseases. The PhenoCHF annotation guidelines and
      annotations are publicly available at https://code.google.com/p/phenochf-corpus.

PMID- 26099854
TI  - FGF21 is not required for glucose homeostasis, ketosis or tumour suppression
      associated with ketogenic diets in mice.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Ketogenic diets (KDs) have increasingly gained attention as
      effective means for weight loss and potential adjunctive treatment of cancer. The
      metabolic benefits of KDs are regularly ascribed to enhanced hepatic secretion of
      fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and its systemic effects on fatty-acid
      oxidation, energy expenditure (EE) and body weight. Ambiguous data from Fgf21
      knockout animal strains and low FGF21 concentrations reported in humans with
      ketosis have nevertheless cast doubt regarding the endogenous function of FGF21.
      We here aimed to elucidate the causal role of FGF21 in mediating the therapeutic
      benefits of KDs on metabolism and cancer. METHODS: We established a dietary model
      of increased vs decreased FGF21 by feeding C57BL/6J mice with KDs, either
      depleted of protein or enriched with protein. We furthermore used wild-type and
      Fgf21-knockout mice that were subjected to the respective diets, and monitored
      energy and glucose homeostasis as well as tumour growth after transplantation of
      Lewis lung carcinoma cells. RESULTS: Hepatic and circulating, but not adipose
      tissue, FGF21 levels were profoundly increased by protein starvation, independent
      of the state of ketosis. We demonstrate that endogenous FGF21 is not essential
      for the maintenance of normoglycaemia upon protein and carbohydrate starvation
      and is therefore not needed for the effects of KDs on EE. Furthermore, the tumour
      suppressing effects of KDs were independent of FGF21 and, rather, driven by
      concomitant protein and carbohydrate starvation. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Our
      data indicate that the multiple systemic effects of KD exposure in mice,
      previously ascribed to increased FGF21 secretion, are rather a consequence of
      protein malnutrition.

PMID- 26099855
TI  - Cytokines induce endoplasmic reticulum stress in human, rat and mouse beta cells
      via different mechanisms.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Proinflammatory cytokines contribute to beta cell damage in type
      1 diabetes in part through activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In
      rat beta cells, cytokine-induced ER stress involves NO production and consequent
      inhibition of the ER Ca(2+) transporting ATPase sarco/endoplasmic reticulum
      Ca(2+) pump 2 (SERCA2B). However, the mechanisms by which cytokines induce ER
      stress and apoptosis in mouse and human pancreatic beta cells remain unclear. The
      purpose of this study is to elucidate the role of ER stress on cytokine-induced
      beta cell apoptosis in these three species and thus solve ongoing controversies
      in the field. METHODS: Rat and mouse insulin-producing cells, human pancreatic
      islets and human EndoC-betaH1 cells were exposed to the cytokines IL-1beta, TNF
      alpha and IFN-gamma, with or without NO inhibition. A global comparison of
      cytokine-modulated gene expression in human, mouse and rat beta cells was also
      performed. The chemical chaperone tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) and
      suppression of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) were used to assess the role of ER
      stress in cytokine-induced apoptosis of human beta cells. RESULTS: NO plays a key
      role in cytokine-induced ER stress in rat islets, but not in mouse or human
      islets. Bioinformatics analysis indicated greater similarity between human and
      mouse than between human and rat global gene expression after cytokine exposure.
      The chemical chaperone TUDCA and suppression of CHOP or c-Jun N-terminal kinase
      (JNK) protected human beta cells against cytokine-induced apoptosis.
      CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: These observations clarify previous results that were
      discrepant owing to the use of islets from different species, and confirm that
      cytokine-induced ER stress contributes to human beta cell death, at least in part
      via JNK activation.

PMID- 26099857
TI  - Treatment of obesity and pulmonary arterial hypertension with inhibitors of the
      prostaglandin transporter: evaluation of patent WO2014/204895A1.
AB  - Prostaglandins display a wide array of pharmacological effects and prostaglandin
      analogs are already used in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension
      (PAH). After synthesis and release from cells, prostaglandins undergo reuptake by
      the prostaglandin transporter (PGT). WO2014/204895 claims the use of a series of
      trisubstituted triazine derivatives for the treatment of obesity and PAH.
      Composition of matter of these triazines has been claimed in WO2011/037610 and
      the compounds are described as potent inhibitors of the PGT. One compound (nr
      146) was shown to improve high fat diet-induced glucose tolerance in a mouse
      model. In addition, this compound has been explored in the rat monocrotaline
      model of PAH and reduced characteristic features of the pathology. This class of
      compounds presents a potential new treatment paradigm in the treatment of obesity
      related disorders and PAH. 

PMID- 26099856
TI  - Prolactin-stimulated survivin induction is required for beta cell mass expansion
      during pregnancy in mice.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Prolactin (PRL)-stimulated beta cell proliferation is critical
      for maternal pancreatic beta cell mass expansion during pregnancy. However, the
      molecular effectors of the multiple putative signalling pathways downstream of
      the PRL receptor (PRL-R) are still elusive. Survivin has been shown to be induced
      during pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to define the essential role
      of survivin in gestational beta cell mass expansion. METHODS: Expression of
      survivin was assessed in mouse islets during pregnancy and in insulinoma cells
      (INS-1) stimulated with PRL. Pregnant mice with targeted deletion of the survivin
      gene (also known as Birc5) in beta cells were assessed to determine the essential
      function of survivin in maternal beta cell mass expansion. INS-1 cells stimulated
      with PRL were used to explore the role of survivin in signalling pathways
      downstream of the PRL-R. RESULTS: Survivin was significantly upregulated in
      maternal islets during pregnancy. With PRL stimulation, induction of survivin
      expression occurred predominantly in the nucleus and was associated with cell
      cycle progression to S and G2/M phase. Beta cell-specific survivin-knockout
      pregnant mice displayed glucose intolerance, attenuated beta cell mass expansion
      and impaired beta cell proliferation, with significant attenuation in the
      increased expression of Cdk4/Ccnd1, E2f1, p53 (also known as Trp53) and p21 (also
      known as Cdkn1a) compared with wild-type controls during pregnancy. Targeted
      deletion of survivin in INS-1 cells resulted in cell cycle disturbance with an
      arrest in G1/S phase after PRL stimulation. Inhibitors of Akt, signal transducer
      and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5), PIM or extracellular signal-regulated
      kinase (ERK), significantly decreased the expression of survivin in PRL
      stimulated INS-1 cells. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Survivin directly
      participates in PRL-mediated beta cell proliferation via Akt, STAT5-PIM and ERK
      signalling pathways during pregnancy.

PMID- 26099858
TI  - Nickel-responsive transcriptional regulators.
AB  - Nickel is an essential micronutrient for a large number of living organisms, but
      it is also a toxic metal ion when it accumulates beyond the sustainable level as
      it may result if and when its cellular trafficking is not properly governed.
      Therefore, the homeostasis and metabolism of nickel is tightly regulated through
      metal-specific protein networks that respond to the available Ni(II)
      concentration. These are directed by specific nickel sensors, able to couple
      Ni(II) binding to a change in their DNA binding affinity and/or specificity, thus
      translating the cellular level of Ni(II) into a modification of the expression of
      the proteins devoted to modulating nickel uptake, efflux and cellular
      utilization. This review describes the Ni(II)-dependent transcriptional
      regulators discovered so far, focusing on their structural features, metal
      coordination modes and metal binding thermodynamics. Understanding these
      properties is essential to comprehend how these sensors correlate nickel
      availability to metal coordination and functional responses. A broad and
      comparative study, described here, reveals some general traits that characterize
      the binding stoichiometry and Ni(II) affinity of these metallo-sensors.

PMID- 26099859
TI  - Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency (LALD).

PMID- 26099860
TI  - American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Cardiology Meeting.

PMID- 26099861
TI  - Quantitative characterization of circadian rhythm of pulmonary function in
      asthmatic patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids.
AB  - The aim of this study was to characterize the circadian rhythm observed for
      forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) in patients with persistent asthma being
      treated with inhaled corticosteroids. The database included 3379 FEV1
      measurements from 189 patients with mild to moderate asthma. A model using the
      sum of two Sine functions with periods of 12 and 24 h and a constant component of
      mean circadian rhythm adequately described the circadian rhythm in FEV1
      measurements over time. The model adequateness was evaluated by various
      approaches including visual predictive check (VPC), prediction-corrected VPC,
      standardized VPC and normalized prediction distribution error. Covariates tested
      included age, body weight, height, body mass index, baseline FEV1, and sex. Age
      and height were found to have significant effects on the mean FEV1 level and no
      covariate was found to have an effect on the magnitude and timing of circadian
      rhythm. The model predicted that a minimum FEV1 occurred in the early morning and
      maximum FEV1 occurred in the early afternoon, with a population mean fluctuation
      of 170 mL, which is consistent with the finding that asthma symptoms usually
      exacerbate in the early morning for patients with persistent asthma. This
      developed model provides the first quantitative approach to describing FEV1
      circadian rhythm with ICS background treatment and provided insight in designing
      future registration trials for asthma drug development. 

PMID- 26099862
TI  - Parkinson's disease and insomnia.
AB  - There is a broad spectrum of sleep disturbances observed in Parkinson's disease
      (PD). The prevalence of symptoms of insomnia and chronic inability to sleep and
      their association with other sleep disorders were studied. Altogether 1447
      randomly selected Parkinson patients, aged 43-89 years, participated in a
      questionnaire study. A structured questionnaire with 207 items was based on the
      Basic Nordic Sleep questionnaire. Questions on demographics, PD, REM Sleep
      Behavior Disorder, and other issues were included. The response rate was 59 % (N
      = 854), and of these 81 % returned fully answered questionnaire (N = 689).
      Prevalence of chronic inability to sleep was 36.9 % (95 % CI 33.3-40.5).
      Difficulty of initiating sleep was 18.0 % (95 % CI 15.1-20.9), disrupted sleep
      81.54 % (78.5-84.4), awakenings during night 31.3 % (27.8-34.8), early morning
      awakenings 40.4 % (36.8-44.1) and non-restorative sleep 38.5 % (34.8-42.1). In
      the logistic regression models, poor quality of life and restless legs syndrome
      correlated significantly with chronic insomnia disorder. Disrupted sleep and
      early morning awakenings were the most common insomnia symptoms. PD patients do
      not seem to have difficulties in sleep initiation. Insomnia symptoms including
      disruptive sleep and non-restorative sleep are common in patients with
      Parkinson's disease. Inability to sleep is more common as comorbidity than a
      single sleep problem. 

PMID- 26099863
TI  - Digital Identity: Develop One Before You're Given One.

PMID- 26099864
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 26099865
TI  - Reply: To PMID 26099863.

PMID- 26099866
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 26099867
TI  - Reply: To PMID 26099863.

PMID- 26099868
TI  - Combination of Tramadol and Lidocaine for Pain Control During Transrectal
      Ultrasound-guided Prostate Biopsy: A Randomized Double-blinded Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of tramadol, lidocaine, and a combination of
      tramadol with lidocaine in pain relief using periprostatic nerve block technique
      by guidance of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) before the prostate biopsy (PBx).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the indication of TRUS-PBx, the patients with a
      prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level >4.0 ng/mL or abnormal digital examination
      findings were selected. The patients were randomized through random method. Group
      1: patients were administered 5 mL of 2% lidocaine; group 2: patients were
      administered 5 mL of 25-mg tramadol; and group 3: patients were administered 5 mL
      of 2% lidocaine + 25-mg tramadol. The procedures were completed in 10 minutes,
      and a visual pain scale was administered to the patients to question the pain
      severity. RESULTS: TRUS-guided PBx was performed in 60 patients with an age range
      of 57-77 years (mean age, 66.2 +/- 7.49 years) and a PSA range of 1-1000 ng/mL.
      The mean PSA level of the groups was 28.5 (+/-7.5), 16.1 (+/-5.0), and 14.9 (+/
      2.9) ng/mL, respectively. The postprocedural pain scores by visual pain scale
      were 4.6 +/- 1.2, 5.4 +/- 1.2, and 3.6 +/- 0.9 in lidocaine, tramadol, and
      lidocaine + tramadol groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Periprostatic nerve block
      is the current golden standard method owing to pain management and comfort
      provided, independent of the patient age and the number of core biopsies. We
      suggest that tramadol may also be used in this field to achieve better pain
      management by improving lidocaine's effect or as an alternative to lidocaine.

PMID- 26099869
TI  - Three-dimensional Technology Facilitates Surgical Performance of Novice
      Laparoscopy Surgeons: A Quantitative Assessment on a Porcine Kidney Model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the use of 3-dimensional (3D) imaging translates
      into a better surgical performance of naive urologic laparoscopic surgeons during
      pyeloplasty (PY) and partial nephrectomy (PN) procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Eighteen surgeons without any previous laparoscopic experience were randomly
      assigned to perform PY and PN in a porcine model using initially 2-dimensional
      (2D) and 3D laparoscopy. A surgical performance score was rated by an "expert"
      tutor through a modified 5-item global rating scale contemplating operative field
      view, bimanual dexterity, efficiency, tissue handling, and autonomy. Overall
      surgical time, complications, subjective perception of participating surgeons,
      and inconveniences related to the 3D vision were recorded. RESULTS: No difference
      in terms if operative time was found between 2D or 3D laparoscopy for both the PY
      (P = .51) and the PN (P = .28) procedures. A better rate in terms of surgical
      performance score was noted by the tutors when the study participants were using
      3D vs 2D, for both PY (3.6 [0.8] vs 3.0 [0.4]; P = .034) and PN (3.6 [0.51] vs
      3.15 [0.63]; P = .001). No complications occurred in any of the procedures. Most
      (77.2%) of the participating naive laparoscopic surgeons had the perception that
      3D laparoscopy was overall easier than 2D. Headache (18.1%), nausea (18.1%), and
      visual disturbance (18.1%) were the most common issues reported by the surgeons
      during 3D procedures. CONCLUSION: Despite the absence of translation in a shorter
      operative time, the use of 3D technology seems to facilitate the surgical
      performance of naive surgeons during laparoscopic kidney procedures on a porcine
      model.

PMID- 26099870
TI  - Individualized Physical 3-dimensional Kidney Tumor Models Constructed From 3
      dimensional Printers Result in Improved Trainee Anatomic Understanding.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of 3-dimensionally (3D) printed physical renal
      models with enhancing masses on medical trainee characterization, localization,
      and understanding of renal malignancy. METHODS: Proprietary software was used to
      import standard computed tomography (CT) cross-sectional imaging into 3D printers
      to create physical models of renal units with enhancing renal lesions in situ.
      Six different models were printed from a transparent plastic resin; the normal
      parenchyma was printed in a clear, translucent plastic, with a red hue
      delineating the suspicious renal lesion. Medical students, who had completed
      their first year of training, were given an overview and tasked with completion
      of RENAL nephrometry scores, separately using CT imaging and 3D models. Trainees
      were also asked to complete a questionnaire about their experience. Variability
      between trainees was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and
      kappa statistics were used to compare the trainee to experts. RESULTS: Overall
      trainee nephrometry score accuracy was significantly improved with the 3D model
      vs CT scan (P <.01). Furthermore, 3 of the 4 components of the nephrometry score
      (radius, nearness to collecting system, and location) showed significant
      improvement (P <.001) using the models. There was also more consistent agreement
      among trainees when using the 3D models compared with CT scans to assess the
      nephrometry score (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.28 for CT scan vs 0.72
      for 3D models). Qualitative evaluation with questionnaires filled out by the
      trainees further confirmed that the 3D models improved their ability to
      understand and conceptualize the renal mass. CONCLUSION: Physical 3D models using
      readily available printing techniques improve trainees' understanding and
      characterization of individual patients' enhancing renal lesions.

PMID- 26099871
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 26099872
TI  - Reply: To PMID 26099870.

PMID- 26099873
TI  - Repeat Surgery After Ureteroscopic Laser Lithotripsy With Attempted Complete
      Extraction of Fragments: Long-term Follow-up.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore repeat surgery as a primary outcome measure in long-term
      follow-up after ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy (URS) with attempted complete
      extraction of fragments. METHODS: Retrospective review of the medical records of
      consecutive patients undergoing URS performed by a single surgeon. Repeat surgery
      was defined as any return to the operating room for management of stone or
      complications. For our survival analysis, we used the Kaplan-Meier method.
      RESULTS: From April 2003 through May 2005 at our institution, URS was performed
      in 226 renal units in 216 patients. At a median follow-up of 4.1 years, 19
      patients required repeat surgery. At 1 year, the cumulative repeat surgery rate
      (CRR) was 5.8% (95% confidence interval, 3.4%-9.8%), rising to 8.6% (5.6%-13.1%)
      at 5 years. CRR was strongly related to evidence of residual stone on
      postoperative computed tomography (P <.001). At 5 years, CRR was 3.5% (1.1%
      10.3%) in patients with renal units with no detectable fragments, 8.2% (3.5%
      18.6%) with fragments <=4 mm, and 46.2% (24.0%-75.2%) with fragments >4 mm. The
      Cox proportional hazards ratio was 9.08 (2.11-38.00; P = .003) with fragments
      that were >2 mm; the ratio was 22.14 (5.15-95.14; P <.001) with fragments >4 mm.
      CONCLUSION: Repeat surgery after URS is proportional to the size of residual
      fragments. Repeat surgery is a discrete objective metric that is consistent with,
      but does not require, rigorous postoperative radiologic assessment.

PMID- 26099874
TI  - Initial Experience and Comparative Efficacy of the UreTron: A New Intracorporeal
      Ultrasonic Lithotriptor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the initial clinical experience with the UreTron (Med
      Sonics, Erie, PA), a new ultrasonic lithotriptor. Historically, ultrasound-only
      intracorporeal lithotriptors have been considered the gold standard for stone
      removal during percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Recently, they have lost favor to
      newer dual and combination devices believed by many to be more efficient. The
      UreTron features patented technology to precisely control probe vibration and
      achieve more efficient output potentially improving efficiency of stone
      clearance. To date, the clinical efficacy of this new device has yet to be tested
      relative to alternative state-of-the-art lithotriptors. METHODS: Thirty-one
      patients with renal stones >2 cm undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy were
      studied. All cases were performed by the same surgeon, and data were recorded
      prospectively using the same protocol established for a separate ongoing
      comparison study designed to assess performance of 3 separate state-of-the-art
      lithotriptors (CyberWand, StoneBreaker, and LithoClast Select). Bivariate
      analysis was performed between the UreTron cohort and the combined cohort of the
      alternative state-of-the-art lithotriptors (n = 51). RESULTS: The UreTron
      achieved the highest stone clearance rate (51.9 mm(2)/min) of any device. It also
      had little decrease in clearance efficiency when used on "hard" stones (48.5
      mm(2)/min). The UreTron had a faster clearance rate than the alternative
      lithotriptor cohort (51.9 vs 36.0 mm(2)/min; P = .02) with no differences in
      stone-free rate, secondary procedures, clinical complications, or device
      malfunctions (P >.05). CONCLUSION: The UreTron compares favorably with
      alternative state-of-the-art intracorporeal lithotriptors with faster stone
      clearance rates and equivalent clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26099875
TI  - Autologous Pubovaginal Sling for the Treatment of Concomitant Female Urethral
      Diverticula and Stress Urinary Incontinence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe our experience with concomitant repair of urethral
      diverticula and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) with autologous pubovaginal
      sling (PVS). METHODS: A retrospective chart review between January 2006 and 2013
      identified 38 women undergoing concomitant diverticulectomy and rectus sheath
      PVS. Patient demographics, presenting symptoms, prior urethral surgery,
      concomitant procedures, postoperative outcomes, and complications were evaluated.
      RESULTS: The mean duration of symptoms was 56.7 months. Eleven patients presented
      with recurrent diverticula and 5 patients had prior SUI surgery (3 midurethral
      slings, 1 PVS, and 1 bulking agent). One patient had a prior urethrolysis. All
      other slings were cut or excised at the time of surgery. All women had
      demonstrable SUI on cough stress test or urodynamics. The mean follow-up was 12.7
      months. All postoperative voiding cystourethrograms were negative for contrast
      extravasation. One patient required prolonged (>4 weeks) suprapubic tube drainage
      for urinary retention. Four others required an additional 1 week of suprapubic
      tube drainage. Eighteen patients (47%) reported mixed urinary symptoms. Of these,
      9 had complete resolution, whereas 9 experienced significant improvement.
      Overall, 97.3% reported resolution of their dysuria, dyspareunia, and pain
      symptoms and 90% reported complete resolution of their SUI symptoms. There were 2
      urethral diverticula recurrences and 2 SUI recurrences. Perioperative
      complications, including hemorrhage, sling erosion, or urethrovaginal fistulas,
      were not observed. CONCLUSION: Concomitant PVS placement is a safe and effective
      treatment option for SUI in patients undergoing urethral diverticulectomy. The
      risks and benefits should be weighed and management individualized.

PMID- 26099877
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 26099876
TI  - Widespread Psychosocial Difficulties in Men and Women With Urologic Chronic
      Pelvic Pain Syndromes: Case-control Findings From the Multidisciplinary Approach
      to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain Research Network.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent, severity, and sex differences of psychosocial
      deficits in men and women with urologic chronic pelvic pain syndromes (UCPPS),
      which in the past have been considered separate bladder (interstitial cystitis
      painful bladder syndrome) and prostate (chronic prostatitis-chronic pelvic pain
      syndrome) disorders. Evaluations of men and women separately suggest UCPPS is
      associated with increased anxiety and depression. However, studies directly
      testing deficits in broader psychosocial domains such as cognitive processes,
      intimate relationships, and trauma history, or tests of sex differences in the
      pattern of difficulties associated with UCPPS have not been performed. METHODS: A
      total of 233 female and 191 male UCPPS patients and 235 female and 182 male
      healthy controls (HCs) were recruited from 6 academic medical centers in the
      United States and evaluated with a comprehensive battery of symptom,
      psychosocial, and illness impact measures. Primary comparisons of interest were
      between UCPPS patients and HCs and between men and women with UCPPS. RESULTS: In
      addition to greater negative effect, male and female UCPPS patients show higher
      levels of current and lifetime stress, poorer illness coping, increased self
      report of cognitive deficits, and more widespread pain symptoms compared with sex
      and education-matched HCs. Similar problems were found in male and female UCPPS
      patients although female UCPPS patients showed increased self-report of childhood
      adversity and more widespread symptoms of pain and discomfort. CONCLUSION: Given
      the significance of psychosocial variables in prognosis and treatment of chronic
      pain conditions, the results add substantially to our understanding of the breath
      of difficulties associated with UCPPS and point to important areas for clinical
      assessment.

PMID- 26099878
TI  - Rhabdomyolysis After Major Urologic Surgery: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and
      Outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the epidemiology, risk factors, and outcomes of
      rhabdomyolysis (RM) after major urologic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      National Inpatient Sample (2003-2011) was used to identify patients who underwent
      radical prostatectomy, radical or partial nephrectomy, or radical cystectomy.
      Demographics included age, sex, race, and comorbidities. Factors examined
      included bleeding, hospital teaching status, minimally invasive technique, and
      development of RM. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify
      independent risk factors of RM. Outcomes of mortality, acute kidney injury (AKI),
      length of stay, and charges in patients with RM were compared with those of
      controls. RESULTS: A weighted population of 1,016,074 patients was identified
      with 870 (0.1%) developing RM, which was significantly more likely for radical or
      partial nephrectomy and radical cystectomy patients compared with radical
      prostatectomy patients. On multivariate analysis, independent risk factors for RM
      included younger age, male sex, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and
      bleeding. Race, minimally invasive technique, and teaching status were not
      associated with RM when controlling for other factors. Patients with RM
      experienced increases in mortality, AKI, length of stay, and hospital charges.
      CONCLUSION: Rhabdomyolysis is a rare complication after urologic surgery. Risk
      factors include male sex, younger age, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, obesity,
      and perioperative bleeding. Patients who develop RM have a higher risk of AKI,
      mortality, prolonged hospital stay, and increased charges.

PMID- 26099879
TI  - NextGen Home Sperm Banking Kit: Outcomes of Offsite vs Onsite Collection-
      Preliminary Findings.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare cryosurvival rates between remote collections with NextGen
      kit (offsite) and onsite collection of semen samples from infertile men and those
      with cancer. METHODS: Prefreeze and post-thaw sperm motility, total motile sperm,
      and percent cryosurvival rates were compared between samples collected from
      infertile men onsite at the Andrology Center (n = 10) and samples collected from
      infertile patients at home (offsite; n = 9), which were shipped by NextGen to our
      laboratory. A second group (n = 17) consisted of 10 semen samples from cancer
      patients collected onsite, which were compared with 7 semen samples from cancer
      patients shipped by the NextGen. All semen samples were assessed within 18 hours
      of collection. RESULTS: In the infertile men, percent cryosurvival rates were
      similar with NextGen compared with those of onsite collection (53.14 +/- 28.9% vs
      61.90 +/- 20.46%; P = .51). Similarly, in the cancer patients, all 4 parameters
      were comparable between the onsite and NextGen. Cryosurvival rates were also
      similar between NextGen compared with those of onsite collection (52.71 +/-
      20.37% vs 58.90 +/- 22.68%; P = .46). CONCLUSION: Cancer patients can bank sperm
      as effectively as men banking for infertility reasons using the NextGen kit.

PMID- 26099880
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 26099881
TI  - Reply: To PMID 26099879.

PMID- 26099882
TI  - Kidney Laterality and the Safety of Hand-assisted Live Donor Nephrectomy: Review
      of 1000 Consecutive Cases at a Single Center.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of performing right-sided, hand-assisted,
      laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (HALDN) and compare with the results of left-sided
      surgeries in both donors and recipients. METHODS: Between September 2006 and
      September 2013, 1000 consecutive patients underwent HALDN at our institution.
      Patient characteristics and the intraoperative or postoperative parameters of the
      donors and recipients were retrospectively evaluated. Preoperative data,
      including relative renal function, vascular anatomy, and parenchymal
      abnormalities, were evaluated to determine the reasons for harvesting the right
      kidney. Intraoperative and postoperative data, including pneumoperitoneum time,
      warm ischemia time, complications, chronic kidney disease stage, and graft
      function, were compared between donors and recipients who underwent right- and
      left-sided procurement. RESULTS: Mean follow-up period was 21 months in donor and
      42 months in recipient. Right-sided HALDN was performed on 421 patients (42.1%).
      The most common reasons for selecting the right kidney was reduced right kidney
      function (53.4%) followed by multiple left renal arteries (34.2%). None of 1000
      patients required conversion to open surgery or developed major complications.
      Serum creatinine concentrations and chronic kidney disease stage at the last
      follow-up examinations were similar in donors. There were no significant
      differences in graft function and ureter-related complications between right- and
      left-sided kidneys at the last follow-up examination. CONCLUSION: Right-side
      HALDN is a safe procedure. The donor side can be freely selected using HALDN to
      benefit both donors and recipients.

PMID- 26099883
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 26099884
TI  - Reply: To PMID 26099882.

PMID- 26099885
TI  - Trends in Testicular Cancer Survival: A Large Population-based Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether discrepancies in testicular cancer outcomes
      between Caucasians and non-Caucasians are changing over time. Although testicular
      cancer is more common in Caucasians, studies have shown that other races have
      worse outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and
      End Results registry, we identified 29,803 patients diagnosed with histologically
      confirmed testicular cancer between 1983 and 2011. Of these, 12,650 patients
      (42%) had 10-year follow-up data. We stratified the patients by age group, stage,
      race, and year of diagnosis and assessed 10-year overall and cancer-specific
      survival in each cohort. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine
      the relative contributions of each stratum to cancer-specific survival. RESULTS:
      Predicted overall 10-year survival of Caucasian patients with testicular cancer
      increased slightly from 88% to 89% over the period studied, whereas predicted
      cancer-specific 10-year survival dropped slightly from 94% to 93%. In contrast,
      non-Caucasian men demonstrated larger changes in 10-year overall (84%-86%) and
      cancer-specific (88%-91%) survival. On univariate analysis, race was
      significantly associated with testicular cancer death, with non-Caucasian men
      being 1.69 times more likely to die of testicular cancer than Caucasians (hazard
      ratio, 1.33-2.16; 95% confidence interval, <.001). CONCLUSION: Historically, non
      Caucasian race has been associated with poorer outcomes from testicular cancer.
      These data show a convergence in cancer-specific survival between racial groups
      over time, suggesting that diagnostic and treatment discrepancies may be
      improving for non-Caucasians.

PMID- 26099886
TI  - Trends of Systemic Therapy Use for Renal Cell Carcinoma in the United States.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the utilization of immunotherapy after the advent of
      tyrosine-kinase inhibitors and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors for
      metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the United States, as well as to better
      understand the variables associated with the implementation of these systemic
      therapies. METHODS: The National Cancer Data Base Participant User File for Renal
      Cancer was queried. Patients diagnosed with metastatic RCC were identified. From
      that group, patients who received either immunotherapy or chemotherapy (single or
      multiagent), given as a first-course therapy from 1998 to 2011 were selected.
      Multivariate analysis was used to assess patient, disease, and provider factors
      associated with immunotherapy or chemotherapy overall usage between 2003 and
      2011. RESULTS: A total of 25,186 patients diagnosed with metastatic RCC were
      identified; 3107 received immunotherapy and 8640 received chemotherapy. The use
      of immunotherapy decreased from 30.3% in 1998 to 3.8% in 2011. The use of
      chemotherapy increased from 16.2% in 1998 to 54.0% in 2011. The most dramatic
      period of change was from 2004 to 2006. Independent negative predictors of
      receiving immunotherapy included progressive years of diagnosis (P <.0001),
      increasing age (P <.0001), female gender (P = .001), and African American race (P
      = .04). CONCLUSION: There has been a significant decrease in the use of
      immunotherapy for metastatic RCC in the United States since the introduction of
      targeted chemotherapeutic agents in the past decade.

PMID- 26099887
TI  - Adjustable Continence Balloons in Men: Adjustments Do Not Translate Into Long
      term Continence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the functional results, morbidity, and quality of life of
      the adjustable continence balloons ProACT for the treatment of male stress
      urinary incontinence after prostate surgery considering both short- and long-term
      results. METHODS: Between 2002 and 2012, twenty-two consecutive male patients
      were implanted with the ProACT device. Continence was defined by the use of 0
      pads daily, and the quality of life was assessed by validated questionnaires.
      RESULTS: Only 1 patient (4.5%) was immediately continent after ProACT
      implantation, and the other 21 men (95.5%) needed >=1 balloon refillments
      postoperatively. The baseline daily pad number decreased from a mean of 5.9 pads
      (range, 3-12 pads) to a mean of 1.7 pads (range, 0-5 pads) per day after
      refilling but increased to a mean of 3.9 (range, 0-10) at the last follow-up
      visit. After balloon adjustments, 4 patients (18%) were continent and 18 patients
      (82%) showed an improvement with a 95% rate of subjective satisfaction. Revision
      and explantation rates were 73% and 55%, respectively. At a median follow-up of
      57 months, only 1 patient (4.5%) remained dry, and only 10 patients (45%)
      remained satisfied with the procedure, whereas 12 patients (55%) were unchanged
      and dissatisfied. CONCLUSION: The ProACT device appears to be safe and
      efficacious in the short term. The postoperative readjustment allows the
      achievement of a short-term continence status. However, on the long term, the
      ProACT does not appear to be an ideal device for durable continence and patients'
      satisfaction.

PMID- 26099888
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 26099889
TI  - Animal Models of Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndromes: Findings From the
      Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain Research Network.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the approach taken by the Multidisciplinary Approach to
      the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain Research Network investigators to advance the
      utility of urologic chronic pelvic pain syndromes (UCPPS) animal models. METHODS:
      A multidisciplinary team of investigators representing basic science and clinical
      expertise defined key phenotypic criteria for rodent models of UCPPS. UCPPS
      symptoms were prioritized based on their clinical significance. Methods for
      quantifying animal correlates to patient symptoms were developed. The methods
      were implemented across proposed rodent models for evaluation and comparison of
      animals for phenotypic characteristics relevant to human symptomatology. RESULTS:
      Pelvic pain and urinary frequency were deemed primary features of human UCPPS and
      were prioritized for assessment in animals. Nociception was quantified using
      visceromotor response to bladder distention and by applying von Frey filaments to
      the lower abdomen (referred tactile allodynia). Micturition activity was assessed
      as free voiding using micturition cages or blotting pad assays and in response to
      bladder filling by cystometry. Models varied in both depth of characterization
      and degree of recapitulating pelvic pain and urinary frequency characteristics of
      UCPPS. CONCLUSION: Rodent models that reflect multiple key characteristics of
      human UCPPS may be identified and provide enhanced clinical significance to
      mechanistic studies. We have developed a strategy for evaluating current and
      future animal models of UCPPS based on human symptomatology. This approach
      provides a foundation for improved translation between mechanistic studies in
      animals and clinical research and serves as a validation strategy for assessing
      validity of models for symptom-driven disorders of unknown etiology.

PMID- 26099890
TI  - Application of a Laparoscopic, Single-port, Double-needle Technique for Pediatric
      Hydroceles With Multiple Peritoneal Folds: A Trial From a Single-center 5-Year
      Experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report our 5-year experience with a modified single-port, double
      needle, minilaparoscopic technique for patent processus vaginalis with multiple
      peritoneal folds in the hydrocele sac orifice. METHODS: A total of 125
      consecutive cases of boys with unilateral pediatric hydrocele underwent
      minilaparoscopic repair between June 2008 and June 2013. The patients were
      divided into 2 groups. Group 1 consisted of 65 patients who underwent a 2-port
      laparoscopic procedure, during which a 3-mm grasping forceps was used to grasp
      the folds around the internal inguinal ring. Group 2 included 60 patients who
      received a modified single-port, double-needle, minilaparoscopic surgery. An Endo
      Close needle was used to spread the peritoneal folds and facilitate circular
      extraperitoneal suturing in group 2. The principal outcome factors were assessed
      between the groups. RESULTS: A total of 151 minilaparoscopic procedures were
      performed in 125 patients (age range, 12-68 months; median, 21.5 months). In
      total, 26 extra procedures were performed for simultaneous repair of a potential
      contralateral patent processus vaginalis. No significant difference in operation
      time was noted between group 1 and group 2 (25.9 +/- 6.4 vs 27.1 +/- 5.5
      minutes). The procedures were performed successfully without serious preoperative
      complications. During a median follow-up period of 18 months (range, 6-36
      months), no postoperative hydrocele recurrence was encountered. CONCLUSION: Our
      limited experience suggests that the modified single-port, double-needle,
      minilaparoscopic technique could be safe, effective, and more cosmetically
      appealing for the management of complicated pediatric hydroceles.

PMID- 26099891
TI  - Renal Abscess Due to Community-acquired Extended-spectrum beta-Lactamase
      producing Escherichia coli in a 15-Year-old Girl.
AB  - Infections caused by community-acquired (CA) extended-spectrum beta-lactamase
      (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae are an increasing public health concern. We
      report a 15-year-old girl with a history of recurrent urinary tract infections
      who developed a right renal abscess. Percutaneous abscess drainage and subsequent
      microbiological culture revealed CA-ESBL Escherichia coli. To our knowledge, this
      is the first reported pediatric case of CA-ESBL E coli renal abscess complicating
      urinary tract infection. Establishing a definitive diagnosis of ESBL E coli renal
      abscess may necessitate obtaining a microbiological culture via surgical
      specimen, especially in children with apparent risk factors for the selection of
      ESBL-producing organisms. 

PMID- 26099892
TI  - Visual Internal Urethrotomy With Intralesional Mitomycin C and Short-term Clean
      Intermittent Catheterization for the Management of Recurrent Urethral Strictures
      and Bladder Neck Contractures.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate our longitudinal experience using visual internal
      urethrotomy (VIU) with intralesional mitomycin C (MMC) and short-term clean
      intermittent catheterization (CIC) for urethral strictures and bladder neck
      contractures (BNC) after failure of endoscopic management. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This case series involved review of our prospectively developed database of all
      men who underwent VIU with MMC and CIC in a standardized fashion for urethral
      stricture or BNC between 2010 and 2013 at our tertiary care medical center.
      Etiology was identified as radiation-induced stricture (RIS) or non-RIS and
      analyzed by stricture location. Cold knife incisions were made in a tri or
      quadrant fashion followed by intralesional injection of MMC and 1 month of once
      daily CIC. RESULTS: All 37 patients previously underwent at least 1 intervention
      for urethral stricture or BNC before VIU with MMC and CIC. Mean stricture length
      was 2.0 cm (range, 1-6 cm; standard deviation, 1.0 cm). Over the median follow-up
      period of 23 months (range, 12-39 months), 75.7% of patients required no
      additional surgical intervention (RIS, 54.5%; non-RIS, 84.6%; P = .051). In those
      that did recur, median time to stricture recurrence was 8 months (range, 2-28
      months). One patient with recurrence required urethroplasty. CONCLUSION: VIU with
      MMC followed by short-term CIC provides a minimally invasive and widely available
      tool to manage complex recurrent urethral strictures (<3 cm) and BNC without
      significant morbidity. This approach may be most attractive for patients who are
      poor candidates for open surgery.

PMID- 26099893
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 26099894
TI  - Reply: To PMID 26099892.

PMID- 26099895
TI  - Novel Technique Prevents Lymphoceles After Transperitoneal Robotic-assisted
      Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection: Peritoneal Flap Interposition.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To determine the efficacy of our novel technique to prevent
      lymphocele formation after pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) after robotic
      assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) using the existing peritoneum of the
      bladder. TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS: We evaluated 155 consecutive patients
      undergoing RARP with PLND over 24 months. Group A included the first 77 patients
      with PLND using standard technique (no peritoneal flap). Group B included the
      subsequent 78 patients (1 patient excluded) with PLND and peritoneal
      interposition flap. The peritoneal interposition flap is created by rotating and
      advancing the peritoneum around the lateral surface of the ipsilateral bladder to
      the dependent portion of the pelvis and fixing it to the bladder itself. A
      cystogram was performed in 91% of the patients 7-14 days after the surgery.
      Lymphocele formation rates were compared (based on symptoms, cystogram findings,
      and radiographic confirmation). RESULTS: The 2 groups were statistically
      equivalent in terms of prostate-specific antigen, age, blood loss, body mass
      index, Gleason score, prostate size, pathology, or heparin use. Lymphocele
      formation occurred in 9 of 77 (11.6%) group A patients and in 0 of 77 group B
      patients (P = .003). Mean time to lymphocele detection in group A was 30.4 days.
      Mean follow-up in groups A and B were 383.97 and 379 days, respectively (P =
      .91). CONCLUSION: Strategic rotation and fixation of a peritoneal flap around the
      lateral aspect of the bladder during transperitoneal RARP with PLND is a novel
      technique to prevent lymphocele formation. Given the sample size and single
      institutional study, a prospective, randomized, multi-institutional trial is
      planned.

PMID- 26099896
TI  - Calculation of Expected Postoperative Renal Function After Radical Nephrectomy:
      Comments (Urology 2014;84:1402-1407).

PMID- 26099897
TI  - Factors Affecting Outcomes of Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy in Horseshoe Kidneys.

PMID- 26099898
TI  - Reply by the Authors.

PMID- 26099899
TI  - An Extreme Case of Fordyce Angiokeratoma.
AB  - Angiokeratomas are benign vascular ectasias that can present with bleeding or
      cosmetic concerns. We present an extreme case of Fordyce angiokeratoma. Usual
      treatment modalities, including medical management with analgesics and
      angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, as well as laser treatments, were not
      viable options in this unique case. Surgical excision with autografting offered a
      curative treatment option in this case. 

PMID- 26099900
TI  - Prevalence of hospital malnutrition in cancer patients: a sub-analysis of the
      PREDyCES(r) study.
AB  - PURPOSE: In oncology patients, hospital malnutrition is associated with a greater
      risk of morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to determine the
      prevalence of nutritional risk and the clinical and economic consequences of
      hospital malnutrition in oncology patients hospitalised in Spanish centres.
      METHODS: This was an observational, cross-sectional, multicentre study. The
      prevalence of nutritional risk was determined using the Nutrition Risk
      Screening((r))-2002 (NRS((r))-2002). RESULTS: Four hundred one oncology patients
      were included; 33.9% (136/401) were at nutritional risk (NRS((r))-2002 >= 3) at
      admission and 36.4% (135/371) at discharge. On average, patients at nutritional
      risk were more elderly and had lower weights, body mass indices and arm and calf
      circumferences, as well as lower serum albumin levels than patients not at risk.
      Mean duration of hospitalisation and healthcare costs were greater in patients at
      nutritional risk at discharge (12.1 days; 95% confidence interval (CI) 10.83
      13.39) than in well-nourished patients (8.6 days; 95% CI 7.86-9.40). Only a third
      of the patients at risk of malnutrition at discharge had received any kind of
      nutritional support. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that hospital malnutrition is
      a prevalent and undertreated condition in oncology patients that is associated
      with longer hospital stays and increased healthcare costs.

PMID- 26099902
TI  - A Farewell to a Unique Colleague.

PMID- 26099901
TI  - Using a personalized measure (Patient Generated Index (PGI)) to identify what
      matters to people with cancer.
AB  - PURPOSES: Patient Generated Index (PGI) is designed to both ask and document
      quality of life (QOL) concerns. Its validity with respect to standard QOL
      measures has not been fully established for advanced cancer when QOL concerns
      predominate. The specific objective of this study is to identify, for people with
      advanced cancer, similarities and differences in ratings of global QOL between
      personalized and standard measures. METHODS: A total of 192 patients completed
      five QOL measures at study entry: PGI, generic measures (SF-6D, EQ-5D), and
      cancer-specific measures of QOL (McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire and
      Edmonton Symptoms Assessment Scale). Comparisons among total scores were compared
      using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE). RESULTS: Patients voiced 114 areas
      of QOL concerns by the PGI with the top three being fatigue, sleep, and pain
      (39.2, 22.6, and 21.6%, respectively). PGI total QOL score was 25 to 30
      percentage points lower than those documented by the other measures, particularly
      when QOL was poor. Correlations between PGI and other measures were low.
      CONCLUSION: PGI allowed patients to express a wide range of QOL concerns, many
      that were not assessed by other QOL measures. If only one QOL measure is to be
      included, either in a clinical setting or for research, the PGI would satisfy
      many of the criteria for "best choice." PGI could be considered a cancer-specific
      QOL measure. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER: This study provides evidence that the PGI
      would be a good measure for patients and clinicians to use together to identify
      areas of concern that require attention and monitor changing needs.

PMID- 26099904
TI  - Treatment of the Prostate in the Presence of Metastases: Lessons from Other Solid
      Tumors.

PMID- 26099903
TI  - Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Neuronal Apoptosis is Reduced Through Modulation
      of PI3K and Autophagy Pathways in Mouse by FTY720.
AB  - FTY720 is a synthetic compound produced by modification of metabolite from Isaria
      sinclairii. It is a novel type of immunosuppressive agent inhibiting lymphocyte
      egress from secondary lymphoid tissues, thereby causing peripheral lymphopenia.
      Growing evidences have suggested that apoptosis and autophagy were involved in
      the secondary brain injury after traumatic brain injury (TBI) although FTY720
      exerted neuroprotective effects in a variety of neurological diseases except TBI.
      The present study was aimed to investigate the role of FTY720 in a mouse model of
      TBI. In experiment 1, ICR mice were divided into four groups: sham group, TBI
      group, TBI + vehicle group, and TBI + FTY720 group. And the injured cerebral
      cortex (including both contused and penumbra) was used for analysis. We found
      that FTY720 administration after TBI improved neurobehavioral function,
      alleviated brain edema, accompanied by modulation of apoptotic indicators such as
      Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Bax, and cytochrome c. In experiment 2, ICR mice were also divided
      into four groups: sham group, TBI + vehicle group, TBI + FTY720 group, and TBI +
      FTY720 + inhibitors group. And the injured cerebral cortex (including both
      contused and penumbra) was used for analysis. We found that FTY720 increased the
      expression of phospho-protein kinase B (AKT) and some autophagy markers such as
      LC3 and Beclin 1. In addition, the apoptosis inhibition effect of FTY720 was
      partly abrogated by the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases (PI3K)/AKT pathway
      inhibitor LY294002 and autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine. Collectively, our
      data provide the first evidence that FTY720 exerted neuroprotective effects after
      TBI, at least in part, through the activation of PI3K/AKT pathway and autophagy.

PMID- 26099905
TI  - [Richard Freiherr v. Krafft-Ebing and Sigmund Freud--discourse on the "normality"
      and "perversion" of human sexuality at the close of the 19th century and the
      beginning of the 20th century].
AB  - Sexuality has been defined a central feature of personal identity since the epoch
      of enlightenment and has gradually become a decisive issue also in societal and
      political terms. A major transfer from religion and religious institutions to
      medicine and medical experts and later on to neuropsychiatrists has to be
      underlined in the primary position to assess "normal" and "deviant"
      manifestations of sexuality. Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing and Sigmund Freund
      play an eminent role in this "discourse on sexuality" (M. Foucault) during the
      nineteenth and beginning twentieth century on the way to modern sexology. Within
      this overarching context Krafft-Ebing's and Freud's theoretical
      conceptualizations of sexuality and perversion will be sketched and basic
      clinical and societal implications there out will be discussed. 

PMID- 26099906
TI  - Baseline PSA in a Spanish male population aged 40-49 years anticipates detection
      of prostate cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We researched the usefulness of optimizing prostate cancer (PC)
      screening in our community using baseline PSA readings in men between 40-49 years
      of age. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A retrospective study was performed that analyzed
      baseline PSA in the fifth decade of life and its ability to predict the
      development of PC in a population of Madrid (Spain). An ROC curve was created and
      a cutoff was proposed. We compared the evolution of PSA from baseline in patients
      with consecutive readings using the Friedman test. We established baseline PSA
      ranges with different risks of developing cancer and assessed the diagnostic
      utility of the annual PSA velocity (PSAV) in this population. RESULTS: Some 4,304
      men aged 40-49 years underwent opportunistic screening over the course of 17
      years, with at least one serum PSA reading (6,001 readings) and a mean follow-up
      of 57.1+/-36.8 months. Of these, 768 underwent biopsy of some organ, and 104
      underwent prostate biopsy. Fourteen patients (.33%) were diagnosed with prostate
      cancer. The median baseline PSA was .74 (.01-58.5) ng/mL for patients without PC
      and 4.21 (.76-47.4) ng/mL for those with PC. The median time from the reading to
      diagnosis was 26.8 (1.5-143.8) months. The optimal cutoff for detecting PC was
      1.9ng/mL (sensitivity, 92.86%; specificity, 92.54%; PPV, 3.9%; NPV, 99.97%), and
      the area under the curve was 92.8%. In terms of the repeated reading, the
      evolution of the PSA showed no statistically significant differences between the
      patients without cancer (p=.56) and those with cancer (P=.64). However, a PSAV
      value >.3ng/mL/year revealed high specificity for detecting cancer in this
      population. CONCLUSIONS: A baseline PSA level >=1.9ng/mL in Spanish men aged 40
      49 years predicted the development of PC. This value could therefore be of use
      for opportunistic screening at an early age. An appropriate follow-up adapted to
      the risk of this population needs to be defined, but an annual PSAV
      >=.3ng/mL/year appears of use for reaching an early diagnosis.

PMID- 26099907
TI  - Cervical Spine Fracture Presenting as an Orthostatic Headache Secondary to
      Cerebral Spinal Fluid Leak.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Head injuries are a common chief complaint encountered in the
      emergency department (ED). A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak resulting from such
      injuries is uncommon, but has potentially debilitating consequences if
      undiagnosed. CASE REPORT: A 34-year-old male patient presented to the ED with
      complaints of an orthostatic headache after a bicycle accident that occurred 5
      days prior to presentation. He presented with a nonfocal neurologic examination.
      Computed tomography (CT) of the head was without significant pathology. CT
      angiography of the neck, performed due to a concern about traumatic arterial
      dissection, revealed C7 spinal fractures, but no evidence of dissection or
      occlusion of the arteries in the neck. Lying flat, he appeared comfortable but
      became quite symptomatic upon sitting upright or standing. Based on this finding,
      a CSF leak was suspected and he was admitted for symptom control and more
      detailed imaging to rule out such a leak. He was found, on magnetic resonance
      imaging, to have epidural CSF collections consistent with the suspected leak. In
      addition to immobilization for the cervical spine fracture, he was treated for
      orthostatic headaches conservatively with good outcomes. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY
      PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Although this syndrome is still considered rare
      compared to other posttraumatic injuries, there is a growing body of evidence
      suggesting it may be underdiagnosed. Additionally, the signs and symptoms of this
      syndrome are nonspecific, with the exclusion of the orthostatic headache, and may
      be readily attributed to other diagnoses.

PMID- 26099908
TI  - Vaseline: A New Stone in Hair Glue Removal.

PMID- 26099909
TI  - Acute Vilazodone Toxicity in a Pediatric Patient.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vilazodone is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and 5HT1A
      agonist recently approved to treat depression in adults. To date, there are
      minimal data available regarding the expected course and treatment of acute
      vilazodone ingestions. CASE REPORT: We report a case of a previously healthy 19
      month-old girl who presented after an acute ingestion of an estimated 37 mg/kg
      vilazodone. She was taken to an outside emergency department approximately 1 h
      after an unwitnessed ingestion. Initially, the patient was noted to have
      decreased responsiveness, sluggish but reactive pupils, altered mental status,
      and reported seizure activity. She was given intravenous lorazepam for seizure
      control, intubated, and transferred to a pediatric tertiary care facility, where
      she continued to show signs of serotonin toxicity and received treatment with
      benzodiazepines and cyproheptadine. Despite vilazodone's long half-life and the
      large amount ingested, the patient was extubated within 10 h of presentation, had
      returned to baseline mental status by 22 h, and was discharged home approximately
      57 h after ingestion. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?:
      Accidental ingestions are common in the pediatric population. Emergency
      physicians need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of acute medication
      toxicities, the expected clinical course, and the necessary supportive measures
      used to treat these patients. Because vilazodone is a recently approved
      medication, there is little experience with acute vilazodone ingestions. This
      report considerably increases the understanding of vilazodone's effects in the
      setting of an acute ingestion.

PMID- 26099910
TI  - Peer-assisted Learning in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: The Jigsaw Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Training a large cohort of the population could, over time, increase
      the rate of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and survival after out
      of-hospital cardiac arrest. OBJECTIVES: This study investigates 1) the quality of
      peer-assisted learning (PAL) by means of the jigsaw method compared to direct
      teaching by an instructor for learning CPR, and 2) the extent to which acquired
      skills can be passed on from tutor to tutee without loss of learning. METHODS:
      One hundred thirty-seven master students were randomized into a jigsaw and a
      control group. In the jigsaw group, subjects were randomly split into a chest
      compression group (CC) and a ventilation group (VEN). After each group had
      learned the respective skill by an expert instructor, all students were
      randomized into pairs and taught their partner the acquired skill. In the control
      group, both skills were taught by the expert instructor. CPR assessment was
      individually conducted 1 week prior to intervention (baseline) and 2 weeks after
      (post) on a manikin using a PC-Skill Reporting System. RESULTS: At baseline, no
      significant differences were observed between the three groups. At post, all
      groups met the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) 2010 guidelines. No
      significant difference was observed between the jigsaw and control group. One
      significant difference was found between the VEN and CC group for chest
      compression depth (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the jigsaw
      model is as effective as expert instruction to achieve the ERC 2010 guidelines.
      Only one difference was found between the tutor and tutee group.

PMID- 26099911
TI  - Should Family-witnessed Resuscitation Become Our Standard?
AB  - BACKGROUND: There have been several studies published regarding family-witnessed
      resuscitation (FWR), but fewer studies regarding its effectiveness. In FWR,
      family members are invited to be present during resuscitation efforts of a loved
      one. This practice is recognized and approved by the Emergency Nurses
      Association. DISCUSSION: FWR is increasingly gaining attention, but is not
      without controversy. This practice is not widely accepted by hospital staff due
      to fear of legal claims, prolonging futile resuscitative efforts, and violent or
      abusive reactions from family members. However, there may be several positive
      factors in performing FWR, including better mental health outcomes for family
      members and improved satisfaction of family members. SUMMARY: This article
      represents my professional opinion on the implication and professional
      recommendation of instituting FWR as standard of care. Education regarding the
      positive aspects of FWR is urgently needed to improve staff acceptance and
      promote policies to incorporate the procedure into practice.

PMID- 26099912
TI  - Avascular Necrosis of the Hip.

PMID- 26099913
TI  - [Medication reconciliation: a shared responsibility].

PMID- 26099917
TI  - Paracetamol poisoning: beyond the nomogram.
AB  - Paracetamol poisoning is the commonest overdose seen in the UK. The management of
      patients with paracetamol poisoning has been little changed for the past 40
      years, with a weight related dose of antidote (acetylcysteine) and treatment
      based on nomograms relating paracetamol concentration to time from ingestion. In
      2012 the UK Commission on Human Medicines recommended a revision of the nomogram,
      following the death of a young woman, lowering the treatment threshold for all
      patients. As a result many more patients were treated. This has resulted in a
      large increase in admissions and in the proportion suffering adverse reactions to
      the antidote acetylcysteine since, interestingly, higher paracetamol
      concentrations inhibit anaphylactoid reactions to the antidote. New approaches to
      assessing the toxicity of paracetamol are now emerging using new biomarkers in
      blood. This article discusses new approaches to risk assessment and treatment for
      paracetamol overdose based on recent research in this area.

PMID- 26099918
TI  - Patient discomfort and other side effects after bilateral sagittal split
      osteotomy or distraction osteogenesis of the mandible: a randomized clinical
      trial.
AB  - A randomized clinical trial was conducted to compare bilateral sagittal split
      osteotomy (BSSO) with distraction osteogenesis (DO) for the advancement of the
      mandible, with a focus on patient discomfort, postoperative pain, the need for
      analgesics, and occurrence of infection. All patients were non-syndromal, had a
      class II hypoplastic mandible, and had not undergone previous mandibular surgery.
      A total of 66 patients were allocated randomly to the BSSO group (32 patients) or
      the DO group (34 patients). Sixty-three patients were eligible for evaluation, 29
      in the BSSO group and 34 in the DO group. Patients in the DO group experienced
      more pain after 6 days postoperative, and were administered more analgesics after
      5 days postoperative than patients in the BSSO group (P=0.030 and P=0.045,
      respectively). The operating time was significantly shorter for the BSSO group
      than for the DO group (78 min vs. 100 min, P=0.024). All postoperative infections
      (12 in total) emerged in the DO group (P=0.005). All patients in the DO group had
      a second surgery in day care to remove the distractor, while two patients in the
      BSSO group needed plate removal. It is concluded that patients experienced more
      pain after DO, needed more analgesics postoperatively, and had more infections in
      comparison to the BSSO group.

PMID- 26099919
TI  - The impact of genetic polymorphisms of drug metabolizing enzymes on the
      pharmacodynamics of clopidogrel under steady state conditions.
AB  - Clopidogrel is an antiplatelet drug that requires biotransformation steps to its
      active metabolite via cytochromes P450 (CYP), particularly CYP2C19 and CYP3A5 as
      well as paraoxonase-1 (PON1). The impact of CYP3A5 and PON1 genetic polymorphisms
      on the response of this drug is unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the degree
      of genetic polymorphisms of key drug metabolizing enzymes on the antiplatelet
      effect of clopidogrel. Thirty-five healthy subjects were treated with 75 mg/day
      clopidogrel for 7 days and serial blood samples were collected for measurement of
      antiplatelet effect using whole blood impedance aggregometry and VerifyNow((r))
      P2Y12 methods. The areas under the antiplatelet effect-time curves, maximal and
      minimal antiplatelet effects of clopidogrel obtained from both methods were
      significantly different among subjects with different CYP2C19 genotypes. In
      contrast, these pharmacodymamic parameters measured by both methods of subjects
      with different PON1 or CYP3A5 genotypes were not significantly different. Among
      the heterozygous CYP2C19*2 subjects, all pharmacodynamic parameters measured by
      whole blood impedance aggregometry were significantly different between subjects
      with different CYP3A5*3 genotypes. Our data suggests that CYP2C19 genetic
      polymorphism play a major role in the clopidogrel response, however, the impact
      of CYP3A5 genetic polymorphism, may be pronounced in the subjects who carried the
      loss-functional allele of CYP2C19. 

PMID- 26099920
TI  - BioTech 2014 and 6th Czech-Swiss Biotechnology Symposium.

PMID- 26099916
TI  - Role of biomarkers of nephrotoxic acute kidney injury in deliberate poisoning and
      envenomation in less developed countries.
AB  - Acute kidney injury (AKI) has diverse causes and is associated with increased
      mortality and morbidity. In less developed countries (LDC), nephrotoxic AKI
      (ToxAKI) is common and mainly due to deliberate ingestion of nephrotoxic
      pesticides, toxic plants or to snake envenomation. ToxAKI shares some
      pathophysiological pathways with the much more intensively studied ischaemic AKI,
      but in contrast to ischaemic AKI, most victims are young, previously healthy
      adults. Diagnosis of AKI is currently based on a rise in serum creatinine.
      However this may delay diagnosis because of the kinetics of creatinine. Baseline
      creatinine values are also rarely available in LDC. Novel renal injury biomarkers
      offer a way forward because they usually increase more rapidly in AKI and are
      normally regarded as absent or very low in concentration, thereby reducing the
      need for a baseline estimate. This should increase sensitivity and speed of
      diagnosis. Specificity should also be increased for urine biomarkers since many
      originate from the renal tubular epithelium. Earlier diagnosis of ToxAKI should
      allow earlier initiation of appropriate therapy. However, translation of novel
      biomarkers of ToxAKI into clinical practice requires better understanding of non
      renal factors in poisoning that alter biomarkers and the influence of dose of
      nephrotoxin on biomarker performance. Further issues are establishing LDC
      population-based normal ranges and assessing sampling and analytical parameters
      for low resource settings. The potential role of renal biomarkers in exploring
      ToxAKI aetiologies for chronic kidney disease of unknown origin (CKDu) is a high
      research priority in LDC. Therefore, developing more sensitive biomarkers for
      early diagnosis of nephrotoxicity is a critical step to making progress against
      AKI and CKDu in the developing world. 

PMID- 26099921
TI  - Application of a hierarchical enzyme classification method reveals the role of
      gut microbiome in human metabolism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enzymes are known as the molecular machines that drive the metabolism
      of an organism; hence identification of the full enzyme complement of an organism
      is essential to build the metabolic blueprint of that species as well as to
      understand the interplay of multiple species in an ecosystem. Experimental
      characterization of the enzymatic reactions of all enzymes in a genome is a
      tedious and expensive task. The problem is more pronounced in the metagenomic
      samples where even the species are not adequately cultured or characterized.
      Enzymes encoded by the gut microbiota play an essential role in the host
      metabolism; thus, warranting the need to accurately identify and annotate the
      full enzyme complements of species in the genomic and metagenomic projects. To
      fulfill this need, we develop and apply a method called ECemble, an ensemble
      approach to identify enzymes and enzyme classes and study the human gut metabolic
      pathways. RESULTS: ECemble method uses an ensemble of machine-learning methods to
      accurately model and predict enzymes from protein sequences and also identifies
      the enzyme classes and subclasses at the finest resolution. A tenfold cross
      validation result shows accuracy between 97 and 99% at different levels in the
      hierarchy of enzyme classification, which is superior to comparable methods. We
      applied ECemble to predict the entire complements of enzymes from ten sequenced
      proteomes including the human proteome. We also applied this method to predict
      enzymes encoded by the human gut microbiome from gut metagenomic samples, and to
      study the role played by the microbe-derived enzymes in the human metabolism.
      After mapping the known and predicted enzymes to canonical human pathways, we
      identified 48 pathways that have at least one bacteria-encoded enzyme, which
      demonstrates the complementary role of gut microbiome in human gut metabolism.
      These pathways are primarily involved in metabolizing dietary nutrients such as
      carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, cofactors and vitamins. CONCLUSIONS: The
      ECemble method is able to hierarchically assign high quality enzyme annotations
      to genomic and metagenomic data. This study demonstrated the real application of
      ECemble to understand the indispensable role played by microbe-encoded enzymes in
      the healthy functioning of human metabolic systems.

PMID- 26099923
TI  - Abscisic Acid Transport and Homeostasis in the Context of Stomatal Regulation.
AB  - The discovery of cytosolic ABA receptors is an important breakthrough in stomatal
      research; signaling via these receptors is involved in determining the basal
      stomatal conductance and stomatal responsiveness. However, the source of ABA in
      guard cells is still not fully understood. The level of ABA increases in guard
      cells by de novo synthesis, recycling from inactive conjugates via beta
      glucosidases BG1 and BG2 and by import, whereas it decreases by hydroxylation,
      conjugation, and export. ABA importers include the NRT1/PTR family protein AIT1,
      ATP-binding cassette protein ABCG40, and possibly ABCG22, whereas the DTX family
      member DTX50 and ABCG25 function as ABA exporters. Here, we review the proteins
      involved in ABA transport and homeostasis and their physiological role in
      stomatal regulation. Recent experiments suggest that functional redundancy
      probably exists among ABA transporters between vasculature and guard cells and
      ABA recycling proteins, as stomatal functioning remained intact in abcg22,
      abcg25, abcg40, ait1, and bg1bg2 mutants. Only the initial response to reduced
      air humidity was significantly delayed in abcg22. Considering the reports showing
      autonomous ABA synthesis in guard cells, we discuss that rapid stomatal responses
      to atmospheric factors might depend primarily on guard cell-synthesized ABA,
      whereas in the case of long-term soil water deficit, ABA synthesized in the
      vasculature might have a significant role. 

PMID- 26099922
TI  - Halofuginone inhibits phosphorylation of SMAD-2 reducing angiogenesis and
      leukemia burden in an acute promyelocytic leukemia mouse model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Halofuginone (HF) is a low-molecular-weight alkaloid that has been
      demonstrated to interfere with Metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and Tumor Growth
      Factor-beta (TGF-beta) function and, to present antiangiogenic, antiproliferative
      and proapoptotic properties in several solid tumor models. Based on the fact that
      high levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and increased
      angiogenesis have been described in acute myeloid leukemia and associated with
      disease progression, we studied the in vivo effects of HF using an Acute
      Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL) mouse model. METHODS: NOD/SCID mice were
      transplanted with leukemic cells from hCG-PML/RARA transgenic mice (TM) and
      treated with HF 150 MUg/kg/day for 21 days. The leukemic infiltration and the
      percentage of VEGF+ cells were evaluated by morphology and flow cytometry. The
      effect of HF on the gene expression of several pro- and antiangiogenic factors,
      phosphorylation of SMAD2 and VEGF secretion was assessed in vitro using NB4 and
      HUVEC cells. RESULTS: HF treatment resulted in hematological remission with
      decreased accumulation of immature cell and lower amounts of VEGF in BM of
      leukemic mice. In vitro, HF modulated gene expression of several pro- and
      antiangiogenic factors, reduced VEGF secretion and phosphorylation of SMAD2,
      blocking TGF-beta-signaling. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our results demonstrate
      that HF inhibits SMAD2 signaling and reduces leukemia growth and angiogenesis.

PMID- 26099924
TI  - A Versatile Phenotyping System and Analytics Platform Reveals Diverse Temporal
      Responses to Water Availability in Setaria.
AB  - Phenotyping has become the rate-limiting step in using large-scale genomic data
      to understand and improve agricultural crops. Here, the Bellwether Phenotyping
      Platform for controlled-environment plant growth and automated multimodal
      phenotyping is described. The system has capacity for 1140 plants, which pass
      daily through stations to record fluorescence, near-infrared, and visible images.
      Plant Computer Vision (PlantCV) was developed as open-source, hardware platform
      independent software for quantitative image analysis. In a 4-week experiment,
      wild Setaria viridis and domesticated Setaria italica had fundamentally different
      temporal responses to water availability. While both lines produced similar
      levels of biomass under limited water conditions, Setaria viridis maintained the
      same water-use efficiency under water replete conditions, while Setaria italica
      shifted to less efficient growth. Overall, the Bellwether Phenotyping Platform
      and PlantCV software detected significant effects of genotype and environment on
      height, biomass, water-use efficiency, color, plant architecture, and tissue
      water status traits. All ~ 79,000 images acquired during the course of the
      experiment are publicly available.

PMID- 26099925
TI  - Responses of the antennal bimodal hygroreceptor neurons to innocuous and noxious
      high temperatures in the carabid beetle, Pterostichus oblongopunctatus.
AB  - Electrophysiological responses of thermo- and hygroreceptor neurons from antennal
      dome-shaped sensilla of the carabid beetle Pterostichus oblongopunctatus to
      different levels of steady temperature ranging from 20 to 35 degrees C and rapid
      step-changes in it were measured and analysed at both constant relative and
      absolute ambient air humidity conditions. It appeared that both hygroreceptor
      neurons respond to temperature which means that they are bimodal. For the first
      time in arthropods, the ability of antennal dry and moist neurons to produce high
      temperature induced spike bursts is documented. Burstiness of the spike trains is
      temperature dependent and increases with temperature increase. Threshold
      temperatures at which the two neurons switch from regular spiking to spike
      bursting are lower compared to that of the cold neuron, differ and approximately
      coincide with the upper limit of preferred temperatures of the species. We
      emphasise that, in contrast to various sensory systems studied, the hygroreceptor
      neurons of P. oblongopunctatus have stable and continuous burst trains, no
      temporal information is encoded in the timing of the bursts. We hypothesise that
      temperature dependent spike bursts produced by the antennal thermo- and
      hygroreceptor neurons may be responsible for detection of noxious high
      temperatures important in behavioural thermoregulation of carabid beetles. 

PMID- 26099926
TI  - A cross-sectional study of barriers to physical activity among overweight and
      obese patients with type 2 diabetes in Iran.
AB  - The objective of this study was to identify common barriers to physical activity
      practice among overweight/obese patients with type 2 diabetes in Iran and their
      associations with physical activity level. In this cross-sectional study, 146
      overweight/obese volunteers with type 2 diabetes were recruited from diabetes
      clinics in Tabriz, Iran, between July 2012 and March 2013. A Persian version of
      the long-format International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess
      physical activity level. A 12-item structured questionnaire was designed to
      assess physical activity barriers. The validity and reliability of the latter
      scale were assessed by related measures. An exploratory factor analysis with the
      principal component analysis extraction method and varimax rotation was performed
      to extract the underlying factors. Multivariate regression analysis was used to
      assess the relationship between barriers and physical activity level. About 73%
      of patients had moderate physical activity. Factor analysis yielded four factors
      as barriers to physical activity including: (i) negative attitude towards
      physical activity, (ii) discouragement, (iii) physical problems and (iv)
      cost/environmental factors. These factors explained about 51% of the total
      variance. There was a negative relationship between the factor 'physical
      problems' and physical activity level (P = 0.024). Overall, there were some
      barriers to physical activity. Health counsellors should address these barriers
      to increase the patients' adherence to physical activity recommendations.
      Physical conditions of the patients must be taken into account.

PMID- 26099927
TI  - Assessment of immune functions and MRI disease activity in relapsing-remitting
      multiple sclerosis patients switching from natalizumab to fingolimod (ToFingo
      Successor).
AB  - BACKGROUND: In light of the increased risk of progressive multifocal
      encephalopathy (PML) development under long-term treatment with the monoclonal
      antibody natalizumab which is approved for treatment of active relapsing
      remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), there is a clear need for alternative
      treatment options with comparable efficacy and reduced PML risk. One such option
      is fingolimod, a functional sphingosin-1-receptor antagonist that has been
      approved as first oral drug for treatment of active RRMS. However, the optimal
      switching design in terms of prevention of disease reoccurrence is still unknown.
      Moreover, potential additive effects of both drugs on immune functions,
      especially with regard to migration, have not yet been evaluated. METHODS/DESIGN:
      This is an exploratory, open-label, monocentric, investigator-initiated clinical
      trial. Fifteen RRMS patients under stable treatment with natalizumab will receive
      one last natalizumab infusion followed by a wash-out period of 8 weeks before
      fingolimod treatment initiation for a period of 24 weeks. Disease activity under
      natalizumab and during switching will be closely monitored by assessment of
      relapse rate and disease severity as well as high-frequent high-resolution
      magnetic resonance imaging including quantitative diffusion tensor imaging.
      Immunological assays include longitudinal assessment of adhesion molecule
      expression, functional evaluation of the migratory capacity of immune cells in an
      in-vitro model of the blood-brain-barrier, and the quality of cellular antiviral
      immune responses. DISCUSSION: Our trial represents the first detailed and
      longitudinal functional analysis of key immunological parameters in the process
      of switching from natalizumab and fingolimod, especially with regard to potential
      additive effects of both drugs on trafficking and immune surveillance. Moreover,
      our study will generate valuable information about even subtle disease
      exacerbations as consequence of natalizumab cessation, which will help to
      understand whether a switching protocol containing a wash-out period of 8 weeks
      before fingolimod treatment is appropriate in terms of disease stability.

PMID- 26099928
TI  - Characterization of the bacterial gut microbiota of piglets suffering from new
      neonatal porcine diarrhoea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years, new neonatal porcine diarrhoea (NNPD) of unknown
      aetiology has emerged in Denmark. NNPD affects piglets during the first week of
      life and results in impaired welfare, decreased weight gain, and in the worst
      case scenario death. Commonly used preventative interventions such as vaccination
      or treatment with antibiotics, have a limited effect on NNPD. Previous studies
      have investigated the clinical manifestations, histopathology, and to some
      extent, microbiological findings; however, these studies were either inconclusive
      or suggested that Enterococci, possibly in interaction with Escherichia coli,
      contribute to the aetiology of NNPD. This study examined ileal and colonic
      luminal contents of 50 control piglets and 52 NNPD piglets by means of the qPCR
      based Gut Microbiotassay and 16 samples by 454 sequencing to study the
      composition of the bacterial gut microbiota in relation to NNPD. RESULTS: NNPD
      was associated with a diminished quantity of bacteria from the phyla
      Actinobacteria and Firmicutes while genus Enterococcus was more than 24 times
      more abundant in diarrhoeic piglets. The number of bacteria from the phylum
      Fusobacteria was also doubled in piglets suffering from diarrhoea. With
      increasing age, the gut microbiota of NNPD affected piglet and control piglets
      became more diverse. Independent of diarrhoeic status, piglets from first parity
      sows (gilts) possessed significantly more bacteria from family Enterobacteriaceae
      and species E. coli, and fewer bacteria from phylum Firmicutes. Piglets born to
      gilts had 25 times higher odds of having NNPD compared with piglets born to
      multiparous sows. Finally, the co-occurrence of genus Enterococcus and species E.
      coli contributed to the risk of having NNPD. CONCLUSION: The results of this
      study support previous findings that points towards genus Enterococcus and
      species E. coli to be involved in the pathogenesis of NNPD. Moreover, the results
      indicate that NNPD is associated with a disturbed bacterial composition and
      larger variation between the diarrhoeic piglets.

PMID- 26099929
TI  - Endoscopic submucosal dissection of duodenal gangliocytic paraganglioma: a rare
      entity.

PMID- 26099930
TI  - Formation of large esophageal diverticulum after peroral endoscopic myotomy.

PMID- 26099931
TI  - Two endoscopic resection methods for the removal of an over-the-scope clip.

PMID- 26099932
TI  - Pancreatic lipid content is not associated with beta cell dysfunction in youth
      onset type 2 diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether pancreatic lipid content is associated with type
      2 diabetes and beta cell function in Indigenous and Caucasian adolescents.
      METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study comparing (1)H-magnetic resonance
      spectroscopy-derived pancreatic triglyceride content in adolescents 13 to 18
      years of age with type 2 diabetes (n=20) and body mass index-matched
      normoglycemic controls (n=34). Beta cell function was measured by the acute
      insulin response and disposition index derived from intravenous glucose tolerance
      tests. RESULTS: Pancreatic lipid content was not significantly different in youth
      with type 2 diabetes and their normoglycemic body mass index-matched peers (2.41
      [95% CI: 0.63, 5.60] vs. 1.22 [0.08, 5.93]; p=0.27). Pancreatic triglyceride
      levels were not associated with measures of beta cell function in the cohort. In
      subgroup analyses, pancreatic lipid content was ~4-fold higher in youth with type
      2 diabetes who were carriers of the G319S mutation in the HNF-1alpha gene (7.45
      [2.85, 26.8] vs. 2.20 [0.350, 3.30] % Fat to Water Ratio F/W; p=0.032).
      CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic lipid content is not elevated in Indigenous or Caucasian
      youth with type 2 diabetes compared to normoglycemic youth, nor is it associated
      with beta cell function. The presence of the G319S mutation in the HNF-1alpha
      gene in Indigenous youth with type 2 diabetes is associated with higher
      pancreatic lipid content. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms
      that explain beta cell failure in overweight youth with type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 26099933
TI  - Maternal ambient air pollution exposure preconception and during early gestation
      and offspring congenital orofacial defects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maternal air pollution exposure has been related to orofacial clefts
      but the literature is equivocal. Potential chronic preconception effects have not
      been studied. OBJECTIVES: Criteria air pollutant exposure during three months
      preconception and gestational weeks 3-8 was studied in relation to orofacial
      defects. METHODS: Among 188,102 live births and fetal deaths from the Consortium
      on Safe Labor (2002-2008), 63 had isolated cleft palate (CP) and 159 had isolated
      cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL +/-CP). Exposures were estimated using
      a modified Community Multiscale Air Quality model. Logistic regression with
      generalized estimating equations adjusted for site/region and maternal
      demographic, lifestyle and clinical factors calculated the odds ratio (OR) and
      95% CI per interquartile increase in each pollutant. RESULTS: Preconception,
      carbon monoxide (CO; OR=2.24; CI: 1.21, 4.16) and particulate matter (PM) <=10 um
      (OR=1.72; CI: 1.12, 2.66) were significantly associated with CP, while sulfur
      dioxide (SO2) was associated with CL +/-CP (OR=1.93; CI: 1.16, 3.21). During
      gestational weeks 3-8, CO remained a significant risk for CP (OR=2.74; CI: 1.62,
      4.62) and nitrogen oxides (NOx; OR=3.64; CI: 1.73, 7.66) and PM <=2.5 um (PM2.5;
      OR=1.74; CI: 1.15, 2.64) were also related to the risk. Analyses by individual
      week revealed that positive associations of NOx and PM2.5 with CP were most
      prominent from weeks 3-6 and 3-5, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to several
      criteria air pollutants preconception and during early gestation was associated
      with elevated odds for CP, while CL +/-CP was only associated with preconception
      SO2 exposure.

PMID- 26099934
TI  - Considerations on treatment recommendations for rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 26099935
TI  - An anatomical study of lumbar epidural catheterization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We herein provide an analysis of lumbar epidural catheterization,
      which outlines a detailed anatomical description of the epidural anatomy, and may
      improve the success rate of neuraxial cannulation. METHODS: Lumbar epidural
      catheters were placed in 50 adult embalmed cadavers. After catheterization, the
      lumbar dura and connecting structures between the epidural space and the
      vertebral body were separated. The positional relationship between the catheter
      and the posterior epidural space were observed and photographed. RESULTS: Amongst
      the 50 specimens, the epidural catheter curled into a circle in three cases,
      entered the intervertebral foramen in two cases, and caused epidural venous
      damage in five cases. CONCLUSIONS: Meningo-vertebral ligaments exist in the
      posterior epidural space and connect to the venous plexus, which may contribute
      to epidural catheter failure, uneven distribution of anaesthesia and epidural
      hemorrhage. Our study provides anaesthesiologists with a better understanding of
      the anatomy and may mitigate complications of lumbar epidural catheter placement.

PMID- 26099936
TI  - A method to investigate protein association with intact sealed mycobacterial
      membrane vesicles.
AB  - In mycobacteria, probing the association of cytoplasmic proteins with the
      membrane itself, as well as with integral or peripheral membrane proteins, is
      limited by the difficulty in extracting intact sealed membrane vesicles due to
      the complex cell wall structure. Here we tested the association of Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis SecA1 and SecA2 proteins with intact membrane vesicles by a
      flotation assay using iodixanol density gradients. These protocols have wide
      applications for studying the association of other mycobacterial cytoplasmic
      proteins with the membrane and membrane-associated proteins. 

PMID- 26099937
TI  - An acetyltransferase assay for CREB-binding protein based on reverse phase-ultra
      fast liquid chromatography of fluorescent histone H3 peptides.
AB  - CREB-binding protein (CBP) is a lysine acetyltransferase that regulates
      transcription by acetylating histone and non-histone substrates. Defects in CBP
      activity are associated with hematologic malignancies, neurodisorders, and
      congenital malformations. Sensitive and quantitative enzymatic assays are
      essential to better characterize the pathophysiological features of CBP. We
      describe a sensitive nonradioactive method to measure purified and immunopurified
      cellular CBP enzymatic activity through rapid reverse phase-ultra-fast liquid
      chromatography (RP-UFLC) analysis of fluorescent histone H3 peptide substrates.
      The applicability and biological relevance of the assay are supported by kinetic,
      inhibition, and immunoprecipitation studies. More broadly, this approach could be
      easily adapted to assay other lysine acetyltransferases or methyltransferases. 

PMID- 26099938
TI  - Escherichia coli virulence patterns may help to predict vesicoureteral reflux in
      paediatric urinary tract infections.
AB  - AIM: Ultrasound and biological tools are used to predict high-grade
      vesicoureteral reflux, but other markers are needed to better select patients who
      need voiding cystography. Our aim was to determine whether studying Escherichia
      coli virulence factors would help to predict vesicoureteral reflux in patients
      with their first acute pyelonephritis. METHODS: We included children presenting
      with E. coli-related acute pyelonephritis or cystitis. Vesicoureteral reflux was
      assessed by voiding cystography. Virulence factors were identified by multiplex
      polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analysis was performed using logistic
      regression and the mean c-statistic test. RESULTS: We included 198 patients: 30
      with cystitis and 168 with acute pyelonephritis, including 46 with vesicoureteral
      reflux. High-grade reflux was associated with acute pyelonephritis caused by the
      E. coli lacking virulence factors papGII (82% versus 47%, p < 0.001) or papC (85%
      versus 53%, p < 0.001) or belonging to phylogenetic group A or B1. When we added
      genetic data (lack of papGII, fyuA and phylogenetic groups) to classical
      predictors of vesicoureteral reflux (ultrasound examination, gender, age), the
      ability to predict high-grade reflux increased, with the c-statistic rising from
      0.88 to 0.93. CONCLUSION: Bacterial virulence factors and clinical factors helped
      to predict high-grade reflux and may help to avoid unnecessary voiding
      cystographies.

PMID- 26099939
TI  - A delivery system for field application of paratransgenic control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As an alternative to chemical pesticides, paratransgenesis relies on
      transformation of symbiotic bacteria of an arthropod vector to deliver molecules
      that disrupt pathogen transmission. For over a decade paratransgenesis has
      remained a laboratory-based endeavor owing to regulatory concerns regarding
      introduction of transformed microorganisms into the environment. To facilitate
      field application of paratransgenic strategies, risk mitigation approaches that
      address environmental contamination and gene spread must be developed. RESULTS:
      Using biopolymer manipulation, we introduce a novel microencapsulation platform
      for containment and targeted delivery of engineered bacteria to the gut of a
      disease-transmitting arthropod. We demonstrate the first proof of principle of
      targeted delivery of EPA-approved Pantoea agglomerans E325 in a paratransgenic
      system to control spread of Pierce's Disease by glassy-winged sharpshooters,
      (Homalodisca vitripennis) under simulated field conditions. Engineered
      microcapsules may address regulatory concerns regarding containment of
      recombinant bacteria and environmental spread of foreign genetic material and may
      represent an important step in translating paratransgenic science beyond the lab
      and into the field. CONCLUSIONS: We present, for the first time, a
      microencapsulation strategy to deliver recombinant bacteria to an insect and
      demonstrate targeted release of bacteria into the physiologically relevant region
      of the insect gut. This is a first step toward addressing concerns related to
      field application of recombinant bacteria. Engineered microparticles may decrease
      environmental contamination, horizontal gene transfer and competition with native
      species by acting as a barrier between recombinant bacteria and the environment.

PMID- 26099940
TI  - Mapping of the putative epitope domain of Clonorchis sinensis paramyosin (CsPmy)
      recognized by CsPmy-specific immunoglobulin G in sera of human clonorchiasis.
AB  - Paramyosin of Clonorchis sinensis (CsPmy) is a myofibrillar protein localized in
      subtegumental muscle, tegument, and the muscle layer surrounding the intestine of
      the parasite. Previously, we have identified that CsPmy reacted with sera of
      human clonorchiasis and this protein had a potential as a candidate antigen for
      serodiagnosis of clonorchiasis. However, we also found that CsPmy is able to bind
      to human immunoglobulin G (IgG) in non-specific manners, which can affect the
      diagnostic value of the protein. Here, we mapped CsPmy-specific IgG binding site
      on CsPmy to analyze the putative epitopes recognized by CsPmy-specific IgG in
      sera of human clonorchiasis. The fragmental expression of CsPmy followed by
      immunoblot analyses with sera from patients with clonorchiasis and non-specific
      human IgG revealed that the middle portion of CsPmy (CsPmyC: 301-600 amino acid
      residues) had epitopes responsible for CsPmy-specific IgG recognition. The
      precise CsPmy-specific IgG binding site was further narrowed down to a fragment
      (CsPmyC-2), which harbors 151 amino acid residues (375-525) of CsPmy. Specific
      antibodies for CsPmyC-2 were produced in rats after two-weeks of post
      experimental infection. The CsPmyC-2 showed low levels of cross reactivity
      against the sera from patients with other helminth parasites. Our results
      suggested that CsPmyC-2 has real epitopes recognized by CsPmy-specific IgG in
      sera of human clonorchiasis and the fragment can be useful as a reliable
      serodiagnostic antigen to develop a serodiagnostic method for clonorchiasis. 

PMID- 26099941
TI  - Calcium-dependent membrane association of a flagellar calcium sensor does not
      require calcium binding.
AB  - Flagellar calcium-binding protein (FCaBP) is a dually acylated Ca(2+) sensor in
      the Trypanosoma cruzi flagellar membrane that undergoes a massive conformational
      change upon Ca(2+) binding. It is similar to neuronal Ca(2+) sensors, like
      recoverin, which regulate their binding partners through a calcium acyl switch
      mechanism. FCaBP is washed out of permeabilized cells with buffers containing
      EDTA, indicating Ca(2+)-dependent flagellar membrane association. We hypothesized
      that, like recoverin, FCaBP projects its acyl groups in the presence of Ca(2+),
      permitting flagellar membrane and binding partner association and that it
      sequesters the acyl groups in low Ca(2+), disassociating from the membrane and
      releasing its binding partner to perform a presumed enzymatic function. The X-ray
      crystal structure of FCaBP suggests that the acyl groups are always exposed, so
      we set out to test our hypothesis directly. We generated T. cruzi transfectants
      expressing FCaBP or Ca(2+)-binding mutant FCaBP(E151Q/E188Q) and recombinant
      wildtype and mutant proteins as well. Both FCaBP and FCaBP(E151Q/E188Q) were
      found to associate with lipid rafts, indicating the Ca(2+)-independence of this
      association. To our initial surprise, FCaBP(E151Q/E188Q), like wildtype FCaBP,
      exhibited Ca(2+)-dependent flagellar membrane association, even though this
      protein does not bind Ca(2+) itself [16]. One possible explanation for this is
      that FCaBP(E151Q/E188Q), like some other Ca(2+) sensors, may form dimers and that
      dimerization of FCaBP(E151Q/E188Q) with endogenous wildtype FCaBP might explain
      its Ca(2+)-dependent localization. Indeed both proteins are able to form dimers
      in the presence and absence of Ca(2+). These results suggest that FCaBP possesses
      two distinct Ca(2+)-dependent interactions-one involving a Ca(2+)-induced change
      in conformation and another perhaps involving binding partner association.

PMID- 26099942
TI  - Recommendations for the use of PET imaging biomarkers in the diagnosis of
      neurodegenerative conditions associated with dementia: SEMNIM and SEN consensus.
AB  - The new diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease (AD) acknowledges the
      interest given to biomarkers to improve the specificity in subjects with dementia
      and to facilitate an early diagnosis of the pathophysiological process of AD in
      the prodromal or pre-dementia stage. The current availability of PET imaging
      biomarkers of synaptic dysfunction (PET-FDG) and beta amyloid deposition using
      amyloid-PET provides clinicians with the opportunity to apply the new criteria
      and improve diagnostic accuracy in their clinical practice. Therefore, it seems
      essential for the scientific societies involved to use the new clinical
      diagnostic support tools to establish clear, evidence-based and agreed set of
      recommendations for their appropriate use. The present work includes a systematic
      review of the literature on the utility of FDG-PET and amyloid-PET for the
      diagnosis of AD and related neurodegenerative diseases that occur with dementia.
      Thus, we propose a series of recommendations agreed on by the Spanish Society of
      Nuclear Medicine and Spanish Society of Neurology as a consensus statement on the
      appropriate use of PET imaging biomarkers. 

PMID- 26099943
TI  - Asymmetric catalytic cascade reactions for constructing diverse scaffolds and
      complex molecules.
AB  - With the increasing concerns about chemical pollution and sustainability of
      resources, among the significant challenges facing synthetic chemists are the
      development and application of elegant and efficient methods that enable the
      concise synthesis of natural products, drugs, and related compounds in a step-,
      atom- and redox-economic manner. One of the most effective ways to reach this
      goal is to implement reaction cascades that allow multiple bond-forming events to
      occur in a single vessel. This Account documents our progress on the rational
      design and strategic application of asymmetric catalytic cascade reactions in
      constructing diverse scaffolds and synthesizing complex chiral molecules. Our
      research is aimed at developing robust cascade reactions for the systematic
      synthesis of a range of interesting molecules that contain structural motifs
      prevalent in natural products, pharmaceuticals, and biological probes. The
      strategies employed to achieve this goal can be classified into three categories:
      bifunctional base/Bronsted acid catalysis, covalent aminocatalysis/N-heterocyclic
      carbene catalysis, and asymmetric organocatalytic relay cascades. By the use of
      rationally designed substrates with properly reactive sites, chiral oxindole,
      chroman, tetrahydroquinoline, tetrahydrothiophene, and cyclohexane scaffolds were
      successfully assembled under bifunctional base/Bronsted acid catalysis from
      simple and readily available substances such as imines and nitroolefins. We found
      that some of these reactions are highly efficient since catalyst loadings as low
      as 1 mol % can promote the multistep sequences affording complex architectures
      with high stereoselectivities and yields. Furthermore, one of the bifunctional
      base/Bronsted acid-catalyzed cascade reactions for the synthesis of chiral
      cyclohexanes has been used as a key step in the construction of the tetracyclic
      core of lycorine-type alkaloids and the formal synthesis of alpha-lycorane.
      Guided by the principles of covalent aminocatalysis and N-heterocyclic carbene
      catalysis, we synthesized chiral piperidine, indole, and cyclobutane derivatives.
      The synthesis of chiral cyclobutanes and pyrroloindolones showed unprecedented
      reactivity of substrates and catalysts. The development of the strategy of
      asymmetric organocatalytic relay cascades has provided a useful tool for the
      controlled synthesis of specific diastereomers in complex molecules. This Account
      gives a panoramic view and the logic of our research on the design, development,
      and applications of asymmetric catalytic cascade reactions that will potentially
      provide useful insights into exploring new reactions. 

PMID- 26099946
TI  - Biotherapies targeting T and B cells: from immune suppression to immune
      tolerance.
AB  - The field of immunotherapy has undergone a major rejuvenation with the
      development of monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins targeting specialized
      receptors of T and B lymphocytes or cytokines relevant for the differentiation of
      these cells. This review will focus on autoimmunity, probably the field that
      benefited most from these new biological therapies that very significantly
      impacted the modalities of patient's care. The aim is to present the agents which
      constitute major disease modifying drugs for the treatment of chronic
      invalidating autoimmune diseases. In doing so, we shall distinguish between
      agents that globally depress immune responses and those that may selectively
      target the harmful autoimmune response over long-term while preserving the
      capacity of the host to react normally to exogenous antigens, in other words,
      agents promoting 'operational tolerance'. 

PMID- 26099944
TI  - Improved serological detection of rheumatoid arthritis: a highly antigenic
      mimotope of carbonic anhydrase III selected in a murine model by phage display.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune
      disease that affects around 1% of the human population worldwide. RA diagnosis
      can be difficult as there is no definitive test for its detection. Therefore, the
      aim of this study was to identify biomarkers that could be used for RA diagnosis.
      METHODS: Sera from a collagen-induced arthritis mouse model were used to select
      potential biomarkers for RA diagnosis by phage display technology. In silico and
      in vitro analyses were performed to characterize and validate the selected
      peptides. Samples were classified into three groups: RA; two other immune
      mediated rheumatic diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and ankylosing
      spondylitis (AS)); and healthy controls (HC). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA) was carried out to determine antibody levels, and diagnostic parameters
      were determined by constructing receiver operating characteristic curves. Mass
      spectrometry and Western blot were performed to identify the putative autoantigen
      that was mimicked by a highly reactive mimotope. RESULTS: After three rounds of
      selection, 14 clones were obtained and tested for immunoreactivity analysis
      against sera from RA and HC groups. The phage-fused peptide with the highest
      immunoreactivity (M12) was synthesized, and was able to efficiently discriminate
      RA patients from SLE, AS and HCs (p < 0.0001) by ELISA. The specificity and
      sensitivity of anti-M12 antibodies for RA diagnosis were 91 % and 84.3 %,
      respectively. The M12 peptide was identified as one that mimics a predicted
      antigenic site of the carbonic anhydrase III (CAIII) protein, a ubiquitous
      biomarker that has been identified in patients with other diseases. CONCLUSION:
      M12 is the first peptide associated with the CAIII protein that may be used as an
      antigen for antibody detection to aid in RA diagnosis with high sensitivity and
      specificity.

PMID- 26099945
TI  - Resveratrol, in its natural combination in whole grape, for health promotion and
      disease management.
AB  - The grape antioxidant resveratrol has been a topic of intense research for the
      past three decades. Resveratrol and other grape ingredients, as well as whole
      grape products, have shown considerable promise in health promotion and disease
      management. Phytochemically, whole grape represents a natural combination of
      resveratrol and other phytonutrients, as it contains several catechins,
      anthocyanins, polyphenols, and flavonols. Thus, whole grape products or specific
      combinations of grape constituents provide us with the possibility of synergistic
      interactions leading to improved efficacy. Recent research has suggested that
      whole-grape products may help in maintaining heart health and protect against
      aging, aging-associated diseases, neurodegeneration, and some cancers. On the
      basis of available recent literature, the grape fruit or whole-grape products
      seem to be safer choices for better health and disease prevention. However, for
      advanced disease conditions, individual grape ingredients (such as resveratrol)
      or combinations of multiple ingredients, together with existing therapies, appear
      to be better approaches. Further clinical studies are needed to understand the
      benefits of grapes and their products in the prevention and management of
      specific diseases. 

PMID- 26099947
TI  - The neurotransmitters serotonin and glutamate accelerate the heart rate of the
      mosquito Anopheles gambiae.
AB  - Serotonin and glutamate are neurotransmitters that in insects are involved in
      diverse physiological processes. Both serotonin and glutamate have been shown to
      modulate the physiology of the dorsal vessel of some insects, yet until the
      present study, their activity in mosquitoes remained unknown. To test whether
      serotonin or glutamate regulate dorsal vessel physiology in the African malaria
      mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, live mosquitoes were restrained, and a video of the
      contracting heart (the abdominal portion of the dorsal vessel) was acquired.
      These adult female mosquitoes were then injected with various amounts of
      serotonin, glutamate, or a control vehicle solution, and additional videos were
      acquired at 2 and 10 min post-treatment. Comparison of the videos taken before
      and after treatment revealed that serotonin accelerates the frequency of heart
      contractions, with the cardioacceleration being significantly more pronounced
      when the wave-like contractions of cardiac muscle propagate in the anterograde
      direction (toward the head). Comparison of the videos taken before and after
      treatment with glutamate revealed that this molecule is also cardioacceleratory.
      However, unlike serotonin, the activity of glutamate does not depend on whether
      the contractions propagate in the anterograde or the retrograde (toward the
      posterior of the abdomen) directions. Serotonin or glutamate induces a minor
      change or no change in the percentage of contractions and the percentage of the
      time that the heart contracts in the anterograde or the retrograde directions. In
      summary, this study shows that the neurotransmitters serotonin and glutamate
      increase the heart contraction rate of mosquitoes.

PMID- 26099948
TI  - Localization of steroidogenic enzymes and Foxl2a in the gonads of mature
      zebrafish (Danio rerio).
AB  - In zebrafish, the identification of the cells expressing steroidogenic enzymes
      and their regulators is far from completely fulfilled though it could provide
      crucial information on the elucidation of the role of these enzymes. The aim of
      this study was to better characterize the expression pattern of steroidogenic
      enzymes involved in estrogen and androgen production (Cyp17-I, Cyp11c1, Cyp19a1a
      and Cyp19a1b) and one of their regulators (Foxl2a) in zebrafish gonads. By using
      immunohistochemistry, we localized the steroid-producing cells in mature
      zebrafish gonads and determined different expression patterns between males and
      females. All these steroidogenic enzymes and Foxl2a were detected both in the
      testis and ovary. In the testis, they were all localized both in Leydig and germ
      cells except Cyp19a1b which was only detected in germ cells. In the ovary, Cyp17
      I, Cyp19a1a and Foxl2a were immunolocalized in both somatic and germ cells while
      Cyp19a1b was only detected in germ cells and Cyp11c1 in somatic cells. Moreover,
      Cyp19a1a and Foxl2a did not display exactly the same patterns of spatial
      localization but their expressions were correlated suggesting a possible
      regulation of cyp19a1a gene by Foxl2a in zebrafish. Comparative analysis revealed
      a dimorphic expression of Cyp11c1, Cyp19a1a, Cyp19a1b and Foxl2a between males
      and females. Overall, our study provides a detailed description of the expression
      of proteins involved in the biosynthesis of steroidal hormones at the cellular
      scale within gonads, which is critical to further elucidating the intimate roles
      of the enzymes and the use of the zebrafish as a model in the field of
      endocrinology. 

PMID- 26099949
TI  - Quantitative EEG Neurometric Analysis-Guided Neurofeedback Treatment in Dementia:
      20 Cases. How Neurometric Analysis Is Important for the Treatment of Dementia and
      as a Biomarker?
AB  - Dementia is a debilitating degenerative disorder where the sufferer's cognitive
      abilities decline over time, depending on the type of dementia. The more common
      types of dementia include Alzheimer's disease and vascular or multi-infarct
      dementia. In this study, 20 subjects with dementia (9 of Alzheimer's type, and 11
      with vascular dementia) were treated using qEEG-guided neurofeedback training.
      The Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) was used as the primary outcome
      measure. The results showed an increase of the MMSE scores for all subjects
      regardless of dementia type with an average MMSE score increase of 6 points,
      which was found to be significant. To our knowledge this is the first time the
      same modality was shown to be beneficial in both dementia groups. 

PMID- 26099951
TI  - Smarter Actuator Design with Complementary and Synergetic Functions.
AB  - A general synthetic strategy for multifunctional actuators is presented, by
      confining desired functions in separate domains of interpenetrating polymer
      network materials. Specifically, complementary ionic actuator and shape-memory
      functions are demonstrated by simultaneous, orthogonal reaction pathways.
      Synergistic effects also allow dynamic programming and two-way linear shape
      memory actuation.

PMID- 26099950
TI  - Subthalamic nucleus stimulation and spontaneous language production in
      Parkinson's disease: A double laterality problem.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asymmetric degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, are characteristic
      for Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite the lateralized representation of language,
      the correlation of asymmetric degeneration of nigrostriatal networks in PD with
      language performance has scarcely been examined. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: The
      laterality of dopamine depletion influences language deficits in PD and thus
      modulates the effects of subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulation on language
      production. METHODS: The spontaneous language production of patients with
      predominant dopamine depletion of the left (PD-left) and right (PD-right)
      hemisphere was compared in four stimulation conditions. RESULTS: PD-right made
      comparatively more verb inflection errors than PD-left. Bilateral STN stimulation
      improves spontaneous language production only for PD-left. CONCLUSIONS: The
      laterality of dopamine depletion influences spontaneous language production and
      the effect of STN stimulation on linguistic functions. However, it is probably
      only one of the many variables influencing the effect of STN stimulation on
      language production.

PMID- 26099952
TI  - Interlayer orientation-dependent light absorption and emission in monolayer
      semiconductor stacks.
AB  - Two-dimensional stacks of dissimilar hexagonal monolayers exhibit unusual
      electronic, photonic and photovoltaic responses that arise from substantial
      interlayer excitations. Interband excitation phenomena in individual hexagonal
      monolayer occur in states at band edges (valleys) in the hexagonal momentum
      space; therefore, low-energy interlayer excitation in the hexagonal monolayer
      stacks can be directed by the two-dimensional rotational degree of each monolayer
      crystal. However, this rotation-dependent excitation is largely unknown, due to
      lack in control over the relative monolayer rotations, thereby leading to
      momentum-mismatched interlayer excitations. Here, we report that light absorption
      and emission in MoS2/WS2 monolayer stacks can be tunable from indirect- to direct
      gap transitions in both spectral and dynamic characteristics, when the
      constituent monolayer crystals are coherently stacked without in-plane rotation
      misfit. Our study suggests that the interlayer rotational attributes determine
      tunable interlayer excitation as a new set of basis for investigating optical
      phenomena in a two-dimensional hexagonal monolayer system. 

PMID- 26099954
TI  - Are We Ready for Mass Screening to Detect Atrial Fibrillation?

PMID- 26099955
TI  - Carotid Artery Revascularization: What's the Best Strategy?

PMID- 26099953
TI  - In-vivo detection of binary PKA network interactions upon activation of
      endogenous GPCRs.
AB  - Membrane receptor-sensed input signals affect and modulate intracellular protein
      protein interactions (PPIs). Consequent changes occur to the compositions of
      protein complexes, protein localization and intermolecular binding affinities.
      Alterations of compartmentalized PPIs emanating from certain deregulated kinases
      are implicated in the manifestation of diseases such as cancer. Here we describe
      the application of a genetically encoded Protein-fragment Complementation Assay
      (PCA) based on the Renilla Luciferase (Rluc) enzyme to compare binary PPIs of the
      spatially and temporally controlled protein kinase A (PKA) network in diverse
      eukaryotic model systems. The simplicity and sensitivity of this cell-based
      reporter allows for real-time recordings of mutually exclusive PPIs of PKA upon
      activation of selected endogenous G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in cancer
      cells, xenografts of mice, budding yeast, and zebrafish embryos. This extends the
      application spectrum of Rluc PCA for the quantification of PPI-based receptor
      effector relationships in physiological and pathological model systems. 

PMID- 26099957
TI  - Evolution of Electrocardiographic and Structural Features Over 3 Decades in
      Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26099958
TI  - Remembering Kanu Chatterjee: A Gentle Giant of Cardiology.

PMID- 26099959
TI  - Saving and Improving Lives in the Information Age: Presidential Address at the
      American Heart Association 2014 Scientific Sessions.

PMID- 26099961
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26099960
TI  - Late Bacterial Endocarditis and Abscess Formation After Implantation of an
      Amplatzer Septal Occluder Device.

PMID- 26099962
TI  - Impact of Menopause on Pharmacokinetics of Rosuvastatin Compared with
      Premenopausal Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Rosuvastatin is used to treat dyslipidemia and its use
      is quite frequent among postmenopausal women. Menopause significantly affects the
      pharmacokinetics of drugs, and altered drug response and therapeutic efficacy may
      be anticipated in postmenopausal women compared with premenopausal women. The
      current study is based on assessment of differences in pharmacokinetics of
      rosuvastatin between pre- and postmenopausal women of Asian ethnicity. METHODS:
      Volunteers were administered a single oral dose of rosuvastatin 40 mg in an open
      label and non-controlled pharmacokinetic study. A reversed-phase HPLC method was
      applied for quantification of rosuvastatin in plasma samples. Student's t test
      was used to compare the pharmacokinetic parameters of rosuvastatin between pre-
      and postmenopausal women at the 95 % confidence interval. RESULTS: The C max
      (premenopausal = 58.2 +/- 29.1, postmenopausal = 12.2 +/- 3.1 ng/ml), [Formula:
      see text] (premenopausal = 272.6 +/- 107.3 ng.h/ml, postmenopausal = 58.8 +/-
      16.6 ng.h/ml), and [Formula: see text] (premenopausal = 366.1 +/- 169,
      postmenopausal = 66.4 +/- 12.9 ng.h/ml) of rosuvastatin were significantly higher
      (p < 0.05) in premenopausal compared with postmenopausal women. The Vd/F of
      rosuvastatin was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in postmenopausal women compared
      with women, and CL/F was also significantly (p < 0.05) faster in postmenopausal
      women when compared at the 95 % confidence interval. CONCLUSION: Rosuvastatin
      plasma level was significantly higher in premenopausal compared with
      postmenopausal women, which raises the question whether the latter are getting
      due therapeutic results, as after the menopause women experience more frequent
      cardiovascular problems and dyslipidemia.

PMID- 26099963
TI  - Unsupervised segmentation of low-contrast multichannel images: discrimination of
      tissue components in microscopic images of unstained specimens.
AB  - Low-contrast images, such as color microscopic images of unstained histological
      specimens, are composed of objects with highly correlated spectral profiles. Such
      images are very hard to segment. Here, we present a method that nonlinearly maps
      low-contrast color image into an image with an increased number of non-physical
      channels and a decreased correlation between spectral profiles. The method is a
      proof-of-concept validated on the unsupervised segmentation of color images of
      unstained specimens, in which case the tissue components appear colorless when
      viewed under the light microscope. Specimens of human hepatocellular carcinoma,
      human liver with metastasis from colon and gastric cancer and mouse fatty liver
      were used for validation. The average correlation between the spectral profiles
      of the tissue components was greater than 0.9985, and the worst case correlation
      was greater than 0.9997. The proposed method can potentially be applied to the
      segmentation of low-contrast multichannel images with high spatial resolution
      that arise in other imaging modalities. 

PMID- 26099964
TI  - Microzooplankton community associated with phytoplankton blooms in the naturally
      iron-fertilized Kerguelen area (Southern Ocean).
AB  - The spatial and temporal community composition of microzooplankton
      (dinoflagellates and ciliates) was assessed in the Kerguelen area (Southern
      Ocean) during the KEOPS2 cruise in early spring (October-November) 2011. This
      naturally iron-fertilized region was characterized by a complex mesoscale
      circulation resulting in a patchy distribution of phytoplankton blooms.
      Collectively, 97 morphospecies of dinoflagellates and ciliates belonging to 41
      genera were identified by microscopy, and 202 Alveolata-related OTUs (operational
      taxonomical units) were retrieved with tag-pyrosequencing. Microscopy and
      pyrosequencing data were in accordance, in that diatom-consuming dinoflagellates
      were the most enhanced taxa in the blooms. Dinoflagellates also showed
      significant positive relationships with phytoplankton pigments, while no major
      differences were found in the ciliate abundances inside and outside the blooms.
      Cluster analysis showed clear differences in the phytoplankton and
      microzooplankton community structures between the iron-fertilized and HNLC (high
      nutrient low chlorophyll) waters, and between the blooms, concerning their
      location and the fertilization mechanisms. These results were combined with the
      rates of primary production and mesozooplankton consumption determined for the
      study area. The potential role of dinoflagellates and ciliates as phytoplankton
      consumers and as prey for mesozooplankton was then evaluated. Overall,
      heterotrophic dinoflagellates were probably the most important group of
      phytoplankton grazers, and a potential food source for copepods.

PMID- 26099965
TI  - Hologenome theory supported by cooccurrence networks of species-specific
      bacterial communities in siphonous algae (Caulerpa).
AB  - The siphonous algae of the Caulerpa genus harbor internal microbial communities
      hypothesized to play important roles in development, defense and metabolic
      activities of the host. Here, we characterize the endophytic bacterial community
      of four Caulerpa taxa in the Mediterranean Sea, through 16S rRNA amplicon
      sequencing. Results reveal a striking alpha diversity of the bacterial
      communities, similar to levels found in sponges and coral holobionts. These
      comprise (1) a very small core community shared across all hosts (< 1% of the
      total community), (2) a variable portion (ca. 25%) shared by some Caulerpa taxa
      but not by all, which might represent environmentally acquired bacteria and (3) a
      large (>70%) species-specific fraction of the community, forming very specific
      clusters revealed by modularity in networks of cooccurrence, even in areas where
      distinct Caulerpa taxa occurred in sympatry. Indirect inferences based on
      sequence homology suggest that these communities may play an important role in
      the metabolism of their host, in particular on their ability to grow on anoxic
      sediment. These findings support the hologenome theory and the need for a
      holistic framework in ecological and evolutionary studies of these holobionts
      that frequently become invasive.

PMID- 26099966
TI  - Drug Therapy for Acute Pancreatitis.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Acute pancreatitis (AP) remains a disease with significant
      morbidity and mortality, and the reported incidence is increasing. Despite a
      significant amount of research over the last few decades with greater
      understanding of the pathophysiology of AP, there are still no specific drugs
      available. Therefore, the current treatment is limited to supportive care such as
      fluid, nutrition, and treatment of complications. In this review, we discuss
      potential novel targeted pharmacologic approaches that may offer promise in the
      treatment of AP such as anti-secretory agents, protease inhibitors, probiotics,
      anti-inflammatory agents, anti-oxidants, and anti-TNF-alpha agents. While many
      drugs were reported to have efficacy in animal experiments, human studies have
      been largely disappointing. Better understanding of AP pathophysiology likely
      will facilitate future therapies in AP.

PMID- 26099967
TI  - The novel beta2-selective proteasome inhibitor LU-102 decreases phosphorylation
      of I kappa B and induces highly synergistic cytotoxicity in combination with
      ibrutinib in multiple myeloma cells.
AB  - PURPOSE: Proteasome-inhibiting drugs (PI) are gaining importance in hematologic
      oncology. The proteasome carries three proteolytically active subunits (beta1,
      beta2, beta5). All established PI (bortezomib and carfilzomib), as well as
      experimental drugs in the field (dalanzomib, oprozomib, and ixazomib), by design
      target the rate-limiting beta5 subunit. It is unknown whether beta2-selective
      proteasome inhibition can also be exploited toward anticancer treatment.
      Combining PI with the pan B-cell-directed Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor
      ibrutinib appears a natural option for future improved treatment of multiple
      myeloma (MM) and B-cell lymphomas. However, bortezomib induces phosphorylation of
      IkappaB and activation of NF-kappaB in MM cells, while ibrutinib inhibits the
      IkappaB/NF-kappaB axis, suggesting antagonistic signaling. A beta2-selective
      proteasome inhibitor may lack such antagonistic signaling effects. METHODS: We
      recently introduced LU-102, the first beta2-selective PI available for
      preclinical testing. We here compare bortezomib with carfilzomib and LU-102 in MM
      and MCL in vitro with regard to their effects on pIkappaB/NF-kappaB signaling and
      their cytotoxic activity in combination with ibrutinib. RESULTS: LU-102 reduced
      phosphorylation of IkappaB, in contrast to bortezomib and carfilzomib, and was a
      superior inhibitor of NF-kappaB activation in MM cells. This translated into
      highly synergistic cytotoxicity between LU-102 and ibrutinib, which was able to
      overcome BTZ resistance and CFZ resistance. By contrast, BTZ lacked consistent
      synergistic cytotoxicity with ibrutinib. CONCLUSION: Ibrutinib is highly
      synergistic with beta2-selective proteasome inhibition against MM and MCL in
      vitro. Novel beta2-selective proteasome inhibitors may be exploited to overcome
      bortezomib/carfilzomib resistance and boost the activity of BTK inhibitors
      against B-cell-derived malignancies.

PMID- 26099968
TI  - Trastuzumab in combination with docetaxel/cisplatin/S-1 (DCS) for patients with
      HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer: feasibility and preliminary efficacy.
AB  - PURPOSE: We previously reported that a triplet combination of docetaxel,
      cisplatin, and S-1 (DCS) is active against metastatic gastric cancer with a very
      high response rate of 87.1 % in a phase II study. Recently, the efficacy of
      trastuzumab (T-mab) for the treatment of HER2-positive gastric cancer has been
      reported. Therefore, we investigated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of
      DCS + T-mab (DCS-T) for unresectable HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer.
      METHODS: Patients received oral S-1 (40 mg/m(2) b.i.d.) on days 1-14, intravenous
      cisplatin (60 mg/m(2)), docetaxel (50 mg/m(2)), and T-mab (8 mg/kg in the first
      cycle and 6 mg/kg in the second cycle and thereafter) on day 8 every 3 weeks.
      RESULTS: The study included 16 patients: median age, 60 (34-76) years;
      males/females, 11:5; intestinal-type/diffuse-type histology, 11:5; and HER2
      3+/2+(FISH+), 13:3. The completion rate until the third cycle was 87.5 % (14/16)
      (95 %CI 71.3-103.7 %). Adverse events of grade 3/4 severity during the first 3
      cycles were: leukopenia/neutropenia, 50.0:75.0 %; febrile neutropenia, 12.5 %;
      diarrhea, 12.5 %; and stomatitis, 12.5 %. All of these side effects were
      manageable and well controlled. There were no treatment-related deaths. The
      overall response rate was 93.8 % (15/16), and the response rate in patients with
      measurable lesions was 100 % (15/15). The median cycle to response was only 1 (1
      3 cycles). Non-curative factors disappeared in 56.3 % (9/16) of patients, and
      conversion surgery (R0 resection) was performed in all these cases. Pathological
      response rates in primary and metastatic lesions were 88.9 % (8/9) and 100 %
      (9/9), respectively. The median PFS and OS were not reached during the median
      follow-up time of 18.3 months ranged from 11.0 to 34.3 months. CONCLUSIONS: DCS-T
      was feasible in patients with unresectable HER2-positive metastatic gastric
      cancer. The observed response was very promising and warrants further
      investigation. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN000005603.

PMID- 26099969
TI  - Phase II study of trastuzumab in combination with S-1 and cisplatin in the first
      line treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor HER2-positive advanced
      gastric cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The use of trastuzumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the HER2
      protein, in combination with 5-fluorouracil/platinum-based chemotherapy improves
      survival in patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer. In addition, TS
      one (S-1)/platinum is also used as a standard of care in Asian countries.
      However, little is known about the combination of S-1/cisplatin chemotherapy and
      trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric/gastroesophageal
      junction (GEJ) cancer. METHODS: We conducted a single-arm, two-stage, open-label,
      multicenter phase II study. Trastuzumab was administered intravenously on day 1
      of the first cycle at 8 mg/kg and 6 mg/kg on day 1 of subsequent cycles.
      Cisplatin was administered intravenously at 60 mg/m(2) on day 1 of each cycle
      after trastuzumab. S-1 was administered orally [based on body surface area (BSA)]
      twice a day for 14 days in a 3-weekly cycle. Patients with BSA of <1.25 received
      a total of 80 mg of S-1, those with BSA >=1.5 received 120 mg, and the remaining
      received 100 mg daily in two divided doses. RESULTS: All evaluable patients
      experienced tumor reduction during the trial. The primary end point (overall
      survival rate) was 59.3 %, with a clinical benefit rate of 66.7 %. Median
      progression-free survival was 7.4 months; 62.6 % patients were free from disease
      progression at 6 months. Median overall survival was 14.6 months, and the median
      time to treatment failure was 6.0 months. CONCLUSION: The combination of
      trastuzumab with S-1 and cisplatin demonstrated good activity, was generally well
      tolerated, and is a feasible treatment option in the first-line treatment of HER2
      positive advanced gastric/GEJ cancers.

PMID- 26099970
TI  - Polyethylenimine coated plasmid DNA-surfactant complexes as potential gene
      delivery systems.
AB  - Nanometer scaled particles have been prepared from strong association between
      plasmid DNA (pcDNA3-FLAG-p53) and oppositely charged surfactants. Although these
      particles present suitable properties for gene delivery purposes, their
      cytotoxicity could compromise their use in gene therapy applications. To ensure
      biocompatibility of this potential gene delivery system, the nanoparticles were
      coated with polyethylenimine (PEI) with various molar ratios of PEI nitrogen to
      plasmid DNA phosphate groups. This led to a drastic increase in the cell
      viability of the particles, and in addition particle characteristics such as
      size, surface charge and loading efficiency, have also been enhanced as a result
      of the PEI coating process. The dissolution or swelling/deswelling behaviour
      displayed by these particulate vehicles could be tailored and monitored in time,
      to promote the controlled and sustained release of plasmid DNA. Moreover, we show
      that both the surfactant alkyl chain length and the ratio of nitrogen to
      phosphate groups are important parameters for controlling the plasmid DNA
      release. Overall, the developed plasmid DNA carriers have the potential as a new
      nanoplatform to be further explored for advances in the gene therapy field. 

PMID- 26099971
TI  - The construction of puerarin nanocrystals and its pharmacokinetic and in vivo-in
      vitro correlation (IVIVC) studies on beagle dog.
AB  - Puerarin is widely used in clinics in China as a therapeutic agent for
      cardiovascular diseases by intravenous administration. Adverse drug reactions
      caused by cosolvents often increase the patients' treatment burden (high drug
      costs and low compliance). The development of oral formulation is urgently needed
      and nanocrystal technique has become a preferred way to develop oral dosage form,
      nowadays. In this study, high pressure homogenization (HPH) was employed to
      prepare puerarin nanocrystals by employing SDS as the stabilizer, and
      redispersibility of the nanocrystals powder was also studied. The nanocrystals
      prepared was characterized using DLS, DSC, XRD and SEM. A preferred in vivo-in
      vitro correlation was also established in this study. Pharmacokinetic studies on
      beagle dog showed that comparing to raw puerarin powder, both of the Cmax and AUC
      of puerarin nanocrystals were enhanced. From the above results, we can conclude
      that nanocrystal technique is an efficient technology to improve the oral
      bioavailability of puerarin. 

PMID- 26099973
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Eudocimus ruber
      (Pelecaniformes:Threskiornithidae).
AB  - The Eudocimus ruber (Scarlet ibis) belongs to the bird order Pelecaniformes.
      Here, we sequenced the mitochondrial genome of E. ruber. The complete
      mitochondrial genome of E. ruber is 16 697 bp in length and contains 22 tRNA
      genes, 2 rRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes and a non-coding control region.
      Consistent with other sequenced birds, most genes are encoded on the heavy
      strand, except for ND6 and 8 tRNA genes. The overall base composition of the E.
      ruber is 30.8% A, 30.8% C, 13.8%G and 24.6% T. The molecular-based phylogenetic
      tree suggested that E. ruber has close affinities with birds from family
      Threskiornithidae as expected.

PMID- 26099974
TI  - The mitochondrial genome of Pomacea maculata (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae).
AB  - The golden apple snail, Pomacea maculata Perry, 1810 (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae)
      is one of the most serious invasive alien species from the native range of South
      America. The mitochondrial genome of P. maculata (15 516 bp) consists of 37 genes
      (13 protein-coding genes, two rRNAs, and 22 tRNAs) and a non-coding region with a
      16 bp repeat unit. Most mitochondrial genes of P. maculata are distributed on the
      H-strand, except eight tRNA genes, which are encoded on the L-strand. A
      phylogenetic analysis showed that there was a close relationship between P.
      maculata and another invasive golden apple snail species, Pomacea canaliculata
      (Lamarck, 1822).

PMID- 26099972
TI  - Th17 and Th17/Treg ratio at early HIV infection associate with protective HIV
      specific CD8(+) T-cell responses and disease progression.
AB  - The aim of this study was to analyze Th17 and Treg subsets and their correlation
      with anti-HIV T-cell responses and clinical parameters during (acute/early)
      primary HIV infection (PHI) and up to one year post-infection (p.i). Samples from
      14 healthy donors (HDs), 40 PHI patients, 17 Chronics, and 13 Elite controllers
      (ECs) were studied. The percentages of Th17 and Treg subsets were severely
      altered in Chronics, whereas all HIV-infected individuals (including ECs) showed
      Th17/Treg imbalance compared to HDs, in concordance with higher frequencies of
      activated CD8(+) T-cells (HLA-DR(+)/CD38(+)). Better clinical status (higher CD4
      counts, lower viral loads and activation) was associated with higher Th17 and
      lower Treg levels. We found positive correlations between Th17 at baseline and
      anti-HIV CD8(+) T-cell functionality: viral inhibitory activity (VIA) and key
      polyfunctions (IFN-gamma(+)/CD107A/B(+)) at both early and later times p.i,
      highlighting the prognostic value of Th17 cells to preserve an effective HIV T
      cell immunity. Th17/Treg ratio and the IL-17 relative mean fluorescence intensity
      (rMFI of IL-17) were also positively correlated with VIA. Taken together, our
      results suggested a potential link between Th17 and Th17/Treg ratio with key HIV
      specific CD8(+) T-cell responses against the infection. 

PMID- 26099975
TI  - Mitochondrial DNAs decreased and correlated with clinical features in HCV
      patients from Yunnan, China.
AB  - Hepatitis C was the most popular chronic infectious liver disease worldwide. It
      was identified that Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection could lead to mitochondrial
      dysfunction, though the mechanism was not fully understood. To investigate
      whether mtDNA copy number could be affected by HCV infection and be associated
      with clinical features of HCV patients, mtDNA copy numbers were analyzed in 242
      patients with HCV infection and 226 matched control samples. The results
      suggested that mtDNA copy numbers significantly decreased in HCV patients (68.80
      +/- 3.33) than in control samples (81.54 +/- 4.50) (p = 0.022). When
      males/females were separated from total patients to compare mtDNA copy numbers
      with gender matched controls, mtDNA copy numbers still significantly decreased in
      male HCV patients (p = 0.002). Further analysis indicated that level of high
      density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was negatively correlated with mtDNA copy
      numbers in total HCV patients (r = -0.128, p = 0.047), and this correlation was
      more significant in male HCV patients (r = -0.266, p = 0.030). Intriguingly,
      aspartate amino-transferase (AST) showed positive correlation with mtDNA copy
      numbers (r = 0.260, p = 0.034) in male HCV patients. Our results indicated that
      mtDNA copy numbers depleted and correlated with clinical features in male HCV
      patients.

PMID- 26099976
TI  - Characteristic of complete mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic relationship of
      Garrulax sannio (Passeriformes, Timaliidae).
AB  - Garrulax sannio (Passeriformes, Timaliidae) was the medium-sized bird, whose
      plumage color was similar for both sexes. The complete sequence of the
      mitochondrial DNA genome from G. sannio used the polymerase chain reaction
      method. The genome (17 840 bp in length) contained 13 protein-coding genes, 2
      rRNA (12S and 16S) genes, 22 tRNA genes and 2 control regions (D-loop). The base
      composition of G. sannio mitogenome A + T percentage was 52.22%. It is slightly
      higher than G + C 47.78% which was similar with other vertebrates. Through
      constructed phylogenetic tree, we could identify its taxonomic status. Therefore,
      mitochondrial genome was a best way to preserve genetic resources of species.

PMID- 26099977
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genome of the brown alga Sargassum vachellianum
      (Sargassaceae, Phaeophyceae).
AB  - Sargassum vachellianum C. Agardh is endemic to China. It inhabits in rocky
      intertidal zones and plays an important role in maintaining the structure and
      function of littoral ecosystems. In this study, we present the complete
      mitochondrial genome of S. vachellianum. The circular S. vachellianum mitogenome
      is 34,877 bp in size and contains the same set of 65 genes as the reported
      Sargassum mtDNAs. The overall AT content of the genome is 63.79%, and the inter
      genic spacers constitute only 4.67%. The genome organization including the gene
      order, overlapping regions between genes, and the total length of inter-genic
      spacers is conserved among the known Sargassum mitogenomes. High divergence is in
      inter-genic spacer regions. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that S. vachellianum
      combined tightly with Sargassum species with strong support values (NJ/ML, 100%).

PMID- 26099978
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Eimeria innocua (Eimeriidae,
      Coccidia, Apicomplexa).
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome of Eimeria innocua KR strain (Eimeriidae,
      Coccidia, Apicomplexa) was sequenced. This coccidium infects turkeys (Meleagris
      gallopavo), Bobwhite quails (Colinus virginianus), and Grey partridges (Perdix
      perdix). Genome organization and gene contents were comparable with other Eimeria
      spp. infecting galliform birds. The circular-mapping mt genome of E. innocua is
      6247 bp in length with three protein-coding genes (cox1, cox3, and cytb), 19 gene
      fragments encoding large subunit (LSU) rRNA and 14 gene fragments encoding small
      subunit (SSU) rRNA. Like other Apicomplexa, no tRNA was encoded. The
      mitochondrial genome of E. innocua confirms its close phylogenetic affinities to
      Eimeria dispersa.

PMID- 26099979
TI  - The complete mitochondrial DNA genome of Aedes vigilax (Diptera: Culicidae).
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genomes of two main clades of the medically
      significant saltmarsh mosquito Aedes vigilax Skuse (Diptera: Culicidae) were
      obtained using combined Illumina and Sanger sequencing. The two 15,877 bp
      circular genomes share 99.0% nucleotide identity and encode 37 genes with
      identical gene arrangement similar to previously published Culicidae species with
      a non-coding A + T rich region between rns and tRNA-Ile. Protein initiation codon
      is ATN apart from ND5 (GTG) and COX1 (TCG). Eight protein-coding genes encode
      full TAA stop codon, while five are completed by mRNA polyadenylation. Typical
      cloverleaf structures containing DHU and TPsiC stem and loops can be inferred for
      all 22 tRNAs.

PMID- 26099982
TI  - Melanoma: CheckMate 067--frontline nivolumab improves PFS alone or in combination
      with ipilimumab.

PMID- 26099984
TI  - Advances in targeted therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma in the genomic era.

PMID- 26099985
TI  - Immunotherapy: Combined immunotherapy--a new standard in metastatic melanoma?

PMID- 26099988
TI  - Processes forming Gas, Tar, and Coke in Cellulose Gasification from Gas-Phase
      Reactions of Levoglucosan as Intermediate.
AB  - The gas-phase pyrolysis of levoglucosan (LG), the major intermediate species
      during cellulose gasification, was studied experimentally over the temperature
      range of 400-900  degrees C. Gaseous LG did not produce any dehydration products,
      which include coke, furans, and aromatic substances, although these are
      characteristic products of the pyrolysis of molten LG. Alternatively, at >500 
      degrees C, gaseous LG produced only fragmentation products, such as
      noncondensable gases and condensable C1 -C3 fragments, as intermediates during
      noncondensable gas formation. Therefore, it was determined that secondary
      reactions of gaseous LG can result in the clean (tar- and coke-free) gasification
      of cellulose. Cooling of the remaining LG in the gas phase caused coke formation
      by the transition of the LG to the molten state. The molecular mechanisms that
      govern the gas- and molten-phase reactions of LG are discussed in terms of the
      acid catalyst effect of intermolecular hydrogen bonding to promote the molten
      phase dehydration reactions. 

PMID- 26099990
TI  - Molecular orientation of organic thin films on dielectric solid substrates: a
      phase-sensitive vibrational SFG study.
AB  - Broadband phase-sensitive vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy
      was utilized to study the molecular orientation of molecules adsorbed on
      dielectric solid substrates. A gold thin film was employed to generate a SFG
      signal as a local oscillator (LO). To simplify the phase measurement, a self
      assembled monolayer (SAM) of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) was used as a
      standard sample for phase correction of the phase-sensitive SFG measurements on
      the solid/air interface. It was demonstrated that the absolute orientation of
      molecules in the LB films on a fused quartz surface can be clearly distinguished
      by phase-sensitive SFG measurement. In addition, the observation on the SAM of
      d35-OTS reveals that the two C-H stretching modes for alpha-CH2 group are in
      opposite phase. Furthermore, by using the present phase-sensitive SFG setup, the
      orientation flipping of water molecules on positively and negatively charged
      solid/liquid interface can be distinguished. 

PMID- 26099989
TI  - Distinct effects of mycophenolate mofetil and cyclophosphamide on renal fibrosis
      in NZBWF1/J mice.
AB  - Progression to chronic renal failure varies between patients with lupus
      nephritis. We compared the effects of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and
      cyclophosphamide (CTX), on renal histology and cellular pathways of fibrosis in
      murine lupus nephritis. Female NZBWF1/J mice were randomized to treatment with
      vehicle, methylprednisolone (MP) alone, MMF + MP or CTX + MP for up to 12 weeks,
      and the effects on clinical parameters, renal histology, and fibrotic processes
      were investigated. Treatment with MMF + MP or CTX + MP both improved survival,
      renal function, and decreased anti-dsDNA antibody level and immune complex
      deposition in kidneys of mice with active nephritis. Vehicle-treated mice showed
      progressive increase in mesangial proliferation, inflammatory cell infiltration
      and renal tubular atrophy, associated with PKC-alpha activation, increased TGF
      beta1 expression and increased matrix protein deposition. MP treatment alone did
      not have any significant effect. MMF + MP or CTX + MP treatment for 12 weeks
      reduced these abnormalities. MMF + MP was more effective than CTX + MP in
      suppressing fibrotic mediators, histological fibrosis score and expression of TGF
      beta1, fibronectin and collagen I in the kidney. Results from in vitro
      experiments on human mesangial cells (HMC) showed that mycophenolic acid (MPA)
      was more effective than CTX in suppressing PKC-alpha activation and TGF-beta1
      secretion induced by human polyclonal anti-dsDNA antibodies. While both MPA and
      CTX decreased TGF-beta1- and TNF-alpha-induced fibronectin synthesis, only MPA
      decreased IL-6 induced fibronectin synthesis. MPA and CTX show distinct effects
      on fibrotic and inflammatory processes in NZBWF1/J murine lupus nephritis,
      suggesting that MMF + MP may be more effective than CTX + MP in preserving normal
      renal histology in lupus nephritis.

PMID- 26099991
TI  - The acceptance of the K-SADS-PL - potential predictors for the overall
      satisfaction of parents and interviewers.
AB  - The presented study investigated the interviewee (parents) and interviewer
      acceptance of the semi-structured diagnostic interview Kiddie Schedule for
      Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children Present Lifetime
      version (KSADS-PL; German version). Seventeen certified interviewers conducted
      231 interviews (interviewers conducted several interviews; interviewees were only
      questioned once). Interviewees and interviewers anonymously rated their
      acceptance right after the interview was finished. The nested data structure was
      analysed regarding an individual interviewer bias and potential predictors of
      overall satisfaction. Therefore, factors improvable by interviewer training were
      included, as well as fixed factors which cannot be improved by professional
      training. The overall satisfaction was evaluated as highly positive with
      significant higher interviewee and interviewer ratings in the research as
      compared to the clinical recruitment setting. An individual bias of the
      interviewer on his or her own acceptance over time, but not on the evaluation of
      the corresponding interviewee was found. Neither the professional background nor
      the gender of the interviewer had a significant contribution in predicting these
      differences. The interviewer model showed no significant change over time and
      only the interview duration and the interviewee acceptance were significant
      predictors for interviewer overall satisfaction. Regarding the interviewee model,
      just the interviewer acceptance was a significant predictor. Copyright Copyright
      (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26099992
TI  - Thyroid hormones alter the transcriptome of in vitro-produced bovine blastocysts.
AB  - Thyroid hormones (THs) have been shown to improve in vitro embryo production in
      cattle by increasing blastocyst formation rate, and the average cell number of
      blastocysts and by significantly decreasing apoptosis rate. To better understand
      those genetic aspects that may underlie enhanced early embryo development in the
      presence of THs, we characterized the bovine embryonic transcriptome at the
      blastocyst stage, and examined differential gene expression profiles using a
      bovine-specific microarray. We found that 1212 genes were differentially
      expressed in TH-treated embryos when compared with non-treated controls (>1.5
      fold at P < 0.05). In addition 23 and eight genes were expressed uniquely in
      control and treated embryos, respectively. The expression of genes specifically
      associated with metabolism, mitochondrial function, cell differentiation and
      development were elevated. However, TH-related genes, including those encoding TH
      receptors and deiodinases, were not differentially expressed in treated embryos.
      Furthermore, the over-expression of 52 X-chromosome linked genes in treated
      embryos suggested a delay or escape from X-inactivation. This study highlights
      the significant impact of THs on differential gene expression in the early
      embryo; the identification of TH-responsive genes provides an insight into those
      regulatory pathways activated during development. 

PMID- 26099993
TI  - 3,5-Diarylpyrazole Derivatives Obtained by Ammonolysis of the Total Flavonoids
      from Chrysanthemum indicum Extract Show Potential for the Treatment of
      Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Four new 3,5-diarylpyrazole analogues (1-4) were isolated from an extract of the
      flowers of Chrysanthemun indicum using a combination of ammonolysis of the total
      flavonoid extract and an Abeta aggregation inhibitory activity guided
      purification procedure. All four compounds (1-4) showed moderate to potent
      activity against Abeta aggregation with EC50 values of 4.3, 15.8, 1.3, and 2.9
      MUM, respectively. Moreover, compound 3 showed low cytotoxicity and significant
      neuroprotective activity against Abeta-induced cytotoxicity in the SH-SY5Y cell
      line. This report is the first to show that 3,5-diarylpyrazole analogues can
      inhibit Abeta aggregation and exhibit neuroprotective activity with potential for
      the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Taken together, the method presented here
      offers an alternative approach to yield bioactive compounds. 

PMID- 26099994
TI  - Detection of sentence boundaries and abbreviations in clinical narratives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Western languages the period character is highly ambiguous, due to
      its double role as sentence delimiter and abbreviation marker. This is
      particularly relevant in clinical free-texts characterized by numerous anomalies
      in spelling, punctuation, vocabulary and with a high frequency of short forms.
      METHODS: The problem is addressed by two binary classifiers for abbreviation and
      sentence detection. A support vector machine exploiting a linear kernel is
      trained on different combinations of feature sets for each classification task.
      Feature relevance ranking is applied to investigate which features are important
      for the particular task. The methods are applied to German language texts from a
      medical record system, authored by specialized physicians. RESULTS: Two
      collections of 3,024 text snippets were annotated regarding the role of period
      characters for training and testing. Cohen's kappa resulted in 0.98. For
      abbreviation and sentence boundary detection we can report an unweighted micro
      averaged F-measure using a 10-fold cross validation of 0.97 for the training set.
      For test set based evaluation we obtained an unweighted micro-averaged F-measure
      of 0.95 for abbreviation detection and 0.94 for sentence delineation. Language
      dependent resources and rules were found to have less impact on abbreviation
      detection than on sentence delineation. CONCLUSIONS: Sentence detection is an
      important task, which should be performed at the beginning of a text processing
      pipeline. For the text genre under scrutiny we showed that support vector
      machines exploiting a linear kernel produce state of the art results for sentence
      boundary detection. The results are comparable with other sentence boundary
      detection methods applied to English clinical texts. We identified abbreviation
      detection as a supportive task for sentence delineation.

PMID- 26099995
TI  - Bayesian response adaptive randomization using longitudinal outcomes.
AB  - The response adaptive randomization (RAR) method is used to increase the number
      of patients assigned to more efficacious treatment arms in clinical trials. In
      many trials evaluating longitudinal patient outcomes, RAR methods based only on
      the final measurement may not benefit significantly from RAR because of its
      delayed initiation. We propose a Bayesian RAR method to improve RAR performance
      by accounting for longitudinal patient outcomes (longitudinal RAR). We use a
      Bayesian linear mixed effects model to analyze longitudinal continuous patient
      outcomes for calculating a patient allocation probability. In addition, we aim to
      mitigate the loss of statistical power because of large patient allocation
      imbalances by embedding adjusters into the patient allocation probability
      calculation. Using extensive simulation we compared the operating characteristics
      of our proposed longitudinal RAR method with those of the RAR method based only
      on the final measurement and with an equal randomization method. Simulation
      results showed that our proposed longitudinal RAR method assigned more patients
      to the presumably superior treatment arm compared with the other two methods. In
      addition, the embedded adjuster effectively worked to prevent extreme patient
      allocation imbalances. However, our proposed method may not function adequately
      when the treatment effect difference is moderate or less, and still needs to be
      modified to deal with unexpectedly large departures from the presumed
      longitudinal data model.

PMID- 26099996
TI  - Clinical validity of a DPYD-based pharmacogenetic test to predict severe toxicity
      to fluoropyrimidines.
AB  - Pre-therapeutic DPYD pharmacogenetic test to prevent fluoropyrimidines (FL)
      related toxicities is not yet common practice in medical oncology. We aimed at
      investigating the clinical validity of DPYD genetic analysis in a large series of
      oncological patients. Six hundred three cancer patients, treated with FL, have
      been retrospectively tested for eight DPYD polymorphisms (DPYD-rs3918290, DPYD
      rs55886062, DPYD-rs67376798, DPYD-rs2297595, DPYD-rs1801160, DPYD-rs1801158, DPYD
      rs1801159, DPYD-rs17376848) for association with Grade >=3 toxicity, developed
      within the first three cycles of therapy. DPYD-rs3918290 and DPYD-rs67376798 were
      associated to Grade >=3 toxicity after bootstrap validation and Bonferroni
      correction (p = 0.003, p = 0.048). DPYD-rs55886062 was not significant likely due
      to its low allelic frequency, nonetheless one out of two heterozygous patients
      (compound heterozygous with DPYD-rs3918290) died from toxicity after one cycle.
      Test specificity for the analysis of DPYD-rs3918290, DPYD-rs55886062 and DPYD
      rs67376798 was assessed to 99%. Among the seven patients carrying one variant
      DPYD-rs3918290, DPYD-rs55886062 or DPYD-rs67376798 allele, not developing Grade
      >=3 toxicity, 57% needed a FL dose or schedule modification for moderate chronic
      toxicity. No other DPYD polymorphism was associated with Grade >=3 toxicity. Our
      data demonstrate the clinical validity and specificity of the DPYD-rs3918290,
      DPYD-rs55886062, DPYD-rs67376798 genotyping test to prevent FL-related Grade >=3
      toxicity and to preserve treatment compliance, and support its introduction in
      the clinical practice.

PMID- 26099997
TI  - Effects of salinomycin and CGP37157 on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell
      lines in vitro.
AB  - Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or a combinations of these are all accepted
      modalities for the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
      Despite this, 40-60% of patients suffering from HNSCC develop loco-regional
      failure and/or distant metastases. Salinomycin has been demonstrated to be >100
      fold more effective than paclitaxel at causing cancer stem cell death, therefore,
      it may offer an important improvement in cancer therapy. However, the toxicity of
      salinomycin is of concern. A possible solution may be the administration of
      additive drugs, which reduce the toxicity. By inhibiting the mitochondrial
      Na+/Ca2+ exchanger using the benzodiazepine derivate, CGP37157 (CGP), a
      significant reduction in salinomycin neuronal toxicity has been observed. This
      raises the question of whether CGP also inhibits the tumor toxicity of
      salinomycin. In the present study, the FaDu and HLaC79 C1 HNSCC cell lines were
      treated with salinomycin with or without CGP. Comparative viability assessments
      were performed using microscopy, a fluorescein diacetate assay, an MTT assay, a
      clonogenic assay and annexin V-propidium iodide staining. The expression levels
      of MDR-1 were monitored using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction. Salinomycin alone, and in combination with CGP, achieved a significant
      attenuation of cell viability and increased apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner.
      However, the tumor toxicity of salinomycin was not inhibited by CGP. The HLaC79
      C1 cells were more sensitive to salinomycin, compared with the FaDu cells, with
      this sensitivity being due to high expression levels of MDR-1 by the HLaC79 C1
      cells. In conclusion, CGP did not counteract the tumor toxicity of salinomycin in
      vitro and may be a promising drug in future anticancer therapy. The results of
      the present study encourages further investigation of the toxicological aspects
      of salinomycin, particularly in human cells and animal models.

PMID- 26099998
TI  - Psychotic disorder and educational achievement: a family-based analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early social and cognitive alterations in psychotic disorder,
      associated with familial liability and environmental exposures, may contribute to
      lower than expected educational achievement. The aims of the present study were
      to investigate (1) how differences in educational level between parents and their
      children vary across patients, their healthy siblings, and healthy controls
      (effect familial liability), and across two environmental risk factors for
      psychotic disorder: childhood trauma and childhood urban exposure (effect
      environment) and (2) to what degree the association between familial liability
      and educational differential was moderated by the environmental exposures.
      METHODS: Patients with a diagnosis of non-affective psychotic disorder (n = 629),
      552 non-psychotic siblings and 326 healthy controls from the Netherlands and
      Belgium were studied. Participants reported their highest level of education and
      that of their parents. Childhood trauma was assessed with the Dutch version of
      the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form. Urban exposure, expressed as
      population density, was rated across five levels. RESULTS: Overall, participants
      had a higher level of education than their parents. This difference was
      significantly reduced in the patient group, and the healthy siblings displayed
      intergenerational differences that were in between those of controls and
      patients. Higher levels of childhood urban exposure were also associated with a
      smaller intergenerational educational differential. There was no evidence for
      differential sensitivity to childhood trauma and childhood urbanicity across the
      three groups. CONCLUSION: Intergenerational difference in educational
      achievements is decreased in patients with psychotic disorder and to a lesser
      extent in siblings of patients with psychotic disorder, and across higher levels
      of childhood urban exposure. More research is required to better understand the
      dynamics between early social and cognitive alterations in those at risk in
      relation to progress through the educational system and to understand the
      interaction between urban environment and educational outcomes.

PMID- 26099999
TI  - The inhibitory effect of zoledronate on early-stage osteoinduction by recombinant
      human bone morphogenetic protein 2 in an osteoporosis model.
AB  - This study evaluated the effect of the combined treatment of intravenous
      zoledronic acid (ZA, 0.08 mg/kg) and rhBMP-2 (5 ug) on osteogenesis in a
      calvarial defect model of ovariectomized SD rats. New bone formation was
      evaluated 4 or 8 weeks after calvarial defect implantation using micro-CT and
      histology. Micro-CT results revealed that the rhBMP-2 group showed significantly
      higher calvarial defect coverage ratio compared with the ZA + rhBMP-2 group at 4
      weeks. In addition, bone formation indices were significantly lower in ZA + rhBMP
      2 group when compared with the rhBMP-2 group after 4 weeks, which indicates a
      negative effect of ZA on the initial bone formation and the bone quality. At 8
      weeks, the negative effect induced by ZA treatment was alleviated as time passed.
      Histological examination showed similar results to the micro-CT measurements. In
      conclusion, although ZA treatment lowered the new bone formation induced by rhBMP
      2 initially, as time passed, the negative effect was decreased. 

PMID- 26100000
TI  - Chemical signals in terrestrial vertebrates: search for design features.
AB  - We compiled a data set of the compounds that terrestrial vertebrates (amniotes)
      use to send chemical signals, and searched for relationships between signal
      compound properties and signal function. Overall, relationships were scarce and
      formed only small-scale patterns. Terrestrial vertebrate signalling compounds are
      invariably components of complex mixtures of compounds with diverse molecular
      weights and functionalities. Signal compounds with high molecular weights (MWs)
      and low vapour pressures, or that are bound to carrier proteins, are detected
      during direct contact with the source of the signal. Stable compounds with
      aromatic rings in their structures are more common in signals of social
      dominance, including territoriality. Aldehydes are emitted from the sender's body
      rather than from scent marks. Lipocalin pheromones and carriers have a limited
      range of MWs, possibly to reduce the metabolic costs of their biosynthesis.
      Design constraints that might channel signal chemistry into patterns have been
      relaxed by amniote behavior and biochemistry. Amniote olfaction has such a high
      sensitivity, wide range and narrow resolution that signal detection imposes no
      practical constraints on the structures of signalling molecules. Diverse
      metabolic pathways in amniotes and their microbial commensals produce a wide
      variety of compounds as chemical signals and as matrix compounds that free signal
      components from the constraints of stability, vapor pressure, species-specificity
      etc. that would otherwise constrain what types of compound operate optimally
      under different conditions.

PMID- 26100001
TI  - Insulin.

PMID- 26100002
TI  - KTP and Er:YAG laser dental bleaching comparison: a spectrophotometric, thermal
      and morphologic analysis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the results, in terms of temperature, colour
      change and morphology, of two different laser wavelengths with two different
      concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (HP). The lasers used were KTP (potassium
      titanyl-phosphate) laser (lambda = 532 nm (PD = 1.98 W/cm2)) and Er:YAG laser
      (lambda = 2940 nm (PD = 2.54 W/cm2)). The bleaching gels used were PolaOffice 35%
      HP gel and PolaOffice+ 6% HP gel (SDI, Australia). Thirty-six extracted human
      teeth were selected and divided into two groups. For the 35% HP treatment, 18
      teeth were randomly assigned to three subgroups: (1) HP gel without laser
      irradiation vs. HP gel + KTP laser irradiation; (2) HP gel without laser
      irradiation vs. HP gel + Er:YAG irradiation; and (3) HP gel + KTP laser
      irradiation vs. HP gel + Er:YAG irradiation. The same protocol was used for the
      6% HP bleaching treatment. The bleaching results were analysed by a
      spectrophotometer, the thermal elevation by K thermocouples and the enamel
      surface by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The Kruskal-Wallis test and the
      Mann-Whitney test were performed, and the data were analysed using the software
      StatView and the free Web statistics tool BiostaTGV. The thermal elevation of the
      Er:YAG groups was higher than KTP, while only the group 35% HP gel vs. 35% HP gel
      + Er:YAG showed significant colour differences (p < 0.05). SEM photographs showed
      slight enamel surface morphologic alterations after bleaching treatment. The
      Er:YAG laser may improve the bleaching results of 35% HP even if it increases the
      gel temperature, when compared to the KTP laser.

PMID- 26100003
TI  - Assessing the biochemical changes of tendons of rats in an experimental model of
      tenotomy under therapeutic ultrasound and LEDs (625 and 945 nm) by near-infrared
      Raman spectroscopy.
AB  - Given the complexity of the tendon repair process, where the neoformed scar
      tissue tends to prevent or hamper the tendon from performing its normal
      functions, ultrasound (US) and light-emitting diode (LED) devices have been
      applied to modulate the tendon repair process. This study aimed to compare the
      anti-inflammatory and healing effects of therapeutic US and LED in an
      experimental model of tenotomy using histomorphometry and Raman spectroscopy.
      Forty Wistar rats (235 +/- 8.3 g) were separated into four groups: tenotomy (TC;
      control), tenotomy associated with ultrasound (US; 1 MHz, 0.5 W/cm(2)), tenotomy
      associated with LED at 625 nm (LR; 4 J/cm(2)), and tenotomy associated with LED
      at 945 nm (LIR; 4 J/cm(2)), in two experimental periods of 7 and 14 days.
      Histomorphometry showed a decrease of inflammatory cells (macrophages and
      polymorphonuclear leukocytes) for the group treated with US compared to the TC
      group (ANOVA, p < 0.0001) and the LIR group compared to the TC group (p < 0.05)
      at the seventh day, indicating an anti-inflammatory effect. In relation to the LR
      and TC groups, there was no significant difference. Raman spectroscopy revealed
      that the LR group presented an increased synthesis of collagen I compared to the
      other treatments and the TC groups on the 14th day (p < 0.01). US therapy showed
      an adjuvant effect with anti-inflammatory action, and the LED therapy at 625 nm
      showed an increase in collagen synthesis, contributing to the process of tendon
      healing. 

PMID- 26100004
TI  - The efficacy of cryolipolysis treatment on arms and inner thighs.
AB  - Cryolipolysis has emerged as a new non-invasive body contouring method using
      controlled cooling to selectively destroy fat cells. Previous studies
      demonstrated the safety and efficacy of cryolipolysis for the reduction of
      localized subcutaneous fat on abdomen and flanks. Recently, the new flat cup
      vacuum applicator has been developed to treat localized subcutaneous fat on arms
      and inner thighs. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of
      non-invasive cryolipolysis for body contouring with a flat cup vacuum applicator
      on arms and inner thighs. Twenty females with excess localized subcutaneous fat
      on arms or inner thighs received a single cryolipolysis treatment. Forty
      treatment areas have been treated including 10 arms and 30 inner thighs. Subjects
      were evaluated using standardized photographs and measurements of body weight and
      circumference of arms or inner thighs at baseline, 3-month, and 6-month follow-up
      visits. Physicians' evaluation and patient's satisfaction of clinical improvement
      were also measured. Of all 20 subjects, 17 (10 arms and 24 inner thighs)
      completed the treatment protocol and attended all follow-up visits. Three
      subjects were withdrawn from the study, 1 subject could not complete the
      treatment session due to pain and numbness during treatment, 1 subject became
      pregnant after treatment, and the other subject could not attend all required
      follow-up visits. There was significant circumference reduction of 0.41 and 0.72
      cm at 3-month and 6-month follow-up visits (p = 0.017), respectively. Most of the
      patients were rated to have 1-25% improvement at 6 months after treatment and
      were satisfied with the treatment outcome. The new cryolipolysis flat cup vacuum
      applicator provided beneficial effects for circumferential reduction of arms and
      inner thighs.

PMID- 26100005
TI  - Does Cox analysis of a randomized survival study yield a causal treatment effect?
AB  - Statistical methods for survival analysis play a central role in the assessment
      of treatment effects in randomized clinical trials in cardiovascular disease,
      cancer, and many other fields. The most common approach to analysis involves
      fitting a Cox regression model including a treatment indicator, and basing
      inference on the large sample properties of the regression coefficient estimator.
      Despite the fact that treatment assignment is randomized, the hazard ratio is not
      a quantity which admits a causal interpretation in the case of unmodelled
      heterogeneity. This problem arises because the risk sets beyond the first event
      time are comprised of the subset of individuals who have not previously failed.
      The balance in the distribution of potential confounders between treatment arms
      is lost by this implicit conditioning, whether or not censoring is present. Thus
      while the Cox model may be used as a basis for valid tests of the null hypotheses
      of no treatment effect if robust variance estimates are used, modeling frameworks
      more compatible with causal reasoning may be preferrable in general for
      estimation. 

PMID- 26100006
TI  - Preface for the JIB Special Issue for the 12th European Biological Inorganic
      Chemistry Conference (EuroBIC 12) in Zurich, Switzerland, August 24-28, 2014.

PMID- 26100007
TI  - Evaluation of Kampo medicine in the clinical practice guideline for irritable
      bowel syndrome.

PMID- 26100008
TI  - Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of healthcare workers regarding stem cell
      research.

PMID- 26100009
TI  - Regulation of heme biosynthesis and transport in metazoa.
AB  - Heme is an iron-containing tetrapyrrole that plays a critical role in regulating
      a variety of biological processes including oxygen and electron transport, gas
      sensing, signal transduction, biological clock, and microRNA processing. Most
      metazoan cells synthesize heme via a conserved pathway comprised of eight enzyme
      catalyzed reactions. Heme can also be acquired from food or extracellular
      environment. Cellular heme homeostasis is maintained through the coordinated
      regulation of synthesis, transport, and degradation. This review presents the
      current knowledge of the synthesis and transport of heme in metazoans and
      highlights recent advances in the regulation of these pathways. 

PMID- 26100010
TI  - Computational analysis of antigenic epitopes of avian influenza A (H7N9) viruses.
AB  - Influenza virus can rapidly change its antigenicity, via mutation in the
      hemagglutinin (HA) protein, to evade host immunity. The emergence of the novel
      human-infecting avian H7N9 virus in China has caused widespread concern. However,
      evolution of the antigenicity of this virus is not well understood. Here, we
      inferred the antigenic epitopes of the HA protein from all H7 viruses, based on
      the five well-characterized HA epitopes of the human H3N2 virus. By comparing the
      two major H7 phylogenetic lineages, i.e., the Eurasian lineage and the North
      American lineage, we found that epitopes A and B are more frequently mutated in
      the Eurasian lineage, while epitopes B and C are more frequently mutated in the
      North American lineage. Furthermore, we found that the novel H7N9 virus (derived
      from the Eurasian lineage) isolated in China in the year 2013, contains six
      frequently mutated sites on epitopes that include site 135, which is located in
      the receptor binding domain. This indicates that the novel H7N9 virus that
      infects human may already have been subjected to gradual immune pressure and
      receptor-binding variation. Our results not only provide insights into the
      antigenic evolution of the H7 virus but may also help in the selection of
      suitable vaccine strains. 

PMID- 26100011
TI  - Identification of a novel HIV-1 intra-circulating recombinant form 01_AE in
      China: a descendant of the previously identified CRF01_AE transmission clusters 1
      and 6.

PMID- 26100012
TI  - Are Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Models Reporting the Right C(max)?
      Central Venous Versus Peripheral Sampling Site.
AB  - Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models can over-predict maximum
      plasma concentrations (C(max)) following intravenous administration. A proposed
      explanation is that invariably PBPK models report the concentration in the
      central venous compartment, rather than the site where the samples are drawn. The
      purpose of this study was to identify and validate potential corrective models
      based on anatomy and physiology governing the blood supply at the site of
      sampling and incorporate them into a PBPK platform. Four models were developed
      and scrutinised for their corrective potential. All assumed the peripheral
      sampling site concentration could be described by contributions from surrounding
      tissues and utilised tissue-specific concentration-time profiles reported from
      the full-PBPK model within the Simcyp Simulator. Predicted concentrations for the
      peripheral site were compared to the observed C(max). The models results were
      compared to clinical data for 15 studies over seven compounds (alprazolam,
      imipramine, metoprolol, midazolam, omeprazole, rosiglitazone and theophylline).
      The final model utilised tissue concentrations from adipose, skin, muscle and a
      contribution from artery. Predicted C(max) values considering the central venous
      compartment can over-predict the observed values up to 10-fold whereas the new
      sampling site predictions were within 2-fold of observed values. The model was
      particularly relevant for studies where traditional PBPK models over-predict
      early time point concentrations. A successful corrective model for C(max)
      prediction has been developed, subject to further validation. These models can be
      enrolled as built-up modules into PBPK platforms and potentially account for
      factors that may affect the initial mixing of the blood at the site of sampling.

PMID- 26100013
TI  - Exploring Psychological Distress in Burundi During and After the Armed Conflict.
AB  - We assessed symptoms of psychological distress among a population-based sample of
      9000-plus adults in Burundi during (1998) and after (2007) armed conflict. After
      exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to an 8-item, self-report measure,
      we identified two domains of psychological distress "Depression/Anxiety" and
      "Functioning" with good fit to data. The questionnaire was invariant in males and
      females. Depression and Anxiety symptoms during conflict were more frequently
      reported than Functioning symptoms; all symptoms were more frequently reported by
      women. Psychological distress was found in 44 % of individuals during conflict
      and in 29 % 2 years after the conflict. Results call for further research in
      Burundi that can inform the development of mental health interventions. 

PMID- 26100014
TI  - Eaf1p Is Required for Recruitment of NuA4 in Targeting TFIID to the Promoters of
      the Ribosomal Protein Genes for Transcriptional Initiation In Vivo.
AB  - NuA4 (nucleosome acetyltransferase of H4) promotes transcriptional initiation of
      TFIID (a complex of TBP and TBP-associated factors [TAFs])-dependent ribosomal
      protein genes involved in ribosome biogenesis. However, it is not clearly
      understood how NuA4 regulates the transcription of ribosomal protein genes. Here,
      we show that NuA4 is recruited to the promoters of ribosomal protein genes, such
      as RPS5, RPL2B, and RPS11B, for TFIID recruitment to initiate transcription, and
      the recruitment of NuA4 to these promoters is impaired in the absence of its
      Eaf1p component. Intriguingly, impaired NuA4 recruitment in a Deltaeaf1 strain
      depletes recruitment of TFIID (a TAF-dependent form of TBP) but not the TAF
      independent form of TBP to the promoters of ribosomal protein genes. However, in
      the absence of NuA4, SAGA (Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase) is involved in
      targeting the TAF-independent form of TBP to the promoters of ribosomal protein
      genes for transcriptional initiation. Thus, NuA4 plays an important role in
      targeting TFIID to the promoters of ribosomal protein genes for transcriptional
      initiation in vivo. Such a function is mediated via its targeted histone
      acetyltransferase activity. In the absence of NuA4, ribosomal protein genes lose
      TFIID dependency and become SAGA dependent for transcriptional initiation.
      Collectively, these results provide significant insights into the regulation of
      ribosomal protein gene expression and, hence, ribosome biogenesis and functions. 

PMID- 26100015
TI  - Type 1 Insulin-Like Growth Factor Receptor/Insulin Receptor Substrate 1 Signaling
      Confers Pathogenic Activity on Breast Tumor Cells Lacking REST.
AB  - Loss of repressor element 1 silencing transcription factor (REST) occurs in 20%
      of breast cancers and correlates with a poor patient prognosis. However, the
      molecular basis for enhanced malignancy in tumors lacking REST (RESTless) is only
      partially understood. We used multiplatform array data from the Cancer Genome
      Atlas to identify consistent changes in key signaling pathways. Of the proteins
      screened in the reverse-phase protein array, we found that insulin receptor
      substrate 1 (IRS1) is the most highly upregulated protein in RESTless breast
      tumors. Analysis of breast tumor cell lines showed that REST directly represses
      IRS1, and cells lacking REST have increased levels of IRS1 mRNA and protein. We
      find that the upregulation of IRS1 function is both necessary and sufficient for
      enhanced signaling and growth in breast cancer cells lacking REST. IRS1
      overexpression is sufficient to phenocopy the enhanced activation of the
      signaling hubs AKT and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) of MCF7 cells
      lacking REST. Loss of REST renders MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 breast tumor cells
      dependent on IRS1 activity for colony formation in soft agar. Inhibition of the
      type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R) reduces the enhanced
      signaling, growth, and migration in breast tumor cells that occur upon REST loss.
      We show that loss of REST induces a pathogenic program that works through the
      IGF1R/IRS1 pathway. 

PMID- 26100016
TI  - p300 Regulates Liver Functions by Controlling p53 and C/EBP Family Proteins
      through Multiple Signaling Pathways.
AB  - The histone acetyltransferase p300 has been implicated in the regulation of liver
      biology; however, molecular mechanisms of this regulation are not known. In this
      paper, we examined these mechanisms using transgenic mice expressing a dominant
      negative p300 molecule (dnp300). While dnp300 mice did not show abnormal growth
      within 1 year, these mice have many alterations in liver biology and liver
      functions. We found that the inhibition of p300 leads to the accumulation of
      heterochromatin foci in the liver of 2-month-old mice. Transcriptome sequencing
      (RNA-Seq) analysis showed that this inhibition of p300 also causes alterations of
      gene expression in many signaling pathways, including chromatin remodeling,
      apoptosis, DNA damage, translation, and activation of the cell cycle. Livers of
      dnp300 mice have a high rate of proliferation and a much higher rate of
      proliferation after partial hepatectomy. We found that livers of dnp300 mice are
      resistant to CCl4-mediated injury and have reduced apoptosis but have increased
      proliferation after injury. Underlying mechanisms of resistance to liver injury
      and increased proliferation in dnp300 mice include ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated
      degradation of C/EBPalpha and translational repression of the p53 protein by the
      CUGBP1-eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2) repressor complex. Our data
      demonstrate that p300 regulates a number of critical signaling pathways that
      control liver functions. 

PMID- 26100017
TI  - RNA-Binding Protein Musashi1 Is a Central Regulator of Adhesion Pathways in
      Glioblastoma.
AB  - The conserved RNA-binding protein Musashi1 (MSI1) has emerged as a key oncogenic
      factor in numerous solid tumors, including glioblastoma. However, its mechanism
      of action has not yet been established comprehensively. To identify its target
      genes comprehensively and determine the main routes by which it influences
      glioblastoma phenotypes, we conducted individual-nucleotide resolution cross
      linking and immunoprecipitation (iCLIP) experiments. We confirmed that MSI1 has a
      preference for UAG sequences contained in a particular structural context,
      especially in 3' untranslated regions. Although numerous binding sites were also
      identified in intronic sequences, our RNA transcriptome sequencing analysis does
      not favor the idea that MSI1 is a major regulator of splicing in glioblastoma
      cells. MSI1 target mRNAs encode proteins that function in multiple pathways of
      cell proliferation and cell adhesion. Since these associations indicate
      potentially new roles for MSI1, we investigated its impact on glioblastoma cell
      adhesion, morphology, migration, and invasion. These processes are known to
      underpin the spread and relapse of glioblastoma, in contrast to other tumors
      where metastasis is the main driver of recurrence and progression. 

PMID- 26100018
TI  - XRCC4/XLF Interaction Is Variably Required for DNA Repair and Is Not Required for
      Ligase IV Stimulation.
AB  - The classic nonhomologous end-joining (c-NHEJ) pathway is largely responsible for
      repairing double-strand breaks (DSBs) in mammalian cells. XLF stimulates the
      XRCC4/DNA ligase IV complex by an unknown mechanism. XLF interacts with XRCC4 to
      form filaments of alternating XRCC4 and XLF dimers that bridge DNA ends in vitro,
      providing a mechanism by which XLF might stimulate ligation. Here, we
      characterize two XLF mutants that do not interact with XRCC4 and cannot form
      filaments or bridge DNA in vitro. One mutant is fully sufficient in stimulating
      ligation by XRCC4/Lig4 in vitro; the other is not. This separation-of-function
      mutant (which must function as an XLF homodimer) fully complements the c-NHEJ
      deficits of some XLF-deficient cell strains but not others, suggesting a variable
      requirement for XRCC4/XLF interaction in living cells. To determine whether the
      lack of XRCC4/XLF interaction (and potential bridging) can be compensated for by
      other factors, candidate repair factors were disrupted in XLF- or XRCC4-deficient
      cells. The loss of either ATM or the newly described XRCC4/XLF-like factor, PAXX,
      accentuates the requirement for XLF. However, in the case of ATM/XLF loss (but
      not PAXX/XLF loss), this reflects a greater requirement for XRCC4/XLF
      interaction. 

PMID- 26100019
TI  - The DHX33 RNA Helicase Promotes mRNA Translation Initiation.
AB  - DEAD/DEAH box RNA helicases play essential roles in numerous RNA metabolic
      processes, such as mRNA translation, pre-mRNA splicing, ribosome biogenesis, and
      double-stranded RNA sensing. Herein we show that a recently characterized
      DEAD/DEAH box RNA helicase, DHX33, promotes mRNA translation initiation. We
      isolated intact DHX33 protein/RNA complexes in cells and identified several
      ribosomal proteins, translation factors, and mRNAs. Reduction of DHX33 protein
      levels markedly reduced polyribosome formation and caused the global inhibition
      of mRNA translation that was rescued with wild-type DHX33 but not helicase
      defective DHX33. Moreover, we observed an accumulation of mRNA complexes with the
      80S ribosome in the absence of functional DHX33, consistent with a stalling in
      initiation, and DHX33 more preferentially promoted structured mRNA translation.
      We conclude that DHX33 functions to promote elongation-competent 80S ribosome
      assembly at the late stage of mRNA translation initiation. Our results reveal a
      newly recognized function of DHX33 in mRNA translation initiation, further
      solidifying its central role in promoting cell growth and proliferation. 

PMID- 26100020
TI  - Salmonella Engages Host MicroRNAs To Modulate SUMOylation: a New Arsenal for
      Intracellular Survival.
AB  - Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) can alter many fundamental properties of a
      protein. One or combinations of them have been known to regulate the dynamics of
      many cellular pathways and consequently regulate all vital processes.
      Understandably, pathogens have evolved sophisticated strategies to subvert these
      mechanisms to achieve instantaneous control over host functions. Here, we present
      the first report of modulation by intestinal pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar
      Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) of host SUMOylation, a PTM pathway central to all
      fundamental cellular processes. Both in cell culture and in a mouse model, we
      observed that S. Typhimurium infection led to a dynamic SUMO-conjugated proteome
      alteration. The intracellular survival of S. Typhimurium was dependent on SUMO
      status as revealed by reduced infection and Salmonella-induced filaments (SIFs)
      in SUMO-upregulated cells. S. Typhimurium-dependent SUMO modulation was seen as a
      result of depletion of crucial SUMO pathway enzymes Ubc-9 and PIAS1, at both the
      protein and the transcript levels. Mechanistically, depletion of Ubc-9 relied on
      upregulation of small noncoding RNAs miR30c and miR30e during S. Typhimurium
      infection. This was necessary and sufficient for both down-modulation of Ubc-9
      and a successful infection. Thus, we demonstrate a novel strategy of pathogen
      mediated perturbation of host SUMOylation, an integral mechanism underlying S.
      Typhimurium infection and intracellular survival. 

PMID- 26100021
TI  - Fine-Tuning of the RIG-I-Like Receptor/Interferon Regulatory Factor 3-Dependent
      Antiviral Innate Immune Response by the Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3/beta-Catenin
      Pathway.
AB  - Induction of an antiviral innate immune response relies on pattern recognition
      receptors, including retinoic acid-inducible gene 1-like receptors (RLR), to
      detect invading pathogens, resulting in the activation of multiple latent
      transcription factors, including interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). Upon
      sensing of viral RNA and DNA, IRF3 is phosphorylated and recruits coactivators to
      induce type I interferons (IFNs) and selected sets of IRF3-regulated IFN
      stimulated genes (ISGs) such as those for ISG54 (Ifit2), ISG56 (Ifit1), and
      viperin (Rsad2). Here, we used wild-type, glycogen synthase kinase 3alpha
      knockout (GSK-3alpha(-/-)), GSK-3beta(-/-), and GSK-3alpha/beta double-knockout
      (DKO) embryonic stem (ES) cells, as well as GSK-3beta(-/-) mouse embryonic
      fibroblast cells in which GSK-3alpha was knocked down to demonstrate that both
      isoforms of GSK-3, GSK-3alpha and GSK-3beta, are required for this antiviral
      immune response. Moreover, the use of two selective small-molecule GSK-3
      inhibitors (CHIR99021 and BIO-acetoxime) or ES cells reconstituted with the
      catalytically inactive versions of GSK-3 isoforms showed that GSK-3 activity is
      required for optimal induction of antiviral innate immunity. Mechanistically, GSK
      3 isoform activation following Sendai virus infection results in phosphorylation
      of beta-catenin at S33/S37/T41, promoting IRF3 DNA binding and activation of IRF3
      regulated ISGs. This study identifies the role of a GSK-3/beta-catenin axis in
      antiviral innate immunity. 

PMID- 26100022
TI  - Enhancer of Rudimentary Homolog Affects the Replication Stress Response through
      Regulation of RNA Processing.
AB  - Accurate replication of DNA is imperative for the maintenance of genomic
      integrity. We identified Enhancer of Rudimentary Homolog (ERH) using a whole
      genome RNA interference (RNAi) screen to discover novel proteins that function in
      the replication stress response. Here we report that ERH is important for DNA
      replication and recovery from replication stress. ATR pathway activity is
      diminished in ERH-deficient cells. The reduction in ATR signaling corresponds to
      a decrease in the expression of multiple ATR pathway genes, including ATR itself.
      ERH interacts with multiple RNA processing complexes, including splicing
      regulators. Furthermore, splicing of ATR transcripts is deficient in ERH-depleted
      cells. Transcriptome-wide analysis indicates that ERH depletion affects the
      levels of ~1,500 transcripts, with DNA replication and repair genes being highly
      enriched among those with reduced expression. Splicing defects were evident in
      ~750 protein-coding genes, which again were enriched for DNA metabolism genes.
      Thus, ERH regulation of RNA processing is needed to ensure faithful DNA
      replication and repair. 

PMID- 26100023
TI  - Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 1 Regulates Autophagy through Turning On TBC1D2
      Dependent Rab7 Inactivation.
AB  - Autophagy is a conserved process that enables catabolic and degradative pathways.
      Rab family proteins, which are active in the GTP-bound form, regulate the
      transport and fusion of autophagosomes. However, it remains unclear how each
      cycle of Rab activation and inactivation is precisely regulated. Here, we show
      that leucine-rich repeat kinase 1 (LRRK1) regulates autophagic flux by
      controlling Rab7 activity in autolysosome formation. Upon induction of autophagy,
      LRRK1 was recruited via an association with VAMP7 to the autolysosome, where it
      activated the Rab7 GTPase-activating protein (GAP) TBC1D2, thereby switching off
      Rab7 signaling. Consistent with this model, LRRK1 deletion caused mice to be
      vulnerable to starvation and disrupted autolysosome formation, as evidenced by
      the accumulation of enlarged autolysosomes with undegraded LC3-II and
      persistently high levels of Rab7-GTP. This defect in autophagic flux was
      partially rescued by a mutant form of TBC1D2 with elevated Rab7-GAP activity.
      Thus, the spatiotemporal regulation of Rab7 activity during tunicamycin-induced
      autophagy is regulated by LRRK1. 

PMID- 26100024
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of the New Zealand diabetes in pregnancy guideline screening
      recommendations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the cost-effectiveness of 2 possible screening strategies
      for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) from the perspective of the New Zealand
      health system, developed as part of a gestational diabetes guideline. DESIGN: A
      decision analytic model was built comparing 2-step screening (glycated
      haemoglobin (HbA1c) test at first booking and a 2 h 75 g oral glucose tolerance
      test (OGTT) as a single test at 24-28 weeks) with 3-step screening (HbA1c test at
      first booking and a 1 h glucose challenge test (GCT) followed by a 2 h 75 g OGTT
      when indicated from 24-28 weeks) using a 9-month time horizon. SETTING: A
      hypothetical cohort of 62,000 pregnant women in New Zealand. METHODS:
      Probabilities, costs and benefits were derived from the literature, and
      supplementary data was obtained from National Women's Annual Clinical Reports.
      Main outcome measures, screening and treatment costs (NZ$2013) and effect on
      health outcomes (incidence of complications). RESULTS: The total cost for both
      strategies under baseline assumptions shows that the 2-step screening strategy
      would cost NZ$1.38 m more than the 3-step screening strategy overall. The
      additional cost per case detected was NZ$12,460 per case. The model found that
      the 2-step screening strategy identifies 12 more women with diabetes and 111 more
      women with GDM when compared against the 3-step screening strategy. We assessed
      the effect of changing the sensitivity and specificity of the OGTT. The baseline
      model assumed that the 2 h 75 g OGTT has a sensitivity and specificity of 95%.
      The 2-step strategy becomes more cost-effective when the diagnostic accuracy
      measures are improved. CONCLUSIONS: Adopting a 2-step strategy would moderately
      increase the number of GDM cases detected at the same time as moderately
      increasing the number of women with false negatives at a significant cost to the
      health system. Further evidence on the benefits of the 2 different approaches
      would be welcome.

PMID- 26100025
TI  - Association between environmental tobacco smoke and depression among Korean
      women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)
      exposure and depression among Korean women. METHODS: Between 2008 and 2011, we
      examined 731 men and 1249 women (aged 39-85 years) for the Korean Genome and
      Epidemiology Study (KoGES)-Kangwha. Among 1208 never-smoking women, we excluded
      two women taking antidepressants and five women who did not complete the Beck
      Depression Inventory (BDI). Therefore, we performed a cross-sectional analysis on
      1201 women. ETS exposure was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire, and
      was classified into three groups: no exposure, occasional exposure and regular
      exposure. Depression was assessed using the BDI score, which ranged from 0 to 63,
      and the presence of depression was defined as a BDI score >= 10. RESULTS: Women
      exposed to ETS were more likely to have depression than those without ETS
      exposure (p=0.019). When BDI was analysed as a continuous variable, women exposed
      to ETS had significantly higher BDI scores after full adjustment (overall
      exposure: beta=1.36, p=0.013; occasional exposure: beta=1.15, p=0.063; regular
      exposure: beta=1.90, p=0.039). ETS exposure was significantly associated with
      depression in a dose-response manner even after adjusting for age, body mass
      index, menopause, socioeconomic status, lifestyle and prevalent chronic diseases.
      The adjusted OR for depression (95% CI) was 1.72 (1.25 to 2.37) for overall ETS
      exposure, 1.56 (1.09 to 2.24) for occasional exposure and 2.19 (1.30 to 3.69) for
      regular exposure, when compared to no exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to ETS was
      associated with depression among middle aged and elderly Korean women.

PMID- 26100026
TI  - A stepped wedge, cluster controlled trial of an intervention to improve safety
      and quality on medical wards: the HEADS-UP study protocol.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The majority of preventable deaths in healthcare are due to errors
      on general wards. Staff perceptions of safety correlate with patient survival,
      but effectively translating ward teams' concerns into tangibly improved care
      remains problematic. The Hospital Event Analysis Describing Significant
      Unanticipated Problems (HEADS-UP) trial evaluates a structured, multidisciplinary
      team briefing, capturing safety threats and adverse events, with rapid feedback
      to clinicians and service managers. This is the first study to rigorously assess
      a simpler intervention for general medical units, alongside an implementation
      model applicable to routine clinical practice. METHODS/ANALYSIS: 7 wards from 2
      hospitals will progressively incorporate the intervention into daily practice
      over 14 months. Wards will adopt HEADS-UP in a pragmatic sequence, guided by
      local clinical enthusiasm. Initial implementation will be facilitated by a
      research lead, but rapidly delegated to clinical teams. The primary outcome is
      excess length of stay (a surplus stay of 24 h or more, compared to peer
      institutions' Healthcare Resource Groups-predicted length of stay). Secondary
      outcomes are 30-day readmission or excess length of stay; in-hospital death or
      death/readmission within 30 days; healthcare-acquired infections; processes of
      escalation of care; use of traditional incident-reporting systems; and patient
      safety and teamwork climates. HEADS-UP will be analysed as a stepped wedge
      cluster controlled trial. With 7840 patients, using best and worst case
      predictions, the study would achieve between 75% and 100% power to detect a 2-14%
      absolute risk reduction in excess length of stay (two-sided p<0.05). Regression
      analysis will use generalised linear mixed models or generalised estimating
      equations, and a time-to-event regression model. A qualitative analysis will
      evaluate facilitators and barriers to HEADS-UP implementation and impact. ETHICS
      AND DISSEMINATION: Participating institutions' Research and Governance
      departments approved the study. Results will be published in peer-reviewed
      journals and at conference presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:
      ISRCTN34806867.

PMID- 26100027
TI  - Validity and reliability of chronic tic disorder and obsessive-compulsive
      disorder diagnoses in the Swedish National Patient Register.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The usefulness of cases diagnosed in administrative registers for
      research purposes is dependent on diagnostic validity. This study aimed to
      investigate the validity and inter-rater reliability of recorded diagnoses of tic
      disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in the Swedish National Patient
      Register (NPR). DESIGN: Chart review of randomly selected register cases and
      controls. METHOD: 100 tic disorder cases and 100 OCD cases were randomly selected
      from the NPR based on codes from the International Classification of Diseases
      (ICD) 8th, 9th and 10th editions, together with 50 epilepsy and 50 depression
      control cases. The obtained psychiatric records were blindly assessed by 2 senior
      psychiatrists according to the criteria of the fourth edition of the Diagnostic
      and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV
      TR) and ICD-10. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Positive predictive value (PPV;
      cases diagnosed correctly divided by the sum of true positives and false
      positives). RESULTS: Between 1969 and 2009, the NPR included 7286 tic disorder
      and 24,757 OCD cases. The vast majority (91.3% of tic cases and 80.1% of OCD
      cases) are coded with the most recent ICD version (ICD-10). For tic disorders,
      the PPV was high across all ICD versions (PPV=89% in ICD-8, 86% in ICD-9 and 97%
      in ICD-10). For OCD, only ICD-10 codes had high validity (PPV=91-96%). None of
      the epilepsy or depression control cases were wrongly diagnosed as having tic
      disorders or OCD, respectively. Inter-rater reliability was outstanding for both
      tic disorders (kappa=1) and OCD (kappa=0.98). CONCLUSIONS: The validity and
      reliability of ICD codes for tic disorders and OCD in the Swedish NPR is
      generally high. We propose simple algorithms to further increase the confidence
      in the validity of these codes for epidemiological research.

PMID- 26100029
TI  - Cartilage invasion patterns in laryngeal cancer.
AB  - The cartilaginous invasion determines the T and is one of the most common sources
      of mistake in tumor staging. Also it is of great importance when planning any
      therapeutic alternative. In the latest revision of the TNM classification a clear
      distinction is made between infiltration of cartilage without going through it,
      considered a T3 recently and that would be a T4 according to the previous
      classification, and those going through the cartilage, classified as T4a. While
      this classification makes the difference in depth of infiltration, it does not
      emphasize the extent of invasion. This paper provides a detailed description of
      the laryngeal cartilage tumor infiltration by whole organ serial section in which
      the invasion is considered both horizontal (transcartilaginous) and vertical
      (extent of invasion) and establishing patterns of three-dimensional infiltration
      of the cartilage. This is a cross-sectional study of prevalence. 275 records of
      patients treated for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma between 1995 and 2000 were
      reviewed. The pathological processing of laryngectomy surgical specimens was
      performed following the method of whole organ serial section described by G. F.
      Tucker. The following patterns of cartilaginous infiltration were defined: (1)
      transcartilaginous infiltration; (2a) partial focal infiltration of the
      cartilage: infiltration not going through the cartilage but occupying one third
      or less of its extent; (2b) partial extensive infiltration of the cartilage:
      infiltration occupying two thirds or more of its length and (3) no cartilage
      infiltration: tumor in contact with the cartilage (paraglottic space) but without
      affecting it. 161 patients met the inclusion criteria. The most frequent tumor
      location was supraglottic (58 cases) followed by glottic (47). 109 patients (67.7
      %) were treated with total laryngectomy. Partial surgical techniques were
      performed in the remaining cases. TNM tumor staging was performed according to
      the results of pathological study (pTNM). 72.06 % (116) were classified as
      advanced laryngeal tumors (pT3 and pT4). 46 % of patients showed some extent of
      laryngeal cartilage infiltration (thyroid, cricoid, arytenoids, epiglottis). The
      cartilage most frequently infiltrated was the thyroid in 48 patients (29.8 %) and
      when it is affected, in most cases (66.7 %), the infiltration is
      transcartilaginous. The next most common pattern is partial focal infiltration
      (27 %). In the cricoid cartilage, the most common pattern of infiltration is
      focal partial infiltration (52.6 %). Of the 19 cases with infiltration of the
      cricoid, there are 12 cases with extra laryngeal invasion through a cricothyroid
      membrane perforation. The study of laryngeal cancer by laryngeal whole serial
      section has been proved to be very useful in offering a high precision pTNM
      staging and a detailed description of the infiltration of cartilage. We have seen
      that when the thyroid cartilage is infiltrated the tumor often passes through the
      cartilage. However, there are cases where the tumor is extremely aggressive,
      being very widespread in cartilage thickness without actually crossing it. The
      isolated infiltration of the cricoid cartilage is exceptional. 

PMID- 26100030
TI  - Intratympanic corticosteroids injections: a systematic review of literature.
AB  - The objective of the study was to determine the evidence of intratympanic
      steroids injections (ITSI) for efficacy in the management of the following inner
      ear diseases: Meniere's disease, tinnitus, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and
      idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). The data sources were
      literature review from 1946 to December 2014, PubMed and Medline. A systematic
      review of the existing literature was performed. Databases were searched for all
      human prospective randomized clinical trials using ITSI in at least one treatment
      group. The authors identified 29 prospective randomized clinical trials
      investigating the benefits of an intratympanic delivery of steroids. Six articles
      on Meniere's disease were identified, of which one favored ITSI over placebo in
      vertigo control. Of the five randomized clinical trials on tinnitus therapy, one
      study found better tinnitus control with ITSI. The only available trial on NIHL
      showed significant hearing recovery with combination therapy (ITSI and oral
      steroids therapy). Seventeen studies were identified on ISSNHL, of which 10
      investigated ITSI as a first-line therapy and 7 as a salvage therapy. Studies
      analysis found benefits in hearing recovery in both settings. Due to
      heterogeneity in treatment protocols and follow-up, a meta-analysis was not
      performed. Given the low adverse effects rates of ITSI therapy and good patient
      tolerability, local delivery should be considered as an interesting adjunct to
      the therapy of the ISSNHL and NIHL. Only one article over six where ITSI therapy
      offers potential benefits to patients with Meniere's disease in the control of
      tinnitus and vertigo was found. ITSI does not seem to be effective in the
      treatment of tinnitus. 

PMID- 26100031
TI  - Comparison of microporous polysaccharide hemospheres and Ankaferd Blood Stopper
      in a rabbit epistaxis model.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the histopathological impact,
      effectiveness, and safety of two hemostatic agents, Ankaferd Blood Stopper (ABS)
      and microporous polysaccharide hemospheres (MPH), in an experimental rabbit
      epistaxis model. Rabbits were randomly assigned, using a computerized random
      number generator, to the following three groups of six animals: group 1 (control,
      irrigated with saline); group 2 (ABS-treated); and group 3 (MPH-treated). In all
      groups, a standardized rabbit epistaxis model was used. Hemostasis time and
      extent of nasal bleeding were measured to compare the hemostatic effect of ABS
      and MPH among groups. Septums were removed for histopathological analysis, 7 days
      after the procedure. ABS reduced hemostasis time to 104.2 s and amount of
      bleeding to 20.5 mg. MPH reduced hemostasis time to 71.7 s and amount of bleeding
      to 11.5 mg. Mean bleeding time in wounds administered ABS and MPH was
      significantly shorter compared with wounds administered isotonic saline solution
      (p = 0.004). ABS and MPH application decreased bleeding significantly compared
      with the control group (p = 0.004). Bleeding time and amount in the MPH group was
      significantly reduced compared with the ABS group (p = 0.013 and p = 0.004,
      respectively). There was no significant difference in the histopathological
      evaluation results between the ABS, MPH, and control groups. Our data indicate
      that both ABS and MPH represent safe, effective, and fast-acting hemostatic
      agents in the management of epistaxis. MPH was more effective than ABS in terms
      of hemostasis time and amount of bleeding.

PMID- 26100032
TI  - [Hematopoietic stem cell exhaustion and advanced glycation end-products in the
      unexplained anemia of the elderly].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: More than 10% of the aged 65 years and over in the western world
      suffers anemia and in one third of them the cause of the anemia remains obscure.
      The unexplained anemia of the elderly (UAE) is considered an exclusion diagnosis,
      without the existence of a clear consensus to its clinical or experimental
      approach. There is an association between aging and anemia in studies performed
      in animals and in humans. OBJECTIVES: To determine if there is evidence in the
      literature that supports hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) exhaustion and the
      advanced glycation end-products (AGE's) as a cause of UAE. METHOD: A total of 32
      combined texts (28 for HSC exhaustion and 4 for AGEs) were selected after an
      intensive review. Conclusions were associated with causes and effects of the HSC
      exhaustion and circulating AGE's over aging and anemia. RESULTS: Only three works
      try to establish an association between UAE and HSC exhaustion, two of them
      disagreed in their conclusions, with the third one differing in the type of
      study. There is a relationship between anemia and AGEs increase and accumulation.
      CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence in the literature that links the aging molecular
      and cellular mechanisms with the HSC exhaustion and the increase of AGE's.
      Furthermore; there is some evidence that both conditions determine the emergence
      of anemia associated with age in animals and in humans. There is little evidence
      in the literature to clarify the relationship between aging and UAE.

PMID- 26100033
TI  - [Association between carbonyl proteins and tumor necrosis factor alpha with
      muscle strength in young and older women: exploratory study].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It has recently been proposed that there is a close relationship
      between oxidative stress and low-grade chronic inflammation. Both processes have
      been related separately to muscle function in older adults (OA). Nevertheless, it
      still has not been determined if this relationship is present particularly in OA.
      The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the plasma
      levels of TNF-alpha and carbonyl proteins (CP) and muscle strength in a group of
      young and older women. METHODS: An exploratory study was conducted on 13 older
      and 8 young women, in whom the plasma levels of CP and TNF-alpha were measured.
      Muscle strength was measured by handgrip test, quadriceps voluntary maximal
      isometric strength, arm curl, and the 30 second sit to stand test. RESULTS: There
      were no differences in the plasma levels of CP and TNF-alpha between the groups,
      but there was relationship between the biomarkers only in the OA group. A non
      linear relationship was observed between CP and quadriceps voluntary maximal
      isometric strength only in the OA group (R(2)=36.2; P=.038). For TNF-alpha there
      were no significant association with any of the applied tests. CONCLUSIONS: There
      is an association between CP and quadriceps voluntary maximal isometric strength
      only in the OA group, which could indicate a deleterious action of oxidative
      stress on muscle function, particularly in aging.

PMID- 26100034
TI  - Effects of exposure to direct-to-consumer television advertising for statin drugs
      on food and exercise guilt.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) is widely
      prevalent on US television. This study tests the relationship between estimated
      exposure to DTCA for statin drugs, which often feature mixed messages about the
      efficacy of diet and exercise in reducing risk of cholesterol and heart disease,
      and guilty feelings regarding food and exercise. METHODS: A series of repeated
      cross-sectional surveys of the US population between 2001 and 2007 (N=106,859
      adults aged 18 and older) were combined with data on the frequency of DTCA
      appearances on national, cable, and local television during the same time period.
      RESULTS: Adjusting for potential confounders with ordinary least squares (OLS)
      regression, increased potential exposure to statin DTCA was associated with
      increased food guilt (in a dose-response pattern) and exercise guilt (in a
      threshold pattern). CONCLUSION: This study provides new evidence that DTCA has
      potential to influence emotional well-being as well as direct behavioral
      responses emphasized in previous academic research. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Health
      practitioners should be prepared to encounter and counsel patients who are
      prompted by DTCA to feel guilty about their food and exercise behaviors, feelings
      which may impact the likelihood of adherence to prescribed behavioral
      modification for weight management.

PMID- 26100035
TI  - Fractionated radiotherapy and radiosurgery of intracranial meningiomas.
AB  - This review focuses on the role of radiosurgery and fractionated radiotherapy in
      the management of intracranial meningiomas, which are the most common benign
      intracranial tumors. Whenever feasible, surgery remains a cornerstone of
      treatment in effective health care treatment where modern radiotherapy plays an
      important role. Irradiation can be proposed as first-line treatment, as adjuvant
      treatment, or as a second-line treatment after recurrence. Stereotactic
      radiosurgery consists of delivering, a high-dose of radiation with high
      precision, to the tumor in a single-fraction with a minimal exposure of
      surrounding healthy tissue. Stereotactic radiosurgery, especially with the gamma
      knife technique, has reached a high level of success for the treatment of
      intracranial meningiomas with excellent local control and low morbidity. However,
      stereotactic radiosurgery is limited by tumor size,<3-4cm, and location, i.e.
      reasonable distance from the organs at risk. Fractionated radiation therapy is an
      interesting alternative (5 to 6weeks treatment time) for large inoperable tumors.
      The results of fractionated radiation therapy seem encouraging as regards both
      local control and morbidity although long-term prospective studies are still
      needed.

PMID- 26100036
TI  - Cutaneous inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours can be anaplastic lymphoma kinase
      positive: report of the first four cases.
AB  - AIMS: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours (IMTs) usually have a soft tissue and
      visceral localization, but have been rarely reported in skin. The aim of this
      study was to characterize the histological and immunohistochemical features of a
      series of cutaneous IMTs. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrieved from our archives
      over 10 years four cutaneous IMTs; one was diagnosed in a child, and three in
      young adults. Tumours were centred on the dermis, and also involved the subcutis
      in two cases. Two of them corresponded to the 'myxoid-vascular' pattern of IMT,
      whereas the others were characterized by compact fascicles of spindle-shaped
      cells. They stained positively for smooth muscle actin. All samples stained
      positively for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). ALK expression was limited to
      the cytoplasm of myofibroblasts and, in the three investigated cases, correlated
      with ALK rearrangement as shown by fluorescence in-situ hybridization analysis.
      CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of ALK-positive IMTs with a cutaneous
      localization. Because of their morphological heterogeneity and low incidence in
      skin, the diagnosis of cutaneous IMTs is often challenging. A cutaneous spindled
      cell tumour associated with an inflammatory infiltrate should prompt pathologists
      to perform ALK staining, which, if positive, might be decisive for diagnosis.

PMID- 26100037
TI  - Inhibitory effect of 5,6-dihydroergosteol-glucoside on atopic dermatitis-like
      skin lesions via suppression of NF-kappaB and STAT activation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a Th2-type disease. Keratinocytes, a major
      type in the skin, produce Th2 chemokines such as thymus and activation-regulated
      chemokine (TARC)/CCL17 and macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC)/CCL22, which play
      pivotal roles in the development of Th2-dominant inflammatory skin diseases.
      Recently, it was reported that 5,6-dihydroergosterol-glucoside (DHE-Glc) was
      synthesized and exhibited strong anti-inflammatory activity. OBJECTIVE: We aimed
      to investigate the effects of DHE-Glc, a synthetic molecule derived from
      ergosterol, on AD-like skin lesions induced by 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) in
      mice and to elucidate the effects of DHE-Glc on TNF-alpha/IFN-gamma-induced
      production of CCL17 and CCL22 in human keratinocytes (HaCaTs) and DNCB induced
      skin inflammation mice model. METHOD: Mice were sensitized and challenged on the
      skin of their backs with DNCB. At 30-60 days after sensitization, mice were
      treated with cutaneous administration of DHE-Glc by skin smear. HaCaT cells were
      used to evaluate the effects of DHE-Glc on production of CCL17 and CCL22 and
      investigate mechanisms of action by RT-PCR, ELISA, Western blot, and reporter
      assays. RESULT: Topical administration of DHE-Glc attenuated AD-like skin
      inflammatory symptoms. DHE-Glc decreased infiltration of epidermal eosinophils
      and mast cells, and reduced levels of IgE, histamine, and mRNA expression and
      protein levels of CCL17/CCL22 in the plasma of DNCB-treated animals. In addition,
      DHE-Glc suppressed TNF-alpha/IFN-gamma-induced expression of the Th2 chemokines
      CCL17 and CCL22 by inhibiting NF-kappaB and STAT activation in TNF-alpha/IFN
      gamma-induced HaCaT cells. CONCLUSION: DHE-Glc improved AD-like skin inflammatory
      symptoms on the backs of DNCB-induced mice, partly by suppressing production of
      Th2 chemokines, CCL17 and CCL22 in inflamed skin. Therefore, DHE-Glc is a
      potential therapeutic agent for skin inflammatory diseases such as AD.

PMID- 26100038
TI  - Interactions and Localization of Escherichia coli Error-Prone DNA Polymerase IV
      after DNA Damage.
AB  - Escherichia coli's DNA polymerase IV (Pol IV/DinB), a member of the Y family of
      error-prone polymerases, is induced during the SOS response to DNA damage and is
      responsible for translesion bypass and adaptive (stress-induced) mutation. In
      this study, the localization of Pol IV after DNA damage was followed using
      fluorescent fusions. After exposure of E. coli to DNA-damaging agents,
      fluorescently tagged Pol IV localized to the nucleoid as foci. Stepwise
      photobleaching indicated ~60% of the foci consisted of three Pol IV molecules,
      while ~40% consisted of six Pol IV molecules. Fluorescently tagged Rep, a
      replication accessory DNA helicase, was recruited to the Pol IV foci after DNA
      damage, suggesting that the in vitro interaction between Rep and Pol IV reported
      previously also occurs in vivo. Fluorescently tagged RecA also formed foci after
      DNA damage, and Pol IV localized to them. To investigate if Pol IV localizes to
      double-strand breaks (DSBs), an I-SceI endonuclease-mediated DSB was introduced
      close to a fluorescently labeled LacO array on the chromosome. After DSB
      induction, Pol IV localized to the DSB site in ~70% of SOS-induced cells. RecA
      also formed foci at the DSB sites, and Pol IV localized to the RecA foci. These
      results suggest that Pol IV interacts with RecA in vivo and is recruited to sites
      of DSBs to aid in the restoration of DNA replication. IMPORTANCE: DNA polymerase
      IV (Pol IV/DinB) is an error-prone DNA polymerase capable of bypassing DNA
      lesions and aiding in the restart of stalled replication forks. In this work, we
      demonstrate in vivo localization of fluorescently tagged Pol IV to the nucleoid
      after DNA damage and to DNA double-strand breaks. We show colocalization of Pol
      IV with two proteins: Rep DNA helicase, which participates in replication, and
      RecA, which catalyzes recombinational repair of stalled replication forks. Time
      course experiments suggest that Pol IV recruits Rep and that RecA recruits Pol
      IV. These findings provide in vivo evidence that Pol IV aids in maintaining
      genomic stability not only by bypassing DNA lesions but also by participating in
      the restoration of stalled replication forks.

PMID- 26100039
TI  - Catechol Siderophore Transport by Vibrio cholerae.
AB  - Siderophores, small iron-binding molecules secreted by many microbial species,
      capture environmental iron for transport back into the cell. Vibrio cholerae
      synthesizes and uses the catechol siderophore vibriobactin and also uses
      siderophores secreted by other species, including enterobactin produced by
      Escherichia coli. E. coli secretes both canonical cyclic enterobactin and linear
      enterobactin derivatives likely derived from its cleavage by the enterobactin
      esterase Fes. We show here that V. cholerae does not use cyclic enterobactin but
      instead uses its linear derivatives. V. cholerae lacked both a receptor for
      efficient transport of cyclic enterobactin and enterobactin esterase to promote
      removal of iron from the ferrisiderophore complex. To further characterize the
      transport of catechol siderophores, we show that the linear enterobactin
      derivatives were transported into V. cholerae by either of the catechol
      siderophore receptors IrgA and VctA, which also transported the synthetic
      siderophore MECAM [1,3,5-N,N',N"-tris-(2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl)
      triaminomethylbenzene]. Vibriobactin is transported via the additional catechol
      siderophore receptor ViuA, while the Vibrio fluvialis siderophore fluvibactin was
      transported by all three catechol receptors. ViuB, a putative V. cholerae
      siderophore-interacting protein (SIP), functionally substituted for the E. coli
      ferric reductase YqjH, which promotes the release of iron from the siderophore in
      the bacterial cytoplasm. In V. cholerae, ViuB was required for the use of
      vibriobactin but was not required for the use of MECAM, fluvibactin, ferrichrome,
      or the linear derivatives of enterobactin. This suggests the presence of another
      protein in V. cholerae capable of promoting the release of iron from these
      siderophores. IMPORTANCE: Vibrio cholerae is a major human pathogen and also
      serves as a model for the Vibrionaceae, which include other serious human and
      fish pathogens. The ability of these species to persist and acquire essential
      nutrients, including iron, in the environment is epidemiologically important but
      not well understood. In this work, we characterize the ability of V. cholerae to
      acquire iron by using siderophores produced by other organisms. We resolve
      confusion in the literature regarding its ability to use the Escherichia coli
      siderophore enterobactin and identify the receptor and TonB system used for the
      transport of several siderophores. The use of some siderophores did not require
      the ferric reductase ViuB, suggesting that an uncharacterized ferric reductase is
      present in V. cholerae.

PMID- 26100040
TI  - Identification of the Final Two Genes Functioning in Methanofuran Biosynthesis in
      Methanocaldococcus jannaschii.
AB  - All methanofuran structural variants contain a basic core structure of 4-[N
      (gamma-l-glutamyl)-p-(beta-aminoethyl)phenoxymethyl]-(aminomethyl)furan (APMF
      Glu) but have different side chains depending on the source organism. Recently,
      we identified four genes (MfnA, MfnB, MfnC, and MfnD) that are responsible for
      the biosynthesis of the methanofuran precursor gamma-glutamyltyramine and 5
      (aminomethyl)-3-furanmethanol-phosphate (F1-P) from tyrosine, glutamate,
      glyceraldehyde-3-P, and alanine in Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. How gamma
      glutamyltyramine and F1-P couple together to form the core structure of
      methanofuran was previously unknown. Here, we report the identification of two
      enzymes encoded by the genes mj0458 and mj0840 that catalyze the formation of F1
      PP from ATP and F1-P and the condensation of F1-PP with gamma-glutamyltyramine,
      respectively, to form APMF-Glu. We have annotated these enzymes as MfnE and MfnF,
      respectively, representing the fifth and sixth enzymes in the methanofuran
      biosynthetic pathway to be identified. Although MfnE was previously reported as
      an archaeal adenylate kinase, our present results show that MfnE is a promiscuous
      enzyme and that its possible physiological role is to produce F1-PP. Unlike other
      enzymes catalyzing coupling reactions involving pyrophosphate as the leaving
      group, MfnF exhibits a distinctive alpha/beta two-layer sandwich structure. By
      comparing MfnF with thiamine synthase and dihydropteroate synthase, a
      substitution nucleophilic unimolecular (SN-1) reaction mechanism is proposed for
      MfnF. With the identification of MfnE and MfnF, the biosynthetic pathway for the
      methanofuran core structure APMF-Glu is complete. IMPORTANCE: This work describes
      the identification of the final two enzymes responsible for catalyzing the
      biosynthesis of the core structure of methanofuran. The gene products of mj0458
      and mj0840 catalyze the formation of F1-PP and the coupling of F1-PP with gamma
      glutamyltyramine, respectively, to form APMF-Glu. Although the chemistry of such
      a coupling reaction is widespread in biochemistry, we provide here the first
      evidence that such a mechanism is used in methanofuran biosynthesis. MfnF belongs
      to the hydantoinase A family (PF01968) and exhibits a unique alpha/beta two-layer
      sandwich structure that is different from the enzymes catalyzing similar
      reactions. Our results show that MfnF catalyzes the formation of an ether bond
      during methanofuran biosynthesis. Therefore, this work further expands the
      functionality of this enzyme family.

PMID- 26100041
TI  - Cyclic Di-GMP-Regulated Periplasmic Proteolysis of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Type
      Vb Secretion System Substrate.
AB  - We previously identified a second-messenger-regulated signaling system in the
      environmental bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens which controls biofilm formation
      in response to levels of environmental inorganic phosphate. This system contains
      the transmembrane cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) receptor LapD and the periplasmic
      protease LapG. LapD regulates LapG and controls the ability of this protease to
      process a large cell surface adhesin protein, LapA. While LapDG orthologs can be
      identified in diverse bacteria, predictions of LapG substrates are sparse.
      Notably, the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa harbors LapDG
      orthologs, but neither the substrate of LapG nor any associated secretion
      machinery has been identified to date. Here, we identified P. aeruginosa CdrA, a
      protein known to mediate cell-cell aggregation and biofilm maturation, as a
      substrate of LapG. We also demonstrated LapDG to be a minimal system sufficient
      to control CdrA localization in response to changes in the intracellular
      concentration of c-di-GMP. Our work establishes this biofilm signaling node as a
      regulator of a type Vb secretion system substrate in a clinically important
      pathogen. IMPORTANCE: Here, the biological relevance of a conserved yet orphan
      signaling system in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is
      revealed. In particular, we identified the adhesin CdrA, the cargo of a two
      partner secretion system, as a substrate of a periplasmic protease whose activity
      is controlled by intracellular c-di-GMP levels and a corresponding transmembrane
      receptor via an inside-out signaling mechanism. The data indicate a
      posttranslational control mechanism of CdrA via c-di-GMP, in addition to its
      established transcriptional regulation via the same second messenger.

PMID- 26100042
TI  - Aminoimidazole Carboxamide Ribotide Exerts Opposing Effects on Thiamine Synthesis
      in Salmonella enterica.
AB  - In Salmonella enterica, the thiamine biosynthetic intermediate 5-aminoimidazole
      ribotide (AIR) can be synthesized de novo independently of the early purine
      biosynthetic reactions. This secondary route to AIR synthesis is dependent on (i)
      5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide ribotide (AICAR) accumulation, (ii) a functional
      phosphoribosylaminoimidazole-succinocarboxamide (SAICAR) synthetase (PurC; EC
      6.3.2.6), and (iii) methionine and lysine in the growth medium. Studies presented
      here show that AICAR is a direct precursor to AIR in vivo. PurC-dependent
      conversion of AICAR to AIR was recreated in vitro. Physiological studies showed
      that exogenous nutrients (e.g., methionine and lysine) antagonize the inhibitory
      effects of AICAR on the ThiC reaction and decreased the cellular thiamine
      requirement. Finally, genetic results identified multiple loci that impacted the
      effect of AICAR on thiamine synthesis and implicated cellular aspartate levels in
      AICAR-dependent AIR synthesis. Together, the data here clarify the mechanism that
      allows conditional growth of a strain lacking the first five biosynthetic
      enzymes, and they provide additional insights into the complexity of the
      metabolic network and its plasticity. IMPORTANCE: In bacteria, the pyrimidine
      moiety of thiamine is derived from aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR), an intermediate
      in purine biosynthesis. A previous study described conditions under which AIR
      synthesis is independent of purine biosynthesis. This work is an extension of
      that previous study and describes a new synthetic pathway to thiamine that
      depends on a novel thiamine precursor and a secondary activity of the
      biosynthetic enzyme PurC. These findings provide mechanistic details of
      redundancy in the synthesis of a metabolite that is essential for nucleotide and
      coenzyme biosynthesis. Metabolic modifications that allow the new pathway to
      function or enhance it are also described.

PMID- 26100043
TI  - A Mannose Family Phosphotransferase System Permease and Associated Enzymes Are
      Required for Utilization of Fructoselysine and Glucoselysine in Salmonella
      enterica Serovar Typhimurium.
AB  - Salmonella enteric serovar Typhimurium, a major cause of food-borne illness, is
      capable of using a variety of carbon and nitrogen sources. Fructoselysine and
      glucoselysine are Maillard reaction products formed by the reaction of glucose or
      fructose, respectively, with the epsilon-amine group of lysine. We report here
      that S. Typhimurium utilizes fructoselysine and glucoselysine as carbon and
      nitrogen sources via a mannose family phosphotransferase (PTS) encoded by gfrABCD
      (glucoselysine/fructoselysine PTS components EIIA, EIIB, EIIC, and EIID; locus
      numbers STM14_5449 to STM14_5454 in S. Typhimurium 14028s). Genes coding for two
      predicted deglycases within the gfr operon, gfrE and gfrF, were required for
      growth with glucoselysine and fructoselysine, respectively. GfrF demonstrated
      fructoselysine-6-phosphate deglycase activity in a coupled enzyme assay. The
      biochemical and genetic analyses were consistent with a pathway in which
      fructoselysine and glucoselysine are phosphorylated at the C-6 position of the
      sugar by the GfrABCD PTS as they are transported across the membrane. The
      resulting fructoselysine-6-phosphate and glucoselysine-6-phosphate subsequently
      are cleaved by GfrF and GfrE to form lysine and glucose-6-phosphate or fructose-6
      phosphate. Interestingly, although S. Typhimurium can use lysine derived from
      fructoselysine or glucoselysine as a sole nitrogen source, it cannot use
      exogenous lysine as a nitrogen source to support growth. Expression of gfrABCDEF
      was dependent on the alternative sigma factor RpoN (sigma(54)) and an RpoN
      dependent LevR-like activator, which we designated GfrR. IMPORTANCE: Salmonella
      physiology has been studied intensively, but there is much we do not know
      regarding the repertoire of nutrients these bacteria are able to use for growth.
      This study shows that a previously uncharacterized PTS and associated enzymes
      function together to transport and catabolize fructoselysine and glucoselysine.
      Knowledge of the range of nutrients that Salmonella utilizes is important, as it
      could lead to the development of new strategies for reducing the load of
      Salmonella in food animals, thereby mitigating its entry into the human food
      supply.

PMID- 26100045
TI  - Topical L-menthol for Postradiotherapy Neuropathic Pain: A Case Report.

PMID- 26100046
TI  - Successful Palliation of Octreotide-Resistant Diarrhea Using Glycopyrrolate in a
      Patient With Medullary Thyroid Cancer: A Case Report.

PMID- 26100047
TI  - No evidence for improved TORS post-treatment feeding tube dependency rate
      relative to standard therapy in early stage oropharyngeal cancer.

PMID- 26100048
TI  - Merkel cell carcinoma - Beast with two Backs.
AB  - Merkel cell carcinoma of cutaneous and mucosal origin shows many differences like
      in origin, etiology, anatomical site, prognosis etc. This communication focuses
      briefly on the differences between mucosal MCC and cutaneous MCC. 

PMID- 26100049
TI  - A translational bioinformatic approach in identifying and validating an
      interaction between Vitamin A and CYP19A1.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: One major challenge in personalized medicine research is to
      identify the environmental factors that can alter drug response, and to
      investigate their molecular mechanisms. These environmental factors include co
      medications, food, and nutrition or dietary supplements. The increasing use of
      dietary supplements and their potential interactions with cytochrome P450
      (CYP450) enzymes is a highly significant personalized medicine research domain,
      because most of the drugs on the market are metabolized through CYP450 enzymes.
      METHODS: Initial bioinformatics analysis revealed a number of regulators of
      CYP450 enzymes from a human liver bank gene expression quantitative loci data
      set. Then, a compound-gene network was constructed from the curated literature
      data. This network consisted of compounds that interact with either CYPs and/or
      their regulators that influence either their gene expression or activity. We
      further evaluated this finding in three different cell lines: JEG3, HeLa, and
      LNCaP cells. RESULTS: From a total of 868 interactions we were able to identify
      an interesting interaction between retinoic acid (i.e. Vitamin A) and the
      aromatase gene (i.e. CYP19A1). Our experimental results showed that retinoic acid
      at physiological concentration significantly influenced CYP19A1 gene expressions.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the presence of retinoic acid may alter
      the efficacy of agents used to suppress aromatase expression.

PMID- 26100052
TI  - Proteomic changes occurring in the malaria mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and
      Anopheles stephensi during aging.
AB  - The age of mosquitoes is a crucial determinant of their ability to transmit
      pathogens and their resistance to insecticides. We investigated changes to the
      abundance of proteins found in heads and thoraces of the malaria mosquitoes
      Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi as they aged. Protein expression
      changes were assessed using two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis and
      the identity of differentially expressed proteins was determined by using either
      matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization tandem time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry or capillary high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with a
      linear ion-trap (LTQ)-Orbitrap XL hybrid mass spectrometer. Protein biomarkers
      were validated by semi quantitative Western blot analysis. Nineteen and nine age
      dependent protein spots were identified for A. stephensi and A. gambiae,
      respectively. Among the proteins down-regulated with age were homologs of
      ADF/Cofilin, cytochome c1, heat shock protein-70 and eukaryotic translation
      initiation factor 5A (eIF5a). Proteins up-regulated with age included probable
      methylmalonate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase, voltage-dependent anion-selective
      channel and fructose bisphosphate aldolase. Semi quantitative Western blot
      analysis confirmed expression patterns observed by 2-D DIGE for eIF5a and
      ADF/Cofilin. Further work is recommended to determine whether these biomarkers
      are robust to infection, blood feeding and insecticide resistance. Robust
      biomarkers could then be incorporated into rapid diagnostic assays for ecological
      and epidemiological studies. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: In this study, we have
      identified several proteins with characteristic changes in abundance in both A.
      gambiae and A. stephensi during their aging process. These changes may highlight
      underlying mechanisms beneath the relationship between mosquito age and factors
      affecting Plasmodium transmission and mosquito control. The similarity of changes
      in protein abundance between these species and the primary dengue vector Aedes
      aegypti, has revealed conserved patterns of aging-specific protein regulation.

PMID- 26100053
TI  - Transcatheter Leadless Pacemaker Implantation for Complete Heart Block Following
      CoreValve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

PMID- 26100051
TI  - Molecular effects of the myosin activator omecamtiv mecarbil on contractile
      properties of skinned myocardium lacking cardiac myosin binding protein-C.
AB  - Decreased expression of cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) in the
      myocardium is thought to be a contributing factor to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
      in humans, and the initial molecular defect is likely abnormal cross-bridge (XB)
      function which leads to impaired force generation, decreased contractile
      performance, and hypertrophy in vivo. The myosin activator omecamtiv mecarbil
      (OM) is a pharmacological drug that specifically targets the myosin XB and recent
      evidence suggests that OM induces a significant decrease in the in vivo motility
      velocity and an increase in the XB duty cycle. Thus, the molecular effects of OM
      maybe beneficial in improving contractile function in skinned myocardium lacking
      cMyBP-C because absence of cMyBP-C in the sarcomere accelerates XB kinetics and
      enhances XB turnover rate, which presumably reduces contractile efficiency.
      Therefore, parameters of XB function were measured in skinned myocardium lacking
      cMyBP-C prior to and following OM incubation. We measured ktr, the rate of force
      redevelopment as an index of XB transition from both the weakly- to strongly
      bound state and from the strongly- to weakly-bound states and performed stretch
      activation experiments to measure the rates of XB detachment (krel) and XB
      recruitment (kdf) in detergent-skinned ventricular preparations isolated from
      hearts of wild-type (WT) and cMyBP-C knockout (KO) mice. Samples from donor human
      hearts were also used to assess the effects of OM in cardiac muscle expressing a
      slow beta-myosin heavy chain (beta-MHC). Incubation of skinned myocardium with OM
      produced large enhancements in steady-state force generation which were most
      pronounced at low levels of [Ca(2+)] activations, suggesting that OM
      cooperatively recruits additional XB's into force generating states. Despite a
      large increase in steady-state force generation following OM incubation, parallel
      accelerations in XB kinetics as measured by ktr were not observed, and there was
      a significant OM-induced decrease in krel which was more pronounced in the KO
      skinned myocardium compared to WT skinned myocardium (58% in WT vs. 76% in KO at
      pCa 6.1), such that baseline differences in krel between KO and WT skinned
      myocardium were no longer apparent following OM-incubation. A significant
      decrease in the kdf was also observed following OM incubation in all groups,
      which may be related to the increase in the number of cooperatively recruited
      XB's at low Ca(2+)-activations which slows the overall rate of force generation.
      Our results indicate that OM may be a useful pharmacological approach to
      normalize hypercontractile XB kinetics in myocardium with decreased cMyBP-C
      expression due to its molecular effects on XB behavior. 

PMID- 26100054
TI  - What is different for people with MS who have pressure ulcers: A reflective study
      of the impact upon people's quality of life?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a progressive, degenerative disease of the
      central nervous system. People with advanced disease who have compromised
      mobility, activity, sensory and/or cognitive abilities are at risk of pressure
      ulcers. Having a pressure ulcer has a substantial impact on a person's quality of
      life; a generic pressure ulcer Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) framework
      has been used in this study. AIM: To explore the views and opinions of patients
      with MS who have a pressure ulcer using a thematic framework and compare these to
      the general pressure ulcer population. METHODS: Data for six MS patients was
      obtained through secondary analysis of transcripts from semi-structured
      interviews conducted during two studies which were part of a programme of HRQL
      Research. FINDINGS: Patients with MS reported that their pressure ulcer affected
      their lives physically, psychologically and socially. All were confined to bed
      (as part of their pressure ulcer treatment) and therefore unable to participate
      in activities. Difficulties with movement and activity were partially attributed
      to the MS. Patients with MS did not report feeling ill with their pressure ulcer
      and expressed positive emotions and optimism. Pain or discomfort was a feature of
      the pressure ulcer for most patients. CONCLUSIONS: Pressure ulcers have a major
      impact on QOL for all patients. Problems with mobility and activity associated
      with the pressure ulcer were confounded by the MS.

PMID- 26100055
TI  - Variability and Signatures of RNase-H Amino Acid Domain and Central Polypurine
      Tract of HIV-1 B-Subtype from Drug-Naive Individuals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The conversion to HIV-1 single-stranded RNA into double-stranded DNA
      for nuclear integration is an essential viral step in replication: this process
      is mediated by Reverse-Transcriptase (RT) and by central polypurine tract (cPPT),
      a domain where the plus-strand synthesis requires viral primers produced by RNase
      H cleavage. Recent studies highlighted the need of investigating the role of
      RNase-H in RT nucleoside-inhibitors-resistance, because specific mutation(s)
      could affect cPPT removal and RNase-H cleavage specificity. Thus, the variability
      of RNase-H and cPPT were studied. METHODS: HIV-1 subtype-B sequences from 746
      drug-naive and 806 antiretroviral-(ARV)-treated patients were used and analysed.
      RESULTS: In drug-naive patients, among 54 RNase-H variable residues, 25 were
      mutated in >5% of patients, and 7 of them were highly variable (>25%), whilst in
      ARV-treated individuals, 53 RNase-H variable residues were observed, which 24
      were mutated in >5% of patients and 6 of them were highly variable (>25%).
      Differently, a high conservation was observed in cPPT-area, with no statistically
      significant differences observed between the two datasets analysed. Nevertheless,
      in ARV-treated patients the variability of cPPT nucleotide at position 6 was
      found three times higher with respect to the drug-naive dataset. The topology of
      the dendrogram has revealed the existence of a cluster (boostrap=0.98) grouping
      the A6GcPPT with V531I and S519N RNase-H signatures. CONCLUSION: These signatures
      observed within cPPT and mostly in RNase-H, warrant advanced structural analysis
      to delineate their potential roles in the affinity/recognition of RT and the
      cleavage capacity of RNase-H. Exploring further the implications such changes may
      have on drug-resistance may be relevant.

PMID- 26100056
TI  - The efficacy of TachoComb on reducing postoperative complications after
      tonsillectomy in children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A fibrinogen/thrombin-based collagen fleece (TachoComb) is a powerful
      topical hemostatic agent that has been widely used in various surgical
      specialties with a favorable outcome. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate the effect of TachoComb application on postoperative complications
      after tonsillectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1633 children had
      undergone tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy were included in this
      study. After removal of both tonsils, 1057 patients (64.7%) were treated with
      TachoComb on the tonsillectomy site and 576 without TachoComb. Post-tonsillectomy
      pain, hemorrhage rates, re-admission rates, and emergency surgery rates for post
      tonsillectomy hemorrhage were evaluated between patients who received TachoComb
      and those who did not. RESULTS: TachoComb treatment significantly reduced post
      tonsillectomy pain and emergency surgery rates for post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage.
      However, postoperative hemorrhage rate and re-admission rates for post
      tonsillectomy hemorrhage were not statistically significant between TachoComb
      treatment group and control group. No patients had complications or adverse
      reactions after TachoComb treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The use of TachoComb after
      tonsillectomy significantly reduces pain and emergency surgery for severe post
      tonsillectomy hemorrhage without an apparent adverse effect. Therefore, TachoComb
      may be a useful adjuvant in terms of efficacy and safety after tonsillectomy.

PMID- 26100058
TI  - Mono-allelic mutations of SLC26A4 is over-presented in deaf patients with non
      syndromic enlarged vestibular aqueduct.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Recessive mutations of SLC26A4 are the major cause of hearing
      impairment associated with enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA). In a significant
      percentage of non-syndromic EVA patients, however, only mono-allelic mutations of
      SLC26A4 can be identified. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether presence
      of mono-allelic mutations of SLC26A4 in those patients was coincidental or
      etiologically associated with the disorder. METHODS: The exons and flanking
      splicing sites of SLC26A4 were sequenced in 150 Chinese Han deaf probands with
      non-syndromic EVA. c.919-2A >G and p.H723R, two frequent mutations of SLC26A4 in
      Chinese Hans, were screened by an allele-specific PCR-based array in 3056
      ethnically-matched normal hearing controls. The frequency of mono-allelic c.919
      2A >G and p.H723R mutations was determined in each group. The statistical
      significance of the difference was analyzed by Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Bi
      allelic, mono-allelic and no mutation of SLC26A4 were detected in 98 (65.3%), 18
      (12%) and 34 (22.67%) deaf probands with non-syndromic EVA, respectively. The
      frequency of mono-allelic c.919-2A >G and p.H723R mutations were significantly
      higher in the 150 deaf probands with non-syndromic EVA (8.67%) than in the 3056
      normal hearing controls (1.4%, P=1.8*10(-6)). CONCLUSION: Presence of mono
      allelic mutations of SLC26A4 in non-syndromic EVA patients is etiologically
      associated with this disorder. Additional genetic or environmental causes may be
      present in those patients and demand further investigation and consideration
      during the genetic diagnosis and counseling.

PMID- 26100057
TI  - Rigid or flexible laryngoscope: The preference of children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of flexible and
      rigid endoscopes using a visual analog scale and reveal which one is better
      tolerated by children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The pediatric patients with voice
      disorders examined between July 2012 and October 2014 were included the study.
      Patients to whom endoscopic visualization had been applied several times were
      recalled for information about their preference of scope. No local anesthetics
      were used before both procedures. Pain sensation, gag reflex or vomiting and
      dyspnea or breathiness were evaluated and graded using a visual analog scale
      (VAS). RESULTS: A total of 35 patients (77.1% males, 22.9% females) with a median
      age of 11.3+/-1.8 years (range, 7-15 years) were analyzed. Group 1 consisted of
      patients who preferred videolaryngostroboscopy (VLS) and Group 2 consisted of
      patients who preferred flexible fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy (FFN). Overall, 28
      (80%) of the patients preferred videolaryngostroboscopy (VLS) while 7 (20%) of
      the patients preferred FFN examination. In these examinations 20 patients (57.1%)
      felt pain, 17 (48.6%) felt irritation, 5 (14.3%) had gag reflex, and 2 (5.7%) had
      dyspnea. According to this data, the VLS (VAS) scores regarding gag reflex
      (p=0.017) and dyspnea domains (p=0.022) of the group who preferred FFL were
      statistically higher than those of the VLS group. No statistically significant
      difference was determined between the genders in respect of the VLS and FFL
      scores in all domains. Pain and irritation were the most prominent findings in
      patients who were reluctant to be examined by FFL. Irritation was statistically
      significantly higher in Group 1 (p=0.004). Gag reflex was the most disturbing
      finding described by patients who were reluctant to be examined by VLS.
      CONCLUSION: In this study, most of the children (80%) preferred rigid
      laryngoscopy rather than flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy. Pain and irritation
      were the most prominent findings for patients who were reluctant to be examined
      by FFL. Rigid laryngoscopy can be recommended rather than FFN for evaluation of
      children with vocal fold pathologies.

PMID- 26100059
TI  - Infraslow status epilepticus: A new form of subclinical status epilepticus
      recorded in a child with Sturge-Weber syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Analysis of infraslow EEG activity (ISA) has shown potential in the
      evaluation of patients with epilepsy and in the differentiation between focal and
      generalized epilepsies. Infraslow EEG activity analysis may also provide insights
      into the pathophysiology of refractory clinical and subclinical status
      epilepticus. The purpose of this report is to describe a girl with Sturge-Weber
      syndrome (SWS) who presented with a 96-h refractory encephalopathy and
      nonischemic hemiparesis and who was identified to have infraslow status
      epilepticus (ISSE), which successfully resolved after midazolam administration.
      METHODS: The continuous EEG recording of a 5-year-old girl with known structural
      epilepsy due to Sturge-Weber syndrome is presented. The patient presented to the
      ED with acute confusion, eye deviation, and right hemiparesis similar to two
      previous admissions. Despite administration of lorazepam, fosphenytoin,
      phenobarbital, and valproic loads, the patient showed no improvement in the
      clinical condition after 48 h. The continuous video-EEG monitoring (VEM) showed
      continuous severe diffuse nonrhythmic asymmetric slowing but no apparent ictal
      activity on continuous conventional EEG recording settings. As brain CT, CTA,
      CTV, and complete MRI scans including DWI obtained within 72 h of presentation
      failed to demonstrate any ischemic changes, analysis of the EEG infraslow (ISA)
      activity was undertaken using LFF: 0.01 Hz and HFF: of 0.1 Hz, respectively.
      RESULTS: Continuous subclinical unilateral rhythmic ictal ISA was identified.
      This was only evident on the left hemisphere which correlated with the structural
      changes due to SWS. A trial of continuous 120 to 240 MUg/kg/h of IV midazolam
      resulted in immediate resolution of the contralateral hemiparesis and
      encephalopathy. CONCLUSION: Continuous prolonged rhythmic ictal infraslow
      activity (ISA) can cause super-refractory subclinical focal status epilepticus.
      This has not been previously reported, and we propose that this be called
      infraslow status epilepticus (ISSE). Infraslow EEG activity analysis should be
      performed in all patients with unexplained subclinical status epilepticus. This
      article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Status Epilepticus".

PMID- 26100060
TI  - Pregnancy complications and birth outcomes among women experiencing nausea only
      or nausea and vomiting during pregnancy in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To compare pregnancy complications and birth outcomes for women
      experiencing nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, or nausea only, with symptom-free
      women. METHODS: Pregnancies from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (n =
      51 675), a population-based prospective cohort study, were examined. Data on
      nausea and/or vomiting during gestation and birth outcomes were collected from
      three questionnaires answered between gestation weeks 15 and 30, and linked with
      data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Chi-squared tests, one way
      analysis of variance, multiple linear and logistic regression analyses were used.
      RESULTS: Women with nausea and vomiting (NVP) totalled 17 070 (33%), while 20 371
      (39%) experienced nausea only (NP), and 14 234 (28%) were symptom-free (SF). When
      compared to SF women, NVP and NP women had significantly increased odds for
      pelvic girdle pain (adjusted odds ratio, aOR, 2.26, 95% confidence interval, 95%
      CI, 2.09-2.43, and aOR 1.90, 95% CI, 1.76-2.05, respectively) and proteinuria
      (aOR 1.50, 95% CI 1.38-1.63, and 1.20, 95% CI 1.10-1.31, respectively). Women
      with NVP also had significantly increased odds for high blood pressure (aOR 1.40,
      95% CI 1.17-1.67) and preeclampsia (aOR 1.13, 95% CI 1.01-1.27). Conversely, the
      NVP and NP groups had significantly reduced odds for unfavourable birth outcomes
      such as low birth weight infants (aOR 0.72, 95% CI 0.60-0.88, and aOR 0.73, 95 %
      CI 0.60-0.88, respectively) and small for gestational age infants (aOR 0.78, 95%
      CI 0.73-0.84, and aOR 0.87, 95% CI 0.81-0.93, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We
      found that women with NVP and NP are more likely to develop pregnancy
      complications, yet they display mostly favourable delivery and birth outcomes.

PMID- 26100061
TI  - Putative regulation mechanism for the MSTN gene by a CpG island generated by the
      SINE marker Ins227bp.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the first intron of the
      myostatin gene (MSTN) is associated with aptness of elite Thoroughbreds to race
      over sprint, middle or long distances. This intronic marker (g.66493737 T ? C), a
      short interspersed nuclear element (SINE) of 227 bp (Ins227bp) insertion
      polymorphism in the MSTN promoter, and the adjacent SNP BIEC2-417495 have not
      been studied for their association with racing aptness of the average
      Thoroughbreds raced in countries with lower status of the racing industry. This
      study investigated these markers regarding their prevalence and association with
      performance in common race horses. Markers were genotyped by amplification
      refractory mutation system-quantitative PCR (ARMS-qPCR) or amplicon melting.
      Furthermore, we asked whether the Ins227bp marker might theoretically regulate
      the expression of myostatin by generating a novel target for DNA methylation or
      by changing binding sites for transcription factors. Putative sites for DNA
      methylation or binding of transcription factors were predicted by MethPrimer and
      by the softwares JASPAR, MatInspector and UniPROBE, respectively. RESULTS:
      Pairwise linkage disequilibrium between g.66493737 T ? C and Ins227bp was high (r
      (2) = 0.93). A lower linkage was determined for g.66493737 T ? C and BIEC2-417495
      (r (2) = 0.69) as well as for BIEC2-417495 and Ins227bp (r (2) = 0.76). The
      estimated frequencies for the presence of Ins227bp (I) indel and the C alleles at
      g.66493737 T ? C and BIEC2-417495 were 0.46, 0.47 and 0.43, respectively.
      Heterozygotes represented the most abundant genotype at each locus. The best
      racing distance (BRD) was significantly different between the homozygotes of each
      SNP (p = 0.01 to 0.03). C allele homozygotes at BIEC2-417495 or g.66493737 T ? C,
      as well as Ins227bp homozygotes earned most money on a mean distance ranging from
      1211 to 1230 m. Heterozygotes earned most money on races over 1690 to 1709 m. The
      BRD for the T/T carriers at both SNP loci and for the SINE-free genotype was 1812
      to 1854 m. Other performance parameters were not significantly different between
      the genotypes, except of the relative success score (RSS). The RSS was
      significantly slightly better on a distance of <= 1300 m for all carriers of the
      C allele and the Ins227bp compared to homozygous T genotypes and SINE-negative
      horses (p = 0.037 to 0.046). For distances of more than 1300 m the RSS was not
      significantly different between genotypes. In silico assessment indicated that
      the Ins227bp promoter insertion might have generated a CpG island and a few novel
      putative binding sites for transcription factors. CONCLUSIONS: All three target
      polymorphisms (Ins227bp, g.66493737 T ? C, BIEC2-417495) are suitable markers to
      assess the ability of non-elite Thoroughbreds to race at short or longer
      distances. The CpG island generated by Ins227bp may cause training-induced
      silencing of MSTN expression.

PMID- 26100062
TI  - Membrane channels and transporters in cancers.

PMID- 26100063
TI  - Mathematical Modeling of Acupuncture as Cancer Symptom Therapy: First Steps.

PMID- 26100064
TI  - Acupuncture Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
AB  - Acupuncture may help treat specific cancer-related symptoms. Here, we summarize
      our clinical trials that sought to determine acupuncture's role in managing
      cancer-related symptoms. Trials have been conducted to determine acupuncture's
      ability to mitigate cancer-related symptoms including dyspnea, fatigue,
      xerostomia, lymphedema, hot flashes, postoperative ileus, pain and dysfunction
      after neck dissection, and postthoracotomy pain. Published studies indicate that
      acupuncture versus placebo acupuncture failed to reduce cancer-related dyspnea.
      Both true and sham acupuncture alleviated fatigue slightly, but no significant
      differences between groups emerged. Compared with sham acupuncture, our research
      showed that acupuncture significantly improved saliva production in patients with
      xerostomia and significantly reduced lymphedema patients' arm circumference in a
      pilot study. However, acupuncture failed to significantly reduce hot flashes and
      was no more successful than sham acupuncture in reducing postoperative ileus.
      Significant reductions in pain and dysfunction occurred in cancer patients after
      neck dissection. In a feasibility study, acupuncture was found to be acceptable
      to lung cancer patients and did not interfere with standard postoperative care.
      In summary, acupuncture is a potential candidate for the treatment of some
      important cancer-related symptoms. Large clinical trials and research to
      investigate mechanistic pathways are warranted. 

PMID- 26100065
TI  - Acupuncture Therapy for the Treatment of Myelosuppression after Chemotherapy: A
      Literature Review over the Past 10 Years.
AB  - The aim of this study is to review current studies on the effect of acupuncture
      therapy on bone marrow suppression after chemotherapy. The authors of the present
      paper have searched related literature over the past 10 years at home and abroad,
      analyzing the features and the effects of acupuncture therapy (including
      acupuncture, moxibustion, point injection, point application, etc.) for treating
      myelosuppression after tumor chemotherapy. We also discuss the year of
      publication, document type, acupuncture therapy, acupoint selection, and adverse
      effects with figures. We analyzed 159 articles related to acupuncture therapy
      from 2004 to 2013, and the analysis revealed that point injection was the most
      frequently used therapy for clinical applications, and that Zusanli (ST36) was
      the most frequently used acupoint. The results showed that some problems
      regarding the design method, acupoint selection, and acupuncture intervention
      measure existed in those research studies. We hope to provide readers with an
      overall and objective understanding of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy for
      treating myelosuppression after tumor chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26100066
TI  - Patient-reported Outcomes of Acupuncture for Symptom Control in Cancer.
AB  - Acupuncture is increasingly offered as a treatment option for managing cancer
      related symptoms. In addition to randomized controlled trials, patient-reported
      outcomes may be needed to establish treatment effectiveness. This study
      retrospectively examined the symptoms and the satisfaction ratings of 90 patients
      receiving acupuncture at an integrative oncology clinic. At least two acupuncture
      sessions were completed by 72% of the sample. The prevalence rates of fatigue,
      pain, anxiety, physical distress, emotional distress, and poor quality of life
      before acupuncture were > 62%. Paired t tests revealed a significant reduction in
      symptoms from baseline until after the first acupuncture session and after the
      last session (p < 0.05). Fewer (21%) patients reported nausea, which was
      significantly reduced after the first session, but not the last session.
      Reductions represented clinically meaningful differences in 33-41% of patients
      after the first session and in 41-53% of patients after the last session for all
      symptoms, except nausea. A small subset of patients (0-8%) reported worsening
      symptoms after acupuncture. The majority were satisfied with the service. The
      results of this study suggest that acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct
      treatment for cancer symptom management. While high-quality trials are still
      needed to establish the treatment's efficacy, patients may benefit from these
      primarily safe, low-cost services. 

PMID- 26100067
TI  - Antitumor and Wound Healing Properties of Rubus ellipticus Smith.
AB  - The present investigation has been undertaken to study the antioxidant,
      antitumor, and wound healing properties of Rubus ellipticus. The R. ellipticus
      leaves were extracted using organic solvents in Soxhlet and were subjected to in
      vitro antioxidant assays. R. ellipticus leaf methanol (RELM) extract, which
      showed higher in vitro antioxidant activity, was taken for the evaluation of in
      vivo antioxidant, antitumor, and wound healing properties. Acute oral and dermal
      toxicity studies showed the safety of RELM up to a dose of 2 g/kg. A significant
      wound healing property was observed in incision, excision, and Staphylococcus
      aureus-induced infected wound models in the treatment groups compared to the
      control group. A complete epithelialization period was noticed during the 13(th)
      day and the 19(th) day. A 250-mg/kg treatment was found to prolong the life span
      of mice with Ehrlich ascite carcinoma (EAC; 46.76%) and to reduce the volume of
      Dalton's lymphoma ascite (DLA) solid tumors (2.56 cm(3)). The present study
      suggests that R. ellipticus is a valuable natural antioxidant and that it is
      immensely effective for treating skin diseases, wounds, and tumors. 

PMID- 26100068
TI  - Cancer-related Fatigue in Patients with Advanced Cancer Treated with Autonomic
      Nerve Pharmacopuncture.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of autonomic nerve
      pharmacopuncture (ANP) treatment on cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in patients with
      advanced cancer. This observational case study was conducted at the East West
      Cancer Center of Daejeon University's Dunsan Korean Medical Hospital. Two
      patients were observed. One patient was diagnosed with left thymic cancer
      metastatic to the left pleura. The other patient had terminal-stage cervical
      cancer with iliac bone and lumbar 5 metastases. We injected mountain ginseng
      pharmacopuncture (MGP) into acupoints alongside the spine (Hua-Tuo-Jia-Ji-Xue, EX
      B2). We examined the patients for CRF using the Korean version of the Revised
      Piper Fatigue Scale (RPFS-K), which is a self-assessment tool. The scores on the
      RPFS-K for both patients tended to decrease during the treatment. Laboratory
      findings, including hematological changes, were also checked. Liver and renal
      function tests showed that the treatment was safe. Although further large
      population studies are necessary, this case study suggests that ANP has a
      favorable effect on CRF in patients with advanced cancer. 

PMID- 26100069
TI  - Recurrent Oligodendroglioma Treated with Acupuncture and Pharmacopuncture.
AB  - Acupuncture and pharmacopuncture have been shown to be effective in tumor
      treatment. However, their effectiveness for treating oligodendroglioma has not
      been reported yet. The purpose of this study was to provide an initial report on
      the effectiveness of acupuncture and pharmacopuncture for the treatment of an
      oligodendroglioma by presenting a case that was treated successfully. A 54-year
      old man, who had experienced intracranial hemorrhage, was diagnosed with
      recurrent oligodendroglioma. His expected survival period was 3-6 months. The
      patient received daily acupuncture and weekly pharmacopuncture of mountain
      ginseng and bee venom. After treatment for 18 months, the tumor size was
      decreased markedly on brain magnetic resonance imaging, and severe seizures had
      disappeared. In this case, a combination of acupuncture and pharmacopuncture was
      shown to be effective for the treatment of recurrent oligodendroglioma. 

PMID- 26100070
TI  - Methods to Standardize a Multicenter Acupuncture Trial Protocol to Reduce
      Aromatase Inhibitor-related Joint Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients.
AB  - Robust methods are needed to efficiently conduct large, multisite, randomized,
      controlled clinical trials of acupuncture protocols. The Southwest Oncology Group
      (SWOG) S1200 trial is a randomized, controlled (i.e., sham-controlled and
      waitlist-controlled) trial of a standardized acupuncture protocol for treating
      aromatase inhibitor (AI)-associated arthralgias in early-stage breast cancer
      patients (n = 228). The primary objective of this study was to determine whether
      true acupuncture administered twice weekly for 6 weeks, as compared to sham
      acupuncture or a waitlist control, reduced AI-associated joint pain at 6 weeks as
      assessed by patient reports. The study was conducted at 11 institutions across
      the United States. The true acupuncture protocol was developed using a consensus
      based process. The true acupuncture and the sham acupuncture protocols each
      consisted of 12 sessions administered for 6 weeks, followed by one weekly session
      for 6 weeks. The true acupuncture protocol used standardized protocol points, and
      the standardized acupoints were tailored to a patient's joint symptoms. The
      similarly standardized sham acupuncture protocol utilized superficial needling of
      nonacupoints. Standardized methods were developed to train and monitor
      acupuncturists and included online and in-person training, study manuals, monthly
      phone calls, and remote quality assurance monitoring throughout the study period.
      The research staff similarly received online and in-person training and monthly
      phone calls. 

PMID- 26100071
TI  - Extremely preterm infants who are small for gestational age have a high risk of
      early hypophosphatemia and hypokalemia.
AB  - AIM: Electrolyte balances have not been sufficiently evaluated in extremely
      preterm infants after early parenteral nutrition. We investigated the risk of
      early hypophosphatemia and hypokalemia in extremely preterm infants born small
      for gestational age (SGA) who received nutrition as currently recommended.
      METHODS: This prospective, observational cohort study included all consecutive
      extremely preterm infants born at 24-27 weeks who received high amino acids and
      lipid perfusion from birth. We evaluated the electrolyte levels of SGA infants
      and infants born appropriate for gestational age (AGA) during the first five days
      of life. RESULTS: The 12 SGA infants had lower plasma potassium levels from Day
      One compared to the 36 AGA infants and were more likely to have hypokalemia (58%
      vs 17%, p = 0.001) and hypophosphatemia (40% vs 9%, p < 0.01) during the five-day
      observation period. After adjusting for perinatal factors, SGA remained
      significantly associated with hypophosphatemia (odds ratio 1.39, confidence
      intervals 1.07-1.81, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Extremely preterm infants born SGA
      who were managed with currently recommended early parenteral nutrition had a high
      risk of early hypokalemia and hypophosphatemia. Potassium and phosphorus intakes
      should be set at sufficient levels from birth onwards, especially in SGA infants.

PMID- 26100073
TI  - Asymmetrical frontal cortical activity associated with differential risk for mood
      and anxiety disorder symptoms: An RDoC perspective.
AB  - The recently launched NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative aims to
      examine the relationship between core biobehavioral dimensions and symptom
      profiles that either cut across traditional disorder categories or that are
      unique to specific clinical phenomenon. A biobehavioral construct that has
      received considerable attention and that is directly relevant to the Positive
      Valence Systems domain of the RDoC initiative is approach motivation. One way
      approach motivation is frequently operationalized is left versus right frontal
      electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, with greater relative left frontal EEG
      activity reflecting increased approach motivation and decreased relative left
      frontal EEG activity reflecting decreased approach motivation or increased
      withdrawal tendencies. The objective of the present review paper is to examine
      the relationship between relative left frontal EEG activity and mood and anxiety
      related symptoms from an RDoC perspective. We first provide an overview of the
      approach-withdrawal motivational model of frontal EEG asymmetry. Second, we
      review evidence that relative left frontal EEG activity is associated with a
      differential risk for unipolar depression versus bipolar disorder. Third, and in
      line with the mission statement of the RDoC, we move beyond considering mood and
      anxiety disorders as unitary constructs or homogenous disorders and instead
      propose that individual differences in relative left frontal EEG activity may be
      uniquely associated with specific symptom clusters of depression (i.e.,
      anhedonia), hypomania/mania (i.e., symptoms characterized by excessive approach
      motivation), and anxiety (i.e., anxious apprehension versus anxious arousal).
      Identifying the relationship between relative left frontal EEG activity and
      specific mood and anxiety-related symptom clusters has important implications for
      clinical science, assessment, and treatment. 

PMID- 26100072
TI  - Improvement of blood inflammatory marker levels in patients with hypothyroidism
      under levothyroxine treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are several specific inflammatory and oxidative correlates
      among patients with hypothyroidism, but most studies are cross-sectional and do
      not evaluate the change in parameters during the treatment. The aim of this study
      was to investigate the effect of levothyroxine replacement therapy on biomarkers
      of oxidative stress (OS) and systemic inflammation in patients with
      hypothyroidism. METHODS: In this prospective open-label study, 17 patients with
      recently diagnosed primary hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis who were
      not taking levothyroxine were included. The following parameters were measured
      before and at 6 and 12 months of levothyroxine treatment with an average dose of
      1.5 to 1.7 MUg/kg/day: thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4),
      high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 1 (IL-1), IL-6, IL-10,
      interferon gamma (INF-gamma), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha),
      thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), activity of aminolevulinic acid
      dehydratase (delta-ALA-D), nonprotein and total thiol (NP-SH and T-SH) groups,
      total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG). Generalized estimating
      equation (GEE) modeling was used to analyze the effects of LRT (at pre-treatment,
      6 months and 12 months) on those variables. The hypothyroidism status (i.e.,
      overt or subclinical hypothyroidism) was included as a confounder in all
      analyses. An additional GEE post hoc analysis was made to compare time points.
      RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in TSH over time (P < 0.0001), (initial
      levels were on average 32.4 MUIU/mL and 10.5 MUIU/mL at 12 months). There was a
      significant increase in FT4 (P < 0.0001) (initial levels were on average 0,8
      ng/dL and 2.7 ng/dL at 12 months). There were significant changes in interleukin
      levels over time, with a significant increase in IL-10 (P < 0.0001) and
      significant decreases in IL-1 (P < 0.0001), IL-6 (P < 0.0001), INF-gamma (P <
      0.0001) and TNF-alpha (P < 0.0001). No significant difference in hs-CRP over time
      was observed (P < 0.284). There was a significant reduction in NP-SH (P <
      0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This study observed significant changes in the inflammatory
      profile in hypothyroid patients under treatment, with reduction of pro
      inflammatory cytokines and elevation of anti-inflammatory cytokine. In these
      patients, a decrease in low-grade chronic inflammation may have clinical
      relevance due to the known connection between chronic inflammation,
      atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events.

PMID- 26100074
TI  - An outbreak of an unusual strain of Listeria monocytogenes infection in North
      East Scotland.
AB  - Listeria monocytogenes infection is an important cause of illness and
      hospitalization in vulnerable individuals. In the present study, we describe a
      community outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes in the North-East region of
      Scotland, which was epidemiologically, environmentally and microbiologically
      linked to a local meat product and ready-to-eat product manufacturer. Infected
      individuals were interviewed, and an environmental investigation was conducted.
      Clinical and environmental samples were tested by culture, and isolates were
      typed by fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (fAFLP). Three cases
      of Listeria monocytogenes were linked geographically, had the same serotype
      (1/2a) and were indistinguishable by fAFLP type XII.6. The human, food and
      environmental isolates were of the same serotype and were indistinguishable by
      molecular typing. This is the first community outbreak of L. monocytogenes
      reported in Scotland since the current outbreak surveillance was established in
      1996. Epidemiological and laboratory evidence indicated poor hand hygiene,
      unhygienic practices and cross-contamination throughout the manufacturing process
      of ready-to-eat foods as a possible cause of the outbreak. More stringent control
      of commercial food establishments that provide ready-to-eat food and the need to
      advise specifically vulnerable groups, e.g., pregnant women, of the risk of L.
      monocytogenes in ready-to-eat food is urgently needed. 

PMID- 26100076
TI  - (13)C metabolic flux analysis of the extremely thermophilic, fast growing, xylose
      utilizing Geobacillus strain LC300.
AB  - Thermophiles are increasingly used as versatile hosts in the biotechnology
      industry. One of the key advantages of thermophiles is the potential to achieve
      high rates of feedstock conversion at elevated temperatures. The recently
      isolated Geobacillus strain LC300 grows extremely fast on xylose, with a doubling
      time of less than 30 min. In the accompanying paper, the genome of Geobacillus
      LC300 was sequenced and annotated. In this work, we have experimentally validated
      the metabolic network model using parallel (13)C-labeling experiments and applied
      (13)C-metabolic flux analysis to quantify precise metabolic fluxes. Specifically,
      the complete set of singly labeled xylose tracers, [1-(13)C], [2-(13)C], [3
      (13)C], [4-(13)C], and [5-(13)C]xylose, was used for the first time. Isotopic
      labeling of biomass amino acids was measured by gas chromatography mass
      spectrometry (GC-MS). Isotopic labeling of carbon dioxide in the off-gas was also
      measured by an on-line mass spectrometer. The (13)C-labeling data was then
      rigorously integrated for flux elucidation using the COMPLETE-MFA approach. The
      results provided important new insights into the metabolism of Geobacillus LC300,
      its efficient xylose utilization pathways, and the balance between carbon, redox
      and energy fluxes. The pentose phosphate pathway, glycolysis and TCA cycle were
      found to be highly active in Geobacillus LC300. The oxidative pentose phosphate
      pathway was also active and contributed significantly to NADPH production. No
      transhydrogenase activity was detected. Results from this work provide a solid
      foundation for future studies of this strain and its metabolic engineering and
      biotechnological applications.

PMID- 26100077
TI  - Metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum for the production of
      itaconate.
AB  - The capability of Corynebacterium glutamicum for glucose-based synthesis of
      itaconate was explored, which can serve as building block for production of
      polymers, chemicals, and fuels. C. glutamicum was highly tolerant to itaconate
      and did not metabolize it. Expression of the Aspergillus terreus CAD1 gene
      encoding cis-aconitate decarboxylase (CAD) in strain ATCC13032 led to the
      production of 1.4mM itaconate in the stationary growth phase. Fusion of CAD with
      the Escherichia coli maltose-binding protein increased its activity and the
      itaconate titer more than two-fold. Nitrogen-limited growth conditions boosted
      CAD activity and itaconate titer about 10-fold to values of 1440 mU mg(-1) and 30
      mM. Reduction of isocitrate dehydrogenase activity via exchange of the ATG start
      codon to GTG or TTG resulted in maximal itaconate titers of 60 mM (7.8 g l(-1)),
      a molar yield of 0.4 mol mol(-1), and a volumetric productivity of 2.1 mmol l(-1)
      h(-1).

PMID- 26100075
TI  - PI3K-C2gamma is a Rab5 effector selectively controlling endosomal Akt2 activation
      downstream of insulin signalling.
AB  - In the liver, insulin-mediated activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase
      (PI3K)/Akt pathway is at the core of metabolic control. Multiple PI3K and Akt
      isoenzymes are found in hepatocytes and whether isoform-selective interplays
      exist is currently unclear. Here we report that insulin signalling triggers the
      association of the liver-specific class II PI3K isoform gamma (PI3K-C2gamma) with
      Rab5-GTP, and its recruitment to Rab5-positive early endosomes. In these
      vesicles, PI3K-C2gamma produces a phosphatidylinositol-3,4-bisphosphate pool
      specifically required for delayed and sustained endosomal Akt2 stimulation.
      Accordingly, loss of PI3K-C2gamma does not affect insulin-dependent Akt1
      activation as well as S6K and FoxO1-3 phosphorylation, but selectively reduces
      Akt2 activation, which specifically inhibits glycogen synthase activity. As a
      consequence, PI3K-C2gamma-deficient mice display severely reduced liver
      accumulation of glycogen and develop hyperlipidemia, adiposity as well as insulin
      resistance with age or after consumption of a high-fat diet. Our data indicate
      PI3K-C2gamma supports an isoenzyme-specific forking of insulin-mediated signal
      transduction to an endosomal pool of Akt2, required for glucose homeostasis. 

PMID- 26100078
TI  - Spatial behavior of two coral reef fishes within a Caribbean marine protected
      area.
AB  - A better understanding of the key ecological processes of marine organisms is
      fundamental to improving design and effective implementation of marine protected
      areas (MPAs) and marine biodiversity. The movement behavior of coral reef fish is
      a complex mechanism that is highly linked to species life-history traits,
      predation risk and food resources. We used passive acoustic telemetry to study
      monthly, daily and hourly movement patterns and space use in two species,
      Schoolmaster snapper (Lutjanus apodus) and Stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma
      viride). We investigated the spatial overlap between the two species and compared
      intra-specific spatial overlap between day and night. Presence-absence models
      showed different diel presence and habitat use patterns between the two species.
      We constructed a spatial network of the movement patterns, which showed that for
      both species when fish were detected by the array of receivers most movements
      were made around the coral reef habitat while occasionally moving to silt
      habitats. Our results show that most individuals made predictable daily
      crepuscular migrations between different locations and habitat types, although
      individual behavioral changes were observed for some individuals across time. Our
      study also highlights the necessity to consider multiple species during MPA
      implementation and to take into account the specific biological and ecological
      traits of each species. The low number of fish detected within the receiver
      array, as well as the intraspecific variability observed in this study, highlight
      the need to compare results across species and individuals to be used for MPA
      management. 

PMID- 26100079
TI  - Mechanochemical Synthesis of Free-Standing Platinum Nanosheets and Their
      Electrocatalytic Properties.
AB  - Robust, 26 nm thick free-standing platinum nanosheets, an extremely rare
      morphology for metal nanostructures, are obtained by employing fluid induced
      shearing force of the order of 1.8 N and differential shear-stress of 0.5 kPa
      across the diameter of a Te template nanorod undergoing galvanic displacement by
      Pt4+ . Corrugation leads to their large surface area and much improved
      electrocatalytic properties when compared with conventional Pt catalysts.

PMID- 26100080
TI  - Quantification of alpha-amanitin in biological samples by HPLC using simultaneous
      UV- diode array and electrochemical detection.
AB  - alpha-Amanitin is a natural bicyclic octapeptide, from the family of amatoxins,
      present in the deadly mushroom species Amanita phalloides. The toxicological and
      clinical interests raised by this toxin, require highly sensitive, accurate and
      reproducible quantification methods for pharmacokinetic studies. In the present
      work, a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with in-line
      connected diode-array (DAD) and electrochemical (EC) detection was developed and
      validated to quantify alpha-amanitin in biological samples (namely liver and
      kidney). Sample pre-treatment consisted of a simple and unique deproteinization
      step with 5% perchloric acid followed by centrifugation at 16,000*g, 4 degrees C,
      for 20min. The high recovery found for alpha-amanitin (>=96.8%) makes this
      procedure suitable for extracting alpha-amanitin from liver and kidney
      homogenates. The resulting supernatant was collected and injected into the HPLC.
      Mobile phase was composed by 20% methanol in 50mM citric acid, and 0.46mM
      octanessulfonic acid, adjusted to pH 5.5. The chromatographic runs took less than
      22min and no significant endogenous interferences were observed at the alpha
      amanitin retention time. Calibration curves were linear with regression
      coefficients higher than 0.994. The overall inter- and intra-assay precision did
      not exceed 15.3%. The present method has low interferences with simple and fast
      processing steps, being a suitable procedure to support in vivo toxicokinetic
      studies involving alpha-amanitin. In fact, the validated method was successfully
      applied to quantify alpha-amanitin in biological samples following
      intraperitoneal alpha-amanitin administration to rats. Moreover, human plasma was
      also used as matrix and the purposed method was adequate for detection of alpha
      amanitin in that matrix. The results clearly indicate that the proposed method is
      suitable to investigate the pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution of alpha
      amanitin. Additionally, the method will be very useful in the development of
      novel and potent antidotes against amatoxins poisoning and to improve the
      knowledge of alpha-amanitin toxicity. 

PMID- 26100081
TI  - RhoA orchestrates glycolysis for TH2 cell differentiation and allergic airway
      inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial metabolism is known to be important for T-cell
      activation. However, its involvement in effector T-cell differentiation has just
      begun to gain attention. Importantly, how metabolic pathways are integrated with
      T-cell activation and effector cell differentiation and function remains largely
      unknown. OBJECTIVE: We sought to test our hypothesis that RhoA GTPase
      orchestrates glycolysis for TH2 cell differentiation and TH2-mediated allergic
      airway inflammation. METHODS: Conditional RhoA-deficient mice were generated by
      crossing RhoA(flox/flox) mice with CD2-Cre transgenic mice. Effects of RhoA on
      TH2 differentiation were evaluated based on in vitro TH2-polarized culture
      conditions and in vivo in ovalbumin-induced allergic airway inflammation.
      Cytokine levels were measured by using intracellular staining and ELISA. T-cell
      metabolism was measured by using the Seahorse XF24 Analyzer and flow cytometry.
      RESULTS: Disruption of RhoA inhibited T-cell activation and TH2 differentiation
      in vitro and prevented the development of allergic airway inflammation in vivo,
      with no effect on TH1 cells. RhoA deficiency in activated T cells led to multiple
      defects in metabolic pathways, such as glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation.
      Importantly, RhoA couples glycolysis to TH2 cell differentiation and allergic
      airway inflammation through regulating IL-4 receptor mRNA expression and TH2
      specific signaling events. Finally, inhibition of Rho-associated protein kinase,
      an immediate downstream effector of RhoA, blocked TH2 differentiation and
      allergic airway inflammation. CONCLUSION: RhoA is a key component of the
      signaling cascades leading to TH2 differentiation and allergic airway
      inflammation at least in part through control of T-cell metabolism and the Rho
      associated protein kinase pathway.

PMID- 26100083
TI  - Optimal asthma diagnosis: A destination or a process?

PMID- 26100082
TI  - Consensus communication on early peanut introduction and the prevention of peanut
      allergy in high-risk infants.
AB  - The purpose of this brief communication is to highlight emerging evidence to
      existing guidelines regarding potential benefits of supporting early, rather than
      delayed, peanut introduction during the period of complementary food introduction
      in infants. This document should be considered as interim guidance based on
      consensus among the following organizations: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma
      & Immunology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Allergy, Asthma
      & Immunology, Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Canadian
      Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, European Academy of Allergy and
      Clinical Immunology, Israel Association of Allergy and Clinical Immunology,
      Japanese Society for Allergology, Society for Pediatric Dermatology, and World
      Allergy Organization. More formal guidelines regarding early-life, complementary
      feeding practices and the risk of allergy development will follow in the next
      year from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-sponsored
      Working Group and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 

PMID- 26100085
TI  - CpG-DNA enhances the tight junction integrity of the bronchial epithelial cell
      barrier.

PMID- 26100084
TI  - Rhinovirus infection interferes with induction of tolerance to aeroantigens
      through OX40 ligand, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, and IL-33.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rhinovirus infection at an early age has been associated with
      development of asthma, but how rhinovirus influences the immune response is not
      clear. OBJECTIVE: Tolerance to inhaled antigen is mediated through induction of
      regulatory T (Treg) cells, and we examined whether rhinovirus infection of the
      respiratory tract can block airway tolerance by modulating Treg cells. METHODS:
      The immune response to intranasal ovalbumin in mice was assessed with concomitant
      infection with RV1B, and the factors induced in vivo were compared with those
      made by human lung epithelial cells infected in vitro with RV16. RESULTS: RV1B
      infection of mice abrogated tolerance induced by inhalation of soluble ovalbumin,
      suppressing the normal generation of forkhead box protein 3-positive Treg cells
      while promoting TH2 cells. Furthermore, RV1B infection led to susceptibility to
      asthmatic lung disease when mice subsequently re-encountered aeroantigen. RV1B
      promoted early in vivo expression of the TNF family protein OX40 ligand on lung
      dendritic cells that was dependent on the innate cytokine thymic stromal
      lymphopoietin (TSLP) and also induced another innate cytokine, IL-33. Inhibiting
      each of these pathways allowed the natural development of Treg cells while
      minimizing TH2 differentiation and restored tolerance in the face of RV1B
      infection. In accordance, RV16 infection of human lung epithelial cells
      upregulated TSLP and IL-33 expression. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that
      infection of the respiratory epithelium with rhinovirus can antagonize tolerance
      to inhaled antigen through combined induction of TSLP, IL-33, and OX40 ligand and
      that this can lead to susceptibility to asthmatic lung inflammation.

PMID- 26100086
TI  - Clinical, immunophenotypic, and molecular characteristics of well-differentiated
      systemic mastocytosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Well-differentiated systemic mastocytosis (WDSM) is a rare variant of
      systemic mastocytosis (SM) characterized by bone marrow (BM) infiltration by
      mature-appearing mast cells (MCs) often lacking exon 17 KIT mutations. Because of
      its rarity, the clinical and biological features of WDSM remain poorly defined.
      OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the clinical, biological, and molecular
      features of a cohort of 33 patients with mastocytosis in the skin in association
      with BM infiltration by well-differentiated MCs and to establish potential
      diagnostic criteria for WDSM. METHODS: Thirty-three patients with mastocytosis in
      the skin plus BM aggregates of round, fully granulated MCs lacking strong CD25
      and CD2 expression in association with clonal MC features were studied. RESULTS:
      Our cohort of patients showed female predominance (female/male ratio, 4:1) and
      childhood onset of the disease (91%) with frequent familial aggregation (39%).
      Skin involvement was heterogeneous, including maculopapular (82%), nodular (6%),
      and diffuse cutaneous (12%) mastocytosis. KIT mutations were detected in only 10
      (30%) of 33 patients, including the KIT D816V (n = 5), K509I (n = 3), N819Y (n =
      1), and I817V (n = 1) mutations. BM MCs displayed a unique immunophenotypic
      pattern consisting of increased light scatter features, overexpression of
      cytoplasmic carboxypeptidase, and aberrant expression of CD30, together with
      absent (79%) or low (21%) positivity for CD25, CD2, or both. Despite only 9 (27%)
      of 33 patients fulfilling the World Health Organization criteria for SM, our
      findings allowed us to establish the systemic nature of the disease, which fit
      with the definition of WDSM. CONCLUSIONS: WDSM represents a rare clinically and
      molecularly heterogeneous variant of SM that requires unique diagnostic criteria
      to avoid a misdiagnosis of cutaneous mastocytosis per current World Health
      Organization criteria.

PMID- 26100087
TI  - New wheat allergens related to baker's asthma.

PMID- 26100088
TI  - Duration of wheezy episodes in early childhood is independent of the microbial
      trigger.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wheezy episodes in young children are often triggered by viral and
      bacterial respiratory tract infections, but there is little evidence supporting
      the hypothesis that symptom duration depends on the specific microbial trigger.
      OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate whether the duration of wheezy episodes in
      young children depends on the microbial trigger. METHODS: Two hundred eighty
      three children from the Copenhagen Prospective Study on Asthma in Childhood2000
      at-risk birth cohort were prospectively examined for common airway pathogenic
      bacteria and viruses during acute wheezy episodes in the first 3 years of life.
      Findings were related to symptomatic duration of episodes, as monitored in daily
      diary cards from birth. RESULTS: Eight hundred thirty-seven samples were
      investigated for viruses, bacteria, or both. Both viruses and bacteria were
      identified in 55% of episodes, bacteria were identified exclusively in 31% of
      episodes, and viruses were identified exclusively in 10% of episodes. The median
      duration of acute symptoms was 9 days (interquartile range, 5-16 days), and
      duration was independent of bacterial or viral species. CONCLUSIONS: The duration
      of wheezy episodes was independent of pathogenic airway bacterial or viral
      species. This suggests that symptom burden from infections is dependent on other
      factors, such as environmental exposures or host factors. The common term viral
      wheeze seems inappropriate in view of the finding of pathogenic bacteria in 86%
      of wheezy episodes.

PMID- 26100090
TI  - Early growth patterns are associated with intelligence quotient scores in
      children born small-for-gestational age.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess whether patterns of growth trajectory during infancy are
      associated with intelligence quotient (IQ) scores at 4 years of age in children
      born small-for-gestational age (SGA). METHODS: Children in the Collaborative
      Perinatal Project born SGA were eligible for analysis. The primary outcome was
      the Stanford-Binet IQ score at 4 years of age. Growth patterns were defined based
      on changes in weight-for-age z-scores from birth to 4 months and 4 to 12 months
      of age and consisted of steady, early catch-up, late catch-up, constant catch-up,
      early catch-down, late catch-down, constant catch-down, early catch-up & late
      catch-down, and early catch-down & late catch-up. Multivariate linear regression
      was used to assess associations between patterns of growth and IQ. RESULTS: We
      evaluated patterns of growth and IQ in 5640 children. Compared with children with
      steady growth, IQ scores were 2.9 [standard deviation (SD)=0.54], 1.5 (SD=0.63),
      and 2.2 (SD=0.9) higher in children with early catch-up, early catch-up and later
      catch-down, and constant catch-up growth patterns, respectively, and 4.4 (SD=1.4)
      and 3.9 (SD=1.5) lower in children with early catch-down & late catch-up, and
      early catch-down growth patterns, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patterns in weight
      gain before 4 months of age were associated with differences in IQ scores at 4
      years of age, with children with early catch-up having slightly higher IQ scores
      than children with steady growth and children with early catch-down having
      slightly lower IQ scores. These findings have implications for early infant
      nutrition in children born SGA.

PMID- 26100089
TI  - TNF receptor superfamily member 13b (TNFRSF13B) hemizygosity reveals
      transmembrane activator and CAML interactor haploinsufficiency at later stages of
      B-cell development.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heterozygous C104R or A181E TNF receptor superfamily member 13b
      (TNFRSF13B) mutations impair removal of autoreactive B cells, weaken B-cell
      activation, and convey to patients with common variable immune deficiency (CVID)
      an increased risk for autoimmunity. How mutant transmembrane activator and CAML
      interactor (TACI) influences wild-type TACI function is unclear; different models
      suggest either a dominant negative effect or haploinsufficiency. OBJECTIVE: We
      investigated potential TACI haploinsufficiency by analyzing patients with
      antibody-deficient Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) who possess only 1 TNFRSF13B
      allele and antibody-deficient patients carrying one c.204insA TNFRSF13B null
      mutation. METHODS: We tested the reactivity of antibodies isolated from single B
      cells from patients with SMS and patients with a c.204insA TNFRSF13B mutation and
      compared them with counterparts from patients with CVID with heterozygous C104R
      or A181E TNFRSF13B missense mutations. We also assessed whether loss of a
      TNFRSF13B allele induced haploinsufficiency in naive and memory B cells and
      recapitulated abnormal immunologic features typical of patients with CVID with
      heterozygous TNFRSF13B missense mutations. RESULTS: We found that loss of a
      TNFRSF13B allele does not affect TACI expression, activation responses, or
      establishment of central B-cell tolerance in naive B cells. Additionally,
      patients with SMS and those with a c.204insA TNFRSF13B mutation display normal
      regulatory T-cell function and peripheral B-cell tolerance. The lack of a
      TNFRSF13B allele did result in decreased TACI expression on memory B cells,
      resulting in impaired activation and antibody secretion. CONCLUSION: TNFRSF13B
      hemizygosity does not recapitulate autoimmune features of CVID-associated C104R
      and A181E TNFRSF13B mutations, which likely encode dominant negative products,
      but instead reveals selective TACI haploinsufficiency at later stages of B-cell
      development.

PMID- 26100091
TI  - Management of Posterior Malleolar Fractures: A Systematic Review.
AB  - Posterior malleolar fractures are relatively common and usually result from
      rotational ankle injuries. Although treatment of associated lateral and medial
      structures is well established, several controversies exist in the management of
      posterior malleolus fractures. We performed a systematic review of the current
      published data with regard to the diagnosis, management, and prognosis of
      posterior malleolus fractures. A total of 33 studies (8 biomechanical and 25
      clinical) with >950 patients were reviewed. The outcome of ankle fractures with
      posterior malleolar involvement was poor; however, the evidence was not enough to
      prove that the size of the posterior malleolus affects the outcome. Significant
      heterogeneity was noted in the cutoff size of the posterior malleolar fragment in
      determining management. The outcome was related to other factors, such as
      fracture displacement, congruency of the articular surface, and residual
      tibiotalar subluxation. Indirect evidence showed that large fracture fragments
      were associated with fracture dislocations and ankle instability and, thus, might
      require surgical fixation. We have concluded that the evidence to prove that the
      size of the posterior malleolar affects the outcome of ankle fractures is not
      enough, and the decision to treat these fractures should be determined by other
      factors, as stated previously. 

PMID- 26100092
TI  - A systematic review on comparing 2 common models for management of warfarin
      therapy; pharmacist-led service versus usual medical care.
AB  - Despite a growing body of literature supporting the potential benefit of
      pharmacist-managed warfarin therapy (PMWT), comprehensive reviews regarding this
      topic are still lacking. A systematic search of literature was done in
      Pubmed/Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library from database
      inception to January 2014. Studies comparing PMWT with usual medical care (UMC)
      regarding the control of anticoagulation, bleeding and thromboembolic events,
      mortality, hospitalization, emergency department visit, cost, patients'
      satisfaction, and quality of life were included. Of 758 potential articles
      identified, 24 studies (4 randomized controlled trials [RCT] and 20 non-RCT
      studies) with a population of 11,607 were included. Among non-RCT studies, the
      percentage of time in the therapeutic range (72.1% vs 56.7%; P = .013), major
      bleeding events (0.6% vs 1.7%, P < .001), thromboembolic events (0.6% vs 2.9%; P
      < .001), hospitalization (3% vs 10%; P < .001), emergency department visits (7.9%
      vs 23.9%; P < .0001) significantly favored PMWT. The study supported PMWT
      regarding cost saving and patient satisfaction. The results showed that the PMWT
      model is superior to UMC in managing warfarin therapy based on observational
      studies. As well, it is comparable to UMC based on RCT studies.

PMID- 26100093
TI  - A biodegradable ocular implant for long-term suppression of intraocular pressure.
AB  - Timolol maleate (TM) has been used for many years for the reduction of
      intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucoma patients. However, the topical mode of
      administration (eyedrops) is far from optimal because of the issues of low
      bioavailability, high drug wastage, and lack of patient compliance. Suboptimal
      control of the IOP leads to disease progression and eventually to blindness.
      Ideally, TM is delivered to the patient so that its action is both localized and
      sustained for 3 months or more. In this work, we developed a subconjunctival TM
      microfilm for sustained, long-term delivery of TM to the eyes, using the
      biodegradable elastomer poly(lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLC). The copolymer is
      biocompatible and has flexibility and mechanical characteristics suitable for a
      patient-acceptable implant. Controlling the release of TM for 3 months is
      challenging, and this work describes how, by using a combination of multilayering
      and blending with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) copolymers, we were able to develop
      a TM-incorporated biodegradable film that can deliver TM at a therapeutic dose
      for 90 days in vitro. The data was further confirmed in a diseased primate model,
      with sustained IOP-lowering effects for 5 months with a single implant, with
      acceptable biocompatibility and partial degradation.

PMID- 26100094
TI  - Large and Tunable Polar-Toroidal Coupling in Ferroelectric Composite Nanowires
      toward Superior Electromechanical Responses.
AB  - The collective dipole behaviors in (BaTiO3)m/(SrTiO3)n composite nanowires are
      investigated based on the first-principles-derived simulations. It demonstrates
      that such nanowire systems exhibit intriguing dipole orders, due to the combining
      effect of the anisotropic electrostatic interaction of the nanowire, the SrTiO3
      layer-modified electrostatic interaction and the multiphase ground state of
      BaTiO3 layer. Particularly, a strong polar-toroidal coupling that is tunable by
      the SrTiO3-layer thickness, temperature, external strains and electric fields is
      found to exist in the nanowires, with the appearance of fruitful dipole states
      (including those being purely polar, purely toroidal, both polar and toroidal, or
      distorted toroidal) and phase boundaries. As a consequence, an efficient cross
      control of the toroidal (polar) order by static (curled) electric field, and
      superior piezoelectric and piezotoroidal responses, can be achieved in the
      nanowires. The result provides new insights into the collective dipole behaviors
      in nanowire systems. 

PMID- 26100096
TI  - Sympathy and Emotions in Academic Research Society.

PMID- 26100095
TI  - Divergence of dim-light vision among bats (order: Chiroptera) as estimated by
      molecular and electrophysiological methods.
AB  - Dim-light vision is present in all bats, but is divergent among species. Old
      World fruit bats (Pteropodidae) have fully developed eyes; the eyes of
      insectivorous bats are generally degraded, and these bats rely on well-developed
      echolocation. An exception is the Emballonuridae, which are capable of laryngeal
      echolocation but prefer to use vision for navigation and have normal eyes. In
      this study, integrated methods, comprising manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance
      imaging (MEMRI), f-VEP and RNA-seq, were utilized to verify the divergence. The
      results of MEMRI showed that Pteropodidae bats have a much larger superior
      colliculus (SC)/ inferior colliculus (IC) volume ratio (3:1) than insectivorous
      bats (1:7). Furthermore, the absolute visual thresholds (log cd/m(2)*s) of
      Pteropodidae (-6.30 and -6.37) and Emballonuridae (-3.71) bats were lower than
      those of other insectivorous bats (-1.90). Finally, genes related to the visual
      pathway showed signs of positive selection, convergent evolution, upregulation
      and similar gene expression patterns in Pteropodidae and Emballonuridae bats.
      Different results imply that Pteropodidae and Emballonuridae bats have more
      developed vision than the insectivorous bats and suggest that further research on
      bat behavior is warranted. 

PMID- 26100097
TI  - Tribological performance of Graphene/Carbon nanotube hybrid reinforced Al2O3
      composites.
AB  - Tribological performance of the hot-pressed pure Al2O3 and its composites
      containing various hybrid contents of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and carbon
      nanotubes (CNTs) were investigated under different loading conditions using the
      ball-on-disc method. Benchmarked against the pure Al2O3, the composite reinforced
      with a 0.5 wt% GNP exhibited a 23% reduction in the friction coefficient along
      with a promising 70% wear rate reduction, and a hybrid reinforcement consisting
      of 0.3 wt.% GNPs + 1 wt.% CNTs resulted in even better performance, with a 86%
      reduction in the wear rate. The extent of damage to the reinforcement phases
      caused during wear was studied using Raman spectroscopy. The wear mechanisms for
      the composites were analysed based on the mechanical properties, brittleness
      index and microstructural characterizations. The excellent coordination between
      GNPs and CNTs contributed to the excellent wear resistance property in the hybrid
      GNT-reinforced composites. GNPs played the important role in the formation of a
      tribofilm on the worn surface by exfoliation; whereas CNTs contributed to the
      improvement in fracture toughness and prevented the grains from being pulled out
      during the tribological test.

PMID- 26100098
TI  - Highlights of topic "Recent advances in hepato-biliary-pancreatic science".

PMID- 26100099
TI  - ASXL2--director of skeletal and metabolic homeostasis.

PMID- 26100100
TI  - PPAR agonists in pre-eclampsia and hypertension?

PMID- 26100101
TI  - Effect of pedometer-based walking on depression, anxiety and insomnia among
      postmenopausal women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Insomnia, anxiety, and depression are some psychological symptoms
      associated with menopause. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of
      pedometer-based walking on anxiety, insomnia, and depression among postmenopausal
      women. METHODS: In this randomized, controlled trial, 106 postmenopausal women
      were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 53 in each group). Their anxiety,
      insomnia, and depression levels were assessed using the GHQ-28 and Beck
      questionnaires in the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks of intervention. The depression
      level was assessed in the beginning, and in the 12th week of the trial. The
      members of the intervention group each received a pedometer and were asked to
      increase their steps by 500 per week. Data were analyzed using the independent t
      test, chi(2) and repeated-measures tests. RESULTS: The levels of anxiety and
      insomnia decreased in the 8th (4.2 +/- 2.1 vs. 5.4 +/- 2.3, p = 0.007) and 12th
      week (4.3 +/- 2.8 vs. 7.2 +/- 2.6, p < 0.001) in the intervention group, compared
      with the control group. The depression intensity decreased in the intervention
      group, compared with the control group, after 12 weeks (13.7 +/- 5 vs. 19.6 +/-
      4.79, p < 0.001). The intervention group increased their step count from 76,377
      steps per month in the first month, to 106 398 in the 3rd month (p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: This study showed that pedometer-based walking had a positive effect
      on depression, insomnia and anxiety among postmenopausal women. A walking
      training program can be considered for postmenopausal women in Iran.

PMID- 26100102
TI  - Mechanisms of AC losses in magnetic fluids based on substituted manganites.
AB  - The ability to controllably tune the heating efficiency of magnetic nanoparticles
      in an AC magnetic field is highly desirable for their application as mediators of
      magnetic hyperthermia. Traditional approaches to understand and govern the
      behavior of hyperthermia mediators include a combination of quasistatic and high
      frequency (~100 kHz) magnetic measurements with subsequent simulation of
      underlying processes. In this paper, we draw attention to the frequently
      overlooked fact that for an ensemble of magnetic nanoparticles, there is no
      straightforward complementarity between the dynamic characteristics obtained
      under different experimental conditions, as well as between corresponding
      underlying processes. This paper analyzes mechanisms of AC losses in a fluid
      based on magnetic nanoparticles, with special emphasis on the domains of their
      validity, and shows that the mechanisms may become qualitatively different as
      experimental conditions change from magnetostatic to high-frequency ones.
      Further, the work highlights new important features which can result from the
      employment of the refined approaches to interpret experimental results obtained
      on magnetic fluids based on La1-xSrxMnO3 (x = 0.22) nanoparticles. The gained
      knowledge provides necessary guidelines for tailoring the properties of magnetic
      nanoparticles to the needs of self-controlled magnetic hyperthermia. 

PMID- 26100103
TI  - Simultaneous presence of fhs and purT genes is disadvantageous for the fitness of
      Escherichia coli growth.
AB  - In bacteria, alternate mechanisms are known to synthesize N(10)
      formyltetrahydrofolate (N(10)-formyl-THF) and formyl glycinamide ribotide (fGAR),
      which are important in purine biosynthesis. In one of the mechanisms, a direct
      transfer of one carbon unit from formate allows Fhs to convert tetrahydrofolate
      to N(10)-formyl-THF, and PurT to convert glycinamide ribotide (GAR) to fGAR. Our
      bioinformatics analysis of fhs and purT genes (encoding Fhs and PurT) showed that
      in a majority of bacteria (~94%), their presence was mutually exclusive. A large
      number of organisms possessing fhs lacked purT and vice versa. The phenomenon is
      so penetrating that even within a genus (Bacillus) if a species possessed fhs it
      lacked purT and vice versa. To investigate physiological importance of this
      phenomenon, we used Escherichia coli, which naturally lacks fhs (and possesses
      purT) as model. We generated strains, which possessed fhs and purT genes in
      singles or together. Deletion of purT from E. coli in the presence or absence of
      fhs did not confer a detectable growth disadvantage in pure cultures. However,
      growth competition assays revealed that the strains possessing either of the
      single genes outcompeted those possessing both the genes suggesting that mutual
      exclusion of purT and fhs in organisms confers fitness advantage in mixed
      cultures.

PMID- 26100104
TI  - Drosophila mutants of the autism candidate gene neurobeachin (rugose) exhibit
      neuro-developmental disorders, aberrant synaptic properties, altered locomotion,
      and impaired adult social behavior and activity patterns.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder in humans
      characterized by complex behavioral deficits, including intellectual disability,
      impaired social interactions, and hyperactivity. ASD exhibits a strong genetic
      component with underlying multigene interactions. Candidate gene studies have
      shown that the neurobeachin (NBEA) gene is disrupted in human patients with
      idiopathic autism ( Castermans et al., 2003 ). The NBEA gene spans the common
      fragile site FRA 13A and encodes a signal scaffold protein ( Savelyeva et al.,
      2006 ). In mice, NBEA has been shown to be involved in the trafficking and
      function of a specific subset of synaptic vesicles. ( Medrihan et al., 2009 ;
      Savelyeva et al., 2006 ). Rugose (rg) is the Drosophila homolog of the mammalian
      and human NBEA. Our previous genetic and molecular analyses have shown that rg
      encodes an A kinase anchor protein (DAKAP 550), which interacts with components
      of the epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR and Notch-mediated signaling
      pathways, facilitating cross talk between these and other pathways ( Shamloula et
      al., 2002 ). We now present functional data from studies on the larval
      neuromuscular junction that reveal abnormal synaptic architecture and physiology.
      In addition, adult rg loss-of-function mutants exhibit defective social
      interactions, impaired habituation, aberrant locomotion, and hyperactivity. These
      results demonstrate that Drosophila NBEA (rg) mutants exhibit phenotypic
      characteristics reminiscent of human ASD and thus could serve as a genetic model
      for studying ASDs. 

PMID- 26100106
TI  - Corosolic acid enhances 5-fluorouracil-induced apoptosis against SNU-620 human
      gastric carcinoma cells by inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin.
AB  - 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), one of the oldest anticancer therapeutic agents, is
      increasingly being administered in cancer chemotherapy. In the present study, the
      anticancer effects of 5-FU combined with corosolic acid (CRA) were determined in
      SNU-620 human gastric carcinoma cells and the underlying mechanisms were
      examined. A combination treatment of 5-FU and CRA inhibited the viability of
      cells additively. Furthermore, apoptotic activity following combination treatment
      was found to be stronger than that of the single treatments, as observed using an
      Annexin V/propidium iodide assay. The protein level of Bcl-2 was decreased
      significantly by the combination treatment, whereas the protein level of Bim was
      increased. The release of mitochondrial cytochrome c was increased as a result of
      the combination treatment, however, the combination treatment additively
      increased caspase-3 and poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavages. Additionally, the
      mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, which is highly activated
      in gastric cancer, was regulated by 5-FU and CRA, and additive mTOR/eukaryotic
      translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4-EBP1) inhibition was
      observed with the combination treatment. Additional rapamycin treatment along
      with the combination treatment of 5-FU and CRA showed a more marked inhibition of
      mTOR/4-EBP1 in the cells, as well as increased apoptosis and antiproliferation.
      Thus, these data indicate that CRA enhances the anticancer activities of 5-FU via
      mTOR inhibition in SNU-620 human gastric carcinoma cells.

PMID- 26100107
TI  - Anxiety rating scales in Parkinson's disease: a critical review updating recent
      literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Assessing anxiety in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been a recent
      focus, and a number of studies have extensively investigated the validity of
      anxiety rating scales in PD. The present review aims to provide an overview of
      anxiety scales widely used and/or validated in PD, and to highlight
      recommendations for future research required in this area. METHODS: A literature
      search was performed using terms such as Parkinson* disease, psychiatric,
      depress*, anxiety, assessment, scales, and valid* in PsycInfo, PubMed, and Web of
      Science databases. Validation studies and reviews focussed on assessment of
      anxiety in PD were included. RESULTS: The literature search identified nine
      anxiety rating scales. The new Parkinson's Anxiety Scale (PAS) showed good
      psychometric properties. Having a simple design appropriate for older adults and
      items focussed on cognitive anxiety, the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) also
      appeared promising for use in PD. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Hospital
      Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) did not
      demonstrate satisfactory psychometric characteristics when used in PD, while
      other scales had limited or no evidence of validity or reliability to infer
      judgments. CONCLUSIONS: PAS and GAI are can be recommended for use in PD without
      dementia. Usefulness of these scales to assess anxiety in dementia should be
      examined in the future. Moreover, the complex symptomatology of anxiety relating
      to "off" PD medication states were not addressed in these scales. Further
      research is required to develop an anxiety scale tailored for PD.

PMID- 26100105
TI  - Hip/femur fractures associated with the use of benzodiazepines (anxiolytics,
      hypnotics and related drugs): a methodological approach to assess consistencies
      across databases from the PROTECT-EU project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Results from observational studies may be inconsistent because of
      variations in methodological and clinical factors that may be intrinsically
      related to the database (DB) where the study is performed. OBJECTIVES: The
      objectives of this paper were to evaluate the impact of applying a common study
      protocol to study benzodiazepines (BZDs) (anxiolytics, hypnotics, and related
      drugs) and the risk of hip/femur fracture (HFF) across three European primary
      care DBs and to investigate any resulting discrepancies. METHODS: To measure the
      risk of HFF among adult users of BZDs during 2001-2009, three cohort and nested
      case control (NCC) studies were performed in Base de datos para la Investigacion
      Farmacoepidemiologica en Atencion Primaria (BIFAP) (Spain), Clinical Practice
      Research Datalink (CPRD) (UK), and Mondriaan (The Netherlands). Four different
      models (A-D) with increasing levels of adjustment were analyzed. The risk
      according to duration and type of BZD was also explored. Adjusted hazard ratios
      (cohort), odds ratios (NCC), and their 95% confidence intervals were estimated.
      RESULTS: Adjusted hazard ratios (Model C) were 1.34 (1.23-1.47) in BIFAP, 1.66
      (1.54-1.78) in CPRD, and 2.22 (1.55-3.29) in Mondriaan in cohort studies.
      Adjusted odds ratios (Model C) were 1.28 (1.16-1.42) in BIFAP, 1.60 (1.49-1.72)
      in CPRD, and 1.48 (0.89-2.48) in Mondriaan in NCC studies. A short-term effect
      was suggested in Mondriaan, but not in CPRD or BIFAP. All DBs showed an increased
      risk with the concomitant use of anxiolytic and hypnotic drugs. CONCLUSIONS:
      Applying similar study methods to different populations and DBs showed an
      increased risk of HFF in BZDs users but differed in the magnitude of the risk,
      which may be because of inherent differences between DBs.

PMID- 26100108
TI  - Mechanical Heart Valves in Pregnancy: A Sticky Business.

PMID- 26100109
TI  - Pregnancy in Women With a Mechanical Heart Valve: Data of the European Society of
      Cardiology Registry of Pregnancy and Cardiac Disease (ROPAC).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregnant women with a mechanical heart valve (MHV) are at a
      heightened risk of a thrombotic event, and their absolute need for adequate
      anticoagulation puts them at considerable risk of bleeding and, with some
      anticoagulants, fetotoxicity. METHODS AND RESULTS: Within the prospective,
      observational, contemporary, worldwide Registry of Pregnancy and Cardiac disease
      (ROPAC), we describe the pregnancy outcome of 212 patients with an MHV. We
      compare them with 134 patients with a tissue heart valve and 2620 other patients
      without a prosthetic valve. Maternal mortality occurred in 1.4% of the patients
      with an MHV, in 1.5% of patients with a tissue heart valve (P=1.000), and in 0.2%
      of patients without a prosthetic valve (P=0.025). Mechanical valve thrombosis
      complicated pregnancy in 10 patients with an MHV (4.7%). In 5 of these patients,
      the valve thrombosis occurred in the first trimester, and all 5 patients had been
      switched to some form of heparin. Hemorrhagic events occurred in 23.1% of
      patients with an MHV, in 5.1% of patients with a tissue heart valve (P<0.001),
      and in 4.9% of patients without a prosthetic valve (P<0.001). Only 58% of the
      patients with an MHV had a pregnancy free of serious adverse events compared with
      79% of patients with a tissue heart valve (P<0.001) and 78% of patients without a
      prosthetic valve (P<0.001). Vitamin K antagonist use in the first trimester
      compared with heparin was associated with a higher rate of miscarriage (28.6%
      versus 9.2%; P<0.001) and late fetal death (7.1% versus 0.7%; P=0.016).
      CONCLUSIONS: Women with an MHV have only a 58% chance of experiencing an
      uncomplicated pregnancy with a live birth. The markedly increased mortality and
      morbidity warrant extensive prepregnancy counseling and centralization of care.

PMID- 26100110
TI  - CXCL12-CXCR7 axis is important for tumor endothelial cell angiogenic property.
AB  - We reported that tumor endothelial cells (TECs) differ from normal endothelial
      cells (NECs) in many aspects, such as gene expression profiles. Although CXCR7 is
      reportedly highly expressed in blood vessels of several tumors, its function in
      TECs is still unknown. To investigate this role, we isolated TECs from mouse
      tumor A375SM xenografts, and compared them with NECs from normal mouse dermis.
      After confirming CXCR7 upregulation in TECs, we analyzed its function using CXCR7
      siRNA and CXCR7 inhibitor; CCX771. CXCR7 siRNA and CCX771 inhibited migration,
      tube formation and resistance to serum starvation in TECs but not in NECs. ERK1/2
      phosphorylation was inhibited by CXCR7 knockdown in TECs. These results suggest
      that CXCR7 promotes angiogenesis in TECs via ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Using ELISA,
      we also detected CXCL12, a ligand of CXCR7, in conditioned medium from TECs, but
      not from NECs. CXCL12 neutralizing antibody significantly inhibited TEC random
      motility. VEGF stimulation upregulated CXCR7 expression in NECs, implying that
      VEGF mediates CXCR7 expression in endothelial cells. A CXCR7 inhibitor, CCX771
      also inhibited tumor growth, lung metastasis and tumor angiogenesis in vivo.
      Taken together, the CXCL12-CXCR7 autocrine loop affects TEC proangiogenic
      properties, and could be the basis for an antiangiogenic therapy that
      specifically targets tumor blood vessels rather than normal vessels.

PMID- 26100111
TI  - Modifying microRNAs--another piece of the melanoma puzzle.

PMID- 26100112
TI  - SNOMED CT in a language isolate: an algorithm for a semiautomatic translation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine--Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT)
      is officially released in English and Spanish. In the Basque Autonomous Community
      two languages, Spanish and Basque, are official. The first attempt to semi
      automatically translate the SNOMED CT terminology content to Basque, a less
      resourced language is presented in this paper. METHODS: A translation algorithm
      that has its basis in Natural Language Processing methods has been designed and
      partially implemented. The algorithm comprises four phases from which the first
      two have been implemented and quantitatively evaluated. RESULTS: Results are
      promising as we obtained the equivalents in Basque of 21.41% of the disorder
      terms of the English SNOMED CT release. As the methods developed are focused on
      that hierarchy, the results in other hierarchies are lower (12.57% for body
      structure descriptions, 8.80% for findings and 3% for procedures). CONCLUSIONS:
      We are in the way to reach two of our objectives when translating SNOMED CT to
      Basque: to use our language to access rich multilingual resources and to
      strengthen the use of the Basque language in the biomedical area.

PMID- 26100113
TI  - Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in dyspeptic patients at a tertiary hospital in
      a low resource setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: More than half of the world's population is infected with
      Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), the primary cause of chronic gastritis. Chronic
      gastritis is associated with peptic ulcer and in advanced stages with an
      increased risk of developing gastric adenocarcinoma. In many developing countries
      access to upper gastrointestinal (UGI) endoscopy services is limited. As a
      result, many UGI diseases are treated empirically. OBJECTIVE: To determine the
      prevalence of H. pylori in patients presenting with dyspepsia, and the mean time
      from onset of symptoms to performing an endoscopy examination. METHODS: A cross
      sectional descriptive study conducted from 5th January to 30th April 2014. Adult
      patients with dyspepsia who were referred for UGI endoscopy were recruited
      consecutively. Questionnaires were used to collect data which were analyzed using
      STATA software. IRB approval was obtained. RESULTS: In total, 111 participants'
      data were analyzed. The F:M ratio was 1:1.4, mean age 43 years (SD = 16). The
      prevalence of H. pylori gastritis was 36%. The minimum time to endoscopy was 3
      weeks, maximum 1,248 weeks and the mean time 57 weeks. CONCLUSION: The burden of
      H. pylori infection in patients with dyspepsia was high. Patients had prior
      empirical antibiotic therapy. Access to endoscopic services is limited.

PMID- 26100114
TI  - Core-shell InGaN/GaN nanowire light emitting diodes analyzed by electron beam
      induced current microscopy and cathodoluminescence mapping.
AB  - We report on the electron beam induced current (EBIC) microscopy and
      cathodoluminescence (CL) characterization correlated with compositional analysis
      of light emitting diodes based on core/shell InGaN/GaN nanowire arrays. The EBIC
      mapping of cleaved fully operational devices allows to probe the electrical
      properties of the active region with a nanoscale resolution. In particular, the
      electrical activity of the p-n junction on the m-planes and on the semi-polar
      planes of individual nanowires is assessed in top view and cross-sectional
      geometries. The EBIC maps combined with CL characterization demonstrate the
      impact of the compositional gradients along the wire axis on the electrical and
      optical signals: the reduction of the EBIC signal toward the nanowire top is
      accompanied by an increase of the CL intensity. This effect is interpreted as a
      consequence of the In and Al gradients in the quantum well and in the electron
      blocking layer, which influence the carrier extraction efficiency. The interface
      between the nanowire core and the radially grown layer is shown to produce in
      some cases a transitory EBIC signal. This observation is explained by the
      presence of charged traps at this interface, which can be saturated by electron
      irradiation. 

PMID- 26100115
TI  - Description of Three New alpha Variants and Four New beta Variants: Hb Montluel
      [alpha110(G17)Ala -> Val; HBA1: c.332C > T], Hb Cap d'Agde [alpha131(H14)Ser ->
      Cys; HBA2: c.395C > G] and Hb Corsica [alpha100(G7)Leu -> Pro; HBA1: 302T > C];
      Hb Nimes [beta104(G6)Arg -> Gly; HBB: c.313A > G], Hb Saint Marcellin
      [beta112(G14)Cys -> Gly; HBB: c.337T > G], Hb Saint Chamond [beta80(EF4)Asn -> 0;
      HBB: c.241_243delAAC] and Hb Dompierre [beta29(B11)Gly -> Arg; HBB: c.88G > C].
AB  - We present here seven new hemoglobin (Hb) variants identified during routine Hb
      analysis. All of them are caused by a missense mutation except Hb Saint Chamond,
      which results from an in-frame deletion of the asparagine residue at beta80. All
      these variants are clinically silent in the heterozygous state but two of them
      (Hb Cap d'Agde and Hb Dompierre) may be unstable, whereas Hb Nimes could present
      a very slightly elevated oxygen affinity. These data are to be confirmed by
      appropriate biochemical tests. 

PMID- 26100116
TI  - Using Data Independent Acquisition (DIA) to Model High-responding Peptides for
      Targeted Proteomics Experiments.
AB  - Targeted mass spectrometry is an essential tool for detecting quantitative
      changes in low abundant proteins throughout the proteome. Although selected
      reaction monitoring (SRM) is the preferred method for quantifying peptides in
      complex samples, the process of designing SRM assays is laborious. Peptides have
      widely varying signal responses dictated by sequence-specific physiochemical
      properties; one major challenge is in selecting representative peptides to target
      as a proxy for protein abundance. Here we present PREGO, a software tool that
      predicts high-responding peptides for SRM experiments. PREGO predicts peptide
      responses with an artificial neural network trained using 11 minimally redundant,
      maximally relevant properties. Crucial to its success, PREGO is trained using
      fragment ion intensities of equimolar synthetic peptides extracted from data
      independent acquisition experiments. Because of similarities in instrumentation
      and the nature of data collection, relative peptide responses from data
      independent acquisition experiments are a suitable substitute for SRM experiments
      because they both make quantitative measurements from integrated fragment ion
      chromatograms. Using an SRM experiment containing 12,973 peptides from 724
      synthetic proteins, PREGO exhibits a 40-85% improvement over previously published
      approaches at selecting high-responding peptides. These results also represent a
      dramatic improvement over the rules-based peptide selection approaches commonly
      used in the literature.

PMID- 26100117
TI  - Functional Analysis of GLRX5 Mutants Reveals Distinct Functionalities of GLRX5
      Protein.
AB  - Glutaredoxin 5 (GLRX5) is a 156 amino acid mitochondrial protein that plays an
      essential role in mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster transfer. Mutations in this
      protein were reported to result in sideroblastic anemia and variant nonketotic
      hyperglycinemia in human. Recently, we have characterized a Chinese congenital
      sideroblastic anemia patient who has two compound heterozygous missense mutations
      (c. 301 A>C and c. 443 T>C) in his GLRX5 gene. Herein, we developed a GLRX5
      knockout K562 cell line and studied the biochemical functions of the identified
      pathogenic mutations and other conserved amino acids with predicted essential
      functions. We observed that the K101Q mutation (due to c. 301 A>C mutation) may
      prevent the binding of [Fe-S] to GLRX5 protein, while L148S (due to c. 443 T>C
      mutation) may interfere with [Fe-S] transfer from GLRX5 to iron regulatory
      protein 1 (IRP1), mitochondrial aconitase (m-aconitase) and ferrochelatase. We
      also demonstrated that L148S is functionally complementary to the K51del mutant
      with respect to Fe/S-ferrochelatase, Fe/S-IRP1, Fe/S-succinate dehydrogenase, and
      Fe/S-m-aconitase biosynthesis and lipoylation of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex
      and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. Furthermore, we demonstrated that
      the mutations of highly conserved amino acid residues in GLRX5 protein can have
      different effects on downstream Fe/S proteins. Collectively, our current work
      demonstrates that GLRX5 protein is multifunctional in [Fe-S] protein synthesis
      and maturation and defects of the different amino acids of the protein will lead
      to distinct effects on downstream Fe/S biosynthesis.

PMID- 26100118
TI  - A temporal correlation function for the association between patient-reported
      outcome and clinical endpoints.
AB  - For clinical trials with multiple endpoints, the primary interest is usually to
      evaluate the relationship of these endpoints and treatment interventions.
      Studying the correlation of two clinical trial endpoints can also be of
      interests. For example, the association between patient-reported outcome and
      clinically assessed endpoint could answer important research questions and also
      generate interesting hypothesis for future research. However, it is not
      straightforward to quantify such association. In this article, we proposed a
      multiple event approach to profile such association with a temporal correlation
      function, visualized by a correlation function plot over time with a confidence
      band. We developed this approach by extending the existing methodology in
      recurrent event literature. This approach was shown to be generally unbiased and
      could be a useful tool for data visualization and inference. We demonstrated the
      use of this method with data from a real clinical trial. Although this approach
      was developed to evaluate the association between patient-reported outcome and
      adverse events, it can also be used to evaluate the association of any two
      endpoints that can be translated to time-to-event endpoints.

PMID- 26100120
TI  - Influence of a strict glucose protocol on serum potassium and glucose
      concentrations and their association with mortality in intensive care patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tight glucose control therapy (TGC) has been implemented to control
      hyperglycemia in ICU patients. TGC may also influence serum potassium
      concentrations. We therefore investigated the influence of TGC on both serum
      glucose and serum potassium concentrations and associated mortality. METHOD: We
      performed a retrospective analysis including all patients admitted to the ICU of
      a tertiary hospital for 24 hours or more and with at least three serum glucose
      and serum potassium concentrations between 1999-2001 (conventional period), 2002
      2006 (implementation period) or 2007-2009 (TGC period). Segmented regression
      analysis was used to estimate changes in outcomes that occurred after the
      intervention controlling for pre-intervention trends. Means and standard
      deviations (SDs) of serum glucose and serum potassium concentrations, and rate of
      severe hypoglycemia (<= 2.2 mmol/L) and hypokalemia (<= 3 mmol/L), were compared
      between the TGC and conventional period. RESULTS: Although mean serum glucose
      concentrations dropped 2.1 mmol/L (95% CI =-1.8 to -2.3 mmol/L, p<0.002), mean
      serum potassium concentrations did not change (absolute increase 0.02 mmol/L; 95%
      CI = -0.06 to 0.09 mmol/L, p=0.64). The rate of severe hypoglycemia increased
      with 5.9% (95% CI=-3.0 to -8.9, p<0.002), but the rate of hypokalemia remained
      equal (absolute reduction 4.8%; 95% CI = -11.1% to 1.5%, p=0.13). The SD of serum
      glucose concentrations within a patient did not change, while the SD of serum
      potassium concentrations even decreased 0.04 mmol/L (95% CI = -0.01 to -0.07, p =
      0.01). ICU mortality decreased but this decrease was not significant (absolute
      difference -3.63%; 95% CI = -9.33 to 2.09, p = 0.20). Mean serum glucose
      concentrations, mean serum potassium concentrations and SDs of both serum glucose
      and serum potassium concentrations were all independently associated with ICU
      mortality. Highest mortality rates were seen at both the lowest and highest mean
      values (U/J-shaped association) and mortality rates increased with increasing
      variability (SDs) for both serum glucose and serum potassium concentrations.
      CONCLUSION: Our study shows that a TGC was not associated with an increased risk
      of serum potassium related events. Low and high mean values and high variability
      of both serum glucose and serum potassium concentrations are predictors for high
      ICU mortality.

PMID- 26100121
TI  - Comparative study on surface reconstruction accuracy of stereo imaging devices
      for microsurgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: Processing stereoscopic image data is an emerging field. Especially in
      microsurgery that requires sub-millimeter accuracy, application of stereo-based
      methods on endoscopic and microscopic scenarios is of major interest. In this
      context, direct comparison of stereo-based surface reconstruction applied to
      several camera settings is presented. METHODS: A method for stereo matching is
      proposed and validated on in-vitro data. Demonstrating suitability for surgical
      scenarios, this method is applied to two custom-made stereo cameras, a
      miniaturized, bendable surgical endoscope and an operating microscope.
      Reconstruction accuracy is assessed on a custom-made reference sample. Subsequent
      to its fabrication, a coordinate measuring arm is used to acquire ground truth.
      Next, the sample is positioned by a robot at varying distances to each camera.
      Surface estimation is performed, while the specimen is localized based on.
      markers. Finally, the error between estimated surface and ground truth is
      computed. RESULTS: Sample measurement with the coordinate measuring arm yields
      reliable ground truth data with a root-mean-square error of 11.2 MUm. Overall
      surface reconstruction with analyzed cameras is quantified by a root-mean-square
      error of less than 0.18 mm. Microscope setting with the highest magnification
      yields the most accurate measurement, while the maximum deviation does not exceed
      0.5 mm. Custom-made stereo cameras perform similar but with outliers of increased
      magnitude. Miniaturized, bendable surgical endoscope produces the maximum error
      of approximately 1.2 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Reconstruction results reveal that
      microscopic imaging outperforms investigated chip-on-the-tip solutions, i.e., at
      higher magnification. Nonetheless, custom-made cameras are suitable for
      application in microsurgery. Although reconstruction with the miniaturized
      endoscope is more inaccurate, it provides a good trade-off between accuracy,
      outer dimensions and accessibility to hard-to-reach surgical sites.

PMID- 26100122
TI  - Robust surface tracking combining features, intensity and illumination
      compensation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recovering tissue deformation during robotic-assisted minimally invasive
      surgery procedures is important for providing intra-operative guidance, enabling
      in vivo imaging modalities and enhanced robotic control. The tissue motion can
      also be used to apply motion stabilization and to prescribe dynamic constraints
      for avoiding critical anatomical structures. METHODS: Image-based methods based
      independently on salient features or on image intensity have limitations when
      dealing with homogeneous soft tissues or complex reflectance. In this paper, we
      use a triangular geometric mesh model in order to combine the advantages of both
      feature and intensity information and track the tissue surface reliably and
      robustly. RESULTS: Synthetic and in vivo experiments are performed to provide
      quantitative analysis of the tracking accuracy of our method, and we also show
      exemplar results for registering multispectral images where there is only a weak
      image signal. CONCLUSION: Compared to traditional methods, our hybrid tracking
      method is more robust and has improved convergence in the presence of larger
      displacements, tissue dynamics and illumination changes.

PMID- 26100123
TI  - Glucocorticosteroids for sepsis: systematic review with meta-analysis and trial
      sequential analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Glucocorticosteroids (steroids) are widely used for sepsis
      patients. However, the potential benefits and harms of both high and low dose
      steroids remain unclear. A systematic review of randomised clinical trials with
      meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA) might shed light on this
      clinically important question. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted
      according to a published protocol and The Cochrane Handbook methodology including
      meta-analyses, TSA of randomised clinical trials, and external validity
      estimation (GRADE). Randomised clinical trials evaluating steroids were included
      for sepsis patients (systemic inflammatory response syndrome, sepsis, severe
      sepsis or septic shock) aged >18 years. Cochrane Central Register of Controlled
      Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed/Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Cinahl were searched
      until 18 February 2015. No language restrictions were applied. Primary outcomes
      were mortality at longest follow-up and serious adverse events. RESULTS: A total
      of 35 trials randomising 4682 patients were assessed and reviewed in full text.
      All trials but two had high risk of bias. No statistically significant effect was
      found for any dose of steroids versus placebo or no intervention on mortality at
      maximal follow-up [relative risk (RR) 0.89; TSA adjusted confidence interval (CI)
      0.74-1.08]. Two trials with low risk of bias also showed no statistically
      significant difference (random-effects model RR 0.38, 95% CI 0.06-2.42). Similar
      results were obtained in subgroups of trials stratified according to high (>500
      mg) or low (<= 500 mg) dose hydrocortisone (or equivalent) (RR 0.87; TSA-adjusted
      CI 0.38-1.99; and RR 0.90; TSA-adjusted CI 0.49-1.67, respectively). There were
      also no statistically significant effects on serious adverse events other than
      mortality (RR 1.02; TSA-adjusted CI 0.7-1.48). The effects did not vary according
      to the degree of sepsis. TSA showed that many more randomised patients are needed
      before definitive conclusions may be drawn. CONCLUSION: Evidence to support or
      negate the use of steroids in any dose in sepsis patients is lacking. The results
      of ongoing and future well-designed, large randomised clinical trials are needed.

PMID- 26100124
TI  - Neuropsychologic outcomes from paediatric cardiac arrest: an important step
      forward.

PMID- 26100125
TI  - Do you know how much it costs?

PMID- 26100126
TI  - Veno-venous extracorporeal CO2 removal improves pulmonary hypertension in acute
      exacerbation of severe COPD.

PMID- 26100127
TI  - Plasma suPAR as a prognostic biological marker for ICU mortality in ARDS
      patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated the prognostic value of plasma soluble urokinase
      plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) on day 1 in patients with the acute
      respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) for intensive care unit (ICU) mortality and
      compared it with established disease severity scores on day 1. METHODS: suPAR was
      determined batchwise in plasma obtained within 24 h after admission. RESULTS: 632
      ARDS patients were included. Significantly (P = 0.02) higher median levels of
      suPAR were found with increasing severity of ARDS: 5.9 ng/ml [IQR 3.1-12.8] in
      mild ARDS (n = 82), 8.4 ng/ml [IQR 4.1-15.0] in moderate ARDS (n = 333), and 9.0
      ng/ml [IQR 4.5-16.0] in severe ARDS (n = 217). Non-survivors had higher median
      levels of suPAR [12.5 ng/ml (IQR 5.1-19.5) vs. 7.4 ng/ml (3.9-13.6), P < 0.001].
      The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) for mortality
      of suPAR (0.62) was lower than the ROC-AUC of the APACHE IV score (0.72, P =
      0.007), higher than that of the ARDS definition classification (0.53, P = 0.005),
      and did not differ from that of the SOFA score (0.68, P = 0.07) and the
      oxygenation index (OI) (0.58, P = 0.29). Plasma suPAR did not improve the
      discrimination of the established disease severity scores, but did improve net
      reclassification of the APACHE score (29%), SOFA score (23%), OI (38%), and
      Berlin definition classification (39%). CONCLUSION: As a single biological
      marker, the prognostic value for death of plasma suPAR in ARDS patients is low.
      Plasma suPAR, however, improves the net reclassification, suggesting a potential
      role for suPAR in ICU mortality prediction models.

PMID- 26100128
TI  - Evidence for functional redundancy in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and
      implications for agroecosystem management.
AB  - Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi provide benefits to host plants and show
      functional diversity, with evidence of functional trait conservation at the
      family level. Diverse communities of AM fungi ought therefore to provide
      increased benefits to the host, with implications for the management of
      sustainable agroecosystems. However, this is often not evident in the literature,
      with diversity saturation at low species number. Growth and nutrient uptake were
      measured in onions in the glasshouse on AM-free phosphorus (P)-poor soil,
      inoculated with between one and seven species of AM fungi in all possible
      combinations. Inoculation with AM fungi increased shoot dry weight as well as P
      and copper concentrations in shoots but reduced the concentration of potassium
      and sulphur. There was little evidence of increased benefit from high AM fungal
      diversity, and increasing diversity beyond three species did not result in
      significantly higher shoot weight or P or Cu concentrations. Species of
      Glomeraceae had the greatest impact on growth and nutrient uptake, while species
      of Acaulospora and Racocetra did not have a significant impact. Failure to show a
      benefit from high AM fungal diversity in this and other studies may be the result
      of experimental conditions, with the benefits of AM fungal diversity only
      becoming apparent when the host plant is faced with multiple stress factors.
      Replicating the complex interactions between AM fungi, the host plant and their
      environment in the laboratory in order to fully understand these interactions is
      a major challenge to AM research. 

PMID- 26100129
TI  - PCR melting profile as a tool for outbreak studies of Salmonella enterica in
      chickens.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Salmonellosis is of great economic concern in all phases of the
      poultry industry, from production to marketing, leading to severe economic
      losses. Monitoring the source of the bacterial contamination has fundamental
      importance in the spreading of salmonellosis. RESULTS: We applied a ligation
      mediated PCR method, PCR MP (PCR melting profile), to type S. enterica ssp.
      enterica ser. Enteritidis (56 strains) and 43 control strains classified to other
      serovars isolated from poultry. We demonstrated the PCR MP potential for
      salmonellosis spreading monitoring. Our rapid test presents higher discriminatory
      power (0.939 vs. 0.608) compared to current molecular subtyping tool such as
      pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), which ineffectiveness underlies the high
      degree of clonality of S. Enteritidis. CONCLUSIONS: PCR MP was found to be a
      highly discriminating, sensitive and specific method that could be a valuable
      molecular tool, particularly for analyzing epidemiological links of limited
      number of S. enterica ser. Enteritidis strains.

PMID- 26100130
TI  - Lysyl oxidase is associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of gastric
      cancer cells in hypoxia.
AB  - PURPOSE: It has been reported that lysyl oxidase (LOX) is a hypoxia-responsive
      factor and is associated with the malignant progression of carcinoma. The aim of
      this study was to clarify the relationship between the epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition (EMT) and LOX in gastric cancer cells under hypoxia. METHODS: Two
      gastric cancer cell lines, OCUM-2MD3 and OCUM-12, were used in an in vitro study.
      The effect of LOX small interfering RNA (siRNA) on the EMT and motility of
      gastric cancer cells under hypoxic condition was analyzed by reverse
      transcription PCR, Western blot, a wound-healing assay, and an invasion assay.
      Correlations between LOX expression and the clinicopathological features of 544
      patients with gastric carcinoma were examined immunohistochemically. RESULTS:
      Hypoxic conditions increased the number of polygonal or spindle-shaped cells
      resulting from EMT in gastric cancer cells. The EMT of cancer cells induced by
      hypoxia was inhibited by treatment with LOX siRNA. The number of migrating and
      invading gastric cancer cells in hypoxia was significantly decreased by LOX
      knockdown. LOX siRNA significantly increased the E-cadherin level and decreased
      the vimentin level of gastric cancer cells. LOX expression was significantly
      associated with invasion depth, tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis,
      lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, and peritoneal metastasis. Multivariable
      analysis revealed that LOX was an independent parameter for overall survival.
      CONCLUSION: LOX affects the EMT of gastric cancer cells in hypoxic conditions.
      LOX expression is a useful prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer.

PMID- 26100132
TI  - Three Positive Parenting Practices and Their Correlation with Risk of Childhood
      Developmental, Social, or Behavioral Delays: An Analysis of the National Survey
      of Children's Health.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: (1) Investigate the relationship between three specific positive
      parenting practices (PPP)-reading to children, engaging in storytelling or
      singing, and eating meals together as a family-and parent-reported risk of
      developmental, behavioral, or social delays among children between the ages of 1
      5 years in the US. (2) Determine if a combination of these parenting practices
      has an effect on the outcome. METHODS: Chi square and multiple logistic
      regression analyses were used to analyze cross-sectional data from the National
      Survey of Children's Health 2011/2012 in regards to the relationship between each
      of the three individual PPP as well as a total PPP score and the child's risk of
      being developmentally, socially, or behaviorally delayed (N = 21,527). Risk of
      delay was calculated using the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status
      Questionnaire, which is a parental self-report measure that has been correlated
      with diagnosed child delays. These analyses controlled for poverty and parental
      education. All analyses were completed using SAS Version 9.3. RESULTS: A strong
      correlation was found between each of the three PPP as well as the total PPP
      score and the child's risk of developmental, social, or behavioral delays (p <
      0.05 for each test). These associations were found to have a dose-response
      relationship (p < 0.05 in all but one analysis). CONCLUSIONS: Daily engagement in
      PPP could possibly reduce children's risk of delay, and specifically engaging in
      all three PPP may have greater benefit.

PMID- 26100131
TI  - The Effects of Maternal Mortality on Infant and Child Survival in Rural Tanzania:
      A Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The full impact of a maternal death includes consequences faced by
      orphaned children. This analysis adds evidence to a literature on the magnitude
      of the association between a woman's death during or shortly after childbirth,
      and survival outcomes for her children. METHODS: The Ifakara and Rufiji Health
      and Demographic Surveillance Sites in rural Tanzania conduct longitudinal,
      frequent data collection of key demographic events at the household level. Using
      a subset of the data from these sites (1996-2012), this survival analysis
      compared outcomes for children who experienced a maternal death (42 and 365 days
      definitions) during or near birth to those children whose mothers survived.
      RESULTS: There were 111 maternal deaths (or 229 late maternal deaths) during the
      study period, and 46.28 % of the index children also subsequently died (40.73 %
      of children in the late maternal death group) before their tenth birthday-a much
      higher prevalence of child mortality than in the population of children whose
      mothers survived (7.88 %, p value <0.001). Children orphaned by early maternal
      deaths had a 51.54 % chance of surviving to their first birthday, compared to a
      94.42 % probability for children of surviving mothers. A significant, but lesser,
      child survival effect was also found for paternal deaths in this study period.
      CONCLUSIONS: The death of a mother compromises the survival of index children.
      Reducing maternal mortality through improved health care-especially provision of
      high-quality skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric services and neonatal
      care-will also help save children's lives.

PMID- 26100133
TI  - Diet, Pre-pregnancy BMI, and Gestational Weight Gain in Puerto Rican Women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the dietary patterns in pregnant woman and determine the
      association between diet factors, pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index (BMI) and socio
      demographic characteristics with gestational weight gain (GWG). METHODS: This is
      a secondary analysis of a longitudinal cohort study of pregnant women exploring
      the risk factors for preterm birth, the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring
      Contamination Threats program. Recruitment was conducted during 2011-2014. Data
      was collected from multiple sources. GWG was calculated using maternal weight
      recorded in the medical records at the first and last prenatal visits and
      classified according to the Institute of Medicine guidelines. Sociodemographic
      characteristics were obtained at baseline using an interviewed-based
      questionnaire. Participants completed a self-administered food frequency
      questionnaire at 20-28 weeks to assess dietary patterns. Analysis of associations
      between variables was conducted using Chi Square tests. RESULTS: A total of 160
      women with term pregnancies were included in this analysis. Mean pre-pregnancy
      BMI was 25.4 +/- 5.48 kg/m(2), with 44.4 % classified as overweight/obese.
      Excessive GWG was observed in 24.4 % of the participants. Socio-demographic
      characteristics were not associated with GWG. Being overweight/obese at the start
      of pregnancy was significantly associated with excessive GWG (p < 0.05). In
      addition, women consuming one or more fruit drinks per day were more likely to
      have an excessive GWG while those consuming less than one fruit drink per day
      were more likely to have an adequate GWG (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE:
      Being obese before pregnancy and frequently consuming fruit drinks were important
      determinants of excessive GWG in this group.

PMID- 26100135
TI  - Unconventional screening approaches for antibiotic discovery.
AB  - The dramatic rise in microbial drug resistance in recent years has led to ongoing
      searches for novel drugs to add to the armory against infectious disease.
      Nevertheless, a paucity of new antibacterial drugs in discovery and development
      pipelines using traditional approaches has prompted a variety of unconventional
      and disruptive strategies for antibacterial drug discovery. Herein, we review
      recent nontraditional approaches that have been piloted for early drug discovery
      efforts. These unique methodologies open new avenues for finding the next
      generation of antimicrobials. 

PMID- 26100136
TI  - Naringenin enhances NK cell lysis activity by increasing the expression of NKG2D
      ligands on Burkitt's lymphoma cells.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells are capable of identifying and killing tumor cells as
      well as virus infected cells without pre-sensitization. NK cells express
      activating and inhibitory receptors, and can distinguish between normal and tumor
      cells. The present study was designed to demonstrate the importance of the
      expression level of NKG2D ligands on the Burkitt's lymphoma cell line, Raji, in
      enhancing NK cell cytolytic activity. Various flavonoids were used as stimulants
      to enhance the expression of NKG2D ligands. NK cell lysis activity against Raji
      was not changed by pre-treatment of Raji with luteolin, kaempferol, taxifolin and
      hesperetin. However, treatment of Raji with naringenin showed increased
      sensitivity to NK cell lysis than untreated control cells. The activity of
      naringenin was due to enhanced NKG2D ligand expression. These results provide
      evidence that narigenin's antitumor activity may be due to targeting of NKG2D
      ligand expression and suggests a possible immunotherapeutic role for cancer
      treatment. 

PMID- 26100134
TI  - The green tea catechin epigallocatechin gallate induces cell cycle arrest and
      shows potential synergism with cisplatin in biliary tract cancer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The green tea catechin epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) was shown to
      effectively inhibit tumor growth in various types of cancer including biliary
      tract cancer (BTC). For most BTC patients only palliative therapy is possible,
      leading to a median survival of about one year. Chemoresistance is a major
      problem that contributes to the high mortality rates of BTC. The aim of this
      study was to investigate the cytotoxic effect of EGCG alone or in combination
      with cisplatin on eight BTC cell lines and to investigate the cellular anti
      cancer mechanisms of EGCG. METHODS: The effect of EGCG treatment alone or in
      combination with the standard chemotherapeutic cisplatin on cell viability was
      analyzed in eight BTC cell lines. Additionally, we analyzed the effects of EGCG
      on caspase activity, cell cycle distribution and gene expression in the BTC cell
      line TFK-1. RESULTS: EGCG significantly reduced cell viability in all eight BTC
      cell lines (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01, respectively, for most cell lines and EGCG
      concentrations > 5 MUM). Combined EGCG and cisplatin treatment showed a
      synergistic cytotoxic effect in five cell lines and an antagonistic effect in two
      cell lines. Furthermore, EGCG reduced the mRNA levels of various cell cycle
      related genes, while increasing the expression of the cell cycle inhibitor p21
      and the apoptosis-related death receptor 5 (p < 0.05). This observation was
      accompanied by an increase in caspase activity and cells in the sub-G1 phase of
      the cell cycle, indicating induction of apoptosis. EGCG also induced a down
      regulation of expression of stem cell-related genes and genes that are associated
      with an aggressive clinical character of the tumor, such as cd133 and abcg2.
      CONCLUSIONS: EGCG shows various anti-cancer effects in BTC cell lines and might
      therefore be a potential anticancer drug for future studies in BTC. Additionally,
      EGCG displays a synergistic cytotoxic effect with cisplatin in most tested BTC
      cell lines. Graphical abstract Summary illustration.

PMID- 26100137
TI  - Association between eating rate and obesity: a systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The association between eating rate and obesity has recently been
      reported. However, the findings remain inconclusive. OBJECTIVES: We undertook a
      systematic review with a meta-analysis of published epidemiological studies to
      provide a reliable close estimate of the association between eating rate and
      obesity. METHODS: A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL was
      conducted to identify studies that reported quantitative estimates for indices of
      obesity based on the category of eating rate. Interventional studies or studies
      conducted using children as subjects were excluded. Two independent researchers
      extracted the data. A summary estimate was calculated using a random-effects
      model, and subgroup analyses were conducted to identify sources of heterogeneity.
      RESULTS: Data from 23 published studies were eligible for inclusion. The mean
      difference in body mass indices (BMIs) between individuals who ate quickly and
      those who ate slowly was 1.78 kg m(-2) (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.53-2.04
      kg m(-2)). The pooled odds ratio of eating quickly on the presence of obesity was
      2.15 (95% CI, 1.84-2.51). There was evidence of significant quantitative
      heterogeneity in the magnitudes of the association across studies (I2=78.4%, P
      value for heterogeneity <0.001 for BMI, I2=71.9%, P-value for heterogeneity
      <0.001 for obesity), which may be partially explained by differences in the type
      of study population (a weaker association was observed for BMI in diabetic
      patients). CONCLUSIONS: Eating quickly is positively associated with excess body
      weight. Further studies are warranted to determine whether interventions to slow
      the speed of eating are effective for weight control.

PMID- 26100139
TI  - Hearing loss in Waardenburg syndrome: a systematic review.
AB  - Waardenburg syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by hearing
      loss (HL) and pigment disturbances of hair, skin and iris. Classifications exist
      based on phenotype and genotype. The auditory phenotype is inconsistently
      reported among the different Waardenburg types and causal genes, urging the need
      for an up-to-date literature overview on this particular topic. We performed a
      systematic review in search for articles describing auditory features in WS
      patients along with the associated genotype. Prevalences of HL were calculated
      and correlated with the different types and genes of WS. Seventy-three articles
      were included, describing 417 individual patients. HL was found in 71.0% and was
      predominantly bilateral and sensorineural. Prevalence of HL among the different
      clinical types significantly differed (WS1: 52.3%, WS2: 91.6%, WS3: 57.1%, WS4:
      83.5%). Mutations in SOX10 (96.5%), MITF (89.6%) and SNAI2 (100%) are more
      frequently associated with hearing impairment than other mutations. Of interest,
      the distinct disease-causing genes are able to better predict the auditory
      phenotype compared with different clinical types of WS. Consequently, it is
      important to confirm the clinical diagnosis of WS with molecular analysis in
      order to optimally inform patients about the risk of HL.

PMID- 26100138
TI  - Independent associations between child and parent perceived neighborhood safety,
      child screen time, physical activity and BMI: a structural equation modeling
      approach.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to investigate whether children's
      perceptions of neighborhood safety are associated with their weight status and
      weight-related behaviors, independently of their parents' perceptions. METHODS:
      Data were from the baseline wave (collected in 2005-2008) of the Quebec Adipose
      and Lifestyle Investigation in Youth (QUALITY), an ongoing prospective study of
      630 children aged 8-10 years (from Quebec, Canada) at risk of obesity. Weight and
      height were measured, and World Health Organization age- and sex-specific body
      mass index (BMI) z-scores were computed. Physical activity was measured by
      accelerometry, and time spent watching television, playing computer and video
      games during week and weekend days was self-reported. Structural equation
      modeling was used to simultaneously estimate the associations between parent and
      child perceived safety, with children's BMI z-score, physical activity and screen
      time. RESULTS: The results suggest that, when parent perceived safety was at the
      mean, children who perceived their neighborhood as being safest had nearly an
      additional 70 daily activity counts per minute (representing an ~10% increase in
      overall physical activity level) compared with children who perceived it as being
      least safe. Among children who perceived a mean level of safety, those whose
      parents perceived their neighborhood as being safest spent approximately an hour
      less per day in front of screens compared with those whose parents perceived
      their neighborhood as being least safe. Parent and child perceptions of safety
      both indirectly contribute to children's weight status by differentially
      impacting weight-related behaviors. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that targeting
      both parent and child perceived neighborhood safety could bolster efforts to
      promote healthy weight and weight-related behaviors among children.

PMID- 26100140
TI  - Checks and balances on cholinergic signaling in brain and body function.
AB  - A century after the discovery of acetylcholine (ACh), we recognize both ACh
      receptors, transporters, and synthesizing and degrading enzymes and regulators of
      their expression as contributors to cognition, metabolism, and immunity. Recent
      discoveries indicate that pre- and post-transcriptional ACh signaling controllers
      coordinate the identity, functioning, dynamics, and brain-to-body communication
      of cholinergic cells. Checks and balances including epigenetic mechanisms,
      alternative splicing, and miRNAs may all expand or limit the diversity of these
      cholinergic components by consistently performing genome-related surveillance.
      This regulatory network enables homeostatic maintenance of brain-to-body ACh
      signaling as well as reactions to nicotine, Alzheimer's disease
      anticholinesterase therapeutics, and agricultural pesticides. Here I review
      recent reports on the functional implications of these controllers of cholinergic
      signaling in and out of the brain. 

PMID- 26100143
TI  - Primary Care Medication Safety Surveillance with Integrated Primary and Secondary
      Care Electronic Health Records: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The extent of preventable medication-related hospital admissions
      and medication-related issues in primary care is significant enough to justify
      developing decision support systems for medication safety surveillance. The
      prerequisite for such systems is defining a relevant set of medication safety
      related indicators and understanding the influence of both patient and general
      practice characteristics on medication prescribing and monitoring. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility of linked primary and
      secondary care electronic health record data for surveillance of medication
      safety, examining not only prescribing but also monitoring, and associations with
      patient- and general practice-level characteristics. METHODS: A cross-sectional
      study was conducted using linked records of patients served by one hospital and
      over 50 general practices in Salford, UK. Statistical analysis consisted of mixed
      effects logistic models, relating prescribing safety indicators to potential
      determinants. RESULTS: The overall prevalence (proportion of patients with at
      least one medication safety hazard) was 5.45 % for prescribing indicators and
      7.65 % for monitoring indicators. Older patients and those on multiple
      medications were at higher risk of prescribing hazards, but at lower risk of
      missed monitoring. The odds of missed monitoring among all patients were 25 %
      less for males, 50 % less for patients in practices that provide general
      practitioner training, and threefold higher in practices serving the most
      deprived compared with the least deprived areas. Practices with more prescribing
      hazards did not tend to show more monitoring issues. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic
      collection, collation, and analysis of linked primary and secondary care records
      produce plausible and useful information about medication safety for a health
      system. Medication safety surveillance systems should pay close attention to
      patient age and polypharmacy with respect to both prescribing and monitoring
      failures; treat prescribing and monitoring as different statistical processes,
      rather than a combined measure of prescribing safety; and audit the socio
      economic equity of missed monitoring.

PMID- 26100142
TI  - Regulation of dendrite morphogenesis by extrinsic cues.
AB  - Dendrites play a central role in the integration and flow of information in the
      nervous system. The morphogenesis and maturation of dendrites is hence an
      essential step in the establishment of neuronal connectivity. Recent studies have
      uncovered crucial functions for extrinsic cues in the development of dendrites.
      We review the contribution of secreted polypeptide growth factors, contact
      mediated proteins, and neuronal activity in distinct phases of dendrite
      development. We also highlight how extrinsic cues influence local and global
      intracellular mechanisms of dendrite morphogenesis. Finally, we discuss how these
      studies have advanced our understanding of neuronal connectivity and have shed
      light on the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders. 

PMID- 26100144
TI  - Changes in Side Effect Risk Communication in Patient Information Leaflets over
      the Past Decade: Results of a Survey.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patients' perceptions of side effect risks are important influences
      on their medicine-taking behaviour. A previous survey of Patient Information
      Leaflets (PILs) showed considerable variation in the terms used to communicate
      risks. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to assess the methods used to describe risk
      of side effects in recent PILs and to compare them with PILs sampled in 2006.
      METHOD: We sampled PILs for the 50 most frequently dispensed medicines in England
      and Wales in 2012 and PILs for the 50 most recently licensed medicines. We
      assessed the use of risk frequency terms or numbers, and the use of the risk
      format recommended by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). RESULTS: A majority
      (76 %) of PILs for the most frequently dispensed medicines included a risk
      frequency descriptor, with 66 % using the recommended format. No difference was
      seen between PILs for branded and generic medicines. All 50 PILs for the most
      recently licensed medicines used the EU recommended risk format. PILs from the
      2012 sample were much more likely than those from the 2006 sample to include risk
      descriptors and to use a consistent approach. CONCLUSION: The increased use and
      consistency of risk descriptors in PILs should benefit patients, particularly
      those using multiple medicines produced by different market authorisation
      holders. A need remains for further research evaluating the risk format
      recommended by the EMA. There is also a need for research evaluating spoken
      information and other sources of printed risk information about medicines that is
      available to patients.

PMID- 26100141
TI  - The ubiquitous nature of multivesicular release.
AB  - 'Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability' (E.W. Dijkstra [1]) Presynaptic
      action potentials trigger the fusion of vesicles to release neurotransmitter onto
      postsynaptic neurons. Each release site was originally thought to liberate at
      most one vesicle per action potential in a probabilistic fashion, rendering
      synaptic transmission unreliable. However, the simultaneous release of several
      vesicles, or multivesicular release (MVR), represents a simple mechanism to
      overcome the intrinsic unreliability of synaptic transmission. MVR was initially
      identified at specialized synapses but is now known to be common throughout the
      brain. MVR determines the temporal and spatial dispersion of transmitter,
      controls the extent of receptor activation, and contributes to adapting synaptic
      strength during plasticity and neuromodulation. MVR consequently represents a
      widespread mechanism that extends the dynamic range of synaptic processing. 

PMID- 26100145
TI  - Chemoprevention of Post-ERCP Pancreatitis with Rectal NSAIDs: Does Poking Both
      Ends Justify the Means?

PMID- 26100146
TI  - 3D Hybrid Plasmonic Nanomaterials for Highly Efficient Optical Absorbers and
      Sensors.
AB  - 3D hybrid plasmonic nanomaterials are composed of 3D-stacked Ag nanowires and
      nanoparticles separated by a nanoscale-thick alumina interlayer. The 3D hybrid
      plasmonic nanostructures exhibit strong plasmonic coupling between the ultrahigh
      populations of plasmonic nanomaterials, overcoming the physical limitation of
      inefficient plasmonic coupling of the Ag nanowire stacks. 

PMID- 26100147
TI  - Increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein concentrations in mice
      lacking brain serotonin.
AB  - The interplay between BDNF signaling and the serotonergic system remains
      incompletely understood. Using a highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay, we studied BDNF concentrations in hippocampus and cortex of two mouse
      models of altered serotonin signaling: tryptophan hydroxylase (Tph)2-deficient
      (Tph2 (-/-)) mice lacking brain serotonin and serotonin transporter (SERT)
      deficient (SERT(-/-)) mice lacking serotonin re-uptake. Surprisingly, hippocampal
      BDNF was significantly elevated in Tph2 (-/-) mice, whereas no significant
      changes were observed in SERT(-/-) mice. Furthermore, BDNF levels were increased
      in the prefrontal cortex of Tph2 (-/-) but not of SERT(-/-) mice. Our results
      emphasize the interaction between serotonin signaling and BDNF. Complete lack of
      brain serotonin induces BDNF expression. 

PMID- 26100148
TI  - Autonomic imbalance during apneic episodes in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS)
      during sleep in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), in order to detect a
      possible cardiac ANS imbalance analyzing heart rate variability (HRV). METHODS:
      43 subjects between 4 and 12 years of age (7.26 +/- 2.8 years), undergoing a
      diagnostic assessment for OSA were evaluated. A time domain index (R-apnea index)
      was developed to evaluate HRV strictly related to obstructive events during
      sleep. Poincare plot of RR intervals during the whole night was calculated.
      RESULTS: R-apnea index was negatively correlated with apnea hypopnea index (AHI)
      (r=-0.360, p=0.028). AHI and the duration of the disease were the only variables
      that were significantly correlated with R-apnea index. Three groups were
      subsequently created according to polysomnographic findings considering AHI. R
      apnea index resulted significantly lower in patient with severe OSA compared to
      primary snoring/mild OSA subjects (p<0.05). Looking at Poincare plot, SD1 showed
      a diminishing trend with severity of OSA, however not reaching statistical
      significance. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest an autonomic impairment in OSA
      children evidenced by the altered HRV both in the very short term (R-apnea index)
      and in short term (SD1). SIGNIFICANCE: R-apnea index is an easy and cheap method
      to undelay early ANS imbalance.

PMID- 26100149
TI  - High Frequency Oscillations and spikes: Separating real HFOs from false
      oscillations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate and quantify the occurrence of false High Frequency
      Oscillations (HFOs) generated by the filtering of sharp events. To distinguish
      real HFOs from spurious ones using analysis of the raw signal. METHOD: We
      developed a new method to prevent false HFO detections due to the filtering
      effect by detecting oscillations in the raw signal at the time of sharp events.
      We specified temporal features to classify sharp events with and without HFOs
      using support vector machine in both ripple and fast ripple bands. The
      traditionally used time-frequency representation served as the gold standard to
      indicate real and false HFOs. RESULTS: 44% of ripples and 43% of FRs concurring
      with sharp events were found to be false HFOs. Sharp events with HFOs had
      significantly more oscillations in the raw signal than sharp events without. They
      could be distinguished from false HFOs with accuracy of 76.6% in the ripple band
      and 72.6% in the fast ripple band. CONCLUSION: It may be most appropriate to
      detect HFOs as oscillations not only on the filtered signal but also on the raw
      signal. The classical time-frequency display used for identifying HFOs should be
      used with great care due to the possible masking effect of broadband activities.
      SIGNIFICANCE: The separation of real HFOs from broadband activities will raise
      the validity of HFO detection methods and will therefore support future HFO
      investigations.

PMID- 26100150
TI  - Anticonvulsant and Neurotoxicity of Some Novel 1-([1,3,4]thiadiazino[6,5- b]indol
      3-yl Semicarbazides.
AB  - In the present study a series of new N(4)-(4-substituted benzylidene)-N(1)
      ([1,3,4]thiadiazino [6,5-b]indol-3-yl)semicarbazide (1-6), N(4)
      ([1,3,4]thiadiazino[6,5-b]indol-3-yl)-N(1)-(1-(4-substituted
      phenyl)ethylidene)semicarbazide (7-10), N(4)-([1,3,4]thiadiazino[6,5-b]indol-3
      yl)-N(1)-((4-substituted phenyl)(phenyl)methylene) semicarbazide. (11-14) have
      been synthesized from isatin and thiosemicarbazide through multiple steps to meet
      structural necessities for the anticonvulsant activity. All the newly prepared
      compounds were characterized by spectral techniques like FT-IR, (1)H and (13)C
      NMR, EI-MS and elemental analysis. All the newly synthesized compounds were
      investigated for the anticonvulsant activity against maximal electroshock induced
      seizures (MES) and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (scPTZ) models and their
      neurotoxicity were also evaluated by rotarod test. The results obtained showed
      that 64% of the compounds showed protection in the MES test and 36% of the
      compounds showed protection in ScPTZ test. Some of the compounds also showed good
      activity after oral administration. Among the synthesized compounds, compound 14
      was shown to be the most active compound showing activity at 100 and 300 mg/kg in
      MES and ScPTZ test with prolonged duration of action. In the present study,
      semicarbazones of hydroxy containing carbonyl compounds were depicted to be the
      potent molecule with low neurotoxicity and prolong duration of action on oral
      administration. The result of the present study may be used for the future
      development of novel anticonvulsants with broad spectrum of anticonvulsant
      activity. 

PMID- 26100151
TI  - Characterization of exercise limitations by evaluating individual cardiac output
      patterns: a prospective cohort study in patients with chronic heart failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) suffer from exercise
      intolerance due to impaired central hemodynamics and subsequent alterations in
      peripheral skeletal muscle function and structure. The relative contribution of
      central versus peripheral factors in the reduced exercise capacity is still
      subject of debate. The main purpose was to investigate heterogeneity in the
      nature of exercise intolerance by evaluating individual cardiac output (Q)
      patterns. The secondary purpose was to evaluate whether patient and disease
      characteristics were associated with a central hemodynamic exercise limitation.
      METHODS: Sixty-four stable CHF patients performed a symptom limited incremental
      exercise test with respiratory gas analysis and simultaneous assessment of Q,
      using a radial artery pulse contour analysis method. A central hemodynamic
      exercise limitation was defined as a plateau or decline in Q from 90 to 100 % of
      exercise duration. RESULTS: Data from 61 patients were analyzed. A central
      hemodynamic exercise limitation was observed in 21 patients (34 %). In these
      patients, a higher occurrence of a plateau/decrease in oxygen uptake (VO2) (52 %
      vs 23 %, p = 0.02), stroke volume (SV) (100 % vs. 75 %, p = 0.01) and
      chronotropic incompetence (31 % vs. 2.5 %, p = 0.01) was observed, while presence
      of a left bundle branch block (LBBB) occurred significantly less (19 % vs 48 %, p
      = 0.03) There was no difference in disease characteristics such as etiology,
      duration, NYHA class, mitral regurgitation or ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: The study
      revealed considerable heterogeneity in the nature of exercise limitations between
      moderately impaired CHF patients. In one third of the study population a plateau
      or decrease in Q towards peak exercise was demonstrated, which is indicative of a
      central hemodynamic exercise limitation. A central hemodynamic exercise
      limitation was associated with an impairment to augment stroke volume and heart
      rate.

PMID- 26100152
TI  - Immunotherapy with mutated onchocystatin fails to enhance the efficacy of a sub
      lethal oxytetracycline regimen against Onchocerca ochengi.
AB  - Human onchocerciasis (river blindness), caused by the filarial nematode
      Onchocerca volvulus, has been successfully controlled by a single drug,
      ivermectin, for over 25 years. Ivermectin prevents the disease symptoms of severe
      itching and visual impairment by killing the microfilarial stage, but does not
      eliminate the adult parasites, necessitating repeated annual treatments. Mass
      drug administration with ivermectin does not always break transmission in forest
      zones and is contraindicated in individuals heavily co-infected with Loa loa,
      while reports of reduced drug efficacy in Ghana and Cameroon may signal the
      development of resistance. An alternative treatment for onchocerciasis involves
      targeting the essential Wolbachia symbiont with tetracycline or its derivatives,
      which are adulticidal. However, implementation of antibiotic therapy has not
      occurred on a wide scale due to the prolonged treatment regimen required (several
      weeks). In the bovine Onchocerca ochengi system, it has been shown previously
      that prolonged oxytetracycline therapy increases eosinophil counts in intradermal
      nodules, which kill the adult worms by degranulating on their surface. Here, in
      an "immunochemotherapeutic" approach, we sought to enhance the efficacy of a
      short, sub-lethal antibiotic regimen against O. ochengi by prior immunotherapy
      targeting onchocystatin, an immunomodulatory protein located in the adult female
      worm cuticle. A key asparagine residue in onchocystatin was mutated to ablate
      immunomodulatory activity, which has been demonstrated previously to markedly
      improve the protective efficacy of this vaccine candidate when used as an
      immunoprophylactic. The immunochemotherapeutic regimen was compared with sub
      lethal oxytetracycline therapy alone; onchocystatin immunotherapy alone; a gold
      standard prolonged, intermittent oxytetracycline regimen; and no treatment
      (negative control) in naturally infected Cameroonian cattle. Readouts were
      collected over one year and comprised adult worm viability, dermal microfilarial
      density, anti-onchocystatin IgG in sera, and eosinophil counts in nodules. Only
      the gold-standard antibiotic regimen achieved significant killing of adult worms,
      a profound reduction in microfilarial load, and a sustained increase in local
      tissue eosinophilia. A small but statistically significant elevation in anti
      onchocystatin IgG was observed for several weeks after immunisation in the
      immunotherapy-only group, but the antibody response in the immunochemotherapy
      group was more variable. At 12 weeks post-treatment, only a transient and non
      significant increase in eosinophil counts was apparent in the immunochemotherapy
      group. We conclude that the addition of onchocystatin immunotherapy to a sub
      lethal antibiotic regimen is insufficient to induce adulticidal activity,
      although with booster immunisations or the targeting of additional filarial
      immunomodulatory proteins, the efficacy of this strategy could be strengthened. 

PMID- 26100153
TI  - Diagnostic challenges and the unwritten stories of dog and cat parasites.
AB  - Is it still possible to discover new parasites of dogs and cats? Do we really
      know enough about them? To what extent do limitations in the diagnosis of dog and
      cat parasites represent an obstacle for a deeper understanding of their biology?
      Diagnosis in parasitology has a profound impact on animal health and welfare and,
      in some cases, public health. Although, over the last few years, advances in the
      diagnosis of parasitic diseases have largely paralleled knowledge of their
      biology, gaps in the diagnosis of cat and dog parasites still exist. For
      instance, difficulties in obtaining samples for research purposes (due to ethical
      issues or to the invasive nature of the sampling procedures), inappropriate
      sample storage and poor sensitivity of the commonly used techniques, may
      represent major obstacles in diagnosing parasitic diseases. Other hurdles are
      often associated with the biology of parasites (e.g., the intermittent presence
      in blood of tick-borne pathogens) or, simply, through the fact that some
      parasites of pets are largely ignored by the scientific community. This article
      provides key examples of parasites of dogs and cats, which are currently
      considered of minor importance, also because of the limitations in their
      diagnosis. Among them, new or, in some cases, previously "misdiagnosed parasites"
      with overlapping morphological features, biology or ecology, represent a major
      challenge when trying to correctly diagnose "unknown parasites" (for which only
      occasional reports are available). Further research is needed in order to provide
      the scientific community with more reliable, cost-effective diagnostic tools,
      which ultimately, will assist our understanding of some mis- or less-diagnosed
      parasitoses. 

PMID- 26100154
TI  - Endovascular flow diversion therapy for an actively hemorrhaging aneurysm after
      intraoperative rupture.
AB  - We report a 56-year-old woman who had an unruptured posterior communicating
      artery aneurysm. Given the size and location of the aneurysm, as well as her
      history of smoking and age, she received endovascular treatment with the pipeline
      embolization device (PED; ev3 Endovascular, Plymouth, MN, USA), complicated by
      intraoperative rupture (IOR). Flow diversion therapy with the PED has become an
      increasingly popular method of aneurysmal embolization and parent vessel
      remodeling. While its on-label approval is for large unruptured aneurysms of the
      internal carotid artery, success in off-label scenarios has been reported,
      including ruptured aneurysms. IOR complicates endovascular aneurysm treatment and
      can cause devastating morbidity or mortality, necessitating acute embolization of
      the hemorrhaging aneurysm. This patient illustrates the feasibility of treating
      an IOR with a stand-alone flow diversion device by using PED. 

PMID- 26100155
TI  - A novel minimally invasive technique for lumbar decompression, realignment, and
      navigated interbody fusion.
AB  - We present a novel, minimally invasive, navigation-guided approach for surgical
      treatment of degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) that is a hybrid of the two most
      common techniques, posterior interbody fusion (PLIF) and transforaminal interbody
      fusion (TLIF). DS is an acquired condition with intersegmental instability of one
      or more lumbar motion segments. Seven patients with single level lumbar DS
      underwent lumbar arthrodesis utilizing the hybrid technique (HLIF) in our center.
      Using a standard unilateral midline approach a decompression and partial
      facetectomy on one side was performed, allowing for implantation of a specially
      designed interbody cage. Pedicle screws were placed using neuronavigation in a
      vertical vector on the side of the partial facetectomy and dorsolaterally
      (percutaneous) on the contralateral side. Patient and operative data, numeric
      rating scale (NRS) pain scores, core outcome measures index (COMI) and Oswestry
      disability index (ODI) were recorded preoperatively as well as 6 weeks, 3 months,
      6 months and 1 year after surgery. All patients completed the 1 year follow-up.
      There was significant postoperative improvement of NRS, COMI and ODI scores at
      all postoperative follow-up time points (p<0.05). The radiological assessments of
      realignment showed a reduction of listhesis from an average of 21.04% (standard
      deviation [SD] 5.1) preoperatively to 9.14% (SD 4.0) postoperatively (p<0.001).
      The average blood loss was 492 ml. Post-procedure CT scans demonstrated correct
      implant placement in all but one patient who required a revision of a single
      pedicle screw. HLIF allows thorough decompression as well as realignment and
      interbody fusion for patients with DS and may help reduce tissue trauma in
      comparison to other minimally invasive lumbar fusion techniques.

PMID- 26100156
TI  - Central nervous system complications after liver transplantation.
AB  - We investigated the diversity of central nervous system complications after liver
      transplantation in terms of clinical manifestations and temporal course. Liver
      transplantation is a lifesaving option for end stage liver disease patients but
      post-transplantation neurologic complications can hamper recovery. Between 1
      January 2001 and 31 December 2010, patients who had undergone liver
      transplantation at a single tertiary university hospital were included. We
      reviewed their medical records and brain imaging data and classified central
      nervous system complications into four categories including vascular, metabolic,
      infectious and neoplastic. The onset of central nervous system complications was
      grouped into five post-transplantation intervals including acute (within 1
      month), early subacute (1-3 months), late subacute (3-12 months), chronic (1-3
      years), and long-term (after 3 years). During follow-up, 65 of 791 patients
      (8.2%) experienced central nervous system complications, with 30 occurring within
      1 month after transplantation. Vascular etiology was the most common (27
      patients; 41.5%), followed by metabolic (23; 35.4%), infectious (nine patients;
      13.8%), and neoplastic (six patients). Metabolic encephalopathy with altered
      consciousness was the most common etiology during the acute period, followed by
      vascular disorders. An initial focal neurologic deficit was detected in vascular
      and neoplastic complications, whereas metabolic and infectious etiologies
      presented with non-focal symptoms. Our study shows that the etiology of central
      nervous system complications after liver transplantation changes over time, and
      initial symptoms can help to predict etiology.

PMID- 26100158
TI  - Sacrum fracture following L5-S1 stand-alone interbody fusion for isthmic
      spondylolisthesis.
AB  - We report a 72-year-old man with a rare sacral fracture following stand-alone L5
      S1 anterior lumbar interbody fusion for isthmic spondylolisthesis. The man
      underwent a minimally invasive management strategy using posterior percutaneous
      pedicle fixation and partial reduction of the deformity. We also discuss the
      current literature on fusion procedures for isthmic spondylolisthesis. 

PMID- 26100157
TI  - Botulinum toxin injections for the treatment of hemifacial spasm over 16 years.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and side effects of
      botulinum toxin (BTX) in the treatment of hemifacial spasm (HFS). We also focused
      on the divergence between different injection techniques and commercial forms. We
      retrospectively evaluated 470 sessions of BTX injections administered to 68
      patients with HFS. The initial time of improvement, duration and degree of
      improvement, and frequency and duration of adverse effects were analysed.
      Pretarsal and preseptal injections and Botox (Allergan, Irvine, CA, USA) and
      Dysport (Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Paris, France) brands were compared in terms
      of efficacy and side effects, accompanied by a review of papers which reported
      BTX treatment of HFS. An average of 34.5 units was used per patient. The first
      improvement was felt after 8 days and lasted for 14.8 weeks. Patients experienced
      a 73.7% improvement. In 79.7% of injections, no adverse effect was reported, in
      4.9% erythema, ecchymosis, and swelling in the injection area, in 3.6% facial
      asymmetry, in 3.4% ptosis, in 3.2% diplopia, and in 2.3% difficulty of eye
      closure was detected. Patients reported 75% improvement on average after 314
      sessions of pretarsal injections and 72.7% improvement after 156 sessions of
      preseptal injections (p=0.001). The efficacy and side effects of Botox and
      Dysport were similar. BTX is an effective and safe treatment option for HFS. No
      difference was determined between Botox and Dysport, and pretarsal injection is
      better than preseptal injection regarding the reported degree of improvement.

PMID- 26100159
TI  - A massive pelvic mucocele presenting as a cystic sacral mass.
AB  - We present a man, with a complex medical and surgical history, who had a large
      pelvic non-appendiceal cystadenoma, presenting as a cystic sacral mass causing
      obstructive urinary symptoms and renal failure. Mucocele should be included in
      the differential diagnosis of patients who present with large sacral masses, and
      who have a significant history of pelvic and abdominal surgery and inflammatory
      bowel disease. 

PMID- 26100160
TI  - Serum lactate as a potential biomarker of non-glial brain tumors.
AB  - We assess whether serum lactate is a potential biomarker for non-glial cell brain
      tumors. Rapidly growing tumor cells typically have glycolytic rates up to 200
      times higher than those of their normal tissues of origin and produce lactate
      even in the presence of oxygen. This phenomenon is called the Warburg effect. We
      recently showed that serum lactate levels can be used as a potential non-invasive
      biomarker in glial cell brain tumors, which correlates with both tumor grade and
      the extent of malignancy. In the present study, we found that patients with
      metastatic brain tumors had significantly higher baseline serum lactate levels
      compared to patients with meningioma and pituitary tumors. There was a
      statistically significant association between metastatic brain tumors and
      elevated serum lactate. We demonstrate that lactate can be used as a non-invasive
      biomarker to determine malignancy for brain tumors. Further analyses of larger
      populations will be needed to establish the value of serum lactate in determining
      the response to therapy or early recurrence. 

PMID- 26100161
TI  - Neuroprotective effects of N-acetylcysteine amide on experimental focal
      penetrating brain injury in rats.
AB  - We examined the effects of N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA) in the secondary
      inflammatory response following a novel method of focal penetrating traumatic
      brain injury (TBI) in rats. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has limited but well
      documented neuroprotective effects after experimental central nervous system
      ischemia and TBI, but its bioavailability is very low. We tested NACA, a modified
      form of NAC with higher membrane and blood-brain barrier permeability. Focal
      penetrating TBI was produced in male Sprague-Dawley rats randomly selected for
      NACA treatment (n=5) and no treatment (n=5). In addition, four animals were
      submitted to sham surgery. After 2 hours or 24 hours the brains were removed,
      fresh frozen, cut in 14 MUm coronal sections and subjected to
      immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, Fluoro-Jade and terminal
      deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) analyses. All treated
      animals were given 300 mg/kg NACA intraperitoneally (IP) 2 minutes post trauma.
      The 24 hour survival group was given an additional bolus of 300 mg/kg IP after 4
      hours. NACA treatment decreased neuronal degeneration by Fluoro-Jade at 24 hours
      with a mean change of 35.0% (p<0.05) and decreased TUNEL staining indicative of
      apoptosis at 2 hours with a mean change of 38.7% (p<0.05). Manganese superoxide
      dismutase (MnSOD) increased in the NACA treatment group at 24 hours with a mean
      change of 35.9% (p<0.05). Levels of migrating macrophages and activated microglia
      (Ox-42/CD11b), nitric oxide-producing inflammatory enzyme iNOS, peroxynitrite
      marker 3-nitrotyrosine, NFkappaB translocated to the nuclei, cytochrome C and Bcl
      2 were not affected. NACA treatment decreased neuronal degeneration and apoptosis
      and increased levels of antioxidative enzyme MnSOD. The antiapoptotic effect was
      likely regulated by pathways other than cytochrome C. Therefore, NACA prevents
      brain tissue damage after focal penetrating TBI, warranting further studies
      towards a clinical application.

PMID- 26100162
TI  - A mosquito lipoxin/lipocalin complex mediates innate immune priming in Anopheles
      gambiae.
AB  - Exposure of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes to Plasmodium infection enhances the
      ability of their immune system to respond to subsequent infections. However, the
      molecular mechanism that allows the insect innate immune system to 'remember' a
      previous encounter with a pathogen has not been established. Challenged
      mosquitoes constitutively release a soluble haemocyte differentiation factor into
      their haemolymph that, when transferred into Naive mosquitoes, also induces
      priming. Here we show that this factor consists of a Lipoxin/Lipocalin complex.
      We demonstrate that innate immune priming in mosquitoes involves a persistent
      increase in expression of Evokin (a lipid carrier of the lipocalin family), and
      in their ability to convert arachidonic acid to lipoxins, predominantly Lipoxin
      A4. Plasmodium ookinete midgut invasion triggers immune priming by inducing the
      release of a mosquito lipoxin/lipocalin complex. 

PMID- 26100163
TI  - Neuroendoscopy Followed by Radiotherapy in Cystic Craniopharyngiomas--a Long-Term
      Follow-Up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of cystic craniopharyngiomas is often complicated because
      of adherence of craniopharyngiomas to adjacent brain structures. A strategy
      involving neuroendoscopic procedures followed by stereotactic radiotherapy is
      less invasive, avoiding brain damage. However, long-term follow-up of this
      strategy has not been investigated in depth. METHODS: Cystic craniopharyngiomas
      in 9 patients were treated with neuroendoscopic cyst aspiration and fenestration,
      followed by fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT). The neuroendoscopic
      procedure focused on widening of cyst fenestration and extensive irrigation of
      the cyst contents. FSRT was performed using 6 fixed beams, an 8-mm margin to
      cover the gross tumor volume with a 95% isodose line, and a target delivered dose
      of 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 72.9 months.
      Tumor control was achieved in 8 of 9 patients (88.9%). Marked tumor volume
      reduction was obtained with the neuroendoscopic procedure alone (26.1%) at 6
      months (20.4%), 1 year (11.0%), and 2 years (3.1%). One recurrent case showed
      multilobulated cysts, and a second surgery was required 1 year after the
      treatment. Clinical symptoms such as headache and visual disruption were rapidly
      alleviated after the neuroendoscopic procedure. No new visual disturbances,
      endocrinopathy, or hypothalamic dysfunction was observed during follow up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Neuroendoscopic cyst aspiration and fenestration followed by FSRT is
      a less invasive, powerful strategy for treating adult cystic craniopharyngiomas.

PMID- 26100164
TI  - The Diagnosis and Management of Brain Arteriovenous Malformations in a Single
      Regional Center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cerebral arteriovenous malformations are vascular abnormalities in
      which arteriovenous shunting occurs through an abnormal vascular network (nidus)
      in the parenchyma. These lesions typically present by the third decade of life
      with cerebral bleeding, seizures, headache, or neurologic deficits; however, they
      are sometimes found incidentally. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of
      intracranial AVMs referred to a single regional center, over a 7-year period, was
      performed to review the clinical presentation, pathologic features and management
      outcomes from January 2005 to December 2012. RESULTS: We identified 142 patients
      (56% female, age range 4-69 years). Emergency referrals accounted for 87% of the
      cohort with the most frequent presentation being headache and/or hemorrhage. More
      than half (52%) of the cases were observed to have a neurologic deficit on
      examination. The modal Spetzler-Martin Grade was 3 with 76% of lesions located in
      areas of eloquent brain and 57% of cases in the dominant hemisphere. Half of the
      cases had multiple feeder vessels, and 29% were associated with aneurysms. The
      nidus was obliterated in 91% of cases actively managed. Two thirds of patients
      were successfully treated with a single modality, the most common being
      embolization. Only 8% of cases were managed conservatively. Additionally, 93% of
      aneurysms identified were treated successfully. The complication rate was 7% with
      2% of reported infection. CONCLUSIONS: The burden of AVM management is
      significantly enhanced by the number of emergency referrals. Interestingly,
      complication rates are higher in the unruptured cohort. Surgical management is
      the most effective modality, but it carries the highest complication rate. This
      accompanied by the challenges of AVM anatomy and associated pathology argue for
      expert service provision in a single center.

PMID- 26100165
TI  - Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

PMID- 26100166
TI  - Minimally Invasive Muscle Sparing Posterior-Only Approach for Lumbar
      Circumferential Decompression and Stabilization to Treat Spine Metastasis-
      Technical Report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Palliative tumor resection and subsequent stabilization are important
      for maximizing function and quality of life for patients suffering from spinal
      metastases. However, traditional operative techniques for spinal metastases with
      vertebral body destruction involve extensive soft tissue dissection. In the
      lumbar spine, open 2-staged spine procedures are routinely required with an
      anterior retroperitoneal approach for corpectomy and cage insertion and posterior
      decompression and stabilization with pedicle screws and rods. Both stages require
      extensive soft tissue dissection that results in significant surgical morbidity,
      long recovery time, and subsequent delay in initiating postoperative
      chemoradiotherapy, as well as initially hampering patients' overall quality of
      life. A minimally invasive approach is desirable for achieving spinal stability,
      pain control, functional recovery, rapid initiation of adjuvant therapies, and
      overall patient satisfaction, especially in patients whose medical and surgical
      therapies are aimed at palliation rather than cure. PRESENTATION: A 59-year-old
      man with renal cell carcinoma and a known L1 vertebral body metastasis presented
      with severe progressive low back pain and was found to have a pathologic L1
      vertebral body fracture with focal kyphosis. INTERVENTION: Here, we describe a
      minimally invasive muscle-sparing, posterior-only approach for L1 transpedicular
      hemicorpectomy and expandable cage placement, L1 laminectomy, and T11-L3
      posterior instrumented stabilization. The surgical corridor was achieved through
      the Wiltse muscle plane between the multifidus and longissimus muscles so that
      minimal muscle detachment was required to achieve transpedicular access to the
      anterior and middle spinal columns. The L1 nerve root was completely skeletonized
      to allow adequate lumbar hemicorpectomy, tumor resection, and expandable titanium
      cage insertion. Lastly, percutaneous pedicle screws and rods were inserted from
      T11 to L3 for stabilization. RESULT: The patient tolerated the procedure well
      with no complications and less than 200 mL estimated blood loss. Postoperative
      computed tomography revealed restoration of intervertebral height and adequate
      tumor resection with excellent placement of the expandable cage and posterior
      construct. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 4 and had nearly no
      back pain 3 weeks after surgery. Adjuvant therapies were started soon after. At
      the 6-month follow-up, the patient required minimal narcotic pain medication.
      Computed tomography scan demonstrated stable hardware with no evidence of
      failure. CONCLUSION: A minimally invasive muscle-sparing, posterior-only approach
      is a promising surgical strategy for 360-degree decompression and stabilization
      for the treatment of lumbar spinal metastases with minimized blood loss, muscle
      detachment and postoperative pain, and fast postoperative recovery and initiation
      of adjuvant therapy.

PMID- 26100167
TI  - Ventriculostomy Simulation Using Patient-Specific Ventricular Anatomy, 3D
      Printing, and Hydrogel Casting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Educational simulators provide a means for students and experts to
      learn and refine surgical skills. Educators can leverage the strengths of medical
      simulators to effectively teach complex and high-risk surgical procedures, such
      as placement of an external ventricular drain. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to
      develop a cost-effective, patient-derived medical simulacrum for cerebral lateral
      ventriculostomy. METHODS: A cost-effective, patient-derived medical simulacrum
      was developed for placement of an external lateral ventriculostomy. Elastomeric
      and gel casting techniques were used to achieve realistic brain geometry and
      material properties. 3D printing technology was leveraged to develop accurate
      cranial properties and dimensions. An economical, gravity-driven pump was
      developed to provide normal and abnormal ventricular pressures. A small pilot
      study was performed to gauge simulation efficacy using a technology acceptance
      model. RESULTS: An accurate geometric representation of the brain was developed
      with independent lateral cerebral ventricular chambers. A gravity-driven pump
      pressurized the ventricular cavities to physiologic values. A qualitative study
      illustrated that the simulation has potential as an educational tool to train
      medical professionals in the ventriculostomy procedure. CONCLUSION: The
      ventricular simulacrum can improve learning in a medical education environment.
      Rapid prototyping and multi-material casting techniques can produce patient
      derived models for cost-effective and realistic surgical training scenarios.

PMID- 26100168
TI  - Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of Treatment Options for Single Brain
      Metastasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Brain metastases (BMs) occur in up to 30% of patients with cancer.
      Treatments include surgery, whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT), and stereotactic
      radiosurgery (SRS), alone or in combination. Although guidelines exist, data to
      inform individualized approaches to therapy remain sparse. We sought to compare
      semiquantitatively the effectiveness of various modalities in the treatment of
      single brain metastasis. METHODS: We performed a comparative effectiveness
      analysis (CEA) that integrated efficacy, cost, and quality of life (QoL) data for
      alternate BM treatments. Efficacy data were obtained from a comprehensive review
      of current literature. Cost estimates were based on publicly available data. QoL
      data included the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) and other questionnaires.
      Six treatment strategies using combinations of surgery, WBRT, and SRS were
      compared with decision tree software. RESULTS: The clinical efficacy, cost, and
      QoL effects of each strategy were scored semiquantitatively. We constructed a
      model to integrate individual preferences regarding the relative importance of
      efficacy, QoL, and cost to provide personalized rankings of the effectiveness of
      each strategy. CONCLUSION: The choice of strategy must be individualized for
      patients with a single BM. Our CEA and decision model combines empirical data
      with patient priorities to produce a ranking of alternate management strategies.

PMID- 26100169
TI  - Does Obesity Affect Outcomes After Decompressive Surgery for Lumbar Spinal
      Stenosis? A Multicenter, Observational, Registry-Based Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between obesity and outcomes 1 year after
      laminectomy or microdecompression for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). METHODS: The
      primary outcome measure was the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Obesity was
      defined as body mass index (BMI) >= 30. Prospective data were retrieved from the
      Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery. RESULTS: For all patients (n = 1473) the
      mean improvement in ODI at 1 year was 16.7 points (95% CI 15.7-17.7, P < 0.001).
      The improvement in ODI was 17.5 points in nonobese and 14.3 points in obese
      patients (P = 0 .007). Obese patients were less likely to achieve a minimal
      clinically important difference in ODI (defined as >= 8 points improvement) than
      nonobese patients (62.2 vs. 70.3%, P = 0.013). Obesity was identified as a
      negative predictor for ODI improvement in a multiple regression analysis (P <
      0.001). Nonobese patients experienced more improvement in both back pain (0.7
      points, P = 0.002) and leg pain (0.8 points, P = 0.001) measured by numeric
      rating scales. Duration of surgery was shorter for nonobese patients for both
      single- (79 vs. 89 minutes, P = 0.001) and 2-level (102 vs. 114 minutes, P =
      0.004) surgery. There was no difference in complication rates (10.4% vs. 10.8%, P
      = 0.84). There was no difference in length of hospital stays for single- (2.7 vs.
      3.0 days, P = 0.229) or 2-level (3.5 vs. 3.6 days, P = 0.704) surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: Both nonobese and obese patients report considerable clinical
      improvement 1 year after surgery for LSS, but improvement was less in obese
      patients. Obese patients were less likely to achieve a minimal clinically
      important difference.

PMID- 26100170
TI  - Educational Resources "Over the Head" of Neurosurgical Patients: The Economic
      Impact of Inadequate Health Literacy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health literacy is the ability with which individuals can obtain,
      understand, and apply basic health information. Approximately 36% of Americans
      have basic or below basic health literacy skills. This low health literacy is
      particularly prevalent in neurosurgery, a growing field of medicine with
      considerable complexity and a patient population commonly affected with disease
      related cognitive impairment. Consequences of poor patient understanding range
      from increased emergency department admissions rates to reduced adherence to
      preoperative medication instructions. Economic implications include increasing
      health care expenditures, decreasing access to health care, and decreasing
      quality of care. Health literacy costs the United States $106-236 billion per
      year. METHODS: Consequences of inadequate patient understanding vary widely. This
      article reviews and addresses the economic impact of the failure to address low
      health literacy in neurosurgery. RESULTS: Various groups have proposed techniques
      and devised outlines to improve health literacy, such as detailing principles
      targeting the underlying issues of health care illiteracy. The government,
      through legislation including the Affordable Care Act and the National Action
      Plan to Improve Health Literacy, has also shown its desire to remedy the effects
      of insufficient health literacy. CONCLUSIONS: Despite current efforts, further
      action is still needed. Health literacy is a key determinant in ensuring
      longevity and quality of life.

PMID- 26100171
TI  - "A Lot of Things Passed Me by": Rural Stroke Survivors' and Caregivers'
      Experience of Receiving Education From Health Care Providers.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine rural Appalachian Kentucky
      stroke survivors' and caregivers' experiences of receiving education from health
      care providers with the long-term goal of optimizing educational interactions and
      interventions for an underserved population. METHODS: An interprofessional
      research team, representing nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and
      speech language pathology, conducted a qualitative descriptive study involving
      semistructured interviews with 13 stroke survivors and 12 caregivers. Qualitative
      content analysis included predetermined and emerging coding. This article
      presents an in-depth analysis of a subset of data from the coding scheme of a
      larger study that examined the overall experience of stroke for participants.
      FINDINGS: Findings are presented within a developing model of patient and
      caregiver education constructs including providers and receivers of education and
      the content, timing, and delivery of information. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the
      experience of receiving education for survivors and caregivers will help
      practitioners provide the right education, to the right people, at the right
      time, and in the right way to better support underserved groups. Improving
      patient and caregiver education is paramount to supporting health behavior change
      to optimize life poststroke and prevent future strokes. Our results suggest the
      need for improved access to educational providers, proactive identification of
      informational needs by providers, greater inclusion of caregivers in education,
      enhanced communication with information provision, and education from multiple
      providers using multiple delivery methods at multiple time points.

PMID- 26100172
TI  - Bronchoscopy techniques in Japan: Transbronchial biopsy of small peripheral
      pulmonary lesions.

PMID- 26100173
TI  - Cigarette smoke augments MUC5AC production via the TLR3-EGFR pathway in airway
      epithelial cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Viral infections are a major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD) exacerbations. Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) reacts with double
      stranded RNA (dsRNA) and participates in the immune response after viral
      infection. In the present study, we examined whether cigarette smoke, which is
      involved in the pathogenesis of COPD, enhances mucin production via the TLR3
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway in airway epithelial cells.
      METHODS: We studied the effects of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on signal
      transduction and the production of mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) in NCI-H292 cells and
      differentiated primary human bronchial epithelial cells stimulated with a
      synthetic dsRNA analogue, polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)], used as a
      TLR3 ligand. RESULTS: CSE significantly potentiated the production of MUC5AC in
      epithelial cells stimulated with poly(I:C). Antibodies to EGFR or EGFR ligands
      inhibited CSE-augmented MUC5AC release in poly(I:C)-treated cells. Treatment with
      poly(I:C) or CSE alone increased the phosphorylation of EGFR and extracellular
      signal-regulated kinase (ERK). However, after poly(I:C) stimulation, CSE did not
      enhance EGFR phosphorylation, but did augment ERK phosphorylation. EGFR
      inhibitors and an ERK inhibitor inhibited the augmented release of MUC5AC. In
      addition, treatment with N-acetylcysteine, an antioxidant, inhibited the CSE
      augmented phosphorylation of ERK and MUC5AC. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that
      cigarette smoke increases TLR3-stimulated MUC5AC production in airway epithelial
      cells, mainly via ERK signaling. The effect might be mediated in part by
      oxidative stress. Modulation of this pathway might be a therapeutic target for
      viral-induced mucin overproduction in COPD exacerbation.

PMID- 26100174
TI  - Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis: Distinct pulmonary physiological features in
      nine patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis (PPFE) is a rare idiopathic
      interstitial pneumonia defined by pleural and subpleural parenchymal fibrosis
      predominantly in the upper lobes. Although the radiological and pathological
      characteristics of PPFE have become increasingly recognized, its pulmonary
      physiological features are not well understood. METHODS: We reviewed nine
      patients with radiologically and histologically proven PPFE, and evaluated
      pulmonary physiological data. RESULTS: Of the nine patients, six were male and
      three were female. The median age at presentation was 61 years. Common symptoms
      were dyspnea on exertion, weight loss, and nonproductive cough. Recurrent
      pneumothorax was found in eight patients and pneumonia in four. Median pulmonary
      function test results were as follows: forced vital capacity, 55.4% predicted;
      total lung capacity (TLC), 67.1% predicted; residual volume (RV), 102.3%
      predicted; and RV/TLC, 143.6% predicted. RV/TLC was increased without evidence of
      small airway disease according to clinico-radiologic-pathologic evaluation. The
      median partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood and the alveolar-arterial
      gradient of oxygen were within normal limits, although there was a slightly
      elevated partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood (PaCO2). PPFE
      progressed in all patients despite treatment with pirfenidone, corticosteroids,
      and immunosuppressive agents. Seven patients died during the follow-up, five
      because of hypercapnic respiratory failure. CONCLUSIONS: PPFE is characterized by
      severe mechanical restriction with high RV/TLC, causing increased PaCO2 and
      eventual hypercapnic respiratory failure. These physiological findings may be
      useful as an adjunct in the diagnosis of PPFE.

PMID- 26100175
TI  - Weekly irinotecan combined with carboplatin for patients with small-cell lung
      cancer: A phase I study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We conducted a phase I dose escalation study to evaluate the
      feasibility, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and recommended dose (RD) of weekly
      irinotecan combined with fixed-dose carboplatin for patients with untreated small
      cell lung cancer (SCLC). METHODS: Fifteen patients with chemotherapy-naive SCLC
      less than 75 years old were enrolled from 3 institutions. Patients received
      irinotecan (50-80mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8) and carboplatin (area under the curve,
      5.0 on day 1) every 3 weeks, with 3-6 patients treated at each irinotecan dosage
      level (levels I-IV). The MTD was defined as the dose at which 33% of patients
      experienced dose-limiting toxicity. RESULTS: Eleven patients had a performance
      status of 1, and 7 patients were more than 70 years old. All but 1 patient were
      diagnosed with extensive disease. In total, 2 of 3 patients enrolled at level IV
      (80mg/m(2)) experienced grade 3 diarrhea. Therefore, the MTD was defined as the
      level IV dose, and the RD was defined as the level III dose (70mg/m(2)). Grade 3
      or 4 neutropenia was observed in 60% of patients, and febrile neutropenia was
      observed in 13% of patients. Four patients experienced grade 3 or 4 anemia, and 6
      patients experienced grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia. The most common non
      hematological adverse events were nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, hypokalemia, and
      hyponatremia. CONCLUSIONS: The MTD of weekly irinotecan was 80mg/m(2), resulting
      in an RD of 70mg/m(2) for phase II trials.

PMID- 26100176
TI  - Propionibacterium acnes catalase induces increased Th1 immune response in
      sarcoidosis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Propionibacterium acnes is one of the most commonly implicated
      etiologic agents of sarcoidosis. We screened antigenic proteins from this
      indigenous bacterium that increase Th1 responses in sarcoidosis patients.
      METHODS: Antigenic bacterial proteins were screened by probing western blots of
      P. acnes whole cell lysates with blood plasma samples from 52 sarcoidosis
      patients and 34 healthy volunteers. Soluble protein antigens from the bands most
      frequently detected on blotting membranes were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser
      desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS).
      Recombinant proteins were prepared from DNA sequences of the proteins identified
      by MALDI-TOF/MS and analyzed by immunologic assays. RESULTS: MALDI-TOF/MS
      analysis identified propionyl-CoA carboxylase subunit beta, arginine deiminase
      (ADI), catalase (KAT), and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase (UAP).
      Successfully prepared recombinant proteins from ADI, KAT, and UAP provoked
      humoral and cellular immune responses in mice immunized with P. acnes when
      measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for serum antibodies and enzyme
      linked immunospot assay for interferon (IFN)-gamma-secreting cells (ELISPOT IFN
      gamma assay) with lymph node cells. Plasma IgG and IgA titers to KAT and UAP were
      significantly higher in sarcoidosis patients than in healthy volunteers. When Th1
      immune responses to ADI, KAT, and UAP were measured by ELISPOT IFN-gamma assay
      with peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 12 sarcoidosis patients, 13 other
      pneumonitis patients, and 11 healthy volunteers, only the KAT protein provoked a
      significantly higher response in sarcoidosis patients (p=0.0032). CONCLUSION:
      These results suggest that P. acnes KAT is an antigen that provokes allergic Th1
      immune responses in sarcoidosis patients.

PMID- 26100177
TI  - Recurrence of a mediastinal liposarcoma 20 years after surgery: A case of carbon
      ion radiotherapy resulting in fatal tracheoesophageal fistula.

PMID- 26100178
TI  - Triple therapy vs. dual bronchodilator therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease: Is it worth the cost?

PMID- 26100179
TI  - An RNA secondary structure prediction method based on minimum and suboptimal free
      energy structures.
AB  - The function of an RNA-molecule is mainly determined by its tertiary structures.
      And its secondary structure is an important determinant of its tertiary
      structure. The comparative methods usually give better results than the single
      sequence methods. Based on minimum and suboptimal free energy structures, the
      paper presents a novel method for predicting conserved secondary structure of a
      group of related RNAs. In the method, the information from the known RNA
      structures is used as training data in a SVM (Support Vector Machine) classifier.
      Our method has been tested on the benchmark dataset given by Puton et al. The
      results show that the average sensitivity of our method is higher than that of
      other comparative methods such as CentroidAlifold, MXScrana, RNAalifold, and
      TurboFold. 

PMID- 26100180
TI  - Local densities connect spatial ecology to game, multilevel selection and
      inclusive fitness theories of cooperation.
AB  - Cooperation plays a crucial role in many aspects of biology. We use the spatial
      ecological metrics of local densities to measure and model cooperative
      interactions. While local densities can be found as technical details in current
      theories, we aim to establish them as central to an approach that describes
      spatial effects in the evolution of cooperation. A resulting local interaction
      model neatly partitions various spatial and non-spatial selection mechanisms.
      Furthermore, local densities are shown to be fundamental for important metrics of
      game theory, multilevel selection theory and inclusive fitness theory. The
      corresponding metrics include structure coefficients, spatial variance,
      contextual covariance, relatedness, and inbreeding coefficient or F-statistics.
      Local densities serve as the basis of an emergent spatial theory that draws from
      and brings unity to multiple theories of cooperation. 

PMID- 26100181
TI  - Distributed transit compartments for arbitrary lifespan distributions in aging
      populations.
AB  - Transit compartment models (TCM) are often used to describe aging populations
      where every individual has its own lifespan. However, in the TCM approach these
      lifespans are gamma-distributed which is a serious limitation because often the
      Weibull or more complex distributions are realistic. Therefore, we extend the TCM
      concept to approximately describe any lifespan distribution and call this
      generalized concept distributed transit compartment models (DTCMs). The validity
      of DTCMs is obtained by convergence investigations. From the mechanistic
      perspective the transit rates are directly controlled by the lifespan
      distribution. Further, DTCMs could be used to approximate the convolution of a
      signal with a probability density function. As example a stimulatory effect of a
      drug in an aging population with a Weibull-distributed lifespan is presented
      where distribution and model parameters are estimated based on simulated data. 

PMID- 26100183
TI  - Overdiagnosis and the information problem.
AB  - There are several factors which increase our propensity to overdiagnose, whereas
      the root cause of overdiagnosis is imperfect information and the trade-offs as a
      result of that imperfection. 

PMID- 26100182
TI  - Biodiversity, productivity, and the spatial insurance hypothesis revisited.
AB  - Accelerating rates of biodiversity loss have led ecologists to explore the
      effects of species richness on ecosystem functioning and the flow of ecosystem
      services. One explanation of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem
      functioning lies in the spatial insurance hypothesis, which centers on the idea
      that productivity and stability increase with biodiversity in a temporally
      varying, spatially heterogeneous environment. However, there has been little work
      on the impact of dispersal where environmental risks are more or less spatially
      correlated, or where dispersal rates are variable. In this paper, we extend the
      original Loreau model to consider stochastic temporal variation in resource
      availability, which we refer to as "environmental risk", and heterogeneity in
      species dispersal rates. We find that asynchronies across communities and species
      provide community-level stabilizing effects on productivity, despite varying
      levels of species richness. Although intermediate dispersal rates play a role in
      mitigating risk, they are less effective in insuring productivity against global
      (metacommunity-level) than local (individual community-level) risks. These
      results are particularly interesting given the emergence of global sources of
      risk such as climate change or the closer integration of world markets. Our
      results offer deeper insights into the Loreau model and new perspectives on the
      effectiveness of spatial insurance in the face of environmental risks. 

PMID- 26100184
TI  - An overview of methodologies in detecting overdiagnosis.

PMID- 26100185
TI  - Can advanced imaging reduce overdiagnosis and overtreatment?

PMID- 26100186
TI  - Overdiagnosis of thyroid cancer: answers to five key questions.
AB  - Thyroid cancer fulfills the criteria for overdiagnosis by having a reservoir of
      indolent cancers and practice patterns leading to the diagnosis of incidental
      cancers from the reservoir. The occurrence of overdiagnosis is also supported by
      population-based data showing an alarming rise in thyroid cancer incidence
      without change in mortality. Because one of the activities leading to
      overdiagnosis is the workup of incidental thyroid nodules detected on imaging, it
      is critical that radiologists understand the issue of overdiagnosis and their
      role in the problem and solution. This article addresses 1) essential thyroid
      cancer facts, 2) the evidence supporting overdiagnosis, 3) the role of radiology
      in overdiagnosis, 4) harms of overdiagnosis, and 5) steps radiologists can take
      to minimize the problem. 

PMID- 26100187
TI  - Will supplemental screening ultrasound increase breast cancer overdiagnosis?
AB  - Overdiagnosis refers to the detection of cancers that would never come to light
      in a patient's lifetime and are only identified by means of screening. Exactly
      how much overdiagnosis currently exists with screening mammography is uncertain.
      Because we do not know for certain which tumors would ultimately lead to death if
      left untreated and which would not, we cannot directly measure overdiagnosis and
      how best to estimate it is a matter of controversy. A conservative estimate of
      overdiagnosis with mammography would be on the order of 10%, but estimates have
      ranged as high as 54%. We know from multiple studies that ultrasound (US)
      screening mostly detects small, invasive, node-negative cancers; and in the ACRIN
      6666 study, there was a greater tendency for US-only-detected tumors to be low
      grade than those detected with mammography. However, the population of patients
      undergoing screening US can be expected to differ from the average screening
      mammography population in that they will have higher breast density, they will be
      younger, and they may also have higher breast cancer risk than the population
      undergoing screening mammography. These factors may be associated with more
      aggressive tumors. There is no way to know whether we will be increasing
      overdiagnosis without performing a large randomized controlled study with very
      long-term follow-up. Even if some cancers are overdiagnosed with US, there will
      be a greater proportion of lethal breast cancers that are successfully treated
      because of screening US. The more important task is to learn how to correctly
      diagnose and appropriately treat nonlethal cancers. 

PMID- 26100188
TI  - Screening mammography: update and review of publications since our report in the
      New England Journal of Medicine on the magnitude of the problem in the United
      States.
AB  - RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: After a half century of clinical trials, expansive
      observations, vigorous advocacy and debate, screening mammography could not be in
      a more controversial condition, especially the potential harm of overdiagnosis.
      Despite a simple rationale (catch the cancer early and either prevent death or at
      least decrease the amount of therapy needed for cure), the estimates to date of
      overdiagnosis rates are conflicting and the interpretations complex. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Since the author's 2012 publication in the New England Journal of
      Medicine (NEJM), the peer-reviewed publications on overdiagnosis caused by
      screening mammography are reviewed and the NEJM analyses updated with three
      additional calendar years of results. RESULTS: The recent peer-reviewed medical
      literature on screening mammography induced overdiagnosis of breast cancer has
      increased exponentially, nearly 10-fold in 10 years. The average estimate of
      overdiagnosis is about 30%, but the range extends from 0% to 70+%. An update of
      the NEJM report estimates that in the US, 78,000 women and 30%-31% of those
      diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 40 years or older during 2011 were
      overdiagnosed. CONCLUSIONS: Until we have better screening procedures that
      identify who really has cancer and needs to be treated, the risk of overdiagnosis
      relative to the benefit of screening merits more effective public and
      professional education. Radiologists, pathologists, and other professionals
      involved with screening mammography should recognize that the potential harm of
      overdiagnosis is downplayed or not discussed with the patient and family, despite
      agreement that the objective is informed choice.

PMID- 26100189
TI  - Radiologists and overdiagnosis.

PMID- 26100190
TI  - Analysis of statistical biases in studies used to formulate guidelines: the case
      of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) the case of ARVC.
AB  - RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To analyze the statistical biases in the studies used
      to derive cardiac magnetic resonance-based major and minor criteria for the
      diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: ARVC is a rare disorder of the heart that can lead to sudden death
      in young adults. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) plays a role in the
      diagnosis by contributing to the criteria set by experts. The original criteria
      emphasized qualitative analysis of CMR. The criteria were modified in 2010 to
      provide quantitative cutoffs. RESULTS: We apply the Quality Assessment of
      Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool for systematic review of diagnostic
      accuracy to the studies cited in the guidelines written in 1994 and revised in
      2010. We use the signaling questions in QUADAS-2 to identify different types of
      statistical bias. CONCLUSIONS: The studies have understandable biases that affect
      the sensitivity and specificity of CMR in the diagnosis of ARVC, as well as the
      truth of the disease state. There is potential to overdiagnose ARVC particularly
      in low prevalence populations.

PMID- 26100191
TI  - Balancing underdiagnosis and overdiagnosis: the case of mild traumatic brain
      injury.

PMID- 26100192
TI  - Will PET amyloid imaging lead to overdiagnosis of Alzheimer dementia?
AB  - Alzheimer disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes
      dementia, affects millions of elderly Americans and represents a growing problem
      with the aging of the population. There has been an increasing effort for
      improved and earlier diagnosis for AD. Several newly developed radiolabeled
      compounds targeting beta-amyloid plaques, one of the major pathologic biomarkers
      of AD, have recently become available for clinical use. These
      radiopharmaceuticals allow for in vivo noninvasive visualization of abnormal beta
      amyloid deposits in the brain using positron emission tomography (PET). Amyloid
      PET imaging has demonstrated high sensitivity for pathologic cerebral amyloid
      deposition in multiple studies. Principal drawbacks to this new diagnostic test
      are declining specificity in older age groups and uncertain clinical role given
      lack of disease-modifying therapy for AD. Although there is strong evidence for
      the utility of amyloid PET in certain situations, detailed in a set of guidelines
      for appropriate use from the Alzheimer's Association and the Society of Nuclear
      Medicine and Molecular Imaging, the question of overdiagnosis, the diagnosis of a
      disease that would result in neither symptoms nor deaths, using this new medical
      tool needs to be carefully considered in light of efforts to secure reimbursement
      for the new technology that is already widely available for use as a clinical
      tool. 

PMID- 26100193
TI  - The road to overdiagnosis: the case of subsegmental pulmonary embolism.

PMID- 26100194
TI  - Responding to the challenge of overdiagnosis.

PMID- 26100195
TI  - Evaluation of the patient with asymptomatic microscopic hematuria.
AB  - Asymptomatic microscopic hematuria (AMH) is relatively common in clinical
      practice but the etiology remains unclear in the majority of patients; it is
      rarely related to genitourinary malignancies. The 2012 guidelines of the American
      Urological Association recommend an evaluation after a single positive urinalysis
      with mandatory upper tract evaluation in all patients, preferably with CT
      urography (CTU). The likelihood of detecting significant upper track
      abnormalities, particularly malignancies is low with CTU, while incidental
      extraurinary abnormalities are often found, the majority of which are not
      clinically significant. The workup for these incidental findings has significant
      financial and clinical implications. Primary care physicians, who are most apt to
      encounter patients with AMH, have a low rate of adherence to the AUA guidelines,
      possibly as a result of the broadening of criteria for AMH evaluation by the AUA,
      with resultant uncertainty amongst primary care physicians about the appropriate
      candidates for such evaluation. Selection of subgroups of patients with risk
      factors for GU malignancies who may benefit from a complete evaluation is
      essential, as opposed to evaluation of all patients classified as having AMH. 

PMID- 26100196
TI  - Mammogram trials.

PMID- 26100197
TI  - Utilization and reporting of bone densitometry: what can the musculoskeletal
      radiologist do to help, rather than to hurt?
AB  - Osteoporosis is a highly prevalent disease that predisposes patients to fragility
      fractures. These fractures carry serious risks, including increased mortality and
      the potential loss of functional independence. Effective treatments for
      osteoporosis are available, but these should be initiated before a fragility
      fracture actually occurs; to do so, osteoporosis must be diagnosed while it is
      still asymptomatic. The gold standard screening test used to detect low bone mass
      is dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Despite its clinical importance, the
      DXA report is sometimes neglected by radiologists-as though it were somehow less
      significant in diagnosis than our other modalities. If musculoskeletal
      radiologists are to help, rather than to hurt, we must raise the profile of this
      critical test with evidence-based utilization and coherent reporting: detailed
      recommendations for doing so are available from professional organizations such
      as the International Society for Clinical Densitometry and the National
      Osteoporosis Foundation. This brief survey will seek to remind the radiologist
      that a good densitometry report requires more than just copying numbers from a
      scanner. 

PMID- 26100198
TI  - Can precision medicine reduce overdiagnosis?
AB  - Precision Medicine promises to get the right patient, the right test, the right
      diagnosis, the right treatment, and in the right amount. Is this hope or hype? 

PMID- 26100199
TI  - Thinking beyond the treatment effect in screening for lung cancer.
AB  - In the optimism surrounding screening for lung cancer, the downsides of screening
      should not be ignored. The article examines the dark side of screening, which is
      not an unmitigated good. 

PMID- 26100200
TI  - Barriers to reducing overdiagnosis.

PMID- 26100201
TI  - It is overtreatment, not overdiagnosis.

PMID- 26100202
TI  - The Blackstone Ratio and medicine's "n" problem.

PMID- 26100203
TI  - Left Atrial Appendage Morphology and Physiology: "The Missing Piece in the
      Puzzle".

PMID- 26100204
TI  - Kinetics of the ATP and dATP-mediated formation of a functionally-active RecA
      ssDNA complex.
AB  - The kinetics of the ATP and dATP-mediated formation of a functionally-active RecA
      ssDNA complex were examined by stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopy, using a
      modified version of the RecA protein that contains a fluorescent reporter group
      in the ssDNA binding site. The results indicated that: i) an active RecA-ssDNA
      complex was formed more rapidly on dT200 than on dT50 when either ATP or dATP was
      provided as the nucleotide cofactor, and ii) active complex formation occurred
      more rapidly with dATP than with ATP on either dT50 or dT200. The dependence on
      both the identity of the nucleotide cofactor and the length of the ssDNA effector
      indicated that active complex formation occurs by a cooperative mechanism and
      that dATP is more effective than ATP in mediating the interactions between RecA
      monomers that drive this process. Interestingly, the time courses of dATP
      mediated active complex formation were closely similar to those that were
      obtained with ATPgammaS, an effectively non-hydrolyzable ATP analog that strongly
      stabilizes the active conformation of the RecA-ssDNA complex. These results
      provide mechanistic insight into the enhanced ssDNA binding and DNA strand
      exchange activities that are observed when dATP is provided in place of ATP in
      RecA biochemical assays. 

PMID- 26100205
TI  - Development and characterization of a hydrogen peroxide-resistant cholangiocyte
      cell line: A novel model of oxidative stress-related cholangiocarcinoma genesis.
AB  - Oxidative stress is a cause of inflammation-related diseases, including cancers.
      Cholangiocarcinoma is a liver cancer with bile duct epithelial cell phenotypes.
      Our previous studies in animal and human models indicated that oxidative stress
      is a major cause of cholangiocarcinoma development. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can
      generate hydroxyl radicals, which damage lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids,
      leading to cell death. However, some cells can survive by adapting to oxidative
      stress conditions, and selective clonal expansion of these resistant cells would
      be involved in oxidative stress-related carcinogenesis. The present study aimed
      to establish H2O2-resistant cell line from an immortal cholangiocyte cell line
      (MMNK1) by chronic treatment with low-concentration H2O2 (25 MUM). After 72 days
      of induction, H2O2-resistant cell lines (ox-MMNK1-L) were obtained. The ox-MMNK1
      L cell line showed H2O2-resistant properties, increasing the expression of the
      anti-oxidant genes catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1), superoxide
      dismutase-2 (SOD2), and superoxide dismutase-3 (SOD3) and the enzyme activities
      of CAT and intracellular SODs. Furthermore, the resistant cells showed increased
      expression levels of an epigenetics-related gene, DNA methyltransferase-1
      (DNMT1), when compared to the parental cells. Interestingly, the ox-MMNK1-L cell
      line had a significantly higher cell proliferation rate than the MMNK1 normal
      cell line. Moreover, ox-MMNK1-L cells showed pseudopodia formation and the loss
      of cell-to-cell adhesion (multi-layers) under additional oxidative stress (100
      MUM H2O2). These findings suggest that H2O2-resistant cells can be used as a
      model of oxidative stress-related cholangiocarcinoma genesis through molecular
      changes such as alteration of gene expression and epigenetic changes. 

PMID- 26100206
TI  - Role of epididymal anti sticking factor in sperm capacitation.
AB  - Sperm capacitation depends on several features like hormones, ions, intracellular
      signaling, sperm associated molecules, etc. Anti sticking factor (ASF) is a novel
      sperm surface associated glycoprotein isolated from epididymal plasma. Function
      of ASF in vivo has not been revealed yet. The current study is an attempt to
      highlight the surface localization of ASF and corresponding biochemical changes
      that occurs in sperm cells during in vitro capacitation. In the presence of 1 nM
      ASF, percentage of bicarbonate and BSA induced capacitated cells in modified
      Tyrode medium (7.2) decreased from 72.45% to 16.25% as per Merocyanine 540
      (M540)/DAPI stained flowcytometric analysis. Indirect immunocytostaining and
      western blot analysis shows that the amount of sperm surface bound residual ASF
      decline during in vitro capacitation. ASF at its effective concentrations notably
      reduced the bicarbonate and BSA induced cholesterol efflux. These data help in
      concluding ASF as a majorly responsible molecule that maintains caprine sperm
      membrane integrity by inhibiting cholesterol efflux. As the capacitation process,
      progress at in vitro condition, ASF is found to be released from the sperm
      surface and cell moved from non-capacitated to the capacitated state. 

PMID- 26100207
TI  - Crystal structure of syndesmos and its interaction with Syndecan-4 proteoglycan.
AB  - Syndesmos, nucleoside diphosphate linked moiety X (nudix)-type motif 16-like 1
      (Nudt16l1), is evolutionarily divergent from the Nudt16 family. Syndesmos, which
      is co-localized with syndecan-4 cytoplasmic domain (Syn4(cyto)) in focal
      contacts, interacts with various cell adhesion adaptor proteins to control cell
      signaling. We determined the X-ray crystal structure of syndesmos; it is composed
      of seven alpha-helices and seven beta-strands. Although syndesmos has a molecular
      topology similar to that of nudix hydrolase proteins, the structure of the nudix
      motif differs from that of X29. The dimeric interface of syndesmos is composed of
      alpha-helix 4, 7 and beta-strand 2, 7, which primarily form hydrophobic
      interactions. The binding interaction between syndesmos and syn4(cyto) was
      characterized as a low-affinity interaction (Kd = 62 MUM) by surface plasmon
      resonance (SPR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The NMR resonances of Lys
      (177, 178, 179), Gly182, and Ser183 in the C1 region and Lys193 and Lys194 in the
      V region of syndecan-4 are perturbed upon syndesmos binding. Our results provide
      structural insight into the molecular function of syndesmos in the regulation of
      cell signaling via binding to syndecan-4. 

PMID- 26100208
TI  - Classification of proximal tibial epiphysis fractures in children: Four clinical
      cases.

PMID- 26100209
TI  - Long-term outcomes of individuals injured in motor vehicle crashes: A population
      based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite decline in U.S. traffic fatalities, non-fatal injuries remain
      a main cause of reduced self-reported health. The authors used a nationally
      representative survey to examine the long-term (>=1 year) implications of traffic
      injuries on self-care, depression, mobility, pain and activity domains of a
      widely used measure assessing Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL). METHODS:
      30,576 participants from panels (2000-2002) of the Medical Expenditure Panel
      Survey (MEPS) were followed for about two years. The associations between
      reporting a traffic injury in the first follow-up year and the five domains of
      the Euroqol Health index (EQ-5D) were assessed using mixed logistic models with
      outcome severe/moderate problem in each domain. Models adjustment variables
      included age, gender, education, income, diabetes, asthma, smoking and insurance
      status. RESULTS: 590 participants reported traffic injuries. In the first follow
      up analysis, having an injury was associated with deficits in all domains of the
      EQ-5D. With the exception of self-care, similar findings were reported in the
      second follow-up (>=1 year) after injuries with strongest associations between
      traffic injuries and both mobility and activity (both OR=2.9, P<0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Traffic injuries are significantly associated with long-term reduced
      HRQOL. Injured individuals may benefit from early intervention programs to
      prevent the development of secondary complications and reduced HRQOL.

PMID- 26100210
TI  - Treatment with a neutralising anti-rat interleukin-17 antibody after multiple
      trauma reduces lung inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been well recognised that a deficit of numbers and function of
      CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) cells (Treg) is attributed to the development of autoimmune
      diseases and inflammatory diseases; additionally, IL-17-producing cells (Th17)
      have a pro-inflammatory role. The balance between Th17 and Treg may be essential
      for maintaining immune homeostasis and has long been thought as one of the
      important factors in the development/prevention of autoimmune diseases and
      inflammatory diseases. In our previous research, we explored that cytokines (IL
      17) and the balance of Treg/Th17 had a significant relevance with tissue (lung)
      inflammation and injury in acute-phase after multiple-trauma. OBJECTIVE: To more
      verify whether an imbalance of Treg/Th17 is characteristic of rats suffering from
      multiple trauma. METHODS AND SUBJECTIVE: Using IL-17 monoclonal antibody (IL
      17mAb)-treated multiple-trauma rat, we tested the pathogenic role of IL-17 in the
      development of multiple-trauma. Rat models were treated respectively with IL
      17mAb or rat IgG 2A isotype control or phosphate-buffered solution after model
      was established. Normal rats only received anaesthesia and cannulation were taken
      as sham. Rats in each group were killed respectively at the end of 1h, 4h, 8h
      after injection. Collected serum and lung samples for assessment dynamically of
      MPO, IL-17, IL-6, and TGF-beta-mRNA, and cytokine (IL-17, IL-6, TGF-beta) and
      lung tissue for pulmonary histological analysis. RESULTS: Neutralisation of IL-17
      with anti-IL-17 can decrease serum IL-17 level and the IL-17-mRNA transcript
      level in lung, and ameliorate tissue inflammatory, defer disease course.
      CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that IL-17 is crucially involved in the pathogenesis
      of multiple-trauma in rat, IL-17 inhibition might ameliorate the lung
      inflammation in acute-phase after multiple-trauma.

PMID- 26100211
TI  - MYC overexpression correlates with MYC amplification or translocation, and is
      associated with poor prognosis in mantle cell lymphoma.
AB  - AIMS: We aimed to investigate MYC expression and chromosomal aberration in mantle
      cell lymphoma (MCL), and the clinical significance of these factors. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Sixty-five patients with MCL, including 54 classic, nine blastoid and
      two pleomorphic variants, were enrolled. Expression of MYC, Ki67 and p53 was
      assessed by immunohistochemistry. MYC amplification or translocation was examined
      by fluorescence in-situ hybridization. MYC expression was higher in
      blastoid/pleomorphic MCL variants (mean, 19.0%) than in classic MCL (mean, 1.9%;
      P < 0.001). Expression of p53 and Ki67 was also significantly higher in these
      variants. MYC amplification was found in two of 53 cases tested, both of which
      were blastoid variants with high MYC expression (29.7% and 20.4%). MYC
      translocation was found in two of 52 cases tested, both of which were pleomorphic
      variants with remarkably high MYC expression (68.5% and 71.0%). High MYC or p53
      expression was significantly associated with shortened overall survival and
      progression-free survival in univariable and multivariable analyses (all P <
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MYC overexpression is a negative predictor of MCL patient
      outcomes. MYC gene amplification or translocation might be related to the
      pathogenesis of MCL, particularly in blastoid/pleomorphic variants.

PMID- 26100212
TI  - Assessing phage therapy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa using a Galleria
      mellonella infection model.
AB  - The Galleria mellonella infection model was used to assess the in vivo efficacy
      of phage therapy against laboratory and clinical strains of Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa. In a first series of experiments, Galleria were infected with the
      laboratory strain P. aeruginosa PAO1 and were treated with varying multiplicity
      of infection (MOI) of phages either 2h post-infection (treatment) or 2h pre
      infection (prevention) via injection into the haemolymph. To address the kinetics
      of infection, larvae were bled over a period of 24h for quantification of
      bacteria and phages. Survival rates at 24h when infected with 10 cells/larvae
      were greater in the prevention versus treatment model (47% vs. 40%, MOI=10; 47%
      vs. 20%, MOI=1; and 33% vs. 7%, MOI=0.1). This pattern held true when 100
      cells/larvae were used (87% vs. 20%, MOI=10; 53% vs. 13%, MOI=1; 67% vs. 7%,
      MOI=0.1). By 24h post-infection, phages kept bacterial cell numbers in the
      haemolymph 1000-fold lower than in the non-treated group. In a second series of
      experiments using clinical strains to further validate the prevention model,
      phages protected Galleria when infected with both a bacteraemia (0% vs. 85%) and
      a cystic fibrosis (80% vs. 100%) isolate. Therefore, this study validates the use
      of G. mellonella as a simple, robust and cost-effective model for initial in vivo
      examination of P. aeruginosa-targeted phage therapy, which may be applied to
      other pathogens with similarly low infective doses. 

PMID- 26100213
TI  - Previous failure of interferon-based therapy does not alter the frequency of HCV
      NS3 protease or NS5B polymerase inhibitor resistance-associated variants:
      longitudinal analysis in HCV/HIV co-infected patients.
AB  - Since 2011, treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) includes direct-acting
      antivirals (DAAs) in addition to pegylated interferon-alpha (peg-IFN) and
      ribavirin (RBV). IFN-based treatment induces strong cytotoxic T-lymphocyte
      activity directed to the protease- and polymerase-derived epitopes. This enhanced
      immunological pressure could favour the emergence of viral epitope variants able
      to evade immune surveillance and, when resistance-associated variants (RAVs) are
      implicated, could also be co-selected as a hitchhiking effect. This study
      analysed the dynamics of the frequency of protease and polymerase inhibitor RAVs
      that could affect future HCV treatment in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co
      infected patients on stable antiretroviral therapy with previous IFN-based
      treatment failure. HCV genotype 1a RNA was extracted from plasma samples of 18
      patients prior to and during (24h and 4, 12, 24 and 48 weeks) therapy with peg
      IFN+RBV. Next-generation sequencing was performed on HCV-RNA populations using
      NS3 and NS5B PCR-amplified coding regions. Two measures of genetic diversity were
      used to compare virus populations: average pairwise nucleotide diversity (pi) and
      Tajima's D statistic. Several protease and polymerase RAVs were detected in all
      subjects at very low frequencies (<5%), and in most cases their presence was not
      constant during follow-up. Only samples from two patients for each region
      exhibited Q80R/K/L and A421V as highly predominant variants. No significant
      differences were observed among sampling times for either pi or D values. In
      conclusion, previous therapy and failure of peg-IFN+RBV were not associated with
      an increase in DAA-targeting NS3 or NS5B RAVs that naturally exist in HIV co
      infected subjects. 

PMID- 26100215
TI  - Chest Pain After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: More Than Meets the Eye.

PMID- 26100214
TI  - WNT5A inhibits hepatocyte proliferation and concludes beta-catenin signaling in
      liver regeneration.
AB  - Activation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling during liver regeneration (LR) after
      partial hepatectomy (PH) is observed in several species. However, how this
      pathway is turned off when hepatocyte proliferation is no longer required is
      unknown. We assessed LR in liver-specific knockouts of Wntless (Wls-LKO), a
      protein required for Wnt secretion from a cell. When subjected to PH, Wls-LKO
      showed prolongation of hepatocyte proliferation for up to 4 days compared with
      littermate controls. This coincided with increased beta-catenin-T-cell factor 4
      interaction and cyclin-D1 expression. Wls-LKO showed decreased expression and
      secretion of inhibitory Wnt5a during LR. Wnt5a expression increased between 24
      and 48 hours, and Frizzled-2 between 24 and 72 hours, after PH in normal mice.
      Treatment of primary mouse hepatocytes and liver tumor cells with Wnt5a led to a
      notable decrease in beta-catenin-T-cell factor activity, cyclin-D1 expression,
      and cell proliferation. Intriguingly, Wnt5a-LKO did not display any prolongation
      of LR because of compensation by other cells. In addition, Wnt5a-LKO hepatocytes
      failed to respond to exogenous Wnt5a treatment in culture because of a
      compensatory decrease in Frizzled-2 expression. In conclusion, we demonstrate
      Wnt5a to be, by default, a negative regulator of beta-catenin signaling and
      hepatocyte proliferation, both in vitro and in vivo. We also provide evidence
      that the Wnt5a/Frizzled-2 axis suppresses beta-catenin signaling in hepatocytes
      in an autocrine manner, thereby contributing to timely conclusion of the LR
      process. 

PMID- 26100216
TI  - [Palpebral conjunctivitis and preauricular adenopathy: Parinaud's oculoglandular
      syndrome].

PMID- 26100217
TI  - [Prevalence study of the genetic markers associated with slow progression of
      human inmunodefiency virus type 1 in the Galician population (Northwest of
      Spain)].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The deletion in the CCR5 gene (CCR5Delta32), the HLA-B*27:05, and
      polymorphisms rs2395029 and rs9264942 have been associated with slower
      progression of HIV-1. METHODS: An analysis was performed on 408 patients on
      follow-up. The analysis of viral load, CD4+ Tlymphocytes and other clinical
      variables since the diagnosis of the infection were collected. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of the genetic markers rs9264942, CCR5wt/Delta32, rs2395029, HLA
      B*27:05 was 17.9%, 11.5%, 7.6%, and 6.4%, respectively. Of all the patients, 354
      were classified as progressors and 46 as long-term non-progressors (LTNPs).
      Except for the HLA-B*27:05 allele, other genetic markers were associated with
      slower progression: CCR5wt/Delta32 (P=.011) and SNPs rs2395029 and rs9264942
      (P<.0001), as well as their association (P<.0001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of
      the HLA-B*57:01 allele was higher than described nationally. No association could
      be found between the HLA-B*27:05 allele and the presence of slower disease
      progression.

PMID- 26100218
TI  - Systems analysis of gene ontology and biological pathways involved in post
      myocardial infarction responses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pathway analysis has been widely used to gain insight into essential
      mechanisms of the response to myocardial infarction (MI). Currently, there exist
      multiple pathway databases that organize molecular datasets and manually curate
      pathway maps for biological interpretation at varying forms of organization.
      However, inconsistencies among different databases in pathway descriptions,
      frequently due to conflicting results in the literature, can generate incorrect
      interpretations. Furthermore, although pathway analysis software provides
      detailed images of interactions among molecules, it does not exhibit how pathways
      interact with one another or with other biological processes under specific
      conditions. METHODS: We propose a novel method to standardize descriptions of
      enriched pathways for a set of genes/proteins using Gene Ontology terms. We used
      this method to examine the relationships among pathways and biological processes
      for a set of condition-specific genes/proteins, represented as a functional
      biological pathway-process network. We applied this algorithm to a set of 613 MI
      specific proteins we previously identified. RESULTS: A total of 96 pathways from
      Biocarta, KEGG, and Reactome, and 448 Gene Ontology Biological Processes were
      enriched with these 613 proteins. The pathways were represented as Boolean
      functions of biological processes, delivering an interactive scheme to organize
      enriched information with an emphasis on involvement of biological processes in
      pathways. We extracted a network focusing on MI to demonstrate that tyrosine
      phosphorylation of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT)
      protein, positive regulation of collagen metabolic process, coagulation, and
      positive/negative regulation of blood coagulation have immediate impacts on the
      MI response. CONCLUSIONS: Our method organized biological processes and pathways
      in an unbiased approach to provide an intuitive way to identify biological
      properties of pathways under specific conditions. Pathways from different
      databases have similar descriptions yet diverse biological processes, indicating
      variation in their ability to share similar functional characteristics. The
      coverages of pathways can be expanded with the incorporation of more biological
      processes, predicting involvement of protein members in pathways. Further,
      detailed analyses of the functional biological pathway-process network will allow
      researchers and scientists to explore critical routes in biological systems in
      the progression of disease.

PMID- 26100219
TI  - Latent progenitor cells as potential regulators for tympanic membrane
      regeneration.
AB  - Tympanic membrane (TM) perforation, in particular chronic otitis media, is one of
      the most common clinical problems in the world and can present with sensorineural
      healing loss. Here, we explored an approach for TM regeneration where the latent
      progenitor or stem cells within TM epithelial layers may play an important
      regulatory role. We showed that potential TM stem cells present highly positive
      staining for epithelial stem cell markers in all areas of normal TM tissue.
      Additionally, they are present at high levels in perforated TMs, especially in
      proximity to the holes, regardless of acute or chronic status, suggesting that TM
      stem cells may be a potential factor for TM regeneration. Our study suggests that
      latent TM stem cells could be potential regulators of regeneration, which
      provides a new insight into this clinically important process and a potential
      target for new therapies for chronic otitis media and other eardrum injuries. 

PMID- 26100220
TI  - Where Are We Heading in Nanotechnology Environmental Health and Safety and
      Materials Characterization?

PMID- 26100222
TI  - Comment on "Protein Corona Fingerprinting Predicts the Cellular Interaction of
      Gold and Silver Nanoparticles".

PMID- 26100224
TI  - Cytotoxicity of the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol and ochratoxin A on Caco-2 cell
      line in presence of resveratrol.
AB  - Exposure to mycotoxins through dietary food intake involves a highly complex
      scenario where co-contamination of different mycotoxins has been frequently
      demonstrated. On the other hand, the effect of the interaction of mycotoxins with
      other generally considered beneficial food components, as the antioxidants, has
      been scarcely studied. The main goal of the present work was to assess the
      cytotoxic effects on Caco-2 cells of the mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and
      ochratoxin A (OTA), alone or combined, and to explore potential protective
      effects of resveratrol (RES), an antioxidant frequently found in wine. In
      parallel, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production has also been studied as a
      first approach to understand the underlying mechanism of cytotoxicity. Results
      indicate a higher toxic effect of the mycotoxins when they are co-exposed. This
      increase in cytotoxicity was not accompanied by an increase in ROS production.
      The co-exposure of OTA or DON with RES did not result in a decrease in
      cytotoxicity; on the contrary, it resulted in increased cytotoxicity not
      associated with an increase in ROS production. 

PMID- 26100223
TI  - Soluble extracellular Klotho decreases sensitivity to cigarette smoke induced
      cell death in human lung epithelial cells.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is currently the third leading cause
      of death in the US and is associated with an abnormal inflammatory response to
      cigarette smoke (CS). Exposure to CS induces oxidative stress and can result in
      cellular senescence in the lung. Cellular senescence can then lead to decreased
      proliferation of epithelial cells, the destruction of alveolar structure and
      pulmonary emphysema. The anti-aging gene, klotho, encodes a membrane bound
      protein that has been shown to be a key regulator of oxidative stress and
      cellular senescence. In this study the role of Klotho (KL) with regard to
      oxidative stress and cellular senescence was investigated in human pulmonary
      epithelial cells exposed to cigarette smoke. Individual clones that stably
      overexpress Klotho were generated through retroviral transfection and geneticin
      selection. Klotho overexpression was confirmed through RT-qPCR, Western blotting
      and ELISA. Compared to control cells, constitutive Klotho overexpression resulted
      in decreased sensitivity to cigarette smoke induced cell death in vitro via a
      reduction of reactive oxygen species and a decrease in the expression of p21. Our
      results suggest that increasing Klotho level in pulmonary epithelial cells may be
      a promising strategy to reduce cellular senescence and mitigate the risk for the
      development of COPD. 

PMID- 26100225
TI  - A superfusion apparatus for ex vivo human eye irritation investigations.
AB  - A superfusion apparatus (SA) was developed to maintain isolated human corneas ex
      vivo under conditions which mimic the natural eye environment in vivo, including
      controlled temperature, tear flow and intraocular pressure. The SA was designed,
      developed and tested for use in ophthalmic pre-clinical research and to test new
      pharmaceutical formulations. Corneas undergo an equilibration process in the new
      physiological environment for one day. The test was then initiated by the
      application of the test substance, incubation, and temporal assessment of corneal
      damage using various parameters. The effects of mild and severe irritant
      concentrations of NaOH (2% and 8%, respectively) on corneal opacity, swelling and
      epithelial integrity were studied, and the inflammatory status assessed using
      F4/80 and MPO as macrophages and neutrophils markers, respectively. The SA was
      then used to test new artificial tear formulations supplemented with silver ions
      as an active constituent, showing different degrees of inflammatory responses as
      indicated by the migration of MPO and F4/80 positive cells towards the
      epithelium. The human cornea superfusion apparatus was proposed as a model for
      acute eye irritation research. 

PMID- 26100226
TI  - Inhibition of human cytochrome P450 enzymes by licochalcone A, a naturally
      occurring constituent of licorice.
AB  - Licochalcone A (LCA) is a major bioactive compound in traditional Chinese herbal
      liquorice that possesses multiple pharmacological activities. However, the
      effects of the potential herb-drug interactions (HDIs) between LCA and
      therapeutic drugs on the inhibition of human cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes remain
      unclear. In the present study, the inhibitory effects of LCA on seven major human
      CYP isoforms, including CYP1A2, 2D6, 2E1, 2C19, 2C8, 2C9 and 3A4, were
      investigated in human liver microsomes (HLMs). The results demonstrated that LCA
      significantly inhibited the activities of CYP1A2, 2C19, 2C8, 2C9 and 3A4 and
      exhibited weak inhibitory effects on CYP2E1 and CYP2D6. Dixon and Lineweaver-Burk
      plots revealed that the inhibition types of LCA against CYP1A2, 2C9, 2C19 and 2C8
      were best fit as mixed-type inhibitions, while LCA was a competitive inhibitor
      towards CYP3A4. The inhibition kinetic parameters (K(i)) were calculated to be
      1.02 MUM, 0.17 MUM, 3.89 MUM 0.89 MUM, and 2.29 MUM, for CYP1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2C8,
      and 3A4, respectively. Furthermore, the areas under the plasma concentration-time
      curves (AUCs) of several drugs that are primarily metabolized by CYPs were
      estimated to increase by 2-398% in the presence of LCA, which suggested that LCA
      exhibited high HDI potentials via CYP inhibition. These data are significant for
      the clinical applications of LCA-containing herbs.

PMID- 26100227
TI  - Disturbance of gene expression in primary human hepatocytes by hepatotoxic
      pyrrolizidine alkaloids: A whole genome transcriptome analysis.
AB  - 1,2-unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) are plant metabolites predominantly
      occurring in the plant families Asteraceae and Boraginaceae. Acute and chronic PA
      poisoning causes severe hepatotoxicity. So far, the molecular mechanisms of PA
      toxicity are not well understood. To analyze its mode of action, primary human
      hepatocytes were exposed to a non-cytotoxic dose of 100 MUM of four structurally
      different PA: echimidine, heliotrine, senecionine, senkirkine. Changes in mRNA
      expression were analyzed by a whole genome microarray. Employing cut-off values
      with a |fold change| of 2 and a q-value of 0.01, data analysis revealed numerous
      changes in gene expression. In total, 4556, 1806, 3406 and 8623 genes were
      regulated by echimidine, heliotrine, senecione and senkirkine, respectively. 1304
      genes were identified as commonly regulated. PA affected pathways related to cell
      cycle regulation, cell death and cancer development. The transcription factors
      TP53, MYC, NFkappaB and NUPR1 were predicted to be activated upon PA treatment.
      Furthermore, gene expression data showed a considerable interference with lipid
      metabolism and bile acid flow. The associated transcription factors FXR, LXR,
      SREBF1/2, and PPARalpha/gamma/delta were predicted to be inhibited. In
      conclusion, though structurally different, all four PA significantly regulated a
      great number of genes in common. This proposes similar molecular mechanisms,
      although the extent seems to differ between the analyzed PA as reflected by the
      potential hepatotoxicity and individual PA structure.

PMID- 26100228
TI  - Three infants with rotavirus gastroenteritis complicated by severe
      gastrointestinal bleeding.
AB  - Rotavirus gastroenteritis causes substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide in
      children. We report three infants with rotavirus gastroenteritis complicated by
      various severity of gastrointestinal bleeding. Two patients (cases 1 and 2)
      recovered completely without any specific treatments. One patient (case 3) died
      despite extensive treatments including a red blood cell transfusion and
      endoscopic hemostatic therapy. Rotavirus genotypes G1P[8] and G9P[8] were
      detected in cases 2 and 3, respectively. Rotavirus antigenemia levels were not
      high at the onset of melena, suggesting that systemic rotaviral infection does
      not play an important role in causing melena.

PMID- 26100229
TI  - A Randomized, Open-Label Phase II Trial of Volasertib as Monotherapy and in
      Combination With Standard-Dose Pemetrexed Compared With Pemetrexed Monotherapy in
      Second-Line Treatment for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - Second-line therapy options that improve survival for patients with advanced non
      small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are needed. This randomized, phase II trial (n [
      143) investigated volasertib monotherapy or in combination with pemetrexed
      compared with pemetrexed monotherapy in patients with NSCLC whose disease had
      progressed after previous platinum-based chemotherapy. The combination of
      volasertib with pemetrexed did not improve efficacy compared with pemetrexed
      monotherapy. INTRODUCTION: Volasertib is a potent, selective, cell cycle kinase
      inhibitor that induces mitotic arrest and apoptosis by targeting Polo-like
      kinase. In this study we compared volasertib, volasertib with pemetrexed, and
      pemetrexed alone in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      whose disease progressed after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: A run-in phase (n = 12) was used to determine whether volasertib
      could be combined in full dose with pemetrexed 500 mg/m(2). Subsequent patients
      were randomized to volasertib (n = 37), volasertib with pemetrexed (n = 47), or
      pemetrexed (n = 47) administered on day 1 every 21 days. The primary end point
      was progression-free survival (PFS); secondary end points included objective
      response rate and pharmacokinetics. RESULTS: Volasertib 300 mg was chosen for the
      randomized phase. Recruitment to single-agent volasertib was stopped early
      because of lack of efficacy. Median PFS was 5.3 months with pemetrexed compared
      with 3.3 months with volasertib with pemetrexed (hazard ratio [HR], 1.141; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.73-1.771) and 1.4 months with volasertib (HR, 2.045;
      95% CI, 1.27-3.292). ORRs were 10.6% with pemetrexed, 21.3% for volasertib with
      pemetrexed, and 8.1% with volasertib. The most common all-grade related adverse
      events (pemetrexed/volasertib with pemetrexed/volasertib) were: fatigue (28
      [61%]/27 [59%]/11 [31%]), nausea (21 [46%]/19 [41%]/0 [0%]), decreased apetite
      (14 [31%]/13 [28%]/2 [6%]), neutropenia (4 [9%]/8 [17%]/9 [25%]), rash (9 [20%]/8
      [17%]/2 [6%]), vomiting (6 [13%]/13 [28%]/0 [0%]), and diarrhea (8 [17%]/11
      [24%]/0 [0%]). Pharmacokinetics analyses showed no drug-drug interactions between
      volasertib and pemetrexed. CONCLUSION: For treatment in the second-line for
      advanced or metastatic NSCLC, the combination of volasertib with standard
      pemetrexed did not increase toxicity significantly but also did not improve
      efficacy compared with single-agent pemetrexed.

PMID- 26100230
TI  - Neuroprosthetic technologies to augment the impact of neurorehabilitation after
      spinal cord injury.
AB  - Spinal cord injury leads to a range of disabilities, including limitations in
      locomotor activity, that seriously diminish the patients' autonomy and quality of
      life. Electrochemical neuromodulation therapies, robot-assisted rehabilitation
      and willpower-based training paradigms restored supraspinal control of locomotion
      in rodent models of severe spinal cord injury. This treatment promoted extensive
      and ubiquitous remodeling of spared circuits and residual neural pathways. In
      four chronic paraplegic individuals, electrical neuromodulation of the spinal
      cord resulted in the immediate recovery of voluntary leg movements, suggesting
      that the therapeutic concepts developed in rodent models may also apply to
      humans. Here, we briefly review previous work, summarize current developments,
      and highlight impediments to translate these interventions into medical practice
      to improve functional recovery of spinal-cord-injured individuals. 

PMID- 26100231
TI  - RING1B O-GlcNAcylation regulates gene targeting of polycomb repressive complex 1
      in human embryonic stem cells.
AB  - O-linked-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) post-translationally modifies and
      regulates thousands of proteins involved in various cellular mechanisms.
      Recently, O-GlcNAc has been linked to human embryonic stem cells (hESC)
      differentiation, however the identity and function of O-GlcNAc proteins
      regulating hESC remain unknown. Here, we firstly identified O-GlcNAc modified
      human stem cell regulators such as hnRNP K, HP1gamma, and especially RING1B/RNF2.
      Thereafter, we focused our work on RING1B which is the catalytic subunit of the
      polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) a major epigenetic repressor essential for
      pluripotency maintenance and differentiation. By point-mutation, we show that
      T(250)/S(251) and S(278) RING1B residues are bearing O-GlcNAc, and that
      T(250)/S(251) O-GlcNAcylation decreases during differentiation. O-GlcNAc seems to
      regulate RING1B-DNA binding as suggested by our ChIP-sequencing results. Non-O
      GlcNAcylated RING1B is found to be enriched near cell cycle genes whereas O
      GlcNAcylated RING1B seems preferentially enriched near neuronal genes. Our data
      suggest that during hESC differentiation, the decrease of RING1B O-GlcNAcylation
      might enable PRC1 to switch its target to induce neuron differentiation. Overall,
      we demonstrate that O-GlcNAc modifies and regulates an essential epigenetic tool,
      RING1B, which may contribute to hESC pluripotency maintenance and
      differentiation. 

PMID- 26100232
TI  - Pancreatic duct glands (PDGs) are a progenitor compartment responsible for
      pancreatic ductal epithelial repair.
AB  - Pancreatic duct glands (PDGs) have molecular features known to mark stem cell
      niches, but their function remains to be determined. To investigate the role of
      PDGs as a progenitor niche, PDGs were analyzed in both humans and mice. Cells
      were characterized by immunohistochemistry and microarray analysis. In vivo
      proliferative activity and migration of PDG cells were evaluated using a BrdU tag
      and-chase strategy in a mouse model of pancreatitis. In vitro migration assays
      were used to determine the role of trefoil factor (TFF) -1 and 2 in cell
      migration. Proliferative activity in the pancreatic epithelium in response to
      inflammatory injury is identified principally within the PDG compartment. These
      proliferating cells then migrate out of the PDG compartment to populate the
      pancreatic duct. Most of the pancreatic epithelial migration occurs within 5days
      and relies, in part, on TFF-1 and -2. After migration, PDG cells lose their PDG
      specific markers and gain a more mature pancreatic ductal phenotype. Expression
      analysis of the PDG epithelium reveals enrichment of embryonic and stem cell
      pathways. These results suggest that PDGs are an epithelial progenitor
      compartment that gives rise to mature differentiated progeny that migrate to the
      pancreatic duct. Thus PDGs are a progenitor niche important for pancreatic
      epithelial regeneration. 

PMID- 26100234
TI  - A fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) based assay for Candida
      parapsilosis ATCC 7330 mediated oxidation of aryl alcohols.
AB  - We present an FTIR based assay to monitor the whole cell mediated oxidation of
      aryl alcohols by measuring the characteristic IR absorption of the hydroxyl group
      [OH] of the substrate and the carbonyl group [CO] of the corresponding oxidized
      product. This method expedites the analysis of whole cell mediated catalysis
      which is usually done by GC and/or HPLC. The FTIR assay had linearity with
      R(2)>=0.980 and sensitivity up to 10MUM. The accuracy and precision of FTIR assay
      was found >=81% and >=94%, respectively. This assay was validated by GC which
      exhibited >=82% accuracy and >=79% precision. The time of analysis taken by this
      assay was 2-3min per sample in comparison with 20-40min by GC. 

PMID- 26100233
TI  - Generation of human pluripotent stem cell reporter lines for the isolation of and
      reporting on astrocytes generated from ventral midbrain and ventral spinal cord
      neural progenitors.
AB  - Astrocytes play a critical role during the development and the maintenance of the
      CNS in health and disease. Yet, their lack of accessibility from fetuses and from
      the brain of diseased patients has hindered our understanding of their full
      implication in developmental and pathogenic processes. Human pluripotent stem
      cells (PSCs) are an alternative source to obtain large quantities of astrocytes
      in vitro, for mechanistic studies of development and disease. However, these
      studies often require highly pure populations of astrocytes, which are not always
      achieved, depending on the PSC lines and protocols used. Here, we describe the
      generation and characterization of human PSC reporter lines expressing TagRFP
      driven by the ABC1D region of the human GFAP promoter, as new cellular model for
      generating homogenous population of astrocytes generated from CNS regionally
      defined PSC-derived neural progenitors. GFA(ABC1D)::TagRFP-expressing astrocytes
      can be purified by fluorescent-activated cell sorting and maintain a bright
      expression for several additional weeks. These express canonical astrocyte
      markers NF1A, S100beta, CX43, GLAST, GS and CD44. These new cellular models, from
      which highly pure populations of fluorescence-expressing astrocytes can be
      obtained, provide a new platform for studies where pure or fluorescently labeled
      astrocyte populations are necessary, for example to assess pro-inflammatory
      cytokine and chemokine release in response to specific treatment, and uptake and
      degradation of fluorescently labeled pathogenic proteins, as reported in this
      study.

PMID- 26100235
TI  - Complete genome sequence of Bacillus thuringiensis YC-10, a novel active strain
      against plant-parasitic nematodes.
AB  - Bacillus thuringiensis is an important microbial biopesticide for controlling
      agricultural pests by the production of toxic parasporal crystals
      proteins.Here,we report the finished annotated genome sequence of B.
      thuringiensis YC-10,which is highly toxic to nematodes.The complete genome
      sequence consists of a circular chromosome and nine circular plasmids,which the
      biggest plasmid harbors six parasporal crystals proteins genes consisting of
      cry1Aa, cry1Ac, cry1Ia, cry2Aa, cry2Ab and cryB1. The crystals proteins of Cry1Ia
      and Cry1Aa have high nematicidal activity against Meloidogyne incognita. 

PMID- 26100236
TI  - A novel Na(+)(K(+))/H(+) antiporter plays an important role in the growth of
      Acetobacter tropicalis SKU1100 at high temperatures via regulation of cation and
      pH homeostasis.
AB  - A gene encoding a putative Na(+)/H(+) antiporter was previously proposed to be
      involved in the thermotolerance mechanism of Acetobacter tropicalis SKU 1100. The
      results of this study show that disruption of this antiporter gene impaired
      growth at high temperatures with an external pH>6.5. The growth impairment at
      high temperatures was much more severe in the absence of Na(+) (with only the
      presence of K(+)); under these conditions, cells failed to grow even at 30
      degrees C and neutral to alkaline pH values, suggesting that this protein is also
      important for K(+) tolerance. Functional analysis with inside-out membrane
      vesicles from wild type and mutant strains indicated that the antiporter, At
      NhaK2 operates as an alkali cation/proton antiporter for ions such as Na(+),
      K(+), Li(+), and Rb(+) at acidic to neutral pH values (6.5-7.5). The membrane
      vesicles were also shown to contain a distinct pH-dependent Na(+)(specific)/H(+)
      antiporter(s) that might function at alkaline pH values. In addition,
      phylogenetic analysis showed that At-NhaK2 is a novel type of Na(+)/H(+)
      antiporter belonging to a phylogenetically distinct new clade. These data
      demonstrate that At-NhaK2 functions as a Na(+)(K(+))/H(+) antiporter and is
      essential for K(+) and pH homeostasis during the growth of A. tropicalis SKU1100,
      especially at higher temperatures. 

PMID- 26100237
TI  - Lysosomes are involved in induction of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein
      (StAR) gene expression and progesterone synthesis through low-density lipoprotein
      in cultured bovine granulosa cells.
AB  - Progesterone is an important steroid hormone in the regulation of the bovine
      estrous cycle. The steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) is an
      indispensable component for transporting cholesterol to the inner mitochondrial
      membrane, which is one of the rate-limiting steps for progesterone synthesis. Low
      density lipoprotein (LDL) supplies cholesterol precursors for progesterone
      formation, and the lysosomal degradation pathway of LDL is essential for
      progesterone biosynthesis in granulosa cells after ovulation. However, it is
      currently unknown how LDL and lysosomes coordinate the expression of the StAR
      gene and progesterone production in bovine granulosa cells. Here, we investigated
      the role of lysosomes in LDL-treated bovine granulosa cells. Our results reported
      that LDL induced expression of StAR messenger RNA and protein as well as
      expression of cholesterol side-chain cleavage cytochrome P-450 (CYP11A1)
      messenger RNA and progesterone production in cultured bovine granulosa cells. The
      number of lysosomes in the granulosa cells was also significantly increased by
      LDL; whereas the lysosomal inhibitor, chloroquine, strikingly abolished these LDL
      induced effects. Our results indicate that LDL promotes StAR expression,
      synthesis of progesterone, and formation of lysosomes in bovine granulosa cells,
      and lysosomes participate in the process by releasing free cholesterol from
      hydrolyzed LDL. 

PMID- 26100238
TI  - Fabrication of nanoscale Ga balls via a Coulomb explosion of microscale silica
      covered Ga balls by TEM electron-beam irradiation.
AB  - Nanoscale Ga particles down to 5 nm were fabricated by an explosion via an in
      situ electron-beam irradiation on microscale silica-covered Ga balls in a
      transmission electron microscope. The explosion is confirmed to be a Coulomb
      explosion because it occurs on the surface rather than in the whole body of the
      insulating silica-covered Ga micro-balls, and on the pure Ga nano-balls on the
      edge of carbon film. The ejected particles in the explosion increase their sizes
      with increasing irradiation time until the stop of the explosion, but decrease
      their sizes with increasing distance from the original ball. The Coulomb
      explosion suggests a novel method to fabricate nanoscale metal particles with low
      melting point.

PMID- 26100239
TI  - Inhibition of microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 as targeted therapy in cancer
      treatment.
AB  - The bioactive lipid prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is involved in several steps of
      carcinogenesis in some of the most common cancers, e.g. colon cancer, lung
      cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
      (NSAIDs) that target cyclooxygenase (COX) activity, the first step of the PGE2
      biosynthesis, has been found to reduce the incidence of colon cancer. Due to
      severe adverse effects on the gastrointestinal tract and the cardiovascular
      system, their use as chemopreventing agent has been hampered. Genetic deletion of
      microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1), the enzyme responsible for the
      second step of the PGE2 biosynthesis, has resulted in reduced tumor progression
      in mouse models of colon cancer. Inhibition of mPGES-1 would potentially be
      beneficial to a great number of patients without the side effects associated with
      long-term treatment with traditional NSAIDs. 

PMID- 26100240
TI  - Multilocus Sequence Types of Campylobacter jejuni Isolates from Different Sources
      in Eastern China.
AB  - Campylobacter jejuni is a major food-borne pathogen that causes human
      gastroenteritis in many developed countries. In our study, we applied multilocus
      sequence typing (MLST) technology to 167 C. jejuni isolates from diverse sources
      in Eastern China to examine their genetic diversity. MLST defined 94 sequence
      types (STs) belonging to 18 clonal complexes (CCs). Forty-five STs from 60
      isolates (36%) and 22 alleles have not been previously documented in an
      international database. One hundred and two isolates, accounting for 61.1% of all
      isolates, belonged to eight clonal complexes. The eight major CCs were also the
      most common complexes from different sources. The most common ST type of isolates
      from human and food was ST-353. The dominant ST type in chicken and foods was ST
      354. Among 21 STs that contained two or more different sources isolates, 15 STs
      contained human isolates and isolates from other sources, suggesting that
      potentially pathogenic strains are not restricted to specific lineages.

PMID- 26100241
TI  - Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of Leptospira interrogans Isolated from
      Canis familiaris in Southern Brazil.
AB  - Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic spirochetes from the
      genus Leptospira, which includes 20 species and more than 300 serovars. Canines
      are important hosts of pathogenic leptospires and can transmit the pathogen to
      humans via infected urine. Here, we report the phenotypic and molecular
      characterization of Leptospira interrogans isolated from Canis familiaris in
      Southern Brazil. The isolated strain was characterized by variable-number tandem
      repeats analysis as L. interrogans, serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae. In addition,
      the isolate was recognized by antibodies from human and canine serum samples
      previously tested by microscopic agglutination test. Ultimately, the expression
      of membrane-associated antigens (LipL32 and leptospiral immunoglobulin-like
      proteins) from pathogenic leptospires using monoclonal antibodies was detected by
      indirect immunofluorescence assay. In conclusion, identification of new strains
      of Leptospira can help in the diagnosis and control of leptospirosis.

PMID- 26100242
TI  - Improvements in bimanual hand function after baby-CIMT in two-year old children
      with unilateral cerebral palsy: A retrospective study.
AB  - The common assumption that early-onset intensive intervention positively affects
      motor development has rarely been investigated for hand function in children with
      unilateral cerebral palsy (CP). This retrospective study explored the possible
      impact of baby constraint-induced movement therapy (baby-CIMT) on hand function
      at two years of age. We hypothesized that baby-CIMT in the first year of life
      would lead to better bimanual hand use at two years of age than would not
      receiving baby-CIMT. The Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA) was administered at age
      21 months (SD 2.4 months) in 72 children with unilateral CP, 31 of who received
      baby-CIMT. When dividing the children into four functional levels based on AHA,
      the proportional distribution differed between the groups in favour of baby-CIMT.
      Logistic regression analysis indicated that children in the baby-CIMT group were
      more likely than were children in the no baby-CIMT group to have a high
      functional level, even when controlling for the effect of brain lesion type (OR
      5.83, 95% CI 1.44-23.56, p = 0.001). However, no difference was found between
      groups in the odds of having a very low functional level (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.08
      1.17, p = 0.084). The result shows that baby-CIMT at early age can have a
      positive effect. Children who received baby-CIMT were six times more likely to
      have a high functional level at two years of age than were children in the no
      baby-CIMT group.

PMID- 26100243
TI  - Hormone therapy and cardiovascular disease - are we back to the beginning?

PMID- 26100244
TI  - Persistent denial of undeniable bias.

PMID- 26100245
TI  - Large vessel area of the optic nerve head, measured with laser speckle
      flowgraphy, is significantly reduced in eyes with preperimetric glaucoma.

PMID- 26100246
TI  - The puzzling first-order phase transition in water-glycerol mixtures.
AB  - Over the last decade, discussions on a possible liquid-liquid transition (LLT)
      have strongly intensified. The LLT proposed by several authors focused mostly on
      explaining the anomalous properties of water in a deeply supercooled state.
      However, there have been no direct experimental observations yet of LLT in bulk
      water in the so-called 'no man's land', where water exists only in the
      crystalline states. Recently, a novel experimental strategy to detect LLT in
      water has been employed using water-glycerol (W-G) mixtures, because glycerol can
      generate a strong hindrance for water crystallization. As a result, the observed
      first-order phase transition at a concentration of glycerol around cg~ 20 mol%
      was ascribed to the LLT. Here we show unambiguously that the first order phase
      transition in W-G mixtures is caused by the ice formation. We provide additional
      dielectric measurements, applying specific annealing temperature protocols in
      order to reinforce this conclusion. We also provide an explanation, why such a
      phase transition occurs only in the narrow glycerol concentration range. These
      results clearly demonstrate the danger of analysis of phase-separating liquids to
      gain better insights into water dynamics. These liquids have complex phase
      behavior that is affected by temperature, phase stability and segregation,
      viscosity and nucleation, and finally by crystallization, that might lead to
      significant misinterpretations. 

PMID- 26100247
TI  - Temperature-induced shifts in hibernation behavior in experimental amphibian
      populations.
AB  - Phenological shifts are primary responses of species to recent climate change.
      Such changes might lead to temporal mismatches in food webs and exacerbate
      species vulnerability. Yet insights into this phenomenon through experimental
      approaches are still scarce, especially in amphibians, which are particularly
      sensitive to changing thermal environments. Here, under controlled warming
      conditions, we report a critical, but poorly studied, life-cycle stage (i.e.,
      hibernation) in frogs inhabiting subtropical latitudes. Using outdoor mesocosm
      experiments, we examined the effects of temperature (ambient vs. + ~2.2/2.4 
      degrees C of pre-/post-hibernation warming) and food availability (normal vs. 1/3
      food) on the date of entrance into/emergence from hibernation in Pelophylax
      nigromaculatus. We found temperature was the major factor determining the
      hibernation period, which showed a significant shortening under experimental
      warming (6-8 days), with delays in autumn and advances in spring. Moreover, the
      timing of hibernation was not affected by food availability, whereas sex and,
      particularly, age were key factors in the species' phenological responses.
      Specifically, male individuals emerged from hibernation earlier, while older
      individuals also entered and emerged from hibernation earlier. We believe that
      this study provides some of the first experimental evidence for the effect of
      climate warming on the timing of amphibian hibernation.

PMID- 26100248
TI  - Comparison of carotid atherosclerotic plaque characteristics between patients
      with first-time and recurrent acute ischaemic stroke using B-mode ultrasound.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The differences between initial and recurrent stroke plaques are not
      defined. Hence, a nested case-control study was conducted to evaluate the
      association of stroke recurrence with the echogenic characteristics of carotid
      plaques in patients with ischaemic stroke. METHODS: One hundred and four patients
      with 1-year recurrent acute ischaemic stroke were enrolled and compared with 104
      control patients (first-time ischaemic stroke) matched for age, gender, stroke
      severity and treatment allocation. Based on the Mannheim Carotid Intima-Media
      Thickness Consensus (2004-2006), the number of carotid plaques and echogenicity
      between the two groups of patients were compared. RESULTS: As compared to
      patients with first-time stroke, those with recurrent stroke showed significantly
      higher prevalence of heart disease (13.46 vs 28.85%, P = 0.0066) and presence of
      intracranial stenosis (55.77 vs 89.90%, P < 0.0001). During the 1-year follow-up,
      patients with recurrent stroke had a significantly higher rate of unstable
      plaques (80.41%) than patients with first-time stroke (64.21%, P = 0.036). Also,
      patients with recurrent stroke had a significantly larger number of plaques than
      patients with first-time stroke (P = 0.0152). Multivariate conditional logistic
      regression analysis (after adjustment for heart disease and intracranial
      stenosis) identified an association between 1-year stroke recurrence and the
      presence of unstable plaques (hazard ratio 3.077; 95% CI: 1.133-8.355).
      CONCLUSION: Stroke recurrence is related to advanced atherosclerosis defined by
      carotid plaque and its characteristics.

PMID- 26100249
TI  - Curcumin inhibits human cytomegalovirus by downregulating heat shock protein 90.
AB  - Curcumin is a traditional Chinese medicine extracted from the rhizome of the herb
      Curcuma longa, which exhibits anti-human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) activity,
      however, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. The present study
      reported that the pharmacogenomics of curcumin are similar to that of the
      antiviral drug, geldanamycin, which targets heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90).
      Comparative analysis of 3,000 clinical drugs demonstrated that curcumin had a
      positive association with the gene expression profiles of several drugs, among
      which the pharmacogenomics of the antiviral drug, geldanamycin, were most similar
      to that of curcumin. Molecular docking simulation analysis revealed that curcumin
      fit well in the binding pocket of Hsp90, with hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic
      interactions and conjugation to maintain adhesion. Consistently, HCMV infection
      of human embryonic lung fibroblast cells resulted in increased expression of
      Hsp90alpha, which was significantly inhibited by treatment with curcumin. These
      findings suggested that targeting Hsp90 contributed to the anti-HCMV activity of
      curcumin.

PMID- 26100250
TI  - Detection of selection signatures in Piemontese and Marchigiana cattle, two
      breeds with similar production aptitudes but different selection histories.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Domestication and selection are processes that alter the pattern of
      within- and between-population genetic variability. They can be investigated at
      the genomic level by tracing the so-called selection signatures. Recently,
      sequence polymorphisms at the genome-wide level have been investigated in a wide
      range of animals. A common approach to detect selection signatures is to compare
      breeds that have been selected for different breeding goals (i.e. dairy and beef
      cattle). However, genetic variations in different breeds with similar production
      aptitudes and similar phenotypes can be related to differences in their selection
      history. METHODS: In this study, we investigated selection signatures between two
      Italian beef cattle breeds, Piemontese and Marchigiana, using genotyping data
      that was obtained with the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip. The comparison was
      based on the fixation index (Fst), combined with a locally weighted scatterplot
      smoothing (LOWESS) regression and a control chart approach. In addition, analyses
      of Fst were carried out to confirm candidate genes. In particular, data were
      processed using the varLD method, which compares the regional variation of
      linkage disequilibrium between populations. RESULTS: Genome scans confirmed the
      presence of selective sweeps in the genomic regions that harbour candidate genes
      that are known to affect productive traits in cattle such as DGAT1, ABCG2, CAPN3,
      MSTN and FTO. In addition, several new putative candidate genes (for example
      ALAS1, ABCB8, ACADS and SOD1) were detected. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided
      evidence on the different selection histories of two cattle breeds and the
      usefulness of genomic scans to detect selective sweeps even in cattle breeds that
      are bred for similar production aptitudes.

PMID- 26100251
TI  - Isolation and full-length genome analysis of mosquito-borne Manzanilla virus from
      Yunnan Province, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There have been four strains on Manzanilla virus (MANV) identified to
      date. Here, we identify a novel MANV strain (DHL10M107) isolated from Culex
      tritaeniorhynchus Giles mosquitoes from Ruili city, Dehong prefecture, Yunnan
      Province, in the People's Republic of China. RESULTS: The DHL10M107 L, M and S
      genes were sequenced at the nucleotide and deduced amino acid levels. The L, M
      and S gene sequences of DHL10M107 clustered with the MANV strains VN04-2108,
      TRVL3587, SA An 4165, and AV 782. DHL10M107 was most closely related to VN04
      2108. Nucleotide homology ranged between 96 and 99% between DHL10M107 and VN04
      2108. In terms of amino acid homology, all of the amino acid differences were in
      the L (96.3% homologous) and M (97.7% homologous) fragments. CONCLUSIONS:
      DHL10M107 is likely a MANV isolated from mosquitos in the Yunnan Province. This
      is the first reported isolation of MANV in mainland China.

PMID- 26100252
TI  - Exosomes released by chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells induce the transition of
      stromal cells into cancer-associated fibroblasts.
AB  - Exosomes derived from solid tumor cells are involved in immune suppression,
      angiogenesis, and metastasis, but the role of leukemia-derived exosomes has been
      less investigated. The pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is
      stringently associated with a tumor-supportive microenvironment and a
      dysfunctional immune system. Here, we explore the role of CLL-derived exosomes in
      the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which malignant cells create this
      favorable surrounding. We show that CLL-derived exosomes are actively
      incorporated by endothelial and mesenchymal stem cells ex vivo and in vivo and
      that the transfer of exosomal protein and microRNA induces an inflammatory
      phenotype in the target cells, which resembles the phenotype of cancer-associated
      fibroblasts (CAFs). As a result, stromal cells show enhanced proliferation,
      migration, and secretion of inflammatory cytokines, contributing to a tumor
      supportive microenvironment. Exosome uptake by endothelial cells increased
      angiogenesis ex vivo and in vivo, and coinjection of CLL-derived exosomes and CLL
      cells promoted tumor growth in immunodeficient mice. Finally, we detected alpha
      smooth actin-positive stromal cells in lymph nodes of CLL patients. These
      findings demonstrate that CLL-derived exosomes actively promote disease
      progression by modulating several functions of surrounding stromal cells that
      acquire features of cancer-associated fibroblasts. 

PMID- 26100253
TI  - Genetic variants in VEGF pathway genes in neoadjuvant breast cancer patients
      receiving bevacizumab: Results from the randomized phase III GeparQuinto study.
AB  - Studies assessing the effect of bevacizumab (BEV) on breast cancer (BC) outcome
      have shown different effects on progression-free and overall survival, suggesting
      that a subgroup of patients may benefit from this treatment. Unfortunately, no
      biomarkers exist to identify these patients. Here, we investigate whether single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in VEGF pathway genes correlate with pathological
      complete response (pCR) in the neoadjuvant GeparQuinto trial. HER2-negative
      patients were randomized into treatment arms receiving either BEV combined with
      standard chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone. In a pre-planned biomarker study,
      DNA was collected from 729 and 724 patients, respectively from both treatment
      arms, and genotyped for 125 SNPs. Logistic regression assessed interaction
      between individual SNPs and both treatment arms to predict pCR. Five SNPs may be
      associated with a better response to BEV, but none of them remained significant
      after correction for multiple testing. The two SNPs most strongly associated,
      rs833058 and rs699947, were located upstream of the VEGF-A promoter. Odds ratios
      for the homozygous common, heterozygous and homozygous rare rs833058 genotypes
      were 2.36 (95% CI, 1.49-3.75), 1.20 (95% CI, 0.88-1.64) and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.34
      1.12). Notably, some SNPs in VEGF-A exhibited a more pronounced effect in the
      triple-negative subgroup. Several SNPs in VEGF-A may be associated with improved
      pCR when receiving BEV in the neoadjuvant setting. Although none of the observed
      effects survived correction for multiple testing, our observations are consistent
      with previous studies on BEV efficacy in BC. Further research is warranted to
      clarify the predictive value of these markers. 

PMID- 26100254
TI  - Does Tourniquet Use in TKA Affect Recovery of Lower Extremity Strength and
      Function? A Randomized Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tourniquet use during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) improves
      visibility and reduces intraoperative blood loss. However, tourniquet use may
      also have a negative impact on early recovery of muscle strength and lower
      extremity function after TKA. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: The purpose of this study was
      (1) to determine whether tourniquet use affects recovery of quadriceps strength
      (primary outcome) during the first 3 postoperative months; and (2) to examine the
      effects of tourniquet application on secondary outcomes: voluntary quadriceps
      activation, hamstring strength, unilateral limb balance as well as the effect on
      operative time and blood loss. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients (mean age 62 +/- 6
      years; 16 men) undergoing same-day bilateral TKA (56 lower extremities) were
      enrolled in a prospective, randomized study. Subjects were randomized to receive
      a tourniquet-assisted knee arthroplasty on one lower extremity while the
      contralateral limb underwent knee arthroplasty without extended tourniquet use.
      In the former group, the tourniquet was inflated just before the incision was
      made and released after cementation; in the latter group, a tourniquet was not
      used (10 of 28 [36%]) or inflated only during component cementation (18 of 28
      [64%]). The choice of no tourniquet or use just during cementation was based on
      surgeon choice, because some surgeons felt a tourniquet during cementation was
      necessary to achieve a dry surgical field to maximize cement fixation. A median
      parapatellar approach and the identical posterior-stabilized TKA design were used
      by all four fellowship-trained knee surgeons involved. Isometric quadriceps
      strength, hamstring strength, voluntary quadriceps activation, and unilateral
      balance were assessed preoperatively, 3 weeks, and 3 months after bilateral knee
      arthroplasty. Other factors, including pain, range of motion, and lower extremity
      girth, were assessed for descriptive purposes at each of these time points as
      well as on the second postoperative day. RESULTS: Quadriceps strength was
      slightly lower in the tourniquet group compared with the no-tourniquet group
      (group difference = 11.27 Nm [95% confidence interval {CI}, 2.33-20.20]; p =
      0.01), and these differences persisted at 3 months after surgery (group
      difference = 9.48 Nm [95% CI, 0.43-18.54]; p = 0.03). Hamstring strength did not
      differ between groups at any time point nor did measures of quadriceps voluntary
      activation or measures of unilateral balance ability. There was less estimated
      intraoperative blood loss in the tourniquet group (84 +/- 26 mL) than in the no
      tourniquet group (156 +/- 63 mL) (group difference = -74 mL [95% CI, -100 to 
      49]; p < 0.001). However, there was no difference in total blood loss between the
      groups (group difference = -136 mL [95% CI, -318 to 45]; p = 0.13). CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients who underwent TKA using a tourniquet had diminished quadriceps strength
      during the first 3 months after TKA, the clinical significance of which is
      unclear. Future studies may be warranted to examine the effects of tourniquet use
      on long-term strength and functional outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I,
      therapeutic study.

PMID- 26100255
TI  - Are There Long-term Benefits to Cementing the Metaphyseal Stem in Hip
      Resurfacing?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cementing the metaphyseal stem during hip resurfacing surgery
      improves the initial fixation of the femoral component. However, there may be
      long-term detrimental effects such as stress shielding or an increased risk of
      thermal necrosis associated with this technique. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We compared
      (1) long-term survivorship free from radiographic femoral failure, (2) validated
      pain scores, and (3) radiographic evidence of component fixation between hips
      resurfaced with a cemented metaphyseal stem and hips resurfaced with the
      metaphyseal stem left uncemented. METHODS: We retrospectively selected all the
      patients who had undergone bilateral hip resurfacing with an uncemented
      metaphyseal stem on one side, a cemented metaphyseal stem on the other side, and
      had both surgeries performed between July 1998 and February 2005. Forty-three
      patients matched these inclusion criteria. During that period, the indications
      for cementing the stem evolved in the practice of the senior author (HCA),
      passing through four phases; initially, only hips with large femoral defects had
      a cemented stem, then all stems were cemented, then all stems were left
      uncemented. Finally, stems were cemented for patients receiving small femoral
      components (< 48 mm) or having large femoral defects (or both). Of the 43
      cemented stems, two, 13, 0, and 28 came from each of those four periods. All 43
      patients had complete followup at a minimum of 9 years (mean, 143 +/- 21 months
      for the uncemented stems; and 135 +/- 22 months for the cemented stems; p =
      0.088). Survivorship analyses were performed with Kaplan-Meier and Cox
      proportional hazards ratios using radiographic failure of the femoral component
      as the endpoint. Pain was assessed with University of California Los Angeles
      (UCLA) pain scores, and radiographic femoral failure was defined as complete
      radiolucency around the metaphyseal stem or gross migration of the femoral
      component. RESULTS: There were four failures of the femoral component in the
      press-fit stem group while the cemented stem group had no femoral failures (p =
      0.0471). With the numbers available, we found no differences between the two
      groups regarding pain relief or radiographic appearance other than in patients
      whose components developed loosening. CONCLUSIONS: Cementing the metaphyseal stem
      improves long-term implant survival and does not alter long-term pain relief or
      the radiographic appearance of the proximal femur as had been a concern based on
      the results of finite element studies. We believe that patients with small
      component sizes and large femoral head defects have more to gain from the use of
      this technique which adds surface area for fixation, and there is no clinical
      downside to cementing the stem in patients with large component sizes. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level III, therapeutic study.

PMID- 26100257
TI  - Letter to the Editor: Editor's Spotlight/Take 5: Most American Academy of
      Orthopaedic Surgeons' Online Patient Education Material Exceeds Average Patient
      Reading Level.

PMID- 26100256
TI  - Can Good Infection Control Be Obtained in One-stage Exchange of the Infected TKA
      to a Rotating Hinge Design? 10-year Results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) occurs in 1% to 2% of total knee
      arthroplasties (TKAs). Although two-stage exchange is the preferred management
      method of patients with chronic PJI in TKA in North America, one-stage exchange
      is an alternative treatment method, but long-term studies of this approach have
      not been conducted. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We reviewed our minimum 9-year results of
      70 patients who underwent one-stage exchange arthroplasty with a rotating hinge
      design to determine: (1) What was the proportion of patients free of infection?
      (2) What was the patient rate of survival free of any reoperation? (3) What were
      the clinical outcomes as measured by Hospital for Special Surgery scores? (4)
      What proportion of patients developed radiographic evidence of loosening?
      METHODS: All one-stage revision TKAs for infection between January 1 and December
      31, 2002, with a minimum 9-year followup (mean, 10 years; range, 9-11 years), in
      which patients had been seen within the last 1 year, were included in this
      retrospective review. During that period, 11 patients with infected TKAs were
      treated with other approaches (including two-stage approaches in eight); the
      general indication for one-stage revision was the diagnosis of PJI with a known
      causative organism. Exclusion criteria were culture-negative preoperative
      aspiration, known allergy to local antibiotics or bone cement, or cases in which
      radical debridement was impossible as a result of the involvement of important
      anatomical structures. Eighty-one patients with PJI were seen during this period;
      70 underwent one-stage exchange using our strict protocol and were reimplanted
      with a rotating hinge TKA. Eleven patients (15.7%) were lost to followup.
      Hospital for Special Surgery scores were recorded and all radiographs were
      evaluated for prosthetic loosening. Failure was defined as revision surgery for
      infection or any other cause. RESULTS: Our 10-year infection-free survival was
      93% (mean, 4.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 89%-96%; p < 0.007); and the
      patient 10-year survival rate free of revision for other causes was 91% (mean,
      5.2; 95% CI, 86%-95%; p < 0.002). Mean Hospital for Special Surgery knee score at
      last followup was 69.6 (+/- 22.5 SD; range, 22-100) and the mean improvement in
      Hospital for Special Surgery knee score from preoperative to most recent followup
      was 35 (+/- 24.2 SD; range, 13-99). Evidence of radiographic loosening was seen
      in 11 patients at last followup, whereby in six patients, there was need for
      revision surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Our study results showed an overall infection
      control rate of 93% and good clinical results using our one-stage approach, which
      combines aggressive debridement of the collateral ligaments and posterior capsule
      with a rotating hinge implant. These results are comparable with two-stage
      techniques at a followup of 10 years; further research into one-stage exchange
      techniques for PJI in TKA appears warranted. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV,
      therapeutic study.

PMID- 26100258
TI  - Editorial Comment: 2014 Annual Meeting of the Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction
      Society.

PMID- 26100259
TI  - CORR Insights((r)): What is the Best Clinical Test for Assessment of the Teres
      Minor in Massive Rotator Cuff Tears?

PMID- 26100260
TI  - Circumferential stent fracture repaired using a covered stent in a 42-year-old
      man with coarctation of the aorta.
AB  - We present a case of circumferential fracture of aortic coarctation stent with
      severe re-stentosis presenting 16 years after initial stent implantation with end
      stage renal disease. The patient was treated with a covered stent using the stent
      in-stent technique. The use of an ultra-high-pressure balloon was proved
      necessary to overcome the tight, non-compliant stenosis. 

PMID- 26100261
TI  - Chemoenzymatic synthesis of alpha-dystroglycan core M1 O-mannose glycans.
AB  - The diversity-oriented chemoenzymatic synthesis of alpha-dystroglycan (alpha-DG)
      core M1 O-mannose glycans has been achieved via a three-step sequential one-pot
      multienzyme (OPME) glycosylation of a chemically prepared disaccharyl serine
      intermediate. The high flexibility and efficiency of this chemoenzymatic strategy
      was demonstrated for the synthesis of three more complex core M1 O-mannose
      glycans for the first time along with three previously reported core M1
      structures. 

PMID- 26100262
TI  - CKA2 functions in H2O2-induced apoptosis and high-temperature stress tolerance by
      regulating NO accumulation in yeast.
AB  - Nitric oxide (NO) plays key roles in yeast responses to various environmental
      factors, such as H2O2 and high temperature. However, the gene encoding NO
      synthase (NOS) in yeast has not yet been identified, and the mechanism underlying
      the regulation of NOS-like activity is poorly understood. Here, we report on the
      involvement of CKA2 in H2O2-induced yeast apoptosis and yeast high-temperature
      stress tolerance. Our results showed that although Deltacka2 mutant had reduced
      NO accumulation with decreased apoptosis after H2O2 exposure, treatment with a NO
      donor, sodium nitroprusside, resulted in similar survival rate of Deltacka2
      mutant compared to that of wild-type yeast when subjected to H2O2 stress. This
      finding occurred because H2O2-enhanced NOS-like activity in wild-type yeast was
      significantly repressed in Deltacka2. Our additional experiments indicated that
      both high-temperature-enhanced NO accumulation and NOS-like activity were also
      suppressed in Deltacka2, leading to the hypersensitivity of the mutant to high
      temperature in terms of changes in survival rate. Thus, our results showed that
      CKA2 functioned in H2O2-induced apoptosis and high-temperature stress tolerance
      by regulating NOS-like-dependent NO accumulation in yeast. 

PMID- 26100263
TI  - High-throughput transformation method for Yarrowia lipolytica mutant library
      screening.
AB  - As a microorganism of major biotechnological importance, the oleaginous yeast
      Yarrowia lipolytica is subjected to intensive genetic engineering and functional
      genomic analysis. Future advancements in this area, however, require a system
      that will generate a large collection of mutants for high-throughput screening.
      Here, we report a rapid and efficient method for high-throughput transformation
      of Y. lipolytica in 96-well plates. We developed plasmids and strains for the
      large-scale screening of overexpression mutant strains, using Gateway(r) vectors
      that were adapted for specific locus integration in Y. lipolytica. As an example,
      a collection of mutants that overexpressed the alkaline extracellular protease
      (AEP) was obtained in a single transformation experiment. The platform strain
      that we developed to receive the overexpression cassette was designed to
      constitutively express a fluorescent protein as a convenient growth reporter for
      screening in non-translucid media. An example of growth comparison in skim milk
      based medium between AEP overexpression and deletion mutants is provided. 

PMID- 26100264
TI  - Comparison of redox and gene expression changes during vegetative/generative
      transition in the crowns and leaves of chromosome 5A substitution lines of wheat
      under low-temperature condition.
AB  - The aim of our experiments was to investigate the effect of chromosome 5A on the
      thiol-dependent redox environment and on the transcription of cold- and
      vernalization-related genes during the vegetative/generative transition in crowns
      and leaves of wheat. Chinese Spring, a moderately freezing-tolerant variety, and
      its more and less tolerant substitution lines - [CS(Ch5A)] and [CS(Tsp5A)],
      respectively - with different combinations of vernalization alleles were
      compared. At low temperature, the amount of cystine and glutathione disulphide
      and the related redox potentials increased in the crowns but not in the leaves.
      In the crowns of the substitution lines, the concentration and redox state of
      thiols were different only at the vegetative and double ridge (start of the
      generative transition) stages. The expression of the vernalization-related VRN1
      gene increased significantly during the transition both in the crowns and leaves.
      The transcription of the freezing tolerance-related CBF14, COR14b and COR39 genes
      markedly increased in both organs after 2 weeks at 4  degrees C when the
      seedlings were still in the vegetative stage. This increment was greater in
      CS(Ch5A) than in CS(Tsp5A). The Ch5A chromosome in CS genetic background enhanced
      the expression of CBF regulon even in the generative phase in crown that is the
      key organ for overwintering and freezing tolerance. At certain developmental
      stages, both the thiol and the transcript levels differed significantly in the
      two substitution lines.

PMID- 26100267
TI  - Exploring Spanish health social media for detecting drug effects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adverse Drug reactions (ADR) cause a high number of deaths among
      hospitalized patients in developed countries. Major drug agencies have devoted a
      great interest in the early detection of ADRs due to their high incidence and
      increasing health care costs. Reporting systems are available in order for both
      healthcare professionals and patients to alert about possible ADRs. However,
      several studies have shown that these adverse events are underestimated. Our
      hypothesis is that health social networks could be a significant information
      source for the early detection of ADRs as well as of new drug indications.
      METHODS: In this work we present a system for detecting drug effects (which
      include both adverse drug reactions as well as drug indications) from user posts
      extracted from a Spanish health forum. Texts were processed using MeaningCloud, a
      multilingual text analysis engine, to identify drugs and effects. In addition, we
      developed the first Spanish database storing drugs as well as their effects
      automatically built from drug package inserts gathered from online websites. We
      then applied a distant-supervision method using the database on a collection of
      84,000 messages in order to extract the relations between drugs and their
      effects. To classify the relation instances, we used a kernel method based only
      on shallow linguistic information of the sentences. RESULTS: Regarding Relation
      Extraction of drugs and their effects, the distant supervision approach achieved
      a recall of 0.59 and a precision of 0.48. CONCLUSIONS: The task of extracting
      relations between drugs and their effects from social media is a complex
      challenge due to the characteristics of social media texts. These texts,
      typically posts or tweets, usually contain many grammatical errors and spelling
      mistakes. Moreover, patients use lay terminology to refer to diseases, symptoms
      and indications that is not usually included in lexical resources in languages
      other than English.

PMID- 26100265
TI  - Immune response of healthy horses to DNA constructs formulated with a cationic
      lipid transfection reagent.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) vaccines are used for experimental
      immunotherapy of equine melanoma. The injection of complexed linear DNA encoding
      interleukin (IL)-12/IL-18 induced partial tumour remission in a clinical study
      including 27 grey horses. To date, the detailed mechanism of the anti-tumour
      effect of this treatment is unknown. RESULTS: In the present study, the clinical
      and cellular responses of 24 healthy horses were monitored over 72 h after
      simultaneous intradermal and intramuscular application of equine IL-12/IL-18 DNA
      (complexed with a transfection reagent) or comparative substances (transfection
      reagent only, nonsense DNA, nonsense DNA depleted of CG). Although the strongest
      effect was observed in horses treated with expressing DNA, horses in all groups
      treated with DNA showed systemic responses. In these horses treated with DNA,
      rectal temperatures were elevated after treatment and serum amyloid A increased.
      Total leukocyte and neutrophil counts increased, while lymphocyte numbers
      decreased. The secretion of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and
      interferon gamma (IFNgamma) from peripheral mononuclear blood cells ex vivo
      increased after treatments with DNA, while IL-10 secretion decreased. Horses
      treated with DNA had significantly higher myeloid cell numbers and chemokine (C-X
      C motif) ligand (CXCL)-10 expression in skin samples at the intradermal injection
      sites compared to horses treated with transfection reagent only, suggesting an
      inflammatory response to DNA treatment. In horses treated with expressing DNA,
      however, local CXCL-10 expression was highest and immunohistochemistry revealed
      more intradermal IL-12-positive cells when compared to the other treatment
      groups. In contrast to non-grey horses, grey horses showed fewer effects of DNA
      treatments on blood lymphocyte counts, TNFalpha secretion and myeloid cell
      infiltration in the dermis. CONCLUSION: Treatment with complexed linear DNA
      constructs induced an inflammatory response independent of the coding sequence
      and of CG motif content. Expressing IL-12/IL-18 DNA locally induces expression of
      the downstream mediator CXCL-10. The grey horses included appeared to display an
      attenuated immune response to DNA treatment, although grey horses bearing
      melanoma responded to this treatment with moderate tumour remission in a
      preceding study. Whether the different immunological reactivity compared to other
      horses may contributes to the melanoma susceptibility of grey horses remains to
      be elucidated.

PMID- 26100266
TI  - Regional pressure and temperature variations across the injured human brain:
      comparisons between paired intraparenchymal and ventricular measurements.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intraparenchymal, multimodality sensors are commonly used in the
      management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The 'gold
      standard', based on accuracy, reliability and cost for intracranial pressure
      (ICP) monitoring is within the cerebral ventricle (external strain gauge). There
      are no standards yet for intracerebral temperature monitoring and little is known
      of temperature differences between brain tissue and ventricle. The aim of the
      study therefore was to determine pressure and temperature differences at
      intraparenchymal and ventricular sites during five days of continuous
      neuromonitoring. METHODS: Patients with severe TBI requiring emergency surgery.
      INCLUSION CRITERIA: patients who required ICP monitoring were eligible for
      recruitment. Two intracerebral probe types were used: a) intraventricular, dual
      parameter sensor (measuring pressure, temperature) with inbuilt catheter for CSF
      drainage: b) multiparameter intraparenchymal sensor measuring pressure,
      temperature and oxygen partial pressure. All sensors were inserted during surgery
      and under aseptic conditions. RESULTS: Seventeen patients, 12 undergoing
      neurosurgery (decompressive craniectomy n = 8, craniotomy n = 4) aged 21-78 years
      were studied. Agreement of measures for 9540 brain tissue-ventricular temperature
      'pairs' and 10,291 brain tissue-ventricular pressure 'pairs' were determined
      using mixed model to compare mean temperature and pressure for longitudinal data.
      There was no significant overall difference for mean temperature (p = 0.92) or
      mean pressure readings (p = 0.379) between tissue and ventricular sites. With
      95.8 % of paired temperature readings within 2SD (-0.4 to 0.4  degrees C)
      differences in temperature between brain tissue and ventricle were clinically
      insignificant. For pressure, 93.5 % of readings pairs fell within the 2SD range (
      9.4756 to 7.8112 mmHg). However, for individual patients, agreement for mean
      tissue-ventricular pressure differences was poor on occasions. CONCLUSIONS: There
      is good overall agreement between paired temperature measurements obtained from
      deep white matter and brain ventricle in patients with and without early
      neurosurgery. For paired ICP measurements, 93.5 % of readings were within 2SD of
      mean difference. Whilst the majority of paired readings were comparable (within
      10 mmHg) clinically relevant tissue-ventricular dissociations were noted. Further
      work is required to unravel the events responsible for short intervals of
      pressure dissociation before tissue pressure readings can be definitively
      accepted as a reliable surrogate for ventricular pressure.

PMID- 26100269
TI  - Laser directed writing of flat lenses on buckypaper.
AB  - Laser directed patterning of carbon nanotubes-based buckypaper for producing a
      diffractive optical device is presented here. Using a laser ablation method the
      buckypaper was patterned into a binary Fresnel zone plate lens. Computational
      modelling was performed which revealed excellent focusing performance of the lens
      for both visible and THz radiations. SEM and Raman measurements of the lens were
      studied to analyse the laser-material interaction. The focusing properties of the
      lens were characterized and a good agreement with the simulations was achieved.
      Hence, we exploited a new way to fabricate thin flat lens. The one-step
      fabrication process is economical, convenient and has great potential for
      industrial scale up. 

PMID- 26100268
TI  - Ethnic differences in medicinal plant use among University students: a cross
      sectional survey of self-reported medicinal plant use at two Midwest
      Universities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous surveys of medicinal plant use among college students
      abound, but none compare use between students enrolled in two different
      Universities with significantly different ethnic compositions. The objective of
      this study is to compare medicinal plant use between two different ethnic college
      populations and explore differences between student medicinal plant users and non
      users for comparison with previous research. METHODS: Students (n = 721) at a
      large research university (n = 498) and a Pan-Tribal University for Native
      Americans (n = 233) completed surveys in October 2011 to assess past year
      medicinal plant use. The Mann-Whitney U test, Chi Square test, and General Linear
      Model were used to compare demographics and self-reported use of medicinal plants
      among students at both Universities and between past year users and non-users.
      RESULTS: Over 23% of university students surveyed reported past year medicinal
      plant use. Users were more likely to use commercial tobacco products and to
      report poorer health than non-users. While Native American student medicinal
      plant users reported significantly higher rates of commercial tobacco use, lower
      self-assessment of health, and less use of prescription medicine than non-Native
      users, no significant differences in prevalence of medicinal plant use were found
      between University student populations. CONCLUSIONS: Results are consistent with
      preexisting data showing higher rates of medicinal plant use among college
      students compared to the larger US population of adults and demonstrate
      previously documented health disparities in Native American populations compared
      to non-Native Americans.

PMID- 26100270
TI  - MAGE-A3: an immunogenic target used in clinical practice.
AB  - Melanoma antigen family A, 3 (MAGE-A3) is a cancer-testis antigen whose
      expression has been demonstrated in a wide array of malignancies including
      melanoma, brain, breast, lung and ovarian cancer. In addition, its ability to
      elicit spontaneous humoral and cellular immune responses has been shown in cancer
      patients. As antigen-specific immune responses can be stimulated by immunization
      with MAGE-A3, several clinical trials have used MAGE-A3 vaccines to observe
      clinical responses. The frequent expressions of this antigen in various tumors
      and its immunogenicity in cancer patients have led to application of this antigen
      in cancer immunotherapy. However, the results of recent clinical trials indicate
      that there is a need for research in the vaccine design, adjuvant selection as
      well as patient selection criteria. 

PMID- 26100271
TI  - Rindopepimut vaccine and bevacizumab combination therapy: improving survival
      rates in relapsed glioblastoma patients?

PMID- 26100272
TI  - IL-25 as a potential therapeutic target in allergic asthma.

PMID- 26100273
TI  - Recent advances in multidisciplinary approach for rectal cancer.
AB  - Surgery is a major treatment option for rectal cancer, and total mesorectal
      excision has been demonstrated to be advantageous in terms of oncological outcome
      and thus has been the standard surgical approach. Radiotherapy before or after
      radical surgery is the optimal treatment to control local recurrence of advanced
      rectal cancer. To date, in many countries, the combination of neoadjuvant
      concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy is considered the standard therapy. A
      more recent interest in neoadjuvant therapy has been the use of oxaliplatin or
      targeted agents for neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. However, despite many trials
      of oxaliplatin and targeted agents, 5-FU-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy has
      remained the only standard treatment option. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy
      with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy or induction chemotherapy with neoadjuvant
      chemoradiotherapy may further improve patient survival, as some clinical studies
      recently indicated. In Japan, neoadjuvant therapy is not the standard treatment
      method, because surgery with lateral lymph node dissection is usually performed
      and this type of surgery may reduce recurrence rate as does radiation therapy.
      The phase III study to evaluate the oncological effect of the Japanese standard
      operation (mesorectal excision, ME) with lateral lymph node dissection in
      comparison with ME alone for clinical stage II and III lower rectal cancer is
      currently ongoing. 

PMID- 26100274
TI  - Palbociclib for the Treatment of Estrogen Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative
      Metastatic Breast Cancer.
AB  - Palbociclib is a selective inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 that
      acts by reducing phosphorylation of the tumor suppressor gene retinoblastoma.
      When added to the aromatase inhibitor letrozole in a randomized phase II trial
      for first-line therapy of estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic
      breast cancer, palbociclib significantly increased progression-free survival
      compared with letrozole alone [palbociclib + letrozole: 20.2 months; 95%
      confidence interval (CI), 13.8-27.5; letrozole: 10.2 months; 95% CI, 5.7-12.6;
      HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.32-0.75; P = 0.0004]. On the basis of these results, the drug
      was recently granted accelerated approval by the FDA, and confirmatory studies
      are ongoing. Because this drug has a rational target in an oncologic pathway,
      concurrent biomarker development is of interest. In breast cancer, the most
      useful predictive biomarkers identified thus far are estrogen receptor and HER2
      receptor status, although additional studies are ongoing. In this article, we
      review the development of palbociclib and its use in treatment of hormone
      receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer in the context of other FDA-approved
      agents in this setting.

PMID- 26100275
TI  - MicroRNA-374b Suppresses Proliferation and Promotes Apoptosis in T-cell
      Lymphoblastic Lymphoma by Repressing AKT1 and Wnt-16.
AB  - PURPOSE: Deregulation of microRNA (miRNA) has been extensively investigated in
      both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL); however, little is known about the
      roles of miRNAs in T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL). The aim of the present
      study was to investigate the potential roles of miR-374b in the development and
      treatment of T-LBL. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: MiRCURY LNA array was used to generate a
      miRNA-expressing profile. Real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry
      (IHC) were applied to detect the expression of miR-374b, AKT1, and Wnt16 in T-LBL
      samples. The dual-luciferase reporter assay was conducted to confirm target
      associations of miR-374b. The tumor-suppressive effect of miR-374b was determined
      by both in vitro and in vivo studies. RESULTS: The expression of 380 miRNAs was
      evaluated in five human T-LBL tissues and five infantile thymus samples by
      microRNA microarrays. Downregulation of miR-374b was frequently detected in
      primary T-LBL tissues, which was significantly associated with worse overall
      survival and increased risk of recurrence of the 58 patients enrolled in this
      study. miR-374b suppressed T-LBL cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo and
      sensitized cells to serum starvation- and chemotherapeutic agent-induced
      apoptosis. Furthermore, we characterized two AKT pathway-associated molecules,
      AKT1 and Wnt16, as direct targets of miR-374b. Consistently, in T-LBL patient
      tissues, AKT1 and Wnt16 expression was inversely correlated with miR-374b levels,
      and was an independent predictor of recurrence and survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      data highlight the molecular etiology and clinical significance of miR-374b in T
      LBL. Targeting miR-374b may represent a new therapeutic strategy to improve
      therapy and survival for T-LBL patients.

PMID- 26100277
TI  - Letter to the Editor concerning "Continuous wound infusion of ropivacaine for the
      control of pain after thoracolumbar spinal surgery: a randomized clinical trial"
      (by B. Xu, et al. (2015) Eur Spine J; 24: doi 10.1007/s00586-015-3979-x).

PMID- 26100276
TI  - Previous experiences and emotional baggage as barriers to lifestyle change - a
      qualitative study of Norwegian Healthy Life Centre participants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Changing lifestyle is challenging and difficult. The Norwegian
      Directorate of Health recommends that all municipalities establish Healthy Life
      Centres targeted to people with lifestyle issues. Little is known about the
      background, experiences and reflections of participants. More information is
      needed about participants to shape effective lifestyle interventions with lasting
      effect. This study explores how participants in a lifestyle intervention
      programme describe previous life experiences in relation to changing lifestyle.
      METHODS: Semi-structured qualitative in-depth interviews were performed with 23
      participants (16 women and 7 men) aged 18 - 70 years. The data were analysed
      using systematic text condensation searching for issues describing participants'
      responses, and looking for the essence, aiming to share the basis of life-world
      experiences as valid knowledge. RESULTS: Participants identified two main themes:
      being stuck in old habits, and being burdened with emotional baggage from their
      previous negative experiences. Participants expressed a wish to change their
      lifestyles, but were unable to act in accordance with the health knowledge they
      possessed. Previous experiences with lifestyle change kept them from initiating
      attempts without professional assistance. Participants also described being
      burdened by an emotional baggage with problems from childhood and/or with family,
      work and social life issues. Respondents said that they felt that emotional
      baggage was an important explanation for why they were stuck in old habits and
      that conversely, being stuck in old habits added load to their already emotional
      baggage and made it heavier. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioural change can be hard to
      perform as psychological distress from life baggage can influence the ability to
      change. The study participants' experience of being stuck in old habits and
      having substantial emotional baggage raises questions as to whether or not
      Healthy Life Centres are able to help participants who need to make a lifestyle
      change.

PMID- 26100278
TI  - Disappearance of lung adenocarcinoma after total en bloc spondylectomy using
      frozen tumor-bearing vertebra for reconstruction.
AB  - PURPOSE: Total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) is a surgical procedure performed to
      achieve complete resection of an aggressive benign spinal tumor or a malignant
      spinal tumor. When reconstructing the spine after resection, we have been using
      liquid nitrogen-frozen resected spine bearing tumor as a bone graft, expecting an
      immunological response to tumor-specific antigen(s). The purpose of this article
      is to report a successful treatment case of lung adenocarcinoma metastasis with
      TES and this cryotherapy. METHODS: A 59-year-old male presented with rapid
      progression of neurological deterioration of the lower limbs due to a spinal
      metastasis from T8 to T10. The primary lung adenocarcinoma had already been
      excised under thoracoscopy. The patient underwent TES with reconstruction using
      frozen tumor-bearing vertebra for the bone graft. RESULTS: One month after
      surgery, a new nodule appeared at the right middle lobe of the lung. However, we
      carried out no biopsy of the newly emerged nodule and the patient received no
      adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Six months after surgery, the tumor
      vanished. No local recurrence or metastasis of the tumor has been observed until
      now. CONCLUSIONS: TES with a liquid nitrogen-frozen tumor specimen could be a
      promising therapeutic option for cancer patients with spine metastasis.

PMID- 26100279
TI  - Individual characteristics of reliable lumbar coupling motions.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Coupling motions (CMs) are the motions occurring in different
      directions around the primary motion. As low back pain (LBP) is known to be
      associated with lumbar CMs, some studies measured lumbar CMs using the
      microelectromechanical system inertial measurement unit (MEMS-IMU) because of its
      low cost and small size. This study aimed to examine the reliability of lumbar CM
      measurements using the MEMS-IMU and to classify the individual characteristics of
      lumbar CMs. METHODS: MEMS-IMUs were attached to the two lumbar points (L1, L5) of
      19 male volunteers (age, 24.3 +/- 1.2 years). Following an instructional video
      and audio recording, they conducted the six lumbar movements three times: flexion
      and extension, left and right lateral bending, and left and right rotation. The
      six lumbar movements were repeated after 1 h. Raw data were transformed into
      angle data using MATLAB. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were
      calculated to evaluate intratest repeatability and test-retest reliability.
      Finally, angle data were analyzed to examine whether individual characteristics
      of lumbar CMs could be identified. RESULTS: Lumbar CM measurements showed fair to
      good or excellent intratest repeatability and test-retest reliability, ranging
      from 0.669 to 0.997 of the ICCs. All lumbar CMs could be categorized into six
      types, and flexion and extension CMs were more prominent than other CMs.
      CONCLUSIONS: Lumbar CM measurements obtained using the MEMS-IMU are reliable, and
      identifying the individual variations of lumbar CMs may be helpful for
      alleviating chronic or recurrent LBP.

PMID- 26100280
TI  - Reshaping the protein folding pathway by osmolyte via its effects on the folding
      intermediates.
AB  - It is now well established that the protein folding reaction proceeds via
      accumulation of various intermediate states. Osmolytes, besides their role in
      protein stabilization, have also been shown to possess the ability of inducing
      tremendous affects on these protein folding intermediates, reshape the folding
      pathway and the energy landscape. The present article describes the advances made
      so far in understanding the effects of organic osmolytes on the folding
      intermediates and pathways. The ability of osmolytes to rescue disease causing
      mutations in proteins by inducing proper folding into functionally active form is
      also discussed. Finally, some future directions are described. 

PMID- 26100281
TI  - Neurotrophin Propeptides: Biological Functions and Molecular Mechanisms.
AB  - Neurotrophins constitute a family of growth factors that play a key role in the
      regulation of the development and function of the central and peripheral nervous
      systems. A common feature of all the neurotrophins is their synthesis in cells as
      long precursors (pre-pro-neurotrophins) that contain an N-terminal signal
      peptide, a following propeptide and the mature neurotrophin. Although the signal
      peptide functions have been well studied, the role of neurotrophin propeptides is
      not so clear. Here, we briefly summarize the biochemistry of neurotrophin
      propeptides, including their role as folding-assistants for the mature factor and
      their role in processing and in secretion of neurotrophins. In the main part of
      the review we summarize our current state of knowledge of the biological activity
      of neurotrophin propeptides, their possible mechanisms of action, and their
      potential influence on the activity of the mature neurotrophins.

PMID- 26100282
TI  - Structural and functional characterization of the proteins responsible for N6
      methyladenosine modification and recognition.
AB  - More than 100 types of RNA modifications have been identified so far, which are
      involved in a variety of cellular processes. N6-methyladenosine (m6A), as one
      most abundant RNA modification, is found in several RNA species, and mainly
      located in the stop codons, long internal exons as well as 3'UTR. It was reported
      that m6A modification is preferred after G in the conserved sequence RRm6ACH (R =
      A/G and H = A/C/U). There are two families of enzymes responsible for maintaining
      the balance of m6A methylation: RNA methyltransferases and demethylases, which
      add and remove methyl marks from RNA, respectively. METTL3 complex, the m6A RNA
      methyltransferase, has been identified, and two kinds of demethylases are
      characterized thus far, including Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO)
      and alkylation protein AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5). Besides the "writers" and
      "erasers" for m6A, m6A specific recognizing protein, such as the YTH domain, also
      has attracted significant attention. Herein, we will focus on the recent progress
      in understanding biological/biochemical functions and structures of proteins
      responsible for the m6A RNA modification and recognition. Detailed analysis of
      these important proteins will guide us in designing target-specific small
      molecule chemical probes and inhibitors.

PMID- 26100283
TI  - Reversible and Irreversible Aggregation of Proteins from the FET Family:
      Influence of Repeats in Protein Chain on Its Aggregation Capacity.
AB  - The discovery of protein chain regions responsible for protein aggregation is an
      important result of studying of the molecular mechanisms of prion diseases and
      different proteinopathies associated with the formation of pathological
      aggregations through the prion mechanism. The ability to control aggregation of
      proteins could be an important tool in the arsenal of the drug development. Here
      we demonstrate, on an example of RNA-binding proteins of the FET family from six
      animal species (human, gorilla, pig, mouse, chicken, zebra fish), the possible
      role of repeats within the disordered regions. For these proteins, different
      repeats are revealed in the prion-like (N-terminal disordered) domains, and in
      the C-terminal disordered regions, predicted using bioinformatics methods.
      Moreover, we have found that in more complex organisms the number of repeats is
      increased. It can be hypothesized that the presence of a large number of repeats
      in the disordered regions in the proteins of the FET-family could both modulate
      and accelerate the formation of a dynamic cross-beta structure, and pathological
      aggregates. 

PMID- 26100284
TI  - The Phytoestrogen Genistein Affects Breast Cancer Cells Treatment Depending on
      the ERalpha/ERbeta Ratio.
AB  - Genistein (GEN) is a phytoestrogen found in soybeans. GEN exerts its functions
      through its interaction with the estrogen receptors (ER), ERalpha and ERbeta, and
      we previously reported that the ERalpha/ERbeta ratio is an important factor to
      consider in GEN-treated breast cancer cells. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the effects of GEN in breast cancer cells with different
      ERalpha/ERbeta ratio: MCF-7 (high ratio), T47D (low ratio), and MCF-7
      overexpressing ERbeta (MCF7 + ERbeta) treated with cisplatin (CDDP), paclitaxel
      (PTX) or tamoxifen (TAM). Cell viability, ROS production, autophagy, apoptosis,
      antioxidant enzymes protein levels, and cell cycle were analyzed. GEN treatment
      provoked an increase in cell viability in MCF-7 cells and in the antioxidant
      enzymes protein levels in combination with the cytotoxic agents, decreasing ROS
      production (CDDP + GEN and TAM+GEN) and autophagy (TAM + GEN) or apoptosis (CDDP
      + GEN and TAM + GEN). Moreover GEN treatment enhanced the cell cycle S phase
      entry in CDDP+GEN- and TAM + GEN-treated MCF-7 cells and, in the case of CDDP +
      GEN, increased the proportion of cells in the G2/M phase and decreased it in the
      subG0 /G1 phase. Otherwise, in the T47D and MCF7 + ERbeta cells the combination
      of GEN with cytotoxic treatments did not cause significant changes in these
      parameters, even TAM + GEN-treated T47D cells showed less cell viability due to
      an increment in the autophagy. In conclusion, GEN consumption may be
      counterproductive in those patients receiving anticancer treatment with a high
      ERalpha/ERbeta ratio diagnosed breast cancer and it could be harmless or even
      beneficial in those patients with a lower ERalpha/ERbeta ratio breast cancer
      cells.

PMID- 26100286
TI  - ?

PMID- 26100285
TI  - Cost-Value Analysis and the SAVE: A Work in Progress, But an Option for Localised
      Decision Making?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cost-value analysis aims to address the limitations of the quality
      adjusted life-year (QALY) by incorporating the strength of public concerns for
      fairness in the allocation of scarce health care resources. To date, the
      measurement of value has focused on equity weights to reflect societal
      preferences for the allocation of QALY gains. Another approach is to use a non
      QALY-based measure of value, such as an outcome 'equivalent to saving the life of
      a young person' (a SAVE). OBJECTIVE: This paper assesses the feasibility and
      validity of using the SAVE as a measure of value for the economic evaluation of
      health care technologies. METHODS: A web-based person trade-off (PTO) survey was
      designed and implemented to estimate equivalent SAVEs for outcome events
      associated with the progression and treatment of early-stage breast cancer. The
      estimated equivalent SAVEs were applied to the outputs of an existing decision
      analytic model for early breast cancer. RESULTS: The web-based PTO survey was
      undertaken by 1094 respondents. Validation tests showed that 68 % of eligible
      responses revealed consistent ordering of responses and 32 % displayed ordinal
      transitivity, while 37 % of respondents showing consistency and ordinal
      transitivity approached cardinal transitivity. Using consistent and ordinally
      transitive responses, the mean incremental cost per SAVE gained was L 3.72
      million. CONCLUSION: Further research is required to improve the validity of the
      SAVE, which may include a simpler web-based survey format or a face-to-face
      format to facilitate more informed responses. A validated method for estimating
      equivalent SAVEs is unlikely to replace the QALY as the globally preferred
      measure of outcome, but the SAVE may provide a useful alternative for localized
      decision makers with relatively small, constrained budgets-for example, in
      programme budgeting and marginal analysis.

PMID- 26100287
TI  - ?

PMID- 26100288
TI  - [Self-neglect in housing].
AB  - Self-neglect in housing has attracted growing interest from health and social
      care professionals over recent years. A complex issue, lying somewhere between a
      psychopathology and a lifestyle choice, between a private disorder and one which
      has consequences on the immediate environment, its clinical approach requires us
      to reconsider our practices to bring into being the message potential in the
      housing of the person presenting self-neglect.

PMID- 26100290
TI  - [Senses and crumbs: psychosis and self-neglect at home].
AB  - What care can be given in cases of self-neglect? How can one be a good caregiver
      when one's senses and values are assaulted by the complete lack of hygiene? What
      is the bestway to help a patient who is used to living independently, when their
      health is under threat? What approach should be taken in order to rehabilitate
      their living place? A clinical illustration.

PMID- 26100289
TI  - [Psychosocial approach to Diogenes syndrome].
AB  - Abnormal hoarding of random items in the home associated with severe self-neglect
      and neglect of one's environment, Diogenes syndrome is transnosographic. It can
      affect all social classes, people without any diagnosed mental health condition
      or patients with psychosis or dementia, over 60s and young people. It is conveyed
      by self-exclusion at home, a "poor precarity" which leads to a loss of the
      ability to trust others and ask for help.

PMID- 26100291
TI  - [Old age: knowing what self-neglect is].
AB  - The issue of self-neglect in the elderly concerns society as well as caregivers
      who, in their practice, are ill at ease and frequently disorientated when faced
      with this behaviour which hampers the care approach. Here more than elsewhere,
      the choices of the people in question seem to collide with the care objectives,
      in such a way that it is important to remain curious in the face of what appears
      to be the height of incuriosity.

PMID- 26100293
TI  - [Self-neglect as a sign of decompensation].
AB  - A lack of hygiene to which the patient appears indifferent, self-neglect can be a
      sign of the decompensation of a mental pathology. This article presents the case
      of a patient who, after several months of stabilisation and a return home to a
      relatively clean environment, reactivates a delusion of persecution.

PMID- 26100292
TI  - [Psymobile and the phenomenon of the hikikomori].
AB  - By its very nature, the Psymobile team is often called on to visit young adults
      who remain confined at home but who have no diagnosed psychiatric conditions. The
      team has consequently become interested in the Japanese concept of hikikomori, a
      notion which appeared in the 1990s and which has since spread across the world.
      This concept still arouses some amount of discussion regarding its aetiology, its
      precise definition and its relevance outside Japan.

PMID- 26100294
TI  - [Art-therapy in anorexia: the mediative elements?].
AB  - Art does not have any inherent curative property; it is used as a therapeutic
      medium. Three mediative elements, depending on their specificities, have a role
      to play in the intrapsychic and interpersonal transformation of the patient: the
      creation the art-therapist and the group of participants. This article looks at
      the different components of art-therapy used in the treatment of anorexia.

PMID- 26100295
TI  - ?

PMID- 26100296
TI  - Visceral adipose tissue measured by computed tomography and high-grade prostate
      cancer after radical prostatectomy.
AB  - We assessed the association between obesity measurements including visceral
      adipose tissue (VAT), measured by computed tomography, and the risk of high-grade
      prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy. We investigated 296 patients who
      were diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent radical prostatectomy. Data
      extracted from medical records included age, body mass index (BMI), VAT,
      pretreatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and Gleason score (GS). We
      performed logistic regression to examine the association between indicators of
      obesity and a higher GS (?4+3). Among the 296 patients, 107 (36%) had a higher
      GS. After controlling for age and PSA, BMI was not associated with GS (odds
      ratio, OR=1.039, 95% confidence interval, CI=0.943-1.145; P=0.437). BMI had
      different effects on GS depending on VAT. When the data were stratified by the
      median VAT value, a higher BMI was significantly associated with a higher GS in
      patients with VAT?130.5 cm2 (OR=1.218, 95% CI=1.028-1.443; P=0.022), but not in
      those with VAT<130.5 cm2 (OR=0.912, 95% CI=0.783-1.062; P=0.236). A higher BMI
      was associated with an increased risk of high-grade cancer only in patients with
      more VAT.

PMID- 26100297
TI  - Using the electronic medical record to refer women taking category D or X
      medications for teratogen and contraceptive counseling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Women taking teratogens may not receive teratogen and contraceptive
      counseling. The objective of this study is to explore the feasibility of an
      electronic medical record (EMR) alert and referral system to improve teratogen
      and contraceptive counseling. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive study in an
      academic outpatient setting to evaluate the feasibility of an EMR alert and
      referral system. Reproductive age women taking category D or X medications seen
      in family medicine clinics were referred by means of an EMR alert for teratogen
      and contraceptive counseling. A subset of these women consented to follow-up
      surveys assessing contraceptive usage before counseling, intended contraceptive
      method after counseling and satisfaction with the counseling. Participants were
      contacted at 1 and 3 months to assess contraceptive usage. RESULTS: A total of
      354 women were prescribed category D or X medications by clinicians who received
      the EMR alert, 170 women were referred, 59 women received counseling, and 33
      participants enrolled in the study. One participant did not use any
      contraception. Among the 32 participants using contraception, 12 (37.5%) used
      oral contraceptives, 11 (34.4%) used condoms, 3 (9.4%) used withdrawal, 3 (9.4%)
      used intrauterine devices, 2 (6.3%) used contraceptive rings, and 1 (3.1%) used
      the diaphragm. After counseling, one-third of participants were considering more
      effective contraception. Almost all participants strongly agreed or agreed that
      the counseling was helpful. CONCLUSION: Creating an EMR alert and referral system
      for women prescribed category X or D medications is feasible. Counseling on
      teratogen exposure and contraception may improve the acceptability of more
      effective contraception.

PMID- 26100298
TI  - Uterine artery embolization by use of porous gelatin particles for symptomatic
      uterine leiomyomas: comparison with hand-cut gelatin sponge particles.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the results of uterine artery embolization (UAE) for
      symptomatic uterine leiomyoma by use of porous gelatin particles (PGP) in
      comparison with conventional hand-cut gelatin sponge particles. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: One hundred and fifteen consecutive patients who had undergone UAE were
      retrospectively assessed. The first 64 patients were treated with hand-cut
      gelatin sponge and the last 51 with PGP. Extent of infarction, volume reduction
      of the dominant leiomyoma on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and change in
      symptoms were assessed. RESULTS: UAE was successfully performed for all patients.
      No major complications were observed. MR images one month after UAE showed that
      the mean extent of infarction of the dominant leiomyoma was 97 % for patients
      treated with PGP and 96 % for those treated with hand-cut gelatin sponge. Volume
      reductions of the dominant leiomyoma after 3, 6, 12, and 24 months were,
      respectively, 45, 56, 62, and 66 % for use of PGP and 45, 57, 63, and 68 % for
      use of hand-cut gelatin sponge. Symptoms including heavy menstrual bleeding,
      heavy menstrual pain, and abdominal heaviness had improved by 95-100 % at 12
      months. There was no difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: UAE with PGP
      is safe, and as effective as conventional gelatin sponge particles.

PMID- 26100300
TI  - Third Congress of Physiological Sciences of Serbia with international
      participation (October 29-31, 2014, Belgrade, Serbia) (Report).

PMID- 26100299
TI  - Long-term clinical outcomes of combined BPTB ACL reconstruction and popliteus
      tendon plasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: A deficiency of posterolateral structures significantly increases the
      varus load on the ACL, while a chronic ACL lesion, the increased tibial rotation
      and the repetitive non-physiological knee motion, could affect and damage the
      integrity of the popliteus tendon. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to
      report the very long clinical outcomes of a combined single-bundle BPTB ACL
      reconstruction and popliteus plasty according to Bousquets technique, for the
      treatment of combined chronic anterior and posterolateral laxities. METHODS:
      Fifteen patients that underwent combined ACL reconstruction and popliteal plasty
      according to Bousquets technique were available at mean 26.8 +/- 1.0 years (range
      25.4-28.0 years). All the patients were evaluated clinically and 13 by means of
      KT-1000 Arthrometer as well. Subjective evaluation was performed with the
      subjective IKDC, WOMAC and a 0-10 VAS for pain scales. RESULTS: At clinical
      evaluation, 10 patients (67 %) presented a negative anterior drawer test; Lachman
      test was negative in nine patients (60 %); the varus stress test was negative in
      eight (53 %); and the dial test was negative in all but one patient (93 %). Only
      two patients (15 %) presented a side-to-side difference >5 mm at the instrumented
      laxity evaluation. CONCLUSION: The combined single-bundle BPTB ACL reconstruction
      and popliteal plasty according to Bousquets technique were able to produce very
      good long-term results, in terms of knee stability, subjective outcomes,
      functional results and return to sport activity, in case of chronic anterior and
      posterolateral laxities. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Retrospective case series, Level IV.

PMID- 26100301
TI  - Application of atomic force microscopy for investigation of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase
      signal-transducing function.
AB  - The Young's modulus of 10-12-day-old chick embryos' sensory neurons cultivated in
      dissociated cell culture was measured using a PeakForce Quantitative
      Nanomechanical Mapping atomic force microscopy. The native cells were tested in
      control experiments and after application of ouabain. At low "endogenous"
      concentration of 10-10 M, ouabain tended to increase the rigidity of sensory
      neurons. We hypothesize that this trend resulted from activation of Na+,K+-ATPase
      signal-transducing function.

PMID- 26100302
TI  - Positive effects of naringenin on near-surface membrane fluidity in human
      erythrocytes.
AB  - PURPOSE: Deformability/rheologic behavior of erythrocytes are related to near
      surface membrane fluidity. Specific agents can increase erythrocyte membrane
      fluidity in order to adjust hemodynamics in cardiovascular diseases. Grapefruit
      flavanone naringenin has been proposed for potential use in an alternative
      therapy of cardiovascular conditions. In respect to this, we assessed here
      effects of two nutritionally relevant concentrations of naringenin (0.1 and 1
      MUg/ml) on near-surface membrane fluidity in human erythrocytes. METHODS: We used
      electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and fatty acid spin probes (5-DS and
      7-DS), the spectra of which are dependent on membrane fluidity. RESULTS: The
      results showed a significant (p = 0.029) increase of membrane fluidity near the
      hydrophilic surface in erythrocytes treated with higher concentration of
      naringenin. In the deeper layer, just below the erythrocyte membrane phospholipid
      heads, both lower and higher concentration of naringenin significantly increased
      membrane fluidity (p = 0.036 and p = 0.028, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These
      data document the positive and dose dependent effect of naringenin on near
      surface membrane fluidity in human erythrocytes, recommending its use in the
      cardiovascular conditions characterized by disturbed hemodynamics.

PMID- 26100303
TI  - Organotypic tissue culture investigation of homocysteine thiolactone cardiotoxic
      effect.
AB  - Homocysteine thiolactone was demonstrated to inhibit the growth of 10-12-day-old
      chicken embryo cardiac tissue explants at 7 * 10-9 -1 * 10-3 M concentrations in
      a dose-dependent manner. The maximal cardiotoxic effect of homocysteine
      thiolactone was detected at 1 * 10-3 M, which corresponds to severe
      hyperhomocysteinemia. The results of experiments on culturing of cardiac tissue
      explants in the medium containing homocysteine thiolactone (1 * 10-3 M) and
      ouabain at concentrations regulating the signal-transducing (1 * 10-10 M) and
      pumping (1 * 10-8 M) functions of Na+,K+ -ATPase indicate that the cardiotoxic
      effect of homocysteine thiolactone is supposed to result from inhibition of the
      Na+,K+ -ATPase pumping function.

PMID- 26100305
TI  - The effect of subchronic supplementation with folic acid on homocysteine induced
      seizures.
AB  - Influence of folic acid on the CNS is still unclear. Folate has a neuroprotective
      effect, while on the other hand excess folate can exacerbate seizures in
      epileptics. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of subchronic
      administration of folic acid on behavioural and electroencephalographic (EEG)
      characteristics of DL homocysteine thiolactone induced seizures in adult rats.
      The activity of Na+/K+-ATPase and Mg2+-ATPase in different brain regions was
      investigated. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into groups: 1. Controls (C,
      0.9% NaCl); 2. DL homocysteine-thiolactone 8.0 mmol/kg (H); 3. Subchronic
      supplementation with folic acid 5 mg/kg for 7 days (F) and 4. Subchronic
      supplementation with F + single dose of H (FH). Seizure behaviour was assessed by
      incidence, latency, number and intensity of seizure episodes. Seizure severity
      was described by a descriptive scale with grades 0-4. For EEG recordings, three
      gold-plated recording electrodes were implanted into the skull. Subchronic
      supplementation with folic acid did not affect seizure incidence, median number
      of seizure episodes and severity in FH, comparison with H (p > 0.05). The
      majority of seizure episodes in all groups were of grade 2. There were no
      significant differences in lethal outcomes at 24 h upon H injection in the FH vs.
      H group. The activity of Na+/K+-ATPase and Mg2+-ATPase was significantly
      increased in almost all examined structures in the FH vs. H group. Subchronic
      folic acid administration did not exacerbate H induced seizures and completely
      recovered the activity of ATPases.

PMID- 26100304
TI  - Iron concentrations in atherosclerotic plaque and serum in patients with carotid
      atherosclerosis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the iron concentrations in serum and
      carotid plaque in patients with different morphology of carotid atherosclerotic
      plaque and compared with other metal ions. Carotid endarterectomy due to the
      significant atherosclerotic stenosis was performed in 91 patients. Control group
      consisted of 27 patients, without carotid atherosclerosis. Atherosclerotic
      plaques were divided into four morphological groups, according to ultrasonic and
      intraoperative characteristics. Iron, copper and zinc concentration in plaque,
      carotid artery and serum were measured by spectrophotometry. Serum iron
      concentrations were higher in patients with hemorrhagic plaques in comparison to
      the control group (4.7 MUmol/l +/- 1.2 vs. 2.1 MUmol/l +/- 0.8, p < 0.05). Iron
      concentrations were higher in patients with hemorrhagic plaques in comparison to
      fibrolipid plaques (72.1 +/- 14.3 MUg/g vs. 39.3 +/- 22.9 MUg/g; p < 0.05).
      Negative significant correlation was found for zinc in serum and plaque iron
      concentration in patients (p < 0.05). We also demonstrated positive significant
      correlation for copper and iron in serum (p < 0.05). The data obtained in the
      current study are consistent with the hypothesis that high iron levels may
      contribute to atherosclerosis and its complications as factors in a
      multifactorial disease.

PMID- 26100306
TI  - Mechanisms to dyspnoea and dynamic hyperinflation related exercise intolerance in
      COPD.
AB  - Expiratory flow limitation can develop in parallel with the progression of COPD,
      and as a consequence, dynamic hyperinflation and lung mechanical abnormalities
      can develop. Dynamic hyperinflation can cause increased breathlessness and
      reduction in exercise tolerance. Achievement of critical inspiratory reserve
      volume is one of the main factors in exercise intolerance. Obesity has specific
      lung mechanical effects. There is also a difference concerning gender and
      dyspnoea. Increased nerve activity is characteristic in hyperinflation.
      Bronchodilator therapy, lung volume reduction surgery, endurance training at
      submaximal intensity, and heliox or oxygen breathing can decrease the degree of
      dynamic hyperinflation. 

PMID- 26100307
TI  - Assessment of heat provocation tests on the human gingiva: the effect of
      periodontal disease and smoking.
AB  - Periodontal inflammation is associated with morphological changes in the blood
      vessels which may influence the regulation of gingival blood flow (GBF). Our aim
      was to adapt the heat provocation test to the human gingiva to assess vascular
      reactivity in periodontal inflammation. METHOD: GBF was recorded by Laser Doppler
      Flowmetry before and after heat provocation in healthy volunteers (n = 50). Heat
      was generated either by warm saline or a halogen lamp. The latter method was also
      utilized for a heat test in non-smoking and smoking patients with periodontal
      inflammation. The circulatory parameters were correlated to the inflammatory
      marker, i.e. gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) production measured by Periotron.
      RESULTS: Local application of heat caused a rapid, significant and transient
      increase in GBF regardless of the method used. The increase in the speed and not
      in the concentration of moving blood cells was responsible for increased GBF.
      Higher GCF values were correlated with increased peak flow, flux pulse amplitude
      and faster restoration of GBF after the test in non-smokers, but not in smokers.
      CONCLUSIONS: The heat test could be a valuable tool to check the vascular
      reactivity of gingival vessels. Moderate periodontal inflammation may facilitate
      gingival vascular responsiveness which can be suppressed by smoking.

PMID- 26100308
TI  - Coherence between tissue oxygen indexes in vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius in
      repetition of impulse exercise with high intensity.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine whether tissue oxygen indices (TOIs)
      in two muscle groups oscillated and were synchronized in repetition of impulse
      exercise with high intensity. Five impulse exercises of 400 watts for 10 s were
      repeated with intervals of 6 min. During this period, TOI was determined by near
      infrared spectroscopy in the vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius muscles. TOIs in
      the two muscles oscillated at rest. The TOIs rapidly decreased during each
      impulse exercise and then recovered and overshot after each impulse. The TOIs
      oscillated during each interval period. During this test period, coherent and
      phase differences were determined. There was high coherence between TOIs in the
      two muscles with a peak value at 0.019 Hz. There was a phase difference of -45 +/
      32.4 degrees between TOIs in the two muscles. This phase difference corresponded
      to about 6 s in time scale. It seemed from this time delay that impulse exercise
      was not a trigger factor for the starting point of TOIs in the two muscles. It
      has been concluded that TOIs oscillate and are synchronized between two muscles
      in repetition of impulse exercise with high intensity. 

PMID- 26100309
TI  - Correlations between three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography-derived
      left atrial functional parameters and aortic stiffness in healthy subjects -
      Results from the MAGYAR-Healthy Study.
AB  - Left atrial (LA) distension has been demonstrated to be linked with aortic
      stiffness in different patient populations. Three-dimensional (3D) speckle
      tracking echocardiography (STE) seems to be a promising tool for volumetric and
      functional evaluation of the LA. The aim of the present study was to determine
      whether correlations exist between 3DSTE-derived LA volume-based and strain
      parameters characterizing all phasic functions of the LA and echocardiographic
      aortic elastic properties in healthy subjects. The study included 19 healthy
      volunteers (mean age: 37.9 +/- 11.4 years, 11 men) who had undergone complete two
      dimensional (2D) Doppler transthoracic echocardiography extended with the
      assessment of aortic elastic properties and 3DSTE. RESULTS: None of LA volumes
      correlated with echocardiographic aortic elastic properties. Active atrial stroke
      volume correlated with aortic stiffness index (ASI, r = 0.45, p = 0.05). None of
      other volume-based functional properties significantly correlated with aortic
      stiffness parameters. Global peak 3D strain correlated with aortic strain (r = 
      0.46, p = 0.05). global radial pre-atrial contraction strain correlated with ASI
      (r = -0.49, p = 0.04) and AS (r = -0.50, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Correlations
      exist between 3DSTE-derived LA functional parameters and eschocardiographic
      aortic elastic properties in healthy subjects.

PMID- 26100310
TI  - Prediction of myocardial tissue loss by quantitative densitometric myocardial
      blush parameters following ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
AB  - Tissue level myocardial perfusion is one of the most important prognostic factors
      after successful recanalisation of the occluded coronary artery in patients
      suffering acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The primary objective
      of the present study was to examine the relationship between videodensitometric
      myocardial perfusion parameters as assessed on coronary angiograms directly
      following successful recanalization therapy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      derived myocardial tissue loss late after STEMI. The study comprised 29 STEMI
      patients. Videodensitometric parameter G(max)/T(max) was calculated to
      characterize myocardial perfusion, derived from the plateau of grey-level
      intensity (G(max)), divided by the time-to-peak intensity (Tmax). Myocardial loss
      index (MLI) was assessed by cardiac MRI following 376 +/- 254 days after PCI.
      RESULTS: Significant correlations could be demonstrated between MLI and G(max) (r
      = 0.36, p = 0.05) and G(max)/T(max) (r = 0.40, p = 0.03) using vessel masking.
      Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, G(max)/T(max) < 2.17
      predicted best MLI = 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6 with good sensitivity and specificity
      data, while G(max)/T(max) < 3.25 proved to have a prognostic role in the
      prediction of MLI = 0.7. CONCLUSIONS: Selective myocardial tissue level perfusion
      quantitative measurement method is feasible and can serve as a good predictor of
      myocardial tissue loss following STEMI and revascularization therapy.

PMID- 26100311
TI  - Altered mitochondrial response to activation of T-cells in neonate.
AB  - Mitochondrial functions have a major impact on T-cell functionality. In this
      study we characterized whether mitochondrial function in the neonatal T-cells
      differs from that in the adult T-cells during short T-cell activation. METHODS:
      We used flow cytometry methods to test mitochondrial mass and to monitor
      mitochondrial Ca2+ levels, mitochondrial potential and superoxide generation in
      parallel with cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels during phythohaemagglutinine-induced
      activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells of 12 term neonates and 11 healthy adults.
      RESULTS: Baseline mitochondrial mass of CD4+ and CD8+ cells was lower in the
      neonate than in the adult. In comparison with the adult, neonatal resting CD4+ T
      cells had lower cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels and this was associated with normal
      activation induced Ca2+-response. During short-term activation cytoplasmic Ca2+
      response was lower in neonatal than in adult CD8+ T-cells. Mitochondrial Ca2+
      uptake was increased in CD4+ neonatal T cells while it decreased in CD8+ T-cells.
      Mitochondrial depolarization was increased in CD4+ and decreased in CD8+ neonatal
      T-cells compared to adults. Superoxide generation was higher and equal in
      neonatal CD4+ and CD8+ cells, respectively, compared to the adult ones.
      CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that neonatal T-cells exhibit marked differences in
      mitochondrial function and superoxide generation compared to adult T-cells.

PMID- 26100312
TI  - Prevalence of physiological and pathological electrocardiographic findings in
      Hungarian athletes.
AB  - In Hungary, ECG is a keystone of routine athletic screening. Its significance is
      based on simplicity, quickness and high informative value as well as the fact
      that appearance of pathological ECG signs can precede the formation of structural
      heart diseases. During screening of healthy athletes, we studied the incidence of
      athletic ECG changes and pathological ECG abnormalities. METHODS: We performed
      detailed analysis of 12-lead ECG recordings of asymptomatic elite, non-elite and
      master athletes and controls. RESULTS: 227 athletes (male: 180, age: 27.2 +/- 8.7
      years) and 89 controls (male: 57, age: 28.1 +/- 6.8 years) were examined. Benign
      ECG signs: sinus bradycardia, early repolarization and isolated Voltage criteria
      of left ventricular hypertrophy were common and more often in athletes compared
      to controls. Potentially pathological ECG signs: ST- (6.6% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.05)
      and T-wave (15.0% vs. 5.6%, p < 0.05) changes and signs of pathological left
      ventricular hypertrophy (5.3% vs. 0%, p < 0.05) occurred more frequently in
      athletes compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: Signs of pathological left
      ventricular hypertrophy and repolarization abnormalities are more often in
      athletes. No structural heart disease could be verified in the background of the
      disorders. However, athletes having pathological ECG should be kept under tight
      cardiology control. Exact definition and widespread knowledge of pathological ECG
      changes is essential in early recognition of high risk athletes.

PMID- 26100313
TI  - Estrogenic regulation of bicarbonate transporters from SLC4 family in rat Sertoli
      cells.
AB  - The formation of competent spermatozoa is a complex event that depends on the
      establishment of adequate environments throughout the male reproductive tract.
      Bicarbonate is essential not only to ionic homeostasis but also to pH maintenance
      along the male reproductive tract. Previous studies support an association of
      high 17beta-estradiol (E2) levels with modulation of specific ion transporters
      expression. Herein we determined the effect of E2 on the expression/functionality
      of SLC4 family bicarbonate transporters in rat Sertoli cells (SCs). All studied
      transporters [anion exchanger 2 (AE2), Na(+)-driven Cl(-)/HCO3 (-) exchanger
      (NDCBE), electrogenic Na(+)/HCO3 (-) co-transporters (NBCe1), and electroneutral
      Na(+)/HCO3 (-) co-transporters (NBCn1)] were identified in SCs, being AE2 and
      NBCn1 the most abundant. In E2-treated cells (100 nM), increases in AE2 and NBCn1
      protein levels were observed, as well as altered transcellular transport. E2
      treated SCs presented a significant perturbation of ATP-induced short-circuit
      current. This alteration was concurrent with augmented AE2 and NBCn1 levels.
      Overall, we report a relation between increased E2 levels and the
      expression/function of AE2 and NBCn1 in rat SCs, providing new evidence on the
      mechanisms by which E2 can regulate SCs physiology and consequently
      spermatogenesis, with direct influence on male reproductive potential. 

PMID- 26100314
TI  - Effects of ageing on metabolite and oxidant concentrations in different regions
      of rat kidney under normal and stress conditions.
AB  - Metabolic and oxidative stresses have been implicated in ageing and the
      pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease. In this study, we investigated the
      glutathione (GSH), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and lactate
      concentrations in different kidney regions under control conditions and after
      exposure to oxidative stress invoked by 0.2 mM H2O2. Slices of superficial
      cortex, outer or inner medulla were dissected from kidneys of male Wistar rats of
      5-, 12-, 36- and 60-week old. Samples were incubated for 30 min +/- 0.2 mM H2O2
      prior to homogenisation and centrifugation. The concentrations of GSH, TBARS and
      lactate were measured by colorimetry. Each metabolite showed a distinctive
      pattern. For GSH, this was 12 weeks > 36 weeks > 60 weeks and 5 weeks with the
      highest concentration measured in the superficial cortex at 12 weeks. For TBARS
      and lactate, the pattern was for the lowest concentration at 12 weeks and the
      highest at 60 and 5 weeks. The highest lactate and TBARS concentrations were
      measured under oxidative stress conditions, particularly at 5 and 60 weeks. These
      results suggest that GSH in different kidney regions peaks at maturity and then
      reduces with increasing age. 

PMID- 26100315
TI  - Immunomodulatory properties of the IL-6 cytokine family in multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disabling autoimmune disease of the central
      nervous system. The interleukin (IL)-6 cytokine family plays a crucial role in
      regulating the immune response in MS. All members of the IL-6 family share the
      common signal-transducing receptor protein, glycoprotein 130. Although the
      intracellular signaling of these cytokines seems to be largely overlapping, they
      have diverse and contrasting effects on the immune response. This review focuses
      on the effects of the family members IL-6, leukemia inhibitory factor, oncostatin
      M, and IL-11 on immune cell subsets and how these effects relate to the
      pathogenesis of MS. Finally, we propose possible avenues to modulate these family
      members for future MS therapy. 

PMID- 26100316
TI  - The course and distribution of the infra patellar nerve in relation to ACL
      reconstruction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A common complication after ACL (anterior cruciate ligament
      reconstruction) is injury to the infra-patellar branch of the saphenous nerve
      (IPBSN). Very little about its origin and course of this nerve has been
      described. The aim of this study was to understand the course of IPBSN in
      relation to surgery around the knee. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The course of the
      nerve was dissected and traced in 25 knees from 14 cadaveric knees (10 males;
      four females). An incision was made posterior to the medial condyle of the tibia
      and continued deeper towards the saphenous nerve which is located under the
      sartorius muscle. The saphenous nerve branch was then followed to distally supply
      the anterior leg (IPBSN). The relationship of saphenous nerve and IPBSN to each
      other and the hamstrings were recorded. RESULTS: Four paths of IPBSN, in relation
      to the sartorius muscle, were identified: (1) posterior--inferior posterior
      border of the muscle, (2) transmuscular--penetrating through the muscle, (3)
      anterior--anterior border of the muscle, (4) posterior patellar--posterior of the
      muscle at the level of the patellar bone and (5) combined. The posterior pathway
      of IPSBN was the most common (57%) and had the closest proximity to the tendons
      of semitendinosus and gracilis muscles. The terminal branches of the IPSBN
      crossed over the patellar tendon in every dissection. CONCLUSIONS: A posterior
      path IPBSN is more prone to damage during a tendon harvest due to its proximity
      to the gracilis and semitendinosus muscle tendons.

PMID- 26100317
TI  - Comprehensive assessment of patellar morphology using computed tomography-based
      three-dimensional computer models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to assess patellar morphology using
      computed tomography-based three-dimensional computer models and to determine the
      utility of the subchondral method for patellar resection in total knee
      arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: Overall, 120 subjects (60 males, 60 females) from 20
      to 50 years old were included. Computer tomography images were used to construct
      3D computer models of 240 knees. An anthropometric analysis of variance was used
      with the models to detect differences between the sides, age groups, and genders.
      RESULTS: Based on the available numbers, there were significant gender
      differences in the patellar length, width, and thickness even with strict control
      for the height and weight of the patients. The average patellar width/thickness
      ratio was 1.95, regardless of gender, and there was a good correlation between
      the patellar width and thickness (male: r=0.68, p<0.01; female: r=0.75, p<0.01).
      After using the subchondral method to virtually resect the patellae, the mean
      thickness for males and female was 14.0mm and 12.3mm, respectively. The
      proportion of the residual bony thickness that was less than 12 mm was 5.83%
      (seven cases) in the male group and up to 42.5% (51 cases) in the female group.
      There was excellent intra-observer reliability and inter-observer reliability
      regarding the dimensional measurements in this study. CONCLUSIONS: A robust
      method of measuring and virtually resecting the patella was established. The
      anthropometric dimensions of this study could provide basic data for guiding
      surgical management of the patella in TKA and are useful in designing patellar
      implants. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The anthropometric patellar information is
      essential for surgeons to perform patellar resurfacing in TKA.

PMID- 26100319
TI  - Protection of Lactobacillus acidophilus NRRL-B 4495 under in vitro
      gastrointestinal conditions with whey protein/pullulan microcapsules.
AB  - In this research, whey protein/pullulan (WP/pullulan) microcapsules were
      developed in order to assess its protective effect on the viability of
      Lactobacillus acidophilus NRRL-B 4495 under in vitro gastrointestinal conditions.
      Results demonstrated that WP/pullulan microencapsulated cells exhibited
      significantly (p <= 0.05) higher resistance to simulated gastric acid and bile
      salt. Pullulan incorporation into protein wall matrix resulted in improved
      survival as compared to free cells after 3 h incubation in simulated gastric
      solution. Moreover WP/pullulan microcapsules were found to release over 70% of
      encapsulated L. acidophilus NRRL-B 4495 cells within 1 h. The effect of
      encapsulation during refrigerated storage was also studied. Free bacteria
      exhibited 3.96 log reduction while, WP/pullulan encapsulated bacteria showed 1.64
      log reduction after 4 weeks of storage.

PMID- 26100318
TI  - New compounds, nanaomycin F and G, discovered by physicochemical screening from a
      culture broth of Streptomyces rosa subsp. notoensis OS-3966.
AB  - Two new compounds, nanaomycin F and G, were isolated by physicochemical screening
      method from cultured broth of Streptomyces rosa subsp. notoensis OS-3966, which
      is known to produce nanaomycin A, B, C, D, and E. Nanaomycin F is a new
      nanaomycin analog, a 4a-hydroxyl analog of nanaomycin B. Nanaomycin G has a
      unique skeleton with 1-indanone infused with a tetrahydropyran ring. Nanaomycin A
      possesses broad antimicrobial activity but nanaomycin F and G demonstrated no
      bioactivity against all bacteria and fungi tested in this study. In addition, in
      both nanaomycin F and G, the production of superoxide radicals was majorly
      decreased in comparison to nanaomycin A. It was considered that the antimicrobial
      properties were lost as a result of the decrease in production of the superoxide
      radicals. 

PMID- 26100320
TI  - Simple and efficient isolation of cordycepin from culture broth of a Cordyceps
      militaris mutant.
AB  - Isolation of cordycepin from the culture broth of Cordyceps militaris mutant was
      investigated. Based on the solubility curve, three crystallizing processes,
      temperature shift (process I), pH shift (process II), and pH shift followed by
      temperature shift (process III) were carried out. Process III was the most
      promising method regarding both purity and yield. 

PMID- 26100322
TI  - The isolation and characterization of the novel chlorothalonil-degrading strain
      Paracoccus sp. XF-3 and the cloning of the chd gene.
AB  - Chlorothalonil (CTN) is one of the most widely used fungicides and is often
      detected in the environment. Here, we report the isolation and characterization
      of a novel CTN-degrading bacterial strain XF-3 from long-term CTN-contaminated
      sites and identify it as a strain of the Paracoccus sp. The isolate could utilise
      CTN as the sole source of carbon and energy for growth. The optimal pH and
      temperature for degradation by XF-3 were 7.0 and 30 degrees C, respectively. The
      CTN degradation gene was cloned by PCR. Although the results of a BLAST sequence
      search indicated that this gene has a 99% similarity with chd (a gene encoding
      the CTN hydrolytic dehalogenase), its hydrolytic efficiency for CTN was slightly
      greater than the chd from strain CTN-3. This is the first report of this gene
      from the genus Paracoccus. Therefore, there is a practical significance and a
      potential value of the isolated novel strain, XF-3. 

PMID- 26100321
TI  - Effects of recombinant lycopene dietary supplement on the egg quality and blood
      characteristics of laying quails.
AB  - This study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary supplement of
      bacterial lycopene (BL) produced by Escherichia coli on the egg quality and blood
      characteristics of laying quails. The antioxidant activity measurement showed
      that BL exhibited 100% 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity
      at a concentration of 4.65 MUg/ml, which was more effective than butylated
      hydroxytoluene (BHT) and commercial lycopene (CL). Moreover, seven dietary groups
      of laying quails consisting of 10 100-day-old quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica)
      each were fed with the basal diet supplemented with BL, CL or canthaxanthin (CA)
      for 4 weeks. Consequently, the triglyceride content of yolk was significantly
      lower in the group with BL and CL supplement. The serum malondialdehyde (MDA)
      level of the BL- and CA-supplemented groups at 18 mg/kg was lower than the
      control group. In conclusion, BL has a high antioxidant activity and is promising
      as a feed additive in the diet of laying quails. 

PMID- 26100323
TI  - Application of lead isotopic methods to the study of the anthropogenic lead
      provenance in Spanish overbank floodplain deposits.
AB  - Changes in the principal sources of Pb in overbank sediment profiles have been
      documented for two Spanish areas by using Pb isotopes and Pb concentrations.
      These locations (Madrid and Tinto-Odiel basin) represent two of the most
      contaminated regions in Spain. The Community of Madrid is characterized by heavy
      industrial and urban activity, focused mainly in Madrid City. The Tinto-Odiel
      basin drains the Iberian Pyrite Belt, which hosts many polymetallic massive
      sulphides and is heavily affected by mining activities in their headwaters. It
      has been proven that the influence of anthropogenic activity is reflected in
      these overbank deposits by variations in Pb concentrations that, in general,
      correlate with shifts in the (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratio. Rivas profile (downstream of
      Madrid) was found to be the most anthropogenically influenced site. The sediments
      within this profile which were recently deposited (170 +/- 40 years BP) have the
      least radiogenic signatures. (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios ranged between 1.1763 and
      1.1876 indicating significant contributions of anthropogenic Pb. In contrast,
      profiles upstream of Madrid possess an average (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratio of 1.2272.
      It is difficult to clearly identify the most prominent source as the sediments
      appear to be characterized by an input from several sources. The floodplain
      profiles in the Tinto-Odiel basin exhibit uniform (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios ranging
      from 1.1627 (Odiel river) to 1.1665 (Tinto river). These ratios are similar to
      the ones possessed by sulphide ores in the area and differ from the ratios of
      other nonmineralized formations in the basin, indicating that mining activities
      are the primary, if not sole, source of Pb to the sediments. 

PMID- 26100324
TI  - High soil and groundwater arsenic levels induce high body arsenic loads, health
      risk and potential anemia for inhabitants of northeastern Iran.
AB  - Arsenic bioavailability in rock, soil and water resources is notoriously
      hazardous. Geogenic arsenic enters the body and adversely affects many
      biochemical processes in animals and humans, posing risk to public health. Chelpu
      is located in NE Iran, where realgar, orpiment and pyrite mineralization is the
      source of arsenic in the macroenvironment. Using cluster random sampling strategy
      eight rocks, 23 soils, 12 drinking water resources, 36 human urine and hair
      samples and 15 adult sheep urine and wool samples in several large-scale herds in
      the area were randomly taken for quantification of arsenic in rock/soil/water,
      wool/hair/urine. Arsenic levels in rock/soil/water and wool/hair/urine were
      measured using inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy and atomic absorption
      spectrophotometry, respectively. While arsenic levels in rocks, soils and water
      resources hazardously ranged 9.40-25,873.3 mg kg(-1), 7.10-1448.80 mg kg(-1) and
      12-606 MUg L(-1), respectively, arsenic concentrations in humans' hair and urine
      and sheep's wool and urine varied from 0.37-1.37 MUg g(-1) and 9-271.4 MUg L(-1)
      and 0.3-3.11 MUg g(-1) and 29.1-1015 MUg L(-1), respectively. Local sheep and
      human were widely sick and slightly anemic. Hematological examination of the
      inhabitants revealed that geogenic arsenic could harm blood cells, potentially
      resulting in many other hematoimmunological disorders including cancer. The
      findings warn widespread exposure of animals and human in this agroecologically
      and geopolitically important region (i.e., its proximity with Afghanistan,
      Pakistan and Turkmenistan) and give a clue on how arsenic could induce infectious
      and non-infectious diseases in highly exposed human/animals. 

PMID- 26100325
TI  - Chemically modified biochar produced from conocarpus waste increases NO3 removal
      from aqueous solutions.
AB  - Biochar has emerged as a universal sorbent for the removal of contaminants from
      water and soil. However, its efficiency is lower than that of commercially
      available sorbents. Engineering biochar by chemical modification may improve its
      sorption efficiency. In this study, conocarpus green waste was chemically
      modified with magnesium and iron oxides and then subjected to thermal pyrolysis
      to produce biochar. These chemically modified biochars were tested for NO3
      removal efficiency from aqueous solutions in batch sorption isothermal and
      kinetic experiments. The results revealed that MgO-biochar outperformed other
      biochars with a maximum NO3 sorption capacity of 45.36 mmol kg(-1) predicted by
      the Langmuir sorption model. The kinetics data were well described by the Type 1
      pseudo-second-order model, indicating chemisorption as the dominating mechanism
      of NO3 sorption onto biochars. Greater efficiency of MgO-biochar was related to
      its high specific surface area (391.8 m(2) g(-1)) and formation of strong ionic
      complexes with NO3. At an initial pH of 2, more than 89 % NO3 removal efficiency
      was observed for all of the biochars. We conclude that chemical modification can
      alter the surface chemistry of biochar, thereby leading to enhanced sorption
      capacity compared with simple biochar. 

PMID- 26100326
TI  - Radon in indoor air of primary schools: determinant factors, their variability
      and effective dose.
AB  - Radon is a radioactive gas, abundant in granitic areas, such as in the city of
      Porto at the north-east of Portugal. This gas is a recognized carcinogenic agent,
      being appointed by the World Health Organization as the leading cause of lung
      cancer after smoking. The aim of this preliminary survey was to determine indoor
      radon concentrations in public primary schools, to analyse the main factors
      influencing their indoor concentration levels and to estimate the effective dose
      in students and teachers in primary schools. Radon concentrations were measured
      in 45 classrooms from 13 public primary schools located in Porto, using CR-39
      passive radon detectors for about 2-month period. In all schools, radon
      concentrations ranged from 56 to 889 Bq/m(3) (mean = 197 Bq/m(3)). The results
      showed that the limit of 100 Bq/m(3) established by WHO IAQ guidelines was
      exceeded in 92 % of the measurements, as well as 8 % of the measurements exceeded
      the limit of 400 Bq/m(3) established by the national legislation. Moreover, the
      mean annual effective dose was calculated as 1.25 mSv/y (ranging between 0.58 and
      3.07 mSv/y), which is below the action level (3-10 mSv). The considerable
      variability of radon concentration observed between and within floors indicates a
      need to monitor concentrations in several rooms for each floor. A single radon
      detector for each room can be used, provided that the measurement error is
      considerably lower than variability of radon concentration between rooms. The
      results of the present survey will provide useful baseline data for adopting
      safety measures and dealing effectively with radiation emergencies. In
      particular, radon remediation techniques should be used in buildings located in
      the highest radon risk areas of Portugal. The results obtained in the current
      study concerning radon levels and their variations will be useful to optimize the
      design of future research surveys. 

PMID- 26100328
TI  - Commentary on "Racial variation in the quality of surgical care for bladder
      cancer." Barocas DA, Alvarez J, Koyama T, Anderson CB, Gray DT, Fowke JH, You C,
      Chang SS, Cookson MS, Smith JA Jr, Penson DF, Department of Urologic Surgery,
      Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Center for Surgical Quality and
      Outcomes Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.: Cancer. 2014 Apr
      1;120(7):1018-25. doi:10.1002/cncr.28520. [Epub 2013 Dec 11].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Differences in quality of care may contribute to racial variation in
      outcomes of bladder cancer (BCa). Quality indicators in patients undergoing
      surgery for BCa include the use of high-volume surgeons and high-volume
      hospitals, and, when clinically indicated, receipt of pelvic lymphadenectomy,
      receipt of continent urinary diversion, and undergoing radical cystectomy instead
      of partial cystectomy. The authors compared these quality indicators as well as
      adverse perioperative outcomes in black patients and white patients with BCa.
      METHODS: The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases
      for New York, Florida, and Maryland (1996-2009) were used, because they
      consistently included race, surgeon, and hospital identifiers. Quality indicators
      were compared across racial groups using regression models adjusting for age,
      sex, Elixhauser comorbidity sum, insurance, state, and year of surgery,
      accounting for clustering within hospital. RESULTS: Black patients were treated
      more often by lower volume surgeons and hospitals, they had significantly lower
      receipt of pelvic lymphadenectomy and continent diversion, and they experienced
      higher rates of adverse outcomes compared with white patients. These associations
      remained significant for black patients who received treatment from surgeons and
      at hospitals in the top volume decile. CONCLUSIONS: Black patients with BCa had
      lower use of experienced providers and institutions for BCa surgery. In addition,
      the quality of care for black patients was lower than that for whites even if
      they received treatment in a high-volume setting. This gap in quality of care
      requires further investigation.

PMID- 26100327
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Ultrasound Fusion Targeted Prostate Biopsy in a
      Consecutive Cohort of Men with No Previous Biopsy: Reduction of Over Detection
      through Improved Risk Stratification.
AB  - PURPOSE: MRF-TB (magnetic resonance imaging-ultrasound fusion targeted prostate
      biopsy) may improve the detection of prostate cancer in men presenting for
      prostate biopsy. We report clinical outcomes of 12-core systematic biopsy and MRF
      TB in men who presented for primary biopsy and further describe pathological
      characteristics of cancers detected by systematic biopsy and not by MRF-TB.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical outcomes of 452 consecutive men who underwent
      prebiopsy multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging followed by MRF-TB and
      systematic biopsy at our institution between June 2012 and June 2015 were
      captured in an institutional review board approved database. Clinical
      characteristics, biopsy results and magnetic resonance imaging suspicion scores
      were queried from the database. RESULTS: Prostate cancer was detected in 207 of
      382 men (54.2%) with a mean+/-SD age of 64+/-8.5 years and mean+/-SEM prostate
      specific antigen 6.8+/-0.3 ng/ml who met study inclusion criteria. The cancer
      detection rate of systematic biopsy and MRF-TB was 49.2% and 43.5%, respectively
      (p=0.006). MRF-TB detected more Gleason score 7 or greater cancers than
      systematic biopsy (117 of 132 or 88.6% vs 102 of 132 or 77.3%, p=0.037). Of 41
      cancers detected by systematic biopsy but not by MRF-TB 34 (82.9%) demonstrated
      Gleason 6 disease, and 26 (63.4%) and 34 (82.9%) were clinically insignificant by
      Epstein criteria and a UCSF CAPRA (University of California-San Francisco-Cancer
      of the Prostate Risk Assessment) score of 2 or less, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      In men presenting for primary prostate biopsy MRF-TB detects more high grade
      cancers than systematic biopsy. Most cancers detected by systematic biopsy and
      not by MRF-TB are at clinically low risk. Prebiopsy magnetic resonance imaging
      followed by MRF-TB decreases the detection of low risk cancers while
      significantly improving the detection and risk stratification of high grade
      disease.

PMID- 26100329
TI  - [Patient's care and management of dyslipidemia at discharge after an acute
      coronary syndrome in the clinical practice in Spain: The SINCOPA study].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: European guidelines acknowledge that patients with an acute
      coronary syndrome (ACS) should have LDLc levels below 70mg/dL or reduced a 50%
      respect to their basal levels. However, some studies demonstrated that this goal
      is achieved in a small number of patients. The aim of this study was to determine
      how cardiologists (MC) and primary care specialist (GPs) from Spain manage LDLc
      in ACS patients during their daily practice. METHODS: An observational, cross
      sectional, multicentric study was conducted. Information about daily practice was
      obtained from 291 MC and 564 GPs across Spain. RESULTS: 68% of MC and 67% of GPs
      considered ACS patients to be high-risk. Most consider the cLDL targets based on
      European guidelines. The statins most widely used for MC are atorvastatin and
      rosuvastatina and for GPs are atorvastatin and simvastatin. 66.4% of GPs follow
      the prescription of MC. 42% of MC and 19.9% of GPs considered that 75-100% of
      their patients achieved the LDLc target. The main reason of not achieving this
      target was lack of treatment adherence. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of adherence and
      poor perception of real LDLc control may contribute to the failure in achieving
      lipid targets in ACS patients.

PMID- 26100330
TI  - Universal far-from-equilibrium dynamics of a holographic superconductor.
AB  - Symmetry-breaking phase transitions are an example of non-equilibrium processes
      that require real-time treatment, a major challenge in strongly coupled systems
      without long-lived quasiparticles. Holographic duality provides such an approach
      by mapping strongly coupled field theories in D dimensions into weakly coupled
      quantum gravity in D+1 anti-de Sitter spacetime. Here we use holographic duality
      to study the formation of topological defects-winding numbers-in the course of a
      superconducting transition in a strongly coupled theory in a 1D ring. When the
      system undergoes the transition on a given quench time, the condensate builds up
      with a delay that can be deduced using the Kibble-Zurek mechanism from the quench
      time and the universality class of the theory, as determined from the quasinormal
      mode spectrum of the dual model. Typical winding numbers deposited in the ring
      exhibit a universal fractional power law dependence on the quench time, also
      predicted by the Kibble-Zurek Mechanism. 

PMID- 26100331
TI  - Mutation screen reveals novel variants and expands the phenotypes associated with
      DYNC1H1.
AB  - Dynein, cytoplasmic 1, heavy chain 1 (DYNC1H1) encodes a necessary subunit of the
      cytoplasmic dynein complex, which traffics cargo along microtubules. Dominant
      DYNC1H1 mutations are implicated in neural diseases, including spinal muscular
      atrophy with lower extremity dominance (SMA-LED), intellectual disability with
      neuronal migration defects, malformations of cortical development, and Charcot
      Marie-Tooth disease, type 2O. We hypothesized that additional variants could be
      found in these and novel motoneuron and related diseases. Therefore, we analyzed
      our database of 1024 whole exome sequencing samples of motoneuron and related
      diseases for novel single nucleotide variations. We filtered these results for
      significant variants, which were further screened using segregation analysis in
      available family members. Analysis revealed six novel, rare, and highly conserved
      variants. Three of these are likely pathogenic and encompass a broad phenotypic
      spectrum with distinct disease clusters. Our findings suggest that DYNC1H1
      variants can cause not only lower, but also upper motor neuron disease. It thus
      adds DYNC1H1 to the growing list of spastic paraplegia related genes in
      microtubule-dependent motor protein pathways. 

PMID- 26100332
TI  - Influencing factors of immediate angiographic results in intracranial aneurysms
      patients after endovascular treatment.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to analyze influencing factors associated with
      immediate angiographic results in intracranial aneurysms patients after
      endovascular treatment (EVT), providing theoretical evidence and guidance for
      clinical treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Totally 529 patients met the
      inclusive criteria, consisting of 338 males and 191 females. Gender; age; history
      of hypertension, diabetes, and smoking; intracranial atherosclerosis; rupture
      status, size and location, features of aneurysmal neck, shapes; vasospasm;
      treatment modality; and degree of aneurysm occlusion were all carefully and
      completely recorded. All data were investigated in univariate and multivariate
      logistic regression model to determine whether they were correlated with the
      degree of aneurysm occlusion. According to aneurysm size, aneurysms were
      classified as micro-miniature, miniature, and large aneurysms. There were 451
      narrow-neck aneurysms and 78 wide-neck aneurysms. Totally 417 were regular and
      112 were irregular. And 125 were un-ruptured aneurysms; 404 were ruptured
      aneurysms. The modalities of treatment were as follows: embolization with coil (n
      = 415), stent-assisted coil embolization (n = 89), and balloon-assisted coil
      embolization (n = 25). Univariate analysis showed that aneurysm size, feature of
      aneurysm neck, shape, and rupture status might affect the immediate occlusion
      after EVT. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that ruptured
      aneurysm, tiny aneurysm, and wide-neck aneurysm were independent influencing
      factors of complete occlusion of intracranial aneurysm. Aneurysm rupture status,
      size, feature of aneurysmal neck, and shape might be the independent influencing
      factors of immediate angiographic results in intracranial aneurysm patients after
      EVT. Un-ruptured, micro-miniature, narrow-neck, and regular-shaped aneurysms were
      more probable to be occluded completely. 

PMID- 26100334
TI  - The role of the NG2 proteoglycan in OPC and CNS network function.
AB  - In the normal mammalian CNS, the NG2 proteoglycan is expressed by oligodendrocyte
      precursor cells (OPC) but not by any other neural cell-type. NG2 is a type-1
      membrane protein, exerting multiple roles in the CNS including intracellular
      signaling within the OPC, with effects on migration, cytoskeleton interaction and
      target gene regulation. It has been recently shown that the extracellular region
      of NG2, in addition to an adhesive function, acts as a soluble ECM component with
      the capacity to alter defined neuronal network properties. This region of NG2 is
      thus endowed with neuromodulatory properties. In order to generate biologically
      active fragments yielding these properties, the sequential cleavage of the NG2
      protein by alpha- and gamma-secretases occurs. The basal level of constitutive
      cleavage is stimulated by neuronal network activity. This processing leads to 4
      major NG2 fragments which all have been associated with distinct biological
      functions. Here we summarize these functions, focusing on recent discoveries and
      their implications for the CNS. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled
      SI:NG2-glia(Invited only).

PMID- 26100333
TI  - Effects of co-administration of 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) and a selective u
      opioid receptor agonist into the nucleus accumbens on high-fat feeding behaviors
      in the rat.
AB  - Previous research has demonstrated that the nucleus accumbens is a site where
      opioids and cannabinoids interact to alter feeding behavior. However, the
      influence of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) on the well
      characterized model of intra-accumbens opioid driven high-fat feeding behavior
      has not been explored. The present experiments examined high-fat feeding
      associated behaviors produced by the interaction of 2-AG and the MU-opioid
      receptor agonist DAla(2),N,Me-Phe(4),Gly-ol(5)-enkaphalin (DAMGO) administered
      into the nucleus accumbens. Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with bilateral
      cannulae aimed at the nucleus accumbens and were co-administered both a sub
      threshold dose of 2-AG (0 or 0.25 MUg/0.5 MUl/side) and DAMGO (0, 0.025 MUg or
      0.25 MUg/0.5 MUl/side) in all dose combinations, and in a counterbalanced order.
      Animals were then immediately allowed a 2h-unrestricted access period to a
      palatable high-fat diet. Consumption, number and duration of food hopper entries,
      and locomotor activity were all monitored. DAMGO treatment led to an increase in
      multiple behaviors, including consumption, duration of food hopper entry, and
      locomotor activity. However, combined intra-accumbens administration of DAMGO and
      a subthreshold dose of 2-AG led to a significant increase in number of food
      hopper entries and locomotor activity, compared to DAMGO by itself. The results
      confirm that intra-accumbens administration of subthreshold dose of the
      endogenous cannabinoid 2-AG increases the DAMGO-induced approach and locomotor
      behaviors associated with high-fat feeding.

PMID- 26100336
TI  - Effects of propofol and sevoflurane on aquaporin-4 and aquaporin-9 expression in
      patients performed gliomas resection.
AB  - Post-operative cerebral edema is a threat for patients performed gliomas
      resection. Some studies have shown that general anesthesia drugs, such as,
      propofol had neuroprotective effect. Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) and Aquaporin-9 (AQP9)
      play an important role in maintaining brain water homeostasis under various
      conditions. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of propofol or
      sevoflurane on expression of AQP4 and AQP9 in patients performed gliomas
      resection. 30 patients performed gliomas resection were included in this study.
      The patients were randomly divided into two groups: propofol group and
      sevoflurane group. Fresh human gliomas specimens were obtained and hematoxylin
      eosin (HE) staining, immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis were
      used for observation of the expression of AQP4 and AQP9. The immunohistochemical
      staining of the sections showed that the percentage of AQP4 positive cells in the
      propofol group (14.3+/-4.61%) was significantly lower than that in sevoflurane
      group (37.3+/-10.01%) (n=15, P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the
      percentage of AQP9 positive cells in propofol group and sevoflurane group (25.8+/
      2.67 versus 28.1+/-7.81%, n=15, P>0.05). Western blot analysis confirmed the
      immunohistochemistry results. AQP4 protein level in propofol group was
      significantly lower than that in sevoflurane group (1.4+/-0.13 versus 1.7+/-0.12,
      P<0.05). Western blot analysis did not show any difference of expression of AQP9
      protein between the propofol group and sevoflurane group (2.0+/-0.13 versus 2.1+/
      0.13, P>0.05, n=6). AQP4 expression was lower in patients of propofol group than
      that in sevoflurane group. Our results suggested that propofol could inhibit the
      expression of AQP4.

PMID- 26100335
TI  - Chronic intermittent ethanol induced axon and myelin degeneration is attenuated
      by calpain inhibition.
AB  - Chronic alcohol consumption causes multifaceted damage to the central nervous
      system (CNS), underlying mechanisms of which are gradually being unraveled. In
      our previous studies, activation of calpain, a calcium-activated neutral protease
      has been found to cause detrimental alterations in spinal motor neurons following
      ethanol (EtOH) exposure in vitro. However, it is not known whether calpain plays
      a pivotal role in chronic EtOH exposure-induced structural damage to CNS in vivo.
      To test the possible involvement of calpain in EtOH-associated neurodegenerative
      mechanisms the present investigation was conducted in a well-established mouse
      model of alcohol dependence - chronic intermittent EtOH (CIE) exposure and
      withdrawal. Our studies indicated significant loss of axonal proteins
      (neurofilament light and heavy, 50-60%), myelin proteins (myelin basic protein,
      20-40% proteolipid protein, 25%) and enzyme (2', 3'-cyclic-nucleotide 3'
      phosphodiesterase, 21-55%) following CIE in multiple regions of brain including
      hippocampus, corpus callosum, cerebellum, and importantly in spinal cord. These
      CIE-induced deleterious effects escalated after withdrawal in each CNS region
      tested. Increased expression and activity of calpain along with enhanced ratio of
      active calpain to calpastatin (sole endogenous inhibitor) was observed after
      withdrawal compared to EtOH exposure. Pharmacological inhibition of calpain with
      calpeptin (25 MUg/kg) prior to each EtOH vapor inhalation significantly
      attenuated damage to axons and myelin as demonstrated by immuno-profiles of
      axonal and myelin proteins, and Luxol Fast Blue staining. Calpain inhibition
      significantly protected the ultrastructural integrity of axons and myelin
      compared to control as confirmed by electron microscopy. Together, these findings
      confirm CIE exposure and withdrawal induced structural alterations in axons and
      myelin, predominantly after withdrawal and corroborate calpain inhibition as a
      potential protective strategy against EtOH associated CNS degeneration.

PMID- 26100339
TI  - A fixed-links modeling approach to assess individual differences in the
      attentional blink: Analysis of behavioral and psychophysiological data.
AB  - The attentional blink (AB) is a fundamental limitation of the ability to select
      relevant information from irrelevant information. It can be observed with the
      detection rate in an AB task as well as with the corresponding P300 amplitude of
      the event-related potential. In previous research, however, correlations between
      these two levels of observation were weak and rather inconsistent. A possible
      explanation of this finding might be that multiple processes underlie the AB and,
      thus, obscure a possible relationship between AB-related detection rate and the
      corresponding P300 amplitude. The present study investigated this assumption by
      applying a fixed-links modeling approach to represent behavioral individual
      differences in the AB as a latent variable. Concurrently, this approach enabled
      us to control for additional sources of variance in AB performance by deriving
      two additional latent variables. The correlation between the latent variable
      reflecting behavioral individual differences in AB magnitude and a corresponding
      latent variable derived from the P300 amplitude was high (r=.70). Furthermore,
      this correlation was considerably stronger than the correlations of other
      behavioral measures of the AB magnitude with their psychophysiological
      counterparts (all rs<.40). Our findings clearly indicate that the systematic
      disentangling of various sources of variance by utilizing the fixed-links
      modeling approach is a promising tool to investigate behavioral individual
      differences in the AB and possible psychophysiological correlates of these
      individual differences. 

PMID- 26100338
TI  - Striatal patch compartment lesions reduce stereotypy following repeated cocaine
      administration.
AB  - Stereotypy can be characterized as inflexible, repetitive behaviors that occur
      following repeated exposure to psychostimulants, such as cocaine (COC).
      Stereotypy may be related to preferential activation of the patch (striosome)
      compartment of striatum, as enhanced relative activation of the patch compartment
      has been shown to positively correlate with the emergence of stereotypy following
      repeated psychostimulant treatment. However, the specific contribution of the
      patch compartment to COC-induced stereotypy following repeated exposure is
      unknown. To elucidate the involvement of the patch compartment to the development
      of stereotypy following repeated COC exposure, we determined if destruction of
      this sub-region altered COC-induced behaviors. The neurons of the patch
      compartment were ablated by bilateral infusion of the neurotoxin dermorphin
      saporin (DERM-SAP; 17 ng/MUl) into the striatum. Animals were allowed to recover
      for eight days following the infusion, and then were given daily injections of
      COC (25mg/kg) or saline for one week, followed by a weeklong drug-free period.
      Animals were then given a challenge dose of saline or COC, observed for 2h in
      activity chambers and sacrificed. The number of mu-labeled patches in the
      striatum were reduced by DERM-SAP pretreatment. In COC-treated animals DERM-SAP
      pretreatment significantly reduced the immobilization and intensity of stereotypy
      but increased locomotor activity. DERM-SAP pretreatment attenuated COC-induced c
      Fos expression in the patch compartment, while enhancing COC-induced c-Fos
      expression in the matrix compartment. These data indicate that the patch
      compartment contributes to repetitive behavior and suggests that alterations in
      activity in the patch vs matrix compartments may underlie to this phenomenon.

PMID- 26100340
TI  - Reality of a Vaccine in the Prevention and Treatment of Atherosclerosis.
AB  - Atherosclerosis together with multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and rheumatoid
      arthritis can be used as examples of chronic inflammatory diseases associated
      with multifactorial components that evolve over the years. Nevertheless, an
      important difference between these diseases relies on the fact that
      atherosclerosis develops from early ages where inflammation dominates the very
      beginning of the disease. This review highlights the inflammatory nature of
      atherosclerosis and the role the immune system plays in the process of
      atherogenesis. Although treatment of atherosclerosis has been for years based on
      lipid-lowering therapies reducing a series of risk factors, the degree of success
      has been only limited because cardiovascular complications related to the
      evolution of atherosclerotic lesions continue to appear in the population
      worldwide. In this sense, alternative treatments for atherosclerosis have come
      into play where both innate and adaptive immunity have been proposed to modulate
      atherosclerosis-associated inflammatory phenomena. When tested for their
      atheroprotective properties, several immunogens have been studied through passive
      and active immunization with good results and, therefore, the strategy through
      vaccination to control the disease has been made possible. Many experimental pre
      clinical studies demonstrating proof of concept that vaccination using DNA and
      protein with an effective use of adjuvants and the optimal route of
      administration now provide a tangible new therapeutic approach that sets the
      stage for several of these vaccines to be tested in large, randomized, long-term
      clinical studies. A vaccine ready for human use will only be accomplished through
      the close association between academia, regulatory government organizations and
      private industry, allowing the reality of a simple and successful therapy to
      reduce atherosclerosis and its severe clinical complications. 

PMID- 26100337
TI  - Facilitated glutamate release at Schaffer collateral to CA1 synapses has access
      to an exclusive population of NMDA receptors.
AB  - In order to explore short-term facilitation of the Schaffer collateral to CA1
      synapse in mouse hippocampal brain slices, we measured the time course of the
      decay of the peak amplitude of successive EPSCs during progressive MK-801
      dependent block (PMDB) of NMDAR responses to paired (R1 and R2) stimuli. We made
      the unexpected observation that the R2 response exhibited a slower PMDB decay
      constant than that of the R1 response. This indicated that the facilitated R2
      response engages release sites with NMDARs that are protected from opening and
      consequent MK-801 block during the basal R1 response. We then utilized conditions
      that affect synaptic glutamate distribution to dissect the components of the
      distinct PMDB decay constants of the first and second of paired pulses. While
      extra-synaptic NMDARs and glutamate transporters appear to play only minor roles
      in the differences of the PMDB decay constant, we showed important roles for the
      R1 response itself and for glutamate diffusion in determining the PMDB decay
      constant of R2. We used a simple computational model with realistic parameters
      that allowed us to predict the time course of R2 decay based on the R1 decay time
      course.

PMID- 26100341
TI  - The normative authority of the World Health Organization.
AB  - The World Health Organization (WHO) was born after the devastation of World War
      II, as a normative agency endowed with unprecedented constitutional powers. But
      even as it has achieved stunning successes, such as the eradication of smallpox,
      it has failed to live up to the exalted expectations of the postwar health and
      human rights movement - exemplified most recently by its inadequate response to
      the Ebola epidemic. Our aim is to offer innovative ideas for restoring the
      Organization to its leadership position by exercising its normative authority,
      even as it faces a crowded and often chaotic global health architecture. Before
      doing so, it will be helpful to summarize the main tensions the Organization
      faces in today's global health landscape. 

PMID- 26100342
TI  - Direct imaging of biological sulfur dioxide derivatives in vivo using a two
      photon phosphorescent probe.
AB  - Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and its derivatives sulfite and bisulfite play important
      roles in biological systems. However, in vivo detection of sulfite/bisulfite
      remains challenging. In this study, we developed a dinuclear Ir(III) complex
      (Ir4) as a two-photon phosphorescent probe for sulfite and bisulfite. Ir4
      selectively and rapidly responded, with high sensitivity, to sulfite/bisulfite
      over other bio-related ions and molecules. One-photon and two-photon microscopy
      images revealed that Ir4 preferentially targeted mitochondria and was capable of
      imaging biological sulfite/bisulfite levels in vitro and in vivo. In situ sulfite
      generation in Caenorhabditis elegans was visualized by two-photon excitation real
      time imaging. Finally, Ir4 was employed to monitor sulfite distribution in rat
      brain and other tissues. This study is the first report of the direct
      visualization of SO2 derivatives in vivo. These results provide new insights into
      the biological importance of SO2. 

PMID- 26100344
TI  - Microstructured dextran hydrogels for burst-free sustained release of PEGylated
      protein drugs.
AB  - Hydrogels have gained significant attention as ideal delivery vehicles for
      protein drugs. However, the use of hydrogels for protein delivery has been
      restricted because their porous structures inevitably cause a premature leakage
      of encapsulated proteins. Here, we report a simple yet effective approach to
      regulate the protein release kinetics of hydrogels through the creation of
      microstructures, which serve as a reservoir, releasing their payloads in a
      controlled manner. Microstructured dextran hydrogels enable burst-free sustained
      release of PEGylated interferon over 3 months without compromising its
      bioactivity. These hydrogels substantially extend the circulation half-life of
      PEGylated interferon, allowing for less frequent dosing in a humanized mouse
      model of hepatitis C. The present approach opens up possibilities for the
      development of sustained protein delivery systems for a broad range of
      pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. 

PMID- 26100343
TI  - Simple coating with fibronectin fragment enhances stainless steel screw
      osseointegration in healthy and osteoporotic rats.
AB  - Metal implants are widely used to provide structural support and stability in
      current surgical treatments for bone fractures, spinal fusions, and joint
      arthroplasties as well as craniofacial and dental applications. Early implant
      bone mechanical fixation is an important requirement for the successful
      performance of such implants. However, adequate osseointegration has been
      difficult to achieve especially in challenging disease states like osteoporosis
      due to reduced bone mass and strength. Here, we present a simple coating strategy
      based on passive adsorption of FN7-10, a recombinant fragment of human
      fibronectin encompassing the major cell adhesive, integrin-binding site, onto 316
      grade stainless steel (SS). FN7-10 coating on SS surfaces promoted alpha5beta1
      integrin-dependent adhesion and osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal
      stem cells. FN7-10-coated SS screws increased bone-implant mechanical fixation
      compared to uncoated screws by 30% and 45% at 1 and 3 months, respectively, in
      healthy rats. Importantly, FN7-10 coating significantly enhanced bone-screw
      fixation by 57% and 32% at 1 and 3 months, respectively, and bone-implant
      ingrowth by 30% at 3 months compared to uncoated screws in osteoporotic rats.
      These coatings are easy to apply intra-operatively, even to implants with complex
      geometries and structures, facilitating the potential for rapid translation to
      clinical settings. 

PMID- 26100345
TI  - Regeneration inducers in limb regeneration.
AB  - Limb regeneration ability, which can be observed in amphibians, has been
      investigated as a representative phenomenon of organ regeneration. Recently, an
      alternative experimental system called the accessory limb model was developed to
      investigate early regulation of amphibian limb regeneration. The accessory limb
      model contributed to identification of limb regeneration inducers in urodele
      amphibians. Furthermore, the accessory limb model may be applied to other species
      to explore universality of regeneration mechanisms. This review aims to connect
      the insights recently gained to emboss universality of regeneration mechanisms
      among species. The defined molecules (BMP7 (or2) + FGF2 + FGF8) can transform
      skin wound healing to organ (limb) regeneration responses. The same molecules can
      initiate regeneration responses in some species. 

PMID- 26100346
TI  - Conversion from Two Types of Wide QRS Complex Tachycardia to Narrow QRS Complex
      Tachycardia: What Are the Mechanisms?

PMID- 26100347
TI  - Organizing pneumonia components in non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP): a
      clinicopathological study of 33 NSIP cases.
AB  - AIMS: To review the clinical, radiological and pathological features of non
      specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), mainly to characterize organizing
      pneumonia (OP) components in NSIP. METHODS AND RESULTS: Lung biopsy samples from
      33 NSIP patients were collected over a period of 10 years. Microscopic analysis
      revealed that 13 cases showed a cellular pattern and 20 showed a mixed/fibrosing
      pattern. OP components were detected in 26 cases (13 with a cellular pattern; 13
      with a mixed/fibrosing pattern), and were found to constitute a median proportion
      of 9% (range, 1-40%) of the affected tissues. In nine cellular and four
      mixed/fibrosing NSIP cases, the OP components accounted for >=10%. A proportion
      of >=20% was found in only five cellular pattern cases. Twenty-nine patients were
      followed up: 17 showed improvements, five were stabilized, and seven showed
      progression. CONCLUSIONS: OP components are common basic lesions in NSIP cases,
      although their proportion in cellular and mixed/fibrosing pattern cases varies
      substantially between patients. OP components do not impact on prognosis, even
      when they constitute >=20% of the affected tissue. Thus, a high level of OP
      components does not exclude a diagnosis of NSIP in cases that otherwise show
      pathological and radiological findings characteristic of NSIP.

PMID- 26100348
TI  - Anxiety and depression after failure of assisted reproductive treatment among
      patients experiencing infertility.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of the number of previous infertility
      treatment failures on anxiety and depression. METHODS: In a cross-sectional
      study, individuals (men and women, but not couples) aged at least 18 years who
      had a history of infertility and could read and write in Persian were enrolled at
      the Royan Institute, Tehran, Iran, between November 1, 2013, and February 28,
      2014. Participants provided demographic and infertility information and completed
      the Persian version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). RESULTS:
      Overall, 330 patients (122 men, 208 women) were included. Mean scores on the HADS
      anxiety and depression subscales (HADS-A and HADS-D) were 8.40+/-4.51 and 5.95+/
      3.54, respectively. In multiple regression analysis, mean HADS-A scores were
      significantly higher for patients with one treatment failure (9.57+/-4.58) than
      for those without a history of treatment (7.79+/-4.13; P=0.003). HADS-D scores
      were significantly higher for patients with two failures (6.92+/-3.69) than for
      those with no previous treatment (5.59+/-3.79; P=0.019). CONCLUSION: Patients
      with infertility have increased depression and anxiety after infertility
      treatment failure. Counseling or treatment for these potential psychological
      effects should be considered after infertility treatment failure.

PMID- 26100349
TI  - Tiotropium and Salmeterol in COPD Patients at Risk of Exacerbations: A Post Hoc
      Analysis from POET-COPD((r)).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
      the frequency and severity of past exacerbations potentiates future events. The
      impact of current therapies on exacerbation frequency and severity in patients
      with different exacerbation risks is not well known. METHODS: A post hoc analysis
      of patients at low (<=1 exacerbation [oral steroids/antibiotics requirement] and
      no COPD-related hospitalization in the year preceding trial entry) or high (>=2
      exacerbations [oral steroids/antibiotics requirement] or >=1 COPD-related
      hospitalization[s] in the year preceding trial entry) exacerbation risk, from the
      Prevention of Exacerbations with Tiotropium in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
      Disease (POET-COPD((r))) database. RESULTS: Compared with salmeterol, tiotropium
      significantly increased time to first COPD exacerbation (hazard ratio 0.84; 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 0.76-0.92; p = 0.0002) and reduced the number of COPD
      exacerbations (rate ratio 0.90; 95% CI 0.81-0.99; p = 0.0383) in patients at high
      exacerbation risk. With treatment, the risk of remaining in the high-risk
      exacerbator subgroup was statistically lower with tiotropium versus salmeterol
      (risk ratio [RR] 0.89; 95% CI 0.80-1.00; p = 0.0478). For low-risk patients, time
      to first COPD exacerbation and number of COPD exacerbations were numerically
      lower with tiotropium versus salmeterol. With treatment, the risk of
      transitioning from a low to a high exacerbation risk was lower with tiotropium
      versus salmeterol (RR 0.87; 95% CI 0.71-1.07; p = 0.1968). DISCUSSION: This
      analysis confirms the higher efficacy of tiotropium versus salmeterol in
      prolonging time to first COPD exacerbation and reducing number of exacerbations
      in patients both at low and high exacerbation risk. FUNDING: Boehringer Ingelheim
      and Pfizer. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00563381.

PMID- 26100350
TI  - Plume Characteristics of Two HFA-Driven Inhaled Corticosteroid/Long-Acting Beta2
      Agonist Combination Pressurized Metered-Dose Inhalers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: New inhalers propelled by hydrofluoroalkanes (HFAs) have improved
      plume characteristics: higher fine particle fraction, and warmer plumes with
      reduced force and velocity. Together, this may avoid reflex interruption of
      inhalation and improve lung deposition of the inhaled drugs. However, even with
      HFA-propelled pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs), there are notable
      differences in device properties. Here we compared the duration, velocity, force,
      and temperature of two inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting beta2-agonist
      combination therapies, administered via HFA pMDIs: fluticasone
      propionate/formoterol 125/5 ug (FP/FORM; flutiform((r))) and fluticasone
      propionate/salmeterol 125/25 ug (FP/SAL; Seretide((r)) Evohaler((r))). METHODS:
      Inhalers were fired into ambient air. Plume duration and velocity were recorded
      with a high-speed camera and a pulsed laser light source. A copper disc attached
      to a sensitive load cell measured the plume force at various distances from the
      device. A thermal imaging video camera recorded impaction temperature in line
      with the device. RESULTS: The average plume duration for FP/FORM was longer than
      that of FP/SAL: 168.3 vs. 114.0 ms, respectively. The mean maximum plume
      velocities observed at 95 mm (the approximate distance between mouthpiece and
      throat) was consistently slower for FP/FORM (10.08 m/s) compared to FP/SAL (15.55
      m/s). FP/FORM had a slower velocity at the outset, remaining relatively constant
      before declining steadily over the plume duration. The force of the FP/SAL plume
      was greater than that of FP/FORM at all distances: maximum force for FP/FORM was
      138.2 vs. 278.9 mN for FP/SAL. The minimum impaction temperature was +5.9 
      degrees C for FP/FORM and -37.8  degrees C for FP/SAL; this difference became
      less pronounced over distance. CONCLUSION: There were substantial differences
      between the plumes of the two pMDIs. FP/FORM was warmer, less forceful, had a
      longer plume duration and slower maximal velocity. These plume characteristics of
      FP/FORM may lead to improved lung deposition. FUNDING: Mundipharma Research
      Limited, Cambridge, UK.

PMID- 26100351
TI  - Effects of reading proficiency on embedded stem priming in primary school
      children.
AB  - Prior evidence from masked morphological priming has revealed conflicting
      findings regarding the acquisition of morpho-orthographic segmentation mechanisms
      in developing readers. Here, we examined changes in masked morphological priming
      across grade within a large sample of French primary school children (n = 191,
      Grades 2-5) and how these effects are modulated by individual differences in
      reading proficiency, spelling proficiency, and morphological awareness. Target
      words were preceded by either (a) a suffixed word prime (e.g., tristesse-TRISTE),
      (b) a suffixed nonword prime (e.g., tristerie-TRISTE), (c) a non-suffixed nonword
      prime (e.g., tristald-TRISTE), or (d) an unrelated prime (e.g., direction-TRISTE)
      using very short prime durations (50 ms). Moreover, a frequency manipulation was
      included for suffixes and non-suffixes. The results revealed robust suffixed word
      priming across all children independent of grade and proficiency. On the other
      hand, priming in the suffixed and non-suffixed nonword conditions was modulated
      by reading proficiency, with high-proficiency children showing facilitation and
      low-proficiency children showing inhibition. The effects of suffix and non-suffix
      frequency were modulated by grade, with decreasing effects as grade increased.
      None of the observed priming effects were modulated by grade, spelling
      proficiency, or morphological awareness. The results suggest that reading
      proficiency is an important predictor for embedded stem activation mechanisms in
      primary school children, which we discuss in the context of recent theories of
      morphological processing.

PMID- 26100353
TI  - Formation and functionality of self-assembled whey protein microgels.
AB  - Whey proteins spontaneously form spherical particles when heated in aqueous
      solutions at conditions where their net charge density is below a critical value.
      The particles are microgels consisting of a hydrated crosslinked network of
      proteins with a diameter between 100nm and 1MUm. Stable suspensions of these
      microgels can be formed in a narrow range of conditions when the protein charge
      density is low enough to induce their formation, but high enough to inhibit
      further association into larger clusters or macroscopic gels. The formation of
      microgels and their application to stabilize emulsions and foams; form core-shell
      particles; form gels; or modify the texture of polysaccharide solutions and gels
      are reviewed. 

PMID- 26100352
TI  - Co-modulation analysis of gene regulation in breast cancer reveals complex
      interplay between ESR1 and ERBB2 genes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gene regulation is dynamic across cellular conditions and disease
      subtypes. From the aspect of regulation under modulation, regulation strength
      between a pair of genes can be modulated by (dependent on) expression abundance
      of another gene (modulator gene). Previous studies have demonstrated the
      involvement of genes modulated by single modulator genes in cancers, including
      breast cancer. However, analysis of multi-modulator co-modulation that can
      further delineate the landscape of complex gene regulation is, to our knowledge,
      unexplored previously. In the present study we aim to explore the joint effects
      of multiple modulator genes in modulating global gene regulation and dissect the
      biological functions in breast cancer. RESULTS: To carry out the analysis, we
      proposed the Covariability-based Multiple Regression (CoMRe) method. The method
      is mainly built on a multiple regression model that takes expression levels of
      multiple modulators as inputs and regulation strength between genes as output.
      Pairs of genes were divided into groups based on their co-modulation patterns.
      Analyzing gene expression profiles from 286 breast cancer patients, CoMRe
      investigated ten candidate modulator genes that interacted and jointly determined
      global gene regulation. Among the candidate modulators, ESR1, ERBB2, and ADAM12
      were found modulating the most numbers of gene pairs. The largest group of gene
      pairs was composed of ones that were modulated by merely ESR1. Functional
      annotation revealed that the group was significantly related to tumorigenesis and
      estrogen signaling in breast cancer. ESR1-ERBB2 co-modulation was the largest
      group modulated by more than one modulators. Similarly, the group was
      functionally associated with hormone stimulus, suggesting that functions of the
      two modulators are performed, at least partially, through modulation. The
      findings were validated in majorities of patients (> 99%) of two independent
      breast cancer datasets. CONCLUSIONS: We have showed CoMRe is a robust method to
      discover critical modulators in gene regulatory networks, and it is capable of
      achieving reproducible and biologically meaningful results. Our data reveal that
      gene regulatory networks modulated by single modulator or co-modulated by
      multiple modulators play important roles in breast cancer. Findings of this
      report illuminate complex and dynamic gene regulation under modulation and its
      involvement in breast cancer.

PMID- 26100354
TI  - Quantifying the Number of Discriminable Coincident Dendritic Input Patterns
      through Dendritic Tree Morphology.
AB  - Current developments in neuronal physiology are unveiling novel roles for
      dendrites. Experiments have shown mechanisms of non-linear synaptic NMDA
      dependent activations, able to discriminate input patterns through the waveforms
      of the excitatory postsynaptic potentials. Contextually, the synaptic clustering
      of inputs is the principal cellular strategy to separate groups of common
      correlated inputs. Dendritic branches appear to work as independent
      discriminating units of inputs potentially reflecting an extraordinary repertoire
      of pattern memories. However, it is unclear how these observations could impact
      our comprehension of the structural correlates of memory at the cellular level.
      This work investigates the discrimination capabilities of neurons through
      computational biophysical models to extract a predicting law for the dendritic
      input discrimination capability (M). By this rule we compared neurons from a
      neuron reconstruction repository (neuromorpho.org). Comparisons showed that
      primate neurons were not supported by an equivalent M preeminence and that M is
      not uniformly distributed among neuron types. Remarkably, neocortical neurons had
      substantially less memory capacity in comparison to those from non-cortical
      regions. In conclusion, the proposed rule predicts the inherent neuronal spatial
      memory gathering potentially relevant anatomical and evolutionary considerations
      about the brain cytoarchitecture. 

PMID- 26100355
TI  - Imaging of Traumatic Diaphragmatic Rupture: Evaluation of Diagnostic Accuracy at
      a Level 1 Trauma Centre.
AB  - PURPOSE: Traumatic diaphragmatic rupture (TDR) is an uncommon injury that can be
      associated with significant morbidity if not detected and treated in a timely
      manner. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of 64
      slice multidetector computed tomography (64-MDCT) for the detection of TDR in
      patients at our level 1 trauma centre. METHODS: We used our hospital's trauma
      registry to identify patients with a diagnosis of TDR from January 1, 2008, to
      December 31, 2012. Only patients with a 64-MDCT scan at presentation who
      subsequently underwent laparotomy/laparoscopy were included in the study cohort.
      Using surgical findings as the gold standard, the accuracy of the prospective
      radiology reports was analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 3225 trauma patients who
      presented to our institution, 38 (1.2%) had a TDR. Fourteen of the 38 were
      excluded as they did not have MDCT before surgery. The study cohort consisted of
      20 males and 4 females with a median age of 34.5 years and a median Injury
      Severity Score (ISS90) of 26. Fifteen had blunt trauma while 9 had a penetrating
      injury. The overall sensitivity of the radiology reports was 66.7% (95%
      confidence interval [CI]: 46.7%-82.0%), specificity was 100% (95% CI: 94.1%
      100%), positive predictive value was 100% (95% CI: 80.6%-100%), negative
      predictive value was 88.4% (95% CI: 78.8%-94.0%), and accuracy was 90.6% (95% CI:
      82.5%-95.2%). However, only 3 of 9 patients with penetrating injury had a correct
      preoperative diagnosis. Two of the 6 missed penetrating trauma cases had only
      indirect signs of injury. CONCLUSIONS: The detection of TDR in trauma patients on
      64-MDCT can be improved, especially in patients presenting with penetrating
      injury. A careful search for subtle diaphragmatic defects and indirect evidence
      of injury is important to avoid missing the diagnosis.

PMID- 26100357
TI  - GAA triplet-repeats cause nucleosome depletion in the human genome.
AB  - Although there have been many investigations into how trinucleotide repeats
      affect nucleosome formation and local chromatin structure, the nucleosome
      positioning of GAA triplet-repeats in the human genome has remained elusive. In
      this work, the nucleosome occupancy around GAA triplet-repeats across the human
      genome was computed statistically. The results showed a nucleosome-depleted
      region in the vicinity of GAA triplet-repeats in activated and resting CD4(+) T
      cells. Furthermore, the A-tract was frequently adjacent to the upstream region of
      GAA triplet-repeats and could enhance the depletion surrounding GAA triplet
      repeats. In vitro chromatin reconstitution assays with GAA-containing plasmids
      also demonstrated that the inserted GAA triplet-repeats destabilized the ability
      of recombinant plasmids to assemble nucleosomes. Our results suggested that GAA
      triplet-repeats have lower affinity to histones and can change local nucleosome
      positioning. These findings may be helpful for understanding the mechanism of
      Friedreich's ataxia, which is associated with GAA triplet-repeats at the
      chromatin level. 

PMID- 26100356
TI  - Radiographic Profiling of Immune-Related Adverse Events in Advanced Melanoma
      Patients Treated with Ipilimumab.
AB  - Ipilimumab is a promising novel immunotherapy agent and is associated with a
      variety of immune-related adverse events (irAE). The purpose of this study was to
      investigate the manifestations of irAEs on body imaging in patients with advanced
      melanoma treated with ipilimumab. One-hundred forty-seven patients with advanced
      melanoma (59 women, 88 men; median age, 64.5 years) treated with ipilimumab were
      studied. All patients had the baseline and at least one follow-up
      chest/abdomen/pelvis CT or PET/CT during therapy, which were reviewed by a
      consensus of two radiologists blinded to the clinical data. Findings indicative
      of individual types of irAEs were assessed, including thyroiditis, sarcoid-like
      lymphadenopathy, pneumonitis, hepatitis, pancreatitis, and colitis. Among the 147
      patients, 46 (31%) had radiologically identified irAEs. The time interval from
      the initiation of therapy to the development of irAEs was less than 3 months in
      76% (35 of 46) of the patients (range, 0.2-9.1 months). Clinical characteristics
      did not differ between patients with and without irAEs (P > 0.18). Among the
      individual types of irAEs, colitis was most common (n = 28; 19%), followed by
      sarcoid-like lymphadenopathy (n = 8; 5%) and pneumonitis (n = 8; 5%). Hepatitis
      (n = 3), thyroiditis (n = 2), and pancreatitis (n = 1) were less common. The
      resolution of irAEs was noted in 32 of 36 patients (89%) with further follow-up
      scans, with a median time of 2.3 months after the detection of irAE. In
      conclusion, irAEs were noted on body imaging in 31% of patients with melanoma
      treated with ipilimumab. Colitis was the most common, followed by sarcoid-like
      lymphadenopathy and pneumonitis. The results call for an increased awareness of
      irAEs, given the expanding role of cancer immunotherapy.

PMID- 26100358
TI  - Recent advances in functional assays of transcriptional enhancers.
AB  - In this special edition of Genomics, we present reviews of the current state of
      the field in identifying and functionally understanding transcriptional enhancers
      in cells and developing tissues. Typically several enhancers coordinate the
      expression of an individual target gene, each controlling that gene's expression
      in specific cell types at specific times. Until recently, identifying each gene's
      enhancers had been challenging because enhancers do not occupy prescribed
      locations relative to their target genes. Recently there have been powerful
      advances in DNA sequencing and other technologies that make it possible to
      identify the majority of enhancers in virtually any cell type of interest. The
      reviews in this edition of Genomics highlight some of these new and powerful
      approaches. 

PMID- 26100359
TI  - Childhood asthma biomarkers: present knowledge and future steps.
AB  - Asthma represents the most common chronic respiratory disease of childhood. Its
      current standard diagnosis relies on patient history of symptoms and confirmed
      expiratory airflow limitation. Nevertheless, the spectrum of asthma in clinical
      presentation is broad, and both symptoms and lung function may not always reflect
      the underlying airway inflammation, which can be determined by different
      pathogenetic mechanisms. For these reasons, the identification of objective
      biomarkers of asthma, which may guide diagnosis, phenotyping, management and
      treatment is of great clinical utility and might have a role in the development
      of personalized therapy. The availability of non-invasive methods to study and
      monitor disease inflammation is of relevance especially in childhood asthma. In
      this sense, a promising role might be played by the measurement of exhaled
      biomarkers, such as exhaled nitric oxide (FE(NO)) and molecules in exhaled breath
      condensate (EBC). Furthermore, recent studies have shown encouraging results with
      the application of the novel metabolomic approach to the study of exhaled
      biomarkers. In this paper the existing knowledge in the field of asthma
      biomarkers, with a special focus on exhaled biomarkers, will be highlighted.

PMID- 26100360
TI  - Choosing death in depression: a commentary on 'Treatment-resistant major
      depressive disorder and assisted dying'.

PMID- 26100361
TI  - The ethics of placebo treatments in clinical practice: a reply to Glackin.
AB  - In 'Placebo treatments, informed consent, and "the grip of a false picture"'
      Shane Nicholas Glackin argues that if a physician offers a patient an inert
      placebo with the following disclosure, this is compatible with informed consent
      and is not deceptive: 'I would like to offer you a pill which I believe can help
      lessen your suffering. I do not know exactly how it works. I have other pills to
      offer whose mechanism is clearer, but I am not sure that they will work better
      for you, and they may also entail more serious side effects'. According to
      Glackin, telling patients that the recommended treatment is an inert placebo is
      providing incidental information, analogous to telling a patient the chemical
      details of an active drug. He argues that this information would influence a
      patient's decision only if she was 'in the grip of a false picture' that inert
      drugs do not have physical effects on patients' bodies. We contend that this
      disclosure typically is incompatible with informed consent and typically is
      deceptive. We give an example of a transparent placebo disclosure, that is, a
      disclosure that is compatible with informed consent and is not deceptive. 

PMID- 26100362
TI  - Addressing polarisation in science.
AB  - Ploug and Holm argue that polarisation in scientific communities can generate
      conflicts of interest for individual researchers. Their proposed solution to this
      problem is that authors should self-report whether they are polarised on conflict
      of interest disclosure forms. I argue that this is unlikely to work. This is
      because any author with the self-awareness and integrity to identify herself as
      polarised would be unlikely to conduct polarised research to begin with. Instead,
      I suggest that it is the role of (associate-level) editors of journals to detect
      and report on polarisation. One consequence of this view is that they need to be
      sufficiently familiar with the field of research they are evaluating to know
      whether polarisation is at stake. 

PMID- 26100363
TI  - Benefits and drawbacks of molecular techniques for diagnosis of viral respiratory
      infections. Experience with two multiplex PCR assays.
AB  - Molecular techniques have represented a major step forward in the diagnosis of
      viral respiratory infections. They are considered highly sensitive and specific
      compared to conventional techniques. In this study two nucleic acid amplification
      tests (NAATs) were compared to conventional methods (immunofluorescence and viral
      culture). The aim of this work was to discuss the clinical interpretation of the
      results obtained by NAATs on the basis of the two-decade experience of our group
      and the literature. Eighty nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from children
      under six years attended for acute respiratory illness at the pediatric emergency
      room of a third level Hospital. Both NAATs tested (Seeplex((r)) and Clart((r)))
      showed an overall higher performance regarding sensitivity (76% and 90%,
      respectively). Compared to Seeplex((r)), the Clart((r)) system tripled the number
      of multiple detections (8 by Seeplex((r)) vs. 25 by Clart((r))). In some
      specimens both NAATs detected different viruses. Given these discrepancies and
      the fact that detection of viral nucleic acids is not necessarily related to the
      current clinical syndrome, the interpretation of molecular results may not always
      be so straightforward. The pros and cons of NAATs should always be taken into
      account when giving a result.

PMID- 26100364
TI  - Patterns of care and survival after a cancer of unknown primary (CUP) diagnosis:
      A population-based nested cohort study in Australian Government Department of
      Veterans' Affairs clients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about patterns of care after a cancer of unknown
      primary (CUP) diagnosis. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study to
      describe and compare the treatment, health service use and survival of patients
      with CUP and metastatic cancer of known primary among 143,956 Australian
      Government Department of Veterans' Affairs clients, 2004-2007. We randomly
      matched clients with CUP (C809; n=252) with clients with a first diagnosis of
      metastatic solid cancer of known primary (n=980). We ascertained health services
      from the month of diagnosis up to 2 months post-diagnosis for consultations,
      hospitalizations and emergency department visits, and up to 1 year for treatment.
      We compared cancer treatments using conditional logistic regression; consultation
      rates using negative binomial regression; and survival using stratified Cox
      regression. RESULTS: 30% of CUP patients and 70% of patients with known primary
      received cancer treatment and the median survival was 37 days and 310 days
      respectively. CUP patients received fewer cancer medicines (odds ratio (OR)=0.54,
      95% confidence interval (CI) 0.33-0.89) and less cancer-related surgery (OR=0.25,
      95% CI 0.15-0.41); males with CUP received more radiation therapy (OR=2.88, 95%
      CI 1.69-4.91). CUP patients had more primary care consultations (incidence rate
      ratio (IRR)=1.25, 95% CI 1.11-1.41), emergency department visits (IRR=1.86, 95%
      CI 1.50-2.31) and hospitalizations (IRR=1.18, 95% CI 1.03-1.35), and a higher
      risk of death within 30 days (hazard ratio=3.30, 95% CI 1.69-6.44). CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients with CUP receive less treatment but use more health services, which may
      reflect underlying patient and disease characteristics.

PMID- 26100365
TI  - Survival and PSA-markers for mortality and metastasis in nonmetastatic prostate
      cancer treated with androgen deprivation therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the risk of developing castration-resistant
      prostate cancer (CRPC), metastasis, and mortality among nonmetastatic prostate
      cancer (M0-PC) patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). We
      estimated the incidence of these outcomes among M0-PC patients on ADT and
      identified prostate-specific antigen (PSA) based biomarkers for mortality and
      metastasis. METHODS: This population-based cohort study included all
      nonmetastatic prostate cancer patients in Northern and Central Denmark Regions
      during 1997-2010, identified through registry data. Primary outcomes were
      metastasis, overall survival, and bone metastasis-free survival (BMFS). We
      estimated relative risks (RR) associated with PSA and PSA doubling-time (PSA-DT),
      measured as time-varying variables beginning at ADT treatment start. RESULTS: We
      included 2494 M0-PC patients treated with ADT, of whom 1617 (80%) developed CRPC
      during follow-up. One-fourth of the patients developed metastases within 5 years;
      bone metastases (BM) accounted for 81% of all metastases. Median survival time
      was 4.4 years. Compared with PSA <8 ng/mL, PSA >=8 ng/mL was associated with an
      adjusted RR of 14.0 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 10.2, 19.0) for BM, 4.4 (CI:
      3.9, 5.0) for all-cause mortality, and RR of 4.8 (CI: 4.3, 5.4) for the inverse
      of BMFS. PSA-DT <=6 months was associated with an adjusted RR of 7.6 (95% CI:
      6.1, 9.5) for BM, RR of 5.9 (CI: 5.2, 6.6) for all-cause mortality, and RR 6.6
      (CI: 5.9, 7.4) for the inverse of BMFS. CONCLUSIONS: PSA >=8 ng/mL and PSA-DT <=6
      months are strong predictors of mortality and bone metastasis. The poor prognosis
      observed in this study may reflect inclusion of patients with severe prostate
      cancer by requiring repeated PSA measurements.

PMID- 26100367
TI  - Novel VN/C nanocomposites as methanol-tolerant oxygen reduction electrocatalyst
      in alkaline electrolyte.
AB  - A novel VN/C nanostructure consisting of VN nanoparticles and graphite-dominant
      carbon layers is synthesized by nitridation of V2O5 using melamine as reductant
      under inert atmosphere. High crystalline VN nanoparticles are observed to be
      uniformly distributed in carbon layers with an average size of ca13.45 nm.
      Moreover, the electrocatalytic performance of VN/C towards oxygen reduction
      reaction (ORR) in alkaline electrolyte is fascinating. The results show that VN/C
      has a considerable ORR activity, including a 75 percent value of the diffusion
      limited current density and a 0.11 V smaller value about the onset potential with
      respect to Pt/C catalyst. Moreover, the excellent methanol-tolerance performance
      of VN/C has also been verified with 3 M methanol. Combined with the competitive
      prices, this VN/C nanocomposite can serve as an appropriate non-precious methanol
      tolerant ORR catalyst for alkaline fuel cells. 

PMID- 26100366
TI  - Water-based preparation of spider silk films as drug delivery matrices.
AB  - The main focus of this work was to obtain a drug delivery matrix characterized by
      biocompatibility, water insolubility and good mechanical properties. Moreover the
      preparation process has to be compatible with protein encapsulation and the
      obtained matrix should be able to sustain release a model protein. Spider silk
      proteins represent exceptional natural polymers due to their mechanical
      properties in combination with biocompatibility. As both hydrophobic and slowly
      biodegrading biopolymers, recombinant spider silk proteins fulfill the required
      properties for a drug delivery system. In this work, we present the preparation
      of eADF4(C16) films as drug delivery matrices without the use of any organic
      solvent. Water-based spider silk films were characterized in terms of protein
      secondary structure, thermal stability, zeta-potential, solubility, mechanical
      properties, and water absorption and desorption. Additionally, this study
      includes an evaluation of their application as a drug delivery system for both
      small molecular weight drugs and high molecular weight molecules such as
      proteins. Our investigation focused on possible improvements in the film's
      mechanical properties including plasticizers in the film matrix. Furthermore,
      different film designs were prepared, such as: monolayer, coated monolayer,
      multilayer (sandwich), and coated multilayer. The release of the model protein
      BSA from these new systems was studied. Results indicated that spider silk films
      are a promising protein drug delivery matrix, capable of releasing the model
      protein over 90 days with a release profile close to zero order kinetic. Such
      films could be used for several pharmaceutical and medical purposes, especially
      when mechanical strength of a drug eluting matrix is of high importance.

PMID- 26100368
TI  - Hepatitis: After HCV cure, HBV cure?
AB  - Current treatments efficiently control chronic HBV infection but they do not lead
      to its elimination. Now, Ebert and colleagues have shown that cellular inhibitor
      of apoptosis proteins (cIAPs) prevent TNF-mediated killing of infected
      hepatocytes and that cIAP antagonists might lead to HBV cure by promoting death
      of infected cells.

PMID- 26100370
TI  - NAFLD: Sugary drinks and fatty liver--a bitter-sweet relationship.

PMID- 26100371
TI  - IBD: Lactococcus lactis alleviates oxidative stress and colitis in mice.

PMID- 26100369
TI  - Coeliac disease and gluten-related disorders in childhood.
AB  - Gluten-related disorders such as coeliac disease, wheat allergy and noncoeliac
      gluten sensitivity are increasingly being diagnosed in children. Coeliac disease
      occurs frequently, affecting 1-3% of the Western population. The condition
      manifests at a very young age, more so in girls, and is related to the HLA
      genotype. Coeliac disease might be considered a public health problem and, as
      primary prevention is not possible, the debate on mass screening should be
      reopened. Wheat proteins, including gluten, are responsible for one of the most
      common food allergies in children: wheat allergy. Unlike coeliac disease and
      wheat allergy, noncoeliac gluten sensitivity is an unclear and controversial
      entity. These three gluten-related disorders are treated with a gluten-free diet.
      In coeliac disease, the diet should be strictly followed, whereas wheat allergy
      only requires wheat elimination and in noncoeliac gluten sensitivity occasional
      trials of gluten reintroduction can be done. A good diagnostic work-up is
      important for gluten-related disorders in childhood to avoid unnecessary
      restrictive diets in children. In this Review, we provide an overview of the
      pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of the most common gluten-related
      disorders in children. 

PMID- 26100372
TI  - Infection prevention and control in Europe - the picture in the mosaic.

PMID- 26100373
TI  - Incidence and species distribution of candidaemia in Asia: a laboratory-based
      surveillance study.
AB  - The epidemiology of candidaemia varies between hospitals and geographic regions.
      Although there are many studies from Asia, a large-scale cross-sectional study
      across Asia has not been performed. We conducted a 12-month, laboratory-based
      surveillance of candidaemia at 25 hospitals from China, Hong Kong, India,
      Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. The incidence and species distribution of
      candidaemia were determined. There were 1601 episodes of candidaemia among 1.2
      million discharges. The overall incidence was 1.22 episodes per 1000 discharges
      and varied among the hospitals (range 0.16-4.53 per 1000 discharges) and
      countries (range 0.25-2.93 per 1000 discharges). The number of Candida blood
      isolates and the total number of fungal isolates were highly correlated among the
      six countries (R2 = 0.87) and 25 hospitals (R2 = 0.77). There was a moderate
      correlation between incidence of candidaemia and the intensive care unit
      (ICU)/total bed ratio (R2 = 0.47), although ICUs contributed to only 23% of
      candidaemia cases. Of 1910 blood isolates evaluated, Candida albicans was most
      frequently isolated (41.3%), followed by Candida tropicalis (25.4%), Candida
      glabrata (13.9%) and Candida parapsilosis (12.1%). The proportion of C.
      tropicalis among blood isolates was higher in haemato-oncology wards than others
      wards (33.7% versus 24.5%, p 0.0058) and was more likely to be isolated from
      tropical countries than other Asian countries (46.2% versus 18.9%, p 0.04). In
      conclusion, the ICU settings contribute, at least in part, to the incidence
      variation among hospitals. The species distribution is different from Western
      countries. Both geographic and healthcare factors contribute to the variation of
      species distribution.

PMID- 26100374
TI  - Human bocavirus infection as a cause of severe acute respiratory tract infection
      in children.
AB  - In 2005 human bocavirus (HBoV) was discovered in respiratory tract samples of
      children. The role of HBoV as the single causative agent for respiratory tract
      infections remains unclear. Detection of HBoV in children with respiratory
      disease is frequently in combination with other viruses or bacteria. We set up an
      algorithm to study whether HBoV alone can cause severe acute respiratory tract
      infection (SARI) in children. The algorithm was developed to exclude cases with
      no other likely cause than HBoV for the need for admission to the paediatric
      intensive care unit (PICU) with SARI. We searched for other viruses by next
      generation sequencing (NGS) in these cases and studied their HBoV viral loads. To
      benchmark our algorithm, the same was applied to respiratory syncytial virus
      (RSV)-positive patients. From our total group of 990 patients who tested positive
      for a respiratory virus by means of RT-PCR, HBoV and RSV were detected in 178 and
      366 children admitted to our hospital. Forty-nine HBoV-positive patients and 72
      RSV-positive patients were admitted to the PICU. We found seven single HBoV
      infected cases with SARI admitted to PICU (7/49, 14%). They had no other
      detectable virus by NGS. They had much higher HBoV loads than other patients
      positive for HBoV. We identified 14 RSV-infected SARI patients with a single RSV
      infection (14/72, 19%). We conclude that our study provides strong support that
      HBoV can cause SARI in children in the absence of viral and bacterial co
      infections.

PMID- 26100375
TI  - Dermatitis by Dermatophilus congolensis.

PMID- 26100376
TI  - Geometric analysis of the Goldbeter minimal model for the embryonic cell cycle.
AB  - A minimal model describing the embryonic cell division cycle at the molecular
      level in eukaryotes is analyzed mathematically. It is known from numerical
      simulations that the corresponding three-dimensional system of ODEs has periodic
      solutions in certain parameter regimes. We prove the existence of a stable limit
      cycle and provide a detailed description on how the limit cycle is generated. The
      limit cycle corresponds to a relaxation oscillation of an auxiliary system, which
      is singularly perturbed and has the same orbits as the original model. The
      singular perturbation character of the auxiliary problem is caused by the
      occurrence of small Michaelis constants in the model. Essential pieces of the
      limit cycle of the auxiliary problem consist of segments of slow motion close to
      several branches of a two dimensional critical manifold which are connected by
      fast jumps. In addition, a new phenomenon of exchange of stability occurs at
      lines, where the branches of the two-dimensional critical manifold intersect.
      This novel type of relaxation oscillations is studied by combining standard
      results from geometric singular perturbation with several suitable blow-up
      transformations. 

PMID- 26100377
TI  - Integrative Cancer Therapies. In This Issue.

PMID- 26100378
TI  - Transient Receptor Potential Channel and Interleukin-17A Involvement in LTTL Gel
      Inhibition of Bone Cancer Pain in a Rat Model.
AB  - Cancer pain management is a challenge for which Chinese herbal medicine might be
      useful. To study the spinal mechanisms of the Chinese medicated gel Long-Teng
      Tong-Luo (LTTL), a 7-herb compound, on bone cancer pain, a bone cancer pain model
      was made by inoculating the tibias of female rats with Walker 256 cells. LTTL gel
      or inert gel, 0.5 g/cm(2)/d, was applied to the skin of tumor-bearing tibias for
      21 days beginning a day after the inoculation. Mechanical threshold and paw
      withdrawal latency to thermal stimulation was measured. Transient receptor
      potential (TRP) cation channels in lumbar dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were
      immunostained and counted, and lumbar spinal cord interleukin-17A (IL-17A) was
      measured with real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay. TRP antagonists and interleukin (IL)-17A antibodies were intrathecally
      administered to determine their effects on bone cancer pain. The gel
      significantly (P < .05) alleviated cancer-induced mechanical allodynia and
      thermal hyperalgesia and inhibited cancer-enhanced expression of IL-17A in spinal
      astrocytes and the TRP subfamily members V1, A1, and V4 in lumbar DRG.
      Intrathecal TRP antagonists at 10 ug significantly (P < .05) attenuated
      mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia, and IL-17A expression, indicating
      that TRP channels facilitate spinal IL-17 expression and cancer pain. IL-17A
      antibodies inhibited cancer pain, suggesting that IL-17A promotes such pain. The
      data show that LTTL gel inhibits cancer pain, and this might be accounted for by
      the decrease in expression of DRG TRP channels and spinal astrocyte IL-17A. 

PMID- 26100379
TI  - Dynamic role of adult-born dentate granule cells in memory processing.
AB  - Throughout the adult life of all mammals including humans, new neurons are
      incorporated to the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. During a critical window
      that lasts about two weeks, adult-born immature neurons are more excitable and
      plastic than mature ones, and they respond to a wider range of inputs. In
      apparent contradiction, new neurons have been shown to be crucial to solve
      behavioral tasks that involve the discrimination of very similar situations,
      which would instead require high input specificity. We propose that immature
      neurons are initially unspecific because their task is to identify novel elements
      inside a high dimensional input space. With maturation, they would specialize to
      represent details of these novel inputs, favoring discrimination. 

PMID- 26100380
TI  - Comparing the ocular surface effects of topical vancomycin and linezolid for
      treating bacterial keratitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vancomycin is the gold standard in combination therapy for severe and
      resistant gram-positive keratitis and in particular for Methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. The aim of this study was to report the
      ocular surface toxicity and scoring in patients whose treatment shifted to
      topical linezolid/ceftazidime from topical vancomycin/ceftazidime due to their
      vancomycin intolerance. METHODS: A retrospective, interventional case series of
      bacterial keratitis was treated with topical linezolid (one drop of 0.2% solution
      per eye), administered hourly until epithelization and then gradually decreased.
      The number and extent of punctate epithelial erosions were noted across the
      entire surface of the cornea. Ocular discomfort was assessed by means of (a)
      patient-reported pain upon instillation of the medication (vancomycin/linezolid),
      (b) reported burning sensation between doses and (c) reported foreign-body
      sensation. No ocular surface toxicity related to linezolid use was noted.
      Patients were followed for at least 2 months after treatment between April and
      December 2013. RESULTS: Of the seven patients included in the study (age range: 2
      88 years; five females, two males), complete epithelization and resolution was
      achieved in five patients. One patient was treated with linezolid after
      penetrating keratoplasty. The second culture of another patient with impending
      perforation despite linezolid/ceftazidime therapy yielded Fusarium spp., so he
      underwent tectonic keratoplasty. The mean ocular surface score was 9.4 +/- 1.6
      during vancomycin treatment and 5.9 +/- 1.3 during linezolid treatment after
      discontinuation of vancomycin. The topical linezolid score was significantly
      lower (p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Topical linezolid may be better tolerated,
      according to the mean ocular surface score, than topical vancomycin by some
      patients and can be considered an alternative for patients who do not well
      tolerate vancomycin.

PMID- 26100381
TI  - Plant domestication slows pest evolution.
AB  - Agricultural practices such as breeding resistant varieties and pesticide use can
      cause rapid evolution of pest species, but it remains unknown how plant
      domestication itself impacts pest contemporary evolution. Using experimental
      evolution on a comparative phylogenetic scale, we compared the evolutionary
      dynamics of a globally important economic pest - the green peach aphid (Myzus
      persicae) - growing on 34 plant taxa, represented by 17 crop species and their
      wild relatives. Domestication slowed aphid evolution by 13.5%, maintained 10.4%
      greater aphid genotypic diversity and 5.6% higher genotypic richness. The
      direction of evolution (i.e. which genotypes increased in frequency) differed
      among independent domestication events but was correlated with specific plant
      traits. Individual-based simulation models suggested that domestication affects
      aphid evolution directly by reducing the strength of selection and indirectly by
      increasing aphid density and thus weakening genetic drift. Our results suggest
      that phenotypic changes during domestication can alter pest evolutionary
      dynamics.

PMID- 26100382
TI  - Nonlinear optical response of photochromic azobenzene-functionalized self
      assembled monolayers.
AB  - The combination of photochromic and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of
      azobenzene-functionalized self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) constitutes an
      intriguing step towards novel photonic and optoelectronic devices. By utilizing
      the second-order NLO process of second harmonic generation (SHG), supported by
      density-functional theory and correlated wave function method calculations, we
      demonstrate that the photochromic interface provides the necessary prerequisites
      en route towards possible future technical applications: we find a high NLO
      contrast on the order of 16% between the switching states. These are furthermore
      accessible reversibly and with high efficiencies in terms of cross sections on
      the order of 10(-18) cm(2) for both photoisomerization reactions, i.e., drivable
      by means of low-power LED light sources. Finally, both photostationary states
      (PSSs) are thermally stable at ambient conditions. 

PMID- 26100383
TI  - Constructal thermodynamics combined with infrared experiments to evaluate
      temperature differences in cells.
AB  - The aim of this work was to evaluate differences in energy flows between normal
      and immortalized cells when these distinct biological systems are exposed to
      environmental stimulation. These differences were considered using a constructal
      thermodynamic approach, and were subsequently verified experimentally. The
      application of constructal law to cell analysis led to the conclusion that
      temperature differences between cells with distinct behaviour can be amplified by
      interaction between cells and external fields. Experimental validation of the
      principle was carried out on two cellular models exposed to electromagnetic
      fields. By infrared thermography we were able to assess small changes in heat
      dissipation measured as a variation in cell internal energy. The experimental
      data thus obtained are in agreement with the theoretical calculation, because
      they show a different thermal dispersion pattern when normal and immortalized
      cells are exposed to electromagnetic fields. By using two methods that support
      and validate each other, we have demonstrated that the cell/environment
      interaction can be exploited to enhance cell behavior differences, in particular
      heat dissipation. We propose infrared thermography as a technique effective in
      discriminating distinct patterns of thermal dispersion and therefore able to
      distinguish a normal phenotype from a transformed one. 

PMID- 26100384
TI  - Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Therapy in MDR/XDR Tuberculosis: A Concise Review.
AB  - Multi-drug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis is a major public health problem
      worldwide. Drug resistance arises due to non-compliance of antibiotic therapy.
      Herein, we explored the therapeutic options available ranging from conservative
      treatment approaches to alternate adjunct therapies such as mesenchymal stromal
      cell (MSC) therapy interventions. It is attractive to understand the scientific
      rationale of using cells as drugs, in particular mesenchymal stem/stromal cells.
      The review dwells and attempts to analyze the mechanistic approaches of the
      current treatment modalities to modern therapies. MSCs have demonstrated profound
      capacity to regenerate and repair. They appear to modulate that the activities of
      dendritic cells regulate T cells, both in vivo and in vitro. While there seems to
      be some benefit of such therapies, its use warrants further research. The merits
      and de-merits of autologous therapy/allogeneic therapy are ill understood. The
      challenges of requirement of large number of cells for infusion, the route of
      administration, choice of timing are complex issues that need to be addressed.
      Furthermore, the host immune responses, environmental factors and epigenetic
      mechanisms compound the problem. Although, clinical studies are being performed
      using autologous MSCs in different inflammatory models, it is important that such
      an intervention should be based on sound scientific rationale. The current review
      examines the immunomodulatory properties of MSCs, its interactions with other
      cell types, in assessing the basis for autologous/allogeneic cell-based therapies
      in the treatment of XDR/MDR tuberculosis. 

PMID- 26100385
TI  - Serum CXCL12 levels are associated with stroke severity and lesion volumes in
      stroke patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous studies had shown that CXC chemokine ligand-12 (CXCL12) might
      play a significant role in stroke. The aim of this study was to test the serum
      baseline CXCL12 levels in Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).
      METHODS: All consecutive patients with first-ever AIS from January 2013 to June
      2014 were recruited to participate in the study. CXCL12 and National Institutes
      of Health Stroke Scale were measured at the time of admission. Logistic
      regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk of stroke according to serum
      CXCL12 levels. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate
      the accuracy of serum CXCL12 in diagnosing stroke. RESULTS: From 306 screened
      patients, a total of 239 patients with first-ever AIS were included in this
      study. The results indicated that the serum CXCL12 levels were significantly
      higher in AIS patients as compared to normal controls (P < 0.0001). Serum CXCL12
      were positively correlated with infarct volume(r = 0.307, P < 0.0001) and stroke
      severity(r = 0.288, P < 0.0001). After adjusting for all other possible
      covariates, CXCL12 was a stroke predictor with an adjusted OR of 2.047 [95%
      confidence interval (CI), 1.781-2.352; P < 0.0001]. Based on the ROC curve, the
      optimal cutoff value of serum CXCL12 levels as an indicator for auxiliary
      diagnosis of AIS was projected to be 3.4 ng/ml, which yielded a sensitivity of
      87.9% and a specificity of 72.0%, with the area under the curve at 0.902 (95% CI,
      0.875-0.929). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that serum CXCL12 levels
      increased significantly following AIS, and these changes in serum CXCL12 were
      positively correlated with infarct volume and stroke severity in Chinese sample.

PMID- 26100386
TI  - Characterisation of a Recombinant Patchoulol Synthase Variant for Biocatalytic
      Production of Terpenes.
AB  - The patchoulol synthase (PTS) is a multi-product sesquiterpene synthases which is
      the central enzyme for biosynthesis of patchouli essential oil in the patchouli
      plant. Sesquiterpene synthases catalyse the formation of various complex carbon
      backbones difficult to approach by organic synthesis. Here, we report the
      characterisation of a recombinant patchoulol synthase complementary DNA (cDNA)
      variant (PTS var. 1), exhibiting significant amino acid exchanges compared to the
      native PTS. The product spectrum using the natural substrate E,E-farnesyl
      diphosphate (FDP) as well as terpenoid products resulting from conversions
      employing alternative substrates was analysed by GC-MS. In respect to a potential
      use as a biocatalyst, important enzymatic parameters such as the optimal reaction
      conditions, kinetic behaviour and the product selectivity were studied as well.
      Adjusting the reaction conditions, an increased patchoulol ratio in the
      recombinant essential oil was achieved. Nevertheless, the ratio remained lower
      than in plant-derived patchouli oil. As alternative substrates, several prenyl
      diposphates were accepted and converted in numerous compounds by the PTS var. 1,
      revealing its great biocatalytic potential. 

PMID- 26100387
TI  - Green Synthesis of Silver Nano-particles by Macrococcus bovicus and Its
      Immobilization onto Montmorillonite Clay for Antimicrobial Functionality.
AB  - Macrococcus bovicus was locally isolated from soil and used in the green
      synthesis of nano-scaling silver (NSAg). It was immobilized on a sodic
      montmorillonite clay (MMT1) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-modified
      montmorillonite (MMT2) which was also calcined at 300  degrees C (MMT3). The NSAg
      clays were characterized by X-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared
      spectra, X-ray diffractometry, surface area measurement, UV-Vis spectrometry,
      scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and
      thermogravimetric analysis. NSAg was confirmed to be included in the
      interparticular cavities of the clay sheets and its mechanical stability was
      evidenced. The antimicrobial activity of the NSAg-modified clays was investigated
      against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans using the
      cup plate and the plate count techniques. The antimicrobial activity of the NSAg
      clays was confirmed and attributed to the caging of NSAg in MMT cavities. MMT3
      was found to inhibit the microbial growth to as high as 65 % as observed from the
      plate count method. Graphical Abstract Scheme of the biosynthesis of nano-scaling
      Ag and its immobilization and antimicrobial application. 

PMID- 26100388
TI  - Bridging Between Proline Structure, Functions, Metabolism, and Involvement in
      Organism Physiology.
AB  - Much is now known about proline multifunctionality and metabolism; some aspects
      of its biological functions are still unclear. Here, we discuss some cases in the
      proline, structure, definition, metabolism, compartmentalization, accumulation,
      plausible functions and also its implication in homeostasis and organism
      physiology. Indeed, we report the role of proline in cellular homeostasis,
      including redox balance and energy status and their implication as biocatalyst
      for aldolase activity. Proline can act as a signaling molecule to modulate
      mitochondrial functions, influence cell proliferation or cell death, and trigger
      specific gene expression, which can be essential for plant recovery from
      stresses. Although, the regulation and the function of proline accumulation,
      during abiotic stresses, are not yet completely understood. The engineering of
      proline metabolism could lead to new opportunities to improve plant tolerance
      against environmental stresses. This atypical amino acid has a potential role in
      the toxicity during growth of some microorganism, vegetal, and mammalian species.
      Furthermore, we note that the purpose through the work is to provide a rich,
      concise, and mostly cohesive source on proline, considered as a platform and an
      anchor between several disciplines and biological functions. 

PMID- 26100389
TI  - Effect of Light Intensity and Photoperiod on Growth and Biochemical Composition
      of a Local Isolate of Nostoc calcicola.
AB  - A study was conducted to investigate the effect of light intensity (21, 42, and
      63 MUmol photons m(-2) s(-1)) and photoperiod (8:16, 12:12, and 16:8 h
      light/dark) on the biomass production and its biochemical composition (total
      carotenoids, chlorophyll a, phycoerythrin (PE), phycocyanin (PC) and
      allophycocyanin (APC), total protein, and carbohydrates) of a local isolate of
      Nostoc calcicola. The results revealed that N. calcicola prefers dim light;
      however, the most of the levels of light intensity and photoperiod investigated
      did not have a significant impact on biomass production. Increasing light
      intensity biomass content of chlorophyll a, PE, PC, APC, and total protein
      decreased, while total carotenoids and carbohydrate increased. The same behavior
      was observed also when light duration (photoperiod) increased. The interaction
      effect of increasing light intensity and photoperiod resulted in an increase of
      carbohydrate and total carotenoids, and to the decrease of chlorophyll a, PE, PC,
      APC, and total protein content. The results indicate that varying the light
      regime, it is capable to manipulate the biochemical composition of the local
      isolate of N. calcicola, producing either valuable phycobiliproteins or proteins
      under low light intensity and shorter photoperiods, or producing carbohydrates
      and carotenoids under higher light intensities and longer photoperiods. 

PMID- 26100391
TI  - KO(t)Bu-mediated annulation of acetonitrile with aldehyde: synthesis of
      substituted dihydropyridin-2(1H)-ones, pyridin-2(1H)-ones, and thiopyridin-2(1H)
      ones.
AB  - The KO(t)Bu-mediated annulation of acetonitrile with aldehyde was observed, in
      which the cleavage of four C(sp(3))-H bonds occurred and a total of eight new
      bonds were formed during the synthesis of substituted dihydropyridinones in the
      presence of peroxide. Furthermore, dihydropyridinones have been transformed into
      pyridinones using KO(t)Bu in DMSO. 

PMID- 26100390
TI  - A simple method to separate base population and segregation effects in genomic
      relationship matrices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genomic selection and estimation of genomic breeding values (GBV) are
      widely used in cattle and plant breeding. Several studies have attempted to
      detect population subdivision by investigating the structure of the genomic
      relationship matrix G. However, the question of how these effects influence GBV
      estimation using genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) has received
      little attention. METHODS: We propose a simple method to decompose G into two
      independent covariance matrices, one describing the covariance that results from
      systematic differences in allele frequencies between groups at the pedigree base
      (G A (*) ) and the other describing genomic relationships (G S) corrected for
      these differences. Using this decomposition and Fst statistics, we examined
      whether observed genetic distances between genotyped subgroups within populations
      resulted from the heterogeneous genetic structure present at the base of the
      pedigree and/or from breed divergence. Using this decomposition, we tested three
      models in a forward prediction validation scenario on six traits using Brown
      Swiss and dual-purpose Fleckvieh cattle data. Model 0 (M0) used both components
      and is equivalent to the model using the standard G-matrix. Model 1 (M1) used G S
      only and model 2 (M2), an extension of M1, included a fixed genetic group effect.
      Moreover, we analyzed the matrix of contributions of each base group (Q) and
      estimated the effects and prediction errors of each base group using M0 and M1.
      RESULTS: The proposed decomposition of G helped to examine the relative
      importance of the effects of base groups and segregation in a given population.
      We found significant differences between the effects of base groups for each
      breed. In forward prediction, differences between models in terms of validation
      reliability of estimated direct genomic values were small but predictive power
      was consistently lowest for M1. The relative advantage of M0 or M2 in prediction
      depended on breed, trait and genetic composition of the validation group. Our
      approach presents a general analogy with the use of genetic groups in
      conventional animal models and provides proof that standard GBLUP using G yields
      solutions equivalent to M0, where base groups are considered as correlated random
      effects within the additive genetic variance assigned to the genetic base.

PMID- 26100392
TI  - Medical and Disaster Preparedness of US Marathons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the events that occurred at the 2013 Boston Marathon (Boston,
      Massachusetts USA), there are currently no evidence-based guidelines or published
      data regarding medical and disaster preparedness of marathon races in the United
      States. Purpose To determine the current state of medical disaster preparedness
      of marathons in the US and to identify potential areas for improvement. METHODS:
      A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted from January through
      May of 2014. The questionnaire was distributed to race directors of US road and
      trail marathons, as identified by a comprehensive internet database. RESULTS: One
      hundred twenty-three questionnaires were available for analysis (19% usable
      response rate). Marathon races from all major regions of the US were represented.
      Runner medical information was not listed on race bibs in 53% of races. Only 45%
      of races held group training and planning sessions prior to race day. Automated
      external defibrillators (AEDs) were immediately available on 50% of courses, and
      medications such as albuterol (30%), oxygen (33%), and IV fluids (34%) were
      available less frequently. Regarding medical emergencies, 55% of races did not
      have protocols for the assessment of dehydration, asthma, chest pain, syncope, or
      exercise-induced cramping. With regard to disaster preparedness, 50% of races did
      not have protocols for the management of disasters, and 21% did not provide
      security personnel at start/finish lines, aid stations, road crossings, and drop
      bag locations. CONCLUSIONS: Areas for improvement in the preparedness of US
      marathons were identified, such as including printed medical information on race
      bibs, increasing pre-race training and planning sessions for volunteers, ensuring
      the immediate availability of certain emergency equipment and medications, and
      developing written protocols for specific emergencies and disasters.

PMID- 26100393
TI  - Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: a clinical report on 4894 consecutive ART
      treatment cycles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although a large number of studies have been dedicated to ovarian
      hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) none gave full embryological and clinical
      outcomes comparing oocyte trigger with human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) versus
      with a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist (Buserelin) in cases with
      suspicious OHSS. The aim of the present study was thus to analyze 4894
      consecutive assisted reproductive treatment cycles to undercover associated risk
      factors for development of OHSS, and the effects of the use of Buserelin as
      ovulation trigger on embryological and clinical outcomes. METHODS: In the 51
      cases that developed OHSS, ovulation trigger was performed with HCG as indicators
      were not suspicious for OHSS. These were compared against two types of groups: 71
      cases where Buserelin was used for ovulation induction due to suspicious
      development of OHSS; and those remaining 4772 cases where ovulation trigger was
      currently performed with HCG (control). RESULTS: Of the cases treated with
      Buserelin the oocyte maturation rate and the ongoing pregnancy rate were
      significantly lower, with higher rates of ectopic pregnancy and newborn
      malformations, but none developed OHSS. Of the OHSS cases, 23 needed
      hospitalization, with no major complications. CONCLUSIONS: Young age, lower time
      of infertility, lower basal follicle stimulating hormone levels, higher number of
      cases with female factor and polycystic ovarian syndrome, high number of
      follicles and higher estradiol concentrations were the risk factors found
      associated with OHSS. Cases with OHSS also presented higher follicle count but
      the estradiol levels were within the normal range. It thus remains to develop
      more strict criteria to avoid all cases with OHSS.

PMID- 26100394
TI  - Hepatitis B virus peptide inhibitors: solution structures and interactions with
      the viral capsid.
AB  - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a health problem globally despite the
      availability of effective vaccines. In the assembly of the infectious virion,
      both the preS and S regions of the HBV large surface antigen (L-HBsAg) interact
      synergistically with the viral core antigen (HBcAg). Peptides preS and S based on
      the L-HBsAg were demonstrated as potential inhibitors to block the viral
      assembly. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the solution
      structures of these peptides and study their interactions with HBcAg. The
      solution structures of these peptides were solved using (1)H, (13)C, and (15)N
      NMR spectroscopy. Peptide preS has several structured regions of beta-turns at
      Ser7-Pro8-Pro9, Arg11-Thr12-Thr13 and Ser22-Thr23-Thr24 sequences whereas peptide
      S has only one structured region observed at Ser3-Asn4-His5. Both peptides
      contain bend-like structures surrounding the turn structures. Docking studies
      revealed that both peptides interacted with the immunodominant region of HBcAg
      located at the tip of the viral capsid spikes. Saturation Transfer Difference
      (STD) NMR experiments identified several aromatic residues in peptides preS and S
      that interact with HBcAg. This study provides insights into the contact regions
      of L-HBsAg and HBcAg at atomic resolution which can be used to design antiviral
      agents that inhibit HBV morphogenesis. 

PMID- 26100395
TI  - Characterization of Novel Fusaricidins Produced by Paenibacillus polymyxa-M1
      Using MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Paenibacillus polymyxa-M1 is a potent producer of bioactive compounds, such as
      lipopeptides, polyketides, and lantibiotics of biotechnological and medical
      interest. Genome sequencing revealed nine gene clusters for nonribosomal
      biosynthesis of such agents. Here we report on the investigation of the
      fusaricidins, a complex of cyclic lipopeptides containing 15-guanidino-3
      hydroxypentadecanoic acid (GHPD) as fatty acid component by matrix-assisted laser
      desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). More than
      20 variants of these compounds were detected and characterized in detail. Mass
      spectrometric sequence analysis was performed by MALDI-LIFT-TOF/TOF fragment
      analysis. The obtained product ion spectra show a specific processing in the
      fatty acid part. GHPD is cleaved between the alpha- and beta-position yielding
      two fragments a and b, one bearing the end-standing guanidine group and another
      one comprising the residual two C-atoms of GHPD with the attached peptide moiety.
      The complete sequence of all fusaricidins was derived from sets of bn- and yn
      ions. The fusaricidin complex can be divided into four lipopeptide families,
      three of them showing variations of the amino acid in position 3, Val or Ile for
      the first and Tyr or Phe for families 2 and 3, respectively. A collection of
      novel fusaricidins was detected differing from those of families 1-3 by an
      additional residue of 71 Da (family 4). LIFT-TOF/TOF fragment spectra of these
      species imply that in their peptide moiety, an Ala-residue is attached by an
      ester bond to the free hydroxyl group of Thr4. More than 10 novel fusaricidins
      were characterized mass spectrometrically.

PMID- 26100396
TI  - Switching from imiglucerase to miglustat for the treatment of French patients
      with Gaucher disease type 1: a case series.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Gaucher disease is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme beta
      glucocerebrosidase. Treatment with enzyme replacement therapy has been available
      for the past two decades but, although effective, enzyme replacement therapy can
      be delivered only by intravenous infusion every other week. The oral substrate
      reduction therapy miglustat (Zavesca(r)) has been available in Europe since 2002
      for the treatment of patients with mild or moderate Gaucher disease type 1 for
      whom enzyme replacement therapy is unsuitable or not a therapeutic option. There
      are few published real-world data on the use of miglustat as a maintenance
      therapy in Gaucher disease type 1 patients switched from previous enzyme
      replacement therapy. We report a case series of three patients who were switched
      from long-term enzyme replacement therapy to miglustat for various reasons. CASE
      PRESENTATION: All three patients were Caucasian and had confirmed Gaucher disease
      type 1. An 80-year-old man requested a switch to oral miglustat therapy in
      preference to ongoing intravenous enzyme replacement therapy, a 57-year-old woman
      was commenced on miglustat due to a shortage of imiglucerase, and a 56-year-old
      woman was switched from previous enzyme replacement therapy due to allergic
      reactions to intravenous infusions. Hematological disease parameters were stable
      in each patient on previous enzyme replacement therapy. Two patients continue to
      be treated with miglustat, having shown good tolerability and stable core disease
      parameters for approximately 4 years. One patient, who was also stable during 7
      years of therapy, eventually discontinued miglustat as a precaution because he
      developed peripheral neuropathy of as yet unknown origin. CONCLUSIONS: Overall,
      our experience indicates that miglustat can be used as maintenance therapy for
      Gaucher disease type 1 after initial enzyme replacement therapy, but the
      selection of patients to whom this approach should be applied should be made
      after careful consideration of all disease parameters.

PMID- 26100398
TI  - Patient Classification Systems International 2014 - Patient information for
      better choice: abstracts.

PMID- 26100397
TI  - Immunotoxicity induced in mice by subacute exposure to berberine.
AB  - The immunotoxic effects of the isoquinoline alkaloid berberine (BBR) were
      investigated in Balb/c mice. Here, BBR was administered daily by intraperitoneal
      injection at doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg for 14 days. Following the exposure, host
      spleen weight, cellularity and histopathology, as well as delayed-type
      hypersensitivity (DTH) responses, hemagglutination titers (HA), spleen cell
      subtype profiles, splenocyte cytokine production and lymphocyte proliferation
      were studied in all of the test groups of animals. The results showed that the
      high dose of BBR (10 mg/kg) could suppress both cellular and humoral immune
      functions in the treated hosts. BBR at 5 mg/kg only appeared to impact on DTH
      responses and lymphoproliferation. Based on the finding here, it would seem that
      BBR has effective immunosuppressive properties. Mechanistic studies are required
      to determine exactly how this material is acting to impart many of the
      immunotoxic effects demonstrated here. At the same time, further research should
      also be performed on BBR to further develop its potential use as an effective
      immunosuppressant or co-adjuvant for the treatment of diseases caused by an
      exaggerated or unwanted immune response. 

PMID- 26100399
TI  - Time-dependent risk factors associated with the decline of estimated GFR in CKD
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Targeting the modifiable risk factors may help halt the progression
      of CKD, thus risk factor analysis is better performed using the parameters in the
      follow-up. This study aimed to examine the time-dependent risk factors for CKD
      progression using time-averaged values and to investigate the characteristics of
      rapid progression group. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study enrolling
      770 patients of CKD stage 3-4. Time-dependent parameters were calculated as time
      averaged values by a trapezoidal rule. % decline of estimated GFR (eGFR) per year
      from entry was divided to three groups: <10% (stable), 10-25% (moderate
      progression), and >=25% (rapid progression). Multivariate regression analyses
      were employed for the baseline and the time-averaged datasets. RESULTS: eGFR
      decline was 2.83 +/- 4.04 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/year (8.8 +/- 12.9 %) in male and 1.66
      +/- 3.23 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/year (5.4 +/- 11.0%) in female (p < 0.001). % decline
      of eGFR was associated with male, proteinuria, phosphorus, and systolic blood
      pressure as risk factors and with age, albumin, and hemoglobin as protective
      factors using either dataset. Baseline eGFR and diabetic nephropathy appeared in
      the baseline dataset, while uric acid appeared in the time-averaged dataset. The
      rapid progression group was associated with proteinuria, phosphorus, albumin, and
      hemoglobin in the follow-up. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that time-averaged
      values provide insightful clinical guide in targeting the risk factors. Rapid
      decline of eGFR is strongly associated with hyperphosphatemia, proteinuria, and
      anemia indicating that these risk factors should be intervened in the follow-up
      of CKD.

PMID- 26100401
TI  - High grade cervical lesions decline in young US women.

PMID- 26100400
TI  - A cross-sectional study of high-risk human papillomavirus clustering and cervical
      outcomes in HIV-infected women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Brazil, the rate of cervical cancer remains high despite the
      availability of screening programs. With ongoing vaccine development and
      implementation, information on the prevalence of specific HPV types is needed,
      particularly among high-risk populations, such as HIV-infected women. METHODS: We
      performed a study of HIV-infected women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who underwent
      cervical HPV genotype testing between 2005-2013. We examined the prevalence of
      high-risk HPV types and the patterns of high-risk HPV type clustering. Using
      logarithmic binomial regression, we estimated the risk of abnormal cytology by
      HPV genotype result. RESULTS: Of the 562 women included, 498 (89 %) had at least
      one HPV type detected. 364 women (65 %) had at least one high-risk HPV type
      detected and 181 (32 %) had more than one high-risk type detected. HPV 58 was the
      most frequent HPV type detected overall (prevalence 19.8 % [95 % confidence
      interval 16.4-23.1]), followed by HPV 53 (prevalence 15.5 % [12.5-18.5]) and HPV
      16 (prevalence 13 % [10.2-15.8]). Women infected with more than one high-risk HPV
      type were younger, had lower CD4+ lymphocyte counts, and were more likely to be
      infected with HPV 16 or 18. In adjusted analyses, presence of more than one high
      risk HPV type was associated with a two-fold increased risk of abnormal cytology
      after adjusting for presence of individual high-risk type, age, and CD4+
      lymphocyte count (adjusted prevalence ratios 1.88-2.07, all p <0.001). No single
      high-risk HPV type was statistically associated with abnormal cytology after
      adjusting for the presence of more than one high-risk HPV type. CONCLUSIONS: In
      the largest study of cervical HPV genotypes among HIV-infected women in Latin
      America, infection by high-risk HPV types other than 16 or 18 and infection by
      more than one high-risk HPV types were common. Infection by more than one high
      risk type was more strongly associated with abnormal cervical cytology than any
      individual high-risk HPV type, highlighting the need for multi-valent HPV
      vaccines.

PMID- 26100402
TI  - Genetic variability of hepatitis B virus in Uruguay: D/F, A/F genotype
      recombinants.
AB  - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious global health problem.
      Approximately 2 billion people worldwide have been infected, and approximately
      350 million individuals currently suffer from HBV-induced chronic liver
      infection, which causes 600,000 deaths annually from chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis
      and hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV is classified in eight genotypes (A-H), and two
      more have been proposed (I-J). In this paper, complete genome sequences of nine
      Uruguayan HBV are reported. Five samples belong to genotype F1b and one to
      genotype A2. Three HBV recombinants were detected: A1/F1b, A2/F1b and D3/F1b. The
      following mutations were detected: a G1896A substitution, a 33-nucleotide
      deletion from position 2896 to 2928 in the Pre-S1 region involving Pre-S1
      residues 3-13, a 33-nt deletion in the Pre-S1 region involving nt 2913-2945 and
      Pre-S1 residues 9-19. More F genotypes strains than expected were detected in
      this study, supporting the hypothesis that there are more people of indigenous
      origin than declared in our population. Also, one third of the samples analyzed
      were recombinants. This cannot be explained by the low HBV prevalence in Uruguay,
      but a high HBV infection rate in drug addicts and dialysis patients could act in
      favor of multiple-genotype HBV infections that could lead to recombination. 

PMID- 26100403
TI  - Immunoprophylactic effect of chicken egg yolk antibody (IgY) against a
      recombinant S1 domain of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus spike protein in
      piglets.
AB  - Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a highly contagious enteric pathogen of
      swine causing high mortality rates in piglets. PEDV outbreaks have occurred
      continuously in most swine-producing Asian countries and have recently emerged in
      the United States, leading to large economic losses for both the Asian and US pig
      industries. The spike (S) protein of PEDV consists of the S1 and S2 domains,
      responsible for virus binding and fusion, respectively. The involvement of the S1
      domain in specific high-affinity interactions with the cellular receptor and
      induction of neutralizing antibodies in the natural host makes it a logical
      target for the development of effective vaccines and therapeutics against PEDV.
      Passive immunization by oral administration of egg yolk antibodies (IgY) obtained
      from immunized chickens provides an alternative source of specific antibodies for
      the prevention and treatment of PEDV in newborn piglets. In this study, we
      produced an IgY against the PEDV S1 protein and investigated its
      immunoprophylactic effect in neonatal piglets. A codon-optimized PEDV S1 gene
      consisting of amino acid residues 25-749 was synthesized and used to establish a
      stable porcine cell line constitutively expressing a recombinant PEDV S1 protein
      containing the chicken immunoglobulin Fc fragment at its C-terminus. The purified
      recombinant S1 protein was found to mediate potent immune responses in immunized
      hens. We next tested the ability of oral passive immunization with anti-PEDV S1
      IgY to protect piglets against PEDV. Specific chicken IgY against the S1 protein
      was orally administered to neonatal piglets, and their responses subsequent to a
      virulent PEDV challenge were monitored. The results showed that oral
      administration of anti-PEDV S1 IgY efficiently protects neonatal piglets against
      PEDV, suggesting its potential as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent against
      acute PEDV infection. 

PMID- 26100404
TI  - Molecular characterization of a new human echovirus 11 isolate associated with
      severe hand, foot and mouth disease in Yunnan, China, in 2010.
AB  - Human echovirus 11 (E-11), a member of the species Enterovirus B, frequently
      causes aseptic meningitis and hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). We determined
      the complete genome sequence of strain 520K/YN/CHN/2010, isolated from a subject
      with HFMD and aseptic meningitis in Yunnan Province, China, in 2010. The strain
      shared 78.8% and 81.1% nucleotide sequence similarity with prototype strain
      Gregory in the complete VP1 gene and the complete genome, respectively. Only the
      VP2-VP3-VP1 genome region of 520K/YN/CHN/2010 was similar to that of the E-11
      strain; the other genome regions were most similar to those of other members of
      the species Enterovirus B. Using phylogenetic analysis and sequence comparisons
      of the complete VP1 gene, E-11 strains could be divided into five genogroups, and
      the 520K/YN/CHN/2010 strain was found to belong to genogroup A. Recombination
      analysis showed evidence of recombination with other member of the species
      Enterovirus B, especially the E-9 strain MSH/KM812/2010. Persistent surveillance
      of HFMD pathogens might help predict potential emerging viruses and related
      disease outbreaks.

PMID- 26100405
TI  - Spatial distribution of Brucella antibodies with reference to indigenous cattle
      populations among contrasting agro-ecological zones of Uganda.
AB  - Indigenous cattle populations exhibit various degrees of agro-ecological fitness
      and provide desirable opportunities for investments to improve sustainable
      production for better rural small-scale farmers' incomes globally. However, they
      could be a source of infection to their attendants and other susceptible
      livestock if their brucellosis status remains unknown. This study investigated
      the spatial distribution of Brucella antibodies among indigenous cattle
      populations in Uganda. Sera from a total of 925 indigenous cattle (410 Ankole Bos
      taurus indicus, 50 Nganda and 465 East African Shorthorn Zebu (EASZ) - B.
      indicus) obtained randomly from 209 herds spread throughout Uganda were
      sequentially analysed for Brucella antibodies using the indirect (I) and
      competitive (C) enzyme linked Immuno-sorbent assays (ELISA). Recent incidences of
      abortion within the previous 12 months and routine hygienic practices during
      parturition were explored for public health risks. Brucella antibodies occurred
      in approximately 8.64% (80/925) and 28.70% (95% CI: 22.52, 34.89) of the sampled
      individual cattle and herds, respectively. Findings have shown that Ankole and
      EASZ cattle had similar seroprevalences. Indigenous cattle from the different
      study agro-ecological zones (AEZs) exhibited varying seroprevalences ranging from
      approximately 1.78% (95% CI: 0, 5.29) to 19.67% (95% CI: 8.99, 30.35) in the Lake
      Victoria Crescent (LVC) and North Eastern Drylands (NED) respectively.
      Significantly higher odds for Brucella antibodies occurred in the NED (OR: 3.40,
      95% CI: 1.34, 8.57, p=0.01) inhabited by EASZ cattle compared to the KP
      (reference category) AEZ. Recent incidences of abortions within the previous 12
      months were significantly (p<0.001) associated with seropositive herds. These
      findings add critical evidence to existing information on the widespread
      occurrence of brucellosis among indigenous cattle populations in Uganda and could
      guide allocation of meagre resources for awareness creation. And deployment of
      control strategies including culling of older cattle and those which have aborted
      during advanced gestation, enforcement of hygiene practices and mass vaccination.

PMID- 26100406
TI  - Randomized comparison of next-generation sequencing and array comparative genomic
      hybridization for preimplantation genetic screening: a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) have provided new
      methods for preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) of human embryos from in
      vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. However, there is still limited information
      about clinical applications of NGS in IVF and PGS (IVF-PGS) treatments. The
      present study aimed to investigate the effects of NGS screening on clinical
      pregnancy and implantation outcomes for PGS patients in comparison to array
      comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) screening. METHODS: This study was
      performed in two phases. Phase I study evaluated the accuracy of NGS for
      aneuploidy screening in comparison to aCGH. Whole-genome amplification (WGA)
      products (n = 164) derived from previous IVF-PGS cycles (n = 38) were
      retrospectively analyzed with NGS. The NGS results were then compared with those
      of aCGH. Phase II study further compared clinical pregnancy and implantation
      outcomes between NGS and aCGH for IVF-PGS patients. A total of 172 patients at
      mean age 35.2 +/- 3.5 years were randomized into two groups: 1) NGS (Group A):
      patients (n = 86) had embryos screened with NGS and 2) aCGH (Group B): patients
      (n = 86) had embryos screened with aCGH. For both groups, blastocysts were
      vitrified after trophectoderm biopsy. One to two euploid blastocysts were thawed
      and transferred to individual patients primarily based on the PGS results.
      Ongoing pregnancy and implantation rates were compared between the two study
      groups. RESULTS: NGS detected all types of aneuploidies of human blastocysts
      accurately and provided a 100 % 24-chromosome diagnosis consistency with the
      highly validated aCGH method. Moreover, NGS screening identified euploid
      blastocysts for transfer and resulted in similarly high ongoing pregnancy rates
      for PGS patients compared to aCGH screening (74.7 % vs. 69.2 %, respectively, p
      >0.05). The observed implantation rates were also comparable between the NGS and
      aCGH groups (70.5 % vs. 66.2 %, respectively, p >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: While NGS
      screening has been recently introduced to assist IVF patients, this is the first
      randomized clinical study on the efficiency of NGS for preimplantation genetic
      screening in comparison to aCGH. With the observed high accuracy of 24-chromosome
      diagnosis and the resulting high ongoing pregnancy and implantation rates, NGS
      has demonstrated an efficient, robust high-throughput technology for PGS.

PMID- 26100407
TI  - FOXM1 binds directly to non-consensus sequences in the human genome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Forkhead (FKH) transcription factor FOXM1 is a key regulator of
      the cell cycle and is overexpressed in most types of cancer. FOXM1, similar to
      other FKH factors, binds to a canonical FKH motif in vitro. However, genome-wide
      mapping studies in different cell lines have shown a lack of enrichment of the
      FKH motif, suggesting an alternative mode of chromatin recruitment. We have
      investigated the role of direct versus indirect DNA binding in FOXM1 recruitment
      by performing ChIP-seq with wild-type and DNA binding deficient FOXM1. RESULTS:
      An in vitro fluorescence polarization assay identified point mutations in the DNA
      binding domain of FOXM1 that inhibit binding to a FKH consensus sequence. Cell
      lines expressing either wild-type or DNA binding deficient GFP-tagged FOXM1 were
      used for genome-wide mapping studies comparing the distribution of the DNA
      binding deficient protein to the wild-type. This shows that interaction of the
      FOXM1 DNA binding domain with target DNA is essential for recruitment. Moreover,
      analysis of the protein interactome of wild-type versus DNA binding deficient
      FOXM1 shows that the reduced recruitment is not due to inhibition of protein
      protein interactions. CONCLUSIONS: A functional DNA binding domain is essential
      for FOXM1 chromatin recruitment. Even in FOXM1 mutants with almost complete loss
      of binding, the protein-protein interactions and pattern of phosphorylation are
      largely unaffected. These results strongly support a model whereby FOXM1 is
      specifically recruited to chromatin through co-factor interactions by binding
      directly to non-canonical DNA sequences.

PMID- 26100408
TI  - Vanda roxburghii chloroform extract as a potential source of polyphenols with
      antioxidant and cholinesterase inhibitory activities: identification of a strong
      phenolic antioxidant.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressively developing
      neurodegenerative disorder of the brain in the elderly people. Vanda roxburghii
      Rbr. root has been used traditionally in Bangladesh as tonic to brain and in the
      treatment of nervous system disorders including AD. Therefore, we aimed to
      investigate the cholinesterase inhibitory activities and antioxidant properties
      of the extracts from V. roxburghii. METHODS: The crude methanol extract from the
      roots of plant was sequentially fractionated with petroleum ether, chloroform,
      ethylacetate and water to yield their corresponding extracts. The extracts were
      assessed for acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activity
      by modified Ellman method and antioxidant property by several assays including
      ferric reducing antioxidant power, scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl
      (DPPH) free radical and hydroxyl radical, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation.
      Endogenous substances in the extracts were analyzed by the standard phytochemical
      methods and active compound was isolated by the chromatographic methods. RESULTS:
      Chloroform extract was shown to demonstrate strong ferric-reducing antioxidant
      power and scavenging activity against DPPH and hydroxyl free radicals when
      compared with the other extracts and the reference standard catechin. The
      antioxidant effect was further verified by inhibition of lipid peroxidation in
      rat brain homogenates. Likewise, the chloroform extract exhibited the highest
      inhibition against both the acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase
      enzymes with IC50 values of 221.13 and 82.51 MUg/ml, respectively. Phytochemical
      screening revealed a large amount of phenolics and flavonoids in the chloroform
      extract. Bioactivity guided separation techniques led to the isolation of a
      strong antioxidant from the chloroform extract and its structure was determined
      as gigantol on the basis of spectral studies. CONCLUSION: These results suggest
      that the chloroform extract of V. roxburghii, possibly due to its phenolic
      compounds, exert potential antioxidant and cholinesterase inhibitory activities,
      which may be useful in the treatment of AD.

PMID- 26100409
TI  - The Rise and Fall of TRP-N, an Ancient Family of Mechanogated Ion Channels, in
      Metazoa.
AB  - Mechanoreception, the sensing of mechanical forces, is an ancient means of
      orientation and communication and tightly linked to the evolution of motile
      animals. In flies, the transient-receptor-potential N protein (TRP-N) was found
      to be a cilia-associated mechanoreceptor. TRP-N belongs to a large and diverse
      family of ion channels. Its unusually long N-terminal repeat of 28 ankyrin
      domains presumably acts as the gating spring by which mechanical energy induces
      channel gating. We analyzed the evolutionary origins and possible diversification
      of TRP-N. Using a custom-made set of highly discriminative sequence profiles we
      scanned a representative set of metazoan genomes and subsequently corrected
      several gene models. We find that, contrary to other ion channel families, TRP-N
      is remarkably conserved in its domain arrangements and copy number (1) in all
      Bilateria except for amniotes, even in the wake of several whole-genome
      duplications. TRP-N is absent in Porifera but present in Ctenophora and Placozoa.
      Exceptional multiplications of TRP-N occurred in Cnidaria, independently along
      the Hydra and the Nematostella lineage. Molecular signals of subfunctionalization
      can be attributed to different mechanisms of activation of the gating spring. In
      Hydra this is further supported by in situ hybridization and immune staining,
      suggesting that at least three paralogs adapted to nematocyte discharge, which is
      key for predation and defense. We propose that these new candidate proteins help
      explain the sensory complexity of Cnidaria which has been previously observed but
      so far has lacked a molecular underpinning. Also, the ancient appearance of TRP-N
      supports a common origin of important components of the nervous systems in
      Ctenophores, Cnidaria, and Bilateria. 

PMID- 26100410
TI  - Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker Neprilysin Inhibitor (ARNI): New Avenues in
      Cardiovascular Therapy.
AB  - The burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is continuously and progressively
      raising worldwide. Essential hypertension is a major driver of cardiovascular
      events, including coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke
      and congestive heart failure. This latter may represent the final common pathway
      of different cardiovascular diseases, and it is often mediated by progressive
      uncontrolled hypertension. Despite solid advantages derived from effective and
      sustained blood pressure control, and the widespread availability of effective
      antihypertensive medications, the vast majority of the more than 1 billion
      hypertensive patients worldwide continue to have uncontrolled hypertension. Among
      various factors that may be involved, the abnormal activation of neurohormonal
      systems is one consistent feature throughout the continuum of cardiovascular
      diseases. These systems may initiate biologically meaningful "injury responses".
      However, their sustained chronic overactivity often may induce and maintain the
      progression from hypertension towards congestive heart failure. The renin
      angiotensin-aldosteron system, the sympathetic nervous system and the endothelin
      system are major neurohormonal stressor systems that are not only able to elevate
      blood pressure levels by retaining water and sodium, but also to play a role in
      the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. More recently, the angiotensin
      receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) represents a favourable approach to inhibit
      neutral endopeptidase (NEP) and suppress the RAAS via blockade of the AT1
      receptors, without the increased risk of angioedema. LCZ696, the first-in-class
      ARNI, has already demonstrated BP lowering efficacy in patients with
      hypertension, in particular with respect to systolic blood pressure levels,
      improved cardiac biomarkers, cardiac remodelling and prognosis in patients with
      heart failure. This manuscript will briefly overview the main pathophysiological
      and therapeutic aspects of ARNI in the clinical management of hypertension and
      heart failure.

PMID- 26100411
TI  - Single-taxon field measurements of bacterial gene regulation controlling DMSP
      fate.

PMID- 26100414
TI  - Erratum to: Intraoperative detection of viable bone with fluorescence imaging
      using Visually Enhanced Lesion Scope in patients with bisphosphonate-related
      osteonecrosis of the jaw: clinical and pathological evaluation.

PMID- 26100413
TI  - A phase IV, two-armed, randomized, cross-over study comparing compliance with
      once-a-month administration of vitamin D3 to compliance with daily administration
      of a fixed-dose combination of vitamin D3 and calcium during two 6-month periods.
AB  - In a randomized, cross-over study, once monthly administration of vitamin D3 was
      preferred over a once daily administration of a fixed-dose combination of vitamin
      D3 and calcium, with a better compliance but without any significant difference
      in the increase in vitamin D levels. INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study
      was to compare a once-monthly administration of vitamin D3 to a daily
      administration of a fixed-dose combination of vitamin D3 and calcium during two
      treatment periods of 6 months. METHODS: One hundred volunteers aged 50 years old
      or older were randomized to receive either one drinkable ampoule containing
      25,000 IU vitamin D3 (D-Cure(r), SMB) once monthly (group VD) or one chewable
      tablet containing 1000 mg calcium carbonate + 800 IU vitamin D3 (Steovit
      Forte(r), Takeda) once daily (group VDCa) during 6 months. After the first 6
      months of treatment, the groups were reversed according to the randomized cross
      over design. Treatment compliance (i.e. the primary outcome), preference,
      acceptability and vitamin D levels and adverse events were all collected.
      RESULTS: For the two periods, the patients had a significantly higher compliance
      in the VD group than in the VDCa group (p < 0.0001). During the study, 50 (56.8
      %) patients preferred the VD treatment, 16 (18.2 %) patients preferred the VDCa,
      and for 22 (25.0 %) patients, neither treatment was preferred. At the end of the
      first 6 months of treatment, the mean (SD) increase of 25(OH)D was 6.57 ng/mL
      (8.19) in the VD group and 3.88 ng/mL (10.0) in the VDCa group (p = 0.16 between
      groups). CONCLUSION: In this study, a once-monthly administration of vitamin D3
      was preferred over a once-daily administration of a fixed-dose combination of
      vitamin D3 and calcium, with a better compliance but without any significant
      difference in the increase in vitamin D levels.

PMID- 26100415
TI  - Erratum to: Milk fortified with vitamin D could reduce the prevalence of vitamin
      D deficiency among Japanese female college students.

PMID- 26100412
TI  - The calcium-sensing receptor in bone metabolism: from bench to bedside and back.
AB  - The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), a key player in the maintenance of calcium
      homeostasis, can influence bone modeling and remodeling by directly acting on
      bone cells, as demonstrated by in vivo and in vitro evidence. The modulation of
      CaSR signaling can play a role in bone anabolism. INTRODUCTION: The calcium
      sensing receptor (CaSR) is a key player in the maintenance of calcium homeostasis
      through the regulation of PTH secretion and calcium homeostasis, thus indirectly
      influencing bone metabolism. In addition to this role, in vitro and in vivo
      evidence points to direct effects of CaSR in bone modeling and remodeling. In
      addition, the activation of the CaSR is one of the anabolic mechanisms implicated
      in the action of strontium ranelate, to reduce fracture risk. METHODS: This
      review is based upon the acquisition of data from a PubMed enquiry using the
      terms "calcium sensing receptor," "CaSR" AND "bone remodeling," "bone modeling,"
      "bone turnover," "osteoblast," "osteoclast," "osteocyte," "chondrocyte," "bone
      marrow," "calcilytics," "calcimimetics," "strontium," "osteoporosis," "skeletal
      homeostasis," and "bone metabolism." RESULTS: A fully functional CaSR is
      expressed in osteoblasts and osteoclasts, so that these cells are able to sense
      changes in the extracellular calcium and as a result modulate their behavior.
      CaSR agonists (calcimimetics) or antagonists (calcilytics) have the potential to
      indirectly influence skeletal homeostasis through the modulation of PTH secretion
      by the parathyroid glands. The bone anabolic effect of strontium ranelate, a
      divalent cation used as a treatment for postmenopausal and male osteoporosis,
      might be explained, at least in part, by the activation of CaSR in bone cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: Calcium released in the bone microenvironment during remodeling is a
      major factor in regulating bone cells. Osteoblast and osteoclast proliferation,
      differentiation, and apoptosis are influenced by local extracellular calcium
      concentration. Thus, the calcium-sensing properties of skeletal cells can be
      exploited in order to modulate bone turnover and can explain the bone anabolic
      effects of agents developed and employed to revert osteoporosis.

PMID- 26100416
TI  - The Impact of Sports Cardiology on the Practice of Primary Care Sports Medicine:
      Where Were We, Where Are We, Where Are We Headed?
AB  - This article is a commentary on the role of sports cardiologists in the athletic
      arena and the beneficial impact they offer sports medicine in the comprehensive
      care of competitive athletes. The focus is a dialogue on current recommendations
      for primary prevention of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), incorporating elements of
      the preparticipation evaluation and continuing care of athletes with diagnosed
      heart disease (HD). The feasibility and potential advantages of implementing well
      designed preparticipation cardiovascular screening programs and the role of
      sports cardiologists to educate primary care team physicians on secondary
      prevention of SCA and proper treatment of underlying HD are discussed. 

PMID- 26100417
TI  - The Cardiovascular Physiology of Sports and Exercise.
AB  - Athletes represent the extremes of human performance. Many of their remarkable
      abilities stem from a cardiovascular system that has adapted to meet the
      metabolic needs of exercising muscle. A large and compliant heart is a hallmark
      feature of athletes who engage in highly aerobic events. Despite high fitness
      levels, athletes may present with symptoms that limit performance. Understanding
      and dissecting these limitations requires a strong background in sports science
      and the factors that determine sports capabilities. This article reviews the
      basic principles of exercise physiology, cardiovascular adaptations unique to the
      "athlete's heart," and the utility of exercise testing in athletes. 

PMID- 26100418
TI  - Cardiovascular Adaptation and Remodeling to Rigorous Athletic Training.
AB  - Exercise-induced cardiac remodeling is a complex process by which the cardinal
      hemodynamic stresses of pressure and volume lead to a host of structural or
      functional adaptations. In aggregate, the constellation of changes that accompany
      this process serve to facilitate athletic performance by minimizing the cardiac
      work inherent in athletic activity. Although several key determinants of athletic
      cardiac adaptation have been described, observed variability across athlete
      cohorts remains an incompletely understood area. Ongoing and future work are
      required to further understand this process and ultimately to determine where the
      boundary lies between adaptive physiology and maladaptive disease. 

PMID- 26100419
TI  - The Electrocardiogram in Highly Trained Athletes.
AB  - Regular intensive exercise is associated with a constellation of several
      structural and functional adaptations within the heart that permit the generation
      of a large and sustained increase in cardiac output and/or increase in blood
      pressure. The magnitude with which these markers of physiological remodeling
      manifest on the surface electrocardiogram is governed by several factors and some
      athletes show electrical and structural changes that overlap with those observed
      in cardiomyopathy and in ion channel diseases, which are recognized causes of
      sudden cardiac death in young athletes. This article provides a critical
      appraisal of the athlete's ECG. 

PMID- 26100420
TI  - Advanced Imaging of Athletes: Added Value of Coronary Computed Tomography and
      Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and cardiac computed tomographic angiography
      have become important parts of the armamentarium for noninvasive diagnosis of
      cardiovascular disease. Emerging technologies have produced faster imaging, lower
      radiation dose, improved spatial and temporal resolution, as well as a wealth of
      prognostic data to support usage. Investigating true pathologic disease as well
      as distinguishing normal from potentially dangerous is now increasingly more
      routine for the cardiologist in practice. This article investigates how advanced
      imaging technologies can assist the clinician when evaluating all athletes for
      pathologic disease that may put them at risk. 

PMID- 26100421
TI  - Cardiovascular Concerns in Water Sports.
AB  - The cardiac effects of aquatic sports have increased in interest with the
      experience of cardiac responses to swimming and diving. The syndrome of swimming
      induced pulmonary edema is likely caused by a combination of central blood
      shifts, sudden onset of high exercise demands, and impaired diastolic relaxation
      of the left ventricle. Divers also develop venous gas emboli caused by nitrogen
      supersaturation in blood and tissues during ascent from depth. The physiology and
      physics of water immersion and diving are unique. Knowledge of pressure effects,
      gas solubility, and changes in gas volumes with depth is needed to understand the
      disorders related to these activities. 

PMID- 26100422
TI  - Diseases of the Aorta in Elite Athletes.
AB  - Sudden cardiovascular deaths in athletes are rare and only a fraction are due to
      aortic events. There has been concern that the hemodynamic load during exercise
      may lead to aortic dilation, but aortic dimensions in endurance and strength
      trained athletes are only slightly larger than those in sedentary comparison
      subjects. The presence of a bicuspid aortic valve without significant valvular
      dysfunction and normal aortic dimensions should not influence eligibility to
      practice sport. Patients with genetic syndromes associated with aortopathy
      generally should be restricted from vigorous sports participation. This article
      reviews the diagnosis and management of diseases of the aorta in athletes. 

PMID- 26100424
TI  - Sports and Exercise in Athletes with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common genetic cardiovascular
      disease and one of the most common causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Current
      guidelines restrict the participation of patients with HCM in competitive sports,
      limiting the health benefits of exercise. However, many individuals with HCM have
      safely participated in sports, with a low incidence of SCD. Improved
      stratification of patients and desired activity may allow most individuals with
      HCM to engage in physical activity safely. Therefore, physicians should create an
      individualized approach in guiding each patient with HCM eager to enjoy the
      benefits of physical activity in a safe manner. 

PMID- 26100425
TI  - Legal and Ethical Issues in the Cardiovascular Care of Elite Athletes.
AB  - This article presents an overview of the legal and ethical issues in the
      cardiovascular care of elite athletes. An important distinction between the
      assessment and care of elite athletes and the general population necessitates an
      understanding of the applicable legal standard and the limitation of potential
      exposures. Important recommendations and pertinent case law is presented that can
      assist the medical provider in comprehending important considerations with regard
      to preparticipation evaluations, return-to-play decisions, and second opinions in
      elite athletes. 

PMID- 26100426
TI  - Something Old, Something New: Using Family History and Genetic Testing to
      Diagnose and Manage Athletes with Inherited Cardiovascular Disease.
AB  - A primary objective of the preparticipation physical examination is to identify
      athletes at increased risk for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Review of an
      athlete's family history may identify those at risk for SCA. Genetic testing for
      inherited cardiovascular disease has emerged as a valuable addition to the
      repertoire of cardiologists facing the decision of clearing athletes with
      concerning clinical signs and/or family histories. Genetic testing may lead to
      various outcomes for an athlete including: reassurance, diagnosis in those with
      borderline clinical features, finding disease predisposition prior to the onset
      of clinical signs (ie, genotype-positive/phenotype-negative), or continued
      uncertainty. 

PMID- 26100423
TI  - Athletes with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators.
AB  - Athletes with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) represent a diverse
      group of individuals who may be at an increased risk of sudden cardiac death when
      engaging in vigorous physical activity. Therefore, they are excluded by the
      current guidelines from participating in most competitive sports except those
      classified as low intensity, such as bowling and golf. The lack of substantial
      data on the natural history of the cardiac diseases affecting these athletes as
      well as the unknown efficacy of ICDs in terminating life-threatening arrhythmias
      occurring during intense exercise has resulted in the restrictive nature of these
      now decade old guidelines. 

PMID- 26100427
TI  - How to Practice Sports Cardiology: A Cardiology Perspective.
AB  - The rigorous cardiovascular (CV) demands of sport, combined with training-related
      cardiac adaptations, render the athlete a truly unique CV patient and sports
      cardiology a truly unique discipline. Cardiologists are advised to adopt a
      systematic approach to the CV evaluation of athletes, taking into consideration
      the individual sports culture, sports-specific CV demands, CV adaptations and
      their appearance on cardiac testing, any existing or potential interaction of the
      heart with the internal and external sports environment, short- and long-term CV
      risks, and potential effect of performance-enhancing agents and antidoping
      regulations. This article outlines the systematic approach, provides a detailed
      example, and outlines contemporary sports cardiology core competencies. 

PMID- 26100428
TI  - The Management of Athletes with Congenital Heart Disease.
AB  - Although rare, sudden cardiac death (SCD) is devastating to families and
      communities. Screening of athletes prior to sports participation by trained
      professionals is useful in identifying individuals who carry known risk factors
      for SCD. Inclusive in this population are those athletes with congenital heart
      disease. Sports medicine specialists should be able to identify those at risk for
      adverse events surrounding vigorous activity and direct appropriate evaluation by
      the specialist (ie, cardiologist) as deemed appropriate. Equally importantly,
      they should be able to coach individuals in order to improve performance and
      quality of life with exercise in a safe environment. 

PMID- 26100429
TI  - The Historical Perspective of Athletic Sudden Death.
AB  - Since antiquity, the athlete has been elevated to a heroic status both within
      small communities and at the international level. Although numerous population
      studies have estimated athletic sudden death to be a rare event, the consequences
      resonate far beyond those directly affected. Sports cardiology has evolved as a
      result of these tragedies, which highlighted a need for safer play and more
      programmatic protection of the athlete in play. In this article, athletic sudden
      death is analyzed from a historical and literary perspective and the development
      of modern initiatives to protect athletes from sudden death is reviewed. 

PMID- 26100430
TI  - Foreword. Sports Cardiology.

PMID- 26100431
TI  - Sports Cardiology: A Discipline Emerged.

PMID- 26100432
TI  - Weight Gain and Metabolic Changes During Treatment with Antipsychotics and
      Antidepressants.
AB  - Weight gain and metabolic disturbances are common side effects during
      psychopharmacological treatment with specific antipsychotics and antidepressants.
      The antipsychotics clozapine and olanzapine, and antidepressants tricyclics and
      mirtazapine have a high risk of inducing weight gain. Recently discovered
      pathophysiological mechanisms include antihistaminergic effects, activation of
      hypothalamic adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), modulation
      of hormonal signaling of ghrelin and leptin, changes in the production of
      cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF)-alpha and adipokines such as
      adiponektin, and the impact of genes, in particular the melanocortin 4 receptor
      (MC4R), serotonin 2C receptor (HTR2C), leptin, neuropeptide Y (NPY) and
      cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1) genes. Metabolic changes associated with weight
      gain include disturbances of glucose and lipid metabolism. Clozapine and
      olanzapine may, in addition to mechanisms resulting from weight gain, impair
      glucose metabolism by blockade of the muscarinic M3 receptor (M3R).
      Antidepressants associated with weight gain appear to have fewer unfavourable
      effects on glucose and lipid metabolism than the second-generation antipsychotics
      clozapine and olanzapine. To assess the risk of weight gain and its consequences
      for the patient's health, assessing body weight changes and metabolic monitoring
      in the first week of treatment as well as in long-term treatment is recommended. 

PMID- 26100433
TI  - Controlled Synthesis of Ultrathin Lanthanide Oxide Nanosheets and Their Promising
      pH-Controlled Anticancer Drug Delivery.
AB  - Various lanthanide oxides (Sm2 O3 and Gd2 O3 ) nanostructures were synthesized by
      a facile hydrothermal method. The loss of surfactants on the nanocrystals
      surface, followed by the resultant assembly is responsible for the formation of
      ultrathin nanosheets. Owing to strong surface effects, the different morphologies
      of the Sm2 O3 :5 % Eu and Gd2 O3 :5 % Eu nanocrystals present unique
      photoluminescence properties. As a proof-of-concept application, the as-obtained
      Sm2 O3 and Gd2 O3 ultrathin nanosheets exhibit promising pH-controlled anticancer
      drug-delivery behavior. 

PMID- 26100435
TI  - Normative approaches and activism in global bioethics.

PMID- 26100436
TI  - Molecular detection of Bartonella clarridgeiae in domestic cats from Midwest
      Brazil.

PMID- 26100437
TI  - Validation and clinical application of a nested PCR for paracoccidioidomycosis
      diagnosis in clinical samples from Colombian patients.
AB  - Paracoccidioidomycosis is a systemic and endemic mycosis, restricted to tropical
      and subtropical areas of Latin America. The infection is caused by the thermal
      dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and Paracoccidioides lutzii. The
      diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis is usually performed by microscopic
      examination, culture and immunodiagnostic tests to respiratory specimens, body
      fluids and/or biopsies; however these methods require laboratory personnel with
      experience and several days to produce a result. In the present study, we have
      validated and evaluated a nested PCR assay targeting the gene encoding the
      Paracoccidioides gp43 membrane protein in 191 clinical samples: 115 samples from
      patients with proven infections other than paracoccidioidomycosis, 51 samples as
      negative controls, and 25 samples from patients diagnosed with
      paracoccidioidomycosis. Additionally, the specificity of the nested PCR assay was
      also evaluated using purified DNA isolated from cultures of different
      microorganisms (n=35) previously identified by culture and/or sequencing. The
      results showed that in our hands, this nested PCR assay for gp43 protein showed
      specificity and sensitivity rates of 100%. The optimized nested PCR conditions in
      our laboratory allowed detection down to 1fg of P. brasiliensis DNA. 

PMID- 26100438
TI  - Early predictive efficacy of core antigen on antiviral outcomes in genotype 1
      hepatitis C virus infected patients.
AB  - Response-guided therapy is of limited use in developing countries because
      hepatitis C virus RNA detection by sensitive molecular methods is time- and labor
      consuming and expensive. We evaluated early predictive efficacy of serum
      hepatitis C virus core antigen kinetics on sustained virologic response in
      patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus during pegylated interferon plus
      ribavirin treatment. For 478 patients recruited, hepatitis C virus RNAs were
      detected at baseline, and at weeks 4, 12, 24, 48, and 72 using Cobas TaqMan.
      Architect hepatitis C virus core antigen was performed at baseline, and weeks 4
      and 12. Predictive values of hepatitis C virus core antigen on sustained
      virologic response were compared to hepatitis C virus RNA. In the first 12 weeks
      after treatment initiation the dynamic patterns of serum hepatitis C virus core
      antigen and hepatitis C virus RNA levels were similar in sustained virologic
      response, relapse, and null response patients groups. Although areas under the
      receiver operating characteristics curves of hepatitis C virus core antigen were
      lower than those of hepatitis C virus RNA at the same time points, modeling
      analysis showed that undetectable hepatitis C virus core antigen (rapid
      virological response based on hepatitis C virus core antigen) had similar
      positive predictive value on sustained virologic response to hepatitis C virus
      RNA at week 4 (90.4% vs 93.3%), and hepatitis C virus core antigen decrease
      greater than 1log10IU/mL (early virological response based on hepatitis C virus
      core antigen) had similar negative predictive value to hepatitis C virus RNA at
      week 12 (94.1% vs 95.2%). Analysis on the validation group demonstrated a
      positive predictive value of 97.5% in rapid virological response based on
      hepatitis C virus core antigen and a negative predictive value of 100% in early
      virological response based on hepatitis C virus core antigen. In conclusion,
      hepatitis C virus core antigen is comparable to hepatitis C virus RNA in
      predicting sustained virologic response of chronic genotype 1 hepatitis C virus
      infected patients, and can be used to guide anti-hepatitis C virus treatment,
      especially in resource-limited areas.

PMID- 26100439
TI  - Effect of mitochondrial stress on systemic metabolism.
AB  - In our studies investigating the role of autophagy in systemic metabolism, we
      found that mitochondrial dysfunction due to autophagy deficiency in insulin
      target tissues, such as skeletal muscle or liver, leads to the induction of
      fibroblast growth factor (FGF)21 as a mitokine and protection against obesity and
      insulin resistance. In the following studies, we observed that metformin, one of
      the most widely used antidiabetic medications, induces mitochondrial stress and
      induces FGF21 through a PERK-eIF2alpha-ATF4 pathway, which may contribute to the
      antidiabetic effect of metformin. Amino acid deprivation also induced ATF4 and
      FGF21, while the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in this condition is not yet
      clear. These results suggest the possibility that mitochondrial stress inducing
      an integrated stress response can induce a mitokine response and affect systemic
      metabolism in a non-cell-autonomous manner, in addition to the well-recognized
      cell-autonomous role of mitochondrial function in metabolism. 

PMID- 26100440
TI  - Design, synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of indoline-2,3-dione
      derivatives as novel HDAC inhibitors.
AB  - Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are zinc-dependent or NAD(+) dependent enzymes and
      play a critical role in the process of tumor development. Herein a series of
      indoline-2,3-dione derivatives have been designed and synthesized as potential
      HDACs inhibitors. The preliminary biological evaluation showed that most
      compounds synthesized have exhibited moderate Hela cell nuclear extract
      inhibitory activities, among which compound 25a (IC50=10.13 nM) has shown the
      best efficacy. The anti-proliferative activities of some of these compounds were
      also discussed.

PMID- 26100441
TI  - Orally active ghrelin receptor inverse agonists and their actions on a rat
      obesity model.
AB  - A series of 2-alkylamino nicotinamide analogs was prepared as orally active
      ghrelin receptor (ghrelinR) inverse agonists. Starting from compound 1, oral
      bioavailability was improved by modifying metabolically unstable sites and
      reducing molecular weight. Brain-permeable compound 33 and compound 24 with low
      brain permeability were tested in rat models of obesity; 30 mg/kg of compound 33
      suppressed weight gain. PK/PD analysis revealed that the anti-obesity effect of
      ghrelinR inverse agonists depends on their brain concentrations.

PMID- 26100442
TI  - Discovery of novel, potent, selective and cellular active ADC type PTP1B
      inhibitors via fragment-docking-oriented de novel design.
AB  - Fragment-docking-oriented de novel design for both the catalytic site and the C
      phosphotyrosine binding site led to the discovery of novel scaffold and chemical
      easy N-(2,5-diethoxy-phenyl)-methanesulfonamide based phosphotyrosine mimetics
      that when incorporated into ureas are high potent and selective inhibitors of
      protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B. Among them, compound 15 was shown to be the most
      potent PTP1B inhibitor with great selectivity over the highly homologous T-cell
      protein tyrosine phosphatase. 

PMID- 26100443
TI  - Optimization of a novel series of N-phenylindoline-5-sulfonamide-based acyl
      CoA:monoacylglycerol acyltransferase-2 inhibitors: Mitigation of CYP3A4 time
      dependent inhibition and phototoxic liabilities.
AB  - Acyl CoA:monoacylglycerol acyltransferase-2 (MGAT2) has emerged as a potential
      peripheral target for the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders. We
      previously identified a novel series of N-phenylindoline-5-sulfonamide
      derivatives exemplified by 2 as potent and orally bioavailable MGAT2 inhibitors.
      Despite its attractive potency, further assessment revealed that this compound
      exhibited time-dependent inhibition (TDI) of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). To
      remove the undesirable CYP3A4 TDI activity, structural modification was focused
      on the 2,4-difluoroaniline moiety on the basis of the assumption that this moiety
      would be involved in mechanism-based inhibition of CYP3A4 via oxidative
      metabolism. This led to the finding that the introduction of 4-chloro-2,6
      difluoroaniline significantly improved CYP3A4 TDI risk. Further optimization
      resulted in the discovery of N-(4-chloro-2,6-difluorophenyl)-1-{5-[1-methyl-3
      (trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazol-5-yl]pyrimidin-2-yl}-7-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)-2,3
      dihydro-1H-indole-5-sulfonamide (27c) with potent MGAT2 inhibitory activity
      (IC50=7.8 nM) and excellent ADME-Tox profiles including metabolic stability, oral
      bioavailability, and CYP3A4 TDI. In a mouse oral fat tolerance test, compound 27c
      effectively and dose-dependently suppressed the elevation of plasma
      triacylglycerol levels after oral administration at doses of 1 and 3mg/kg. We
      also discuss mitigation of the phototoxic liability of biaryl derivatives on the
      basis of the HOMO-LUMO gap hypothesis during the course of optimization efforts.

PMID- 26100444
TI  - Subjective perception of sleepiness in a driving simulator is different from that
      in the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test whether sleep-deprived, healthy subjects who do not always
      signal spontaneously perceived sleepiness (SPS) before falling asleep during the
      Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT) would do so in a driving simulator.
      METHODS: Twenty-four healthy subjects (20-26 years old) underwent a MWT for 40
      min and a driving simulator test for 1 h, before and after one night of sleep
      deprivation. Standard electroencephalography, electrooculography, submental
      electromyography, and face videography were recorded simultaneously to score
      wakefulness and sleep. Subjects were instructed to signal SPS as soon as they
      subjectively felt sleepy and to try to stay awake for as long as possible in
      every test. They were rewarded for both "appropriate" perception of SPS and
      staying awake for as long as possible. RESULTS: After sleep deprivation, seven
      subjects (29%) did not signal SPS before falling asleep in the MWT, but all
      subjects signalled SPS before falling asleep in the driving simulator (p <0.004).
      CONCLUSIONS: The previous results of an "inaccurate" SPS in the MWT were
      confirmed, and a perfect SPS was shown in the driving simulator. It was
      hypothesised that SPS is more accurate for tasks involving continuous feedback of
      performance, such as driving, compared to the less active situation of the MWT.
      Spontaneously perceived sleepiness in the MWT cannot be used to judge sleepiness
      perception while driving. Further studies are needed to define the accuracy of
      SPS in working tasks or occupations with minimal or no performance feedback.

PMID- 26100445
TI  - Calcium and aluminum cycling in a temperate broadleaved deciduous forest of the
      eastern USA: relative impacts of tree species, canopy state, and flux type.
AB  - Ca/Al molar ratios are commonly used to assess the extent of aluminum stress in
      forests. This is among the first studies to quantify Ca/Al molar ratios for
      stemflow. Ca/Al molar ratios in bulk precipitation, throughfall, stemflow, litter
      leachate, near-trunk soil solution, and soil water were quantified for a
      deciduous forest in northeastern MD, USA. Data were collected over a 3-year
      period. The Ca/Al molar ratios in this study were above the threshold for
      aluminum stress (<1). Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. (American beech) had a median
      annual stemflow Ca/Al molar ratio of 15.7, with the leafed and leafless values of
      12.4 and 19.2, respectively. The corresponding Ca/Al molar ratios for
      Liriodendron tulipifera L. (yellow poplar) were 11.9 at the annual time scale and
      11.9 and 13.6 for leafed and leafless periods, respectively. Bayesian statistical
      analysis showed no significant effect of canopy state (leafed, leafless) on Ca/Al
      molar ratios. DOC was consistently an important predictor of calcium, aluminum,
      and Ca/Al ratios. pH was occasionally an important predictor of calcium and
      aluminum concentrations, but was not a good predictor of Ca/Al ratio in any of
      the best-fit models (of >500 examined). This study supplies new data on Ca/Al
      molar ratios for stemflow from two common deciduous tree species. Future work
      should examine Ca/Al molar ratios in stemflow of other species and examine both
      inorganic and organic aluminum species to better gauge the potential for, and
      understand the dynamics of, aluminum toxicity in the proximal area around tree
      boles. 

PMID- 26100446
TI  - Glutamatergic regulation of brain histamine neurons: In vivo microdialysis and
      electrophysiology studies in the rat.
AB  - The interactions between the glutamatergic and the histaminergic systems in the
      brain are not fully understood. Here we studied histamine release in the medial
      prefrontal cortex and the posterior hypothalamus-tuberomamillary nucleus (PH-TMN)
      using in vivo microdialysis and electrophysiological recordings of histaminergc
      neurons in the PH-TMN in vivo to further address the mechanistic details of these
      interactions. We demonstrated that histaminergic activity was regulated by group
      II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR 2 and 3) using systemic dosing with
      mGluR 2/3 agonist and antagonists and an mGluR 2 positive allosteric modulator.
      These interactions likely occur via direct modulation of glutamate release in the
      PH-TMN. The importance of circadian rhythm for histamine release was also shown
      using microdialysis studies with mGluR 2/3 compounds under light and dark
      conditions. Based on histamine release studies with NMDA and ketamine, we propose
      the existence of two sub-populations of NMDA receptors where one subtype is
      located on histaminergic cell bodies in the PH-TMN and the second on GABA-ergic
      neurons projecting to the PH-TMN. These subpopulations could be distinguished
      based on function, notably opposing actions were seen on histamine release in the
      medial prefrontal cortex of the rat. In summary, this paper provides evidence
      that the histaminergic system is closely regulated by glutamate neurons in
      multiple ways. In addition, this interaction depends to a great extent on the
      activity state of the subject. 

PMID- 26100447
TI  - Editor's choice - thirty day outcomes and costs of fenestrated and branched stent
      grafts versus open repair for complex aortic aneurysms.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare 30 day outcomes and costs of fenestrated and branched stent
      grafts (f/b EVAR) and open surgery (OSR) for the treatment of complex abdominal
      aortic aneurysms (AAA) and thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA). METHODS:
      The multicenter prospective registry WINDOW was set up to evaluate f/b EVAR in
      high risk patients with para/juxtarenal AAA, and infradiaphragmatic and
      supradiaphragmatic TAAA. A control group of patients treated by OSR was extracted
      from the national hospital discharge database. The primary endpoint was 30 day
      mortality. Secondary endpoints included severe complications, length of stay, and
      costs. Mortality was assessed by survival analysis and uni/multivariate Cox
      regression analyses using pre- and post-operative characteristics. Bootstrap
      methods were used to estimate the cost-effectiveness of f/b EVAR versus OSR.
      RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty eight cases and 1,678 controls were included.
      There was no difference in 30 day mortality (6.7% vs. 5.4%, p = 0.40), but costs
      were higher with f/b EVAR (?38,212 vs. ?16,497, p < .001). After group
      stratification, mortality was similar with both treatments for para/juxtarenal
      AAA (4.3% vs. 5.8%, p = .26) and supradiaphragmatic TAAA (11.9% vs. 19.7%, p =
      .70), and higher with f/b EVAR for infradiaphragmatic TAAA (11.9% vs. 4.0%, p =
      .010). Costs were higher with f/b EVAR for para/juxtarenal AAA (?34,425 vs.
      ?14,907, p < .0001) and infradiaphragmatic TAAA (?37,927 vs. ?17,530, p < .0001),
      but not different for supradiaphragmatic TAAA (?54,710 vs. ?44,163, p = .18).
      CONCLUSION: f/b EVAR does not appear justified for patients with para/juxtarenal
      AAA and infradiaphragmatic TAAA fit for OSR but may be an attractive option for
      patients with para/juxtarenal AAA not eligible for surgery and patients with
      supradiaphragmatic TAAA. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01168037; identifier: NCT01168037
      (WINDOW registry).

PMID- 26100448
TI  - Do blood constituents in varicose veins differ from the systemic blood
      constituents?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Varicose veins represent one of the most frequent vascular diseases
      and are in most cases benign. However, advanced disease is frequently associated
      with complications such as chronic venous insufficiency and superficial vein
      thrombosis. The pathogenic mechanisms are not well understood. Besides increased
      venous pressure, it is suggested that local blood constituents trigger various
      mechanisms responsible for the progression of the disease and its complications.
      DESIGN: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the blood in
      varicose veins and to compare them with the systemic markers of inflammation and
      endothelial damage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients with primary varicose
      veins were included in the study. Most patients were class C2. Blood samples were
      taken from the leg from the tortuous and dilated varicose tributaries of the
      great saphenous vein and from the cubital vein. RESULTS: The values of basic
      hematologic tests were comparable between blood samples (varicose vs. systemic).
      In varicose veins, the following parameters were significantly increased in
      comparison with systemic blood: hsCRP (3.12 +/- 2.18 mg/L vs. 2.04 +/- 2.21 mg/L,
      p = .04), IL-6 (3.54 +/- 2.59 pg/mL vs. 2.25 +/- 1.27 pg/mL, p = .008), vWF
      (118.4  +/-  27% vs. 83.2  +/-  22%, p < .05). D-dimer, in samples taken from the
      leg varicose veins, was also significantly higher than in the systemic blood
      (104.3 +/- 9.3 ng/mL vs. 89.5 +/- 8.3 ng/mL, p = .039). CONCLUSIONS: Some
      inflammatory markers and indicators of endothelial dysfunction are increased in
      varicose vein blood. This is most probably the consequence of deteriorated blood
      flow in dilated and tortuous superficial veins, and increased venous pressure.
      Damage to the venous wall, which causes a chronic inflammatory response, together
      with the procoagulant properties of local blood may promote further progression
      of the disease and thrombotic complications.

PMID- 26100449
TI  - Modified Petticoat Technique with Pre-placement of a Distal Bare Stent Improves
      Early Aortic Remodeling after Complicated Acute Stanford Type B Aortic
      Dissection.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of pre-placement of a
      distal bare stent as an adjunct to thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in
      the setting of complicated acute Stanford type B aortic dissection (cTBAD).
      METHODS: The records of all patients diagnosed with cTBAD at the institution
      between 2010 and 2013 were reviewed. Indications for the pre-placement of a
      distal bare stent included symptomatic malperfusion and/or radiological evidence
      of true lumen collapse. Computed tomography angiography was performed post
      operatively to assess aortic remodeling. RESULTS: 148 patients were treated for
      cTBAD: 113 patients (76.4%) were treated with standard TEVAR and 35 (23.6%) were
      treated by combined proximal TEVAR with pre-placement of an adjunctive distal
      bare stent. Primary technical success was 95.9%. The 30 day mortality rate was
      4.1% and was not different between groups. The 30 day morbidity included
      transient renal failure (10.1%), endoleak (7.4%), and paraplegia (2.7%), and was
      not different between groups. The mean follow up was 10 months (range 2-12
      months). No late stent complications were observed; patients with an adjunctive
      bare stent had less distal re-dissection (0% vs. 15%; p = .01) and fewer
      endovascular re-interventions (5.7% vs. 20.4%; p = .04). At 1 year, patients
      treated with TEVAR and an adjunctive distal bare stent had increased true lumen
      volume (166 vs. 110 mL; p = .022), decreased false lumen volume (60 vs. 90 mL; p
      = .043), and increased complete false lumen thrombosis in the thoracic (76.5% vs.
      29.5%; p < .001) and abdominal (20.6% vs. 3.8%; p = .002) segments. CONCLUSIONS:
      Combined pre-placement of a distal bare stent as an adjunct to proximal TEVAR to
      treat cTBAD restricts oversizing of the distal stent graft, reducing the
      potential for distal true lumen collapse and visceral malperfusion, and improving
      remodeling of the dissected thoracic aorta. Long-term follow up and prospective
      studies are needed to assess the overall effectiveness of this treatment
      strategy.

PMID- 26100450
TI  - F-EVAR does not Impair Renal Function more than Open Surgery for Juxtarenal
      Aortic Aneurysms: Single Centre Results.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the results of elective open surgical repair (OSR) and
      total endovascular repair of juxtarenal aortic aneurysms (JAA), with either the
      Cook Zenith or the Vascutek Anaconda fenestrated stent grafts (F-EVAR) in a
      university hospital setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between April 1999 and July
      2014, of 926 patients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm, 69 were juxtarenal,
      where 34 had an elective OSR and 35 had F-EVAR. A post-operative rise of baseline
      creatinine by >50% and/or deterioration of estimated glomerular filtration rate
      by 25% were defined as renal failure. RESULTS: The demographics of the patients
      were similar except for heart insufficiency, peripheral arterial disease, and pre
      existing renal artery stenosis (p < .05). Median aneurysm diameters were 57 mm
      (range 50-80 mm) and 56 mm (range 36-64 mm) (p = .194), respectively, and the
      median pre-operative serum creatinine levels were 94 MUmol/L (range 65-286
      MUmol/L) and 96 MUmol/L (range 57-333 MUmol/L) (p = .871) with median estimated
      glomerular filtration rate of 68 mL/min (range 21-117 mL/min) and 70 mL/min
      (range 18-114 mL/min) (p = .308) in the open and endovascular groups,
      respectively. The technical success (OSR versus F-EVAR) was 100% versus 94.3%
      with complete exclusion of the aneurysms in all cases. Median procedure time was
      171 versus 188 min. During median in hospital stay of 11 versus 7 days (p = .05),
      mortality was 0 versus 2.9% and new onset of post-operative renal insufficiency
      was detected in 26.5% versus 8.5% patients (p = .05), although with 11.8% versus
      5.7% being persistent (p = .428). During follow up, statistically similar new
      (late or persistent post-operative) renal insufficiency was detected in 14.7%
      versus 8.8% with dialysis in 3% of patients in each group with similar mortality
      within the 24 months. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective analysis demonstrates that
      OSR might be combined with more acute post-operative renal impairment than F-EVAR
      for JAA, but with similar intermediate term procedure related mortality and renal
      outcomes.

PMID- 26100451
TI  - Early aqueous activity on the ordinary and carbonaceous chondrite parent bodies
      recorded by fayalite.
AB  - Chronology of aqueous activity on chondrite parent bodies constrains their
      accretion times and thermal histories. Radiometric (53)Mn-(53)Cr dating has been
      successfully applied to aqueously formed carbonates in CM carbonaceous
      chondrites. Owing to the absence of carbonates in ordinary (H, L and LL), and CV
      and CO carbonaceous chondrites, and the lack of proper standards, there are no
      reliable ages of aqueous activity on their parent bodies. Here we report the
      first (53)Mn-(53)Cr ages of aqueously formed fayalite in the L3 chondrite
      Elephant Moraine 90161 as Myr after calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions (CAIs), the
      oldest Solar System solids. In addition, measurements using our synthesized
      fayalite standard show that fayalite in the CV3 chondrite Asuka 881317 and CO3
      like chondrite MacAlpine Hills 88107 formed and Myr after CAIs, respectively.
      Thermal modelling, combined with the inferred conditions (temperature and
      water/rock ratio) and (53)Mn-(53)Cr ages of aqueous alteration, suggests
      accretion of the L, CV and CO parent bodies ~1.8-2.5 Myr after CAIs. 

PMID- 26100452
TI  - Influence of macular oedema on the measurement of macular pigment optical
      density.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to determine macular pigment optical
      density (MPOD) in patients with macular degeneration as well as in patients with
      non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: Fifty-one phakic patients with
      either age-related macular degeneration (60 eyes of 30 patients; average age,
      70.9 years) or non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (42 eyes of 21 patients;
      average age, 61.7 years) were included in this cross-sectional study. Within the
      groups, patients were divided into those suffering from macular oedema and those
      with no oedema. An intra-subject comparison between eyes was carried out in both
      groups. Data were investigated on the basis of the coefficient of determination
      (R (2)). Macular pigment optical density was measured by fundus reflectometry
      using the one-wavelength reflection method (Visucam 500; Carl Zeiss Meditec AG,
      Jena, Germany), in conformity with the method described by Schweitzer et al.
      (2010). We evaluated the maximum optical density in the measurement area (max OD)
      and the average optical density across the reference area in the measurement area
      (mean OD). Specifically, the influence of macular oedema on macular pigment
      optical density was examined. The subsequent measurement of retinal thickness was
      carried out by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (Spectralis SD-OCT,
      Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany). RESULTS: The current study
      included two groups. The first group consisted of patients with non-proliferative
      diabetic retinopathy, as follows: no macular oedema on either side (max OD: R (2)
      = 43.2 %, p = 0.16; mean OD: R (2) = 68.7 %, p = 0.04); one-sided macular oedema
      (max OD: R(2) = 16 %, p = 0.60; mean OD: R(2) = 100 %, p = 0.04); or macular
      oedema in both eyes (max OD: R(2) = 79.7 %, p < 0.01; mean OD: R(2) = 81.4 %, p <
      0.01). The second group comprised patients with age-related macular degeneration
      (AMD), as follows: non-exudative changes on both sides (max OD: R(2) = 64.0 %, p
      = 0.20; mean OD: R (2) = 16 %, p = 0.60); one-sided exudative macular changes
      (max OD: R (2) = 50.6 %, p < 0.01; mean OD: R (2) = 20.8 %, p = 0.04); or
      exudative macular degeneration on both sides (max OD: 3 R (2) = 6.0 %, p = 0.29;
      mean OD: R (2)= 81.0 %, p = 0.04). The data available presented a correlation of
      MPOD values of both eyes of an individual within the groups investigated. In this
      respect, the data of the partner eyes within the group of patients with diabetic
      retinopathy were more highly correlated with each other than the values of both
      eyes of patients suffering from age-related macular degeneration. CONCLUSIONS:
      The present study showed that macular oedema did not seem to have an influence on
      a valid measurement of MPOD by one-wavelength fundus reflectometry. Thus,
      meaningful data could also be obtained on patients with exudative retinal
      changes.

PMID- 26100453
TI  - A morphological study of amblyopic eyes in children failing to achieve normal
      visual acuity after electronically monitored long-term occlusion treatment.
AB  - PURPOSE: To search for morphological abnormalities in compliant unilaterally
      amblyopic children with poor occlusion treatment outcomes, for the first time
      with electronically recorded patching dosage. We included school children with
      remaining interocular logMAR (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution)
      difference >= 0.3 after patching time of more than 22 months and 1300 h total in
      a previous prospective study. METHODS: Six patients with a mean age of 11.19
      years were included. Four patients had anisometropic amblyopia and two patients
      had a mixed strabismic and anisometropic amblyopia. Best-corrected visual acuity,
      cycloplegic refraction, dilated fundus examination, optic disc morphology and
      macular thickness using optical coherence tomography (OCT), retinal visual
      acuity, color perception, and the presence of a relative afferent pupillary
      defect (RAPD) were assessed. Paired t tests were performed to compare optic disc
      values and macular thickness of the amblyopic eyes to those of the fellow eyes.
      RESULTS: Average (+/- SD) logMAR VA in the amblyopic eyes was 0.42 (+/-0.23) with
      a remaining average interocular difference (IOD) of 0.51 (+/- 0.23), despite
      electronically monitored occlusion treatment of more than 1300 h. All patients
      presented with hyperopia and a significantly different mean spherical equivalent
      of + 4.73 (+/- 2.73) D in the amblyopic eye compared with the fellow eye (p =
      0.02). A statistically significant difference in macular thickness was found
      between amblyopic and fellow eyes, with amblyopic eyes having an increased
      average thickness (p = 0.0062) and total volume (p = 0.0091) of the macula. One
      patient had familial hereditary primary macrodisc in both eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results provide evidence that average macular thickness and total macular volume
      tended to be increased among these compliant amblyopic children with
      unsatisfactory occlusion treatment outcomes. Further studies are warranted to
      evaluate whether morphological changes may have an impact on the effectiveness of
      amblyopia treatment. Moreover, our findings suggest that greater magnitude of
      hyperopia and anisometropia as well as older age may be risk factors associated
      with a poor visual acuity outcome among compliant amblyopic children.

PMID- 26100454
TI  - Partial volumes of cholesterol and monounsaturated diacylphosphatidylcholines in
      mixed bilayers.
AB  - Dispersions of multilamellar liposomes prepared from monounsaturated
      diacylphosphatidylcholines having 18-24 carbons and from varying amounts of
      cholesterol were studied by densitometry. Ideal mixing of the studied
      phosphatidylcholines with cholesterol in the fluid phase was observed. The
      temperature dependence of partial volumes of both phosphatidylcholines and
      cholesterol was determined. A slight decrease in the partial volume of
      cholesterol with the lengthening of the acyl chain of the host
      phosphatidylcholine was observed. By measuring the density of multilamellar
      liposomes of dinervonoylposphatidylcholine and cholesterol below the main phase
      transition temperature, the phase boundary between the solid ordered phase and
      the area of coexistence of the solid ordered and liquid ordered phases was
      detected. 

PMID- 26100455
TI  - Negative mental imagery in public speaking anxiety: Forming cognitive resistance
      by taxing visuospatial working memory.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study sought to reconcile two lines of research.
      Previous studies have identified a prevalent and causal role of negative imagery
      in social phobia and public speaking anxiety; others have demonstrated that
      lateral eye movements during visualisation of imagery reduce its vividness, most
      likely by loading the visuospatial sketchpad of working memory. It was
      hypothesised that using eye movements to reduce the intensity of negative imagery
      associated with public speaking may reduce anxiety resulting from imagining a
      public speaking scenario compared to an auditory control task. METHODS: Forty
      undergraduate students scoring high in anxiety on the Personal Report of
      Confidence as a Speaker scale took part. A semi-structured interview established
      an image that represented the participant's public speaking anxiety, which was
      then visualised during an eye movement task or a matched auditory task. Reactions
      to imagining a hypothetical but realistic public speaking scenario were measured.
      RESULTS: As hypothesised, representative imagery was established and reduced in
      vividness more effectively by the eye movement task than the auditory task. The
      public speaking scenario was then visualised less vividly and generated less
      anxiety when imagined after performing the eye movement task than after the
      auditory task. LIMITATIONS: Self-report measures and a hypothetical scenario
      rather than actual public speaking were used. Replication is required in larger
      as well as clinical samples. CONCLUSIONS: Visuospatial working memory tasks may
      preferentially reduce anxiety associated with personal images of feared events,
      and thus provide cognitive resistance which reduces emotional reactions to
      imagined, and potentially real-life future stressful experiences.

PMID- 26100456
TI  - [Some comments to the letter "Controversy to use icatibant for prophylaxis in
      angioedema"].

PMID- 26100457
TI  - Outcome and treatment of elderly patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: ANCA-associated vasculitis is commonly found in
      elderly patients, but there are few data concerning outcome and treatment in the
      highest age groups. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Consecutive
      patients (N=151) presenting between 1997 and 2009 were retrospectively included
      from local registries in six centers in Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the Czech
      Republic if diagnosed with microscopic polyangiitis or granulomatosis with
      polyangiitis at age >=75 years during the study period. Patients were followed
      until 2 years from diagnosis or death. Data on survival and renal function were
      analyzed with respect to age, sex, ANCA specificity, renal function, C-reactive
      protein, comorbidities, and Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score at diagnosis as
      well as treatment during the first month. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 730 days
      (interquartile range, 244-730). Overall 1-year survival was 71.5% and 2-year
      survival was 64.6%. Older age, higher creatinine, and lower Birmingham Vasculitis
      Activity Score were associated with higher mortality in multivariable analysis.
      Patients who were not treated with standard immunosuppressive therapy had
      significantly worse survival. Renal survival was 74.8% at 1 year. No new cases of
      ESRD occurred during the second year. High creatinine at diagnosis was the only
      significant predictor of renal survival in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS:
      ANCA-associated vasculitis is a disease with substantial mortality and morbidity
      among elderly patients. This study showed a better prognosis for those who
      received immunosuppressive treatment and those who were diagnosed before having
      developed advanced renal insufficiency.

PMID- 26100458
TI  - Treating elderly patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis.

PMID- 26100459
TI  - Coauthorship and 'soft colonialism'.

PMID- 26100462
TI  - RN4CAST@IT: why is it important for Italy to take part in the RN4CAST project?

PMID- 26100463
TI  - EMG and force production of the flexor hallucis longus muscle in isometric
      plantarflexion and the push-off phase of walking.
AB  - Large forces are generated under the big toe in the push-off phase of walking.
      The largest flexor muscle of the big toe is the flexor hallucis longus (FHL),
      which likely contributes substantially to these forces. This study examined FHL
      function at different levels of isometric plantarflexion torque and in the push
      off phase at different speeds of walking. FHL and calf muscle activity were
      measured with surface EMG and plantar pressure was recorded with pressure
      insoles. FHL activity was compared to the activity of the calf muscles. Force and
      impulse values were calculated under the big toe, and were compared to the entire
      pressed area of the insole to determine the relative contribution of big toe
      flexion forces to the ground reaction force. FHL activity increased with
      increasing plantarflexion torque level (F=2.8, P=0.024) and with increasing
      walking speed (F=11.608, P<0.001). No differences were observed in the relative
      contribution of the force under the big toe to the entire sole between different
      plantarflexion torque levels (F=0.836, P=0.529). On the contrary, in the push-off
      phase of walking, peak force under the big toe increased at a higher rate than
      force under the other areas of the plantar surface (F=3.801, P=0.018), implying a
      greater relative contribution to total force at faster speeds. Moreover,
      substantial differences were found between isometric plantarflexion and walking
      concerning FHL activity relative to that of the calf muscles, highlighting the
      task-dependant behaviour of FHL. 

PMID- 26100464
TI  - A phenomenological contact model: Understanding the graft-tunnel interaction in
      anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery.
AB  - In this paper, we sought to expand the fidelity of a validated model of the
      anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R) procedure by incorporating a
      stick-slip contact model with linear pressure-overclosure relationship at the
      interface. The suggested model is characterized by three unknown parameters,
      friction coefficient, shear stress softening and contact stiffness. In the
      absence of any isolated experiments exploring the graft-tunnel interactions
      during an aggregate joint load, the calibration data used in this study are
      derived from a reported biomechanical study. A Bayesian calibration procedure was
      employed to find the unknown probability distribution function (PDF) of these
      contact parameters. Initially, the response surface approximations of the
      predicted graft forces from laxity test simulations was adopted to estimate the
      likelihood of noisy experimental data reported in the literature. Then, the wide
      domain of contact parameters was sampled sequentially based on the Marcov Chain
      Monte Carlo (MCMC) method with acceptance-rejection criteria to search for
      population of samples in significantly narrower domain of unknown parameters that
      are associated with the highest occurrence likelihood of noisy experimental data.
      Our simulations with calibrated contact parameters indicate that pre-tensioning
      applied at 30 degrees  of flexion leads to larger graft force after the joint is
      fully extended compared to the graft force when the same pre-tensioning force is
      applied at full extension. Moreover, regardless of the pre-tensioning force, the
      graft-tunnel contact pressure is larger when the fixation of the graft is
      performed at full extension, increasing with the pre-tensioning force. 

PMID- 26100465
TI  - Electronic cigarettes: The nicotyrine hypothesis.
AB  - There are conflicting reports about the efficacy of electronic cigarettes (e
      cigs) as nicotine delivery devices and smoking cessation products. In addition,
      smokers' responses to some nicotine dependence questions often change as they
      transition to exclusive e-cig use. Nicotyrine may explain these observations.
      Nicotyrine forms by the gradual oxidation of nicotine in e-liquids exposed to
      air. E-cigs aerosolize nicotyrine along with nicotine. Nicotyrine inhibits the
      cytochrome P450 2A family of enzymes (CYP2A) in airways and liver. These enzymes
      metabolize nicotine to cotinine, and then cotinine to trans 3-hydroxycotinine. In
      humans, nicotine is metabolized primarily by hepatic CYP2A6. We propose that e
      cig users (vapers) achieve measurable serum nicotine levels when they inhale
      nicotine and nicotyrine together, because nicotyrine reversibly inhibits nicotine
      metabolism by CYP2A13 in airways. Consuming nicotyrine by any route should
      irreversibly inhibit hepatic CYP2A6. When CYP2A6 is substantially inhibited,
      nicotine clearance is delayed and nicotine withdrawal symptoms are attenuated.
      Small, relatively infrequent nicotine doses can then sustain satisfying nicotine
      levels. This theory has numerous implications for e-cig research and tobacco
      control. Behavioral and pharmacokinetic e-cig studies should be interpreted with
      attention to likely levels of nicotyrine delivery: e-cig studies may need to
      routinely measure nicotyrine exposure, assess CYP2A6 activity, confirm nicotine
      delivery, or deliberately compare unoxidized and oxidized e-liquids. The risks of
      nicotyrine exposure include impaired clearance of all CYP2A substrates and any
      effects of the metabolic products of nicotyrine. CYP2A inhibitors like nicotyrine
      may be useful for future smoking cessation therapy. 

PMID- 26100466
TI  - Burning Graphene Layer-by-Layer.
AB  - Graphene, in single layer or multi-layer forms, holds great promise for future
      electronics and high-temperature applications. Resistance to oxidation, an
      important property for high-temperature applications, has not yet been
      extensively investigated. Controlled thinning of multi-layer graphene (MLG),
      e.g., by plasma or laser processing is another challenge, since the existing
      methods produce non-uniform thinning or introduce undesirable defects in the
      basal plane. We report here that heating to extremely high temperatures
      (exceeding 2000 K) and controllable layer-by-layer burning (thinning) can be
      achieved by low-power laser processing of suspended high-quality MLG in air in
      "cold-wall" reactor configuration. In contrast, localized laser heating of
      supported samples results in non-uniform graphene burning at much higher rates.
      Fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were also performed to reveal
      details of oxidation mechanisms leading to uniform layer-by-layer graphene
      gasification. The extraordinary resistance of MLG to oxidation paves the way to
      novel high-temperature applications as continuum light source or scaffolding
      material.

PMID- 26100467
TI  - Reply to: "Serotype transition in invasive pneumococcal infection in postvaccine
      era".

PMID- 26100468
TI  - The impact of multidisciplinary rehabilitation on the quality of life of
      hemodialysis patients in Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Hemodialysis contributes to changes in lifestyle and the
      health status of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of
      participatory rehabilitation on the quality of life of patients. METHODS: This
      quasi-experimental before and after study was conducted on 30 patients in the
      hemodialysis center at Hazrat-e-Rasoul Hospital in Javanrood during 2013. The
      rehabilitation program was executed with participation of experts in the fields
      of nursing, physiotherapy, and clinical psychology for 8 weeks. The instrument
      used for data collection was the hemodialysis version of Ferrans and Powers
      Quality of Life Index (QLI) which was completed by the research assistant by
      interview before and after the rehabilitation program. RESULTS: The mean age of
      patients was 55.8 +/- 14.3 years, 60% were male, and 93.3% were married. The
      average duration of hemodialysis was 3 +/- 2.4 years. The quality of life score
      of all patients before the intervention was between 10 and 19 (moderate level),
      which after intervention, improved to a good level in half of the patients (p <
      0.001). CONCLUSION: Rehabilitation programs improve the quality of life of
      hemodialysis patients. By this finding, implementation of rehabilitation programs
      is recommended in hemodialysis centers with participation of experts from
      different fields including nurses, physiotherapists, and clinical psychologists.

PMID- 26100470
TI  - Cobalt to Chromium Ratio is Not a Key Marker for Adverse Local Tissue Reaction
      (ALTR) in Metal on Metal Hips.
AB  - The diagnosis of adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR) after metal-on-metal total
      hip arthroplasty (MoMTHA) presents a significant challenge. No single biomarker
      is specific for ALTR. The purpose of this study was to determine if the ratio of
      cobalt to chromium ions is useful for diagnosing ALTR in MoMTHA. In 89 bearing
      related revision THAs, preoperative cobalt and chromium ion levels were compared
      to an intraoperative soft tissue damage grading scale. The average cobalt to
      chromium ratio was 2.96 (0-20). There was no correlation between the tissue scale
      and the cobalt to chromium ratio (R=0.095; P=0.41). Many variables affecting ion
      production/excretion mitigate the use of the ion ratio. The cobalt to chromium
      ratio is not a predictive biomarker for ALTR in MoMTHA. 

PMID- 26100469
TI  - Multiple signatures of a disease in potential biomarker space: Getting the
      signatures consensus and identification of novel biomarkers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The lack of consensus among reported gene signature subsets (GSSs) in
      multi-gene biomarker discovery studies is often a concern for researchers and
      clinicians. Subsequently, it discourages larger scale prospective studies,
      prevents the translation of such knowledge into a practical clinical setting and
      ultimately hinders the progress of the field of biomarker-based disease
      classification, prognosis and prediction. METHODS: We define all "gene
      identificators" (gIDs) as constituents of the entire potential disease biomarker
      space. For each gID in a GSS of interest ("tested GSS"/tGSS), our method counts
      the empirical frequency of gID co-occurrences/overlaps in other reference GSSs
      (rGSSs) and compares it with the expected frequency generated via implementation
      of a randomized sampling procedure. Comparison of the empirical frequency
      distribution (EFD) with the expected background frequency distribution (BFD)
      allows dichotomization of statistically novel (SN) and common (SC) gIDs within
      the tGSS. RESULTS: We identify SN or SC biomarkers for tGSSs obtained from
      previous studies of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HG-SOC) and breast cancer
      (BC). For each tGSS, the EFD of gID co-occurrences/overlaps with other rGSSs is
      characterized by scale and context-dependent Pareto-like frequency distribution
      function. Our results indicate that while independently there is little overlap
      between our tGSS with individual rGSSs, comparison of the EFD with BFD suggests
      that beyond a confidence threshold, tested gIDs become more common in rGSSs than
      expected. This validates the use of our tGSS as individual or combined prognostic
      factors. Our method identifies SN and SC genes of a 36-gene prognostic signature
      that stratify HG-SOC patients into subgroups with low, intermediate or high-risk
      of the disease outcome. Using 70 BC rGSSs, the method also predicted SN and SC BC
      prognostic genes from the tested obesity and IGF1 pathway GSSs. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      method provides a strategy that identify/predict within a tGSS of interest, gID
      subsets that are either SN or SC when compared to other rGSSs. Practically, our
      results suggest that there is a stronger association of the IGF1 signature genes
      with the 70 BC rGSSs, than for the obesity-associated signature. Furthermore,
      both SC and SN genes, in both signatures could be considered as perspective
      prognostic biomarkers of BCs that stratify the patients onto low or high risks of
      cancer development.

PMID- 26100471
TI  - A Heritable Predisposition to Osteoarthritis of the Hip.
AB  - Using THA as a proxy for underlying osteoarthritis, we describe population-based
      familial clustering of osteoarthritis of the hip. The GIF test for excess
      relatedness on 1049 patients that underwent THA (and do not have a diagnostic
      code for other conditions leading to THA) showed excess relatedness (P<0.001).
      Even when close relationships were ignored (closer than third-degree
      relationships), excess relatedness was observed (P=0.020). Relative risk was
      elevated in first-degree (RR 2.59; 95% CI 1.84-3.53, P=2.0e(-7)), second-degree
      (RR 1.66; 95% CI 1.11-2.39; P=0.0075) and third-degree relatives (RR 1.46; 95% CI
      1.17-1.81; P=5.7e(-4)). Excess relatedness of individuals who had undergone THA
      for osteoarthritis and elevated risks to both near and distant relatives were
      observed. 

PMID- 26100472
TI  - Are Revisions of Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasties More Like a Primary or
      Revision TKA?
AB  - If revision is required, most unicompartmental arhroplasties (UKAs) are converted
      to total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) and conflicting results regarding surgical
      complexity and outcome have been reported in publications. 48 UKAs converted to a
      TKA between 1998 and 2009 were matched based on age, gender, and body mass index,
      pre-operative Knee Society Score, length of follow-up, and date of the index
      surgery to 48 primary TKAs and 48 revision TKAs. Surgical characteristics,
      clinical outcomes, and complications were compared at a mean follow-up of 7 +/- 4
      years. Even if a revision of UKA is technically less demanding than a revision
      TKA, functional scores, quality of life, complications and survival rate after
      revision UKA are more comparable to a revision than primary TKA.

PMID- 26100473
TI  - Long-Term Survivorship and Clinical Outcomes Following Total Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is one of the most successful commonly performed
      orthopedic procedures; as such, the purpose was to assess the long-term outcomes
      and survivorship of primary TKAs with a dual-radius prosthesis. We evaluated 125
      patients (145-knees), with a mean age of 63 years (37-90 years) for a mean 11
      year follow-up (10-13 years). Outcomes were assessed with KSS, UCLA, SF-36,
      satisfaction scores, and aseptic survivorship analysis. At 10-year follow-up, the
      UCLA (6-points), KSS objective (84-points) and functional (73-points), SF-36
      physical (41-points) and mental (51-points), and patient satisfaction (14-points)
      scores were reported to be good to excellent. The 10-year Kaplan-Meier
      survivorship rate was 99%; one TKA demonstrated radiographic loosening. At a
      minimum 10-year follow-up, this device demonstrated satisfactory outcomes and
      outstanding aseptic-survivorship rates.

PMID- 26100474
TI  - Is Electrocautery of Patella Useful in Patella Non-Resurfacing Total Knee
      Arthroplasty?: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study.
AB  - There is controversy over the need for electrocauterization of the patella in non
      resurfacing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We investigated whether this procedure
      is beneficial through a prospective randomized controlled trial. Fifty patients
      who underwent electrocautery were compared with 50 patients who did not undergo
      this procedure. We determined cartilage status, preoperative and postoperative
      American Knee Society (AKS) score, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities
      score (WOMAC) and the Patellofemoral (PF) scores for a minimum of 5 years. The
      two groups did not differ significantly in demographics, intraoperative cartilage
      status, or preoperative or postoperative outcomes. No complications were detected
      in either group. We found no benefits of electrocautery of the patella in
      patellar non-resurfacing TKA up to 5 years.

PMID- 26100475
TI  - The Use of Trabecular Metal Cones in Complex Primary and Revision Total Knee
      Arthroplasty.
AB  - Trabecular metal cones are one option for treating osseous defects during TKA. A
      total of 83 consecutive TKAs utilizing cones with an average of 40 months follow
      up were reviewed. There were 24 males and 59 females, with an average age of 69
      years old. Four were complex primary and 79 were revision procedures. Of 83
      patients, 10 (12%) required repeat revision surgery (8 infections, one
      periprosthetic fracture, one aseptic loosening) and overall, 37 of 83 patients
      (45%) experienced at least one complication. Of 73 unrevised knees, 72 (99%)
      demonstrated radiographic evidence of osseointegration. Despite a high
      complication rate in this population, trabecular metal cones represent an
      attractive option for managing bone loss in complex primary and revision TKA with
      a high rate of osseointegration.

PMID- 26100476
TI  - [What limits do we have for children today?].

PMID- 26100477
TI  - [Childhood epilepsy. Necessary care from multiple competencies].

PMID- 26100479
TI  - [Objectives and practical aspects of antiepileptic medication].
AB  - Antiepileptics are a group of drugs with various pharmacological properties and
      mechanisms of action. They are grouped together due to the fact that they are
      used to treat epilepsy. There are around twenty molecules in this group.
      Particular care needs to be taken when prescribing them for children as they
      carry risks. 

PMID- 26100478
TI  - [Clinical presentations, etiologies and prognosis of epilepsy in children].
AB  - Epilepsy in children is a neurological pathology with very diverse clinical forms
      and aetiologies. An electroencephalogram is essential for guiding the diagnosis,
      completed when indicated with imaging examinations. The treatment aims to control
      the seizures and takes into account the quality of the child's life. Regular
      follow-up must be provided by a paediatric neurologist specialised in epilepsy. 

PMID- 26100480
TI  - [Surgical management of epilepsy].
AB  - Epilepsy surgery raises hopes, but still remains reserved for a small number of
      cases of epilepsy resistant to medical treatments. It requires the involvement of
      multidisciplinary medical and allied health teams with expertise in this field.
      From the patient's admission through to their discharge, the nurse and the
      electroencephalogram technician have an essential role to play. 

PMID- 26100481
TI  - [The role of the nurse in the patient education of young epileptic patients].
AB  - An epileptic seizure in a child is a major source of anxiety and turns the
      family's everyday life upside down. Through therapeutic education, the nurse
      guides the families towards the autonomous management of the seizures,
      antiepileptic treatments, adaptations to daily life and potential comorbidities. 

PMID- 26100482
TI  - [Experience of a chronic condition and psychological support of the child with
      epilepsy].
AB  - Epilepsy is a chronic condition with extremely variable consequences in children
      and can disrupt their development. Children who have epilepsy can present
      cognitive, behavioural and psychological disorders. The psychological follow-up
      forms part of a global care management of the child and their family, enabling
      everyone to express their own experience of the condition. This support helps
      them to develop strategies to face up to epilepsy and preserve their quality of
      life. 

PMID- 26100483
TI  - [The psychosocial challenges of epilepsy and the role of the clinical nurse
      specialist].
AB  - Epilepsy in children is a complex disease with significant psychosocial
      consequences for the child and their family. The intervention of a
      multidisciplinary team enables the care to be adapted and provides support for
      the families. At Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal, Canada, the nurse clinician
      specialised in epilepsy plays a key role in this team. 

PMID- 26100484
TI  - [Social and cultural representations in epilepsy awareness].
AB  - Representations relating to epilepsy have evolved over the centuries, but the
      manifestations of epilepsy awaken archaic images linked to death, violence and
      disgust. Indeed, the generalised epileptic seizure symbolises a rupture with the
      surrounding environment, "informs it", through the loss of social codes which it
      causes. The social and cultural context, as well as medical knowledge, influences
      the representations of the disease. As a result, popular knowledge is founded on
      the social and cultural representations of a given era, in a given society. 

PMID- 26100485
TI  - [Draw me a donation, ethical reflection with children in pediatrics].
AB  - An organ and tissue removal coordination department organised a drawing
      competition for the children in the paediatric unit, on the theme: "Donation,
      passing on the baton". This ethical reflection combining respect for the
      children, interaction with the parents and multi-disciplinary collaboration
      provided an opportunity for exchanges on the topic of organ donation and
      encouraged a different approach on the part of the medical team. 

PMID- 26100486
TI  - [The infant's body in movement and the professional's perspective].
AB  - The observation of the young infant, and in particular the movements of their
      body, provides the basis for understanding their psychological construction. The
      psychoanalytical perspective of the infant's behaviour is very valuable for early
      childhood professionals. It guides their actions in providing containment and
      reassuring support. 

PMID- 26100487
TI  - Respiratory infection with a bacterial pathogen attenuates CNS autoimmunity
      through IL-10 induction.
AB  - Infection with viral or bacterial pathogens has been linked with the development
      of multiple sclerosis (MS), while infection with helminth parasites has been
      associated protection against MS and other autoimmune diseases. Here we have used
      a murine model of MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), to examine
      the effect of infection with the respiratory pathogen Bordetella pertussis
      infection on development of CNS inflammation. The data demonstrate that infection
      of mice with B. pertussis significantly attenuates the clinical course of EAE
      induced by active immunization or cell transfer. This was reflected in a
      significant reduction in VLA-4 and LFA-1 expression on T cells and infiltration
      of IL-17(+), IFN-gamma(+) and IFN-gamma(+)IL-17(+) CD4 T cells into the CNS.
      Infection with B. pertussis induced IL-10 production from dendritic cells in
      vitro and enhanced the frequency of IL-10-producing CD25(-)Foxp3(+/-) CD4(+) T
      cells in vivo. Furthermore, the suppressive effects of B. pertussis infection on
      EAE were lost in IL-10(-/-) mice. Our findings demonstrate that a bacterial
      infection of the respiratory tract can attenuate EAE by promoting production of
      the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 that may suppress licensing of
      autoaggressive T cells in the lungs, thereby preventing their migration into the
      CNS. 

PMID- 26100489
TI  - Inflammation and metabolic changes in first episode psychosis: preliminary
      results from a longitudinal study.
AB  - Metabolic abnormalities are commonly observed in patients with psychosis, and may
      confer greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. Such
      abnormalities are associated with inflammation in the general population, and
      there is increasing evidence for elevated inflammation in patients with first
      episode psychosis (FEP). The aim of this preliminary study is to examine the
      effect of changes in inflammation, as measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive
      protein (hsCRP), on metabolic changes in a three-month longitudinal study in a
      FEP sample. Fifty-three FEP patients from in- and out-patient services in South
      London, England, were included in this longitudinal study. Social and clinical
      data were collected, and fasting blood samples and anthropometric measurements
      (weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), lipid profile and gluco-metabolic parameters)
      were obtained at baseline and at three-month follow-up. Correlation analyses
      showed that those with increases in hsCRP over the three-month period also had
      increases in triglyceride levels (r=0.49, p=0.02). No association was observed
      with other lipid profile, or gluco-metabolic parameters, across the whole sample.
      Increases in weight and BMI were also associated with increases in triglyceride
      levels (r=0.33, p=0.02; and r=0.31, p=0.03, respectively); however, a multiple
      linear regression analysis found that the effects of inflammation on
      triglycerides were independent from the effect of changes in weight, and from the
      baseline inflammatory state. Our preliminary findings suggest that those patients
      experiencing greater increases in inflammation early on in the course of their
      illness may be at greater risk of developing short-term metabolic abnormalities,
      in particular dyslipidaemia, independent of weight-gain. Future work should
      investigate the use of inflammatory markers to identify patients in greater need
      of physical health interventions. 

PMID- 26100488
TI  - Stress exacerbates neuron loss and microglia proliferation in a rat model of
      excitotoxic lower motor neuron injury.
AB  - All individuals experience stress and hormones (e.g., glucocorticoids/GCs)
      released during stressful events can affect the structure and function of
      neurons. These effects of stress are best characterized for brain neurons;
      however, the mechanisms controlling the expression and binding affinity of
      glucocorticoid receptors in the spinal cord are different than those in the
      brain. Accordingly, whether stress exerts unique effects on spinal cord neurons,
      especially in the context of pathology, is unknown. Using a controlled model of
      focal excitotoxic lower motor neuron injury in rats, we examined the effects of
      acute or chronic variable stress on spinal cord motor neuron survival and glial
      activation. New data indicate that stress exacerbates excitotoxic spinal cord
      motor neuron loss and associated activation of microglia. In contrast,
      hypertrophy and hyperplasia of astrocytes and NG2+ glia were unaffected or were
      modestly suppressed by stress. Although excitotoxic lesions cause significant
      motor neuron loss and stress exacerbates this pathology, overt functional
      impairment did not develop in the relevant forelimb up to one week post-lesion.
      These data indicate that stress is a disease-modifying factor capable of altering
      neuron and glial responses to pathological challenges in the spinal cord. 

PMID- 26100490
TI  - Comparison of the conventional multiplex RT-PCR, real time RT-PCR and Luminex
      xTAG(r) RVP fast assay for the detection of respiratory viruses.
AB  - Detection of respiratory viruses using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is
      sensitive, specific and cost effective, having huge potential for patient
      management. In this study, the performance of an in-house developed conventional
      multiplex RT-PCR (mRT-PCR), real time RT-PCR (rtRT-PCR) and Luminex xTAG((r)) RVP
      fast assay (Luminex Diagnostics, Toronto, Canada) for the detection of
      respiratory viruses was compared. A total 310 respiratory clinical specimens
      predominantly from pediatric patients, referred for diagnosis of influenza
      A/H1N1pdm09 from August 2009 to March 2011 were tested to determine performance
      characteristic of the three methods. A total 193 (62.2%) samples were detected
      positive for one or more viruses by mRT-PCR, 175 (56.4%) samples by real time
      monoplex RT-PCR, and 138 (44.5%) samples by xTAG((r)) RVP fast assay. The overall
      sensitivity of mRT-PCR was 96.9% (95% CI: 93.5, 98.8), rtRT-PCR 87.9% (95% CI:
      82.5, 92.1) and xTAG((r)) RVP fast was 68.3% (95% CI: 61.4, 74.6). Rhinovirus was
      detected most commonly followed by respiratory syncytial virus group B and
      influenza A/H1N1pdm09. The monoplex real time RT-PCR and in-house developed mRT
      PCR are more sensitive, specific and cost effective than the xTAG((r)) RVP fast
      assay.

PMID- 26100491
TI  - Innovative Varied-Fidelity Simulation Mobile Teaching Cart and Education Project.
AB  - The use of a varied-fidelity simulation mobile teaching cart is a teaching tool
      that offers unique advantages in the acute care setting. The cart is used to
      demonstrate the use of patient monitoring devices, and there are a variety of
      software tools available with the monitoring technology to ensure that the
      outputs, including electrocardiographic waves, are analyzed appropriately by
      nursing staff using this varied-fidelity simulation mobile teaching cart.
      Bringing varied-fidelity simulation to the nurses' work area is a unique
      application setting. 

PMID- 26100492
TI  - Infection with Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma platys (Rickettsiales:
      Anaplasmataceae) in two lineages of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (Acari:
      Ixodidae) from Argentina.
AB  - Natural infection with Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma platys in ticks belonging to
      the tropical and temperate lineages of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato from
      Argentina was evaluated. Samples were tested for Ehrlichia canis infection by PCR
      assays using 16S rRNA, dsb and p28 gene, while detection of A. platys was
      performed with 16S rRNA and groESL gene. The assignment of the ticks to each
      lineage was corroborated with 16S rDNA sequences. All ticks infected with E.
      canis and A. platys belonged to the tropical lineage. These results constitute
      the first record of E. canis infection in R. sanguineus s.l ticks from Argentina.
      No ticks from the temperate lineage were found to be infected with E. canis,
      coinciding with previous studies performed in Argentina and Uruguay where E.
      canis infection was not detected in R. sanguineus s.l from the temperate lineage.
      Because the presence of the tropical lineage of R. sanguineus s.l has been
      documented in tropical areas of northern Argentina between 22 degrees  and 24
      degrees  of south latitude, the findings of this work indicate that transmission
      of E. canis and A. platys to dogs by R. sanguineus s.l probably occurs along this
      region. 

PMID- 26100493
TI  - How far north are migrant birds transporting the tick Ixodes scapularis in
      Canada? Insights from stable hydrogen isotope analyses of feathers.
AB  - Lyme disease is emerging in Canada because of northward range expansion of the
      tick vector Ixodes scapularis. It is hypothesised that I. scapularis feeding on
      passerine birds migrating north in spring are important in founding new I.
      scapularis populations leading to northward range expansion. However, there are
      no studies on how far north I. scapularis may be carried, only inferences from
      passive tick surveillance. We used stable hydrogen isotope (delta(2)H) analysis
      of rectrices collected from northward migrating, I. scapularis-carrying,
      passerine birds captured in Canada to estimate how far north I. scapularis may be
      carried. Rectrices are usually grown close to breeding sites and their delta(2)H
      values reflect those in the environment, which vary strongly with latitude in
      North America. Passerines usually return to their breeding or natal sites so
      delta(2)H values of rectrices of northward migrating birds can identify the
      likely latitudinal bands of their intended destinations. In 2006 we analysed
      delta(2)H from rectrices of 73 I. scapularis-carrying birds captured at five
      migration monitoring stations, mainly from southern Ontario. Values of delta(2)H
      ranged from -33 to -1240/00, suggesting 19/71 (26.7%) birds were destined for
      latitude band B (the most southerly part of Ontario), 40/71 (56.3%) birds were
      destined for band C (which extends from southern Ontario, Quebec and the
      Maritimes to southern James Bay) and 12/71 (16.9%) birds were destined for bands
      D and E (which extend from northern Ontario and Quebec into the southern Canadian
      Arctic). This indicates that many I. scapularis-carrying migratory birds in
      spring have destinations far north in Canada, including some farther north than
      the current region of climatic suitability for I. scapularis. These findings
      support the hypothesis that I. scapularis may continue to be spread north by
      spring migrating passerines. Some thrush species may be particularly implicated
      in far northward dispersion of I. scapularis. 

PMID- 26100494
TI  - Reassortment and distinct evolutionary dynamics of Rift Valley Fever virus
      genomic segments.
AB  - Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) is a member of Bunyaviridae family that causes a
      febrile disease affecting mainly ruminants and occasionally humans in Africa,
      with symptoms that range from mid to severe. RVFV has a tri-segmented ssRNA
      genome that permits reassortment and could generate more virulent strains. In
      this study, we reveal the importance of reassortment for RVFV evolution using
      viral gene genealogy inference and phylodynamics. We uncovered seven events of
      reassortment that originated RVFV lineages with discordant origins among
      segments. Moreover, we also found that despite similar selection regimens, the
      three segments have distinct evolutionary dynamics; the longer segment L evolves
      at a significant lower rate. Episodes of discordance between population size
      estimates per segment also coincided with reassortment dating. Our results show
      that RVFV segments are decoupled enough to have distinct demographic histories
      and to evolve under different molecular rates. 

PMID- 26100497
TI  - HCV targeting of patients with cirrhosis.
AB  - Interferon (IFN)-free treatments are now the treatment of choice for patients
      with chronic hepatitis C. Previously difficult to treat patients by IFN
      containing treatments can now be treated safely by IFN-free therapies. More than
      90% of hepatitis C genotype 1 and 4 patients with compensated cirrhosis or after
      orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) can be cured by sofosbuvir combined with
      simeprevir, daclatasvir or ledipasvir, or by the paritaprevir/ritona
      vir/ombitasvir/+/-dasabuvir (3D) combination. Addition of ribavirin confers to a
      minimal, if any, benefit to increase SVR. The need for ribavirin is controversial
      and remains to be studied. The optimal length of treatment is still unknown, and
      an individual approach may be needed. Most patients require only 12weeks of
      therapy. The safety of these drugs is not fully explored in patients with
      decompensated cirrhosis (Child-Pugh C), who should not be treated with protease
      inhibitors. In cirrhosis hepatitis C virus eradication does not necessarily mean
      a cure of the disease and patients regularly require follow-up. Drug-drug
      interactions with immunosuppressant in patients after OLT are easier to manage
      but still require attention. Better drugs are needed for genotype 3 patients. 

PMID- 26100495
TI  - The long-term benefits of nucleos(t)ide analogs in compensated HBV cirrhotic
      patients with no or small esophageal varices: A 12-year prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Esophageal varices (EV) are a marker of disease severity in
      compensated cirrhosis due to hepatitis B virus (HBV) which predicts also the risk
      of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), clinical decompensation and anticipated liver
      related death. The dynamics and prognostic significance of EV in patients under
      long-term HBV suppression by nucleos(t)ide analogs (NUC), are poorly known.
      METHODS: A standardized protocol (Baveno) including 414 upper gastrointestinal
      (GI) endoscopies was applied to 107 HBeAg-negative compensated cirrhotic patients
      (93% Child-Pugh A) during a median of 12 (range 2 to 17) years of NUC therapy.
      Patients who initially started on lamivudine (LMV) and then developed resistance
      (LMV-R), were rescued by early administration of adefovir, or were switched to
      tenofovir. Surveillance included serum HBV DNA every three months and abdominal
      ultrasound every six months. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients had baseline F1 EV
      which regressed in 18, remained unchanged in eight and progressed in one patient;
      the 12-year cumulative incidence of EV regression was 83% (95% CI: 52-92%). De
      novo F1/F2 EV developed in 6/80 patients with a 12-year cumulative incidence of
      10% (95% CI: 5-20%). Six of seven patients with de novo varices or progression of
      pre-existing varices had either a clinical breakthrough due to LMV-R and/or
      developed a HCC. No bleedings from ruptured EV occurred, 12 patients died (9 HCC)
      and 15 were transplanted (13 HCC): the 12-year cumulative incidence of HCC and
      overall survival was 33% (95% CI: 24-42%) and 76% (95% CI: 67-83%), respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Long-term pharmacological suppression of HBV in HBeAg-seronegative
      patients with compensated cirrhosis leads to a significant regression of pre
      existing EV accompanied by a negligible risk of developing de novo EV.

PMID- 26100496
TI  - Inhibition of sterile danger signals, uric acid and ATP, prevents inflammasome
      activation and protects from alcoholic steatohepatitis in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: The inflammasome is a well-characterized inducer of
      inflammation in alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH). Inflammasome activation requires
      two signals for mature interleukin (IL)-1beta production. Here we asked whether
      metabolic danger signals trigger inflammasome activation in ASH. METHODS: Wild
      type mice, ATP receptor 2x7 (P2rx7)-KO mice, or mice overexpressing uricase were
      fed Lieber-DeCarli ethanol or control diet. We also implemented a pharmacological
      approach in which mice were treated with probenecid or allopurinol. RESULTS: The
      sterile danger signals, ATP and uric acid, were increased in the serum and liver
      of alcohol-fed mice. Depletion of uric acid or ATP, or lack of ATP signaling
      attenuated ASH and prevented inflammasome activation and its major downstream
      cytokine, IL-1beta. Pharmacological depletion of uric acid with allopurinol
      provided significant protection from alcohol-induced inflammatory response,
      steatosis and liver damage, and additional protection was achieved in mice
      treated with probenecid, which depletes uric acid and blocks ATP-induced P2rx7
      signaling. We found that alcohol-damaged hepatocytes released uric acid and ATP
      in vivo and in vitro and that these sterile danger signals activated the
      inflammasome in LPS-exposed liver mononuclear cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our data
      indicate that the second signal in inflammasome activation and IL-1beta
      production in ASH results from the endogenous danger signals, uric acid and ATP.
      Inhibition of signaling triggered by uric acid and ATP may have therapeutic
      implications in ASH.

PMID- 26100498
TI  - Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with increased survival:
      Results from a large cohort in the Netherlands.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Effectiveness of surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma is
      controversial. We here explore its effects in "real life" clinical practice.
      METHODS: Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed in the period 2005-2012
      in five Dutch academic centers were evaluated. Surveillance was defined as ?2
      screening tests during three preceding years and at least one radiologic imaging
      test within 18 months before diagnosis. RESULTS: 295 (27%) of 1074 cases
      underwent surveillance. Median time interval between last negative radiologic
      imaging and hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis was 7.5 months. In the
      surveillance group, cirrhosis (97% vs. 60%, p<0.001) and viral hepatitis were
      more frequent, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or absence of risk factors
      less frequent. In case of surveillance, tumor size was significantly smaller (2.7
      vs. 6.0 cm), with lower alpha-fetoprotein levels (16 vs. 44 MUg/L), earlier tumor
      stage (BCLC 0 and A combined: 61% vs. 21%) and resection/transplantation (34% vs.
      25%) or radiofrequency ablation (23% vs. 7%) more often applied, with
      significantly higher 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates. Survival benefit by
      surveillance remained significant after adjustment for lead-time bias based on
      assumed tumor doubling time of 90 days, but not with doubling time of ?120 days.
      In multivariate analysis, surveillance was an independent predictor for mortality
      (for interval ?9 respectively >9 months: adjusted HRs 0.51 and 0.50, 95%
      confidence intervals: 0.39-0.67 and 0.37-0.69). CONCLUSIONS: Surveillance for
      hepatocellular carcinoma was associated with smaller tumor size, earlier tumor
      stage, with an impact on therapeutic strategy and was an independent predictor of
      survival.

PMID- 26100503
TI  - Epidemiology: Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 reports that disability caused
      by CKD is increasing worldwide.

PMID- 26100505
TI  - Podocyte biology: Age-associated changes in podocytes linked to FGGS.

PMID- 26100506
TI  - [Incidental finding of a cardiac paraganglioma].
AB  - Cardiac paragangliomas are extremely rare neoplasms with an incidence of 1% of
      all cardiac tumors and can be completely asymptomatic, therefore, diagnosis is
      difficult. This article reports the case of an 18-year-old man with a heart
      murmur detected during a routine physical examination. Echocardiography revealed
      a heart tumor measuring 7 cm in size in the right atrium. Due to the tumor size
      and the threat of tricuspid valve insufficiency, tumor resection was performed.
      The histopathological examination revealed a cardiac paraganglioma with positive
      reactions of the tumor cells for chromogranin A, synaptophysin and CD56.
      Differentiating a primary cardiac paraganglioma from other more common cardiac
      tumors and particularly from metastases of neuroendocrine neoplasms from other
      locations is essential not only for the further clinical treatment but also for
      the prognosis of the patient.

PMID- 26100504
TI  - The effects of environmental chemicals on renal function.
AB  - The global incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing among
      individuals of all ages. Despite advances in proteomics, genomics and
      metabolomics, there remains a lack of safe and effective drugs to reverse or
      stabilize renal function in patients with glomerular or tubulointerstitial causes
      of CKD. Consequently, modifiable risk factors that are associated with a
      progressive decline in kidney function need to be identified. Numerous reports
      have documented the adverse effects that occur in response to graded exposure to
      a wide range of environmental chemicals. This Review summarizes the effects of
      such chemicals on four aspects of cardiorenal function: albuminuria, glomerular
      filtration rate, blood pressure and serum uric acid concentration. We focus on
      compounds that individuals are likely to be exposed to as a consequence of normal
      consumer activities or medical treatment, namely phthalates, bisphenol A,
      polyfluorinated alkyl acids, dioxins and furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      and polychlorinated biphenyls. Environmental exposure to these chemicals during
      everyday life could have adverse consequences on renal function and might
      contribute to progressive cumulative renal injury over a lifetime. Regulatory
      efforts should be made to limit individual exposure to environmental chemicals in
      an attempt to reduce the incidence of cardiorenal disease. 

PMID- 26100508
TI  - The impact of care on family and health-related quality of life of parents with
      chronically ill and disabled children.
AB  - PURPOSE: Parents of disabled and/or chronically ill children are more vulnerable
      regarding their health compared to parents of healthy children. This study
      examines how far the burden of care is associated with health-related quality of
      life (QoL) in parents, across different illnesses and disabilities. Moreover, it
      is unclear whether and to which extent familial resources can explain the
      association between parents' care burden and health. METHOD: Data stem from a
      survey with the German Children's Network, a self-help umbrella organization of
      parents and families of chronically ill and disabled children. Data collection
      was conducted nationwide with a standardized online questionnaire, which included
      children's diagnoses and severity, burden of care, family and socioeconomic
      status, health-related QoL (SF-12) and family impact (Impact on Family Scale,
      IFS). 1567 parents participated. RESULTS: A higher burden of care is associated
      with higher risks for poor health-related QoL. Especially, social impact and
      financial burden, which are both associated with care, can help to explain these
      associations. CONCLUSIONS: Future interventions should focus not only on the
      affected child but also on the whole family system and its social integration, as
      this seems likely to relief parents from burden of care. Therefore, a sustainable
      cooperation of health care institutions and professionals with self-help groups
      and parental initiatives is recommended. Implications for Rehabilitation Parents
      of disabled and chronically ill children are a vulnerable group regarding their
      health-related quality of life. A higher burden of care is associated with less
      social contacts, higher financial burden and higher help-needs in the household,
      which significantly contribute to higher health risks. Rehabilitation should take
      these constraints into account and put a stronger focus on the family of disabled
      and chronically ill children to support their inclusion. A sustainable and
      formally anchored collaboration with self-help and patient groups is recommended.

PMID- 26100507
TI  - The Relationship Between Sexual Minority Stigma and Sexual Health Risk Behaviors
      Among HIV-Positive Older Gay and Bisexual Men.
AB  - This study investigates how internalized sexual minority stigma and enacted
      sexual minority stigma in health care settings are associated with sexual health
      risk behaviors (SRBs) and the mediating role of infrequent routine health care
      and perceived stress among older gay and bisexual (G/B) men living with HIV
      disease. Survey responses from 135 sexually active older G/B men living with HIV
      were analyzed using hierarchical linear regression models. Results indicate that
      one fifth of G/B older adult men living with HIV are engaged in multiple SRBs.
      Internalized sexual minority stigma and enacted sexual minority stigma in health
      care settings are significantly associated with SRBs. The relationship between
      internalized sexual minority stigma and SRBs are mediated by infrequent routine
      health care and elevated levels of perceived stress. Improved primary and
      secondary prevention strategies are needed for the growing number of sexually
      active older G/B men.

PMID- 26100509
TI  - Evidence for horizontal transfer of mitochondrial DNA to the plastid genome in a
      bamboo genus.
AB  - In flowering plants, three genomes (nuclear, mitochondrial, and plastid) coexist
      and intracellular horizontal transfer of DNA is prevalent, especially from the
      plastid to the mitochondrion genome. However, the plastid genomes are generally
      conserved in evolution and have long been considered immune to foreign DNA.
      Recently, the opposite direction of DNA transfer from the mitochondrial to the
      plastid genome has been reported in two eudicot lineages. Here we sequenced 6
      plastid genomes of bamboos, three of which are neotropical woody species and
      three are herbaceous ones. Several unusual features were found, including the
      duplication of trnT-GGU and loss of one copy of rps19 due to contraction of
      inverted repeats (IRs). The most intriguing was the ~2.7 kb insertion in the
      plastid IR regions in the three herbaceous bamboos. Furthermore, the insertion
      was documented to be horizontally transferred from the mitochondrial to the
      plastid genome. Our study provided evidence of the mitochondrial-to-plastid DNA
      transfer in the monocots, demonstrating again that this rare event does occur in
      other angiosperm lineages. However, the mechanism underlying the transfer remains
      obscure, and more studies in other plants may elucidate it in the future.

PMID- 26100510
TI  - Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist deficiency with a novel mutation; late onset
      and successful treatment with canakinumab: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist deficiency is a rare
      autoinflammatory disease involving neonatal onset of pustulosis, periostitis, and
      sterile osteomyelitis. The underlying genetic abnormality involves a recessive
      mutation in IL1RN, which encodes interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. In this case
      report, we describe a case of a 12-year-old Turkish girl who initially was
      presented at 1 year of age, older than previously reported children with
      interleukin-1 receptor antagonist deficiency, and with a novel mutation, p.R26X,
      in ILR1N. CASE PRESENTATION: Our patient developed pustular cutaneous lesions at
      1 year of age. At the age of 12 years, she was hospitalized for arthralgia of her
      knees, elbows, and ankles and arthritis of the left knee, with simultaneous
      pustular cutaneous lesions. She was admitted to the intensive care unit because
      of septicemia and respiratory insufficiency during follow-up. A skin biopsy of
      hyperpigmented lesions demonstrated neutrophil infiltration in the epidermis and
      subepidermal pustular dermatosis. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist deficiency
      was suspected, and genetic analysis revealed a homozygous mutation (p.R26X) in
      IL1RN, which led to a diagnosis of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist deficiency.
      Treatment with canakinumab (recombinant human anti-human interleukin-1beta
      monoclonal antibody) 150 mg subcutaneously once every 6 weeks was initiated. Our
      patient did not experience further cutaneous lesions or arthritis. Her post
      treatment inflammatory markers were normal; she gained weight; and she was able
      to walk independently. CONCLUSIONS: In this case report, we describe a patient
      with interleukin-1 receptor antagonist deficiency who responded excellently to
      canakinumab treatment. We believe more awareness is warranted for interleukin-1
      receptor antagonist deficiency in children. It is possible that the mutation in
      our patient was a founder mutation that may lead to diagnosis of additional cases
      in Turkey.

PMID- 26100511
TI  - Structure, reliability, and validity of the revised child anxiety and depression
      scale (RCADS) in a multi-ethnic urban sample of Dutch children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although anxiety and, to a lesser extent, depression are highly
      prevalent in children, these problems are, difficult to identify. The Revised
      Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) assesses self-reported symptoms of anxiety
      and depression in youth. METHODS: The present study examined the factor
      structure, internal consistency, short-term stability, and validity including
      sensitivity to change of the RCADS in a multi-ethnic urban sample of 3636 Dutch
      children aged 8 to 13 years old. RESULTS: Results indicate that the RCADS is a
      reliable and valid instrument. The original 6-factor structure was replicated to
      a fair extent in the present study (RMSEA = 0.048) and internal consistency was
      good (alphas = 0.70-0.96). ICCs for short-term stability were 0.76 to 0.86. Girls
      and children who indicated wishing to participate in a program targeting anxiety
      and depression had higher RCADS scores. Sensitivity to change analyses showed
      that the RCADS can detect changes in anxiety and depression symptoms in children
      who participated in a preventive intervention. The study showed low agreement
      between teacher and self-reported internalizing problems, even for children
      scoring above the 90(th) percentile of the RCADS, indicating a high level of
      problems, emphasizing the need to also take child reports into account when
      screening for anxiety and depression in children. CONCLUSION: This study shows
      that the RCADS can yield reliable data on a diversity of anxiety disorders and
      depression in urban children aged 8-13 from very diverse ethnic backgrounds.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial Register: NTR2397 . Registered 30 June
      2010.

PMID- 26100512
TI  - First-principles assessment of hole transport in pure and Li-doped NiO.
AB  - Alloying nickel oxide (NiO) with lithium oxide (Li2O) at high Li concentrations
      may reduce NiO's band gap and expand its use as a light absorber in
      photocatalytic and tandem dye-sensitized solar cell technologies. In this work,
      we evaluate the viability of this alloy as a p-type hole transport material. We
      use embedded cluster models, along with unrestricted Hartree-Fock and complete
      active space self-consistent field theories, to study the impact of alloying on
      polaronic transport of holes. Our calculated energy barrier for hole transfer in
      undoped NiO is in excellent agreement with the experimental value of ~0.1 eV. We
      predict that hole transport in NiO is anisotropic and mostly confined parallel to
      the (111) ferromagnetic planes. Applying the same model to Li-doped NiO indicates
      that isolated Li ions do not introduce free holes into NiO samples. However, free
      holes can be created in the homogeneous Li0.125Ni0.875O alloy, in which the Li
      concentration is very high. Our kinetic Monte Carlo calculations show that hole
      mobility in this alloy is lower than in undoped NiO. However, the additional free
      holes and the predicted lower band gap of Li0.125Ni0.875O should increase hole
      conductivity compared to NiO upon alloy formation. Therefore, Li0.125Ni0.875O
      alloys have potential for use as a hole transporter, as well as a sunlight
      absorber, in a variety of solar energy applications. 

PMID- 26100513
TI  - The lung communication network.
AB  - The different types of cells in the lung, from the conducting airway epithelium
      to the alveolar epithelium and the pulmonary vasculature, are interconnected by
      gap junctions. The specific profile of gap junction proteins, the connexins,
      expressed in these different cell types forms compartments of intercellular
      communication that can be further shaped by the release of extracellular
      nucleotides via pannexin1 channels. In this review, we focus on the physiology of
      connexins and pannexins and describe how this lung communication network
      modulates lung function and host defenses in conductive and respiratory airways. 

PMID- 26100515
TI  - Connexins and pannexins in the immune system and lymphatic organs.
AB  - Connexin43 and pannexin1 are found in immune cells. While gap junctional
      communication has been demonstrated between immune cells, hemichannels have been
      implicated in many cellular functions. Among the functions involved as being
      connexin dependent and pannexin dependent are cell migration, phagocytosis,
      antigen presentation, T-cell reactivity and B-cell responses. Surprisingly, many
      of these connexin-related and pannexin-related functions are not recapitulated in
      in vivo models. This is leading to a reevaluation of the role of these proteins
      in immune function. 

PMID- 26100514
TI  - Physiological roles of connexins and pannexins in reproductive organs.
AB  - Reproductive organs are complex and well-structured tissues essential to
      perpetuate the species. In mammals, the male and female reproductive organs vary
      on their organization, morphology and function. Connectivity between cells in
      such tissues plays pivotal roles in organogenesis and tissue functions through
      the regulation of cellular proliferation, migration, differentiation and
      apoptosis. Connexins and pannexins can be seen as major regulators of these
      physiological processes. In the present review, we assembled several lines of
      evidence demonstrating that these two families of proteins are essential for male
      and female reproduction. 

PMID- 26100517
TI  - The impact of read length on quantification of differentially expressed genes and
      splice junction detection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The initial next-generation sequencing technologies produced reads of
      25 or 36 bp, and only from a single-end of the library sequence. Currently, it is
      possible to reliably produce 300 bp paired-end sequences for RNA expression
      analysis. While read lengths have consistently increased, people have assumed
      that longer reads are more informative and that paired-end reads produce better
      results than single-end reads. We used paired-end 101 bp reads and trimmed them
      to simulate different read lengths, and also separated the pairs to produce
      single-end reads. For each read length and paired status, we evaluated
      differential expression levels between two standard samples and compared the
      results to those obtained by qPCR. RESULTS: We found that, with the exception of
      25 bp reads, there is little difference for the detection of differential
      expression regardless of the read length. Once single-end reads are at a length
      of 50 bp, the results do not change substantially for any level up to, and
      including, 100 bp paired-end. However, splice junction detection significantly
      improves as the read length increases with 100 bp paired-end showing the best
      performance. We performed the same analysis on two ENCODE samples and found
      consistent results confirming that our conclusions have broad application.
      CONCLUSIONS: A researcher could save substantial resources by using 50 bp single
      end reads for differential expression analysis instead of using longer reads.
      However, splicing detection is unquestionably improved by paired-end and longer
      reads. Therefore, an appropriate read length should be used based on the final
      goal of the study.

PMID- 26100519
TI  - Rhenium-catalyzed C-H aminocarbonylation of azobenzenes with isocyanates.
AB  - The first C-H aminocarbonylation of azobenzenes with isocyanates is achieved by
      using rhenium-catalysis, which provides an expedient and atom-economical access
      to varied o-azobenzamides from readily available starting materials. The reaction
      efficiency can be enhanced by the catalytic use of sodium acetate via accelerated
      C-H bond activation. 

PMID- 26100518
TI  - N-terminal functional domain of Gasdermin A3 regulates mitochondrial homeostasis
      via mitochondrial targeting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The epidermis forms a critical barrier that is maintained by
      orchestrated programs of proliferation, differentiation, and cell death. Gene
      mutations that disturb this turnover process may cause skin diseases. Human
      GASDERMIN A (GSDMA) is frequently silenced in gastric cancer cell lines and its
      overexpression has been reported to induce apoptosis. GSDMA has also been linked
      with airway hyperresponsiveness in genetic association studies. The function of
      GSDMA in the skin was deduced by dominant mutations in mouse gasdermin A3
      (Gsdma3), which caused skin inflammation and hair loss. However, the mechanism
      for the autosomal dominance of Gsdma3 mutations and the mode of Gsdma3's action
      remain unanswered. RESULTS: We demonstrated a novel function of Gsdma3 in
      modulating mitochondrial oxidative stress. We showed that Gsdma3 is regulated by
      intramolecular fold-back inhibition, which is disrupted by dominant mutations in
      the C-terminal domain. The unmasked N-terminal domain of Gsdma3 associates with
      Hsp90 and is delivered to mitochondrial via mitochondrial importer receptor
      Tom70, where it interacts with the mitochondrial chaperone Trap1 and causes
      increased production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), dissipation
      of mitochondrial membrane potential, and mitochondrial permeability transition
      (MPT). Overexpression of the C-terminal domain of Gsdma3 as well as
      pharmacological interventions of mitochondrial translocation, ROS production, and
      MPT pore opening alleviate the cell death induced by Gsdma3 mutants. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our results indicate that the genetic mutations in the C-terminal domain of
      Gsdma3 are gain-of-function mutations which unmask the N-terminal functional
      domain of Gsdma3. Gsdma3 regulates mitochondrial oxidative stress through
      mitochondrial targeting. Since mitochondrial ROS has been shown to promote
      epidermal differentiation, we hypothesize that Gsdma3 regulates context-dependent
      response of keratinocytes to differentiation and cell death signals by impinging
      on mitochondria.

PMID- 26100516
TI  - Beyond vascular inflammation--recent advances in understanding atherosclerosis.
AB  - Atherosclerosis is the most life-threatening pathology worldwide. Its major
      clinical complications, stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure, are on
      the rise in many regions of the world--despite considerable progress in
      understanding cause, progression, and consequences of atherosclerosis. Originally
      perceived as a lipid-storage disease of the arterial wall (Die cellularpathologie
      in ihrer begrundung auf physiologische und pathologische gewebelehre. August
      Hirschwald Verlag Berlin, [1871]), atherosclerosis was recognized as a chronic
      inflammatory disease in 1986 (New Engl J Med 314:488-500, 1986). The presence of
      lymphocytes in atherosclerotic lesions suggested autoimmune processes in the
      vessel wall (Clin Exp Immunol 64:261-268, 1986). Since the advent of suitable
      mouse models of atherosclerosis (Science 258:468-471, 1992; Cell 71:343-353,
      1992; J Clin Invest 92:883-893, 1993) and the development of flow cytometry to
      define the cellular infiltrate in atherosclerotic lesions (J Exp Med 203:1273
      1282, 2006), the origin, lineage, phenotype, and function of distinct
      inflammatory cells that trigger or inhibit the inflammatory response in the
      atherosclerotic plaque have been studied. Multiphoton microscopy recently enabled
      direct visualization of antigen-specific interactions between T cells and antigen
      presenting cells in the vessel wall (J Clin Invest 122:3114-3126, 2012). Vascular
      immunology is now emerging as a new field, providing evidence for protective as
      well as damaging autoimmune responses (Int Immunol 25:615-622, 2013).
      Manipulating inflammation and autoimmunity both hold promise for new therapeutic
      strategies in cardiovascular disease. Ongoing work (J Clin Invest 123:27-36,
      2013; Front Immunol 2013; Semin Immunol 31:95-101, 2009) suggests that it may be
      possible to develop antigen-specific immunomodulatory prevention and therapy-a
      vaccine against atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26100520
TI  - Effect of Combined Treatment with Ursolic Acid and Resveratrol on Skin Tumor
      Promotion by 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-Acetate.
AB  - In this study, the effects of combining ursolic acid + resveratrol, for possible
      combined inhibitory effects on skin tumor promotion, were evaluated. Ursolic
      acid, resveratrol, and the combination of ursolic acid + resveratrol were applied
      topically prior to 12-O-tetracanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) treatment on mouse
      skin to examine their effect on TPA-induced signaling pathways, epidermal
      hyperproliferation, skin inflammation, inflammatory gene expression, and skin
      tumor promotion. The combination of ursolic acid + resveratrol produced a greater
      inhibition of TPA-induced epidermal hyperproliferation. The combination of
      ursolic acid + resveratrol inhibited TPA-induced signaling pathways, including
      EGFR, STAT3, Src, Akt, Cox-2, Fas, NF-kappaB, p38 MAPK, c-Jun, and JNK1/2 while
      increasing levels of tumor suppressors, such as p21 and PDCD4, to a greater
      extent compared with the groups treated with the individual compounds. Ursolic
      acid + resveratrol also induced a dramatic increase of p-AMPK-alpha(Thr172).
      Combined treatment with ursolic acid + resveratrol resulted in a greater
      inhibition of expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including Il1a, Il1b, and
      Il22. Furthermore, NF-kappaB, Egr-1, and AP-1 DNA binding activities after TPA
      treatment were dramatically decreased by the combination of ursolic acid +
      resveratrol. Treatment with ursolic acid + resveratrol during skin tumor
      promotion with TPA produced greater inhibition of tumor multiplicity and tumor
      size than with either agent alone. Collectively, the greater ability of the
      combination of ursolic acid + resveratrol to inhibit skin tumor promotion was due
      to the greater inhibitory effects on growth factor and inflammatory signaling,
      skin inflammation, and epidermal hyperproliferation induced by TPA treatment.

PMID- 26100521
TI  - Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters Block the Protumorigenic Effects of Obesity in Mouse
      Models of Postmenopausal Basal-like and Claudin-Low Breast Cancer.
AB  - Obesity induces chronic inflammation and is an established risk and progression
      factor for triple-negative breast cancers, including basal-like (BL) and claudin
      low (CL) subtypes. We tested the effects of dietary supplementation with ethyl
      esters of the marine-derived anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids
      eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA+DHA; Lovaza) on growth of murine
      BL and CL mammary tumors. Female ovariectomized C57BL/6 mice were fed a control
      diet or a diet-induced obesity (DIO) diet with or without EPA+DHA (0.025%,
      resulting in blood levels of EPA and DHA comparable with women taking Lovaza 4
      g/d) for 6 weeks. All mice were then orthotopically injected with Wnt-1 cells (a
      BL tumor cell suspension derived from MMTV-Wnt-1 transgenic mouse mammary tumors)
      or M-Wnt cells (a CL tumor cell line cloned from the Wnt-1 tumor cell
      suspension). Mice were killed when tumors were 1 cm in diameter. EPA+DHA
      supplementation did not significantly affect Wnt-1 or M-Wnt mammary tumor growth
      in normoweight control mice. However, EPA+DHA supplementation in DIO mice reduced
      growth of Wnt-1 and M-Wnt tumors; reduced leptin:adiponectin ratio and
      proinflammatory eicosanoids in the serum; improved insulin sensitivity; and
      decreased tumoral expression of COX-2 and phospho-p65. Thus, EPA+DHA
      supplementation in mouse models of postmenopausal BL and CL breast cancer offsets
      many of the protumorigenic effects of obesity. These preclinical findings, in
      combination with results from parallel biomarker studies in women, suggest that
      EPA+DHA supplementation may reduce the burden of BL and CL breast cancer in obese
      women.

PMID- 26100523
TI  - Role of Prophylactic Bilateral Tonsillectomy as a Cancer Preventive Strategy.
AB  - The rate of vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) among adolescent girls
      and boys over the past few years has been stagnant in spite of the increase in
      incidence of HPV-positive oropharyngeal (OPX) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The
      indirect relationship between HPV cancer incidence and preventive vaccination
      poses a public health concern and has caused clinicians to search for other
      methods toward eradicating the ongoing oropharyngeal carcinoma epidemic. This
      alarming increase in OPX is motivating a search for therapeutic prevention
      strategies, including biomarker discovery, risk assessment, therapeutic vaccines,
      immunotherapy, and surgery. The current Danish Cancer Registry study by Fakhry
      and colleagues (in this issue) is the first to investigate the impact of prior
      tonsillectomy on the development of HPV OPX. They report that remote
      tonsillectomy resulted in a decreased incidence of tonsillar SCC. While thought
      provoking, this study has a small sample size. Also, tonsillectomy does not
      address all anatomic sites at risk; there is lack of well-defined precancerous
      lesions or biomarkers to identify high-risk patients, and cost and morbidity make
      it impractical to justify prophylactic tonsillectomy as a cancer preventive
      strategy at present. The provocative clinical signal reported in this study
      supports further research and strategies that employ surgery when the technology
      and epidemiology can reliably be used to identify high-risk subjects.

PMID- 26100522
TI  - Impact of Short-term 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on the Chemopreventive Efficacy of
      Erlotinib against Oral Cancer.
AB  - Activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway is an early
      event in head and neck carcinogenesis. As a result, targeting EGFR for
      chemoprevention of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) has received
      considerable attention. In the present study, we examined the impact of
      1,25(OH)2D3, the active metabolite of the nutritional supplement vitamin D on the
      chemopreventive efficacy of the EGFR inhibitor, erlotinib, against HNSCC.
      Experimental studies were conducted in patient-derived xenografts (PDX) and the 4
      nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO) carcinogen-induced model of HNSCC. Short-term
      treatment (4 weeks) of PDX-bearing mice with 1,25(OH)2D3 and erlotinib resulted
      in significant inhibition of tumor growth. Noninvasive MRI enabled longitudinal
      monitoring of disease progression in the 4NQO model with 100% of control animals
      showing evidence of neoplastic lesions by 24 weeks. Among the experimental
      groups, animals treated with the combination regimen showed the greatest
      reduction in tumor incidence and volume (P < 0.05). Combination treatment was
      well tolerated and was not associated with any significant change in body weight.
      Histopathologic assessment revealed a significant reduction in the degree of
      dysplasia with combination treatment. Immunoblot analysis of whole tongue
      extracts showed downregulation of phospho-EGFR and phospho-Akt with the
      combination regimen. These results highlight the potential of 1,25(OH)2D3 to
      augment the efficacy of erlotinib against HNSCC. Further optimization of schedule
      and sequence of this combination regimen along with investigation into the
      activity of less calcemic analogues or dietary vitamin D is essential to fully
      realize the potential of this approach.

PMID- 26100524
TI  - Individual differences in learning predict the return of fear.
AB  - Using a laboratory analogue of learned fear (Pavlovian fear conditioning), we
      show that there is substantial heterogeneity across individuals in spontaneous
      recovery of fear following extinction training. We propose that this
      heterogeneity might stem from qualitative individual differences in the nature of
      extinction learning. Whereas some individuals tend to form a new memory during
      extinction, leaving their fear memory intact, others update the original threat
      association with new safety information, effectively unlearning the fear memory.
      We formalize this account in a computational model of fear learning and show that
      individuals who, according to the model, are more likely to form new extinction
      memories tend to show greater spontaneous recovery compared to individuals who
      appear to only update a single memory. This qualitative variation in fear and
      extinction learning may have important implications for understanding
      vulnerability and resilience to fear-related psychiatric disorders. 

PMID- 26100525
TI  - Comparing the context specificity of extinction and latent inhibition.
AB  - Exposure to a cue alone either before (i.e., latent inhibition treatment) or
      after (i.e., extinction) the cue is paired with an unconditioned stimulus results
      in attenuated conditioned responding to the cue. Here we report two experiments
      in which potential parallels between the context specificity of the effects of
      extinction and latent inhibition treatments were directly compared in a lick
      suppression preparation with rats. The reversed ordering of conditioning and
      nonreinforcement in extinction and latent inhibition designs allowed us to
      examine the effect of training order on the context specificity of what is
      learned given phasic reinforcement and nonreinforcement of a target cue.
      Experiment 1 revealed that when conditioned-stimulus (CS) conditioning and CS
      nonreinforcement were administered in the same context, both extinction and
      latent inhibition treatments had reduced impacts on test performance, relative to
      excitatory conditioning when testing occurred outside the treatment context.
      Similarly, Experiment 2 showed that when conditioning was administered in one
      context and nonreinforcement was administered in a second context, the effects of
      both extinction and latent inhibition treatments were attenuated when testing
      occurred in a neutral context, relative to the context in which the CS was
      nonreinforced. The observed context specificity of extinction and latent
      inhibition treatments has been previously reported in both cases, but not in a
      single experiment under otherwise identical conditions. The results of the two
      experiments convergently suggest that memory of nonreinforcement becomes context
      dependent after a cue is both reinforced and nonreinforced, independent of the
      order of training. 

PMID- 26100527
TI  - Regulators seize 6.2 million doses of illegally traded medicines in UK.

PMID- 26100526
TI  - Voriconazole: a novel treatment option for cryptococcal meningitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is a relatively common opportunistic
      infection in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and can
      also occur in patients with no underlying disease. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, diagnosis and
      misdiagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of CM at a tertiary care hospital.
      METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 55 patients at a tertiary care
      hospital from January 1, 1992 to December 31, 2013. All the patients had a
      definite diagnosis based on etiology. RESULTS: All 55 patients had a positive
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) India ink staining result. The predominant change
      observed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was leptomeningeal liner
      enhancement, which is also called 'lumbriciform-enhancing.' Only 15 patients were
      first diagnosed with CM, indicating a misdiagnosis rate of 72.7%. At the follow
      up end point, 8 patients were cured, 33 had improved, and 14 had died. The
      overall response rate was 74.5%. The voriconazole group had a response rate of
      100%, which was significantly higher than the other two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Most
      CM patients in China were previously healthy without any potential risk factors.
      CM was easily misdiagnosed due to the lack of specificity of early clinical
      symptoms. Repeated CSF India ink staining should be performed to identify the
      pathogen. Voriconazole could be administered to the patients with CM, especially
      to patients who had a treatment failure with amphotericin B alone or accompanied
      by fluconazole.

PMID- 26100528
TI  - Sexual Cognitions in Victims of Childhood and Adolescence/Adulthood Sexual Abuse.
AB  - This study explored the relationship between 1) child sexual abuse (CSA),
      adolescent/adult sexual abuse (AASA), and both (CSA+AASA), and 2) the frequency
      of positive and negative sexual cognitions according to their content -intimate,
      exploratory, dominance, submission, and impersonal- in men and women. We also
      analyzed the severity of the sexual contact of individuals who had experienced
      AASA. We assessed a Spanish sample of 228 men and 333 women, aged between 18 and
      50 years old. In the sample, 341 individuals reported having experienced some
      type of sexual victimization (victims group), while 220 individuals reported no
      victimization (non-victims group). Overall, sexual victims reported a higher
      frequency of positive sexual cognitions compared to non-victims, particularly
      when they had experienced CSA+AASA and the severity of the sexual contact was
      greater. Men and women who had experienced abuse reported a higher frequency of
      exploratory cognitions (p < .01). Male victims reported more cognitions of
      submission (p < .01), whereas female victims reported more cognitions of
      dominance (p < .05), which indicates lack of congruence with traditional gender
      roles. Finally, only intimate cognitions (p < .001) were experienced as negative
      by male victims. We discuss the relevance of the findings for therapeutic
      interventions with sexual abuse victims. 

PMID- 26100529
TI  - Oxidative Stress and Adult Neurogenesis.
AB  - There is a growing evidence that adult neurogenesis is critical for brain
      function. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) is accumulated during adult
      neurogenesis as a physiological mechanism; while ROS overload impairs adult
      neurogenesis during ageing, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Here we
      propose that targeting oxidative stress provides a novel way to regulate adult
      neurogenesis and manage different brain diseases. 

PMID- 26100530
TI  - Characterization of endocrine features and genotype-phenotypes correlations in
      blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome type 1.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Blepharophimosis syndrome (BPES) is an autosomal dominant genetic
      condition resulting from heterozygous mutations in the FOXL2 gene and clinically
      characterized by an eyelid malformation associated (type I) or not (type II) with
      premature ovarian failure. The distinction between the two forms is critical for
      female patients, as it may allow to predict fertility and to plan an appropriate
      therapy. Identifying an underlying causative mutation is not always predictive of
      the clinical type of BPES since genotype-phenotype correlations are not yet fully
      delineated. Here, we describe the clinical and hormonal phenotypes of three
      female patients with BPES type 1 from two novel families, correlate their
      phenotypes with identified mutations, and investigate the effects of hormone
      replacement therapy (HRT). METHODS: Clinical, biochemical, and genetic evaluation
      were undertaken in all the patients and genotype-phenotype correlation was
      analyzed. The effects of substitutive hormonal therapy on secondary sexual
      characteristics development and induction of menarche were evaluated. RESULTS:
      All patients presented with primary amenorrhea or other signs of ovarian
      dysfunction. Two distinct mutations, a missense p.H104R change and an in-frame
      p.A222_A231dup10 duplication in the FOXL2 gene were identified. Observed
      phenotypes were not in accordance with the prediction based on the current
      genotype-phenotype correlations. HRT significantly improved secondary sexual
      characteristics development, as well as the induction of menarche. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study highlights the importance of early recognition of BPES and emphasizes
      the need of personalized therapy and follow-up in female patients carrying
      distinct FOXL2 mutations.

PMID- 26100531
TI  - The mean platelet volume and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in obese and lean
      patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: Mean platelet volume (MPV) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are
      the new markers of the detection of inflammation. Our aim is to investigate MPV
      and NLR in lean and obese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
      METHODS: This study was designed to investigate MPV, NLR, and high-sensitive C
      reactive protein (hsCRP) levels in 25 obese patients with PCOS and 16 lean
      patients with PCOS, and our study group was matched with 16 obese and 14 non
      obese controls, respectively. RESULTS: PCOS group had higher MPV, NLR, neutrophil
      count, neutrophil to total leucocyte ratio, basophil count, waist circumference
      (WC), insulin, glucose, and HOMA-IR rates than those of controls. hsCRP levels
      were similar in both groups. Subgroup analyses revealed that obese PCOS group had
      higher insulin and HOMA-IR levels, compared to those of controls. In this
      subgroup, total leucocyte counts, MPV, and hsCRP levels were similar. On the
      other hand, lean PCOS group had higher WC, NLR, MPV, and basophil count than
      controls. In correlation analysis, hsCRP was positively correlated with body mass
      index (BMI), WC, total leucocyte count, neutrophil count, while negatively
      correlated with lymphocyte ratio. Although leucocyte count was positively
      correlated with BMI, MPV was negatively correlated with BMI, total leucocyte,
      platelet, and neutrophil counts. NLR was positively correlated with HOMA-IR,
      hsCRP, BMI, WC, and insulin. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that MPV and NLR
      levels are increased despite similar hsCRP levels in patients with PCOS. However,
      we failed to demonstrate these differences in obese PCOS patients. Further
      studies with larger sample size are required to determine the significance of BMI
      in the inflammation of PCOS patients.

PMID- 26100533
TI  - Divergent Approach to a Family of Tyrosine-Derived Ru-Alkylidene Olefin
      Metathesis Catalysts.
AB  - A simple and generic approach to access a new family of Ru-alkylidene olefin
      metathesis catalysts with specialized properties is reported. This strategy
      utilizes a late stage, utilitarian Hoveyda-type ligand derived from tyrosine,
      which can be accessed via a multigram-scale synthesis. Further functionalization
      allows the catalyst properties to be tuned, giving access to modified second
      generation Hoveyda-Grubbs-type catalysts. This divergent synthetic approach can
      be used to access solid-supported catalysts and catalysts that function under
      solvent-free and aqueous conditions. 

PMID- 26100532
TI  - Suppression of acute pancreatitis by L-lysine in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease caused by several
      factors such as viral infection, drugs, and diagnostic endoscopy. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the potential protective or therapeutic effects of L-lysine
      on pancreatitis induced by L-arginine in mice. METHODS: Four groups of mice (10
      in each group) were assessed. Group I was the control. Animals in groups II-IV
      were injected intraperitoneally with L-arginine hydrochloride (400 mg/kg body
      weight [bw]) for 3 days. Group III animals were orally pre-treated with L-lysine
      (10 mg/kg bw), whereas group IV animals were orally post-treated with L-lysine
      (10 mg/kg bw). Serum samples were subjected to amylase, lipase, transaminase, and
      interleukin-6 (IL-6) assays. The pancreas was excised to measure the levels of
      malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, catalase, superoxide dismutase, reduced
      glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase. RESULTS: Pre- or post-treatment with L
      lysine led to significant decreases in the levels of malondialdehyde and nitric
      oxide, while significant enhancement was observed in the activities of
      antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase)
      and glutathione (p < 0.001). However, the treatment potential of L-lysine was
      better as a protective agent than a therapeutic agent. CONCLUSIONS: L-lysine
      treatment attenuates pancreatic tissue injury induced by L-arginine by inhibiting
      the release of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and enhance antioxidant activity.
      These effects may involve upregulation of anti-inflammatory factors and
      subsequent downregulation of IL6.

PMID- 26100534
TI  - Immunophenotype of normal vs. myeloma plasma cells: Toward antibody panel
      specifications for MRD detection in multiple myeloma.
AB  - In recent years, several studies on large series of multiple myeloma (MM)
      patients have demonstrated the clinical utility of flow cytometry monitoring of
      minimal residual disease (flow-MRD) in bone marrow (BM), for improved assessment
      of response to therapy and prognostication. However, disturbing levels of
      variability exist regarding the specific protocols and antibody panels used in
      individual laboratories. Overall, consensus exists about the utility of combined
      assessment of CD38 and CD138 for the identification of BM plasma cells (PC); in
      contrast, more heterogeneous lists of markers are used to further distinguish
      between normal/reactive PCs and myeloma PCs in the MRD settings. Among the later
      markers, CD19, CD45, CD27, and CD81, together with CD56, CD117, CD200, and CD307,
      have emerged as particularly informative; however, no single marker provides
      enough specificity for clear discrimination between clonal PCs and normal PCs.
      Accordingly, multivariate analyses of single PCs from large series of
      normal/reactive vs. myeloma BM samples have shown that combined assessment of
      CD138 and CD38, together with CD45, CD19, CD56, CD27, CD81, and CD117 would be
      ideally suited for MRD monitoring in virtually every MM patient. However, the
      specific antibody clones, fluorochrome conjugates and sources of the individual
      markers determines its optimal (vs. suboptimal or poor) performance in an eight
      color staining. Assessment of clonality, via additional cytoplasmic
      immunoglobulin (CyIg) kappa vs. CyIglambda evaluation, may contribute to further
      establish the normal/reactive vs. clonal nature of small suspicious PC
      populations at high sensitivity levels, provided that enough cells are evaluated.

PMID- 26100535
TI  - Analysis of bolus formation in micropipette ejection systems.
AB  - The ejection of drugs from micropipettes is practiced frequently in biomedical
      research and clinical studies however, little is known about the dynamics of this
      process. The fundamentals of disperse fluid injection via a capillary into an
      ambient immiscible fluid have been investigated extensively. Here, we
      experimentally investigate the bolus formation in micropipette ejection systems,
      where the injection and ambient fluid are the same. We experimentally measure the
      temporal evolution of the bolus formation in the same fluid. There are three
      different bolus formation mechanisms that arise from different Re t regimes: a) a
      nearly spherical bolus, b) a pear-like bolus, and c) a large distortion or axial
      jet. We examine the scaled dimensions of the bolus, R b/D t, L b/D t, H/D t, and
      alpha, as a function of the dimensionless parameters such as tip Reynolds number,
      Re t, dimensionless value of g/(D t (.) V t), the dimensionless time, tV t/D t,
      and the distance between the edge of the micropipette and the free surface, D/D
      t. The bolus radius for 0.2 < Re t < 30 grows according to t (1/2) in the entire
      time range, which allows us to estimate the time for complete bolus formation. 

PMID- 26100536
TI  - Gene expression in major depressive disorder.

PMID- 26100537
TI  - L-type Ca2+ channel blockade with antihypertensive medication disrupts VTA
      synaptic plasticity and drug-associated contextual memory.
AB  - Drug addiction is driven, in part, by powerful and enduring memories of sensory
      cues associated with drug intake. As such, relapse to drug use during abstinence
      is frequently triggered by an encounter with drug-associated cues, including the
      drug itself. L-type Ca(2+) channels (LTCCs) are known to regulate different forms
      of synaptic plasticity, the major neural substrate for learning and memory, in
      various brain areas. Long-term potentiation (LTP) of NMDA receptor (NMDAR)
      mediated glutamatergic transmission in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) may
      contribute to the increased motivational valence of drug-associated cues
      triggering relapse. In this study, using rat brain slices, we found that
      isradipine, a general LTCC antagonist used as antihypertensive medication, not
      only blocks the induction of NMDAR LTP but also promotes the reversal of
      previously induced LTP in the VTA. In behaving rats, isradipine injected into the
      VTA suppressed the acquisition of cocaine-paired contextual cue memory assessed
      using a conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Furthermore, administration
      of isradipine or a CaV1.3 subtype-selective LTCC antagonist (systemic or intra
      VTA) before a single extinction or reinstatement session, while having no
      immediate effect at the time of administration, abolished previously acquired
      cocaine and alcohol (ethanol) CPP on subsequent days. Notably, CPP thus
      extinguished cannot be reinstated by drug re-exposure, even after 2 weeks of
      withdrawal. These results suggest that LTCC blockade during exposure to drug
      associated cues may cause unlearning of the increased valence of those cues,
      presumably via reversal of glutamatergic synaptic plasticity in the VTA. 

PMID- 26100538
TI  - Huntington's disease cerebrospinal fluid seeds aggregation of mutant huntingtin.
AB  - Huntington's disease (HD), a progressive neurodegenerative disease, is caused by
      an expanded CAG triplet repeat producing a mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT) with
      a polyglutamine-repeat expansion. Onset of symptoms in mutant huntingtin gene
      carrying individuals remains unpredictable. We report that synthetic
      polyglutamine oligomers and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from BACHD transgenic rats
      and from human HD subjects can seed mutant huntingtin aggregation in a cell model
      and its cell lysate. Our studies demonstrate that seeding requires the mutant
      huntingtin template and may reflect an underlying prion-like protein propagation
      mechanism. Light and cryo-electron microscopy show that synthetic seeds nucleate
      and enhance mutant huntingtin aggregation. This seeding assay distinguishes HD
      subjects from healthy and non-HD dementia controls without overlap (blinded
      samples). Ultimately, this seeding property in HD patient CSF may form the basis
      of a molecular biomarker assay to monitor HD and evaluate therapies that target
      mHTT. 

PMID- 26100540
TI  - Facial skin physiology recovery kinetics during 180 min post-washing with a
      cleanser.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Facial cleansing is important to clean and exfoliate the skin
      while maintaining optimal physiologic function. However, there is insufficient
      data on the very early stage of skin change after applying soap or cleansing
      foam. We investigated the recovery kinetics of facial skin physiology during 180
      min after exposure to the cleanser. METHODS: For the study, 22 Korean female
      subjects with normal and dry to oily skin type were recruited in this study.
      Study subjects were required to have face washing done within the 12 hours prior
      to visiting the research center, with only toner, lotion, or cream applied. The
      next day, the subjects visited the research center without face washing. We
      evaluated the skin hydration (Corneometer((r)) CM 825), sebum (Sebumeter((r)) SM
      815), transepidermal water loss (Tewameter((r)) TM 300), and pH (Skin-pH
      Meter((r)) PH 905) to define recovery kinetics of facial skin physiology during
      180 min exposure post-cleansing. RESULTS: Skin hydration, sebum, and TEWL were
      significantly decreased at 20 min after washing, as compared to the baseline (P <
      0.05). And skin hydration returned at 40 min, and skin sebum and TEWL returned at
      120 min after washing. However, skin pH did not show significant differences at
      all times points. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that each of the skin
      parameters was restored at defined time points post-cleansing. Our result could
      be a useful reference to set the resting time in the estimation of skin
      bioengineering parameters.

PMID- 26100539
TI  - Therapeutic antidepressant potential of a conjugated siRNA silencing the
      serotonin transporter after intranasal administration.
AB  - Major depression brings about a heavy socio-economic burden worldwide due to its
      high prevalence and the low efficacy of antidepressant drugs, mostly inhibiting
      the serotonin transporter (SERT). As a result, ~80% of patients show recurrent or
      chronic depression, resulting in a poor quality of life and increased suicide
      risk. RNA interference (RNAi) strategies have been preliminarily used to evoke
      antidepressant-like responses in experimental animals. However, the main
      limitation for the medical use of RNAi is the extreme difficulty to deliver
      oligonucleotides to selected neurons/systems in the mammalian brain. Here we show
      that the intranasal administration of a sertraline-conjugated small interfering
      RNA (C-SERT-siRNA) silenced SERT expression/function and evoked fast
      antidepressant-like responses in mice. After crossing the permeable olfactory
      epithelium, the sertraline-conjugated-siRNA was internalized and transported to
      serotonin cell bodies by deep Rab-7-associated endomembrane vesicles. Seven-day C
      SERT-siRNA evoked similar or more marked responses than 28-day fluoxetine
      treatment. Hence, C-SERT-siRNA (i) downregulated 5-HT1A-autoreceptors and
      facilitated forebrain serotonin neurotransmission, (ii) accelerated the
      proliferation of neuronal precursors and (iii) increased hippocampal complexity
      and plasticity. Further, short-term C-SERT-siRNA reversed depressive-like
      behaviors in corticosterone-treated mice. The present results show the
      feasibility of evoking antidepressant-like responses by selectively targeting
      neuronal populations with appropriate siRNA strategies, opening a way for further
      translational studies. 

PMID- 26100541
TI  - Vasopressin signaling at brain level controls stress hormone release: the
      vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro rat as a model.
AB  - The nonapeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) has long been suggested to play an
      important role as a secretagogue for triggering the activity of the endocrine
      stress response. Most recent studies employed mutant mice for analyzing the
      importance of AVP for endocrine regulation under stress. However, it is difficult
      to compare and draw overall conclusions from all these studies as mixing the
      genetic material from different mouse strains has consequences on the
      individual's stress response. Moreover, mice are not ideal subjects for several
      experimental procedures. Therefore, to get more insight, we used a rather old
      mutant rat model: the AVP-deficient Brattleboro rat. The present short review is
      aimed at providing the most interesting results of these studies within the last
      8 years that allowed gaining new insights in the potential signal function of AVP
      in stress and endocrine regulation.

PMID- 26100547
TI  - A cationic cysteine-hydrazide as an enrichment tool for the mass spectrometric
      characterization of bacterial free oligosaccharides.
AB  - In Campylobacterales and related epsilon-proteobacteria with N-linked
      glycosylation (NLG) pathways, free oligosaccharides (fOS) are released into the
      periplasmic space from lipid-linked precursors by the bacterial
      oligosaccharyltransferase (PglB). This hydrolysis results in the same molecular
      structure as the oligosaccharide that is transferred to a protein to be
      glycosylated. This allowed for the general elucidation of the fOS-branched
      structures and monosaccharides from a number of species using standard enrichment
      and mass spectrometry methods. To aid characterization of fOS, hydrazide
      chemistry has often been used for chemical modification of the reducing part of
      oligosaccharides resulting in better selectivity and sensitivity in mass
      spectrometry; however, the removal of the unreacted reagents used for the
      modification often causes the loss of the sample. Here, we develop a more robust
      method for fOS purification and characterize glycostructures using complementary
      tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis. A cationic cysteine hydrazide
      derivative was synthesized to selectively isolate fOS from periplasmic fractions
      of bacteria. The cysteine hydrazide nicotinamide (Cyhn) probe possesses both
      thiol and cationic moieties. The former enables reversible conjugation to a thiol
      activated solid support, while the latter improves the ionization signal during
      MS analysis. This enrichment was validated on the well-studied Campylobacter
      jejuni by identifying fOS from the periplasmic extracts. Using complementary
      MS/MS analysis, we approximated data of a known structure of the fOS from
      Campylobacter concisus. This versatile enrichment technique allows for the
      exploration of a diversity of protein glycosylation pathways. 

PMID- 26100548
TI  - Development of a mass-spectrometry-based lipidomics platform for the profiling of
      phospholipids and sphingolipids in brain tissues.
AB  - This article describes the development of a lipidomic platform consisting of a
      4000 QTRAP mass spectrometer and a self-installed sample inlet system to
      indentify and quantify 12 phospholipid and five sphingolipid classes from lipid
      rich brain tissues of mouse, duck, and salmon. The total mass spectrometry
      analysis time per sample was 30 min, including 14 min for direct infusion for
      phospholipids and sulfatide in precursor ion scanning mode or neutral loss
      scanning mode, and 16 min for liquid-chromatographic separation of ceramide,
      sphingomyelin, monohexosylceramide, and dihexosylceramide in multiple reaction
      monitoring mode. The method was fully validated in terms of linearity,
      detectability, recovery, and repeatability, with satisfactory results for all
      targets. We individually quantified 307, 308, and 330 lipid species from 17 lipid
      subclasses, and obtained total amounts of 57.2, 61.7, and 53.1 mg/g wet brain for
      mouse, duck, and salmon tissues, respectively. Phosphatidylcholine,
      phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin were the major
      lipids in all the brain samples, whereas phosphatidylinositol occurred at a
      relatively higher level in the salmon sample. For phospholipids, sphingolipids,
      and minor lysophospholipids, differences in the identity of the molecular
      species, their distributions, and their relative amounts as well as the
      contribution of each lipid subclass to the whole polar lipidome were found.
      Palmitic acid (16:0), stearic acid (18:0), lignoceric acid (24:0), oleic acid
      (18:1), nervonic acid (24:1), arachidonic acid (20:4), and docosahexaenoic acid
      (22:6) were found as the main saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated
      fatty acids in samples from the different species, but eicosapentaenoic acid
      (20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6) were more abundant in the salmon brain
      sample. The results are in good agreement with those in previous reports obtained
      from the relevant tissues, providing a reliable basis that could be extended to
      clinical research and resource evaluation. Graphical Abstract Methodology for
      phospholipids and sphingolipids profiling in brain tissues. 

PMID- 26100546
TI  - A prospective multicenter study of venous thromboembolism in patients with newly
      diagnosed high-grade glioma: hazard rate and risk factors.
AB  - Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication in patients with high-grade
      gliomas. The purpose of this prospective multicenter study was to determine the
      hazard rate of first symptomatic VTE in newly-diagnosed glioma patients and
      identify clinical and laboratory risk factors. On enrollment, demographic and
      clinical information were recorded and a comprehensive coagulation evaluation was
      performed. Patients were followed until death. The study end point was
      objectively-documented symptomatic VTE. One hundred seven patients were enrolled
      with a median age of 57 years (range 29-85) between June 2005 and April 2008.
      Ninety-one (85 %) had glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). During an average survival
      of 17.7 months, 26 patients (24 %) (95 % CI 17-34 %) developed VTE (hazard rate
      0.15 per person-year) and 94 patients (88 %) died. Median time to VTE was 14.2
      weeks post-operation (range 3-126). Patients with an initial tumor biopsy were
      3.0 fold more likely to suffer VTE (p = 0.02). Patients with an elevated factor
      VIII activity (>147 %) were 2.1-fold more likely to develop VTE. ABO blood group,
      D dimer and thrombin generation were not associated with VTE. No fatal VTE
      occurred. VTE is a common complication in patients with newly-diagnosed high
      grade gliomas, particularly in the first six months after diagnosis. Patients
      with an initial tumor biopsy and elevated factor VIII levels are at increased
      risk. However, VTE was not judged to be primarily responsible for any patient
      deaths. Therefore, outpatient primary VTE prophylaxis remains investigational
      until more effective primary prophylaxis strategies and therapies for glioma are
      identified. 

PMID- 26100549
TI  - Electrochemiluminescence DNA sensor array for multiplex detection of biowarfare
      agents.
AB  - Development of a fully automated electrochemiluminescence (ECL) DNA assay for
      multiplex detection of six biowarfare agents is described. Aminated-DNA capture
      probes were covalently immobilised on activated-carbon electrodes and
      subsequently hybridised to target strands. Detection was achieved via a sandwich
      type assay after Ru(bpy)3(2+)-labelled reporter probes were hybridised to the
      formed probe-target complexes. The assay was performed in an automated
      microsystem in a custom designed ECL detection box with integrated fluidics,
      electronics,and movable photomultiplier detector. The obtained limits of
      detection were 0.6-1.2 nmol L(-1) for six targets ranging from 50 to 122 base
      pairs in size, with linear range 1-15 nmol L(-1). Non-specific adsorption and
      cross-reactivity were very low. Detection of six targets on a single chip was
      achieved with subnanomolar detection limits.

PMID- 26100550
TI  - Development and validation of a method for mercury determination in seawater for
      the process control of a candidate certified reference material.
AB  - A simple, robust and reliable method for mercury determination in seawater
      matrices based on the combination of cold vapour generation and inductively
      coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CV-ICP-MS) and its complete in-house validation
      are described. The method validation covers parameters such as linearity, limit
      of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), trueness, repeatability,
      intermediate precision and robustness. A calibration curve covering the whole
      working range was achieved with coefficients of determination typically higher
      than 0.9992. The repeatability of the method (RSDrep) was 0.5 %, and the
      intermediate precision was 2.3 % at the target mass fraction of 20 ng/kg.
      Moreover, the method was robust with respect to the salinity of the seawater. The
      limit of quantification was 2.7 ng/kg, which corresponds to 13.5 % of the target
      mass fraction in the future certified reference material (20 ng/kg). An
      uncertainty budget for the measurement of mercury in seawater has been
      established. The relative expanded (k = 2) combined uncertainty is 6 %. The
      performance of the validated method was demonstrated by generating results for
      process control and a homogeneity study for the production of a candidate
      certified reference material. 

PMID- 26100551
TI  - Authors' response to "Difficult to wean patients".

PMID- 26100552
TI  - Influence of the Base on Pd@MIL-101-NH2 (Cr) as Catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura
      Cross-Coupling Reaction.
AB  - The chemical stability of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is a major factor
      preventing their use in industrial processes. Herein, it is shown that judicious
      choice of the base for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction can avoid
      decomposition of the MOF catalyst Pd@MIL-101-NH2 (Cr). Four bases were compared
      for the reaction: K2 CO3 , KF, Cs2 CO3 and CsF. The carbonates were the most
      active and achieved excellent yields in shorter reaction times than the
      fluorides. However, powder XRD and N2 sorption measurements showed that the MOF
      catalyst was degraded when carbonates were used but remained crystalline and
      porous with the fluorides. XANES measurements revealed that the trimeric chromium
      cluster of Pd@MIL-101-NH2 (Cr) is still present in the degraded MOF. In addition,
      the different countercations of the base significantly affected the catalytic
      activity of the material. TEM revealed that after several catalytic runs many of
      the Pd nanoparticles (NPs) had migrated to the external surface of the MOF
      particles and formed larger aggregates. The Pd NPs were larger after catalysis
      with caesium bases compared to potassium bases. 

PMID- 26100553
TI  - Pathophysiological mechanisms of exercise-induced anaphylaxis: an EAACI position
      statement.
AB  - This document is the result of a consensus on the mechanisms of exercise-induced
      anaphylaxis (EIAn), an unpredictable and potentially fatal syndrome. A
      multidisciplinary panel of experts including exercise physiologists, allergists,
      lung physicians, paediatricians and a biostatistician reached the given
      consensus. Exercise-induced anaphylaxis (EIAn) describes a rare and potentially
      fatal syndrome in which anaphylaxis occurs in conjunction with exercise. The
      pathophysiological mechanisms underlying EIAn have not yet been elucidated
      although a number of hypotheses have been proposed. This review evaluates the
      validity of each of the popular theories in relation to exercise physiology and
      immunology. On the basis of this evidence, it is concluded that proposed
      mechanisms lack validity, and it is recommended that a global research network is
      developed with a common approach to the diagnosis and treatment of EIAn in order
      to gain sufficient power for scientific evaluation. 

PMID- 26100554
TI  - Preparation and Transport Performances of High-Density, Aligned Carbon Nanotube
      Membranes.
AB  - We report a simple and effective method for the preparation of high-density and
      aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) membranes. The CNT arrays were prepared by water
      assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and were subsequently pushed over and
      stacked into dense membranes by mechanical rolling. It was demonstrated that
      various gases and liquids, including H2, He, N2, O2, Ar, water, ethanol, hexane,
      and kerosene, could effectively pass through the aligned carbon nanotube
      membranes. The membranes exhibited different selections on different gases,
      indicating that there was a separation potential for the gas mixtures. The
      selectivities (H2 relative to other gases) of H2/He, H2/N2, H2/O2, and H2/Ar were
      found to be lower than that of the ideal Knudsen model. For pure water, the
      permeability was measured to be 3.23 +/- 0.05 ml.min(-1).cm(-2) at 1 atm,
      indicating that the CNT membranes were promising for applications in liquid
      filtration and separation. 

PMID- 26100555
TI  - Controlled growth of Si-based heterostructure nanowires and their structural and
      electrical properties.
AB  - Ni-catalyzed Si-based heterostructure nanowires grown on crystal Si substrates by
      hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) were studied. The nanowires which
      included NiSi nanowires, NiSi/Si core-shell nanowires, and NiSi/SiC core-shell
      nanowires were grown by varying the filament temperature T f from 1150 to 1850 
      degrees C. At a T f of 1450  degrees C, the heterostructure nanowires were formed
      by crystalline NiSi and crystalline Si that were attributed to the core and shell
      of the nanowires, respectively. The morphology of the nanowires showed
      significant changes with the increase in the filament temperature to 1850 
      degrees C. Moreover, the effect of hydrogen heat transfer from the filament
      temperature demonstrated significant phase changes from NiSi to Ni2Si with
      increase in the filament temperature. The increased filament temperature also
      enhanced reactions in the gas phase thus generating more SiC clusters and
      consequently formed the NiSi/SiC heterostructure core-shell nanowires at T f of
      1850  degrees C. This paper discusses the role of filament temperatures on the
      growth and constituted phase change of the nanowires as well as their electrical
      characteristics. 

PMID- 26100556
TI  - Genetic mutations in SPINK1, CFTR, CTRC genes in acute pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Explanation of the ultimate causes of acute and chronic pancreatitis
      is challenging. Hence, it is necessary to seek various etiological factors,
      including genetic mutations that may be of importance in triggering recurrence
      and progression of acute to chronic pancreatitis. The aim of this study was to
      determine the frequency of genetic mutations in patients with acute pancreatitis
      and to investigate their relationship with the etiology and clinical course.
      METHODS: The study included 221 patients treated for acute pancreatitis and 345
      healthy subjects as a control group. Peripheral blood samples were collected from
      each study participant and genomic DNA was isolated. Genotyping of common
      mutations in the SPINK1 (p.N34S and p.P55S) and CTRC (p.I259V, p.V235I,
      p.K247_R254del, p.E225A) genes was performed using the high-resolution melting
      method. Mutations in the CFTR p.F508del (delF508_CTT) were genotyped using allele
      specific amplification polymerase chain reaction. All detected mutations were
      confirmed with direct capillary DNA sequencing. RESULTS: Mutations in SPINK 1,
      CFTR and CTRC were detected in 6.3%, 2.3% and 1.8% of patients with acute
      pancreatitis versus 3.2%, 3.8% and 1.2% of volunteers in the control group. No
      relationship was found between the detected mutations and severity of acute
      pancreatitis: mild acute pancreatitis, mutation of CFTR in 4 (2.8%) and CTRC in 2
      (1.4%) patients; severe acute pancreatitis, mutation of CFTR and CTRC in 1 (2.6%)
      case each. The SPINK1 mutation was significantly more frequent in 8 (10.4%)
      severe cases than in 6 (4.2%) mild cases (P < 0.05), and was observed in 5/70
      (7.1%) patients with alcohol-related AP, 5/81 (6.2%) with biliary AP, and 4/63
      (6.3%) in those without any established cause of the disease. CONCLUSIONS:
      Mutation p.N34S in SPINK1 may predispose patients to acute pancreatitis,
      especially in those abusing alcohol, and may promote a more severe course of the
      disease.

PMID- 26100557
TI  - Effects of short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS) and rearing temperature on
      growth performance and hepatic intermediary metabolism in gilthead sea bream
      (Sparus aurata) juveniles.
AB  - The effect of dietary short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS) incorporation on
      growth, feed utilization, body composition, plasmatic metabolites and liver
      activity of key enzymes of lipogenic and amino acid catabolic pathways was
      evaluated in gilthead sea bream reared at 18 and 25  degrees C. Four practical
      diets containing plant ingredients and fish meal (50:50) as protein sources and
      supplemented with 0, 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 % scFOS were fed to triplicate groups of
      fish for 8 weeks. Growth performance, feed efficiency and nitrogen retention were
      higher at 25  degrees C. In fish reared at 18  degrees C, there was a positive
      correlation between dietary scFOS concentration and growth. At 18  degrees C,
      liver glycogen was higher in fish fed the control diet, while at 25  degrees C it
      was higher in fish fed the 0.5 % scFOS diet. Plasma cholesterol LDL was lower in
      fish fed 0.25 % scFOS diet, and in fish reared at 18  degrees C plasma glucose
      was higher in fish fed the 0.1 % scFOS diet. Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase,
      fatty acid synthetase and aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) activities were
      higher in fish reared at 18  degrees C, whereas alanine aminotransferase activity
      was higher in fish reared at 25  degrees C. scFOS affected ASAT activity, which
      was lower in fish fed 0.25 % scFOS diet. Although, scFOS seemed to have no major
      effects on gilthead sea bream metabolism, the positive correlation between
      dietary prebiotic incorporation and growth at 18  degrees C indicates a
      beneficial effect of scFOS in fish reared at low temperatures. 

PMID- 26100558
TI  - Impacts of Particulate Air Pollution on Asthma: Current Understanding and Future
      Perspectives.
AB  - The impacts of air pollution on human health and disease have been attracting
      attention, especially in industrialized countries and areas with heavy traffic
      burdens. Fine particulate matters (PMs) are considered as an important air
      pollutant, since it was reported that there was a significant relationship
      between PM2.5 levels and mortality by cohort studies in 1990s. Epidemiological
      and toxicological studies have strongly suggested a causative relationship
      between fine particulate air pollution and increased incidence as well as
      exacerbations of asthma, and other respiratory disorders. Recent advances in
      research have elucidated that PMs primarily and secondarily induce oxidative
      stresses which result both in pro- and antiinflammatory activities. It has been
      demonstrated that gene polymorphisms of antioxidant enzymes might change
      responses to particulate air pollution exposures. To prevent health hazardous
      effects of particles, it is crucial to screen susceptible subpopulations and
      establish chemoprevention strategies in the world. Novel techniques and
      modalities are patented for future progress on better control of air pollution. 

PMID- 26100559
TI  - Brain regional networks active during the mismatch negativity vary with paradigm.
AB  - We used independent component analysis (ICA) of high-density EEG recordings
      coupled with single dipole fitting to identify the dominant brain regions active
      during the MMN in two different versions of a passive oddball paradigm: a simple,
      monotic, frequency-deviant paradigm and a more complex, dichotic, frequency
      deviant paradigm with deviants occurring in either ear alone or in both ears at
      the same time. In both paradigms we found brain regional sources in the temporal
      and frontal cortices active during the MMN period, consistent with some previous
      studies. In the simpler paradigm, the scalp-potential variance during the earlier
      (70-120 ms) MMN was mostly accounted for by a wide array of temporal, frontal,
      and parietal sources. In the more complex paradigm, however, a generator in the
      prefrontal cortex accounted for a substantial amount of the variance of the scalp
      potential during the somewhat later MMN period (120-200 ms). These findings are
      consistent with a more nuanced view of the MMN and its generators than has been
      held in the past.

PMID- 26100560
TI  - The neural speed of familiar face recognition.
AB  - Rapidly recognizing familiar people from their faces appears critical for social
      interactions (e.g., to differentiate friend from foe). However, the actual speed
      at which the human brain can distinguish familiar from unknown faces still
      remains debated. In particular, it is not clear whether familiarity can be
      extracted from rapid face individualization or if it requires additional time
      consuming processing. We recorded scalp EEG activity in 28 subjects performing a
      go/no-go, famous/non-famous, unrepeated, face recognition task. Speed constraints
      were used to encourage subjects to use the earliest familiarity information
      available. Event related potential (ERP) analyses show that both the N170 and the
      N250 components were modulated by familiarity. The N170 modulation was related to
      behaviour: subjects presenting the strongest N170 modulation were also faster but
      less accurate than those who only showed weak N170 modulation. A complementary
      Multi-Variate Pattern Analysis (MVPA) confirmed ERP results and provided some
      more insights into the dynamics of face recognition as the N170 differential
      effect appeared to be related to a first transitory phase (transitory bump of
      decoding power) starting at around 140 ms, which returned to baseline afterwards.
      This bump of activity was henceforth followed by an increase of decoding power
      starting around 200 ms after stimulus onset. Overall, our results suggest that
      rather than a simple single-process, familiarity for faces may rely on a cascade
      of neural processes, including a coarse and fast stage starting at 140 ms and a
      more refined but slower stage occurring after 200 ms.

PMID- 26100561
TI  - The contribution of dynamic visual cues to audiovisual speech perception.
AB  - Seeing a speaker's facial gestures can significantly improve speech
      comprehension, especially in noisy environments. However, the nature of the
      visual information from the speaker's facial movements that is relevant for this
      enhancement is still unclear. Like auditory speech signals, visual speech signals
      unfold over time and contain both dynamic configural information and luminance
      defined local motion cues; two information sources that are thought to engage
      anatomically and functionally separate visual systems. Whereas, some past studies
      have highlighted the importance of local, luminance-defined motion cues in
      audiovisual speech perception, the contribution of dynamic configural information
      signalling changes in form over time has not yet been assessed. We therefore
      attempted to single out the contribution of dynamic configural information to
      audiovisual speech processing. To this aim, we measured word identification
      performance in noise using unimodal auditory stimuli, and with audiovisual
      stimuli. In the audiovisual condition, speaking faces were presented as point
      light displays achieved via motion capture of the original talker. Point light
      displays could be isoluminant, to minimise the contribution of effective
      luminance-defined local motion information, or with added luminance contrast,
      allowing the combined effect of dynamic configural cues and local motion cues.
      Audiovisual enhancement was found in both the isoluminant and contrast-based
      luminance conditions compared to an auditory-only condition, demonstrating, for
      the first time the specific contribution of dynamic configural cues to
      audiovisual speech improvement. These findings imply that globally processed
      changes in a speaker's facial shape contribute significantly towards the
      perception of articulatory gestures and the analysis of audiovisual speech. 

PMID- 26100562
TI  - Reprint of: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) - Application in
      neuropsychology.
AB  - Non-invasive brain stimulation is a versatile tool to modulate psychological
      processes via alterations of brain activity, and excitability. It is applied to
      explore the physiological basis of cognition and behavior, as well as to reduce
      clinical symptoms in neurological and psychiatric diseases. Neuromodulatory brain
      stimulation via transcranial direct currents (tDCS) has gained increased
      attention recently. In this review we will describe physiological mechanisms of
      action of tDCS, and summarize its application to modulate psychological processes
      in healthy humans and neuropsychiatric diseases. Furthermore, beyond giving an
      overview of the state of the art of tDCS, including limitations, we will outline
      future directions of research in this relatively young scientific field. 

PMID- 26100563
TI  - A unilateral medial frontal cortical lesion impairs trial and error learning
      without visual control.
AB  - There is considerable debate regarding the involvement of the medial frontal
      cortex in motor and cognitive functions. Recent neuroimaging data suggest a
      fundamental underlying process that links the motor and cognitive roles of the
      mid-cingulate cortex (MCC), namely the processing of feedback during trial and
      error learning in the cingulate motor region that is related to the modality of
      the feedback. These data suggest that the specific motor context of a task may be
      a critical determinant of how its outcome is processed in the MCC. We assessed a
      patient before and after surgery for brain tumour removal in the medial frontal
      cortex, and a group of matched control subjects. Subjects had to find by trial
      and error the stimulus associated with the correct feedback amongst four or five
      similar stimuli. Subjects performed the task in two different visuo-motor
      contexts: with the response pad and hand visible and with no sight of either pad
      or hand. The patient showed a selective impairment in this task relative to
      control subjects in the hardest conditions and the impairment was most marked
      when the response pad and the hand were not visible. The results support a
      specific role of the medial frontal cortex in the construction of a sensorimotor
      representation of choices and related feedback by encoding the contingency
      between an efference copy of the action and its outcome. 

PMID- 26100564
TI  - Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on attention: Current debates,
      cognitive studies and novel clinical applications.

PMID- 26100565
TI  - Hypogammaglobulinemia and impaired antibody response in a child with chromosome
      2p15-16.1 microdeletion syndrome.

PMID- 26100566
TI  - Arbitrary lattice symmetries via block copolymer nanomeshes.
AB  - Self-assembly of block copolymers is a powerful motif for spontaneously forming
      well-defined nanostructures over macroscopic areas. Yet, the inherent energy
      minimization criteria of self-assembly give rise to a limited library of
      structures; diblock copolymers naturally form spheres on a cubic lattice,
      hexagonally packed cylinders and alternating lamellae. Here, we demonstrate
      multicomponent nanomeshes with any desired lattice symmetry. We exploit
      photothermal annealing to rapidly order and align block copolymer phases over
      macroscopic areas, combined with conversion of the self-assembled organic phase
      into inorganic replicas. Repeated photothermal processing independently aligns
      successive layers, providing full control of the size, symmetry and composition
      of the nanoscale unit cell. We construct a variety of symmetries, most of which
      are not natively formed by block copolymers, including squares, rhombuses,
      rectangles and triangles. In fact, we demonstrate all possible two-dimensional
      Bravais lattices. Finally, we elucidate the influence of nanostructure on the
      electrical and optical properties of nanomeshes. 

PMID- 26100567
TI  - Volume of blood loss during surgery for colon cancer is a risk determinant for
      future small bowel obstruction caused by recurrence--a population-based
      epidemiological study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a serious late complication after
      abdominal surgery. The pathogenesis of intra-abdominal adhesions has been
      extensively studied and reviewed, but the cascade of mechanisms involved is still
      not understood. The objective was to test the hypothesis that increasing volume
      of blood loss during surgery for colon cancer increases the risk for future SBO,
      mainly due to adhesions. METHODS: Data were retrieved from the Regional Quality
      Register for all patients undergoing locally radical surgery for colon cancer
      1997-2003 (n = 3 554) and matched with the Swedish National Patient Register data
      on surgery and admission for SBO. Records were reviewed to determine the etiology
      of surgery for SBO. Uni- and multivariate Cox analyses were used. RESULTS: One
      hundred ten patients (3.1 %) underwent surgery for SBO >30 days after the index
      operation. Blood loss >=250 ml was an independent risk factor for surgery for SBO
      due to recurrence (HR 2.20; 95 % CI 1.12-4.31). Amount of blood loss did not
      affect the risk for surgery for SBO due to adhesions. Furthermore, blood loss of
      >=250 ml increased the risk for hospital admission for SBO not requiring surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: Blood loss >=250 ml during surgery for colon cancer is an
      independent risk factor for later surgery for SBO caused by tumor recurrence, not
      by adhesions.

PMID- 26100568
TI  - Central obesity is an independent risk factor for microalbuminuria in both the
      general Korean women and nondiabetic nonhypertensive subpopulation: Association
      of microalbuminuria and metabolic syndrome from the Korea National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated the major contributing component of metabolic
      syndrome (MetS) that results in microalbuminuria (MAU) in the general population
      as well as in nondiabetic nonhypertensive subjects. METHODS: The study population
      consisted of a total of 9961 subjects (4429 men and 5532 women) who participated
      in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys conducted in 2011
      and 2012. MAU was defined as a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio of >3.39mg/mmol.
      After analyzing the contribution of each five MetS components for the presence of
      MAU with adjustment for other risk factors in the total population, we further
      examined the contribution of these components to MAU in the nondiabetic
      nonhypertensive subpopulation. RESULTS: The most significantly associated factors
      for MAU in both genders were high blood pressure, followed by impaired fasting
      glucose, and high triglycerides. In addition, central obesity contributed
      significantly to MAU only in women. For the nondiabetic nonhypertensive
      subpopulation, high blood pressure in both genders and central obesity in women
      were important risk factors for MAU. We suggest two possible hypotheses for the
      gender different phenomenon. CONCLUSIONS: Central obesity was an independent risk
      factor for MAU in the general Korean women as well as in the nondiabetic
      nonhypertensive women.

PMID- 26100570
TI  - Heritability of heterozygosity offers a new way of understanding why dominant
      gene action contributes to additive genetic variance.
AB  - Whenever allele frequencies are unequal, nonadditive gene action contributes to
      additive genetic variance and therefore the resemblance between parents and
      offspring. The reason for this has not been easy to understand. Here, we present
      a new single-locus decomposition of additive genetic variance that may give
      greater intuition about this important result. We show that the contribution of
      dominant gene action to parent-offspring resemblance only depends on the degree
      to which the heterozygosity of parents and offspring covary. Thus, dominant gene
      action only contributes to additive genetic variance when heterozygosity is
      heritable. Under most circumstances this is the case because individuals with
      rare alleles are more likely to be heterozygous, and because they pass rare
      alleles to their offspring they also tend to have heterozygous offspring. When
      segregating alleles are at equal frequency there are no rare alleles, the
      heterozygosities of parents and offspring are uncorrelated and dominant gene
      action does not contribute to additive genetic variance. 

PMID- 26100569
TI  - Risk factors for wound morbidity after open retromuscular (sublay) hernia repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retrorectus repairs (RR) of abdominal wall hernias are growing in
      popularity, yet wound morbidity and predictors in this context have been
      characterized poorly. Models aimed at predicting wound morbidity typically do not
      control for technique and/or location of mesh. Our aim was to describe wound
      morbidity and risk factors specifically in the context of RR hernia repair. Our
      hypothesis was that the incidence of wound morbidity with mesh sublay would be
      less than predicted by a model that does not control for mesh position. METHODS:
      Consecutive RR hernia repairs with at least a 90-day follow-up were identified in
      our prospective database and analyzed. The primary outcome measures were the
      incidence of surgical-site occurrence (SSO) and surgical-site infection (SSI) via
      modern, standardized definitions. For predictors of SSO, statistical analysis was
      performed with univariate analysis, chi(2), and logistic regression as well as
      multivariate regression. RESULTS: A total of 306 patients met the inclusion
      criteria. Eighty-four SSOs identified in 72 (23.5%) patients included 48 (15.7%)
      SSIs, 14 (4.6%) instances of wound cellulitis, 12 (3.9%) skin dehiscences, 6
      (2.0%) seromas, and 4 (1.3%) hematomas but no instances of mesh excision or
      fistula formation. Treatment entailed antibiotics alone in 30 patients, 14
      bedside drainage procedures, 9 radiographically assisted drainage procedures, and
      10 returns to the operating room for debridement. After multivariate analysis,
      diabetes (OR 2.41), hernia width >20 cm (OR 2.49), and use of biologic mesh (OR
      2.93) were statistically associated with the development of a SSO (P < .05).
      Notably, the mere presence of contamination was not independently associated with
      wound morbidity (OR 1.83, P = .11). SSO and SSI rates anticipated by a recent
      risk prediction model were 50-80% and 17-83%, respectively, compared with our
      actual rates of 20-46% and 7-32%. CONCLUSION: Based on a large cohort of
      patients, we identified factors contributing to SSOs specifically for RR hernia
      repairs. Paradoxically, biologic mesh was an independent predictor of wound
      morbidity. The development of clinically important mesh complications and rates
      of wound morbidity less than anticipated by recent predictive models suggest that
      the retromuscular (sublay) mesh position may be more advantageous.

PMID- 26100571
TI  - Heart disease in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta - A systematic review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare, inherited systemic
      connective tissue disease that causes decreased bioavailability of collagen type
      1. Collagen type 1 is the most abundant connective tissue in the body and a key
      part of many organs. While the bone phenotype in OI is well described, less is
      known about the effects of decreased collagen on other organs. In the heart,
      collagen type 1 is present in the heart valves, chordae tendineae, annuli fibrosi
      and the interventricular septum. It is thus likely that the heart is affected in
      OI. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic literature review was to investigate
      whether patients with OI have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease
      compared to healthy adults. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Embase and key scientific
      meetings were searched for publications fulfilling the inclusion criteria. STUDY
      SELECTION: Studies were selected if at least one patient with OI was described as
      having cardiovascular disease. The articles should be written in English, French,
      Italian, Spanish, German, Norwegian or Danish or have an English abstract. DATA
      EXTRACTION: Data were extracted by HA, FTJ and LF using a predefined protocol.
      RESULTS: A total of 68 studies were included in the review, comprising 51 case
      reports, 8 small case series (n<10 patients), 4 large case series (n >= 10
      patients) and 5 cross-sectional studies comparing patients and controls.
      Together, the papers comprised 499 patients and covered 45 years of medical
      literature. The most commonly reported heart diseases amongst the patients with
      OI were valvulopathies and increased aortic diameter. Findings in the large case
      series and the cross-sectional studies were broadly similar to each other.
      CONCLUSION: The findings support the hypothesis that patients with OI have
      increased risk of heart disease compared to healthy controls. It is biologically
      plausible that patients with OI may have an increased risk of developing heart
      disease, and valve disease in particular.

PMID- 26100572
TI  - Comparative effectiveness of a bioengineered living cellular construct vs. a
      dehydrated human amniotic membrane allograft for the treatment of diabetic foot
      ulcers in a real world setting.
AB  - We evaluated the comparative effectiveness of a bioengineered living cellular
      construct (BLCC) and a dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allograft (dHACM)
      for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). Using a wound care-specific
      electronic medical record database, we assessed real-world outcomes in 218
      patients with 226 DFUs receiving treatment in 2014 at 99 wound care centers. The
      analysis included DFUs >=1 and <25 cm2 with duration <=1 year and area reduction
      <=20% in 14 days prior to treatment (N=163, BLCC; N=63, dHACM). The average
      baseline areas and durations were 6.0 cm2 and 4.4 months for BLCC and 5.2 cm2 and
      4.6 months for dHACM, respectively. Patients treated with dHACM had more
      applications compared to those treated with BLCC (median 3.0 vs. 2.0) (p=0.003).
      A Cox model adjusted for key covariates including area and duration found the
      median time to closure for BLCC was 13.3 weeks compared to 26 weeks for dHACM,
      and the proportion of wounds healed were significantly higher for BLCC by 12
      weeks (48% vs. 28%) and 24 weeks (72% vs. 47%) (p=0.01). Treatment with a
      bioengineered living cellular technology increased the probability of healing by
      97% compared with a dehydrated amniotic membrane (hazard ratio = 1.97 [95%
      confidence interval 1.17, 3.33], p=0.01).

PMID- 26100573
TI  - Using the Care Dependency Scale for identifying patients at risk for pressure
      ulcer.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate risk screening for pressure ulcer by
      using the Care Dependency Scale (CDS) for patients receiving home care or
      admitted to a residential or nursing home in the Netherlands. BACKGROUND:
      Pressure ulcer is a serious and persistent problem for patients throughout the
      Western world. Pressure ulcer is among the most common adverse events in nursing
      practice and when a pressure ulcer occurs it has many consequences for patients
      and healthcare professionals. DESIGN: Cross-sectional design. METHODS: The
      convenience sample consisted of 13,633 study participants, of whom 2639 received
      home care from 15 organisations, 4077 were patients from 67 residential homes and
      6917 were admitted in 105 nursing homes. Data were taken from the Dutch National
      Prevalence Survey of Care Problems that was carried out in April 2012 in Dutch
      healthcare settings. RESULTS: For the three settings, cut-off points above 80%
      sensitivity were established, while in the residential home sample an almost 60%
      combined specificity score was identified. The CDS items 'Body posture' (home
      care), 'Getting dressed and undressed' (residential homes) and 'Mobility'
      (nursing homes) were the most significant variables which affect PU. CONCLUSIONS:
      The CDS is able to distinguish between patients at risk for pressure ulcer
      development and those not at risk in both home care and residential care
      settings. In nursing homes, the usefulness of the CDS for pressure ulcer
      detection is limited.

PMID- 26100574
TI  - Travelling-wave ion mobility time-of-flight mass spectrometry as an alternative
      strategy for screening of multi-class pesticides in fruits and vegetables.
AB  - This paper reports a novel approach to screening multi-class pesticides by ion
      mobility time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection. Nitrogen was selected as
      mobility gas. After optimization of the different ion mobility parameters,
      determination of matrix effect on the drift times was conducted using different
      matrix extracts. The results showed that drift time values are not influenced by
      the matrix and also are independent of the concentration within the working range
      for 100 pesticides tested, making drift time a powerful additional identification
      tool. Based on statistics, 2% variation criteria provides a good fit for all the
      pesticides targeted, and could be considered as a maximum acceptable criteria
      associated with the drift time parameter for identification purpose. This 2%
      value is in agreement with already reported criteria, for instance, for GC or LC
      retention time in European documents. Finally, the well-known feature of mobility
      to separate complex mixtures was also tested to obtain purified extracted mass
      spectra of pesticides present in fruit extract. 

PMID- 26100575
TI  - Comprehensive thin layer chromatography*gas chromatography using headspace
      sampling modulation-A case study on fatty acid composition analysis.
AB  - The recently developed comprehensive TLC*GC technique using headspace sampling is
      presented. The main advantage of this approach, as demonstrated in lipid
      analysis, is the possibility to include a transesterification step of glycerides
      into fatty acid methyl ester derivatives (FAME) because no particular constraints
      in terms of operational time between TLC and GC are present. Besides being a
      relatively low-cost solution, TLC*GC by means of headspace sampling provides many
      benefits in terms of flexibility of separation conditions and modulation sampling
      width. The technique provides over two orders of magnitude of linear range with
      TLC sample loads of about 1mg with good reproducibility and accuracy, as
      demonstrated by multiple headspace extraction (MHE) tests. The technique is a
      viable alternative to the established but more expensive HPLC*GC technique. The
      useful range of TLC*GC in terms of analyte volatility can be further extended
      with a future development of devices based on thermal desorption. 

PMID- 26100576
TI  - Potential of bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria for safety improvements
      of traditional Thai fermented meat and human health.
AB  - Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are very important in converting of agricultural
      products into safe, delicious and shelf stable foods for human consumption. The
      preservative activity of LAB in foods is mainly attributed to the production of
      anti-microbial metabolites such as organic acids and bacteriocins which enables
      them to grow and control the growth of pathogens and spoilage microorganisms.
      Besides ensuring safety, bacteriocin-producing LAB with their probiotic
      potentials could also be emerging as a means to develop functional meat products
      with desirable health benefits. Nevertheless, to be qualified as a candidate
      probiotic culture, other prerequisite probiotic properties of bacteriocin
      producing LAB have to be assessed according to regulatory guidelines for
      probiotics. Nham is an indigenous fermented sausage of Thailand that has gained
      popularity and acceptance among Thais. Since Nham is made from raw meat and is
      usually consumed without cooking, risks due to undesirable microorganisms such as
      Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes, are
      frequently observed. With an ultimate goal to produce safer and healthier
      product, our research attempts on the development of a variety of new Nham
      products are discussed. 

PMID- 26100577
TI  - First direct evidence of sedimentary carbonate recycling in subduction-related
      xenoliths.
AB  - Carbon in rocks and its rate of exchange with the exosphere is the least
      understood part of the carbon cycle. The amount of carbonate subducted as
      sediments and ocean crust is poorly known, but essential to mass balance the
      cycle. We describe carbonatite melt pockets in mantle peridotite xenoliths from
      Dalihu (northern China), which provide firsthand evidence for the recycling of
      carbonate sediments within the subduction system. These pockets retain the low
      trace element contents and delta(18)OSMOW = 21.1 +/- 0.3 of argillaceous
      carbonate sediments, representing wholesale melting of carbonates instead of
      filtered recycling of carbon by redox freezing and melting. They also contain
      microscopic diamonds, partly transformed to graphite, indicating that depths >120
      km were reached, as well as a bizarre mixture of carbides and metal alloys
      indicative of extremely reducing conditions. Subducted carbonates form diapirs
      that move rapidly upwards through the mantle wedge, reacting with peridotite,
      assimilating silicate minerals and releasing CO2, thus promoting their rapid
      emplacement. The assimilation process produces very local disequilibrium and
      divergent redox conditions that result in carbides and metal alloys, which help
      to interpret other occurrences of rock exhumed from ultra-deep conditions.

PMID- 26100578
TI  - Minimizing the radiation dose of CT attenuation correction while improving image
      quality: The case for innovation.

PMID- 26100579
TI  - Predicting and exploring network components involved in pathogenesis in the
      malaria parasite via novel subnetwork alignments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malaria is a major health threat, affecting over 40% of the world's
      population. The latest report released by the World Health Organization estimated
      about 207 million cases of malaria infection, and about 627,000 deaths in 2012
      alone. During the past decade, new therapeutic targets have been identified and
      are at various stages of characterization, thanks to the emerging omics-based
      technologies. However, the mechanism of malaria pathogenesis remains largely
      unknown. In this paper, we employ a novel neighborhood subnetwork alignment
      approach to identify network components that are potentially involved in
      pathogenesis. RESULTS: Our module-based subnetwork alignment approach identified
      24 functional homologs of pathogenesis-related proteins in the malaria parasite
      P. falciparum, using the protein-protein interaction networks in Escherichia coli
      as references. Eighteen out of these 24 proteins are associated with 418 other
      proteins that are related to DNA replication, transcriptional regulation,
      translation, signaling, metabolism, cell cycle regulation, as well as
      cytoadherence and entry to the host. CONCLUSIONS: The subnetwork alignments and
      subsequent protein-protein association network mining predicted a group of
      malarial proteins that may be involved in parasite development and parasite-host
      interaction, opening a new systems-level view of parasite pathogenesis and
      virulence.

PMID- 26100580
TI  - Discovery and characterization of long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNA)
      module biomarkers in prostate cancer: an integrative analysis of RNA-Seq data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a leading cause of cancer-related death of
      men worldwide. There is an urgent need to develop novel biomarkers for PCa
      prognosis and diagnosis in the post prostate-specific antigen era. Long
      intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) play essential roles in many physiological
      processes and can serve as alternative biomarkers for prostate cancer, but there
      has been no systematic investigation of lincRNAs in PCa yet. RESULTS: Nine
      lincRNA co-expression modules were identified from PCa RNA-Seq data. The
      association between the principle component of each module and the PCa phenotype
      was examined by calculating the Pearson's correlation coefficients. Three modules
      (M1, M3, and M5) were found associated with PCa. Two modules (M3 and M5) were
      significantly enriched with lincRNAs, and one of them, M3, may be used as a
      lincRNA module-biomarker for PCa diagnosis. This module includes seven essential
      lincRNAs: TCONS_l2_00001418, TCONS_l2_00008237, TCONS_l2_00011130,
      TCONS_l2_00013175, TCONS_l2_00022611, TCONS_l2_00022670 and linc-PXN-1. The
      clustering analysis and microRNA enrichment analysis further confirmed our
      findings. CONCLUSION: The correlation between lincRNAs and protein-coding genes
      is helpful for further exploration of functional mechanisms of lincRNAs in PCa.
      This study provides some important insights into the roles of lincRNAs in PCa and
      suggests a few lincRNAs as candidate biomarkers for PCa diagnosis and prognosis.

PMID- 26100581
TI  - A pilot study of audiovisual family meetings in the intensive care unit.
AB  - PURPOSE: We hypothesized that virtual family meetings in the intensive care unit
      with conference calling or Skype videoconferencing would result in increased
      family member satisfaction and more efficient decision making. METHODS: This is a
      prospective, nonblinded, nonrandomized pilot study. A 6-question survey was
      completed by family members after family meetings, some of which used conference
      calling or Skype by choice. Overall, 29 (33%) of the completed surveys came from
      audiovisual family meetings vs 59 (67%) from control meetings. RESULTS: The
      survey data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling, which did not find
      any significant group differences between satisfaction with the audiovisual
      meetings vs controls. There was no association between the audiovisual
      intervention and withdrawal of care (P = .682) or overall hospital length of stay
      (z = 0.885, P = .376). CONCLUSIONS: Although we do not report benefit from an
      audiovisual intervention, these results are preliminary and heavily influenced by
      notable limitations to the study. Given that the intervention was feasible in
      this pilot study, audiovisual and social media intervention strategies warrant
      additional investigation given their unique ability to facilitate communication
      among family members in the intensive care unit.

PMID- 26100582
TI  - Outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with prolonged acute mechanical
      ventilation: A single-center study in Korea.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to evaluate outcomes and objective
      parameters related to poor prognosis in patients who were defined as prolonged
      acute mechanical ventilation (PAMV; ventilator care >=96 hours) in the medical
      intensive care unit of a university-affiliated tertiary care hospital in Korea.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively clinical data gathered from the
      medical records on day 4 of MV between 2008 and 2013. In total, 311 were
      categorized as PAMV. RESULTS: Their median age was 67 years (range, 18-93 years),
      and 71.7% were male. The 28-day mortality rate after intensive care unit
      admission was 34.7%. Four variables on day 4 of mechanical ventilation (need for
      neuromuscular blockers [hazard ratio {HR}, 2.432; 95% confidence interval, 1.337
      4.422], need for vasopressors [HR, 2.312; 95% confidence interval, 1.258-4.248],
      need for hemodialyses [HR, 1.913; 95% confidence interval, 1.018-3.595], and body
      mass index <=21 kg/m(2) [HR, 1.827; 95% confidence interval, 1.015-3.288]) were
      independent factors associated with mortality based on a Cox proportional hazards
      model. As the number of these prognostic factors increased, the survival rate
      decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Four clinical factors (body mass index <=21, requirement
      for neuromuscular blockers, vasopressors, and hemodialysis) on day 4 of
      mechanical ventilation were associated with 28-day mortality in PAMV patients.

PMID- 26100583
TI  - Iodide-Responsive Cu-Au Nanoparticle-Based Colorimetric Platform for
      Ultrasensitive Detection of Target Cancer Cells.
AB  - Colorimetric analysis is promising in developing facile, fast, and point-of-care
      cancer diagnosis techniques, but the existing colorimetric cancer cell assays
      remain problematic because of dissatisfactory sensitivity as well as complex
      probe design or synthesis. To solve the problem, we here present a novel
      colorimetric analytical strategy based on iodide-responsive Cu-Au nanoparticles
      (Cu-Au NPs) combined with the iodide-catalyzed H2O2-TMB (3,3,5,5
      tetramethylbenzidine) reaction system. In this strategy, bimetallic Cu-Au NPs
      prepared with an irregular shape and a diameter of ~15 nm could chemically absorb
      iodide, thus indirectly inducing colorimetric signal variation of the H2O2-TMB
      system. By further utilizing its property of easy biomolecule modification, a
      versatile colorimetric platform was constructed for detection of any target that
      could cause the change of Cu-Au NPs concentration via molecular recognition. As
      proof of concept, an analysis of human leukemia CCRF-CEM cells was performed
      using aptamer Sgc8c-modified Cu-Au NPs as the colorimetric probe. Results showed
      that Sgc8c-modified Cu-Au NPs successfully achieved a simple, label-free, cost
      effective, visualized, selective, and ultrasensitive detection of cancer cells
      with a linear range from 50 to 500 cells/mL and a detection limit of 5 cells in
      100 MUL of binding buffer. Moreover, feasibility was demonstrated for cancer cell
      analysis in diluted serum samples. The iodide-responsive Cu-Au NP-based
      colorimetric strategy might not only afford a new design pattern for developing
      cancer cell assays but also greatly extend the application of the iodide
      catalyzed colorimetric system. 

PMID- 26100584
TI  - Clinical Comparison With Short-Term Follow-Up of Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold
      Versus Everolimus-Eluting Stent in Primary Percutaneous Coronary Interventions.
AB  - Objective of this study was to assess the clinical performance of bioresorbable
      vascular scaffold (BVS) compared to everolimus-eluting stent (EES) in subjects
      with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We included all
      consecutive patients with STEMI who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention
      (PCI) with BVS implantation in centers participating to the Italian ABSORB
      Prospective Registry (BVS-RAI) and PCI with EES in the same centers during the
      same period. The 2 groups were compared. The primary end point was patient
      oriented composite end point (POCE) including cardiac death, myocardial
      infarction, and target lesion revascularization (TLR) at the longest available
      follow-up. BVS or EES thrombosis at follow-up was also evaluated. Of the 563
      patients with STEMI included, 122 received BVS and 441 EES. Procedural success
      was obtained in 549 (97.5%) cases without significant differences between the 2
      groups (BVS 99.3% vs EES 97.0%, p = 0.2). At a median of 220-day (interquartile
      range 178 to 369) follow-up, no significant differences were observed in terms of
      POCE (BVS 4.9% vs EES 7.0%, p = 0.4); death (BVS 0.8%, EES 2.0%, p = 0.4), MI
      (BVS 4.1%, EES 2.0%, p = 0.2), TLR (BVS 4.1%, EES 4.5%, p = 0.8), device
      thrombosis (BVS 2.5%, EES 1.4%, p = 0.4). All TLR cases were successfully managed
      with re-PCI in both groups. A propensity matching of the study populations showed
      no significant differences regarding POCE at the longest available follow-up
      (odds ratio 0.53, 0.1 to 4.3). In conclusion, in this direct prospective
      comparison, BVS was associated with similar clinical results compared to EES in
      the STEMI setting. Larger and adequately powered randomized trials are needed to
      fully assess the potential clinical benefit of BVS versus the current standard of
      care in patients with STEMI. 

PMID- 26100586
TI  - Risk of Systemic Hypertension and Cerebrovascular Accident in Patients With
      Aortic Coarctation Aged <60 Years (from a National Database Study).
AB  - Patients with coarctation of the aorta (CoA) may develop hypertension and
      cerebrovascular accident (CVA) late after intervention, but the risk is still
      unclear. Therefore, we studied the epidemiologic profile from a general
      population aged <60 years to assess the relative risk. Our study population
      consisted of 126,943 patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) derived from
      Taiwan's National Health Insurance database from 2000 to 2010 (population
      22,765,535). There were 2,295 patients with CoA (50.3% men) (prevalence:
      0.116/1000). Associated cardiac lesions in 44% of the patients with CoA included
      ventricular septal defect (VSD; 23.3%), patent ductus arteriosus (7.5%), atrial
      septal defect (9.0%), and so forth. Hypertension occurred in 190 patients (8.3%)
      and was related to age, without associated VSD (odds ratio [OR] 5.90, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 2.12 to 16.39, p = 0.001) and male gender (OR 1.59, 95%
      CI 1.09 to 2.30, p = 0.015). The incidence of hypertension increased rapidly in
      the young adulthood and was 1.36% in pediatric age group and 28.9% and 45.7% in
      age group 20 to 29 and 30 to 39, respectively. CVA occurred in 29 patients
      (1.67%), and the coexisting hypertension was the single predictor (OR 3.19, 95%
      CI 1.13 to 9.00, p = 0.029). Furthermore, in all patients with CHD, CoA was an
      independent risk factor for hypertension (OR 15.65, 95% CI 12.44 to 19.68, p
      <0.001) and CVA (OR 6.55, 95% CI 4.41 to 9.74, p <0.001). Comparing with non-CoA
      CHD patients, patients with CoA, particularly men, adult, and patients without
      VSD, have high risk of hypertension, which would further increase the risk of
      CVA. Early recognition and timely intervention for the hypertension in patients
      with CoA is mandatory. 

PMID- 26100585
TI  - Impact of Hospital Volume on Outcomes of Lower Extremity Endovascular
      Interventions (Insights from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample [2006 to 2011]).
AB  - Our primary objective was to study postprocedural outcomes and hospitalization
      costs after peripheral endovascular interventions and the multivariate predictors
      affecting the outcomes with emphasis on hospital volume. The study cohort was
      derived from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample
      database (2006 to 2011). Peripheral endovascular interventions were identified
      using appropriate International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision
      diagnostic and procedural codes. Annual institutional volumes were calculated
      using unique identification numbers and then divided into quartiles. Two-level
      hierarchical multivariate mixed models were created. The primary outcome was
      inhospital mortality; secondary outcome was a composite of inhospital mortality
      and postprocedural complications. Amputation rates and hospitalization costs were
      also assessed. Multivariate analysis (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, p
      value) revealed age (1.46, 1.37 to 1.55, p <0.001), female gender (1.28, 1.12 to
      1.46, p <0.001), baseline co-morbidity status as depicted by a greater Charlson
      co-morbidity index score (>=2: 4.32, 3.45 to 5.40, p <0.001), emergent or urgent
      admissions(2.48, 2.14 to 2.88, p <0.001), and weekend admissions (1.53, 1.26 to
      1.86, p <0.001) to be significant predictors of primary outcome. An increasing
      hospital volume quartile was independently predictive of improved primary (0.65,
      0.52 to 0.82, p <0.001 for the fourth quartile) and secondary (0.85, 0.73 to
      0.97, 0.02 for the fourth quartile) outcomes and lower amputation rates (0.52,
      0.45 to 0.61, p <0.001). A significant reduction hospitalization costs ($-3,889, 
      5,318 to -2,459, p <0.001) was also seen in high volume centers. In conclusion, a
      greater hospital procedural volume is associated with superior outcomes after
      peripheral endovascular interventions in terms of inhospital mortality,
      complications, and hospitalization costs. 

PMID- 26100587
TI  - Intravascular Ultrasonic Imaging of Coronary Arterial Remodeling in Heart
      Transplant Recipients.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate long-term changes of transplant
      coronary arteries, including vessel, plaque, and lumen areas. There are limited
      long-term data on vessel remodeling after heart transplantation. We analyzed
      serial intravascular ultrasound images of the left anterior descending coronary
      artery (LAD) in 54 heart transplantation recipients. Nine patients (16.7%) had a
      history of rejection. Proximal left anterior descending artery segments were
      matched among time points, a >=20-mm long segment was analyzed every 1 mm, and
      results were normalized for analysis length and reported as mm(3)/mm. During
      follow-up, vessel area decreased (-0.48 +/- 1.3 mm(3)/mm/year), and plaque area
      did not change (-0.01 +/- 0.47 mm(3)/mm/year). As a result, lumen area decreased
      (-0.52 +/- 1.34 mm(3)/mm/year). The change in mean lumen area was well correlated
      to the change in mean vessel area (r = 0.94, p <0.01) but not to the change in
      mean plaque area (r = -0.27, p = 0.05). In conclusion, lumen loss occurred during
      long-term follow-up of patients who underwent heart transplantation, primarily
      secondary to negative remodeling (decrease in vessel dimensions). 

PMID- 26100588
TI  - Utility of Routine Exercise Testing to Detect Rate-Related QRS Widening in
      Patients Without Structural Heart Disease on Class Ic Antiarrhythmic Agents
      (Flecainide and Propafenone).
AB  - Class Ic antiarrhythmic agents are effective in the treatment of various atrial
      tachyarrhythmias. They are known to cause rate-related QRS widening in the
      presence of structural heart disease, which can lead to life-threatening
      arrhythmias. The role of routine exercise electrocardiography in patients without
      structural heart disease is unknown. All patients initiated on class Ic
      antiarrhythmic agents and who had exercise electrocardiography performed from
      June 2009 to June 2013 were included. Symptom-limited treadmill
      electrocardiography was performed to detect significant QRS widening at peak
      exercise (defined as an increase of >25% of baseline QRS). Fifty-six patients
      were included in the study. All patients were screened for structural heart
      disease before initiation of the medication. Significant QRS widening and atrial
      tachycardia occurred in a single patient, which terminated with cessation of
      exercise. This patient had a history of tachycardia-mediated cardiomyopathy with
      normalization of ejection fraction 3 years before being placed on flecainide. In
      conclusion, routine exercise testing to detect QRS widening is not warranted in
      patients with no structural heart disease. 

PMID- 26100589
TI  - National Trends in Hospitalizations for Patients With Single-Ventricle Anatomy.
AB  - Patients with single-ventricle (SV) anatomy now live to adulthood. Little is
      known about the cost of care and outcomes for patients with SV anatomy,
      especially those who develop heart failure (HF) cared for in adult hospitals in
      the United States. We analyzed the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2000 to 2011
      for patients >14 years admitted to adult hospitals with the International
      Classifications of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes for SV anatomy. Demographics,
      outcomes, co-morbidities, and cost were assessed. From 2000 to 2011, the number
      of SV admissions was stable with a trend toward increased cost per admission over
      time. Coexistent hypertension, obesity, and liver, pulmonary, and renal diseases
      significantly increased over time. The most common reason for admission was
      atrial arrhythmia followed by HF. Patients with SV with HF had significantly
      higher inhospital mortality, length of stay, and more medical co-morbidities than
      those with SV and without HF. In conclusion, the cohort of patients with SV
      admitted to adult hospitals has changed in the modern era. Patients with SV have
      medical co-morbidities including renal and liver diseases, hypertension, and
      obesity at a surprisingly young age. Aggressive and proactive management of HF
      and arrhythmia may reduce cost of care for this challenging population. Patients
      with SV with HF have particularly high mortality, more medical co-morbidities,
      and increased cost of care and deserve more focused attention to improve
      outcomes. 

PMID- 26100590
TI  - A Rare Case of Acroangiodermatitis Associated with a Congenital Arteriovenous
      Malformation (Stewart-Bluefarb Syndrome) in a Young Veteran: Case Report and
      Review of the Literature.
AB  - Acroangiodermatitis (AD) is a rare angioproliferative disease manifesting with
      cutaneous lesions clinically similar to Kaposi's sarcoma. AD is a benign
      hyperplasia of preexisting vasculature and may be associated with acquired or
      congenital arteriovenous malformations (AVM), or severe chronic venous
      insufficiency (because of hypostasis, elevated venous pressure, arteriovenous
      shunting). Stewart-Bluefarb syndrome is the rare syndrome in which AD is
      associated with a congenital AVM. We present the case of a young veteran with a
      painful, chronic nonhealing ulcer and ipsilateral popliteal artery occlusion
      likely because of trauma, who elected transmetatarsal amputation for symptomatic
      relief. A 24-year-old male veteran presented with a 5-year history of a
      nonhealing dorsal left foot ulcer, resulting from a training exercise injury. He
      ultimately developed osteomyelitis requiring antibiotics, frequent debridements,
      multiple trials of unsuccessful skin substitute grafting, and severe unremitting
      pain. He noted a remote history of left digital deformities treated surgically as
      a child, and an AVM, previously endovascularly treated at an outside facility.
      Arterial duplex revealed somewhat dampened left popliteal, posterior tibial (PT),
      and dorsalis pedis (DP) artery signals with arterial brachial index of 1.0. CT
      angiography showed occlusion of the proximal to mid popliteal artery with
      significant calcifications felt initially to be a result of prior trauma. Pedal
      pulses were palpable and transcutaneous oxygen measurements revealed adequate
      oxygenation. Because of unremitting pain, the patient opted for amputation.
      Pathology revealed vascular proliferation consistent with AD. This case
      illustrates an unusual diagnosis of acroangiodermatitis, and a rare syndrome when
      associated with his underlying AVM (Stewart-Bluefarb syndrome). This resulted in
      a painful, chronic ulcer and was further complicated by trauma-related arterial
      occlusive disease. AD disease can hinder wound healing even in the presence of
      clinically evident blood flow. Although rare, such unusual diagnoses should be
      entertained particularly in the unusually young vascular surgical patient. 

PMID- 26100591
TI  - Rhinovirus-C detection in children presenting with acute respiratory infection to
      hospital in Brazil.
AB  - Human rhinovirus (RV) is a common cause of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in
      children. We aimed to characterize the clinical and demographic features
      associated with different RV species detected in children attending hospital with
      ARI, from low-income families in North-east Brazil. Nasopharyngeal aspirates were
      collected from 630 children <5 years with ARI. Clinical diagnosis and disease
      severity were also recorded. Samples were analyzed by multiplex PCR for 18 viral
      and atypical bacterial pathogens; RV positive samples underwent partial
      sequencing to determine species and type. RV was the fourth commonest pathogen
      accounting for 18.7% of pathogens detected. RV was commonly detected in children
      with bronchiolitis, pneumonia, and asthma/episodic viral wheeze (EVW). Species
      and type were assigned in 112 cases (73% RV-A; 27% RV-C; 0% RV-B). Generally,
      there were no differences in clinical or demographic characteristics between
      those infected with RV-A and RV-C. However, in children with asthma/EVW, RV-C was
      detected relatively more frequently than RV-A (23% vs. 5%; P = 0.04). Our
      findings highlight RV as a potentially important pathogen in this setting.
      Generally, clinical and demographic features were similar in children in whom RV
      A and C species were detected. However, RV-C was more frequently found in
      children with asthma/EVW than RV-A.

PMID- 26100592
TI  - [Effect of breastfeeding on obesity of schoolchildren: influence of maternal
      education].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between duration of breastfeeding (BF) and
      obesity in schoolchildren of Florianopolis (SC), and the role of possible effect
      modifiers. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with a random sample of 2,826
      schoolchildren (7-14 years). Weight and height were measured according to
      standardized procedures. Data concerning BF and sociodemographic variables were
      obtained from a questionnaire sent to parents/guardians. Children's nutritional
      status was evaluated by BMI-for-age z-score for gender (WHO reference curves).
      Adjusted analyses were performed through logistic regression, considering a
      possible interaction among variables. RESULTS: Prevalence of obesity was 8.6%
      (95% CI: 7.6-9.7%) and 55.7% (95% CI: 53.8-57.6%) received breastmilk for >=6
      months. BF was not associated with obesity, even in the adjusted analysis.
      Stratified analysis according to maternal schooling showed that, in children aged
      7-10 years and children whose mothers had 0-8 years of schooling, the chance of
      obesity was lower among those breastfeed for >1 month, especially among those who
      received breastmilk for 1-5 months (OR=0.22; 95% CI 0.08-0.62). Among children of
      women with higher educational level (>8 years), the chance of obesity was 44%
      lower in those who were breastfed for >12 months (p-value for interaction <0.01).
      This interaction was not found in older children (11-14 years). CONCLUSIONS:
      Among children of women with lower schooling, BF for any period longer than 1
      month is protective against obesity; however, for a higher maternal schooling, BF
      for less than 12 months increases the odds of obesity.

PMID- 26100593
TI  - [Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and associated factors in women and newborns
      in the immediate postpartum period].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its associated
      factors in women and their newborns in the postpartum period. METHODS: This cross
      sectional study evaluated vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in 226 women and
      their newborns in Vicosa (Minas Gerais, BR) between December 2011 and November
      2012. Cord blood and venous maternal blood were collected to evaluate the
      following biochemical parameters: vitamin D, alkaline phosphatase, calcium,
      phosphorus and parathyroid hormone. Poisson regression analysis, with a
      confidence interval of 95% was applied to assess vitamin D deficiency and its
      associated factors. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify
      factors associated with 25(OH)D deficiency in the newborns and women from the
      study. The criteria for variable inclusion in the multiple linear regression
      model was the association with the dependent variable in the simple linear
      regression analysis, considering p<0.20. Significance level was alpha<5%.
      RESULTS: From 226 women included, 200 (88.5%) were 20 to 44 years old; the median
      age was 28 years. Deficient/insufficient levels of vitamin D were found in 192
      (85%) women and in 182 (80.5%) neonates. The maternal 25(OH)D and alkaline
      phosphatase levels were independently associated with vitamin D deficiency in
      infants. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified a high prevalence of vitamin D
      deficiency and insufficiency in women and newborns and the association between
      maternal nutritional status of vitamin D and their infants' vitamin D status.

PMID- 26100594
TI  - [Pathologic aerophagia: a rare cause of chronic abdominal distension].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe an adolescent with pathologic aerophagia, a rare condition
      caused by excessive and inappropriate swallowing of air and to review its
      treatment and differential diagnoses. CASE DESCRIPTION: An 11 year-old mentally
      impaired blind girl presenting serious behavior problems and severe developmental
      delay with abdominal distension from the last 8 months. Her past history included
      a Nissen fundoplication. Abdominal CT and abdominal radiographs showed diffuse
      gas distension of the small bowel and colon. Hirschsprung's disease was excluded.
      The distention was minimal at the moment the child awoke and maximal at evening,
      and persisted after control of constipation. Audible repetitive and frequent
      movements of air swallowing were observed. The diagnosis of pathologic aerophagia
      associated to obsessive compulsive disorder and developmental delay was made, but
      pharmacological treatment was unsuccessful. The patient was submitted to an
      endoscopic gastrostomy, permanently opened and elevated relative to the stomach.
      The distention was resolved, while maintaining oral nutrition COMMENTS:
      Pathologic aerophagia is a rare self-limiting condition in normal children
      exposed to high levels of stress and may be a persisting problem in children with
      psychiatric or neurologic disease. In this last group, the disease may cause
      serious complications. Pharmacological and behavioral treatments are ill-defined.
      Severe cases may demand surgical strategies, mainly decompressive gastrostomy.

PMID- 26100595
TI  - Nicotine-induced cellular stresses and autophagy in human cancer colon cells: A
      supportive effect on cell homeostasis via up-regulation of Cox-2 and PGE(2)
      production.
AB  - Nicotine, one of the active components in cigarette smoke, has been described to
      contribute to the protective effect of smoking in ulcerative colitis (UC)
      patients. Furthermore, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha7 subunit
      (alpha7nAChR) expressed on immune cells, is an essential regulator of
      inflammation. As intestinal epithelial cells also express alpha7nAChR, we
      investigated how nicotine could participate in the homeostasis of intestinal
      epithelial cells. First, using the human adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29, we
      revealed that nicotine, which triggers an influx of extracellular Ca(2+)
      following alpha7nAChR stimulation, induces mitochondrial reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) production associated with a disruption of the mitochondrial membrane
      potential and endoplasmic reticulum stress. This results in caspase-3 activation,
      which in turn induces apoptosis. Additionally, we have shown that nicotine
      induces a PI3-K dependent up-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) expression
      and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production. In this context, we suggest that this key
      mediator participates in the cytoprotective effects of nicotine against apoptosis
      by stimulating autophagy in colon cancer cells. Our results provide new insight
      into one potential mechanism by which nicotine could protect from UC and suggest
      an anti-inflammatory role for the cholinergic pathway at the epithelial cell
      level. 

PMID- 26100596
TI  - Epigenetic regulation in the carcinogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma.
AB  - Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignancy arising from the epithelial cells lining
      the biliary tract. Despite the existence of variation in incidence and etiology
      worldwide, its incidence is increasing globally in the past few decades. Surgery
      is the only curative treatment option for a minority of patients presented with
      early disease; while moderate effective chemotherapy remains the standard care
      for patients with locally advanced or metastatic diseases. In this article, we
      briefly review the molecular alterations that have been described in CCAs
      focusing on the role of epigenetic modification, including promoter methylation
      inactivation, histone modification and microRNA, in the carcinogenesis and
      progression of CCAs. This article is part of a Directed Issue entitled:
      Epigenetics dynamics in development and disease. 

PMID- 26100597
TI  - Realization of Multi-Stable Ground States in a Nematic Liquid Crystal by Surface
      and Electric Field Modification.
AB  - Owing to the significant price drop of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and the
      efforts to save natural resources, LCDs are even replacing paper to display
      static images such as price tags and advertising boards. Because of a growing
      market demand on such devices, the LCD that can be of numerous surface alignments
      of directors as its ground state, the so-called multi-stable LCD, comes into the
      limelight due to the great potential for low power consumption. However, the
      multi-stable LCD with industrial feasibility has not yet been successfully
      performed. In this paper, we propose a simple and novel configuration for the
      multi-stable LCD. We demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that a battery
      of stable surface alignments can be achieved by the field-induced surface
      dragging effect on an aligning layer with a weak surface anchoring. The
      simplicity and stability of the proposed system suggest that it is suitable for
      the multi-stable LCDs to display static images with low power consumption and
      thus opens applications in various fields. 

PMID- 26100598
TI  - Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion With the New AmuletTM Device: Feasibility, Safety
      and Short-term Efficacy.

PMID- 26100599
TI  - Editorial. Convenience Foods: Schopping, Cooking & Eating.

PMID- 26100600
TI  - Thioflavin T templates amyloid beta(1-40) conformation and aggregation pathway.
AB  - Abeta(1-40) peptide supramolecular assembly and fibril formation processes are
      widely recognized to have direct implications in the progression of Alzheimer's
      disease. The molecular basis of this biological process is still unknown and
      there is a strong need of developing effective strategies to control the
      occurring events. To this purpose the exploitation of small molecules interacting
      with Abeta aggregation represents one of the possible routes. Moreover, the use
      specific labeling has represented so far one of the most common and effective
      methods to investigate such a process. This possibility in turn rests on the
      reliability of the probe/labels involved. Here we present evidences of the effect
      of Thioflavin T (ThT), a worldwide used fluorescent dye to monitor amyloid
      growth, on the Abeta(1-40) conformation, stability and aggregation. By combining
      experimental information and Molecular Dynamics simulation results, we show that
      the presence of ThT in solution affects peptide conformation inducing peculiar
      supramolecular association. In particular ThT interactions with specific Abeta(1
      40) residues promote a rigid partially-folded conformation which shifts the
      balance between different species in solution toward a more aggregation-prone
      ensemble of peptides, leading to aggregation. Our findings suggest ways for
      developing strategies to reverse and block aggregation or to stimulate
      supramolecular assembly and consequently reduce the presence of transient
      oligomers. This investigation underlines the need of developing label-free
      techniques for unbiased quantitative studies of Abeta(1-40) aggregation
      processes. 

PMID- 26100601
TI  - The International Symposium on Fungal Stress: ISFUS.
AB  - Fungi play central roles in many biological processes, influencing soil
      fertility, decomposition, cycling of minerals, and organic matter, plant health,
      and nutrition. They produce a wide spectrum of molecules, which are exploited in
      a range of industrial processes to manufacture foods, food preservatives,
      flavoring agents, and other useful biological products. Fungi can also be used as
      biological control agents of microbial pathogens, nematodes or insect pests, and
      affect plant growth, stress tolerance, and nutrient acquisition. Successful
      exploitation of fungi requires better understanding of the mechanisms that fungi
      use to cope with stress as well as the way in which they mediate stress tolerance
      in other organisms. It is against this backdrop that a scientific meeting on
      fungal stress was held in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, in October 2014. The
      meeting, hosted by Drauzio E. N. Rangel and Alene E. Alder-Rangel, and supported
      by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), brought together more than 30
      young, mid-career, and highly accomplished scientists from ten different
      countries. Here we summarize the highlights of the meeting. 

PMID- 26100602
TI  - The influence of action-outcome delay and arousal on sense of agency and the
      intentional binding effect.
AB  - The sense of agency refers to the feeling of being able to initiate and control
      events through one's actions. The "intentional binding" effect (Haggard, Clark, &
      Kalogeras, 2002), refers to a subjective compression of the temporal interval
      between actions and their effects. The present study examined the influence of
      action-outcome delays and arousal on both the subjective judgment of agency and
      the intentional binding effect. In the experiment, participants pressed a key to
      trigger a central square to jump after various delays. A red central square was
      used in the high-arousal condition. Results showed that a longer interval between
      actions and their effects was associated with a lower sense of agency but a
      stronger intentional binding effect. Furthermore, although arousal enhanced the
      intentional binding effect, it did not influence the judgment of agency. 

PMID- 26100603
TI  - The 'cephalosporin era' of triazole therapy: isavuconazole, a welcomed newcomer
      for the treatment of invasive fungal infections.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Invasive fungal infections remain frequent life-threatening
      complications in immunocompromised patients. Each of the currently available
      antifungals has limitations in terms of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic
      profile, spectrum of efficacy, and tolerability. Isavuconazole (ISA) is a new
      generation, broad-spectrum triazole that has a favorable spectrum of efficacy and
      is available in both intravenous and oral forms. Recent Phase III clinical
      studies showed that ISA had comparable efficacy to voriconazole for the treatment
      of a variety of mould infections. AREAS COVERED: This review summarizes the
      literature on the use of ISA. PubMed was searched for publications in English
      from 2006 to December 2014 using the terms 'ISA', 'BAL4815', and 'BAL 8557'.
      Relevant publications were reviewed and reference lists were examined for further
      publications. Conference abstracts from the meeting during 2013 - 2014 were also
      reviewed. EXPERT OPINION: ISA is a new broad spectrum triazole antifungal for the
      treatment of invasive fungal disease available as oral and intravenous
      formulations, and the ability to be administered as a once-daily regimen. ISA has
      broad-spectrum in vitro activity, favorable pharmacokinetic profile, and good
      tolerability. ISA may be considered for primary treatment for a vast variety of
      invasive fungal infections. Further study of ISA given as prophylaxis,
      combination, or salvage therapy is warranted.

PMID- 26100604
TI  - Tailoring low-dimensional structures of bismuth on monolayer epitaxial graphene.
AB  - To improve graphene-based multifunctional devices at nanoscale, a stepwise and
      controllable fabrication procedure must be elucidated. Here, a series of
      structural transition of bismuth (Bi) adatoms, adsorbed on monolayer epitaxial
      graphene (MEG), is explored at room temperature. Bi adatoms undergo a structural
      transition from one-dimensional (1D) linear structures to two-dimensional (2D)
      triangular islands and such 2D growth mode is affected by the corrugated
      substrate. Upon Bi deposition, a little charge transfer occurs and a
      characteristic peak can be observed in the tunneling spectrum, reflecting the
      distinctive electronic structure of the Bi adatoms. When annealed to ~500 K, 2D
      triangular Bi islands aggregate into Bi nanoclusters (NCs) of uniform size. A
      well-controlled fabrication method is thus demonstrated. The approaches adopted
      herein provide perspectives for fabricating and characterizing periodic networks
      on MEG and related systems, which are useful in realizing graphene-based
      electronic, energy, sensor and spintronic devices.

PMID- 26100606
TI  - Quantum dynamics of polyatomic dissociative chemisorption on transition metal
      surfaces: mode specificity and bond selectivity.
AB  - Dissociative chemisorption is the initial and often rate-limiting step in many
      heterogeneous processes. As a result, an in-depth understanding of the reaction
      dynamics of such processes is of great importance for the establishment of a
      predictive model of heterogeneous catalysis. Overwhelming experimental evidence
      has suggested that these processes have a non-statistical nature and excitations
      in various reactant modes have a significant impact on reactivity. A
      comprehensive characterization of the reaction dynamics requires a quantum
      mechanical treatment on a global potential energy surface. In this review, we
      summarize recent progress in constructing high-dimensional potential energy
      surfaces for polyatomic molecules interacting with transition metal surfaces
      based on the plane-wave density functional theory and in quantum dynamical
      studies of dissociative chemisorption on these potential energy surfaces. A
      special focus is placed on the mode specificity and bond selectivity in these gas
      surface collisional processes, and their rationalization in terms of the recently
      proposed Sudden Vector Projection model.

PMID- 26100605
TI  - Linked genetic variants on chromosome 10 control ear morphology and body mass
      among dog breeds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The domestic dog is a rich resource for mapping the genetic
      components of phenotypic variation due to its unique population history involving
      strong artificial selection. Genome-wide association studies have revealed a
      number of chromosomal regions where genetic variation associates with
      morphological characters that typify dog breeds. A region on chromosome 10 is
      among those with the highest levels of genetic differentiation between dog breeds
      and is associated with body mass and ear morphology, a common motif of animal
      domestication. We characterised variation in this region to uncover haplotype
      structure and identify candidate functional variants. RESULTS: We first
      identified SNPs that strongly associate with body mass and ear type by comparing
      sequence variation in a 3 Mb region between 19 breeds with a variety of
      phenotypes. We next genotyped a subset of 123 candidate SNPs in 288 samples from
      46 breeds to identify the variants most highly associated with phenotype and
      infer haplotype structure. A cluster of SNPs that associate strongly with the
      drop ear phenotype is located within a narrow interval downstream of the gene
      MSRB3, which is involved in human hearing. These SNPs are in strong genetic
      linkage with another set of variants that correlate with body mass within the
      gene HMGA2, which affects human height. In addition we find evidence that this
      region has been under selection during dog domestication, and identify a cluster
      of SNPs within MSRB3 that are highly differentiated between dogs and wolves.
      CONCLUSIONS: We characterise genetically linked variants that potentially
      influence ear type and body mass in dog breeds, both key traits that have been
      modified by selective breeding that may also be important for domestication. The
      finding that variants on long haplotypes have effects on more than one trait
      suggests that genetic linkage can be an important determinant of the phenotypic
      response to selection in domestic animals.

PMID- 26100607
TI  - Community-wide promotion of physical activity in middle-aged and older Japanese:
      a 3-year evaluation of a cluster randomized trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Promotion of physical activity (PA) is a key strategy to prevent non
      communicable diseases. However, evidence on the effectiveness of community-wide
      interventions (CWIs) for promoting PA is limited. PURPOSE: To evaluate the
      effectiveness of a 3-year CWI for promoting PA in middle-aged and older adults
      compared with usual public health services. This study is an extension to an
      original 1-year investigation study. DESIGN: Cluster randomized controlled trial
      with community as unit of randomization and individual as unit of analysis.
      SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: 12 communities in Unnan, Japan were randomly allocated to
      the intervention (9) or the control (3). Additionally intervention communities
      were randomly allocated to aerobic activity promotion (Group A), flexibility and
      muscle-strengthening activities promotion (Group FM), or aerobic, flexibility,
      and muscle-strengthening activities promotion (Group AFM), each consisting of
      three communities. Randomly-sampled 4414 residents aged 40 to 79 years responded
      to the baseline survey (74%), and were analyzed in 2013-2014. INTERVENTION: A 3
      year CWI based on social marketing, to promote PA from 2009 to 2012. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: The primary outcome was a change in regular aerobic, flexibility,
      and/or muscle-strengthening activities, defined by (1) engaging in 150 mins/week
      or more of walking, (2) engaging in daily flexibility activity, or (3) engaging 2
      or more days/week in muscle-strengthening activities, evaluated at the individual
      level. Secondary outcomes were changes in specific types of PA and
      musculoskeletal pain. Outcomes were measured at baseline and at 1 and 3 years
      (2009, 2010, and 2012). RESULTS: The CWI did not significantly increase the
      proportion of adults who reached recommended levels of aerobic, flexibility,
      and/or muscle-strengthening activities (adjusted change difference = 1.6% [95%
      CI: -3.5, 6.6]). In the subgroup analysis, compared to the controls, adults doing
      flexibility activity daily significantly increased in Group FM (6.3% [95% CI:
      1.9, 10.7]). In Group A and AFM for PA outcomes and in all groups for pain
      outcomes, there was no significant change compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: The
      CWI did not achieve significant increase in the proportion of adults who reached
      recommended PA levels. However, it might be effective in promoting flexibility
      activity in middle-aged and older Japanese. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN-CTR
      UMIN000002683 .

PMID- 26100608
TI  - Maternal immunity enhances systemic recall immune responses upon oral
      immunization of piglets with F4 fimbriae.
AB  - F4 enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) cause diarrhoea and mortality in
      piglets leading to severe economic losses. Oral immunization of piglets with F4
      fimbriae induces a protective intestinal immune response evidenced by an F4
      specific serum and intestinal IgA response. However, successful oral immunization
      of pigs with F4 fimbriae in the presence of maternal immunity has not been
      demonstrated yet. In the present study we aimed to evaluate the effect of
      maternal immunity on the induction of a systemic immune response upon oral
      immunization of piglets. Whereas F4-specific IgG and IgA could be induced by oral
      immunization of pigs without maternal antibodies and by intramuscular
      immunization of pigs with maternal antibodies, no such response was seen in the
      orally immunized animals with maternal antibodies. Since maternal antibodies can
      mask an antibody response, we also looked by ELIspot assays for circulating F4
      specific antibody secreting cells (ASCs). Enumerating the F4-specific ASCs within
      the circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and the number of F4-specific
      IgA ASCs within the circulating IgA(+) B-cells revealed an F4-specific immune
      response in the orally immunized animals with maternal antibodies. Interestingly,
      results suggest a more robust IgA booster response by oral immunization of pigs
      with than without maternal antibodies. These results demonstrate that oral
      immunization of piglets with F4-specific maternal antibodies is feasible and that
      these maternal antibodies seem to enhance the secondary systemic immune response.
      Furthermore, our ELIspot assay on enriched IgA(+) B-cells could be used as a
      screening procedure to optimize mucosal immunization protocols in pigs with
      maternal immunity. 

PMID- 26100609
TI  - Composite bottlebrush mechanics: alpha-internexin fine-tunes neurofilament
      network properties.
AB  - Neuronal cytoplasmic intermediate filaments are principal structural and
      mechanical elements of the axon. Their expression during embryonic development
      follows a differential pattern, while their unregulated expression is correlated
      to neurodegenerative diseases. The largest neurofilament proteins of medium (NF
      M) and high molecular weight (NF-H) were shown to modulate the axonal
      architecture and inter-filament spacing. However, the individual roles of the
      remaining alpha-internexin (alpha-Inx) and neurofilament of low molecular weight
      (NF-L) proteins in composite filaments remained elusive. In contrast to previous
      predictions, we show that when co-assembled with NF-M, the shortest and the least
      charged alpha-Inx protein increases inter-filament spacing. These findings
      suggest a novel structural explanation for the expression pattern of
      neurofilament proteins during embryonic development. We explain our results by an
      analysis of ionic cross-links between the disordered polyampholytic C-terminal
      tails and suggest that a collapsed conformation of the alpha-Inx tail domain
      interferes with tail cross-linking near the filament backbone. 

PMID- 26100610
TI  - Psychiatric pharmacists' perception on the use of pharmacogenomic testing in the
      mental health population.
AB  - AIM: Pharmacogenomics could play a role in improving patient care, reducing
      adverse drug reactions and overall healthcare costs. However, whether it is
      utilized may be determined by how it is perceived by healthcare professionals,
      including pharmacists. METHODS: A cross-sectional web-based survey evaluated
      psychiatric pharmacists' use, knowledge and perception of the effectiveness of
      such testing. RESULTS: Among participants, 80% worked at sites not offering
      pharmacogenomic testing, mostly due to a lack of funding. About 36% of
      pharmacists considered themselves more knowledgeable and 47% considered
      themselves less knowledgeable about pharmacogenomic testing; however, most agreed
      on the potential usefulness of testing. CONCLUSION: Among psychiatric
      pharmacists, the use of pharmacogenomics appears underappreciated due to factors
      such as lack of availability and understanding of testing. Original submitted 26
      November 2014; Revision submitted 13 February 2015.

PMID- 26100611
TI  - The effects of parental components in a trauma-focused cognitive behavioral based
      therapy for children exposed to interparental violence: study protocol for a
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interparental violence is both common and harmful and impacts
      children's lives directly and indirectly. Direct effects refer to affective,
      behavioral, and cognitive responses to interparental violence and psychosocial
      adjustment. Indirect effects refer to deteriorated parental availability and
      parent-child interaction. Standard Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
      may be insufficient for children traumatized by exposure to interparental
      violence, given the pervasive impact of interparental violence on the family
      system. HORIZON is a trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy based group
      program with the added component of a preparatory parenting program aimed at
      improving parental availability; and the added component of parent-child sessions
      to improve parent-child interaction. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a multicenter, multi
      informant and multi-method randomized clinical trial study with a 2 by 2
      factorial experimental design. Participants (N = 100) are children (4-12 years),
      and their parents, who have been exposed to interparental violence. The main aim
      of the study is to test the effects of two parental components as an addition to
      a trauma focused cognitive behavioral based group therapy for reducing children's
      symptoms. Primary outcome measures are posttraumatic stress symptoms, and
      internalizing and externalizing problems in children. The secondary aim of the
      study is to test the effect of the two added components on adjustment problems in
      children and to test whether enhanced effects can be explained by changes in
      children's responses towards experienced violence, in parental availability, and
      in quality of parent-child interaction. To address this secondary aim, the main
      parameters are observational and questionnaire measures of parental availability,
      parent-child relationship variables, children's adjustment problems and
      children's responses to interparental violence. Data are collected three times:
      before and after the program and six months later. Both intention-to-treat and
      completer analyses will be done. DISCUSSION: The current study will enhance our
      understanding of the efficacy interparental violence-related parental components
      added to trauma focused cognitive behavioral group program for children who have
      been exposed to IPV. It will illuminate mechanisms underlying change by
      considering multiple dimensions of child responses, parenting variables and
      identify selection criteria for participation in treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Netherlands Trial Register NTR4015 . Registered 4th of June, 2013.

PMID- 26100612
TI  - Adaptations for nocturnal and diurnal vision in the hawkmoth lamina.
AB  - Animals use vision over a wide range of light intensities, from dim starlight to
      bright sunshine. For animals active in very dim light the visual system is
      challenged by several sources of visual noise. Adaptations in the eyes, as well
      as in the neural circuitry, have evolved to suppress the noise and enhance the
      visual signal, thereby improving vision in dim light. Among neural adaptations,
      spatial summation of visual signals from neighboring processing units is
      suggested to increase the reliability of signal detection and thus visual
      sensitivity. In insects, the likely neural candidates for carrying out spatial
      summation are the lamina monopolar cells (LMCs) of the first visual processing
      area of the insect brain (the lamina). We have classified LMCs in three species
      of hawkmoths with considerably different activity periods but very similar
      ecology-the diurnal Macroglossum stellatarum, the nocturnal Deilephila elpenor
      and the crepuscular-nocturnal Manduca sexta. Using this classification, we
      investigated the anatomical adaptations of hawkmoth LMCs suited for spatial
      summation. We found that specific types of LMCs have dendrites extending to
      significantly more neighboring cartridges in the two nocturnal and crepuscular
      species than in the diurnal species, making these LMC types strong candidates for
      spatial summation. Moreover, while the absolute number of cartridges visited by
      the LMCs differed between the two dim-light species, their dendritic extents were
      very similar in terms of visual angle, possibly indicating a limiting spatial
      acuity. The overall size of the lamina neuropil did not correlate with the size
      of its LMCs.

PMID- 26100614
TI  - A poroelastic model coupled to a fluid network with applications in lung
      modelling.
AB  - We develop a lung ventilation model based on a continuum poroelastic
      representation of lung parenchyma that is strongly coupled to a pipe network
      representation of the airway tree. The continuous system of equations is
      discretized using a low-order stabilised finite element method. The framework is
      applied to a realistic lung anatomical model derived from computed tomography
      data and an artificially generated airway tree to model the conducting airway
      region. Numerical simulations produce physiologically realistic solutions and
      demonstrate the effect of airway constriction and reduced tissue elasticity on
      ventilation, tissue stress and alveolar pressure distribution. The key advantage
      of the model is the ability to provide insight into the mutual dependence between
      ventilation and deformation. This is essential when studying lung diseases, such
      as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary fibrosis. Thus the model
      can be used to form a better understanding of integrated lung mechanics in both
      the healthy and diseased states. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26100613
TI  - Cross-cultural gene- environment interactions in depression, post-traumatic
      stress disorder, and the cortisol awakening response: FKBP5 polymorphisms and
      childhood trauma in South Asia.
AB  - Despite increased attention to global mental health, psychiatric genetic research
      has been dominated by studies in high-income countries, especially with
      populations of European descent. The objective of this study was to assess single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FKBP5 gene in a population living in South
      Asia. Among adults in Nepal, depression was assessed with the Beck Depression
      Inventory (BDI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the PTSD Checklist
      Civilian Version (PCL-C), and childhood maltreatment with the Childhood Trauma
      Questionnaire (CTQ). FKBP5 SNPs were genotyped for 682 participants. Cortisol
      awakening response (CAR) was assessed in a subsample of 118 participants over 3
      days. The FKBP5 tag-SNP rs9296158 showed a main effect on depressive symptoms (p
      = 0.03). Interaction of rs9296158 and childhood maltreatment predicted adult
      depressive symptoms (p = 0.02) but not PTSD. Childhood maltreatment associated
      with endocrine response in individuals homozygous for the A allele, demonstrated
      by a negative CAR and overall hypocortisolaemia in the rs9296158 AA genotype and
      childhood maltreatment group (p < 0.001). This study replicated findings related
      to FKBP5 and depression but not PTSD. Gene-environment studies should take
      differences in prevalence and cultural significance of phenotypes and exposures
      into account when interpreting cross-cultural findings. 

PMID- 26100615
TI  - In vivo imaging of endogenous enzyme activities using luminescent 1,2-dioxetane
      compounds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Here we present a non-invasive imaging method for visualizing
      endogenous enzyme activities in living animals. This optical imaging method is
      based on an energy transfer principle termed chemically initiated electron
      exchange luminescence (CIEEL). The light energy is provided by enzymatic
      activation of metastable 1,2-dioxetane substrates, whose protective groups are
      removed by hydrolytic enzymes such as beta-galactosidase and alkaline
      phosphatase. In the presence of a nearby fluorescent recipient, the chemical
      energy within the activated substrate is then transferred via formation of a
      charge-transfer complex with the fluorophore, a mechanism closely related to glow
      stick chemistry. RESULTS: Efficient CIEEL energy transfer requires close
      proximity between the trigger enzyme and the fluorescent recipient. Using cells
      stained with fluorescent dialkylcarbocyanines as the energy recipients, we
      demonstrated CIEEL imaging of cellular beta-galactosidase or alkaline phosphatase
      activity. In living animals, we used a similar approach to non-invasively image
      alkaline phosphatase activity in the peritoneal cavity. CONCLUSIONS: In this
      report, we provide proof-of-concept for CIEEL imaging of in vivo enzymatic
      activity. In addition, we demonstrate the use of CIEEL energy transfer for
      visualizing elevated alkaline phosphatase activity associated with tissue
      inflammation in living animals.

PMID- 26100616
TI  - Physical activity level is associated with fasting plasma glucose among women
      aged 35-55 without diabetes in Shandong, China.

PMID- 26100617
TI  - The influence of parental encouragement and caring about healthy eating on
      children's diet quality and body weights.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In order to mitigate childhood obesity, evidence on what influences
      children's health behaviours is needed to inform new health promotion strategies.
      The present study investigated the association between parental practices and
      their child's diet and body weight status. DESIGN: Grade 5 students and their
      parents completed health surveys. Parents were asked how much they 'encourage
      their child to eat healthy foods' and how much they 'personally care about
      healthy eating'. Children's diet quality and vegetable and fruit intake were
      assessed using an FFQ. Children's heights and weights were measured to determine
      body weight status. Mixed-effects regression models were used to determine the
      influence of parental responses on the outcomes of interest. SETTING: Elementary
      schools across the province of Alberta, Canada. SUBJECTS: Grade 5 students (aged
      10 and 11 years; n 8388) and their parent(s). RESULTS: Most parents reported
      caring about healthy eating and encouraging their child to eat healthy foods at
      least quite a lot. Children whose parents who cared or encouraged 'very much'
      compared with 'quite a lot' were more likely have better diet quality and were
      less likely to be overweight. Children whose parents both cared and encouraged
      'very much' compared with 'quite a lot' scored an average of 2.06 points higher
      on the diet quality index (beta=2.06; 95 % CI 1.45, 2.66). CONCLUSIONS: Health
      promotion strategies that aim for a high level of parental interest and
      encouragement of their children to eat healthy foods may improve diet quality and
      prevent overweight among children.

PMID- 26100618
TI  - Cutaneous Manifestations in Dermatomyositis: Key Clinical and Serological
      Features-a Comprehensive Review.
AB  - Dermatomyositis (DM) is a common idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. The
      pathogenesis is considered to be microangiopathy affecting skin and muscle. The
      cutaneous manifestations of DM are the most important aspect of this disease, and
      their correct evaluation is important for early diagnosis. The skin signs are
      various: Some are pathognomonic or highly characteristic, and others are
      compatible with DM. Recently, DM has been categorized into several disease
      subsets based on the various autoantibodies present in patients. Sometimes,
      characteristic cutaneous manifestations are strongly associated with the presence
      of specific autoantibodies. For example, anti-Mi-2 antibody is associated with
      the classic features of DM, including heliotrope rash, Gottron's papules, the V
      neck sign, the shawl sign, cuticular overgrowth, and photosensitivity. Frequent
      cutaneous features in anti-transcriptional intermediary factor 1 gamma
      (TIF1gamma)-positive patients are diffuse photoerythema, including "dusky red
      face," while skin ulcerations, palmar papules (inverse Gottron), diffuse hair
      loss, panniculitis, and oral pain and/or ulcers are sometimes associated with
      anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 product (MDA5) antibody. Here, we
      review important cutaneous manifestations seen in patients with DM, and we
      examine the relationship between the skin changes and myositis-associated
      autoantibodies. Correct evaluation of cutaneous manifestations and myositis
      associated autoantibodies should help the clinician in the early diagnosis of DM,
      for a quick recognition of cutaneous signs that may be the symptom of onset
      before muscle inflammation.

PMID- 26100619
TI  - Risk Stratification in Older Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction:
      Physicians' Perspectives.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Risk stratification models support clinical decision making in acute
      myocardial infarction (AMI) care. Existing models were developed using data from
      younger populations, potentially limiting accuracy and relevance in older adults.
      We describe physician-perceived risk factors, views of existing models, and
      preferences for future model development in older adults. METHOD: Qualitative
      study using semi-structured telephone interviews and the constant comparative
      method. RESULTS: Twenty-two physicians from 14 institutions completed the
      interviews. Median age was 37, and median years of clinical experience was 11.5.
      Perceived predictors included cardiovascular, comorbid, functional, and social
      risk factors. Physicians viewed models as easy to use, yet neither inclusive of
      risk factors nor predictive of non-mortality outcomes germane to clinical
      decision making in older adults. Ideal models included multidimensional risk
      domains and operational requirements. DISCUSSION: Physicians reported limitations
      of available risk models when applied to older adults with AMI. New models are
      needed to guide AMI treatment in this population.

PMID- 26100620
TI  - Understanding Rural-Urban Differences in Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults
      in China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Studies have reported that rural elders in China have higher levels of
      depression than their urban peers. We aimed to examine the extent to which four
      sets of factors (socioeconomic status [SES], health care access, health status,
      and social support and participation) account for such rural-urban differences.
      METHOD: Cross-sectional data from the 2011 China Health and Retirement
      Longitudinal Study were analyzed. A representative sample (N = 5,103) of older
      Chinese (age 60+) was included. Depressive symptoms were measured by the 10-item
      Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10). Multilevel linear
      regression was conducted. RESULTS: Rural elders had more depressive symptoms than
      urban elders. When SES at the individual, household, and community level was
      simultaneously controlled, the rural-urban difference lost its statistical
      significance. Health status, social support, and social participation accounted
      for some, whereas health care access explained almost none, of the rural-urban
      difference. DISCUSSION: Results suggest that SES is the predominant factor
      accounting for the rural-urban depression gap in China.

PMID- 26100621
TI  - Structural Basis for Small Molecule NDB (N-Benzyl-N-(3-(tert-butyl)-4
      hydroxyphenyl)-2,6-dichloro-4-(dimethylamino) Benzamide) as a Selective
      Antagonist of Farnesoid X Receptor alpha (FXRalpha) in Stabilizing the
      Homodimerization of the Receptor.
AB  - Farnesoid X receptor alpha (FXRalpha) as a bile acid sensor plays potent roles in
      multiple metabolic processes, and its antagonist has recently revealed special
      interests in the treatment of metabolic disorders, although the underlying
      mechanisms still remain unclear. Here, we identified that the small molecule N
      benzyl-N-(3-(tert-butyl)-4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,6-dichloro-4-(dimethylamino)
      benzamide (NDB) functioned as a selective antagonist of human FXRalpha
      (hFXRalpha), and the crystal structure of hFXRalpha ligand binding domain
      (hFXRalpha-LBD) in complex with NDB was analyzed. It was unexpectedly discovered
      that NDB induced rearrangements of helix 11 (H11) and helix 12 (H12, AF-2) by
      forming a homodimer of hFXRalpha-LBD, totally different from the active
      conformation in monomer state, and the binding details were further supported by
      the mutation analysis. Moreover, functional studies demonstrated that NDB
      effectively antagonized the GW4064-stimulated FXR/RXR interaction and FXRalpha
      target gene expression in primary mouse hepatocytes, including the small
      heterodimer partner (SHP) and bile-salt export pump (BSEP); meanwhile,
      administration of NDB to db/db mice efficiently decreased the gene expressions of
      phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), glucose 6-phosphatase (G6-pase), small
      heterodimer partner, and BSEP. It is expected that our first analyzed crystal
      structure of hFXRalpha-LBD.NDB will help expound the antagonistic mechanism of
      the receptor, and NDB may find its potential as a lead compound in anti-diabetes
      research. 

PMID- 26100622
TI  - STAT3 Protein Regulates Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Switch by
      Interaction with Myocardin.
AB  - The JAK-STAT3 signaling pathway is one of the critical pathways regulating cell
      proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Myocardin is regarded as a key
      mediator for the change of smooth muscle phenotypes. However, the relationship
      between STAT3 and myocardin in the vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic
      switch has not been investigated. The goal of this study was to investigate the
      molecular mechanism by which STAT3 affects the myocardin-regulated VSMC
      phenotypic switch. Data presented in this study demonstrated that STAT3 was
      rapidly up-regulated after stimulation with VEGF. Inhibition of the STAT3
      activation process impaired VSMC proliferation and enhanced the expression of
      VSMC contractile genes by increasing serum-response factor binding to the CArG
      containing regions of VSMC-specific contractile genes. In contrast, the
      interaction between serum-response factor and its co-activator myocardin was
      reduced by overexpression of STAT3. In addition, treated VEGF inhibited the
      transcription activity of myocardin, and overexpression of STAT3 inhibited
      myocardin-induced up-regulation of VSMC contractile phenotype-specific genes.
      Although myocardin and STAT3 are negatively correlated, interestingly, both of
      them can enhance the expression of VEGF, suggesting a feedback loop to regulate
      the VSMC phenotypic switch. Taken together, these results indicate that the JAK
      STAT3 signaling pathway plays a key role in controlling the phenotypic switch of
      VSMCs through the interactions between STAT3 and myocardin by various coordinated
      gene regulation pathways and feedback loops. 

PMID- 26100623
TI  - Molecular Determinants for the Inactivation of the Retinoblastoma Tumor
      Suppressor by the Viral Cyclin-dependent Kinase UL97.
AB  - The retinoblastoma (Rb) tumor suppressor restricts cell cycle progression by
      repressing E2F-responsive transcription. Cellular cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)
      mediated Rb inactivation through phosphorylation disrupts Rb-E2F complexes,
      stimulating transcription. The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL97 protein is a
      viral CDK (v-CDK) that phosphorylates Rb. Here we show that UL97 phosphorylates
      11 of the 16 consensus CDK sites in Rb. A cleft within Rb accommodates peptides
      with the amino acid sequence LXCXE. UL97 contains three such motifs. We
      determined that the first LXCXE motif (L1) of UL97 and the Rb cleft enhance UL97
      mediated Rb phosphorylation. A UL97 mutant with a non-functional L1 motif (UL97
      L1m) displayed significantly reduced Rb phosphorylation at multiple sites.
      Curiously, however, it efficiently disrupted Rb-E2F complexes but failed to
      relieve Rb-mediated repression of E2F reporter constructs. The HCMV immediate
      early 1 protein cooperated with UL97-L1m to inactivate Rb in transfection assays,
      likely indicating that cells infected with a UL97-L1m mutant virus show no
      defects in growth or E2F-responsive gene expression because of redundant viral
      mechanisms to inactivate Rb. Our data suggest that UL97 possesses a mechanism to
      elicit E2F-dependent gene expression distinct from disruption of Rb-E2F complexes
      and dependent upon both the L1 motif of UL97 and the cleft region of Rb. 

PMID- 26100624
TI  - Dimerization Domain of Retinal Membrane Guanylyl Cyclase 1 (RetGC1) Is an
      Essential Part of Guanylyl Cyclase-activating Protein (GCAP) Binding Interface.
AB  - The photoreceptor-specific proteins guanylyl cyclase-activating proteins (GCAPs)
      bind and regulate retinal membrane guanylyl cyclase 1 (RetGC1) but not
      natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPRA). Study of RetGC1 regulation in vitro and
      its association with fluorescently tagged GCAP in transfected cells showed that
      R822P substitution in the cyclase dimerization domain causing congenital early
      onset blindness disrupted RetGC1 ability to bind GCAP but did not eliminate its
      affinity for another photoreceptor-specific protein, retinal degeneration 3
      (RD3). Likewise, the presence of the NPRA dimerization domain in RetGC1/NPRA
      chimera specifically disabled binding of GCAPs but not of RD3. In subsequent
      mapping using hybrid dimerization domains in RetGC1/NPRA chimera, multiple RetGC1
      specific residues contributed to GCAP binding by the cyclase, but the region
      around Met(823) was the most crucial. Either positively or negatively charged
      residues in that position completely blocked GCAP1 and GCAP2 but not RD3 binding
      similarly to the disease-causing mutation in the neighboring Arg(822). The
      specificity of GCAP binding imparted by RetGC1 dimerization domain was not
      directly related to promoting dimerization of the cyclase. The probability of
      coiled coil dimer formation computed for RetGC1/NPRA chimeras, even those
      incapable of binding GCAP, remained high, and functional complementation tests
      showed that the RetGC1 active site, which requires dimerization of the cyclase,
      was formed even when Met(823) or Arg(822) was mutated. These results directly
      demonstrate that the interface for GCAP binding on RetGC1 requires not only the
      kinase homology region but also directly involves the dimerization domain and
      especially its portion containing Arg(822) and Met(823). 

PMID- 26100625
TI  - A Catalase-related Hemoprotein in Coral Is Specialized for Synthesis of Short
      chain Aldehydes: DISCOVERY OF P450-TYPE HYDROPEROXIDE LYASE ACTIVITY IN A
      CATALASE.
AB  - In corals a catalase-lipoxygenase fusion protein transforms arachidonic acid to
      the allene oxide 8R,9-epoxy-5,9,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid from which arise
      cyclopentenones such as the prostanoid-related clavulones. Recently we cloned two
      catalase-lipoxygenase fusion protein genes (a and b) from the coral Capnella
      imbricata, form a being an allene oxide synthase and form b giving
      uncharacterized polar products (Lohelaid, H., Teder, T., Toldsepp, K., Ekins, M.,
      and Samel, N. (2014) PloS ONE 9, e89215). Here, using HPLC-UV, LC-MS, and NMR
      methods, we identify a novel activity of fusion protein b, establishing its role
      in cleaving the lipoxygenase product 8R-hydroperoxy-eicosatetraenoic acid into
      the short-chain aldehydes (5Z)-8-oxo-octenoic acid and (3Z,6Z)-dodecadienal;
      these primary products readily isomerize in an aqueous medium to the
      corresponding 6E- and 2E,6Z derivatives. This type of enzymatic cleavage,
      splitting the carbon chain within the conjugated diene of the hydroperoxide
      substrate, is known only in plant cytochrome P450 hydroperoxide lyases. In
      mechanistic studies using (18)O-labeled substrate and incubations in H2(18)O, we
      established synthesis of the C8-oxo acid and C12 aldehyde with the retention of
      the hydroperoxy oxygens, consistent with synthesis of a short-lived hemiacetal
      intermediate that breaks down spontaneously into the two aldehydes. Taken
      together with our initial studies indicating differing gene regulation of the
      allene oxide synthase and the newly identified catalase-related hydroperoxide
      lyase and given the role of aldehydes in plant defense, this work uncovers a
      potential pathway in coral stress signaling and a novel enzymatic activity in the
      animal kingdom.

PMID- 26100626
TI  - TGFbeta-activated Kinase 1 (TAK1) Inhibition by 5Z-7-Oxozeaenol Attenuates Early
      Brain Injury after Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
AB  - Accumulating evidence suggests that activation of mitogen-activated protein
      kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor NF-kappaB exacerbates early brain injury (EBI)
      following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) by provoking proapoptotic and
      proinflammatory cellular signaling. Here we evaluate the role of TGFbeta
      activated kinase 1 (TAK1), a critical regulator of the NF-kappaB and MAPK
      pathways, in early brain injury following SAH. Although the expression level of
      TAK1 did not present significant alternation in the basal temporal lobe after
      SAH, the expression of phosphorylated TAK1 (Thr-187, p-TAK1) showed a substantial
      increase 24 h post-SAH. Intracerebroventricular injection of a selective TAK1
      inhibitor (10 min post-SAH), 5Z-7-oxozeaenol (OZ), significantly reduced the
      levels of TAK1 and p-TAK1 at 24 h post-SAH. Involvement of MAPKs and NF-kappaB
      signaling pathways was revealed that OZ inhibited SAH-induced phosphorylation of
      p38 and JNK, the nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB p65, and degradation of
      IkappaBalpha. Furthermore, OZ administration diminished the SAH-induced apoptosis
      and EBI. As a result, neurological deficits caused by SAH were reversed. Our
      findings suggest that TAK1 inhibition confers marked neuroprotection against EBI
      following SAH. Therefore, TAK1 might be a promising new molecular target for the
      treatment of SAH. 

PMID- 26100627
TI  - Novel Allosteric Modulators of G Protein-coupled Receptors.
AB  - G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are allosteric proteins, because their signal
      transduction relies on interactions between topographically distinct, yet
      conformationally linked, domains. Much of the focus on GPCR allostery in the new
      millennium, however, has been on modes of targeting GPCR allosteric sites with
      chemical probes due to the potential for novel therapeutics. It is now apparent
      that some GPCRs possess more than one targetable allosteric site, in addition to
      a growing list of putative endogenous modulators. Advances in structural biology
      are also shedding new insights into mechanisms of allostery, although the
      complexities of candidate allosteric drugs necessitate rigorous biological
      characterization. 

PMID- 26100628
TI  - From G Protein-coupled Receptor Structure Resolution to Rational Drug Design.
AB  - A number of recent technical solutions have led to significant advances in G
      protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) structural biology. Apart from a detailed
      mechanistic view of receptor activation, the new structures have revealed novel
      ligand binding sites. Together, these insights provide avenues for rational drug
      design to modulate the activities of these important drug targets. The
      application of structural data to GPCR drug discovery ushers in an exciting era
      with the potential to improve existing drugs and discover new ones. In this
      review, we focus on technical solutions that have accelerated GPCR
      crystallography as well as some of the salient findings from structures that are
      relevant to drug discovery. Finally, we outline some of the approaches used in
      GPCR structure based drug design. 

PMID- 26100629
TI  - Integrated Approaches for Genome-wide Interrogation of the Druggable Non
      olfactory G Protein-coupled Receptor Superfamily.
AB  - G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are frequent and fruitful targets for drug
      discovery and development, as well as being off-targets for the side effects of a
      variety of medications. Much of the druggable non-olfactory human GPCR-ome
      remains under-interrogated, and we present here various approaches that we and
      others have used to shine light into these previously dark corners of the human
      genome. 

PMID- 26100630
TI  - A Cytotoxic Antibody Recognizing Lacto-N-fucopentaose I (LNFP I) on Human Induced
      Pluripotent Stem (hiPS) Cells.
AB  - We have generated a mouse monoclonal antibody (R-17F, IgG1 subtype) specific to
      human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS)/embryonic stem (ES) cells by using a hiPS
      cell line as an antigen. Triple-color confocal immunostaining images of hiPS
      cells with R-17F indicated that the R-17F epitope was expressed exclusively and
      intensively on the cell membranes of hiPS cells and co-localized partially with
      those of SSEA-4 and SSEA-3. Lines of evidence suggested that the predominant part
      of the R-17F epitope was a glycolipid. Upon TLC blot of total lipid extracts from
      hiPS cells with R-17F, one major R-17F-positive band was observed at a slow
      migration position close to that of anti-blood group H1(O) antigen. MALDI-TOF-MS
      and MS(n) analyses of the purified antigen indicated that the presumptive
      structure of the R-17F antigen was Fuc-Hex-HexNAc-Hex-Hex-Cer. Glycan microarray
      analysis involving 13 different synthetic oligosaccharides indicated that R-17F
      bound selectively to LNFP I (Fucalpha1-2Galbeta1-3GlcNAcbeta1-3Galbeta1-4Glc). A
      critical role of the terminal Fucalpha1-2 residue was confirmed by the selective
      disappearance of R-17F binding to the purified antigen upon alpha1-2 fucosidase
      digestion. Most interestingly, R-17F, when added to hiPS/ES cell suspensions,
      exhibited potent dose-dependent cytotoxicity. The cytotoxic effect was augmented
      markedly upon the addition of the secondary antibody (goat anti-mouse IgG1
      antibody). R-17F may be beneficial for safer regenerative medicine by eliminating
      residual undifferentiated hiPS cells in hiPS-derived regenerative tissues, which
      are considered to be a strong risk factor for carcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26100631
TI  - Caspase-8 as an Effector and Regulator of NLRP3 Inflammasome Signaling.
AB  - We recently described the induction of noncanonical IL-1beta processing via
      caspase-8 recruited to ripoptosome signaling platforms in myeloid leukocytes.
      Here, we demonstrate that activated NLRP3.ASC inflammasomes recruit caspase-8 to
      drive IL-1beta processing in murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDC)
      independent of caspase-1 and -11. Sustained stimulation (>2 h) of LPS-primed
      caspase-1-deficient (Casp1/11(-/-)) BMDC with the canonical NLRP3 inflammasome
      agonist nigericin results in release of bioactive IL-1beta in conjunction with
      robust caspase-8 activation. This IL-1beta processing and caspase-8 activation do
      not proceed in Nlrp3(-/-) or Asc(-/-) BMDC and are suppressed by pharmacological
      inhibition of caspase-8, indicating that caspase-8 can act as a direct IL-1beta
      converting enzyme during NLRP3 inflammasome activation. In contrast to the rapid
      caspase-1-mediated death of wild type (WT) BMDC via NLRP3-dependent pyroptosis,
      nigericin-stimulated Casp1/11(-/-) BMDC exhibit markedly delayed cell death via
      NLRP3-dependent apoptosis. Biochemical analyses of WT and Casp1/11(-/-) BMDC
      indicated that caspase-8 is proteolytically processed within detergent-insoluble
      ASC-enriched protein complexes prior to extracellular export during nigericin
      treatment. Although nigericin-stimulated caspase-1 activation and activity are
      only modestly attenuated in caspase-8-deficient (Casp8(-/-)Rip3(-/-)) BMDC, these
      cells do not exhibit the rapid loss of viability of WT cells. These results
      support a contribution of caspase-8 to both IL-1beta production and regulated
      death signaling via NLRP3 inflammasomes. In the absence of caspase-1, NLRP3
      inflammasomes directly utilize caspase-8 as both a pro-apoptotic initiator and
      major IL-1beta-converting protease. In the presence of caspase-1, caspase-8 acts
      as a positive modulator of the NLRP3-dependent caspase-1 signaling cascades that
      drive both IL-1beta production and pyroptotic death. 

PMID- 26100632
TI  - Autophagy-Lysosome Pathway in Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells Is Disrupted by
      Advanced Glycation End Products in Diabetic Nephropathy.
AB  - It has been suggested that autophagy protects renal tubular epithelial cells
      (TECs) from injury in diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, the manner in which the
      autophagy-lysosome pathway is changed in this state remains unclear. In this
      study of DN, we investigated the autophagic activity and lysosomal alterations in
      vivo and in vitro. We found that autophagic vacuoles and SQSTM1-positive proteins
      accumulated in TECs from patients with DN and in human renal tubular epithelial
      cell line (HK-2 cells) treated with advanced glycation end products (AGEs), the
      important factors that involved in the pathogenesis of DN. In HK-2 cells,
      exposure to AGEs caused a significant increase in autophagosomes but a marked
      decrease in autolysosomes, and the lysosomal turnover of LC3-II was not observed,
      although LC3-II puncta were co-localized with the irregular lysosomal-associated
      membrane protein1 granules after AGEs treatment. Furthermore, lysosomal membrane
      permeabilization was triggered by AGEs, which likely resulted in a decrease in
      the enzymatic activities of cathepsin B and cathepsin L, the defective
      acidification of lysosomes, and suppression of the lysosomal degradation of DQ
      ovalbumin. Oxidative stress evoked by AGEs-receptor for AGE interaction likely
      played an important role in the lysosomal dysfunction. Additionally,
      ubiquitinated proteins were co-localized with SQSTM1-positive puncta and
      accumulated in HK-2 cells after exposure to AGEs, indicating blocked degradation
      of SQSTM1-positive and ubiquitinated aggregates. Taken together, the results show
      that lysosomal membrane permeabilization and lysosomal dysfunction are triggered
      by AGEs, which induce autophagic inactivation in TECs from patients with DN.
      Disruption of the autophagy-lysosome pathway should be focused when studying the
      mechanisms underlying DN. 

PMID- 26100633
TI  - Transcriptional Regulation of the Sodium-activated Potassium Channel SLICK
      (KCNT2) Promoter by Nuclear Factor-kappaB.
AB  - Although recent studies have shown the sodium-activated potassium channel SLACK
      (KCNT1) can contribute to neuronal excitability, there remains little information
      on the physiological role of the closely related SLICK (KCNT2) channel.
      Activation of SLICK channels may be important during pathological states such as
      ischemia, in which an increase in intracellular sodium and chloride can perturb
      membrane potential and ion homeostasis. We have identified two NFkappaB-binding
      sites within the promoter region of the human SLICK (KCNT2) and orthologous rat
      Slick (Kcnt2) genes, suggesting that conditions in which NFkappaB transcriptional
      activity is elevated promote expression of this channel. NFkappaB binding to the
      rat Slick promoter was confirmed in vivo by ChIP analyses, and NFkappaB was found
      differentially bound to the two sites. We verified NFkappaB transcriptional
      regulation of SLICK/Slick by mutational analyses and studying gene expression by
      luciferase assay in P19 cells, where NFkappaB is constitutively active. For the
      rat gene, activation of the Slick promoter was found to be additive in single
      NFkappaB mutations and synergistic in double mutations. Unexpectedly, for the
      human gene, NFkappaB exhibited cooperativity in activating the SLICK promoter.
      The human SLICK promoter constructs were then tested under hypoxic conditions in
      PC-12 cells, where NFkappaB is not active. Only under hypoxic conditions could
      luciferase activity be detected; the double NFkappaB mutant construct failed to
      exhibit activity. Transcriptional regulation of Slick by NFkappaB was verified in
      primary neurons. The Slick transcript decreased 24 h after NFkappaB inhibition.
      Our data show SLICK expression is predominantly under the control of NFkappaB.
      Because neuronal NFkappaB activation occurs during stressful stimuli such as
      hypoxia and injury, our findings suggest that SLICK is a neuroprotective gene. 

PMID- 26100634
TI  - Bacteria May Cope Differently from Similar Membrane Damage Caused by the
      Australian Tree Frog Antimicrobial Peptide Maculatin 1.1.
AB  - Maculatin 1.1 (Mac1) is an antimicrobial peptide from the skin of Australian tree
      frogs and is known to possess selectivity toward Gram-positive bacteria. Although
      Mac1 has membrane disrupting activity, it is not known how Mac1 selectively
      targets Gram-positive over Gram-negative bacteria. The interaction of Mac1 with
      Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and human red blood cells (hRBC) and
      with their mimetic model membranes is here reported. The peptide showed a 16-fold
      greater growth inhibition activity against S. aureus (4 MUM) than against E. coli
      (64 MUM) and an intermediate cytotoxicity against hRBC (30 MUM). Surprisingly,
      Sytox Green uptake monitored by flow cytometry showed that Mac1 compromised both
      bacterial membranes with similar efficiency at ~20-fold lower concentration than
      the reported minimum inhibition concentration against S. aureus. Mac1 also
      reduced the negative potential of S. aureus and E. coli membrane with similar
      efficacy. Furthermore, liposomes mimicking the cell membrane of S. aureus
      (POPG/TOCL) and E. coli (POPE/POPG) were lysed at similar concentrations, whereas
      hRBC-like vesicles (POPC/SM/Chol) remained mostly intact in the presence of Mac1.
      Remarkably, when POPG/TOCL and POPE/POPG liposomes were co-incubated, Mac1 did
      not induce leakage from POPE/POPG liposomes, suggesting a preference toward
      POPG/TOCL membranes that was supported by surface plasma resonance assays.
      Interestingly, circular dichroism spectroscopy showed a similar helical
      conformation in the presence of the anionic liposomes but not the hRBC mimics.
      Overall, the study showed that Mac1 disrupts bacterial membranes in a similar
      fashion before cell death events and would preferentially target S. aureus over
      E. coli or hRBC membranes.

PMID- 26100635
TI  - Lipopolysaccharide Phosphorylation by the WaaY Kinase Affects the Susceptibility
      of Escherichia coli to the Human Antimicrobial Peptide LL-37.
AB  - The human cathelicidin LL-37 is a multifunctional host defense peptide with
      immunomodulatory and antimicrobial roles. It kills bacteria primarily by altering
      membrane barrier properties, although the exact sequence of events leading to
      cell lysis has not yet been completely elucidated. Random insertion mutagenesis
      allowed isolation of Escherichia coli mutants with altered susceptibility to LL
      37, pointing to factors potentially relevant to its activity. Among these,
      inactivation of the waaY gene, encoding a kinase responsible for heptose II
      phosphorylation in the LPS inner core, leads to a phenotype with decreased
      susceptibility to LL-37, stemming from a reduced amount of peptide binding to the
      surface of the cells, and a diminished capacity to lyse membranes. This points to
      a specific role of the LPS inner core in guiding LL-37 to the surface of Gram
      negative bacteria. Although electrostatic interactions are clearly relevant, the
      susceptibility of the waaY mutant to other cationic helical cathelicidins was
      unaffected, indicating that particular structural features or LL-37 play a role
      in this interaction. 

PMID- 26100637
TI  - Hypertension-causing Mutations in Cullin3 Protein Impair RhoA Protein
      Ubiquitination and Augment the Association with Substrate Adaptors.
AB  - Cullin-Ring ubiquitin ligases regulate protein turnover by promoting the
      ubiquitination of substrate proteins, targeting them for proteasomal degradation.
      It has been shown previously that mutations in Cullin3 (Cul3) causing deletion of
      57 amino acids encoded by exon 9 (Cul3Delta9) cause hypertension. Moreover, RhoA
      activity contributes to vascular constriction and hypertension. We show that
      ubiquitination and degradation of RhoA is dependent on Cul3 in HEK293T cells in
      which Cul3 expression is ablated by either siRNA or by CRISPR-Cas9 genome
      editing. The latter was used to generate a Cul3-null cell line (HEK293T(Cul3KO)).
      When expressed in these cells, Cul3Delta9 supported reduced ubiquitin ligase
      activity toward RhoA compared with equivalent levels of wild-type Cul3 (Cul3WT).
      Consistent with its reduced activity, binding of Cul3Delta9 to the E3 ubiquitin
      ligase Rbx1 and neddylation of Cul3Delta9 were impaired significantly compared
      with Cul3WT. Conversely, Cul3Delta9 bound to substrate adaptor proteins more
      efficiently than Cul3WT. Cul3Delta9 also forms unstable dimers with Cul3WT,
      disrupting dimers of Cul3WT complexes that are required for efficient
      ubiquitination of some substrates. Indeed, coexpression of Cul3WT and Cul3Delta9
      in HEK293T(Cul3KO) cells resulted in a decrease in the active form of Cul3WT. We
      conclude that Cul3Delta9-associated ubiquitin ligase activity toward RhoA is
      impaired and suggest that Cul3Delta9 mutations may act dominantly by sequestering
      substrate adaptors and disrupting Cul3WT complexes. 

PMID- 26100638
TI  - A Polybasic Plasma Membrane Binding Motif in the I-II Linker Stabilizes Voltage
      gated CaV1.2 Calcium Channel Function.
AB  - L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels (LTCCs) regulate many physiological
      functions like muscle contraction, hormone secretion, gene expression, and
      neuronal excitability. Their activity is strictly controlled by various molecular
      mechanisms. The pore-forming alpha1-subunit comprises four repeated domains (I
      IV), each connected via an intracellular linker. Here we identified a polybasic
      plasma membrane binding motif, consisting of four arginines, within the I-II
      linker of all LTCCs. The primary structure of this motif is similar to polybasic
      clusters known to interact with polyphosphoinositides identified in other ion
      channels. We used de novo molecular modeling to predict the conformation of this
      polybasic motif, immunofluorescence microscopy and live cell imaging to
      investigate the interaction with the plasma membrane, and electrophysiology to
      study its role for Cav1.2 channel function. According to our models, this
      polybasic motif of the I-II linker forms a straight alpha-helix, with the
      positive charges facing the lipid phosphates of the inner leaflet of the plasma
      membrane. Membrane binding of the I-II linker could be reversed after
      phospholipase C activation, causing polyphosphoinositide breakdown, and was
      accelerated by elevated intracellular Ca(2+) levels. This indicates the
      involvement of negatively charged phospholipids in the plasma membrane targeting
      of the linker. Neutralization of four arginine residues eliminated plasma
      membrane binding. Patch clamp recordings revealed facilitated opening of Cav1.2
      channels containing these mutations, weaker inhibition by phospholipase C
      activation, and reduced expression of channels (as quantified by ON-gating
      charge) at the plasma membrane. Our data provide new evidence for a membrane
      binding motif within the I-II linker of LTCC alpha1-subunits essential for
      stabilizing normal Ca(2+) channel function. 

PMID- 26100636
TI  - Inhibition of N-Methyl-D-aspartate-induced Retinal Neuronal Death by Polyarginine
      Peptides Is Linked to the Attenuation of Stress-induced Hyperpolarization of the
      Inner Mitochondrial Membrane Potential.
AB  - It is widely accepted that overactivation of NMDA receptors, resulting in calcium
      overload and consequent mitochondrial dysfunction in retinal ganglion neurons,
      plays a significant role in promoting neurodegenerative disorders such as
      glaucoma. Calcium has been shown to initiate a transient hyperpolarization of the
      mitochondrial membrane potential triggering a burst of reactive oxygen species
      leading to apoptosis. Strategies that enhance cell survival signaling pathways
      aimed at preventing this adverse hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane
      potential may provide a novel therapeutic intervention in retinal disease. In the
      retina, brain-derived neurotrophic factor has been shown to be neuroprotective,
      and our group previously reported a PSD-95/PDZ-binding cyclic peptide (CN2097)
      that augments brain-derived neurotrophic factor-induced pro-survival signaling.
      Here, we examined the neuroprotective properties of CN2097 using an established
      retinal in vivo NMDA toxicity model. CN2097 completely attenuated NMDA-induced
      caspase 3-dependent and -independent cell death and PARP-1 activation pathways,
      blocked necrosis, and fully prevented the loss of long term ganglion cell
      viability. Although neuroprotection was partially dependent upon CN2097 binding
      to the PDZ domain of PSD-95, our results show that the polyarginine-rich
      transport moiety C-R(7), linked to the PDZ-PSD-95-binding cyclic peptide, was
      sufficient to mediate short and long term protection via a mitochondrial
      targeting mechanism. C-R(7) localized to mitochondria and was found to reduce
      mitochondrial respiration, mitochondrial membrane hyperpolarization, and the
      generation of reactive oxygen species, promoting survival of retinal neurons. 

PMID- 26100639
TI  - Insulin Resistance Prevents AMPK-induced Tau Dephosphorylation through Akt
      mediated Increase in AMPKSer-485 Phosphorylation.
AB  - Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors including
      obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance (IR) is the central
      feature of MetS. Recent studies suggest that MetS is a risk factor for Alzheimer
      disease (AD). AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) is an evolutionarily conserved fuel
      sensing enzyme and a key player in regulating energy metabolism. In this report,
      we examined the role of IR on the regulation of AMPK phosphorylation and AMPK
      mediated Tau phosphorylation. We found that AMPK(Ser-485), but not AMPK(Thr-172),
      phosphorylation is increased in the cortex of db/db and high fat diet-fed obese
      mice, two mouse models of IR. In vitro, treatment of human cortical stem cell
      line (HK-5320) and primary mouse embryonic cortical neurons with the AMPK
      activator, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide 1-beta-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR),
      induced AMPK phosphorylation at both Thr-172 and Ser-485. AMPK activation also
      triggered Tau dephosphorylation. When IR was mimicked in vitro by chronically
      treating the cells with insulin, AICAR specifically induced AMPK(Ser-485), but
      not AMPK(Thr-172), hyperphosphorylation whereas AICAR-induced Tau
      dephosphorylation was inhibited. IR also resulted in the overactivation of Akt by
      AICAR treatment; however, preventing Akt overactivation during IR prevented
      AMPK(Ser-485) hyperphosphorylation and restored AMPK-mediated Tau
      dephosphorylation. Transfection of AMPK(S485A) mutant caused similar results.
      Therefore, our results suggest the following mechanism for the adverse effect of
      IR on AD pathology: IR -> chronic overactivation of Akt -> AMPK(Ser-485)
      hyperphosphorylation -> inhibition of AMPK-mediated Tau dephosphorylation.
      Together, our results show for the first time a possible contribution of IR
      induced AMPK(Ser-485) phosphorylation to the increased risk of AD in obesity and
      diabetes.

PMID- 26100640
TI  - Insulin pump therapy, multiple daily injections, and cardiovascular mortality in
      18,168 people with type 1 diabetes: observational study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the long term effects of continuous subcutaneous
      insulin infusion (insulin pump therapy) on cardiovascular diseases and mortality
      in people with type 1 diabetes. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: Swedish
      National Diabetes Register, Sweden 2005-12. PARTICIPANTS: 18,168 people with type
      1 diabetes, 2441 using insulin pump therapy and 15,727 using multiple daily
      insulin injections. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cox regression analysis was used to
      estimate hazard ratios for the outcomes, with stratification of propensity scores
      including clinical characteristics, risk factors for cardiovascular disease,
      treatments, and previous diseases. RESULTS: Follow-up was for a mean of 6.8 years
      until December 2012, with 114,135 person years. With multiple daily injections as
      reference, the adjusted hazard ratios for insulin pump treatment were
      significantly lower: 0.55 (95% confidence interval 0.36 to 0.83) for fatal
      coronary heart disease, 0.58 (0.40 to 0.85) for fatal cardiovascular disease
      (coronary heart disease or stroke), and 0.73 (0.58 to 0.92) for all cause
      mortality. Hazard ratios were lower, but not significantly so, for fatal or non
      fatal coronary heart disease and fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular disease.
      Unadjusted absolute differences were 3.0 events of fatal coronary heart disease
      per 1000 person years; corresponding figures were 3.3 for fatal cardiovascular
      disease and 5.7 for all cause mortality. When lower body mass index and previous
      cardiovascular diseases were excluded, results of subgroup analyses were similar
      to the results from complete data. A sensitivity analysis of unmeasured
      confounders in all individuals showed that an unmeasured confounders with hazard
      ratio of 1.3 would have to be present in >80% of the individuals treated with
      multiple daily injections versus not presence in those treated with pump therapy
      to invalidate the significantly lower hazard ratios for fatal cardiovascular
      disease. Data on patient education and frequency of blood glucose monitoring were
      missing, which might have influenced the observed association. CONCLUSION: Among
      people with type 1 diabetes use of insulin pump therapy is associated with lower
      cardiovascular mortality than treatment with multiple daily insulin injections.

PMID- 26100641
TI  - Comparison of magnesium alloys and poly-l-lactide screws as degradable implants
      in a canine fracture model.
AB  - The aims of this study were to evaluate in vivo the biological responses to
      implants composed of biodegradable anodized WE43 (containing magnesium yttrium,
      rare earth elements and zirconium; Elektron SynerMag(r)) magnesium alloy,
      monolithic WE43 magnesium alloy and poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA), which are commonly
      used materials in clinic settings, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the
      materials as bone screws. The effectiveness of the magnesium alloy implants in
      osteosynthesis was evaluated using a bone fracture model involving the tibia of
      beagle dogs. For the monolithic WE43 implants, radiological, and histological
      evaluation revealed that bone trabeculae around the implanted monolithic WE43
      decreased because of an inflammatory response. However, there was no damage due
      to hydrogen gas or inflammatory response in the bone tissue around the anodized
      WE43 implants. After 4 weeks, all the PLLA implants (n = 3) had broken but the
      WE43 implants had not (n = 6). These results suggest that the WE43 implants had
      sufficient strength to fix bone fractures at load-bearing sites in orthopedic and
      oral maxillofacial surgery. Therefore, these biodegradable magnesium alloys are
      good candidates for replacing biodegradable polymers. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1282-1289, 2016.

PMID- 26100642
TI  - Nanoscale alterations of corneocytes indicate skin disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The skin barrier protects the organism against exogenous stressors
      and simultaneously prevents excessive water loss. While the delicate regulation
      of skin barrier is not completely understood, morphological and histological
      evaluation remain key features of clinical investigations. Here, we extended the
      phenotypic perspective down to the nanoscale. METHODS: Corneocyte samples were
      obtained non-invasively by a standard tape stripping procedure from 21
      indviduals. Scanning electron (SEM) and atomic force microcopy (AFM) were used to
      record nanoscale topography. Circular nano-objects were identified and these were
      quantitated through computer vision. RESULTS: Typical dimensions of 273 nm height
      and 305 nm width. We showed that their density does not correlate to age or
      pigmentation in healthy subjects, but that they were clearly elevated in
      corneocytes from patients with atopic dermatitis, a common inflammatory skin
      condition. CONCLUSION: The presence of these corneocyte-nanostructures might be
      used as a diagnostic parameter for skin disorders - even in cases below a
      clinical threshold.

PMID- 26100643
TI  - Hydrogen bonding of the dissociated histidine ligand is not required for
      formation of a proximal NO adduct in cytochrome c'.
AB  - Cytochromes c', that occur in methanotrophic, denitrifying and photosynthetic
      bacteria, form unusual proximal penta-coordinate NO complexes via a hexa
      coordinate distal NO intermediate. Their NO binding properties are similar to
      those of the eukaryotic NO sensor, soluble guanylate cyclase, for which they
      provide a valuable structural model. Previous studies suggested that hydrogen
      bonding between the displaced proximal histidine (His120) ligand (following its
      dissociation from heme due to trans effects from the distally bound NO) and a
      conserved aspartate residue (Asp121) could play a key role in allowing proximal
      NO binding to occur. We have characterized three variants of Alcaligenes
      xylosoxidans cytochrome c' (AXCP) where Asp121 has been replaced by Ala, Ile and
      Gln, respectively. In all variants, hydrogen bonding between residue 121 and
      His120 is abolished yet 5-coordinate proximal NO species are still formed. Our
      data therefore demonstrate that the His120-Asp121 bond is not essential for
      proximal NO binding although it likely provides an energy minimum for the
      displaced His ligand. All variants have altered proximal pocket structure
      relative to native AXCP. 

PMID- 26100648
TI  - Transcription factors GATA4 and TBX5 promote cardiomyogenic differentiation of
      rat bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells.
AB  - Bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) have potential applications in cell
      and gene therapies for cardiac disease. The cardiac-specific transcription
      factors GATA-binding protein 4 (GATA4) and T-Box protein 5 (TBX5) are considered
      to be pivotal in cardiogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      effects of GATA4 and TBX5 on cardiomyogenic differentiation of BMSCs. The BMSCs
      were initially isolated and identified. Vectors harboring cardiac transcription
      factor genes GATA4 and TBX5 or empty vectors were transferred into BMSCs.
      Cardiomyogenic cells differentiated from BMSCs were identified by expression of
      cardiac-specific markers including cardiac troponin T, connexin 43, beta-myosin
      heavy chain, and myosin light chain-2 using immunocytochemical staining, western
      blotting, and quantitative real-time PCR. The ultrastructures of the
      differentiated cells were examined by transmission electron microscopy, which
      were similar to those of fetal cardiomyocytes. The differentiated cells exhibited
      L-type calcium current activities reflective of the electrophysiological
      characteristics of cardiomyocytes. These findings indicate that exogenous
      expression of cardiac-specific transcription factors GATA4 and TBX5 enhance
      cardiomyogenic differentiation of BMSCs. 

PMID- 26100650
TI  - Pharmacologic Options for the Treatment of Sarcopenia.
AB  - Sarcopenia is now clinically defined as a loss of muscle mass coupled with
      functional deterioration (either walking speed or distance or grip strength).
      Based on the FRAX studies suggesting that the questions without bone mineral
      density can be used to screen for osteoporosis, there is now a valid simple
      questionnaire to screen for sarcopenia, i.e., the SARC-F. Numerous factors have
      been implicated in the pathophysiology of sarcopenia. These include genetic
      factors, mitochondrial defects, decreased anabolic hormones (e.g., testosterone,
      vitamin D, growth hormone and insulin growth hormone-1), inflammatory cytokine
      excess, insulin resistance, decreased protein intake and activity, poor blood
      flow to muscle and deficiency of growth derived factor-11. Over the last decade,
      there has been a remarkable increase in our understanding of the molecular
      biology of muscle, resulting in a marked increase in potential future targets for
      the treatment of sarcopenia. At present, resistance exercise, protein
      supplementation, and vitamin D have been established as the basic treatment of
      sarcopenia. High-dose testosterone increases muscle power and function, but has a
      number of potentially limiting side effects. Other drugs in clinical development
      include selective androgen receptor molecules, ghrelin agonists, myostatin
      antibodies, activin IIR antagonists, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors,
      beta antagonists, and fast skeletal muscle troponin activators. As sarcopenia is
      a major predictor of frailty, hip fracture, disability, and mortality in older
      persons, the development of drugs to treat it is eagerly awaited. 

PMID- 26100649
TI  - Synthesis of a Novel Nitronyl Nitroxide Radical and Determination of its
      Protective Effects Against Infrasound-Induced Injury.
AB  - Infrasound causes functional disorders and structural injury to the central
      nervous system. However, few anti-infrasound drugs exist, and they are
      inefficient. Nitronyl nitroxide radicals have been reported to be good
      antioxidants that act as superoxide dismutase mimics and directly react with
      reactive oxygen species, such as .OH, H2O2, and O 2 (?) -. Our previous research
      showed that the nitronyl nitroxide radical L-NNNBP has good protective effects
      against beta-amyloid deposition and memory deficits in an AD rat model of
      APP/PS1. The objective of the present study was to find a new group of anti
      infrasound drugs and determine the underlying pharmacological actions of nitronyl
      nitroxide radicals against infrasound-induced neuronal impairment in vivo. We
      synthesized a new stable nitronyl nitroxide radical, NRbt, and characterized its
      crystal structure. The results of the anti-oxidative damage effects of NRbt and
      the positive control drug tempol showed that they could significantly increase
      the SOD activity, CAT activity and GSH level and decrease the MDA level in rat
      hippocampi compared with infrasound exposure without pretreatment. Moreover, the
      ability of NRbt to regulate the activity or level of these biochemical markers
      was better than that of tempol. Our results showed that both NRbt and tempol
      significantly protected against the learning and memory impairments induced by
      infrasound exposure in a Morris water maze, but there were no significant
      differences in the path length or escape latency between the rats in the tempol
      group and the three NRbt groups (P > 0.05). In addition, the infrasound-induced
      neuronal apoptosis in rat hippocampi was significantly suppressed by NRbt and
      tempol. The results demonstrated that compared with the infrasound exposure
      group, the expression of Bcl-2 was up-regulated and the expressions of Bax and
      caspase-3 were down-regulated in rats pretreated with NRbt (40 mg/kg) or tempol
      (40 mg/kg). These results showed that the newly synthesized nitronyl nitroxide
      radical, NRbt, may be an effective anti-infrasound drug because of its capacity
      to inhibit the oxidative damage of free radicals induced by infrasound exposure. 

PMID- 26100651
TI  - Abnormal Bone Mechanical and Structural Properties in Adolescent Idiopathic
      Scoliosis: A Study with Finite Element Analysis and Structural Model Index.
AB  - Previous studies found adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is associated with
      low bone mineral density (BMD) and abnormal bone quality, whilst the association
      between AIS and their bone strength is unknown. From high-resolution peripheral
      quantitative computed tomography-generated images, bone mechanical properties can
      be evaluated with finite element analysis (FEA), and trabecular rod-plate
      configuration related to trabecular bone strength can be quantified by structure
      model index (SMI). This study aimed to compare trabecular configuration and bone
      mechanical properties between AIS and the controls. 95 AIS girls aged 12-14 years
      and 97 age- and gender-matched normal controls were recruited. Bilateral femoral
      necks and non-dominant distal radius were scanned by dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry for areal BMD and HR-pQCT for SMI and FEA, respectively. Subjects
      were further classified into osteopenic and non-osteopenic group based on their
      areal BMD. Bone mechanical properties (stiffness, failure load and apparent
      modulus) were calculated using FEA. Linear regression model was used for
      controlling age, physical activity and calcium intake. AIS was associated with
      lower failure load and apparent modulus after adjusting for age, whereas AIS was
      associated with lower apparent modulus after adjusting for all confounders.
      Osteopenic AIS was associated with more rod-like trabeculae when compared with
      non-osteopenic AIS, whereas no difference was detected between osteopenic and non
      osteopenic controls. This might be the result of abnormal regulation and
      modulation of bone metabolism and bone modelling and remodelling in AIS which
      will warrant future studies with a longitudinal design to determine the
      significance of micro-architectural abnormalities in AIS.

PMID- 26100652
TI  - Updated recommendations from the Spanish Oncology Genitourinary Group for the
      treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
AB  - Prostate cancer is the most prevalent male urogenital malignancy. Approximately
      30% of patients with prostate cancer will develop advanced disease. Androgen
      deprivation therapy achieves disease control in about 90% of these patients, but
      the majority of them will eventually develop progressive disease, a status called
      castration-resistant prostate carcinoma (CRPC). However, in recent years, several
      new therapy strategies, such as immunotherapy, hormonal manipulations,
      chemotherapy agents and some bone-targeted therapies, have demonstrated an
      improvement in terms of overall survival in controlled trials. In 2012, the
      Spanish Oncology Genitourinary Group (SOGUG) published its recommendations for
      the treatment of patients with CRPC. Due to the recent appearance of important
      new data and the complexity of decision-making in this field, SOGUG herein
      provides updated recommendations for the treatment of patients with metastatic
      prostate cancer. 

PMID- 26100653
TI  - The role of ABC transporters in ovarian cancer progression and chemoresistance.
AB  - Over 80% of ovarian cancer patients develop chemoresistance which results in a
      lethal course of the disease. A well-established cause of chemoresistance
      involves the family of ATP-binding cassette transporters, or ABC transporters
      that transport a wide range of substrates including metabolic products,
      nutrients, lipids, and drugs across extra- and intra-cellular membranes.
      Expressions of various ABC transporters, shown to reduce the intracellular
      accumulation of chemotherapy drugs, are increased following chemotherapy and
      impact on ovarian cancer survival. Although clinical trials to date using ABC
      transporter inhibitors have been disappointing, ABC transporter inhibition
      remains an attractive potential adjuvant to chemotherapy. A greater understanding
      of their physiological functions and role in ovarian cancer chemoresistance will
      be important for the development of more effective targeted therapies. This
      article will review the role of the ABC transporter family in ovarian cancer
      progression and chemoresistance as well as the clinical attempts used to date to
      reverse chemoresistance. 

PMID- 26100654
TI  - Photoregulation of alpha-Chymotrypsin Activity by Spiropyran-Based Inhibitors in
      Solution and Attached to an Optical Fiber.
AB  - Here the synthesis and characterization of a new class of spiropyran-based
      protease inhibitor is reported that can be reversibly photoswitched between an
      active spiropyran (SP) isomer and a less active merocyanine (MC) isomer upon
      irradiation with UV and visible light, respectively, both in solution and on a
      surface of a microstructured optical fiber (MOF). The most potent inhibitor in
      the series (SP-3 b) has a C-terminal phenylalanyl-based alpha-ketoester group and
      inhibits alpha-chymotrypsin with a Ki of 115 nM. An analogue containing a C
      terminal Weinreb amide (SP-2 d) demonstrated excellent stability and
      photoswitching in solution and was attached to the surface of a MOF. The SP
      isomer of Weinreb amide 2 d is a competitive reversible inhibitor in solution and
      also on fiber, while the corresponding MC isomer was significantly less active in
      both media. The ability of this new class of spiropyran-based protease inhibitor
      to modulate enzyme activity on a MOF paves the way for sensing applications. 

PMID- 26100655
TI  - Eating Disorders in Adolescents with Celiac Disease: Influence of Personality
      Characteristics and Coping.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Patients suffering from celiac disease (CD) have a higher risk of
      developing disturbed eating behaviour. METHOD: In a multi-centre study, 259
      female adolescents with CD and without a chronic condition were analysed
      regarding their eating disorder (ED) status, depression, personality, coping
      strategies and quality of life. RESULTS: Patients with CD and comorbid EDs were
      older and more often non-compliant with their diet and had a higher body mass
      index (BMI) and higher levels of depression. Differences in personality features
      disappear when controlling for age and depression. Higher ill-being and lower joy
      in life were reported by patients with CD and ED compared with patients without
      EDs, even when controlling for age and depression levels. No differences between
      patients (with CD) with and without EDs in coping strategies were found. BMI and
      lower self-directedness predicted ED status. CONCLUSIONS: Early identification of
      EDs in patients with CD is suggested and should include BMI and personality
      factors.

PMID- 26100656
TI  - Cytocompatibility of Biodentine using a three-dimensional cell culture model.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the cytotoxic effects of Biodentine, using a three-dimensional
      (3D) cell culture associated with an in situ root-end filling experimental model.
      White mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and zinc oxide cement were used as
      reference for comparison. IL-1alpha and TNF-alpha cytokine production were also
      evaluated. METHODOLOGY: The root canals of 24 human maxillary incisor teeth were
      prepared using a single-file reciprocating technique. After root filling, a 3-mm
      root-end resection was performed and 3 mm of gutta-percha was removed from the
      canal. The teeth were randomly distributed to receive one of the following root
      end filling materials: Biodentine, white MTA or zinc oxide cement (positive
      control group). In the negative control group, the root canal was not retro
      filled. The cytocompatibility of the materials was evaluated using the methyl
      thiazol-diphenyl-tetrazolium (MTT) assay in an in situ root-end filling
      experimental model. Balb/c 3T3 fibroblasts, cultured in rat tail collagen type I
      3D scaffold, were exposed to the root apex for 24 h, and cell viability was
      measured by means of reduction MTT salt. IL-1alpha and TNF-alpha production were
      analysed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. One-way analysis of variance
      was performed and, when the F-ratios were significant, data were compared by
      Duncan's multiple-range test. The alpha-type error was set at 0.05. RESULTS:
      Biodentine and MTA groups had similar cell activity to the negative control group
      (P > 0.05), indicating low cytotoxicity for both materials. The stronger
      cytotoxicity effect was identified on the zinc oxide cement (P < 0.05). Zinc
      oxide cement caused a significant up-regulation in IL-1alpha and TNF-alpha (P <
      0.05). No significant differences amongst MTA, Biodentine and the negative
      control group were observed for TNF-alpha (P > 0.05); however, both MTA and
      Biodentine were associated with overproduction of IL-1alpha when compared to the
      control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Biodentine and MTA had similar
      cytocompatibility in a 3D cell culture model associated with an in situ root-end
      filling model. The methodology could be used as an alternative to assess the
      cytocompatibility of endodontic cements because it is more closely related to the
      in vivo situation.

PMID- 26100657
TI  - Neuroimaging as a biomarker in symptom validity and performance validity testing.
AB  - How neuropsychological assessment findings are deemed valid has been a topic of
      numerous articles but few have addressed any role that neuroimaging studies could
      provide. Within military and various clinical samples of individuals undergoing
      neuropsychological evaluations, high levels of failure on measures of symptom
      validity testing (SVT) and/or performance validity testing (PVT) have been
      reported. Where 'failure' is defined as a below cut-score performance on some pre
      determined set-point on a SVT/PVT measure, are such failures always indicative of
      invalid test findings or are there other explanations, especially based on
      informative neuroimaging findings? This review starts with the premise that even
      though the SVT/PVT task is designed to be simple and easy to perform, it
      nonetheless requires intact frontoparietal attention, working memory and task
      engagement (motivation) networks. If there is damage or pathology within any
      aspect of these networks as demonstrated by neuroimaging findings, the patient
      may perform below the cut-point as a result of the underlying damage or
      pathophysiology. The argument is made that neuroimaging findings should be
      considered as to where SVT/PVT cut-points are established and there should be
      much greater flexibility in SVT/PVT measures based on other personal, demographic
      and neuroimaging information. Several case studies are used to demonstrate these
      points. 

PMID- 26100658
TI  - Grey matter correlates of susceptibility to scams in community-dwelling older
      adults.
AB  - Susceptibility to scams is a significant issue among older adults, even among
      those with intact cognition. Age-related changes in brain macrostructure may be
      associated with susceptibility to scams; however, this has yet to be explored.
      Based on previous work implicating frontal and temporal lobe functioning as
      important in decision making, we tested the hypothesis that susceptibility to
      scams is associated with smaller grey matter volume in frontal and temporal lobe
      regions in a large community-dwelling cohort of non-demented older adults.
      Participants (N = 327, mean age = 81.55, mean education = 15.30, 78.9 % female)
      completed a self-report measure used to assess susceptibility to scams and an MRI
      brain scan. Results indicated an inverse association between overall grey matter
      and susceptibility to scams in models adjusted for age, education, and sex; and
      in models further adjusted for cognitive function. No significant associations
      were observed for white matter, cerebrospinal fluid, or total brain volume.
      Models adjusted for age, education, and sex revealed seven clusters showing
      smaller grey matter in the right parahippocampal/hippocampal/fusiform, left
      middle temporal, left orbitofrontal, right ventromedial prefrontal, right middle
      temporal, right precuneus, and right dorsolateral prefrontal regions. In models
      further adjusted for cognitive function, results revealed three significant
      clusters showing smaller grey matter in the right
      parahippocampal/hippocampal/fusiform, right hippocampal, and right middle
      temporal regions. Lower grey matter concentration in specific brain regions may
      be associated with susceptibility to scams, even after adjusting for cognitive
      ability. Future research is needed to determine whether grey matter reductions in
      these regions may be a biomarker for susceptibility to scams in old age.

PMID- 26100659
TI  - Quality assessment of the guidelines on cystic neoplasms of the pancreas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Though cystic pancreatic neoplasms (CPNs) are being increasingly
      detected, their evaluation and management are still debated and have lead to
      publication of multiple guidelines for diagnostic work-up, indications for
      resection, and non-operative management with follow-up strategies of CPNs. AIMS:
      To analyze available guidelines in order to evaluate their overall quality and
      clinical applicability, indications for surgical resection and its extent,
      modalities and timing of follow-up when non-operative management is indicated.
      METHODS: After a systematic search of the English literature, we selected eight
      guidelines for assessment according to the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and
      Evaluation in Europe (AGREE) II instrument. RESULTS: One guideline received the
      lower AGREE score regarding the "scope and purpose", "rigor of development" and
      "clarity and presentation" domains, whereas one received the best score for
      "stakeholder involvement" domain. No differences were found among different
      guidelines regarding the "applicability". The overall quality assessment score
      showed that only two guidelines were significantly lower than the others.
      According to the practical utilization recommendation score, four guidelines were
      considered as having full applicability in clinical practice. CONCLUSION:
      Existing guidelines provide adequate guidance, at least with the present
      knowledge, for the management of cystic pancreatic lesions; however, not any one
      was satisfactory to all aspects related to the management of CPN. An update of
      the existing guidelines should be considered if and when more evidence-based data
      are available.

PMID- 26100660
TI  - Calcium signaling and secretion in cholangiocytes.
AB  - Alcoholic hepatitis affects up to one-third of individuals who abuse alcohol and
      can be associated with high mortality. Although this disorder is characterized by
      hepatocellular damage, steatosis and neutrophil infiltration, recent evidence
      suggests that cholestasis or impaired bile secretion may be a frequent occurrence
      as well. Bile secretion results from the concerted activity of hepatocytes and
      cholangiocytes, the epithelial cells that line the bile ducts. Hepatocytes
      secrete bile acids and conjugated products into the bile canaliculi, which then
      are modified by cholangiocytes through secretion of bicarbonate and water to give
      rise to the final secreted bile. Here the molecular mechanisms regulating bile
      secretion in cholangiocytes are reviewed. Moreover, we discuss how the expression
      of intracellular Ca(2+) channels might be regulated in cholangiocytes, plus
      evidence that components of the Ca(2+) signaling machinery are altered in a range
      of cholestatic diseases of the bile ducts. 

PMID- 26100661
TI  - Shaping the oral mycobiota: interactions of opportunistic fungi with oral
      bacteria and the host.
AB  - The oral mycobiota is an important component of the oral microbiota that has only
      recently received increased attention. The diversity and complexity of the oral
      mycobiota in healthy humans is greater than any other body site. Dysbiotic
      imbalance of indigenous fungal communities in immunosuppressed hosts has been
      proposed to lead to oropharyngeal fungal infections. As in other body sites, to
      survive and thrive in the oral cavity fungi have to maintain mutually beneficial
      relationships with the resident bacterial microbiota and the host. Here we review
      our current understanding of the composition of the oral mycobiota and how it may
      be influenced by oral commensal bacteria and the host environment. 

PMID- 26100662
TI  - Compensation for Blood Plasma Donation as a Distinctive Ethical Hazard:
      Reformulating the Commodification Objection.
AB  - In this essay, I argue that the Commodification Objection (suitably redescribed),
      locates a phenomenon of real moral significance. In defending the Commodification
      Objection, I review three common criticisms of it, which claim firstly, that
      commodification doesn't always lead to instrumentalization; secondly, that
      commodification isn't the only route to such an outcome; and finally, that the
      Commodification Objection applies only to persons, and human organs (and,
      therefore, blood products) are not persons. In response, I conclude that (i)
      moral significance does not require that an undesirable outcome be a necessary
      consequence of the phenomenon under examination; (ii) the relative likelihood of
      an undesirable mode of regard arising provides a morally-relevant distinguishing
      marker for assessing the comparative moral status of social institutions and
      arrangements; and (iii) sales in blood products (and human organs more generally)
      are sufficiently distinct from sales of everyday artefacts and sufficiently close
      to personhood to provide genuine grounds for concern. Accordingly, criticisms of
      the Commodification Objection do not provide grounds for rejecting the claim that
      human organ sales in general and compensation for blood plasma donation in
      particular can have morally pernicious 'commodificatory effects' upon our
      attitudes, for what human organ sales provide is a distinctive ethical hazard. 

PMID- 26100663
TI  - A sleep-inducing peptide from the venom of the Indian cone snail Conus araneosus.
AB  - The marine snail Conus araneosus has unusual significance due to its confined
      distribution to coastal regions of southeast India and Sri Lanka. Due to its
      relative scarceness, this species has been poorly studied. In this work, we
      characterized the venom of C. araneosus to identify new venom peptides. We
      identified 14 novel compounds. We determined amino acid sequences from chemically
      modified and unmodified crude venom using liquid chromatography-electrospray
      ionization mass spectrometry and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time
      of-flight mass spectrometry. Ten sequences showed six Cys residues arranged in a
      pattern that is most commonly associated with the M-superfamily of conotoxins.
      Four other sequences had four Cys residues in a pattern that is most commonly
      associated with the T-superfamily of conotoxins. The post-translationally
      modified residue (pyroglutamate) was determined at the N-terminus of two
      sequences, ar3h and ar3i respectively. In addition, two sequences, ar3g and ar3h
      were C-terminally amidated. At a dose of 2 nmol, peptide ar3j elicited sleep when
      injected intraperitoneally into mice. To our knowledge, this is the first report
      of a peptide from a molluscivorous cone snail with sleep-inducing effects in
      mice. The novel peptides characterized herein extend the repertoire of unique
      peptides derived from cone snails and may add value to the therapeutic promise of
      conotoxins.

PMID- 26100664
TI  - Lachesis stenophrys venom reduces the equine antibody response towards Bothrops
      asper venom used as co-immunogen in the production of polyspecific snake
      antivenom.
AB  - The anti-bothropic activity of an antivenom prepared from the plasma of horses
      immunized with Bothrops asper venom (anti-B antivenom) was compared with a
      similar formulation produced from the plasma of horses immunized with a mixture
      of B. asper and Lachesis stenophrys venoms (anti-BL antivenom). Likewise, a
      comparison between the anti-lachesic activity of the anti-BL antivenom and a
      similar formulation prepared from horses immunized only with L. stenophrys venom
      (anti-L antivenom) was performed. The anti-BL antivenom had lower concentration
      of anti-bothropic antibodies than the anti-B antivenom. This difference was
      associated to a lower response towards all components of B. asper venom, but
      particularly towards some D49-phospholipases A2 (PLA2s) and PIII
      metalloproteinases. Consequently, the anti-BL antivenom was less effective
      neutralizing lethal, coagulant, defibrinogenating, PLA2, and myotoxic activities
      of B. asper venom. On the other hand, anti-BL and anti-L antivenoms showed
      similar concentration of anti-lachesic antibodies, and similar capacity to
      recognize the HPLC fractions of L. stenophrys venom and to neutralize lethal,
      coagulant, proteolytic, hemorrhagic, PLA2 and myotoxic activities induced by this
      venom. It is concluded that, when used as co-immunogens, the venom of L.
      stenophrys reduces the antibody response towards B. asper venom, whereas the
      latter does not affect the anti-lachesic response. 

PMID- 26100665
TI  - Purification and characterization of two high molecular mass snake venom
      metalloproteinases (P-III SVMPs), named SV-PAD-2 and HR-Ele-1, from the venom of
      Protobothrops elegans (Sakishima-habu).
AB  - We herein identified two high molecular mass metalloproteinases, named SV-PAD-2
      and HR-Ele-1, in the venom of Protobothrops elegans. HR-Ele-1 appeared as a
      single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS
      PAGE) regard under reducing and non-reducing conditions, and the molecular mass
      of this protease was approximately 60 kDa under reducing conditions. On the other
      hand, the molecular masses of SV-PAD-2 on SDS-PAGE were 110 kDa under the non
      reducing condition and 52 kDa under the reducing condition. These SVMPs exhibited
      fibrinogenolytic and enzymatic activities against synthetic substrates for matrix
      metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the insulin B-chain, and were both inhibited by
      EDTA. SV-PAD-2 inhibited ADP- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation, with
      IC50 values of 240 nM and 185 nM, respectively. HR-Ele-1 exhibited hemorrhagic
      activity, and its minimum hemorrhagic dose (MHD) was 0.05 MUg in the guinea pig.

PMID- 26100666
TI  - Mast cells and histamine play an important role in edema and leukocyte
      recruitment induced by Potamotrygon motoro stingray venom in mice.
AB  - This work aimed to investigate mechanisms underlying the inflammatory response
      caused by Potamotrygon motoro stingray venom (PmV) in mouse paws. Pre-treatment
      of animals with a mast cell degranulation inhibitor (cromolyn) diminished edema
      (62% of inhibition) and leukocyte influx into the site of PmV injection.
      Promethazine (histamine type 1 receptor antagonist) or thioperamide (histamine
      type 3 and 4 receptor antagonist) also decreased edema (up to 30%) and leukocyte
      numbers, mainly neutrophils (40-50 %). Cimetidine (histamine type 2 receptor
      antagonist) had no effect on PmV-induced inflammation. In the RBL-2H3 lineage of
      mast cells, PmV caused proper cell activation, in a dose-dependent manner, with
      release of PGD2 and PGE2. In addition, the role of COXs products on PmV
      inflammatory response was evaluated. Indomethacin (COX-1/COX-2 inhibitor) or
      etoricoxib (COX-2 inhibitor) partially diminished edema (around 20%) in PmV
      injected mice. Indomethacin, but not etoricoxib, modulated neutrophil influx into
      the site of venom injection. In conclusion, mast cell degranulation and
      histamine, besides COXs products, play an important role in PmV-induced reaction.
      Since PmV mechanism of action remains unknown, hindering accurate treatment,
      clinical studies can be performed to validate the prescription of antihistaminic
      drugs, besides NSAIDs, to patients injured by freshwater stingrays. 

PMID- 26100667
TI  - Production of (15)N-labeled alpha-amanitin in Galerina marginata.
AB  - alpha-Amanitin is the major causal constituent of deadly Amanita mushrooms that
      account for the majority of fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide. It is also an
      important biochemical tool for the study of its target, RNA polymerase II. The
      commercial supply of this bicyclic peptide comes from Amanita phalloides, the
      death cap mushroom, which is collected from the wild. Isotopically labeled
      amanitin could be useful for clinical and forensic applications, but alpha
      amanitin has not been chemically synthesized and A. phalloides cannot be cultured
      on artificial medium. Using Galerina marginata, an unrelated saprotrophic
      mushroom that grows and produces alpha-amanitin in culture, we describe a method
      for producing (15)N-labeled alpha-amanitin using growth media containing (15)N as
      sole nitrogen source. A key to success was preparing (15)N-enriched yeast extract
      via a novel method designated "glass bead-assisted maturation." In the presence
      of the labeled yeast extract and (15)N-NH4Cl, alpha-amanitin was produced with
      >97% isotope enrichment. The labeled product was confirmed by HPLC, high
      resolution mass spectrometry, and NMR.

PMID- 26100669
TI  - Massive mesenteric panniculitis due to fibromuscular dysplasia of the inferior
      mesenteric artery: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a nonatheromatous, noninflammatory
      arterial disorder of unknown etiology resulting in vessel stenosis and/or
      aneurysm formation. The renal and cephalocervical (mainly carotid arteries)
      arterial beds are classically involved; involvement of visceral arteries is rare.
      Mesenteric panniculitis (MP) is an inflammatory process of mesenteric fat
      considered to be of unknown etiology. The majority of cases involve the small
      bowel mesentery; colorectal MP is rare. To our knowledge, no example of MP due to
      FMD has been described. CASE PRESENTATION: A 52 year old man presented with
      steadily worsening lower abdominal pain. Investigation revealed ischemic
      rectosigmoid mucosa associated with a large mesenteric mass of unknown nature.
      Angiography showed the disease was limited to the distribution of the inferior
      mesenteric artery. Subsequent symptoms of large bowel obstruction necessitated a
      left hemicolectomy. Pathologic examination showed bowel wall necrosis and massive
      panniculitis of the rectosigmoid due to FMD. Subsequent angiographic imaging of
      other vascular beds was negative. CONCLUSIONS: Several features of this case are
      noteworthy: FMD limited to the inferior mesenteric artery has not been previously
      reported, FMD has not previously been implicated as a cause of MP, and the
      massive extent of panniculitis. An accompanying literature review of cases of
      visceral FMD, traditionally believed to almost exclusively affect females,
      highlights a greater than anticipated number of males (33%), and a gender
      difference regarding concomitant involvement of cephalocervical and/or renal
      vascular beds (32% in males versus 80% in females). The latter observation may
      have implications regarding the value of radiologic screening of other vascular
      beds, particularly in asymptomatic males, in patients presenting with visceral
      artery FMD.

PMID- 26100668
TI  - Aquaporin-3-mediated hydrogen peroxide transport is required for NF-kappaB
      signalling in keratinocytes and development of psoriasis.
AB  - Aquaporin 3 (AQP3), a water/glycerol channel protein, has been found to transport
      hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Here, we show that H2O2, imported via AQP3, is involved
      in nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signalling in keratinocytes and in the
      pathogenesis of psoriasis. IL-23-mediated induction of psoriasis is reduced in
      AQP3 knockout mice (AQP3(-/-)), and is accompanied by impaired NF-kappaB
      activation and intracellular H2O2 accumulation. In primary keratinocyte cultures,
      cellular import of H2O2 produced by membrane NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2) in response
      to TNF-alpha is facilitated by AQP3 and required for NF-kappaB activation by
      regulation of protein phosphatase 2A. As AQP3 associates with Nox2, we propose
      that this interplay constitutes H2O2-mediated signalling in response to TNF-alpha
      stimulation. Collectively, these data indicate that AQP3-facilitated H2O2
      transport is required for NF-kappaB activation in keratinocytes in the
      development of psoriasis. 

PMID- 26100670
TI  - Novel Cancer Therapeutics with Allosteric Modulation of the Mitochondrial C-Raf
      DAPK Complex by Raf Inhibitor Combination Therapy.
AB  - Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells. Mitochondrial C-Raf is a potential
      cancer therapeutic target, as it regulates mitochondrial function and is
      localized to the mitochondria by its N-terminal domain. However, Raf inhibitor
      monotherapy can induce S338 phosphorylation of C-Raf (pC-Raf(S338)) and impede
      therapy. This study identified the interaction of C-Raf with S308 phosphorylated
      DAPK (pDAPK(S308)), which together became colocalized in the mitochondria to
      facilitate mitochondrial remodeling. Combined use of the Raf inhibitors sorafenib
      and GW5074 had synergistic anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo, but targeted
      mitochondrial function, rather than the canonical Raf signaling pathway. C-Raf
      depletion in knockout MEF(C-Raf-/-) or siRNA knockdown ACHN renal cancer cells
      abrogated the cytotoxicity of combination therapy. Crystal structure simulation
      showed that GW5074 bound to C-Raf and induced a C-Raf conformational change that
      enhanced sorafenib-binding affinity. In the presence of pDAPK(S308), this drug
      target interaction compromised the mitochondrial targeting effect of the N
      terminal domain of C-Raf, which induced two-hit damages to cancer cells. First,
      combination therapy facilitated pC-Raf(S338) and pDAPK(S308) translocation from
      mitochondria to cytoplasm, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) generation. Second, ROS facilitated PP2A-mediated
      dephosphorylation of pDAPK(S308) to DAPK. PP2A then dissociated from the C-Raf
      DAPK complex and induced profound cancer cell death. Increased pDAPK(S308)
      modification was also observed in renal cancer tissues, which correlated with
      poor disease-free survival and poor overall survival in renal cancer patients.
      Besides mediating the anticancer effect, pDAPK(S308) may serve as a predictive
      biomarker for Raf inhibitors combination therapy, suggesting an ideal preclinical
      model that is worthy of clinical translation.

PMID- 26100671
TI  - Tumor-Specific Effector CD8+ T Cells That Can Establish Immunological Memory in
      Humans after Adoptive Transfer Are Marked by Expression of IL7 Receptor and c
      myc.
AB  - The optimal T-cell attributes for adoptive cancer immunotherapy are unclear.
      Recent clinical trials of ex vivo-expanded tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes
      indicated that differentiated T effector cells can elicit durable antitumor
      responses in some patients with cancer, with their antitumor activity tightly
      correlated with their persistence in the host. Thus, there is great interest in
      the definition of intrinsic biomarkers that can predict the conversion of short
      lived tumor antigen-specific T effector cells into long-lived T memory cells.
      Long-term persistence of ex vivo-expanded tumor-specific CD8+ T effector clones
      has been reported in refractory metastatic melanoma patients after adoptive T
      cell transfer. By using highly homogeneous clone populations from these
      preparations, we performed a comparative transcriptional profiling to define
      preinfusion molecular attributes that can be ascribed to an effector-to-memory
      transition. Through this route, we discovered that preinfusion T-cell clones that
      expressed the IL7 receptor (IL7R) and c-myc were more likely to persist longer
      after adoptive transfer to patients. The predictive value of these two biomarkers
      was strengthened by using IL7R protein, IL7-induced pSTAT5, and c-myc mRNA
      expression to prospectively identify human tumor-specific T effector clones
      capable of engraftment into immunodeficient mice. Overall, our findings reveal
      IL7R and c-myc expression as intrinsic biomarkers that can predict the fate of
      CD8+ T effector cells after adoptive transfer.

PMID- 26100672
TI  - CASC15-S Is a Tumor Suppressor lncRNA at the 6p22 Neuroblastoma Susceptibility
      Locus.
AB  - Chromosome 6p22 was identified recently as a neuroblastoma susceptibility locus,
      but its mechanistic contributions to tumorigenesis are as yet undefined. Here we
      report that the most highly significant single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
      associations reside within CASC15, a long noncoding RNA that we define as a tumor
      suppressor at 6p22. Low-level expression of a short CASC15 isoform (CASC15-S)
      associated highly with advanced neuroblastoma and poor patient survival. In human
      neuroblastoma cells, attenuating CASC15-S increased cellular growth and migratory
      capacity. Gene expression analysis revealed downregulation of neuroblastoma
      specific markers in cells with attenuated CASC15-S, with concomitant increases in
      cell adhesion and extracellular matrix transcripts. Altogether, our results point
      to CASC15-S as a mediator of neural growth and differentiation, which impacts
      neuroblastoma initiation and progression.

PMID- 26100673
TI  - A structural model for facultative anion channels in an oligomeric membrane
      protein: the yeast TRK (K(+)) system.
AB  - TRK transporters, a class of proteins which generally carry out the bulk of K(+)
      accumulation in plants, fungi, and bacteria, mediate ion currents driven by the
      large membrane voltages (-150 to -250 mV) common to non-animal cells. Bacterial
      TRK proteins resemble K(+) channels in their primary sequence, crystallize as
      membrane dimers having intramolecular K(+)-channel-like folding, and complex with
      a cytoplasmic collar formed of four RCK domains (Nature 471:336, 2011; Ibid
      496:324, 2013). Fungal TRK proteins appear simpler in form than the bacterial
      members, but do possess two special features: a large built-in regulatory domain,
      and a highly conserved pair of transmembrane helices (TM7 and TM8, ahead of the C
      terminus), which were postulated to facilitate intramembranal oligomerization
      (Biophys. J. 77:789, 1999; FEMS Yeast Res. 9:278, 2009). A surprising associated
      functional process in the fungal proteins which have been explored
      (Saccharomyces, Candida, and Neurospora) is facilitation of channel-like chloride
      efflux. That process is suppressed by osmoprotective agents, appears to involve
      hydrophobic gating, and strongly resembles conduction by Cys-loop ligand-gated
      anion channels. And it leads to a rather general hypothesis: that the
      thermodynamic tendency for hydrophobic or amphipathic transmembrane helices to
      self-organize into oligomers can create novel ionic pathways through biological
      membranes: fundamental hydrophobic nanopores, pathways of low selectivity
      governed by the chaotropic behavior of individual ionic species and under the
      strong influence of membrane voltage. 

PMID- 26100675
TI  - Long-term temporal variability of the radon-222 exhalation flux from a landform
      covered by low uranium grade waste rock.
AB  - Radon-222 exhalation flux densities from two different substrates of several
      metres thickness, waste rock and waste rock mixed with approximately 30%
      lateritic material, were measured over a period of five years in the wet-dry
      tropics of Northern Australia. Fourteen measurement campaigns using activated
      charcoal canisters (n > 1000) covered both dry and wet seasons and showed
      differences in seasonal and long term trends of the (222)Rn exhalation flux
      densities normalised to the (226)Ra activity concentrations of the substrate. Dry
      season (222)Rn exhalation was generally higher for the mixed substrate, due to
      the larger fraction of fines. Seasonality established within the first year of
      landform construction on the mixed substrate, due to the higher water holding
      capacity of the lateritic material. In contrast, waste rock only shows no
      seasonality until years four and five after construction, when average normalised
      dry season (222)Rn exhalation flux densities from waste rock increase to values
      (0.47 +/- 0.06 mBq m(-2) s(-1) per Bq kg(-1)) similar to the mixed substrate
      (0.64 +/- 0.08 mBq m(-2) s(-1) per Bq kg(-1)), likely due to an increase in fines
      from rapid weathering of the schistose waste rock. Volumetric water content has
      been used to parametrize relative (222)Rn exhalation and we determined that wet
      season (222)Rn exhalation is about 40% of the dry season exhalation.

PMID- 26100674
TI  - Ca(2+) clearance by plasmalemmal NCLX, Li(+)-permeable Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger, is
      required for the sustained exocytosis in rat insulinoma INS-1 cells.
AB  - Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchangers are key players for Ca(2+) clearance in pancreatic beta
      cells, but their molecular determinants and roles in insulin secretion are not
      fully understood. In the present study, we newly discovered that the Li(+)
      permeable Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchangers (NCLX), which were known as mitochondrial
      Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchangers, contributed to the Na(+)-dependent Ca(2+) movement
      across the plasma membrane in rat INS-1 insulinoma cells. Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange
      activity by NCLX was comparable to that by the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger, NCX. We
      also confirmed the presence of NCLX proteins on the plasma membrane using
      immunocytochemistry and cell surface biotinylation experiments. We further
      investigated the role of NCLX on exocytosis function by measuring the capacitance
      increase in response to repetitive depolarization. Small interfering (si)RNA
      mediated downregulation of NCLX did not affect the initial exocytosis, but
      significantly suppressed sustained exocytosis and recovery of exocytosis. XIP
      (NCX inhibitory peptide) or Na(+) replacement for inhibiting Na(+)-dependent
      Ca(2+) clearance also selectively suppressed sustained exocytosis. Consistent
      with the idea that sustained exocytosis requires ATP-dependent vesicle
      recruitment, mitochondrial function, assessed by mitochondrial membrane potential
      (DeltaPsi), was impaired by siNCLX or XIP. However, depolarization-induced
      exocytosis was hardly affected by changes in intracellular Na(+) concentration,
      suggesting a negligible contribution of mitochondrial Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger.
      Taken together, our data indicate that Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger-mediated Ca(2+)
      clearance mediated by NCLX and NCX is crucial for optimizing mitochondrial
      function, which in turn contributes to vesicle recruitment for sustained
      exocytosis in pancreatic beta-cells. 

PMID- 26100676
TI  - Protective effect of cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin pretreatment against
      hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative damage in ram sperm.
AB  - Three experiments were conducted to determine the protective effect of
      cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin (CLC) against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or cryo
      induced damage in ram sperm. In Experiment 1, the fresh ejaculates were either
      treated with CLC or remained untreated. Both CLC treated and untreated samples
      were then incubated with 0, 250 or 500 MUM H2O2 at 35 degrees C for 12 h. After
      incubation period of 12 h, the motility, viability and membrane integrity
      remained higher in CLC treated sperm even in the presence of 250 or 500 MUM H2O2.
      The H2O2 treatment affected all the sperm parameters adversely (P<0.05). However,
      compared to CLC untreated counterpart, the motility, viability and membrane
      integrity remained higher (P<0.05) in treated sperm, even in the presence of 250
      or 500 MUM H2O2 during 12 h of incubation. In Experiment 2, semen was
      cryopreserved in the presence or absence of CLC. The post-thaw results revealed
      that CLC treated sperm has higher (P<0.05) motility, viability and membrane
      integrity compared to the control. In Experiment 3, lipid peroxidation levels
      were assessed by determining malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations during the H2O2
      induced oxidative stress in CLC treated and untreated sperm. However, no
      difference (P>0.05) in MDA level was observed among the groups at any stage of
      incubation. In conclusion, the CLC incorporation in ram sperm membrane may
      protects it against H2O2 or cryo-induced oxidative damage. The cryoprotective
      influence of CLC on ram sperm might be resulted from, at least partly, its
      antioxidative property.

PMID- 26100677
TI  - Individual contributions of visceral fat and total body fat to subclinical
      atherosclerosis: The NEO study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both overall and abdominal adiposity are established risk factors for
      cardiovascular disease. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and total body fat (TBF)
      are strongly correlated and previous studies did not make this distinction.
      OBJECTIVE: We aimed to distinguish individual contributions of TBF, VAT, and the
      ratio of VAT to abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT/SAT) to subclinical
      atherosclerosis in men and women. METHODS: In this cross-sectional analysis of
      the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity (NEO) study, we assessed VAT and SAT with
      magnetic resonance imaging, TBF with bio-electrical impendence analysis, and
      carotid Intima-Media Thickness (cIMT) with ultrasound. We performed linear
      regression analyses of standardized values of TBF, VAT, VAT/SAT with cIMT. We
      adjusted the models for confounding factors (age, sex, ethnicity, education,
      smoking, alcohol, physical activity), and either for VAT or TBF. RESULTS: This
      analysis included 2451 participants, 53% men with mean (SD) cIMT of 615 (91)MUm.
      After adjustment for confounding factors, the difference in cIMT (95% CI) per SD
      in VAT was 14 (8,21)MUm in men and 18 (13,24)MUm in women. After adjustment for
      TBF, this attenuated to 5 (-3,13)MUm in men and 13 (5,20)MUm in women. In the
      full model, differences in cIMT (95% CI) per SD of TBF were 14 (6,22)MUm in men
      and 8 (0,16)MUm in women, and per SD of VAT/SAT were 7 (-1,15)MUm and 9 (3,16)MUm
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based study, VAT contributed beyond
      overall adiposity to subclinical atherosclerosis, particularly in women. This
      implies a specific role of VAT in the early development of atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26100678
TI  - Interaction between periodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease-
      Fact or fiction?
AB  - C-reactive protein (CRP) level is associated with the 10-year risk of an
      atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD), suggesting presence of systemic
      inflammation probably long before ASVD is present. Where, however, does this
      systemic inflammation come from? One active area of research has been the study
      of dental infection and various forms of periodontal disease (PD), both of which
      are highly prevalent in populations at risk for ASVD. Recent data show that ASVD
      and PD interact with each other via systemic release of specific pro- and anti
      inflammatory cytokines, small signal molecules and enzymes which modulate
      initiation and progression of the chronic inflammatory reaction involved in both
      diseases. In addition, periodontal pathogens were identified within
      atherosclerotic lesions and thrombi isolated from myocardial infarction patients.
      LDL cholesterol, a strong risk factor for ASVD, is also associated with PD; and
      statins, used to treat ASVD, are also active to prevent or reduce PD. Finally,
      there is growing evidence for common genetic susceptibility factors involved in
      both diseases. These findings support commonalities with respect to the
      pathogenic mechanisms involved in both inflammatory diseases. Conversely, a
      causative relationship cannot yet be concluded in the absence of data from large
      longitudinal cohort and randomized controlled intervention trials. 

PMID- 26100679
TI  - TRIF adaptor signaling is important in abdominal aortic aneurysm formation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is characterized by inflammation, loss
      of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), and degradation of the extracellular matrix in the
      vessel wall. Innate immune receptors such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs) were
      recently shown to regulate immunological processes leading to the formation and
      progression of atherosclerotic plaques as well as to other cardiovascular
      pathologies. Our aim was to investigate whether blockage of TLR signaling, under
      the control of TIR domain-containing adaptor protein including IFN-beta (TRIF),
      could inhibit the inflammatory response and AAA development in mice. RESULTS: In
      human AAA, an increased TLR3 and TLR4 expression in association with macrophages
      and T lymphocytes was demonstrated with immunohistochemical analysis. Angiotensin
      (Ang) II-induced aneurysm formation was significantly reduced by 30% in ApoE(-/
      )Trif(-/-) mice compared to ApoE(-/-) mice. Morphologically, AngII-infused ApoE(
      /-)Trif(-/-) mice had a more intact cellular and extracellular matrix while ApoE(
      /-) mice infused with AngII displayed an increased medial thickness associated
      with aortic dissection, thrombus formation, and a more disorganized vessel wall.
      Gene expression analysis of the abdominal aorta revealed a profound decrease of
      the inflammatory genes CD68 (P < 0.05), CD11b (P < 0.05), and TNF-alpha (P <
      0.05) and the protease gene MMP-12 (P < 0.01) in ApoE(-/-)Trif(-/-) mice compared
      to ApoE(-/-) mice infused with AngII. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that
      signaling through TRIF is important for the inflammatory response of AngII
      induced AAA and that blockage of the TRIF pathway reduces vascular inflammation
      and protects against AAA formation.

PMID- 26100680
TI  - Psychological stress impairs ischemia-induced neovascularization: Protective
      effect of fluoxetine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychological stress (PS) has been associated with the development of
      cardiovascular diseases and adverse long-term outcomes after ischemic events.
      However, the precise mechanisms involved are not completely understood. Here we
      investigated the effect of PS on ischemia-induced neovascularization, and the
      potential therapeutic effect of fluoxetine in this condition. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Balb/c mice were subjected or not to chronic restraint stress. After 3
      weeks, hindlimb ischemia was surgically induced by femoral artery removal. We
      found that blood flow recovery was significantly impaired in mice exposed to PS
      compared to controls (Doppler flow ratio (DFR) 0.61 +/- 0.07 vs. 0.80 +/- 0.07, p
      < 0.05). At the microvascular level, capillary density was significantly reduced
      in ischemic muscles of mice exposed to PS (38 +/- 1 vs. 74 +/- 3 capillaries per
      field, p < 0.001). This correlated with increased oxidative stress levels and
      reduced expression of VEGF and VEGF signalling molecules (p44/p42 MAPK, Akt) in
      ischemic muscles. We found that the number of pro-angiogenic cells (PACs) was
      significantly reduced in mice exposed to PS. In addition, oxidative stress levels
      (DCF-DA, DHE) were increased in PACs isolated from mice exposed to PS, and this
      was associated with impaired PAC functional activities (migration, adhesion, and
      integration into tubules). Importantly, treatment of mice exposed to PS with the
      selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine improved all the
      angiogenic parameters, and completely rescued PS-induced impairment of
      neovascularization. CONCLUSION: PS impairs ischemia-induced neovascularization.
      Potential mechanisms involved include reduced activation of the VEGF pathway in
      ischemic tissues, increased oxidative stress levels and reduced number and
      functional activities of PACs. Our results suggest that fluoxetine may represent
      a novel therapeutic strategy to improve neovascularization and reduce ischemia in
      patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases and exposed to PS.

PMID- 26100681
TI  - A Forward Genetic Screen for Suppressors of Somatic P Granules in Caenorhabditis
      elegans.
AB  - In Caenorhabditis elegans, germline expression programs are actively repressed in
      somatic tissue by components of the synMuv (synthetic multi-vulva) B chromatin
      remodeling complex, which include homologs of tumor suppressors Retinoblastoma
      (Rb/LIN-35) and Malignant Brain Tumor (MBT/LIN-61). However, the full scope of
      pathways that suppress germline expression in the soma is unknown. To address
      this, we performed a mutagenesis and screened for somatic expression of GFP
      tagged PGL-1, a core P-granule nucleating protein. Eight alleles were isolated
      from 4000 haploid genomes. Five of these alleles exhibit a synMuv phenotype,
      whereas the remaining three were identified as hypomorphic alleles of known
      synMuv B genes, lin-13 and dpl-1. These findings suggest that most suppressors of
      germline programs in the soma of C. elegans are either required for viability or
      function through synMuv B chromatin regulation.

PMID- 26100682
TI  - The potential of 3-dimensional construct engineered from poly(lactic-co-glycolic
      acid)/fibrin hybrid scaffold seeded with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells for
      in vitro cartilage tissue engineering.
AB  - Articular cartilage is well known for its simple uniqueness of avascular and
      aneural structure that has limited capacity to heal itself when injured. The use
      of three dimensional construct in tissue engineering holds great potential in
      regenerating cartilage defects. This study evaluated the in vitro cartilaginous
      tissue formation using rabbit's bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)-seeded
      onto poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) PLGA/fibrin and PLGA scaffolds. The in vitro
      cartilaginous engineered constructs were evaluated by gross inspection,
      histology, cell proliferation, gene expression and sulphated glycosaminoglycan
      (sGAG) production at week 1, 2 and 3. After 3 weeks of culture, the PLGA/fibrin
      construct demonstrated gross features similar to the native tissue with smooth,
      firm and glistening appearance, superior histoarchitectural and better
      cartilaginous extracellular matrix compound in concert with the positive
      glycosaminoglycan accumulation on Alcian blue. Significantly higher cell
      proliferation in PLGA/fibrin construct was noted at day-7, day-14 and day-21
      (p<0.05 respectively). Both constructs expressed the accumulation of collagen
      type II, collagen type IX, aggrecan and sox9, showed down-regulation of collagen
      type I as well as produced relative sGAG content with PLGA/fibrin construct
      exhibited better gene expression in all profiles and showed significantly higher
      relative sGAG content at each time point (p<0.05). This study suggested that with
      optimum in vitro manipulation, PLGA/fibrin when seeded with pluripotent non
      committed BMSCs has the capability to differentiate into chondrogenic lineage and
      may serve as a prospective construct to be developed as functional tissue
      engineered cartilage. 

PMID- 26100683
TI  - Association of Interleukin-10 promoter polymorphisms with neurosyphilis.
AB  - Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is a potent anti-inflammatory cytokine. Increased
      production of IL-10 has been found in late syphilis, presumably creating
      favorable conditions for bacteria persistence. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) within the promoter of IL-10 gene have been found to influence IL-10
      production. We investigated whether SNPs in the IL-10 gene promoter are
      associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of IL-10 and neurosyphilis.
      Polymorphisms in the gene for IL-10 (G->A mutation at the position -1084 and C->A
      mutation at the position -592) were sought in 35 patients with syphilis and 24
      healthy volunteers. CSF examination (i.e. routine laboratory tests and IL-10
      levels) was performed in all syphilis patients. Neurosyphilis was defined as
      reactive CSF VDRL test or CSF white blood cells?5/MUL and CSF protein
      concentration?45mg/dL. Overall, 31% of patients with syphilis had neurosyphilis.
      CSF IL-10 levels were significantly higher in patients with neurosyphilis when
      compared to those with syphilis but not neurosyphilis. -1082 GG and -592 CC
      genotypes were significantly associated with higher CSF IL-10 levels. Moreover,
      these genotypes were found to be more frequent in individuals with neurosyphilis
      in comparison to those without neurosyphilis. Anti-inflammatory immune response
      seems to be important in pathogenesis of neurosyphilis. Our data suggest that
      host-related factors, such as SNPs of immune regulatory genes may influence the
      susceptibility to neurosyphilis. 

PMID- 26100684
TI  - The Experience Sampling Method--a new digital tool for momentary symptom
      assessment in IBS: an exploratory study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retrospective questionnaires are frequently used for symptom
      assessment in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients, but are influenced by
      recall bias and circumstantial and psychological factors. These limitations may
      be overcome by random, repeated, momentary assessment during the day, using
      electronic Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM). Therefore, we compared symptom
      assessment by ESM to retrospective paper questionnaires in IBS patients. METHODS:
      Twenty-six IBS patients (Rome III) were included, of which 16 were diagnosed with
      panic disorder (DSM-IV-TR). Patients scored symptoms using end-of-day diaries
      during 14 days and the gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS) once. ESM was
      used on seven consecutive days during the same time period. KEY RESULTS: End-of
      day diary abdominal pain scores were 0.4 (SE 0.1, p < 0.001) point higher (on a 1
      to-5-point scale) compared to corresponding ESM mean-scores in IBS patients. The
      difference was even more pronounced for upper abdominal pain scores assessed by
      the GSRS (4.77 +/- 1.50) compared to ESM mean-scores (2.44 +/- 1.30, p < 0.001),
      both on 1-to-7-point scale. For flatulence, comparable results were found. Nausea
      and belching scores showed small, but significant differences between end-of-day
      diary and ESM. All tested symptoms were scored higher on GSRS compared to ESM
      mean-scores (p < 0.01). Affective comorbidity did not influence differences in
      pain reporting between methods. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: IBS patients report
      higher scores for abdominal pain in retrospective questionnaires compared to ESM,
      with a tendency to report peak rather than average pain scores. ESM can provide
      more insight in symptom course and potential triggers, and may lead to a better
      understanding of IBS symptomatology.

PMID- 26100685
TI  - Prevention of Serum Albumin Glycation/Fibrillation by beta-Cyclodextrin
      Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles.
AB  - Nowadays, glycation induced protein aggregation and related opposing strategies
      have received much attention. We present the effect of functionalized magnetic
      core-shell nanoparticles of Fe3O4 (MNPs) with beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) on the
      aggregation/fibrillation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) under diabetic condition
      known as amyloidogenesis. To confirm the beta-CD conjugation on MNP, Fourier
      transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD),
      thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and
      vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) methods were applied. Moreover,
      spectrofluorimetry and spectropolarimetry were utilized to analyze the effect of
      beta-CD/Fe3O4 MNPs on the aggregation and amyloidogenesis of BSA through
      glycation. The BSA amyloidogenesis was significantly inhibited by interfering
      beta-CD-MNPs that may present the possible diagnostic and preventive applications
      against the degenerative effects of protein glycation/fibrillation under
      diabetes. 

PMID- 26100686
TI  - Unfolding and Refolding Study of a Large Dimeric Protein beta-Glucosidase from
      Almond Monitored by Fluorescence Spectroscopy.
AB  - In our present investigation, the unfolding and refolding of beta-glucosidase
      (BGL-Al) from sweet almond was investigated using tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence
      spectroscopy. When the unfolding of BGL-Al was induced by guanidium chloride
      (GdnHCl) and monitored using biological activity as well as Trp fluorescence
      spectroscopic measurement, we observed that the denaturation of BGL-Al could be
      easily induced by low concentration of GdnHCl and the enzyme was completely
      inactivated at 1.0 M GdnHCl. Higher unfolding in the presence of reducing agent
      revealed that the protein perhaps containing multiple di-sulfide bonds indicating
      a reason of high stability against unfolding by GdnHCl. Refolding results
      suggested that the protein refolded with high yield from 1 M GdnHCl denatured
      state, however, refolded with negligible yield from completely unfolded state.
      The kinetic studies of BGL-Al refolding unravel a two phase refolding process
      with calculated t1/2 (refolding half time) of 1.8 and 33 min, respectively. When
      8-Anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS) was used as extrinsic fluorophore, we
      found that the surface hydrophobicity of BGL-Al was continuously decreased during
      GdnHCl-mediated unfolding. The surface hydrophobicity of the protein was
      calculated to be as high as 128.32. Acrylamide quenching study demonstrated that
      Trp residues of BGL-Al are mostly and hence they must be located either on the
      surface or in the crevices accessible by quenchers. 

PMID- 26100687
TI  - Recapturing the Correlated Motions of Protein Using Coarse- Grained Models.
AB  - Long-range interactions and allostery are important for many biological
      processes. Increasing numbers of studies, both experimental and computational,
      show that internal dynamics may play an important role in such behaviors.
      Investigating the dynamical effects of proteins, how- ever, is a challenging
      problem using all-atom molecular dynamics because of the length-scales and
      timescales involved. As a result, coarse-grained models are often implemented.
      Herein, we use three well-defined coarse-grained models: Go, Martini and Cafemol,
      and a small model protein Eglin C, which is readily studied via all-atom
      molecular dynamics, to examine if these coarse grained models can explore the
      dynamics of Eglin C accurately as well as to see how these models respond to
      mutations. We found that all three models can recapture the dynamics of Eglin C
      to a significant extent - where we focus on root-mean square fluctuations and
      correlated motions as dynamical measures - but that the Cafemol and Go models are
      superior. The best agreement with all-atom simulations is for structured regions
      of Eglin C. 

PMID- 26100688
TI  - Assessing the influence of artificially constructed channels in the growth of
      afforested black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) within an arid coastal region.
AB  - Hypersaline conditions are common in sub-tropical latitudes where freshwater
      availability is seasonal. Hence, hydroperiod plays a crucial role in providing a
      suitable area for the establishment of new mangrove seedlings. The purpose of
      this study was to assess the function of hydrological change and irradiance in
      the growth of afforested black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) along the upper
      saltpan area by creating six channels of 1 m wide by 0.3 deep and 30 m length.
      All channels were constructed perpendicular to the main coastline of the Urias
      lagoon, Pacific coast of Mexico. Seedlings of black mangrove were planted along
      four of the channels. After ten months, the pore-water salinity concentration
      within the six channels was reduced by half. Results indicate that there were no
      significant differences (P > 0.05) in mangrove survival among the channels.
      However, the optimal growth of black mangroves was near the channels edge. The
      growth of mangrove seedlings planted under 50% of solar attenuation was 10 times
      higher as compared to mangroves under direct sunlight. This study shows the
      feasibility of using channels to enhance tidal flow and decrease hypersaline
      conditions for future afforestation endeavors in arid coastlines.

PMID- 26100689
TI  - N2O emissions and nitrogen transformation during windrow composting of dairy
      manure.
AB  - Windrow composting involves piling and regularly turning organic wastes in long
      rows, being in the succession of static standing periods between two consecutive
      pile turnings as well as a period of pile turning. N2O emissions and N
      transformation were investigated during the processes of windrow composting. In
      contrast to the conventional understanding, we observed that N2O concentrations
      inside compost materials were significantly higher after pile turning (APT) than
      before pile turning (BPT). Pile turning triggered a burst of N2O production
      rather than simple gaseous N2O escape from the stirred compost. Denitrification
      was the dominant pathway in pile turning because the observed [Formula: see text]
      and [Formula: see text] concentrations were significantly lower APT compared to
      BPT. The sudden exposure of O2 severely inhibited N2O reductase, which can block
      the transformation of N2O to N2 and thus caused an increase of N2O emission. As
      the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] concentrations rose during the
      following 48 standing hours, nitrification dominated N transformation and did not
      cause an increase of surface N2O emissions. Thus, pile turning resulted in a
      dramatic conversion of N transformation and strongly influenced its flux size. It
      was also found that high [Formula: see text] was accumulated in the compost and
      had a strong correlation with N2O emissions. Practical methods regulating nitrite
      and the frequency of pile turning would be useful to mitigate N2O emissions in
      manure composting.

PMID- 26100690
TI  - Pectus excavatum: Benefit of randomization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive bar repair for pectus patients produces
      substantial pain which dictates the post-operative hospital course. We have data
      from 2 randomized trials comparing epidural catheter placement to patient
      controlled analgesia. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of
      patients who were enrolled in the trials to those that did not participate in the
      trials. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on patients not
      enrolled in the trials to compare to the prospective datasets from October 2006
      to June 2014. Perioperative outcomes were examined. RESULTS: There were 135
      patients in a study protocol (IS) and 195 patients that were not enrolled in a
      study (OS). Comparing the entire IS and OS groups, length of stay was less in the
      IS group, as was time to regular diet. Average pain scores, operative time and
      complication rates were not significantly different between the groups. Of the IS
      patients a significantly lower number of patients had epidural failure, requiring
      substitution of a PCA for pain control. CONCLUSIONS: There are benefits derived
      from participating in our randomized trials comparing epidural to patient
      controlled analgesia after bar placement for pectus excavatum regardless of which
      arm is utilized.

PMID- 26100691
TI  - The first 100 infant thoracoscopic lobectomies: Observations through the learning
      curve and comparison to open lobectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to describe our initial 100 attempted
      infant thoracoscopic lobectomies for asymptomatic, prenatally diagnosed lung
      lesions, and compare the results to contemporaneous age-matched patients
      undergoing open lobectomy. BACKGROUND: Infant thoracoscopic lobectomy is a
      technically challenging procedure, which has only gained acceptance worldwide in
      recent years. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of all patients undergoing
      thoracoscopic or open lung lobectomy between March 2005 and January 2014.
      Included were all asymptomatic infants younger than 4months. Excluded were
      patients undergoing emergent lobectomy and patients with isolated extralobar
      bronchopulmonary sequestrations. RESULTS: A total of 100 attempted thoracoscopic
      lobectomies were compared with 188 open lobectomies. In the thoracoscopic group,
      mean age and weight at surgery were 7.3weeks and 4.8kg, mean operative time was
      185minutes, and mean hospital stay was 3days. Twelve cases were converted to open
      (12%). Ten conversions occurred within the first third of the series and none in
      the last third. There were no mortalities. There were no differences between the
      thoracoscopic and open groups in perioperative complications or hospital stay.
      There was a significant difference in the operative time: 111minutes vs.
      185minutes (open vs. thoracoscopic; p<0.001). There was a higher mean end-tidal
      carbon dioxide (ETCO2) and lower mean peripheral capillary oxygen saturation
      (SpO2) in the thoracoscopic group versus the open group (51.7 versus 38.6mmHg and
      97.5 versus 99.1%, respectively). CONCLUSION: In high volume centers, the
      learning curve of thoracoscopic lobectomy can be overcome and the procedure can
      be performed with equivalent outcomes and, in our opinion, superior cosmetic
      results to open lobectomy.

PMID- 26100692
TI  - Ultrasonography-guided central venous port placement with subclavian vein access
      in pediatric oncology patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: To evaluate the technical success and complications of image
      guided central venous port (CVP) placement with subclavian vein (SCV) access in
      pediatric oncology population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-two children (52
      boys, 40 girls; mean age, 8.5 years) underwent CVP implantation under local
      anesthesia with conscious sedation. SCV access was firstly attempted under
      ultrasonographic guidance and CVP implantation was performed under fluoroscopic
      guidance. Technical success, peri-procedural (<24h) complication, and post
      procedural (>24h) complication were assessed. RESULTS: In total, 102 CVPs were
      implanted in 92 children with a mean catheter time of 364 days (total, 38,224
      days; range, 14-1911 days). In three small children, conversion of SCV access to
      internal jugular vein access yielded a primary technical success rate of 97.1%
      and overall technical success rate of 100%. Three minor peri-procedural
      complications were observed (2.9%) and seven post-procedural infectious
      complications occurred (infection rate, 6.7%; 0.18/1000 catheter days). No
      pneumothorax, catheter malposition, venous thrombosis, or mortality occurred.
      CONCLUSION: Image-guided CVP placement with SCV access in a pediatric population
      was performed with high technical success and low complication rate without
      general anesthesia. This procedure can be taken into account as a choice of
      procedure when internal jugular venous access is not possible.

PMID- 26100693
TI  - Complete sequence of the multidrug-resistant IncL/M plasmid pIMP-HB623 Cocarrying
      bla IMP-34 and fosC2 in an Enterobacter cloacae strain associated with medical
      travel to China.

PMID- 26100694
TI  - A novel point mutation promotes growth phase-dependent daptomycin tolerance in
      Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - Recalcitrance of genetically susceptible bacteria to antibiotic killing is a
      hallmark of bacterial drug tolerance. This phenomenon is prevalent in biofilms,
      persisters, and also planktonic cells and is associated with chronic or relapsing
      infections with pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. Here we report the in
      vitro evolution of an S. aureus strain that exhibits a high degree of
      nonsusceptibility to daptomycin as a result of cyclic challenges with
      bactericidal concentrations of the drug. This phenotype was attributed to
      stationary growth phase-dependent drug tolerance and was clearly distinguished
      from resistance. The underlying genetic basis was revealed to be an adaptive
      point mutation in the putative inorganic phosphate (Pi) transporter gene pitA.
      Drug tolerance caused by this allele, termed pitA6, was abrogated when the
      upstream gene pitR was inactivated. Enhanced tolerance toward daptomycin, as well
      as the acyldepsipeptide antibiotic ADEP4 and various combinations of other drugs,
      was accompanied by elevated intracellular concentrations of Pi and polyphosphate,
      which may reversibly interfere with critical cellular functions. The evolved
      strain displayed increased rates of survival within human endothelial cells,
      demonstrating the correlation of intracellular persistence and drug tolerance.
      These findings will be useful for further investigations of S. aureus drug
      tolerance, toward the development of additional antipersister compounds and
      strategies. 

PMID- 26100695
TI  - Mutations in genes for the F420 biosynthetic pathway and a nitroreductase enzyme
      are the primary resistance determinants in spontaneous in vitro-selected PA-824
      resistant mutants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - Alleviating the burden of tuberculosis (TB) requires an understanding of the
      genetic basis that determines the emergence of drug-resistant mutants. PA-824
      (pretomanid) is a bicyclic nitroimidazole class compound presently undergoing the
      phase III STAND clinical trial, despite lacking identifiable genetic markers for
      drug-specific resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the present study, we
      aimed to characterize the genetic polymorphisms of spontaneously generated PA-824
      resistant mutant strains by surveying drug metabolism genes for potential
      mutations. Of the 183 independently selected PA-824-resistant M. tuberculosis
      mutants, 83% harbored a single mutation in one of five nonessential genes
      associated with either PA-824 prodrug activation (ddn, 29%; fgd1, 7%) or the
      tangential F420 biosynthetic pathway (fbiA, 19%; fbiB, 2%; fbiC, 26%). Crystal
      structure analysis indicated that identified mutations were specifically located
      within the protein catalytic domain that would hinder the activity of the enzymes
      required for prodrug activation. This systematic analysis conducted of genotypes
      resistant to PA-824 may contribute to future efforts in monitoring clinical
      strain susceptibility with this new drug therapy. 

PMID- 26100696
TI  - AbaR-type genomic islands in non-baumannii Acinetobacter species isolates from
      South Korea.
AB  - To investigate the presence and structure of AbaR-type genomic islands (GIs) in
      non-Acinetobacter baumannii isolates, a total of 155 non-baumannii Acinetobacter
      isolates from a South Korean hospital were analyzed. GIs were found in three
      Acinetobacter nosocomialis and two Acinetobacter seifertii isolates. Their
      structures were similar to those in A. baumannii isolates from Asian countries,
      including South Korea. The existence of AbaR-type GIs in non-baumannii
      Acinetobacter isolates is believed to be due to interspecies transfer of GI. 

PMID- 26100697
TI  - Prolonged entecavir therapy is not effective for HBeAg seroconversion in
      treatment-naive chronic hepatitis B patients with a partial virological response.
AB  - The aims of this study were to investigate the efficacy of prolonged entecavir
      (ETV) therapy in treatment-naive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and to
      determine whether continuous ETV therapy is feasible to achieve HBeAg
      seroconversion, particularly in patients with partial virological response (PVR).
      A total of 142 treatment-naive patients with CHB were enrolled. The mean duration
      of treatment was 65 (range, 26 to 90) months, and 86 patients (60.6%) were HBeAg
      positive. PVR was defined as detectable hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA (>116
      copies/ml) at year 1. The cumulative incidence of virological response (VR)
      increased from 54.9% at year 1 to 98.2% at year 7. HBeAg positivity (odds ratio
      [OR], 4.146; P = 0.001) and initial alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (OR, 0.997; P
      = 0.004) were independent risk factors for PVR. Among the 64 patients with PVR,
      47 patients (73.4%) achieved VR within 4 years after prolonged ETV therapy
      without treatment adaptation. Three patients (2.1%) experienced virological
      breakthrough and HBV variants with genotypic resistance. The cumulative rate of
      HBeAg seroconversion was significantly higher in the patients with VR than in the
      patients with PVR (P = 0.018). None of the PVR patients with HBV DNA at >=5,000
      copies/ml at year 1 ever experienced HBeAg seroconversion. Multivariate analysis
      identified VR at year 1 as the only determinant of HBeAg seroconversion (hazard
      ratio [HR], 3.009; P = 0.010). In conclusion, although there were patients with
      PVR, prolonged ETV therapy showed excellent VR, with only 2.1% emergence of viral
      resistance during a 7-year follow-up. However, to achieve HBeAg seroconversion,
      drug modification is needed for HBeAg-positive patients with PVR (especially
      those with HBV DNA at >=5,000 copies/ml at year 1). 

PMID- 26100698
TI  - In vitro activities of a wide panel of antifungal drugs against various
      Scopulariopsis and Microascus species.
AB  - The in vitro activities of 11 antifungal drugs against 68 Scopulariopsis and
      Microascus strains were investigated. Amphotericin B, 5-fluorocytosine,
      fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, miconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole,
      and ciclopirox showed no or poor antifungal effect. The best activities were
      exhibited by terbinafine and caspofungin, where the MIC and MEC (minimal
      effective concentration) ranges were 0.0313 to >16 MUg/ml and 0.125 to 16 MUg/ml,
      respectively. The MIC and MEC modes were both 1 ug/ml for terbinafine and
      caspofungin; the MIC50 and MEC50 were 1 ug/ml for both drugs, whereas the MIC90
      and MEC90 were 4 ug/ml and 16 ug/ml, respectively. 

PMID- 26100699
TI  - Correlation between GyrA substitutions and ofloxacin, levofloxacin, and
      moxifloxacin cross-resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - The newer fluoroquinolones moxifloxacin (MXF) and levofloxacin (LVX) are becoming
      more common components of tuberculosis (TB) treatment regimens. However, the
      critical concentrations for testing susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      to MXF and LVX are not yet well established. Additionally, the degree of cross
      resistance between ofloxacin (OFX) and these newer fluoroquinolones has not been
      thoroughly investigated. In this study, the MICs for MXF and LVX and
      susceptibility to the critical concentration of OFX were determined using the
      agar proportion method for 133 isolates of M. tuberculosis. Most isolates
      resistant to OFX had LVX MICs of >1 MUg/ml and MXF MICs of >0.5 MUg/ml. The
      presence of mutations within the gyrA quinolone resistance-determining regions
      (QRDR) correlated well with increased MICs, and the level of LVX and MXF
      resistance was dependent on the specific gyrA mutation present. Substitutions
      Ala90Val, Asp94Ala, and Asp94Tyr resulted in low-level MXF resistance (MICs were
      >0.5 but <=2 MUg/ml), while other mutations led to MXF MICs of >2 MUg/ml. Based
      on these results, a critical concentration of 1 MUg/ml is suggested for LVX and
      0.5 MUg/ml for MXF drug susceptibility testing by agar proportion with reflex
      testing for MXF at 2 MUg/ml. 

PMID- 26100700
TI  - Innate inflammatory response and immunopharmacologic activity of micafungin,
      caspofungin, and voriconazole against wild-type and FKS mutant Candida glabrata
      isolates.
AB  - The direct or indirect interactions that antifungals have with the host immune
      response may play a significant role in defining their activity in vivo. However,
      the impact that acquired antifungal resistance has on the immunopharmacologic
      activity of antifungals is not well described. We assessed the
      immunopharmacologic activity of caspofungin, micafungin, and voriconazole among
      isolates of Candida glabrata with or without FKS-mediated echinocandin
      resistance. Clinical bloodstream isolates of C. glabrata from patients who did (n
      = 5) or did not (n = 3) develop persistent candidemia and who did (n = 2) or did
      not (n = 11) harbor FKS gene mutations were included. A cell-based assay was used
      to compare differences in macrophage activation among isolates when grown in the
      presence or absence of subinhibitory concentrations of caspofungin, micafungin,
      or voriconazole. In the absence of antifungals, macrophage activation was
      significantly lower for index C. glabrata isolates obtained from persistent
      candidemia patients than for those from nonpersistent patients (33% versus 79%
      increase over negative controls, respectively; P < 0.01). Growth of isolates
      possessing wild-type FKS genes in subinhibitory concentrations of micafungin or
      caspofungin, but not voriconazole, significantly increased macrophage
      inflammatory responses compared to untreated controls (1.25- to 2.75-fold
      increase, P < 0.01). For isolates harboring the FKS2 hot spot 1 (HS1) S663P
      mutation, however, a significant increase was observed only with micafungin
      treatment (1.75-fold increase versus negative control, P < 0.01). Macrophage
      activation correlated with the level of unmasking of beta-glucan in the cell
      wall. The diminished macrophage inflammatory response to isolates that caused
      persistent candidemia and differential immunopharmacologic activity of
      echinocandins among FKS mutants suggest that certain strains of C. glabrata may
      have a higher propensity for immunoevasion and development of antifungal
      resistance during treatment. 

PMID- 26100701
TI  - Transcription factor ADS-4 regulates adaptive responses and resistance to
      antifungal azole stress.
AB  - Azoles are commonly used as antifungal drugs or pesticides to control fungal
      infections in medicine and agriculture. Fungi adapt to azole stress by rapidly
      activating the transcription of a number of genes, and transcriptional increases
      in some azole-responsive genes can elevate azole resistance. The regulatory
      mechanisms that control transcriptional responses to azole stress in filamentous
      fungi are not well understood. This study identified a bZIP transcription factor,
      ADS-4 (antifungal drug sensitive-4), as a new regulator of adaptive responses and
      resistance to antifungal azoles. Transcription of ads-4 in Neurospora crassa
      cells increased when they were subjected to ketoconazole treatment, whereas the
      deletion of ads-4 resulted in hypersensitivity to ketoconazole and fluconazole.
      In contrast, the overexpression of ads-4 increased resistance to fluconazole and
      ketoconazole in N. crassa. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis, followed
      by quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)-PCR confirmation, showed that ADS-4
      positively regulated the transcriptional responses of at least six genes to
      ketoconazole stress in N. crassa. The gene products of four ADS-4-regulated genes
      are known contributors to azole resistance, including the major efflux pump CDR4
      (Pdr5p ortholog), an ABC multidrug transporter (NcAbcB), sterol C-22 desaturase
      (ERG5), and a lipid transporter (NcRTA2) that is involved in calcineurin-mediated
      azole resistance. Deletion of the ads-4-homologous gene Afads-4 in Aspergillus
      fumigatus caused hypersensitivity to itraconazole and ketoconazole, which
      suggested that ADS-4 is a functionally conserved regulator of adaptive responses
      to azoles. This study provides important information on a new azole resistance
      factor that could be targeted by a new range of antifungal pesticides and drugs. 

PMID- 26100702
TI  - Differences in antibiotic-induced oxidative stress responses between laboratory
      and clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
AB  - Oxidants were shown to contribute to the lethality of bactericidal antibiotics in
      different bacterial species, including the laboratory strain Streptococcus
      pneumoniae R6. Resistance to penicillin among S. pneumoniae R6 mutants was
      further shown to protect against the induction of oxidants upon exposure to
      unrelated bactericidal compounds. In the work described here, we expanded on
      these results by studying the accumulation of reactive oxygen species in the
      context of antibiotic sensitivity and resistance by including S. pneumoniae
      clinical isolates. In S. pneumoniae R6, penicillin, ciprofloxacin, and kanamycin
      but not the bacteriostatic linezolid, erythromycin, or tetracycline induced the
      accumulation of reactive oxygen species. For the three bactericidal compounds,
      resistance to a single molecule prevented the accumulation of oxidants upon
      exposure to unrelated bactericidal antibiotics, and this was accompanied by a
      reduced lethality. This phenomenon does not involve target site mutations but
      most likely implicates additional mutations occurring early during the selection
      of resistance to increase survival while more efficient resistance mechanisms are
      being selected or acquired. Bactericidal antibiotics also induced oxidants in
      sensitive S. pneumoniae clinical isolates. The importance of oxidants in the
      lethality of bactericidal antibiotics was less clear than for S. pneumoniae R6,
      however, since ciprofloxacin induced oxidants even in ciprofloxacin-resistant S.
      pneumoniae clinical isolates. Our results provide a clear example of the complex
      nature of the mode of action of antibiotics. The adaptive approach to oxidative
      stress of S. pneumoniae is peculiar, and a better understanding of the mechanism
      implicated in response to oxidative injury should also help clarify the role of
      oxidants induced by antibiotics. 

PMID- 26100703
TI  - Variation in resistance traits, phylogenetic backgrounds, and virulence genotypes
      among Escherichia coli clinical isolates from adjacent hospital campuses serving
      distinct patient populations.
AB  - Escherichia coli sequence type 13 (ST131), an emergent cause of multidrug
      resistant extraintestinal infections, has important phylogenetic subsets, notably
      the H30 and H30Rx subclones, with distinctive resistance profiles and, possibly,
      clinical associations. To clarify the local prevalence of these ST131 subclones
      and their associations with antimicrobial resistance, ecological source, and
      virulence traits, we extensively characterized 233 consecutive E. coli clinical
      isolates (July and August 2013) from the University of Minnesota Medical Center
      Fairview Infectious Diseases and Diagnostic Laboratory, Minneapolis, MN, which
      serves three adjacent facilities (a children's hospital and low- and high-acuity
      adult facilities). ST131 accounted for 26% of the study isolates (more than any
      other clonal group), was distributed similarly by facility, and was closely
      associated with ciprofloxacin resistance and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase
      (ESBL) production. The H30 and H30Rx subclones accounted for most ST131 isolates
      and for the association of ST131 with fluoroquinolone resistance and ESBL
      production. Unlike ST131 per se, these subclones were distributed differentially
      by hospital, being most prevalent at the high-acuity adult facility and were
      absent from the children's hospital. The virulence gene profiles of ST131 and its
      subclones were distinctive and more extensive than those of other fluoroquinolone
      resistant or ESBL-producing isolates. Within ST131, bla CTX-M-15 was confined to
      H30Rx isolates and other bla CTX-M variants to non-Rx H30 isolates. Pulsed-field
      gel electrophoresis documented a predominance of globally distributed pulsotypes
      and no local outbreak pattern. These findings help clarify the epidemiology,
      ecology, and bacterial correlates of the H30 and H30Rx ST131 subclones by
      documenting a high overall prevalence but significant segregation by facility,
      strong associations with fluoroquinolone resistance and specific ESBL variants,
      and distinctive virulence gene associations that may confer fitness advantages
      over other resistant E. coli. 

PMID- 26100704
TI  - Surveillance and characterization of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella
      pneumoniae recovered from patient stool samples at a tertiary care medical
      center.

PMID- 26100705
TI  - Case-control study of the risk factors for acquisition of Pseudomonas and Proteus
      species during tigecycline therapy.
AB  - Tigecycline is an important agent in clinical practice because of its broad
      spectrum activity. However, it has no activity against Pseudomonas or Proteus
      species. We conducted a case-control study to analyze risk factors for the
      acquisition of Pseudomonas or Proteus spp. during tigecycline therapy. Placement
      of suction drainage at infected wound sites, ICU stay, and neurologic disease
      were identified as independent risk factors for the acquisition of Pseudomonas
      and Proteus spp. 

PMID- 26100706
TI  - Exploration of the Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Relationships for Fosfomycin
      Efficacy Using an In Vitro Infection Model.
AB  - Fosfomycin, a phosphonic class antibiotic with a broad spectrum of antibacterial
      activity, has been used outside the United States since the early 1970s for the
      treatment of a variety of infections. In the United States, an oral (tromethamine
      salt) formulation is used for uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Recently,
      there has been interest in the use of an intravenous solution (ZTI-01) for the
      treatment of a broad range of infections associated with multidrug-resistant
      bacteria. In this era of multidrug-resistant bacteria with few treatment options,
      it is critical to understand the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD)
      determinants for fosfomycin efficacy. Since such data are limited, a one
      compartment in vitro infection model was used to determine the PK-PD index
      associated with efficacy and the magnitude of this measure necessary for various
      levels of effect. One challenge isolate (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, for which
      the fosfomycin agar MIC is 0.5 mg/liter and the broth microdilution MIC is 1
      mg/liter) was evaluated in the dose fractionation studies, and two additional
      clinical E. coli isolates were evaluated in the dose-ranging studies. Mutation
      frequency studies indicated the presence of an inherently fosfomycin resistant E.
      coli subpopulation (agar MIC = 32 to 64 mg/liter) within the standard starting
      inoculum of a susceptibility test. Due to the presence of this resistant
      subpopulation, we identified the percentage of the dosing interval that drug
      concentrations were above the inherent resistance inhibitory concentration found
      at baseline to be the PK-PD index associated with efficacy (r(2) = 0.777). The
      magnitudes of this PK-PD index associated with net bacterial stasis and 1- and 2
      log10 CFU/ml reductions from baseline at 24 h were 11.9, 20.9, and 32.8,
      respectively. These data provide useful information for modernizing and
      optimizing ZTI-01 dosing regimens for further study. 

PMID- 26100707
TI  - An in vitro combined antibiotic-antibody treatment eliminates toxicity from Shiga
      toxin-producing Escherichia coli.
AB  - Treating Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) gastrointestinal
      infections is difficult. The utility of antibiotics for STEC treatment is
      controversial, since antibiotic resistance among STEC isolates is widespread and
      certain antibiotics dramatically increase the expression of Shiga toxins (Stxs),
      which are some of the most important virulence factors in STEC. Stxs contribute
      to life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which develops in
      considerable proportions of patients with STEC infections. Understanding the
      antibiotic resistance profiles of STEC isolates and the Stx induction potential
      of promising antibiotics is essential for evaluating any antibiotic treatment of
      STEC. In this study, 42 O157:H7 or non-O157 STEC isolates (including the "big
      six" serotypes) were evaluated for their resistance against 22 antibiotics by
      using an antibiotic array. Tigecycline inhibited the growth of all of the tested
      STEC isolates and also inhibited the production of Stxs (Stx2 in particular). In
      combination with neutralizing antibodies to Stx1 and Stx2, the tigecycline
      antibody treatment fully protected Vero cells from Stx toxicity, even when the
      STEC bacteria and the Vero cells were cultured together. The combination of an
      antibiotic such as tigecycline with neutralizing antibodies presents a promising
      strategy for future STEC treatments. 

PMID- 26100708
TI  - Multicenter retrospective study of cefmetazole and flomoxef for treatment of
      extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli bacteremia.
AB  - The efficacy of cefmetazole and flomoxef (CF) for the treatment of patients with
      extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) bacteremia
      (ESBL-CF group) was compared with that of carbapenem treatment for ESBL-EC
      patients (ESBL-carbapenem group) and with that of CF treatment in patients with
      non-ESBL-EC bacteremia (non-ESBL-CF group). Adult patients treated for E. coli
      bacteremia in four hospitals were retrospectively evaluated. The 30-day mortality
      rates in patients belonging to the ESBL-CF, ESBL-carbapenem, and non-ESBL-CF
      groups were compared as 2 (empirical and definitive therapy) cohorts. The
      adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for mortality were calculated using Cox regression
      models with weighting according to the inverse probability of propensity scores
      for receiving CF or carbapenem treatment. The empirical-therapy cohort included
      104 patients (ESBL-CF, 26; ESBL-carbapenem, 45; non-ESBL-CF, 33), and the
      definitive-therapy cohort included 133 patients (ESBL-CF, 59; ESBL-carbapenem,
      54; non-ESBL-CF, 20). The crude 30-day mortality rates for patients in the ESBL
      CF, ESBL-carbapenem, and non-ESBL-CF groups were, respectively, 7.7%, 8.9%, and
      3.0% in the empirical-therapy cohort and 5.1%, 9.3%, and 5.0% in the definitve
      therapy cohort. In patients without hematological malignancy and neutropenia, CF
      treatment for ESBL-EC patients was not associated with mortality compared with
      carbapenem treatment (empirical-therapy cohort: aHR, 0.87; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 0.11 to 6.52; definitive therapy cohort: aHR, 1.04; CI, 0.24 to
      4.49). CF therapy may represent an effective alternative to carbapenem treatment
      for patients with ESBL-EC bacteremia for empirical and definitive therapy in
      adult patients who do not have hematological malignancy and neutropenia. 

PMID- 26100709
TI  - The times they are a-changin': carbapenems for extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase
      producing bacteria.
AB  - Several antimicrobial agents are being investigated as alternatives to
      carbapenems in the treatment of infections caused by ESBL-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae, which may be useful in avoiding overuse of carbapenems in the
      context of recent global spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. The
      most promising candidates for invasive infections so far are beta-lactam/beta
      lactamase inhibitor combinations and cephamycins. 

PMID- 26100710
TI  - Characterization of epidemic IncI1-Igamma plasmids harboring ambler class A and C
      genes in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica from animals and humans.
AB  - The aim of the study was to identify the plasmid-encoded factors contributing to
      the emergence and spread of epidemic IncI1-Igamma plasmids obtained from
      Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica isolates from animal and human
      reservoirs. For this, 251 IncI1-Igamma plasmids carrying various extended
      spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) or AmpC beta-lactamase genes were compared using
      plasmid multilocus sequence typing (pMLST). Thirty-two of these plasmids
      belonging to different pMLST types were sequenced using Roche 454 and Illumina
      platforms. Epidemic IncI1-Igamma plasmids could be assigned to various dominant
      clades, whereas rarely detected plasmids clustered together as a distinct clade.
      Similar phylogenetic trees were obtained using only the plasmid backbone
      sequences, showing that the differences observed between the plasmids belonging
      to distinct clades resulted mainly from differences between their backbone
      sequences. Plasmids belonging to the various clades differed particularly in the
      presence/absence of genes encoding partitioning and addiction systems, which
      contribute to stable inheritance during cell division and plasmid maintenance.
      Despite this, plasmids belonging to the various phylogenetic clades also showed
      marked resistance gene associations, indicating the circulation of successful
      plasmid-gene combinations. The variation in traY and excA genes found in IncI1
      Igamma plasmids is conserved within pMLST sequence types and plays a role in
      incompatibility, although functional study is needed to elucidate the role of
      these genes in plasmid epidemiology. 

PMID- 26100711
TI  - Resistance analysis of baseline and treatment-emergent variants in hepatitis C
      virus genotype 1 in the AVIATOR study with paritaprevir-ritonavir, ombitasvir,
      and dasabuvir.
AB  - AVIATOR, a phase 2 clinical trial, evaluated ritonavir-boosted paritaprevir (a
      protease inhibitor), ombitasvir (an NS5A inhibitor), and dasabuvir (a
      nonnucleoside polymerase inhibitor) (the three-drug [3D] regimen) with or without
      ribavirin (RBV) for 8, 12, or 24 weeks in 406 HCV genotype 1 (GT1)-infected
      patients. The rate of sustained virologic response 24 weeks after treatment
      ranged from 88% to 100% across the arms of the 3D regimen with or without RBV; 20
      GT1a-infected patients and 1 GT1b-infected patient experienced virologic failure
      (5.2%). Baseline resistance-conferring variants in NS3 were rare. M28V in GT1a
      and Y93H in GT1b were the most prevalent preexisting variants in NS5A, and C316N
      in GT1b and S556G in both GT1a and GT1b were the most prevalent variants in NS5B.
      Interestingly, all the GT1a sequences encoding M28V in NS5A were from the United
      States, while GT1b sequences encoding C316N and S556G in NS5B were predominant in
      the European Union. Variants preexisting at baseline had no significant impact on
      treatment outcome. The most prevalent treatment-emergent resistance-associated
      variants (RAVs) in GT1a were R155K and D168V in NS3, M28T and Q30R in NS5A, and
      S556G in NS5B. The single GT1b-infected patient experiencing virologic failure
      had no RAVs in any target. A paritaprevir-ritonavir dose of 150/100 mg was more
      efficacious in suppressing R155K in NS3 than a 100/100-mg dose. In patients who
      failed after receiving 12 or more weeks of treatment, RAVs were selected in all 3
      targets, while most patients who relapsed after 8 weeks of treatment did so
      without any detectable RAVs. Results from this study guided the selection of the
      optimal treatment regimen, treatment duration, and paritaprevir dose for further
      development of the 3D regimen. (This study has been registered at
      ClinicalTrials.gov under registration number NCT01464827.). 

PMID- 26100712
TI  - In vitro selection of ceftazidime-avibactam resistance in Enterobacteriaceae with
      KPC-3 carbapenemase.
AB  - Ceftazidime-avibactam is active against most Enterobacteriaceae isolates with KPC
      carbapenemases. We investigated whether this activity could be compromised by
      mutation. Single-step and multistep selections were attempted using ceftazidime
      avibactam (avibactam fixed at 1 or 4 MUg/ml) versus two strains each of
      Enterobacter cloacae and Klebsiella pneumoniae, all with the KPC-3 enzyme. Mutant
      bla KPC alleles were sequenced, and their parentage was confirmed by typing.
      Ceftazidime-avibactam selected mutants at up to 16* MIC, with frequencies of ca.
      10(-9). This contrasted with previous experience for ceftaroline-avibactam, where
      mutant frequencies under similar conditions were <10(-9). The MICs of ceftazidime
      with 1 MUg/ml avibactam for the ceftazidime-avibactam-selected mutants rose from
      1 to 8 MUg/ml to 16 to >256 MUg/ml and those of ceftazidime with 4 MUg/ml
      avibactam from 0.25 to 1 MUg/ml to 4 to 128 MUg/ml; ceftaroline-avibactam MICs
      rose less, typically from 0.5 to 1 MUg/ml to 1 to 8 MUg/ml. The MICs of
      carbapenems and cephalosporins except ceftazidime and piperacillin-tazobactam
      were reduced for many mutants. Sequencing of blaKPC revealed point and insertion
      changes in 12/13 mutants investigated, representing all four parents; one mutant
      lacked bla KPC changes and possibly had reduced permeability. Amino acid changes
      commonly involved Omega loop alterations or 1 to 6 amino acid insertions
      immediately C-terminal to this loop. The most frequent change, seen in four
      mutants from three strains, was Asp179Tyr, replacing a residue that ordinarily
      forms a salt bridge to stabilize the Omega loop. Since ceftaroline-avibactam was
      less affected than ceftazidime-avibactam, we postulate that these mutations
      increase ceftazidimase specificity rather than conferring avibactam resistance.
      The clinical relevance remains uncertain. 

PMID- 26100713
TI  - Characterization of IncI1 sequence type 71 epidemic plasmid lineage responsible
      for the recent dissemination of CTX-M-65 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase in the
      Bolivian Chaco region.
AB  - During the last decade, a significant diffusion of CTX-M-type extended-spectrum
      beta-lactamases (ESBLs) was observed in commensal Escherichia coli from healthy
      children in the Bolivian Chaco region, with initial dissemination of CTX-M-2,
      which was then replaced by CTX-M-15 and CTX-M-65. In this work, we demonstrate
      that the widespread dissemination of CTX-M-65 observed in this context was
      related to the polyclonal spreading of an IncI1 sequence type 71 (ST71) epidemic
      plasmid lineage. The structure of the epidemic plasmid population was
      characterized by complete sequencing of four representatives and PCR mapping of
      the remainder (n = 16). Sequence analysis showed identical plasmid backbones
      (similar to that of the reference IncI1 plasmid, R64) and a multiresistance
      region (MRR), which underwent local microevolution. The MRR harbored genes
      responsible for resistance to beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, florfenicol, and
      fosfomycin (with microevolution mainly consisting of deletion events of
      resistance modules). The bla CTX-M-65 module harbored by the IncI1 ST71 epidemic
      plasmid was apparently derived from IncN-type plasmids, likely via IS26-mediated
      mobilization. The plasmid could be transferred by conjugation to several
      different enterobacterial species (Escherichia coli, Cronobacter sakazakii,
      Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella
      enterica) and was stably maintained without selective pressure in these species,
      with the exception of K. oxytoca and S. enterica. Fitness assays performed in E.
      coli recipients demonstrated that the presence of the epidemic plasmid was
      apparently not associated with a significant biological cost. 

PMID- 26100714
TI  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa high-level resistance to polymyxins and other
      antimicrobial peptides requires cprA, a gene that is disrupted in the PAO1
      strain.
AB  - The arn locus, found in many Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, mediates
      resistance to polymyxins and other cationic antimicrobial peptides through 4
      amino-l-arabinose modification of the lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharide. In
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa, several two-component regulatory systems (TCSs) control
      the arn locus, which is necessary but not sufficient for these resistance
      phenotypes. A previous transposon mutagenesis screen to identify additional
      polymyxin resistance genes that these systems regulate implicated an open reading
      frame designated PA1559 in the genome of the P. aeruginosa PAO1 strain.
      Resequencing of this chromosomal region and bioinformatics analysis for a variety
      of P. aeruginosa strains revealed that in the sequenced PAO1 strain, a guanine
      deletion at the end of PA1559 results in a frameshift and truncation of a full
      length open reading frame that also encompasses PA1560 in non-PAO1 strains, such
      as P. aeruginosa PAK. Deletion analysis in the PAK strain showed that this full
      length open reading frame, designated cprA, is necessary for polymyxin resistance
      conferred by activating mutations in the PhoPQ, PmrAB, and CprRS TCSs. The cprA
      gene was also required for PmrAB-mediated resistance to other cationic
      antimicrobial peptides in the PAK strain. Repair of the mutated cprA allele in
      the PAO1 strain restored polymyxin resistance conferred by an activating TCS
      mutation. The deletion of cprA did not affect the arn-mediated lipid A
      modification, indicating that the CprA protein is necessary for a different
      aspect of polymyxin resistance. This protein has a domain structure with a strong
      similarity to the extended short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family that
      comprises isomerases, lyases, and oxidoreductases. These results suggest a new
      avenue through which to pursue targeted inhibition of polymyxin resistance. 

PMID- 26100715
TI  - A drug-disease model describing the effect of oseltamivir neuraminidase
      inhibition on influenza virus progression.
AB  - A population drug-disease model was developed to describe the time course of
      influenza virus with and without oseltamivir treatment and to investigate
      opportunities for antiviral combination therapy. Data included viral titers from
      208 subjects, across 4 studies, receiving placebo and oseltamivir at 20 to 200 mg
      twice daily for 5 days. A 3-compartment mathematical model, comprising target
      cells infected at rate beta, free virus produced at rate p and cleared at rate c,
      and infected cells cleared at rate delta, was implemented in NONMEM with an
      inhibitory Hill function on virus production (p), accounting for the oseltamivir
      effect. In congruence with clinical data, the model predicts that the standard 75
      mg regimen initiated 2 days after infection decreased viral shedding duration by
      1.5 days versus placebo; the 150-mg regimen decreased shedding by an additional
      average 0.25 day. The model also predicts that initiation of oseltamivir sooner
      postinfection, specifically at day 0.5 or 1, results in proportionally greater
      decreases in viral shedding duration of 5 and 3.5 days, respectively.
      Furthermore, the model suggests that combining oseltamivir (acting to subdue
      virus production rate) with an antiviral whose activity decreases viral
      infectivity (beta) results in a moderate additive effect dependent on therapy
      initiation time. In contrast, the combination of oseltamivir with an antiviral
      whose activity increases viral clearance (c) shows significant additive effects
      independent of therapy initiation time. The utility of the model for
      investigating the pharmacodynamic effects of novel antivirals alone or in
      combination on emergent influenza virus strains warrants further investigation. 

PMID- 26100716
TI  - Interactions between QnrB, QnrB mutants, and DNA gyrase.
AB  - Plasmid-encoded protein QnrB1 protects DNA gyrase from ciprofloxacin inhibition.
      Using a bacterial two-hybrid system, we evaluated the physical interactions
      between wild-type and mutant QnrB1, the GyrA and GyrB gyrase subunits, and a
      GyrBA fusion protein. The interaction of QnrB1 with GyrB and GyrBA was
      approximately 10-fold higher than that with GyrA, suggesting that domains of GyrB
      are important for stabilizing QnrB1 interaction with the holoenzyme. Sub-MICs of
      ciprofloxacin or nalidixic acid reduced the interactions between QnrB1 and GyrA
      or GyrBA but produced no reduction in the interaction with GyrB or a quinolone
      resistant GyrA:S83L (GyrA with S83L substitution) mutant, suggesting that
      quinolones and QnrB1 compete for binding to gyrase. Of QnrB1 mutants that reduced
      quinolone resistance, deletions in the C or N terminus of QnrB1 resulted in a
      marked decrease in interactions with GyrA but limited or no effect on
      interactions with GyrB and an intermediate effect on interactions with GyrBA.
      While deletion of loop B and both loops moderately reduced the interaction signal
      with GyrA, deletion of loop A resulted in only a small reduction in the
      interaction with GyrB. The loop A deletion also caused a substantial reduction in
      interaction with GyrBA, with little effect of loop B and dual-loop deletions.
      Single-amino-acid loop mutations had little effect on physical interactions
      except for a Delta105I mutant. Therefore, loops A and B may play key roles in the
      proper positioning of QnrB1 rather than as determinants of the physical
      interaction of QnrB1 with gyrase. 

PMID- 26100717
TI  - A predictive machine learning approach for microstructure optimization and
      materials design.
AB  - This paper addresses an important materials engineering question: How can one
      identify the complete space (or as much of it as possible) of microstructures
      that are theoretically predicted to yield the desired combination of properties
      demanded by a selected application? We present a problem involving design of
      magnetoelastic Fe-Ga alloy microstructure for enhanced elastic, plastic and
      magnetostrictive properties. While theoretical models for computing properties
      given the microstructure are known for this alloy, inversion of these
      relationships to obtain microstructures that lead to desired properties is
      challenging, primarily due to the high dimensionality of microstructure space,
      multi-objective design requirement and non-uniqueness of solutions. These
      challenges render traditional search-based optimization methods incompetent in
      terms of both searching efficiency and result optimality. In this paper, a route
      to address these challenges using a machine learning methodology is proposed. A
      systematic framework consisting of random data generation, feature selection and
      classification algorithms is developed. Experiments with five design problems
      that involve identification of microstructures that satisfy both linear and
      nonlinear property constraints show that our framework outperforms traditional
      optimization methods with the average running time reduced by as much as 80% and
      with optimality that would not be achieved otherwise. 

PMID- 26100718
TI  - Detection and Genetic Analysis of Noroviruses and Sapoviruses in Sea Snail.
AB  - An outbreak of acute gastroenteritis occurred at a restaurant in Yokohama in
      December 2011. Because many of the customers had consumed raw sea snail, sea
      snail was suspected to be the source of this outbreak. To determine whether sea
      snail contains Norovirus (NoV) or Sapovirus (SaV), we analyzed 27 sea snail
      samples collected over 5 months (May, June, August, October, and December 2012)
      and 59.3% were positive for NoV and/or SaV. The levels of NoV ranged from 1.5 *
      10(3) to 1.5 * 10(5) copies/g tissue, and those of SaV from 1.5 * 10(2) to 1.3 *
      10(3) copies/g tissue. The highest levels were observed in sea snails collected
      in December. A phylogenetic analysis of the NoVs showed that the viral strains
      were NoV genotypes GI.4, GI.6, GII.4, GII.12, GII.13, and GII.14, and the SaV
      strains were genotypes GI.2 and GI.3. The NoV GII.4 Sydney 2012 variants were
      only detected in December. This variant was a major source of gastroenteritis in
      Japan in the winter of 2012/2013. In contrast, the NoV GII.4 strains detected in
      May and June 2012 were not the Sydney 2012 variant. This study demonstrates that
      sea snail contains multiple genogroups and genotypes of NoV and SaV strains. We
      conclude that the sea snail presents a risk of gastroenteritis when consumed raw.

PMID- 26100719
TI  - A randomized controlled trial of the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a
      texting intervention on medication adherence in adults prescribed oral anti
      cancer agents: study protocol.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to report a study protocol that examines
      feasibility, preliminary efficacy and satisfaction of a text message intervention
      on the outcome of medication adherence in adult patients prescribed oral anti
      cancer agents. BACKGROUND: Administration of oral anti-cancer agents occurs in
      the home setting, requiring patients to self-manage the regimen as prescribed.
      However, many barriers to medication adherence exist: regimens are often complex,
      with cycling of two or more medications; side effects of treatment; most cancer
      patients are older with comorbid conditions and competing demands; and cognitive
      decline and forgetfulness may occur. Research indicates patients miss nearly one
      third of the prescribed oral anti-cancer agent dosages. Text message
      interventions have been shown to improve medication adherence in chronic
      conditions other than cancer. However, a majority of those patients were less
      than 50 years of age and most cancer patients are diagnosed later in life.
      DESIGN: A two-group randomized controlled trial with repeated measures. METHODS:
      Seventy-five adult patients newly prescribed an oral anti-cancer agent will be
      recruited (project funded in April 2013) from community cancer centres and a
      specialty pharmacy. Participants will be randomized to either a control group (n
      = 25; usual care) or an intervention group (n = 50; usual care plus text messages
      timed to medication regimen). Outcome measures include: medication adherence,
      feasibility and satisfaction with the intervention. Data will be collected over 8
      weeks: baseline, weekly and exit. DISCUSSION: Standardized text message
      intervention protocol and detailed study procedures have been developed in this
      study to improve medication adherence.

PMID- 26100720
TI  - A weighted and integrated drug-target interactome: drug repurposing for
      schizophrenia as a use case.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Computational pharmacology can uniquely address some issues in the
      process of drug development by providing a macroscopic view and a deeper
      understanding of drug action. Specifically, network-assisted approach is
      promising for the inference of drug repurposing. However, the drug-target
      associations coming from different sources and various assays have much noise,
      leading to an inflation of the inference errors. To reduce the inference errors,
      it is necessary and critical to create a comprehensive and weighted data set of
      drug-target associations. RESULTS: In this study, we created a weighted and
      integrated drug-target interactome (WinDTome) to provide a comprehensive resource
      of drug-target associations for computational pharmacology. We first collected
      drug-target interactions from six commonly used drug-target centered data sources
      including DrugBank, KEGG, TTD, MATADOR, PDSP K(i) Database, and BindingDB. Then,
      we employed the record linkage method to normalize drugs and targets to the
      unique identifiers by utilizing the public data sources including PubChem, Entrez
      Gene, and UniProt. To assess the reliability of the drug-target associations, we
      assigned two scores (Score_S and Score_R) to each drug-target association based
      on their data sources and publication references. Consequently, the WinDTome
      contains 546,196 drug-target associations among 303,018 compounds and 4,113
      genes. To assess the application of the WinDTome, we designed a network-based
      approach for drug repurposing using mental disorder schizophrenia (SCZ) as a
      case. Starting from 41 known SCZ drugs and their targets, we inferred a total of
      264 potential SCZ drugs through the associations of drug-target with Score_S
      higher than two in WinDTome and human protein-protein interactions. Among the 264
      SCZ-related drugs, 39 drugs have been investigated in clinical trials for SCZ
      treatment and 74 drugs for the treatment of other mental disorders, respectively.
      Compared with the results using other Score_S cutoff values, single data source,
      or the data from STITCH, the inference of 264 SCZ-related drugs had the highest
      performance. CONCLUSIONS: The WinDTome generated in this study contains
      comprehensive drug-target associations with confidence scores. Its application to
      the SCZ drug repurposing demonstrated that the WinDTome is promising to serve as
      a useful resource for drug repurposing.

PMID- 26100721
TI  - Enzymatic Hydrogelation-Induced Fluorescence Turn-Off for Sensing Alkaline
      Phosphatase in Vitro and in Living Cells.
AB  - Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-catalyzed hydrogelation has been extensively explored
      and found wide applications. Spectroscopic and electrochemical approaches are
      commonly employed for the detection of ALP activity. Herein, by rational design
      of a fluorescence probe Fmoc-K(FITC)FFYp (P1) (where FITC is fluorescein), we
      incorporated sol-gel transition with fluorescence "turn-off" and developed a new
      method for quantitative sensing ALP activity in vitro and in living cells. Under
      the catalysis of ALP, P1 was converted to hydrogelator Fmoc-K(FITC)FFY (1) which
      self-assembles into nanofibers to form Gel I. Accompanying this sol-gel
      transition, the fluorescence emission of P1 was turned off. Our assay was
      employed to detect ALP activity over the range of 0-2.8 U/mL with a limit of
      detection (LOD) of 0.06 U/mL. ALP-inhibitor-treated cell imaging indicated that
      P1 could be applied for sensing ALP activity in living cells. Our method provides
      a new option for real time and quantitative sensing ALP activity in vitro and
      even in living cells. 

PMID- 26100722
TI  - Burden of First and Recurrent Cardiovascular Events Among Patients With
      Hyperlipidemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute cardiovascular (CV) events have been evaluated in patients with
      specific comorbidities but have not focused on patients with hyperlipidemia or on
      the their long-term costs. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate incidence of CV events, costs,
      and resource utilization among patients with hyperlipidemia and baseline risk of
      CV disease (CVD). METHODS: Patients (age 18 to 64 years) diagnosed with
      hyperlipidemia or using lipid-modifying medications were identified from
      administrative claims. Patients were categorized into 3 cohorts based on pre
      index clinical characteristics-secondary prevention (SP; history of CV event, n =
      15 613); high risk (HR; CVD, n = 47 600); and primary prevention (PP; no CV event
      history or CVD, n = 60 637)-and followed up to 2 years after the CV event.
      RESULTS: During follow-up, >=1 new CV event occurred in 43.0% of the SP cohort,
      33.9% of HR, and 20.9% of PP; and >=3 new events occurred in 19.8% of the SP
      cohort, 12.9% of HR, and 5.5% of PP. Incremental total costs were $19 320 for SP,
      $20 003 for HR, and $17 650 for PP. Compared with patients with only 1 CV event,
      the mean 2-year cost was 30% higher in patients with 2 CV events and 48% higher
      in patients with 3 CV events. Only 50% of HR patients (with or without CV events)
      received statins. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with recurrent CV events had higher total
      health care costs during 24-month follow-up for each type of CV event. Total
      health care costs among patients with a CV event were higher for the initial as
      well as subsequent events. Statins and lipid-modifying medications were
      significantly underutilized in all cohorts, despite the presence of CVD.

PMID- 26100723
TI  - Shape matching algorithm to validate the tracing protocol of placental chorionic
      surface vessel networks.
AB  - Variability in placental chorionic surface vessel networks (PCSVNs) may mark
      developmental and functional changes in fetal health. Here we report a protocol
      of manually tracing PCSVNs from digital 2D images of post-delivery placentas and
      its validation by a shape matching method to compare the similarity between paint
      injected and unmanipulated (uninjected and deflated vessels) tracings of PCSVNs.
      We show that tracings of unmanipulated vessels produce networks that are very
      comparable to the networks obtained by tracing paint-injected PCSVNs. We suggest
      that manual tracings of unmanipulated PCSVNs can extract features of PCSVN growth
      and structure that may impact fetal wellbeing. 

PMID- 26100724
TI  - Comparing catchment sediment fingerprinting procedures using an auto-evaluation
      approach with virtual sample mixtures.
AB  - Information on sediment sources in river catchments is required for effective
      sediment control strategies, to understand sediment, nutrient and pollutant
      transport, and for developing soil erosion management plans. Sediment
      fingerprinting procedures are employed to quantify sediment source contributions
      and have become a widely used tool. As fingerprinting procedures are naturally
      variable and locally dependant, there are different applications of the
      procedure. Here, the auto-evaluation of different fingerprinting procedures using
      virtual sample mixtures is proposed to support the selection of the
      fingerprinting procedure with the best capacity for source discrimination and
      apportionment. Surface samples from four land uses from a Central Spanish
      Pyrenean catchment were used i) as sources to generate the virtual sample
      mixtures and ii) to characterise the sources for the fingerprinting procedures.
      The auto-evaluation approach involved comparing fingerprinting procedures based
      on four optimum composite fingerprints selected by three statistical tests, three
      source characterisations (mean, median and corrected mean) and two types of
      objective functions for the mixing model. A total of 24 fingerprinting procedures
      were assessed by this new approach which were solved by Monte Carlo simulations
      and compared using the root mean squared error (RMSE) between known and assessed
      source ascriptions for the virtual sample mixtures. It was found that the source
      ascriptions with the highest accuracy were achieved using the corrected mean
      source characterisations for the composite fingerprints selected by the Kruskal
      Wallis H-test and principal components analysis. Based on the RMSE results, high
      goodness of fit (GOF) values were not always indicative of accurate source
      apportionment results, and care should be taken when using GOF to assess mixing
      model performance. The proposed approach to test different fingerprinting
      procedures using virtual sample mixtures provides an enhanced basis for selecting
      procedures that can deliver optimum source discrimination and apportionment. 

PMID- 26100725
TI  - Deforestation and cultivation mobilize mercury from topsoil.
AB  - Terrestrial biomass and soils are a primary global reservoir of mercury (Hg)
      derived from natural and anthropogenic sources; however, relatively little is
      known about the fate and stability of Hg in the surface soil reservoir and its
      susceptibility to change as a result of deforestation and cultivation. In
      southwest Ohio, we measured Hg concentrations in soils of deciduous old- and new
      growth forests, as well as fallow grassland and agricultural soils that had once
      been forested to examine how, over decadal to century time scales, man-made
      deforestation and cultivation influence Hg mobility from temperate surface soils.
      Mercury concentrations in surficial soils were significantly greater in the old
      growth than new-growth forest, and both forest soils had greater Hg
      concentrations than cultivated and fallow fields. Differences in Hg:lead ratios
      between old-growth forest and agricultural topsoils suggest that about half of
      the Hg lost from deforested and cultivated Ohio soils may have been volatilized
      and the other half eroded. The estimated mobilization potential of Hg as a result
      of deforestation was 4.1 mg m(-2), which was proportional to mobilization
      potentials measured at multiple locations in the Amazon relative to
      concentrations in forested surface soils. Based on this relationship and an
      estimate of the global average of Hg concentrations in forested soils, we
      approximate that about 550 M mol of Hg has been mobilized globally from soil as a
      result of deforestation during the past two centuries. This estimate is
      comparable to, if not greater than, the amount of anthropogenic Hg hypothesized
      by others to have been sequestered by the soil reservoir since Industrialization.
      Our results suggest that deforestation and soil cultivation are significant
      anthropogenic processes that exacerbate Hg mobilization from soil and its cycling
      in the environment.

PMID- 26100726
TI  - Impact of trees on pollutant dispersion in street canyons: A numerical study of
      the annual average effects in Antwerp, Belgium.
AB  - Effects of vegetation on pollutant dispersion receive increased attention in
      attempts to reduce air pollutant concentration levels in the urban environment.
      In this study, we examine the influence of vegetation on the concentrations of
      traffic pollutants in urban street canyons using numerical simulations with the
      CFD code OpenFOAM. This CFD approach is validated against literature wind tunnel
      data of traffic pollutant dispersion in street canyons. The impact of trees is
      simulated for a variety of vegetation types and the full range of approaching
      wind directions at 15 degrees  interval. All these results are combined using
      meteo statistics, including effects of seasonal leaf loss, to determine the
      annual average effect of trees in street canyons. This analysis is performed for
      two pollutants, elemental carbon (EC) and PM10, using background concentrations
      and emission strengths for the city of Antwerp, Belgium. The results show that
      due to the presence of trees the annual average pollutant concentrations increase
      with about 8% (range of 1% to 13%) for EC and with about 1.4% (range of 0.2 to
      2.6%) for PM10. The study indicates that this annual effect is considerably
      smaller than earlier estimates which are generally based on a specific set of
      governing conditions (1 wind direction, full leafed trees and peak hour traffic
      emissions). 

PMID- 26100727
TI  - Effects of day-of-week trends and vehicle types on PM2.5-bounded carbonaceous
      compositions.
AB  - Carbonaceous compositions of PM2.5 were measured in the heart of Bangkok from
      17th November 2010 to 19th January 2012, and a data set of 94 samples was
      constructed. Effects of day-of-week trends and vehicle types on PM2.5-bound TC,
      OC, and EC were carefully investigated. In this study, OC was the most important
      contributor to the total PM2.5 mass concentration. The average PM2.5-bound OC
      content measured at CHAOS (18.8 +/- 9.18 MUg m(-3)) was approximately 11 times
      higher than at Chaumont, Switzerland (1.7 MUg m(-3)), but approximately five
      times lower than at Xi'an, China (93.0 MUg m(-3)). The application of diagnostic
      binary ratios of OC/EC and estimations of secondary organic carbon (SOC) coupled
      with autocorrelation plots (Box and Jenkins) highlight the enhanced impacts of
      traffic emissions, especially from diesel vehicles, on PM2.5-bound carbonaceous
      compositions on weekdays relative to weekends. Hierarchical cluster analysis
      (HCA) coupled with principal component analysis (PCA) underline the importance of
      diesel emissions as the primary contributors of carbonaceous aerosols,
      particularly during weekdays.

PMID- 26100728
TI  - Ultrasound coupled with Fenton oxidation pre-treatment of sludge to release
      organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus.
AB  - We focused on the effects of ultrasound and Fenton reagent in ultrasonic coupling
      Fenton oxidation (U + F) pre-treatment processes on the disintegration of
      wastewater treatment plant sludge. The results demonstrated that U + F treatment
      could significantly increase soluble COD, TOC, total N, proteins, total P and
      PO4(3-) concentrations in sludge supernatant. This method was more effective than
      ultrasonic (U) or Fenton oxidation (F) treatment alone. U + F treatment increased
      the soluble COD by 2.1- and 1.4-fold compared with U and F alone, respectively. U
      + F treatment increased the total N and P by 1.7- and 2.2-fold, respectively,
      compared with F alone. After U + F treatment, sludge showed a considerably finer
      particle size and looser microstructure based on scanning electron microscopy,
      and the highest OH signal intensity increased from 568.7 by F treatment to 1106.3
      using electron spin resonance. This demonstrated that U+F treatment induces
      disintegration of sludge and release of organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus
      better.

PMID- 26100729
TI  - High sensitive multiresidue analysis of pharmaceuticals and antifungals in
      surface water using U-HPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap HRMS. Application to the Danube
      river basin on the Romanian territory.
AB  - The occurrence of 67 pharmaceutical and antifungal residues in the Danube river
      on the Romanian territory was studied by using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and
      LC-Q Exactive Orbitrap high resolution MS in both full scan (FS) MS and targeted
      MS/MS modes. A single-laboratory validation procedure was carried out for the
      determination of 67 compounds in FSMS mode evaluating selectivity, sensitivity,
      linearity, precision and accuracy. The method showed satisfactory analytical
      performance. The evaluation of the recovery concluded that 75% of the compounds
      show recoveries between 85 and 115% and 10% of the compounds show recoveries
      between 85% and 65%. The level of detection was lower than 5 ng l(-1) for 66% of
      the compounds, between 5 and 10 ng l(-1) for 22% and between 10 and 25 ng l(-1)
      for 14% of the compounds. The coefficients of determination R(2) were higher than
      0.99 for 79% of the compounds, over a linearity range of 2.5-50 ng l(-1).
      Targeted MS/MS analysis, performed in addition to the full scan acquisition was
      used for confirmatory purpose. Twenty samples of Danube water and three of the
      main tributaries were collected in May, July, August and October 2014. Analysis
      of the selected water samples revealed the occurrence of 23 compounds such as
      diclofenac, carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, tylosin, indomethacin, ketoprofen,
      piroxicam, together with antifungals like thiabendazole, and carbendazim.
      Carbamazepine was detected in 17 samples, the maximum concentration being 40 ng
      l(-1). The highest concentration reached was 166 ng l(-1) for diclofenac.

PMID- 26100730
TI  - Metal exposure influences the melanin and carotenoid-based colorations in great
      tits.
AB  - Metals are naturally found in the environment but are also emitted through
      anthropogenic activities, raising some concerns about the potential deleterious
      effects of these elements on wildlife. The potential effects of metals on bird
      coloration have been the focus of several recent studies since animal colored
      signals often reflect the physiology of their bearers and are thus used by
      animals to assess the quality of another individual as a mate or competitor.
      These studies have shown that the melanin pigmentation seems to be positively
      associated and the carotenoid-based coloration negatively associated with metal
      exposure in wild birds. Although these studies have been very useful to show the
      associations between metal exposure and coloration, only few of them have
      actually quantified the levels of metal exposure at the individual level; always
      focusing on one or two of them. Here, we measured the concentrations of eight
      metals in great tits' feathers and then assessed how these levels of metals were
      associated with the carotenoid and melanin-based colorations. We found that the
      melanin pigmentation was positively associated with the copper concentration and
      negatively correlated with the chromium concentration in feathers. In addition,
      we have shown that the carotenoid-based coloration was negatively associated with
      the feather's mercury concentration. This study is the first one to identify some
      metals that might affect positively and negatively the deposition of melanin and
      carotenoid into the plumage of wild birds. 

PMID- 26100731
TI  - Drip water electrical conductivity as an indicator of cave ventilation at the
      event scale.
AB  - The use of speleothems to reconstruct past climatic and environmental change
      through chemical proxies is becoming increasingly common. Speleothem chemistry is
      controlled by hydrological and atmospheric processes which vary over seasonal
      time scales. However, as many reconstructions using speleothem carbonate are now
      endeavouring to acquire information about precipitation and temperature dynamics
      at a scale that can capture short term hydrological events, our understanding of
      within cave processes must match this resolution. Monitoring within Cueva de
      Asiul (N. Spain) has identified rapid (hourly resolution) changes in drip water
      electrical conductivity (EC), which is regulated by the pCO2 in the cave air.
      Drip water EC is therefore controlled by different modes of cave ventilation. In
      Cueva de Asiul a combination of density differences, and external pressure
      changes control ventilation patterns. Density driven changes in cave ventilation
      occur on a diurnal scale at this site irrespective of season, driven by
      fluctuations in external temperature across the cave internal temperature
      threshold. As external temperatures drop below those within the cave low pCO2
      external air enters the void, facilitating the deposition of speleothem carbonate
      and causing a reduction in measured drip water EC. Additionally, decreases in
      external pressure related to storm activity act as a secondary ventilation
      mechanism. Reductions in external air pressure cause a drop in cave air pressure,
      enhancing karst air draw down, increasing the pCO2 of the cave and therefore the
      EC measured within drip waters. EC thereby serves as a first order indicator of
      cave ventilation, regardless of changes in speleothem drip rates and karst
      hydrological conditions. High resolution monitoring of cave drip water electrical
      conductivity reveals the highly sensitive nature of ventilation dynamics within
      cave environments, and highlights the importance of this for understanding trace
      element incorporation into speleothem carbonate at the event scale. 

PMID- 26100732
TI  - Investigating physiological, cellular and molecular effects in juvenile blue
      crab, Callinectus sapidus, exposed to field-collected sediments contaminated by
      oil from the Deepwater Horizon Incident.
AB  - Juvenile blue crabs, Callinectus sapidus, were exposed for 31 days to six
      different sediments collected within the Pass a Loutre State Wildlife Management
      Area approximately 6 months or 1.5 years post-capping of the Macondo-252 well
      head following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Incident. Based on forensic analysis
      to fingerprint for DWH oil, these sediments differed in their levels of DWH oil
      contamination, and included one reference sediment collected from a location with
      no detectable DWH oil present. The concentration of 50 individual parent and
      alkylation group polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), saturated hydrocarbons
      (37 total), and total extractable hydrocarbons were determined in each sediment,
      as were biologically relevant metals, grain size distribution, percent total
      organic carbon, and percent total solids. Total concentrations of 50 PAHs
      (TPAH50) of initial treatment sediments ranged from 187 MUg kg(-1) (reference
      site) to 2,086,458 MUg kg(-1) (the highest DWH oil contaminated site). Multiple
      biological endpoints were measured including mortality, growth, and ecdysis.
      Additionally, early biomarkers of biological stress were examined in the
      hemolymph and hepatopancreas of crabs, including DNA damage (Comet assay) and
      expression of genes encoding Cu-metallothionein (CuMT), glutathione-S-transferase
      (GST), and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). Over the 31 day exposure,
      there were no treatment related mortalities in juvenile blue crabs. The overall
      growth and molting of the crabs were not substantially different between the
      various sediment exposures over the exposure period. Additionally, none of the
      early biomarkers of biological stress were correlated with PAH concentrations.
      Overall, juvenile blue crabs did not appear to be negatively impacted during the
      31 day exposure by DWH oil contaminated sediments collected at least 6 months
      post-capping of the Macondo-252 well-head.

PMID- 26100733
TI  - Evaluation of disinfection by-product formation potential (DBPFP) during
      chlorination of two algae species--Blue-green Microcystis aeruginosa and diatom
      Cyclotella meneghiniana.
AB  - Microcystis aeruginosa (blue-green alga) commonly blooms in summer and Cyclotella
      meneghiniana (diatom) outbreaks in fall in the reservoirs that serve as drinking
      water sources in Southeast China. Herein, an evaluation of disinfection by
      product formation potential (DBPFP) from them during chlorination should be
      conducted. Five DBPs including trichloromethane (TCM), trichloronitromethane
      (TCNM), dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN), 1,1-dichloropropanone (1,1-DCP) and 1,1,1
      trichloropropanone (1,1,1-TCP) were monitored. The formation potential of TCM and
      TCNM was enhanced with the increase of reaction time and chlorine dosage, whereas
      that of DCAN, 1,1-DCP and 1,1,1-TCP increased first and then fell with continuing
      reaction time. M. aeruginosa showed higher DBPFP than C. meneghiniana, the yield
      of DBPs varied with components of algal cells. The DBPFP order from components of
      M. aeruginosa was cell suspension (CS) ~ intracellular organic matter (IOM) >
      extracellular organic matter (EOM) > cell debris (CD), which indicated that IOM
      was the main DBP precursors for M. aeruginosa. The yields of DBPs from components
      of C. meneghiniana were in the order of CS>IOM~ CD ~ EOM, suggesting that three
      components made similar contributions to the total DBP formation. The amount of
      IOM with higher DBPFP leaked from both algae species increased with the chlorine
      dosage, indicating that chlorine dosage should be considered carefully in the
      treatment of eutrophic water for less destroying of the cell integrity. Though
      fluorescence substances contained in both algae species varied significantly, the
      soluble microbial products (SMPs) and aromatic protein-like substances were the
      main cellular components that contributed to DBP formation for both algae.

PMID- 26100734
TI  - Perfluorinated chemicals in blood serum of inhabitants in central Poland in
      relation to gender and age.
AB  - The goal of this paper is to determine concentrations of seven selected
      perfluoroalkylated substances (PFASs): perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS),
      perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS),
      perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoic
      acid (PFUnDA), perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoDA) in the blood serum of men and
      women of reproductive age from the central region of Poland. The relation between
      sex of tested subjects and the levels of compounds in blood serum of humans will
      also be considered and analysed as an element of the risk assessment. The study
      was made on the blood serum samples collected from 253 women and 176 men of
      reproductive age between 20 and 44 years from Warsaw and surrounding areas.
      Higher concentrations of five (PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA) from among seven
      selected PFASs were observed in men in comparison to women from the same
      populations. Only the concentrations of PFHxS and PFDoDA were slightly higher in
      women than in men. These differences were statistically significant in all cases,
      except for PFUnDA. The hypothesis that the concentrations of said compounds
      increase with age of the test subjects, regardless of gender has not been
      confirmed.

PMID- 26100735
TI  - Formation of complexes between hematite nanoparticles and a non-conventional
      galactomannan gum. Toward a better understanding on interaction processes.
AB  - The physicochemical characteristics of hematite nanoparticles related to their
      size, surface area and reactivity make them useful for many applications, as well
      as suitable models to study aggregation kinetics. For several applications (such
      as remediation of contaminated groundwater) it is crucial to maintain the
      stability of hematite nanoparticle suspensions in order to assure their arrival
      to the target place. The use of biopolymers has been proposed as a suitable
      environmentally friendly option to avoid nanoparticle aggregation and assure
      their stability. The aim of the present work was to investigate the formation of
      complexes between hematite nanoparticles and a non-conventional galactomannan
      (vinal gum--VG) obtained from Prosopis ruscifolia in order to promote hematite
      nanoparticle coating with a green biopolymer. Zeta potential and size of hematite
      nanoparticles, VG dispersions and the stability of their mixtures were
      investigated, as well as the influence of the biopolymer concentration and
      preparation method. DLS and nanoparticle tracking analysis techniques were used
      for determining the size and the zeta-potential of the suspensions. VG showed a
      polydispersed size distribution (300-475 nm Z-average diameter, 0.65 Pdi) and a
      negative zeta potential (between -1 and -12 mV for pH2 and 12, respectively). The
      aggregation of hematite nanoparticles (3.3 mg/L) was induced by the addition of
      VG at lower concentrations than 2mg/L (pH5.5). On the other hand, hematite
      nanoparticles were stabilized at concentrations of VG higher than 2 mg/L. Several
      phenomena between hematite nanoparticles and VG were involved: steric effects,
      electrostatic interactions, charge neutralization, charge inversion and polymer
      bridging. The process of complexation between hematite nanoparticles and the
      biopolymer was strongly influenced by the preparation protocols. It was concluded
      that the aggregation, dispersion, and stability of hematite nanoparticles
      depended on biopolymer concentration and also on the way of preparation and
      initial physicochemical properties of the aqueous system.

PMID- 26100736
TI  - The current state of drug discovery and what it might take to improve drug
      discovery outcomes and approval successes.

PMID- 26100737
TI  - Transdermal delivery of antidiabetic drugs: formulation and delivery strategies.
AB  - Most oral antidiabetic drugs exhibit low oral bioavailability and need to be
      taken more than once daily owing to short half-lives, resulting in poor patient
      compliance. There is a necessity for improved drug delivery devices for
      antidiabetic agents because of the scale of their use and short-comings
      associated with their conventional dosage forms. This review presents an outline
      of transdermal research specifically in the area of antidiabetic drugs, showing
      that several transdermal approaches have been made to enhance delivery of these
      drugs via the skin barrier, significantly improving bioavailability as well as
      patient compliance. 

PMID- 26100738
TI  - 2014 in review: FDA approval of new drugs.
AB  - The year 2014 witnessed the approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
      of 42 new molecular entities (NMEs), which is well above recent averages. These
      molecules targeted a range of molecular pathways and clinical indications,
      although the latter was skewed toward hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and
      diabetes. By contrast, a single drug was approved for cardiovascular diseases and
      none for neurological indications (excepting sleeping disorders). Of note is a
      continued trend toward consolidation because the net number of biotechnology
      companies has reached its lowest point in over 25 years, raising questions about
      sustainability.

PMID- 26100739
TI  - Contributions of wheat and maize residues to soil organic carbon under long-term
      rotation in north China.
AB  - Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in agro-ecosystem is largely influenced by
      cropping. However, quantifying the contributions of various crops has been
      lacking. Here we employed a stable isotopic approach to evaluate the
      contributions of wheat and maize residues to SOC at three long-term experimental
      sites in north China. Soil samples were collected from 0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80
      and 80-100 cm after 13 and 20 years of wheat-maize rotation, and SOC and its
      stable (13)C composition were determined. Our data showed that the delta(13)C
      value of SOC varied, on average, from -22.10/00 in the 0-20 cm to -21.50/00 in
      the 80-100 cm. Carbon input through maize residues ranged from 35% to 68% whereas
      the contribution of maize residues to SOC (0-40 cm) ranged from 28% to 40%. Our
      analyses suggested that the retention coefficient was in the range of 8.0-13.6%
      for maize residues and 16.5-28.5% for wheat residues. The two-fold higher
      retention coefficient of wheat versus maize residues was due to the differences
      in the quality of residues and probably also in the temperature during the
      growing season. Our study highlighted the importance of crop management on carbon
      sequestration in agricultural lands.

PMID- 26100740
TI  - [Safety and efficacy of kyphoplasty in the treatment of tumoral disease of the
      spine].
AB  - Vertebral fractures in oncology patients cause significant pain and disability,
      with decreased quality of life. The aim of the study is to assess the efficacy
      and safety of kyphoplasty in this type of vertebral fracture in the acute phase.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 75 consecutive
      oncology patients with 122 acute vertebral fractures, who underwent bilateral
      balloon kyphoplasty, with a mean follow up of 11 months. RESULTS: Almost all
      (91%) of the patients improved their pain level. The mean improvement in the
      Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was 4.28 points (preoperative value 7.49 [SD 1.19],
      postoperative 3.21 [SD 0.95]). Before surgery, 53% of patients needed major
      opioids (40 cases), and one month after surgery only 12% (9 patients) required
      them. Quality of life determined by the Karnofsky index improved from 60.2 (SD
      10) to 80.7 (SD 12.1). Cement leaks were found in 5.7% (7 cases), all without
      neurological repercussions. New fractures appeared in 11 patients. This subgroup
      showed a slight worsening of the initially acquired clinical improvement. No
      neurological or pulmonary complications related to surgical technique were found.
      CONCLUSIONS: Kyphoplasty is an effective and safe for treating vertebral
      fractures in patients with cancer. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

PMID- 26100742
TI  - Neuroimmunology: Uncovering the secrets of the 'brain drain'--the CNS lymphatic
      system is finally revealed.

PMID- 26100741
TI  - Mammalian touch catches up.
AB  - An assortment of touch receptors innervate the skin and encode different tactile
      features of the environment. Compared with invertebrate touch and other sensory
      systems, our understanding of the molecular and cellular underpinnings of
      mammalian touch lags behind. Two recent breakthroughs have accelerated progress.
      First, an arsenal of cell-type-specific molecular markers allowed the functional
      and anatomical properties of sensory neurons to be matched, thereby unraveling a
      cellular code for touch. Such markers have also revealed key roles of non
      neuronal cell types, such as Merkel cells and keratinocytes, in touch reception.
      Second, the discovery of Piezo genes as a new family of mechanically activated
      channels has fueled the discovery of molecular mechanisms that mediate and
      mechanotransduction in mammalian touch receptors. 

PMID- 26100743
TI  - Epilepsy: Status epilepticus epidemiology--tracking a moving target.

PMID- 26100751
TI  - Dopa-responsive dystonia--clinical and genetic heterogeneity.
AB  - Dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD) encompasses a group of clinically and genetically
      heterogeneous disorders that typically manifest as limb-onset, diurnally
      fluctuating dystonia and exhibit a robust and sustained response to levodopa
      treatment. Autosomal dominant GTP cyclohydrolase 1 deficiency, also known as
      Segawa disease, is the most common and best-characterized condition that
      manifests as DRD, but a similar presentation can be seen with genetic
      abnormalities that lead to deficiencies in tyrosine hydroxylase, sepiapterin
      reductase or other enzymes that are involved in the biosynthesis of dopamine. In
      rare cases, DRD can result from conditions that do not affect the biosynthesis of
      dopamine; single case reports have shown that DRD can be a manifestation of
      hereditary spastic paraplegia type 11, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 and ataxia
      telangiectasia. This heterogeneity of conditions that underlie DRD frequently
      leads to misdiagnosis, which delays the appropriate treatment with levodopa.
      Correct diagnosis at an early stage requires use of the appropriate diagnostic
      tests, which include a levodopa trial, genetic testing (including whole-exome
      sequencing), cerebrospinal fluid neurotransmitter analysis, the phenylalanine
      loading test, and enzyme activity measurements. The selection of tests for use
      depends on the clinical presentation and level of complexity. This Review
      presents the common and rarer causes of DRD and their clinical features, and
      considers the most appropriate approaches to ensure early diagnosis and
      treatment. 

PMID- 26100750
TI  - Interactions of the histamine and hypocretin systems in CNS disorders.
AB  - Histamine and hypocretin neurons are localized to the hypothalamus, a brain area
      critical to autonomic function and sleep. Narcolepsy type 1, also known as
      narcolepsy with cataplexy, is a neurological disorder characterized by excessive
      daytime sleepiness, impaired night-time sleep, cataplexy, sleep paralysis and
      short latency to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep after sleep onset. In narcolepsy,
      90% of hypocretin neurons are lost; in addition, two groups reported in 2014 that
      the number of histamine neurons is increased by 64% or more in human patients
      with narcolepsy, suggesting involvement of histamine in the aetiology of this
      disorder. Here, we review the role of the histamine and hypocretin systems in
      sleep-wake modulation. Furthermore, we summarize the neuropathological changes to
      these two systems in narcolepsy and discuss the possibility that narcolepsy
      associated histamine abnormalities could mediate or result from the same
      processes that cause the hypocretin cell loss. We also review the changes in the
      hypocretin and histamine systems, and the associated sleep disruptions, in
      Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, Huntington disease and Tourette syndrome.
      Finally, we discuss novel therapeutic approaches for manipulation of the
      histamine system. 

PMID- 26100755
TI  - Suppression of non-radiative surface recombination by N incorporation in
      GaAs/GaNAs core/shell nanowires.
AB  - III-V semiconductor nanowires (NWs) such as GaAs NWs form an interesting
      artificial materials system promising for applications in advanced optoelectronic
      and photonic devices, thanks to the advantages offered by the 1D architecture and
      the possibility to combine it with the main-stream silicon technology. Alloying
      of GaAs with nitrogen can further enhance performance and extend device
      functionality via band-structure and lattice engineering. However, due to a large
      surface-to-volume ratio, III-V NWs suffer from severe non-radiative carrier
      recombination at/near NWs surfaces that significantly degrades optical quality.
      Here we show that increasing nitrogen composition in novel GaAs/GaNAs core/shell
      NWs can strongly suppress the detrimental surface recombination. This conclusion
      is based on our experimental finding that lifetimes of photo-generated free
      excitons and free carriers increase with increasing N composition, as revealed
      from our time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) studies. This is accompanied by a
      sizable enhancement in the PL intensity of the GaAs/GaNAs core/shell NWs at room
      temperature. The observed N-induced suppression of the surface recombination is
      concluded to be a result of an N-induced modification of the surface states that
      are responsible for the nonradiative recombination. Our results, therefore,
      demonstrate the great potential of incorporating GaNAs in III-V NWs to achieve
      efficient nano-scale light emitters. 

PMID- 26100756
TI  - [Osteotomies in children and adolescents].

PMID- 26100757
TI  - Microdynamics and arrest of coarsening during spinodal decomposition in
      thermoreversible colloidal gels.
AB  - Coarsening and kinetic arrest of colloidal systems undergoing spinodal
      decomposition (SD) is a conserved motif for forming hierarchical, bicontinuous
      structures. Although the thermodynamic origins of SD in colloids are widely
      known, the microstructural processes responsible for its coarsening and
      associated dynamics en route to arrest remain elusive. To better elucidate the
      underlying large-scale microdynamical processes, we study a colloidal system with
      moderate-range attractions which displays characteristic features of arrested SD,
      and study its dynamics during coarsening through a combination of differential
      dynamic microscopy and real-space tracking. Using these recently developed
      imaging techniques, we reveal directly that the coarsening arises from collective
      dynamics of dense domains, which undergo slow, intermittent, and ballistic
      motion. These collective motions indicate interfacial effects to be the driving
      force of coarsening. The nature of the gelation enables control of the arrested
      length scale of coarsening by the depths of quenching into the spinodal regime,
      which we demonstrate to provide an effective means to control the elasticity of
      colloidal gels. 

PMID- 26100754
TI  - Is early-life iron exposure critical in neurodegeneration?
AB  - The effects of iron deficiency are well documented, but relatively little is
      known about the long-term implications of iron overload during development. High
      levels of redox-active iron in the brain have been associated with
      neurodegenerative disorders, most notably Parkinson disease, yet a gradual
      increase in brain iron seems to be a feature of normal ageing. Increased brain
      iron levels might result from intake of infant formula that is excessively
      fortified with iron, thereby altering the trajectory of brain iron uptake and
      amplifying the risk of iron-associated neurodegeneration in later life. In this
      Perspectives article, we discuss the potential long-term implications of
      excessive iron intake in early life, propose the analysis of iron deposits in
      teeth as a method for retrospective determination of iron exposure during
      critical developmental windows, and call for evidence-based optimization of the
      chemical composition of infant dietary supplements. 

PMID- 26100758
TI  - Investigating effects of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) molecular weight
      grades on lag time of press-coated ethylcellulose tablets.
AB  - The research undertaken exemplifies the effects of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose
      (HPMC) molecular weight (MW) grades of on lag time of press-coated ethylcellulose
      (EC) tablets. The formulation comprised an immediate release core (containing
      prednisone as a model drug) surrounded by compression coating with variegated EC
      HPMC blends. Five selected HPMC grades (E5, E15, E50, K100LV and K4M) were
      explored at three different concentrations (10% w/w, 20% w/w and 30% w/w in outer
      coat) to understand their effects on lag time and drug release. In vitro drug
      release testing demonstrated that, with increase in concentration of E5 and E15,
      up to 30% w/w, the mean lag time decreased progressively; whereas with remaining
      grades, the mean lag time initially decreased up to 20% w/w level and thereafter
      increased for 30% w/w level. Importantly, with increase in HPMC concentration in
      the outer coat, the variability in lag time (%RSD; n = 6) was decreased for each
      of E5, E15 and E50, whereas increased for K100LV and K4M. In general, the
      variability in lag time was increased with increase in HPMC MW at studied
      concentration levels. Markedly, tablets with 30% w/w K4M in outer coat exhibited
      slight premature release (before the rupture of outer coat) along with high
      variability in lag time. Overall, the study concluded that low MW HPMCs (E5, E15
      and E50) were found rather efficient than higher MW HPMCs for developing robust
      EC-based press-coated pulsatile release formulations where precise lag time
      followed by sharp burst release is desired.

PMID- 26100759
TI  - Sex, social status, and CRF receptor densities in naked mole-rats.
AB  - Naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) live in groups that are notable for their
      large size and caste structure, with breeding monopolized by a single female and
      a small number of males. Recent studies have demonstrated substantial differences
      between the brains of breeders and subordinates induced by changes in social
      standing. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors-which bind the hormone
      CRF as well as related peptides-are important regulators of stress and anxiety,
      and are emerging as factors affecting social behavior. We conducted
      autoradiographic analyses of CRF1 and CRF2 receptor binding densities in female
      and male naked mole-rats varying in breeding status. Both globally and in
      specific brain regions, CRF1 receptor densities varied with breeding status. CRF1
      receptor densities were higher in subordinates across brain regions, and
      particularly in the piriform cortex and cortical amygdala. Sex differences were
      present in CRF2 receptor binding densities, as is the case in multiple vole
      species. CRF2 receptor densities were higher in females, both globally and in the
      cortical amygdala and lateral amygdalar nucleus. These results provide novel
      insights into the neurobiology of social hierarchy in naked mole-rats, and add to
      a growing body of work that links changes in the CRF system with social behavior.

PMID- 26100760
TI  - Mycobacterial glycolipids di-O-acylated trehalose and tri-O-acylated trehalose
      downregulate inducible nitric oxide synthase and nitric oxide production in
      macrophages.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious human health problem that affects
      millions of people in the world. Understanding the biology of Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis (Mtb) is essential for tackling this devastating disease. Mtb
      possesses a very complex cell envelope containing a variety of lipid components
      that participate in the establishment of the infection. We have previously
      demonstrated that di-O-acylated trehalose (DAT), a non-covalently linked cell
      wall glycolipid, inhibits the proliferation of T lymphocytes and the production
      of cytokines. RESULTS: In this work we show that DAT and the closely related tri
      O-acylated trehalose (TAT) inhibits nitric oxide (NO) production and the
      inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in macrophages (MO).
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that DAT and TAT are cell-wall located virulence
      factors that downregulate an important effector of the immune response against
      mycobacteria.

PMID- 26100761
TI  - The effect of chart speed on fetal monitor interpretation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Electronic fetal heart monitor chart speeds vary between countries,
      and it is unclear whether differing chart speeds affect physician tracing
      interpretation. METHODS: Twenty-minute segments of 19 tracings were displayed on
      both 1 and 3 cm/min strips and interpreted by 14 physicians at the particular
      speed they were accustomed to reading. Interpretations of tracing characteristics
      were compared between groups using free margin kappa, a measure of interobserver
      agreement. RESULTS: Compared to 3 cm/min tracings, 1 cm/min tracings were
      significantly more often identified as having absent than minimal variability,
      and minimal than moderate variability. Accelerations were significantly more
      often identified in 1 versus 3 cm/min strips. There were no significant
      differences between groups with respect to baseline fetal heart rate, prolonged
      or repetitive decelerations, or American College of Obstetricians and
      Gynecologists tracing category. Neither chart speed had substantial interobserver
      agreement in tracing variables; however, agreement was consistently higher in 3
      versus 1 cm/min tracings (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Tracing interpretation is
      significantly affected by fetal monitor chart speed with regards to variability,
      acceleration and deceleration. Further studies are required to determine if
      differences in chart speed interpretation affect clinical management.

PMID- 26100762
TI  - Prediction of gestational diabetes mellitus by first trimester serum secreted
      frizzle-related protein-5 levels.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study was to investigate the first trimester
      maternal serum secreted frizzle-related protein-5 (Sfrp-5) levels and to evaluate
      the predictive value on the subsequently developed gestational diabetes mellitus
      (GDM). METHODS: A total of 40 pregnant women who subsequently developed GDM and
      44 age- and pre-pregnancy BMI-matched healthy pregnant women were enrolled in
      this prospective case-control study. First trimester serum Sfrp-5 levels were
      evaluated to determine if there is an association with the onset of GDM, by using
      logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Decreased first trimester serum Sfrp-5
      levels (OR = 14.332, 95%CI: 4.166-49.301, p < 0.001) were found to be
      significantly associated with the increased risk of GDM. There were no
      statistically significant differences in serum Sfrp-5 levels between the diet-
      and insulin-treated GDM groups and also serum Sfrp-5 levels were not found to be
      predictive for adverse perinatal outcomes (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Decreased
      first trimester serum Sfrp-5 levels are significantly associated with the
      increased risk of GDM.

PMID- 26100763
TI  - A comparison of two techniques of uterine closure in caesarean section.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the results of two different techniques of uterine closure
      in caesarean section operations in which assistant surgeons participated.
      METHODS: A total of 765 patients were separated into two groups.In Group1(n =
      380), the assistant surgeon, while pulling the suture in a caudal direction with
      the left hand, held the uterine wall from the joined site with the right hand to
      prevent upward tension of tissue. In Group 2 (n = 385), the suture was placed by
      the assistant surgeon by pulling it in the cephalic direction with the right
      hand. These two techniques were evaluated in respect of the postoperative
      decrease in haemoglobin level ,the need for additional sutures and operative
      outcomes. RESULTS: The need for additional sutures was determined as
      statistically high in Group 2 at mean 0.5 +/- 0.6 compared to mean 0.2 +/- 0.5 in
      Group1 (p < 0.001). The mean operating time was determined as statistically
      significantly longer in Group 2 (Group1, 38.0 +/- 5.6 mins and Group2, 41.3 +/-
      4.3 mins) (p < 0.001). The postoperative decrease in hb was statistically
      significantly greater in Group 2 (Group1, 1.1 +/- 0.4, Group2, 1.2 +/- 0.4) (p =
      0.002). CONCLUSION: The cephalic direction placement of the suture with the right
      hand of the assistant surgeon in uterine closure leads to bleeding due to tissue
      cuts in the lower wound lip and thereby creating a need for additional sutures.
      Therefore, the suture should be placed in a caudal direction with the left hand.

PMID- 26100764
TI  - A benchmark study of numerical schemes for one-dimensional arterial blood flow
      modelling.
AB  - Haemodynamical simulations using one-dimensional (1D) computational models
      exhibit many of the features of the systemic circulation under normal and
      diseased conditions. Recent interest in verifying 1D numerical schemes has led to
      the development of alternative experimental setups and the use of three
      dimensional numerical models to acquire data not easily measured in vivo. In most
      studies to date, only one particular 1D scheme is tested. In this paper, we
      present a systematic comparison of six commonly used numerical schemes for 1D
      blood flow modelling: discontinuous Galerkin, locally conservative Galerkin,
      Galerkin least-squares finite element method, finite volume method, finite
      difference MacCormack method and a simplified trapezium rule method. Comparisons
      are made in a series of six benchmark test cases with an increasing degree of
      complexity. The accuracy of the numerical schemes is assessed by comparison with
      theoretical results, three-dimensional numerical data in compatible domains with
      distensible walls or experimental data in a network of silicone tubes. Results
      show a good agreement among all numerical schemes and their ability to capture
      the main features of pressure, flow and area waveforms in large arteries. All the
      information used in this study, including the input data for all benchmark cases,
      experimental data where available and numerical solutions for each scheme, is
      made publicly available online, providing a comprehensive reference data set to
      support the development of 1D models and numerical schemes.

PMID- 26100765
TI  - Dangers and uses of cross-correlation in analyzing time series in perception,
      performance, movement, and neuroscience: The importance of constructing transfer
      function autoregressive models.
AB  - Many articles on perception, performance, psychophysiology, and neuroscience seek
      to relate pairs of time series through assessments of their cross-correlations.
      Most such series are individually autocorrelated: they do not comprise
      independent values. Given this situation, an unfounded reliance is often placed
      on cross-correlation as an indicator of relationships (e.g., referent vs.
      response, leading vs. following). Such cross-correlations can indicate spurious
      relationships, because of autocorrelation. Given these dangers, we here simulated
      how and why such spurious conclusions can arise, to provide an approach to
      resolving them. We show that when multiple pairs of series are aggregated in
      several different ways for a cross-correlation analysis, problems remain.
      Finally, even a genuine cross-correlation function does not answer key motivating
      questions, such as whether there are likely causal relationships between the
      series. Thus, we illustrate how to obtain a transfer function describing such
      relationships, informed by any genuine cross-correlations. We illustrate the
      confounds and the meaningful transfer functions by two concrete examples, one
      each in perception and performance, together with key elements of the R software
      code needed. The approach involves autocorrelation functions, the establishment
      of stationarity, prewhitening, the determination of cross-correlation functions,
      the assessment of Granger causality, and autoregressive model development.
      Autocorrelation also limits the interpretability of other measures of possible
      relationships between pairs of time series, such as mutual information. We
      emphasize that further complexity may be required as the appropriate analysis is
      pursued fully, and that causal intervention experiments will likely also be
      needed.

PMID- 26100766
TI  - Performance impact of stop lists and morphological decomposition on word-word
      corpus-based semantic space models.
AB  - Corpus-based semantic space models, which primarily rely on lexical co-occurrence
      statistics, have proven effective in modeling and predicting human behavior in a
      number of experimental paradigms that explore semantic memory representation. The
      most widely studied extant models, however, are strongly influenced by
      orthographic word frequency (e.g., Shaoul & Westbury, Behavior Research Methods,
      38, 190-195, 2006). This has the implication that high-frequency closed-class
      words can potentially bias co-occurrence statistics. Because these closed-class
      words are purported to carry primarily syntactic, rather than semantic,
      information, the performance of corpus-based semantic space models may be
      improved by excluding closed-class words (using stop lists) from co-occurrence
      statistics, while retaining their syntactic information through other means
      (e.g., part-of-speech tagging and/or affixes from inflected word forms).
      Additionally, very little work has been done to explore the effect of employing
      morphological decomposition on the inflected forms of words in corpora prior to
      compiling co-occurrence statistics, despite (controversial) evidence that humans
      perform early morphological decomposition in semantic processing. In this study,
      we explored the impact of these factors on corpus-based semantic space models.
      From this study, morphological decomposition appears to significantly improve
      performance in word-word co-occurrence semantic space models, providing some
      support for the claim that sublexical information-specifically, word morphology
      plays a role in lexical semantic processing. An overall decrease in performance
      was observed in models employing stop lists (e.g., excluding closed-class words).
      Furthermore, we found some evidence that weakens the claim that closed-class
      words supply primarily syntactic information in word-word co-occurrence semantic
      space models. 

PMID- 26100767
TI  - Elucidating the evolution of hominid dentition in the age of phenomics,
      modularity, and quantitative genetics.
AB  - An organism's anatomy is the result of millions of years of interplay between DNA
      sequence, developmental processes, the environment, and evolutionary forces. The
      anatomical sciences are consequently highly integrative and interdisciplinary.
      That said, reaching across all of the relevant disciplines can be a daunting task
      because scientific publications are produced today at an astounding rate. This
      manuscript brings together insights from the quantitative genetic analysis of
      dental variation into the study of human evolutionary odontology within the
      context of genomics, genetic modularity, and phenomics. It primarily advocates
      the use of quantitative genetics to not only identify QTLs, but also to assess
      the patterns of genetic covariance that underlie phenotypic covariance, thereby
      enabling us to conceptualize phenotypic variation as a reflection of the
      underlying genetic mechanisms. By highlighting three phenotypes of importance
      within the study of human evolution (patterning of the dental arcade, enamel
      thickness, and taurodontism), it is demonstrated how an integrated consideration
      of quantitative genetics, genomic analyses, and paleontology can bring us to more
      detailed hypotheses about the evolution of the hominid clade. 

PMID- 26100768
TI  - Lobodontia: Genetic entity with specific pattern of dental dysmorphology.
AB  - A characteristic pattern of dental anomalies including cone-shaped premolars,
      multitubercular molar crowns, pyramidal molar roots with single root canals,
      shovel-shaped incisors with palatal invaginations and hypodontia usually
      described as lobodontia was recognised as a separate entity. Only a few family
      reports on this condition have been published until now. The prevalence of the
      condition is estimated to be less than 1:1000,000. In the present paper we tried
      to delineate and clarify some additional aspects of this rare genetic entity in
      three families with 17 affected members. This represents the largest number of
      cases recorded since now. The analyses of dental morphology, crown-size profile
      patterns, pedigree analyses, and analyses of digitopalmar dermatoglyphics were
      performed in 7 examined patients. Crown-size profile pattern was calculated for
      seven patients and compared with standards for the Croatian population. The most
      striking features of the condition are conical premolars, tritubercular canines,
      single pyramidal molar roots, multitubercular molar crowns and invaginated upper
      incisors. A considerable reduction of crown-size was observed for all premolars,
      particularly in mandible. The alveolar process in the premolar region was
      hypoplastic and thin in all patients studied. Gender ratio of affected
      individuals was approximately M1:F1. Our data suggest that the prevalence of this
      condition is less than 1:300,000 in the Croatian population, which is
      considerably higher than previously reported in the literature. The analysis of
      the anomaly in all the families showed a slight variability in the clinical
      picture and autosomal dominant (AD) mode of inheritance. It could be concluded
      that this rare condition described as lobodontia represents a true genetic entity
      which follows AD mode of inheritance and displays variability in its expression. 

PMID- 26100769
TI  - Cervical spine injury in dismounted improvised explosive device trauma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The injury pattern from improvised explosive device (IED) trauma is
      different if the target is in a vehicle (mounted) or on foot (dismounted). Combat
      and civilian first response protocols require the placement of a cervical collar
      on all victims of a blast injury. METHODS: We searched the Joint Theatre Trauma
      Registry (JTTR) and the Role 3 Hospital, Kandahar Airfield (KAF) database from
      Mar. 1, 2008, to May 31, 2011. We collected data on cervical fracture; head
      injury; traumatic amputation; initial blood pressure, pulse, injury severity
      score (ISS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score and base excess; and patient
      demographic information. RESULTS: The concordance rate between JTTR and KAF
      databases was 98%. Of the 15 693 admissions in JTTR, 326 patients with dismounted
      IED injuries were located. The rate of cervical collar prehospital placement was
      7.6%. Cervical fractures were found in 19 (5.8%) dismounted IED victims, but only
      4 (1.2%) were considered radiographically unstable. None of these 19 patients had
      prehospital placement of a collar. Patients with cervical spine fractures were
      more severely injured than those without (ISS 18.2 v. 13.4; GCS 10.1 v. 12.5).
      Patients with head injuries had significantly higher risk of cervical spine
      injury than those with no head injury recorded (13.6% v. 3.9%). No differences in
      frequency of cervical spine injury were found between patients who had associated
      traumatic amputations and those who did not (5.4% v. 6.0%). CONCLUSION:
      Dismounted IED is a mechanism of injury associated with a low risk for cervical
      spine trauma. A selective protocol for cervical collar placement on victims of
      dismounted IED blasts is possible and may be more amenable to combat situations.

PMID- 26100770
TI  - Blunt splenic injury and severe brain injury: a decision analysis and
      implications for care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The initial nonoperative management (NOM) of blunt splenic injuries
      in hemodynamically stable patients is common. In soldiers who experience blunt
      splenic injuries with concomitant severe brain injury while on deployment,
      however, NOM may put the injured soldier at risk for secondary brain injury from
      prolonged hypotension. METHODS: We conducted a decision analysis using a Markov
      process to evaluate 2 strategies for managing hemodynamically stable patients
      with blunt splenic injuries and severe brain injury--immediate splenectomy and
      NOM--in the setting of a field hospital with surgical capability but no
      angiography capabilities. We considered the base case of a 40-year-old man with a
      life expectancy of 78 years who experienced blunt trauma resulting in a severe
      traumatic brain injury and an isolated splenic injury with an estimated failure
      rate of NOM of 19.6%. The primary outcome measured was life expectancy. We
      assumed that failure of NOM would occur in the setting of a prolonged casualty
      evacuation, where surgical capability was not present. RESULTS: Immediate
      splenectomy was the slightly more effective strategy, resulting in a very modest
      increase in overall survival compared with NOM. Immediate splenectomy yielded a
      survival benefit of only 0.4 years over NOM. CONCLUSION: In terms of overall
      survival, we would not recommend splenectomy unless the estimated failure rate of
      NOM exceeded 20%, which corresponds to an American Association for the Surgery of
      Trauma grade III splenic injury. For military patients for whom angiography may
      not be available at the field hospital and who require prolonged evacuation,
      immediate splenectomy should be considered for grade III-V injuries in the
      presence of severe brain injury.

PMID- 26100771
TI  - Needle thoracostomy for tension pneumothorax: the Israeli Defense Forces
      experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Point of injury needle thoracostomy (NT) for tension pneumothorax is
      potentially lifesaving. Recent data raised concerns regarding the efficacy of
      conventional NT devices. Owing to these considerations, the Israeli Defense
      Forces Medical Corps (IDF-MC) recently introduced a longer, wider, more durable
      catheter for the performance of rapid chest decompression. The present series
      represents the IDF-MC experience with chest decompression by NT. METHODS: We
      reviewed the IDF trauma registry from January 1997 to October 2012 to identify
      all cases in which NT was attempted. RESULTS: During the study period a total of
      111 patients underwent chest decompression by NT. Most casualties (54%) were
      wounded as a result of gunshot wounds (GSW); motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) were
      the second leading cause (16%). Most (79%) NTs were performed at the point of
      injury, while the rest were performed during evacuation by ambulance or
      helicopter (13% and 4%, respectively). Decreased breath sounds on the affected
      side were one of the most frequent clinical indications for NT, recorded in 28%
      of cases. Decreased breath sounds were more common in surviving than in
      nonsurviving patients. (37% v. 19%, p < 0.001). A chest tube was installed on the
      field in 35 patients (32%), all after NT. CONCLUSION: Standard NT has a high
      failure rate on the battlefield. Alternative measures for chest decompression,
      such as the Vygon catheter, appear to be a feasible alternative to conventional
      NT.

PMID- 26100772
TI  - Current use of live tissue training in trauma: a descriptive systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Growing public concern for animal welfare, advances in computerized
      simulation and economic barriers have drawn a critical eye to the use of live
      tissue training (LTT) in trauma skills acquisition. As a consequence, other
      simulation methods have replaced LTT, for example, in the Advanced Trauma Life
      Support (ATLS) course. Owing to the lack of clear conclusions in the literature,
      we conducted a systematic review to determine the value of LTT alone and in
      comparison to other simulation methods in trauma. METHODS: We performed a
      systematic review of the literature considering observational studies and
      randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examined LTT in trauma exclusively or
      compared with other simulation methods. Independently and in duplicate, we
      adjudicated studies for inclusion and data abstraction. We assessed the quality
      and risk of bias. RESULTS: Twelve studies met our inclusion criteria: 2 RCTs and
      10 prospective cohort studies. Eight and 4 studies were performed in the military
      and in the civilian settings, respectively. Anesthetized swine were used in 8
      studies and goats in 1. The cohort studies involved LTT alone. Different
      adjunctive training modalities were included: mannequins in 6 studies, cadavers
      in 2, computer simulation in 1, video presentations in 2 and wound moulage
      scenarios in 1. The overall methodological quality was moderate as per the
      Newcastle-Ottawa score (mean 6.0 +/- 0, possible range 1-9). The 2 RCTs did not
      demonstrate adequate random sequence generation and allocation concealment.
      CONCLUSION: There is limited evidence that other types of simulation are better
      than LTT. Data on training effects of LTT versus other simulations on outcomes
      are lacking.

PMID- 26100773
TI  - Acute nontraumatic general surgical conditions on a combat deployment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Literature is lacking on acute surgical problems that may be
      encountered on military deployment; even less has been written on whether or not
      any of these surgical problems could have been avoided with more focused
      predeployment screening. We sought to determine the burden of illness
      attributable to acute nontraumatic general surgical problems while on deployment
      and to identify areas where more rigorous predeployment screening could be
      implemented to decrease surgical resource use for nontraumatic problems. METHODS:
      We studied all Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members deployed to Afghanistan
      between Feb. 7, 2006, and June 30, 2011, who required treatment for a
      nontraumatic general surgical condition. RESULTS: During the study period 28 990
      CAF personnel deployed to Afghanistan; 373 (1.28%) were repatriated because of
      disease and 100 (0.34%) developed an acute general surgical condition. Among
      those who developed an acute surgical illness, 42 were combat personnel (42%) and
      58 were support personnel (58%). Urologic diagnoses (n = 34) were the most
      frequent acute surgical conditions, followed by acute appendicitis (n = 18) and
      hernias (n = 12). We identified 5 areas where intensified predeployment screening
      could have potentially decreased the incidence of in-theatre acute surgical
      illness. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that there is a significant acute care
      surgery element encountered on combat deployment, and surgeons tasked with caring
      for this population should be prepared to treat these patients.

PMID- 26100774
TI  - Factors affecting mortality of pediatric trauma patients encountered in Kandahar,
      Afghanistan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Role 3 Multinational
      Medical Unit (R3-MMU) is a tertiary care trauma facility that receives
      casualties, both coalition and civilian, and provides humanitarian medical
      assistance when able to the Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan. We
      examined the cohort of pediatric patients evaluated at the facility during a 16
      month period to determine the characteristics and care requirements of this
      unique patient population. METHODS: A database of Afghan patients younger than 18
      years of age admitted to the NATO R3-MMU between January 2010 and April 2011 was
      developed from the Joint Theatre Trauma Registry. This patient cohort was
      analyzed to determine demographics, injury mechanism, injury severity, resource
      utilization and factors associated with mortality. RESULTS: A total of 263
      children were admitted to the NATO R3-MMU during the study period, representing
      12% of all trauma admissions during this time period. The median age was 9 years
      (range 3 mo-17 yr) with a predominance of male patients (82%). Battle-related
      trauma was responsible for 62% of admissions, with explosive blast injury
      constituting the predominant mechanism (42%). The average injury severity score
      was 12.3 +/- 9.3. Overall mortality was 8%. Factors associated with increased
      risk of death included admission acidosis, coagulopathy, hypothermia and female
      sex. CONCLUSION: Children represent a significant proportion of traumatic
      injuries encountered in a modern war zone; many of them are critically injured.
      Organizations that provide health care in such environments should be prepared to
      care for this patient population where their mandates and facilities allow for
      it.

PMID- 26100775
TI  - The Canadian Armed Forces medical response to Typhoon Haiyan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the setting of international disaster response, an important
      challenge is determining when it is appropriate to withdraw deployed assets as
      the acute disaster response transitions to recovery and rebuilding. We describe
      our experience with realtime data collection during our medical response to
      Typhoon Haiyan as a means to guide military aid mission parameters. METHODS: The
      operational medical headquarters prospectively developed a database for use in
      this mission. Mobile medical teams (MMTs) were deployed to provide primary care,
      and the nurse designated to each MMT was responsible for entering and
      transmitting data daily to the medical headquarters. Data collected included the
      MMT location, basic patient demographics, the primary reason for the encounter
      and any treatment provided. These encounters were then classified as disaster,
      acute or chronic. RESULTS: Between Nov. 16 and Dec. 16, 2013, medical care was
      provided to 6596 local nationals; 238 (3.6%) had disaster-related illness or
      injury, 4321 (65.5%) had acute postdisaster medical conditions and 2037 (30.9%)
      sought medical care for chronic conditions. Of the 257 patients with traumatic
      injuries, 28 (11%) had disaster-related injuries and 214 (83%) had acute injuries
      that occurred postdisaster. CONCLUSION: The data collected during the mission to
      the Phillippines was compiled with performance metrics from the other Disaster
      Assistance Response Team components to help advise the Canadian government
      regarding mission duration. We recommended that data collection continue on all
      future missions and be modified to provide further information to larger disaster
      coordination teams, such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
      Humanitarian Affairs.

PMID- 26100776
TI  - Fresh whole blood transfusion capability for Special Operations Forces.
AB  - Fresh whole blood (FWB) transfusion is an option for providing volume and oxygen
      carrying capacity to bleeding Special Operations soldiers who are injured in an
      austere environment and who are far from a regular blood bank. Retrospective data
      from recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan show an association between the use
      of FWB and survival. We reviewed the literature to document the issues
      surrounding FWB transfusion to Special Operations soldiers in the austere
      environment and surveyed the literature regarding best practice guidelines for
      and patient outcomes after FWB transfusions. Most literature regarding FWB
      transfusion is retrospective or historical. There is limited prospective evidence
      currently to change transfusion practice in tertiary care facilities, but FWB
      remains an option in the austere setting.

PMID- 26100777
TI  - The Canadian Armed Forces Supplement on Military Medicine: Caring for the Wounded
      in the Future. Foreword.

PMID- 26100779
TI  - Introduction.

PMID- 26100781
TI  - In memoriam--Erin Savage, MD, CCFP(EM) Lieutenant Colonel, Royal Canadian Medical
      Service.
AB  - This supplement is dedicated to the memory of Lieutenant Colonel Erin Savage.
      Erin passed away peacefully on Nov. 7, 2014, surrounded by loving family and
      friends in Ottawa, Ont., after a lengthy battle with breast cancer.

PMID- 26100782
TI  - The need for a robust 24/7 subspecialty "clearing house" response for
      telementored trauma care.
AB  - Traumatic injury is increasing in importance in all settings and environments
      worldwide. Many preventable deaths are from conditions that are common and
      treatable. However, as potentially lethal injuries often induce progressive and
      frequently irreversible physiologic decline, the timing of interventions is
      critical. Invasive treatments may need to be offered by prehospital care
      providers who lack extensive training and practice. Telementoring allows
      experienced experts to guide less experienced providers remotely using
      information technology (IT). Early experience has shown that these techniques are
      practical and considered valuable. Their translation to regular practice,
      however, will require the immediate availability of appropriately trained remote
      experts willing to serve as mentors. Acute care trauma specialists are
      acclimatized to responding to out-of-hospital consultations and assuming overall
      responsibility for critical physiology and transport and may serve as the
      backbone of such a national/ international call response initiative.

PMID- 26100783
TI  - Technical innovations that may facilitate real-time telementoring of damage
      control surgery in austere environments: a proof of concept comparative
      evaluation of the importance of surgical experience, telepresence, gravity and
      mentoring in the conduct of damage control laparotomies.
AB  - Bleeding to death is the most preventable cause of posttraumatic death worldwide.
      Despite the fact that many of these deaths are anatomically salvageable with
      relatively basic surgical interventions, they remain lethal in actuality in
      prehospital environments when no facilities and skills exist to contemplate
      undertaking basic damage control surgery (DCS). With better attention to
      prehospital control of extremity hemorrhage, intracavitary bleeding (especially
      intraperitoneal) remains beyond the scope of prehospital providers. However,
      recent revolutions in the informatics and techniques of telementoring (TMT), DCS
      and highly realistic accelerated training of motivated first responders suggests
      that basic lifesaving DCS may have applicability to save bleeding patients in
      austere environments previously considered unsalvageable. Especially with
      informatic advances, any provider with Internet connectivity can potentially be
      supported by highly proficient specialists with content expertise in the index
      problem. This unprecedented TMT support may allow highly motivated but
      inexperienced personnel to provide advanced surgical interventions in extreme
      environments in many austere locations both on and above the planet.

PMID- 26100784
TI  - Advances in damage control resuscitation and surgery: implications on the
      organization of future military field forces.
AB  - Medical support to deployed field forces is increasingly becoming a shared
      responsibility among allied nations. National military medical planners face
      several key challenges, including fiscal restraints, raised expectations of
      standards of care in the field and a shortage of appropriately trained
      specialists. Even so, medical services are now in high demand, and the
      availability of medical support may become the limiting factor that determines
      how and where combat units can deploy. The influence of medical factors on
      operational decisions is therefore leading to an increasing requirement for
      multinational medical solutions. Nations must agree on the common standards that
      govern the care of the wounded. These standards will always need to take into
      account increased public expectations regarding the quality of care. The purpose
      of this article is to both review North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
      policies that govern multinational medical missions and to discuss how recent
      scientific advances in prehospital battlefield care, damage control resuscitation
      and damage control surgery may inform how countries within NATO choose to
      organize and deploy their field forces in the future. 

PMID- 26100785
TI  - Medical mentorship in Afghanistan: How are military mentors perceived by Afghan
      health care providers?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous work has been published on the experiences of high-resource
      setting physicians mentoring in low-resource environments. However, not much is
      known about what mentees think about their First World mentors. We had the
      opportunity to explore this question in an Afghan Army Hospital, and we believe
      this is the first time this has been studied. METHODS: We conducted a pilot cross
      sectional survey of Afghan health care providers evaluating their Canadian
      mentors. We created a culturally appropriate 19- question survey with 5-point
      Likert scores that was then translated into the local Afghan language. The survey
      questions were based on domains of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of
      Canada's CanMEDS criteria. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 90% (36 of 40).
      The respondents included 13 physicians, 21 nurses and 2 other health care
      professionals. Overall, most of the Afghan health care workers felt that working
      with mentors from high-resource settings was a positive experience (median 4.0,
      interquartile range [IQR] 4-4), according to CanMEDS domains. However,
      respondents indicated that the mentors were reliant on medical technology for
      diagnosis (median 5.0, IQR 4-5) and failed to consider the limited resources
      available in Afghanistan. CONCLUSION: The overall impression of Afghan health
      care providers was that mentors are appropriate and helpful. CanMEDS can be used
      as a framework to evaluate mentors in low-resource conflict environments.

PMID- 26100786
TI  - Levels of regulatory T cells CD69(+)NKG2D(+)IL-10(+) are increased in patients
      with autoimmune thyroid disorders.
AB  - Regulatory T (Treg) cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of
      autoimmune thyroid disorders (AITD). New subsets of CD4(+)CD69(+) and
      CD4(+)NKG2D(+) T lymphocytes that behave as regulatory cells have been recently
      reported. The role of these immunoregulatory lymphocytes has not been previously
      explored in AITD. We analyzed by multi-parametric flow cytometry different Treg
      cell subsets in peripheral blood from 32 patients with AITD and 19 controls, and
      in thyroid tissue from seven patients. The suppressive activity was measured by
      an assay of inhibition of lymphocyte activation. We found a significant increased
      percentage of CD4(+)CD69(+)IL-10(+), CD4(+)CD69(+)NKG2D(+), and CD4(+)CD69(+)IL
      10(+)NKG2D(+) cells, in peripheral blood from GD patients compared to controls.
      The increase in CD4(+)CD69(+)IL-10(+) and CD4(+)CD69(+)IL-10(+)NKG2D(+) T cells
      was especially remarkable in patients with active Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO),
      and a significant positive correlation between GO activity and CD4(+)CD69(+)IL
      10(+) or CD4(+)CD69(+)IL-10(+)NKG2D(+) cells was also found. In addition, these
      cells were increased in patients with a more severe and/or prolonged disease.
      Thyroid from AITD patients showed an increased proportion of CD69(+) regulatory T
      cells subpopulations compared to autologous peripheral blood. The presence of
      CD69(+), NKG2D(+), and IL-10(+) cells was confirmed by immunofluorescence
      microscopy. In vitro functional assays showed that CD69(+) Treg cells exerted an
      important suppressive effect on the activation of T effector cells in controls,
      but not in AITD patients. Our findings suggest that the levels of CD69(+)
      regulatory lymphocytes are increased in AITD patients, but they are apparently
      unable to down-modulate the autoimmune response and tissue damage. 

PMID- 26100787
TI  - Testosterone stimulates glucose uptake and GLUT4 translocation through LKB1/AMPK
      signaling in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.
AB  - Decreases in serum testosterone concentrations in aging men are associated with
      metabolic disorders. Testosterone has been reported to increase GLUT4-dependent
      glucose uptake in skeletal muscle cells and cardiomyocytes. However, studies on
      glucose uptake occurring in response to testosterone stimulation in adipocytes
      are currently not available. This study was designed to determine the effects of
      testosterone on glucose uptake in adipocytes. Glucose uptake was assessed with 2
      [(3)H] deoxyglucose in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. GLUT4 translocation was evaluated in
      plasma membrane (PM) sheets and PM fractions by immunofluorescence and
      immunoblotting, respectively. Activation of GLUT4 translocation-related protein
      kinases, including Akt, AMPK, LKB1, CaMKI, CaMKII, and Cbl was followed by
      immunoblotting. Expression levels of androgen receptor (AR) mRNA and AR
      translocation to the PM were assessed by real-time RT-PCR and immunoblotting,
      respectively. The results showed that both high-dose (100 nM) testosterone and
      testosterone-BSA increased glucose uptake and GLUT4 translocation to the PM,
      independently of the intracellular AR. Testosterone and testosterone-BSA
      stimulated the phosphorylation of AMPK, LKB1, and CaMKII. The knockdown of LKB1
      by siRNA attenuated testosterone- and testosterone-BSA-stimulated AMPK
      phosphorylation and glucose uptake. These results indicate that high-dose
      testosterone and testosterone-BSA increase GLUT4-dependent glucose uptake in 3T3
      L1 adipocytes by inducing the LKB1/AMPK signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26100789
TI  - Increased risk of thyroid autoimmunity in rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 26100788
TI  - Subjects with isolated GH deficiency due to a null GHRHR mutation eat
      proportionally more, but healthier than controls.
AB  - The GH/IGF-I axis has important interactions with the alimentary system and with
      the balance between energy intake (EI) and energy requirement (ER). Reduced EI
      has been described in adult-onset acquired GH deficiency (GHD). Individuals from
      the Brazilian Itabaianinha cohort, with isolated GHD (IGHD) due to a homozygous
      mutation (c.57+1G->A) in the GHRH receptor gene, are an ideal model to study the
      consequences of lifetime GHD. The purpose of this study is to evaluate EI and ER
      in this untreated IGHD cohort. Cross-sectional study of 24 adult IGHD patients
      and 23 controls from the same region, matched for age and gender. Estimated EI
      (EEI) was evaluated by dietary recall, and estimated ER (EER) by the equation of
      the Dietary Reference Intakes. Fat mass was assessed by DXA. Both EEI and EER
      were lower in IGHD than controls. However, when corrected by body weight, EEI was
      higher in IGHD (p = 0.005). IGHD individuals consume in percentage more proteins
      (p < 0.0001), less carbohydrates (p = 0.013), and equal amount of lipids in
      comparison to controls. The higher EEI per body weight suggests a possible
      increase of orexigenic mechanisms in untreated IGHD individuals, ensuring greater
      caloric intake, which would have adaptive advantages for small-sized individuals
      in environments with limited access to food. IGHD individuals seem to have a
      healthier dietary pattern than CO.

PMID- 26100790
TI  - 'Language is the source of misunderstandings'--impact of terminology on public
      perceptions of health promotion messages.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The high level of premature death due to non-communicable diseases
      has been associated with unhealthful lifestyles, including poor diet. The
      effectiveness of public health strategies designed to promote health via messages
      focusing on food and diets depends largely on the perception of the messages by
      the public. The aim of this study was to explore public perceptions of language
      commonly used to communicate concepts linking health, food and the diet. METHODS:
      This study is a qualitative and semi-quantitative cross-sectional survey
      exploring public perceptions of terms used to improve eating habits within public
      health strategies. We recruited adults with no background in nutrition or health
      care, from May to July 2013, from urban areas of varying deprivation (n = 12) in
      Glasgow and Edinburgh, UK. Four key prompt-terms used to convey the idea of
      improving health through diet were selected for testing: Healthy Eating, Eating
      for Health, Balanced Diet and Nutritional Balance. Consumer understanding of
      these terms was explored using mixed-methods, including qualitative focus groups
      (n = 17) and an interviewer-led word-association exercise (n = 270). RESULTS: The
      word-association exercise produced 1,386 individual responses from the four
      prompt-terms, with 130 unique responses associated with a single term. Cluster
      analysis revealed 16 key themes, with responses affected by prompt-term used,
      age, gender and socio-economic status. Healthy Eating was associated with foods
      considered 'healthy' (p <0.05); Eating for Health and Balanced Diet with negative
      connotations of foods to avoid (both p <0.001) and Nutritional Balance with the
      benefits of eating healthily (p <0.01). Focus groups revealed clear differences
      in perceptions: Eating for Health = positive action one takes to manage existing
      medical conditions, Healthy Eating = passive aspirational term associated with
      weight management, Balanced Diet = old fashioned, also dieting for weight loss,
      Nutritional Balance = maximising physical performance. Food suppliers use Healthy
      Eating terminology to promote weight management products. Focus group
      participants welcomed product reformulation to enhance food health properties as
      a strategy to overcome desensitisation to health-messages. CONCLUSIONS: Public
      perceptions of messages communicating concepts linking health, food and the diet
      are influenced by terminology, resulting in confusion. To increase individual
      commitment to change eating habits in the long term, public health campaigns need
      strengthening, potentially by investing in tailored approaches to meet the needs
      of defined groups of consumers.

PMID- 26100792
TI  - Chemical doublespeak.

PMID- 26100791
TI  - Theoretical Studies of Interactions between O-Phosphorylated and Standard Amino
      Acid Side-Chain Models in Water.
AB  - Phosphorylation is a common post-translational modification of the amino-acid
      side chains (serine, tyrosine, and threonine) that contain hydroxyl groups. The
      transfer of the negatively charged phosphate group from an ATP molecule to such
      amino-acid side chains leads to changes in the local conformations of proteins
      and the pattern of interactions with other amino-acid side-chains. A convenient
      characteristic of the side chain-side chain interactions in the context of an
      aqueous environment is the potential of mean force (PMF) in water. A series of
      umbrella-sampling molecular dynamic (MD) simulations with the AMBER force field
      were carried out for pairs of O-phosphorylated serine (pSer), threonine (pThr),
      and tyrosine, (pTyr) with natural amino acids in a TIP3P water model as a solvent
      at 298 K. The weighted-histogram analysis method was used to calculate the four
      dimensional potentials of mean force. The results demonstrate that the positions
      and depths of the contact minima and the positions and heights of the desolvation
      maxima, including their dependence on the relative orientation depend on the
      character of the interacting pairs. More distinct minima are observed for
      oppositely charged pairs such as, e.g., O-phosphorylated side-chains and
      positively charged ones, such as the side-chains of lysine and arginine. 

PMID- 26100798
TI  - Bioorthogonal catalysis: Rise of the nanobots.

PMID- 26100799
TI  - Stereoselective synthesis: Molecular editing of carbohydrates.

PMID- 26100800
TI  - Analytical chemistry: Clamping down on cancer detection.

PMID- 26100801
TI  - Nano-plasmonics: Chirality transfer takes a jump.

PMID- 26100802
TI  - Simulation-guided DNA probe design for consistently ultraspecific hybridization.
AB  - Hybridization of complementary sequences is one of the central tenets of nucleic
      acid chemistry; however, the unintended binding of closely related sequences
      limits the accuracy of hybridization-based approaches to analysing nucleic acids.
      Thermodynamics-guided probe design and empirical optimization of the reaction
      conditions have been used to enable the discrimination of single-nucleotide
      variants, but typically these approaches provide only an approximately 25-fold
      difference in binding affinity. Here we show that simulations of the binding
      kinetics are both necessary and sufficient to design nucleic acid probe systems
      with consistently high specificity as they enable the discovery of an optimal
      combination of thermodynamic parameters. Simulation-guided probe systems designed
      against 44 sequences of different target single-nucleotide variants showed
      between a 200- and 3,000-fold (median 890) higher binding affinity than their
      corresponding wild-type sequences. As a demonstration of the usefulness of this
      simulation-guided design approach, we developed probes that, in combination with
      PCR amplification, detect low concentrations of variant alleles (1%) in human
      genomic DNA. 

PMID- 26100804
TI  - Roaming-mediated ultrafast isomerization of geminal tri-bromides in the gas and
      liquid phases.
AB  - 'Roaming' is a new and unusual class of reaction mechanism that has recently been
      discovered in unimolecular dissociation reactions of isolated molecules in the
      gas phase. It is characterized by frustrated bond cleavage, after which the two
      incipient fragments 'roam' on a flat region of the potential energy surface
      before reacting with one another. Here, we provide evidence that supports roaming
      in the liquid phase. We are now able to explain previous solution-phase
      experiments by comparing them with new ultrafast transient absorption data
      showing the photoisomerization of gas-phase CHBr3. We see that, upon S0-S1
      excitation, gas-phase CHBr3 isomerizes within 100 fs into the BrHCBr-Br species,
      which is identical to what has been observed in solution. Similar sub-100 fs
      isomerization is now also observed for BBr3 and PBr3 in solution upon S1
      excitation. Quantum chemical simulations of XBr3 (X = B, P or CH) suggest that
      photochemical reactivity in all three cases studied is governed by S1/S0 conical
      intersections and can best be described as occurring through roaming-mediated
      pathways. 

PMID- 26100803
TI  - Selective, rapid and optically switchable regulation of protein function in live
      mammalian cells.
AB  - The rapid and selective regulation of a target protein within living cells that
      contain closely related family members is an outstanding challenge. Here we
      introduce genetically directed bioorthogonal ligand tethering (BOLT) and
      demonstrate selective inhibition (iBOLT) of protein function. In iBOLT, inhibitor
      conjugate/target protein pairs are created where the target protein contains a
      genetically encoded unnatural amino acid with bioorthogonal reactivity and the
      inhibitor conjugate contains a complementary bioorthogonal group. iBOLT enables
      the first rapid and specific inhibition of MEK isozymes, and introducing
      photoisomerizable linkers in the inhibitor conjugate enables reversible, optical
      regulation of protein activity (photo-BOLT) in live mammalian cells. We
      demonstrate that a pan kinase inhibitor conjugate allows selective and rapid
      inhibition of the lymphocyte specific kinase, indicating the modularity and
      scalability of BOLT. We anticipate that BOLT will enable the rapid and selective
      regulation of diverse proteins for which no selective small-molecule ligands
      exist. 

PMID- 26100805
TI  - An electrochemical clamp assay for direct, rapid analysis of circulating nucleic
      acids in serum.
AB  - The analysis of cell-free nucleic acids (cfNAs), which are present at significant
      levels in the blood of cancer patients, can reveal the mutational spectrum of a
      tumour without the need for invasive sampling of the tissue. However, this
      requires differentiation between the nucleic acids that originate from healthy
      cells and the mutated sequences shed by tumour cells. Here we report an
      electrochemical clamp assay that directly detects mutated sequences in patient
      serum. This is the first successful detection of cfNAs without the need for
      enzymatic amplification, a step that normally requires extensive sample
      processing and is prone to interference. The new chip-based assay reads out the
      presence of mutations within 15 minutes using a collection of oligonucleotides
      that sequester closely related sequences in solution, and thus allow only the
      mutated sequence to bind to a chip-based sensor. We demonstrate excellent levels
      of sensitivity and specificity and show that the clamp assay accurately detects
      mutated sequences in a collection of samples taken from lung cancer and melanoma
      patients. 

PMID- 26100806
TI  - Chemoselective conversion of biologically sourced polyols into chiral synthons.
AB  - Crude oil currently provides much of the world's energy, but it is also the
      source of many feedstock chemicals. Methodology for the conversion of biomass
      into useful chemicals has often focused on either complete deoxygenation or the
      production of high-volume platform chemicals. Here, we describe the
      chemoselective partial reduction of silyl-protected C6O6-derived polyols to
      produce a diverse set of oxygen-functionalized chiral synthons. The combination
      of B(C6F5)3 and a tertiary silane efficiently generates a reactive equivalent of
      an electrophilic silylium ion (R3Si(+)) and a hydride (H(-)) reducing agent. The
      mechanism of oxygen loss does not involve a dehydrative elimination and thus
      avoids ablation of stereochemistry. Neighbouring group participation and the
      formation of cyclic intermediates is key to achieving selectivity in these
      reactions and, where both primary and secondary C-O bonds are present, the
      mechanism allows further control. The method provides--in one or two synthetic
      steps--highly improved syntheses of many C6On synthons as well as several
      previously undescribed products.

PMID- 26100807
TI  - Triamidoamine uranium(IV)-arsenic complexes containing one-, two- and threefold U
      As bonding interactions.
AB  - To further our fundamental understanding of the nature and extent of covalency in
      uranium-ligand bonding, and the benefits that this may have for the design of new
      ligands for nuclear waste separation, there is burgeoning interest in the nature
      of uranium complexes with soft- and multiple-bond-donor ligands. Despite this,
      there have so far been no examples of structurally authenticated molecular
      uranium-arsenic bonds under ambient conditions. Here, we report molecular
      uranium(IV)-arsenic complexes featuring formal single, double and triple U-As
      bonding interactions. Compound formulations are supported by a range of
      characterization techniques, and theoretical calculations suggest the presence of
      polarized covalent one-, two- and threefold bonding interactions between uranium
      and arsenic in parent arsenide [U-AsH2], terminal arsinidene [U=AsH] and arsenido
      [U=AsK2] complexes, respectively. These studies inform our understanding of the
      bonding of actinides with soft donor ligands and may be of use in future ligand
      design in this area. 

PMID- 26100808
TI  - Through-space transfer of chiral information mediated by a plasmonic
      nanomaterial.
AB  - The ability to detect chirality gives stereochemically attuned nanosensors the
      potential to revolutionize the study of biomolecular processes. Such devices may
      structurally characterize the mechanisms of protein-ligand binding, the
      intermediates of amyloidogenic diseases and the effects of phosphorylation and
      glycosylation. We demonstrate that single nanoparticle plasmonic reporters, or
      nanotags, can enable a stereochemical response to be transmitted from a chiral
      analyte to an achiral benzotriazole dye molecule in the vicinity of a plasmon
      resonance from an achiral metallic nanostructure. The transfer of chirality was
      verified by the measurement of mirror image surface enhanced resonance Raman
      optical activity spectra for the two enantiomers of both ribose and tryptophan.
      Computational modelling confirms these observations and reveals the novel
      chirality transfer mechanism responsible. This is the first report of colloidal
      metal nanoparticles in the form of single plasmonic substrates displaying an
      intrinsic chiral sensitivity once attached to a chiral molecule. 

PMID- 26100809
TI  - Supramolecular regulation of bioorthogonal catalysis in cells using nanoparticle
      embedded transition metal catalysts.
AB  - Bioorthogonal catalysis broadens the functional possibilities of intracellular
      chemistry. Effective delivery and regulation of synthetic catalytic systems in
      cells are challenging due to the complex intracellular environment and catalyst
      instability. Here, we report the fabrication of protein-sized bioorthogonal
      nanozymes through the encapsulation of hydrophobic transition metal catalysts
      into the monolayer of water-soluble gold nanoparticles. The activity of these
      catalysts can be reversibly controlled by binding a supramolecular
      cucurbit[7]uril 'gate-keeper' onto the monolayer surface, providing a biomimetic
      control mechanism that mimics the allosteric regulation of enzymes. The potential
      of this gated nanozyme for use in imaging and therapeutic applications was
      demonstrated through triggered cleavage of allylcarbamates for pro-fluorophore
      activation and propargyl groups for prodrug activation inside living cells. 

PMID- 26100810
TI  - An eight-step gram-scale synthesis of (-)-jiadifenolide.
AB  - Development of a biologically active secondary metabolite into a useful medicine
      requires continuous access to meaningful quantities of material. Although any
      chemical synthesis is broadly useful for its versatility, identification of a
      synthesis route that can be economically scaled represents a greater challenge.
      Here we report a concise synthesis of the neurotrophic trace metabolite (-)
      jiadifenolide and its production on a gram-scale. The brevity of the route and
      the structural similarity of a key intermediate to many potent Illicium terpenes
      make chemical synthesis the unquestionable method for accessing and modifying
      these potential therapeutics. 

PMID- 26100811
TI  - Corrigendum: Orthogonal tandem catalysis.

PMID- 26100812
TI  - Toxic thallium.

PMID- 26100813
TI  - Invasive urothelial carcinoma exhibiting basal cell immunohistochemical markers:
      A variant of urothelial carcinoma associated with aggressive features.
AB  - We characterize invasive urothelial carcinoma (UC) exhibiting urothelial basal
      cell immunohistochemical markers. Consecutive invasive UCs were immunostained
      with CK20 and urothelial basal cell markers, cytokeratin 5 (CK5)/CD44.
      Immunostaining for CK5 and CD44 was scored as follows: positive for staining of
      more than 25% thickness of the epithelial nest or epithelium and low for lesser
      immunoreactivity. Invasive urothelial carcinoma (UC) exhibiting positive CK5/CD44
      staining was designated as basal-like UC (BUC). In this study, of 251 invasive UC
      (pT1 in 57% and pT2-4 in 43%), BUC accounted for 40% of cases (accounting for
      most pT2-4 UC) and often presented as non-papillary UC without previous history
      of UC. In addition, BUC exhibited uniform nuclei with lesser degree of atypia
      than non BUC and decreased or negative cytokeratin 20 reactivity. Nested and
      microcystic variants of UC immunohistochemically stained as BUCs. Invasive non
      BUCs were often papillary with marked cytologic atypia and pleomorphism, and
      accounted for most pT1 UC. The rates of perivesical invasion, lymph node and
      distant metastases were higher for BUC than non-BUC. All nine cases with
      absent/minimal residual in situ UC in 102 radical cystectomy specimens were from
      invasive non-BUC. BUC is distinguished from non-BUC due to this aggressive
      behavior, distinct immunohistochemical profile, and predominant non-papillary
      architecture. Our findings are consistent with recent studies identifying a
      subtype of muscle-invasive UC with molecular expression of basal cell and luminal
      cell molecular profiles. Our study further supports categorizing invasive UCs
      into these subtypes with different biological behaviors, possibly contributing to
      better therapeutic strategies. 

PMID- 26100814
TI  - A genome-wide systems analysis reveals strong link between colorectal cancer and
      trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a gut microbial metabolite of dietary meat and
      fat.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dietary intakes of red meat and fat are established risk factors for
      both colorectal cancer (CRC) and cardiovascular disease (CVDs). Recent studies
      have shown a mechanistic link between TMAO, an intestinal microbial metabolite of
      red meat and fat, and risk of CVDs. Data linking TMAO directly to CRC is,
      however, lacking. Here, we present an unbiased data-driven network-based systems
      approach to uncover a potential genetic relationship between TMAO and CRC.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We constructed two different epigenetic interaction
      networks (EINs) using chemical-gene, disease-gene and protein-protein interaction
      data from multiple large-scale data resources. We developed a network-based
      ranking algorithm to ascertain TMAO-related diseases from EINs. We systematically
      analyzed disease categories among TMAO-related diseases at different ranking
      cutoffs. We then determined which genetic pathways were associated with both TMAO
      and CRC. RESULTS: We show that CVDs and their major risk factors were ranked
      highly among TMAO-related diseases, confirming the newly discovered mechanistic
      link between CVDs and TMAO, and thus validating our algorithms. CRC was ranked
      highly among TMAO-related disease retrieved from both EINs (top 0.02%, #1 out of
      4,372 diseases retrieved based on Mendelian genetics and top 10.9% among 882
      diseases based on genome-wide association genetics), providing strong supporting
      evidence for our hypothesis that TMAO is genetically related to CRC. We have also
      identified putative genetic pathways that may link TMAO to CRC, which warrants
      further investigation. Through systematic disease enrichment analysis, we also
      demonstrated that TMAO is related to metabolic syndromes and cancers in general.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our genome-wide analysis demonstrates that systems approaches to
      studying the epigenetic interactions among diet, microbiome metabolisms, and
      disease genetics hold promise for understanding disease pathogenesis. Our results
      show that TMAO is genetically associated with CRC. This study suggests that TMAO
      may be an important intermediate marker linking dietary meat and fat and gut
      microbiota metabolism to risk of CRC, underscoring opportunities for the
      development of new gut microbiome-dependent diagnostic tests and therapeutics for
      CRC.

PMID- 26100815
TI  - Peripheral inflammation increases seizure susceptibility via the induction of
      neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in the hippocampus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuroinflammation with activation of microglia and production of
      proinflammatory cytokines in the brain plays an active role in epileptic
      disorders. Brain oxidative stress has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of
      epilepsy. Damage in the hippocampus is associated with temporal lobe epilepsy, a
      common form of epilepsy in human. Peripheral inflammation may exacerbate
      neuroinflammation and brain oxidative stress. This study examined the impact of
      peripheral inflammation on seizure susceptibility and the involvement of
      neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in the hippocampus. RESULTS: In male,
      adult Sprague-Dawley rats, peripheral inflammation was induced by the infusion of
      Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 2.5 mg/kg/day) into the peritoneal
      cavity for 7 days via an osmotic minipump. Pharmacological agents were delivered
      via intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion with an osmotic minipump. The level
      of cytokine in plasma or hippocampus was analyzed by ELISA. Redox-related protein
      expression in hippocampus was evaluated by Western blot. Seizure susceptibility
      was tested by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of kainic acid (KA, 10 mg/kg). We
      found that i.p. infusion of LPS for 7 days induced peripheral inflammation
      characterized by the increases in plasma levels of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta),
      interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). This is
      associated with a significant increase in number of the activated microglia (Iba
      1(+) cells), enhanced production of proinflammatory cytokines (including IL
      1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha), and tissue oxidative stress (upregulations of the
      NADPH oxidase subunits) in the hippocampus. These cellular and molecular
      responses to peripheral inflammation were notably blunted by i.c.v. infusion of a
      cycloxygenase-2 inhibitor, NS398 (5 MUg/MUl/h). The i.c.v. infusion of tempol
      (2.5 MUg/MUl/h), a reactive oxygen species scavenger, protected the hippocampus
      from oxidative damage with no apparent effect on microglia activation or cytokine
      production after peripheral inflammation. In the KA-induced seizure model, i.c.v.
      infusion of both NS398 and tempol ameliorated the increase in seizure
      susceptibility in animals succumbed to the LPS-induced peripheral inflammation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Together these results indicated that LPS-induced peripheral
      inflammation evoked neuroinflammation and the subsequent oxidative stress in the
      hippocampus, resulting in the increase in KA-induced seizure susceptibility.
      Moreover, protection from neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in the
      hippocampus exerted beneficial effect on seizure susceptibility following
      peripheral inflammation.

PMID- 26100817
TI  - Parathyroid Carcinoma: Is It Time for Change?

PMID- 26100816
TI  - Integrating Chemotherapy into the Management of Oligometastatic Colorectal
      Cancer: Evidence-Based Approach Using Clinical Trial Findings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study used case reports to review the role of systemic
      chemotherapy in oligometastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) and to suggest ways to
      integrate clinical research findings into the interdisciplinary management of
      this potentially curable subset of patients. METHODS: This educational review
      discusses the role of chemotherapy in the management of oligometastatic
      metastatic CRC. RESULTS: In initially resectable oligometastatic CRC, the goal of
      chemotherapy is to eradicate micrometastatic disease. Perioperative 5
      fluorouracil and oxaliplatin together with surgical resection can result in 5
      year survival rates as high as 57 %. With the development of increasingly
      successful chemotherapy regimens, attention is being paid to chemotherapy used to
      convert patients with initially unresectable metastasis to patients with a chance
      of surgical cure. The choice of chemotherapy regimen requires consideration of
      the goals for therapy and assessment of both tumor- and patient-specific factors.
      CONCLUSION: This report discusses the choice and timing of chemotherapy in
      patients with initially resectable and borderline resectable metastatic CRC.
      Coordinated multidisciplinary care of such patients can optimize survival
      outcomes and result in cure for patients with this otherwise lethal disease.

PMID- 26100818
TI  - Multimodality Treatment of T4 Gastric Cancer in the United States: Utilization
      Trends and Impact on Survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND: National guidelines advocate use of multimodality therapy (MMT) for
      treatment of T4 gastric cancer (T4GC). Prior studies demonstrate poor compliance
      with these guidelines. We sought to assess treatment trends and association
      between different treatment approaches and overall survival (OS) in a large
      cohort of U.S. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with clinical T4 gastric
      adenocarcinoma were selected from the National Cancer Data Base (1998-2011).
      Temporal trends, risk factors associated with failure to receive treatment, and
      effect of treatments on OS were assessed. RESULTS: Of 4369 patients with T4GC,
      only 15 % (n = 652) received MMT. Treatment with MMT increased over time, and was
      utilized in 25 % of patients after 2006. Older age, African American race,
      nonprivate insurance, proximal tumor location, and clinical node-negative disease
      were associated with failure to receive surgery; older age, female sex, poorly
      differentiated tumor grade, clinical node-negative disease, and prolonged
      postoperative length of stay were associated with failure to complete MMT in
      patients who underwent surgical resection. Median OS was longest in patients
      receiving MMT (19.2 months), and was similarly poor in patients undergoing
      surgical resection (9.0 months) or nonsurgical therapy (8.3 months; p < 0.001).
      Median OS was longer in patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy compared to
      patients receiving adjuvant therapy (27.8 vs. 16.6 months; p = 0.004).
      CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with neoadjuvant MMT is increasing and is associated with
      prolonged survival. Surgery alone and chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy
      without resection are associated with similarly poor outcomes. Appropriate
      treatment sequencing may facilitate delivery of MMT and improve outcomes in
      patients with T4GC.

PMID- 26100819
TI  - Mitomycin C Pharmacokinetics as Predictor of Severe Neutropenia in Hyperthermic
      Intraperitoneal Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with hyperthermic
      intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is an approach to overcome peritoneal
      carcinomatosis from colorectal adenocarcinoma. Mitomycin C (MMC) is frequently
      used but not devoid of toxicity, of which the most common and feared is
      neutropenia. Our study explores the clinical and surgical risk factors of
      neutropenia and a possible link between MMC pharmacokinetics and neutropenia as
      HIPEC's supervention. METHODS: A total of 45 patients undergoing CRS-HIPEC for
      peritoneal carcinomatosis of colorectal origin between 2004 and 2010 were
      followed. For each patient, MMC was measured in plasma at different times during
      HIPEC and the area under the MMC concentration-time curve (MMC-AUC) was
      calculated. RESULTS: The incidence of neutropenia was 40 %. No demographic,
      clinical, or surgical factors increased the risk of neutropenia. However, we
      found that the occurrence of neutropenia and its gravity increased in direct
      correlation with an increase in MMC plasma concentration 30 min (T30) and 45 min
      (T45) after the start of HIPEC. The same correlation was observed between the MMC
      AUC and the risk of neutropenia. CONCLUSIONS: Neutropenia is a frequent
      complication associated with MMC-HIPEC. The results of our study indicate the
      feasibility and the potential benefit of a protocol including the MMC dosage at
      T30 after the start of HIPEC. A threshold of 572 ug/L gives a predictive
      sensitivity of 86 % and a specificity of 80 %. These results must be considered
      in the management of patients undergoing MMC-HIPEC in order to place high-risk
      patients under neutropenic monitoring while the other patients can undergo simple
      hematological monitoring.

PMID- 26100824
TI  - The effect of varenicline on Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio and Tp-e/QTc ratio in
      healthy smokers and nonsmokers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Varenicline could affect the T wave and QT interval. The interval
      from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic (ECG) T wave (Tp-e) may
      correspond to the transmural dispersion of repolarization, and increased Tp-e
      interval and Tp-e/QT ratio are associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias.
      In this study, we assessed the effects of varenicline on Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT
      ratio and Tp-e/QTc ratio. METHODS: Thirty healthy volunteers (15 healthy non
      smokers [NS] and 15 healthy smokers [S]) were included in the randomized, double
      blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Varenicline (2 mg single dose) or
      placebo was administered in two different testing sessions (5 days after the
      first period, performed the second period). Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio and Tp
      e/QTc ratio were assessed in the supine position and during handgrip exercise
      before and after the participants were given placebo or varenicline. Tp-e
      interval, Tp-e/QT ratio and Tp-e/QTc ratio were calculated from continuous ECG
      recordings and averages were used in the final analysis. RESULT: There were no
      statistically significant differences among any of the Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT
      ratio and Tp-e/QTc ratio before and after placebo administration in both groups
      (S and NS). In the S group, Tp-e and QTc interval, and Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc ratio
      were significantly increased after varenicline administration (Tp-e: 64.28 +/-
      8.78 vs. 70.42 +/- +/- 13.12; p = 0.02, QTc: 409.57 +/- 28.17 vs. 425.28 +/-
      32.79; p = 0.02, Tp-e/QT: 0.18 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.19 +/- 0.03; p = 0.04, Tp-e/QTc:
      0.17 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.19 +/- 0.02; p = 001) but these parameters were not changed
      in the NS group. CONCLUSIONS: Tp-e and QTc interval, and Tpe/QT and Tpe/QTc ratio
      were increased after varenicline administration in smokers.

PMID- 26100820
TI  - Multibracket appliance: impression defaults and their reduction by blocking-out  
      a three-dimensional study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study examines accuracy of dental impressions and following
      plaster models taken during treatment with fixed appliances. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A maxillary typodont was provided with brackets. Three examiners took
      impressions three times each of the variants: brackets only, archwire fixed by
      alastics, ligatures or Kobayashi-hooks, and brackets and archwire covered
      completely or just on the gingival side by protection or impression wax. Casts
      were scanned using Activity102((r)). Virtual models were compared to the scan of
      the typodont using Comparison((r)). Differences were measured and descriptively
      analyzed. Estimated means with 95% confidence intervals were computed.
      Significance was assessed using linear mixed models. RESULTS: While pyramidal
      reference blocks had a mean difference of 0.019 mm (95% CI = 0.017-0.021 mm) to
      the master model, teeth without attachments showed 0.097 mm (95% CI = 0.082-0.111
      mm), and teeth with brackets 0.169 mm (95% CI = 0.156-0.182 mm) (p < 0.001).
      Smallest mean was found when using protection wax only on the gingival bracket
      side (0.152 mm (95% CI = 0.113-0.192 mm)). Incisors deviated most (0.258 mm (95 %
      CI = 0.239-0.277 mm)). CONCLUSIONS: Teeth with brackets make impressions more
      inaccurate because of undercuts. Removing the archwire before taking the
      impression or covering the brackets on the gingival side shows tendencies toward
      better precision. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Taking impressions during treatment with
      fixed appliances, some inaccuracy has to be taken into account.

PMID- 26100825
TI  - Evaluation of the impact of warfarin time in therapeutic range on outcomes of
      patients with atrial fibrillation in Turkey: perspectives from the observational,
      prospective WATER Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Warfarin is highly efficacious in reducing stroke risk in patients
      with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, its safety and efficacy in stroke
      prevention is markedly influenced by its time in therapeutic range (TTR). The
      quality of anticoagulant therapy varies considerably among countries.
      Representative data concerning the quality of anticoagulant therapy and its
      effects on clinical outcomes in Turkey are lacking. METHODS: Warfarin in
      Therapeutic Range (WATER) registry is a prospective, observational study which
      followed 572 AF patients (mean age 67.3 +/- 12 years; females 60%; 71% non
      valvular AF) treated with warfarin. RESULTS: At a median of 22-month follow-up,
      the mean TTR value was 42.3 +/- 18% (median: 40%) for the whole population and
      lower in non-valvular AF su group than valvular AF subgroup (40.3 +/- 18 vs. 46.9
      +/- 19, respectively, p < 0.001). Death, cardiac hospital-ization and minor
      bleeding rates were higher in the group with TTR value < 40% than the group with
      > 40% (3.4% vs. 5.9%; 28.6% vs. 35.4%; 36.5% vs. 41.7%, respectively, all of them
      p < 0.001). A correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between age and
      TTR value (r = -0.178, p < 0.001). Mean CHA2DS2VASc score was 3.63 +/- 1.5 and
      mean HASBLED score was 2.38 +/- 1.01 in the non-valvular AF group. A negative
      correlation was observed between TTR levels and CHA2DS2VASc score. CONCLUSIONS:
      WATER provides insight into the anticoagulation control status of AF patients in
      Turkey. The quality of anticoagulation was poor. Strategies should be undertaken
      by clinicians and patients to improve TTR. New oral anticoagulant agents may be
      perfect alternatives for non-valvular AF patients.

PMID- 26100826
TI  - Readmissions and repeat procedures after catheter ablation for atrial
      fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of all-cause
      rehospitalization and due to atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF/AFl), repeat
      ablation of AF/AFl, mortality within 30 days and 1-year follow-up in patients
      after AF/AFl ablation procedure. METHODS: Using data from the National Health
      Fund we identified a database comprising 2,022 patients who underwent AF/AFl
      ablation between January, 2012 and December, 2012 in Poland. The primary endpoint
      was readmission to hospital with discharge diagnosis AF/AFl. The secondary
      endpoints included: repeat AF/AFl ablation, cardiovascular hospitalization, all
      cause hospitalization, all-cause mortality assessed in 30-day and 1-year time
      frame. RESULTS: The mean age was 58.6 +/- 10.9 years (66.8% male). The mean time
      of the index ablation hospitalization was 3.8 +/- 2.6 days. After discharge, 123
      (6.1%) and 540 (26.7%) patients were hospitalized because of AF/AFl within 30
      days and 1 year, respectively. During 1-year follow-up, 192 (9.5%) patients
      underwent subsequent AF/AFl ablations. The patients that underwent the second
      ablation were younger (56.6 +/- 11.0 vs. 59.1 +/- 10.8; p = 0.019) and the time
      of the index hospitalization was shorter (3.75 +/- 2.16 vs. 4.45 +/- 3.26; p =
      0.03). Within 30 days 194 (9.6%) patients were hospitalized and 747 (36.9%) in 1
      year follow-up. All-cause mortality was 0.1% and 1.4% in 30-day and 1-year follow
      up, respectively. In a 1-year follow-up patients hospitalized from AF/AFl
      recurrence were more frequently hospitalized due to cardiovascular diseases other
      than AF/AFl (9.6% vs. 6.7%; p = 0.026), especially due to hypertension (2.9% vs.
      0.7%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Over 1 out of 4 patients who underwent AF/AFl
      ablation were hospitalized due to arrhythmia recurrence in 1 year.

PMID- 26100827
TI  - Could an analysis of mean corpuscular volume help to improve risk stratification
      in non-anemic patients with acute myocardial infarction?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nowadays, when the majority of patients with acute myocardial
      infarction (AMI) are treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention and
      modern pharmacotherapy, risk stratification becomes a challenge. Simple and
      easily accessible parameters that would help in a better determination of
      prognosis are needed. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of high
      mean corpuscular volume (MCV, defined as MCV > 92 fL) and to establish its
      prognostic value in non-anemic patients with AMI. METHODS: We retrospectively
      analyzed the data of 248 consecutive non-anemic patients hospitalized due to AMI
      (median age: 65 [59-76] years, men: 63%, ST segment elevation myocardial
      infarction: 31%, and median left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF]: 50%).
      RESULTS: The prevalence of high MCV was 39 +/- 6% (+/- 95% confidence interval)
      in the entire AMI population. High MCV was more prevalent in males, patients with
      low body mass index, non-diabetics and cigarette smokers (all p < 0.05). During
      the 180-day follow-up, there were 38 (15%) events, defined as another AMI or
      death. In a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model, female gender (p <
      0.01), low LVEF (p < 0.001), previous AMI (p < 0.05), arterial hypertension (p <
      0.05), and high MCV (p < 0.001) were prognosticators of pre-defined events.
      CONCLUSIONS: In non-anemic patients with AMI, high MCV is an independent
      prognostic factor of poor outcome defined as another AMI or death.

PMID- 26100828
TI  - Severe aortic stenosis with preserved ejection fraction and evidence of
      impairment in structure, myocardial strain and ventricular function: A new
      contribution to clinical decision making.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is among the parameters
      that are usually employed to define surgical timing of severe aortic stenosis
      (AS). Our hypothesis states that even when their LVEF is preserved, patients with
      severe symptomatic AS have impaired myocardial structure and function, and such
      impairment is related to the deleterious progression of left ventricular
      hypertrophy (LVH) from the compensated to the decompensated stage, as shown by
      the changes in diastolic function and the increase in left ventricular end
      diastolic pressure (LVEDP). METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 26 patients with
      severe AS and LVEF > 50% referred for aortic valve replacement underwent
      catheterization, echocardiography and an intraoperative biopsy. Patients with
      severe symptomatic AS were classified as: group 1 (G1; compensated LVH, LVEDP <
      15 mm Hg without coronary artery disease [CAD], n = 7), group 2a (G2a,
      decompensated LVH, without CAD, n = 7), and group 2b (G2b, decompensated LVH with
      CAD, n = 12). Differences were seen in the following: myocyte area [um2]: G1: 328
      +/- 66, G2a: 376 +/- 22, G2b: 385 +/- 13, p < 0.01; collagen volume [%]: G1: 4.77
      +/- 1.27, G2a: 8.40 +/- 1.27, G2b: 11.05 +/- 3.08, p < 0.01; LVEDP normalized by
      diastolic diameter [mm Hg/mm]: G1: 0.27 +/- 0.01, G2a: 0.39 +/- 0.06, G2b: 0.44
      +/- 0.11, p < 0.02; +dP/dtmax/LVEDP [mm Hg/s/mm Hg]: G1: 176 +/- 45, G2a: 89.6 +/
      20, G2b: 113.1 +/- 41, p < 0.01; two-dimensional peak systolic longitudinal
      strain [%]: G1: -17.7 +/- 4.75, G2a: -13.4 +/- 3.04, G2b: -13.5 +/- 3.13, p <
      0.05. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with severe symptomatic AS and preserved ejection
      fraction who develop decompensated LVH characterized by increased LVEDP, exhibit
      an abnormal myocardial structure and diastolic and systolic impairment.

PMID- 26100830
TI  - Left atrial mechanical function and stiffness in patients with atrial septal
      aneurysm: a speckle tracking study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atrial septal aneurysm (ASA) is a risk factor for arterial embolism.
      Atrial dysfunction and atrial arrhythmia, such as atrial fibrillation, might
      represent a mechanism for arterial embolism in such patients. Speckle tracking
      echocardiography (STE) is a novel and promising tool for detecting early changes
      in left atrial (LA) myocardial dysfunction. The aim of the study was to evaluate
      LA mechanical function and stiffness in ASA patients by 2-dimensional STE strain
      parameters. METHODS: Thirty-four ASA patients (44.2 +/- 12.3 years, 15 male) were
      studied, using a STE, and were compared with 31 age, gender, and left ventricular
      (LV) mass-matched controls (41.8 +/- +/- 11.5 years, 14 male). LA volume indices,
      mitral annular velocities, and global longitudinal LA strain were measured. The
      ratio of E/e' to LA strain was used as an index of LA stiffness. RESULTS:
      Patients with ASA showed increased LA volume indices and decreased LA global
      strain (25.3 +/- 5.2 vs. 42.1 +/- 8.7, p < 0.001). LA stiffness was increased in
      patients with ASA compared to the control subjects (0.41 +/- 0.15 vs. 0.14 +/-
      0.05, p < 0.001), and LA strain and stiffness were related with LA volume
      indices. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ASA have decreased LA global strain and
      increased stiffness, in comparison with those of the control subjects. LA strain
      and stiffness were significantly related with LA volume indices. LA stiffness and
      strain can be used for the assessment of LA function in patients with ASA.

PMID- 26100829
TI  - Survival after alcohol septal ablation versus conservative therapy in obstructive
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of alcohol septal ablation (ASA) on the survival of
      patients with drug-refractory obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
      remains unresolved. The aim of this study was to compare survival after ASA vs.
      conservative therapy. METHODS: We studied a consecutive cohort of 274 patients
      with severe drug-refractory obstructive HCM, 229 in ASA group and 45 in
      conservative group. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause mortality
      and aborted cardiac arrest. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 4.3 years,
      primary endpoint occurred in 13 (5.7%) patients in the ASA group, and 8 (17.8%)
      patients in the conservative group. The 5- and 10-year survival free from primary
      endpoint of the ASA group (94.5% and 93.0%, respectively) was significantly
      better than that of the conservative group (78.3% and 72.2%, respectively, log
      rank p = 0.009). Independent determinants of primary endpoint were ASA therapy
      (hazard ratio [HR] 0.22; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.08-0.60; p = 0.003) and
      maximal septal thickness (HR 1.14; 95% CI 1.03-1.27; p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: In
      patients with severe drug-refractory obstructive HCM, survival after ASA is
      favorable and better than that of conservative therapy. ASA seems to improve
      survival.

PMID- 26100831
TI  - Serum copeptin level can be a helpful biomarker in evaluation of myocardial
      perfusion scintigraphy results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) is a well-established
      diagnostic tool. The sensitivity and specificity of single photon emission
      computed tomography (SPECT) MPS to detect significant coronary lesion were 86%
      and 74%, respectively. The aim of this study was to examine the role of serum
      copeptin in evaluation of MPS. METHODS: Sixty-two consecutive patients underwent
      both SPECT MPS using 99mTc-sestamibi and transthoracic echocardiography were
      enrolled prospectively. Age, gender, height, weight, presence of cardiovascular
      risk factors were recorded. Exercise treadmill test (ETT) with modified Bruce
      protocol was used to induce coronary ischemia during MPS. While performing MPS,
      blood samples for serum copeptin level were drawn three times at pre-exercise, at
      the peak of ETT, and 6 h after ETT, respectively. The patients were enrolled into
      three groups according to MPS results (normal, equivocal and ischemia). RESULTS:
      The study included 62 patients (23 with normal, 20 with equivocal, 19 with
      ischemia on MPS). Pre-, peak-, and post-exercise B-type natriuretic peptide and
      troponin I values were similar across the groups (p > 0.05 for all comparisons).
      Serum copeptin values for pre- and peak-exercise were similar among all groups (p
      = 0.883 and p = 0.089). Post-exercise copeptin values of the normal and equivocal
      groups were similar (p = 0.661, z = -0.438) while that of the ischemia group was
      significantly higher than both the normal (p < 0.001) and equivocal group (p <
      0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Serum copeptin was found to be increasing significantly in
      case of ischemia on MPS. It may be used in differentiation of equivocal results
      from false positive results.

PMID- 26100832
TI  - Dietary supplement consumption among cardiac patients admitted to internal
      medicine and cardiac wards.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dietary supplements may have adverse effects and potentially interact
      with conventional medications. They are perceived as "natural" products, free of
      side effects with no need for medical consultation. Little is known about
      consumption of dietary supplements by patients with cardiac diseases. The
      objective of this study was to investigate dietary supplement consumption among
      cardiac patients admitted to internal and cardiology wards. Potential drug
      dietary supplement interactions were also assessed. METHODS: During a period of 6
      months, patients with cardiac disease hospitalized in the Internal Medicine and
      Cardiology Wards at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center were evaluated regarding their
      dietary supplement consumption. A literature survey examining possible drug
      supplement interaction was performed. RESULTS: Out of 149 cardiac patients, 45%
      were dietary supplement consumers. Patients ad-mitted to the Internal Medicine
      Wards consumed more dietary supplements than those admit-ted to the Cardiology
      Division. Dietary supplement consumption was associated with older age (OR =
      1.05, p = 0.022), female gender (OR = 2.94, p = 0.014) and routine physical
      activity (OR = 3.15, p = 0.007). Diabetes mellitus (OR = 2.68, p = 0.020),
      hematological diseases (OR = 13.29, p = 0.022), and the use of anti-diabetic
      medications (OR = 4.28, p = 0.001) were independently associated with dietary
      supplement intake. Sixteen potential moderate interactions between prescribed
      medications and dietary supplements were found. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of
      dietary supplements is common among cardiac patients. It is more common in those
      admitted to Internal Medicine Departments than in those admitted to the
      Cardiology Wards. Due to the risk of various drug-supplement interactions
      consumed by patients with cardiac diseases, there is a need to increase awareness
      and knowledge among medical staff regarding the intake of dietary supplements.

PMID- 26100833
TI  - Current status of the development of Ras inhibitors.
AB  - Despite the importance of ras as driver genes in many cancers, clinically
      effective anti-cancer drugs targeting their products, Ras, have been unavailable
      so far, which was in part ascribable to the apparently 'undruggable' nature of
      their tertiary structures. Nonetheless, recent studies in academia and industry
      have identified novel surface pockets accepting small-molecule ligands in both
      their active GTP-bound and inactive GDP-bound forms (Ras*GTP and Ras*GDP,
      respectively), which has led to a surge of investigations into the discovery of
      Ras-specific inhibitors particularly by utilizing their structural information
      for structure-based drug design (SBDD). We have been developing Ras inhibitors by
      SBDD targeting a novel conformation of Ras*GTP called state 1, possessing
      'druggable' surface pockets, which emerges from the conformational dynamics. In
      this article, we will survey Ras functions from the structural biological point
      of view and summarize the current status of the development of Ras inhibitors
      including our own. 

PMID- 26100834
TI  - Most women with early stage breast cancer are tested for metastases despite
      advice against it, study finds.

PMID- 26100835
TI  - Puzzle-based versus traditional lecture: comparing the effects of pedagogy on
      academic performance in an undergraduate human anatomy and physiology II lab.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A traditional lecture-based pedagogy conveys information and content
      while lacking sufficient development of critical thinking skills and problem
      solving. A puzzle-based pedagogy creates a broader contextual framework, and
      fosters critical thinking as well as logical reasoning skills that can then be
      used to improve a student's performance on content specific assessments. This
      paper describes a pedagogical comparison of traditional lecture-based teaching
      and puzzle-based teaching in a Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab. METHODS:
      Using a single subject/cross-over design half of the students from seven sections
      of the course were taught using one type of pedagogy for the first half of the
      semester, and then taught with a different pedagogy for the second half of the
      semester. The other half of the students were taught the same material but with
      the order of the pedagogies reversed. Students' performance on quizzes and exams
      specific to the course, and in-class assignments specific to this study were
      assessed for: learning outcomes (the ability to form the correct conclusion or
      recall specific information), and authentic academic performance as described by
      (Am J Educ 104:280-312, 1996). RESULTS: Our findings suggest a significant
      improvement in students' performance on standard course specific assessments
      using a puzzle-based pedagogy versus a traditional lecture-based teaching style.
      Quiz and test scores for students improved by 2.1 and 0.4% respectively in the
      puzzle-based pedagogy, versus the traditional lecture-based teaching.
      Additionally, the assessments of authentic academic performance may only
      effectively measure a broader conceptual understanding in a limited set of
      contexts, and not in the context of a Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab.
      CONCLUSION: In conclusion, a puzzle-based pedagogy, when compared to traditional
      lecture-based teaching, can effectively enhance the performance of students on
      standard course specific assessments, even when the assessments only test a
      limited conceptual understanding of the material.

PMID- 26100837
TI  - Discovery opens new approaches to neurological diseases.

PMID- 26100836
TI  - The role of the pharmacist in the selection and use of over-the-counter proton
      pump inhibitors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heartburn and other symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux occur in
      ~30% of survey respondents in multiple countries worldwide. Heartburn and acid
      regurgitation are common complaints in the pharmacy, where patients frequently
      seek relief through medication and advice. The growing number of proton-pump
      inhibitors available in the over-the-counter setting provides an efficacious
      choice to patients experiencing frequent heartburn. Pharmacists can assist
      patients in their treatment decisions whilst inquiring about alarm symptoms that
      should prompt a physician referral. Aim of the review Provide pharmacists with a
      review of current clinical research and expert guidelines on use of over-the
      counter proton-pump inhibitors. METHODS: This narrative review was conducted to
      identify publications relevant to the following themes: overview of available
      treatments for frequent episodes of heartburn/acid regurgitation; treatment
      algorithms providing guidance on when to use over-the-counter proton-pump
      inhibitors; and the role of the pharmacist in the use of over-the-counter proton
      pump inhibitors. RESULTS: Frequent symptoms of acid reflux, such as heartburn and
      acid regurgitation, can interfere substantially with daily life activities.
      Proton-pump inhibitors are the most efficacious treatment for frequent reflux
      symptoms and are recommended as an appropriate initial treatment in uncomplicated
      cases. Proton-pump inhibitors have varying pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
      across the class; 20 mg esomeprazole has higher bioavailability and exposure than
      over-the-counter omeprazole, for example. However, differences in clinical
      efficacy for symptom relief have not been demonstrated. The safety and
      tolerability of proton-pump inhibitors have been well established in clinical
      trial and post-marketing settings, and use of a short regimen is associated with
      a very low likelihood of missing a more serious condition. Pharmacists can assist
      patients with accurate self-diagnosis by asking short, simple questions to
      characterize the nature, severity, and frequency of symptoms. Additionally,
      pharmacists can inquire about alarm symptoms that should prompt referral to a
      physician. Pharmacists should inform those patients for whom over-the-counter
      proton-pump inhibitors are appropriate on their proper use. CONCLUSION: Over-the
      counter proton-pump inhibitors have a valuable role in the treatment of frequent
      heartburn. Pharmacists have the opportunity to guide patients through selection
      of the best treatment option for their symptoms.

PMID- 26100838
TI  - Inferior vena cava filters.

PMID- 26100839
TI  - Chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis in a patient with diabetes and
      marijuana use.

PMID- 26100840
TI  - First physical.

PMID- 26100842
TI  - Investigations for patients with early-stage breast cancer: oversetting the
      stage.

PMID- 26100841
TI  - Imaging for distant metastases in women with early-stage breast cancer: a
      population-based cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Practice guidelines recommend that imaging to detect metastatic
      disease not be performed in the majority of patients with early-stage breast
      cancer who are asymptomatic. We aimed to determine whether practice patterns in
      Ontario conform with these recommendations. METHODS: We used provincial registry
      data to identify a population-based cohort of Ontario women in whom early-stage,
      operable breast cancer was diagnosed between 2007 and 2012. We then determined
      whether imaging of the skeleton, thorax, and abdomen or pelvis had been performed
      within 3 months of tissue diagnosis. We calculated rates of confirmatory imaging
      of the same body site. RESULTS: Of 26,547 patients with early-stage disease,
      22,811 (85.9%) had at least one imaging test, and a total of 83,249 imaging tests
      were performed (mean of 3.7 imaging tests per patient imaged). Among patients
      with pathologic stage I and II disease, imaging was performed in 79.6%
      (10,921/13,724) and 92.7% (11,882/12,823) of cases, respectively. Of all imaging
      tests, 19,784 (23.8%) were classified as confirmatory investigations. Imaging was
      more likely for patients who were younger, had greater comorbidity, had tumours
      of higher grade or stage or had undergone preoperative breast ultrasonography,
      mastectomy or surgery in the community setting. INTERPRETATION: Despite
      recommendations from multiple international guidelines, most Ontario women with
      early-stage breast cancer underwent imaging to detect distant metastases.
      Inappropriate imaging in asymptomatic patients with early-stage disease is costly
      and may lead to harm. The use of population datasets will allow investigators to
      evaluate whether or not strategies to implement practice guidelines lead to
      meaningful and sustained change in physician practice.

PMID- 26100843
TI  - New owner, but "business as usual" for CMAJ.

PMID- 26100844
TI  - Is withholding clinical trial results "research misconduct"?

PMID- 26100846
TI  - Rx for data-rich, access-poor researchers.

PMID- 26100847
TI  - Rh(III) -catalyzed C(sp(3))-H bond activation by an external base
      metalation/deprotonation mechanism: a theoretical study.
AB  - The C(sp(3) )?H bond activation of 8-methylquinoline followed by alkyne insertion
      catalyzed by a Rh(III) complex has been studied by using density functional
      theory (DFT) calculations. Contrary to common belief, the C?H bond activation of
      methylquinoline does not occur by the traditional intramolecular concerted
      metalation/deprotonation (CMD) mechanism but by an external base CMD mechanism.
      The use of free acetate or copper(II) acetate as base permits the C?H activation
      step, as observed experimentally. However, the following insertion is possible
      only if copper(II) acetate is used. The insertion followed by metathesis occurs
      via a cationic Rh(III) complex and is irreversible, which ensures the efficiency
      of the entire process. Therefore the use of copper is crucial for completing the
      catalytic cycle. The present work should help to rationalize the origins of the
      experimental results described in the literature. 

PMID- 26100848
TI  - Diallyl disulfide inhibits TNFalpha induced CCL2 release through MAPK/ERK and NF
      Kappa-B signaling.
AB  - TNFalpha receptors are constitutively overexpressed in tumor cells, correlating
      to sustain elevated NFkappaB and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2)
      expression. The elevation of CCL2 evokes aggressive forms of malignant tumors
      marked by tumor associated macrophage (TAM) recruitment, cell proliferation,
      invasion and angiogenesis. Previously, we have shown that the organo-sulfur
      compound diallyl disulfide (DADS) found in garlic (Allium sativum) attenuates
      TNFalpha induced CCL2 production in MDA-MB-231 cells. In the current study, we
      explored the signaling pathways responsible for DADS suppressive effect on
      TNFalpha mediated CCL2 release using PCR Arrays, RT-PCR and western blots. The
      data in this study show that TNFalpha initiates a rise in NFkappaB mRNA, which is
      not reversed by DADS. However, TNFalpha induced heightened expression of
      IKKepsilon and phosphorylated ERK. The expression of these proteins corresponds
      to increased CCL2 release that can be attenuated by DADS. CCL2 induction by
      TNFalpha was also lessened by inhibitors of p38 (SB202190) and MEK (U0126) but
      not JNK (SP 600125), all of which were suppressed by DADS. In conclusion, the
      obtained results indicate that DADS down regulates TNFalpha invoked CCL2
      production primarily through reduction of IKKepsilon and phosphorylated-ERK,
      thereby impairing MAPK/ERK, and NFkappaB pathway signaling. Future research will
      be required to evaluate the effects of DADS on the function and expression of
      TNFalpha surface receptors.

PMID- 26100850
TI  - One-session root canal treatment with antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT):
      an in vivo study.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the response of the apical and periapical tissues of dog teeth
      with apical periodontitis after one-session root canal treatment with and without
      antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) compared with the use of an intracanal
      dressing. METHODOLOGY: Sixty root canals with an induced periapical lesion were
      instrumented and assigned to three groups: I, two-session root canal treatment
      using antibacterial dressing with calcium hydroxide-based paste; II, one-session
      root canal treatment using aPDT; and III, one-session root canal treatment in
      which the root canals were filled immediately after biomechanical preparation.
      The animals were euthanized after a 90-day experimental period. The maxillas and
      mandibles with teeth were submitted to histotechnical processing and haematoxylin
      eosin staining. Descriptive microscopic analysis of the apical and periapical
      region characteristics was performed, as well as morphometric assessment of the
      periapical lesion areas in fluorescence microscopy. Quantitative data were
      analysed statistically by the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's post
      test (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: Group I was characterized by progressive repair,
      with the presence of fibres, cells and blood vessels. Group II had periodontal
      ligaments with the presence of collagen fibres and residual inflammatory cells.
      Group III had a dense inflammatory infiltrate with extensive oedematous areas and
      fibrillar dissociation, suggesting a persistent inflammatory and resorptive
      condition. Regarding periapical lesion size, group I had significantly smaller
      lesions (P < 0.05) than groups II and III, which did not differ significantly
      from each other. CONCLUSION: Two-session root canal treatment using a calcium
      hydroxide-based dressing was associated with significantly smaller periapical
      lesions at 90 days and characterized by progressive repair.

PMID- 26100849
TI  - Regulation of Voltage-Gated K+ Channel Kv1.5 by the Janus Kinase JAK3.
AB  - The tyrosine kinase Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) participates in the regulation of cell
      proliferation and apoptosis. The kinase further influences ion channels and
      transport proteins. The present study explored whether JAK3 contributes to the
      regulation of the voltage-gated K(+) channel Kv1.5, which participates in the
      regulation of diverse functions including atrial cardiac action potential and
      tumor cell proliferation. To this end, cRNA encoding Kv1.5 was injected into
      Xenopus oocytes with or without additional injection of cRNA encoding wild-type
      JAK3, constitutively active (A568V)JAK3, or inactive (K851A)JAK3. Voltage-gated
      K(+) channel activity was measured utilizing dual electrode voltage clamp, and
      Kv1.5 channel protein abundance in the cell membrane was quantified utilizing
      chemiluminescence of Kv1.5 containing an extracellular hemagglutinin epitope
      (Kv1.5-HA). As a result, Kv1.5 activity and Kv1.5-HA protein abundance were
      significantly decreased by wild-type JAK3 and (A568V)JAK3, but not by
      (K851A)JAK3. Inhibition of Kv1.5 protein insertion into the cell membrane by
      brefeldin A (5 MUM) resulted in a decline of the voltage-gated current, which was
      similar in the absence and presence of (A568V)JAK3, suggesting that (A568V)JAK3
      did not accelerate Kv1.5 protein retrieval from the cell membrane. A 24 h
      treatment with ouabain (100 uM) significantly decreased the voltage-gated current
      in oocytes expressing Kv1.5 without or with (A568V)JAK3 and dissipated the
      difference between oocytes expressing Kv1.5 alone and oocytes expressing Kv1.5
      with (A568V)JAK3. In conclusion, JAK3 contributes to the regulation of membrane
      Kv1.5 protein abundance and activity, an effect sensitive to ouabain and thus
      possibly involving Na(+)/K(+) ATPase activity.

PMID- 26100851
TI  - Female Autism Phenotypes Investigated at Different Levels of Language and
      Developmental Abilities.
AB  - This study investigated the differences in clinical symptoms between females and
      males with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across three verbal ability groups
      (nonverbal, phrase and fluent speech), based on which Autism Diagnostic
      Observation Schedule module was administered to 5723 individuals in four research
      datasets. In the Simons Simplex Collection and Autism Treatment Network, females
      with ASD and phrase or fluent speech had lower cognitive, adaptive, and social
      abilities than males. In the Autism Genetics Resource Exchange and the Autism
      Consortium, females with phrase or fluent speech had similar or better adaptive
      and social abilities than males. Females who were nonverbal had similar
      cognitive, adaptive, and social abilities as males. Population-based longitudinal
      studies of verbally fluent females with ASD are needed. 

PMID- 26100853
TI  - Special issue of 13th Chinese International Peptide Symposium.

PMID- 26100852
TI  - Mothers' Parenting Behaviors in Families of School-Aged Children with Autism
      Spectrum Disorder: An Observational and Questionnaire Study.
AB  - Although parents of children with ASD face specific challenges in parenting, only
      a few studies have empirically investigated parenting behaviors among these
      parents. The current study examined differences in parenting behaviors between
      mothers of school-aged children with ASD (n = 30) and mothers of typically
      developing children (n = 39), using both an observational measure and a self
      report questionnaire. Results indicated that mothers of children with ASD
      obtained significantly lower scores on Sensitivity and Provision of structure as
      measured during the observation. They reported significantly higher scores on
      Material rewarding and Adapting the environment on the questionnaire. When
      controlling for parenting stress, the group differences on Sensitivity and
      Material rewarding did not remain significant.

PMID- 26100854
TI  - Role of peptide self-assembly in antimicrobial peptides.
AB  - Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered as potential antibiotic substitutes
      because of their potent activities. Previous studies mainly focused on the
      effects of peptide charges and secondary structures, but the self-assembly of
      AMPs was neglected. As more and more researchers notice the roles of peptide self
      assembly in AMPs, it has been considered as another important property. In this
      review, we will discuss the influences of peptide self-assembly on the activity
      and mode of action, and some specific features it introduces to the AMPs, such as
      particular responsiveness, improved cell selectivity and stability and sustained
      release. In addition, some methods to design self-assembling AMPs are primarily
      discussed. With further understanding about the self-assembling regularity,
      design of particular self-assembling AMPs will be very helpful for their
      applications, especially in the fields of drug delivery and biomedical
      engineering.

PMID- 26100855
TI  - Superiority of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to nilotinib
      and dasatinib for adult patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia in the
      accelerated phase.
AB  - In the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) era, imatinib is the first-line therapy
      for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic or accelerated phase.
      Although second-generation TKIs (TKI2), including dasatinib and nilotinib, are
      appropriate treatment regimens for patients with disease that progressed to
      accelerated phase following imatinib therapy, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (allo-HSCT) is the only curative therapy. This study
      retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of TKI2 and HSCT for treatment of CML in
      accelerated phase. Ninety-three patients with CML registered in the Chinese CML
      alliance database from February 2001 to February 2014 were enrolled and divided
      into the TKI2 (n = 33) and allo-HSCT (n = 60) groups. In the TKI2 group, 26 and 7
      patients received nilotinib and dasatinib, respectively, as initial TKI2 and 11
      patients transferred to the alternative TKI2 after failure to one TKI2. In the
      allo-HSCT group, 22 (36.7%), 35 (58.3%), and 3 (10%) patients underwent allo-HSCT
      from an HLA-matched sibling donor, HLA mismatched/haploidentical donor, and
      unrelated donor, respectively. All patients in the HSCT group were engrafted.
      Overall, 69.7%, 48.5%, and 45.5% of patients presented hematological,
      cytogenetic, and major molecular responses, respectively, to at least one of
      TKI2. All 60 patients (100%) achieved CHR and cytogenetic response in the HSCT
      group. Patients in the TKI2 group exhibited lower 5-year overall survival rate
      (42.9% vs. 86.4%, P = 0.002), 5-year event-free survival rate (14.3% vs. 76.1%, P
      < 0.001), and 5-year progression-free survival (28.6% vs. 78.1%, P < 0.001) than
      those in the allo-HSCT group. Multivariate analysis showed that male sex and TKI2
      therapy were predictors of poor overall survival, whereas hemoglobin < 100 g/L
      and TKI2 therapy were predictors of poor event-free survival and progression-free
      survival. These results indicated that allo-HSCT may be superior to nilotinib and
      dasatinib for adult patients with CML in accelerated phase. 

PMID- 26100856
TI  - Gluteal muscle function and size in swimmers.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare the gluteus medius and minimus segments size and activity
      in swimmers versus non-swimmers. DESIGN: Case matched-control cross-sectional
      study. METHODS: The three segments of gluteus medius (anterior, middle and
      posterior) and two segments of gluteus minimus (anterior and posterior) were
      evaluated using electromyography and magnetic resonance imaging in 15 swimmers (7
      elite and 8 non-elite) and 15 gender- and aged-matched controls. For each muscle
      segment, values were obtained for peak amplitude, average amplitude, and time to
      peak from each phase of the gait cycle (0-20%, 20-60%, and total stance).
      RESULTS: The pattern of anterior gluteus minimus EMG activity in swimmers
      demonstrated additional activity early in the gait cycle when compared with
      controls. The segmental differences between anterior and posterior gluteus
      minimus during gait identified in the control group were not present in the
      swimmers. Overall, there were no significant differences in the gluteus medius
      EMG characteristics between groups and muscle size was not significantly
      different between groups for any of the hip abductor muscles. CONCLUSIONS: The
      preliminary evidence of non-segmental differences within the gluteus minimus of
      swimmers (as opposed to non-swimmers) might implicate reduced-gravity
      environments in contributing to subsequent changes in deep stabiliser muscles.
      Such changes might predispose the athlete to a greater risk of lower limb injury
      during weight bearing activities.

PMID- 26100857
TI  - A metabolic stress-inducible miR-34a-HNF4alpha pathway regulates lipid and
      lipoprotein metabolism.
AB  - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common liver
      diseases, but its underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Here we show that
      hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha), a liver-enriched nuclear hormone
      receptor, is markedly inhibited, whereas miR-34a is highly induced in patients
      with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, diabetic mice and mice fed a high-fat diet.
      miR-34a is essential for HNF4alpha expression and regulates triglyceride
      accumulation in human and murine hepatocytes. miR-34a inhibits very low-density
      lipoprotein secretion and promotes liver steatosis and hypolipidemia in an
      HNF4alpha-dependent manner. As a result, increased miR-34a or reduced HNF4alpha
      expression in the liver attenuates the development of atherosclerosis in Apoe(-/
      ) or Ldlr(-/-) mice. These data indicate that the miR-34a-HNF4alpha pathway is
      activated under common conditions of metabolic stress and may have a role in the
      pathogenesis of NAFLD and in regulating plasma lipoprotein metabolism. Targeting
      this pathway may represent a novel approach for the treatment of NAFLD. 

PMID- 26100859
TI  - Abomasal displacement in dairy cattle: A hereditary disease?

PMID- 26100858
TI  - TOP2A gene copy gain predicts response of epithelial ovarian cancers to pegylated
      liposomal doxorubicin: TOP2A as marker of response to PLD in ovarian cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The treatment of platinum resistant/refractory epithelial ovarian
      cancer (EOC) is a challenge for oncologists. One of the most utilized drugs in
      these patients is pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD). As PLD is active only in
      a small subset of patients and causes side effects, selection of responsive
      patients is an unmet need and might be guided by the status of the DNA
      topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A) that is poisoned by the drug. METHODS: From 176
      ovarian cancers treated in three institutions, we selected 38 patients treated
      with PLD monotherapy as second/third line of treatment. TOP2A gene copies were
      measured using Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH) and expression evaluated
      using immunohistochemistry. Patients' derived xenografts (PDXs) of ovarian
      cancers were used to assess the correlation between TOP2A protein expression and
      response to PLD. RESULTS: Clinical data showed that TOP2A gene gain that is
      paralleled by increased expression of the protein, was associated with a higher
      probability of clinical benefit from PLD. Treatment of PDXs demonstrated that
      only xenografts showing a high percentage of TOP2A expressing cells underwent
      tumor shrinkage when treated with PLD. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that TOP2A
      gene gain and protein over-expression might predict activity of PLD in platinum
      resistant/refractory EOC.

PMID- 26100860
TI  - Horsemanship, dogmanship and humanship.

PMID- 26100861
TI  - Association between FOXE1 and non-syndromic orofacial clefts in a northeastern
      Chinese population.
AB  - Non-syndromic orofacial clefts are among the most common congenital defects, and
      several reports have shown that the FOXE1 gene has strong associations with them.
      To find out if the gene was a risk factor we used a case-control and family-based
      analysis, and recruited 230 patients with non-syndromic oral clefts including 179
      with non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and 51 with non
      syndromic cleft palate alone, their parents (166 mothers and 161 fathers,
      including 135 complete trios), and 180 healthy controls. Polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) were used to
      genotype the 2 most strongly associated markers (rs4460498 and rs3758249) in
      FOXE1, and case-control and family-based associations were analysed. In the case
      control analyses we found a significant association with non-syndromic cleft lip
      and palate in rs4460498 (p=0.009) and rs3758249 (p=0.014), but no association in
      patients with cleft palate alone. For rs4460498 in FOXE1, the odds ratio (OR) for
      cases with CC homozygotes compared with TC+CC genotypes was 1.813 (95% CI 1.176
      to 2.796), and for rs3758249 in FOXE1, the OR for cases with GG homozygotes
      compared with those with AG+AA genotypes was 0.561 (95%CI 0.371 to 0.848). The
      results of transmission-disequilibrium tests for rs4460698 and rs3758249 for non
      syndromic orofacial clefts were p=0.003, OR=2.781 (95% CI 1.414 to 5.469) and
      p=0.001, OR=2.552 (95%CI 1.574 to 4.138), respectively. This suggests that FOXE1
      (rs4460498 and rs3758249) is strongly associated with non-syndromic cleft lip and
      palate in populations in northeast China, and further study between FOXE1 and non
      syndromic orofacial clefts is necessary.

PMID- 26100863
TI  - Swimming muscles power suction feeding in largemouth bass.
AB  - Most aquatic vertebrates use suction to capture food, relying on rapid expansion
      of the mouth cavity to accelerate water and food into the mouth. In ray-finned
      fishes, mouth expansion is both fast and forceful, and therefore requires
      considerable power. However, the cranial muscles of these fishes are relatively
      small and may not be able to produce enough power for suction expansion. The
      axial swimming muscles of these fishes also attach to the feeding apparatus and
      have the potential to generate mouth expansion. Because of their large size,
      these axial muscles could contribute substantial power to suction feeding. To
      determine whether suction feeding is powered primarily by axial muscles, we
      measured the power required for suction expansion in largemouth bass and compared
      it to the power capacities of the axial and cranial muscles. Using X-ray
      reconstruction of moving morphology (XROMM), we generated 3D animations of the
      mouth skeleton and created a dynamic digital endocast to measure the rate of
      mouth volume expansion. This time-resolved expansion rate was combined with
      intraoral pressure recordings to calculate the instantaneous power required for
      suction feeding. Peak expansion powers for all but the weakest strikes far
      exceeded the maximum power capacity of the cranial muscles. The axial muscles did
      not merely contribute but were the primary source of suction expansion power and
      generated up to 95% of peak expansion power. The recruitment of axial muscle
      power may have been crucial for the evolution of high-power suction feeding in
      ray-finned fishes. 

PMID- 26100862
TI  - DNA damage during the G0/G1 phase triggers RNA-templated, Cockayne syndrome B
      dependent homologous recombination.
AB  - Damage repair mechanisms at transcriptionally active sites during the G0/G1 phase
      are largely unknown. To elucidate these mechanisms, we introduced genome site
      specific oxidative DNA damage and determined the role of transcription in repair
      factor assembly. We find that KU and NBS1 are recruited to damage sites
      independent of transcription. However, assembly of RPA1, RAD51C, RAD51, and RAD52
      at such sites is strictly governed by active transcription and requires both wild
      type Cockayne syndrome protein B (CSB) function and the presence of RNA in the
      G0/G1 phase. We show that the ATPase activity of CSB is indispensable for loading
      and binding of the recombination factors. CSB counters radiation-induced DNA
      damage in both cells and zebrafish models. Taken together, our results have
      uncovered a novel, RNA-based recombination mechanism by which CSB protects genome
      stability from strand breaks at transcriptionally active sites and may provide
      insight into the clinical manifestations of Cockayne syndrome. 

PMID- 26100864
TI  - Osmotic stress induces phosphorylation of histone H3 at threonine 3 in
      pericentromeric regions of Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Histone phosphorylation plays key roles in stress-induced transcriptional
      reprogramming in metazoans but its function(s) in land plants has remained
      relatively unexplored. Here we report that an Arabidopsis mutant defective in
      At3g03940 and At5g18190, encoding closely related Ser/Thr protein kinases, shows
      pleiotropic phenotypes including dwarfism and hypersensitivity to osmotic/salt
      stress. The double mutant has reduced global levels of phosphorylated histone H3
      threonine 3 (H3T3ph), which are not enhanced, unlike the response in the wild
      type, by drought-like treatments. Genome-wide analyses revealed increased H3T3ph,
      slight enhancement in trimethylated histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3), and a modest
      decrease in histone H3 occupancy in pericentromeric/knob regions of wild-type
      plants under osmotic stress. However, despite these changes in heterochromatin,
      transposons and repeats remained transcriptionally repressed. In contrast, this
      reorganization of heterochromatin was mostly absent in the double mutant, which
      exhibited lower H3T3ph levels in pericentromeric regions even under normal
      environmental conditions. Interestingly, within actively transcribed protein
      coding genes, H3T3ph density was minimal in 5' genic regions, coincidental with a
      peak of H3K4me3 accumulation. This pattern was not affected in the double mutant,
      implying the existence of additional H3T3 protein kinases in Arabidopsis. Our
      results suggest that At3g03940 and At5g18190 are involved in the phosphorylation
      of H3T3 in pericentromeric/knob regions and that this repressive epigenetic mark
      may be important for maintaining proper heterochromatic organization and,
      possibly, chromosome function(s). 

PMID- 26100865
TI  - Individual olfactory perception reveals meaningful nonolfactory genetic
      information.
AB  - Each person expresses a potentially unique subset of ~ 400 different olfactory
      receptor subtypes. Given that the receptors we express partially determine the
      odors we smell, it follows that each person may have a unique nose; to capture
      this, we devised a sensitive test of olfactory perception we termed the
      "olfactory fingerprint." Olfactory fingerprints relied on matrices of perceived
      odorant similarity derived from descriptors applied to the odorants. We initially
      fingerprinted 89 individuals using 28 odors and 54 descriptors. We found that
      each person had a unique olfactory fingerprint (P < 10(-10)), which was odor
      specific but descriptor independent. We could identify individuals from this pool
      using randomly selected sets of 7 odors and 11 descriptors alone. Extrapolating
      from this data, we determined that using 34 odors and 35 descriptors we could
      individually identify each of the 7 billion people on earth. Olfactory
      perception, however, fluctuates over time, calling into question our proposed
      perceptual readout of presumably stable genetic makeup. To test whether
      fingerprints remain informative despite this temporal fluctuation, building on
      the linkage between olfactory receptors and HLA, we hypothesized that olfactory
      perception may relate to HLA. We obtained olfactory fingerprints and HLA typing
      for 130 individuals, and found that olfactory fingerprint matching using only
      four odorants was significantly related to HLA matching (P < 10(-4)), such that
      olfactory fingerprints can save 32% of HLA tests in a population screen (P < 10(
      6)). In conclusion, a precise measure of olfactory perception reveals meaningful
      nonolfactory genetic information.

PMID- 26100866
TI  - Pathways to dewetting in hydrophobic confinement.
AB  - Liquid water can become metastable with respect to its vapor in hydrophobic
      confinement. The resulting dewetting transitions are often impeded by large
      kinetic barriers. According to macroscopic theory, such barriers arise from the
      free energy required to nucleate a critical vapor tube that spans the region
      between two hydrophobic surfaces--tubes with smaller radii collapse, whereas
      larger ones grow to dry the entire confined region. Using extensive molecular
      simulations of water between two nanoscopic hydrophobic surfaces, in conjunction
      with advanced sampling techniques, here we show that for intersurface separations
      that thermodynamically favor dewetting, the barrier to dewetting does not
      correspond to the formation of a (classical) critical vapor tube. Instead, it
      corresponds to an abrupt transition from an isolated cavity adjacent to one of
      the confining surfaces to a gap-spanning vapor tube that is already larger than
      the critical vapor tube anticipated by macroscopic theory. Correspondingly, the
      barrier to dewetting is also smaller than the classical expectation. We show that
      the peculiar nature of water density fluctuations adjacent to extended
      hydrophobic surfaces--namely, the enhanced likelihood of observing low-density
      fluctuations relative to Gaussian statistics--facilitates this nonclassical
      behavior. By stabilizing isolated cavities relative to vapor tubes, enhanced
      water density fluctuations thus stabilize novel pathways, which circumvent the
      classical barriers and offer diminished resistance to dewetting. Our results thus
      suggest a key role for fluctuations in speeding up the kinetics of numerous
      phenomena ranging from Cassie-Wenzel transitions on superhydrophobic surfaces, to
      hydrophobically driven biomolecular folding and assembly.

PMID- 26100867
TI  - Cellular immune correlates analysis of an HIV-1 preexposure prophylaxis trial.
AB  - HIV-1-specific T-cell responses in exposed seronegative subjects suggest that a
      viral breach of the exposure site is more common than current transmission rates
      would suggest and that host immunity can extinguish subsequent infection foci.
      The Preexposure Prophylaxis Initiative (iPrEx) chemoprophylaxis trial provided an
      opportunity to rigorously investigate these responses in a case-control
      immunology study; 84 preinfection peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from
      individuals enrolled in the iPrEx trial who later seroconverted were matched with
      480 samples from enrolled subjects who remained seronegative from both the
      placebo and active treatment arms. T-cell responses to HIV-1 Gag, Protease,
      Integrase, Reverse Transcriptase, Vif, and Nef antigens were quantified for all
      subjects in an IFN-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay. IFN-gamma
      responses varied in magnitude and frequency across subjects. A positive response
      was more prevalent in those who remained persistently HIV-1-negative for Gag (P =
      0.007), Integrase (P < 0.001), Vif (P < 0.001), and Nef (P < 0.001). When
      correlated with outcomes in the iPrEx trial, Vif- and Integrase-specific T-cell
      responses were associated with reduced HIV-1 infection risk [hazard ratio (HR) =
      0.36, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.19-0.66 and HR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.28
      0.96, respectively]. Antigen-specific responses were independent of
      emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate use. IFN-gamma secretion in the
      ELISpot was confirmed using multiparametric flow cytometry and largely attributed
      to effector memory CD4+ or CD8+ T cells. Our results show that HIV-1-specific T
      cell immunity can be detected in exposed but uninfected individuals and that
      these T-cell responses can differentiate individuals according to infection
      outcomes. 

PMID- 26100868
TI  - Theta-gamma coordination between anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortex indexes
      correct attention shifts.
AB  - Anterior cingulate and lateral prefrontal cortex (ACC/PFC) are believed to
      coordinate activity to flexibly prioritize the processing of goal-relevant over
      irrelevant information. This between-area coordination may be realized by common
      low-frequency excitability changes synchronizing segregated high-frequency
      activations. We tested this coordination hypothesis by recording in macaque
      ACC/PFC during the covert utilization of attention cues. We found robust
      increases of 5-10 Hz (theta) to 35-55 Hz (gamma) phase-amplitude correlation
      between ACC and PFC during successful attention shifts but not before errors.
      Cortical sites providing theta phases (i) showed a prominent cue-induced phase
      reset, (ii) were more likely in ACC than PFC, and (iii) hosted neurons with burst
      firing events that synchronized to distant gamma activity. These findings suggest
      that interareal theta-gamma correlations could follow mechanistically from a cue
      triggered reactivation of rule memory that synchronizes theta across ACC/PFC. 

PMID- 26100869
TI  - Structural and functional insights into Escherichia coli alpha2-macroglobulin
      endopeptidase snap-trap inhibition.
AB  - The survival of commensal bacteria requires them to evade host peptidases. Gram
      negative bacteria from the human gut microbiome encode a relative of the human
      endopeptidase inhibitor, alpha2-macroglobulin (alpha2M). Escherichia coli alpha2M
      (ECAM) is a ~ 180-kDa multidomain membrane-anchored pan-peptidase inhibitor,
      which is cleaved by host endopeptidases in an accessible bait region. Structural
      studies by electron microscopy and crystallography reveal that this cleavage
      causes major structural rearrangement of more than half the 13-domain structure
      from a native to a compact induced form. It also exposes a reactive thioester
      bond, which covalently traps the peptidase. Subsequently, peptidase-laden ECAM is
      shed from the membrane and may dimerize. Trapped peptidases are still active
      except against very large substrates, so inhibition potentially prevents damage
      of large cell envelope components, but not host digestion. Mechanistically, these
      results document a novel monomeric "snap trap."

PMID- 26100870
TI  - Discovery of an intrinsic tenase complex inhibitor: Pure nonasaccharide from
      fucosylated glycosaminoglycan.
AB  - Selective inhibition of the intrinsic coagulation pathway is a promising strategy
      for developing safer anticoagulants that do not cause serious bleeding. Intrinsic
      tenase, the final and rate-limiting enzyme complex in the intrinsic coagulation
      pathway, is an attractive but less explored target for anticoagulants due to the
      lack of a pure selective inhibitor. Fucosylated glycosaminoglycan (FG), which has
      a distinct but complicated and ill-defined structure, is a potent natural
      anticoagulant with nonselective and adverse activities. Herein we present a range
      of oligosaccharides prepared via the deacetylation-deaminative cleavage of FG.
      Analysis of these purified oligosaccharides reveals the precise structure of FG.
      Among these fragments, nonasaccharide is the minimum fragment that retains the
      potent selective inhibition of the intrinsic tenase while avoiding the adverse
      effects of native FG. In vivo, the nonasaccharide shows 97% inhibition of venous
      thrombus at a dose of 10 mg/kg in rats and has no obvious bleeding risk. This
      nonasaccharide may therefore serve as a novel promising anticoagulant. 

PMID- 26100871
TI  - Genetic and epigenetic architecture of sex-biased expression in the jewel wasps
      Nasonia vitripennis and giraulti.
AB  - There is extraordinary diversity in sexual dimorphism (SD) among animals, but
      little is known about its epigenetic basis. To study the epigenetic architecture
      of SD in a haplodiploid system, we performed RNA-seq and whole-genome bisulfite
      sequencing of adult females and males from two closely related parasitoid wasps,
      Nasonia vitripennis and Nasonia giraulti. More than 75% of expressed genes
      displayed significantly sex-biased expression. As a consequence, expression
      profiles are more similar between species within each sex than between sexes
      within each species. Furthermore, extremely male- and female-biased genes are
      enriched for totally different functional categories: male-biased genes for key
      enzymes in sex-pheromone synthesis and female-biased genes for genes involved in
      epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Remarkably, just 70 highly expressed,
      extremely male-biased genes account for 10% of all transcripts in adult males.
      Unlike expression profiles, DNA methylomes are highly similar between sexes
      within species, with no consistent sex differences in methylation found.
      Therefore, methylation changes cannot explain the extensive level of sex-biased
      gene expression observed. Female-biased genes have smaller sequence divergence
      between species, higher conservation to other hymenopterans, and a broader
      expression range across development. Overall, female-biased genes have been
      recruited from genes with more conserved and broadly expressing "house-keeping"
      functions, whereas male-biased genes are more recently evolved and are
      predominately testis specific. In summary, Nasonia accomplish a striking degree
      of sex-biased expression without sex chromosomes or epigenetic differences in
      methylation. We propose that methylation provides a general signal for
      constitutive gene expression, whereas other sex-specific signals cause sex-biased
      gene expression. 

PMID- 26100872
TI  - The histone methyltransferase SETDB1 represses endogenous and exogenous
      retroviruses in B lymphocytes.
AB  - Genome stability relies on epigenetic mechanisms that enforce repression of
      endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). Current evidence suggests that distinct chromatin
      based mechanisms repress ERVs in cells of embryonic origin (histone methylation
      dominant) vs. more differentiated cells (DNA methylation dominant). However, the
      latter aspect of this model has not been tested. Remarkably, and in contrast to
      the prevailing model, we find that repressive histone methylation catalyzed by
      the enzyme SETDB1 is critical for suppression of specific ERV families and
      exogenous retroviruses in committed B-lineage cells from adult mice. The profile
      of ERV activation in SETDB1-deficient B cells is distinct from that observed in
      corresponding embryonic tissues, despite the loss of repressive chromatin
      modifications at all ERVs. We provide evidence that, on loss of SETDB1, ERVs are
      activated in a lineage-specific manner depending on the set of transcription
      factors available to target proviral regulatory elements. These findings have
      important implications for genome stability in somatic cells, as well as the
      interface between epigenetic repression and viral latency. 

PMID- 26100873
TI  - Developed turbulence and nonlinear amplification of magnetic fields in laboratory
      and astrophysical plasmas.
AB  - The visible matter in the universe is turbulent and magnetized. Turbulence in
      galaxy clusters is produced by mergers and by jets of the central galaxies and
      believed responsible for the amplification of magnetic fields. We report on
      experiments looking at the collision of two laser-produced plasma clouds,
      mimicking, in the laboratory, a cluster merger event. By measuring the spectrum
      of the density fluctuations, we infer developed, Kolmogorov-like turbulence. From
      spectral line broadening, we estimate a level of turbulence consistent with
      turbulent heating balancing radiative cooling, as it likely does in galaxy
      clusters. We show that the magnetic field is amplified by turbulent motions,
      reaching a nonlinear regime that is a precursor to turbulent dynamo. Thus, our
      experiment provides a promising platform for understanding the structure of
      turbulence and the amplification of magnetic fields in the universe. 

PMID- 26100874
TI  - Early procurement of scarlet macaws and the emergence of social complexity in
      Chaco Canyon, NM.
AB  - High-precision accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) (14)C dates of scarlet macaw
      (Ara macao) skeletal remains provide the first direct evidence from Chaco Canyon
      in northwestern New Mexico that these Neotropical birds were procured from
      Mesoamerica by Pueblo people as early as ~ A.D. 900-975. Chaco was a prominent
      prehistoric Pueblo center with a dense concentration of multistoried great houses
      constructed from the 9th through early 12th centuries. At the best known great
      house of Pueblo Bonito, unusual burial crypts and significant quantities of
      exotic and symbolically important materials, including scarlet macaws, turquoise,
      marine shell, and cacao, suggest societal complexity unprecedented elsewhere in
      the Puebloan world. Scarlet macaws are known markers of social and political
      status among the Pueblos. New AMS (14)C-dated scarlet macaw remains from Pueblo
      Bonito demonstrate that these birds were acquired persistently from Mesoamerica
      between A.D. 900 and 1150. Most of the macaws date before the hypothesized
      apogeal Chacoan period (A.D. 1040-1110) to which they are commonly attributed.
      The 10th century acquisition of these birds is consistent with the hypothesis
      that more formalized status hierarchies developed with significant connections to
      Mesoamerica before the post-A.D. 1040 architectural florescence in Chaco Canyon.

PMID- 26100876
TI  - Effect of salt on the H-bond symmetrization in ice.
AB  - The richness of the phase diagram of water reduces drastically at very high
      pressures where only two molecular phases, proton-disordered ice VII and proton
      ordered ice VIII, are known. Both phases transform to the centered hydrogen bond
      atomic phase ice X above about 60 GPa, i.e., at pressures experienced in the
      interior of large ice bodies in the universe, such as Saturn and Neptune, where
      nonmolecular ice is thought to be the most abundant phase of water. In this work,
      we investigate, by Raman spectroscopy up to megabar pressures and ab initio
      simulations, how the transformation of ice VII in ice X is affected by the
      presence of salt inclusions in the ice lattice. Considerable amounts of salt can
      be included in ice VII structure under pressure via rock-ice interaction at depth
      and processes occurring during planetary accretion. Our study reveals that the
      presence of salt hinders proton order and hydrogen bond symmetrization, and
      pushes ice VII to ice X transformation to higher and higher pressures as the
      concentration of salt is increased. 

PMID- 26100875
TI  - Enhanced memory consolidation in mice lacking the circadian modulators Sharp1 and
      -2 caused by elevated Igf2 signaling in the cortex.
AB  - The bHLH transcription factors SHARP1 and SHARP2 are partially redundant
      modulators of the circadian system. SHARP1/DEC2 has been shown to control sleep
      length in humans and sleep architecture is also altered in double mutant mice
      (S1/2(-/-)). Because of the importance of sleep for memory consolidation, we
      investigated the role of SHARP1 and SHARP2 in cognitive processing. S1/2(-/-)
      mice show enhanced cortex (Cx)-dependent remote fear memory formation as well as
      improved reversal learning, but do not display alterations in hippocampus (Hi)
      dependent recent fear memory formation. SHARP1 and SHARP2 single null mutants do
      not display any cognitive phenotype supporting functional redundancy of both
      factors. Molecular and biochemical analyses revealed elevated insulin-related
      growth factor 2 (IGF2) signaling and increased phosphorylation of MAPK and S6 in
      the Cx but not the Hi of S1/2(-/-) mice. No changes were detected in single
      mutants. Moreover, adeno-associated virus type 2-mediated IGF2 overexpression in
      the anterior cingulate cortex enhanced remote fear memory formation and the
      analysis of forebrain-specific double null mutants of the Insulin and IGF1
      receptors revealed their essential function for memory formation. Impaired fear
      memory formation in aged S1/2(-/-) mice indicates that elevated IGF2 signaling in
      the long term, however, has a negative impact on cognitive processing. In
      summary, we conclude that the bHLH transcription factors SHARP1 and SHARP2 are
      involved in cognitive processing by controlling Igf2 expression and associated
      signaling cascades. Our analyses provide evidence that the control of sleep and
      memory consolidation may share common molecular mechanisms. 

PMID- 26100877
TI  - N-linked glycosylation of protease-activated receptor-1 at extracellular loop 2
      regulates G-protein signaling bias.
AB  - Protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR1) is a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) for
      the coagulant protease thrombin. Similar to other GPCRs, PAR1 is promiscuous and
      couples to multiple heterotrimeric G-protein subtypes in the same cell and
      promotes diverse cellular responses. The molecular mechanism by which activation
      of a given GPCR with the same ligand permits coupling to multiple G-protein
      subtypes is unclear. Here, we report that N-linked glycosylation of PAR1 at
      extracellular loop 2 (ECL2) controls G12/13 versus Gq coupling specificity in
      response to thrombin stimulation. A PAR1 mutant deficient in glycosylation at
      ECL2 was more effective at stimulating Gq-mediated phosphoinositide signaling
      compared with glycosylated wildtype receptor. In contrast, wildtype PAR1
      displayed a greater efficacy at G12/13-dependent RhoA activation compared with
      mutant receptor lacking glycosylation at ECL2. Endogenous PAR1 rendered deficient
      in glycosylation using tunicamycin, a glycoprotein synthesis inhibitor, also
      exhibited increased PI signaling and diminished RhoA activation opposite to
      native receptor. Remarkably, PAR1 wildtype and glycosylation-deficient mutant
      were equally effective at coupling to Gi and beta-arrestin-1. Consistent with
      preferential G12/13 coupling, thrombin-stimulated PAR1 wildtype strongly induced
      RhoA-mediated stress fiber formation compared with mutant receptor. In striking
      contrast, glycosylation-deficient PAR1 was more effective at increasing cellular
      proliferation, associated with Gq signaling, than wildtype receptor. These
      studies suggest that N-linked glycosylation at ECL2 contributes to the
      stabilization of an active PAR1 state that preferentially couples to G12/13
      versus Gq and defines a previously unidentified function for N-linked
      glycosylation of GPCRs in regulating G-protein signaling bias. 

PMID- 26100878
TI  - A self-lysis pathway that enhances the virulence of a pathogenic bacterium.
AB  - In mammalian cells, programmed cell death (PCD) plays important roles in
      development, in the removal of damaged cells, and in fighting bacterial
      infections. Although widespread among multicellular organisms, there are
      relatively few documented instances of PCD in bacteria. Here we describe a
      potential PCD pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that enhances the ability of the
      bacterium to cause disease in a lung infection model. Activation of the system
      can occur in a subset of cells in response to DNA damage through cleavage of an
      essential transcription regulator we call AlpR. Cleavage of AlpR triggers a cell
      lysis program through de-repression of the alpA gene, which encodes a positive
      regulator that activates expression of the alpBCDE lysis cassette. Although this
      is lethal to the individual cell in which it occurs, we find it benefits the
      population as a whole during infection of a mammalian host. Thus, host and
      pathogen each may use PCD as a survival-promoting strategy. We suggest that
      activation of the Alp cell lysis pathway is a disease-enhancing response to
      bacterial DNA damage inflicted by the host immune system. 

PMID- 26100879
TI  - QnAs with James J. Collins.

PMID- 26100880
TI  - Human population dynamics in Europe over the Last Glacial Maximum.
AB  - The severe cooling and the expansion of the ice sheets during the Last Glacial
      Maximum (LGM), 27,000-19,000 y ago (27-19 ky ago) had a major impact on plant and
      animal populations, including humans. Changes in human population size and range
      have affected our genetic evolution, and recent modeling efforts have reaffirmed
      the importance of population dynamics in cultural and linguistic evolution, as
      well. However, in the absence of historical records, estimating past population
      levels has remained difficult. Here we show that it is possible to model
      spatially explicit human population dynamics from the pre-LGM at 30 ky ago
      through the LGM to the Late Glacial in Europe by using climate envelope modeling
      tools and modern ethnographic datasets to construct a population calibration
      model. The simulated range and size of the human population correspond
      significantly with spatiotemporal patterns in the archaeological data, suggesting
      that climate was a major driver of population dynamics 30-13 ky ago. The
      simulated population size declined from about 330,000 people at 30 ky ago to a
      minimum of 130,000 people at 23 ky ago. The Late Glacial population growth was
      fastest during Greenland interstadial 1, and by 13 ky ago, there were almost
      410,000 people in Europe. Even during the coldest part of the LGM, the
      climatically suitable area for human habitation remained unfragmented and covered
      36% of Europe. 

PMID- 26100881
TI  - Integrated, systems metabolic picture of acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation by
      Clostridium acetobutylicum.
AB  - Microbial metabolism involves complex, system-level processes implemented via the
      orchestration of metabolic reactions, gene regulation, and environmental cues.
      One canonical example of such processes is acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE)
      fermentation by Clostridium acetobutylicum, during which cells convert carbon
      sources to organic acids that are later reassimilated to produce solvents as a
      strategy for cellular survival. The complexity and systems nature of the process
      have been largely underappreciated, rendering challenges in understanding and
      optimizing solvent production. Here, we present a system-level computational
      framework for ABE fermentation that combines metabolic reactions, gene
      regulation, and environmental cues. We developed the framework by decomposing the
      entire system into three modules, building each module separately, and then
      assembling them back into an integrated system. During the model construction, a
      bottom-up approach was used to link molecular events at the single-cell level
      into the events at the population level. The integrated model was able to
      successfully reproduce ABE fermentations of the WT C. acetobutylicum (ATCC 824),
      as well as its mutants, using data obtained from our own experiments and from
      literature. Furthermore, the model confers successful predictions of the
      fermentations with various network perturbations across metabolic, genetic, and
      environmental aspects. From foundation to applications, the framework advances
      our understanding of complex clostridial metabolism and physiology and also
      facilitates the development of systems engineering strategies for the production
      of advanced biofuels. 

PMID- 26100882
TI  - Paternal allelic mutation at the Kcnq1 locus reduces pancreatic beta-cell mass by
      epigenetic modification of Cdkn1c.
AB  - Genetic factors are important determinants of the onset and progression of
      diabetes mellitus. Numerous susceptibility genes for type 2 diabetes, including
      potassium voltage-gated channel, KQT-like subfamily Q, member1 (KCNQ1), have been
      identified in humans by genome-wide analyses and other studies. Experiments with
      genetically modified mice have also implicated various genes in the pathogenesis
      of diabetes. However, the possible effects of the parent of origin for diabetes
      susceptibility alleles on disease onset have remained unclear. Here, we show that
      a mutation at the Kcnq1 locus reduces pancreatic beta-cell mass in mice by
      epigenetic modulation only when it is inherited from the father. The noncoding
      RNA KCNQ1 overlapping transcript1 (Kcnq1ot1) is expressed from the Kcnq1 locus
      and regulates the expression of neighboring genes on the paternal allele. We
      found that disruption of Kcnq1 results in reduced Kcnq1ot1 expression as well as
      the increased expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1C (Cdkn1c), an
      imprinted gene that encodes a cell cycle inhibitor, only when the mutation is on
      the paternal allele. Furthermore, histone modification at the Cdkn1c promoter
      region in pancreatic islets was found to contribute to this phenomenon. Our
      observations suggest that the Kcnq1 genomic region directly regulates pancreatic
      beta-cell mass and that genomic imprinting may be a determinant of the onset of
      diabetes mellitus. 

PMID- 26100883
TI  - The butterfly plant arms-race escalated by gene and genome duplications.
AB  - Coevolutionary interactions are thought to have spurred the evolution of key
      innovations and driven the diversification of much of life on Earth. However, the
      genetic and evolutionary basis of the innovations that facilitate such
      interactions remains poorly understood. We examined the coevolutionary
      interactions between plants (Brassicales) and butterflies (Pieridae), and
      uncovered evidence for an escalating evolutionary arms-race. Although gradual
      changes in trait complexity appear to have been facilitated by allelic turnover,
      key innovations are associated with gene and genome duplications. Furthermore, we
      show that the origins of both chemical defenses and of molecular counter
      adaptations were associated with shifts in diversification rates during the arms
      race. These findings provide an important connection between the origins of
      biodiversity, coevolution, and the role of gene and genome duplications as a
      substrate for novel traits. 

PMID- 26100884
TI  - Selective resistance to the PARP inhibitor olaparib in a mouse model for BRCA1
      deficient metaplastic breast cancer.
AB  - Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare histological breast cancer subtype
      characterized by mesenchymal elements and poor clinical outcome. A large fraction
      of MBCs harbor defects in breast cancer 1 (BRCA1). As BRCA1 deficiency sensitizes
      tumors to DNA cross-linking agents and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)
      inhibitors, we sought to investigate the response of BRCA1-deficient MBCs to the
      PARP inhibitor olaparib. To this end, we established a genetically engineered
      mouse model (GEMM) for BRCA1-deficient MBC by introducing the MET proto-oncogene
      into a BRCA1-associated breast cancer model, using our novel female GEMM ES cell
      (ESC) pipeline. In contrast to carcinomas, BRCA1-deficient mouse carcinosarcomas
      resembling MBC show intrinsic resistance to olaparib caused by increased P
      glycoprotein (Pgp) drug efflux transporter expression. Indeed, resistance could
      be circumvented by using another PARP inhibitor, AZD2461, which is a poor Pgp
      substrate. These preclinical findings suggest that patients with BRCA1-associated
      MBC may show poor response to olaparib and illustrate the value of GEMM-ESC
      models of human cancer for evaluation of novel therapeutics. 

PMID- 26100885
TI  - Miniaturized mitogenome of the parasitic plant Viscum scurruloideum is extremely
      divergent and dynamic and has lost all nad genes.
AB  - Despite the enormous diversity among parasitic angiosperms in form and structure,
      life-history strategies, and plastid genomes, little is known about the diversity
      of their mitogenomes. We report the sequence of the wonderfully bizarre
      mitogenome of the hemiparasitic aerial mistletoe Viscum scurruloideum. This
      genome is only 66 kb in size, making it the smallest known angiosperm mitogenome
      by a factor of more than three and the smallest land plant mitogenome.
      Accompanying this size reduction is exceptional reduction of gene content. Much
      of this reduction arises from the unexpected loss of respiratory complex I (NADH
      dehydrogenase), universally present in all 300+ other angiosperms examined, where
      it is encoded by nine mitochondrial and many nuclear nad genes. Loss of complex I
      in a multicellular organism is unprecedented. We explore the potential
      relationship between this loss in Viscum and its parasitic lifestyle. Despite its
      small size, the Viscum mitogenome is unusually rich in recombinationally active
      repeats, possessing unparalleled levels of predicted sublimons resulting from
      recombination across short repeats. Many mitochondrial gene products exhibit
      extraordinary levels of divergence in Viscum, indicative of highly relaxed if not
      positive selection. In addition, all Viscum mitochondrial protein genes have
      experienced a dramatic acceleration in synonymous substitution rates, consistent
      with the hypothesis of genomic streamlining in response to a high mutation rate
      but completely opposite to the pattern seen for the high-rate but enormous
      mitogenomes of Silene. In sum, the Viscum mitogenome possesses a unique
      constellation of extremely unusual features, a subset of which may be related to
      its parasitic lifestyle. 

PMID- 26100887
TI  - Statistical learning and selective inference.
AB  - We describe the problem of "selective inference." This addresses the following
      challenge: Having mined a set of data to find potential associations, how do we
      properly assess the strength of these associations? The fact that we have "cherry
      picked"--searched for the strongest associations--means that we must set a higher
      bar for declaring significant the associations that we see. This challenge
      becomes more important in the era of big data and complex statistical modeling.
      The cherry tree (dataset) can be very large and the tools for cherry picking
      (statistical learning methods) are now very sophisticated. We describe some
      recent new developments in selective inference and illustrate their use in
      forward stepwise regression, the lasso, and principal components analysis.

PMID- 26100886
TI  - Environmental CO2 inhibits Caenorhabditis elegans egg-laying by modulating
      olfactory neurons and evokes widespread changes in neural activity.
AB  - Carbon dioxide (CO2) gradients are ubiquitous and provide animals with
      information about their environment, such as the potential presence of prey or
      predators. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans avoids elevated CO2, and previous
      work identified three neuron pairs called "BAG," "AFD," and "ASE" that respond to
      CO2 stimuli. Using in vivo Ca(2+) imaging and behavioral analysis, we show that
      C. elegans can detect CO2 independently of these sensory pathways. Many of the C.
      elegans sensory neurons we examined, including the AWC olfactory neurons, the ASJ
      and ASK gustatory neurons, and the ASH and ADL nociceptors, respond to a rise in
      CO2 with a rise in Ca(2+). In contrast, glial sheath cells harboring the sensory
      endings of C. elegans' major chemosensory neurons exhibit strong and sustained
      decreases in Ca(2+) in response to high CO2. Some of these CO2 responses appear
      to be cell intrinsic. Worms therefore may couple detection of CO2 to that of
      other cues at the earliest stages of sensory processing. We show that C. elegans
      persistently suppresses oviposition at high CO2. Hermaphrodite-specific neurons
      (HSNs), the executive neurons driving egg-laying, are tonically inhibited when
      CO2 is elevated. CO2 modulates the egg-laying system partly through the AWC
      olfactory neurons: High CO2 tonically activates AWC by a cGMP-dependent
      mechanism, and AWC output inhibits the HSNs. Our work shows that CO2 is a more
      complex sensory cue for C. elegans than previously thought, both in terms of
      behavior and neural circuitry. 

PMID- 26100888
TI  - Allosteric interactions between agonists and antagonists within the adenosine A2A
      receptor-dopamine D2 receptor heterotetramer.
AB  - Adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR)-dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) heteromers are key
      modulators of striatal neuronal function. It has been suggested that the
      psychostimulant effects of caffeine depend on its ability to block an allosteric
      modulation within the A2AR-D2R heteromer, by which adenosine decreases the
      affinity and intrinsic efficacy of dopamine at the D2R. We describe novel
      unsuspected allosteric mechanisms within the heteromer by which not only A2AR
      agonists, but also A2AR antagonists, decrease the affinity and intrinsic efficacy
      of D2R agonists and the affinity of D2R antagonists. Strikingly, these allosteric
      modulations disappear on agonist and antagonist coadministration. This can be
      explained by a model that considers A2AR-D2R heteromers as heterotetramers,
      constituted by A2AR and D2R homodimers, as demonstrated by experiments with
      bioluminescence resonance energy transfer and bimolecular fluorescence and
      bioluminescence complementation. As predicted by the model, high concentrations
      of A2AR antagonists behaved as A2AR agonists and decreased D2R function in the
      brain. 

PMID- 26100890
TI  - The self-control consequences of political ideology.
AB  - Evidence from three studies reveals a critical difference in self-control as a
      function of political ideology. Specifically, greater endorsement of political
      conservatism (versus liberalism) was associated with greater attention regulation
      and task persistence. Moreover, this relationship is shown to stem from varying
      beliefs in freewill; specifically, the association between political ideology and
      self-control is mediated by differences in the extent to which belief in freewill
      is endorsed, is independent of task performance or motivation, and is reversed
      when freewill is perceived to impede (rather than enhance) self-control.
      Collectively, these findings offer insight into the self-control consequences of
      political ideology by detailing conditions under which conservatives and liberals
      are better suited to engage in self-control and outlining the role of freewill
      beliefs in determining these conditions. 

PMID- 26100889
TI  - Assessing niche width of endothermic fish from genes to ecosystem.
AB  - Endothermy in vertebrates has been postulated to confer physiological and
      ecological advantages. In endothermic fish, niche expansion into cooler waters is
      correlated with specific physiological traits and is hypothesized to lead to
      greater foraging success and increased fitness. Using the seasonal co-occurrence
      of three tuna species in the eastern Pacific Ocean as a model system, we used
      cardiac gene expression data (as a proxy for thermal tolerance to low
      temperatures), archival tag data, and diet analyses to examine the vertical niche
      expansion hypothesis for endothermy in situ. Yellowfin, albacore, and Pacific
      bluefin tuna (PBFT) in the California Current system used more surface,
      mesopelagic, and deep waters, respectively. Expression of cardiac genes for
      calcium cycling increased in PBFT and coincided with broader vertical and thermal
      niche utilization. However, the PBFT diet was less diverse and focused on energy
      rich forage fishes but did not show the greatest energy gains. Ecosystem-based
      management strategies for tunas should thus consider species-specific differences
      in physiology and foraging specialization. 

PMID- 26100891
TI  - Climate-driven diversity loss in a grassland community.
AB  - Local ecological communities represent the scale at which species coexist and
      share resources, and at which diversity has been experimentally shown to underlie
      stability, productivity, invasion resistance, and other desirable community
      properties. Globally, community diversity shows a mixture of increases and
      decreases over recent decades, and these changes have relatively seldom been
      linked to climatic trends. In a heterogeneous California grassland, we documented
      declining plant diversity from 2000 to 2014 at both the local community (5 m(2))
      and landscape (27 km(2)) scales, across multiple functional groups and soil
      environments. Communities became particularly poorer in native annual forbs,
      which are present as small seedlings in midwinter; within native annual forbs,
      community composition changed toward lower representation of species with a trait
      indicating drought intolerance (high specific leaf area). Time series models
      linked diversity decline to the significant decrease in midwinter precipitation.
      Livestock grazing history, fire, succession, N deposition, and increases in
      exotic species could be ruled out as contributing causes. This finding is among
      the first demonstrations to our knowledge of climate-driven directional loss of
      species diversity in ecological communities in a natural (nonexperimental)
      setting. Such diversity losses, which may also foreshadow larger-scale
      extinctions, may be especially likely in semiarid regions that are undergoing
      climatic trends toward higher aridity and lower productivity. 

PMID- 26100892
TI  - Genetic architecture of natural variation in Drosophila melanogaster aggressive
      behavior.
AB  - Aggression is an evolutionarily conserved complex behavior essential for survival
      and the organization of social hierarchies. With the exception of genetic
      variants associated with bioamine signaling, which have been implicated in
      aggression in many species, the genetic basis of natural variation in aggression
      is largely unknown. Drosophila melanogaster is a favorable model system for
      exploring the genetic basis of natural variation in aggression. Here, we
      performed genome-wide association analyses using the inbred, sequenced lines of
      the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) and replicate advanced
      intercross populations derived from the most and least aggressive DGRP lines. We
      identified genes that have been previously implicated in aggressive behavior as
      well as many novel loci, including gustatory receptor 63a (Gr63a), which encodes
      a subunit of the receptor for CO2, and genes associated with development and
      function of the nervous system. Although genes from the two association analyses
      were largely nonoverlapping, they mapped onto a genetic interaction network
      inferred from an analysis of pairwise epistasis in the DGRP. We used mutations
      and RNAi knock-down alleles to functionally validate 79% of the candidate genes
      and 75% of the candidate epistatic interactions tested. Epistasis for aggressive
      behavior causes cryptic genetic variation in the DGRP that is revealed by
      changing allele frequencies in the outbred populations derived from extreme DGRP
      lines. This phenomenon may pertain to other fitness traits and species, with
      implications for evolution, applied breeding, and human genetics. 

PMID- 26100893
TI  - An eIF2alpha-binding motif in protein phosphatase 1 subunit GADD34 and its viral
      orthologs is required to promote dephosphorylation of eIF2alpha.
AB  - Transient protein synthesis inhibition, mediated by phosphorylation of the alpha
      subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2alpha), is an
      important protective mechanism cells use during stress conditions. Following
      relief of the stress, the growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein GADD34
      associates with the broadly acting serine/threonine protein phosphatase 1 (PP1)
      to dephosphorylate eIF2alpha. Whereas the PP1-binding motif on GADD34 has been
      defined, it remains to be determined how GADD34 directs PP1 to specifically
      dephosphorylate eIF2alpha. In this report, we map a novel eIF2alpha-binding motif
      to the C terminus of GADD34 in a region distinct from where PP1 binds to GADD34.
      This motif is characterized by the consensus sequence Rx[Gnl]x(1
      2)Wxxx[Arlv]x[Dn][Rg]xRFxx[Rlvk][Ivc], where capital letters are preferred and x
      is any residue. Point mutations altering the eIF2alpha-binding motif impair the
      ability of GADD34 to interact with eIF2alpha, promote eIF2alpha
      dephosphorylation, and suppress PKR toxicity in yeast. Interestingly, this
      eIF2alpha-docking motif is conserved among viral orthologs of GADD34, and is
      necessary for the proteins produced by African swine fever virus, Canarypox
      virus, and Herpes simplex virus to promote eIF2alpha dephosphorylation. Taken
      together, these data indicate that GADD34 and its viral orthologs direct specific
      dephosphorylation of eIF2alpha by interacting with both PP1 and eIF2alpha through
      independent binding motifs.

PMID- 26100895
TI  - Synaptic clusters function as odor operators in the olfactory bulb.
AB  - How the olfactory bulb organizes and processes odor inputs through fundamental
      operations of its microcircuits is largely unknown. To gain new insight we focus
      on odor-activated synaptic clusters related to individual glomeruli, which we
      call glomerular units. Using a 3D model of mitral and granule cell interactions
      supported by experimental findings, combined with a matrix-based representation
      of glomerular operations, we identify the mechanisms for forming one or more
      glomerular units in response to a given odor, how and to what extent the
      glomerular units interfere or interact with each other during learning, their
      computational role within the olfactory bulb microcircuit, and how their actions
      can be formalized into a theoretical framework in which the olfactory bulb can be
      considered to contain "odor operators" unique to each individual. The results
      provide new and specific theoretical and experimentally testable predictions. 

PMID- 26100896
TI  - QnAs with Robert Tibshirani.

PMID- 26100894
TI  - Genomic analysis of diversity, population structure, virulence, and antimicrobial
      resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae, an urgent threat to public health.
AB  - Klebsiella pneumoniae is now recognized as an urgent threat to human health
      because of the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains associated with hospital
      outbreaks and hypervirulent strains associated with severe community-acquired
      infections. K. pneumoniae is ubiquitous in the environment and can colonize and
      infect both plants and animals. However, little is known about the population
      structure of K. pneumoniae, so it is difficult to recognize or understand the
      emergence of clinically important clones within this highly genetically diverse
      species. Here we present a detailed genomic framework for K. pneumoniae based on
      whole-genome sequencing of more than 300 human and animal isolates spanning four
      continents. Our data provide genome-wide support for the splitting of K.
      pneumoniae into three distinct species, KpI (K. pneumoniae), KpII (K.
      quasipneumoniae), and KpIII (K. variicola). Further, for K. pneumoniae (KpI), the
      entity most frequently associated with human infection, we show the existence of
      >150 deeply branching lineages including numerous multidrug-resistant or
      hypervirulent clones. We show K. pneumoniae has a large accessory genome
      approaching 30,000 protein-coding genes, including a number of virulence
      functions that are significantly associated with invasive community-acquired
      disease in humans. In our dataset, antimicrobial resistance genes were common
      among human carriage isolates and hospital-acquired infections, which generally
      lacked the genes associated with invasive disease. The convergence of virulence
      and resistance genes potentially could lead to the emergence of untreatable
      invasive K. pneumoniae infections; our data provide the whole-genome framework
      against which to track the emergence of such threats. 

PMID- 26100897
TI  - Adolescent impatience decreases with increased frontostriatal connectivity.
AB  - Adolescence is a developmental period associated with an increase in impulsivity.
      Impulsivity is a multidimensional construct, and in this study we focus on one of
      the underlying components: impatience. Impatience can result from (i) disregard
      of future outcomes and/or (ii) oversensitivity to immediate rewards, but it is
      not known which of these evaluative processes underlie developmental changes. To
      distinguish between these two causes, we investigated developmental changes in
      the structural and functional connectivity of different frontostriatal tracts. We
      report that adolescents were more impatient on an intertemporal choice task and
      reported less future orientation, but not more present hedonism, than young
      adults. Developmental increases in structural connectivity strength in the right
      dorsolateral prefrontal tract were related to increased negative functional
      coupling with the striatum and an age-related decrease in discount rates. Our
      results suggest that mainly increased control, and the integration of future
      oriented thought, drives the reduction in impatience across adolescence. 

PMID- 26100898
TI  - Antibiotic efficacy is linked to bacterial cellular respiration.
AB  - Bacteriostatic and bactericidal antibiotic treatments result in two fundamentally
      different phenotypic outcomes--the inhibition of bacterial growth or,
      alternatively, cell death. Most antibiotics inhibit processes that are major
      consumers of cellular energy output, suggesting that antibiotic treatment may
      have important downstream consequences on bacterial metabolism. We hypothesized
      that the specific metabolic effects of bacteriostatic and bactericidal
      antibiotics contribute to their overall efficacy. We leveraged the opposing
      phenotypes of bacteriostatic and bactericidal drugs in combination to investigate
      their activity. Growth inhibition from bacteriostatic antibiotics was associated
      with suppressed cellular respiration whereas cell death from most bactericidal
      antibiotics was associated with accelerated respiration. In combination,
      suppression of cellular respiration by the bacteriostatic antibiotic was the
      dominant effect, blocking bactericidal killing. Global metabolic profiling of
      bacteriostatic antibiotic treatment revealed that accumulation of metabolites
      involved in specific drug target activity was linked to the buildup of energy
      metabolites that feed the electron transport chain. Inhibition of cellular
      respiration by knockout of the cytochrome oxidases was sufficient to attenuate
      bactericidal lethality whereas acceleration of basal respiration by genetically
      uncoupling ATP synthesis from electron transport resulted in potentiation of the
      killing effect of bactericidal antibiotics. This work identifies a link between
      antibiotic-induced cellular respiration and bactericidal lethality and
      demonstrates that bactericidal activity can be arrested by attenuated respiration
      and potentiated by accelerated respiration. Our data collectively show that
      antibiotics perturb the metabolic state of bacteria and that the metabolic state
      of bacteria impacts antibiotic efficacy.

PMID- 26100899
TI  - Generating new prions by targeted mutation or segment duplication.
AB  - Yeasts contain various protein-based genetic elements, termed prions, that result
      from the structural conversion of proteins into self-propagating amyloid forms.
      Most yeast prion proteins contain glutamine/asparagine (Q/N)-rich prion domains
      that drive prion activity. Here, we explore two mechanisms by which new prion
      domains could evolve. First, it has been proposed that mutation and natural
      selection will tend to result in proteins with aggregation propensities just low
      enough to function under physiological conditions and thus that a small number of
      mutations are often sufficient to cause aggregation. We hypothesized that if the
      ability to form prion aggregates was a sufficiently generic feature of Q/N-rich
      domains, many nonprion Q/N-rich domains might similarly have aggregation
      propensities on the edge of prion formation. Indeed, we tested four yeast Q/N
      rich domains that had no detectable aggregation activity; in each case, a small
      number of rationally designed mutations were sufficient to cause the proteins to
      aggregate and, for two of the domains, to create prion activity. Second,
      oligopeptide repeats are found in multiple prion proteins, and expansion of these
      repeats increases prion activity. However, it is unclear whether the effects of
      repeat expansion are unique to these specific sequences or are a generic result
      of adding additional aggregation-prone segments into a protein domain. We found
      that within nonprion Q/N-rich domains, repeating aggregation-prone segments in
      tandem was sufficient to create prion activity. Duplication of DNA elements is a
      common source of genetic variation and may provide a simple mechanism to rapidly
      evolve prion activity. 

PMID- 26100900
TI  - Microneedle-array patches loaded with hypoxia-sensitive vesicles provide fast
      glucose-responsive insulin delivery.
AB  - A glucose-responsive "closed-loop" insulin delivery system mimicking the function
      of pancreatic cells has tremendous potential to improve quality of life and
      health in diabetics. Here, we report a novel glucose-responsive insulin delivery
      device using a painless microneedle-array patch ("smart insulin patch")
      containing glucose-responsive vesicles (GRVs; with an average diameter of 118
      nm), which are loaded with insulin and glucose oxidase (GOx) enzyme. The GRVs are
      self-assembled from hypoxia-sensitive hyaluronic acid (HS-HA) conjugated with 2
      nitroimidazole (NI), a hydrophobic component that can be converted to hydrophilic
      2-aminoimidazoles through bioreduction under hypoxic conditions. The local
      hypoxic microenvironment caused by the enzymatic oxidation of glucose in the
      hyperglycemic state promotes the reduction of HS-HA, which rapidly triggers the
      dissociation of vesicles and subsequent release of insulin. The smart insulin
      patch effectively regulated the blood glucose in a mouse model of chemically
      induced type 1 diabetes. The described work is the first demonstration, to our
      knowledge, of a synthetic glucose-responsive device using a hypoxia trigger for
      regulation of insulin release. The faster responsiveness of this approach holds
      promise in avoiding hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia if translated for human
      therapy. 

PMID- 26100901
TI  - Structural insights into the recognition of cisplatin and AAF-dG lesion by Rad14
      (XPA).
AB  - Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is responsible for the removal of a large
      variety of structurally diverse DNA lesions. Mutations of the involved proteins
      cause the xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) cancer predisposition syndrome. Although the
      general mechanism of the NER process is well studied, the function of the XPA
      protein, which is of central importance for successful NER, has remained
      enigmatic. It is known, that XPA binds kinked DNA structures and that it
      interacts also with DNA duplexes containing certain lesions, but the mechanism of
      interactions is unknown. Here we present two crystal structures of the DNA
      binding domain (DBD) of the yeast XPA homolog Rad14 bound to DNA with either a
      cisplatin lesion (1,2-GG) or an acetylaminofluorene adduct (AAF-dG). In the
      structures, we see that two Rad14 molecules bind to the duplex, which induces DNA
      melting of the duplex remote from the lesion. Each monomer interrogates the
      duplex with a beta-hairpin, which creates a 13mer duplex recognition motif
      additionally characterized by a sharp 70 degrees  DNA kink at the position of the
      lesion. Although the 1,2-GG lesion stabilizes the kink due to the covalent
      fixation of the crosslinked dG bases at a 90 degrees  angle, the AAF-dG fully
      intercalates into the duplex to stabilize the kinked structure. 

PMID- 26100902
TI  - RNA ligation in neurons by RtcB inhibits axon regeneration.
AB  - Activity of the RNA ligase RtcB has only two known functions: tRNA ligation after
      intron removal and XBP1 mRNA ligation during activation of the unfolded protein
      response. Here, we show that RtcB acts in neurons to inhibit axon regeneration
      after nerve injury. This function of RtcB is independent of its basal activities
      in tRNA ligation and the unfolded protein response. Furthermore, inhibition of
      axon regeneration is independent of the RtcB cofactor archease. Finally, RtcB is
      enriched at axon termini after nerve injury. Our data indicate that neurons have
      co-opted an ancient RNA modification mechanism to regulate specific and dynamic
      functions and identify neuronal RtcB activity as a critical regulator of neuronal
      growth potential. 

PMID- 26100903
TI  - Single-molecule imaging of Hedgehog pathway protein Smoothened in primary cilia
      reveals binding events regulated by Patched1.
AB  - Accumulation of the signaling protein Smoothened (Smo) in the membrane of primary
      cilia is an essential step in Hedgehog (Hh) signal transduction, yet the
      molecular mechanisms of Smo movement and localization are poorly understood.
      Using ultrasensitive single-molecule tracking with high spatial/temporal
      precision (30 nm/10 ms), we discovered that binding events disrupt the primarily
      diffusive movement of Smo in cilia at an array of sites near the base. The
      affinity of Smo for these binding sites was modulated by the Hh pathway
      activation state. Activation, by either a ligand or genetic loss of the
      negatively acting Hh receptor Patched-1 (Ptch), reduced the affinity and
      frequency of Smo binding at the base. Our findings quantify activation-dependent
      changes in Smo dynamics in cilia and highlight a previously unknown step in Hh
      pathway activation. 

PMID- 26100904
TI  - Solid-liquid critical behavior of water in nanopores.
AB  - Nanoconfined liquid water can transform into low-dimensional ices whose
      crystalline structures are dissimilar to any bulk ices and whose melting point
      may significantly rise with reducing the pore size, as revealed by computer
      simulation and confirmed by experiment. One of the intriguing, and as yet
      unresolved, questions concerns the observation that the liquid water may
      transform into a low-dimensional ice either via a first-order phase change or
      without any discontinuity in thermodynamic and dynamic properties, which suggests
      the existence of solid-liquid critical points in this class of nanoconfined
      systems. Here we explore the phase behavior of a model of water in carbon
      nanotubes in the temperature-pressure-diameter space by molecular dynamics
      simulation and provide unambiguous evidence to support solid-liquid critical
      phenomena of nanoconfined water. Solid-liquid first-order phase boundaries are
      determined by tracing spontaneous phase separation at various temperatures. All
      of the boundaries eventually cease to exist at the critical points and there
      appear loci of response function maxima, or the Widom lines, extending to the
      supercritical region. The finite-size scaling analysis of the density
      distribution supports the presence of both first-order and continuous phase
      changes between solid and liquid. At around the Widom line, there are microscopic
      domains of two phases, and continuous solid-liquid phase changes occur in such a
      way that the domains of one phase grow and those of the other evanesce as the
      thermodynamic state departs from the Widom line. 

PMID- 26100905
TI  - Relationship between thermoelectric figure of merit and energy conversion
      efficiency.
AB  - The formula for maximum efficiency (etamax) of heat conversion into electricity
      by a thermoelectric device in terms of the dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) has
      been widely used to assess the desirability of thermoelectric materials for
      devices. Unfortunately, the etamax values vary greatly depending on how the
      average ZT values are used, raising questions about the applicability of ZT in
      the case of a large temperature difference between the hot and cold sides due to
      the neglect of the temperature dependences of the material properties that affect
      ZT. To avoid the complex numerical simulation that gives accurate efficiency, we
      have defined an engineering dimensionless figure of merit (ZT)eng and an
      engineering power factor (PF)eng as functions of the temperature difference
      between the cold and hot sides to predict reliably and accurately the practical
      conversion efficiency and output power, respectively, overcoming the reporting of
      unrealistic efficiency using average ZT values. 

PMID- 26100906
TI  - Even with nonnative interactions, the updated folding transition states of the
      homologs Proteins G & L are extensive and similar.
AB  - Experimental and computational folding studies of Proteins L & G and NuG2
      typically find that sequence differences determine which of the two hairpins is
      formed in the transition state ensemble (TSE). However, our recent work on
      Protein L finds that its TSE contains both hairpins, compelling a reassessment of
      the influence of sequence on the folding behavior of the other two homologs. We
      characterize the TSEs for Protein G and NuG2b, a triple mutant of NuG2, using psi
      analysis, a method for identifying contacts in the TSE. All three homologs are
      found to share a common and near-native TSE topology with interactions between
      all four strands. However, the helical content varies in the TSE, being largely
      absent in Proteins G & L but partially present in NuG2b. The variability likely
      arises from competing propensities for the formation of nonnative beta turns in
      the naturally occurring proteins, as observed in our TerItFix folding algorithm.
      All-atom folding simulations of NuG2b recapitulate the observed TSEs with four
      strands for 5 of 27 transition paths [Lindorff-Larsen K, Piana S, Dror RO, Shaw
      DE (2011) Science 334(6055):517-520]. Our data support the view that homologous
      proteins have similar folding mechanisms, even when nonnative interactions are
      present in the transition state. These findings emphasize the ongoing challenge
      of accurately characterizing and predicting TSEs, even for relatively simple
      proteins. 

PMID- 26100908
TI  - Cooperative strings and glassy interfaces.
AB  - We introduce a minimal theory of glass formation based on the ideas of molecular
      crowding and resultant string-like cooperative rearrangement, and address the
      effects of free interfaces. In the bulk case, we obtain a scaling expression for
      the number of particles taking part in cooperative strings, and we recover the
      Adam-Gibbs description of glassy dynamics. Then, by including thermal dilatation,
      the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann relation is derived. Moreover, the random and string
      like characters of the cooperative rearrangement allow us to predict a
      temperature-dependent expression for the cooperative length xi of bulk
      relaxation. Finally, we explore the influence of sample boundaries when the
      system size becomes comparable to xi. The theory is in agreement with
      measurements of the glass-transition temperature of thin polymer films, and
      allows quantification of the temperature-dependent thickness hm of the
      interfacial mobile layer. 

PMID- 26100907
TI  - A structural, functional, and computational analysis suggests pore flexibility as
      the base for the poor selectivity of CNG channels.
AB  - Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) ion channels, despite a significant homology with
      the highly selective K(+) channels, do not discriminate among monovalent alkali
      cations and are permeable also to several organic cations. We combined
      electrophysiology, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and X-ray crystallography
      to demonstrate that the pore of CNG channels is highly flexible. When a CNG mimic
      is crystallized in the presence of a variety of monovalent cations, including
      Na(+), Cs(+), and dimethylammonium (DMA(+)), the side chain of Glu66 in the
      selectivity filter shows multiple conformations and the diameter of the pore
      changes significantly. MD simulations indicate that Glu66 and the prolines in the
      outer vestibule undergo large fluctuations, which are modulated by the ionic
      species and the voltage. This flexibility underlies the coupling between gating
      and permeation and the poor ionic selectivity of CNG channels. 

PMID- 26100909
TI  - BEND3 represses rDNA transcription by stabilizing a NoRC component via USP21
      deubiquitinase.
AB  - Ribosome biogenesis dictates the translational capacity of cells. Several
      mechanisms establish and maintain transcriptional output from eukaryotic
      ribosomal DNA (rDNA) loci. rDNA silencing is one such mechanism that ensures the
      inactivity and hence the maintenance of a silenced state of a subset of rRNA gene
      copies. Whereas oncogenic agents stimulate rRNA gene transcription, tumor
      suppressors decrease rRNA gene transcription. We demonstrate in mammalian cells
      that BANP, E5R, and Nac1 (BEN) domain 3 (BEND3), a quadruple BEN domain
      containing protein, localizes in nucleoli and binds to ribosomal RNA gene
      promoters to help repress rRNA genes. Loss of BEND3 increases histone H3K4
      trimethylation and, correspondingly, decreases rDNA promoter DNA methylation,
      consistent with a role for BEND3 in rDNA silencing. BEND3 associates with the
      nucleolar-remodeling complex (NoRC), and SUMOylated BEND3 stabilizes NoRC
      component TTF-1-interacting protein 5 via association with ubiquitin specific
      protease 21 (USP21) debiquitinase. Our results provide mechanistic insights into
      how the novel rDNA transcription repressor BEND3 acts together with NoRC to
      actively coordinate the establishment of rDNA silencing. 

PMID- 26100910
TI  - DNA polymerase from temperate phage Bam35 is endowed with processive
      polymerization and abasic sites translesion synthesis capacity.
AB  - DNA polymerases (DNAPs) responsible for genome replication are highly faithful
      enzymes that nonetheless cannot deal with damaged DNA. In contrast, translesion
      synthesis (TLS) DNAPs are suitable for replicating modified template bases,
      although resulting in very low-fidelity products. Here we report the biochemical
      characterization of the temperate bacteriophage Bam35 DNA polymerase (B35DNAP),
      which belongs to the protein-primed subgroup of family B DNAPs, along with phage
      Phi29 and other viral and mobile element polymerases. B35DNAP is a highly
      faithful DNAP that can couple strand displacement to processive DNA synthesis.
      These properties allow it to perform multiple displacement amplification of
      plasmid DNA with a very low error rate. Despite its fidelity and proofreading
      activity, B35DNAP was able to successfully perform abasic site TLS without
      template realignment and inserting preferably an A opposite the abasic site (A
      rule). Moreover, deletion of the TPR2 subdomain, required for processivity,
      impaired primer extension beyond the abasic site. Taken together, these findings
      suggest that B35DNAP may perform faithful and processive genome replication in
      vivo and, when required, TLS of abasic sites. 

PMID- 26100911
TI  - Disruption of prostaglandin E2 receptor EP4 impairs urinary concentration via
      decreasing aquaporin 2 in renal collecting ducts.
AB  - The antidiuretic hormone arginine vasopressin is a systemic effector in urinary
      concentration. However, increasing evidence suggests that other locally produced
      factors may also play an important role in the regulation of water reabsorption
      in renal collecting ducts. Recently, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) receptor EP4 has
      emerged as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of nephrogenic
      diabetes insipidus, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. To evaluate the role
      of EP4 in regulating water homeostasis, mice with renal tubule-specific knockout
      of EP4 (Ksp-EP4(-/-)) and collecting duct-specific knockout of EP4 (AQP2-EP4(-/
      )) were generated using the Cre-loxP recombination system. Urine concentrating
      defect was observed in both Ksp-EP4(-/-) and AQP2-EP4(-/-) mice. Decreased
      aquaporin 2 (AQP2) abundance and apical membrane targeting in renal collecting
      ducts were evident in Ksp-EP4(-/-) mice. In vitro studies demonstrated that AQP2
      mRNA and protein levels were significantly up-regulated in mouse primary inner
      medullary collecting duct (IMCD) cells after pharmacological activation or
      adenovirus-mediated overexpression of EP4 in a cAMP/cAMP-response element binding
      protein-dependent manner. In addition, EP4 activation or overexpression also
      increased AQP2 membrane accumulation in a mouse IMCD cell line (IMCD3) stably
      transfected with the AQP2 gene, mainly through the cAMP/protein kinase A and
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathways. In summary, the EP4 receptor in
      renal collecting ducts plays an important role in regulating urinary
      concentration under physiological conditions. The ability of EP4 to promote AQP2
      membrane targeting and increase AQP2 abundance makes it a potential therapeutic
      target for the treatment of clinical disorders including acquired and congenital
      diabetes insipidus. 

PMID- 26100913
TI  - Top-down control of the phase of alpha-band oscillations as a mechanism for
      temporal prediction.
AB  - The physiological state of the brain before an incoming stimulus has substantial
      consequences for subsequent behavior and neural processing. For example, the
      phase of ongoing posterior alpha-band oscillations (8-14 Hz) immediately before
      visual stimulation has been shown to predict perceptual outcomes and downstream
      neural activity. Although this phenomenon suggests that these oscillations may
      phasically route information through functional networks, many accounts treat
      these periodic effects as a consequence of ongoing activity that is independent
      of behavioral strategy. Here, we investigated whether alpha-band phase can be
      guided by top-down control in a temporal cueing task. When participants were
      provided with cues predictive of the moment of visual target onset,
      discrimination accuracy improved and targets were more frequently reported as
      consciously seen, relative to unpredictive cues. This effect was accompanied by a
      significant shift in the phase of alpha-band oscillations, before target onset,
      toward each participant's optimal phase for stimulus discrimination. These
      findings provide direct evidence that forming predictions about when a stimulus
      will appear can bias the phase of ongoing alpha-band oscillations toward an
      optimal phase for visual processing, and may thus serve as a mechanism for the
      top-down control of visual processing guided by temporal predictions. 

PMID- 26100914
TI  - Self-reproducing catalyst drives repeated phospholipid synthesis and membrane
      growth.
AB  - Cell membranes are dynamic structures found in all living organisms. There have
      been numerous constructs that model phospholipid membranes. However, unlike
      natural membranes, these biomimetic systems cannot sustain growth owing to an
      inability to replenish phospholipid-synthesizing catalysts. Here we report on the
      design and synthesis of artificial membranes embedded with synthetic, self
      reproducing catalysts capable of perpetuating phospholipid bilayer formation.
      Replacing the complex biochemical pathways used in nature with an autocatalyst
      that also drives lipid synthesis leads to the continual formation of triazole
      phospholipids and membrane-bound oligotriazole catalysts from simpler starting
      materials. In addition to continual phospholipid synthesis and vesicle growth,
      the synthetic membranes are capable of remodeling their physical composition in
      response to changes in the environment by preferentially incorporating specific
      precursors. These results demonstrate that complex membranes capable of
      indefinite self-synthesis can emerge when supplied with simpler chemical building
      blocks. 

PMID- 26100912
TI  - Structural dynamics and energetics underlying allosteric inactivation of the
      cannabinoid receptor CB1.
AB  - G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are surprisingly flexible molecules that can
      do much more than simply turn on G proteins. Some even exhibit biased signaling,
      wherein the same receptor preferentially activates different G-protein or
      arrestin signaling pathways depending on the type of ligand bound. Why this
      behavior occurs is still unclear, but it can happen with both traditional ligands
      and ligands that bind allosterically outside the orthosteric receptor binding
      pocket. Here, we looked for structural mechanisms underlying these phenomena in
      the marijuana receptor CB1. Our work focused on the allosteric ligand Org 27569,
      which has an unusual effect on CB1-it simultaneously increases agonist binding,
      decreases G--protein activation, and induces biased signaling. Using classical
      pharmacological binding studies, we find that Org 27569 binds to a unique
      allosteric site on CB1 and show that it can act alone (without need for agonist
      cobinding). Through mutagenesis studies, we find that the ability of Org 27569 to
      bind is related to how much receptor is in an active conformation that can couple
      with G protein. Using these data, we estimated the energy differences between the
      inactive and active states. Finally, site-directed fluorescence labeling studies
      show the CB1 structure stabilized by Org 27569 is different and unique from that
      stabilized by antagonist or agonist. Specifically, transmembrane helix 6 (TM6)
      movements associated with G-protein activation are blocked, but at the same time,
      helix 8/TM7 movements are enhanced, suggesting a possible mechanism for the
      ability of Org 27569 to induce biased signaling.

PMID- 26100915
TI  - Structure and function of the mammalian middle ear. II: Inferring function from
      structure.
AB  - Anatomists and zoologists who study middle ear morphology are often interested to
      know what the structure of an ear can reveal about the auditory acuity and
      hearing range of the animal in question. This paper represents an introduction to
      middle ear function targetted towards biological scientists with little
      experience in the field of auditory acoustics. Simple models of impedance
      matching are first described, based on the familiar concepts of the area and
      lever ratios of the middle ear. However, using the Mongolian gerbil Meriones
      unguiculatus as a test case, it is shown that the predictions made by such 'ideal
      transformer' models are generally not consistent with measurements derived from
      recent experimental studies. Electrical analogue models represent a better way to
      understand some of the complex, frequency-dependent responses of the middle ear:
      these have been used to model the effects of middle ear subcavities, and the
      possible function of the auditory ossicles as a transmission line. The concepts
      behind such models are explained here, again aimed at those with little
      background knowledge. Functional inferences based on middle ear anatomy are more
      likely to be valid at low frequencies. Acoustic impedance at low frequencies is
      dominated by compliance; expanded middle ear cavities, found in small desert
      mammals including gerbils, jerboas and the sengi Macroscelides, are expected to
      improve low-frequency sound transmission, as long as the ossicular system is not
      too stiff. 

PMID- 26100916
TI  - In malignant cartilagenous tumors, immunohistochemical expression of procollagen
      PC1CP peptide is higher and that of PC2CP lower than in benign cartilaginous
      lesions.
AB  - Few studies on oncogenesis of chondrosarcoma (CS) are available in the
      literature. Our previously published experimental evidence suggests that while
      the C-propeptide of procollagen Ialpha1 (PC1CP), a component of cartilage, favors
      tumor progression, the C-propeptide of procollagen IIalpha1 (PC2CP) exerts
      antitumor properties. In this study, we analyzed expression of PC1CP and PC2CP by
      immunohistochemistry in a series of enchondromas and CS. Our retrospective series
      consisted of 88 cases, including 43 CSs, 34 enchondromas and 11 nontumor samples.
      Immunohistochemical staining for PC1CP and PC2CP was evaluated in the cytoplasm
      and in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Diffuse staining for PC1CP in ECM was
      significantly more frequent in tumor than in nontumor samples (32 % vs. 0 %; p =
      0.03), and in CSs than in enchondromas (44 vs. 18 %; p = 0.02). ECM
      semiquantitative score was higher in tumors than in nontumor samples (p < 0.005)
      and higher in CSs than in enchondromas (p = 0.05). Staining for PC2CP in ECM was
      more frequently found in enchondromas than in CSs (59 vs. 33 %; p = 0.02). ECM
      semiquantitative score was higher in enchondromas than in CSs (p = 0.02). Diffuse
      staining for PC1CP in combination with absence of staining for PC2CP had 94 %
      specificity for CS but with a sensitivity of only 35 %. Expression of neither
      PC1CP nor PC2CP correlated with recurrence-free survival or occurrence of
      metastases. In conclusion, we show that the expression of PC1CP is higher and
      that of PC2CP lower in malignant cartilaginous tumors. These results support an
      oncogenic role of PC1CP and anti-oncogenic property of PC2CP in cartilaginous
      tumors.

PMID- 26100917
TI  - Endocardial Brg1 disruption illustrates the developmental origins of semilunar
      valve disease.
AB  - The formation of intricately organized aortic and pulmonic valves from primitive
      endocardial cushions of the outflow tract is a remarkable accomplishment of
      embryonic development. While not always initially pathologic, developmental
      semilunar valve (SLV) defects, including bicuspid aortic valve, frequently
      progress to a disease state in adults requiring valve replacement surgery.
      Disrupted embryonic growth, differentiation, and patterning events that "trigger"
      SLV disease are coordinated by gene expression changes in endocardial,
      myocardial, and cushion mesenchymal cells. We explored roles of chromatin
      regulation in valve gene regulatory networks by conditional inactivation of the
      Brg1-associated factor (BAF) chromatin remodeling complex in the endocardial
      lineage. Endocardial Brg1-deficient mouse embryos develop thickened and
      disorganized SLV cusps that frequently become bicuspid and myxomatous, including
      in surviving adults. These SLV disease-like phenotypes originate from deficient
      endocardial-to-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) in the proximal outflow tract
      (pOFT) cushions. The missing cells are replaced by compensating neural crest or
      other non-EMT-derived mesenchyme. However, these cells are incompetent to fully
      pattern the valve interstitium into distinct regions with specialized
      extracellular matrices. Transcriptomics reveal genes that may promote growth and
      patterning of SLVs and/or serve as disease-state biomarkers. Mechanistic studies
      of SLV disease genes should distinguish between disease origins and progression;
      the latter may reflect secondary responses to a disrupted developmental system.

PMID- 26100918
TI  - Molecular asymmetry in the 8-cell stage Xenopus tropicalis embryo described by
      single blastomere transcript sequencing.
AB  - Correct development of the vertebrate body plan requires the early definition of
      two asymmetric, perpendicular axes. The first axis is established during oocyte
      maturation, and the second is established by symmetry breaking shortly after
      fertilization. The physical processes generating the second asymmetric, or dorsal
      ventral, axis are well understood, but the specific molecular determinants,
      presumed to be maternal gene products, are poorly characterized. Whilst
      enrichment of maternal mRNAs at the animal and vegetal poles in both the oocyte
      and the early embryo has been studied, little is known about the distribution of
      maternal mRNAs along either the dorsal-ventral or left-right axes during the
      early cleavage stages. Here we report an unbiased analysis of the distribution of
      maternal mRNA on all axes of the Xenopus tropicalis 8-cell stage embryo, based on
      sequencing of single blastomeres whose positions within the embryo are known.
      Analysis of pooled data from complete sets of blastomeres from four embryos has
      identified 908 mRNAs enriched in either the animal or vegetal blastomeres, of
      which 793 are not previously reported as enriched. In contrast, we find no
      evidence for asymmetric distribution along either the dorsal-ventral or left
      right axes. We confirm that animal pole enrichment is on average distinctly lower
      than vegetal pole enrichment, and that considerable variation is found between
      reported enrichment levels in different studies. We use publicly available data
      to show that there is a significant association between genes with human disease
      annotation and enrichment at the animal pole. Mutations in the human ortholog of
      the most animally enriched novel gene, Slc35d1, are causative for Schneckenbecken
      dysplasia, and we show that a similar phenotype is produced by depletion of the
      orthologous protein in Xenopus embryos.

PMID- 26100920
TI  - Can we use peripheral tissue biopsies to diagnose Parkinson's disease? A review
      of the literature.
AB  - Phosphorylated alpha-synuclein (phosalphaSYN) containing inclusions in neurons
      (Lewy bodies, LB) and nerve terminals (Lewy neurites, LN), the pathological
      hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD), are not confined to the central nervous
      system, but have also been reported in peripheral tissues. However, the
      usefulness of alphaSYN/phosalphaSYN detection in tissues accessible to biopsies
      as a reliable biomarker for prodromal PD remains unclear. A systematic review of
      studies using biopsies of skin, olfactory and gastrointestinal (GI) tissues was
      conducted to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of both alphaSYN and
      phosalphaSYN staining in PD patients. Data analysis was hampered by the diversity
      of the methods used, e.g. choice of biopsy sites, tissue processing, staining
      protocols and evaluation of the findings. Tissue obtained from GI tract/salivary
      glands (13 post-mortem, 13 in vivo studies) yielded the highest overall
      sensitivity and specificity compared to skin (three post-mortem, eight in vivo
      studies) and olfactory mucosa/bulb (six post-mortem studies, one in vivo study).
      In contrast to phosalphaSYN, alphaSYN was more consistently detectable in
      peripheral tissues of healthy controls. GI tract/salivary glands appear to be the
      most promising candidate tissue for peripheral biopsy-taking. phosalphaSYN is
      considered as the marker of choice to delineate pathological aggregates from
      normal alphaSYN regularly found in peripheral neural tissues. However, the
      sensitivity and specificity of phosalphaSYN are not yet acceptable for using
      phosalphaSYN as a reliable peripheral biomarker for PD in clinical routine.
      Further refinement regarding the interpretation of the peripheral
      alphaSYN/phosalphaSYN burden and the phenotypical definition of peripheral LB/LN
      is needed to optimize screening methods for prodromal PD. 

PMID- 26100919
TI  - Family impact of Rotavirus Gastroenteritis in Taiwan and Vietnam: an Ethnographic
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prior to the introduction of rotavirus vaccines, rotavirus was the
      leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants and young children, and it
      continues to be the leading cause in countries without vaccination programs.
      Rotavirus gastroenteritis results in substantial economic burden and has a
      pronounced effect on the family of those who are ill. Both in Taiwan and in
      Vietnam, rotavirus illness is viewed as a priority disease. This study assessed,
      in Taiwan and Vietnam, the impact of rotavirus gastroenteritis on the family
      among a group of parents whose children had recently been hospitalized for this
      illness. METHODS: In the first half of 2013, parents of children who had been
      hospitalized due to rotavirus infection were recruited from hospitals in Taiwan
      (n = 12) and Vietnam (n = 22), and participated in focus group sessions or in
      depth ethnographic interviews. RESULTS: In both countries, the results point to a
      substantial burden on the parents concerning emotions and logistics of daily
      tasks, and to considerable disruptions of the family routine. Taiwanese parents
      reported satisfaction with the health care system, a great deal of effort to
      suppress emotions, a fair amount of knowledge about rotavirus, and little extra
      costs related to the illness. On the other hand, parents in Vietnam expressed
      concern about the emotional well-being of and the health care treatments for
      their children, were less knowledgeable regarding rotavirus infection, and
      experienced a substantial financial burden due to indirect costs that were
      related to accessing treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Families in Taiwan and Vietnam
      suffer from a considerable economic and emotional burden related to rotavirus
      gastroenteritis. One way to substantially reduce this burden is to provide
      universal and affordable rotavirus vaccination to susceptible children,
      especially since cost-effectiveness studies have demonstrated that universal
      vaccination would be safe and efficacious against severe rotavirus
      gastroenteritis in these countries.

PMID- 26100921
TI  - Prospects for a globally effective HIV-1 vaccine.
AB  - A globally effective vaccine strategy must cope with the broad genetic diversity
      of HIV and contend with multiple transmission modalities. Understanding
      correlates of protection and the role of diversity in limiting protective
      vaccines with those correlates is key. RV144 was the first HIV-1 vaccine trial to
      demonstrate efficacy against HIV-1 infection. A correlates analysis compared
      vaccine-induced immune responses in vaccinated-infected and vaccinated-uninfected
      volunteers suggested that IgG specific for the V1V2 region of gp120 was
      associated with reduced risk of HIV-1 infection and that plasma Env IgA was
      directly correlated with infection risk. RV144 and recent NHP challenge studies
      suggest that Env is essential and perhaps sufficient to induce protective
      antibody responses against mucosally acquired HIV-1. Whether RV144 immune
      correlates can apply to different HIV vaccines, to populations with different
      modes and intensity of transmission, or to divergent HIV-1 subtypes remains
      unknown. Newer prime-boost mosaic and conserved sequence immunization strategies
      aiming at inducing immune responses of greater breadth and depth as well as the
      development of immunogens inducing broadly neutralizing antibodies should be
      actively pursued. Efficacy trials are now planned in heterosexual populations in
      southern Africa and MSM in Thailand. Although NHP challenge studies may guide
      vaccine development, human efficacy trials remain key to answer the critical
      questions leading to the development of a global HIV-1 vaccine for licensure. 

PMID- 26100922
TI  - Safety and efficacy of a new octavalent combined Erysipelas, Parvo and Leptospira
      vaccine in gilts against Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona associated disease
      and foetal death.
AB  - The safety and protective efficacy of a new octavalent combination vaccine
      containing inactivated Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Parvovirus, and Leptospira
      interrogans (sensu lato) serogroups Canicola, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Australis
      (Bratislava), Grippotyphosa, Pomona and Tarassovi - Porcilis((r)) Ery+Parvo+Lepto
      - was evaluated in laboratory studies and under field conditions. The safety (2*
      overdose and repeated dose) was tested in 26 gilts. In this study, neither
      vaccine related temperature increase nor other systemic reactions were observed
      after intramuscular vaccination. No local reactions were observed except for one
      animal that had a small local reaction (2cm diameter) that lasted for 5 days
      after the third vaccination. Efficacy was tested in 40 gilts. A group of 20 gilts
      was vaccinated at 20 and 24 weeks of age with Porcilis((r)) Ery+Parvo+Lepto and a
      group of 20 age- and source-matched animals served as the control group. The
      gilts were inseminated at 41 weeks or 66 weeks of age and were challenged with
      serovar Pomona 10 weeks after insemination, corresponding to 6 months (n=2*10)
      and 12 months (n=2*10) after the last vaccination. After both the 6- and 12-month
      challenges the control animals developed clinical signs (fever, lethargy and
      anorexia) and leptospiraemia as determined by positive blood culture. In
      addition, both the 6- and 12-month challenges resulted in death of 21% and 27% of
      the total number of foetuses in the control groups, respectively. Clinical signs
      and leptospiraemia were statistically significantly lower in vaccinated gilts
      after both the 6- and 12-month challenges. In addition, foetal death was
      statistically significantly lower (3% and 2%, respectively) in vaccinated gilts
      after both the 6- and 12 month challenges. The vaccine was tested further under
      field conditions on a Portuguese farm with a history of an increasing abortion
      rate associated with a Leptospira serovar Pomona infection (confirmed by PCR and
      serology). This study was designed as an observational-longitudinal field study.
      At the start of the study, all breeding sows and replacement gilts on the farm
      were vaccinated twice with Porcilis((r)) Ery+Parvo+Lepto at an interval of 4
      weeks. Starting six months after the primary vaccination schedule, the animals
      were re-vaccinated during the second week of every subsequent lactation. New
      replacement gilts were vaccinated using the same schedule. After vaccination, the
      abortion rate reduced rapidly from 12.6% in winter months of 2012 (December 2011
      to March 2012) to 0.5% in winter months of 2013, a statistical significant
      decrease of 96%. The total number of abortions on the farm decreased from 55 in
      2012 to 6 in 2013. Thereafter, the abortion rate remained stable and in the
      period December 2013 to April 2014 was still low (0.6%). In conclusion, the
      present studies demonstrate that the octavalent Porcilis((r)) Ery+Parvo+Lepto
      vaccine can be safely used in gilts and sows and induces significant protection,
      for the duration of at least one year, against serovar Pomona induced clinical
      signs, leptospiraemia and foetal death. Protection against Pomona associated
      reproductive failure was confirmed under field conditions where a significant
      reduction in abortion rate was observed. 

PMID- 26100923
TI  - AS03-adjuvanted H7N1 detergent-split virion vaccine is highly immunogenic in
      unprimed mice and induces cross-reactive antibodies to emerged H7N9 and
      additional H7 subtypes.
AB  - Avian H7 is one of several influenza A virus subtypes that have the potential to
      cause pandemics. Herein we describe preclinical results following administration
      of an investigational H7N1 inactivated detergent-split virion vaccine adjuvanted
      with the AS03 Adjuvant System. The adjuvanted H7N1 vaccine was highly immunogenic
      compared to the non-adjuvanted H7N1 vaccine in unprimed mice with less than 100ng
      of hemagglutinin antigen per dose. In addition, compared to the non-adjuvanted
      vaccine, the AS03-adjuvanted H7N1 vaccine also induced robust HI and VN antibody
      responses that cross-reacted with other H7 subtypes, including recently emerged
      H7N9 virus. These H7 data from the preclinical mouse model add to the existing H5
      data to suggest that AS03 adjuvant technology may be generally effective for
      formulating antigen-sparing detergent-split virion vaccines against intrinsically
      sub-immunogenic avian influenza A virus subtypes. 

PMID- 26100926
TI  - WHO consultation on Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Development Report from a
      World Health Organization Meeting held on 23-24 March 2015.
AB  - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a globally prevalent cause of lower
      respiratory infection in neonates and infants. Despite its disease burden, a safe
      and effective RSV vaccine has remained elusive. In recent years, improved
      understanding of RSV biology and innovations in immunogen design has resulted in
      the advancement of multiple vaccine candidates into the clinical development
      pipeline. Given the growing number of vaccines in clinical trials, the rapid pace
      at which they are being tested, and the likelihood that an RSV vaccine will reach
      the commercial market in the next 5-10 years, consensus and guidance on clinical
      development pathways and licensure routes are needed now, before large-scale
      efficacy trials commence. In pursuit of this aim, the World Health Organization
      convened the first RSV vaccine consultation in 15 years on the 23rd and 24th of
      March, 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting's primary objective was to
      provide guidance on clinical endpoints and development pathways for vaccine
      trials with a focus on considerations of low- and middle-income countries.
      Meeting participants reached consensus on candidate case definitions for RSV
      disease, considerations for clinical efficacy endpoints, and the clinical
      development pathway for active and passive immunization trials in maternal and
      pediatric populations. The strategic focus of this meeting was on the development
      of high quality, safe and efficacious RSV preventive interventions for global use
      and included: (1) maternal/passive immunization to prevent RSV disease in infants
      less than 6 months; (2) pediatric immunization to prevent RSV disease in infants
      and young children once protection afforded by maternal immunization wanes. 

PMID- 26100924
TI  - Immunogenicity and safety of an E. coli-produced bivalent human papillomavirus
      (type 16 and 18) vaccine: A randomized controlled phase 2 clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the dosage, immunogenicity and safety
      profile of a novel human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 bivalent vaccine
      produced by E. coli. METHODS: This randomized, double-blinded, controlled phase 2
      trial enrolled women aged 18-25 years in China. Totally 1600 eligible
      participants were randomized to receive 90MUg, 60MUg, or 30MUg of the recombinant
      HPV 16/18 bivalent vaccine or the control hepatitis B vaccine on a 0, 1 and 6
      month schedule. The designated doses are the combined micrograms of HPV16 and 18
      VLPs with dose ratio of 2:1. The immunogenicity of the vaccines was assessed by
      measuring anti-HPV 16 and 18 neutralizing antibodies and total IgG antibodies.
      Safety of the vaccine was assessed. RESULTS: All but one of the seronegative
      participants who received 3 doses of the HPV vaccines seroconverted at month 7
      for anti-HPV 16/18 neutralizing antibodies and IgG antibodies. For HPV 16, the
      geometric mean titers (GMTs) of the neutralizing antibodies were similar between
      the 60MUg (GMT=10,548) and 90MUg (GMT=12,505) HPV vaccine groups and were
      significantly higher than those in the 30MUg (GMT=7596) group. For HPV 18, the
      GMTs of the neutralizing antibodies were similar among the 3 groups. The HPV
      vaccine was well tolerated. No vaccine-associated serious adverse events were
      identified. CONCLUSION: The prokaryotic-expressed HPV vaccine is safe and
      immunogenic in women aged 18-25 years. The 60MUg dosage formulation was selected
      for further investigation for efficacy. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION:
      NCT01356823.

PMID- 26100925
TI  - Salivary antibody levels in adolescents in response to a meningococcal serogroup
      C conjugate booster vaccination nine years after priming: systemically induced
      local immunity and saliva as potential surveillance tool.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In several countries large-scale immunization of children and young
      adults with Meningococcal serogroup C (MenC) conjugate vaccines has induced long
      standing herd protection. Salivary antibodies may play an important role in
      mucosal protection against meningococcal acquisition and carriage. AIM: To
      investigate antibody levels in (pre)adolescents primed 9 years earlier with a
      single dose of MenC-polysaccharide tetanus toxoid conjugated (MenC-TT) vaccine
      and the response to a booster vaccination, with special focus on age-related
      differences and the relation between salivary and serum antibody levels. METHODS:
      Nine years after priming, healthy 10- (n=91), 12- (n=91) and 15-year-olds (n=86)
      received a MenC-TT booster vaccination. Saliva and serum samples were collected
      prior to and 1 month and 1 year after vaccination. MenC-polysaccharide(MenC-PS)
      specific antibody levels were measured using a fluorescent-bead-based multiplex
      immunoassay. RESULTS: Before the booster, MenC-PS-specific IgG and IgA levels in
      saliva and serum were low and correlated with age at priming. The booster induced
      a marked increase in salivary MenC-PS-specific IgG (>200-fold), but also in IgA
      (~10-fold). One year after the booster, salivary IgG and IgA had remained above
      pre-booster levels in all age groups (~20-fold and ~3-fold, respectively), with
      persistence of highest levels in the 15-year-olds. MenC-PS-specific IgG and IgA
      levels in saliva strongly correlated with the levels in serum. CONCLUSION:
      Parenteral MenC-TT booster vaccination induces a clear increase in salivary MenC
      PS-specific IgG and IgA levels and persistence of highest levels correlates with
      age. The strong correlation between serum and salivary antibody levels indicate
      that saliva may offer an easy and reliable tool for future antibody surveillance.

PMID- 26100927
TI  - Influenza bivalent vaccine comprising recombinant H3 hemagglutinin (HA) and H1 HA
      containing replaced H3 hemagglutinin transmembrane domain exhibited improved
      heterosubtypic protection immunity in mice.
AB  - Influenza caused by infection of influenza viruses is still a leading cause of
      morbidity and mortality in human. Vaccination is the main defense against
      influenza virus, but current influenza trivalent or quatrivalent vaccines
      (TIV/QIV) would lose their effectiveness when vaccine strains are mismatched with
      circulating strains. Our early study showed that recombinant influenza Hx-TM HA
      proteins containing H3 HA transmembrane domain(TM) had improved immunogenicity
      and heterosubtypic protection over corresponding wild-type Hx-WT HA proteins. In
      present study, bivalent vaccines containing H3-WT+Hx-TM were investigated for
      their immune responses and heterosubtypic protection immunities. The data showed
      that the bivalent vaccines containing H3-WT and H5-TM or H1-TM had improved
      immune responses and heterosubtypic protection over the bivalent vaccines
      containing H3-WT and H5-WT or H1-WT respectively. These results demonstrated that
      the improved immune responses and heterosubtypic protection of Hx-TM HA proteins
      could be translated into bivalent vaccines, suggesting a feasible strategy of
      improving the immune responses and heterosubtypic protection of influenza
      multivalent vaccines such as TIV and QIV. 

PMID- 26100929
TI  - Comparison of the marginal fit of lithium disilicate crowns fabricated with
      CAD/CAM technology by using conventional impressions and two intraoral digital
      scanners.
AB  - STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Conventional impression materials and techniques have been
      used successfully to fabricate fixed restorations. Recently, digital pathways
      have been developed, but insufficient data are available regarding their marginal
      accuracy. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the marginal
      gap discrepancy of lithium disilicate single crowns fabricated with computer
      aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology by using both
      conventional and 2 digital impression techniques. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One
      typodont maxillary right central incisor was prepared for a ceramic crown. Ten
      impressions were made by using each method: conventional with polyvinyl siloxane
      impression material, Lava COS (3M ESPE), and iTero (Cadent) intraoral scanning
      devices. Lithium disilicate (e.max CAD) crowns were fabricated with CAD/CAM
      technology, and the marginal gap was measured for each specimen at 4 points under
      magnification with a stereomicroscope. The mean measurement for each location and
      overall mean gap size by group were calculated. Statistically significant
      differences among the impression techniques were tested with F and t tests
      (alpha=.05). RESULTS: The average (+/-SD) gap for the conventional impression
      group was 112.3 (+/-35.3) MUm. The digital impression groups had similar average
      gap sizes; the Lava group was 89.8 (+/-25.4) MUm, and the iTero group was 89.6
      (+/-30.1) MUm. No statistically significant difference was found in the effects
      among impression techniques (P=.185) CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this
      study, digital and conventional impressions were found to produce crowns with
      similar marginal accuracy.

PMID- 26100928
TI  - Akkermansia muciniphila and improved metabolic health during a dietary
      intervention in obesity: relationship with gut microbiome richness and ecology.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Individuals with obesity and type 2 diabetes differ from lean and
      healthy individuals in their abundance of certain gut microbial species and
      microbial gene richness. Abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila, a mucin-degrading
      bacterium, has been inversely associated with body fat mass and glucose
      intolerance in mice, but more evidence is needed in humans. The impact of diet
      and weight loss on this bacterial species is unknown. Our objective was to
      evaluate the association between faecal A. muciniphila abundance, faecal
      microbiome gene richness, diet, host characteristics, and their changes after
      calorie restriction (CR). DESIGN: The intervention consisted of a 6-week CR
      period followed by a 6-week weight stabilisation diet in overweight and obese
      adults (N=49, including 41 women). Faecal A. muciniphila abundance, faecal
      microbial gene richness, diet and bioclinical parameters were measured at
      baseline and after CR and weight stabilisation. RESULTS: At baseline A.
      muciniphila was inversely related to fasting glucose, waist-to-hip ratio and
      subcutaneous adipocyte diameter. Subjects with higher gene richness and A.
      muciniphila abundance exhibited the healthiest metabolic status, particularly in
      fasting plasma glucose, plasma triglycerides and body fat distribution.
      Individuals with higher baseline A. muciniphila displayed greater improvement in
      insulin sensitivity markers and other clinical parameters after CR. These
      participants also experienced a reduction in A. muciniphila abundance, but it
      remained significantly higher than in individuals with lower baseline abundance.
      A. muciniphila was associated with microbial species known to be related to
      health. CONCLUSIONS: A. muciniphila is associated with a healthier metabolic
      status and better clinical outcomes after CR in overweight/obese adults. The
      interaction between gut microbiota ecology and A. muciniphila warrants further
      investigation. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01314690.

PMID- 26100930
TI  - Technique to retrieve implant abutment fragments.
AB  - This clinical report describes the fractured hexagonal part of an implant
      abutment. The initial clinical sign was a loose abutment screw. Upon further
      clinical evaluation, the abutment was seen to have fractured and had wedged
      inside the implant body. Because the implant was a bone-level internal conical
      connection system, access and visibility were limited. A simple and economical
      technique with modified round-tip scissors was used to retrieve the fractured
      titanium abutment. 

PMID- 26100931
TI  - Environmental microbiology for public health--capturing international
      developments in the field.

PMID- 26100932
TI  - Capturing prokaryotic dark matter genomes.
AB  - Prokaryotes are the most diverse and abundant cellular life forms on Earth. Most
      of them, identified by indirect molecular approaches, belong to microbial dark
      matter. The advent of metagenomic and single-cell genomic approaches has
      highlighted the metabolic capabilities of numerous members of this dark matter
      through genome reconstruction. Thus, linking functions back to the species has
      revolutionized our understanding of how ecosystem function is sustained by the
      microbial world. This review will present discoveries acquired through the
      illumination of prokaryotic dark matter genomes by these innovative approaches.

PMID- 26100933
TI  - Diversity in the antibacterial potential of probiotic cultures Bacillus
      licheniformis MCC2514 and Bacillus licheniformis MCC2512.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the characteristic diversity and
      stability of antimicrobial compounds produced by two probiotic strains of
      Bacillus licheniformis (MCC2514 and MCC2512). Antimicrobial compounds from the
      two strains notably varied, related to stability and potency. The inhibitory
      spectrum of B. licheniformis MCC2512 was higher than MCC2514, but, related to the
      effect on Micrococcus luteus ATCC9341, MCC2514 (LD50 = 450 AU ml(-1)) was more
      potent than MCC2512 (LD50 = 750 AU ml(-1)). The compounds were thermo-resistant
      and stable at a wide range of pH and exhibited considerable resistance to
      digestive enzymes and bile salts (anionic biological detergents), contributing to
      their appropriate application in various food systems. The isolate B.
      licheniformis MCC2512 gave a positive response to Bacillus subtilis-based
      biosensors BSF2470 and BS168.BS2, confirming the mode of action on the cell wall
      and subtilin-type, respectively. For B. licheniformis MCC2514, the mode of action
      was characterized by constructing B. subtilis reporters that interfered in five
      major biosynthetic pathways, i.e., biosynthesis of DNA, RNA, protein, the cell
      wall and fatty acids. B. licheniformis MCC2514 responded to the yvgS reporter,
      indicating it as an RNA synthesis inhibitor. Overall, the investigation reveals
      variability of the antimicrobial compounds from B. licheniformis of different
      origins and for their possible application as biopreservative agents.

PMID- 26100934
TI  - Ag2CO3/UiO-66(Zr) composite with enhanced visible-light promoted photocatalytic
      activity for dye degradation.
AB  - Because of their excellent properties, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are
      considered as ideal materials for the development of visible-light photocatalyst.
      Particularly, although increasing research interests have been put on MOF based
      photocatalysts, the MOF supported Ag2CO3 as photocatalyst has not been reported
      in the field of water treatment. In this study, a zirconium based MOF, UiO-66,
      was incorporated with Ag2CO3 through a convenient solution method and used for
      visible-light prompted dye degradation. Compared to the mixture of pristine UiO
      66 and Ag2CO3, the developed Ag2CO3/UiO-66 composite exhibited enhanced
      photocatalytic activity to the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible
      light irradiation. It was supposed that the participation of UiO-66 during the
      synthesis of Ag2CO3 was crucial for such improvement. In addition, the Ag2CO3/UiO
      66 composite demonstrated good structural stability after the degradation
      experiment, and most of its photocatalytic activity was still preserved after the
      recycle test. Moreover, the photocatalytic mechanism of the Ag2CO3/UiO-66
      composite was investigated and a possible pathway of RhB degradation was also
      proposed. 

PMID- 26100935
TI  - Stabilization and separation of heavy metals in incineration fly ash during the
      hydrothermal treatment process.
AB  - In the paper, hydrothermal treatment (HT) of MSWI fly ashes was performed to
      stabilize and separate heavy metals. Influences of pre-treatment, types of ferric
      and/or ferrous additives, and subsequent heavy metal stabilization procedure by
      adding phosphate were investigated. The chemical stability of hydrothermal
      products was examined by solid waste extraction procedure with acetic acid buffer
      solution. Mineralogical investigation of selected hydrothermal product was
      carried out by XRD. FEGE SEM- -EDX was used to study the morphology and surface
      compositions of the ash particles. Experimental results revealed that HT process
      facilitated heavy metal exposure to leaching solution. FEGE SEM-EDX images
      revealed that fly ash particles were re-organized during hydrothermal process and
      that the minerals with special shapes and containing high levels of heavy metals
      were formed. A mild acid washing treatment with final pH around 6.20 could remove
      soluble heavy metals. Therefore, it may be a proper pre- or post-treatment method
      for fly ash particles for the purpose of reducing heavy metal contents. For the
      purpose of stabilizing heavy metals, the addition of ferric/ferrous salts in the
      HT process or phosphate stabilization after HT is recommended. The HT process may
      be applied to realize the environmentally sound management of MSWI fly ash or to
      recover and utilize MSWI fly ash. 

PMID- 26100936
TI  - Judging the Probability of Hypotheses Versus the Impact of Evidence: Which Form
      of Inductive Inference Is More Accurate and Time-Consistent?
AB  - Inductive reasoning requires exploiting links between evidence and hypotheses.
      This can be done focusing either on the posterior probability of the hypothesis
      when updated on the new evidence or on the impact of the new evidence on the
      credibility of the hypothesis. But are these two cognitive representations
      equally reliable? This study investigates this question by comparing probability
      and impact judgments on the same experimental materials. The results indicate
      that impact judgments are more consistent in time and more accurate than
      probability judgments. Impact judgments also predict the direction of errors in
      probability judgments. These findings suggest that human inductive reasoning
      relies more on estimating evidential impact than on posterior probability. 

PMID- 26100937
TI  - Corrigendum to "Superparamagnetic PLGA-iron oxide microcapsules for dual-modality
      US/MR imaging and high intensity focused US breast cancer ablation" [Biomaterials
      33 (2012) 5854-5864].

PMID- 26100938
TI  - Reply to Letter: 'Re: Education for cardiac arrest - Treatment or prevention?'.

PMID- 26100939
TI  - Automatic mechanical chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation:
      What is the evidence for its use?

PMID- 26100940
TI  - Re: Education for cardiac arrest - Treatment or prevention?

PMID- 26100941
TI  - Education for cardiac arrest - Prevention AND treatment.

PMID- 26100942
TI  - Reply to Letter: 'Re: Education for cardiac arrest - Prevention and treatment'.

PMID- 26100943
TI  - Knockdown of BAG3 sensitizes bladder cancer cells to treatment with the BH3
      mimetic ABT-737.
AB  - PURPOSE: BAG3 is overexpressed in several malignancies and mediates a non
      canonical, selective form of (macro)autophagy. By stabilizing pro-survival Bcl-2
      proteins in complex with HSP70, BAG3 can also exert an apoptosis-antagonizing
      function. ABT-737 is a high affinity Bcl-2 inhibitor that fails to target Mcl-1.
      This failure may confer resistance in various cancers. METHODS: Urothelial cancer
      cells were treated with the BH3 mimetics ABT-737 and (-)-gossypol, a pan-Bcl-2
      inhibitor which inhibits also Mcl-1. To clarify the importance of the core
      autophagy regulator ATG5 and BAG3 in ABT-737 treatment, cell lines carrying a
      stable lentiviral knockdown of ATG5 and BAG3 were created. The synergistic effect
      of ABT-737 and pharmaceutical inhibition of BAG3 with the HSF1 inhibitor KRIBB11
      or sorafenib was also evaluated. Total cell death and apoptosis were quantified
      by FACS analysis of propidium iodide, annexin. Target protein analysis was
      conducted by Western blotting. RESULTS: Knockdown of BAG3 significantly
      downregulated Mcl-1 protein levels and sensitized urothelial cancer cells to
      apoptotic cell death induced by ABT-737, while inhibition of bulk autophagy
      through depletion of ATG5 had no discernible effect on cell death. Similar to
      knockdown of BAG3, pharmacological targeting of the BAG3/Mcl-1 pathway with
      KRIBB11 was capable to sensitize both cell lines to treatment with ABT-737.
      CONCLUSION: Our results show that BAG3, but not bulk autophagy has a major role
      in the response of bladder cancer cells to BH3 mimetics. They also suggest that
      BAG3 is a suitable target for combined therapies aimed at synergistically
      inducing apoptosis in bladder cancer.

PMID- 26100944
TI  - Real-time cancer diagnosis during prostate biopsy: ex vivo evaluation of full
      field optical coherence tomography (FFOCT) imaging on biopsy cores.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy (Acc) of full-field optical
      coherence tomography (FFOCT) for cancer detection on prostate biopsy. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Thirty-eight consecutive patients with elevated PSA and/or
      suspicious digital rectal examination were prospectively included. For each
      patient, 1-10 cores were randomly selected and imaged with FFOCT immediately
      after sampling. The images obtained were de-identified and analyzed by three
      pathologists blinded to the results of pathological evaluation. The overall
      average Acc was measured, as well as sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), positive
      and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV). The Acc learning curve was assessed
      by multivariate logistic regression, and inter-reader concordance was assessed by
      Kappa index. RESULTS: One hundred and nineteen cores were imaged. Of them, 40
      (33.6%) were involved with cancer. The overall average Acc of FFOCT for cancer
      detection was of 70.6%. Se, Sp, PPV, and NPV were of 63, 74, 55.5, and 80%,
      respectively. A substantial agreement was observed among pathologists (kappa =
      0.6, p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, Acc was associated with the number of
      previously interpreted cases, with a predicted Acc of 82% at the end of learning
      curve. The overall average accuracy for high Gleason score (>3 + 3) determination
      was of 72%, although results were limited by the small amount of cases.
      CONCLUSIONS: FFOCT of prostate biopsy cores may provide a diagnostic accuracy
      greater than 80%, with a good reliability and a high NPV. TAKE HOME MESSAGE:
      "Full-field optical coherence tomography is a novel imaging modality that could
      have a potential value in real-time diagnosis of prostate cancer during prostate
      biopsy procedures."

PMID- 26100945
TI  - Intraoperative frozen section monitoring during nerve-sparing radical
      prostatectomy: evaluation of partial secondary resection of neurovascular bundles
      and its effect on oncologic and functional outcome.
AB  - PURPOSE: Intraoperative frozen sections (IFS) of the prostate have demonstrated
      to be effective in reducing positive surgical margins (PSM) and biochemical
      recurrence (BCR). The aim of this study was to assess partial secondary resection
      of neurovascular bundles (NVB) and report for the first time corresponding
      functional results. METHODS: A total of 500 consecutive patients were included in
      this prospective series. All patients underwent open nerve-sparing radical
      prostatectomy. Intraoperatively, both posterolateral aspects of the prostate were
      sent for IFS. In case of PSM, additional tissue was partly resected from the
      prostatic bed along the NVB. BCR was the oncologic endpoint (PSA >= 0.2 ng/ml).
      The impact of IFS on PSM and BCR-free survival, and the effect of secondary
      partial resection of NVB on continence and erectile function (EF) recovery were
      analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analyses. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients were excluded
      because of neoadjuvant treatment/lymph node positive disease. PSM were detected
      in 137/471 patients (29.1%). After secondary resection, 127/137 patients (92.7%)
      converted to definitive negative surgical margins (NSM). Out of 137 patients, ten
      (7.3%) showed persistent PSM. False-negative rate was 3.3% (11/334). Out of 471
      patients, two (0.4%) showed PSM outside the IFS area. Overall, final PSM rate was
      4.9% (23/471). Five-year BCR-free survival did not differ significantly in
      patients with primarily and converted NSM. Continence and EF recovery after 12
      months were 95.8 versus 94.3%, and 65.7 versus 56.1%, respectively (all p >
      0.05). CONCLUSION: IFS are highly effective in reducing PSM and avoiding
      compromised oncologic outcome. Partial secondary resection of the NVB ensures ns
      status and consequently preserves continence and EF.

PMID- 26100946
TI  - Androgen receptor aberrations in the era of abiraterone and enzalutamide.
AB  - Prostate cancer is the most prevalent non-skin cancer and the second leading
      cause of cancer death in men of the western world. As growth and differentiation
      of prostate cancer largely depend on androgens, inhibition of the
      androgen/androgen receptor signaling axis is the main treatment for locally
      advanced and/or metastatic tumors. Although first-line androgen deprivation
      therapies like chemical/surgical castration and/or administration of anti
      androgens are able to control the disease for several years, prostate cancer
      almost invariably recurs as castration-resistant prostate cancer. This stage of
      the disease is characterized by a sustained AR-signaling despite castrate levels
      of circulating androgens. Various molecular mechanisms were shown to induce
      castration resistance. This review will discuss the most recent and relevant
      experimental findings on AR-signaling in castration-resistant prostate cancer in
      order to provide a comprehensive interpretation of the clinical behavior of this
      tumor entity following treatments with abiraterone, enzalutamide, ARN-509 or
      taxanes. 

PMID- 26100947
TI  - CaMKII regulates intracellular Ca2+ dynamics in native endothelial cells.
AB  - Localized endothelial Ca(2+) signalling, such as Ca(2+) pulsars, can modulate the
      contractile state of the underlying vascular smooth muscle cell through specific
      endothelial targets. In addition to K(Ca)3.1 as a target, Ca(2+) pulsars, an IP3R
      dependent pulsatile Ca(2+) release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) could
      activate a frequency-sensitive Ca(2+)-dependent kinase such as CaMKII. In the
      absence of extracellular Ca(2+), acetylcholine increased endothelial CaMKII
      phosphorylation and activation, thereby suggesting CaMKII activation
      independently of Ca(2+) influx. Herein, a reciprocal relation where CaMKII
      controls endothelial Ca(2+) dynamics has been investigated in mesenteric
      arteries. Both CaMKIIalpha and beta isoforms have been identified in endothelial
      cells and close proximity (<40 nm) suggests their association in heteromultimers.
      Intracellular Ca(2+) monitoring with high speed confocal microscopy then showed
      that inhibition of CaMKII with KN-93 significantly increased the population of
      Ca(2+) pulsars active sites (+89%), suggesting CaMKII as a major regulator of
      Ca(2+) pulsars in native endothelium. Mechanistic insights were then sought
      through the elucidation of the impact of CaMKII on ER Ca(2+) store. ER Ca(2+)
      emptying was accelerated by CaMKII inhibition and ER Ca(2+) content was assessed
      using ionomycin. Exposure to KN-93 strongly diminished ER Ca(2+) content (-61%)
      by relieving CaMKII-dependent inhibition of IP3 receptors (IP3R). Moreover, in
      situ proximity ligation assay suggested CaMKII-IP3R promiscuity, essential
      condition for a protein-protein interaction. Interestingly, segregation of IP3R
      within myoendothelial projection (MEP) appears to be isoform-specific. Hence,
      only IP3R type 1 and type 2 are detected within fenestrations of the internal
      elastic lamina, sites of MEP, whilst type 3 is absent from these structures. In
      summary, CaMKII seems to act as a Ca(2+)-sensitive switch of a negative feedback
      loop regulating endothelial Ca(2+) homeostasis, including Ca(2+) pulsars.

PMID- 26100949
TI  - Water-Soluble Dried Blood Spot in Protein Analysis: A Proof-of-Concept Study.
AB  - In the present work human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) was used as a model
      protein in a proof-of-concept study combining water-soluble dried blood spot
      (DBS) material in liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based
      protein analysis. A water-soluble material consisting of commercially available
      carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was evaluated as sampling material for this
      purpose. The material dissolved readily at physiological pH. Different sample
      preparation methods were evaluated, and in the final method, 15 MUL of whole
      blood was deposited and dried on CMC before the whole spot was dissolved prior to
      cleanup by immunoaffinity extraction, tryptic digest, and preconcentration by
      solid-phase extraction (SPE). The results indicated complete dissolution of hCG
      from the spots, acceptable limit of detection (LOD) (0.1 IU/mL), linearity (R(2)
      = 0.959), accuracy (16%), and precision (<=22%). Long-term stability (45 days) of
      hCG in dried spots at reduced temperatures (<=8  degrees C) was also
      demonstrated. The analyte recovery was comparable to the commercially available
      nonsolvable cellulose material (FTA DMPK-C card). 

PMID- 26100948
TI  - Both RyRs and TPCs are required for NAADP-induced intracellular Ca2+ release.
AB  - Intracellular Ca(2+) release is mostly mediated by inositol trisphosphate, but
      intracellular cyclic-ADP-ribose (cADPR) and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide
      phosphate (NAADP) are important messengers in many systems. Whereas cADPR
      generally activates type 2 ryanodine receptors (RyR2s), the NAADP-activated
      Ca(2+) release mechanism is less clear. Using knockouts and antibodies against
      RyRs and Two-Pore Channels (TPCs), we have compared their relative importance for
      NAADP-induced Ca(2+) release from two-photon permeabilized pancreatic acinar
      cells. In these cells, cholecystokinin-elicited Ca(2+) release is mediated by
      NAADP. TPC2-KO reduced NAADP-induced Ca(2+) release by 64%, but the combination
      of TPC2-KO and an antibody against TPC1, significantly reduced Ca(2+) release by
      86% (64% vs. 86%, p<0.0002). In RyR3-KO, NAADP-evoked Ca(2+) release reduced by
      ~50% but, when combined with antibodies against RyR1, responses were 90%
      inhibited. Antibodies against RyR2 had practically no effect on NAADP-evoked
      Ca(2+) release, but reduced release in response to cADPR by 55%. Antibodies to
      RyR1 inhibited NAADP-induced Ca(2+) liberation by 81%, but only reduced cADPR
      responses by 30%. We conclude that full NAADP-mediated Ca(2+) release requires
      both TPCs and RyRs. The sequence of relative importance for NAADP-elicited Ca(2+)
      release from the all stores is RyR1>TPC2>RyR3>TPC1>>RyR2. However, when assessing
      NAADP-induced Ca(2+) release solely from the acidic stores
      (granules/endosomes/lysosomes), antibodies against TPC2 and TPC1 virtually
      abolished the Ca(2+) liberation as did antibodies against RyR1 and RyR3. Our
      results indicate that the primary, but very small, NAADP-elicited Ca(2+) release
      via TPCs from endosomes/lysosomes triggers the detectable Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+)
      release via RyR1 and RyR3 occurring from the granules and the ER. 

PMID- 26100950
TI  - Complete Mitochondrial genome of an equine intestinal parasite, Triodontophorus
      brevicauda (Chromadorea: Strongylidae): the first characterization within the
      genus.
AB  - The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome sequence of Triodontophorus brevicauda, an
      intestinal equine nematode parasite was determined for the first time. The
      circular T. brevicauda mt genome is 14,305 bp in length and contains 36 genes, of
      which 12 code for protein, 22 for transfer RNA, and two for ribosomal RNA, and
      lacks atp8 mtDNA gene. Phylogenetic analysis based on the concatenated amino acid
      sequence of the 12 protein-coding genes was performed using three different tree
      building methods. The Strongyloidea cluster divides into two large branches, and
      each nematode family included in our study forms an independent clade, though
      paraphyly confounds the issue at some nodes. T. brevicauda clusters together with
      Cylicocyclus insignis with high statistical support. The mtDNA data in this study
      not only provide a new mtDNA resource for phylogeny, but also become a novel and
      useful genetic marker for further studies on the identification, population
      genetics, and molecular epidemiology of the genus Triodontophorus in equine.

PMID- 26100952
TI  - Rice seed for delivery of vaccines to gut mucosal immune tissues.
AB  - Gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) is the biggest lymphoid organ in the body.
      It plays a role in robust immune responses against invading pathogens while
      maintaining immune tolerance against nonpathogenic antigens such as foods. Oral
      vaccination can induce mucosal and systemic antigen-specific immune reactions and
      has several advantages including ease of administration, no requirement for
      purification and ease of scale-up of antigen. Thus far, taking advantage of these
      properties, various plant-based oral vaccines have been developed. Seeds provide
      a superior production platform over other plant tissues for oral vaccines; they
      offer a suitable delivery vehicle to GALT due to their high stability at room
      temperature, ample and stable deposition space, high expression level, and
      protection from digestive enzymes in gut. A rice seed production system for oral
      vaccines was established by combining stable deposition in protein bodies or
      protein storage vacuoles and enhanced endosperm-specific expression. Various
      types of rice-based oral vaccines for infectious and allergic diseases were
      generated. Efficacy of these rice-based vaccines was evaluated in animal models. 

PMID- 26100953
TI  - Vector analysis after toric intraocular lens implantation to correct astigmatism.

PMID- 26100954
TI  - Glistenings 9 years after phacoemulsification in hydrophobic and hydrophilic
      acrylic intraocular lenses.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the development of glistenings after implantation of a
      hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens (IOL) (AcrySof SA60AT) and a hydrophilic IOL
      (BL27) and evaluate the effect on corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) and
      contrast sensitivity 9 years postoperatively. SETTING: St. Erik Eye Hospital,
      Stockholm, Sweden. DESIGN: Prospective randomized clinical trial. METHODS: One of
      3 experienced cataract surgeons performed standard phacoemulsification in 1 eye
      of each patient. The patients were randomized to implantation of a hydrophobic
      acrylic IOL or a hydrophilic acrylic IOL. Both IOLs had sharp posterior edges.
      The CDVA and contrast sensitivity were measured 9 years postoperatively.
      Scheimpflug images of the IOLs were obtained to analyze glistenings, which were
      graded subjectively at the slitlamp and quantified objectively with digital image
      analysis using computer software. RESULTS: Seventy-eight of the 120 patients were
      available for the 9-year follow-up examination. Patients with the hydrophilic IOL
      had statistically significantly fewer glistenings (P < .001). The development of
      glistenings was not correlated with IOL power, CDVA, or contrast sensitivity.
      CONCLUSIONS: After 9 years, the hydrophobic IOL developed more glistenings than
      the hydrophilic IOL. Glistenings did not affect CDVA or contrast sensitivity.
      FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Neither author has a financial or proprietary interest in
      any material or method mentioned.

PMID- 26100956
TI  - Capsule-splitting phenomenon during capsulorhexis in pseudoexfoliation.
AB  - We present the case of a 78-year-old white woman with a 2+ nuclear sclerotic
      cataract and pseudoexfoliation syndrome who had cataract extraction with
      intraocular lens implantation. The initial continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis
      (CCC) was performed with a cystotome. Due to unusual tearing characteristics,
      there was concern that the anterior flap was pseudoexfoliative material instead
      of the lens capsule. Trypan blue was instilled in the anterior chamber, and the
      staining pattern indicated that the anterior capsule flap had failed to fold on
      itself initially. A CCC was initiated in the reverse direction and completed
      without complication. This case illustrates the importance of recognizing the
      potential for the capsule-splitting phenomenon when performing a CCC in patients
      with pseudoexfoliation and the important role for capsule staining in these
      patients.

PMID- 26100955
TI  - Frequency of pseudoexfoliation among patients scheduled for cataract surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the frequency of pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PXF) in patients
      scheduled for cataract surgery and to evaluate its association with pupil
      dilation, lens nucleus hardness, intraocular pressure (IOP), glaucoma, age, and
      sex. SETTING: Ourense University Hospital, Ourense, Spain. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional study. METHODS: This study evaluated eyes scheduled for cataract
      surgery between January 2013 and July 2013. Pseudoexfoliation was diagnosed in
      phakic eyes that showed central and/or peripheral white deposits on the lens
      surface, pupillary margin, or both. Dilated pupils were evaluated with a portable
      pupil chart. Nucleus hardness was assessed according to the Lens Opacities
      Classification System III. Diagnosis of glaucoma was based on International
      Society Geographical and Epidemiological Ophthalmology criteria. RESULTS: Of the
      1763 eyes (1093 patients) evaluated, 381 (21.6%) were diagnosed with PXF. The
      frequency of PXF increased with age from 6.0% in people between 50 year and 60
      years to 31.66% in those older than 80 years. In PXF eyes, nuclear cataracts were
      significantly harder than in non-PXF eyes (P < .001). The mean IOP was
      significantly higher in PXF eyes than in non-PXF eyes (P = .002). The frequency
      of glaucoma was higher in PXF eyes (17.4%) than in non-PXF eyes (9.4%), with a
      statistically significant difference (P < .001). In PXF eyes, the pupil was
      significantly smaller than in non-PXF eyes (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency
      of PXF was high in the study population and increased with age. Eyes with PXF
      were associated with significantly harder nuclear cataracts, smaller pupils, and
      glaucoma. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a financial or proprietary interest
      in any material or method mentioned.

PMID- 26100957
TI  - Long-term observation of surface light scattering in a foldable acrylic
      intraocular lens.
AB  - PURPOSE: To observe time-course changes in surface light scattering after Acrysof
      intraocular lens (IOL) implantation over 6 years postoperatively and its
      influence on visual function. SETTING: Miyata Eye Hospital, Miyakonojo, Miyazaki,
      Japan. DESIGN: Retrospective comparative case series. METHODS: Clinical records
      of eyes that had implantation of an Acrysof IOL (Group 1) or another IOL model
      (AR40 or Clariflex) (Group 2) were evaluated. Postoperative examinations
      including light scattering on the anterior surface of the IOL, corrected distance
      visual acuity (CDVA), and contrast sensitivity were performed 1 month and 3 years
      postoperatively. The same examinations were performed over the extended
      postoperative period, allowing analysis of time-course changes in surface light
      scattering and visual function. RESULTS: The study evaluated 24 eyes, 14 in Group
      1 and 10 in Group 2. The mean time to the last postoperative examination was 8.4
      years +/- 1.0 (SD) (range 6.5 to 10 years). Surface light scattering in Group 1
      increased, even after 3 years, at a rate of 12.02 computer-compatible tapes per
      year. Scattering did not increase in Group 2. The CDVA remained unchanged 3 to 6
      or more years postoperatively in both groups. There was no difference in contrast
      sensitivity between the 2 groups 6 or more years postoperatively. CONCLUSION:
      Surface light scattering increased in Group 1, even after 3 years
      postoperatively; however, it did not affect visual function. FINANCIAL
      DISCLOSURE: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or
      method mentioned.

PMID- 26100958
TI  - Impact of micropulsed ultrasound power settings on the efficiency and chatter
      associated with lens-fragment removal.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the optimum power settings in micropulsed ultrasound (US).
      SETTING: John A. Moran Eye Center Laboratories, University of Utah, Salt Lake
      City, Utah, USA. DESIGN: Experimental study. METHODS: Pig lenses hardened to be
      comparable to dense human cataracts were cut into 2.0 mm cubes and removed using
      micropulsed longitudinal US with previously optimized settings (6 milliseconds on
      and 6 milliseconds off and using a 0.9 mm 30-degree beveled bent phaco tip). The
      aspiration was set at 40 mL/min and the vacuum level at 550 mm Hg. Twenty lens
      cubes were tested with the power set from 10% to 100% in increments of 10%.
      Primary outcome measures were efficiency time (time to lens removal) and chatter
      (number of times the lens fragment visibly bounced off the tip). RESULTS:
      Efficiency time decreased with increasing power. There was a correlation between
      power and efficiency time (R(2) = 0.41, P = .046), which was more substantial
      between 30% and 100% power (R(2) = 0.71, P = .004). The mean number of chatter
      events did not differ significantly between power settings (R(2) = 0.012, P =
      .1195). CONCLUSIONS: There was a 5-fold increase in efficiency between 10% power
      and 20% power, which likely indicates that there is a minimum power threshold for
      efficient breakup of the lens. Between 20% and 100% power, there was a linear,
      strong, and statistically significant improvement in efficiency in these lens
      fragments. In addition, with micropulsed US there was little chatter or
      microchatter throughout the power range. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a
      financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

PMID- 26100959
TI  - Calcification of hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lenses associated with
      intracameral air injection following DMEK.
AB  - We present 2 cases of localized calcification on the anterior surface/subsurface
      of hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lenses (IOLs) following procedures involving
      intracameral injection of air. Although this phenomenon has been reported in
      hydrophilic acrylic IOLs, to our knowledge it has not been reported in the IOLs
      described in our cases, one a sulcus-fixated supplementary IOL and the other a
      hydrophilic acrylic IOL with a hydrophobic surface. Centralized opacity of the
      IOLs was first noted months after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty had
      been performed in both cases; explantation was required. Laboratory analysis of
      the IOLs confirmed calcification of the anterior surfaces in a localized pattern
      in the area of the capsulorhexis or pupil. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a
      financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

PMID- 26100960
TI  - Association between corneal hysteresis and the magnitude of intraocular pressure
      decrease after cataract surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between baseline corneal hysteresis (CH)
      and the change in intraocular pressure (IOP) before and after cataract extraction
      in patients without glaucoma. SETTING: Private practice, New York City, New York,
      USA. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Charts of consecutive patients
      who had phacoemulsification cataract extraction with posterior chamber
      intraocular lens implantation were analyzed. All included patients had
      preoperative and postoperative measurements with the Ocular Response Analyzer 2
      to 4 months and 10 to 12 months postoperatively. Data collected included age,
      baseline CH, baseline central corneal thickness (CCT), and IOP. RESULTS: Thirty
      nine (65 eyes) of the 230 patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean patient
      age was 70.8 years +/- 8.6 (SD). The mean preoperative, 2- to 4-month and 10- to
      12- month postoperative IOP values were 14.8 +/- 3.5 mm Hg, 11.9 +/- 3.4 mm Hg,
      and 12.6 +/- 3.1 mm Hg, respectively (P < .05 for comparisons with preoperative
      IOP). The baseline CH was not predictive of the IOP reduction at 2 to 4 months
      (beta = -0.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.7 to 0.01; P = .06). However, the
      baseline CH (but not the baseline CCT) was statistically associated with the
      magnitude of IOP reduction at 10 to 12 months when controlling for patient age
      (beta = -0.5; 95% CI, -0.8 to -0.1; P = .01). CONCLUSION: A low baseline CH was
      associated with a larger magnitude of IOP reduction after cataract extraction.
      FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: Dr. Radcliffe is a consultant to Reichert Technologies and
      Glaukos Corp.; a consultant to and speaker for Allergan, Inc., Alcon
      Laboratories, Inc., Iridex Corp., Merge Healthcare, Carl Zeiss Meditec AG; and a
      speaker for Merck Pharmaceuticals. No other author has a financial or proprietary
      interest in any material or method mentioned.

PMID- 26100961
TI  - New intrastromal corneal reshaping procedure using high-intensity femtosecond
      laser pulses.
AB  - A minimally invasive keratorefractive procedure using high-intensity, low-energy
      femtosecond laser pulses to perform intrastromal ablation is described. Because
      of the low pulse energy and the ultrashort duration, tissue in the corneal stroma
      can be ablated with almost no heat or shockwave generation. This technique
      obviates the need for the laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) flap but retains
      the advantages of the LASIK procedure. In the technique, a series of femtosecond
      laser pulses create temporary microchannels in the stroma, oriented perpendicular
      to the eye's optical axis. After the microchannels are created, a second series
      of femtosecond pulses directly ablate the desired amount of stromal tissue in a
      controlled fashion. The ablated material is ejected from the microchannels so the
      surface layer above the ablated regions collapses, with a consequent change in
      the refractive power of the cornea. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a
      financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

PMID- 26100962
TI  - MOF crystal growth: UV resonance Raman investigation of metal-ligand binding in
      solution and accelerated crystal growth methods.
AB  - Determining the mechanism of metal-organic framework (MOF) crystal growth is
      important for the development of more efficient and reliable synthetic methods.
      Resonance Raman spectroscopy has been used for the first time to detect
      interactions in solution between metal ions and bridging ligands as MOFs form. UV
      excitation (229 nm) produced strong resonance enhancement of 4,4'-bipyridine
      (bpy) vibrational bands and showed that soluble Co(2+)-bpy species formed in
      solution prior to the growth of MOF crystals from bpy and Co(NO3)2. The results
      of the Raman experiments informed the development of faster methods for
      synthesizing [Co2(bpy)3(NO3)4]n 2D bilayer and [Co(bpy)(NO3)2(H2O)2]n 1D chain
      MOFs. 

PMID- 26100963
TI  - Linear correlation between the number of olfactory sensory neurons expressing a
      given mouse odorant receptor gene and the total volume of the corresponding
      glomeruli in the olfactory bulb.
AB  - Chemosensory specificity in the main olfactory system of the mouse relies on the
      expression of ~1,100 odorant receptor (OR) genes across millions of olfactory
      sensory neurons (OSNs) in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE), and on the
      coalescence of OSN axons into ~3,600 glomeruli in the olfactory bulb. A
      traditional approach for visualizing OSNs and their axons consists of tagging an
      OR gene genetically with an axonal marker that is cotranslated with the OR by
      virtue of an internal ribosome entry site (IRES). Here we report full cell counts
      for 15 gene-targeted strains of the OR-IRES-marker design coexpressing a
      fluorescent protein. These strains represent 11 targeted OR genes, a 1% sample of
      the OR gene repertoire. We took an empirical, "count every cell" strategy: we
      counted all fluorescent cell profiles with a nuclear profile within the
      cytoplasm, on all serial coronal sections under a confocal microscope, a total of
      685,673 cells in 56 mice at postnatal day 21. We then applied a strain-specific
      Abercrombie correction to these OSN counts in order to obtain a closer
      approximation of the true OSN numbers. We found a 17-fold range in the average
      (corrected) OSN number across these 11 OR genes. In the same series of coronal
      sections, we then determined the total volume of the glomeruli (TGV) formed by
      coalescence of the fluorescent axons. We found a strong linear correlation
      between OSN number and TGV, suggesting that TGV can be used as a surrogate
      measurement for estimating OSN numbers in these gene-targeted strains.

PMID- 26100964
TI  - Genome-wide Association Study on Platinum-induced Hepatotoxicity in Non-Small
      Cell Lung Cancer Patients.
AB  - Platinum-based chemotherapy has been shown to improve the survival of advanced
      non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients; the platinum-induced toxicity
      severely impedes the success of chemotherapy. Genetic variations, such as single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), may contribute to patients' responses to the
      platinum-based chemotherapy. To identify SNPs that modify the risk of
      hepatotoxicity in NSCLC patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy, we
      performed a genome-wide association scan in 334 subjects followed by a
      replication study among 375 subjects. Consistent associations with platinum
      induced hepatotoxicity risk was identified for SNP rs2838566 located at 21q22.3,
      as the minor A allele could significantly increase the risk of liver injury (OR =
      3.78, 95%CI = 1.99-7.19, P = 4.90 * 10(-5) for GWAS scan, OR = 1.89, 95%CI = 1.03
      3.46, P = 0.039 for replication, and OR = 2.56, 95%CI = 1.65-3.95, P = 2.55 * 10(
      5) for pooled population). These results suggested that genetic variants at
      21q22.3 may contribute to the susceptibility of platinum-induced hepatotoxicity
      in NSCLC patients.

PMID- 26100965
TI  - PSA bounce after 125I-brachytherapy for prostate cancer as a favorable
      prognosticator.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Permanent low-dose-rate brachytherapy (BT) with iodine 125 is an
      established curative treatment for localized prostate cancer. After treatment,
      prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics may show a transient rise (PSA bounce).
      Our aim was to investigate the association of PSA bounce with biochemical
      control. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients treated with BT in Switzerland were
      registered in a prospective database. Only patients with a follow-up of at least
      2 years were included in our analysis. Clinical follow-up and PSA measurements
      were assessed after 1.5, 3, 6, and 12 months, and annually thereafter. If PSA
      increased, additional follow-up visits were scheduled. Cases of PSA bounce were
      defined as a rise of at least 0.2 ng/ml above the initial PSA nadir with a
      subsequent decline to or below the initial nadir without treatment. Biochemical
      failure was defined as a rise to nadir + 2 ng/ml. RESULTS: Between March 2001 and
      November 2010, 713 patients with prostate cancer undergoing BT with at least 2
      years of follow-up were registered. Median follow-up time was 41 months.
      Biochemical failure occurred in 28 patients (3.9 %). PSA bounce occurred in 173
      (24.3 %) patients; only three (1.7 %) patients with PSA bounce developed
      biochemical failure, in contrast to 25 (4.6 %) patients without previous bounce
      (p < 0.05). The median time to bounce was 12 months, the median time to
      biochemical failure was 30 months. The median bounce increase was 0.78 ng/ml.
      Twenty-eight patients with bounce (16.5 %) had a transient PSA rise of + 2 ng/ml
      above the nadir. CONCLUSION: In most cases, an early increase in PSA after BT
      indicates PSA bounce and is associated with a lower risk of biochemical failure.

PMID- 26100966
TI  - The Norwegian General Practice--Nursing Home criteria (NORGEP-NH) for potentially
      inappropriate medication use: A web-based Delphi study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop a set of explicit criteria for pharmacologically
      inappropriate medication use in nursing homes. DESIGN: In an expert panel, a
      three-round Delphi consensus process was conducted via survey software. SETTING:
      Norway. SUBJECTS: Altogether 80 participants - specialists in geriatrics or
      clinical pharmacology, physicians in nursing homes and experienced pharmacists -
      agreed to participate in the survey. Of these, 62 completed the first round, and
      49 panellists completed all three rounds (75.4% of those ultimately entering the
      survey). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The authors developed a list of 27 criteria based
      on the Norwegian General Practice (NORGEP) criteria, literature, and clinical
      experience. The main outcome measure was the panellists' evaluation of the
      clinical relevance of each suggested criterion on a digital Likert scale from 1
      (no clinical relevance) to 10. In the first round panellists could also suggest
      new criteria to be included in the process. For each criterion, degree of
      consensus was based on the average Likert score and corresponding standard
      deviation (SD). RESULTS: A list of 34 explicit criteria for potentially
      inappropriate medication use in nursing homes was developed through a three-round
      web-based Delphi consensus process. Degree of consensus increased with each
      round. No criterion was voted out. Suggestions from the panel led to the
      inclusion of seven additional criteria in round two. IMPLICATIONS: The NORGEP-NH
      list may serve as a tool in the prescribing process and in medication list
      reviews and may also be used in quality assessment and for research purposes.

PMID- 26100967
TI  - Linear microrheology with optical tweezers of living cells 'is not an option'!
AB  - Optical tweezers have been successfully adopted as exceptionally sensitive
      transducers for microrheology studies of complex fluids. Despite the general
      trend, in this article I explain why a similar approach should not be adopted for
      microrheology studies of living cells. This conclusion is acheived on the basis
      of statistical mechanics principles that indicate the unsuitability of optical
      tweezers for such purpose. 

PMID- 26100968
TI  - An update on pleuro-pulmonary cytopathology: Part i: Cytological diagnosis of
      mesothelioma and molecular cytology of lung cancer with an historical
      perspective.

PMID- 26100969
TI  - Guidelines for the cytopathologic diagnosis of epithelioid and mixed-type
      malignant mesothelioma: Complementary Statement from the International
      Mesothelioma Interest Group, Also Endorsed by the International Academy of
      Cytology and the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide practical guidelines for the cytopathologic diagnosis of
      malignant mesothelioma. DATA SOURCES: Cytopathologists with an interest in the
      field involved in the International Mesothelioma Interest Group (IMIG) and the
      International Academy of Cytology (IAC) contributed to this update. Reference
      material includes peer-reviewed publications and textbooks. RATIONALE: This
      article is the result of discussions during and after the IMIG 2012 conference in
      Boston, followed by thorough discussions during the 2013 IAC meeting in Paris.
      Additional contributions have been obtained from cytopathologists and scientists
      who could not attend these meetings, with final discussions and input during the
      IMIG 2014 conference in Cape Town.

PMID- 26100970
TI  - Tunable room-temperature ferromagnet using an iron-oxide and graphene oxide
      nanocomposite.
AB  - Magnetic materials have found wide application ranging from electronics and
      memories to medicine. Essential to these advances is the control of the magnetic
      order. To date, most room-temperature applications have a fixed magnetic moment
      whose orientation is manipulated for functionality. Here we demonstrate an iron
      oxide and graphene oxide nanocomposite based device that acts as a tunable
      ferromagnet at room temperature. Not only can we tune its transition temperature
      in a wide range of temperatures around room temperature, but the magnetization
      can also be tuned from zero to 0.011 A m(2)/kg through an initialization process
      with two readily accessible knobs (magnetic field and electric current), after
      which the system retains its magnetic properties semi-permanently until the next
      initialization process. We construct a theoretical model to illustrate that this
      tunability originates from an indirect exchange interaction mediated by spin
      imbalanced electrons inside the nanocomposite.

PMID- 26100971
TI  - Osteoarthritis: Replacing the meniscus to prevent knee OA--fact or fiction?

PMID- 26100972
TI  - Rheumatoid arthritis: First-in-human phase I trial of DC immunotherapy for early
      RA.

PMID- 26100973
TI  - Characterization and identification of the xylanolytic enzymes from Aspergillus
      fumigatus Z5.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plant biomass, the most abundant natural material on earth,
      represents a vast source of food and energy in nature. As the main component of
      plant biomass, xylan is a complex polysaccharide comprising a linear beta(1,4)
      linked backbone of xylosyl residues substituted by acetyl, arabinosyl,
      glucuronysyl and 4-O-methylglucuronycyl residues. RESULTS: Aspergillus fumigatus
      Z5 is an efficient plant biomass depolymerization fungus. In this study, its
      crude xylanolytic enzymes were characterized and identified by two-dimensional
      gel electrophoresis (2-DE). The optimal temperature for the crude xylanases was
      close to 60  degrees C, the highest xylanase activity was achieved at pH ranged
      from 3 to 6, and the crude xylanases also showed a very broad region of pH (3-11)
      stability. The maximal xylanase activity of 21.45 U . ml(-1) was observed in the
      fourth day of cultivation at 50  degrees C and 150 rpm with 2 % xylan as the sole
      carbon source. Zymogram analysis indicated that there were more than seven
      secreted proteins with xylanase activity. In the crude enzyme, two major
      endoxylanases, five cellulases and several associated enzymes were identified to
      be involved in the hydrolysis of polysaccharides. Of the total 13 xylanase genes
      in the Z5 genome, 11 were observed using q-PCR to be induced by xylan, one of
      which, An endo-1,4-beta-xylanase with a low secretion level, was also expressed
      and characterized. The final hydrolysis products of xylan by crude enzyme mainly
      consisted of xylobiose. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a comprehensive
      understanding of the depolymerization of xylan by Z5 and will help to design
      enzymatic strategies for plant biomass utilization.

PMID- 26100974
TI  - Extrinsic compression of the left main coronary artery by a contained aortic
      annular rupture following trans-catheter aortic valve implantation.
AB  - We present a case of an 83-year-old female who suffered from annular rupture with
      contained hematoma immediately after trans-apical implantation of balloon
      expandable Sapien valve. The patient developed acute cardiogenic shock which
      resulted from an extrinsic compression of the left main coronary artery. We
      report the successful management of this complication. 

PMID- 26100975
TI  - Registro Absorb Italiano (BVS-RAI): an investigators-owned and -directed, open,
      prospective registry of consecutive patients treated with the AbsorbTM BVS: study
      design.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The AbsorbTM BVS is a bioresorbable, everolimus-eluting scaffold
      approved and marketed for coronary use. Published data on long-term results after
      treatment are limited to a small number of patients, most of them with elective
      PCI of simple lesions. The importance of scaffold resorption is variably
      appreciated among cardiologists, and indications for use from health technology
      assessment bodies or guidelines are missing. Instruments are needed to collect,
      share and assess the experience being accumulated with this new device in several
      centres. METHODS/DESIGN: The BVS-RAI Registry is a spontaneous initiative of a
      group of Italian interventional cardiologists in cooperation with Centro di
      Ricerche Farmacologiche e Biomediche "Mario Negri" Institute, and is not
      recipient of funding or benefits originating from the BVS manufacturer. It is a
      prospective registry with 5-year follow-up of all consecutive patients who have
      undergone successful implantation of 1 or more coronary BVS following the
      indications, techniques and protocols used in each of the participating
      institutions. Outcome measures are BVS target lesion failure within one year and
      device-oriented major adverse cardiac events within 5years. The registry started
      in October 2012 and will extend enrolment throughout 2015, with the aim to
      include about 1000 patients. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier is CT02298413.
      CONCLUSIONS: The BVS-RAI Registry will contribute observational knowledge on the
      long-term safety and efficacy of the AbsorbTM BVS as used in a number of Italian
      interventional centres in a broad spectrum of settings. Unrewarded and undirected
      consecutive patient enrolments are key-features of this observation, which is
      therefore likely to reflect common clinical practice in those centres.

PMID- 26100976
TI  - Stress distribution in bone simulation model with pre-angled implants.
AB  - The aim of this study was evaluate the biomechanical behaviour of prostheses
      screwed into conventional (0 degrees  angulation) and pre-angled experimental (8,
      12 and 20 degrees ) external hexagon implants (13 * 4 mm) by photoelastic
      analysis. Eight casts were made in photoelastic resin. Casts were divided into
      groups of single crowns or three combined elements. Each unit was positioned in a
      circular polariscope. By using a universal testing machine, 100 N loads were
      applied in the axial and oblique (45 degrees ) directions to fixed points on the
      occlusal surfaces of the crowns. Generated stresses were recorded
      photographically and analysed qualitatively in a graphics program. In single
      element prostheses, the number of high-stress fringes increased with increasing
      implant angle. However, in three-element prostheses, there was no difference in
      the stress distribution with implant angle, except for the 12 degrees  implant
      that had a higher degree of stress. For the other groups pre-angulation of the
      implant increases the concentration and intensity of stresses for single
      prosthesis and has similar stress distribution in three-element fixed prostheses.

PMID- 26100977
TI  - Enhanced Evaporation Strength through Fast Water Permeation in Graphene-Oxide
      Deposition.
AB  - The unique characteristic of fast water permeation in laminated graphene oxide
      (GO) sheets has facilitated the development of ultrathin and ultrafast
      nanofiltration membranes. Here we report the application of fast water permeation
      property of immersed GO deposition for enhancing the performance of a GO/water
      nanofluid charged two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT). By benchmarking its
      performance against a silver oxide/water nanofluid charged TPCT, the enhancement
      of evaporation strength is found to be essentially attributed to the fast water
      permeation property of GO deposition instead of the enhanced surface wettability
      of the deposited layer. The expansion of interlayer distance between the
      graphitic planes of GO deposited layer enables intercalation of bilayer water for
      fast water permeation. The capillary force attributed to the frictionless
      interaction between the atomically smooth, hydrophobic carbon structures and the
      well-ordered hydrogen bonds of water molecules is sufficiently strong to overcome
      the gravitational force. As a result, a thin water film is formed on the GO
      deposited layers, inducing filmwise evaporation which is more effective than its
      interfacial counterpart, appreciably enhanced the overall performance of TPCT.
      This study paves the way for a promising start of employing the fast water
      permeation property of GO in thermal applications. 

PMID- 26100978
TI  - The Human Epidermal Antimicrobial Barrier: Current Knowledge, Clinical Relevance
      and Therapeutic Implications.
AB  - Most of the defensive functions of the human skin are localized to the stratum
      corneum (SC), the outermost layer of the epidermis consisting of several layers
      of cornified keratinocytes embedded in a lipid matrix. Included in the
      armamentarium of the epidermal barrier against microbial invasion are surface pH,
      SC lipids, specialized antimicrobial peptides such as defensins and
      cathelicidins, enzymes and enzyme inhibitors, chemokines, and epidermal Toll-like
      receptors. Multiple epidermal defensive mechanisms are co-localized, coregulated,
      and intertwined. The purpose of this review is to discuss patents and to describe
      the current knowledge that concerns the role of the epidermis as an antimicrobial
      barrier, outlining potential clinical and therapeutic implications. 

PMID- 26100979
TI  - Antiseptic Resistance in Methicillin Sensitive and Methicillin Resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Some Major Hospitals, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Extensive use of antibiotics and biocide in treatment of patients and
      cleaning of surfaces and medical equipment has led to the emergence of resistant
      microorganisms. The current research goals to determine the antiseptics Minimum
      Inhibitory Concentration value in Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin -resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus) isolates
      from some major hospitals in Iran and to detect qacA/B, norA , smr and blaZ
      genes. METHODS: Two hundred isolates of S. aureus including 100 MRSA and 100 MSSA
      clinical isolates were collected from 4 hospitals in the west of Iran during
      period 2012 to 2013. Detection of disinfectant resistant genes (qac A/B, smr and
      norA), antimicrobial resistance genes (mecA and blaZ) and SCCmec typing of MRSA
      isolates was performed by PCR. RESULTS: MIC of chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) in
      70% of MRSA and 30% of MSSA strains was 8-16 ug/ml. High level of MIC of
      citrimide (>2 ug/ml) in MRSA and MSSA isolates was 20% and 5% , respectively. MIC
      of benzalkonium chloride (BC) in 80% of MRSA and 83% of MSSA isolates was less
      than 2 ug/ml; only 9% of MRSA had MIC higher than 2 ug/ml. Frequency of
      antiseptic and antibiotic resistance genes norA, blaZ and qacA/B in MRSA isolates
      were 83%, 98% and 9%, respectively; while this value for MSSA isolates were 62%,
      8% and 0%, respectively. The smr gene was not detected in both MRSA and MSSA
      isolates. In all biocides high MIC were observed in SCCmec type III and IVc. High
      frequency of qacA/B gene was found in SCCmec type III,Vc and IVb, which were
      66.6% ,22% and 11.1% respectively. CONCLUSION: We found SCCmec types III, Vc was
      related to high MIC of biocide in MRSA isolates.

PMID- 26100980
TI  - High-mobility group box 1 in multiple sclerosis.
AB  - This study is one in series determining the potential of RAGE axis (receptor for
      advanced glycation end products, isoforms, ligands) as a biomarker in multiple
      sclerosis (MS). We evaluated serum levels of RAGE ligand, the high-mobility group
      box (HMGB)1 in MS patients, and assessed the correlation between HMGB1 serum
      levels and the use of disease-modifying drugs (DMDs), and between HMGB1 serum
      levels and indicators of MS disease severity. HMGB1 serum levels were compared
      between 96 (23 males) MS patients and 34 age- and gender-matched healthy controls
      (HCs) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. DMD-naive MS patients had
      significantly higher HMGB1 serum levels compared with DMD-treated (P = 0.04) and
      compared with HCs (P = 0.01). HMGB1 serum levels were not significantly different
      between total MS patients (DMD-naive plus DMD-treated) and HCs (P = 0.09). DMD
      naive MS patients in clinical relapse tended to have lower HMGB1 serum levels
      than clinically stable RRMS patients (P = 0.07). HMGB1 serum levels showed 0.65
      area under the curve (95 % CI 0.55-0.95) sensitivity/specificity for MS clinical
      relapse. The role of HMGB1 in MS disease pathology and DMD modulation of this
      protein warrant further investigations.

PMID- 26100981
TI  - For Better or Worse: The Health Implications of Marriage Separation Due to
      Migration in Rural China.
AB  - Massive rural-to-urban migration in China has led to spatial separation of
      millions of married couples. In this article, we examine the question of whether
      the well-documented health benefits of marriage extend to left-behind individuals
      in rural China who are spatially separated from their spouses. Using longitudinal
      data that span 16 years (China Health and Nutrition Survey 1991, 1993, 1997,
      2000, 2004, 2006), we compare the self-reported health trajectories of adults
      across different marital statuses while taking into account the physical location
      of their spouses. Our results suggest a clear health disadvantage of married
      individuals whose spouses are absent compared with those whose spouses are living
      in the same household. Further, longer spousal absence is more harmful to an
      individual's health. Finally, spousal absence and longer physical separation from
      their spouses induce stronger health deficits for married men than for married
      women, suggesting that a gendered process is at work. 

PMID- 26100982
TI  - Gender, Power, and Emigration From Mexico.
AB  - The prevailing model of migration in developing countries conceives of a risk
      diversifying household in which members act as a single entity when making
      migration decisions. Ethnographic studies challenge this model by documenting
      gender hierarchy in family decisions and arguing that, in many contexts, men and
      women have differing views on the value of migration. We assess these
      perspectives using longitudinal survey data from Mexico. We show that Mexican
      households are heterogeneous in terms of women's decision-making authority and
      control over resources, and this variation predicts the subsequent emigration of
      their male partners to the United States. We then use data from a policy
      experiment to demonstrate that an exogenous increase in a woman's control over
      household resources decreases the probability that her spouse migrates. Our
      findings support the presence of important gender differences in how migration is
      valued. They also suggest that women's role in these decisions is inadvertently
      underrepresented in studies of migrant families. Staying is also a migration
      decision, and it is more likely in homes in which women have greater authority.
      From a policy perspective, the results suggest that Mexican migration is
      influenced not only by increases in household resources but also by which members
      of the household control them. 

PMID- 26100983
TI  - Education and Lifetime Earnings in the United States.
AB  - Differences in lifetime earnings by educational attainment have been of great
      research and policy interest. Although a large literature examines earnings
      differences by educational attainment, research on lifetime earnings--which
      refers to total accumulated earnings from entry into the labor market until
      retirement--remains limited because of the paucity of adequate data. Using data
      that match respondents in the Survey of Income and Program Participation to their
      longitudinal tax earnings as recorded by the Social Security Administration, we
      estimate the 50-year work career effects of education on lifetime earnings for
      men and women. By overcoming the purely synthetic cohort approach, our results
      provide a more realistic appraisal of actual patterns of lifetime earnings.
      Detailed estimates are provided for gross lifetime earnings by education; net
      lifetime earnings after controlling for covariates associated with the
      probability of obtaining a bachelor's degree; and the net present 50-year
      lifetime value of education at age 20. In addition, we provide estimates that
      include individuals with zero earnings and disability. We also assess the
      adequacy of the purely synthetic cohort approach, which uses age differences in
      earnings observed in cross-sectional surveys to approximate lifetime earnings.
      Overall, our results confirm the persistent positive effects of higher education
      on earnings over different stages of the work career and over a lifetime, but
      also reveal notably smaller net effects on lifetime earnings compared with
      previously reported estimates. We discuss the implications of these and other
      findings.

PMID- 26100984
TI  - Dysregulated transcription across diverse cancer types reveals the importance of
      RNA-binding protein in carcinogenesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is well known that carcinogenesis is in part dictated by
      dysregulated transcription events and signal pathways. Large-scale
      transcriptional profiling studies in each cancer type have reported aberrant gene
      expression associated with cancer development. However, common and specific
      patterns altered across cancer types, especially the contribution of
      transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators, are rarely explored.
      RESULTS: Using transcriptional profiles from matched tumor and normal samples in
      the Cancer Genome Atlas pan-cancer dataset, we performed a comprehensive analysis
      on the altered expression across 9 cancer types, focusing on transcriptional and
      post-transcriptional regulators and cancer-related genes. As we expected, the
      transcription of cancer-related genes was significantly deregulated in tumor vs.
      normal across all cancer types. Surprisingly, the expression of RNA-binding
      proteins (RBPs), master regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression, was
      also significantly changed across most studied cancer types. Although the
      expression of RBPs was not as strongly deregulated as cancer-related genes, their
      direct interaction partners are enriched by cancer-related genes, suggesting the
      cascade regulation effect of RBPs. Integrating genetic and epigenetic profiles
      found that deregulated RBPs were frequently caused by genetic rather than
      epigenetic alterations. Furthermore, tissue-specific genes were under-expressed
      in tumor vs. normal across all cancer types except prostate cancer. CONCLUSIONS:
      Dysregulated transcription across cancer types reveals the importance of RBPs in
      carcinogenesis. The aberrant expression of RBPs is caused by genetic alterations
      and spreads their effect to cancer-related genes. In addition, disruption of
      tissue-specific genes contributes to the corresponding cancer pathology.

PMID- 26100986
TI  - Ulnar Nerve Repair With Simultaneous Metacarpophalangeal Joint Capsulorrhaphy and
      Pulley Advancement.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the validity of performing a static anti-claw procedure
      (metacarpophalangeal joint volar capsulorrhaphy and A1 and A2 pulley release) at
      the time of ulnar nerve repair for acute or chronic lacerations to prevent
      development of claw hand deformity and disability or to correct them. METHODS: We
      present a case series of 14 patients for whom metacarpophalangeal joint
      capsulorrhaphy and pulley advancement were done at the time of ulnar nerve
      management. Direct nerve repair was performed in 10 patients, nerve grafting in
      2, neurolysis in 1, and combined direct repair and anterior interosseous nerve
      transfer in 1. Outcome measurements included assessment of claw hand correction
      and sequence of phalangeal flexion according to modified evaluation criteria of
      Brand and motor recovery of ulnar nerve function using the British Medical
      Research Council (MRC) scale. RESULTS: Average follow-up was 39 months. At 3
      months, 12 patients had good and 2 had fair claw hand correction. At 6 months, 2
      patients had excellent, 10 patients had good, and 2 patients had fair correction.
      At final follow-up, 13 patients had good to excellent correction and 1 had fair
      correction. Motor recovery of the intrinsic muscles was rated from 2 to 5
      according to the MRC scale. CONCLUSIONS: This technique is simple and effective.
      It acts as an internal orthosis during recovery of sufficient strength of the
      intrinsic muscles. In cases of incomplete recovery of the intrinsic muscles (up
      to MRC grade 2), it may eliminate the need for secondary surgery to correct a
      claw hand deformity. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic IV.

PMID- 26100987
TI  - Delivering Healthcare Services in Resource Constraint Countries Like Pakistan:
      Sustainable Options.

PMID- 26100985
TI  - The use of a dietary quality score as a predictor of childhood overweight and
      obesity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of dietary quality scores/indices to describe diet quality in
      children has increased in the past decade. However, to date, few studies have
      focused on the use of these scores on disease outcomes such as childhood obesity
      and most are developed from detailed dietary assessments. Therefore, the aims of
      this study were: firstly to construct a diet quality score (DQS) from a brief
      dietary assessment tool; secondly to examine the association between diet quality
      and childhood overweight or obesity; thirdly we also aim to examine the
      associations between individual DQS components and childhood overweight or
      obesity. METHODS: A secondary analysis of cross sectional data of a sample of
      8,568 9-year-old children and their families as part of the Growing Up in Ireland
      (GUI) study. Subjects were drawn from a probability proportionate to size
      sampling of primary schools throughout Ireland over the school year 2007-2008.
      Height and weight were measured by trained researchers using standardised methods
      and BMI was classified using the International Obesity Taskforce cut-points. The
      DQS (un-weighted) was developed using a 20-item, parent reported, food frequency
      questionnaire of foods consumed over the past 24 h. Adjusted odds ratios for
      overweight and obesity were examined by DQS quintile, using the first quintile
      (highest diet quality) as the reference category. RESULTS: The prevalence of
      normal weight, overweight and obese was 75, 19 and 6% respectively. DQS ranged
      from -5 to 25, higher scores indicated higher diet quality in the continuous
      score. In analyses adjusted for gender, parent's education, physical activity and
      T.V. viewing, child obesity but not overweight was significantly associated with
      poor diet quality: OR of 1.56 (95% CI 1.02 2.38) in the 5th compared to the 1st
      DQS quintile. Findings from individual food items were inconsistent. CONCLUSIONS:
      The findings suggest that diet quality may be an important factor in childhood
      obesity. A simple DQS developed from a short dietary assessment tool is
      significantly associated with childhood obesity.

PMID- 26100988
TI  - Serum Ischemia-Modified Albumin Levels in Experimental Model of Acute
      Pancreatitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish whether the Ischemia-Modified Albumin (IMA), a new
      parameter of oxidative stress, has diagnostic role in experimental acute
      pancreatitis. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. PLACE AND DURATION OF
      STUDY: Experimental Animal Center, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Canakkale,
      Turkey, from May to September 2013. METHODOLOGY: Sixteen Sprague-Dawley rats were
      randomly divided into two groups (n=8 each): Sham and AP groups. AP was induced
      by ligation of pancreatic duct. Serum IMA, amylase, lipase, AST, ALT and CRP were
      determined. The severity of pancreatitis was scored by a blinded pathologist
      under microscope. RESULTS: Serum IMA levels in the AP group increased
      significantly compared with the control group (p < 0.05). There was also a strong
      positive correlation between amylase and IMA levels. CONCLUSION: The present
      study showed in a rodent model that serum IMA might serve as an additional marker
      to monitor inflammation during pancreatitis.

PMID- 26100990
TI  - Clinical Indications and Adverse Reactions of Platelet Apheresis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical indications and adverse reactions of
      platelet apheresis procedure. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, observational study.
      PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Blood Bank of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
      General Hospital, Islamabad, from January 2010 to December 2014. METHODOLOGY:
      Indications and adverse reaction verified for 200 consecutive platelet apheresis
      donations performed for 125 patients was included in this study. Data was
      analysed for descriptive variables using SPSS version 16. RESULTS: Donor deferral
      rate in the study was 63.83%. All the donors were males (100%) and replacement
      donors. Most prevalent blood type was B-positive (n=63, 31.5%), followed by O
      positive (n=59, 29.5%). Rh negative groups constituted 13.5% (n=27) of all the
      donors. Average age of platelet apheresis donors was 28.56 +/- 5.77 years.
      Maximum numbers of donors were in age range 20 - 30 years. Average weight of the
      donors was 73.96 +/- 11.96 kg. Mean pre-procedure platelet count of donors was
      268,000/uL. The postprocedure average platelet count was approximately
      200,000/uL. The mean duration of a platelet apheresis session was 78.27 +/- 26.07
      minutes. Average volume of the final product was 412.53 +/- 45.33 ml. Average
      volume of anti-coagulant acid citrate dextrose used per procedure was 300 +/- 40
      ml, 245 ml returned to donor along with returned blood while 55 ml used as
      anticoagulant in final concentrate. Of total 200, two (1%) final products were
      contaminated with red cells. Three (1.5%) products were not issued and finally
      expired. Of the 125 patients for which plateletpheresis procedures were
      performed, 54 (43.2%) patients were males and 71 (56.8%) were females (M:
      F=0.76:1). Six donors (3%) had adverse events: three donors (1.5%) had mild
      reactions, two (1%) moderate reaction, and one donor (0.5%) developing hematoma.
      None had severe or life-threatening reactions. CONCLUSION: Plateletpheresis
      procedure is relatively safe and forms an important adjuvant to blood bank
      inventory.

PMID- 26100989
TI  - Multidetector CT Patterns of Peritoneal Involvement in Patients with
      Abdominopelvic Malignancies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the patterns of peritoneal involvement in patients with
      abdominopelvic malignancies. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective observational study.
      PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan,
      from May 2004 to May 2012. METHODOLOGY: Two hundred and three patients with
      histopathologically proven abdominopelvic malignancies with peritoneal
      involvement who underwent contrast-enhanced CT abdomen and pelvis were identified
      through electronic data base system and were included in this study after ethical
      committee approval. Peritoneal disease pattern, predominant sites of involvement
      and associated findings of ascites, lymph nodes and metastasis were assessed.
      Patients with tuberculosis and lymphoproliferative disorders were excluded.
      RESULTS: The malignancies showing peritoneal involvement, in decreasing order of
      frequency, were ovarian cancer (n=118), colorectal cancer (n=45), pancreatic
      cancer (n=11), gastric cancer (n=7), endometrial cancer (n=6), gallbladder/
      cholangio-carcinoma and hepatocellular cancer (n=5 each), cervical cancer (n=3),
      renal cell carcinoma (n=2) and transitional cell urinary bladder cancer (n=1).
      The most common pattern of peritoneal involvement was mixed in 79 patients (39%),
      omental caking in 74 patients (37%) and nodular deposits in 50 patients (24%).
      The most common sites of peritoneal involvement were pelvic peritoneum followed
      by greater omentum. CONCLUSION: Peritoneal involvement is the commonest with
      ovarian and colorectal carcinoma. Mixed pattern of peritoneal disease was most
      frequently seen in these patients followed by omental caking and nodular
      peritoneal deposits.

PMID- 26100991
TI  - Antigen Expression on Blast Cells and Hematological Parameters at Presentation in
      Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the expression of various antigens on the leukemic blasts
      and to determine the hematological parameters, in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
      (ALL) patients at presentation. STUDY DESIGN: Observational study. PLACE AND
      DURATION OF STUDY: King Edward Medical University, Lahore and Hameed Latif
      Hospital, Lahore, from February 2013 to March 2014. METHODOLOGY: A total of 50
      newly diagnosed and untreated patients of ALL were selected from Mayo Hospital
      and Hameed Latif Hospital. These patients included both genders and all age
      groups. Hemoglobin, total leukocyte count and platelet count were determined on
      hematology analyser-Sysmex-Kx-2I. Blast cell percentage was estimated on Giemsa
      stained blood smears. Immunophenotyping was done on bone marrow samples by 5
      colour flowcytometery on Beckman Coulter Navious Flowcytometer. An acute leukemia
      panel of 23 antibodies was used. The data was entered and analyzed in SPSS
      version 22. RESULTS: Of the 50 ALL patients, 36 (72%) were B-ALL and 14 (28%) T
      ALL. There were 18 (36%) children and 32 (64%) adults. T-ALL included 22% of the
      childhood and 31% of the adult cases. Immunophenotypic analysis showed that CD19,
      CD79a and CD20 were B-lineage specific markers whereas cCD3, CD3 and CD5 were T
      lineage specific. CD10 was the most sensitive marker for B-ALL and CD7 was the
      most sensitive marker of T-ALL. TdT was expressed in 92% B-ALL and 71% T-ALL
      cases, CD34 in 58% and 43% cases and CD45 in 83% and 100% respectively. High
      leukocyte count (> 50 x 109/L) was present in 58% cases. Hemoglobin was < 10 g/dl
      in 74% patients and platelet count was below 20 x 109/Lin 12% patients. Leukocyte
      count, hemoglobin, platelet count and blast cell % did not show a significant
      difference in the two ALL immunotypes. CONCLUSION: The frequency of T-ALL is
      higher in childhood as well as adult ALL in our population compared to the
      Western literature. Antigenic expression of the blast cells also shows some
      interesting differences. A large number of our patients present with high
      leukocyte count which is a known factor associated with poor prognosis.

PMID- 26100992
TI  - Spectrum of Histopathological Findings in Live Donor Liver Graft Biopsies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the spectrum of histopathological findings in live donor
      liver graft biopsies. STUDY DESIGN: Case series. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY:
      Histopathology Department, Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, from January
      2011 to March 2014. METHODOLOGY: The biopsies were received in formalin and
      routinely processed. The changes encountered were divided into three categories:
      (i) new-onset post liver transplantation (LT) complications (early and late),
      (ii) acute rejection and (iii) recurrence of original disease. Banff schema 1997
      of rejection activity index (RAI), modified histological activity index (mHAI)
      and recent literature were utilized for evaluation. The results were finalized in
      the light of clinical details along with relevant laboratory investigations and
      radiological findings. RESULTS: Seventy eight percutaneous hepatic graft biopsies
      of 59 patients were evaluated. Among them, findings noticed in descending order
      of frequencies were Acute Cellular Rejection (ACR) in 37% (n=30), recurrent
      hepatitis C (HCV) in 22% (n=18), cholestasis/ductular proliferation in 27%
      (n=22), ischemic/reperfusion injury in 9.8% (n=8) and drug-induced liver injury
      in 3.7% (n=3). In the first six months post LT, ACR was the commonest cause of
      graft dysfunction, while recurrent HCV was noticed to be predominant reason after
      6 months. CONCLUSION: In this study, ACR was the most frequent finding in graft
      biopsies, followed by recurrent HCV. However, in first six months, ACR is the
      commonest histopathological finding while recurrent HCV was more frequently
      documented after 6 months.

PMID- 26100993
TI  - Rapid Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA Detection on Fine Needle Aspirates from
      Extra Pulmonary Lymph Nodes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of two rapid methods i.e.
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) on Fine Needle
      Aspiration (FNA) samples by comparing with cytology of respective site sample.
      STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional comparative study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY:
      Department of Microbiology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP),
      Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from July 2010 through November 2013. METHODOLOGY: A total
      of 105 extra pulmonary lymph nodes aspirates obtained through fine needle
      aspiration were processed. Cytology and PCR were done on each specimen. Cytology
      was taken as gold standard. RESULTS: Out of the total 105 samples, 71 (67.6%)
      were positive for the MTB PCR while 34 (32.4%) showed negative status. According
      to FNA cytology (FNAC) results, 72 (68.6%) cases were positive for the disease
      while 33 (31.4%) were negative. Sensitivity of PCR was 90.3%, specificity 81.8%,
      positive predictive value (PPV) 91.5%, negative predictive value (NPV) 79.4%,
      with diagnostic accuracy of 87.6%. Area under the curve was 0.860 (p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: PCR is a sensitive tool for detection of MTB on FNA samples from EPTB
      cases. The results are available within few hours which is helpful for the
      clinicians to initiate therapy.

PMID- 26100994
TI  - Cytomorphology Versus Conventional Microbiological Tests in the Diagnosis of
      Tuberculous Lymphadenitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) in
      the diagnosis of tuberculous lymphadenitis. STUDY DESIGN: Comparative cross
      sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Pathology, Khalifa
      Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital (KGNTH), Bannu, from September 2012 to March 2013.
      METHODOLOGY: FNAC of enlarged lymph nodes was performed in the Department of
      Pathology, KGNTH, Bannu. Smears of the aspirates were examined under light
      microscope after staining with Haematoxylin and Eosin (H & E) stains. In cases of
      chronic lymphadenitis, the smears were stained with Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) stain for
      Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB). If no AFB was visualized, the aspirate was subjected to
      culture on Lowenstein Jensen (LJ) medium for yield of AFB. The results were
      analyzed by Microsoft Excel software. RESULTS: Chronic granulomatous
      lymphadenitis was found in 110 (46.81%) out of 235 cases. AFB were seen in
      aspirates of 43/110 (39.09%) cases by direct microscopy. Among the remaining 67
      aspirates subjected to LJ medium, only 07 (10.45%) yielded growth of AFB. Smears
      of 4/15 (3.6%), 13/47 (11.7%) and 33/48 (29.7%) cases with haemorrhagic,
      inflammatory and caseous background respectively, were confirmed by conventional
      microbiologic tests. Out of 125 nongranulomatous lymphadenitis cases only 05 were
      confirmed to be due to tuberculosis by direct microscopy while culture was not
      positive in any case. Thus accuracy of FNAC was 72.34%. CONCLUSION: FNAC has a
      good accuracy in diagnosing tuberculous lymphadenopathy.

PMID- 26100995
TI  - In Vitro Evaluation of Linezolid and Meropenem Against Clinical Isolates of Multi
      Drug Resistant Tuberculosis By Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) 960.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the in vitro effectiveness of multiple breakpoint
      concentrations of newer antituberculosis agents (Linezolid and Meropenem) against
      Multi Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) isolates. STUDY DESIGN: A descriptive
      cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Microbiology Department,
      Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi, from September 2011 to
      August 2013. METHODOLOGY: A total of 100 MDR-TB isolates recovered during the
      study period were subjected to susceptibility testing against multiple breakpoint
      concentrations of Linezolid (LZD) and Meropenem (MER). The breakpoint
      concentration used for LZD were 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 ug/ml, while for MER were 4.0,
      8.0 and 16 ug/ml. Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) 960 system was used
      to carry out drug susceptibility testing as per recommended protocol. RESULTS: At
      break point concentration of 0.5 ug/ml, 80 out of 100 (80%) MDR-TB isolates were
      susceptible to LZD while at breakpoint concentration of 1.0 ug/ml and 2.0 ug/ml,
      96/100, (96%) of MDR-TB isolates were susceptible. For MER, at breakpoint
      concentrations of 4.0 ug/ml no MDR-TB isolate was susceptible, while at 8.0 ug/ml
      3/100, (3%) and at 16.0 ug/ml 11/100, (11%) of MDR-TB isolates were susceptible.
      CONCLUSION: LZD was found to have excellent in vitro efficacy as 96% of MDR-TB
      isolates were susceptible at breakpoint concentration of 1.0 ug/ml or more. In
      case of MER it was found that in vitro susceptibility improved as the break point
      concentrations were increased.

PMID- 26100996
TI  - Dandy-Walker Malformation: A Clinical and Surgical Outcome Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical presentations, complications and mortality
      in patients with Dandy-Walker Malformation (DWM) after surgery i.e., shunt with y
      connector. STUDY DESIGN: Case series. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Neurosurgery
      Ward, JPMC, Karachi, from January 2009 to December 2013. METHODOLOGY: Cases of
      DWM, with associated hydrocephalus, further confirmed on CT scan of brain, were
      admitted through OPD. Those who were previously operated, those with other
      associated co-morbid or anomalies were excluded from this study. Combined
      drainage of the ventricular system and posterior fossa cyst, via dual shunt i.e.
      cystoperitoneal and ventriculoperitoneal shunt with y-connector was performed in
      all patients. Complications and mortality after surgical intervention in these
      patients were noted upto one month after surgery. The data analysis for
      descriptive statistics was done on SPSS version 20. RESULTS: In this study of 70
      patients, majority of the patients were female aged between 1 - 2 years.
      Hydrocephalus was the predominant symptom as being present in all patients,
      followed by cerebellar signs in 60 (86%), and other in 5 (7.14%) patients.
      Complications of surgery were infection and shunt fracture dislocation in 7 (10%)
      each, malpositioning and shunt blockage in 6 (8.5%) each within one month of
      surgery, intracranial haemorrhage in 5 (7.14%) patients. Only one patient (1.42%)
      expired after surgical intervention. CONCLUSION: In DWM, the commonest
      presentation is that of hydrocephalus. Shunt malfunction and infection are the
      commonest complication after shunting. Dual shunt with y-connector has the lowest
      mortality when compared with other methods for treatment of shunt with y
      connector.

PMID- 26100997
TI  - Effect of Sleep/Wake Cycle on Autonomic Regulation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between irregular sleep/wake cycle in
      shift workers and autonomic regulation. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, analytical
      study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Dow University Hospital, Karachi, from August
      to November 2013. METHODOLOGY: All healthcare providers working in rotating
      shifts making a total (n=104) were included. Instrument was an integrated
      questionnaire applied to assess autonomic regulation, taken from Kroz et al. on
      scoring criteria, ranging from 18 - 54, where higher rating signifies strong
      autonomic regulation, indicating a stable Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and vice
      versa. Participants were interviewed and their response was recorded by the
      investigator. Influence of sleep misalignment was measured quantitatively to
      extract index of autonomic activity. RESULTS: There was a reduced trend in
      autonomic strength amongst shift workers. The mean score obtained on the
      Autonomic Scale was 37.8 +/- 5.9. CONCLUSION: Circadian misalignment has an
      injurious influence on ANS which might be valuable in controlling autonomic
      dysfunction that leads to fatal triggers in rotating shift workers.

PMID- 26100998
TI  - Delayed Single Stage Perineal Posterior Urethroplasty.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the delayed single stage perineal posterior urethroplasty
      for treatment of posterior urethral stricture/distraction defect. STUDY DESIGN:
      Descriptive case series. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Urology,
      Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, from January 2009 to December 2011.
      METHODOLOGY: Patients were selected for delayed single stage perineal posterior
      urethroplasty for treatment of posterior urethral stricture / distraction defect.
      All were initially suprapubically catheterized followed by definitive surgery
      after at least 3 months. RESULTS: Thirty male patients were analyzed with a mean
      follow-up of 10 months, 2 patients were excluded as they developed failure in
      first 3 months postoperatively. Mean patient's age was 26.25 +/- 7.9 years. On
      follow-up, 7 patients (23.3%) experienced recurrent stricture during first 10
      months. Five (16.6%) patients were treated successfully with single direct visual
      internal urethrotomy. Two patients (6.6%) had more than one direct visual
      internal urethrotomy and considered failed. Re-do perineal urethroplasty was
      eventually performed. The overall success rate was 93.3% with permissive criteria
      allowing single direct visual internal urethrotomy and 76.6% with strict criteria
      allowing no more procedures postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Posterior anastomotic
      urethroplasty offers excellent long-term results to patients with posterior
      urethral trauma and distraction defect even after multiple prior procedures.

PMID- 26100999
TI  - Tuberculosis and Crohn's Disease Revisited.
AB  - Crohn's Disease (CD) and Intestinal Tuberculosis (ITB) share confusingly similar
      clinical, endoscopic, radiological and pathological manifestations. There is no
      simple test for differentiating ITB from CD. Although there are a number of
      sensitive and specific parameters for distinguishing between CD and ITB, the
      differential diagnosis still remains challenging and both clinical suspicion and
      appropriate clinical and laboratory studies are required to establish the
      diagnosis. Correct diagnosis is crucial because the therapy strategies of the two
      diseases are dramatically different. Treatment of ITB with immunosuppressive
      agents would lead to worsening of the patients' condition. Likewise, unnecessary
      antituberculosis therapy would delay the treatment of CD. Another important
      consideration is the risk of reactivation TB in patients with inflammatory bowel
      diseases which has been significantly increased following the widespread use of
      anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-alpha) therapy. The majority of
      reactivation cases are extrapulmonary or disseminated TB. And it is widely
      recommended that patients with IBD who are to receive TNF inhibitor therapy
      should be screened for evidence of latent TB. This paper mainly reviews current
      literature on differential diagnosis between CD and ITB, and summarizes
      strategies to reduce the TB risk among candidates for TNF antagonist therapy in
      this specific patient population. 

PMID- 26101000
TI  - Biodegradable Synthetic Polyurethane Foam Nasal Packing After Septoplasty.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the usefulness of biodegradable Synthetic Polyurethane
      Foam (SPF) nasal packing as an adjunct to day-case septoplasty. STUDY DESIGN:
      Comparative, observational case series. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Aberdeen
      Royal Infirmary, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, in the year 2011.
      METHODOLOGY: One-hundred consecutive patients who underwent septoplasty and
      received SPF packing in 2010 were prospectively audited while one-hundred
      consecutive patients undergoing septoplasty in the year 2000 were studied
      retrospectively. Data collected include demographics, type of operation and
      duration of hospital stay. Excel and SPSS were used for data collection and
      analysis. RESULTS: In the year 2000, the average age of the patients was 40.6
      years. There were 37 females and 63 males. One patient returned home the same
      day, 22 stayed one night, 69 spent two nights and 8 stayed more than two nights
      in hospital for their operation. The average length of stay was 1.84 nights. In
      2010, the average age of patients was 37.86 years, with 31 patients being female
      and 69 male. All patients in this cohort received SPF packing postoperatively.
      Seventy-three patients went home the same day, 24 patients stayed one night and 3
      patients spent two nights in hospital for their operation. Average length of
      hospital stay was 0.3 nights. Results were statistically significant (p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: SPF was a useful nasal packing option after septoplasty and inferior
      turbinate surgery, which enabled the surgeons to carry out this surgery safely as
      a day-case procedure.

PMID- 26101001
TI  - Expanded Outcomes Framework for Effective CME - The Way Forward for Pakistan.
AB  - Continuing Medical Education (CME) providers recognize the importance to plan
      educational activities that focus to improving and assessing knowledge,
      competency and performance outcomes rather than on attendance and satisfaction.
      This perspective proposes using an expanded outcomes framework for planning and
      assessing CME. The expanded outcomes framework supports backward planning, that
      starts with the population health outcomes (level 7) and moves backward, to
      providing continuing education for physicians that may result in improved
      outcomes. We the authors recognize the complexity of this framework, the recently
      evolved CME system in Pakistan, and the limited resources; and therefore, we
      suggest that planning and assessment should begin at level 3, physician
      knowledge. Thus, be mindful of the end and the scope of this framework that is
      associated and leads toward the improvement of population health outcomes. 

PMID- 26101002
TI  - Applicability of the New ESPGHAN Guidelines for Diagnosing Coeliac Disease in
      Children from Resource Limited Countries.
AB  - Coeliac Disease (CD) is an immune-mediated systemic disorder elicited by the
      ingestion of gluten. Small-bowel biopsies and histology has been the gold
      standard for diagnosing CD. The modified ESPGHAN guidelines recommend that in
      symptomatic children with anti-tissue-Transglutaminase (tTG) titre of > 10 times
      Upper-Limit-of-Normal (ULN), diagnosis of CD can be made without small-bowel
      biopsies. However, positive HLA-DQ2/DQ8 serotype and anti-Endomysial Antibodies
      (EMA) are necessary. Studies from resource-limited countries have demonstrated
      applicability of the ESPGHAN guidelines for serological diagnosis of CD. CD
      should not be diagnosed on the basis of a single high tTG-titre. Small-bowel
      biopsies are necessary for diagnosing CD in asymptomatic children and those with
      tTG-titre < 10 x ULN. Management of CD needs lifelong gluten free diet. 

PMID- 26101003
TI  - Carcinomatous Meningitis: A Rare Complication of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Carcinomatous Meningitis (CM) is a relatively uncommon metastatic complication of
      systemic solid tumors. The condition is mostly diagnosed by presence of malignant
      cells in the cerebrospinal fluid. The prognosis of the condition is generally
      poor. CM very rarely complicates pancreatic cancers and very few cases have been
      reported in the literature. We present a case of a 58-year old female patient
      operated for pancreatic head carcinoma. She made an immediate uneventful recovery
      after her pancreatico-duodenectomy. She presented 3 weeks post-surgery with acute
      confusional state and was diagnosed as a case of CM. 

PMID- 26101004
TI  - Schwannoma of Nasal Inferior Turbinate in Young Male: A Rare Occurrence.
AB  - A12-year old boy presented to the ENT Department of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital,
      Karachi, with a one year history of progressively increasing unilateral right
      sided nasal obstruction. He denied any other symptoms like that of rhinorrhea,
      epistaxis, facial pain, headache and any history of nasal trauma. After routine
      clinical examination, CT scan nose/PNS with contrast was advised and subsequently
      biopsy was done that revealed the mass to be as schwannoma. This was then removed
      via a lateral rhinotomy approach and the postoperative specimen again revealed
      the same. The boy was followed for 1-year and no recurrence is seen. He is still
      in the follow-up phase.

PMID- 26101005
TI  - Methylmalonic Acidemia.
AB  - Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA) is an inborn error of metabolism that results in
      accumulation of methylmalonic acid in blood and increased excretion in urine. The
      effects of MMA vary from mild to life threatening and it usually presents in
      early infancy. Affected infants can have vomiting, dehydration, hypotonia,
      developmental delay and failure to thrive. The emergency treatment of the newborn
      with MMA mainly comprises rehydration and promotion of anabolism, followed by
      long-term dietary management by both the restriction of precursor amino acids
      using a low protein diet and avoidance of prolonged fasting. Prognosis depends on
      the type of MMA and whether the condition is well controlled in general and
      during episodes of metabolic decompensation. We report here the presentation and
      management of a 2-year boy with MMA who failed to achieve expected milestones for
      age. To the best of our knowledge, only one case of MMA has been reported from
      Pakistan.

PMID- 26101006
TI  - Per Oral Bleeding: Rare Presentation of Gardner-Diamond Syndrome.
AB  - A10-year boy presented with spontaneous episodes of oral bleeding for the last 6
      months. Detailed ENT examination showed no pathology, bleeding profile was
      normal, endoscopy and dental examination also did not reveal any abnormality.
      Child abuse or malingering was also ruled out. Initially the child was managed
      with platelet transfusion and fresh frozen plasma and then put on follow-up
      treatment with antifibrinolytics, Vitamin C but the episodes became recurrent.
      Psychiatric evaluation revealed that child was suffering from depression.
      Antidepressants were prescribed by the psychiatrist that not only cured the
      depression with time but also the bleeding episodes which were actually related
      to child's depression (Gardner-Diamond syndrome or psychogenic purpura). This is
      a diagnosis by exclusion where the patients bleed due to dysregulated steroid
      secretion secondary to stress; resulting in development of sensitization to RBC
      membrane, and dysregulated fibrinolytic system activity.

PMID- 26101007
TI  - Histomorphological Spectrum of Papillary Carcinoma of Thyroid in Oman.
AB  - Thyroid cancer is the commonest endocrine malignancy and is the second most
      common cancer affecting young females in Oman. The diagnosis of Papillary Thyroid
      Carcinoma (PTC) is based primarily on histologic architecture and nuclear
      morphology in routine Haematoxilin and Eosin (H & E) stained slides. Whenever in
      doubt, immunohistochemistry may be helpful. This retrospective study included 115
      cases of PTC diagnosed at a tertiary care center in Oman over 10 years period,
      from 2001 to 2010. Slides and blocks of these cases were retrieved from the
      pathology laboratory. Ninety five (95) were females and 20 were males. Papillary
      Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) was most commonly seen in the 20 - 50 years of age. The
      commonest morphologic variant seen in this population was classical papillary
      variant in 44/115 (38%) followed by papillary micro-carcinoma (n=30/115, 26%) and
      follicular variant of papillary carcinoma (n=18/115, 15.6%). Out of the 30 micro
      carcinoma cases, 18 were diagnosed incidentally in thyroids operated for multi
      nodular goiter. Immunohistochemical marker CK-19 was positive in 29/31, HBME-1
      and HMW-CK in 15/15 cases; CEA was in one case where it was reported negative.
      Immunohistochemical stains were useful in cases with atypical /doubtful
      morphology.

PMID- 26101008
TI  - Thyroxine Replacement in Patients on Parenteral Nutrition: A Clinical Conundrum.

PMID- 26101009
TI  - Concomitant Congenital Trigger Thumb and Thumb Aplasia.

PMID- 26101010
TI  - Assessing and Treating Early Onset Schizophrenia at Schools.

PMID- 26101011
TI  - Comment on the Management of Thyroid Nodules: An Optimum Approach.

PMID- 26101012
TI  - The initial steps of operating room emergency checklist.

PMID- 26101013
TI  - Feasibility of home delivery of pemetrexed in patients with advanced non-squamous
      non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility and adherence to home delivery (HD) of
      pemetrexed maintenance treatment in patients with advanced non-squamous non-small
      cell lung cancer (nsqNSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Exploratory, prospective,
      single-arm, Phase II study in advanced nsqNSCLC patients, with an Eastern
      Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0/1 that did not progress
      after 4 first-line induction cycles of a platinum doublet. The first cycle of
      pemetrexed (500mg/m(2)) was hospital administered, further cycles were HD until
      progressive disease or discontinuation. Feasibility was assessed by the adherence
      rate to HD (probability of reversion to hospital administration or treatment
      discontinuation due to HD) as primary endpoint, and by health-related quality-of
      life (HRQoL: EQ-5D, lung cancer symptom scale [LCSS]), satisfaction with HD,
      overall survival (OS), and safety. RESULTS: 52 patients (UK & Sweden) received a
      median of 4 (range 1-19) pemetrexed maintenance cycles. Adherence rate up to
      Cycle 6 was 98.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 86.4%, 99.7%). All but 2
      patients remained on HD. 1 patient discontinued after Cycle 1 (patient decision),
      and 1 after Cycle 6 (non-compliance with oral dexamethasone). 87% (33/38) of the
      patients preferred home to hospital treatment and in 90% (28/31) of cases,
      physicians were satisfied with distant management of patients. During HD Cycles 2
      4 mean change from baseline ranged from 3.0 to 7.7 for EQ-5D visual analog scale.
      The 6-month OS rate was 73% (95% CI: 58%, 83%). 1 patient had an HD-related
      adverse event (device-related infection, Grade 2) and 1 patient died after Cycle
      1, before HD, due to a possibly drug-related atypical pneumonia. CONCLUSION: HD
      of pemetrexed maintenance treatment in patients with advanced nsqNSCLC was
      feasible, safe, and preferred by patients, while maintaining HRQoL. Physicians
      were satisfied with distant patient management.

PMID- 26101014
TI  - Silencing of miR-137 by aberrant promoter hypermethylation in surgically resected
      lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies demonstrated that miR-137 is downregulated in various
      tumors, and that it functions as a tumor suppressor. miR-137 could be silenced by
      its aberrant promoter hypermethylation. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate the significance of MIR137 promoter methylation on its expression in
      lung cancer. METHODS: Lung cancer cell lines were treated with either a DNA
      methyltransferase inhibitor (5-azacytidine, AZA) and/or an HDAC inhibitor
      (trichostatin A, TSA) to determine whether miR-137 expression was reactivated.
      Paired lung tumor and adjacent non-tumor lung tissues were obtained (n=50).
      Quantitative methylation-specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing were used to
      analyze the methylation status of MIR137, and real-time RT-PCR was performed to
      analyze miR-137 expression. RESULTS: miR-137 was reactivated by treatment with
      either AZA and/or TSA in lung cancer cell lines. Methylation-specific PCR showed
      increased MIR137 promoter methylation in lung tumors compared with adjacent non
      tumor tissues, which was further validated by bisulfite sequencing. The
      expression of miR-137 was downregulated significantly in lung tumors, which was
      correlated with level of MIR137 promoter methylation inversely. CONCLUSIONS: miR
      137 downregulation was related to its promoter hypermethylation in lung cancer.
      Further studies are needed to assess its value as a prognostic factor and
      potential therapeutic applications in lung cancer.

PMID- 26101016
TI  - Isolation, characterization, and survival strategies of Thermotoga sp. strain
      PD524, a hyperthermophile from a hot spring in Northern Thailand.
AB  - A hyperthermophilic Thermotoga sp. strain PD524 was isolated from a hot spring in
      Northern Thailand. Cells were long-curved rods (0.5-0.6 * 2.5-10 MUm) surrounded
      by a typical outer membrane toga. Strain PD524 is aero-tolerant at 4  degrees C
      but is aero-sensitive at 80  degrees C. A heat resistant subpopulation was
      observed in late-stationary phase. Cells from late-stationary phase were revealed
      remarkably less sensitive to 0.001 % SDS treatment than cells from exponential
      phase. The temperature range for growth was 70-85  degrees C (opt. temp. 80 
      degrees C), pH range was 6-8.5 (opt. pH 7.5-8.0), and NaCl range of 0 to <10 g/L
      (opt. 0.5 g/L). Glucose, sucrose, maltose, fructose, xylose, mannose, arabinose,
      trehalose, starch, and cellobiose were utilized as growth substrates. Growth was
      inhibited by S(o). Growth yield was stimulated by SO 4 (=) but not by S2O 3 (=)
      and NO3 (-). Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence (KF164213) of strain PD524
      revealed closest similarity (96 %) to Thermotoga maritima MSB8(T), T. neapolitana
      NES(T), T. petrophila RKU-1(T), and T. naphthophila RKU-10(T).

PMID- 26101015
TI  - Microbial diversity and adaptation to high hydrostatic pressure in deep-sea
      hydrothermal vents prokaryotes.
AB  - Prokaryotes inhabiting in the deep sea vent ecosystem will thus experience harsh
      conditions of temperature, pH, salinity or high hydrostatic pressure (HHP)
      stress. Among the fifty-two piezophilic and piezotolerant prokaryotes isolated so
      far from different deep-sea environments, only fifteen (four Bacteria and eleven
      Archaea) that are true hyper/thermophiles and piezophiles have been isolated from
      deep-sea hydrothermal vents; these belong mainly to the Thermococcales order.
      Different strategies are used by microorganisms to thrive in deep-sea
      hydrothermal vents in which "extreme" physico-chemical conditions prevail and
      where non-adapted organisms cannot live, or even survive. HHP is known to impact
      the structure of several cellular components and functions, such as membrane
      fluidity, protein activity and structure. Physically the impact of pressure
      resembles a lowering of temperature, since it reinforces the structure of certain
      molecules, such as membrane lipids, and an increase in temperature, since it will
      also destabilize other structures, such as proteins. However, universal molecular
      signatures of HHP adaptation are not yet known and are still to be deciphered.

PMID- 26101019
TI  - Selection of cholesterol esterase aptamers using a dual-partitioning approach.
AB  - Non-systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment and other capillary
      based methods have grown in popularity for selection of aptamers since they
      provide a fast and efficient partitioning method when compared to classical
      techniques. Despite promising developments in these techniques, a major obstacle
      needs to be overcome for capillary-based selections to be widely accepted. Due to
      the small injection volumes associated with CE, only a small proportion of the
      nucleic acid library can be partitioned at any one time. In this paper, we
      propose a new two-step method for the selection of aptamers which firstly
      incorporates a nitrocellulose membrane filter followed by CE. This technique
      allows for nonbinding sequences to be eliminated, reducing the library size
      before subsequent capillary-based partitioning, while still reducing the time
      taken for aptamers to be selected. We demonstrated this technique on the
      selection of aptamers for cholesterol esterase and the highest binding truncated
      aptamer CES 4T displayed a K(D) of 203 +/- 14 nM. In addition, an increase in the
      number of sequences partitioned was estimated using spectrophotometry and
      capillary injection volumes. The results suggested that for successful selection
      a two-step approach is needed. This hybrid technique could be used to select
      aptamers that bind to targets both in solution and immobilized onto a stationary
      phase, allowing the aptamers to be used in different binding environments.

PMID- 26101017
TI  - Characterization of recombinant glutathione reductase from the psychrophilic
      Antarctic bacterium Colwellia psychrerythraea.
AB  - Glutathione reductases catalyze the reduction of oxidized glutathione
      (glutathione disulfide, GSSG) using NADPH as the substrate to produce reduced
      glutathione (GSH), which is an important antioxidant molecule that helps maintain
      the proper reducing environment of the cell. A recombinant form of glutathione
      reductase from Colwellia psychrerythraea, a marine psychrophilic bacterium, has
      been biochemically characterized to determine its molecular and enzymatic
      properties. C. psychrerythraea glutathione reductase was shown to be a homodimer
      with a molecular weight of 48.7 kDa using SDS-PAGE, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
      and gel filtration. The C. psychrerythraea glutathione reductase sequence shows
      significant homology to that of Escherichia coli glutathione reductase (66 %
      identity), and it possesses the FAD and NADPH binding motifs, as well as
      absorption spectrum features which are characteristic of flavoenzymes such as
      glutathione reductase. The psychrophilic C. psychrerythraea glutathione reductase
      exhibits higher k cat and k cat/K m at lower temperatures (4  degrees C) compared
      to mesophilic Baker's yeast glutathione reductase. However, C. psychrerythraea
      glutathione reductase was able to complement an E. coli glutathione reductase
      deletion strain in oxidative stress growth assays, demonstrating the
      functionality of C. psychrerythraea glutathione reductase over a broad
      temperature range, which suggests its potential utility as an antioxidant enzyme
      in heterologous systems.

PMID- 26101020
TI  - New diagnostic pathways urgently needed. Protocol of PET Guidance I pilot study:
      positron emission tomography in suspected cardiac implantable electronic device
      related infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) infection is a
      complication of increasing incidence. We present a protocol of an observational
      case control clinical trial "Positron Emission Tomography Combined With Computed
      Tomography (PET CT) in Suspected Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Infection,
      a Pilot Study - PET Guidance I" (NCT02196753). AIM: The aim of this observational
      clinical trial is to assess and standardise diagnostic algorithms for CIED
      infections (lead-dependent infective endocarditis, generator pocket infection,
      fever of unknown origin) with PET CT in Poland. METHODS AND RESULTS: Study group
      will consist of 20 patients with initial diagnosis of CIED-related infection
      paired with a control group of 20 patients with implanted CIEDs, who underwent
      PET CT due to other non-infectious indications and have no data for infectious
      process in follow-up. All patients included in the study will undergo standard
      diagnostic pro-cess. Conventional/standard diagnostic and therapeutic process
      will consist of: medical interview, physical examination, laboratory tests, blood
      cultures; imaging studies: echocardiography: transthoracic (TTE), and, if there
      are no contraindications transoesophageal, computed tomography scan for pulmonary
      embolism if indicated; if there are abnormalities in other systems, decisions
      concerning further diagnostics will be made at the physician's discretion. As
      well as standard diagnostic procedures, patients will undergo whole body PET CT
      scan to localise infection or inflammation. Diagnosis and therapeutic decision
      will be obtained from the Study Committee. Follow-up will be held within six
      months with control visits at three and six months. During each follow-up visit,
      all patients will undergo laboratory tests, two blood cultures collected 1 h
      apart, and TTE. In case of actual clinical suspicion of infective endocarditis or
      local generator pocket infection, patients will be referred for further
      diagnostics. Endpoints for the results assessment - primary endpoints are to
      standardise PET CT in the diagnostic process: sensitivity, specificity, positive
      predictive value, and negative predictive value of the diagnosis made by PET CT;
      secondary endpoints are: assessment of usefulness of PET CT for detection of
      remote infective complications (metastatic abscesses, infected pulmonary emboli),
      incidence of particular localisations of infection, influence of PET CT on
      therapeutic decision: confirmation or change of decision based on PET CT, safety
      and complications of diagnostic process of CIED-related infections with PET CT.
      CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of PET CT use for device-related infections in a case
      control study may be conclusive and improve diagnostic pathway.

PMID- 26101021
TI  - Predictors of one-year outcome in patients hospitalised for heart failure:
      results from the Polish part of the Heart Failure Pilot Survey of the European
      Society of Cardiology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Over the last few decades, the incidence and prevalence of chronic
      heart failure (HF) have been constantly increasing. AIM: To identify predictors
      of one-year mortality and hospital readmissions in patients discharged after
      hospitalisation for HF. METHODS: The study included Polish patients who agreed to
      participate in the Heart Failure Pilot Survey of the European Society of
      Cardiology and were followed for 12 months. The primary endpoint was all-cause
      death at 12 months. The secondary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death and
      readmission for cardiac causes at 12 months. RESULTS: The final analysis included
      629 patients. The primary end point occurred in 68 of 629 patients (10.8%). In
      multivariate analysis, independent predictors of one-year mortality were: higher
      New York Heart Association (NYHA) class at admission (odds ratio [OR] 1.90; 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 1.01-3.59; p = 0.0478), inotropic support during
      hospitalisation (OR 3.95; 95% CI 1.49-10.47; p = 0.0056), and lower glomerular
      filtration rate at discharge (OR 0.978; 95% CI 0.961-0.995; p = 0.0117). The
      secondary endpoint occurred in 278 of 503 patients (55.3%). In multivariate
      analysis, predictors of secondary endpoint were a history of previous coronary
      revascularisation (OR 2.403; 95% CI 1.221-4.701; p = 0.002) and inotropic support
      during hospitalisation (OR 2.521; 95% CI 1.062-5.651; p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients discharged after hospitalisation for HF remained at high risk of death
      and hospital readmission. A previous history of coronary revascularisation,
      decreased renal function, and worse clinical status at admission with the need
      for inotropic support were predictors of one-year outcome in Polish patients
      hospitalised for HF.

PMID- 26101022
TI  - Renal resistive index in patients  with true resistant hypertension:  results
      from the RESIST-POL study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased ultrasound Doppler renal resistive index (RRI) is a marker
      of atherosclerotic and hypertensive organ damage both at renal and systemic
      level. AIM: To evaluate RRI in patients with true resistant hypertension (TRHT)
      in the RESIST-POL study. METHODS: From 204 patients diagnosed with TRHT in the
      RESIST-POL study, 151 patients (90 male, 61 female, mean age: 47.7 +/- 10.4,
      range: 19-65 years) without secondary hypertension were included into the
      analysis. All patients were characterised by estimated glomerular filtration rate
      > 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and no history of diabetes prior to the study. As a control
      group we included 50 age- and gender-matched patients (35 male, 15 female, mean
      age: 46.8 +/- 10.4, range: 19-65 years) with primary well-controlled
      hypertension. The groups also did not differ in respect to the number of years of
      known history of hypertension. The RRIs were evaluated on the basis of the
      Doppler ultrasound examination. Increased RRI was defined as >= 0.7. RESULTS:
      Both groups did not differ in terms of renal function. Patients with TRHT were
      characterised by higher RRI as compared with the group with well-controlled
      hypertension (0.62 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.60 +/- 0.05, p < 0.05). In the TRHT group RRI
      correlated significantly with age, clinic and ambulatory blood pressure
      measurement, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) levels, as well as with clinic pulse
      pressure (PP) (r = 0.297; p = 0.001), with daytime (r = 0.355; p < 0.001) and
      nighttime (r = 0.313; p < 0.001) PP, and with fasting glucose concentration (r =
      0.215; p = 0.008) and E/E' ratio (r = 0.289; p = 0.001) on echocardiography. RRI
      values were significantly higher in TRHT patients with newly diagnosed diabetes
      as compared with TRHT patients without diabetes (0.65 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.62 +/- 0.05,
      p = 0.022). Age, daytime DBP, daytime PP, and E/E' ratio but not fasting glucose
      concentration correlated independently with RRI in the model. Among patients with
      TRHT, patients with increased RRI were characterised by older age (52.2 +/- 4.9
      vs. 47.3 +/- 10.6 years, p = 0.012), higher body mass index (32.8 +/- 6.0 vs.
      29.7 +/- 4.5 kg/m2, p = 0.034), as well as lower daytime and nighttime DBP values
      and lower daytime and nighttime heart rate, as compared to patients with RRI <
      0.7. The TRHT patients with increased RRI as compared to patients with RRI < 0.7
      were characterised also by higher daytime and nighttime PP. Both groups did not
      differ in respect of renal function. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that the
      patients with TRHT were characterised by significantly higher RRI values as
      compared to the subjects with well-controlled hypertension. It may also be
      suggested that in the subjects with TRHT renal vascular resistance is related to
      blood pressure values, selected echocardiographic abnormalities, and some
      surrogate markers for metabolic and cardiovascular events, including fasting
      glucose plasma concentration and PP, respectively.

PMID- 26101023
TI  - Heart failure is the strongest predictor of acute kidney injury in patients
      undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial
      infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients treated by
      primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are at higher risk of acute
      kidney injury (AKI) than patients undergoing PCI in stable clinical conditions.
      This fact suggests that mechanisms other than contrast nephrotoxicity are
      involved. AIM: To evaluate the incidence, risk factors, and consequences of AKI
      in patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI in current daily practice. METHODS:
      Analysis of all consecutive patients who underwent primary PCI over a one-year
      period. AKI was defined as an increase in serum creatinine >= 50% or 26.5 MUmol/L
      (AKIN criteria) from the baseline within 48 h. RESULTS: A total of 202 patients
      were included. AKI occurred in 25 (12.4%) subjects. Baseline characteristics and
      in-hospital complications of the patients with and without AKI did not differ
      significantly except for age (69 +/- 13 vs. 62 +/- 12; p = 0.003), female gender
      (48.0% vs. 26.6%; p = 0.035), hypertension (88.0% vs. 62.7%; p = 0.013), left
      ventricular ejection fraction (40% +/- 12% vs. 49% +/- 14%; p = 0.002),
      cardiogenic shock (44.0% vs. 5.1%; p < 0.0001), use of intravenous diuretics
      (76.0% vs. 26.0%; p < 0.0001), ventricular arrhythmias (24.0% vs. 3.4%; p =
      0.001), and in-hospital mortality (24.0% vs. 3.4%; p = 0.001). In multivariate
      analysis heart failure remained the only independent correlate of AKI.
      CONCLUSIONS: AKI was an frequent and serious complication of STEMI in patients
      treated by primary PCI. Heart failure was the strongest predictor of AKI. Other
      risk factors including contrast medium volume, baseline renal function, diabetes,
      and age failed to predict AKI.

PMID- 26101024
TI  - Depression and anxiety in patients with coronary artery disease, measured by
      means of self-report measures and clinician-rated instrument.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The presence of depression symptomatology significantly deteriorates
      the prognosis for the patient. There are many instruments developed to measure
      depression and anxiety in clinical trials; however, the suitability of the
      specific scale for screening these disorders in cardiovascular patients is
      debatable. The aim of current study is to verify which of the major assessment
      instruments is the most relevant for the screening evaluation of depression and
      anxiety in patients with cardiovascular system diseases. AIM: The sample studied
      consisted of 120 patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). They did not
      display serious psychiatric or somatic disorders. METHODS: To assess depressive
      and anxiety symptoms we used self-reporting measures (BDI-II, HADS, SSAI/STAI,
      and PHQ), the results of which were compared to results obtained on the basis of
      a clinician-rating instrument (HRSD). RESULTS: We found that depressive symptoms
      assessed on the basis of HRSD, BDI-II, and PHQ-9 were equivalent in results,
      while the results obtained in HADS-D were significantly lower. Anxiety symptoms
      were found at approximate levels in HADS, SSAI, and GAD-7. The assessment of
      somatic symptoms in patients with CAD indicates that 87.5% of the subjects
      reported somatic symptoms of various intensity. CONCLUSIONS: Screening assessment
      of depression in patients with CAD gives different results depending on the tool
      used. We found that HADS significantly underestimates the percentage of patients
      with symptoms of depression in patients with CAD. Assessing anxiety symptoms with
      the aid of HADS gave outcomes close to the results gained by use of other tools.

PMID- 26101025
TI  - Prediction of high risk of non-adherence to antiplatelet treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dual antiplatelet therapy with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and
      clopidogrel is the standard of care for secondary prevention. Premature
      discontinuation of clopidogrel is associated with an increased risk of myocardial
      infarction (MI) or death, and greater health care expenditure. AIM: To develop an
      objective method for identification of patients with high risk of non-adherence
      to clopidogrel after MI. METHODS: A total of 189 patients were enrolled into a
      prospective, observational, single-centre study with a nine-month follow-up.
      Patients received a 600-mg loading dose and 75-mg maintenance dose of clopidogrel
      in combination with ASA doses of 300 mg and 75 mg, respectively. Adenosine
      diposphate-induced platelet aggregation (ADP-PA) was assessed during baseline
      hospitalisation and at three, six, and nine months after discharge. Adherence to
      medication with clopidogrel was defined as the proportion of drug availability
      based on data from the National Health Fund regarding prescribed drug purchases.
      Adherence was arbitrarily judged adequate when the proportion exceeded 80%.
      RESULTS: According to our hypothesis, ADP-PA in non-adherent patients should be
      higher at follow-up visits (at least once) as compared with measurement at
      hospitalisation. Based on the ROC curve analysis, the optimal cut-off point equal
      to 4 U was defined (p < 0.0001, 95% CI 0.562-0.654; sensitivity: 60.6%,
      specificity: 57.1%, positive predictive value: 63.3%, negative predictive value:
      54.2%). The prevalence of true adherence to medication in groups of high and low
      probability of adherence defined according to developed criteria amounted 60
      (50.8%) and 23 (32.4%) cases, respectively (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The newly
      developed method of objective identification of patients with high risk of non
      adherence to clopidogrel after MI is easily applicable and cheap, and, despite
      relatively low sensitivity and specificity, it efficiently differentiates
      patients with regard to clinical end-points during follow-up.

PMID- 26101026
TI  - Comparison of patient comfort after coronary angiography by standard arterial
      access approaches.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radial access during coronary angiography has become an increasingly
      popular alternative to femoral access. The procedural outcomes and complications
      of these two approaches have been thoroughly evaluated; however, no studies have
      focused exclusively on the postprocedural quality of life of patients. AIM: To
      determine and compare both methods from the patient's point of view. METHODS:
      Data were gathered from 165 consecutive patients scheduled for elective coronary
      angiography (from October 2011 to June 2012). The choice of the access site was
      left at operator's discretion. Femoral and radial groups consisted of 91 and 74
      patients, respectively. Quality of life was assessed by the Short Form of the
      McGill Questionnaire and a self-designed questionnaire (Questionnaire II)
      consisting of eight questions evaluating the procedure-specific aspects of
      recovery time. After three months from index hospitalisation post-discharge
      interviews were conducted using a modified version of Questionnaire II with an
      additional two questions. RESULTS: Patients from the transfemoral approach group
      characterised their pain (according to McGill Questionnaire) more often as aching
      (mean value +/- SD: 0.84 +/- 1.2 vs. 0.21 +/- 0.6; p = 0.003), heavy (0.29 vs.
      0.027; p = 0.02), and exhausting (0.22 +/- 0.7 vs. 0.07 +/- 0.2; p = 0.037).
      Moreover, in Questionnaire II they indicated tenderness of the puncture site
      (0.42 +/- 0.8 vs. 0.23 +/- 0.07; p = 0.00004) more frequently. CONCLUSIONS: The
      quality of life of patients who underwent coronary angiography from radial access
      was remarkably better in terms of pain characteristic and overall discomfort.

PMID- 26101027
TI  - Electrocardiographic markers of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients
      with left bundle branch block.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although some patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB) have
      structural heart diseases, some patients with LBBB have "normal hearts". The
      electrocardiography (ECG) criteria of LBBB in reduced left ventricular ejection
      fraction (LVEF) have not been defined completely. AIM: The main purpose of this
      study was to differentiate patients with reduced LVEF from patients with normal
      left ventricular systolic function simply by analysing 12-lead ECG. METHODS:
      Subjects admitted to our hospital with LBBB in their ECG were included in the
      study. The patients were categorised according to their left ventricular systolic
      function as group 1 (LVEF >= 50%) and group 2 (LVEF < 50%). Duration of the QRS
      complex, residual conduction of left bundle branch, and concordance/discordance
      of T waves in leads V5, V6, or D1 were recorded. The ECG findings of the two
      groups were compared. RESULTS: One hundred consecutive patients with LBBB were
      included in the study (male/female: 56/44, age: 66 +/- 15 years). In the whole
      group, there were 35 patients with normal left ventricular systolic function
      (LVEF >= 50%), and 65 patients had LVEF below 50%. 80% of male patients with LBBB
      and 45% of female patients with LBBB had their LVEF below 50% (p < 0.001). Mean
      QRS durations of group 1 and group 2 were 132 +/- 10 ms vs. 152 +/- 22 ms,
      respectively (p < 0.001). The QRS duration of 140 ms was found to be the cut-off
      value to differentiate group 1 from group 2, with sensitivity and specificity of
      72% and 75%, respectively. Twenty-one per cent of patients in group 1 and 69% in
      group 2 had discordant LBBB (p < 0.001). Residual conduction of left bundle
      branch was more frequent in group 2 (29% in group 1 vs. 52% in group 2, p =
      0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Male gender, QRS duration greater than 140 ms, discordant
      LBBB, and residual conduction in the left bundle branch seem to be markers of
      reduced LVEF in patients with LBBB.

PMID- 26101029
TI  - Coupled Simulation of Heart Valves: Applications to Clinical Practice.
AB  - The last few decades have seen great advances in the understanding of heart
      valves, and consequently, in the development of novel treatment modalities and
      surgical procedures for valves afflicted by disease. This is due in part to the
      profound advancements in computing technology and noninvasive medical imaging
      techniques that have made it possible to numerically model the complex heart
      valve systems characterized by distinct features at different length scales and
      various interacting processes. In this article, we highlight the importance of
      explicitly coupling these multiple scales and diverse processes to accurately
      simulate the true behavior of the heart valves, in health and disease. We examine
      some of the computational modeling studies that have a direct consequence on
      clinical practice. 

PMID- 26101028
TI  - Prognosis in children with pulmonary arterial  hypertension: 10-year single
      centre experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare progressive disease
      of the pulmonary arterioles with an unfavourable prognosis. AIM: To evaluate
      survival and prognostic factors in patients with PAH diagnosed and treated at a
      single centre in the years 2004-2013. METHODS: The study included 55 children (33
      girls; 66%, 22 boys; 33%), with an average age 6.2 +/- 6.0 years, with idiopathic
      PAH - n = 23 (42%), PAH associated with systemic-to-pulmonary shunts - n = 17
      (31%), and PAH after corrective cardiac surgery - n = 15 (27%). Forty-seven of
      them (87%) were treated with advanced therapy. RESULTS: During the follow-up with
      an average time of 5.6 +/- 4.7 years 15 (27.3%) children died. The one-, three-,
      five-, and ten-year survival was, respectively, 83.1%, 77.1%, 70.7%, and 65.2%.
      The analysis of the survival curves revealed a better prognosis in patients with
      baseline N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level < 605 pg/mL
      (p = 0.024) and a higher probability of survival of three and five years in
      children at baseline I/II World Health Organisation functional class (WHO-FC).
      The higher risk of death was associated with a higher pressure in the right
      atrium (HR 1.23, p < 0.01) and higher pulmonary resistance (HR 1.1, p < 0.01),
      whereas no history of syncope had a better prognosis (HR 0.31, p = 0.03).
      CONCLUSIONS: Survival in the study group was comparable to the currently
      published register data. Mortality risk factors were connected with the severity
      of the disease at diagnosis.

PMID- 26101030
TI  - Modeling of Experimental Atherosclerotic Plaque Delamination.
AB  - A cohesive zone model (CZM) approach is applied to simulate atherosclerotic
      plaque delamination experiments in mouse abdominal aorta specimens. A three
      dimensional finite element model is developed for the experiments. The aortic
      wall is treated as a fiber-reinforced, highly deformable, incompressible
      material, and the Holzapfel-Gasser-Ogden (HGO) model is adopted for the aortic
      bulk material behavior. Cohesive elements are placed along the plaque-media
      interface along which delamination occurs. The 3D specimen geometry is created
      based on images from the experiments and certain simplifying approximations. A
      set of HGO and CZM parameter values is determined based on values suggested in
      the literature and through matching simulation predictions of the load vs. load
      point displacement curve with experimental measurements for one loading
      delamination-unloading cycle. Using this set of parameter values, simulation
      predictions for four other loading-delamination-unloading cycles are obtained,
      which show good agreement with experimental measurements. The findings of the
      current study demonstrate the applicability of the CZM approach in arterial
      tissue failure simulations. 

PMID- 26101031
TI  - Nitinol Stent Oversizing in Patients Undergoing Popliteal Artery
      Revascularization: A Finite Element Study.
AB  - Nitinol stent oversizing is frequently performed in peripheral arteries to ensure
      a desirable lumen gain. However, the clinical effect of mis-sizing remains
      controversial. The goal of this study was to provide a better understanding of
      the structural and hemodynamic effects of Nitinol stent oversizing. Five patient
      specific numerical models of non-calcified popliteal arteries were developed to
      simulate the deployment of Nitinol stents with oversizing ratios ranging from 1.1
      to 1.8. In addition to arterial biomechanics, computational fluid dynamics
      methods were adopted to simulate the physiological blood flow inside the stented
      arteries. Results showed that stent oversizing led to a limited increase in the
      acute lumen gain, albeit at the cost of a significant increase in arterial wall
      stresses. Furthermore, localized areas affected by low Wall Shear Stress
      increased with higher oversizing ratios. Stents were also negatively impacted by
      the procedure as their fatigue safety factors gradually decreased with
      oversizing. These adverse effects to both the artery walls and stents may create
      circumstances for restenosis. Although the ideal oversizing ratio is stent
      specific, this study showed that Nitinol stent oversizing has a very small impact
      on the immediate lumen gain, which contradicts the clinical motivations of the
      procedure. 

PMID- 26101032
TI  - Computational Models of the Foot and Ankle for Pathomechanics and Clinical
      Applications: A Review.
AB  - Complementary to experimental studies, computational biomechanics has become
      useful tool for the understanding of human foot biomechanics and pathomechanics.
      Its findings have been widely used for the evaluation of the effectiveness of
      surgical and conservative interventions. These models, however, were developed
      with a wide range of variations in terms of simplifications and assumptions on
      the representation of geometrical structures and material properties, as well as
      boundary and loading conditions. These variations may create differences in
      prediction accuracy, and restrict practical and clinical applications. This paper
      reviews the state-of-the-art technologies and challenges in computational model
      development, focusing on foot problem-specific models for the assessment of the
      effectiveness and accessibility of clinical treatments. The computational models
      have provided valuable biomechanical information for clinical applications but
      further investigations come with many challenges in terms of detailed and patient
      specific models, accurate representations of tissue properties, and boundary and
      loading conditions. Multi-scale computational models are expected to be an
      efficient platform to fully address the biomechanical and biological concerns. 

PMID- 26101033
TI  - Computational Patient Avatars for Surgery Planning.
AB  - In this paper a new method is described for the generation of computational
      patient avatars for surgery planning. By "patient avatar" a computational,
      patient-specific, model of the patient is meant, that should be able to provide
      the surgeon with an adequate response under real-time restrictions, possibly
      including haptic response. The method is based on the use of computational
      vademecums (F. Chinesta et al., PGD-based computational vademecum for efficient
      design, optimization and control. Arch. Comput. Methods Eng. 20(1):31-59, 2013),
      that are properly interpolated so as to generate a patient-specific model. It is
      highlighted how the interpolation of shapes needs for a specialized technique,
      since a direct interpolation of biological shapes would produce, in general, non
      physiological shapes. To this end a manifold learning technique is employed, that
      allows for a proper interpolation that provides very accurate results in
      describing patient-specific organ geometries. These interpolated vademecums thus
      give rise to very accurate patient avatars able to run at kHz feedback rates,
      enabling not only visual, but also haptic response to the surgeon. 

PMID- 26101034
TI  - AView: An Image-based Clinical Computational Tool for Intracranial Aneurysm Flow
      Visualization and Clinical Management.
AB  - Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) occur in around 3% of the entire population. IA
      rupture is responsible for the most devastating type of hemorrhagic strokes, with
      high fatality and disability rates as well as healthcare costs. With increasing
      detection of unruptured aneurysms, clinicians are routinely faced with the
      dilemma whether to treat IA patients and how to best treat them. Hemodynamic and
      morphological characteristics are increasingly considered in aneurysm rupture
      risk assessment and treatment planning, but currently no computational tools
      allow routine integration of flow visualization and quantitation of these
      parameters in clinical workflow. In this paper, we introduce AView, a prototype
      of a clinician-oriented, integrated computation tool for aneurysm hemodynamics,
      morphology, and risk and data management to aid in treatment decisions and
      treatment planning in or near the procedure room. Specifically, we describe how
      we have designed the AView structure from the end-user's point of view, performed
      a pilot study and gathered clinical feedback. The positive results demonstrate
      AView's potential clinical value on enhancing aneurysm treatment decision and
      treatment planning. 

PMID- 26101035
TI  - siRNA Delivery Impedes the Temporal Expression of Cytokine-Activated VCAM1 on
      Endothelial Cells.
AB  - Leukocyte recruitment plays a key role in chronic inflammatory diseases such as
      cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. Leukocyte rolling and
      arrest are mediated in part by the temporally-regulated surface expression of
      vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM1) on endothelial cells (ECs). In this
      paper, we engineered a pH-responsive vehicle comprised of 30 mol%
      dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (30D) and 70 mol% hydroxyethyl methacrylate (70H)
      to encapsulate, protect, and deliver VCAM1 small interfering RNA (siRNA). The
      ability of siRNA to reduce VCAM1 gene expression is in direct opposition to its
      activation by cytokines. At 12 h post-activation, VCAM1 gene knockdown was 90.1
      +/- 7.5% when delivered via 30D/70H nanoparticles, which was on par with a
      leading commercial transfection agent. This translated into a 68.8 +/- 6.7%
      reduction in the surface density of VCAM1 on cytokine-activated ECs. The pH
      responsive delivery of VCAM1 siRNA efficiently reduced temporal surface protein
      expression, which may be used to avert leukocyte recruitment.

PMID- 26101036
TI  - Computational Biomechanics in Thoracic Aortic Dissection: Today's Approaches and
      Tomorrow's Opportunities.
AB  - Dissection of an artery is characterised by the separation of the layers of the
      arterial wall causing blood to flow within the wall. The incidence rates of
      thoracic aortic dissection (AoD) are increasing, despite falls in virtually all
      other manifestations of cardiovascular disease, including abdominal aortic
      aneurysm (AAA). Dissections involving the ascending aorta (Type A) are a medical
      emergency and require urgent surgical repair. However, dissections of the
      descending aorta (Type B) are less lethal and require different clinical
      management whereby the patient may not be offered surgery unless complicating
      factors are present. But how do we tell if a patient will develop a complication
      later on? Currently, there is no consensus and the evidence base is limited.
      There is an opportunity for computational biomechanics to help clinicians decide
      as to which cases to repair and which to manage with blood pressure control. In
      this review article, we look at AoD from both the clinical and biomechanical
      perspective and discuss some of the recent computational studies of both Type A
      and B AoD. We then focus more on Type B where the real opportunity for patient
      specific modelling exists. Finally, we look ahead at some of the promising areas
      of research that may help clinicians improve the decision-making process
      surrounding Type B AoD. 

PMID- 26101037
TI  - Photoinactivation of Photosystem II in wild-type and chlorophyll b-less barley
      leaves: which mechanism dominates depends on experimental circumstances.
AB  - Action spectra of photoinactivation of Photosystem II (PS II) in wild-type and
      chlorophyll b-less barley leaf segments were obtained. Photoinactivation of PS II
      was monitored by the delivery of electrons from PS II to PS I following single
      turnover flashes superimposed on continuous far-red light, the time course of
      photoinactivation yielding a rate coefficient k i. Susceptibility of PS II to
      photoinactivation was quantified as the ratio of k i to the moderate irradiance
      (I) of light at each selected wavelength. k i/I was very much higher in blue
      light than in red light. The experimental conditions permitted little excess
      light energy absorbed by chlorophyll (not utilized in photochemical conversion or
      dissipated in controlled photoprotection) that could lead to photoinactivation of
      PS II. Therefore, direct absorption of light by Mn in PS II, rather than by
      chlorophyll, was more likely to have initiated the much more severe
      photoinactivation in blue light than in red light. Mutant leaves were ca. 1.5
      fold more susceptible to photoinactivation than the wild type. Neither the excess
      energy mechanism nor the Mn mechanism can explain this difference. Instead, the
      much lower chlorophyll content of mutant leaves could have exerted an
      exacerbating effect, possibly partly due to less mutual shading of chloroplasts
      in the mutant leaves. In general, which mechanism dominates depends on the
      experimental conditions. 

PMID- 26101039
TI  - Total Synthesis and Structural Reassignment of Lyngbyaloside C Highlighted by
      Intermolecular Ketene Esterification.
AB  - Lyngbyaloside C, a classic macrolide, isolated from Lyngbya bouilloni, has shown
      moderate anticancer activity against several cancer cell lines. Here, we report
      the first total synthesis and stereochemical configuration reassignment of
      lyngbyaloside C. The synthesis highlights a one-pot intermolecular ketene
      esterification reaction to form the crucial tertiary ester and tetrahydropyran.
      In addition, a novel and concise synthetic pathway towards the 1,3-syn secondary,
      tertiary diol fragment is described using a regio- and stereospecific
      electrophilic ether transfer reaction. 

PMID- 26101038
TI  - BEWARE: Body awareness training in the treatment of wearing-off related anxiety
      in patients with Parkinson's disease: study protocol for a randomized controlled
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The wearing-off phenomenon in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD)
      is a complication of prolonged levodopa usage. During this phenomenon, motor
      symptoms such as rigidity and freezing re-emerge. This is often accompanied by
      non-motor symptoms, including anxiety, the so-called wearing-off related anxiety
      (WRA). Current treatment options are limited and typically focus on either the
      physical or mental aspects of wearing-off. An integrated approach seems warranted
      in order to optimally address the complex reciprocal interactions between these
      aspects. Also, because wearing-off is eventually inescapable, treatment needs to
      focus on coping, acceptance, and self-efficacy. We therefore developed an
      integrated body awareness intervention, combining principles from physical
      therapy with acceptance and commitment therapy to teach patients to deal with
      WRA. This study will investigate whether this new intervention, named BEWARE, is
      more effective than treatment as usual in increasing self-efficacy.
      METHODS/DESIGN: This is a single-blinded randomized controlled trial in 36 PD
      patients who experience WRA. Subjects will be recruited from the outpatient
      clinic for movement disorders of the VU University Medical Center. After
      providing written informed consent, patients will be randomly assigned to an
      experimental (BEWARE) or treatment-as-usual (physical therapy) group. Clinical
      assessments will be performed prior to the intervention, directly after the 6
      week intervention period, and at 3-month naturalistic follow-up by a blinded
      investigator not involved in the study. The primary outcome measure is self
      efficacy, and secondary outcomes focus on mobility, daily functioning, anxiety,
      and quality of life. DISCUSSION: Because wearing-off is an inevitable consequence
      of levodopa therapy and current treatment options are insufficient, a
      multidisciplinary intervention that addresses both physical and mental aspects of
      wearing-off in PD may foster additional benefits for treating WRA in PD patients
      over mono-disciplinary care alone. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov
      identifier: NCT02054845. Date of registration: 30 January 2014.

PMID- 26101040
TI  - Multi-metals Measured at Sediment-Water Interface (SWI) by Diffusive Gradients in
      Thin Films (DGT) Technique for Geochemical Research.
AB  - Diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique was used to determine pore
      water profile and to assess remobilization character of metals at sediment/water
      interface. The remobilization of Mn was due to redox reaction in profile, which
      engendered two large peaks: one with DGT concentration of 1355 ug L(-1) at depth
      of -4.75 cm in sediment and the other with DGT concentration of 1040 ug L(-1) at
      depth of -3.25 cm in sediment pore water. Fe reduction zone had a large peak of
      Fe (3209 ug L(-1)) at depth of -4.75 cm in sediment. Fe DGT-profile also
      indicated the little peaks and low values of dissolved Fe concentration in Fe
      reduction/S-reduction boundary zone in sediment. Detailed correspondence of trace
      metals with Fe or Mn features in DGT-profiles suggested that their release is
      related to the reductive dissolution of Fe- or Mn-oxide. 

PMID- 26101041
TI  - Comparative evaluation of cyclic fatigue resistance of D-RaCe and ProTaper
      retreatment instruments in curved artificial canals.
AB  - AIM: To compare the cyclic fatigue resistance of D-RaCe and ProTaper rotary
      nickel-titanium (NiTi) retreatment files when used in curved artificial canals.
      METHODOLOGY: A total of 120 new D-RaCe DR2 and ProTaper D3 retreatment files were
      tested in stainless steel artificial canals having 45 degrees  and 60 degrees 
      angles of curvature. Thirty instruments of each of the file systems were tested
      in both angles of curvature (n = 30). The retreatment instruments were rotated
      until fracture to calculate the number of cycles to failure. The length of each
      fractured fragment was recorded. Data were analysed by independent sample t-test.
      Fractured surfaces of the instruments were analysed by scanning electron
      microscopy. RESULTS: In the canal with 45 degrees  angle of curvature, no
      significant difference was observed between the retreatment systems (P > 0.05);
      on the other hand, in the canal with 60 degrees  angle of curvature, D-RaCe DR2
      instruments had greater cyclic fatigue resistance than ProTaper D3 (P < 0.05). No
      difference was observed between the retreatment instruments regarding the lengths
      of fractured fragments (P > 0.05). The fracture surfaces of the instruments had
      morphologic characteristics of ductile fracture. CONCLUSIONS: D-RaCe DR2
      instrument exhibited greater cyclic fatigue resistance than ProTaper D3 only in
      root canals with 60 degrees  angle of curvature.

PMID- 26101042
TI  - The economics of tobacco control (Part 2): evidence from the ITC Project.

PMID- 26101043
TI  - Trends and socioeconomic differences in roll-your-own tobacco use: findings from
      the ITC Europe Surveys.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine if exclusive Roll-Your-Own (RYO) tobacco use relative to
      factory-made (FM) cigarette use has been rising over time, to determine the
      extent to which economic motives and perceptions that RYO cigarettes are less
      harmful act as primary motivations for use, and to examine the association of
      income and education with the level of RYO tobacco use among smokers in four
      European countries. METHODS: Data were obtained from the International Tobacco
      Control (ITC) Europe Surveys, and a cohort sample of 7070 smokers from the
      Netherlands, Germany, France and UK were interviewed between June 2006 and
      December 2012. Generalised estimating equations (GEE) were used to assess trends
      in RYO use, and whether RYO consumption varied by socioeconomic variables.
      RESULTS: Exclusive RYO use over the study period has increased significantly in
      the UK from 26.4% in 2007 to 32.7% in 2010 (p<0.001); France from 12.2% in 2006
      to 19.1% in 2012 (p<0.001); and Germany from 12.7% in 2007 to 18.6% in 2011
      (p=0.031), with increased borderline significantly in the Netherlands (31.7% to
      34.3%, p=0.052), from 2008 to 2010. Over three-quarters of users in each of the
      study countries indicated that lower price was a reason why they smoked RYO. Just
      over a fourth of smokers in the UK, less than a fifth in France, and around a
      tenth in Germany and the Netherlands believed that RYO is healthier. Compared
      with exclusive FM users, exclusive RYO users were more likely to have lower
      incomes and lower education. CONCLUSIONS: Effective tobacco tax regulation is
      needed in the European Union and elsewhere to eliminate or reduce the price
      advantage of RYO tobacco. Additional health messages are also required to correct
      the misperception that RYO tobacco is healthier than FM cigarettes.

PMID- 26101044
TI  - What cigarette price is required for smokers to attempt to quit smoking? Findings
      from the ITC Korea Waves 2 and 3 Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We assess the cigarette price that would motivate smokers to quit. We
      also explore the factors associated with the required price, including exposures
      to non-tax tobacco control policies. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis was
      conducted on data from 1257 male smokers, who participated in either Wave 2 or 3
      of the ITC Korea Survey. Information was obtained on what cigarette price per
      pack would make them try to quit ('price to quit'). Tobit regression on log
      transformed price and logistic regression on non-quitting were conducted to
      identify associated factors. RESULTS: The median price to quit was KRW5854
      (US$5.31)/pack, given the current price of KRW2500 (US$2.27)/pack. Younger age,
      higher education, lack of concern about the health effects of smoking, lack of
      quit attempts and more cigarettes consumed per day were related to a higher price
      needed for a quit attempt. Exposures to combinations of non-tax policies were
      significantly associated with lower price levels to be motivated to quit.
      CONCLUSIONS: Considering the large price increase required for quit attempts, tax
      policy needs to be combined with other policies, particularly for certain groups,
      such as heavy smokers. Strengthening non-tax policies is likely to facilitate
      greater responsiveness to tax policy.

PMID- 26101046
TI  - BMA annual meeting: BMA will lobby government over purchaser-provider split.

PMID- 26101047
TI  - Increased Belching After Sleeve Gastrectomy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is considered to be an
      effective procedure for patients with morbid obesity. Belching is frequently
      reported after this procedure, but it has not been well studied in the bariatric
      population. This study aims to assess the changes in belching before and after
      sleeve gastrectomy, as measured with impedance monitoring. METHODS: In a
      prospective study, patients underwent 24-h pH-impedance monitoring before and 3
      months after LSG. Using this technique, belches can be identified. Preoperative
      and postoperative upper gastrointestinal symptoms were assessed using the Reflux
      Disease Questionnaire (RDQ). RESULTS: Fifteen patients (1 M/14 F, mean age 42.2
      +/- 11.0 years, mean weight 134.5 +/- 21.1 kg, mean BMI 46.4 +/- 6.0 kg/m(2))
      participated in this study. Belching occurred significantly more often after LSG,
      with an increase in symptom score from 2.9 +/- 2.6 before to 5.3 +/- 3.5 3 months
      after LSG (p = 0.04). The total number of gastric belches increased from 29.7 +/-
      11.7 before to 59.5 +/- 38.3/24 h 3 months after LSG (p = 0.03). The total number
      of supragastric belches did not change after LSG. The number of swallows
      decreased from 746.9 +/- 302.4 before to 555.7 +/- 172.5 3 months after the
      procedure (p = 0.03). The number of air swallows tended to decrease (p = 0.08).
      Esophageal acid exposure increased significantly, from 3.7 +/- 2.9 % before to
      12.6 +/- 10.5 % after LSG (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Subjectively (as reported by
      patients) and objectively (as measured by impedance monitoring), an increase in
      gastric belches is seen after LSG, while the number of (air) swallows tends to
      decrease after the procedure and the incidence of supragastric belches remains
      constant. The altered anatomy as well as increased gastroesophageal reflux after
      LSG may play a role in the increase of belching.

PMID- 26101048
TI  - Analysis of Causes and Risk Factors for Hospital Readmission After Roux-en-Y
      Gastric Bypass.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identification of causes and preventable triggers for hospital
      readmission after bariatric surgery is very important to implement strategies for
      surgical outcome optimization. The aim of the study was to analyze our
      readmissions after a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). PATIENTS AND METHODS: From
      our prospectively constructed database, patients who were readmitted to the
      hospital within the following 30 and 90 days after discharge were analyzed.
      Hospital charts were reviewed to determine the cause of readmission and the
      outcome. Potential risk factors for readmission were statistically analyzed.
      RESULTS: Between June 2004 and November 2013, 657 patients underwent a primary
      RYGB and 100 revisions. There were 442 (58%) females and 315 (42%) males with a
      mean age of 40.1 +/- 11.5 years and a mean BMI of 42.4 +/- 6.5 Kg/m(2).
      Comorbidities were present in 441 (58.2%) patients. Operations were completed
      laparoscopically in 741 (97.8%) patients. Mean hospital stay after the RYGB was
      2.5 +/- 1.6 days. The 30-day and 90-day readmission rate was 2.6 and 4.58%,
      respectively. Most common causes for readmission at 30 days were gastrointestinal
      bleeding in 30%, lung disease in 15%, and food intolerance in 15%. At 90 days,
      they were stricture of the gastrojejunostomy in 20%, gastrointestinal bleeding in
      13.3%, and nephrolithiasis in 13.3%. Open surgery and previous upper abdominal
      surgery were significant risk factors for 90-day readmission. CONCLUSION: Our
      readmission rate after RYGB was low. Most common causes for readmission were
      upper gastrointestinal bleeding and food intolerance. Associated risk factors
      were open surgery and previous upper abdominal surgery.

PMID- 26101049
TI  - Severe Intellectual Disability: Systematic Review of the Prevalence and Nature of
      Presentation of Unipolar Depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of depression in severe and profound intellectual
      disability is challenging. Without adequate skills in verbal self-expression,
      standardized diagnostic criteria cannot be used with confidence. The purpose of
      this systematic review was to investigate the assessment and diagnosis of
      unipolar depression in severe and profound intellectual disability. The review
      aimed to examine the methods used to assess for depression. The secondary aim was
      to explore the frequency and symptoms of depression. METHODS: The PRISMA (2009)
      Checklist for systematic review was followed, and a search of electronic
      databases was undertaken. Nine studies were included in the qualitative synthesis
      from over 2000 records identified. RESULTS: The quality of the studies was
      assessed and scored, with a wide range of results. Individual studies scored
      between 2 and 7 of a maximum possible score of 8. The diagnostic tools utilized
      by each of the studies were assessed and compared. CONCLUSIONS: In terms of the
      methods used to assess for depression, results were varied. This was due to the
      heterogeneous nature of the individual study designs. The Aberrant Behaviour
      Checklist consistently showed promise, in particular when combined with other
      instruments or clinical examination. Qualitative analysis of the selected studies
      has shown a wide variation in the quality of primary research in this field, with
      more required to make firm conclusions regarding the diagnosis, frequency and
      presentation of depression in severe and profound intellectual disability.

PMID- 26101050
TI  - Meta-analysis of the association of AhR Arg554Lys, AhRR Pro185Ala, and ARNT
      Val189Val polymorphisms and endometriosis risk in Asians.
AB  - PURPOSE: Several studies have suggested an association between the polymorphisms
      AhR Arg554Lys, AhRR Pro185Ala, and ARNT Val189Val and endometriosis, but results
      have been inconclusive. The aim of the present study was to assess these
      associations by meta-analysis. METHODS: Eligible literatures were retrieved from
      PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Elsevier Science Direct, and several Chinese
      databases. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95 % confidence
      intervals (CIs) were calculated with a random or fixed-effect model. RESULTS: A
      total of six eligible studies were included. Regarding the AhR Arg554Lys and ARNT
      Val189Val polymorphisms, no obvious associations were found in either overall
      analysis or subgroup analysis based on the country, source of control, sample
      size, and genotyping method. For the AhRR Pro185Ala polymorphism, overall results
      suggested a marginal association with endometriosis susceptibility under the
      dominant model (OR = 1.65, 95 % CI = 1.00-2.72). Furthermore, a significantly
      increased risk for endometriosis was found in the subgroups which used the TaqMan
      method for genotype analysis or had a sample size >=200. CONCLUSIONS: This meta
      analysis suggested that the polymorphisms of AhR Arg554Lys and ARNT Val189Val are
      not associated with endometriosis, while the AhRR Pro185Ala polymorphism may be
      associated with endometriosis risk. However, further case-control studies with
      larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our results.

PMID- 26101051
TI  - Spatial and temporal imaging of long-range charge transport in perovskite thin
      films by ultrafast microscopy.
AB  - Charge carrier diffusion coefficient and length are important physical parameters
      for semiconducting materials. Long-range carrier diffusion in perovskite thin
      films has led to remarkable solar cell efficiencies; however, spatial and
      temporal mechanisms of charge transport remain unclear. Here we present a direct
      measurement of carrier transport in space and in time by mapping carrier density
      with simultaneous ultrafast time resolution and ~50-nm spatial precision in
      perovskite thin films using transient absorption microscopy. These results
      directly visualize long-range carrier transport of ~220 nm in 2 ns for solution
      processed polycrystalline CH3NH3PbI3 thin films. Variations of the carrier
      diffusion coefficient at the MUm length scale have been observed with values
      ranging between 0.05 and 0.08 cm(2) s(-1). The spatially and temporally resolved
      measurements reported here underscore the importance of the local morphology and
      establish an important first step towards discerning the underlying transport
      properties of perovskite materials.

PMID- 26101052
TI  - Association between resting heart rate and cardiovascular risk factors in
      adolescents.
AB  - This cross-sectional study was performed in 2011 and included 4619 Brazilian
      adolescents (14-19 years old) to analyze the association between elevated resting
      heart rate (RHR) and cardiovascular risk factors in boys and girls. RHR and blood
      pressure were measured using an oscillometric monitor. Overweight was assessed by
      body mass index and abdominal obesity by waist circumference. Physical activity
      levels and sedentary behaviors were obtained using a questionnaire. The effect of
      clustering of cardiovascular risk factors on RHR was analyzed. For boys,
      abdominal obesity (b = 0.106, p = 0.003), high sedentary behavior (b = 0.099, b <
      0.001), physical inactivity (b = 0.049, p = 0.034), and high blood pressure (b =
      0.160, p < 0.001) were associated with RHR, whereas for girls, only high blood
      pressure was associated with RHR (b = 0.259, p < 0.001), after adjustment for
      age, period of the day, and other cardiovascular risk factors. Boys with five
      risk factors presented significantly higher (p < 0.05) RHR values (82.5 +/- 13.4
      beats min(-1)) than those for boys without any cardiovascular risk factors (68.8
      +/- 10.4 beats min(-1)). The girls with five risk factors presented a mean RHR
      value of 89.8 +/- 9.9 beats min(-1) that was higher (p < 0.05) than that for
      girls who had no risk factors (79.6 +/- 10.9 beats min(-1)). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      study demonstrated that while RHR was associated with cardiovascular risk factors
      in both sexes, the clustering of risk factors amplified the elevation of RHR in a
      gender-dependent fashion. WHAT IS KNOWN: * Resting heart rate is a marker of
      cardiovascular disease and mortality in adults and associated with risk factor
      such as higher levels of blood pressure, triglycerides, glucose, and obesity in
      children and adolescents. WHAT IS NEW: * The data from the current study suggest
      that the risk factor clustering is associated with elevated resting heart rate in
      adolescents and that the clustering of risk factors amplifies the elevation of
      resting heart rate in a gender-dependent fashion.

PMID- 26101053
TI  - Laparoscopic-assisted percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in two patients who
      failed percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is a common procedure to
      obtain a feeding tube. However, this technique might imply several difficulties
      and complications. The inability to transilluminate the abdominal wall may occur
      frequently, especially in obese or multi-operated patients. With the emergence of
      minimally invasive surgery, laparoscopic-assisted percutaneous endoscopic
      gastrostomy (LAPEG) might provide a safe and efficient alternative. PRESENTATION
      OF CASES: We report hereby two cases of patients having undergone LAPEG in our
      institution. Conventional PEGs were deemed impossible because of the absence of
      transillumination and motivated a surgical approach. Two obese patients with a
      Body Mass Index (BMI) of 31 and 45kg/m(2) respectively presented neurological
      condition (stroke and Parkinson's disease) requiring a feeding tube. While a PEG
      was unsuccessful (impossibility to transilluminate), a LAPEG was attempted. The
      procedure and the recovery were uneventful. DISCUSSION: There are different
      techniques for gastrostomy tube placement: open gastrostomy, PEG and radiologic
      procedure. The PEG is associated with a significant risk of bowel perforation.
      LAPEG seems to be an interesting option in order to avoid an open gastrostomy in
      patients in whom a PEG cannot be performed. This is especially true in obese
      patients, where a transillumination cannot be performed. It offers an endoscopic
      view of the stomach simultaneously to the laparoscopic approach that allows a
      potential decrease of major complications. CONCLUSION: While the literature
      reports mainly pediatric cases, we present herein two successful LAPEG in adult
      obese patients. In case of impossibility to perform PEG, this technique allows a
      safe direct visualization of the stomach and other adjacent organs.

PMID- 26101054
TI  - Mucoepidermoid carcinoma in a thyroglossal duct remnant.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thyroglossal duct cysts (TDC) are common midline neck swellings
      resulting from embryological remnants of the thyroglossal duct. They often
      contain ectopic thyroid tissue and malignant transformation has been reported,
      most commonly to papillary thyroid carcinoma. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC)
      usually occurs in the salivary glands and only rarely in the thyroid. This is the
      first case of a MEC occurring within a thyroglossal duct remnant. PRESENTATION OF
      A CASE: A 73 year old lady presented with a thyroglossal duct cyst. She declined
      surgical excision, as she was adamant she wanted to avoid surgery. The neck mass
      rapidly enlarged at two years following initial diagnosis. Fine needle aspiration
      cytology was suspicious for carcinoma. She underwent total thyroidectomy and
      selective central compartment neck dissection with adjuvant radiotherapy. She
      remains alive and well two years post treatment. DISCUSSION: Mucoepidermoid
      carcinoma is the most common malignant neoplasm of salivary glands, although it
      has rarely been reported in diverse locations including the thyroid, lung and
      pancreas. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of
      mucoepidermoid carcinoma arising from a thyroglossal duct remnant. CONCLUSION:
      This case adds weight to the literature favouring surgical excision of
      thyroglossal duct remnants due to the risk of malignant transformation.

PMID- 26101056
TI  - Facial nerve palsy, Kawasaki disease, and coronary artery aneurysm.
AB  - Kawasaki disease is rarely complicated by cranial nerve VII palsy. This report
      describes a 15-month-old female presenting with 3 days of fever, irritability,
      and rash who was subsequently diagnosed with Kawasaki disease and treated with
      intravenous immunoglobulin. She was found to have mild coronary artery ectasia
      and developed an acute, transient, left-sided facial palsy on the sixth day of
      illness. Repeat echocardiography demonstrated worsening aneurysm and intravenous
      methylprednisolone was added to her treatment regimen. At 1 and 3 months post
      discharge, echocardiography demonstrated resolution of her coronary aneurysm.
      This case makes 41 total described in the literature. Patients tend to be under
      12-months-old and there is a higher association with coronary artery aneurysm in
      such patients compared to those without facial palsy who never even received
      treatment. Kawasaki disease associated with facial palsy may indicate increased
      inflammatory burden and patients may require additional anti-inflammatory agents
      and more vigilant echocardiography. 

PMID- 26101055
TI  - The influence of task complexity on knee joint kinetics following ACL
      reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous research indicates that subjects with anterior cruciate
      ligament reconstruction exhibit abnormal knee joint movement patterns during
      functional activities like walking. While the sagittal plane mechanics have been
      studied extensively, less is known about the secondary planes, specifically with
      regard to more demanding tasks. This study explored the influence of task
      complexity on functional joint mechanics in the context of graft-specific
      surgeries. METHODS: In 25 participants (10 hamstring tendon graft, 6 patellar
      tendon graft, 9 matched controls), three-dimensional joint torques were
      calculated using a standard inverse dynamics approach during level walking and
      stair descent. The stair descent task was separated into two functionally
      different sub-tasks-step-to-floor and step-to-step. The differences in external
      knee moment profiles were compared between groups; paired differences between the
      reconstructed and non-reconstructed knees were also assessed. FINDINGS: The
      reconstructed knees, irrespective of graft type, typically exhibited
      significantly lower peak knee flexion moments compared to control knees during
      stair descent, with the differences more pronounced in the step-to-step task.
      Frontal plane adduction torque deficits were graft specific and limited to the
      hamstring tendon knees during the step-to-step task. Internal rotation torque
      deficits were also primarily limited to the hamstring tendon graft group during
      stair descent. Collectively, these results suggest that task complexity was a
      primary driver of differences in joint mechanics between anterior cruciate
      ligament reconstructed individuals and controls, and such differences were more
      pronounced in individuals with hamstring tendon grafts. INTERPRETATION: The
      mechanical environment experienced in the cartilage during repetitive, cyclical
      tasks such as walking and other activities of daily living has been argued to
      contribute to the development of degenerative changes to the joint and ultimately
      osteoarthritis. Given the task-specific and graft-specific differences in joint
      mechanics detected in this study, care should be taken during the rehabilitation
      process to mitigate these changes.

PMID- 26101057
TI  - Caudate neuronal recording in freely behaving animals following acute and chronic
      dose response methylphenidate exposure.
AB  - The misuse and abuse of the psychostimulant, methylphenidate (MPD) the drug of
      choice in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has
      seen a sharp uprising in recent years among both youth and adults for its
      cognitive enhancing effects and for recreational purposes. This uprise in illicit
      use has lead to many questions concerning the long-term consequences of MPD
      exposure. The objective of this study was to record animal behavior concomitantly
      with the caudate nucleus (CN) neuronal activity following acute and repetitive
      (chronic) dose response exposure to methylphenidate (MPD). A saline control and
      three MPD dose (0.6, 2.5, and 10.0mg/kg) groups were used. Behaviorally, the same
      MPD dose in some animals following chronic MPD exposure elicited behavioral
      sensitization and other animals elicited behavioral tolerance. Based on this
      finding, the CN neuronal population recorded from animals expressing behavioral
      sensitization was also evaluated separately from CN neurons recorded from animals
      expressing behavioral tolerance to chronic MPD exposure, respectively.
      Significant differences in CN neuronal population responses between the
      behaviorally sensitized and the behaviorally tolerant animals were observed for
      the 2.5 and 10.0mg/kg MPD exposed groups. For 2.5mg/kg MPD, behaviorally
      sensitized animals responded by decreasing their firing rates while behaviorally
      tolerant animals showed mainly an increase in their firing rates. The CN neuronal
      responses recorded from the behaviorally sensitized animals following 10.0mg/kg
      MPD responded by increasing their firing rates whereas the CN neuronal recordings
      from the behaviorally tolerant animals showed that approximately half decreased
      their firing rates in response to 10.0mg/kg MPD exposure. The comparison of
      percentage change in neuronal firing rates showed that the behaviorally tolerant
      animals trended to exhibit increases in their neuronal firing rates at ED1
      following initial MPD exposure and oppositely at ED10 MPD rechallenge. While the
      behaviorally sensitized animals in general increased in their percentage change
      of firing rats were observed following acute 10.0mg/kg MPD and the behaviorally
      sensitized 10.0mg/kg MPD animals and a robust increase in neuronal firing rates
      at ED1 and ED10 rechallenge. These results suggest the need to first individually
      analyze animal behavioral activity, and then to evaluate the neuronal responses
      to the drug based on the animals behavioral response to chronic MPD exposure. 

PMID- 26101058
TI  - Testing predator-prey theory using broad-scale manipulations and independent
      validation.
AB  - A robust test of ecological theory is to gauge the predictive accuracy of general
      relationships parameterized from multiple systems but applied to a new area. To
      address this goal, we used an ecosystem-level experiment to test predator-prey
      theory by manipulating prey abundance to determine whether predation was density
      dependent, density independent, compensatory or depensatory (inversely density
      dependent) on prey populations. Understanding the nature of predation is of
      primary importance in community ecology because it establishes whether predation
      has little effect on prey abundance (compensatory), whether it promotes
      coexistence (density dependent) and reduces the equilibrium of prey (density
      independent) or whether it can be destabilizing (depensatory). We used
      theoretical predictions consisting of functional and numerical equations
      parameterized independently from meta-analyses on wolves (Canis lupus) and moose
      (Alces alces), but applied to our specific wolf-moose system. Predictions were
      tested by experimentally reducing moose abundance across 6500 km(2) as a novel
      way of evaluating the nature of predation. Depensatory predation of wolves on
      moose was the best explanation of the population dynamic - a mechanism that has
      been hypothesized to occur but has rarely been evaluated. Adding locally obtained
      kill rates and numerical estimates to the independent data provided no benefit to
      model predictions, suggesting that the theory was robust to local variation.
      These findings have critical implications for any organism that is preyed upon
      but that also has, or will be, subject to increased human exploitation or
      perturbations from environmental change. If depensatory predation is not
      accounted for in harvest models, predicted yields will be excessive and lead to
      further population decline.

PMID- 26101059
TI  - Sustained wash-resistant receptor activation responses of GPR119 agonists.
AB  - G protein-coupled receptor 119 (GPR119) is involved in regulating metabolic
      homoeostasis, with GPR119 agonists targeted for the treatment of type-2 diabetes
      and obesity. Using the endogenous agonist oleoylethanolamide and a number of
      small molecule synthetic agonists we have investigated the temporal dynamics of
      receptor signalling. Using both a dynamic luminescence biosensor-based assay and
      an endpoint cAMP accumulation assay we show that agonist-driven desensitization
      is not a major regulatory mechanism for GPR119 despite robust activation
      responses, regardless of the agonist used. Temporal analysis of the cAMP
      responses demonstrated sustained signalling resistant to washout for some, but
      not all of the agonists tested. Further analysis indicated that the sustained
      effects of one synthetic agonist AR-231,453 were consistent with a role for slow
      dissociation kinetics. In contrast, the sustained responses to MBX-2982 and AZ1
      appeared to involve membrane deposition. We also detect wash-resistant responses
      to AR-231,453 at the level of physiologically relevant responses in an endogenous
      expression system (GLP-1 secretion in GLUTag cells). In conclusion, our findings
      indicate that in a recombinant expression system GPR119 activation is sustained,
      with little evidence of pronounced receptor desensitization, and for some ligands
      persistent agonist responses continue despite removal of excess agonist. This
      provides novel understanding of the temporal responses profiles of potential drug
      candidates targetting GPR119, and highlights the importance of carefully
      examining the the mechanisms through which GPCRs generate sustained responses. 

PMID- 26101060
TI  - Screening of central functions of amino acids and their metabolites for sedative
      and hypnotic effects using chick models.
AB  - The chick has a practical advantage in the screening process in that chicks
      require only small quantities of drugs. The chick separation stress paradigm has
      traditionally been recognized as a valid form of anxiolytic screening. Further,
      chick behavior involving standing motionless with eyes closed or sitting
      motionless with head drooped is nearly always associated with
      electrophysiological sleep. When centrally administered, some DNA-encoded L-alpha
      amino acids, as well as some DNA-non-encoded amino acids, such as metabolites of
      L-alpha-amino acids, D-amino acid and beta-amino acid, have shown sedative and/or
      hypnotic effects in chicks. The effects of some of these amino acids have
      subsequently been confirmed in humans. In conclusion, the chick model is
      convenient and useful for screening central functions of amino acids and their
      metabolites for hypnosis and sedation. 

PMID- 26101061
TI  - Carbon monoxide-releasing molecule-3 suppresses Prevotella intermedia
      lipopolysaccharide-induced production of nitric oxide and interleukin-1beta in
      murine macrophages.
AB  - This study was performed to analyze the effect of carbon monoxide (CO)-releasing
      molecule-3 (CORM-3) in alleviating the production of proinflammatory mediators in
      macrophages treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Prevotella intermedia, a
      pathogen associated with periodontal disease, and its possible mechanisms of
      action. LPS was isolated using the hot phenol-water method. Culture supernatants
      were assayed for nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). Gene
      expression was quantified by real-time PCR, and protein expression by
      immunoblotting. DNA-binding activities of NF-kappaB subunits were determined
      using an ELISA-based kit. CORM-3 suppressed the production of inducible NO
      synthase (iNOS)-derived NO and IL-1beta at both gene transcription and
      translation levels in P. intermedia LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells. CORM-3 enhanced
      heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression in cells stimulated with P. intermedia LPS,
      and inhibition of HO-1 activity by SnPP notably reversed the suppressive effect
      of CORM-3 on LPS-induced production of NO. LPS-induced phosphorylation of p38 and
      JNK was not affected by CORM-3. CORM-3 did not influence P. intermedia LPS
      induced degradation of IkappaB-alpha. Instead, nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB
      p65 and p50 subunits was blocked by CORM-3 in LPS-treated cells. In addition,
      CORM-3 reduced LPS-induced p65 and p50 binding to DNA. Besides, CORM-3
      significantly suppressed P. intermedia LPS-induced phosphorylation of STAT1.
      Overall, this study indicates that CORM-3 suppresses the production of NO and IL
      1beta in P. intermedia LPS-activated murine macrophages via HO-1 induction and
      inhibition of NF-kappaB and STAT1 pathways. The modulation of host inflammatory
      response by CORM-3 would be an attractive therapeutic approach to attenuate the
      progression of periodontal disease. 

PMID- 26101062
TI  - 6-Shogaol induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human hepatoma cells through
      pleiotropic mechanisms.
AB  - Shogaols are a group of the active constituents of ginger that have been
      identified to have various biological activities. The aim of the current study
      was to investigate the antitumor activity of 6-shogaol in hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) and the possible involvement of reactive oxygen species as a
      putative mechanism of action. HCC cell lines, HepG2 and Huh-7, were used to study
      the in vitro anti-cancer activity of 6-shogaol via the application of various
      molecular biology techniques. Results showed that 6-shogaol effectively inhibited
      the cell viability, caused cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and induced apoptosis
      in HCC cells as indicated by MTT assay, DAPI nuclear staining, annexin V assay,
      cell cycle analysis, and activation of caspase-3. Western blot analysis revealed
      the ability of 6-shogaol to target cancer survival signaling pathways mediated by
      mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)
      and Akt. In addition, 6-Shogaol induced alteration of cyclin proteins expression
      and caused cleavage of protein kinase C delta. Furthermore, 6-Shogaol was able to
      induce the production of reactive oxygen species and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
      stress-associated proteins and the consequent activation of autophagy in HepG2
      cells. Taken together, the current study highlights evidences that 6-shogaol
      induces apoptosis, modulates cyclins expression and targets cancer survival
      signaling pathways in HCC cell lines, at least in part, via the production of
      reactive oxygen species. These findings support 6-shogaol's clinical promise as a
      potential candidate for HCC therapy. 

PMID- 26101064
TI  - Elevated level of nitric oxide mediates the anti-depressant effect of rubidium
      chloride in mice.
AB  - Rubidium has been used to treat psychiatric conditions including depression. We
      examined the antidepressant activity of rubidium chloride (RbCl) in male mice and
      the possible interference of nitric oxide (NO) in this effect. Mouse forced
      swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) were used to evaluate the
      antidepressant-like effect of RbCl. These drugs were used in this study: N(G)-l
      arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), a non-selective nitric oxide synthase (NOS)
      inhibitor, 7-Nitroindazole and aminoguanidine, selective neuronal and inducible
      NOS inhibitors, respectively, and l-arginine, an NO precursor. We studied the
      changes of serum and hippocampus nitrite level after different treatments. RbCl
      (30mg/kg), when administered 60min before the tests, significantly reduced the
      immobility time. Non-effective doses of l-NAME (10mg/kg) and aminoguanidine
      (50mg/kg), co-administered with the effective dose of RbCl (30mg/kg), reversed
      the anti-immobility effect of RbCl, while 7-NI (25mg/kg) could not prevent the
      diminishing effect of RbCl on immobility time. Moreover, co-administration of non
      effective doses of l-arginine (750mg/kg) and RbCl (10mg/kg) decreased the
      immobility time. None of the mentioned treatments altered the locomotor activity
      of mice in open-field test. Nitrite level was significantly increased in serum
      and hippocampus of animals after RbCl (30mg/kg) administration and this nitrite
      level elevation was reversed by non-effective dose of l-NAME and aminoguanidine,
      but not 7-NI. Our data for the first time reveal the role of NO pathway in the
      antidepressant-like activity of RbCl, concluding that this effect results from
      elevation of NO through involvement of iNOS in mice. 

PMID- 26101063
TI  - Fisetin regulates TPA-induced breast cell invasion by suppressing matrix
      metalloproteinase-9 activation via the PKC/ROS/MAPK pathways.
AB  - Invasion and metastasis are among the main causes of death in patients with
      malignant tumors. Fisetin (3,3',4',7-tetrahydroxyflavone), a natural flavonoid
      found in the smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria), is known to have antimetastatic
      effects on prostate and lung cancers; however, the effect of fisetin on breast
      cancer metastasis is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the anti
      invasive activity of fisetin in human breast cancer cells. Matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 is a major component facilitating the invasion of many
      cancer tumor cell types, and thus the inhibitory effect of fisetin on MMP-9
      expression in 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-stimulated human breast
      cancer cells was investigated in this study. Fisetin significantly attenuated TPA
      induced cell invasion in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, and was found to
      inhibit the activation of the PKCalpha/ROS/ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling
      pathways. This effect was furthermore associated with reduced NF-kappaB
      activation, suggesting that the anti-invasive effect of fisetin on MCF-7 cells
      may result from inhibited TPA activation of NF-kappaB and reduced TPA activation
      of PKCalpha/ROS/ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK signals, ultimately leading to the
      downregulation of MMP-9 expression. Our findings indicate the role of fisetin in
      MCF-7 cell invasion, and clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms of this
      role, suggesting fisetin as a potential chemopreventive agent for breast cancer
      metastasis. 

PMID- 26101065
TI  - Midkine proteins in cardio-vascular disease. Where do we come from and where are
      we heading to?
AB  - Midkine is a recently identified new growth factor/cytokine with pleiotropic
      functions in the human organism. First discovered in the late eighties, midkines
      have now become the subject of numerous studies in cardiovascular, neurologic,
      renal diseases and also various types of cancers. We summarize here the most
      important functions of midkine in cardiovascular diseases, emphasizing its role
      in inflammation and its antiapoptotic and proangiogenetic effects. Midkine has
      multiple roles in the organism, with the specific feature of being either
      beneficial or harmful depending on which tissue it acts on. Even though midkine
      has been shown to have cardiac protective effects against acute
      ischemia/reperfusion injury and to inhibit cardiac remodeling, it also promotes
      intimal hyperplasia and vascular stenosis. As such, different therapeutic
      strategies are currently being evaluated, consisting of administering either
      midkine proteins or midkine inhibitors depending on the desired outcome. More
      data is gathering to suggest that these novel therapies could become an
      adjunctive to standard cardiovascular therapy. Nonetheless, much is still to be
      learned about midkine. The encouraging results up till now require further
      studying in order to fully understand the complete profile of its mechanism of
      action and the clinical safety and efficacy of novel therapeutic opportunities
      offered by midkine molecular targeting. 

PMID- 26101066
TI  - Contrasting cardiovascular properties of the u-opioid agonists morphine and
      methadone in the rat.
AB  - Morphine and methadone share the property of MU-opioid receptor agonism yet have
      markedly different cardiovascular actions suggesting additional properties are at
      play. We investigated the i.v. dose-response relationships of the opioids on
      cardiovascular metameters in anaesthetised rats in the absence or presence of H1-
      and H2-receptor antagonism and the MU-opioid antagonist naloxone. In vitro tissue
      assays were employed to define more clearly cardiac and vascular mechanisms of
      action. Morphine (9, 30, 90mg/kg i.v.) decreased heart rate (HR) and mean
      arterial pressure (MAP) - responses that were blocked by naloxone pretreatment
      (10mg/kg i.v.). In contrast, methadone (3, 10, 30mg/kg i.v.) caused dramatic
      short-lived (1-3min) bradycardia, hypotension and lengthening of the QT interval
      before stabilising 5min after i.v. dosing. Only the steady-state responses of HR
      and MAP were blocked by naloxone. Mepyramine (10mg/kg i.v.) and cimetidine
      (100mg/kg i.v.) also blocked the naloxone-sensitive components. In isolated small
      mesenteric arteries precontracted by K(+) 62mM or endothelin-1, methadone (1
      30MUM) relaxed vessels while morphine (1-100MUM) had no effect. Pretreatment with
      naloxone (10MUM), indomethacin (30MUM) or nitro-l-arginine (100MUM) did not
      affect the relaxation to methadone. In rat isolated left atria, morphine and
      methadone inhibited inotropic responses at high concentrations (100MUM). In rat
      papillary muscle and right atria, methadone was more than 30 times more potent at
      lengthening the refractory period and slowing the atrial rate than morphine. We
      conclude that methadone is a potent vasodilator agent, possibly through blocking
      L-type calcium channels. 

PMID- 26101067
TI  - Galectin-3 and post-myocardial infarction cardiac remodeling.
AB  - This review summarizes the current literature regarding the involvement and the
      putative role(s) of galectin-3 in post-myocardial infarction cardiac remodeling.
      Post-myocardial infarction remodeling is characterized by acute loss of
      myocardium, which leads to structural and biomechanical changes in order to
      preserve cardiac function. A hallmark herein is fibrosis formation, both in the
      early and late phase following acute myocardial infarction. Galectin-3, a beta
      galactoside-binding lectin, which is a shared factor in fibrosis formation in
      multiple organs, has an established role in cardiac fibrosis in the setting of
      pressure overload, neuro-endocrine activation and hypertension, but its role in
      post- myocardial infarction remodeling has received less attention. However,
      accumulative experimental studies have shown that myocardial galectin-3
      expression is upregulated after myocardial infarction, both on mRNA and protein
      level. This already occurs shortly after myocardial infarction in the infarcted
      and border zone area, and also at a later stage in the spared myocardium,
      contributing to tissue repair and fibrosis. This is associated with typical
      aspects of fibrosis formation, such as apposition of matricellular proteins and
      increased factors of collagen turnover. Interestingly, myocardial fibrosis in
      experimental post-myocardial infarction cardiac remodeling could be attenuated by
      galectin-3 inhibition. In clinical studies, circulating galectin-3 levels have
      been shown to identify patients at risk for new-onset heart failure and atrial
      fibrillation. Circulating galectin-3 levels also predict progressive left
      ventricular dilatation after myocardial infarction. From literature we conclude
      that galectin-3 is an active player in cardiac remodeling after myocardial
      infarction. Future studies should focus on the dynamics of galectin-3 activation
      after myocardial infarction, and study the possibilities to target galectin-3. 

PMID- 26101068
TI  - TRAM-Derived Decoy Peptides inhibits the inflammatory response in mouse mammary
      epithelial cells and a mastitis model in mice.
AB  - It has been proved that TRAM-Derived Decoy peptides have anti-inflammatory
      properties. In this study, we synthesized a TRAM-Derived decoy peptide (TM6),
      belongs to TRAM TIR domain, of which sequence is "N"-RQIKIWFQNRRMKWK,
      KENFLRDTWCNFQFY-"C" and evaluated the effects of TM6 on lipopolysaccharide
      induced mastitis in mice. In vivo, LPS-induced mice mastitis model was
      established by injection of LPS through the duct of mammary gland. TM6 was
      injected 1h before or after LPS treatment. In vitro, primary mouse mammary
      epithelial cells were used to investigate the effects of TM6 on LPS-induced
      inflammatory responses. The results showed that TM6 inhibited LPS-induced mammary
      gland histopathologic changes, MPO activity, and TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6
      production in mice. In vitro, TM6 significantly inhibited LPS-induced TNF-alpha
      and IL-6 production, as well as NF-kappaB and MAPKs activation. In conclusion,
      this study demonstrated that TM6 had protective effects on LPS-mastitis and may
      be a promising therapeutic reagent for mastitis treatment. 

PMID- 26101069
TI  - Amitifadine, a triple monoamine re-uptake inhibitor, reduces nicotine self
      administration in female rats.
AB  - A wider diversity of drug treatments to aid smoking cessation is needed to help
      tailor the most efficacious treatment for different types of smokers. This study
      was conducted to determine whether amitifadine, which inhibits re-uptake of
      dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, would decrease nicotine self
      administration at doses that do not cause adverse side effects. Adult female
      Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer nicotine intravenous (IV) and
      were given acute doses of amitifadine in a repeated measures counterbalanced
      design. Effects of amitifadine on locomotor activity and food motivated
      responding were also evaluated. Chronic amitifadine effects were also examined.
      The 30 mg/kg amitifadine dose significantly reduced nicotine self-administration.
      The 5 and 10 mg/kg doses reduced nicotine self-administration during the first 15
      min of the session when the greatest amount of nicotine was self-administered.
      The 30 mg/kg amitifadine dose, but not the lower doses caused a significant
      reduction in locomotor activity averaged over the one-hour session and reduced
      food motivated responding. The 10 mg/kg dose caused hypoactivity at the beginning
      of the session, but 5 mg/kg did not cause any hypoactivity. The effects of
      chronic amitifadine treatment (10 mg/kg) over the course of 15 sessions was also
      determined. Amitifadine caused a significant reduction in nicotine self
      administration, which was not seen to diminish over two consecutive weeks of
      treatment and a week after enforced abstinence. Amitifadine significantly reduced
      nicotine self-administration. This prompts further research to determine if
      amitifadine might be an effective treatment for smoking cessation.

PMID- 26101071
TI  - Association of British Neurologists: revised (2015) guidelines for prescribing
      disease-modifying treatments in multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 26101070
TI  - Deferoxamine modulates cytokines and growth factors to accelerate cutaneous wound
      healing in diabetic rats.
AB  - Deferoxamine has shown cutaneous wound healing potential by increased
      neovascularization. We hypothesized that topically applied deferoxamine
      facilitates wound healing in diabetic rats by modulating important cytokines and
      growth factors that take part in healing processes in a time-dependent manner.
      Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by streptozotocin and wound was created
      under pentobarbitone anesthesia. The diabetic rats were divided into two groups,
      of which one (control) was treated with ointment base and other with deferoxamine
      ointment (0.1%). Wound closure measurement and tissue collection were done on
      days 3, 7, 14 and 19 post-wounding. The relative expressions of hypoxia-inducible
      factor 1-alpha (HIF-1alpha), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), stromal
      cell-derived factor 1-alpha (SDF-1alpha), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF
      beta1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP
      9), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) mRNA and proteins
      were determined in the wound tissues. CD-31 staining and collagen content were
      evaluated by immunohistochemistry and picrosirius red staining, respectively.
      Histological changes were assessed by H&E staining. The per cent wound closure
      was significantly higher from day 7 onwards in deferoxamine-treated rats. HIF
      1alpha, VEGF, SDF-1alpha, TGF-beta1, IL-10 mRNA and their protein levels were
      significantly higher on days 3, 7 and 14 in deferoxamine-treated rats. The mRNA
      expression and protein levels of TNF-alpha, MMP-9 and IL-1beta were progressively
      and markedly reduced in deferoxamine-treated rats. The collagen deposition and
      formation of blood vessels were greater in deferoxamine-treated rats. It is
      suggested that topical application of deferoxamine ointment might be useful in
      cutaneous wound healing in diabetic patients. 

PMID- 26101073
TI  - Nerve Gap Reconstruction.

PMID- 26101074
TI  - Antibiotic Prescribing Habits of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in Conjunction
      With Routine Dental Implant Placement.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although various prophylactic systemic antibiotic regimens have been
      suggested to minimize failure after dental implant placement, the role of
      antibiotics in implant dentistry is still controversial. The purpose of the
      present survey was to determine the current antibiotic prescribing habits of oral
      and maxillofacial surgeons in conjunction with routine dental implant placement
      to determine whether any consensus has been reached among such practitioners.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic survey was sent by electronic mail to all
      members of the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. The questions
      asked were related to whether antibiotics were routinely prescribed either pre-
      or postoperatively during routine dental implant placement, and, if so, what
      antibiotics, dosage, frequency, and duration were used. The survey participants
      were also asked to specify whether they were in solo private practice, group
      private practice, academia, military, or "other." The results were tabulated and
      analyzed using SAS software. Descriptive statistics and chi(2) analyses were
      used. RESULTS: A total of 217 members responded to the survey. Overall, 112 of
      217 (51.6%) prescribed antibiotics preoperatively (95% confidence interval [CI]
      50.0 to 58.2%) and 152 of 213 (71.4%) prescribed antibiotics postoperatively (95%
      CI 65.0 to 77.0%) during routine dental implant placement. Also, 72 (34%)
      indicated that they prescribed antibiotics both pre- and postoperatively. The
      most common preoperative regimen used was amoxicillin 2 g given 1 hour before the
      procedure (32%, n = 36). The most common postoperative regimen used was
      amoxicillin 500 mg 3 times daily for 5 days (53%, n = 81). CONCLUSIONS: We found
      no consensus among oral and maxillofacial surgeons regarding the use of
      antibiotics in association with routine dental implant placement, the type of
      regimen to use, or whether such use is even effective in preventing early implant
      loss. Furthermore, most of the antibiotic regimens being used are not in
      accordance with the recommendations current in the published data.

PMID- 26101072
TI  - Regional beta-amyloid burden does not correlate with cognitive or language
      deficits in Alzheimer's disease presenting as aphasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A subset of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD)
      present with early and prominent language impairment (aphasic AD). Our previous
      study demonstrated an association between global beta-amyloid burden measured on
      [(11)C] Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography and general
      cognitive impairment, but not with aphasia, in such subjects. As a follow-up,
      whether there is any association between regional beta-amyloid burden, atrophy on
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and global cognitive impairment, aphasia or
      other cognitive and functional impairment in aphasic AD is assessed. METHODS:
      Forty-four aphasic AD subjects who underwent PiB scanning and volumetric MRI and
      were determined to be positive for beta-amyloid deposition were analyzed. All had
      completed detailed neurological, neuropsychological and language batteries.
      Spearman's rank-order correlation was utilized to assess for associations.
      RESULTS: Greater visuospatial impairment was associated with increased beta
      amyloid burden in the primary visual cortex (P = 0.001). Although there were many
      trends for associations between neurocognitive and language deficits and regional
      beta-amyloid burden, there were no strong associations that survived correction
      for multiple comparisons. However, neurocognitive and language impairment in
      these subjects strongly correlated with the degree of left lateral temporal and
      inferior parietal atrophy (P < 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study
      suggest a close relation between the severity of regional atrophy and cognitive
      and language impairment, but argue against a strong association between regional
      beta-amyloid burden and such deficits in aphasic AD subjects. Hence, other
      pathological factors may be driving the previously identified association between
      global beta-amyloid deposition and general cognitive impairment in aphasic AD.

PMID- 26101075
TI  - STAM2, a member of the endosome-associated complex ESCRT-0 is highly expressed in
      neurons.
AB  - STAM2 (signal transducing adaptor molecule 2), a subunit of the ESCRT-0 complex,
      is an endosomal protein acting as a regulator of receptor signaling and
      trafficking. To analyze STAM2 in the nervous system, its gene expression and
      protein localization in the mouse brain were identified using three methods: mRNA
      in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and via lacZ reporter in frame with
      Stam2 gene using the gene trap mouse line Stam2(Gt1Gaj). STAM2 intracellular
      localization was analyzed by subcellular fractionation and co-immunofluorescence
      using confocal microscopy. Stam2 was strongly expressed in the cerebral and
      cerebellar cortex, hippocampal formation, olfactory bulb, and medial habenula.
      The majority of STAM2-positive cells co-stained with the neuronal markers. In
      neurons STAM2 was found in the early endosomes and also in the nucleus. The other
      members of the ESCRT-0 complex co-localized with STAM2 in the cytoplasm, but they
      were not present in the nucleus. The newly identified neuron-specific nuclear
      localization of STAM2, together with its high expression in the brain indicated
      that STAM2 might have a specific function in the mouse nervous system. 

PMID- 26101076
TI  - Anaemia prevalence may be reduced among countries that fortify flour.
AB  - The effectiveness of flour fortification in reducing anaemia prevalence is
      equivocal. The goal was to utilise the existing national-level data to assess
      whether anaemia in non-pregnant women was reduced after countries began
      fortifying wheat flour, alone or in combination with maize flour, with at least
      Fe, folic acid, vitamin A or vitamin B12. Nationally representative anaemia data
      were identified through Demographic and Health Survey reports, the WHO Vitamin
      and Mineral Nutrition Information System database and other national-level
      nutrition surveys. Countries with at least two anaemia surveys were considered
      for inclusion. Within countries, surveys were excluded if altitude was not
      consistently adjusted for, or if the blood-draw site (e.g. capillary or venous)
      or Hb quantification method (e.g. HemoCue or Cyanmethaemoglobin) differed.
      Anaemia prevalence was modelled for countries that had pre- and post
      fortification data (n 12) and for countries that never fortified flour (n 20)
      using logistic regression models that controlled for time effects, human
      development index (HDI) and endemic malaria. After adjusting for HDI and malaria,
      each year of fortification was associated with a 2.4% reduction in the odds of
      anaemia prevalence (PR 0.976, 95% CI 0.975, 0.978). Among countries that never
      fortified, no reduction in the odds of anaemia prevalence over time was observed
      (PR 0.999, 95% CI 0.997, 1.002). Among both fortification and non-fortification
      countries, HDI and malaria were significantly associated with anaemia (P,0.001).
      Although this type of evidence precludes a definitive conclusion, results suggest
      that after controlling for time effects, HDI and endemic malaria, anaemia
      prevalence has decreased significantly in countries that fortify flour with
      micronutrients, while remaining unchanged in countries that do not.

PMID- 26101077
TI  - Association of exposure to neighborhood drug activity, neurobehavioral traits,
      and marijuana use among at-risk African American females.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Theories of relative deprivation suggest African Americans in
      disadvantaged communities are at increased risk for drug use. This increased risk
      may be due, in part, to exposure to drugs and drug subcultures. Given the
      significance of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) functioning in yielding behavior that
      is strategically guided rather than reactive to environmental demands, it is
      important to examine the relationship between PFC functioning, neighborhood drug
      activity and substance use among African Americans residing in high risk
      communities. METHODS: A sample of 120 young adult African American females was
      recruited from high-risk neighborhoods. Each completed the modified version of
      the neighborhood environment scale, a neurobehavioral assessment designed to
      measure apathy, behavioral disinhibition and executive dysfunction, and provided
      a urine sample that was tested for the presence of psychoactive drugs. RESULTS:
      Logistic regression analyses indicated that females with higher scores on
      behavioral disinhibition were 2.6 times more likely to test positive for
      marijuana (95%CI = 1.02, 6.57). Neither apathy nor executive dysfunction was
      related to marijuana use. No relationship emerged between neighborhood drug
      activity and marijuana use. CONCLUSIONS: Among the neurobehavioral traits
      considered only behavioral disinhibition was associated with marijuana use,
      suggesting that different neurobehavioral domains may be uniquely related to
      marijuana use. For females living in high risk environments, the extent to which
      they are able to control impulses may provide some protection against marijuana
      use. Future studies focused on the moderating effects of behavioral disinhibition
      on the association of exposure to risk environments and marijuana use may prove
      beneficial. Further, the study adds to the small base of literature supporting
      the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale as a brief assessment to evaluate frontally
      mediated neurobehavioral traits relevant to substance use. However, future
      studies aimed at examining the influence of neighborhood drug activity might
      benefit from more precise measures of exposure to neighborhood drug activity.
      More research to replicate and expand on the present findings is warranted.

PMID- 26101078
TI  - Drinking patterns of alcohol intoxicated adolescents in the emergency department:
      A latent class analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The increasing number of children and adolescents in need of
      emergency medical treatment following acute alcohol intoxication has been a major
      public health concern in Europe in recent years. However, little is known about
      drinking habits and associated risks in this population. To our knowledge, this
      is the first study to examine drinking patterns and associated risks in
      adolescent emergency department patients following alcohol intoxication. The aim
      of this study is to establish a classification system for admitted adolescents
      METHODS: Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups of adolescents with
      distinct patterns of habitual drinking as defined by the quantity of consumed
      alcohol on a typical drinking occasion, frequency of binge drinking and
      drunkenness, alcohol-related problems, prior alcohol-related hospitalizations and
      alcohol-related risk behaviors. Subgroup characteristics were examined with
      regard to sociodemographics, other substance use and psychosocial problems using
      analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi-square tests. RESULTS: A total of 316
      adolescents aged 12-17 treated in 6 urban emergency departments in Germany were
      analyzed. Five classes of drinking patterns were identified: one class
      representing low-risk drinking (class 1 "low-risk" (61.2%)), two classes
      representing risky drinking (class 2 "moderate-risk" (5.7%) and class 3 "frequent
      drunk" (15.8%)), as well as two classes representing high-risk drinking (class 4
      "alcohol-related problems" (11.4%) and class 5 "excessive drinking" (5.1%)).
      Membership of classes 4 and 5 was associated with the most severe psychosocial
      problems, especially with regard to aggressive-dissocial behaviors. The CRAFFT-d
      and brief RAPI screening tools allowed identifying the two risky drinking classes
      and two high-risk drinking classes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide the first
      in-depth analysis of habitual drinking in this study population and may help
      practitioners to better tailor interventions to patients' needs by using the
      identified classes as a form of classification system for admitted adolescents.

PMID- 26101079
TI  - Emotional reactions to alcohol-related words: Differences between low- and high
      risk drinkers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Research that has examined responses to alcohol-related words in
      drinkers has mostly linked such responses to memory, attentional, and perceptual
      bias. However, studies of emotional processing in alcoholics have not received
      much attention. The main goal of the present study was to identify the features
      and differences of emotional responses to alcohol-related words in low- and high
      risk drinkers. METHOD: A total of 149 low-risk drinkers and 125 high-risk
      drinkers evaluated five alcohol-related words and 15 words from the Affective
      Norms for English Words in the dimensions of valence, arousal, and dominance
      using the Self-Assessment Manikin. RESULTS: The results indicated that high-risk
      drinkers evaluated alcohol-related words as more appetitive and arousing.
      CONCLUSION: These results, together with findings in the attention and memory
      research literature, suggest that alcohol-related words can serve as conditioned
      cues in alcohol consumption.

PMID- 26101080
TI  - The evolution of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli.
AB  - The global significance of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli as
      gastrointestinal human pathogens has motivated numerous studies to characterize
      their population biology and evolution. These bacteria are a common component of
      the intestinal microbiota of numerous bird and mammal species and cause disease
      in humans, typically via consumption of contaminated meat products, especially
      poultry meat. Sequence-based molecular typing methods, such as multilocus
      sequence typing (MLST) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), have been instructive
      for understanding the epidemiology and evolution of these bacteria and how
      phenotypic variation relates to the high degree of genetic structuring in C. coli
      and C. jejuni populations. Here, we describe aspects of the relatively short
      history of coevolution between humans and pathogenic Campylobacter, by reviewing
      research investigating how mutation and lateral or horizontal gene transfer (LGT
      or HGT, respectively) interact to create the observed population structure. These
      genetic changes occur in a complex fitness landscape with divergent ecologies,
      including multiple host species, which can lead to rapid adaptation, for example,
      through frame-shift mutations that alter gene expression or the acquisition of
      novel genetic elements by HGT. Recombination is a particularly strong
      evolutionary force in Campylobacter, leading to the emergence of new lineages and
      even large-scale genome-wide interspecies introgression between C. jejuni and C.
      coli. The increasing availability of large genome datasets is enhancing
      understanding of Campylobacter evolution through the application of methods, such
      as genome-wide association studies, but MLST-derived clonal complex designations
      remain a useful method for describing population structure. 

PMID- 26101081
TI  - Oligodendrocytes: Myelination and Axonal Support.
AB  - Myelinated nerve fibers have evolved to enable fast and efficient transduction of
      electrical signals in the nervous system. To act as an electric insulator, the
      myelin sheath is formed as a multilamellar membrane structure by the spiral
      wrapping and subsequent compaction of the oligodendroglial plasma membrane around
      central nervous system (CNS) axons. Current evidence indicates that the myelin
      sheath is more than an inert insulating membrane structure. Oligodendrocytes are
      metabolically active and functionally connected to the subjacent axon via
      cytoplasmic-rich myelinic channels for movement of macromolecules to and from the
      internodal periaxonal space under the myelin sheath. This review summarizes our
      current understanding of how myelin is generated and also the role of
      oligodendrocytes in supporting the long-term integrity of myelinated axons. 

PMID- 26101082
TI  - A case report of avian influenza H7N9 killing a young doctor in Shanghai, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The novel avian influenza H7N9 virus has caused severe diseases in
      humans in eastern China since the spring of 2013. On January 18(th) 2014, a
      doctor working in the emergency department of a hospital in Shanghai died of H7N9
      virus infection. To understand possible reasons to explain this world's first
      fatal H7N9 case of a health care worker (HCW), we summarize the clinical
      presentation, epidemiological investigations, laboratory results, and prevention
      and control policies and make important recommendations to hospital-related
      workers. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 31-year-old male Chinese surgeon
      who was obese and had a five-year history of hypertension and suspected diabetes.
      On January 11(th) 2014, he showed symptoms of an influenza-like illness. Four
      days later, his illness rapidly progressed with bilateral pulmonary infiltration,
      hypoxia and lymphopenia. On January 17th, the case had a high fever, productive
      cough, chest tightness and shortness of breath, so that he was administered with
      oseltamivir, glucocorticoid, immunoglobulin, and broad-spectrum antibiotic
      therapy. The case died in the early morning of next day after invasive
      ventilation. He had no contact with poultry nor had he visited live-poultry
      markets (LPMs), where positive rates of H7N9 were 14.6 % and 18.5 %. Before his
      illness, he cared for three febrile patients and had indirect contact with one
      severe pneumonia patient. Follow-up with 35 close contacts identified two HCWs
      who had worked also in emergency department but had not worn masks were anti-H7N9
      positive. Viral sequence identity percentages between the patient and two LPM
      H7N9 isolates were fewer than between the patient and another human case in
      shanghai in January of 2014. CONCLUSIONS: Important reasons for the patient's
      death might include late treatment with oseltamivir, and the infected H7N9 virus
      carrying both mammalian-adapted signature (HA-Q226L) and aerosol transmissibility
      (PB2-D701N). The LPM he passed every day was an unlikely source of his infection,
      but a contaminated environment, or an unidentified mild/asymptomatic H7N9 carrier
      were more probable. We advocate rigorous standard operating procedures for
      infection control practices in hospital settings and evaluations thereafter.

PMID- 26101083
TI  - Comparison of disinfectant efficacy when using high-volume directed mist
      application of accelerated hydrogen peroxide and peroxymonosulfate disinfectants
      in a large animal hospital.
AB  - REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Effective decontamination of animal holding
      environments is critical for providing high quality patient care and maintaining
      a safe working environment. Disinfection of animal holding environments is a
      significant challenge during times of epidemic disease. OBJECTIVES: The purpose
      of this study was to evaluate the disinfectant efficacy of 3 strategies for high
      volume directed mist application of accelerated hydrogen peroxide and
      peroxymonosulfate disinfectants; 4.25% accelerated hydrogen peroxide (Accel((r))
      ; AHP) at a 1:16 dilution and single and double applications of 2%
      peroxymonosulfate solution (Virkon-S((r)) ; VIR-1 and VIR-2) for decontamination
      of a large animal hospital environment. STUDY DESIGN: Experiment. METHODS: After
      cleaning and disinfection of the hospital environment, transparencies
      experimentally contaminated with known concentrations of Staphylococcus aureus,
      Salmonella enterica and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were placed on vertical surfaces.
      Disinfectant solution was applied by directed mist application and, after 30 min
      of contact time, transparencies were collected and individually placed into tubes
      containing 10 ml Dey-Engley broth. The process was repeated for each
      disinfectant. Tenfold dilutions of each sample were plated onto tryptic soy blood
      agar with 5% sheep blood. Bacterial counts from transparencies exposed to
      disinfectants were compared with counts from control transparencies (unexposed to
      disinfectants) to evaluate reduction in colony forming units. RESULTS: The least
      squares mean reduction (log10 ) in colony forming units (CFUs) for S. aureus and
      P. aeruginosa was 1.5-2.5 logs and approximately 0.8-1.0 logs for S. enterica.
      Reductions were generally largest for VIR-2 and smallest for AHP, although these
      differences were not all statistically significant and the magnitude of
      differences may not be clinically relevant. CONCLUSIONS: For the organisms
      evaluated, all 3 disinfectants applied as a directed mist were effective at
      reducing CFUs in a veterinary hospital environment. Effective disinfection using
      this method of application is dependent on adequate cleaning prior to
      application, and use of adequate volumes of disinfectant.

PMID- 26101084
TI  - Exposure to phthalates, bisphenol A and metals in pregnancy and the association
      with impaired glucose tolerance and gestational diabetes mellitus: The MIREC
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies from several countries report increases in rates of
      gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) over recent decades. Exposure to
      environmental chemicals could contribute to this trend. OBJECTIVES: To determine
      the associations between plasticisers and metals measured in early pregnancy with
      impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and GDM in a Canadian pregnancy cohort. METHODS:
      Women enrolled in the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC)
      Study were included if they had a singleton delivery and did not have pre
      existing diabetes. Eleven phthalate metabolites and total bisphenol A (BPA) were
      measured in first-trimester urine samples, and four metals (lead, cadmium,
      mercury and arsenic) were measured in first-trimester blood samples. IGT and GDM
      were assessed in accordance with standard guidelines by chart review. Chemical
      concentrations were grouped by quartiles, and associations with outcomes were
      examined using logistic regression with adjustment for maternal age, race, pre
      pregnancy BMI, and education. Restricted cubic spline analysis was performed to
      help assess linearity and nature of any dose-response relationships. RESULTS: Of
      2001 women recruited into the MIREC cohort, 1274 met the inclusion criteria and
      had outcome data and biomonitoring data measured for at least one of the
      chemicals we examined. Elevated odds of GDM were observed in the highest quartile
      of arsenic exposure (OR = 3.7, 95% CI = 1.4-9.6) in the adjusted analyses. A
      significant dose-response relationship was observed in a cubic spline model
      between arsenic and odds of GDM (p < 0.01). No statistically significant
      associations were observed between phthalates or BPA or other metals with IGT or
      GDM. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings add to the growing body of evidence supporting the
      role of maternal arsenic exposure as a risk factor for gestational diabetes.

PMID- 26101085
TI  - Machine learning for toxicity characterization of organic chemical emissions
      using USEtox database: Learning the structure of the input space.
AB  - Toxicity characterization of chemical emissions in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is
      a complex task which usually proceeds via multimedia (fate, exposure and effect)
      models attached to models of dose-response relationships to assess the effects on
      target. Different models and approaches do exist, but all require a vast amount
      of data on the properties of the chemical compounds being assessed, which are
      hard to collect or hardly publicly available (especially for thousands of less
      common or newly developed chemicals), therefore hampering in practice the
      assessment in LCA. An example is USEtox, a consensual model for the
      characterization of human toxicity and freshwater ecotoxicity. This paper places
      itself in a line of research aiming at providing a methodology to reduce the
      number of input parameters necessary to run multimedia fate models, focusing in
      particular to the application of the USEtox toxicity model. By focusing on
      USEtox, in this paper two main goals are pursued: 1) performing an extensive
      exploratory analysis (using dimensionality reduction techniques) of the input
      space constituted by the substance-specific properties at the aim of detecting
      particular patterns in the data manifold and estimating the dimension of the
      subspace in which the data manifold actually lies; and 2) exploring the
      application of a set of linear models, based on partial least squares (PLS)
      regression, as well as a nonlinear model (general regression neural network-
      GRNN) in the seek for an automatic selection strategy of the most informative
      variables according to the modelled output (USEtox factor). After extensive
      analysis, the intrinsic dimension of the input manifold has been identified
      between three and four. The variables selected as most informative may vary
      according to the output modelled and the model used, but for the toxicity factors
      modelled in this paper the input variables selected as most informative are
      coherent with prior expectations based on scientific knowledge of toxicity
      factors modelling. Thus the outcomes of the analysis are promising for the future
      application of the approach to other portions of the model, affected by important
      data gaps, e.g., to the calculation of human health effect factors.

PMID- 26101086
TI  - Mentoring during anesthesia residency training: challenges and opportunities.

PMID- 26101087
TI  - So... why do you want to become an anesthesiologist?

PMID- 26101088
TI  - Independent effects of eye gaze and spatial attention on the processing of
      tactile events: Evidence from event-related potentials.
AB  - Directing one's gaze at a body part reduces detection speed and enhances the
      processing of tactile stimuli presented at the gazed location. Given the close
      links between spatial attention and the oculomotor system it is possible that
      these gaze- dependent modulations of touch are mediated by attentional
      mechanisms. To investigate this possibility, gaze direction and sustained tactile
      attention were orthogonally manipulated in the present study. Participants
      covertly attended to one hand to perform a tactile target-nontarget
      discrimination while they gazed at the same or opposite hand. Spatial attention
      resulted in enhancements of the somatosensory P100 and Nd components. In
      contrast, gaze resulted in modulations of the N140 component with more positive
      ERPs for gazed than non gazed stimuli. This dissociation in the pattern and
      timing of the effects of gaze and attention on somatosensory processing reveals
      that gaze and attention have independent effects on touch. 

PMID- 26101090
TI  - Mechanistic Insights into R776H Mediated Activation of Epidermal Growth Factor
      Receptor Kinase.
AB  - The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase is activated by a variety of
      mutations in human cancers. R776H is one such recurrent mutation (R752H in
      another numbering system) in the alphaC-beta4 loop of the tyrosine kinase domain
      that activates EGFR in the absence of the activating EGF ligand. However, the
      mechanistic details of how R776H contributes to kinase activation are not well
      understood. Here using cell-based cotransfection assays, we show that the R776H
      mutation activates EGFR in a dimerization-dependent manner by preferentially
      adopting the acceptor position in the asymmetric dimer. The acceptor function,
      but not the donor function, is enhanced for the R776H mutant, supporting the
      "superacceptor" hypothesis proposed for oncogenic mutations in EGFR. We also find
      that phosphorylation of monomeric EGFR is increased by R776H mutation, providing
      insights into EGFR lateral phosphorylation and oligomerization. On the basis of
      molecular modeling and molecular dynamics simulation, we propose a model in which
      loss of key autoinhibitory alphaC-helix capping interaction and alteration of
      coconserved cis regulatory interactions between the kinase domain and the
      flanking regulatory segments contribute to mutational activation. Since the R776
      equivalent position is mutated in ErbB2 and ErbB4, our studies have implications
      for understanding kinase mutational activation in other ErbB family members as
      well. 

PMID- 26101089
TI  - Thermosensation and longevity.
AB  - Temperature has profound effects on behavior and aging in both poikilotherms and
      homeotherms. To thrive under the ever fluctuating environmental temperatures,
      animals have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to sense and adapt to temperature
      changes. Animals sense temperature through various molecular thermosensors, such
      as thermosensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels expressed in
      neurons, keratinocytes, and intestine. These evolutionarily conserved
      thermosensitive TRP channels feature distinct activation thresholds, thereby
      covering a wide spectrum of ambient temperature. Temperature changes trigger
      complex thermosensory behaviors. Due to the simplicity of the nervous system in
      model organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila, the mechanisms of
      thermosensory behaviors in these species have been extensively studied at the
      circuit and molecular levels. While much is known about temperature regulation of
      behavior, it remains largely unclear how temperature affects aging. Recent
      studies in C. elegans demonstrate that temperature modulation of longevity is not
      simply a passive thermodynamic phenomenon as suggested by the rate-of-living
      theory, but rather a process that is actively regulated by genes, including those
      encoding thermosensitive TRP channels. In this review, we discuss our current
      understanding of thermosensation and its role in aging. 

PMID- 26101091
TI  - Role of percutaneous mitral valve repair in the contemporary management of mitral
      regurgitation.
AB  - Percutaneous mitral valve (MV) repair has been performed in over 20,000 patients
      worldwide. As clinical experience in this technique grows indications for its use
      are being defined. Mitral regurgitation (MR) encompasses a complex heterogeneous
      group and its treatment is governed by determining a clear understanding of the
      underlying aetiology. Surgical MV repair remains the gold standard therapy for
      severe MR. However in select groups of high-risk surgical patients, a
      percutaneous approach to MV repair is establishing its role. This review gives an
      overview of the published data in percutaneous MV repair and its impact on the
      contemporary management of MR.

PMID- 26101092
TI  - Interleukin-18 for predicting the development of macrophage activation syndrome
      in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
AB  - To assess the role of IL-6/IL-18 in the pathogenesis of systemic juvenile
      idiopathic arthritis (s-JIA) and to investigate the clinical significance of
      serum IL-18 levels for predicting macrophage activation syndrome (MAS)
      development, we measured the serum IL-6/IL-18 levels in 76s-JIA patients,
      including 15 with MAS, and compared them with the clinical features. We
      identified 2 distinct subsets on the basis of serum IL-6/IL-18 levels. The IL-18
      dominant subset had more patients who developed MAS. Serum IL-18 levels during
      active phase in patients with MAS were significantly higher than those without
      MAS. The cutoff value of serum IL-18 levels for predicting MAS development was
      47750 pg/ml. The patients with IL-18 dominant subset at their disease onset were
      significantly more likely to develop MAS after TCZ therapy started. IL-18 might
      have a key role in the pathogenesis of MAS. Serum IL-18 levels >47750 pg/ml might
      be useful to predict MAS development.

PMID- 26101095
TI  - Novel Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Children With Intracranial
      Hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased intracranial hypertension is defined as elevated
      intracranial pressure with absence of hydrocephalus, vascular or structural
      abnormalities, and normal cerebrospinal fluid content. Magnetic resonance imaging
      abnormalities of the optic nerve and sheath that have been described in adults
      include increased nerve tortuosity, flattening in posterior aspect of globe,
      intraocular protrusion of the optic nerve, and enlarged optic nerve sheath.
      PURPOSE: We evaluated accuracy of those proposed markers on magnetic resonance
      imaging in children with increased intracranial hypertension that are described
      in adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven patients between 3 and 15 years of age
      with intracranial hypertension were selected for re-evaluation of magnetic
      resonance imaging that had been previously described as normal to determine the
      presence of: (1) increased tortuosity and elongation of the optic nerve; (2)
      enlargement of the optic nerve sheath on axial and coronal T2 so called by us
      "target sign" and postcontrast T1 sequences; (3) flattening in posterior aspect
      of the globe; and (4) intraocular protrusion of the optic nerve head. RESULTS: Of
      the 11 patients, tortuosity of the optic nerve (10/11, 90.9%) and enlarged optic
      nerve sheath--target sign (7/11, 63.6%)--were the most common findings.
      Flattening in the posterior aspect of globe (5/11, 45.5%) and intraocular
      protrusion (3/11, 27.3%) were also detected as a novel magnetic resonance imaging
      findings. CONCLUSION: Magnetic resonance imaging findings of the optic nerve and
      sheath include valuable signs of intracranial hypertension not only in adults but
      also in children. This is the first detailed analysis of the magnetic resonance
      imaging findings in children with increased intracranial hypertension.

PMID- 26101096
TI  - Super-Charged Pedicled Jejunal Interposition Performance Compares Favorably With
      a Gastric Conduit After Esophagectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A variety of conduits can be utilized for esophageal reconstruction,
      but their postoperative function remains unknown. The objective of our study was
      to compare functional performance of super-charged pedicled jejunal (SPJ) to
      gastric conduits using a novel conduit assessment tool. METHODS: Patients who
      underwent esophageal reconstruction between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013
      were asked to complete questionnaires measuring postoperative functional
      outcomes. Conduit emptying and postoperative variables were recorded. Statistical
      analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher exact test for
      crosstabs. RESULTS: Forty-five of the 94 esophageal reconstruction patients (48%)
      were alive, had either a gastric conduit or SPJ reconstruction, and completed the
      questionnaire. The mean age was 60.6 +/- 12.5 years, 69% were male, and the
      majority of patients had cancer (87%). While the majority of the gastric patients
      underwent an oncologic resection for adenocarcinoma (65%), 50% of SPJ patients
      had undergone a previous resection (p = 0.008). The average time after surgery
      for last conduit assessment was 15 +/- 13 months for the gastric conduit group
      and 17 +/- 12 months for the SPJ group (p = 0.315). The average reflux, dumping,
      dysphagia, stricture, conduit emptying, and Zubrod scores were low and similar
      between groups: reflux 1.7 +/- 1.9 for gastric conduit and 0.7 +/- 1.3 for SPJ;
      dumping 0.97 +/- 1.2 and 0.93 +/- 1.1; dysphagia 0.60 +/- 0.72 and 0.79 +/- 0.89;
      stricture 0.7 +/- 1.4 and 0.38 +/- 0.96; conduit emptying 0.46 +/- 0.93 and 0.33
      +/- 0.88; and Zubrod 0.84 +/- 0.64 and 1.21 +/- 0.8, respectively. The SPJ
      patients had a higher pain score (7.0 +/- 3.2 vs 2.4 +/- 2.4, p = 0.043).
      CONCLUSIONS: Super-charged pedicled jejunal interposition performance is
      comparable with a gastric conduit after esophagectomy according to a novel,
      comprehensive conduit assessment tool.

PMID- 26101093
TI  - Publisher's  Note:Abstraction for data integration:Fusing mammalian molecular, 
      cellular and phenotype big datasets for better knowledge extraction.

PMID- 26101097
TI  - Is Medical Student Interest in Cardiothoracic Surgery Maintained After Receiving
      Scholarship Awards?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical student exposure to cardiothoracic surgery has been
      facilitated by many scholarship opportunities. This study reviews the long-term
      interest of students at our institution who have received such support. METHODS:
      After the first or second year of medical school, participants were selected to
      receive scholarships for clinical or research activities in cardiothoracic
      surgery ranging from 4 to 8 weeks in duration. These were funded by the American
      Association for Thoracic Surgery, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Southern Thoracic
      Surgical Association, or a private family donor. Over time, each student's
      scholarship type, current interest in cardiothoracic surgery, and current
      education or career status was prospectively monitored in an institutional
      database. RESULTS: Since 1999, 45 students received scholarships. Eight (18%)
      were funded by the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, two (4%) by The
      Society of Thoracic Surgeons one (2%) by the Southern Thoracic Surgical
      Association, and 34 (76%) by private donors. The median follow-up of graduated
      students is 7 years. Of the 20 (44%) with an active current interest in
      cardiothoracic surgery, 2 are faculty, 1 is a fellow, 1 is in an integrated 6
      year program, 11 are in general surgery residency and are planning to apply to
      cardiothoracic surgery fellowship, and the remaining 5 are in medical school and
      planning a cardiothoracic surgery career. Of all former medical students who
      received cardiothoracic surgery research scholarships and who have now made a
      career choice, 17.4% chose cardiothoracic surgery. CONCLUSIONS: More than one
      third of medical students who received scholarships in cardiothoracic surgery
      maintained their interest over time, and more than half maintained interest in a
      surgical field. Although long-term data are scarce, it remains critical to foster
      mentoring relationships with students over time to guide their career choices.

PMID- 26101099
TI  - Power generating reflective-type liquid crystal displays using a reflective
      polariser and a polymer solar cell.
AB  - We herein report the results of a study of a power generating reflective-type
      liquid crystal display (LCD), composed of a 90 degrees  twisted nematic (TN) LC
      cell attached to the top of a light-absorbing polymer solar cell (PSC), i.e., a
      Solar-LCD. The PSC consisted of a polymer bulk-heterojunction photovoltaic (PV)
      layer of poly[[9-(1-octylnonyl)-9H-carbazole-2,7-diyl]-2,5-thiophenediyl-2,1,3
      benzothiadiazole-4,7-diyl-2,5-thiophenediyl] and [6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid
      methyl ester (PCDTBT:PCBM70), and showed a high power conversion efficiency of
      about 5%. In order to improve the visibility of the Solar-LCD, between the TN-LC
      and the PV cells we inserted a reflective polariser of a giant birefringent
      optical (GBO) film. The reflectivity from the Solar-LCD was observed to be
      considerably increased by more than 13-15% under illumination by visible light.
      The Solar-LCD also exhibited a significantly improved contrast ratio of more than
      17-19. We believe there is a clear case for using such Solar-LCDs in new power
      generating reflective-type displays; taken as a whole these results also
      demonstrate the possibility of their application in a number of energy-harvesting
      opto-electrical display devices. 

PMID- 26101098
TI  - Individual differences in cortical connections of somatosensory cortex are
      associated with parental rearing style in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).
AB  - Early-life sensory experiences have a profound effect on brain organization,
      connectivity, and subsequent behavior. In most mammals, the earliest sensory
      inputs are delivered to the developing brain through tactile contact with the
      parents, especially the mother. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are
      monogamous and, like humans, are biparental. Within the normal prairie vole
      population, both the type and the amount of interactions, particularly tactile
      contact, that parents have with their offspring vary. The question is whether
      these early and pervasive differences in tactile stimulation and social
      experience between parent and offspring are manifest in differences in cortical
      organization and connectivity. To address this question, we examined the cortical
      and callosal connections of the primary somatosensory area (S1) in high-contact
      (HC) and low-contact (LC) offspring using neuroanatomical tracing techniques.
      Injection sites within S1 were matched so that direct comparisons between these
      two groups could be made. We observed several important differences between these
      groups. The first was that HC offspring had a greater density of intrinsic
      connections within S1 compared with LC offspring. Additionally, HC offspring had
      a more restricted pattern of ipsilateral connections, whereas LC offspring had
      dense connections with areas of parietal and frontal cortex that were more
      widespread. Finally, LC offspring had a broader distribution of callosal
      connections than HC offspring and a significantly higher percentage of labeled
      callosal neurons. This study is the first to examine individual differences in
      cortical connections and suggests that individual differences in cortical
      connections may be related to natural differences in parental rearing styles
      associated with tactile contact.

PMID- 26101100
TI  - Cysteine induces longitudinal bone growth in mice by upregulating IGF-I.
AB  - Cysteine (Cys) is known to exert various effects, such as antioxidant,
      antipancreatitic and antidiabetic effects. However, the effects of Cys on
      longitudinal bone growth have not been elucidate to date. Thus, the aim of the
      present study was to evaluate the effects of Cys on bone growth. Growth-plate
      thickness and bone parameters, such as bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV),
      trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular number (Tb.N), connectivity density
      (Conn.D) and total porosity were analyzed by means of micro-computed tomography
      (MUCT). The levels of serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) were measured by
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Hepatic IGF-I mRNA expression was
      analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The phosphorylation of
      Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5
      (STAT5) was investigated by western blot analysis. Our results revealed that Cys
      increased IGF-I mRNA expression in HepG2 cells. The thickness of the growth
      plates was increased following treatment with Cys. Moreover, BV/TV, Tb.Th, TbN,
      Conn.D and total porosity were improved following treatment with Cys. Hepatic IGF
      I mRNA expression and serum IGF-I levels were increased by Cys. The levels of
      phosphorylated JAK2 and STAT5 were elevated by Cys. The findings of our study
      indicate that Cys increases the thickness of growth plates through the
      upregulation of IGF-I, which results from the phosphorylation of JAK2-STAT5.
      Thus, our data suggest that Cys may have potential for use as a growth-promoting
      agent.

PMID- 26101101
TI  - Recovery of kraft lignin from pulping wastewater via emulsion liquid membrane
      process.
AB  - Kraft lignin (KL) is a renewable source of many valuable intermediate biochemical
      products currently derived from petroleum. An excessive of lignin comes from
      pulping wastewater caused an adverse pollution problems hence affecting human and
      aquatic life. A comprehensive study pertaining to emulsion liquid membrane (ELM)
      extraction of lignin from pulping wastewater was presented. ELM formulation
      contains Aliquat 336 as carrier, kerosene as diluent, sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3
      ) as stripping agent and Span 80 as surfactant. The emulsion stability was
      investigated at different surfactant concentrations, homogenizer speed and
      emulsification time. Modifier (2-ethyl-1-hexanol) was added to avoid segregation
      of third phase while improving the emulsion stability. At optimum conditions, 95%
      and 56% of lignin were extracted and recovered, respectively at 10 min of
      extraction time, 0.007 M of Aliquat 336, 0.1 M of NaHCO3 and 1:5 of treat ratio.
      Additional of modifier was contributed to highest recovery up to 98%. The ELM
      process was found to be equally feasible and quite effective in the recovery of
      KL from real pulping wastewater. Therefore, ELM process provides a promising
      alternative technology to recover KL from pulping wastewater while solving the
      environmental problems simultaneously.

PMID- 26101103
TI  - Lining up against epilepsy: We are all in this fight together.

PMID- 26101102
TI  - Ionizing air affects influenza virus infectivity and prevents airborne
      transmission.
AB  - By the use of a modified ionizer device we describe effective prevention of
      airborne transmitted influenza A (strain Panama 99) virus infection between
      animals and inactivation of virus (>97%). Active ionizer prevented 100% (4/4) of
      guinea pigs from infection. Moreover, the device effectively captured airborne
      transmitted calicivirus, rotavirus and influenza virus, with recovery rates up to
      21% after 40 min in a 19 m(3) room. The ionizer generates negative ions,
      rendering airborne particles/aerosol droplets negatively charged and
      electrostatically attracts them to a positively charged collector plate. Trapped
      viruses are then identified by reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR.
      The device enables unique possibilities for rapid and simple removal of virus
      from air and offers possibilities to simultaneously identify and prevent airborne
      transmission of viruses.

PMID- 26101104
TI  - Hypothesis: CeM-PAG GABAergic circuits may be implicated in sudden unexpected
      death in epilepsy by melanocortinergic signaling.

PMID- 26101105
TI  - The understanding of patients with epilepsy with regard to how their disease is
      managed: The role of health professionals.

PMID- 26101106
TI  - Reduced Pumilio-2 expression in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and in the
      lithium-pilocarpine induced epilepsy rat model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Drosophila Pumilio (Pum), a homolog of mammalian Pum2, plays an
      important role in translational regulation in the central nervous system (CNS),
      particularly for dendrite outgrowth and neuronal excitability. We investigated
      the expression pattern and cellular distribution of Pum2 in patients with drug
      refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and rats with lithium chloride
      pilocarpine-induced epilepsy. METHODS: Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR),
      Western blot, immunohistochemistry, and double-labeled immunofluorescence were
      utilized to determine the expression level and distribution of Pum2 in temporal
      neocortex tissues from patients with intractable TLE (n=20) and patients with
      severe head trauma (n=20) in addition to the hippocampus and adjacent cortex of
      rats with lithium chloride-pilocarpine-induced TLE and controls. RESULTS: Pum2
      was expressed in the cell bodies and dendrites of neurons but did not colocalize
      with glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive astrocytes or propidium iodide (PI)
      in nuclei. The expression of Pum2 was significantly reduced in patients and rats
      with TLE in comparison to controls (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Pum2 expression was less
      in patients with TLE and a rodent model of epilepsy, suggesting that decreased
      expression of Pum2 may be involved in the pathogenesis of TLE.

PMID- 26101107
TI  - Infection: Catheter-associated UTIs can be controlled with simple interventions.

PMID- 26101109
TI  - BPH: Go with the Flowens(TM)--cranberry powder improves male LUTS in double
      blind, placebo-controlled trial.

PMID- 26101110
TI  - Prostate cancer: High-dose-rate brachytherapy as monotherapy in prostate cancer.

PMID- 26101111
TI  - Light-Triggered Disruption of PAG-Based Amphiphilic Random Copolymer Micelles.
AB  - The amphiphilic random copolymer of P(NVP-co-NHPSS) with photocleavable N-O
      sulfonate side groups has been prepared to investigate the light-triggered
      disruption of copolymer micelles. Methods of absorption and emission spectra,
      solution transmittance, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron
      microscopy (TEM) were applied. It was found that P(NVP-co-NHPSS) could form
      polymeric nanoaggregates in aqueous solution. And the photocleavage of the N-O
      bond within copolymer micelles upon 365 nm UV light could be conveniently
      controlled by changing the irradiation intensity, leading to the disruption of
      copolymer micelles and the photocontrolled release of Nile red encapsulation. And
      by encapsulating NaLuF4:Gd/Yb/Tm UCNPs inside copolymer micelles, the response of
      the photocleavable N-O bond to the 980 nm laser was much weaker than the response
      to 365 nm light; however, the photocontrolled release of Nile red could still be
      effectively triggered by the NIR light of the 980 nm laser. 

PMID- 26101112
TI  - Issue conflation leads to dietary confusion.

PMID- 26101113
TI  - Sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) in New Zealand: discussion over the
      last 5 years and where to from here?

PMID- 26101108
TI  - Adverse effects of common medications on male fertility.
AB  - An increasing number of patients require long-term medication regimens at a young
      age, but the adverse effects of medications on male reproduction are often
      inadequately considered, recognized and investigated. Medications can affect male
      reproduction through central hormonal effects, direct gonadotoxic effects,
      effects on sperm function or on sexual function. For example, exogenous
      testosterone inhibits spermatogenesis through central suppression of the
      hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal hormonal axis. 5alpha-reductase inhibitors can
      impair sexual function, decrease semen volume and negatively affect sperm
      parameters, depending on dose and treatment duration. alpha-Blockers might
      decrease seminal emission and cause retrograde ejaculation, depending on the
      receptor specificity and dose of the agent. Phosphodiesterase inhibitors seem to
      have variable effects based on the isoform inhibited and evidence is conflicting.
      Antihypertensive and psychotropic agents can affect sperm, sexual function and
      hormonal parameters. For antibiotics, the literature on effects on sperm and
      sperm function is limited and dated. Many chemotherapeutic agents have a direct
      gonadotoxic effect, depending on agents used, dosing and number of treatment
      cycles. Overall, many medications commonly used in urology can have effects on
      male fertility (mostly reversible) but conclusive evidence in humans is often
      limited. Men should be counselled appropriately about potential drug-related
      adverse effects on their fertility. 

PMID- 26101114
TI  - The wahakura: a qualitative study of the flax bassinet as a sleep location for
      New Zealand Maori infants.
AB  - AIMS: The wahakura (flax bassinet) is presently being distributed as a safe
      infant sleeping device amongst New Zealand Maori, where sudden unexpected deaths
      in infancy (SUDI) rates are high. It is promoted as mitigating bedsharing risk by
      providing a separate infant sleeping surface. This study aimed to understand
      exactly what factors determine the apparent acceptability of the wahakura as an
      infant sleeping device to Maori mothers and other key Maori community
      stakeholders. METHODS: The qualitative study used face-to-face, semi-structured
      interviews, following Maori cultural protocols, to explore the experiences and
      views of 12 Maori mothers and 10 key informants who had wahakura experience. We
      employed purposeful sampling of participants and thematic analysis of data.
      RESULTS: The practical appeal of the wahakura related to its portability, the
      enabling of bedsharing and easier breastfeeding. Considerable cultural and
      spiritual appeal was related to its native flax composition and traditional
      origin. Health professionals found it useful to engage Maori women antenatally.
      CONCLUSIONS: The study affirmed the acceptance of the wahakura as a culturally
      initiated endeavour, meaningfully engaging Maori mothers and families in SUDI
      risk mitigation. It has the potential to capitalise on the benefits of bedsharing
      to enhance infant wellbeing while also safeguarding them from harm.

PMID- 26101115
TI  - Token monetary incentives improve mail survey response rates and participant
      retention: results from a large randomised prospective study of mid-age New
      Zealand women.
AB  - AIM: To examine if a small token monetary incentive (NZ$5) increases mail survey
      response rates and participant retention of 40-50 year old New Zealand women.
      METHOD: In 2009, 2500 women were randomly selected from the New Zealand electoral
      rolls for a prospective study investigating factors related to the prevention of
      weight gain. At baseline, 400 women were randomly assigned to receive NZ$5 with
      the initial survey mail-out in addition to nonmonetary gifts to encourage
      participation (pen, tea bag, entry in lottery draw) received by all women. At 2
      years, 400 women (200 received NZ$5 at baseline and 200 had not) were randomly
      assigned to receive the same token monetary incentive. At 3 years, all women
      identifying as an ethnic minority (n=234) and 300 randomly selected women of
      other ethnicities received the token monetary incentive with the initial mail
      out. RESULTS: The baseline response rate for women who received NZ$5 was
      significantly higher than for women who did not (76% vs 64%, p<0.001). At 2
      years, retention rate for all women who received NZ$5 was significantly higher
      than for women who did not (88% vs 80%, p<0.001). At 3 years, among those women
      not identifying as an ethnic minority, the retention rate for those who received
      NZ$5 was significantly higher than for those who did not (84% vs 77%, p=0.014).
      CONCLUSION: Inclusion of a small token monetary incentive significantly increases
      mail survey response rates and participant retention in mid-age New Zealand
      women.

PMID- 26101116
TI  - Retrieval rates of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters: are we retrieving enough?
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to document retrieval rates of IVC filters in a
      single tertiary centre, before and after implementation of an IVC filter pathway,
      and to identify factors that may affect retrieval rates. METHOD: This was a two
      phase study. In Phase 1, rates of IVC filter retrieval were collected
      retrospectively from June 2010 to June 2012. During Phase 2 an IVC filter pathway
      was developed and prospective data was collected from July 2012 to June 2014.
      Univariate analysis and Kaplan-Meier estimates were performed to determine the
      rate of IVC filter retrieval and to analyse factors contributing to retrieval
      rates. RESULTS: 95 patients (39 Phase 1; 56 Phase 2) had an IVC filter inserted
      over a 4 year period. In Phase 1, of those eligible to have their filter removed,
      the 12-month retrieval rate was 63%, this improved to 100% in Phase 2. Following
      implementation of the IVC filter pathway (Phase 2) no patients were lost to
      follow-up. CONCLUSION: We have improved the rate of IVC filter retrieval in our
      institution by development of an IVC filter pathway. Rates of optional IVC filter
      retrieval in our experience are now higher than previously published figures.

PMID- 26101117
TI  - CT pulmonary angiography and pulmonary embolism following 5809 primary joint
      arthroplasties.
AB  - AIM: Controversy surrounds prevention, detection and clinical relevance of
      pulmonary embolism (PE) following arthroplasty in orthopaedic patients. We aimed
      to review the rates of computer tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA), PE and
      fatal PE following total joint replacement. METHOD: Mixed
      retrospective/prospective review of CTPA requests and PE incidence amongst
      patients undergoing primary knee and hip arthroplasty. RESULTS: The overall PE
      rate was 112/5809 (1.93%): 38/3473 (1.1%) and 74/2336 (3.5%) following total hip
      arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), respectively. Two deaths
      from PE occurred, both after TKA, a procedural mortality rate of 0.086%; the
      overall mortality rate was 0.034%. The rate of CTPA requests increased for the
      initial 7 years as did the rate of PE, in the last 2 years both rates fell.
      CONCLUSION: The findings are discussed in context of published data and with
      reference to studies suggesting the high sensitivity of CTPA may over diagnose
      clinically significant PE following arthroplasty if ordered without a robust
      method of determining the pre-test probability.

PMID- 26101118
TI  - The measurement of New Zealand health care.
AB  - The effective and economical measurement of the quality and safety of health and
      disability services in New Zealand is of signal importance. The Health Quality
      and Safety Commission has overseen the introduction of an architecture of
      interacting measures. These include quality and safety indicators, or QSIs, which
      are whole-system measures; quality and safety markers, or QSMs, which are
      targeted measures of quality and safety interventions comprising process and
      outcome measures in sets; and the New Zealand Atlas of Healthcare Variation,
      which illustrates the differences in the health care received in different
      regions and by different groups of patients within New Zealand. 

PMID- 26101119
TI  - Reversible hypertensive encephalomyelopathy - the spinal variant of the posterior
      reversible encephalopathy syndrome.
AB  - Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is characterised clinically
      by encephalopathy, headache, visual disturbance and/or focal neurological
      symptoms. Bilateral cerebral oedema on T2 MRI sequences within the posterior
      cerebral white matter is the radiological hallmark, although involvement of the
      frontal lobe, basal ganglia and brainstem can occur. PRES with spinal cord
      involvement has been rarely reported and is under-recognised due to lack of
      myelopathic features in nearly half of the reported cases. We report a patient
      with PRES with spinal cord involvement and review the literature. 

PMID- 26101120
TI  - Medical image. Primary Raynaud's phenomenon.

PMID- 26101121
TI  - Chewing the saturated fat: we still shouldn't.

PMID- 26101122
TI  - HPV immunisation research.

PMID- 26101123
TI  - Menstrual dysfunction and hysterectomy rates in women up to 10 years post-tubal
      ligation in Counties Manukau District Heath Board.

PMID- 26101124
TI  - The New Zealand Register of Exercise Professionals (NZ REPs).

PMID- 26101125
TI  - Incidence of motor neurone disease in Hawke's Bay and Gisborne/East Coast.

PMID- 26101126
TI  - Wells score, D-dimer testing and computer tomographic pulmonary angiography
      appropriateness in the Auckland Hospital Adult Emergency Department.

PMID- 26101127
TI  - Realignment of tobacco control services-will it be sufficient to achieve the
      nation's Smokefree 2025 Goal?

PMID- 26101128
TI  - Effects of new biomimetic regenerating agents on corneal wound healing in an
      experimental model of post-surgical corneal ulcers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the
      topical application of cacicol regenerating agent (RGTA) in an experimental model
      of corneal ulcer after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in mice. METHODS: Mice
      were subjected to PRK surgery with a 2.0mm ablation zone on the central cornea
      and 45mm of depth on a VISX Star S2 excimer laser. Corneas were treated topically
      with cacicol drops 1hour and 48hours after injury. Control groups received
      balanced salt solution (BSS) in the same dosage. Clinical and histopathological
      events were evaluated at 1, 2, 3 and 7 days after surgery. Sections obtained
      through the central region of the corneas were used to analyze the
      histopathological events of injured and healed corneas. alphaSMA (myofibroblast
      transformation), E cadherin (assembly of epithelial cells) and neuronal class III
      beta-tubulin (innervation) were performed. RESULTS: Corneas treated topically
      with cacicol for 7 days showed a greater degree of transparency compared to
      controls. cacicol treated corneas showed improved epithelial cytoarchitecture.
      Analysis of alphaSMA profiles in the stroma showed that cacicol reduced or
      delayed the presence of myofibroblasts in the stroma compared to BSS (P<0.001).
      Finally, a putative neuroregenerative effect of cacicol was found in corneas
      subjected to an experimental PRK lesion. In some cases some interindividual
      variability could be observed due to the design of the experimental model. This
      is a limitation to consider, despite the statistical significance of the data.
      CONCLUSIONS: In a model of laser induced surgical lesions in the cornea, topical
      application of an RGTA (i.e. cacicol) could be involved in avoiding myofibroblast
      scarring formation and promoting nerve regeneration.

PMID- 26101129
TI  - [Cancer in ectopic breast tissue].
AB  - Two different forms of ectopic breast tissue exist in human beings: supernumerary
      and aberrant. Both forms are usually seen alongside the milk lines, which extend
      from the upper limbs to the inguinal region where they give rise to mammary
      glands, areolas and nipples. Although ectopic- and orthotopic breast tissue are
      placed in different areas of the body, they still share the same ability to
      undergo pathological degeneration. The focus of this case report is to shed light
      on this unusual form of breast cancer, and raise the level of awareness in cases
      with lumps located in the milk lines. 

PMID- 26101130
TI  - [Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in children after head trauma].
AB  - We present an eight-year-old boy with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
      after a head trauma, successfully treated with Epley's manoeuvre. BPPV is a
      common cause of vestibular vertigo in adults, but it is rarely seen in children.
      Diagnostic work-up is challenging as children often lack the ability to describe
      their symptoms accurately and to cooperate in clinical examination. The diagnosis
      should be suspected in children with a relevant medical history and verified by
      positional testing. BPPV of childhood is treated with otolith repositioning
      manoeuvres, and the prognosis is good. 

PMID- 26101131
TI  - [Stiff person syndrome is a rare autoimmune disorder].
AB  - Atypical symptoms raise classical diagnostic dilemmas of somatic versus
      functional disease. The challenge is greater when the condition is less frequent.
      Illustrating this issue is a case of stiff person syndrome (SPS) where a 46-year
      old man was admitted with lower back and hip pain and stiffness of the
      musculature of the lower extremities resulting in stooped gait. Stiffness was
      absent while sleeping. Thorough clinical examination and tests were unable to
      explain the symptomology until suspicion of SPS was raised, supported by high
      levels of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies. 

PMID- 26101132
TI  - [Myocardial injury and infarction is an overlooked complication after non-cardiac
      surgery].
AB  - Annually, several million patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery develop
      myocardial injury or a myocardial infarction in the perioperative period. This
      frequent complication is associated with a high mortality. Despite an increasing
      focus on the issue the pathophysiology and the treatment of perioperative
      myocardial injury and infarction still remains partly unclear. Recently a new
      risk stratification tool was developed, which allows physicians to identify
      patients at risk. This review offers insight into the prevalence,
      pathophysiology, diagnostics, risk stratification and treatment of perioperative
      myocardial injury and infarction. 

PMID- 26101133
TI  - [Persisting upper cervical pain as sole symptom by unstable fractures in the
      cervical spine].
AB  - Upper cervical spine fractures can be caused by very low-energy traumas, and the
      clinical presentation can vary from mild neck pain to paraplegia and ultimately
      to death. The most common cause of these fractures is trauma but degenerative and
      pathologic aetiology is also seen. Upper cervical spine fractures can be
      difficult to diagnose because of lack of symptoms. Two case stories describe neck
      pain as the only symptom to severe and unstable cervical fracture and highlight
      the importance of an accurate history, thorough physical examination and relevant
      radiological investigation. 

PMID- 26101134
TI  - [Patients in need for major lower extremity amputations are a challenge].
AB  - Major lower extremity amputations based on end-stage chronic leg ischaemia or
      diabetic ulcers with infection are relatively common orthopaedic procedures.
      Patients are usually evaluated for the possibility of lower extremity
      revascularisation. Those who are not fit for vascular surgery are transferred to
      an orthopaedic department for amputation. These patients are a big challenge as
      they are by definition multi-morbid individuals, who have to undergo major
      surgery. The high mortality rate in this population warrants new approaches,
      including optimised multidisciplinary regimes. 

PMID- 26101135
TI  - Ginger extract prevents high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice via activation of
      the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta pathway.
AB  - The initiation of obesity entails an imbalance wherein energy intake exceeds
      expenditure. Obesity is increasing in prevalence and is now a worldwide health
      problem. Food-derived peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta
      (PPARdelta) stimulators represent potential treatment options for obesity. Ginger
      (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) was previously shown to regulate the PPARgamma
      signaling pathway in adipocytes. In this study, we investigated the antiobesity
      effects of ginger in vivo and the mechanism of action in vitro. Energy
      expenditure was increased, and diet-induced obesity was attenuated in C57BL/6J
      mice treated with dietary ginger extract (GE). GE also increased the number of
      Type I muscle fibers, improved running endurance capacity and upregulated
      PPARdelta-targeted gene expression in skeletal muscle and the liver. 6-Shogaol
      and 6-gingerol acted as specific PPARdelta ligands and stimulated PPARdelta
      dependent gene expression in cultured human skeletal muscle myotubes. An analysis
      of cellular respiration revealed that pretreating cultured skeletal muscle
      myotubes with GE increased palmitate-induced oxygen consumption rate, which
      suggested an increase in cellular fatty acid catabolism. These results
      demonstrated that sustained activation of the PPARdelta pathway with GE
      attenuated diet-induced obesity and improved exercise endurance capacity by
      increasing skeletal muscle fat catabolism. 6-Shogaol and 6-gingerol may be
      responsible for the regulatory effects of dietary ginger on PPARdelta signaling. 

PMID- 26101136
TI  - Metallic High-Angle Grain Boundaries in Monolayer Polycrystalline WS2.

PMID- 26101138
TI  - Lactate and short chain fatty acids produced by microbial fermentation
      downregulate proinflammatory responses in intestinal epithelial cells and myeloid
      cells.
AB  - The use of short chain fatty acids to modulate gastrointestinal inflammatory
      conditions such as ulcerative colitis has produced encouraging results either in
      animal models or also in clinical trials. Identifying the key cellular and
      molecular targets of this activity will contribute to establish the appropriate
      combinations/targeting strategies to maximize the efficacy of anti-inflammatory
      interventions. In the present work, we evaluated in vitro the interaction of
      lactate, acetate, propionate and butyrate on cells relevant for innate immune
      response of the gastrointestinal tract. All molecules tested regulate the
      production of proinflammatory cytokines by TLR-4 and TLR-5 activated intestinal
      epithelial cells in a dose response manner. Furthermore SCFAs and lactate
      modulate cytokine secretion of TLR-activated bone marrow derived macrophages and
      also TLR-dependent CD40 upregulation in bone marrow derived dendritic in a dose
      dependent manner. Butyrate and propionate have been effective at concentrations
      of 1 to 5mM whereas acetate and lactate produced modulatory effects at
      concentrations higher than 20-50mM in different assays. Our results indicate that
      in concentrations similar to found in large bowel lumen, all SCFAs tested and
      lactate can modulate activity of relevant sentinel cell types activated by TLR
      signals. Modulatory activity was not inhibited by pertussis toxin treatment
      indicating that the effects are not related to Gi signaling. The use of these
      molecules in combined or separately as intervention strategy in conditions where
      epithelial or myeloid cells are main triggers of the inflammatory situation seems
      appropriate. 

PMID- 26101137
TI  - Therapeutic control of complement activation at the level of the central
      component C3.
AB  - The increasing recognition of the complement system's association with diseases
      of the inflammatory spectrum and with biomaterial and transplant-related
      complications has generated growing interest in the therapeutic modulation of
      this innate immune cascade. As a central functional hub that largely drives the
      activation, amplification, and effector generation of the complement response,
      the plasma protein C3 has long been recognized as an attractive target. While
      pharmacological modulation of C3 activation may offer a powerful opportunity to
      interfere with or even prevent complement-driven pathologies, the development of
      C3 inhibitors has often been accompanied by concerns regarding the safety and
      feasibility of this approach. Although no C3-targeted inhibitors have thus far
      been approved for clinical use, several promising concepts and candidates have
      emerged in recent years. At the same time, experiences from preclinical
      development and clinical trials are slowly providing a more detailed picture of
      therapeutic complement inhibition at the level of C3. This review highlights the
      current therapeutic strategies to control C3 activation and discusses the
      possibilities and challenges on the road to bringing C3-targeted therapeutics to
      the clinic.

PMID- 26101139
TI  - Candida albicans up-regulates the Fas-L expression in liver Natural Killer and
      Natural Killer T cells.
AB  - After Candida albicans arrival to the liver, the local production of
      proinflammatory cytokines and the expanded intrahepatic lymphocytes (IHL) can be
      either beneficial or detrimental to the host. Herein we explored the balance
      between protective inflammatory reaction and liver damage, focusing our study on
      the contribution of TNF-alpha and Fas-Fas-L pathways in the hepatocellular
      apoptosis associated to C. albicans infection. A robust tissue reaction and a
      progressive increase of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha were observed in infected
      animals. Blocking the biological activity of TNF-alpha did not modify the number
      of apoptotic cells observed in C. albicans infected animals. Fas-L molecule was
      up regulated on purified hepatic mononuclear cells and its expression progressed
      with the infection. In the IHL compartment, the absolute number of Fas-L+ NK and
      NKT cells increased on days 1 and 3 of the infection. C. albicans was also able
      to up regulate Fas-L expression in normal liver NK and NKT cells after in vitro
      contact. The innate receptor TLR2 was involved in this phenomenon. In the
      interplay between host factors and evasion strategies exploited by pathogens, the
      mechanism supported here could represent an additional way that allows this
      fungus to circumvent protective immune responses in the liver. 

PMID- 26101140
TI  - Capillary electrophoresis for fast detection of heterogeneous population in
      colistin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.
AB  - It has been shown that diverse strains of bacteria can be separated according to
      their characteristic surface properties by means of CE. We employed here this
      analytical technique to the study of colistin-resistance in Gram-negative
      bacteria, which involves the selection of mutants with modified outer membrane
      composition resulting in changes of surface cell properties. In the same way as
      with molecular entities, we performed firstly the validation of an ITP-based CE
      method for three common pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria namely Escherichia
      coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Secondly, we compared
      the electrophoretic profiles of bacterial samples from a colistin-susceptible
      clinical isolate of K. pneumoniae and from the corresponding colistin-resistant
      derivative. By a simple CE run taking a few minutes, the coexistence of several
      bacterial subpopulations in the colistin-resistant derivative was clearly
      evidenced. This work encourages further research that would allow applications of
      CE in clinical laboratory for a daily monitoring of bacterial population in cared
      patients when "last-chance" colistin treatment is initiated against multidrug
      resistant bacteria. 

PMID- 26101142
TI  - Consumption of Argan Oil Improves Anti-Oxidant and Lipid Status in Hemodialysis
      Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Virgin Argan oil (VAO) is of interest in oxidative stress and lipid
      profile because of its fat composition and antioxidant compounds. We investigated
      the effect of VAO consumption on lipid profile and antioxidant status in
      hemodialysis patients after a 4-week period of consumption. METHODS: In a
      crossover, controlled trial, 37 patients (18 men, 19 women) with end-stage renal
      disease on maintenance hemodialysis, were randomly assigned to a 4-week VAO diet.
      Fasting plasma lipids, vitamin E and oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) were analyzed.
      Malondialdehyde (MDA) was determined before and after hemodialysis session.
      RESULTS: There was no significant change in serum total cholesterol and ox-LDL.
      However, VAO consumption decreased the levels of triglyceride (p = 0.03), total
      cholesterol (p = 0.02) and low-density lipoprotein (p = 0.03) and increased the
      levels of high-density lipoprotein (p = 0.01). Plasma vitamin E contents
      significantly increased from baseline only in VAO-group (p < 0.001). Hemodialysis
      session increased MDA levels, but the increase in VAO group was less than in
      control group. CONCLUSION: VAO consumption improved lipid profile and oxidative
      stress status in hemodialysis patients.

PMID- 26101141
TI  - Ambulatory and diary methods can facilitate the measurement of patient-reported
      outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: Ambulatory and diary methods of self-reported symptoms and well-being
      have received increasing interest in recent years. These methods are a valuable
      addition to traditional strategies for the assessment of patient-reported
      outcomes (PROs) in that they capture patients' recent symptom experiences
      repeatedly in their natural environments. In this article, we review ways that
      incorporating diary methods into PRO measurement can facilitate research on
      quality of life. METHODS: Several diary methods are currently available, and they
      include "real-time" (Ecological Momentary Assessment) and "near-real-time" (end
      of-day assessments, Day Reconstruction Method) formats. We identify the key
      benefits of these methods for PRO research. RESULTS: (1) In validity testing,
      diary assessments can serve as a standard for evaluating the ecological validity
      and for identifying recall biases of PRO instruments with longer-term recall
      formats. (2) In research and clinical settings, diaries have the ability to
      closely capture variations and dynamic changes in quality of life that are
      difficult or not possible to obtain from traditional PRO assessments. (3) In test
      construction, repeated diary assessments can expand understanding of the
      measurement characteristics (e.g., reliability, dimensionality) of PROs in that
      parameters for differences between people can be compared with those for
      variation within people. CONCLUSIONS: Diary assessment strategies can enrich the
      repertoire of PRO assessment tools and enhance the measurement of patients'
      quality of life.

PMID- 26101143
TI  - Stem cell-based pulp tissue engineering: variables enrolled in translation from
      the bench to the bedside, a systematic review of literature.
AB  - Stem cell-based therapy (SC-BT) is emerging as an alternative for endodontic
      therapies. The interaction between stem cells and scaffolds plays a crucial role
      in the generation of a 'friendly cell' microenvironment. The aim of this
      systematic review was to explore techniques applied to regenerate the pulp
      dentine complex tissue using SC-BT. An electronic search into the SciVerse Scopus
      (SS), ISI Web Science (IWS) and Entrez PubMed (EP) using specific keywords was
      performed. Specific inclusion and exclusion criteria were predetermined. The
      search yielded papers, out of which full-text papers were included in the final
      analyses. Data extraction pooled the results in four main topics: (a) influence
      of the chemical properties of the scaffolds over cell behaviour; (b) influence of
      the physical characteristics of scaffolds over cell behaviour; (c) strategies
      applied to improve the stem cell/scaffold interface; and (d) influence of cue
      microenvironment on stem cell differentiation towards odontoblast-like cells and
      pulp-like tissue formation. The relationship between the scaffolds, the
      environment and the growth factors released from dentine are critical for de novo
      pulp tissue regeneration. The preconditioning of dentine walls with
      ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was imperative for successful pulp-dentine
      complex regeneration. An analyses of the grouped results revealed that pulp
      regeneration was an attainable goal. 

PMID- 26101144
TI  - BMA annual meeting: Doctors fear that devolving health spending in Manchester
      will lead to cuts.

PMID- 26101145
TI  - Prenylated flavanone derivatives isolated from Erythrina addisoniae are potent
      inducers of apoptotic cell death.
AB  - Extracts of Erythrina addisoniae are frequently used in the traditional medicine
      of Western Africa, but insufficient information about active compounds is
      available. From the stem bark of E. addisoniae, three (1, 2, 4) and three known
      (3, 5, 6) flavanones were isolated: addisoniaflavanones I and II, containing
      either a 2",3"-epoxyprenyl moiety (1) or a 2",3"-dihydroxyprenyl moiety (2) were
      shown to be highly toxic (MTT assay: EC50 values of 5.25+/-0.7 and 8.5+/-1.3 MUM,
      respectively) to H4IIE hepatoma cells. The cytotoxic potential of the other
      isolated flavanones was weaker (range of EC50 values between 15 and >100 MUM).
      Toxic effects of addisoniaflavanone I and II were detectable after 3h (MTT
      assay). Both compounds induced an apoptotic cell death (caspase-3/7 activation,
      nuclear fragmentation) in the hepatoma cells and, at high concentrations, also
      necrosis (membrane disruption: ethidium bromide staining). Formation of DNA
      strand breaks was not detectable after incubation with these compounds (comet
      assay). In conclusion, the prenylated flavanones addisoniaflavanones I and II may
      be of interest for pharmacological purposes due to their high cytotoxic and pro
      apoptotic potential against hepatoma cells.

PMID- 26101146
TI  - Sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, shikimic acid derivatives and pyrrolizidine alkaloids
      from Senecio kingii Hook.
AB  - Twenty-four compounds including eleven eremophilanolides (1-11), one eremophilane
      (13), five shikimic acid derivatives (14-18), six flavonoids (19-24), and the
      macrocyclic unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloid integerrimine (25) were isolated
      from Senecio kingii, an endemic species from the Magallanes Region (Chile).
      Compounds 3, 5, 6, 8-11 and 13-18 have not been previously reported as natural
      products. Their molecular structures were determined by NMR spectroscopic
      analysis and comparison with published NMR data. An X-ray-analysis of compound 3
      has been performed. Their insecticidal and antifungal activities were tested,
      being compound 3 the strongest insect antifeedant. Compounds 6, 9 and 18 were
      moderate antifungals. 

PMID- 26101147
TI  - Novel stilbenoids, including cannabispiradienone glycosides, from Tragopogon
      tommasinii (Asteraceae, Cichorieae) and their potential anti-inflammatory
      activity.
AB  - A phytochemical investigation of Tragopogon tommasinii Sch.Bip. (Asteraceae,
      Cichorieae) yielded a total of 21 natural products, two simple phenolic acids (4
      hydroxybenzoic acid and p-coumaric acid), four caffeic acid derivatives
      (chlorogenic acid, 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and 4,5
      O-dicaffeoylquinic acid), six flavonoids (luteolin, luteolin 7-O-glucoside,
      vitexin, orientin, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, and isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside),
      three simple bibenzyls [2-carboxyl-5-hydroxy-3-methoxy-4'-beta-glucopyranosyl
      oxybibenzyl, 3-caffeoyl-(9->5)-beta-apiosyl-(1->6)-beta-glucopyranosyloxy-5,4'
      dihydroxy-3'-methoxybibenzyl, 3-caffeoyl-(9->5)-beta-apiosyl-(1->6)-beta
      glucopyranosyloxy-4'-dihydroxy-5,3'-dimethoxybibenzyl], three phtalides [3-(4
      beta-glucopyranosyloxybenzyl)-7-hydroxy-5-methoxyphtalide, 7-beta
      glucopyranosyloxy-(S)-3-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-5-methoxyphtalide, and 7-(1->6)-alpha
      rhamnosyl-beta-glucopyranosyloxy-(S)-3-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-5-methoxyphtalide], two
      cannabispiradienone derivatives [3-O-beta
      glucopyranosyldemethoxycannabispiradienone and 3-caffeoyl-(9->5)-beta-apiosyl-(1
      >6)-beta-glucopyranosyloxydemethoxycannabispiradienone], and tetra-N-coumaroyl
      spermine. The three bibenzyls, the latter two benzylphthalides, and both
      cannabispiradienone derivatives represent new natural compounds and all
      compounds, except the caffeic acid derivatives and the flavonoids were new for T.
      tommasinii. The structures were established by HR mass spectrometry, extensive 1D
      and 2D NMR spectroscopy, and CD spectroscopy. Moreover, the potential anti
      inflammatory activities of the new compounds were assayed using human neutrophils
      and their production of IL-1b, IL-8, TNF-alpha and MMP-9 as well as the
      expression of TLR-4, respectively. 

PMID- 26101148
TI  - Plant betalains: Chemistry and biochemistry.
AB  - Betalains are vacuolar pigments composed of a nitrogenous core structure,
      betalamic acid [4-(2-oxoethylidene)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic
      acid]. Betalamic acid condenses with imino compounds (cyclo-l-3,4-dihydroxy
      phenylalanine/its glucosyl derivatives), or amino acids/derivatives to form
      variety of betacyanins (violet) and betaxanthins (yellow), respectively. About 75
      betalains have been structurally unambiguously identified from plants of about 17
      families (known till date) out of 34 families under the order Caryophyllales,
      wherein they serve as chemosystematic markers. In this review, all the identified
      betalain structures are presented with relevant discussion. Also, an estimated
      annual production potential of betalains has been computed for the first time. In
      addition, mutual exclusiveness of anthocyanins and betalains has been discussed
      in the wake of new evidences. An inclusive list of betalain-accumulating plants
      reported so far has been presented here to highlight pigment occurrence and
      accumulation pattern. Betalain synthesis starts with hydroxylation of tyrosine to
      DOPA, and subsequent cleavage of aromatic ring of DOPA resulting to betalamic
      acid formation. This pathway consists of two key enzymes namely, bifunctional
      tyrosinase (hydroxylation and oxidation) and DOPA dioxygenase (O2-dependent
      aromatic ring cleavage). Various spontaneous cyclisation, condensation and
      glucosylation steps complement the extended pathway, which has been presented
      here comprehensively. The biosynthesis is affected by various ecophysiological
      factors including biotic and abiotic elicitors that can be manipulated to
      increase pigment production for commercial scale extraction. Betalains are
      completely safe to consume, and contribute to health. 

PMID- 26101149
TI  - Response to Nakao et al. - is Echinococcus intermedius a valid species?

PMID- 26101150
TI  - Is Echinococcus intermedius a valid species?

PMID- 26101151
TI  - Vitamin D intake associates with insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes, but not
      in latent autoimmune diabetes in adults.
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between vitamin D (vitD) intake and
      serum concentrations and insulin secretion (assessed by C-peptide serum
      concentration)/insulin resistance (determined by estimated glucose disposal rate
      [eGDR]) in patients with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) and type 2
      diabetes (T2DM). C-peptide, serum vitD, lipid profile, insulin, glucose, and
      glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were assessed; vitD intake was determined; and
      eGDR was calculated. Groups were compared using the Student t or Mann-Whitney U
      test. Correlations were performed between insulin secretion, insulin resistance,
      and vitD, and linear regression models were adjusted for confounding variables.
      Of 107 patients included, age was 55.3 +/- 11.84 years old, and time since
      diabetes diagnosis was 13.23 +/- 5.96 years. There were significant intergroup
      differences in age, body mass index (BMI), hip measurements, glucose, and HbA1c.
      The correlation between vitD intake and C-peptide for the whole group was
      significant (r = 0.213; P = .032) as well as for vitD deficiency/sufficiency in
      T2DM (P = .042), whereas neither was significant in eGDR. After adjustment for
      age, HbA1c, disease progression, physical activity, solar exposure, sex, and BMI,
      vitD intake was only significant in T2DM (P = .028). In serum vitD, only the
      correlation between eGDR and vitD in T2DM was significant and intragroup when
      comparing vitD sufficiency. After adjustments, significance was lost. Patients
      with LADA had lower intake of vitD, poorer metabolic control, lower BMI, and
      younger age compared to T2DM patients. There was no association between serum
      vitD or vitD intake and insulin secretion when analyzed by group, although vitD
      intake was associated with insulin resistance in T2DM, but not LADA. 

PMID- 26101152
TI  - Stereochemical Communication within a Chiral Ion Pair Catalyst.
AB  - Ionic interactions are increasingly appreciated as a key, asymmetry-inducing
      factor in enantioselective catalytic transformations, including those involving
      Bronsted acid or base catalysis, phase-transfer catalysis, and related processes.
      However, a detailed understanding of these interactions is often lacking. Herein,
      we show how an enantiopure anion enforces a chiral conformation onto a
      catalytically relevant achiral cation. Specifically, we use vibrational circular
      dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy to monitor the transmission of stereochemical
      information from a chiral phosphate anion to a flexible manganese(III)-salen
      cation. We show that VCD can be used to study solvent effects and that the
      obtained chiroptical data directly and quantitatively correlate with the
      experimentally observed enantioselectivity in an asymmetric olefin epoxidation
      reaction. 

PMID- 26101154
TI  - Pseudohyperplastic prostate carcinoma: histologic patterns and differential
      diagnosis.
AB  - The similarity between some carcinomas and many benign glandular proliferations
      has been mentioned in the literature for decades. The description of the main
      histologic features of pseudohyperplastic carcinoma has been very useful in
      avoiding errors of interpretation, particularly false-negative results. In recent
      years, we have found some histologic variants of this neoplasm that have not been
      mentioned previously. In order to classify the different histologic growth
      patterns and comment on their differential diagnosis, we reviewed the
      architectural and cytologic features of 34 cases of pseudohyperplastic
      adenocarcinoma in 2 radical prostatectomies, 4 transurethral resections, and 28
      needle biopsies. Growth patterns most commonly observed included nodular,
      complex, and mixed (nodular and complex) patterns. Other less frequent histologic
      varieties included adenosis-like pattern, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia
      like pattern, pseudohyperplastic adenocarcinoma with xanthomatous features, and
      limited pseudohyperplastic adenocarcinoma. Frequent changes in neoplastic glands
      included papillary infoldings, large/cystic glands, and branching. Criteria
      associated with malignancy include nuclear enlargement (92%), apparent nucleoli
      (85%), pink amorphous secretions (78%), and transition to small acinar carcinoma
      (70%). However, in some biopsies, nuclear atypia was little apparent. Fifteen of
      the 34 cases were misdiagnosed as benign and 5 as other malignant neoplasms, and
      included the following diagnoses: hyperplastic nodules (11), prostatic adenosis
      (2), diffuse adenosis of the peripheral zone (1), benign cystic glands (1), and
      less frequently other malignant tumors including xanthomatous carcinoma (2), low
      grade prostatic adenocarcinoma (2), and atrophic carcinoma (1). It is important
      to recognize the different growth patterns of this neoplasm in order to avoid an
      underdiagnosis of malignancy. 

PMID- 26101153
TI  - Zic1 controls placode progenitor formation non-cell autonomously by regulating
      retinoic acid production and transport.
AB  - All cranial placode progenitors arise from a common precursor field anterior to
      the neural plate, the pre-placodal region (PPR). We showed that transcription
      factor Zic1, expressed at the anterior neural plate, is necessary and sufficient
      to promote placode fate. Here we reveal the non-cell autonomous activity of Zic1
      and implicate retinoic acid (RA) signalling as a key player in cranial placode
      progenitor specification. In a screen for genes activated by Zic1, we identify
      several factors involved in RA metabolism and function. Among them we show that
      retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (RALDH2) and lipocalin-type prostaglandin D2
      synthase (LPGDS), which, respectively, regulate the synthesis and transport of
      RA, directly participate in the establishment of the PPR. We propose that RALDH2
      and LPGDS induction by Zic1 at the anterior neural plate allows for the localized
      production and transport of RA, which in turn activates a cranial placode
      developmental programme in neighbouring cells. 

PMID- 26101155
TI  - Photoinitiated hydrothiolation of pyranoid exo-glycals: the d-galacto and d-xylo
      cases.
AB  - Radical-mediated addition reactions of thiols to O-peracetylated exo-galactal and
      exo-xylal with 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone as the photoinitiator resulted
      in high yielding formation of the corresponding beta-d-glycopyranosylmethyl
      sulfide derivatives (2,6-anhydro-1-deoxy-1-S-substituted-1-thio-alditols) with
      exclusive regio- and very high stereoselectivity, including disaccharide mimicks
      with Gly-CH2-S-Gly scaffolds. 

PMID- 26101156
TI  - JAZF1 promotes proliferation of C2C12 cells, but retards their myogenic
      differentiation through transcriptional repression of MEF2C and MRF4-Implications
      for the role of Jazf1 variants in oncogenesis and type 2 diabetes.
AB  - Single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have been
      identified in Jazf1, which is also involved in the oncogenesis of endometrial
      stromal tumors. To understand how Jazf1 variants confer a risk of tumorigenesis
      and T2D, we explored the functional roles of JAZF1 and searched for JAZF1 target
      genes in myogenic C2C12 cells. Consistent with an increase of Jazf1 transcripts
      during myoblast proliferation and their decrease during myogenic differentiation
      in regenerating skeletal muscle, JAZF1 overexpression promoted cell
      proliferation, whereas it retarded myogenic differentiation. Examination of
      myogenic genes revealed that JAZF1 overexpression transcriptionally repressed
      MEF2C and MRF4 and their downstream genes. AMP deaminase1 (AMPD1) was identified
      as a candidate for JAZF1 target by gene array analysis. However, promoter assays
      of Ampd1 demonstrated that mutation of the putative binding site for the
      TR4/JAZF1 complex did not alleviate the repressive effects of JAZF1 on promoter
      activity. Instead, JAZF1-mediated repression of Ampd1 occurred through the MEF2
      binding site and E-box within the Ampd1 proximal regulatory elements.
      Consistently, MEF2C and MRF4 expression enhanced Ampd1 promoter activity. AMPD1
      overexpression and JAZF1 downregulation impaired AMPK phosphorylation, while
      JAZF1 overexpression also reduced it. Collectively, these results suggest that
      aberrant JAZF1 expression contributes to the oncogenesis and T2D pathogenesis.

PMID- 26101157
TI  - Expression of the multidrug transporter P-glycoprotein is inversely related to
      that of apoptosis-associated endogenous TRAIL.
AB  - Multidrug resistance (MDR) has been associated with expression of ABC transporter
      genes including P-glycoprotein (Pgp, MDR1, ABCB1). However, deregulation of
      apoptotic pathways also renders cells resistant to chemotherapy. To discover
      apoptosis-related genes affected by Pgp expression, we used the HeLa MDR-off
      system. We found that using doxycycline to control Pgp expression has a
      significant advantage over tetracycline, in that doxycycline caused less
      endogenous gene expression modification/perturbation, and was more potent than
      tetracycline in suppressing Pgp expression. Cells overexpressing Pgp have lower
      TNFSF10 (TRAIL) expression than their parental cells. Controlled downregulation
      of Pgp increased endogenous TRAIL protein expression. Also, ectopic
      overexpression of TRAIL in Pgp-positive cells was associated with a reduction in
      Pgp levels. However, cells expressing a functionally defective mutant Pgp showed
      an increase in TRAIL expression, suggesting that Pgp function is required for
      TRAIL suppression. Cells in which Pgp is knocked down by upregulation of TRAIL
      expression are less susceptible to TRAIL ligand (sTRAIL)-induced apoptosis. Our
      findings reveal an inverse correlation between functional Pgp and endogenous
      TRAIL expression. Pgp function plays an important role in the TRAIL-mediated
      apoptosis pathway by regulating endogenous TRAIL expression and the TRAIL
      mediated apoptosis pathway in MDR cancer cells.

PMID- 26101158
TI  - 4-(1-Ethyl-4-anisyl-imidazol-5-yl)-N-hydroxycinnamide - A new pleiotropic HDAC
      inhibitor targeting cancer cell signalling and cytoskeletal organisation.
AB  - Histone deacetylases (HDAC) which play a crucial role in cancer cell
      proliferation are promising drug targets. However, HDAC inhibitors (HDACi)
      modelled on natural hydroxamic acids such as trichostatin A frequently lead to
      resistance or even an increased agressiveness of tumours. As a workaround we
      developed 4-(1-ethyl-4-anisyl-imidazol-5-yl)-N-hydroxycinnamide (etacrox), a
      hydroxamic acid that combines HDAC inhibition with synergistic effects of the 4,5
      diarylimidazole residue. Etacrox proved highly cytotoxic against a panel of
      metastatic and resistant cancer cell lines while showing greater specificity for
      cancer over non-malignant cells when compared to the approved HDACi vorinostat.
      Like the latter, etacrox and the closely related imidazoles bimacroxam and
      animacroxam acted as pan-HDACi yet showed some specificity for HDAC6. Akt
      signalling and interference with nuclear beta-catenin localisation were elicited
      by etacrox at lower concentrations when compared to vorinostat. Moreover, etacrox
      disrupted the microtubule and focal adhesion dynamics of cancer cells and
      inhibited the proteolytic activity of prometastatic and proangiogenic matrix
      metalloproteinases. As a consequence, etacrox acted strongly antimigratory and
      antiinvasive against various cancer cell lines in three-dimensional transwell
      invasion assays and also antiangiogenic in vivo with respect to blood vessel
      formation in the chorioallantoic membrane assay. These pleiotropic effects and
      its water-solubility and tolerance by mice render etacrox a promising new HDACi
      candidate.

PMID- 26101160
TI  - Multilineage dysplasia as assessed by immunophenotype has no impact on clinical
      biological features and outcome of NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - The presence of multilineage dysplasia (MLD) by morphology at diagnosis in acute
      myeloid leukemia (AML) defines a separate subset in the World Health Organization
      classification with still-debated prognostic value. A major controversy concerns
      MLD's role in NPM1-mutated (NPM1+) AML, which correlates with good prognosis. We
      used flow cytometry (FC), an emerging technique for assessing dysplasia, to
      investigate MLD in NPM1+ AML by an immunophenotypic score (IPS), a technique
      previously adopted in myelodysplastic syndrome. Eighty-five intensively treated
      NPM1+ AML cases were studied. Patients were grouped according to the combination
      of data in maturing cell compartments. FC-assessed dysplasia showed a significant
      correlation with morphology-assessed dysplasia, showing the efficacy of this
      method in highlighting dysplasia in AML. Except for MLD, IPS did not influence
      any patient- or disease-related characteristics at diagnosis. Furthermore, IPS
      did not influence complete remission rate, disease-free survival, or overall
      survival. By investigating NPM1 status on separated cell compartments, we
      established a correlation between FC-assessed MLD and belonging to AML clone.
      This study shows that dysplasia evaluated by immunophenotype has no impact on
      clinical-biological characteristics or on outcome of NPM1+ AML. Dysplasia is part
      of the spectrum of NPM1+ AML, and the prognostic stratification of this category
      of patients should not be based upon it.

PMID- 26101159
TI  - Angiotensin-(1-7) counteracts angiotensin II-induced dysfunction in cerebral
      endothelial cells via modulating Nox2/ROS and PI3K/NO pathways.
AB  - Angiotensin (Ang) II, the main effector of the renin-angiotensin system, has been
      implicated in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases. Ang-(1-7) binds to the G
      protein-coupled Mas receptor (MasR) and can exert vasoprotective effects. We
      investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of Ang-(1-7) on Ang II-induced
      dysfunction and oxidative stress in human brain microvascular endothelial cells
      (HbmECs). The pro-apoptotic activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric
      oxide (NO) productions in HbmECs were measured. The protein expressions of
      nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 2 (Nox2), serine/threonine
      kinase (Akt), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and their phosphorylated
      forms (p-Akt and p-eNOS) were examined by western blot. MasR antagonist and
      phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor were used for receptor/pathway
      verification. We found that Ang-(1-7) suppressed Ang II-induced pro-apoptotic
      activity, ROS over-production and NO reduction in HbmECs, which were abolished by
      MasR antagonist. In addition, Ang-(1-7) down-regulated the expression of Nox2,
      and up-regulated the ratios of p-Akt/Akt and its downstream p-eNOS/eNOS in
      HbmECs. Exposure to PI3K inhibitor partially abrogated Ang-(1-7)-mediated
      protective effects in HbmECs. Our data suggests that Ang-(1-7)/MasR axis protects
      HbmECs from Ang II-induced dysfunction and oxidative stress via inhibition of
      Nox2/ROS and activation of PI3K/NO pathways.

PMID- 26101161
TI  - Molecular basis and clinical significance of genetic aberrations in B-cell
      precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - B-Cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) arises from recurrent
      genetic insults that block precursor B-cell differentiation and drive aberrant
      proliferation and cell survival. Risk-adapted intensive chemotherapy is effective
      in curing the majority of children with BCP-ALL (>85%), but some children, not
      considered "high risk" and treated accordingly, experience a hematologic relapse.
      Moreover, survival rates in adults are significantly lower (~40%) than those in
      children. Recent developments in genomewide genetic analysis have provided a wide
      range of chromosomal and genomic abnormalities characterizing BCP-ALL, several of
      which are associated with patient outcome. These findings provide an opportunity
      to adapt risk stratification and treatment schedules and to identify new
      druggable targets. In this review, we discuss the established and novel genetic
      alterations in BCP-ALL, their molecular background, and their potential use in
      risk stratification and treatment of BCP-ALL. 

PMID- 26101163
TI  - Melatonin attenuates hepatic ischemia through mitogen-activated protein kinase
      signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Melatonin exerts a protective effect during hepatic ischemia
      reperfusion (I/R) injury through modulation of the apoptotic cell death program.
      Mitogen-activated protein kinases mediate various intracellular processes such as
      cell differentiation, survival, and death. This study investigated whether
      melatonin exerts a protective effect through the activation of Raf-MEK-ERK and
      its downstream targets, including 90 ribosomal S6 kinase (p90RSK) and Bad, during
      hepatic I/R damage. METHODS: Hepatic ischemia was induced in mice by occlusion of
      the hepatic artery, portal vein, and bile duct. Adult mice were subjected to 1 h
      of hepatic ischemia and 3 h of reperfusion. Vehicle or melatonin (10 mg/kg,
      intraperitoneal) was injected 15 min before ischemia and just before reperfusion.
      Serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels were
      measured, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling
      histochemistry was performed. Moreover, Western blot and immunoprecipitation
      analyses were performed. RESULTS: Melatonin treatment attenuated hepatic I/R
      induced increases in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase
      levels and also ameliorated hepatic injury-induced pathologic lesions and
      increases of positive terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end
      labeling staining in hepatic tissues. Hepatic I/R injury induced decreases in the
      phosphorylation of Raf-1, MEK1/2, and extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2,
      whereas melatonin attenuated decreases in these phosphorylation levels. Moreover,
      melatonin prevented the injury-induced decreases in phosphorylation of downstream
      targets, p90RSK and Bad. Immunoprecipitation analysis showed that the interaction
      between phospho-Bad and 14-3-3 was decreased in vehicle-treated animals, while
      melatonin prevented this decrease. Melatonin also attenuated the injury-induced
      increase in cleaved caspase-3. In cultured hepatocytes, melatonin treatment
      prevented the hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death and decrease in
      phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Moreover, blocking MEK by PD98059 attenuated the
      effect of melatonin. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that melatonin protects
      hepatic cells against hepatic I/R damage through the activation of the Raf-MEK
      ERK cascade and phosphorylation of its downstream targets.

PMID- 26101162
TI  - CRISPR-mediated genotypic and phenotypic correction of a chronic granulomatous
      disease mutation in human iPS cells.
AB  - Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare genetic disease characterized by
      severe and persistent childhood infections. It is caused by the lack of an
      antipathogen oxidative burst, normally performed by phagocytic cells to contain
      and clear bacterial and fungal growth. Restoration of immune function can be
      achieved with heterologous bone marrow transplantation; however, autologous bone
      marrow transplantation would be a preferable option. Thus, a method is required
      to recapitulate the function of the diseased gene within the patient's own cells.
      Gene therapy approaches for CGD have employed randomly integrating viruses with
      concomitant issues of insertional mutagenesis, inaccurate gene dosage, and gene
      silencing. Here, we explore the potential of the recently described clustered
      regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas9 site-specific
      nuclease system to encourage repair of the endogenous gene by enhancing the
      levels of homologous recombination. Using induced pluripotent stem cells derived
      from a CGD patient containing a single intronic mutation in the CYBB gene, we
      show that footprintless gene editing is a viable option to correct disease
      mutations. Gene correction results in restoration of oxidative burst function in
      iPS-derived phagocytes by reintroduction of a previously skipped exon in the
      cytochrome b-245 heavy chain (CYBB) protein. This study provides proof-of
      principle for a gene therapy approach to CGD treatment using CRISPR-Cas9. 

PMID- 26101164
TI  - Stability of temperament in South Korean infants from 6 to 12 to 18 months:
      Moderation by age, gender, and birth order.

PMID- 26101165
TI  - Being human: The role of pluripotent stem cells in regenerative medicine and
      humanizing Alzheimer's disease models.
AB  - Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have the capacity to revolutionize medicine
      by allowing the generation of functional cell types such as neurons for cell
      replacement therapy. However, the more immediate impact of PSCs on treatment of
      Alzheimer's disease (AD) will be through improved human AD model systems for
      mechanistic studies and therapeutic screening. This review will first briefly
      discuss different types of PSCs and genome-editing techniques that can be used to
      modify PSCs for disease modeling or for personalized medicine. This will be
      followed by a more in depth analysis of current AD iPSC models and a discussion
      of the need for more complex multicellular models, including cell types such as
      microglia. It will finish with a discussion on current clinical trials using PSC
      derived cells and the long-term potential of such strategies for treating AD. 

PMID- 26101170
TI  - Effect of overcuffing on the accuracy of oscillometric blood pressure
      measurements.
AB  - Overcuffing (using too large a blood pressure [BP] cuff), is known to
      artificially lower auscultatory BP measurements; however, its effect on
      oscillometric readings is unclear. The possibility that overcuffing biases
      oscillometric readings is currently widely disregarded. We sought to confirm that
      overcuffing lowers auscultatory readings and to assess its effect on
      oscillometric measurements. Community-dwelling adults (aged >=18 years) with arm
      circumferences within the standard range of 25-32 cm were recruited. Using
      primarily the International Standards Organization 2009 protocol, we compared the
      standard Baum adult (25-35 cm) to the large adult (33-47 cm) cuff. The standard
      cuff was considered the "reference standard." In Phase I, auscultatory
      measurements were performed by two trained observers. In Phase II, oscillometric
      measurements were performed. Each phase was analyzed independently using paired t
      tests and by generating Bland-Altman plots. Of 108 participants, 87 contributed
      data for Phase I, 85 for Phase II, and 69 were common to both phases. Phase I
      mean age was 38.0 +/- 18.5 years, mean arm circumference was 28.0 +/- 1.9 cm, and
      21% had a past hypertension. The Phase I results confirmed that overcuffing
      reduced auscultatory BP measurements by 3.6 +/- 5.1/2.8 +/- 4.0 mm Hg (P-values
      <.0001 for both). For Phase II, mean age was 39.3 +/- 18.3 years, mean arm
      circumference was 28.0 +/- 1.9 cm, and 22% had past hypertension. Mean BPs were
      112.2 +/- 13.1/67.8 +/- 7.3 mm Hg for the large cuff and 117.8 +/- 13.3/71.2 +/-
      7.1 mm Hg for the standard cuff (5.5 +/- 5.9/3.4 +/- 5.2 mm Hg lower with the
      large cuff; P-values <.0001).Overcuffing leads to a clinically important downward
      bias in oscillometric measurements. An upper size limits for oscillometric cuffs
      should be specified. 

PMID- 26101171
TI  - Uric acid levels within the normal range predict increased risk of hypertension:
      a cohort study.
AB  - There are data describing that cardiovascular risks related to serum uric acid
      (SUA) levels may begin below the current diagnostic level for hyperuricemia.
      Values from 5.2 to 6.0 mg/dL were positively associated with higher
      cardiovascular risk. The risk associated with lower SUA levels has not been fully
      assessed in healthy adults. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether
      normal SUA levels, even below 5-6 mg/dL, might be related to an increased risk of
      hypertension, compared with low-normal SUA. This cohort study was conducted in an
      outpatient setting: all clinics of the largest Health Maintenance Organization in
      Israel, in a national distribution. A total of 118,920 healthy adults (40-70
      years old), who had SUA levels screened during 2002, were eligible for the study.
      They were stratified according to baseline SUA, and were followed for 10 years.
      The study endpoint was any new diagnosis of hypertension during the study period
      (until December 31, 2011). During 10 years of follow-up (2002-2011), 28,436
      examinees developed hypertension (23.9%). Compared with the pre-defined SUA
      reference values (2-3 mg/dL), women with SUA within the normal range had a
      gradual, increased risk of developing new-onset hypertension, starting at values
      as low as 3-4 mg/dL (adjusted odds ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.01
      1.30). Women with SUA 5-6 mg/dL, still accepted as normouricemia, had a 66%
      increased risk of developing hypertension. Younger women (ages 40-50 years at
      baseline) in a similar SUA subgroup (5-6 mg/dL) had an even higher risk (odds
      ratio, 2.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.96-2.60). Similar results were seen among
      men. The possibility of subtle confounders exists, despite extensive adjustment.
      SUA within the normal range is associated with new-onset hypertension among
      healthy adults, compared with once very common low-normal range values. Further
      study is warranted to determine new cutoffs of hypo-, normo-, and hyperuricemia,
      which might be far lower than current scales. 

PMID- 26101172
TI  - A mechanism for mineralocortcoid participation in renal disease and heart
      failure.
AB  - Various forms of chronic renal disease as well as congestive heart failure
      progress irrespective of currently available supportive care. Clinical evidence
      indicates that blockade of the renin-angiotensin system and/or mineralocorticoid
      inhibition are partially effective. Recently, it was suggested that the
      initiation of feed-forward intracrine loops such as renin-angiotensin system up
      regulation can explain the progression of disease in the face of the control of
      initiating factors such as high glucose or hypertension. Here, these notions are
      expanded to include a potential interaction of mineralocorticoid activity with
      intracrine renin-angiotensin system up-regulation. In addition to suggesting
      therapeutic interventions, these observations lead to an expanded view of
      intracrine physiology. 

PMID- 26101173
TI  - Selective colors reflection from stratified aragonite calcium carbonate plates of
      mollusk shells.
AB  - An interaction between the incident light and the structural architecture within
      the shell of Asian green mussel (Perna viridis) induces observable pearlescent
      colors. In this paper, we investigate the influence of the structural
      architecture on the expressed colors. After a removal of the organic binder,
      small flakes from crushed shells show vivid rainbow reflection under an optical
      microscope. An individual flake expresses vivid color under a bright-field
      illumination while become transparent under a dark-field illumination. The
      expressed colors of the aragonite flakes are directly associated with its
      structural architecture. The flakes with aragonite thickness of 256, 310, and 353
      nm, respectively, appear blue, green, and red under an optical microscope. The
      spectral simulation corroborates the experimentally observed optical effects as
      the flakes with thicker aragonite layers selectively reflected color with longer
      wavelengths. Flakes with multiple aragonite thicknesses expressed multi-color as
      the upper aragonite layers allow reflected colors from the lower layers to be
      observed.

PMID- 26101174
TI  - Effects of Food Intake on the Relative Bioavailability of Amifampridine Phosphate
      Salt in Healthy Adults.
AB  - PURPOSE: Amifampridine (3,4-diaminopyridine) has been approved in the European
      Union for the treatment of Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome. Amifampridine has a
      narrow therapeutic index, and supratherapeutic exposure has been associated with
      dose-dependent adverse events, including an increased risk for seizure. This
      study assessed the effect of food on the relative bioavailability of
      amifampridine in healthy subjects and informed on conditions that can alter
      exposure. METHODS: This randomized, open-labeled, 2-treatment, 2-period crossover
      study enrolled 47 healthy male and female subjects. Subjects were randomly
      assigned to receive 2 single oral doses of amifampridine phosphate salt (20 mg
      base equivalents per dose) under fed or fasted conditions separated by a washout
      period. Blood and urine samples for pharmacokinetic analyses were taken before
      and after dosing. Plasma concentrations of amifampridine and an inactive 3-N
      acetyl metabolite were determined. The relative bioavailability values of
      amifampridine and metabolite were assessed based on the plasma PK parameters AUC0
      infinity, AUC0-t, and Cmax in the fed and fasted states using noncompartmental
      pharmacokinetic analysis. Parent drug and metabolite excretion were calculated
      from urinary concentrations. A food effect on bioavailability would be
      established if the 90% CI of the ratio of population geometric mean value of AUC0
      infinity, AUC0-t, or Cmax between fed and fasted administration was not within
      the bioequivalence range of 80% to 125%. Tolerability was assessed based on
      adverse-event reporting, clinical laboratory assessments, physical examination
      including vital sign measurements, 12-lead ECG, and concurrent medication use.
      FINDINGS: Food slowed and somewhat decreased the absorption of amifampridine.
      There was a decrease in exposure (Cmax, 44%; AUC, 20%) after oral administration
      of amifampridine phosphate salt in the presence of food, and mean Tmax was 2-fold
      longer in the fed state. The extent of exposure and plasma elimination half-life
      of the major metabolite was greater than those of amifampridine in the fed and
      fasted conditions. Mean AUCs in the fed and fasted states were slightly greater
      in women than men, with no difference in mean Cmax. Orally administered
      amifampridine was renally eliminated (>93%) as the parent compound and metabolite
      within 24 hours. Single oral doses of 20 mg of amifampridine phosphate salt were
      considered well tolerated in both the fed and fasted conditions. High
      intersubject variability (%CVs, >30%) in amifampridine pharmacokinetic parameter
      values was observed. IMPLICATIONS: At the intended dose under fasting conditions,
      amifampridine exposure may be increased. European Union Drug Regulating
      Authorities Clinical Trials identifier: 2011-000596-13.

PMID- 26101176
TI  - The association between unequal parental treatment and the sibling relationship
      in Finland: The difference between full and half-siblings.
AB  - Studies have shown that unequal parental treatment is associated with
      relationship quality between siblings. However, it is unclear how it affects the
      relationship between full and half-siblings. Using data from the Generational
      Transmissions in Finland project (n = 1,537 younger adults), we study whether
      those who have half-siblings perceive more unequal parental treatment than those
      who have full siblings only. In addition, we study how unequal parental treatment
      is associated with sibling relationship between full, maternal, and paternal half
      siblings. First, we found that individuals who have maternal and/or paternal half
      siblings are more likely to have encountered unequal maternal treatment than
      individuals who have full siblings only. Second, we found that unequal parental
      treatment impairs full as well as maternal and paternal half-sibling relations in
      adulthood. Third, unequal parental treatment mediates the effect of genetic
      relatedness on sibling relations in the case of maternal half-siblings, but not
      in the case of paternal half-siblings. After controlling for unequal parental
      treatment, the quality of maternal half-sibling relationships did not differ from
      that of full siblings, whereas the quality of paternal half-sibling relationships
      still did. Fourth, the qualitative comments (n = 206) from the same population
      reveal that unequal parental treatment presents itself several ways, such as
      differential financial, emotional, or practical support. 

PMID- 26101175
TI  - Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Properties and Tolerability of Single- and
      multiple-dose Once-daily Empagliflozin, a Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 2
      Inhibitor, in Chinese Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic and
      pharmacodynamic properties and tolerability of the oral once-daily sodium glucose
      cotransporter 2 inhibitor empagliflozin, given in single and multiple 10 and 25
      mg doses in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: In a
      double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, Chinese patients with
      T2DM were randomly assigned to receive a single dose of empagliflozin 10 or 25 mg
      or placebo on day 1 and once daily on days 3 to 9. FINDINGS: A total of 24
      patients were enrolled (14 men, 10 women; median age, 53.5 years; empagliflozin
      10 mg, n = 9; empagliflozin 25 mg, n = 9; and placebo, n = 6). After both single-
      and multiple-dose administration, empagliflozin 10 and 25 mg were rapidly
      absorbed, reaching peak plasma concentrations within 1 to 1.5 hours (median),
      with plasma levels declining biphasically. Empagliflozin exposure increased
      roughly dose proportionally between 10 and 25 mg. Mean terminal elimination half
      life values at steady state were 13.9 and 12.1 hours with empagliflozin 10 and 25
      mg, respectively. Mean (SD) changes from baseline in 24-hour urinary glucose
      excretion (UGE) on day 1 were +87.7 (22.9) and +82.8 (18.8) g with empagliflozin
      10 and 25 mg, respectively, compared with -1.0 (2.8) g with placebo, and on day 9
      were +95.8 (24.1), +82.6 (34.8) g with empagliflozin 10 and 25 mg, respectively,
      compared with -4.1 (6.4) g with placebo. Mean (SD) changes from baseline in
      fasting plasma glucose (FPG) on day 2 were -18.7 (17.2) mg/dL and -25.8 (19.6)
      mg/dL with empagliflozin 10 and 25 mg, respectively, compared with -4.2 (15.2)
      mg/dL with placebo, and on day 9, were -25.6 (20.7) mg/dL and -31.4 (26.9) mg/dL
      with empagliflozin 10 and 25 mg, respectively, compared to -3.7 (7.5) mg/dL with
      placebo. On day 10, mean changes in weight were -1.1, -1.6, and +0.5 kg with
      empagliflozin 10 and 25 mg and placebo, respectively. Overall, empagliflozin 10
      and 25 mg had safety profiles similar to that of placebo. There were no reports
      of hypoglycemia, urinary tract infections, or genital infections. IMPLICATIONS:
      Results with single and multiple doses of empagliflozin 10 and 25 mg suggest
      linear pharmacokinetic properties in Chinese patients with T2DM, with a safety
      profile similar to that of placebo. Empagliflozin treatment was associated with
      increases in UGE and reductions in FPG compared with placebo. ClinicalTrials.gov
      identifier: NCT01316341.

PMID- 26101177
TI  - Influence of thermodynamic properties of a thermo-acoustic emitter on the
      efficiency of thermal airborne ultrasound generation.
AB  - In this work we experimentally verify the theoretical prediction of the recently
      published Energy Density Fluctuation Model (EDF-model) of thermo-acoustic sound
      generation. Particularly, we investigate experimentally the influence of thermal
      inertia of an electrically conductive film on the efficiency of thermal airborne
      ultrasound generation predicted by the EDF-model. Unlike widely used theories,
      the EDF-model predicts that the thermal inertia of the electrically conductive
      film is a frequency-dependent parameter. Its influence grows non-linearly with
      the increase of excitation frequency and reduces the efficiency of the ultrasound
      generation. Thus, this parameter is the major limiting factor for the efficient
      thermal airborne ultrasound generation in the MHz-range. To verify this
      theoretical prediction experimentally, five thermo-acoustic emitter samples
      consisting of Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO) coatings of different thicknesses (from 65
      nm to 1.44 MUm) on quartz glass substrates were tested for airborne ultrasound
      generation in a frequency range from 10 kHz to 800 kHz. For the measurement of
      thermally generated sound pressures a laser Doppler vibrometer combined with a 12
      MUm thin polyethylene foil was used as the sound pressure detector. All tested
      thermo-acoustic emitter samples showed a resonance-free frequency response in the
      entire tested frequency range. The thermal inertia of the heat producing film
      acts as a low-pass filter and reduces the generated sound pressure with the
      increasing excitation frequency and the ITO film thickness. The difference of
      generated sound pressure levels for samples with 65 nm and 1.44 MUm thickness is
      in the order of about 6 dB at 50 kHz and of about 12 dB at 500 kHz. A comparison
      of sound pressure levels measured experimentally and those predicted by the EDF
      model shows for all tested emitter samples a relative error of less than +/-6%.
      Thus, experimental results confirm the prediction of the EDF-model and show that
      the model can be applied for design and optimization of thermo-acoustic airborne
      ultrasound emitters.

PMID- 26101179
TI  - A non-randomized clinical trial to assess the impact of nonrigid, inelastic
      corsets on spine function in low back pain participants and asymptomatic
      controls.
AB  - BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Although previous studies suggest braces/corsets can reduce
      acute pain, no prior study has assessed back function after bracing with both
      self-reported and objective measures. Use of both self-reported and objective
      measures of spine function together may be important given evidence they assess
      unique aspects of function. PURPOSE: The aim was to assess both self-reported and
      objective measures of spinal function before, and after, use of a nonrigid,
      inelastic lumbar brace. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: This was a non-randomized clinical
      trial. PATIENT SAMPLE: The sample included acute low back pain (LBP) participants
      and asymptomatic controls. OUTCOME MEASURES: Oswestry Disability Index (ODI),
      spinal stiffness, and muscle endurance were the outcome measures. METHODS: Three
      groups were studied: -LBP/-Brace (n=19), -LBP/+Brace (n=18), and +LBP/+Brace
      (n=17). Both groups of braced participants were instructed to wear the brace
      continually for 2 weeks with the exception of bedroom and bathroom activities.
      Before and after the 2-week period, three measures of spinal function were
      performed: spinal stiffness via motorized indentation of the L3 spinous process,
      a modified Sorensen test (timed lumbar extension against gravity), and the ODI.
      Repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted for all three outcomes.
      RESULTS: Among the groups, ODI scores decreased significantly for the +LBP/+Brace
      group (p<.001) compared with the other two groups. The +LBP/+Brace mean ODI score
      decreased 3.71 points (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.01-5.40) compared with the 
      LBP/-Brace group and decreased 3.48 points (95% CI 1.77-5.20) compared with the 
      LBP/+Brace group. Change scores for the Sorensen test were significantly
      increased in the +LBP/+Brace group (p=.037) compared with the -LBP/-Brace group
      (22.47s 95% CI 8.14-36.80). Spinal stiffness did not change significantly between
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that lumbar function assessed by
      self-reported and objective measures does not worsen when nonrigid, inelastic
      bracing is used for short periods of time for those with, or without, back pain.
      These data add to the existing literature that suggests short-term use of
      nonrigid, inelastic bracing for acute LBP does not decrease spinal function when
      measured separately with subjective or objective tools.

PMID- 26101182
TI  - Correction: Facile synthesis of phosphine free ultra-small PbSe nanocrystals and
      their light harvesting studies in ETA solar cells.

PMID- 26101180
TI  - Evolution of posterior parietal cortex and parietal-frontal networks for specific
      actions in primates.
AB  - Posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is an extensive region of the human brain that
      develops relatively late and is proportionally large compared with that of
      monkeys and prosimian primates. Our ongoing comparative studies have led to
      several conclusions about the evolution of this posterior parietal region. In
      early placental mammals, PPC likely was a small multisensory region much like PPC
      of extant rodents and tree shrews. In early primates, PPC likely resembled that
      of prosimian galagos, in which caudal PPC (PPCc) is visual and rostral PPC (PPCr)
      has eight or more multisensory domains where electrical stimulation evokes
      different complex motor behaviors, including reaching, hand-to-mouth, looking,
      protecting the face or body, and grasping. These evoked behaviors depend on
      connections with functionally matched domains in premotor cortex (PMC) and motor
      cortex (M1). Domains in each region compete with each other, and a serial
      arrangement of domains allows different factors to influence motor outcomes
      successively. Similar arrangements of domains have been retained in New and Old
      World monkeys, and humans appear to have at least some of these domains. The
      great expansion and prolonged development of PPC in humans suggest the addition
      of functionally distinct territories. We propose that, across primates, PMC and
      M1 domains are second and third levels in a number of parallel, interacting
      networks for mediating and selecting one type of action over others.

PMID- 26101181
TI  - Amniotic fluid stem cells provide considerable advantages in epidermal
      regeneration: B7H4 creates a moderate inflammation microenvironment to promote
      wound repair.
AB  - The current treatments for severe skin injury all involve skin grafting. However,
      there is a worldwide shortage of donor skin tissue. In this study, we examined
      the advantages of using human amniotic fluid stem (hAFS) cells in skin wound
      healing. In vitro, hAFS cells differentiate into keratinocytes (termed hAFS-K).
      Like keratinocytes, hAFS-K cells express the markers K5, K14, K10 and involucrin;
      display typical cellular structure, including a tonofibril-rich cytoplasm; and
      construct a completely pluristratified epithelium in 3D culture. In vivo, in a
      mouse excisional wound model, GFP-positive hAFS cells participate in wound
      repair. Co-localization of GFP/K14 and GFP/K10 in the repaired epidermis
      demonstrated that hAFS cells can differentiate into keratinocytes. Real-time PCR
      results confirmed that hAFS cells can initiate and promote early-stage repair of
      skin damage. During wound repair, hAFS cells did not directly secrete repair
      related factors, such as bFGF, VEGF, CXCL12, TGF-beta1 and KGF, and provided a
      moderate inflammation reaction with lower expression of IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF
      alpha, Cox2 and Mac3. In hAFS cells, the negative co-stimulatory molecule B7H4
      regulates low immunogenicity, which can provide a modest inflammatory reaction
      microenvironment for wound repair. Furthermore, with their uniquely high
      proliferation rate, hAFS cells offer a promising alternative for epidermal
      regeneration. 

PMID- 26101183
TI  - Puerarin attenuates glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis of hFOB1.19 cells through
      the JNK- and Akt-mediated mitochondrial apoptotic pathways.
AB  - Puerarin is an active component of Pueraria lobata, which is a commonly used
      Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of osteoporosis. The present study
      aimed to evaluate the osteoprotective effect of puerarin on glucocorticoid (GC)
      induced apoptosis of osteoblasts in vitro. The effects of puerarin on
      dexamethasone (DEX)-induced cell apoptosis were assessed using enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay and a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end
      labeling assay, and found that the viability of hFOB1.19 cells was significantly
      increased following exposure to between 10(-6) and 10(-10) M puerarin, with a
      maximal anti-apoptotic effect at a concentration of 10(-8) M. In addition,
      compared with the control group, puerarin upregulated the transcription and
      protein levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 and downregulated B-cell-associated X protein
      in the hFOB1.19 cells. Puerarin attenuated the DEX-induced release of cytochrome
      c and cleavage of caspase-3, and treatment with puerarin inhibited the c-Jun N
      terminal kinase (JNK) pathway and activated the phosphoinositide 3-kinase
      (PI3K)/Akt pathway in the hFOB1.19 cells. Furthermore, the Akt inhibitor,
      LY294002, partly eliminated the protective effect of puerarin on DEX-induced
      apoptosis, and puerarin combined with the JNK inhibitor, SP600125, suppressed DEX
      induced apoptosis to a lesser extent than in the cells treated with SP600125
      alone. These results suggested that the JNK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways
      mediate the inhibitory effects of puerarin on apoptosis in the hFOB1.19 cells. In
      conclusion, puerarin prevented DEX-induced apoptosis of hFOB1.19 cells via
      inhibition of the JNK pathway and activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in
      the cells, dependent on the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. These results
      support puerarin as a promising target in the treatment of GC-induced
      osteoporosis.

PMID- 26101184
TI  - Effect of papain-based gel on type I collagen--spectroscopy applied for
      microstructural analysis.
AB  - Considering the improvement of biomaterials that facilitate atraumatic
      restorative techniques in dentistry, a papain-based gel can be used in the
      chemomechanical removal of decayed dental tissue. However, there is no
      information regarding the influence of this gel on the structure of sound
      collagen. The aim of the present study was to investigate the adsorption of a
      papain-based gel (Papacarie(TM)) to collagen and determine collagen integrity
      after treatment. A pilot study was first performed with 10 samples of type I
      collagen membrane obtained from bovine Achilles deep tendon to compare the
      influence of hydration (Milli-Q water) on infrared bands of collagen. In a
      further experiment, 10 samples of type I collagen membrane were used to evaluate
      the effects of Papacarie(TM) on the collagen microstructure. All analyses were
      performed using the attenuated total reflectance technique of Fourier transform
      infrared (ATR-FTIR). The results demonstrated that the application of
      Papacarie(TM) does not lead to the degradation of collagen and this product can
      be safely used in minimally invasive dentistry. As the integrity of sound
      collagen is preserved after the application of the papain-based gel, this product
      is indicated for the selective removal of infected dentin, leaving the affected
      dentin intact and capable of re-mineralization. 

PMID- 26101186
TI  - Intrinsic Levy behaviour in organisms--searching for a mechanism: Comment on
      "Liberating Levy walk research from the shackles of optimal foraging" by A.M.
      Reynolds.

PMID- 26101185
TI  - A novel endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase releases specific N-glycans depending
      on different reaction conditions.
AB  - Milk glycoproteins are involved in different functions and contribute to
      different cellular processes, including adhesion and signaling, and shape the
      development of the infant microbiome. Methods have been developed to study the
      complexities of milk protein glycosylation and understand the role of N-glycans
      in protein functionality. Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (EndoBI-1) isolated
      from Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis ATCC 15697 is a recently isolated
      heat-stable enzyme that cleaves the N-N'-diacetyl chitobiose moiety found in the
      N-glycan core. The effects of different processing conditions (pH, temperature,
      reaction time, and enzyme/protein ratio) were evaluated for their ability to
      change EndoBI-1 activity on bovine colostrum whey glycoproteins using advanced
      mass spectrometry. This study shows that EndoBI-1 is able to cleave a high
      diversity of N-glycan structures. Nano-LC-Chip-Q-TOF MS data also revealed that
      different reaction conditions resulted in different N-glycan compositions
      released, thus modifying the relative abundance of N-glycan types. In general,
      more sialylated N-glycans were released at lower temperatures and pH values.
      These results demonstrated that EndoBI-1 is able to release a wide variety of N
      glycans, whose compositions can be selectively manipulated using different
      processing conditions.

PMID- 26101187
TI  - Primary radiotherapy vs conservative management for localized prostate cancer--a
      population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy is the most common curative cancer therapy used for
      elderly patients with localized prostate cancer. However, the effectiveness of
      this approach has not been established. The purpose of this study is to evaluate
      the long-term outcomes of primary radiotherapy compared with conservative
      management in order to facilitate treatment decisions. METHOD: This population
      based study consisted of 57,749 patients with T1-T2 prostate cancers diagnosed
      during 1992-2007. We utilized an instrumental variable (IV) analytical approach
      with competing risk models to evaluate the outcomes of primary radiotherapy vs
      conservative management. The IV was comprised of combined health service areas
      with high- and low-use areas corresponding to the top and bottom tertile in
      radiotherapy usage rates. RESULTS: In patients with low-/intermediate-risk
      prostate cancer, 10-year prostate cancer-specific and overall survival was
      similar in high- and low-radiotherapy use areas (96.1 vs 95.4% and 56.6 vs 56.3%,
      respectively). In patients with high-risk disease, however, areas with high
      radiotherapy use had a higher 10-year cancer-specific survival (90.2 vs 88.1%,
      difference 2.1%; 95% CI 0.3-4.0%) and 10-year overall survival (53.3 vs 50.2%,
      difference 3.1%; 95% CI 1.3-6.3%). Results were similar irrespective of the type
      of radiotherapy used. To assess the robustness of our choice of IV, we repeated
      the IV analytical approach using different IVs (using the median utilization rate
      as the cutoff) and found the results to be similar. CONCLUSIONS: Among men >65
      years of age, the benefit of primary radiotherapy for localized disease is
      largely confined to patients with high-risk prostate cancer (Gleason scores 7
      10).

PMID- 26101188
TI  - Epoprostenol Therapy for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
AB  - Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by elevation of pulmonary
      artery pressure caused by pulmonary vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling,
      which leads to right heart failure and death. Epoprostenol (prostaglandin I2) has
      a potent short-acting vasodilator property, and intravenous continuous
      epoprostenol is therefore used for treatment of PAH. Here we review evidence for
      the usefulness of intravenous continuous epoprostenol therapy in patients with
      PAH. Epoprostenol therapy is effective in idiopathic PAH patients and in patients
      with PAH associated with connective tissue disease, portal hypertension or
      congenital heart diseases, but it is not effective in patients with pulmonary
      veno-occlusive disease or pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis. High-dose
      epoprostenol therapy markedly improved hemodynamics in some patients with PAH,
      possibly due to reverse remodeling of pulmonary arteries. This therapy has
      several side effects and complications such as headache, hypotension and catheter
      related infections. Intravenous continuous epoprostenol is an effective
      treatment, but there are still some problems to be resolved. 

PMID- 26101189
TI  - Aberrant Expression of Keratin 7 in Hepatocytes as a Predictive Marker of Rapid
      Progression to Hepatic Failure in Asymptomatic Primary Biliary Cirrhosis.
AB  - A predictive marker of the rapid progression to hepatic failure is desired for
      patients with asymptomatic primary biliary cirrhosis (aPBC). We performed a
      systematic cohort analysis of 101 patients diagnosed as having aPBC and the rapid
      progression to liver failure in some, by focusing on cholestasis. Cholestasis was
      assessed by aberrant keratin7 (K-7) expressions in the patients' hepatocytes.
      Intralobular expressions of K-7 were found in 9 of the 101 patients. The grades
      of K-7 expression were significantly associated with the levels of alanine
      aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin at the time of
      diagnosis, but not with bile duct loss or cholestasis. Stepwise logistic
      regression analysis revealed that high grades of K-7 expression correlated
      positively with high levels of total bilirubin. During the follow-up period, 8
      patients developed jaundice, and the mean period until the development of
      jaundice was 5.2 years. The proportional hazards models for the risk of
      developing jaundice identified a high grade of aberrant K-7 expression in
      hepatocytes as the only significant risk factor. Aberrant K-7 expression in
      hepatocytes can be used as an additional marker to predict rapid progression to
      liver failure in patients with aPBC at the time of diagnosis. 

PMID- 26101190
TI  - Eosinophil Cationic Protein Shows Survival Effect on H9c2 Cardiac Myoblast Cells
      with Enhanced Phosphorylation of ERK and Akt/GSK-3beta under Oxidative Stress.
AB  - Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) is well known as a cationic protein contained
      in the basic granules of activated eosinophils. Recent studies have reported that
      ECP exhibits novel activities on various types of cells, including rat neonatal
      cardiomyocytes. Here we evaluated the effects of ECP on rat cardiac myoblast H9c2
      cells. Our results showed that ECP enhanced the survival of the cells, in part by
      promoting the ERK and Akt/GSK-3beta signaling pathways. ECP attenuated the
      cytotoxic effects of H2O2 on H9c2 cells as well as the production of reactive
      oxygen species, the number of apoptotic cells and caspase 3/7 activity in the
      cells. In conclusion, ECP activated the ERK and Akt/GSK-3beta pathways, resulting
      in anti-oxidative effects on H9c2 cells that attenuated apoptosis. 

PMID- 26101191
TI  - Knowledge and Attitudes toward Non-invasive Prenatal Testing among Pregnant
      Japanese Women.
AB  - To assess the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant Japanese women regarding non
      invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). Between March and June 2013, 557 pregnant women
      in the Hyogo and Hiroshima Prefectures were surveyed using an anonymous, self
      completed questionnaire. A total of 91.9% respondents (512/557) stated that they
      "agree" or "conditionally agree" with NIPT implementation in Japan. Approximately
      28.5% of respondents stated that they knew that the accuracy of a positive NIPT
      result can be affected by mother's age and background, while 34.5% of respondents
      stated that it was necessary for pregnant women with a positive result to undergo
      fetal chromosome diagnosis using amniocentesis;both percentages were low.
      Additionally, 92.3% of respondents would "like a detailed explanation of the
      test," 65.1% of them would "like psychological support if the NIPT test results
      came back positive," and 5.7% would terminate the pregnancy if the NIPT test
      results came back positive without undergoing fetal chromosome diagnosis via
      amniocentesis. Although a high proportion of pregnant Japanese women agreed with
      the introduction of NIPT into Japanese obstetrical care, there was insufficient
      knowledge regarding the test. It is necessary for women undergoing NIPT to be
      provided sufficient information and psychological support. 

PMID- 26101192
TI  - Dynamic Finite Element Analysis of Impulsive Stress Waves Propagating from the
      Greater Trochanter of the Femur by a Sideways Fall.
AB  - Fall accidents are a common cause of femoral fracture in the elderly. The greater
      trochanter of the femur is often subjected to impact loading by a sideways fall,
      and thus it is worth studying the impulsive stress waves propagating in the
      femur. In this study, the impulsive stress was analyzed by the dynamic finite
      element method using a 3-dimensional model of the femur, and the influence of the
      fall configuration on the stress was discussed. The stress was concentrated
      around the femoral neck during the propagation of the stress wave, and the
      tensile maximum principal stress changed into compressive minimum principle
      stress on the anterior and medial sides of the neck. On the other hand, the
      compressive minimum principal stress changed into tensile maximum principle
      stress on the lateral side of the neck. The largest maximum principal stress
      during the impact loading was always larger in the neck than in the impact
      region. The largest absolute value of the minimum principal stress was found in
      the neck or the impact region depending on the fall configuration. The largest
      absolute values of the maximum and minimum principal stress were nearly equal,
      indicating that the bone fracture due to the tensile stress may occur around the
      femoral neck. 

PMID- 26101193
TI  - Prone-Position Thoracoscopic Ligation of the Thoracic Duct for Chyle Leak
      Following Radical Neck Dissection in a Patient with a Right Aortic Arch.
AB  - A chyle leak can occur as a complication after neck or chest surgery. Such a leak
      prolongs the hospital stay and is sometimes life-threatening. The treatment
      options are conservative management, interventional radiologic embolization, and
      surgery. Thoracoscopic ligation of the thoracic duct has emerged as a promising
      and definitive treatment. The case of a 65-year-old Japanese male patient with a
      rare congenital right aortic arch (typeIIIB1 of Edward's classification) and a
      severe chyle leak that occurred after a total pharyngolaryngo-esophagectomy
      (TPLE) is described. The chyle leak was successfully managed by thoracoscopic
      ligation of the thoracic duct via a left-side approach with the patient in the
      prone position. 

PMID- 26101194
TI  - Maxillary Advancement for Unilateral Crossbite in a Patient with Sleep Apnea
      Syndrome.
AB  - This article reports the case of a 44-year-old male with skeletal Class III,
      Angle Class III malocclusion and unilateral crossbite with concerns about
      obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), esthetics and functional problems. To
      correct the skeletal deformities, the maxilla was anteriorly repositioned by
      employing LeFort I osteotomy following pre-surgical orthodontic treatment,
      because a mandibular setback might induce disordered breathing and cause OSAS.
      After active treatment for 13 months, satisfactory occlusion was achieved and an
      acceptable facial and oral profile was obtained. In addition, the apnea hypopnea
      index (AHI) decreased from 18.8 preoperatively to 10.6 postoperatively.
      Furthermore, after a follow-up period of 7 months, the AHI again significantly
      decreased from 10.6 to 6.2. In conclusion, surgical advancement of the maxilla
      using LeFort I osteotomy has proven to be useful in patients with this kind of
      skeletal malocclusion, while preventing a worsening of the OSAS. 

PMID- 26101195
TI  - Pure Choriocarcinoma of the Ovary in Silver-Russell Syndrome.
AB  - Pure ovarian choriocarcinoma is an extremely rare malignancy that can be
      gestational or non-gestational in origin. Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) is a rare
      congenital developmental disorder characterized by pre- and postnatal growth
      failure, relative macrocephaly, a triangular face, hemihypotrophy, and fifth
      finger clinodactyly. We report a rare case of pure ovarian choriocarcinoma
      occurring in a 19-year-old woman with SRS. Following surgery, multiple
      chemotherapy courses were effective and she was free of disease at the 10-month
      follow-up. 

PMID- 26101196
TI  - Clinical Image: Dieulafoy's lesion: A case report.

PMID- 26101199
TI  - Boosting methane generation by co-digestion of sludge with fruit and vegetable
      waste: Internal environment of digester and methanogenic pathway.
AB  - The effects of anaerobic co-digestion of waste-mixed sludge with fruit and
      vegetable waste (FVW) on the methane generation of a mesophilic digester was
      investigated. Organic loading rates (OLR) were 1.46kgVS/m(3)day, 2.1kgVS/m(3)day
      and 2.8kgVS/m(3)day. Increase in the OLR due to FVW co-digestion caused
      modification of the internal environment of the digester, mainly in terms of N
      NH4 (mg/L). Corresponding microbial populations were investigated by metagenomic
      high-throughput sequencing. Maximum specific bio-methane generation of 435 NLCH4
      per kgVS feed was achieved for an OLR of 2.1kgVS/m(3)day, which corresponded to a
      biomethane generation per kgVS removed of about 1700 NLCH4. In these conditions
      the methanogenic pathway was dominated by aceticlastic Methanosaeta and
      hydrogenotrophic/aceticlastic Methanoscarcinae. Ammonia concentration in the
      digester resulted a key parameter for enhancing syntrophic acetate oxidation,
      enabling a balanced aceticlastic and hydrogenotrophic/aceticlastic methanogenic
      pathway. 

PMID- 26101200
TI  - Effect of temperature on methane production from field-scale anaerobic digesters
      treating dairy manure.
AB  - Temperature is a critical factor affecting anaerobic digestion because it
      influences both system heating requirements and methane production. Temperatures
      of 35-37 degrees C are typically suggested for manure digestion. In temperate
      climates, digesters require a considerable amount of additional heat energy to
      maintain temperatures at these levels. In this study, the effects of lower
      digestion temperatures (22 and 28 degrees C), on the methane production from
      dairy digesters were evaluated and compared with 35 degrees C using duplicate
      replicates of field-scale (FS) digesters with a 17-day hydraulic retention time.
      After acclimation, the FS digesters were operated for 12weeks using solids
      separated manure at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 1.4kgVSm(-3)d(-1) and then
      for 8weeks using separated manure amended with manure solids at an OLR of
      2.6kgVSm(-3)d(-1). Methane production values of the FS digesters at 22 and 28
      degrees C were about 70% and 87%, respectively, of the values from FS digesters
      at 35 degrees C. The results suggest that anaerobic digesters treating dairy
      manure at 28 degrees C were nearly as efficient as digesters operated at 35
      degrees C, with 70% of total methane achievable at 22 degrees C. These results
      are relevant to small farms interested in anaerobic digestion for methane
      reduction without heat recovery from generators or for methane recovery from
      covered lagoon digesters. 

PMID- 26101197
TI  - Novel epigenetic determinants of type 2 diabetes in Mexican-American families.
AB  - Although DNA methylation is now recognized as an important mediator of complex
      diseases, the extent to which the genetic basis of such diseases is accounted for
      by DNA methylation is unknown. In the setting of large, extended families
      representing a minority, high-risk population of the USA, we aimed to
      characterize the role of epigenome-wide DNA methylation in type 2 diabetes (T2D).
      Using Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip arrays, we tested for association of
      DNA methylation at 446 356 sites with age, sex and phenotypic traits related to
      T2D in 850 pedigreed Mexican-American individuals. Robust statistical analyses
      showed that (i) 15% of the methylome is significantly heritable, with a median
      heritability of 0.14; (ii) DNA methylation at 14% of CpG sites is associated with
      nearby sequence variants; (iii) 22% and 3% of the autosomal CpG sites are
      associated with age and sex, respectively; (iv) 53 CpG sites were significantly
      associated with liability to T2D, fasting blood glucose and insulin resistance;
      (v) DNA methylation levels at five CpG sites, mapping to three well-characterized
      genes (TXNIP, ABCG1 and SAMD12) independently explained 7.8% of the heritability
      of T2D (vi) methylation at these five sites was unlikely to be influenced by
      neighboring DNA sequence variation. Our study has identified novel epigenetic
      indicators of T2D risk in Mexican Americans who have increased risk for this
      disease. These results provide new insights into potential treatment targets of
      T2D. 

PMID- 26101201
TI  - Microchip with an open tubular immobilized ph gradient for UV whole column
      imaging detection.
AB  - This study reports a new method for establishing an open tubular IPG in a
      microchip coupled with a whole column image detection (WCID) system for protein
      separation applications. This method allows a wider range of immobilized pH (2.6
      9.5) to be established in a PDMS/quartz channel by controlling the diffusion of
      acidic and basic polymer solutions into the channel through well-designed channel
      dimensions. The developed pH gradient was experimentally validated by performing
      the separation of a mixture of standard pI markers. It was further validated by
      the separation of the hemoglobin control AFSC sample. This method is advantageous
      over existing IPG methods because it has a wider range of pH and maintains the
      open tubular feature that matches the UV WCID to improve the sensitivity. 

PMID- 26101202
TI  - Shape-Persistent, Sterically Crowded Star Mesogens: From Exceptional Columnar
      Dimer Stacks to Supermesogens.
AB  - Hexasubstituted C3 -symmetric benzenes with three oligophenylenevinylene (OPV)
      arms and three pyridyl or phenyl substituents are shape-persistent star mesogens
      that are sterically crowded in the center. Such molecular structures possess
      large void spaces between their arms, which have to be filled in condensed
      phases. For the neat materials, this is accomplished by an exceptional formation
      of dimers and short-range helical packing in columnar mesophases. The mesophase
      is thermodynamically stable for the pyridyl compound. Only this derivative forms
      filled star-shaped supermesogens in the presence of various carboxylic acids. The
      latter do not arrange as dimers, but as monomers along the columnar stacks. In
      this liquid crystal (LC) phase, the guests are completely enclosed by the hosts.
      Therefore, the host can be regarded as a new LC endoreceptor, which allows the
      design of columnar functional structures in the future. 

PMID- 26101198
TI  - Pathways to Parkinsonism Redux: convergent pathobiological mechanisms in genetics
      of Parkinson's disease.
AB  - In the past few years, there have been a large number of genes identified that
      contribute to the lifetime risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). Some genes follow a
      Mendelian inheritance pattern, but others are risk factors for apparently
      sporadic PD. Here, we will focus on those genes nominated by genome-wide
      association studies (GWAS) in sporadic PD, with a particular emphasis on genes
      that overlap between familial and sporadic disease such as those encoding a
      synuclein (SNCA), tau (MAPT), and leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2). We will
      advance the view that there are likely relationships between these genes that map
      not only to neuronal processes, but also to neuroinflammation. We will
      particularly discuss evidence for a role of PD proteins in microglial activation
      and regulation of the autophagy-lysosome system that is dependent on microtubule
      transport in neurons. Thus, there are at least two non-mutually exclusive
      pathways that include both non-cell-autonomous and cell-autonomous mechanisms in
      the PD brain. Collectively, these data have highlighted the amount of progress
      made in understanding PD and suggest ways forward to further dissect this
      disorder.

PMID- 26101203
TI  - Phthalate exposure and childrens neurodevelopment: A systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence from observational studies suggests that prenatal
      exposure to phthalates affects neurodevelopment in children. OBJECTIVE: To
      conduct a systematic review of the existing literature on the association between
      urinary phthalate concentrations and children's neurodevelopment. METHODS: We
      searched electronic bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO,
      CINAHL, Global Health, CAB abstracts, and ERIC) (1910 to February 21st, 2014);
      reference lists of included articles, and conference abstracts (American
      Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Neurology, and Pediatric Academic
      Societies). Two independent reviewers screened abstracts and extracted data. We
      included original studies reporting on the association between prenatal or
      childhood urinary phthalate metabolites, and cognitive and behavioral outcomes
      (e.g., IQ scores, BASC-2 scores or equivalent) in children 0-12 years of age.
      RESULTS: Of 2804 abstracts screened, 11 original articles met our criteria for
      inclusion. CONCLUSIONS: A systematic review of the literature supports the
      contention that prenatal exposure phthalates is associated with adverse cognitive
      and behavioral outcomes in children, including lower IQ, and problems with
      attention, hyperactivity, and poorer social communication. Further research
      characterizing the associations between specific phthalate metabolites and
      children's neurodevelopmental outcomes is needed to support the development of
      mitigation strategies and enhance the development of appropriate health policy.

PMID- 26101205
TI  - Protecting Traditional Knowledge Related to Biological Resources: Is Scientific
      Research Going to Become More Bureaucratized?
AB  - For the past several decades, there has been a world debate on the need for
      protecting traditional knowledge. A global treaty appears to be a distant
      reality. Of more immediate concern are the steps taken by the global community to
      protect access to biological resources in the name of protecting traditional
      knowledge. The Indian experience with implementing the Convention on Biological
      Diversity has created substantial legal uncertainty in collaborative scientific
      research between Indians and foreigners apart from bureaucratizing the entire
      process of scientific research, especially with regard to filing of applications
      for intellectual property rights. The issue therefore is whether the world needs
      to better balance the needs of the scientific community with the rights of those
      who have access to traditional knowledge. 

PMID- 26101207
TI  - Experts disagree over necessity of hepatitis E vaccine in Nepal.

PMID- 26101206
TI  - Convergence of Human Genetics and Animal Studies: Gene Therapy for X-Linked
      Retinoschisis.
AB  - Retinoschisis is an X-linked recessive genetic disease that leads to vision loss
      in males. X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) typically affects young males; however,
      progressive vision loss continues throughout life. Although discovered in 1898 by
      Haas in two brothers, the underlying biology leading to blindness has become
      apparent only in the last 15 years with the advancement of human genetic
      analyses, generation of XLRS animal models, and the development of ocular
      monitoring methods such as the electroretinogram and optical coherence
      tomography. It is now recognized that retinoschisis results from cyst formations
      within the retinal layers that interrupt normal visual neurosignaling and
      compromise structural integrity. Mutations in the human retinoschisin gene have
      been correlated with disease severity of the human XLRS phenotype. Introduction
      of a normal human retinoschisin cDNA into retinoschisin knockout mice restores
      retinal structure and improves neural function, providing proof-of-concept that
      gene replacement therapy is a plausible treatment for XLRS. 

PMID- 26101204
TI  - Glutamatergic Mechanisms Associated with Seizures and Epilepsy.
AB  - Epilepsy is broadly characterized by aberrant neuronal excitability. Glutamate is
      the predominant excitatory neurotransmitter in the adult mammalian brain; thus,
      much of past epilepsy research has attempted to understand the role of glutamate
      in seizures and epilepsy. Seizures induce elevations in extracellular glutamate,
      which then contribute to excitotoxic damage. Chronic seizures can alter neuronal
      and glial expression of glutamate receptors and uptake transporters, further
      contributing to epileptogenesis. Evidence points to a shared glutamate pathology
      for epilepsy and other central nervous system (CNS) disorders, including
      depression, which is often a comorbidity of epilepsy. Therapies that target
      glutamatergic neurotransmission are available, but many have met with difficulty
      because of untoward adverse effects. Better understanding of this system has
      generated novel therapeutic targets that directly and indirectly modulate
      glutamatergic signaling. Thus, future efforts to manage the epileptic patient
      with glutamatergic-centric treatments now hold greater potential. 

PMID- 26101209
TI  - Proposed 7.4% cut in public health budget threatens antismoking and antiobesity
      initiatives, leader says.

PMID- 26101208
TI  - Mitochondrial Methylenetetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase (MTHFD2) Overexpression Is
      Associated with Tumor Cell Proliferation and Is a Novel Target for Drug
      Development.
AB  - Rapidly proliferating tumors attempt to meet the demands for nucleotide
      biosynthesis by upregulating folate pathways that provide the building blocks for
      pyrimidine and purine biosynthesis. In particular, the key role of mitochondrial
      folate enzymes in providing formate for de novo purine synthesis and for
      providing the one-carbon moiety for thymidylate synthesis has been recognized in
      recent studies. We have shown a significant correlation between the upregulation
      of the mitochondrial folate enzymes, high proliferation rates, and sensitivity to
      the folate antagonist methotrexate (MTX). Burkitt lymphoma and diffuse large-cell
      lymphoma tumor specimens have the highest levels of mitochondrial folate enzyme
      expression and are known to be sensitive to treatment with MTX. A key enzyme
      upregulated in rapidly proliferating tumors but not in normal adult cells is the
      mitochondrial enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (MTHFD2). This
      perspective outlines the rationale for specific targeting of MTHFD2 and compares
      known and generated crystal structures of MTHFD2 and closely related enzymes as a
      molecular basis for developing therapeutic agents against MTHFD2. Importantly,
      the development of selective inhibitors of mitochondrial
      methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase is expected to have substantial activity,
      and this perspective supports the investigation and development of MTHFD2
      inhibitors for anticancer therapy.

PMID- 26101210
TI  - The Writing Performance of Elementary Students Receiving Strategic and
      Interactive Writing Instruction.
AB  - Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) has led to improved writing
      and language outcomes among deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) middle grades
      students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of SIWI on the
      written expression of DHH elementary students across recount/personal narrative,
      information report, and persuasive genres. Five multiple-probe case studies
      demonstrate a relationship between implementation of SIWI and improvements in
      genre-related writing performance. The effect of instruction was most immediately
      demonstrated with information reports and persuasive writing, whereas several
      sessions of recount instruction were needed for students to satisfy performance
      criteria. Additionally, pre- and post-data from a larger group of students (N =
      31) were compared. Wilcoxon signed-rank test statistics were statistically
      significant for each genre with medium to high effect sizes. Data suggest SIWI as
      a promising practice with elementary students, and comments regarding further
      development and research are provided. 

PMID- 26101211
TI  - What Shapes Adolescents' Future Perceptions? The Effects of Hearing Loss, Social
      Affiliation, and Career Self-Efficacy.
AB  - The current study examined the contribution of hearing loss, social affiliation,
      and career self-efficacy to adolescents' future perceptions. Participants were
      191 11th and 12th grade students: 60 who were deaf, 36 who were deaf or hard of
      hearing, and 95 who were hearing. They completed the Future Perceptions Scale,
      the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy (CDMSE) Scale, and the Self-Efficacy for
      the Management of Work-Family Conflict Scale. Results indicated that participants
      who were deaf reported significantly higher levels of future clarity and
      intensity than the other groups. However, no significant differences were found
      in career self-efficacy. Hearing status and affiliation and the efficacy to
      manage future conflict between work and family roles were significant predictors
      of participants' future clarity. CDMSE was a significant predictor of future
      planning. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. 

PMID- 26101212
TI  - Margaret McCartney: Medicine is a bit of a giggle.

PMID- 26101213
TI  - Elena Gracheva: Ion channels run hot and cold.

PMID- 26101214
TI  - The first buds of Cdc42.

PMID- 26101215
TI  - The unpredictability of prolonged activation of stress response pathways.
AB  - In response to stress, cellular compartments activate signaling pathways that
      mediate transcriptional programs to promote survival and reestablish homeostasis.
      Manipulation of the magnitude and duration of the activation of stress responses
      has been proposed as a strategy to prevent or repair the damage associated with
      aging or degenerative diseases. However, as these pathways likely evolved to
      respond specifically to transient perturbations, the unpredictability of
      prolonged activation should be considered.

PMID- 26101216
TI  - GMFbeta controls branched actin content and lamellipodial retraction in
      fibroblasts.
AB  - The lamellipodium is an important structure for cell migration containing
      branched actin nucleated via the Arp2/3 complex. The formation of branched actin
      is relatively well studied, but less is known about its disassembly and how this
      influences migration. GMF is implicated in both Arp2/3 debranching and inhibition
      of Arp2/3 activation. Modulation of GMFbeta, a ubiquitous GMF isoform, by
      depletion or overexpression resulted in changes in lamellipodial dynamics,
      branched actin content, and migration. Acute pharmacological inhibition of Arp2/3
      by CK-666, coupled to quantitative live-cell imaging of the complex, showed that
      depletion of GMFbeta decreased the rate of branched actin disassembly. These
      data, along with mutagenesis studies, suggest that debranching (not inhibition of
      Arp2/3 activation) is a primary activity of GMFbeta in vivo. Furthermore,
      depletion or overexpression of GMFbeta disrupted the ability of cells to
      directionally migrate to a gradient of fibronectin (haptotaxis). These data
      suggest that debranching by GMFbeta plays an important role in branched actin
      regulation, lamellipodial dynamics, and directional migration.

PMID- 26101217
TI  - Centromere protein F includes two sites that couple efficiently to depolymerizing
      microtubules.
AB  - Firm attachments between kinetochores and dynamic spindle microtubules (MTs) are
      important for accurate chromosome segregation. Centromere protein F (CENP-F) has
      been shown to include two MT-binding domains, so it may participate in this key
      mitotic process. Here, we show that the N-terminal MT-binding domain of CENP-F
      prefers curled oligomers of tubulin relative to MT walls by approximately
      fivefold, suggesting that it may contribute to the firm bonds between
      kinetochores and the flared plus ends of dynamic MTs. A polypeptide from CENP-F's
      C terminus also bound MTs, and either protein fragment diffused on a stable MT
      wall. They also followed the ends of dynamic MTs as they shortened. When either
      fragment was coupled to a microbead, the force it could transduce from a
      shortening MT averaged 3-5 pN but could exceed 10 pN, identifying CENP-F as a
      highly effective coupler to shortening MTs.

PMID- 26101218
TI  - Pheromone-encoding mRNA is transported to the yeast mating projection by specific
      RNP granules.
AB  - Association of messenger RNAs with large complexes such as processing bodies
      (PBs) plays a pivotal role in regulating their translation and decay. Little is
      known about other possible functions of these assemblies. Exposure of haploid
      yeast cells, carrying mating type "a," to "alpha pheromone" stimulates polarized
      growth resulting in a "shmoo" projection; it also induces synthesis of "a
      pheromone," encoded by MFA2. In this paper, we show that, in response to alpha
      pheromone, MFA2 mRNA is assembled with two types of granules; both contain some
      canonical PB proteins, yet they differ in size, localization, motility, and
      sensitivity to cycloheximide. Remarkably, one type is involved in mRNA transport
      to the tip of the shmoo, whereas the other-in local translation in the shmoo.
      Normal assembly of these granules is critical for their movement, localization,
      and for mating. Thus, MFA2 mRNAs are transported to the shmoo tip, in complex
      with PB-like particles, where they are locally translated.

PMID- 26101219
TI  - Binding of STIL to Plk4 activates kinase activity to promote centriole assembly.
AB  - Centriole duplication occurs once per cell cycle in order to maintain control of
      centrosome number and ensure genome integrity. Polo-like kinase 4 (Plk4) is a
      master regulator of centriole biogenesis, but how its activity is regulated to
      control centriole assembly is unclear. Here we used gene editing in human cells
      to create a chemical genetic system in which endogenous Plk4 can be specifically
      inhibited using a cell-permeable ATP analogue. Using this system, we demonstrate
      that STIL localization to the centriole requires continued Plk4 activity. Most
      importantly, we show that direct binding of STIL activates Plk4 by promoting self
      phosphorylation of the activation loop of the kinase. Plk4 subsequently
      phosphorylates STIL to promote centriole assembly in two steps. First, Plk4
      activity promotes the recruitment of STIL to the centriole. Second, Plk4 primes
      the direct binding of STIL to the C terminus of SAS6. Our findings uncover a
      molecular basis for the timing of Plk4 activation through the cell cycle
      regulated accumulation of STIL.

PMID- 26101220
TI  - Calcium release through P2X4 activates calmodulin to promote endolysosomal
      membrane fusion.
AB  - Intra-endolysosomal Ca(2+) release is required for endolysosomal membrane fusion
      with intracellular organelles. However, the molecular mechanisms for intra
      endolysosomal Ca(2+) release and the downstream Ca(2+) targets involved in the
      fusion remain elusive. Previously, we demonstrated that endolysosomal P2X4 forms
      channels activated by luminal adenosine triphosphate in a pH-dependent manner. In
      this paper, we show that overexpression of P2X4, as well as increasing
      endolysosomal P2X4 activity by alkalinization of endolysosome lumen, promoted
      vacuole enlargement in cells and endolysosome fusion in a cell-free assay. These
      effects were prevented by inhibiting P2X4, expressing a dominant-negative P2X4
      mutant, and disrupting the P2X4 gene. We further show that P2X4 and calmodulin
      (CaM) form a complex at endolysosomal membrane where P2X4 activation recruits CaM
      to promote fusion and vacuolation in a Ca(2+)-dependent fashion. Moreover, P2X4
      activation-triggered fusion and vacuolation were suppressed by inhibiting CaM.
      Our data thus suggest a new molecular mechanism for endolysosomal membrane fusion
      involving P2X4-mediated endolysosomal Ca(2+) release and subsequent CaM
      activation.

PMID- 26101221
TI  - Kinase-interacting substrate screening is a novel method to identify kinase
      substrates.
AB  - Protein kinases play pivotal roles in numerous cellular functions; however, the
      specific substrates of each protein kinase have not been fully elucidated. We
      have developed a novel method called kinase-interacting substrate screening
      (KISS). Using this method, 356 phosphorylation sites of 140 proteins were
      identified as candidate substrates for Rho-associated kinase (Rho-kinase/ROCK2),
      including known substrates. The KISS method was also applied to additional
      kinases, including PKA, MAPK1, CDK5, CaMK1, PAK7, PKN, LYN, and FYN, and a lot of
      candidate substrates and their phosphorylation sites were determined, most of
      which have not been reported previously. Among the candidate substrates for Rho
      kinase, several functional clusters were identified, including the polarity
      associated proteins, such as Scrib. We found that Scrib plays a crucial role in
      the regulation of subcellular contractility by assembling into a ternary complex
      with Rho-kinase and Shroom2 in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. We propose
      that the KISS method is a comprehensive and useful substrate screen for various
      kinases.

PMID- 26101223
TI  - Drug overdose has become leading cause of death from injury in US.

PMID- 26101224
TI  - The Presystemic Interplay between Gut Microbiota and Orally Administered
      Calycosin-7-O-beta-D-Glucoside.
AB  - Presystemic interactions with gut microbiota might play important roles in the
      holistic action of herbal medicines in their traditional oral applications.
      However, research interests usually focus on biologic activities of the in vivo
      available herb-derived components and their exposure in circulation. In this
      study, we illustrated the importance of studying the presystemic interplay with
      gut microbiota for understanding the holistic actions of medicinal herbs by using
      calycosin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside (C7G), the most abundant flavonoid and chemical
      marker in Astragali Radix, as a model compound. When C7G was orally administrated
      to rats, calycosin-3'-O-glucuronide (G2) was the major circulating component in
      the blood together with a minor calycosin but not C7G. Rat gut microbiota
      hydrolyzed C7G in vitro rapidly and produced its aglycone calycosin. Calycosin
      exhibited higher permeability than C7G and further underwent extensive
      glucuronidation to yield 3'-glucuronide as the dominant metabolite. Bioactivity
      assays revealed that G2 exhibited similar or more potent proangiogenic effects
      than calycosin in human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro and in the
      vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor II-induced
      blood vessel loss model in zebrafish. More interestingly, the incubation of C7G
      with gut microbiota from both normal and colitic rats showed a probiotics-like
      effect through stimulating the growth of the beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus
      and Bifidobacterium. In conclusion, C7G interacts reciprocally with gut
      microbiota after oral dosing, which makes it not only an angiogenic prodrug but
      also a modulator of gut microbiota.

PMID- 26101222
TI  - Targeted Inhibition of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase/Mammalian Target of Rapamycin
      Sensitizes Pancreatic Cancer Cells to Doxorubicin without Exacerbating Cardiac
      Toxicity.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer has the lowest 5-year survival rate of all major cancers
      despite decades of effort to design and implement novel, more effective treatment
      options. In this study, we tested whether the dual phosphoinositide 3
      kinase/mechanistic target of rapamycin inhibitor BEZ235 (BEZ) potentiates the
      antitumor effects of doxorubicin (DOX) against pancreatic cancer. Cotreatment of
      BEZ235 with DOX resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3
      kinase/mechanistic target of rapamycin survival pathway, which corresponded with
      an increase in poly ADP ribose polymerase cleavage. Moreover, BEZ cotreatment
      significantly improved the effects of DOX toward both cell viability and cell
      death in part through reduced Bcl-2 expression and increased expression of the
      shorter, more cytotoxic forms of BIM. BEZ also facilitated intracellular
      accumulation of DOX, which led to enhanced DNA damage and reactive oxygen species
      generation. Furthermore, BEZ in combination with gemcitabine reduced MiaPaca2
      cell proliferation but failed to increase reactive oxygen species generation or
      BIM expression, resulting in reduced necrosis and apoptosis. Treatment with BEZ
      and DOX in mice bearing tumor xenographs significantly repressed tumor growth as
      compared with BEZ, DOX, or gemcitabine. Additionally, in contrast to the enhanced
      expression seen in MiaPaca2 cells, BEZ and DOX cotreatment reduced BIM expression
      in H9C2 cardiomyocytes. Also, the Bcl-2/Bax ratio was increased, which was
      associated with a reduction in cell death. In vivo echocardiography showed
      decreased cardiac function with DOX treatment, which was not improved by
      combination treatment with BEZ. Thus, we propose that combining BEZ with DOX
      would be a better option for patients than current standard of care by providing
      a more effective tumor response without the associated increase in toxicity. 

PMID- 26101225
TI  - Intracellular Catabolism of an Antibody Drug Conjugate with a Noncleavable
      Linker.
AB  - Antibody drug conjugates are emerging as a powerful class of antitumor agents
      with efficacy across a range of cancers; therefore, understanding the disposition
      of this class of therapeutic is crucial. Reported here is a method of enriching a
      specific organelle (lysosome) to understand the catabolism of an anti-CD70 Ab-MCC
      DM1, an antibody drug conjugate with a noncleavable linker. With such techniques
      a higher degree of concentration-activity relationship can be established for in
      vitro cell lines; this can aid in understanding the resultant catabolite
      concentrations necessary to exert activity. 

PMID- 26101227
TI  - Correction of iron deficiency anaemia using IV CosmoFer in CKD patients with
      asthma: a prospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intravenous (IV) iron is commonly used for correcting iron deficiency
      anaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). There remains a concern
      for its use in patients with asthma as it may trigger an acute exacerbation. Pre
      treatment with a single dose of parenteral hydrocortisone may obviate this risk.
      METHOD: We carried out a prospective study of known asthmatic patients with CKD
      requiring single-dose iron repletion therapy. We analysed the efficacy and safety
      of IV CosmoFer (low molecular weight iron dextran). Twenty non-dialysis CKD
      patients with iron deficiency anaemia and a history of asthma were enrolled.
      Severity of asthma and level of control were recorded as per British Thoracic
      Society Guidelines and Royal Collage of Physician questionnaire, respectively.
      All patients received IV hydrocortisone 30 min before the test dose of CosmoFer
      followed by the remaining total dose. Patients were monitored for adverse
      reactions. Haemoglobin, serum ferritin levels and estimated glomerular filtration
      rate were measured pre and 6-weeks post-infusion. All patients were followed up
      until 6 weeks to assess the control of their asthma. RESULTS: All 20 patients
      completed the study. No patient experienced acute hypersensitivity or infusion
      reactions. At 6 weeks follow-up, no patient reported worsening of their asthma.
      There was an increase in mean haemoglobin from 10.1 to 11.1 g/dl and mean
      ferritin from 93.5 to 302.6 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that IV
      CosmoFer may be administered safely in asthmatics by administering a single 50 mg
      dose of hydrocortisone pre-infusion.

PMID- 26101226
TI  - Generic immunosuppression in solid organ transplantation: systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy and bioequivalence of generic
      immunosuppressive drugs in patients with solid organ transplants. DESIGN:
      Systematic review and meta-analysis of all studies comparing generic with
      innovator immunosuppressive drugs. DATA SOURCES: Medline and Embase from 1980 to
      September 2014. REVIEW METHODS: A literature search was performed for all studies
      comparing a generic to an innovator immunosuppressive drug in solid organ
      transplantation. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed quality
      of studies. Meta-analyses of prespecified outcomes were performed when deemed
      appropriate. Outcomes included patient survival, allograft survival, acute
      rejection, adverse events and bioequivalence. RESULTS: 1679 citations were
      screened, of which 50 studies met eligibility criteria (17 randomized trials, 15
      non-randomized interventional studies, and 18 observational studies). Generics
      were compared with Neoral (cyclosporine) (32 studies), Prograf (tacrolimus) (12
      studies), and Cellcept (mycophenolate mofetil) (six studies). Pooled analysis of
      randomized controlled trials in patients with kidney transplants that reported
      bioequivalence criteria showed that Neoral (two studies) and Prograf (three
      studies) were not bioequivalent with generic preparations according to criteria
      of the European Medicines Agency. The single Cellcept trial also did not meet
      bioequivalence. Acute rejection was rare but did not differ between groups. For
      Neoral, the pooled Peto odds ratio was 1.23 (95% confidence interval 0.64 to
      2.36) for kidney randomized controlled trials and 0.66 (0.40 to 1.08) for
      observational studies. For kidney observational studies, the pooled Peto odds
      ratios were 0.98 (0.37 to 2.60) for Prograf and 0.49 (0.09 to 2.56) for Cellcept.
      Meta-analyses for non-renal solid organ transplants were not performed because of
      a lack of data.There were insufficient data reported on patient or graft
      survival. Pooling of results was limited by inconsistent study methods and
      reporting of outcomes. Many studies did not report standard criteria used to
      determine bioequivalence. While rates of acute rejection seemed similar and were
      relatively rare, few studies were designed to properly compare clinical outcomes.
      Most studies had short follow-up times and included stable patients without a
      history of rejection. CONCLUSIONS: High quality data showing bioequivalence and
      clinical efficacy of generic immunosuppressive drugs in patients with transplants
      are lacking. Given the serious consequences of rejection and allograft failure,
      well designed studies on bioequivalence and safety of generic immunosuppression
      in transplant recipients are needed.

PMID- 26101228
TI  - Contrast media induced transient cortical blindness.

PMID- 26101229
TI  - Are generic immunosuppressants safe and effective?

PMID- 26101230
TI  - Interconnected Networks.

PMID- 26101231
TI  - Leading with a Consistency of Purpose.

PMID- 26101232
TI  - Addressing Oral Health Inequalities in the Africa and Middle East Region.

PMID- 26101235
TI  - Comparative Risk Assessment of Formulation Changes in Generic Drug Products: A
      Pharmacology/Toxicology Perspective.
AB  - This review highlights general toxicology concerns caused by formulation
      differences between generic and innovator drugs. It underscores the importance of
      a scientific, clinically oriented, evidence-based comparative safety evaluation
      procedure for generic drugs and discusses representative case studies from a
      pharmacology-toxicology perspective. For consideration by generic drug industry
      stakeholders, this article provides an overview of comparative risk assessments
      for generic drug products. 

PMID- 26101236
TI  - Corrigendum: Gene Expression in Liver Injury Caused by Long-Term Exposure to
      Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Mice.

PMID- 26101237
TI  - Serum and urinary cystatin C in cats with feline immunodeficiency virus infection
      and cats with hyperthyroidism.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate serum cystatin C
      (sCysC) and urinary cystatin C (uCysC) in cats with hyperthyroidism and cats with
      feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). METHODS: Thirty cats with FIV, 26
      hyperthyroid cats and 28 healthy cats were included. sCysC and uCysC:creatinine
      (uCysC/uCr) ratio were measured with a human particle-enhanced nephelometric
      immunoassay, previously validated for feline CysC measurement. Routine renal
      variables (serum creatinine [sCr], urine specific gravity, urinary
      protein:creatinine ratio [UPC]) were also measured in the three groups. RESULTS:
      Cats with hyperthyroidism had significantly higher sCysC and higher uCysC/uCr
      ratio, lower sCr and a higher UPC than healthy cats. Cats with FIV infection did
      not show a significantly higher sCysC concentration but had a significantly
      higher sCr and UPC than healthy cats. uCysC could be detected in only four of
      them. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study demonstrated that sCysC is increased
      in cats with hyperthyroidism, in contrast with sCr, but not in cats with FIV.
      Many hyperthyroid cats, but only four cats with FIV, had an elevated uCysC/uCr
      ratio. Further studies may reveal if uCysC might be a valuable marker for tubular
      dysfunction in cats.

PMID- 26101238
TI  - Stress in owned cats: behavioural changes and welfare implications.
AB  - Domestic cats are exposed to a variety of stressful stimuli, which may have a
      negative effect on the cats' welfare and trigger a number of behavioural changes.
      Some of the stressors most commonly encountered by cats include changes in
      environment, inter-cat conflict, a poor human-cat relationship and the cat's
      inability to perform highly motivated behaviour patterns. Stress is very likely
      to reduce feed intake, and stress-related anorexia may contribute to the
      development of potentially serious medical conditions. Stress also increases the
      risk of cats showing urine marking and some forms of aggression, including
      redirected aggression. A number of compulsive disorders such as over-grooming may
      also develop as a consequence of stressful environments. Some of the main
      strategies to prevent or reduce stress-related behavioural problems in cats are
      environmental enrichment, appropriate management techniques to introduce
      unfamiliar cats to each other and the use of the synthetic analogue of the feline
      facial pheromone. As the stress response in cats depends, to a large extent, on
      the temperament of the animal, breeding and husbandry strategies that contribute
      to the cat developing a well-balanced temperament are also very useful.

PMID- 26101239
TI  - Efficacy of Adjuvant Trastuzumab for Patients With Human Epidermal Growth Factor
      Receptor 2-Positive Early Breast Cancer and Tumors <= 2 cm: A Meta-Analysis of
      the Randomized Trastuzumab Trials.
AB  - PURPOSE: We compared efficacy of trastuzumab versus no trastuzumab in patients
      with small (<= 2 cm) human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) -positive
      breast cancer treated in randomized trials. METHODS: A meta-analysis was
      conducted using data from five of the six adjuvant trastuzumab trials. Efficacy
      end points were disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Separate
      analyses were prospectively planned for hormone receptor (HR) -positive and HR
      negative cohorts. Random effect models and Yusuf-Peto fixed effects models
      assessed the impact of heterogeneity on baseline hazards and treatment effects
      across studies. Peto-Pike cumulative incidence estimates were stratified by study
      and nodal status. RESULTS: Median follow-up time was 8 years. For 2,263 patients
      with HR-positive disease, 8-year cumulative incidence rates comparing trastuzumab
      versus no trastuzumab were 17.3% versus 24.3% (P < .001) for DFS and 7.8% versus
      11.6% (P = .005) for OS, respectively; for 1,092 HR-positive patients with zero
      or one positive lymph nodes, results were 12.7% versus 19.4% (P = .005) for DFS
      and 5.3% versus 7.4% (P = .12) for OS, respectively. For 1,957 patients with HR
      negative disease, 8-year cumulative incidence rates were 24.0% versus 33.4% (P <
      .001) for DFS and 12.4% versus 21.2% (P < .001) for OS, respectively; for 1,040
      HR-negative patients with zero or one positive lymph nodes, results were 20.4%
      versus 26.3% (P = .05) for DFS and 8.2% versus 12.2% (P = .084) for OS,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Women with HER2-positive tumors <= 2 cm in the
      randomized trastuzumab trials derived substantial DFS and OS benefit from
      adjuvant trastuzumab. Trastuzumab-treated patients with HR-positive disease and
      <= one positive lymph node may be candidates for trials assessing less aggressive
      treatment approaches.

PMID- 26101240
TI  - Postoperative Radiation Therapy Is Associated With Improved Overall Survival in
      Incompletely Resected Stage II and III Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To review trends in the use of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) for
      stage II and III incompletely resected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and
      evaluate the association between PORT and survival in such patients. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: We identified patients with pathologic stage N0-2, overall American
      Joint Committee on Cancer stage II or III NSCLC within the National Cancer Data
      Base who had undergone a lobectomy or pneumonectomy with positive surgical
      margins. Only patients coded as receiving external-beam PORT at 50 to 74 Gy or
      observation were included. To account for perioperative mortality, we excluded
      patients who survived less than 4 months after diagnosis. Multivariable logistic
      regression was used to determine factors associated with PORT receipt. Cox
      proportional hazards regression was performed for multivariable analyses of
      overall survival. RESULTS: Among 3,395 included patients, 1,207 (35.6%) received
      PORT. Predictors for the use of PORT among this patient population included age
      less than 60 years, treatment in a nonacademic facility, earlier year of
      diagnosis, decreased travel distance, lower nodal stage, and chemotherapy
      receipt. On multivariable analysis adjusting for demographic and
      clinicopathologic covariates, PORT (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70 to 092) was
      associated with improved survival. Subset analysis by nodal stage showed that
      PORT improved survival across all nodal stages. CONCLUSION: PORT is associated
      with improved overall survival in patients with incompletely resected stage II or
      III N0-2 NSCLC. The use of PORT for this population in more recent years has been
      declining. In the absence of randomized trials evaluating PORT utilization for
      this patient population, our findings strongly support the delivery of PORT in
      patients with incompletely resected NSCLC.

PMID- 26101241
TI  - More Options for Fertility Preservation for Patients With Cancer.

PMID- 26101242
TI  - Genotype Versus Phenotype: The Yin and Yang of Germline TP53 Mutations in Li
      Fraumeni Syndrome.

PMID- 26101243
TI  - Optimizing Adjuvant Taxanes in Early Breast Cancer.

PMID- 26101244
TI  - Phase II Trial Assessing the Ability of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy With or Without
      Second-Look Surgery to Eliminate Measurable Disease for Nongerminomatous Germ
      Cell Tumors: A Children's Oncology Group Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: This phase II trial evaluated the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy
      with or without second-look surgery before craniospinal irradiation on response
      rates and survival outcomes in children with newly diagnosed non-germinomatous
      germ cell tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Induction chemotherapy consisted of six
      cycles of carboplatin/etoposide alternating with ifosfamide/etoposide. Patients
      demonstrating less than complete response after induction chemotherapy were
      encouraged to undergo second-look surgery. Patients who did not achieve complete
      response or partial response after chemotherapy with or without second-look
      surgery proceeded to high-dose chemotherapy with thiotepa and etoposide and
      autologous peripheral blood stem-cell rescue before craniospinal irradiation.
      RESULTS: The study included 102 patients treated between January 2004 and July
      2008. Median age was 12 years, and 76% were male; 53.9% had pineal region masses,
      and 23.5% had suprasellar lesions. Sixty-nine percent of patients achieved
      complete response or partial response with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. At 5 years,
      event-free survival was 84% +/- 4% (SE) and overall survival was 93% +/- 3%.
      During the median follow-up of 5.1 years, 16 patients recurred or progressed,
      with seven deaths after relapse. No deaths were attributed to therapy-related
      toxicity. Relapse occurred at the site of primary disease in 10 patients, at a
      distant site in three patients, or both in one patient. In two patients,
      progression was detected by marker increase alone. Increased serum alpha
      fetoprotein was a negative prognostic variable. Histologic subtype and increase
      of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin were not significantly correlated with worse
      outcomes. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without second-look
      surgery achieved high response rates contributing to excellent survival outcomes
      in children with newly diagnosed non-germinomatous germ cell tumors. This regimen
      should be included as a backbone for further studies.

PMID- 26101245
TI  - Impact of Bleomycin and Vincristine Dose Reductions in Patients With Advanced
      Hodgkin Lymphoma Treated With BEACOPP: An Analysis of the German Hodgkin Study
      Group HD12 and HD15 Trials.
AB  - PURPOSE: The role of bleomycin and vincristine in the treatment of patients with
      advanced Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is unclear, and the impact of dose reductions of
      these drugs on outcome and tolerability has not been systematically assessed.
      Because both drugs can cause significant toxicity and are frequently
      discontinued, we performed an analysis of patients with HL treated with BEACOPP
      (bleomycin, etoposide, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine,
      and prednisone) in the German Hodgkin Study Group HD12 and HD15 trials. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: Characteristics and outcome of patients were analyzed with respect
      to discontinuation of bleomycin and/or vincristine. RESULTS: With 3,309 patients
      with HL analyzed, bleomycin was discontinued in 17.6% and vincristine in 32.6%. A
      total of 157 patients (4.7%) received <= four cycles of bleomycin, and 218 (6.6%)
      received <= three cycles of vincristine; these were compared with patients
      receiving > four cycles of bleomycin or > three cycles of vincristine,
      respectively. After a median follow-up of 59 and 67 months for progression-free
      survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), respectively, there was no significant
      difference in PFS or OS in patients receiving <= or > four cycles of bleomycin (5
      year PFS difference, 1.7%; 95% CI, -4.2% to 7.6%; 5-year OS difference, 1.5%; 95%
      CI, -2.6% to 5.5%). Similarly, there was no significant difference in patients
      receiving <= or > three cycles of vincristine (5-year PFS difference, -1.3%; 95%
      CI, -5.6% to 3.1%; 5-year OS difference, -0.1%; 95% CI, -3.1% to 2.9%).
      CONCLUSION: Bleomycin and vincristine discontinuation because of drug-specific
      adverse effects does not affect the efficacy of treatment in this setting.

PMID- 26101246
TI  - Belinostat in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma:
      Results of the Pivotal Phase II BELIEF (CLN-19) Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) represent a diverse group of non
      Hodgkin lymphomas with a poor prognosis and no accepted standard of care for
      patients with relapsed or refractory disease. This study evaluated the efficacy
      and tolerability of belinostat, a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor, as a
      single agent in relapsed or refractory PTCL. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with
      confirmed PTCL who experienced progression after >= one prior therapy received
      belinostat 1,000 mg/m(2) as daily 30-minute infusions on days 1 to 5 every 21
      days. Central assessment of response used International Working Group criteria.
      Primary end point was overall response rate. Secondary end points included
      duration of response (DoR) and progression-free and overall survival. RESULTS: A
      total of 129 patients were enrolled, with a median of two prior systemic
      therapies. Overall response rate in the 120 evaluable patients was 25.8% (31 of
      120), including 13 complete (10.8%) and 18 partial responses (15%). Median DoR by
      International Working Group criteria was 13.6 months, with the longest ongoing
      patient at >= 36 months. Median progression-free and overall survival were 1.6
      and 7.9 months, respectively. Twelve of the enrolled patients underwent stem-cell
      transplantation after belinostat monotherapy. The most common grade 3 to 4
      adverse events were anemia (10.8%), thrombocytopenia (7%), dyspnea (6.2%), and
      neutropenia (6.2%). CONCLUSION: Monotherapy with belinostat produced complete and
      durable responses with manageable toxicity in patients with relapsed or
      refractory PTCL across the major subtypes, irrespective of number or type of
      prior therapies. These results have led to US Food and Drug Administration
      approval of belinostat for this indication.

PMID- 26101247
TI  - Fertility Preservation Success Subsequent to Concurrent Aromatase Inhibitor
      Treatment and Ovarian Stimulation in Women With Breast Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: We have previously reported an approach to ovarian stimulation for the
      purpose of fertility preservation (FP) in women with breast cancer via embryo
      freezing with the concurrent use of letrozole. The aim of this study was to
      provide the pregnancy and FP outcomes when embryos generated with the same
      protocol are used. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all, 131 women with stage <= 3 breast
      cancer underwent ovarian stimulation and received concurrent letrozole 5 mg per
      day before receiving adjuvant chemotherapy and cryopreserving embryos. RESULTS:
      Thirty-three of the 131 women underwent 40 attempts to transfer embryos to their
      own uterus (n = 18) or via the use of a gestational carrier (n = 22) at a mean
      age of 41.5 +/- 4.3 years with a median 5.25 years after embryo cryopreservation.
      The overall live birth rate per embryo transfer was similar to the US national
      mean among infertile women of a similar age undergoing in vitro fertilization
      embryo transfer (45.0 v 38.2; P = .2). Seven (38.8%) of the 18 pregnancies were
      twins with no higher-order pregnancies being encountered. No fetal anomalies or
      malformations were reported in 25 children after a mean follow-up of 40.4 +/-
      26.4 months. Seventeen of the 33 women attempting pregnancy had at least one
      child, translating into an FP rate of 51.5% per attempting woman. CONCLUSION:
      Embryo cryopreservation after ovarian stimulation with the letrozole and follicle
      stimulating hormone protocol preserves fertility in women with breast cancer and
      results in pregnancy rates comparable to those expected in a noncancer population
      undergoing in vitro fertilization.

PMID- 26101248
TI  - American Society of Clinical Oncology Statement: A Conceptual Framework to Assess
      the Value of Cancer Treatment Options.

PMID- 26101249
TI  - Ribosomal protein L10(L12)4 autoregulates expression of the Bacillus subtilis
      rplJL operon by a transcription attenuation mechanism.
AB  - Ribosomal protein genes are often controlled by autoregulatory mechanisms in
      which a protein encoded in the operon can either bind to newly synthesized rRNA
      during rapid growth or to a similar target in its mRNA during poor growth
      conditions. The rplJL operon encodes the ribosomal L10(L12)4 complex. In
      Escherichia coli L10(L12)4 represses its translation by binding to the rplJL
      leader transcript. We identified three RNA structures in the Bacillus subtilis
      rplJL leader transcript that function as an anti-antiterminator, antiterminator
      or intrinsic terminator. Expression studies with transcriptional and
      translational fusions indicated that L10(L12)4 represses rplJL expression at the
      transcriptional level. RNA binding studies demonstrated that L10(L12)4 stabilizes
      the anti-antiterminator structure, while in vitro transcription results indicated
      that L10(L12)4 promotes termination. Disruption of anti-antiterminator,
      antiterminator or terminator function by competitor oligonucleotides in vitro and
      by mutations in vivo demonstrated that each structure functions as predicted.
      Thus, rplJL expression is regulated by an autogenous transcription attenuation
      mechanism in which L10(L12)4 binding to the anti-antiterminator structure
      promotes termination. We also found that translation of a leader peptide
      increases rplJL expression, presumably by inhibiting Rho-dependent termination.
      Thus, the rplJL operon of B. subtilis is regulated by transcription attenuation
      and antitermination mechanisms. 

PMID- 26101250
TI  - BioJazz: in silico evolution of cellular networks with unbounded complexity using
      rule-based modeling.
AB  - Systems biologists aim to decipher the structure and dynamics of signaling and
      regulatory networks underpinning cellular responses; synthetic biologists can use
      this insight to alter existing networks or engineer de novo ones. Both tasks will
      benefit from an understanding of which structural and dynamic features of
      networks can emerge from evolutionary processes, through which intermediary steps
      these arise, and whether they embody general design principles. As natural
      evolution at the level of network dynamics is difficult to study, in silico
      evolution of network models can provide important insights. However, current
      tools used for in silico evolution of network dynamics are limited to ad hoc
      computer simulations and models. Here we introduce BioJazz, an extendable, user
      friendly tool for simulating the evolution of dynamic biochemical networks.
      Unlike previous tools for in silico evolution, BioJazz allows for the evolution
      of cellular networks with unbounded complexity by combining rule-based modeling
      with an encoding of networks that is akin to a genome. We show that BioJazz can
      be used to implement biologically realistic selective pressures and allows
      exploration of the space of network architectures and dynamics that implement
      prescribed physiological functions. BioJazz is provided as an open-source tool to
      facilitate its further development and use. Source code and user manuals are
      available at: http://oss-lab.github.io/biojazz and
      http://osslab.lifesci.warwick.ac.uk/BioJazz.aspx. 

PMID- 26101251
TI  - FKBP51 employs both scaffold and isomerase functions to promote NF-kappaB
      activation in melanoma.
AB  - Melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer; its prognosis, particularly in
      advanced stages, is disappointing largely due to the resistance to conventional
      anticancer treatments and high metastatic potential. NF-kappaB constitutive
      activation is a major factor for the apoptosis resistance of melanoma. Several
      studies suggest a role for the immunophilin FKBP51 in NF-kappaB activation, but
      the underlying mechanism is still unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate
      that FKBP51 physically interacts with IKK subunits, and facilitates IKK complex
      assembly. FKBP51-knockdown inhibits the binding of IKKgamma to the IKK catalytic
      subunits, IKK-alpha and -beta, and attenuates the IKK catalytic activity. Using
      FK506, an inhibitor of the FKBP51 isomerase activity, we found that the IKK
      regulatory role of FKBP51 involves both its scaffold function and its isomerase
      activity. Moreover, FKBP51 also interacts with TRAF2, an upstream mediator of IKK
      activation. Interestingly, both FKBP51 TPR and PPIase domains are required for
      its interaction with TRAF2 and IKKgamma, whereas only the TPR domain is involved
      in interactions with IKKalpha and beta. Collectively, these results suggest that
      FKBP51 promotes NF-kappaB activation by serving as an IKK scaffold as well as an
      isomerase. Our findings have profound implications for designing novel melanoma
      therapies based on modulation of FKBP51. 

PMID- 26101252
TI  - Multiplexed highly-accurate DNA sequencing of closely-related HIV-1 variants
      using continuous long reads from single molecule, real-time sequencing.
AB  - Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT) Sequencing (Pacific Biosciences, Menlo Park,
      CA, USA) provides the longest continuous DNA sequencing reads currently
      available. However, the relatively high error rate in the raw read data requires
      novel analysis methods to deconvolute sequences derived from complex samples.
      Here, we present a workflow of novel computer algorithms able to reconstruct
      viral variant genomes present in mixtures with an accuracy of >QV50. This
      approach relies exclusively on Continuous Long Reads (CLR), which are the raw
      reads generated during SMRT Sequencing. We successfully implement this workflow
      for simultaneous sequencing of mixtures containing up to forty different >9 kb
      HIV-1 full genomes. This was achieved using a single SMRT Cell for each mixture
      and desktop computing power. This novel approach opens the possibility of solving
      complex sequencing tasks that currently lack a solution.

PMID- 26101253
TI  - Structural and biochemical studies of the distinct activity profiles of Rai1
      enzymes.
AB  - Recent studies showed that Rai1 and its homologs are a crucial component of the
      mRNA 5'-end capping quality control mechanism. They can possess RNA 5'-end
      pyrophosphohydrolase (PPH), decapping, and 5'-3' exonuclease (toward 5'
      monophosphate RNA) activities, which help to degrade mRNAs with incomplete 5'-end
      capping. A single active site in the enzyme supports these apparently distinct
      activities. However, each Rai1 protein studied so far has a unique set of
      activities, and the molecular basis for these differences are not known. Here, we
      have characterized the highly diverse activity profiles of Rai1 homologs from a
      collection of fungal organisms and identified a new activity for these enzymes,
      5'-end triphosphonucleotide hydrolase (TPH) instead of PPH activity. Crystal
      structures of two of these enzymes bound to RNA oligonucleotides reveal
      differences in the RNA binding modes. Structure-based mutations of these enzymes,
      changing residues that contact the RNA but are poorly conserved, have substantial
      effects on their activity, providing a framework to begin to understand the
      molecular basis for the different activity profiles. 

PMID- 26101254
TI  - The de-ubiquitylating enzymes USP26 and USP37 regulate homologous recombination
      by counteracting RAP80.
AB  - The faithful repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is essential to safeguard
      genome stability. DSBs elicit a signaling cascade involving the E3 ubiquitin
      ligases RNF8/RNF168 and the ubiquitin-dependent assembly of the BRCA1-Abraxas
      RAP80-MERIT40 complex. The association of BRCA1 with ubiquitin conjugates through
      RAP80 is known to be inhibitory to DSB repair by homologous recombination (HR).
      However, the precise regulation of this mechanism remains poorly understood.
      Through genetic screens we identified USP26 and USP37 as key de-ubiquitylating
      enzymes (DUBs) that limit the repressive impact of RNF8/RNF168 on HR. Both DUBs
      are recruited to DSBs where they actively remove RNF168-induced ubiquitin
      conjugates. Depletion of USP26 or USP37 disrupts the execution of HR and this
      effect is alleviated by the simultaneous depletion of RAP80. We demonstrate that
      USP26 and USP37 prevent excessive spreading of RAP80-BRCA1 from DSBs. On the
      other hand, we also found that USP26 and USP37 promote the efficient association
      of BRCA1 with PALB2. This suggests that these DUBs limit the ubiquitin-dependent
      sequestration of BRCA1 via the BRCA1-Abraxas-RAP80-MERIT40 complex, while
      promoting complex formation and cooperation of BRCA1 with PALB2-BRCA2-RAD51
      during HR. These findings reveal a novel ubiquitin-dependent mechanism that
      regulates distinct BRCA1-containing complexes for efficient repair of DSBs by HR.

PMID- 26101255
TI  - microRNAs and the evolution of complex multicellularity: identification of a
      large, diverse complement of microRNAs in the brown alga Ectocarpus.
AB  - There is currently convincing evidence that microRNAs have evolved independently
      in at least six different eukaryotic lineages: animals, land plants, chlorophyte
      green algae, demosponges, slime molds and brown algae. MicroRNAs from different
      lineages are not homologous but some structural features are strongly conserved
      across the eukaryotic tree allowing the application of stringent criteria to
      identify novel microRNA loci. A large set of 63 microRNA families was identified
      in the brown alga Ectocarpus based on mapping of RNA-seq data and nine microRNAs
      were confirmed by northern blotting. The Ectocarpus microRNAs are highly diverse
      at the sequence level with few multi-gene families, and do not tend to occur in
      clusters but exhibit some highly conserved structural features such as the
      presence of a uracil at the first residue. No homologues of Ectocarpus microRNAs
      were found in other stramenopile genomes indicating that they emerged late in
      stramenopile evolution and are perhaps specific to the brown algae. The large
      number of microRNA loci in Ectocarpus is consistent with the developmental
      complexity of many brown algal species and supports a proposed link between the
      emergence and expansion of microRNA regulatory systems and the evolution of
      complex multicellularity. 

PMID- 26101256
TI  - Induced folding in RNA recognition by Arabidopsis thaliana DCL1.
AB  - DCL1 is the ribonuclease that carries out miRNA biogenesis in plants. The enzyme
      has two tandem double stranded RNA binding domains (dsRBDs) in its C-terminus.
      Here we show that the first of these domains binds precursor RNA fragments when
      isolated and cooperates with the second domain in the recognition of substrate
      RNA. Remarkably, despite showing RNA binding activity, this domain is
      intrinsically disordered. We found that it acquires a folded conformation when
      bound to its substrate, being the first report of a complete dsRBD folding upon
      binding. The free unfolded form shows tendency to adopt folded conformations, and
      goes through an unfolded bound state prior to the folding event. The significance
      of these results is discussed by comparison with the behavior of other dsRBDs. 

PMID- 26101257
TI  - SAMHD1 is a single-stranded nucleic acid binding protein with no active site
      associated nuclease activity.
AB  - The HIV-1 restriction factor SAMHD1 is a tetrameric enzyme activated by guanine
      nucleotides with dNTP triphosphate hydrolase activity (dNTPase). In addition to
      this established activity, there have been a series of conflicting reports as to
      whether the enzyme also possesses single-stranded DNA and/or RNA 3'-5'
      exonuclease activity. SAMHD1 was purified using three chromatography steps, over
      which the DNase activity was largely separated from the dNTPase activity, but the
      RNase activity persisted. Surprisingly, we found that catalytic and nucleotide
      activator site mutants of SAMHD1 with no dNTPase activity retained the
      exonuclease activities. Thus, the exonuclease activity cannot be associated with
      any known dNTP binding site. Monomeric SAMHD1 was found to bind preferentially to
      single-stranded RNA, while the tetrameric form required for dNTPase action bound
      weakly. ssRNA binding, but not ssDNA, induces higher-order oligomeric states that
      are distinct from the tetrameric form that binds dNTPs. We conclude that the
      trace exonuclease activities detected in SAMHD1 preparations arise from
      persistent contaminants that co-purify with SAMHD1 and not from the HD active
      site. An in vivo model is suggested where SAMHD1 alternates between the mutually
      exclusive functions of ssRNA binding and dNTP hydrolysis depending on dNTP pool
      levels and the presence of viral ssRNA. 

PMID- 26101258
TI  - Ca2+ enrichment in culture medium potentiates effect of oligonucleotides.
AB  - Antisense and RNAi-related oligonucleotides have gained attention as laboratory
      tools and therapeutic agents based on their ability to manipulate biological
      events in vitro and in vivo. We show that Ca(2+) enrichment of medium (CEM)
      potentiates the in vitro activity of multiple types of oligonucleotides,
      independent of their net charge and modifications, in various cells. In addition,
      CEM reflects in vivo silencing activity more consistently than conventional
      transfection methods. Microscopic analysis reveals that CEM provides a
      subcellular localization pattern of oligonucleotides resembling that obtained by
      unassisted transfection, but with quantitative improvement. Highly monodispersed
      nanoparticles ~100 nm in size are found in Ca(2+)-enriched serum-containing
      medium regardless of the presence or absence of oligonucleotides. Transmission
      electron microscopy analysis reveals that the 100-nm particles are in fact an
      ensemble of much smaller nanoparticles (phi ~ 15 nm). The presence of these
      nanoparticles is critical for the efficient uptake of various oligonucleotides.
      In contrast, CEM is ineffective for plasmids, which are readily transfected via
      the conventional calcium phosphate method. Collectively, CEM enables a more
      accurate prediction of the systemic activity of therapeutic oligonucleotides,
      while enhancing the broad usability of oligonucleotides in the laboratory.

PMID- 26101260
TI  - ECHO-liveFISH: in vivo RNA labeling reveals dynamic regulation of nuclear RNA
      foci in living tissues.
AB  - Elucidating the dynamic organization of nuclear RNA foci is important for
      understanding and manipulating these functional sites of gene expression in both
      physiological and pathological states. However, such studies have been difficult
      to establish in vivo as a result of the absence of suitable RNA imaging methods.
      Here, we describe a high-resolution fluorescence RNA imaging method, ECHO
      liveFISH, to label endogenous nuclear RNA in living mice and chicks. Upon in vivo
      electroporation, exciton-controlled sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes
      revealed focally concentrated endogenous 28S rRNA and U3 snoRNA at nucleoli and
      poly(A) RNA at nuclear speckles. Time-lapse imaging reveals steady-state
      stability of these RNA foci and dynamic dissipation of 28S rRNA concentrations
      upon polymerase I inhibition in native brain tissue. Confirming the validity of
      this technique in a physiological context, the in vivo RNA labeling did not
      interfere with the function of target RNA nor cause noticeable cytotoxicity or
      perturbation of cellular behavior. 

PMID- 26101259
TI  - Post-translational environmental switch of RadA activity by extein-intein
      interactions in protein splicing.
AB  - Post-translational control based on an environmentally sensitive intervening
      intein sequence is described. Inteins are invasive genetic elements that self
      splice at the protein level from the flanking host protein, the exteins. Here we
      show in Escherichia coli and in vitro that splicing of the RadA intein located in
      the ATPase domain of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii is
      strongly regulated by the native exteins, which lock the intein in an inactive
      state. High temperature or solution conditions can unlock the intein for full
      activity, as can remote extein point mutations. Notably, this splicing trap
      occurs through interactions between distant residues in the native exteins and
      the intein, in three-dimensional space. The exteins might thereby serve as an
      environmental sensor, releasing the intein for full activity only at optimal
      growth conditions for the native organism, while sparing ATP consumption under
      conditions of cold-shock. This partnership between the intein and its exteins,
      which implies coevolution of the parasitic intein and its host protein may
      provide a novel means of post-translational control. 

PMID- 26101262
TI  - Dermcidin: a skeletal muscle myokine modulating cardiomyocyte survival and
      infarct size after coronary artery ligation.
AB  - AIMS: Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in western countries,
      and its association with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (LE-PAD)
      represents an independent predictor of worse outcome. However, the molecular
      mechanisms underlying these effects are currently unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      To investigate these processes, we used in vitro approaches and several mouse
      models: (i) unilateral limb ischaemia by left common femoral artery ligation
      [peripheral ischaemia (PI), n = 38]; (ii) myocardial infarction by permanent
      ligation of the left descending coronary artery (MI, n = 40); (iii) MI after 5
      weeks of limb ischaemia (PI + MI, n = 44); (iv) sham operation (SHAM, n = 20).
      Compared with MI, PI + MI hearts were characterized by a significant increase in
      cardiomyocyte apoptosis, larger infarct areas, and decreased cardiac function. By
      using a proteomic approach, we identified a ? 8 kDa circulating peptide,
      Dermcidin (DCD), secreted by ischaemic skeletal muscles, enhancing cardiomyocytes
      apoptosis under hypoxic conditions and infarct size after permanent coronary
      artery ligation. siRNA interference experiments to reduce DCD circulating levels
      significantly reduced infarct size and ameliorated cardiac function after MI.
      CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that chronic limb ischaemia activates
      detrimental pathways in the ischaemic heart through humoral mechanisms of remote
      organ crosstalk. Thus, DCD may represent a novel important myokine modulating
      cardiomyocyte survival and function.

PMID- 26101261
TI  - Transcription blockage by stable H-DNA analogs in vitro.
AB  - DNA sequences that can form unusual secondary structures are implicated in
      regulating gene expression and causing genomic instability. H-palindromes are an
      important class of such DNA sequences that can form an intramolecular triplex
      structure, H-DNA. Within an H-palindrome, the H-DNA and canonical B-DNA are in a
      dynamic equilibrium that shifts toward H-DNA with increased negative
      supercoiling. The interplay between H- and B-DNA and the fact that the process of
      transcription affects supercoiling makes it difficult to elucidate the effects of
      H-DNA upon transcription. We constructed a stable structural analog of H-DNA that
      cannot flip into B-DNA, and studied the effects of this structure on
      transcription by T7 RNA polymerase in vitro. We found multiple transcription
      blockage sites adjacent to and within sequences engaged in this triplex
      structure. Triplex-mediated transcription blockage varied significantly with
      changes in ambient conditions: it was exacerbated in the presence of Mn(2+) or by
      increased concentrations of K(+) and Li(+). Analysis of the detailed pattern of
      the blockage suggests that RNA polymerase is sterically hindered by H-DNA and has
      difficulties in unwinding triplex DNA. The implications of these findings for the
      biological roles of triple-stranded DNA structures are discussed. 

PMID- 26101263
TI  - Modulation of sympathetic activity and heart rate variability by ivabradine.
AB  - AIMS: Bradycardic agents are currently used in the treatment of angina and heart
      failure; direct information on their effects on cardiac sympathetic nerve
      activity (SNA) may be relevant to their chronic use. The present study evaluates
      the effect of pacemaker inhibition on SNA; direct nerve recordings and indirect
      autonomic indexes are compared. METHODS AND RESULTS: Experiments were performed
      in 18 anaesthetized rats. SNA (direct nerve recording) and heart rate variability
      (HRV) indexes were evaluated in parallel. All parameters were recorded 10 min
      before to 60 min after administration of the If blocker ivabradine (IVA; 2 mg/kg,
      i.v.; n = 8) or vehicle (VEH; n = 5). IVA-induced RR interval (RR) prolongation
      (at 60 min +15.0 +/- 7.1%, P < 0.01) was associated with decreased diastolic
      arterial pressure (DAP; -17.3 +/- 8.4%, P < 0.05) and increased SNA (+51.1 +/-
      12.3%, P < 0.05). These effects were accompanied by increased RR variance
      (RRsigma(2)), which showed strong positive correlation with RR. Frequency-domain
      HRV indexes (in normalized units) were unchanged by IVA. After baroreceptor
      reflexes had been eliminated by sino-aortic denervation (n = 5), similar IVA
      induced RR prolongation (at 60 min +14.3 +/- 5.9%, NS vs. intact) was associated
      with a larger DAP reduction (-30.9 +/- 4.1%, P < 0.05 vs. intact), but failed to
      affect SNA. CONCLUSIONS: (i) IVA-induced bradycardia was associated with
      increased SNA, resulting from baroreceptor unloading; if this applied to chronic
      IVA use in humans, it would be of relevance for therapeutic use of the drug. (ii)
      Whenever mean HR is concomitantly changed, time-domain HRV indexes should not be
      unequivocally interpreted in terms of autonomic balance.

PMID- 26101264
TI  - Mitochondrial complex I defect and increased fatty acid oxidation enhance protein
      lysine acetylation in the diabetic heart.
AB  - AIMS: Cardiomyopathy is a major complication of diabetes. Our study was aimed to
      identify the sites of mitochondrial dysfunction and delineate its consequences on
      mitochondrial metabolism in a model of type 1 diabetes. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin injection to male Lewis rats. We found a
      decrease in mitochondrial biogenesis pathway and electron transport chain complex
      assembly that targets Complex I. Oxidation of Complex II and long-chain fatty
      acid substrates support the electron leak and superoxide production.
      Mitochondrial defects do not limit fatty acid oxidation as the heart's preferred
      energy source indicating that the diabetic heart has a significant reserve in
      Complex I- and II-supported ATP production. Both mitochondrial fatty acid
      oxidation and Complex I defect are responsible for increased protein lysine
      acetylation despite an unchanged amount of the NAD(+)-dependent mitochondrial
      deacetylase sirt3. We quantitatively analysed mitochondrial lysine acetylation
      post-translational modifications and identified that the extent of lysine
      acetylation on 54 sites in 22 mitochondrial proteins is higher in diabetes
      compared with the same sites in the control. The increased lysine acetylation of
      the mitochondrial trifunctional protein subunit alpha may be responsible for the
      increased fatty acid oxidation in the diabetic heart. CONCLUSION: We identified
      the specific defective sites in the electron transport chain responsible for the
      decreased mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the diabetic heart.
      Mitochondrial protein lysine acetylation is the common consequence of both
      increased fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial Complex I defect, and may be
      responsible for the metabolic inflexibility of the diabetic heart.

PMID- 26101265
TI  - Identification of phenotypically and functionally heterogeneous mouse mucosal
      associated invariant T cells using MR1 tetramers.
AB  - Studies on the biology of mucosal-associated invariant T cells (MAIT cells) in
      mice have been hampered by a lack of specific reagents. Using MR1-antigen (Ag)
      tetramers that specifically bind to the MR1-restricted MAIT T cell receptors
      (TCRs), we demonstrate that MAIT cells are detectable in a broad range of tissues
      in C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. These cells include CD4(-)CD8(-), CD4(-)CD8(+), and
      CD4(+)CD8(-) subsets, and their frequency varies in a tissue- and strain-specific
      manner. Mouse MAIT cells have a CD44(hi)CD62L(lo) memory phenotype and produce
      high levels of IL-17A, whereas other cytokines, including IFN-gamma, IL-4, IL-10,
      IL-13, and GM-CSF, are produced at low to moderate levels. Consistent with high
      IL-17A production, most MAIT cells express high levels of retinoic acid-related
      orphan receptor gammat (RORgammat), whereas RORgammat(lo) MAIT cells
      predominantly express T-bet and produce IFN-gamma. Most MAIT cells express the
      promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF) transcription factor, and their
      development is largely PLZF dependent. These observations contrast with previous
      reports that MAIT cells from Valpha19 TCR transgenic mice are PLZF(-) and express
      a naive CD44(lo) phenotype. Accordingly, MAIT cells from normal mice more closely
      resemble human MAIT cells than previously appreciated, and this provides the
      foundation for further investigations of these cells in health and disease. 

PMID- 26101266
TI  - Endothelial CD99 signals through soluble adenylyl cyclase and PKA to regulate
      leukocyte transendothelial migration.
AB  - CD99 is a critical regulator of leukocyte transendothelial migration (TEM). How
      CD99 signals during this process remains unknown. We show that during TEM,
      endothelial cell (EC) CD99 activates protein kinase A (PKA) via a signaling
      complex formed with the lysine-rich juxtamembrane cytoplasmic tail of CD99, the A
      kinase anchoring protein ezrin, and soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC). PKA then
      stimulates membrane trafficking from the lateral border recycling compartment to
      sites of TEM, facilitating the passage of leukocytes across the endothelium.
      Pharmacologic or genetic inhibition of EC sAC or PKA, like CD99 blockade, arrests
      neutrophils and monocytes partway through EC junctions, in vitro and in vivo,
      without affecting leukocyte adhesion or the expression of relevant cellular
      adhesion molecules. This is the first description of the CD99 signaling pathway
      in TEM as well as the first demonstration of a role for sAC in leukocyte TEM. 

PMID- 26101268
TI  - Solitaire FR revascularization device 4*40: safety study and effectiveness in
      preclinical models.
AB  - Recent randomized clinical trials have shown the benefit of stent retrievers for
      endovascular intervention in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The Solitaire 2
      FR 4*40 device was developed to address longer clots as well as procedural
      difficulties. This study was undertaken to evaluate the safety of the new device
      in a swine model at 0, 30, and 90 days as well as its in vitro effectiveness.
      There were no significant differences in the overall animal health, tissue
      injury, hemorrhagic or thrombogenic events related to device usage. Based on the
      comparison at multiple time points, the Solitaire 2 4*40 device was similar in
      safety and usability to the Solitaire 2 4*20 device. Due to the additional length
      of the device, the Solitaire 2 4*40 device may in fact provide a number of
      additional technical benefits in the neurothrombectomy treatment of ischemic
      stroke. 

PMID- 26101269
TI  - Intra-DIC (distal intracranial catheter) deployment of the Pipeline embolization
      device: a novel rescue strategy for failed device expansion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Pipeline embolization device (PED) is a braided flow diverter
      that requires a combination of meticulous maneuvers to assure proper device
      opening and expansion. Mechanical, anatomical, or technical challenges can result
      in a partially deployed PED with failed expansion. OBJECTIVE: To present a new
      alternative method of PED deployment using the Navien distal intracranial
      catheter (DIC) as a salvage maneuver for cases where PED opening fails with
      standard techniques. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a prospective, single
      center aneurysm database to identify all patients who underwent endovascular
      treatment of intracranial aneurysms using the PED with the Navien distal
      intracranial catheter access platform. Cases requiring PED deployment within the
      Navien catheter were reviewed. Data was collected for patient demographics,
      aneurysm characteristics, and technical details of the interventional procedure.
      RESULTS: Eleven PED neurointerventions requiring intra-Navien PED deployment to
      fully open the PED were identified. Mean patient age was 55.5+/-9.9 years (range
      37-76 years). Mean aneurysm size was 12.5 mm+/-4.9 mm (range 2-42 mm). All
      aneurysms were located in the anterior circulation (anterior cerebral artery,
      n=1; supraclinoid, n=1; ophthalmic/paraophthalmic, n=6; cavernous, n=3;
      petrocervical, n=1). Mean fluoroscopy time was 67.1+/-20.5 min. The intra-Navien
      technique was used to open the proximal PED (n=7) and the mid-portion (n=4). Post
      processing of the PED with a balloon was used in six cases. CONCLUSIONS: When a
      partially deployed PED remains constrained despite exhaustion of standard
      maneuvers to facilitate opening, the technique of intra-Navien PED deployment is
      a valuable rescue strategy. This new alternative method of PED deployment can be
      used to open a stretched device with successful completion of the PED
      implantation.

PMID- 26101267
TI  - Therapeutic targeting of autophagy in neurodegenerative and infectious diseases.
AB  - Autophagy is a conserved process that uses double-membrane vesicles to deliver
      cytoplasmic contents to lysosomes for degradation. Although autophagy may impact
      many facets of human biology and disease, in this review we focus on the ability
      of autophagy to protect against certain neurodegenerative and infectious
      diseases. Autophagy enhances the clearance of toxic, cytoplasmic, aggregate-prone
      proteins and infectious agents. The beneficial roles of autophagy can now be
      extended to supporting cell survival and regulating inflammation. Autophagic
      control of inflammation is one area where autophagy may have similar benefits for
      both infectious and neurodegenerative diseases beyond direct removal of the
      pathogenic agents. Preclinical data supporting the potential therapeutic utility
      of autophagy modulation in such conditions is accumulating. 

PMID- 26101270
TI  - Detection of Entebbe Bat Virus After 54 Years.
AB  - Entebbe bat virus (ENTV; Flaviviridae: Flavivirus), closely related to yellow
      fever virus, was first isolated from a little free-tailed bat (Chaerephon
      pumilus) in Uganda in 1957, but was not detected after that initial isolation. In
      2011, we isolated ENTV from a little free-tailed bat captured from the attic of a
      house near where it had originally been found. Infectious virus was recovered
      from the spleen and lung, and the viral RNA was sequenced and compared with that
      of the original isolate. Across the polypeptide sequence, there were 76 amino
      acid substitutions, resulting in 97.8% identity at the amino acid level between
      the 1957 and 2011 isolates. Further study of this virus would provide valuable
      insights into the ecological and genetic factors governing the evolution and
      transmission of bat- and mosquito-borne flaviviruses. 

PMID- 26101271
TI  - Clinical Features of Imported Loiasis: A Case Series from the Hospital for
      Tropical Diseases, London.
AB  - We retrospectively analyzed the background, clinical features, and treatment
      response of 50 cases of imported loiasis who presented between 2000 and 2014 to
      the Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD), London, United Kingdom. Of them, 29
      were migrants from, and 21 were visitors to, countries where the disease is
      endemic. Clinical features differed between these groups. Migrants experienced
      fewer Calabar swellings (odds ratio [OR] = 0.12), more eye worm (OR = 3.4), more
      microfilaremia (OR = 3.5), lower filarial antibody levels, and lower eosinophil
      counts (P < 0.05 for all tests). Among 46 patients who were started on treatment
      at HTD, 33 (72%) received diethylcarbamazine (DEC) monotherapy as first-line
      treatment, and among 26 patients who were followed up after treatment, seven
      (27%) needed a second course of treatment. There were 46 courses of treatment
      with DEC, and 20 (43%) of them had reactions. All patients with microfilaremia >
      3,000 microfilariae/mL and all those with an elevated C-reactive protein (CRP)
      (>= 5 mg/L) before treatment had reactions (P = 0.10 and P = 0.01, respectively).
      These data suggest that monotherapy with DEC may not be the optimal treatment for
      patients with loiasis, particularly for those with a high microfilarial load. 

PMID- 26101272
TI  - Detection of Zika Virus Infection in Thailand, 2012-2014.
AB  - Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging mosquito-borne pathogen with reported cases in
      Africa, Asia, and large outbreaks in the Pacific. No autochthonous ZIKV
      infections have been confirmed in Thailand. However, there have been several
      cases reported in travelers returning from Thailand. Here we report seven cases
      of acute ZIKV infection in Thai residents across the country confirmed by
      molecular or serological testing including sequence data. These endemic cases,
      combined with previous reports in travelers, provide evidence that ZIKV is
      widespread throughout Thailand. 

PMID- 26101273
TI  - Hemoglobin E and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency and Plasmodium
      falciparum Malaria in the Chittagong Hill Districts of Bangladesh.
AB  - Hemoglobin E is largely confined to south and southeast Asia. The association
      between hemoglobin E (HbE) and malaria is less clear than that of hemoglobin S
      and C. As part of a malaria study in the Chittagong Hill Districts of Bangladesh,
      an initial random sample of 202 individuals showed that 39% and 49% of Marma and
      Khyang ethnic groups, respectively, were positive for either heterozygous or
      homozygous hemoglobin E. In this group, 6.4% were also found to be severely
      deficient and 35% mildly deficient for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD).
      In a separate Plasmodium falciparum malaria case-uninfected control study, the
      odds of having homozygous hemoglobin E (HbEE) compared with normal hemoglobin
      (HbAA) were higher among malaria cases detected by passive surveillance than age
      and location matched uninfected controls (odds ratio [OR] = 5.0, 95% confidence
      interval [CI] = 1.07-46.93). The odds of heterozygous hemoglobin E (HbAE)
      compared with HbAA were similar between malaria cases and uninfected controls (OR
      = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.42-1.19). No association by hemoglobin type was found in the
      initial parasite density or the proportion parasite negative after 2 days of
      artemether/lumefantrine treatment. HbEE, but not HbAE status was associated with
      increased passive case detection of malaria. 

PMID- 26101274
TI  - Molecular Detection of the Carriage Rate of Four Intestinal Protozoa with Real
      Time Polymerase Chain Reaction: Possible Overdiagnosis of Entamoeba histolytica
      in Nigeria.
AB  - Diarrhea remains the second largest killer of children worldwide, and Nigeria
      ranks number two on the list of global deaths attributable to diarrhea.
      Meanwhile, prevalence studies on potentially diarrheagenic protozoa in
      asymptomatic carriers using molecular detection methods remain scarce in sub
      Saharan countries. To overcome sensitivity issues related to microscopic
      detection and identification of cysts in stool concentrates, real-time polymerase
      chain reaction (PCR) was used to analyze genomic DNAs extracted from stool
      samples from 199 healthy school children for Entamoeba histolytica, E. dispar,
      Giardia intestinalis, and Cryptosporidium. Questionnaires were administered for
      epidemiological data collection. E. histolytica was not detected in any of the
      samples, whereas Giardia (37.2%), E. dispar (18.6%), and Cryptosporidium (1%)
      were found. Most of the children sourced their drinking water from community
      wells (91%), while the majority disposed of feces in the bush (81.9%). Our study
      is the first to use real-time PCR to evaluate the epidemiology of E. histolytica,
      Giardia, and Cryptosporidium in Nigeria where previous studies using traditional
      diagnostic techniques have suggested higher and lower carriage rates of E.
      histolytica and Giardia, respectively. It is also the first study to accurately
      identify the prevalence of common potentially diarrheagenic protozoa in
      asymptomatic carriers in sub-Saharan Africa. 

PMID- 26101275
TI  - Strong Association Between Human and Animal Brucella Seropositivity in a Linked
      Study in Kenya, 2012-2013.
AB  - Brucellosis is a common bacterial zoonotic infection but data on the prevalence
      among humans and animals is limited in Kenya. A cross-sectional survey was
      conducted in three counties practicing different livestock production systems to
      simultaneously assess the seroprevalence of, and risk factors for brucellosis
      among humans and their livestock (cattle, sheep, camels, and goats). A two-stage
      cluster sampling method with random selection of sublocations and households was
      conducted. Blood samples were collected from humans and animals and tested for
      Brucella immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. Human and animal individual
      seroprevalence was 16% and 8%, respectively. Household and herd seroprevalence
      ranged from 5% to 73% and 6% to 68%, respectively. There was a 6-fold odds of
      human seropositivity in households with a seropositive animal compared with those
      without. Risk factors for human seropositivity included regular ingestion of raw
      milk (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.8-4.4),
      exposure to goats (herding, milking, and feeding) (aOR = 3.1, 95% CI = 2.5-3.8),
      and handling of animal hides (aOR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.5-2.2). Attaining at least
      high school education and above was a protective factor for human seropositivity
      (aOR = 0.3, 95% CI = 0.3-0.4). This linked study provides evidence of a strong
      association between human and animal seropositivity at the household level. 

PMID- 26101277
TI  - Time to think differently: catalysing a paradigm shift in forensic science.

PMID- 26101276
TI  - Insights Into Circulating Cytokine Dynamics During Pregnancy in HIV-Infected
      Beninese Exposed to Plasmodium falciparum Malaria.
AB  - We investigated the circulating plasma levels of Th1- (Interleukin-2 [IL-2],
      tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha], interferon-gamma [IFN-gamma]) and Th2
      type (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10) cytokines in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected
      pregnant women living in a malaria-endemic area. We analyzed samples from 200
      pregnant women included in the prevention of pregnancy-associated malaria in HIV
      infected women: cotrimoxazole prophylaxis versus mefloquine (PACOME) clinical
      trial who were followed until delivery. Cytokine concentrations were measured by
      flow cytometry-based multiplex bead array. Significantly elevated levels of IL-10
      and lower levels of TNF-alpha were observed at delivery compared with inclusion
      (P = 0.005). At inclusion, the presence of circulating IFN-gamma, a higher CD4(+)
      T cell count and having initiated intermittent preventive treatment of malaria
      with sulfadoxine pyrimethamine (SP-IPTp) were all associated with a lower
      likelihood of Plasmodium falciparum infection. At delivery, the inverse
      relationship between the presence of infection and circulating IFN-gamma
      persisted, although there was a positive association between the likelihood of
      infection and the presence of circulating TNF-alpha. Initiation of antiretroviral
      therapy was associated with elevated IL-5 production. Consistent with our own and
      others' observations in HIV seronegative subjects, this study shows circulating
      IL-10 to be a marker of infection with P. falciparum during pregnancy even in HIV
      infected women, although plasma IFN-gamma may be a marker of anti-malarial
      protection in such women. 

PMID- 26101278
TI  - The future of forensic DNA analysis.
AB  - The author's thoughts and opinions on where the field of forensic DNA testing is
      headed for the next decade are provided in the context of where the field has
      come over the past 30 years. Similar to the Olympic motto of 'faster, higher,
      stronger', forensic DNA protocols can be expected to become more rapid and
      sensitive and provide stronger investigative potential. New short tandem repeat
      (STR) loci have expanded the core set of genetic markers used for human
      identification in Europe and the USA. Rapid DNA testing is on the verge of
      enabling new applications. Next-generation sequencing has the potential to
      provide greater depth of coverage for information on STR alleles. Familial DNA
      searching has expanded capabilities of DNA databases in parts of the world where
      it is allowed. Challenges and opportunities that will impact the future of
      forensic DNA are explored including the need for education and training to
      improve interpretation of complex DNA profiles. 

PMID- 26101279
TI  - Imaging and virtual autopsy: looking back and forward.
AB  - In order to create a three-dimensional (3D) documentation of findings which can
      be reassessed if necessary by other experts, the research project 'Virtopsy(r)'
      was launched in the late 1990s. This project combined autopsy results with
      forensic imaging in the form of computed tomography, magnetic resonance
      tomography and 3D surface scanning. The success of this project eventually
      succeeded in convincing the courts in Switzerland to accept these novel methods
      as evidence. As opposition towards autopsies has grown over the last decades,
      Virtopsy also strives to find and elaborate additional methods which can answer
      the main forensic questions without autopsy. These methods comprise post-mortem
      angiography for illustration of the vascular bed and image-guided tissue and
      fluid sampling for histological, toxicological and microbiological examinations.
      Based on the promising results, post-mortem imaging, especially with 3D surface
      scanning, has meanwhile also been applied to living victims of assault, who have
      suffered patterned injuries due to bites, blows with objects, etc. In our
      opinion, forensic imaging is an objective method which offers the possibility for
      a reassessment of the findings by other experts, even after burial or cremation
      of the corpse, or healing of the injuries in living victims, thus leading to a
      greater security in court. 

PMID- 26101280
TI  - Bridging the gap: from biometrics to forensics.
AB  - Biometric recognition, or simply biometrics, refers to automated recognition of
      individuals based on their behavioural and biological characteristics. The
      success of fingerprints in forensic science and law enforcement applications,
      coupled with growing concerns related to border control, financial fraud and
      cyber security, has generated a huge interest in using fingerprints, as well as
      other biological traits, for automated person recognition. It is, therefore, not
      surprising to see biometrics permeating various segments of our society.
      Applications include smartphone security, mobile payment, border crossing,
      national civil registry and access to restricted facilities. Despite these
      successful deployments in various fields, there are several existing challenges
      and new opportunities for person recognition using biometrics. In particular,
      when biometric data is acquired in an unconstrained environment or if the subject
      is uncooperative, the quality of the ensuing biometric data may not be amenable
      for automated person recognition. This is particularly true in crime-scene
      investigations, where the biological evidence gleaned from a scene may be of poor
      quality. In this article, we first discuss how biometrics evolved from forensic
      science and how its focus is shifting back to its origin in order to address some
      challenging problems. Next, we enumerate the similarities and differences between
      biometrics and forensics. We then present some applications where the principles
      of biometrics are being successfully leveraged into forensics in order to solve
      critical problems in the law enforcement domain. Finally, we discuss new
      collaborative opportunities for researchers in biometrics and forensics, in order
      to address hitherto unsolved problems that can benefit society at large. 

PMID- 26101281
TI  - Cognitive neuroscience in forensic science: understanding and utilizing the human
      element.
AB  - The human element plays a critical role in forensic science. It is not limited
      only to issues relating to forensic decision-making, such as bias, but also
      relates to most aspects of forensic work (some of which even take place before a
      crime is ever committed or long after the verification of the forensic
      conclusion). In this paper, I explicate many aspects of forensic work that
      involve the human element and therefore show the relevance (and potential
      contribution) of cognitive neuroscience to forensic science. The 10 aspects
      covered in this paper are proactive forensic science, selection during
      recruitment, training, crime scene investigation, forensic decision-making,
      verification and conflict resolution, reporting, the role of the forensic
      examiner, presentation in court and judicial decisions. As the forensic community
      is taking on the challenges introduced by the realization that the human element
      is critical for forensic work, new opportunities emerge that allow for
      considerable improvement and enhancement of the forensic science endeavour. 

PMID- 26101282
TI  - Paradigms of forensic science and legal process: a critical diagnosis.
AB  - This article reconsiders the relationship between criminal adjudication and
      forensic expertise in the light of 'new paradigms' of forensic practice and
      recent law reform. It briefly summarizes conventional wisdom on the typical
      shortcomings of forensic science and other expert evidence, as a springboard for
      a more searching critical diagnosis of longstanding maladies. The fundamentally
      jurisdictional nature of law is emphasized, and some implications for expert
      testimony noted. English law's traditionally adversarial model of criminal
      procedure is then reassessed, taking account of a proper understanding of its
      normative structure and modern development, and drawing on comparative legal
      research and theorizing to obtain a more rounded second opinion. In conclusion,
      some avenues for intelligent prescription are canvassed, highlighting the
      importance of promoting and facilitating effective communication between experts,
      lawyers and courts, and prioritizing modest practical remedies over radical
      surgery. 

PMID- 26101283
TI  - The legal framework for more robust forensic science evidence.

PMID- 26101284
TI  - Fingerprint identification: advances since the 2009 National Research Council
      report.
AB  - This paper will discuss the major developments in the area of fingerprint
      identification that followed the publication of the National Research Council
      (NRC, of the US National Academies of Sciences) report in 2009 entitled:
      Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward. The report
      portrayed an image of a field of expertise used for decades without the necessary
      scientific research-based underpinning. The advances since the report and the
      needs in selected areas of fingerprinting will be detailed. It includes the
      measurement of the accuracy, reliability, repeatability and reproducibility of
      the conclusions offered by fingerprint experts. The paper will also pay attention
      to the development of statistical models allowing assessment of fingerprint
      comparisons. As a corollary of these developments, the next challenge is to
      reconcile a traditional practice dominated by deterministic conclusions with the
      probabilistic logic of any statistical model. There is a call for greater candour
      and fingerprint experts will need to communicate differently on the strengths and
      limitations of their findings. Their testimony will have to go beyond the blunt
      assertion of the uniqueness of fingerprints or the opinion delivered ispe dixit. 

PMID- 26101285
TI  - The end of the (forensic science) world as we know it? The example of trace
      evidence.
AB  - The dominant conception of forensic science as a patchwork of disciplines
      primarily assisting the criminal justice system (i.e. forensics) is in crisis or
      at least shows a series of anomalies and serious limitations. In recent years,
      symptoms of the crisis have been discussed in a number of reports by various
      commentators, without a doubt epitomized by the 2009 report by the US National
      Academies of Sciences (NAS 2009 Strengthening forensic science in the United
      States: a path forward). Although needed, but viewed as the solution to these
      drawbacks, the almost generalized adoption of stricter business models in
      forensic science casework compounded with ever-increasing normative and
      compliance processes not only place additional pressures on a discipline that
      already appears in difficulty, but also induce more fragmentation of the
      different forensic science tasks, a tenet many times denounced by the same NAS
      report and other similar reviews. One may ask whether these issues are not simply
      the result of an unfit paradigm. If this is the case, the current problems faced
      by forensic science may indicate future significant changes for the discipline.
      To facilitate broader discussion this presentation focuses on trace evidence, an
      area that is seminal to forensic science both for epistemological and historical
      reasons. There is, however, little doubt that this area is currently under siege
      worldwide. Current and future challenges faced by trace evidence are discussed
      along with some possible answers. The current situation ultimately presents some
      significant opportunities to re-invent not only trace evidence but also forensic
      science. Ultimately, a distinctive, more robust and more reliable science may
      emerge through rethinking the forensics paradigm built on specialisms, revisiting
      fundamental forensic science principles and adapting them to the twenty-first
      century. 

PMID- 26101286
TI  - Integrating research into operational practice.
AB  - Research and development can be classified into three categories: technology
      adoption, technology extension, and knowledge and technology creation. In
      general, technology adoption is embedded in operational forensic science
      laboratory practice but the latter two categories require partnerships with
      industry and/or academia both to conduct the research and implement the outcomes.
      In a 2012 survey, Australian and New Zealand forensic science laboratories
      identified a number of 'roadblocks' to undertaking research and operationalizing
      research outcomes. These included insufficient time and funding, a lack of in
      house research experience and the absence of a tangible research culture. Allied
      to this is that, increasingly, forensic science research is conducted in a
      'commercial in confidence' environment and the outcomes are not readily or cost
      effectively available to be integrated into operational forensic science
      laboratories. The paper is predominantly reflective of the current situation in
      Australia and New Zealand. 

PMID- 26101287
TI  - Advances in the use of odour as forensic evidence through optimizing and
      standardizing instruments and canines.
AB  - This paper explores the advances made in identifying trace amounts of volatile
      organic compounds (VOCs) that originate from forensic specimens, such as drugs,
      explosives, live human scent and the scent of death, as well as the probative
      value for detecting such odours. The ability to locate and identify the VOCs
      liberated from or left by forensic substances is of increasing importance to
      criminal investigations as it can indicate the presence of contraband and/or
      associate an individual to a particular location or object. Although instruments
      have improved significantly in recent decades-with sensitivities now rivalling
      that of biological detectors-it is widely recognized that canines are generally
      still more superior for the detection of odourants due to their speed,
      versatility, ruggedness and discriminating power. Through advancements in the
      detection of VOCs, as well as increased standardization efforts for instruments
      and canines, the reliability of odour as evidence has continuously improved and
      is likely to continue to do so. Moreover, several legal cases in which this novel
      form of evidence has been accepted into US courts of law are discussed. As the
      development and implementation of best practice guidelines for canines and
      instruments increase, their reliability in detecting VOCs of interest should
      continue to improve, expanding the use of odour as an acceptable form of forensic
      evidence. 

PMID- 26101288
TI  - The logical foundations of forensic science: towards reliable knowledge.
AB  - The generation of observations is a technical process and the advances that have
      been made in forensic science techniques over the last 50 years have been
      staggering. But science is about reasoning-about making sense from observations.
      For the forensic scientist, this is the challenge of interpreting a pattern of
      observations within the context of a legal trial. Here too, there have been major
      advances over recent years and there is a broad consensus among serious thinkers,
      both scientific and legal, that the logical framework is furnished by Bayesian
      inference (Aitken et al. Fundamentals of Probability and Statistical Evidence in
      Criminal Proceedings). This paper shows how the paradigm has matured, centred on
      the notion of the balanced scientist. Progress through the courts has not been
      always smooth and difficulties arising from recent judgments are discussed.
      Nevertheless, the future holds exciting prospects, in particular the
      opportunities for managing and calibrating the knowledge of the forensic
      scientists who assign the probabilities that are at the foundation of logical
      inference in the courtroom. 

PMID- 26101290
TI  - New psychoactive substances: catalysing a shift in forensic science practice?
AB  - The analysis of substances of abuse remains one of the most matured areas in
      forensic science with a strong scientific basis, namely analytical chemistry. The
      current evolving drug markets, characterized by the global emergence of new
      psychoactive substances (NPS) and the need for forensic scientists to identify an
      unprecedented and ever-increasing number of NPS, presents a unique challenge to
      this discipline. This article looks at the current situation with NPS at the
      global level, and the challenges posed to the otherwise technically robust
      forensic science discipline of analysis of substances of abuse. It discusses the
      preparedness of forensic science to deal with the current situation and
      identifies the need for a shift in forensic science practice, especially one
      which embraces research and looks beyond normal casework in order to provide the
      much needed data for developing effective policy responses to the NPS problem. 

PMID- 26101289
TI  - The interface between forensic science and technology: how technology could cause
      a paradigm shift in the role of forensic institutes in the criminal justice
      system.
AB  - In this paper, the importance of modern technology in forensic investigations is
      discussed. Recent technological developments are creating new possibilities to
      perform robust scientific measurements and studies outside the controlled
      laboratory environment. The benefits of real-time, on-site forensic
      investigations are manifold and such technology has the potential to strongly
      increase the speed and efficacy of the criminal justice system. However, such
      benefits are only realized when quality can be guaranteed at all times and
      findings can be used as forensic evidence in court. At the Netherlands Forensic
      Institute, innovation efforts are currently undertaken to develop integrated
      forensic platform solutions that allow for the forensic investigation of human
      biological traces, the chemical identification of illicit drugs and the study of
      large amounts of digital evidence. These platforms enable field investigations,
      yield robust and validated evidence and allow for forensic intelligence and
      targeted use of expert capacity at the forensic institutes. This technological
      revolution in forensic science could ultimately lead to a paradigm shift in which
      a new role of the forensic expert emerges as developer and custodian of
      integrated forensic platforms. 

PMID- 26101291
TI  - Science in the court: pitfalls, challenges and solutions.
AB  - We are at a critical juncture for the forensic sciences. A number of high-profile
      reports and a growing body of literature question and critically reflect on core
      issues pertaining to the methodologies informing forensic science and their
      effective use within the criminal justice system. We argue for the need for an
      improved association and outline key areas that require attention from
      practitioners operating within the fields of both forensic science and law. 

PMID- 26101292
TI  - An investigation of the disparity in estimates of microfilaraemia and
      antigenaemia in lymphatic filariasis surveys.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of lymphatic filariasis (LF) is based typically on
      either microfilaraemia as assessed by microscopy or filarial antigenaemia using
      an immuno-chromatographic test. While it is known that estimates of antigenaemia
      are generally higher than estimates of microfilaraemia, the extent of the
      difference is not known. METHODS: This paper presents the results of an extensive
      literature search for surveys that estimated both microfilaraemia and
      antigenaemia in order to better understand the disparity between the two
      measures. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In some settings there was a very large
      disparity, up to 40-70%, between estimates of microfilaraemia and antigenaemia.
      Regression analysis was unable to identify any predictable relationship between
      the two measures. The implications of findings for risk mapping and surveillance
      of LF are discussed.

PMID- 26101293
TI  - A Single Controlled Exposure to Secondhand Smoke May Not Alter Thrombogenesis or
      Trigger Platelet Activation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure increases cardiovascular
      events, particularly acute thrombotic events. There are little human data on
      acute SHS exposure. The aim of this study was to determine whether a single
      controlled exposure of humans to SHS increased thrombogenesis. METHODS: After 6-8
      hours fast, subjects (n = 50) were exposed to constant dose SHS (particulate
      level of 500 MUg/m(3)) for 120 minutes in a temperature-regulated and ventilated,
      simulated bar environment. Blood was drawn before and immediately after SHS
      exposure for thromboelastography (TEG) and flow cytometry. Maximum clot strength
      (MA) was measured using TEG and platelet leukocyte aggregates (LPA) were measured
      as an index of platelet activation. Anti-CD 14 antibodies were used as leukocyte
      markers and anti-CD 41 antibodies as platelet markers for cytometry. Data were
      analyzed using students' t test for paired samples. RESULTS: There was no effect
      of acute exposure to SHS on platelet activation or thrombogenesis. Also, intra
      group (smokers [n = 19] and nonsmokers [n = 31]) comparisons of LPA and TEG
      parameters did not show changes with SHS exposure. CONCLUSIONS: While there are
      abundant data showing enhanced thrombogenesis and platelet activation following
      repeated exposure to SHS, our study suggests that a single exposure does not
      appear to significantly alter thrombin kinetics nor result in platelet
      activation. The effects of SHS on thrombogenesis might be nonlinear.

PMID- 26101294
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of porcine acute phase proteins in meat juice for detecting
      disease at abattoir.
AB  - The aim of this work was to evaluate whether acute phase protein (APP)
      determinations could assist Official Veterinarians carrying out work in
      slaughterhouses. To test this hypothesis, the diagnostic accuracy of APP
      determinations in meat juice of pigs was analysed to differentiate between
      healthy and diseased pigs. One hundred and one pigs of two different origins were
      classified into two groups according to their health status (healthy and diseased
      pigs), which was determined by a veterinary clinical examination on the farm. To
      assess the pigs' immune status, against the main porcine diseases, serological
      analyses were monitored. A general idea of the degree of disease coverage was
      analysed by examining organ lesions postmortem. Haptoglobin (Hp) and C reactive
      protein (CRP) were measured in meat juice samples. 72.13 per cent of pigs
      appeared to be seropositive for the porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome
      virus, and almost 86.2 per cent of them had concomitant infections with other
      pathogens, such as Porcine circovirus type 2 or Swine influenza virus. Median Hp
      and CRP concentrations were significantly higher in diseased animals at different
      stages of the production chain, when compared with levels found in healthy
      finishing pigs (P<0.0001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed the
      highest sensitivity-specificity pairs, nearly 80-90 per cent, at cut-off levels
      of 83 and 10 ug/ml for Hp and CRP determinations, respectively, with high AUCs
      0.9. This cut-off could be useful for veterinary inspections at the time of
      slaughter, to differentiate between the carcase of a healthy animal and the
      carcase of an animal suffering from a systemic disease, which should be
      completely condemned.

PMID- 26101295
TI  - Working hours and mental health in Australia: evidence from an Australian
      population-based cohort, 2001-2012.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This paper assesses the impact of working less than or more than
      standard full-time hours on mental health, as well as possible differences in
      this relationship by gender and skill level. METHODS: The study design was a
      longitudinal cohort with 12 annual waves of data collection over the period 2001
      2012, yielding a sample of 90,637 observations from 18,420 people. Fixed effects
      within-person regression was used to control for time invariant confounding. The
      Mental Component Summary of the Short Form 36 (SF-36) measure was used as the
      primary outcome measure. Working hours over the preceding year was measured in
      five categories with standard full-time hours (35-40 h/week) as the reference.
      RESULTS: Results indicated that when respondents were working 49-59 h (-0.52, 95%
      CI -0.74 to -0.29, p<0.001) and 60 h or more (-0.47, 95% CI -0.77 to -0.16,
      p=0.003) they had worse mental health than when they were working 35-40 h/week
      (reference). The difference in mental health when working 49-59 h was greater for
      women than for men. There were greater declines in mental health in relation to
      longer working hours among persons in higher compared to lower occupational skill
      levels. CONCLUSIONS: Study results suggest the need for employers and governments
      to regulate working hours to reduce the burden of mental ill health in the
      working population.

PMID- 26101297
TI  - Neuro-Behcet's disease mimicking a cranial tumour.
AB  - Behcet's disease affects many systems and has been described as a multisystem
      disorder. In Behcet's disease, neurological involvement is responsible for
      morbidity and mortality, and can sometimes mimic other neurological disorders. We
      present a case of neuro-Behcet's disease that mimicked a cranial tumour. 

PMID- 26101298
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26101299
TI  - Alcohol use disorder due to social isolation after a nuclear disaster in
      Fukushima.
AB  - It is well-known that a nuclear disaster causes health problems including cancer,
      however, information on mental disorders linked to a nuclear disaster is limited.
      On 11 March 2011, there was a serious nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima,
      Japan. Subsequently, in October 2012, a 78-year-old man living 31 km from the
      plant was admitted to the hospital with head trauma. This was his third physical
      trauma since the nuclear accident. A thorough interview revealed that his alcohol
      intake had increased after the disaster, suggesting that his injuries might be
      related to alcohol use. The diagnosis of alcohol use disorder was established
      based on the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
      Disorders. He had been exposed to social isolation after evacuation of his
      neighbourhood. Using education and intervention, he was successfully treated. We
      should recognise that a nuclear disaster might cause social isolation among the
      elderly, leading to mental disorders and alcohol use disorder. Early diagnosis
      and intervention might be beneficial for individuals presenting the above
      symptoms.

PMID- 26101300
TI  - Squamous cell carcinoma of unknown origin metastasising to the right atrium
      causing acute heart failure.
AB  - We describe a case of metastasis to the heart, which was initially suspected to
      be a myxoma, causing acute right heart failure. Emergency surgery was carried out
      by opening the right atrium and superior vena cava, and debulking the tumour in a
      piecemeal fashion, providing temporary relief of symptoms. The histology showed
      this to be metastatic squamous cell carcinoma possibly of head and neck origin.
      This is extremely rare, with few published cases. Full endoscopic and CT,
      including positron emission tomography CT, investigation of the head and neck was
      performed with no primary findings. Only two such cases of squamous cell
      carcinoma of unknown origin metastasising to the heart have been described, and,
      in both cases, the patients died within several weeks of diagnosis. This patient
      remains alive 2 months postoperatively and is receiving radiotherapy to the
      chest, but his prognosis remains poor.

PMID- 26101301
TI  - Cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema in a 4-year-old boy.

PMID- 26101302
TI  - Radiological features of tension pneumoperitoneum.

PMID- 26101303
TI  - Bimodal assessment to facilitate accurate mediastinal repositioning following
      pneumonectomy.

PMID- 26101304
TI  - The Contribution of Experiential Wisdom to the Development of the Mental Health
      Professional Discourse.

PMID- 26101307
TI  - Ten years' work on prevention of feline infectious disease.

PMID- 26101305
TI  - Neurocognition and Duration of Psychosis: A 10-year Follow-up of First-Episode
      Patients.
AB  - A substantial proportion of schizophrenia-spectrum patients exhibit a cognitive
      impairment at illness onset. However, the long-term course of neurocognition and
      a possible neurotoxic effect of time spent in active psychosis, is a topic of
      controversy. Furthermore, it is of importance to find out what predicts the long
      term course of neurocognition. Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), accumulated
      time in psychosis the first year after start of treatment, relapse rates and
      symptoms are potential predictors of the long-term course. In this study, 261
      first-episode psychosis patients were assessed neuropsychologically on one or
      more occasions. Patients were tested after remission of psychotic symptoms and
      reassessed 1, 2, 5, and 10 years after inclusion. The neurocognitive battery
      consisted of California Verbal Learning Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test,
      Controlled Oral Word Association Task, Trail Making A and B, and Finger Tapping.
      We calculated a composite score by adding the z-scores of 4 tests that were only
      moderately inter-correlated, not including Finger Tapping. Data were analyzed by
      a linear mixed model. The composite score was stable over 10 years. No
      significant relationship between psychosis before (DUP) or after start of
      treatment and the composite score was found, providing no support for the
      neurotoxicity hypothesis, and indicating that psychosis before start of treatment
      has no significant impact on the course and outcome in psychosis. We found no
      association between symptoms and the neurocognitive trajectory. Stable remission
      during the first year predicted neurocognitive functioning, suggesting that the
      early clinical course is a good predictor for the long-term course. 

PMID- 26101306
TI  - Efficacy of a Telehealth Intervention on Colonoscopy Uptake When Cost Is a
      Barrier: The Family CARE Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We tested the efficacy of a remote tailored intervention Tele-Cancer
      Risk Assessment and Evaluation (TeleCARE) compared with a mailed educational
      brochure for improving colonoscopy uptake among at-risk relatives of colorectal
      cancer patients and examined subgroup differences based on participant reported
      cost barriers. METHODS: Family members of colorectal cancer patients who were not
      up-to-date with colonoscopy were randomly assigned as family units to TeleCARE (N
      = 232) or an educational brochure (N = 249). At the 9-month follow-up, a cost
      resource letter listing resources for free or reduced-cost colonoscopy was mailed
      to participants who had reported cost barriers and remained nonadherent. Rates of
      medically verified colonoscopy at the 15-month follow-up were compared on the
      basis of group assignment and within group stratification by cost barriers.
      RESULTS: In intent-to-treat analysis, 42.7% of participants in TeleCARE and 24.1%
      of participants in the educational brochure group had a medically verified
      colonoscopy [OR, 2.37; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.59-3.52]. Cost was
      identified as a barrier in both groups (TeleCARE = 62.5%; educational brochure =
      57.0%). When cost was not a barrier, the TeleCARE group was almost four times as
      likely as the comparison to have a colonoscopy (OR, 3.66; 95% CI, 1.85-7.24). The
      intervention was efficacious among those who reported cost barriers; the TeleCARE
      group was nearly twice as likely to have a colonoscopy (OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.12
      3.52). CONCLUSIONS: TeleCARE increased colonoscopy regardless of cost barriers.
      IMPACT: Remote interventions may bolster screening colonoscopy regardless of cost
      barriers and be more efficacious when cost barriers are absent.

PMID- 26101308
TI  - Something old, something new: Update of the 2009 and 2013 ABCD guidelines on
      prevention and management of feline infectious diseases.
AB  - OVERVIEW: The ABCD has published 34 guidelines in two Special Issues of the
      Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS): the first in July 2009 (Volume 11,
      Issue 7, pages 527-620) and the second in July 2013 (Volume 15, Issue 7, pages
      528-652). The present article contains updates and new information on 18 of these
      (17 disease guidelines and one special article 'Prevention of infectious diseases
      in cat shelters'). For detailed information, readers are referred to the
      guidelines published in the above-mentioned JFMS Special Issues.

PMID- 26101309
TI  - Matrix vaccination guidelines: 2015 ABCD recommendations for indoor/outdoor cats,
      rescue shelter cats and breeding catteries.
AB  - OVERVIEW: In 2013, the ABCD published 'Matrix vaccination guidelines: ABCD
      recommendations for indoor/outdoor cats, rescue shelter cats and breeding
      catteries' in a Special Issue of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery
      (Volume 15, Issue 7, pages 540-544). The ABCD's vaccination recommendations were
      presented in tabulated form, taking into account that there is no universal
      vaccination protocol for all cats. To support the veterinarian's decision making,
      recommendations for four lifestyles were made: for cats with outdoors access,
      cats kept solely indoors, rescue shelter cats and cats in breeding catteries.
      This update article follows the same approach, offering current and, where
      relevant, expanded recommendations.

PMID- 26101310
TI  - Blood transfusion in cats: ABCD guidelines for minimising risks of infectious
      iatrogenic complications.
AB  - OVERVIEW: The availability of blood components has increased the number of
      indications for transfusing cats, and fresh whole blood is readily accessible to
      clinicians because it can be taken from in-house donor cats or 'volunteer' feline
      blood donors. A certain amount of risk remains to the recipient cat, as immediate
      or delayed adverse reactions can occur during or after transfusion, related to
      immunemediated mechanisms. This article, however, focuses on adverse events
      caused by infectious agents, which may originate either from contamination of
      blood following incorrect collection, storage or transfusion, or from transfusion
      of contaminated blood obtained from an infected donor. PREVENTION OF BLOOD
      CONTAMINATION: In cats, blood cannot be collected through a closed system and,
      therefore, collection of donor blood requires a multi-step manipulation of
      syringes and other devices. It is crucial that each step of the procedure is
      performed under the strictest aseptic conditions and that bacterial contamination
      of blood bags is prevented, as bacterial endotoxins can cause an immediate
      febrile reaction or even fatal shock in the recipient cat. PREVENTION OF DISEASE
      TRANSMISSION: With a view to preventing transmission of blood-borne infectious
      diseases, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine has adopted basic
      criteria for selecting pathogens to be tested for in donor pets. The worldwide
      core screening panel for donor cats includes feline leukaemia virus, feline
      immunodeficiency virus, Bartonella species and feline haemoplasma. The list
      should be adapted to the local epidemiological situation concerning other vector
      borne feline infections. The most practical, rapid and inexpensive measure to
      reduce transfusion risk is to check the risk profile of donor cats on the basis
      of a written questionnaire. Blood transfusion can never, however, be considered
      entirely safe.

PMID- 26101311
TI  - Disinfectant choices in veterinary practices, shelters and households: ABCD
      guidelines on safe and effective disinfection for feline environments.
AB  - OVERVIEW: Regardless of whether a pathogen is viral, bacterial, parasitic, fungal
      or an emerging unknown, the mainstay of infectious disease control is hygiene,
      and the cornerstone of good hygiene is effective disinfection. CHALLENGES AND
      CURRENT CHOICES: Certain pathogens present a challenge to kill effectively:
      parvovirus, protozoal oocysts, mycobacteria, bacterial spores and prions resist
      most disinfectants but can be eliminated through heat, especially steam, which
      will kill protozoal oocysts. Heat is the safest and most effective disinfectant,
      but cannot be universally applied. Temperatures in washing machines and
      dishwashers should be at least 60  degrees C to eliminate pathogenic spores and
      resistant viruses. Enveloped viruses are susceptible to most disinfectants; of
      the non-enveloped viruses, parvovirus is recognised as being the most difficult
      to eradicate. Sodium hypochlorite is recommended for many applications: cleaning
      of floors, laundry, food preparation surfaces and utensils. Skin scrubs and rubs
      containing alcohols are more effective than those containing chlorhexidine, and
      less subject to contamination. DISINFECTANTS TO AVOID: Deficiency of the enzyme
      UDP-glucuronosyl transferase renders the cat susceptible to the toxic effects of
      phenol-based disinfectants (including many essential oils), so these should be
      avoided in feline environments. Quaternary ammonium compounds (eg, benzalkonium
      chloride) are also probably best avoided. THE FUTURE: Veterinary disinfection
      approaches in the future may include use of ultraviolet radiation and,
      increasingly, silver.

PMID- 26101312
TI  - Feline injection-site sarcoma: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management.
AB  - OVERVIEW: In cats, the most serious of adverse effects following vaccination is
      the occurrence of invasive sarcomas (mostly fibrosarcomas): so-called 'feline
      injection-site sarcomas' (FISSs). These develop at sites of previous vaccination
      or injection. They have characteristics that are distinct from those of
      fibrosarcomas in other areas and behave more aggressively. The rate of metastasis
      ranges from 10-28%. PATHOGENESIS: The pathogenesis of these sarcomas is not yet
      definitively explained. However, chronic inflammatory reactions are considered
      the trigger for subsequent malignant transformation. Injections of long-acting
      drugs (such as glucocorticoids, and others) have been associated with sarcoma
      formation. Adjuvanted vaccines induce intense local inflammation and seem
      therefore to be particularly linked to the development of FISS. The risk is lower
      for modified-live and recombinant vaccines, but no vaccine is risk-free.
      TREATMENT AND PREVENTION: Aggressive, radical excision is required to avoid
      tumour recurrence. The prognosis improves if additional radiotherapy and/or
      immunotherapy (such as recombinant feline IL-2) are used. For prevention,
      administration of any irritating substance should be avoided. Vaccination should
      be performed as often as necessary, but as infrequently as possible. Non
      adjuvanted, modified-live or recombinant vaccines should be selected in
      preference to adjuvanted vaccines. Injections should be given at sites at which
      surgery would likely lead to a complete cure; the interscapular region should
      generally be avoided. Post-vaccination monitoring should be performed.

PMID- 26101313
TI  - Borna disease virus infection in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and
      management.
AB  - OVERVIEW: Borna disease virus (BDV) has a broad host range, affecting primarily
      horses and sheep, but also cattle, ostriches, cats and dogs. In cats, BDV may
      cause a non-suppurative meningoencephalomyelitis ('staggering disease').
      INFECTION: The mode of transmission is not completely elucidated. Direct and
      indirect virus transmission is postulated, but BDV is not readily transmitted
      between cats. Vectors such as ticks may play a role and shrews have been
      identified as a potential reservoir host. Access to forested areas has been
      reported to be an important risk factor for staggering disease. DISEASE SIGNS: It
      is postulated that BDV may infect nerve endings in the oropharynx and spread via
      olfactory nerve cells to the central nervous system. A strong T-cell response may
      contribute to the development of clinical disease. Affected cats develop gait
      disturbances, ataxia, pain in the lower back and behavioural changes. DIAGNOSIS:
      For diagnostic purposes, detection of viral RNA by reverse transcription PCR in
      samples collected from cats with clinical signs of Borna disease can be
      considered diagnostic. Serology is of little value; cats without signs of Borna
      disease may be seropositive and yet not every cat with BDV infection has
      detectable levels of antibodies. HUMAN INFECTION: A hypothesis that BDV infection
      may be involved in the development of selected neurological disorders in man
      could not be confirmed. A research group within the German Robert Koch Institute
      studied the potential health threat of BDV to humans and concluded that BDV was
      not involved in the aetiology of human psychiatric diseases.

PMID- 26101314
TI  - West Nile virus infection in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management.
AB  - OVERVIEW: West Nile virus (WNV) is a zoonotic mosquito-borne virus with a broad
      host range that infects mainly birds and mosquitos, but also mammals (including
      humans), reptiles, amphibians and ticks. It is maintained in a bird-mosquito-bird
      transmission cycle. The most important vectors are bird-feeding mosquitos of the
      Culex genus; maintenance and amplification mainly involve passerine birds. WNV
      can cause disease in humans, horses and several species of birds following
      infection of the central nervous system. INFECTION IN CATS: Cats can also be
      infected through mosquito bites, and by eating infected small mammals and
      probably also birds. Although seroprevalence in cats can be high in endemic
      areas, clinical disease and mortality are rarely reported. If a cat is suspected
      of clinical signs due to an acute WNV infection, symptomatic treatment is
      indicated.

PMID- 26101315
TI  - Streptococcal infections in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management.
AB  - OVERVIEW: Streptococcus canis is most prevalent in cats, but recently S equi
      subsp zooepidemicus has been recognised as an emerging feline pathogen. S CANIS
      INFECTION: S canis is considered part of the commensal mucosal microflora of the
      oral cavity, upper respiratory tract, genital organs and perianal region in cats.
      The prevalence of infection is higher in cats housed in groups; and, for example,
      there may be a high rate of vaginal carriage in young queens in breeding
      catteries. A wide spectrum of clinical disease is seen, encompassing neonatal
      septicaemia, upper respiratory tract disease, abscesses, pneumonia,
      osteomyelitis, polyarthritis, urogenital infections, septicaemia, sinusitis and
      meningitis. S EQUI SUBSP ZOOEPIDEMICUS INFECTION: S equi subsp zooepidemicus is
      found in a wide range of species including cats. It was traditionally assumed
      that this bacterium played no role in disease of cats, but it is now considered a
      cause of respiratory disease with bronchopneumonia and pneumonia, as well as
      meningoencephalitis, often with a fatal course. Close confinement of cats, such
      as in shelters, appears to be a major risk factor. As horses are common carriers
      of this bacterium, contact with horses is a potential source of infection.
      Additionally, the possibility of indirect transmission needs to be considered.
      DIAGNOSIS: Streptococci can be detected by conventional culture techniques from
      swabs, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid or organ samples. Also real-time PCR can be
      used, and is more sensitive than culture. TREATMENT: In suspected cases,
      treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics should be initiated as soon as possible
      and, if appropriate, adapted to the results of culture and sensitivity tests.

PMID- 26101316
TI  - Lungworm disease in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management.
AB  - OVERVIEW: Cardiopulmonary nematodes are emerging parasites of cats in Europe. A
      number of helminth parasites may be involved. The most prevalent lungworm in
      domestic cats is Aelurostrongylus abstrusus. Oslerus rostratus and
      Troglostrongylus species are found mainly in wild cats. The trichurid Capillaria
      aerophila has a low host specificity and is not uncommon in cats. Additionally
      the lung flukes Paragonimus species are reported in many species outside of
      Europe, including cats. CLINICAL SIGNS: Lungworm infections may be asymptomatic,
      or cause mild to severe respiratory signs, dependent on the worm species and
      burden; mixed infections are observed. Kittens can be vertically infected and may
      develop a more severe disease. Affected cats show a productive cough,
      mucopurulent nasal discharge, tachypnoea, dyspnoea and, in severe cases,
      respiratory failure and death. MANAGEMENT: Early diagnosis and treatment greatly
      improves the prognosis. First-stage larvae can be easily detected in fresh faecal
      samples; the Baermann migration method is the enrichment technique of choice, but
      takes 24 h. Lungworm larvae can be found in tracheal swabs and bronchoalveolar
      lavage fluid, but with less sensitivity than in faeces. Molecular methods have
      been developed that exhibit high specificity and sensitivity, and allow diagnosis
      in the prepatent phase. Treatment options include fenbendazole paste, milbemycin
      oxime/praziquantel and various spot-on formulations. Severe cases should receive
      prompt medical care in an intensive care unit. PREVENTION: Avoiding predation is
      at present the only preventive measure for pulmonary worms with indirect life
      cycles. ZOONOTIC RISK: C aerophila has zoonotic potential, causing severe
      pulmonary disease in humans. Some Paragonimus species are also of zoonotic
      concern.

PMID- 26101318
TI  - Hepatozoonosis in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management.
AB  - OVERVIEW: Hepatozoonosis of domestic cats has been reported in several countries,
      mainly as a subclinical infection. DISEASE AGENT: Infection has been described
      mostly in areas where canine infection is present and, in recent years,
      Hepatozoon felis has been identified as a distinct species by molecular
      techniques. The vector for feline hepatozoonosis remains unknown and the
      pathogenesis has not been elucidated. INFECTION IN CATS: Feline hepatozoonosis is
      mainly a subclinical infection and few cases have been reported with clinical
      signs. The diagnosis of hepatozoonosis in cats can be made by observation of
      parasite gamonts in blood smears, parasite meronts in muscles by histopathology,
      and detection of parasite DNA in blood and tissue by PCR. DISEASE MANAGEMENT: The
      treatment of choice is not known, but single cases have been treated with
      doxycycline or oxytetracycline and primaquine. Although the mode of transmission
      and the type of vector is not known, preventive treatment against blood-sucking
      vectors (fleas and ticks) is advised.

PMID- 26101317
TI  - Cytauxzoonosis in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management.
AB  - OVERVIEW: Cytauxzoon species are apicomplexan haemoparasites, which may cause
      severe disease in domestic cats, as well as lions and tigers. For many years,
      cytauxzoonosis in domestic cats was only reported in North and South America, but
      in recent years the infection has also been seen in Europe (Spain, France and
      Italy). INFECTION: Cytauxzoon felis is the main species; it occurs as numerous
      different strains or genotypes and is transmitted via ticks. Therefore, the
      disease shows a seasonal incidence from spring to early autumn and affects
      primarily cats with outdoor access in areas where tick vectors are prevalent.
      Domestic cats may experience subclinical infection and may also act as
      reservoirs. CLINICAL SIGNS: Cytauxzoonosis caused by C felis in the USA is an
      acute or peracute severe febrile disease with non-specific signs. Haemolytic
      anaemia occurs frequently; in some cats neurological signs may occur in late
      stages. The Cytauxzoon species identified in Europe differ from C felis that
      causes disease in the USA and are probably less virulent. The majority of
      infected cats have been healthy; in some cases anaemia was found, but disease as
      it occurs in the USA has not been reported to date. DIAGNOSIS: Diagnosis is
      usually obtained by Cytauxzoon detection in blood smears and/or fine-needle
      aspirates from the liver, spleen and lymph nodes. PCR assays are able to detect
      low levels of parasitaemia and may be used for confirmation. TREATMENT: Currently
      a combination of the antiprotozoal drugs atovaquone and azithromycin is the
      treatment of choice. Concurrent supportive and critical care treatment is
      extremely important to improve the prognosis. Cats that survive the infection may
      become chronic carriers for life. PREVENTION: Cats with outdoor access in endemic
      areas should receive effective tick treatment.

PMID- 26101320
TI  - TLR3-Mediated CD8+ Dendritic Cell Activation Is Coupled with Establishment of a
      Cell-Intrinsic Antiviral State.
AB  - Because of their unique capacity to cross-present Ags to CD8(+) T cells, mouse
      lymphoid tissue-resident CD8(+) dendritic cells (DCs) and their migratory
      counterparts are critical for priming antiviral T cell responses. High expression
      of the dsRNA sensor TLR3 is a distinctive feature of these cross-presenting DC
      subsets. TLR3 engagement in CD8(+) DCs promotes cross-presentation and the
      acquisition of effector functions required for driving antiviral T cell
      responses. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the TLR3
      induced antiviral program and cell-autonomous immunity in CD8(+) DC lines and
      primary CD8(+) DCs. We found that TLR3-ligand polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid and
      human rhinovirus infection induced a potent antiviral protection against Sendai
      and vesicular stomatitis virus in a TLR3 and type I IFN receptor-dependent
      manner. Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid-induced antiviral genes were identified
      by mass spectrometry-based proteomics and transcriptomics in the CD8(+) DC line.
      Nanostring nCounter experiments confirmed that these antiviral genes were induced
      by TLR3 engagement in primary CD8(+) DCs, and indicated that many are secondary
      TLR3-response genes requiring autocrine IFN-beta stimulation. TLR3-activation
      thus establishes a type I IFN-dependent antiviral program in a DC subtype playing
      crucial roles in priming adaptive antiviral immune responses. This mechanism is
      likely to shield the priming of antiviral responses against inhibition or
      abrogation by the viral infection. It could be particularly relevant for viruses
      detected mainly by TLR3, which may not trigger type I IFN production by DCs that
      lack TLR3, such as plasmacytoid DCs or CD8(-) DCs. 

PMID- 26101322
TI  - Targeting Antigen to Clec9A Primes Follicular Th Cell Memory Responses Capable of
      Robust Recall.
AB  - Targeting Ags to dendritic cell (DC) surface receptors can induce a variety of
      responses depending on the DC type targeted, the receptor targeted, and the
      adjuvant used. Clec9A (DNGR-1), which is expressed by CD8(+) DCs, has been shown
      to bind F-actin exposed on damaged cells. Targeting Ag to this receptor in mice
      and nonhuman primates induces strong humoral immunity even in the absence of
      adjuvant, a process seen for a few select DC receptors. In contrast with other
      receptors, however, targeting Clec9A induces long-lived, affinity-matured Ab
      responses that are associated with efficient CD4(+) T cell responses shown to
      possess properties of follicular Th cells (TFH). In this article, we provide
      definitive evidence that Clec9A targeting promotes the development of TFH by
      showing that responding CD4 T cells express CXCR5, PD1, the TFH transcription
      factor Bcl6, and the cytokine IL-21, and that these cells localize to germinal
      centers. Furthermore, we extend studies from the model Ag OVA to the viral Ag
      glycoprotein D of HSV-1 and examine the capacity of primed TFH to form functional
      memory. We show that targeting glycoprotein D to Clec9A even in the absence of
      adjuvant induced long-lived memory CXCR5(+) PD1(hi) CD4(+) T cells that
      proliferated extensively upon secondary challenge and rapidly developed into
      effector TFH. This was associated with enhanced germinal center B cell responses
      and accelerated Ab production. Our study indicates that targeting Ags to Clec9A
      in the absence of adjuvant routinely generates TFH responses that form long-lived
      memory capable of robust secondary TFH responses. 

PMID- 26101321
TI  - Domain-Specific and Stage-Intrinsic Changes in Tcrb Conformation during Thymocyte
      Development.
AB  - Considerable cross-talk exists between mechanisms controlling genome architecture
      and gene expression. AgR loci are excellent models for these processes because
      they are regulated at both conformational and transcriptional levels to
      facilitate their assembly by V(D)J recombination. Upon commitment to the double
      negative stage of T cell development, Tcrb adopts a compact conformation that
      promotes long-range recombination between Vbeta gene segments (Trbvs) and their
      DbetaJbeta targets. Formation of a functional VbetaDbetaJbeta join signals for
      robust proliferation of double-negative thymocytes and their differentiation into
      double-positive (DP) cells, where Trbv recombination is squelched (allelic
      exclusion). DP differentiation also is accompanied by decontraction of Tcrb,
      which has been thought to separate the entire Trbv cluster from DbetaJbeta
      segments (spatial segregation-based model for allelic exclusion). However, DP
      cells also repress transcription of unrearranged Trbvs, which may contribute to
      allelic exclusion. We performed a more detailed study of developmental changes in
      Tcrb topology and found that only the most distal portion of the Trbv cluster
      separates from DbetaJbeta segments in DP thymocytes, leaving most Trbvs spatially
      available for rearrangement. Preferential dissociation of distal Trbvs is
      independent of robust proliferation or changes in transcription, chromatin, or
      architectural factors, which are coordinately regulated across the entire Trbv
      cluster. Segregation of distal Trbvs also occurs on alleles harboring a
      functional VbetaDbetaJbeta join, suggesting that this process is independent of
      rearrangement status and is DP intrinsic. Our finding that most Trbvs remain
      associated with DbetaJbeta targets in DP cells revises allelic exclusion models
      from their current conformation-dominant to a transcription-dominant formulation.

PMID- 26101323
TI  - TLR8 Senses Bacterial RNA in Human Monocytes and Plays a Nonredundant Role for
      Recognition of Streptococcus pyogenes.
AB  - Microbial nucleic acids constitute an important group of pathogen-associated
      molecular patterns (PAMPs) that efficiently trigger innate immune activation. In
      mice, TLR13 has recently been identified to sense a highly conserved region
      within bacterial 23S rRNA. However, TLR13 is not expressed in humans, and the
      identity of its human homolog remains elusive. Moreover, the contribution of
      bacterial RNA to the induction of innate immune responses against entire bacteria
      is still insufficiently defined. In the current study, we show that human
      monocytes respond to bacterial RNA with secretion of IL-6, TNF, and IFN-beta,
      which is critically dependent on lysosomal maturation. Using small interfering
      RNA and overexpression, we unambiguously identify TLR8 as receptor for bacterial
      RNA in primary human monocyte-derived macrophages. We further demonstrate that
      the sequence motif sensed by TLR8 is clearly distinct from that recognized by
      TLR13. Moreover, TLR8-dependent detection of bacterial RNA was critical for
      triggering monocyte activation in response to infection with Streptococcus
      pyogenes. Bacterial RNA within streptococci was also a dominant stimulus for
      murine immune cells, highlighting the physiological relevance of RNA sensing in
      defense of infections. 

PMID- 26101324
TI  - Definition of a Novel Pathway Centered on Lysophosphatidic Acid To Recruit
      Monocytes during the Resolution Phase of Tissue Inflammation.
AB  - Blood-derived monocytes remove apoptotic cells and terminate inflammation in
      settings as diverse as atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. They express high
      levels of the proresolving receptor ALX/FPR2, which is activated by the protein
      annexin A1 (ANXA1), found in high abundance in inflammatory exudates. Using
      primary human blood monocytes from healthy donors, we identified ANXA1 as a
      potent CD14(+)CD16(-) monocyte chemoattractant, acting via ALX/FPR2. Downstream
      signaling pathway analysis revealed the p38 MAPK-mediated activation of a calcium
      independent phospholipase A2 with resultant synthesis of lysophosphatidic acid
      (LPA) driving chemotaxis through LPA receptor 2 and actin cytoskeletal
      mobilization. In vivo experiments confirmed ANXA1 as an independent phospholipase
      A2-dependent monocyte recruiter; congruently, monocyte recruitment was
      significantly impaired during ongoing zymosan-induced inflammation in AnxA1(-/-)
      or alx/fpr2/3(-/-) mice. Using a dorsal air-pouch model, passive transfer of
      apoptotic neutrophils between AnxA1(-/-) and wild-type mice identified effete
      neutrophils as the primary source of soluble ANXA1 in inflammatory resolution.
      Together, these data elucidate a novel proresolving network centered on ANXA1 and
      LPA generation and identify previously unappreciated determinants of ANXA1 and
      ALX/FPR2 signaling in monocytes. 

PMID- 26101325
TI  - Cross-Talk between Shp1 and PIPKIgamma Controls Leukocyte Recruitment.
AB  - Neutrophil recruitment to the site of inflammation plays a pivotal role in host
      defense. However, overwhelming activation and accumulation of neutrophils in the
      tissue may cause tissue damage and autoimmunity due to the release of cytokines,
      oxidants, and proteases. Neutrophil adhesion in acute inflammation is initiated
      by activation of alphaLbeta2 (LFA-1), which can be induced by rolling on E
      selectin (slowly) or by exposure to the chemokine CXCL1 (rapidly). Despite the
      clinical importance, cell-intrinsic molecular mechanisms of negative regulation
      of integrin adhesiveness and neutrophil recruitment are poorly understood. Mice
      deficient in the tyrosine phosphatase Src homology 2 domain-containing protein
      tyrosine phosphatase 1 (Shp1) show increased leukocyte adhesion, but the
      interpretation of these data is limited by the severe global phenotype of these
      mice. In this study, we used mice with global and myeloid-restricted deletion of
      Shp1 to study neutrophil arrest, adhesion, crawling, and transendothelial
      migration in vitro and in vivo. Shp1 deficiency results in increased neutrophil
      adhesion in vivo; however, neutrophil crawling, transmigration, and chemotaxis
      were reduced in these mice. Mechanistically, Shp1 binds and controls PIPKIgamma
      activity and, thereby, modulates phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate levels
      and adhesion. Thus, Shp1 is involved in the deactivation of integrins and
      regulation of neutrophil recruitment into inflamed tissue. 

PMID- 26101326
TI  - Neonatal CD71+ Erythroid Cells Do Not Modify Murine Sepsis Mortality.
AB  - Sepsis is a major cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity worldwide. A recent
      report suggested that murine neonatal host defense against infection could be
      compromised by immunosuppressive CD71(+) erythroid splenocytes. We examined the
      impact of CD71(+) erythroid splenocytes on murine neonatal mortality to endotoxin
      challenge or polymicrobial sepsis and characterized circulating CD71(+) erythroid
      (CD235a(+)) cells in human neonates. Adoptive transfer or an Ab-mediated
      reduction in neonatal CD71(+) erythroid splenocytes did not alter murine neonatal
      survival to endotoxin challenge or polymicrobial sepsis challenge. Ex vivo
      immunosuppression of stimulated adult CD11b(+) cells was not limited to neonatal
      splenocytes; it also occurred with adult and neonatal bone marrow. Animals
      treated with anti-CD71 Ab showed reduced splenic bacterial load following
      bacterial challenge compared with isotype-treated mice. However, adoptive
      transfer of enriched CD71(+) erythroid splenocytes to CD71(+)-reduced animals did
      not reduce bacterial clearance. Human CD71(+)CD235a(+) cells were common among
      cord blood mononuclear cells and were shown to be reticulocytes. In summary, a
      lack of effect on murine survival to polymicrobial sepsis following adoptive
      transfer or diminution of CD71(+) erythroid splenocytes under these experimental
      conditions suggests that the impact of these cells on neonatal infection risk and
      progression may be limited. An unanticipated immune priming effect of anti-CD71
      Ab treatment, rather than a reduction in immunosuppressive CD71(+) erythroid
      splenocytes, was likely responsible for the reported enhanced bacterial
      clearance. In humans, the well-described rapid decrease in circulating
      reticulocytes after birth suggests that they may have a limited role in reducing
      inflammation secondary to microbial colonization. 

PMID- 26101327
TI  - MALDI-mass spectrometry imaging identifies vitronectin as a common constituent of
      amyloid deposits.
AB  - Amyloids are pathological intra- and extracellular fibrillar aggregates of
      polypeptides with a cross-beta-sheet structure and characteristic tinctorial
      properties. The amyloid deposits commonly enclose several non-fibrillar
      components of the extracellular matrix. Their potential to regulate the formation
      and aggregation process of amyloid fibrils is still poorly understood. For a
      better understanding of the role of the extracellular matrix in amyloidosis, it
      is essential to gain deeper insights into the composition of amyloid deposits.
      Here, we utilized matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization mass
      spectrometry imaging to identify extracellular matrix compounds in amyloid
      deposits. Using this technique, we identified and determined the spatial
      distribution of vitronectin within AApoAI-, ALlambda-, ATTR- and AIns amyloid
      deposits and, using immunohistochemistry, validated the spatial overlap of
      vitronectin with amyloids in 175 cases with diverse types of amyloid in several
      different tissues.

PMID- 26101328
TI  - The transcription factor PU.1 promotes alternative macrophage polarization and
      asthmatic airway inflammation.
AB  - The transcription factor PU.1 is involved in regulation of macrophage
      differentiation and maturation. However, the role of PU.1 in alternatively
      activated macrophage (AAM) and asthmatic inflammation has yet been investigated.
      Here we report that PU.1 serves as a critical regulator of AAM polarization and
      promotes the pathological progress of asthmatic airway inflammation. In response
      to the challenge of DRA (dust mite, ragweed, and Aspergillus) allergens,
      conditional PU.1-deficient (PU/ER(T)(+/-)) mice displayed attenuated allergic
      airway inflammation, including decreased alveolar eosinophil infiltration and
      reduced production of IgE, which were associated with decreased mucous glands and
      goblet cell hyperplasia. The reduced asthmatic inflammation in PU/ER(T)(+/-) mice
      was restored by adoptive transfer of IL-4-induced wild-type (WT) macrophages.
      Moreover, after treating PU/ER(T)(+/-) mice with tamoxifen to rescue PU.1
      function, the allergic asthmatic inflammation was significantly restored. In
      vitro studies demonstrate that treatment of PU.1-deficient macrophages with IL-4
      attenuated the expression of chitinase 3-like 3 (Ym-1) and resistin-like molecule
      alpha 1 (Fizz-1), two specific markers of AAM polarization. In addition, PU.1
      expression in macrophages was inducible in response to IL-4 challenge, which was
      associated with phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of
      transcription 6 (STAT6). Furthermore, DRA challenge in sensitized mice almost
      abrogated gene expression of Ym-1 and Fizz-1 in lung tissues of PU/ER(T)(+/-)
      mice compared with WT mice. These data, all together, indicate that PU.1 plays a
      critical role in AAM polarization and asthmatic inflammation. 

PMID- 26101329
TI  - Continued lessons from the INS gene: an intronic mutation causing diabetes
      through a novel mechanism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes in neonates usually has a monogenic aetiology; however, the
      cause remains unknown in 20-30%. Heterozygous INS mutations represent one of the
      most common gene causes of neonatal diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Clinical and
      functional characterisation of a novel homozygous intronic mutation
      (c.187+241G>A) in the insulin gene in a child identified through the Monogenic
      Diabetes Registry (http://monogenicdiabetes.uchicago.edu). RESULTS: The proband
      had insulin-requiring diabetes from birth. Ultrasonography revealed a
      structurally normal pancreas and C-peptide was undetectable despite readily
      detectable amylin, suggesting the presence of dysfunctional beta cells. Whole
      exome sequencing revealed the novel mutation. In silico analysis predicted a
      mutant mRNA product resulting from preferential recognition of a newly created
      splice site. Wild-type and mutant human insulin gene constructs were derived and
      transiently expressed in INS-1 cells. We confirmed the predicted transcript and
      found an additional transcript created via an ectopic splice acceptor site.
      CONCLUSIONS: Dominant INS mutations cause diabetes via a mutated translational
      product causing endoplasmic reticulum stress. We describe a novel mechanism of
      diabetes, without beta cell death, due to creation of two unstable mutant
      transcripts predicted to undergo nonsense and non-stop-mediated decay,
      respectively. Our discovery may have broader implications for those with insulin
      deficiency later in life.

PMID- 26101330
TI  - Lynch syndrome caused by MLH1 mutations is associated with an increased risk of
      breast cancer: a cohort study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lynch syndrome is known to cause an increased risk of malignancies,
      including bowel and endometrial cancers. However, the risk of breast cancer
      associated with mutations in the mismatch repair (MMR) genes that cause Lynch
      syndrome is still unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study assesses the
      cumulative risk of breast cancer in 106 MLH1 and 118 MSH2 families. Families were
      referred on the basis of clinical criteria. Pedigree information was obtained,
      and tumour immunohistochemistry and microsatellite testing performed. Appropriate
      patients underwent sequencing and multiple ligation dependent probe amplification
      of all relevant exons of the MMR genes. Kaplan-Meier analysis of cumulative
      lifetime risk of breast cancer was made combining proven mutation carriers and
      their first-degree female relatives. RESULTS: After allocation of mutation
      status, the cumulative risk of breast cancer to 70 years in MLH1 carriers was
      18.6% (95% CI 11.3 to 25.9)). This is significantly higher than the cumulative
      risk for MSH2 which was 11.2% (95% CI 1.4 to 21.0) to age 70 years (p=0.014). The
      UK population risk is 7.5%-8% at the age of 70 years. Prospective analysis
      identified six breast cancers in 1120 years of follow-up with an OR of 3.41 (95%
      CI 1.53 to 7.59). DISCUSSIONS: Female MLH1 carriers would appear to be at
      moderate risk of breast cancer and should be considered for breast screening at
      ages earlier than national screening programmes.

PMID- 26101332
TI  - Neurocognitive Impairment as One Facet of Cancer-Related Sickness Behavior
      Symptoms.

PMID- 26101331
TI  - Inflammatory Biomarkers, Comorbidity, and Neurocognition in Women With Newly
      Diagnosed Breast Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neurocognitive dysfunction is reported in women with breast cancer
      even prior to receipt of adjuvant therapy; however, there is little understanding
      of underlying mechanisms. We tested the hypothesis that pretreatment
      neurocognitive dysfunction in newly diagnosed patients is related to
      immunological activation, as indexed by pro-inflammatory cytokines. METHODS: One
      hundred seventy-four postmenopausal patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer
      underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation (assessment of cognitive
      function, mood, and fatigue) and measurement of key cytokine levels prior to
      surgery. Age-matched control participants without cancer were evaluated
      concurrently. Multivariable regression analyses examined the contribution of
      circulating Interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), and
      soluble TNF receptor type two (sTNF-RII) in predicting neurocognitive performance
      in patients after controlling for key factors thought to impact functioning. All
      tests of statistical significance were two-sided. RESULTS: Memory performance was
      statistically significantly reduced, in patients compared with controls (P =
      .02). Of the three cytokines measured, only IL-1ra was statistically
      significantly elevated in cancer patients when compared with control participants
      (mean +/- SD, 375 +/- 239 pg/mL vs 291 +/- 169 pg/mL, P = .007). After
      controlling for age, education, race, mood, fatigue, body mass index, and
      comorbidity, cytokines independently explained 6.0% of the total variance in
      memory performance (P = .01) in cancer patients but not control participants,
      with higher sTNF-RII associated with worse functioning. Exploratory analyses
      found that comorbidity statistically significantly explained variance in
      processing speed and executive functioning (P = .03 and P = .03, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: An association of TNF with memory, previously reported in patients
      after exposure to chemotherapy, was found prior to initiation of any treatment,
      including surgery. This association requires further investigation as sTNF-RII
      was not higher in cancer patients relative to control participants.

PMID- 26101333
TI  - Oral Health Inequalities in Africa and the Middle East.

PMID- 26101334
TI  - Reducing Inequalities in Oral Health in the Africa and Middle East Region.
AB  - Dentistry is facing many serious challenges and threats. Addressing them will
      require major changes in strategy. This work outlines the extent of dental
      disease in the Africa and Middle East Region (AMER) and suggests strategies to
      reduce inequalities in oral health. The main oral health challenges in the AMER
      relate to controlling the relentless increase in caries with age. A very
      conservative estimate of population caries levels suggests that a 5-fold increase
      in dental personnel would be required just to treat current levels of caries.
      Hence, we argue that current approaches to control caries in the AMER are both
      ineffective and unaffordable, and a new model to promote oral health is needed.
      Unless determinants of noncommunicable diseases are addressed and access to
      evidence-based minimal intervention dental care is improved, the burden of dental
      disease will persist. The new oral health promotion model calls for an integrated
      intersectoral common risk factor approach, namely, "oral health in all policies"
      (OHiAP). An OHiAP framework will initiate high-level policy initiatives and
      intersectoral partnerships. Oral health professionals have an important advocacy
      role in securing the fundamental changes in health strategy needed to control the
      growing, unjust, and unaffordable burden of oral disease. 

PMID- 26101335
TI  - Prevalence and Severity of Oral Diseases in the Africa and Middle East Region.
AB  - This review aims to determine the prevalence and severity of oral health diseases
      in the Africa and Middle East region (AMER). The profile of oral diseases is not
      homogeneous across the AMER. There are large disparities between groups. Reliable
      data are scarce. The prevalence and severity of oral diseases appear to be
      increasing in the African region, as does associated morbidity. There are
      substantial differences in inequalities in oral health. Dental caries prevalence
      is less severe in most African countries than in developed countries, but the
      high rate of untreated caries reflects the limited resources available and
      difficulties of access and affordability to essential oral health care services.
      The prevalence of gingival inflammation is very high in all age groups in several
      African countries. The prevalence of maxillofacial trauma has increased in many
      countries, with a wide variation of the incidence and high prevalence of
      traumatic dental injuries in primary and permanent teeth. Orofacial clefts are
      among the most common birth defects. Annual incidence of oral cancer is estimated
      as 25 cases per 100,000 people in Africa. Noma is a major public health problem
      for the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. Data about human
      immunodeficiency virus/AIDS are limited, particularly in the MENA region.
      According to the World Health Organization Regional Committee for Africa report,
      some fundamental key basic knowledge gaps need to be underlined. They include
      inequalities in oral health, low priority for oral health, lack of adequate
      funding, inadequate dental student training, obstacles to medical and dental
      research, and poor databases. There are very few effective public prevention and
      oral health promotion programs in the AMER. Universal health coverage is not
      achievable without scientific research on the effectiveness of health promotion
      interventions. 

PMID- 26101336
TI  - Oral Health Inequalities between Rural and Urban Populations of the African and
      Middle East Region.
AB  - Although there have been major improvements in oral health, with remarkable
      advances in the prevention and management of oral diseases, globally,
      inequalities persist between urban and rural communities. These inequalities
      exist in the distribution of oral health services, accessibility, utilization,
      treatment outcomes, oral health knowledge and practices, health insurance
      coverage, oral health-related quality of life, and prevalence of oral diseases,
      among others. People living in rural areas are likely to be poorer, be less
      health literate, have more caries, have fewer teeth, have no health insurance
      coverage, and have less money to spend on dental care than persons living in
      urban areas. Rural areas are often associated with lower education levels, which
      in turn have been found to be related to lower levels of health literacy and poor
      use of health care services. These factors have an impact on oral health care,
      service delivery, and research. Hence, unmet dental care remains one of the most
      urgent health care needs in these communities. We highlight some of the
      conceptual issues relating to urban-rural inequalities in oral health, especially
      in the African and Middle East Region (AMER). Actions to reduce oral health
      inequalities and ameliorate rural-urban disparity are necessary both within the
      health sector and the wider policy environment. Recommended actions include
      population-specific oral health promotion programs, measures aimed at increasing
      access to oral health services in rural areas, integration of oral health into
      existing primary health care services, and support for research aimed at
      informing policy on the social determinants of health. Concerted efforts must be
      made by all stakeholders (governments, health care workforce, organizations, and
      communities) to reduce disparities and improve oral health outcomes in
      underserved populations. 

PMID- 26101337
TI  - Determinants of Oral Diseases in the African and Middle East Region.
AB  - Oral health policies must be developed that emphasize the role of social
      determinants in health and oral diseases. The aim of this report is to review
      literature on determinants of oral diseases and apply the concepts to promoting
      oral health in the African countries in the African and Middle East region
      (AMER). Structural and proximal determinants of oral diseases are common to those
      affected by other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Oral diseases are also heavily
      affected by issues of politics, poor health behaviors, underdeveloped health
      systems, and low oral health literacy. Wide-scale poverty exists in populations
      in the AMER. Oral health promotion and preventive oral health programs should
      therefore be integrated with those for general health and use the common risk
      factor approach (CRFA). Attempts should be made to improve the daily living
      conditions and reduce the incline of the social gradient. Oral health
      practitioners should use the CRFA when dealing with determinants of oral diseases
      and in the design of preventive oral health programs. The detrimental effects of
      the social determinants of health may be ameliorated by involving both the
      individual and community. Interventions in health promotion programs in the AMER
      need more research on the epidemiology of oral diseases and the role played by
      the social determinants of oral diseases, especially with regard to poverty. The
      high levels of poverty and low gross domestic product in most countries in the
      African region make it difficult to fund high-quality, affordable, accessible
      oral health services. 

PMID- 26101338
TI  - Capacity Building and Financing Oral Health in the African and Middle East
      Region.
AB  - Many low- and middle-income countries do not yet have policies to implement
      effective oral health programs. A reason is lack of human and financial
      resources. Gaps between resource needs and available health funding are widening.
      By building capacity, countries aim to improve oral health through actions by
      oral health care personnel and oral health care organizations and their
      communities. Capacity building involves achieving measurable and sustainable
      results in training, research, and provision of care. Actions include advancement
      of knowledge, attitudes and skills, expansion of support, and development of
      cohesiveness and partnerships. The aim of this critical review is to review
      existing knowledge and identify gaps and variations between and within different
      income levels in relation to the capacity building and financing oral health in
      the African and Middle East region (AMER). A second aim is to formulate research
      priorities and outline a research agenda for capacity building and financing to
      improve oral health and reduce oral health inequalities in the AMER. The article
      focuses on capacity building for oral health and oral health financing in the
      AMER of the IADR. In many communities in the AMER, there are clear and widening
      gaps between the dental needs and the existing capacity to meet these needs in
      terms of financial and human resources. Concerted efforts are required to improve
      access to oral health care through appropriate financing mechanisms, innovative
      health insurance schemes, and donor support and move toward universal oral health
      care coverage to reduce social inequality in the region. It is necessary to build
      capacity and incentivize the workforce to render evidence-based services as well
      as accessing funds to conduct research on equity and social determinants of oral
      health while promoting community engagement and a multidisciplinary approach. 

PMID- 26101339
TI  - Strategies for Oral Health Research in Africa and the Middle Eastern Region.
AB  - The highest burden of diseases worldwide is in low- and middle-income countries,
      but due to lack of capacity and inadequate infrastructure, research output from
      these countries is unable to address existing and emerging challenges in health
      care. Oral health research has particularly been hampered by low prioritization,
      resulting in insufficient development of this sector. There is an urgent need for
      research correlating oral health to upstream social and environmental
      determinants and promoting the common risk factor approach for prevention of
      noncommunicable diseases. Population-wide preventive measures for oral health
      care are more effective than purely curative approaches, especially for
      vulnerable groups who have limited access to information and appropriate health
      care. This article identifies priorities and proposes strategies for researchers,
      stakeholders, and policy makers for the initiation and sustenance of appropriate
      oral health care research. The proposed interventions are intended to promote
      collaboration, capacity building, and health advocacy. Local ownership in
      multinational research projects in low- and middle-income countries, complemented
      by skills transfer from high-income countries, is encouraged to ensure that
      regional health needs are addressed. Emphasis is placed on a shift toward
      translational research that has a direct impact on oral health care systems. 

PMID- 26101340
TI  - New clues towards solving the mystery of endothelin and blood pressure
      regulation.

PMID- 26101341
TI  - Remodeling of Afferent Arterioles From Mice With Oxidative Stress Does Not
      Account for Increased Contractility but Does Limit Excessive Wall Stress.
AB  - Because superoxide dismutase (SOD) knockout enhances arteriolar remodeling and
      contractility, we hypothesized that remodeling enhances contractility. In the
      isolated and perfused renal afferent arterioles from SOD wild type (+/+) and gene
      deleted mice, contractility was assessed from reductions in luminal diameter with
      perfusion pressure from 40 to 80 mm Hg (myogenic responses) or angiotensin II
      (10(-6) mol/L), remodeling from media:lumen area ratio, superoxide (O2 (.-)) and
      hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from fluorescence microscopy, and wall stress from wall
      tension/wall thickness. Compared with +/+ strains, arterioles from SOD1-/-,
      SOD2+/-, and SOD3-/- mice developed significantly (P<0.05) more O2 (.-) with
      perfusion pressure and angiotensin II and significantly increased myogenic
      responses (SOD1-/-: -20.7+/-2.2% versus -12.7+/-1.6%; SOD2+/-: -7.4+/-1.3% versus
      -12.6+/-1.4%; and SOD3-/-: -9.1+/-1.9% versus -15.8+/-2.2%) and angiotensin II
      contractions and ~2-fold increased media:lumen ratios. Media:lumen ratios
      correlated with myogenic responses (r(2) =0.23; P<0.01), angiotensin II
      contractions (r(2)=0.57; P<0.0001), and active wall tension (r(2) =0.19; P<0.01),
      but not with active wall stress (r(2)=0.08; NS). Differences in myogenic
      responses among SOD3 mice were abolished by bath addition of SOD and were
      increased 3 days after inducing SOD3 knockout (-26.9+/-1.7% versus -20.1+/-0.7%;
      P<0.05), despite unchanged media:lumen ratios (2.01+/-0.09 versus 2.02+/-0.03;
      NS). We conclude that cytosolic, mitochondrial, or extracellular O2 (.-) enhance
      afferent arteriolar contractility and remodeling. Although remodeling does not
      enhance contractility, it does prevent the potentially damaging effects of
      increased wall stress. 

PMID- 26101343
TI  - Exacerbating Pressure Overload-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy: Novel Role of Adaptor
      Molecule Src Homology 2-B3.
AB  - The adaptor protein Src homology 2-B3 (SH2B3), which belongs to a subfamily of
      Src homology 2 proteins, is a broad inhibitor of growth factors and cytokine
      signaling in hematopoietic cells. However, the role of SH2B3 in nonhematopoietic
      systems, particularly cardiomyocytes, has not been defined. In this study, we
      observed noticeable increase in SH2B3 protein expression during pathological
      cardiac remodeling in both humans and rodents. Follow-up in vitro gain- and loss
      of-function studies suggested that SH2B3 promotes the cardiomyocyte hypertrophy
      response. Consistent with the cell phenotype, SH2B3 knockout (SH2B3(-/-)) mice
      exhibited attenuated cardiac remodeling with preserved cardiac function after
      chronic pressure overload. Conversely, cardiac-specific SH2B3 overexpression
      aggravated pressure overload-triggered cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and
      dysfunction. Mechanistically, SH2B3 accelerates and exacerbates cardiac
      remodeling through the activation of focal adhesion kinase, which, in turn,
      activates the prohypertrophic downstream phosphoinositide 3-kinase-AKT-mammalian
      target of rapamycin/glycogen synthase kinase 3beta signaling pathway. Finally, we
      generated a novel SH2B3 knockout rat line and further confirmed the protective
      effects of SH2B3 deficiency on cardiac remodeling across species. Collectively,
      our data indicate that SH2B3 functions as a novel and effective modulator of
      cardiac remodeling and failure. 

PMID- 26101342
TI  - Activation of central PPAR-gamma attenuates angiotensin II-induced hypertension.
AB  - Inflammation and renin-angiotensin system activity in the brain contribute to
      hypertension through effects on fluid intake, vasopressin release, and
      sympathetic nerve activity. We recently reported that activation of brain
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma in heart failure rats
      reduced inflammation and renin-angiotensin system activity in the hypothalamic
      paraventricular nucleus and ameliorated the peripheral manifestations of heart
      failure. We hypothesized that the activation of brain PPAR-gamma might have
      beneficial effects in angiotensin II-induced hypertension. Sprague-Dawley rats
      received a 2-week subcutaneous infusion of angiotensin II (120 ng/kg per minute)
      combined with a continuous intracerebroventricular infusion of vehicle, the PPAR
      gamma agonist pioglitazone (3 nmol/h) or the PPAR-gamma antagonist GW9662 (7
      nmol/h). Angiotensin II+vehicle rats had increased mean blood pressure, increased
      sympathetic drive as indicated by the mean blood pressure response to ganglionic
      blockade, and increased water consumption. PPAR-gamma mRNA in subfornical organ
      and hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus was unchanged, but PPAR-gamma DNA
      binding activity was reduced. mRNA for interleukin-1beta, tumor necrosis factor
      alpha, cyclooxygenase-2, and angiotensin II type 1 receptor was augmented in both
      nuclei, and hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus neuronal activity was increased.
      The plasma vasopressin response to a 6-hour water restriction also increased.
      These responses to angiotensin II were exacerbated by GW9662 and ameliorated by
      pioglitazone, which increased PPAR-gamma mRNA and PPAR-gamma DNA-binding activity
      in subfornical organ and hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus. Pioglitazone and
      GW9662 had no effects on control rats. The results suggest that activating brain
      PPAR-gamma to reduce central inflammation and brain renin-angiotensin system
      activity may be a useful adjunct in the treatment of angiotensin II-dependent
      hypertension. 

PMID- 26101344
TI  - Short-Term Blood Pressure Variability Relates to the Presence of Subclinical
      Brain Small Vessel Disease in Primary Hypertension.
AB  - Blood pressure (BP) variability is associated with stroke risk, but less is known
      about subclinical cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). We aimed to determine
      whether CSVD relates to short-term BP variability independently of BP levels and
      also, whether they improve CSVD discrimination beyond clinical variables and
      office BP levels. This was a cohort study on asymptomatic hypertensives who
      underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring.
      Office and average 24-hour, daytime and nighttime BP levels, and several metrics
      of BP variability (SD, weighted SD, coefficient of variation, and average real
      variability [ARV]) were calculated. Definition of CSVD was based on the presence
      of lacunar infarcts and white matter hyperintensity grades. Multivariate analysis
      and integrated discrimination improvement were performed to assess whether BP
      variability and levels were independently associated with CSVD and improved its
      discrimination. Four hundred eighty-seven individuals participated (median age,
      64; 47% women). CSVD was identified in 18.9%, related to age, male sex, diabetes
      mellitus, use of treatment, ambulatory BP monitoring-defined BP levels, and ARV
      of systolic BP at any period. The highest prevalence (33.7%) was found in
      subjects with both 24-hour BP levels and ARV elevated. BP levels at any period
      and ARV (24 hours and nocturnal) emerged as independent predictors of CSVD, and
      discrimination was incrementally improved although not to a clinically
      significant extent (integrated discrimination improvement, 5.31%, 5.17% to 5.4%).
      Ambulatory BP monitoring-defined BP levels and ARV of systolic BP relate to
      subclinical CSVD in hypertensive individuals. 

PMID- 26101345
TI  - Deletion of Rictor in brain and fat alters peripheral clock gene expression and
      increases blood pressure.
AB  - The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) contains the essential
      protein RICTOR and is activated by growth factors. mTORC2 in adipose tissue
      contributes to the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. In the
      perivascular adipose tissue, mTORC2 ensures normal vascular reactivity by
      controlling expression of inflammatory molecules. To assess whether RICTOR/mTORC2
      contributes to blood pressure regulation, we applied a radiotelemetry approach in
      control and Rictor knockout (Rictor(aP2KO)) mice generated using adipocyte
      protein-2 gene promoter-driven CRE recombinase expression to delete Rictor. The
      24-hour mean arterial pressure was increased in Rictor(aP2KO) mice, and the
      physiological decline in mean arterial pressure during the dark period was
      impaired. In parallel, heart rate and locomotor activity were elevated during the
      dark period with a pattern similar to blood pressure changes. This phenotype was
      associated with mild cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, decreased cardiac natriuretic
      peptides, and their receptor expression in adipocytes. Moreover, clock gene
      expression was reduced or phase-shifted in perivascular adipose tissue. No
      differences in clock gene expression were observed in the master clock
      suprachiasmatic nucleus, although Rictor gene expression was also lower in brain
      of Rictor(aP2KO) mice. Thus, this study highlights the importance of
      RICTOR/mTORC2 for interactions between vasculature, adipocytes, and brain to tune
      physiological outcomes, such as blood pressure and locomotor activity. 

PMID- 26101346
TI  - Inducible human endothelin-1 overexpression in endothelium raises blood pressure
      via endothelin type A receptors.
AB  - The mechanisms of blood pressure regulation by endothelin-1 produced by
      endothelial cells are complex and still unclear. Transgenic mice with endothelium
      restricted human endothelin-1 (EDN1) overexpression presented vascular damage but
      no significant change in blood pressure, which could be because of adaptation to
      life-long exposure to elevated endothelin-1 levels. We now generated a tamoxifen
      inducible endothelium-restricted EDN1 overexpressing transgenic mouse (ieET-1)
      using Cre/loxP technology. Sixteen days after tamoxifen treatment, ieET-1 mice
      presented >=10-fold increase in plasma endothelin-1 (P<0.01) and >=20 mm Hg
      elevation in systolic blood pressure (P<0.01), which could be reversed by
      atrasentan (P<0.05). Endothelin-1 overexpression did not cause vascular or kidney
      injury or changes in kidney perfusion or function. However, endothelin type A and
      B receptor expression was differentially regulated in the mesenteric arteries and
      the kidney. Our results demonstrate using this ieET-1 mouse model that 21 days of
      induction of endothelin-1 overexpression caused endothelin-1-dependent elevated
      blood pressure mediated by endothelin type A receptors. 

PMID- 26101347
TI  - Maintaining Balance Under Pressure: Integrated Regulation of Renal Transporters
      During Hypertension.

PMID- 26101349
TI  - Pediatric Palliative Care Pilot Curriculum: Impact of "Pain Cards" on Resident
      Education.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prior research has shown that less than 40% of pediatric program
      directors believe their graduating residents competent in palliative care. While
      many curricula have been developed to address this need, few have demonstrated
      improved comfort and/or knowledge with palliative care principles. The purpose of
      this study was to test a pocket card educational intervention regarding resident
      knowledge and comfort with palliative care principles. METHODS: Pocket reference
      cards were created to deliver fundamentals of pediatric palliative care to
      resident learners; didactics and case studies emphasized principles on the cards.
      Self-reported comfort and objective knowledge were measured before and after the
      curriculum among residents. RESULTS: Of 32 post-graduate year 2 (PGY2) residents,
      23 (72%) completed the pre-test survey. The post-test was completed by 14 PGY2
      residents (44%) and 16 of 39 PGY3/4 residents (41%). There was improvement in
      comfort with communication, as well as pain and symptom management among the
      residents. Knowledge of palliative care principles improved in part, with only a
      few survey questions reaching statistical significance. 100% of respondents
      recommended the cards be provided to their colleagues. CONCLUSION: This
      longitudinal curriculum, designed specifically for pediatric residents, was built
      into an existing training program and proved to be popular, feasible, and
      effective at improving comfort with basic palliative care principles.

PMID- 26101348
TI  - Oral Contraceptive Use, Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity, and Systemic
      Hemodynamics in Young Women.
AB  - Endogenous female sex hormones influence muscle sympathetic nerve activity
      (MSNA), a regulator of arterial blood pressure and important factor in
      hypertension development. Although ~80% of American women report using hormonal
      contraceptives sometime during their life, the influence of combined oral
      contraceptives (OCs) on MSNA and systemic hemodynamics remains equivocal. The
      goal of this study was to determine whether women taking OCs have altered MSNA
      and hemodynamics (cardiac output and total peripheral resistance) at rest during
      the placebo phase of OC use compared with women with natural menstrual cycles
      during the early follicular phase. We retrospectively analyzed data from studies
      in which healthy, premenopausal women (aged 18-35 years) participated. We
      collected MSNA values at rest and hemodynamic measurements in women taking OCs
      (n=53; 25+/-4 years) and women with natural menstrual cycles (n=74; 25+/-4
      years). Blood pressure was higher in women taking OCs versus those with natural
      menstrual cycles (mean arterial pressure, 89+/-1 versus 85+/-1 mm Hg,
      respectively; P=0.01), although MSNA was similar in both groups (MSNA burst
      incidence, 16+/-1 versus 18+/-1 bursts/100 heartbeats, respectively; P=0.19). In
      a subset of women in which detailed hemodynamic data were available, those taking
      OCs (n=33) had similar cardiac output (4.9+/-0.2 versus 4.7+/-0.2 L/min,
      respectively; P=0.47) and total peripheral resistance (19.2+/-0.8 versus 20.0+/
      0.9 U, respectively; P=0.51) as women with natural menstrual cycles (n=22). In
      conclusion, women taking OCs have higher resting blood pressure and similar MSNA
      and hemodynamics during the placebo phase of OC use when compared with naturally
      menstruating women in the early follicular phase. 

PMID- 26101350
TI  - Contribution of NADPH oxidase to the establishment of hippocampal neuronal
      polarity in culture.
AB  - Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the NADPH oxidase (NOX) complex play
      important physiological and pathological roles in neurotransmission and
      neurodegeneration, respectively. However, the contribution of ROS to the
      molecular mechanisms involved in neuronal polarity and axon elongation is not
      well understood. In this work, we found that loss of NOX complex function altered
      neuronal polarization and decreased axonal length by a mechanism that involves
      actin cytoskeleton dynamics. These results indicate that physiological levels of
      ROS produced by the NOX complex modulate hippocampal neuronal polarity and axonal
      growth in vitro. 

PMID- 26101351
TI  - Kinesin-1 promotes post-Golgi trafficking of NCAM140 and NCAM180 to the cell
      surface.
AB  - The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM, also known as NCAM1) is important during
      neural development, because it contributes to neurite outgrowth in response to
      its ligands at the cell surface. In the adult brain, NCAM is involved in
      regulating synaptic plasticity. The molecular mechanisms underlying delivery of
      NCAM to the neuronal cell surface remain poorly understood. We used a protein
      macroarray and identified the kinesin light chain 1 (KLC1), a component of the
      kinesin-1 motor protein, as a binding partner of the intracellular domains of the
      two transmembrane isoforms of NCAM, NCAM140 and NCAM180. KLC1 binds to amino
      acids CGKAGPGA within the intracellular domain of NCAM and colocalizes with
      kinesin-1 in the Golgi compartment. Delivery of NCAM180 to the cell surface is
      increased in CHO cells and neurons co-transfected with kinesin-1. We further
      demonstrate that the p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) competes with KLC1 for binding
      to the intracellular domain of NCAM and contributes to the regulation of the
      membrane insertion of NCAM. Our results indicate that NCAM is delivered to the
      cell surface through a kinesin-1-mediated transport mechanism in a PAK1-dependent
      manner. 

PMID- 26101354
TI  - Correction. To lower or not to lower? Making sense of the latest research on
      intensive glycaemic control and cardiovascular outcomes.

PMID- 26101352
TI  - Analysis of ER-mitochondria contacts using correlative fluorescence microscopy
      and soft X-ray tomography of mammalian cells.
AB  - Mitochondrial fission is important for organelle transport, quality control and
      apoptosis. Changes to the fission process can result in a wide variety of
      neurological diseases. In mammals, mitochondrial fission is executed by the
      GTPase dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1; encoded by DNM1L), which oligomerizes
      around mitochondria and constricts the organelle. The mitochondrial outer
      membrane proteins Mff, MiD49 (encoded by MIEF2) and MiD51 (encoded by MIEF1) are
      involved in mitochondrial fission by recruiting Drp1 from the cytosol to the
      organelle surface. In addition, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) tubules have been
      shown to wrap around and constrict mitochondria before a fission event. Up to
      now, the presence of MiD49 and MiD51 at ER-mitochondrial division foci has not
      been established. Here, we combine confocal live-cell imaging with correlative
      cryogenic fluorescence microscopy and soft x-ray tomography to link MiD49 and
      MiD51 to the involvement of the ER in mitochondrial fission. We gain further
      insight into this complex process and characterize the 3D structure of ER
      mitochondria contact sites. 

PMID- 26101353
TI  - gamma-SNAP stimulates disassembly of endosomal SNARE complexes and regulates
      endocytic trafficking pathways.
AB  - Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs)
      that reside in the target membranes and transport vesicles assemble into specific
      SNARE complexes to drive membrane fusion. N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF)
      and its attachment protein, alpha-SNAP (encoded by NAPA), catalyze disassembly of
      the SNARE complexes in the secretory and endocytic pathways to recycle them for
      the next round of fusion events. gamma-SNAP (encoded by NAPG) is a SNAP isoform,
      but its function in SNARE-mediated membrane trafficking remains unknown. Here, we
      show that gamma-SNAP regulates the endosomal trafficking of epidermal growth
      factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) and transferrin. Immunoprecipitation and mass
      spectrometry analyses revealed that gamma-SNAP interacts with a limited range of
      SNAREs, including endosomal ones. gamma-SNAP, as well as alpha-SNAP, mediated the
      disassembly of endosomal syntaxin-7-containing SNARE complexes. Overexpression
      and small interfering (si)RNA-mediated depletion of gamma-SNAP changed the
      morphologies and intracellular distributions of endosomes. Moreover, the
      depletion partially suppressed the exit of EGFR and transferrin from EEA1
      positive early endosomes to delay their degradation and uptake. Taken together,
      our findings suggest that gamma-SNAP is a unique SNAP that functions in a limited
      range of organelles - including endosomes - and their trafficking pathways. 

PMID- 26101355
TI  - Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Neonatal HSV Infection on Continuous Renal
      Replacement Therapy.
AB  - Optimal acyclovir dosing under continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in
      neonates is unknown. We monitored serum acyclovir levels and herpes simplex virus
      1 (HSV-1) DNA levels in a neonate with disseminated HSV-1 infection and renal
      failure undergoing CRRT. A full-term, 5-day-old female presented with a 2-day
      history of lethargy and fever. She developed fulminant hepatitis and was
      diagnosed with HSV-1 infection by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Acyclovir
      was initiated at 60 mg/kg/day, which was lowered to 20 mg/kg/day because of
      development of renal failure. She was placed on continuous hemodialysis.
      Acyclovir dosing was adjusted according to serum acyclovir levels, and HSV-1
      viral load was sequentially monitored. Semiquantification of serum HSV-1 levels
      was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Acyclovir levels were
      measured by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Acyclovir was
      administered at 20 mg/kg intravenously over 1 hour; peak concentration was 18.9
      MUg/mL. The half-life of acyclovir was estimated to be 2 to 3 h. Viral load
      remained high during dosing every 24 hours, with a decline of 0.17 log copies/24
      hours. Acyclovir dosing was changed to 20 mg/kg/dose every 8 hours, with an
      average viral load decline of 0.44 log copies/24 hours. Despite the guideline
      recommendation of 24-hour redosing, acyclovir was dialyzed at a rate that
      resulted in suboptimal treatment. Individual therapeutic drug monitoring for
      acyclovir and dosing adjustment may be required to optimize therapy for patients
      undergoing CRRT. 

PMID- 26101357
TI  - Comparative Effectiveness Research Through a Collaborative Electronic Reporting
      Consortium.
AB  - The United States lacks a system to use routinely collected electronic health
      record (EHR) clinical data to conduct comparative effectiveness research (CER) on
      pediatric drug therapeutics and other child health topics. This Special Article
      describes the creation and details of a network of EHR networks devised to use
      clinical data in EHRs for conducting CER, led by the American Academy of
      Pediatrics Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS). To achieve this goal,
      PROS has linked data from its own EHR-based "ePROS" network with data from
      independent practices and health systems across the United States. Beginning with
      4 of proof-of-concept retrospective CER studies on psychotropic and asthma
      medication use and side effects with a planned full-scale prospective CER study
      on treatment of pediatric hypertension, the Comparative Effectiveness Research
      Through Collaborative Electronic Reporting (CER(2)) collaborators are developing
      a platform to advance the methodology of pediatric pharmacoepidemiology. CER(2)
      will provide a resource for future CER studies in pediatric drug therapeutics and
      other child health topics. This article outlines the vision for and present
      composition of this network, governance, and challenges and opportunities for
      using the network to advance child health and health care. The goal of this
      network is to engage child health researchers from around the United States in
      participating in collaborative research using the CER(2) database. 

PMID- 26101356
TI  - Antibiotic Choice for Children Hospitalized With Pneumonia and Adherence to
      National Guidelines.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The 2011 national guidelines for the management of childhood
      community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) recommended narrow-spectrum antibiotics (eg,
      ampicillin) for most children hospitalized with CAP. We assessed the impact of
      these guidelines on antibiotic prescribing at 3 children's hospitals. METHODS:
      Children hospitalized with clinical and radiographic CAP were enrolled from
      January 1, 2010, through June 30, 2012, at 3 hospitals in Tennessee and Utah as
      part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Etiology of Pneumonia in
      the Community study. Antibiotic selection was determined by the treating
      provider. The impact of the guidelines and hospital-level implementation efforts
      was determined by assessing the monthly percentage of enrolled children receiving
      third-generation cephalosporins or penicillin/ampicillin. Segmented linear
      regression was used to compare observed antibiotic selection in the postguideline
      period with expected antibiotic use projected from preguideline months. RESULTS:
      Overall, 2121 children were included. During the preguideline period, 52.8%
      (interquartile range 47.8-56.6) of children with CAP received third-generation
      cephalosporins, whereas 2.7% (2.1, 7.0) received penicillin/ampicillin. By 9
      months postguidelines, third-generation cephalosporin use declined (absolute
      difference -12.4% [95% confidence interval -19.8% to -5.1%]), whereas
      penicillin/ampicillin use increased (absolute difference 11.3% [4.3%-18.3%]). The
      most substantial changes were noted at those institutions that implemented
      guideline-related dissemination activities. CONCLUSIONS: After publication of
      national guidelines, third-generation cephalosporin use declined and
      penicillin/ampicillin use increased among children hospitalized with CAP. Changes
      were more apparent among those institutions that proactively disseminated the
      guidelines, suggesting that targeted, hospital-based efforts are important for
      timely implementation of guideline recommendations.

PMID- 26101358
TI  - Systematic Review on Intensive Interdisciplinary Pain Treatment of Children With
      Chronic Pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pediatric debilitating chronic pain is a severe health
      problem, often requiring complex interventions such as intensive
      interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT). Research is lacking regarding the
      effectiveness of IIPT for children. The objective was to systematically review
      studies evaluating the effects of IIPT. METHODS: Cochrane, Medline/Ovid,
      PsycInfo/OVID, PubMed, PubPsych, and Web of Science were searched. Studies were
      included if (1) treatment was coordinated by >=3 health professionals, (2)
      treatment occurred within an inpatient/day hospital setting, (3) patients were
      <22 years, (4) patients experienced debilitating chronic pain, (5) the study was
      published in English, and (6) the study had >=10 participants at posttreatment.
      The child's pain condition, characteristics of the IIPT, and 5 outcome domains
      (pain intensity, disability, school functioning, anxiety, depressive symptoms)
      were extracted at baseline, posttreatment, and follow-up. RESULTS: One randomized
      controlled trial and 9 nonrandomized treatment studies were identified and a meta
      analysis was conducted separately on pain intensity, disability, and depressive
      symptoms revealing positive treatment effects. At posttreatment, there were large
      improvements for disability, and small to moderate improvements for pain
      intensity and depressive symptoms. The positive effects were maintained at short
      term follow-up. Findings demonstrated extreme heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: Effects
      in nonrandomized treatment studies cannot be attributed to IIPT alone. Because of
      substantial heterogeneity in measures for school functioning and anxiety, meta
      analyses could not be computed. There is preliminary evidence for positive
      treatment effects of IIPT, but the small number of studies and their
      methodological weaknesses suggest a need for more research on IIPTs for children.

PMID- 26101359
TI  - Critical Elements in the Medical Evaluation of Suspected Child Physical Abuse.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous research has described variability in medical evaluation of
      suspected abuse. The objective of this study was to identify, through expert
      consensus, required and highly recommended elements of a child abuse pediatrics
      (CAP) evaluation for 3 common presentations of suspected physical abuse in
      children aged 0 to 60 months. METHODS: Twenty-eight CAPs recruited from 2
      national organizations formed the expert panel for this modified Delphi Process.
      An initial survey was developed for each presentation based on demographics,
      history of present illness, past medical, family and social history, laboratory,
      radiology, and consultation elements present in at least 10% of CAP consultations
      collected for a larger study. CAPs ranked each element on a 9-point scale then
      reviewed and discussed summary results through a project blog over 3 rounds.
      Required and highly recommended elements were defined as elements ranked as 9 and
      8, respectively, by >=75% of experts after the final round. RESULTS: From 96
      elements in the initial surveys, experts identified 30 Required elements and 37
      Highly Recommended elements for CAP evaluation of intracranial hemorrhage, 21
      Required and 33 Highly Recommended elements for CAP evaluation of long bone
      fracture, and 18 Required and 16 Highly Recommended elements for CAP evaluation
      of isolated skull fracture. CONCLUSIONS: This guideline reflects expert consensus
      and provides a starting point for development of child abuse assessment protocols
      for quality improvement or research. Additional research is required to determine
      whether this guideline can reduce variability and/or improve reliability in the
      evaluation and diagnosis of child physical abuse.

PMID- 26101360
TI  - Weight Growth Velocity and Postnatal Growth Failure in Infants 501 to 1500 Grams:
      2000-2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Very low birth weight infants often gain weight poorly and
      demonstrate growth failure during the initial hospitalization. Although many of
      the major morbidities experienced by these infants during their initial NICU
      stays have decreased in recent years, it is unclear whether growth has improved.
      METHODS: We studied 362 833 infants weighing 501 to 1500 g without major birth
      defects born from 2000 to 2013 and who were hospitalized for 15 to 175 days at
      736 North American hospitals in the Vermont Oxford Network. Average growth
      velocity (GV; g/kg per day) was computed by using a 2-point exponential model on
      the basis of birth weight and discharge weight. Postnatal growth failure and
      severe postnatal growth failure were defined as a discharge weight less than the
      10th and third percentiles for postmenstrual age, respectively. RESULTS: From
      2000 to 2013, average GV increased from 11.8 to 12.9 g/kg per day. Postnatal
      growth failure decreased from 64.5% to 50.3% and severe postnatal growth failure
      from 39.8% to 27.5%. The interquartile ranges for the hospitals participating in
      2013 were as follows: GV, 12.3 to 13.4 g/kg per day; postnatal growth failure,
      41.1% to 61.7%; and severe postnatal growth failure, 19.4% to 36.0%. Adjusted and
      unadjusted estimates were nearly identical. CONCLUSIONS: For infants weighing 501
      to 1500 g at birth, average GV increased and the percentage with postnatal growth
      failure decreased. However, in 2013, half of these infants still demonstrated
      postnatal growth failure and one-quarter demonstrated severe postnatal growth
      failure.

PMID- 26101361
TI  - Association of National Guidelines With Tonsillectomy Perioperative Care and
      Outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of the 2011 American Academy of
      Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery guidelines with perioperative care processes
      and outcomes in children undergoing tonsillectomy. METHODS: We conducted a
      retrospective cohort study of otherwise healthy children undergoing tonsillectomy
      between January 2009 and January 2013 at 29 US children's hospitals participating
      in the Pediatric Health Information System. We measured evidence-based processes
      suggested by the guidelines (perioperative dexamethasone and no antibiotic use)
      and outcomes (30-day tonsillectomy complication-related revisits). We analyzed
      rates aggregated over the preguideline and postguideline periods and then by
      month over time by using interrupted time series. RESULTS: Of 111,813 children
      who underwent tonsillectomy, 54,043 and 57,770 did so in the preguideline and
      postguideline periods, respectively. Dexamethasone use increased from 74.6% to
      77.4% (P < .001) in the preguideline to postguideline period, as did its rate of
      change in use (percentage change per month, -0.02% to 0.29%; P < .001).
      Antibiotic use decreased from 34.7% to 21.8% (P < .001), as did its rate of
      change in use (percentage change per month, -0.17% to -0.56%; P < .001). Revisits
      for bleeding remained stable; however, total revisits to the hospital for
      tonsillectomy complications increased from 8.2% to 9.0% (P < .001) because of an
      increase in revisits for pain. Hospital-level results were similar. CONCLUSIONS:
      The guidelines were associated with some improvement in evidence-based
      perioperative care processes but no improvement in outcomes. Dexamethasone use
      increased slightly, and antibiotic use decreased substantially. Revisits for
      tonsillectomy-related complications increased modestly over time because of
      revisits for pain.

PMID- 26101362
TI  - Adolescent Health and Adult Education and Employment: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Poor health in adolescence has the potential to disrupt education and
      employment pathways. This study is the first systematic review of the literature
      examining education and employment outcomes in adulthood of poor adolescent
      mental and physical health. METHODS: We conducted searches using a standardized
      search protocol in 8 electronic databases: PsycINFO, Medline, Embase, ERIC,
      British Education Index, Australian Education Index, Social Sciences Citation
      Index, and CINAHL Plus. We identified studies that longitudinally compared adult
      education and employment outcomes of those with an adolescent chronic condition
      of clinical severity with healthy controls. We conducted meta-analyses using odds
      ratios (for dichotomous variables) and Cohen's d (for continuous variables) as
      our main summary statistics. RESULTS: We identified 27 studies incorporating 70
      relevant analyses. Our meta-analyses suggested that overall, poor health in
      adolescence was associated with poorer education and employment outcomes in
      adulthood. However, evidence was much stronger for mental health conditions than
      for physical health conditions, for which less evidence was available and mixed
      findings emerged. Compared with mental health conditions, we identified few
      studies investigating the long-term outcomes of physical health conditions. Age
      and follow-up times varied considerably across our studies, which potentially
      resulted in some heterogeneity in effect sizes. The majority of included studies
      were conducted in the United States, raising questions about the generalizability
      of the results internationally. CONCLUSIONS: Health in adolescence contributes to
      adult attainment and life chances. The results suggest that investment in health
      may improve life chances and that policy interventions may improve outcomes for
      those with adolescent chronic conditions.

PMID- 26101363
TI  - Quality Improvement Effort to Reduce Cranial CTs for Children With Minor Blunt
      Head Trauma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Blunt head trauma is a common injury in children, although it rarely
      requires surgical intervention. Cranial computed tomography (CT) is the reference
      standard for the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury but has been associated with
      increased lifetime malignancy risk. We implemented a multifaceted quality
      improvement initiative to decrease the use of cranial CT for children with minor
      head injuries. METHODS: We designed and implemented a quality improvement effort
      that included an evidence-based guideline as well as individual feedback for
      children aged 0 to 21 years who present to the emergency department (ED) for
      evaluation of minor blunt head trauma. Our primary outcome was cranial CT rate,
      and our balancing measure was any return to the ED within 72 hours that required
      hospitalization. We used statistical process control methodology to measure
      cranial CT rates over time. RESULTS: We included 6851 ED visits of which 4242
      (62%) occurred in the post-guideline implementation period. From a baseline CT
      rate of 21%, we observed an absolute reduction of 6% in cranial CT rate (95%
      confidence interval 3% to 9%) after initial guideline implementation and an
      additional absolute reduction of 6% (95% confidence interval 4% to 8%) after
      initiation of individual provider feedback. No children discharged from the ED
      required admission within 72 hours of initial evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: An ED
      quality improvement effort that included an evidence-based guideline as well as
      individual provider feedback was associated with a reduction in cranial CT rates
      without an increase in missed significant head injuries.

PMID- 26101364
TI  - Mycophenolate Mofetil Following Rituximab in Children With Steroid-Resistant
      Nephrotic Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rituximab is being increasingly used in children with idiopathic
      nephrotic syndrome resistant to standard treatments. In spite of good initial
      response, rituximab responders always remain prone to further relapse,
      necessitating either repeat course of rituximab or addition of another steroid
      sparing immunosuppressant. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of baseline clinico
      pathologic presentation and treatment outcome (complete remission, partial
      remission, or no response) was performed among 24 children with refractory
      idiopathic SRNS over a follow-up period of 24 months. Children received 2 to 4
      rituximab infusions (375 mg/m(2) weekly) depending on circulating B-cell level.
      At 3-month follow-up, a second course of rituximab was administered (if >5 B
      cells/mm(3)) along with MMF (1200 mg/m(2) per day) maintenance therapy. RESULTS:
      Of 24 patients, 54% (13/24) and 46% (11/24) had minimal change disease and focal
      segmental glomerulosclerosis, respectively, on renal histopathology. After the
      first course of rituximab, 21% (5/24) of children achieved complete remission;
      however, most (4/5) of them relapsed again at a median interval of 53
      (interquartile range 46-72) days. Depending on response to the first course of
      rituximab, MMF was started on 15 children at 3 months. After 6 months, 67%
      (10/15) of children on MMF achieved complete remission and 33% (5/15) remained at
      partial remission. At 24 months overall, 25% (6/24) and 42% (10/24) of children
      were in complete remission and partial remission, respectively; 33% (5/15) of
      children continued sustained complete remission after postrituximab-MMF
      maintenance therapy in comparison with no sustained complete remission with
      rituximab alone at 24 months (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: MMF may be an effective and
      safe maintenance therapy to consider as an additive immunosuppressant after
      induction with rituximab in maintaining remission among children with refractory
      SRNS.

PMID- 26101365
TI  - Case Report: Intravenous and Oral Pyridoxine Trial for Diagnosis of Pyridoxine
      Dependent Epilepsy.
AB  - Pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy is a rare, autosomal recessive, treatable cause of
      neonatal seizures. Genetic testing can confirm mutations in the ALDH7A1 gene,
      which encodes antiquitin. To avoid delays in initiating treatment while awaiting
      confirmatory genetic testing, it is recommended that all neonates with
      unexplained seizures should receive trial of intravenous (IV) pyridoxine to
      assess for responsiveness. However, oral pyridoxine is not commonly continued in
      the absence of the typical EEG changes. Two cases are presented that highlight
      the potential inadequacy of this single-step approach. One neonate ultimately
      diagnosed with pyridoxine-dependent seizures had no EEG changes after
      administration of IV pyridoxine. In contrast, another neonate who did not have
      this diagnosis had profound EEG changes after pyridoxine administration. We
      present 2 cases that highlight the difficulties in using initial EEG response to
      IV pyridoxine in establishing a diagnosis of pyridoxine-dependent seizures in the
      neonate. Given the availability of biochemical markers and gene testing, we
      suggest that oral pyridoxine treatment should be continued until biochemical
      and/or genetic testing has confirmed the presence or absence of pyridoxine
      dependent epilepsy. 

PMID- 26101366
TI  - Immunogenicity and Safety of a 9-Valent HPV Vaccine.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Prophylactic vaccination of youngwomen aged 16 to 26 years with the 9
      valent (6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58) human papillomavirus (HPV) virus-like particle
      (9vHPV) vaccine prevents infection and disease. We conducted a noninferiority
      immunogenicity study to bridge the findings in young women to girls and boys aged
      9 to 15 years. METHODS: Subjects (N = 3066) received a 3-dose regimen of 9vHPV
      vaccine administered at day 1, month 2, and month 6. Anti-HPV serologic assays
      were performed at day 1 and month 7. Noninferiority required that the lower bound
      of 2-sided 95% confidence intervals of geometric mean titer ratios (boys:young
      women or girls:young women) be >0.67 for each HPV type. Systemic and injection
      site adverse experiences (AEs) and serious AEs were monitored. RESULTS: At 4
      weeks after dose 3, >99% of girls, boys, and young women seroconverted for each
      vaccine HPV type. Increases in geometric mean titers to HPV types
      6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58 were elicited in all vaccine groups. Responses in girls
      and boys were noninferior to those of young women. Persistence of anti-HPV
      responses was demonstrated through 2.5 years after dose 3. Administration of the
      9vHPV vaccine was generally well tolerated. A lower proportion of girls (81.9%)
      and boys (72.8%) than young women (85.4%) reported injection-site AEs, most of
      which were mild to moderate in intensity. CONCLUSIONS: These data support
      bridging the efficacy findings with 9vHPV vaccine in young women 16 to 26 years
      of age to girls and boys 9 to 15 years of age and implementing gender-neutral HPV
      vaccination programs in preadolescents and adolescents.

PMID- 26101367
TI  - Increased Glycated Hemoglobin Level is Associated With SYNTAX Score II in
      Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - SYNTAX score II (SS II) uses 2 anatomical and 6 clinical variables for the
      prediction of mortality after coronary artery bypass graft and percutaneous
      coronary intervention. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship
      between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial
      glucose (PPG), and SYNTAX Score (SS) and SS II in patients with type 2 diabetes
      mellitus and coronary artery disease (CAD). We enrolled 215 consecutive diabetic
      patients with stable angina pectoris who underwent coronary angiography. The SS
      II was calculated using a nomogram that was based on the findings of a previous
      study. There was a moderate correlation between HbA1c and SS (r = .396, P <
      .001), but there was a good correlation between HbA1c and SS II (r = .535, P <
      .001). There was also a weak correlation between FBG (r = .270, P = .001), PPG (r
      = .177, P = .027), and SS, but there was a weak-moderate correlation between FBG
      (r = .341, P < .001), PPG (r = .256, P = .001), and SS II. A better correlation
      has been detected between HbA1c and SS II compared to the correlation between
      HbA1c and SS. 

PMID- 26101368
TI  - Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio as a Prognostic Marker of In-Hospital and Long-Term
      Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial
      Infarction.
AB  - We assessed the prognostic value of the platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) on in
      hospital and long-term major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients
      with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary
      percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) in a large prospective study. Patients
      (n = 1938) admitted with acute STEMI within 12 hours of symptom onset and who
      underwent pPCI between January 2010 and January 2015 were followed up for 31.6 +/
      16.2 months. During the in-hospital and long-term follow-up period, MACE, the
      prevalence of stent thrombosis, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and mortality
      were higher in the third PLR tertile group. A PLR in the third tertile had 2.4
      fold increased risk of in-hospital MACE and 2.8-fold risk of long-term MACE. The
      PLR was significantly and positively correlated with peak creatine kinase MB (CK
      MB) levels (r = 0.562, P < .001) and Gensini score (r = 0.408, P < .001). Kaplan
      Meier analysis of long-term MACE-free survival revealed a higher occurrence of
      MACE in the third PLR tertile group compared to the other tertiles. In
      conclusion, the PLR may be a marker of inflammatory and prothrombotic status and
      predicted in-hospital and long-term MACE in a population with STEMI. 

PMID- 26101369
TI  - Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation: Which Regimen
      and for How Long?

PMID- 26101370
TI  - Is surgery necessary for 'mild' or 'asymptomatic' hyperparathyroidism?
AB  - A large majority of the currently diagnosed patients with hyperparathyroidism
      (PHPT) are mild or asymptomatic, mainly women after menopause. Following the
      debate held at the 16th European Congress of Endocrinology in Wroclaw (Poland)
      from May 3-7, 2014, arguments are here presented by a surgeon and a medical
      practitioner considering these situations rather have to profit from surgery, or
      simply from survey. For the trained endocrine surgeon, it is evident that
      parathyroidectomy confirms the diagnosis and undoubtedly reduces the discomfort
      felt by certain patients, prevents all risks of complications, removes patients
      and medical teams from the monitoring and represents a real individual financial
      benefit. On the other hand, the medical practitioner considers that mild or
      asymptomatic PHPT is commonly stable, and very rare are the subjects at risk of
      complications, particularly of fractures; prevention of vascular and metabolic
      disorders, nephrolithiasis and bone rarefaction justify regular physical
      exercise, a safe alimentation, a sufficient calcium and high water intake, the
      correction of the frequent deficit in vitamin D; finally has also to be
      considered the impossibility to refer to specialized (endocrine) surgeons, the
      enormous cohort of subjects more than 50 years with 'mild' or 'asymptomatic'
      PHPT. The surgeon and the medical practitioner agree to consider that in patients
      with 'mild' or 'asymptomatic' disease, there is no place for medical treatments,
      in particular calcimimetics and bisphophonates. Both agree that further studies
      are needed to clarify the long-term prognosis of operated and non-operated PHPT
      in term of fractures, cardiovascular risk and mortality. Individual and
      collective cost/benefit ratios of surgery or survey are also still imperfectly
      evaluated. 

PMID- 26101371
TI  - Prevalence of subnormal testosterone concentrations in men with type 2 diabetes
      and chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One-third of men with type 2 diabetes have subnormal testosterone
      concentrations along with inappropriately normal LH and FSH concentrations. It is
      not known if the presence of renal insufficiency affects free testosterone
      concentrations in men with type 2 diabetes. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that type
      2 diabetic men with chronic renal disease (CKD; estimated glomerular filtration
      rate (eGFR) < 60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2)) have lower free testosterone
      concentrations than men with normal renal function (eGFR >= 60 ml/min per 1.73
      m(2)). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This is a retrospective chart review of patients
      attending diabetes and nephrology clinics. Men with type 2 diabetes who had the
      following information available were included in the study: testosterone (total
      and free) done by LC/MS-MS followed by equilibrium dialysis, sex hormone binding
      globulin, LH, FSH and prolactin concentrations. PARTICIPANTS: We present data on
      T and gonadotropin concentrations in 111 men with type 2 diabetes and CKD (stages
      3-5) and 182 type 2 diabetic men without CKD. RESULTS: The prevalence of
      subnormal free testosterone concentrations was higher in men with type 2 diabetes
      and CKD as compared to those without CKD (66% vs 37%, P < 0.001). Men with CKD
      had a higher prevalence of hypergonadotropic hypogonadism (26% vs 5%, P < 0.001)
      but not of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH; 40% vs 32%, P = 0.22). There was an
      increase in the prevalence of hypergonadotropic hypogonadism with decreasing
      eGFR. Fifty-two percent of men with renal failure (CKD stage 5) had
      hypergonadotropic hypogonadism and 25% had HH. In men with CKD, the hemoglobin
      concentrations were lower in those with subnormal free T concentrations as
      compared to men with normal free T concentrations (119 +/- 19 vs 128 +/- 19 g/l,
      P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Two-thirds of men with type 2 diabetes and CKD have
      subnormal free T concentrations. The hypogonadism associated with CKD is
      predominantly hypergonadotropic.

PMID- 26101373
TI  - The deadly bite of Salmonella Typhi.

PMID- 26101372
TI  - TRIM5alpha requires Ube2W to anchor Lys63-linked ubiquitin chains and restrict
      reverse transcription.
AB  - TRIM5alpha is an antiviral, cytoplasmic, E3 ubiquitin (Ub) ligase that assembles
      on incoming retroviral capsids and induces their premature dissociation. It
      inhibits reverse transcription of the viral genome and can also synthesize
      unanchored polyubiquitin (polyUb) chains to stimulate innate immune responses.
      Here, we show that TRIM5alpha employs the E2 Ub-conjugating enzyme Ube2W to
      anchor the Lys63-linked polyUb chains in a process of TRIM5alpha auto
      ubiquitination. Chain anchoring is initiated, in cells and in vitro, through
      Ube2W-catalyzed monoubiquitination of TRIM5alpha. This modification serves as a
      substrate for the elongation of anchored Lys63-linked polyUb chains, catalyzed by
      the heterodimeric E2 enzyme Ube2N/Ube2V2. Ube2W targets multiple TRIM5alpha
      internal lysines with Ub especially lysines 45 and 50, rather than modifying the
      N-terminal amino group, which is instead alphaN-acetylated in cells. E2 depletion
      or Ub mutation inhibits TRIM5alpha ubiquitination in cells and restores
      restricted viral reverse transcription, but not infection. Our data indicate that
      the stepwise formation of anchored Lys63-linked polyUb is a critical early step
      in the TRIM5alpha restriction mechanism and identify the E2 Ub-conjugating
      cofactors involved. 

PMID- 26101374
TI  - Chronic cortisol and the regulation of food intake and the endocrine growth axis
      in rainbow trout.
AB  - To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which cortisol suppresses
      growth during chronic stress in fish, we characterized the effects of chronic
      cortisol on food intake, mass gain, the expression of appetite-regulating
      factors, and the activity of the GH/IGF axis. Fish given osmotic pumps that
      maintained plasma cortisol levels at ~70 or 116 ng/ml for 34 days were sampled
      14, 28 and 42 days post-implantation. Relative to shams, the cortisol treatments
      reduced food intake by 40-60% and elicited marked increases in liver leptin (lep
      a1) and brain preoptic area (POA) corticotropin-releasing factor (crf) mRNA
      levels. The cortisol treatments also elicited 40-80% reductions in mass gain
      associated with increases in pituitary gh, liver gh receptor (ghr), liver igfI
      and igf binding protein (igfbp)-1 and -2 mRNA levels, reduced plasma GH and no
      change in plasma IGF1. During recovery, while plasma GH and pituitary gh, liver
      ghr and igfI gene expression did not differ between treatments, the high cortisol
      treated fish had lower plasma IGF1 and elevated liver igfbp1 mRNA levels.
      Finally, the cortisol-treated fish had higher plasma glucose levels, reduced
      liver glycogen and lipid reserves, and muscle lipid content. Thus, our findings
      suggest that the growth-suppressing effects of chronic cortisol in rainbow trout
      result from reduced food intake mediated at least in part by increases in liver
      lep-a1 and POA crf mRNA, from sustained increases in hepatic igfbp1 expression
      that reduce the growth-promoting actions of the GH/IGF axis, and from a
      mobilization of energy reserves. 

PMID- 26101375
TI  - 60 YEARS OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY: Regulation of mammalian neuroendocrine physiology
      and rhythms by melatonin.
AB  - The isolation of melatonin was first reported in 1958. Since the demonstration
      that pineal melatonin synthesis reflects both daily and seasonal time, melatonin
      has become a key element of chronobiology research. In mammals, pineal melatonin
      is essential for transducing day-length information into seasonal physiological
      responses. Due to its lipophilic nature, melatonin is able to cross the placenta
      and is believed to regulate multiple aspects of perinatal physiology. The
      endogenous daily melatonin rhythm is also likely to play a role in the
      maintenance of synchrony between circadian clocks throughout the adult body.
      Pharmacological doses of melatonin are effective in resetting circadian rhythms
      if taken at an appropriate time of day, and can acutely regulate factors such as
      body temperature and alertness, especially when taken during the day. Despite the
      extensive literature on melatonin physiology, some key questions remain
      unanswered. In particular, the amplitude of melatonin rhythms has been recently
      associated with diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus but understanding of
      the physiological significance of melatonin rhythm amplitude remains poorly
      understood. 

PMID- 26101376
TI  - 60 YEARS OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY: TRH, the first hypophysiotropic releasing hormone
      isolated: control of the pituitary-thyroid axis.
AB  - This review presents the findings that led to the discovery of TRH and the
      understanding of the central mechanisms which control hypothalamus-pituitary
      thyroid axis (HPT) activity. The earliest studies on thyroid physiology are now
      dated a century ago when basal metabolic rate was associated with thyroid status.
      It took over 50 years to identify the key elements involved in the HPT axis.
      Thyroid hormones (TH: T4 and T3) were characterized first, followed by the semi
      purification of TSH whose later characterization paralleled that of TRH. Studies
      on the effects of TH became possible with the availability of synthetic hormones.
      DNA recombinant techniques facilitated the identification of all the elements
      involved in the HPT axis, including their mode of regulation. Hypophysiotropic
      TRH neurons, which control the pituitary-thyroid axis, were identified among
      other hypothalamic neurons which express TRH. Three different deiodinases were
      recognized in various tissues, as well as their involvement in cell-specific
      modulation of T3 concentration. The role of tanycytes in setting TRH levels due
      to the activity of deiodinase type 2 and the TRH-degrading ectoenzyme was
      unraveled. TH-feedback effects occur at different levels, including TRH and TSH
      synthesis and release, deiodinase activity, pituitary TRH-receptor and TRH
      degradation. The activity of TRH neurons is regulated by nutritional status
      through neurons of the arcuate nucleus, which sense metabolic signals such as
      circulating leptin levels. Trh expression and the HPT axis are activated by
      energy demanding situations, such as cold and exercise, whereas it is inhibited
      by negative energy balance situations such as fasting, inflammation or chronic
      stress. New approaches are being used to understand the activity of TRHergic
      neurons within metabolic circuits. 

PMID- 26101378
TI  - BVA renews call for labelling of non-stun meat.

PMID- 26101379
TI  - BSE suspected in a cow in Ireland.

PMID- 26101380
TI  - New FVE board appointed.

PMID- 26101381
TI  - Welfare implications of signing horses out of the food chain.

PMID- 26101382
TI  - FSA welcomes retailers' efforts to reduce Campylobacter on chickens.

PMID- 26101383
TI  - Dog bites: a complex public health issue.

PMID- 26101384
TI  - Kennel Club launches resource to help schools teach safety around dogs.

PMID- 26101377
TI  - 60 YEARS OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY: The hypothalamo-prolactin axis.
AB  - The hypothalamic control of prolactin secretion is different from other anterior
      pituitary hormones, in that it is predominantly inhibitory, by means of dopamine
      from the tuberoinfundibular dopamine neurons. In addition, prolactin does not
      have an endocrine target tissue, and therefore lacks the classical feedback
      pathway to regulate its secretion. Instead, it is regulated by short loop
      feedback, whereby prolactin itself acts in the brain to stimulate production of
      dopamine and thereby inhibit its own secretion. Finally, despite its relatively
      simple name, prolactin has a broad range of functions in the body, in addition to
      its defining role in promoting lactation. As such, the hypothalamo-prolactin axis
      has many characteristics that are quite distinct from other hypothalamo-pituitary
      systems. This review will provide a brief overview of our current understanding
      of the neuroendocrine control of prolactin secretion, in particular focusing on
      the plasticity evident in this system, which keeps prolactin secretion at low
      levels most of the time, but enables extended periods of hyperprolactinemia when
      necessary for lactation. Key prolactin functions beyond milk production will be
      discussed, particularly focusing on the role of prolactin in inducing adaptive
      responses in multiple different systems to facilitate lactation, and the
      consequences if prolactin action is impaired. A feature of this pleiotropic
      activity is that functions that may be adaptive in the lactating state might be
      maladaptive if prolactin levels are elevated inappropriately. Overall, my goal is
      to give a flavour of both the history and current state of the field of prolactin
      neuroendocrinology, and identify some exciting new areas of research development.

PMID- 26101385
TI  - Ensuring successful translocation of wild animals.

PMID- 26101386
TI  - Academic standards and quality of learning confirmed at the RVC.

PMID- 26101387
TI  - Gaining practical experience abroad.

PMID- 26101388
TI  - Safeguarding the role of the vet in sheep farming.

PMID- 26101389
TI  - PCV type 2-associated fetopathy in pigs.

PMID- 26101390
TI  - Do codes of conduct matter?

PMID- 26101391
TI  - Recognised veterinary practice and clinical trials.

PMID- 26101392
TI  - Mental health and seeking help.

PMID- 26101393
TI  - Guidelines and training for ram prebreeding examinations.

PMID- 26101394
TI  - Learning from teaching overseas.

PMID- 26101395
TI  - Diary of a poultry intern.

PMID- 26101396
TI  - Severe mental illness trumps PCL-R and HCR-20: Commentary on Simpson et al.

PMID- 26101397
TI  - Clozapine in the community: Improved access or risky free-for-all?

PMID- 26101398
TI  - RDoC: We should look before we leap.

PMID- 26101399
TI  - Using aripiprazole to treat new-onset hyperprolactinemia-related delusion of
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26101400
TI  - Perceptions of dental undergraduates in India of a clinical induction program.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate undergraduate students' perceptions of the
      clinical induction program for dental undergraduates conducted at the DMIMS
      Deemed University, Sawangi-Meghe, India. Seventy-four third-year dental students
      who entered the clinical phase of the dental program in 2012 and attended all
      sessions of the clinical induction program were enrolled in this study. The
      students' perceptions of the clinical induction program were assessed through a
      Likert-scale questionnaire, focus group discussions, and individual interviews.
      Seventy-two students (97.3%) responded positively about the program, evaluating
      it as successful and making a few suggestions. Fifty-four students (73.0%) stated
      that the clinical tours and visits to the departments were the best feature of
      the program. Nine students (12.2%) suggested that the program should include
      interaction with their immediate seniors and that interactive activities should
      be included in the program. The induction program may help students become
      acclimated during the first few days of being introduced into the clinical phase
      of their education. It is crucial to ensure that students do not develop a
      negative attitude towards their educational program by facilitating their smooth
      transition to the clinical phase. 

PMID- 26101401
TI  - External and internal factors influencing self-directed online learning of
      physiotherapy undergraduate students in Sweden: a qualitative study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Online courses have become common in health sciences education. This
      learning environment can be designed using different approaches to support
      student learning. To further develop online environment, it is important to
      understand how students perceive working and learning online. The aim of this
      study is to identify aspects influencing students' learning processes and their
      adaptation to self-directed learning online. METHODS: Thirty-four physiotherapy
      students with a mean age of 25 years (range, 21 to 34 years) participated.
      Qualitative content analysis and triangulation was used when investigating the
      students' self-reflections, written during a five week self-directed, problem
      oriented online course. RESULTS: Two categories emerged: 'the influence of the
      structured framework' and 'communication and interaction with teachers and
      peers.' The learning processes were influenced by external factors, e.g., a clear
      structure including a transparent alignment of assignments and assessment.
      Important challenges to over-come were primarily internal factors, e.g., low self
      efficacy, difficulties to plan the work effectively and adapting to a new
      environment. CONCLUSION: The analyses reflected important perspectives targeting
      areas which enable further course development. The influences of external and
      internal factors on learning strategies and self-efficacy are important aspects
      to consider when designing online courses. Factors such as pedagogical design,
      clarity of purpose, goals, and guidelines were important as well as continuous
      opportunities for communication and collaboration. Further studies are needed to
      understand and scaffold the motivational factors among students with low self
      efficacy.

PMID- 26101402
TI  - A comparison of the effectiveness of the team-based learning readiness
      assessments completed at home to those completed in class.
AB  - PURPOSE: The readiness assurance process (RAP) of team-based learning (TBL) is an
      important element that ensures that students come prepared to learn. However, the
      RAP can use a significant amount of class time which could otherwise be used for
      application exercises. The authors administered the TBL-associated RAP in class
      or individual readiness assurance tests (iRATs) at home to compare medical
      student performance and learning preference for physiology content. METHODS:
      Using cross-over study design, the first year medical student TBL teams were
      divided into two groups. One group was administered iRATs and group readiness
      assurance tests (gRATs) consisting of physiology questions during scheduled class
      time. The other group was administered the same iRAT questions at home, and did
      not complete a gRAT. To compare effectiveness of the two administration methods,
      both groups completed the same 12-question physiology assessment during dedicated
      class time. Four weeks later, the entire process was repeated, with each group
      administered the RAP using the opposite method. RESULTS: The performance on the
      physiology assessment after at-home administration of the iRAT was equivalent to
      performance after traditional in-class administration of the RAP. In addition, a
      majority of students preferred the at-home method of administration and reported
      that the at-home method was more effective in helping them learn course content.
      CONCLUSION: The at-home administration of the iRAT proved effective. The at-home
      administration method is a promising alternative to conventional iRATs and gRATs
      with the goal of preserving valuable in-class time for TBL application exercises.

PMID- 26101403
TI  - Proposal of a linear rather than hierarchical evaluation of educational
      initiatives: the 7Is framework.
AB  - Extensive resources are expended attempting to change clinical practice; however,
      determining the effects of these interventions can be challenging. Traditionally,
      frameworks to examine the impact of educational interventions have been
      hierarchical in their approach. In this article, existing frameworks to examine
      medical education initiatives are reviewed and a novel '7Is framework' discussed.
      This framework contains seven linearly sequenced domains: interaction, interface,
      instruction, ideation, integration, implementation, and improvement. The 7Is
      framework enables the conceptualization of the various effects of an
      intervention, promoting the development of a set of valid and specific outcome
      measures, ultimately leading to more robust evaluation. 

PMID- 26101404
TI  - Teamwork education improves trauma team performance in undergraduate health
      professional students.
AB  - PURPOSE: Effective trauma resuscitation requires efficient and coordinated care
      from a team of providers; however, providers are rarely instructed on how to be
      effective members of trauma teams. Team-based learning using Team Strategies and
      Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) has been shown to
      improve team dynamics among practicing professionals, including physicians and
      nurses. The impact of TeamSTEPPS on students being trained in trauma management
      in an undergraduate health professional program is currently unknown. We sought
      to determine the impact of TeamSTEPPS on team dynamics among undergraduate
      students being trained in trauma resuscitation. METHODS: We enrolled teams of
      undergraduate health professional students from four programs: nursing, physician
      assistant, radiologic science, and respiratory care. After completing an online
      training on trauma resuscitation principles, the participants completed a trauma
      resuscitation scenario. The participants then received teamwork training using
      TeamSTEPPS and completed a second trauma resuscitation scenario identical to the
      first. All resuscitations were recorded and scored offline by two blinded
      research assistants using both the Team Emergency Assessment Measure (TEAM) and
      Trauma Team Performance Observation Tool (TPOT) scoring systems. Pre-test and
      post-test TEAM and TPOT scores were compared. RESULTS: We enrolled a total of 48
      students in 12 teams. Team leadership, situational monitoring, and overall
      communication improved with TeamSTEPPS training (P=0.04, P=0.02, and P=0.03,
      respectively), as assessed by the TPOT scoring system. TeamSTEPPS also improved
      the team's ability to prioritize tasks and work together to complete tasks in a
      rapid manner (P<0.01 and P=0.02, respectively) as measured by TEAM. CONCLUSIONS:
      Incorporating TeamSTEPPS into trauma team education leads to improved TEAM and
      TPOT scores among undergraduate health professionals.

PMID- 26101405
TI  - Innovation in the field of medical-conference-based education: a new marketplace.

PMID- 26101406
TI  - Should we be looking for and treating isolated calf vein thrombosis?
AB  - Management of isolated calf deep vein thrombosis is an area of significant
      international debate and variable clinical practice. Both therapeutic
      anticoagulation and conservative management carry risk. As clinical care of
      suspected and confirmed venous thromboembolic disease increasingly becomes the
      remit of emergency medicine, complex decisions are left to practising clinicians
      at the front door. We aim to provide a contemporary overview of recent evidence
      on this topic and associated challenges facing clinicians. Given the lack of high
      level evidence, we present this work as a narrative review, based on structured
      literature review and expert opinion. A decision to manage calf thrombosis is
      principally dependent on the risk of complications without treatment balanced
      against the risks of therapeutic anticoagulation. Estimates of the former risks
      taken from systematic review, meta-analysis, observational cohort and recent
      pilot trial evidence include proximal propagation 7%-10%, pulmonary embolism 2%
      3% and death <1%. Fatal bleeding with therapeutic anticoagulation stands at
      <0.5%, and major bleeding at approximately 2%. Estimates of haemorrhagic risk are
      based on robust data from large prospective management studies of venous
      thromboembolic disease; the risks of untreated calf deep vein thrombosis are
      based on small cohorts and therefore less exact. Pending further trial evidence,
      these risks should be discussed with patients openly, in the context of personal
      preference and shared decision-making. Anticoagulation may maximally benefit
      those patients with extensive and/or symptomatic disease or those with higher
      risk for complication (unprovoked, cancer-associated or pregnancy). 

PMID- 26101408
TI  - Taking the long view on the ecological effects of plant invasions.

PMID- 26101409
TI  - Mechanisms for the evolution of complex and diversely elaborated sepals in Iris
      identified by comparative analysis of developmental sequences.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Crested sepals, which have evolved at least five times in
      Iris, are adaxially elaborated with a sinuous and/or uneven median structure
      (crest) along the proximal-distal axis and sometimes with various lateral
      structures (ridges, crests, and linear protuberances) flanking the median crest.
      These structural elaborations are complex yet diverse in form, providing a good
      opportunity to investigate developmental mechanisms for the diversification of
      reproductive lateral organs. METHODS: Morphologies of the median and lateral
      structures at different developmental stages from selected crested sepals
      representing the major types of structural elaborations were recorded using
      scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. Developmental (morphogenetic)
      events that contribute to changes in shape (e.g., sinuousness, unevenness)
      between consecutive stages were recorded. Developmental sequences-trajectories
      that consist of a series of developmental events-were compared in a phylogenetic
      context. KEY RESULTS: Three developmental events (development of outgrowths,
      greater expansion of the upper zone, and greater expansion of the lower zone),
      are shared across lineages, occur in the same developmental sequences, and are
      responsible for the changes in shape during the development of diverse structural
      elaborations. In addition, two novel developmental events and the development of
      trichomes on elaborate structures were observed within the core-crested clade.
      CONCLUSIONS: Developmental sequences are conserved across independently evolved
      crested lineages. Heterochronic and heterotopic shifts of developmental events
      play the major role in the diversification of elaborations of crested sepals in
      Iris. The evolution of novel developmental events and the development of
      trichomes also contribute to the diversity.

PMID- 26101410
TI  - Foliar secretory structures in Crotoneae (Euphorbiaceae): Diversity, anatomy, and
      evolutionary significance.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Phylogenetic and morphological studies have helped clarify
      the systematics of large and complex groups such as the tribe Crotoneae
      (Euphorbiaceae). However, very little is known about the diversity, structure,
      and function of anatomical features in this tribe. Crotoneae comprises the
      species-rich pantropical genus Croton and six small neotropical genera. Here we
      characterized the anatomy of leaf secretory structures in members of this tribe
      and explored their function and evolutionary significance. METHODS: Young and
      mature leaves of 26 species were studied using standard anatomical light
      microscopy techniques. Three sections of Croton and one representative of
      Brasiliocroton and Astraea were sampled. KEY RESULTS: We identified five types of
      secretory structures: laticifers, colleters, extrafloral nectaries, idioblasts,
      and secretory trichomes. Laticifers were present in all species studied except
      Croton alabamensis, which instead presented secretory parenchyma cells.
      Articulated laticifers are reported in Crotoneae for the first time. Colleters of
      the standard type were observed in the majority of the sampled taxa. Extrafloral
      nectaries were present in section Cleodora and in B. mamoninha, but absent in
      section Lamprocroton and Astraea lobata. Idioblasts were spread throughout the
      palisade and/or spongy parenchyma in most of the studied species. Secretory
      trichomes were restricted to Lamprocroton except for C. imbricatus. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study revealed a high diversity of secretory structures, including novel
      ones, in one of the largest clades of Euphorbiaceae. Our results are promising
      for investigations on the anatomical and ecophysiological bases of species
      diversification within Euphorbiaceae.

PMID- 26101411
TI  - Developmental morphology of flattened shoots in Dalzellia ubonensis and
      Indodalzellia gracilis with implications for the evolution of diversified shoot
      morphologies in the subfamily Tristichoideae (Podostemaceae).
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Podostemaceae is a unique family of aquatic angiosperms
      that grow in swift-running water on rock surfaces in the tropics. Their plant
      bodies show a remarkable adaptation: the main plant body is mostly creeping or
      flattened, or in extreme cases foliose, functioning as an adhering and
      photosynthetic organ. In the subfamily Podostemoideae, the root is foliose,
      whereas in the subfamily Tristichoideae, the shoot is foliose. An evolutionary
      scenario for the foliose root has already been proposed, but that for the foliose
      shoot remains to be addressed. METHODS: Shoots of Indodalzellia gracilis and
      Dalzellia ubonensis (subfamily Tristichoideae) were observed using light
      microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Gene expression patterns of
      orthologs of marker genes for the shoot apical meristem, i.e., SHOOT MERISTEMLESS
      and WUSCHEL, in D. ubonensis were analyzed. KEY RESULTS: When very young, the
      phyllotaxis is tristichous in both genera: a set of one dorsal and two marginal
      leaves forms. When the shoot branches, extra-axillary buds of two subsequent
      marginal leaves form as new (lateral) shoots, and the original shoot stops
      growing; this growth pattern is called sympodial branching. Due to zonal growth
      in the common zone just below the original and lateral shoot apices, flattened or
      foliose shoots result. The expression patterns of DuSTM and DuWUS in the shoot
      apices of Dalzellia were similar to those published for Terniopsis. CONCLUSIONS:
      The foliose shoots of Indodalzellia and Dalzellia evolved as a result of
      congenital fusion among several original and lateral branches, each of which
      grows separately in other Tristichoideae.

PMID- 26101412
TI  - Lack of divergence in seed ecology of two Amphicarpaea (Fabaceae) species
      disjunct between eastern Asia and eastern North America.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Many congeneric species are disjunct between eastern Asia
      and eastern North America. No previous study has compared the seed biology of
      closely related disjunct taxa of legumes or of a diaspore-heteromorphic species.
      Our objective was to compare seed dormancy in two such sister species in the
      genus Amphicarpaea (Fabaceae). METHODS: We investigated the ecology and
      ecophysiology of aerial and subterranean seeds of the amphicarpic species
      Amphicarpaea edgeworthii from China and compared the results to those published
      for its sister species A. bracteata from eastern North America. KEY RESULTS: The
      seed coat of aerial seeds of A. edgeworthii is well developed, whereas the seed
      coat of subterranean seeds is not. Aerial seeds have combinational dormancy
      (physical dormancy [PY] + physiological dormancy [PD]) broken by scarification
      followed by cold stratification or by after-ripening and scarification; whereas
      subterranean seeds have PD broken by cold stratification. Aerial seeds formed a
      persistent soil seed bank, and subterranean seeds a transient soil seed bank.
      Aerial seeds of A. bracteata also have PY+PD and subterranean seeds PD.
      Subterranean seeds of both species are desiccation intolerant. CONCLUSION:
      Dormancy in neither aerial nor subterranean seeds of both species has diverged
      over geological time. Compared to subterranean seeds, aerial seeds of both
      species dispersed over longer distances. Seed dispersal ability and degree of
      dormancy of neither species fits the high-risk/low-risk (H-H/L-L) strategy found
      in many diaspore-dimorphic species. Rather, both species have an H-L/L-H strategy
      for these two life history traits.

PMID- 26101413
TI  - Conservation biogeography of the Cerrado's wild edible plants under climate
      change: Linking biotic stability with agricultural expansion.
AB  - REMISE OF THE STUDY: Wild edible plants (WEPs) have an important cultural and
      economic role in human population worldwide. Human impacts are quickly converting
      natural habitats in agricultural, cattle ranch, and urbanized lands, putting
      native species on peril of risk of extinction, including some WEPs. Moreover,
      global climate changes also can pose another threat to species persistency. Here,
      we established conservation priorities for the Cerrado, a neotropical region in
      South America with high levels of plant endemism and vulnerability, aiming to
      assure long-term persistency of 16 most important WEPs. We evaluated these
      conservation priorities using a conservation biogeography framework using
      ecological patterns and process at a biogeographical scale to deal with species
      conservation features. METHODS: We built ecological niche models for 16 WEPs from
      Cerrado in the neotropics using climate models for preindustrial, past (Last
      Glacial Maximum) and future (year 2080) time periods to establish climatically
      stable areas through time, finding refugias for these WEPs. We used a spatial
      prioritization algorithm based on the spatial pattern of irreplaceability across
      the neotropics, aiming to ensure the persistence of at least 25% of range size in
      climatically stable areas for each WEP, using agricultural models as constraints.
      KEY RESULTS: The Southeast Cerrado was the most biotically stable and
      irreplaceable region for the WEPs compared with other areas across the
      neotropics. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings strongly suggest that the Southeast Cerrado
      should be considered a conservation priority, with new protected areas to be
      sustainably managed and restored, to guarantee the supply of cultural and
      ecosystem services provided from the Cerrado's WEPs.

PMID- 26101414
TI  - Geographic variation in shoot traits and branching intensity in relation to leaf
      size in Fagus crenata: A common garden experiment.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Differences in leaf size are expected to be coordinated
      with various shoot traits and branching intensity because these relationships
      will influence light capture efficiency, water use, and biomechanics. Previous
      studies have mainly focused on interspecific patterns of these trait
      relationships, but not on intraspecific patterns at the geographic scale. We
      investigated intraspecific variation in shoot traits and branching intensity of
      Fagus crenata in Japan. METHODS: Allometric relationships between the traits of
      current-year shoots and branching intensity per branch unit of 1-m length on the
      main axis (BI) and its coordination with latitude were investigated using trees
      from 10 provenances in a common garden. KEY RESULTS: Individual trees originating
      from lower latitudes have smaller leaves with greater leaf mass per area and
      nitrogen content per area, greater Huber value (stem cross-sectional area per
      total leaf area [ATL]) of current-year shoots, and greater BI. Notably, the slope
      of the log-log relationship between BI and ATL was close to -1.0 across the trees
      from different source sites, implying that branching in this species occurs to
      control leaf area. CONCLUSIONS: Shoot traits and branching intensity were
      apparently coordinated with leaf size to control leaf area deployment in this
      species. Such patterns probably reflect differences in competition for hydraulic
      conductance among nearby shoots within crowns, as a consequence of different
      meteorological conditions across the source sites.

PMID- 26101416
TI  - Floral cost vs. floral display: Insights from the megadiverse Myrtales suggest
      that energetically expensive floral parts are less phylogenetically constrained.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Floral display describes the effect of flower size combined
      with the number of flowers per inflorescence. There is strong evidence that a
      floral-display trade-off operates under energetic constraint, with few-flowered
      inflorescences likely to have larger flowers than many-flowered inflorescences.
      Flower size can be estimated by different variables; thus, we propose that the
      variable for flower size that is most highly (negatively) correlated with the
      number of flowers per inflorescence will also be the best estimate of floral
      cost. Ranking the correlation with the phylogenetic signal of the variable can
      provide additional insight into the evolution of floral display. METHODS: The
      Myrtales were chosen as a model order based on age, worldwide distribution, and
      diversity of reproductive strategies. Ninety-nine species representing all
      families and one quarter of generic diversity across its geographic and
      ecological range were sampled to reconstruct a phylogeny based on rbcL and ndhF
      sequences. Correlation coefficients were calculated for flower size variables vs.
      the number of flowers per inflorescence. Phylogenetic signal was measured for all
      variables and for floral display. KEY RESULTS: Flowers per inflorescence showed
      significant negative correlation with the following flower size variables
      (weakest to strongest): filament length < anther size < flower depth < flower
      diameter. As the correlation of each character with number of flowers per
      inflorescence rose (suggesting increased cost), the values for phylogenetic
      signal diminished (suggesting less constraint). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that
      energetically costly floral characters appear to be less phylogenetically
      constrained, while low-cost floral characters maintain higher levels of
      phylogenetic inertia.

PMID- 26101415
TI  - Resolving relationships within the palm subfamily Arecoideae (Arecaceae) using
      plastid sequences derived from next-generation sequencing.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Several studies have incorporated molecular and
      morphological data to study the phylogeny of the palms (Arecaceae), but some
      relationships within the family remain ambiguous-particularly those within
      Arecoideae, the most diverse subfamily including coconut and oil palm. Here, two
      next-generation, targeted plastid-enrichment methods were compared and used to
      elucidate Arecoideae phylogeny. METHODS: Next-generation sequencing techniques
      were used to generate a plastid genome data set. Long range PCR and hybrid gene
      capture were used to enrich for chloroplast targets. Ten taxa were enriched using
      both methods for comparison. Chloroplast sequence data were generated for 31
      representatives of the 14 Arecoideae tribes and five outgroup taxa. The phylogeny
      was reconstructed using maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian
      analyses. KEY RESULTS: Long range PCR and hybrid gene capture both enriched the
      plastid genome and provided similar sequencing coverage. Subfamily Arecoideae was
      resolved as monophyletic with tribe Chamaedoreeae as the earliest-diverging
      lineage, implying that the development of flowers in triads defines a
      synapomorphy for the Arecoideae clade excluding Chamaedoreeae. Three major clades
      within this group were recovered: Roystoneeae/Reinhardtieae/Cocoseae (RRC),
      Areceae/Euterpeae/Geonomateae/Leopoldinieae/Manicarieae/Pelagodoxeae (core
      arecoids), and Podococceae/Oranieae/Sclerospermeae (POS). An Areceae + Euterpeae
      clade was resolved within the core arecoids. The POS clade was sister to a RRC +
      core arecoids clade, implying a shared ancestral area in South America for these
      three clades. CONCLUSIONS: The plastome phylogeny recovered here provides robust
      resolution of previously ambiguous studies and new insights into palm evolution.

PMID- 26101417
TI  - Species tree estimation of diploid Helianthus (Asteraceae) using target
      enrichment.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: The sunflower genus Helianthus has long been recognized as
      economically significant, containing species of agricultural and horticultural
      importance. Additionally, this genus displays a large range of phenotypic and
      genetic variation, making Helianthus a useful system for studying evolutionary
      and ecological processes. Here we present the most robust Helianthus phylogeny to
      date, laying the foundation for future studies of this genus. METHODS: We used a
      target enrichment approach across 37 diploid Helianthus species/subspecies with a
      total of 103 accessions. This technique garnered 170 genes used for both
      coalescent and concatenation analyses. The resulting phylogeny was additionally
      used to examine the evolution of life history and growth form across the genus.
      KEY RESULTS: Coalescent and concatenation approaches were largely congruent,
      resolving a large annual clade and two large perennial clades. However, several
      relationships deeper within the phylogeny were more weakly supported and
      incongruent among analyses including the placement of H. agrestis, H. cusickii,
      H. gracilentus, H. mollis, and H. occidentalis. CONCLUSIONS: The current
      phylogeny supports three major clades including a large annual clade, a
      southeastern perennial clade, and another clade of primarily large-statured
      perennials. Relationships among taxa are more consistent with early phylogenies
      of the genus using morphological and crossing data than recent efforts using
      single genes, which highlight the difficulties of phylogenetic estimation in
      genera known for reticulate evolution. Additionally, conflict and low support at
      the base of the perennial clades may suggest a rapid radiation and/or ancient
      introgression within the genus.

PMID- 26101418
TI  - Assessing the evolutionary history of the class Synurophyceae (Heterokonta) using
      molecular, morphometric, and paleobiological approaches.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Heterokont algae of the class Synurophyceae, characterized
      by distinctive siliceous scales that cover the surface of the cell, are
      ecologically important in inland waters, yet their evolutionary history remains
      enigmatic. We explore phylogenetic relationships within this group of algae
      relative to geologic time, with a focus on evolution of siliceous components.
      METHODS: We combined an expansive five-gene and time-calibrated molecular
      phylogeny of synurophyte algae with an extensive array of fossil specimens from
      the middle Eocene to infer evolutionary trends within the group. KEY RESULTS: The
      group originated in the Jurassic approximately 157 million years ago (Ma), with
      the keystone genera Mallomonas and Synura diverging during the Early Cretaceous
      at 130 Ma. Mallomonas further splits into two major subclades, signaling the
      evolution of the V-rib believed to aid in the spacing and organization of scales
      on the cell covering. Synura also diverges into two primary subclades, separating
      taxa with forward-projecting spines on the scale from those with a keel
      positioned on the scale proper. Approximately one third of the fossil species are
      extinct, whereas the remaining taxa are linked to modern congeners. CONCLUSIONS:
      The taxonomy of synurophytes, which relies extensively on the morphology of the
      siliceous components, is largely congruent with molecular analyses. Scales of
      extinct synurophytes were significantly larger than those of modern taxa and may
      have played a role in their demise. In contrast, many fossil species linked to
      modern lineages were smaller in the middle Eocene, possibly reflecting growth in
      the greenhouse climatic state that characterized this geologic interval.

PMID- 26101419
TI  - Middle Jurassic evidence for the origin of Cupressaceae: A paleobotanical context
      for the roles of regulatory genetics and development in the evolution of conifer
      seed cones.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Triassic and Jurassic fossils record structural changes in
      conifer seed cones through time, provide the earliest evidence for crown-group
      conifer clades, and further clarify sister-group relationships of modern conifer
      families. A new and distinct seed-cone from the Isle of Skye in western Scotland
      provides the oldest detailed evidence for the ancestral morphology of the
      phylogenetically contentious family Cupressaceae. METHODS: A single isolated cone
      was prepared as serial sections by the cellulose acetate peel technique, mounted
      on microscope slides, and viewed and photographed using transmitted light. The
      three-dimensional structure of the cone was first reconstructed from the serial
      sections and then refined through imaging with x-ray microtomography. KEY
      RESULTS: Scitistrobus duncaanensis, gen. et sp. nov., is a 7.5 mm-diameter
      cylindrical seed cone with helically arranged bract-scale complexes in which
      three scale tips separate from a large bract, each tip bearing one adaxial seed.
      Seeds are near-inverted, show 180 degrees  rotational symmetry, and have a
      diminutive wing in the major plane. CONCLUSIONS: Scitistrobus duncaanensis
      extends the fossil record for anatomically preserved seed cones of the
      Cupressaceae backward from the Upper Jurassic to the Aalenian Stage of the Middle
      Jurassic. The cone displays a previously unknown combination of characters that
      we regard as diagnostic for seed cones of early-divergent Cupressaceae and helps
      to clarify the sequence of structural changes that occurred during the transition
      from ancestral voltzialean conifers to morphologically recognizable Cupressaceae.
      Hypotheses of homology underpinning such transformational series can be tested by
      ongoing reciprocal illumination between the morphology of fossil taxa and the
      morphogenesis and developmental genetics of their extant crown-group relatives.

PMID- 26101420
TI  - Seasonal changes in physiological performance in wild Clarkia xantiana
      populations: Implications for the evolution of a compressed life cycle and self
      fertilization.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: One explanation for the evolution of selfing, the drought
      escape hypothesis, proposes that self-fertilization may evolve under conditions
      of intensifying seasonal drought as part of a suite of traits that enable plants
      to accelerate the completion of their life cycle, thereby escaping late-season
      drought. Here, we test two fundamental assumptions of this hypothesis in Clarkia
      xantiana: (1) that a seasonal decline in precipitation causes an increase in
      drought stress and (2) that this results in changes in physiological performance,
      reflecting these deteriorating conditions. METHODS: We examined seasonal and
      interannual variation in abiotic environmental conditions (estimated by ambient
      temperature, relative humidity, predawn leaf water potentials, and carbon isotope
      ratios) and physiological traits (photosynthesis, conductance, transpiration,
      instantaneous water-use efficiency, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione
      reductase activities, quantum yield of photosystem II, PSII potential efficiency)
      in field populations of C. xantiana in 2009 and 2010. KEY RESULTS: In both years,
      plants experienced intensifying drought across the growing season. Gas exchange
      rates decreased over the growing season and were lower in 2009 (a relatively dry
      year) than in 2010, suggesting that the temporal changes from early to late
      spring were directly linked to the deteriorating environmental conditions.
      CONCLUSIONS: Seasonal declines in transpiration rate may have increased survival
      by protecting plants from desiccation. Concomitant declines in photosynthetic
      rate likely reduced the availability of resources for seed production late in the
      season. Thus, the physiological patterns observed are consistent with the
      conditions required for the drought escape hypothesis.

PMID- 26101421
TI  - Population genetic variation, geographic structure, and multiple origins of
      autopolyploidy in Galax urceolata.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Whereas population genetic studies have examined
      allopolyploids, comparable studies of naturally occurring autopolyploids remain
      rare. To address fundamental questions regarding autopolyploidy, we undertook a
      detailed population genetic study of one of the classic examples of
      autopolyploidy, Galax urceolata (Diapensiaceae), which comprises diploid,
      triploid, and autotetraploid cytotypes. Galax is endemic to the Appalachian
      Mountains, the adjacent piedmont, sandhills, and coastal plain and represents
      perhaps the most widely known example of autopolyploidy in nature. METHODS: Flow
      cytometry was used to diagnose ploidal level of ~1000 individuals across 71
      populations. We used 10 microsatellite markers to examine genetic variation
      across the geographic range of Galax and assessed multiple origins though
      comparisons of diploid, triploid, and tetraploid accessions using multiple
      analytical approaches. KEY RESULTS: Tetraploids had higher levels of
      heterozygosity than diploids did. Genetic variation in diploid and tetraploid
      Galax is geographically structured among the ecoregions of the southeastern
      United States. Autotetraploidy in Galax urceolata has occurred independently at
      least 46 times, with triploidy having occurred a minimum of 31 times.
      CONCLUSIONS: Genetic differentiation among ecoregions suggests historical
      patterns of local adaptation. The numerous independent origins of tetraploid
      Galax reported here are among the highest frequencies of independent
      polyploidizations ever reported for any polyploid (auto- or allopolyploid).

PMID- 26101422
TI  - Lack of early inbreeding depression and distribution of selfing rates in the
      neotropical emergent tree Ceiba pentandra: Assessment from several reproductive
      events.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Selfing and mixed mating systems are prevalent in many
      flowering plants. Purging of genetic load can occur in these species, reducing
      negative effects of selfing. Long-term studies of the temporal and spatial
      variation of selfing rates and inbreeding depression at the individual level are
      necessary to understand the forces that maintain selfing as a mating strategy in
      these species. METHODOLOGY: We used microsatellites to estimate selfing rates in
      seeds and seedlings over 6 years in a population of Ceiba pentandra in
      southwestern Costa Rica. We studied the correlation of selfing with early
      seedling vigor variables to test for inbreeding depression. KEY RESULTS: Selfing
      rates varied widely among maternal trees. However, we found high consistency of
      selfing rates for individuals among years. Selfing rate did not influence early
      fitness traits, suggesting a lack of inbreeding depression at this stage.
      Maternal effects were a predominant source of variation for early vigor
      variables. CONCLUSIONS: Variability in selfing rates among trees may be partly
      explained by genetic variation in a late-acting self-incompatibility system or
      low, early-acting genetic load in some individuals. This population did not show
      evidence of early inbreeding depression in traits related to seed vigor probably
      from complete or partial purging as a result of repeated selfing of a fraction of
      the population or from strong maternal effects. Expression of genetic load at
      later developmental stages or in more stressful natural conditions may explain
      differences in inbreeding levels between seeds and adults.

PMID- 26101424
TI  - Correction to "Comparative analysis of complete chloroplast genome sequence and
      inversion variation in Lasthenia burkei (Madieae, Asteraceae)".

PMID- 26101423
TI  - The Tetramerium lineage (Acanthaceae: Justicieae) does not support the
      Pleistocene Arc hypothesis for South American seasonally dry forests.
AB  - PREMISE OF THE STUDY: The Tetramerium lineage (Acanthaceae) presents a striking
      ecological structuring in South America, with groups concentrated in moist
      forests or in seasonally dry forests. In this study, we investigate the
      circumscription and relationships of the South American genera as a basis for
      better understanding historic interactions between dry and moist biomes in the
      Neotropics. METHODS: We dated the ancestral distribution of the Tetramerium
      lineage based on one nuclear and four plastid DNA regions. Maximum parsimony,
      maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference analyses were performed for this study
      using 104 terminals. Phylogenetic divergences were dated using a relaxed
      molecular clock approach and ancestral distributions obtained from dispersal
      vicariance analyses. KEY RESULTS: The genera Pachystachys, Schaueria, and
      Thyrsacanthus are nonmonophyletic. A dry forest lineage dispersed from North
      America to South America and reached the southwestern part of the continent
      between the end of the Miocene and beginning of the Pleistocene. This period
      coincides with the segregation between Amazonian and Atlantic moist forests that
      established the geographic structure currently found in the group. CONCLUSIONS:
      The South American genera Pachystachys, Schaueria, and Thyrsacanthus need to be
      recircumscribed. The congruence among biogeographical events found for the
      Tetramerium lineage suggests that the dry forest centers currently dispersed
      throughout South America are relatively old remnants, probably isolated since the
      Neogene, much earlier than the Last Glacial Maximum postulated by the Pleistocene
      Arc hypothesis. In addition to exploring the Pleistocene Arc hypothesis, this
      research also informs evolution in a lineage with numerous geographically
      restricted and threatened species.

PMID- 26101425
TI  - Reclassification of C4d-Positive Endomyocardial Biopsy (EMB) According to New
      International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) 2013 Categories
      for Reporting Pathologic Antibody-Mediated Rejection (pAMR): Preliminary Data
      from a Polish Single-Center Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT)
      has recently proposed a new protocol for reporting pathologic diagnosis of
      antibody-mediated rejection (pAMR). The new criteria precisely defined antibody
      panels and morphologic features indicative of AMR. The aim of this study was to
      reclassify endomyocardial biopsy specimens (EMBs) that had previously been
      classified as C4d-positive (AMR1) according to the former ISHLT 2004 protocol and
      to verify whether the new, stricter criteria have any impact on number of AMR
      diagnosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 1374 EMBs from 212
      patients who underwent heart transplantation in the years 2001-2013 and who were
      diagnosed at the Department of Pathology, The Children's Memorial Health
      Institute. Recorded data were: histopathologic features indicative of AMR
      (endothelial swelling, interstitial edema, intracapillary macrophages and
      leucocytes); C4d stain patterns, and presence of cellular rejection (ACR) or
      Quilty effect in any biopsy. All EMBs were reevaluated according to new ISHLT
      2013 criteria and pAMR was specified. RESULTS: There were 77 EMBs from 46
      (21.69%) patients that were initially diagnosed as AMR1 based on any C4d-positive
      stain. After reclassification according to ISHLT 2013: 22 (28.57%) EMBs were
      evaluated as pAMR 1(H+); 14 (18.18%) EMBs were pAMR 1(I+); 13 (16.88%) EMBs were
      pAMR 2, and 28 (36.36%) EMBs were pAMR0. Endothelial swelling was observed in 45
      (58.44%) EMBs; interstitial edema in 32 (41.55%) EMBs, and intracapillary
      activated mononuclear cells in 26 (33.77%) EMBs. Then, all 1374 EMBs from 212
      patients were reclassified and we noticed that pAMR1H+ was found in 95 (44.81%)
      patients; pAMR1I+ in 12 (5.66%) patients; pAMR2 in 8 (3.77%) patients; pAMR0 in
      95 (45.75%) in patients, and pAMR3 was not present. CONCLUSIONS: New, more
      restrictive ISHLT 2013 criteria for reporting pathologic antibody-mediated
      rejection (pAMR) decrease number of AMR diagnosis in a selected Polish
      population, but they increase number of silent/sub-silent AMR diagnoses.

PMID- 26101426
TI  - Treatment of mCRPC in the AR-axis-targeted therapy-resistant state.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The increased use of the androgen receptor axis-targeted (ARAT)
      agents abiraterone and enzalutamide in first- and second-line treatment of
      metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has improved patient
      outcomes, but resistance to these agents is inevitable. Early identification of
      patients with primary or secondary resistance to ARAT therapy is of increasing
      clinical concern. DESIGN: PubMed and conference proceedings were searched for
      studies of agents used after progression on abiraterone or enzalutamide. The key
      search terms (or aliases) used a combination of mCRPC and abiraterone or
      enzalutamide, and results were limited to clinical trials and comparative or
      validation studies. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: This systematic review assembles
      current evidence and provides an approach to treatment using available clinical
      factors. Issues of patient selection, use of laboratory and clinical biomarkers
      to identify patients at risk of poor outcomes, and the timing and sequencing of
      available treatment options are addressed. Our findings reveal a lack of high
      level evidence regarding predictive factors and treatment of patients with
      resistance to ARAT therapy, and a need for further research in this area. In the
      meantime, we suggest practical strategies to guide management of ARAT treatment
      resistant patients based on available data.

PMID- 26101427
TI  - Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Elevated Folate Levels: An Unusual Cause of
      Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vitamin B12 deficiency leads to abnormal myelination or
      demyelination, resulting in sub-acute combined degeneration, peripheral
      neuropathy, and psychiatric problems, including delusions, hallucinations,
      cognitive changes, depression, and dementia. Vitamin B12 deficiency also leads to
      brain shrinkage and neurodegenerative disorders. CASE REPORT: We report the case
      of a 49-year-old man presenting with new-onset seizures one and a half years
      following subtotal gastrectomy due to stage IV gastric adenocarcinoma. The
      patient did not have any history of head injury. Laboratory tests were negative
      for any metabolic derangements. There were no signs of infection. MRI brain and
      EEG were normal and there were no changes in medications. CONCLUSIONS: In case of
      unexplained new-onset seizures, patients should be tested for vitamin B12 and
      folic acid levels and these should be done as part of the initial work-up.

PMID- 26101429
TI  - Significance of routine cerebrospinal fluid analysis in subarachnoid hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper was to determine the diagnostic value of
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis in the setting of aneurysmal subarachnoid
      hemorrhage (aSAH), hypothesizing that CSF analysis is only critical in confirming
      suspected infection and may be useful in predicting and/or detecting delayed
      cerebral ischemia (DCI). METHODS: Retrospective review of consecutive adult
      patients diagnosed with aSAH from 1/2000 to 12/2013 at Mayo Clinic, Rochester,
      MN, USA with cerebral aneurysm(s) identified by vascular imaging, and CSF drawn
      within 14 days of the date of hemorrhage. RESULTS: We identified 741 patients
      during the study period, 167 met inclusion criteria and 356 samples were
      collected. First Median CSF samples were taken 5 (4-8) days postbleed. Multiple
      samples were taken in 94 (54.5%) patients and the mean number of samples per
      patient was 2.1. Ventriculitis, confirmed by growth of organism from CSF culture
      was present in 2 (1.2%) patients and one patient (0.6%) developed meningitis. CSF
      WBC count remained elevated throughout the 14 days, even when corrected for red
      blood cell count (RBC). Peak CSF RBCs occurred 2-4 days post bleed, and then
      gradually normalized. Maximum CSF RBCs did not correlate with modified Fisher
      grades (P=0.422). Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) was present in 86 (51.5%)
      patients and there was no difference in the CSF profile of patients with DCI
      compared with those without. CONCLUSIONS: Routine CSF sampling for cell count and
      chemistry in the setting of temporary diversion following aSAH appears to have
      little clinical benefit beyond the evaluation for infection.

PMID- 26101428
TI  - Relationships between Depressive Symptoms and Endothelial Function Among
      Outpatients of a General Hospital in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the endothelial function by reactive
      hyperemia index (RHI) in patients with depression, subjects recovering from
      depression, and subjects without a history of depression. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Outpatients were recruited from a general hospital in China; 62 patients
      diagnosed with depression and the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression
      (HAMD17) total scores >=17 were enrolled as the depression group, 62 patients
      with a history of depression, discontinuation of antidepressants therapy at least
      3 months ago, and HAMD17 <=7 were recruited as remission group, and 62 subjects
      without a history of depression served as the control group (HAMD17 <=7).
      RESULTS: The mean RHI was 1.93, 2.34, and 2.19 in depression, control, and
      remission groups, respectively, showing a significant difference among the 3
      groups (P=0.0004). In addition, a marked difference in RHI was found between
      depression and control groups (P=0.0003) and between depression and remission
      groups (P=0.0270). However, there was no significant difference between remission
      and control groups (P=0.3363). CONCLUSIONS: There is a relationship between
      depression and endothelial dysfunction in outpatients from a general hospital in
      China. The improvement of depression is synchronous with the improvement of
      endothelial function.

PMID- 26101430
TI  - Prognostic value of Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in patients
      with Lymphoma treated with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for
      relapsed/refractory or high risk disease.
AB  - AIM: Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT scan) has
      increasingly been used for management of lymphoma, however few and conflicting
      data have been provided in the setting of high dose therapy with autologous stem
      cell transplantation (ASCT) so far. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the
      outcome of 47 NHL patients who underwent ASCT for relapsed/refractory disease or
      high risk disease or partial response after first line treatment, with the aim of
      testing sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative prognostic value of
      PET/CT performed before and after ASCT. RESULTS: In our experience pre ASCT
      PET/CT predicts outcome of Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma patients with chemosensitive
      relapse, whereas post ASCT-PET showed a better prognostic value for relapsed
      disease. CONCLUSIONS: Results of our study, if confirmed by studies on a larger
      scale, could significantly contribute to design future trials and optimise the
      management of lymphoma patients.

PMID- 26101431
TI  - Optimal management of polycystic ovary syndrome in adolescence.
AB  - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous disorder of reproduction and
      metabolism, which emerges at puberty, and is characterised by a wide spectrum of
      signs and symptoms of hyperandrogenism, anovulation, hyperinsulinaemia and
      associated comorbidities. Unlike adult PCOS, there are no agreed-upon diagnostic
      criteria for adolescent PCOS, but hyperandrogenaemia remains the sine qua non for
      its diagnosis. Many adolescent girls with PCOS are overweight/obese, and have a
      heightened risk for comorbidities such as dysglycaemia, dyslipidaemia, fatty
      liver disease, sleep apnoea and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, early and
      accurate diagnosis is essential for implementation of appropriate treatment and
      management. Available treatments include lifestyle modifications, hormonal
      contraceptives and insulin sensitisers. However, there are limited data on the
      best treatment modalities in adolescents. The objective of this review is to
      describe the clinical manifestations of PCOS in adolescents and the appropriate
      diagnostic work-up. The optimal treatment modalities based on a review of the
      available adult and adolescent literature will be discussed. 

PMID- 26101433
TI  - Editorial: Technology and Hand surgery.

PMID- 26101432
TI  - Correlation of maternal abuse during pregnancy with infant temperament and
      development.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of domestic violence (DV) against pregnant
      women on their infant's development in China. DESIGN: 247 mothers were
      interviewed using the Chinese version of the Abuse Assessment Screen, and all
      participants underwent postnatal assessment with the Edinburgh Postpartum
      Depression Scale (EDPS). Plasma glutamate (Glu), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
      and cortisol levels of the neonates were measured. After a 10-month follow-up,
      the infants were assessed using the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire
      (RITQ) and Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID). RESULTS: 86 infants of
      abused mothers (DV group) and 137 infants of non-abused mothers (non-DV group)
      completed the 10-month follow-up. Neonate levels of plasma Glu, GABA and cortisol
      were significantly higher in the DV group than in the non-DV group. Scores for
      the temperament factors, rhythmicity, approach/withdrawal, mood, distractibility
      and persistence, of the RITQ were rated significantly higher, and results for the
      Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) of the BSID were significantly lower in the
      DV group than in the non-DV group at 10 months. After adjustment for the EPDS as
      a covariate, only distractibility of the RITQ showed a statistically significant
      difference between the two groups. In correlation analysis, infant mood
      correlated significantly with levels of plasma Glu (beta=0.2345) and GABA
      (beta=0.2554), whether or not the EPDS scores were adjusted. Infant persistence
      and threshold of stimuli scores did not correlate significantly with DV during
      pregnancy after adjustment for the EPDS. CONCLUSIONS: DV against pregnant women
      may be associated with impaired temperament and development in their infants.

PMID- 26101434
TI  - Commentary on Anatomical and histomorphometric observations on the transfer of
      the anterior interosseous nerve to the deep branch of the ulnar nerve. T. L.
      Schenck, J. Stewart, S. Lin, M. Aichler, H.-G. Machens and R. E. Giunta. J Hand
      Surg Eur. 2015, 40: 591-6.

PMID- 26101435
TI  - Commentary on Enhanced early sensory outcome after nerve repair as a result of
      immediate post-operative re-learning: a randomized controlled trial. B. Rosen, P.
      Vikstrom, S. Turner, D. A. McGrouther, R. W. Selles, T. A. R. Schreuders and A.
      Bjorkman. J Hand Surg Eur. 2015, 40: 598-606.

PMID- 26101436
TI  - Robert Robins (1923-2015).

PMID- 26101439
TI  - Forgiveness Reduces Anger in a School Bullying Context.
AB  - Forgiveness has been shown to be a helpful strategy for victims of many different
      forms of abuse and trauma. It has also been theoretically linked to positive
      outcomes for victims of bullying. However, it has never been experimentally
      manipulated in a school bullying context. This research investigates an
      experimental manipulation providing children with response advice following a
      bullying incident. Children read hypothetical physical and verbal bullying
      scenarios, followed by advice from a friend to either respond with forgiveness,
      avoidance, or revenge, in a within-subjects repeated measures design. One hundred
      eighty-four children aged 11 to 15 from private schools in Sydney participated in
      this study. Results indicated that advice to forgive the perpetrator led to
      significantly less anger than advice to either avoid or exact revenge. Avoidance
      was the most likely advice to be followed by students and the most likely to
      result in ignoring the bullying and developing empathy for their abuser. However,
      it also resulted in interpretations of the bullying as being more serious.
      Forgiveness is suggested as an effective coping response for ameliorating the
      affective aggressive states of victimized youth, with further exploration needed
      regarding the interplay between the avoidance and forgiveness processes.

PMID- 26101440
TI  - Ages of legal importance: Implications in relation to birth registration and age
      assessment practices.
AB  - Assessment of age is a common procedure routinely conducted in many countries
      following birth date disputes, particularly following asylum claims and criminal
      offenses. UNICEF reports that only 65% of children in the world were registered,
      and the numbers of children who possess an authentic birth certificate were
      significantly lower than those registered. Legally important ages can be
      categorized into defined age ranges that vary among different countries.
      Recently, following an increase in the number of age-specific crimes, many
      countries have revised their legally important ages. This article is intended to
      report the most recent data on the ages of legal importance in the major
      countries of the world and implicate its relevance to birth registration and age
      assessment practices. 

PMID- 26101441
TI  - Child homicide or natural death? A case report of unexpected death of unusual
      asymptomatic acute laryngotracheobronchitis.
AB  - Cases involving the unexpected deaths of children are always a concern for the
      police and medical examiners alike. In particular, unexpected deaths due to
      asphyxia without obvious injuries sometimes make decisions regarding the manner
      of death more difficult. In the present case, a 2-year-old boy was found dead at
      home, and his mother was initially believed to have killed him. A complete
      autopsy and forensic investigation were performed, and no injuries were found on
      the body; however, marked laryngeal edema was observed. Histology showed
      extensive inflammatory infiltration of the mucosa and submucosa of the larynx,
      trachea, and bronchi. The cause of death was given as respiratory failure due to
      acute laryngotracheobronchitis; thus, the manner of death was natural. This case
      helps to remind the forensic community to keep an open mind and consider a broad
      differential diagnosis when approaching a case rather than jumping to a
      conclusion based solely on a preliminary investigation. 

PMID- 26101442
TI  - Cut-throat wounds: Suicidal and homicidal-two case reports and review of
      literature.
AB  - Cut-throat wounds are a well-recognized method of homicide, are less commonly
      used in suicides and are rarely accidental. The forensic pathologist has a very
      challenging and important task when commenting on the manner of infliction of
      such wounds when such a case is presented with no proper history or witnesses. We
      present two cases of cut-throat wounds, one suicide and one homicide, to show the
      differences between the pattern of wounds. We highlight the differences between
      the two cases in relation to other external injuries, the circumstances in which
      the bodies were found and other factors. We intend to update the literature
      regarding this topic in reference to our cases. We also hope that our
      presentation will be beneficial to doctors performing autopsies on such cases, so
      as to distinguish the manner of cut-throat wounds in equivocal cases of death. 

PMID- 26101443
TI  - Child maltreatment and neglect, or poverty and ignorance: An old case from the
      museum.
AB  - We present an old case, from the year 1928, of a girl who, as an 18-month-old,
      had ingested a small amount of lye, and over time oesophageal stenosis had
      developed. However, her parents had not taken her to hospital until 4 months
      after the event, after an episode of bloody vomiting. She spent the remaining
      time of her life in the hospital, where she died as a 3-year-old. Her parents did
      not visit once during that time. After the autopsy, the opinion about the cause
      and mechanism of death had five steps: the immediate cause of death was purulent
      pneumonia, which was a complication of small pox and severe undernourishment; the
      severe undernourishment was the consequence of a narrowed part of the oesophagus;
      this developed due to the ingestion of the corrosive agent; and it remained
      uncertain whether the ingestion of the corrosive agent was accidental or
      homicidal in manner. The presented case could be an example of possible child
      maltreatment and neglect in rural parts of society, from almost 90 year ago; at
      the time these cases were not recognized and treated as they would be today. This
      is also an example of how the forensic pathologist, via the conclusion about the
      cause of death, highlighted the parents' carelessness and neglect of the child. 

PMID- 26101444
TI  - Skin wounds vitality markers in forensic pathology: An updated review.
AB  - Wound age evaluation is one of the most challenging issues in forensic pathology.
      In the first minutes or hours, standard histological examination may not
      determine whether the wound was inflicted in the pre- or post-mortem period.
      While red blood cell infiltration is classically considered as a sign of vital
      reaction, several studies have shown that extravasation of blood cells may also
      occur after death and cannot be used as a reliable marker in the diagnosis of
      wound vitality. Numerous studies about wound vitality are available in the
      literature. They have evaluated markers involved in coagulation or inflammation,
      using various methods such as enzymology, molecular biology or
      immunohistochemistry. In this update, we first introduce some methodological
      principles. Then, we review the main studies available in the literature.
      Immunohistochemistry seems to be the most valuable method, given its easy
      application and the possibility to analyse the localization of the molecules of
      interest. Some markers are promising, such as CD15, TNFalpha, IL-6, IL-1beta,
      TGFalpha or TGFbeta1. Prior to their application in daily practice, these early
      results need to be confirmed with other studies, conducted by independent teams
      and integrating multiple controls. Most notably, the antibodies have to be tested
      in numerous post-mortem wounds. Indeed, a critical risk of overexpression in post
      mortem wounds is present. Some promising markers have been later invalidated
      because of post-mortem false positivity. Finally, optimal sensitivity and
      specificity values could probably be reached by combining several markers,
      validated by large groups of pre- and post-mortem wounds. 

PMID- 26101445
TI  - Power Versus Affiliation in Political Ideology: Robust Linguistic Evidence for
      Distinct Motivation-Related Signatures.
AB  - Posited motivational differences between liberals and conservatives have
      historically been controversial. This motivational interface has recently been
      bridged, but the vast majority of studies have used self-reports of values or
      motivation. Instead, the present four studies investigated whether two classic
      social motive themes--power and affiliation--vary by political ideology in
      objective linguistic analysis terms. Study 1 found that posts to liberal chat
      rooms scored higher in standardized affiliation than power, whereas the reverse
      was true of posts to conservative chat rooms. Study 2 replicated this pattern in
      the context of materials posted to liberal versus conservative political news
      websites. Studies 3 and 4, finally, replicated a similar interactive (ideology by
      motive type) pattern in State of the State and State of the Union addresses.
      Differences in political ideology, these results suggest, are marked by, and
      likely reflective of, mind-sets favoring affiliation (liberal) or power
      (conservative).

PMID- 26101446
TI  - Psychiatry has many frontiers.

PMID- 26101447
TI  - CONSORTing with scoundrels? The perils of trials by checklist.

PMID- 26101448
TI  - Do I have a self? (and other useful questions from Buddhist mindfulness).

PMID- 26101449
TI  - Deficits in metacognitive monitoring in mathematics assessments in learners with
      autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - Children and adults with autism spectrum disorder have been found to have
      deficits in metacognition that could impact upon their learning. This study
      explored metacognitive monitoring in 28 (23 males and 5 females) participants
      with autism spectrum disorder and 56 (16 males and 40 females) typically
      developing controls who were being educated at the same level. Participants were
      asked a series of mathematics questions. Based upon previous research, after each
      question they were asked two metacognitive questions: (1) whether they thought
      they had got the answer correct or not (or 'don't know') and (2) whether they
      meant to get the answer correct or not (or 'don't know'). Participants with
      autism spectrum disorder were significantly more likely than the typically
      developing group to erroneously think that they had got an incorrect answer
      correct. Having made an error, those with autism spectrum disorder were also
      significantly more likely to report that they had meant to make the error.
      Different patterns in the types of errors made were also identified between the
      two groups. Deficits in metacognition were identified for the autism spectrum
      disorder group in the learning of mathematics. This is consistent with
      metacognitive research from different contexts and the implications for
      supporting learning in autism spectrum disorder are discussed.

PMID- 26101451
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26101452
TI  - College-Going Benefits of High School Sports Participation: Race and Gender
      Differences over Three Decades.
AB  - The long touted athlete advantage in college enrollment has been tempered by
      assertions that this advantage is actually due to characteristics that precede
      participation. Moreover, it remains unclear whether the benefits of sports extend
      into contemporary times, and apply equally to female and racial minority
      athletes. This study uses three nationally representative longitudinal datasets
      of students who were 10th graders in 1980, 1990, and 2002. We find that high
      school sports participation was positively associated with college enrollment,
      even with the utilization of propensity score modeling, for white boys and girls,
      black boys, and Latino boys and girls during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. The
      most important gender and race differences include black female athletes' college
      going disadvantage in the 1980s and 1990s, and girls' persistently lower rates of
      high school sports participation than boys'.

PMID- 26101454
TI  - Introduction to Special Issue: The Retirement Career Phase across Cultures.
AB  - Increasingly, older workers in the United States remain in the workforce beyond
      retirement age, meaning the term "retirement" might include at least some form of
      workforce participation. Although the proportions of women and individuals from
      racial and ethnic minority groups working past the age of 65 has significantly
      increased (Wegman & McGee, 2004); few scholars have examined the retirement
      career phase from a multicultural perspective. This special issue will critically
      review vocational literature as well as provide specific recommendations for
      research and practice with the aim of helping scholars and practitioners
      conceptualize the current concerns older adults across cultures (e.g., women and
      racial/ethnic minorities, among others) face during retirement planning.

PMID- 26101455
TI  - Career and Retirement Theories: Relevance for Older Workers Across Cultures.
AB  - This paper reviews selected career development theories as well as theories
      specifically focused on retirement, with an emphasis on their application to
      retirement decisions and vocational behavior in multicultural populations.
      Theories are evaluated based on whether: (a) retirement was considered a stage of
      working life, (b) work satisfaction, motivation, and other work variables at
      retirement age were addressed, (c) work choices at retirement age were included,
      and (d) cultural and other minority status issues were either directly considered
      in the work/retirement decision or if the model could be reasonably applied to
      retirement across cultures. We provide specific recommendations for research and
      practice with the aim of helping practitioners and scholars conceptualize the
      current concerns older adults face in their working lives and during retirement
      planning.

PMID- 26101453
TI  - Epstein-Barr Virus Specific Antibody Response in Multiple Sclerosis Patients
      during 21 Months of Natalizumab Treatment.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of the
      central nervous system. Natalizumab, a humanized anti-alpha4 integrin monoclonal
      antibody, is a highly effective treatment approved for MS. An association between
      MS and an exposure to Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) sustained by the levels of
      antiviral capsid antigen (VCA) and anti-Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1)
      IgG has been described. Our goal was to verify the utility of EBV-specific IgG as
      a marker in Natalizumab treated MS. Twenty patients (17 female and 3 male) in
      treatment with Natalizumab were enrolled. Serum levels of anti-VCA and anti-EBNA
      1 IgG were determined and expressed as arbitrary units (AU) before treatment and
      every three months for 21 months of therapy. Anti-VCA IgG levels were increased
      at the 15th month (235410 +/- 196712 AU) comparing with the 3rd (98146 +/- 47145
      AU) and the 6th (109866 +/- 52270 AU) months of therapy (p < 0.05). No
      significant differences were found for serum anti-EBNA-1 IgG levels. Our data
      indicate that a transient, self-limited, EBV reactivation can occur in MS during
      Natalizumab therapy but our results do not support the use of serum EBV-specific
      antibody levels as biomarkers for monitoring therapeutic response to Natalizumab
      in the course of MS.

PMID- 26101456
TI  - Social Cognitive Career Theory, the Theory of Work Adjustment, and Work
      Satisfaction of Retirement-Age Adults.
AB  - Despite a recent increase in the number of adults who work past traditional
      retirement age, existing theories of vocational behavior have not yet received
      adequate empirical support. In a large sample of adults age 60-87, we evaluated
      the relationship between theorized predictors of work satisfaction proposed by
      Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), work satisfaction as a predictor of
      continued work, as proposed by the Theory of Work adjustment (TWA), as well as
      the influence of reported experiences of discrimination on these relationships.
      While the results supported most of the predicted relationships, the effects of
      discrimination were stronger than the variables proposed by either SCCT or TWA
      for the present sample.

PMID- 26101457
TI  - Attentional Control and Intelligence: MRI Orbital Frontal Gray Matter and
      Neuropsychological Correlates.
AB  - Attentional control is a key function of working memory that is hypothesized to
      play an important role in psychometric intelligence. To test the
      neuropsychological underpinnings of this hypothesis, we examined full-scale IQ,
      as measured by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III),
      and attentional control, as measured by Trails B response time and Wisconsin Card
      Sorting (WCS) test perseverative errors in 78 healthy participants, 25 of whom
      also had available magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) gray matter volume studies of
      the orbital frontal cortex (OFC) parcellated into three regions: gyrus rectus,
      middle orbital gyrus, and lateral orbital gyrus. Hierarchical regression
      indicated that Trails B response time specifically explained 15.13% to 19.18% of
      the variation in IQ and WCS perseverative errors accounted for an additional
      8.12% to 11.29% of the variance. Full-scale IQ correlated very strongly with
      right middle orbital gyrus gray matter volume (r = 0.610, p = 0.002), as did
      Trails B response time with left middle orbital gyrus gray matter volume (r = 
      0.608, p = 0.003). Trails B response time and right middle orbital gyrus gray
      matter volume jointly accounted for approximately 32.95% to 54.82% of the
      variance in IQ scores. These results provided evidence of the unique
      contributions of attentional control and OFC gray matter to intelligence. 

PMID- 26101458
TI  - Behavioural and Cognitive-Behavioural Treatments of Parasomnias.
AB  - Parasomnias are unpleasant or undesirable behaviours or experiences that occur
      predominantly during or within close proximity to sleep. Pharmacological
      treatments of parasomnias are available, but their efficacy is established only
      for few disorders. Furthermore, most of these disorders tend spontaneously to
      remit with development. Nonpharmacological treatments therefore represent valid
      therapeutic choices. This paper reviews behavioural and cognitive-behavioural
      managements employed for parasomnias. Referring to the ICSD-3 nosology we
      consider, respectively, NREM parasomnias, REM parasomnias, and other parasomnias.
      Although the efficacy of some of these treatments is proved, in other cases their
      clinical evidence cannot be provided because of the small size of the samples.
      Due to the rarity of some parasomnias, further multicentric researches are needed
      in order to offer a more complete account of behavioural and cognitive
      behavioural treatments efficacy. 

PMID- 26101459
TI  - T, B, and NKT Cells in Systemic Inflammation in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) brings risk of serious
      complications. The study objective was to assess elements of the cellular immune
      response in the course of OSAS. METHODS: Peripheral blood (PB) lymphocytes: T, B,
      NK, NKT-like, Th, Tc, and HLA DR+ T cells were evaluated by flow cytometry of 48
      OSA patients; the concentration of adiponectin, interleukin 1beta, and TNFalpha
      was measured by ELISA method. The OSA complication score was developed and used
      for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The proportion of B cells and Th/Tc ratio were
      significantly lower in the BP of OSA patients when compared with control subjects
      (median 7.9 versus 10.9%, 0.9 versus 1.5, p < 0.05). The proportion of Tc, NK,
      NKT-like, and HLADR positive T cells were elevated in OSA patients when compared
      with healthy subjects (36.4 versus 26.8, 15.5 versus 8.5, 5.7 versus 3.0, and 8.4
      versus 4.5%, p < 0.05, resp.) and were more pronounced in patients with metabolic
      syndrome. The grade of OSA complication score correlated with systemic
      inflammation markers and the proportion of B cells. The value of adiponectin/BMI
      ratio correlated significantly with SpO2 (r = 0.31, p < 0.05), CRP (r = -0.35, p
      < 0.05), TNFalpha concentration (r = -0.36, p < 0.05), and proportion of B cells
      (r = 0.32, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Lymphocytes B, Tc, NK, NKT-like, and
      adiponectin are involved in systemic immune response in OSA patients possibly
      predisposing them to cardiovascular and metabolic complications.

PMID- 26101460
TI  - Harnessing the Therapeutic Potential of Th17 Cells.
AB  - Th17 cells provide protective immunity to infections by fungi and extracellular
      bacteria as well as cancer but are also involved in chronic inflammation. The
      cells were first identified by their ability to produce interleukin 17A (IL-17A)
      and, subsequently, associated with chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. Th17
      cells have some gene profile similarity with stem cells and can remain dormant in
      mucosal tissues for long periods. Indeed, recent studies suggest that
      functionally distinct subsets of pro- and anti-inflammatory Th17 cells can
      interchange phenotype and functions. For development, Th17 cells require
      activation of the transcription factors STAT3 and RORgammat while RUNX1, c-Maf,
      and Aiolos are involved in changes of phenotype/functions. Attempts to harness
      Th17 cells against pathogens and cancer using vaccination strategies are being
      explored. The cells gain protective abilities when induced to produce interferon
      gamma (IFNgamma). In addition, treatment with antibodies to IL-17 is effective in
      treating patients with psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and refectory rheumatoid
      arthritis. Moreover, since RORgammat is a nuclear receptor, it is likely to be a
      potential future drug target for modulating Th17 functions. This review explores
      pathways through which Th17 subsets are induced, the molecular basis of their
      plasticity, and potential therapeutic strategies for their modulation in
      diseases. 

PMID- 26101461
TI  - Changes in LDL Oxidative Status and Oxidative and Inflammatory Gene Expression
      after Red Wine Intake in Healthy People: A Randomized Trial.
AB  - Postprandial oxidative stress is characterized by an increased susceptibility of
      the organism towards oxidative damage after consumption of a meal rich in lipids
      and/or carbohydrates. Micronutrients modulate immune system and exert a
      protective action by reducing low density lipoproteins (LDL) oxidation via
      induction of antioxidant enzymes. We evaluated the gene expression of oxidative
      stress (HOSp), inflammasome (HIp), and human drug metabolism pathways (HDM) and
      ox-LDL level at baseline and after the intake of red wine naturally enriched with
      resveratrol (NPVRW), in association with or without a McDonald's meal (McDM). The
      ox-LDL levels significantly increase comparing baseline (B) versus McDM and
      decreased comparing McDM versus McDM + NPVRW (P <= 0.05). Percentages of
      significant genes expressed after each nutritional intervention were the
      following: (1) B versus McDM, 2.88% HOSp, 2.40% of HIp, and 3.37% of HDMp; (2) B
      versus McDM + NPVRW, 1.44% of HOSp, 4.81% of HIp, and 0.96% of HDMp; (3) McDM
      versus McDM + NPVRW, 2.40% of HOSp, 2.40% of HIp, and 5.77% of HDMp; (4) B versus
      NPVRW, 4.80% HOSp, 3.85% HIp, and 3.85% HDMp. NPVRW intake reduced postprandial
      ox-LDL and the expression of inflammation and oxidative stress related genes.
      Chronic studies on larger population are necessary before definitive conclusions.

PMID- 26101462
TI  - Modulation of Acid Sphingomyelinase in Melanoma Reprogrammes the Tumour Immune
      Microenvironment.
AB  - The inflammatory microenvironment induces tumours to acquire an aggressive and
      immunosuppressive behaviour. Since acid sphingomyelinase (A-SMase) downregulation
      in melanoma was shown to determine a malignant phenotype, we aimed here to
      elucidate the role of A-SMase in the regulation of tumour immunogenic
      microenvironment using in vivo melanoma models in which A-SMase was either
      downregulated or maintained at constitutively high levels. We found high levels
      of inflammatory factors in low A-SMase expressing tumours, which also displayed
      an immunosuppressive/protumoural microenvironment: high levels of myeloid-derived
      suppressor cells (MDSCs) and regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs), as well as low
      levels of dendritic cells (DCs). In contrast, the restoration of A-SMase in
      melanoma cells not only reduced tumour growth and immunosuppression, but also
      induced a high recruitment at tumour site of effector immune cells with an
      antitumoural function. Indeed, we observed a poor homing of MDSCs and Tregs and
      the increased recruitment of CD8(+) and CD4(+) T lymphocytes as well as the
      infiltration of DCs and CD8(+)/CD44(high) T lymphocytes. This study demonstrates
      that change of A-SMase expression in cancer cells is sufficient per se to tune in
      vivo melanoma growth and that A-SMase levels modulate immune cells at tumour
      site. This may be taken into consideration in the setting of therapeutic
      strategies. 

PMID- 26101463
TI  - beta Common Receptor Mediates Erythropoietin-Conferred Protection on OxLDL
      Induced Lipid Accumulation and Inflammation in Macrophages.
AB  - Erythropoietin (EPO), the key factor for erythropoiesis, also protects macrophage
      foam cells from lipid accumulation, yet the definitive mechanisms are not fully
      understood. beta common receptor (betaCR) plays a crucial role in the
      nonhematopoietic effects of EPO. In the current study, we investigated the role
      of betaCR in EPO-mediated protection in macrophages against oxidized low-density
      lipoprotein- (oxLDL-) induced deregulation of lipid metabolism and inflammation.
      Here, we show that betaCR expression was mainly in foamy macrophages of
      atherosclerotic aortas from apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Results of confocal
      microscopy and immunoprecipitation analyses revealed that betaCR was colocalized
      and interacted with EPO receptor (EPOR) in macrophages. Inhibition of betaCR
      activation by neutralizing antibody or small interfering RNA (siRNA) abolished
      the EPO-conferred protection in oxLDL-induced lipid accumulation. Furthermore,
      EPO-promoted cholesterol efflux and upregulation of ATP-binding cassette (ABC)
      transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 were prevented by pretreatment with betaCR
      neutralizing antibody or betaCR siRNA. Additionally, blockage of betaCR abrogated
      the EPO-conferred anti-inflammatory action on oxLDL-induced production of
      macrophage inflammatory protein-2. Collectively, our findings suggest that betaCR
      may play an important role in the beneficial effects of EPO against oxLDL
      elicited dysfunction of macrophage foam cells. 

PMID- 26101464
TI  - Evaluation of Serum Cytokines Levels and the Role of Cannabidiol Treatment in
      Animal Model of Asthma.
AB  - Asthma represents a public health problem and traditionally is classified as an
      atopic disease, where the allergen can induce clinical airway inflammation,
      bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and reversible obstruction of airways. Studies
      have demonstrated the presence of T-helper 2 lymphocytes in the lung of patients
      with asthma. These cells are involved in cytokine production that regulates
      immunoglobulin synthesis. Recognizing that T cell interaction with
      antigens/allergens is key to the development of inflammatory diseases, the aim of
      this study is to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of cannabidiol (CBD) in
      this setting. Asthma was induced in 8-week-old Wistar rats by ovalbumin (OVA). In
      the last 2 days of OVA challenge animals received CBD (5 mg/kg, i.p.) and were
      killed 24 hours after. The levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF
      alpha were determinate in the serum. CBD treatment was able to decrease the serum
      levels of all analyzed cytokines except for IL-10 levels. CBD seems to be a
      potential new drug to modulate inflammatory response in asthma. 

PMID- 26101465
TI  - Role Analysis in Networks using Mixtures of Exponential Random Graph Models.
AB  - A novel and flexible framework for investigating the roles of actors within a
      network is introduced. Particular interest is in roles as defined by local
      network connectivity patterns, identified using the ego-networks extracted from
      the network. A mixture of Exponential-family Random Graph Models is developed for
      these ego-networks in order to cluster the nodes into roles. We refer to this
      model as the ego-ERGM. An Expectation-Maximization algorithm is developed to
      infer the unobserved cluster assignments and to estimate the mixture model
      parameters using a maximum pseudo-likelihood approximation. The flexibility and
      utility of the method are demonstrated on examples of simulated and real
      networks.

PMID- 26101466
TI  - Contributions of temporal segregation, oviposition choice, and non-additive
      effects of competitors to invasion success of Aedes japonicus (Diptera:
      Culicidae) in North America.
AB  - The mosquito Aedes japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) has spread rapidly through
      North America since its introduction in the 1990s. The mechanisms underlying its
      establishment in container communities occupied by competitors Aedes triseriatus
      and Aedes albopictus are unclear. Possibilities include (A) temporal separation
      of A. japonicus from other Aedes, (B) oviposition avoidance by A. japonicus of
      sites containing heterospecific Aedes larvae, and (C) non-additive competitive
      effects in assemblages of multiple Aedes. Containers sampled throughout the
      summer in an oak-hickory forest near Eureka, MO showed peak abundance for A.
      japonicus occurring significantly earlier in the season than either of the other
      Aedes species. Despite this, A. japonicus co-occurred with one other Aedes
      species in 53 % of samples when present, and co-occurred with both other Aedes in
      18 % of samples. In a field oviposition experiment, A. japonicus laid
      significantly more eggs in forest edge containers than in forest interior
      containers, but did not avoid containers with low or high densities of larvae of
      A. triseriatus, A. albopictus, or both, compared to containers without larvae.
      Interspecific competitive effects (measured as decrease in the index of
      performance, lambda') of A. triseriatus or A. albopictus alone on A. japonicus
      larvae were not evident at the densities used, but the effect of both Aedes
      combined was significantly negative and super-additive of effects of individual
      interspecific competitors. Thus, neither oviposition avoidance of competitors nor
      non-additive competitive effects contribute to the invasion success of A.
      japonicus in North America. Distinct seasonal phenology may reduce competitive
      interactions with resident Aedes.

PMID- 26101467
TI  - Only one health, and so many omics.
AB  - The development of new approaches based on wide profiling methods in studying
      biological and medical systems is bringing large amounts of data on a daily
      basis. The causes of complex diseases have been directed to the genome
      examination bringing formidable knowledge. We can study genome, but also
      proteome, exome, transcriptome, epigenome, metabolome, and newcomers too such as
      microbiome, connectome and exposome. The title of this editorial is paraphrasing
      the famous saying of Victor Schlichter from Buenos Aires children hospital in
      Argentina who said "How unfair! Only one health, and so many diseases". Today
      there is indeed a whole lot of omics. We think that we are lucky to have all the
      omics possible, but we also wanted to stress the importance of future holistic
      approach in integrating the knowledge omics has rewarded us. 

PMID- 26101471
TI  - Second International Conference on Publication Ethics organized by Shiraz
      University of Medical Sciences (Shiraz - Iran December 4-5, 2014).

PMID- 26101468
TI  - Choosing wisely: practical considerations on treatment efficacy and safety of
      asthma in the elderly.
AB  - The prevalence of asthma in the most advanced ages is similar to that of younger
      ages. However, the concept that older individuals may suffer from allergic asthma
      has been largely denied in the past, and a common belief attributes to asthma the
      definition of "rare" disease. Indeed, asthma in the elderly is often
      underdiagnosed or diagnosed as COPD, thus leading to undertreatment of improper
      treatment. This is also due to the heterogeneity of clinical and functional
      presentations of geriatric asthma, including the partial loss of reversibility
      and the lower occurrence of the allergic component in this age range. The older
      asthmatic patients are also characterized the coexistence of comorbid conditions
      that, in conjunction with age-associated structural and functional changes of the
      lung, may contribute to complicate the management of asthma. The current review
      addresses the main issues related to the management of allergic asthma in the
      geriatric age. In particular, the paper aims at revising current pharmacological
      and non pharmacological treatments for allergic asthmatics of advanced ages,
      primarily focusing on their safety and efficacy, although most behaviors are an
      arbitrary extrapolation of what has been tested in young ages. In fact, age has
      always represented an exclusion criterion for eligibility to clinical trials.
      Experimental studies and real life observations specifically testing the efficacy
      and safety of therapeutic approaches in allergic asthma in the elderly are
      urgently needed. 

PMID- 26101469
TI  - Identification of risk factors of severe hypersensitivity reactions in general
      anaesthesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypersensitivity reactions to anaesthetic agents are rare but often
      severe, with a mortality ranging from 4 to 9% in IgE-mediated events.
      Identification of the risk factors may contribute to limit the incidence of these
      reactions. The aim of our study was to search for possible risk factors of severe
      perioperative hypersensitivity reactions in our study population. METHODS: For
      this study we retrospectively reviewed data from 193 patients who experienced
      drug hypersensitivity reactions during general anaesthesia. The diagnostic
      protocol consisted of 1) history of the reaction, 2) measurement of serum
      baseline tryptase and specific IgE-assays for latex, beta-lactams and
      succinylcholine, 3) skin tests for the agents listed in the anaesthesia chart and
      for others likely to be safe for future use, latex, and others medications
      administered during the perioperative period (i.e. antibiotics), 4) subdivision
      of our patients on the basis of two criteria: a) grade of severity of clinical
      reactions according to the Ring and Messmer classification; b) results of skin
      tests and/or serum specific IgE-assays. RESULTS: One hundred of 193 patients had
      reactions of grade I, 32/193 patients had reactions of grade II, 55/193 patients
      had reactions of grade III and 6/193 patients had reactions of grade IV. A
      diagnosis of IgE-mediated reaction was established in 55 cases (28.50%); the most
      common causes were neuromuscular blocking agents, followed by latex and beta
      lactams. Severe reactions were associated with older age (p = 0.025), asthma (p =
      0.042), history of hypertension (p = 0.001), intake of serum angiotensin
      converting enzyme inhibitor medication (p = 0.012) or serum angiotensin II
      antagonist (p = 0.033), higher levels of basal tryptase (p = 0.0211).
      Cardiovascular symptoms (p = 0.006) and history of hypersensitivity to
      antibiotics (p = 0.029) were more frequently reported in IgE-mediated reactions.
      CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed the relevance of several clinical features as risk
      factors for anaphylactic reactions induced by anaesthetic agents: older age,
      asthma, hypertension and antihypertensive drugs. We observed increased levels of
      serum basal tryptase in severe reactions: this finding may signify that this
      biomarker is useful for the identification of patients at risk.

PMID- 26101470
TI  - Contribution of Shellfish Consumption to Lower Mercury Health Risk for Residents
      in Northern Jiaozhou Bay, China.
AB  - Fish and marine mammal consumption are an important pathway for human exposure to
      mercury. The low mercury content in shellfish poses a low mercury health risk to
      people who consume shellfish. The objectives of this study are to detect mercury
      concentrations in different species of shellfish and to calculate the mercury
      health risk from shellfish consumption among traditional residents near northern
      Jiaozhou Bay. A total of 356 shellfish samples, which comprised 7 species from 5
      different places in northern Jiaozhou Bay, were collected from April to June in
      2012. The average mercury content in the collected shellfish ranged from 0.024
      mg.kg(-1) to 0.452 mg.kg(-1). A total of 44 shellfish samples (12.36%) had
      mercury levels exceeding the national pollution-free aquatic products limit (0.3
      mg.kg(-1)). Generally, the viscus had the highest mercury content among all parts
      of the shellfish. A positive correlation between mercury content and total
      weight/edible part weight was found in most species of the collected shellfish.
      The results showed that shellfish consumption resulted in the lower risk of
      mercury exposure to residents based on the calculation of daily intake (DI) and
      target hazard quotient (THQ). 

PMID- 26101472
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in assessment of Meniscal and
      ACL tear: Correlation with arthroscopy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) in injuries related to anterior cruciate ligament and menisci and compare
      its effectiveness with that of arthroscopy. METHODS: This retrospective cross
      sectional study was conducted in the department of Radiology & Medical Imaging of
      Dallah Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from September 2012 to March
      2014. Fifty four patients (including 30 men and 24 women) with internal
      derangement of knee referred from the orthopedic consulting clinics underwent MR
      imaging followed by arthroscopic evaluation. The presence of meniscal and
      ligamentous abnormality on the imaging was documented by two trained radiologist.
      Findings were later compared with arthroscopic findings. RESULTS: The
      sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MR imaging for menisci and ACL injury
      were calculated: 100% sensitivity, 88.4% specificity, 90% positive predictive
      value, 100% negative predictive value, and 94.4% accuracy were noted for medial
      meniscal injury. Similarly, MR had sensitivity of 85.7%, specificity of 95%,
      positive predictive value of 85.7%, negative predictive value of 95%, and
      accuracy of 92.5% for lateral meniscal injuries. Likewise, anterior cruciate
      ligament had 91.6% sensitivity, 95.2% specificity, 84.6% positive predictive
      value, 97.5% negative predictive value, and 94.4% accuracy. CONCLUSION: MRI is
      extremely helpful in identifying meniscal and anterior cruciate ligaments tears.
      MR imaging has high negative predictive value making it better choice as
      screening tool compared to diagnostic arthroscopic evaluation in most patients
      with soft tissue trauma to knee.

PMID- 26101473
TI  - Single nucleotide polymorphisms of nucleotide excision repair and homologous
      recombination repair pathways and their role in the risk of osteosarcoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of polymorphisms in nucleotide excision
      repair (NER) and homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathways on the
      development of osteosarcoma patients. METHODS: Genotypes of ERCC1 rs11615 and
      rs3212986, ERCC2 rs1799793 and rs13181, NBN rs709816 and rs1805794, RAD51
      rs1801320, rs1801321 and rs12593359, and XRCC3 rs861539 were conducted by
      Polymerase Chain Reaction Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)
      assay. RESULTS: Total 148 osteosarcoma patients and 296 control subjects were
      collected from Taizhou First People's Hospital. Conditional logistic regression
      analyses found that individuals carrying with GA+AA genotype of ERCC2 rs1799793
      and GC+CC genotype of NBN rs1805794 were significantly associated with increased
      risk of osteosarcoma, and the ORs(95%CI) were 1.58(1.03-2.41) and 2.66(1.73
      4.08), respectively. We found that GA+AA genotype of ERCC2 rs1799793 or GC+CC
      genotype of NBN rs1805794 were associated with an increased risk of osteosarcoma
      in females, with ORs(95%CI) of 2.42(1.20-4.87) and 2.01(1.07-4.23), respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that ERCC2 rs1799793 and NBN rs1805794
      polymorphisms were associated with an increased risk for osteosarcoma, which
      suggests that NER and HRR pathways modulate the risk of developing osteosarcoma.

PMID- 26101474
TI  - Differential immune cell densities in ductal carcinoma In-Situ and invasive
      breast cancer: Possible role of leukocytes in early stages of carcinogenesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate immune cell densities in pre-neoplastic (DCIS), cancer
      (IDC) and control breast tissues. METHODS: A total of four preneoplastic, 104
      cancer and 104 control samples were analyzed. Morphological classification and
      prognostic scoring along with quantification of immune cells/mm(2) was performed.
      Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 16. Correlation of immune cell
      densities with various tumour sub-types was investigated using paired t-test and
      ANOVA. A p-value of <0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Our data show
      increased infiltration of lymphocytes (mean lymphocytes = 287.6cells/mm(2)) as
      well as myelocytes (mean lymphocytes = 117.1cells/mm(2)) in pre-neoplastic
      tissues. This infiltration was significantly high compared to cancer (p
      value<0.001) as well as control tissues (p-value <0.001). Moreover, we report
      increased infiltration of lymphocytes in cancer tissues compared to controls (p
      value<0.001). There was no difference in lymphocyte densities within various
      tumour sub-types (all p-values >0.05). CONCLUSION: Leukocytes may play a role in
      early stages of breast carcinogenesis.

PMID- 26101475
TI  - Clinical significance of COX-2, GLUT-1 and VEGF expressions in endometrial cancer
      tissues.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical significance of COX-2, GLUT-1 and VEGF
      expressions in endometrial cancer tissues. METHODS: One hundred and eight tissue
      samples from the patients with endometrial cancer enrolled in our hospital from
      August 2011 to July 2014 were selected, including 60 normal tissue samples
      (normal group), 60 neoplastic tissue samples (neoplastic group) and 60 cancer
      tissue samples (cancer group). All the samples were subjected to
      immunohistochemical assay to detect the expressions of COX-2, GLUT-1 and VEGF.
      The clinical data were also investigated for correlation analysis. RESULTS: The
      positive rates of COX-2 in normal group, neoplastic group and cancer groups were
      3.3%, 21.7% and 55.0% respectively. The positive rates of GLUT-1 in normal group,
      neoplastic group and cancer groups were 3.3%, 25.0% and 70.0% respectively. The
      positive rates of VEGF in normal group, neoplastic group and cancer groups were
      1.7%, 23.3% and 63.3% respectively. With increasing stage of such cancer,
      decreasing degree of differentiation and lymphatic metastasis, the positive
      expression rates of COX-2, GLUT-1 and VEGF proteins were raised significantly
      (P<0.05). Spearman's correlation analysis showed that the expressions of COX-2
      and GLUT-1 (r=0.207, P<0.05), COX-2 and VEGF (r=0.243, P<0.05), as well as GLUT-1
      and VEGF (r=0.758, P<0.05) were positively correlated. CONCLUSION: COX-2, GLUT-1
      and VEGF were highly prominent in endometrial cancer, especially in the patients
      with low degree of differentiation, late stage and metastasis. They functioned
      synergistically in the onset and progression of this cancer.

PMID- 26101476
TI  - Frequency of ICD-10 psychiatric diagnosis in children with intellectual
      disability in Lahore, Pakistan & Caregivers Perspective.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Association between Intellectual disability (ID) and psychiatric
      disorders in children & adolescents is well established but there is a paucity of
      published studies from Pakistan on this topic. The main aim of the study was to
      assess the frequency of ICD-10 psychiatric diagnosis in the hospital outpatient
      sample of children with ID in Lahore, Pakistan as well as to find out which
      challenging behaviors, caregivers find difficult to manage in this setup.
      METHODS: Socio-demographic information was collected, Wechsler Intelligence Scale
      for Children-Revised & ICD-10 diagnostic criteria was used to assess children
      (age range 6 - 16 years) with suspected ID along with identification of behaviors
      found to be difficult to manage by caregivers. RESULTS: 150 children were
      assessed with mean age of 10.7 years (males 70 %). Majority (72%) had mild ID
      while 18.7% and 9.3% had moderate and severe ID respectively. Thirty percent of
      children met the criteria for any psychiatric diagnosis, the most common being
      Oppositional Defiant Disorder (14%) and Hyperkinetic Disorders (10%). Verbal and
      physical aggression, school difficulties, socialization problems, inappropriate
      behaviors (e.g. disinhibition), sleep & feeding difficulties were the significant
      areas identified by the caregivers as a cause of major concern. CONCLUSIONS:
      Significantly high prevalence of ICD-10 psychiatric diagnosis in children with ID
      was found in Lahore, Pakistan. Support services for these children should be
      responsive not only to the needs of the child, but also to the needs of the
      family.

PMID- 26101477
TI  - Impact of polymorphisms of the DNA repair gene XRCC1 and their role in the risk
      of prostate cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We conducted a case-control study to examine the role of XRCC1 codons
      194 (Arg>Trp), 280 (Arg>His) and 399 (Arg>Gln) polymorphisms in the risk of
      prostate cancer. METHODS: This study included 572 consecutive primary prostate
      cancer patients and 572 controls between January 2011 and January 2014. The
      polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was
      performed to detect XRCC1 codons 194 (Arg>Trp), 280 (Arg>His) and 399 (Arg>Gln)
      polymorphisms. RESULTS: Compared with the control subjects, the prostate cancer
      cases had a habit of cigarette smoking (chi(2)=18.13, P<0.001) and a family
      history of cancer (chi(2)=25.23, P<0.001). Conditional logistic regression
      analysis showed that the subjects carrying Trp/Trp genotype were more likely to
      greatly increase the prostate cancer when compared with Arg/Arg genotype, and the
      adjusted OR was 2.04(1.24-3.41). We did not find significant association between
      XRCC1 194 (Arg>Trp) polymorphism and clinical stage and Gleason score of prostate
      cancer (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results show an increased risk for prostate
      cancer in individuals with XRCC1 194 (Arg>Trp) polymorphism, and a significant
      interaction between XRCC1 194 (Arg>Trp) polymorphism and tobacco smoking, alcohol
      drinking and family history of cancer.

PMID- 26101478
TI  - Scrub typhus associated hepatic dysfunction and abdominal CT findings.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study investigated abnormal hepatic dysfunction and
      abdominal computed tomography (CT) findings in scrub typhus. METHODS: Three
      hundred forty nine adult patients were diagnosed with scrub typhus. Ninety four
      underwent abdominal CT. The CT images were reviewed by the attending radiologist.
      Patient data of history, symptoms, signs, and results of laboratory tests were
      collected from the electronic medical records. RESULTS: In 349 patients with
      scrub typhus, elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (78.5%) and alanine
      aminotransferase (63.0%) were dominant compared to alkaline phosphatase (27.2%)
      and total bilirubin (16.1%). Abdominal CT findings of 94 patients were, in
      descending order of frequency, enlarged lymph node (53.2%), inhomogeneous
      enhancement of liver (47.9%), splenomegaly (46.8%), ascites (28.7%), low
      attenuation of periportal areas (27.7%), gallbladder wall thickening (17.0%), and
      splenic infarct (6.4%). Also, the level of aspartate aminotransferase tended to
      be elevated according to the number of CT findings (P= 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: We
      found that abdominal CT manifestations of scrub typhus with elevated
      aminotransferases were varied and not specific. However, knowledge of these
      findings may evoke the recognition of scrub typhus by clinicians in endemic
      areas.

PMID- 26101479
TI  - Effect of preemptive analgesia with intravenous oxycodone in the patients
      undergoing laparoscopic resection of ovarian tumor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of preemptive intravenous oxycodone in the
      patients undergoing laparoscopic resection of ovarian tumor. METHODS: Sixty ASA I
      or II patients undergoing elective laparoscopic resection of ovarian tumor were
      randomly allocated to one of two groups: Group O (n=30) received intravenous
      oxycodone (0.1 mg.kg(-1)) 10 minutes before surgery over 2 minutes, and Group N
      (n=30) received an equivalent volume of normal saline. All patients received a
      standardized general anesthesia. MBP and HR at the time of arrival of the
      operating room (T1), 5 min before pneumoperitoneum (T2), 5 minutes (T3), 10
      minutes (T4), and 15 minutes after pneumoperitoneum (T5), and VAS scores at
      postoperative 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hour were recorded. The tramadol consumption and
      side effects in 24 h after surgery were recorded. RESULTS: VAS pain scores at 2,
      4, 8 and 12 hour after operation were significantly lower in Group O (P<0.05).
      MBP and HR increased significantly due to pneumoperitoneum at T3, T4 and T5,
      compared with T1 and T2 within Group N, and were higher at T3, T4 and T5 in Group
      N than at the same time points in Group O. Tramadol consumption was statistically
      lower in Group O (P=0.0003). CONCLUSIONS: Preemptive intravenous oxycodone was an
      efficient and safe method to reduce intraoperative haemodynamic effect and
      postoperative pain.

PMID- 26101480
TI  - Malabsorption of iron as a cause of iron deficiency anemia in postmenopausal
      women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Malabsorption is one of the causes of iron deficiency anemia in
      postmenopausal women. The main objective of this study was to access the
      frequency of malabsorption in iron deficient anemic postmenopausal women.
      METHODS: A total of 123 postmenopausal women were enrolled in the study. Of these
      123 women, 50 were included as 'control group' and 73 patients with comparable
      severity of anemia were the 'patient group'. Two tablets of ferrous sulfate (200
      mg/tablet) along with one tablet of vitamin C (500 mg) were given to all
      participants. Serum iron levels were determined on samples collected from all
      participants before and after the administration of ferrous sulfate. Difference
      between before and after serum iron levels of normal and patients were compared.
      RESULTS: No change in serum iron between sample one and sample two represented
      malabsorption. Out of 73, 5 postmenopausal anemic patients showed no change in
      their serum iron level after the administration of ferrous sulfate. This study
      shows that frequency of malabsorption of iron in postmenopausal women is 6.8%.
      CONCLUSION: Malabsorption should be considered as a prevalent cause of iron
      deficiency anemia in postmenopausal women. It should be properly diagnosed and
      iron response should be monitored properly in postmenopausal women with IDA after
      oral iron therapy. If a postmenopausal woman does not show any response to oral
      iron therapy, she should be evaluated for iron loss (blood loss and/or
      malabsorption). Intravenous route should be used for the administration of iron
      in these patients.

PMID- 26101481
TI  - A comparison study on the clinical effects of foscarnet sodium injection and
      interferon on human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients complicated with
      herpes zoster.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effects of foscarnet sodium injection and
      interferon on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients complicated
      with herpes zoster. METHODS: Ninety HIV-infected patients complicated with herpes
      zoster were divided into a treatment group and a control group that were both
      treated routinely first. Then the control group and treatment group were
      administered with interferon and foscarnet sodium injection respectively for four
      consecutive weeks. RESULTS: After four weeks, the effective rates of the
      treatment and control groups were 95.6% and 80.0% respectively, which were
      significantly different (P < 0.05). The pain scores of the two groups were
      similar before treatment, but the scores of the treatment group were
      significantly lower than those of the control group two and four weeks after
      treatment (P < 0.05) as well as were significantly lower than those before
      treatment (P < 0.05). The numbers of CD4+ cells and the contents of IL-2 of both
      groups two and four weeks after treatment significantly exceeded those before
      treatment (P < 0.05), with significant inter-group differences also (P < 0.05).
      Two and four weeks after treatment, the treatment group scored significantly
      higher in physical activity, energy, sleep, social life and emotional reaction
      than the control group did (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HIV-infected patients are
      prone to being complicated with herpes zoster. Compared with interferon,
      foscarnet sodium injection better improves the clinical outcomes by effectively
      relieving pain and by regulating immune mediated inflammatory diseases, thus
      boosting the prognostic quality of life.

PMID- 26101482
TI  - Vaginal micronized progesterone capsule versus vaginal progesterone gel for
      lutheal support in normoresponder IVF/ICSI-ET cycles.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcomes of luteal phase support by micronized
      progesteron vaginal capsule 600mg/day and progesterone vaginal gel 180mg/day in
      the normoresponder IVF/ICSI-ET cycles of the patients down-regulated via GnRH
      agonist long protocol or fixed antagonist protocol below 40 years of age.
      METHODS: A total of 463 normoresponder cycles between January 2013 and December
      2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Those with a BMI>28 kg/m(2), any kind of
      uterine, ovarian or adnexial pathology, any significant systemic, endocrine or
      metabolic disease or who were reported as azoospermia, were excluded from the
      study. The patients were grouped according to the usage of micronized
      progesterone vaginal capsule 600mg/day (Group 1) or progesterone vaginal gel
      180mg/day (Group 2) as luteal phase support. Treatment cycle characteristics and
      pregnancy outcomes were compared between groups. RESULTS: Group-I included 220
      cycles and group 2 included 243 cycles. Although the MII oocyte percentage among
      the total number of MII oocytes was significantly higher in Group-II (77.5% and
      80.2%; p=0.034), positive beta-hCG (32.3% and 21.8%; p=0.015) and clinical
      pregnancy (27.3% and 17.7%; p=0.018) rates were significantly higher in Group-I.
      No difference was observed between groups regarding the ongoing pregnancy rates
      (23.2% and 17.3%; p=0.143). CONCLUSION: Micronized progesterone vaginal capsule
      600mg daily used for luteal support in the IVF/ICSI-ET cycles was observed to
      significantly increase the biochemical and clinical pregnancy rates compared to
      progesterone vaginal gel 180mg daily. However, no difference was observed between
      two groups regarding ongoing pregnancy rates.

PMID- 26101483
TI  - Clinical outcomes of low-dose leflunomide for rheumatoid arthritis complicated
      with Hepatitis B virus carriage and safety observation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical outcomes of low-dose leflunomide for rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA) complicated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriage and to observe
      the safety. METHODS: A total of 115 RA patients were divided into three groups
      according to the state of HBV. They were all given leflunomide to observe the
      clinical outcomes and whether HBV was activated. RESULTS: The indices (e.g.
      activity score) of all patients were significantly better after treatment than
      those before (P < 0.05), with 89.00% (92/115) of them reaching ACR20. Fourteen
      cases (12.2%) suffered from abnormal liver functions, and 5 cases who had HBV
      reactivation originated from the HBV carriage group. Neither the previous HBV
      infection group nor the infection-free group succumbed to HBV reactivation. The
      multiple regression model showed that the HBV reactivation risk of RA patients
      treated by leflunomide was increased by 30% by the basic state of hepatitis B as
      well as alanine transaminase level and swollen joint count before treatment.
      CONCLUSION: Leflunomide exerted satisfactory therapeutic effects on RA, but liver
      diseases, liver function, HBV-DNA load and the reactivation risks of carried HBV
      should be thoroughly checked and cautiously pondered.

PMID- 26101484
TI  - The prevalence of dyspepsia symptoms and its correlation with the quality of life
      among Qashqai Turkish migrating nomads in Fars Province, Southern Iran.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of dyspepsia and its correlation with
      quality of life in Fars Qashqai Turkish migrating nomads from Southern Iran.
      METHODS: During 2010 we enrolled 397 Qashqai migrating nomads from Southern Iran
      who were 25 years of age or older. Participants completed a questionnaire that
      consisted of demographic factors, lifestyle data, gastrointestinal symptoms, and
      the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire. RESULTS: There was a 48%
      prevalence of dyspepsia symptoms among participants. The prevalence was higher
      among females, those less than 35 years of age, married participants, and those
      with a low body mass index (BMI). The correlation between dyspepsia and quality
      of life was significant. Dyspeptic patients were classified into ulcer-like
      (27.9%), dysmotility-like (26.2%), and unspecified (45.9%) groups. A significant
      correlation existed between dyspepsia symptoms and consumption of dairy products,
      drinking water and tea before and after meals, smoking, dysphagia, reflux,
      heartburn, and use of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen.
      CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of dyspepsia in Qashqai nomads necessitates
      educational health programs for the migrating tribes in order to decrease
      prevalence of this disease.

PMID- 26101485
TI  - Prevalence and associated factors of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) among medical
      laboratory staff at King Saud University Hospitals, KSA.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a group of symptoms
      resulting from local compression of the median nerve at the wrist leading to its
      subsequent functional impairment and local ischemia of the nerve. Our objective
      was to determine the prevalence and commonly reported symptoms of CTS in the
      laboratory workers of King Saud University (KSU) hospitals and to identify the
      associated variables with CTS. METHODS: This was a quantitative observational
      cross-sectional study which was conducted in KSU hospitals' laboratories with a
      total of 225 participants by using a standardized questionnaire known as " Boston
      Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ). Data Analysis was carried out by IBM SPSS
      Statistics software version 21.0. RESULTS: Out of the 225 participants, 57 were
      found to be severely symptomatic with a prevalence of 25.3%. Among the severely
      affected participants, females were more than males (58% > 42%) and the
      difference was statistically significant (p=0.045). Technicians affected (91.2%)
      were more than attendants (8.8%) and the difference was statistically significant
      (p=0.042). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of Carpal tunnel syndrome in KSU hospitals'
      medical laboratory staff (25.3%) was close to what was found in literature
      (21.5%). So laboratory workers are at risk of developing CTS, especially females
      and technicians with the dominant hand most likely to be affected.

PMID- 26101486
TI  - Comparing the effects of Osteoporosis Prevention Exercise Protocol (OPEP) versus
      walking in the prevention of osteoporosis in younger females.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of Osteoporosis
      Prevention Exercise Protocol (OPEP) in younger females. METHODS: One hundred
      young female volunteers aged 20-30 were selected from IPM&R Dow University of
      Health Sciences. This was a comparative study in which 64 females participants
      were randomly assigned into two groups (32 in OPEP exercise group and 32 in
      walking group). The exercise session had three components 1) stretching 2)
      strengthening 3) high impact weight bearing exercises. Both interventional
      programs consisted of 3 sessions per week for twelve weeks under the supervision
      of physiotherapist. Pre and post intervention bone mass density (BMD) was
      measured on the lumbar spine (L1-L4), hip, femur, and distal forearm by using
      Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. RESULTS: After twelve weeks of
      intervention BMD was found to be statistically insignificant at hip, femur,
      lumbar spine and wrist (p > 0.05) comparing the post results in the OPEP and
      exercise group. Moreover BMD at hip, femur, lumbar spine and wrist was unaltered
      in both groups comparing the results of pre and post intervention. Though
      significant changes were observed in BMI in the OPEP exercise group (p value
      =0.010) mean +/- standard deviation pre and post found to be 20.2578 +/- 3.11123
      and 21.0942 +/- 3.64203 but no variations in anthropometrics in walking group
      were found. CONCLUSION: The present study highlights the burden of osteopenia in
      younger females. The Osteoporosis Prevention Exercise Protocol formulated by
      author was not useful to bring any significant changes in BMD moreover it had no
      significant effects in comparison to walking group. However additional studies
      are needed to evaluate the efficacy of Osteoporosis Prevention Exercise Protocol
      on bone quality with long term effects.

PMID- 26101487
TI  - Antibiotic resistance pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from urine
      samples of Urinary Tract Infections patients in Karachi, Pakistan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibiotic resistance
      pattern of Psedomonas aeruginosa and its prevalence in patients with urinary
      tract infections (UTI) for effective treatment in a developing country like
      Pakistan. METHODS: This is an observational study conducted for a period of ten
      months which ended on December 2013 at the Dr. Essa Laboratory and Diagnostic
      Centre in Karachi. A total of 4668 urine samples of UTI patients were collected
      and standard microbiological techniques were performed to identify the organisms
      in urine cultures. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby-Bauer
      technique for twenty five commonly used antimicrobials and then analyzed on SPSS
      version 17. RESULTS: P. aeruginosa was isolated in 254 cultures (5.4%). The most
      resistant drugs included Ceclor(100%) and Cefizox (100%) followed by
      Amoxil/Ampicillin (99.6%), Ceflixime (99.6%), Doxycycline (99.6%), Cefuroxime
      (99.2%), Cephradine (99.2%), Cotrimoxazole (99.2%), Nalidixic acid (98.8%),
      Pipemidic acid (98.6%) and Augmentin (97.6%). CONCLUSION: Emerging resistant
      strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are potentially linked to injudicious use of
      drugs leading to ineffective empirical therapy and in turn, appearance of even
      more resistant strains of the bacterium. Therefore, we recommend culture and
      sensitivity testing to determine the presence of P.aeruginosa prior to specific
      antimicrobial therapy.

PMID- 26101488
TI  - Comparison of therapeutic effects of anterior decompression and posterior
      decompression on thoracolumbar spine fracture complicated with spinal nerve
      injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical therapeutic effects of anterior decompression
      and posterior decompression on thoracolumbar spine fracture (TSF) complicated
      with spinal nerve injury (SNI). METHODS: A total of 120 patients with TSF and SNI
      were selected and divided into a treatment group and a control group that were
      then treated by anterior decompression and posterior decompression respectively.
      The preoperative and postoperative motor scores, tactile scores, heights of
      injured vertebral body and Cobb's angles, as well as surgical times and
      intraoperative blood losses were recorded and compared. RESULTS: Before
      surgeries, the motor score, tactile score, height of injured vertebral body and
      Cobb's angle of the treatment group were similar to those of the control group
      (P>0.05). After surgeries, the values of the treatment group were significantly
      different from those of the control group (P<0.05). The two groups also had
      significantly different intraoperative blood losses and surgical times (P<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Compared with posterior decompression, anterior decompression
      improved spinal cord function better and relived spinal cord compression more
      effectively with a more reasonable mechanics of internal fixation. Although this
      protocol caused more blood loss, the overall therapeutic effects were more
      satisfactory.

PMID- 26101489
TI  - Is rapid antibacterial susceptibility testing medium reliable for routine
      laboratory practices?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Early detection of antibiotic susceptibility profile of the isolates
      has critical importance in terms of immediate beginning of the appropriate
      treatment and increasing of treatment success, such as meningitis, bacteriemia
      and sepsis. In the present study, it was aimed to compare the antibiotic
      susceptibility results of Quicolor (Salubris Inc., Massachusetts, USA) and
      standard disk diffusion method. METHODS: One hundred twenty three isolates were
      included in this study (80 Enterobacteriaceae, 15 Staphylococci and 28
      nonfermentative Gram-negative bacteria). Antibiotic susceptibility in clinical
      isolates was evaluated using Mueller-Hinton (MH) agar and Quicolor (ES and NF)
      agar plates. RESULTS: For Enterobacteriaceae, frequency of total concordance,
      major error, and minor error between the tests were found as 96.8%, 0.8%, and
      2.4%, respectively. For Staphylococci, frequency of total concordance, major
      error, and minor error among the tests were found as 95.7%, 3.5%, and 0.8%,
      respectively. For non fermentative bacteria, frequency of total concordance,
      major error, and minor error among the tests were found as 83.9%, 9.6%, and 6.4%,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Quicolor media provided reliable susceptibility
      results in enteric bacteria and Staphylococci. However, further studies including
      higher number of nonfermentative bacteria are required to determine whether the
      chromogenic media are appropriate for this group of bacteria.

PMID- 26101490
TI  - Association between serum total testosterone and Body Mass Index in middle aged
      healthy men.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine correlation of serum total testosterone with body mass
      index (BMI) and waist hip ratio (WHR) in healthy adult males. METHODS: A cross
      sectional study was conducted on 200 nonsmoker healthy males (aged 30-50 years)
      university employees. They were selected by convenience sampling technique after
      a detailed medical history and clinical examination including BMI and Waist Hip
      Ratio (WHR) calculation. Blood sampling was carried out to measure serum total
      testosterone (TT) using facilities of Chemiluminescence assay (CLIA) technique in
      Dow Chemical Laboratory. Independent sample T test was used for mean comparisons
      of BMI and WHR in between low and normal testosterone groups. (Subjects having <
      9.7 nmol/L of total testosterone in blood were placed in low testosterone group
      and subjects having >= 9.7 nmol/L of total testosterone in blood were placed in
      normal testosterone group). Correlation of testosterone with BMI and WHR was
      analyzed by Pearson Correlation. RESULTS: Mean (+/- SD) age of the subjects
      included in this study was 38.7 (+/- 6.563) years mean (+/- SD) total
      testosterone was 15.92 (+/-6.322)nmol/L. The mean (+/- SD) BMI, and WHR were
      24.95 (+/-3.828) kg/m(2) and 0.946 (+/-0.0474) respectively. Statistically
      significant differences were observed in the mean values of BMI and WHR for the
      two groups of testosterone. Significant inverse correlation of serum total
      testosterone with BMI(r = -0.311, p = 0.000) was recorded in this study. However
      testosterone was not significantly correlated with waist/hip ratio.(r = -0.126, p
      = 0.076). CONCLUSION: Middle age men working at DUHS who have low level of serum
      total testosterone are more obese than individuals with normal total testosterone
      level.

PMID- 26101491
TI  - Frequency of placenta previa in previously scarred and non scarred uterus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of placenta Previa in patients coming to a
      tertiary care unit with previously scarred and non-scarred uterus. METHODS: A
      descriptive cross sectional study was carried on 114 cases who underwent
      caesarean sections (37 cases out of 645 cases with non scarred uterus and 77
      cases from 721 cases with scarred uterus) in the department of obstetrics and
      gynecology Lady Willingdon Hospital from January 2008- December 2011. RESULTS:
      Most patients (47.36%) were between 26-30 years age group, presented with
      gestational age between 36-40 weeks (70.17%), were mostly G2-4, while frequency
      of placenta Previa in non-scarred uterus was 32.45% (37 cases), and frequency in
      previously scarred uterus was 67.54% (77 cases). Major degree Previa was found in
      88 cases (77.19%). There were 5.70% cases of placenta Previa from non-scarred
      uteruses and 10.67% cases of placenta Previa (10.67%) from already scarred
      uteruses. Stratification revealed a higher trend of the morbidity with the
      increase in number of previous caesarean sections. CONCLUSION: A significantly
      higher frequency of placenta Previa was found among patients coming to a tertiary
      care hospital with previously scarred uterus.

PMID- 26101492
TI  - Investigation on the role of VEGF gene polymorphisms in the risk of osteosarcoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The VEGF in low oxygen conditions are reported to prolong the survival
      of malignant cell, and thus this gene has a critical role in tumor growth and
      invasion as well as development of malignant tumor. We aimed to assess the
      association between the six common SNPs and the risk of osteosarcoma, and their
      association with environmental factors. METHODS: 176 subjects with osteosarcoma
      and 176 gender- and sex-matched healthy control individuals were enrolled into
      our study. The VEGF -2578C/A, -1156G/A, +1612G/A, +936C/T, -634G/C and -460T/C
      gene polymorphisms were determined using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction
      fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay according to manufacturer's
      instructions. RESULTS: By conditional logistic regression analysis, AA and CA+AA
      genotypes of VEGF -2578C/A were associated with significant increased risk of
      osteosarcoma compared with CC genotype, and the ORs(95%CI) were 2.32(1.18-4.60)
      and 1.68(1.07-2.64), respectively. Moreover, individuals with CC and TC+CC
      genotypes of VEGF-460T/C had significant increased risk of osteosarcoma compared
      with those carrying with the TT genotype, and ORs(95%CI) were 2.15(1.10-4.21) and
      1.60(1.0-2.58), respectively. By stratified analysis, we did not find
      statistically significant associated between VEGF -2578C/A and -460T/C gene
      polymorphisms and cancer risk by stratification analysis. CONCLUSION: Our results
      suggested that VEGF -2578C/A and -460T/C gene polymorphisms may be association
      with an increased risk of osteosarcoma.

PMID- 26101493
TI  - Association of geographical distribution of air quality index and type 2 diabetes
      mellitus in Isfahan, Iran.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Air pollution is a hazardous environmental problem with several
      adverse health effects including its impact on the development of chronic
      diseases as diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to investigate the association of
      geographical distribution of air quality index (AQI) and type 2 diabetes mellitus
      in an air-polluted city by using geographic information system (GIS). METHODS:
      This cross-sectional study was conducted in Isfahan, Iran. The records that have
      been registered from 2009 to 2012 in major referral public diabetes clinics were
      gathered; they included data of 1467 diabetic patients. Their living area was
      represented with spots in the city map. AQI data were also interpolated from
      monitoring stations spreading around the city. The GIS maps of air pollutants and
      diabetes were developed and the associations were determined. RESULTS: The
      density of diabetic population was higher in highly polluted areas compared with
      areas with the lower levels of air pollution. No significant correlation was
      documented between the distribution of diabetic patients and air pollution level
      throughout the city. CONCLUSION: Although the density of diabetic patients was
      higher in areas with higher air pollution, but the lack of association between
      AQI and the prevalence of diabetes might be because the air of different parts of
      the city was highly polluted, and we could not compare the prevalence of diabetes
      in areas with clean and polluted air.

PMID- 26101494
TI  - Cervical length versus vaginal PH in the second trimester as preterm birth
      predictor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate diagnostic value of vaginal pH and cervical length
      measurement in the second trimester of pregnancy as a preterm labor (PTL)
      predictor. METHODS: During a prospective cohort study 438 uncomplicated singleton
      pregnant women between 18 and 24 weeks of gestation were assessed regarding
      vaginal PH and cervical length. Vaginal pH was measured using Ph-indicator strips
      and cervical length was determined using transvaginal ultrasound. The cut-off
      values for vaginal PH and cervical length were defined as 5 and <30 mm
      respectively. RESULTS: Vaginal pH of 5 and above was found in 162/438 women (37%)
      while cervical length <30mm was found in 38/438 (8.7%). The incidence of PTL < 37
      weeks was 87/438 (19.9%) while the incidence of early (PTL <34 weeks) was 51/438
      (11.6%). Predictive value of higher vaginal PH was significantly more (31%) than
      vaginal PH<5 (13%) in predicting PTL. As a result, alkaline vaginal PH
      significantly increases the odds of preterm labor (OR=3.06). Shortened cervical
      length is better predictor of PTL than higher vaginal PH with positive predictive
      value of 71% and negative predictive value of 85%. Cervical length less than 30
      mm nearly 14-fold increases odds of preterm birth (OR=13.9). CONCLUSION: Compared
      to alkaline vaginal PH, shortened cervical length has better value to predict PTL
      overall. However, regarding early or late PTL, vaginal PH is more accurate to
      predict late PTL, while cervical length measurement is more appropriate to
      predict early PTL (<34 weeks).

PMID- 26101495
TI  - Level of perioperative B-type natriuretic peptide associates with heart function
      after on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery on a beating heart.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship of the perioperative B-type natriuretic
      peptide (BNP) level with heart function among patients undergoing on-pump
      coronary artery bypass graft surgery on a beating heart. METHODS: Total 90
      patients expected to undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery were selected
      and their left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were examined before
      operation. Patients with LVEF greater than or equal to 50% were selected as the A
      group (n=46), and those less than 50% formed the B group (n=44). BNP levels of
      the patients were examined and its relationship with cardiac function was
      analyzed. RESULTS: BNP levels of group A was lower than that in group B pre-and
      post-operatively (until 7 days after the surgery), the difference is
      statistically significant (p<0.05). Pearson analysis showed that the BNP level
      was negatively correlated with the LVEF (r = 0.767, p< 0.05). The area under the
      Roc curve is 0.865. CONCLUSION: BNP level was negatively correlated with the
      LVEF. Perioperative BNP level can be used as the prediction for heart function of
      patients with on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery on a beating heart.

PMID- 26101496
TI  - Adverse fetomaternal outcome among pregnant overweight women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the adverse fetometernal out come in overweight and normal
      weight pregnant women. METHODS: This comparative cohort study was conducted from
      1(st) October 2010 to 30 September 2012. Total 200 gravid women 100 were
      overweight and 100 normal weight pregnant women with gestational age for 08-40
      weeks were included. Women having BMI (25 - 29.9 Kg/m(2)) were measured
      overweight and included in group A and 100 women having normal BMI of 18.5 to
      24.9 as controls were in-group B. Chi-square test was applied to compare the
      proportion of maternal and fetal outcomes. Significant P - value of < 0.05 was
      considered. RESULTS: The age range was between 30 to 45 years with mean age of
      30+/-4.1 years in both groups. Overweight pregnant women had significantly high
      frequency of pre-eclampsia (27% versus 9% in controls), PIH (24% versus 8% in
      controls), gestational diabetes mellitus (22% versus 5% in controls), prolonged
      labour (4% versus 6% in controls), Caesarean section (44% versus 16% in
      controls), Wound infection (3% versus 2% in controls) and Postpartum Hemorrhage
      (5% versus 2% in controls). P-value < 0.001 was considered significance. Fetal
      complications in overweight pregnant women compared to controls i.e. Still birth
      (13% versus 2%), Early neonatal death (11% versus 1%), shoulder dystocia (5%
      versus 1%) and NICU admission (47% versus 10%). Results were statistically
      significant except shoulder dystocia. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the result of
      present study indicates obesity exerts deleterious effect, both on fetal and
      maternal outcome.

PMID- 26101497
TI  - Orofacial findings associated with obstructive sleep apnea in a group of Saudi
      Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate orofacial and occlusion findings associated with
      obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in a group of Saudi children. METHODS: The sample
      consisted of 30 OSA patients, and 30 age and gender matched, healthy control. The
      following facial and occlusal features were evaluated: frontal view, facial
      profile, mandibular angle, tongue size, dental midline to facial midline, upper
      to lower dental midline, overjet, overbite, anterior open bite, cross bite,
      scissors bite, palatal vault, maxillary and mandibular arch crowding and spacing,
      molar and canine relationship. RESULTS: Participants age ranged from 3 to 8
      years. Study group had steeper mandibular angle, deeper palatal vault, and less
      spaced upper and lower arches. There was no statistically significant difference
      between the two examined groups regarding facial morphology, facial profile,
      midline, anterior openbite, tongue size, posterior crossbite, overjet or molar
      relationship. CONCLUSION: OSA children have a relatively different orofacial
      morphology compared with control children. OSA subjects had deeper palatal vault,
      steeper mandibular plane angle and less spaced upper and lower arches compared to
      control.

PMID- 26101498
TI  - Depression in Rheumatoid Arthritis and its relation to disease activity.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the level of depression in Rheumatoid Arthritis and its
      relationship with severity of Rheumatoid Arthritis. METHODS: This cross sectional
      analytical study was conducted from March 2014 to May 2014. Total 102 cases of
      Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) diagnosed as per ACR (American College of Rheumatology)
      1987 criteria were enrolled from Rheumatology Department, Fatima Memorial
      Hospital. Severity of Rheumatoid Arthritis was assessed by Health Assessment
      Questionnaire (HAQ) and disease activity score (DAS - 28) while severity of
      depression was measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scale II
      questionnaire. The relationship between depression and disease activity
      (severity) of Rheumatoid Arthritis was assessed by calculating correlation
      coefficient between depression, disease activity score (DAS 28) of Rheumatoid
      Arthritis and health assessment questionnaire (HAQ). RESULTS: Out of 102
      patients, 77(75.5%) were females and 25(24.5%) males. The mean age of patients
      was 43.5+/- 11.9 years and the mean duration of disease was 7.8 +/- 5.5
      years.71.5% of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients were found to have some degree of
      depression and this was directly related to the severity of disease. Moderate and
      severe depression were present in 23 (22.5%) and 19(18.6%) patients respectively.
      CONCLUSION: In this study, almost three-fourths of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients
      were found to have depression. There was a strong association between Rheumatoid
      Arthritis disease activity and the level of depression. So it is imperative for
      clinicians treating Rheumatoid Arthritis patients to screen them for co morbid
      depression and manage it accordingly.

PMID- 26101499
TI  - Study on relationships among deep vein thrombosis, homocysteine & related B group
      vitamins.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Hyperhomocysteinemia has been considered as a potential risk factor
      for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) but it is still controversy. We aimed to
      evaluate the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia in patients with DVT. Our second
      objective was to document the prevalence of folate, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12
      level in this patient population. METHODS: Sixty patients with DVT aged from 23
      to 84 years, were assessed regarding demographic characteristics, serum levels of
      homocysteine, folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6. The diagnosis of DVT was based
      upon Wells scoring system and serum D-dimer level and confirmed by deep venous
      Doppler ultrasonography of the lower limbs. RESULTS: Mean serum homocysteine
      levels were found significantly higher in patients over the age of 40 years
      (10.81+/-4.26 umol/L vs 9.13+/-3.23 umol/L). Of all the patients, 9 patients had
      homocysteine level above the 15umol/L, 26 had folic acid level below 3 ng/ml, one
      had vitamin B12 level below 150 pmol/L, and two had vitamin B6 level below 30
      nmol/L. In the hyperhomocysteinemic group, five patients had low folic acid
      level, one had low vitamin B12 level, and two had low vitamin B6 level.
      CONCLUSIONS: Hyperhomocysteinemia, in women older than 40 years, may be a risk
      factor for DVT. Folic acid deficiency may also influence serum homocysteine
      concentrations. Folate therapy may be offered to the patients with DVT. However
      further studies are required to clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms.

PMID- 26101500
TI  - Seroprevalence rate of Poliovirus antibodies among the Healthy and Protein Energy
      Malnutrition children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the association between Protein energy malnutrition and polio
      specific immunoglobulin G antibodies production among children in Gadap Town
      Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: Comparative cross sectional survey conducted at fixed
      EPI center and Pediatric OPD of a tertiary care hospital Karachi. Children were
      selected by convenient sampling method during the period from 17 March to 17 May
      2013. It was ensured that they must have received more than seven oral polio
      vaccine doses as eligibility criteria for the study. A total of 170 blood samples
      were collected and tested for the presence of polio-specific IgG antibodies using
      Poliomyelitis IgG ELISA Test Kit produced. RESULTS: Statistically significant
      relation was found between PEM and IgG antibodies production OR (P = 0.000).
      Overall Seroprevalence rate among the study population was 98.8%, PEM group 97.6%
      and healthy group 100%. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that there is a need
      to focus on the protein energy malnutrition among the children as an immunization
      strategy for the 100% seroprevalence rate in all population against polio in
      Pakistan.

PMID- 26101501
TI  - Postnatal depression among women availing maternal health services in a rural
      hospital in South India.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Postnatal depression, with an estimated prevalence of
      13-19%, causes significant impairment of mental health among women worldwide and
      has long term consequences. However, more than half of all cases are not detected
      by healthcare providers. Screening for postnatal depression has not been given
      importance in maternal health programs in India. Our objective was to screen for
      postnatal depression among women attending a rural hospital in India, immediately
      postpartum and at 6-8 weeks post-delivery, and to study associated factors.
      METHODS: A cross sectional study was done on 123 postnatal women attending a
      rural maternity hospital in Karnataka, South India, of whom 74 women were
      interviewed within one week of childbirth, and 49 women at 6-8 weeks post
      delivery. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to screen for
      postnatal depression. RESULTS: About 45.5% of the women screened positive for
      postnatal depression (44.6% of all subjects within one week of delivery and 46.9%
      at 6-8 weeks after delivery). Postnatal depression was significantly associated
      with mood swings during antenatal period, staying with the family of birth during
      pregnancy and away from their husbands, and was significantly higher among women
      who perceived their life as stressful and having a low self-esteem (P<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study found a high prevalence of postnatal depression in women
      in rural Karnataka. This underlines the need for incorporating screening for
      postnatal depression in the routine care of women during pregnancy and delivery.

PMID- 26101502
TI  - Environmental, urinary iodine status and prevalence of goitre among
      schoolchildren in a high altitude area of Saudi Arabia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the iodine deficiency, prevalence of goitre
      among schoolchildren and measuring environmental iodine in Taif city, Saudi
      Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional multistage cluster-sampling methodology was
      done on 1887 schoolchildren. Their urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and goitre
      prevalence was assessed. Blood level of triiodothyronin, thyroxine and thyroid
      stimulating-hormone was carried out for students with normal, mild; moderate and
      sever iodine deficiency. The iodine content of salt, water and soil was also
      assessed. RESULTS: Goitre prevalence was 7.4% and about 71% of the participants
      had UIC less than 100MUg/L. An inverse relationship between median UIC and the
      percent prevalence of goitre was found. The mean serum T3, T4 and TSH were
      1.05ng/dL, 6.81ug/dL, and 5.69mIU/L, respectively. A significant positive
      correlation was found between the mean value of urinary iodine and the mean value
      of both T3 and T4. While a significant negative correlation between the mean
      value of urinary iodine and the mean value of TSH was also noted. CONCLUSIONS:
      The results revealed the presence of a potential public health problem of iodine
      deficiency among school going children in high altitude areas of Saudi Arabia.
      There is a need to monitor and evaluate the salt iodization process, and
      distribute adequately iodized salt in the affected areas.

PMID- 26101504
TI  - Evaluation of root canal morphology of maxillary molars using cone beam computed
      tomography.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The success of endodontic treatment is based on cleaning and shaping
      of the root canals. The root canals have complex morphology and wide individual
      variations. The objective of this study was to analyze root canals morphology and
      existence of extra canals in maxillary molars in Saudi subpopulation. METHODS:
      Freshly extracted maxillary first molars (n=100) were included in this study. All
      teeth were examined for morphology of roots, root canals and apical foramen by
      Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT). The root canals configuration was
      classified using Vertucci's classification. RESULTS: The majority of maxillary
      first molars (94%) were having three distinctly separated roots and 6% had four
      roots. Palatal and distobuccal roots were observed to contain one root canal
      (100%) and Vertucci's type I configuration. The mesiobuccal root had one (29.4%;
      type I) or two canals (70.6%; type II, III or IV). CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of
      second canal in the mesiobuccal root of upper first molar is very much likely
      (>70%). The mesiobuccal roots are more likely to have Vertucci's type I or II
      configuration (>76%). The palatal and distobuccal roots always have a Vertucci's
      type I canal configuration.

PMID- 26101503
TI  - Comparison of primary coronary percutaneous coronary intervention between
      Diabetic Men and Women with acute myocardial infarction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the short-term efficacy and safety of
      primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in female diabetic patients
      complicated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: A total of 169
      diabetic patients with AMI who underwent primary PCI were selected and divided
      into group A (52 females) and group B (117 males). The clinical data,
      characteristics of coronary artery lesions, lengths of hospital stay, and
      incidences of complications were then compared between two groups. RESULTS: The
      average age, history of hyperlipidemia, double branch lesions, triple branch
      lesions, and left main lesions were significantly higher in group A than in group
      B (P < 0.05). Smoking history, PCI history, and pre-infarction angina were
      distinctly lower in group A than in group B (P < 0.05). Thrombolysis in
      myocardial infarction 3 (TIMI3) flow and TIMI myocardial perfusion grade 3
      (TMPG3) after PCI were markedly lower in group A than in group B (P < 0.001).
      Group A had a higher incidence of complications, such as severe arrhythmia,
      cardiac function Killip III/IV, cardiogenic shock, major, moderate and mild bleed
      event, as well as a 30-day mortality rate, compared with group B (P < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: In summary, our study demonstrated that female diabetic patients with
      AMI had lower TIMI3 flow and TMPG3 following PCI than male patients, while there
      was higher incidence of complications and 30-day mortality rate. Therefore, more
      attention should be paid to the therapy of diabetic women with acute myocardial
      infarction as well as the control of risk factors.

PMID- 26101505
TI  - Diagnostic dilemmas in Intraductal papillomas of the breast - Experience at
      Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in the Sultanate of Oman.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective study was to correlate the significance
      and accuracy of the colour of nipple discharge and breast ultrasound imaging in
      the diagnosis of intraductal papilloma. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of
      34 patients who underwent 36 microdochectomies in Sultan Qaboos University
      Hospital (SQUH) in the Sultanate of Oman, over a 4 year period of January 2009
      till December 2012. The confounders considered were patient age, physical
      examination findings, nipple discharge cytology result, ultrasound results and
      biopsy report following microdochectomy. Comparisons analysis, charts and graphs
      were made using the SPSS software (version 20). RESULTS: The mean age of the
      patients was 44(27-73) years old. Twenty-seven out 36 (75%) patients had
      presented with nipple discharge, 14 out 27 (52%) had blood stained nipple
      discharge and 13(48%) with coloured discharge (yellow, brown and green), 9
      patients had no discharge. The final histopathology showed intraductal papilloma
      13 (36%), duct ectasia 18(50%), DCIS 1 (2.7%), fibrocystic disease 3(8.3%) and
      LCIS 1(2.7%). Thirteen out of 36 had intraductal papilloma on final
      histopathology. The correlation between blood stained discharge and final
      histopathology of intraductal papilloma was insignificant (p=0.44). CONCLUSION:
      Nipple discharge is irrelevant to the diagnosis of intraductal papilloma.
      Spontaneous nipple discharge regardless of color is to be referred to breast
      surgeon and to be assessed with triple assessment. Surgery remains the mainstay
      of treatment.

PMID- 26101506
TI  - How frequently external ventricular drainage device should be changed in children
      with ventriculoperitonel shunt infection?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the presenting study was to determine how frequently
      external ventricular drainage (EVD) device should be changed in children with
      ventriculopertienal shunt (VPS) infection during prolonged intravenous
      antimicrobial therapy. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 25 children with VPS
      infection were evaluated between January 2012 and December 2013. In these
      children VPS was surgically removed and appropriate antimicrobial therapy was
      administered according to cerebrospinal culture results. Data noted about how
      frequently EVD device had been changed, the number of cells on direct observation
      of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), glucose and protein levels of CSF, and CSF culture
      results were obtained from patients' records. RESULTS: Total 25 children were
      included in the study. The median age was three months (1 and 65 months). In 44%
      of children, Staphylococcus epidermidis was isolated. During treatment period,
      EVD catheter has changed one to six times. A total of 68 EVD catheters were
      changed in these patients. When the duration of ventriculostomy catheter and
      leukocyte count in CSF were evaluated on daily basis, leukocyte count was
      decreased 5 units per day in children whose catheter remained less than 10 days.
      However, in children whose catheter remained more than 10 days leukocyte count
      was decreased 2.21 units per day. CONCLUSIONS: In children with VPS infection,
      EVD device should be changed at every 10 days for the rapid resolution of the
      infection.

PMID- 26101507
TI  - Typhidot - A blessing or a menace.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Typhoid remain an increasing problem in Third world countries like
      Pakistan. A reliable, easy and affordable rapid diagnostic test is a need for our
      clinicians, many of whom consider Typhidot to be promising. Typhidot has been
      used as the only tool to diagnose typhoid fever by general practitioners and
      consultants despite its low sensitivity and specificity causing misdiagnosis and
      treatment. We therefore conducted this study to evaluate the sensitivity and
      specificity of Typhidot in patients with fever. METHODS: A retrospective analysis
      of a total of 145 febrile patients was done. Blood culture and Typhidot along
      with other relevant investigations had been performed in each case. Sensitivity,
      specificity and the association of Typhidot to the diagnosis was found using SPSS
      v16.0. RESULTS: Out of 145 patients, 15(10.3%) had positive blood culture for
      Salmonella typhi, 7 (4.8%) had positive culture for salmonella paratyphi and
      94(64.8%) had positive culture for other organisms. Twenty nine (20%) patients
      had negative culture results. Forty seven (32.4%) patients had only IgM positive
      on Typhidot, 7(4.8%) had both IgM and IgG positive and 91(62.8%) had both IgM and
      IgG negative. Amongst the 130 patients with diseases other than typhoid,
      50(38.5%) showed a positive Typhidot result. Amongst the 15 patients with
      typhoid, 11(73.3%) showed a negative Typhidot result. The sensitivity of Typhidot
      was found to be 26.7% and the specificity was 61.5%. The Positive Predictive
      Value (PPV) was 7.4% and the Negative Predictive Value (NPV) was 87.9%.
      CONCLUSION: Even though Typhidot is rapid, easy and affordable, its use should be
      discouraged due to low sensitivity and specificity and insignificant (p=0.067)
      association to the disease.

PMID- 26101508
TI  - Association of breast arterial calcification and osteoporosis in Turkish women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Breast arterial calcification (BAC), medial calcific sclerosis of
      small to medium-sized muscular arteries, is a benign finding of mammographic
      evaluation. Previous studies have shown the relationships between BAC and
      systemic disorders such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and
      hypertension. The aim of this study was to determine the association between
      reduced bone mineral density and BAC. METHODS: The study population consisted of
      567 women who had both mammography and bone mineral density evaluation. BAC (+)
      and BAC (-) women were compared for age, body mass index, postmenopausal
      duration, number of deliveries, breastfeeding duration, DM, HT, lipid treatment,
      osteopenia, and osteoporosis. RESULTS: BAC was seen in mammographic evaluation of
      179 women and 388 subjects without BAC accepted as the control group. There was a
      statistically significant relationship between age, postmenopausal duration,
      number of deliveries, history of DM, HT, lipid treatment and BAC. While the
      prevalence of osteopenia was higher in control group (52.8%), the rate of
      osteoporosis (48.7%) was higher in group with BAC. CONCLUSION: There was
      statistically significant relationship between BAC and osteoporosis in
      postmenopausal women. Determination of BAC in routine screening mammography might
      be helpful in both identifying women with risk of cardiovascular disease and
      osteoporosis.

PMID- 26101509
TI  - Consequences of traffic noise in residents of Karachi, Pakistan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To find out effect of road traffic noise on human beings in busy
      places of Karachi, working at these places and to compare its results with the
      previously done studies on this subject. METHODS: This prospective
      epidemiological study was designed to evaluate effects of Noise induced hearing
      Loss due to road traffic at different places (Gurumander, Tibet Centre, Marry
      Weather Tower) of Karachi. A sample of 125 cases were randomly selected who had
      noise exposure of 90 dB or above of their surroundings for more than 6 months.
      The study was conducted from October 1(st) 2013 to January 1(st) 2013. RESULTS:
      The minimum age was 18 years while maximum age was 47 years. The age group found
      most affected was from 23 years to 27 years. The males were 84% and females 16%.
      Subjects exposed to noise for more than 12 hours per day were 36.8%. Varying
      degree of hearing loss was evaluated in subjects where 17.6% were normal, 33.6%
      had mild hearing loss, 45.6% had moderate and 3.2% had moderately severe hearing
      loss. Traffic noise was found to bother 55.2% of subjects. CONCLUSION: Analysis
      of data indicates an enormous increase in noise levels as compared to previous
      studies. This study establishes that there exists a concrete direct link between
      NIHL and duration of exposure to noise above permissible levels. Traffic
      authorities should initiate measures to reduce the noise levels in the city
      particularly at more noisy places.

PMID- 26101510
TI  - Analysis of deep venous thrombosis after Gynecological surgery: A clinical study
      of 498 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To find out the clinical characteristics and risk factors for deep
      venous thrombosis (DVT) after gynecological surgery. METHODS: Four hundred and
      ninety-eight patients treated surgically in the department of gynecology of our
      hospital from July 2012 to May 2014 were reviewed retrospectively. The data
      including patient age, gender, medical history, hospital stay, anesthesia type,
      operation time, occupation type, operative or postoperative medicine,
      perioperative bleeding, postoperative activity time, mortality rate and so on,
      were collected. RESULTS: Among 498 patients, 58 were included in the thrombosis
      group, 423 patients in the non-thrombosis group and 17 patients were excluded.
      The incidence of deep venous thrombosis was 11.6%. In 58 cases with deep venous
      thrombosis, 6 cases developed pulmonary embolism and two patients died, the
      mortality rate for pulmonary embolism is 33.3%. In multivariate analysis, age,
      malignant tumor, cardiovascular comorbidity and postoperative hemostatics dose
      are independent risk factors, physical labour and minimally invasive surgery are
      protective factors for DVT. CONCLUSION: The patients with elder age, malignant
      tumor, cardiovascular comorbidity or large postoperative hemostatics dose should
      be paid high attention to and the minimally invasive surgery are optimal
      treatment in preventing DVT.

PMID- 26101511
TI  - Effect of course coordinator behavior and motivation on students' achievement:
      Results from five curriculum blocks of two undergraduate student cohorts at King
      Saud bin Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between
      students' perception of course/block coordinators performance and attributes with
      students' assessment scores in respective courses. METHODS: This retrospective
      data based study was conducted at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin
      Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences (KSAU-HS). It was started in March 2013
      and completed in June 2013 after the graduation of the fourth cohort. Exam score
      of 3(rd) and 4(th) cohort of students from the courses taught in the last two
      years of medical school were correlated with faculty and block evaluation done by
      the students. Scores from mid-block MCQs, portfolio scores, OSCEs and end-of
      block MCQs were obtained. RESULTS: The Mean scores of all the assessments for all
      five blocks were not significantly different for both batches. There was
      significant difference between block coordinators for students' score on
      portfolio, midterm exam and the final written exam. The students' Score in OSCE
      had significantly strong correlation with quality of station monitors, coverage
      of content and flow between stations. Student's perception of the commitment and
      motivation of the coordinator was strongly correlated with block organization,
      availability of clinical cases, performance of block coordinator, cooperation
      with students, and organization of clinical activities. CONCLUSIONS: Block
      coordinator's motivation and commitment affects quality of block organization and
      student's success. Faculty training programs should include block management
      competencies and components identified through self-determination theory for
      improving the intrinsic motivation for students success.

PMID- 26101512
TI  - Glomerular diseases outcome at one year in a tertiary care centre.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine outcome in primary and secondary glomerular diseases at
      one year follow up. METHODS: Study design is observational cohort, done in out
      patient department, Dow Iinternational Medical College, DUHS. All information
      gathered on a proforma. All patients with dipstick positive proteinuria and
      clinical glomerular disease were included in study. Patients with no proteinuria
      were excluded so were patients with stage 5 CKD. Patients were followed for
      proteinuria and renal insufficiency at completion of one year follow up.
      Statistical analysis was done on SPSS version 16. RESULT: Total number of
      patients who completed one year follow up was 173. Mean age of patients was
      51.67+ 10.16 (range 15 to 75 years). Ninety two (53.2%), were males and 81(46.8%)
      were females, ratio being 1.1: 1.0. Mean weight of our patients was 67.43+ 14.13
      Kg, (35 to 107 kg). Commonest cause of glomerular disease in our patient was
      diabetic nephropathy which was seen in 94.2% patients. Commonest associated
      problem with glomerular disease was hypertension seen in 66.5% of patients. Four
      out of 173 patients had stage 5 CKD at end of follow up at one year while
      quantitativ proteinuria remained same at one year follow up. CONCLUSION: One year
      follow up is critical for patients with glomerular disease associated with stage
      4 CKD as progression to end stage renal failure may be seen within one year in
      these patients.

PMID- 26101513
TI  - An overview of smoking practices in Pakistan.
AB  - Smoking remains a major player in morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is a
      matter of immense public health importance as single leading cause of preventable
      deaths. The aim of this study was to assess smoking practices that prevail across
      Pakistan & Attitude of people towards this issue. We conducted an extensive
      search on major databases as well as search of bibliography of published
      literature for studies assessing Attitudes and Practices of tobacco smoking that
      prevail across Pakistan. Data from available studies was abstracted and utilized
      in preparation of this manuscript. After screening of 613 articles, we were able
      to identify 22 studies matching our criteria for inclusion. Majority of studies
      reported adolescence as time of initiation. Average national prevalence was
      21.6%. A significant portion of smokers comprised of females. The prevalence of
      smoking in healthcare professionals ranged from 32 - 37%. Passive smoking was a
      major contributor of tobacco exposure. Prevalence of 'Shisha' use was 33%.
      Smoking continues to be a major Public Health issue in Pakistan. The prevalence
      in healthcare professionals and adolescents is alarming. Adequate measures need
      to be taken to ensure its control. 

PMID- 26101514
TI  - Steroid-induced ischemic bone necrosis of femoral head: Treatment strategies.
AB  - Fat hypertrophy, intravascular coagulation, and fat emboli are important risk
      factors of steroid-induced ischemic bone necrosis (SI-IBN) which may develop
      during the initial one year after commencing the use of steroids. This pathology
      is best studied by MRI, particularly for its staging. The cautious strategies
      such as low dose, oral route, short duration of steroid usage, use of steroid
      sparing agent, and alcohol avoidance should be followed as a traditional therapy.
      The objective of this review article was to recognize and evaluate various
      Treatment strategies for steroid-induced ischemic bone necrosis of femoral head.
      LITERATURE SEARCH: Various electronic databases including PubMed, Google and
      Cochrane library were comprehensively searched for articles on steroid-induced
      ischemic bone necrosis of femoral head and its treatment strategies. Ninety four
      articles were reviewed, examined and importantly appraised and the most
      appropriate 32 papers were used to write this review article. CONCLUSION:
      Bisphosphonates, alendronate, and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatments have been
      reported to be effective against IBN. To recommend the regular use of
      bisphosphonate in IBN patients, more evidences with a larger number of patients
      are required to verify its therapeutic effectiveness. Core decompression,
      osteotomy, bone graft and tantalum rod are the surgical approaches for the
      management of IBN. Advance form of IBN (bone tissue collapse) is advised to be
      treated with arthroplasty which should be durable, particularly in young
      patients.

PMID- 26101515
TI  - A rare case of bilateral bronchial foreign body.
AB  - We present the case of a 7-year-old male patient with bilateral bronchial
      cocklebur fruit aspiration, which he sustained while playing. The patient
      presented with a triad of cough, wheezing, and decreased breath sounds (decreased
      in the right lung and absent in the left). These symptoms led to a diagnosis of
      bilateral bronchial foreign body, which was confirmed by computed tomography
      three-dimensional reconstruction of the bronchial tree. The patient was on the
      verge of death during operation but was ultimately rescued. Our therapeutic
      experience in treating this case of bilateral bronchial cocklebur fruit
      aspiration may provide a good reference for others. 

PMID- 26101516
TI  - A rare case of paralysis in an endemic area.
AB  - Thyrotoxicosis mostly presents with tachycardia, tremor, weight loss and other
      hypermetabolism signs. However, there are other unusual signs of thyrotoxicosis
      such as paralysis. This unusual clinical presentation may postpone prompt
      diagnosis and treatment. In this case report, we present a 27-years-old woman,
      who presented with quadriparesis at the emergency department. 

PMID- 26101517
TI  - Ebola Virus: The need to take some preventive measures.

PMID- 26101518
TI  - Use of Corticosteroids in the management of Idiopathic Pulmonary Haemosiderosis:
      Do we have enough evidence.
AB  - Idiopathic Pulmonary Haemosiderosis (IPH) is a rare disease commonly affecting
      the paediatric population with approximately 500 globally reported cases in the
      literature. The disease usually presentswith a symptom triad consisting of
      ferropenic anaemia, cough with haemoptysis and diffuse bilateral alveolar
      infiltrates. Therapeutic options for this disorder are not only limited but also
      not fully effective. Moreover, corticosteroids remain the mainstay of IPH
      treatment. This communication reviews the available evidence in support of
      corticosteriod usage in the treatment of IPH. We conclude that the use of
      corticosteroid in IPH treatment is unfathomed and demands further investigation. 

PMID- 26101519
TI  - Publication Audit - a useful tool to evaluate progress and plan for the future.

PMID- 26101520
TI  - Inclusion of Neuropsychological Scores in Atrophy Models Improves Diagnostic
      Classification of Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment.
AB  - Brain atrophy in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are
      difficult to demarcate to assess the progression of AD. This study presents a
      statistical framework on the basis of MRI volumes and neuropsychological scores.
      A feature selection technique using backward stepwise linear regression together
      with linear discriminant analysis is designed to classify cognitive normal (CN)
      subjects, early MCI (EMCI), late MCI (LMCI), and AD subjects in an exhaustive two
      group classification process. Results show a dominance of the neuropsychological
      parameters like MMSE and RAVLT. Cortical volumetric measures of the temporal,
      parietal, and cingulate regions are found to be significant classification
      factors. Moreover, an asymmetrical distribution of the volumetric measures across
      hemispheres is seen for CN versus EMCI and EMCI versus AD, showing dominance of
      the right hemisphere; whereas CN versus LMCI and EMCI versus LMCI show dominance
      of the left hemisphere. A 2-fold cross-validation showed an average accuracy of
      93.9%, 90.8%, and 94.5%, for the CN versus AD, CN versus LMCI, and EMCI versus
      AD, respectively. The accuracy for groups that are difficult to differentiate
      like EMCI versus LMCI was 73.6%. With the inclusion of the neuropsychological
      scores, a significant improvement (24.59%) was obtained over using MRI measures
      alone. 

PMID- 26101521
TI  - Cumulative Small Effect Genetic Markers and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer in
      Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia.
AB  - The continued identification of new low-penetrance genetic variants for
      colorectal cancer (CRC) raises the question of their potential cumulative effect
      among compound carriers. We focused on 6 SNPs (rs380284, rs4464148, rs4779584,
      rs4939827, rs6983267, and rs10795668), already described as risk markers, and
      tested their possible independent and combined contribution to CRC
      predisposition. Material and Methods. DNA was collected and genotyped from 2330
      unselected consecutive CRC cases and controls from Estonia (166 cases and
      controls), Latvia (81 cases and controls), Lithuania (123 cases and controls),
      and Poland (795 cases and controls). Results. Beyond individual effects, the
      analysis revealed statistically significant linear cumulative effects for these 6
      markers for all samples except of the Latvian one (corrected P value = 0.018 for
      the Estonian, corrected P value = 0.0034 for the Lithuanian, and corrected P
      value = 0.0076 for the Polish sample). Conclusions. The significant linear
      cumulative effects demonstrated here support the idea of using sets of low-risk
      markers for delimiting new groups with high-risk of CRC in clinical practice that
      are not carriers of the usual CRC high-risk markers. 

PMID- 26101522
TI  - Outcomes and Risk Factors Associated with Clostridium difficile Diarrhea in
      Hospitalized Adult Patients.
AB  - Background. The epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection has changed over
      time. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the characteristics of patients at
      risk of infection and factors associated with poor prognosis. Objective. To
      evaluate factors associated with C. difficile infection and with poor prognosis
      in those with documented C. difficile colitis. Methods. A retrospective case
      control study of 75 patients with documented C. difficile colitis and 75 controls
      with hospital-acquired diarrhea of other causes. Stepwise multiple logistic
      regression was used to identify factors associated with C. difficile infection
      among patients with hospital-acquired diarrhea. Results. Previous antibiotic
      treatment (odds ratio (OR), 13.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.40-126.90),
      abdominal distension (OR, 3.85; 95% CI, 1.35-10.98), and fecal leukocytes (OR,
      8.79; 95% CI, 1.41-54.61) are considered as predictors of C. difficile colitis;
      anorexia was negatively associated with C. difficile infection (OR, 0.15; 95% CI,
      0.03-0.66). Enteral tube feeding was independently associated with a composite
      outcome that included in-hospital mortality, intensive care unit admission, and
      treatment failure (OR, 3.75; 95%CI, 1.24-11.29). Conclusions. Previous antibiotic
      use and presence of fecal leukocytes in patients with hospital-acquired diarrhea
      are associated with C. difficile colitis and enteral tube support with
      complications associated with C. difficile colitis. 

PMID- 26101523
TI  - Technical Feasibility of TachoSil Application on Esophageal Anastomoses.
AB  - Purpose. Sealing esophageal anastomoses with a sealant patch (TachoSil)
      containing human fibrinogen and thrombin may improve mechanical strength. The aim
      was to evaluate the technical feasibility of the application of a sealant patch
      in upper gastrointestinal surgery. Methods. In total 15 patients, 18-80 years
      old, undergoing thoracolaparoscopic esophagectomy with esophagogastrostomy or
      laparoscopic total gastrectomy with esophagojejunostomy was included. Different
      techniques of anastomotic TachoSil patch application were tested and recorded on
      video. Results. TachoSil was successfully applied to the esophagogastrostomy (n =
      11) and to the esophagojejunostomy (n = 4). A median of 2 (1-6) attempts was
      necessary to reach successful application. The median duration was 7 (3-26)
      minutes before successful application was accomplished. The best technique in
      esophagectomy was the application of TachoSil with the use of 2 cellophane
      sheets. For total gastrectomy, the patch was folded into a harmonica shape and
      wrapped around the esophagojejunostomy. Although not significant, the number of
      attempts and time to success showed a decreasing trend along with the increased
      experience. Conclusion. Application of TachoSil as a sealant of esophageal
      anastomoses was technically feasible. Future studies may investigate the value of
      TachoSil application on the prevention of anastomotic leakage. 

PMID- 26101524
TI  - Adjuvant Chemoradiation Therapy in Gastric Cancer: Critically Reviewing the Past
      and Visualizing the Next Step Forward.
AB  - Gastric cancer remains one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Despite the
      significant advances in surgical treatment and multimodality strategies,
      prognosis has modestly improved over the last two decades. Locoregional relapse
      remains one of the main issues and the combined chemoradiation treatment seems to
      be one of the preferred approaches. However, more than ten years after the
      hallmark INT-0116 trial, minimal progress has been made both in terms of
      effectiveness and toxicity. Moreover, new regimens added to combined therapy
      failed to prove favourable results. Herein, we attempt a thorough literature
      review comparing pros and cons of all relative studies and potential bias,
      targeting well-designed future approaches. 

PMID- 26101525
TI  - Studying and Incorporating Efficiency into Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Centers.
AB  - Efficiency is defined as the use of resources in such a way as to maximize the
      production of goods and services. Improving efficiency has been the focus of
      management in many industries; however, it has not been until recently that
      incorporating efficiency models into healthcare has occurred. In particular, the
      study and development of improvement projects aimed at enhancing efficiency in GI
      have been growing rapidly in recent years. This focus on improving efficiency in
      GI has been spurred by the dramatic rise in the demand for endoscopic procedures
      as well as the rising number of insured patients requiring GI care coupled at the
      same time with limited resources in terms of staffing and space in endoscopy
      centers. This paper will critically review the history of efficiency in endoscopy
      centers, first by looking at other healthcare industries that have extensively
      studied and improved efficiency in their fields, examine a number of proposed
      efficiency metrics and benchmarks in endoscopy centers, and finally discuss
      opportunities where endoscopy centers could improve their efficiency. 

PMID- 26101526
TI  - Intoxication by Cyanide in Pregnant Sows: Prenatal and Postnatal Evaluation.
AB  - Cyanide is a ubiquitous chemical in the environment and has been associated with
      many intoxication episodes; however, little is known about its potentially toxic
      effects on development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of
      maternal exposure to potassium cyanide (KCN) during pregnancy on both sows and
      their offspring. Twenty-four pregnant sows were allocated into four groups that
      orally received different doses of KCN (0.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 mg/kg of body
      weight) from day 21 of pregnancy to term. The KCN-treated sows showed
      histological lesions in the CNS, thyroid follicle enlargement, thyroid epithelial
      thickening, colloid reabsorption changes, and vacuolar degeneration of the renal
      tubular epithelium. Sows treated with 4.0 mg/kg KCN showed an increase in the
      number of dead piglets at birth. Weaned piglets from all KCN-treated groups
      showed histological lesions in the thyroid glands with features similar to those
      found in their mothers. The exposure of pregnant sows to cyanide thus caused
      toxic effects in both mothers and piglets. We suggest that swine can serve as a
      useful animal model to assess the neurological, goitrogenic, and reproductive
      effects of cyanide toxicosis. 

PMID- 26101527
TI  - Diabetes Mellitus 2014.

PMID- 26101529
TI  - Satellite Cells CD44 Positive Drive Muscle Regeneration in Osteoarthritis
      Patients.
AB  - Age-related bone diseases, such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, are strongly
      associated with sarcopenia and muscle fiber atrophy. In this study, we analyzed
      muscle biopsies in order to demonstrate that, in osteoarthritis patients, both
      osteophytes formation and regenerative properties of muscle stem cells are
      related to the same factors. In particular, thanks to immunohistochemistry,
      transmission electron microscopy, and immunogold labeling we investigated the
      role of BMP-2 in muscle stem cells activity. In patients with osteoarthritis both
      immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy allowed us to note a
      higher number of CD44 positive satellite muscle cells forming syncytium.
      Moreover, the perinuclear and cytoplasmic expression of BMP-2 assessed by in situ
      molecular characterization of satellite cells syncytia suggest a very strict
      correlation between BMP-2 expression and muscle regeneration capability. Summing
      up, the higher BMP-2 expression in osteoarthritic patients could explain the
      increased bone mineral density as well as decreased muscle atrophy in
      osteoarthrosic patients. In conclusion, our results suggest that the control of
      physiological BMP-2 balance between bone and muscle tissues may be considered as
      a potential pharmacological target in bone-muscle related pathology. 

PMID- 26101528
TI  - The Clinical Status of Stem Cell Therapy for Ischemic Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) is becoming a leading cause of morbidity and
      mortality in the whole world. Stem cell-based therapy is emerging as a promising
      option for treatment of ICM. Several stem cell types including cardiac-derived
      stem cells (CSCs), bone marrow-derived stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs),
      skeletal myoblasts (SMs), and CD34(+) and CD 133(+) stem cells have been applied
      in clinical researches. The clinical effect produced by stem cell administration
      in ICM mainly depends on the transdifferentiation and paracrine effect. One
      important issue is that low survival and residential rate of transferred stem
      cells in the infracted myocardium blocks the effective advances in cardiac
      improvement. Many other factors associated with the efficacy of cell replacement
      therapy for ICM mainly including the route of delivery, the type and number of
      stem cell infusion, the timing of injection, patient's physical condition, the
      particular microenvironment onto which the cells are delivered, and clinical
      condition remain to be addressed. Here we provide an overview of the pros and
      cons of these transferred cells and discuss the current state of their
      therapeutic potential. We believe that stem cell translation will be an ideal
      option for patients following ischemic heart disease in the future. 

PMID- 26101530
TI  - Increased Body Mass Index during Therapy for Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic
      Leukemia: A Significant and Underestimated Complication.
AB  - Objective & Design. We undertook a retrospective review of children diagnosed
      with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and treated with modern COG protocols (n
      = 80) to determine longitudinal changes in body mass index (BMI) and the
      prevalence of obesity compared with a healthy reference population. Results. At
      diagnosis, the majority of patients (77.5%) were in the healthy weight category.
      During treatment, increases in BMI z-scores were greater for females than males;
      the prevalence of obesity increased from 10.3% to 44.8% (P < 0.004) for females
      but remained relatively unchanged for males (9.8% to 13.7%, P = 0.7).
      Longitudinal analysis using linear mixed-effects identified associations between
      BMI z-scores and time-dependent interactions with sex (P = 0.0005), disease risk
      (P < 0.0001), age (P = 0.0001), and BMI z-score (P < 0.0001) at diagnosis and
      total dose of steroid during maintenance (P = 0.01). Predicted mean BMI z-scores
      at the end of therapy were greater for females with standard risk ALL
      irrespective of age at diagnosis and for males younger than 4 years of age at
      diagnosis with standard risk ALL. Conclusion. Females treated on standard risk
      protocols and younger males may be at greatest risk of becoming obese during
      treatment for ALL. These subgroups may benefit from intervention strategies to
      manage BMI during treatment for ALL. 

PMID- 26101531
TI  - Thymoquinone Protects against Myocardial Ischemic Injury by Mitigating Oxidative
      Stress and Inflammation.
AB  - The present study was aimed at investigating the cardioprotective activity of
      thymoquinone (TMQ), an active principle of the herb, Nigella sativa, which is
      used for the management of various diseases. The present study examined the
      cardioprotective effect of TMQ in isoproterenol- (ISP-) induced myocardial
      infarction in rats. Myocardial infarction was induced by two subcutaneous
      injections of ISP (85 mg/kg) at an interval of 24 hr. TMQ (20 mg/kg) was
      administered orally for 21 days. ISP-treated rats showed depletion of
      antioxidants and marker enzymes from myocardium along with lipid peroxidation and
      enhanced levels of proinflammatory cytokines. ISP also induced histopathological
      alterations in myocardium. Treatment with TMQ prevented the depletion of
      endogenous antioxidants and myocyte injury marker enzymes and inhibited lipid
      peroxidation as well as reducing the levels of proinflammatory cytokines. TMQ
      pretreatment also reduced myonecrosis, edema, and infiltration of inflammatory
      cells and showed preservation of cardiomyocytes histoarchitecture. The present
      study results demonstrate that TMQ exerts cardioprotective effect by mitigating
      oxidative stress, augmenting endogenous antioxidants, and maintaining structural
      integrity. The results of the present study indicate that TMQ may serve as an
      excellent agent alone or as adjuvant to prevent the onset and progression of
      myocardial injury. 

PMID- 26101532
TI  - In Vitro Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antibiofilm, Antioxidant, and Anticancer
      Properties of Isosteviol Isolated from Endangered Medicinal Plant Pittosporum
      tetraspermum.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the in vitro antibacterial, antifungal,
      antibiofilm, antioxidant, and anticancer properties of isosteviol isolated from
      endangered medicinal plant Pittosporum tetraspermum. Pure compound was obtained
      and characterized by column chromatography followed by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, IR,
      and mass spectral analysis. The antimicrobial activities of the compound were
      assessed by the broth microdilution method and the antioxidant properties were
      determined using reducing ability assay, DPPH scavenging assay, hydroxyl radical
      scavenging activity, and superoxide radical scavenging assay. Anticancer study
      was evaluated by following MTT assay. Column purification and spectrocopical
      analysis lead to identifying isosteviol from the crude ethyl acetate extract. The
      compound exhibited significant activity against bacteria such as Staphylococcus
      epidermidis (125 ug/mL), Staphylococcus aureus (125 ug/mL), and Klebsiella
      pneumoniae (62.5 ug/mL). The MIC of the compound against Candida albicans,
      Aspergillus niger, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes was 62.5, 125, and 500 ug/mL,
      respectively. The compound showed comparatively better antibiofilm activity
      against E. coli, S. typhi, and P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, it exhibited good
      antioxidant properties. Anticancer properties of the compound against Vero and
      MCF7 cell lines were its advantage. Novel isosteviol would be useful to reduce
      the infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms or slow the progress
      of various oxidative stress-related diseases. 

PMID- 26101533
TI  - Effects of a Dietary Supplement with Barley Sprout Extract on Blood Cholesterol
      Metabolism.
AB  - Objective. Barley sprout (Hordeum vulgare L.) contains 4.97% fat, 52.6%
      polysaccharide, and 34.1% protein along with a variety of vitamins, minerals, and
      polyphenolic compounds. Hexacosanol is one such compound from the barley leaf
      that might improve cholesterol metabolism by decreasing cholesterol synthesis.
      Method. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of barley
      sprout extract on serum lipid metabolism in healthy volunteers (n = 51). Subjects
      were randomly divided into two groups: one group consumed a single capsule of
      barley leaf extract daily (n = 25, 42.48 +/- 13.58 years) and the other consumed
      placebo capsules (n = 26, 40.54 +/- 11.1 years) for 12 weeks. Results. After 12
      weeks, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein- (LDL-) cholesterol were not
      lower in the barley sprout extract group compared to the placebo group (p = 0.415
      and p = 0.351, resp.) and no differences in clinical or laboratory findings were
      observed between both groups. Conclusion. Our study failed to show significant
      lipid-lowering effects of barley sprout extract, possibly due to dosage, duration
      of therapy, and small sample size. Despite our nonsignificant findings, barley
      sprout has a possibility as a functional health food; therefore future research
      is needed. 

PMID- 26101534
TI  - Partially Automated Method for Localizing Standardized Acupuncture Points on the
      Heads of Digital Human Models.
AB  - Having modernized imaging tools for precise positioning of acupuncture points
      over the human body where the traditional therapeutic method is applied is
      essential. For that reason, we suggest a more systematic positioning method that
      uses X-ray computer tomographic images to precisely position acupoints. Digital
      Korean human data were obtained to construct three-dimensional head-skin and
      skull surface models of six individuals. Depending on the method used to pinpoint
      the positions of the acupoints, every acupoint was classified into one of three
      types: anatomical points, proportional points, and morphological points. A
      computational algorithm and procedure were developed for partial automation of
      the positioning. The anatomical points were selected by using the structural
      characteristics of the skin surface and skull. The proportional points were
      calculated from the positions of the anatomical points. The morphological points
      were also calculated by using some control points related to the connections
      between the source and the target models. All the acupoints on the heads of the
      six individual were displayed on three-dimensional computer graphical image
      models. This method may be helpful for developing more accurate experimental
      designs and for providing more quantitative volumetric methods for performing
      analyses in acupuncture-related research. 

PMID- 26101535
TI  - Herbal SGR Formula Prevents Acute Ethanol-Induced Liver Steatosis via Inhibition
      of Lipogenesis and Enhancement Fatty Acid Oxidation in Mice.
AB  - Our previous study indicated that herbal SGR formula partially attenuates ethanol
      induced fatty liver, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present
      study, mice were pretreated with SGR (100 and 200 mg/kg/d bw) for 30 d before
      being exposed to ethanol (4.8 g/kg bw). The biochemical indices and
      histopathological changes were examined to evaluate the protective effects and to
      explore potential mechanisms by investigating the adiponectin, tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR
      alpha), sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), adenosine
      monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and so forth. Results showed that
      SGR pretreatment markedly inhibited acute ethanol-induced liver steatosis,
      significantly reduced serum and hepatic triglyceride (TG) level, and improved
      classic histopathological changes. SGR suppressed the protein expression of
      hepatic SREBP-1c and TNF-alpha and increased adiponectin, PPAR-alpha, and AMPK
      phosphorylation in the liver. Meanwhile, acute toxicity tests showed that no
      death or toxic side effects within 14 days were observed upon oral administration
      of the extracts at a dose of 16 g/kg body wt. These results demonstrate that SGR
      could protect against acute alcohol-induced liver steatosis without any toxic
      side effects. Therefore, our studies provide novel molecular insights into the
      hepatoprotective effect of SGR formula, which may be exploited as a therapeutic
      agent for ethanol-induced hepatosteatosis. 

PMID- 26101536
TI  - A Multicenter, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial to Evaluate the
      Efficacy and Safety of Duliang Soft Capsule in Patients with Chronic Daily
      Headache.
AB  - Objective. To investigate the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine
      Duliang soft capsule (DSC) in prophylactic treatment for patients with chronic
      daily headache (CDH). Methods. A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo
      controlled clinical study was conducted at 18 Chinese clinical centers. The
      participants received either DSC or placebo for 4 weeks. The primary efficacy
      measure was headache-free rate (HFR) in a 4-week period between the pretreatment
      and posttreatment stages. The secondary efficacy measures were the decrease of
      headache days, the duration of headache attacks, the frequency of analgesic
      usage, quality of life, disability, and the headache severity (VAS scores). The
      accompanying symptoms and adverse events were also assessed. Results. Of 584 CDH
      patients assessed, 468 eligible patients were randomized. 338 patients received
      DSC, while 111 patients were assigned in the placebo group. Following treatment,
      there was a 16.56% difference in HFR favoring DSC over placebo (P < 0.01).
      Significant differences were also observed between DSC and placebo groups in the
      secondary measures. However, no statistical difference was found between the two
      groups in the associated symptoms. No severe adverse effects were observed in the
      study. Conclusions. DSC might be an effective and well-tolerated option for the
      prophylactic treatment of patients with CDH. 

PMID- 26101537
TI  - The Effect of Channa striatus (Haruan) Extract on Pain and Wound Healing of Post
      Lower Segment Caesarean Section Women.
AB  - Channa striatus has been consumed for decades as a remedy to promote wound
      healing by women during postpartum period. The objectives of this study were to
      compare postoperative pain, wound healing based on wound evaluation scale (WES),
      wound cosmetic appearance based on visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and patient
      satisfaction score (PSS), and safety profiles between C. striatus group and
      placebo group after six weeks of lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) delivery.
      A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted. Subjects were
      randomised in a ratio of 1 : 1 into either the C. striatus group (500 mg daily)
      or placebo group (500 mg of maltodextrin daily). 76 subjects were successfully
      randomised, with 38 in the C. striatus group and 35 in the placebo group. There
      were no significant differences in postoperative pain (p = 0.814) and WES (p =
      0.160) between the C. striatus and placebo groups. However, VAS and PSS in the C.
      striatus group were significantly better compared with the placebo group (p =
      0.014 and p < 0.001, resp.). The safety profiles showed no significant
      differences between the groups. In conclusion, six-week supplementation of 500 mg
      of C. striatus extract showed marked differences in wound cosmetic appearance and
      patient's satisfaction and is safe for human consumption. 

PMID- 26101538
TI  - The Hepatoprotective Effect of Haoqin Qingdan Decoction against Liver Injury
      Induced by a Chemotherapeutic Drug Cyclophosphamide.
AB  - Haoqin Qingdan decoction (HQQD), a modern Chinese formula, has been widely used
      in Eastern Asia. Our study focuses on the hepatoprotective effect of HQQD against
      cyclophosphamide-induced hepatotoxicity. S180, a kind of ascites tumor cells, was
      used to establish S180-bearing mice, followed by the injection of
      cyclophosphamide (CP, 80 mg/kg) every other day for 5 times. HQQD was used
      intragastrically at the dose of 80 g/kg, 40 g/kg, and 20 g/kg twice a day for 12
      days. HL-7702 hepatic cell line was incubated with HQQD-medicated serum. Then we
      detected the effects of HQQD on (i) tumor suppression; (ii) morphological
      examination; (iii) SOD, MDA, GSH, ALT, and AST; (iv) cleaved caspase-3 expression
      and (v) cellular viability. CP caused dramatic elevations of AST, ALT, and MDA,
      while HQQD notably attenuated these elevations. SOD and GSH were notably
      increased, which were efficiently attenuated by HQQD. CP injection significantly
      increased apoptosis by increasing cleaved caspase-3 expression, which was
      obviously inhibited by HQQD, accompanied by the improvement of cells viability.
      Histopathological examinations supported the above findings. Therefore, HQQD may
      protect liver tissue through attenuating oxidative stress and the caspase-3
      dependent intrinsic apoptosis induced by CP, which suggests the potentially
      therapeutic effect of HQQD in the use of alkylating agent for cancer
      chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26101539
TI  - Systems Pharmacology Dissecting Holistic Medicine for Treatment of Complex
      Diseases: An Example Using Cardiocerebrovascular Diseases Treated by TCM.
AB  - Holistic medicine is an interdisciplinary field of study that integrates all
      types of biological information (protein, small molecules, tissues, organs,
      external environmental signals, etc.) to lead to predictive and actionable models
      for health care and disease treatment. Despite the global and integrative
      character of this discipline, a comprehensive picture of holistic medicine for
      the treatment of complex diseases is still lacking. In this study, we develop a
      novel systems pharmacology approach to dissect holistic medicine in treating
      cardiocerebrovascular diseases (CCDs) by TCM (traditional Chinese medicine).
      Firstly, by applying the TCM active ingredients screened out by a systems-ADME
      process, we explored and experimentalized the signed drug-target interactions for
      revealing the pharmacological actions of drugs at a molecule level. Then, at a/an
      tissue/organ level, the drug therapeutic mechanisms were further investigated by
      a target-organ location method. Finally, a translational integrating pathway
      approach was applied to extract the diseases-therapeutic modules for
      understanding the complex disease and its therapy at systems level. For the first
      time, the feature of the drug-target-pathway-organ-cooperations for treatment of
      multiple organ diseases in holistic medicine was revealed, facilitating the
      development of novel treatment paradigm for complex diseases in the future. 

PMID- 26101540
TI  - Correlation between CD117+ myeloma plasma cells and hematopoietic progenitor
      cells in different categories of patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a neoplastic disorder of plasma cells
      interesting mainly the elderly. MM remains an incurable disease, mostly because
      of the strong interplay between clonal plasma cells (cPCs) and bone marrow (BM)
      microenvironment. Multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) allows the simultaneous
      study of the cPC immunophenotype and alterations involving other cells in BM, but
      rarely these data are interpreted as connected. One exception to this habit are
      previous studies about relationship between CD117 cPC positivity and
      hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) distribution in newly diagnosed patients.
      Thus we were interested in verifying the distribution of BM CD34+ HPCs in healthy
      controls, and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) patients
      and various categories of responding/relapsing MM subjects divided according to
      CD117 positivity. RESULTS: Our data completely agree with precedent reports as
      regards untreated patients. In the group with progression of disease, CD117-
      patients exhibited a lower CD34 + CD19-/CD34 + CD19+ ratio vs CD117+ subjects.
      Among CD117- cases, newly diagnosed patients exhibited differences in
      distribution of HPCs vs responding myeloma subjects and patients with progressive
      disease. These differences reached statistical significance comparing CD117-
      newly diagnosed with CD117- responding cases, as reflected by CD34 + CD19-/CD34 +
      CD19+ ratio. In turn, no differences emerged comparing CD117+ treated and
      untreated patients. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that administration of treatment
      and depth of reached response/presence of relapse imply a distinct regulation in
      distribution of CD34+ HPC subsets in CD117- and CD117+ patients. These
      differences become evident comparing untreated and treated CD117- patients, but
      they are impossible to detect in CD117+ cases.

PMID- 26101542
TI  - Inducing Herd Immunity against Seasonal Influenza in Long-Term Care Facilities
      through Employee Vaccination Coverage: A Transmission Dynamics Model.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vaccinating healthcare workers (HCWs) in long-term care facilities
      (LTCFs) may effectively induce herd immunity and protect residents against
      influenza-related morbidity and mortality. We used influenza surveillance data
      from all LTCFs in New Mexico to validate a transmission dynamics model developed
      to investigate herd immunity induction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We adjusted a
      previously published transmission dynamics model and used surveillance data from
      an active system among 76 LTCFs in New Mexico during 2006-2007 for model
      validation. We used a deterministic compartmental model with a stochastic
      component for transmission between residents and HCWs in each facility in order
      to simulate the random variation expected in such populations. RESULTS: When
      outbreaks were defined as a dichotomous variable, our model predicted that herd
      immunity could be induced. When defined as an attack rate, the model demonstrated
      a curvilinear trend, but insufficiently strong to induce herd immunity. The model
      was sensitive to changes in the contact parameter beta but was robust to changes
      in the visitor contact probability. CONCLUSIONS: These results further elucidate
      previous studies' findings that herd immunity may not be induced by vaccinating
      HCWs in LTCFs; however, increased influenza vaccination coverage among HCWs
      reduces the probability of influenza infection among residents.

PMID- 26101541
TI  - Sumo and the cellular stress response.
AB  - The ubiquitin family member Sumo has important functions in many cellular
      processes including DNA repair, transcription and cell division. Numerous studies
      have shown that Sumo is essential for maintaining cell homeostasis when the cell
      encounters endogenous or environmental stress, such as osmotic stress, hypoxia,
      heat shock, genotoxic stress, and nutrient stress. Regulation of transcription is
      a key component of the Sumo stress response, and multiple mechanisms have been
      described by which Sumo can regulate transcription. Although many individual
      substrates have been described that are sumoylated during the Sumo stress
      response, an emerging concept is modification of entire complexes or pathways by
      Sumo. This review focuses on the function and regulation of Sumo during the
      stress response. 

PMID- 26101543
TI  - Inside of the Linear Relation between Dependent and Independent Variables.
AB  - Simple and multiple linear regression analyses are statistical methods used to
      investigate the link between activity/property of active compounds and the
      structural chemical features. One assumption of the linear regression is that the
      errors follow a normal distribution. This paper introduced a new approach to
      solving the simple linear regression in which no assumptions about the
      distribution of the errors are made. The proposed approach maximizes the
      probability of observing the event according to the random error. The use of the
      proposed approach is illustrated in ten classes of compounds with different
      activities or properties. The proposed method proved reliable and was showed to
      fit properly the observed data compared to the convenient approach of normal
      distribution of the errors. 

PMID- 26101544
TI  - From Heuristic to Mathematical Modeling of Drugs Dissolution Profiles:
      Application of Artificial Neural Networks and Genetic Programming.
AB  - The purpose of this work was to develop a mathematical model of the drug
      dissolution (Q) from the solid lipid extrudates based on the empirical approach.
      Artificial neural networks (ANNs) and genetic programming (GP) tools were used.
      Sensitivity analysis of ANNs provided reduction of the original input vector. GP
      allowed creation of the mathematical equation in two major approaches: (1) direct
      modeling of Q versus extrudate diameter (d) and the time variable (t) and (2)
      indirect modeling through Weibull equation. ANNs provided also information about
      minimum achievable generalization error and the way to enhance the original
      dataset used for adjustment of the equations' parameters. Two inputs were found
      important for the drug dissolution: d and t. The extrudates length (L) was found
      not important. Both GP modeling approaches allowed creation of relatively simple
      equations with their predictive performance comparable to the ANNs (root mean
      squared error (RMSE) from 2.19 to 2.33). The direct mode of GP modeling of Q
      versus d and t resulted in the most robust model. The idea of how to combine ANNs
      and GP in order to escape ANNs' black-box drawback without losing their superior
      predictive performance was demonstrated. Open Source software was used to deliver
      the state-of-the-art models and modeling strategies. 

PMID- 26101545
TI  - Optimized inorganic carbon regime for enhanced growth and lipid accumulation in
      Chlorella vulgaris.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Large-scale algal biofuel production has been limited, among other
      factors, by the availability of inorganic carbon in the culture medium at
      concentrations higher than achievable with atmospheric CO2. Life cycle analyses
      have concluded that costs associated with supplying CO2 to algal cultures are
      significant contributors to the overall energy consumption. RESULTS: A two-phase
      optimal growth and lipid accumulation scenario is presented, which (1) enhances
      the growth rate and (2) the triacylglyceride (TAG) accumulation rate in the
      oleaginous Chlorophyte Chlorella vulgaris strain UTEX 395, by growing the
      organism in the presence of low concentrations of NaHCO3 (5 mM) and controlling
      the pH of the system with a periodic gas sparge of 5 % CO2 (v/v). Once cultures
      reached the desired cell densities, which can be "fine-tuned" based on initial
      nutrient concentrations, cultures were switched to a lipid accumulation
      metabolism through the addition of 50 mM NaHCO3. This two-phase approach
      increased the specific growth rate of C. vulgaris by 69 % compared to cultures
      sparged continuously with 5 % CO2 (v/v); further, biomass productivity (g L(-1)
      day(-1)) was increased by 27 %. Total biodiesel potential [assessed as total
      fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) produced] was increased from 53.3 to 61 % (FAME
      biomass(-1)) under the optimized conditions; biodiesel productivity (g FAME L(-1)
      day(-1)) was increased by 7.7 %. A bicarbonate salt screen revealed that American
      Chemical Society (ACS) and industrial grade NaHCO3 induced the highest TAG
      accumulation (% w/w), whereas Na2CO3 did not induce significant TAG accumulation.
      NH4HCO3 had a negative effect on cell health presumably due to ammonia toxicity.
      The raw, unrefined form of trona, NaHCO3?Na2CO3 (sodium sesquicarbonate) induced
      TAG accumulation, albeit to a slightly lower extent than the more refined forms
      of sodium bicarbonate. CONCLUSIONS: The strategic addition of sodium bicarbonate
      was found to enhance growth and lipid accumulation rates in cultures of C.
      vulgaris, when compared to traditional culturing strategies, which rely on
      continuously sparging algal cultures with elevated concentrations of CO2(g). This
      work presents a two-phased, improved photoautotrophic growth and lipid
      accumulation approach, which may result in an overall increase in algal biofuel
      productivity.

PMID- 26101546
TI  - Precipitate obtained following membrane separation of hydrothermally pretreated
      rice straw liquid revealed by 2D NMR to have high lignin content.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hydrothermal pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass such as rice
      straw can dissolve part of the lignin and hemicellulose into a liquid fraction,
      thus facilitating enzyme accessibility to cellulose in bioethanol production
      process. Lignin is awaited to be recovered after hydrothermal pretreatment for
      utilization as value-added chemical, and lignin recovery also means removal of
      fermentation inhibitors. To recover lignin with high content from the liquid
      fraction, it is necessary to separate lignin and hemicellulose-derived
      polysaccharide. Therefore, the following processes were applied: membrane
      separation with nanofiltration (NF) and enzymatic hydrolysis by hemicellulase. To
      clarify lignin-concentrated fraction obtained during these processes, the fates
      of lignin and polysaccharide components were pursued by a solution NMR method and
      confirmed by compositional analysis of each fraction. RESULTS: After hydrothermal
      pretreatment of rice straw, the NF concentrate of the supernatant of liquid
      fraction was hydrolyzed by hemicellulase and the resulting black precipitate was
      recovered. In this black precipitate, the intensity of NMR spectra related to
      lignin aromatic regions increased and those related to polysaccharides decreased,
      compared to rice straw, the solid fraction after hydrothermal pretreatment, and
      the NF concentrate. The lignin content of the black precipitate was 65.8 %.
      Lignin in the black precipitate included 52.9 % of the acid-insoluble lignin and
      19.4 % of the soluble lignin in the NF concentrate of supernatant of liquid
      fraction. CONCLUSION: A precipitate with high lignin content was obtained from
      supernatants of the liquid fraction. These results suggested that precipitation
      of lignin was enhanced from concentrated mixtures of lignin and hemicellulosic
      polysaccharides by hydrolyzing the polysaccharides. Precipitation of lignin can
      contribute to lignin recovery from lignocellulosic biomass and, at the same time,
      allow more efficient ethanol production in the subsequent fermentation process.

PMID- 26101548
TI  - Open Drug Discovery Toolkit (ODDT): a new open-source player in the drug
      discovery field.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There has been huge progress in the open cheminformatics field in
      both methods and software development. Unfortunately, there has been little
      effort to unite those methods and software into one package. We here describe the
      Open Drug Discovery Toolkit (ODDT), which aims to fulfill the need for
      comprehensive and open source drug discovery software. RESULTS: The Open Drug
      Discovery Toolkit was developed as a free and open source tool for both computer
      aided drug discovery (CADD) developers and researchers. ODDT reimplements many
      state-of-the-art methods, such as machine learning scoring functions (RF-Score
      and NNScore) and wraps other external software to ease the process of developing
      CADD pipelines. ODDT is an out-of-the-box solution designed to be easily
      customizable and extensible. Therefore, users are strongly encouraged to extend
      it and develop new methods. We here present three use cases for ODDT in common
      tasks in computer-aided drug discovery. CONCLUSION: Open Drug Discovery Toolkit
      is released on a permissive 3-clause BSD license for both academic and industrial
      use. ODDT's source code, additional examples and documentation are available on
      GitHub (https://github.com/oddt/oddt).

PMID- 26101547
TI  - Quantitative modeling of dose-response and drug combination based on pathway
      network.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quantitative description of dose-response of a drug for complex
      systems is essential for treatment of diseases and drug discovery. Given the
      growth of large-scale biological data obtained by multi-level assays,
      computational modeling has become an important approach to understand the
      mechanism of drug action. However, due to complicated interactions between drugs
      and cellular targets, the prediction of drug efficacy is a challenge, especially
      for complex systems. And the biological systems can be regarded as networks,
      where nodes represent molecular entities (DNA, RNA, protein and small compound)
      and processes, edges represent the relationships between nodes. Thus we combine
      biological pathway-based network modeling and molecular docking to evaluate drug
      efficacy. RESULTS: Network efficiency (NE) and network flux (NF) are both global
      measures of the network connectivity. In this work, we used NE and NF to
      quantitatively evaluate the inhibitory effects of compounds against the
      lipopolysaccharide-induced production of prostaglandin E2. The edge values of the
      pathway network of this biological process were reset according to the Michaelis
      Menten equation, which used the binding constant and drug concentration to
      determine the degree of inhibition of the target protein in the pathway. The
      combination of NE and NF was adopted to evaluate the inhibitory effects. The dose
      response curve was sigmoid and the EC50 values of 5 compounds were in good
      agreement with experimental results (R(2) = 0.93). Moreover, we found that 2
      drugs produced maximal synergism when they were combined according to the ratio
      between each EC50. CONCLUSIONS: This quantitative model has the ability to
      predict the dose-response relationships of single drug and drug combination in
      the context of the pathway network of biological process. These findings are
      valuable for the evaluation of drug efficacy and thus provide an effective
      approach for pathway network-based drug discovery.

PMID- 26101549
TI  - Synthesis and cytotoxicity studies of 1-propenyl-1,3-dihydro-benzimidazol-2-one.
AB  - A heterocyclic compound 1-propenyl-1,3-dihydro-benzimidazol-2-one was synthesized
      by a palladium-catalyzed rearrangement reaction. Anticancer activities were
      confirmed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT)
      assay against Neura 2a (neuroblastoma cell), HEK 293 (kidney cancer) and MCF-7
      (breast cancer) cell lines at low micromolar range. Furthermore, clear images
      from phase-contrast and fluorescence microscopes and confocal images
      unambiguously confirm the cancer cell death. The single X-ray crystal structure
      of the compound unambiguously proves the structure of the benzimidazolone
      compound. 

PMID- 26101550
TI  - Design and activity of AP endonuclease-1 inhibitors.
AB  - Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease-1/redox effector factor-1 (APE-1) is a
      critical component of base excision repair that excises abasic lesions created
      enzymatically by the action of DNA glycosylases on modified bases and non
      enzymatically by hydrolytic depurination/depyrimidination of nucleobases. Many
      anticancer drugs generate DNA adducts that are processed by base excision repair,
      and tumor resistance is frequently associated with enhanced APE-1 expression.
      Accordingly, APE-1 is a potential therapeutic target to treat cancer. Using
      computational approaches and the high resolution structure of APE-1, we developed
      a 5-point pharmacophore model for APE-1 small molecule inhibitors. One of the nM
      APE-1 inhibitors (AJAY-4) that was identified based on this model exhibited an
      overall median growth inhibition (GI50) of 4.19 MUM in the NCI-60 cell line
      panel. The mechanism of action is shown to be related to the buildup of abasic
      sites that cause PARP activation and PARP cleavage, and the activation of caspase
      3 and caspase-7, which is consistent with cell death by apoptosis. In a drug
      combination growth inhibition screen conducted in 10 randomly selected NCI-60
      cell lines and with 20 clinically used non-genotoxic anticancer drugs, a synergy
      was flagged in the SK-MEL-5 melanoma cell line exposed to combinations of
      vemurafenib, which targets melanoma cells with V600E mutated BRAF, and AJAY-4,
      our most potent APE-1 inhibitor. The synergy between AJAY-4 and vemurafenib was
      not observed in cell lines expressing wild-type B-Raf protein. This synergistic
      combination may provide a solution to the resistance that develops in tumors
      treated with B-Raf-targeting drugs. 

PMID- 26101551
TI  - Prediction of protein targets of kinetin using in silico and in vitro methods: a
      case study on spinach seed germination mechanism.
AB  - Kinetin, a cytokinin which promotes seed germination by inhibiting the action of
      abscisic acid, is an important molecule known to trigger various molecular
      mechanisms by interacting with an array of proteins shown from experimental
      observations in various model organisms. We report here the prediction of most
      probable protein targets of kinetin from spinach proteome using in silico
      approaches. Inverse docking and ligand-based similarity search was performed
      using kinetin as molecule. The former method prioritized six spinach proteins,
      whereas the latter method provided a list of protein targets retrieved from
      several model organisms. The most probable protein targets were selected by
      comparing the rank list of docking and ligand similarity methods. Both of these
      methods prioritized chitinase as the most probable protein target (DeltaG pred =
      5.064 kcal/mol) supported by the experimental structure of yeast chitinase 1
      complex with kinetin (PDB: 2UY5) and Gliocladium roseum chitinase complex with
      3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione (caffeine; 3G6M) which bears a 3D
      similarity of 0.43 with kinetin. An in vitro study to evaluate the effect of
      kinetin on spinach seed germination indicated that a very low concentration of
      kinetin (0.5 mg/l) did not show a significant effect compared to control in
      inducing seed germination process. Further, higher levels of kinetin (>0.5 mg/l)
      constituted an antagonist effect on spinach seed germination. It is anticipated
      that kinetin may have a molecular interaction with prioritized protein targets
      synthesized during the seed germination process and reduces growth. Thus, it
      appears that kinetin may not be a suitable hormone for enhancing spinach seed
      germination in vitro. 

PMID- 26101553
TI  - JOCB Bulletin.

PMID- 26101552
TI  - Steroidal dihydrocarbothioic acid amido pyrazoles: synthesis, characterization,
      cytotoxicity and genotoxicity studies.
AB  - A new series of steroidal dihydrocarbothioic acid amido pyrazole analogues were
      synthesized, and after characterization, evaluation for cytotoxicity, comet assay
      and western blotting was carried out. The synthesis of these analogues is
      convenient and involves two steps, i.e. aldol condensation as first step followed
      by nucleophilic addition of thiosemicarbazide across alpha, beta-unsaturated
      carbonyl as a later step. Quantitative yields of more than 80 % are obtained in
      both the steps. After characterization by IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, MS and
      analytical data, all the compounds of both series were tested for cytotoxic
      activity against a panel of different human cancer cell lines by MTT assay,
      during which compound 3e, 3f, 4e, 4f and 4h are very potent especially against
      HepG2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. Cell cycle analysis depicted the cell death in
      S-phase while as annexin V-FITC/PI analysis showed that compounds effectively
      induce apoptosis. Apoptotic degradation of DNA of MCF-7 cells in the presence of
      different steroidal derivatives was analysed by agarose gel electrophoresis and
      visualized by ethidium bromide staining (comet assay). In western blotting
      analysis, the relative expressions of relevant apoptotic markers depicted an
      apoptosis by steroidal dihydropyrazole in MCF-7 cancer cells. 

PMID- 26101554
TI  - State of emergency medicine in Rwanda 2015: an innovative trainee and trainer
      model.
AB  - The 1994 Rwandan war and genocide left more than 1 million people dead; millions
      displaced; and the country's economic, social, and health infrastructure
      destroyed. Despite remaining one of the poorest countries in the world, Rwanda
      has made remarkable gains in health, social, and economic development over the
      last 20 years, but modern emergency care has been slow to progress. Rwanda has
      recently established the Human Resources for Health program to rapidly build
      capacity in multiple sectors of its healthcare delivery system, including
      emergency medicine. This project involves multiple medical and surgical
      residencies, nursing programs, allied health professional trainings, and hospital
      administrative support. A real strength of the program is that trainers work with
      international faculty at Rwanda's referral hospital, but also as emergency
      medicine specialty trainers when returning to their respective district
      hospitals. Rwanda's first emergency medicine trainees are playing a unique and
      important role in the implementation of emergency care systems and education in
      the country's district hospitals. While there has been early vital progress in
      building emergency medicine's foundations in Rwanda, there remains much work to
      be done. This will be accomplished with careful planning and strong commitment
      from the country's healthcare and emergency medicine leaders. 

PMID- 26101556
TI  - Youths' socialization to work and school within the family.
AB  - The present study tested a model of socialization to work in the family context
      and its implications as a lever for school engagement using a sample of 154
      parent-youth dyads living in the United States. A path model was fitted to data.
      Findings revealed that parents' reported work experiences was aligned to youths'
      perception of their parents' success in the work domain. Also, a significant
      association was found between youth's perception of their parents' family success
      and youth's emotional and experiential conceptualizations of work. Furthermore,
      youth who viewed work as a positive experience were more likely to be engaged in
      schoolwork, both emotionally and cognitively. Implications for vocational
      guidance are discussed.

PMID- 26101555
TI  - Treatment of Acanthamoeba neurotrophic corneal ulcer with topical matrix therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was done to evaluate the visual and anatomical outcomes of
      topical regenerating agents as a novel therapy for neutrophic corneal ulcer (NCU)
      secondary to acanthamoeba infection. FINDINGS: A 20-year-old woman with a history
      of contact lens wear was referred to our hospital for keratitis after responding
      poorly to conventional treatment. In vivo confocal microscopy images suggested
      acanthamoeba keratitis with double-walled cysts in the anterior corneal stroma.
      Acanthamoeba infection was confirmed by laboratory findings. She was started on
      0.1 % propamidine and 0.02 % chlorhexidine drops every hour. The antibiotic and
      antifungal drops were stopped when bacterial and fungal cultures proved negative.
      A central neurotrophic corneal ulcers (NCU) appeared, and despite treatment with
      artificial tears, bandage contact lens, and autologous serum, the ulcer worsened
      and she was treated with topical CACICOL20 (1 drop every 2 days) for 8 weeks. The
      corneal defect was completely repaired in 3 weeks. The treatment was well
      tolerated, and no local or systemic side effects were noted. Visual acuity
      remained 20/400. Two months later, the defect was still closed and the patient
      continued with 0.1 % propamidine and 0.02 % chlorhexidine drops, bandage contact
      lens, artificial tears, and autologous serum. CONCLUSIONS: Topical regenerating
      agents interact with components of the extracellular matrix, binding matrix
      proteins and protecting them from proteolysis, restoring the matrix environment,
      and improving tissue healing. In this case, CALCICOL20 was effective for vision
      stabilization, wound healing, and was well tolerated for NCU secondary to
      acanthamoeba infection.

PMID- 26101559
TI  - Target (In)Validation: A Critical, Sometimes Unheralded, Role of Modern Medicinal
      Chemistry.
AB  - Small molecule drug discovery commonly ventures into previously unknown and
      unexplored target space. For such programs, an important role of medicinal
      chemistry is to generate molecules that enable the most reliable conclusions from
      a preclinical target validation/invalidation study. Multiple facets of chemistry
      that provide the most rigorous results for such an experiment are highlighted. 

PMID- 26101557
TI  - Metallothionein-I/II Knockout Mice Aggravate Mitochondrial Superoxide Production
      and Peroxiredoxin 3 Expression in Thyroid after Excessive Iodide Exposure.
AB  - PURPOSE: We aim to figure out the effect of metallothioneins on iodide excess
      induced oxidative stress in the thyroid. METHODS: Eight-week-old MT-I/II knockout
      (MT-I/II KO) mice and background-matched wild-type (WT) mice were used.
      Mitochondrial superoxide production and peroxiredoxin (Prx) 3 expression were
      measured. RESULTS: In in vitro study, more significant increases in mitochondrial
      superoxide production and Prx 3 expression were detected in the MT-I/II KO
      groups. In in vivo study, significantly higher concentrations of urinary iodine
      level were detected in MT-I/II KO mice in 100 HI group. Compared to the NI group,
      there was no significant difference existing in serum thyroid hormones level in
      either groups (P > 0.05), while the mitochondrial superoxide production was
      significantly increased in 100 HI groups with significantly increased LDH
      activity and decreased relative cell viability. Compared to WT mice, more
      significant changes were detected in MT-I/II KO mice in 100 HI groups. No
      significant differences were detected between the NI group and 10 HI group in
      both the MT-I/II KO and WT mice groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Iodide excess in
      a thyroid without MT I/II protection may result in strong mitochondrial oxidative
      stress, which further leads to the damage of thyrocytes.

PMID- 26101558
TI  - Immunohistochemical Study of Nrf2-Antioxidant Response Element as Indicator of
      Oxidative Stress Induced by Cadmium in Developing Rats.
AB  - In developing animals, Cadmium (Cd) induces toxicity to many organs including
      brain. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are often implicated in Cd-inducedtoxicity
      and it has been clearly demonstrated that oxidative stress interferes with the
      expression of genes as well as transcriptional factors such as Nrf2-dependent
      Antioxidant Response Element (Nrf2-ARE). Cd-generated oxidative stress and
      elevated Nrf2 activity have been reported in vitro and in situ cells. In this
      study we evaluated the morphological changes and the expression pattern of Nrf2
      and correlated them with the Cd concentrations in different ages of developing
      rats in heart, lung, kidney, liver, and brain. The Cd content in different organs
      of rats treated with the metal was increased in all ages assayed. Comparatively,
      lower Cd brain levels were found in rats intoxicated at the age of 12 days, then
      pups treated at 5, 10, or 15 days old, at the same metal dose. No evident
      changes, as a consequence of cadmium exposure, were evident in the morphological
      analysis in any of the ages assayed. However, Nrf2-ARE immunoreactivity was
      observed in 15-day-old rats exposed to Cd. Our results support that fully
      developed blood-brain barrier is an important protector against Cd entrance to
      brain and that Nrf2 increased expression is a part of protective mechanism
      against cadmium-induced toxicity. 

PMID- 26101560
TI  - Pyridinonaphthyridinone Inhibitors of Type 2 Methionine Aminopeptidase.

PMID- 26101561
TI  - Treatment of Cancer with NAMPT Inhibitors.

PMID- 26101562
TI  - Prostaglandin EP3 Receptor Antagonists May Provide Novel Treatment for Diabetes.

PMID- 26101563
TI  - Inhibition of Cathepsin K: A Novel and Promising Treatment for Osteoporosis.

PMID- 26101565
TI  - Selective Acetamidine-Based Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitors: Synthesis, Docking,
      and Biological Studies.
AB  - N-[(3-Aminomethyl)benzyl]acetamidine derivatives were synthesized and in vitro
      evaluated as inhibitors of the inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS).
      Because of the high potency of action and the excellent selectivity over the
      endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), compound 10 was ex vivo evaluated on
      isolated and perfused resistance arteries. The results confirm that compound 10
      selectively inhibits the iNOS, without affecting the endothelial isoform. The
      outcome of the docking studies showed that the hydrophobic interaction is the
      driving force of the binding process, especially for iNOS, where the binding
      pocket is characterized by a significant lipophilic region. 

PMID- 26101564
TI  - MLN8054 and Alisertib (MLN8237): Discovery of Selective Oral Aurora A Inhibitors.
AB  - The Aurora kinases are essential for cell mitosis, and the dysregulation of
      Aurora A and B have been linked to the etiology of human cancers. Investigational
      agents MLN8054 (8) and alisertib (MLN8237, 10) have been identified as high
      affinity, selective, orally bioavailable inhibitors of Aurora A that have
      advanced into human clinical trials. Alisertib (10) is currently being evaluated
      in multiple Phase II and III clinical trials in hematological malignancies and
      solid tumors. 

PMID- 26101566
TI  - Optimization of ADME Properties for Sulfonamides Leading to the Discovery of a T
      Type Calcium Channel Blocker, ABT-639.
AB  - The discovery of a novel peripherally acting and selective Cav3.2 T-type calcium
      channel blocker, ABT-639, is described. HTS hits 1 and 2, which have poor
      metabolic stability, were optimized to obtain 4, which has improved stability and
      oral bioavailability. Modification of 4 to further improve ADME properties led to
      the discovery of ABT-639. Following oral administration, ABT-639 produces robust
      antinociceptive activity in experimental pain models at doses that do not
      significantly alter psychomotor or hemodynamic function in the rat. 

PMID- 26101567
TI  - Generation of Broad-Spectrum Antifungal Drug Candidates from the Natural Product
      Compound Aureobasidin A.
AB  - The natural product aureobasidin A (AbA) is a potent, well-tolerated antifungal
      agent with robust efficacy in animals. Although native AbA is active against a
      number of fungi, it has little activity against Aspergillus fumigatus, an
      important human pathogen, and attempts to improve the activity against this
      organism by structural modifications have to date involved chemistries too
      complex for continued development. This report describes novel chemistry for the
      modification of AbA. The key step involves functionalization of the phenylalanine
      residues in the compound by iridium-catalyzed borylation. This is followed by
      displacement of the pinacol boron moiety to form the corresponding bromide or
      iodide and substitution by Suzuki biaryl coupling. The approach allows for
      synthesis of a truly wide range of derivatives and has produced compounds with A.
      fumigatus minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of <0.5 MUg/mL. The approach is
      readily adaptable to large-scale synthesis and industrial production. 

PMID- 26101568
TI  - Discovery and Optimization of Selective Nav1.8 Modulator Series That Demonstrate
      Efficacy in Preclinical Models of Pain.
AB  - Voltage-gated sodium channels, in particular Nav1.8, can be targeted for the
      treatment of neuropathic and inflammatory pain. Herein, we described the
      optimization of Nav1.8 modulator series to deliver subtype selective, state, and
      use-dependent chemical matter that is efficacious in preclinical models of
      neuropathic and inflammatory pain. 

PMID- 26101569
TI  - Aryl Pyrazoles as Potent Inhibitors of Arginine Methyltransferases:
      Identification of the First PRMT6 Tool Compound.
AB  - A novel aryl pyrazole series of arginine methyltransferase inhibitors has been
      identified. Synthesis of analogues within this series yielded the first potent,
      selective, small molecule PRMT6 inhibitor tool compound, EPZ020411. PRMT6
      overexpression has been reported in several cancer types suggesting that
      inhibition of PRMT6 activity may have therapeutic utility. Identification of
      EPZ020411 provides the field with the first small molecule tool compound for
      target validation studies. EPZ020411 shows good bioavailability following
      subcutaneous dosing in rats making it a suitable tool for in vivo studies. 

PMID- 26101570
TI  - Amino Acid Thioester Derivatives: A Highly Promising Scaffold for the Development
      of Metallo-beta-lactamase L1 Inhibitors.
AB  - In light of the biomedical significance of metallo-beta-lactamases (MbetaLs), ten
      new mercaptoacetic acid thioester amino acid derivatives were synthesized and
      characterized. Biological activity assays indicated that all these synthesized
      compounds are very potent inhibitors of L1, exhibiting an IC50 value range of
      0.018-2.9 MUM and a K i value range of 0.11-0.95 MUM using cefazolin as
      substrate. Partial thioesters also showed effective inhibitory activities against
      NDM-1 and ImiS with an IC50 value range of 12-96 and 3.6-65 MUM, respectively.
      Also, all these thioesters increased susceptibility of E. coli cells expressing
      L1 to cefazolin, indicated by a 2-4-fold reduction in MIC of the antibiotic.
      Docking studies revealed potential binding modes of the two most potent L1
      inhibitors to the active site in which the carboxylate group interacts with both
      Zn(II) ions and Ser221. This work introduces a highly promising scaffold for the
      development of metallo-beta-lactamase L1 inhibitors. 

PMID- 26101571
TI  - Identification of Jumonji AT-Rich Interactive Domain 1A Inhibitors and Their
      Effect on Cancer Cells.
AB  - Jumonji AT-rich interactive domain 1A (JARID1A), one of the jumonji C domain
      containing histone demethylase (JHDM) family members, plays key roles in cancer
      cell proliferation and development of drug tolerance. Therefore, selective
      JARID1A inhibitors are potential anticancer agents. In this study, we searched
      for cell-active JARID1A inhibitors by screening hydroxamate compounds in our in
      house library and the structural optimization based on docking study of the hit
      compound to a homology model of JARID1A. As a result, we identified compound 6j,
      which selectively inhibits JARID1A over three other JHDM family members. Compound
      7j, a prodrug form of compound 6j, induced a selective increase in the level of
      trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4, a substrate of JARID1A. Furthermore,
      compound 7j synergistically enhanced A549 human lung cancer cell growth
      inhibition induced by vorinostat, a histone deacetylase inhibitor. These findings
      support the idea that JARID1A inhibitors have potential as anticancer agents. 

PMID- 26101572
TI  - Synthesis, SAR, and Pharmacological Characterization of Brain Penetrant P2X7
      Receptor Antagonists.
AB  - We describe the synthesis and SAR of 1,2,3-triazolopiperidines as a novel series
      of potent, brain penetrant P2X7 antagonists. Initial efforts yielded a series of
      potent human P2X7R antagonists with moderate to weak rodent potency, some CYP
      inhibition, poor metabolic stability, and low solubility. Further work in this
      series, which focused on the SAR of the N-linked heterocycle, not only increased
      the potency at the human P2X7R but also provided compounds with good potency at
      the rat P2X7R. These efforts eventually delivered a potent rat and human P2X7R
      antagonist with good physicochemical properties, an excellent pharmacokinetic
      profile, good partitioning into the CNS, and demonstrated in vivo target
      engagement after oral dosing. 

PMID- 26101573
TI  - Potent and Selective Amidopyrazole Inhibitors of IRAK4 That Are Efficacious in a
      Rodent Model of Inflammation.
AB  - IRAK4 is a critical upstream kinase in the IL-1R/TLR signaling pathway.
      Inhibition of IRAK4 is hypothesized to be beneficial in the treatment of
      autoimmune related disorders. A screening campaign identified a pyrazole class of
      IRAK4 inhibitors that were determined by X-ray crystallography to exhibit an
      unusual binding mode. SAR efforts focused on the identification of a potent and
      selective inhibitor with good aqueous solubility and rodent pharmacokinetics.
      Pyrazole C-3 piperidines were well tolerated, with N-sulfonyl analogues generally
      having good rodent oral exposure but poor solubility. N-Alkyl piperidines
      exhibited excellent solubility and reduced exposure. Pyrazoles possessing N-1
      pyridine and fluorophenyl substituents were among the most active. Piperazine 32
      was a potent enzyme inhibitor with good cellular activity. Compound 32 reduced
      the in vivo production of proinflammatory cytokines and was orally efficacious in
      a mouse antibody induced arthritis disease model of inflammation. 

PMID- 26101574
TI  - Discovery of 5-Amino-N-(1H-pyrazol-4-yl)pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine-3-carboxamide
      Inhibitors of IRAK4.
AB  - Interleukin-1 receptor associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) is an essential signal
      transducer downstream of the IL-1R and TLR superfamily, and selective inhibition
      of the kinase activity of the protein represents an attractive target for the
      treatment of inflammatory diseases. A series of 5-amino-N-(1H-pyrazol-4
      yl)pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine-3-carboxamides was developed via sequential
      modifications to the 5-position of the pyrazolopyrimidine ring and the 3-position
      of the pyrazole ring. Replacement of substituents responsible for poor
      permeability and improvement of physical properties guided by cLogD led to the
      identification of IRAK4 inhibitors with excellent potency, kinase selectivity,
      and pharmacokinetic properties suitable for oral dosing. 

PMID- 26101575
TI  - Structure-Activity Relationship Studies of 3-epi-Deoxynegamycin Derivatives as
      Potent Readthrough Drug Candidates.
AB  - (+)-Negamycin (1), a natural dipeptidic antibiotic bearing a hydrazide structure,
      exhibits a readthrough activity toward the nonsense mutation of the dystrophin
      gene and restores dystrophin expression in muscles of Duchenne muscular dystrophy
      model mdx mice. Herein to develop more potent readthrough compounds, we performed
      a structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of 3-epi-deoxynegamycin (2), which
      is also another natural readthrough compound with little antimicrobial activity,
      focusing on the main carbon chain length. We found that one carbon atom shorter
      derivative 9b shows a higher readthrough activity than 1 and 2. Further
      derivatization at the carboxylic acid part of 9b demonstrates that its meta
      chlorobenzyl ester derivative 17e, which has a higher ClogP value, exhibits a
      more potent readthrough activity than 9b. Interestingly, in the cell-free protein
      expression system, the readthrough activity of 17e drastically decreases compared
      to that in the cell-based assay. These results suggest that benzyl ester-type
      derivatives enhance the hydrophobicity and function as prodrugs to produce active
      compound 9b in living cell systems. 

PMID- 26101576
TI  - Discovery of A-893, A New Cell-Active Benzoxazinone Inhibitor of Lysine
      Methyltransferase SMYD2.
AB  - A lack of useful small molecule tools has precluded thorough interrogation of the
      biological function of SMYD2, a lysine methyltransferase with known tumor
      suppressor substrates. Systematic exploration of the structure-activity
      relationships of a previously known benzoxazinone compound led to the synthesis
      of A-893, a potent and selective SMYD2 inhibitor (IC50: 2.8 nM). A cocrystal
      structure reveals the origin of enhanced potency, and effective suppression of
      p53K370 methylation is observed in a lung carcinoma (A549) cell line. 

PMID- 26101578
TI  - Syntheses and Antibacterial Activity of N-Acylated Ciprofloxacin Derivatives
      Based on the Trimethyl Lock.
AB  - Several N-acyl ciprofloxacin quinone derivatives based on a trimethyl lock
      structure were synthesized, and their in vitro antibacterial activity against a
      panel of clinically relevant bacteria was evaluated. A few new analogues
      displayed enhanced activity against Gram-positive species compared to the parent
      drug. Additionally, studies of 8-Cip, which was the most potent compound tested,
      indicate that it may act through a dual-action mechanism. 

PMID- 26101577
TI  - Dehydro-beta-proline Containing alpha4beta1 Integrin Antagonists: Stereochemical
      Recognition in Ligand-Receptor Interplay.
AB  - A novel class of dehydro-beta-proline-containing peptidomimetics, designed to be
      effective as alpha4beta1 integrin ligands, has been developed on the basis of the
      fundamental requirements for the interactions of these transmembrane receptors
      with bioactive ligands. Dehydro-beta-proline ring has been synthesized through an
      original pathway, involving ring closing metathesis of a diallylamino derivative.
      The synthesized products showed to be effective and selective as alpha4beta1
      integrin antagonists and displayed IC50 values in the nanomolar range in cell
      adhesion inhibition assays and in VCAM-1-induced phosphorylation of extracellular
      signal-regulated kinases. Significant activity was observed also toward the
      homologous integrin alpha4beta7, while they did not display any activity toward
      selected members of beta1, beta2, and beta3 families. A strong dependence on the
      stereochemistry of the heterocyclic central core could be observed. The great
      importance of alpha4beta1 integrin in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune
      diseases suggests a possible exploitation of these ligands as lead compounds for
      therapeutic tools development. 

PMID- 26101579
TI  - Leveraging the Pre-DFG Residue Thr-406 To Obtain High Kinase Selectivity in an
      Aminopyrazole-Type PAK1 Inhibitor Series.
AB  - To increase kinase selectivity in an aminopyrazole-based PAK1 inhibitor series,
      analogues were designed to interact with the PAK1 deep-front pocket pre-DFG
      residue Thr-406, a residue that is hydrophobic in most kinases. This goal was
      achieved by installing lactam head groups to the aminopyrazole hinge binding
      moiety. The corresponding analogues represent the most kinase selective ATP
      competitive Group I PAK inhibitors described to date. Hydrogen bonding with the
      Thr-406 side chain was demonstrated by X-ray crystallography, and inhibitory
      activities, particularly against kinases with hydrophobic pre-DFG residues, were
      mitigated. Leveraging hydrogen bonding side chain interactions with polar pre-DFG
      residues is unprecedented, and similar strategies should be applicable to other
      appropriate kinases. 

PMID- 26101580
TI  - Synthesis and evaluation of [11C]PBD150, a radiolabeled glutaminyl cyclase
      inhibitor for the potential detection of Alzheimer's disease prior to amyloid
      beta aggregation.
AB  - The phenol of 1-(3-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)propyl)-3-(4-hydroxy-3
      methoxyphenyl)thiourea was selectively carbon-11 labelled to generate [11C]PBD150
      in 7.3% yield from [11C]methyl triflate (non-decay corrected; radiochemical
      purity >=95%, specific activity = 5.7 Ci/umol, n=5). Evaluation of [11C]PBD150 by
      small animal PET imaging (mouse and rat) determined it does not permeate the
      blood brain barrier, indicating previously described therapeutic effect in
      transgenic mice was likely not the result of inhibiting central nervous system
      glutaminyl cyclase.

PMID- 26101581
TI  - Intermolecular carbene S-H insertion catalysed by engineered myoglobin-based
      catalysts?.
AB  - The first example of a biocatalytic strategy for the synthesis of thioethers via
      an intermolecular carbene S-H insertion reaction is reported. Engineered variants
      of sperm whale myoglobin were found to efficiently catalyze this C-S bond forming
      transformation across a diverse set of aryl and alkyl mercaptan substrates and
      alpha-diazoester carbene donors, providing high conversions (60-99%) and high
      numbers of catalytic turnovers (1,100-5,400). Furthermore, the enantioselectivity
      of these biocatalysts could be tuned through mutation of amino acid residues
      within the distal pocket of the hemoprotein, leading to myoglobin variants
      capable of supporting asymmetric S-H insertions with up to 49% ee. Rearrangement
      experiments support a mechanism involving the formation of a sulfonium ylide
      generated upon attack of the thiol substrate to a heme-bound carbene
      intermediate.

PMID- 26101582
TI  - Par system components are asymmetrically localized in ectodermal epithelia, but
      not during early development in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The evolutionary origins of cell polarity in metazoan embryos are
      unclear. In most bilaterian animals, embryonic and cell polarity are set up
      during embryogenesis with the same molecules being utilized to regulate tissue
      polarity at different life stages. Atypical protein kinase C (aPKC), lethal giant
      larvae (Lgl), and Partitioning-defective (Par) proteins are conserved components
      of cellular polarization, and their role in establishing embryonic asymmetry and
      tissue polarity have been widely studied in model bilaterian groups. However, the
      deployment and role of these proteins in animals outside Bilateria has not been
      studied. We address this by characterizing the localization of different
      components of the Par system during early development of the sea anemone
      Nematostella vectensis, a member of the clade Cnidaria, the sister group to
      bilaterian animals. RESULTS: Immunostaining using specific N. vectensis
      antibodies and the overexpression of mRNA-reporter constructs show that
      components of the N. vectensis Par system (NvPar-1, NvPar-3, NvPar-6, NvaPKC, and
      NvLgl) distribute throughout the microtubule cytoskeleton of eggs and early
      embryos without clear polarization along any embryonic axis. However, they become
      asymmetrically distributed at later stages, when the embryo forms an ectodermal
      epithelial layer. NvLgl and NvPar-1 localize in the basolateral cortex, and
      NvaPKC, NvPar-6, and NvPar-3 at the apical zone of the cell in a manner seen in
      bilaterian animals. CONCLUSIONS: The cnidarian N. vectensis exhibits clear
      polarity at all stages of early embryonic development, which appears to be
      established independent of the Par system reported in many bilaterian embryos.
      However, in N. vectensis, using multiple immunohistochemical and fluorescently
      labeled markers in vivo, components of this system are deployed to organize
      epithelial cell polarity at later stages of development. This suggests that Par
      system proteins were co-opted to organize early embryonic cell polarity at the
      base of the Bilateria and that, therefore, different molecular mechanisms operate
      in early cnidarian embryogenesis.

PMID- 26101584
TI  - Saltman on solidarity.
AB  - Richard Saltman suggests that solidarity, a cherished notion at the heart of West
      European health care systems is being reconsidered in the light of today's
      austere economic conditions. Solidarity, he argues, has always been a flexible
      moral guideline, one that allows for policy responses, such as limitations on
      health benefits or increased out of pocket payments, that challenging fiscal
      conditions are said to demand. Here we consider what the basic elements in
      solidarity - universality, redistribution, and uniformity-- mean in health as
      compared to other social policy realms such as pensions. Traditionally, the
      commitment to solidarity said little about the contents of services, but the
      latter is perhaps subject to increasing scrutiny under the health policy
      microscope. Saltman is right to emphasize the conceptual and cross-national
      flexibility of solidarity, but the notion retains a solid and durable core that
      continues to give valuable direction to policymakers in search of acceptable
      strategies and structures for decision making. 

PMID- 26101583
TI  - Association of aberrant DNA methylation in Apc(min/+) mice with the epithelial
      mesenchymal transition and Wnt/beta-catenin pathways: genome-wide analysis using
      MeDIP-seq.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aberrant DNA methylation at the 5-carbon on cytosine residues (5mC)
      in CpG dinucleotides is probably the most extensively characterized epigenetic
      modification in colon cancer. It has been suggested that the loss of adenomatous
      polyposis coli (APC) function initiates tumorigenesis and that additional genetic
      and epigenetic events are involved in colon cancer progression. We aimed to study
      the genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of intestinal tumorigenesis in
      Apc(min/+) mice. RESULTS: Methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) followed by
      next-generation sequencing was used to determine the global profile of DNA
      methylation changes in Apc(min/+) mice. DNA was extracted from adenomatous polyps
      from Apc(min/+) mice and from normal intestinal tissue from age-matched Apc(+/+)
      littermates, and the MeDIP-seq assay was performed. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis
      (IPA) software was used to analyze the data for gene interactions. A total of
      17,265 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) displayed a >= 2-fold change
      (log2) in methylation in Apc(min/+) mice; among these DMRs, 9,078 (52.6 %) and
      8,187 (47.4 %) exhibited increased and decreased methylation, respectively. Genes
      with altered methylation patterns were mainly mapped to networks and biological
      functions associated with cancer and gastrointestinal diseases. Among these
      networks, several canonical pathways, such as the epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition (EMT) and Wnt/beta-catenin pathways, were significantly associated
      with genome-wide methylation changes in polyps from Apc(min/+) mice. The
      identification of certain differentially methylated molecules in the EMT and
      Wnt/beta-catenin pathways, such as APC2 (adenomatosis polyposis coli 2), SFRP2
      (secreted frizzled-related protein 2), and DKK3 (dickkopf-related protein 3), was
      consistent with previous publications. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that
      Apc(min/+) mice exhibited extensive aberrant DNA methylation that affected
      certain signaling pathways, such as the EMT and Wnt/beta-catenin pathways. The
      genome-wide DNA methylation profile of Apc(min/+) mice is informative for future
      studies investigating epigenetic gene regulation in colon tumorigenesis and the
      prevention of colon cancer.

PMID- 26101585
TI  - Assessment of sensitization to grape and wine allergens as possible causes of
      adverse reactions to wine: a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In a recently performed survey with 4000 randomly selected persons,
      68 (7.2 %) of 948 respondents reported intolerance and/or allergy-like symptoms
      to wine. The aim of this study was to analyze whether a real sensitization to
      wine proteins could be confirmed by diagnostic and/or immunological settings.
      FINDINGS: For this purpose, 19 subjects with self-reported intolerance to wine of
      the invited subjects and 10 controls without a history of intolerance
      participated in an allergological examination (skin prick test, ImmunoCAP for
      determination of specific IgE antibodies, CAST for testing basophil activation,
      ImmunoBlot for testing specificity of IgE-antibodies). For the allergological
      work-up red and white grapes, selected wines, and the purified lipid transfer
      protein (LTP), a known grape allergen, were used. 7 subjects showed evidence of
      IgE sensitization to wine or grape extracts, including one control. One
      participant with symptoms of intolerance showed a positive skin prick test to red
      grape, a positive ImmunoCAP to grape, a positive cellular antigen stimulation
      test (CAST) and inhibition of Western blot by removal of cross-reactive
      carbohydrate determinants (CCD). CONCLUSION: The presented study focused on the
      grape protein-related IgE-mediated cause of intolerance to wine (true allergy)
      and not on other wine components or fining agents (other forms of intolerance). A
      sensitization to grape and wine proteins was observed in our cohort. In one case,
      this reactivity could be explained by cross-reactivity to CCD. The results of
      this pilot study need to be validated in greater cohorts.

PMID- 26101586
TI  - The effect of Lameness before and during the breeding season on fertility in 10
      pasture-based Irish dairy herds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effects of lameness on fertility have been documented frequently
      but few data are available from seasonally breeding, pasture-based herds (such as
      those used in Ireland) where cows are housed during the winter months but managed
      at pasture for the remainder of the year. This study determined the prevalence of
      lameness in a group of 786 cows in 10 pasture-based Irish dairy herds before,
      during and after the breeding season and assessed the relationship between
      lameness and the reproductive performance in these herds through serial
      locomotion scoring during the grazing period. RESULTS: Lameness prevalences of
      11.6 % before, 14.6 % during and 11.6 % after the breeding season were found and
      these compared favourably to results from housed cattle and are similar to other
      studies carried out in grazing herds. A Cox proportional hazards model with
      locomotion score as time varying covariate was used. After controlling for the
      effect of farm, month of calving, body condition score at calving, body condition
      score loss after calving and economic breeding index, cows identified as lame
      during the study were less likely to become pregnant. Cows lame before the
      earliest serve date but no longer lame during the breeding season, cows becoming
      lame after the earliest serve date and cows identified lame both before and after
      this date were respectively 12 %, 35 % and 38 % less likely to become pregnant
      compared to cows never observed lame during the study. However, these findings
      were only significant for cows becoming lame after the earliest serve date and
      cows lame both before and after the start of breeding. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      found that the reproductive efficiency was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in cows
      becoming lame during the breeding season and cows lame before and during the
      breeding season compared to non-lame cows. Cows no longer lame during the
      breeding season had a lower Submission Rate to first serve within 3 weeks of
      earliest serve date. However, the Pregnancy Rate was not significantly (p > 0.05)
      lower in these animals compared to cows never diagnosed as lame. In addition to
      lameness status, nutritional status and genetics were found to influence the
      reproductive performance in pasture-based Irish dairy herds.

PMID- 26101588
TI  - Improving standards for reporting studies involving humans and experimental
      animals in the British Journal of Nutrition and in the Journal of Nutritional
      Science.

PMID- 26101587
TI  - A metabolomics approach used to profile plasma from portal-arterial pigs revealed
      differences between breads incurred by dietary fibre and protein contents.
AB  - A liquid chromatography-MS (LC-MS) metabolomics analysis of plasma from portal
      arterial catheterised pigs fed breads prepared with whole-grain rye or wheat
      flour with added concentrated arabinoxylan (AX) or beta-glucan (BG) was
      conducted. Comparison of the effects of concentrated fibres with whole grains has
      received little attention. Six female catheterised pigs were given two white
      wheat breads with wheat AX or oat BG, two rye breads with ground rye (GR) or
      intact rye kernels (RK), and a control white wheat bread (WF) on separate
      occasions in a randomised cross-over design. The amount of available carbohydrate
      was similar for the five breads but varied in the content of protein. Plasma was
      collected continuously for 4 h after feeding. Glucose levels in the portal vein
      were reduced postprandially in response to the AX, GR and RK breads that had high
      contents of AX compared with WF bread (P < 0.03). AX and RK breads further tended
      to decrease plasma levels of some lysophosphatidylcholine species (P <= 0.10).
      The abundance of amino acids in plasma correlated with the protein contents in
      the breads and leucine uptake significantly affected insulin secretion in the
      mesenteric artery. In conclusion, the present study revealed that concentrated AX
      in wheat bread had similar positive effects as whole-grain rye bread on glucose
      and lipid metabolism. 

PMID- 26101589
TI  - Sugarcane fibre may prevents hairball formation in cats.
AB  - Hair ingested by licking during cat grooming can eventually coalesce into solid
      masses in cat gastrointestinal tract. It is believed that dietary fibre might
      reduce formation of these trichobezoars (hairballs). The effects of two insoluble
      fibre sources added to kibble diets were evaluated with respect to trichobezoar
      faecal excretion. Thirty-two cats and four diets were used in a randomised block
      design: a control diet without additional fibre, 10 % added sugarcane fibre, 20 %
      added sugarcane fibre or 10 % added cellulose. Animals were fed for 42 d and
      during three separate periods (days 15-17, 25-27 and 40-42), the cats were housed
      individually in metabolic cages and their faeces were totally collected. The
      faeces were evaluated and the trichobezoars were isolated and classified into
      small (<1 cm), medium (1.1-2 cm) or large (>2.1 cm). Means were evaluated by
      repeated measures ANOVA and contrasts (P < 0.05). Cats fed sugarcane fibre shown
      a linear reduction of small and medium trichobezoar excretion (number per cat per
      day; P = 0.004) as well as a reduction in trichobezoar mass excretion (mg per cat
      per day; P < 0.01). The control group showed increased faecal excretion of large
      trichobezoars (P = 0.003), which were not present in the high sugarcane fibre
      group (P < 0.006). No effect of cellulose was observed for any evaluated trait.
      Therefore, long fibres (sugarcane fibre) may cause greater peristaltic
      stimulation, increasing the propulsion of hair through the gut, but further
      research is needed to validate this mechanism. In conclusion, sugarcane fibre
      reduced faecal hairball elimination in cats, which may have clinical applications
      for the prevention of health problems related to trichobezoars. 

PMID- 26101590
TI  - The effect of reducing dietary energy density via the addition of water to a dry
      diet, on body weight, energy intake and physical activity in adult neutered cats.
AB  - Increasingly domestic cats live in an overfeeding and underexercising environment
      where obesity is a major health concern. One strategy to aid healthy body weight
      maintenance is dietary energy dilution. Published data indicate that increasing
      dietary moisture content leads to a reduction in energy intake and increased
      activity. However, a number of different methodologies were employed in these
      studies and associated changes in physical activity have only been measured once.
      The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of diets of three
      different moisture contents offered in excess of energy requirements, on body
      weight, energy intake and physical activity in adult neutered cats. Sixty-nine
      adult cats randomised into three groups, received 100 % of their daily individual
      maintenance energy requirements (IMER) of dry diet or dry diet hydrated to 40 or
      80 % total moisture content (tmc). Baseline activity, intake, body weight and
      body composition were measured. Following this baseline phase, the cats received
      the same diets at 200 % of daily IMER and the measurements repeated over the next
      28 d. When offered the diets at 200 % IMER, cats fed the dry diet significantly
      increased body weight and percentage of body fat (P < 0.01), while those offered
      the hydrated diets did not (P > 0.01). The levels of physical activity in cats
      offered the hydrated 80 % tmc diet were significantly (P < 0.01) higher than
      those offered the dry or 40 % tmc diet. We suggest that dietary energy dilution
      by addition of water may be a useful strategy for healthy body weight maintenance
      in overfed cats. 

PMID- 26101591
TI  - Faecal microbiota of domestic cats fed raw whole chicks v. an extruded chicken
      based diet.
AB  - Extruded cat foods differ greatly in macronutrient distribution compared with
      wild-type diets (i.e. small mammals, reptiles, birds and insects). Based on the
      literature, this variability likely impacts faecal microbial populations. A
      completely randomised design was utilised to test the impacts of two dietary
      treatments on faecal microbial populations: (1) chicken-based extruded diet (EXT;
      n 3 cats) and (2) raw 1-3-d-old chicks (CHI; n 5 cats). Cats were adapted to
      diets for 10 d. Bacterial DNA was isolated from faecal samples and amplicons of
      the 16S rRNA V4-V6 region were generated and analysed by 454 pyrosequencing.
      Faeces of cats fed CHI had greater (P < 0.05) proportions of the following
      bacterial genera: unidentified Lachnospiraceae (15 v. 5 %), Peptococcus (9 v. 3
      %) and Pseudobutyrivibrio (4 v. 1 %). Faeces of cats fed EXT had greater (P <
      0.05) proportions of Faecalibacterium (1.0 v. 0.2 %) and Succinivibrio (1.2 v. <
      0.1 %). Five genera, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, were present in
      a majority of samples (two to three out of three) from cats fed EXT, but were not
      detected in the samples (zero of five) for cats fed CHI. These shifts in faecal
      bacterial populations compared with feeding a whole-prey diet may impact the
      functional capacities of the microbiota and its interaction with the host.
      Further research is warranted to determine the impacts of these shifts on long
      term health of domestic cats. 

PMID- 26101592
TI  - Evaluation of the owner's perception in the use of homemade diets for the
      nutritional management of dogs.
AB  - Many dog owners see homemade diets as a way of increasing the bond with their
      pets, even though they may not have the convenience of commercial diets.
      Modifications of ingredients, quality and proportion might change the nutritional
      composition of the diet, generating nutritional imbalances. The present study
      evaluated how dog owners use and adhere to homemade diets prescribed by
      veterinary nutritionists over an extended period of time. Forty-six owners of
      dogs fed a homemade diet for at least 6 months were selected for the present
      study. Owners were invited to answer questions by first reading all possible
      answers and then selecting the one that best indicated their opinion. The results
      were evaluated through descriptive statistics. Thirty-five owners (76.1 %) found
      that the diets are easy to prepare. Fourteen owners (30.4 %) admitted to
      modifying the diets, 40 % did not adequately control the amount of provided
      ingredients, 73.9 % did not use the recommended amounts of soyabean oil and salt,
      and 34.8 % did not correctly use the vitamin, mineral or amino acid supplements.
      Twenty-six owners (56.5 %) reported that their dogs refused to eat at least one
      food item. All of these alterations make the nutritional composition of the diets
      unpredictable and likely nutritionally imbalanced. Although homemade diets could
      be a useful tool for the nutritional management of dogs with certain diseases,
      not all owners are able to appropriately use this type of diet and adhere to it
      for an extended period of time and this limitation needs to be considered when
      recommending the use of homemade diets. 

PMID- 26101593
TI  - Evaluation of a performance enhancing supplement in American Foxhounds during
      eventing.
AB  - Enhancing performance through dietary measures is constantly sought as some
      supplements have shown modest performance enhancement in rodents and human
      subjects. To evaluate a proprietary dietary supplement, a study was undertaken to
      assess the effect of diet and exercise on blood physiological parameters during a
      tracking American Fox Hound field championship. Ten dogs were assigned to two
      different groups. Group A received a commercial kibble and Group B received the
      same diet with the addition of a supplement added to the dietary premix for 4
      weeks before the field event. Blood was collected at rest, immediately following
      days 1 and 2 of the event and 48 h after day 2. Blood chemistry, complete blood
      cell counts and cortisol concentrations were analysed. Competition performance
      was also documented for all dogs using a points system for tracking events. Many
      chemistry parameters and blood cell counts changed significantly due to exercise.
      Differences between the dietary groups showed that Group B had significantly
      lower aspartate aminotransferase on days 1 and 2 of exercise and lower creatine
      kinase on day 2. Based on tracking scores, dogs in Group B out-performed dogs in
      Group A. This study suggests that endurance hunting dogs develop changes in serum
      markers of musculoskeletal integrity that might be mitigated by the addition of
      the supplement, resulting in better performance. Although intriguing, follow-up
      controlled studies are needed to ensure that the enhanced performance was not
      biased due to lack of randomisation. 

PMID- 26101594
TI  - Long-term follow-up after weight management in obese cats.
AB  - Feline obesity is a prevalent medical disease and the main therapeutic strategy
      is dietary energy restriction. However, at present there are no data regarding
      long-term outcome in this species. The purpose of the present study was to
      investigate if, as in other species, some cats regain weight following successful
      weight loss, and to identify any influencing factors in a cohort of client-owned
      cats with naturally occurring obesity. Twenty-six cats were included, all of
      which had successfully completed a weight management programme. After weight
      loss, cats were periodically monitored. The median duration of follow-up was 954
      d (72-2162 d). Ten cats (39 %) maintained their completion weight (+/-5 %), four
      (15 %) lost >5 % additional weight and 12 (46 %) gained >5 % weight. Seven of the
      rebounding cats (58 %) regained over 50 % of their original weight lost. Older
      cats were less likely to regain weight than younger cats (P = 0.024); with an
      approximately linear negative association between the cat's age and the amount of
      weight regained (Kendall's tau = -0.340, P = 0.016). Furthermore, cats whose
      energy intake during weight loss was greater were also more likely to regain
      weight (P = 0.023). When the characteristics of weight regain in cats were
      compared with those from a similar cohort of dogs, cats that rebounded were more
      likely to regain >50 % of the weight they had lost. These results suggest that
      weight regain, after successful weight loss, is common in obese cats, and that
      young cats (<7 years of age) are most at risk. 

PMID- 26101595
TI  - Serum chemistry and electrolyte alterations in sled dogs before and after a 1600
      km race: dietary sodium and hyponatraemia.
AB  - Sled dogs are known to develop numerous serum biochemical changes due to
      endurance exercise. Previous studies have suggested that mild hyponatraemia and
      hypokalaemia can develop during endurance racing. The aim of the present study
      was to determine if serum biochemical alterations are similar to previous
      reports, and if electrolyte alterations are still present with present feeding
      practices utilised by mushers. Serum chemistries were obtained from 26 Alaskan
      Huskies belonging to 3 different teams, before and after a 1600 km race. Meals
      and snacks were analysed via calculation to determine daily macronutrient and
      electrolyte intake. Numerous biochemical alterations were observed including
      significant differences in serum total protein, albumin, globulin, aspartate
      aminotransferase, creatine kinase, TAG, NEFA and urea nitrogen (P < 0.05). Serum
      electrolyte status revealed a mild, yet significant decrease in serum sodium (P =
      0.002); and serum potassium was not significantly different (P = 0.566). Further
      examination of the sodium intake across the three teams revealed two teams with
      an average daily intake of approximately 8.5 g/dog/d (700 mg/4184 kJ) and the
      other team consuming 11.1 g/dog/d (1200 mg/4184 kJ). Regression analysis shows a
      significant modest positive correlation between serum sodium decrease and sodium
      intake per metabolic body weight of the dogs, as well as a modest positive
      correlation between sodium intake and serum potassium implicating the renin
      angiotensin aldosterone system as a major factor involved in sodium and potassium
      homoeostasis. These findings suggest that consumption of approximately 0.9
      g/kg(0.75) (1.2 g/4184 kJ) of sodium per d may prevent exercise-induced decreases
      in sodium and potassium. 

PMID- 26101596
TI  - Alterations to oxidative stress markers in dogs after a short-term stress during
      transport.
AB  - While methods to evaluate antioxidant capacity in animals exist, one problem with
      the models is induction of oxidative stress. It is necessary to promote a great
      enough challenge to induce measurable alterations to oxidative parameters while
      ensuring the protocol is compatible with animal welfare. The aim of the present
      study was to evaluate caged transport as a viable short-term stress that would
      significantly affect oxidative parameters. Twenty adult Beagle dogs, maintained
      on the same diet for 60 d prior to the transport, were included in the study. To
      simulate the stress, the dogs were housed in pairs in transport cages (1.0 m *
      1.0 m * 1.5 m), placed on a truck coupled to a trailer and transported for a
      period of 15 min. Blood collection was performed immediately before and again 3 h
      after the transportation to evaluate oxidative parameters in blood serum,
      including thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total antioxidant
      capacity (TAC), sequestration activity of the radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl
      hydrazyl (DPPH*), protein carbonylation (PC), total sulfhydryl groups (SH), alpha
      tocopherol (alphaToc) and retinol (Ret). PC, SH and alphaToc were not
      significantly changed in the study; however, TBARS, TAC and DPPH increased,
      whereas Ret decreased after the transport. Although the lack of a control group
      of dogs not submitted to transport is a limitation to be considered, we conclude
      that the transport model is effective in inducing an antioxidant response in dogs
      and relevant blood parameters show sensitivity to this proposed model. 

PMID- 26101597
TI  - Association of signalment parameters with activity of pet dogs.
AB  - Activity monitors are increasingly being used to quantify the activity of pet
      dogs. The aim of the present study was to investigate associations between
      signalment and activity of free-living pet dogs. Healthy pet dogs were recruited
      to wear an Actical activity monitor on their collars continuously for 2 weeks in
      their home environment. At least fifteen dogs were enrolled in each of the
      following weight ranges: <10, 10-20, 21-30, 31-40, >40 kg and their age, sex and
      reproductive status recorded. Each dog's intensity of activity for each minute of
      recording was classified using the total counts for that minute and our pre
      established cut-points. The percentage of time dogs spent in sedentary, light or
      moderate/vigorous activity each day was calculated. Median total daily activity
      counts and median percentages of time dogs spent in activities of differing
      intensity were used for the analysis. Associations between signalment
      characteristics and activity parameters were evaluated with the Mann-Whitney
      test, the Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman rank correlations. Ninety-eight dogs
      were enrolled with >=17 dogs in each weight category. Time that dogs were
      sedentary correlated positively with age (r 0.50, uncorrected P < 0.001), while
      the median total daily activity count (r -0.47, uncorrected P < 0.001), time
      spent in light (r -0.46, uncorrected P < 0.001) and more vigorous activity (r 
      0.50, uncorrected P < 0.001) were negatively associated with age. No other
      significant associations between signalment and activity parameters were found.
      The lack of differences in activity across weight categories may reflect the
      impact of lifestyle negating any potential behavioural differences across breeds.

PMID- 26101598
TI  - Protein quality of insects as potential ingredients for dog and cat foods.
AB  - Insects have been proposed as a high-quality, efficient and sustainable dietary
      protein source. The present study evaluated the protein quality of a selection of
      insect species. Insect substrates were housefly pupae, adult house cricket,
      yellow mealworm larvae, lesser mealworm larvae, Morio worm larvae, black soldier
      fly larvae and pupae, six spot roach, death's head cockroach and Argentinean
      cockroach. Reference substrates were poultry meat meal, fish meal and soyabean
      meal. Substrates were analysed for DM, N, crude fat, ash and amino acid (AA)
      contents and for in vitro digestibility of organic matter (OM) and N. The
      nutrient composition, AA scores as well as in vitro OM and N digestibility varied
      considerably between insect substrates. For the AA score, the first limiting AA
      for most substrates was the combined requirement for Met and Cys. The pupae of
      the housefly and black soldier fly were high in protein and had high AA scores
      but were less digestible than other insect substrates. The protein content and AA
      score of house crickets were high and similar to that of fish meal; however, in
      vitro N digestibility was higher. The cockroaches were relatively high in protein
      but the indispensable AA contents, AA scores and the in vitro digestibility
      values were relatively low. In addition to the indices of protein quality, other
      aspects such as efficiency of conversion of organic side streams, feasibility of
      mass-production, product safety and pet owner perception are important for future
      dog and cat food application of insects as alternative protein source. 

PMID- 26101599
TI  - Salmonellosis impacts the proportions of faecal microbial populations in domestic
      cats fed 1-3-d-old chicks.
AB  - There has been a recent increase in the feeding of unconventional diets,
      including whole-prey diets, to domestic pet cats. Our objective was to
      characterise faecal microbial populations of domestic cats fed whole and ground
      (6.35 mm grind) raw 1-3-d-old chicks (Rodent Pro). Faecal samples were collected
      from neutered male domestic cats (mean age = 5.7 years) fed these diet items in a
      crossover design. Bacterial DNA was isolated from faecal samples and amplicons of
      the 16S rRNA V4-V6 region were generated and analysed by 454 pyrosequencing.
      Faecal microbial populations of cats fed whole v. ground chicks did not differ.
      During the study, three cats presented with symptoms of infection (anorexia or
      diarrhoea) and tested clinically positive for Salmonella using a standard PCR
      method. The remaining cats tested negative. Data were analysed post hoc to test
      for differences in microbial populations due to clinical status. The predominant
      genera were Clostridium (9-30 %), unidentified Lachnospiraceae (10-28 %), Blautia
      (4-19 %), Peptococcus (2-19 %) and Fusobacterium (2-14 %). Faeces of cats testing
      clinically positive for Salmonella had higher (P <= 0.05) proportions of the
      genera Coprococcus (5.6 v. 0.4 %) and Escherichia (subgenera Shigella; 1.1 v. 0.3
      %). Salmonella was not detected in faecal samples utilising the pyrosequencing
      method; however, there was a shift in microbial populations due to clinical
      status. The clinical symptoms reported herein may be not only due to the
      Salmonella itself, but also shifts in other gut microbial populations. 

PMID- 26101600
TI  - Practical approach to determine apparent digestibility of canine diets.
AB  - A practical approach to determine apparent faecal digestibility using privately
      owned dogs may be a useful tool in evaluating differences in nutrient
      digestibility between dogs with various life stages. The aim was to develop a
      simple method that would suit such studies using the whitening agent titanium
      oxide (TiO2) as an indigestible marker. Forty privately owned, healthy male and
      female dogs of various breeds were included. Selection was based on an owner
      questionnaire. Means with their standard errors age and body weight (BW) of the
      dogs were 6.2 (0.6) years (range 1.0-13.0 years) and 22.3 (2.5) kg (range 5.0
      43.2 kg), respectively. Owners were provided a commercial dry extruded diet
      supplemented with a commercially available TiO2 containing kibble (final dietary
      TiO2 content: 0.77 g/kg). Dogs were fed the diet for seven consecutive days at
      480 kJ * BW(0.75). On day 7, owners were asked to collect all faeces during 24 h
      and store faeces at -20 degrees C. Faecal samples were analysed for DM, ash, N,
      crude fat (CF), crude fibre and Ti and gross energy (GE) and organic matter were
      calculated. Means with their standard errors apparent faecal digestibility of GE,
      DM, organic matter, N, CF and crude fibre was 83.7 (0.71), 77.4 (0.79), 83.0
      (0.61), 77.7 (0.81), 94.3 (0.51) and 30.3 (4.85), respectively. No significant
      differences were observed in nutrient digestibility due to weight, age, sex or
      neuter status. The digestibility assay using a practical approach described here
      may be a promising tool to determine digestibility of dietary nutrients under
      free-living conditions. Owner compliance, however, is a potentially limiting
      factor. 

PMID- 26101601
TI  - Comparison of the digestive efficiency of extruded diets fed to ferrets (Mustela
      putorius furo), dogs (Canis familiaris) and cats (Felis catus).
AB  - The digestive tract of ferrets is anatomically simple, with no caecum, ileocolic
      valve or external differentiation between the transition of ileum and colon. The
      species has a short large intestine that provides minor contributions to the
      digestive process. Aiming to better understand the digestibility efficiency of
      ferrets, the present study compared the digestibility of extruded diets with
      different amounts of macronutrients fed to dogs, cats and ferrets. Three
      formulations for cat maintenance were used (values in % of DM basis): high
      carbohydrate (HC; nitrogen-free extract (NFE) = 54 %, protein = 31 % and fat = 8
      %); moderate carbohydrate (MC; NFE = 37 %, protein = 41 % and fat = 10 %); and
      low carbohydrate (LC; NFE = 19 %, protein = 46 % and fat = 23 %). Apparent total
      tract macronutrient digestibility was determined by the method of total
      collection of faeces. Results were compared by ANOVA, considering the diet and
      species effects and their interactions. Means were compared by the Tukey's test
      (P < 0.05). Dogs and cats presented similar food intakes, but ferrets consumed
      almost two times more food (g/kg body weight). Species * diet interactions were
      verified for apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD; P < 0.05). Ferrets
      presented lower DM digestibility than dogs and cats for all three diets (P <
      0.05), lower NFE digestibility than dogs for the three diets and lower NFE
      digestibility than cats for the HC and LC diets (P < 0.05). For crude protein
      (CP), ferrets presented lower ATTD than dogs and cats (P < 0.05), whereas for
      fat, dogs and ferrets presented similar ATTD, and higher values than those
      presented by cats (P < 0.05). Kibble diets had a lower DM, CP and NFE
      digestibility when fed to ferrets compared with dogs and cats. Fat digestibility
      was similar between dogs and ferrets and higher than that for cats. 

PMID- 26101602
TI  - Acute changes in blood metabolites and amino acid profile post-exercise in
      Foxhound dogs fed a high endurance formula.
AB  - Dogs participating in endurance exercise, including herding, hunting and racing
      have a greater energy requirement and may be more susceptible to nutrient
      depletion, electrolyte imbalance and metabolic stress. The objective of the
      present study was to investigate the acute response to unstructured mixed
      exercise in American Foxhounds fed a nutrient-fortified endurance diet. Thirty
      nine adult Foxhound dogs (median age: 5.0, range: 2-10 years and median body
      weight (BW): 36.4, range: 24.9-49.5 kg) were allotted to a standard performance
      diet (Control) or nutrient-fortified endurance diet for adult dogs (Test). Dogs
      were balanced by sex, age, BW and athletic performance between diets. All male
      dogs were intact, whereas all the female dogs were spayed. After 80 d on diet,
      blood samples were collected via jugular puncture at baseline (0 h), and at 3 and
      25 h post-exercise (mean: 17.7 (sem 0.92) km run over 2-3 h). Plasma taurine
      concentration and complete amino acid (AA) profile, serum chemistry and creatine
      kinase were measured. Serum chemistry profile remained within normal ranges
      throughout the study. A significant (P < 0.05) diet by time interaction was
      observed for calcium, alkaline phosphatase and most AA. Plasma taurine and most
      essential AA were increased (P < 0.05) after exercise and remained greater (P <
      0.05) in dogs fed the Test diet, including the branched-chain AA (isoleucine,
      leucine and valine). Creatine kinase increased (P = 0.01) after 3 h and returned
      to baseline after 25 h post-exercise, but was not altered by diet. These data
      indicate that dogs undergoing a moderate bout of exercise did not suffer from
      electrolyte imbalance, and that a nutrient-fortified diet resulted in greater
      plasma taurine and essential AA concentrations. 

PMID- 26101603
TI  - Energy requirements for racing endurance sled dogs.
AB  - Endurance sled dogs have unique dietary energy requirements. At present, there is
      disparity in the literature regarding energy expenditure and thus energy
      requirements of these dogs. We sought to further elucidate energy requirements
      for endurance sled dogs under field conditions. Three sled dog teams completing
      the 2011 Yukon Quest volunteered to provide diet history. Nutritional content was
      evaluated and a mock meal was analysed for each team. Race data were obtained
      from www.yukonquest.com. Dogs were weighed at the start of the race in Whitehorse
      Yukon (WH), a mid-way checkpoint in Dawson Yukon (DS) and at the finish in
      Fairbanks Alaska. Data are average value per dog or per dog per d. Linear
      regression compared average weight loss to average kcal/dog consumed daily. Diets
      and feeding regimes were similar for all three teams. The average daily energy
      intake and nutrient content was similar for all diets. During leg one (WH to DS),
      team 1 gained weight overall, whereas the other two teams experienced weight
      loss. Linear regression revealed 37 638 kJ/dog/d (8995 kcal/dog/d) was required
      for weight maintenance. During leg two (DS to Fairbanks Alaska), average weights
      decreased for all three teams. The extrapolated kcal requirement was
      approximately 57 734 kJ/dog/d (13 799 kcal/dog/d). The carbohydrate contents of
      these diets also suggest that presumed fat intake for endurance sled dogs may be
      slightly less than previously thought. Finally, these data support the concept
      that dietary energy requirements vary substantially with additional variables
      such as load pulled, terrain and ambient temperature. 

PMID- 26101604
TI  - Reactive lysine content in commercially available pet foods.
AB  - The Maillard reaction can occur during processing of pet foods. During this
      reaction, the epsilon-amino group of lysine reacts with reducing sugars to become
      unavailable for metabolism. The aim of the present study was to determine the
      reactive lysine (RL; the remaining available lysine) to total lysine (TL) ratio
      of commercial pet foods and to evaluate whether RL levels meet minimal lysine
      requirements (MLR). Sixty-seven extruded, canned and pelleted commercially
      available dog and cat foods for growth and maintenance were analysed for
      proximate nutrient composition, TL and RL. RL was expressed on a metabolisable
      energy basis and compared with the MLR for maintenance and growth. In dog foods,
      average RL:TL ratios were 0.87 (se 0.02) for extruded, 0.97 (se 0.02) for canned
      and 0.85 (se 0.01) for pelleted foods, with the lowest ratio of 0.77 in an
      extruded diet for growing dogs. In extruded and canned cat foods, the average
      ratio was 0.91 (se 0.02) and 0.90 (se 0.03), respectively, with the lowest ratio
      being 0.67 in an extruded diet for growing cats. Variation in the RL:TL ratio
      between and within processing type indicate that ingredients rather than
      processing might be the key factor influencing RL content in pet foods. Eight dry
      foods for growing dogs had RL contents between 96 and 138 % of MLR, indicating
      that RL has to be between 62 and 104 % digestible to meet the MLR. Considering
      the variability in RL digestibility, these foods could be at risk of not meeting
      the MLR for growing dogs. Ingredients and pet foods should be characterised with
      respect to the RL content and digestibility, to avoid limitations in the lysine
      supply to growing dogs. 

PMID- 26101605
TI  - Prediction of crude protein digestibility of animal by-product meals for dogs by
      the protein solubility in pepsin method.
AB  - Animal by-product meals have large variability in crude protein (CP) content and
      digestibility. In vivo digestibility procedures are precise but laborious, and in
      vitro methods could be an alternative to evaluate and classify these ingredients.
      The present study reports prediction equations to estimate the CP digestibility
      of meat and bone meal (MBM) and poultry by-product meal (PM) using the protein
      solubility in pepsin method (PSP). Total tract CP digestibility of eight MBM and
      eight PM samples was determined in dogs by the substitution method. A basal diet
      was formulated for dog maintenance, and sixteen diets were produced by mixing 70
      % of the basal diet and 30 % of each tested meal. Six dogs per diet were used to
      determine ingredient digestibility. In addition, PSP of the MBM and PM samples
      was determined using three pepsin concentrations: 0.02, 0.002 and 0.0002 %. The
      CP content of MBM and PM ranged from 39 to 46 % and 57 to 69 %, respectively, and
      their mean CP digestibility by dogs was 76 (2.4) and 85 (2.6) %, respectively.
      The pepsin concentration with higher Pearson correlation coefficients with the in
      vivo results were 0.0002 % for MBM (r 0.380; P = 0.008) and 0.02 % for PM (r
      0.482; P = 0.005). The relationship between the in vivo and in vitro results was
      better explained by the following equations: CP digestibility of MBM = 61.7 +
      0.2644 * PSP at 0.0002 % (P = 0.008; R (2) 0.126); and CP digestibility of PM =
      54.1 + 0.3833 * PSP at 0.02 % (P = 0.005; R (2) 0.216). Although significant, the
      coefficients of determination were low, indicating that the models were weak and
      need to be used with caution. 

PMID- 26101606
TI  - Post-castration variations in weight gain in a cohort of young adult male cats.
AB  - The predisposition of cats to gain weight following neutering is well
      established; however, there is little information about the distribution and
      range of post-neutering weight gains observed in cats under a controlled
      environment. This retrospective study investigated 6-month post-castration weight
      gain and distribution of percentage body weight (BW) change in a cohort of
      twenty, male domestic shorthair cats relative to a control group of intact cats.
      Cats were matched in age (2.0-2.6 years), husbandry conditions and consumed ad
      libitum the same dry maintenance diet for at least 3 months prior to and 6 months
      following castration. All cats were castrated within 48 h of each other. All cats
      gained weight after castration. Mean BW was 4.67 (sd 0.70) kg at the start of the
      study and 5.93 (sd 1.38) kg at the end of the study, with individual weight gain
      ranging 3-53 % at 6 months post-neutering. The pre-conception BW of the queens of
      each cat was compared with the pre- and post-neutering BW of their offspring. The
      pre-conception BW of the queens was significantly correlated with the offspring's
      initial BW (rho = 0.65, P = 0.01), final BW (rho = 0.67, P = 0.01) and percentage
      BW change (rho = 0.54, P = 0.04). A wide range of post-castration weight gains
      was observed among cats of similar backgrounds and housing conditions.
      Implementation of effective methods to control food consumption pre-conception
      and post-neutering may be a strategy for preventing obesity and obesity-related
      disorders in cats. 

PMID- 26101607
TI  - The effects of feeding resistant starch on apparent total tract macronutrient
      digestibility, faecal characteristics and faecal fermentative end-products in
      healthy adult dogs.
AB  - The benefits of whole grain consumption have been studied in human subjects, but
      little research exists on their effects in dogs. The objective of the present
      study was to test the effects of resistant starch (RS) in the diet of healthy
      adult dogs. Twelve adult Miniature Schnauzer dogs (eight males, four females;
      mean age: 3.3 (1.6) years; mean body weight: 8.4 (1.2) kg; mean body condition
      score: D/ideal) were randomly allotted to one of three treatment groups, which
      consisted of different amounts of RS supplied in a biscuit format. Dogs received
      either 0, 10 or 20 g biscuits per d (estimated to be 0, 2.5 or 5 g RS per d) that
      were fed within their daily energetic allowance. A balanced Latin square design
      was used, with each treatment period lasting 21 d (days 0-17 adaptation; days 18
      21 fresh and total faecal collection). All dogs were fed the same diet to
      maintain body weight throughout the study. Dogs fed 5 g RS per d had lower (P =
      0.03) fat digestibility than dogs fed 0 gRS per d, but DM, organic matter and
      crude protein digestibilities were not affected. Faecal fermentative end
      products, including SCFA and branched-chain fatty acids, ammonia, phenols and
      indoles, and microbial populations were not affected. The minor changes observed
      in the present study suggest the RS doses provided to the dogs were too low.
      Further work is required to assess the dose of RS required to affect gut health. 

PMID- 26101608
TI  - Amino acid content of selected plant, algae and insect species: a search for
      alternative protein sources for use in pet foods.
AB  - In response to global economic duress and heightened consumer awareness of
      nutrition and health, sustainable and natural ingredients are in demand.
      Identification of alternative sources of nitrogen and amino acids, including
      taurine, may help meet dietary requirements while fostering sustainability and
      natural feeding approaches. Twenty plants, eighteen marine algae and five insect
      species were analysed. All samples were freeze-dried, hydrolysed and filtered
      prior to amino acid analysis. Samples for amino acids were analysed in duplicate
      and averaged. Nitrogen was analysed and crude protein (CP) determined by
      calculation. With the exception of taurine concentration in soldier fly larvae,
      all insects exceeded both the National Research Council's canine and feline
      minimal requirements (MR) for growth of all essential amino acids (EAA) and CP.
      Although some plants and marine algal species exceeded the canine and feline MR
      for growth for EAA and CP, only very low concentrations of taurine were found in
      plants. Taurine concentration in insects was variable but high, with the greatest
      concentration found in ants (6.42 mg/g DM) and adult flesh flies (3.33 mg/g DM).
      Taurine was also high in some macroalgae, especially the red algal species:
      Mazaella spp. (4.11 mg/g DM), Porphyra spp. (1.22 mg/g DM) and Chondracanthus
      spp. (6.28 mg/g DM). Preliminary results suggest that insects and some marine
      algal species may be practical alternatives to traditional protein and
      supplemental taurine sources in pet foods. Safety, bioavailability, palatability
      and source variability of alternative items as food ingredients should be
      investigated prior to incorporation into canine and feline diets. 

PMID- 26101609
TI  - A moderate fat, low-energy dry expanded diet reduces gain in body condition score
      when fed as part of a post neutering weight-control regimen in growing pet cats.
AB  - Neutering of cats has been associated with significant weight gain in the weeks
      following surgery. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a
      moderate fat, low-energy dry expanded diet in reducing weight gain in growing pet
      cats when fed as part of a weight-control regimen over the 6 months post
      neutering. Cats in participating primary care veterinary hospitals were enrolled
      at neutering and assigned to receive one of the two dietary treatments based on
      the hospital of origin. Owners of cats in the treatment group were instructed to
      feed the trial diet at maintenance (324.7 kJ/kg BW(0.711) per d). Instructions
      for the control group were to feed the cat's regular diet according to the
      manufacturer's recommendations. Body weight and condition were evaluated by
      veterinarians at enrolment, 2-weeks, and 1-4 and 6 months after surgery. Body
      condition score (five-point scale) was compared between enrolment and each
      subsequent visit, controlling for enrolment age and sex. Percentage change in
      body weight was evaluated via multivariate mixed modelling to account for
      repeated measures. A total of 187 cats (eighty-seven females and 100 males) with
      a mean age of 5.2 (sd 0.8) months and mean weight of 2.8 (sd 0.6) kg from fifty
      one hospitals completed the trial. The odds of being scored as overweight were
      4.1 times as great for cats in the control v. treatment groups (95 % CI 2.1,
      8.2). Percentage change in body weight differed significantly with enrolment age
      (P = 0.007) and approached significance between diet groups (P = 0.08). Cats fed
      the trial diet had a significantly reduced incidence of overweight in the 6
      months following neutering. 

PMID- 26101610
TI  - Effect of age, gestation and lactation on faecal IgA and calprotectin
      concentrations in dogs.
AB  - Faecal calprotectin and IgA have been suggested as non-invasive markers of gut
      health. Faecal calprotectin is a marker of intestinal inflammation in adults,
      whereas IgA has been suggested as a marker of intestinal immunity. The purpose of
      the present study was to evaluate the effect of gestation, lactation and age on
      faecal concentrations of these biomarkers. Thirty puppies, nineteen pregnant or
      lactating bitches and eighty-nine healthy control adult dogs were included in the
      study. Faeces were collected from the fourth week of gestation until the eighth
      week of lactation in pregnant and lactating bitches, and between 4 and 9 weeks of
      age in puppies. Faeces from the eighty-nine healthy control adult dogs were also
      collected. Faecal calprotectin and IgA concentrations were measured. Faecal
      calprotectin concentrations in control dogs were significantly lower than faecal
      calprotectin concentrations in puppies between 4 and 6 weeks of age (P < 0.001)
      or between 7 and 9 weeks of age (P = 0.004). Puppies between 4 and 6 weeks of age
      had significantly higher faecal IgA concentrations compared with puppies between
      7 and 9 weeks of age (P = 0.001). Bitches during their second month of lactation
      had significantly lower faecal IgA concentrations compared with their first month
      of lactation (P = 0.049). Faecal calprotectin and IgA have been suggested as non
      invasive and easily measured biomarkers of gut health in adults. However, the
      present study underlines that faecal IgA and calprotectin concentrations vary
      markedly depending of physiologic factors such as gestation, lactation and age.
      These factors need to be considered when these faecal biomarkers are used for
      evaluation of intestinal immunity or inflammation. 

PMID- 26101611
TI  - Body condition of dogs fed diets containing soya hulls.
AB  - Obesity is a growing problem in dogs. Therefore, there is an increasing need of
      foods for obese dogs with high-fibre content to dilute energies and to reduce
      energy absorption. Soya hulls are cheap and are widely available as a fibre
      source. We aimed at evaluating the body condition of dogs fed diets containing 0
      % soya hulls (0SH) or 16 % soya hulls (16SH) in replacement of maize. Twelve
      adult dogs, with 11.3 (se 1.6) kg average body weight (BW), 4.1 (se 0.1) years
      old and body condition score (BCS) between 4 and 7, were completely randomised
      assigned (six per treatment) and were fed the 0SH diet according to their
      maintenance energy requirements or the same amount in grams (g/kg BW(0.75)) of
      the 16SH diet once daily for 56 d. The animals were evaluated on days 0 and 57
      for BW, BCS (1, very thin to 9, obese), subcutaneous fat thickness in the L7
      vertebra using ultrasound (L7), canine BMI (CBMI) and body fat (BF). Data were
      analysed by the Student's t test and Kruskal-Wallis test (P < 0.05). The change
      (final - initial) in BW (-0.58 v. -0.49 kg), BCS (-1 v. -1), L7 (-2 v. 0.35 mm),
      CBMI (-0.85 v. -0.63 kg/m(2)) and BF (-5.0 v. -5.4 %) of dogs fed the 0SH and
      16SH diets, respectively, were not different (P > 0.05). The 16SH diet, with 11.4
      % restriction in metabolisable energy, did not change the BCS of adult dogs.
      Further studies evaluating the supply of soya hulls only to overweight/obese dogs
      should to be carried out, because these dogs may respond differently than the
      group evaluated, which had a BCS between 4 and 7 (ideal to overweight). 

PMID- 26101612
TI  - Dietary gamma-linolenic acid supports arachidonic acid accretion and associated
      Delta-5 desaturase activity in feline uterine but not ovarian tissues.
AB  - Arachidonic acid (ARA) is essential in felines because conversion of dietary
      linoleic acid (LA) to ARA is rate-limited by low Delta6-desaturase. Dietary gamma
      linolenic acid (GLA) may serve as an ARA precursor by-passing this initial rate
      limiting step. This possibility was investigated using twenty-six adult female
      domestic shorthair cats divided into three groups and fed on complete and
      balanced diets containing high GLA (GL), high LA (HL) or low LA (LL, control)
      diets, for 300 d prior to ovariohysterectomy. Plasma was obtained 1-2 d before
      surgery and uterine, ovarian and associated adipose tissues were reserved for
      lipid analysis. Fatty acid profiles of the plasma phospholipid (PL) fractions and
      adipose lipids were performed. In the GL group, plasma and uterine tissue PL were
      significantly enriched in GLA, di-homo GLA (DGLA) and ARA compared with control.
      However, ovarian and adipose tissue PL were only enriched in DGLA. Enrichment of
      uterine tissues with DGLA and ARA probably supplies the essential eicosanoid
      precursors for reproduction when GLA is fed consistently with an active Delta5
      desaturase in uterus. By contrast, this enzyme appears less active in ovary
      because ARA was not higher compared with control. Earlier reports concluded that
      ARA was not necessary for fertilisation (an ovarian function), but required for
      successful pregnancy and reproduction (a uterine function). Adipose tissue DGLA
      may be a reservoir for ARA synthesis by other tissues upon mobilisation. Dietary
      GLA may meet feline ARA requirements in the absence of an animal-based preformed
      source of ARA. 

PMID- 26101613
TI  - Owner misperception of canine body condition persists despite use of a body
      condition score chart.
AB  - Canine obesity is a prevalent disease, but many owners are unaware of it, partly
      due to misperception of their dog's body shape. Body condition scoring (BCS) is a
      simple method of assessing body composition, but whether it can reduce owner
      misperception is unclear. Our aim was to determine the effect of a BCS system on
      owners' ability to estimate the body condition of their dog. Information from 110
      dog owners attending three UK veterinary practices was gathered, by interview,
      between March and April 2013. First, owners were asked to determine their dog's
      body condition without guidance, and then reassess it using a five-point BCS
      chart. Most owners (85/110, 77 %) believed the chart to have improved their
      ability to estimate the condition of their dog correctly. However, only a weak
      agreement existed between owner estimates and those of the primary investigator,
      both with (kappa (kappa) = 0.28; P < 0.001) and without (kappa = 0.32; P < 0.001)
      the BCS chart. Furthermore, most owners incorrectly estimated their dog's body
      condition, both with (71/110; 64 %) and without (72/110; 65 %) the chart (P =
      1.00), with underestimation being most common (with = 63/71, 89 %; without =
      66/72, 92 %; P = 0.57). Owners of overweight dogs more commonly misperceived
      their dog's body condition, both with (BCS 1-3: 5/35, 14 %; BCS 4-5: 64/75, 85 %;
      P < 0.001) and without (BCS 1-3: 10/35, 28 %; BCS 4-5: 61/75, 81 %; P < 0.001)
      the BCS chart. Thus, use of a five-point BCS chart does not improve accuracy of
      owners' perception of their dog's body shape, despite the accompanying perception
      that it does. 

PMID- 26101614
TI  - The impact of date palm fruits and their component polyphenols, on gut microbial
      ecology, bacterial metabolites and colon cancer cell proliferation.
AB  - The fruit of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a rich source of dietary
      fibre and polyphenols. We have investigated gut bacterial changes induced by the
      whole date fruit extract (digested date extract; DDE) and its polyphenol-rich
      extract (date polyphenol extract; DPE) using faecal, pH-controlled, mixed batch
      cultures mimicking the distal part of the human large intestine, and utilising an
      array of microbial group-specific 16S rRNA oligonucleotide probes. Fluorescence
      microscopic enumeration indicated that there was a significant increase in the
      growth of bifidobacteria in response to both treatments, whilst whole dates also
      increased bacteroides at 24 h and the total bacterial counts at later
      fermentation time points when compared with DPE alone. Bacterial metabolism of
      whole date fruit led to the production of SCFA, with acetate significantly
      increasing following bacterial incubation with DDE. In addition, the production
      of flavonoid aglycones (myricetin, luteolin, quercetin and apigenin) and the
      anthocyanidin petunidin in less than 1 h was also observed. Lastly, the potential
      of DDE, DPE and metabolites to inhibit Caco-2 cell growth was investigated,
      indicating that both were capable of potentially acting as antiproliferative
      agents in vitro, following a 48 h exposure. This potential to inhibit growth was
      reduced following fermentation. Together these data suggest that consumption of
      date fruits may enhance colon health by increasing beneficial bacterial growth
      and inhibiting the proliferation of colon cancer cells. This is an early
      suggestion that date intake by humans may aid in the maintenance of bowel health
      and even the reduction of colorectal cancer development. 

PMID- 26101615
TI  - In vitro disappearance characteristics of selected categories of commercially
      available dog treats.
AB  - Pet owners desire treats with adequate nutritional profiles, functional benefits,
      long-lasting properties and an interactive nature. Therefore, it is pivotal to
      understand the digestion characteristics of treats produced by different
      processing methods and having variable nutritional composition. The objective of
      the present study was to measure in vitro disappearance characteristics of
      selected categories of commercially available treats. In vitro procedures
      developed by Boisen and Eggum in 1991 were modified to handle larger sample
      sizes. Treat samples were evaluated in triplicate. Following incubation, in vitro
      DM disappearance (DMD) was calculated. In vitro DMD of selected treats varied
      widely. For the gastric phase, DMD ranged from 6.9 to 88.8 %, whereas intestinal
      phase digestion resulted in a DMD range of 10.7-100.0 % (P < 0.05). Because of
      differences in treat composition and size, they were divided into six categories:
      Biscuit, Bone, Chew, Dental, Meat Product and Rawhide. In general, Bone was the
      least digestible treat category in both gastric and intestinal phases. Meat
      Product and Rawhide treats had a DMD of 71.5-100 % after the intestinal phase,
      whereas Biscuit had values above 93 %. Chew and Dental treats had a wide DMD
      range (54.5-100 %). Understanding the DMD of commercially available treats is
      important to verify their safety for consumption and potential digestibility once
      ingested. These data indicate wide variation in DMD among and within different
      treat categories. This information will assist pet food sale associates, pet
      owners and veterinarians to make more educated decisions when it relates to
      selection and recommendations about commercially available treats. Future work is
      needed to expand the knowledge on in vitro DMD and safety of treats and to
      further investigate their impact on in vivo DM digestibility once fed to dogs. 

PMID- 26101616
TI  - Coffee and beverages are the major contributors to polyphenol consumption from
      food and beverages in Japanese middle-aged women.
AB  - Food and beverages rich in polyphenols have been shown to reduce the risk of non
      communicable diseases. The present study estimated polyphenol levels and
      consumption from food and beverages in Japanese women. Randomly recruited
      housewives living in the area around Tokyo (n 109; aged 21-56 years; Group 1)
      recorded all beverages and foods they ingested for 7 d, and the total polyphenol
      (TP) consumption was estimated based on the TP content of each item measured with
      a modified Folin-Ciocalteu method. For Group 1, TP was consumed at 841 (sd 403)
      mg/d (range 113-1759 mg/d), and beverages were a larger source of TP (79 %) than
      food (21 %). The largest single source of TP was coffee at 47 %, followed by
      green tea, black tea, chocolate, beer and soya sauce, at 16, 5.7, 3.3, 3.2 and
      3.1 %, respectively. In terms of food groups, cereals/noodles, vegetables,
      fruits, beans and seeds, and seasonings (except for soya sauce) contributed 5.0,
      4.0, 1.4, 1.8 and 2.4 %, respectively. Another group of housewives who consumed
      at least one cup of coffee per d were separately recruited (n 100; Group 2) in
      the same area. Their consumption of TP was higher at 1187 (sd 371) mg/d (range
      440-2435 mg/d) than Group 1 (P < 0.001), and the difference mostly came from the
      coffee consumption. We conclude that not food but beverages, especially coffee,
      may be the major contributor to TP consumption in Japanese women. 

PMID- 26101617
TI  - Tolerance and the effect of high doses of wheat bran extract, containing
      arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides, and oligofructose on faecal output: a double
      blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial.
AB  - Wheat bran extract (WBE) is a food-grade soluble fibre preparation that is highly
      enriched in arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides. In this placebo-controlled cross-over
      human intervention trial, tolerance to WBE as well as the effects of WBE on
      faecal parameters, including faecal output and bowel habits, were studied. After
      a 2-week run-in period, twenty healthy volunteers consumed WBE (15 g/d in the
      first week, 30 g/d in the second week), oligofructose (15 g/d in the first week,
      30 g/d in the second week) and placebo (for 2 weeks) in a random order, with 2
      week washout periods between each treatment period. Subjects collected a 72 h
      stool sample for analysis of faecal output, stool pH and stool moisture
      concentration. Additionally, the volunteers completed questionnaires scoring
      occurrence frequency and distress severity of eighteen gastrointestinal (GI)
      symptoms. An overall GI symptom measure was calculated to analyse the overall
      effect of WBE and oligofructose on GI symptoms. Intake of both 30 g/d WBE and 30
      g/d oligofructose lowered stool pH, indicative of increased colonic fermentation,
      and increased stool moisture concentration as compared with placebo intake.
      Intake of 30 g/d oligofructose increased the overall GI symptom measure by 1.9
      fold as compared with placebo intake. Intake of WBE at doses up to 30 g/d did not
      affect the overall GI symptom measure. WBE exerts beneficial effects on stool
      characteristics and is well tolerated at up to 30 g/d. Oligofructose exerts
      comparable beneficial effects on stool characteristics. However, intake of 30 g/d
      oligofructose appears to cause GI discomfort to some extent. 

PMID- 26101618
TI  - Dietary patterns and physical inactivity, two contributing factors to the double
      burden of malnutrition among adults in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
AB  - A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out in the northern
      neighbourhoods of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), to examine the relationship of
      nutritional deficiencies and cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) with lifestyle
      in adults. We randomly selected 330 households stratified by income tertile. In
      each income stratum, 110 individuals aged 25-60 years and having lived in
      Ouagadougou for at least 6 months were randomly selected. We performed
      anthropometric, dietary intake and physical activity measurements, and blood
      sample collection. Cluster analysis of dietary intake identified two dietary
      patterns: 'urban' (29 % of subjects) and 'traditional' (71 %). The 'urban'
      cluster exhibited a higher intake of fat and sugar, whereas a higher intake of
      plant protein, complex carbohydrate and fibre was observed in the 'traditional'
      pattern. Female sex, low income and lack of education were associated with the
      'traditional' cluster, as well as Fe and vitamin A deficiency. CMRF prevalence
      (abdominal obesity, hypertension, hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia) was similar in
      both clusters. Subjects in the 'traditional' cluster spent more time in physical
      activity and had less sedentary time than those in the 'urban' cluster.
      'Traditional' dietary pattern, low income, female sex and sedentary time were
      significant contributing factors to the double burden of malnutrition. The rapid
      nutrition transition is reflected in this co-occurrence of CMRF and nutritional
      deficiencies. This stresses the need for prevention strategies addressing both
      ends of the nutrition spectrum. 

PMID- 26101619
TI  - Relevance of dietary protein concentration and quality as risk factors for the
      formation of calcium oxalate stones in cats.
AB  - The role of dietary protein for the development of feline calcium oxalate (CaOx)
      uroliths has not been conclusively clarified. The present study evaluated the
      effects of a varying dietary protein concentration and quality on critical
      indices for the formation of CaOx uroliths. Three diets with a high protein
      quality (10-11 % greaves meal/diet) and a varying crude protein (CP)
      concentration (35, 44 and 57 % in DM) were compared. Additionally, the 57 % CP
      diet was compared with a fourth diet that had a similar CP concentration (55 % in
      DM), but a lower protein quality (34 % greaves meal/diet). The Ca and oxalate
      (Ox) concentrations were similar in all diets. A group of eight cats received the
      same diet at the same time. Each feeding period was divided into a 21 d
      adaptation period and a 7 d sampling period to collect urine. There were
      increases in urinary volume, urinary Ca concentrations, renal Ca and Ox excretion
      and urinary relative supersaturation (RSS) with CaOx with increasing dietary
      protein concentrations. Urinary pH ranged between 6.34 and 6.66 among all groups,
      with no unidirectional effect of dietary protein. Lower renal Ca excretion was
      observed when feeding the diet with the lower protein quality, however, the
      underlying mechanism needs further evaluation. In conclusion, although the
      observed higher urinary volume is beneficial, the increase in urinary Ca
      concentrations, renal Ca and Ox excretion and urinary RSS CaOx associated with a
      high-protein diet may be critical for the development of CaOx uroliths in cats. 

PMID- 26101621
TI  - Lutein and cognition in children.

PMID- 26101620
TI  - Comparison of the GEM and the ECAL indirect calorimeters against the Deltatrac
      for measures of RMR and diet-induced thermogenesis.
AB  - The DeltatracTM II Metabolic Monitor (Datex-Ohmeda Inc.) is considered the
      standard reference machine in indirect calorimetry; however, it is no longer
      commercially available thus there is a need for new machines. The gas exchange
      measurement (GEM; GEM Nutrition Ltd) and the ECAL (Health Professional Solutions)
      are alternative measuring systems. The aim of this study was to compare the ECAL
      and GEM with Deltatrac for measures of RMR and the GEM to the Deltatrac for
      measures of diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT). Twenty healthy participants were
      tested on test day 1 (T1) and test day 2 (T2). RMR was measured in a randomised
      order for 30 min on the Deltatrac, the GEM and the ECAL. Following this, a 1553
      kJ meal was consumed and DIT was measured on the Deltatrac and the GEM in
      alternating 15 min intervals for 4 h. The GEM reported consistently higher values
      than the Deltatrac for VO2, VCO2, RMR and fat oxidation (P < 0.005). The ECAL was
      significantly higher than the Deltatrac for measures of VO2, RMR, carbohydrate
      oxidation (T2) and respiratory quotient and fat oxidation (T1, T2) (P < 0.05).
      There were no significant differences within repeated RMR measures on the ECAL,
      the GEM or the Deltatrac. DIT measures were consistently higher on the GEM (T1)
      (P < 0.005); however, there were no significant differences between repeated
      measures. The findings suggest that while the GEM and the ECAL were not accurate
      alternatives to the Deltatrac, they may be reliable for repeated measures. 

PMID- 26101622
TI  - Protection against canine parvovirus type 2 infection in puppies by colostrum
      derived antibodies.
AB  - During the first weeks of life puppies remain protected against canine parvovirus
      type 2 (CPV2) infection thanks to maternally derived antibodies (MDA) absorbed
      with colostrum after birth. The objective of the present study was to present the
      variability in CPV2-specific passive immune transfer and its consequences in
      puppies naturally exposed to the parvovirus. Seventy-nine puppies from one
      breeding kennel were included in the study at birth and followed until 56 d of
      age. Once per week the MDA titre for CPV2 specific antibodies was determined in
      blood. Viral excretion was also evaluated on a rectal swab by CPV2 PCR assay and
      puppies were weighed to determine growth rate. At 2 d of age, thirty-four out of
      seventy-nine puppies (43 %) had MDA <=1:160 (designed group A) and forty-five
      puppies (57 %) had greater MDA titres (designed group B). The level of absorbed
      maternal antibodies was shown to be associated with breed size and growth rate
      during the first 48 h of life. The MDA level declined with age in all cases;
      however, the proportion of puppies with the antibody level considered as
      protective against CPV2 infection was significantly higher in group B compared
      with A from day 2 until 42. Among all puppies surviving until 56 d of age, sixty
      seven out of seventy (95.7 %) underwent CPV2 infection. However, puppies from
      group A excreted CPV2 significantly earlier than puppies from group B. The
      present study demonstrates the link between passive immune transfer, in terms of
      level of specific MDA absorbed, and length of the protection period against
      parvovirus infection in weaning puppies. 

PMID- 26101623
TI  - Seasonal differences in food and nutrient intakes among young children and their
      mothers in rural Burkina Faso.
AB  - It is important to understand and account for seasonal variation in food and
      nutrient intakes when planning interventions to combat micronutrient deficiencies
      in resource-poor settings. The objective of the present study was to quantify
      food and nutrient intakes and assess the adequacy of micronutrient intakes among
      young children and their mothers during the lean and post-harvest (PH) seasons in
      rural Burkina Faso. We quantified food intakes by 24-h recall in a representative
      sample of 480 children aged 36-59 months and their mothers in two provinces in
      Western Burkina Faso. We calculated the probability of adequacy (PA) of usual
      intakes of ten micronutrients and an overall mean PA (MPA). Seasonal changes in
      nutrient intakes and PA were assessed by mixed linear regression and non
      parametric tests, respectively. Energy intakes did not differ significantly
      between seasons for women or children, although the women's intakes were slightly
      higher in the PH season. Most of the micronutrient intakes were significantly
      higher in the PH season, with the exception of vitamin A which was lower and
      vitamin B12 and Zn which were similar across seasons. MPA increased significantly
      across seasons, from 0.26 to 0.37 for women and from 0.43 to 0.52 for children.
      PA of Ca, vitamin C, folate and vitamin B12 were very low. Staple grains and
      vegetables were major sources of micronutrients but intakes were not sufficient
      to meet nutrient needs for the majority of the subjects. Food-based strategies
      are needed to increase micronutrient intakes of women and children in Burkina
      Faso. 

PMID- 26101624
TI  - Skipping breakfast leads to weight loss but also elevated cholesterol compared
      with consuming daily breakfasts of oat porridge or frosted cornflakes in
      overweight individuals: a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - Eating breakfast may reduce appetite, body weight and CVD risk factors, but the
      breakfast type that produces the greatest health benefits remains unclear. We
      compared the effects of consuming a high-fibre breakfast, a non-fibre breakfast,
      or no-breakfast control on body weight, CVD risk factors and appetite. A total of
      thirty-six overweight participants (eighteen men and eighteen women) (mean age
      33.9 (sd 7.5) years, mean BMI 32.8 (sd 4.7) kg/m(2)) were randomly assigned to
      consume oat porridge (n = 12), frosted cornflakes (n = 12) or a water control (n
      = 12) breakfast daily for 4 weeks. Appetite ratings were collected on the first
      day and weekly thereafter. Before and after the intervention, body weight,
      composition, blood pressure and resting energy expenditure (REE) were measured
      and a fasting blood sample was collected. Across the 4 weeks, fullness was higher
      and hunger was lower in the oat porridge group compared with the control group (P
      < 0.05). Mean weight change over the intervention was significantly different in
      the control group (-1.18 (sd 1.16) kg) compared with both the cornflakes (-0.12
      (sd 1.34) kg) and oat porridge (+0.26 (sd 0.91) kg) groups (P < 0.05). However,
      the control group also showed elevated total cholesterol concentrations relative
      to the cornflakes and oat porridge groups (P < 0.05). There were no differences
      between groups in changes in body composition, blood pressure, REE or other CVD
      risk factors. In conclusion, although skipping breakfast led to weight loss, it
      also resulted in increased total cholesterol concentrations compared with eating
      either oat porridge or frosted cornflakes for breakfast. 

PMID- 26101625
TI  - A gene expression programme induced by bovine colostrum whey promotes growth and
      wound-healing processes in intestinal epithelial cells.
AB  - Bovine colostrum is well known for its beneficial properties on health and
      development. It contains a wide variety of bioactive ingredients that are known
      to promote a number of cellular processes. Therefore the use of colostrum whey as
      a feed additive to promote intestinal health has been proposed, yet little is
      known about mechanisms implicated in its beneficial properties on intestinal
      epithelial cells. In the present paper, casein were removed from bovine colostrum
      and the remaining liquid, rich in bioactive compounds, was evaluated for its
      capacity to modulate cellular processes in porcine intestinal epithelial cell
      line IPEC-J2 and human colon adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2/15. First, we
      verified the effect of colostrum whey and cheese whey on processes involved in
      intestinal wound healing, including cell proliferation, attachment, morphology
      and migration. Our results showed that colostrum whey promoted proliferation and
      migration, and decreased specifically the attachment of Caco-2/15 cells on the
      culture dish. On the other hand, cheese whey induced proliferation and
      morphological changes in IPEC-J2 cells, but failed to induce migration. The gene
      expression profile of IPEC-J2 cells following colostrum whey treatment was
      evaluated by microarray analysis. Results revealed that the expression of a
      significant number of genes involved in cell migration, adhesion and
      proliferation was indeed affected in colostrum whey-treated cells. In conclusion,
      colostrum specific bioactive content could be beneficial for intestinal
      epithelial cell homoeostasis by controlling biological processes implicated in
      wound healing through a precise gene expression programme. 

PMID- 26101626
TI  - How often do primary care veterinarians record the overweight status of dogs?
AB  - Obesity is a prevalent medical condition in dogs caused by the excess
      accumulation of fat, with negative effects on quality of life, longevity and the
      risk of developing associated pathologies. However, it is unclear how frequently
      first-opinion veterinarians record dogs as overweight (OW) or obese in medical
      records, and what factors determine when they do. Data sourced through the Small
      Animal Surveillance Network were used to determine the relative frequency of
      recording OW status (obesity or OW) in dogs presented to the UK first-opinion
      practices. Cases were identified using a search of clinical record-free text for
      relevant keywords. A case-control study was then conducted, comparing dogs where
      the OW status was recorded with a control group of obese dogs with no diagnosis
      recorded. Of 49 488 consultations, the OW status was recorded in 671 dogs
      (relative frequency 1.4 %). Using multiple logistic regression, the OW status of
      a dog was more likely to be recorded when the consultation was for osteoarthritis
      (OR 5.42; 95 % CI 2.09, 14.07; P < 0.001) or lameness (OR 2.02; 95 % CI 1.20,
      3.42; P = 0.006). Furthermore, the OW status was more commonly recorded in dogs
      that were members of a practice health scheme (OR 5.35; 95 % CI 1.57, 18.17; P =
      0.04) and less commonly recorded in microchipped dogs (OR 0.43; 95 % CI 0.41,
      0.91; P = 0.02). These results suggest that OW and obesity are underdiagnosed in
      the first-opinion practice. However, a presentation for orthopaedic disease
      appears a key prompt for recording the OW status. Further studies are now
      warranted to determine the reasons for such marked underdiagnosis. 

PMID- 26101627
TI  - Increasing volume of food by incorporating air reduces energy intake.
AB  - Major challenges with weight management using weight-loss diets include hunger
      and rapid consumption of food, both of which lead to poor owner compliance. The
      aim of the present study was to determine the effect of increasing volume, by
      incorporating air, into dry expanded food, on satiety in dogs. Three studies have
      been performed. The first study aimed to measure the effect of volume of food on
      meal duration in dogs fed at their maintenance energy requirement. The purpose of
      the second study was to determine the effect of volume of food on satiety. The
      aim of the third study was to compare the satiety effect of the test diet with a
      maintenance dry diet commonly used in adult dogs. Throughout the studies, faecal
      score remained optimal. As volume of diet increased, the duration of food intake
      significantly increased (P < 0.001) and energy intake significantly decreased (P
      = 0.012). The present study has demonstrated that incorporating air into food to
      increase the volume of diet induces a satiety effect, independent of
      macronutrient profile, possibly by slowing food intake. Consequently,
      incorporating air into food might be a useful strategy for weight management in
      companion animals. 

PMID- 26101628
TI  - Effect of feeding frequency of a diet containing soya hulls on the food intake
      and behaviour of dogs.
AB  - Dietary fibre may promote satiety and reduce energy consumption per gram of food.
      Associated with feeding management, dietary fibre may contribute to reduce
      anxiety in dogs submitted to food restriction to lose weight. The objective of
      the present study was to evaluate the food intake and the behaviour of dogs fed
      diets without soya hulls (0SH) or with soya hulls (16SH) once (1*) or twice (2*)
      daily. Eight adult Beagle dogs, with 11.3 (se 1.6) kg body weight (BW), 4.1 (se
      0.1) years of age and body condition score between 4 and 7, were distributed in 4
      * 4 Latin square design (n 8/treatment, 5 d/period) in a 2 * 2 factorial
      arrangement (0SH v. 16SH; 1* v. 2*). Food allowance was 50 % in excess of the
      daily metabolisable energy (ME) requirements; food residues were weighed. The
      behavioural test consisted in continuously observations for 24 h, using the
      scanning sampling technique (observations every 10 min). General behaviours, such
      as sleeping, barking, standing and others were recorded. Food intake in g/kg
      BW(0.75) per d of 0SH and 16SH was not different (P > 0.05). However, dogs fed
      the 0SH diet presented higher (P > 0.05) energy intake (kJ/kg BW(0.75) per d; P <
      0.05) compared with those fed the 16SH diet. Dogs fed 2* daily had higher intake,
      both in g and in kJ, compared with those fed 1 * , independently of diet. There
      was no interaction between diets and feeding frequency (P > 0.05). No behavioural
      differences were observed (P > 0.05). The diet containing 16SH, despite reducing
      ME intake, did not restrict food intake (in g). Dogs fed 1* per d had lower food
      intake, possibly due to gastric capacity limitation. 

PMID- 26101629
TI  - Maternal high-fat diet consumption impairs exercise performance in offspring.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to scrutinise the influence of maternal high-fat
      diet (mHFD) consumption during gestation and lactation on exercise performance
      and energy metabolism in male mouse offspring. Female C3H/HeJ mice were fed
      either a semi-synthetic high-fat diet (HFD; 40 % energy from fat) or a low-fat
      diet (LFD; 10 % energy from fat) throughout gestation and lactation. After
      weaning, male offspring of both groups received the LFD. At the age of 7.5 weeks
      half of the maternal LFD (n 20) and the mHFD (n 21) groups were given access to a
      running wheel for 28 d as a voluntary exercise training opportunity. We show that
      mHFD consumption led to a significantly reduced exercise performance (P < 0.05)
      and training efficiency (P < 0.05) in male offspring. There were no effects of
      maternal diet on offspring body weight. Lipid and glucose metabolism was
      disturbed in mHFD offspring, with altered regulation of cluster of
      differentiation 36 (CD36) (P < 0.001), fatty acid synthase (P < 0.05) and GLUT1
      (P < 0.05) gene expression in skeletal muscle. In conclusion, maternal
      consumption of a HFD is linked to decreased exercise performance and training
      efficiency in the offspring. We speculate that this may be due to insufficient
      muscle energy supply during prolonged exercise training. Further, this
      compromised exercise performance might increase the risk of obesity development
      in adult life. 

PMID- 26101630
TI  - Fat digestibility is reduced in old cats with subnormal cobalamin concentrations.
AB  - Fat digestibility is decreased in old cats for unknown reasons. Subclinical
      gastrointestinal diseases and pancreatic dysfunction, both related to ageing, can
      affect food digestibility. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the
      prevalence of subnormal cobalamin concentration and pancreatic disease in old
      cats and study the relationship between both markers and fat digestibility. A
      total of sixty-four cats without evident signs of gastrointestinal disease were
      included and grouped according to age: (1) fifteen middle-aged (MA), aged 3-7
      years; and (2) forty-nine old, aged 10-17 years. All cats were tested for serum
      cobalamin, specific feline pancreatic lipase (fPL) and feline trypsin-like
      immunoreactivity. Then, sixteen of the old cats were selected and grouped
      according to cobalamin and fPL concentrations: control (normal cobalamin and
      fPL); low vitamin B12 (cobalamin <290 ng/l; normal fPL); and high fPL (normal
      cobalamin; fPL >4 ug/ml). A food digestibility trial with a high-fat diet (21.6
      %) was performed. In the old group, cobalamin was lower and fPL higher than in MA
      cats. Of the old cats (n 49), 14 % had subnormal cobalamin, 8 % had a severe
      increase in fPL, 2 % had both alterations and 14 % had a slight increase in fPL.
      By contrast, MA cats did not have cobalamin deficiency or an increase in fPL
      concentrations. Fat digestibility was lower in low vitamin B12 cats than control
      cats. Decreased fat digestibility is not present in all old cats but could be a
      characteristic of subclinical chronic gastrointestinal disease. Cobalamin
      concentration, as a marker of gastrointestinal disease, could be useful for the
      routine evaluation of old cats. 

PMID- 26101631
TI  - Evaluation of eight commercial dog diets.
AB  - Estimation of the quality of commercial diets is a topic of interest for the
      majority of dog owners. Recently, in a French consumer association magazine, an
      evaluation of eight dog commercial dry diets (from super-premium, basic
      nutrition, private-label and economy brands) according to several nutritional
      criteria was published. The aims of the study were: (1) to evaluate the apparent
      digestibility of these diets; (2) to score these diets according to digestibility
      results; and (3) to compare these data with the scoring of the magazine. Six
      adult Beagle dogs were enrolled for the digestibility trials. Diets were scored
      according to energy, crude protein and crude fat (CF) apparent digestibility
      coefficients, digestible protein-to-energy ratios and ash content. Each of the
      five criteria was scored from 4 to 20 points. The ranges of crude protein, CF,
      crude fibre and ash content were 20.9-30.6 %, 6.8-19.7 %, 2.2-3.3 % and 4.6-9.7 %
      on a DM basis, respectively. The ranges of energy, crude protein and CF apparent
      digestibility coefficients were 72.6-87.7 %, 70.4-82.5 % and 76.1-95.4 %,
      respectively. The range of the protein-to-energy ratio was 10-14 digestible crude
      protein per MJ metabolisable energy. Little overlap in the scoring systems was
      found, but the private-label brand and economy brand diets presented the lowest
      scores in the two systems. These results showed that the evaluation of commercial
      diets should take into account multiple nutritional aspects. In particular,
      analytical and biological (digestibility) criteria should be considered as
      complementary in the evaluation of dry dog commercial diets. 

PMID- 26101632
TI  - Less invasive left ventricular assist device implantation-a match changer!

PMID- 26101633
TI  - Effect of initial antihypertensive combination therapy on primary stroke
      prevention.

PMID- 26101634
TI  - Low bone mineral density is associated with increased arterial stiffness in
      participants of a health records based study.
AB  - AIMS: Many epidemiological studies have shown that low bone mineral density (BMD)
      and atherosclerosis appear to be related. However, their precise correlation is
      not completely understood after full adjustment the shared confounders of
      atherosclerosis and bone metabolism. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to
      investigate the relationship between BMD and subclinical atherosclerosis in a
      healthy Chinese population and the difference in gender. METHODS: The study
      population consisted of 2,487 subjects (1,467 men, 1,020 women) who participated
      in health check-up programs and were selected to be free of major diseases which
      might affect atherosclerosis and bone metabolism. Bone status was assessed by BMD
      in lumbar spine. The brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) was assessed as a functional
      marker of atherosclerosis. The ankle-brachial index (ABI), carotid artery intima
      media thickness (CIMT), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGRF) and
      microalbuminuria were evaluated as indexes of structural markers of
      atherosclerosis. RESULTS: After adjustment for risk factors, significant
      association was shown between baPWV and BMD in both genders (male: r=-0.084,
      P=0.035; female: r=-0.088, P=0.014). The correlation was stronger in females than
      in males, and in females, the correlation was stronger after menopause.
      Similarly, mean baPWV differed significantly according to the decreased BMD
      (normal BMD, Osteopenia, Osteoporosis). In contrast, no significant differences
      were observed for ABI, CIMT, eGFR or microalbuminuria with BMD. CONCLUSIONS:
      Independent of confounding factors, low BMD is associated with the functional
      marker of subclinical atherosclerosis (increased baPWV), but not with structural
      markers (ABI, CIMT, eGFR or microalbuminuria) among healthy females and males.

PMID- 26101635
TI  - Meta-analysis of the diagnostic yield and safety of electromagnetic navigation
      bronchoscopy for lung nodules.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis is to evaluate the overall diagnostic yield and
      accuracy of electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB)-based targeted biopsies
      in detecting peripheral lesions. METHODS: A systematic search in PubMed was
      performed using "electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy" crossed with
      "peripheral lesions" and "lung nodules". Test performance characteristics with
      the use of forest plots, summary receiver operating characteristic curves (SROCs)
      and bivariate random effects were summarized using Meta-Disc software. Adverse
      events and complications were recorded if reported. RESULTS: A total of 17
      studies (1,106 patients with peripheral lung lesions) were included in this
      analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratios (PLRs),
      negative likelihood ratios (NLRs), and diagnostic odds ratios (DORs) of ENB was
      82%, 100%, 19.36, 0.23, and 97.62, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC)
      for the SROC was 0.9786. No procedure-related complication was found.
      CONCLUSIONS: ENB is an effective and safe procedure in diagnosing peripheral lung
      lesions.

PMID- 26101636
TI  - Initial thrombolysis treatment compared with anticoagulation for acute
      intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism: a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of thrombolysis in patients with acute, intermediate-risk
      pulmonary embolism (PE) remains controversial. This meta-analysis compared the
      efficacy and safety of thrombolysis and anticoagulation treatments for
      intermediate-risk PE patients. METHODS: Two investigators independently reviewed
      the literature and collected data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of
      thrombolysis for intermediate-risk PE in the PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, the
      Cochrane Library, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Databases (CBM). RESULTS: A
      total of 1,631 intermediate-risk PE patients from seven studies were included.
      Significant differences were not found regarding the 30-day, all-cause mortality
      rates between the thrombolytic and anticoagulant groups [odds ratio (OR), 0.60;
      95% confident interval (CI), 0.34-1.06; P=0.08]. The rate of clinical
      deterioration in the thrombolytic group was lower than that in the anticoagulant
      group (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.18-0.41; P<0.01). Recurrent PE in the thrombolytic
      group was also significantly lower than that in the anticoagulant group (OR,
      0.34; 95% CI, 0.15-0.77; P=0.01). Comparing the thrombolytic and anticoagulation
      groups, the incidence of minor bleeding was significantly higher in the
      thrombolytic group (OR, 5.33; 95% CI, 2.85-9.97; P<0.00001), but there were no
      difference in the incidences of major bleeding events (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 0.60
      7.16; P=0.25). CONCLUSIONS: Thrombolytic treatment for intermediate-risk PE
      patients, if not contraindicated, could reduce clinical deterioration and
      recurrence of PE, and trends towards a decrease in all-cause, 30-day mortality.
      Despite thrombolytic treatment having an increased total bleeding risk, there was
      no difference in the incidence of major bleeding events, compared with patients
      receiving anticoagulation treatment.

PMID- 26101637
TI  - Prognostic role of p53 and Ki-67 immunohistochemical expression in patients with
      surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma: a retrospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: p53 mutations and the Ki-67 protein are frequently observed in various
      types of human cancer; the abnormal expression of p53 and Ki-67 in the tumor is
      associated with poor survival of lung cancer patients. We aimed to assess the
      prognostic role of immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of p53 and Ki-67 in lung
      adenocarcinoma tissue. METHODS: Tumor samples from 136 patients who had undergone
      surgical resection for lung adenocarcinoma were retrospectively evaluated for p53
      and Ki-67 expression by immunohistochemistry. Associations of clinical and
      pathologic variables with p53 and Ki-67 were determined using the chi(2) test.
      After excluding two patients (follow-up loss), 134 cases were evaluated for
      associations between p53, Ki-67, clinical and pathologic variables, and survival
      by using the Cox proportional hazards regression model and Kaplan-Meier method.
      RESULTS: In the 136 patients, p53 was positive in 71.0% (93/131), and Ki-67
      showed high in 49.2% (61/124). Unlike p53, Ki-67 was associated with male sex,
      smoking, and poor tumor differentiation (P=0.004, P=0.001 and P=0.006). Of these,
      poor tumor differentiation strongly was correlated with high level of Ki-67
      expression (P=0.008). Neither p53 nor Ki-67 was associated with increased risk of
      death (P=0.318, P=0.053); however, age >=60 years and lymph node involvement were
      significant predictors of death (P=0.039 and P=0.042). The log-rank test revealed
      a significant association between Ki-67 and lower survival in all patients
      (chi(2)=5637; P=0.018); however, the risk was limited to stage III cases
      (chi(2)=5.939; P=0.015). Unlike p53, patients with high level of Ki-67 expression
      showed lower 3-year actuarial survival than those without (log-rank test,
      chi(2)=4.936; P=0.026). CONCLUSIONS: IHC expression of Ki-67 in lung
      adenocarcinoma tissue shows stronger association with poor tumor differentiation,
      and negatively affects patients' survival in advanced-stage lung cancer; however,
      the role of p53 on patient outcome needs further study.

PMID- 26101638
TI  - Thoracoscopic double sleeve lobectomy in 13 patients: a series report from multi
      centers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aims to explore the feasibility and safety of video
      assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) double sleeve lobectomy in patients with non
      small lung cell cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Between June 2012 and August 2014, 13
      NSCLC patients underwent thoracoscopic double sleeve lobectomy and mediastinal
      lymphadenectomy at three institutions. A retrospective analysis of clinical
      characteristics, operative data, postoperative events and follow-up was
      performed. RESULTS: Thirteen NSCLC patients (median age, 60 years; range, 43-67
      years) underwent thoracoscopic double sleeve lobectomy. There were no conversions
      to thoracotomy. Left upper lobectomy was most frequently performed (eleven
      patients). Median operative time was 263 minutes (range, 218-330 minutes), and
      median blood loss was 224 mL (range, 60-400 mL). The learning curve revealed
      reductions in both operative times and blood loss of ten cases from one center.
      Median data were duration of blocking pulmonary artery (PA) 72 minutes (range, 44
      143 minutes), resected lymph nodes 24 (range, 10-46), stations of retrieved lymph
      nodes 6 (range, 5-9), thoracic drainage 1,042 mL (range, 500-1,700 mL), duration
      of thoracic drainage 5 days (range, 3-8 days), postoperative hospital stay 10
      days (range, 7-20 days), and ICU stay 1 day (range, 1-2 days). One patient (1/13,
      7.70%) suffered from pneumonia after surgery. There were no deaths at 30 days.
      Median duration of follow-up was 6 months (range, 1-26 months). And no local
      recurrences or distant metastasis were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracoscopic
      double sleeve lobectomy is a technically challenging, but feasible procedure for
      NSCLC patients and it should be restricted to skilled VATS surgeons.

PMID- 26101639
TI  - Clinical characteristics of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients with gender,
      age, and physiology staging at Okinawa Chubu Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gender, age, and physiology (GAP) staging was recently advocated for
      idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, clinical findings of GAP staging
      for IPF are limited. We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of IPF
      patients according to GAP staging in our hospital. METHODS: We retrospectively
      reviewed patient medical records and chest high-resolution computed tomography
      (HRCT) images from June 1, 2002, to December 31, 2012. RESULTS: We identified 54
      IPF patients with [36 men; mean age: 71 years (range, 53-85 years)]. Mean
      fibrosis and ground glass opacity (GGO) scores were 1.9 (0-4) and 1.6 (1-3.3),
      respectively. Mean percent predicted forced vital capacity (% FVC), percent
      predicted diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (% DLco) were 70.6
      (6.4-114.3), 49.2 (15-105.9), respectively. Cox proportional hazards model showed
      that gender, percent predicted diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide
      (% DLco), and composite physiologic index (CPI) were strong predictors of
      mortality. Stage III patients had more pulmonary hypertension (50% vs. 23%, 0%)
      and progressive modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) changes at 1 year (1.3
      vs. 0.6, 1.1; P=0.07) compared with other stages. CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort, GAP
      staging was useful for evaluating IPF severity. Stage III patients might had more
      pulmonary hypertension and progressive dyspnea. Multicenter analyses are
      warranted to confirm these findings.

PMID- 26101640
TI  - Expression of paired basic amino acid-cleaving enzyme 4 (PACE4) correlated with
      prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Paired basic amino acid-cleaving enzyme 4 (PACE4) was shown to
      enhance tumor cells proliferation and invasive. This study provides the first
      investigation of PACE4 expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the
      correlation with clinicopathologic features, prognostic indicators of 172 cases.
      METHODS: Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and immunofluorescence (IF) were
      applied to detect PACE4 expression in NSCLC and 16HBE cell lines, then 172
      consecutive NSCLC and 15 normal lung tissues were studied through
      immunohistochemistry (IHC). The association between PACE4 expression and
      clinicopathological parameters was evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and
      Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the effect of PACE4
      expression on survival. RESULTS: PACE4 expression in NSCLC were significantly
      higher than normal lung cell and tissues (P<0.05). PACE4 had cytoplasmic
      expression and was observed in 111 of the 172 (64.5%) NSCLC patients.
      Clinicopathologically, PACE4 expression was significantly associated with lymph
      node metastasis (N stage) (P=0.007), and clinical stage (P=0.024). Multivariable
      analysis confirmed that PACE4 expression increased the hazard of death after
      adjusting for other clinicopathological factors [hazards ratio (HR): 1.584; 95%
      confidence interval (CI): 1.167-2.151; P<0.001]. Overall survival (OS) was
      significantly prolonged in PACE4 negative group when compared with PACE4 positive
      group (5-year survival rates, 23.1% vs. 54.5%, log-rank test, chi(2)=17.717,
      P<0.001), as was disease-free survival (DFS) (5-year survival rates, 23.4% vs.
      55.4%, log-rank test, chi(2)=20.486, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest
      that positive expression of PACE4 is an independent factor for NSCLC patients and
      it might serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for patients with NSCLC.

PMID- 26101641
TI  - One-stage hybrid procedure without sternotomy for treating thoracic aortic
      pathologies that involve distal aortic arch: a single-center preliminary study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the initial results of a hybrid procedure
      without sternotomy for treating descending thoracic aortic disease that involves
      distal aortic arch. It also intends to report our initial experience in
      performing this procedure. METHODS: A total of 45 patients (35 males and 10
      females) with descending thoracic aortic disease underwent a hybrid procedure,
      namely, thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) combined with supra-arch
      branch vessel bypass, in our center from April 2009 to August 2014. Right
      axillary artery to left axillary artery bypass (n=20) or right axillary artery to
      left common carotid artery (LCCA) and left axillary artery bypass (n=25) were
      performed. The conditions of all patients were followed up from the 2(nd) month
      to the 65(th) month postoperative (mean, 26.0+/-17.1). Mortality within 30 days,
      complications such as endoleak after the hybrid procedure, and stenosis or
      blockage of the bypass graft during the follow-up period was assessed. RESULTS:
      All the patients underwent a one-stage procedure. One case of death and one case
      of cerebral infarction were reported within 30 days. One patient died of the
      sudden drop in blood pressure during the 2(nd) day of operation. Meanwhile,
      another patient suffered from cerebral infarction. Two patients underwent open
      surgery, and one of them had to undergo a second TEVAR during the follow-up
      period. Moreover, endoleak occurred in two patients and a newly formed intimal
      tear was observed in one patient. Overall, 93.2% of the patients survived without
      any complication related to the hybrid procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Initial results
      suggest that the one-stage hybrid procedure is a suitable therapeutic option for
      thoracic aortic pathologies that involve distal aortic arch. However, this
      procedure is not recommended for type-B aortic dissection, in which a tear is
      located in the greater curvature or near the left subclavian artery (LSA),
      because of the high possibility of endoleak occurrence.

PMID- 26101642
TI  - Screening for pectus excavatum among primary students and establishment of a
      pectus excavatum screening program in Dongguan, China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To carry out pectus excavatum (PEx) screening among primary school
      students in Dongguan, with an attempt to establish a PEx screening program and
      provide epidemiological evidences for developing guidelines on the diagnosis and
      treatment of PEx for young children. METHODS: A total of 479,402 primary school
      students who were already in school in 2012 or newly enrolled in 2013 from 422
      primary schools in 32 towns in Dongguan, Guangdong Province were screened for
      PEx. Meanwhile, about 420 medical staff from the infirmaries of 422 primary
      schools were provided with a serial of training, with an attempt to establish a
      PEx screening program and network. RESULTS: Valid screening results were obtained
      from 477,627 pupils (99.62%) from 406 primary schools in 31 towns. These students
      aged 4-15 years (mean: 8.78 years), among whom there were 244,545 males (N1; mean
      age: 8.22 years) and 233,082 females (N2; mean age: 8.89 years). Totally 257 PEx
      patients were identified, yielding a prevalence of 0.583%, among whom there were
      176 males (N3; mean age: 8.79 years) and 81 females (N4; mean age: 8.77 years).
      With the PEx patients as the PEx group and the healthy children as the control
      group, chi square test with gender as the dependent variable showed that the
      incidence of PEx was significantly different between male and female students
      (P=0.00) (N3:N4 =2.172:1). In addition, 410 medical staff from the school
      infirmaries were trained, and a PEx screening program and network was
      established. CONCLUSIONS: The screening for PEx was successfully performed among
      pupils who were already in school in 2012 or newly enrolled in 2013 from 422
      primary schools in Dongguan, Guangdong Province. Statistical analysis showed that
      the incidence of PEx differed between male and female pupils. A stable effective
      PEx screening program was established, which will provide personal and technical
      supports for the early diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

PMID- 26101643
TI  - Clinical features and mutation status of EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, EML4-ALK and ROS1
      between surgical resection samples and non surgical resection samples in lung
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Target therapy is the first-line treatment in lung cancer. The
      testing of driver gene mutations is crucial for decision of treatment. Many lung
      cancer patients are in advanced grade, and lose the chance of operation. METHODS:
      The tissue used to perform mutation testing is only from biopsy. In order to
      analysis the difference between surgical resection samples (SRSs) and non
      surgical resection samples (NSRSs), 1,357 surgical tissues and 145 biopsy samples
      histopathologically diagnosed with lung cancer were collected to detect the
      mutation status of EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, EML4-ALK and ROS1 in this study. RESULTS:
      There were no significant differences of age, gender, and histological type
      between the two group patients we collected; however, the significant difference
      was present in grade. More early stage patients were in the surgical group, but
      more advanced stage lung cancer patients were in non surgical group. In the
      mutation analysis, we also found no significant differences in all driver genes
      we detected between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Both surgical resection samples
      and biopsy samples could be used to perform the testing the driver gene mutation.

PMID- 26101645
TI  - Kinetics of plasma microRNA-499 expression in acute myocardial infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNA (miRNA) is reported to be present in human plasma and has
      been increasingly suggested as a biomarker for diseases. Our study aimed to
      investigate the kinetics of cardiac-specific microR-499 (miR-499) in acute
      myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Circulating concentrations of cardiac
      enriched miR-499 were measured by quantitative PCR in 73 patients with acute
      coronary syndrome (ACS), including 53 with AMI and 20 with unstable angina (UA).
      Thirty healthy subjects were used as controls. Plasma samples in AMI group were
      obtained immediately after admission and at 12 h, 24 h, 3 d and 7 d after onset
      of symptoms. Plasma samples in UA and healthy control groups were collected
      immediately after admission. The severity and extent of coronary stenotic lesions
      were evaluated on the basis of coronary angiography using Gensini score. RESULTS:
      miR-499 expression levels were significantly higher in the 53 AMI patients than
      in the 20 UA patients and 30 healthy controls immediately after admission
      (P<0.01). A measurable increase in miR-499 levels was observed in AMI patients
      within 24 h of the last onset of chest pain and the levels returned to the
      baseline after 7 d. Plasma miR-499 levels in the patients with AMI were
      positively-correlated with cTnI (r=0.384, P<0.01) and CK-MB (r=0.402, P<0.01). In
      addition, miR-499 levels in AMI patients with two- and three-vessel coronary
      artery disease (CAD) were significantly higher than those in patients with single
      vessel CAD (P<0.05). Gensini scores were used to evaluate the severity of
      coronary stenosis. miR-499 were positively correlated with Gensini scores
      (r=0.52, P<0.01). miR-499 levels at admission were significantly higher than that
      those 24 h after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in AMI patients
      (P<0.01) and were negatively correlated with LVEF (r=0.36, P=0.008). CONCLUSIONS:
      Cardiac-specific miRNA-499 levels were found to be linearly proportional to
      myocardial damage. MiRNA-499 might prove to be a new biomarker for AMI and a
      predictor of the risk of myocardial ischemia.

PMID- 26101644
TI  - Benefit of initial dual-therapy on stroke prevention in Chinese hypertensive
      patients: a real world cohort study.
AB  - AIMS: Studies have shown that combination anti-hypertensive therapy is superior
      to mono-therapy in blood pressure control and prevention of cardiovascular
      events. However, whether such advantage exists in the prevention of stroke in
      Chinese hypertensive patients remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the
      impact of initial combination versus mono-therapy on stroke events in a large
      cohort of Chinese hypertensive patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Hypertensive
      patients with uncontrolled blood pressure and without a history of stroke were
      screened from the Shanghai Community-dwelling Hypertensive Population Follow-up
      Database. Based on the initial treatment, individuals were divided into an
      initial mono-therapy group and initial dual combination group. Patients were
      followed for 42 months. 32,682 and 4,926 patients were included in the initial
      mono- and dual-therapy group. The achieved target blood pressure control rates of
      mono vs. combination groups at 6, 12, 24, and 42 months of follow-up, were 59.47%
      vs. 60.05%, 78.23% vs. 77.06%, 85.51% vs. 84.02%, and 86.90% vs. 85.44%,
      respectively. Their corresponding incidence densities of stroke were 0.792 vs.
      0.489, 1.49 vs. 1.15, 2.79 vs. 2.38, and 4.25 vs. 4.32 (cases per 100 person
      year), respectively. The 6-month incidence of stroke in dual-therapy group was
      significantly lower than mono-therapy group (adjusted HR 0.64; 95% CI: 0.30
      0.93). However, no significant group differences in the incidence density were
      observed at 12, 24, and 42 months. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that, for
      patients with uncontrolled hypertension, initial dual therapy is more effective
      in the prevention of stroke during the first 6 months of treatment, but not
      thereafter. Combination antihypertensive therapy may be a beneficial initial
      strategy for early stroke prevention.

PMID- 26101646
TI  - The use of an online pictorial Epworth Sleepiness Scale in the assessment of age
      and gender specific differences in excessive daytime sleepiness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a non-specific but highly
      prevalent cardinal symptom of sleep disorders. We hypothesized that with modern
      media and an online pictorial Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) age and gender
      specific differences of EDS could be identified on a large scale. This could be
      helpful in the screening of patients with sleep disorders. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      In 8,098 subjects, age and gender were recorded in addition to an online
      pictorial ESS (range 0-24 points). The cut-off for EDS (ESS >10 points) was
      chosen in line with the traditional ESS. RESULTS: The prevalence of EDS was
      slightly higher in male subjects (45% vs. 43%, P=0.033). When age was considered,
      female subjects tended to be sleepier in their 3(rd) and 4(th) lifetime decade
      (P=0.01 and P=0.003, respectively), whilst male subjects scored significantly
      higher in their 7(th) decade (P<0.0001); there was a trend to more daytime
      symptoms with higher age (P for trend <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The online pictorial
      ESS identifies gender differences in EDS and reveals increased levels of
      sleepiness associated with higher age. The use of modern media facilitates
      reaching out to the general population to raise awareness of conditions
      associated with EDS such as sleep apnoea.

PMID- 26101647
TI  - Post-treatment change in Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen-stimulated tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha release in patients with active tuberculosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Monitoring tuberculosis (TB) treatment response remains challenging
      due to lack of reliable laboratory markers. In recent years, increased efforts
      have been exerted toward development of new biomarkers reflecting treatment
      response appropriately. While performance of interferon-gamma release assays
      (IGRAs) to monitor anti-TB treatment has been extensively evaluated, there is no
      data about post-treatment changes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) antigen
      stimulated tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) release in active TB patients.
      Herein, we explored whether the MTB antigen-stimulated TNF-alpha release would be
      useful for monitoring responses to anti-TB treatment. METHODS: We compared
      unstimulated (TNF-alphaNil), MTB antigen-stimulated (TNF-alphaAg), and MTB
      antigen-stimulated minus unstimulated TNF-alpha levels (TNF-alphaAg-Nil) in
      supernatants from QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube tests before and after treatment in
      16 active TB patients, 25 latent TB infection (LTBI) subjects, and 10 healthy
      controls (HC). RESULTS: TNF-alphaAg and TNF-alphaAg-Nil levels decreased
      significantly after treatment in patients with active TB. In addition, TNF
      alphaNil, TNF-alphaAg, and TNF-alphaAg-Nil levels were significantly higher in
      untreated active TB patients compared to LTBI subjects and HC. CONCLUSIONS: This
      finding cautiously suggests that MTB Ag-stimulated TNF-alpha response may be a
      potential adjunctive marker for monitoring treatment response in active TB
      patients.

PMID- 26101648
TI  - Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour of the lung: a reactive lesion or a true
      neoplasm?
AB  - Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour (IMT) of the lung represents an extremely
      rare type of inflammatory pseudo tumor that appears most commonly in children and
      young individuals. There has been an ongoing controversy whether an IMT is a
      reactive lesion or a true neoplasm making the further management extremely
      challenging. Purpose of the paper is through a literature review to highlight the
      existence of this rare tumour along with its key features and the management
      options available. 

PMID- 26101649
TI  - Established vascular effects of continuous positive airway pressure therapy in
      patients with obstructive sleep apnoea-an update.
AB  - The aim of this review was to summarize the current data from randomised
      controlled trials (RCTs) on vascular effects of continuous positive airway
      pressure (CPAP) therapy in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). There is
      good evidence from RCTs that CPAP lowers blood pressure (BP) to a clinically
      significant amount. The effect seems to be dependent on the hours of nightly CPAP
      usage. Data from RCTs have also proven a beneficial effect of CPAP on measures of
      vascular function such as endothelial function and arterial stiffness. However,
      there is still a lack of evidence from RCTs proving that CPAP reduces vascular
      events and mortality. 

PMID- 26101650
TI  - Epidemiological aspects of obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is probably the most common respiratory disorder,
      with recent data from the United States and Europe suggesting that between 14%
      and 49% of middle-aged men have clinically significant OSA. The intimate
      relationship between OSA and obesity means that its prevalence will only increase
      as the global obesity epidemic evolves. At an individual level, OSA leads to a
      significant decrease in quality of life (QOL) and functional capacity, alongside
      a markedly increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Emerging data also
      suggest that the presence and severity of OSA and associated nocturnal hypoxemia
      are associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cancer. At a societal
      level, OSA not only leads to reduced economic productivity, but also constitutes
      a major treatable risk factor for hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD) and
      stroke. This article addresses OSA from an epidemiological perspective, from
      prevalence studies to economic aspects to co-morbidity. 

PMID- 26101651
TI  - Central sleep apnoea-a clinical review.
AB  - Central sleep apnoea (CSA) is characterised by recurrent apnoeas during sleep
      with no associated respiratory effort. It mostly results from withdrawal of the
      wakefulness drive in sleep leaving ventilation under metabolic control. A
      detailed physiological understanding of the control of breathing in wakefulness
      and sleep is essential to the understanding of CSA. It encompasses a diverse
      group of conditions with differing aetiologies and pathophysiology. Likewise
      treatment varies according to underlying aetiology. Some of the conditions such
      as idiopathic (primary) CSA (ICSA) are relatively rare and benign. On the other
      hand Cheyne-Stokes breathing (CSB) pattern is quite common in patients with heart
      failure and might be a prognostic indicator of poor outcome. Unfortunately modern
      medical management of heart failure does not seem to have significantly reduced
      the prevalence of CSA in this group. Since the adoption of positive airway
      pressure (PAP) as a common treatment modality of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA),
      complex CSA has been increasingly observed either as treatment emergent or
      persistent CSA. Depending on the particular condition, various treatment
      strategies have been tried in the past two decades which have included hypnotic
      therapy, respiratory stimulants, judicious administration of carbon dioxide,
      oxygen therapy, PAP and bi-level ventilatory support with a backup rate. In the
      past decade adaptive servo ventilation (ASV) has been introduced with much
      promise. Various studies have shown its superiority over other treatment
      modalities. Ongoing long term studies will hopefully shed more light on its
      impact on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Other rare forms are still
      poorly understood and treatments remain suboptimal. 

PMID- 26101652
TI  - Patients' preference of established and emerging treatment options for
      obstructive sleep apnoea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is the most common form of sleep
      disordered breathing. The standard treatment, continuous positive airway pressure
      (CPAP), has limited long-term compliance. Alternative treatment options are
      required and new methods, including hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HNS) and
      continuous transcutaneous electrical stimulation (CTES), are currently emerging.
      We report on patients' preference for different treatments of OSA. METHODS: We
      recorded patients' age, gender, body mass index (BMI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale
      (ESS), Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire with 10 questions (FOSQ10),
      severity of OSA, and current treatment. We showed pictures of existing [CPAP,
      mandibular advancement device (MAD)] and emerging treatments (HNS and CTES). We
      then asked (I) whether participants were interested in further information about
      HNS/CTES; (II) if they would be willing to try HNS/CTES; and (III) if they were
      to choose only one of the four listed treatments, which one would they prefer to
      use every night. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-two patients completed the survey {81
      males, mean age 52 [12] years, BMI 34 [7] kg/m(2), ESS 10.2 (6.0) points, FOSQ10
      28.5 (8.1) points}. The majority of the respondents (89.5%) had been diagnosed
      with OSA. A total of 91.3% of the respondents were interested in more information
      and were willing to try HNS/CTES. Most respondents preferred the potential use of
      CTES (56.7%), while 21.7% chose HNS, 17.8% CPAP, and 3.8% the MAD. There were no
      differences in the characteristics of the patients who preferred CTES compared to
      those who preferred other treatments, but a regression analysis revealed that a
      low ESS score was an independent predictor of patients choosing CTES (P<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: More than 9 out of 10 of the respondents were interested in trying
      emerging technologies to treat OSA, most preferring CTES. Less sleepy patients
      were more likely to choose less invasive treatments. These findings will likely
      impact on future research and development of therapies for sleep-disordered
      breathing.

PMID- 26101654
TI  - Artificial neural networks for small dataset analysis.
AB  - Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are usually considered as tools which can help
      to analyze cause-effect relationships in complex systems within a big-data
      framework. On the other hand, health sciences undergo complexity more than any
      other scientific discipline, and in this field large datasets are seldom
      available. In this situation, I show how a particular neural network tool, which
      is able to handle small datasets of experimental or observational data, can help
      in identifying the main causal factors leading to changes in some variable which
      summarizes the behaviour of a complex system, for instance the onset of a
      disease. A detailed description of the neural network tool is given and its
      application to a specific case study is shown. Recommendations for a correct use
      of this tool are also supplied. 

PMID- 26101653
TI  - Respiratory management of the obese patient undergoing surgery.
AB  - As a reflection of the increasing global incidence of obesity, there has been a
      corresponding rise in the proportion of obese patients undergoing major surgery.
      This review reports the physiological effect of these changes in body composition
      on the respiratory system and discusses the clinical approach required to
      maximize safety and minimize the risk to the patient. The changes in respiratory
      system compliance and lung volumes, which can adversely affect pulmonary gas
      exchange, combined with upper airways obstruction and sleep-disordered breathing
      need to be considered carefully in the peri-operative period. Indeed, these
      challenges in the obese patient have led to a clear focus on the clinical
      management strategy and development of peri-operative pathways, including pre
      operative risk assessment, patient positioning at induction and under anesthesia,
      modified approach to intraoperative ventilation and the peri-operative use of non
      invasive ventilation (NIV) and continuous positive airways pressure. 

PMID- 26101655
TI  - Beware the 'raised right hemidiaphragm' in a female patient with previous
      pneumothorax surgery: liver herniation through a massive endometrosis-related
      diaphragmatic fenestration.
AB  - A 44-year-old non-smoking woman presented with recurrent right spontaneous
      pneumothorax 9 years after a right-side surgical pleurodesis via a video-assisted
      thoracic surgery (VATS) approach for suspected primary pneumothorax in another
      center. Histological examination of tissue excised during the earlier operation
      confirmed catamenial pneumothorax, but no further treatment was given. During the
      9 years since, she had had persistent right lower chest pain and chest X-ray
      (CXR) had shown a "persistently elevated right diaphragm", but these had been
      treated as iatrogenic neuropathic pain and phrenic nerve palsy respectively. A
      redo right surgical exploration was performed for the current recurrence. Intra
      operatively, the right half of the liver was found to have herniated into the
      chest via a massive fenestration (10 cm * 9 cm) in the right hemidiaphragm. The
      defect was repaired via a combined thoracotomy and laparotomy approach. This case
      serves as an advisory that in patients with persistent ipsilateral chest pain and
      a raised hemidiaphragm following surgery for catamenial pneumothorax,
      diaphragmatic fenestration and abdominal visceral herniation should be suspected
      amongst the differential diagnoses. 

PMID- 26101656
TI  - Migratory eosinophilic alveolitis caused by radiation therapy.
AB  - Although radiation pneumonitis is usually confined to irradiated areas, some
      studies have reported that radiation-induced lymphocytic alveolitis can also
      spread to the non-irradiated lung. However, there have been few reports of
      radiation-induced eosinophilic alveolitis. We report the case of a 27-year-old
      female with radiation pneumonitis, occurring 4 months after radiation therapy for
      cancer of the left breast. Clinical and radiological relapse followed withdrawal
      of corticosteroids. Examination of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in patchy
      airspace consolidations revealed increased eosinophil counts. Finally, clinical
      and radiological signs resolved rapidly after reintroduction of corticosteroids.
      Eosinophilic alveolitis may be promoted by radiation therapy. In the present case
      report, possible mechanisms for radiation-induced eosinophilic alveolitis are
      also reviewed. 

PMID- 26101657
TI  - Single incision thoracoscopic lobectomy through a 2.5 cm skin incision.
AB  - Single incision thoracoscopic surgery (SITS) involves only one intercostal space
      with minimal skin incision, which means it can be the most minimally invasive
      technique up to date. We minimized the skin incision to a length of 2.5 cm to
      achieve the less chest wall trauma and the more cosmesis during SITS lobectomy
      for benign pulmonary disease. Four patients who had bronchiectasis [left lower
      lobe (LLL)], congenital lobar emphysema [left upper lobe (LUL)], aspergilloma
      [right upper lobe (RUL)], and hamartoma (RUL) were planned to undergo 2.5 cm SITS
      lobectomy. There were no conversion cases to multi-port video-assisted thoracic
      surgery (VATS) or thoracotomy. The mean operation time was 182+/-25 minutes.
      Chest drains were removed on postoperative day (POD) 2 in all patients. Three
      patients discharged on POD 3. One patient who discharged on POD 5 readmitted for
      delayed pleural effusion and treated with mini-tube insertion. There were no late
      complications or symptom relapses during the median follow-up of 13.5 months. A
      2.5 cm SITS lobectomy can be alternative option for relatively young patients
      with benign lung disease. 

PMID- 26101658
TI  - Malignant glomus tumor in pleural cavity.
AB  - Glomus tumors, an uncommon hypervascular tumor, arise from modified smooth muscle
      cells of the glomus body that plays a significant role in the regulation of skin
      circulation. The tumors are usually located in the extremities, typically in the
      subungual region of the fingers. Primary glomus tumors of the chest are extremely
      rare, and to our knowledge, there are no cases have been described in thoracic
      cavity to date. We here report a case of intrathoracic glomus tumor in a 31-year
      old man who presented with a persistent chest pain. Chest computed tomography
      scans demonstrated an irregularly shaped mass in the left thorax. Left
      thoracotomy was performed under the suspicious diagnosis of unexplained thorax
      tumor, and a tumor located in the left upper portion of thorax was founded.
      Complete resection of tumor along with the partial structure of chest wall was
      performed. Postoperative diagnosis was malignant glomus tumor. 

PMID- 26101659
TI  - Fixation of sternal fracture using absorbable plating system, three years follow
      up.
AB  - Sternal fractures occur due to severe chest wall trauma in a small number of
      patients. They are often conservatively treated. The surgical intervention,
      although controversial, is indicated in case of deformity, severe pain, and
      ventilatory complications. We report the first case where absorbable plate has
      been used to fix a traumatic fracture in a 42-year-old female. After 3 years, the
      patient is still free of symptoms and CT scanning reveals intact sternal bone
      structure. 

PMID- 26101660
TI  - Protocolized weaning from mechanical strategy in chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease: respiratory therapists versus physician directed-who guides best?

PMID- 26101661
TI  - Author response to letter to the editor "Protocolized weaning from mechanical
      strategy in COPD: respiratory therapists versus physician directed-who guides
      best?".

PMID- 26101662
TI  - The AME Special Competition 2015: 4 rounds, 27 contestants, countless lessons
      learned about China.

PMID- 26101663
TI  - Expert consensus on image-guided radiofrequency ablation of pulmonary tumors-2015
      edition.

PMID- 26101664
TI  - Health Care Consumption during Pregnancy in relation to Maternal Body Mass Index:
      A Swedish Population Based Observational Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess whether antenatal health care consumption is associated with
      maternal body mass index (BMI). DESIGN: A register based observational study.
      METHODS: The Swedish Medical Birth Register, the Maternal Health Care Register,
      and the Inpatient Register were used to determine antenatal health care
      consumption according to BMI categories for primiparous women with singleton
      pregnancies, from 2006 to 2008, n = 71,638. Pairwise comparisons among BMI groups
      are obtained post hoc by Tukey HSD test. RESULT: Obese women were more often
      admitted for in-patient care (p < 0.001), had longer antenatal hospital stays (p
      < 0.001), and were more often sick-listed by an obstetrician (p < 0.001) during
      their pregnancy, compared to women with normal weight women. Preeclampsia was
      more than four times as common, hypertension five times as common, and
      gestational diabetes 11 times as common when comparing in-patient care, obese to
      normal weight women (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Underweight mothers had
      longer stay in hospitals (p < 0.05) and hydronephrosis and hyperemesis gravidarum
      were more than twice as common (both p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Obese and
      underweight mothers consumed significantly more health care resources and obese
      women were significantly more often sick-listed during their pregnancy when
      compared to pregnant women of normal weight.

PMID- 26101665
TI  - Comment on "Intervention Effects of a School-Based Health Promotion Programme on
      Obesity Related Behavioural Outcomes".

PMID- 26101666
TI  - Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors with Dietary Behaviors
      among US High School Students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviors, and dietary behaviors
      are each associated with overweight and obesity among youth. However, the
      associations of PA and sedentary behaviors with dietary behaviors are complex and
      not well understood. PURPOSE: To describe the associations of PA and sedentary
      behaviors with dietary behaviors among a representative sample of US high school
      students. METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2010 National Youth Physical
      Activity and Nutrition Study (NYPANS). Using logistic regression models which
      controlled for sex, race/ethnicity, grade, body weight status, and weight
      management goals, we compared dietary behaviors among students who did and did
      not meet national recommendations for PA and sedentary behaviors. RESULTS:
      Students who participated in recommended levels of daily PA (DPA) and muscle
      strengthening PA (MSPA) were more likely than those who did not to eat fruits and
      vegetables. Students who exceeded recommended limits for television (TV) and
      computer/video game (C/VG) screen time were less likely than those who did not to
      consume fruits and vegetables and were more likely to consume fast food and sugar
      sweetened beverages. CONCLUSIONS: Researchers may want to address PA, sedentary
      behaviors, and dietary behaviors jointly when developing health promotion and
      obesity prevention programs for youth.

PMID- 26101667
TI  - Expression and Characterization of the Novel Gene fr47 during Freezing in the
      Wood Frog, Rana sylvatica.
AB  - The wood frog, Rana sylvatica, has numerous adaptations that allow it to survive
      freezing of up to 65% of its total body water during the winter. Such adaptations
      have been found to include the expression of novel freeze responsive genes that
      are thought to be important for adaptation and survival. In this study, the
      tissue-specific stress responsive expression of one novel gene, fr47, was
      assessed in seven wood frog tissues. In response to freezing, the transcript
      expression of fr47 increased significantly in six tissues: heart, lung, liver,
      skeletal muscle, kidney, and testes. The expression of fr47 was also strongly
      upregulated by component stresses of freezing, namely, anoxia and dehydration. A
      dynamic change in fr47 expression was also observed during tadpole development,
      with expression low in embryonic stages (Gosner stages 14-20), increasing through
      intermediate (stages 26-43) and transformation phases (stages 44-45). These
      results indicated that fr47 potentially has a role to play in development and
      metamorphosis, in addition to freeze, anoxia, and dehydration tolerance. De novo
      analysis of FR47 protein structure revealed a likelihood of membrane associated
      function and possible GRB2 association. It is hypothesized that this interaction
      may influence inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production, known to increase during
      wood frog freezing. 

PMID- 26101668
TI  - Association between Prenatal One-Hour Glucose Challenge Test Values and Delivery
      Mode in Nondiabetic, Pregnant Black Women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between 1-hour glucose challenge test
      (GCT) values and risk of caesarean section. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cohort
      study recruited 203 pregnant Black women to participate. At ~28 weeks of
      gestation, participants underwent a routine 1-hour 50 g GCT to screen for
      gestational diabetes mellitus. Logistic regression was used to examine the
      association between 1-hour GCT value and delivery mode. RESULTS: Of the 158
      participants included, 53 (33.5%) delivered via C-section; the majority (n = 29;
      54.7%) were nulliparous. Mean 1-hour GCT values were slightly, but not
      significantly, higher among women delivering via C-section; versus vaginally
      (107.8 +/- 20.7 versus 102.4 +/- 21.5 mg/dL, resp.; P = 0.13). After stratifying
      by parity and adjusting for maternal age, previous C-section, and prepregnancy
      body mass index, 1-hour GCT value was significantly associated with increased
      risk of C-section among parous women (OR per 1 mg/dL increase in GCT value =
      1.05; 95% CI OR: 1.00, 1.05; P = 0.045). CONCLUSION: Even slightly elevated 1
      hour 50 g GCT values may be associated with delivery mode among parous Black
      women.

PMID- 26101669
TI  - Comparison of Patient-Reported Outcome from Neck-Preserving, Short-Stem
      Arthroplasty and Resurfacing Arthroplasty in Younger Osteoarthritis Patients.
AB  - Hip resurfacing has been considered a good treatment option for younger, active
      osteoarthritis patients. However, there are several identified issues concerning
      risk for neck fractures and issues related to current metal-on-metal implant
      designs. Neck-preserving short-stem implants have been discussed as a potential
      alternative, but it is yet unclear which method is better suited for younger
      adults. We compared hip disability and osteoarthritis outcome scores (HOOS) from
      a young group of patients (n = 52, age 48.9 +/- 6.1 years) who had received hip
      resurfacing (HR) with a cohort of patients (n = 73, age 48.2 +/- 6.6 years) who
      had received neck-preserving, short-stem implant total hip arthroplasty (THA).
      Additionally, durations for both types of surgery were compared. HOOS improved
      significantly preoperatively to last followup (>1 year) in both groups (p <
      0.0001, eta (2) = 0.69); there were no group effects or interactions. Surgery
      duration was significantly longer for resurfacing (104.4 min +/- 17.8) than
      MiniHip surgery (62.5 min +/- 14.8), U = 85.0, p < 0.0001, eta (2) = 0.56. The
      neck-preserving short-stem approach may be preferable to resurfacing due to the
      less challenging surgery, similar outcome, and controversy regarding resurfacing
      implant designs. 

PMID- 26101671
TI  - Transient Left-Sided Paralysis following Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Uteropexy.
AB  - We describe a case report of a 47-year-old ASA 2 female patient who exhibits
      severe headache and hemineurology during awakening following robotic pelvic
      prolapse surgery. The symptoms resolved spontaneously during the first
      postoperative day. We could not find any explicit root cause. Robotic surgery
      associated adverse events are discussed. 

PMID- 26101670
TI  - Inhibition of Hyperpolarization-Activated Cation Current in Medium-Sized DRG
      Neurons Contributed to the Antiallodynic Effect of Methylcobalamin in the Rat of
      a Chronic Compression of the DRG.
AB  - Recently several lines of evidence demonstrated that methylcobalamin (MeCbl)
      might have potential analgesic effect in experimental and clinical studies.
      However, it was reported that MeCbl had no effect on treating lumbar spinal
      stenosis induced pain. Thus, the effects of short-term and long-term
      administration of MeCbl were examined in the chronic compression of dorsal root
      ganglion (CCD) model. We found that mechanical allodynia was significantly
      inhibited by a continuous application of high dose and a single treatment of a
      super high dose of MeCbl. Little is known about mechanisms underlying the
      analgesia of MeCbl. We examined the effect of MeCbl on the spontaneous activity
      (SA), the excitability, and hyperpolarization-activated nonselective cation ion
      current in compressed medium-sized dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons using
      extracellular single fiber recording in vivo and whole-cell patch clamp in vitro.
      We found that MeCbl significantly inhibited the SA of A-type sensory neurons in a
      dose-dependent manner and inhibited the excitability of medium-sized DRG neurons.
      In addition, MeCbl also decreased I h current density in injured medium-sized DRG
      neurons. Our results proved that MeCbl might exert an analgesic effect through
      the inhibition I h current and then might inhibit the hyperexcitability of
      primary sensory neurons under neuropathic pain state. 

PMID- 26101672
TI  - Pulmonary Hemorrhage Secondary to Disseminated Strongyloidiasis in a Patient with
      Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
AB  - Introduction. Pulmonary hemorrhage secondary to disseminated strongyloidiasis is
      an unusual, well-recognized entity in immunocompromised patients with autoimmune
      disease, which is associated with the hyperinfection syndrome, sepsis, and a high
      mortality rate. Case Presentation. We present a case of a 44-year-old Mexican
      woman with systemic lupus erythematosus and acute bacterial meningitis who
      developed pulmonary hemorrhage with acute respiratory failure requiring
      mechanical ventilation, treated with broad spectrum systemic antibiotics and high
      dose methylprednisolone, who subsequently developed a characteristic purpuric
      skin eruption and septic shock and died two days later of refractory hypoxemia
      caused by massive pulmonary bleeding. The postmortem examination reports
      filariform larvae of S. stercolaris in lung, skin, and other organs. Conclusion.
      This case highlights the importance of considering disseminated strongyloidiasis
      in the differential diagnosis of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in systemic lupus
      erythematosus, and screening for S. stercolaris infection before initiation of
      immunosuppressive therapy should be considered, especially in endemic areas.
      Disseminated strongyloidiasis has a high mortality rate, explained in part by
      absence of clinical suspicion. 

PMID- 26101673
TI  - Phencyclidine Induced Oculogyric Crisis Responding Well to Conventional
      Treatment.
AB  - Background. Oculogyric crisis is a form of acute dystonic reaction characterized
      by involuntary upward deviation of eye ball. Its causes are broad with
      antipsychotics and antiemetics as the most common causes. Case Presentation. A 25
      year-old man with the past medical history of marijuana use presented to ED with
      involuntary upward deviation of eye 1 day after using phencyclidine (PCP) for the
      first time. He did not have any other symptoms and was hemodynamically stable.
      All laboratory investigations were normal except urine drug screen which was
      positive for PCP. Patient was treated with IV diphenhydramine which improved his
      symptoms. Conclusion. Illicit drug abuse is a growing problem in our society with
      increasingly more patients presenting to ED with its complications. The
      differential diagnosis of acute dystonic reactions should be extended to include
      illicit drugs as the potential cause of reversible acute dystonias especially in
      high risk patients. 

PMID- 26101674
TI  - Bilateral Adrenal Incidentalomas: A Rare Presentation of Lung Cancer.
AB  - Adrenal incidentalomas are found incidentally during a radiologic examination
      performed for indications other than an adrenal disease, and 15% of them are
      bilateral adrenal masses. This study describes a 51-year-old male smoker patient
      admitted with diabetes mellitus. An abdominal ultrasonography performed due to
      his anemia revealed bilateral adrenal masses. His chest X-ray showed abnormal 10
      cm opacity at the right upper lung, and brain, thorax, and abdomen CT scans
      showed multiple lesions compatible with lung cancer metastases. The pathological
      examination of the transthoracic lung biopsy specimen was consistent with lung
      adenocarcinoma. Findings in this patient indicate that, in middle aged patients
      with bilateral adrenal mass and a history or finding of any malignancy, the first
      diagnosis which should be considered is adrenal metastasis, and confirming the
      diagnosis by adrenal biopsy may be useless. Furthermore, screening all smoking
      patients by chest X-ray or thoracic CT for lung cancer may not be accepted as a
      routine procedure, but in smokers admitted to a hospital due to signs and
      symptoms attributed to a pulmonary disease, at least a chest X-ray should be
      requested. 

PMID- 26101675
TI  - Marked Direct Hyperbilirubinemia due to Ceftriaxone in an Adult with Sickle Cell
      Disease.
AB  - Drugs are a significant cause of liver injury. Drug-induced liver injury (DILI)
      can cause acute hepatitis, cholestasis, or a mixed pattern. Ceftriaxone is a
      commonly used antibiotic and has been associated with reversible biliary sludge,
      pseudolithiasis, and cholestasis. A 32-year-old male with sickle cell disease was
      admitted to the hospital for acute sickle cell crisis. On the second day of
      hospitalization, he developed cough and rhonchi with chest X-ray revealing right
      middle lobe infiltrates. Ceftriaxone and azithromycin were initiated.
      Subsequently, he developed conjugated hyperbilirubinemia and mild transaminitis.
      His total bilirubin trended upwards from 3.3 mg/dL on admission to 17 mg/dL. It
      was predominantly conjugated bilirubin, with preadmission bilirubin levels of 3-4
      mg/dL. His transaminases were mildly elevated as well compared to previous
      levels. Extensive workup for bilirubin elevation was unremarkable. Ceftriaxone
      was switched to levofloxacin and the hyperbilirubinemia improved. On ambulatory
      follow-up, his bilirubin remained below 4 mg/dL. Ceftriaxone may be associated
      with marked direct hyperbilirubinemia particularly in sickle cell patients with
      chronic liver chemistry abnormalities. In the case of elevated bilirubin with
      concomitant ceftriaxone use, elimination of the offending agent should be
      considered. 

PMID- 26101676
TI  - Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome due to High Dose Corticosteroids for
      an MS Relapse.
AB  - Increased blood pressure is a known adverse effect associated with
      corticosteroids but little is published regarding the risk with the high doses
      used in multiple sclerosis (MS). A 53-year-old female with known relapsing
      remitting MS presented with a new brainstem relapse. Standard of care treatment
      for an acute MS relapse, 1250 mg of oral prednisone for 5 days, was initiated.
      She developed an occipital headache and dizziness and felt generally unwell.
      These symptoms persisted after treatment was complete. On presentation to medical
      attention, her blood pressure was 199/110 mmHg, although she had no history of
      hypertension. MRI changes were consistent with posterior reversible
      encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), demonstrating abnormal T2 signal in both thalami,
      the posterior occipital and posterior parietal white matter with mild sulcal
      effacement. As her pressure normalized with medication, her symptoms resolved and
      the MRI changes improved. No secondary cause of hypertension was found. This is
      the first reported case of PRES secondary to high dose corticosteroid use for an
      MS relapse without a history of hypertension and with no other secondary cause of
      hypertension identified. This rare complication should be considered in MS
      patients presenting with a headache or other neurological symptoms during
      treatment for a relapse. 

PMID- 26101677
TI  - Primary T-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma of the Vagina.
AB  - The primary vaginal T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a rare form of lymphoma. Most
      of the previously published cases were about B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. We
      present the case of a vaginal mass in an 82-year-old patient presenting vaginal
      bleeding. The results of the immunohistological studies of the mass revealed the
      presence of a cytotoxic T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is the least common
      subtype. 

PMID- 26101678
TI  - Primary Mediastinal Synovial Sarcoma Presenting as Superior Vena Cava Syndrome: A
      Rare Case Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Primary mediastinal sarcomas are aggressive tumors with a very rare incidence.
      This report describes the case of a 35-year-old male patient who presented with
      acute symptoms of dyspnoea, facial puffiness, voice-hoarseness, and engorged neck
      veins. With the clinical picture consistent with the superior vena cava (SVC)
      syndrome, the patient was investigated with computed tomography of the chest.
      This revealed a large soft tissue density mass lesion compressing the SVC along
      with other critical superior mediastinal structures. Histopathological evaluation
      of the mass revealed features consistent with a soft tissue sarcoma and positive
      staining was observed for vimentin and S-100. Cytogenetic analysis by fluorescent
      in situ hybridisation (FISH) demonstrated the t(X:18) translocation. Thus
      diagnosis was established as primary mediastinal synovial sarcoma. Patient was
      treated with three cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, to which there was a
      partial response as per the RECIST criteria. Surgical excision of the mediastinal
      mass was performed, and further postoperative treatment with adjuvant
      chemoradiotherapy was provided. Patient currently is free of disease. This is to
      the best of our knowledge the first report in the world literature of a
      successfully treated case of "primary mediastinal sarcomas presenting as SVC
      syndrome." Patient is under regular surveillance at our clinic and remains free
      of recurrence one year after treatment completion. 

PMID- 26101679
TI  - Combined Effect of a Locking Plate and Teriparatide for Incomplete Atypical
      Femoral Fracture: Two Case Reports of Curved Femurs.
AB  - In surgical treatment for atypical femoral fractures (AFFs), reconstruction nail
      fixation is recommended for both complete and incomplete fractures. Although it
      has been reported that AFF is affected by many factors, The ASBMR Task Force 2013
      Revised Case Definition of AFFs states that a curved femur is often seen in Asian
      patients. It is sometimes difficult to insert a nail into a femur in incomplete
      AFF patients with severely curved femurs. We report two incomplete bisphosphonate
      related AFF patients with marked femoral curvatures treated by locking plates and
      teriparatide, showing early bone unions and favorable long-term outcomes. 

PMID- 26101680
TI  - Simultaneous Bilateral Femoral Neck Stress Fracture in a Young Stone Mason.
AB  - Unilateral stress fractures of the femoral neck are very uncommon and bilateral
      involvement is even rarer. They commonly occur in athletes, military recruits,
      older persons, or individuals with underlying metabolic disorders and very seldom
      in normal individuals. We present a rare case of simultaneous bilateral fracture
      neck of femur in a 25-year-old man who came with complaints of pain in bilateral
      groin for 1 month. There was no history of trauma or history suggestive of
      excessive activity prior to the onset of pain, but there was history of lifting
      heavy weights daily. On evaluation with MRI scan bilateral fracture of the femur
      neck was diagnosed and patient was operated on bilaterally with internal fixation
      done using dynamic hip screw. Patient then regained his routine activity over a
      period of 6 months and on follow-up at 1 year no avascular necrosis changes were
      seen in the femur head. We presented this case because of its unusual
      presentation and the diagnostic challenge it poses. 

PMID- 26101681
TI  - Short Stature in Chronic Kidney Disease Treated with Growth Hormone and an
      Aromatase Inhibitor.
AB  - We describe an alternative strategy for management of severe growth failure in a
      14-year-old child who presented with advanced chronic kidney disease close to
      puberty. The patient was initially treated with growth hormone for a year until
      kidney transplantation, followed immediately by a year-long course of an
      aromatase inhibitor, anastrozole, to prevent epiphyseal fusion and prolong the
      period of linear growth. Outcome was excellent, with successful transplant and
      anticipated complete correction of height deficit. This strategy may be
      appropriate for children with chronic kidney disease and short stature who are in
      puberty. 

PMID- 26101682
TI  - Postinjection Muscle Fibrosis from Lupron.
AB  - We describe the case of a 6.5-year-old girl with central precocious puberty
      (CPP), which signifies the onset of secondary sexual characteristics before the
      age of eight in females and the age of nine in males as a result of stimulation
      of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Her case is likely related to her
      adoption, as children who are adopted internationally have much higher rates of
      CPP. She had left breast development at Tanner Stage 2, adult body odor, and
      mildly advanced bone age. In order to halt puberty and maximize adult height, she
      was prescribed a gonadotropin releasing hormone analog, the first line treatment
      for CPP. She was administered Lupron (leuprolide acetate) Depot-Ped (3 months)
      intramuscularly. After her second injection, she developed swelling and muscle
      pain at the injection site on her right thigh. She also reported an impaired
      ability to walk. She was diagnosed with muscle fibrosis. This is the first
      reported case of muscle fibrosis resulting from Lupron injection. 

PMID- 26101683
TI  - Cotard Syndrome without Depressive Symptoms in a Schizophrenic Patient.
AB  - Introduction. Cotard syndrome is a rare condition characterized by nihilistic
      delusions concerning body or life that can be found in several neuropsychiatry
      conditions. It is typically associated with depressive symptoms. Method. We
      present a case of Cotard syndrome without depressive symptoms in the context of
      known paranoid schizophrenia. A literature review of Cotard syndrome in
      schizophrenia was performed. Results. Although there are few descriptions of this
      syndrome in schizophrenia, patients usually present depressive mood and
      psychomotor retardation, features not seen in our patient. Loss of the sense of
      the inner self, present in schizophrenia, could explain patient's symptomatology
      but neurobiological bases of this syndrome remain unclear. Conclusion. Despite
      not being considered in actual classifications, Cotard syndrome is still relevant
      and psychiatric evaluation is critical to diagnosing and treating this condition
      in psychiatric patients. 

PMID- 26101684
TI  - A Case of Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease with Extensive Multiorgan
      Involvements.
AB  - We report a case of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) with multiple ten-organ
      involvement. This case showed many clinical findings, such as bilateral swelling
      of salivary and lacrimal glands, autoimmune pancreatitis, interstitial nephritis,
      retroperitoneal fibrosis, periaortitis, systemic swelling of lymph nodes,
      pulmonary lesions, splenomegaly, and jejunal lesions. He was suspected as having
      SLE or malignant lymphoma but diagnosed as having IgG4-RD by the elevated serum
      IgG4 level and histological findings from kidney and lymph node. We report a case
      of IgG4-RD with multiple ten-organ involvement that was successfully treated with
      prednisolone therapy. 

PMID- 26101685
TI  - Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor of the Pancreas: A Case Report and Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are presented as rare malignant
      neoplasms. In unusual cases, those neoplasms may arise in solid organs containing
      neuroendocrine cells, such as the pancreas. Herein the case of a 28-year-old
      patient that underwent gastroduodenopancreatectomy after the diagnosis of a huge
      mass (PNET) located in both head and body of the pancreas is reported. This is
      the 19th case of pancreatic PNET reported in literature. 

PMID- 26101686
TI  - Surgical Extirpation of Apical Left Ventricular Thrombus in Takotsubo
      Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - We report a patient with takotsubo cardiomyopathy who underwent surgical
      resection of apical left ventricular thrombus. A 59-year-old woman was
      transferred to our hospital in shock with hypothermia and diabetic ketoacidosis.
      The electrocardiogram showed ST segment elevation, while echocardiography
      revealed a reduced ejection fraction with apical and midventricular akinesis.
      Emergency coronary angiography showed normal coronary arteries, so takotsubo
      cardiomyopathy was diagnosed. Follow-up echocardiography revealed improvement of
      the ejection fraction. A mobile apical thrombus was also detected. Thrombectomy
      was performed via a left apical incision and postoperative recovery was
      uneventful. 

PMID- 26101687
TI  - Adrenal Schwannomas: Rare Tumor of the Retroperitoneum.
AB  - Schwannoma is a benign neurogenic tumor originating from Schwann cells. These
      produce the myelin sheath that covers peripheral nerves that are often affected.
      This latter localization is extremely rare, and only a few case reports can be
      found in the medical literature. Studies have shown that approximately 0.5% to 5%
      of schwannomas are retroperitoneal, constituting 0.2% of adrenal incidental
      tumors. These usually present as incidental findings, nonsecreting adrenal masses
      in asymptomatic patients. Diagnosis of a schwannoma is based on detection of
      spindle cells with Antoni A and Antoni B regions in histological sections and
      positive staining for S-100 protein by immunohistochemical analysis. We report a
      case of an incidentally identified during an abdominal ultrasound examination
      with schwannoma localized in the left adrenal gland. 

PMID- 26101688
TI  - Midline Prostatic Cyst Marsupialization Using Holmium Laser.
AB  - Many of the prostatic cysts are asymptomatic and only 5% are symptomatic (Hamper
      et al., 1990; Higashi et al., 1990). These symptoms include pelvic pain,
      hematospermia, infertility, voiding dysfunction, prostatitis-like syndrome, and
      painful ejaculation. Treatment of prostatic cysts includes TRUSG guided drainage,
      endoscopic transurethral resection, and in some cases even open surgery. In the
      literature, endoscopic interventions use marsupialization of the midline
      prostatic cyst with transurethral resection (TUR) or transurethral incision with
      endoscopic urethrotomy (Dik et al., 1996; Terris, 1995). Holmium: YAG laser was
      employed for the marsupialization of the cyst wall in midline prostatic cyst
      treatment for the first time in the present study. Symptoms, treatment, and
      follow-up are presented in this paper. 

PMID- 26101689
TI  - Stent Placement for Acute Superior Mesenteric Artery Occlusion Associated with
      Type B Aortic Dissection.
AB  - A 50-year-old man had a mesenteric ischemia related to superior mesenteric artery
      (SMA) occlusion associated with a type B aortic dissection. We decided to perform
      stent placement for the SMA and could avoid mesenteric ischemia. We think the
      stent placement in the SMA might be an option for the treatment of mesenteric
      ischemia caused by aortic dissection. 

PMID- 26101690
TI  - Mindfulness Training among Individuals with Parkinson's Disease: Neurobehavioral
      Effects.
AB  - Objective. To investigate possible neurobehavioral changes secondary to a
      mindfulness based intervention (MBI) training for individuals living with
      Parkinson's disease (PD). Background. In the context of complementary medicine,
      MBIs are increasingly being used for stress reduction and in patient populations
      coping with chronic illness. The use of alternative and complementary medicine
      may be higher in patients with chronic conditions such as PD. However, behavioral
      effects of mindfulness training in PD have not yet been reported in the
      literature and this points to an unmet need and warrants further examination.
      Methods. A total of 27 out of 30 PD patients completed a randomized controlled
      longitudinal trial. Questionnaires and the UPDRS I-IV were obtained at baseline
      and 8-week follow-up. Results. Significant changes after the MBI were found
      including a 5.5 point decrease on the UPDRS motor score, an increase of 0.79
      points on Parkinson's disease questionnaire (PDQ-39) pain item, and a 3.15 point
      increase in the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire observe facet. Conclusions.
      To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitative analysis of
      neurobehavioral effects of MBI in PD. 

PMID- 26101692
TI  - Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for the Determination of Two
      Recently FDA Approved TKIs in Human Plasma Using Diode Array Detection.
AB  - Generally, tyrosine kinase inhibitors have narrow therapeutic window and large
      interpatient variability compared to intrapatient variability. In order to
      support its therapeutic drug monitoring, two fast and accurate methods were
      developed for the determination of recently FDA approved anticancer tyrosine
      kinase inhibitors, afatinib and ibrutinib, in human plasma using ultra high
      performance liquid chromatography coupled to PDA detection. Diclofenac sodium was
      used as internal standard. The chromatographic separation was achieved on an
      Acquity UPLC BEH C18 analytical column using a mobile phase combining ammonium
      formate buffer and acetonitrile at a constant flow rate of 0.4 mL/min using
      gradient elution mode. A uSPE (solid phase extraction) procedure, using Oasis MCX
      uElution plates, was processed and it gave satisfying and reproducible results in
      terms of extraction yields. Additionally, the methods were successfully validated
      using the accuracy profiles approach (beta = 95% and acceptance limits = +/-15%)
      over the ranges 5-250 ng/mL for afatinib and from 5 to 400 ng/mL for ibrutinib in
      human plasma. 

PMID- 26101693
TI  - Capillary Electrophoresis Single-Strand Conformational Polymorphisms as a Method
      to Differentiate Algal Species.
AB  - Capillary electrophoresis single-strand conformational polymorphism (CE-SSCP) was
      explored as a fast and inexpensive method to differentiate both prokaryotic (blue
      green) and eukaryotic (green and brown) algae. A selection of two blue-green
      algae (Nostoc muscorum and Anabaena inaequalis), five green algae (Chlorella
      vulgaris, Oedogonium foveolatum, Mougeotia sp., Scenedesmus quadricauda, and
      Ulothrix fimbriata), and one brown algae (Ectocarpus sp.) were examined and CE
      SSCP electropherogram "fingerprints" were compared to each other for two variable
      regions of either the 16S or 18S rDNA gene. The electropherogram patterns were
      remarkably stable and consistent for each particular species. The patterns were
      unique to each species, although some common features were observed between the
      different types of algae. CE-SSCP could be a useful method for monitoring changes
      in an algae species over time as potential shifts in species occurred. 

PMID- 26101694
TI  - Applying (1)H NMR Spectroscopy to Detect Changes in the Urinary Metabolite Levels
      of Chinese Half-Pipe Snowboarders after Different Exercises.
AB  - Monitoring physical training is important for the health and performance of
      athletes, and real-time assessment of fatigue is crucial to improve training
      efficiency. The relationship between key biomarkers and exercise has been
      reported. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different levels
      of training exercises on the urine metabolome. (1)H NMR-based metabolomics
      analysis was performed on urine samples from half-pipe snowboarders, and spectral
      profiles were subjected to PCA and PLS-DA. Our results show that metabolic
      profiles varied during different stages of exercises. Lactate, alanine,
      trimethylamine, malonate, taurine, and glycine levels decreased while TMAO and
      phenylalanine levels increased in the stage with higher amount and intensity of
      exercise. Although the amount of exercise was reduced in subsequent stage, no
      significant variations of metabolic profile were found. Metabolic changes induced
      by training level were analyzed with related metabolic pathway. Studying
      metabolome changes can provide a better understanding of the physiology of
      athletes and could aid in adjusting training. 

PMID- 26101691
TI  - Factors Associated with Poststroke Fatigue: A Systematic Review.
AB  - Background. Poststroke fatigue (PSF) is a frequent, disabling symptom that lacks
      a consensual definition and a standardized evaluation method. The (multiple)
      causes of PSF have not been formally characterized. Objective. To identify
      factors associated with PSF. Method. A systematic review of articles referenced
      in MEDLINE. Only original studies having measured PSF and potentially associated
      factors were included. Data was extracted from articles using predefined data
      fields. Results. Although PSF tends to be more frequent in female patients and
      older patients, sociodemographic factors do not appear to have a major impact.
      There are strong associations between PSF and emotional disturbances (such as
      depression and anxiety). PSF may also be linked to attentional disturbances
      (mainly slowing in processing speed). The literature data have failed to
      demonstrate a clear impact of the type and severity of stroke. It has been
      suggested that PSF results from alterations in the frontothalamostriatal system
      and/or inflammatory processes. Pain, sleep disorders, and prestroke fatigue also
      appeared to be associated with PSF. Implications. A better understanding of PSF
      may improve stroke patient care and facilitate the development of effective
      treatments. 

PMID- 26101695
TI  - Determination of Nicotine in Tobacco by Chemometric Optimization and Cation
      Selective Exhaustive Injection in Combination with Sweeping-Micellar
      Electrokinetic Chromatography.
AB  - Nicotine is a potent chemical that excites the central nervous system and
      refreshes people. It is also physically addictive and causes dependence. To
      reduce the harm of tobacco products for smokers, a law was introduced that
      requires tobacco product containers to be marked with the amount of nicotine as
      well as tar. In this paper, an online stacking capillary electrophoresis (CE)
      method with cation-selective exhaustive injection sweeping-micellar
      electrokinetic chromatography (CSEI-sweeping-MEKC) is proposed for the optimized
      analysis of nicotine in tobacco. A higher conductivity buffer (160 mM phosphate
      buffer (pH 3)) zone was injected into the capillary, allowing for the analytes to
      be electrokinetically injected at a voltage of 15 kV for 15 min. Using 50 mM
      sodium dodecyl sulfate and 25% methanol in the sweeping buffer, nicotine was
      detected with high sensitivity. Thus, optimized conditions adapted from a
      chemometric approach provided a 6000-fold increase in the nicotine detection
      sensitivity using the CSEI-sweeping-MEKC method in comparison to normal CZE. The
      limits of detection were 0.5 nM for nicotine. The stacking method in combination
      with direct injection which matrix components would not interfere with assay
      performance was successfully applied to the detection of nicotine in tobacco
      samples. 

PMID- 26101696
TI  - Homeostasis of redox status derived from glucose metabolic pathway could be the
      key to understanding the Warburg effect.
AB  - Glucose metabolism in mitochondria through oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) for
      generation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is vital for cell function. However,
      reactive oxygen species (ROS), a by-product from OXPHOS, is a major source of
      endogenously produced toxic stressors on the genome. In fact, ATP could be
      efficiently produced in a high throughput manner without ROS generation in
      cytosol through glycolysis, which could be a unique and critical metabolic
      pathway to prevent spontaneous mutation during DNA replication. Therefore
      glycolysis is dominant in robust proliferating cells. Indeed, aerobic glycolysis,
      or the Warburg effect, in normal proliferating cells is an example of homeostasis
      of redox status by transiently shifting metabolic flux from OXPHOS to glycolysis
      to avoid ROS generation during DNA synthesis and protect genome integrity. The
      process of maintaining redox homeostasis is driven by genome wide transcriptional
      clustering with mitochondrial retrograde signaling and coupled with the glucose
      metabolic pathway and cell division cycle. On the contrary, the Warburg effect in
      cancer cells is the results of the alteration of redox status from a reprogramed
      glucose metabolic pathway caused by the dysfunctional OXPHOS. Mutations in
      mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA (nDNA) disrupt mitochondrial structural
      integrity, leading to reduced OXPHOS capacity, sustained glycolysis and excessive
      ROS leak, all of which are responsible for tumor initiation, progression and
      metastasis. A "plumbing model" is used to illustrate how redox status could be
      regulated through glucose metabolic pathway and provide a new insight into the
      understanding of the Warburg effect in both normal and cancer cells. 

PMID- 26101698
TI  - Heterogeneity of chemokine cell-surface receptor expression in triple-negative
      breast cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tumor heterogeneity is a well-established concept in cancer
      research. In this paper, we examine an additional type of tumor cell
      heterogeneity - tumor cell-surface receptor heterogeneity. METHODS: We use flow
      cytometry to measure the frequency and numbers of cell-surface receptors on
      triple negative breast cancer cell lines. RESULTS: We find two distinct
      populations of human triple-negative breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 when they are
      grown in culture, one with low surface levels of various chemokine receptors and
      a second with much higher levels. The population with high surface levels of
      these receptors is increased in the more metastatic MDA-MB-231-luc-d3h2ln cell
      line. CONCLUSION: We hypothesize that this high cell-surface receptor population
      is involved in metastasis. We find that the receptor high populations can be
      modulated by tumor conditioned media and IL6 treatment indicating that the tumor
      microenvironment is important for the maintenance and sizes of these populations.

PMID- 26101697
TI  - L-type amino acid transport and cancer: targeting the mTORC1 pathway to inhibit
      neoplasia.
AB  - The L-type amino acid transporter (LAT) family are Na(+)-independent
      transporters, which deliver neutral amino acids into cells. The four LATs, LAT1
      (SLC7A5), LAT2 (SLC7A8), LAT3 (SLC43A1) and LAT4 (SLC43A2), are responsible for
      the majority of cellular leucine uptake. They show increased expression in many
      cancers, and are critical for control of protein translation and cell growth
      through the mTORC1 pathway. The increased transporter expression observed in
      cancers is regulated by transcriptional pathways such as hormone receptors, c-myc
      and nutrient starvation responses. We review the expression and function of the
      LAT family in cancer, as well as the recent development of specific inhibitors
      targeting LAT1 or LAT3. These LAT family inhibitors may be useful adjuvant
      therapeutics in multiple cancers. 

PMID- 26101699
TI  - Mogrol represents a novel leukemia therapeutic, via ERK and STAT3 inhibition.
AB  - Unlike solid tumors, the primary strategy for leukemia treatment is chemotherapy.
      However, leukemia chemotherapy is associated with adverse drug effects and drug
      resistance. Therefore, it is imperative to identify novel agents that effectively
      treat leukemia while minimizing adverse effects. The Raf/MEK/extracellular
      regulated kinase (ERK) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3
      (STAT3) pathways have been implicated in leukemia carcinogenesis, and provide
      novel molecular targets for therapeutic intervention in cancer. Mogrol, a
      biometabolite of mogrosides found in Siraitia grosvenorii, has exhibited anti
      cancer activities; however, the underlying mechanism of this effect remains
      unclear. To clarify its anti-cancer activity and mechanism of action, we treated
      K562 leukemia cells with mogrol. Mogrol suppressed leukemia cell growth via
      inhibition of the ERK1/2 and STAT3 pathways, in particular, through the
      suppression of p-ERK1/2 and p-STAT3. Inhibition of these pathways suppressed Bcl
      2 expression, thereby inducing K562 cell apoptosis. Furthermore, mogrol enhanced
      p21 expression, resulting in G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. The findings provide new
      perspectives regarding the role of mogrol in leukemia treatment. 

PMID- 26101700
TI  - [6]-Gingerol inhibits de novo fatty acid synthesis and carnitine
      palmitoyltransferase-1 activity which triggers apoptosis in HepG2.
AB  - The de novo fatty acid synthesis catalyzed by key lipogenic enzymes, including
      fatty acid synthase (FASN) has emerged as one of the novel targets of anti-cancer
      approaches. The present study explored the possible inhibitory efficacy of [6]
      gingerol on de novo fatty acid synthesis associated with mitochondrial-dependent
      apoptotic induction in HepG2 cells. We observed a dissipation of mitochondrial
      membrane potential accompanied by a reduction of fatty acid levels. [6]-gingerol
      administration manifested inhibition of FASN expression, indicating FASN is a
      major target of [6]-gingerol inducing apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Indeed, we found
      that increased ROS generation could likely be a mediator of the anti-cancer
      effect of [6]-gingerol. A reduction of fatty acid levels and induction of
      apoptosis were restored by inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) activity,
      suggesting an accumulation of malonyl-CoA level could be the major cause of
      apoptotic induction of [6]-gingerol in HepG2 cells. The present study also showed
      that depletion of fatty acid following [6]-gingerol treatment caused an
      inhibitory effect on carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 activity (CPT-1), whereas
      C75 augmented CPT-1 activity, indicating that [6]-gingerol exhibits the
      therapeutic benefit on suppression of fatty acid beta-oxidation. 

PMID- 26101701
TI  - Targeted inhibition of histone deacetylases and hedgehog signaling suppress tumor
      growth and homologous recombination in aerodigestive cancers.
AB  - Standard combined modality therapies for aerodigestive tract malignancies have
      suboptimal outcomes, and targeting cancer-specific molecular pathways in
      combination with radiation could improve the therapeutic ratio. Dysregulation of
      epigenetic modulators such as histone deacetylases (HDACs), and developmental
      morphogens such as the hedgehog (HH) pathway have been implicated in
      aerodigestive tumor progression and metastasis. We hypothesized that simultaneous
      targeting of HDACs and the HH-pathway mediator Smoothened (Smo) represents an
      opportunity to overcome therapeutic resistance in these cancers. We evaluated the
      effects of the HDAC inhibitor SAHA and Smo inhibitor GDC-0449 with radiation in
      multiple aerodigestive cancer cell lines. Isobologram analyses showed that SAHA
      and GDC-0449 synergistically suppressed cancer cell proliferation in vitro. SAHA
      and GDC-0449 cooperatively enhanced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest which was associated
      with up-regulation of p21(waf). GDC-0449 prevented SAHA-induced up-regulation of
      Gli-1 and Gli-2. Both Smo and Ptc-1 expression was cooperatively suppressed by
      SAHA and GDC-0449. The combination of SAHA and GDC-0449 induced radiation
      sensitization with 2 Gy as determined by colony formation assays and cytogenetic
      analyses, which correlated with higher residual gamma-H2AX and 53BP1 foci. In
      mouse tumor xenografts of the SqCC/Y1 cell line, SAHA and GDC-0449 delayed tumor
      growth longer and prolonged survival more than either agent alone. In summary, we
      have identified synergistic effect of HDAC and HH signaling for
      radiosensitization to improve therapeutic outcomes for aerodigestive
      malignancies. 

PMID- 26101702
TI  - URI expression in cervical cancer cells is associated with higher invasion
      capacity and resistance to cisplatin.
AB  - Cervical cancer is a common and devastating female cancer worldwide. The etiology
      of cervical cancer has been largely attributed to human papillomavirus (HPV)
      infection and activation of the P13K/AKT/mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin)
      pathway. However, the limited HPV-directed therapy, as well as therapeutic
      approach targeting P13K/AKT/mTOR pathway, has not yet been established or
      effective. A deeper understanding of cervical carcinogenesis and finding of novel
      candidate molecules for cervical cancer therapeutics is largely warranted. The
      unconventional prefoldin RPB5 interactor (URI or URI1), a known transcription
      factor involving the TOR signaling pathway, has recently been implicated a role
      in multiple tumorigenesis. We recently reported significant upregulation of URI
      in precancerous cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) and invasive cervical
      cancer, suggesting its role in cervical carcinogenesis. However, the effect and
      underlying mechanism of URI in cervical cancer development have never been
      elucidated. Here, we aimed to investigate the in vitro effect of URI on cervical
      cancer using two cervical cancer cell lines CaSki and C33A, which are HPV
      positive and HPV-negative respectively. We have shown that forced over-expression
      of URI in C33A and CaSki cells markedly promoted cell growth, while down
      regulation of URI mediated by siRNA inhibited cell proliferation. We have found
      that URI over-expression enhanced resistance of cervical cancer cells to
      cisplatin. In contrast, knockdown of URI promoted apoptosis by influencing cell
      response to cisplatin, supporting URI as an oncogenic protein for cervical cancer
      cells. We have also shown that URI promoted the migration and invasive capacity
      of cervical cancer cells by up-regulation of Vimentin, a mesenchymal cell
      migration marker relating to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program.
      Our data support an important function of URI in the biological behavior of
      cervical cancer cells and provide novel mechanistic insights into the role of URI
      in cervical cancer progression and possibly, metastasis. 

PMID- 26101703
TI  - Disturbance of redox status enhances radiosensitivity of hepatocellular
      carcinoma.
AB  - AIMS: High constitutive expression of Nrf2 has been found in many types of
      cancers, and this high level of Nrf2 also favors resistance to drugs and
      radiation. Here we investigate how isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a natural
      antioxidant, inhibits the Nrf2-dependent antioxidant pathway and enhances the
      radiosensitivity of HepG2 cells and HepG2 xenografts. RESULTS: Treatment of HepG2
      cells with ISL for 6 h selectively enhanced transcription and expression of
      Keap1. Keap1 effectively induced ubiquitination and degradation of Nrf2, and
      inhibited translocation of Nrf2 to the nucleus. Consequently, expression of Nrf2
      downstream genes was reduced, and the Nrf2-dependent antioxidant system was
      suppressed. Endogenous ROS was higher than before ISL treatment, causing redox
      imbalance and oxidative stress in HepG2 cells. Moreover, pretreatment with ISL
      for 6 h followed by X-ray irradiation significantly increased gamma-H2AX foci and
      cell apoptosis, and reduced clonogenic potential compared with cells irradiated
      with X-rays alone. In addition, HepG2 xenografts, ISL, and X-ray co-treatments
      induced greater apoptosis and tumor growth inhibition, when compared with X-ray
      treatments alone. Additionally, HepG2 xenografts, in which Nrf2 was expressed at
      very low levels due to ectopic expression of Keap1, showed that ISL-mediated
      radiosensitization was Keap1 dependent. INNOVATION AND CONCLUSIONS: ISL inhibited
      the Nrf2-antioxidant pathway by increasing the levels of Keap1 and ultimately
      inducing oxidative stress via disturbance of the redox status. The antioxidant
      ISL possessed pro-oxidative properties, and enhanced the radiosensitivity of
      liver cancer cells, both in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, these results
      demonstrated the effectiveness of using ISL to decrease radioresistance,
      suggesting that ISL could be developed as an adjuvant radiosensitization drug.
      Disturbance of redox status could be a potential target for radiosensitization.

PMID- 26101704
TI  - MicroRNA-135b regulates apoptosis and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer by
      targeting large tumor suppressor kinase 2.
AB  - Colorectal cancer remains the third most common cause of death from cancer
      worldwide. MicroRNA emerges as a good area of research for current cancer
      therapy. Here, we identified miR-135b to be a contributor to anti-apoptosis and
      chemoresistance in colorectal cancer. We observed high levels of miR-135b in
      colorectal cancer cell lines and clinical tissues, compared to colorectal
      epithelium cell line and noncancerous tissues. Furthermore, enforced expression
      of miR-135b attenuated doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in colorectal cells.
      (Doxorubicin alone can trigger significant apoptosis). In elucidating the
      molecular mechanism by which miR-135b participate in the regulation of apoptosis
      and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer, we discovered that large tumor
      suppressor kinase 2 (LATS2) is a direct target of miR-135b. The role of miR-135b
      was confirmed in colorectal tumor xenograft models. The growth of established
      tumors was suppressed by an inhibition of miR-135b expression and enhanced
      apoptosis was further assessed by TUNEL assay. Taken together, our results reveal
      that miR-135b and LATS2 axis may be a novel therapeutic target for colorectal
      cancer. 

PMID- 26101705
TI  - Netrin-1 promotes cell migration and invasion by down-regulation of BVES
      expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - The axon guidance cues netrin-1 has been reported to be associated with cancer
      progression in various types of human cancers. However, the underlying molecular
      mechanism of netrin-1-mediated metastasis remains obscure. In this study, we
      found that overexpression of netrin-1 promoted HCC cell migration and invasion as
      determined by transwell assay and 3D cell culture assay. However, netrin-1
      knockdown inhibited these processes. Further investigation indicated that netrin
      1 decreased the expression of Blood Vessel Epicardial Substance (BVES), which was
      down-regulated in HCC. Interestingly, LY294002, a special inhibitor to PI3K/AKT
      signaling which was determined as a downstream pathway of netrin-1, restored the
      reduction in BVES caused by netrin-1. In addition, BVES exhibited an opposite
      effect on HCC cell metastasis to that of netrin-1. Importantly, up-regulating
      BVES expression significantly attenuated netrin-1-enhanced migration and
      invasion, whereas silencing BVES expression rescued the metastatic phenotype in
      netrin-1 knockdown cells. Moreover, netrin-1 expression was negatively correlated
      with BVES in HCC tissues and cell lines with different metastatic potential.
      Taken together, these results reveal that netrin-1 promotes HCC cell metastasis
      by regulating BVES expression via AKT activation. 

PMID- 26101706
TI  - HnRNP A1 tethers KSRP to an exon splicing silencer that inhibits an erythroid
      specific splicing event in PU.1-induced erythroleukemia.
AB  - Exon 16 inclusion is a critical splicing event that triggers the production of a
      functional protein 4.1R in mature normal erythroblasts, and is obviated in PU.1
      induced erythroleukemia cells. Exon 16 contains an exonic splicing silencer
      (ESS16) that interacts with hnRNP A/B in heterologous cell context. We here show
      that ESS16 promotes the recruitment of a protein complex containing hnRNP A1 and
      a 79-kDa protein in nuclear extracts from either proliferative erythroleukemia
      cells or cells induced to terminal differentiation. By using 2D gel fractionation
      and mass spectrometry, we unambiguously identified KSRP as the 79-kDa component
      interacting with ESS16. Furthermore, we show that KSRP slightly decreases in
      erythroleukemia cells induced to terminal erythroid differentiation. Yet, KSRP
      inducible knockdown, through stable transfection of small hairpin KSRP RNA, did
      not alter exon 16 splicing, suggesting that KSRP alone does not modulate the
      splicing event. Interestingly, absence of hnRNP A1 prevented KSRP from binding to
      ESS16. Reciprocally, KSRP interaction with ESS16 was recovered when hnRNP A1
      expression is restored in hnRNP A1-null cells. Collectively, this study
      establishes that hnRNPA1 is part of a KSRP-containing RNP complex, and emphasizes
      that, aside from its function in AU-rich element-mediated mRNA decay and its role
      in microRNA biogenesis, KSRP associates with hnRNP A1 to bind an ESS. These
      findings further support the role of members of the KH-domain protein family in
      organizing large RNA-protein complex formation, rather than primarily in
      modulating specific splicing events. 

PMID- 26101707
TI  - Metformin inhibits gastric cancer via the inhibition of HIF1alpha/PKM2 signaling.
AB  - Recent evidence suggests that anti-diabetic drug metformin prevents cancer
      progression, but the mechanism by which metformin inhibits tumor growth remains
      elusive. In this study, we investigated the anticancer role of metformin in
      gastric cancer and explored the underlying mechanism. The expression of hypoxia
      inducible factor 1alpha (HIF1alpha) and pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in different
      stages of gastric cancer tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. Gastric
      cancer cell viability was evaluated by CCK-8 assay; apoptosis and cell cycle were
      analyzed by flow cytometry. The expression of PI3K, Akt, HIF1alpha, PARP, PKM2
      and COX in gastric cancer cells was detected by immunofluorescence and Western
      blot analysis. We found that HIF1alpha and PKM2 protein expression levels were
      higher in advanced gastric cancer tissues than in gastritis tissues. Metformin
      reduced gastric cancer cell viability, invasion and migration. Metformin induced
      apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in part through inhibiting PARP expression.
      Metformin downregulated PI3K, Akt, HIF1alpha, PARP, PKM2 and COX expression.
      Moreover, overexpression of HIF1alpha increased gastric cancer cell viability,
      invasion and migration. In summary, metformin has profound antitumor effect for
      gastric cancer by inducing intrinsic apoptosis via the inhibition of
      HIF1alpha/PKM2 signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26101708
TI  - miR-30c negatively regulates the migration and invasion by targeting the
      immediate early response protein 2 in SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells.
AB  - miR-30c has been reported to act as a tumor suppressor and negatively regulate
      cancer metastasis by directly targeting metastasis associated genes; however, miR
      30c has also been shown to promote the invasion of metastatic breast cancer
      cells, suggesting that miR-30c might be involved in cancer cell metastasis in
      different ways via targeting different genes. In this study, we demonstrated that
      over-expression and knockdown of immediate early response protein 2 (IER2)
      modulated the general capacity of the migration and invasion in hepatocellular
      carcinoma cell line SMMC-7721 and HepG2, whereas overexpression and knockdown of
      miR-30c decreased and promoted cell motility, respectively. Further studies
      revealed that miR-30c overexpression down-regulated the expression of IER2
      protein but not its mRNA level, and miR-30c can directly target the 3'
      untranslated region (3'UTR) of IER2, and subsequently reducing its expression.
      Moreover, we also showed that suppression of cell motility by miR-30c was
      partially rescued by IER2 re-expression. Our results indicated that miR-30c may
      function as a negative regulator in cell motility, with IER2 as a direct and
      functional target in SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cells. 

PMID- 26101710
TI  - Role of RHOT1 on migration and proliferation of pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most malignant tumors. Rho GTPases can
      affect several types of human cancers, including PC. In this study, we
      investigated the role of Ras homolog family member T1 (RHOT1), a new member of
      Rho GTPases in PC. IHC results showed that RHOT1 was expressed significantly
      higher in PC tissues than paracancerous tissues (P<0.01) and SMAD family member 4
      (SMAD4) was expressed lower in PC tissues (P<0.01). RHOT1 was widely expressed in
      PC cell lines analyzed by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), real-time
      quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting (WB). SiRNA-RHOT1 significantly
      suppressed the proliferation and migration of SW1990 cells. Moreover, SMAD4 was
      identified as an effector of RHOT1. Our findings suggest that RHOT1 can regulate
      cell migration and proliferation by suppressing the expression of SMAD4 in PC,
      which may provide a novel sight to explore the mechanism and therapeutic strategy
      for PC. 

PMID- 26101709
TI  - SP1-mediated microRNA-520d-5p suppresses tumor growth and metastasis in
      colorectal cancer by targeting CTHRC1.
AB  - Recent evidence suggests that miR-520 family has an important role in regulating
      tumorigenesis and development of various types of solid cancers. However, as one
      of the most common cancers in the world, there is little known about the
      underlying regulatory mechanisms of miR-520 in colorectal cancer (CRC). In the
      present study, we investigated the expression of microRNA-520d-5p (miR-520d-5p)
      in CRC specimens and then explored its potential role and mechanism in CRC
      progression. We found that miR-520d-5p was markedly down-regulated in CRC
      clinical specimens compared with adjacent normal tissues by real-time PCR. Dual
      luciferase assays confirmed that miR-520d-5p directly targeting CTHRC1 and SP1
      transactivate miR-520d-5p by binding to its upstream promoter region. The
      biological functional experiments showed that ectopic re-expression of miR-520d
      5p suppressed CRC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, whereas the
      inhibition of miR-520d-5p displayed an inverse effect in vitro and in vivo.
      Western blot shown that miR-520d-5p abrogated the epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition by inactivating the phosphorylation of Erk1/2. In conclusion, our
      findings indicate that miR-520d-5p is significantly down-expressed and involved
      in CRC progression and metastasis by targeting CTHRC1 and regulated by SP1, which
      provide new support for miR-520d-5p maybe as a novel anti-onco molecular target
      for the treatment of CRC in the future. 

PMID- 26101711
TI  - Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 circumscribes high invasive glioma cells and predicts
      poor prognosis.
AB  - Glioma is the most aggressive brain tumor with high invasiveness and poor
      prognosis. More reliable, sensitive and practical biomarkers to reveal glioma
      high invasiveness remain to be explored for the guidance of therapy. We herein
      evaluated the diagnostic and prognostic value of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1
      (ALDH1A1) in the glioma specimens from 237 patients, and found that ADLH1A1 was
      frequently overexpressed in the high-grade glioma (WHO grade III-IV) as compared
      to the low-grade glioma (WHO grade I-II) patients. The tumor cells with ALDH1A1
      expression were more abundant in the region between tumor and the borderline of
      adjacent tissue as compared to the central part of the tumor. ALDH1A1
      overexpression was associated with poor differentiation and dismal prognosis.
      Notably, the overall and disease-free survivals of the patients who had
      ALDH1A1(+) tumor cells sparsely located in the adjacent tissue were much worse.
      Furthermore, ALDH1A1 expression was correlated with the "classical-like" (CL)
      subtype as we examined GBM specimens from 72 patients. Multivariate Cox
      regression analysis revealed that ALDH1A1 was an independent marker for glioma
      patients' outcome. Mechanistically, both in vitro and in vivo studies revealed
      that ALDH1A1(+) cells isolated from either a glioblastoma cell line U251 or
      primary glioblastoma cells displayed significant invasiveness, clonogenicity, and
      proliferation as compared to ALDH1A1(-) cells, due to increased levels of mRNA
      and protein for matrix metalloproteinase 2, 7 and 9 (MMP2, MMP7 and MMP9). These
      results indicate that ALDH1A1(+) cells contribute to the progression of glioma
      including invasion, proliferation and poor prognosis, and suggest that targeting
      ALDH1A1 may have important implications for the treatment of highly invasive
      glioma. 

PMID- 26101712
TI  - S100A14, a mediator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, regulates
      proliferation, migration and invasion of human cervical cancer cells.
AB  - S100A14 is an EF-hand calcium-binding protein that has been reported to exert its
      biological effects on different types of cells. However, the potential clinical
      significance and biological functions of S100A14 in cervical cancer has not yet
      been clarified. In this study, we firstly examined the correlation between
      S100A14 expression and clinical-pathological parameters in cervical cancers.
      Next, we observed the effect of S100A14 on cell cycle progression, cell
      proliferation, migration and invasion by employing lentiviral-mediated
      overexpression and knockdown of S100A14 in cervical cancer cells. Furthermore, we
      investigated the underlying mechanism of S100A14 affecting cell migration and
      invasion. Immunohistochemistry analysis demonstrated that S100A14 expression was
      associated with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO)
      stage (P = 0.025) and lymph node (LN) metastasis (P = 0.001). Functional assays
      showed that S100A14 overexpression increased the proportion of G2/M phase,
      promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, whereas S100A14 knockdown
      exhibited adverse effect on above properties. Mechanistic investigation
      demonstrated that S100A14 can act as a mediator of epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition (EMT). And overexpression of S100A14 increased expression of N
      cadherin and Vimentin while decreased expression of E-cadherin. The opposite
      results were observed in S100A14-silenced cells. Taken together, our data
      indicate that S100A14 has a crucial role in cervical cancer progression. This
      study significantly increases our understanding of S100A14 functional roles in
      cervical cancer, which may lead to the development of a novel therapeutic target
      for cervical cancer. 

PMID- 26101713
TI  - Preclinical evaluation of PI3K inhibitor BYL719 as a single agent and its
      synergism in combination with cisplatin or MEK inhibitor in nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma (NPC).
AB  - Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is endemic to Southeast Asia and over 40% of NPC
      tissues harbor PIK3CA amplifications. This study aims to study the preclinical
      activity of a novel PI3K inhibitor, BYL719, in 6 NPC cell lines: C666-1, CNE-2,
      HK1, HK1-EBV, HONE-1 and HONE-1-LMP1. Over 70% of growth inhibition was attained
      when NPC cell lines were exposed to increasing concentrations of BYL719, with
      IC50 values at the low micro-molar range. Two BYL719-sensitive cell lines that
      harbor PIK3CA mutations, CNE-2 and HONE-1, were selected for further analysis on
      the effect of BYL719 on cell cycle progression, apoptosis and PI3K signaling.
      BYL719 significantly reduced the phosphorylation of Akt, and the Akt-mTOR axis
      downstream effector S6 in these 2 cell lines, but a feedback activation of MAPK
      was observed at 72 hours post-treatment. BYL719 induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest
      and apoptosis in both cell lines. In 3D cell culture models, the growth of NPC
      spheroids was significantly inhibited in a dose-depending manner. When BYL719 was
      combined with a MEK inhibitor (AZD6244) in a 3D cell culture system, strong
      synergism on NPC cell growth was observed with attenuation of MAPK activation. A
      synergistic inhibitory effect on growth was observed when BYL719 was combined
      with higher dose levels of cisplatin. These data suggest that BYL719 has
      preclinical activity in NPC cell lines especially in those which harbor PIK3CA
      mutation. Combination with a MEK inhibitor maybe a useful strategy that warrants
      further investigation. 

PMID- 26101714
TI  - Melanoma patient derived xenografts acquire distinct Vemurafenib resistance
      mechanisms.
AB  - Variable clinical responses, tumor heterogeneity, and drug resistance reduce long
      term survival outcomes for metastatic melanoma patients. To guide and accelerate
      drug development, we characterized tumor responses for five melanoma patient
      derived xenograft models treated with Vemurafenib. Three BRAF(V600E) models
      showed acquired drug resistance, one BRAF(V600E) model had a complete and durable
      response, and a BRAF(V600V) model was expectedly unresponsive. In progressing
      tumors, a variety of resistance mechanisms to BRAF inhibition were uncovered,
      including mutant BRAF alternative splicing, NRAS mutation, COT (MAP3K8)
      overexpression, and increased mutant BRAF gene amplification and copy number. The
      resistance mechanisms among the patient derived xenograft models were similar to
      the resistance pathways identified in clinical specimens from patients
      progressing on BRAF inhibitor therapy. In addition, there was both inter- and
      intra-patient heterogeneity in resistance mechanisms, accompanied by
      heterogeneous pERK expression immunostaining profiles. MEK monotherapy of
      Vemurafenib-resistant tumors caused toxicity and acquired drug resistance.
      However, tumors were eradicated when Vemurafenib was combined the MEK inhibitor.
      The diversity of drug responses among the xenograft models; the distinct
      mechanisms of resistance; and the ability to overcome resistance by the addition
      of a MEK inhibitor provide a scheduling rationale for clinical trials of next
      generation drug combinations. 

PMID- 26101715
TI  - Genetic alterations of KDM4 subfamily and therapeutic effect of novel demethylase
      inhibitor in breast cancer.
AB  - The histone lysine demethylase KDM4 subfamily, comprised of four members (A, B,
      C, and D), play critical roles in controlling transcription, chromatin
      architecture and cellular differentiation. We previously demonstrated that KDM4C
      is significantly amplified and overexpressed in aggressive basal-like breast
      cancers and functions as a transforming oncogene. However, information regarding
      the genomic and transcriptomic alterations of the KDM4 subfamily in different
      subtypes of breast cancer remains largely incomplete. Here, we conducted a meta
      analysis of KDM4A, B, C and D in breast cancer and identified associations among
      recurrent copy number alterations, gene expression and breast cancer subtypes. We
      demonstrated that KDM4A and D are also significantly overexpressed in basal-like
      breast cancer, whereas KDM4B overexpression is more dominant in estrogen-receptor
      positive, luminal breast cancer. Next, we investigated the therapeutic potential
      of a novel histone demethylase inhibitor, NCDM-32B, in breast cancer. The
      treatment of basal breast cancer cell lines with NCDM-32B resulted in the
      decrease of cell viability and anchorage independent growth in soft agar.
      Furthermore, we found that NCDM-32B impaired several critical pathways that drive
      cellular proliferation and transformation in breast cancer. Our findings
      demonstrate genetic amplification and overexpression of the KDM4 demethylases in
      different subtypes of breast cancer. Furthermore, histone methylation is
      reversible and KDM4 demethylases are druggable targets. Thus, KDM4 inhibitors may
      serve as a novel therapeutic approach for a subset of aggressive breast cancer. 

PMID- 26101716
TI  - Sprouty 1 predicts prognosis in human epithelial ovarian cancer.
AB  - Sprouty proteins are evolutionary-conserved modulators of receptor tyrosine
      kinase (RTK) signaling. We have previously reported inverse correlation of the
      Sprouty 1 (Spry1) protein expression with ovarian cancer cell proliferation,
      migration, invasion and survival. In the present study, the expression status of
      Spry1 protein and its clinical relevance in patients with epithelial ovarian
      cancer were explored. Matched tumor and normal tissue samples from 100 patients
      with epithelial ovarian cancer were immunohistochemically stained for Spry1.
      Expression of ERK, p-ERK, Ki67, FGF-2, VEGF and IL-6 and their correlation with
      Spry1 were also evaluated. In addition, correlation between Spry1 and
      clinicopathological characteristics and predictive significance of Spry1 for
      overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analysed. Our data
      indicated that Spry1 was significantly downregulated in tumor tissues (p=0.004).
      Spry1 showed significant inverse correlation with p-ERK/ERK (p=0.045), Ki67
      (p=0.010), disease stage (p=0.029), tumor grade (p=0.037), recurrence (p=0.001)
      and lymphovascular invasion (p=0.042). It was revealed that Spry1 low-expressing
      patients had significantly poorer OS (p=0.010) and DFS (p=0.012) than those with
      high expression of Spry1. Multivariate analysis showed that high Spry1 (p=0.030),
      low stage (p=0.048) and no residual tumor (p=0.007) were independent prognostic
      factors for a better OS, among which high Spry1 (p=0.035) and low stage (p=0.035)
      remained as independent predictors of DFS, too. We also found that the expression
      of Spry1 significantly correlates with the expression of Spry2 (p<0.001), but not
      that of Spry4. In conclusion, we report for the first time to our knowledge that
      Spry1 protein is downregulated in human epithelial ovarian cancer. Spry1
      expression significantly impacts tumor behavior and shows predictive value as an
      independent prognostic factor for survival and recurrence. 

PMID- 26101717
TI  - MYBL2 is an independent prognostic marker that has tumor-promoting functions in
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - The MYBL2 gene plays an important role in the genesis and progression of tumors;
      however, few studies to date have defined the role of this gene in colorectal
      cancer (CRC). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between
      MYBL2 and the prognosis of patients with CRC and to determine the possible effect
      of MYBL2 on colorectal carcinogenesis. Solid CRC tissues (n=180) preserved with
      RNAlater were collected to examine the mRNA levels of MYBL2 by real-time
      quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks of
      CRC tissues (n=97) and adjacent noncancerous tissues (ANCTs, n=104) were obtained
      to detect MYBL2 protein levels by immunohistochemistry (IHC). siRNA was used to
      downregulate MYBL2 expression in the SW480 cell line to detect changes in
      proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, migration and invasion. The
      protein levels of MYBL2 were significantly higher in CRC tissues compared with
      ANCTs (P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curves indicated that disease-free survival
      (DFS) was significantly worse in CRC patients in whom MYBL2 was overexpressed (at
      both the mRNA and protein levels) compared with patients not overexpressing
      MYBL2. Cox multivariate analysis revealed MYBL2 overexpression as an independent
      prognostic factor for poor patient survival. In addition, siRNA downregulation of
      MYBL2 suppressed SW480 cell proliferation, delayed cell cycle progression and
      induced apoptosis; however, changes in cell migration were minor. Western blot
      analysis demonstrated an association between MYBL2 expression and that of MMP9,
      Vimentin, and E-cadherin. MYBL2 is overexpressed in CRC and may therefore play an
      important role in tumourigenesis. 

PMID- 26101718
TI  - Programmed cell death protein 1 and programmed death-ligand 1 are expressed on
      the surface of some small-cell lung cancer lines.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand
      1 (PD-L1) play a major role in suppressing the immune system during the formation
      of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway, which transmits an inhibitory signal to reduce T cell
      activity. PD-L1 is often expressed in various malignant tumors. In contrast, PD-1
      is generally observed in activated lymphocytes and myeloid-derived dendritic
      cells. Of the malignant cells, only Jurkat cells under special conditions and
      angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma tissue cells express PD-1 on their surface.
      METHODS: To clarify whether the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway participates in the
      immunotolerance of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells, we examined the
      expressions of PD-1 and PD-L1 on the cell surface of SCLC cell lines using flow
      cytometry and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Among the
      four SCLC cell lines examined, only SBC-3 expressed both PD-1 and PD-L1.
      CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that both PD-1 and PD-L1 molecules were co-expressed
      on the surface of SCLC cells. Although the biological implications of this remain
      unclear, we speculate that PD-1 and its ligand on the SCLC cells may participate
      in the growth inhibition of tumor cells as reported in cytotoxic T cells.

PMID- 26101719
TI  - Potential therapeutic target for malignant paragangliomas: ATP synthase on the
      surface of paraganglioma cells.
AB  - F1FoATP synthase (ATP synthase) is a ubiquitous enzyme complex in eukaryotes. In
      general it is localized to the mitochondrial inner membrane and serves as the
      last step in the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation of ADP to ATP, utilizing
      a proton gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane built by the complexes
      of the electron transfer chain. However some cell types, including tumors, carry
      ATP synthase on the cell surface. It was suggested that cell surface ATP synthase
      helps tumor cells thriving on glycolysis to survive their high acid generation.
      Angiostatin, aurovertin, resveratrol, and antibodies against the alpha and beta
      subunits of ATP synthase were shown to bind and selectively inhibit cell surface
      ATP synthase, promoting tumor cell death. Here we show that ATP synthase beta
      (ATP5B) is present on the cell surface of mouse pheochromocytoma cells as well as
      tumor cells of human SDHB-derived paragangliomas (PGLs), while being virtually
      absent on chromaffin primary cells from bovine adrenal medulla by confocal
      microscopy. The cell surface location of ATP5B was verified in the tissue of an
      SDHB-derived PGL by immunoelectron microscopy. Treatment of mouse
      pheochromocytoma cells with resveratrol as well as ATP5B antibody led to
      statistically significant proliferation inhibition. Our data suggest that PGLs
      carry ATP synthase on their surface that promotes cell survival or proliferation.
      Thus, cell surface ATP synthase may present a novel therapeutic target in
      treating metastatic or inoperable PGLs. 

PMID- 26101720
TI  - Nanoparticle-mediated down-regulation of TWIST increases radiosensitivity of
      nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via ERK pathway.
AB  - Evidence suggests that over-expression of TWIST, an epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition inducer, might have a correlation with cancer progression and
      chemoresistance. However, its roles in radioresistance of cancer have rarely been
      reported. High TWIST expression was detected in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)
      and associated with poor prognosis. Thus, in the present study, we aimed to
      determine whether knockdown of TWIST can increase radiosensitivity of NPC cells.
      Chitosan-encapsulated TWIST-siRNA nanoparticles were constructed and used to
      silence TWIST expression in CNE2 cells. The cell viability and apoptosis as well
      as possible MAPKs pathways were assessed after irradiation treatment. The results
      showed that the nanoparticles successfully suppressed TWIST expression in CNE2
      cells, and TWIST depletion significantly sensitized CNE2 cells to irradiation by
      inducing activation of ERK pathway but not JNK or p-38 pathways. The data
      suggested that TWIST depletion might be a promising approach sensitizing NPC
      cells to irradiation. Further investigations are needed to confirm the results. 

PMID- 26101721
TI  - Intraocular Lens Fragmentation Using Femtosecond Laser: An In Vitro Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To transect intraocular lenses (IOLs) using a femtosecond laser in
      cadaveric human eyes. To determine the optimal in vitro settings, to detect and
      characterize gasses or particles generated during this process. METHODS: A
      femtosecond laser was used to transect hydrophobic and hydrophilic acrylic
      lenses. The settings required to enable easy separation of the lens fragment were
      determined. The gasses and particles generated were analysed using gas
      chromatography mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and total organic carbon analyzer (TOC),
      respectively. RESULTS: In vitro the IOL fragments easily separated at the lowest
      commercially available energy setting of 1 MUJ, 8-MUm spot, and 2-MUm line
      separation. No particles were detected in the 0.5- to 900-MUm range. No
      significant gasses or other organic breakdown by products were detected at this
      setting. At much higher energy levels 12 MUJ (4 * 6 MUm spot and line separation)
      significant pyrolytic products were detected, which could be harmful to the eye.
      In cadaveric explanted IOL capsule complex the laser pulses could be applied
      through the capsule to the IOL and successfully fragment the IOL. CONCLUSION: IOL
      transection is feasible with femtosecond lasers. Further in vivo animal studies
      are required to confirm safety. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: In clinical practice
      there are a number of large intraocular lenses that can be difficult to explant.
      This in-vitro study examines the possibility of transecting the lasers quickly
      using femtosecond lasers. If in-vivo studies are successful, then this innovation
      could help ophthalmic surgeons in IOL explantation.

PMID- 26101722
TI  - Aniseikonia Tests: The Role of Viewing Mode, Response Bias, and Size-Color
      Illusions.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify the factors responsible for the poor validity of the most
      common aniseikonia tests, which involve size comparisons of red-green stimuli
      presented haploscopically. METHODS: Aniseikonia was induced by afocal size lenses
      placed before one eye. Observers compared the sizes of semicircles presented
      haploscopically via color filters. The main factor under study was viewing mode
      (free viewing versus short presentations under central fixation). To eliminate
      response bias, a three-response format allowed observers to respond if the left,
      the right, or neither semicircle appeared larger than the other. To control
      decisional (criterion) bias, measurements were taken with the lens-magnified
      stimulus placed on the left and on the right. To control for size-color
      illusions, measurements were made with color filters in both arrangements before
      the eyes and under binocular vision (without color filters). RESULTS: Free
      viewing resulted in a systematic underestimation of lens-induced aniseikonia that
      was absent with short presentations. Significant size-color illusions and
      decisional biases were found that would be mistaken for aniseikonia unless
      appropriate action is taken. CONCLUSIONS: To improve their validity, aniseikonia
      tests should use short presentations and include control conditions to prevent
      contamination from decisional/response biases. If anaglyphs are used, presence of
      size-color illusions must be checked for. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: We identified
      optimal conditions for administration of aniseikonia tests and appropriate action
      for differential diagnosis of aniseikonia in the presence of response biases or
      size-color illusions. Our study has clinical implications for aniseikonia
      management.

PMID- 26101723
TI  - Paclitaxel-Releasing Thin Biodegradable Film for Prevention of Bleb Avascularity
      Without Compromising Filtration in Rabbits.
AB  - PURPOSE: A honeycomb-patterned film (HPF) prevents bleb scarring and mitomycin C
      (MMC)-related bleb avascularity in a rabbit model of filtration surgery. In this
      study, we examined whether a HPF-releasing paclitaxel (PTX) can prevent bleb
      avascularity without compromising filtration. METHODS: Filtration surgery was
      performed in one eye of rabbits. A 14-MUm thick HPF made from poly(L-lactide-co
      epsilon-caprolactone) was placed subconjunctivally over the filtration site with
      the honeycomb surface turned toward the subconjunctival Tenon tissue. The rabbits
      were divided into four groups (n = 5 each): 1, HPF with no drug; 2, HPF + PTX 50
      MUg; 3, HPF + 5 MUg; 4, HPF + 0.5 MUg. Intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements
      and bleb evaluations using ultrasound biomicroscopy were performed periodically
      for 4 weeks followed by histological examination. A longer follow-up study (12
      weeks) was performed for group 4 (experiment 2; n = 8). RESULTS: Among all groups
      at the 4-week follow up, two blebs failed in group 1. The postoperative IOP
      decrease was significantly greater in PTX-treated eyes than in group 1. The bleb
      avascular area persisted for 4 weeks in groups 2 and 3. However, no avascular
      area was observed in groups 1 and 4 at 4 weeks postoperatively. Histology showed
      minimal fibrosis at the filtration site in all the PTX groups. In experiment 2,
      some blebs became flatter starting at 10 weeks after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: PTX
      released from HPF promoted bleb survival and IOP decrease. The lowest dose of PTX
      (0.5 MUg) was effective at preventing bleb avascularity without compromising
      filtration.

PMID- 26101724
TI  - Topical Ocular Drug Delivery to the Back of the Eye by Mucus-Penetrating
      Particles.
AB  - PURPOSE: Enhanced drug exposure to the ocular surface typically relies on
      inclusion of viscosity-enabling agents, whereas delivery to the back of the eye
      generally focuses on invasive means, such as intraocular injections. Using our
      novel mucus-penetrating particle (MPP) technology, which rapidly and uniformly
      coats and penetrates mucosal barriers, we evaluated if such drug formulations
      could increase ocular drug exposure and improve topical drug delivery. METHODS:
      Pharmacokinetic (PK) profiling of topically administered loterprednol etabonate
      formulated as MPP (LE-MPP) was performed in rabbits and a larger species, the
      mini-pig. Pharmacodynamic evaluation was done in a rabbit model of VEGF-induced
      retinal vascular leakage. Cellular potency and PK profile were determined for a
      second compound, KAL821, a novel receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (RTKi).
      RESULTS: We demonstrated in animals that administration of LE-MPP increased
      exposure at the ocular surface and posterior compartments. Furthermore using a
      rabbit vascular leakage model, we demonstrated that biologically effective drug
      concentrations of LE were delivered to the back of the eye using the MPP
      technology. We also demonstrated that a novel RTKi formulated as MPPs provided
      drug levels to the back of the eye above its cellular inhibitory concentration.
      CONCLUSIONS: Topical dosing of MPPs of LE or KAL821 enhanced drug exposure at the
      front of the eye, and delivered therapeutically relevant drug concentrations to
      the back of the eye, in animals. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: These preclinical data
      support using MPP technology to engineer topical formulations to deliver
      therapeutic drug levels to the back of the eye and could provide major
      advancements in managing sight-threatening diseases.

PMID- 26101725
TI  - Chemoprevention Trial Feasibility Using Botanicals in Exceptionally High Risk
      Populations for Lung Cancer.
AB  - : While chemoprevention with botanicals shows promise in reducing cancer risk,
      recruitment and retention of participants for trials continues to be costly and
      presents unique challenges. Knowledge of interest, willingness of target
      populations and evaluation of design challenges are critical to improve accrual
      in these chemoprevention trials. OBJECTIVE: The study assessed interest and
      willingness of former smokers to participate in a chemoprevention trial using a
      botanical agent. METHODS: An introductory letter and survey instrument were
      mailed to 609 consecutive, former heavy smokers, with no cancer, from a database
      of 826 subjects at the Moffitt Cancer Center. RESULTS: 202 (40.4%) subjects
      returned completed surveys. 92-96% reported interest in receiving free lung exams
      and knowing their lung cancer risk. 88% were interested in participating in a
      trial evaluating a botanical agent for lung cancer prevention. Over 92% of
      subjects reported willingness to comply with study requirements; multiple blood
      draws and trips to the Center, spiral CTs and chest x-rays. Subjects were
      relatively less enthusiastic (73-79%) about bronchoscopy, taking multiple study
      agents and assignment to placebo arm. CONCLUSIONS: Our study strongly suggests
      feasibility, highlights potential challenges and the significant interest and
      willingness of this exceptionally high risk population to participate in
      chemoprevention trials.

PMID- 26101726
TI  - Evolving Techniques in Corneal Transplantation.
AB  - Corneal transplantation is one of the most common types of human transplant
      surgery. By removing a scarred or damaged host cornea and replacing it with a
      clear and healthy donor transplant, this procedure helps to restore vision in a
      variety of corneal diseases. The traditional technique for corneal
      transplantation, penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), involves transplantation of all
      corneal layers. Over the past decade though, there has been a trend away from PKP
      as surgeons have developed partial thickness transplant procedures, such as deep
      anterior lamellar keratoplasty and Descemet stripping automated endothelial
      keratoplasty. These partial thickness transplant procedures selectively replace
      diseased host corneal tissue, while conserving healthy and functioning tissue.
      This review describes current surgical techniques in the field of corneal
      transplantation, with special emphasis on indications for transplantation and
      postoperative outcomes.

PMID- 26101727
TI  - Alendronate associated focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: a case report and
      review of the literature.
AB  - Although kidney injury associated with intravenous bisphosphonate therapy is well
      documented, there are very few reported instances of oral bisphosphonate therapy
      leading to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and kidney failure. We
      report the case of a 79-year-old woman who developed acute kidney injury due to
      collapsing FSGS while receiving therapy with weekly oral alendronate therapy for
      osteoporosis. Withdrawal of alendronate and treatment with corticosteroids
      resulted in partial recovery of kidney function for a period of 16 months until
      she developed progressive kidney failure needing long-term dialysis. This case
      report and the literature review highlight the fact that oral bisphosphonates may
      be associated with a risk of developing FSGS.

PMID- 26101728
TI  - Incidence and impact of interstitial lung disease and malignancy in patients with
      polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis: a
      retrospective cohort study.
AB  - The aims of this study were to retrospectively review Japanese consecutive cases
      of polymyositis (PM), dermatomyositis (DM), and clinically amyopathic
      dermatomyositis (CADM), focusing on interstital lung disease (ILD) and
      malignancy, and to document any differences in the incidence, clinical features,
      and impact on prognosis among patients with PM, DM, and CADM. We retrospectively
      reviewed 62 consecutive patients diagnosed with PM, DM, and CADM according to
      Bohan and Peter's criteria (PM/DM) and Sontheimer's criteria and Gerami's
      criteria (CADM), focusing on ILD and malignancy. ILD occurrence rates were 48 %
      (11/23) in patients with PM, 46 % (11/24) in DM, and 100 % (15/15) in CADM.
      Malignancy occurred during diagnosis or the observation period in 14 patients; 86
      % were without ILD, and 64 % were DM without ILD. Multivariate logistic
      regression analysis showed that the risk of newly diagnosed malignancy was
      significantly lower in patients with ILD [odds ratio, 0.0688; 95 % confidence
      interval (CI), 0.00127-0.372; p = 0.00190] and significantly higher in patients
      with DM (odds ratio, 5.21; 95 % CI, 1.17-23.1; p = 0.0299) than in other
      patients. Patients with malignancies had shorter survival than those without
      malignancies; no clinically meaningful difference in survival was observed among
      the different myositis types and for presence of ILD. In CADM-ILD, 80 % fatal
      cases died from refractory ILD <=90 days from the first visit; neither death nor
      recurrence occurred subsequently. In conclusion, a positive association between
      DM and malignancy and a negative association between ILD and malignancy were
      noted. In the present study, malignancy was a predictor of poor long-term
      prognosis, but ILD were not. ILD associated with CADM contributed greatly to poor
      short-term prognosis, but neither death nor recurrence occurred subsequently. 

PMID- 26101729
TI  - FDG-PET findings of Ameloblastoma: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ameloblastoma is a benign odontogenic neoplasm of the jaw, rarely
      presenting as a malignant tumor. Although it is very important to discriminate
      ameloblastoma from ameloblastic carcinoma in order to decide the appropriate
      operative procedure, this is difficult using conventional CT and MRI. CASE
      DESCRIPTIONS: We report a case of maxillar ameloblastoma in a 78-year-old man
      where FDG-PET/CT was useful for making this discrimination. CT demonstrated a 31
      * 43 * 46-mm mass in the left posterior maxillary sinus with destruction of its
      posterior and lateral wall and alveolar bone. MRI demonstrated a hypo- to
      isointense heterogeneous pattern on T1WI, heterogeneous hyperintensity with a
      prominent high-signal spot on T2WI, high signal intensity on DWI reflecting
      restricted diffusion, and strong heterogeneous enhancement. Because FDG-PET/CT
      showed mild FDG uptake (SUVmax 2.40) by the mass, ameloblastoma, rather than
      ameloblastic carcinoma, was considered to be the correct diagnosis. DISCUSSION
      AND EVALUATION: It appears that ameloblastic carcinoma shows intense FDG uptake,
      whereas ameloblastoma shows mild or moderate FDG uptake, and only rarely intense
      FDG uptake. Our experience suggests that FDG-PET/CT may be effective for
      discriminating ameloblastoma from ameloblastic carcinoma. Especially, in cases
      showing mild FDG uptake, benign ameloblastoma would seem the most likely
      diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: FDG-PET/CT may be useful as an adjunctive modality for
      diagnosis, treatment planning and surveillance of ameloblastoma and ameloblastic
      carcinoma.

PMID- 26101730
TI  - The aspect of experience in ultra-triathlon races.
AB  - Previous experience seems to be an important predictor for endurance and ultra
      endurance performance. The present study investigated whether the number of
      previously completed races and/or the personal best times in shorter races is
      more predictive for performance in longer non-stop ultra-triathlons such as a
      Deca Iron ultra-triathlon. All female and male ultra-triathletes who had finished
      between 1985 and 2014 at least one Double Iron ultra-triathlon (i.e. 7.6 km
      swimming, 360 km cycling and 84.4 km running), one Triple Iron ultra-triathlon
      (i.e. 11.4 km swimming, 540 km cycling and 126.6 km running), one Quintuple Iron
      ultra-triathlon (i.e. 19 km swimming, 900 km cycling and 221 km running) and one
      Deca Iron ultra-triathlon (i.e. 38 km swimming, 1,800 km cycling and 422 km
      running) were identified and their best race times for each distance were
      recorded. Multiple regression analysis (stepwise, forward selection, p of F for
      inclusion <0.05, p of F for exclusion >0.1, listwise deletion) was used to
      determine all variables correlating to overall race time and performance in split
      disciplines for both Quintuple and Deca Iron ultra-triathlon. The number of
      finished shorter races (i.e. Double and Triple Iron ultra-triathlon) was not
      associated with the number of finished longer races (i.e. Quintuple and Deca Iron
      ultra-triathlon) whereas both split and overall race times correlated to split
      and overall race times of the longer races with the exception of the swimming
      split times in Double Iron ultra-triathlon showing no correlation with swimming
      split times in both Quintuple and Deca Iron ultra-triathlon. In summary, previous
      experience seemed of importance in performance for longer ultra-triathlon races
      (i.e. Quintuple and Deca Iron ultra-triathlon) where the personal best times of
      shorter races (i.e. Double and Triple Iron ultra-triathlon) were important, but
      not the number of previously finished races. For athletes and coaches, fast race
      times in shorter ultra-triathlon races (i.e. Double and Triple Iron ultra
      triathlon) are more important than a large of number finished races in order to
      achieve a fast race time in a longer ultra-triathlon (i.e. Quintuple and Deca
      Iron ultra-triathlon). 

PMID- 26101732
TI  - Dietary supplemental vitamin B6 increases carnosine and anserine concentrations
      in the heart of rats.
AB  - This study was performed to examine the effect of dietary level of vitamin B6 on
      the concentrations of carnosine and anserine, antioxidants, in the heart of rats.
      Analysis using UPLC-MS/MS showed that the concentrations of these dipeptides in
      the 7 and 35 mg pyridoxine HCl/kg groups were significantly higher than those in
      the 1 mg pyridoxine HCl/kg group, implying the novel role of dietary vitamin B6
      as a determinant of the dipeptides favorable for heart. 

PMID- 26101731
TI  - Unmanipulated native fat exposed to high-energy diet, but not autologous grafted
      fat by itself, may lead to overexpression of Ki67 and PAI-1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although its unclear oncological risk, which led to more than 20
      years of prohibition of its use, fat grafting to the breast is widely used
      nowadays even for aesthetic purposes. Thus, we proposed an experimental model in
      rats to analyze the inflammatory activity, cellular proliferation and levels of
      Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor (PAI-1) in grafted fat, and in native fat exposed
      to high-energy diet in order to study the oncological potential of fat tissue.
      METHODS: Samples of grafted fat of rats on regular-energy diet were compared with
      paired samples of native fat from the same rat on regular-energy diet and on high
      energy diet in a different time. Analysis involved microscopic comparisons using
      hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunohistochemistry with anti-CD68-labelled
      macrophages, and gene expression of Ki-67 and PAI-1. RESULTS: Hematoxylin-eosin
      staining analyses did not find any atypical cellular infiltration or unusual
      tissue types in the samples of grafted fat. The inflammatory status, assessed
      through immunohistochemical identification of CD68-labelled macrophages, was
      similar among samples of native fat and grafted fat of rat on regular-energy diet
      and of native fat of rats on high-energy diet. Real-time PCR revealed that high
      energy diet, but not fat grafting, leads to proliferative status on adipose
      tissue (overexpression of ki-67, p = 0.046) and raised its PAI-1 levels, p <
      0.001. CONCLUSION: While the native adipose tissue overexpressed PAI-1 and KI67
      when exposed to high-energy diet, the grafted fat by itself was unable to induce
      cellular proliferation, chronic inflammatory activity and/or elevation of PAI-1
      levels.

PMID- 26101733
TI  - Production objectives and breeding practices of urban goat and sheep keepers in
      West Africa: regional analysis and implications for the development of supportive
      breeding programs.
AB  - To better understand the relative importance of the multi-purpose functions of
      small ruminants for their urban owners and related breeding practices including
      selection criteria, we undertook a comparative analysis across the West African
      cities of Kano (Nigeria), Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) and Sikasso (Mali). Semi
      structured questionnaires were used to collect the required information from 301
      sheep farmers (100, 102 and 99 in Kano, Bobo Dioulasso and Sikasso) and 306 goat
      farmers (100, 99 and 107 in Kano, Bobo Dioulasso and Sikasso). Sheep and goats
      were kept for a variety of reasons including income generation, insurance (sale
      for cash to meet unexpected expenditures) and economic security (sale for cash to
      support foreseeable expenses), social/religious functions and prestige in
      ownership. The relative importance given by respondents to the different
      functions varied significantly (p < 0.001) across cities and between species
      within a city. However, irrespective of city, both species were primarily kept
      for their financial functions whereby sheep were perceived as having higher
      economic value. Although breeding practices were very similar in many respects
      (low practice of castration, culling and replacement strategies, uncontrolled
      mating, no record keeping and selection criteria), the emphasis put on each
      selection criteria varied across cities and between species. Irrespective of
      city, most of the goats were of the indigenous type while keeping crossbred
      animals and/or maintaining more than one genotype in the same flock was more
      commonly practiced by sheep keepers. This points to a higher motivation for
      strategic breeding among sheep than goat keepers and indicates that the former
      might be interested in joining carefully designed participatory flock improvement
      programs. 

PMID- 26101734
TI  - Large pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia complicated with gynecomastia and
      lobular differentiation in a male breast.
AB  - Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH) is a benign lesion often observed in
      parts of the mammary stroma in a variety of breast diseases. It is characterized
      by stromal myofibroblastic proliferation that possesses irregularly anastomosing
      slit-like pseudovascular spaces lined by a layer of spindle cells. PASH commonly
      occurs in premenopausal women; however, it has also been observed in men with
      gynecomastia. Although tumor-forming lesions are rare, we report on a case with a
      large PASH in a male breast complicated with gynecomastia. Imaging showed a tumor
      with a diameter of >10 cm in the left breast, and aspiration cytology revealed a
      benign lesion. Since the tumor was large and gradually increased in size, a
      simple mastectomy was performed. The tumorous lesion was diagnosed as PASH based
      on the pathological and immunohistological findings. It was complicated by
      gynecomastia with acinar and lobular formation, which resembled female mammary
      gland secretory activity that is observed during lactation. 

PMID- 26101735
TI  - Fusobacterium nucleatum: a rare cause of pyogenic liver abscess.
AB  - While pyogenic liver abscesses are uncommon, they are associated with significant
      mortality and morbidity. Most pyogenic liver abscesses are polymicrobial and are
      caused by enteric bacteria and anaerobes. Rarely, mono-microbial infections may
      occur, typically in immunocompromised individuals. We report the unusual case of
      a 69 year-old immunocompetent female who developed a pyogenic liver abscess due
      to Fusobacterium nucleatum infection, likely from a dental source. Poor
      oropharyngeal hygiene seems to have a major role in infection from this organism
      and therefore F. nucleatum should be considered as a differential for causes of
      pyogenic liver abscess in such patients. Drainage of the abscess and antibiotic
      therapy are the mainstays of therapy. 

PMID- 26101736
TI  - Diabetes knowledge and glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes in
      Bangladesh.
AB  - AIMS: To explore the association between knowledge on diabetes and glycemic
      control among patients with type 2 diabetes in Bangladesh. METHODS: A cross
      sectional study was conducted among 515 patients with type 2 diabetes attending a
      tertiary hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Trained interviewers were used to collect
      data on socioeconomic status, time since the onset of diabetes, co-morbidities,
      anthropometric measurements, blood tests, knowledge and perceptions about the
      causes, management, and complications of diabetes through face to face
      interviewers based on a structured questionnaire. Diabetes knowledge was reported
      using a composite score. Chi square tests and correlation analysis were performed
      to measure the association between knowledge on diabetes and glycemic control.
      RESULTS: Overall, 45.6% participants had good, 37.7% moderate and 16.7% poor
      knowledge on diabetes. The mean composite score was 0.75 +/- 0.28 and the
      proportion of participants with a score of <=50% was 16.7%. Only 24.3%
      participants identified physical inactivity as a risk factor for diabetes.
      Knowledge on diabetes was significantly associated with education, gender,
      monthly income, duration of diabetes, body mass index, family history of
      diabetes, and marital status but not with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c).
      Correlation matrix showed weak negative association between diabetes knowledge
      score and glycemic control (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Patients with type 2 diabetes
      in Bangladesh have limited knowledge on the causes, management and risk factors
      for diabetes, despite receiving professional health education and care in a
      tertiary diabetic hospital. Strategies to improve the quality of diabetes
      education and identifying other potential factors for glycemic control are
      important for ensuring optimum management of diabetes in Bangladesh.

PMID- 26101737
TI  - Changes in foods selected and consumed after implementation of the new National
      School Lunch Program meal patterns in southeast Texas.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We compared elementary students' school lunches selected and consumed
      before (Spring, 2011) and after (Spring, 2013) implementation of the new National
      School Lunch Program meal patterns in the fall of 2012. METHOD: Students in eight
      elementary schools in one Southeast Texas school district were observed during
      lunch: foods selected/consumed were recorded. The percentage of students who
      selected each food group was compared between years, as were the differences in
      consumption and the percent of food consumed by year, for students who selected
      the food group. All analyses controlled for student gender and grade and school
      free/reduced price meal status. RESULTS: Observations were conducted for 472
      (2011) and 573 (2013) students. Significantly more 2013 students selected fruit,
      100% juice, total fruit + 100% juice, other vegetables, whole grains, protein
      foods and milk, but fewer selected starchy vegetables. For those students
      selecting them, significantly more total fruit + 100% juice and red orange
      vegetables, but significantly less other vegetables, legumes, and protein foods
      were consumed. There were no differences in waste of fruit, whole grains, or
      vegetables, with the exception of legumes. More legumes were wasted in 2013 than
      2011. CONCLUSION: The findings that students had similar consumption rates for
      fruit, whole grains, and most vegetables in this study are encouraging. Regular
      monitoring of student food selection and consumption at school is needed to
      assess whether the new meal patterns improve intake at school.

PMID- 26101738
TI  - The cytotoxicity of BAMLET complexes is due to oleic acid and independent of the
      alpha-lactalbumin component.
AB  - Lipid-protein complexes comprised of oleic acid (OA) non-covalently coupled to
      human/bovine alpha-lactalbumin, named HAMLET/BAMLET, display cytotoxic properties
      against cancer cells. However, there is still a substantial debate about the role
      of the protein in these complexes. To shed light into this, we obtained three
      different BAMLET complexes using varying synthesis conditions. Our data suggest
      that to form active BAMLET particles, OA has to reach critical micelle
      concentration with an approximate diameter of 250 nm. Proteolysis experiments on
      BAMLET show that OA protects the protein and is probably located on the surface,
      consistent with a micelle-like structure. Native or unfolded alpha-lactalbumin
      without OA lacked any tumoricidal activity. In contrast, OA alone killed cancer
      cells with the same efficiency at equimolar concentrations as its formulation as
      BAMLET. Our data show unequivocally that the cytotoxicity of the BAMLET complex
      is exclusively due to OA and that OA alone, when formulated as a micelle, is as
      toxic as the BAMLET complex. The contradictory literature results on the
      cytotoxicity of BAMLET might be explained by our finding that it was imperative
      to sonicate the samples to obtain toxic OA. 

PMID- 26101739
TI  - Interaction of the dual targeting peptide of Thr-tRNA synthetase with the
      chloroplastic receptor Toc34 in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Organellar proteins synthesized in the cytosol are usually selective for only one
      destination in a cell but some proteins are localized in more than one
      compartment, for example in both mitochondria and chloroplasts. The mechanism of
      dual targeting of proteins to mitochondria and chloroplasts is yet poorly
      understood. Previously, we observed that the dual targeting peptide of threonyl
      tRNA synthetase in Arabidopsis thaliana (AtThrRS-dTP) interacts with the
      mitochondrial receptor AtTom20 mainly through its N-terminal part. Here we report
      on the interaction of AtThrRS-dTP with the chloroplastic receptor AtToc34,
      presenting for the first time the mode of interactions of a dual targeting
      peptide with both Tom20 and Toc34. By NMR spectroscopy we investigated changes in
      (15)N HSQC spectra of AtThrRS-dTP as a function of AtToc34 concentration. Line
      broadening shows that the interaction with AtToc34 involves residues along the
      entire sequence, which is not the case for AtTom20. The N-terminal
      phichichiphiphi motif, which plays an important role in AtTom20 recognition,
      shows no specificity for AtToc34. These results are supported by import
      competition studies into both mitochondria and chloroplasts, in which the effect
      of peptides corresponding to different segments of AtThrRS-dTP on in vitro import
      of organelle specific proteins was examined. This demonstrates that the N
      terminal A2-Y29 segment of AtThrRS-dTP is essential for import into both
      organelles, while the C-terminal L30-P60 part is important for chloroplastic
      import efficiency. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that the recognition of
      the dual targeting peptide of AtThr-tRNA synthetase is different for the
      mitochondrial and chloroplastic receptors. 

PMID- 26101740
TI  - p38alpha controls self-renewal and fate decision of neurosphere-forming cells in
      adult hippocampus.
AB  - Neural stem cells (NSC) from the adult hippocampus easily lose their activity in
      vitro. Efficient in vitro expansion of adult hippocampus-derived NSC is important
      for generation of tools for research and cell therapy. Here, we show that a
      single copy disruption or pharmacological inhibition of p38alpha enables
      successful long-term neurosphere culture of adult mouse hippocampal cells.
      Expanded neurospheres with high proliferative activity differentiated into the
      three neuronal lineages under differentiating conditions. Thus, inhibition of
      p38alpha can maintain adult hippocampal NSC activity in vitro. 

PMID- 26101742
TI  - Corrigendum to "Combination therapy with interferon and JAK1-2 inhibitor is
      feasible. Proof of concept with rapid reduction in JAK2V617F-allele burden in
      Polycythemia Vera" [Leuk. Res. Rep. 3 (2) (2014) 73-75].
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.lrr.2014.05.003.]. 

PMID- 26101741
TI  - Development of reverse genetics for Ibaraki virus to produce viable VP6-tagged
      IBAV.
AB  - Ibaraki virus (IBAV) is a member of the epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus
      (EHDV) serogroup, which belongs to the Orbivirus genus of the Reoviridae family.
      Although EHDV, including IBAV, represents an ongoing threat to livestock in the
      world, molecular mechanisms of EHDV replication and pathogenesis have been
      unclear. The reverse genetics (RG) system is one of the strong tools to
      understand molecular mechanisms of virus replication. Here, we developed a RG
      system for IBAV to identify the nonessential region of a minor structural
      protein, VP6, by generating VP6-truncated IBAV. Moreover, several tags were
      inserted into the truncated region to produce VP6-tagged IBAV. We demonstrated
      that all VP6-tagged IBAV could replicate in BHK cells in the absence of any
      helper VP6 protein. Further, tagged-VP6 proteins were first assembled into puncta
      in cells infected with VP6-tagged IBAV. Our data suggests that, in order to
      initiate primary replication, IBAV VP6 is likely to accumulate in some parts of
      infected cells to assemble efficiently into the primary replication complex
      (subcore). 

PMID- 26101743
TI  - The cestode community in northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) on St. Paul
      Island, Alaska.
AB  - The diversity and ecology of cestodes from the northern fur seals, Callorhinus
      ursinus (NFS), were examined using newly collected material from 756 humanely
      harvested subadult males between 2011 and 2014. NFSs were collected from five
      different haul-outs on St. Paul Island, Alaska. A total of 14,660 tapeworms were
      collected with a prevalence of 98.5% and intensity up to 107 cestodes per host
      (mean intensity 19.7 +/- 16.5 SD). Three species of tapeworms were found:
      Adenocephalus pacificus (Diphyllobothriidea) was the most prevalent (prevalence
      97.4%), followed by Diplogonoporus tetrapterus (49.7%), and 5 immature specimens
      of Anophryocephalus cf. ochotensis (Tetrabothriidea) (0.5%). Most of the cestodes
      found in the NFS were immature (69.7%). However, only 0.9% of cestodes were in
      larval (plerocercoid) stages. The species composition, prevalence and intensity
      of cestodes from these NFSs were not statistically different between the five
      separate haul-outs. Significant increases in the intensity of NFS infections were
      observed during the study period. 

PMID- 26101744
TI  - Fatal systemic toxoplasmosis in Valley quail (Callipepla californica).
AB  - An adult, captive raised male Valley quail (Callipepla californica) acquired by a
      southern Brazilian aviary suddenly showed severe apathy, dyspnea and diarrhea,
      and died 18 hours after the onset of illness. At necropsy, pale muscles and
      whitish areas in the heart, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and consolidated red
      lungs were observed. Histological findings were mainly mononuclear inflammation
      with necrosis of liver, heart, spleen, bone marrow and lung. There were large
      numbers of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoitesorganisms in the liver, heart, spleen,
      bone marrow, lungs, trachea, kidneys, adrenal glands, testes, intestines, and
      pancreas. These organisms were seen free in the organs' stroma or within
      macrophages and stained positively with polyclonal antiserum to T. gondii.
      Genomic DNA was extracted from the tissues and PCR was used to target the B1 gene
      of T. gondii. The genotypic characterization by PCR-RFLP with 11 markers (SAG1,
      SAG2 and alt. SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, Apico and CS3)
      revealed the ToxoDB-PCR-RFLP #87 genotype, the same as previously identified in a
      backyard chicken (TgCkBr156) in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 

PMID- 26101745
TI  - Coexistence of fixation-off sensitivity and inverted fixation-off sensitivity in
      a female child with Panayiotopoulos syndrome: Video-electroencephalography
      documentation.
AB  - Fixation-off sensitivity (FOS) is a rare phenomenon elicited by elimination of
      central vision and fixation, which even in the presence of light induces
      occipital paroxysms or generalized paroxysmal discharges. It is most commonly
      encountered in patients with idiopathic childhood occipital epilepsies but may
      also be observed in cases of symptomatic focal and generalized epilepsies. We
      describe a female Emirati child with Panayiotopoulos syndrome who exhibited FOS
      in addition to the reverse phenomenon called "inverted fixation-off sensitivity,"
      in which the electroencephalographic discharges were suppressed by the absence of
      central vision or fixation and activated by central vision or fixation. 

PMID- 26101746
TI  - Failure of antiepileptic drugs in controlling seizures in epilepsy: What do we do
      next?
AB  - Medically intractable epilepsy is a clinical condition of concern that arises
      when a patient with epilepsy suffers seizures, despite a trial of two or more
      antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) suitable for the type of epilepsy that are prescribed
      at maximum tolerated doses, does not achieve control of seizures. This diagnosis
      could be related to cortical dysplasias. We report the case of a 5-year-old girl
      with a previous normal neurological development and no family history of epilepsy
      who presented with focal-type seizures at age 4. She started treatment by taking
      different AEDs for seizure control. She continued having frequent seizures that
      sometimes progressed to generalized seizures and status epilepticus. After a
      focal cortical resection performed in the area where interictal spikes were
      detected, the pathology confirmed a type IIb cortical dysplasia as the cause of
      the epilepsy. This article discusses cortical dysplasias as a cause of
      pharmacoresistant epilepsy and its treatment. 

PMID- 26101747
TI  - The ictal bradycardia syndrome: A case report.
AB  - We report a case of a 56-year-old man affected by frontal lobe seizures who has
      developed bradycardia followed by asystole. The patient had a positive family
      history for epilepsy. In fact, the mother, brothers, and one sister had epilepsy.
      Furthermore, the patient's two brothers suddenly died of unspecified heart
      disease at the ages of 26 and 53, respectively. The patient also experienced
      syncope once or twice a year. Three similar epileptic seizures, without the
      recurrence of asystole, were registered after pacemaker implantation. 

PMID- 26101748
TI  - Gene expression profiles of Bapx1 expressing FACS sorted cells from wildtype and
      Bapx1-EGFP null mouse embryos.
AB  - The data described in this article refers to Chatterjee et al. (2015) "In vivo
      genome-wide analysis of multiple tissues identifies gene regulatory networks,
      novel functions and downstream regulatory genes for Bapx1 and its co-regulation
      with Sox9 in the mammalian vertebral column" (GEO GSE35649) [1]. Transcriptional
      profiling combined with genome wide binding data is a powerful tool to elucidate
      the molecular mechanism behind vertebrate organogenesis. It also helps to uncover
      multiple roles of a single gene in different organs. In the above mentioned
      report we reveal the function of the homeobox gene Bapx1 during the embryogenesis
      of five distinct organs (vertebral column, spleen, gut, forelimb and hindlimb) at
      a relevant developmental stage (E12.5), microarray analysis of isolated wildtype
      and mutant cells in is compared in conjunction with ChIP-Seq analysis. We also
      analyzed the development of the vertebral column by comparing microarray and ChIP
      Seq data for Bapx1 with similarly generated data sets for Sox9 to generate a gene
      regulatory network controlling various facets of the organogenesis.

PMID- 26101749
TI  - Splicing variants of porcine synphilin-1.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD), idiopathic and familial, is characterized by
      degradation of dopaminergic neurons and the presence of Lewy bodies (LB) in the
      substantia nigra. LBs contain aggregated proteins of which alpha-synuclein is the
      major component. The protein synphilin-1 interacts and colocalizes with alpha
      synuclein in LBs. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize porcine
      synphilin-1 and isoforms hereof with the future perspective to use the pig as a
      model for Parkinson's disease. The porcine SNCAIP cDNA was cloned by reverse
      transcriptase PCR. The spatial expression of SNCAIP mRNA was investigated by
      RNAseq. The presented work reports the molecular cloning and characterization of
      the porcine (Sus scrofa) synphilin-1 cDNA (SNCAIP) and three splice variants
      hereof. The porcine SNCAIP cDNA codes for a protein (synphilin-1) of 919 amino
      acids which shows a high similarity to human (90%) and to mouse (84%) synphilin
      1. Three shorter transcript variants of the synphilin-1 gene were identified, all
      lacking one or more exons. SNCAIP transcripts were detected in most examined
      organs and tissues and the highest expression was found in brain tissues and
      lung. Conserved splicing variants and a novel splice form of synhilin-1 were
      found in this study. All synphilin-1 isoforms encoded by the identified
      transcript variants lack functional domains important for protein degradation. 

PMID- 26101750
TI  - Hypocholesterolemic effects of Balangu (Lallemantia royleana) seeds in the
      rabbits fed on a cholesterol-containing diet.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Lallemantia royleana (Benth. in Wall.) Benth. (Lamiaceae) is a
      medicinal plant used in Iranian traditional and folklore medicine in the
      treatment of various nervous, hepatic, and renal diseases. In the present study,
      whole seeds of the herb were prepared and evaluated for hypolipidemic activities
      using an animal model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Animals were fed normal diets or
      diets supplemented with cholesterol (0.5%) for 12 weeks to evoke
      hypercholesterolemia. Moreover, hypercholesterolemic animals were treated with
      different doses of whole seeds of Balangu (0, 5, 10, and 20%) for 12 weeks.
      RESULTS: Results showed that the serum total cholesterol and triglyceride
      decreased in all groups treated with Balangu seeds p<0.05. Changes in the
      distribution of cholesterol in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and
      high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were found. LDL-C and HDL-C
      decreased significantly in all of the groups treated with whole seeds of the herb
      with respect to hypercholesterolemic group p<0.05. CONCLUSION: Our results showed
      that L. royleana seeds decreased the serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in
      hypercholesterolemic animals but led to the increase of atherogenic index in all
      treated groups.

PMID- 26101751
TI  - The synergic effect of glycyrrhizic acid and low frequency electromagnetic field
      on angiogenesis in chick chorioallantoic membrane.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Much attention is paid to angiogenesis due to its mutual role in
      health and disease. Therefore, the effect of various chemical and physical agents
      on inhibition of this process has been recently studied. This study was conducted
      to investigate the synergic effect of glycyrrhizic acid and electromagnetic field
      on angiogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, 44 Ross
      fertilized chicken eggs were randomly divided into four groups, one control and
      three experimental. Control group was kept with dimethyl sulfoxide on the eighth
      day, experimental group 1 treated with 200 gauss, 50 Hz electromagnetic field on
      the 10th day, experimental group 2 treated with 1 mg/ml glycyrrhizic acid on the
      eighth day, and experimental group 3 simultaneously treated with glycyrrhizic
      acid on the eighth day and electromagnetic field on the 10th day. On the 12th
      day, the images of chorioallantoic membrane samples were prepared using
      photostreomicroscope and the number and length of vessels were measured. RESULTS:
      The mean number of vessels in the experimental groups 1 and 3 (29.31+/-3.60 and
      27.43+/-4.61, respectively) was not significantly different from that in the
      control group (29.11+/-4.76) (p>0.05). The length of vessels in the experimental
      groups 1 and 3 (52.35+/-3.25 mm and 54.94+/-4.70 mm, respectively) decreased
      significantly (p<0.05) compared with the control group (61.79+/-6.46 mm). In
      experimental group 2, both length and number of vessels (54.53+/-5.85 mm and
      23.96+/-3.94) decreased significantly compared with the control group (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Electromagnetic field and glycyrrhizic acid separately led to
      inhibition of angiogenesis. However, use of electromagnetic field accompanied
      with glycyrrhizic acid not only did not increase but also decreased the
      inhibitory effect.

PMID- 26101752
TI  - Avicenna's Canon of Medicine: a review of analgesics and anti-inflammatory
      substances.
AB  - Naturally occurring substances mentioned in medieval medical literatures
      currently have, and will continue to have, a crucial place in drug discovery.
      Avicenna was a Persian physician who is known as the most influential medical
      writers in the Middle ages. Avicenna's Canon of Medicine, the most famous books
      in the history of medicine, presents a clear and organized summary of all the
      medical knowledge of the time, including a long list of drugs. Several hundred
      substances and receipts from different sources are mentioned for treatment of
      different illnesses in this book. The aim of the present study was to provide a
      descriptive review of all anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs presented in this
      comprehensive encyclopedia of medicine. Data for this review were provided by
      searches of different sections of this book. Long lists of anti-inflammatory and
      analgesic substances used in the treatment of various diseases are provided. The
      efficacy of some of these drugs, such as opium, willow oil, curcuma, and garlic,
      was investigated by modern medicine; pointed to their potent anti-inflammatory
      and analgesic properties. This review will help further research into the
      clinical benefits of new drugs for treatment of inflammatory diseases and pain. 

PMID- 26101753
TI  - The effect of hydro-alcoholic celery (Apiumgraveolens) leaf extract on
      cardiovascular parameters and lipid profile in animal model of hypertension
      induced by fructose.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Hypertension is one of the most common diseases of the modern era.
      This study evaluates the effect of hydro-alcoholic celery leaf extract onsystolic
      blood pressure (SBP), heart rate (HR) and lipid profile in animals' model of
      hypertension induced by fructose. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sprague Dawley rats were
      divided into five groups: 1) control group (free access to tap drinking water),
      2) group receiving 200mg/kg celery leaf extract, 3) group receiving fructose 10%,
      and 4,5) receiving fructose and 100mg/kg or 200mg/kg of extract (n=8). In all
      groups, before and during the test period, SBP and HR were measured by Power lab
      system. Lipid profiles were determined by auto analysis. Repeated measurement and
      one way ANOVA were used for data analysis. P<0.05 was considered statistically
      significant. RESULTS: The SBP in the fructose group significantly increased
      compared to control group (P<0.01). SBP, in groups receiving fructose+100mg/kg
      extract, fructose and receiving 200mg/kg extract, and receiving 200mg/kg of
      extract, compared to fructose group significantly decreased. Heart rate in any of
      these groups showed no significant difference. Cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and
      VLDL in the fructose group significantly increased; however, these effects
      significantly decreased in the recipient extract groups. HDL levels in the
      fructose group showed no difference while in the groups receiving the extract
      they significantly increased. CONCLUSIONS: Celery leaf extract reduces SBP,
      cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and VLDL in animal model of fructose-induced
      hypertension. In conclusion, celery leaf extract with its blood pressure and
      lipid lowering effects, can be considered as an antihypertensive agent in chronic
      treatment of elevated SBP.

PMID- 26101754
TI  - Antibacterial activity of Tribulus terrestris and its synergistic effect with
      Capsella bursa-pastoris and Glycyrrhiza glabra against oral pathogens: an in
      vitro study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study, antimicrobial activities of an ethanol extract of
      Tribulus terrestris aloneand in combination with Capsella bursa-pastoris and
      Glycyrrhiza glabra were examined in vitro against six pathogens namely
      Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguis, Actinomyces viscosus, Enterococcus
      faecalis Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Antibacterial activities of the extracts were examined using disc and well
      diffusion methods and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum
      bactericidal concentration (MBC) of ethanol extracts were determined against
      these microorganisms using agar and broth dilution methods. Chlorhexidine was
      used as positive control. RESULTS: Tribulus terrestris extract exhibited good
      antibacterial activity against all bacteria. Antibacterial activity of mixed
      extract was evaluated and exhibited that mixed extract was more effective against
      all bacteria than any of the cases alone which indicates the synergistic effect
      between these three extracts (p?0.05). No strain showed resistance against these
      extracts. In agar dilution, Tribulus terrestris exhibited MIC values ranging from
      35.0 to 20.0 mg/ml and mixed extract showed MIC values ranging from 12.5 to 5.0
      mg/ml. The results of broth dilution method were consistent with the findings of
      the agar dilution method. CONCLUSION: This in-vitro study was a preliminary
      evaluation of antibacterial activity of the plants. It provided scientific
      evidence to support uses of T. terrestris and its mixture with C. bursa-pastoris
      and G. glabra for the treatment of oral infections. In-vivo studies are also
      required to better evaluate the effect of these extracts.

PMID- 26101756
TI  - Protective effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa against serum/glucose deprivation
      induced PC12 cells injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Findings natural products with antioxidant and antiapoptotic
      properties has been one of the interesting challenges in the search for the
      treatment of neurodegenerative diseases including ischemic stroke. Serum/glucose
      deprivation (SGD) has been used as a model for the understanding of the molecular
      mechanisms of neuronal damage during ischemia in vitro and for the expansion of
      neuroprotective drugs against ischemia-induced brain injury. Recent studies
      showed that Hibiscus sabdariffa exert pharmacological actions such as potent
      antioxidant. Therefore, in this study we investigated the protective effect of
      extract of H. sabdariffa against SGD-induced PC12 cells injury. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Cells were pretreated with different concentrations of H. sabdariffa
      extract (HSE) for 2 hr, and then exposed to SGD condition for 6, 12 and 18 hr.
      RESULTS: SGD caused a major reduction in cell viability after 6, 12, and 18 hr as
      compared with control cells (p< 0.001). Pretreatment with HSE (30-500 ??g/mL)
      significantly increased cell viability following SGD insult for 6, 12 and 18 hr.
      A significant increase in cell apoptosis was seen in cells under SGD condition
      after 12hr as compared with control cells (p< 0.001). Pretreatment with HSE
      significantly decreased cell apoptosis subsequent SGD conditionafter12hr at
      concentration of 60, 125 and 250. CONCLUSION: These data showed that HSE had a
      protective property under SGD condition in PC12 cells, suggesting that H.
      sabdariffa has the potential to be used as a new therapeutic approach for
      neurodegenerative disorders.

PMID- 26101755
TI  - Antinociceptive effects, acute toxicity and chemical composition of Vitex agnus
      castus essential oil.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Vitex agnus-castus (VAC) and its essential oil have been traditionally
      used to treat many conditions and symptoms such as premenstrual problems,
      mastalgia, inflammation, sexual dysfunction, and pain. In this study, the effects
      of essential oil extracted from Vitex agnus-castus (EOVAC) leaves were
      investigated in three behavioral models of nociception in adult male Wistar rats.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chemical composition of EOVAC was analyzed using gas
      chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and also its possible toxicity was
      determined in mice. Analgesic effect of EOVAC was determined using tail immersion
      test, formalin test, and acetic acid-induced visceral pain in rats. RESULTS:
      EOVAC (s.c.) and morphine (i.p.) significantly (p<0.05) reduced pain responses in
      both formalin and tail immersion tests. In the study of evolved mechanisms,
      pretreatment with naloxone or atropine significantly (p <0.05) reversed the
      essential oil-induced analgesia in both formalin and tail immersion tests.
      Moreover, EOVAC and Piroxicam produced significant (p<0.05) inhibition in the
      acetic acid-induced writhing response. EOVAC did not show any mortality even at
      high dose (5 g/kg, p.o.) of administration in toxicity test. Moreover, according
      to GC-MS results, major components of the EOVAC were alpha-pinene (14.83%),
      limonene (10.29%), beta-caryophyllene (6.9%), sabinene (5.27%), and beta
      farnesene (5.9%). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that endogenous opioidergic
      system as well as muscarinergic receptors of cholinergic system may be involve in
      the antinociceptive activity of Vitex agnus-castus essential oil in these models
      of pain in rats.

PMID- 26101757
TI  - Hepatoprotective activity of aerial parts of Otostegia persica against carbon
      tetrachloride-induced liver damage in rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the hepatoprotective properties of Otostegia persica (O.
      persica) ethanol extract on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in rats.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into
      five groups. Group I served as normal control and was given only olive oil
      intraperitoneally (i.p.). Group II, III, IV, and V were administered CCl4 mixed
      with olive oil 1:1 (1 ml/kg) i.p., twice a week for 8 weeks. Group II was
      maintained as CCl4-intoxicated control (hepatotoxic group). Group III, IV, and V
      received O. persica extract at a dose of 40, 80, and 120 mg/kg for 8 weeks every
      48 h orally, respectively. Biochemical parameters including aspartate
      transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total
      bilirubin (TB), albumin (ALB), total protein (TP), and lipid peroxidation marker
      (Malonaldialdehyde, (MDA) were determined in serum. After 8 weeks, animals were
      sacrificed, livers dissected out, and evaluated for histomorphological changes.
      RESULTS: The administration of CCl4 increased AST, ALT, ALP, TB, and MDA in serum
      but it decreased TP , and ALB compared with normal control. Treatment with O.
      persica extract at three doses resulted in decreased enzyme markers, bilirubin
      levels, and lipid peroxidation marker (MDA) and increased TP and ALB compared
      with CCl4 group. The results of pathological study also support the
      hepatoprotective effects which were observed at doses of 80 and 120 mg/kg.
      CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that ethanol extract of O.
      persica may have hepatoprotective effect which is probably due to its antioxidant
      property.

PMID- 26101758
TI  - In Vitro effect of the ethanolic extract of Tephrosia Vogelii on Rhipicephalus
      Sanguineus in Abomey-Calavi.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Ticks are vectors of several diseases, of which many are zoonosis
      transmissible to humans. The use of Tephrosia leafs' extract as a low cost
      acaricide is spreading among farmers in central Kenya. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      present study's aim is to inventory endogenous control methods against dogs'
      ticks among which Rhipicephalus sanguineus, in the Municipality of Abomey-Calavi.
      From September to October 2013, a survey was made on forty randomly selected
      breeders and ticks samples were collected on forty dogs. The web platform,
      www.epicollect.net, was used for the survey. In total, 77.5% (n=40) of examined
      dogs were infested with ticks. RESULTS: Three species of ticks were identified:
      Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Haemaphysalis leachi, and Amblyomma variegatum. They
      were found on 77.5%, 17.5%, and 15% of examined dogs, respectively. The numerical
      abundance of the three species was 87.06%, 11.9%, and 1.03%, respectively. The
      average number of ticks per animal was 16.83+/-5.04, 2.3+/-1.64, and 0.2+/-0.08
      for Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Haemaphysalis leachi, and Amblyomma variegatum,
      respectively. Farmers used manual diptank (67.5%), plant ash (37.5%), petroleum
      (12.5%), motor oil (2.50 %), and sea water (7.5%) to fight against ticks.
      CONCLUSION: The phytochemical screening of the leafy stem's powder of Tephrosia
      vogelii revealed the presence of catechol tannins, saponins, sugars, leuco
      anthocyanins, polyterpenes, and sterols. A 100% larval mortality was observed at
      the concentration of 20% the ethanolic extract of the leafy stem of Tephrosia
      vogelii. The LC50 of this ethanolic extract against Rhipicephalus sanguineus
      larvae was equal to 2.6%.

PMID- 26101759
TI  - Anticonvulsant and neuroprotective effects of Rosa damascena hydro-alcoholic
      extract on rat hippocampus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previously, analgesic, hypnotic, and anticonvulsant effects have been
      suggested for Rosa damascena (R. damascena). In the present study, possible anti
      seizure and neuro-protective effects of hydro-alcoholic extract of R. damascena
      has been investigated after inducing seizures in rats by pentylenetetrazole
      (PTZ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The rats were divided to five groups: (1) CONTROL:
      received saline, (2) PTZ: 100 mg/kg, i.p., (3) PTZ- Extract 50 mg/kg (PTZ-Ext
      50), (4) PTZ- Extract 100 mg/kg (PTZ-Ext 100), and (5) PTZ- Extract 200 mg/kg
      (PTZ-Ext 200) groups which were treated with 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg respectively
      of hydro-alcoholic extract of R. dam ascena for one week before PTZ injection.
      The animals were examined for electrocorticography (ECoG) recording and finally,
      the brains were removed for histological study. RESULTS: The hydro-alcoholic
      extract of R. dam ascena significantly prolonged the latency of seizure attacks
      and reduced the frequency and amplitude of epileptiform burst discharges induced
      by PTZ injection. Moreover, all three doses of the extract significantly
      inhibited production of dark neurons in different regions of the hippocampus in
      the mentioned animal model. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that the hydro
      alcoholic extract of R. dam ascena has anticonvulsant and neuroprotective
      effects. More investigations are needed to be done in order to better understand
      the responsible compound(s) as well as the possible mechanism(s).

PMID- 26101760
TI  - Validation of the Ottawa Ankle Rules in Indian Scenario.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ankle injuries are one of the most common presentations in emergency
      department. Ottawa Ankle Rules (OARs) have been used to predict the requirement
      of radiographs. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to validate the OARs protocol for
      predicting ankle and midfoot fractures in Indian population. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in a teaching hospital in north India,
      during a period of nine months, including all patients who presented with
      complaints in the ankle region and evolution of less than 48 hours. The study
      excluded patients with multiple trauma and Glasgow coma scale of less than 15.
      All patients underwent clinical evaluation, followed by radiographs depending
      upon the location of the complaints. Radiographic study results were evaluated by
      orthopedic surgeons who had not seen the patient. RESULTS: We evaluated 140
      patients (84 males and 60 females) with the mean age of 35.2 (range, 8 - 76
      years). Of the 140 evaluable patients, 71 had positive criteria for radiological
      evaluation of which 43 presented with fracture, 69 had negative criteria for
      radiography with no fracture. The sensitivity of OARs to detect fractures was
      100%. The implementation of the OARs appears to have the potential to reduce the
      number of radiographs for the assessment of these patients by about 51%.
      CONCLUSIONS: The implementations of OARs have the potential to reduce the number
      of X-ray graphics needed to assess these patients by about 51%. The results of
      this study demonstrate no false negatives and are in agreement with results from
      other similar studies. It encourages us to implement these criteria in our
      services urgently, with all the resulting socio-economic implications.

PMID- 26101761
TI  - Comparing Cognitive Failures and Metacognitive Beliefs in Mild Traumatic Brain
      Injured Patients and Normal Controls in Kashan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Head trauma is associated with multiple destructive cognitive
      symptoms and cognitive failure. Cognitive failures include problems with memory,
      attention and operation. Cognitive failures are considered as a process
      associated with metacognition. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare cognitive
      failures and metacognitive beliefs in mild Traumatic Brain Injured (TBI) patients
      and normal controls in Kashan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was performed on
      40 TBI patients referred to the Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Kashan city and 40
      normal controls in Kashan. Traumatic brain injured patients and normal controls
      were selected by convenience sampling. Two groups filled out the demographic
      sheet, Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire
      30 (MCQ-30). The data were analyzed by the SPSS-19 software with multivariate
      analysis of variance. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that there were
      no significant differences between TBI and controls in total scores and subscales
      of CFQ and MCQ (F = 0.801, P = 0.61). CONCLUSIONS: Based on these findings, it
      seems that mild brain injuries don't make significant metacognitive problems and
      cognitive failures.

PMID- 26101762
TI  - Tangential View and Intraoperative Three-Dimensional Fluoroscopy for the
      Detection of Screw-Misplacements in Volar Plating of Distal Radius Fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Volar locking plate fixation has become the gold standard in the
      treatment of unstable distal radius fractures. Juxta-articular screws should be
      placed as close as possible to the subchondral zone, in an optimized length to
      buttress the articular surface and address the contralateral cortical bone. On
      the other hand, intra-articular screw misplacements will promote osteoarthritis,
      while the penetration of the contralateral bone surface may result in tendon
      irritations and ruptures. The intraoperative control of fracture reduction and
      implant positioning is limited in the common postero-anterior and true lateral
      two-dimensional (2D)-fluoroscopic views. Therefore, additional 2D-fluoroscopic
      views in different projections and intraoperative three-dimensional (3D)
      fluoroscopy were recently reported. Nevertheless, their utility has issued
      controversies. OBJECTIVES: The following questions should be answered in this
      study; 1) Are the additional tangential view and the intraoperative 3D
      fluoroscopy useful in the clinical routine to detect persistent fracture
      dislocations and screw misplacements, to prevent revision surgery? 2) Which is
      the most dangerous plate hole for screw misplacement? PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      total of 48 patients (36 females and 13 males) with 49 unstable distal radius
      fractures (22 x 23 A; 2 x 23 B, and 25 x 23 C) were treated with a 2.4 mm
      variable angle LCP Two-Column volar distal radius plate (Synthes GmbH, Oberdorf,
      Switzerland) during a 10-month period. After final fixation, according to the
      manufactures' technique guide and control of implant placement in the two common
      perpendicular 2D-fluoroscopic images (postero-anterior and true lateral), an
      additional tangential view and intraoperative 3D fluoroscopic scan were performed
      to control the anatomic fracture reduction and screw placements. Intraoperative
      revision rates due to screw misplacements (intra-articular or overlength) were
      evaluated. Additionally, the number of surgeons, time and radiation-exposure, for
      each step of the operating procedure, were recorded. RESULTS: In the standard 2D
      fluoroscopic views (postero-anterior and true lateral projection), 22 screw
      misplacements of 232 inserted screws were not detected. Based on the additional
      tangential view, 12 screws were exchanged, followed by further 10 screws after
      performing the 3D fluoroscopic scan. The most lateral screw position had the
      highest risk for screw misplacement (accounting for 45.5% of all exchanged
      screws). The mean number of images for the tangential view was 3 +/- 2.5 images.
      The mean surgical time was extended by 10.02 +/- 3.82 minutes for the 3D
      fluoroscopic scan. An additional radiation exposure of 4.4 +/- 4.5seconds, with a
      dose area product of 39.2 +/- 14.5 cGy/cm(2) were necessary for the tangential
      view and 54.4 +/- 20.9 seconds with a dose area product of 2.1 +/- 2.2 cGy/cm(2),
      for the 3D fluoroscopic scan. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend the additional 2D
      fluoroscopic tangential view for detection of screw misplacements caused by
      overlength, with penetration on the dorsal cortical surface of the distal radius,
      predominantly observed for the most lateral screw position. The use of
      intraoperative 3D fluoroscopy did not become accepted in our clinical routine,
      due to the technical demanding and time consuming procedure, with a limited image
      quality so far.

PMID- 26101763
TI  - Intraarticular Entrapment of Os Subfibulare Following a Severe Inversion Injury
      of the Ankle: A Case Report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anterior Talofibular Ligament (ATFL) rupture is the most commonly
      injured anatomic structure in lateral ankle sprain. In some cases, ATFL avulsion
      fracture from the lateral malleolus may occur instead of purely ligamentous
      injuries. The ATFL avulsion fracture is detected as a small ossicle at the tip of
      lateral malleolus on direct radiographs, which is called os subfibulare in
      chronic cases. CASE PRESENTATION: Severe displacement of this ossicle to the
      tibiotalar joint space is an extremely rare injury. Herein, a case of intra
      articular entrapment of os subfibulare following a severe inversion injury of the
      ankle, which caused a diagnostic challenge was presented. CONCLUSIONS: To the
      best of our knowledge, this is the first case of entrapment of os subfibulare in
      the talotibial joint space. Fixation of the os subfibulare to lateral malleolus
      resulted in union and excellent functional results.

PMID- 26101764
TI  - Predictors for Readmission up to 1 Year Following Hip Fracture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At Altnagelvin, a district general hospital in Northern Ireland, we
      have observed that a significant number of hip fracture admissions are later
      readmitted for treatment of other medical conditions. These readmissions place
      increasing stress on the already significant burden that orthopedic trauma poses
      on national health services. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to review a
      series of consecutive patients managed at our unit at least 1 year prior to the
      onset of the study. Also, we aimed to identify predictors for raised admission
      rates following treatment for hip fracture. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed a
      prospective fracture database and online patient note system for patient details,
      past medical history, discharge destination and routine blood tests for any
      factors that may influence readmission rates up to 1 year. Data were analyzed
      using SPSS software. RESULTS: Over 2 years, 451 patients were reviewed and 23
      were managed conservatively. There was a 1-year readmission rate of 21%. Most
      readmission diagnoses were medical including bronchopneumonia, falls, urosepsis,
      cardiac exacerbations and stroke. Prolonged length of stay and discharge to a
      residential, fold or nursing home were found to increase readmission rate.
      Readmission diagnoses closely reflected the perioperative diagnoses that
      prolonged length of stay. Increased odds radio and risk of readmission were also
      found with female gender, surgery with a cephalomedullary nail, hip
      hemiarthroplasty or total hip replacement, time to surgery < 36 hours, alcohol
      consumption, smoking status, Hb drop > 2 g/dL and also if a blood transfusion was
      received. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that hip fracture treatment begins at
      acute fracture clerk in, with consideration of comorbid status and ultimate
      discharge planning remaining significant predictors for morbidity and subsequent
      readmission.

PMID- 26101765
TI  - Epidemiology of Urban Traffic Accident Victims Hospitalized More Than 24 Hours in
      a Level III Trauma Center, Kashan County, Iran, During 2012-2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urban traffic accidents are an extensively significant problem in
      small and busy towns in Iran. This study tried to explore the epidemiological
      pattern of urban traffic accidents in Kashan and Aran-Bidgol cities, Iran.
      OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess various epidemiological factors affecting
      victims of trauma admitted to a main trauma center in Iran. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      During a retrospective study, data including age, sex, injury type and pattern,
      outcome, hospital stay and treatment expenditures regarding urban Road Traffic
      Accidents (RTAs) for one year (March 2012-March 2013) were obtained from the
      registry of trauma research center, emergency medical services and deputy of
      health of Kashan University of Medical Sciences. One-way ANOVA and chi-square
      tests were used to analyze data using SPSS version 16.0. P value < 0.05 was
      considered significant. RESULTS: A total of 1723 victims (82.6% male, sex ratio
      of almost 5:1) were considered in this study. Mortality rate in trauma cases
      hospitalized more than 24 hours during our study was 0.8%. Young motorcyclist men
      with the rate of more than 103 per 10000 were the most vulnerable group. The most
      common injury was head injury (73.6%) followed by lower limb injury (33.2%). A
      significant association was found between mechanism of injury and head, lower
      limb, multiple injuries and high risk age group. CONCLUSIONS: Urban RTAs are one
      of the most important problems in Kashan and Aran-Bidgol cities, which impose a
      great economic burden on health system. Motorcyclists are the most vulnerable
      victims and multiple trauma and head injury are seen among them extensively.

PMID- 26101766
TI  - Role of Anesthesia Team in Prehospital Care: The Hidden Treasure in Critical
      Settings.

PMID- 26101767
TI  - Antiherpes Activity and Skin/Mucosa Distribution of Flavonoids from Achyrocline
      satureioides Extract Incorporated into Topical Nanoemulsions.
AB  - This study investigated the inhibitory effects of Achyrocline satureioides
      extract (ASE) incorporated into a topical nanoemulsion on Herpes Simplex Virus
      type 1 (HSV-1/KOS strain) replication, as well as the distribution of the main
      ASE flavonoids (quercetin, luteolin, and 3-O-methylquercetin) in porcine skin and
      mucosa. The ASE-loaded nanoemulsion showed more pronounced effects against HSV-1
      replication when compared to the ASE or pure quercetin, as determined by the
      viral plaque number reduction assay. All flavonoids were detected in the skin
      epidermis (2.2 ug/cm(2)) and the mucosa upper layers (3.0 ug/cm(2)) from ASE
      loaded nanoemulsion until 8 h after topical application. A higher amount of
      flavonoids was detected when these tissues were impaired, especially in deeper
      mucosa layers (up to 7-fold). Flavonoids were detected in the receptor fluid only
      when the mucosa was injured. Such results were supported by confocal microscopy
      images. Overall, these findings suggest that the tested ASE-loaded nanoemulsion
      has potential to be used topically for herpes infections. 

PMID- 26101768
TI  - The Use of Natural Polysaccharides as Biomaterials.

PMID- 26101769
TI  - Impact of Volatile Anesthetics on Oxidative Stress and Inflammation.
AB  - The safety of anesthesia, which is an important step for surgery, can be
      determined by its impact on oxidative stress and inflammation. The effects of
      volatile anesthetics such as isoflurane and sevoflurane on oxidative stress and
      inflammation are reviewed in various (1) cell lines, (2) rodents, and (3) human
      studies. Isoflurane and sevoflurane are reported to have antioxidant and anti
      inflammatory effects in all cells with exception of neuronal cell lines. In
      addition, various animal studies have indicated that isoflurane and sevoflurane
      were not only safe but also reduced oxidative stress and inflammation in rodent
      models. In human studies, oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage were not
      affected by isoflurane and sevoflurane in patients undergoing minor incision
      surgeries. On the other hand, elevated oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA
      damage have been observed in patients undergoing major surgeries such as
      abdominal and orthopedic surgeries, hysterectomy, cholecystectomy, and
      thoracotomy. Although impact of anesthetics on oxidative stress and inflammation
      is still not clear due to the variations of patients' health conditions, types of
      surgery and the quantities of anesthetics, isoflurane, and sevoflurane can be
      considered safe anesthetics with respect to their effect on oxidative stress and
      inflammation in subjects undergoing minor surgery. Continuous effort evaluating
      the safety of anesthesia in various aspects is required. 

PMID- 26101770
TI  - Sevoflurane Induces DNA Damage Whereas Isoflurane Leads to Higher Antioxidative
      Status in Anesthetized Rats.
AB  - Taking into account that there are controversial antioxidative effects of
      inhalational anesthetics isoflurane and sevoflurane and absence of comparison of
      genotoxicity of both anesthetics in animal model, the aim of this study was to
      compare DNA damage and antioxidant status in Wistar rats exposed to a single time
      to isoflurane or sevoflurane. The alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis assay
      (comet assay) was performed in order to evaluate DNA damage in whole blood cells
      of control animals (unexposed; n = 6) and those exposed to 2% isoflurane (n = 6)
      or 4% sevoflurane (n = 6) for 120 min. Plasma antioxidant status was determined
      by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.
      There was no statistically significant difference between isoflurane and
      sevoflurane groups regarding hemodynamic and temperature variables (P > 0.05).
      Sevoflurane significantly increased DNA damage compared to unexposed animals (P =
      0.02). In addition, Wistar rats anesthetized with isoflurane showed higher
      antioxidative status (MTT) than control group (P = 0.019). There were no
      significant differences in DNA damage or antioxidant status between isoflurane
      and sevoflurane groups (P > 0.05). In conclusion, our findings suggest that, in
      contrast to sevoflurane exposure, isoflurane increases systemic antioxidative
      status, protecting cells from DNA damage in rats. 

PMID- 26101771
TI  - In Vitro Properties of Potential Probiotic Indigenous Lactic Acid Bacteria
      Originating from Traditional Pickles.
AB  - The suitable properties of potential probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains
      (preselected among 153 strains on the basis of their potential technological
      properties) isolated from traditional Cubuk pickles were examined in vitro. For
      this purpose, these strains (21 Lactobacillus plantarum, 11 Pediococcus
      ethanolidurans, and 7 Lactobacillus brevis) were tested for the ability to
      survive at pH 2.5, resistance to bile salts, viability in the presence of pepsin
      pancreatin, ability to deconjugate bile salts, cholesterol assimilation, and
      surface hydrophobicity properties. Most of the properties tested could be assumed
      to be strain-dependent. However, L. plantarum and L. brevis species were found to
      possess desirable probiotic properties to a greater extent compared to P.
      ethanolidurans. In contrast to P. ethanolidurans strains, the tested L. plantarum
      and L. brevis strains exhibited bile salt tolerance, albeit to different extent.
      All tested strains showed less resistance to intestinal conditions than gastric
      juice environment. Based on the survival under gastrointestinal conditions, 22 of
      the 39 strains were selected for further characterization. The eight strains
      having the highest cholesterol assimilation and surface hydrophobicity ratios
      could be taken as promising probiotic candidates for further in vivo studies,
      because of the strongest variations found among the tested strains with regard to
      these properties. 

PMID- 26101772
TI  - Evaluation of an Indirect-ELISA Test for Trypanosoma evansi Infection (Surra) in
      Buffaloes and Its Application to a Serological Survey in Thailand.
AB  - Surra, caused by Trypanosoma evansi, is a neglected disease due to frequent
      subclinical evolution, especially in bovines in Asia. However, acute and chronic
      signs are regularly observed, with significant sanitary and economic impacts. In
      this study, we evaluated and applied an indirect-ELISA test for the detection of
      anti-T. evansi immunoglobulin G in buffaloes using antibovine conjugate. Based on
      buffalo reference sera from the Philippines, a two-graph receiver operating
      characteristics analysis (TG-ROC) was conducted to define an optimal cut-off
      value; sensitivity and specificity were estimated at 92.5% and 94.2%,
      respectively. A cross-sectional serological survey was carried out in the major
      buffalo breeding areas of Thailand; 892 buffaloes from 8 provinces were sampled
      in North, Northeastern, and Southern Thailand. Seropositive buffaloes were found
      in all 8 provinces, on 20.3% of farms for an overall prevalence of 12.2% (95% CI
      10.2-14.5%). Nearly one-third of the sampled population was exposed to infection.
      Broader sampling would be necessary but is not possible in the southern half-wild
      breeding systems. According to our results, buffaloes may constitute a large and
      robust reservoir for T. evansi, which is a permanent threat to other livestock
      such as cattle and horses as well as wild animals such as elephants in Southest
      Asia. 

PMID- 26101774
TI  - Epigenetics of Meningiomas.
AB  - Meningiomas account for one-third of all adult central nervous system tumours and
      are divided into three WHO grades. In contrast to the relatively well
      characterized genetic alterations, our current understanding of epigenetic
      modifications involved in the meningioma-genesis and progression is rather
      incomplete. Contrary to genetic alterations, epigenetic changes do not alter the
      primary DNA sequence and their reversible nature serves as an excellent basis for
      prevention and development of novel personalised tumour therapies. Indeed,
      growing body of evidence suggests that disturbed epigenetic regulation plays a
      key role in the pathogenesis of meningiomas. Altered DNA methylation, microRNA
      expression, histone, and chromatin modifications are frequently noted in
      meningiomas bearing prognostic and therapeutic relevance. In this review we
      provide an overview on recently identified epigenetic alterations in meningiomas
      and discuss their role in tumour initiation, progression, and recurrence. 

PMID- 26101775
TI  - Insufficient Discriminatory Power of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization
      Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Dendrograms to Determine the Clonality of Multi
      Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Isolates from an Intensive Care Unit.
AB  - While pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is recognized as the gold standard
      method for clonality analysis, MALDI-TOF MS has recently been spotlighted as an
      alternative tool for species identification. Herein, we compared the dendrograms
      of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii isolates by using MALDI-TOF
      MS with those by using PFGE. We used direct colony and protein extraction methods
      for MALDI-TOF MS dendrograms. The isolates with identical PFGE patterns were
      grouped into different branches in MALDI-TOF MS dendrograms. Among the isolates
      that were classified as very close isolates in MALDI-TOF MS dendrogram, PFGE band
      patterns visually showed complete differences. We numeralized similarity among
      isolates by measuring distance levels. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient
      values were 0.449 and 0.297 between MALDI-TOF MS dendrogram using direct colony
      and protein extraction method versus PFGE, respectively. This study is the first
      paper focusing solely on the dendrogram function of MALDI-TOF MS compared with
      PFGE. Although MALDI-TOF MS is a promising tool to identify species in a rapid
      manner, our results showed that MALDI-TOF MS dendrograms could not substitute
      PFGE for MDR Acinetobacter baumannii clonality analysis. 

PMID- 26101773
TI  - Monoamine Oxidases as Potential Contributors to Oxidative Stress in Diabetes:
      Time for a Study in Patients Undergoing Heart Surgery.
AB  - Oxidative stress is a pathomechanism causally linked to the progression of
      chronic cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Mitochondria have emerged as the
      most relevant source of reactive oxygen species, the major culprit being
      classically considered the respiratory chain at the inner mitochondrial membrane.
      In the past decade, several experimental studies unequivocally demonstrated the
      contribution of monoamine oxidases (MAOs) at the outer mitochondrial membrane to
      the maladaptative ventricular hypertrophy and endothelial dysfunction. This paper
      addresses the contribution of mitochondrial dysfunction to the pathogenesis of
      heart failure and diabetes together with the mounting evidence for an emerging
      role of MAO inhibition as putative cardioprotective strategy in both conditions. 

PMID- 26101776
TI  - The Effect of Phospholipids (Surfactant) on Adhesion and Biomechanical Properties
      of Tendon: A Rat Achilles Tendon Repair Model.
AB  - Adhesion of the tendon is a major challenge for the orthopedic surgeon during
      tendon repair. Manipulation of biological environment is one of the concepts to
      prevent adhesion. Lots of biochemicals have been studied for this purpose. We
      aimed to determine the effect of phospholipids on adhesion and biomechanical
      properties of tendon in an animal tendon repair model. Seventy-two Wistar rats
      were divided into 4 groups. Achilles tendons of rats were cut and repaired.
      Phospholipids were applied at two different dosages. Tendon adhesion was
      determined histopathologically and biomechanical test was performed. At
      macroscopic evaluation of adhesion, there are statistically significant
      differences between multiple-dose phospholipid injection group and Control group
      and also hyaluronic acid group and Control group (p < 0.008). At microscopic
      evaluation of adhesion, there was no statistically significant difference (p >
      0.008). Ultimate strength was highest at hyaluronic acid injection group and
      lowest at multiple-dose phospholipid injection group. Single-dose phospholipids
      (surfactant) application may have a beneficial effect on the tendon adhesion.
      Although multiple applications of phospholipids seem the most effective regime to
      reduce the tendon adhesion among groups, it deteriorated the biomechanical
      properties of tendon. 

PMID- 26101778
TI  - Outcome of Elderly Patients with Meningioma after Image-Guided Stereotactic
      Radiotherapy: A Study of 100 Cases.
AB  - Introduction. Incidence of meningioma increases with age. Surgery has been the
      mainstay treatment. Elderly patients, however, are at risk of severe morbidity.
      Therefore, we conducted this study to analyze long-term outcomes of linac-based
      fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) for older adults (aged >=65 years)
      with meningioma and determine prognostic factors. Materials and Methods. Between
      October 1998 and March 2009, 100 patients (>=65, median age, 71 years) were
      treated with FSRT for meningioma. Two patients were lost to follow-up. Eight
      patients each had grade I and grade II meningiomas, and five patients had grade
      III meningiomas. The histology was unknown in 77 cases (grade 0). Results. The
      median follow-up was 37 months, and 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year progression-free
      survival (PFS) rates were 93.7%, 91.1%, and 82%. Patients with grade 0/I
      meningioma showed 3- and 5-year PFS rates of 98.4% and 95.6%. Patients with grade
      II or III meningiomas showed 3-year PFS rates of 36%. 93.8% of patients showed
      local tumor control. Multivariate analysis did not indicate any significant
      prognostic factors. Conclusion. FSRT may play an important role as a noninvasive
      and safe method in the clinical management of older patients with meningioma. 

PMID- 26101777
TI  - The Sea Lamprey as an Etiological Model for Biliary Atresia.
AB  - Biliary atresia (BA) is a progressive, inflammatory, and fibrosclerosing
      cholangiopathy in infants that results in obstruction of both extrahepatic and
      intrahepatic bile ducts. It is the most common cause for pediatric liver
      transplantation. In contrast, the sea lamprey undergoes developmental BA with
      transient cholestasis and fibrosis during metamorphosis, but emerges as a fecund
      adult with steatohepatitis and fibrosis in the liver. In this paper, we present
      new histological evidence and compare the sea lamprey to existing animal models
      to highlight the advantages and possible limitations of using the sea lamprey to
      study the etiology and compensatory mechanisms of BA and other liver diseases.
      Understanding the signaling factors and genetic networks underlying lamprey BA
      can provide insights into BA etiology and possible targets to prevent biliary
      degeneration and to clear fibrosis. In addition, information from lamprey BA can
      be used to develop adjunct treatments for patients awaiting or receiving surgical
      treatments. Furthermore, the cholestatic adult lamprey has unique adaptive
      mechanisms that can be used to explore potential treatments for cholestasis and
      nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). 

PMID- 26101779
TI  - From Grey Scale B-Mode to Elastosonography: Multimodal Ultrasound Imaging in
      Meningioma Surgery-Pictorial Essay and Literature Review.
AB  - The main goal in meningioma surgery is to achieve complete tumor removal, when
      possible, while improving or preserving patient neurological functions.
      Intraoperative imaging guidance is one fundamental tool for such achievement. In
      this regard, intra-operative ultrasound (ioUS) is a reliable solution to obtain
      real-time information during surgery and it has been applied in many different
      aspect of neurosurgery. In the last years, different ioUS modalities have been
      described: B-mode, Fusion Imaging with pre-operative acquired MRI, Doppler,
      contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), and elastosonography. In this paper, we
      present our US based multimodal approach in meningioma surgery. We describe all
      the most relevant ioUS modalities and their intraoperative application to obtain
      precise and specific information regarding the lesion for a tailored approach in
      meningioma surgery. For each modality, we perform a review of the literature
      accompanied by a pictorial essay based on our routinely use of ioUS for
      meningioma resection. 

PMID- 26101780
TI  - Correlates of Protection for M Protein-Based Vaccines against Group A
      Streptococcus.
AB  - Group A streptococcus (GAS) is known to cause a broad spectrum of illness, from
      pharyngitis and impetigo, to autoimmune sequelae such as rheumatic heart disease,
      and invasive diseases. It is a significant cause of infectious disease morbidity
      and mortality worldwide, but no efficacious vaccine is currently available.
      Progress in GAS vaccine development has been hindered by a number of obstacles,
      including a lack of standardization in immunoassays and the need to define human
      correlates of protection. In this review, we have examined the current
      immunoassays used in both GAS and other organisms, and explored the various
      challenges in their implementation in order to propose potential future
      directions to identify a correlate of protection and facilitate the development
      of M protein-based vaccines, which are currently the main GAS vaccine candidates.

PMID- 26101782
TI  - Benefits and Risks in Secondary Use of Digitized Clinical Data: Views of
      Community Members Living in a Predominantly Ethnic Minority Urban Neighborhood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is potential to increase the speed of scientific discovery and
      implement personalized health care by using digitized clinical data collected on
      the patient care experience. The use of these data in research raises concerns
      about the privacy and confidentiality of personal health information. This study
      explored community members' views on the secondary use of digitized clinical data
      to (1) recruit participants for clinical studies; (2) recruit family members of
      persons with an index condition for primary studies; and (3) conduct studies of
      information related to stored biospecimens. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive
      design was used to examine the bioethical issues outlined from the perspective of
      urban-dwelling community members. Focus groups were used for data collection, and
      emergent content analysis was employed to organize and interpret the data.
      RESULTS: Thirty community members attended one of four focus groups ranging in
      size from 4 to 11 participants. Five critical themes emerged from the focus-group
      material: (1) perceived motivators for research participation; (2) objective or
      "real-life" barriers to research participation; (3) a psychological component of
      uncertainty and mistrust; (4) preferred mechanisms for recruitment and
      participation; and (5) cultural characteristics that can impact understanding and
      willingness to engage in research. CONCLUSIONS: The overriding concern of
      community members regarding research participation and/or secondary clinical and
      nonclinical use of digitized information was that their involvement would be safe
      and the outcome would be meaningful to them and to others. According to
      participants, biospecimens acquired during routine clinical visits or for
      research are no longer possessions of the participant. Although the loss of
      privacy was a concern for participants, they preferred that researchers access
      their personal health information using a digitized clinical file rather than
      through a paper-based medical record.

PMID- 26101783
TI  - Acceptance-based behavioral treatment for weight control: a review and future
      directions.

PMID- 26101781
TI  - Harnessing the Microbiome to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy.
AB  - The microbiota plays a key role in regulating the innate and adaptive immune
      system. Herein, we review the immunological aspects of the microbiota in tumor
      immunity in mice and man, with a focus on toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists,
      vaccines, checkpoint modulators, chemotherapy, and adoptive T cell transfer (ACT)
      therapies. We propose innovative treatments that may safely harness the
      microbiota to enhance T cell-based therapies in cancer patients. Finally, we
      highlight recent developments in tumor immunotherapy, particularly novel ways to
      modulate the microbiome and memory T cell responses to human malignancies. 

PMID- 26101784
TI  - Toxic Effects of Ethyl Cinnamate on the Photosynthesis and Physiological
      Characteristics of Chlorella vulgaris Based on Chlorophyll Fluorescence and Flow
      Cytometry Analysis.
AB  - The toxic effects of ethyl cinnamate on the photosynthetic and physiological
      characteristics of Chlorella vulgaris were studied based on chlorophyll
      fluorescence and flow cytometry analysis. Parameters, including biomass,
      F(v)/F(m) (maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII), F(PSII) (actual
      photochemical efficiency of PSII in the light), FDA, and PI staining
      fluorescence, were measured. The results showed the following: (1) The inhibition
      on biomass increased as the exposure concentration increased. 1 mg/L ethyl
      cinnamate was sufficient to reduce the total biomass of C. vulgaris. The 48-h and
      72-h EC50 values were 2.07 mg/L (1.94-2.20) and 1.89 mg/L (1.82-1.97). (2) After
      24 h of exposure to 2-4 mg/L ethyl cinnamate, the photosynthesis of C. vulgaris
      almost ceased, manifesting in F(PSII) being close to zero. After 72 h of exposure
      to 4 mg/L ethyl cinnamate, the Fv /Fm of C. vulgaris dropped to zero. (3) Ethyl
      cinnamate also affected the cellular physiology of C. vulgaris, but these effects
      resulted in the inhibition of cell yield rather than cell death. Exposure to
      ethyl cinnamate resulted in decreased esterase activities in C. vulgaris,
      increased average cell size, and altered intensities of chlorophyll a
      fluorescence. Overall, esterase activity was the most sensitive variable.

PMID- 26101785
TI  - Analysis of Japanese Patients Treated with or without Long-Term Epirubicin Plus
      Ara-C Intravesical Instillation Therapy for Low-Grade Superficial Bladder Cancer.
AB  - The high incidence of tumor recurrence following transurethral resection (TUR)
      represents a major problem encountered in the management of bladder cancer. This
      study examined the efficacy of intravesical chemotherapy in superficial bladder
      cancer. We retrospectively analyzed 90 Japanese cases with low-grade superficial
      transitional cell carcinoma (stage T1, grades 1 and 2) who were rendered tumor
      free by TURBT (TUR of bladder tumor) and who thereafter were treated with or
      without intravesical chemotherapy. Among them, instillation was terminated in 2
      patients due to adverse effects (severe but reversible chemical cystitis).
      Remaining 88 patients were divided into 2 groups according to therapy: the TURBT
      only group (n = 46), defined as patients treated with TURBT alone, and the
      Instillation group (n = 42), defined as patients treated with weekly intravesical
      instillation therapies using epirubicin plus Ara-C. Recurrence-free rate was
      significantly higher in the Instillation group than in the TURBT-only group (p =
      0.02, HR = 0.457). The 5-year recurrence-free rate was 58.5% for the Instillation
      group and 38.6% for the TURBT-only group. Our instillation schedule represents
      the most intensive regimen among previously reported therapies and resulted in a
      54.3% decrease in incidence of tumor recurrence. We believe that the results of
      this study could provide useful information on management of bladder cancer. 

PMID- 26101786
TI  - Subacute Toxicity Profile of Lacidipine Nanoformulation in Wistar Rats.
AB  - The present study was aimed at investigating the safety of Lacidipine (LCDP)
      loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) in Wistar rats. NLCs were formulated
      using ultrasound dispersion technique. Animals were orally treated once daily
      with NLCs containing 0.140 mg, 0.350 mg, and 0.875 mg of LCDP as low, medium, and
      high dose per kg body weight, respectively, during 28 days along with blank
      formulation and pure LCDP. Control rats were fed with water. Animals were
      observed throughout experiment period and their body weight was recorded once
      weekly. Overnight fasted rats were sacrificed on the 29th day. Study revealed no
      signs or symptoms of toxicity or morbidity. No significant changes in the body
      weight were observed between treated and control group. Significant increase in
      left testis weight and liver weight was observed in male and female rats,
      respectively. Haematological estimation revealed significant decrease in
      haemoglobin count in male rats while female rats showed significant increase in
      granulocyte count. All the serum clinical parameters were within the normal range
      and no gross histopathological changes were observed. No delayed effect was noted
      in satellite group. The results indicate that developed LCDP loaded NLCs are safe
      when administered orally in rats.

PMID- 26101789
TI  - Delivering the Goods for Genome Engineering and Editing.
AB  - A basic understanding of genome evolution and the life and impact of
      microorganisms, like viruses and bacteria, has been fundamental in the quest for
      efficient genetic therapies. The expanding tool box for genetic engineering now
      contains transposases, recombinases, and nucleases, all created from naturally
      occurring genome-modifying proteins. Whereas conventional gene therapies have
      sought to establish sustained expression of therapeutic genes, genomic tools are
      needed only in a short time window and should be delivered to cells ideally in a
      balanced "hit-and-run" fashion. Current state-of-the-art delivery strategies are
      based on intracellular production of protein from transfected plasmid DNA or in
      vitro-transcribed RNA, or from transduced viral templates. Here, we discuss
      advantages and challenges of intracellular production strategies and describe
      emerging approaches based on the direct delivery of protein either by transfer of
      recombinant protein or by lentiviral protein transduction. With focus on adapting
      viruses for protein delivery, we describe the concept of "all-in-one" lentiviral
      particles engineered to codeliver effector proteins and donor sequences for DNA
      transposition or homologous recombination. With optimized delivery methods-based
      on transferring DNA, RNA, or protein-it is no longer far-fetched that researchers
      in the field will indeed deliver the goods for somatic gene therapies. 

PMID- 26101788
TI  - A single-molecule digital enzyme assay using alkaline phosphatase with a cumarin
      based fluorogenic substrate.
AB  - Digitalization of fluorogenic enzymatic assays through the use of femtoliter
      chamber array technology is an emerging approach to realizing highly quantitative
      bioassays with single-molecule sensitivity. However, only a few digital
      fluorogenic enzyme assays have been reported, and the variations of the digital
      enzyme assays are basically limited to fluorescein- and resorufin-based
      fluorogenic assays. This limitation hampers the realization of a multiplex
      digital enzyme assay such as a digital enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
      In this study, after optimization of buffer conditions, we achieved a single
      molecule digital enzyme alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay with a cumarin-based
      fluorogenic substrate, 4-methylunbelliferyl phosphate (4-MUP). When ALP molecules
      were encapsulated in a 44-femtoliter chamber array at a low ratio of less than 1
      molecule per chamber, each chamber showed a discrete fluorescence signal in an
      all-or-none manner, allowing the digital counting of the number of active enzyme
      molecules. The fraction of fluorescent chambers linearly decreased with the
      enzyme concentration, obeying the Poisson distribution as expected. We also
      demonstrated a dual-color digital enzyme assay with a ALP/4-MUP and beta
      galactosidase (beta-gal)/resorufin-beta-d-galactopyranoside combination. The
      activities of single ALP and beta-gal molecules were clearly detected
      simultaneously. The method developed in this study will enable us to carry out a
      parallelized, multiplex digital ELISA. 

PMID- 26101787
TI  - Specific activation of the TLR1-TLR2 heterodimer by small-molecule agonists.
AB  - Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists activate both the innate and the adaptive
      immune systems. These TLR agonists have been exploited as potent vaccine
      adjuvants and antitumor agents. We describe the identification and
      characterization of a small molecule, N-methyl-4-nitro-2-(4-(4
      (trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-1 H-imidazol-1-yl)aniline (CU-T12-9), that directly
      targets TLR1/2 to initiate downstream signaling. CU-T12-9 specifically induces
      TLR1/2 activation, which can be blocked by either the anti-hTLR1 or the anti
      hTLR2 antibody, but not the anti-hTLR6 antibody. Using a variety of different
      biophysical assays, we have demonstrated the binding mode of CU-T12-9. By binding
      to both TLR1 and TLR2, CU-T12-9 facilitates the TLR1/2 heterodimeric complex
      formation, which in turn activates the downstream signaling. Fluorescence
      anisotropy assays revealed competitive binding to the TLR1/2 complex between CU
      T12-9 and Pam3CSK4 with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 54.4
      nM. Finally, we showed that CU-T12-9 signals through nuclear factor kappaB (NF
      kappaB) and invokes an elevation of the downstream effectors tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and inducible nitric oxide
      synthase (iNOS). Thus, our studies not only provide compelling new insights into
      the regulation of TLR1/2 signaling transduction but also may facilitate future
      therapeutic developments.

PMID- 26101790
TI  - Successful Treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder in an Adolescent with
      Quetiapine.

PMID- 26101791
TI  - Direct Observation of Charge Inversion in Divalent Nanofluidic Devices.
AB  - Solid-state nanofluidic devices have proven to be ideal systems for studying the
      physics of ionic transport at the nanometer length scale. When the geometrical
      confining size of fluids approaches the ionic Debye screening length, new
      transport phenomena occur, such as surface mediated transport and
      permselectivity. Prior work has explored these effects extensively in monovalent
      systems (e.g., predominantly KCl and NaCl). In this report, we present a new
      characterization method for the study of divalent ionic transport and have
      unambiguously observed divalent charge inversion at solid/fluid interfaces. This
      observation has important implications in applications ranging from biology to
      energy conversion. 

PMID- 26101792
TI  - Dissolution of Wood Pulp in Aqueous NaOH/Urea Solution via Dilute Acid
      Pretreatment.
AB  - Wood pulps with certain amounts of lignin were successfully dissolved in aqueous
      NaOH/urea solution by subjecting them to the dilute acid pretreatment. After the
      acid hydrolysis, viscosity-average degree of polymerization (DPv) of the pulps
      decreased. The results revealed that both the DPv and lignin contents influenced
      the dissolved proportions of wood pulps. When they were not so high, the wood
      pulps could almost completely dissolve with dissolved proportions >90%. In
      particular, the acid-pretreated unbleached kraft pulp with DPv of about 500 and
      lignin content of 6.9% could dissolve in NaOH/urea solvent and achieve a maximum
      pulp concentration of 4 wt % in the obtained lignocellulose solution. Moreover,
      the acid-pretreated bleached thermomechanical pulp with a high lignin content of
      14.2% also almost completely dissolved. The lignocellulose films prepared from
      these wood pulp/NaOH/urea solutions exhibited good transparency and bendability,
      thus maybe promising as new biobased materials. 

PMID- 26101793
TI  - Imaging Bradykinin B1 Receptor with 68Ga-Labeled [des-Arg10]Kallidin Derivatives:
      Effect of the Linker on Biodistribution and Tumor Uptake.
AB  - Bradykinin B1 receptor (B1R) that is overexpressed in cancers but minimally
      expressed in normal healthy tissues represents an attractive biomarker for the
      development of cancer imaging agents. The goal of this study was to evaluate the
      effect of different linkers on the pharmacokinetics and tumor uptake of a B1R
      targeting radio-peptide sequence, 68Ga-DOTA-linker-Lys-Arg-Pro-Hyp-Gly-Cha-Ser
      Pro-Leu. Four peptides, SH01078, P03034, P04115, and P04168, with 6-aminohexanoic
      acid, 9-amino-4,7-dioxanonanoic acid, Gly-Gly, and 4-amino-(1
      carboxymethyl)piperidine, respectively, as the linker were synthesized and
      evaluated. In vitro competition binding assays showed that the Ki values of
      SH01078, P03034, P04115, and P04168 were 27.8+/-4.9, 16.0+/-1.9, 11.4+/-2.5, and
      3.6+/-0.2 nM, respectively. Imaging and biodistribution studies were performed in
      mice bearing both B1R-positive HEK293T::hB1R and B1R-negative HEK293T tumors. All
      tracers showed mainly renal excretion with excellent tumor visualization and
      minimal background activity except for kidneys and bladder. The average uptake of
      68Ga-labeled SH01078, P03034, and P04115 in HEK293T::hB1R tumor was similar (1.96
      2.17%ID/g) at 1 h postinjection. 68Ga-P04168 generated higher HEK293T::hB1R tumor
      uptake (4.15+/-1.13%ID/g) and lower background activity, leading to a >2-fold
      improvement in HEK293T::hB1R tumor-to-background (HEK293T tumor, blood, muscle,
      and liver) contrasts over those of 68Ga-labeled SH01078, P03034, and P04115. Our
      results indicate that the choice of linker affects binding affinity,
      pharmacokinetics, and tumor targeting. The use of the cationic 4-amino-(1
      carboxymethyl)piperidine linker improved tumor visualization, and the resulting
      68Ga-P04168 might be promising for clinical application for imaging B1R
      expressing tumors with positron emission tomography.

PMID- 26101794
TI  - Methoxyflurane: a review with emphasis on its role in dental practice.
AB  - Methoxyflurane was developed as an anaesthetic agent and introduced into clinical
      practice in 1960. It soon became evident that it possessed analgesic properties
      that other drugs did not. Due to toxicity concerns, it lost favour in general
      anaesthesia and had been largely abandoned by the late 1970s. The manufacturer
      withdrew it in 1999, and the Food and Drug Administration in the United States
      did not renew its licence in 2005. It has also been withdrawn by the European
      Union. However, it continues to be used in Australasia, primarily as an inhaled
      self-administered analgesic by emergency services immediately following trauma.
      It has become attractive for use in dental practice, likely due to its
      effectiveness as an analgesic and its additional sedative qualities. Its
      acceptance is controversial as its use in dentistry is largely elective. Despite
      its good safety record in analgesic doses, adverse reactions have been recorded.
      Practitioners should be well aware of risks associated with its use before
      considering administration, and carefully assess whether or not there are equally
      good alternative options that do not the carry the same risks. Methoxyflurane is
      reviewed below with an emphasis on its use in dental practice.

PMID- 26101795
TI  - A novel OFET-based biosensor for the selective and sensitive detection of lactate
      levels.
AB  - Biosensors based on organic field effect transistors (OFETs) are one of the more
      promising device applications in organic electronics. However, OFET-based
      biosensors are still in their early stages of development compared to other
      electrochemical biosensors. This study is the first to report on an extended-gate
      type organic field effect transistor (OFET) for lactate detection in aqueous
      media. Here, the extended-gate electrode of the OFET was modified with layers of
      a lactate oxidase and a horseradish peroxidase osmium-redox polymer on a flexible
      plastic film substrate for an enzymatic redox reaction of lactate. The device
      exhibited both high selectivity and sensitivity. The limit of detection (LOD) and
      the limit of quantification (LOQ) were estimated to be 66 nM and 220 nM,
      respectively, which are the sufficient detection limit for practical sensor
      applications. The obtained results confirm that extended-gate type OFET devices
      are applicable to enzyme-based biosensors for detecting lactate levels.

PMID- 26101796
TI  - Investigation of irradiated rats DNA in the presence of Cu(II) chelates of amino
      acids Schiff bases.
AB  - The new synthesized Cu(II) chelates of amino acids Schiff bases were studied as a
      potential radioprotectors. Male albino rats of Wistar strain were exposed to X
      ray whole-body irradiation at 4.8 Gy. This dose caused 30% mortality of the
      animals (LD30). The survival of animals exposed to radiation after preliminary
      administration of 10 mg/kg Cu(II)(Nicotinyl-L-Tyrosinate)2 or Cu(II)(Nicotinyl-L
      Tryptophanate)2 prior to irradiation was registered about 80 and 100%
      correspondingly. Using spectrophotometric melting and agarose gel electrophoresis
      methods, the differences between the DNA isolated from irradiated rats and rats
      pretreated with Cu(II) chelates were studied. The fragments of DNA with different
      breaks were revealed in DNA samples isolated from irradiated animals. While, the
      repair of the DNA structure was observed for animals pretreated with the Cu(II)
      chelates. The results suggested that pretreatment of the irradiated rats with
      Cu(II)(Nicotinyl-L-Tyrosinate)2 and Cu(II)(Nicotinyl-L-Tryptophanate)2 compounds
      improves the liver DNA characteristics.

PMID- 26101798
TI  - Effects of non-protein-type amino acids of fine particulate matter on E-cadherin
      and inflammatory responses in mice.
AB  - Exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 MUm (PM2.5) in size is an urgent
      issue for the protection of human health. Chemicals with PM2.5 collected during a
      period of intensive haze episodes in Beijing (BJ), Xian (XA) and Hong Kong (HK)
      were characterised for organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), total carbon
      (TC) and free amino acids. BALB/c mice underwent aspiration exposure of 50 or 150
      MUg of PM2.5/mouse (BJ, XA and HK) on days 1 and 7 and were euthanised on day 14.
      The effects of these exposures on E-cadherin and inflammatory responses in the
      mouse lungs were analysed. The PM2.5 chemicals consisted of significant amounts
      of OC: 36.6 +/- 17.2 MUg/m(3) for BJ, 38.8 +/- 3.8 MUg/m(3) for XA and 7.2 +/-
      1.4 MUg/m(3) for HK. A total of 23 free amino compounds for the PM2.5 samples
      were analysed: 4075 +/- 1578 pmol/m(3) for BJ, 4718 +/- 2190 pmol/m(3) for XA and
      1145 +/- 213 pmol/m(3) for HK. Exposure to PM2.5 resulted in the suppression of E
      cadherin levels in the lung tissues and increased IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6 and
      IL-10 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The alterations in E-cadherin, IFN
      gamma, IL-6 and IL-10 were associated with OC, TC and some amino acids,
      particularly non-protein-type amino acids. These data emphasised the deleterious
      health effects of PM2.5.

PMID- 26101797
TI  - An integrated view of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity.
AB  - Cisplatin is one of the most widely-used drugs to treat cancers. However, its
      nephrotoxic and ototoxic side-effects remain major clinical limitations. Recent
      studies have improved our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cisplatin
      induced nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity. While cisplatin binding to DNA is the
      major cytotoxic mechanism in proliferating (cancer) cells, nephrotoxicity and
      ototoxicity appear to result from toxic levels of reactive oxygen species and
      protein dysregulation within various cellular compartments. In this review, we
      discuss molecular mechanisms of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity.
      We also discuss potential clinical strategies to prevent nephrotoxicity and
      ototoxicity and their current limitations. 

PMID- 26101799
TI  - Roscovitine treatment caused impairment of fertilizing ability in mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the adverse effect of roscovitine on reproductive system of
      male mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male hSOD1(G93A) transgenetic mice received
      roscovitine 72 nmol/day (d) for 4 weeks (w), with normal control and dimethyl
      sulfoxide (DMSO)-treated animals served as controls (n=4). Male C57BL/6 mice were
      treated with roscovitine at either 72 nmol/d or 144 nmol/d for 4 w or 8 w, and
      normal control and DMSO treated mice served as controls. Fertility of male mice,
      sperm quality parameters, histological and related pathological changes of
      seminiferous tubules associated with roscovitine treatment were evaluated.
      RESULTS: In male hSOD1(G93A) transgenetic mice treated with 72 nmol/d roscovitine
      for 4 w and C57BL/6 male mice treated with 72 nmol/d roscovitine for 8w and 144
      nmol/d roscovitine for 4 w and 8 w, sperm counts and sperm motility rates
      decreased and sperm abnormality rates increased, and damage of seminiferous
      tubules were detected. Roscovitine treatment induced inhibition of CDK5
      activities and decrease of BrdU-positive tubuler cells. CONCLUSION: These results
      demonstrated that roscovitine treatment induced interference of male reproductive
      system and caused impairment of fertilizing ability. Reproductive system of ALS
      male mice was more susceptible to roscovitine induced impaired fertilizing
      ability.

PMID- 26101800
TI  - The IL-6/STAT3 pathway via miR-21 is involved in the neoplastic and metastatic
      properties of arsenite-transformed human keratinocytes.
AB  - Inflammation and microRNAs are involved in human skin cancer; however, their
      molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Further, a concern in skin cancer research
      is the identification of biomarkers for early diagnosis and accurate prognosis.
      To explore new biomarkers of chemical exposure in risk assessment of chemical
      carcinogenesis and arsenite-induced skin cancer, we investigated the roles of
      interleukin-6 (IL-6) regulation of microRNA-21 (miR-21), functioning via
      activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3), in
      neoplastic and metastatic properties of immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT
      cells) transformed by arsenite. In HaCaT cells, arsenite caused increases of IL-6
      and miR-21 levels and activation of STAT3, which induced the epithelial
      mesenchymal transition (EMT). Blocking IL-6 with anti-IL-6 antibody inhibited the
      activation of STAT3 and increases of miR-21 levels. Knock-down of STAT3 by siRNA
      blocked the increases of miR-21. In arsenite-transformed HaCaT (HaCaT-30T) cells,
      down-regulation of STAT3 by siRNA blocked the process of EMT and decreased their
      neoplastic properties and migratory capacity, effects that were antagonized by
      over-expression of miR-21.Thus, the IL-6/STAT3 pathway via miR-21 is involved in
      EMT, neoplastic properties, and migratory capacity of arsenite-transformed HaCaT
      cells. The results may lead to development of biomarkers for early diagnosis and
      accurate prognosis of arsenite-induced skin cancer. 

PMID- 26101801
TI  - The N,N'-dioxide/Ni(II)-catalyzed asymmetric inverse-electron-demand hetero-Diels
      Alder reaction of methyleneindolinones with hetero-substituted alkenes.
AB  - The highly efficient catalytic asymmetric inverse-electron-demand hetero-Diels
      Alder reaction of methyleneindolinones with hetero-substituted alkenes has been
      accomplished under mild reaction conditions. In the presence of chiral N,N'
      dioxide/Ni(II) complexes, a wide range of optically active dihydropyran-fused
      indoles were obtained in up to 99% yield, >95 : 5 dr and 99% ee.

PMID- 26101802
TI  - Formation of Hydroxyapatite Skeletal Materials from Hydrogel Matrices via
      Artificial Biomineralization.
AB  - Several kinds of hydrogels were prepared as mimics for the collagen/acidic
      protein hydrogel employed as the polymer matrix for mineralization in natural
      bone formation. The hydrogels prepared as mineralization matrices were employed
      for synthesizing artificial bones. The artificial bone made from a network of
      poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) prepared by heating
      (PVA/PAA-h-network) exhibited mechanical properties comparable with those of fish
      scales. To elucidate the formation mechanism of the artificial bone, we
      synthesized four further kinds of matrix. Artificial bones were obtained from
      both a PVA/PAA network prepared by repeated freezing and thawing (PVA/PAA-ft
      network) and a chitosan/PAA network, in which hydrogen bonding exists between the
      two constituent polymers, similar to that observed in a natural collagen/acidic
      protein network. The artificial bone made from the chitosan/PAA network was
      confirmed to be formed by the phase transformation of a cartilaginous precursor
      by a process similar to the transformation of cartilaginous tissue to natural
      bone. In addition, skeletal phase material, i.e., a homogeneous solid phase of
      hydroxyapatite/polymers, was formed in the cartilaginous phase, i.e., the
      hypercomplex gel. The skeletal phase grew thicker at the expense of the
      cartilaginous phase until it formed the entirety of the composite. Artificial
      bones were also obtained from a gelatin/PAA network and a poly[N-(2
      hydroxyethyl)acrylamide]-co-(acrylic acid) network. These experimental results
      suggested that the coexistence of proton donor and proton acceptor functions in
      the hydrogel is a key factor for bone formation. The hydroxyapatite content of
      our artificial bones was almost conterminous with those of natural bones. 

PMID- 26101803
TI  - Metal-polypyridyl catalysts for electro- and photochemical reduction of water to
      hydrogen.
AB  - Climate change, rising global energy demand, and energy security concerns
      motivate research into alternative, sustainable energy sources. In principle,
      solar energy can meet the world's energy needs, but the intermittent nature of
      solar illumination means that it is temporally and spatially separated from its
      consumption. Developing systems that promote solar-to-fuel conversion, such as
      via reduction of protons to hydrogen, could bridge this production-consumption
      gap, but this effort requires invention of catalysts that are cheap, robust, and
      efficient and that use earth-abundant elements. In this context, catalysts that
      utilize water as both an earth-abundant, environmentally benign substrate and a
      solvent for proton reduction are highly desirable. This Account summarizes our
      studies of molecular metal-polypyridyl catalysts for electrochemical and
      photochemical reduction of protons to hydrogen. Inspired by concept transfer from
      biological and materials catalysts, these scaffolds are remarkably resistant to
      decomposition in water, with fast and selective electrocatalytic and
      photocatalytic conversions that are sustainable for several days. Their modular
      nature offers a broad range of opportunities for tuning reactivity by molecular
      design, including altering ancillary ligand electronics, denticity, and/or
      incorporating redox-active elements. Our first-generation complex,
      [(PY4)Co(CH3CN)2](2+), catalyzes the reduction of protons from a strong organic
      acid to hydrogen in 50% water. Subsequent investigations with the pentapyridyl
      ligand PY5Me2 furnished molybdenum and cobalt complexes capable of catalyzing the
      reduction of water in fully aqueous electrolyte with 100% Faradaic efficiency. Of
      particular note, the complex [(PY5Me2)MoO](2+) possesses extremely high activity
      and durability in neutral water, with turnover frequencies at least 8500 mol of
      H2 per mole of catalyst per hour and turnover numbers over 600 000 mol of H2 per
      mole of catalyst over 3 days at an overpotential of 1.0 V, without apparent loss
      in activity. Replacing the oxo moiety with a disulfide affords
      [(PY5Me2)MoS2](2+), which bears a molecular MoS2 triangle that structurally and
      functionally mimics bulk molybdenum disulfide, improving the catalytic activity
      for water reduction. In water buffered to pH 3, catalysis by [(PY5Me2)MoS2](2+)
      onsets at 400 mV of overpotential, whereas [(PY5Me2)MoO](2+) requires an
      additional 300 mV of driving force to operate at the same current density.
      Metalation of the PY5Me2 ligand with an appropriate Co(ii) source also furnishes
      electrocatalysts that are active in water. Importantly, the onset of catalysis by
      the [(PY5Me2)Co(H2O)](2+) series is anodically shifted by introducing electron
      withdrawing functional groups on the ligand. With the [(bpy2PYMe)Co(CF3SO3)](1+)
      system, we showed that introducing a redox-active moiety can facilitate the
      electro- and photochemical reduction of protons from weak acids such as acetic
      acid or water. Using a high-throughput photochemical reactor, we examined the
      structure-reactivity relationship of a series of cobalt(ii) complexes. Taken
      together, these findings set the stage for the broader application of polypyridyl
      systems to catalysis under environmentally benign aqueous conditions. 

PMID- 26101805
TI  - Nonparametric randomization-based covariate adjustment for stratified analysis of
      time-to-event or dichotomous outcomes.
AB  - Time-to-event or dichotomous outcomes in randomized clinical trials often have
      analyses using the Cox proportional hazards model or conditional logistic
      regression, respectively, to obtain covariate-adjusted log hazard (or odds)
      ratios. Nonparametric Randomization-Based Analysis of Covariance (NPANCOVA) can
      be applied to unadjusted log hazard (or odds) ratios estimated from a model
      containing treatment as the only explanatory variable. These adjusted estimates
      are stratified population-averaged treatment effects and only require a valid
      randomization to the two treatment groups and avoid key modeling assumptions
      (e.g., proportional hazards in the case of a Cox model) for the adjustment
      variables. The methodology has application in the regulatory environment where
      such assumptions cannot be verified a priori. Application of the methodology is
      illustrated through three examples on real data from two randomized trials.

PMID- 26101804
TI  - Selenite-Releasing Bone Mineral Nanoparticles Retard Bone Tumor Growth and
      Improve Healthy Tissue Functions In Vivo.
AB  - Selenite-doped bone mineral nanoparticles can retard the growth of osteosarcoma
      in a nude mice model, through sustained release of selenite ions. The selenite
      ions released from the nanoparticles through a degradation-mediated fashion
      inhibit tumor metastasis. Blood routine analysis indicates that selenite ions can
      also improve the functions of liver, kidney, and heart. 

PMID- 26101807
TI  - The effect of metal ions on photocatalytic performance based on an isostructural
      framework.
AB  - A series of 2D layered isostructural coordination complexes {[M3(L)2(H2O)6].H2O}n
      (M = Mn (1), Mn0.7Co0.3 (2), Mn0.5Co0.5 (3), Mn0.3Co0.7 (4), and Co (5),
      respectively, H3L = 1-aminobenzene-3,4,5-tricarboxylic acid) have been
      synthesized under hydrothermal conditions, and applied to catalyze the reaction
      of degenerating organic dyes under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic
      results indicate that complex 5 exhibits good photocatalytic properties in the
      presence of H2O2, while 1 can restrain the photodegradation of organic dyes.
      Remarkably, when Mn ions are gradually replaced by Co ions in the complexes, the
      photocatalytic activities of 1-5 turn from inhibition to promotion, which is a
      controllable regulation of photocatalytic properties via changing metal ions.
      Moreover, by using novel magnetic analysis methods and diffuse-reflectance UV/Vis
      spectra analysis methods, we explain the influence of central metal ions on the
      photocatalytic performance.

PMID- 26101806
TI  - ATF7 is stabilized during mitosis in a CDK1-dependent manner and contributes to
      cyclin D1 expression.
AB  - The transcription factor ATF7 undergoes multiple post-translational
      modifications, each of which has distinct effects upon ATF7 function. Here, we
      show that ATF7 phosphorylation on residue Thr112 exclusively occurs during
      mitosis, and that ATF7 is excluded from the condensed chromatin. Both processes
      are CDK1/cyclin B dependent. Using a transduced neutralizing monoclonal antibody
      directed against the Thr112 epitope in living cells, we could demonstrate that
      Thr112 phosphorylation protects endogenous ATF7 protein from degradation, while
      it has no effect on the displacement of ATF7 from the condensed chromatin. The
      crucial role of Thr112 phosphorylation in stabilizing ATF7 protein during mitosis
      was confirmed using phospho-mimetic and phospho-deficient mutants. Finally,
      silencing ATF7 by CRISPR/Cas9 technology leads to a decrease of cyclin D1 protein
      expression levels. We propose that mitotic stabilized ATF7 protein re-localizes
      onto chromatin at the end of telophase and contributes to induce the cyclin D1
      gene expression. 

PMID- 26101809
TI  - Respiratory Distress Following Cleft Palate Repair in Children With Robin
      Sequence.
AB  - Objective The aim of this study is to assess prevalence, severity, and duration
      of respiratory distress following palatoplasty in children with Robin sequence
      and to evaluate perioperative management. Design Retrospective chart review
      study. Data were collected for patients who were born between 2009 and 2012 and
      underwent palatoplasty in the Sophia Children's Hospital-Erasmus Medical Center.
      Results Of the 75 patients with cleft palate, 30 with Robin sequence and a
      control group of 45 cleft without Robin sequence underwent palatoplasty. Prior to
      closure, 26 of 30 patients with Robin sequence had been treated by prone
      positioning, and four needed additional treatment. The mean age at closure was
      12.4 months for patients with Robin sequence and 10.9 months for patients without
      Robin sequence (P = .05). On the basis of the results of preoperative
      polysomnography with palatal plate, closure was postponed in two patients with
      Robin sequence. In the Robin sequence group, eight of the 30 patients developed
      postoperative respiratory distress within 48 hours and one patient, after 7 days;
      whereas none within the non-Robin sequence group developed respiratory distress.
      In all nine cases of Robin sequence the obstructive problems resolved within a
      few days, with four children requiring a temporary nasopharyngeal tube (NPT).
      There were no significant differences between preoperative polysomnography
      results of the nine patients with Robin sequence who developed postoperative
      respiratory distress compared with those patients with Robin sequence who did
      not. Conclusion Despite delayed closure compared with children without Robin
      sequence, 30% of the children with Robin sequence developed respiratory distress
      following palatoplasty, which resolved within a few days. This study emphasizes
      the need for close perioperative monitoring of patients with Robin sequence who
      undergo palatoplasty.

PMID- 26101808
TI  - Assessment of Parylene C Thin Films for Heart Valve Tissue Engineering.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scaffolds are a key component of tissue-engineered heart valves
      (TEHVs). Several approaches had been adopted in the design of scaffolds using
      both natural and synthetic resources. We have investigated the suitability of
      parylene C (PC), a vapor deposited polymeric material, for the use as a scaffold
      in TEHV. AIMS: To evaluate the adsorption of extracellular matrix components onto
      plasma-activated PC and study the biocompatibility of PC by measuring cellular
      adhesion, viability, apoptosis, and phenotypic expression of valve endothelial
      and interstitial cells. Finally, the mechanical properties of PC were compared
      with those of native aortic valve cusp tissue. METHODS: PC slides were plasma
      activated and then coated with gelatin, type I collagen, or fibronectin. Porcine
      pulmonary valve endothelial and interstitial cells were then grown on plasma
      oxidized PC with different types of coatings and their adhesion was observed
      after 20 h of incubation. Cell viability was tested using the MTS assay, and
      apoptosis was estimated using TUNEL staining. The mechanical properties of PC and
      valve tissue were measured using a Bose Mechanical Tester. Finally, cell-seeded
      PC films were exposed to pulsatile pressure and aortic shear stress,
      respectively, to test their durability in a dynamic environment. RESULTS: Our
      findings show that collagen and fibronectin could bind to plasma oxidized PC.
      Both valve endothelial and interstitial cells adhered to protein-coated ECM. PC
      had a profile of mechanical stiffness and ultimate tensile strength that were
      comparable with or in excess of those seen in porcine aortic valve cusps. Cells
      were still attached to PC films after 3 days of exposure to up to 50 mmHg
      pulsatile pressure or aortic levels of shear stress. CONCLUSION: PC is a
      promising candidate for use as a scaffold in tissue engineering heart valves.
      Additional studies are required to determine both the durability and long-term
      performance of cell-seeded PC when in a similar hemodynamic environment to that
      of the aortic valve.

PMID- 26101810
TI  - Reporting of Randomized Controlled Trials in Cleft Lip and Palate: A 10-Year
      Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Reviews of the quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials
      (RCTs) have recently been conducted in different surgical specialties. In this
      review of RCTs relating to cleft lip, cleft palate, and cleft lip and palate
      (CL/P), we investigate the quality of reporting against the Consolidated
      Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist. DESIGN: A systematic review of
      CL/P RCTs published from 2004 to 2013, with the included articles scored against
      the CONSORT checklist. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: The literature search identified
      174 articles. Studies were selected for participants with CL/P who were involved
      in an RCT with prospective data collection and reported in a full journal
      article. A total of 6352 participants were included from 65 CL/P RCTs during the
      study period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The methodological quality of RCTs was
      assessed using the CONSORT checklist and Jadad scale. RESULTS: The mean CONSORT
      score was 15.8, and the mean Jadad score was 3.3. There was a significant
      positive correlation between the CONSORT and Jadad score (P < .0001, rho = .47).
      The only significant correlation showed that with an increasing number of
      authors, both the CONSORT and the Jadad score increased. CONCLUSION: This
      analysis has shown that that there are deficiencies in the transparent reporting
      of factors such as randomization implementation, blinding, and participant flow.
      Interventions, outcomes, and the interpretation of results are well presented. We
      would recommend that RCTs are conceived and undertaken using the CONSORT
      checklist and reported in a clear and reproducible manner.

PMID- 26101811
TI  - Improving the Evaluation of Alveolar Bone Grafts With Cone Beam Computerized
      Tomography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cone Beam computed tomography (CBCT) is used increasingly as a
      replacement for periapical x-rays when evaluating alveolar bone grafting. The
      manufacturer's standard settings for dental imaging may not, however, represent
      the optimal settings for evaluating postoperative alveolar bone grafts. We
      examined the influence of exposure parameters on CBCT image quality to optimize
      the quality of CBCT images while reducing the radiation dose to the minimum level
      necessary to obtain adequate images. METHODS: A defect was created in a cadaver
      head to simulate an alveolar cleft, and the area was filled with a synthetic
      material to simulate an alveolar bone graft. Serial CBCT scans were acquired,
      systematically varying tube voltage and tube current settings from 72 to 96kV and
      3 to 12mA. Region of interest analysis was undertaken, and image quality was
      evaluated by comparing the ratios of native alveolar bone to soft tissue and the
      ratios of synthetic bone graft to soft tissue and by assessing image noise.
      RESULTS: Twenty-one CBCT data sets were obtained. Reducing tube voltage (kV)
      resulted in increased contrast ratio between bone and soft tissue and between
      synthetic bone graft and soft tissue, with maximal contrast at values of 76 kV/11
      mA, 72 kV/12 mA, and 72 kV/11 mA. Of these, the setting with lowest image noise
      was 76 kV/11 mA. This setting also resulted in a radiation dose of less than half
      of the manufacturer's recommended settings for the same scan volume. CONCLUSIONS:
      There is potential to improve CBCT image quality significantly while dramatically
      reducing the radiation dose during postoperative examinations for alveolar bone
      grafting in patients with cleft lip and palate.

PMID- 26101812
TI  - Structure-activity relationships of bumetanide derivatives: correlation between
      diuretic activity in dogs and inhibition of the human NKCC2A transporter.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The N-K-Cl cotransporters (NKCCs) mediate the coupled,
      electroneutral movement of Na+ , K+ and Cl- ions across cell membranes. There are
      two isoforms of this cation co-transporter, NKCC1 and NKCC2. NKCC2 is expressed
      primarily in the kidney and is the target of diuretics such as bumetanide.
      Bumetanide was discovered by screening ~5000 3-amino-5-sulfamoylbenzoic acid
      derivatives, long before NKCC2 was identified in the kidney. Therefore, structure
      activity studies on effects of bumetanide derivatives on NKCC2 are not available.
      EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: In this study, the effect of a series of diuretically
      active bumetanide derivatives was investigated on human NKCC2 variant A (hNKCC2A)
      expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. KEY RESULTS: Bumetanide blocked hNKCC2A
      transport with an IC50 of 4 MUM. There was good correlation between the diuretic
      potency of bumetanide and its derivatives in dogs and their inhibition of hNKCC2A
      (r2 = 0.817; P < 0.01). Replacement of the carboxylic group of bumetanide by a
      non-ionic residue, for example, an anilinomethyl group, decreased inhibition of
      hNKCC2A, indicating that an acidic group was required for transporter inhibition.
      Exchange of the phenoxy group of bumetanide for a 4-chloroanilino group or the
      sulfamoyl group by a methylsulfonyl group resulted in compounds with higher
      potency to inhibit hNKCC2A than bumetanide. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The X.
      laevis oocyte expression system used in these experiments allowed analysis of the
      structural requirements that determine relative potency of loop diuretics on
      human NKCC2 splice variants, and may lead to the discovery of novel high-ceiling
      diuretics.

PMID- 26101813
TI  - Acyl acceptor recognition by Enterococcus faecium L,D-transpeptidase Ldtfm.
AB  - In Mycobacterium tuberculosis and ampicillin-resistant mutants of Enterococcus
      faecium, the classical target of beta-lactam antibiotics is bypassed by L,D
      transpeptidases that form unusual 3 -> 3 peptidoglycan cross-links. beta-lactams
      of the carbapenem class, such as ertapenem, are mimics of the acyl donor
      substrate and inactivate l,d-transpeptidases by acylation of their catalytic
      cysteine. We have blocked the acyl donor site of E. faecium L,D-transpeptidase
      Ldt(fm) by ertapenem and identified the acyl acceptor site based on analyses of
      chemical shift perturbations induced by binding of peptidoglycan fragments to the
      resulting acylenzyme. An nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-driven docking
      structure of the complex revealed key hydrogen interactions between the acyl
      acceptor and Ldt(fm) that were evaluated by site-directed mutagenesis and
      development of a cross-linking assay. Three residues are reported as critical for
      stabilisation of the acceptor in the Ldt(fm) active site and proper orientation
      of the nucleophilic nitrogen for the attack of the acylenzyme carbonyl.
      Identification of the catalytic pocket dedicated to the acceptor substrate opens
      new perspectives for the design of inhibitors with an original mode of action
      that could act alone or in synergy with beta-lactams.

PMID- 26101814
TI  - Pain Among High-Risk Patients on Methadone Maintenance Treatment.
AB  - The complexity of treating concurrent pain and opioid dependence among many
      methadone-maintained individuals presents a major challenge in many clinical
      settings. Furthermore, recent expert guidelines have called for increased
      research on the safety of methadone in the context of chronic pain. This study
      explores the prevalence and correlates of pain among a prospective cohort of
      people who use illicit drugs in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, who reported
      enrollment in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) between 2011 and 2014. Among
      the 823 participants eligible for this analysis, 338 (40.9%) reported moderate
      pain and 91 (11.1%) reported extreme pain at the first study visit. In
      multivariable, generalized, linear mixed model analyses, higher pain severity was
      positively and independently associated with self-managing pain (adjusted odds
      ratio [AOR] 2.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.77-2.60), patient perception of
      methadone dose being too low (AOR 1.82, 95% CI 1.41-2.34), older age (AOR 1.31,
      95% CI 1.13-1.51), having a physical disability (AOR 4.59, 95% CI 3.73-5.64),
      having ever been diagnosed with a mental illness (AOR 1.44, 95% CI 1.13-1.84),
      white ethnicity (AOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.10-1.83), and marijuana use (AOR 1.25, 95% CI
      1.02-1.52). These findings suggest several areas for clinical intervention,
      particularly related to patient education and alternative analgesic approaches
      for MMT patients experiencing pain. Perspective: To better understand the
      complexity of concurrent pain and opioid dependency among individuals on
      methadone maintenance treatment, this article describes the prevalence and
      correlates of higher pain severity among methadone-maintained people who use
      illicit drugs. Patients on methadone with comorbid pain may benefit from
      education and alternative analgesic approaches.

PMID- 26101815
TI  - Keeping kids sun safe: exploring parents' beliefs about their young child's sun
      protective behaviours.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Melanoma of the skin is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in
      Australia. Given the high incidence of sunburn in children and the level of sun
      protection provided by parents is often infrequent and/or insufficient, this
      research employed qualitative methodology to examine parents' beliefs about their
      young child's sun safe behaviour. METHODS: Parents (N = 21; n = 14 mothers, n = 7
      fathers) of children aged 2-5 years participated in focus groups to identify
      commonly held beliefs about their decision to sun protect their child. Data were
      analysed using thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Parents generally had
      knowledge of the broad sun safe recommendations; however, the specific details of
      the recommendations were not always known. Parents reported adopting a range of
      sun-protective measures for their child, which depended on the time of year. A
      range of advantages (e.g. reducing the risk of skin cancer, developing good
      habits early and parental peace of mind), disadvantages (e.g. false sense of
      safety and preventing vitamin D absorption), barriers (e.g. child refusal) and
      facilitators (e.g. routine and accessibility) to performing sun safe practices
      were identified. Normative pressures and expectations also affected parents'
      motivation to be sun safe for their child. CONCLUSIONS: These identified beliefs
      can be used to inform interventions to improve sun safe behaviours in young
      children who reside in a region that has the highest skin cancer incidence in the
      world.

PMID- 26101816
TI  - Efficacy and long-term durability of intradermal recombinant hepatitis B virus
      vaccine among intramuscular vaccine nonresponders: A prospective study in
      healthcare personnel.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data on efficacy, safety, and durability of intradermal vaccine
      administration in persons who have not responded appropriately to intramuscular
      administration of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine are relatively scarce. METHODS:
      We designed a prospective case series in an urban tertiary care hospital in
      Israel. The medical records of 4007 healthcare personnel who had worked in the
      hospital between 1996 and 2006 were examined and those with an unsatisfactory
      level (<10 mIU/ml) of hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) following two courses
      of a three-dose intramuscular HBV vaccine ("nonresponders") were identified.
      Nonresponders were vaccinated with three doses of 5 ug of intradermal recombinant
      hepatitis B surface antigen-based vaccine at weeks 0, 2, and 4. Level of HBsAb
      was determined 4 weeks after the last dose, and an additional dose was
      administered as needed. HBsAb level was again determined 24 weeks after the final
      vaccine dose to assess late immune reactivity and long-term durability of the
      vaccine. Vaccine safety was assessed at each vaccination and testing session.
      RESULTS: Twenty-seven subjects were included in the study, and 21 completed the
      study. The proportion of subjects with satisfactory HBsAb level at 4 weeks after
      the last administered dose was 70.3% (19/27). The proportion of subjects with
      sustained immune response at 24 weeks was 62.9% (17/27) according to intention-to
      treat analysis and 80.9% (17/21) according to per protocol analysis. There were
      no reports of adverse events in response to the administration of the vaccine.
      CONCLUSIONS: Intradermal administration of HBV vaccine offers an efficient, safe,
      and durable option for intramuscular vaccine nonresponders and represents a means
      to optimize utilization of the widespread HBs antigen-based vaccine formulation.

PMID- 26101817
TI  - Electrophoretic deposition to promote layer-by-layer assembly for in situ gene
      delivery application.
AB  - In this study, layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of polyelectrolyte was facilitated
      using electric field assistance (EFA). To elucidate the EFA effects on
      polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs), the electric fields were solely administrated
      to either chitosan or DNA adsorption. Both DNA and chitosan adsorptions can be
      augmented under low electric field due to the electrophoretic deposition.
      However, the ensuing electrochemical reactions on electrode interfered with
      interactions between multilayers when the bias was larger than 0.5V, leading to
      retard deposition. Subsequent delivery experiments indicated that EFA during DNA
      deposition demonstrated superior DNA release. In contrast, no obvious
      improvements were observed for the groups using the EFA during chitosan
      deposition. Moreover, water contact angle experiments revealed different effects
      of electric fields on multilayer structure. Using EFA during DNA deposition led
      to a layered-form composition, whereas interpenetration of electrolytes was
      enhanced with the application of the electric field during chitosan deposition.
      For in vitro experiments, EFA during DNA deposition significantly enhanced in
      situ transfection performances of PEMs that the transgene expression levels were
      increased and the periods were extended, suggesting this method is potential to
      quantitatively and temporally improve substrate-mediated gene delivery. 

PMID- 26101818
TI  - A multi-layered vascular scaffold with symmetrical structure by bi-directional
      gradient electrospinning.
AB  - Multi-layered scaffolds are advantageous in vascular tissue engineering, in
      consideration of better combination of biomechanics, biocompatibility and
      biodegradability than the scaffolds with single structure. In this study, a bi
      directional gradient electrospinning method was developed to fabricate poly(l
      lactide-co-caprolactone) (P(LLA-CL)), collagen and chitosan based tubular
      scaffold with multi-layered symmetrical structure. The multi-layered composite
      scaffold showed improved mechanical property and biocompatibility, in comparison
      to the blended scaffold using the same proportion of raw materials.
      Endothelialization on the multi-layered scaffold was accelerated owing to the
      bioactive surface made of pure natural materials. hSMCs growth showed the similar
      results because of its better biocompatibility. Additionally, fibers morphology
      change, pH value balance and long term mechanical support results showed that the
      gradient structure effectively improved biodegradability. 

PMID- 26101819
TI  - Effect of cationic polyelectrolytes on the performance of paper diagnostics for
      blood typing.
AB  - We investigated the effect that two common types of cationic polyelectrolytes
      used in papermaking might have on the performance of paper diagnostics using
      blood typing as an example. The results were analyzed in terms of red blood cells
      (RBC) retention and antibody-antigen specificity. Two questions were addressed:
      (1) can poly(amido-amine) epichlorohydrin (PAE) typically used for paper wet
      strength affect the diagnostic performance? (2) can high molecular weight
      cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) employed as retention aid enhance or affect the
      selectivity and sensitivity of paper diagnostics? A series of paper varying in
      type of fibers and drying process were constructed with PAE and tested for blood
      typing performance. Residual PAE has no significant effect on blood typing paper
      diagnostics under normal conditions. Positives are unaffected with PAE, while
      negatives lose slight sharpness as some RBCs are unselectively retained. CPAM,
      the most common retention aid, can also be used to retain cells and biomolecules
      on paper. Paper towel was treated with CPAM solutions varying in polymer
      concentration and charge density and tested for blood typing. We found that CPAM
      dried on paper can retain RBC. CPAM affects the negative tests by retaining non
      specifically individual RBC on fibers. RBC retention increases non-linearly with
      the CPAM charge density and concentration. As expected, wet CPAM retain RBCs at
      concentrations higher than 0.1wt%. As paper diagnostics are becoming a reality,
      more realistic papers than the Whatman filter paper will be engineered. This
      study provides guidance on how best use the required polymeric wet-strength and
      retention agents. 

PMID- 26101820
TI  - Cyto/hemocompatible magnetic hybrid nanoparticles (Ag2S-Fe3O4) with luminescence
      in the near-infrared region as promising theranostic materials.
AB  - Small hybrid nanoparticles composed of highly biocompatible Ag2S quantum dots
      (QD) emitting in the near-infrared region and superparamagnetic iron oxide
      (SPION) are produced in a simple extraction method utilizing ligand exchange
      mechanism. Hybrid nanoparticles luminesce at the same wavelength as the parent
      QD, therefore an array of hybrid nanoparticles with emission between 840 and
      912nm were easily produced. Such hybrid structures have (1) strong luminescence
      in the medical imaging window eliminating the autofluoresence of cells as
      effective optical probes, (2) strong magnetic response for magnetic targeting and
      (3) good cyto/hemocompatibility. An interesting size dependent cytotoxicity
      behavior was observed in HeLa and NIH/3T3 cell lines: smallest particles are
      internalized significantly more by both of the cell lines, yet showed almost no
      significant cytotoxicity in HeLa between 10 and 25MUg/mL Ag concentration but
      were most toxic in NIH/3T3 cells. Cell internalization and hence the cytotoxicity
      enhanced when cells were incubated with the hybrid nanoparticles under magnetic
      field, especially with the hybrid nanoparticles containing larger amounts of
      SPION in the hybrid composition. These results prove them as effective optical
      imaging agents and magnetic delivery vehicles. Combined with the known advantages
      of SPIONs as a contrast agent in MRI, these particles are a step forward for new
      theranostics for multimode imaging and magnetic targeting. 

PMID- 26101821
TI  - Are We Digital or What?

PMID- 26101823
TI  - Trends in US Contact Lens Prescribing 2002 to 2014.
AB  - PURPOSE: To document contact lens prescribing patterns in the United States
      between 2002 and 2014. METHODS: A survey of contact lens prescribing trends was
      conducted each year between 2002 and 2014, inclusive. Randomly selected contact
      lens practitioners were asked to provide information relating to 10 consecutive
      contact lens fits between January and March each year. RESULTS: Over the 13-year
      survey period, 1650 survey forms were received from US practitioners representing
      details of 7702 contact lens fits. The mean (+/-SD) age of lens wearers was 33.6
      (+/-15.2) years, of whom 65.2% were female. Rigid lens new fits decreased from
      13.0% in 2002 to 9.4% in 2014. Across this period, silicone hydrogels have
      replaced mid water contact lens hydrogels as the soft lens material of choice.
      Toric lenses represented about 25 to 30% of all soft lens fits. Multifocal soft
      lenses are generally preferred to monovision. Daily disposable lens fits have
      recently increased, and in 2014, they represented 27.1% of all soft lens fits.
      Most lenses are prescribed on 1 to 2 weekly or monthly lens replacement regimen.
      Extended wear remains a minority lens wearing modality. The vast majority of
      those wearing reusable lenses use multipurpose lens care solutions. Lenses are
      mostly worn 7 d/wk. CONCLUSIONS: This survey has revealed prescribing trends and
      preferences in the United States over the past 13 years.

PMID- 26101826
TI  - Intramembrane protease PARL defines a negative regulator of PINK1- and
      PARK2/Parkin-dependent mitophagy.
AB  - Mutations in PINK1 and PARK2/Parkin are a main risk factor for familial Parkinson
      disease. While the physiological mechanism of their activation is unclear, these
      proteins have been shown in tissue culture cells to serve as a key trigger for
      autophagy of depolarized mitochondria. Here we show that ablation of the
      mitochondrial rhomboid protease PARL leads to retrograde translocation of an
      intermembrane space-bridging PINK1 import intermediate. Subsequently, it is
      rerouted to the outer membrane in order to recruit PARK2, which phenocopies
      mitophagy induction by uncoupling agents. Consistent with a role of this
      retrograde translocation mechanism in neurodegenerative disease, we show that
      pathogenic PINK1 mutants which are not cleaved by PARL affect PINK1 kinase
      activity and the ability to induce PARK2-mediated mitophagy. Altogether we
      suggest that PARL is an important intrinsic player in mitochondrial quality
      control, a system substantially impaired in Parkinson disease as indicated by
      reduced removal of damaged mitochondria in affected patients. 

PMID- 26101827
TI  - Motor sequencing abnormalities are the trait marking neurological soft signs of
      schizophrenia.
AB  - We describe the profile of NSS across the one-year course of schizophrenia in 84
      Nigerian first-episode patients. They were assessed at baseline and 3 monthly for
      12 months using the Neurological Evaluation Scale and the Positive and Negative
      Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and treated with flupenthixol decanoate. The pattern of
      NSS total and sub-category scores obtained from repeated measurements were
      investigated for responders (>= 50% reduction of baseline PANSS scores) and non
      responders using the method of repeated measures analysis of variance. Trait-like
      features of NSS categories were quantified using intraclass correlation
      coefficients (ICCs). NSS were present in 96.4% of the patients at baseline (mean
      21.5 +/- 11.1). The motor-sequencing sub-category was found unrelated to changes
      in schizophrenia psychopathology with treatment (positive, r=0.19, p=0.136.,
      negative, r=0.12, p=0.350; disorganization, r=0.16, p=0.245; overall, r=0.20,
      p=0.112). Regardless of decrements in psychopathology, motor-sequencing scores
      remained relatively unchanged across the course of the disease (main effects:
      'responders' F=2.44, p=0.930, 'poor responders' F=0.27, p=0.764, entire sample
      F=1.87, p=0.160). ICC was "substantial" at 0.8 (95% C.I=0.6-0.9). Only the motor
      sequencing NSS appear to be trait marker of schizophrenia in this sample. Other
      NSS seem to reflect symptomatic states of the disorder.

PMID- 26101828
TI  - Neuroprotective effect of combined therapy with hyperbaric oxygen and madopar on
      6-hydroxydopamine-induced Parkinson's disease in rats.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common movement disorder in the elderly. In the
      present study, we examined whether the combination of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and
      madopar therapy provided a neuroprotective effect on dopaminergic neurons in the
      substantia nigra using a rat model of PD. Rotational assessments revealed that
      both HBO and combination therapy significantly attenuated apomorphine-induced
      turning in PD rats. Our results indicated that the combination therapy increased
      glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and
      reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the SN. Furthermore, the combination
      therapy resulted in significant protection against the loss of neurons, and
      specifically tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons, in the SN and also
      alleviated the production of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). The levels
      of Bcl-2 were increased and Bax were decreased following the HBO or combination
      therapy. In brief, the neuroprotective effect of combined therapy with HBO and
      madopar against 6-OHDA-induced PD rats may rely on its ability to reduce
      oxidative stress and protect against Bax/Bcl-2-mediated apoptosis. 

PMID- 26101829
TI  - Progesterone alleviates acute brain injury via reducing apoptosis and oxidative
      stress in a rat experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage model.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of progesterone on acute
      brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Subarachnoid hemorrhage was
      induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=72) by endovascular perforation.
      Progesterone (8 mg/kg or 16 mg/kg) was administered to rats at 1, 6, and 12h
      after SAH. Mortality, neurologic deficits, cell apoptosis, expression of
      apoptotic markers, the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activity of
      superoxide dismutase (SOD) were assayed at 24h after experimental SAH. Mortality,
      cell apoptosis and the expression of caspase-3 were decreased, and improved
      neurological function was observed in the progesterone-treated SAH rats. Further,
      exploration demonstrated that progesterone significantly reduced the ratio of
      Bax/Bcl-2 and attenuated the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria.
      Progesterone also induced anti-oxidative effects by elevating the activity of SOD
      and decreasing MDA content after SAH. Furthermore, dose-response relationships
      for progesterone treatment were observed, and high doses of progesterone enhanced
      the neuroprotective effects. Progesterone treatment could alleviate acute brain
      injury after SAH by inhibiting cell apoptosis and decreasing damage due to
      oxidative stress. The mechanism involved in the anti-apoptotic effect was related
      to the mitochondrial pathway. These results indicate that progesterone possesses
      the potential to be a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of acute brain
      injury after SAH.

PMID- 26101830
TI  - Glycine transporter GlyT1, but not GlyT2, is expressed in rat dorsal root
      ganglion--Possible implications for neuropathic pain.
AB  - Glycinergic inhibitory neurotransmission plays a pivotal role in the development
      of neuropathic pain. The glycine concentration in the synaptic cleft is
      controlled by the glycine transporters GlyT1 and GlyT2. GlyT1 is expressed
      throughout the central nervous system, while GlyT2 is exclusively located in
      glycinergic neurons. Aim of the present study was to investigate whether GlyTs
      are also expressed in the peripheral sensory nervous system and whether their
      expression is modulated in experimental neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain was
      induced in male Wistar rats by Chronic Constriction Injury (CCI) and verified by
      assessment of mechanical allodynia (von Frey method). Expression patterns of
      GlyTs and the glycine binding subunit NR1 of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)
      receptor in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were analyzed by
      Western blot analysis, PCR and immunohistochemistry. While both GlyT1 and GlyT2
      were detected in the spinal cord, only GlyT1, but not GlyT2, was detected in DRG.
      Immunofluorescence revealed a strictly neuronal localization of GlyT1 and a co
      localization of GlyT1 and NR1 in DRG. Compared to sham procedure, spinal cord and
      DRG expression of GlyT1 was not altered and NR1 was unchanged in DRG 12 days
      after CCI. GlyT1, but not GlyT2, is expressed in the peripheral sensory nervous
      system. The co-expression of GlyT1 and NMDA receptors in DRG suggests that GlyT1
      regulates glycine concentration at the glycine binding site of the NMDA receptor.
      Differential regulation of GlyT1 expression in the spinal cord or DRG, however,
      does not seem to be associated with the development of neuropathic pain. 

PMID- 26101831
TI  - Tight binding of NAP-22 with acidic membrane lipids.
AB  - Recovery of various signal transduction molecules in the detergent-resistant
      membrane microdomain (DRM) fraction suggests the importance of this region in
      cellular functions. Insolubility of the outer leaflet of DRM to the non-ionic
      detergent is ascribed to the tight association of cholesterol and sphingolipid.
      Since, poor localization of sphingolipid is observed in the inner leaflet, the
      physicochemical background of the insolubility of the inner leaflet is hence
      still an enigma. NAP-22 (also called BASP1 or CAP-23) is a neuron-enriched
      calmodulin-binding protein and one of the major proteins in the DRM of the
      neuronal cell membrane. A previous study showed the presence of several lipids in
      a NAP-22 fraction after the process of extraction and column chromatography. In
      this study, the effect of lipid extraction on NAP-22 was studied through native
      gel electrophoresis, ultracentrifugation, and electron microscopic observation.
      The mobility of NAP-22 in native-PAGE was shifted from low to high after
      delipidation. Delipidated NAP-22 bound phosphatidylserine (PS),
      phosphatidylinosotol, and ganglioside. Some part of the mixture of PS and NAP-22
      was recovered in the insoluble fraction after Triton X-100 treatment and the
      addition of cholesterol enhanced the amount of NAP-22 in the insoluble fraction. 

PMID- 26101832
TI  - Alterations in the functional connectivity of a verbal working memory-related
      brain network in patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the alterations in a verbal working
      memory (VWM)-related network in left temporal lobe epilepsy (lTLE) at rest. We
      evaluated 14 patients with lTLE and 14 control subjects by resting-state
      functional connectivity (RSFC). The region of interest was defined by the voxel
      with the highest Z-score during a VWM task according to functional magnetic
      resonance imaging in 16 healthy volunteers. Our study revealed that the network
      of RSFC was similar to the task-induced network in the healthy volunteers.
      Moreover, the patients with lTLE exhibited significantly decreased RSFC in the
      bilateral middle frontal gyrus, the inferior frontal gyrus and the inferior
      parietal lobule at rest compared to the control subjects. We found no significant
      correlation between the mean reaction time of the accurate responses in a 2-back
      task and the mean z-values within the regions that exhibited significant
      differences in RSFC at the individual level. The alterations in FCs of VWM
      related network in lTLE suggested that epileptiform discharges can damage the
      brain regions, both local focus and remote areas and that the alterations were
      not associated with VWM performance. 

PMID- 26101833
TI  - Multifunctionalization of wool fabrics through nanoparticles: A chemical route
      towards smart textiles.
AB  - A new approach towards the design of smart nanotextiles with innovative
      properties is presented. Silica (SiO2), titania (TiO2), and silver (Ag)
      nanoparticles (NPs), were synthesized without the use of any toxic organic
      compound and then were used, alone and in combination, to functionalize wool
      fabrics. Electrostatic forces, influenced by a low pH of the solutions, allowed
      the interactions between wool fabrics and NPs, enabling a robust
      functionalization. This was verified by X-ray microfluorescence and visualized by
      scanning electron microscopy measurements. The antibacterial Ag NPs were embedded
      in a polymer, alginic acid, to reduce the possible side effect due to their
      direct contact with the skin. SiO2 NPs, instead, were used to change the
      hydrophilicity of wool while the functionalization with TiO2 NPs was chosen to
      provide self-cleaning properties. The antibacterial activity of the fabrics was
      studied against the bacteria Escherichia coli, while the hydrophilicity of wool
      was studied by contact angle measurements and the self-cleaning properties were
      tested by estimating the visible discoloring of a dye stain under sunlight
      irradiation. Interestingly the combination of three different types of NPs
      provided the best results. SiO2 and Ag made the wool superhydrophilic providing
      at the same time the best antibacterial properties, while fabrics with titania
      (alone or in combination) were hydrophobic and showed the best self-cleaning
      properties. 

PMID- 26101834
TI  - Simple preparation of Pd-NP/polythiophene nanospheres for heterogeneous
      catalysis.
AB  - A very simple preparation was developed for catalytically active Pd-nanoparticles
      (Pd-NPs) decorating polythiophene conducting polymer nanospheres by the redox
      reaction between PdCl4(2-) ion and 2-thiophenemethanol (2-TPM) in an aqueous
      solution at room temperature. 2-TPM polymerized to form polythiophene nanospheres
      in the presence of PdCl4(2-) ions, reduced to Pd-NPs without the need for extra
      reducing agents or organic surface capping ligands for sub-20 nm Pd-NPs that
      uniformly cover polythiophene nanospheres whose dimensions range from 120 nm to
      200 nm. The Pd-NP/polythiophene nanospheres were characterized by scanning
      transmission electron microscopy (STEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM),
      and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission
      spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The Pd-NP/polythiophene nanospheres were found to be an
      excellent catalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction for a wide range of
      substrates under mild aerobic reaction conditions.

PMID- 26101835
TI  - Rare coding mutations identified by sequencing of Alzheimer disease genome-wide
      association studies loci.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To detect rare coding variants underlying loci detected by genome-wide
      association studies (GWAS) of late onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD). METHODS: We
      conducted targeted sequencing of ABCA7, BIN1, CD2AP, CLU, CR1, EPHA1,
      MS4A4A/MS4A6A, and PICALM in 3 independent LOAD cohorts: 176 patients from 124
      Caribbean Hispanics families, 120 patients and 33 unaffected individuals from the
      129 National Institute on Aging LOAD Family Study; and 263 unrelated Canadian
      individuals of European ancestry (210 sporadic patients and 53 controls). Rare
      coding variants found in at least 2 data sets were genotyped in independent
      groups of ancestry-matched controls. Additionally, the Exome Aggregation
      Consortium was used as a reference data set for population-based allele
      frequencies. RESULTS: Overall we detected a statistically significant 3.1-fold
      enrichment of the nonsynonymous mutations in the Caucasian LOAD cases compared
      with controls (p = 0.002) and no difference in synonymous variants. A stop-gain
      mutation in ABCA7 (E1679X) and missense mutation in CD2AP (K633R) were highly
      significant in Caucasian LOAD cases, and mutations in EPHA1 (P460L) and BIN1
      (K358R) were significant in Caribbean Hispanic families with LOAD. The EPHA1
      variant segregated completely in an extended Caribbean Hispanic family and was
      also nominally significant in the Caucasians. Additionally, BIN1 (K358R)
      segregated in 2 of the 6 Caribbean Hispanic families where the mutations were
      discovered. INTERPRETATION: Targeted sequencing of confirmed GWAS loci revealed
      an excess burden of deleterious coding mutations in LOAD, with the greatest
      burden observed in ABCA7 and BIN1. Identifying coding variants in LOAD will
      facilitate the creation of tractable models for investigation of disease-related
      mechanisms and potential therapies.

PMID- 26101836
TI  - High- and low-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation does not
      reduce experimental pain in elderly individuals.
AB  - Despite its widespread clinical use, the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical
      nerve stimulation (TENS) remains poorly documented in elderly individuals. In
      this randomized, double-blind crossover study, we compared the efficacy of high
      frequency (HF), low-frequency (LF), and placebo (P) TENS in a group of 15 elderly
      adults (mean age: 67 +/- 5 years). The effect of HF-, LF-, and P-TENS was also
      evaluated in a group of 15 young individuals (26 +/- 5 years; same study design)
      to validate the effectiveness of the TENS protocols that were used in the elderly
      group. Each participant came to the laboratory on 3 separate occasions to
      receive, in random order, HF-, LF-, and P-TENS. Pain intensity and pain
      perception thresholds were assessed before, during, and after TENS, using an
      experimental heat pain paradigm. For the young group, there was a significant
      decrease in pain intensity during and after HF- and LF-TENS when compared with
      baseline, with both HF- and LF-TENS being superior to P-TENS. In the older group,
      HF- and LF-TENS did not reduce pain when compared with baseline and no difference
      was observed between the 2 active TENS sessions and P-TENS. High-frequency, LF-,
      and P-TENS all increased pain thresholds in young individuals, whereas in older
      individuals, only LF-TENS increased pain thresholds. Taken together, these
      results suggest that TENS is effective in young, but not in older, individuals.
      Future studies should be conducted to confirm these results in pain populations
      and to identify strategies that could enhance the effect of TENS in the elderly. 

PMID- 26101837
TI  - The organisation of spinoparabrachial neurons in the mouse.
AB  - The anterolateral tract (ALT), which originates from neurons in lamina I and the
      deep dorsal horn, represents a major ascending output through which nociceptive
      information is transmitted to brain areas involved in pain perception. Although
      there is detailed quantitative information concerning the ALT in the rat, much
      less is known about this system in the mouse, which is increasingly being used
      for studies of spinal pain mechanisms because of the availability of genetically
      modified lines. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the extent to
      which information about the ALT in the rat can be extrapolated to the mouse. Our
      results suggest that as in the rat, most lamina I ALT projection neurons in the
      lumbar enlargement can be retrogradely labelled from the lateral parabrachial
      area, that the majority of these cells (~ 90%) express the neurokinin 1 receptor
      (NK1r), and that these are larger than other NK1r-expressing neurons in this
      lamina. This means that many lamina I spinoparabrachial cells can be identified
      in NK1r-immunostained sections from animals that have not received retrograde
      tracer injections. However, we also observed certain species differences, in
      particular we found that many spinoparabrachial cells in laminae III and IV lack
      the NK1r, meaning that they cannot be identified based solely on the expression
      of this receptor. We also provide evidence that the majority of spinoparabrachial
      cells are glutamatergic and that some express substance P. These findings will be
      important for studies designed to unravel the complex neuronal circuitry that
      underlies spinal pain processing.

PMID- 26101838
TI  - Acquired right diaphragmatic hernia following pediatric living donor orthotopic
      liver transplantation.
AB  - ADH following OLT is a rare entity. Herein, we report a case of Alagille syndrome
      who developed ADH secondary to OLT, and possible etiological causes are discussed
      in light of the literature. 

PMID- 26101839
TI  - Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations as an Aid in the Prediction of Domain
      Swapping of Computationally Designed Protein Variants.
AB  - In standard implementations of computational protein design, a positive-design
      approach is used to predict sequences that will be stable on a given backbone
      structure. Possible competing states are typically not considered, primarily
      because appropriate structural models are not available. One potential competing
      state, the domain-swapped dimer, is especially compelling because it is often
      nearly identical with its monomeric counterpart, differing by just a few
      mutations in a hinge region. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations provide a
      computational method to sample different conformational states of a structure.
      Here, we tested whether MD simulations could be used as a post-design screening
      tool to identify sequence mutations leading to domain-swapped dimers. We
      hypothesized that a successful computationally designed sequence would have
      backbone structure and dynamics characteristics similar to that of the input
      structure and that, in contrast, domain-swapped dimers would exhibit increased
      backbone flexibility and/or altered structure in the hinge-loop region to
      accommodate the large conformational change required for domain swapping. While
      attempting to engineer a homodimer from a 51-amino-acid fragment of the monomeric
      protein engrailed homeodomain (ENH), we had instead generated a domain-swapped
      dimer (ENH_DsD). MD simulations on these proteins showed increased B-factors
      derived from MD simulation in the hinge loop of the ENH_DsD domain-swapped dimer
      relative to monomeric ENH. Two point mutants of ENH_DsD designed to recover the
      monomeric fold were then tested with an MD simulation protocol. The MD
      simulations suggested that one of these mutants would adopt the target monomeric
      structure, which was subsequently confirmed by X-ray crystallography. 

PMID- 26101840
TI  - Dividing and Conquering the Family of RNA Recognition Motifs: A Representative
      Case Based on hnRNP L.

PMID- 26101841
TI  - Over-Expression Analysis of All Eight Subunits of the Molecular Chaperone CCT in
      Mammalian Cells Reveals a Novel Function for CCTdelta.
AB  - Chaperonin containing tailless complex polypeptide 1 (CCT) forms a classical
      chaperonin barrel structure where two rings of subunits surround a central
      cavity. Each ring consists of eight distinct subunits, creating a complex binding
      interface that makes CCT unique among the chaperonins. In addition to acting as a
      multimeric chaperonin, there is increasing evidence indicating that the CCT
      subunits, when monomeric, possess additional functions. Here we assess the role
      of the CCT subunits individually, using a GFP (green fluorescent protein) tagging
      approach to express each of the subunits in their monomeric form in cultured
      mammalian cells. Over-expression of CCTdelta, but not the other seven CCT
      subunits, results in the appearance of numerous protrusions at the cell surface.
      Two point mutations, one in the apical domain and one in the ATP binding pocket
      of CCTdelta, that abolish protrusion formation have been identified, consistent
      with the apical domain containing a novel interaction site that is influenced by
      the ATPase activity in the equatorial domain. Structured illumination microscopy,
      together with sub-cellular fractionation, reveals that only the wild-type
      CCTdelta is associated with the plasma membrane, thus connecting spatial
      organization with surface protrusion formation. Expression of the equivalent
      subunit in yeast, GFP-Cct4, rescues growth of the temperature-sensitive strain
      cct4-1 at the non-permissive temperature, indicative of conserved subunit
      specific activities for CCTdelta. 

PMID- 26101843
TI  - Which journal will take the best care of my paper?

PMID- 26101842
TI  - The Structure of Escherichia coli TcdA (Also Known As CsdL) Reveals a Novel
      Topology and Provides Insight into the tRNA Binding Surface Required for N(6)
      Threonylcarbamoyladenosine Dehydratase Activity.
AB  - Escherichia coli TcdA (also known as CsdL) was previously shown to catalyze the
      ATP-dependent dehydration/cyclization of hypermodified tRNA N(6)
      threonylcarbamoyladenosine into further cyclic N(6)-threonylcarbamoyladenosine.
      In this study, we report the X-ray crystal structures of E. coli TcdA with either
      AMP or ATP bound. The AMP/ATP-bound N-terminal sub-domain of TcdA resembles the
      ATP-binding Rossmann fold of E. coli ThiF and MoeB that are enzymes respectively
      taking part in the biosynthesis of thiamine and molybdopterin; however, the
      remaining C-terminal sub-domain of TcdA adopts a structure unrelated to any other
      known folds. In TcdA, the ATP-utilizing adenylation of tRNA N(6)
      threonylcarbamoyladenosine and a subsequent thioester formation via an active
      cysteine, similar to the mechanisms in ThiF and MoeB, could take place for the
      dehydratase function. Analysis of the structure with sequence alignment suggests
      the disordered Cys234 of TcdA as the most likely catalytic residue. The structure
      further indicates that the C-terminal sub-domain can provide a binding interface
      for the tRNA substrate. Binding study using the surface mutants of TcdA and tRNA
      reveals that the positively charged regions of mainly the C-terminal sub-domain
      are important for the tRNA recognition. 

PMID- 26101844
TI  - Probing the roles of conserved residues in uridyltransferase domain of
      Escherichia coli K12 GlmU by site-directed mutagenesis.
AB  - N-Acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GlmU) is a bifunctional enzyme
      that catalyzes both acetyltransfer and uridyltransfer reactions in the
      prokaryotic UDP-GlcNAc biosynthesis pathway. Our previous study demonstrated that
      the uridyltransferase domain of GlmU (tGlmU) exhibited a flexible substrate
      specificity, which could be further applied in unnatural sugar nucleotides
      preparation. However, the structural basis of tolerating variant substrates is
      still not clear. Herein, we further investigated the roles of several highly
      conserved amino acid residues involved in substrate binding and recognition by
      structure- and sequence-guided site-directed mutagenesis. Out of total 16 mutants
      designed, tGlmU Q76E mutant which had a novel catalytic activity to convert CTP
      and GlcNAc-1P into unnatural sugar nucleotide CDP-GlcNAc was identified.
      Furthermore, tGlmU Y103F and N169R mutants were also investigated to have
      enhanced uridyltransferase activities compared with wide-type tGlmU. 

PMID- 26101846
TI  - Drosophila sperm surface alpha-L-fucosidase interacts with the egg coats through
      its core fucose residues.
AB  - Sperm-oocyte interaction during fertilization is multiphasic, with multicomponent
      events, taking place between egg's glycoproteins and sperm surface receptors.
      Protein-carbohydrate complementarities in gamete recognition have observed in
      cases throughout the whole evolutionary scale. Sperm-associated alpha-L
      fucosidases have been identified in various organisms. Their wide distribution
      and known properties reflect the hypothesis that fucose and alpha-L-fucosidases
      have fundamental function(s) during gamete interactions. An alpha-L-fucosidase
      has been detected as transmembrane protein on the surface of spermatozoa of
      eleven species across the genus Drosophila. Immunofluorescence labeling showed
      that the protein is localized in the sperm plasma membrane over the acrosome and
      the tail, in Drosophila melanogaster. In the present study, efforts were made to
      analyze with solid phase assays the oligosaccharide recognition ability of fruit
      fly sperm alpha-L-fucosidase with defined carbohydrate chains that can
      functionally mimic egg glycoconjugates. Our results showed that alpha-L
      fucosidase bound to fucose residue and in particular it prefers N-glycans
      carrying core alpha1,6-linked fucose and core alpha1,3-linked fucose in N-glycans
      carrying only a terminal mannose residue. The ability of sperm alpha-L-fucosidase
      to bind to the micropylar chorion and to the vitelline envelope was examined in
      in vitro assays in presence of alpha-L-fucosidase, either alone or in combination
      with molecules containing fucose residues. No binding was detected when alpha-L
      fucosidase was pre-incubated with fucoidan, a polymer of alpha-L-fucose and the
      monosaccharide fucose. Furthermore, egg labeling with anti-horseradish
      peroxidase, that recognized only core alpha1,3-linked fucose, correlates with
      alpha-L-fucosidase micropylar binding. Collectively, these data support the
      hypothesis of the potential role of this glycosidase in sperm-egg interactions in
      Drosophila.

PMID- 26101845
TI  - Pain Sensitivity and Pain Catastrophizing Are Associated With Persistent Pain and
      Disability After Lumbar Spine Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether pain sensitivity and pain catastrophizing are
      associated with persistent pain and disability after lumbar spine surgery.
      DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study. SETTING: Academic medical center.
      PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=68; mean age, 57.9+/-13.1y; 40 women [58.8%])
      undergoing spine surgery for a degenerative condition from March 1, 2012 to April
      30, 2013 were assessed 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery.
      INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measures
      were persistent back pain intensity, pain interference, and disability. Patients
      with persistent back pain intensity, pain interference, or disability were
      identified as those patients reporting Brief Pain Inventory scores >=4 and
      Oswestry Disability Index scores >=21 at all postoperative time points. RESULTS:
      From 6 weeks to 6 months after surgery, approximately 12.9%, 24.2%, and 46.8% of
      patients reported persistent back pain intensity, pain interference, or
      disability, respectively. Increased pain sensitivity at 6 weeks was associated
      with having persistent back pain intensity (odds ratio [OR], 2.0; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 1.0-4.1) after surgery. Increased pain catastrophizing at 6 weeks
      was associated with having persistent back pain intensity (OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.0
      1.2), pain interference (OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 1.0-1.2), and disability (OR, 1.3; 95%
      CI, 1.1-1.4). An interaction effect was not found between pain sensitivity and
      pain catastrophizing on persistent outcomes (P>.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings
      suggest the importance of early postoperative screening for pain sensitivity and
      pain catastrophizing to identify patients at risk for poor postoperative pain
      intensity, pain interference, and/or disability outcomes. Future research should
      consider the benefit of targeted therapeutic strategies for patients with these
      postoperative prognostic factors.

PMID- 26101847
TI  - A Fas associated factor negatively regulates anti-bacterial immunity by promoting
      Relish degradation in Bombyx mori.
AB  - Negative regulation is required to keep NF-kappaB-dependent immune response under
      tight control. In previous study, we have identified a Fas associated factor
      (FAF) family member in Bombyx mori, BmFAF, and proposed it may act as a negative
      regulator in immune response. In this study, we found knock-down of BmFAF by RNAi
      led to a remarkable increase in transcriptional level of several antimicrobial
      peptide genes, including BmCecropinA1 and BmMoricin, and higher survival rate to
      Gram-negative bacterial infection. We also confirmed the regulatory role of BmFAF
      in suppressing NF-kappaB-dependent transcription by employing an inducible
      promoter in BmE cells. Consistent with these physiological phenotypes, BmFAF
      suppressed the activity of the essential transcription factor, Relish, in IMD
      signaling pathway by promoting its proteasomal degradation through direct
      interaction. In addition, by constructing various truncation mutants, we further
      demonstrated that UBA domain in BmFAF is required for the inhibitory role, and
      potential ubiquitination also occurs in this domain. Taken together, our results
      suggest that BmFAF is a negative regulator of IMD pathway by mediating
      degradation of Relish. 

PMID- 26101848
TI  - Heazlewoodite, Ni3S2: A Potent Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction to Water under
      Benign Conditions.
AB  - Electrodeposited thin films and nanoparticles of Ni3S2 are highly active, poison-
      and corrosion-resistant catalysts for oxygen reduction to water at neutral pH. In
      pH 7 phosphate buffer, Ni3S2 displays catalytic onset at 0.8 V versus the
      reversible hydrogen electrode, a Tafel slope of 109 mV decade(-1), and high
      faradaic efficiency for four-electron reduction of O2 to water. Under these
      conditions, the activity and stability of Ni3S2 exceeds that of polycrystalline
      platinum and manganese, nickel, and cobalt oxides, illustrating the catalytic
      potential of pairing labile first-row transition metal active sites with a more
      covalent sulfide host lattice. 

PMID- 26101849
TI  - Frequency of alcohol consumption in humans; the role of metabotropic glutamate
      receptors and downstream signaling pathways.
AB  - Rodent models implicate metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) and downstream
      signaling pathways in addictive behaviors through metaplasticity. One way mGluRs
      can influence synaptic plasticity is by regulating the local translation of AMPA
      receptor trafficking proteins via eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2). However,
      genetic variation in this pathway has not been examined with human alcohol use
      phenotypes. Among a sample of adults living in Detroit, Michigan (Detroit
      Neighborhood Health Study; n = 788; 83% African American), 206 genetic variants
      across the mGluR-eEF2-AMPAR pathway (including GRM1, GRM5, HOMER1, HOMER2, EEF2K,
      MTOR, EIF4E, EEF2, CAMK2A, ARC, GRIA1 and GRIA4) were found to predict number of
      drinking days per month (corrected P-value < 0.01) when considered as a set (set
      based linear regression conducted in PLINK). In addition, a CpG site located in
      the 3'-untranslated region on the north shore of EEF2 (cg12255298) was
      hypermethylated in those who drank more frequently (P < 0.05). Importantly, the
      association between several genetic variants within the mGluR-eEF2-AMPAR pathway
      and alcohol use behavior (i.e., consumption and alcohol-related problems)
      replicated in the Grady Trauma Project (GTP), an independent sample of adults
      living in Atlanta, Georgia (n = 1034; 95% African American), including individual
      variants in GRM1, GRM5, EEF2, MTOR, GRIA1, GRIA4 and HOMER2 (P < 0.05). Gene
      based analyses conducted in the GTP indicated that GRM1 (empirical P < 0.05) and
      EEF2 (empirical P < 0.01) withstood multiple test corrections and predicted
      increased alcohol consumption and related problems. In conclusion, insights from
      rodent studies enabled the identification of novel human alcohol candidate genes
      within the mGluR-eEF2-AMPAR pathway.

PMID- 26101850
TI  - Translational utility of rodent hippocampal auditory gating in schizophrenia
      research: a review and evaluation.
AB  - Impaired gating of the auditory evoked P50 potential is one of the most
      pharmacologically well-characterized features of schizophrenia. This deficit is
      most commonly modeled in rodents by implanted electrode recordings from the
      hippocampus of the rodent analog of the P50, the P20-N40. The validity and
      effectiveness of this tool, however, has not been systematically reviewed. Here,
      we summarize findings from studies that have examined the effects of
      pharmacologic modulation on gating of the rodent hippocampal P20-N40 and the
      human P50. We show that drug effects on the P20-N40 are highly predictive of
      human effects across similar dose ranges. Furthermore, mental status (for
      example, anesthetized vs alert) does not appear to diminish the predictive
      capacity of these recordings. We then discuss hypothesized neuropharmacologic
      mechanisms that may underlie gating effects for each drug studied. Overall, this
      review supports continued use of hippocampal P20-N40 gating as a translational
      tool for schizophrenia research. 

PMID- 26101851
TI  - Multivariate genetic determinants of EEG oscillations in schizophrenia and
      psychotic bipolar disorder from the BSNIP study.
AB  - Schizophrenia (SZ) and psychotic bipolar disorder (PBP) are disabling psychiatric
      illnesses with complex and unclear etiologies. Electroencephalogram (EEG)
      oscillatory abnormalities in SZ and PBP probands are heritable and expressed in
      their relatives, but the neurobiology and genetic factors mediating these
      abnormalities in the psychosis dimension of either disorder are less explored. We
      examined the polygenic architecture of eyes-open resting state EEG frequency
      activity (intrinsic frequency) from 64 channels in 105 SZ, 145 PBP probands and
      56 healthy controls (HCs) from the multisite BSNIP (Bipolar-Schizophrenia Network
      on Intermediate Phenotypes) study. One million single-nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) were derived from DNA. We assessed eight data-driven EEG frequency
      activity derived from group-independent component analysis (ICA) in conjunction
      with a reduced subset of 10,422 SNPs through novel multivariate association using
      parallel ICA (para-ICA). Genes contributing to the association were examined
      collectively using pathway analysis tools. Para-ICA extracted five frequency and
      nine SNP components, of which theta and delta activities were significantly
      correlated with two different gene components, comprising genes participating
      extensively in brain development, neurogenesis and synaptogenesis. Delta and
      theta abnormality was present in both SZ and PBP, while theta differed between
      the two disorders. Theta abnormalities were also mediated by gene clusters
      involved in glutamic acid pathways, cadherin and synaptic contact-based cell
      adhesion processes. Our data suggest plausible multifactorial genetic networks,
      including novel and several previously identified (DISC1) candidate risk genes,
      mediating low frequency delta and theta abnormalities in psychoses. The gene
      clusters were enriched for biological properties affecting neural circuitry and
      involved in brain function and/or development.

PMID- 26101852
TI  - Developmental changes in gamma-aminobutyric acid levels in attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
AB  - While the neurobiological basis and developmental course of attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have not yet been fully established, an
      imbalance between inhibitory/excitatory neurotransmitters is thought to have an
      important role in the pathophysiology of ADHD. This study examined the changes in
      cerebral levels of GABA+, glutamate and glutamine in children and adults with
      ADHD using edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We studied 89 participants (16
      children with ADHD, 19 control children, 16 adults with ADHD and 38 control
      adults) in a subcortical voxel (children and adults) and a frontal voxel (adults
      only). ADHD adults showed increased GABA+ levels relative to controls (P =
      0.048), while ADHD children showed no difference in GABA+ in the subcortical
      voxel (P > 0.1), resulting in a significant age by disorder interaction (P =
      0.026). Co-varying for age in an analysis of covariance model resulted in a
      nonsignificant age by disorder interaction (P = 0.06). Glutamine levels were
      increased in children with ADHD (P = 0.041), but there was no significant
      difference in adults (P > 0.1). Glutamate showed no difference between controls
      and ADHD patients but demonstrated a strong effect of age across both groups (P <
      0.001). In conclusion, patients with ADHD show altered levels of GABA+ in a
      subcortical voxel which change with development. Further, we found increased
      glutamine levels in children with ADHD, but this difference normalized in adults.
      These observed imbalances in neurotransmitter levels are associated with ADHD
      symptomatology and lend new insight in the developmental trajectory and
      pathophysiology of ADHD.

PMID- 26101854
TI  - Age cutoff for Epstein-Barr virus-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma--is it
      necessary?
AB  - Epstein-Barr virus-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the elderly (EBV+
      DLBCL-e) is a molecularly distinct variant of DLBCL, characterized by a
      monoclonal B-cell proliferation that occurs in patients >50 years of age without
      a history or clinicopathologic evidence of immunodeficiency. However, patients
      with EBV+ DLBCL younger than 50-years-old also exist in Western countries. We
      evaluated the clinicopathologic, immunophenotypic and genetic features in
      Cacausian patients with EBV+ DLBCL who are <=50 years of age and compared this
      patient group to patients who are >50 years. In patients who are <=50 years, less
      frequent expression of BCL6 and a trend of more frequent expression of CD30 and
      pSTAT3 were found in patients with EBV+ DLBCL. In patients who are >50 years,
      common expression of CD30, p50, pSTAT3 and less frequent expression of BCL6 were
      observed. Older patients also more commonly had a poor performance status
      (ECOG>=2). Comparing EBV+ DLBCL patients in <=50 years versus >50 years, both
      groups had similar clinicopathologic, immunophenotypic and genetic features. Gene
      expression profiling, microRNA profiling and treatment outcome of the younger
      patients with EBV+ DLBCL was not distinctive from tumors in older patients. Based
      on our data, we suggest that the arbitrary age cutoff for EBV+ DLBCL is
      unnecessary and should be eliminated in the WHO lymphoma classification scheme. 

PMID- 26101855
TI  - beta-catenin activation drives thymoma initiation and progression in mice.
AB  - Thymoma is the most commonly identified cancer in the anterior mediastinum. To
      date, the causal mechanism that drives thymoma progression is not clear. Here, we
      generated K5-a??N64Ctnnb1/ERT2 transgenic mice, which express an N-terminal
      deletion mutant of beta-catenin fused to a mutated ligand-binding domain of
      estrogen receptor (ERT2) under the control of the bovine cytokeratin 5 (K5)
      promoter. The transgenic mouse lines named Tg1 and Tg4 were characterized. Forced
      expression of a??N64Ctnnb1/ERT2 in the Tg1 and Tg4 mice developed small thymoma
      lesions in response to tamoxifen treatment. In the absence of tamoxifen, the Tg1
      mice exhibited leaky activation of beta-catenin, which activated the TOP-Gal
      transgene and Wnt/beta-catenin-targeted genes. As the Tg1 mice aged in the
      absence of tamoxifen, manifest thymomas were found at 10-12 months.
      Interestingly, we detected loss of AIRE and increase of p63 in the thymomas of
      Tg1 mice, similar to that observed in human thymomas. Moreover, the beta5t
      protease subunit, which was reported as a differential marker for human type B3
      thymoma, was expressed in the Tg1 thymomas. Thus, the Tg1 mice generated in this
      study accurately mimic the characteristics of human thymomas and may serve as a
      model for understanding thymoma pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26101856
TI  - P73 tumor suppressor and its targets, p21 and PUMA, are required for madin-darby
      canine kidney cell morphogenesis by maintaining an appropriate level of
      epithelial to mesenchymal transition.
AB  - P73, a member of p53 tumor suppressor family, plays a crucial role in tumor
      suppression and neural development. Due to the usage of two promoters, p73 is
      expressed as two isoforms, TAp73 and a??Np73, with opposing functions. Here, we
      investigated the potential role of p73 in epithelial polarity and morphogenesis
      by using Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells as a model system. We found that
      knockdown of TAp73 enhances, whereas knockdown of a??Np73 inhibits, MDCK cell
      proliferation and migration in two-dimensional (2-D) culture. We also found that
      knockdown of TAp73, but not a??Np73, disrupts cyst formation of MDCK cells in
      three-dimensional (3-D) culture. Interestingly, we found that p21 and PUMA, both
      of which are induced by TAp73 but repressed by a??Np73, are required for
      suppressing cell proliferation and migration in 2-D culture and for MDCK ce ll
      morphogenesis in 3-D culture. Finally, we showed knockdown of TAp73, p21 or PUMA
      induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) with a decrease in E-cadherin
      and an increase in EMT transcription factors. Together, our data suggest that
      TAp73, p21 and PUMA play a critical role in modulating MDCK cell morphogenesis by
      maintaining an appropriate level of the EMT. 

PMID- 26101857
TI  - Involvement of cellular metabolism in age-related LTP modifications in rat
      hippocampal slices.
AB  - Recent studies emphasized crucial role of astrocytic glycogen metabolism in
      regulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity in young animals. However, the
      interplay between age-related synaptic plasticity impairments and changes in
      energetic metabolism remains obscure. To address this issue, we investigated, in
      hippocampal slices of young (one month) and aged rats (20-22-months), the impact
      of glycogen degradation inhibition on LTP, mRNA expression for glycogen
      metabolism enzymes and morphology of dendritic spines. We show that, whereas in
      young hippocampi, inhibition of glycogen phosphorolysis disrupts the late phase
      of LTP in the Schaffer collateral-CA1 pathway, in aged rats, blockade of glycogen
      phosphorylase tends to enhance it. Gene expression for key energy metabolism
      enzymes, such as glycogen synthase and phosphorylase and glutamine synthetase
      showed marked differences between young and aged groups and changes in expression
      of these enzymes preceded plasticity phenomena. Interestingly, in the aged group,
      a prominent expression of these enzymes was found also in neurons. Concluding, we
      show that LTP in the considered pathway is differentially modulated by metabolic
      processes in young and aging animals, indicating a novel venue of studies aiming
      at preventing cognitive decline during aging. 

PMID- 26101859
TI  - [Early Rehabilitation--A Step Child of Psychiatry].

PMID- 26101860
TI  - [Psychiatric Intensive Care Units--Pro].

PMID- 26101858
TI  - APOepsilon2 and education in cognitively normal older subjects with high levels
      of AD pathology at autopsy: findings from the Nun Study.
AB  - Asymptomatic Alzheimer's disease (ASYMAD) subjects are individuals characterized
      by preserved cognition before death despite substantial AD pathology at autopsy.
      ASYMAD subjects show comparable levels of AD pathology, i.e. beta-amyloid
      neuritic plaques (Abeta-NP) and tau-neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), to those
      observed in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and some definite AD cases. Previous
      clinicopathologic studies on ASYMAD subjects have shown specific phenomena of
      hypertrophy in the cell bodies, nuclei, and nucleoli of hippocampal pyramidal
      neurons and other cerebral areas. Since it is well established that the allele
      APOepsilon4 is a major genetic risk factor for AD, we examined whether specific
      alleles of APOE could be associated with the different clinical outcomes between
      ASYMAD and MCI subjects despite equivalent AD pathology. A total of 523 brains
      from the Nun Study were screened for this investigation. The results showed
      higher APOepsilon2 frequency (p < 0.001) in ASYMAD (19.2%) vs. MCI (0%) and vs.
      AD (4.7%). Furthermore, higher education in ASYMAD vs. MCI and AD (p < 0.05) was
      found. These novel autopsy-verified findings support the hypothesis of the
      beneficial effect of APOepsilon2 and education, both which seem to act as
      contributing factors in delaying or forestalling the clinical manifestations of
      AD despite consistent levels of AD pathology. 

PMID- 26101861
TI  - [Psychiatric Intensive Care Units--Contra].

PMID- 26101862
TI  - [Cost-Effectiveness of the Treatment of Depression in Old Age].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic literature review of cost-effectiveness
      studies evaluating the treatment of depression in old age. METHODS: Systematic
      literature search in electronic databases in March 2014. RESULTS: Nine studies
      were included in the review. They were conducted in the Netherlands, the United
      Kingdom and the United States. The studies investigated psychological
      interventions (N = 3), pharmacotherapy (N = 1), and integrated care models (N =
      5). The results varied greatly. CONCLUSION: The variation of the results in the
      included studies does not permit generalized conclusions, especially not for the
      widespread and recommended pharmacotherapy. Cost-effectiveness of psychological
      interventions and integrated care programs differed depending on the details of
      the program designs.

PMID- 26101863
TI  - [Report of the Working Group of Physician Executives of Psychiatry and
      Psychotherapy Clinics in German General Hospitals].

PMID- 26101864
TI  - [Report of the Federal Directors Conference].

PMID- 26101865
TI  - Obituary: Giulio Jori, 1939-2014.

PMID- 26101866
TI  - Successful and Safe Long-Term Standard Antiviral Therapy in a Patient with
      "Explosive" Immune Response in Course of HCV-Related Liver Cirrhosis.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been recognized to be both a hepato- and lymphotropic
      virus. HCV lymphotropism represents an essential detail in the pathogenesis of
      virus-related autoimmune and lymphoproliferative disorders, ranging from clonal
      expansion of B-cells with organ and non-organ-specific autoantibody production up
      to overt non-Hodgkin's lymphoma along a continuous step-by-step model of B-cell
      lymphomagenesis, where the intermediated mixed cryoglobulinemia could be
      considered as a stage of suppressible antigen-driven lymphoproliferation. The HCV
      long-lasting extrahepatic replicative state generates an abnormal systemic
      immunological response, including rheumatoid factor (RF) and cryo- and non
      cryoprecipitable immune complexes, as well as clinical manifestations, comprising
      dermatitis, polyarthralgias and arthritis, pulmonary disease, aplastic anemia,
      glomerulonephritis and vasculitis. The mechanism of these extra-hepatic disorders
      is thought of as linked to immune complex disease, but their pathogenesis is
      poorly clarified. Immune-suppressive treatment could induce high-level hepatitis
      C viremia and impair hepatic disease. We report a female patient, whose chronic
      HCV-related liver cirrhosis with associated explosive, but oligosymptomatic
      lymphoproliferative immune response, i.e., RF beyond three thousand times the
      upper of normal range (unr), type II cryoglobulinemia with cryocrit 40% and
      monoclonal gammopathy IgM-k, has been successfully and safely treated by long
      lasting (sixty-six months) combined antiviral therapy (pegylated interferon alfa
      and ribavirin), at moderate and tapering dose regimen, prolonged for nearly 24
      months after the first viral suppression. At the last follow-up (fifty-one
      months), the patient was showing very-long term antiviral response, progressive
      decline of secondary immune activation and absence of significant side-effects.
      Further research is required to fully verify the real impact on therapeutic
      choice/regimen. 

PMID- 26101867
TI  - Hepatoma-Derived Growth Factor: Its Possible Involvement in the Progression of
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - The development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an important complication of
      viral infection induced by hepatitis virus C, and our major research theme is to
      identify a new growth factor related to the progression of HCC. HDGF (hepatoma
      derived growth factor) is a novel growth factor that belongs to a new gene
      family. HDGF was initially purified from the conditioned medium of a hepatoma
      cell line. HDGF promotes cellular proliferation as a DNA binding nuclear factor
      and a secreted protein acting via a receptor-mediated pathway. HDGF is a unique
      multi-functional protein that can function as a growth factor, angiogenic factor
      and anti-apoptotic factor and it participates in the development and progression
      of various malignant diseases. The expression level of HDGF may be an independent
      prognostic factor for predicting the disease-free and overall survival in
      patients with various malignancies, including HCC. Furthermore, the
      overexpression of HDGF promotes the proliferation of HCC cells, while a reduction
      in the HDGF expression inhibits the proliferation of HCC cells. This article
      provides an overview of the characteristics of HDGF and describes the potential
      role of HDGF as a growth-promoting factor for HCC. 

PMID- 26101868
TI  - Expression Profiling of Circulating MicroRNAs in Canine Myxomatous Mitral Valve
      Disease.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that have shown promise as
      noninvasive biomarkers in cardiac disease. This study was undertaken to
      investigate the miRNA expression profile in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve
      disease (MMVD). 277 miRNAs were quantified using RT-qPCR from six normal dogs
      (American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Stage A), six dogs with MMVD
      mild to moderate cardiac enlargement (ACVIM Stage B1/B2) and six dogs with MMVD
      and congestive heart failure (ACVIM Stage C/D). Eleven miRNAs were differentially
      expressed (False Discovery Rate < 0.05). Dogs in Stage B1/B2 or C/D had four
      upregulated miRNAs, including three cfa-let-7/cfa-miR-98 family members, while
      seven others were downregulated, compared to Stage A. Expression of six of the 11
      miRNAs also were significantly different between dogs in Stage C/D and those in
      Stage B1/B2. The expression changes were greater as disease severity increased.
      These miRNAs may be candidates for novel biomarkers and may provide insights into
      genetic regulatory pathways in canine MMVD. 

PMID- 26101869
TI  - Novel Therapeutic GPCRs for Psychiatric Disorders.
AB  - G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the most common targets of the
      neuropharmacological drugs in the central nervous system (CNS). GPCRs are
      activated by manifold neurotransmitters, and their activation in turn evokes slow
      synaptic transmission. They are deeply involved in multiple neurological and
      psychiatric disorders such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. In the
      brain, the striatum is strongly innervated by the ventral tegmental area (VTA)
      and plays a central role in manifestation of psychiatric disorders. Recently,
      anatomical and comprehensive transcriptome analysis of the non-odorant GPCR
      superfamily revealed that the orphan GPCRs GPR88, GPR6, and GPR52, as well as
      dopamine D1 and D2 receptors and the adenosine A2a receptor, are the most highly
      enriched in the rodent striatum. Genetically engineered animal models and
      molecular biological studies have suggested that these striatally enriched GPCRs
      have a potential to be therapeutic psychiatric receptors. This review summarizes
      the current understanding of the therapeutic GPCR candidates for psychiatric
      disorders. 

PMID- 26101871
TI  - Current surgical management of macroglossia.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To discuss the current surgical management of macroglossia.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Traditional surgical management of severe macroglossia has been
      with anterior wedge or keyhole resection. Long-term follow-up has been limited,
      and only recently have assessments been done regarding functional and aesthetic
      outcomes. New methods including double stellate and combination approaches have
      shown promise, though with limited case size reports. Addressing macroglossia in
      three dimensions may be the most effective way of achieving positive positional,
      speech and aesthetic outcomes, but comparative studies are lacking. Other causes
      of macroglossia, such as vascular malformations, can be managed with less
      aggressive measures such as laser and radio-frequency ablation. SUMMARY: The
      aggressiveness of the management should match the severity of the symptoms. The
      anterior wedge resection and modified keyhole incisions are the most well studied
      operative strategies. Short and long-term outcome data are limited, and neither
      method is definitively superior. Less aggressive measures are options for less
      severe macroglossia. Surgical management of macroglossia should be tailored to
      each individual patient and in accordance to surgeon experience and expertise.

PMID- 26101872
TI  - Update in disease-specific quality-of-life studies in facial plastic surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Improvements in the quality of life (QOL) of patients
      undergoing facial plastic and reconstructive surgery are readily apparent to any
      practitioner performing these procedures and interacting with these patients.
      However, proving these benefits objectively has become ever more important in the
      current practice environment and there has been a body of literature reported to
      address this need. RECENT FINDINGS: As techniques for facial reanimation,
      revision cleft surgery and other procedures are further developed and the
      tailored treatments of these ailments are honed, the body of literature for QOL
      improvements is growing. A better understanding of the nature of these disorders
      and the elements that are more impactful to patients has led to procedures that
      more specifically address these objectives and improve functional and
      psychological outcomes. SUMMARY: Interest in QOL data to support the
      interventions performed by facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons has and
      will continue to expand. The addition of QOL surveys to everyday practice,
      reporting of objective data in the literature and most importantly the focus of
      the practitioner on improving the patient's overall health and welfare are
      testaments to the tailoring of practice to not only address the functional and
      cosmetic goals but also the overall wellbeing.

PMID- 26101870
TI  - Circulating Cell-Free Tumour DNA in the Management of Cancer.
AB  - With the development of new sensitive molecular techniques, circulating cell-free
      tumour DNA containing mutations can be identified in the plasma of cancer
      patients. The applications of this technology may result in significant changes
      to the care and management of cancer patients. Whilst, currently, these "liquid
      biopsies" are used to supplement the histological diagnosis of cancer and
      metastatic disease, in the future these assays may replace the need for invasive
      procedures. Applications include the monitoring of tumour burden, the monitoring
      of minimal residual disease, monitoring of tumour heterogeneity, monitoring of
      molecular resistance and early diagnosis of tumours and metastatic disease. 

PMID- 26101873
TI  - Dentoalveolar reconstruction: modern approaches.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A variety of bone grafting materials is available to
      facilitate the augmentation of defective alveolar ridges. This review evaluates
      current literature regarding bone grafting materials with emphasis on autologous
      and allogeneic bone block augmentation. RECENT FINDINGS: Autogenous bone is a
      reliable grafting material providing predictable long-term results with high
      implant survival/success rates and low morbidity rates. The resorption properties
      of the iliac crest are well known and are compared with calvarial grafts more
      prominent. Recent studies demonstrated surgical techniques to prevent graft
      resorption after iliac crest grafting. Allogeneic block graft and implant
      survival rates appear promising in short-term clinical studies. SUMMARY: At this
      stage, iliac crest remains the gold standard in large alveolar bone defects.
      Autogenous material is not a panacea; however, none of the available materials
      can currently surpass it. Rather, each material has its specific advantage for
      certain indications. Evident long-term studies of allogeneic bone grafting are
      lacking. Detected cells in allogeneic bone substitute material are positive for
      major histocompatibility complex classes I and II. Despite the promising clinical
      results achieved with allogeneic bone grafts, the current literature lacks
      sufficient data on antigenicity.

PMID- 26101874
TI  - Management of orbital tumours.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The management of orbital tumours has evolved significantly
      over the last two decades, as the body of knowledge about these tumours grows and
      new techniques are introduced that reduce surgical morbidity. The purpose of this
      review is to highlight and evaluate the most recent advancements in the
      management of these tumours. RECENT FINDINGS: Several recent retrospective series
      emphasize the broad range of pathologic processes that can arise within the
      orbit. In addition, there have been a number of recent studies describing
      advances in endonasal endoscopic techniques for resection of orbital tumours.
      SUMMARY: This articles summarizes the current opinion regarding the management of
      orbital tumours. Recent studies reviewing the range of diseases that affect the
      orbit and technical advances are summarized.

PMID- 26101875
TI  - Current trends in medical management of infantile hemangioma.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Infantile hemangiomas are the most common benign, soft-tissue
      tumors of infancy, affecting between 5 and 10% of newborns, and up to 30% of
      premature infants. Morbidity may include disfigurement and scarring, difficulty
      in feeding, ulceration, vision loss, airway compromise, congestive heart failure,
      and death. Advances in understanding the pathogenesis of infantile hemangiomas
      have given rise to a number of promising treatments. This article reviews the
      current options for medical management of infantile hemangiomas. RECENT FINDINGS:
      In the proliferative phase of infantile hemangiomas, vascular endothelial growth
      factor and basic fibroblast growth factor have shown increased expression, and
      vascular endothelial growth factor expression has been up-regulated by adrenergic
      stimulation. Moreover, the role of the renin-angiotensin system in the
      pathogenesis of infantile hemangiomas has been demonstrated. Numerous medical
      options have been under investigation. Since 2008, propanolol has become the
      first-line therapy, whereas other medical treatments are used less frequently or
      when propanolol is unsuccessful. SUMMARY: Propranolol has been recently adopted
      as the first-line medical treatment for complicated infantile hemangiomas.
      Although emerging treatment options and modalities have shown promising results,
      there need to be high-quality multicenter randomized trials to support these
      preliminary data.

PMID- 26101876
TI  - Botulinum toxin in the management of facial paralysis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Complete flaccid facial paralysis, as well as the synkinetic
      and hyperkinetic sequelae of partial recovery, has significant impact on quality
      of life. Patients suffer from functional deficiencies, cosmetic deformity,
      discomfort and social consequences leading to emotional distress. Despite an
      extensive and sophisticated array of available interventions for facial
      reanimation, most patients have persistent issues that require consistent follow
      up. In long-term management, botulinum toxin (BT) injection remains a critical
      tool in the treatment of the facial paralysis patient, particularly in the case
      of synkinesis, hyperkinesis and imbalance. We review the recent scientific
      literature and highlight key principles and developments in the use of BT in the
      management of facial paralysis, including less common applications for acute
      facial paralysis, hyperlacrimation and pseudoptosis. RECENT FINDINGS: We reviewed
      the literature for the latest advances in the use of BT in facial paralysis,
      including applications and technique, as well as measurement tools and adjunct
      exercises. We also share our experience in treating our own patient population.
      SUMMARY: BT continues to be a well tolerated and effective tool in the long-term
      management of facial paralysis, specifically in treating synkinesis, imbalance
      and hyperkinesis, as well as hyperlacrimation and pseudoptosis. Consistent
      measurement tools and adjunct neuromuscular retraining are crucial in the
      successful deployment of BT. Controversy exists as to whether BT should be used
      to manage facial paralysis during the acute phase, and whether BT application to
      the nonparalyzed face can improve long-term recovery in the paralyzed side.

PMID- 26101877
TI  - Density and length in the neighborhood: Explaining cross-linguistic differences
      in learning to read in English and Dutch.
AB  - Two experiments examined underlying cognitive processes that may explain why it
      is harder to learn to read in English than in more transparent orthographies such
      as German and Dutch. Participants were English and Dutch readers from Grades 3
      and 4. Experiment 1 probed the transition from serial to more parallel
      processing, as measured by the word length effect for words and pseudowords.
      English children took longer to make the transition to more parallel reading
      strategies for words than Dutch children. In contrast, Dutch children continued
      to use more serial reading strategies for pseudowords. Experiment 2 investigated
      children's sensitivity to the orthographic overlap between words, as measured by
      the size of orthographic neighborhood effects for words and pseudowords. Children
      reading Dutch showed greater sensitivity to the overlap between both words and
      pseudowords than English children. Cross-linguistic differences in the transition
      from serial to parallel reading strategies are discussed within the framework
      offered by the self-teaching hypothesis and the orthographic depth hypothesis.
      Finally, it is argued that differences between the two languages in the effect of
      orthographic neighborhood size are a result of cross-linguistic differences in
      orthographic density and not cross-linguistic differences in orthographic
      transparency. 

PMID- 26101878
TI  - Young children's acceptance of within-species variation: Implications for
      essentialism and teaching evolution.
AB  - Neglecting within-species variation plays a crucial role in students'
      misconceptions about adaptation by natural selection. Prior research on the
      development of this propensity suggests that this neglect is due to a strong
      early-arising essentialist bias to treat species as invariant. Across two
      studies, we examined the strength of this bias by exploring 5- and 6-year-olds'
      and 7- and 8-year-olds' assumptions about variation in contexts similar to those
      used in a recent early educational intervention teaching adaptation. In Study 1,
      children heard about fictitious animals' physical and behavioral traits and their
      beneficial functions. They then judged whether all other species members would
      vary or be invariant on those traits. Across age groups, children showed a
      marginal essentialist tendency to reject variation. In Study 2, the same method
      was used, but all references to beneficial trait functions were removed. The 5-
      and 6-year-olds' responding did not differ from Study 1, but the 7- and 8-year
      olds' acceptance of variation increased to above chance rates. Parental religious
      and evolution beliefs correlated with younger children's responses but not with
      older children's responses. Together, the findings suggest that under certain
      facilitative contexts children display greater abilities to represent variation
      than assumptions of a robust and inflexible essentialist bias would predict. By 7
      to 8 years of age, children displayed autonomy from their parents' beliefs and
      tended to expect variation. However, priming their teleological intuitions
      undermined their non-essentialist expectations. Theoretical and educational
      implications are discussed.

PMID- 26101880
TI  - Trophic Strategies of a Non-Native and a Native Amphibian Species in Shared
      Ponds.
AB  - One of the critical factors for understanding the establishment, success and
      potential impact on native species of an introduced species is a thorough
      knowledge of how these species manage trophic resources. Two main trophic
      strategies for resource acquisition have been described: competition and
      opportunism. In the present study our objective was to identify the main trophic
      strategies of the non-native amphibian Discoglossus pictus and its potential
      trophic impact on the native amphibian Bufo calamita. We determine whether D.
      pictus exploits similar trophic resources to those exploited by the native B.
      calamita (competition hypothesis) or alternative resources (opportunistic
      hypothesis). To this end, we analyzed the stable isotope values of nitrogen and
      carbon in larvae of both species, in natural ponds and in controlled laboratory
      conditions. The similarity of the delta15N and delta13C values in the two species
      coupled with isotopic signal variation according to pond conditions and niche
      partitioning when they co-occurred indicated dietary competition. Additionally,
      the non-native species was located at higher levels of trophic niches than the
      native species and B. calamita suffered an increase in its standard ellipse area
      when it shared ponds with D. pictus. These results suggest niche displacement of
      B. calamita to non-preferred resources and greater competitive capacity of D.
      pictus in field conditions. Moreover, D. pictus showed a broader niche than the
      native species in all conditions, indicating increased capacity to exploit the
      diversity of resources; this may indirectly favor its invasiveness. Despite the
      limitations of this study (derived from potential variability in pond isotopic
      signals), the results support previous experimental studies. All the studies
      indicate that D. pictus competes with B. calamita for trophic resources with
      potential negative effects on the fitness of the latter. 

PMID- 26101881
TI  - Infected Nonhealing Wound in a Kidney Transplant Recipient: Successful Treatment
      With Topical Homologous Platelet-Rich Gel.
AB  - Impaired would healing is a known adverse effect of chronic immunosuppression.
      Solid-organ transplant recipients undergoing major abdominal surgery have an
      increased risk of wound-related complications compared with the general
      population. In this subset of patients, surgical site infections and wound
      dehiscence must be aggressively treated to avoid sepsis, graft loss, and death.
      Recently, topical application of platelet-rich plasma has been proposed as an
      alternative therapeutic option to enhance wound healing in difficult cases.
      Unfortunately, randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of platelet
      rich plasma compared with standard or advanced wound management are lacking, and
      the literature mostly refers to anecdotal reports in patients with no evidence of
      wound infection. This report documents a kidney transplant recipient who
      experienced spontaneous bladder rupture because of gangrenous cystitis. After an
      exploratory laparotomy and bladder repair, the patient developed a deep surgical
      site infection by multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and extensive wound
      dehiscence. Advanced wound management and vacuum-assisted closure therapy were
      ineffective. Topical homologous platelet-rich gel was used resulting in
      significant wound healing, without infections or immunologic complications.

PMID- 26101879
TI  - CT Screening for Lung Cancer: Nonsolid Nodules in Baseline and Annual Repeat
      Rounds.
AB  - PURPOSE: To address the frequency of identifying nonsolid nodules, diagnosing
      lung cancer manifesting as such nodules, and the long-term outcome after
      treatment in a prospective cohort, the International Early Lung Cancer Action
      Program. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 57,496 participants underwent baseline
      and subsequent annual repeat computed tomographic (CT) screenings according to an
      institutional review board, HIPAA-compliant protocol. Informed consent was
      obtained. The frequency of participants with nonsolid nodules, the course of the
      nodule at follow-up, and the resulting diagnoses of lung cancer, treatment, and
      outcome are given separately for baseline and annual repeat rounds of screening.
      The chi(2) statistic was used to compare percentages. RESULTS: A nonsolid nodule
      was identified in 2392 (4.2%) of 57,496 baseline screenings, and pathologic
      pursuit led to the diagnosis of 73 cases of adenocarcinoma. A new nonsolid nodule
      was identified in 485 (0.7%) of 64,677 annual repeat screenings, and 11 had a
      diagnosis of stage I adenocarcinoma; none were in nodules 15 mm or larger in
      diameter. Nonsolid nodules resolved or decreased more frequently in annual repeat
      than in baseline rounds (322 [66%] of 485 vs 628 [26%] of 2392, P < .0001).
      Treatment of the cases of lung cancer was with lobectomy in 55, bilobectomy in
      two, sublobar resection in 26, and radiation therapy in one. Median time to
      treatment was 19 months (interquartile range [IQR], 6-41 months). A solid
      component had developed in 22 cases prior to treatment (median transition time
      from nonsolid to part-solid, 25 months). The lung cancer-survival rate was 100%
      with median follow-up since diagnosis of 78 months (IQR, 45-122 months).
      CONCLUSION: Nonsolid nodules of any size can be safely followed with CT at 12
      month intervals to assess transition to part-solid. Surgery was 100% curative in
      all cases, regardless of the time to treatment.

PMID- 26101882
TI  - Interaction Effects of Social Isolation and Peripheral Work Position on Risk of
      Disability Pension: A Prospective Study of Swedish Women and Men.
AB  - PURPOSE: The study examines various combinations of levels of social isolation in
      private life and peripheral work position as predictors of disability pension
      (DP). A second aim was to test the potential interaction effects (above
      additivity) of social isolation and peripheral work position on the future risk
      of DP, and to provide results for men and women by age. METHOD: The study was
      based on a sample of 45567 women and men from the Swedish population who had been
      interviewed between 1992 and 2007. Further information on DP and diagnoses was
      obtained from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency's database (1993-2011). The
      studied predictors were related to DP using Cox's proportional hazard regression.
      The analyses were stratified on sex and age (20-39 years, 40-64 years), with
      control for selected confounders. RESULTS: Increased risks of DP were found for
      most combinations of social isolation and peripheral work position in all strata.
      The hazard ratios (HRs) for joint exposure to high degree of social isolation and
      a peripheral work position were particularly strong among men aged 20-39 (HR
      5.70; CI 95% 3.74-8.69) and women aged 20-39 (HR 4.07; CI 2.99-5.56). An
      interaction effect from combined exposure was found for women in both age groups
      as well as a tendency in the same direction among young men. However, after
      confounder control the effects did not reach significance. CONCLUSIONS:
      Individuals who were socially isolated and in a peripheral work position had an
      increased risk of future DP. The fact that an interaction effect was found among
      women indicates that a combination of social isolation and peripheral work
      position may reinforce adverse health effects. There was no evidence that a
      peripheral work position can be compensated by a high degree of social
      intergration in private life.

PMID- 26101883
TI  - Gastrointestinal Disorder Associated with Olmesartan Mimics Autoimmune
      Enteropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Anti-hypertensive treatment with the angiotensin II
      receptor antagonist olmesartan is a rare cause of severe Sprue-like enteropathy.
      To substantiate the hypothesis that olmesartan interferes with gut immune
      homeostasis, clinical, histopathological and immune features were compared in
      olmesartan-induced-enteropathy (OIE) and in autoimmune enteropathy (AIE).
      METHODS: Medical files of seven patients with OIE and 4 patients with AIE
      enrolled during the same period were retrospectively reviewed. Intestinal
      biopsies were collected for central histopathological review, T cell Receptor
      clonality and flow cytometric analysis of isolated intestinal lymphocytes.
      RESULTS: Among seven olmesartan-treated patients who developed villous atrophy
      refractory to a gluten free diet, three had extra-intestinal autoimmune diseases,
      two had antibodies reacting with the 75 kilodalton antigen characteristic of AIE
      and one had serum anti-goblet cell antibodies. Small intestinal lesions and signs
      of intestinal lymphocyte activation were thus reminiscent of the four cases of
      AIE diagnosed during the same period. Before olmesartan discontinuation,
      remission was induced in all patients (7/7) by immunosuppressive drugs. After
      interruption of both olmesartan and immunosuppressive drugs in six patients,
      remission was maintained in 4 but anti-TNF-alpha therapy was needed in two.
      CONCLUSION: This case-series shows that olmesartan can induce intestinal damage
      mimicking AIE. OIE usually resolved after olmesartan interruption but
      immunosuppressive drugs may be necessary to achieve remission. Our data sustain
      the hypothesis that olmesartan interferes with intestinal immuno regulation in
      predisposed individuals.

PMID- 26101884
TI  - Polychlorinated Biphenyls Induce Mitochondrial Dysfunction in SH-SY5Y
      Neuroblastoma Cells.
AB  - Chronic exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), ubiquitous environmental
      contaminants, can adversely affect the development and function of the nervous
      system. Here we evaluated the effect of PCB exposure on mitochondrial function
      using the PCB mixture Aroclor-1254 (A1254) in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. A 6
      hour exposure to A1254 (5 MUg/ml) reduced cellular ATP production by 45%+/-7, and
      mitochondrial membrane potential, detected by TMRE, by 49%+/-7. Consistently,
      A1254 significantly decreased oxidative phosphorylation and aerobic glycolysis
      measured by extracellular flux analyzer. Furthermore, the activity of
      mitochondrial protein complexes I, II, and IV, but not V (ATPase), measured by BN
      PAGE technique, was significantly reduced after 6-hour exposure to A1254. The
      addition of pyruvic acid during exposure to A1254 significantly prevent A1254
      induced cell injury, restoring resting mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP
      levels, oxidative phosphorylation and aerobic glycolysis. Furthermore, pyruvic
      acid significantly preserved the activity of mitochondrial complexes I, II and IV
      and increased basal activity of complex V. Collectively, the present results
      indicate that the neurotoxicity of A1254 depends on the impairment of oxidative
      phosphorylation, aerobic glycolysis, and mitochondrial complexes I, II, and IV
      activity and it was counteracted by pyruvic acid. 

PMID- 26101885
TI  - Latitudinal Gradient in Otolith Shape among Local Populations of Atlantic Herring
      (Clupea harengus L.) in Norway.
AB  - Otolith shape analysis of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in Norwegian waters
      shows significant differentiation among fjords and a latitudinal gradient along
      the coast where neighbouring populations are more similar to each other than to
      those sampled at larger distances. The otolith shape was obtained using
      quantitative shape analysis, the outlines were transformed with Wavelet and
      analysed with multivariate methods. The observed morphological differences are
      likely to reflect environmental differences but indicate low dispersal among the
      local herring populations. Otolith shape variation suggests also limited exchange
      between the local populations and their oceanic counterparts, which could be due
      to differences in spawning behaviour. Herring from the most northerly location
      (69 degrees N) in Balsfjord, which is genetically more similar to Pacific herring
      (Clupea pallasii), differed in otolith shape from all the other populations. Our
      results suggest that the semi-enclosed systems, where the local populations live
      and breed, are efficient barriers for dispersal. Otolith shape can thus serve as
      a marker to identify the origin of herring along the coast of Norway. 

PMID- 26101888
TI  - Size and Structure of Clusters Formed by Shear Induced Coagulation: Modeling by
      Discrete Element Method.
AB  - The coagulation process has a dramatic impact on the properties of dispersions of
      colloidal particles including the change of optical, rheological, as well as
      texture properties. We model the behavior of a colloidal dispersion with moderate
      particle volume fraction, that is, 5 wt %, subjected to high shear rates
      employing the time-dependent Discrete Element Method (DEM) in three spatial
      dimensions. The Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory was used to model
      noncontact interparticle interactions, while contact mechanics was described by
      the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) theory of adhesion. The obtained results
      demonstrate that the steady-state size of the produced clusters is a strong
      function of the applied shear rate, primary particle size, and the surface energy
      of the particles. Furthermore, it was found that the cluster size is determined
      by the maximum adhesion force between the primary particles and not the adhesion
      energy. This observation is in agreement with several simulation studies and is
      valid for the case when the particle-particle contact is elastic and no plastic
      deformation occurs. These results are of major importance, especially for the
      emulsion polymerization process, during which the fouling of reactors and piping
      causes significant financial losses. 

PMID- 26101886
TI  - Use of Electronic Loggers to Measure Changes in the Rates of Hand Washing with
      Soap in Low-Income Urban Households in India.
AB  - We evaluated the utility of electronic loggers to measure the effects of a simple
      intervention designed to influence the rates of hand washing with soap within
      enclosed toilets and bathrooms in low-income urban households in Kerala, India.
      58 households were given three items with embedded electronic loggers for a
      period of 2-5 days. Two logged soaps tracked hand and body washing in the
      bathroom. The third logged item was a water vessel used for flushing the toilet
      and for post-defecation anal cleansing; this served as a marker of toilet use. In
      addition, 28 households in a Soap by toilet arm were given an additional logged
      soap, to be kept by the toilet, and used for hand washing. Compared with the Soap
      in bathroom arm, the loggers in the Soap by toilet households recorded 73%
      greater daily use of soaps designated for hand washing (t(36)=2.92, p<0.01) and
      172% greater use within 2 minutes of the use of the water vessel (t(36)=3.51, p =
      0.001). We conclude that the loggers were capable of detecting changes in the
      rates of hand washing with soap and changes in hand washing with soap after use
      of the toilet. Further adoption of logger technologies would enable more
      insightful studies of hand washing within urban environments. 

PMID- 26101887
TI  - Persistence of Pathogenic and Non-Pathogenic Escherichia coli Strains in Various
      Tropical Agricultural Soils of India.
AB  - The persistence of Shiga-like toxin producing E. coli (STEC) strains in the
      agricultural soil creates serious threat to human health through fresh vegetables
      growing on them. However, the survival of STEC strains in Indian tropical soils
      is not yet understood thoroughly. Additionally how the survival of STEC strain in
      soil diverges with non-pathogenic and genetically modified E. coli strains is
      also not yet assessed. Hence in the present study, the survival pattern of STEC
      strain (O157-TNAU) was compared with non-pathogenic (MTCC433) and genetically
      modified (DH5alpha) strains on different tropical agricultural soils and on a
      vegetable growing medium, cocopeat under controlled condition. The survival
      pattern clearly discriminated DH5alpha from MTCC433 and O157-TNAU, which had
      shorter life (40 days) than those compared (60 days). Similarly, among the soils
      assessed, the red laterite and tropical latosol supported longer survival of O157
      TNAU and MTCC433 as compared to wetland and black cotton soils. In cocopeat, O157
      recorded significantly longer survival than other two strains. The survival data
      were successfully analyzed using Double-Weibull model and the modeling parameters
      were correlated with soil physico-chemical and biological properties using
      principal component analysis (PCA). The PCA of all the three strains revealed
      that pH, microbial biomass carbon, dehydrogenase activity and available N and P
      contents of the soil decided the survival of E. coli strains in those soils and
      cocopeat. The present research work suggests that the survival of O157 differs in
      tropical Indian soils due to varied physico-chemical and biological properties
      and the survival is much shorter than those reported in temperate soils. As the
      survival pattern of non-pathogenic strain, MTCC433 is similar to O157-TNAU in
      tropical soils, the former can be used as safe model organism for open field
      studies. 

PMID- 26101889
TI  - B(C6F5)3-Catalyzed Hydrodesulfurization Using Hydrosilanes--Metal-Free Reduction
      of Sulfides.
AB  - B(C6F5)3-catalyzed hydrodesulfurization of carbon-sulfur bonds was achieved using
      triethylsilane as the reducing agent. The corresponding products were obtained in
      good yields under mild reaction conditions. This protocol could be applied to the
      reduction of sulfides, including benzyl and alkyl sulfides and dithianes, with
      high chemoselectivities. 

PMID- 26101890
TI  - Solid-State (63)Cu, (65)Cu, and (31)P NMR Spectroscopy of Photoluminescent
      Copper(I) Triazole Phosphine Complexes.
AB  - The results of a solid-state (63/65)Cu and (31)P NMR investigation of several
      copper(I) complexes with functionalized 3-(2'-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazole and
      phosphine ligands that have shown potential in the preparation of
      photoluminescent devices are reported. For each complex studied, distinct NMR
      parameters, with moderate (63)Cu nuclear quadrupolar coupling constant (CQ)
      values ranging from -17.2 to -23.7 MHz, are attributed to subtle variations in
      the distorted four-coordinate environments about the copper nuclei. The spans of
      the copper chemical shift (CS) tensors, delta11-delta33, for the mono- and
      bisphosphine complexes are also similar, ranging from 1000 to 1150 ppm, but that
      for a complex with a strained bidentate phosphine ligand is only 650 ppm. The
      effects of residual dipolar and indirect spin-spin coupling arising from the
      (63/65)Cu- (31)P spin pairs, observed in the solid-state (31)P NMR spectra of
      these complexes, yield information about the orientations of the copper electric
      field gradient (EFG) tensors relative to the Cu-P bond. Variable-temperature
      (31)P NMR measurements for [Cu(bptzH)(dppe)]ClO4 (bptzH = 5-tert-butyl-3-(2'
      pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazole; dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane), undertaken to
      investigate the cause of the broad unresolved spectra observed at room
      temperature, demonstrate that the broadening arises from partial self-decoupling
      of the (63/65)Cu nuclei, a consequence of rapid quadrupolar relaxation. Ab initio
      calculations of copper EFG and CS tensors were performed to probe relationships
      between NMR parameters and molecular structure. The analysis demonstrated that
      CQ((63/65)Cu) is negative for all complexes studied here and that the largest
      components of the EFG tensors are generally coincident with delta11. 

PMID- 26101891
TI  - Light controllable surface coating for effective photothermal killing of
      bacteria.
AB  - Although the electronic properties of conducting films have been widely explored
      in optoelectronic fields, the optical absorption abilities of surface-coated
      films for photothermal conversion have been relatively less explored in the
      production of antibacterial coatings. Here, we present catechol-conjugated
      poly(vinylpyrrolidone) sulfobetaine (PVPS) and polyaniline (PANI) tightly linked
      by ionic interaction (PVPS:PANI) as a novel photothermal antibacterial agent for
      surface coating, which can absorb broadband near-infrared (NIR) light. Taking
      advantage of the NIR light absorption, this coating film can release eminent
      photothermal heat for the rapid killing of surface bacteria. The NIR light
      triggers a sharp rise in photothermal heat, providing the rapid and effective
      killing of 99.9% of the Gram-positive and -negative bacteria tested within 3 min
      of NIR light exposure when used at the concentration of 1 mg/mL. Although
      considerable progress has been made in the design of antibacterial coatings, the
      user control of NIR-irradiated rapid photothermal destruction of surface bacteria
      holds increasing attention beyond the traditional boundaries of typical
      antibacterial surfaces. 

PMID- 26101892
TI  - pH-Sensitive Polymeric Nanoparticles with Gold(I) Compound Payloads
      Synergistically Induce Cancer Cell Death through Modulation of Autophagy.
AB  - Various nanomaterials have been demonstrated as autophagy inducers owing to their
      endocytosis cell uptake pathway and impairment of lysosomes. pH-dependent
      nanomaterials as drug delivery systems that are capable of dissociating in weakly
      acidic lysosomal environment (pH 4-5) and consequently releasing the payloads
      into the cytoplasm have been paid extensive attention, but their autophagy
      modulating effects are less reported so far. In this study, we report pH
      sensitive micelle-like nanoparticles (NPs) that self-assembled from poly(beta
      amino ester)s to induce cell autophagy. By encapsulation of gold(I) compounds
      (Au(I)) into hydrophobic domains of NPs, the resultant Au(I)-loaded NPs
      (Au(I)?NPs) shows synergistic cancer cell killing performance. The Au(I)?NPs
      enter cells through endocytosis pathway and accumulate into acidic lysosomes.
      Subsequently, the protonation of tertiary amines of poly(beta-amino ester)s
      triggers the dissociation of micelles, damages the lysosomes, and blocks
      formation of autolysosomes from fusion of lysosomes with autophagosomes. In
      addition, Au(I) preferentially inhibits thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) in MCF-7
      human breast cancer cells that directly links to up-regulate reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) and consequently induce autophagy and apoptosis. The blockade of
      autophagy leads to excessive depletion of cellular organelles and essential
      proteins and ultimately results in cell death. Therefore, pH-sensitive polymeric
      nanoparticles with gold(I) compound payloads can synergistically induce cancer
      cell death through regulation of autophagy. Identification of the pH-sensitive
      nanomaterials for synergistically inducing cell death through regulation
      autophagy may open a new avenue for cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26101894
TI  - Temperature Dependence of Low-Frequency Spectra in Molten
      Bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide Salts of Imidazolium Cations Studied by
      Femtosecond Raman-Induced Kerr Effect Spectroscopy.
AB  - In this study, the temperature dependence of the low-frequency spectra of liquid
      bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide salts of the monocations 1-methyl-3
      propylimidazolium and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium and the dications 1,6-bis(3
      methylimidazolium-1-yl)hexane and 1,12-bis(3-methylimidazolium-1-yl)dodecane has
      been investigated by means of femtosecond optical heterodyne-detected Raman
      induced Kerr effect spectroscopy. The intensity in the low-frequency region below
      20 cm(-1) in the spectra of the four ionic liquids increases with rising
      temperature. From a line-shape analysis of the broadened low-frequency spectra of
      the ionic liquids, it is clear that the lowest-frequency component, which peaks
      at approximately 5 cm(-1), contributes to the temperature dependence of the
      spectra. This implies that the activity of the intermolecular translational
      vibrational motion is increasing with rising temperature. It is also possible
      that decoupling in the crossover process between intermolecular vibrational
      motion and structural relaxation occurs as a result of a deterioration of the non
      Markovian feature or the loss of memory caused by the higher temperature. The
      peak of the highest-frequency component, which is due mainly to the imidazolium
      ring libration, shifts to lower frequency with increasing temperature. This is
      attributed to weaker interactions of the ionic liquids at higher temperatures.
      Temperature-dependent viscosities from 293 to 353 K of the four ionic liquids
      have also been characterized. 

PMID- 26101893
TI  - Physical activity, and not fat mass is a primary predictor of circadian
      parameters in young men.
AB  - Circadian rhythms are ~24 h oscillations in physiology and behavior, and
      disruptions have been shown to have negative effects on health. Wrist skin
      temperature has been used by several groups as a valid method of assessing
      circadian rhythms in humans. We tested the hypothesis that circadian temperature
      amplitude (TempAmp) and stability (TempStab) would significantly differ among
      groups of healthy young men of varying adiposities, and that we could identify
      physiological and behavioral measures that were significantly associated with
      these temperature parameters. Wrist skin temperatures taken at 10 min intervals
      for 7 consecutive days were determined in 18 optimal (OGroup), 20 fair (FGroup)
      and 21 poor (PGroup) %Fat grouped young men and subsequently analyzed using
      available validated software. Body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness,
      actigraphy, daily nutritional and sleep data, and fasting lipid, insulin and
      glucose concentration measures were also determined. Significant changes in
      TempAmp and TempStab parameters in subjects with a single metabolic syndrome
      (MetS) risk factor compared to those with no MetS factors was observed. In
      addition, stepwise multivariate regression analyses showed that 50% of the
      variance in TempAmp was explained by actigraphy (mean steps taken per day;
      MSTPD), cardiorespiratory fitness, and late night eating per week (#LNE); and 57%
      in TempStab by MSTPD, time spent in moderate-to-vigorous activity per day, fat
      mass, and #LNE. Overwhelmingly, physical activity was the most important measure
      associated with the differences in circadian rhythm parameters. Further research
      is warranted to determine the effects of increasing the amount and timing of
      physical activity on the status of the circadian system in a variety of
      populations. 

PMID- 26101896
TI  - Enhanced Fenton Catalytic Efficiency of gamma-Cu-Al2O3 by sigma-Cu2+-Ligand
      Complexes from Aromatic Pollutant Degradation.
AB  - Mesoporous Cu-doped gamma-Al2O3 (gamma-Cu-Al2O3) was prepared via an evaporation
      induced self-assembly process, in which Cu(+/2+) was co-incorporated into
      mesoporous gamma-Al2O3 by chemical bonding of Al-O-Cu. The catalyst was found to
      be highly effective and stable for the degradation and mineralization of aromatic
      pollutants, as demonstrated with bisphenol A, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid,
      ibuprofen, diphenhydramine, and phenytoin in the presence of H2O2 under neutral
      pH conditions. In addition, the high utilization efficiency of H2O2 was
      maintained at approximately 90% prior to the disappearance of the initial
      aromatic pollutants. On the basis of all of the characterization results, the
      pollutant degradation processes predominantly occurred on the surface of the
      catalyst due to the formation of sigma-Cu-ligand complexes between the phenolic
      OH group and the surface Cu. In the reaction system, in addition to the
      unselective oxidation by (*)OH, H2O2 directly attacked the sigma-Cu(2+)-complexes
      aromatic ring with the phenolic OH group, which resulted in the formation of
      (*)OH and HO-adduct radicals that were oxidized to hydroxylation products by
      reduction of Cu(2+) in the sigma-Cu(2+)-complexes to Cu(+). The process prevented
      Cu(2+) from oxidizing H2O2 to form HO2(*)/O2(*-) or O2, and enhanced the
      Cu(+)/Cu(2+) cycle, the formation of (*)OH, and the utilization efficiency of
      H2O2. Therefore, an extraordinarily high degradation and mineralization of the
      aromatic pollutants was observed. 

PMID- 26101897
TI  - Cell cycle and dystrophin dysregulation in GIST.

PMID- 26101895
TI  - Optimized Replicating Renilla Luciferase Reporter HIV-1 Utilizing Novel Internal
      Ribosome Entry Site Elements for Native Nef Expression and Function.
AB  - We previously developed replication-competent reporter HIV-1 (referred to herein
      as LucR.T2A reporter viruses), utilizing a "ribosome skipping" T2A peptide
      strategy to link Renilla luciferase (LucR) with Nef expression. The demonstrated
      utility for HIV-1 vaccine and transmission study applications included
      measurement of neutralizing antibody (NAb) activity in vaccine sera, improved
      cell-mediated virus inhibition assays, such as T cell-mediated virus inhibition
      and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) assays, and humanized
      mouse models. Herein, we extend our prior work and introduce reporter virus
      technology for applications that require fully functional Nef. We demonstrate
      that in CD4(+) T cells productively infected with LucR.T2A reporter viruses, T2A
      peptide-driven Nef expression and function, such as down-regulation of surface
      CD4 and MHC-I, were impaired. We overcame this limitation of LucR.T2A reporter
      viruses and achieved physiological Nef expression and function by engineering
      novel LucR reporter HIV-1 comprising 11 different internal ribosome entry site
      (IRES) elements chosen for size and relative activity. A range of Nef expression
      was observed in 293T cells transfected with the different LucR.IRES reporter
      virus constructs. Iteratively, we identified IRES reporter genomes that expressed
      Nef closest to physiological levels and produced virus with infectivity, titers,
      and replication kinetics similar to nonreporter viruses. Our results demonstrated
      that LucR reporter activity was stable over multiple replication cycles in
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Furthermore, we analyzed Nef
      functionality, i.e., down-modulation of MHC-I and CD4, following infection of T
      cell lines and PBMCs. Unlike LucR.T2A reporter virus, one of the redesigned
      LucR.IRES reporter viruses [containing the modified encephalomyocarditis virus
      (EMCV) 6ATR IRES element, "6ATRi"] demonstrated Nef expression and function
      similar to parental "nonreporter" virus. In a previously validated (nef
      independent) T cell-based NAb neutralization assay, LucR.6ATRi reporter virus
      performed indistinguishably from LucR.T2A reporter virus. In summary, reporter
      viruses comprising the "6ATRi" element promise to augment HIV-1 vaccine and
      transmission research approaches requiring a sensitive reporter readout combined
      with wild-type Nef function. 

PMID- 26101898
TI  - Fully 3D-Printed Preconcentrator for Selective Extraction of Trace Elements in
      Seawater.
AB  - In this study, we used a stereolithographic 3D printing technique and
      polyacrylate polymers to manufacture a solid phase extraction preconcentrator for
      the selective extraction of trace elements and the removal of unwanted salt
      matrices, enabling accurate and rapid analyses of trace elements in seawater
      samples when combined with a quadrupole-based inductively coupled plasma mass
      spectrometer. To maximize the extraction efficiency, we evaluated the effect of
      filling the extraction channel with ordered cuboids to improve liquid mixing.
      Upon automation of the system and optimization of the method, the device allowed
      highly sensitive and interference-free determination of Mn, Ni, Zn, Cu, Cd, and
      Pb, with detection limits comparable with those of most conventional methods. The
      system's analytical reliability was further confirmed through analyses of
      reference materials and spike analyses of real seawater samples. This study
      suggests that 3D printing can be a powerful tool for building multilayer fluidic
      manipulation devices, simplifying the construction of complex experimental
      components, and facilitating the operation of sophisticated analytical procedures
      for most sample pretreatment applications. 

PMID- 26101899
TI  - FGDF motif regulation of stress granule formation.
AB  - RNA stress granules (SGs) represent a cell-intrinsic antiviral defense mechanism.
      The assembly of SGs in response to viral infection is coordinated by the cellular
      protein G3BP, which is targeted by many viruses to block SG formation. We
      recently showed that proteins containing the short linear motif Phe-Gly-Asp-Phe
      (FGDF), bind G3BP in a hydrophobic groove on the surface of the nuclear transport
      factor-2-like domain. Binding in this manner blocks the ability of G3BP to form
      SGs and allows efficient replication of viruses carrying this motif. 

PMID- 26101900
TI  - Analysis of organic and elemental carbon in heating and non-heating periods in
      four locations of Beijing.
AB  - The concentrations of elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) in PM2.5
      atmospheric aerosol were measured at four different sites in Beijing: Beijing
      Olympic Forest Park (OF), Jiufeng National Forest Park (JF), Beijing Forestry
      University campus lawn (G), and roads near the Beijing Forestry University (S).
      The winter heating period concentrations were 30-45% higher than the spring non
      heating period. Possible reasons for this could be the severe convective weather
      in spring due to the temperate monsoon, deposition of PM2.5 to plants in spring,
      stable atmospheric conditions in winter, and/or a greater number of sources of
      carbonaceous aerosols in winter. The proportion of total carbon (i.e. EC + OC) in
      PM2.5 in Beijing is high. The OC/EC value was 2.45 (OF) and 2.39 (JF) in winter
      and 1.6 (OF) and 1.43 (JF) in spring. These ratios and the high correlation of OC
      with EC in the winter samples indicate a strong primary source of OC. Eight
      carbon fractions from the four different sampling locations were analysed, and
      the OC1-4 values were found to vary considerably. In winter, the OC1 values from
      all four sites were higher than the spring values. Although there were
      differences at each site, the percentages of OC2, OC3, EC1-OP, and EC2 were the
      largest. Secondary organic carbon (SOC) formed during long-range transport from
      the emission sources to the monitoring sites, and the increase of OC2 and OC3
      concentrations could be associated with SOC.

PMID- 26101901
TI  - AMBRA1: When autophagy meets cell proliferation.
AB  - A growing amount of evidence reported in the literature in recent years strongly
      supports the relevance of the interplay between autophagy and other pathways. In
      this context, the study of the link between autophagy and cell proliferation
      regulation has been among the most challenging. In our recent publications, we
      finely characterize a role for the pro-autophagic protein AMBRA1 in the
      regulation of cell proliferation. AMBRA1 modulates autophagy and interacts with
      PPP2/PP2A (protein phosphatase 2), thus also modulating MYC protein levels and
      the cell proliferation rate. Interestingly, this pathway of regulation is
      controlled by the master regulator of autophagy and cell growth, MTORC1. Notably,
      in our study we demonstrate the relevance of the AMBRA1-mediated regulation of
      MYC in tumorigenesis, also identifying AMBRA1 as a tumor suppressor gene. 

PMID- 26101902
TI  - The role of strength and power during performance of high intensity military
      tasks under heavy load carriage.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous research has investigated the physiological determinants of
      heavy load carriage while performing medium to long distance road marching, yet
      research examining the physiological underpinnings of high-intensity battlefield
      tasks is limited. This study sought to examine the role of strength and power
      during high-intensity combat tasks under heavy load carriage. METHODS: Eighteen
      recreationally trained men (mean+/-SD: age, 21+/-2 years; height, 172+/-6 cm;
      weight, 80+/-13 kg) participated in this study and performed an anaerobic combat
      course under 2 randomized experimental conditions; unloaded and loaded. Subjects
      performed 3 trials under each condition on separate days, with a 5-minute rest
      between each trial. In the unloaded trial, subjects wore a uniform with boots
      weighing approximately 3.2 kg. During the loaded trial, in addition to the
      uniform and boots, subjects wore Interceptor body armor (6.94 kg-9.10 kg) and a
      MOLLE rucksack weighing 30 kg. The course consisted of 3 consecutive tasks, which
      began from the prone position, led into a 30 m sprint, followed by a 27 m zigzag
      run, and ended with a 10 m casualty drag weighing approximately 79.4 kg. RESULTS:
      Pearson correlations showed significant (P<=.05) strong correlations between
      lower body strength (r=-0.63, -0.62), lower body power (r=-0.67, -0.67) and upper
      body strength (r=-0.60, -0.62) and overall performance times in the unloaded and
      loaded condition, respectively. CONCLUSION: Strength and power are strongly
      related to high-intensity military tasks with and without heavy load carriage.

PMID- 26101903
TI  - Musculoskeletal, biomechanical, and physiological gender differences in the US
      military.
AB  - The repeal of the Direct Ground Combat Assignment Rule has renewed focus on
      examining performance capabilities of female military personnel and their ability
      to occupy previously restricted military occupational specialties. Previous
      research has revealed female Soldiers suffer a greater proportion of
      musculoskeletal injuries compared to males, including a significantly higher
      proportion of lower extremity, knee, and overuse injuries. Potential differences
      may also exist in musculoskeletal, biomechanical, and physiological
      characteristics between male and female Soldiers requiring implementation of
      gender-specific training in order to mitigate injury risk and enhance
      performance. PURPOSE: To examine differences in musculoskeletal, biomechanical,
      and physiological characteristics in male and female Soldiers. METHODS: A total
      of 406 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Soldiers (348 male; 58 female)
      participated. Subjects underwent testing for flexibility, isokinetic and
      isometric strength (percent body weight), single-leg balance, lower body
      biomechanics during a stop jump and drop landing, body composition, anaerobic
      power/capacity, and aerobic capacity. Independent t tests assessed between-group
      comparisons. RESULTS: Women demonstrated significantly greater flexibility (P<.01
      P<.001) and better balance (P<=.001) than men. Men demonstrated significantly
      greater strength (P<=.001), aerobic capacity (47.5+/-7.6 vs 40.3+/-5.4 ml/kg/min,
      P<.001), anaerobic power (13.3+/-2.1 vs 9.5+/-1.7 W/kg, P<.001), and anaerobic
      capacity (7.8+/-1.0 vs 6.1+/-0.8 W/kg, P<.001) and lower body fat (20.1+/-7.5 vs
      26.7+/-5.7 (%BF), P<.001). Women demonstrated significantly greater hip flexion
      and knee valgus at initial contact during both the stop jump and drop landing
      tasks and greater knee flexion at initial contact during the drop landing task
      (P<.05-P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Gender differences exist in biomechanical,
      musculoskeletal, and physiological characteristics. Sex-specific interventions
      may aid in improving such characteristics to optimize physical readiness and
      decrease the injury risk during gender-neutral training, and decreasing between
      sex variability in performance characteristics may result in enhanced overall
      unit readiness. Identification of sex-specific differences in injury patterns and
      characteristics should facilitate adjustments in training in order for both sexes
      to meet the gender-neutral occupational demands for physically demanding military
      occupational specialties.

PMID- 26101904
TI  - The effects of cross-training on fitness and injury in women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As combat arms occupations become available to women, adequate
      muscular strength and aerobic endurance will be essential for the completion of
      physically demanding job-related tasks. Therefore, in addition to US Army
      Physical Readiness Training, Soldiers will often engage in their own personal
      physical fitness training programs. PURPOSE: To evaluate fitness and injury
      outcomes for women participating in personal cross-training programs compared to
      women performing one mode of training or having no personal fitness program.
      METHODS: Demographics, physical training activities, physical fitness, and
      injuries were obtained from surveys administered to female Soldiers in an
      infantry division. Women were categorized into the following 4 groups based on
      their personal physical fitness program: cross-training (CT), running only (R),
      weight training only (WT), and no personal fitness program (NPF). An ANOVA was
      used to compare physical training, health behaviors, and physical fitness across
      groups. A chi2 test was used to compare injury rates between fitness programs.
      Risk (%), risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were used to
      determine injury risk. RESULTS: A total of 620 women completed the survey and
      indicated whether or not they had a personal fitness program (cross-training,
      n=260; running only, n=93; weight training only, n=86; no personal fitness
      program, n=181). Average age and body mass index was 26.2+/-5.8 years and 24.5+/
      3.3 kg/m2 respectively with no differences between the 4 fitness groups. The
      cross-training group had higher physical performance on the muscular endurance
      (push-ups and sit-ups) portion of the Army physical fitness test (APFT) when
      compared to the 3 other groups (CT 42 push-ups vs (R 38, WT 35, NPF 36)); (CT 68
      sit-ups vs (R 63, WT 62, NPF 62)). For the aerobic endurance (2-mile run) portion
      of the APFT, the cross-training group had higher performance when compared to
      those with no personal fitness program (CT 17.4 minutes vs NPF 18.5 minutes).
      Overall, 53% of female Soldiers sustained an injury over a 12-month period. All
      injury rates and lower extremity injury rates among women with a cross-training
      personal fitness program were not different from the other personal fitness
      programs. Those performing cross-training were 2.6 and 2.1 times more likely to
      experience a running related injury when compared to those in the weight training
      and no personal fitness group, respectively. On the other hand, women performing
      cross-training were 65% less likely to experience a lifting/moving heavy objects
      related injury when compared to the weight training only group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Women who participated in a cross-training program for personal physical fitness
      training had higher muscular endurance compared to the other fitness groups and
      higher aerobic endurance when compared to the no personal fitness group. There
      were no differences for all injuries and lower body injuries between cross
      training and other fitness programs. Cross-training may be the best option for
      improving physical fitness when compared to just one mode of fitness training.

PMID- 26101906
TI  - Physical fitness and injury reporting among active duty and National
      Guard/Reserve women: associations with risk and lifestyle factors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: As more women enter the military, it is important to understand how
      different risks and lifestyle factors influence physical fitness and injury among
      women in both active duty (AD) and National Guard/Reserve (NG/R). Women in
      military service are less fit and more likely to suffer musculoskeletal injuries
      during physical training than men. They also use more medical care during
      deployment than men. Using data from the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness
      Global Assessment Tool 2.0 (GAT 2.0), self-reported health and lifestyle and
      behavioral risk factors were analyzed in nondeployed Army personnel, with the
      goals of examining (1) service-component differences across traditional risk and
      lifestyle factors, and (2) correlates of physical performance and physical
      activity-related injury. METHODS: Self-report GAT 2.0 data included health risk
      factors (overall perceived health, sleep, diet, tobacco and alcohol use), self
      reported health metrics (height, weight, Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)
      scores), and history of physical activity-related injury. The GAT 2.0 was
      completed by 1,322 AD and 1,033 NG/R women, and APFT data were available for a
      subsample of 605 AD and 582 NG/R women. RESULTS: Initial analyses of GAT 2.0 data
      indicated that AD had higher rates of fair/poor perceived health, poor sleep, and
      unhealthy diet compared to NG/R women. However, AD women had a lower APFT fail
      rate (8%) than NG (27%) and R (28%). Active duty women were more likely to
      experience a physical injury in the past 6 months (38%) than NG (19%) and R (22%)
      women, and more likely to seek medical care than NG/R women. Across all service
      components, predictive factors for APFT failure included high body mass index
      (BMI), fair/poor health, and unhealthy diet. Predictive factors for physical
      injury included high BMI, fair/poor health, and binge drinking. CONCLUSION: Our
      analyses suggest that AD women Soldiers are more physically fit than NG/R women
      Soldiers, which is accompanied by a greater prevalence of physical activity
      related injuries. As women's roles expand into combat military occupation
      specialties, a thorough understanding of service component differences will be
      critical to inform training programs, mitigate physical injury, and enhance force
      health protection and readiness.

PMID- 26101905
TI  - Physical training, smoking, and injury during deployment: a comparison of men and
      women in the US Army.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate changes in physical training (PT), fitness, and injury
      during deployment and identify differences between men and women. METHODS: Data
      were collected on male and female US Army Soldiers through self-reported surveys
      completed before and after deployment to Afghanistan. Changes in physical
      training activities, physical fitness, injury incidence, BMI, and smoking status
      were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used to compare before deployment and
      deployment results and differences between men and women. RESULTS: Surveys were
      completed by 727 men and 43 women. The percentage of Soldiers engaging in unit PT
      running of 5 miles or more per week decreased by almost half for men and women.
      The percentage of Soldiers doing personal PT running of 5 miles or more per week
      and engaged in resistance training 3 or more days per week more than doubled for
      men and women during deployment. Cardiorespiratory endurance for women improved
      by 50 seconds (P=.06) and for men declined by 29 seconds (P<.01), while muscular
      endurance increased by 0.6 repetitions (P<.01) during deployment. Injury rates
      for men decreased, on average, 36.2 to 19.0 injuries per 1,000 Soldiers per month
      (P=.01). Injury rates for women decreased on average from 42.6 to 14.0 injuries
      per 1,000 Soldiers per month (P=.02). During deployment, BMI did not change for
      men or women and smoking increased 19% for men (P<.01), but did not increase for
      women. CONCLUSION: Comparisons of physical training activities and health
      behavior among men and women before and during deployment suggests that increased
      resistance training could be recommended for women and smoking cessation for men.
      Given the potentially important role of personal PT in maintaining physical
      fitness in the deployment environment, future work should support provision of
      the necessary environment and equipment for Soldiers to perform personal PT
      effectively and safely on their own. Further, the physical training gaps between
      men and women should be addressed, with suggestions regarding where improvements
      can be made, especially for women interested in seeking combat positions with
      high physical demands.

PMID- 26101907
TI  - Women and exertional heat illness: identification of gender specific risk
      factors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: With the expanding role of women into previously closed combat
      military occupational specialties, women will likely be exposed more to
      challenging and extreme conditions. Physical work or exercise in extreme
      environments could increase the risk for exertional heat illness (EHI) and
      exertional heat stroke (EHS), the most severe type of EHI. Although men have
      higher rates of EHS than women, women have slightly higher rates of other EHI.
      Women may respond differently to exertion in the heat than men, as they typically
      have higher percentage of body fat (BF%) and lower aerobic power. Further,
      published pilot-data using the Israeli heat tolerance test (HTT) indicate that
      women are more likely to be classified as heat intolerant than men. The
      objectives of the present study were to (1) compare male and female
      classification patterns of heat tolerance, and (2) identify EHI risk factors that
      might account for the relationship between heat tolerance classification and sex.
      METHODS: Fifty-five male and 20 female participants were recruited from military
      and university communities to participate in a standardized HTT. Subjects
      underwent measures to calculate anthropometric variables (BF%, body surface area,
      and waist circumference), a maximal oxygen uptake test to assess aerobic power
      (VO2max), and a standardized HTT, which consisted of treadmill walking at 5 km/h
      at a 2% grade for 120 minutes at 40 degrees C and 40% relative humidity. Heat
      intolerance was defined as attaining a maximum heart rate (HR) greater than 150
      bpm or a core body temperature (Tc) more than 38.5 degrees C. Separate
      hierarchical regressions were conducted using categorical (heat
      tolerant/intolerant) and continuous (physiological strain index, maximum HR, Tc)
      HTT outcomes. Risk factors were identified with and without controlling for sex.
      RESULTS: Women were 3.7 (95% CI, 1.21-11.24) times more likely to be heat
      intolerant than men (chi2=6.85, P<.01). Compared to men, women had significantly
      higher BF% and lower body surface area, waist circumference, and VO2max. All heat
      intolerant participants had lower VO2max and higher BF% than those who were
      classified as heat tolerant. When VO2max and BF% were entered into regression
      equations to predict HTT outcomes, sex became nonsignificant; VO2max predicted
      maximum HR and physiological strain index after controlling for sex. CONCLUSION:
      The present study found that differences between men and women in heat tolerance
      classification are largely explained by VO2max. The higher rates of heat
      intolerance among women likely correlate with higher EHI risk, and underscore the
      need to understand the physiological and thermoregulatory differences between men
      and women. As lower aerobic power is a major risk factor for EHI, maximizing the
      aerobic power of women will be critical to force health protection and readiness
      as they integrate into combat military occupational specialties.

PMID- 26101908
TI  - Effects of basic combat training on iron status in male and female soldiers: a
      comparative study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Iron is an essential micronutrient known to affect physical and
      cognitive performance. Studies indicate a significant reduction in iron status in
      female Soldiers immediately following military training, although the comparative
      effects of military training on iron status between male and female Soldiers have
      not been examined. The objective of this study was to compare the longitudinal
      effects of US Army basic combat training (BCT) on iron status indicators in a
      group of male and female Soldiers. METHODS: A total of 154 male and female
      Soldiers (89 and 65, respectively) completed the study. Blood was collected at 4
      time-points during BCT (weeks 0, 3, 6, 9) and dietary iron intake was assessed at
      weeks 0 and 9. Iron status indicators included hemoglobin, serum ferritin (SF),
      soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and transferrin saturation (TS). RESULTS:
      Iron status was greater in male Soldiers than female Soldiers, as hemoglobin and
      SF levels were higher (P<.05) and sTfR levels were lower (P<.05) in males as
      compared to females at each time-point. Despite a mean increase of greater than
      25% in iron intake (mg/day) among both male (15+/-13 to 20.2+/-14.4) and female
      Soldiers (12.8+/-9.7 to 16+/-6.2) over the course of BCT, iron status declined in
      both groups. As compared to baseline, SF declined (P<.05) by 21% and 47%, sTfR
      increased (P<.05) by 17% and 30%, and TS declined (P<.05) by 23% and 54% in male
      and female Soldiers, respectively, over the course of BCT. CONCLUSIONS: These
      data indicate that although dietary iron intake improves, iron status declines in
      both male and female Soldiers during BCT, and the decline in female Soldiers is
      of a greater magnitude. Future studies should aim to determine the mechanism by
      which iron status declines during military training, with a focus on functional
      outcomes affecting Soldier health and performance.

PMID- 26101909
TI  - Female combat amputees have higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorder
      disability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The civilian trauma literature suggests that the sexes differ in
      physical and mental health outcomes following traumatic injury. In order to
      determine if the reaction to combat injury is different between the sexes in a
      specific war wounded population, service members with amputations, we examined
      the disability profiles of male and female amputees. METHODS: All US combatants
      who sustained a major extremity amputation between October 2001 and July 2011
      were examined for demographic and injury information from the Department of
      Defense Trauma Registry and for disability outcomes in the service specific
      Physical Evaluation Boards. The proportions of women versus men with various
      disabling conditions were compared using Fisher's Exact Test and the mean
      disability ratings for each condition were compared using student's t tests.
      FINDINGS: Among 1,107 amputees, 21 were female. There was no difference in the
      average age, military rank, or Injury Severity Score between the sexes. While the
      most common military occupation of male amputees was infantry service, the most
      common occupation for the female amputee was military police. The overall
      disability ratings between females and males were not different (82% for females,
      75% for males). Female amputees had more frequent disability from posttraumatic
      stress disorder (PTSD, 8/21 [38%] vs 168/818 [17%]). Disability ratings from PTSD
      tended to also be higher in women. CONCLUSIONS: Outside of variable occupational
      descriptions, both male and female amputees were exposed to explosions resulting
      in their injuries. Consistent with many civilian trauma and veterans' population
      studies, female amputees have higher frequencies of disability from PTSD. These
      results support the need for additional effort and attention directed towards
      optimizing physical and mental fitness following deployment in order to reduce
      disability and promote return to duty. Because certain conditions, such as PTSD,
      may be more or less common in men versus women veterans, postdeployment fitness
      may need to be tailored in a gender specific way.

PMID- 26101910
TI  - Comparison of female and male casualty cohorts from conflicts in Iraq and
      Afghanistan.
AB  - Although there has been interest in the literature regarding the casualties
      within the recent US military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, very little to
      date has looked specifically at a difference between the sexes. As the role of
      the female Soldier has changed over the years, so have the risk and the nature of
      the female casualty. Combat injuries in women are an important medical
      consideration that has yet to be studied. For the purposes of this study, the
      following questions pertained: Do female and male casualties from the US military
      in recent conflicts differ in age, service, rank, military operation, or other
      demographic characteristics? Do female and male casualties from the US military
      in recent conflicts differ in their injury characteristics such as Injury
      Severity Score (ISS), Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS), injury type (blunt versus
      penetrating), injury cause (mechanism of injury), and injury date? The Department
      of Defense Trauma Registry (DoDTR) was queried, returning results for 425 female
      and 14,982 male subjects who sustained musculoskeletal injuries from October 2003
      (beginning of hostilities in Iraq) to December 2012. The female and male cohorts
      were compared and analyzed for significance in demographics (age, service, rank,
      and military operation) and injury characteristics (ISS, AIS, injury type, injury
      cause, and injury date). Female casualties differ from their male counterparts in
      that they are slightly younger (F=26.11, M=27.83 years; P<.001), proportionally
      more female casualties were in the Army (F=81.5%, M=72.2%; P<.001), and
      proportionally more women were injured during Operation Iraqi Freedom (F=75.6%,
      M=63.2%; P<.001). Female casualties showed on average lower ISS (F=7.49; M=9.68;
      P<.001) and lower AIS specific to the skeletal anatomic region (F=2.06; M=2.36;
      P<.001); however when broken down into battle versus nonbattle injury, the
      difference disappeared. Women were less likely to be injured in battle (F=33.1%;
      M=70.9%; P<.001) and less likely to be injured due to an explosive device
      (F=27.7%, M=55.2%; P<.001). Women comprised 2.75% of the DoDTR casualties during
      the studied time frame and were less likely to be involved in explosions or
      during battle. The ISS were significantly different when comparing battle and
      nonbattle injuries for both of the sexes. However, since men were more likely to
      be injured in battle, their total ISS mean was higher. 

PMID- 26101911
TI  - Creating and sustaining a military women's Health Research Interest Group.
AB  - In 2008, four doctorate military nurse scientists representing the triservices
      (Army, Navy, and Air Force) identified a common interest in the health and care
      of all women in the armed forces. For 7 years, the team's shared vision to
      improve servicewomen's health inspired them to commit to a rigorous schedule of
      planning, developing, and implementing an innovative program that has the
      capability of advancing scientific knowledge and influencing health policy and
      practice through research. The ultimate goal of the Military Women's Health
      Research Interest Group (MWHRIG) is to support military clinicians and leaders in
      making evidence-based practice and policy decisions. They developed a 4-pronged
      approach to cultivate the science of military women's healthcare: evaluate the
      existing evidence, develop a research agenda that addresses gaps in knowledge,
      facilitate the collaboration of multidisciplinary research, and build the bench
      of future researchers. The MWHRIG has been a resource to key leaders; its value
      has been validated by multiservice and multidisciplinary consultations. However,
      the journey to goal attainment has only been achieved by the enduring commitment
      of these MWHRIG leaders and their passion to ensure the health and wellbeing of
      the many women who serve in the United States military. This article describes
      their journey of dedication. 

PMID- 26101912
TI  - Complex d-TGA status post Rastelli repair presenting with palpitations: cardiac
      CTA imaging findings and discussion of long term outcomes.

PMID- 26101913
TI  - Spontaneously-forming spheroids as an in vitro cancer cell model for anticancer
      drug screening.
AB  - The limited translational value in clinic of analyses performed on 2-D cell
      cultures has prompted a shift toward the generation of 3-dimensional (3-D)
      multicellular systems. Here we present a spontaneously-forming in vitro cancer
      spheroid model, referred to as spheroids(MARY-X), that precisely reflects the
      pathophysiological features commonly found in tumor tissues and the
      lymphovascular embolus. In addition, we have developed a rapid, inexpensive means
      to evaluate response following drug treatment where spheroid dissolution indices
      from brightfield image analyses are used to construct dose-response curves
      resulting in relevant IC50 values. Using the spheroids(MARY-X) model, we
      demonstrate the unique ability of a new class of molecules, containing the caged
      Garcinia xanthone (CGX) motif, to induce spheroidal dissolution and apoptosis at
      IC50 values of 0.42 +/-0.02 MUM for gambogic acid and 0.66 +/-0.02 MUM for MAD28.
      On the other hand, treatment of spheroids(MARY-X) with various currently approved
      chemotherapeutics of solid and blood-borne cancer types failed to induce any
      response as indicated by high dissolution indices and subsequent poor IC50
      values, such as 7.8 +/-3.1 MUM for paclitaxel. Our studies highlight the
      significance of the spheroids(MARY-X) model in drug screening and underscore the
      potential of the CGX motif as a promising anticancer pharmacophore.

PMID- 26101914
TI  - A fully human chimeric antigen receptor with potent activity against cancer cells
      but reduced risk for off-tumor toxicity.
AB  - Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) can redirect T cells against antigen-expressing
      tumors in an HLA-independent manner. To date, various CARs have been constructed
      using mouse single chain antibody variable fragments (scFvs) of high affinity
      that are immunogenic in humans and have the potential to mediate "on-target"
      toxicity. Here, we developed and evaluated a fully human CAR comprised of the
      human C4 folate receptor-alpha (alphaFR)-specific scFv coupled to intracellular T
      cell signaling domains. Human T cells transduced to express the C4 CAR
      specifically secreted proinflammatory cytokine and exerted cytolytic functions
      when cultured with alphaFR-expressing tumors in vitro. Adoptive transfer of C4
      CAR T cells mediated the regression of large, established human ovarian cancer in
      a xenogeneic mouse model. Relative to a murine MOv19 scFv-based alphaFR CAR, C4
      CAR T cells mediated comparable cytotoxic tumor activity in vitro and in vivo but
      had lower affinity for alphaFR protein and exhibited reduced recognition of
      normal cells expressing low levels of alphaFR. Thus, T cells expressing a fully
      human CAR of intermediate affinity can efficiently kill antigen-expressing tumors
      in vitro and in vivo and may overcome issues of transgene immunogenicity and "on
      target off-tumor" toxicity that plague trials utilizing CARs containing mouse
      derived, high affinity scFvs. 

PMID- 26101915
TI  - Trop-2 is a novel target for solid cancer therapy with sacituzumab govitecan
      (IMMU-132), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC).
AB  - Trop-2 is a novel target for ADC therapy because of its high expression by many
      solid cancers. The rational development of IMMU-132 represents a paradigm shift
      as an ADC that binds a well-known moderately-cytotoxic drug, SN-38, to the anti
      Trop-2 antibody. In vitro and in vivo studies show enhanced efficacy, while there
      is a gradual release of SN-38 that contributes to the overall effect. IMMU-132 is
      most efficacious at a high drug:antibody ratio (DAR) of 7.6:1, which does not
      affect binding and pharmacokinetics. It targets up to 136-fold more SN-38 to a
      human cancer xenograft than irinotecan, SN-38's prodrug. IMMU-132 delivers SN-38
      in its most active, non-glucuronidated form, which may explain the lower
      frequency of severe diarrhea than with irinotecan. Thus, this ADC, carrying a
      moderately-toxic drug targeting Trop-2 represents a novel cancer therapeutic that
      is showing promising activity in patients with several metastatic cancer types,
      including triple-negative breast cancer, non-small-cell and small-cell lung
      cancers. 

PMID- 26101917
TI  - The Medicare Outpatient Imaging Efficiency Measure for Low Back Pain ("OP-8").

PMID- 26101916
TI  - Serum dickkopf-1 is a novel serological biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis
      of pancreatic cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify whether Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) could be a potential biomarker for
      early detection and prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer (PC). METHODS:
      Serum was collected from 140 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and 92
      control patients without pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Serological levels of DKK1
      were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The sensitivity and
      specificity was compared with carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9). A 2-year follow
      up was monitored to evaluate the correlation between DKK1 serum levels and
      overall survival. The expression of DKK1 in PC tumor tissues was also evaluated
      using immunohistochemistry staining. RESULTS: Serum levels of DKK1 and CA19-9
      were elevated in PC patients in the early-stage cases. These levels increased
      with the advancement of clinical stage. There was significant difference in DKK1
      serum levels between early and advanced PC stages. Receiver operating
      characteristic curve (ROCC) analysis showed that DKK1 was significantly better
      than CA19-9 in differentiating patients with PC from the controls (area under the
      curve (AUC) 0.919 versus 0.853, respectively), especially in distinguishing early
      stage cancer from chronic pancreatitis (CP). The expression of DKK1 in PC tissues
      correlated with its expression in serum samples. The overall survival rate was
      24.4% in the group with higher DKK1 levels and was found to be significantly
      different from the group with lower DKK1 levels (33.3%). CONCLUSION: DKK1 may be
      a novel diagnostic/prognostic biomarker for PC.

PMID- 26101918
TI  - Recently Published Stroke Trials: What the Radiologist Needs to Know.

PMID- 26101919
TI  - Luminescence-based Imaging Approaches in the Field of Interventional Molecular
      Imaging.
AB  - Luminescence imaging-based guidance technologies are increasingly gaining
      interest within surgical and radiologic disciplines. Their promise to help
      visualize molecular features of disease in real time and with microscopic detail
      is considered desirable. Integrating luminescence imaging with three-dimensional
      radiologic- and/or nuclear medicine-based preinterventional imaging may overcome
      limitations such as the limited tissue penetration of luminescence signals. At
      the same time, the beneficial features of luminescence imaging may be used to
      complement the routinely used radiologic- and nuclear medicine-based modalities.
      To fully exploit this integrated concept, and to relate the largely experimental
      luminesce-based guidance approaches into perspective with routine imaging
      approaches, it is essential to understand the advantages and limitations of this
      relatively new modality. By providing an overview of the available luminescence
      technologies and the various clinically evaluated exogenous luminescent tracers
      (fluorescent, hybrid, and theranostic tracers), this review attempts to place
      luminescence-based interventional molecular imaging technologies into perspective
      to the available radiologic- and/or nuclear medicine-based imaging technologies.
      At the same time, the transition from anatomic to physiologic and even molecular
      interventional luminescence imaging is illustrated.

PMID- 26101924
TI  - Case 219: Pelvic Actinomycosis Mimicking Malignant Tumor.
AB  - A 53-year-old woman presented with a 3-month history of left inguinocrural and
      lumbar pain and anorexia with weight loss. No fever was reported. The patient had
      no prior pelvic surgery. Physical examination revealed a palpable nontender mass
      in the left groin area. There was no bloody or purulent discharge. Laboratory
      findings revealed inflammation with an increased C-reactive protein level (127
      mg/L [1209 nmol/L]), leukocytosis (13 800/mm(3)), and microcytic anemia
      (hemoglobin level, 7.2 g/dL). Computed tomography (CT), fluorine 18 ((18)F)
      fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT, and magnetic
      resonance (MR) imaging were performed.

PMID- 26101920
TI  - Endovascular Interventions for Acute and Chronic Lower Extremity Deep Venous
      Disease: State of the Art.
AB  - The societal and individual burden caused by acute and chronic lower extremity
      venous disease is considerable. In the past several decades, minimally invasive
      endovascular interventions have been developed to reduce thrombus burden in the
      setting of acute deep venous thrombosis to prevent both short- and long-term
      morbidity and to recanalize chronically occluded or stenosed postthrombotic or
      nonthrombotic veins in symptomatic patients. This state-of-the-art review
      provides an overview of the techniques and challenges, rationale, patient
      selection criteria, complications, postinterventional care, and outcomes data for
      endovascular intervention in the setting of acute and chronic lower extremity
      deep venous disease. Online supplemental material is available for this article.

PMID- 26101925
TI  - Age-related Association of Pancreatic Cysts, Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, and All
      Cause Mortality.

PMID- 26101926
TI  - What Hath God Wrought.

PMID- 26101927
TI  - Prostatic Arterial Embolization versus Transurethral Resection of the Prostate
      for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

PMID- 26101928
TI  - Screening Mammography Guidelines.

PMID- 26101929
TI  - Glioblastoma Multiforme: Exploratory Radiogenomic Analysis by Using Quantitative
      Image Features.

PMID- 26101930
TI  - Deborah M. Forrester, MD.

PMID- 26101933
TI  - Development of SHIVs with circulating, transmitted HIV-1 variants.
AB  - SHIV/macaque model is critical for pre-clinical HIV-1 research. The ability of
      this model to predict efficacious intervention(s) in humans depends on how
      faithfully the model recapitulates key features of HIV-1 transmission and
      pathogenesis. Here, we provide insights for rationally designing SHIVs with
      transmitted HIV-1 variants for vaccine and prevention research. 

PMID- 26101935
TI  - Outcomes of endo-radiological approach to management of bile leakage after right
      lobe living donor liver transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Bile leakage is a major complication after right lobe living
      donor liver transplantation (RLDLT). It can result in significant morbidities
      and, occasionally, mortalities. Endo-radiology is a non-surgical means that has
      been used to manage this complication. This study reviews the outcomes of the
      endo-radiological approach to the management of bile leakage after RLDLT with
      duct-to-duct anastomosis (DDA) at a high-volume center. METHOD: A retrospective
      study was conducted on all adult patients who received RLDLT at our center
      between January 2001 and December 2013. There were 496 RLDLTs performed during
      the study period. Only patients who had DDA as the only bile duct reconstruction
      method were included in the study. RESULTS: Twelve (3.7%) out of the 328 study
      subjects developed bile leakage after RLDLT. Six out of these 12 patients were
      successfully treated with the endo-radiological approach without the need for
      laparotomy. They had endoscopic retrograde cholangiography with stenting followed
      by percutaneous drainage of biloma. One of the 12 patients died from recurrence
      of hepatocellular carcinoma 37 months after transplantation. The remaining 11
      patients are all alive. CONCLUSION: The endo-radiological approach should be the
      first-line management for bile leakage for selected patients with DDA as the bile
      duct reconstruction method.

PMID- 26101936
TI  - A Cu(II)-based strategy for catalytic enantioselective beta-borylation of
      alpha,beta-unsaturated acceptors.
AB  - Cu(I)-based chemistry has flourished over the last decade because of the reliable
      use of species such as soft acids. However, the unique nature of Cu(II) catalysts
      allows the well-documented Cu(I)-based chemistry to be extended. Prominent
      advantages of this approach include the ease of handling, the avoidance of strong
      base, and a wider substrate scope in enantioselective beta-borylation.

PMID- 26101934
TI  - Selective activation of D1 dopamine receptors impairs sensorimotor gating in Long
      Evans rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Sensorimotor gating is a perceptual process aimed at
      filtering out irrelevant information. In humans and animal models, this function
      can be operationally measured through the prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the
      acoustic startle reflex. Notably, PPI deficits are associated with numerous
      neuropsychiatric conditions characterized by gating disturbances, including
      schizophrenia and Tourette syndrome. Ample evidence has shown that dopamine plays
      a key role in PPI regulation and, in particular, rodent studies indicate that
      this neurotransmitter modulates PPI through D1 and D2 dopamine receptors. In
      mice, the relative contributions of these two families of receptors are strain
      dependent. Conversely, the role of D1 receptors in the regulation of PPI across
      different rat strains remains unclear. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: We tested the
      effects of selective D1 and D2 receptor agonists and antagonists on the startle
      reflex and PPI of Sprague-Dawley, Wistar and Long-Evans rats. KEY RESULTS: In
      contrast with Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats, the full D1 receptor agonist
      SKF82958 elicited significant PPI deficits in Long-Evans rats, an effect
      sensitive to the selective D1 antagonist SCH23390. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS:
      Our results suggest that, in Long-Evans rats, D1 receptor activation may be
      sufficient to significantly impair PPI. These data emphasize the role of D1
      receptors in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders featuring
      alterations in sensorimotor gating, and uphold the importance of the genetic
      background in shaping the role of dopamine receptors in the regulation of this
      key information-processing function. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a
      themed section on Updating Neuropathology and Neuropharmacology of Monoaminergic
      Systems. To view the other articles in this section visit
      http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v173.13/issuetoc.

PMID- 26101938
TI  - Successful Liver Transplant Complicated by Severe Portopulmonary Hypertension
      After an Initial Aborted Attempt: Case Report and Review of Treatment Options.
AB  - Good right ventricular function and responsiveness to vasodilator therapy are the
      most important prerequisites for successful liver transplant in patients with
      portopulmonary hypertension. A patient with portopulmonary hypertension and good
      right ventricular function presented for deceased-donor liver transplant.
      Pulmonary arterial pressure was controlled with epoprostenol and sildenafil
      preoperatively. After anesthesia induction, pulmonary arterial pressure increased
      significantly and the procedure was aborted. Additional medical treatment
      included aggressive vasodilator therapy and the transplant was successfully
      performed 1 month later. During the procedure, elevations in pulmonary arterial
      pressure responded to a combination of inhaled nitric oxide, intravenous
      milrinone and nitroglycerin, and optimization of mechanical ventilation.

PMID- 26101939
TI  - Homohalocyclization: Electrophilic Bromine-Induced Cyclizations of Cyclopropanes.
AB  - An efficient method for the halocyclization of cyclopropanes has been developed.
      The cyclopropanes undergo a 1,3-addition reaction to form homohalocyclization
      products compared to conventional alkene halocyclizations. The reaction can be
      induced by various electrophilic halogenating agents including 1,3-dibromo-5,5
      dimethylhydantoin and N-iodosuccinimide. In cyclopropane derivatives with a
      preexisting stereocenter, excellent induced diastereoselectivities can be
      observed. 

PMID- 26101940
TI  - Organic Solvent-Free, One-Step Engineering of Graphene-Based Magnetic-Responsive
      Hybrids Using Design of Experiment-Driven Mechanochemistry.
AB  - In this study, we propose an organic solvent-free, one-step mechanochemistry
      approach to engineer water-dispersible graphene oxide/superparamagnetic iron
      oxide (GO/SPIOs) hybrids, for biomedical applications. Although mechanochemistry
      has been proposed in the graphene field for applications such as drug loading,
      exfoliation or polymer-composite formation, this is the first study to report
      mechanochemistry for preparation of GO/SPIOs hybrids. The statistical design of
      experiment (DoE) was employed to control the process parameters. DoE has been
      used to control formulation processes of other types of nanomaterials. The
      implementation of DoE for controlling the formulation processes of graphene-based
      nanomaterials is, however, novel. DoE approach could be of advantage as one can
      tailor GO-based hybrids of predicted yields and compositions. Hybrids were
      characterized by TEM, AFM FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, and TGA. The dose-response
      magnetic resonance (MR) properties were confirmed by MR imaging of phantoms. The
      biocompatibility of the hybrids with A549 and J774 cell lines was confirmed by
      the modified LDH assay. 

PMID- 26101941
TI  - Simple and Rapid Functionalization of Gold Nanorods with Oligonucleotides Using
      an mPEG-SH/Tween 20-Assisted Approach.
AB  - DNA conjugated gold nanorods (AuNRs) are widely applied for nanostructure
      assembly, gene therapy, biosensing, and drug delivery. However, it is still a
      great challenge to attach thiolated DNA on AuNRs, because the positively charged
      AuNRs readily aggregate in the presence of negatively charged DNA. This article
      reports an mPEG-SH/Tween 20-assisted method to load thiolated DNA on AuNRs in 1
      h. Tween 20 and mPEG-SH are used to synergistically displace CTAB on the surface
      of AuNRs by repeated centrifugation and resuspension, and thiolated DNA are
      attached to AuNRs in the presence of 1 M NaCl, 100 mM MgCl2, or 100 mM citrate.
      AuNRs with different sizes and aspect ratios can be functionalized with DNA by
      this method. The number of DNA loaded on each AuNR can be easily controlled by
      the concentrations of mPEG-SH and Tween 20 or the ratio between DNA and AuNR.
      Functionalized AuNRs were used for nanoparticle assembly and cancer cell imaging
      to confirm that DNA anchored on the surface of AuNRs retains its hybridization
      and molecular recognition capability. The new method is easy, rapid, and robust
      for the preparation of DNA functionalized AuNRs for a variety of applications
      such as cancer therapy, drug delivery, self-assembly, and imaging. 

PMID- 26101943
TI  - Regioselective Pd-Catalyzed Synthesis of 2,3,6-Trisubstituted Pyridines from
      Isoxazolinones.
AB  - Substituted pyridines are prevalent heterocycles of fundamental importance. Their
      efficient regioselective preparation is often still a challenge despite a large
      number of reported synthetic methodologies. In this letter we report an
      operationally simple approach that makes use of readily accessible
      isoxazolinones. The protocol involves a Pd(II)-catalyzed C-regioselective 1,4
      addition to vinylketones, followed by a Pd(0)-catalyzed transformation, which is
      assumed to proceed via vinylnitrene-Pd intermediates. Both hydrogen and air are
      necessary for the pyridine formation step and could be employed at ratios above
      the upper explosive limit thus avoiding a safety issue. This new strategy allows
      an effective, scalable and practical access to various previously unknown 2,3,6
      trisubstituted pyridines. 

PMID- 26101942
TI  - Double Electron-Electron Spin Resonance Tracks Flavodoxin Folding.
AB  - Protein folding is one of the important challenges in biochemistry. Understanding
      the folding process requires mapping of protein structure as it folds. Here we
      test the potential of distance determination between paramagnetic spin-labels by
      a pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance method. We use double electron-electron
      spin resonance (DEER) to study the denaturant-dependent equilibrium folding of
      flavodoxin. This flavoprotein is spin-labeled with MTSL ((1-oxy-,2,2,5,5
      tetramethyl-d-pyrroline-3-methyl)-methanethiosulfonate) at positions 69 and 131.
      We find that nativelike spin-label separation dominates the distance
      distributions up to 0.8 M guanidine hydrochloride. At 2.3 M denaturant, the
      distance distributions show an additional component, which we attribute to a
      folding intermediate. Upon further increase of denaturant concentration, the
      protein expands and evidence for a larger number of conformations than in the
      native state is found. We thus demonstrate that DEER is a versatile technique to
      expand the arsenal of methods for investigating how proteins fold. 

PMID- 26101944
TI  - An observational study on disturbed peripheral circadian rhythms in hemodialysis
      patients.
AB  - The quality of life of hemodialysis (HD) patients is hampered by reduced
      nocturnal sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness. In addition to the
      sleep/wake cycle, levels of circadian biomarkers (e.g. melatonin) are disturbed
      in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This suggests impaired circadian clock
      performance in HD patients, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. In this
      observational study, diurnal rhythms of sleep, serum melatonin and cortisol
      concentrations and clock gene mRNA expression are compared between HD patients (n
      = 9) and healthy control subjects (n = 9). In addition, the presence of
      circulating factors that might affect circadian rhythmicity is tested in vitro
      with cell culture experiments. Reduced sleep quality (median sleep onset latency
      [interquartile range] of 23.9 [17.3] min for patients versus 5.0 [10] minutes for
      controls, p < 0.01; mean (+/- SD) sleep efficiency 70.2 +/- 8.1% versus 82.9 +/-
      10.9%, p = 0.02 and mean awake minutes after sleep onset 104.8 +/- 27.9 versus
      54.6 +/- 41.6 minutes, p =  0.01) and increased daytime sleepiness (mean Epworth
      Sleepiness Score of 10.0 +/- 4.8 versus 3.9 +/- 2.0, p < 0.01) were confirmed in
      HD patients. Reduced nocturnal melatonin concentrations (1 AM: 98.1 [122.9]
      pmol/L versus 12.5 [44.2] pmol/L, p =  0.019; 5 AM: 114.0 [131.6] pmol/L versus
      11.8 [86.8] pmol/L, p =  0.031) and affected circadian control of cortisol rhythm
      and circadian expression of the clock gene REV-ERBalpha were found. HD patient
      serum had a higher capacity to synchronize cells in vitro, suggesting an
      accumulated level of clock resetting compounds in HD patients. These compounds
      were not cleared by hemodialysis treatment or related to frequently used
      medications. In conclusion, the abovementioned results strongly suggest a
      disturbance in circadian timekeeping in peripheral tissues of HD patients.
      Accumulation of clock resetting compounds possibly contributes to this. Future
      studies are needed for a better mechanistic understanding of the interaction
      between renal failure and perturbation of the circadian clock.

PMID- 26101945
TI  - Studying the Impact of Modified Saccharides on the Molecular Dynamics and
      Crystallization Tendencies of Model API Nifedipine.
AB  - Molecular dynamics of pure nifedipine and its solid dispersions with modified
      carbohydrates as well as the crystallization kinetics of active pharmaceutical
      ingredient (API) above and below the glass transition temperature were studied in
      detail by means of broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS), differential scanning
      calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction method. It was found that the activation
      barrier of crystallization increases in molecular dispersions composed of
      acetylated disaccharides, whereas it slightly decreases in those consisting of
      modified monocarbohydrates for the experiments carried out above the glass
      transition temperature. As shown by molecular dynamics simulations it can be
      related to the strength, character, and structure of intermolecular interactions
      between API and saccharides, which vary dependently on the excipient. Long-term
      physical stability studies showed that, in solid dispersions consisting of
      acetylated maltose and acetylated sucrose, the crystallization of nifedipine is
      dramatically slowed down, although it is still observable for a low concentration
      of excipients. With increasing content of modified carbohydrates, the
      crystallization of API becomes completely suppressed. This is most likely due to
      additional barriers relating to the intermolecular interactions and diffusion of
      nifedipine that must be overcome to trigger the crystallization process. 

PMID- 26101947
TI  - Theta-gamma phase-phase coupling during working memory maintenance in the human
      hippocampus.
AB  - The theta-gamma neural coding theory suggests that multiple items are represented
      in working memory (WM) by a superposition of gamma cycles on theta oscillations.
      To enable a stable, non-interfering representation of multiple items, such a
      theta-gamma neural code may be reflected by phase-phase coupling, i.e., a precise
      locking of gamma subcycles to specific theta phases. Recent data have indicated
      that the hippocampus critically contributes to multi-item working memory.
      Therefore, we investigated phase-phase coupling patterns in the hippocampus based
      on intracranial EEG recordings in presurgical epilepsy patients performing a
      variant of the serial Sternberg WM task. In accordance with predictions of the
      theta-gamma coding theory, we observed increased phase-phase coupling between
      theta and beta/gamma activity during working memory maintenance compared to inter
      trial intervals. These phase-phase coupling patterns were apparent during
      maintenance of two and four items, but not during maintenance of a single item,
      where prominent lower coupling ratios occurred. Furthermore, we observed that
      load-dependent changes of coupling factors correlated with individual WM
      capacities. Our data demonstrate that multi-item WM is associated with changes in
      hippocampal phase-phase coupling between theta and beta/gamma activity. 

PMID- 26101946
TI  - Inflammatory and Immune Activation in Intestinal Myofibroblasts Is
      Developmentally Regulated.
AB  - We previously demonstrated that intestinal myofibroblasts from immature tissue
      produce excessive IL-8 in response to Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
      compared to cells from mature tissue. However, it is unknown whether other
      cytokines and TLR agonists contribute to this developmentally regulated response.
      The aim of this study was to further characterize differences in inflammatory
      signaling in human primary intestinal fibroblasts from fetal (FIF) and infant
      (IIF) tissue and examine their potential to activate the adaptive immune response
      in vitro. Cytokine profiles of LPS-stimulated FIF and IIF were assessed by
      cytokine profile array. IL-8, IL-6, and IL-10 production in response to TLR2,
      TLR2/6, TLR4, and TLR5 agonists was determined by quantitative ELISA. The
      potential of activated myofibroblasts to activate adaptive immunity was
      determined by measuring surface class II MHC expression using flow cytometry. LPS
      stimulated FIF produced a distinct proinflammatory cytokine profile consisting of
      MCP-1, GRO-alpha, IL-6, and IL-8 expression. FIF produced significant IL-8 and IL
      6 in response to TLR4 agonist. IIF produced significant levels of IL-8 and IL-6
      in the presence of TLR5 and TLR2 agonists. IFN-gamma-treated FIF expressed
      greater HLA-DR levels compared to unstimulated controls and IFN-gamma- and LPS
      treated IIF. Activated FIF produce a more diverse inflammatory cytokine profile
      and greater levels of IL-8 and IL-6 in response to TLR4 stimulation compared to
      IIF. FIF express class II MHC proteins associated with activation of the adaptive
      immune response. These data suggest that FIF may contribute to bacterial
      associated gut inflammation in the immature intestine. 

PMID- 26101948
TI  - Nurse practitioners' work hours and overtime: How much, and under what working
      conditions?
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore the nature and prevalence of nurse practitioner (NP)
      overtime, work hours, and their relationship to practice within NP work
      conditions. DATA SOURCES: A secondary analysis of data extracted from the 2012
      National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners. The focus in this study was on
      data from NPs in active practice in clinical settings. The final analytic sample
      consisted of 9010 NPs. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: NPs working in
      hospitals and long-term care settings tended to work more than 40 h/week (p <
      .001). When healthcare facilities used electronic health records (p < .001) or
      had recently adopted electronic health records (p = .002), NPs were found to work
      more hours per week than those who did not. Regarding the type of relationships
      with physicians, NPs who worked more than 40 h/week either had hierarchical
      relationships with them (p < 0.001), or relationships in which the physician
      examined and signed off on patients whom the NP had examined (p < .001). These
      analyses provide a preliminary description of the nature and prevalence of NP
      work hours/overtime and work conditions related to longer work hours. Further
      study is indicated to assess the potential impact of work hours/overtime on NP
      roles and patient outcomes.

PMID- 26101949
TI  - Ureteral obstruction in cancer patients: a qualitative study.

PMID- 26101951
TI  - Gradient-induced voltages on 12-lead ECGs during high duty-cycle MRI sequences
      and a method for their removal considering linear and concomitant gradient terms.
AB  - PURPOSE: To restore 12-lead electrocardiographic (ECG) signal fidelity inside MRI
      by removing magnetic field gradient-induced voltages during high gradient duty
      cycle sequences. THEORY AND METHODS: A theoretical equation was derived to
      provide first- and second-order electrical fields induced at individual ECG
      electrodes as a function of gradient fields. Experiments were performed at 3T on
      healthy volunteers using a customized acquisition system that captured the full
      amplitude and frequency response of ECGs, or a commercial recording system. The
      19 equation coefficients were derived via linear regression of data from
      accelerated sequences and were used to compute induced voltages in real-time
      during full resolution sequences to remove ECG artifacts. Restored traces were
      evaluated relative to ones acquired without imaging. RESULTS: Measured induced
      voltages were 0.7 V peak-to-peak during balanced steady state free precession
      (bSSFP) with the heart at the isocenter. Applying the equation during gradient
      echo sequencing, three-dimensional fast spin echo, and multislice bSSFP imaging
      restored nonsaturated traces and second-order concomitant terms showed larger
      contributions in electrodes further from the magnet isocenter. Equation
      coefficients are evaluated with high repeatability (rho = 0.996) and are
      dependent on subject, sequence, and slice orientation. CONCLUSION: Close
      agreement between theoretical and measured gradient-induced voltages allowed for
      real-time removal. Prospective estimation of sequence periods in which large
      induced voltages occur may allow hardware removal of these signals.

PMID- 26101952
TI  - Administration of alpha-Galactosylceramide Improves Adenine-Induced Renal Injury.
AB  - Natural killer T (NKT) cells are a subset of lymphocytes that reacts to
      glycolipids presented by CD1d. Invariant NKT cells (iNKT) correspond to >90% of
      the total population of NKTs and reacts to alpha-galactosylceramide
      (alphaGalCer). alphaGalCer promotes a complex mixture of Th1 and Th2 cytokines,
      as interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-4. NKT cells and IFN-gamma are
      known to participate in some models of renal diseases, but further studies are
      still necessary to elucidate their mechanisms. The aim of our study was to
      analyze the participation of iNKT cells in an experimental model of tubule
      interstitial nephritis. We used 8-wk-old C57BL/6j, Jalpha18KO and IFN-gammaKO
      mice. They were fed a 0.25% adenine diet for 10 d. Both adenine-fed wild-type
      (WT) and Jalpha18KO mice exhibited renal dysfunction, but adenine-fed Jalpha18KO
      mice presented higher expression of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and type I collagen. To analyze the role of activated
      iNKT cells in our model, we administered alphaGalCer in WT mice during adenine
      ingestion. After alphaGalCer injection, we observed a significant reduction in
      serum creatinine, proinflammatory cytokines and renal fibrosis. However, this
      improvement in renal function was not observed in IFN-gammaKO mice after
      alphaGalCer treatment and adenine feeding, illustrating that this cytokine plays
      a role in our model. Our findings may suggest that IFN-gamma production is one of
      the factors contributing to improved renal function after alphaGalCer
      administration. 

PMID- 26101953
TI  - Inhibition of IkappaB Kinase Attenuates the Organ Injury and Dysfunction
      Associated with Hemorrhagic Shock.
AB  - Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) activation is widely implicated in multiple
      organ failure (MOF); however, a direct inhibitor of IkappaB kinase (IKK), which
      plays a pivotal role in the activation of NF-kappaB, has not been investigated in
      shock. Thus, the aim of the present work was to investigate the effects of an IKK
      inhibitor on the MOF associated with hemorrhagic shock (HS). Therefore, rats were
      subjected to HS and were resuscitated with the shed blood. Rats were treated with
      the inhibitor of IKK or vehicle at resuscitation. Four hours later, blood and
      organs were assessed for organ injury and signaling events involved in the
      activation of NF-kappaB. Additionally, survival following serum deprivation was
      assessed in HK-2 cells treated with the inhibitor of IKK. HS resulted in renal
      dysfunction, lung, liver and muscular injury, and increases in serum inflammatory
      cytokines. Kidney and liver tissue from HS rats revealed increases in
      phosphorylation of IKKalphabeta and IkappaBalpha, nuclear translocation of NF
      kappaB and expression of inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). IKK16
      treatment upon resuscitation attenuated NF-kappaB activation and activated the
      Akt survival pathway, leading to a significant attenuation of all of the above
      parameters. Furthermore, IKK16 exhibited cytoprotective effects in human kidney
      cells. In conclusion, the inhibitor of IKK complex attenuated the MOF associated
      with HS. This effect may be due to the inhibition of the NF-kappaB pathway and
      activation of the survival kinase Akt. Thus, the inhibition of the IKK complex
      might be an effective strategy for the prevention of MOF associated with HS. 

PMID- 26101954
TI  - Virus-Mediated Knockdown of Nav1.3 in Dorsal Root Ganglia of STZ-Induced Diabetic
      Rats Alleviates Tactile Allodynia.
AB  - Diabetic neuropathic pain affects a substantial number of people and represents a
      major public health problem. Available clinical treatments for diabetic
      neuropathic pain remain only partially effective and many of these treatments
      carry the burden of side effects or the risk of dependence. The misexpression of
      sodium channels within nociceptive neurons contributes to abnormal electrical
      activity associated with neuropathic pain. Voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.3
      produces tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium currents with rapid repriming kinetics and
      has been shown to contribute to neuronal hyperexcitability and ectopic firing in
      injured neurons. Suppression of Nav1.3 activity can attenuate neuropathic pain
      induced by peripheral nerve injury. Previous studies have shown that expression
      of Nav1.3 is upregulated in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons of diabetic rats
      that exhibit neuropathic pain. Here, we hypothesized that viral-mediated
      knockdown of Nav1.3 in painful diabetic neuropathy would reduce neuropathic pain.
      We used a validated recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV)-shRNA-Nav1.3 vector
      to knockdown expression of Nav1.3, via a clinically applicable intrathecal
      injection method. Three weeks following vector administration, we observed a
      significant rate of transduction in DRGs of diabetic rats that concomitantly
      reduced neuronal excitability of dorsal horn neurons and reduced behavioral
      evidence of tactile allodynia. Taken together, these findings offer a novel gene
      therapy approach for addressing chronic diabetic neuropathic pain. 

PMID- 26101956
TI  - Polymorphisms in LPL, CETP, and HL protect HIV-infected patients from atherogenic
      dyslipidemia in an allele-dose-dependent manner.
AB  - HIV-infected patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)
      may be predisposed to a lipid profile, associated with increased cardiovascular
      risk, derived from having high triglycerides (TG) and low high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) levels. We propose that genetic variability leaves
      some HIV-infected patients more predisposed to this lipid profile than others. We
      performed a cross-sectional, observational study including 321 antiretroviral
      treated HIV-infected patients classified as normolipidemic (n=173) or presenting
      with high TG (>=1.7 mmol/liter) and low HDLc [<1.02 (men) or 1.28 mmol/liter
      (women)] (n=148) to investigate the impact of 13 polymorphisms of 9 genes
      affecting lipid metabolism (APOA5, APOC3, LPL, CETP, HL, MTP, APOE, LRP5, and
      VLDLR genes). The polymorphism rs328 in LPL was 40% significantly more frequent
      in normolipidemics (p=0.018), and in the same group, polymorphisms rs708272 in
      CETP and rs1800588 in HL were 10% significantly more frequent (p=0.037 for both
      polymorphisms). Patients who presented a combination of one to six alleles from
      these polymorphisms had 10% increased HDLc levels [1.13 (0.40) vs. 1.24 (0.23)
      mmol/liter, p=0.002] and a trend toward lower triglycerides [2.23 (2.34) vs. 1.89
      (1.24) mmol/liter] and lower remnant-like particle cholesterol (RLPc) [16.41
      (11.42) vs. 12.99 (11.69) mmol/liter]. This effect was dependent on the number of
      protective alleles and independent of the regimen administered. Polymorphisms in
      LPL, CETP, and HL protect HIV-infected patients from developing the dyslipidemia
      derived from high TG and low HDLc levels in a dose-dependent manner. 

PMID- 26101957
TI  - Molecular Dynamics Study of the Gold/Ionic Liquids Interface.
AB  - The results of a systematic molecular dynamics study of the interfacial structure
      between the gold (100) surface and two room-temperature ionic liquids, namely, 1
      butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIm][PF6]) and 1-butyl-3
      methylimadazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([BMIm][NTf2]), are herein
      reported. It is found that near an uncharged surface the IL structure differs
      from its bulk, having an enhanced density extended until the two first layers.
      Interfacial layering is clearly observed at the gold surface, with a higher
      effect for the [BMIm][NTf2] IL but a higher packing for [BMIm][PF6]. In both ILs
      the alkyl side chains are oriented parallel to the interface while the
      imidazolium rings tend to be parallel to the interface in about 60% of the cases.
      The presence of the interface has a higher impact on the orientation of the
      cations than on the chemical properties of the counterion. The surface potential
      drop across the interface is more pronounced toward a negative value for
      ([BMIm][PF6]) than for ([BMIm][NTf2]), due to relatively larger local density of
      the anions for ([BMIm][PF6]) near the gold surface. 

PMID- 26101955
TI  - Aspirin's Active Metabolite Salicylic Acid Targets High Mobility Group Box 1 to
      Modulate Inflammatory Responses.
AB  - Salicylic acid (SA) and its derivatives have been used for millennia to reduce
      pain, fever and inflammation. In addition, prophylactic use of acetylsalicylic
      acid, commonly known as aspirin, reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke and
      certain cancers. Because aspirin is rapidly de-acetylated by esterases in human
      plasma, much of aspirin's bioactivity can be attributed to its primary
      metabolite, SA. Here we demonstrate that human high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1)
      is a novel SA-binding protein. SA-binding sites on HMGB1 were identified in the
      HMG-box domains by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic studies and
      confirmed by mutational analysis. Extracellular HMGB1 is a damage-associated
      molecular pattern molecule (DAMP), with multiple redox states. SA suppresses both
      the chemoattractant activity of fully reduced HMGB1 and the increased expression
      of proinflammatory cytokine genes and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) induced by
      disulfide HMGB1. Natural and synthetic SA derivatives with greater potency for
      inhibition of HMGB1 were identified, providing proof-of-concept that new
      molecules with high efficacy against sterile inflammation are attainable. An
      HMGB1 protein mutated in one of the SA-binding sites identified by NMR chemical
      shift perturbation studies retained chemoattractant activity, but lost binding of
      and inhibition by SA and its derivatives, thereby firmly establishing that SA
      binding to HMGB1 directly suppresses its proinflammatory activities.
      Identification of HMGB1 as a pharmacological target of SA/aspirin provides new
      insights into the mechanisms of action of one of the world's longest and most
      used natural and synthetic drugs. It may also provide an explanation for the
      protective effects of low-dose aspirin usage. 

PMID- 26101958
TI  - Reductive Dehalogenation of Oligocyclic Phenolic Bromoaromatics by
      Dehalococcoides mccartyi Strain CBDB1.
AB  - Dehalococcoides mccartyi strains transform many halogenated compounds and are
      used for bioremediation. Such anaerobic transformations were intensively studied
      with chlorinated and simply structured compounds such as chlorinated benzenes,
      ethenes, and ethanes. However, many halogenated oligocyclic aromatic compounds
      occur in nature as either naturally produced materials or as part of commercial
      products such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, or flame retardants. Here, we
      demonstrate that the D. mccartyi strain CBDB1 reductively debrominated two
      oligocyclic aromatic phenolic compounds, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and
      bromophenol blue (BPB). The strain CBDB1 completely converted TBBPA to bisphenol
      A and BPB to phenol red with a stepwise removal of all bromide substituents.
      Debromination (but no cell growth) was detected in the cultures cultivated with
      TBBPA. In contrast, strain CBDB1 grew when interacting with BPB, demonstrating
      that this substrate was used as an electron acceptor for organobromine
      respiration. High doses of BPB delayed debromination and inhibited growth in the
      early cultivation phase. A higher toxicity of TBBPA compared with that of BPB
      might be due to the higher lipophilicity of TBBPA. Mass spectrometric analyses of
      whole-cell extracts demonstrated that two proteins encoded by the reductive
      dehalogenase homologous genes CbdbA1092 and CbdbA1503 were specifically induced
      by the used oligocyclic compounds, whereas others (e.g., CbdbA84 (CbrA)) were
      downregulated. 

PMID- 26101959
TI  - Microwave-Assisted Multicomponent Synthesis of Dihydroquinoxalinones on Soluble
      Polymer Support.
AB  - A one-pot and two-step reaction of four components, including aldehydes, Fmoc
      protected alpha-amino acid, isocyanide, and soluble polymer-supported 4-fluoro-3
      amino benzoate ester, was developed for an efficient synthesis of
      dihydroquinoxalinones under microwave irradiation. Fmoc deprotection followed by
      intramolecular cyclization of the diamide gave a facile access to novel bicyclic
      quinoxalin-2-ones. On the basis of this approach, a new route to synthesize this
      privileged scaffold from the diamide intermediate was designed and accomplished
      with high yields. Use of multicomponent reaction (MCR) has been shown to display
      a good functional group tolerance, while the product isolation and purification
      is straightforward by precipitation and washings. Current library discusses the
      synthesis and diversification of 21 compounds produced using this strategy. 

PMID- 26101960
TI  - Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) production from alkylphenols, mono and poly-aromatic
      hydrocarbons using Bacillus sp. CYR1: A new strategy for wealth from waste.
AB  - In the present study five different types of alkylphenols, each of the two
      different types of mono and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons were selected for
      degradation, and conversion into poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) using the Bacillus
      sp. CYR1. Strain CYR1 showed growth with various toxic organic compounds.
      Degradation pattern of all the organic compounds at 100 mg/l concentration with
      or without addition of tween-80 were analyzed using high pressure liquid
      chromatography (HPLC). Strain CYR1 showed good removal of compounds in the
      presence of tween-80 within 3 days, but it took 6 days without addition of tween
      80. Strain CYR1 showed highest PHB production with phenol (51 +/- 5%),
      naphthalene (42 +/- 4%), 4-chlorophenol (32 +/- 3%) and 4-nonylphenol (29 +/-
      3%). The functional groups, structure, and thermal properties of the produced PHB
      were analyzed. These results denoted that the strain Bacillus sp. CYR1 can be
      used for conversion of different toxic compounds persistent in wastewaters into
      useable biological polyesters.

PMID- 26101961
TI  - Strategies of preserving lipids in microorganism after fermentation.
AB  - Microbial oil is accumulated by microorganisms as stored energy during
      cultivation, and will be degraded to generate energy when they are not able to
      obtain external energy source. As the lipid is the desired production, the in
      situ degradation of oil by microorganisms after fermentation or during downstream
      processing has to be prevented. This study investigated the effect of pH,
      thermal, salinity, bead milling, ultrasonication, and microwave treatment on the
      viability of Trichosporon oleaginosus when it was used for lipid production. The
      cells in broth were completely inactivated with the treatment of pH 1 and 2 for
      1h, temperature 80  degrees C for 10 min, ultrasonication for 8 min, and
      microwave for 6 min, respectively. It was observed that these treatments had no
      impact on final product (biodiesel) composition and were considered as safe and
      efficient methods to preserve lipid in cells.

PMID- 26101962
TI  - New yeast-based approaches in production of palmitoleic acid.
AB  - Palmitoleic acid is found in certain dairy products and has broad applications in
      medicine and cosmetics. We tried to find a suitable producer of this acid among
      traditional biotechnological yeast species (Kluyveromyces polysporus, Torulaspora
      delbrueckii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae) characterized by high biomass yield and
      Candida krusei, Yarrowia lipolytica and Trichosporon cutaneum accumulating large
      amounts of lipids. The main factor affecting the content of palmitoleic acid was
      found to be the C/N ratio in the culture medium, with ammonium sulfate as an
      optimum nitrogen source leading to highest biomass yield with concomitantly
      increased lipid accumulation, and an increased content of omega6-linoleic acid,
      the precursor of prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and thromboxanes. We found that C.
      krusei can be conveniently used for the purpose, albeit only under certain
      cultivation conditions, whereas S. cerevisiae can produce high and stable amounts
      of palmitoleic acid in a broad range of cultivation conditions ranging from
      conventional to nutrient limitations. 

PMID- 26101963
TI  - Use of PCR-DGGE based molecular methods to assessment of microbial diversity
      during anaerobic treatment of antibiotic combinations.
AB  - As it is currently often not know how anaerobic bioreactors, e.g. for biogas
      production, react if the substrate is contaminated by toxic compounds like
      antibiotics. This study evaluated how anaerobic sequencing batch reactors were
      affected by amendments of different antibiotics and stepwise increasing
      concentrations. The compositions of microbial community were determined in the
      seed sludge using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and PCR-DGGE analyses were used
      for the detection of microbial community changes upon antibiotics additions.
      According to PCR-DGGE results, the syntrophic interaction of acetogens and
      methanogens is critical to the performance of the reactors. Failure to maintain
      the stability of these microorganisms resulted in a decrease in the performance
      and stability of the anaerobic reactors. Assessment of DGGE data is also useful
      for suggesting the potential to control ultimate microbial community structure,
      especially derived from Gram-negative bacteria, through bioaugmentation to
      successful for antibiotic biodegradation. 

PMID- 26101964
TI  - Performance of mesophilic biohydrogen-producing cultures at thermophilic
      conditions.
AB  - In this study, batch tests were conducted to investigate the performance of
      mesophilic anaerobic digester sludge (ADS) at thermophilic conditions and
      estimate kinetic parameters for co-substrate fermentation. Starch and cellulose
      were used as mono-substrate and in combination as co-substrates (1:1 mass ratio)
      to conduct a comparative assessment between mesophilic (37  degrees C) and
      thermophilic (60  degrees C) biohydrogen production. Unacclimatized mesophilic
      ADS responded well to the temperature change. The highest hydrogen yield of 1.13
      mol H2/mol hexose was observed in starch-only batches at thermophilic conditions.
      The thermophilic cellulose-only yield (0.42 mol H2/mol hexose) was three times
      the mesophilic yield (0.13 mol H2/mol hexose). Interestingly, co-fermentation of
      starch-cellulose at mesophilic conditions enhanced the hydrogen yield by 26% with
      respect to estimated mono-substrate yields, while under thermophilic conditions
      no enhancement in the overall yield was observed. Interestingly, the estimated
      overall Monod kinetic parameters showed higher rates at mesophilic than
      thermophilic conditions.

PMID- 26101965
TI  - Nitrification recovery behavior by bio-accelerators in copper-inhibited activated
      sludge system.
AB  - Copper (Cu) is a toxic heavy metal which can cause inhibitory effects on
      nitrification process in biological wastewater treatment systems. However, few
      studies have done to dose accelerators into Cu-inhibited activated sludge system
      to promote bioactivity recovery of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite
      oxidizing bacteria (NOB). In this study, four ingredients of bio-accelerators
      were developed and dosed in five parallel SBRs. The effluent NH4(+)-N, NO2(-)-N
      and NO3(-)-N concentrations, specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR), and Cu
      distribution were investigated to assess the bioactivity recovery effects.
      Results showed that, among biotin, L-aspartic acid and cytokinin, L-aspartic acid
      was the most effective for the fast bioactivity recovery of nitrifying bacteria.
      The combination of these three substances was optimum and Cu-inhibited activated
      sludge system could be 100% recovered in 8 days. The bio-accelerators proposed in
      this study can be potentially applied in the emergency treatment in biological
      wastewater treatment systems.

PMID- 26101966
TI  - Cross-Linking Cellulosic Fibers with Photoreactive Polymers: Visualization with
      Confocal Raman and Fluorescence Microscopy.
AB  - The properties of paper sheets can be tuned by adjusting the surface or bulk
      chemistry using functional polymers that are applied during (online) or after
      (offline) papermaking processes. In particular, polymers are widely used to
      enhance the mechanical strength of the wet state of paper sheets. However, the
      mechanical strength depends not only on the chemical nature of the polymeric
      additives but also on the distribution of the polymer on and in the
      lignocellulosic paper. Here, we analyze the photochemical attachment and
      distribution of hydrophilic polydimethylacrylamide-co-methacrylate-benzophenone
      P(DMAA-co-MABP) copolymers with defined amounts of photoreactive benzophenone
      moieties in model paper sheets. Raman microscopy was used for the unambiguous
      identification of P(DMAA-co-MABP) and cellulose specific bands and thus the
      copolymer distribution within the cellulose matrix. Two-dimensional Raman
      spectral maps at the intersections of overlapping cellulose fibers document that
      the macromolecules only partially surround the cellulose fibers, favor to attach
      to the fiber surface, and connect the cellulose fibers at crossings. Moreover,
      the copolymer appears to accumulate preferentially in holes, vacancies, and dips
      on the cellulose fiber surface. Correlative brightfield, Raman, and confocal
      laser scanning microscopy finally reveal a reticular three-dimensional
      distribution of the polymer and show that the polymer is predominately deposited
      in regions of high capillarity (i.e., in proximity to fine cellulose fibrils).
      These data provide deeper insights into the effects of paper functionalization
      with a copolymer and aid in understanding how these agents ultimately influence
      the local and overall properties of paper.

PMID- 26101967
TI  - Pattern Recognition-Based Approach for Identifying Metabolites in Nuclear
      Magnetic Resonance-Based Metabolomics.
AB  - Identification and assignments of metabolites is an important step in
      metabolomics and is necessary for the discovery of new biomarkers. In nuclear
      magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy-based studies, the conventional approach
      involves a database search, wherein chemical shifts are assigned to specific
      metabolites by use of a tolerance limit. This is inefficient because deviation in
      chemical shifts associated with pH or temperature variations, as well as missing
      peaks, impairs a robust comparison with the database. We propose here a novel
      method based on matching the pattern of peaks rather than absolute tolerance
      thresholds, using a combination of geometric hashing and similarity scoring
      techniques. Tests with 719 metabolites from the Human Metabolome Database (HMDB)
      show that 100% of the metabolites can be assigned correctly when accurate data
      are available. A high success rate is obtained even in the presence of large
      chemical shift deviations such as 0.5 ppm in (1)H and 3 ppm in (13)C and missing
      peaks (up to 50%), compared to nearly no assignments obtained under these
      conditions with existing methods that employ a direct database search approach.
      The method was evaluated on experimental data on a mixture of 16 metabolites at
      eight different combinations of pH and temperature conditions. The pattern
      recognition approach thus helps in identification and assignment of metabolites
      independent of the pH, temperature, and ionic strength used, thereby obviating
      the need for spectral calibration with internal or external standards. 

PMID- 26101968
TI  - Synthesis and optimization of Ag-TiO2 composite nanofibers for photocatalytic
      treatment of impaired water sources.
AB  - In this work, Ag-TiO2 composite nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning,
      where the composition and crystallinity were tuned by controlling the precursor
      composition and annealing conditions. Characterization revealed that bulk
      embedded Ag nanoparticles inhibited anatase-to-rutile phase transformation and a
      decrease in band gap from 3.2 down to 2.8 eV with increase in the Ag content. The
      photocatalytic activity of 0.5 at.% Ag-TiO2 nanofibers toward phenol degradation
      was the greatest, outperforming both unmodified TiO2 nanofibers and commercially
      available TiO2 Aeroxide((r)) P25 by a factor of ~3. The high reactivity of the
      low content Ag-TiO2 nanofibers can be attributed to the addition of electron
      traps, which provide efficient carrier separation and, therefore, decreased
      recombination. However, further increase in Ag content led to lower
      photoreactivity, most likely due to the growth of the Ag nanoparticles, which
      suggests an optimal size of 2 to 3 nm for the Ag nanoparticles at 0.5 at.%
      provided the greatest photoreactivity. Ag-TiO2 nanofibers show great promise as
      innovative and highly performing nanomaterials for future nanotechnology-based
      treatment systems, particularly when the photoreactivity demonstrate herein is
      used in synergy with the established antimicrobial activity of nano-Ag.

PMID- 26101969
TI  - Enhanced azo dye removal in a continuously operated up-flow anaerobic filter
      packed with henna plant biomass.
AB  - Effects of henna plant biomass (stem) packed in an up-flow anaerobic bio-filter
      (UAF) on an azo dye (AO7) removal were investigated. AO7 removal, sulfanilic acid
      (SA) formation, and pseudo first-order kinetic constants for these reactions
      (kAO7 and kSA) were higher in the henna-added UAF (R2) than in the control UAF
      without henna (R1). The maximum kAO7 in R1 and R2 were 0.0345 and 0.2024 cm(-1),
      respectively, on day 18; the corresponding molar ratios of SA formation to AO7
      removal were 0.582 and 0.990. Adsorption and endogenous bio-reduction were the
      main AO7 removal pathways in R1, while in R2 bio-reduction was the dominant.
      Organics in henna could be released and fermented to volatile fatty acids, acting
      as effective electron donors for AO7 reduction, which was accelerated by soluble
      and/or fixed lawsone. Afterwards, the removal process weakened over time,
      indicating the demand of electron donation and lawsone-releasing during the long
      term operation of UAF.

PMID- 26101970
TI  - Complexation of cationic-neutral block polyelectrolyte with insulin and in vitro
      release studies.
AB  - Insulin (INS) was incorporated into complexes with the block polyelectrolyte
      quaternized poly[3,5-bis(dimethylaminomethylene)hydroxystyrene]-b-poly(ethylene
      oxide) (QNPHOSEO), which is a cationic-neutral block polyelectrolyte. Light
      scattering techniques are used in order to examine the size, the size
      distribution and the zeta-potential of the nanocarriers in aqueous and biological
      media, which are found to depend on the ratio of the components and the
      physicochemical parameters during and after complex preparation. Circular
      dichroism and infrared spectroscopy, employed to investigate the structure of the
      complexed INS, show no alteration of protein structure after complexation. In
      vitro release profiles of the entrapped protein are found to depend on the ratio
      of the components and the solution conditions used during preparation of the
      complexes.

PMID- 26101971
TI  - Catalytic Enantioselective Peroxidation of alpha,beta-Unsaturated Aldehydes for
      the Asymmetric Synthesis of Biologically Important Chiral Endoperoxides.
AB  - We have developed an unprecedented highly enantioselective catalytic peroxidation
      of enals. Critical to this development is the discovery that varying the
      structure of the hydroperoxide has a significant impact on the enantioselectivity
      of the organocatalytic asymmetric peroxidation. This novel transformation enabled
      the development of an enantioselective route toward the core structure shared by
      all members of the stolonoxide family of anticancer natural products, a connected
      trans-3,6-disubstituted-1,2-dioxane and trans-2,5-disubstituted-tetrahydrofuran
      ring system. Our route also features an unprecedented cyclization cascade of a
      chiral bis(epoxy)hydroperoxide. The new methodology and synthetic strategy
      established in this work should be applicable to the enantioselective synthesis
      of a broad range of chiral 1,2-dioxolanes and 1,2-dioxanes, thereby facilitating
      biological and medicinal chemistry studies of peroxy natural products. 

PMID- 26101972
TI  - Impact of Postoperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis Duration on Surgical Site
      Infections in Autologous Breast Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although some surgeons prescribe prolonged postoperative antibiotics
      after autologous breast reconstruction, evidence is lacking to support this
      practice. We used the Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons
      database to evaluate the association between postoperative antibiotic duration
      and the rate of surgical site infection (SSI) in autologous breast
      reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN: The intervention of interest for this study was
      postoperative duration of antibiotic prophylaxis: either discontinued 24 hours
      after surgery or continued beyond 24 hours. The primary outcome variable of
      interest for this study was the presence of SSI within 30 days of autologous
      breast reconstruction. Cohort characteristics and 30-day outcomes were compared
      using chi2 and Fischer exact tests for categorical variables and Student t tests
      for continuous variables. Multivariate logistic regression was used to control
      for confounders. RESULTS: A total of 1036 patients met inclusion criteria for our
      study. Six hundred fifty-nine patients (63.6%) received antibiotics for 24 hours
      postoperatively, and 377 patients (36.4%) received antibiotics for greater than
      24 hours. The rate of SSI did not differ significantly between patients given
      antibiotics for only 24 hours and those continued on antibiotics beyond the 24
      hour postoperative time period (5.01% vs 2.92%, P = 0.109). Furthermore,
      antibiotic duration was not predictive of SSI in multivariate regression
      modeling. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find a statistically significant difference in
      the rate of SSI in patients who received 24 hours of postoperative antibiotics
      compared to those that received antibiotics for greater than 24 hours. These
      findings held for both purely autologous reconstruction as well as latissimus
      dorsi reconstruction in conjunction with an implant. Thus, our study does not
      support continuation of postoperative antibiotics beyond 24 hours after
      autologous breast reconstruction.

PMID- 26101973
TI  - Effects of Cleft Width and Veau Type on Incidence of Palatal Fistula and
      Velopharyngeal Insufficiency After Cleft Palate Repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative fistulae and velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) are 2
      important complications after cleft palate repair. The effects of preoperative
      cleft width on outcomes after cleft palate repair have been rarely studied.
      METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients undergoing primary cleft
      palatoplasty by a single surgeon between 2004 and 2011 was performed. Primary
      outcomes were palatal fistula and VPI, defined as the need for corrective surgery
      after failing conservative speech-language therapy. Logistic regression analysis
      was performed to identify factors associated with the primary outcomes. RESULTS:
      One hundred seventy-seven patients (84 men and 93 women) were identified. Median
      age at repair was 10 months with median follow-up of 3.80 years. Preoperative
      cleft width was 10 mm or less for 72 (41%) patients, 11 to 14 mm for 54 (30%)
      patients, and 15 mm or greater for 51 (29%) patients. Palatal fistula was
      observed in 8 (4.5%) patients, but required surgical repair in only 2 (1.1%).
      Fistula was overall associated with Veau IV classification (odds ratio, 8.13; P <
      0.01) but not with cleft width. Velopharyngeal insufficiency needing surgical
      intervention occurred in 9 patients (7.38% of patients older than 4 years) and
      was associated with increasing cleft width (odds ratio, 1.29; P = 0.011).
      Outcomes were similar for patients undergoing surgery in the earlier and later
      halves of the study. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective review is one of the first
      from the United States to explore the associations between measured cleft width
      and outcomes after palatoplasty. Overall rates of palatal fistula and VPI were
      low, corroborating previous studies showing good outcomes with the 2-flap
      palatoplasty. After adjusting for multiple variables including Veau type, cleft
      width was associated with higher VPI rates but not with fistula formation. Cleft
      width is a unique preoperative factor that should be considered and studied as a
      potential predictor of outcomes.

PMID- 26101974
TI  - Tanshinone IIA Inhibits Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis Through the
      Downregulation of Survivin in Keloid Fibroblasts.
AB  - Keloids are considered benign dermal fibroproliferative tumors. Keloid
      fibroblasts (KFs) persistently proliferate and fail to undergo apoptosis, and no
      treatment is completely effective against these lesions. Tanshinone IIA induces
      apoptosis and inhibits the proliferation of various tumor cell types. In this
      study, we investigated the effect of tanshinone IIA on the regulation of
      proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis in KFs, and investigated potential
      mechanisms involved in the effects. First, KFs and normal skin fibroblasts (NSFs)
      were treated with various concentrations of tanshinone IIA. Cell counting kit-8
      (CCK-8) was used to assess the proliferative activity of KFs and NSFs, and flow
      cytometry was used to investigate the cell cycle and apoptosis in KFs. We found
      that the proliferation of all tanshinone IIA-treated KFs was significantly
      decreased after treatment for 72 hours (P < 0.001). Also, NSFs treated with
      tanshinone IIA did not exhibit noticeable effects compared with KFs. In addition,
      the percentages of G0/G1 cells in all tanshinone IIA-treated KFs were
      significantly increased after treatment for 72 hours (P < 0.001). And the
      percentages of cells undergoing early apoptosis in all tanshinone IIA-treated KFs
      were significantly increased after treatment for 120 hours (P < 0.001).
      Furthermore, the apoptosis antibody array kit and Western blot analysis revealed
      that tanshinone IIA decreased survivin expression in KFs (P < 0.001). In
      conclusion, tanshinone IIA downregulates survivin and deactivates KFs, thus
      suggesting that tanshinone IIA could serve as a potential clinical keloid
      treatment. 

PMID- 26101975
TI  - Alleviation of Neuropathic Scar Pain Using Autologous Fat Grafting.

PMID- 26101976
TI  - Management of a Common Breast Augmentation Complication: Treatment of the Double
      Bubble Deformity With Fat Grafting.
AB  - The double-bubble deformity is one of the most common problems in breast
      augmentation, with or without mastopexy. Classically, open techniques have been
      used to treat this deformity, including elevation and reconstruction of the
      inframammary crease or parenchymal scoring. In this study, the author reports
      experience with a simple, closed technique of serial fat grafting procedures to
      treat the double-bubble deformity. Twenty-eight patients with double-bubble
      deformities were retrospectively evaluated. Fifteen patients had undergone
      primary augmentation, whereas 13 patients had undergone augmentation mastopexy.
      Eight patients presented with bilateral double-bubble deformity. Up to 3 sessions
      of fat grafting were performed on each patient, with a mean of 2.1 sessions
      required for patients in the series. An average of 27 cm3 of fat was injected
      with each treatment per breast. Fat was injected with a 1.5-mm blunt cannula into
      the subdermal and superficial breast tissue layers beneath the old inframammary
      fold. There were no oil cysts, infections, or donor site problems noted in the
      series. Twelve patients with limited breast tissue underwent magnetic resonance
      imaging examination at the conclusion of the fat grafting sessions, and no
      implant injury or disruption was noted. All patients were pleased with the
      results of treatment, and no revisional surgery was required. This study suggests
      that fat grafting is an effective treatment of the breast double-bubble
      deformity. The procedure allows the correction of a challenging deformity with a
      simple, closed technique which is safe and cost-effective.

PMID- 26101977
TI  - Anatomy of the Anterior Deep Temporal Nerve: Implications for Neurotization in
      Blinking Restoration in Facial Paralysis.
AB  - Facial paralysis can lead to dysfunctions in eyelid closure, which is called
      lagophthalmos. A number of surgical procedures, both dynamic and static, have
      been described to restore the innervation of the orbicularis oculi muscle that
      closes the eyelids. This cadaver-based anatomical study aimed to evaluate the
      anatomy of the anterior, middle, and posterior deep temporal nerves; nerves to
      the temporalis muscle; and their availability for direct muscle neurotization of
      the orbicularis oculi. A total of 10 hemisectioned head specimens from 5 adult
      cadavers (2 men and 3 women) were used in this study. The adequacy of the length
      of the anterior deep temporal nerve was assessed for direct neorotization of the
      orbicularis oculi muscle. The mean distances between the originating point of the
      deep temporal nerves from the mandibular nerve in the infratemporal fossa and
      their terminal entry points into the muscle were 46.4 (42-51 mm), 42.2 (38-46
      mm), and 33.4 mm (26-40 mm) for the anterior, middle and posterior branches of
      the nerves, respectively. We conclude that the anterior deep temporal nerve is a
      versatile nerve that can be used for direct muscle neurotization, nerve transfer,
      and babysitter procedures in selective blinking restoration. Before proceeding
      with any further clinical use, an anatomical study should be performed with fresh
      specimens from cadavers. 

PMID- 26101978
TI  - The Use of Glabrous Skins Grafts in the Treatment of Pediatric Palmar Hand Burns.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An often overlooked, yet useful, technique in the treatment of palmar
      hand burns is the use of glabrous skin grafting, particularly in dark-skinned
      individuals. Pediatric palmar burns are a particularly unique subset of burns.
      The typical split-thickness or full-thickness skin grafts leave a notably
      different skin texture and pigmentation. It is also known that the psychological
      aspects of a pediatric burn can be quite burdensome for a child as he or she
      progresses through childhood and adolescence. For a dark-skinned patient the
      placement a standard full-thickness skin graft in a nonpigmented palm provides
      for a constant reminder of a traumatic event. We report a case series of
      pediatric patients who were managed with glabrous skin grafting from the plantar
      aspect of the foot. METHODS: A retrospective review of palmar skin burns
      requiring grafting at a single pediatric burn center experience over a 2 and a
      half year time period was performed. Seventeen patients were identified. Our
      treatment algorithm for deep partial thickness burns first relies on a
      combination of operative and nonoperative measures to expedite the demarcation of
      the burn injury. If the burn is full thickness in nature or if a lack of
      progression of healing is identified within the first 14 days of injury, then
      skin grafting is recommended. Our technique for performing the graft is
      described. RESULTS: The average age at time of surgery was 2.05 years (6 months
      to 6.8 years). Fourteen of the 17 patients had darker skin types (Fitzpatrick
      Type III-VI) and identified themselves as either Hispanic or African American.
      The average size of the area requiring skin graft after debridement was 0.94%
      total body surface area (0.5%-2.0%). Of the patients that were not lost to follow
      up, 1 patient required additional grafting after developing a finger contracture
      for splint noncompliance. Aesthetically, the wounds went on to heal with an
      excellent pigment match and an inconspicuous donor site. CONCLUSIONS: In the
      management of deep-partial or full-thickness palmar skin burns in the pediatric
      population that require grafting, the use of plantar glabrous skin grafts offers
      a reliable option for coverage. The aesthetic and functional results are improved
      over standard techniques.

PMID- 26101979
TI  - Autologous Fat Grafting After Breast Reconstruction in Postmastectomy Patients:
      Complications, Biopsy Rates, and Locoregional Cancer Recurrence Rates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autologous fat grafting is widely used for refinements in
      postmastectomy breast reconstruction. However, there are few studies evaluating
      outcomes in this patient population. The purpose of this study was to assess
      outcomes of autologous fat grafting after breast reconstruction in postmastectomy
      patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of consecutive
      postmastectomy patients who underwent autologous fat grafting after breast
      reconstruction at a university center over a 5-year period. Patients with at
      least 6 months of follow-up were included. Medical records were reviewed for
      demographics, operative details, complications, incidence of palpable masses,
      and/or suspicious breast imaging findings requiring biopsy, and locoregional
      cancer recurrence. Descriptive statistics were generated. RESULTS: Between
      January 2008 and July 2013, 108 women and a total of 167 breast reconstructions
      underwent autologous fat grafting for revision of postmastectomy breast
      reconstruction. Their ages ranged from 22 to 71 years (mean, 48 years). Fat
      grafts were harvested, processed, and injected using the Coleman technique. The
      mean number of fat grafting procedures was 1.3 (range, 1-4) per breast. Follow-up
      ranged from 6 to 57 months (mean, 20.2 months). Fifty-three (31.7%) breasts
      underwent imaging after autologous fat grafting. Suspicious imaging findings
      requiring biopsy were discovered in 4 (2.4%) breasts, and clinically palpable
      lesions combined with suspicious imaging findings requiring biopsy were present
      in another 4 (2.4%) breasts. All 8 biopsies showed fat necrosis, scar, or oil
      cysts without evidence of malignancy. One (0.6%) local complication (a wound
      infection at the recipient site requiring oral antibiotics) after autologous fat
      grafting was reported. During the limited follow-up period, there were no
      locoregional cancer recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: Autologous fat grafting in
      conjunction with breast reconstruction resulted in a biopsy rate of 4.8%, and no
      cases of locoregional cancer recurrence were observed. Based on these preliminary
      findings, autologous fat grafting appears to be a relatively safe procedure for
      refinement of the reconstructed breast in postmastectomy patients.

PMID- 26101980
TI  - The Protective Effects of Botulinum Toxin A Against Flap Necrosis After
      Perforator Twisting and Its Underlying Molecular Mechanism in a Rat Model.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine our hypotheses that botulinum
      toxin A (BoTA) protect necrosis of perforator flap from perforator twisting.
      METHODS: Twenty-four rats were randomly divided into 2 groups. Twelve
      International Units of BoTA versus 1.2 mL normal saline was injected subdermally
      3 days before flap elevation. In each group, bilateral before deep inferior
      epigastric perforator (DIEP) flaps, 5 * 3 cm in size, were created. The right and
      left (180 and 360 degrees of perforator twisting) DIEP flaps were separated. At 1
      and 3 days postoperatively, skin above the perforator of the DIEP flaps was
      harvested to examine the degrees of gene expressions. Final survival percentage
      of flap and histology were assessed at postoperative day 5. RESULTS: The survival
      percentage of flap was significantly higher in the BoTA group than in the control
      group at both DIEP flaps after 180 and 360 degrees of perforator twisting at
      postoperative day 5 (95.23 +/- 2.85% vs 91.00 +/- 3.77%; P = 0.021 and 91.59 +/-
      2.87% vs 30.03 +/- 6.91%; P < 0.001, respectively).Higher fibroblast density,
      enhanced epithelial necrosis, and inflammation were noted in the control group
      than in the BoTA group. In 180 degrees of perforator twisting group, BoTA may
      augment angiogenesis possibly via nuclear factor-kappaB-induced destabilization
      and the nuclear factor-kappaB/hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha/vascular
      endothelial growth factor pathway, whereas in the 360 degrees of perforator
      twisting group, the mechanistic target of rapamycin/hypoxia-inducible factor 1
      alpha/vascular endothelial growth factor pathway may participate in BoTA-induced
      effective angiogenesis. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that pretreatment with BoTA
      protects perforator flap caused by perforator at the pathological and molecular
      level using an experimental rat model.

PMID- 26101981
TI  - Correction of Medial Blowout Fractures According to the Fracture Types.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Regarding the issue of blowout fracture, a variety of approaches and
      surgical techniques have been reported to improve postoperative results. However,
      there are no extant guidelines for the selection of these various methods. The
      current authors classified the medial blowout fracture into 3 different types and
      adapted to suitable surgical techniques. METHODS: Between October 2010 and March
      2013, 89 patients who had medial blowout fracture were included in this study. We
      classified the study patients into 3 different categories: greenstick, simple,
      and complex. The greenstick type used the transnasal endoscopic approach and was
      reduced with packing after applying a silastic sheet. The simple type used an
      onlay covering technique. The complex type was treated using the transcaruncular
      approach and inlay implanting technique. After surgery, the continuity of orbital
      wall was checked by computed tomography. Patients were then examined for the
      following conditions: diplopia, eyeball movement, and enophthalmos. RESULTS: The
      greenstick category consisted of 12 cases, most cases were satisfied. One case
      relapsed after removal of the packing. In the simple category, a total of 9 cases
      were treated by onlay covering technique. In all 68 cases of the complex type, we
      could obtain suitable anatomical reconstruction with inlay implanting technique.
      Only 2 cases complained of transient diplopia and moderate enophthalmos.
      CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate clinical classification, depending on the type of
      fracture and selection of optimal treatment methods, could obtain the
      satisfactory result and improve the treatment outcomes in the correction of
      medial orbital wall fracture.

PMID- 26101982
TI  - Fascicular Phrenic Nerve Neurotization for Restoring Physiological Motion in a
      Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Reconstruction With a Reverse Innervated
      Latissimus Dorsi Muscle Flap.
AB  - Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is a severe developmental anomaly characterized
      by the malformation of the diaphragm. An innervated reversed latissimus dorsi
      flap reconstruction for recurrent congenital diaphragmatic hernia has been
      described as an alternative to prosthetic patch repair to achieve
      pleuroperitoneal separation. However, there is very little supporting scientific
      data; therefore, there is no real basic understanding of the condition of the
      phrenic nerve in the absence of diaphragmatic muscle or even the neurotization
      options for restoring neodiaphragmatic muscle motion. We have reviewed the
      literature regarding phrenic nerve anatomy and neurotization options, and to our
      knowledge, this is the first time that the application of a fascicular repair is
      being described where the continuity of one remaining fascicle of the diaphragm
      has been preserved close to the phrenic nerve distal division. The procedure was
      undertaken in a 3 year-old boy, with the diagnosis of congenital large
      posteromedial diaphragmatic hernia and dependence of mechanical ventilation in
      consequence of severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia.The phrenic nerve divides itself
      into several terminal branches, usually three, at the diaphragm level, or just
      above it. This allows the selective coaptation of separate fascicular branches.
      In the case described, videofluoroscopy evaluation showed no evidence of
      paradoxical neodiaphragmatic motion, with synchronous contraction movements and
      intact pleura-peritoneal separation. The child is now asymptomatic and shows
      improvement of his previous restrictive pulmonary disease.We believe that
      fascicular repair can achieve some reinnervation of the flap without jeopardizing
      the potential of diaphragmatic function by contraction of reminiscent native
      diaphragm.

PMID- 26101983
TI  - Optimizing Efficiency in Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap Breast
      Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The process of harvesting and performing microsurgical anastomosis in
      a deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap for breast reconstruction can
      be a lengthy procedure, which could affect outcomes and patient safety. We
      hypothesize that the implementation of a high volume center, preoperative
      planning, and the adaptation of key intraoperative components will optimize the
      efficiency of perforator flap surgery for breast reconstruction. METHODS: A
      retrospective review of 68 consecutive patients who underwent 104 DIEP flaps for
      immediate or delayed breast reconstruction was performed. Standardized
      preoperative planning, including computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging
      angiogram, operating room setup, and operative technique, was followed. The times
      of flap harvest, internal mammary vessel harvest, microsurgical anastomosis, flap
      inset, wound closure, and total length of procedure were reviewed as well as
      patient outcomes. RESULTS: The average length of surgery for a unilateral DIEP
      was 3 hours and 21 minutes and for a bilateral DIEP was 5 hours and 46 minutes.
      In bilateral DIEP flaps, a significantly longer operative time was noted in
      immediate (363 +/- 14 minutes) compared to delayed (296 +/- 17 minutes) (P <
      0.05) reconstruction and between procedures performed by 1 surgeon (400 +/- 29
      minutes) versus 2 surgeons (326 +/- 11 minutes) (P < 0.05). Interestingly, no
      significant difference in operative time was seen in DIEP flaps performed on
      patients with a body mass index (BMI) less than 30 (193 +/- 7.6, 352 +/- 17
      minutes) versus a BMI greater than 30 (213 +/- 11, 333 +/- 14 minutes) in both
      unilateral and bilateral procedures, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Efficiency is
      optimized by preoperative planning with computed tomography/magnetic resonance
      imaging angiogram, a dedicated operating room team, including 2 microsurgeons and
      a systematic approach for surgery. The BMI may not significantly affect the
      duration of surgery.

PMID- 26101984
TI  - The Evolving Role of Members of the American Board of Plastic Surgery in Burn
      Surgery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Outcomes for patients with burn injuries are optimized by
      multidisciplinary care in a specialized burn center. Plastic surgeons
      traditionally have played a significant role in the care of burn patients;
      however, this may be evolving. We aim to examine the role and employment
      satisfaction of plastic surgeons in burn surgery. METHODS: Members of the
      American Society of Plastic Surgery with available contact information and US
      senior plastic surgery residents were asked to complete a survey examining
      practice profiles and employment satisfaction. Responses were analyzed between
      groups stating that their practice did and did not involve burn surgery. RESULTS:
      Of the 573 attending respondents, 135 (23.6%) indicated that part of their
      practice included burn surgery. Nineteen (41.9%) residents indicated they desired
      their practice to include burn surgery. About 41.9% of respondents with less than
      3 years of experience, 25% with between 3 and 10 years of experience, and 21.7%
      with greater than 10 years of experience practiced burn surgery. Twenty-one
      (15.3%) respondents were completely satisfied with their practice, 62 (45.3%)
      were mostly satisfied, and 36 (26.3%) were satisfied. Fourteen (10.2%)
      respondents were mostly dissatisfied and 4 (2.9%) were completely dissatisfied (P
      = 0.0315). CONCLUSIONS: Despite residents' interest and junior plastic surgeons'
      involvement in burn surgery, the role of burn surgery in responding plastic
      surgeons' practices diminished over time. Those practicing burn surgery are less
      likely to be satisfied and more likely to be dissatisfied with their practice.
      Plastic surgeons should therefore examine their role in burn surgery to optimize
      their desired involvement and satisfaction within the field.

PMID- 26101985
TI  - Inhibition of the Notch Pathway Promotes Flap Survival by Inducing Functional
      Angiogenesis.

PMID- 26101986
TI  - Understanding and Optimizing the Patient Experience in Breast Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optimizing the patient experience is a central pillar in healthcare
      quality. Although this may be recognized as important in breast reconstruction,
      surgeons are often unaware of how well they and members of their team achieve
      this goal. The objective of our study was to evaluate patient satisfaction with
      the experience of care in a multicenter, prospective cohort of patients
      undergoing breast reconstruction. Specifically, we sought to determine which
      aspects of the care experience might be most amenable to quality improvement.
      METHODS: As part of the Mastectomy Reconstruction Outcomes Consortium Study, 2093
      patients were recruited from 11 centers in North America. Of these, 1534 (73.3%)
      completed the BREAST-Q Satisfaction with Care scales (satisfaction with
      information, surgeon, medical team, and office staff) at 3 months after
      reconstruction and were included in the analysis. RESULTS: Patients scored lowest
      on 'Satisfaction with Information' (mean = 72.8) compared to all other
      Satisfaction with Care scales (mean, 89.5-95.5). Patients with immediate
      reconstruction were less satisfied with their plastic surgeon compared to those
      with delayed reconstruction. The racial category, "Other" (Asians, Pacific
      Islanders, Hawaiians, American Indians), was the least satisfied group across all
      Satisfaction with Care scales. CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing breast
      reconstruction perceive significant gaps in their knowledge and understanding of
      expected outcomes. Immediate reconstruction patients and minority racial groups
      may require additional resources and attention. As a means to improve quality of
      care, these findings highlight an important unmet need and suggest that improving
      patient education may be central to providing patient-centered care.

PMID- 26101988
TI  - The Effect of Web-Based Education on Patient Satisfaction, Consultation Time and
      Conversion to Surgery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the effect of web-based education on (1) patient
      satisfaction, (2) consultation times, and (3) conversion to surgery. METHODS: A
      retrospective review of 767 new patient consultations seen by 4 university-based
      plastic surgeons was conducted between May 2012 and August 2013 to determine the
      effect a web-based education program has on patient satisfaction and consultation
      time. A standard 5-point Likert scale survey completed at the end of the
      consultation was used to assess satisfaction with their experience. Consult times
      were obtained from the electronic medical record. All analyses were done with
      Statistical Analysis Software version 9.2 (SAS Inc., Cary, NC). A P value less
      than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Those who viewed the
      program before their consultation were more satisfied with their consultation
      compared to those who did not (satisfaction scores, mean +/- SD: 1.13 +/- 0.44 vs
      1.36 +/- 0.74; P = 0.02) and more likely to rate their experience as excellent
      (92% vs 75%; P = 0.02). Contrary to the claims of Emmi Solutions, patients who
      viewed the educational program before consultation trended toward longer visits
      compared to those who did not (mean time +/- SD: 54 +/- 26 vs 50 +/- 35 minutes;
      P = 0.10). More patients who completed the program went on to undergo a procedure
      (44% vs 37%; P = 0.16), but this difference was not statistically significant.
      DISCUSSION: Viewing web-based educational programs significantly improved plastic
      surgery patients' satisfaction with their consultation, but patients who viewed
      the program also trended toward longer consultation times. Although there was an
      increase in converting to surgical procedures, this did not reach statistical
      significance.

PMID- 26101989
TI  - What Effect Does Self-Citation Have on Bibliometric Measures in Academic Plastic
      Surgery?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research productivity plays a significant role in academic
      promotions. Currently, various bibliometric measures utilizing citation counts
      are used to judge an author's work. With increasing numbers of journals, numbers
      of open access publications, ease of online submission, and expedited indexing of
      accepted manuscripts, it is plausible that an author could influence his/her own
      bibliometric measures through self-citation. The purpose of this study was to
      determine the impact of self-citation in academic plastic surgery. METHODS: A
      cohort of full-time academic plastic surgeons was identified from 9 U.S. plastic
      surgery training programs. For all included faculty, academic rank was retrieved
      from department/division websites, and bibliometric measures were assessed using
      a subscription bibliographic citation database (Scopus, Reed Elsevier, London,
      UK). Bibliometric measures included the Hirsch index (h-index, the number of
      publications h which are cited >= h times), total number of publications, and
      total number of citations. The h-index and total number of citations were
      collected with and without self-citations. Percent changes in the h-index and
      total citations were calculated after removal of self-citations and compared
      across academic ranks and levels of research productivity (total publications, h
      index, and total citations). RESULTS: The study cohort consisted of 169 full-time
      academic plastic surgeons. The h-index and total citations experienced decreases
      of 2.8 +/- 5.0% (P < 0.0001) and 4.5 +/- 4.6% (P < 0.0001), respectively, after
      correction for self-citation. More than half of the cohort (n = 113, 67%) did not
      experience a change in the h-index after removal of self-citations. These
      decreases did not vary across academic rank. Surgeons who self-cited at rates
      greater than 5% were 9.8 times more likely (95% confidence interval, 4.5-21.9; P
      < 0.001) to have their h-index change as a result of self-citation (after
      adjusting for academic rank). There were weak correlations between percent
      decreases in the h-index and total citations and various biblimoteric measures
      (total publications, h-index, total citations; r < 0.32). CONCLUSIONS: Self
      citation has a minor impact on common bibliometric measures in academic plastic
      surgery. The influence of self-citation is consistent across academic ranks and
      increasing levels of bibliometric measures, suggesting that authors are not
      manipulating the system with increasing experience.

PMID- 26101990
TI  - Accuracy of High-Resolution Ultrasonography in the Detection of Extensor Tendon
      Lacerations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lacerations to the extensor mechanism are usually diagnosed
      clinically. Ultrasound (US) has been a growing diagnostic tool for tendon
      injuries since the 1990s. To date, there has been no publication establishing the
      accuracy and reliability of US in the evaluation of extensor mechanism
      lacerations in the hand. The purpose of this study is to determine the accuracy
      of US to detect extensor tendon injuries in the hand. METHODS: Sixteen fingers
      and 4 thumbs in 4 fresh-frozen and thawed cadaveric hands were used. Sixty-eight
      0.5-cm transverse skin lacerations were created. Twenty-seven extensor tendons
      were sharply transected. The remaining skin lacerations were used as sham
      dissection controls. One US technologist and one fellowship-trained
      musculoskeletal radiologist performed real-time dynamic US studies in and out of
      water bath. A second fellowship trained musculoskeletal radiologist subsequently
      reviewed the static US images. Dynamic and static US interpretation accuracy was
      assessed using dissection as "truth." RESULTS: All 27 extensor tendon lacerations
      and controls were identified correctly with dynamic imaging as either injury
      models that had a transected extensor tendon or sham controls with intact
      extensor tendons (sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 100%, positive predictive
      value = 1.0; all significantly greater than chance). Static imaging had a
      sensitivity of 85%, specificity of 89%, and accuracy of 88% (all significantly
      greater than chance). The results of the dynamic real time versus static US
      imaging were clearly different but did not reach statistical significance.
      CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic US is a very accurate noninvasive study that can identify
      extensor mechanism injuries. Clinically suspected cases of acute extensor tendon
      injury scanned by high-frequency US can aid and/or confirm the diagnosis, with
      dynamic imaging providing added value compared to static. Ultrasonography, to aid
      in the diagnosis of extensor mechanism lacerations, can be successfully used in a
      reliable and accurate manner.

PMID- 26101991
TI  - An Algorithm for Forefoot Reconstruction With the Innervated Free Medial Plantar
      Flap.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Because of shearing forces, the forefoot is more prone to trophic
      ulcers than the heel. Reconstruction of trophic ulcers and other forefoot defects
      is a vexing challenge. We favor the innervated free medial plantar flap to
      replace like-with-like and confer protective sensation. We investigate the
      feasibility of this flap with the largest series to date and the first to
      describe ipsilateral flap transfer. METHODS: Between 2009 and 2013, 7 patients
      with forefoot defects were treated with innervated free medial plantar flaps. The
      average age of 4 men and 3 women was 35.1 years (range, 8-50 years). Indications
      were secondary reconstruction after trauma and coverage of oncologic defects. The
      mean defect was 5 * 7 cm (range, 4-6 cm * 6-10 cm). Four patients were treated
      with contralateral flaps and 3 with ipsilateral flaps using interposition vein
      graft. RESULTS: The mean flap size was 8.1 +/- 1.6 cm * 5.9 +/- 1.2 cm. There was
      no perioperative complication, venous congestion, or arterial insufficiency.
      Patients were followed clinically for 38.5 months (range, 6 months to 10 years).
      One patient died from complications of metastatic disease 7 months after plantar
      flap reconstruction. Two patients underwent sensory testing and gait analysis.
      The appearance was satisfactory, ambulation returned to normal, and there was
      protective sensation in every case. In 2 cases, hyperkeratotic tissue was excised
      in revision procedures. CONCLUSIONS: The innervated free medial plantar flap is
      an attractive and feasible option for coverage of medium-to-large defects of the
      plantar forefoot in the hands of a skilled microsurgeon. It has a place in our
      algorithmic approach to forefoot reconstruction.

PMID- 26101992
TI  - Redefining the Vascular Classifications of the Lateral Supramalleolar Flap.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The blood supply of the lateral supramalleolar flap (LSMF) generally
      comes from the perforating branch of the peroneal artery. However, the cutaneous
      branch may also receive blood from the anterior tibial artery. The main objective
      of the present study was to clarify the vascular anatomy of the LSMF. METHODS:
      Anatomical dissections were performed on 28 perfused fresh cadaver legs. The
      cutaneous branches of LSMF were identified, and the anatomic relationship between
      the cutaneous branches and the peroneal and anterior tibial arteries was
      analyzed. RESULTS: The vascular supply for LSMF was divided into 2 main types. A
      collateral inferolateral branch from the anterior tibial artery anastomosed with
      the perforating branch of the peroneal artery around the inferior tibiofibular
      angle, and the main cutaneous branch of the flap arose from this arterial
      anastomosis in 20 of 28 limbs (71.4%). The collateral inferolateral branch was
      absent or very small in the other 8 of 28 dissections (28.6%), and the cutaneous
      branches solely arose from the perforating branch of the peroneal artery. The
      anastomosis of the descending branch of the peroneal artery and anterior lateral
      malleolar artery was always (100%) found around the tibiotalar joint.
      CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the perforating branch of the peroneal artery, the
      LSMF may also receive blood from the anterior tibial artery through the
      collateral inferolateral branch. New modified proximally based flaps could be
      designed, and caution is warranted for these variations when a distally based
      flap is performed.

PMID- 26101993
TI  - Is Propranolol Safe and Effective for Outpatient Use for Infantile Hemangioma? A
      Prospective Study of 679 Cases From One Center in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The protocol for the treatment of infantile hemangioma with
      propranolol varies among different clinical centers. METHODS: Six hundred seventy
      nine patients who were 1 to 12 months old were recruited in this prospective
      study to receive propranolol treatment. The response to the propranolol therapy
      was classified as 4 levels. The results were primarily evaluated using color
      Doppler ultrasound examinations before and after propranolol treatment. RESULTS:
      The response was excellent in 176 (25.9%), good in 492 (72.5%), stable in 5
      (0.7%), and poor in 6 (0.9%) of the patients. The mean age at the initiation of
      the therapy was 3.3 months (range, 1 to 10.9 months) and the mean duration of the
      therapy was 7.1 months (range, 3-17 months). The mean duration of the follow-up
      time after the discontinuation of the therapy was 5.3 months (range, 3-17
      months). Regrowth of the hemangioma was observed in 92 cases (13.5%). Seventy
      nine (11.6%) of the parents complained of their child's minor discomfort during
      the therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Propranolol (2 mg/kg per day) may significantly reduce
      the size of a hemangioma. As an outpatient therapy, propranolol was found to be
      safe for Chinese children and to have minor side effects.

PMID- 26101994
TI  - Three-Dimensional Approach to Zygoma Reduction: Review of 221 Patients Over 7
      Years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Zygoma reduction is commonly performed in Asian patients because a
      broad face is considered stubborn in appearance and unattractive. Consequently, a
      number of different techniques have been developed for zygoma reduction, the
      majority of which involve simple manipulations. However, no consensus has been
      reached on the optimal method. In the present report, we introduce a new method
      involving ostectomy and fixation that uses a 3-dimensional approach to zygoma
      reduction. METHODS: From 2007 to 2013, 221 Korean patients (39 men, 182 women)
      underwent zygoma reduction using this technique. The bone was accessed via an
      intraoral and preauricular incision and removed in the body area using a small L
      shaped osteotome through bone cutting in the arch area. The zygoma was moved
      anteriorly, medially, and caudally, and then fixed with a miniplate and screws.
      RESULTS: All patients were followed up for over 6 months and asked whether they
      were satisfied with the results. Four patients (1.8%) required further reduction
      and underwent a reoperation, but all were eventually satisfied. Two patients
      (0.9%) experienced overcorrection with a sunken area around the zygoma, which was
      corrected with autologous fat grafting after 6 months. Two patients complained of
      sensory changes around the upper lip, which resolved within 6 months. Two
      patients experienced dizziness, temporomandibular joint pain, infection, and/or
      cheek drooping. CONCLUSIONS: This new surgical technique causes less frequent and
      less pronounced cheek drooping and requires less bone stepping, resulting in
      greater patient satisfaction.

PMID- 26101995
TI  - Quantifying difference in gene expression profile between bovine blastocysts
      derived by in vitro fertilization and somatic cell nuclear transfer.
AB  - Epigenetic reprogramming intensely occurs in somatic-cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)
      embryos, which highlights the importance of proper expressions of reprogramming
      related genes in SCNT embryos. We here assessed gene expression profiles (GEPs)
      difference between bovine blastocyst groups derived by in-vitro fertilization
      (IVF) or SCNT; in SCNT, cumulus cells and ear skin fibroblasts were used for
      cSCNT and fSCNT blastocysts, respectively. We obtained GEPs of 15 reprogramming
      related genes in single blastocysts using multiplex PCR and found a broad range
      of variations in their GEPs. Weighted root-mean-square deviation (wRMSD)
      analysis, which calculates the deviation of SCNT blastocysts' GEPs from IVF
      blastocysts' mean GEP, found a significant difference between IVF and fSCNT and
      between cSCNT and fSCNT blastocysts (p < 0.001) but not between IVF and cSCNT.
      Since the fibroblasts' GEP was more distant from the IVF blastocysts' than the
      cumulus cells', it might partly explain the less similarity of fSCNT blastocysts'
      GEPs to the IVF's mean GEP. Our wRMSD method succeeds in expressing in figures
      how different two comparable embryo groups of different derivations are in GEP,
      which would be useful to select a better embryo derivation protocol among the
      candidates prior to field applications.

PMID- 26101997
TI  - Physicians' and Nurses' Perceptions of and Attitudes Toward Incident Reporting in
      Palestinian Hospitals.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Underreporting of incidents that happen in health care services
      undermines the ability of the systems to improve patient safety. This study
      assessed the attitudes of physicians and nurses toward incident reporting and the
      factors influencing reporting in Palestinian hospitals. It also examined
      clinicians' views about the preferred features of incident reporting system.
      METHODS: Cross-sectional self-administered survey of 475 participants, 152
      physicians and 323 nurses, from 11 public hospitals in the West Bank; response
      rate, 81.3%. RESULTS: There was a low level of event reporting among participants
      in the past year (40.3%). Adjusted for sex and age, physicians were 2.1 times
      more likely to report incidents than nurses (95% confidence interval, 1.32-3.417;
      P = 0.002). Perceived main barriers for reporting were grouped under lack of
      proper structure for reporting, prevalence of blame, and punitive environment.
      The clinicians indicated fear of administrative sanctions, social and legal
      liability, and of their competence being questioned (P > 0.05). Getting help for
      patients, learning from mistakes, and ethical obligation were equally indicated
      motivators for reporting (P > 0.05). Meanwhile, clinicians prefer formal
      reporting (77.8%) of all type of errors (65.5%), disclosure of reporters (52.7%),
      using reports to improve patient safety (80.3%), and willingness to report to
      immediate supervisors (57.6%). CONCLUSION: Clinicians acknowledge the importance
      of reporting incidents; however, prevalence of punitive culture and inadequate
      reporting systems are key barriers. Improving feedback about reported errors,
      simplifying procedures, providing clear guidelines on what and who should report,
      and avoiding blame are essential to enhance reporting. Moreover, health care
      organizations should consider the opinions of the clinicians in developing
      reporting systems.

PMID- 26101996
TI  - Dynamic remodeling of the extra cellular matrix during zebrafish fin
      regeneration.
AB  - Extracellular matrix plays a dynamic role during the process of wound healing,
      embryogenesis and tissue regeneration. Caudal fin regeneration in zebrafish is an
      excellent model to study tissue and skeletal regeneration. We have analyzed the
      expression pattern of some of the well characterized ECM proteins during the
      process of caudal fin regeneration in zebrafish. Our results show that a
      transitional matrix analogous to the one formed during newt skeletal and heart
      muscle regeneration is synthesized during fin regeneration. Here we demonstrate
      that a provisional matrix rich in hyaluronic acid, tenascin C, and fibronectin is
      synthesized following amputation. Additionally, we observed that the link protein
      Hapln1a dependent ECM, consisting of Hapln1a, hyaluronan and proteoglycan
      aggrecan, is upregulated during fin regeneration. Laminin, the protein
      characteristic of differentiated tissues, showed only modest change in the
      expression pattern. Our findings on zebrafish fin regeneration implicates that
      changes in the extracellular milieu represent an evolutionarily conserved
      mechanism that proceeds during tissue regeneration, yet with distinct players
      depending on the type of tissue that is involved. 

PMID- 26101998
TI  - Provider and Patient Perceptions of an External Medication History Function.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the awareness and use of an external medication history
      (EMH) function within an electronic health record and its impact on patient
      perception of medication adherence. METHODS: Two self-administered surveys were
      given: one to providers and one to patients. Participants included providers from
      an academic medical center and patients from 2 general internal medicine clinics.
      RESULTS: Of 154 completed provider surveys, 61% were aware the EMH existed. More
      of the respondents aware of the EMH were primary care and medicine subspecialty
      providers (79.1%) when compared with surgical providers (20.9%, P < 0.0001). The
      most common reasons chosen for looking at the EMH included checking for
      medication adherence (44%), questions about a specific medication (40%), and
      checking controlled substance prescription history (37%). Of those aware of the
      EMH, 65% found medications on the EMH that they were not aware their patient was
      getting filled. Of the 94 patient surveys, 34% felt the EMH feature might change
      their medication taking behavior, and 48% responded that it already had. Patients
      with a history of depression and/or anxiety were less likely to report the intent
      to change their medication taking behavior, OR, 0.34 [95% CI, 0.13-0.87].
      CONCLUSION: An external medication history function can provide further insight
      about a patient's medication profile and prescription filling. Knowledge attained
      from the EMH may improve patient safety by helping to uncover nonadherence,
      dosing discrepancies, and medications prescribed by other providers.
      Additionally, patient knowledge of this feature might improve medication
      adherence. Although further studies are needed to obtain objective data, the
      external medication history function may have significant impact on both
      providers and patients, and its benefit should be widely publicized.

PMID- 26101999
TI  - The Relationships Among Perceived Patients' Safety Culture, Intention to Report
      Errors, and Leader Coaching Behavior of Nurses in Korea: A Pilot Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to explore the correlations among nurses'
      perceptions of patient safety culture, their intention to report errors, and
      leader coaching behaviors. METHODS: The participants (N = 289) were nurses from 5
      Korean hospitals with approximately 300 to 500 beds each. Sociodemographic
      variables, patient safety culture, intention to report errors, and coaching
      behavior were measured using self-report instruments. Data were analyzed using
      descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, the t test, and the Mann
      Whitney U test. RESULTS: Nurses' perceptions of patient safety culture and their
      intention to report errors showed significant differences between groups of
      nurses who rated their leaders as high-performing or low-performing coaches.
      Perceived coaching behavior showed a significant, positive correlation with
      patient safety culture and intention to report errors, i.e., as nurses'
      perceptions of coaching behaviors increased, so did their ratings of patient
      safety culture and error reporting. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need in health care
      settings for coaching by nurse managers to provide quality nursing care and thus
      improve patient safety. Programs that are systematically developed and
      implemented to enhance the coaching behaviors of nurse managers are crucial to
      the improvement of patient safety and nursing care. Moreover, a systematic
      analysis of the causes of malpractice, as opposed to a focus on the punitive
      consequences of errors, could increase error reporting and therefore promote a
      culture in which a higher level of patient safety can thrive.

PMID- 26102000
TI  - Enhanced Morbidity and Mortality Meeting and Patient Safety Education for
      Specialty Trainees.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mortality and morbidity (M&M) meetings present a forum to discuss
      and review in-hospital deaths and complications to improve patient care. However,
      it remains an untapped resource to improve the exposure of the trainees to the
      principles of patient safety METHODS: We modified the departmental M&M meetings
      to enhance the delivery of patient safety education. The meeting started with a 5
      minute overview of general patient safety principles, followed by a trainee-led
      discussion of a recent patient safety incident where opinions were sought about
      key learning points and ways to prevent the incident from happening in future.
      The discussion concluded with a patient safety presentation summarizing the
      salient points that were mapped to the WHO Patient Safety Curriculum. The
      suggestions from the meeting were noted, and the changes were instituted in the
      department over the next month and were reported back in the next meeting.
      RESULTS: From January to August 2012, seven enhanced M&M meetings were organized
      and attended by orthopaedic specialty trainees in a postgraduate Deanery. We
      explored the early impact of these monthly discussions by using the Junior
      Doctors' Patient Safety Attitudes and Climate Questionnaire as an assessment
      tool. The questionnaire reports an early impact on patient safety knowledge,
      awareness, and attitudes to patient safety; however, more work is needed to
      improve the workplace safety climate. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend immediate
      introduction of the enhanced M&M meetings focusing on patient safety in the other
      disciplines and postgraduate deaneries.

PMID- 26102001
TI  - A Patient Safety Rounds Pilot Program at Clinics Affiliated With a Large Research
      and Education Institution.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In 2012, a 6-month Patient Safety Rounds pilot program was conducted
      to examine the provider perspective of patient safety and to educate personnel
      about national patient safety goals at clinics associated with a large research
      and education institution. METHODS: The Patient Safety Rounds (PSR) team,
      consisting of 3 to 4 rotating members from executive leadership, physician and
      nursing groups, and administrative staff, identified contacts within clinical
      departments and made arrangements for monthly visits. Patient safety issues were
      preselected by committee for presentation and discussion at a premeeting held
      with supervisors and administrators during the first few minutes of PSR. After
      the premeeting, the PSR team split up and met individually with care providers,
      between patient visits, to review the monthly safety topic and any patient safety
      concerns that they wanted to discuss during the visit. RESULTS: Approximately 37
      patient safety issues were identified, recorded, and classified during these PSR
      team visits. If the issues could not be immediately addressed, they were either
      addressed shortly thereafter or referred to appropriate personnel for resolution.
      CONCLUSIONS: This PSR pilot program was viewed as a success by participants
      because it identified provider perspective concerns, which led to the
      identification and resolution of numerous patient safety issues. This interesting
      pilot program, however, was discontinued owing to the departure of key leadership
      and the reorganization and reprioritization of resources.

PMID- 26102002
TI  - Dosing Cefepime for Renal Function Does Not Completely Prevent Neurotoxicity in a
      Patient With Kidney Transplant.
AB  - Dosing cefepime for renal function does not completely prevent neurotoxicity in a
      kidney transplant patient. Cefepime neurotoxicity has been reported primarily
      among patients with renal insufficiency who received standard doses of the
      antibiotic. We report a case of nonconvulsive status epilepticus from dose
      adjusted cefepime in a kidney transplant patient. The timing of symptoms along
      with clinical and electroencephalographic improvement after discontinuation of
      cefepime was critical to the diagnosis. Whether we should adjust the dose of
      cefepime differently in a patient with transplanted kidney to prevent
      neurotoxicity is unknown.

PMID- 26102003
TI  - Activation of the antigen presentation function of mononuclear phagocyte
      populations associated with the basilar membrane of the cochlea after acoustic
      overstimulation.
AB  - The immune response is an important component of the cochlear response to stress.
      As an important player in the cochlear immune system, the basilar membrane immune
      cells reside on the surface of the scala tympani side of the basilar membrane. At
      present, the immune cell properties in this region and their responses to stress
      are not well understood. Here, we investigated the functional role of these
      immune cells in the immune response to acoustic overstimulation. This study
      reveals that tissue macrophages are present in the entire length of the basilar
      membrane under steady-state conditions. Notably, these cells in the apical and
      the basal sections of the basilar membrane display distinct morphologies and
      immune protein expression patterns. Following acoustic trauma, monocytes
      infiltrate into the region of the basilar membrane, and the infiltrated cells
      transform into macrophages. While monocyte infiltration and transformation occur
      in both the apical and the basal sections of the basilar membrane, only the basal
      monocytes and macrophages display a marked increase in the expression of major
      histocompatibility complex (MHC) II and class II transactivator (CIITA), a MHC II
      production cofactor, suggesting the site-dependent activation of antigen
      presenting function. Consistent with the increased expression of the antigen
      presenting proteins, CD4(+) T cells, the antigen-presenting partner, infiltrate
      into the region of the basilar membrane where antigen-presenting proteins are
      upregulated. Further pathological analyses revealed that the basal section of the
      cochlea displays a greater level of sensory cell damage, which is spatially
      correlated with the region of antigen-presenting activity. Together, these
      results suggest that the antigen-presenting function of the mononuclear phagocyte
      population is activated in response to acoustic trauma, which could bridge the
      innate immune response to adaptive immunity. 

PMID- 26102005
TI  - Docosahexaenoic acid attenuates hyperglycemia-enhanced hemorrhagic transformation
      after transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats.
AB  - Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a feared complication of cerebral ischemic
      infarction, especially following the use of thrombolytic therapy. In this study,
      we examined whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3), an omega-3 essential
      fatty acid family member, can protect the brain from injury and whether DHA can
      decrease the risk of HT enhanced by hyperglycemia after focal ischemic injury.
      Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with 50% dextrose (6ml/kg
      intraperitoneally) to induce hyperglycemia 10min before 1.5h of filament middle
      cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was performed. Treatment with DHA (10mg/kg) 5min
      before reperfusion reduced HT and further improved the 7-day neurological
      outcome. It also reduced infarct volume, which is consistent with the restricted
      DWI and T2WI hyperintensive area. Reduced Evans Blue extravasation and increased
      expression of collagen IV indicated the improved integrity of the blood-brain
      barrier (BBB) in DHA-treated rats. Moreover, DHA reduced the expression of the
      intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the ischemic injured brain.
      Therefore, we conclude that DHA attenuated hyperglycemia-enhanced HT and improved
      neurological function by preserving the integrity of BBB and reducing
      inflammation. 

PMID- 26102004
TI  - Mouse models of fear-related disorders: Cell-type-specific manipulations in
      amygdala.
AB  - Fear conditioning is a model system used to study threat responses, fear memory
      and their dysregulation in a variety of organisms. Newly developed tools such as
      optogenetics, Cre recombinase and DREADD technologies have allowed researchers to
      manipulate anatomically or molecularly defined cell subtypes with a high degree
      of temporal control and determine the effect of this manipulation on behavior.
      These targeted molecular techniques have opened up a new appreciation for the
      critical contributions different subpopulations of cells make to fear behavior
      and potentially to treatment of fear and anxiety disorders. Here we review
      progress to date across a variety of techniques to understand fear-related
      behavior through the manipulation of different cell subtypes within the amygdala.

PMID- 26102006
TI  - Constitutive and functional expression of YB-1 in microglial cells.
AB  - Y-box-binding protein (YB-1) is a member of the cold-shock protein family and
      participates in a wide variety of DNA/RNA-dependent cellular processes including
      DNA repair, transcription, mRNA splicing, packaging, and translation. At the
      cellular level, YB-1 is involved in cell proliferation and differentiation,
      stress responses, and malignant cell transformation. A general role for YB-1
      during inflammation has also been well described; however, there are minimal data
      concerning YB-1 expression in microglia, which are the immune cells of the brain.
      Therefore, we studied the expression of YB-1 in a clinically relevant global
      ischemia model for neurological injury following cardiac arrest. This model is
      characterized by massive neurodegeneration of the hippocampal CA1 region and the
      subsequent long-lasting activation of microglia. In addition, we studied YB-1
      expression in BV-2 cells, which are an accepted microglia culture model. BV-2
      cells were stressed by oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD), OGD-relevant mediators,
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and phagocytosis-inducing cell debris and
      nanoparticles. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we show
      constitutive expression of YB-1 transcripts in unstressed BV-2 cells. The
      functional upregulation of the YB-1 protein was demonstrated in microglia in vivo
      and in BV-2 cells in vitro. All stressors except for LPS were potent enhancers of
      the level of YB-1 protein, which appears to be regulated primarily by proteasomal
      degradation and, to a lesser extent, by the activation (phosphorylation) of the
      translation initiation factor eIF4E. The proteasome of BV-2 cells is impaired by
      OGD, which results in decreased protein degradation and therefore increased
      levels of YB-1 protein. LPS induces proteasome activity, which enables the level
      of YB-1 protein to remain at control levels despite enhanced protein
      ubiquitination. The proteasome inhibitor MG-132 was able to increase YB-1 protein
      levels in control and LPS-treated cultures. YB-1 upregulation was not accompanied
      by its translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. YB-1 induction appeared
      to be related to microglial proliferation because it was partially co-regulated
      with Ki67. In addition, YB-1 protein levels correlated with microglia phagocytic
      activity because its upregulation could also be induced by inert NPs.

PMID- 26102007
TI  - Safranal as a novel anti-tubulin binding agent with potential use in cancer
      therapy: An in vitro study.
AB  - Safranal, a component of saffron, indicates anti-tumor activities; however, the
      precise mechanism of this effect has remained elusive. In this study we
      investigated tubulin assembly and structure in the presence of safranal to open
      the new horizons about the potential of safranal as an anti-tumor agent via
      microtubule disfunction. Anti-microtubule activity of safranal was evaluated by
      turbidimetric method and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Safranal (0.1
      70MUM) was incubated with tubulin (5MUM) and tubulin structural changes was
      surveyed using fluorometry. Tubulin binding site with safranal was estimated by
      molecular docking. Microtubule polymerization decreased significantly in the
      presence of safranal, regardless of its concentration and the IC50 value was
      obtained 72.19MUM. Safranal was situated between alpha and beta tubulin closer to
      alpha-tubulin and hydrogen bond with Gly 142 and hydrophobic interactions played
      critical roles for safranal molecule stabilization in binding site. It seems that
      decline of tubulin assembly could result from tubulin structural changes through
      safranal bindings between alpha and beta tubulin with DeltaG(0) of -5.63kcal/mol.
      Safranal can be taken into account as an anticancer agent; however, in vivo
      experiments are required to confirm this conclusion. 

PMID- 26102008
TI  - Oxyresveratrol abrogates oxidative stress by activating ERK-Nrf2 pathway in the
      liver.
AB  - Oxyresveratrol is a polyphenolic phytoalexin produced by plants as an
      antioxidant. This study investigated the hepatoprotective effects of
      oxyresveratrol as well as its underlying mechanism of action. Here, we evaluated
      the protective effects of oxyresveratrol against tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP)
      induced severe oxidative stress in HepG2 cells as well as acute liver injury
      caused by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in mice. tBHP-induced reactive oxygen
      species production and cell death in hepatocytes were blocked by oxyresveratrol,
      as indicated by MTT, TUNEL, and FACS analyses. Moreover, pretreatment with
      oxyresveratrol increased nuclear translocation and transactivation of NF-E2
      related factor 2 (Nrf2), as assessed by antioxidant response element reporter
      gene expression and immunofluorescence staining, and transactivated expression of
      both hemeoxygenase-1 and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit. More
      importantly, oxyresveratrol induced phosphorylation of Nrf2 mediated through
      activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). Further, ERK
      inhibitors such as PD98059 and U0126 blocked phosphorylation of Nrf2 as well as
      the protective effect of oxyresveratrol in mitochondria. In mice, oral
      administration of oxyresveratrol significantly prevented hepatocyte degeneration,
      inflammatory cell infiltration, as well as elevation of plasma markers such as
      ALT and AST induced by CCl4 injection. In conclusion, this study confirmed that
      oxyresveratrol protected hepatocytes against oxidative stress and mitochondrial
      dysfunction, which might be associated with activation of Nrf2. 

PMID- 26102010
TI  - Effect of tetrahydrocurcumin on the profiles of drug-metabolizing enzymes induced
      by a high fat and high fructose diet in mice.
AB  - Cytochrome P450 (CYP), a superfamily of hepatic monooxygenase enzymes, catalyzes
      biotransformation of endogenous compounds and xenobiotics. Modification of CYPs
      associated with metabolic diseases and continuous consumption of diet with
      excessive energy levels. Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) exhibited beneficial effects in
      metabolic syndromes such as diabetic mellitus and dyslipidemia. The present study
      aimed to investigate the effects of THC and vitamin E (vitE) on the expression
      profiles of CYPs in the livers of mice fed with the high fat and high fructose
      diet. In addition to ad libitum access to commercial regular diet, the high fat
      and high fructose diet (HFD) group of adult male ICR mice was administered a HFD,
      which consisted of intragastric administration of hydrogenated soybean oil
      (1mL/day) and the addition of 20% fructose to the drinking water for 8weeks.
      During the induction period, subgroups of mice (n=5) were daily intragastrically
      administered with THC (100 or 200mg/kg/day) or vitE (100mg/kg/day). The
      expressions of CYP mRNA and protein were quantified using real-time PCR and the
      levels of these proteins were quantified using immunoblotting. Continuous
      consuming of high fat and high fructose for 8weeks significantly increased the
      expressions of Cyp1a1, Cyp1a2, Cyp1b1, Cyp2c29, and Cyp3a11 while THC ultimately
      normalized these CYPs profiles. In the control mice, most of the investigated
      CYPs was unchanged by THC, with the exception that the Cyp1a1, Cyp2b9, and
      Cyp3a11 proteins were elevated. These findings provided additional important
      information on the effects of THC on diet induced-metabolic dysfunctions.
      However, drug interactions due to the use of THC as an alternative supplement are
      of concern, particularly in the combinations that include a drug that is a
      substrate of Cyp1a1, Cyp2b9, and Cyp3a11. 

PMID- 26102009
TI  - Protective effect of cavidine on acetic acid-induced murine colitis via
      regulating antioxidant, cytokine profile and NF-kappaB signal transduction
      pathways.
AB  - Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disorder characterized by neutrophils
      infiltration, oxidative stress, upregulation of pro-inflammatory mediators and
      cytokines. Cavidine possesses anti-inflammatory activity and has been used to
      treat various inflammatory diseases but its effect on ulcerative colitis has not
      been previously explored. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of
      cavidine on acetic acid-induced ulcerative colitis in mice. Colitis mice induced
      by intra-rectal acetic acid (5%, v/v) administration received cavidine (1, 5 and
      10mg/kg, i.g) or sulfasalazine (500mg/kg, i.g) for seven consecutive days. After
      euthanized by cervical dislocation, colonic segments of mice were excised for
      clinical, macroscopic, biochemical and histopathological examinations. Results
      suggested treatment with cavidine significantly decreased mortality rate, body
      weight loss, disease activity index (DAI), wet colon weight, macroscopic and
      histological score when compared with that of acetic acid-induced controls. In
      addition, administration of cavidine effectively modulated expressions of MPO,
      GSH, SOD and MDA. Furthermore cavidine inhibited the level of TNF-alpha and IL-6
      in the serum and colon tissue in response to the regulation of p65 NF-kappaB
      protein expression. All these results indicated cavidine exerts marked protective
      effect in experimental colitis, possibly by regulating the expression of oxygen
      metabolites, NF-kappaB and subsequent pro-inflammatory cytokines production. 

PMID- 26102011
TI  - Influence of polar and nonpolar carotenoids on structural and adhesive properties
      of model membranes.
AB  - Carotenoids, which are known primarily for their photoprotective and antioxidant
      properties, may also strongly influence the physical properties of membranes. The
      localization and orientation of these pigments in the lipid bilayer depends on
      their structure and is determined by their interactions with lipid molecules.
      This affects both phase behavior and the mechanical properties of membranes.
      Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) allowed
      us to gain a direct insight into the differences between the interaction of the
      non-polar beta-carotene and polar zeaxanthin embedded into DPPC liposomes. DSC
      results showed that zeaxanthin, having polar ionone rings, interacts more
      strongly with the membrane lipids than beta-carotene. The decrease in molar heat
      capacity by a factor of 2 with a simultaneous broadening of the main phase
      transition (gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition) as compared to the two
      other systems studied suggests some increased length of the coupled interactions
      between the polar xanthophyll and lipids. Long-distance interactions lead to the
      formation of larger clusters which may exhibit higher flexibility than small
      clusters when only short-distance interactions occur. AFM experiments show that
      adhesive forces are 2 and 10 times higher for DPPC membranes enriched in beta
      carotene and zeaxanthin, respectively, than those observed for an untreated
      system. Temperature dependent measurements of adhesion revealed that subphases
      can be formed in the gel lamellar state of DPPC bilayers. The presence of the non
      polar carotenoid enhanced the effect and even a bifurcation of the substates was
      detected within a temperature range of 30.0-32.5 degrees C prior to
      pretransition. It is the first time when the presence of subphases has been
      demonstrated. This knowledge can be helpful in better understanding the
      functioning of carotenoids in biological membranes. AFM seem to be a very unique
      and sensitive method for detecting such fine changes in the lipid bilayers. 

PMID- 26102012
TI  - Tetrahydrocurcumin exerts protective effect on vincristine induced neuropathy:
      Behavioral, biochemical, neurophysiological and histological evidence.
AB  - Hyperalgesia, allodynia, delayed motor nerve conduction velocity, oxidative
      stress and axonal damage are signs and symptoms of chemotherapy induced
      peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Present treatment/preventive strategies of CIPN are
      futile and the neuropathy may even lead to discontinuation of chemotherapy. In
      this study, we evaluated the protective effect of tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) 40 and
      80mg/kg in experimental vincristine induced neuropathy in rats. Hyperalgesia was
      assessed by hot plate (thermal), Randall-Selitto (mechanical) test, allodynia was
      assessed by cold plate (thermal) test, functional loss was measured by sciatic
      function index, nociception was evaluated by formalin test. Neurophysiological
      recordings were carried out to assess motor nerve conduction velocity. Total
      calcium levels, oxidative stress and TNF-alpha was measured in sciatic nerve
      tissue homogenate to assess neuropathy. Histopathological changes was observed on
      sciatic nerve to assess the protective effect of THC against the vincristine.
      Pregabalin was used as a standard in this study. Rats administered with THC at
      80mg/kg significantly attenuated the vincristine induced neuropathic pain
      manifestations which may be due to its multiple actions including anti
      nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, calcium inhibitory and
      antioxidant effect. This study delineates that THC can be a promising candidate
      for the prevention of CIPN by chemotherapeutic agents. 

PMID- 26102013
TI  - Proteomic profile of aminoglutethimide-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells: Role of
      myeloperoxidase and arylamine free radicals.
AB  - In this study, the cellular effects resulting from the metabolism of
      aminoglutethimide by myeloperoxidase were investigated. Human promyelocytic
      leukemia (HL-60) cells were treated with aminoglutethimide (AG), an arylamine
      drug that has a risk of adverse drug reactions, including drug-induced
      agranulocytosis. HL-60 cells contain abundant amounts of myeloperoxidase (MPO), a
      hemoprotein, which catalyzes one-electron oxidation of arylamines using H2O2 as a
      cofactor. Previous studies have shown that arylamine metabolism by MPO results in
      protein radical formation. The purpose of this study was to determine if pathways
      associated with a toxic response could be determined from conditions that
      produced protein radicals. Conditions for AG-induced protein radical formation
      (with minimal cytotoxicity) were optimized, and these conditions were used to
      carry out proteomic studies. We identified 43 proteins that were changed
      significantly upon AG treatment among which 18 were up-regulated and 25 were down
      regulated. The quantitative proteomic data showed that AG peroxidative metabolism
      led to the down-regulation of critical anti-apoptotic proteins responsible for
      inhibiting the release of pro-apoptotic factors from the mitochondria as well as
      cytoskeletal proteins such as nuclear lamina. This overall pro-apoptotic response
      was confirmed with flow cytometry which demonstrated apoptosis to be the main
      mode of cell death, and this was attenuated by MPO inhibition. This response
      correlated with the intensity of AG-induced protein radical formation in HL-60
      cells, which may play a role in cell death signaling mechanisms. 

PMID- 26102014
TI  - The Real-World Treatment of Hemorrhages Associated With Dabigatran and
      Rivaroxaban: A Multicenter Evaluation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Adoption of the target-specific oral anticoagulants (TSOACs) has been
      slow; accordingly, lack of guidance for emergent reversal confounded by the need
      for "direct" reversal agents has contributed significantly to warfarin
      entrenchment in the medical community. The purpose of this analysis is to provide
      real-world experiences regarding the management of the hemorrhaging patient
      secondary to dabigatran and rivaroxaban. METHODS: Retrospective review of
      patients admitted with a hemorrhage secondary to dabigatran or rivaroxaban were
      evaluated. Descriptive statistics were utilized for analysis. RESULTS: Four
      hundred forty-four patients were screened for inclusion into the study; notably,
      419 (94%) of the patients were excluded because the bleed was secondary to
      warfarin therapy. Of those included in this analysis (n = 25), gastrointestinal
      bleeding accounted for 21 events (84%), followed by intracranial (n = 2; 8%) and
      epistaxis (n = 2; 8%). Two patients (8%) expired during admission and 6 patients
      (24%) expired within 6 months after discharge from the hospital. Three (12%)
      minor bleeds, 7 (28%) major bleeds, and 15 (60%) life-threatening bleeds were
      identified. Minor bleeds required careful monitoring, supportive care, and
      cessation of anticoagulation therapy, whereas increasing severity required
      multiple interventions with prothrombin complex concentrate, recombinant
      activated factor 7, fresh frozen plasma, packed red blood cells, cryoprecipitate,
      and platelets. CONCLUSION: The approach to the management of bleeding events
      borne from TSOACs has proven to be very heterogeneous. In the midst of this
      observation period, these facilities developed protocols, which created a
      stratification of bleeds and a more regimented approach to managing them.
      Although bleeding is less with new agents, the creation of pathways/algorithms
      for the management of TSOACs and education regarding clinical decision-making may
      be beneficial for the expeditious and appropriate management when these events
      arise.

PMID- 26102015
TI  - Heparin Versus Bivalirudin in Contemporary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A
      Welcome Back to an Old Friend Unfractionated Heparin.
AB  - The results of randomized trials and observational studies make a strong argument
      for the use of bivalirudin rather than heparin plus systematic glycoprotein (GP)
      IIb/IIIa inhibitors for the great majority of patients undergoing percutaneous
      coronary interventions (PCI). However, there is no doubt that the benefit
      observed with bivalirudin was achieved because of the major bleeding
      complications with heparin plus GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors. Therefore, if we diminish
      bleeding complications by eliminating the systematic utilization of GP IIb/IIIa
      inhibitors, there would be a lesser benefit with the use of bivalirudin. When
      this latter drug was compared with unfractionated heparin alone there was no
      benefit in ischemic complications but a decrease in major bleeding complications
      with bivalirudin. However, a very recent meta-analysis shed more insights on the
      utilization of bivalirudin versus heparin regimens during PCI. Findings from this
      meta-analysis suggest that routine use of bivalirudin offers little advantage
      over heparin among PCI patients. In a detailed analysis of some randomized trials
      and observational studies with bivalirudin in non-ST-segment elevation acute
      coronary syndrome patients done by myself and published almost 4 years ago in
      this journal, I rendered some reflections on the future widespread use of
      bivalirudin. "In the setting of PCI and in the absence of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors,
      bivalirudin did not offer any beneficial effect in the incidence of the composite
      end points when compared with heparin. For now, in real world practice, one would
      probably choose a well-known cheaper drug that has already passed the test of
      time, heparin. There may be reinforcement in the sole utilization of heparin
      confining GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors and other intravenous antithrombotics to bailout
      therapy for periprocedural PCI complications in acute coronary syndrome
      patients." Therefore, is it the beginning of a new era with bivalirudin or is it
      a welcome back to an old friend, heparin? Indeed, after more than two decades, it
      is always good to welcome back an old friend, unfractionated heparin. 

PMID- 26102016
TI  - Chest Pain Centers: A Comparison of Accreditation Programs in Germany and the
      United States.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The implementation of chest pain centers (CPC)/units (CPU) has been
      shown to improve emergency care in patients with suspected cardiac ischemia.
      METHODS: In an effort to provide a systematic and specific standard of care for
      patients with acute chest pain, the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC)
      as well as the German Cardiac Society (GCS) introduced criteria for the
      accreditation of specialized units. RESULTS: To date, 825 CPCs in the United
      States and 194 CPUs in Germany have been successfully certified by the SCPC or
      GCS, respectively. Even though there are differences in the accreditation
      processes, the goals are quite similar, focusing on enhanced operational
      efficiencies in the care of the acute coronary syndrome patients, reduced time
      delays, improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies using adapted standard
      operating procedures, and increased medical as well as community awareness by the
      implementation of nationwide standardized concepts. In addition to national
      efforts, both societies have launched international initiatives, accrediting
      CPCs/CPU in the Middle East and China (SCPC) and Switzerland (GCS). CONCLUSION:
      Enhanced collaboration among international bodies interested in promoting high
      quality care might extend the opportunity for accreditation of facilities that
      treat cardiovascular patients, with national programs designed to meet local
      needs and local healthcare system requirements.

PMID- 26102018
TI  - Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Atrial Fibrillation: Pathophysiology and Implications
      for Treatment.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasingly recognized as an important risk
      factor for arrhythmogenesis. Epidemiological and clinical studies have suggested
      a strong association between OSA and atrial fibrillation (AF). With the
      increasing global epidemic of obesity, the incidence of OSA is also expected to
      rise. Various mechanisms mediated through adverse electrical and structural
      changes have been proposed to explain the increased risk of AF in patients with
      OSA. Multiple studies have also observed a greater risk of AF recurrence after
      cardioversion and catheter ablation (CA) in the patients with untreated OSA. The
      epidemiological and pathophysiological associations between OSA and AF have
      significant implications on the treatment outcomes of rhythm-control strategies
      for AF. Adequate screening and optimal management of OSA are of key importance to
      help improve the clinical outcomes following cardioversion and CA. In this
      review, we sought to describe the role of various mechanisms by which OSA
      mediates the pathogenesis of AF and contributes to adverse outcomes following CA.

PMID- 26102017
TI  - Agreement Between Cardiovascular Disease Risk Scores in Resource-Limited
      Settings: Evidence from 5 Peruvian Sites.
AB  - It is unclear how well currently available risk scores predict cardiovascular
      disease (CVD) risk in low-income and middle-income countries. We aim to compare
      the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Pooled
      Cohort risk equations (ACC/AHA model) with 6 other CVD risk tools to assess the
      concordance of predicted CVD risk in a random sample from 5 geographically
      diverse Peruvian populations. We used data from 2 Peruvian, age and sex-matched,
      population-based studies across 5 geographical sites. The ACC/AHA model were
      compared with 6 other CVD risk prediction tools: laboratory Framingham risk score
      for CVD, non-laboratory Framingham risk score for CVD, Reynolds risk score,
      systematic coronary risk evaluation, World Health Organization risk charts, and
      the Lancet chronic diseases risk charts. Main outcome was in agreement with
      predicted CVD risk using Lin's concordance correlation coefficient. Two thousand
      one hundred and eighty-three subjects, mean age 54.3 (SD +/- 5.6) years, were
      included in the analysis. Overall, we found poor agreement between different
      scores when compared with ACC/AHA model. When each of the risk scores was used
      with cut-offs specified in guidelines, ACC/AHA model depicted the highest
      proportion of people at high CVD risk predicted at 10 years, with a prevalence of
      29.0% (95% confidence interval, 26.9-31.0%), whereas prevalence with World Health
      Organization risk charts was 0.6% (95% confidence interval, 0.2-8.6%). In
      conclusion, poor concordance between current CVD risk scores demonstrates the
      uncertainty of choosing any of them for public health and clinical interventions
      in Latin American populations. There is a need to improve the evidence base of
      risk scores for CVD in low-income and middle-income countries. 

PMID- 26102019
TI  - Bohr effect of hemoglobins: Accounting for differences in magnitude.
AB  - The basis of the difference in the Bohr effect of various hemoglobins has
      remained enigmatic for decades. Fourteen amino acid residues, identical in pairs
      and located at specific 'Bohr group positions' in human hemoglobin, are
      implicated in the Bohr effect. All 14 are present in mouse, 11 in dog, eight in
      pigeon and 13 in guinea pig hemoglobin. The Bohr data for human and mouse
      hemoglobin are identical: the 14 Bohr groups appear at identical positions in
      both molecules. The dog data are different from the human because three Bohr
      group positions are occupied by non-ionizable groups in dog hemoglobin; the
      pigeon data are vastly different from the human because six Bohr group positions
      are occupied by non-ionizable groups in pigeon hemoglobin. The guinea pig data
      are quite complex. Quantitative analyses showed that only the pigeon data could
      be fitted with the Wyman equation for the Bohr effect. We demonstrate that, apart
      from guinea pig hemoglobin, the difference between the Bohr effect of each of the
      other hemoglobins and of pigeon hemoglobin can be accounted for quantitatively on
      the basis of the occupation of some of their Bohr group positions by non
      ionizable groups in pigeon hemoglobin. We attribute the anomalous guinea pig
      result to a new salt-bridge formed in its R2 quaternary structure between the
      terminal NH3(+) group of one beta-chain and the COO(-) terminal group of the
      partner beta-chain in the same molecule. The pKas of this NH3(+) group are 6.33
      in the R2 and 4.59 in the T state. 

PMID- 26102020
TI  - Motor automaticity in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Bradykinesia is the most important feature contributing to motor difficulties in
      Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the pathophysiology underlying bradykinesia is
      not fully understood. One important aspect is that PD patients have difficulty in
      performing learned motor skills automatically, but this problem has been
      generally overlooked. Here we review motor automaticity associated motor deficits
      in PD, such as reduced arm swing, decreased stride length, freezing of gait,
      micrographia and reduced facial expression. Recent neuroimaging studies have
      revealed some neural mechanisms underlying impaired motor automaticity in PD,
      including less efficient neural coding of movement, failure to shift automated
      motor skills to the sensorimotor striatum, instability of the automatic mode
      within the striatum, and use of attentional control and/or compensatory efforts
      to execute movements usually performed automatically in healthy people. PD
      patients lose previously acquired automatic skills due to their impaired
      sensorimotor striatum, and have difficulty in acquiring new automatic skills or
      restoring lost motor skills. More investigations on the pathophysiology of motor
      automaticity, the effect of L-dopa or surgical treatments on automaticity, and
      the potential role of using measures of automaticity in early diagnosis of PD
      would be valuable. 

PMID- 26102021
TI  - Rapid antidepressant actions of scopolamine: Role of medial prefrontal cortex and
      M1-subtype muscarinic acetylcholine receptors.
AB  - Clinical studies demonstrate that scopolamine, a non-selective muscarinic
      acetylcholine receptor (mAchR) antagonist, produces rapid therapeutic effects in
      depressed patients, and preclinical studies report that the actions of
      scopolamine require glutamate receptor activation and the mechanistic target of
      rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). The present study extends these findings to
      determine the role of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and specific muscarinic
      acetylcholine receptor (M-AchR) subtypes in the actions of scopolamine. The
      administration of scopolamine increases the activity marker Fos in the mPFC,
      including the infralimbic (IL) and prelimbic (PrL) subregions. Microinfusions of
      scopolamine into either the IL or the PrL produced significant antidepressant
      responses in the forced swim test, and neuronal silencing of IL or PrL blocked
      the antidepressant effects of systemic scopolamine. The results also demonstrate
      that the systemic administration of a selective M1-AChR antagonist, VU0255035,
      produced an antidepressant response and stimulated mTORC1 signaling in the PFC,
      similar to the actions of scopolamine. Finally, we used a chronic unpredictable
      stress model as a more rigorous test of rapid antidepressant actions and found
      that a single dose of scopolamine or VU0255035 blocked the anhedonic response
      caused by CUS, an effect that requires the chronic administration of typical
      antidepressants. Taken together, these findings indicate that mPFC is a critical
      mediator of the behavioral actions of scopolamine and identify the M1-AChR as a
      therapeutic target for the development of novel and selective rapid-acting
      antidepressants. 

PMID- 26102022
TI  - Low levels of astroglial markers in Parkinson's disease: relationship to alpha
      synuclein accumulation.
AB  - Although gliosis is a normal response to brain injury, reports on the extent of
      astrogliosis in the degenerating substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease (PD) are
      conflicting. It has also been recently suggested that accumulation of nigral
      alpha-synuclein in this disorder might suppress astrocyte activation which in
      turn could exacerbate the degenerative process. This study examined brain protein
      levels (intact protein, fragments, and aggregates, if any) of astroglial markers
      and their relationship to alpha-synuclein in PD and in the positive control
      parkinson-plus conditions multiple system atrophy (MSA) and progressive
      supranuclear palsy (PSP). Autopsied brain homogenates of patients with PD (n=10),
      MSA (n=11), PSP (n=11) and matched controls (n=10) were examined for the
      astroglial markers glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, and heat
      shock protein-27 (Hsp27) by quantitative immunoblotting. As expected, both MSA
      (putamen>substantia nigra>caudate>frontal cortex) and PSP (substantia
      nigra>caudate>putamen, frontal cortex) showed widespread but regionally specific
      pattern of increased immunoreactivity of the markers, in particular for the
      partially proteolyzed fragments (all three) and aggregates (GFAP). In contrast,
      immunoreactivity of the three markers was largely normal in PD in brain regions
      examined with the exception of trends for variably increased levels of cleaved
      vimentin in substantia nigra and frontal cortex. In patients with PD, GFAP levels
      in the substantia nigra correlated inversely with alpha-synuclein accumulation
      whereas the opposite was true for MSA. Our biochemical findings of generally
      normal protein levels of astroglial markers in substantia nigra of PD, and
      negative correlation with alpha-synuclein concentration, are consistent with some
      recent neuropathology reports of mild astroglial response and with the
      speculation that astrogliosis might be suppressed in this disorder by excessive
      alpha-synuclein accumulation. Should astrogliosis protect, to some extent, the
      degenerating substantia nigra from damage, therapeutics aimed at normalization of
      astrocyte reaction in PD could be helpful. 

PMID- 26102024
TI  - Inhibition of autophagy induces IL-1beta release from ARPE-19 cells via ROS
      mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation under high glucose stress.
AB  - Autophagy plays an important role in the development of diabetic retinopathy
      (DR). Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells are the main cells involved in DR, a
      process in which hyperglycemia plays a crucial role. This study was conducted to
      investigate the protective effect of autophagy against high glucose-induced
      inflammatory response in ARPE-19 cells and its underlying mechanism. In the
      present study we subjected ARPE-19 cells to high glucose stress and showed that
      ARPE-19 cells respond to high glucose with an increase in autophagy. 3
      methyladenine (3-MA) inhibited occurrence of autophagy and it leaded to the
      accumulation of damaged-mitochondria-producing-ROS, and the activation of NLRP3
      inflammasome, and subsequently, caused IL-1beta secretion. 

PMID- 26102025
TI  - CCR7 is involved in BCR-ABL/STAP-2-mediated cell growth in hematopoietic Ba/F3
      cells.
AB  - Chronic myeloid leukemia is a clonal disease characterized by the presence of the
      Philadelphia chromosome and its oncogenic product, BCR-ABL, which activates
      multiple pathways involved in cell survival, growth promotion, and disease
      progression. We previously reported that in murine hematopoietic Ba/F3 cells,
      signal transducing adaptor protein-2 (STAP-2) binds to BCR-ABL and up-regulates
      BCR-ABL phosphorylation, leading to enhanced activation of its downstream
      signaling molecules. The binding of STAP-2 to BCR-ABL also influenced the
      expression levels of chemokine receptors, such as CXCR4 and CCR7. For the
      induction of CCR7 expression, signals mediated by the MAPK/ERK pathway were
      critical in Ba/F3 cells expressing BCR-ABL and STAP-2. In addition, STAP-2
      cooperated with BCR-ABL to induce the production of CCR7 ligands, CCL19 and
      CCL21. Our results demonstrate a contribution of CCR7 to STAP-2-dependent
      enhancement of BCR-ABL-mediated cell growth in Ba/F3 cells. 

PMID- 26102023
TI  - Oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation are upstream of amyloid pathology.
AB  - Oxidative stress is a common feature of the aging process and of many
      neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. Understanding the
      direct causative relationship between oxidative stress and amyloid pathology, and
      determining the underlying molecular mechanisms is crucial for the development of
      more effective therapeutics for the disease. By employing microdialysis
      technique, we report local increase in the amyloid-beta42 levels and elevated
      amyloid-beta42/40 ratio in the interstitial fluid within 6h of direct infusion of
      oxidizing agents into the hippocampus of living and awake wild type mice. The
      increase in the amyloid-beta42/40 ratio correlated with the pathogenic
      conformational change of the amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme,
      presenilin1/gamma-secretase. Furthermore, we found that the product of lipid
      peroxidation 4-hydroxynonenal, binds to both nicastrin and BACE, differentially
      affecting gamma- and beta-secretase activity, respectively. The present study
      demonstrates a direct cause-and-effect correlation between oxidative stress and
      altered amyloid-beta production, and provides a molecular mechanism by which
      naturally occurring product of lipid peroxidation may trigger generation of toxic
      amyloid-beta42 species. 

PMID- 26102026
TI  - A phosphomimetic mutant TDP-43 (S409/410E) induces Drosha instability and
      cytotoxicity in Neuro 2A cells.
AB  - Two DNA/RNA binding proteins, TDP-43 and FUS/TLSU, are involved in RNA
      processing, and their aberrant mutations induce inherited amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitinated inclusions.
      Wild type TDP-43 and FUS (wtTDP-43 and wtFUS) are mainly localized in the nucleus
      and biochemically interact with the microRNA processing enzyme Drosha. In this
      study, we investigated Drosha stability in Neuro 2A cells by gain and loss of
      function studies of wtTDP-43 and wtFUS and cycloheximide mediated protein
      degradation assay. We also generated three different phosphomimetic mutants of
      TDP-43 (S379E, S403/404E and S409/410E) by using a site-directed mutagenesis
      method and examined Drosha stability to elucidate a correlation between the
      phosphorylated TDP-43 mutants and Drosha stability. Overexpression of wtTDP-43
      and/or wtFUS increased Drosha stability in Neuro 2A cells and double knockdown of
      wtTDP-43 and wtFUS reduced its stability. However, knockdown of wtTDP-43 or wtFUS
      did not affect Drosha stability in Neuro 2A cells. Interestingly, a
      phosphomimetic mutant TDP-43 (S409/410E) significantly reduced Drosha stability
      via prevention of protein-protein interactions between wtFUS and Drosha, and
      induced cytotoxicity in Neuro 2A cells. Our findings suggest that TDP-43 and FUS
      controls Drosha stability in Neuro 2A cells and that a phosphomimetic mutant TDP
      43 (S409/410E) which is associated with Drosha instability can induce neuronal
      toxicity. 

PMID- 26102027
TI  - Tumor-suppressive effects of natural-type interferon-beta through CXCL10 in
      melanoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Type 1 interferon is in widespread use as adjuvant therapy to
      inhibit melanoma progression. Considering the tumor-suppressive effects of local
      administration of interferon-beta (IFN-beta) on lymphatic metastasis, the present
      study was conducted to identify melanoma-suppressive molecules that are up
      regulated by IFN-beta treatment of lymphatic endothelial cells. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Lymphatic endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and melanoma cells were
      treated with natural-type IFN-beta, and melanoma cells were treated with CXCL10.
      Genome-wide oligonucleotide microarray analysis was performed using lymphatic
      endothelial cells with or without IFN-beta treatment. Quantitative real-time
      reverse transcription-PCR and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed
      to examine CXCL10 expression. A proliferation assay was performed to examine the
      effects of IFN-beta and CXCL10 in melanoma cells. RESULTS: Genome-wide microarray
      analyses detected CXCL10 as a gene encoding a secretory protein that was up
      regulated by IFN-beta in lymphatic endothelial cells. IFN-beta treatment
      significantly induced CXCL10 in dermal lymphatic endothelial cells and melanoma
      cells that are highly sensitive to IFN-beta. CXCL10 reduced melanoma cell
      proliferation in IFN-beta-sensitive cells as well as resistant cells. Melanoma
      cells in which CXCL10 was knocked down were sensitive to IFN-beta. CXCR3-B, which
      encodes the CXCL10 receptor, was up-regulated in melanoma cells with high
      sensitivity to IFN-beta and down-regulated in melanoma cells with medium to low
      sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that IFN-beta suppresses proliferation
      and metastasis from the local lymphatic system and melanoma cells via CXCL10.
      Down-regulation of CXCR3-B by IFN-beta may be associated with resistance to IFN
      beta.

PMID- 26102028
TI  - Phosphoproteomic analysis of kinase-deficient mice reveals multiple TAK1 targets
      in osteoclast differentiation.
AB  - TAK1 (encoded by Map3k7) is a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase
      (MAP3K), which activates the transcription factors AP-1 and NF-kappaB in response
      to receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL) stimulation, thus constituting
      a key regulator of osteoclast differentiation. Here we report the functional
      relevance of the kinase activity of TAK1 in the late stage of osteoclast
      differentiation in vivo using Ctsk-Cre mice and TAK1 mutant mice in which the
      TAK1 kinase domain was flanked by loxP. The Map3k7(flox/kd)Ctsk(Cre/+) mice
      displayed a severe osteopetrotic phenotype due to a marked decrease in osteoclast
      number. RANKL-induced activation of MAPK and NF-kappaB was impaired in the late
      stage of osteoclast differentiation. The absence of suppressive effect of an
      administered NF-kappaB inhibitor on the late stage of osteoclastogenesis led us
      to investigate unknown TAK1 targets in osteoclast differentiation. We performed a
      phosphoproteomic analysis of RANKL-stimulated osteoclast precursor cells from
      Map3k7(flox/kd)Ctsk(Cre/+) mice, revealing multiple targets regulated by TAK1
      during osteoclastogenesis. Thus, TAK1 functions as a critical regulator of the
      phosophorylation status of various cellular proteins that govern
      osteoclastogenesis. 

PMID- 26102029
TI  - Essential role of kruppel-like factor 5 during tumor necrosis factor alpha
      induced phenotypic conversion of vascular smooth muscle cells.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) plays an essential role in the regulation
      of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotype. In the present study, we provide
      evidence that kruppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) plays an essential role in TNFalpha
      induced phenotypic conversion of VSMCs. Ectopic expression of KLF5 completely
      blocked phenotypic conversion of VSMCs from synthetic to contractile type. In
      addition, stimulation of VSMCs with TNFalpha facilitated expression of KLF5,
      whereas expression of smooth muscle marker genes such as SM22alpha and smooth
      muscle actin (SMA) was significantly down-regulated. TNFalpha significantly
      enhanced the promoter activity of KLF5 as well as mRNA level, which is
      significantly suppressed by the inhibition of the MAPK pathway. Silencing of KLF5
      suppressed TNFalpha-induced phenotypic conversion of VSMCs, whereas
      overexpression of KLF5 stimulated phenotypic conversion of VSMCs and facilitated
      the loss of angiotensin II (AngII)-dependent contraction. Finally, overexpression
      of KLF5 significantly attenuated the promoter activity of SM22alpha and SMA.
      Therefore, we suggest that TNFalpha-dependent induction of KLF5 may play an
      essential role in phenotypic modulation of VSMCs. 

PMID- 26102030
TI  - ANKRD1 modulates inflammatory responses in C2C12 myoblasts through feedback
      inhibition of NF-kappaB signaling activity.
AB  - Transcription factors of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) family play a
      pivotal role in inflammation, immunity and cell survival responses. Recent
      studies revealed that NF-kappaB also regulates the processes of muscle atrophy.
      NF-kappaB activity is regulated by various factors, including ankyrin repeat
      domain 2 (AnkrD2), which belongs to the muscle ankyrin repeat protein family.
      Another member of this family, AnkrD1 is also a transcriptional effector. The
      expression levels of AnkrD1 are highly upregulated in denervated skeletal muscle,
      suggesting an involvement of AnkrD1 in NF-kappaB mediated cellular responses to
      paralysis. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the interactive role of
      AnkrD1 in NF-kappaB mediated cellular responses is not well understood. In the
      current study, we examined the effect of AnkrD1 on NF-kappaB activity and
      determined the interactions between AnkrD1 expression and NF-kappaB signaling
      induced by TNFalpha in differentiating C2C12 myoblasts. TNFalpha upregulated
      AnkrD1 mRNA and protein levels. AnkrD1-siRNA significantly increased TNFalpha
      induced transcriptional activation of NF-kappaB, whereas overexpression of AnkrD1
      inhibited TNFalpha-induced NF-kappaB activity. Co-immunoprecipitation studies
      demonstrated that AnkrD1 was able to bind p50 subunit of NF-kappaB and vice
      versa. Finally, CHIP assays revealed that AnkrD1 bound chromatin at a NF-kappaB
      binding site in the AnrkD2 promoter and required NF-kappaB to do so. These
      results provide evidence of signaling integration between AnkrD1 and NF-kappaB
      pathways, and suggest a novel anti-inflammatory role of AnkrD1 through feedback
      inhibition of NF-kappaB transcriptional activity by which AnkrD1 modulates the
      balance between physiological and pathological inflammatory responses in skeletal
      muscle. 

PMID- 26102031
TI  - Decoy receptor 3 suppresses FasL-induced apoptosis via ERK1/2 activation in
      pancreatic cancer cells.
AB  - Resistance to Fas Ligand (FasL) mediated apoptosis plays an important role in
      tumorigenesis. Decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) is reported to interact with FasL and is
      overexpressed in some malignant tumors. We sought to investigate the role of DcR3
      in resistance to FasL in pancreatic cancer. We compared expression of apoptosis
      related genes between FasL-resistant SW1990 and FasL-sensitive Patu8988
      pancreatic cell lines by microarray analysis. We explored the impact of siRNA
      knockdown of, or exogenous supplementation with, DcR3 on FasL-induced cell growth
      inhibition in pancreatic cancer cell lines and expression of proteins involved in
      apoptotic signaling. We assessed the level of DcR3 protein and ERK1/2
      phosphorylation in tumor and non-tumor tissue samples of 66 patients with
      pancreatic carcinoma. RNAi knockdown of DcR3 expression in SW1990 cells reduced
      resistance to FasL-induced apoptosis, and supplementation of Patu8988 with rDcR3
      had the opposite effect. RNAi knockdown of DcR3 in SW1990 cells elevated
      expression of caspase 3, 8 and 9, and reduced ERK1/2 phosphorylation (P < 0.05),
      but did not alter phosphorylated-Akt expression. 47 tumor tissue specimens, but
      only 15 matched non-tumor specimens stained for DcR3 (chi(2) = 31.1447, P <
      0.001). The proliferation index of DcR3 positive specimens (14.26  +/-  2.67%)
      was significantly higher than that of DcR3 negative specimens (43.58  +/-  7.88%,
      P < 0.01). DcR3 expression positively correlated with p-ERK1/2 expression in
      pancreatic cancer tissues (r = 0.607, P < 0.001). DcR3 enhances ERK1/2
      phosphorylation and opposes FasL signaling in pancreatic cancer cells. 

PMID- 26102032
TI  - Ablation of Lgr4 enhances energy adaptation in skeletal muscle via activation of
      Ampk/Sirt1/Pgc1alpha pathway.
AB  - Leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 4 (Lgr4) is a newfound
      obese-associated gene. Previous study reveals that heterozygous mutation of Lgr4
      correlates with decreased body weight in human. In our recent study, we
      demonstrate that Lgr4 ablation promotes browning of white adipose tissue and
      improves whole-body metabolic status. However little is known about its role in
      other metabolic tissues. Herein, we show that Lgr4 homozygous mutant (Lgr4(m/m))
      mice show increased respiratory exchange ratio (RER, closer to 1.0) than wild
      type mice at 12:00 AM (food-intake time for mice) while decreased RER (closer to
      0.75) at 12:00 PM (fasting for mice), indicating a glucose-prone versus fatty
      acid-prone metabolic pattern, respectively. Furthermore, Lgr4 ablation increases
      lipid oxidation-related gene expression while suppresses glucose transporter type
      4 (Glut4) levels in skeletal muscle under fasting condition. These data suggest
      that Lgr4 ablation enhances the flexibility of skeletal muscle to switch energy
      provider from glucose to fatty acid in response to glucose depletion. We further
      reveal the activation of Ampk/Sirt1/Pgc1alpha pathway during this adaptive fuel
      shift due to Lgr4 ablation. This study suggests that Lgr4 might serve as an
      adaptive regulator between glucose and lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle and
      reveals a potentially new regulator for a well-established adaptive network. 

PMID- 26102033
TI  - Glucocorticoid-mediated co-regulation of RCAN1-1, E4BP4 and BIM in human leukemia
      cells susceptible to apoptosis.
AB  - Glucocorticoids (GCs) are known to induce apoptosis of leukemia cells via gene
      regulatory changes affecting key pro-and anti-apoptotic genes. Three genes
      previously implicated in GC-evoked apoptosis in the CEM human T-cell leukemia
      model, RCAN1, E4BP4 and BIM, were studied in a panel of human lymphoid and
      myeloid leukemia cell lines. Of the two RCAN1 transcripts, the synthetic GC
      Dexamethasone (Dex) selectively upregulates RCAN1-1, but not RCAN1-4, in GC
      susceptible Sup-B15, RS4;11, Kasumi-1 cells but not in GC-resistant Sup T1 and
      Loucy cells. E4BP4 and BIM regulation correlated with that of RCAN1-1. A putative
      GRE and four EBPREs were identified within 1500bp upstream from the transcription
      start site of RCAN1-1. GC-refractory CEM C1-15 cells sensitized to GC-evoked
      apoptosis by ectopic E4BP4 expression, CEM C1-15mE#3, showed restored RCAN1-1
      upregulation, suggesting that RCAN1-1 is a downstream target of E4BP4. A model
      for coordinated regulation of RCAN1-1, E4BP4 and BIM, and their role in GC-evoked
      apoptosis is proposed. 

PMID- 26102034
TI  - Lafora disease proteins laforin and malin negatively regulate the HIPK2-p53 cell
      death pathway.
AB  - Lafora disease (LD) is an autosomal recessive, progressive, and fatal form of a
      neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the presence of Lafora polyglucosan
      bodies. LD is caused by defects in either the laforin protein phosphatase or the
      malin E3 ubiquitin ligase. Laforin and malin were shown play key roles in
      proteolytic processes, unfolded stress response, and glycogen metabolism.
      Therefore, the LD proteins laforin and malin are thought to function as pro
      survival factors and their loss thus could result in neurodegeneration. To
      understand the molecular pathway leading to the cell death in LD, in the present
      study, we investigated the possible role of LD proteins in the p53-mediated cell
      death pathway. We show that loss of laforin or malin results in the increased
      level and activity of p53, both in cellular and animal models of LD, and that
      this is primarily due to the increased levels of Hipk2, a proapoptotic activator
      of p53. Overexpression of laforin or malin confers protection against Hipk2
      mediated cell death by targeting the Hipk2 to the cytoplasmic compartment. Taken
      together, our study strengthens the notion that laforin and malin are pro
      survival factors, and that the activation of Hipk2-p53 cell death pathway might
      underlie neurodegeneration in LD. 

PMID- 26102035
TI  - 1-o-acetylbritannilactone (ABL) inhibits angiogenesis and lung cancer cell growth
      through regulating VEGF-Src-FAK signaling.
AB  - The search for safe, effective and affordable therapeutics against non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC) and other lung cancers is important. Here we explored the
      potential effect of 1-o-acetylbritannilactone (ABL), a novel extract from Inula
      britannica-F, on angiogenesis and lung cancer cell growth. We demonstrated that
      ABL dose-dependently inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced
      proliferation, migration, and capillary structure formation of cultured human
      umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). In vivo, ABL administration
      suppressed VEGF-induced new vasculature formation in Matrigel plugs. For the
      mechanism investigations, we found that ABL largely inhibited VEGF-mediated
      activation of Src kinase and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in HUVECs. Furthermore,
      treatment of A549 NSCLC cells with ABL resulted in cell growth inhibition and Src
      FAK in-activation. Significantly, administration of a single dose of ABL (12
      mg/kg/day) remarkably suppressed growth of A549 xenografts in nude mice. In vivo
      microvessels formation and Src activation were also significantly inhibited in
      ABL-treated xenograft tumors. Taken together, our findings suggest that ABL
      suppresses angiogenesis and lung cancer cell growth possibly via regulating the
      VEGFR-Src-FAK signaling.

PMID- 26102036
TI  - MTERF4 regulates the mitochondrial dysfunction induced by MPP(+) in SH-SY5Y
      cells.
AB  - Mitochondrial transcription termination factor 4, MTERF4, a member of the MTERF
      family, has been implicated in the regulation of mitochondrial translation by
      targeting NSUN4 to the large mitochondrial ribosome. Here, we found a novel role
      for MTERF4 in regulating mitochondrial dysfunction induced by MPP(+). We observed
      that knockdown of MTERF4 in SH-SY5Y cells resulted in increased mitochondrial DNA
      transcription levels and decreased mitochondrial DNA translation levels. In
      addition, after treatment with 2 mM MPP(+) for 24 h, the expression levels of
      MTERF4 were decreased compared to wide-type SH-SY5Y cells. Moreover, after
      exposure to 2 mM MPP(+) for 24 h, knockdown of MTERF4 in SH-SY5Y cells worsened
      the mitochondrial dysfunction induced by MPP(+), including increased reactive
      oxygen species, accumulated cleaved PARP-1, decreased mitochondrial membrane
      potential and depressed mitochondrial complexes. Furthermore, overexpression of
      MTERF4 in SH-SY5Y cells partially alleviated the mitochondrial dysfunction
      induced by MPP(+). Based on these findings, we suggest that the main function of
      MTERF4 is regulating mtDNA expression, and it is the crucial factor in the
      mechanism of mitochondrial dysfunction in SH-SY5Y cells induced by MPP(+). MTERF4
      probably is the triggering of the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease induced by
      environmental toxin. 

PMID- 26102037
TI  - Identification of the chlE gene encoding oxygen-independent Mg-protoporphyrin IX
      monomethyl ester cyclase in cyanobacteria.
AB  - The fifth ring (E-ring) of chlorophyll (Chl) a is produced by Mg-protoporphyrin
      IX monomethyl ester (MPE) cyclase. There are two evolutionarily unrelated MPE
      cyclases: oxygen-independent (BchE) and oxygen-dependent (ChlA/AcsF) MPE
      cyclases. Although ChlA is the sole MPE cyclase in Synechocystis PCC 6803, it is
      yet unclear whether BchE exists in cyanobacteria. A BLAST search suggests that
      only few cyanobacteria possess bchE. Here, we report that two bchE candidate
      genes from Cyanothece strains PCC 7425 and PCC 7822 restore the photosynthetic
      growth and bacteriochlorophyll production in a bchE-lacking mutant of Rhodobacter
      capsulatus. We termed these cyanobacterial bchE orthologs "chlE." 

PMID- 26102038
TI  - The DJ-1 superfamily member Hsp31 repairs proteins from glycation by
      methylglyoxal and glyoxal.
AB  - Hsp31 belongs to the PfpI/Hsp31/DJ-1 superfamily, and has been reported to
      display chaperone, peptidase and glutathione-independent glyoxalase activities.
      Here, we show that Hsp31 repairs glyoxal- and methylglyoxal-glycated amino acids
      and proteins and releases repaired proteins and lactate or glycolate,
      respectively. Hsp31 deglycates cysteine, arginine and lysine by acting on early
      glycation intermediates (hemithioacetals and aminocarbinols) and prevents the
      formation of Schiff bases and advanced glycation endproducts. Hsp31 repairs
      glycated serum albumin, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, fructose
      biphosphate aldolase and aspartate aminotransferase. Moreover, we show that
      bacterial extracts from the hchA mutant display increased glycation levels and
      that the apparent glyoxalase activity of Hsp31 reflects its deglycase activity.
      Our results suggest that other Hsp31 members, previously characterized as
      glutathione-independent glyoxalases, likely function as protein deglycases. 

PMID- 26102039
TI  - Ubiquitin E3 ligase UHRF1 regulates p53 ubiquitination and p53-dependent cell
      apoptosis in clear cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - Ubiquitin-like with PHD and RING finger domain 1 (UHRF1) is a multi-domain
      ubiquitin E3 ligase that plays critical roles in regulation of DNA methylation
      and histone ubiquitination. In this study, we found UHRF1 is frequently
      overexpressed in human clear cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) tissues both at
      mRNA and protein levels. We showed that UHRF1 directly interacts with p53 both in
      vivo and in vitro. A new domain (PD) in UHRF1 was required for interaction with
      p53. We found that UHRF1 down-regulates p53 transactivation activity which was
      depends on the ubiquitin E3 ligase function. UHRF1 can promote non-degradative
      ubiquitination of p53, suppress p53 pathway activation and p53-dependent
      apoptosis in ccRCC cells. Together, our study suggests that UHRF1, which
      overexpressed ccRCC, may act as a p53 regulator, suppress p53 pathway activation
      and help ccRCC cells to escape from p53-dependent apoptosis. 

PMID- 26102040
TI  - Strategies to maintain operating room functionality following the complete loss
      of the recovery room due to an internal disaster.
AB  - The post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) is a major contributor to the operating room
      (OR) process flow and efficiency. A sudden failure of hospital facility
      infrastructure due to a burst pipe resulted in the complete loss of a 66-bed
      combined preoperative and PACU facility of a major academic medical center. The
      OR suites were undamaged. The clinical and administrative challenges of caring
      for surgical patients without the usual preoperative and postoperative care areas
      are discussed. Our strategy for maintaining OR functions and management of
      patient flow, OR personnel, case prioritization, and equipment needs are detailed
      from the time of initial crisis until restoration of these clinical care areas.
      Utilization of the hospital disaster Incident Command Structure and the
      activation and decision support provided by the hospital Emergency Operations
      Center (EOC) for the week immediately following the crisis, helped maintain OR
      functionality. 

PMID- 26102041
TI  - Comparison of START triage categories to emergency department triage levels to
      determine need for urgent care and to predict hospitalization.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare Emergency Severity Index (ESI) triage levels and Simple
      Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) triage colors for urgent care and
      hospitalization. DESIGN: Cross sectional. SETTING: Inner city emergency
      department (ED). PARTICIPANTS: Patients years transported by Emergency Medical
      Services (EMS) participating in the state triage tag exercise, October 9-15,
      2011. INTERVENTIONS: EMS assigned each patient a START triage tag. ED staff
      recorded tag number and color. Demographics, vital signs, 22 emergent
      interventions, and disposition were obtained via chart review. Institutional
      review board approval was obtained. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence of more than
      two abnormal vital sign on arrival and need for more than one emergent
      intervention in ED were considered indicators of acuity and severity. START
      triage colors were recategorized as urgent (Red, Yellow) and less acute (Green,
      White), and ESI was recategorized as urgent (1, 2, 3) and less acute (4, 5).
      RESULTS: Both ED and EMS staff were blinded to the study, and 95% confidence
      intervals were presented for statistical significance. Of 233 participants, START
      triage colors were Black=0, Red=12 percent, Yellow=26 percent, Green=53 percent,
      and White=9 percent. ESI triage levels were level 1=1 percent, level 2=34
      percent, level 3=51 percent, level 4=14 percent, and level 5=1 percent. ESI (1,
      2, 3) identified 88 percent (75-95 percent) of 49 patients with abnormal vital
      signs; START (Red, Yellow) only identified 51 percent (35-64 percent). Twenty-one
      patients needed emergent intervention. ESI (1, 2, 3) identified 95 percent (76-99
      percent) of these patients; START (Red, Yellow) identified 33 percent (17-55
      percent). ESI (1, 2, 3) identified 98 percent of the 96(92-100 percent) admitted
      patients; only 48 percent (38-58 percent) were tagged START (Red, Yellow).
      CONCLUSION: ESI better identified patients with abnormal vital signs, those who
      needed emergent interventions, and those admitted than START.

PMID- 26102042
TI  - Emergency preparedness of families of children with developmental disabilities:
      what public health and safety emergency planners need to know.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the emergency preparedness knowledge, behaviors, and
      training needs of families of children with developmental disabilities (DD).
      DESIGN: An online survey. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 314 self-selecting US
      parents/guardians of children with DD, aged birth-21 years. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: 1) Preparedness self-assessment; 2) self-report regarding the extent to
      which families followed 11 specific preparedness action steps derived from
      publicly available preparedness guides; and 3) parent training and support needs.
      RESULTS: Although most participants assessed themselves to be somewhat to
      moderately well prepared, even those who reported being "very well prepared" had
      taken fewer than half of 11 recommended action steps. Most participants expressed
      a need for preparedness support; virtually all the respondents felt that training
      was either important or very important. CONCLUSIONS: Children with disabilities
      are known to be particularly vulnerable to negative disaster impacts. Overall,
      parents in this study appeared under-prepared to meet family disaster needs,
      although they recognized its importance. The results suggest opportunities and
      methods for public health and safety planning, education and outreach to parents
      of children with DD who would benefit from targeted training such as information
      and skill building to develop effective family preparedness plans and connections
      to local emergency management and responders.

PMID- 26102043
TI  - The contribution of on-call, volunteer first responders to mass-casualty
      terrorist attacks in Israel.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the contributions of on-call, volunteer first responders
      to mass-casualty terrorist attacks in Israel during the Second Intifada. DESIGN:
      Descriptive study evaluating data obtained from postevent debriefings after 15
      terrorist attacks in Israel between 2001 and 2004. RESULTS: An average of 7.9
      deaths (median 7.0, interquartile range [IQR] 2.5-12.5) and 53.8 injuries (median
      50.0, IQR 34.0-62.0) occurred in each of these attacks. The average number of
      volunteers responding to each event was 50.3 (median 43.0, IQR 27.5-55.5). The
      volunteers were involved in extricating victims from imminent danger, and
      performing emergent tasks such as bag-valve ventilation, tourniquet application,
      and intravenous line insertion. They were also integral to the rapid evacuation
      of casualties from the scene. CONCLUSION: On-call, volunteer first responders are
      an integral part of Israel's emergency medical response to mass-casualty
      terrorist attacks. This system may be used as a model for the development of
      similar services worldwide.

PMID- 26102044
TI  - Local health department workers, public policy, and willingness to respond during
      emergencies.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine whether an association exists between a state's
      authority to declare a public health emergency and local public health workers'
      response willingness. DESIGN: The 2009-2010 Johns Hopkins~Public Health
      Infrastructure Response Survey Tool included questions about demographics and
      attitudes/beliefs regarding local public health workers' response willingness
      during public health emergencies. Survey data were merged with data about
      presence/absence of a law granting states the authority to declare a public
      health emergency. Logistic regression analyses were performed with the
      presence/absence of the law and were adjusted for individuals' demographic and
      locale characteristics. SETTING: Data were collected from eight clusters of local
      health department workers in nine states. PARTICIPANTS: Two thousand nine hundred
      ninety-three local health department workers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Willingness
      to respond to four different public health emergency scenarios. RESULTS: For
      naturally occurring and human-caused disasters, in unadjusted analyses, there was
      no statistically significant difference in willingness to respond between
      individuals living in states with a law that allowed for a governmental
      declaration of public health emergency and those living in states without such a
      law. Adjusted analyses yielded similar results. CONCLUSIONS: While laws giving
      the state the authority to declare a public health emergency are not associated
      with response willingness, findings may reflect the fact that states rarely
      declare public health emergencies, giving local public health workers few
      opportunities to become familiar with the implementation of these laws. In light
      of this, local health departments should consider altering their own internal
      policies to promote response willingness among their employees.

PMID- 26102045
TI  - Development of a disaster preparedness curriculum for medical students: a pilot
      study of incorporating local events into training opportunities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Contemporary disasters, like the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa,
      have piqued the interest of medical students in disaster preparedness. The topic
      is also a requirement of undergraduate medical education.(1) Yet current
      literature suggests that disaster preparedness education is lacking. Our
      objective was to pilot a curriculum to augment medical students' disaster
      preparedness education by marshalling local resources to provide practical hands
      on experiences. DESIGN: This pilot curriculum consisted of lectures; simulations;
      asynchronous learning materials; a large-scale, regional disaster exercise; and
      preparation for and participation in a real-time mass gathering. Outcomes were
      measured by student performance on written tests and evaluations of each
      activity. SETTING: Academic Health Center with associated medical school.
      PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-two medical students participated in at least one of the six
      activities during this voluntary pilot program. Premedical students and residents
      (n=57) participated in some activities. RESULTS: Forty-one medical students took
      either the pretest or the post-test over the curriculum. Only eight students took
      both. A paired t test comparing pretest to post-test scores using imputed missing
      data (t=-11.72, df=40, p<=0.001) was consistent with an analysis using only
      complete data (t=-2.35, df=7, p=0.05), implying that student scores improved
      significantly over time. Evaluations indicated a student preference for hands-on
      over didactic or independent learning activities. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot
      curriculum was designed to capitalize on practical hands-on training
      opportunities for our medical students, including participation in a disaster
      exercise and a mass-gathering event. These opportunities provided effective and
      engaging disaster preparedness education.

PMID- 26102046
TI  - Effects of sternal intraosseous and intravenous administration of Hextend on time
      of administration and hemodynamics in a swine model of hemorrhagic shock.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Disasters may cause traumatic injuries leading to hemorrhage.
      Hemorrhage is the leading cause of death for military and civilian trauma
      casualties. The US Army's Tactical Combat Casualty Care guidelines recommend
      administering a 500 mL Hextend bolus via the intravenous (IV) or intraosseous
      (IO) routes for patients in hypovolemic shock. The purposes of this study were to
      compare administration time of Hextend and the effects on hemodynamics when
      Hextend is administered by the sternal IO (SIO) and IV routes in a swine model of
      hemorrhagic shock. DESIGN: This was a prospective, experimental study with random
      assignment. SETTING: The study was implemented at an animal vivarium. SUBJECTS:
      Yorkshire-cross (N=21) swine were used. INTERVENTION: Each swine was hemorrhaged
      30 percent of their total blood volume to simulate a class II hemorrhage; 500 mL
      of Hextend was administered by the SIO and IV routes after hemorrhage. The
      control group did not receive any resuscitative fluids. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASUREMENTS: The predetermined variables of the study were time of
      administration and hemodynamics over 8 minutes. Hemodynamic data were collected
      every 2 minutes until administration was complete. RESULTS: There were no
      significant differences in the time to administer Hextend between the SIO (616+/
      166 seconds) and the IV groups (534+/-151 seconds) (p=0.37). There were no
      significant differences between the SIO and IV groups relative to hemodynamics
      (p>0.05), but both were significantly different than the control group (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: The SIO route is an effective method of administering Hextend.

PMID- 26102047
TI  - Simple infrared thermometry in fever detection: consideration in mass fever
      screening.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The need to rapidly screen patients during outbreaks has prompted
      Cutaneous Infrared Thermometry (CIT) use. Little is known of CIT performance in
      this context. What are the performance characteristics of simple CIT in detecting
      fever? DESIGN: Prospective cohort, sequential convenience sample. PARTICIPANTS:
      All patients presenting to the study Emergency Department for care. INTERVENTION:
      CIT and oral temperature measurements. MAIN OUTCOMES: Fever defined as oral
      temperature>=38 degrees C. CIT is measured simultaneously with oral temperatures.
      Comparisons of temperatures are expressed as means and 95% confidence intervals.
      Means are compared using Student's t test. Limits of agreement are measured using
      Bland-Altman. Receiver operating characteristics are determined. RESULTS: There
      are 548 cases comprising 224 males, 324 females, with mean age 26 years. The mean
      temperature difference is 12.95 degrees C, (13.18-9.08 degrees C) p<=0.0001.
      Bland-Altman demonstrates bias at 8.680 (-9.084 to -8.275) p<=0.0001 with upper
      and lower level bias values of 18.124 (18.819-17.435) and 0.768 (0.076-1.459),
      respectively. Based on Receiver Operator Characteristics analysis, detection of
      hyperpyrexia at a CIT of 35.3 degrees C provided sensitivity of 0.236 (0.143
      0.359), specificity 0.977 (0.959-0.989), positive predictive value 0.589 (0.325
      0.810), negative predictive value 0.904 (0.891-0.919), and accuracy of 0.888
      (0.861-0.913). CONCLUSIONS: The use of a readily available CIT measurement device
      predicted hyperpyrexia about 59 percent of the time and the absence of
      hyperpyrexia about 90 percent of the time. This is consistent with previous
      reports of more complex infrared measurement devices. Although commonly used in
      mass fever screening, the current performance characteristics of CIT are limited
      and may add little to detection of target diseases in a mass screening context.

PMID- 26102049
TI  - [New horizont in the fight against bacterial resistance].

PMID- 26102048
TI  - Use of an automated drug distribution cabinet system in a disaster response
      mobile emergency department.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article describes the innovative use of an automated drug
      distribution cabinet system for medication supply in a disaster response mobile
      Emergency Department vehicle. Prior to the use of the automated drug distribution
      cabinet system described in this article, the mobile hospitals were stocked as
      needed with drugs in individual boxes and draws. Experience with multiple
      deployments found this method to be very cumbersome and labor intensive, both in
      preparation, operational use, and demobilization. SETTING: For a recent
      deployment to provide emergency medical care at the 2014 Super Bowl football
      event, the automated drug distribution cabinet system in the Institution's main
      campus Emergency Department was duplicated and incorporated into the mobile
      Emergency Department. RESULTS: This method of drug stocking and dispensing was
      found to be far more efficient than gathering and placing drugs in onboard draws
      and racks. CONCLUSIONS: Automated drug distribution cabinet systems can be used
      to significantly improve patient care and overall efficiency in mobile hospital
      deployments.

PMID- 26102050
TI  - [Quality of life in patients with prostate cancer: validation of an instrument
      for clinical practice].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Currently there are instruments to evaluate the different features of
      the impact on quality of life in those patients with prostate cancer undergoing
      any type of treatment, but most of them have 50 or more questions and they are
      difficult to apply in clinical practice. An English validation of a shortened
      version of the EPIC (Expanded Prostate Cancer Composite), the most used
      instrument to measure the quality of life in patients with prostate cancer, has
      been published recently. This version called EPIC-CP (Expanded Prostate Cancer
      Composite-Clinical Practice) consists of 16 questions arranged in a page, for
      easy and rapid clinical application. The objective of this work is to validate a
      Spanish version of the EPIC-CP. METHOD: An inversa-directa Spanish translation of
      the original version was performed. The EPIC-CP and EQ5D questionnaires were
      applied to 46 patients eligible to be subjected to different treatments - open
      prostatectomy (OP), Robotic Prostatectomy (RP), brachytherapy (Br) or
      conformational radiotherapy (CR) - and 82 patients already treated (9 OP, 13 RP,
      7 Br, 4 CR). For reliability evaluation, the Cronbach's alpha was used to test
      the internal consistency for each domain of the EPIC-CP. Treated and untreated
      patients' scores were compared with the Wilcoxon range sum test to assess the
      sensitivity to change. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha was elevated in all the EPIC-CP
      domains (near or greater than 0.7), indicating a high internal consistency. There
      was no significant difference in age and educational level between treated and
      untreated patients. We found significant differences between treated and
      untreated patients in the total EPIC CP score, in the domains of urinary
      incontinence, bowel function, sexual function and hormonal function. CONCLUSION:
      The Spanish version of the EPIC-CP is reliable and valid, so it is a useful tool
      to measure the quality of life in patients with prostate cancer, as well as the
      impact of different treatments.

PMID- 26102051
TI  - [Expression of P504S and matrix metalloproteinase-2 in circulating prostate cells
      disseminated as a result of transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy as determined by
      immunocytochemistry: Clinical implications].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Surgical manipulation of cancer has been shown to increase blood
      borne cancer cell dissemination and increase the risk of metastasis. We present
      the effect of prostate biopsy on prostate cell dissemination and the phenotypic
      characteristics of these cells. METHODS: 50 men undergoing initial prostate
      biopsy for suspicion of prostate cancer were studied. Blood samples were taken
      immediately before, and 1 and 24 hours after biopsy for circulating prostate
      cells (CPC) determination and phenotypic characterization. CPCs were detected and
      counted using standard immunocytochemistry using anti-PSA and then characterized
      using anti-P504S and anti-matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2). RESULTS: 14 (28%)
      men had cancer detected on biopsy. 13/14 had P504S (+) and MMP-2 (+) cells
      detected prior to biopsy. One hour after biopsy there was a mixture of P504S (+)
      and P504S (-) cells detected, as well as MMP-2 (+) and MMP-2 (-) cells detected.
      24 hours after biopsy the same 13/14 men remained positive, although the number
      of CPCs increased 1 hour after biopsy and then the numbers decreased to pre
      biopsy levels after 24 hours. In cancer negative men, P504S (-) and MMP-2 (-)
      cells were detected, some of these cells persisted 24 hours after biopsy.
      CONCLUSIONS: Prostate biopsy causes dissemination of prostate cells into the
      circulation, both malignant and benign; the majority of them are cleared within
      24 hours. There was no conversion of negative to positive result in men with
      cancer, this suggests that the inherent capacity of malignant CPCs to disseminate
      is more important than the effect of dissemination caused by prostate biopsy.

PMID- 26102052
TI  - [Analysis of budgetary impact of moderate and high risk non muscle-invasive
      bladder cancer by means of neoadjuvant hyperthermia chemotherapy compared to the
      standard adjuvant treatment with BCG].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the relationship between cost-effectiveness and budgetary
      impact the application of a neoadjuvant chemo-hyperthermia treatment on 15
      patients with NMI multi-recurrent bladder cancer and/or whose risk of recurrence
      and progression is medium-high, compared with the standard neoadjuvant BCG
      treatment, has had on the Hospital Comarcal de Monforte de Lemos (Lugo). METHODS:
      A model was designed from an SNS perspective with a temporary horizon of three
      years to compare the costs of applying neoadjuvant chemo-hyperthermia on the
      patients of the clinical test (8 instillations weekly of 80 mg Mitomycin C
      recirculating at 43 C for an hour prior to carrying out a transurethral resection
      of the bladder tumor) with the costs of treating 15 patients with the same risk
      profile with the standard adjuvant treatment of BCG (control group). The
      effective available costs corresponding to drugs, disposables and those relative
      to TURBT, cold biopsy and tumor relapse were included. The costs of diagnostic
      tests and follow-up were discarded from the model because they did not vary
      between groups. RESULTS: The model built with effective and published cost data
      establishes a favourable difference in favour of the neoadjuvant treatment with
      chemo hyperthermia in terms of 3 year costs with a minimum global savings of
      10,300? and 687? per patient, together with an improvement in the effectiveness
      of the treatment. These values could reach a minimum savings of 25,960? and
      1,731? per patient, if a change in protocol is made after the neoadjuvant
      treatment, which uses the cold biopsy to check the results. Of the 15 patients
      pre-treated with chemo-hyperthermia, 11 high-risk and 4 medium-risk, 9 have
      responded completely (absence of residual tumor) and 6 partially (shrinking of
      the tumor). The number of expected relapses has been reduced from 8 to 2 and
      progression from 3 to 0. CONCLUSIONS: The neoadjuvant treatment with chemo
      hyperthermia constitutes a cost-effective therapeutic strategy.

PMID- 26102053
TI  - Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging 3T and prostate cancer: correlation with
      transperineal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to correlate the results obtained by 3T
      Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI3T) with those obtained by
      histological examination of samples of the trans-perineal ultrasound-guided
      prostate biopsy (TPUS-B). METHODS: 34 patients were enrolled in the study. All
      patients had a clinical suspicion of cancer due to increased PSA and/or positive
      digital rectal examination. Patients were subjected to an MRSI 3T examination and
      subsequently to TPUS-B. RESULTS: Of the 22 (22/34) patients who presented
      abnormalities MRSI at 3T, 9 had a histological diagnosis of Prostate
      adenocarcinoma. Of the remaining 13 patients, 6 were found to be histologically
      positive for Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy and 7 Chronic Interstitial Inflammation
      or High Grade Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia. 12 (12/34) patients found to
      have no peripheral alterations in their prostate on 3T MRSI, none were positive
      for ADK or inflammation on histology. The sensitivity, specificity, positive
      predictive value and negative predictive value were 100%, 48%, 40% and 100%
      respectively. DISCUSSION: In this study, we correlated the values obtained from
      3T MRSI with the results of histologically examined prostate biopsies. Our work
      shows that 72.8% of the voxels in which there was a change in ratio of Cit/(Cho +
      Cr), corresponded to areas of prostate tissue disease. Of these, 73.2% were
      positive for ADK and 26.8% for CII or HG PIN. In literature, it is noted that PCa
      can be distinguished from areas of benign tissue, in the peripheral zone, on the
      basis of the values of the ratio Cit/(Cho + Cr) (17), although some benign
      conditions, such as prostatitis or PINHG, can alter these values (18-19).
      CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the use of MRSI 3T before performing prostate
      biopsies may represent a valid aid for the urologist in the diagnosis of PCa,
      allowing them to avoid unnecessary prostate biopsies that may be negative.
      Furthermore, it would also be possible to reduce the total number of biopsies,
      thus decreasing patient exposure to the unnecessary risks associated with biopsy.

PMID- 26102054
TI  - [Vesicovaginal Reflux and Urocolpos].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Vesico-vaginal reflux (VVR) is defined as the reflux of urine into the
      vaginal vault during voiding, occasionally seen in pre- adolescent girls. The
      typical history consists in post voiding leaks in the daytime, that correspond to
      the progressive urine discharge from the vagina, after it has been filled up
      during micturition. We intend to show two cases presenting with significant
      urocolpos. METHODS: Description of two clinical cases observed in the pediatric
      urology office. RESULTS: Clinical case 1.- A 10-year-old girl presented with the
      complaint of diurnal incontinence (in the immediate post-voiding minutes). The
      early voiding phase in the cystourethrogram (VCUG) demonstrated progressive gross
      distension of the vagina (urocolpos) due to retrograde filling as the bladder
      emptied. The girl was managed with behavioural modifications, and was dry
      afterwards. Clinical case 2.- A 9-year-old girl presented with history of
      incomplete voiding. In infancy, she had right-sided vesicoureteral reflux (VUR)
      and was endoscopically treated at the age of 2. VCUG showed VVR, and no VUR. She
      was then successfully treated with behavioural modifications. Clinical case 3.- A
      10-year-old girl complained of diurnal urinary incontinence, described as post
      voiding leaks. Again, a VCUG showed VVR and a small urocolpos. After re-education
      of voiding habits, leaks disappeared, but recurred 6 months afterwards, when she
      acknowledged no adherence to the therapy. DISCUSSION: Between 12 to 15% of girls
      referred to Urological clinics because of urine incontinence present VVR. In the
      absence of a clear anatomical obstruction, reflux happens as the urine flow
      encounters a natural obstacle in the labia majora usually in girls that close
      their legs as they void. Instructions on proper voiding form a key element in the
      management of VVR, and if not enough, the behavioural modification consists on a
      reverse position during voiding.

PMID- 26102055
TI  - [Penile necrosis as clinical presentation of systemic Calciphylaxis: Report of
      two cases and bibliographic review].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Calciphylaxis is a potentially lethal syndrome reported mainly in
      patients with ESRD on hemodialysis. Etiopathogenesis remains unclear and there is
      much controversy regarding optimal diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Penile
      necrosis as a disease presentation is extremely rare. We report two clinical
      cases treated in our center and perform an evidence review. METHODS: Clinical
      data was obtained from both patients and an evidence review was performed on
      PubMed under the criteria "penile necrosis" and "Calciphylaxis". RESULTS: Both
      patients underwent partial penectomy due to severe penile necrosis. After surgery
      both patients received treatment with sodium thiosulfate (STS) 20mg in every
      hemodialysis session. Both patients showed stabilization of necrotic lesions.
      DISCUSSION: The same way that biopsying the ischemic lesions produced by
      Calciphylaxis is discussed and even misadvised, the role of aggressive surgery as
      first line therapy might be uncertain specially with the raising of new specific
      drugs such as sodium thiosulfate (STS) that have shown efficacy stopping disease
      progression.

PMID- 26102056
TI  - In vivo exposure of marine mussels to carbamazepine and 10-hydroxy-10,11-dihydro
      carbamazepine: Bioconcentration and metabolization.
AB  - Aquatic organisms are exposed to pharmaceuticals present in natural waters, but
      few data are available on the accumulation of these substances in such organisms.
      The present study evaluated the in vivo bioconcentration of two anticonvulsants-
      carbamazepine (CBZ) and 10-hydroxy-10,11-dihydro-carbamazepine (10 OH)--in marine
      mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) exposed to nominal 10 MUg L(-1)
      concentrations for one week. The bioconcentration factors (BCFs) were 3.9 and 4.5
      L kg(-1) dry weight (dw) for CBZ and 10 OH, respectively. CBZ accumulation
      reached an average tissue concentration of 29.3 +/- 4.8 ng g(-1) dw, and 10 OH
      accumulated up to 40.9 +/- 4.6 ng g(-1) dw in tissues within one week, showing
      first-order kinetics. BCF obtained with linear QSAR models correctly estimated
      the CBZ bioconcentration and overestimated the 10 OH bioconcentration to some
      extent. The detection of two metabolites (carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide and
      acridine) among the five sought suggested an active metabolism for CBZ. In
      contrast, none of the 10 OH metabolites were detected in mussels exposed to 10
      OH. CBZ showed higher accumulation in the digestive gland, where some relevant
      metabolites were detected, than in other studied tissues. The implication of
      those findings on field biomonitoring is discussed.

PMID- 26102058
TI  - Date palm and the activated sludge co-composting actinobacteria sanitization
      potential.
AB  - The objective of this study was to find a connection between the development of
      the compost actinobacteria and the potential involvement of antagonistic
      thermophilic actinomycetes in compost sanitization as high temperature additional
      role. An abundance of actinobacteria and coliforms during the activated sludge
      and date palm co-composting is determined. Hundred actinomycete isolates were
      isolated from the sample collected at different composting times. To evaluate the
      antagonistic effects of the different recovered actinomycete isolates, several
      wastewater-linked microorganisms known as human and plant potential pathogens
      were used. The results showed that 12 isolates have an in vitro inhibitory effect
      on at least 9 of the indicator microorganisms while only 4 active strains inhibit
      all these pathogens. The antimicrobial activities of sterilized composting time
      extracts are also investigated. 

PMID- 26102057
TI  - Predicting characteristics of rainfall driven estrogen runoff and transport from
      swine AFO spray fields.
AB  - Animal feeding operations (AFOs) have been implicated as potentially major
      sources of estrogenic contaminants into the aquatic environment due to the
      relatively minimal treatment of waste and potential mobilization and transport of
      waste components from spray fields. In this study a Bayesian network (BN) model
      was developed to inform management decisions and better predict the transport and
      fate of natural steroidal estrogens from these sites. The developed BN model
      integrates processes of surface runoff and sediment loss with the modified
      universal soil loss equation (MUSLE) and the soil conservation service curve
      number (SCS-CN) runoff model. What-if scenario simulations of lagoon slurry
      wastes to the spray fields were conducted for the most abundant natural estrogen
      estrone (E1) observed in the system. It was found that E1 attenuated
      significantly after 2 months following waste slurry application in both spring
      and summer seasons, with the overall attenuation rate predicted to be higher in
      the summer compared to the spring. Using simulations of rainfall events in
      conjunction with waste slurry application rates, it was predicted that the
      magnitude of E1 runoff loss is significantly higher in the spring as compared to
      the summer months, primarily due to spray field crop management plans. Our what
      if scenario analyses suggest that planting Bermuda grass in the spray fields is
      likely to reduce runoff losses of natural estrogens near the water bodies and
      ecosystems, as compared to planting of soybeans.

PMID- 26102059
TI  - New kid on the block: ONC201 in NHL.

PMID- 26102060
TI  - Minireview: The Complexities of IGF/Insulin Signaling in Aging: Why Flies and
      Worms Are Not Humans.
AB  - A remarkable plasticity in life span has been uncovered in recent years, offering
      hope that the basic mechanisms of aging and interventions that delay aging may be
      identified in the coming decades. Life span extension has been achieved by
      genetic manipulation in multiple organisms including Sarcomyces cervisae,
      Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila melanogaster, resulting in more than a
      doubling of life span in some cases. Typically, a reduction in function has been
      the most effective approach to extending life span, and a reduction in the
      insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway appears to provide the most robust increase in
      life span. This highly conserved pathway integrates growth/survival signals with
      nutrient status. In mammals, it comprises part of the neuroendocrine axis, a
      critical regulator of growth and development. Reduced functionality of the
      neuroendocrine axis itself promotes life span extension in mammals; however,
      reduced activity of the IGF-1 signaling pathway specifically leads to less robust
      increases in life span. This review examines the differences in the insulin/IGF-1
      axis between invertebrate and mammalian systems and discusses implications of
      these differences in terms of life span modulation. 

PMID- 26102062
TI  - miR-135a Targets and Regulates Prolactin Receptor Gene in Goat Mammary Epithelial
      Cells.
AB  - Mammary gland development and lactation are typical traits controlled by multiple
      genes, hormones, and regulatory factors. Prolactin receptor (PRLR), a specific
      receptor of prolactin, has been reported to have important physiological
      functions in regulating mammogenesis and lactogenesis. However, the post
      transcriptional regulation mechanisms of PRLR expression have not yet been shown
      in detail. In this study, the expression of miR-135a and PRLR at different
      development stages of Laoshan dairy goat mammary gland tissues was investigated.
      After overexpression and silencing expression of miR-135a in cultured primary
      mammary epithelial cells, the regulatory relationship between miR-135a and PRLR
      was examined through dual-luciferase reporter assay, and the expression of PRLR
      at both mRNA and protein levels was examined by real-time quantitative polymerase
      chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot. Collectively, our results suggested
      that PRLR is a direct target gene of miR-135a, miR-135a is a novel regulator of
      PRLR, and it might play an essential role in the regulation of animal mammary
      gland development and lactation. 

PMID- 26102063
TI  - Minimally invasive approach to lumbosacral decompression in a cadaveric canine
      model.
AB  - AIMS: To determine efficacy of a minimally invasive (MI) surgical approach using
      a human MI lumbar retractor for canine lumbosacral dorsal laminectomy and partial
      discectomy and to compare this technique to the standard open surgical (OS)
      approach. METHODS: Lumbosacral dorsal laminectomy and partial discectomy was
      performed on 16 large-breed canine cadavers using either a standard OS (n=8) or
      MI (n=8) approach. Skin and fascial incision length, procedure time, and
      intraoperative complications were recorded. Postoperatively specimens were
      evaluated for laminectomy and discectomy dimensions, and visible damage to the
      cauda equina and exiting nerve roots. RESULTS: Median length of skin and fascial
      incisions in the OS group were longer than in the MI group (p<0.001). Median
      laminectomy length was similar between both approaches (p=0.234) but width was
      greater for the MI than OS approach (p=0.002). Both approaches achieved similar
      partial discectomy width (p=0.279). Overall surgical time was longer for MI
      approaches compared to OS, with a median of 18.5 (min 15.5, max 21.8) minutes for
      MI compared to 14.6 (min 13.1, max 16.9) minutes for OS (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      The MI approach reduced incision lengths while retaining comparable laminectomy
      and discectomy dimensions. For this in vitro model the MI approach required more
      time to complete, but this difference may not be relevant in clinical cases.
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dogs undergoing lumbosacral dorsal laminectomy are commonly
      large-breed dogs. The traditional open approach requires a large skin incision
      and soft tissue dissection, especially in overweight animals. A MI approach
      accomplishing the same surgical result while minimising soft tissue trauma could
      reduce post-operative pain and recovery time, and may lower wound-related
      complications. Clinical studies are needed to confirm postoperative benefit and
      assess operating times in vivo.

PMID- 26102061
TI  - Extrusion of mitochondrial contents from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cells:
      Involvement of autophagy.
AB  - Sepsis/endotoxemia is elicited by the circulatory distribution of
      pathogens/endotoxins into whole bodies, and causes profound effects on human
      health by causing inflammation in multiple organs. Mitochondrial damage is one of
      the characteristics of the cellular degeneration observed during
      sepsis/endotoxemia. Elimination of damaged mitochondria through the autophagy
      lysosome system has been reported in the liver, indicating that autophagy should
      play an important role in liver homeostasis during sepsis/endotoxemia. An
      increased appearance of mitochondrial DNA and proteins in the plasma is another
      feature of sepsis/endotoxemia, suggesting that damaged mitochondria are not only
      eliminated within the cells, but also extruded through currently unknown
      mechanisms. Here we provide evidence for the secretion of mitochondrial proteins
      and DNA from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated rat hepatocytes as well as mouse
      embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). The secretion of mitochondrial contents is
      accompanied by the secretion of proteins that reside in the lumenal space of
      autolysosomes (LC3-II and CTSD/cathepsin D), but not by a lysosomal membrane
      protein (LAMP1). The pharmacological inhibition of autophagy by 3MA blocks the
      secretion of mitochondrial constituents from LPS-stimulated hepatocytes. LPS also
      stimulates the secretion of mitochondrial as well as autolysosomal lumenal
      proteins from wild-type (Atg5(+/+)) MEFs, but not from atg5(-/-) MEFs.
      Furthermore, we show that direct exposure of purified mitochondria activates
      polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), as evident by the induction of
      IL1B/interlekin-1beta, a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Taken together, the data
      suggest the active extrusion of mitochondrial contents, which provoke an
      inflammatory response of immune cells, through the exocytosis of autolysosomes by
      cells stimulated with LPS. 

PMID- 26102064
TI  - Liposome-based Formulation for Intracellular Delivery of Functional Proteins.
AB  - The intracellular delivery of biologically active protein represents an important
      emerging strategy for both fundamental and therapeutic applications. Here, we
      optimized in vitro delivery of two functional proteins, the beta-galactosidase
      (beta-gal) enzyme and the anti-cytokeratin8 (K8) antibody, using liposome-based
      formulation. The guanidinium-cholesterol cationic lipid bis (guanidinium)-tren
      cholesterol (BGTC) (bis (guanidinium)-tren-cholesterol) combined to the colipid
      dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) (dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine) was
      shown to efficiently deliver the beta-gal intracellularly without compromising
      its activity. The lipid/protein molar ratio, protein amount, and culture medium
      were demonstrated to be key parameters affecting delivery efficiency. The protein
      itself is an essential factor requiring selection of the appropriate cationic
      lipid as illustrated by low K8 binding activity of the anti-K8 antibody using
      guanidinium-based liposome. Optimization of various lipids led to the
      identification of the aminoglycoside lipid dioleyl succinyl paromomycin (DOSP)
      associated with the imidazole-based helper lipid MM27 as a potent delivery system
      for K8 antibody, achieving delivery in 67% of HeLa cells. Cryo-transmission
      electron microscopy showed that the structure of supramolecular assemblies
      BGTC:DOPE/beta-gal and DOSP:MM27/K8 were different depending on liposome types
      and lipid/protein molar ratio. Finally, we observed that K8 treatment with
      DOSP:MM27/K8 rescues the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent chloride
      efflux in F508del-CFTR expressing cells, providing a new tool for the study of
      channelopathies. 

PMID- 26102065
TI  - The thioredoxin system and not the Michaelis-Menten equation should be fitted to
      substrate saturation datasets from the thioredoxin insulin assay.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The thioredoxin system, consisting of thioredoxin reductase,
      thioredoxin and NADPH, is present in most living organisms and reduces a large
      array of target protein disulfides. OBJECTIVE: The insulin reduction assay is
      commonly used to characterise thioredoxin activity in vitro, but it is not clear
      whether substrate saturation datasets from this assay should be fitted and
      modeled with the Michaelis-Menten equation (thioredoxin enzyme model), or fitted
      to the thioredoxin system with insulin reduction described by mass-action
      kinetics (redox couple model). METHODS: We utilized computational modeling and in
      vitro assays to determine which of these approaches yield consistent and accurate
      kinetic parameter sets for insulin reduction. RESULTS: Using computational
      modeling, we found that fitting to the redox couple model, rather than to the
      thioredoxin enzyme model, resulted in consistent parameter sets over a range of
      thioredoxin reductase concentrations. Furthermore, we established that substrate
      saturation in this assay was due to the progressive redistribution of the
      thioredoxin moiety into its oxidised form. We then confirmed these results in
      vitro using the yeast thioredoxin system. DISCUSSION: This study shows how
      consistent parameter sets for thioredoxin activity can be obtained regardless of
      the thioredoxin reductase concentration used in the insulin reduction assay, and
      validates computational systems biology modeling studies that have described the
      thioredoxin system with the redox couple modeling approach.

PMID- 26102066
TI  - Triel Bonds, pi-Hole-pi-Electrons Interactions in Complexes of Boron and
      Aluminium Trihalides and Trihydrides with Acetylene and Ethylene.
AB  - MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ calculations were performed on complexes of aluminium and boron
      trihydrides and trihalides with acetylene and ethylene. These complexes are
      linked through triel bonds where the triel center (B or Al) is characterized by
      the Lewis acid properties through its pi-hole region while pi-electrons of C2H2
      or C2H4 molecule play the role of the Lewis base. Some of these interactions
      possess characteristics of covalent bonds, i.e., the Al-pi-electrons links as
      well as the interaction in the BH3-C2H2 complex. The triel-pi-electrons
      interactions are classified sometimes as the 3c-2e bonds. In the case of boron
      trihydrides, these interactions are often the preliminary stages of the
      hydroboration reaction. The Quantum Theory of "Atoms in Molecules" as well as the
      Natural Bond Orbitals approach are applied here to characterize the pi-hole-pi
      electrons interactions. 

PMID- 26102067
TI  - Comparative Label-Free Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Mildly versus Severely
      Affected mdx Mouse Skeletal Muscles Identifies Annexin, Lamin, and Vimentin as
      Universal Dystrophic Markers.
AB  - The primary deficiency in the membrane cytoskeletal protein dystrophin results in
      complex changes in dystrophic muscles. In order to compare the degree of
      secondary alterations in differently affected subtypes of skeletal muscles, we
      have conducted a global analysis of proteome-wide changes in various dystrophin
      deficient muscles. In contrast to the highly degenerative mdx diaphragm muscle,
      which showed considerable alterations in 35 distinct proteins, the spectrum of
      mildly to moderately dystrophic skeletal muscles, including interosseus, flexor
      digitorum brevis, soleus, and extensor digitorum longus muscle, exhibited a
      smaller number of changed proteins. Compensatory mechanisms and/or cellular
      variances may be responsible for differing secondary changes in individual mdx
      muscles. Label-free mass spectrometry established altered expression levels for
      diaphragm proteins associated with contraction, energy metabolism, the
      cytoskeleton, the extracellular matrix and the cellular stress response.
      Comparative immunoblotting verified the differences in the degree of secondary
      changes in dystrophin-deficient muscles and showed that the up-regulation of
      molecular chaperones, the compensatory increase in proteins of the intermediate
      filaments, the fibrosis-related increase in collagen levels and the
      pathophysiological decrease in calcium binding proteins is more pronounced in mdx
      diaphragm as compared to the less severely affected mdx leg muscles. Annexin,
      lamin, and vimentin were identified as universal dystrophic markers. 

PMID- 26102068
TI  - Characterization and Pharmacokinetic Study of Aprepitant Solid Dispersions with
      Soluplus(r).
AB  - Solid dispersions are a useful approach to improve the dissolution rate and
      bioavailability of poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
      The aim of this study was to improve the physicochemical properties and
      bioavailability of a poorly water-soluble aprepitant by preparation of solid
      dispersions. The solid dispersions were characterized by dissolution, FTIR, XRPD,
      DSC, SEM and pharmacokinetic studies in rats. The dissolution rate of the
      aprepitant was significantly increased by solid dispersions, and XRD, DSC, and
      SEM analysis indicated that the aprepitant existed in an amorphous form within
      the solid dispersions. The result of dissolution study showed that the
      dissolution rate of SDs was nearly five-fold faster than aprepitant. FTIR
      spectrometry suggested the presence of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the
      aprepitant and polymer. Pharmacokinetic studies in rats indicated that the degree
      drug absorption was comparable with that of Emend(r). Aprepitant exists in an
      amorphous state in solid dispersions and the solid dispersions can markedly
      improve the dissolution and oral bioavailability of the aprepitant. The AUC0-t of
      the SDs was 2.4-fold that of the aprepitant. In addition, the method and its
      associated techniques are very easy to carry out. 

PMID- 26102069
TI  - Individual Constituents from Essential Oils Inhibit Biofilm Mass Production by
      Multi-Drug Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - Biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus represents a problem in both the
      medical field and the food industry, because the biofilm structure provides
      protection to embedded cells and it strongly attaches to surfaces. This
      circumstance is leading to many research programs seeking new alternatives to
      control biofilm formation by this pathogen. In this study we show that a potent
      inhibition of biofilm mass production can be achieved in community-associated
      methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive strains using
      plant compounds, such as individual constituents (ICs) of essential oils
      (carvacrol, citral, and (+)-limonene). The Crystal Violet staining technique was
      used to evaluate biofilm mass formation during 40 h of incubation. Carvacrol is
      the most effective IC, abrogating biofilm formation in all strains tested, while
      CA-MRSA was the most sensitive phenotype to any of the ICs tested. Inhibition of
      planktonic cells by ICs during initial growth stages could partially explain the
      inhibition of biofilm formation. Overall, our results show the potential of EOs
      to prevent biofilm formation, especially in strains that exhibit resistance to
      other antimicrobials. As these compounds are food additives generally recognized
      as safe, their anti-biofilm properties may lead to important new applications,
      such as sanitizers, in the food industry or in clinical settings. 

PMID- 26102070
TI  - Covalently Cross-Linked Arabinoxylans Films for Debaryomyces hansenii Entrapment.
AB  - In the present study, wheat water extractable arabinoxylans (WEAX) were isolated
      and characterized, and their capability to form covalently cross-linked films in
      presence of Debaryomyces hansenii was evaluated. WEAX presented an arabinose to
      xylose ratio of 0.60, a ferulic acid and diferulic acid content of 2.1 and 0.04
      ug?mg(-1) WEAX, respectively and a Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) spectrum
      typical of WEAX. The intrinsic viscosity and viscosimetric molecular weight
      values for WEAX were 3.6 dL?g(-1) and 440 kDa, respectively. The gelation of WEAX
      (1% w/v) with and without D. hansenii (1 * 10(7) CFU?cm(-2)) was rheologically
      investigated by small amplitude oscillatory shear. The entrapment of D. hansenii
      decreased gel elasticity from 1.4 to 0.3 Pa, probably by affecting the physical
      interactions between WEAX chains. Covalently cross-linked WEAX films containing
      D. hansenii were prepared by casting. Scanning electron microscopy images show
      that WEAX films containing D. hansenii were porous and consisted of granular-like
      and fibre microstructures. Average tensile strength, elongation at break and
      Young's modulus values dropped when D. hansenii was present in the film.
      Covalently cross-lined WEAX containing D. hansenii could be a suitable as a
      functional entrapping film.

PMID- 26102071
TI  - Xanthones from the Leaves of Garcinia cowa Induce Cell Cycle Arrest, Apoptosis,
      and Autophagy in Cancer Cells.
AB  - Two new xanthones, cowaxanthones G (1) and H (2), and 23 known analogues were
      isolated from an acetone extract of the leaves of Garcinia cowa. The isolated
      compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity against three cancer cell lines and
      immortalized HL7702 normal liver cells, whereby compounds 1, 5, 8, and 15-17
      exhibited significant cytotoxicity. Cell cycle analysis using flow cytometry
      showed that 5 induced cell cycle arrest at the S phase in a dose-dependent
      manner, 1 and 16 at the G2/M phase, and 17 at the G1 phase, while 16 and 17
      induced apoptosis. Moreover, autophagy analysis by GFP-LC3 puncta formation and
      western blotting suggested that 17 induced autophagy. Taken together, our results
      suggest that these xanthones possess anticancer activities targeting cell cycle,
      apoptosis, and autophagy signaling pathways. 

PMID- 26102073
TI  - From Here to Eternity--The Theory and Practice of a Really Long Experiment.
AB  - In February 1988, Richard Lenski set up 12 replicate populations of a single
      genotype of Escherichia coli in a simple nutrient medium. He has been following
      their evolution ever since. Here, Lenski answers provocative questions from
      Jeremy Fox about his iconic "Long-Term Evolution Experiment" (LTEE). The LTEE is
      a remarkable case study of the interplay of determinism and chance in evolution
      and in the conduct of science. 

PMID- 26102072
TI  - Introduction of Non-Native Pollinators Can Lead to Trans-Continental Movement of
      Bee-Associated Fungi.
AB  - Bees are essential pollinators for many flowering plants, including
      agriculturally important crops such as apple. As geographic ranges of bees or
      their host plants change as a result of human activities, we need to identify
      pathogens that could be transmitted among newly sympatric species to evaluate and
      anticipate their effects on bee communities. We used PCR screening and DNA
      sequencing to evaluate exposure to potentially disease-causing microorganisms in
      a pollinator of apple, the horned mason bee (Osmia cornifrons). We did not detect
      microsporidia, Wolbachia, or trypanosomes, which are common pathogens of bees, in
      any of the hundreds of mason bees screened. We did detect both pathogenic and
      apathogenic (saprophytic) fungal species in the genus Ascosphaera (chalkbrood),
      an unidentified species of Aspergillus fungus, and a strain of bacteria in the
      genus Paenibacillus that is probably apathogenic. We detected pathogenic fungal
      strains in asymptomatic adult bees that therefore may be carriers of disease. We
      demonstrate that fungi from the genus Ascosphaera have been transported to North
      America along with the bee from its native range in Japan, and that O. cornifrons
      is exposed to fungi previously only identified from nests of other related bee
      species. Further study will be required to quantify pathogenicity and health
      effects of these different microbial species on O. cornifrons and on closely
      related native North American mason bees that may now be exposed to novel
      pathogens. A global perspective is required for pathogen research as geographic
      ranges of insects and microorganisms shift due to intentional or accidental
      introductions. 

PMID- 26102074
TI  - Hepatitis E Virus of Subtype 3a in a Pig Farm, South-Eastern France.
AB  - Hepatitis E virus (HEV) has emerged during the past decade as a causative agent
      of autochthonous hepatitis and is a clinical concern in Western developed
      countries. It has been increasingly recognized that pigs are a major reservoir of
      HEV of genotypes 3 and 4 worldwide and pig-derived food items represent a
      potential source of infections by these viruses in humans. Hepatitis E virus RNA
      testing was performed here on faeces from rectal swabs sampled in 2012 from 50 3
      month-old farm pigs from the same farm located in south-eastern France than in a
      previous work conducted in 2007. Pig HEV sequences corresponding to genomic
      fragments of ORF2 and ORF1 genes were obtained after RT-PCR amplification with in
      house protocols. Hepatitis E virus genotype was determined by phylogenetic
      analysis. Prevalence was similar to that determined 5 years earlier (68% versus
      62%). Two robust phylogenetic clusters of HEV subtypes 3a and 3f were identified,
      and these sequences obtained in 2012 largely differ compared with those obtained
      in 2007. Notably, HEV sequences obtained in 2012 from a majority (62%) of the
      infected pigs belonged to subtype 3a, which was not previously described in
      France, including not being found in any of humans, pigs or wild boars. Further
      studies are needed to assess the circulation of HEV-3a in pigs and humans in this
      country. In addition, along with previous findings, this study supports the need
      for increased information to the public on the risk of HEV infection through
      contacts with pigs or consumption of pig-derived products in France.

PMID- 26102075
TI  - Large-scale production of pharmaceutical proteins in plant cell culture-the
      Protalix experience.
AB  - Protalix Biotherapeutics develops recombinant human proteins and produces them in
      plant cell culture. Taliglucerase alfa has been the first biotherapeutic
      expressed in plant cells to be approved by regulatory authorities around the
      world. Other therapeutic proteins are being developed and are currently at
      various stages of the pipeline. This review summarizes the major milestones
      reached by Protalix Biotherapeutics to enable the development of these
      biotherapeutics, including platform establishment, cell line selection,
      manufacturing process and good manufacturing practice principles to consider for
      the process. Examples of the various products currently being developed are also
      presented. 

PMID- 26102077
TI  - Betulinic acid exerts anti-hepatitis C virus activity via the suppression of NF
      kappaB- and MAPK-ERK1/2-mediated COX-2 expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of
      betulinic acid (BA), extracted from Avicennia marina, on the replication of
      hepatitis C virus (HCV) and to investigate the mechanism of this BA-mediated anti
      HCV activity. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: HCV replicon and infectious systems were
      used to evaluate the anti-HCV activity of BA. Exogenous COX-2 or knock-down of
      COX-2 expression was used to investigate the role of COX-2 in the anti-HCV
      activity of BA. The effects of BA on the phosphorylation of NF-kappaB and on
      kinases in the MAPK signalling pathway were determined. The anti-HCV activity of
      BA in combination with other HCV inhibitors was also determined to assess its use
      as an anti-HCV supplement. KEY RESULTS: BA inhibited HCV replication in both Ava5
      replicon cells and in a cell culture-derived infectious HCV particle system.
      Treatment with a combination of BA and IFN-alpha, the protease inhibitor
      telaprevir or the NS5B polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir resulted in the
      synergistic suppression of HCV RNA replication. Exogenous overexpression of COX-2
      gradually attenuated the inhibitory effect of BA on HCV replication, suggesting
      that BA reduces HCV replication by suppressing the expression of COX-2. In
      particular, BA down-regulated HCV-induced COX-2 expression by reducing the
      phosphorylation of NF-kappaB and ERK1/2 of the MAPK signalling pathway.
      CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: BA inhibits HCV replication by suppressing the NF
      kappaB- and ERK1/2-mediated COX-2 pathway and may serve as a promising compound
      for drug development or as a potential supplement for use in the treatment of HCV
      infected patients.

PMID- 26102076
TI  - Oxidative and proteolysis-related parameters of skeletal muscle from hamsters
      with experimental pulmonary emphysema: a comparison between papain and elastase
      induction.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate whether emphysema induced by
      elastase or papain triggers the same effects on skeletal muscle, related to
      oxidative stress and proteolysis, in hamsters. For this purpose, we evaluated
      pulmonary lesions, body weight, muscle loss, oxidative stress (thiobarbituric
      acid-reactive substances, total and oxidized glutathiones, chemiluminescence
      stimulated by tert-butyl hydroperoxide and carbonyl proteins), chymotrypsin-like
      and calpain-like proteolytic activities and muscle fibre cross-sectional area in
      the gastrocnemius muscles of emphysemic hamsters. Two groups of animals received
      different intratracheal inductions of experimental emphysema: by 40 mg/ml papain
      (EP) or 5.2 IU/100 g animal (EE) elastase (n = 10 animals/group). The control
      group received intratracheal instillation of 300 MUl sterile NaCl 0.9%. Compared
      with the control group, the EP group had reduced muscle weight (18.34%) and the
      EE group had increased muscle weight (8.37%). Additionally, tert-butyl
      hydroperoxide-initiated chemiluminescence, carbonylated proteins and chymotrypsin
      like proteolytic activity were all elevated in the EP group compared to the CS
      group, while total glutathione was decreased compared to the EE group. The EE
      group showed more fibres with increased cross-sectional areas and increased
      calpain-like activity. Together, these data show that elastase and papain, when
      used to induce experimental models of emphysema, lead to different speeds and
      types of adaptation. These findings provide more information on choosing a
      suitable experimental model for studying skeletal muscle adaptations in
      emphysema. 

PMID- 26102078
TI  - Dabigatran-induced esophagitis: The prevalence and endoscopic characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: There have been some descriptions of dabigatran-induced
      esophagitis in the literature. The aim of this study was to examine the
      prevalence and endoscopic characteristics of the disease. METHODS: We reviewed
      the endoscopic database and medical records of 91 patients with dabigatran
      internal use who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The frequency of
      dabigatran-induced esophagitis and its endoscopic findings were retrospectively
      analyzed. In addition, the clinical characteristics were compared between
      patients with dabigatran-induced esophagitis and those without the disease.
      RESULTS: Dabigatran-induced esophagitis was found in 19 of 91 (20.9%) patients.
      Of the 19 patients with the esophagitis, 18 (94.7%) showed longitudinally
      sloughing epithelial casts in the mid and/or lower esophagus, which may be
      characteristic endoscopic findings of this disease. Symptomatic patients were
      more frequent in patients with dabigatran-induced esophagitis (68.4%) than those
      without (37.5%, P = 0.02). Other factors including age, gender, coexistence of
      hiatal hernia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or concomitant other medications
      did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Dabigatran causes the
      esophageal mucosal injury in approximately 20% of patients. Longitudinally
      sloughing casts in the distal esophagus are characteristic of dabigatran-induced
      esophagitis.

PMID- 26102079
TI  - Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment and Influence of Socioeconomic Variables on
      Control of High Blood Pressure: Results of the ELSA-Brasil Study.
AB  - High blood pressure (HBP) is the leading risk factor for years of life lost in
      Brazil. Factors associated with HBP awareness, treatment and control need to be
      understood better. Our aim is to estimate prevalence, awareness, and types of
      anti-hypertensive treatment and to investigate the association of HBP control
      with social position. Data of 15,103 (54% female) civil servants in six Brazilian
      state capitals collected at the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health
      (ELSA-Brasil) baseline (2008-2010) were used to estimate prevalence and cross
      sectional association of HBP control with education, per capita family income and
      self-reported race, using multiple logistic regression. Blood pressure was
      measured by the oscillometric method. 35.8% were classified as presenting HBP;
      76.8% of these used anti-hypertensive medication. Women were more aware than men
      (84.8% v. 75.8%) and more often using medication (83.1% v. 70.7%). Adjusted HBP
      prevalence was, in ascending order, Whites (30.3%), Browns (38.2%) and Blacks
      (49.3%). The therapeutic schemes most used were angiotensin-converting enzyme
      inhibitors, in isolation (12.4%) or combined with diuretics (13.3%). Among those
      in drug treatment, controlled blood pressure was more likely in the
      (postgraduate) higher education group than among participants with less than
      secondary school education (PR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.14-1.28), and among Asian (PR =
      1.21; 95% CI: 1.12-1.32) and 'Whites (PR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.12-1.26) compared to
      Blacks. Socioeconomic and racial inequality-as measured by different indicators
      are strongly associated with HBP control, beyond the expected influence of health
      services access. 

PMID- 26102080
TI  - Immunization with Heat Shock Protein A and gamma-Glutamyl Transpeptidase Induces
      Reduction on the Helicobacter pylori Colonization in Mice.
AB  - The human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a successful
      colonizer of the stomach. H. pylori infection strongly correlates with the
      development and progression of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and
      gastric malignances. Vaccination is a promising strategy for preventing H. pylori
      infection. In this study, we evaluated the candidate antigens heat shock protein
      A (HspA) and H. pylori gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) for their
      effectiveness in development of subunit vaccines against H. pylori infection.
      rHspA, rGGT, and rHspA-GGT, a fusion protein based on HspA and GGT, were
      constructed and separately expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Mice were
      then immunized intranasally with these proteins, with or without adjuvant.
      Immunized mice exhibited reduced bacterial colonization in stomach. The highest
      reduction in bacterial colonization was seen in mice immunized with the fusion
      protein rHspA-GGT when paired with the mucosal adjuvant LTB. Protection against
      H. pylori colonization was mediated by a strong systemic and localized humoral
      immune response, as well as a balanced Th1/Th2 cytokine response. In addition,
      immunofluorescence microscopy confirmed that rHspA-GGT specific rabbit antibodies
      were able to directly bind H. pylori in vitro. These results suggest antibodies
      are essential to the protective immunity associated with rHspA-GGT immunization.
      In summary, our results suggest HspA and GGT are promising vaccine candidates for
      protection against H. pylori infection. 

PMID- 26102081
TI  - Time-resolved spectroscopy of the singlet excited state of betanin in aqueous and
      alcoholic solutions.
AB  - The photophysical properties of betanin in aqueous and alcoholic solutions were
      determined at room temperature using ultrafast UV-vis-NIR transient absorption
      spectroscopy (lambdaexc = 535 nm). Its S1 -> Sn (n > 1) absorption bands appear
      with maxima at about lambda ~ 450 and 1220 nm. The short betanin S1 state
      lifetime (6.4 ps in water) is mainly determined by the efficient S1 -> S0
      radiationless relaxation, probably requiring a strong change in geometry, since
      the S1 lifetime grows to 27 ps in the more viscous ethylene glycol. The
      fluorescence quantum yield is very low (Phif ~ 0.0007 in water), therefore this
      deactivation path is of minor importance. Other processes, such as S1 -> T1
      intersystem crossing or photoproduct formation, are virtually absent, since full
      S0 <- S1 ground state recovery is observed within tens of picoseconds after
      photoexcitation. The observed fast light-to-heat conversion in the absence of
      triplet excited state formation supports the idea that betanin is a
      photoprotector in vivo. 

PMID- 26102082
TI  - Heterogeneous Coupling between Interdependent Lattices Promotes the Cooperation
      in the Prisoner's Dilemma Game.
AB  - In the research realm of game theory, interdependent networks have extended the
      content of spatial reciprocity, which needs the suitable coupling between
      networks. However, thus far, the vast majority of existing works just assume that
      the coupling strength between networks is symmetric. This hypothesis, to some
      extent, seems inconsistent with the ubiquitous observation of heterogeneity.
      Here, we study how the heterogeneous coupling strength, which characterizes the
      interdependency of utility between corresponding players of both networks,
      affects the evolution of cooperation in the prisoner's dilemma game with two
      types of coupling schemes (symmetric and asymmetric ones). Compared with the
      traditional case, we show that heterogeneous coupling greatly promotes the
      collective cooperation. The symmetric scheme seems much better than the
      asymmetric case. Moreover, the role of varying amplitude of coupling strength is
      also studied on these two interdependent ways. Current findings are helpful for
      us to understand the evolution of cooperation within many real-world systems, in
      particular for the interconnected and interrelated systems. 

PMID- 26102084
TI  - Optimal Cutoff Age for Predicting Mortality Associated with Differentiated
      Thyroid Cancer.
AB  - Patient's age at the time of diagnosis is an important prognostic factor for
      differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) as reflected in various staging and risk
      stratification systems. However, discrepancies exist among the different staging
      systems on an optimal cut-off age for predicting the clinical outcome of patients
      with DTC. To determine the age at diagnosis most predictive of clinical outcomes
      of DTC, a population-based cohort study was performed composed of 35,323 patients
      with DTC between 1988 and 2010 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End
      Results (SEER) database. The Youden index J was used to determine the most
      predictive age-at-diagnosis for thyroid-cancer-specific death. The multivariate
      Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the hazard ratios (HRs) for
      each age group. With a median follow-up of 5.4 years (range, 0-22.9 years), DTC
      associated mortality was 1.5% (n = 533) and the rate of death from overall cause
      was 7.0% (n = 2482). The optimal cutoff age at diagnosis for thyroid-cancer
      specific death was 57. Multivariate analysis found that the age-at-diagnosis is
      the most prognostic factor for thyroid-cancer-specific death (HR 10.02, 95% CI
      8.18-12.28). Age at diagnosis is the most important prognostic factor for DTC
      patients. Based on our analysis, age at diagnosis of 57 might be the optimal
      predictor of thyroid-cancer-specific death. This finding might be used as
      consideration in revision of the risk stratification system for treatment of DTC
      patients. 

PMID- 26102085
TI  - Prevalence of Pulmonary Hypertension in the General Population: The Rotterdam
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by increased pulmonary artery
      pressure and carries an increased mortality. Population-based studies into
      pulmonary hypertension are scarce and little is known about its prevalence in the
      general population. We aimed to describe the distribution of
      echocardiographically-assessed pulmonary artery systolic pressure (ePASP) in the
      general population, to estimate the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension, and to
      identify associated factors. METHODS: Participants (n = 3381, mean age 76.4
      years, 59% women) from the Rotterdam Study, a population-based cohort, underwent
      echocardiography. Echocardiographic pulmonary hypertension was defined as
      ePASP>40 mmHg. RESULTS: Mean ePASP was 26.3 mmHg (SD 7.0). Prevalence of
      echocardiographic pulmonary hypertension was 2.6% (95%CI: 2.0; 3.2). Prevalence
      was higher in older participants compared to younger ones (8.3% in those over 85
      years versus 0.8% in those between 65 and 70), and in those with underlying
      disorders versus those without (5.9% in subjects with COPD versus 2.3%; 9.2% in
      those with left ventricular systolic dysfunction versus 2.3%; 23.1% in stages 3
      or 4 left ventricular diastolic dysfunction versus 1.9% in normal or stage 1).
      Factors independently associated with higher ePASP were older age, higher BMI,
      left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, COPD and systemic hypertension.
      CONCLUSION: In this large population-based study, we show that pulmonary
      hypertension as measured by echocardiography has a low prevalence in the overall
      general population in the Netherlands, but estimates may be higher in specific
      subgroups, especially in those with underlying diseases. Increased pulmonary
      arterial pressure is likely to gain importance in the near future due to
      population aging and the accompanying prevalences of underlying disorders.

PMID- 26102087
TI  - Tuning of exchange coupling by the Mn-O distance and phenoxido bridging angle: an
      experimental and theoretical study of the family of Mn(iii) dimers with salen
      type ligands.
AB  - Three new Mn(III) complexes [Mn2L2(ClO4)2] (1), [Mn2L2(NCS)2] (2) and
      [Mn2L2N(CN)2]ClO4.CH3CN (3) have been synthesized from the Schiff base ligand H2L
      (where H2L = N,N'-bis(2-hydroxypropiophenone)-1,2- ethanediamine) and various
      anionic coligands e.g. perchlorate, thiocyanate and dicyanamide. X-ray crystal
      structure analysis reveals that 1 and 2 are dinuclear complexes, joined together
      by Mn?O (phenoxido) interactions. Whereas 3 consists of an alternating phenoxido
      and MU1,5 dicyanamido bridge, resulting in a 1D chain. In 1 and 2 ferromagnetic
      coupling exists between the Mn(III) centres within the dimer but 3 possesses
      antiferromagnetic interaction. This difference in magnetic exchange interactions
      has been rationalized on the basis of structural parameters like longer bridging
      Mn-O distance and Mn-O-Mn angle in these complexes with the help of DFT
      calculations.

PMID- 26102086
TI  - Elongation Factor 1A-1 Is a Mediator of Hepatocyte Lipotoxicity Partly through
      Its Canonical Function in Protein Synthesis.
AB  - Elongation factor 1A-1 (eEF1A-1) has non-canonical functions in regulation of the
      actin cytoskeleton and apoptosis. It was previously identified through a promoter
      trap screen as a mediator of fatty acid-induced cell death (lipotoxicity), and
      was found to participate in this process downstream of ER stress. Since ER stress
      is implicated in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), we
      investigated the mechanism of action of eEF1A-1 in hepatocyte lipotoxicity. HepG2
      cells were exposed to excess fatty acids, followed by assessments of ER stress,
      subcellular localization of eEF1A-1, and cell death. A specific inhibitor of
      eEF1A-1 elongation activity, didemnin B, was used to determine whether its
      function in protein synthesis is involved in lipotoxicity. Within 6 h, eEF1A-1
      protein was modestly induced by high palmitate, and partially re-localized from
      its predominant location at the ER to polymerized actin at the cell periphery.
      This early induction and subcellular redistribution of eEF1A-1 coincided with the
      onset of ER stress, and was later followed by cell death. Didemnin B did not
      prevent the initiation of ER stress by high palmitate, as indicated by eIF2alpha
      phosphorylation. However, consistent with sustained inhibition of eEF1A-1
      dependent elongation activity, didemnin B prevented the recovery of protein
      synthesis and increase in GRP78 protein that are normally associated with later
      phases of the response to ongoing ER stress. This resulted in decreased palmitate
      induced cell death. Our data implicate eEF1A-1, and its function in protein
      synthesis, in hepatocyte lipotoxicity. 

PMID- 26102088
TI  - Forensic electrochemistry: indirect electrochemical sensing of the components of
      the new psychoactive substance "Synthacaine".
AB  - "Synthacaine" is a New Psychoactive Substance which is, due to its inherent
      psychoactive properties, reported to imitate the effects of cocaine and is
      therefore consequently branded as "legal cocaine". The only analytical approach
      reported to date for the sensing of "Synthacaine" is mass spectrometry. In this
      paper, we explore and evaluate a range of potential analytical techniques for its
      quantification and potential use in the field screening "Synthacaine" using Raman
      spectroscopy, presumptive (colour) testing, High Performance Liquid
      Chromatography (HPLC) and electrochemistry. HPLC analysis of street samples
      reveals that "Synthacaine" comprises a mixture of methiopropamine (MPA) and 2
      aminoindane (2-AI). Raman spectroscopy and presumptive (colour) tests, the
      Marquis, Mandelin, Simon's and Robadope test, are evaluated towards a potential
      in-the-field screening approach but are found to not be able to discriminate
      between the two when they are both present in the same sample, as is the case in
      the real street samples. We report for the first time a novel indirect
      electrochemical protocol for the sensing of MPA and 2-AI which is independently
      validated in street samples with HPLC. This novel electrochemical approach based
      upon one-shot disposable cost effective screen-printed graphite macroelectrodes
      holds potential for in-the-field screening for "Synthacaine". 

PMID- 26102089
TI  - Divergent Functionalization of Indoles with Acryloyl Silanes via Rhodium
      Catalyzed C-H Activation.
AB  - A protocol enabled by rhodium-catalyzed C-H functionalization of indoles with
      acryloyl silanes was developed, providing a convenient and highly effective
      method for the synthesis of functionalized acylsilane derivatives. By tuning the
      reaction condition, this C-H-activation-initiated reaction proceeds divergently
      with acryloyl silianes to selectively afford alkylation or alkenylation products
      via hydroarylation or oxidative cross-coupling, respectively. The mild reaction
      conditions employed in both cases enable the tolerance of a wide scope of
      functionalities as well as high reaction efficiency. Furthermore, polycyclic
      indole derivatives were easily accessed from 2-alkenylation products through a
      visible-light-induced reaction cascade. 

PMID- 26102090
TI  - Successful Living-Related Renal Allograft in a Recipient With Factor V Leiden
      Deficiency: A Case Report.
AB  - Thrombophilia due to activated protein C resistance (Leiden mutation) is the most
      common inherited thrombophilic disorder with 5% incidence in whites. Renal
      transplant of these patients entails a risk of vascular thrombosis soon after the
      transplant; and acute rejection episodes and graft loss within the first year. We
      present a case of a successful living-related renal transplant in man with a
      recent history of repeat episodes of vascular access thrombosis attributed to
      inherited thrombophilia (heterozygosity for factor V mutation Q506 and
      homozygosity for mutation T677 for methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase).
      Transplant recipient was administered anticoagulation therapy with low molecular
      weight heparin pre- and postoperatively. No thrombotic or hemorrhagic events
      occurred posttransplant. A high suspicion of thrombophilic disorders in patients
      with end-stage renal disease with vascular access thrombotic events should be
      screened further to prevent failure of a subsequent renal transplant. Inherited
      thrombophilic disorders may not exclude living-related kidney transplant provided
      that anticoagulation therapy is admin-istered perioperatively.

PMID- 26102091
TI  - Potential of centrifugal seeding method in improving cells distribution and
      proliferation on demineralized cancellous bone scaffolds for tissue-engineered
      meniscus.
AB  - Tissue-engineered meniscus offers a possible solution to the regeneration and
      replacement problem of meniscectomy. However, the nonuniform distribution and
      declined proliferation of seeded cells on scaffolds hinder the application of
      tissue-engineered meniscus as a new generation of meniscus graft. This study
      systematically investigated the performances of different seeding techniques by
      using the demineralized cancellous bone (DCB) as the scaffold. Static seeding,
      injection seeding, centrifugal seeding, and vacuum seeding methods were used to
      seed the meniscal fibrochondrocytes (MFCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to
      scaffolds. Cell-binding efficiency, survival rate, distribution ability, and long
      term proliferation effects on scaffolds were quantitatively evaluated. Cell
      adhesion was compared via cell-binding kinetics. Cell viability and morphology
      were assessed by using fluorescence staining. Combined with the reconstructed
      three-dimensional image, the distribution of seeded cells was investigated. The
      Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and DNA assay were employed to assess cell
      proliferation. Cell-binding kinetics and cell survival of the MFCs were improved
      via centrifugal seeding compared to injection or vacuum seeding methods. Seeded
      MFCs by centrifugation showed a more homogeneous distribution throughout the
      scaffold than cells seeded by other methods. Moreover, the penetration depth in
      the scaffold of seeded MFCs by centrifugation was 300-500 MUm, much higher than
      the value of 100-300 MUm by the surface static and injection seeding. The long
      term proliferation of the MFCs in the centrifugal group was also significantly
      higher than that in the other groups. The results of the MSCs were similar to
      those of the MFCs. The centrifugal seeding method could significantly improve
      MFCs or MSCs distribution and proliferation on the DCB scaffolds, thus providing
      a simple, cost-effective, and effective cell-seeding protocol for tissue
      engineered meniscus. 

PMID- 26102092
TI  - Liposome-Templated Hydrogel Nanoparticles as Vehicles for Enzyme-Based Therapies.
AB  - Several diseases are related to the lack or to the defective activity of a
      particular enzyme; therefore, these proteins potentially represent a very
      interesting class of therapeutics. However, their application is hampered by
      their rapid degradation and immunogenic side effects. Most attempts to increase
      the bioavailability of therapeutic enzymes are based on formulations in which the
      protein is entrapped within a scaffold structure but needs to be released to
      exert its activity. In this work, an alternative method will be described,
      designed to keep the enzyme in its active form inside a nanoparticle (NP) without
      the need to release it, thus maintaining the protective action of the
      nanoscaffold during the entire period of administration. In this approach,
      liposomes were used as nanotemplates for the synthesis of polyacrylamide hydrogel
      NPs under nondenaturing conditions, optimizing the polymer properties to obtain a
      mesh size small enough to limit the enzyme release while allowing the free
      diffusion of its substrates and products. The enzyme Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase
      was chosen as a test case for this study, but our results indicate that the
      approach is generalizable to other enzymes. Biocompatible, size-tunable
      nanoparticles have been obtained, with a good encapsulation efficiency (37%), in
      which the enzyme maintains its activity. This system represents a promising tool
      for enzyme-based therapy, which would protect the protein from antibodies and
      degradation while allowing it to exert its catalytic activity. 

PMID- 26102093
TI  - A preliminary study on the relationships between diurnal melatonin secretion
      profile and sleep variables in patients emergently admitted to the coronary care
      unit.
AB  - To clarify the significance of melatonin secretion under intensive care
      conditions, we investigated melatonin secretion profiles and sleep parameters of
      23 patients just after admission to the coronary care unit (CCU) and 19 age
      matched controls. Sleep parameters were evaluated by actigraphy, and melatonin
      secretion was assessed by measuring the urinary 6-sulphatoxy melatonin (6-SMT). 6
      SMT secretion was lower and nocturnal sleep parameters were less satisfactory in
      the subjects than those in the controls, and there were positive correlations
      between these variables, particularly in the subject patients. The lowered
      melatonin secretion might be involved in the mechanism of insomnia in CCU
      patients. 

PMID- 26102094
TI  - Solanum tuberosum L. cv Jayoung Epidermis Extract Inhibits Mite Antigen-Induced
      Atopic Dermatitis in NC/Nga Mice by Regulating the Th1/Th2 Balance and Expression
      of Filaggrin.
AB  - Solanum tuberosum L. cv Jayoung (JY) is a potato with dark purple flesh and
      contains substantial amounts of polyphenols. In this study, we evaluated the
      therapeutic effects of S. tuberosum L. cv JY in a mouse model of Dermatophagoides
      farinae body (Dfb)-induced atopic dermatitis (AD). The ethanol extract of the
      peel of JY (EPJ) ameliorated Dfb-induced dermatitis severity, serum levels of
      immunoglobulin E (IgE) and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine.
      Histological analysis of the skin also revealed that EPJ treatment significantly
      decreased mast cell infiltration. The suppression of dermatitis by EPJ treatment
      was accompanied by a decrease in the skin levels of type 2 helper T-cell
      cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, and IL-13. The induction of thymic
      stromal lymphopoietin, which leads to a systemic Th2 response, was also decreased
      in the skin by EPJ. Nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappaB p65 was
      decreased by EPJ in Dfb-induced NC/Nga mice. The protein expression of filaggrin
      in the AD-like skin lesions was restored by EPJ treatment. These results
      suggested that EPJ may be a potential therapeutic tool for the treatment of AD. 

PMID- 26102095
TI  - Photonic Crystals with a Reversibly Inducible and Erasable Defect State Using
      External Stimuli.
AB  - The controlled introduction of artificial extrinsic defects is critical to
      achieve the functions of photonic crystals. Smart defects capable of responding
      to external stimuli lead to more advanced applications. Here we report a microgel
      colloidal crystal with a defect state which could be induced and erased
      reversibly by external stimuli. The crystal was assembled from PNIPAM microgel
      and P(NIPAM-AAc) microgel of the same size. The resulting doped crystal does not
      exhibit a defect state in its stop band because of the similar optical properties
      of the dopant and the host. By increasing the pH value, however, the dopant
      P(NIPAM-AAc) spheres swell to a larger size and turn into real defects in the
      crystal, resulting in the appearance of defect state. Adjusting the pH value back
      restores the size of the dopant spheres, and thus erases the defect state.
      Temperature, a second external stimulus, could also be used to induce and erase
      defect states of the crystal. 

PMID- 26102096
TI  - Fifteen years of external quality assessment in leukemia/lymphoma
      immunophenotyping in The Netherlands and Belgium: A way forward.
AB  - In 1985, external quality assurance was initiated in the Netherlands to reduce
      the between-laboratory variability of leukemia/lymphoma immunophenotyping and to
      improve diagnostic conclusions. This program consisted of regular distributions
      of test samples followed by biannual plenary participant meetings in which
      results were presented and discussed. A scoring system was developed in which the
      quality of results was rated by systematically reviewing the pre-analytical,
      analytical, and post-analytical assay stages using three scores, i.e., correct
      (A), minor fault (B), and major fault (C). Here, we report on 90 consecutive
      samples distributed to 40-61 participating laboratories between 1998 and 2012.
      Most samples contained >20% aberrant cells, mainly selected from mature lymphoid
      malignancies (B or T cell) and acute leukemias (myeloid or lymphoblastic). In
      2002, minimally required monoclonal antibody (mAb) panels were introduced, whilst
      methodological guidelines for all three assay stages were implemented.
      Retrospectively, we divided the study into subsequent periods of 4 ("initial"), 4
      ("learning"), and 7 years ("consolidation") to detect "learning effects." Uni-
      and multivariate models showed that analytical performance declined since 2002,
      but that post-analytical performance improved during the entire period. These
      results emphasized the need to improve technical aspects of the assay, and
      reflected improved interpretational skills of the participants. A strong effect
      of participant affiliation in all three assay stages was observed: laboratories
      in academic and large peripheral hospitals performed significantly better than
      those in small hospitals. (c) 2015 International Clinical Cytometry Society.

PMID- 26102098
TI  - [Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and their determinants].

PMID- 26102097
TI  - Time-efficient, high-resolution, whole brain three-dimensional macromolecular
      proton fraction mapping.
AB  - PURPOSE: Macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) mapping is a quantitative MRI
      method that reconstructs parametric maps of a relative amount of macromolecular
      protons causing the magnetization transfer (MT) effect and provides a biomarker
      of myelination in neural tissues. This study aimed to develop a high-resolution
      whole brain MPF mapping technique using a minimal number of source images for
      scan time reduction. METHODS: The described technique was based on replacement of
      an actually acquired reference image without MT saturation by a synthetic one
      reconstructed from R1 and proton density maps, thus requiring only three source
      images. This approach enabled whole brain three-dimensional MPF mapping with
      isotropic 1.25 * 1.25 * 1.25 mm(3) voxel size and a scan time of 20 min. The
      synthetic reference method was validated against standard MPF mapping with
      acquired reference images based on data from eight healthy subjects. RESULTS:
      Mean MPF values in segmented white and gray matter appeared in close agreement
      with no significant bias and small within-subject coefficients of variation
      (<2%). High-resolution MPF maps demonstrated sharp white-gray matter contrast and
      clear visualization of anatomical details, including gray matter structures with
      high iron content. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed synthetic reference method improves
      resolution of MPF mapping and combines accurate MPF measurements with unique
      neuroanatomical contrast features.

PMID- 26102099
TI  - [Editorial policy on the ethics of human research].

PMID- 26102100
TI  - [5'cap -independent translation of dengue virus genomic RNA].
AB  - OBJETIVES: To analyze the involvement of methyl guanosine triphosphate cap
      (5?cap) and the start site of the genomic RNA of Dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2)
      American genotype in translation, using a cell-free system prepared from human
      placenta. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The recombinant plasmid pTZ18R-D2 was prepared
      containing DNA encoding the 5?UTR and the first 201 nucleotides of the viral
      capsid. This plasmid was used to transcribe the corresponding RNA (RNA-D2)
      without the 5? cap. The RNA-D2 was translated in a system consisting of the
      postmitochondrial fraction (S-30) from human placenta and the incorporation of
      [14C] aminoacids in the presence of RNA-D2 and in its absence (control) was
      evaluated. Seven antisense oligonucleotides (OAs1-7) directed against sequences
      of the SLA, SLB and CHP structures of RNA-D2 were designed and the effect thereof
      on RNA-D2 translation was analyzed. RESULTS: The RNA-D2 produced a significant
      increase (p<0.001) in the incorporation of [14C] amino acids, with 75%
      stimulation of translational activity compared to the control. Analysis of the
      translation products showed peak incorporation corresponding to peptides with
      apparent molecular weight close to the expected (7.746 kDa).The OAs5,
      complementary to a sequence of SLB structure of RNA-D2, completely inhibited
      translation. CONCLUSIONS: The RNA-D2 was translated specifically and efficiently
      under conditions similar to human intracellular conditions, by an alternative 5?
      cap-independent mechanism, which would involve the SLB structure. This mechanism
      might be seen as an aim in the development of antisense therapies to inhibit
      virus replication.

PMID- 26102101
TI  - [Educational intervention for the control of dengue in family environments in a
      community in Colombia].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention to
      induce changes in behavior to eliminate breeding places for the dengue vector in
      families from a community in the Municipality of Sincelejo, Colombia. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: An educational intervention type was performed before and after,
      with a group of 54 families selected by convenience sampling. An educational
      program designed with the results of a knowledge test, a semi-structured
      interview, observation guide and the main concepts of the Communication for
      Behavioural Impact (COMBI) toolkit was applied. The impact was measured by
      proportion changes and the McNemar test. RESULTS: Post-intervention changes were
      made in the levels of inadequate knowledge about dengue and behavior of the
      vector from 14.8% to 3.7% (p=0.109), in their inadequate beliefs from 20.4% to
      5.6% (p=0.008) and in adequate practices from 24 to 87% (p=0.001). At the end of
      the process with each of the participant groups, 64.8% were classified in the
      action stage. There was a reduction of the number of intradomiciliary Aedes
      breeding places from 92.6% to 35.2% (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention lead
      participants to adhere to the behavior changes that were promoted. It was useful
      to subdivide the population into those who apply preventive measures and those
      who only have the intention of making them, because this enables the health
      personnel to adopt actions according to the characteristics of each group.

PMID- 26102102
TI  - [Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (esbl)-producing enterobacteriaceae in fecal
      samples at the National Institute of Child Health, Peru].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the frequency of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)
      producing enterobacteriaceae in fecal samples at the National Institute of Child
      Health, Lima, Peru. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Stool samples received between July
      2012 and March 2013 with colonies suspected to be ESBL-producing
      enterobacteriaceae that developed in Karmali agar were analyzed. Conventional
      methods were performed for biochemical identification and the confirmation of the
      ESBL phenotype. Genotypic analysis to detect the beta-lactamase gene CTX-M family
      was performed by PCR. RESULTS: Of the 235 fecal samples analyzed, 64.2% of ESBL
      producing enterobacteria was isolated being 86.1% Escherichia coli, 7.9%
      Klebsiella pneumoniae, 2.6% Salmonella sp, 2.0% Enterobacter cloacae, and 1.3%
      Proteus mirabilis. 89.1% of the ESBL-producing enterobacteria presented the CTX-M
      gene. We found high resistance to nalidixic acid 84.8%, 74.2% ciprofloxacin and
      trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole 81.5%.The resistance to amikacin was 1.3% and all
      isolates were susceptible to imipenem and meropenem. CONCLUSIONS: A high
      frequency of ESBL-producing enterobacteria was found in fecal samples of
      outpatients seen in the outpatient and emergency departments of the National
      Institute of Child Health of Peru.

PMID- 26102103
TI  - [Infectivity of promastigotes in stationary phase of Leishmania (viannia)
      braziliensis and leishmania (viannia) peruviana, In cell line dh82].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the infectivity of promastigotes of Leishmania (V.)
      peruviana and Leishmania (V.) braziliensis in monocyte-macrophage cell line DH82
      of Canis familiaris. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Was conducted a experimental study
      during the months of january to december 2013. Were used strains of Leishmania
      were used (V.) braziliensis MHOM/PE/84/LC53 and Leishmania (V.) peruviana
      MHOM/PE/84/LC26. The cell line was infected with stationary phase promastigotes
      and infectivity was determined as the product of percent infected macrophages
      average amastigotes per macrophage observed in epifluorescence microscope.
      RESULTS: 13% of metacyclic forms to Leishmania (V.) braziliensis corresponded to
      17.5 days post inoculation and Leishmania (V.) peruviana a percentage of 9.5% on
      the day 14.5. No significant difference was found between infectivity of
      stationary phase promastigotes of both species. CONCLUSIONS: It is recommended
      assess the infectivity of metacyclic promastigotes peruviana strains of
      Leishmania (V.) and Leishmania (V.) braziliensis cell lines in order to determine
      the most appropriate model in vitro infection, allowing leishmanicidas make the
      drug more effective susceptibility studies for disease control.

PMID- 26102104
TI  - [Demand for training and availability of health science professionals in Peru].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the availability and demand of professional training
      programs for eight health science professions in Peru. Study the profiles of the
      physicians, nurses and midwives that these programs train and their competencies
      to work at the primary health care level. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional
      study using data on the volume of applicants, students and graduates of these
      eight professional training programs during the period 2007 - 2011. In addition,
      the curricula of professional training programs for physicians, nurses and
      midwives from public and private universities were analyzed, along with
      competency profiles developed by Professional Colleges and the Ministry of
      Health. RESULTS: Admission rates in public and private universities vary by
      program: 4% and 28% respectively for medical schools, and 18% and 90% for
      nursing. Graduation rates were estimated at approximately 43% and 53% of students
      entering medicine and nursing training programs respectively. Contrasting the
      profiles of recently graduated professionals in medicine, nursing and midwifery,
      with the skills required by the Ministry of Health for professionals working in
      primary care the first level of care, indicate that these recently graduated
      professionals are not necessarily or specifically trained to work in primary
      care. CONCLUSIONS: Demand for professional training in health sciences exists and
      its supply is met predominantly by private universities. Competency profiles
      developed by the MOH for the basic professional health team in primary care shows
      a clear disconnect regarding the current supply of trained professionals.

PMID- 26102105
TI  - [Therapeutic adherence in users of a cardiovascular health program in primary
      care in Chile].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To analyze therapeutic adherence in users of a cardiovascular health
      program in primary care in the community of San Pedro de la Paz in the region of
      Bio Bio, Chile. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional and correlational study
      with a sample of 257 people aged 18-60 years. A questionnaire that included the
      Miller's health behavior scale to measure adherence, and review of medical
      records was performed. Descriptive univariate and bivariate analyses supported in
      SPSS were performed. RESULTS: Of the total participants, 157 (61.1%) were women.
      The health behavior scale reflected non-adherence of participants, as only 4
      (1.5%) indicated that they always followed the instructions provided by the
      health team. The subscale monitoring stress management had the highest average,
      indicating that in this aspect there was greater adherence of the participants.
      Associations between therapeutic adherence and doing paid work (p=0.025) and with
      participation in social activities (p=0.005) were found. CONCLUSIONS: Therapeutic
      adherence in users of the cardiovascular health program was low. It is important
      to develop strategies that favor therapeutic adherence from the perspective of
      equity and social determinants of health.

PMID- 26102106
TI  - [Differences in the indicators of quality of life for older adults with
      hypertension living in urban and rural areas of Minas Gerais, Brazil].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare socioeconomic, illnesses, and quality of life variables
      for older adults with arterial hypertension who are residents of urban and rural
      areas of Minas Gerais, Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study
      comprised of 1,302 older adults from the urban area and 463 from the rural area
      who reported suffering from arterial hypertension. Descriptive analysis was
      performed, as well as the chi square test, t-test, and multiple and logistic
      regression. RESULTS: In urban areas, females were more prevalent (66.5%; p<0.001)
      and older adults aged 75 and over (34.3%; p<0.001) were the most prevalent age
      group. In rural areas there was a higher prevalence of individuals living with a
      partner (65%; p<0.001), living alone (16.2%; p=0.021) and a lower prevalence of
      diseases such as arthritis/osteoarthritis (p<0.001), osteoporosis (p<0.001),
      asthma/bronchitis (p=0.028), stroke (p<0.001), heart problems (p<0.001), poor
      circulation (varices) (p<0.001), constipation (p<0.001 ), cataracts (p<0.001),
      benign tumors (p=0.002) and vision problems (p<0.001). Older adults in urban
      areas had lower averages in the physical (p<0.001), psychological (p<0.001) and
      social (p<0.001) domains, aspects of autonomy (p<0.001), activities in the past,
      present and future (p<0.001), social participation (p<0.001) and intimacy
      (p<0.001).Older adults living in rural areas showed lower scores on aspects of
      the functioning of the senses (p<0.001) and death and dying (p<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary for health professionals to promote the monitoring
      of the elderly, taking into account the conditions of the location where they
      live.

PMID- 26102107
TI  - [Information about the medicines and adherence to high activity antiretroviral
      treatment in patients with HIV/AIDS in a hospital of Lima, Peru].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Determine the association between the information received on high
      activity antiretroviral treatment (HAART) and the adherence to this treatment in
      patients with HIV / AIDS of a hospital of Lima, Peru. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Cross-sectional analytical study. Through interviews were applied the
      questionnaire SIMS (Satisfaction with Information about Medicines Scale) to
      measure satisfaction with information received about medications and SMAQ
      (Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire) to determine adherence to HAART.
      By reviewing medical records sociodemographic and clinical data were collected.
      RESULTS: 364 patients were interviewed. Satisfaction with the information
      received about drugs was not associated with adherence to HAART (p = 0.611).
      Factors associated with the satisfaction with information were: female (ORa =
      0.52; 95% CI 0.30 to 0.90); level of higher education (ORa = 0.45; 95% CI 0.27 to
      0.75) and age (ORa = 1.05; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.08). There were more satisfaction
      with the information received on the action and drug use compared with
      information about potential adverse events (48.9% vs. 43.1%; p = 0.0291).
      CONCLUSIONS: Satisfaction with information received about drugs was not
      associated with adherence to HAART. This satisfaction increases with age and is
      lower in females and in the degree of higher education. There are desires for
      further information on the potential adverse reactions to HAART.

PMID- 26102108
TI  - [Evaluation of food and nutrition security in families in the district of los
      morochucos in Ayacucho, Peru].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate food and nutrition security in families of Los Morochucos
      district in Ayacucho, Peru. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A study based on
      interpretation of available information from official sources and surveys carried
      out to gather information not recorded in these sources. Sampling was stratified
      and two-staged comprising 128 families with at least one child under 12 years.
      The variables were the level of food security, family perception of their
      situation of availability of and access to food, exclusive breastfeeding, feeding
      during episodes of diarrhea, frequency of food consumption, consumption of safe
      water, hand washing, proper toilets, stable food supply, nutrition and health
      status, chronic malnutrition, anemia and parasitic infections in children aged 6
      months to three years. RESULTS: 39.1% of families had food security, 37.5% were
      food insecure without hunger, 18.8% had food insecurity with hunger, and 4.7% had
      food insecurity with severe hunger. They had acceptable calorie intake, but did
      not have a balanced diet. There was no chlorinated water. During the episodes of
      diarrhea, 72% of mothers fed the child with mate (tea) or broth. A great quantity
      of their crops were lost in 2011. Of children 6 months to three years, 34.5%
      presented chronic malnutrition, 42.4% had anemia and 61.6% had parasites.
      CONCLUSIONS: Food and nutrition insecurity in this district of Ayacucho is
      considerable and there should be prioritization of the implementation of
      investment projects with the aim of contributing to the development of the
      community.

PMID- 26102109
TI  - [Protective effect of Helianthus annuus (sunflower) on myocardial infarction in
      New Zealand rabbit].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Determine the protective effect of oil Helianthus annuus (Sunflower)
      on myocardial infarction induced by epinephrine in New Zealand rabbits. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The rabbits were randomized into five groups (8 per group): blank,
      negative control, experimental 1 (10 mg / kg), experimental 2 (20 mg / kg) and
      three experimental (40 mg/ kg). Experimental groups 1, 2 and 3 received
      Helianthus annuus oil for two weeks. Epinephrine (2 mg/Kg) to the negative,
      Experimental Control 1, 2 and 3 groups was given over two consecutive days with
      an interval of 24 h after pretreatment with oil. Twenty four hours after the last
      administration, the rabbits were anesthetized and sacrificed. Serum troponin I
      and polymorphonuclear evaluated by .mu.m.sup.2. RESULTS: Significant difference
      between the negative control group and the experimental groups 1, 2 and 3 was
      found in the serum variables troponin I and polymorphonuclear by .mu.m.sup.2.
      CONCLUSIONS: Helianthus annuus oil at doses of 20 mg/kg has protective effect on
      myocardial infarction induced by epinephrine in New Zealand rabbits.

PMID- 26102111
TI  - [Routes of public transport and the situation of tuberculosis in Lima, Peru].
AB  - In order to determine the association between the number of formal urban public
      transport routes and the situation of tuberculosis (TB) in each district of Lima,
      a correlational analysis and linear regression model between the two variables
      was performed. Also determined were the number of public transport routes most
      likely to transmit TB, the areas of greatest activity of these routes and a
      mapping of these routes. There is a positive correlation between the number of
      formal routes through each district of Lima and the situation of tuberculosis; a
      percentage of the TB situation could be explained by the number of public
      transport routes. Of the 404 formal routes that run through Lima, 147 (36.4%) are
      routes of greater probability of transmission of TB. Public transport should be
      considered in the ongoing fight against TB.

PMID- 26102110
TI  - [Outbreak of norovirus Group II in a military training center, Peru 2013].
AB  - We report an outbreak of norovirus(NoV) which occurred at a military training
      center in Peru. Thirteenstool samples that were taken from initial cases turned
      out positive for NoV GII by RT-PCR. A case-control study was performedto
      determine factorsassociated with infection.164 probable cases (45.2%clinical
      attack rate) were identified. The only factor associatedwith infection was
      "having shared room with a case" (ORa = 1.7; 95% CI 1.1 to 2.7).Epidemiological
      findings suggestthat the virus was spread person to person. Future investigations
      of outbreaks of diarrhea in Peru should consider the NoV as an etiologicagent.

PMID- 26102112
TI  - [One year prognosis after suffering the onset of cerebrovascular disease in
      patients from a public hospital in Lima, Peru].
AB  - In Latin America, there is almost nonexistense information about the prognosis of
      patients with stroke. We tried to find one- year vital and functional prognosis
      from patients with "first-ever stroke". We did a prospective cohort study,
      recruiting patients in the medicine service of a public hospital, and follow them
      up to one year after their first-ever stroke. We collected baseline data, such as
      previous medical history and information about their stroke. We found mortality
      proportions, differences among subgroups, and compared their actual and initial
      functionality. We included 101 patients, 20.8% of whom died during the follow-up,
      with higher mortality in people over 65 years old and those severely disabled
      after the stroke. The functionality did not improve after one year. One out of
      five patients with a first-ever stroke dies a year after it, with higher
      mortality in elders and in people with severe disability. We conclude it is
      mandatory to develop a follow-up and support program to prevent unfavorable
      outcomes in patients who suffer stroke.

PMID- 26102113
TI  - [Letters to the editor published in Peruvian biomedical journals indexed in
      SciELO-Peru 2006-2013].
AB  - This bibliometric study describes the characteristics of letters to the editor
      published between 2006-2013 in biomedical journals indexed in SciELO-Peru.253
      letters (10.3% of total publications) were collected. Most letters (139) were in
      the Peruvian Journal of Experimental Medicine and Public Health, with marked
      increase throughout those years. 25% of letters submitted included medical
      student participation. 14% of authors presented with international affiliations
      and 27% with endogenous affiliation - common in university journals (Anales de la
      Facultad de Medicina, Revista Medica Herediana).The usual criteria justifying the
      publication of letters were: opinion of medical fact or public domain (35.6%) and
      discussion of results, methodological flaws or interpretation (22.9%). In
      biomedical journals indexed in SciELO Peru the letters to the editor comprise a
      percentage of publications that has increased in recent years, with low
      publication of letters of findings or primary data, compared with opinion or
      criticism.

PMID- 26102114
TI  - [Effect of intravenous infusion of KCl on the electrocardiogram and serum
      potassium in dogs with normal renal function].
AB  - Variations in serum potassium (K+) and electrocardiographic changes at different
      infusion speeds of intravenous K+ were studied in dogs. Solutions of 20, 40, 60
      and 80 mEq of K+ were infused in one hour to dogs with normal renal function and
      normal serum K+. Nine dogs were studied: three without prior hydration and six
      with previous hydration. Infusing 20 mEq/hour of K+ produced an increase in heart
      rate without changes in the electrocardiogram. With 40 mEq/hour there were
      changes in the "t" and "p" waves, and with 60 and 80 mEq/hour, alterations
      consistent with cardiac ischemia and ventricular tachycardia. Dogs without
      hydration had more obvious and fatal electrocardiographic changes. Doses of 20
      mEq/hour of K + caused no morbidity or mortality in the animals studied. Higher
      doses showed various complications which depended on the hydration status of the
      animal, its urinary flow and potassium level.

PMID- 26102115
TI  - [Balancing risks and benefits of mammography screening for breast cancer: would
      you support its recommendation in Peruvian women?].
AB  - The aim of this study is to assess the balance between benefits and risks of
      population-based mammography screening programs in Peruvian women. We followed
      the criteria proposed by the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment,
      Development and Evaluation) working group. A generic search strategy for
      published studies was performed using Medline and other sources of national data
      (gray literature). The evidence of benefits, risks, costs and preferences of the
      population was used in order to state a recommendation in favour, or against,
      screening. We found five systematic reviews (SR) that evaluated the balance
      between benefit and risks, two economic evaluations based on Peruvian data, and
      one study that reported the preferences of Peruvian women. The quality of
      evidence of the SR was moderate in favour of screening in women aged 50-69 years.
      The balance of risks and benefits showed a higher probability of overdiagnosis
      compared with the reduction in mortality. The most cost-effective strategy was
      the triennial mammography. Perceived barriers could seriously compromise the
      participation of women. In conclusion, the recommendation of mammography
      screening for Peruvian women is weak, even more if we take into account other
      health necessities of the population. However, if implemented, triennial
      mammography in women aged 50-69 years could be the more suitable screening
      strategy.

PMID- 26102116
TI  - [Estimators of internal consistency in health research: the use of the alpha
      coefficient].
AB  - Academic production has increased in the area of health, increasingly demanding
      high quality in publications of great impact. One of the ways to consider quality
      is through methods that increase the consistency of data analysis, such as
      reliability which, depending on the type of data, can be evaluated by different
      coefficients, especially the alpha coefficient. Based on this, the present review
      systematically gathers scientific articles produced in the last five years, which
      in a methodological manner gave the alpha coefficient psychometric use as an
      estimator of internal consistency and reliability in the processes of
      construction, adaptation and validation of instruments. The identification of the
      studies was conducted systematically in the databases BioMed Central Journals,
      Web of Science, Wiley Online Library, Medline, SciELO, Scopus, Journals@Ovid, BMJ
      and Springer, using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data analyses were
      performed by means of triangulation, content analysis and descriptive analysis.
      It was found that most studies were conducted in Iran (f=3), Spain (f=2) and
      Brazil (f=2). These studies aimed to test the psychometric properties of
      instruments, with eight studies using the alpha coefficient to assess reliability
      and nine for assessing internal consistency. All studies were classified as
      methodological research when their objectives were analyzed. In addition, four
      studies were also classified as correlational and one as descriptive
      correlational. It can be concluded that though the alpha coefficient is widely
      used as one of the main parameters for assessing internal consistency of
      questionnaires in health sciences, its use as an estimator of trust of the
      methodology used and internal consistency has some critiques that should be
      considered.

PMID- 26102117
TI  - [Emerging antibiotic resistance: a global threat and critical healthcare
      problem].
AB  - After the development and mass commercialization of antibiotics, pathogenic and
      environmental bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics since the last
      century, so that the infection caused by antibiotic-resistant organisms (AROs)
      could be considered an emerging infection. As a result, its control should be
      prioritized as a threat to all nations, regardless of territory and economic
      situation. Increased surveillance in the United States, Europe and East Asia has
      illustrated the rapid spread leading to an increasing burden of infections caused
      by AROs. However, the information available in countries of continued development
      in Latin America is limited. This review describes recent information on AROs
      surveillance studies in Latin America as well as common sources of AROs and
      possible strategies for their control.

PMID- 26102118
TI  - [Dengue in Peru: a quarter century after its reemergence].
AB  - A health problem each time more frequent and dispersed in tropical and
      subtropical areas of the world, including Peru where it entered in 1990, is
      dengue. It is produced by the dengue virus with four serotypes and transmitted by
      Aedes aegypti, a vector that coexists with humans and whose presence is favored
      by deficient sanitary, social and economic conditions. Manifestations of severe
      forms of the disease such as shock and bleeding, are related to the frequent co
      circulation of the four serotypes and the emergence of new genotypes such as
      American/Asian serotype 2. The new classification of the disease by WHO as dengue
      with or without warning signs and severe dengue, is contributing to more timely
      diagnosis and treatment, enabling reductions in mortality. Of note is the need to
      highlight the surveillance of acute febrile illness and Aedes indices that
      contribute to a timely diagnosis and guide vector control measures through
      sanitary education and environmental management with community and intersectoral
      participation, in a creative manner according to ecological niches. An
      alternative for complementary prevention would be vaccination using tetravalent
      vaccines whose safety and efficacy must be guaranteed before its use in the
      population under the framework of comprehensive strategies.

PMID- 26102120
TI  - [New transmission scenarios of the Argentine hemorrhagic fever since the
      introduction of the live attenuated junin virus vaccine (Candid #1): an
      experience in migrant workers].
AB  - The Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF) is a severe acute viral disease caused by
      the Junin virus of the Arenaviridae family. The AHF endemic area coincides
      geographically with the largest grain export agro-industrial complex of the
      country [Argentina]. Since the implementation of vaccination with the Candid #1
      vaccine, a significant reduction in incidence was achieved and risk patterns were
      modified. A previous study allowed characterizing these changes and identifying
      three transmission scenarios: classic, emergent-reemergent, and traveler. The
      latter scenario includes seasonal migrant workers who move each year, mainly from
      the province of Santiago del Estero, the endemic area to work in the detasseling
      of maize. With the objective of protecting this group of workers, a prevention
      campaign was initiated which included: capacity building of health personnel in
      the province, health education, and immunization with the vaccine Candid #1.
      3,021 workers were vaccinated. Prior to vaccination, serum samples were taken
      from a group of 104 volunteers. Tests for neutralizing antibodies specific to the
      Junin virus were performed and 6 (5.76%) tested positive. The unexpected finding
      of a high percentage of workers with antibodies suggests the need to evaluate
      several hypotheses: a) that the result is the product of non-probabilistic
      sampling; b) that it could be people who fell ill in previous travels, c) or who
      were vaccinated in previous travels; or d) consider this region as an emerging
      scenario.

PMID- 26102119
TI  - [Relevant public health enteropathogens].
AB  - Diarrhea remains the third leading cause of death in children under five years,
      despite recent advances in the management and prevention of this disease. It is
      caused by multiple pathogens, however, the prevalence of each varies by age
      group, geographical area and the scenario where cases (community vs hospital) are
      recorded. The most relevant pathogens in public health are those associated with
      the highest burden of disease, severity, complications and mortality. In our
      country, norovirus, Campylobacter and diarrheagenic E. coli are the most
      prevalent pathogens at the community level in children. In this paper we review
      the local epidemiology and potential areas of development in five selected
      pathogens: rotavirus, norovirus, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Shigella
      and Salmonella. Of these, rotavirus is the most important in the pediatric
      population and the main agent responsible for child mortality from diarrhea. The
      introduction of rotavirus vaccination in Peru will have a significant impact on
      disease burden and mortality from diarrhea. However, surveillance studies are
      needed to determine the impact of vaccination and changes in the epidemiology of
      diarrhea in Peru following the introduction of new vaccines, as well as
      antibiotic resistance surveillance of clinical relevant bacteria.

PMID- 26102121
TI  - [Lessons learned in the control of Aedes aegypti to address dengue and the
      emergency of chikungunya in Iquitos, Peru].
AB  - Dengue has affected Iquitos since 1990 causing outbreaks of major impact on
      public health and for this reason great efforts have been made for its temporal
      control. Currently, with the expansion of the chikungunya virus in the Americas
      and the threat of the emergence of the virus in Iquitos, we reflect on lessons
      learned by way of the activities undertaken in the area of vector control;
      epidemiological surveillance, diagnosis and clinical management during periods of
      outbreaks of dengue, in a way that will allow us to better face the threat of an
      outbreak of chikungunya virus in the largest city in the Peruvian Amazon.

PMID- 26102122
TI  - [Coinfection of dengue and leptospirosis in a girl from the peruvian amazon].
AB  - We report the case of a 10 year old girl, born and raised in the city of Iquitos
      in Peru who presented with headache, fever, chills, musculoskeletal pain, mild
      epigastric pain, epistaxis and hematemesis. On physical examination, the patient
      was afebrile and in good general condition. Serological tests confirmed infection
      of dengue and leptospirosis. The patient received intravenous hydration with
      sodium chloride 0.9% and penicillin G sodium, achieving a favorable clinical
      course such that she was discharged a few days after admission to the hospital.
      Although these diseases are common in the Peruvian Amazon, the simultaneous
      presence of both in the pediatric population is little documented; therefore, a
      good clinical history and laboratory tests are important for diagnosis and
      treatment. 

PMID- 26102123
TI  - [Paracoccidiomicosis in the central nervous system: a case report].
AB  - Paracoccidioidomycosis is a fungal disease which can compromise the central
      nervous system (CNS).We present a case of an immunocompetent 45 year old man from
      Satipo, Peru who developed paracoccidioidomycosis in the CNS without any apparent
      point of entry or infection. The patient was diagnosed by imaging with a
      cerebellar granuloma, followed by a craniotomy where tissue and secretion of the
      granuloma abscess was obtained. Histological and microbiological diagnoses were
      performed on the tissue and secretion, respectively. Yeasts were observed in the
      histological section and growth of the fungus in the culture. The patient
      initially received antifungals, then acquired an intrahospital infection,
      received colistin and subsequently died. The case report emphasizes the
      importance of early and correct diagnosis for good outcomes of
      paracoccidioidomycosis cases.

PMID- 26102125
TI  - [Vertical transmission of dengue virus in Aedes aegypti, Peru].

PMID- 26102124
TI  - [Disseminated cutaneous sporotrichosis with joint involvement in a woman with
      type 2 diabetes].
AB  - Disseminated sporotrichosis is a rare presentation of this mycosis. Although it
      has been described in immunocompetent individuals, there is often T cell-mediated
      immune compromise. We report the case of a woman with uncontrolled Type 2
      diabetes who developed disseminated cutaneous sporotrichosis. The course of the
      disease presented several complications including hepatitis secondary to
      itraconazole and knee arthritis with culture positive for Sporothrix schenckii
      during treatment with saturated solution of potassium iodide. The case discussion
      includes aspects of the pathogenesis of disseminated sporotrichosis and
      management of the infection and its complications.

PMID- 26102126
TI  - [Scientific crowdfunding: alternative financing for young researchers in Peru].

PMID- 26102127
TI  - [About the redistributive impact of the SERUMS program (Rural and Urban Margin
      Health Care Service) on the availability of physicians in Peru].

PMID- 26102128
TI  - [Is there unjust equity? For the elimination of the mandatory SERUMS program
      (Rural and Urban Margin Health Care Service)].

PMID- 26102129
TI  - [Measurement and magnitude of bullying in Peru].

PMID- 26102130
TI  - [The cutoff point of hemoglobin to define maternal anemia in altitude should not
      be corrected].

PMID- 26102131
TI  - [Replica: el punto de corte de la hemoglobina para definir anemia materna en la
      altura no debe ser corregido].

PMID- 26102132
TI  - [Use of information resources available on the Internet: limitations and
      recommendations].

PMID- 26102133
TI  - [Comments to the article: arterial blood gases in clinically healthy adults at
      3,350 meters above sea level].

PMID- 26102134
TI  - [Replica: gasometria arterial en adultos clinicamente sanos a 3350 metros de
      altitud].

PMID- 26102135
TI  - [Time to wait for surgery in a hospital in Chiclayo, Peru].

PMID- 26102136
TI  - 2015 Award Winners of the Aerospace Medical Association.

PMID- 26102137
TI  - Human Performance and the Year of the Aerospace Medicine Professional.

PMID- 26102138
TI  - Simulator Study of Helmet-Mounted Symbology System Concepts in Degraded Visual
      Environments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A sudden loss of external visual cues during critical phases of
      flight results in spatial disorientation. This is due to undetected horizontal
      and vertical drift when there is little tolerance for error and correction delay
      as the helicopter is close to the ground. Three helmet-mounted symbology system
      concepts were investigated in the simulator as potential solutions for the legacy
      Griffon helicopters. METHOD: Thirteen Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Griffon
      pilots were exposed to the Helmet Display Tracking System for Degraded Visual
      Environments (HDTS), the BrownOut Symbology System (BOSS), and the current RCAF
      AVS7 symbology system. For each symbology system, the pilot performed a two-stage
      departure and a single-stage approach. The presentation order of the symbology
      systems was randomized. Objective performance metrics included aircraft speed,
      altitude, attitude, and distance from the landing point. Subjective measurements
      included situation awareness, mental effort, perceived performance, perceptual
      cue rating, and NASA Task Load Index. Repeated measures analysis of variance and
      subsequent planned comparison for all the objective and subjective measurements
      were performed between the AVS7, HDTS, and BOSS. RESULTS: Our results
      demonstrated that HDTS and BOSS showed general improvement over AVS7 in two-stage
      departure. However, only HDTS performed significantly better in heading error
      than AVS7. During the single-stage approach, BOSS performed worse than AVS7 in
      heading root mean square error, and only HDTS performed significantly better in
      distance to landing point and approach heading than the others. DISCUSSION: Both
      the HDTS and BOSS possess their own limitations; however, HDTS is the pilots'
      preferred flight display.

PMID- 26102139
TI  - Upper Body Aerobic Exercise as a Possible Predictor of Lower Body Performance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aerobic exercise capacity provides information regarding
      cardiorespiratory health and physical capacity. However, in many populations the
      ability to measure whole-body or leg aerobic exercise capacity is limited due to
      physical disability or lack of appropriate equipment. Clinically there is a need
      to evaluate aerobic capacity in individuals who cannot use their legs for
      locomotion. In astronauts the habitable space for exercise testing in the next
      generation of space exploration systems may be restricted and may not support the
      traditional lower body testing. Therefore, the purpose was to determine if upper
      body physical performance could estimate lower body aerobic capacity. METHODS:
      Maximal O2uptake (Vo(2max)), gas exchange threshold (GET), and the highest
      sustainable rate of aerobic metabolism [arm cranking critical power ((A)CP) and
      lower body critical speed ((L)CS)] were determined in 55 conditioned men and
      women during arm-cranking and treadmill running. RESULTS: Vo(2max) and GET (48.6
      +/- 7.6 and 29.0 +/- 4.8 ml . kg-1 . min-1, respectively) were significantly
      lower during arm-cranking exercise compared to running (27.1 +/- 7.6 and 13.5 +/-
      2.6 ml . kg-1 . min-1, respectively). The Vo2at ACP was significantly lower than
      the Vo2at the (L)CS (18.4 +/- 5.01 vs. 39.5 +/- 8.1 ml . kg-1 . min-1,
      respectively). There was a significant correlation between arm-cranking and lower
      body Vo2max, GET, and the Vo2at (L)CS and ACP. Backward stepwise regression
      analyses revealed that arm-cranking physical fitness could explain 67%, 40%, and
      49% of the variance in lower body Vo(2max), GET, and (L)CS, respectively.
      DISCUSSION: Results suggest arm-cranking exercise can be used to obtain an
      approximation of lower body aerobic capacity.

PMID- 26102140
TI  - Statistical Evaluation of Causal Factors Associated with Astronaut Shoulder
      Injury in Space Suits.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Shoulder injuries due to working inside the space suit are some of
      the most serious and debilitating injuries astronauts encounter. Space suit
      injuries occur primarily in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) underwater
      training facility due to accumulated musculoskeletal stress. We quantitatively
      explored the underlying causal mechanisms of injury. METHODS: Logistic regression
      was used to identify relevant space suit components, training environment
      variables, and anthropometric dimensions related to an increased propensity for
      space-suited injury. Two groups of subjects were analyzed: those whose reported
      shoulder incident is attributable to the NBL or working in the space suit, and
      those whose shoulder incidence began in active duty, meaning working in the suit
      could be a contributing factor. RESULTS: For both groups, percent of training
      performed in the space suit planar hard upper torso (HUT) was the most important
      predictor variable for injury. Frequency of training and recovery between
      training were also significant metrics. The most relevant anthropometric
      dimensions were bideltoid breadth, expanded chest depth, and shoulder
      circumference. Finally, record of previous injury was found to be a relevant
      predictor for subsequent injury. The first statistical model correctly identifies
      39% of injured subjects, while the second model correctly identifies 68% of
      injured subjects. DISCUSSION: A review of the literature suggests this is the
      first work to quantitatively evaluate the hypothesized causal mechanisms of all
      space-suited shoulder injuries. Although limited in predictive capability, each
      of the identified variables can be monitored and modified operationally to reduce
      future impacts on an astronaut's health.

PMID- 26102141
TI  - Hypoxia, Hypobaria, and Exercise Duration Affect Acute Mountain Sickness.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study simultaneously quantified the effects of normobaric
      hypoxia (NH), hypobaric hypoxia (HH), exercise duration, and exposure time on
      acute mountain sickness severity (AMS-C). METHODS: Thirty-six subjects (27.7 +/-
      7.8 yr) participated in a partial repeated measures study, completing two of six
      conditions: normobaric normoxia (NN: 300 m/984 ft equivalent), NH or HH (Po2 = 91
      mmHg; 4400 m/14,436 ft equivalent), combined with moderate intensity cycling for
      10 or 60 min. Subjects completed the Environmental Symptoms Questionnaire and
      oxygen saturation (Spo2) was measured before, 1.5 h, 4 h, and 6.5 h into an 8-h
      exposure, and 1.5 h post-exposure. We fit multiple linear regression models with
      cluster adjusted standard errors on the exposure times using NH, HH, and long
      exercise as indicator variables, and AMS-C as the outcome variable. The Spo2and
      pre-exposure AMS-C score were used as covariates. RESULTS: NH and HH led to
      substantial and progressively increasing AMS-C, but NN did not. The effect of HH
      on AMS-C was significantly different from NH, with AMS-C in HH being 1.6 times
      higher than in NH. HH led to significantly increasing AMS-C, regardless of the
      exercise duration, while NH only did so in combination with longer exercise.
      DISCUSSION: Increases in AMS-C were each independently related to NH, HH, and
      long duration exercise, with HH affecting AMS-C more severely. This suggests that
      hypobaria may affect AMS development above the level induced by hypoxia alone.
      This further suggests that NH and HH may not be interchangeable for studying AMS
      and that exercise duration may impact physiological responses.

PMID- 26102142
TI  - Ground and Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Time Tradeoffs Assessed with
      Geographic Information.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We describe how geographic information systems (GIS) can be used to
      assess and compare estimated transport time for helicopter and ground emergency
      medical services. Recent research shows that while the odds of a trauma patient's
      survival increase with helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), they may not
      increase to the extent necessary to make HEMS cost effective. This study offers
      an analytic tool to objectively quantify the patient travel time advantage that
      HEMS offers compared to ground emergency medical services (GEMS). METHODS: Using
      helicopter dispatch data from the Maryland State Police from 2000-2011, we
      computed transport time estimates for HEMS and GEMS, compare these results to a
      reference transport time of 60 min, and use geospatial interpolation to
      extrapolate the total response times for each mode across the study region.
      RESULTS: Mapping the region's trauma incidents and modeling response times, our
      findings indicate the GIS framework for calculating transportation time tradeoffs
      is useful in identifying which areas can be better served by HEMS or GEMS.
      DISCUSSION: The use of GIS and the analytical methodology described in this study
      present a method to compare transportation by air and ground in the prehospital
      setting that accounts for how mode, distance, and road infrastructure impact
      total transport time. Whether used to generate regional maps in advance or
      applied real-time, the presented framework provides a tool to identify earlier
      incident locations that favor HEMS over GEMS transport modes.

PMID- 26102143
TI  - Challenges of Estimating Fracture Risk with DXA: Changing Concepts About Bone
      Strength and Bone Density.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bone loss due to weightlessness is a significant concern for
      astronauts' mission safety and health upon return to Earth. This problem is
      monitored with bone densitometry (DXA), the clinical tool used to assess skeletal
      strength. DXA has served clinicians well in assessing fracture risk and has been
      particularly useful in diagnosing osteoporosis in the elderly postmenopausal
      population for which it was originally developed. Over the past 1-2 decades,
      however, paradoxical and contradictory findings have emerged when this technology
      was widely employed in caring for diverse populations unlike those for which it
      was developed. Although DXA was originally considered the surrogate marker for
      bone strength, it is now considered one part of a constellation of factors
      described collectively as bone quality-that makes bone strong and resists
      fracturing, independent of bone density. These characteristics are beyond the
      capability of routine DXA to identify, and as a result, DXA can be a poor
      prognosticator of bone health in many clinical scenarios. New clinical tools are
      emerging to make measurement of bone strength more accurate. This article reviews
      the historical timeline of bone density measurement (dual X-ray absorptiometry),
      expands upon the clinical observations that modified the relationship of DXA and
      bone strength, discusses some of the new clinical tools to predict fracture risk,
      and highlights the challenges DXA poses in the assessment of fracture risk in
      astronauts.

PMID- 26102144
TI  - Historical Review of Lower Body Negative Pressure Research in Space Medicine.
AB  - Cephalad redistribution of intravascular and extravascular fluid occurs as a
      result of weightlessness during spaceflight. This provokes cardiovascular,
      cardiopulmonary, and autonomic nervous system responses. The resulting altered
      functional state can result in orthostatic hypotension and intolerance upon
      landing and return to a gravity environment. In-flight lower body negative
      pressure (LBNP) transiently restores normal body fluid distribution. Early in the
      U.S. space program, LBNP was devised as a way to test for orthostatic
      intolerance. With the development of the Skylab Program and longer duration
      spaceflight, it was realized that it could provide a method of monitoring
      orthostatic intolerance in flight and predicting the post-landing orthostatic
      response. LBNP was also investigated not only as an in-flight cardiovascular
      orthostatic stress test, but also as a countermeasure to cardiovascular
      deconditioning on Soviet space stations, Skylab, and the Shuttle. It is still
      being used by the Russian program on the International Space Station as an end-of
      flight countermeasure.

PMID- 26102145
TI  - A Methodology to Determine the Psychomotor Performance of Helicopter Pilots
      During Flight Maneuvers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Helicopter flying is a complex psychomotor task requiring
      continuous control inputs to maintain stable flight and conduct maneuvers. Flight
      safety is impaired when this psychomotor performance is compromised. A
      comprehensive understanding of the psychomotor performance of helicopter pilots,
      under various operational and physiological conditions, remains to be developed.
      The purpose of this study was to develop a flight simulator-based technique for
      capturing psychomotor performance data of helicopter pilots. METHODS: Three
      helicopter pilots conducted six low-level flight sequences in a helicopter
      simulator. Accelerometers applied to each flight control recorded the frequency
      and magnitude of movements. RESULTS: The mean (+/- SEM) number of control inputs
      per flight was 2450 (+/- 136). The mean (+/- SEM) number of control inputs per
      second was 1.96 (+/- 0.15). The mean (+/- SEM) force applied was 0.44 G (+/- 0.05
      G). No significant differences were found between pilots in terms of flight
      completion times or number of movements per second. The number of control inputs
      made by the hands was significantly greater than the number of foot movements.
      The left hand control input forces were significantly greater than all other
      input forces. DISCUSSION: This study shows that the use of accelerometers in
      flight simulators is an effective technique for capturing accurate, reliable data
      on the psychomotor performance of helicopter pilots. This technique can be
      applied in future studies to a wider range of operational and physiological
      conditions and mission types in order to develop a greater awareness and
      understanding of the psychomotor performance demands on helicopter pilots.

PMID- 26102146
TI  - Spatial Pattern of Eye Fixations and Evidence of Ultradian Rhythms in Aircraft
      Pilots.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Eye fixations can be distributed in three ways: randomly, in
      clusters, and regularly. However, there is always a continuum among these types,
      because these spatial patterns are the result of a process evolving over time.
      The focus of the present work was to study the changes over time observed in the
      Nearest Neighbor Index (NNI), an index derived from the spatial distribution of
      eye fixations that has been reported to be sensitive to variations in mental
      workload. Of particular interest are periodic changes in the ultradian timescale
      (an ultradian rhythm is a recurrent period or cycle repeated throughout a 24-h
      circadian day). METHODS: Data from a previously reported experiment were further
      analyzed using temporal spectral analysis, which is one of the most commonly used
      techniques for studying measurements collected at regularly spaced intervals of
      time. RESULTS: An ultradian rhythm with a periodicity between 2 and 15 min was
      found, which is compatible with results obtained by analyzing reaction times in
      prolonged vigilance tasks. DISCUSSION: The identification of a periodicity in the
      allocation of mental resources should be considered in the design of automation
      support that is dynamically matched to mental workload.

PMID- 26102147
TI  - Dental Barotrauma in French Military Divers: Results of the POP Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the POP (odontological problems among divers) study was to
      assess dental barotrauma among French military divers exposed to an underwater
      environment. METHODS: A questionnaire on dental barotrauma was completed by the
      divers who presented at the SMHEP (Centre for Hyperbaric Medicine and Diving
      Expertise) for their quadrennial medical exam from March 2011 to July 2014.
      RESULTS: There were 1317 questionnaires completed, representing 60.6% of all
      French military divers. A total of 5.3% of divers had a dental barotrauma
      (70/1317), mainly fracture and/or loss of dental restoration. Dental barotrauma
      disrupted diving in 34.3% of cases. A total of 76.4% of divers were informed by a
      military physician of the importance of maintaining good oral health and 88.5% of
      divers consult their dentist at least once a year. Of the participants, 82.5%
      made their dentist aware they are divers, but only 4.9% of the dental
      practitioners advised their patient not to dive after some types of dental
      treatments and 12.8% indicated that, as divers, they need adapted dental
      treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Dental barotrauma was experienced by 1 in 19 military
      divers. Nevertheless, a contradiction exists between the frequency of dental
      barotraumas and the rigorous medical and dental follow-up of military divers. We
      note that there is inadequate dental management of divers when dental issues are
      identified. To avoid this unsatisfactory situation, "diving dentistry" should be
      taught to military and civilian dentists and physicians to make them aware of the
      potential dental complications and preventive measures associated with operating
      in a subaquatic environment.

PMID- 26102148
TI  - AsMA Medical Guidelines for Air Travel: Fitness to Fly and Medical Clearances.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Medical Guidelines for Airline Travel provide information that
      enables healthcare providers to properly advise patients who plan to travel by
      air. Not everyone is fit to travel by air and physicians should advise their
      patients accordingly. They should review the passenger's medical condition,
      giving special consideration to the dosage and timing of any medications,
      contagiousness, and the need for special assistance during travel. In general, an
      individual with an unstable medical condition should not fly; cabin altitude,
      duration of exposure, and altitude of the destination airport are all
      considerations when recommending a passenger for flight.

PMID- 26102149
TI  - AsMA Medical Guidelines for Air Travel: Airline Special Services.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Medical Guidelines for Airline Travel provide information that
      enables healthcare providers to properly advise patients who plan to travel by
      air. Treating physicians should advise patients in need of special services to
      contact the airline well before travel to find out if the required services will
      be available. Ensuring the required services are available throughout a journey
      can be challenging, especially when different airlines and aircraft types are
      involved. For example, airlines carry a limited supply of oxygen for use in the
      event of an unexpected in-flight emergency; however, this supply is not intended
      for use by passengers needing supplemental oxygen. Arrangements must be made in
      advance with the airline. Therefore, early contact with the airline is helpful.

PMID- 26102150
TI  - Storing and Processing Complex Data Sets with HDF5.

PMID- 26102151
TI  - You're the Flight Surgeon.

PMID- 26102152
TI  - You're the Flight Surgeon.

PMID- 26102153
TI  - This Month in Aerospace Medicine History.

PMID- 26102154
TI  - Correction to Biodegradable Nanoneedles for Localized Delivery of Nanoparticles
      in Vivo: Exploring the Biointerface.

PMID- 26102155
TI  - Water Mediated Interactions and the Protein Folding Phase Diagram in the
      Temperature-Pressure Plane.
AB  - The temperature-pressure behavior of two proteins, ubiquitin and lambda
      repressor, is explored using a realistically coarse-grained physicochemical
      model, the associative memory, water mediated, structure and energy model
      (AWSEM). The phase diagram across the temperature-pressure plane is obtained by
      perturbing the water mediated interactions in the Hamiltonian systematically. The
      phase diagrams calculated with direct simulations along with an extended bridge
      sampling estimator show the main features found experimentally, including both
      cold- and pressure-denaturation. The denatured ensembles in different parts of
      the phase diagram are characterized and found to be structurally distinct. The
      protein energy landscape is found to be funneled throughout the phase diagram,
      but modest changes in the entropy and free energy of the water are found to drive
      both cold and pressure induced denaturation. 

PMID- 26102156
TI  - Nocturnal hypoxemia severity and renin-angiotensin system activity in obstructive
      sleep apnea.
AB  - RATIONALE: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and nocturnal hypoxemia are associated
      with chronic kidney disease and up-regulation of the renin-angiotensin system
      (RAS), which is deleterious to renal function. The extent to which the magnitude
      of RAS activation is influenced by the severity of nocturnal hypoxemia and
      comorbid obesity has not been determined. OBJECTIVES: To determine the
      association between the severity of nocturnal hypoxemia and RAS activity and
      whether this is independent of obesity in patients with OSA. METHODS: Effective
      renal plasma flow (ERPF) response to angiotensin II (AngII) challenge, a marker
      of renal RAS activity, was measured by paraaminohippurate clearance technique in
      31 OSA subjects (respiratory disturbance index, 51 +/- 25 h(-1)), stratified
      according to nocturnal hypoxemia status (mean nocturnal SaO2, >=90% [moderate
      hypoxemia] or <90% [severe hypoxemia]) and 13 obese control subjects.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Compared with control subjects, OSA subjects
      demonstrated decreased renovascular sensitivity (ERPF, -153 +/- 79 vs. -283 +/-
      31 ml/min; P = 0.004) (filtration fraction, 5.4 +/- 3.8 vs. 7.1 +/- 2.6%; P =
      0.0025) in response to 60 minutes of AngII challenge (mean +/- SD; all P values
      OSA vs. control). The fall in ERPF in response to AngII was less in patients with
      severe hypoxemia compared with those with moderate hypoxemia (P = 0.001) and
      obese control subjects after 30 minutes (P < 0.001) and 60 minutes (P < 0.001) of
      AngII challenge, reflecting more augmented renal RAS activity. Severity of
      hypoxemia was not associated with the blood pressure or the systemic circulating
      RAS component response to AngII. CONCLUSIONS: The severity of nocturnal hypoxemia
      influences the magnitude of renal, but not the systemic, RAS activation
      independently of obesity in patients with OSA.

PMID- 26102157
TI  - Ion-Mediated Gelation of Aqueous Suspensions of Cellulose Nanocrystals.
AB  - Nanofibrillar hydrogels are an important class of biomaterials with applications
      as catalytic scaffolds, artificial extracellular matrixes, coatings, and drug
      delivery materials. In the present work, we report the results of a comprehensive
      study of nanofibrillar hydrogels formed by cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) in the
      presence of cations with various charge numbers and ionic radii. We examined sol
      gel transitions in aqueous CNC suspensions and the rheological and structural
      properties of the CNC hydrogels. At a particular CNC concentration, with
      increasing charge and cation size, the dynamic shear moduli and mesh size in the
      hydrogel increased. These effects were ascribed to a stronger propensity of CNCs
      for side-by-side association. The resulting hydrogels had an isotropic
      nanofibrillar structure. A combination of complementary techniques offered
      insight into structure-property relationships of CNC hydrogels, which are
      important for their potential applications. 

PMID- 26102158
TI  - Chemical Functionalization of Germanium with Dextran Brushes for Immobilization
      of Proteins Revealed by Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared
      Difference Spectroscopy.
AB  - Protein immobilization studied by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform
      infrared (ATR-FT-IR) difference spectroscopy is an emerging field enabling the
      study of proteins at atomic detail. Gold or glass surfaces are frequently used
      for protein immobilization. Here, we present an alternative method for protein
      immobilization on germanium. Because of its high refractive index and broad
      spectral window germanium is the best material for ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy of thin
      layers. So far, this technique was mainly used for protein monolayers, which lead
      to a limited signal-to-noise ratio. Further, undesired protein-protein
      interactions can occur in a dense layer. Here, the germanium surface was
      functionalized with thiols and stepwise a dextran brush was generated. Each step
      was monitored by ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy. We compared a 70 kDa dextran with a 500
      kDa dextran regarding the binding properties. All surfaces were characterized by
      atomic force microscopy, revealing thicknesses between 40 and 110 nm. To analyze
      the capability of our system we utilized N-Ras on mono-NTA (nitrilotriacetic
      acid) functionalized dextran, and the amount of immobilized Ras corresponded to
      several monolayers. The protein stability and loading capacity was further
      improved by means of tris-NTA for immobilization. Small-molecule-induced changes
      were revealed with an over 3 times higher signal-to-noise ratio compared to
      monolayers. This improvement may allow the observation of very small and so far
      hidden changes in proteins upon stimulus. Furthermore, we immobilized green
      fluorescent protein (GFP) and mCherry simultaneously enabling an analysis of the
      surface by fluorescence microscopy. The absence of a Forster resonance energy
      transfer (FRET) signal demonstrated a large protein-protein distance, indicating
      an even distribution of the protein within the dextran. 

PMID- 26102159
TI  - Defining Product Intake Fraction to Quantify and Compare Exposure to Consumer
      Products.
AB  - There is a growing consciousness that exposure studies need to better cover near
      field exposure associated with products use. To consistently and quantitatively
      compare human exposure to chemicals in consumer products, we introduce the
      concept of product intake fraction, as the fraction of a chemical within a
      product that is eventually taken in by the human population. This metric enables
      consistent comparison of exposures during consumer product use for different
      product-chemical combinations, exposure duration, exposure routes and pathways
      and for other life cycle stages. We present example applications of the product
      intake fraction concept, for two chemicals in two personal care products and two
      chemicals encapsulated in two articles, showing how intakes of these chemicals
      can primarily occur during product use. We demonstrate the utility of the product
      intake fraction and its application modalities within life cycle assessment and
      risk assessment contexts. The product intake fraction helps to provide a clear
      interface between the life cycle inventory and impact assessment phases, to
      identify best suited sentinel products and to calculate overall exposure to
      chemicals in consumer products, or back-calculate maximum allowable
      concentrations of substances inside products. 

PMID- 26102160
TI  - Visualizing Specific Cross-Protomer Interactions in the Homo-Oligomeric Membrane
      Protein Proteorhodopsin by Dynamic-Nuclear-Polarization-Enhanced Solid-State NMR.
AB  - Membrane proteins often form oligomeric complexes within the lipid bilayer, but
      factors controlling their assembly are hard to predict and experimentally
      difficult to determine. An understanding of protein-protein interactions within
      the lipid bilayer is however required in order to elucidate the role of
      oligomerization for their functional mechanism and stabilization. Here, we
      demonstrate for the pentameric, heptahelical membrane protein green
      proteorhodopsin that solid-state NMR could identify specific interactions at the
      protomer interfaces, if the sensitivity is enhanced by dynamic nuclear
      polarization. For this purpose, differently labeled protomers have been assembled
      into the full pentamer complex embedded within the lipid bilayer. We show for
      this proof of concept that one specific salt bridge determines the formation of
      pentamers or hexamers. Data are supported by laser-induced liquid bead ion
      desorption mass spectrometry and by blue native polyacrylamide gel
      electrophoresis analysis. The presented approach is universally applicable and
      opens the door toward analyzing membrane protein interactions within homo
      oligomers directly in the membrane. 

PMID- 26102161
TI  - Selection and refinement: the malaria parasite's infection and exploitation of
      host hepatocytes.
AB  - Plasmodium parasites belong to the Apicomplexan phylum, which consists mostly of
      obligate intracellular pathogens that vary dramatically in host cell tropism.
      Plasmodium sporozoites are highly hepatophilic. The specific molecular
      mechanisms, which facilitate sporozoite selection and successful infection of
      hepatocytes, remain poorly defined. Here, we discuss the parasite and host
      factors which are critical to hepatocyte infection. We derive a model where
      sporozoites initially select host cells that constitute a permissive environment
      and then further refine the chosen hepatocyte during liver stage development,
      ensuring life cycle progression. While many unknowns of pre-erythrocytic
      infection remain, advancing models and technologies that enable analysis of human
      malaria parasites and of single infected cells will catalyze a comprehensive
      understanding of the interaction between the malaria parasite and its hepatocyte
      host. 

PMID- 26102162
TI  - Inhibition of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus by Cecropin D
      in vitro.
AB  - Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) continues to cause
      substantial economic losses to the pig industry worldwide. Although vaccines are
      commercially available for the control of PRRSV infection, no vaccination regimen
      has been proved sustained success in terms of generating a protective immune
      response. Therefore, the development of novel antivirals is urgently needed.
      Antimicrobial peptides display broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities against
      bacteria, fungi, and viruses and play an important role in host innate immune
      response. Here, we tested whether Cecropin D (CD) could inhibit PRRSV infection
      and replication in vitro. The inhibitory effect of CD occurred during viral
      attachment and the early period of viral entry into Marc-145 cells. CD also
      attenuated virus-induced apoptosis during the late phase of PRRSV infection and
      suppressed virus release in Marc-145 cells, which might contribute to the
      inhibition of PRRSV infection. Similar inhibitory effects on PRRSV infection were
      also found with CD treatment in porcine alveolar macrophages, the major target
      cell type of PRRSV infection in pigs in vivo. These findings suggest that CD has
      the potential to develop a new therapeutic agent against PRRSV infection. 

PMID- 26102163
TI  - Changing Prognosis.

PMID- 26102164
TI  - Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Children and Adolescents With
      Dystrophinopathies: A Pilot Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine exercise response during cardiopulmonary exercise testing
      in children and adolescents with dystrophinopathies. METHODS: Exercise response
      on the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) was compared with a standard care
      test protocol. RESULTS: Nine boys (aged 10.8 +/- 4.7 years) with Becker muscular
      dystrophy (n = 6) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (n = 3) were included. The
      feasibility of the CPET was similar to a standard care test protocol, and no
      serious adverse events occurred. In 67% of the subjects with normal or only
      mildly impaired functional capacity, the CPET could be used to detect moderate to
      severe cardiopulmonary exercise limitations. CONCLUSIONS: The CPET seems to be a
      promising outcome measure for cardiopulmonary exercise limitations in youth with
      mild functional limitations. Further research with larger samples is warranted to
      confirm current findings and investigate the additional value of the CPET to
      longitudinal follow-up of cardiomyopathy and the development of safe exercise
      programs for youth with dystrophinopathies.

PMID- 26102165
TI  - Commentary on "Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Children and Adolescents With
      Dystrophinopathies: A Pilot Study".

PMID- 26102166
TI  - Two Seating Systems' Effects on an Adolescent With Cerebral Palsy and Severe
      Scoliosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To compare physiological functioning, communication
      switch activation, and response accuracy in a 19-year-old young man with
      quadriplegic cerebral palsy and neurological scoliosis using 2 seating systems
      within the school setting. METHODS: Prospective single-subject alternating
      treatment design with 2 conditions: baseline phase with standard planar inserts
      (A1), custom-molded back with original seat (B), and return to baseline (A2).
      Measures included oxygen saturation (SaO2), heart rate (HR), respiration rate
      (RR), body temperature (BT), processing time to activate switches, and response
      accuracy. RESULTS: SaO2 levels increased from "distressed" to "normal";
      variability decreased. HR, RR, and BT fluctuations decreased with the custom
      molded back. Processing time decreased with increased variability, affected by
      subject's motivation; accuracy improved slightly. Reported social approachability
      and student-initiated communication increased. CONCLUSIONS: SaO2 increased and
      HR, RR, and BT fluctuations decreased with a custom-molded back. Graphing data
      may help determine seating effect with complex clients.

PMID- 26102167
TI  - Commentary on "Two Seating Systems' Effect on an Adolescent With Cerebral Palsy
      and Severe Scoliosis".

PMID- 26102168
TI  - Supporting Play Exploration and Early Development Intervention From NICU to Home:
      A Feasibility Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the feasibility of completing a clinical trial of
      Supporting Play Exploration and Early Development Intervention (SPEEDI) that
      blends early and intense intervention with family support during the transition
      from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to home and the community. METHODS:
      Ten infants born preterm were randomly assigned to intervention or usual care
      groups. Data on intervention frequency and parent feedback were used to determine
      the feasibility of SPEEDI. Effect sizes were calculated for motor and problem
      solving outcome measures at the end of the intervention, 3 months adjusted age.
      RESULTS: Infants received on average 96.4% and 100.3% of anticipated NICU and
      home intervention. Only 28% of infants were receiving early intervention services
      during the SPEEDI period. Effect sizes were large and in the anticipated
      direction. CONCLUSIONS: SPEEDI is a feasible intervention and appropriate for
      future clinical trials. VIDEO ABSTRACT: For more insights from the authors, see
      Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at http://links.lww.com/PPT/A83.

PMID- 26102169
TI  - Commentary on "Supporting Play Exploration and Early Developmental Intervention
      from NICU to Home: A Feasibility Study".

PMID- 26102170
TI  - Clinical Feasibility of 2-Dimensional Video Analysis of Active Cervical Motion in
      Congenital Muscular Torticollis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical feasibility of
      using a 2-dimensional (2D) video analysis (VA) system compared with visual
      estimation (VE) for measurement of active cervical rotation and lateral flexion
      in infants with congenital muscular torticollis. METHODS: Twelve infants
      participated in this study. Active cervical motion in rotation and lateral
      flexion was measured by VE and 2D VA. RESULTS: Significant differences between VE
      and VA were found for left lateral flexion, right lateral flexion, and right
      rotation. Average total time for VA was 23.96 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      suggests that the use of VA may improve the measurement of active cervical motion
      to improve clinical assessment of infants with congenital muscular torticollis.
      However, VA time is excessive and, therefore, not clinically feasible. Further
      studies are indicated to explore other software for this application.

PMID- 26102171
TI  - Commentary on "Clinical Feasibility of 2-Dimensional Video Analysis of Active
      Cervical Motion in Congenital Muscular Torticollis".

PMID- 26102172
TI  - P-Selectin (CD62P) Expression in Liver Tissue of Biliary Atresia: A New
      Perspective in Etiopathogenesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The etiology of biliary atresia (BA) is still elusive. Inflammation
      plays a key role in bile duct and liver injury. The recruitment and accumulation
      of inflammatory cells is largely dependent on adhesion molecules. We aimed to
      investigate P-selectin (CD62P) expression in liver tissue in patients with BA
      compared with other neonatal cholestatic disorders. METHODS: The study included
      63 infants with neonatal cholestasis in 2 groups: BA group (n = 32) and non-BA
      group (n = 31) with non-BA cholestatic disorders as controls. Demographic,
      clinical, laboratory, ultrasonographic, and histopathological parameters were
      collected. P-selectin immunostaining was performed. Immunostaining in bile duct
      epithelium, cellular infiltrate, and vascular endothelial cells were scored as
      positive or negative. RESULTS: The frequency of P-selectin-positive endothelium,
      platelets, and bile duct epithelium was significantly higher in the BA group
      (72%, 72%, and 63%, respectively) than in the non-BA group (32%, 16%, and 13%,
      respectively) with P of 0.002, <0.0001, and <0.0001, respectively. Few
      mononuclear cellular infiltrates in portal tract expressed P-selectin and were
      comparable in both groups (P = 0.932). Of interest, the platelet count was
      significantly higher in the BA group (532 +/- 172) than in the non-BA group (406
      +/- 158), and 68.8% of the BA group had thrombocytosis versus 25% in the controls
      (P = 0.001 for both). CONCLUSIONS: The significant expression of P-selectin in
      endothelium, platelets, and bile duct epithelium in patients with BA suggests a
      potential role for this adhesion molecule in the pathogenesis of this devastating
      neonatal hepatic disorder. It further suggests that platelets in BA are activated
      and may have a role in the inflammatory process in BA.

PMID- 26102173
TI  - Feasibility of Pump Speed Modulation for Restoring Vascular Pulsatility with
      Rotary Blood Pumps.
AB  - Continuous flow (CF) left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) diminish vascular
      pressure pulsatility, which may be associated with clinically reported adverse
      events including gastrointestinal bleeding, aortic valve insufficiency, and
      hemorrhagic stroke. Three candidate CF LVAD pump speed modulation algorithms
      designed to augment aortic pulsatility were evaluated in mock flow loop and
      ischemic heart failure (IHF) bovine models by quantifying hemodynamic performance
      as a function of mean pump speed, modulation amplitude, and timing. Asynchronous
      and synchronous copulsation (high revolutions per minute [RPM] during systole,
      low RPM during diastole) and counterpulsation (low RPM during systole, high RPM
      during diastole) algorithms were tested for defined modulation amplitudes (+/
      300, +/-500, +/-800, and +/-1,100 RPM) and frequencies (18.75, 37.5, and 60
      cycles/minute) at low (2,900 RPM) and high (3,200 RPM) mean LVAD speeds. In the
      mock flow loop model, asynchronous, synchronous copulsation, and synchronous
      counterpulsation algorithms each increased pulse pressure (DeltaP = 931%, 210%,
      and 98% and reduced left ventricular external work (LVEW = 20%, 22%, 16%).
      Similar improvements in vascular pulsatility (1,142%) and LVEW (40%) were
      observed in the IHF bovine model. Asynchronous modulation produces the largest
      vascular pulsatility with the advantage of not requiring sensor(s) for timing
      pump speed modulation, facilitating potential clinical implementation. 

PMID- 26102174
TI  - Examining Noncardiac Surgical Procedures in Patients on Extracorporeal Membrane
      Oxygenation.
AB  - As extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is increasingly used for patients
      with cardiac and/or pulmonary failure, the need for noncardiac surgical
      procedures (NCSPs) in these patients will continue to increase. This study
      examined the NCSP required in patients supported with ECMO and determined which
      variables affect outcomes. The National Inpatient Sample Database was examined
      for patients supported with ECMO from 2007 to 2010. There were 563 patients
      requiring ECMO during the study period. Of these, 269 (47.8%) required 380 NCSPs.
      There were 149 (39.2%) general surgical procedures, with abdominal
      exploration/bowel resection (18.2%) being most common. Vascular (29.5%) and
      thoracic procedures (23.4%) were also common. Patients requiring NCSP had longer
      median length of stay (15.5 vs. 9.2 days, p = 0.001), more wound infections (7.4%
      vs. 3.7%, p = 0.02), and more bleeding complications (27.9% vs. 17.3%, p = 0.01).
      The incidences of other complications and inpatient mortality (54.3% vs. 58.2%, p
      = 0.54) were similar. On logistic regression, the requirement of NCSPs was not
      associated with mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI]:
      0.68-1.23, p = 0.17). However, requirement of blood transfusion was associated
      with mortality (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.06-2.74, p = 0.03). Although NCSPs in
      patients supported with ECMO does not increase mortality, it results in increased
      morbidity and longer hospital stay. 

PMID- 26102175
TI  - Ultraviolet Radiation Affects Thoratec HeartMate II Driveline Mechanical
      Properties: A Pilot Experiment.
AB  - Longevity and quality of life for left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patients
      are plagued by driveline exit site infections. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, a
      current treatment in wound healing clinics, could potentially treat LVAD exit
      site infections. However, the effect of UV radiation on the tensile properties of
      HeartMate II (HMII) driveline material is unknown. The sleeve of a single HMII
      driveline was distributed into six exposure groups (n = 10/group). The six groups
      were further divided into two treatment cohorts designed to replicate wound
      treatment schedules of postimplant LVAD patients. Strip biaxial tensile tests
      were performed on both unexposed and exposed samples to analyze changes in
      material elasticity (Young's modulus), point of deformation (yield strength), and
      breaking point. Our data suggest that UV exposure changes the elasticity of the
      HMII driveline. However, the material endured aberrantly large forces and the
      properties remained within the safety threshold of device performance. This study
      warrants further examination of the effect of UV light on driveline material, to
      determine safety, reliability, and efficacy of UV treatment on exit site
      infections. 

PMID- 26102176
TI  - Safety of Prothombin Complex Concentrate to Control Excess Bleeding During
      Continuous Flow LVAD Insertion.
AB  - In cardiovascular surgery, hemostatic complexities require the provision of blood
      products to control bleeding as well as the use of a number of hemostatic agents,
      some of which cause significant morbidity. Among these agents is prothrombin
      complex concentrates (PCC), however there is no clear consensus on PCC use in
      cardiovascular surgery. To investigate the safety of PCC in patients undergoing
      left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement, we reviewed our single
      institution experience to examine the incidence of thromboembolic events and a
      variety of hospital markers including morbidity and mortality. A retrospective
      review was conducted of patients who underwent LVAD placement between January
      2010 and October 2012. Patients who received intraoperative PCC constituted the
      PCC group (n = 41) and those who did not constituted the non-PCC group (n = 27).
      The overall incidence of thromboembolic events at 3 months postoperative was 12
      (29.3%) in the PCC group compared with six (22.2%) in the non-PCC group,
      respectively (p > 0.05). Morbidity did not differ between groups and one patient
      in the PCC group died. The intraoperative use of PCC in LVAD insertion does not
      appear to be associated with a significant increase in thromboembolic events;
      however, larger randomized trials are needed to confirm these findings. 

PMID- 26102177
TI  - Sensorless Suction Recognition in the Self-Regulating Cleveland Clinic Continuous
      Flow Total Artificial Heart.
AB  - The Cleveland Clinic continuous-flow total artificial heart passively regulates
      itself in regard to the relative performance of systemic and pulmonary pumps. The
      system incorporates real-time monitoring to detect any indication of incipient
      left or right suction as input for automatic controller response. To recognize
      suction, the external controller compares the waveforms of modulating speed input
      and power feedback. Deviations in periodic waveforms indicate sudden changes to
      flow impedance, which are characteristic of suction events as the pump speed is
      modulating. Incipient suction is indicated within 3 seconds of being detected in
      the power wave form, allowing timely controller response before mean flow is
      affected. This article describes the results obtained from subjecting the system
      to severe hemodynamic manipulation during an acute study in a calf. 

PMID- 26102179
TI  - Comparative pharmacokinetics of arctigenin in normal and type 2 diabetic rats
      after oral and intravenous administration.
AB  - Arctigenin is the main active ingredient of Fructus Arctii for the treatment of
      type 2 diabetes. In this study, the pharmacokinetics of arctigenin in normal and
      type 2 diabetic rats following oral and intravenous administration was
      investigated. As compared to normal rats, Cmax and AUC(0-10h) values of oral
      arctigenin in diabetic rats increased by 356.8% and 223.4%, respectively. In
      contrast, after intravenous injection, the Cmax and AUC(0-10h) values of
      arctigenin showed no significant difference between diabetic and normal rats. In
      order to explore how the bioavailability of oral arctigenin increased under
      diabetic condition, the absorption behavior of arctigenin was evaluated by in
      situ single-pass intestinal perfusion (SPIP). The results indicated that
      arctigenin was a substrate of P-glycoprotein (P-gp). The absorption difference of
      arctigenin in the normal and diabetic rats could be eliminated by the
      pretreatment of classic P-gp inhibitor verapamil, suggesting that P-gp might be
      the key factor causing the absorption enhancement of arctigenin in diabetic rats.
      Further studies revealed that the uptake of rhodamine 123 (Rho123) in diabetic
      rats was significantly higher, indicating that diabetes mellitus might impair P
      gp function. Consistently, a lower mRNA level of P-gp in the intestine of
      diabetic rats was found. In conclusion, the absorption of arctigenin after oral
      administration was promoted in diabetic rats, which might be partially attribute
      to the decreased expression and impaired function of P-gp in intestines.

PMID- 26102178
TI  - A Nitric Oxide-Releasing Self-Assembled Peptide Amphiphile Nanomatrix for
      Improving the Biocompatibility of Microporous Hollow Fibers.
AB  - Oxygenators are critical components of extracorporeal circuits used frequently in
      cardiopulmonary bypass and intensive care, but platelet activation and induction
      of a complex inflammatory response are usually observed with their use. To
      improve the biocompatibility of oxygenators, we developed a nitric oxide (NO)
      releasing, self-assembled peptide amphiphile nanomatrix. The nanomatrix formed a
      homogenous coating over the microporous hollow fibers as demonstrated by scanning
      electron microscopy. We quantitated platelet adhesion to the artificial fibers by
      measuring absorbance/area of platelets (Abs/A; nm/m2) using acid phosphatase
      assay. There was a 17-fold decrease in platelet adhesion to the nanomatrix (Abs/A
      = 0.125) compared with collagen controls (Abs/A = 2.07; p < 0.05) and a 22-fold
      decrease compared with uncoated fibers (Abs/A = 2.75; p < 0.05). Importantly, the
      nanomatrix coating did not impede oxygen transfer in water through coated fiber
      modules (p > 0.05) in a benchtop test circuit at different flow rates as
      estimated by change in partial pressure of oxygen in relation to water velocity
      through fibers. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of coating microporous
      hollow fibers with a NO-releasing self-assembled amphiphile nanomatrix that may
      improve the biocompatibility of the hollow fibers without affecting their gas
      exchange capacity.

PMID- 26102180
TI  - Fungal plasma membrane H+-ATPase inhibitory activity of o-hydroxybenzylated
      flavanones and chalcones from Uvaria chamae P. Beauv.
AB  - In our ongoing efforts of finding natural fungicides to fight food and feed
      spoilage during production and storage, the antifungal potential of Ghanaian
      Uvaria chamae P. Beauv. was investigated, with emphasis on plant metabolites
      targeting the fungal plasma membrane (PM) H(+)-ATPase. Ethyl acetate extract of
      U. chamae was subjected to high-resolution fungal PM H(+)-ATPase inhibition
      screening followed by structural elucidation by high-performance liquid
      chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry-solid-phase extraction-nuclear
      magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HPLC-HRMS-SPE-NMR). This led to identification
      of a series of uncommon o-hydroxybenzylated flavanones and chalcones, i.e.,
      chamanetin (8), isochamanetin (9), isouvaretin (10), uvaretin (11), dichamanetin
      (12), and diuvaretin (15). Preparative-scale isolation of the active metabolites
      allowed determination of IC50 values for inhibition of the PM H(+)-ATPase, and
      growth inhibition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans. These
      revealed a strong correlation between o-hydroxybenzyl substituents and PM H(+)
      ATPase activity, with dichamanetin being the most potent compound, but showing
      moderate activity in the fungal growth inhibition assays. 

PMID- 26102181
TI  - Incidence and Predictors of Lower Limb Split-Skin Graft Failure and Primary
      Closure Dehiscence in Day-Case Surgical Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: After general surgery, the lower limb experiences some of the highest
      complication rates. However, little is known about contributing factors to
      surgical site failure in the lower limb dermatological surgery population.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of lower limb surgical site failure and to
      explore the predictors that contribute to surgical site failure. METHODS: A
      prospective observational study design was used to collect data from 73
      participants, from July 2010, to March 2012. Incidence was determined as a
      percentage of surgical site failure from the total population. Predictors were
      determined by the use of a binary logistic regression model. RESULTS: The
      surgical site failure rate was 53.4%. Split-skin grafting had a higher failure
      rate than primary closures, 66% versus 26.1%. Predictors of lower limb surgical
      site failure were identified as increasing age (p = .04) and the presence of
      postoperative hematoma (p = .01), with all patients who developed surgical site
      infection experiencing surgical site failure (p = .01). CONCLUSION: Findings from
      this study confirmed that the lower limb is at high risk of surgical site
      failure. Two predictors of surgical site failure from this cohort were
      determined. However, to understand this phenomenon and make recommendations to
      assist and reduce surgical site complications, further research in this field is
      required.

PMID- 26102182
TI  - Repair of Lower Face Defects.

PMID- 26102183
TI  - In Vivo Reflectance Confocal Microscopy Combined With the "Spaghetti" Technique:
      A New Procedure for Defining Surgical Margins of Genital Paget Disease.

PMID- 26102184
TI  - Relay of cyclin-dependent kinases in the regulation of axonal growth.
AB  - One of the most perplexing problems in neuronal morphogenesis is how local
      polarity signals echo genetic instructions to establish structural and functional
      asymmetry of neuronal compartments, i.e., axons, dendrites, and synapses. However
      studying these phenomena is complicated because both genes and the local
      environment influence the phenotype of developing neurons. Cell cycle-associated
      nuclear transcription regulators involved in axon extension, for example Cdk12
      and Cdk13, thus provide ideal models for connecting spatially separated events at
      specific developmental time points. 

PMID- 26102185
TI  - Sex and the money--How gender stereotypes modulate economic decision-making: An
      ERP study.
AB  - In the present event-related potential study, we investigated whether and how
      participants playing the ultimatum game as responders modulate their decisions
      according to the proposers' stereotypical identity. The proposers' identity was
      manipulated using occupational role nouns stereotypically marked with gender
      (e.g., Teacher; Engineer), paired with either feminine or masculine proper names
      (e.g., Anna; David). Greater FRN amplitudes reflected the early processing of the
      conflict between the strategic rule (i.e., earning as much money as possible) and
      ready-to-go responses (i.e., refusing unequal offers and discriminating proposers
      according to their stereotype). Responders were found to rely on a dual-process
      system (i.e., automatic and heuristic-based system 1 vs. cognitively costly and
      deliberative system 2), the P300 amplitude reflecting the switch from a decision
      making system to another. Greater P300 amplitudes were found in response to both
      fair and unfair offers and male-stereotyped proposers' offers reflecting an
      automatic decision making based on heuristics, while lower P300 amplitudes were
      found in response to 3? offers and the female-stereotyped proposers' offers
      reflecting a more deliberative reasoning. Overall, the results indicate that
      participants were more motivated to engage in a costly deliberative reasoning
      associated with an increase in acceptation rate when playing with female
      stereotyped proposers, who may have induced more positive and emphatic feelings
      in the participants than did male-stereotyped proposers. Then, we assume that
      people with an occupation stereotypically marked with female gender and engaged
      in an economic negotiation may benefit from their occupation at least in the case
      their counterparts lose their money if the negotiation fails. 

PMID- 26102186
TI  - Roaring lions and chirruping lemurs: How the brain encodes sound objects in
      space.
AB  - The dual-stream model of auditory processing postulates separate processing
      streams for sound meaning and for sound location. The present review draws on
      evidence from human behavioral and activation studies as well as from lesion
      studies to argue for a position-linked representation of sound objects that is
      distinct both from the position-independent representation within the
      ventral/What stream and from the explicit sound localization processing within
      the dorsal/Where stream. 

PMID- 26102187
TI  - Single trial beta oscillations index time estimation.
AB  - Recent work shows that putamen-originating beta power oscillations serve as a
      carrier for temporal information during tapping tasks, with higher beta power
      associated with longer temporal reproductions. However, given the nature of
      tapping tasks, it is difficult to determine whether beta power dynamics observed
      in these tasks are linked to the generation or execution of motor programs or to
      the internal representation of time. To assess whether recent findings in animals
      generalize to human studies we reanalyzed existing EEG data of participants who
      estimated a 2.5s time interval with self-paced onset and offset keypresses. The
      results showed that the trial-to-trial beta power measured after the onset
      predicts the produced duration, such that higher beta power indexes longer
      produced durations. Moreover, although beta power measured before the first key
      press also influenced the estimated interval, it did so independently from post
      first-keypress beta power. These results suggest that initial motor inhibition
      plays an important role in interval production, and that this inhibition can be
      interpreted as a biased starting point of the decision processes involved in time
      estimation. 

PMID- 26102188
TI  - The contribution of neurodegenerative diseases to the modelling of semantic
      memory: A new proposal and a review of the literature.
AB  - This paper provides a focused review of the literature on semantic impairment in
      semantic dementia (SD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). An attempt is made to
      interpret the most relevant phenomena in the light of a new model of semantic
      memory. This model comprises a language-based component (disrupted in SD and AD),
      which supports our ability to establish reliable token vs. type relationships in
      the service of propositional thinking, and a philogenetically older sensorimotor
      component, which is needed to categorize our environment in a more implicit way.
      Extant neuropsychological models of semantic memory are also reviewed and
      compared with the new model in terms of their ability to explain the observed
      phenomena and to deal with the problem of establishing token vs. type
      relationships starting from inconsistent cross modal input representations and
      arbitrary category boundaries. 

PMID- 26102189
TI  - Longitudinal cognitive decline in the AIBL cohort: The role of APOE epsilon4
      status.
AB  - The epsilon4 polymorphism of the APOE gene confers a substantially increased risk
      of developing Alzheimer's disease. However, the influence of the epsilon4 allele
      on age-related cognitive functioning is more contentious. Previously, we
      demonstrated relatively little evidence for a role of the epsilon4 allele on
      baseline cognitive performance in older adults in the Australian Imaging,
      Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) Study of Ageing (Foster et al., 2013). We here
      investigated whether the APOE epsilon4 allele influenced cognitive status over
      time when the AIBL cohort was studied longitudinally over a 3-year period. The
      AIBL neuropsychological test battery was administered at baseline, after 18
      months and again after 36 months. Participants comprised 764 Healthy Controls and
      131 Mild Cognitively Impaired individuals enrolled in the AIBL Study of Ageing.
      We compared individuals within each group with and without an epsilon4 allele.
      Healthy Controls with an epsilon4 allele manifested a modest acceleration in
      cognitive decline over 36 months on measures of verbal episodic memory. By
      contrast, Mild Cognitively Impaired individuals with an epsilon4 allele showed
      increased cognitive decline across a range of cognitive tasks, putatively
      reflecting early cognitive signs of Alzheimer's disease. Given the long prodromal
      period that has been noted in late onset Alzheimer's disease, we suggest that
      these findings are consistent with a prodromal account rather than a phenotypic
      account of epsilon4-related cognitive ageing.

PMID- 26102191
TI  - The role of tactile afference in shaping motor behaviour and implications for
      prosthetic innovation.
AB  - The present review focusses on how tactile somatosensory afference is encoded and
      processed, and how this information is interpreted and acted upon in terms of
      motor control. We relate the fundamental workings of the sensorimotor system to
      the rehabilitation of amputees using modern prosthetic interventions. Our sense
      of touch is central to our everyday lives, from allowing us to manipulate objects
      accurately to giving us a sense of self-embodiment. There are a variety of
      specialised cutaneous mechanoreceptive afferents, which differ in terms of type
      and density according to the skin site. In humans, there is a dense innervation
      of our hands, which is reflected in their vast over-representation in
      somatosensory and motor cortical areas. We review the accumulated evidence from
      animal and human studies about the precise interplay between the somatosensory
      and motor systems, which is highly integrated in many brain areas and often not
      separable. The glabrous hand skin provides exquisite, discriminative detail about
      touch, which is useful for refining movements. When these signals are disrupted,
      such as through injury or amputation, the consequences are considerable. The
      development of sensory feedback in prosthetics offers a promising avenue for the
      full integration of a missing body part. Real-time touch feedback from motor
      intentions aids in grip control and the ability to distinguish different
      surfaces, even introducing the possibility of pleasure in artificial touch. Thus,
      our knowledge from fundamental research into sensorimotor interactions should be
      used to develop more realistic and integrative prostheses. 

PMID- 26102190
TI  - The effect of age on cognitive performance of frontal patients.
AB  - Age is known to affect prefrontal brain structure and executive functioning in
      healthy older adults, patients with neurodegenerative conditions and TBI. Yet, no
      studies appear to have systematically investigated the effect of age on cognitive
      performance in patients with focal lesions. We investigated the effect of age on
      the cognitive performance of a large sample of tumour and stroke patients with
      focal unilateral, frontal (n=68), or non-frontal lesions (n=45) and healthy
      controls (n=52). We retrospectively reviewed their cross sectional cognitive and
      imaging data. In our frontal patients, age significantly predicted the magnitude
      of their impairment on two executive tests (Raven's Advanced Progressive
      Matrices, RAPM and the Stroop test) but not on nominal (Graded Naming Test, GNT)
      or perceptual (Incomplete Letters) task. In our non-frontal patients, age did not
      predict the magnitude of their impairment on the RAPM and GNT. Furthermore, the
      exacerbated executive impairment observed in our frontal patients manifested
      itself from middle age. We found that only age consistently predicted the
      exacerbated executive impairment. Lesions to specific frontal areas, or an
      increase in global brain atrophy or white matter abnormalities were not
      associated with this impairment. Our results are in line with the notion that the
      frontal cortex plays a critical role in aging to counteract cognitive and
      neuronal decline. We suggest that the combined effect of aging and frontal
      lesions impairs the frontal cortical systems by causing its computational power
      to fall below the threshold needed to complete executive tasks successfully. 

PMID- 26102192
TI  - Electrophysiological assessment of the time course of bilingual visual word
      recognition: Early access to language membership.
AB  - Previous research examining the time course of lexical access during word
      recognition suggests that phonological processing precedes access to semantic
      information, which in turn precedes access to syntactic information. Bilingual
      word recognition likely requires an additional level: knowledge of which language
      a specific word belongs to. Using the recording of event-related potentials, we
      investigated the time course of access to language membership information
      relative to semantic (Experiment 1) and syntactic (Experiment 2) encoding during
      visual word recognition. In Experiment 1, Spanish-English bilinguals viewed a
      series of printed words while making dual-choice go/nogo and left/right hand
      decisions based on semantic (whether the word referred to an animal or an object)
      and language membership information (whether the word was in English or in
      Spanish). Experiment 2 used a similar paradigm but with syntactic information
      (whether the word was a noun or a verb) as one of the response contingencies. The
      onset and peak latency of the N200, a component related to response inhibition,
      indicated that language information is accessed earlier than semantic
      information. Similarly, language information was also accessed earlier than
      syntactic information (but only based on peak latency). We discuss these findings
      with respect to models of bilingual word recognition and language comprehension
      in general. 

PMID- 26102193
TI  - Electron confinement at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface.
AB  - Physical and structural phenomena originating from polar discontinuities have
      generated enormous activity. In the last ten years, the oxide interface between
      polar LaAlO(3) and non-polar SrTiO(3), both band insulators, has attracted
      particular interest, as it hosts an electron liquid with remarkable properties:
      it superconducts, has a sizeable spin-orbit interaction and its properties are
      tunable by an electric field. The profile of the carrier density at the interface
      and the exact band structure are properties strongly linked and still objects of
      debate. Here we review the experimental findings on the origin and the extension
      of the electron liquid and discuss the theoretical models developed to describe
      the charge profile and the band structure. We also introduce a model to account
      for the effect of interface disorder which could modify the charge distribution.

PMID- 26102194
TI  - Curcumin enhanced cholesterol efflux by upregulating ABCA1 expression through
      AMPK-SIRT1-LXRalpha signaling in THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells.
AB  - Curcumin, a traditional Chinese derivative from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa, is
      beneficial to health by modulating lipid metabolism and suppressing
      atherogenesis. A key part of atherosclerosis is the failure of macrophages to
      restore their cellular cholesterol homeostasis and the formation of foam cells.
      In this study, results showed that curcumin dramatically increased the expression
      of ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1), promoted cholesterol efflux from
      THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells, and reduced cellular cholesterol levels.
      Curcumin activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and SIRT1, and then
      activated LXRalpha in THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells. Inhibiting AMPK/SIRT1
      activity by its specific inhibitor or by small interfering RNA could inhibit
      LXRalpha activation and abolish curcumin-induced ABCA1 expression and cholesterol
      efflux. Thus, curcumin enhanced cholesterol efflux by upregulating ABCA1
      expression through activating AMPK-SIRT1-LXRalpha signaling in THP-1 macrophage
      derived foam cells. This study describes a possible mechanism for understanding
      the antiatherogenic effects of curcumin on attenuating the progression of
      atherosclerosis. 

PMID- 26102196
TI  - Medical day hospital care for older people versus alternative forms of care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The proportion of the world's population aged over 60 years is
      increasing. Therefore, there is a need to examine different methods of healthcare
      provision for this population. Medical day hospitals provide multidisciplinary
      health services to older people in one location. OBJECTIVES: To examine the
      effectiveness of medical day hospitals for older people in preventing death,
      disability, institutionalisation and improving subjective health status. SEARCH
      METHODS: Our search included the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of
      Care (EPOC) Group Register of Studies, CENTRAL (2013, Issue 7), MEDLINE via Ovid
      (1950-2013 ), EMBASE via Ovid (1947-2013) and CINAHL via EbscoHost (1980-2013).
      We also conducted cited reference searches, searched conference proceedings and
      trial registries, hand searched select journals, and contacted relevant authors
      and researchers to inquire about additional data. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised
      and quasi-randomised trials comparing medical day hospitals with alternative care
      for older people (mean/median > 60 years of age). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:
      Two authors independently assessed trial eligibility and risk of bias and
      extracted data from included trials. We used standard methodological procedures
      expected by the Cochrane Collaboration. Trials were sub-categorised as
      comprehensive care, domiciliary care or no comprehensive care. MAIN RESULTS:
      Sixteen trials (3689 participants) compared day hospitals with comprehensive care
      (five trials), domiciliary care (seven trials) or no comprehensive care (four
      trials). Overall there was low quality evidence from these trials for the
      following results.For the outcome of death, there was no strong evidence for or
      against day hospitals compared to other treatments overall (odds ratio (OR) 1.05;
      95% CI 0.85 to 1.28; P = 0.66), or to comprehensive care (OR 1.26; 95% CI 0.87 to
      1.82; P = 0.22), domiciliary care (OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.61 to 1.55; P = 0.89), or no
      comprehensive care (OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.63 to 1.22; P = 0.43).For the outcome of
      death or deterioration in activities of daily living (ADL), there was no strong
      evidence for day hospital attendance compared to other treatments (OR 1.07; 95%
      CI 0.76 to 1.49; P = 0.70), or to comprehensive care (OR 1.18; 95% CI 0.63 to
      2.18; P = 0.61), domiciliary care (OR 1.41; 95% CI 0.82 to 2.42; P = 0.21) or no
      comprehensive care (OR 0.76; 95% CI 0.56 to 1.05; P = 0.09).For the outcome of
      death or poor outcome (institutional care, dependency, deterioration in physical
      function), there was no strong evidence for day hospitals compared to other
      treatments (OR 0.92; 95% CI 0.74 to 1.15; P = 0.49), or compared to comprehensive
      care (OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.79 to 1.40; P = 0.74) or domiciliary care (OR 1.08; 95%
      CI 0.67 to 1.74; P = 0.75). However, compared with no comprehensive care there
      was a difference in favour of day hospitals (OR 0.72; 95% CI 0.53 to 0.99; P =
      0.04).For the outcome of death or institutional care, there was no strong
      evidence for day hospitals compared to other treatments overall (OR 0.85; 95% CI
      0.63 to 1.14; P = 0.28), or to comprehensive care (OR 1.00; 95% CI 0.69 to 1.44;
      P = 0.99), domiciliary care (OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.57 to1.92; P = 0. 88) or no
      comprehensive care (OR 0.63; 95% CI 0.40 to 1.00; P = 0.05).For the outcome of
      deterioration in ADL, there was no strong evidence that day hospital attendance
      had a different effect than other treatments overall (OR 1.11; 95% CI 0.68 to
      1.80; P = 0.67) or compared with comprehensive care (OR 1.21; 0.58 to 2.52; P =
      0.61), or domiciliary care (OR 1.59; 95% CI 0.87 to 2.90; P = 0.13). However, day
      hospital patients showed a reduced odds of deterioration compared with those
      receiving no comprehensive care (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.38 to 0.97; P = 0.04) and
      significant subgroup differences (P = 0.04).For the outcome of requiring
      institutional care, there was no strong evidence for day hospitals compared to
      other treatments (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.58 to 1.21; P = 0.35), or to comprehensive
      care (OR 0.91; 95% CI 0.70 to 1.19; P = 0.49), domiciliary care (OR 1.49; 95% CI
      0.53 to 4.25; P = 0.45), or no comprehensive care (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.28 to 1.20;
      P = 0.14). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is low quality evidence that medical day
      hospitals appear effective compared to no comprehensive care for the combined
      outcome of death or poor outcome, and for deterioration in ADL. There is no clear
      evidence for other outcomes, or an advantage over other medical care provision.

PMID- 26102195
TI  - The translational regulator Cup controls NMJ presynaptic terminal morphology.
AB  - During oogenesis and early embryonic development in Drosophila, translation of
      proteins from maternally deposited mRNAs is tightly controlled. We and others
      have previously shown that translational regulatory proteins that function during
      oogenesis also have essential roles in the nervous system. Here we examine the
      role of Cup in neuromuscular system development. Maternal Cup controls
      translation of localized mRNAs encoding the Oskar and Nanos proteins and binds to
      the general translation initiation factor eIF4E. In this paper, we show that
      zygotic Cup protein is localized to presynaptic terminals at larval neuromuscular
      junctions (NMJs). cup mutant NMJs have strong phenotypes characterized by the
      presence of small clustered boutons called satellite boutons. They also exhibit
      an increase in the frequency of spontaneous glutamate release events (mEPSPs).
      Reduction of eIF4E expression synergizes with partial loss of Cup expression to
      produce satellite bouton phenotypes. The presence of satellite boutons is often
      associated with increases in retrograde bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)
      signaling, and we show that synaptic BMP signaling is elevated in cup mutants.
      cup genetically interacts with two genes, EndoA and Dap160, that encode proteins
      involved in endocytosis that are also neuronal modulators of the BMP pathway.
      Endophilin protein, encoded by the EndoA gene, is downregulated in a cup mutant.
      Our results are consistent with a model in which Cup and eIF4E work together to
      ensure efficient localization and translation of endocytosis proteins in motor
      neurons and control the strength of the retrograde BMP signal. 

PMID- 26102197
TI  - Predictors for Mild and Severe Hypoglycemia in Insulin-Treated Japanese Diabetic
      Patients.
AB  - The objective of this study was to explore predictors, including social factors,
      lifestyle factors, and factors relevant to glycemic control and treatment, for
      mild and severe hypoglycemia in insulin-treated Japanese diabetic patients. This
      study included 123 insulin-treated diabetic patients who were referred to the
      diabetes clinic between January and July 2013 at Shiga University of Medical
      Science Hospital. After a survey examining the various factors, patients were
      followed for 6 months. During the follow-up period, blood glucose was self
      monitored. Mild hypoglycemia was defined as blood glucose level 50-69 mg/dl, and
      severe hypoglycemia was defined as blood glucose level <=49 mg/dl. Multinomial
      logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95%
      confidence interval (CI) of each factor for mild and severe hypoglycemia. During
      the 6-month follow-up period, 41 (33.3%) patients experienced mild hypoglycemia,
      and 20 (16.3%) experienced severe hypoglycemia. In multivariable-adjusted
      analyses, assistance from family members at the time of the insulin injection
      [presence/absence, OR (95% CI): 0.39 (0.16-0.97)] and drinking [current
      drinker/non- and ex-drinker, OR (95% CI): 4.89 (1.68-14.25)] affected mild
      hypoglycemia. Assistance from family members at the time of insulin injection
      [presence/absence, OR (95% CI): 0.19 (0.05-0.75)] and intensive insulin therapy
      [yes/no, OR (95% CI): 3.61 (1.06-12.26)] affected severe hypoglycemia. In
      conclusion, our findings suggest that not only a factor relevant to glycemic
      control and treatment (intensive insulin therapy) but also a social factor
      (assistance from family members) and a lifestyle factor (current drinking) were
      predictors for mild or severe hypoglycemia in Japanese insulin-treated diabetic
      patients. 

PMID- 26102198
TI  - Cinnamon and Its Metabolite Sodium Benzoate Attenuate the Activation of p21rac
      and Protect Memory and Learning in an Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - This study underlines the importance of cinnamon, a commonly used natural spice
      and flavoring material, and its metabolite sodium benzoate (NaB) in attenuating
      oxidative stress and protecting memory and learning in an animal model of
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). NaB, but not sodium formate, was found to inhibit LPS
      induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mouse microglial cells.
      Similarly, NaB also inhibited fibrillar amyloid beta (Abeta)- and 1-methyl-4
      phenylpyridinium(+)-induced microglial production of ROS. Although NaB reduced
      the level of cholesterol in vivo in mice, reversal of the inhibitory effect of
      NaB on ROS production by mevalonate, and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate, but not
      cholesterol, suggests that depletion of intermediates, but not end products, of
      the mevalonate pathway is involved in the antioxidant effect of NaB. Furthermore,
      we demonstrate that an inhibitor of p21rac geranylgeranyl protein transferase
      suppressed the production of ROS and that NaB suppressed the activation of p21rac
      in microglia. As expected, marked activation of p21rac was observed in the
      hippocampus of subjects with AD and 5XFAD transgenic (Tg) mouse model of AD.
      However, oral feeding of cinnamon (Cinnamonum verum) powder and NaB suppressed
      the activation of p21rac and attenuated oxidative stress in the hippocampus of Tg
      mice as evident by decreased dihydroethidium (DHE) and nitrotyrosine staining,
      reduced homocysteine level and increased level of reduced glutathione. This was
      accompanied by suppression of neuronal apoptosis, inhibition of glial activation,
      and reduction of Abeta burden in the hippocampus and protection of memory and
      learning in transgenic mice. Therefore, cinnamon powder may be a promising
      natural supplement in halting or delaying the progression of AD. 

PMID- 26102200
TI  - Temperature and Concentration Stratification Effects in Mixed Convection Flow of
      an Oldroyd-B Fluid with Thermal Radiation and Chemical Reaction.
AB  - This research addresses the mixed convection flow of an Oldroyd-B fluid in a
      doubly stratified surface. Both temperature and concentration stratification
      effects are considered. Thermal radiation and chemical reaction effects are
      accounted. The governing nonlinear boundary layer equations are converted to
      coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations using appropriate
      transformations. Resulting nonlinear systems are solved for the convergent series
      solutions. Graphs are plotted to examine the impacts of physical parameters on
      the non-dimensional temperature and concentration distributions. The local
      Nusselt number and the local Sherwood number are computed and analyzed
      numerically. 

PMID- 26102199
TI  - Metabolic Consequences of Chronic Alcohol Abuse in Non-Smokers: A Pilot Study.
AB  - An alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with an increased susceptibility to
      respiratory infection and injury and, upon hospitalization, higher mortality
      rates. Studies in model systems show effects of alcohol on mitochondrial
      function, lipid metabolism and antioxidant systems. The present study applied
      high-resolution metabolomics to test for these changes in bronchoalveolar lavage
      fluid (BALF) of subjects with an AUD. Smokers were excluded to avoid confounding
      effects and compliance was verified by cotinine measurements. Statistically
      significant metabolic features, differentially expressed by control and AUD
      subjects, were identified by statistical and bioinformatic methods. The results
      show that fatty acid and acylcarnitine concentrations were increased in AUD
      subjects, consistent with perturbed mitochondrial and lipid metabolism. Decreased
      concentrations of methyl-donor compounds suggest altered one-carbon metabolism
      and oxidative stress. An accumulation of peptides suggests proteolytic activity,
      which could reflect altered epithelial barrier function. Two metabolites of
      possible microbial origin suggest subclinical bacterial infection. Furthermore,
      increased diacetylspermine suggests additional metabolic perturbations, which
      could contribute to dysregulated alveolar macrophage function and vulnerability
      to infection. Together, the results show an extended metabolic consequence of AUD
      in the bronchoalveolar space. 

PMID- 26102201
TI  - Adaptive Role of Inversion Polymorphism of Drosophila subobscura in Lead Stressed
      Environment.
AB  - Local adaptation to environmental stress at different levels of genetic
      polymorphism in various plants and animals has been documented through evolution
      of heavy metal tolerance. We used samples of Drosophila subobscura populations
      from two differently polluted environments to analyze the change of chromosomal
      inversion polymorphism as genetic marker during laboratory exposure to lead.
      Exposure to environmental contamination can affect the genetic content within a
      particular inversion and produce targets for selection in populations from
      different environments. The aims were to discover whether the inversion
      polymorphism is shaped by the local natural environments, and if lead as a
      selection pressure would cause adaptive divergence of two populations during the
      multigenerational laboratory experiment. The results showed that populations
      retain signatures from past contamination events, and that heavy metal pollution
      can cause adaptive changes in population. Differences in inversion polymorphism
      between the two populations increased over generations under lead contamination
      in the laboratory. The inversion polymorphism of population originating from the
      more polluted natural environment was more stable during the experiment, both
      under conditions with and without lead. Therefore, results showed that inversion
      polymorphism as a genetic marker reflects a strong signature of adaptation to the
      local environment, and that historical demographic events and selection are
      important for both prediction of evolutionary potential and long-term viability
      of natural populations. 

PMID- 26102203
TI  - Ionic liquid- and surfactant-controlled crystallization of WO3 films.
AB  - WO3 films were obtained via evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) using ionic
      surfactants such as long-chain ionic liquids 1-hexadecyl-3-methyl imidazolium
      chloride and bromide (C16mimCl and C16mimBr, respectively) and
      cetyltrimethylammonium chloride and bromide (CTAC and CTAB, respectively) as
      additives. Owing to the presence of the ionic surfactants, WO3 films crystallize
      in a preferred orientation along the a-axis on different substrates, as evidenced
      by X-ray diffraction. WO3 films with this orientation show improved
      electrochromic properties when compared to films with a lower degree of
      crystallographic orientation, prepared in an analogue fashion. 

PMID- 26102202
TI  - What Shapes the Phylogenetic Structure of Anuran Communities in a Seasonal
      Environment? The Influence of Determinism at Regional Scale to Stochasticity or
      Antagonistic Forces at Local Scale.
AB  - Ecological communities are structured by both deterministic and stochastic
      processes. We investigated phylogenetic patterns at regional and local scales to
      understand the influences of seasonal processes in shaping the structure of
      anuran communities in the southern Pantanal wetland, Brazil. We assessed the
      phylogenetic structure at different scales, using the Net Relatedness Index
      (NRI), the Nearest Taxon Index (NTI), and phylobetadiversity indexes, as well as
      a permutation test, to evaluate the effect of seasonality. The anuran community
      was represented by a non-random set of species with a high degree of phylogenetic
      relatedness at the regional scale. However, at the local scale the phylogenetic
      structure of the community was weakly related with the seasonality of the system,
      indicating that oriented stochastic processes (e.g. colonization, extinction and
      ecological drift) and/or antagonist forces drive the structure of such
      communities in the southern Pantanal. 

PMID- 26102205
TI  - Another day, another tennis coaching intervention, but does this one do what
      coaches purport?
AB  - A proficient serve is critical to successful tennis performance, and consequently
      coaches and players devote considerable time refining this stroke. In so doing, a
      wide variety of interventions are used or trialled, generally with very little
      empirical support. This study examined the efficacy of a commonly used service
      intervention, where players focus on exaggerating their finish (arabesque)
      position to promote specific changes in lower limb and trunk kinematics. The
      kinematics of eight high-performance junior players hitting flat serves were
      compared to the acute changes in kinematics elicited by the arabesque follow
      through position on serves using a 10-camera VICON MX motion analysis system. The
      significantly greater front (landing leg) hip flexion (p < 0.05) and forward
      trunk flexion (p < 0.05) confirmed the more exaggerated arabesque landing
      position following the arabesque instruction. The arabesque instruction resulted
      in increased frontal plane trunk range of motion and peak angular velocity in the
      forward swing, and increased leg drive during the drive phase. Practically, the
      results support the use of the arabesque instruction, effectively promoting the
      desired acute changes in trunk kinematics (i.e. increased frontal plane trunk
      rotation angular velocity) and leg drive (i.e. increased back knee extension
      angular velocity and front/back vertical hip velocity).

PMID- 26102204
TI  - Exploring Metrics to Express Energy Expenditure of Physical Activity in Youth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several approaches have been used to express energy expenditure in
      youth, but no consensus exists as to which best normalizes data for the wide
      range of ages and body sizes across a range of physical activities. This study
      examined several common metrics for expressing energy expenditure to determine
      whether one metric can be used for all healthy children. Such a metric could
      improve our ability to further advance the Compendium of Physical Activities for
      Youth. METHODS: A secondary analysis of oxygen uptake (VO2) data obtained from
      five sites was completed, that included 947 children ages 5 to 18 years, who
      engaged in 14 different activities. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) was computed
      based on Schofield Equations [Hum Nutr Clin Nut. 39(Suppl 1), 1985]. Absolute
      oxygen uptake (ml.min-1), oxygen uptake per kilogram body mass (VO2 in ml.kg
      1.min-1), net oxygen uptake (VO2 - resting metabolic rate), allometric scaled
      oxygen uptake (VO2 in ml.kg-0.75.min-1) and YOUTH-MET (VO2.[resting VO2] -1) were
      calculated. These metrics were regressed with age, sex, height, and body mass.
      RESULTS: Net and allometric-scaled VO2, and YOUTH-MET were least associated with
      age, sex and physical characteristics. For moderate-to-vigorous intensity
      activities, allometric scaling was least related to age and sex. For sedentary
      and low-intensity activities, YOUTH-MET was least related to age and sex.
      CONCLUSIONS: No energy expenditure metric completely eliminated the influence of
      age, physical characteristics, and sex. The Adult MET consistently overestimated
      EE. YOUTH-MET was better for expressing energy expenditure for sedentary and
      light activities, whereas allometric scaling was better for moderate and vigorous
      intensity activities. From a practical perspective, The YOUTH-MET may be the more
      feasible metric for improving of the Compendium of Physical Activities for Youth.

PMID- 26102206
TI  - Integration of Metabolic and Quorum Sensing Signals Governing the Decision to
      Cooperate in a Bacterial Social Trait.
AB  - Many unicellular organisms live in multicellular communities that rely on
      cooperation between cells. However, cooperative traits are vulnerable to
      exploitation by non-cooperators (cheaters). We expand our understanding of the
      molecular mechanisms that allow multicellular systems to remain robust in the
      face of cheating by dissecting the dynamic regulation of cooperative rhamnolipids
      required for swarming in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We combine mathematical modeling
      and experiments to quantitatively characterize the integration of metabolic and
      population density signals (quorum sensing) governing expression of the
      rhamnolipid synthesis operon rhlAB. The combined computational/experimental
      analysis reveals that when nutrients are abundant, rhlAB promoter activity
      increases gradually in a density dependent way. When growth slows down due to
      nutrient limitation, rhlAB promoter activity can stop abruptly, decrease
      gradually or even increase depending on whether the growth-limiting nutrient is
      the carbon source, nitrogen source or iron. Starvation by specific nutrients
      drives growth on intracellular nutrient pools as well as the qualitative rhlAB
      promoter response, which itself is modulated by quorum sensing. Our quantitative
      analysis suggests a supply-driven activation that integrates metabolic prudence
      with quorum sensing in a non-digital manner and allows P. aeruginosa cells to
      invest in cooperation only when the population size is large enough (quorum
      sensing) and individual cells have enough metabolic resources to do so (metabolic
      prudence). Thus, the quantitative description of rhlAB regulatory dynamics brings
      a greater understating to the regulation required to make swarming cooperation
      stable. 

PMID- 26102207
TI  - Association of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Polymorphisms With Acute
      Rejection in Liver Transplant Recipients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Polymorphisms of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene have been
      associated with altered endothelial nitric oxide synthase activity. The purpose
      of this study was to investigate the relation between endothelial nitric oxide
      synthase -786T/C and 894G/T polymorphism and their haplotypes on the occurrence
      of acute rejection episodes in liver transplant recipients. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We conducted a case control study in which 100 liver transplant
      recipients and 100 healthy controls were recruited from Shiraz Transplant Center.
      The patients used triple therapy including tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and
      prednisolone for immunosuppression maintenance. DNA was extracted from peripheral
      blood and endothelial nitric oxide synthase polymorphisms were determined by
      polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS:
      Patients included 60 men and 40 women (mean age, 32.35 +/- 10.2 y). There was a
      significant association of endothelial nitric oxide synthase 894G/T and acute
      rejection episode. The GT* gen-otype and acute rejection episodes had a
      significant association (odds ratio, 2.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.97-6.15; P
      = .03). The GG and GT* genotype and T* allele frequency were significantly
      different between patients and control subjects (P = .001). Haplotype TT* was
      higher in recipients than control subjects (odds ratio, 2.17; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.12-4.25; P = .01). Haplotype TG was higher in the control group (odds
      ratio, 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-0.96; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results suggest a relation between different endothelial nitric oxide synthase
      geno-types and risk of acute rejection episodes. However, further study is
      necessary to determine genetic susceptibility for transplant patients.

PMID- 26102208
TI  - Long-term safety and outcome of percutaneous transhepatic venous balloon
      angioplasty for Budd-Chiari syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The restenosis following percutaneous transluminal balloon
      angioplasty (PTBA) is high for Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) patients with hepatic
      venous obstruction (HVO). We aim to evaluate the safety and long-term outcome of
      PTBA with a large balloon catheter in a large series of patients with HVO.
      METHODS: Between January 2005 and December 2013, 93 consecutive BCS patients with
      HVO were referred for PTBA and subsequently underwent color Doppler
      ultrasonography or angiography follow-up. Data were retrospectively collected,
      and follow-up observations were performed at 1-, 2-, 2- to 5-, and 5- to 8-years
      postoperatively. RESULTS: Percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty was
      technically successful in all patients. Ninety-one patients (97.85%) were treated
      with PTBA and two with PTBA and stent. Major procedure-related complications
      occurred in six of the 93 patients (6.45%). The cumulative 1-, 2-, 2- to 5-, and
      5- to 8-year primary patency rates were 97.5%, 92.9%, 90%, and 86.5%,
      respectively. Cumulative 1-, 2-, 2- to 5-, and 5- to 8-year secondary patency
      rates were 100%, 100%, 98.6%, and 97.3%, respectively. Mean and median primary
      patency rates were 51.50 +/- 3.01 months and 55.0 +/- 3.63 months, respectively.
      Cumulative 1-, 2-, 2- to 5-, and 5- to 8-year survival rates were 98.75%, 98.6%,
      100%, and 100%, respectively. Mean and median survival times were 53.10 +/- 3.04
      months and 55.0 +/- 3.64 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous
      transluminal balloon angioplasty with a large balloon is a safe and effective
      treatment that could provide excellent rates of long-term patency and survival
      for the majority of Chinese patients with BCS and HVO.

PMID- 26102210
TI  - The pancreatic beta-cell in deadly encounter with apolipoprotein CIII.

PMID- 26102209
TI  - Genetic deficit of KCa 3.1 channels protects against pulmonary circulatory
      collapse induced by TRPV4 channel activation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The intermediate conductance calcium/calmodulin-regulated
      K+ channel KCa 3.1 produces hyperpolarizing K+ currents that counteract
      depolarizing currents carried by transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, and
      provide the electrochemical driving force for Cl- and fluid movements. We
      investigated whether a deficiency in KCa 3.1 (KCa 3.1-/- ) protects against fatal
      pulmonary circulatory collapse in mice after pharmacological activation of the
      calcium-permeable TRP subfamily vanilloid type 4 (TRPV4) channels. EXPERIMENTAL
      APPROACH: An opener of TRPV4 channels, GSK1016790A, was infused in wild-type (wt)
      and KCa 3.1-/- mice; haemodynamic parameters, histology and pulmonary vascular
      reactivity were measured; and patch clamp was performed on pulmonary arterial
      endothelial cells (PAEC). KEY RESULTS: In wt mice, GSK1016790A decreased right
      ventricular and systemic pressure leading to a fatal circulatory collapse that
      was accompanied by increased protein permeability, lung haemorrhage and fluid
      extravasation. In contrast, KCa 3.1-/- mice exhibited a significantly smaller
      drop in pressure to GSK1016790A infusion, no haemorrhage and fluid water
      extravasation, and the mice survived. Moreover, the GSK1016790A-induced
      relaxation of pulmonary arteries of KCa 3.1-/- mice was significantly less than
      that of wt mice. GSK1016790A induced TRPV4 currents in PAEC from wt and KCa 3.1-/
      mice, which co-activated KCa 3.1 and disrupted membrane resistance in wt PAEC,
      but not in KCa 3.1-/- PAEC. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our findings show that
      a genetic deficiency of KCa 3.1 channels prevented fatal pulmonary circulatory
      collapse and reduced lung damage caused by pharmacological activation of calcium
      permeable TRPV4 channels. Therefore, inhibition of KCa 3.1channels may have
      therapeutic potential in conditions characterized by abnormal high endothelial
      calcium signalling, barrier disruption, lung oedema and pulmonary circulatory
      collapse.

PMID- 26102211
TI  - PM2.5 source apportionment with organic markers in the Southeastern Aerosol
      Research and Characterization (SEARCH) study.
AB  - Positive matrix factorization (PMF) and effective variance (EV) solutions to the
      chemical mass balance (CMB) were applied to PM(2.5) (particulate matter with an
      aerodynamic diameter <2.5 MUm) mass and chemically speciated measurements for
      samples taken from 2008 to 2010 at the Atlanta, Georgia, and Birmingham, Alabama,
      sites. Commonly measured PM(2.5) mass, elemental, ionic, and thermal carbon
      fraction concentrations were supplemented with detailed nonpolar organic
      speciation by thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS).
      Source contribution estimates were calculated for motor vehicle exhaust, biomass
      burning, cooking, coal-fired power plants, road dust, vegetative detritus, and
      secondary sulfates and nitrates for Atlanta. Similar sources were found for
      Birmingham, with the addition of an industrial source and the separation of
      biomass burning into open burning and residential wood combustion. EV-CMB results
      based on conventional species were qualitatively similar to those estimated by
      PMF-CMB. Secondary ammonium sulfate was the largest contributor, accounting for
      27-38% of PM(2.5), followed by biomass burning (21-24%) and motor vehicle exhaust
      (9-24%) at both sites, with 4-6% of PM(2.5) attributed to coal-fired power plants
      by EV-CMB. Including organic compounds in the EV-CMB reduced the motor vehicle
      exhaust and biomass burning contributions at both sites, with a 13-23% deficit
      for PM(2.5) mass. The PMF-CMB solution showed mixing of sources within the
      derived factors, both with and without the addition of speciated organics, as is
      often the case with complex source mixtures such as those at these urban-scale
      sites. The nonpolar TD-GC/MS compounds can be obtained from existing filter
      samples and are a useful complement to the elements, ions, and carbon fractions.
      However, they should be supplemented with other methods, such as TD-GC/MS on
      derivitized samples, to obtain a wider range of polar compounds such as sterols,
      sugars, and organic acids. The PMF and EV solutions to the CMB equations are
      complementary to, rather than replacements for, each other, as comparisons of
      their results reveal uncertainties that are not otherwise evident. IMPLICATIONS:
      Organic markers can be measured on currently acquired PM(2.5) filter samples by
      thermal methods. These markers can complement element, ion, and carbon fraction
      measurements from long-term speciation networks. Applying the positive matrix
      factorization and effective variance solutions for the chemical mass balance
      equations provides useful information on the accuracy of the source contribution
      estimates. Nonpolar compounds need to be complemented with polar compounds to
      better apportion cooking and secondary organic aerosol contributors.

PMID- 26102212
TI  - Pharmacokinetics and Toxicity of Sodium Selenite in the Treatment of Patients
      with Carcinoma in a Phase I Clinical Trial: The SECAR Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sodium selenite at high dose exerts antitumor effects and increases
      efficacy of cytostatic drugs in multiple preclinical malignancy models. We
      assessed the safety and efficacy of intravenous administered sodium selenite in
      cancer patients' refractory to cytostatic drugs in a phase I trial. Patients
      received first line of chemotherapy following selenite treatment to investigate
      altered sensitivity to these drugs and preliminary assessment of any clinical
      benefits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-four patients with different therapy
      resistant tumors received iv sodium selenite daily for consecutive five days
      either for two weeks or four weeks. Each cohort consisted of at least three
      patients who received the same daily dose of selenite throughout the whole
      treatment. If 0/3 patients had dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), the study
      proceeded to the next dose-level. If 2/3 had DLT, the dose was considered too
      high and if 1/3 had DLT, three more patients were included. Dose-escalation
      continued until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was reached. MTD was defined as
      the highest dose-level on which 0/3 or 1/6 patients experienced DLT. The primary
      endpoint was safety, dose-limiting toxic effects and the MTD of sodium selenite.
      The secondary endpoint was primary response evaluation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:
      MTD was defined as 10.2 mg/m(2), with a calculated median plasma half-life of
      18.25 h. The maximum plasma concentration of selenium from a single dose of
      selenite increased in a nonlinear pattern. The most common adverse events were
      fatigue, nausea, and cramps in fingers and legs. DLTs were acute, of short
      duration and reversible. Biomarkers for organ functions indicated no major
      systemic toxicity. In conclusion, sodium selenite is safe and tolerable when
      administered up to 10.2 mg/m(2) under current protocol. Further development of
      the study is underway to determine if prolonged infusions might be a more
      effective treatment strategy.

PMID- 26102215
TI  - Detection accuracy of root fractures in cone-beam computed tomography images: a
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - The aim of this review was to evaluate whether CBCT is reliable for the detection
      of root fractures in teeth without root fillings, and whether the voxel size has
      an impact on diagnostic accuracy. The studies published in PubMed, Web of
      Science, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, CNKI and Wanfang up to
      May 2014 were the data source. Studies on nonroot filled teeth with the i-CAT (n
      = 8) and 3D Accuitomo CBCT (n = 5) units were eventually selected. In the studies
      on i-CAT, the pooled sensitivity was 0.83 and the pooled specificity was 0.91; in
      the 3D Accuitomo studies, the pooled sensitivity was 0.95 and pooled specificity
      was 0.96. The i-CAT group comprised 5 voxel size subgroups and the 3D Accuitomo
      group contained 2 subgroups. For the i-CAT group, there was a significant
      difference amongst the five subgroups (0.125, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3 and 0.4 mm; P =
      0.000). Pairwise comparison revealed that 0.125 mm voxel subgroup was
      significantly different from those of 0.2, 0.25 and 0.3 mm voxel subgroups, but
      not from the 0.4 mm voxel subgroup. There were no significant differences amongst
      any other two subgroups (by alpha' = 0.005). No significant difference was found
      between 0.08 mm and 0.125 mm voxel subgroups (P = 0.320) for the 3D Accuitomo
      group. The present review confirms the detection accuracy of root fractures in
      CBCT images, but does not support the concept that voxel size may play a role in
      improving the detection accuracy of root fractures in nonroot filled teeth. 

PMID- 26102213
TI  - Hepatic Steatosis as a Marker of Metabolic Dysfunction.
AB  - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the liver manifestation of the
      complex metabolic derangements associated with obesity. NAFLD is characterized by
      excessive deposition of fat in the liver (steatosis) and develops when hepatic
      fatty acid availability from plasma and de novo synthesis exceeds hepatic fatty
      acid disposal by oxidation and triglyceride export. Hepatic steatosis is
      therefore the biochemical result of an imbalance between complex pathways of
      lipid metabolism, and is associated with an array of adverse changes in glucose,
      fatty acid, and lipoprotein metabolism across all tissues of the body.
      Intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content is therefore a very good marker (and in
      some cases may be the cause) of the presence and the degree of multiple-organ
      metabolic dysfunction. These metabolic abnormalities are likely responsible for
      many cardiometabolic risk factors associated with NAFLD, such as insulin
      resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. Understanding the factors
      involved in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of NAFLD will lead to a better
      understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the metabolic complications of
      obesity, and hopefully to the discovery of novel effective treatments for their
      reversal. 

PMID- 26102216
TI  - The effect of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the anti-inflammatory
      activity of Vitis vinifera L. leaves.
AB  - Botanicals are widely consumed all over the world for health purposes, with
      increased usage in the general population, in many different types of products,
      including foods and plant food supplements. Several reports support for the
      beneficial effects of botanicals against gastrointestinal inflammation. However,
      no studies regarding the anti-inflammatory activity in the gastrointestinal tract
      of red vine leaves have been reported so far. The present work investigates the
      biological activity of Vitis vinifera L. water extract (VVWE) from dried leaves
      in two in vitro models of gastric and intestinal inflammation. The extract was
      characterized by a validated HPLC-DAD method, and tested on human epithelial
      gastric (AGS) and intestinal (Caco-2) cells with the aim to investigate the
      inhibitory effect on IL-8 secretion and promoter activity, before and after in
      vitro gastric or gastrointestinal digestion. Our results show that the water
      extract from red vine leaves inhibits TNFalpha-induced IL-8 secretion and
      expression in human gastric epithelial cells; the effect should be maintained,
      although to a lesser extent, after gastric digestion. In contrast, the effect
      after intestinal digestion is dramatically decreased since degradation of the
      active components in the gut does not allow the extract to efficiently counteract
      TNFalpha or IL-1beta induced IL-8 expression and the NF-kappaB pathway. The main
      molecular target of VVWE at the gastric level includes TNFalpha-induced
      activation of NF-kappaB and occurs at concentrations easily reachable after PFS
      consumption based on red vine leaf water extract as the ingredient. Our findings
      suggest that PFS containing water extracts from Vitis vinifera L. leaves could be
      useful to inhibit/attenuate gastric inflammation inhibiting IL-8 secretion and
      expression through impairment of the NF-kappaB pathway. 

PMID- 26102217
TI  - Oxidative photodegradation of herbicide fenuron in aqueous solution by natural
      iron oxide alpha-Fe2O3, influence of polycarboxylic acids.
AB  - The photodegradation of the herbicide fenuron (1,1-dimethyl-3-phenylurea) by
      using a natural iron oxide (NIO), alpha-Fe2O3, in aqueous solution at acidic pH
      has been undertaken. The NIO was characterized by the Raman spectroscopy method.
      The degradation pathways and the formation of degradation products were studied.
      A high-pressure mercury lamp and sunlight were employed as light source. Fenuron
      photodegradation using NIO with oxalic acid followed the pseudo-first-order
      kinetics, the optimal experimental conditions were [oxalic acid]0 = 10(-3) M and
      [NIO] = 0.1 g L(-1) at pH 3. A UVA/NIO/oxalic acid system led to a low fenuron
      half-life (60 min). The results were even better when solar light is used (30
      min). The variables studied were the doses of iron oxide, of carboxylic acids,
      the solution pH and the effect of sunlight irradiation. The effects of four
      carboxylic acids, oxalic, citric, tartaric and malic acids, on the fenuron
      photodegradation with NIO have been investigated, oxalic acid was the most
      effective carboxylic acid used at pH 3. A similar trend was observed for the
      removal of total organic carbon (TOC), 75% of TOC was removed. The analytical
      study showed many aromatic intermediates, short-chain carboxylic acids and
      inorganic ion.

PMID- 26102218
TI  - Efficient charge separation based on type-II g-C3N4/TiO2-B nanowire/tube
      heterostructure photocatalysts.
AB  - Separation of photo-generated charges has played a crucial role in controlling
      the actual performance of a photocatalytic system. Here we have successfully
      fabricated g-C3N4/TiO2-B nanowire/tube heterostructures through facile urea
      degradation reactions. Owing to the effective separation of photo-generated
      charges associated with the type-II band alignment and intimate interfacial
      contacts between g-C3N4 and TiO2-B nanowires/tubes, such heterostructures
      demonstrate an improved photocatalytic activity over individual moieties.
      Synthetic conditions such as hydrothermal temperatures for the preparation of
      TiO2-B and the weight ratio of TiO2-B to urea were systematically investigated. A
      high crystallinity of TiO2-B as well as the proper growth of g-C3N4 on its
      surface are critical factors for a better performance. Our simple synthetic
      method and the prolonged lifetime of photo-generated charges signify the
      importance of type-II heterostructures in the photocatalytic applications. 

PMID- 26102219
TI  - Assembly of a basket-like {Sr ? P6Mo18O73} cage from 0D dimmer to 2D network and
      its photo-/electro-catalytic properties.
AB  - A series of basket-like heteropoly blues, formulated as (H4bth)[{Cu(H2O)}2{Sr ?
      P6MoV2MoVI16O73}].4H2O (1), {H2bih}3[{FeII(H2O)2}{Sr ? P6MoV2MoVI16O73}].2H2O
      (2), (H2bih)3[{CoII(H2O)2}{Sr ? P6MoV2MoVI16O73}].2H2O (3),
      (H2bih)3[{NiII(H2O)2}{Sr ? P6MoV2MoVI16O73}].2H2O (4), (H2bih)2(H2bip)[{Zn
      (H2O)0.5}{Sr ? P6MoV2MoVI16O73}].5.5H2O (5), (bth = 1,6-bis(triazole)hexane; bih
      = 1,6-bis(imidazol)hexane; bip = 1,5-bis(imidazol)pentane) have been synthesized
      hydrothermally and fully characterized. The structural analysis shows that all
      the compounds contain two electron reduced polyanions [Sr ? P6MoV2MoVI16O73]8-
      (abbreviated as {P6Mo18O73}), which consists of a tetra vacant gamma-Dawson
      type{P2Mo14} unit and a "handle"-shaped {P4Mo4} segment encapsulating a Sr2+
      cation in the central cavity. Compound 1 is a 6-connected two-dimensional (2D)
      layer, which represents the first 2D assembly of basket-type polyoxometalates.
      Compounds 2-4 are isostructural one-dimensional zigzag chains linked by an
      M(H2O)2 linker (M = iron for 2, cobalt for 3, and nickel for 4). Compound 5 is a
      dimeric cluster supported by a binuclear {Zn2(H2O)} unit. The optical band gaps
      of 1-5 reveal their semiconductive natures. The compounds if used as
      photocatalysts exhibit a universal high efficiency degradation ability for dyes
      such as methylene blue, Rhodamine B, and Azon phloxine. The lifetime and reaction
      mechanism of the catalysts were investigated with a series of experiments. The
      compounds also show good bifunctional electrocatalytic behavior for the oxidation
      of ascorbic acid (AA) and reduction of nitrite ions.

PMID- 26102214
TI  - Mechanistic Effects of Calcitriol in Cancer Biology.
AB  - Besides its classical biological effects on calcium and phosphorus homeostasis,
      calcitriol, the active vitamin D metabolite, has a broad variety of actions
      including anticancer effects that are mediated either transcriptionally and/or
      via non-genomic pathways. In the context of cancer, calcitriol regulates the cell
      cycle, induces apoptosis, promotes cell differentiation and acts as anti
      inflammatory factor within the tumor microenvironment. In this review, we address
      the different mechanisms of action involved in the antineoplastic effects of
      calcitriol. 

PMID- 26102220
TI  - Accelerated food source location in aging Drosophila.
AB  - Adequate energy stores are essential for survival, and sophisticated
      neuroendocrine mechanisms evolved to stimulate foraging in response to nutrient
      deprivation. Food search behavior is usually investigated in young animals, and
      it is not known how aging alters this behavior. To address this question in
      Drosophila melanogaster, we compared the ability to locate food by olfaction in
      young and old flies using a food-filled trap. As aging is associated with a
      decline in motor functions, learning, and memory, we expected that aged flies
      would take longer to enter the food trap than their young counterparts.
      Surprisingly, old flies located food with significantly shorter latency than
      young ones. Robust food search behavior was associated with significantly lower
      fat reserves and lower starvation resistance in old flies. Food-finding latency
      (FFL) was shortened in young wild-type flies that were starved until their fat
      was depleted but also in heterozygous chico mutants with reduced insulin receptor
      activity and higher fat deposits. Conversely, food trap entry was delayed in old
      flies with increased insulin signaling. Our results suggest that the difference
      in FFL between young and old flies is linked to age-dependent differences in
      metabolic status and may be mediated by reduced insulin signaling. 

PMID- 26102222
TI  - Development of 2-Deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluororibose for Positron Emission Tomography
      Imaging Liver Function in Vivo.
AB  - Life-threatening acute liver failure can be triggered by a variety of factors,
      including common drugs such as acetaminophen. Positron emission tomography (PET)
      is rarely used to monitor liver function, in part because of a lack of specific
      imaging agents for liver function. Here we report a new PET probe, 2-deoxy-2
      [(18)F]fluororibose ([(18)F]-2-DFR), for use in imaging liver function. [(18)F]-2
      DFR was synthesized and validated as a competitive substrate for the ribose
      salvage pathway. [(18)F]-2-DFR was prepared through an efficient late stage
      radiofluorination. The desired selectivity of fluorination was achieved using an
      unorthodox protecting group on the precursor, which could withstand harsh SN2
      reaction conditions with no side reactions. [(18)F]-2-DFR accumulated
      preferentially in the liver and was metabolized by the same enzymes as ribose.
      [(18)F]-2-DFR could distinguish between healthy liver and liver damaged by
      acetaminophen. [(18)F]-2-DFR is expected to be a useful PET probe for imaging and
      quantifying liver functions in vivo, with likely significant clinical utility. 

PMID- 26102223
TI  - Male prevalent enhancement of leftward asymmetric development of the cerebellar
      cortex in ferrets (Mustela putorius).
AB  - The present study was conducted in MRI-based volumetry to characterize the sexual
      dimorphism of the cerebellum in young adult ferrets. High spatial resolution 3D
      anatomical MRI at 7-tesla were acquired ex vivo from fixed cerebella of 90-day
      old male and female ferrets. The 3D morphology and topology of cerebellar
      structures were reproduced well by volume-rendered images obtained from MRI.
      Volume of the whole cerebellum was significantly larger in males than in females.
      The cerebellar cortex was further divided into five transverse domains: the
      anterior zone (AZ; lobules I-V), central zone anterior (lobule VI), central zone
      posterior (CZp; lobule VII), posterior zone (PZ; lobules VIII-IXa) and nodular
      zone (NZ; lobules IXb -X). Significantly greater volumes in males than in females
      were detected bilaterally in the AZ, CZp, and NZ, and leftward in PZ. Notably,
      the significant volume asymmetry was detected leftward in the CZp of males. By
      asymmetry quotient analysis, the counterclockwise torque asymmetry of the
      cerebellum was revealed, and it was more striking in males than in females. The
      present results suggest that sexual dimorphism of the ferret cerebellum is
      characterized by enhancing the leftward laterality in the CZp in males, forming
      the distinctive counterclockwise torque asymmetry. 

PMID- 26102221
TI  - Evidence that asthma is a developmental origin disease influenced by maternal
      diet and bacterial metabolites.
AB  - Asthma is prevalent in Western countries, and recent explanations have evoked the
      actions of the gut microbiota. Here we show that feeding mice a high-fibre diet
      yields a distinctive gut microbiota, which increases the levels of the short
      chain fatty acid, acetate. High-fibre or acetate-feeding led to marked
      suppression of allergic airways disease (AAD, a model for human asthma), by
      enhancing T-regulatory cell numbers and function. Acetate increases acetylation
      at the Foxp3 promoter, likely through HDAC9 inhibition. Epigenetic effects of
      fibre/acetate in adult mice led us to examine the influence of maternal intake of
      fibre/acetate. High-fibre/acetate feeding of pregnant mice imparts on their adult
      offspring an inability to develop robust AAD. High fibre/acetate suppresses
      expression of certain genes in the mouse fetal lung linked to both human asthma
      and mouse AAD. Thus, diet acting on the gut microbiota profoundly influences
      airway responses, and may represent an approach to prevent asthma, including
      during pregnancy. 

PMID- 26102224
TI  - Distributed Patterns of Reactivation Predict Vividness of Recollection.
AB  - According to the principle of reactivation, memory retrieval evokes patterns of
      brain activity that resemble those instantiated when an event was first
      experienced. Intuitively, one would expect neural reactivation to contribute to
      recollection (i.e., the vivid impression of reliving past events), but evidence
      of a direct relationship between the subjective quality of recollection and
      multiregional reactivation of item-specific neural patterns is lacking. The
      current study assessed this relationship using fMRI to measure brain activity as
      participants viewed and mentally replayed a set of short videos. We used
      multivoxel pattern analysis to train a classifier to identify individual videos
      based on brain activity evoked during perception and tested how accurately the
      classifier could distinguish among videos during mental replay. Classification
      accuracy correlated positively with memory vividness, indicating that the
      specificity of multivariate brain patterns observed during memory retrieval was
      related to the subjective quality of a memory. In addition, we identified a set
      of brain regions whose univariate activity during retrieval predicted both memory
      vividness and the strength of the classifier's prediction irrespective of the
      particular video that was retrieved. Our results establish distributed patterns
      of neural reactivation as a valid and objective marker of the quality of
      recollection. 

PMID- 26102225
TI  - Preparatory Activity in Posterior Temporal Cortex Causally Contributes to Object
      Detection in Scenes.
AB  - Theories of visual selective attention propose that top-down preparatory
      attention signals mediate the selection of task-relevant information in cluttered
      scenes. Neuroimaging and electrophysiology studies have provided correlative
      evidence for this hypothesis, finding increased activity in target-selective
      neural populations in visual cortex in the period between a search cue and target
      onset. In this study, we used online TMS to test whether preparatory neural
      activity in visual cortex is causally involved in naturalistic object detection.
      In two experiments, participants detected the presence of object categories
      (cars, people) in a diverse set of photographs of real-world scenes. TMS was
      applied over a region in posterior temporal cortex identified by fMRI as carrying
      category-specific preparatory activity patterns. Results showed that TMS applied
      over posterior temporal cortex before scene onset (-200 and -100 msec) impaired
      the detection of object categories in subsequently presented scenes, relative to
      vertex and early visual cortex stimulation. This effect was specific to category
      level detection and was related to the type of attentional template participants
      adopted, with the strongest effects observed in participants adopting category
      level templates. These results provide evidence for a causal role of preparatory
      attention in mediating the detection of objects in cluttered daily-life
      environments. 

PMID- 26102226
TI  - Autobiographical Planning and the Brain: Activation and Its Modulation by
      Qualitative Features.
AB  - To engage in purposeful behavior, it is important to make plans, which organize
      subsequent actions. Most studies of planning involve "look-ahead" puzzle tasks
      that are unrelated to personal goals. We developed a task to assess
      autobiographical planning, which involves the formulation of personal plans in
      response to real-world goals, and examined autobiographical planning in 63 adults
      during fMRI scanning. Autobiographical planning was found to engage the default
      network, including medial-temporal lobe and midline structures, and executive
      control regions in lateral pFC and parietal cortex and caudate. To examine how
      specific qualitative features of autobiographical plans modulate neural activity,
      we performed parametric modulation analyses. Ratings of plan detail, novelty,
      temporal distance, ease of plan formulation, difficulty in goal completion, and
      confidence in goal accomplishment were used as covariates in six hierarchical
      linear regression models. This modeling procedure removed shared variance among
      the ratings, allowing us to determine the independent relationship between
      ratings of interest and trial-wise BOLD signal. We found that specific
      autobiographical planning, describing a detailed, achievable, and actionable
      planning process for attaining a clearly envisioned future, recruited both
      default and frontoparietal brain regions. In contrast, abstract autobiographical
      planning, plans that were constructed from more generalized semantic or affective
      representations of a less tangible and distant future, involved interactions
      among default, sensory perceptual, and limbic brain structures. Specific
      qualities of autobiographical plans are important predictors of default and
      frontoparietal control network engagement during plan formation and reflect the
      contribution of mnemonic and executive control processes to autobiographical
      planning. 

PMID- 26102228
TI  - Language Membership Identification Precedes Semantic Access: Suppression during
      Bilingual Word Recognition.
AB  - Previous research suggests that bilingual comprehenders access lexical
      representations of words in both languages nonselectively. However, it is unclear
      whether global language suppression plays a role in guiding attention to target
      language representations during ongoing lexico-semantic processing. To help
      clarify this issue, this study examined the relative timing of language
      membership and meaning activation during visual word recognition. Spanish-English
      bilinguals performed simultaneous semantic and language membership classification
      tasks on single words during EEG recording. Go/no-go ERP latencies provided
      evidence that language membership information was accessed before semantic
      information. Furthermore, N400 frequency effects indicated that the depth of
      processing of words in the nontarget language was reduced compared to the target
      language. These results suggest that the bilingual brain can rapidly identify the
      language to which a word belongs and subsequently use this information to
      selectively modulate the degree of processing in each language accordingly. 

PMID- 26102227
TI  - Dopamine and Consolidation of Episodic Memory: Timing is Everything.
AB  - Memory consolidation underpins adaptive behavior and dopaminergic networks may be
      critical for prolonged, selective information storage. To understand the time
      course of the dopaminergic contribution to memory consolidation in humans, here
      we investigate the effect of dopaminergic medication on recall and recognition in
      the short and longer term in Parkinson disease (PD). Fifteen people with PD were
      each tested on or off dopaminergic medication during learning/early consolidation
      (Day 1) and/or late consolidation (Day 2). Fifteen age-matched healthy
      participants were tested only once. On Day 1 participants learned new
      information, and early episodic memory was tested after 30 min. Then on Day 2,
      recall and recognition were retested after a 24-hr delay. Participants on
      medication on Day 1 recalled less information at 30 min and 24 hr. In contrast,
      patients on medication on Day 2 (8-24 hr after learning) recalled more
      information at 24 hr than those off medication. Although recognition sensitivity
      was unaffected by medication, response bias was dependent on dopaminergic state:
      Medication during learning induced a more liberal bias 24 hr later, whereas
      patients off medication during learning were more conservative responders 24 hr
      later. We use computational modeling to propose possible mechanisms for this
      change in response bias. In summary, dopaminergic medication in PD patients
      during learning impairs early consolidation of episodic memory and makes delayed
      responses more liberal, but enhances late memory consolidation presumably through
      a dopamine-dependent consolidation pathway that may be active during sleep. 

PMID- 26102229
TI  - Inferences of Others' Competence Reduces Anticipation of Pain When under Threat.
AB  - On a daily basis, we place our lives in the hands of strangers. From dentists to
      pilots, we make inferences about their competence to perform their jobs and
      consequently to keep us from harm. Here we explore whether the perceived
      competence of others can alter one's anticipation of pain. In two studies,
      participants (Receivers) believed their chances of experiencing an aversive
      stimulus were directly dependent on the performance of another person (Players).
      We predicted that perceiving the Players as highly competent would reduce
      Receivers' anxiety when anticipating the possibility of an electric shock.
      Results confirmed that high competence ratings consistently corresponded with
      lower reported anxiety, and complementary fMRI data showed that increased
      competence perception was further expressed as decreased activity in the
      bilateral posterior insula, a region localized to actual pain stimulation. These
      studies suggest that inferences of competence act as predictors of protection and
      reduce the expectation of negative outcomes. 

PMID- 26102230
TI  - Evidence of Change of Intention in Picking Situations.
AB  - Intending to perform an action and then immediately executing it is a mundane
      process. The cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in this process of
      "proximal" intention formation and execution, in the face of multiple options to
      choose from, are not clear, however. Especially, it is not clear how intentions
      are formed when the choice makes no difference. Here we used behavioral and
      electrophysiological measures to investigate the temporal dynamics of proximal
      intention formation and "change of intention" in a free picking scenario, in
      which the alternatives are on a par for the participant. Participants pressed a
      right or left button following either an instructive visible arrow cue or a
      visible neutral "free-choice" cue, both preceded by a masked arrow prime. The
      goal of the prime was to induce a bias toward pressing the left or right button.
      Presumably, when the choice is arbitrary, such bias should determine the
      decision. EEG lateralized readiness potentials and EMG measurements revealed that
      the prime indeed induced an intention to move in one direction. However, we
      discovered a signature of "change of intention" in both the Instructed and Free
      choice decisions. These results suggest that, even in arbitrary choices, biases
      present in the neural system for choosing one or another option may be overruled
      and point to a curious "picking deliberation" phenomenon. We discuss a possible
      neural scenario that could explain this phenomenon. 

PMID- 26102231
TI  - Congruent and Incongruent Corticospinal Activations at the Level of Multiple
      Effectors.
AB  - Motor resonance is defined as the subliminal activation of the motor system while
      observing actions performed by others. However, resonating with another person's
      actions is not always an appropriate response: In real life, people do not just
      imitate but rather respond in a suitable fashion. A growing body of
      neurophysiologic studies has demonstrated that motor resonance can be overridden
      by complementary motor responses (such as preparing a precision grip on a small
      object when seeing an open hand in sign of request). In this study, we
      investigated the relationship between congruent and incongruent corticospinal
      activations at the level of multiple effectors. The modulation of motor evoked
      potentials evoked by single-pulse TMS over the motor cortex was assessed in upper
      and lower limb muscles of participants observing a soccer player performing a
      penalty kick straight in their direction. Study results revealed a double
      dissociation: Seeing the soccer player kicking the ball triggered a motor
      resonance in the observer's lower limb, whereas the upper limb response afforded
      by the object was overridden. On the other hand, seeing the ball approaching the
      observers elicited a complementary motor activation in upper limbs while motor
      resonance in lower limbs disappeared. Control conditions showing lateral kicks,
      mimicked kicks, and a ball in penalty area were also included to test the motor
      coding of object affordances. Results point to a modulation of motor responses in
      different limbs over the course of action and in function of their relevance in
      different contexts. We contend that ecologically valid paradigms are now needed
      to shed light on the motor system functioning in complex forms of interaction. 

PMID- 26102232
TI  - Highly sensitive detection of carbon dioxide by a pyrimido[1,2-a]benzimidazole
      derivative: combining experimental and theoretical studies.
AB  - In the present paper, a "light-up" chemsensor with a high specificity for carbon
      dioxide detection using a pyrimido[1,2-a]benzimidazole derivative (P1H) in liquid
      media has been developed. The results show that P1H reacts with carbon dioxide
      activated by a basic ion to form a carboxylic acid compound (P1-COOH). These
      results also provide a possible method for carboxylation reactions of P1H using
      carbon dioxide based on a vinyl carbanion. The complete reaction mechanism cycle
      was also described using DFT calculations.

PMID- 26102233
TI  - Studies of 1-Amino-2,2-difluorocyclopropane-1-carboxylic Acid: Mechanism of
      Decomposition and Inhibition of 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic Acid Deaminase.
AB  - 1-Amino-2,2-difluorocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (DFACC) is of interest in the
      study of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase due to the
      increased reactivity of its cyclopropyl functionality. It is shown that DFACC is
      unstable under near-physiological conditions where it primarily decomposes via
      specific-base catalysis to 3-fluoro-2-oxobut-3-enoic acid with a rate constant of
      0.18 +/- 0.01 min(-1). Upon incubation with ACC deaminase, DFACC is found to be a
      slow-dissociating inhibitor of ACC deaminase with submicromolar affinity. 

PMID- 26102234
TI  - Expression of the immunoglobulin superfamily cell membrane adhesion molecule
      Cd146 in acute leukemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The expression of the immunoglobulin superfamily cell membrane
      adhesion molecule CD146 has been reported on several normal and pathological cell
      types in human. The aim of this study was to investigate CD146 expression in
      acute leukemia using a multiparametric cytofluorimetric approach. METHODS:
      Cytofluorimetric and cytogenetic studies were performed on peripheral blood and
      bone marrow samples from 162 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML, n = 121)
      and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL, n = 41). ALL patients were subdivided in B
      ALL (n = 38) and T-ALL (n = 3). Adult (n = 18) and pediatric (n = 20) B-ALL were
      considered as a whole group. RESULTS: Four out of 121 (3.3%) AML cases, 14/38
      (36.8%) B-ALL, and 2/3 (66.6%) T-ALL expressed CD146 on 12-98% of blasts (p <
      0.001). CD146 expression was not observed in 10 healthy controls. Among B-ALL
      CD146-positive cases, 78.6% were associated with a "common"/BII-ALL and 21.4%
      with a pre-B/BIII-ALL immunophenotype while pro-B/BI-ALL and mature-B/BIV-ALL
      cases were CD146-negative. Statistical analysis showed CD146 expression strongly
      associated with Ph+ positivity in B-ALL with the highest percentage of CD146
      positive blasts in all Ph-positive B-ALL cases (84 +/- 22% Ph-positive B-ALL SD
      vs. 40 +/- 24% SD in Ph-negative B-ALL; p < 0,001). CONCLUSION: In our series,
      CD146 was expressed in all cases of Ph-positive B-ALL and in the vast majority of
      T-ALL, whereas it was rarely expressed by AML blasts. We suggest that CD146 may
      be considered as an additional marker for acute lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosis
      and monitoring of minimal residual disease in those cases which are CD146
      positive at diagnosis. (c) 2015 International Clinical Cytometry Society.

PMID- 26102235
TI  - Labeling Cell Surface GPIs and GPI-Anchored Proteins through Metabolic
      Engineering with Artificial Inositol Derivatives.
AB  - Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchoring of proteins to the cell surface is
      important for various biological processes, but GPI-anchored proteins are
      difficult to study. An effective strategy was developed for the metabolic
      engineering of cell-surface GPIs and GPI-anchored proteins by using inositol
      derivatives carrying an azido group. The azide-labeled GPIs and GPI-anchored
      proteins were then tagged with biotin on live cells through a click reaction,
      which allows further elaboration with streptavidin-conjugated dyes or other
      molecules. The strategy can be used to label GPI-anchored proteins with various
      tags for biological studies. 

PMID- 26102236
TI  - A chronotype comparison of South African and Dutch marathon runners: The role of
      scheduled race start times and effects on performance.
AB  - Recently, a high prevalence of morning-types was reported among trained South
      African endurance athletes. Proposed explanations for this observation were that
      either the chronotype of these athletes is better suited to coping with the early
      morning start times of endurance events in South Africa; or habitual early waking
      for training or endurance events may have conditioned the athletes to adapt and
      become morning-types. The South African endurance athletes also had earlier
      chronotypes compared to a control population of less active individuals,
      suggesting that individuals who are more physically active may have earlier
      chronotypes. However, since both the South African athlete and control groups
      showed an overrepresentation of morning-types compared to European and American
      populations, the South African climate may in part have explained this bias
      towards morningness. Given the latitude and climate differences between South
      Africa and the Netherlands, and that South African marathons typically start at
      about 06:30 while those in the Netherlands start later (+/-11:00), comparison of
      South African and Dutch marathon runners and active controls would allow for
      simultaneous assessment of the effects of marathon start time, degree of physical
      activity and climate on chronotype. Therefore, the primary aims of this study
      were: (i) to assess the effect of marathon start time on chronotype in marathon
      runners and (ii) to determine the extent to which either degree of physical
      activity or climate might explain the bias towards morningness observed in South
      African athletes and controls. A secondary aim was to determine whether any
      relationships exist between chronotype, PERIOD3 (PER3) variable number tandem
      repeat (VNTR) polymorphism genotype, habitual training habits and marathon
      performance. Trained male marathon runners from South Africa (n = 95) and the
      Netherlands (n = 90), and active but non-competitive male controls from South
      Africa (n = 97) and the Netherlands (n = 98) completed a questionnaire capturing
      demographics, training and race history, as well as the Horne-Ostberg morningness
      eveningness personality questionnaire. All participants donated buccal cell
      samples from which genomic DNA was extracted and polymerase chain reaction
      analysis was used to genotype them for the PER3 VNTR polymorphism, which has
      previously been associated with chronotype. The main finding was that South
      African runners were significantly more morning-orientated than Dutch runners
      suggesting that participation in an endurance sport with an earlier start time
      may influence chronotype. Secondly, both the South African and Dutch runners were
      significantly more morning-orientated than their respective control groups,
      indicating that individuals who train for and participate in recreational
      endurance sport races have an earlier chronotype than physically active but non
      competitive males. Thirdly, mean chronotype scores were similar between the South
      African and Dutch control groups, suggesting that climate does not seem to affect
      chronotype in these groups. Fourthly, the PER3 VNTR polymorphism distribution was
      similar between the four groups and was not associated with chronotype,
      suggesting that the difference in chronotype between the four groups in this
      study is not explained by the PER3 VNTR genotype. Lastly, in the South African
      runners group, a higher preference for mornings was associated with a better
      personal best half-marathon and current marathon performance. 

PMID- 26102237
TI  - Self-Assembly of Recombinant Hagfish Thread Keratins Amenable to a Strain-Induced
      alpha-Helix to beta-Sheet Transition.
AB  - Hagfish slime threads are assembled from protein-based bundles of intermediate
      filaments (IFs) that undergo a strain-induced alpha-helical coiled-coil to beta
      sheet transition. Draw processing of native fibers enables the creation of
      mechanically tuned materials, and under optimized conditions this process results
      in mechanical properties similar to spider dragline silk. In this study, we
      develop the foundation for the engineering of biomimetic recombinant hagfish
      thread keratin (TK)-based materials. The two protein constituents from the
      hagfish Eptatretus stoutii thread, named EsTKalpha and EsTKgamma, were expressed
      in Escherichia coli and purified. Individual (rec)EsTKs and mixtures thereof were
      subjected to stepwise dialysis to evaluate their protein solubility, folding, and
      self-assembly propensities. Conditions were identified that resulted in the self
      assembly of coiled-coil rich IF-like filaments, as determined by circular
      dichroism (CD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Rheology experiments
      indicated that the concentrated filaments assembled into gel-like networks
      exhibiting a rheological response reminiscent to that of IFs. Notably, the self
      assembled filaments underwent an alpha-helical coiled-coil to beta-sheet
      transition when subjected to oscillatory shear, thus mimicking the critical
      characteristic responsible for mechanical strengthening of native hagfish
      threads. We propose that our data establish the foundation to create robust and
      tunable recombinant TK-based materials whose mechanical properties are controlled
      by a strain-induced alpha-helical coiled-coil to beta-sheet transition. 

PMID- 26102238
TI  - Chromatin and development: a special issue.

PMID- 26102240
TI  - To Be Free and Normal: Addiction, Governance, and the Therapeutics of
      Buprenorphine.
AB  - Methadone maintenance has dominated opiate addiction treatment in the United
      States for decades. Since 2002, opiate addiction has also been treated in general
      medical settings with a substance called buprenorphine. Based on interviews and
      participant observation conducted in northern California, this article analyzes
      how discourses of freedom and normalcy in patient and provider narratives reflect
      and affect experiences with this treatment modality. I discuss how buprenorphine
      treatment, in contrast to methadone maintenance, offers patients and providers a
      greater sense of autonomy and flexibility in how they receive and deliver
      treatment. It presents them with new obligations, responsibilities, and choices
      around care and conduct. It simultaneously perpetuates and shapes a desire to be
      "free" and "normal." I argue that the therapeutics of buprenorphine govern
      patients and providers through this desire for freedom and normalcy.
      Buprenorphine is thus a technology of governmentality that extends neoliberal
      discourses and values and produces self-governing subjects. 

PMID- 26102241
TI  - Molecular Orientation and Structural Transformations in Phthalic Anhydride Thin
      Films on MgO(100)/Ag(100).
AB  - Structural control of organic thin films on dielectric substrates is the key to
      tailoring the physical properties of hybrid materials, for example, for
      application in solar energy conversion, molecular electronics, or catalysis. In
      this work, we investigate the molecular orientation of phthalic anhydride (PAA)
      films on atomically well-defined MgO(100) on Ag(100) using temperature-programmed
      infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (TP-IRAS) in combination with density
      functional theory (DFT). A robust procedure is presented to determine the
      orientation of the PAA molecules, which relies on the intensity ratios of
      vibrational bands only. We show that even at deposition temperatures of 110 K,
      the PAA multilayer grows with a specific molecular orientation; that is, the PAA
      molecular plane is preferentially aligned parallel with the MgO surface. No
      change of molecular orientation occurs up to a temperature of 145 K. Between 145
      and 160 K, the film restructures adopting a nearly flat-lying molecular
      orientation. Between 170 and 205 K, the film undergoes a second structural
      transition to a crystalline phase. This transition is associated with a
      pronounced molecular reorientation. The molecules adopt a tilted orientation and,
      simultaneously, rotate around their C2 axes. The reorientation behavior suggests
      that the molecular orientation in the crystalline phase is controlled by the
      interaction with the MgO(100) substrate. At higher temperature, no further
      restructuring is observed until the PAA multilayer desorbs at temperatures above
      230 K. 

PMID- 26102239
TI  - Airway Epithelial Expression Quantitative Trait Loci Reveal Genes Underlying
      Asthma and Other Airway Diseases.
AB  - Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified loci that are robustly
      associated with asthma and related phenotypes; however, the molecular mechanisms
      underlying these associations need to be explored. The most relevant tissues to
      study the functional consequences of asthma are the airways. We used publically
      available data to derive expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) for human
      epithelial cells from small and large airways and applied the eQTLs in the
      interpretation of GWAS results of asthma and related phenotypes. For the small
      airways (n = 105), we discovered 660 eQTLs at a 10% false discovery rate (FDR),
      among which 315 eQTLs were not previously reported in a large-scale eQTL study of
      whole lung tissue. A large fraction of the identified eQTLs is supported by data
      from Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) showing that the eQTLs reside in
      regulatory elements (57.5 and 67.6% of cis- and trans-eQTLs, respectively).
      Published pulmonary GWAS hits were enriched as airway epithelial eQTLs (9.2
      fold). Further, genes regulated by asthma GWAS loci in epithelium are
      significantly enriched in immune response pathways, such as IL-4 signaling (FDR,
      5.2 * 10(-4)). The airway epithelial eQTLs described in this study are
      complementary to previously reported lung eQTLs and represent a powerful resource
      to link GWAS-associated variants to their regulatory function and thus elucidate
      the molecular mechanisms underlying asthma and airway-related conditions.

PMID- 26102243
TI  - Correction to "Palladium-Catalyzed Alkoxycarbonylation of Conjugated Enyne
      Oxiranes: A Diastereoselective Method for the Synthesis of 7-Hydroxy-2,3,5
      trienoates".

PMID- 26102242
TI  - Listener Perception of Monopitch, Naturalness, and Intelligibility for Speakers
      With Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: Given the potential significance of speech naturalness to functional and
      social rehabilitation outcomes, the objective of this study was to examine the
      effect of listener perceptions of monopitch on speech naturalness and
      intelligibility in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). METHOD: Two short
      utterances were extracted from monologue samples of 16 speakers with PD and 5 age
      matched adults without PD. Sixteen listeners evaluated these stimuli for
      monopitch, speech naturalness and intelligibility using the visual sort and rate
      method. RESULTS: Naive listeners can reliably judge monopitch, speech
      naturalness, and intelligibility with minimal familiarization. While monopitch
      and speech intelligibility were only moderately correlated, monopitch and speech
      naturalness were highly correlated. CONCLUSIONS: A great deal of attention is
      currently being paid to improvement of vocal loudness and thus speech
      intelligibility in PD. Our findings suggest that prosodic characteristics such as
      monopitch should be explored as adjuncts to this treatment of dysarthria in PD.
      Development of such prosodic treatments may enhance speech naturalness and thus
      improve quality of life.

PMID- 26102244
TI  - Halogen Bonding and Chalcogen Bonding in 4,7-Dibromo-5,6-dinitro-2,1,3
      benzothiadiazole.
AB  - An organic solid, 4,7-dibromo-5,6-dinitro-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole, has been
      designed to serve as an illustrative example to quantitatively evaluate the
      relative merits of halogen and chalcogen bonding in terms of charge density
      features. The compound displays two polymorphic modifications, one crystallizing
      in a non-centrosymmetric space group (Z' = 1) and the other in a centrosymmetric
      space group with two molecules in the asymmetric unit (Z' = 2). Topological
      analysis based on QTAIM clearly brings out the dominance of the chalcogen bond
      over the halogen bond along with an indication that halogen bonds are more
      directional compared to chalcogen bonds. The cohesive energies calculated with
      the absence of both strong and weak hydrogen bonds as well as stacking
      interaction are indicative of the stabilities associated with the polymorphic
      forms. 

PMID- 26102245
TI  - Cell-Cell Communication in Yeast Using Auxin Biosynthesis and Auxin Responsive
      CRISPR Transcription Factors.
AB  - An engineering framework for synthetic multicellular systems requires a
      programmable means of cell-cell communication. Such a communication system would
      enable complex behaviors, such as pattern formation, division of labor in
      synthetic microbial communities, and improved modularity in synthetic circuits.
      However, it remains challenging to build synthetic cellular communication systems
      in eukaryotes due to a lack of molecular modules that are orthogonal to the host
      machinery, easy to reconfigure, and scalable. Here, we present a novel cell-to
      cell communication system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) based on CRISPR
      transcription factors and the plant hormone auxin that exhibits several of these
      features. Specifically, we engineered a sender strain of yeast that converts
      indole-3-acetamide (IAM) into auxin via the enzyme iaaH from Agrobacterium
      tumefaciens. To sense auxin and regulate transcription in a receiver strain, we
      engineered a reconfigurable library of auxin-degradable CRISPR transcription
      factors (ADCTFs). Auxin-induced degradation is achieved through fusion of an
      auxin-sensitive degron (from IAA corepressors) to the CRISPR TF and coexpression
      with an auxin F-box protein. Mirroring the tunability of auxin perception in
      plants, our family of ADCTFs exhibits a broad range of auxin sensitivities. We
      characterized the kinetics and steady-state behavior of the sender and receiver
      independently as well as in cocultures where both cell types were exposed to IAM.
      In the presence of IAM, auxin is produced by the sender cell and triggers
      deactivation of reporter expression in the receiver cell. The result is an
      orthogonal, rewireable, tunable, and, arguably, scalable cell-cell communication
      system for yeast and other eukaryotic cells. 

PMID- 26102246
TI  - Why Do Some Water Utilities Recycle More than Others? A Qualitative Comparative
      Analysis in New South Wales, Australia.
AB  - Although the recycling of municipal wastewater can play an important role in
      water supply security and ecosystem protection, the percentage of wastewater
      recycled is generally low and strikingly variable. Previous research has employed
      detailed case studies to examine the factors that contribute to recycling success
      but usually lacks a comparative perspective across cases. In this study, 25 water
      utilities in New South Wales, Australia, were compared using fuzzy-set
      Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). This research method applies binary
      logic and set theory to identify the minimal combinations of conditions that are
      necessary and/or sufficient for an outcome to occur within the set of cases
      analyzed. The influence of six factors (rainfall, population density, coastal or
      inland location, proximity to users; cost recovery and revenue for water supply
      services) was examined for two outcomes, agricultural use and "heavy" (i.e.,
      commercial/municipal/industrial) use. Each outcome was explained by two different
      pathways, illustrating that different combinations of conditions are associated
      with the same outcome. Generally, while economic factors are crucial for heavy
      use, factors relating to water stress and geographical proximity matter most for
      agricultural reuse. These results suggest that policies to promote wastewater
      reuse may be most effective if they target uses that are most feasible for
      utilities and correspond to the local context. This work also makes a
      methodological contribution through illustrating the potential utility of fsQCA
      for understanding the complex drivers of performance in water recycling. 

PMID- 26102247
TI  - Macroscopically Aligned Graphite Films Prepared from Iodine-Doped Stretchable
      Polyacetylene Films Using Morphology-Retaining Carbonization.
AB  - We prepared graphite films using typical Shirakawa-type and stretchable
      polyacetylene (PA) films as precursors through a morphology-retaining
      carbonization. A macroscopically aligned PA film was prepared from the drawable
      PA film using a mechanical-stretching procedure. The degree of orientation of the
      aligned PA film was evaluated by measuring polarized infrared absorption spectra
      and an azimuthal-angle profile of a Laue X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern. The
      carbonization was performed from the iodine-doped PA films as precursors at 800 
      degrees C. The carbon films were subsequently graphitized at 1400-3000  degrees
      C, yielding graphite films with almost the same surface morphology as that of the
      original PA films and that of the carbon films as precursors. The typical PA film
      graphitized at 2600  degrees C exhibited tensile strengths of up to 224 MPa,
      moduli of up to 10 GPa, and an average electrical conductivity of 2.5 * 10(2)
      S/cm. In contrast, the graphite film prepared from the stretched PA film
      presented a Laue XRD pattern in which graphitic crystal structures are aligned
      parallel to the direction of stretching of the PA film. The anisotropic graphite
      film showed an enhanced conductivity of up to 1.5 * 10(3) S/cm along the
      stretching direction. We demonstrated that an iodine-doped PA film is a highly
      efficient carbon source for producing graphite films with good mechanical and
      electrical properties. The total yield of a graphite film is as high as 61-74% at
      up to 3000  degrees C, which is considerably higher than that of
      polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber and polyimide-based graphite film. 

PMID- 26102248
TI  - The C4280A (rs5705) gene polymorphism of the renin (REN) gene is associated with
      risk of developing coronary artery disease, but not with restenosis after
      coronary stenting.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of AGT and REN gene
      polymorphisms as susceptibility markers for coronary artery disease (CAD) and/or
      restenosis after coronary stent placement in a group of Mexican patients. Five
      polymorphisms of the AGT (rs699, rs4762, rs5051, rs5049, rs5046) and two of the
      REN (rs5707, rs5705) genes were analyzed by 5' exonuclease TaqMan genotyping
      assays in 240 patients with CAD who underwent coronary artery stenting (76 with
      restenosis and 164 without restenosis). A group of 610 individuals without
      clinical and familial antecedents of cardiovascular diseases were included as
      controls. The results showed that the distribution of AGT and REN polymorphisms
      were similar in patients with and without restenosis. However, when the whole
      group of patients (with and without restenosis) was compared to healthy controls,
      under co-dominant, dominant, heterozygous and additive models, the REN A4280C
      (rs5705) polymorphism was associated with increased risk of CAD (OR=1.76, PCo
      dom=0.006, OR=1.81, PDom=0.001, OR=1.75, PHet=0.003 and OR=1.59, PAdd=0.003,
      respectively). All models were adjusted for age, gender, diabetes, dyslipidemia,
      hypertension and smoking habit. The TC haplotype of the REN gene was associated
      with increased risk of CAD (OR=1.53, P=0.014). The data suggest that the REN
      C4280A (rs5705) polymorphism plays an important role in the risk of developing
      CAD with the highest risk for C allele, but do not support its role as a risk
      factor for developing restenosis after coronary stenting.

PMID- 26102249
TI  - Quantum dot-based multispectral fluorescent imaging to quantitatively study co
      expressions of Ki67 and HER2 in breast cancer.
AB  - Both Ki67 and HER2 are key prognostic molecules for invasive breast cancer (BC),
      but the individual relative impacts on prognosis of these molecules are not
      known. This study was aimed at establishing a quantum dot (QD)-based double-color
      in-situ quantitative imaging technique to study the co-expressions of Ki67 and
      HER2, and delineate the individual impacts of these molecules on prognosis. The
      QD-based fluorescent immunostaining technique could simultaneously image the co
      expressions of Ki67 and HER2 in BC specimens, with the former stained as clear
      red fluorescence in cancer cell nucleus, and the latter as bright green
      fluorescence on cancer cell membrane. Both Ki67 and HER2 expressions were
      significantly correlated with 8-year disease free survival (8-DFS) (P<0.05).
      However, the two molecules had different weights in terms of negative impacts on
      clinical prognosis. The median 8-DFS was statistically significantly shorter in
      High-Ki67 High-HER2 subgroup than Low-Ki67 High-HER2 subgroup (11.7 vs.
      60.1months, P<0.05), shorter in High-Ki67 Low-HER2 subgroup than Low-Ki67 Low
      HER2 subgroup (16.4 vs. 96.0months, P<0.01), shorter in High-Ki67 High-HER2
      subgroup than Low-Ki67 Low-HER2 subgroup (11.7 vs. 96.0months, P<0.01), but there
      were no statistically significant differences in median 8-DFS between High-Ki67
      Low-HER2 subgroup and High-Ki67 High-HER2 subgroup (11.7 vs. 16.4months,
      P=0.586). The hazard ratio (HR) of Ki67 negative impact on 8-DFS was about 3 fold
      of that of HER2 (HR 4.493 vs. 1.481). This study demonstrated that QD-based
      fluorescent imaging technique could help the quantitative study on the co
      expressions of Ki67 and HER2 in BC, and Ki67 has a greater negative impact on BC
      prognosis than HER2.

PMID- 26102250
TI  - Beyond the Team: Understanding Interprofessional Work in Two North American ICUs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the ways in which healthcare professionals work together in
      the ICU setting, through a consideration of the contextual, organizational,
      processual, and relational factors that impact their interprofessional
      collaboration. DESIGN: Data from over 350 hours of ethnographic observation and
      35 semistructured interviews with clinicians in two ICUs were collected by two
      medical anthropologists over a period of 6 months. SETTING: Medical surgical ICUs
      in two urban research hospitals in Canada and the United States. MAIN RESULTS:
      Although the concept of teamwork is often central to interventions to improve
      patient safety in the ICU, our observations suggest that this concept does not
      fully describe how interprofessional work actually occurs in this setting. With
      the exception of crisis situations, most interprofessional interactions in the
      two ICUs we studied could be better described as forms of interprofessional work
      other than teamwork, which include collaboration, coordination, and networking.
      CONCLUSIONS: A singular notion of team is too reductive to account for the ways
      in which work happens in the ICU and therefore cannot be taken for granted in
      quality improvement initiatives or among healthcare professionals in this
      setting. Adapting interventions to the complex nature of interprofessional work
      and each ICUs unique local context is an important and necessary step to ensure
      the delivery of safe and effective patient care.

PMID- 26102253
TI  - Time-course of recovery of peak oxygen uptake after exercise-induced muscle
      damage.
AB  - VO2 peak has been shown to be reduced 48 h following exercise-induced muscle
      damage (EIMD), but it is unclear how long this reduction may persist. In this
      study eight endurance trained participants (21.5 +/- 1.1 years old) performed a
      maximal exercise tests over 10-days followings EIMD. Cardiorespiratory variables
      were collected via open-circuit spirometry and soreness, maximal strength (MVC),
      motor-unit recruitment, and contractile properties were assessed prior to each
      test. MVC was reduced for up to 4-days (p <= 0.05) and soreness was evident for
      10-days in the quadriceps (p < 0.05). VO2peak was reduced 7.4% 2-days post EIMD
      (55.5 +/- 6.0 vs. 51.3 +/- 5.8; p = 0.006) and remained reduced in 6 of 8
      participants at 10-days post (p = 0.005). No relationship was found between
      changes in MVC, soreness, motor-unit recruitment, and contractile properties and
      changes in VO2peak (p > 0.05). EIMD resulted in small, but prolonged reductions
      in VO2peak. Our findings suggest mechanisms aside from force loss and soreness
      are primarily responsible for the reductions in VO2peak after EIMD.

PMID- 26102251
TI  - County-Level Effects of Prehospital Regionalization of Critically Ill Patients: A
      Simulation Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Regionalization may improve critical care delivery, yet stakeholders
      cite concerns about its feasibility. We sought to determine the operational
      effects of prehospital regionalization of nontrauma, nonarrest critical illness.
      SETTING: King County, Washington. DESIGN: Discrete event simulation study.
      PATIENTS: All 2006 hospital discharge data, linked to all adult, eligible
      patients transported by county emergency medical services agencies.
      INTERVENTIONS: We simulated active triage of high-risk patients to designated
      referral centers using a validated prehospital risk score; we studied three
      regionalization scenarios: 1) up triage, 2) up and down triage, and 3) up and
      down triage after reducing ICU beds by 25%. We determined the effect on patient
      routing, ICU occupancy at referral and nonreferral hospitals, and emergency
      medical services transport times. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of
      119,117 patients were hospitalized at 11 nonreferral centers and 76,817 patients
      were hospitalized at three referral centers. Among 20,835 emergency medical
      services patients, 7,817 patients (43%) were eligible for up triage and 10,242
      patients (57%) were eligible for down triage. At baseline, mean daily ICU bed
      occupancy was 61% referral and 47% at nonreferral hospitals. Up triage increased
      referral ICU occupancy to 68%, up and down triage to 64%, and up and down triage
      with bed reduction to 74%. Mean daily nonreferral ICU occupancy did not exceed
      60%. Total emergency medical services transport time increased by less than 3%
      with up and down triage. CONCLUSIONS: Regionalization based on prehospital triage
      of the critically ill can allocate high-risk patients to referral hospitals
      without adversely affecting ICU occupancy or prehospital travel time.

PMID- 26102252
TI  - A Randomized Dose-Escalation Study of the Safety and Anti-Inflammatory Activity
      of the p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Inhibitor Dilmapimod in Severe Trauma
      Subjects at Risk for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There are no current pharmacological therapies for the prevention or
      treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Early dysregulated inflammation
      likely plays a role in acute respiratory distress syndrome development and
      possibly acute respiratory distress syndrome outcomes. p38 mitogen-activated
      protein kinase is central to the regulation of multiple inflammatory mediators
      implicated in acute organ dysfunction and is the target for a novel class of
      cytokine-suppressive anti-inflammatory drugs. In preclinical models, p38
      inhibitors reduce lung injury following pancreatitis and burn injury. DESIGN: We
      conducted a phase IIa, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel
      group study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of dilmapimod, a novel p38
      mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor, in patients at risk for developing
      acute respiratory distress syndrome admitted with an Injury Severity Score more
      than 16, excluding head trauma. Enrolled patients received 4- or 24-hour IV
      dilmapimod infusions at different doses or placebo, daily for 3 days, in four
      separate cohorts. SETTING: Multicenter randomized clinical trial of large,
      academic trauma centers. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients
      were enrolled. Although adverse events were common in this critically ill
      population, dilmapimod was well tolerated, with no clinically relevant safety
      findings. Pharmacokinetic models indicated that the higher dose of 10 mg given as
      continuous infusion over 24 hours had the most favorable plasma concentration
      profile. Likewise, measures of soluble inflammatory markers including interleukin
      6, C-reactive peptide, interleukin-8, and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor
      1 were most different between this dosing arm and placebo. Although the study was
      not specifically designed with acute respiratory distress syndrome as an outcome,
      the number of patients who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome was
      small (2/77). CONCLUSIONS: The novel p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase
      inhibitor dilmapimod appears well tolerated and may merit further evaluation for
      prevention of acute respiratory distress syndrome and other organ injury in
      larger clinical trials. Furthermore, results of this early-phase trial may aid in
      design of future studies aimed at prevention of acute respiratory distress
      syndrome and other organ injury.

PMID- 26102254
TI  - Phenotypic responses to social defeat are associated with differences in cued and
      contextual fear discrimination.
AB  - Conflict among individuals is one of the most common forms of stressors
      experienced across a variety of species, including humans. Social defeat models
      in mice produce two phenotypic behavioral responses characterized by prolonged
      social avoidance (susceptibility) or continued social interaction (resistance).
      The resistant phenotype has been proposed as a model of resilience to chronic
      stress-induced depression in humans. Previously, we have found that mice that are
      resistant to social defeat stress display significant impairments in extinction
      learning and retention, suggesting that continued social interaction following
      the experience of social defeat may be associated with maladaptive fear
      responses. Here, we examined how individual differences in response to social
      defeat may be related to differences in cued and context fear discrimination.
      Following defeat, resistant mice showed increased fear to a neutral cued stimulus
      (CS-) compared to control and susceptible mice, but were still able to
      significantly discriminate between the CS+ and CS-. Likewise, both phenotypes
      were generally able to discriminate between the training context and neutral
      context at all retention intervals tested (1, 5, 14 days). However, susceptible
      mice displayed significantly better discrimination compared to resistant and non
      defeated control mice when assessing the discrimination ratio. Thus, at a time
      when most animals begin exhibiting generalization to contextual cues, susceptible
      mice retain the ability to discriminate between fearful and neutral contexts.
      These data suggest that the differences observed in context and cued
      discrimination between susceptible and resistant mice may be related to
      differences in their coping strategies in response to social defeat. In
      particular, resistance or resilience to social defeat as traditionally
      characterized may be associated with altered inhibitory learning. Understanding
      why individual differences arise in response to stress, including social
      confrontation is important in understanding the development and treatment of
      stress related pathologies such as PTSD. 

PMID- 26102255
TI  - Attentional Focus Effects in Standing Long Jump Performance: Influence of a Broad
      and Narrow Internal Focus.
AB  - The content of instructions that strength coaches give can have a significant
      impact on how an athlete or client performs. Research on motor learning has shown
      an advantage of instructions focusing on the effects of movements (external
      focus) over those focusing on the movements themselves (internal focus) in the
      performance of motor skills. Internally focused cues are abundant in coaching,
      therefore the purpose of this study was to test whether some internally focused
      cues might be more helpful than others. Participants (68) were randomly assigned
      to either an external focus (EX), broad internal focus (B-IN), narrow internal
      focus (N-IN), or a control group (CON), and performed 5 standing long jumps. All
      groups were instructed that the goal was to jump as far as possible. In addition,
      the EX group was told to "jump as far past the start line as possible." The B-IN
      group was told to "use your legs." The N-IN group was told to "extend your knees
      as rapidly as possible," and the CON group received no additional instruction. An
      analysis of covariance showed that the EX group (198.09 +/- 31.89 cm) jumped
      significantly farther than both the B-IN group (173.74 +/- 35.36 cm), p = 0.010
      and the N-IN group (178.53 +/- 31.17 cm), p = 0.049, with no group different from
      the CON group. The results suggest that a broad internal focus is no more
      effective than a narrow internal focus, and that an external focus leads to the
      greatest jump distance. Strength and conditioning professionals should carefully
      word their instructions to induce an external focus of attention whenever
      possible.

PMID- 26102256
TI  - Usage of Running Drills in an Interval Training Program: Implications Related to
      Biomechanical Parameters of Running.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of running drills during
      an interval training program on biomechanical parameters of running. Thirty
      recreational runners, divided into 2 groups (control group and experimental group
      [EG]), were submitted to a 15-week interval training, but only EG performed
      running drills in the training. The test sessions were accomplished before and
      after intervention. Spatiotemporal and kinetic variables were analyzed at 2
      speeds: maximum (Smax) and comfortable (Scomf). For moment effect, significant
      increases were observed for Scomf (8.9%) and Smax (10.7%) after training.
      Variables related to mechanical load were also higher after training for both
      speeds (LR1: 16.4% and Imp75: 7.8% at Scomf; LR1: 21.4% and Imp75: 8.1% at Smax).
      For training approach effect, higher value of Imp75 was observed in EG (10.1% at
      Scomf and 11.9% at Smax, without performance improvements). Also, EG presented
      higher values of Fy2 (6.7% at Scomf and 6.1% at Smax) and FT (13.3% at Scomf),
      variables related to the center of mass oscillation. As a conclusion, including
      running drills in a 15-week interval running training seems not to be an
      efficient procedure to improve parameters related to mechanical load and
      performance.

PMID- 26102257
TI  - Effects of Eight Months of Whole-Body Vibration Training on the Muscle Mass and
      Functional Capacity of Elderly Women.
AB  - Few intervention studies have used whole-body vibration (WBV) training in the
      elderly, and there is inconclusive evidence about its health benefits. We
      examined the effect of 8 months of WBV training on muscle mass and functional
      capacity in elderly women. A total of 37 women (aged 82.4 +/- 5.7 years)
      voluntarily participated in this study. Subjects were randomly assigned to a
      vibration group (n = 19) or a control group (n = 18). The vibration group trained
      on a vertical vibration platform twice a week. The control group was requested
      not to change their habitual lifestyle. The quadriceps femoris muscle cross
      sectional area was determined by magnetic resonance imaging. All participants
      were evaluated by a battery of tests (Senior Fitness Test) to determine their
      functional capacity, as well as handgrip strength and balance/gait. General
      linear repeated-measure analysis of variance (group by time) was performed to
      examine the effect of the intervention on the outcomes variables. After 8 months,
      nonstatistically significant differences in the quadriceps CSA (pre-training:
      8,516.16 +/- 1,271.78 mm2 and post-training: 8,671.63 +/- 1,389.03 mm2) (p >
      0.05) were found in the WBV group (Cohen's d: -0.12), whereas the CON group
      significantly decreased muscle mass (pre-training: 9,756.18 +/- 1,420.07 mm2 and
      post-training: 9,326.82 +/- 1,577.53 mm2), with moderate effect size evident
      (Cohen's d: 0.29). In both groups, no changes were observed in the functional
      capacity, handgrip strength and balance/gait. The WBV training could prevent the
      loss of quadriceps CSA in elderly women.

PMID- 26102258
TI  - Effects of Six Weeks of Medicine Ball Training on Throwing Velocity, Throwing
      Precision, and Isokinetic Strength of Shoulder Rotators in Female Handball
      Players.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 6 weeks of medicine ball
      training (MBT) on throwing velocity, throwing precision, and isokinetic strength
      of shoulder rotators in competitive female handball players. Twenty-eight players
      (mean +/- SD; age: 20.8 +/- 3.3 years, height: 170.5 +/- 5.6 cm, body mass: 65.2
      +/- 8.0 kg) were randomly assigned to an MBT group (TG; n = 15) and a control
      group (CG; n = 13). TG performed a supervised MBT program, 3 times a week for a
      total of 6 weeks, focusing on handball-specific movement patterns. Both groups,
      TG and CG, also conducted a supervised shoulder injury prevention program with
      elastic tubes, as part of the warm-up, finishing with regular handball throws.
      Results showed a significant group * time interaction in throwing velocity (p <
      0.001) with the TG posttest results being significantly higher compared with CG
      (d = 2.1), and also a significant main time effect (p < 0.001), with an increase
      in throwing velocity of 14% (d = 3.0) and 3.7% (d = 0.3) for both TG and CG,
      respectively. Throwing precision did not significantly differ between groups and
      time points. Isokinetic strength measures revealed a significant group * time
      interaction (p <= 0.05) with the TG posttest results being significantly higher
      compared with CG (d = 0.9) and also a significant main time effect (p < 0.01)
      with an increase of 15% (d = 0.9) in concentric shoulder internal rotation at 180
      degrees .s-1 in the dominant arm in TG, whereas no significant changes occurred
      in CG. The present results indicate that 6 weeks of MBT elicit significant
      improvements in functional performance (i.e., throwing velocity) in female
      handball players, whereas throwing precision remained unaffected. Medicine ball
      training exercises seem to be a useful and inexpensive strength training strategy
      in enhancing functional performance by closely mimicking sport-specific movement
      activities.

PMID- 26102259
TI  - Effect of Practical Precooling on Neuromuscular Function and 5-km Time-Trial
      Performance in Hot, Humid Conditions Among Well-Trained Male Runners.
AB  - This study investigated whether torso and thigh precooling during a warm-up
      effects neuromuscular function and 5-km time-trial performance in hot, humid
      conditions. Eight well-trained male runners completed 3 randomized time-trials in
      32.2 +/- 0.8 degrees  C and 48.6 +/- 6.7% relative humidity. A 30-minute warm-up
      was completed with no cooling (Control), precooling by an ice vest (Vest), or ice
      packs covering the thighs (Packs). Before the warm-up and after the time-trial,
      supramaximal femoral nerve stimulation was delivered during and following maximal
      isometric contractions. Core and skin temperature, heart rate, and perceptual
      ratings were recorded before and during the warm-up and time-trial. Overall
      performance time was improved in Packs compared with Control (1,407 +/- 80
      seconds vs. 1,492 +/- 88 seconds; p <= 0.05) but not in Vest (1,444 +/- 71
      seconds; p > 0.05). In Packs, a higher exercise intensity (p <= 0.05) and less
      cumulative time (p < 0.01) were evident during the last kilometer compared with
      Control. Maximum voluntary force, voluntary activation, muscle contractility, and
      membrane excitability were not different after exercise or between conditions.
      Ten minutes after the warm-up, skin temperature was lower in Vest and Packs
      compared with Control (p < 0.01). Thermal strain and body heat content change was
      lower in Vest and Packs, respectively (p <= 0.05). Findings indicate that torso
      and thigh precooling during a warm-up reduces thermoregulatory strain. However,
      thigh opposed to torso precooling provides greater performance improvements.
      Neuromuscular function did not aid performance, indicating that transient changes
      in afferent feedback and muscle recruitment may enhance endurance trial
      performance.

PMID- 26102260
TI  - Effects of Kettlebell Training on Aerobic Capacity.
AB  - This study examined the effects of a kettlebell training program on aerobic
      capacity. Seventeen female National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I
      collegiate soccer players (age: 19.7 +/- 1.0 years, height: 166.1 +/- 6.4 cm,
      weight: 64.2 +/- 8.2 kg) completed a graded exercise test to determine maximal
      oxygen consumption (VO2max). Participants were assigned to a kettlebell
      intervention group (KB) (n = 9) or a circuit weight-training (CWT) control group
      (n = 8). Participants in the KB group completed a kettlebell snatch test to
      determine individual snatch repetitions. Both groups trained 3 days a week for 4
      weeks in addition to their off-season strength and conditioning program. The KB
      group performed the 15:15 MVO2 protocol (20 minutes of kettlebell snatching with
      15 seconds of work and rest intervals). The CWT group performed multiple free
      weight and dynamic body-weight exercises as part of a continuous circuit program
      for 20 minutes. The 15:15 MVO2 protocol significantly increased VO2max in the KB
      group. The average increase was 2.3 ml.kg-1.min-1, or approximately a 6% gain.
      There was no significant change in VO2max in the CWT control group. Thus, the 4
      week 15:15 MVO2 kettlebell protocol, using high-intensity kettlebell snatches,
      significantly improved aerobic capacity in female intercollegiate soccer players
      and could be used as an alternative mode to maintain or improve cardiovascular
      conditioning.

PMID- 26102261
TI  - Reliability and Usefulness of the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test in Rugby
      League.
AB  - This study examined the reliability and usefulness of the 30-15 Intermittent
      Fitness Test (30-15(IFT)) within rugby league. Fifty-five young rugby league
      players participated in the study. These included representative players from
      Under 16s (n = 19; 15.6 +/- 0.3 years; 78.1 +/- 10.9 kg), Under 18s (n = 21; 17.4
      +/- 0.5 years; 86.9 +/- 11.2 kg), and Under 20s (n = 15; 19.4 +/- 0.5 years; 95.9
      +/- 8.7 kg) squads within a professional rugby league club. Players performed the
      30-15(IFT) twice within 9 days of each other. Maximal intermittent running
      velocity (V(IFT)) and heart rate at exhaustion (HR(peak)) were collected for both
      tests. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for the "Combined" and Under
      20s were very large (r > 0.7), whereas the ICCs for Under 16s and Under 18s were
      almost perfect (r > 0.9). Coefficients of variation were 1.9% (95% confidence
      interval, 1.6-2.4) for the combined test-retest of the 30-15(IFT) and 0.6% (0.5
      1.0) for HR(peak). As the typical error of measurement (TE) (0.36 km.h-1) was
      greater than the smallest worthwhile change (SWC) (0.21 km.h-1) value, the
      usefulness of the V(IFT) was rated as "marginal." The TE for HR(peak) was similar
      to the SWC, rating the usefulness of this variable as "OK." Despite the
      usefulness of the 30-15(IFT) being deemed Marginal, a change as small as 0.5 km.h
      1 (1 stage) in V(IFT) could be considered substantial or "real." As a
      consequence, the 30-15(IFT) presents as both a reliable and useful field test in
      the assessment of intermittent fitness for rugby league players.

PMID- 26102262
TI  - Reliability of 1RM Split-Squat Performance and the Efficacy of Assessing Both
      Bilateral Squat and Split-Squat 1RM in a Single Session for Non-Resistance
      Trained Recreationally Active Men.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of 1 repetition
      maximum (1RM) split squat (SS) and establish the efficacy of collecting 1RM-SS
      and 1RM bilateral squat (BLS) data in the same session, for a non-resistance
      trained recreationally active population. Fourteen males performed a submaximal
      familiarization session and 5 testing sessions. After familiarization, the 1RM-SS
      was tested in the following 3 sessions. In session 4, subjects were tested in
      both 1RM-SS and 1RM-BLS, with half performing SS then BLS and the remainder BLS
      then SS. In session 5, the testing order was reversed. Reliability statistics
      calculated included the following: changes in mean across sessions, coefficient
      of variation calculated from the typical error (TE) scores (%CV(TE)), and test
      retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]) of 1RM-SS.
      Statistically significant differences between the mean 1RM-SS in sessions 1 and 2
      (2.14 kg, p = 0.001), and sessions 1 and 3 (2.86 kg, p < 0.003) were found,
      indicating the requirement for an additional familiarization session before 1RM
      SS data collection. The %CV(TE) was 2.53% and the ICC was 0.97 for the 1RM-SS
      protocol. Performing SS before BLS tended to increase the mean 1RM-BLS (+2.1%),
      although the difference was not significant (p = 0.055). A reliable measure of
      1RM-SS can be determined after 1 submaximal and 1 maximal familiarization session
      in non-resistance-trained recreationally active men. Analysis of the current data
      suggests that it is appropriate to perform both 1RM-SS and 1RM-BLS tests within
      the same testing session if 1RM-SS is performed before 1RM-BLS. However, further
      testing is warranted to firmly establish the effects of 1RM-SS on subsequent 1RM
      BLS.

PMID- 26102263
TI  - A combined experimental and theoretical study of the structural, electronic and
      vibrational properties of bulk and few-layer Td-WTe2.
AB  - The recent discovery of non-saturating giant positive magnetoresistance has
      aroused much interest in Td-WTe(2). We have investigated structural, electronic
      and vibrational properties of bulk and few-layer Td-WTe(2) experimentally and
      theoretically. Spin-orbit coupling is found to govern the semi-metallic character
      of Td-WTe(2) and its structural link with the metallic 1 T form provides an
      understanding of its structural stability. There is a metal-to-insulator switch
      over in the electrical conductivity and a change in the sign of the Seebeck
      coefficient around 373 K. Lattice vibrations of Td-WTe(2) have been analyzed
      using first-principles calculations. Out of the 33 possible zone-center Raman
      active modes, five distinct Raman bands are observed around 112, 118, 134, 165
      and 212 cm(-1) in bulk Td-WTe(2). Based on symmetry analysis and calculated Raman
      tensors, we assign the intense bands at 165 cm(-1) and 212 cm(-1) to the A'(1)and
      A''(1) modes, respectively. Most of the Raman bands stiffen with decreasing
      thickness, and the ratio of the integrated intensities of the A''(1) to A'(1)
      bands decreases in the few-layer sample, while all the bands soften in both the
      bulk and few-layer samples with increasing temperature.

PMID- 26102264
TI  - Ultrasound evaluation of an atypical traumatic rupture of the tunica albuginea.

PMID- 26102265
TI  - Assessing the association of hyperglycaemia with mortality in patients with hip
      fractures.

PMID- 26102266
TI  - Response to Li and colleagues on hyperglycemia in hip fracture patients.

PMID- 26102267
TI  - Characterization of bottom hydrodynamic conditions on the central western
      Portuguese continental shelf based on benthic foraminifera and sedimentary
      parameters.
AB  - Dead benthic foraminiferal assemblages from the central western Portuguese
      continental shelf have been studied to identify the prevalent oceanographic
      processes in the study area. Sediment samples collected at 46 stations along
      transepts perpendicular to the coastal line, between the latitudes of 38-40 
      degrees N and 17-190 m water depth, in April/May 2008, were analysed for selected
      physicochemical parameters (temperature, redox potential), grain size, organic
      matter content, and benthic foraminifera. Statistical analysis identified two
      main groups of stations, the Inshore/Offshore groups, which are not only defined
      by their geographical positions, but easily distinguishable by different
      hydrodynamic conditions. The Offshore Group is mainly represented by deeper
      stations characterized by a higher percentage of fines and TOM, negative values
      of redox potential and by the higher foraminiferal density and species diversity
      than the Inshore one. Foraminiferal assemblages of the Offshore Group are
      dominated/represented by species (such as Cassidulina laevigata/Cassidulina
      carinata, Bolivina spathulata, Bolivina ordinaria, Globocassidulina minuta,
      Bulimina elongata/Bulimina gibba and Bulimina marginata) common in areas with
      significant concentrations of organic matter. The benthic foraminiferal
      assemblages of the Inshore Group are instead characterized by epifaunal species
      such as Lobatula lobatula, Cibicides ungerianus, Planorbulina mediterranensis,
      Gavelinopsis praegeri and Quinqueloculina seminula. Both the sedimentary and
      foraminiferal results suggest that this group of stations is subjected to
      stronger bottom hydrodynamic conditions, caused by waves and swell activity and
      coastal currents, than the Offshore Group. Bray-Curtis similarity comparison
      between the stations of both groups reveals that the Offshore Group has a higher
      internal similarity than the Inshore Group. These differences seem to stem from
      topographic forcing, from the presence of rocky outcrops, from canyons and capes,
      from the distribution of rivers and from the magnitude of their discharges, which
      determine specific hydrodynamic features and differences in the sedimentary
      deposits and biological productivity. The influence of the Tagus river (supply of
      fresh water, detritus and organic matter from continental sources), the presence
      of canyons and capes, which leave the most important imprint on the study area,
      are marked by changes in the foraminiferal assemblages both in the Inshore and
      Offshore groups. 

PMID- 26102269
TI  - Evaluating Parameters Affecting Fluoroscopy Time During Percutaneous
      Nephrolithotomy: Focus on the Predictive Role of Guy's, S.T.O.N.E., and CROES
      Scoring Systems.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify parameters predicting prolonged fluoroscopy time (FT)
      during percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and to evaluate the predictive ability
      of Guy's stone score, S.T.O.N.E. nephrolithometry, and CROES nomogram. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: We evaluated 153 consecutive patients who underwent a PCNL by a
      single experienced surgeon. Several preoperative, intraoperative, and
      postoperative parameters, including the three scoring systems, were assessed for
      their ability to predict FT. RESULTS: FT was significantly associated with stone
      burden, stone location, number of stones, number of punctures, and number of
      tracts. It was also significantly associated with all scoring systems.
      Fluoroscopy use was significantly higher in patients who were effectively treated
      in these with longer hospitalization, probably reflecting case complexity. No
      association was found with postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: FT during
      PCNL can be affected by several parameters. Identifying the ones that can affect
      FT can lead to fluoroscopy and radiation exposure decrease. Guy's stone score,
      S.T.O.N.E. nephrolithometry, and CROES nomogram can all predict complexed cases
      and the need for increased FT.

PMID- 26102268
TI  - Disfluency characteristics of Kannada-English bilingual adults who stutter.
AB  - The primary purpose of the present study was to investigate whether stuttering
      frequency differs between two languages in Kannada-English bilingual adults who
      stutter. The second purpose was to compare the relationship between grammatical
      class (content-function word dichotomy) and stuttering frequency in two
      languages. In addition, we also examined whether types of disfluencies vary
      between content and function words in two languages. Twenty-five bilingual adults
      who stutter that were proficient in both languages (mean age=22.5 years, SD=3.0)
      participated in the present study. Spontaneous speech samples were recorded in
      both Kannada and English and stuttering frequencies were calculated in both
      languages and for each type of grammatical category. Further, different types of
      disfluencies were noted for each type of grammatical category in both the
      languages. Results revealed significantly greater stuttering in L2 (English)
      compared to L1 (Kannada). In both the languages, significantly higher content
      words were stuttered compared to function words. When the comparison was done
      between two languages, significantly higher content words were stuttered in L1
      compared to L2, whereas significantly higher function words were stuttered in L2
      compared to L1. The types of disfluencies did not vary between content and
      function words and between two languages. Present results suggest that frequency
      and other aspects of stuttering may depend on the proficiency of the language. 

PMID- 26102270
TI  - Steroids in teleost fishes: A functional point of view.
AB  - Steroid hormones are involved in the regulation of a variety of processes like
      embryonic development, sex differentiation, metabolism, immune responses,
      circadian rhythms, stress response, and reproduction in vertebrates. Teleost
      fishes and humans show a remarkable conservation in many developmental and
      physiological aspects, including the endocrine system in general and the steroid
      hormone related processes in particular. This review provides an overview of the
      current knowledge about steroid hormone biosynthesis and the steroid hormone
      receptors in teleost fishes and compares the findings to the human system. The
      impact of the duplicated genome in teleost fishes on steroid hormone biosynthesis
      and perception is addressed. Additionally, important processes in fish physiology
      regulated by steroid hormones, which are most dissimilar to humans, are
      described. We also give a short overview on the influence of anthropogenic
      endocrine disrupting compounds on steroid hormone signaling and the resulting
      adverse physiological effects for teleost fishes. By this approach, we show that
      the steroidogenesis, hormone receptors, and function of the steroid hormones are
      reasonably well understood when summarizing the available data of all teleost
      species analyzed to date. However, on the level of a single species or a certain
      fish-specific aspect of physiology, further research is needed. 

PMID- 26102271
TI  - Local glucocorticoid production in the thymus.
AB  - Besides generating immunocompetent T lymphocytes, the thymus is an established
      site of de novo extra-adrenal glucocorticoid (GC) production. Among the
      compartments of the thymus, both stromal thymic epithelial cells (TECs) and
      thymocytes secrete biologically active GCs. Locally produced GCs secreted by the
      various thymic cellular compartments have been suggested to have different impact
      on thymic homeostasis. TEC-derived GCs may regulate thymocyte differentiation
      whereas thymocyte-derived GCs might regulate age-dependent involution. However
      the full biological significance of thymic-derived GCs is still not fully
      understood. In this review, we summarize and describe recent advances in the
      understanding of local GC production in the thymus and immunoregulatory steroid
      production by peripheral T cells and highlight the possible role of local GCs for
      thymus function. 

PMID- 26102272
TI  - Regional cerebral blood flow single photon emission computed tomography for
      detection of Frontotemporal dementia in people with suspected dementia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the UK, dementia affects 5% of the population aged over 65 years
      and 25% of those over 85 years. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) represents one
      subtype and is thought to account for up to 16% of all degenerative dementias.
      Although the core of the diagnostic process in dementia rests firmly on clinical
      and cognitive assessments, a wide range of investigations are available to aid
      diagnosis.Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) single-photon emission computed
      tomography (SPECT) is an established clinical tool that uses an intravenously
      injected radiolabelled tracer to map blood flow in the brain. In FTD the
      characteristic pattern seen is hypoperfusion of the frontal and anterior temporal
      lobes. This pattern of blood flow is different to patterns seen in other subtypes
      of dementia and so can be used to differentiate FTD.It has been proposed that a
      diagnosis of FTD, (particularly early stage), should be made not only on the
      basis of clinical criteria but using a combination of other diagnostic findings,
      including rCBF SPECT. However, more extensive testing comes at a financial cost,
      and with a potential risk to patient safety and comfort. OBJECTIVES: To determine
      the diagnostic accuracy of rCBF SPECT for diagnosing FTD in populations with
      suspected dementia in secondary/tertiary healthcare settings and in the
      differential diagnosis of FTD from other dementia subtypes. SEARCH METHODS: Our
      search strategy used two concepts: (a) the index test and (b) the condition of
      interest. We searched citation databases, including MEDLINE (Ovid SP), EMBASE
      (Ovid SP), BIOSIS (Ovid SP), Web of Science Core Collection (ISI Web of Science),
      PsycINFO (Ovid SP), CINAHL (EBSCOhost) and LILACS (Bireme), using structured
      search strategies appropriate for each database. In addition we searched
      specialised sources of diagnostic test accuracy studies and reviews including:
      MEDION (Universities of Maastricht and Leuven), DARE (Database of Abstracts of
      Reviews of Effects) and HTA (Health Technology Assessment) database.We requested
      a search of the Cochrane Register of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies and used
      the related articles feature in PubMed to search for additional studies. We
      tracked key studies in citation databases such as Science Citation Index and
      Scopus to ascertain any further relevant studies. We identified 'grey'
      literature, mainly in the form of conference abstracts, through the Web of
      Science Core Collection, including Conference Proceedings Citation Index and
      Embase. The most recent search for this review was run on the 1 June
      2013.Following title and abstract screening of the search results, full-text
      papers were obtained for each potentially eligible study. These papers were then
      independently evaluated for inclusion or exclusion. SELECTION CRITERIA: We
      included both case-control and cohort (delayed verification of diagnosis)
      studies. Where studies used a case-control design we included all participants
      who had a clinical diagnosis of FTD or other dementia subtype using standard
      clinical diagnostic criteria. For cohort studies, we included studies where all
      participants with suspected dementia were administered rCBF SPECT at baseline. We
      excluded studies of participants from selected populations (e.g. post-stroke) and
      studies of participants with a secondary cause of cognitive impairment. DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors extracted information on study
      characteristics and data for the assessment of methodological quality and the
      investigation of heterogeneity. We assessed the methodological quality of each
      study using the QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies)
      tool. We produced a narrative summary describing numbers of studies that were
      found to have high/low/unclear risk of bias as well as concerns regarding
      applicability. To produce 2 x 2 tables, we dichotomised the rCBF SPECT results
      (scan positive or negative for FTD) and cross-tabulated them against the results
      for the reference standard. These tables were then used to calculate the
      sensitivity and specificity of the index test. Meta-analysis was not performed
      due to the considerable between-study variation in clinical and methodological
      characteristics. MAIN RESULTS: Eleven studies (1117 participants) met our
      inclusion criteria. These consisted of six case-control studies, two
      retrospective cohort studies and three prospective cohort studies. Three studies
      used single-headed camera SPECT while the remaining eight used multiple-headed
      camera SPECT. Study design and methods varied widely. Overall, participant
      selection was not well described and the studies were judged as having either
      high or unclear risk of bias. Often the threshold used to define a positive SPECT
      result was not predefined and the results were reported with knowledge of the
      reference standard. Concerns regarding applicability of the studies to the review
      question were generally low across all three domains (participant selection,
      index test and reference standard).Sensitivities and specificities for
      differentiating FTD from non-FTD ranged from 0.73 to 1.00 and from 0.80 to 1.00,
      respectively, for the three multiple-headed camera studies. Sensitivities were
      lower for the two single-headed camera studies; one reported a sensitivity and
      specificity of 0.40 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.05 to 0.85) and 0.95 (95% CI
      0.90 to 0.98), respectively, and the other a sensitivity and specificity of 0.36
      (95% CI 0.24 to 0.50) and 0.92 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.95), respectively.Eight of the
      11 studies which used SPECT to differentiate FTD from Alzheimer's disease used
      multiple-headed camera SPECT. Of these studies, five used a case-control design
      and reported sensitivities of between 0.52 and 1.00, and specificities of between
      0.41 and 0.86. The remaining three studies used a cohort design and reported
      sensitivities of between 0.73 and 1.00, and specificities of between 0.94 and
      1.00. The three studies that used single-headed camera SPECT reported
      sensitivities of between 0.40 and 0.80, and specificities of between 0.61 and
      0.97. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: At present, we would not recommend the routine use of
      rCBF SPECT in clinical practice because there is insufficient evidence from the
      available literature to support this.Further research into the use of rCBF SPECT
      for differentiating FTD from other dementias is required. In particular,
      protocols should be standardised, study populations should be well described, the
      threshold for 'abnormal' scans predefined and clear details given on how scans
      are analysed. More prospective cohort studies that verify the presence or absence
      of FTD during a period of follow up should be undertaken.

PMID- 26102273
TI  - Transcriptome-wide measurement of ribosomal occupancy by ribosome profiling.
AB  - Gene expression profiling provides a tool to analyze the internal states of cells
      or organisms, and their responses to perturbations. While global measurements of
      mRNA levels have thus been widely used for many years, it is only through the
      recent development of the ribosome profiling technique that an analogous
      examination of global mRNA translation programs has become possible. Ribosome
      profiling reveals which RNAs are being translated to what extent and where the
      translated open reading frames are located. In addition, different modes of
      translation regulation can be distinguished and characterized. Here, we present
      an optimized, step-by-step protocol for ribosome profiling. Although established
      in Caenorhabditis elegans, our protocol and optimization approaches should be
      equally usable for other model organisms or cell culture with little adaptation.
      Next to providing a protocol, we compare two different methods for isolation of
      single ribosomes and two different library preparations, and describe strategies
      to optimize the RNase digest and to reduce ribosomal RNA contamination in the
      libraries. Moreover, we discuss bioinformatic strategies to evaluate the quality
      of the data and explain how the data can be analyzed for different applications.
      In sum, this article seeks to facilitate the understanding, execution, and
      optimization of ribosome profiling experiments. 

PMID- 26102274
TI  - Cholinergic chemosensory cells of the thymic medulla express the bitter receptor
      Tas2r131.
AB  - The thymus is the site of T cell maturation which includes positive selection in
      the cortex and negative selection in the medulla. Acetylcholine is locally
      produced in the thymus and cholinergic signaling influences the T cell
      development. We recently described a distinct subset of medullary epithelial
      cells in the murine thymus which express the acetylcholine-synthesizing enzyme
      choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and components of the canonical taste
      transduction cascade, i.e. transient receptor potential melastatin-like subtype 5
      channel (TRPM5), phospholipase Cbeta(2), and Galpha-gustducin. Such a chemical
      phenotype is characteristic for chemosensory cells of mucosal surfaces which
      utilize bitter receptors for detection of potentially hazardous compounds and
      cholinergic signaling to initiate avoidance reflexes. We here demonstrate mRNA
      expression of bitter receptors Tas2r105, Tas2r108, and Tas2r131 in the murine
      thymus. Using a Tas2r131-tauGFP reporter mouse we localized the expression of
      this receptor to cholinergic cells expressing the downstream elements of the
      taste transduction pathway. These cells are distinct from the medullary thymic
      epithelial cells which promiscuously express tissue-restricted self-antigens
      during the process of negative selection, since double-labeling
      immunofluorescence showed no colocalization of autoimmune regulator (AIRE), the
      key mediator of negative selection, and TRPM5. These data demonstrate the
      presence of bitter taste-sensing signaling in cholinergic epithelial cells in the
      thymic medulla and opens a discussion as to what is the physiological role of
      this pathway.

PMID- 26102275
TI  - The Biogeography of Putative Microbial Antibiotic Production.
AB  - Understanding patterns in the distribution and abundance of functional traits
      across a landscape is of fundamental importance to ecology. Mapping these
      distributions is particularly challenging for species-rich groups with sparse
      trait measurement coverage, such as flowering plants, insects, and
      microorganisms. Here, we use likelihood-based character reconstruction to infer
      and analyze the spatial distribution of unmeasured traits. We apply this
      framework to a microbial dataset comprised of 11,732 ketosynthase alpha gene
      sequences extracted from 144 soil samples from three continents to document the
      spatial distribution of putative microbial polyketide antibiotic production.
      Antibiotic production is a key competitive strategy for soil microbial survival
      and performance. Additionally, novel antibiotic discovery is highly relevant to
      human health, making natural antibiotic production by soil microorganisms a major
      target for bioprospecting. Our comparison of trait-based biogeographical patterns
      to patterns based on taxonomy and phylogeny is relevant to our basic
      understanding of microbial biogeography as well as the pressing need for new
      antibiotics. 

PMID- 26102276
TI  - Effect of APOE and CD33 on Cognitive Decline.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: An Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis is preceded by a long period of
      cognitive decline. We previously demonstrated increased risk of decline among
      individuals possessing one or more APOE epsilon4 alleles together with a family
      history of AD. The objective of this study is to investigate the possibility that
      such an increased risk might be due to AD risk genes with small effects in
      combination with APOE. METHODS: Participants in the Health and Retirement Study
      (HRS) over the age of 65, who contributed DNA, and had two or more evaluations
      with an abbreviated version of the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive
      Status (TICS-m) were eligible for the study (n = 7451). A genetic risk score (g
      score) was derived using AD risk genes' meta-analyses data, assigning risk
      according to the number of risk alleles and summed over all the risk genes.
      Trajectories of cognitive function were modeled in four groups of Caucasian
      participants with and without one or more APOE epsilon4 alleles and either a high
      or low g-score: APOE epsilon4-/low g-score; APOE epsilon4-/high g-score; APOE
      epsilon4+/low g-score; and APOE epsilon4+/high g-score. Post hoc analyses
      evaluated interactions between individual genes and APOE. RESULTS: Individuals in
      the APOE epsilon4+/high g-score group exhibited the greatest cognitive decline
      over time (p<.0001). This risk appeared to be greater than the sum of the effects
      of either high g-score or APOE epsilon4 alone. When gene interactions were
      individually tested with APOE, a statistically significant interaction with CD33
      was discovered (p = 0.04) although the interaction was no longer significant when
      adjusted for multiple comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with multiple AD risk
      genes in addition to having one or more APOE epsilon4 alleles are at greater risk
      of cognitive decline than individuals with either APOE epsilon4 or a high genetic
      risk score. Among those with one or more APOE epsilon4 alleles, having one or
      more copies of the CD33 C (risk) allele may further increase the risk of
      cognitive decline.

PMID- 26102279
TI  - Identification of Two Homozygous Sequence Variants in the COL7A1 Gene Underlying
      Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa by Whole-Exome Analysis in a Consanguineous
      Family.
AB  - Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is an inherited skin disorder with
      variable severity and heterogeneous genetic involvement. Diagnostic approaches
      for this condition include clinical evaluations and electron microscopy of
      patients' skin biopsies, followed by Sanger sequencing (SS) of a large gene (118
      exons) that encodes the alpha chain of type VII collagen (COL7A1) located on
      Chromosome 3p21.1. However, the use of SS may hinder diagnostic efficiency and
      lead to delays because it is costly and time-consuming. We evaluated a 5
      generation consanguineous family with 3 affected individuals presenting the
      severe generalised DEB phenotype. Human whole-exome sequencing (WES) revealed 2
      homozygous sequence variants: the previously reported variant p.Arg578* in exon
      13 and a novel variant p.Arg2063Gln in exon 74 of the COL7A1 gene. Validation by
      SS, performed on all family members, confirmed the cosegregation of the 2
      variants with the disease phenotype. To the best of our knowledge, 2 homozygous
      COL7A1 variants have never been simultaneously reported in DEB patients; however,
      the upstream protein truncation variant is more likely to be disease-causing than
      the novel missense variant. WES can be used as an efficient molecular diagnostic
      tool for evaluating autosomal recessive forms of DEB.

PMID- 26102277
TI  - Identification of Ganglioside GM3 Molecular Species in Human Serum Associated
      with Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome.
AB  - Serum GM3 molecular species were quantified in 125 Japanese residents using
      tandem mass spectrometry multiple reaction monitoring. Individuals were
      categorized by the presence or absence of metabolic disease risk factors
      including visceral fat accumulation, hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. A total of
      23 GM3 molecular species were measured, of these, eight were found to be
      significantly elevated in individuals with visceral fat accumulation and
      metabolic disease, defined as the presence of hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. All
      of the GM3 molecular species were composed of the sphingoid base sphingosine
      (d18:1 (Delta4)) and, interestingly, six of the eight elevated GM3 molecular
      species contained a hydroxylated ceramide moiety. The hydroxylated GM3 species
      were, in order of decreasing abundance, d18:1-h24:0 ~ d18:1-h24:1 > d18:1-h22:0 "
      d18:1-h20:0 > d18:1-h21:0 > d18:1-h18:1. Univariate and multiple linear
      regression analyses were conducted using a number of clinical health variables
      associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic disease, atherosclerosis and
      hypertension. GM3(d18:1-h24:1) was identified as the best candidate for metabolic
      screening, proving to be significantly correlated with intima-media thickness,
      used for the detection of atherosclerotic disease in humans, and a number of
      metabolic disease risk factors including autotaxin, LDL-c and homeostatic model
      assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). 

PMID- 26102280
TI  - Clinical chemistry measurements with commercially available test slides on a
      smartphone platform: Colorimetric determination of glucose and urea.
AB  - BACKGKROUND: Rapidly increasing healthcare costs in economically advantaged
      countries are currently unsustainable, while in many developing nations, even 50
      year-old technologies are too expensive to implement. New and unconventional
      technologies are being explored as solutions to this problem. In this study, we
      examined the use of a smartphone as the detection platform for 2 well-developed,
      relatively inexpensive, commercially available clinical chemistry assays as a
      model for rapid and inexpensive clinical diagnostic testing. METHODS: An Apple
      iPhone 4 camera phone equipped with a color analysis application (ColorAssist)
      was combined with Vitros(r) glucose and urea colorimetric assays. Color images of
      assay slides at various concentrations of glucose or urea were collected with the
      iPhone 4 and quantitated in three different spectral ranges (red/green/blue or
      RGB) using the ColorAssist app. When the diffuse reflectance data was converted
      into absorbance, it was possible to quantitate glucose or blood urea nitrogen
      (BUN) over their clinically important concentration ranges (30-515mg/dl for
      glucose or 2-190mg/dl for BUN), with good linearity (R(2)=0.9994 or 0.9996,
      respectively [n=5]). RESULTS: Data collected using the iPhone 4 and canine serum
      samples were in agreement with results from the instrumental "gold standard"
      (Beckman Coulter AU480 Chemistry System) (R(2)=0.9966 and slope=1.0001 for
      glucose; R(2)=0.9958 and slope=0.9454 for BUN). Glucose determinations of serum
      samples made using this smartphone method were as accurate as or more accurate
      than a commercial colorimetric dry slide analyzer (Heska(r) Element DC Chemistry
      Analyzer, Loveland, CO) and 2 glucometers: ReliOn(r) Ultima (Abbott Diabetes Care
      Inc) and Presto(r) (AgaMatrix Inc.H). BUN determinations made using the
      smartphone approach were comparable in accuracy to the Heska instrument.
      CONCLUSION: This demonstration shows that smartphones have the potential to be
      used as simple, effective colorimetric detectors for quantitative diagnostic
      tests, and may be applicable for both point-of-care applications in the developed
      world and field deployment in developing nations.

PMID- 26102281
TI  - Platelet aggregation in citrated whole blood of the first trimester of pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It was recently suggested that platelet reactivity is reduced in
      early pregnancy. This study was performed to determine whether the citrated whole
      blood from 33 pregnant women in their first trimester showed spontaneous platelet
      aggregation and whether it differed in extent from that of 11 non-pregnant women.
      METHODS: The platelet count and number of platelet aggregates (PA) were serially
      determined in the same citrated whole blood specimens at 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and
      90min after blood sampling using a hematology analyzer. RESULTS: The number of PA
      increased significantly at 30min and thereafter in both groups, but was
      consistently lower for pregnant than non-pregnant women over the 90-min
      observation period. The platelet count decreased significantly in a time
      dependent manner in both groups, but was significantly lower at 30 and 90min for
      non-pregnant than pregnant women. The number of PA showed a significant positive
      correlation with net decrease in platelet count for both pregnant and non
      pregnant women. PA counts were also significantly positively correlated with the
      mean platelet volume. CONCLUSION: Platelet reactivity monitored by the increase
      in number of PA and the fall in platelet count was reduced in early pregnancy
      compared with non-pregnant healthy controls.

PMID- 26102282
TI  - Effects of Nucleotides Supplementation of Infant Formulas on Plasma and
      Erythrocyte Fatty Acid Composition: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Nucleotides (NTs) have been added to infant formulas for several years
      due to their health benefits. However, studies have reported inconsistent
      findings regarding the association between NTs and fatty acid (FA) composition. A
      meta-analysis was performed to assess the effects of NTs supplementation of
      infant formula on erythrocyte and plasma FA composition. METHODS: Randomized
      controlled trials that evaluated the association between NTs supplementation and
      FA composition and were published before October 2014 were included. Standardized
      mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.
      Heterogeneity was assessed using Q and I2 tests. RESULTS: Eight studies (364
      infants) were included in the meta-analysis. NTs supplementation did not affect
      the concentrations of total saturated FAs (SMD= 0.05; 95% CI= -0.23-0.32; P =
      0.75) or total monounsaturated FAs (SMD= -0.01; 95% CI= -0.28-0.27; P = 0.95) in
      erythrocyte membranes. Erythrocyte total n-3 (SMD= 0.15; 95% CI= -0.11-0.41; P =
      0.27) and n-6 PUFA (SMD= -0.16; 95% CI= -0.42-0.10, P = 0.22) concentrations did
      not increase with NTs supplementation. The concentrations of erythrocyte n-3 PUFA
      (18:3, 20:5, 22:5, and 22:6) and n-6 PUFA (18:2, 20:3, 20:4, and 22:4) were not
      affected by NTs supplementation. NTs significantly increased plasma
      concentrations of 18:2 n-6 (SMD= 0.90; 95% CI= 0.47-1.33; P < 0.0001), 20:3 n-6
      (SMD= 0.56; 95% CI= 0.14-0.97; P = 0.009), and 20:4 n-6 PUFA (SMD= 0.92; 95% CI=
      0.50-1.35; P < 0.0001), and significantly decreased the concentration of plasma
      18:3 n-3 PUFA (SMD= -0.60; 95% CI -1.12 to -0.09; P = 0.02). No effect was
      obtained on plasma 20:2 n-6 PUFA concentrations (SMD= 0.06; 95 % CI, -1.03 to 
      0.2; P = 0.93). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis revealed that NTs supplementation
      significantly increased plasma 18:2 n-6, 20:3 n-6, and 20:4 n-6 PUFA
      concentrations in infants, but did not affect erythrocyte FA composition.

PMID- 26102283
TI  - Dendritic cell chimerism in oral mucosa of transplanted patients affected by
      graft-versus-host disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is one of the main complications
      after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Clinical features of GVHD include
      either an acute (aGVHD) or a chronic (cGVHD) condition that affects locations
      such as the oral mucosa. While the involvement of the host's dendritic cells
      (DCs) has been demonstrated in aGVHD, the origin (donor/host) and mechanisms
      underlying oral cGVHD have not been completely elucidated. In this study, we
      intend to determine the origin of DCs present in mucosal tissue biopsies from the
      oral cavity of transplanted patients affected by cGVHD. METHODS: We purified DCs,
      from oral biopsies of three patients with cGVHD, through immunobeads and
      subsequently performed DNA extraction. The origin of the obtained DCs was
      determined by PCR amplification of 13 informative short tandem repeat (STR)
      alleles. We also characterised the DCs phenotype and the inflammatory infiltrate
      from biopsies of two patients by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Clinical and
      histological features of the biopsies were concordant with oral cGVHD. We
      identified CD11c-, CD207- and CD1a-positive cells in the epithelium and beneath
      the basal layer. Purification of DCs from the mucosa of patients affected by post
      transplantation cGVHD was >95%. PCR-STR data analysis of DCs DNA showed that 100%
      of analysed cells were of donor origin in all of the evaluated patients.
      CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that resident DCs isolated from the oral
      tissue of allotransplanted patients affected by cGVHD are originated from the
      donor. Further research will clarify the role of DCs in the development and/or
      severity of oral cGVHD.

PMID- 26102284
TI  - Expression of Genes for Drug Transporters in the Human Female Genital Tract and
      Modulatory Effect of Antiretroviral Drugs.
AB  - Anti-retroviral (ARV) -based microbicides are one of the strategies pursued to
      prevent HIV-1 transmission. Delivery of ARV drugs to subepithelial CD4+ T cells
      at concentrations for protection is likely determined by drug transporters
      expressed in the cervicovaginal epithelium. To define the role of drug
      transporters in mucosal disposition of topically applied ARV-based microbicides,
      these must be tested in epithelial cell line-based biopharmaceutical assays
      factoring the effect of relevant drug transporters. We have characterised gene
      expression of influx and efflux drug transporters in a panel of cervicovaginal
      cell lines and compared this to expression in cervicovaginal tissue. We also
      investigated the effect of dapivirine, darunavir and tenofovir, currently at
      advanced stages of microbicides development, on expression of drug transporters
      in cell lines. Expression of efflux ABC transporters in cervical tissue was best
      represented in HeLa, Ect1/E6E7 and End1/E6E7 cell lines. Expression of influx OCT
      and ENT transporters in ectocervix matched expression in Hela while expression of
      influx SLCO transporters in vagina was best reflected in VK2/E6E7 cell line.
      Stimulation with darunavir and dapivirine upregulated MRP transporters, including
      MRP5 involved in transport of tenofovir. Dapivirine also significantly
      downregulated tenofovir substrate MRP4 in cervical cell lines. Treatment with
      darunavir and dapivirine showed no significant effect on expression of BCRP, MRP2
      and P-glycoprotein implicated in efflux of different ARV drugs. Darunavir
      strongly induced expression in most cell lines of CNT3 involved in cell uptake of
      nucleotide/nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors and SLCO drug
      transporters involved in cell uptake of protease inhibitors. This study provides
      insight into the suitability of cervicovaginal cell lines for assessment of ARV
      drugs in transport kinetics studies. The modulatory effect of darunavir and
      dapivirine on expression of drug transporters involved in transport of tenofovir
      points to the possibility of combining these drugs to improve retention of
      individual drugs at target tissues. 

PMID- 26102285
TI  - Integrative Transcriptome Profiling of Cognitive Aging and Its Preservation
      through Ser/Thr Protein Phosphatase Regulation.
AB  - Environmental enrichment has been reported to delay or restore age-related
      cognitive deficits, however, a mechanism to account for the cause and progression
      of normal cognitive decline and its preservation by environmental enrichment is
      lacking. Using genome-wide SAGE-Seq, we provide a global assessment of
      differentially expressed genes altered with age and environmental enrichment in
      the hippocampus. Qualitative and quantitative proteomics in naive young and aged
      mice was used to further identify phosphorylated proteins differentially
      expressed with age. We found that increased expression of endogenous protein
      phosphatase-1 inhibitors in aged mice may be characteristic of long-term
      environmental enrichment and improved cognitive status. As such, hippocampus
      dependent performances in spatial, recognition, and associative memories, which
      are sensitive to aging, were preserved by environmental enrichment and
      accompanied by decreased protein phosphatase activity. Age-associated
      phosphorylated proteins were also found to correspond to the functional
      categories of age-associated genes identified through transcriptome analysis.
      Together, this study provides a comprehensive map of the transcriptome and
      proteome in the aging brain, and elucidates endogenous protein phosphatase-1
      inhibition as a potential means through which environmental enrichment may
      ameliorate age-related cognitive deficits. 

PMID- 26102286
TI  - The Link between Microbial Diversity and Nitrogen Cycling in Marine Sediments Is
      Modulated by Macrofaunal Bioturbation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The marine benthic nitrogen cycle is affected by both the presence
      and activity of macrofauna and the diversity of N-cycling microbes. However,
      integrated research simultaneously investigating macrofauna, microbes and N
      cycling is lacking. We investigated spatio-temporal patterns in microbial
      community composition and diversity, macrofaunal abundance and their sediment
      reworking activity, and N-cycling in seven subtidal stations in the Southern
      North Sea. SPATIO-TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF THE MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES: Our results
      indicated that bacteria (total and beta-AOB) showed more spatio-temporal
      variation than archaea (total and AOA) as sedimentation of organic matter and the
      subsequent changes in the environment had a stronger impact on their community
      composition and diversity indices in our study area. However, spatio-temporal
      patterns of total bacterial and beta-AOB communities were different and related
      to the availability of ammonium for the autotrophic beta-AOB. Highest bacterial
      richness and diversity were observed in June at the timing of the phytoplankton
      bloom deposition, while richness of beta-AOB as well as AOA peaked in September.
      Total archaeal community showed no temporal variation in diversity indices.
      MACROFAUNA, MICROBES AND THE BENTHIC N-CYCLE: Distance based linear models
      revealed that, independent from the effect of grain size and the quality and
      quantity of sediment organic matter, nitrification and N-mineralization were
      affected by respectively the diversity of metabolically active beta-AOB and AOA,
      and the total bacteria, near the sediment-water interface. Separate models
      demonstrated a significant and independent effect of macrofaunal activities on
      community composition and richness of total bacteria, and diversity indices of
      metabolically active AOA. Diversity of beta-AOB was significantly affected by
      macrofaunal abundance. Our results support the link between microbial
      biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in marine sediments, and provided broad
      correlative support for the hypothesis that this relationship is modulated by
      macrofaunal activity. We hypothesized that the latter effect can be explained by
      their bioturbating and bio-irrigating activities, increasing the spatial
      complexity of the biogeochemical environment.

PMID- 26102287
TI  - Inference of Network Dynamics and Metabolic Interactions in the Gut Microbiome.
AB  - We present a novel methodology to construct a Boolean dynamic model from time
      series metagenomic information and integrate this modeling with genome-scale
      metabolic network reconstructions to identify metabolic underpinnings for
      microbial interactions. We apply this in the context of a critical health issue:
      clindamycin antibiotic treatment and opportunistic Clostridium difficile
      infection. Our model recapitulates known dynamics of clindamycin antibiotic
      treatment and C. difficile infection and predicts therapeutic probiotic
      interventions to suppress C. difficile infection. Genome-scale metabolic network
      reconstructions reveal metabolic differences between community members and are
      used to explore the role of metabolism in the observed microbial interactions. In
      vitro experimental data validate a key result of our computational model, that B.
      intestinihominis can in fact slow C. difficile growth. 

PMID- 26102288
TI  - Heterotrophic-autotrophic sequential system for reductive nitrate and perchlorate
      removal.
AB  - Nitrate and perchlorate were identified as significant water contaminants all
      over the world. This study aims at evaluating the performances of the
      heterotrophic-autotrophic sequential denitrification process for reductive
      nitrate and perchlorate removal from drinking water. The reduced nitrate
      concentration in the heterotrophic reactor increased with increasing methanol
      concentrations and the remaining nitrate/nitrite was further removed in the
      following autotrophic denitrifying process. The performances of the sequential
      process were studied under varying nitrate loads of [Formula: see text] at a
      fixed hydraulic retention time of 2 h. The C/N ratio in the heterotrophic reactor
      varied between 1.24 and 2.77 throughout the study. Nitrate and perchlorate
      reduced completely with maximum initial concentrations of [Formula: see text] and
      1000 ug/L, respectively. The maximum denitrification rate for the heterotrophic
      reactor was [Formula: see text] when the bioreactor was fed with [Formula: see
      text] and 277 mg/L methanol. For the autotrophic reactor, the highest
      denitrification rate was [Formula: see text] in the first period when the
      heterotrophic reactor performance was low. Perchlorate reduction was initiated in
      the heterotrophic reactor, but completed in the following autotrophic process.
      Effluent sulphate concentration was below the drinking water standard level of
      250 mg/L and pH was in the neutral level.

PMID- 26102290
TI  - Significance of weak interactions in imidazolium picrate ionic liquids:
      spectroscopic and theoretical studies for molecular level understanding.
AB  - The effects of interionic hydrogen bonding and pi-pi stacking interactions on the
      physical properties of a new series of picrate anion based ionic liquids (ILs)
      have been investigated experimentally and theoretically. The existence of
      aromatic (C2-HO) and aliphatic (C7-HO-N22 and C6-HO-N20) hydrogen bonding and pi
      pi stacking interactions in these ILs has been observed using various
      spectroscopic techniques. The aromatic and aliphatic C-HO hydrogen bonding
      interactions are found to have a crucial role in binding the imidazolium cation
      and picrate anion together. However, the pi-pi stacking interactions between two
      successive layers are found to play a decisive role in tight packing in ILs
      leading to differences in physical properties. The drastic difference in the
      melting points of the methyl and propyl derivatives (mmimPic and pmimPic
      respectively) have been found to be primarily due to the difference in the
      strength and varieties of pi-pi stacking interactions. While in mmimPic, several
      different types of pi-pi stacking interactions between the aromatic rings (such
      as picrate-picrate, picrate-imidazole and imidazolium-imidazolium cation rings)
      are observed, only one type of pi-pi stacking interaction (picrate-picrate rings)
      is found to exist in the pmimPic IL. NMR spectroscopic studies reveal that the
      interaction of these ILs with solvent molecules is different and depends on the
      dielectric constant of the solvent. While an ion solvation model explains the
      solvation in high dielectric solvents, an ion-pair solvation model is found to be
      more appropriate for low dielectric constant solvents. The enhanced stability of
      these investigated picrate ILs compared with that of inorganic picrate salts
      under high doses of gamma radiation clearly indicates the importance of weak
      interionic interactions in ILs, and also opens up the possibility of the
      application of picrate ILs as prospective diluents in nuclear separation for
      advanced fuel cycling process. 

PMID- 26102289
TI  - CD4 T cell differentiation in type 1 diabetes.
AB  - Susceptibility to type 1 diabetes is associated strongly with human leucocyte
      antigen (HLA) genes, implicating T cells in disease pathogenesis. In humans, CD8
      T cells predominantly infiltrate the islets, yet their activation and propagation
      probably requires CD4 T cell help. CD4 T cells can select from several
      differentiation fates following activation, and this choice has profound
      consequences for their subsequent cytokine production and migratory potential. In
      turn, these features dictate which other immune cell types T cells interact with
      and influence, thereby determining downstream effector functions. Obtaining an
      accurate picture of the type of CD4 T cell differentiation associated with a
      particular immune-mediated disease therefore constitutes an important clue when
      planning intervention strategies. Early models of T cell differentiation focused
      on the dichotomy between T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th2 responses, with type 1
      diabetes (T1D) being viewed mainly as a Th1-mediated pathology. However, several
      additional fate choices have emerged in recent years, including Th17 cells and
      follicular helper T cells. Here we revisit the issue of T cell differentiation in
      autoimmune diabetes, highlighting new evidence from both mouse models and patient
      samples. We assess the strengths and the weaknesses of the Th1 paradigm, review
      the data on interleukin (IL)-17 production in type 1 diabetes and discuss
      emerging evidence for the roles of IL-21 and follicular helper T cells in this
      disease setting. A better understanding of the phenotype of CD4 T cells in T1D
      will undoubtedly inform biomarker development, improve patient stratification and
      potentially reveal new targets for therapeutic intervention. 

PMID- 26102292
TI  - Multicolor fluorescent graphene quantum dots colorimetrically responsive to all
      pH and a wide temperature range.
AB  - Smart functional nanomaterials colorimetrically responsive to all-pH and a wide
      temperature range are urgently needed due to their widespread applications in
      biotechnology, drug delivery, diagnosis and optical sensing. Although graphene
      quantum dots possess remarkable advantages in biological applications, they are
      only stable in neutral or weak acidic solutions, and strong acidic or alkaline
      conditions invariably suppress or diminish the fluorescence intensity. Herein, we
      report a new type of water-soluble, multicolor fluorescent graphene quantum dot
      which is responsive to all-pH from 1 to 14 with the naked eye. The synthesis was
      accomplished by electrolysis of the graphite rod, followed by refluxing in a
      concentrated nitric and sulfuric acid mixed solution. We demonstrate the novel
      red fluorescence of quinone structures transformed from the lactone structures
      under strong alkaline conditions. The fluorescence of the resulting graphene
      quantum dots was also found to be responsive to the temperature changes,
      demonstrating their great potential as a dual probe of pH and temperature in
      complicated environments such as biological media. 

PMID- 26102291
TI  - Environmental (Saprozoic) Pathogens of Engineered Water Systems: Understanding
      Their Ecology for Risk Assessment and Management.
AB  - Major waterborne (enteric) pathogens are relatively well understood and treatment
      controls are effective when well managed. However, water-based, saprozoic
      pathogens that grow within engineered water systems (primarily within
      biofilms/sediments) cannot be controlled by water treatment alone prior to entry
      into water distribution and other engineered water systems. Growth within
      biofilms or as in the case of Legionella pneumophila, primarily within free
      living protozoa feeding on biofilms, results from competitive advantage. Meaning,
      to understand how to manage water-based pathogen diseases (a sub-set of
      saprozoses) we need to understand the microbial ecology of biofilms; with key
      factors including biofilm bacterial diversity that influence amoebae hosts and
      members antagonistic to water-based pathogens, along with impacts from biofilm
      substratum, water temperature, flow conditions and disinfectant residual-all
      control variables. Major saprozoic pathogens covering viruses, bacteria, fungi
      and free-living protozoa are listed, yet today most of the recognized health
      burden from drinking waters is driven by legionellae, non-tuberculous
      mycobacteria (NTM) and, to a lesser extent, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In developing
      best management practices for engineered water systems based on hazard analysis
      critical control point (HACCP) or water safety plan (WSP) approaches, multi
      factor control strategies, based on quantitative microbial risk assessments need
      to be developed, to reduce disease from largely opportunistic, water-based
      pathogens. 

PMID- 26102293
TI  - Monocyte-macrophage differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia cell lines by small
      molecules identified through interrogation of the Connectivity Map database.
AB  - The transcription factor C/EBPalpha is required for granulocytic differentiation
      of normal myeloid progenitors and is frequently inactivated in acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML) cells. Ectopic expression of C/EBPalpha in AML cells suppresses
      proliferation and induces differentiation suggesting that restoring C/EBPalpha
      expression/activity in AML cells could be therapeutically useful. Unfortunately,
      current approaches of gene or protein delivery in leukemic cells are
      unsatisfactory. However, "drug repurposing" is becoming a very attractive
      strategy to identify potential new uses for existing drugs. In this study, we
      assessed the biological effects of candidate C/EBPalpha-mimetics identified by
      interrogation of the Connectivity Map database. We found that amantadine, an
      antiviral and anti-Parkinson agent, induced a monocyte-macrophage-like
      differentiation of HL60, U937, Kasumi-1 myeloid leukemia cell lines, as indicated
      by morphology and differentiation antigen expression, when used in combination
      with suboptimal concentration of all trans retinoic acid (ATRA) or Vit D3. The
      effect of amantadine depends, in part, on increased activity of the vitamin D
      receptor (VDR), since it induced VDR expression and amantadine-dependent monocyte
      macrophage differentiation of HL60 cells was blocked by expression of dominant
      negative VDR. These results reveal a new function for amantadine and support the
      concept that screening of the Connectivity Map database can identify small
      molecules that mimic the effect of transcription factors required for myelo
      monocytic differentiation. 

PMID- 26102295
TI  - Simple synthesis of Prussian blue analogues in room temperature ionic liquid
      solution and their catalytic application in epoxidation of styrene.
AB  - In this article, a new application of the room temperature ionic liquid,
      tetramethylammonium tetrafluoroborate, is described. This ionic liquid is used as
      a stabilizing agent and the reaction medium for the synthesis of CoFe Prussian
      blue analogue nanoparticles using N,N-dimethyl formamide as a complexing agent.
      The as-synthesized Prussian blue analogues were characterized by various
      techniques and were used to catalyze the reaction of epoxidation of styrene. The
      catalytic activity of Prussian blue analogues prepared in ionic liquid was
      superior to that of Prussian blue analogues prepared in aqueous solution. 

PMID- 26102294
TI  - Role of stress-activated OCT4A in the cell fate decisions of embryonal carcinoma
      cells treated with etoposide.
AB  - Tumor cellular senescence induced by genotoxic treatments has recently been found
      to be paradoxically linked to the induction of "stemness." This observation is
      critical as it directly impinges upon the response of tumors to current chemo
      radio-therapy treatment regimens. Previously, we showed that following etoposide
      (ETO) treatment embryonal carcinoma PA-1 cells undergo a p53-dependent
      upregulation of OCT4A and p21Cip1 (governing self-renewal and regulating cell
      cycle inhibition and senescence, respectively). Here we report further detail on
      the relationship between these and other critical cell-fate regulators. PA-1
      cells treated with ETO display highly heterogeneous increases in OCT4A and
      p21Cip1 indicative of dis-adaptation catastrophe. Silencing OCT4A suppresses
      p21Cip1, changes cell cycle regulation and subsequently suppresses terminal
      senescence; p21Cip1-silencing did not affect OCT4A expression or cellular
      phenotype. SOX2 and NANOG expression did not change following ETO treatment
      suggesting a dissociation of OCT4A from its pluripotency function. Instead, ETO
      induced OCT4A was concomitant with activation of AMPK, a key component of
      metabolic stress and autophagy regulation. p16ink4a, the inducer of terminal
      senescence, underwent autophagic sequestration in the cytoplasm of ETO-treated
      cells, allowing alternative cell fates. Accordingly, failure of autophagy was
      accompanied by an accumulation of p16ink4a, nuclear disintegration, and loss of
      cell recovery. Together, these findings imply that OCT4A induction following DNA
      damage in PA-1 cells, performs a cell stress, rather than self-renewal, function
      by moderating the expression of p21Cip1, which alongside AMPK helps to then
      regulate autophagy. Moreover, this data indicates that exhaustion of autophagy,
      through persistent DNA damage, is the cause of terminal cellular senescence. 

PMID- 26102297
TI  - Membrane Active Small Molecules Show Selective Broad Spectrum Antibacterial
      Activity with No Detectable Resistance and Eradicate Biofilms.
AB  - Treating bacterial biofilms with conventional antibiotics is limited due to
      ineffectiveness of the drugs and higher propensity to develop bacterial
      resistance. Development of new classes of antibacterial therapeutics with
      alternative mechanisms of action has become imperative. Herein, we report the
      design, synthesis, and biological evaluations of novel membrane-active small
      molecules featuring two positive charges, four nonpeptidic amide groups, and
      variable hydrophobic/hydrophilic (amphiphilic) character. The biocides
      synthesized via a facile methodology not only displayed good antibacterial
      activity against wild-type bacteria but also showed high activity against various
      drug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE), and beta-lactam
      resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Further, these biocides not only inhibited the
      formation of biofilms but also disrupted the established S. aureus and E. coli
      biofilms. The membrane-active biocides hindered the propensity to develop
      bacterial resistance. Moreover, the biocides showed negligible toxicity against
      mammalian cells and thus bear potential to be used as therapeutic agents. 

PMID- 26102299
TI  - Synthesis of N-Imidoyl and N-Oxoimidoyl Sulfoximines from 1-Alkynes, N-Sulfonyl
      Azides, and Sulfoximines.
AB  - N-Imidoylation of sulfoximines is developed from a Cu-catalyzed three-component
      reaction from 1-alkynes, N-sulfonyl azides, and sulfoximines in THF at room
      temperature under air. In addition, N-oxoimidoylation of sulfoximines is accessed
      from a Cu-catalyzed three-component reaction from 1-alkynes, N-sulfonyl azides,
      and sulfoximines in THF at room temperature followed by a Cu-catalyzed oxidative
      reaction at 50  degrees C under air, producing N-oxoimidoyl sulfoximines. 

PMID- 26102296
TI  - Ganoderma lucidum reduces obesity in mice by modulating the composition of the
      gut microbiota.
AB  - Obesity is associated with low-grade chronic inflammation and intestinal
      dysbiosis. Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal mushroom used in traditional Chinese
      medicine with putative anti-diabetic effects. Here, we show that a water extract
      of Ganoderma lucidum mycelium (WEGL) reduces body weight, inflammation and
      insulin resistance in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Our data indicate that WEGL
      not only reverses HFD-induced gut dysbiosis-as indicated by the decreased
      Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratios and endotoxin-bearing Proteobacteria levels
      but also maintains intestinal barrier integrity and reduces metabolic
      endotoxemia. The anti-obesity and microbiota-modulating effects are transmissible
      via horizontal faeces transfer from WEGL-treated mice to HFD-fed mice. We further
      show that high molecular weight polysaccharides (>300 kDa) isolated from the WEGL
      extract produce similar anti-obesity and microbiota-modulating effects. Our
      results indicate that G. lucidum and its high molecular weight polysaccharides
      may be used as prebiotic agents to prevent gut dysbiosis and obesity-related
      metabolic disorders in obese individuals. 

PMID- 26102298
TI  - Automated Telephone Self-Management Support for Diabetes in a Low-Income Health
      Plan: A Health Care Utilization and Cost Analysis.
AB  - The objective was to determine whether automated telephone self-management
      support (ATSM) for low-income, linguistically diverse health plan members with
      diabetes affects health care utilization or cost. A government-sponsored managed
      care plan for low-income patients implemented a demonstration project between
      2009 and 2011 that involved a 6-month ATSM intervention for 362 English-, Spanish
      , or Cantonese-speaking members with diabetes from 4 publicly funded clinics.
      Participants were randomized to immediate intervention or a wait-list. Medical
      and pharmacy claims used in this analysis were obtained from the managed care
      plan. Medical claims included hospitalizations, ambulance use, emergency
      department visits, and outpatient visits. In the 6-month period following
      enrollment, intervention participants generated half as many emergency department
      visits and hospitalizations (rate ratio 0.52, 95% CI 0.26, 1.04) compared to wait
      listed participants, but these differences did not reach statistical significance
      (P=0.06). With adjustment for prior year cost, intervention participants also had
      a nonsignificant reduction of $26.78 in total health care costs compared to wait
      listed individuals (P=0.93). The observed trends suggest that ATSM could yield
      potential health service benefits for health plans that provide coverage for
      chronic disease patients in safety net settings. ATSM should be further scaled up
      to determine whether it is associated with a greater reduction in health care
      utilization and costs.

PMID- 26102300
TI  - Effect of Viscous Agents on Corneal Density in Dry Eye Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of the viscous agents, hydroxypropyl
      methylcellulose (HPMC), carbomer, povidone, and a combination of HPMC and
      povidone on corneal density in patients with dry eye disease. METHODS: In total,
      98 eyes of 49 patients suffering from dry eye and 65 eyes of 33 healthy age
      matched individuals were included in this prospective, randomized study. Corneal
      morphology was documented with Scheimpflug photography and corneal density was
      analyzed in 5 anatomical layers (epithelium, bowman membrane, stroma, descemet's
      membrane, and endothelium). Corneal density was evaluated for the active
      ingredients HPMC, carbomer, povidone, and a combination of HPMC and povidone as
      the viscous agents contained in the artificial tear formulations used by the dry
      eye patients. Data were compared to the age-matched healthy control group without
      medication. RESULTS: Corneal density in dry eye patients was reduced in all 5
      anatomical layers compared to controls. Corneal density was highest and very
      close to control in patients treated with HPMC containing ocular lubricants.
      Patients treated with lubricants, including carbomer as the viscous agent
      displayed a significant reduction of corneal density in layers 1 and 2 compared
      to control. CONCLUSION: HPMC containing ocular lubricants can help to maintain
      physiological corneal density and may be beneficial in the treatment of dry eye
      disease.

PMID- 26102301
TI  - Integration of the nuclear receptor REV-ERBalpha linked with circadian
      oscillators in the expressions of Alas1, Ppargc1a, and Il6 genes in rat granulosa
      cells.
AB  - The nuclear receptor REV-ERBalpha links circadian rhythms and numerous
      physiological processes, but its physiological role in ovaries remains largely
      unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the potential role of REV
      ERBalpha in the regulation of the transcription of its putative target genes in
      granulosa cells (GCs) prepared from Per2-destablized luciferase (dLuc) reporter
      gene transgenic rats. Alas1, Ppargc1a, and Il6 were chosen as representatives for
      genes analysis. A real-time monitoring system of Per2 promoter activity was
      performed to detect Per2-dLuc circadian oscillations. Two agonists (GSK4112,
      heme) and an antagonist (SR8278) of REV-ERBalpha as well as Rev-erbalpha siRNA
      knockdown were used to identify its target genes. Clear Per2-dLuc circadian
      oscillations were generated in matured GCs after synchronization with GSK4112 or
      SR8278. GSK4112 treatment lengthened and SR8278 treatment shortened the period of
      circadian oscillations in matured GCs stimulated with or without luteinizing
      hormone (LH). GSK4112 showed an inhibitory effect on the amplitude of circadian
      oscillations and caused an arrhythmic expression of canonical clock genes. SR8278
      also had a subtle effect on their daily expression profiles, but the treatment
      resulted only in the arrhythmic expression of Rev-erbalpha. These findings
      indicate the functional biological activity of REV-ERBalpha in response to its
      ligands. Its natural ligand heme further elongated the period of circadian
      oscillations and alleviated their amplitudes in GCs cultured with LH. Heme
      treatment also repressed the expressions of clock genes, Alas1, Il6, and
      Ppargc1a. Rev-erbalpha knockdown up-regulated these transcript levels.
      Collectively, these data extend the recent finding to rat GCs and demonstrate
      that REV-ERBalpha represses the expressions of Alas1, Ppargc1a, and Il6,
      providing novel insights into the physiological significance of REV-ERBalpha in
      ovarian circadian oscillators.

PMID- 26102302
TI  - Cubane: 50 years later.

PMID- 26102303
TI  - Detection of Significant Aprotic Solvent Effects on the Conformational
      Distribution of Methyl 4-Nitrophenyl Sulfoxide: From Gas-Phase Rotational to
      Liquid-Crystal NMR Spectroscopy.
AB  - The conformational equilibrium of methyl 4-nitrophenyl sulfoxide (MNPSO) was
      experimentally investigated in the gas phase by using microwave spectroscopy and
      in isotropic and nematic liquid-crystal solutions, in which the solvents are
      nonaqueous and aprotic, by using NMR spectroscopy; moreover, it was theoretically
      studied in vacuo and in solution at different levels of theory. The overall set
      of results indicates a significant dependence of the solute conformational
      distribution on the solvent dielectric permittivity constant: when dissolved in
      low-polarity media, the most stable conformation of MNPSO proved to be strongly
      twisted with respect to that in more polar solvents, in which the conformational
      distribution maximum essentially coincides with that obtained in the gas phase.
      We discuss a possible explanation of this behavior, which rests on electrostatic
      solute-solvent interactions and is supported by calculations of the solute
      electric dipole moment as a function of the torsional angle. This function shows
      that the least polar conformation of MNPSO is located at a twist angle close to
      that of the conformational distribution maximum found in less-polar solvents.
      This fact, associated with a relatively flat torsional potential, can justify the
      stabilization of the twisted conformation by the less-polar solvents. 

PMID- 26102304
TI  - Hydrogen bond-aromaticity cooperativity in self-assembling 4-pyridone chains.
AB  - Self-assembling building blocks like the 4-pyridone can exhibit extraordinary H
      bond-aromaticity coupling effects. Computed dissected nucleus independent
      chemical shifts (NICS(1)zz), natural bond orbital (NBO) charges, and energy
      decomposition analyses (EDA) for a series of hydrogen (H-) bonded 4-pyridone
      chains (4-py)n (n = 2 to 8) reveal that H-bonding interactions can polarize the 4
      pyridone exocyclic C=O bonds and increase 4n+2 pi-electron delocalization in the
      six-membered ring. The resulting H-bonded 4-pyridone units display enhanced pi
      aromatic character (both magnetically and energetically) and their corresponding
      N-H...O=C interactions are strengthened. These pi-electron polarization effects
      do not depend on the relative orientations (co-planar or perpendicular) of the
      neighboring 4-pyridone units, but increase with the number of H-bonded units.

PMID- 26102305
TI  - Electrocardiographic QRS Fragmentation as a Marker for Myocardial Fibrosis in
      Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Myocardial fibrosis in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
      (HCM) usually shows a patchy distribution, which may not be detected by
      pathological Q waves on 12-lead ECGs. Fragmented QRS complexes (fQRS) reflect
      intraventricular conduction delay and can be a marker of myocardial fibrosis. We
      assessed whether fQRS show better correlation with myocardial fibrosis than
      pathological Q waves in HCM. METHODS AND RESULTS: This cross-sectional study
      included 108 patients with HCM who underwent 12-lead ECG and cardiac magnetic
      resonance imaging with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE-CMR). The number of leads
      with pathological Q waves was not correlated with the extent of LGE measured at
      any different standard deviations (SDs) (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 SD), whereas the
      number of leads with fQRS showed the best correlation with LGE at 6 SD (r = 0.32,
      P = 0.0008). Further, the number of leads with fQRS was an independent predictor
      for the extent of LGE at 6 SD. fQRS showed higher accuracy for detecting
      myocardial fibrosis defined by LGE at 6 SD than pathological Q waves; the overall
      sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of fQRS were 40%, 80%, and 64%,
      respectively, whereas those of pathological Q waves were 7%, 97%, and 60%,
      respectively. fQRS in lateral leads showed the highest accuracy (75%), followed
      by inferior leads (59%) and anterior leads (57%), for detecting LGE at 6 SD in
      the corresponding left ventricular segment. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest
      that fQRS may have a substantially higher sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy
      compared with pathological Q waves for detecting myocardial fibrosis in HCM.

PMID- 26102306
TI  - Ultrasound of the Groin: Techniques, Pathology, and Pitfalls.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In a patient with symptoms referable to the groin, there can be a
      number of causes to consider and at times the cause of the symptoms is
      multifactorial. Although ultrasound can be effective in the evaluation of the
      groin, the depth and complexity of the anatomy can be problematic. A protocol
      driven approach for ultrasound evaluation of the groin will help to ensure an
      accurate and comprehensive evaluation. This article summarizes the ultrasound
      technique and protocol for evaluation of the groin to include evaluation of the
      hip joint, anterior hip musculature, the iliopsoas bursa, the inguinal lymph
      nodes, the pubic symphyseal region, and the inguinal region for hernias. Common
      pathologic conditions and pitfalls related to ultrasound evaluation of the groin
      will be reviewed. CONCLUSION: There are many potential pathologic conditions in a
      patient with groin symptoms. Because symptoms may be multifactorial and history
      may be ambiguous or misleading, a protocol-driven evaluation with ultrasound is
      recommended. The hip joint is evaluated for effusion, synovitis, and labral
      abnormalities. The muscles and tendons, including the common aponeurosis at the
      pubic symphysis, are evaluated for tendinosis and tears. Dynamic evaluation
      should be considered to assess for snapping hip syndrome. Iliopsoas bursal
      distention and lymph node enlargement are other considerations. Last, inguinal
      region hernias must be evaluated during the Valsalva maneuver and documented in
      two orthogonal planes to avoid several important diagnostic pitfalls.

PMID- 26102307
TI  - Sarcopenia: Current Concepts and Imaging Implications.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to review the nomenclature, clinical
      impact, and diagnostic techniques characterizing sarcopenia. CONCLUSION:
      Sarcopenia-defined as significant loss of muscle-is associated with cachexia and
      frailty. Specific diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia continue to evolve, but
      imaging can play a role in the detection and quantification of muscle depletion.
      Emerging evidence indicates that sarcopenia is a relevant predictor of quality
      and quantity of life, particularly in patients who are elderly, have cancer, or
      undergo surgery.

PMID- 26102308
TI  - Vascular Imaging With Ferumoxytol as a Contrast Agent.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ferumoxytol is increasingly reported as an alternative to gadolinium
      based contrast agents for MR angiography (MRA), particularly for patients with
      renal failure. This article summarizes more than 3 years of clinical experience
      with ferumoxytol-enhanced MRA for a range of indications and anatomic regions.
      CONCLUSION: Ferumoxytol-enhanced MRA has many advantages including that it is
      safe for patients with renal failure and provides a lengthy plateau of vascular
      signal as a blood pool agent that allows longer navigated MRA sequences.

PMID- 26102309
TI  - Acute Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus: Temporal Lung Changes
      Observed on the Chest Radiographs of 55 Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to describe lung changes on serial
      chest radiographs from patients infected with the acute Middle East respiratory
      syndrome corona-virus (MERS-CoV) and to compare the chest radiographic findings
      and final outcomes with those of health care workers (HCWs) infected with the
      same virus. Chest radiographic scores and comorbidities were also examined as
      indicators of a fatal outcome to determine their potential prognostic value.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chest radiographs of 33 patients and 22 HCWs infected with
      MERS-CoV were examined for radiologic features indicative of disease and for
      evidence of radiographic deterioration and progression. Chest radiographic scores
      were estimated after dividing each lung into three zones. The scores (1 [mild] to
      4 [severe]) for all six zones per chest radiographic examination were summed to
      provide a cumulative chest radiographic score (range, 0-24). Serial radiographs
      were also examined to assess for radiographic deterioration and progression from
      type 1 (mild) to type 4 (severe) disease. Multivariate logistic regression
      analysis, Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis, and the Mann-Whitney U test were
      used to compare data of deceased patients with those of individuals who recovered
      to identify prognostic radiographic features. RESULTS: Ground-glass opacity was
      the most common abnormality (66%) followed by consolidation (18%). Overall
      mortality was 35% (19/55). Mortality was higher in the patient group (55%, 18/33)
      than in the HCW group (5%, 1/22). The mean chest radiographic score for deceased
      patients was significantly higher than that for those who recovered (13 +/- 2.6
      [SD] vs 5.8 +/- 5.6, respectively; p = 0.001); in addition, higher rates of
      pneumothorax (deceased patients vs patients who recovered, 47% vs 0%; p = 0.001),
      pleural effusion (63% vs 14%; p = 0.001), and type 4 radiographic progression
      (63% vs 6%; p = 0.001) were seen in the deceased patients compared with those who
      recovered. Univariate and logistic regression analyses identified the chest
      radiographic score as an independent predictor of mortality (odds ratio [OR],
      1.38; 95% CI, 1.07-1.77; p = 0.01). The number of comorbidities in the patient
      group (n = 33) was significantly higher than that in the HCW group (n = 22) (mean
      number of comorbidities, 1.90 +/- 1.27 vs 0.17 +/- 0.65, respectively; p =
      0.001). The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a median survival time of 15 days (95%
      CI, 4-26 days). CONCLUSION: Ground-glass opacity in a peripheral location was the
      most common abnormality noted on chest radiographs. A higher chest radiographic
      score coupled with a high number of medical comorbidities was associated with a
      poor prognosis and higher mortality in those infected with MERS-CoV. Younger HCWs
      with few or no comorbidities had a higher survival rate.

PMID- 26102310
TI  - Multidrug resistance-associated protein 4 expression in ammonia-treated cultured
      rat astrocytes and cerebral cortex of cirrhotic patients with hepatic
      encephalopathy.
AB  - Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric syndrome frequently
      accompanying liver cirrhosis and reflects the clinical manifestation of a low
      grade cerebral edema associated with cerebral oxidative/nitrosative stress. The
      multidrug resistance-associated protein (Mrp) 4 is an export pump which
      transports metabolites that were recently suggested to play a major role in the
      pathogenesis of HE such as neurosteroids and cyclic nucleotides. We therefore
      studied Mrp4 expression changes in ammonia-exposed cultured astrocytes and
      postmortem human brain samples of cirrhotic patients with HE. NH4 Cl increased
      Mrp4 mRNA and protein levels in astrocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner
      up to threefold after 72 h of exposure and concurrently inhibited N-glycosylation
      of Mrp4 protein. Upregulation of Mrp4 mRNA and protein as well as impaired N
      glycosylation of Mrp4 protein by ammonia were sensitive towards the glutamine
      synthetase inhibitor l-methionine-S-sulfoximine and were not induced by CH3 NH3
      Cl (5 mmol/L). Upregulation of Mrp4 mRNA required ammonia-induced activation of
      nitric oxide synthases or NADPH oxidase and p38MAPK -dependent activation of
      PPARalpha. Inhibition of Mrp4 by ceefourin 1 synergistically enhanced both,
      inhibition of astrocyte proliferation as well as transcription of the oxidative
      stress surrogate marker heme oxygenase 1 by forskolin (10 umol/L, 72 h) or NH4 Cl
      (5 mmol/L, 72 h) in cultured rat astrocytes. Increased Mrp4 mRNA and protein
      levels were also found in postmortem brain samples from patients with liver
      cirrhosis with HE but not in those without HE. The data show that Mrp4 is
      upregulated in HE, which may be relevant for the handling of neurosteroids and
      cyclic nucleotides in response to ammonia. GLIA 2015;63:2092-2105.

PMID- 26102311
TI  - Hydrate Shell Growth Measured Using NMR.
AB  - Benchtop nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) pulsed field gradient (PFG) and
      relaxation measurements were used to monitor the clathrate hydrate shell growth
      occurring in water droplets dispersed in a continuous cyclopentane phase. These
      techniques allowed the growth of hydrate inside the opaque exterior shell to be
      monitored and, hence, information about the evolution of the shell's morphology
      to be deduced. NMR relaxation measurements were primarily used to monitor the
      hydrate shell growth kinetics, while PFG NMR diffusion experiments were used to
      determine the nominal droplet size distribution (DSD) of the unconverted water
      inside the shell core. A comparison of mean droplet sizes obtained directly via
      PFG NMR and independently deduced from relaxation measurements showed that the
      assumption of the shell model-a perfect spherical core of unconverted water-for
      these hydrate droplet systems is correct, but only after approximately 24 h of
      shell growth. Initially, hydrate growth is faster and heat-transfer-limited,
      leading to porous shells with surface areas larger than that of spheres with
      equivalent volumes. Subsequently, the hydrate growth rate becomes mass-transfer
      limited, and the shells become thicker, spherical, and less porous. 

PMID- 26102312
TI  - Annuloselectivity in Reactions of Diacyl Dichlorides and Imines: Combined
      Experimental and Theoretical Studies.
AB  - The annuloselectivity defined as the annulation selectivity between [2 + 2] and
      cascade annulations of diacyl dichlorides and imines in the presence of organic
      bases to afford bis-beta-lactams and 2,3-dihydro-1,3-oxazin-4-ones has been
      studied extensively with a combination of experiments and density functional
      theory (DFT) calculations. The present results indicate that it is the preference
      of diacyl dichlorides in the formation of cyclic alpha-oxoketenes in the presence
      of organic bases that controls the annuloselectivity. The cascade annulations of
      hexanedioyl and heptanedioyl dichlorides undergo the chloride-assisted
      cyclization of the corresponding omega-chlorocarbonylalkylketenes as the rate
      determining step in the presence of triethylamine, rather than the generation of
      bisketenes followed by dimerization, affording five- and six-membered cyclic
      alpha-oxoketenes followed by the [4 + 2] annulations with imines to furnish 2,3
      dihydro-1,3-oxazin-4-ones. This is an energetically competitive pathway to the
      normal Staudinger cycloaddition. Further decreasing (pentanedioyl dichloride) or
      increasing the linker length (octanedioyl and nonanedioyl dichlorides) results in
      the enhanced energetic barriers for the cyclization, which is less competitive to
      the direct Staudinger cycloaddition to afford bis-trans-beta-lactams as the sole
      products. The current results provide an insight into the annuloselective control
      in the reactions of diacyl dichlorides and imines. 

PMID- 26102313
TI  - Pre-hospital non-invasive ventilation for acute respiratory failure: a systematic
      review and cost-effectiveness evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-invasive ventilation (NIV), in the form of continuous positive
      airway pressure (CPAP) or bilevel inspiratory positive airway pressure (BiPAP),
      is used in hospital to treat patients with acute respiratory failure. Pre
      hospital NIV may be more effective than in-hospital NIV but requires additional
      ambulance service resources. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the clinical
      effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of pre-hospital NIV compared with usual care
      for adults presenting to the emergency services with acute respiratory failure
      and to identify priorities for future research. DATA SOURCES: Fourteen electronic
      databases and research registers (including MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non
      Indexed Citations, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied
      Health Literature) were searched from inception to August 2013, supplemented by
      hand-searching reference lists and contacting experts in the field. REVIEW
      METHODS: We included all randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials of pre
      hospital NIV in patients with acute respiratory failure. Methodological quality
      was assessed according to established criteria. An aggregate data network meta
      analysis (NMA) of mortality and intubation was used to jointly estimate
      intervention effects relative to usual care. A NMA, using individual patient
      level data (IPD) and aggregate data where IPD were not available, was carried out
      to assess whether or not covariates were treatment effect modifiers. A de novo
      economic model was developed to explore the costs and health outcomes when pre
      hospital NIV (specifically CPAP provided by paramedics) and standard care (in
      hospital NIV) were applied to a hypothetical cohort of patients with acute
      respiratory failure. RESULTS: The literature searches identified 2284 citations.
      Of the 10 studies that met the inclusion criteria, eight were randomised
      controlled trials and two were quasi-randomised trials (six CPAP; four BiPAP;
      sample sizes 23-207 participants). IPD were available from seven trials (650
      patients). The aggregate data NMA suggested that CPAP was the most effective
      treatment in terms of mortality (probability = 0.989) and intubation rate
      (probability = 0.639), and reduced both mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.41, 95%
      credible interval (CrI) 0.20 to 0.77] and intubation rate (OR 0.32, 95% CrI 0.17
      to 0.62) compared with standard care. The effect of BiPAP on mortality (OR 1.94,
      95% CrI 0.65 to 6.14) and intubation rate (OR 0.40, 95% CrI 0.14 to 1.16)
      compared with standard care was uncertain. The combined IPD and aggregate data
      NMA suggested that sex was a statistically significant treatment effect modifier
      for mortality. The economic analysis showed that pre-hospital CPAP was more
      effective and more expensive than standard care, with an incremental cost
      effectiveness ratio of L20,514 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) and a 49.5%
      probability of being cost-effective at the L20,000-per-QALY threshold. Variation
      in the incidence of eligible patients had a marked impact on cost-effectiveness
      and the expected value of sample information for a future randomised trial.
      LIMITATIONS: The meta-analysis lacked power to detect potentially important
      differences in outcome (particularly for BiPAP), the intervention was not always
      compared with the best alternative care (in-hospital NIV) in the primary studies
      and findings may not be generalisable. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-hospital CPAP can reduce
      mortality and intubation rates, but cost-effectiveness is uncertain and the value
      of further randomised evaluation depends on the incidence of suitable patients. A
      feasibility study is required to determine if a large pragmatic trial of clinical
      effectiveness and cost-effectiveness is appropriate. STUDY REGISTRATION: The
      study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42012002933. FUNDING: The National Institute
      for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

PMID- 26102314
TI  - Stress-related changes to immune cells in the skin prior to wounding may impair
      subsequent healing.
AB  - Higher psychological stress is associated with slower dermal wound healing, but
      the immunological mechanisms behind this effect are only partially understood.
      This paper aims to investigate whether immune cells present in the skin prior to
      wounding can affect subsequent healing in high-stress and low-stress
      participants. Two studies are presented in which skin biopsies were analysed
      using immunohistochemistry for numbers of macrophages and Langerhans cells, and
      immune cell activation (Study 2 only). Immune cells were related to perceived
      stress levels and subsequent healing. Study 1 included 19 healthy older adults
      and showed that higher stress was associated with significantly fewer macrophages
      in the skin. Study 2 included 22 younger adults and showed that higher stress was
      associated with significantly lower activation of immune cells in the skin.
      Furthermore, lower activation of immune cells (as measured by human leukocyte
      antigen (HLA expression)) and fewer Langerhans cells were associated with slower
      healing. Together these studies show the first preliminary evidence that the
      number and activation of immune cells in the skin prior to wounding are affected
      by stress and can impact healing. Larger studies are needed to confirm these
      effects. 

PMID- 26102315
TI  - Uranyl Ion Complexes with 1,1'-Biphenyl-2,2',6,6'-tetracarboxylic Acid:
      Structural and Spectroscopic Studies of One- to Three-Dimensional Assemblies.
AB  - 1,1'-Biphenyl-2,2',6,6'-tetracarboxylic acid (H4L) was reacted with uranyl
      nitrate, either alone or in the presence of additional metal cations (Ni(2+),
      Cu(2+), Dy(3+)) under (solvo)-hydrothermal conditions, giving six complexes which
      were characterized by their crystal structure and, in all but one case, their
      emission spectrum in the solid state. [Ni(bipy)3][UO2(H2L)(H2O)]2(NO3)2.3H2O (1)
      crystallizes as a one-dimensional (1D), ribbon-like coordination polymer, while
      the homometallic complex [(UO2)2(L)(H2O)3].H2O.CH3CN (2) and the heterometallic
      complexes [UO2Cu(L)(H2O)2].H2O (3), [UO2Cu(L)(H2O)].H2O (4), and
      [(UO2)5Cu4(HL)6(bipy)4].2H2O (5) display two-dimensional (2D) arrangements.
      Lastly, the uranyl-lanthanide heterometallic complex
      [(UO2)8Dy(HL)6(H2O)8](I).8H2O (6) crystallizes as a three-dimensional (3D)
      framework. Although these assemblies adopt different topologies, the {4(2).6}
      linear motif found in 1 is discernible in the structures of 2, 5, and 6, in which
      the higher dimensionality arises from further bridging of these subunits by
      uranyl (2), copper (5), or both uranyl and dysprosium (6) cations. The
      tetracarboxylic/ate ligands have their two aromatic rings nearly perpendicular to
      one another. No two of them adopt the same coordination mode in this series
      (except in the similar complexes 3 and 4), but chelation involving one
      carboxylate group from each ring is nearly ubiquitous, and the ensuing position
      of the cation favors the formation of planar architectures. The emission spectra
      of complexes 2-5 measured in the solid state show the usual uranyl vibronic fine
      structure, although with significant differences in the emission intensity, while
      complete quenching of the luminescence is observed in 1. 

PMID- 26102316
TI  - Islet Volume and Indexes of beta-Cell Function in Humans.
AB  - Islet volume and endocrine pancreas architecture (islet size distribution) may be
      independent determinants of beta-cell function. Furthermore, the accuracy of
      homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) indexes in predicting beta-cell mass has
      never been assessed. Here we investigated the relationships between islet volume,
      islet density, and islet size distribution, estimated after pancreatic tissue
      digestion, with established indexes of beta-cell function in humans. We included
      in this study 42 patients who were candidates for islet autotransplantation and
      had well-characterized glucose metabolism. Indexes of insulin secretion were
      calculated and compared with the islet volume, as a surrogate of beta-cell mass,
      obtained after digestion of pancreas. Islet counting analysis showed considerable
      interindividual variation in islet density and size. Islet volume, but not
      density nor size, was the only independent determinant of beta-cell function
      assessed by insulin HOMA beta-cell. Islet volume was significantly reduced in the
      patients with overt hyperglycemia, but not in patients with impaired fasting
      glucose. Insulin HOMA beta-cell predicted islet volume better than other measures
      of fasting insulin secretion. In conclusion, the present study documented a close
      direct relationship between indexes of beta-cell function and islet volume in
      humans. The insulin HOMA beta-cell provides a more reliable estimate of
      pancreatic islet volume than fasting glucose before islet isolation. 

PMID- 26102317
TI  - Aqueous Lithium-Iodine Solar Flow Battery for the Simultaneous Conversion and
      Storage of Solar Energy.
AB  - Integrating both photoelectric-conversion and energy-storage functions into one
      device allows for the more efficient solar energy usage. Here we demonstrate the
      concept of an aqueous lithium-iodine (Li-I) solar flow battery (SFB) by
      incorporation of a built-in dye-sensitized TiO2 photoelectrode in a Li-I redox
      flow battery via linkage of an I3(-)/I(-) based catholyte, for the simultaneous
      conversion and storage of solar energy. During the photoassisted charging
      process, I(-) ions are photoelectrochemically oxidized to I3(-), harvesting solar
      energy and storing it as chemical energy. The Li-I SFB can be charged at a
      voltage of 2.90 V under 1 sun AM 1.5 illumination, which is lower than its
      discharging voltage of 3.30 V. The charging voltage reduction translates to
      energy savings of close to 20% compared to conventional Li-I batteries. This
      concept also serves as a guiding design that can be extended to other metal-redox
      flow battery systems. 

PMID- 26102318
TI  - The Gray Mouse Lemur: A Model for Studies of Primate Metabolic Rate Depression.
      Preface.

PMID- 26102319
TI  - Understanding Large Database Studies.
AB  - There are several problems unique to large data sets. Large amounts of biased
      data are still biased and clinical significance is not always the same as
      statistical significance. Large number of predictors of outcome can confound
      conclusions, but there are several ways to manage wide ranging data sets
      including matching, regression, propensity scores, and randomization. 

PMID- 26102320
TI  - Primary Care Physicians' Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Prescription Opioid
      Abuse and Diversion.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Physicians are a key stakeholder in the epidemic of prescription
      opioid abuse. Therefore, we assessed their knowledge of opioid abuse and
      diversion, as well as their support for clinical and regulatory interventions to
      reduce opioid-related morbidity and mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      conducted a nationally representative postal mail survey of 1000 practicing
      internists, family physicians, and general practitioners in the United States
      between February and May 2014. RESULTS: The adjusted response rate was 58%, and
      all physicians (100%) believed that prescription drug abuse was a problem in
      their communities. However, only two-thirds (66%) correctly reported that the
      most common route of abuse was swallowing pills whole, and nearly one-half (46%)
      erroneously reported that abuse-deterrent formulations were less addictive than
      their counterparts. In addition, a notable minority of physicians (25%) reported
      being "not at all" or "only slightly concerned" about the potential for opioid
      diversion from the licit to the illicit market when this practice is common at
      all levels of the pharmaceutical supply chain. Most physicians supported clinical
      and regulatory interventions to reduce prescription opioid abuse, including the
      use of patient contracts (98%), urine drug testing (90%), requiring prescribers
      to check a centralized database before prescribing opioids (88%), and instituting
      greater restrictions on the marketing and promotion of opioids (77% to 82%).
      Despite this, only one-third of physicians (33%) believed that interventions to
      reduce prescription opioid abuse had a moderate or large effect on preventing
      patients' clinically appropriate access to pain treatment. DISCUSSION: Although
      physicians are unaware of some facets of prescription opioid-related morbidity,
      most support a variety of clinical and regulatory interventions to improve the
      risk-benefit balance of these therapies.

PMID- 26102321
TI  - ORS Interview with Otu Inyang.

PMID- 26102322
TI  - Excreta Sampling as an Alternative to In Vivo Measurements at the Hanford Site.
AB  - The capabilities of indirect radiobioassay by urine and fecal sample analysis
      were compared with the direct radiobioassay methods of whole body counting and
      lung counting for the most common radionuclides and inhalation exposure scenarios
      encountered by Hanford workers. Radionuclides addressed by in vivo measurement
      included 137Cs, 60Co, 154Eu, and 241Am as an indicator for plutonium mixtures.
      The same radionuclides were addressed using gamma energy analysis of urine
      samples, augmented by radiochemistry and alpha spectrometry methods for plutonium
      in urine and fecal samples. It was concluded that in vivo whole body counting and
      lung counting capability should be maintained at the Hanford Site for the
      foreseeable future, however, urine and fecal sample analysis could provide
      adequate, though degraded, monitoring capability for workers as a short-term
      alternative, should in vivo capability be lost due to planned or unplanned
      circumstances.

PMID- 26102323
TI  - A New Storage Facility for Institutional Radioactive Wastes at IPEN.
AB  - IPEN, the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has been
      managing the radioactive wastes generated in its own activities of research and
      radioisotope production as well as those received from many radioisotope users in
      the country since its start up in 1958. Final disposal options are presently
      unavailable for the wastes that cannot be managed by release after decay. Treated
      and untreated wastes including disused sealed radioactive sources and solid and
      liquid wastes containing radionuclides of the uranium and thorium series or
      fission and activation products are among the categories that are under safe and
      secure storage. This paper discusses the aspects considered in the design and
      describes the startup of a new storage facility for these wastes. 

PMID- 26102324
TI  - Operational Check Source Recalibration.
AB  - A formal protocol whereby a segregated source is used for later quality control
      trending and recalibration of operational sources is described. The method is of
      potential use for any quality radioactive assay program where multiple sources
      may be in use such that long term loss in activity is possible and not readily
      detected and corrected using common statistical assessment criteria. The method
      relies upon a rigorous initial characterization effort that can later be credited
      to minimize error propagation during recalibration to monitor the overall
      uncertainty budget. A simple example attachment for use in written procedures is
      also provided. 

PMID- 26102325
TI  - Web Implementation of Quality Assurance (QA) for X-ray Units in Balkanic Medical
      Institutions.
AB  - Diagnostic radiology is the major contributor to the total dose of the population
      from all artificial sources. In order to reduce radiation exposure and optimize
      diagnostic x-ray image quality, it is necessary to increase the quality and
      efficiency of quality assurance (QA) and audit programs. This work presents a web
      application providing completely new QA solutions for x-ray modalities and
      facilities. The software gives complete online information (using European
      standards) with which the corresponding institutions and individuals can evaluate
      and control a facility's Radiation Safety and QA program. The software enables
      storage of all data in one place and sharing the same information (data),
      regardless of whether the measured data is used by an individual user or by an
      authorized institution. The software overcomes the distance and time separation
      of institutions and individuals who take part in QA. Upgrading the software will
      enable assessment of the medical exposure level to ionizing radiation. 

PMID- 26102326
TI  - Comparison of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's CAP88 PC Versions 3.0 and
      4.0.
AB  - The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) with the assistance of Georgia
      Regents University, completed a comparison of the U.S. Environmental Protection
      Agency's (U.S. EPA) environmental dosimetry code CAP88 PC V3.0 with the recently
      developed V4.0. CAP88 is a set of computer programs and databases used for
      estimation of dose and risk from radionuclide emissions to air. At the U.S.
      Department of Energy's Savannah River Site, CAP88 is used by SRNL for determining
      compliance with U.S. EPA's National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air
      Pollutants (40 CFR 61, Subpart H) regulations. Using standardized input
      parameters, individual runs were conducted for each radionuclide within its
      corresponding database. Some radioactive decay constants, human usage parameters,
      and dose coefficients changed between the two versions, directly causing a
      proportional change in the total effective dose. A detailed summary for select
      radionuclides of concern at the Savannah River Site (60Co, 137Cs, 3H, 129I,
      239Pu, and 90Sr) is provided. In general, the total effective doses will decrease
      for alpha/beta emitters because of reduced inhalation and ingestion rates in
      V4.0. However, for gamma emitters, such as 60Co and 137Cs, the total effective
      doses will increase because of changes U.S. EPA made in the external ground shine
      calculations.

PMID- 26102327
TI  - Operational Testing of a Combined Hardware-Software Strategy for Triage of
      Radiologically-Contaminated Persons.
AB  - After a radiological dispersal device (RDD) event, it is possible for
      radionuclides to enter the human body through inhalation, ingestion, and skin and
      wound absorption. The dominant pathway will be through inhalation. From a health
      physics perspective, it is important to know the magnitude of the intake to
      perform dosimetric assessments. From a medical perspective, removal of
      radionuclides leading to dose (hence risk) aversion is of high importance. The
      efficacy of medical decorporation strategies is extremely dependent upon the time
      of treatment delivery after intake. The "golden hour," or more realistically 3-4
      h, is imperative when attempting to increase removal of radionuclides from
      extracellular fluids prior to cellular incorporation. To assist medical first
      response personnel in making timely decisions regarding appropriate treatment
      delivery modes, a software tool has been developed which compiles existing
      radionuclide decorporation therapy data and allows a user to perform simple
      triage leading to potential appropriate decorporation treatment strategies. Three
      triage algorithms were included: (1) multi-parameter model (MPM), (2) clinical
      decision guidance (CDG) model, and (3) annual limit on intake (ALI) model. A
      radiation triage mask (RTM) has simultaneously been developed to provide a simple
      and rapid hardware solution for first responders to triage internally exposed
      personnel in the field. The hardware/software strategy was field tested with a
      military medical unit and was found by end-users to be relatively simple to learn
      and use. 

PMID- 26102328
TI  - Degeneracy in carbon nanotubes under transverse magnetic delta-fields.
AB  - The aim of this article was to study the degeneracy of the energy spectrum in a
      nanotube under a transverse magnetic field. The massless Dirac-Weyl equation has
      been used to describe the low energy states of this system. The particular case
      of a singular magnetic field approximated by Dirac delta distributions is
      considered. It is shown that, under general symmetry conditions, there is a
      double degeneracy corresponding to periodic solutions with null axial momentum
      k(z)=0. Also, there may be a kind of sporadic degeneracy for non-vanishing values
      of k(z), which are explicitly computed in the present example. The proof of these
      properties is obtained by means of the supersymmetric structure of the Dirac-Weyl
      Hamiltonian.

PMID- 26102329
TI  - Site-selective in situ growth of fluorescent polymer-antibody conjugates with
      enhanced antigen detection by signal amplification.
AB  - This paper reports a new and general in situ methodology to grow fluorescent
      polymer conjugates from the interchain disulfide bridging sites of a monoclonal
      antibody. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiators were attached to
      a monoclonal antibody at its interchain disulfide bridging sites by disulfide re
      bridging to yield a macroinitiator. Subsequent in situ ATRP of PEG-like monomers
      with dye-functionalized monomers from the macroinitiator formed antibody-polymer
      dye conjugates with site-selectivity and tunable dye-to-antibody ratios. Notably,
      these conjugates can amplify antigen detection signal by reducing label-density
      dependent fluorescence quenching and by increasing dye-to-antibody ratios. The
      method developed may be applicable to a variety of antibodies, dyes and drugs to
      create a number of antibody-polymer-dye/drug conjugates for advanced diagnosis
      and therapy of diseases.

PMID- 26102330
TI  - Biosorbent encapsulation in calcium alginate: Effects of process variables on
      Cr(VI) removal from solutions.
AB  - Selected biosorbents, brewers draff and grape waste, have been encapsulated in
      calcium alginate beads and used for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions.
      The effects of encapsulation variables, including the type of waste, the
      percentage of waste in the beads and the curing time of the beads in CaCl2, on
      the diameters of the beads and Cr(VI) sorption kinetics have been evaluated. In
      total, 21 different types of beads were produced. The diameters of the beads
      increased with increasing amounts of encapsulated biomaterial. Beads that
      contained grape waste were larger than those containing brewers draff. The most
      efficient beads for Cr(VI) removal were beads that contained 4% (w/w) of grape
      waste. No significant differences in the kinetics of Cr(VI) sorption were found
      with respect to the curing time variable in the case of grape waste calcium
      alginate beads. Statistical analysis confirmed that the type and percentage of
      waste are the critical parameters influencing the diameters of the beads and
      Cr(VI) removal. It was proven that the sorption efficiencies of the beads
      containing draff and grape waste encapsulated under the optimum conditions were
      much higher than the efficiencies obtained when using both wastes in their native
      states. 

PMID- 26102331
TI  - Inhibition of amyloid fibrillation and cytotoxicity of lysozyme fibrillation
      products by polyphenols.
AB  - An increasing number of studies conducted under in vitro and in vivo conditions,
      have concluded that polyphenols, compounds frequently occurring in many herbs
      with antioxidant properties, prevent and reverse amyloid fibril formation.
      However, the mechanisms by which these natural products modulate the protein
      aggregation process are poorly understood. Herein, a range of techniques
      including thioflavin T (ThT) and ANS fluorescence assays, electron microscopy and
      circular dichroism have been employed to determine the efficacy of rosmarinic
      acid (RA) and resveratrol (Res) on the inhibition/reversion of fibrillogenesis
      and hindering cytotoxicity induced by protofibrils and amyloid fibrils of hen egg
      white lysozyme (HEWL). Results demonstrated that both polyphenols effectively
      inhibit fibrillogenesis and destabilize preformed fibrils of HEWL in a
      concentration-dependent manner. Cytotoxicity protection on PC12 cells was also
      observed using the MTT assay, ROS production assay, and phase-contrast
      microscopy. It is suggested that the mechanism underlying the inhibitory effects
      of RA and Res is to prevent hydrophobic interactions between HEWL amyloidogenic
      prefibrillar species, although additional studies is needed to elucidate the
      detailed mechanisms involved. A combination of antioxidative and anti
      amyloidogenic properties of these molecules may provide them with the described
      neuroprotective capacities. 

PMID- 26102332
TI  - The Value of Open Conversion Simulations During Robot-Assisted Radical
      Prostatectomy: Implications for Robotic Training Curricula.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is a lack of protocols, formal guidance, and procedural
      training regarding open conversions from robot-assisted radical prostatectomy
      (RARP) to open radical prostatectomy (ORP). An open conversion places complex
      demands on the healthcare team and has recently been shown to be associated with
      adverse perioperative outcomes. AIMS: To perform a root cause analysis of open
      conversion simulations from RARP to ORP to identify errors that may contribute to
      adverse events. METHODS: From May 2013 to December 2013, with a team of two
      surgeons, an anesthesiologist, and three nurses, we simulated 20 emergencies
      during RARP that require open conversion. A human simulation model was intubated
      and prepared in the Trendelenburg position; a robot da Vinci SI was locked to it.
      All simulations were timed, transcribed, and filmed to identify errors and areas
      for improvement. An institutional conversion protocol was developed at the end of
      the conversion training. RESULTS: The average conversion time was 130.9
      (interquartile range [IQR] 90-201) seconds. Frequencies of the observed errors
      were as follows: lack of task sequence (70%), errors in robot movements (50%),
      loss of sterility (50%), space conflict (40%), communication errors (25%), lack
      of leadership (25%), and accidental fall of surgical devices (25%). Four main
      strategies were implemented to reduce errors: improving leadership, clearly
      defining roles, improving knowledge base, and surgical room reorganization. By
      the last simulation, conversions were performed without errors and using 55.2%
      less time compared with initial simulations. CONCLUSIONS: In this preliminary
      study, repeated simulations, increased leadership, improved role delineation, and
      surgical room reorganization enabled faster and less flawed conversions. Further
      studies are needed to identify if such protocols may translate to actual safety
      improvement during open conversions.

PMID- 26102333
TI  - Poly-gamma-glutamic acid microneedles with a supporting structure design as a
      potential tool for transdermal delivery of insulin.
AB  - Incomplete insertion is a common problem associated with polymer microneedles
      (MNs) that results in a limited drug delivery efficiency and wastage of valuable
      medication. This paper presents a fully insertable MN system that is composed of
      poly-gamma-glutamic acid (gamma-PGA) MNs and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/polyvinyl
      pyrrolidone (PVP) supporting structures. The PVA/PVP supporting structures were
      designed to provide an extended length for counteracting skin deformation during
      insertion and mechanical strength for fully inserting the MNs into the skin. When
      inserted into the skin, both the supporting structures and MNs can be dissolved
      in the skin within 4min, thus quickly releasing the entire drug load from the
      MNs. To evaluate the feasibility and reproducibility of using the proposed system
      for treating diabetes, we administered insulin-loaded MNs to diabetic rats once
      daily for 2days. The results indicated that the hypoglycemic effect in the rats
      receiving insulin-loaded MNs was comparable to that observed in rats receiving
      subcutaneous insulin injections. The relative pharmacological availability and
      relative bioavailability of the insulin were in the range of 90-97%, indicating
      that the released insulin retained its pharmacological activity. We observed no
      significant differences in the plasma insulin concentration profiles between the
      first and second administrations, confirming the stability and accuracy of using
      the proposed MN system for insulin delivery. These results indicated that the
      gamma-PGA MNs containing the supporting structure design enable complete and
      efficient delivery of encapsulated bioactive molecules and have great potential
      for the relatively rapid and convenient transdermal delivery of protein drugs.
      STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Incomplete insertion of microneedles largely limits
      drug delivery efficiency and wastage of valuable medication. To address this
      problem, we developed a fully insertable poly-glutamic acid microneedles with a
      supporting structure design to ensure complete and efficient delivery of
      encapsulated drugs. The supporting structures were designed to provide an
      extended length for counteracting skin compressive deformation during puncture
      and mechanical strength for fully inserting the microneedles into the skin. When
      inserted into the skin, both the supporting structures and microneedles can be
      dissolved in the skin within 4min, thus quickly releasing the entire drug load.
      This study demonstrated that the proposed microneedle system featuring this
      unique design allows more convenient and efficient self-administration of drugs
      into the skin.

PMID- 26102334
TI  - beta-Type titanium alloys for spinal fixation surgery with high Young's modulus
      variability and good mechanical properties.
AB  - Along with a high strength, ductility, and work hardening rate, a variable
      Young's modulus is crucial for materials used as implant rods in spinal fixation
      surgery. The potential in this context of Ti-(9,8,7)Cr-0.2O (mass%) alloys is
      reported herein. The microstructural and mechanical properties of the alloys were
      systematically examined as a function of their chromium content, and the ion
      release of the optimized alloy was investigated to assess its suitability as an
      implant material. In terms of the deformation-induced omega-phase transformation
      required for a variable Young's modulus, the balance between beta-phase stability
      and athermal omega-phase content is most favorable in the Ti-9Cr-0.2O alloy. In
      addition, this composition affords a high tensile strength (>1000MPa), elongation
      at break (~20%), and work hardening rate to solution-treated (ST) samples. These
      excellent properties are attributed to the combined effects of deformation
      induced omega-phase transformation, deformation twinning, and dislocation
      gliding. Furthermore, the ST Ti-9Cr-0.2O alloy proves resistant to metal ion
      release in simulated body fluid. This combination of a good biocompatibility,
      variable Young's modulus and a high strength, ductility, and work hardening rate
      is ideal for spinal fixation applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Extensive
      efforts have been devoted over the past decades to developing beta-type titanium
      alloys with low Young's moduli for biomedical applications. In spinal fixation
      surgery however, along with excellent mechanical properties, the spinal-support
      materials should possess high Young's modulus for showing small springback during
      surgery to facilitate manipulation but low Young's modulus close to bone once
      implanted to avoid stress shielding. None of currently used metallic biomaterials
      can satisfy these abovementioned requirements. In the present study, we have
      developed a novel alloy, Ti-9Cr-0.2O. Remarkably variable Young's modulus and
      excellent mechanical properties can be achieved in this alloy via phase
      transformations and complex deformation mechanisms, which makes the Ti-9Cr-0.2O
      preferred material for spinal fixation surgery.

PMID- 26102335
TI  - Negative Poisson's ratios in tendons: An unexpected mechanical response.
AB  - Tendons are visco-elastic structures that connect bones to muscles and perform
      the basic function of force transfer to and from the skeleton. They are essential
      for positioning as well as energy storing when involved in more abrupt movements
      such as jumping. Unfortunately, they are also prone to damage, and when injuries
      occur, they may have dilapidating consequences. For instance, there is consensus
      that injuries of tendons such as Achilles tendinopathies, which are common in
      athletes, are difficult to treat. Here we show, through in vivo and ex vivo
      tests, that healthy tendons are highly anisotropic and behave in a very
      unconventional manner when stretched, and exhibit a negative Poisson's ratio
      (auxeticity) in some planes when stretched up to 2% along their length, i.e.
      within their normal range of motion. Furthermore, since the Poisson's ratio is
      highly dependent on the material's microstructure, which may be lost if tendons
      are damaged or diseased, this property may provide a suitable diagnostic tool to
      assess tendon health. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: We report that human tendons
      including the Achilles tendons exhibits the very unusual mechanical property of a
      negative Poisson's ratio (auxetic) meaning that they get fatter rather than
      thinner when stretched. This report is backed by in vivo and ex vivo experiments
      we performed which clearly confirm auxeticity in this living material for strains
      which correspond to those experienced during most normal everyday activities. We
      also show that this property is not limited to the human Achilles tendon, as it
      was also found in tendons taken from sheep and pigs. This new information about
      tendons can form the scientific basis for a test for tendon health as well as
      enable the design of better tendon prosthesis which could replace damaged
      tendons.

PMID- 26102336
TI  - Protein adsorption steers blood contact activation on engineered cobalt chromium
      alloy oxide layers.
AB  - Biomaterials upon implantation are immediately covered by blood proteins which
      direct the subsequent blood activation. These early events determine the
      following cascade of biological reactions and consequently the long-term success
      of implants. The ability to modulate surface properties of biomaterials is
      therefore of considerable clinical significance. Goal of this study was an in
      depth understanding of the biological response to cobalt chromium stent alloys
      with engineered surface oxide layers, which showed altered body reactions in
      vivo. We analyzed in vitro the biological events following initial blood contact
      on engineered cobalt chromium surfaces featuring said oxide layers. Surface
      specific blood reactions were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and the
      adsorbed protein layers were characterized by mass spectrometry. This powerful
      proteomics tool allowed the identification and quantification of over hundred
      surface-adhering proteins. Proteins associated with the coagulation cascade,
      platelet adhesion and neutrophil function correlated with the various blood
      surface activations observed. Furthermore, results of pre-coated surfaces with
      defined fibrinogen-albumin mixtures suggest that neutrophil adhesion was
      controlled by fibrinogen orientation and conformation rather than quantity. This
      study highlights the importance of controlling the biological response in the
      complex protein-implant surface interactions and the potential of the surface
      modifications to improve the clinical performance of medical implants. STATEMENT
      OF SIGNIFICANCE: The blood contact activation of CoCr alloys is determined by
      their surface oxide layer properties. Modifications of the oxide layer affected
      the total amount of adsorbed proteins and the composition of the adsorbed protein
      layer. Additionally fibrinogen coatings mediated the surface-dependent neutrophil
      adhesion in a concentration-independent manner, indicating the influence of
      conformation and/or orientation of the adsorbed protein. Despite the complexity
      of protein-implant interactions, this study highlights the importance of
      understanding and controlling mechanisms of protein adhesion in order to improve
      and steer the performance of medical implants. It shows that modification of the
      surface oxide layer is a very attractive strategy to directly functionalize
      metallic implant surfaces and optimize their blood interaction for the desired
      orthopedic or cardiovascular applications.

PMID- 26102337
TI  - Therapeutic efficacy of doxorubicin delivery by a CO2 generating liposomal
      platform in breast carcinoma.
AB  - Drug delivery using thermosensitive liposomes (TSL) has significant potential for
      tumor drug targeting and can be combined with local hyperthermia to trigger drug
      release. Although TSL-mediated drug delivery can be effective by itself, we
      developed doxorubicin (DOX)-containing CO2 bubble-generating TSL (TSL-C) that
      were found to enhance the antitumor effects of DOX owing to the synergism between
      burst release of drug and hyperthermia-induced CO2 generation. An ultrasound
      imaging system was used to monitor hyperthermia-induced CO2 generation in TSL-C
      and the results revealed that hyperthermia-induced CO2 generation in TSL-C led to
      increased DOX release compared to that observed for non-CO2-generating TSL.
      Moreover, TSL-C significantly inhibited the tumor growth in MDA-MB-231 tumor
      bearing mice compared to TSL (p<0.004). Taken together, we demonstrated that the
      TSL-C platform increased the therapeutic efficacy of cancer chemotherapy and
      showed the applicability of this approach to increase drug release within the
      tumor microenvironment. As a novel and highly effective drug delivery platform,
      TSL-C has great potential for use in a broad range of applications for the
      treatment of various human diseases. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: We have developed
      a novel method for drug release from liposomes by gas (CO2) generation in tumor
      microenvironment. In addition, we demonstrate therapeutic efficacy in breast
      carcinoma. CO2-generated liposomal doxorubicin is a novel and highly attractive
      delivery system for anticancer drug with the potential for broad applications in
      human disease.

PMID- 26102338
TI  - Peritoneal adhesion prevention by a biodegradable hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel
      formed in situ through a cascade enzyme reaction initiated by contact with body
      fluid on tissue surfaces.
AB  - Postsurgical peritoneal adhesion is a serious surgical complication. In situ
      hydrogel formation on the surface of tissues, which will develop adhesions, is a
      recent feasible approach to prevent peritoneal adhesion. Here, we report on
      tissue surface formation of a hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel by administration of
      a pre-hydrogel aqueous solution. The hydrogelation was initiated by contact with
      body fluid containing glucose on tissue surfaces. During the hydrogelation, a
      hyaluronic acid derivative possessing phenolic hydroxyl moieties (HA-Ph) was
      cross-linked by a cascade reaction of glucose oxidase (GOx) and horseradish
      peroxidase (HRP). About 5s of hydrogelation was accomplished using a solution
      containing 1.5% (w/v) HA-Ph, 5U/mL HRP, and 2.5U/mL GOx in 1mg/mL glucose that is
      equivalent to the normal blood glucose concentration. The hydrogel was degradable
      by hyaluronidase and much softer than rat peritoneal sidewalls. We confirmed the
      efficiency of the hydrogel to prevent post-operative peritoneal adhesions by
      applying the solution containing HA-Ph, GOx, and HRP to animals with bowel
      abrasion-abdominal sidewall defects. A significant reduction in the development
      of peritoneal adhesions was found compared with animals applied with phosphate
      buffered saline or saline containing HA-Ph alone. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE:
      Postsurgical peritoneal adhesion is a serious surgical complication. In this
      paper, we report a novel system for preventing it through an on-tissue surface
      formation of a biodegradable and biocompatible hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel by
      administration of a pre-hydrogel aqueous solution. The in situ hydrogelation is
      mediated by a cascade enzyme reaction of glucose oxidase (GOx) and horseradish
      peroxidase (HRP) initiated by contacting with body fluid containing glucose. The
      efficiency of the system was confirmed by applying the system to animals with
      bowel abrasion-abdominal sidewall defects.

PMID- 26102339
TI  - Soluble expression and enzymatic activity evaluation of protease from
      reticuloendotheliosis virus.
AB  - The protease (PR) encoded by most retroviruses is deeply involved in the
      lifecycle and infection process of retroviruses by possessing the specificity
      necessary to correctly cleave the viral polyproteins and host cell proteins.
      However, as an important representative of avian retroviruses, the enzymatic
      properties of PR from reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) have not been clearly
      documented. The recombinant PR, its mutant fused with a His-tag, and its
      substrate p18-p30 fused with a GST-tag were expressed in the Escherichia coli
      system as soluble enzymes. The soluble PR and p18-p30 were purified using Ni-NTA
      His Bind Resin and Glutathione Sepharose 4B, respectively. The enzymatic activity
      of PR was analyzed using the substrate of p18-p30. The expressed prokaryotic
      protease has enzyme activity that is dependent on such conditions as temperature,
      pH, and ions, and its activity can be inhibited by caspase inhibitor and the
      divalent metal ions Ca(2+) and Ni(2+). In addition, the key role of the residue
      Thr (amino acids 28) for the enzymatic activity of PR was identified.
      Furthermore, the caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK was confirmed to inhibit the PR
      enzymatic activity of REV. For the first time, the PR of REV was expressed in the
      soluble form, and the optimal enzymatic reaction system in vitro was developed
      and preliminarily used. This study provides essential tools and information for
      further understanding the infection mechanism of REV and for the development of
      antiviral drugs treating retroviruses. 

PMID- 26102340
TI  - Cloning, heterologous expression, and enzymatic characterization of a novel
      glucoamylase GlucaM from Corallococcus sp. strain EGB.
AB  - The gene encoding a novel glucoamylase (GlucaM) from the Corallococcus sp. strain
      EGB was cloned and heterologous expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), and the
      enzymatic characterization of recombinant GlucaM (rGlucaM) was determined in the
      study. The glucaM had an open reading frame of 1938 bp encoding GlucaM of 645
      amino acids with no signal peptide. GlucaM belongs to glycosyl hydrolase family
      15 and shares the highest identity 96% with the GH15 glucoamylase of
      Corallococcus coralloides DSM 2259. The rGlucaM with His-tag was purified by the
      Ni2+-NTA resin, with a specific activity from 3.4 U/mg up to 180 U/mg, and the
      molecular weight of rGlucaM was approximately 73 kDa on SDS-PAGE. The Km and Vmax
      of rGlucaM for soluble starch were 1.2 mg/mL and 46 U/mg, respectively. rGlucaM
      was optimally active at pH 7.0 and 50  degrees C and had highly tolerance to high
      concentrations of salts, detergents, and various organic solvents. rGlucaM
      hydrolyzed soluble starch to glucose, and hydrolytic activities were also
      detected with amylopectin, amylase, glycogen, starch (potato), alpha
      cyclodextrin, starch (corn and potato). The analysis of hydrolysis products shown
      that rGlucaM with alpha-(1-4),(1-6)-D-glucan glucohydrolase toward substrates.
      These characteristics indicated that the GlucaM was a new member of glucoamylase
      family and a potential candidate for industrial application.

PMID- 26102341
TI  - Measles Virus Infection Among Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Children in Nigeria.
AB  - This study investigated measles infection in vaccinated and unvaccinated children
      presenting with fever and maculopapular rash during measles outbreaks in the
      southern and western states of Nigeria. Measles, an acute viral illness caused by
      a virus in the family Paramyxoviridae, is a vaccine-preventable disease. Measles
      outbreak is common in Nigeria, despite the national immunization program.
      Children presenting with symptoms of measles infection in general hospitals and
      health centers in the states of southern and western Nigeria were recruited for
      this study. Vaccination history, clinical details, and 5 mL of blood were
      obtained from the children. Their sera samples were screened for specific
      immunoglobulin M antibodies to measles virus. Of 234 children tested (124 [53.2%]
      female), 133 (56.8%) had previously been vaccinated against measles virus, while
      93 (39.7%) had not been vaccinated. Vaccination information for eight children
      could not be retrieved. One hundred and forty-three (62.4%) had measles IgM
      antibodies. Of these, 79 (55.3%) had been vaccinated for measles, while 65
      (44.7%) had not. Despite the ongoing vaccination program in Nigeria, a high
      number of children are still being infected with measles, despite their
      vaccination status. Therefore, there is need to identify the reason for the low
      level of vaccine protection.

PMID- 26102343
TI  - Water balance during parturition and early puerperium: A prospective open trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate how water balance is regulated during labor and 27h
      postpartum. DESIGN AND METHODS: A prospective open trial with 49 women giving
      birth vaginally. Ringer-acetate was infused intravenously and combined with
      epidural analgesia in seven women (fluid group). Intravenous infusions of
      oxytocin in 5% glucose were given to 12 women (oxytocin group). Thirty women
      delivered their babies without infusion (nofluid group). Blood and urine samples
      were collected at arrival, at early stage 1, at early stage 2, and at aftercare,
      and 9, 15, and 27h postpartum. Plasma osmolality, sodium, cystatin C,
      vasopressin, oxytocin, urine flow, urine osmolality, and urine sodium were
      measued. RESULTS: The oxytocin group had significantly lower plasma osmolality
      than the nofluid group before parturition, and they had lower plasma sodium
      concentration at early stage 1 and 2. Plasma vasopressin concentration was low
      and did not differ between groups or before and after parturition. Water diuresis
      developed postpartum in all groups. The cystatin C concentration decreased
      significantly after parturition in the oxytocin and nofluid groups. CONCLUSIONS:
      The vasopressin levels were suppressed during parturition irrespective of the P
      osmolality and the nongravid regulation of water balance had not returned within
      27h postpartum.

PMID- 26102342
TI  - Genetic Influence on Slope Variability in a Childhood Reflexive Attention Task.
AB  - Individuals are not perfectly consistent, and interindividual variability is a
      common feature in all varieties of human behavior. Some individuals respond more
      variably than others, however, and this difference may be important to
      understanding how the brain works. In this paper, we explore genetic
      contributions to response time (RT) slope variability on a reflexive attention
      task. We are interested in such variability because we believe it is an important
      part of the overall picture of attention that, if understood, has the potential
      to improve intervention for those with attentional deficits. Genetic association
      studies are valuable in discovering biological pathways of variability and
      several studies have found such associations with a sustained attention task.
      Here, we expand our knowledge to include a reflexive attention task. We ask
      whether specific candidate genes are associated with interindividual variability
      on a childhood reflexive attention task in 9-16 year olds. The genetic makers
      considered are on 11 genes: APOE, BDNF, CHRNA4, COMT, DRD4, HTR4, IGF2, MAOA,
      SLC5A7, SLC6A3, and SNAP25. We find significant associations with variability
      with markers on nine and we discuss the results in terms of neurotransmitters
      associated with each gene and the characteristics of the associated measures from
      the reflexive attention task. 

PMID- 26102344
TI  - Polymorphisms in FTO and TCF7L2 genes of Euro-Brazilian women with gestational
      diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between fat mass and obesity-associated
      (FTO) gene polymorphisms rs8050136C>A and rs9939609T>A, and transcription factor
      7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene polymorphisms rs12255372G>T and rs7903146C>T, in a sample
      group of pregnant Euro-Brazilian women with or without gestational diabetes
      mellitus (GDM). METHODS: Subjects were classified as either healthy pregnant
      control (n=200) or GDM (n=200) according to the 2010 criteria of the American
      Diabetes Association. The polymorphisms were genotyped using fluorescent probes
      (TaqMan(r)). RESULTS: All groups were in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The
      genotype and allele frequencies of the examined polymorphisms did not exhibit
      significant difference (P>0.05) between the groups. In the healthy and GDM
      pregnant women groups, the A-allele frequencies (95% CI) of FTO polymorphisms
      rs8050136 and rs9939609 were 39% (34-44%); 38% (33-43%) and 40% (35-45%); 41% (36
      46%), respectively; and the T-allele frequencies of TCF7L2 polymorphisms
      rs12255372 and rs7903146 were 30% (26-35%), 32% (27-37%) and 29% (25-34%), 36%
      (31-41%), respectively. CONCLUSION: The examined polymorphisms were not
      associated with GDM in the Euro-Brazilian population studied.

PMID- 26102345
TI  - Understanding the effect of touchdown distance and ankle joint kinematics on
      sprint acceleration performance through computer simulation.
AB  - This study determined the effects of simulated technique manipulations on early
      acceleration performance. A planar seven-segment angle-driven model was developed
      and quantitatively evaluated based on the agreement of its output to empirical
      data from an international-level male sprinter (100 m personal best = 10.28 s).
      The model was then applied to independently assess the effects of manipulating
      touchdown distance (horizontal distance between the foot and centre of mass) and
      range of ankle joint dorsiflexion during early stance on horizontal external
      power production during stance. The model matched the empirical data with a mean
      difference of 5.2%. When the foot was placed progressively further forward at
      touchdown, horizontal power production continually reduced. When the foot was
      placed further back, power production initially increased (a peak increase of
      0.7% occurred at 0.02 m further back) but decreased as the foot continued to
      touchdown further back. When the range of dorsiflexion during early stance was
      reduced, exponential increases in performance were observed. Increasing negative
      touchdown distance directs the ground reaction force more horizontally; however,
      a limit to the associated performance benefit exists. Reducing dorsiflexion,
      which required achievable increases in the peak ankle plantar flexor moment,
      appears potentially beneficial for improving early acceleration performance.

PMID- 26102346
TI  - Semiparametric estimation in the proportional hazard model accounting for a
      misclassified cause of failure.
AB  - Misclassified causes of failures are a common phenomenon in competing risks
      survival data such as cancer mortality. We propose new estimating equations for a
      semiparametric proportional hazards (PH) model with misattributed causes of
      failures. Unlike other methods, the estimator does not require any parametric
      assumptions on baseline cause-specific hazard rates. It is shown that the
      estimators for regression coefficients are consistent and asymptotically normal.
      Simulation results support the theoretical analysis in finite samples. The
      methods are applied to analyze prostate cancer survival. 

PMID- 26102348
TI  - Chemokine levels in serum of children with atopic dermatitis with regard to
      severity and sensitization status.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many infants with atopic dermatitis (AD) are sensitized against food
      or airborne allergens. The severity of AD, using the SCORAD, seems to correlate
      with elevated serum levels of TARC/CCL17. Other chemokines, such as CCL20 or
      CCL25, have been described in the context of allergic inflammation. The aim of
      this study was to analyze whether chemokine serum levels differ within a cohort
      of infants suffering from varying severities of AD with or without allergic
      sensitization. METHODS: Chemokine serum levels (CCL8, CCL17, CCL20, CCL25) as
      well as food and airborne allergen-specific IgE were analyzed in infants with AD.
      RESULTS: About 60.9% (78/128) infants with AD (median age 8.8 months, 49 (38%)
      girls and 79 (62%) boys) showed a positive screening test to common food
      allergens and 26.6% to common airborne allergens. There was a strong correlation
      between serum levels of CCL17 and SCORAD in food-sensitized infants (r(s) =
      0.646, p = <1e-04) and airborne-sensitized infants (r(s) = 0.587, p = 0.00065) in
      contrast to non-sensitized ones. Moreover, food-sensitized infants showed
      significantly higher levels of CCL25 compared to non-food-sensitized ones (p =
      0.007). CONCLUSION: The strong correlation between TARC/CCL17 and SCORAD in
      infants with specific sensitizations may be accounted for by the impaired skin
      barrier. As TARC/CCL17 has been found mainly in the (inflamed) skin but not in
      the gut, the detection of significantly higher levels of CCL25, ligand of CCR9,
      localized primarily in the gastrointestinal tract, suggests its impact on food
      allergen-induced inflammation processes in food-sensitized infants.

PMID- 26102347
TI  - Loss of IKKbeta but Not NF-kappaB p65 Skews Differentiation towards Myeloid over
      Erythroid Commitment and Increases Myeloid Progenitor Self-Renewal and Functional
      Long-Term Hematopoietic Stem Cells.
AB  - NF-kappaB is an important regulator of both differentiation and function of
      lineage-committed hematopoietic cells. Targeted deletion of IkappaB kinase (IKK)
      beta results in altered cytokine signaling and marked neutrophilia. To
      investigate the role of IKKbeta in regulation of hematopoiesis, we employed Mx1
      Cre mediated IKKbeta conditional knockout mice. As previously reported, deletion
      of IKKbeta in hematopoietic cells results in neutrophilia, and we now also noted
      decreased monocytes and modest anemia. Granulocyte-macrophage progenitors (GMPs)
      accumulated markedly in bone marrow of IKKbeta deleted mice whereas the
      proportion and number of megakaryocyte-erythrocyte progenitors (MEP) decreased.
      Accordingly, we found a significantly reduced frequency of proerythroblasts and
      basophilic and polychromatic erythroblasts, and IKKbeta-deficient bone marrow
      cells yielded a significantly decreased number of BFU-E compared to wild type.
      These changes are associated with elevated expression of C/EBPalpha, Gfi1, and
      PU.1 and diminished Gata1, Klf1, and SCL/Tal1 in IKKbeta deficient Lineage-Sca1+c
      Kit+ (LSK) cells. In contrast, no effect on erythropoiesis or expression of
      lineage-related transcription factors was found in marrow lacking NF-kappaB p65.
      Bone marrow from IKKbeta knockout mice has elevated numbers of phenotypic long
      and short term hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). A similar increase was observed
      when IKKbeta was deleted after marrow transplantation into a wild type host,
      indicating cell autonomous expansion. Myeloid progenitors from IKKbeta- but not
      p65-deleted mice demonstrate increased serial replating in colony-forming assays,
      indicating increased cell autonomous self-renewal capacity. In addition, in a
      competitive repopulation assay deletion of IKKbeta resulted in a stable advantage
      of bone marrow derived from IKKbeta knockout mice. In summary, loss of IKKbeta
      resulted in significant effects on hematopoiesis not seen upon NF-kappaB p65
      deletion. These include increased myeloid and reduced erythroid transcription
      factors, skewing differentiation towards myeloid over erythroid differentiation,
      increased progenitor self-renewal, and increased number of functional long term
      HSCs. These data inform ongoing efforts to develop IKK inhibitors for clinical
      use. 

PMID- 26102349
TI  - Phosphorylation of the BNIP3 C-Terminus Inhibits Mitochondrial Damage and Cell
      Death without Blocking Autophagy.
AB  - BNIP3 is a dual function protein, able to activate autophagy and induce cell
      death. Upon expression of BNIP3, which is upregulated by hypoxia, the protein
      induces mitochondrial dysfunction, often leading to cell death. However, some
      highly respiring cells and cancer cells tolerate BNIP3 expression, suggesting
      that a yet unknown mechanism exists to restrain the lethal effects of BNIP3 on
      mitochondria. Here we present evidence that BNIP3 undergoes several
      phosphorylation events at its C-terminus, adjacent to the transmembrane domain.
      Phosphorylation at these residues inhibits BNIP3-induced mitochondrial damage,
      preventing a loss of mitochondrial mass and mitochondrial membrane potential, as
      well as preventing an increase in reactive oxygen species. This decrease in
      mitochondrial damage, as well as the reduction of cell death upon C-terminal
      BNIP3 phosphorylation, can be explained by a diminished interaction between BNIP3
      and OPA1, a key regulator of mitochondrial fusion and mitochondrial inner
      membrane structure. Importantly, phosphorylation of these C-terminal BNIP3
      residues blocks cell death without preventing autophagy, providing evidence that
      the two functional roles of BNIP3 can be regulated independently. These findings
      establish phosphorylation as a switch to determine the pro-survival and pro-death
      effects of the protein. Our findings also suggest a novel target for the
      regulation of these activities in transformed cells where BNIP3 is often highly
      expressed. 

PMID- 26102350
TI  - Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Emergency Service Triage Patterns and the Associated
      Emergency Department Outcomes.
AB  - Paralysis is an indication for trauma patients to be preferentially triaged by
      emergency services to designated level I or II trauma centers (TC). We sought to
      describe triage practices for patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury
      (TSCI) and its associated emergency department (ED) outcomes. Adults ages >= 18
      years with a diagnosis of acute TSCI (International Classification of Diseases-9:
      806 and 952) in the 2006-2011 United States Nationwide Emergency Department
      Sample were included in these analyses. Outcomes assessed include triage to non
      trauma centers (NTC), which is referred to as "under-triage," and ED mortality.
      Of 117,444 adults with TSCI, 33.4% were under-triaged to NTC. Under-triage was
      more prevalent with increasing age. Among patients under-triaged to NTC, 37.4%
      had new injury severity score (NISS) >15, representing severe injuries or
      polytrauma. Among patients with NISS >15, the odds of ED mortality in NTC were
      four-fold greater compared to level I trauma centers (TC-I) (adjusted odds ratio
      [AOR] = 4.06; 95% confidence interval = 1.87-8.79; p < 0.001). In conclusion,
      under-triage of adults with acute TSCI occurred in at least one-third of the
      cases. Patients triaged to NTC rather than TC-I experienced higher likelihood of
      death in the ED even after controlling for personal and injury characteristics.
      Further research is necessary to elucidate detailed clinical and logistical
      factors that may be associated with under-triage of acute TSCI, to facilitate
      interventions aimed at improving patient experience and outcomes.

PMID- 26102351
TI  - A Cross-Sectional Study of the Psychological Needs of Adults Living with Cystic
      Fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are prevalent in people with cystic fibrosis
      (CF), yet psychological services are rarely accessible in CF clinics. This cross
      sectional single center study reports on a psychological needs assessment of
      people with CF. METHODS: We asked adults attending a CF clinic, without
      integrated psychological services, to complete a psychological needs assessment
      survey that included items on: a) past access to psychological services (via a CF
      referral service), b) concerns relevant to discuss with a psychologist, and c)
      their likelihood of accessing psychological services if available at the CF
      clinic, and standardized measures of depression (CES-D) and anxiety (GAD-7).
      RESULTS: We enrolled 49 participants and 45 (91.8%) completed the survey. Forty
      percent reported elevated symptoms of depression and 13% had elevated anxiety. A
      majority of individuals (72.2% and 83.3%, respectively) indicated they would be
      likely to use psychological services, if available at the clinic. Concerns
      considered most relevant to discuss with a psychologist were: 1) worries (51.1%),
      2) mood (44.4%), 3) life stress (46.6%), 4) adjustment to CF (42.2%), 5) life
      transitions (42.2%) and 6) quality of life (42.2%). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      highlights the rationale for screening adults with CF for depression and anxiety,
      and to facilitate provision of psychological services and preventative mental
      health interventions as an integral component of multi-disciplinary CF care.

PMID- 26102352
TI  - Design of a mediated enzymatic fuel cell to generate power from renewable fuel
      sources.
AB  - The present work reported a compartment-less enzymatic fuel cell (EFC) based on
      newly synthesized Poly(pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid-co-3-thiophene acetic acid) film
      containing glucose oxidase and laccase effectively wired by p-benzoquinone
      incorporated into the copolymer structure. The resulting system generated a power
      density of 18.8 uW/cm(2) with 30 mM of glucose addition at +0.94 V at room
      temperature. Improvements to maximize the power output were ensured with step-by
      step optimization of electrode fabrication design and operational parameters for
      operating the system with renewable fuel sources. We demonstrated that the
      improved fuel cell could easily harvest glucose produced during photosynthesis to
      produce electrical energy in a simple, renewable and sustainable way by
      generating a power density of 10 nW/cm(2) in the plant leaf within 2 min. An EFC
      for the first time was successfully operated in municipal wastewater which
      contained glycolytic substances to generate electrical energy with a power output
      of 3.3 uW/cm(2).

PMID- 26102353
TI  - Leadless Pacemakers: Putting Them In and Taking Them Out.

PMID- 26102355
TI  - Effects of genotype on rates of substitution during experimental evolution.
AB  - Rates of molecular evolution may vary widely between populations, yet the causes
      of this variation are still incompletely understood. Genetic differences between
      populations may make an important contribution to variation in rates of
      evolution, owing to differences in fitness, population size, mutation rates, or
      in the distribution of fitness effects (DFEs) of available beneficial mutations.
      By whole genome sequencing of Escherichia coli populations experimentally evolved
      in the presence of a quinolone antibiotic, we found that rates of substitution
      varied by genotype, with evidence for a contribution from a genotype's starting
      fitness. Subsequent targeted sequencing showed that genotypes with high average
      substitution rates were more likely to undergo the simultaneous fixation of
      several mutations, consistent with theoretical models of multiple mutation
      dynamics. Moreover, patterns of substitution were indicative of epistatic
      relationships between known resistance mutations.

PMID- 26102354
TI  - Pharmacological Investigation of Fluoro-Gold Entry into Spinal Neurons.
AB  - The fluorescent tracer Fluoro-Gold has been widely used to label neurons
      retrogradely. Here we show that Fluoro-Gold can also enter neurons through AMPA
      receptor endocytosis. We found that a 30 minute application of Fluoro-Gold to the
      isolated spinal cord labeled neurons under control conditions and in the presence
      of glutamatergic agonists including NMDA and AMPA. The labeling was abolished or
      greatly reduced by glutamatergic antagonists and the endocytic inhibitors
      Dynasore and dynamin inhibitory peptide. Whole cell recordings from spinal
      neurons exposed to extracellular AMPA revealed large inward currents that
      spontaneously decayed in the presence of the agonist but were maintained when a
      dynamin inhibitory peptide was included in the electrode. These findings suggest
      that Fluoro-Gold enters spinal neurons through AMPA-mediated receptor
      internalization. Drugs used to induce locomotor-like activity in the spinal cord
      also increased and decreased Fluoro-Gold labeling in a drug and lamina specific
      manner, indicating that AMPAR endocytosis is altered in the presence of the
      locomotor cocktail. Our findings suggest that endocytosis of Fluoro-Gold could
      potentially complicate the interpretation of experiments in which the tracer is
      used to label neurons retrogradely. Moreover, they also demonstrate that many
      drugs, including the locomotor cocktail, can modulate the number and/or the
      composition of AMPA receptors on spinal neurons and thereby affect network
      excitability. 

PMID- 26102356
TI  - Computational Study of Computed Tomography Contrast Gradients in Models of
      Stenosed Coronary Arteries.
AB  - Recent computed tomography coronary angiography (CCTA) studies have noted higher
      transluminal contrast agent gradients in arteries with stenotic lesions, but the
      physical mechanism responsible for these gradients is not clear. We use
      computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling coupled with contrast agent
      dispersion to investigate the mechanism for these gradients. Simulations of blood
      flow and contrast agent dispersion in models of coronary artery are carried out
      for both steady and pulsatile flows, and axisymmetric stenoses of severities
      varying from 0% (unobstructed) to 80% are considered. Simulations show the
      presence of measurable gradients with magnitudes that increase monotonically with
      stenotic severity when other parameters are held fixed. The computational results
      enable us to examine and validate the hypothesis that transluminal contrast
      gradients (TCG) are generated due to the advection of the contrast bolus with
      time-varying contrast concentration that appears at the coronary ostium. Since
      the advection of the bolus is determined by the flow velocity in the artery, the
      magnitude of the gradient, therefore, encodes the coronary flow velocity. The
      correlation between the flow rate estimated from TCG and the actual flow rate in
      the computational model of a physiologically realistic coronary artery is 96%
      with a R2 value of 0.98. The mathematical formulae connecting TCG to flow
      velocity derived here represent a novel and potentially powerful approach for
      noninvasive estimation of coronary flow velocity from CT angiography. 

PMID- 26102357
TI  - In situ crystallization for fabrication of a core-satellite structured BiOBr-CdS
      heterostructure with excellent visible-light-responsive photoreactivity.
AB  - We demonstrate the fabrication of a core-satellite structured BiOBr-CdS
      photocatalyst with highly efficient photocatalytic reactivity via a facile in
      situ crystallization approach at room temperature. The transmission electron
      microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM)
      results reveal that the BiOBr flakes are surrounded by CdS particles. The
      coverage of the satellites on the surface of the BiOBr nanosheets could be
      controlled by changing the content of the CdS, which contributes to the enhanced
      level of photocatalytic performance. The UV-vis diffuse reflection spectra
      demonstrate that the visible light absorption of the BiOBr-CdS photocatalyst is
      also enhanced by the CdS loaded. The excellent structural and spectral properties
      endow the BiOBr-CdS heterojunctions with improved photocatalytic performance
      pertaining to bisphenol A (BPA) degradation and photocurrent generation. Under
      visible light irradiation, the optimum photocatalytic activity of BiOBr-CdS at a
      molar ratio of 1 : 5 (CdS/BiOBr) is almost 2.8 times and 24.6 times as high as
      that of pure BiOBr and CdS. The remarkably enhanced photoreactivity should be
      attributed to the match in the energy levels and close core-satellite structural
      coupling between the CdS and BiOBr, which greatly facilitates the separation and
      transfer of photoinduced electron-hole pairs, as confirmed by photoluminescence
      (PL) and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). The present work sheds new
      light on the construction of highly efficient core-satellite heterojunctional
      photocatalysts for practical applications.

PMID- 26102359
TI  - Direct injection of cell-free Kir1.1 protein into Xenopus oocytes replicates
      single-channel currents derived from Kir1.1 mRNA.
AB  - The development of integral membrane protein cell-free synthesis permits in-vitro
      labeling of accessible cysteines for real-time FRET and LRET measurements. The
      functional integrity of these synthetic ion channel proteins has been verified at
      the whole oocyte level by direct injection into, and recording from, Xenopus
      oocytes. However, the microscopic single-channel properties of cell-free
      translated protein have not been systematically examined. In the present study,
      we compare patch-clamp currents originating from cell-free protein with currents
      derived from mRNA injection, using the same (single-Cys) inward rectifier DNA
      template (C189-Kir1.1b). Results indicate that cell-free Kir protein,
      incorporated into liposomes and injected into oocytes, is trafficked to the
      plasma membrane where it inserts in an outside-out orientation and exhibits
      single-channel characteristics identical to that derived from a corresponding
      mRNA. 

PMID- 26102358
TI  - Endocytosis of Nanomedicines: The Case of Glycopeptide Engineered PLGA
      Nanoparticles.
AB  - The success of nanomedicine as a new strategy for drug delivery and targeting
      prompted the interest in developing approaches toward basic and clinical
      neuroscience. Despite enormous advances on brain research, central nervous system
      (CNS) disorders remain the world's leading cause of disability, in part due to
      the inability of the majority of drugs to reach the brain parenchyma. Many
      attempts to use nanomedicines as CNS drug delivery systems (DDS) were made; among
      the various non-invasive approaches, nanoparticulate carriers and, particularly,
      polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) seem to be the most interesting strategies. In
      particular, the ability of poly-lactide-co-glycolide NPs (PLGA-NPs) specifically
      engineered with a glycopeptide (g7), conferring to NPs' ability to cross the
      blood brain barrier (BBB) in rodents at a concentration of up to 10% of the
      injected dose, was demonstrated in previous studies using different routes of
      administrations. Most of the evidence on NP uptake mechanisms reported in the
      literature about intracellular pathways and processes of cell entry is based on
      in vitro studies. Therefore, beside the particular attention devoted to
      increasing the knowledge of the rate of in vivo BBB crossing of nanocarriers, the
      subsequent exocytosis in the brain compartments, their fate and trafficking in
      the brain surely represent major topics in this field. 

PMID- 26102361
TI  - The effect of carbon-polyaniline hybrid coating on high-temperature
      electrochemical performance of perovskite-type oxide LaFeO3 for MH-Ni batteries.
AB  - An efficient carbon-polyaniline (PANI)-coated method was applied for perovskite
      type oxide LaFeO3 to enhance its high-temperature electrochemical performance.
      Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results reveal that LaFeO3 particles are
      evenly coated with carbon and PANI hybrid layers after carbon-PANI treatment. The
      carbon layers prevent the nanosized LaFeO3 particles from aggregation and allow
      the electrolyte to penetrate in every direction inside the particles. The PANI
      layers also enhance the electrocatalytic activity, facilitating hydrogen protons
      transferring from the electrolyte to the electrode interface. The cooperation of
      carbon and PANI hybrid layers results in a significant enhancement of the
      electrochemical performance at high temperatures. At an elevated temperature (60 
      degrees C), the maximum discharge capacity of the LaFeO3 electrodes remarkably
      increases from 231 mA h g(-1) to 402 mA h g(-1) and the high rate
      dischargeability at a discharge current density of 1500 mA g(-1) (HRD1500)
      increases from 22.7% to 44.3%. Moreover, the hybrid layers mitigate the corrosion
      of LaFeO3 electrodes by reducing the loss of active materials in the alkaline
      electrolyte, leading to increase in the capacity retention rate from 67.1% to
      77.6% after 100 cycles (S100). 

PMID- 26102362
TI  - When mismatch repair met translesion synthesis.

PMID- 26102360
TI  - Effects of a Balanced Translocation between Chromosomes 1 and 11 Disrupting the
      DISC1 Locus on White Matter Integrity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Individuals carrying rare, but biologically informative genetic
      variants provide a unique opportunity to model major mental illness and inform
      understanding of disease mechanisms. The rarity of such variations means that
      their study involves small group numbers, however they are amongst the strongest
      known genetic risk factors for major mental illness and are likely to have large
      neural effects. DISC1 (Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1) is a gene containing one
      such risk variant, identified in a single Scottish family through its disruption
      by a balanced translocation of chromosomes 1 and 11; t(1;11) (q42.1;q14.3).
      METHOD: Within the original pedigree, we examined the effects of the t(1;11)
      translocation on white matter integrity, measured by fractional anisotropy (FA).
      This included family members with (n = 7) and without (n = 13) the translocation,
      along with a clinical control sample of patients with psychosis (n = 34), and a
      group of healthy controls (n = 33). RESULTS: We report decreased white matter
      integrity in five clusters in the genu of the corpus callosum, the right inferior
      fronto-occipital fasciculus, acoustic radiation and fornix. Analysis of the mixed
      psychosis group also demonstrated decreased white matter integrity in the above
      regions. FA values within the corpus callosum correlated significantly with
      positive psychotic symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that the t(1;11)
      translocation is associated with reduced white matter integrity in frontal
      commissural and association fibre tracts. These findings overlap with those shown
      in affected patients with psychosis and in DISC1 animal models and highlight the
      value of rare but biologically informative mutations in modeling psychosis.

PMID- 26102363
TI  - Developing Models to Predict Persistent High-Cost Cases in Florida Medicaid.
AB  - This paper examined individual characteristics associated with being a high-cost
      case in multiple years for Medicaid-covered health care services. In addition,
      the accuracy of models that predict future persistent high-cost cases was
      examined. Florida Medicaid claims from 2005 to 2010 were used to examine
      characteristics, diagnoses, and services associated with individual costs being
      in the top 1% of recipients. Regression models were estimated with diagnoses and
      service use in a base year used to predict future high-cost cases. Several
      different perspectives were used that focus on predicting current year high-cost
      cases based on prior persistence, predicting future persistence of high costs,
      and a combination of using past persistence to predict future persistence.
      Average annual costs for persistent high-cost cases were more than $140,000.
      Overall, models were predictive of future high-cost cases. The receipt of
      intermediate case facility (mental retardation) services was the strongest
      predictor of future high-cost cases. Inpatient, outpatient, pharmacy, and nursing
      home services, along with diagnoses, all provided important information for
      predicting high-cost cases. Diagnosis-based models in conjunction with prior
      costs can predict future high-cost cases with a high degree of accuracy. However,
      given that many high-cost cases reside in intermediate care facilities, it is not
      clear that such individuals would benefit from intensive case management. Service
      use patterns in prior years, diagnoses, and prior costs should all be used to
      identify individuals who may benefit from intensive case management.

PMID- 26102364
TI  - Regional climate impacts of a possible future grand solar minimum.
AB  - Any reduction in global mean near-surface temperature due to a future decline in
      solar activity is likely to be a small fraction of projected anthropogenic
      warming. However, variability in ultraviolet solar irradiance is linked to
      modulation of the Arctic and North Atlantic Oscillations, suggesting the
      potential for larger regional surface climate effects. Here, we explore possible
      impacts through two experiments designed to bracket uncertainty in ultraviolet
      irradiance in a scenario in which future solar activity decreases to Maunder
      Minimum-like conditions by 2050. Both experiments show regional structure in the
      wintertime response, resembling the North Atlantic Oscillation, with enhanced
      relative cooling over northern Eurasia and the eastern United States. For a high
      end decline in solar ultraviolet irradiance, the impact on winter northern
      European surface temperatures over the late twenty-first century could be a
      significant fraction of the difference in climate change between plausible AR5
      scenarios of greenhouse gas concentrations. 

PMID- 26102365
TI  - The effect of TiO2 nanoflowers as a compact layer for CdS quantum-dot sensitized
      solar cells with improved performance.
AB  - Currently, TiO2 on a fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate is the most commonly used
      type of photoelectrode in high-efficiency quantum dot-sensitized solar cells
      (QDSSCs). The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of TiO2 photoelectrodes is
      limited because of higher charge recombination and lower QD loading on the TiO2
      film. This article describes the effect of a TiO2 compact layer on a TiO2 film to
      enhance the performance of QDSSCs. TiO2 nanoparticles were coated on an FTO
      substrate by the doctor-blade method and then the TiO2 compact layer was
      successfully fabricated on the surface of the nanoparticles by a simple
      hydrothermal method. QDSSCs were made using these films as photoelectrodes with
      NiS counter electrodes. Under one sun illumination (AM 1.5 G, 100 mW cm(-2)), the
      QDSSCs showed PCEs of 2.19 and 2.93% for TCL1 and TCL2 based photoelectrodes,
      which are higher than the 1.33% value obtained with bare TiO2. The compact-layer
      coated film electrodes provide a lower charge-transfer resistance and higher
      light harvesting. The compact layer on the TiO2 film is a more efficient
      photocatalyst than pure TiO2 film and physically separates the injected electrons
      in the TiO2 from the positively charged CdS QD/electrolyte. 

PMID- 26102368
TI  - Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric Synthesis of 2-Substituted 2,3
      Dihydro-4-quinolones by a Protecting-Group-Free Approach.
AB  - Chiral 2-substituted 2,3-dihydro-4-quinolones were synthesized based on the
      chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed intramolecular aza-Michael addition reaction
      using N-unprotected 2-aminophenyl vinyl ketones as substrates in good yields with
      high enantioselectivities. 

PMID- 26102366
TI  - MicroRNA-137 Contributes to Dampened Tumorigenesis in Human Gastric Cancer by
      Targeting AKT2.
AB  - MiRNAs play important roles in tumorigenesis. This study focused on exploring the
      effects and regulation mechanism of miRNA-137 on the biological behaviors of
      gastric cancer. Total RNA was extracted from tissues of 100 patients with gastric
      cancer and from four gastric cancer cell lines. Expression of miR-137 was
      detected by real-time PCR from 100 patients. The effects of miR-137
      overexpression on gastric cancer cells' proliferation, apoptosis, migration and
      invasion ability were investigated in vitro and in vivo. The target gene of miR
      137 was predicted by Targetscan on line software, screened by dual luciferase
      reporter gene assay and demonstrated by western blot. As a result, the expression
      of miR-137 was significant reduced in gastric cancer cell line HGC-27, HGC-803,
      SGC-7901 and MKN-45 as well as in gastric cancer tissues compared with GES-1 cell
      or matched adjacent non-neoplastic tissues (p<0.001). The re-introduction of miR
      137 into gastric cancer cells was able to inhibit cell proliferation, migration
      and invasion. The in vivo experiments demonstrated that the miR-137
      overexpression can reduce the gastric cancer cell proliferation and metastasis.
      Bioinformatic and western blot analysis indicated that the miR-137 acted as tumor
      suppressor roles on gastric cancer cells through targeting AKT2 and further
      affecting the Bad and GSK-3beta. In conclusion, the miR-137 which is frequently
      down-regulated in gastric cancer is potentially involved in gastric cancer
      tumorigenesis and metastasis by regulating AKT2 related signal pathways. 

PMID- 26102367
TI  - Translational Upregulation of an Individual p21Cip1 Transcript Variant by GCN2
      Regulates Cell Proliferation and Survival under Nutrient Stress.
AB  - Multiple transcripts encode for the cell cycle inhibitor p21(Cip1). These
      transcripts produce identical proteins but differ in their 5' untranslated
      regions (UTRs). Although several stresses that induce p21 have been
      characterized, the mechanisms regulating the individual transcript variants and
      their functional significance are unknown. Here we demonstrate through (35)S
      labeling, luciferase reporter assays, and polysome transcript profiling that
      activation of the Integrated Stress Response (ISR) kinase GCN2 selectively
      upregulates the translation of a p21 transcript variant containing 5' upstream
      open reading frames (uORFs) through phosphorylation of the eukaryotic translation
      initiation factor eIF2alpha. Mutational analysis reveals that the uORFs suppress
      translation under basal conditions, but promote translation under stress.
      Functionally, ablation of p21 ameliorates G1/S arrest and reduces cell survival
      in response to GCN2 activation. These findings uncover a novel mechanism of p21
      post-transcriptional regulation, offer functional significance for the existence
      of multiple p21 transcripts, and support a key role for GCN2 in regulating the
      cell cycle under stress.

PMID- 26102369
TI  - Click Chemistry in Lead Optimization of Boronic Acids as beta-Lactamase
      Inhibitors.
AB  - Boronic acid transition-state inhibitors (BATSIs) represent one of the most
      promising classes of beta-lactamase inhibitors. Here we describe a new class of
      BATSIs, namely, 1-amido-2-triazolylethaneboronic acids, which were synthesized by
      combining the asymmetric homologation of boronates with copper-catalyzed azide
      alkyne cycloaddition for the stereoselective insertion of the amido group and the
      regioselective formation of the 1,4-disubstituted triazole, respectively. This
      synthetic pathway, which avoids intermediate purifications, proved to be flexible
      and efficient, affording in good yields a panel of 14 BATSIs bearing three
      different R1 amide side chains (acetamido, benzylamido, and 2-thienylacetamido)
      and several R substituents on the triazole. This small library was tested against
      two clinically relevant class C beta-lactamases from Enterobacter spp. and
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The K(i) value of the best compound (13a) was as low as 4
      nM with significant reduction of bacterial resistance to the combination of
      cefotaxime/13a.

PMID- 26102371
TI  - Hydrolysis-Sensitive Dithiolethione Prodrug Micelles.
AB  - Prodrug micelles carrying 5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (ADT-OH),
      a compound possessing chemopreventive properties, are prepared from amphiphilic
      block copolymers linking ADT-OH via an ester bond using glycine (PAM-PGlyADT) and
      isoleucine linkers (PAM-PIleADT). The release of ADT-OH from the PAM-PIleADT
      micelles is much slower than the PAM-PGlyADT micelles. The PAM-PGlyADT micelles
      show comparable toxicity with ADT-OH in different cancer cell lines, whereas the
      PAM-PIleADT micelles are not toxic up to 400 uM. This ADT-ester prodrug micelle
      approach enables to modulate the release rate of ADT-OH and thus might find
      application in cancer therapy and prevention. 

PMID- 26102370
TI  - Formation and Fragmentation of Protonated Molecules after Ionization of Amino
      Acid and Lactic Acid Clusters by Collision with Ions in the Gas Phase.
AB  - Collisions between O(3+) ions and neutral clusters of amino acids (alanine,
      valine and glycine) as well as lactic acid are performed in the gas phase, in
      order to investigate the effect of ionizing radiation on these biologically
      relevant molecular systems. All monomers and dimers are found to be predominantly
      protonated, and ab initio quantum-chemical calculations on model systems indicate
      that for amino acids, this is due to proton transfer within the clusters after
      ionization. For lactic acid, which has a lower proton affinity than amino acids,
      a significant non-negligible amount of the radical cation monomer is observed.
      New fragment-ion channels observed from clusters, as opposed to isolated
      molecules, are assigned to the statistical dissociation of protonated molecules
      formed upon ionization of the clusters. These new dissociation channels exhibit
      strong delayed fragmentation on the microsecond time scale, especially after
      multiple ionization. 

PMID- 26102372
TI  - Ugi-derived dehydroalanines as a pivotal template in the diversity oriented
      synthesis of aza-polyheterocycles.
AB  - Various readily available, Ugi-derived dehydroalanines were used as pivotal
      templates to easily and efficiently assemble diverse pharmacologically important
      polyheterocyclic systems through cascade palladium-catalyzed C-C bond formation
      processes. Allyl, homoallyl and propargylamine led to the formation of
      benzopyrrolizidinones, benzoindolizidinones and pyrazinoisoquinolines,
      respectively, while benzylamines and o-bromobenzylamines were used as precursors
      of tetracyclic-fused systems and pyrazionoisoquinolindiones. 

PMID- 26102373
TI  - A revision of existing Karolinska Sleepiness Scale responses to light: A
      melanopic perspective.
AB  - A new photometric measure of light intensity that takes into account the
      relatively large contribution of the ipRGCs to the non-image forming (NIF) system
      was recently proposed. We set out to revise publications reporting on alertness
      scores as measured by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) under different light
      conditions in order to assess the extendibility of the equivalent-melanopic
      function to NIF responses in humans. The KSS response (-Delta KSS) to the
      different light conditions used on previous studies, preferably including a
      comparison to a dim light condition, was assessed. Based on the light
      descriptions of the different studies, the equivalent melanopic lux (m
      illuminance) was calculated. The -Delta KSS was plotted against photopic
      illuminance and m-illuminance, and fitted to a sigmoidal function already shown
      to described KSS responses to different light intensities. The root mean-squared
      error and r(2) were used as criteria to explain the best-describing light unit
      measurement. Studies that compared only the influence of light under otherwise
      same conditions and in which participants were not totally sleep deprived were
      included. Our results show that the effects of light on KSS are better explained
      by a melanopic unit measurement than by photopic lux. The present analysis
      allowed for the construction of a melanopic alertness response curve. This curve
      needs to be validated with appropriate designs. Nonetheless, it may serve as
      starting point for the development of hypothesis of predictions on the relative
      changes in KSS under a given condition due to changes in light properties. 

PMID- 26102374
TI  - Automated Activation and Pace-Mapping to Guide Ablation Within the Outflow Tract.

PMID- 26102375
TI  - Risk Prediction for Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in a Medicaid Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite prior efforts to develop pregnancy risk prediction models,
      there remains a lack of evidence to guide implementation in clinical practice.
      The current aim was to develop and validate a risk tool grounded in social
      determinants theory for use among at-risk Medicaid patients. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective cohort study of 409 women across 17 Cincinnati health centers
      between September 2013 and April 2014. The primary outcomes included preterm
      birth, low birth weight, intrauterine fetal demise, and neonatal death. After
      random allocation into derivation and validation samples, a multivariable model
      was developed, and a risk scoring system was assessed and validated using area
      under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) values. RESULTS: The
      derived multivariable model (n=263) included: prior preterm birth, interpregnancy
      interval, late prenatal care, comorbid conditions, history of childhood abuse,
      substance use, tobacco use, body mass index, race, twin gestation, and short
      cervical length. Using a weighted risk score, each additional point was
      associated with an odds ratio of 1.57 for adverse outcomes, p<0.001, AUROC=0.79.
      In the validation sample (n=146), each additional point conferred an odds ratio
      of 1.20, p=0.03, AUROC=0.63. Using a cutoff of 20% probability for the outcome,
      sensitivity was 29%, with specificity 82%. Positive and negative predictive
      values were 22% and 85%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Risk scoring based on social
      determinants can discriminate pregnancy risk within a Medicaid population;
      however, performance is modest and consistent with prior prediction models.
      Future research is needed to evaluate whether implementation of risk scoring in
      Medicaid prenatal care programs improves clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26102377
TI  - Use of MDCT to Differentiate Autoimmune Pancreatitis From Ductal Adenocarcinoma
      and Interstitial Pancreatitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to identify the most common imaging
      features of autoimmune pancreatitis and to evaluate the utility of MDCT for
      differentiating autoimmune pancreatitis from two more frequently encountered
      differential diagnoses--pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and acute interstitial
      pancreatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dual-phase contrast-enhanced MDCT images of
      91 patients (39 with autoimmune pancreatitis, 25 with pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma, 27 with acute interstitial pancreatitis) were evaluated by two
      radiologists in consensus for distribution of pancreatic abnormality, sausage
      shape, low-attenuation halo, pancreatic duct dilatation, peripancreatic
      stranding, lymphadenopathy, biliary abnormality, vascular involvement, and renal
      lesions. Chi-square tests, multiple logistic regression analysis, and ROC
      analysis were performed. RESULTS: The most common imaging features of autoimmune
      pancreatitis were sausage shape (25/39 [64%]) and low-attenuation halo (23/39
      [59%]). Pancreatic duct dilatation (20/25 [80%]) and biliary dilatation (11/25
      [44%]) were most frequent in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Peripancreatic
      stranding (22/27 [81%]) was most frequent in acute interstitial pancreatitis.
      Sausage shape, low-attenuation halo, and absence of a pancreatic duct or biliary
      dilatation differentiated autoimmune pancreatitis from pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma with an accuracy of 0.88. Sausage shape and absence of
      peripancreatic stranding differentiated autoimmune pancreatitis from acute
      interstitial pancreatitis with an accuracy of 0.82. There was no significant
      difference in the frequency of vascular involvement or of lymphadenopathy among
      these diagnoses. CONCLUSION: Typical cases of autoimmune pancreatitis can be
      accurately differentiated from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and acute
      interstitial pancreatitis on the basis of characteristic MDCT features. However,
      autoimmune pancreatitis should be considered in the presence of atypical
      features.

PMID- 26102378
TI  - Diagnosing Borderline Hepatic Nodules in Hepatocarcinogenesis: Imaging
      Performance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this article are to describe the pathologic and
      radiologic features of small nodular lesions and to offer insight into the
      multistep process of hepatocarcinogenesis by describing the progression of
      imaging changes that link dysplastic nodules and early hepatocellular carcinoma,
      (HCC) to small HCC that has progressed. CONCLUSION: Nodules larger than 1 cm
      found during ultrasound surveillance of a cirrhotic liver should be investigated
      further with diagnostic imaging. Contrast-enhanced CT and dynamic MRI are the
      primary diagnostic studies for the diagnosis of HCC; contrast-enhanced ultrasound
      can be used as an alternative test. If a nodule has the typical hallmark of
      hypervascularity in the hepatic arterial phase with washout in the portal venous
      or delayed phase, a definitive diagnosis of HCC can be made. Nodules found during
      ultrasound surveillance that are smaller than 1 cm can be followed with
      ultrasound examinations at intervals of 3-6 months.

PMID- 26102379
TI  - Imaging of Large Airways Disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recent technical advances, including the routine use of CT thin
      sections and techniques such as 2D minimum-intensity-projection and 3D volume
      images, have increased our ability to detect large airways diseases. Furthermore,
      dedicated CT protocols allow the evaluation of dynamic airway dysfunction.
      CONCLUSION: With diseases of the large airways more commonly seen in daily
      practice, it is important that radiologists be familiar with the appearances,
      differential diagnosis, and clinical implications of these entities.

PMID- 26102380
TI  - Location of Prostate Cancers Determined by Multiparametric and MRI-Guided Biopsy
      in Patients With Elevated Prostate-Specific Antigen Level and at Least One
      Negative Transrectal Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to identify histopathologically proven
      prostate cancer locations using MRI followed by MRI-guided biopsy in patients
      with elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and at least one negative
      transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided biopsy session. Our hypothesis is that in
      this patient group most cancers are located in the anterior portion of the
      prostate. This may have implications for the biopsy strategy regarding the
      location of sampling. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study consisted
      of 872 consecutive men who had undergone MRI-guided prostate biopsy. Inclusion
      criteria were PSA level greater than or equal to 4 ng/mL, one or more negative
      TRUS-guided biopsy session, the presence of suspicious lesions on previous
      multiparametric MRI, and prostate cancer histopathologically proven by MRI-guided
      biopsy. Thereafter, the location of intermediate- or high-risk cancers and
      cancers with a maximum cancer core length of 6 mm or longer were determined. The
      proportion of cancer locations was compared using a chi-square test. One-way
      ANOVA analyses were performed to compare patient characteristics. RESULTS:
      Results were presented on both a patient and lesion basis because a single
      patient can have multiple lesions. In total, 176 of 872 patients met the
      inclusion criteria. Prostate cancer was detected in 202 of 277 (73%) suspicious
      lesions. In total, 76% of patients had cancer of the transition zone and anterior
      fibromuscular stroma. Peripheral zone cancers were found in 30% of the patients,
      and 6% had cancers in both zones. In 70% of cases (141/202; 95%, CI, 63-76%),
      lesions were located anteriorly; this included 75% (132/176; 95%, CI, 69-81%) of
      patients. Intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer was found in 93% (128/138;
      95%, CI, 88-96%) of patients. Of these patients, 73% (94/128; 95%, CI, 66-81%)
      had anterior involvement. Cancers with a maximum cancer core length of 6 mm or
      more were more likely to be located in the anterior part of the prostate than
      were cancers with a core length of less than 6 mm (66% vs 6%). Most cancers 58%
      (102/176; 95% CI, 51-65%) were found in the mid prostate. Anterior involvement of
      prostate cancer detected by MRI-guided biopsy was statistically significantly (p
      = 0.04) higher in patients with two or more negative TRUS-guided biopsy sessions
      (79%) than in those with one negative TRUS-guided biopsy session (55%).
      CONCLUSION: Anterior involvement was high (76%) in patients with an elevated PSA
      level and one or more negative TRUS-guided biopsy session, and the majority of
      these cancers (93%) were intermediate or high risk.

PMID- 26102381
TI  - A Phase I Dosing Study of Ferumoxytol for MR Lymphography at 3 T in Patients With
      Prostate Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to determine the optimal dose of
      ferumoxytol for performing MR lymphography (MRL) at 3 T in patients with prostate
      cancer. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This phase I trial enrolled patients undergoing
      radical prostatectomy (RP) with bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND).
      Three groups of five patients each (total of 15 patients) received IV ferumoxytol
      before RP with bilateral PLND at each of the following doses of iron: 4, 6, and
      7.5 mg Fe/kg. Patients underwent abdominopelvic MRI at 3 T before and 24 hours
      after ferumoxytol injection using T2- and T2*-weighted sequences. Normalized
      signal intensity (SI) and normalized SD changes from baseline to 24 hours after
      injection within visible lymph nodes were calculated for each dose level. Linear
      mixed effects models were used to estimate the effects of dose on the percentage
      SI change and log-transformed SD change within visible lymph nodes to determine
      the optimal dose of ferumoxytol for achieving uniform low SI in normal nodes.
      RESULTS: One patient who was excluded from the study group had a mild allergic
      reaction requiring treatment after approximately 2.5 mg Fe/kg ferumoxytol
      injection whereupon the injection was interrupted. The 15 study group patients
      tolerated ferumoxytol at all dose levels. The mean percentage SI change in 13
      patients with no evidence of lymph metastasis was -36.4%, -45.4%, and -65.1% for
      4, 6, and 7.5 mg Fe/kg doses, respectively (p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: A dose level
      of 7.5 mg Fe/kg ferumoxytol was safe and effective in deenhancing benign lymph
      nodes. This dose therefore can be the starting point for future phase II studies
      regarding the efficacy of ferumoxytol for MRL.

PMID- 26102382
TI  - Feasibility Study of 3-T DWI of the Prostate: Readout-Segmented Versus Single
      Shot Echo-Planar Imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this prospective study was to assess the clinical
      utility of generalized autocalibrating partial parallel acquisition (GRAPPA)
      accelerated readout-segmented echo-planar imaging (rs-EPI) DWI and compare it
      with standard single-shot EPI ( ss-EPI) DWI in visualization of the prostate
      during 3-T MRI. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred sixteen consecutively
      registered patients (mean age, 63.5 years; range 24-93 years) underwent 3-T MRI
      that included rs-EPI DWI and standard ss-EPI DWI with identical FOVs, slices,
      acceleration factors, b values, and image postprocessing procedure. The datasets
      were independently evaluated by two blinded radiologists. Images were evaluated
      for sharpness, anatomic distortion, imaging contrast, lesion conspicuity,
      detailed anatomic visualization, and overall image quality on a 5-point Likert
      scale (1, nondiagnostic; 5, excellent). RESULTS: The kappa values were 0.73 for
      image sharpness, 0.71 for anatomic distortion, 0.54 for imaging contrast, 0.56
      for lesion conspicuity, 0.61 for detailed anatomic visualization, and 0.63 for
      overall image quality (all p < 0.05), indicating moderate to substantial
      agreement between the two observers. The mean Likert scores for standard ss-EPI
      and rs-EPI were as follows: image sharpness, 2.9 and 4.6; distortion level, 2.8
      and 4.4; contrast, 3.1 and 3.8; lesion conspicuity, 3.0 and 4.0; structure, 3.1
      and 4.2; and overall image quality, 3.1 and 4.2. The rs-EPI DWI sequence was
      associated with significantly better image quality and fewer susceptibility
      artifacts than was ss-EPI (all p < 0.05). The rs-EPI sequence was considered
      better overall in 90% of cases. CONCLUSION: The technique of rs-EPI DWI combined
      with GRAPPA enables robust prostate imaging with high image quality and may
      provide great benefit in routine clinical practice.

PMID- 26102383
TI  - Rates of Breakthrough Reactions in Inpatients at High Risk Receiving
      Premedication Before Contrast-Enhanced CT.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of allergiclike
      breakthrough reactions among inpatients at high risk receiving premedication
      before undergoing CT with IV iodinated low-osmolality contrast material (LOCM).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Inpatients (n = 1051) completing a 13-hour corticosteroid
      and diphenhydramine premedication regimen before LOCM-enhanced CT from January 1,
      2010, through December 31, 2013, were included in the study. Breakthrough
      reaction rates were compared with the ordinary allergiclike reaction rate in the
      general population (0.6% [545/84,928]) by use of chi-square tests. Multivariate
      logistic regression was performed. Number needed to treat (NNT) was calculated
      for patients premedicated for a previous contrast reaction. RESULTS: Sixty
      percent (626/1051) of premedicated patients had had a previous reaction to
      iodinated contrast material, and 40% (425/1051) were premedicated for other
      reasons. The overall breakthrough reaction rates were 1.2% (13/1051) (p < 0.0001
      vs the general population), 2.1% (13/626) for those with a previous iodinated
      contrast reaction (p < 0.0001), and 0% (0/425) for those premedicated for other
      reasons (p = 0.18). There were no severe breakthrough reactions. Younger age (p =
      0.046; odds ratio, 1.03 per year; 95% CI, 1.001-1.07) and multiple indications
      for premedication (p < 0.0001; odds ratio, 2.7 per indication; 95% CI, 1.5-4.8)
      significantly increased the likelihood of a breakthrough reaction. The estimated
      NNTs were 69 (95% CI, 39-304) to prevent a reaction of any severity and 569 (95%
      CI, 389-1083) to prevent a severe reaction. CONCLUSION: Patients premedicated for
      a previous reaction to iodinated contrast material have a breakthrough reaction
      rate 3-4 times the ordinary reaction rate in the general population. Patients
      receiving premedication for other reasons have a breakthrough reaction rate near
      0%. Many patients must receive premedication to prevent one reaction.

PMID- 26102384
TI  - Effect of Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction on CT Number Measurements Within
      Small (10-29 mm) Low-Attenuation Renal Masses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of model-based
      iterative reconstruction (MBIR) on CT number measurements within small (10-29 mm)
      low-attenuation renal masses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred 10- to 29-mm
      exophytic or endophytic low-attenuation renal lesions imaged with CT (unenhanced
      and nephrographic [100 seconds] phases, 120 kVp, variable mA, 2.5-mm slice
      thickness) were identified in 100 patients. The raw CT source data were
      prospectively reconstructed twice: once using Veo MBIR and once using a blend of
      30% adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) and filtered back
      projection (FBP). Lesions were chosen to form four equal-sized (n = 25) groups
      stratified by lesion size (10-19 or 20-29 mm) and growth pattern (endophytic or
      exophytic). Attenuation (in HU) was measured using identical ROIs and compared
      with two-tailed t tests. The effects of patient diameter and lesion anatomy on
      attenuation discrepancies of 5 HU or more were assessed using binary logistic
      regression. RESULTS: Mean MBIR attenuation was not significantly different than
      mean 30% ASiR/FBP attenuation in the overall study population (unenhanced phase,
      17 +/- 13 vs 17 +/- 13 HU, p = 0.74; nephrographic phase, 31 +/- 27 vs 30 +/- 26
      HU, p = 0.89) or in any subgroup (p = 0.63-0.95). Only lesion size predicted
      discrepancies of 5 HU or more (p = 0.008; odds ratio, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.05-1.34]
      per 1 mm decrease) (p = 0.19-0.98 for the other variables). Seven lesions had
      enhancement of 20 HU or more with only one reconstruction method (MBIR = 4; 30%
      ASiR = 3). CONCLUSION: Veo MBIR has no significant or consistent effect on
      attenuation measurements within small (10-29 mm) low-attenuation renal masses and
      is therefore unlikely to change clinically accepted attenuation thresholds for
      renal mass characterization.

PMID- 26102385
TI  - Radiology Department Preparedness for the Management of Severe Acute Iodinated
      Contrast Reactions: Do We Need to Change Our Approach?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify opportunities for reducing
      epinephrine administration errors after a sentinel event entailing an overdose of
      i.v. epinephrine occurred in a radiology department. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      root cause analysis was performed that included review and analysis of current
      system protocols, a medication audit, and access to treatment algorithms. A
      proctored three-question multiple-choice test was administered to radiology
      attending physicians, fellows, residents, and nurses to gauge baseline knowledge
      of epinephrine use. Chi-square analysis was performed. RESULTS: Twelve of 13
      radiology department central pharmacy automation system locations lacked
      epinephrine ampules. As a result, personnel had to access i.v. epinephrine
      stocked on hospital code carts designed for use during cardiac arrest. This led
      to errors related to appropriate dosing. Test participants included 46 attending
      physicians, 23 fellows, 28 residents, and 25 nurses (n = 122). Almost all (99%)
      correctly identified epinephrine as the medication to administer in this
      situation. Approximately one half (52%) correctly identified the dose of
      intramuscular epinephrine, but only 29% knew the dose and rate of administration
      of i.v. epinephrine (p < 0.001). Attending physicians were more likely to
      administer i.v. epinephrine correctly than were the other groups (p < 0.0001).
      CONCLUSION: Stocking and routine auditing of medication availability are
      essential. The use of epinephrine intended for cardiac arrest stocked on code
      carts should be avoided during contrast reactions. It would be optimal if first
      line responders to contrast reactions included attending physicians, but this may
      not always be the case at academic institutions.

PMID- 26102386
TI  - Creating a Patient-Centered Radiology Practice Through the Establishment of a
      Diagnostic Radiology Consultation Clinic.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to assess the feasibility of and to
      create a referral mechanism for a diagnostic radiology consultation clinic.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A pilot program was instituted with patients from a single
      primary care clinic over a 3-week period. Patients with findings of common
      problems at routine imaging, such as atherosclerosis, emphysema, and hepatic
      steatosis, were eligible to participate. As the patients arrived for their
      routine primary care visits, office staff informed them of the opportunity to
      formally meet with a radiologist to review their most recent imaging findings.
      The office staff of the primary care clinic then contacted the radiologist
      covering the diagnostic radiology consultation clinic to schedule a consultation.
      A survey was administered before and after the session. RESULTS: Twenty-two
      patients participated (88% participation rate). Participants rated the
      consultation as very helpful (mean, 4.8 on 1-5 scale), and all participants would
      take the opportunity to review studies with the radiologist again. Significantly
      more patients preferred the involvement of the radiologist in communicating the
      results of an imaging examination after the consultation compared with before the
      consultation (p = 0.001). After the consultation session, patients had
      significantly improved understanding of a radiologist's role (p = 0.004), and all
      participants were able to correctly identify the radiologist as a physician who
      interprets medical images. CONCLUSION: A referral mechanism for a diagnostic
      radiology consultation clinic can be effectively integrated into the everyday
      workflow of both the referring physician and the radiologist. The consultations
      are useful to patients and help to increase their awareness of the role of the
      radiologist.

PMID- 26102387
TI  - Size-Specific Dose Estimates for Evaluation of Individual Patient Dose in CT
      Protocol for Renal Colic.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to retrospectively evaluate size-specific
      dose estimates of a renal-colic CT protocol and to assess the quality and
      diagnostic value of obtained images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population
      included 82 consecutive adult patients with acute renal colic undergoing CT with
      a reduced radiation dose (noise index, 59.1). The control group included 82
      consecutive patients who underwent clinically indicated CT examination of the
      abdomen and pelvis with a routine-dose CT protocol (noise index, 22.0). The size
      specific dose estimate was calculated with volume CT dose index and patient
      effective diameter. Subjective image quality analysis was based on visibility of
      the ureter. Ureters were tracked from the renal pelvis to the vesicoureteral
      junction. Objective image quality was based on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)
      and the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). RESULTS: The size-specific dose estimates
      in the renal-colic group were 2.7 times lower than those in the control group. A
      linear relationship between patient size and size-specific dose estimate was
      noted. In the smallest patient, the conversion factor for the size-specific dose
      estimate calculation was 1.65. Overall image quality was better for the control
      patients, but there was no statistically significant difference in ureter
      visibility. The SNR was higher for the control group, whereas no difference in
      CNR was found. CONCLUSION: Small patients need the biggest correction for body
      size and require special attention in radiation dose estimation. We suggest the
      modification of scanning parameters on the basis of size-specific dose estimate
      to decrease patient dose in large patients.

PMID- 26102388
TI  - Imaging Diagnosis of Solitary Tumors of the Phalanges and Metacarpals of the
      Hand.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Tumors and tumorlike lesions of the tubular bones of the hand, often
      incidentally discovered lesions, present a unique but challenging differential
      diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Imaging, including both radiography and cross-sectional
      imaging, can allow the radiologist to generate a clinically useful differential
      diagnosis based on the distinguishing features of these entities. Recognition of
      these lesions is important because clinical management and treatment by
      orthopedic oncologists vary depending on the diagnosis.

PMID- 26102389
TI  - Quantification of Fatty Degeneration Within the Supraspinatus Muscle by Using a 2
      Point Dixon Method on 3-T MRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to quantify fatty degeneration of the
      supraspinatus muscle by using a 2-point Dixon technique on 3-T MRI and to
      evaluate the correlation of muscular atrophy and fat fraction values among
      different severities of rotator cuff tears across differing ages and sexes.
      SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients with shoulder pain (n = 359) were evaluated by
      shoulder MRI on a 3-T unit, including a 2-point Dixon sequence for quantification
      of muscle atrophy and fatty degeneration within the supraspinatus muscle. Two
      board-certified musculoskeletal radiologists evaluated the degree of rotator cuff
      tears in three groups: full-thickness tear (n = 63), partial tear (n = 54), and
      no tear (n = 242). In quantitative analysis, we measured signal intensity values
      of in-phase images (SIn) and fat images (SFat) within the supraspinatus muscle,
      and the fat fraction was calculated as SFat/SIn. The Thomazeau occupation ratio
      was used as a quantitative index of muscular atrophy. Fat fraction and muscle
      atrophy were evaluated among these groups. RESULTS: Fat fraction values were
      changed with the degree of rotator cuff tears and were (mean +/- SD) 0.258 +/-
      0.123 among patients with full-thickness tears, 0.166 +/- 0.067 among patients
      with partial tears, and 0.128 +/- 0.061 among patients with no tears, with
      statistically significant differences (p < 0.001). The values were higher in
      female than in male patients in all groups. The Pearson correlation coefficient
      was 0.348 between age and fat fraction value, and 0.664 between muscular atrophy
      rate and fat fraction value. CONCLUSION: An increase in supraspinatus fatty
      degeneration was statistically significantly correlated with severity of
      supraspinatus tears and moderately correlated with muscular atrophy. Fatty
      degeneration tends to progress more rapidly than muscular atrophy in female
      patients, with statistically significant sex differences.

PMID- 26102390
TI  - Is Biopsying the Paravertebral Soft Tissue as Effective as Biopsying the Disk or
      Vertebral Endplate? 10-Year Retrospective Review of CT-Guided Biopsy of Diskitis
      Osteomyelitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a
      difference in biopsying bone (endplate), disk, or paravertebral soft tissue to
      culture the pathogenic organism causing diskitis-osteomyelitis. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of 111 spinal biopsies performed
      between 2002 and 2011. Pathologic examination was used as the reference standard
      for detecting diskitis-osteomyelitis. Microbiologic yield, sensitivity, and
      specificity were calculated. The yields for different groups were compared by use
      of Fisher exact test. The analysis was repeated with biopsy samples from patients
      not being treated with antibiotics at the time of biopsy. RESULTS: A total of 122
      biopsy specimens were obtained from 111 spinal biopsy procedures on 102 patients.
      Overall, 27 (22%) biopsies were performed on the endplate-disk, 61 (50%) on the
      disk only, and 34 (28%) on paravertebral soft tissue only. The microbiologic
      yield was 36% for all biopsies, 19% for endplate-disk biopsies, 39% for disk-only
      biopsies, and 44% for soft-tissue biopsies. The sensitivity and specificity of
      the microbiologic results for all specimens were 57% and 89%; endplate-disk, 38%
      and 86%; disk only, 57% and 89%; and paravertebral soft tissue, 68% and 92%.
      There was no statistically significant difference between the yields of the
      endplate-disk, disk-only, and paravertebral soft-tissue biopsies. CONCLUSION:
      Paravertebral soft-tissue changes, when present, may be considered a viable
      target for biopsy in cases of diskitis-osteomyelitis, even in the absence of a
      paravertebral abscess.

PMID- 26102391
TI  - Assessment of Femoral Antetorsion With MRI: Comparison of Oblique Measurements to
      Standard Transverse Measurements.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Abnormal femoral antetorsion is associated with the development of
      femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Anatomically correct antetorsion measurements
      are performed on transverse MR images over the proximal and distal femur, but
      some authors use alternative measurements on oblique images parallel to the
      femoral neck axis. We set out to assess the relationship between these two
      measurement methods and to obtain reference values for oblique measurements in
      patients with FAI and healthy control subjects. We also evaluated whether the
      oblique measurements could be used to predict the standard transverse
      measurements. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: MRI data of 126 individuals, 63 asymptomatic
      volunteers and 63 patients with FAI (age 20-50 years), were included in this
      prospective study. Two readers independently assessed antetorsion with oblique
      measurements and standard transverse measurements. Differences between subgroups
      were compared with the unpaired t test. Trigonometric calculations were used to
      predict standard antetorsion measurements on the basis of oblique measurements.
      Interobserver agreement and Bland-Altman plots were calculated. RESULTS:
      Reference values for assessing femoral antetorsion with the oblique method were
      established, with mean (+/- SD) values of 9.4 degrees  +/- 7.9 degrees  (reader
      1) and 9.8 degrees  +/- 8.4 degrees  (reader 2) for patients and 9.2 degrees  +/-
      8.4 degrees  (reader 1) and 9.6 degrees  +/- 9.1 degrees  (reader 2) for
      asymptomatic volunteers. The oblique method generated smaller antetorsion values
      than the standard transverse method (p < 0.001), with an average difference of
      3.5 degrees  +/- 3.2 degrees  for reader 1 and 3.6 degrees  +/- 3.5 degrees  for
      reader 2. Differences between predicted antetorsion values based on oblique
      measurements and standard measurements were minimal: 0.1 degrees  +/- 2.9 degrees
      (p = 0.62) for reader 1 and 0.3 degrees  +/- 3.3 degrees  (p = 0.29) for reader
      2. Interobserver agreement was high for all antetorsion measurements (intra-class
      correlation coefficient, 0.945-0.977). CONCLUSION: Oblique measurements of
      femoral antetorsion were smaller than standard transverse measurements, but they
      can be used to accurately predict standard measurements.

PMID- 26102392
TI  - Digital Tomosynthesis to Evaluate Fracture Healing: Prospective Comparison With
      Radiography and CT.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Radiography, currently the standard for postoperative fracture
      imaging, is limited by overlapping bone and hardware. Tomosynthesis has the
      benefit of level-by-level imaging without the disadvantages of metal artifacts,
      increased radiation, and higher costs of CT, the current problem-solving tool.
      The purpose of this study was to compare tomosynthesis with radiography for
      evaluating fracture healing. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In a prospective study,
      patients within 1 year of wrist hardware fixation underwent radiography,
      tomosynthesis, and CT, and the images were interpreted by three readers. The
      diagnostic accuracy of radiology and tomosynthesis was assessed with ROC curves,
      and interreader agreement was assessed with Cohen kappa. Fracture scores were
      correlated with Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) and pain
      scores. RESULTS: The study participants were 49 patients with 51 fractures. The
      most common fracture sites were distal radius (43%), scaphoid (18%), and
      metacarpals (18%). Rates of cortex obscuration by hardware were 2% for CT, 8% for
      tomosynthesis, and 15% for radiography (p < 0.01 between one modality and
      another). Detection of cortical fracture lines was significantly better with
      tomosynthesis than with radiography (AUC, 0.84 vs 0.76, p = 0.01). Inter-reader
      agreement was moderate for both radiography and tomosynthesis (kappa = 0.44 vs
      0.55, p = 0.051). There was no significant correlation between fracture scores
      and DASH scores. There was significant correlation between reported pain levels
      and both tomosynthesis (r = 0.28, p = 0.03) and CT (r = 0.29, p = 0.04) fracture
      scores. CONCLUSION: Tomosynthesis provides diagnostic information superior to
      that of ra diography in postoperative evaluation of wrist fractures with lower
      cost and radiation than CT and should be considered in fracture follow-up imaging
      of other bones.

PMID- 26102393
TI  - Knee MRI: Vascular Pathology.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patients who undergo knee MRI for presumed musculoskeletal disease can
      have unexpected vascular findings or pathology in the imaged field. Some vascular
      processes are limb threatening and affect treatment planning and patient outcome.
      CONCLUSION: Unexpected vascular findings on knee MRI can range from incidental to
      symptomatic and can include such processes as variant anatomy, aneurysm,
      traumatic injury, and neoplasm. The assessment for vascular pathology should be a
      key component of every radiologist's search pattern when evaluating knee MRI.

PMID- 26102395
TI  - Extraosseous Findings on Bone Scintigraphy Using Fusion SPECT/CT and Correlative
      Imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Extraosseous radioactivity outside of the expected biodistribution is
      often encountered on (99m)Tc-methylene diphosphate (MDP) bone scintigraphy, and
      proper interpretation requires an understanding of the mechanisms underlying this
      uptake and knowledge of the possible causes, depending on the site or structure
      involved. CONCLUSION: We present examples of extraosseous radiotracer uptake seen
      on (99m)Tc-MDP bone scans in which either SPECT with integrated CT or correlative
      imaging improved the study's interpretation.

PMID- 26102396
TI  - Pediatric Body MR Angiography: Principles, Techniques, and Current Status in Body
      Imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to describe the principles and various
      techniques of MR angiography (MRA) that can be applied to pediatric body imaging
      and the current noncardiac, nonneurologic applications of MRA of children.
      CONCLUSION: The choice between CT angiography and MRA for body imaging should
      depend on the clinical query, ROI, and vessel size. MRA is useful for assessment
      of stenosis of the main renal artery, portal hypertension, tumor vascularity,
      vascular malformations, generalized vasculopathy in vasculitis and syndromes, and
      thoracic outlet syndrome.

PMID- 26102394
TI  - Transcranial MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound: A Review of the Technologic and
      Neurologic Applications.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the physical principles of MRI-guided focused
      ultra-sound and discusses current and potential applications of this exciting
      technology. CONCLUSION: MRI-guided focused ultrasound is a new minimally invasive
      method of targeted tissue thermal ablation that may be of use to treat central
      neuropathic pain, essential tremor, Parkinson tremor, and brain tumors. The
      system has also been used to temporarily disrupt the blood-brain barrier to allow
      targeted drug delivery to brain tumors.

PMID- 26102397
TI  - Imaging Findings of Fetal-Neonatal Ovarian Cysts Complicated With Ovarian Torsion
      and Autoamputation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Large nonresolving neonatal ovarian cysts may be a risk factor for
      complications such as torsion, mass effect, rupture, intracystic hemorrhage, and
      autoamputation. Torsed cysts and autoamputated cysts can cause a diagnostic
      dilemma. The objective of our study was to correlate the imaging findings of
      intrauterine ovarian torsion and autoamputated ovaries with their pathologic
      findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the pre- and
      postnatal medical records, sonographic findings, operation notes, and pathologic
      reports of 15 patients with ovarian torsion. All patients had complex cysts noted
      on postnatal sonographic examination. A complex heterogeneous ovarian cyst was
      defined by the presence of a fluid-debris level indicating hemorrhage within the
      cyst, a retracting clot, septations with or without internal echoes,
      calcification, and a solid component. RESULTS: On ultrasound examination, four
      cysts had solid components, and 11 were heterogeneous and had a fluid-debris
      level. Calcifications were seen in two patients. The mean patient age at the time
      of surgery was 3.9 months. Exploratory laparotomy was performed on all patients.
      Torsed ovaries were identified in five patients. Ten patients had ovaries that
      were floating free in the peritoneal cavity at the time of surgery.
      Histopathologic evaluation revealed that 11 of the cysts consisted of extensive
      hemorrhagic, necrotic autolytic tissue with dystrophic calcification. None of the
      cysts contained any ovarian tissue. CONCLUSION: A complex heterogeneous ovarian
      cyst with a fluid-debris level indicating hemorrhage is a significant sonographic
      hallmark for the diagnosis of ovarian torsion. A calcified abdominal mass, with
      or without wandering, can be an autoamputated ovary.

PMID- 26102398
TI  - The Timing and Presentation of Major Hemorrhage After 18,947 Image-Guided
      Percutaneous Biopsies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to characterize the temporal and
      clinical manifestation of major bleeding events after biopsy to guide clinicians
      in the institution of appropriate surveillance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      performed a retrospective review of percutaneous image-guided biopsies performed
      between September 1, 2005, and May 31, 2012, including 18,947 biopsy events.
      According to routine protocol, follow-up telephone calls were made to patients 24
      hours after biopsy, and chart review was performed 3 months after biopsy.
      Bleeding complications were defined using the Common Terminology Criteria for
      Adverse Events (CTCAE, version 4.0) established by the National Cancer Institute.
      In patients with a grade 3 or greater bleeding complication, a retrospective
      chart review was performed to characterize the details of the complication
      including the timing of the complication and the primary clinical presentation of
      the event. RESULTS: Grade 3 hemorrhage was associated with 64 of 18,947 (0.3%)
      procedures, and there were three deaths associated with the biopsy event (0.02%
      or ~ 2/10,000). Hemorrhage was most commonly associated with biopsy of a native
      kidney (17/1407, 1.2%). Twenty patients (31%) presented with a bleeding
      complication within 1 hour of biopsy. Twenty-seven patients (42%) presented
      within 2 hours of biopsy. Fifty-two patients (81%) presented within 24 hours, and
      the remaining 12 patients (19%) presented more than 24 hours after biopsy. Pain
      was the most common presentation of patients with bleeding complications,
      occurring in 39 (61%) patients. CONCLUSION: The incidence of major bleeding after
      percutaneous biopsies is very low, but delayed complications occur more
      frequently than anticipated. Pain is the most common clinical presentation of
      major bleeding complications.

PMID- 26102399
TI  - Feasibility of Intraprocedural Transluminal Hepatic and Femoral Artery Blood
      Pressure Measurements as an Alternative Embolization Safety Endpoint When
      Antireflux Devices Are Used During Lobar Chemoembolization.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the technique for evaluating
      hepatic arterial blood pressure changes during lobar chemoembolization using
      antireflux devices. Intraprocedural femoral and hepatic arterial blood pressures
      were measured and chemoembolization terminated when significant reduction in the
      difference occurred. Liver toxicity was evaluated. Eleven patients underwent 24
      lobar chemoembolization procedures. Early termination of delivery occurred in 11
      of 24 (46%) procedures in which the mean relative reduction in systemic-hepatic
      arterial pressure differential was 48%. The mean liver toxicity score was 1.2.
      This compares to delivery of the entire dose in 13 of 24 (54%) procedures in
      which the mean relative reduction in systemic-hepatic arterial pressure
      differential was 12% with a mean liver toxicity score of 1.2. CONCLUSION: When
      antireflux devices are used, intraprocedural assessment of hepatic artery blood
      pressure changes may be a useful embolization safety endpoint.

PMID- 26102400
TI  - Diagnostic Value of Ultrasound in Female Patients With Nipple Discharge.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of ultrasound
      to the evaluation of patients with pathologic nipple discharge. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of the records of females who
      presented with nipple discharge between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011.
      Pathologic nipple discharge was defined as discharge with one or more of the
      following features: unilateral, clear or bloody, and spontaneous. Patients
      underwent bilateral mammography followed by ultrasound directed at the subareolar
      portion of the affected breast. Radiologic findings and pathologic results were
      reviewed. RESULTS: Over a 3-year period, 327 females (mean age, 48 years; range,
      13-88 years) presented with nipple discharge. Among these patients, 273 (83%)
      underwent surgical excision or clinical or radiographic follow-up at least 2
      years after presentation and composed the study population. Among the 273
      patients, 262 (96%) underwent mammography and 246 (90%) underwent sonography.
      Among 252 patients who had at least one pathologic feature of nipple discharge
      and underwent surgical excision or at least 2 years of follow-up, a total of 20
      (8%) cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or invasive adenocarcinoma were
      diagnosed. DCIS or invasive adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in eight patients with
      normal sonographic findings. For the detection of DCIS and invasive
      adenocarcinoma, the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound were 56% (10/18)
      and 75% (170/228); the sensitivity and specificity of mammography were 15% (3/20)
      and 98% (237/242). CONCLUSION: For females presenting with pathologic nipple
      discharge, ultrasound is a useful diagnostic tool and may be worth including in
      the routine evaluation.

PMID- 26102401
TI  - Incidental Internal Mammary Lymph Nodes Visualized on Screening Breast MRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The frequency of visualization and size of internal mammary lymph
      nodes in women undergoing high-risk screening breast MRI is unknown. When these
      nodes are discovered on staging MRI of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients,
      management could present a treatment dilemma because normal size criteria do not
      exist. The aim of this study was to establish the average size and frequency of
      internal mammary lymph nodes observed in asymptomatic high-risk women undergoing
      screening breast MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review
      of 108 women at high risk for breast cancer who underwent screening breast MRI
      between January 2010 and January 2014. Patients with new or previous diagnosis of
      breast cancer, prior nonbreast malignancy affecting the thorax or mediastinum, or
      previous radiation to the thorax were excluded. The presence, diameter,
      laterality, intercostal space, relationship to the internal mammary vessels, age,
      morphology, and clinical history of internal mammary lymph nodes were recorded.
      RESULTS: Internal mammary lymph nodes were visualized in 50 of 108 high-risk
      patients, with an average size of 4.5 mm (range [+/- SD], 2-9 +/- 1.59 mm). In
      the 50 women who had internal mammary lymph nodes visible on MRI, an average of
      1.4 nodes (range, 1-3 nodes) were present. Internal mammary lymph nodes were more
      frequently visualized on the left (p < 0.001), at the second and third
      intercostal spaces (p = 0.007), and medial to the internal mammary vessels (p <
      0.001). CONCLUSION: In this small cohort, 1-3 presumed normal internal mammary
      lymph nodes measuring 2-9 mm (mean diameter 4.5 mm) were detected in about half
      of asymptomatic high-risk women presenting for screening MRI of the breasts.

PMID- 26102402
TI  - Patients' Perceptions of Radiation Exposure Associated With Mammography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Radiation associated with breast imaging is a sensitive issue,
      particularly for women who undergo mammography as a screening measure to detect
      breast cancer. Misinformation and misunderstanding regarding the risks associated
      with ionizing radiation have created heightened public concern and fear, which
      may result in avoidance of diagnostic procedures. The objectives of this study
      were to ascertain patients' knowledge and opinion of ionizing radiation as a
      whole and specifically in mammography, as well as to determine common
      misunderstandings and points of view that may affect women's decisions about
      whether to have a mammogram. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a 9-month period, a
      total of 1725 patients presenting for a mammogram completed a 25-point
      questionnaire focused on the following: general knowledge of radiation dose in
      common imaging modalities, the amount of radiation associated with a mammogram
      relative to five radiation benchmarks, and patients' opinions of the involvement
      of radiation in their health care. RESULTS: Although 65% of the women receiving a
      mammogram responded that they had been informed of the risks and benefits of the
      examination, 60% overestimated the radiation in a mammogram. CONCLUSION: Efforts
      should be made to accurately inform women of the risks and benefits of
      mammography, specifically highlighting the low dose of mammographic ionizing
      radiation and providing objective facts to ensure that they are making an
      informed decision regarding screening.

PMID- 26102403
TI  - Subcategorization of Suspicious Breast Lesions (BI-RADS Category 4) According to
      MRI Criteria: Role of Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to investigate whether dynamic
      contrast-enhanced MRI is adequate for subcategorization of suspicious lesions (BI
      RADS category 4) and to evaluate whether use of DWI improves diagnostic
      performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study group was composed of 103
      suspicious lesions found in 83 subjects. Patient ages and lesion sizes were
      compiled, and two radiologists reanalyzed the images; subcategorized the findings
      as BI-RADS 4A, 4B, or 4C; and calculated apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)
      values. The stratified variables were tested by univariate analysis and inserted
      in two multivariate predictive models, which were used to generate ROC curves and
      compare AUCs. Positive predictive values (PPVs) for each subcategory and ADC
      level were calculated, and interobserver agreement was tested. RESULTS: Forty
      four (42.7%) suspicious findings proved malignant. Except for age (p = 0.08), all
      stratified predictor variables were significant in univariate analyses (p <
      0.01). Logistic regression models did not differ substantially after comparison
      of the ROC curves (p = 0.09), but the one including ADC values was slightly
      better: AUC of 0.89 (95% CI, 0.82-0.95) against AUC of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.78-0.93).
      PPV increased progressively in each BI-RADS 4 subcategory (4A, 0.15; 4B, 0.37;
      4C, 0.84). ADC values of 1.10 * 10(-3) mm(2)/s or less had the second highest PPV
      (0.77). Interobserver agreement was substantial at a kappa value of 0.80 (95% CI,
      0.70-0.90; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Risk stratification of suspicious lesions (BI
      RADS category 4) can be satisfactorily performed with DCE-MRI and slightly
      improved when DWI is introduced.

PMID- 26102404
TI  - Corrections.

PMID- 26102405
TI  - Why Does Patient Dose Increase With Tube Energy in CT When It Does the Opposite
      in Radiography?

PMID- 26102406
TI  - Prevalence of Imaging Features on CT Thought to Be Associated With
      Femoroacetabular Impingement: A Retrospective Analysis of 473 Asymptomatic Adult
      Hip Joints.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to investigate the prevalence of
      imaging features on CT thought to be associated with femoroacetabular impingement
      (FAI) and the associations among them. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 430 consecutive
      adult patients (age range, 18-40 years) who underwent hip CT at our institution
      for hip symptoms or trauma surveillance, the asymptomatic hips were selected for
      the study, which resulted in the inclusion of 473 hip joints in the study group.
      Images were obtained using an MDCT scanner and were reformatted using a bone
      algorithm. The CT images were retrospectively evaluated by two radiologists for
      features indicative of FAI such as the alpha angle, femoral head-neck offset,
      acetabular version angle, and center-edge angle. The intraclass correlation
      coefficient was used to evaluate intra- and interobserver variabilities.
      Associations among these parameters were evaluated by calculating the odds ratio
      between each of the parameters separately. RESULTS: Of the 473 asymptomatic hip
      joints we studied, 190 (40%) joints showed at least one of the following features
      on CT: alpha angle greater than 55 degrees , head-neck offset less than 8 mm,
      acetabular version angle less than 15 degrees , or center-edge angle greater than
      40 degrees . At least one feature was found in the hips of male patients (43.2%),
      which is more frequently than in the hips of female patients (35.4%). There was a
      high degree of coexistence (odds ratio > 2) among these CT findings. CONCLUSION:
      Imaging features on CT that are known to be associated with FAI are common in
      asymptomatic adult hip joints, especially in men, with a high degree of
      coexistence among the findings.

PMID- 26102407
TI  - Impact of ROI Positioning and Lesion Morphology on Apparent Diffusion Coefficient
      Analysis for the Differentiation Between Benign and Malignant Nonfatty Soft
      Tissue Lesions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to assess the impact of two methods of
      apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) selection on the diagnostic performance of
      DWI in the characterization of nonfatty soft-tissue masses. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      Sixty-five histologically confirmed soft-tissue tumors imaged from November 2009
      through October 2012 were evaluated. The minimal ADC (ADCmin) and average ADC
      (ADCavg) values for each tumor were obtained using two ROI-positioning methods:
      manual and semiautomatic. Two readers correlated the findings to lesion histology
      and morphology on conventional MRI sequences. RESULTS: The ADCmin values obtained
      using the manual method presented a better sensitivity with a similar specificity
      when compared with the ADCmin values obtained using the semiautomatic method
      (manual vs semiautomatic: 75-83% and 59-63% vs 58-67% and 63% and 63%,
      respectively). The interobserver agreement for the ADCmin values was similar
      between the ADC selection methods (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.81 and
      0.87 for manual and semiautomatic methods, respectively). In the subgroup of
      solid lesions, the ADCavg values obtained using the manual method offered a
      better sensitivity for benign-malignant differentiation (60-81% vs 60% and 60%
      for ADCavg and ADCmin, respectively). CONCLUSION: The ADCmin values obtained with
      manual ROI positioning offered the best diagnostic performance for tumor
      characterization. The semiautomatic method yielded similar specificity values.
      For solid masses, the ADCavg values were better correlated with tumor histology
      than the ADCmin values.

PMID- 26102408
TI  - Antitumoral Effect of Mural Cells Assessed With High-Resolution MRI and
      Fluorescence Microscopy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to detect labeled mural cells in vivo
      and study their therapeutic effect on tumor growth and on functional changes in
      the vascular network by use of MRI and fibered confocal fluorescence microscopy
      (FCFM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-eight mice were allocated to the following
      three groups 7 days after injection of TC1 tumor cells (C157 black 6): control,
      no injection (n = 7); sham, injection of phosphate-buffered saline solution (n =
      10); and treated, injection of human mural cells (n = 11). Tumor growth was
      measured with calipers. Labeled mural cells were tracked with high-resolution MRI
      and FCFM. Microvessel density was assessed with MRI and FCFM, and the findings
      were compared with the histologic results. RESULTS: Tumor growth was
      significantly slowed in the treated group starting on day 10 (p = 0.001). Round
      signal-intensity voids were observed in the center of six of seven tumors treated
      with magnetically labeled mural cells. Positive staining for iron was observed in
      histologic sections of two of five of these tumors. Microvessel density measured
      with FCFM was greater in the treated mice (p = 0.03). Flow cytometry revealed
      viable human mural cells only in treated tumors. CONCLUSION: In this study,
      imaging techniques such as high-resolution MRI and FCFM showed the therapeutic
      effect of mural cell injection on tumor growth and microvessel function.

PMID- 26102409
TI  - Juvenile Osteochondritis Dissecans: Correlation Between Histopathology and MRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to correlate specimens of juvenile
      osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions of the knee to MRI examinations to
      elucidate the histopathologic basis of characteristic imaging features. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Five children (three boys and two girls; age range, 12-13 years old)
      who underwent transarticular biopsy of juvenile OCD lesions of the knee were
      retrospectively included in this study. Two radiologists reviewed the MRI
      examinations and a pathologist reviewed the histopathologic specimens and
      recorded characteristic features. Digital specimen photographs were calibrated to
      the size of the respective MR image with the use of a reference scale.
      Photographs were rendered semitransparent and over-laid onto the MR image with
      the location chosen on the basis of the site of the prior biopsy. RESULTS: A
      total of seven biopsy specimens were included. On MRI, all lesions showed
      cystlike foci in the subchondral bone, bone marrow edema pattern on proton
      density-or T2-weighted images, and relatively thick unossified epiphyseal
      cartilage. In four patients, a laminar signal intensity pattern was seen, and two
      patients had multiple breaks in the subchondral bone plate. Fibrovascular tissue
      was found at histopathology in all patients. Cleft spaces near the cartilage-bone
      interface and were seen in all patients while chondrocyte cloning was present in
      most cases. Focal bone necrosis and inflammation were infrequent MRI findings.
      Precise correlation of the MRI appearance to the histopathologic overlays
      consistently was found. CONCLUSION: A direct correlation exists between the
      histopathologic findings and the MRI features in patients with juvenile OCD.
      Additional studies are needed to correlate these MRI features with juvenile OCD
      healing success rates.

PMID- 26102410
TI  - Upright Biplanar Slot Scanning in Pediatric Orthopedics: Applications,
      Advantages, and Artifacts.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Digital slot scanning is a relatively new technology that has been
      used for imaging of pediatric orthopedic conditions such as scoliosis and leg
      length discrepancies. This article will review the clinical applications,
      advantages, and unique artifacts of this new technology. CONCLUSION: Upright
      biplanar slot scanners acquire high-resolution radiographs simultaneously in two
      orthogonal planes with reduced radiation dose. Other advantages include a more
      physiologic weightbearing imaging position, improved Cobb angle measurements, and
      3D modeling.

PMID- 26102411
TI  - Preliminary Results of Percutaneous Radiologic Gastrostomy in a Pediatric
      Population: A Modified Chiba-Needle Puncture Technique With Single Gastropexy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the technical feasibility,
      safety, and clinical effectiveness of percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy using a
      modified Chiba-needle puncture technique with single gastropexy in pediatric
      patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July 2006 to December 2013, percutaneous
      radiologic gastrostomy was performed in 12 children (median age, 21 months;
      range, 6-46 months). Their stomachs were punctured using a 21-gauge Chiba needle.
      A single Cope gastrointestinal suture anchor was used for gastropexy, and a tube
      was inserted through the same tract as the anchor using a 12- or 14-French Dawson
      Mueller pigtail drainage catheter. We then evaluated the technical success of the
      procedure, the number of puncture attempts using a 21-gauge Chiba needle, the
      procedure time, complications, and treatment of complications. RESULTS:
      Percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy was technically successful in all patients.
      Only a single puncture attempt was required in 10 patients (83%); two attempts
      were needed in two patients (17%). The average procedure time was 10 minutes 25
      seconds (range, 5 minutes 5 seconds to 25 minutes 24 seconds). Pneumoperitoneum
      requiring tube exchange occurred in two of the 12 patients (17%). Two patients
      experienced pain immediately after the procedure. Three patients who had
      esophagogastric reflux after percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy underwent
      conversion percutaneous radiologic gastrojejunostomy. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous
      radiologic gastrostomy using a modified Chiba-needle technique with single
      gastropexy in pediatric patients is technically feasible and safe.

PMID- 26102412
TI  - MEDICOLEGAL-Malpractice and Ethical Issues in Radiology. Does Employment of
      Physician Assistants Increase the Likelihood of Malpractice Litigation?

PMID- 26102413
TI  - Complications Associated With Inflammatory Colitis.

PMID- 26102414
TI  - Iterative Reconstruction Techniques in Abdominopelvic CT: Technical Concepts and
      Clinical Implementation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the clinical challenge of low-radiation-dose
      examinations, the commonly used approaches for dose optimization, and their
      effect on image quality. We emphasize practical aspects of the different
      iterative reconstruction techniques, along with their benefits, pitfalls, and
      clinical implementation. CONCLUSION: The widespread use of CT has raised concerns
      about potential radiation risks, motivating diverse strategies to reduce the
      radiation dose associated with CT. CT manufacturers have developed alternative
      reconstruction algorithms intended to improve image quality on dose-optimized CT
      studies, mainly through noise and artifact reduction. Iterative reconstruction
      techniques take unique approaches to noise reduction and provide distinct
      strength levels or settings.

PMID- 26102415
TI  - I Am Confused About the Cancer Risks Associated With CT: How Can We Summarize
      What Is Currently Known?

PMID- 26102416
TI  - Acute Pancreatitis: Revised Atlanta Classification and the Role of Cross
      Sectional Imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The 2012 revision of the Atlanta Classification emphasizes accurate
      characterization of collections that complicate acute pancreatitis: acute
      peripancreatic fluid collections, pseudocysts, acute necrotic collections, and
      walled-off necroses. As a result, the role of imaging in the management of acute
      pancreatitis has substantially increased. CONCLUSION: This article reviews the
      imaging findings associated with acute pancreatitis and its complications on
      cross-sectional imaging and discusses the role of imaging in light of this
      revision.

PMID- 26102417
TI  - Facial Fracture in the Setting of Whole-Body CT for Trauma: Incidence and
      Clinical Predictors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to identify the incidence and clinical
      predictors of facial fracture in the setting of whole-body MDCT for trauma.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical data from the electronic medical records,
      including the final radiology reports, of 486 consecutive patients who underwent
      MDCT for trauma (head, cervical spine, chest, abdomen, and pelvis examinations)
      with dedicated maxillofacial reconstructions from October 1, 2011, to July 31,
      2013, were studied. The clinical variables were compared between cohorts of
      patients with and those without facial fracture. The two-sample t test was used
      to compare continuous variables, and the Fisher exact test was used to compare
      categoric variables. RESULTS: Two hundred sixteen (44.4%) patients had at least
      one fracture on the dedicated maxillofacial CT examinations, 215 of whom had
      facial physical examination findings (sensitivity = 99.5%). Of the 28 patients
      without documented physical examination findings, 27 did not have a facial
      fracture (negative predictive value = 96.4%). Statistically significant
      differences were found between positive and negative cases of facial fracture in
      patients with a Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score of 8 or less (p < 0.0001), an
      injury severity score of 16 or greater (p < 0.0001), acute alcohol intoxication
      according to blood alcohol concentration (BAC) (p = 0.0387), intubation at
      presentation (p < 0.0001), positive physical examination findings (p < 0.0001),
      and loss of consciousness (p = 0.0364). Falls from a height greater than standing
      height and open-vehicle collisions had the highest fracture rates (80.0% and
      58.3%, respectively). CONCLUSION: A negative finding at facial physical
      examination reliably excluded fracture. Clinical variables positively associated
      with facial fracture included the following: GCS score of 8 or less, ISS of 16 or
      greater, alcohol intoxication according to BAC, intubation at presentation, loss
      of consciousness, and the presence of abnormal facial findings at physical
      examination.

PMID- 26102418
TI  - MRI of Rectal Cancer: An Overview and Update on Recent Advances.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: MRI is the modality of choice for rectal cancer staging. The high soft
      tissue contrast of MRI accurately assesses the extramural tumor spread and
      relation to mesorectal fascia and the sphincter complex. This article reviews the
      role of MRI in the staging and treatment of rectal cancer. The relevant anatomy,
      MRI techniques, preoperative staging, post-chemoradiation therapy (CRT) imaging,
      and tumor recurrence are discussed with special attention to recent advances in
      knowledge. CONCLUSION: MRI is the modality of choice for staging rectal cancer to
      assist surgeons in obtaining negative surgical margins. MRI facilitates the
      accurate assessment of mesorectal fascia and the sphincter complex for surgical
      planning. Multiparametric MRI may also help in the prediction and estimation of
      response to treatment and in the detection of recurrent disease.

PMID- 26102419
TI  - Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound of Focal Liver Lesions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to discuss the use of contrast-enhanced
      ultra-sound (CEUS) in focal liver lesions. CONCLUSION: Focal liver lesions are
      usually detected incidentally during abdominal ultrasound. The injection of
      microbubble ultrasound contrast agents improves the characterization of focal
      liver lesions that are indeterminate on conventional ultrasound. The use of CEUS
      is recommended in official guidelines and suggested as a second diagnostic step
      after ultrasound detection of indeterminate focal liver lesions to immediately
      establish the diagnosis, especially for benign liver lesions, such as
      hemangiomas, avoiding further and more expensive examinations.

PMID- 26102420
TI  - Absolute Versus Relative Myocardial Blood Flow by Dynamic CT Myocardial Perfusion
      Imaging in Patients With Anatomic Coronary Artery Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in the
      diagnostic accuracy of absolute and relative territorial myocardial blood flow
      (MBF) derived from stress dynamic CT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for the
      detection of significant coronary artery stenosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dynamic
      CT MPI and coronary CT angiography (CTA) datasets from a multicenter registry of
      137 patients (mean age, 60.9 +/- 8.4 years; 88 men) with suspected or known
      coronary artery disease were retrospectively analyzed. For each coronary
      territory, absolute MBF and the MBF relative to remote myocardium (MBF ratio)
      were calculated. Coronary CTA datasets were visually assessed for significant
      stenosis (>= 50% luminal narrowing) in consensus by two observers. RESULTS:
      Significant stenosis was detected in 137 of 411 (33.3%) vessels. Mean absolute
      MBF and MBF ratio were statistically significantly lower in territories supplied
      by arteries with stenosis (80.7 +/- 33.7 vs 140.0 +/- 38.4 mL/100 mL/min and 0.52
      vs 0.89, respectively; both p < 0.0001). ROC analysis showed better
      discrimination by MBF ratio than by absolute MBF (AUC, 0.925 vs 0.882; p =
      0.0022) and increased sensitivity (90.7% vs 82.4%; p < 0.04) and specificity
      (93.1% vs 80.5%; p < 0.03) for MBF ratio and absolute MBF cutoff values of 0.71
      or less and 103 mL/100 mL/min or less, respectively. CONCLUSION: In stress
      dynamic CT MPI, relative MBF provides superior diagnostic accuracy compared with
      absolute territorial MBF values for coronary CTA-detected significant coronary
      artery stenosis.

PMID- 26102421
TI  - Diagnosis of Extracapsular Extension of Prostate Cancer on Prostate MRI: Impact
      of Second-Opinion Readings by Subspecialized Genitourinary Oncologic
      Radiologists.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to investigate the added value of
      second-opinion evaluation of prostate MRI by subspecialized genitourinary
      oncologic radiologists for the assessment of extracapsular extension (ECE) of
      prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective evaluation
      of initial and second-opinion radiology reports of 76 patients who underwent MRI
      of the prostate before prostatectomy for histologically proven prostate cancer.
      Initial outside reports and second-opinion reports were unpaired and reviewed in
      random order by a urologist who was blinded to patients' clinical details and
      histopathologic data. Histopathologic analysis of the prostatectomy specimen
      served as the reference standard. RESULTS: Among cases with diagnostic-quality
      images available (71/76; 93%), disagreement between the initial report and the
      second-opinion report was observed in 30% of cases (21/71; kappa = 0.35); in 18
      of these 21 cases (86%), histopathologic analysis proved that the second-opinion
      report was correct. The second-opinion interpretations had statistically
      significantly higher sensitivity (66% vs 24%; p < 0.0001) than did the initial
      reports, whereas there was no statistically significant difference in specificity
      (87% vs 93%; p = 0.317). On ROC curve analysis, the second-opinion reports
      yielded a statistically significantly higher AUC for the detection of ECE (0.80
      vs 0.65; p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: The reinterpretation of prostate MRI
      examinations by subspecialized genitourinary oncologic radiologists improved the
      detection of ECE of prostate cancer.

PMID- 26102422
TI  - Predictive Value of Chemical-Shift MRI in Distinguishing Clear Cell Renal Cell
      Carcinoma From Non-Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma and Minimal-Fat
      Angiomyolipoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance
      of chemical-shift MRI in the differentiation of clear cell renal cell carcinoma
      (RCC) from minimal-fat angiomyolipoma (AML) and non-clear cell RCC. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In this retrospective study, 97 patients with solid renal tumors without
      macroscopic fat and with a pathologic diagnosis of clear cell RCC (n = 40), non
      clear cell RCC (n = 31), or minimal-fat AML (n = 26) who had undergone renal
      chemical-shift MRI were included. Size, location, morphology, and signal
      intensity (SI) of the tumors and the contralateral normal kidneys on T2-weighted
      and in-phase and opposed-phase images were recorded by readers blinded to the
      pathology. Percentage tumor-to-renal parenchymal SI drop (percentage SI drop) was
      calculated and correlated to tumor histology. The statistical analysis was done
      using Kruskal-Wallis, one-way ANOVA, chi-square, and Fisher exact tests. RESULTS:
      The percentage SI drop was significantly higher in clear cell RCC compared with
      non-clear cell RCC and minimal-fat AML (p < 0.001). Percentage SI drop of greater
      than 20% had 57.5% sensitivity, 96.5% specificity, and 92% positive predictive
      value (PPV); and percentage SI drop greater than 29% had 40% sensitivity and 100%
      specificity for diagnosis of clear cell RCC within the cohort of clear cell RCC,
      minimal-fat AML, and non-clear cell RCC. A significant proportion of minimal-fat
      AML (46.2%) displayed homogeneous low T2-weighted SI as opposed to clear cell RCC
      (5%) and non-clear cell RCC (29%) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The percentage SI drop
      on chemical-shift MRI had high specificity and moderate sensitivity in predicting
      clear cell RCC over non-clear cell RCC and minimal-fat AML. A percentage SI drop
      greater than 20% in a renal mass without macroscopically visible fat has high PPV
      for clear cell RCC over minimal-fat AML and non-clear cell RCC. Among morphologic
      features, homogeneous low T2 SI favors minimal-fat AML over RCC.

PMID- 26102423
TI  - Characteristics of Detected and Missed Prostate Cancer Foci on 3-T
      Multiparametric MRI Using an Endorectal Coil Correlated With Whole-Mount Thin
      Section Histopathology.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of
      prostate cancer foci missed on 3-T multiparametric MRI performed with an
      endorectal coil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MRI examinations of 122 patients who
      underwent 3-T multiparametric MRI of the prostate with an endorectal coil were
      compared with whole-mount histopathology obtained after radical prostatectomy.
      The mean age of the patients was 60.6 years (SD, 7.6 years), and the mean
      prostate-specific antigen value was 7.2 ng/mL (SD, 5.9 ng/mL). The clinical,
      multiparametric MRI (i.e., T2-weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and
      dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging), and histopathologic features were obtained.
      After an independent review, two blinded genitourinary radiologists matched each
      case with a genitourinary pathologist. A structured reporting system was used to
      classify the multiparametric MRI features of each MRI-detected lesion. A chi
      square analysis was performed for categoric variables, and the t test was
      performed for continuous variables. RESULTS: On whole-mount histopathology, 285
      prostate cancer foci were detected in 122 patients. Of the 285 cancer foci
      detected at histopathology, 153 (53.3%) were missed on MRI and 132 (46.7%) were
      detected on MRI. Of the missed lesions, 75.2% were low-grade prostate cancer.
      Multiparametric MRI had a significantly higher sensitivity for prostate cancer
      foci 1 cm or larger than for subcentimeter foci (81.1% vs 18.9%, respectively; p
      < 0.001), for lesions with a Gleason score of 7 or greater than for lesions with
      a Gleason score of 6 (72.7% vs 27.3%; p < 0.01), and for index lesions than for
      satellite lesions (80.3% vs 20.8%; p < 0.01). The 3-T multiparametric MRI
      examinations showed a higher detection rate for lesions in the midgland or base
      of the gland compared with lesions in the apex (52.3% vs 22.0%, respectively; p <
      0.01). CONCLUSION: Compared with the prostate cancer lesions that were detected
      on multiparametric MRI, the prostate cancer lesions that were missed were
      significantly smaller, were more likely to be low-grade lesions (i.e., Gleason
      score of 6), were more commonly satellite lesions, and were more likely to be
      located in the prostatic apex.

PMID- 26102424
TI  - Automated Technique to Measure Noise in Clinical CT Examinations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an automated
      method to measure noise in clinical CT examinations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An
      automated algorithm was developed to measure noise in CT images. To assess its
      validity, the global noise level was compared with image noise measured using an
      image subtraction technique in an anthropomorphic phantom. The global noise level
      was further compared with image noise values from clinical patient CT images
      obtained by an observer study. Finally, the clinical utility of the global noise
      level was shown by assessing variability of image noise across scanner models for
      abdominopelvic CT examinations performed in 2358 patients. RESULTS: The global
      noise level agreed well with the phantom-based and clinical image-based noise
      measurements, with an average difference of 3.4% and 4.7% from each of these
      measures, respectively. No significant difference was detected between the global
      noise level and the validation dataset in either case. It further indicated
      differences across scanners, with the median global noise level varying
      significantly between different scanner models (15-35%). CONCLUSION: The global
      noise level provides an accurate, robust, and automated method to measure CT
      noise in clinical examinations for quality assurance programs. The significant
      difference in noise across scanner models indicates the unexploited potential to
      efficiently assess and subsequently improve protocol consistency. Combined with
      other automated characterization of imaging performance (e.g., dose monitoring),
      the global noise level may offer a promising platform for the standardization and
      optimization of CT protocols.

PMID- 26102425
TI  - Flexible Lamination Encapsulation.
AB  - A novel flexible encapsulation method (Flex Lami-capsulation) is reported, which
      can be applied in the roll-to-roll process for mass production of organic
      electronic devices. Flex Lami-capsulation is very simple, fast, and getter-free,
      and is as effective as glass encapsulation. Use of this method is feasible in
      large-area flexible displays and does not have the drawbacks of conventional
      encapsulation methods. 

PMID- 26102426
TI  - Construction of a Near-Infrared-Activatable Enzyme Platform To Remotely Trigger
      Intracellular Signal Transduction Using an Upconversion Nanoparticle.
AB  - Photoactivatable (caged) bioeffectors provide a way to remotely trigger or
      disable biochemical pathways in living organisms at a desired time and location
      with a pulse of light (uncaging), but the phototoxicity of ultraviolet (UV) often
      limits its application. In this study, we have demonstrated the near-infrared
      (NIR) photoactivatable enzyme platform using protein kinase A (PKA), an important
      enzyme in cell biology. We successfully photoactivated PKA using NIR to
      phosphorylate its substrate, and this induced a downstream cellular response in
      living cells with high spatiotemporal resolution. In addition, this system allows
      NIR to selectively activate the caged enzyme immobilized on the nanoparticle
      surface without activating other caged proteins in the cytosol. This NIR
      responsive enzyme-nanoparticle system provides an innovative approach to remote
      control proteins and enzymes, which can be used by researchers who need to avoid
      direct UV irradiation or use UV as a secondary channel to turn on a bioeffector. 

PMID- 26102427
TI  - Synthesis and Optical Properties of Imidazole- and Benzimidazole-Based Fused pi
      Conjugated Compounds: Influence of Substituent, Counteranion, and pi-Conjugated
      System.
AB  - Fused pi-conjugated imidazolium chlorides having hydrogen (1-Cl), octyloxy (2
      Cl), N,N-dibutylamino (3-Cl), trifluoromethyl (4-Cl), and cyano (5-Cl) groups
      substituted on the benzene ring at the 2-position of imidazole were prepared.
      Counteranion exchanges from chloride to bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imidate (2
      TFSI) and tetrafluoroborate (2-BF4) were performed. The optical properties of
      these compounds (absorption and emission wavelengths, fluorescence quantum yield,
      and solvatochromism) were influenced by both the substituent and anion character,
      which was investigated by theoretical calculations using the density functional
      theory (DFT) and symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction (SAC-CI)
      methods. Fused pi-conjugated benzimidazolium chlorides having N,N-dibutylamino (6
      Cl) and cyano (7-Cl) groups were also prepared to observe the different
      solvatochromic shifts. 

PMID- 26102428
TI  - Large Area Fabrication of Periodic TiO2 Nanopillars Using Microsphere
      Photolithography on a Photopatternable Sol-Gel Film.
AB  - The authors demonstrate a unique low cost process to print 2D, submicron size,
      and high refractive index nanopillars using a direct colloidal-photolithography
      process. A well collimated i-line source emitting at 365 nm wavelength
      illuminates a mono layer of silica microspheres of 1 MUm diameter deposited on a
      photosensitive TiO2-based sol-gel layer. No etching process is needed since this
      layer is directly UV photo patternable like a negative photoresist. Furthermore,
      this thin layer offers interesting optical properties (high refractive index and
      optical transparency) and good mechanical and chemical stability and thus can be
      directly used as a functional microstructure (for PV or sensor applications, for
      example). The paper describes the modeling of the electric field distribution
      below the spheres during the illumination process, the photochemistry of the TiO2
      sol-gel layer process, and preliminary results of TiO2 nanopillars of around 200
      nm in diameter fabricated on a three-inch substrate. 

PMID- 26102429
TI  - Psychological predictors of opportunistic snacking in the absence of hunger.
AB  - Increased frequency of eating in the absence of homeostatic need, notably through
      snacking, is an important contributor to overconsumption and may be facilitated
      by increased availability of palatable food in the obesogenic environment.
      Opportunistic initiation of snacking is likely to be subject to individual
      differences, although these are infrequently studied in laboratory-based research
      paradigms. This study examined psychological factors associated with
      opportunistic initiation of snacking, and predictors of intake in the absence of
      homeostatic need. Fifty adults (mean age 34.5years, mean BMI 23.9kg/m(2), 56%
      female) participated in a snack taste test in which they ate a chocolate snack to
      satiation, after which they were offered an unanticipated opportunity to initiate
      a second eating episode. Trait and behavioural measures of self control,
      sensitivity to reward, dietary restraint and disinhibited eating were taken.
      Results showed that, contrary to expectations, those who initiated snacking were
      better at inhibitory control compared with those who did not initiate. However,
      amongst participants who initiated snacking, intake (kcal) was predicted by
      higher food reward sensitivity, impulsivity and BMI. These findings suggest that
      snacking initiation in the absence of hunger is an important contributor to
      overconsumption. Consideration of the individual differences promoting initiation
      of eating may aid in reducing elevated eating frequency in at-risk individuals. 

PMID- 26102430
TI  - Molybdenum Trihydride Complexes: Computational Determinations of Hydrogen
      Positions and Rearrangement Mechanisms.
AB  - In crystal structures of the molybdenum complexes [(1,2,4-C5H2(t)Bu3)Mo(PMe3)2H3]
      (Cp(t)Bu3) and [(C5H(i)Pr4)Mo(PMe3)2H3] (Cp(i)Pr4), the Mo-bound hydrogen
      positions were resolved for Cp(t)Bu3, but not for Cp(i)Pr4. NMR experiments
      revealed the existence of an unknown mechanism for hydrogen atom exchange in
      these molecules, which can be "frozen out" for Cp(t)Bu3 but not for Cp(i)Pr4.
      Density functional theory calculations of the most stable conformations for both
      complexes in the gas phase and in a continuum solvent model indicate that the H's
      of the Cp(i)Pr4 complex are unresloved because of their disorder, which does not
      occur for Cp(t)Bu3. A corresponding examination of alternative rearrangement
      pathways shows that the rearrangements of the H's could occur by two mechanisms:
      parallel to the cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ring in a single step and perpendicular to
      the Cp ring in two steps. The parallel pathway is preferred for both molecules,
      but it has a lower energy barrier for Cp(i)Pr4 than for Cp(t)Bu3. 

PMID- 26102431
TI  - Monitoring of mycophenolate mofetil metabolites in children with nephrotic
      syndrome and the proposed novel target values of pharmacokinetic parameters.
AB  - The aim of the study was to estimate target values of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF)
      pharmacokinetic parameters in children with proteinuric glomerulopathies by
      calculating the pharmacokinetic parameters of MMF metabolites (mycophenolic acid
      [MPA], free MPA [fMPA] and MPA glucuronide [MPAG]) and assessing their relation
      to proteinuria recurrence. One hundred and sixty-eight blood samples were
      collected from children, aged 3-18 years, diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome or
      lupus nephritis. MMF metabolites concentrations were examined before drug
      administration (Ctrough) and up to 12h afterward employing high-performance
      liquid chromatography. Dose-normalized MPA Ctrough and area under the
      concentration-time curve from 0 to 12h (AUC12) were within 0.29-6.47 MUg/mL/600
      mg/m(2) and 9.97-105.52 MUg h/mL/600 mg/m(2), respectively. MPA Ctrough was
      twofold lower (p=0.024) in children with proteinuria recurrence. MPA, fMPA and
      MPAG concentrations correlated positively to respective AUC12. It may be
      suggested MMF metabolites monitoring in children with proteinuric
      glomerulopathies is justified by MPA Ctrough<2 MUg/mL in patients at risk of the
      proteinuria recurrence. Such a recurrence is most probably caused by not
      sufficient MPA concentration during proteinuric glomerulopathies treatment. MPA
      Ctrough>3 MUg/mL may be considered as an efficient one to avoid proteinuria
      recurrence. Finally, MPA target AUC12 should exceed 60 MUg h/mL to ensure the
      safe and effective treatment in children with nephrotic syndrome, however, the
      upper limit is still to be established.

PMID- 26102432
TI  - Quantitative Intramolecular Singlet Fission in Bipentacenes.
AB  - Singlet fission (SF) has the potential to significantly enhance the photocurrent
      in single-junction solar cells and thus raise the power conversion efficiency
      from the Shockley-Queisser limit of 33% to 44%. Until now, quantitative SF yield
      at room temperature has been observed only in crystalline solids or aggregates of
      oligoacenes. Here, we employ transient absorption spectroscopy, ultrafast
      photoluminescence spectroscopy, and triplet photosensitization to demonstrate
      intramolecular singlet fission (iSF) with triplet yields approaching 200% per
      absorbed photon in a series of bipentacenes. Crucially, in dilute solution of
      these systems, SF does not depend on intermolecular interactions. Instead, SF is
      an intrinsic property of the molecules, with both the fission rate and resulting
      triplet lifetime determined by the degree of electronic coupling between
      covalently linked pentacene molecules. We found that the triplet pair lifetime
      can be as short as 0.5 ns but can be extended up to 270 ns. 

PMID- 26102433
TI  - IDENTIFICATION OF FLUID ON OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY BY TREATING
      OPHTHALMOLOGISTS VERSUS A READING CENTER IN THE COMPARISON OF AGE-RELATED MACULAR
      DEGENERATION TREATMENTS TRIALS.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine treatment decisions by ophthalmologists versus reading center
      fluid identification from optical coherence tomography in Comparison of Age
      Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (CATT). METHODS: Fluid in 6,210
      optical coherence tomography scans (598 patients) in "as needed treatment" arm of
      CATT Year 1 was compared with ophthalmologist's treatment: positive fluid
      agreement (PFA, fluid+, treatment+) and positive fluid discrepancy (PFD, fluid+,
      treatment-), negative fluid agreement (fluid-, treatment-) and negative fluid
      discrepancy (fluid-, treatment+). For PFDs, fluid location and visual acuity were
      characterized. RESULTS: Treatment and reading center fluid determination agreed
      in 72.1% (53.0% PFA, 19.1% negative fluid agreement) and disagreed in 27.9%
      (25.7% PFD, 2.2% negative fluid discrepancy) of visits, with no discrepancies for
      20.9% of patients. Compared with PFA, PFD occurred more commonly with lower total
      foveal thickness (mean +/- SD: 265 +/- 103 PFD, 366 +/- 151 MUm PFA), presence of
      intraretinal fluid only, smaller fluid areas (PFA areas greater than twice those
      of PFD, P < 0.001), and greater decrease in retinal and lesion thickness. Mean
      acuities before, at, and after PFD were 65.8, 66.9, and 66.3 letters. CONCLUSION:
      Treatment decisions by ophthalmologists matched reading center fluid
      determination in the majority of visits. More pronounced response to treatment
      and smaller foci of fluid likely contributed to PFD. Positive fluid discrepancy
      did not have substantial impact on subsequent visual acuity.

PMID- 26102434
TI  - SWITCHING TREATMENT FOR NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION FROM
      BEVACIZUMAB TO RANIBIZUMAB: Who is Likely to Benefit From the Switch?
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of switching from bevacizumab to
      ranibizumab in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
      METHODS: Retrospective study of patients with neovascular age-related macular
      degeneration initially treated with bevacizumab and switched to ranibizumab.
      Visual acuity and central retinal thickness (CRT) were retrieved at four time
      points: before the last three bevacizumab injections, at the switch, after the
      first three ranibizumab injections, and at the end of follow-up. RESULTS: One
      hundred and fourteen eyes of 110 patients were included. Switching from
      bevacizumab to ranibizumab did not achieve a significant change in visual acuity,
      and a significant reduction in CRT was achieved after the first three injections
      but was not maintained by the end of follow-up. Eyes that lost >=0.1 logMAR
      before the switch were more likely to improve in visual acuity (P = 0.013), and
      eyes with >=10% increase in CRT before the switch were more likely to improve
      anatomically (P = 0.0003). In 47.3% of the eyes, the CRT was reduced by >=10%
      after the first 3 ranibizumab injections, and the reduction was maintained with
      additional injections. CONCLUSION: Switching to ranibizumab should be considered
      in patients with visual acuity decrease or CRT increase, despite monthly
      bevacizumab injections. The response should be evaluated after the first three
      injections to guide future treatment.

PMID- 26102435
TI  - CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION IN CAUCASIAN PATIENTS WITH LONGSTANDING CENTRAL
      SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the frequency of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in
      Caucasian patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). METHODS:
      Retrospective consecutive series of 272 eyes (136 patients) who were diagnosed as
      having chronic CSC based on clinical and multimodal fundus imaging findings and
      documented disease activity for at least 6 months. The CNVs were mainly
      determined by indocyanine-green angiography. RESULTS: Patients were evaluated and
      followed for a maximum of 6 years, with an average follow-up of 14 +/- 12 months.
      Distinct CNV was identified in 41 eyes (34 patients). Based on fluorescein
      angiography, 37 eyes showed occult with no classic CNV, 3 eyes showed
      predominantly classic and 1 eye had a disciform CNV. Furthermore, indocyanine
      green angiography revealed polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy lesions, in 27 of
      the 37 eyes, classified as occult CNV on fluorescein angiography. In total, 17.6%
      of our patients with chronic CSC were found to have CNV that upon indocyanine
      green angiography were recognized as being polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.
      CONCLUSION: In our series of Caucasian patients, we found a significant
      correlation between chronic CSC and CNV, in which the majority of patients with
      CNV were found to have polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. Our findings suggest
      that indocyanine-green angiography is an indispensable tool in the investigation
      of chronic CSC.

PMID- 26102436
TI  - IMPROVED SPECIFICITY OF POLYPOIDAL CHOROIDAL VASCULOPATHY DIAGNOSIS USING A
      MODIFIED EVEREST CRITERIA.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the performance of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV)
      diagnosis using fundus camera-based indocyanine green angiography, comparing a
      single sign of "subretinal focal hyperfluorescence" on indocyanine green
      angiography with a modification of the EVEREST criteria. METHODS: Color fundus
      photograph, flash fundus camera-based fluorescein angiography, and indocyanine
      green angiography of 241 eyes of 230 consecutive patients with exudative
      maculopathy due to PCV or typical age-related macular degeneration were graded
      independently by 2 retinal specialists using a modified EVEREST criteria, which
      requires the presence of subretinal focal hyperfluorescence plus any 1 of 5
      additional criteria. Discordant cases were adjudicated by a senior retinal
      specialist to arrive at the final diagnosis. Sensitivity, specificity, and area
      under the receiver operating curve of subretinal focal hyperfluorescence versus
      the EVEREST criteria and combinations of individual EVEREST criteria were
      compared. RESULTS: Among the 241 eyes with exudative maculopathy, 131 eyes had
      PCV and 110 eyes had typical age-related macular degeneration. Using a single
      sign of subretinal focal hyperfluorescence alone for the diagnosis of PCV,
      sensitivity was 85.3% and specificity was 80.9%, with an area under the receiver
      operating curve of 83.1%. When applying the EVEREST definition, sensitivity was
      reduced to 78.4% but specificity improved to 87.1% with a similar area under the
      receiver operating curve of 82.8%. The frequency of individual criteria was
      highly variable, with stereo nodular appearance (73.7%) and orange nodule (55.0%)
      being the most common and branching vascular network, massive hemorrhage, and
      hypofluorescent halo in the presence of subretinal focal hyperfluorescence being
      less common (21.5%-28.1%). CONCLUSION: The EVEREST criteria have a higher
      specificity for the diagnosis of PCV than subretinal focal hyperfluorescence
      alone and may be applied to flash fundus camera-based indocyanine green
      angiography in a clinical setting. Stereo nodular appearance is the most
      important additional criterion.

PMID- 26102437
TI  - DEXAMETHASONE IMPLANT FOR MACULAR EDEMA SECONDARY TO CENTRAL RETINAL VEIN
      OCCLUSION IN PATIENTS YOUNGER THAN 50 YEARS.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of dexamethasone implant for macular edema
      secondary to central retinal vein occlusion in patients younger than 50 years.
      METHODS: Patients with no previous treatment, macular edema with central foveal
      thickness >250 MUm and best-corrected visual acuity between 1.30 LogMAR and 0.30
      LogMAR were prospectively recruited for a 12-month follow-up study. After
      baseline dexamethasone implant, re-treatment was performed starting from the
      fourth month if a best-corrected visual acuity deterioration with central foveal
      thickness >250 MUm occurred after an initial improvement. The primary outcome was
      the change in the best-corrected visual acuity. Secondary outcomes included the
      proportion of eyes gaining at least 3 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study
      lines, the change in the central foveal thickness, and the number of treatments.
      RESULTS: Mean best-corrected visual acuity changed significantly from 0.60 +/-
      0.38 LogMAR at baseline to 0.43 +/- 0.48 at the 12-month examination (P = 0.03).
      Eight of 16 eyes (50%) gained 3 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study lines.
      Mean central foveal thickness improved significantly from 705 +/- 202 MUm at
      baseline to 408 +/- 196 MUm at 12-month visit (P < 0.001). The patients received
      a mean of 1.8 +/- 0.9 implants with 8/16 eyes and 3/16 receiving 1 and 2
      implants, respectively. CONCLUSION: This present investigation indicates that
      dexamethasone implant can provide a 3-line improvement in half of the patients
      younger than 50 years and affected by macular edema secondary to central retinal
      vein occlusion.

PMID- 26102439
TI  - EFFECT OF INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE PEELING ON LONG-TERM VISUAL OUTCOMES FOR
      DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling on
      the long-term visual outcomes in eyes with diffuse, nontractional diabetic
      macular edema. METHODS: One hundred and sixteen eyes of 58 patients with the same
      degree of diabetic macular edema in both eyes underwent pars plana vitrectomy
      with the creation of a posterior vitreous detachment in both eyes. Internal
      limiting membrane peeling was performed in one randomly selected eye (ILM-off
      group), and ILM peeling was not performed (ILM-on group) in the fellow eye. The
      postoperative follow-up period ranged from 12 months to 161 months (average, 80.4
      months). RESULTS: In the ILM-off group, the mean best-corrected visual acuity in
      logMAR units (Snellen equivalent) increased from 0.55 +/- 0.31 (20/71) before
      surgery to 0.35 +/- 0.35 (20/45) at 1 year (P < 0.0001) and 0.46 +/- 0.43 (20/59)
      at the final visit (P = 0.058). In the ILM-on group, the mean best-corrected
      visual acuity increased from 0.55 +/- 0.41 (20/71) before surgery to 0.43 +/-
      0.38 (20/54) at 1 year (P = 0.010) and 0.44 +/- 0.45 (20/56) at the final visit
      (P = 0.043). The differences in the best-corrected visual acuity between the two
      groups were not significant at any time point. CONCLUSION: Pars plana vitrectomy
      with or without ILM peeling improves the long-term visual acuity of nontractional
      diabetic macular edema. Internal limiting membrane peeling does not affect the
      postoperative best-corrected visual acuity significantly.

PMID- 26102438
TI  - DEXAMETHASONE IMPLANT FOR MACULAR EDEMA SECONDARY TO ISCHEMIC RETINAL VEIN
      OCCLUSIONS.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of dexamethasone implant for the treatment of
      macular edema secondary to ischemic retinal vein occlusions (IRVO). METHODS:
      Consecutive patients affected by macular edema related to IRVO were prospectively
      recruited. After a comprehensive ophthalmological examination, including visual
      acuity, fluorescein angiography, and optical coherence tomography, each patient
      received a first implant. Further re-treatments were performed on the basis of
      macular edema detection from the fourth month on. The primary outcome measure was
      the change in Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letter score at the 12
      month examination. Secondary outcome measures included changes in central foveal
      thickness and number of implants over the follow-up. RESULTS: Fifteen patients
      with central IRVO and 14 patients with branch IRVO were recruited. The median
      ETDRS letter score at baseline was 10 (Snellen Equivalent 20/640) in the central
      IRVO subgroup, improving to 37 (Snellen Equivalent 20/2002+) at the 12-month
      examination. The median ETDRS letter score in the branch retinal vein occlusion
      subgroup changed from 48 (Snellen equivalent 20/1253+) at baseline to 62 (Snellen
      equivalent 20/632+) at the 12-month examination. The baseline median central
      foveal thickness was 749 MUm in central IRVO, and 459 MUm in branch IRVO,
      improving to 363 MUm and 323 MUm, respectively, at the 12-month examination. Mean
      number of implants was 2.8 in the central IRVO and 2 in the branch IRVO.
      CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone implant can reduce macular edema in eyes affected by
      IRVO, leading to a slight improvement in visual acuity.

PMID- 26102440
TI  - INTRAVITREAL DEXAMETHASONE IMPLANT IN PATIENTS WITH RANIBIZUMAB PERSISTENT
      DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study the efficacy of intravitreal injection (IVI) of dexamethasone
      implant as second-line treatment in patients with resistant chronic diabetic
      macular edema nonresponsive to 6 monthly consecutive IVI of ranibizumab. METHODS:
      A retrospective study was conducted over 9 months. Best-corrected visual acuity
      and central macular thickness were noted. Patients with best-corrected visual
      acuity <=20/40 using Snellen chart, central macular thickness >=300 MUm, and poor
      response to 6 monthly consecutive IVI of ranibizumab were included. Patients
      received IVI of dexamethasone implant and were examined at 1, 3, 6, and 9 months.
      RESULTS: Thirteen eyes of 12 patients were included (6 men and 6 women; mean age,
      64 +/- 7.8 years). Best-corrected visual acuity increased by a mean of 5.58
      letters at Month 1 (P = 0.017), 4.61 at Month 3 (P = 0.05), 4.61 at Month 6 (P =
      0.042), and 5.77 at Month 9 (P = 0.017). Central macular thickness decreased from
      594 MUm to 402 MUm at Month 1 (P = 0.0002), 428 MUm at Month 3 (P = 0.002), 459
      MUm at Month 6 (P = 0.02), and 489 MUm at Month 9 (P = 0.03). Mean number of
      dexamethasone IVI was 1.07. Two patients (15.3%) developed elevated intraocular
      pressure, and 1 patient was operated for cataract at 6 months (9% of phakic
      patients). CONCLUSION: Intravitreal injection of dexamethasone implant seems as
      an effective second-line treatment in diabetic macular edema persistent after 6
      monthly consecutive intravitreal ranibizumab injections in real life.

PMID- 26102441
TI  - SURGICAL OUTCOME OF SIMULTANEOUS INTRAOCULAR LENS RESCUE AND SUTURELESS
      INTRASCLERAL TUNNEL FIXATION OF DISLOCATED INTRAOCULAR LENSES.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report short-term surgical outcomes of single-stage simultaneous
      rescue and sutureless intrascleral fixation of dislocated intraocular lens
      (IOLs). METHODS: Sixteen eyes of 16 patients who underwent simultaneous rescue
      and intrascleral fixation of dislocated 3-piece IOLs were retrospectively
      evaluated. Partial thickness limbal-based scleral flaps (2.0 * 2.0 mm) were
      created, and a 22-gauge round needle was used to create a sclerotomy at 1.5 mm
      from the limbus under the previously created scleral flap, and a 23-gauge trans
      pars plana vitrectomy was performed. Bimanual maneuvers using two 23-gauge end
      grasping forceps under chandelier illumination and a wide-angle viewing system
      enabled 1 step rescue of IOLs from the posterior vitreous cavity with 1 hand and
      simultaneous haptic externalization through sclerotomy with the other hand. An
      externalized haptic was placed into the 3-mm intrascleral tunnel created using a
      bent 26-gauge needle. Fibrin glue was used to fixate haptics and close the
      scleral flaps. RESULTS: Intraocular lenses were successfully rescued and sclera
      fixated through intrascleral tunnels in all 16 eyes (mean age, 56.56 +/- 19.89
      years). The mean preoperative logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution best
      corrected visual acuity was 0.92 +/- 0.68, and this significantly improved at 6
      months to 0.289 +/- 0.36 (P = 0.003). During the follow-up period (10.1 +/- 3.21
      months), no significant change of endothelial cell count or central foveal
      thickness was noted postoperatively (P = 0.203 and P = 0.979, respectively).
      There were no significant postoperative complications such as IOL dislocation,
      IOL decentration, retinal detachment, endophthalmitis, or postoperative hypotony.
      CONCLUSION: Simultaneous rescue and sutureless intrascleral haptic fixation of
      dislocated 3-piece IOLs using bimanual maneuvers is an effective, safe, and
      minimally invasive surgical method to rescue and fixate the dislocated IOL
      without further explant.

PMID- 26102442
TI  - Tobacco Cessation May Improve Lung Cancer Patient Survival.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study characterizes tobacco cessation patterns and the
      association of cessation with survival among lung cancer patients at Roswell Park
      Cancer Institute: an NCI Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. METHODS: Lung
      cancer patients presenting at this institution were screened with a standardized
      tobacco assessment, and those who had used tobacco within the past 30 days were
      automatically referred to a telephone-based cessation service. Demographic,
      clinical information, and self-reported tobacco use at last contact were obtained
      via electronic medical records and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute tumor
      registry for all lung cancer patients referred to the service between October
      2010 and October 2012. Descriptive statistics and Cox proportional hazards models
      were used to assess whether tobacco cessation and other factors were associated
      with lung cancer survival through May 2014. RESULTS: Calls were attempted to 313
      of 388 lung cancer patients referred to the cessation service. Eighty percent of
      patients (250 of 313) were successfully contacted and participated in at least
      one telephone-based cessation call; 40.8% (102 of 250) of persons contacted
      reported having quit at the last contact. After controlling for age, pack year
      history, sex, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, time between
      diagnosis and last contact, tumor histology, and clinical stage, a statistically
      significant increase in survival was associated with quitting compared with
      continued tobacco use at last contact (HR = 1.79; 95% confidence interval: 1.14
      2.82) with a median 9 month improvement in overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco
      cessation among lung cancer patients after diagnosis may increase overall
      survival.

PMID- 26102444
TI  - Preventing Deaths Due to Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia: The 2015 Consensus
      Guidelines.

PMID- 26102443
TI  - Implementation of Amplicon Parallel Sequencing Leads to Improvement of Diagnosis
      and Therapy of Lung Cancer Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Network Genomic Medicine Lung Cancer was set up to rapidly
      translate scientific advances into early clinical trials of targeted therapies in
      lung cancer performing molecular analyses of more than 3500 patients annually.
      Because sequential analysis of the relevant driver mutations on fixated samples
      is challenging in terms of workload, tissue availability, and cost, we
      established multiplex parallel sequencing in routine diagnostics. The aim was to
      analyze all therapeutically relevant mutations in lung cancer samples in a high
      throughput fashion while significantly reducing turnaround time and amount of
      input DNA compared with conventional dideoxy sequencing of single polymerase
      chain reaction amplicons. METHODS: In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility
      of a 102 amplicon multiplex polymerase chain reaction followed by sequencing on
      an Illumina sequencer on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue in routine
      diagnostics. Analysis of a validation cohort of 180 samples showed this approach
      to require significantly less input material and to be more reliable, robust, and
      cost-effective than conventional dideoxy sequencing. Subsequently, 2657 lung
      cancer patients were analyzed. RESULTS: We observed that comprehensive biomarker
      testing provided novel information in addition to histological diagnosis and
      clinical staging. In 2657 consecutively analyzed lung cancer samples, we
      identified driver mutations at the expected prevalence. Furthermore we found
      potentially targetable DDR2 mutations at a frequency of 3% in both
      adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. CONCLUSION: Overall, our data
      demonstrate the utility of systematic sequencing analysis in a clinical routine
      setting and highlight the dramatic impact of such an approach on the availability
      of therapeutic strategies for the targeted treatment of individual cancer
      patients.

PMID- 26102445
TI  - Statement of the Third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus
      Development Conference, Carlsbad, California, 2015.

PMID- 26102446
TI  - Estimating HIV-1 Transmission Routes for Patients With Unknown Risk Histories by
      Viral Sequence Phylogenetic Analyses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate routes of transmission among HIV-infected persons with
      unknown-risk histories in China. DESIGN/METHOD: All newly reported cases of HIV
      infection between year 1985 and 2009 were obtained from the National Databank of
      Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC). A large number of
      unknown-risk HIV-positive samples were found. To estimate the transmission
      routes, HIV gag sequences were amplified by reverse transcription polymerase
      chain reaction and phylogenetically analyzed. The cases with unknown-risk history
      were compared with those with known-risk histories from the same local region and
      time period. A statistical model was developed to predict the transmission routes
      and was validated on known-risk samples, before testing 324 unknown-risk samples
      collected from 1996 to 2006. RESULTS: Newly reported cases of HIV infection in
      China increased steadily between 1985 and 2009, from just a handful of cases to
      30,340 in 2009. Injecting drug use (IDU) was the dominant route of transmission
      among reported cases in the early years and decreased from 83.4% in 1985-2001 to
      28.2% in 2009. Conversely, sexual transmission increased from 6.9% in 1985-2001
      to 60.9% in 2009. Among the 324 unknown-risk HIV sequences collected from 1996 to
      2006, our model identified 100 samples most likely transmitted by blood, 114 by
      IDU, and 110 by sexual transmission. Our validation samples showed that our model
      has 90.8%, 94.8%, and 69.6% sensitivity and 87.3%, 87.5%, and 85.5% specificity,
      for blood, IDU, and sexual transmission, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We developed
      a model to estimate transmission route of unknown-risk HIV-positive samples and
      found that these unknown-risk patients could be transmitted by blood, IDU, or
      sex.

PMID- 26102447
TI  - Cost-Effectiveness of Collaborative Care for Depression in HIV Clinics.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the cost-effectiveness of the HIV Translating Initiatives
      for Depression Into Effective Solutions (HITIDES) intervention. DESIGN:
      Randomized controlled effectiveness and implementation trial comparing depression
      collaborative care with enhanced usual care. SETTING: Three Veterans Health
      Administration HIV clinics in the Southern United States. SUBJECTS: Two hundred
      forty-nine HIV-infected patients completed the baseline interview; 123 were
      randomized to the intervention and 126 to usual care. INTERVENTION: HITIDES
      consisted of an offsite HIV depression care team that delivered up to 12 months
      of collaborative care. The intervention used a stepped-care model for depression
      treatment, and specific recommendations were based on the Texas Medication
      Algorithm Project and the VA/Department of Defense Depression Treatment
      Guidelines. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were
      calculated using the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey, the Quality of Well Being
      Scale, and by converting depression-free days to QALYs. The base case analysis
      used outpatient, pharmacy, patient, and intervention costs. Cost-effectiveness
      was calculated using incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) and net health
      benefit. ICER distributions were generated using nonparametric bootstrap with
      replacement sampling. RESULTS: The HITIDES intervention was more effective and
      cost saving compared with usual care in 78% of bootstrapped samples. The
      intervention net health benefit was positive and therefore deemed cost-effective
      using an ICER threshold of $50,000/QALY. CONCLUSIONS: In HIV clinic settings,
      this intervention was more effective and cost saving compared with usual care.
      Implementation of offsite depression collaborative care programs in specialty
      care settings may be a strategy that not only improves outcomes for patients but
      also maximizes the efficient use of limited health care resources.

PMID- 26102448
TI  - A Data-Driven Simulation of HIV Spread Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men:
      Role of Age and Race Mixing and STIs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in the United States have a
      high HIV incidence with substantial racial disparities that are poorly
      understood. We use a data-driven simulation model to understand the impact of
      network-level mechanisms and sexually transmitted infections on the spread of HIV
      among YMSM. METHODS: We designed and parameterized a stochastic agent-based
      network simulation model using results of a longitudinal cohort study of YMSM in
      Chicago. Within this model, YMSM formed and dissolved partnerships over time, and
      partnership types were stratified by length of partnership, sex, and age of the
      partner. In each partnership, HIV, gonorrhea, and chlamydia could be transmitted.
      Counterfactual scenarios were run to examine drivers of HIV. RESULTS: Over a 15
      year simulation, the HIV epidemic among YMSM continued to rise, with Latino/white
      YMSM facing a steeper increase in the HIV burden compared with black YMSM. YMSM
      in partnerships with older MSM, in particular black YMSM with older black MSM,
      were at highest risk for HIV, and 1 infection prevented with an older partner
      would prevent 0.8 additional infections among YMSM. Additionally, racial
      disparities in HIV were driven by differences in the HIV prevalence of YMSM
      partners. Finally, of all HIV infections among YMSM, 14.6% were attributable to
      NG and CT infections. CONCLUSION: Network-level mechanisms and sexually
      transmitted infections play a significant role in the spread of HIV and in racial
      disparities among YMSM. HIV prevention efforts should target YMSM across race,
      and interventions focusing on YMSM partnerships with older MSM might be highly
      effective.

PMID- 26102449
TI  - Spontaneous HIV Controllers Exhibit Preserved Immune Parameters in Peripheral
      Blood and Gastrointestinal Mucosa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HIV infection induces several gradual alterations on the peripheral
      and mucosal immune systems, with different magnitudes between infected
      individuals. In this regard, spontaneous HIV controllers exhibit either low or
      undetectable viral loads in the absence of treatment along with decreased immune
      alterations compared to HIV progressors. Yet, it is unknown how similar immune
      peripheral and mucosal parameters are when comparing HIV controllers to
      uninfected individuals. METHODS: We evaluated a cohort of 11 HIV controllers who
      were compared to 20 seronegative donors. Peripheral blood (PB) and gut associated
      lymphoid tissue (GALT) samples were obtained to analyze the following: 1) the
      frequency and phenotype of immune cells by flow cytometry; 2) the expression of
      apoptotic molecules by immunohistochemistry; 3) the expression of transcriptional
      factors associated with T cell profiles by real time PCR; and 4) the serum level
      of microbial translocation by an enzymatic reaction. RESULTS: We found that HIV
      controllers have a conserved frequency of most immune cell populations in PB and
      GALT, but a reduced percentage of CD4 T cells. The immune activation levels were
      similar in both groups of individuals, as well as the expression of cleaved
      caspase-3, transcriptional factors, and the level of microbial translocation.
      Interestingly, the frequency of CD8 T cells expressing HLA-DR but not CD38,
      previously associated with high effector functions, were preserved in HIV
      controllers. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that despite the infection, HIV
      controllers have preserved immune parameters, which can be associated with the
      spontaneous control of viral replication.

PMID- 26102451
TI  - Electronic structure of a new layered bismuth oxyselenide superconductor:
      LaO0.5F0.5BiSe2.
AB  - LaO(0.5)F(0.5)BiSe(2) is a new layered superconductor discovered recently, which
      shows the superconducting transition temperature of 3.5 K. With angle-resolved
      photoemission spectroscopy, we study the electronic structure of
      LaO(0.5)F(0.5)BiSe(2) comprehensively. Two electron-like bands are located around
      the X point of the Brillouin zone, and the outer pockets connect with each other
      and form large Fermi surface around Gamma and M. These bands show negligible k(z)
      dispersion, indicating their two-dimensional nature. Based on the Luttinger
      theorem, the carrier concentration is about 0.53 e(-) per unit cell, close to its
      nominal value. Moreover, the photoemission data and the band structure
      calculations agree very well, and the renormalization factor is nearly 1.0,
      indicating the electron correlations in this material are rather weak. Our
      results suggest that LaO(0.5)F(0.5)BiSe(2) is a conventional BCS superconductor
      without strong electron correlations.

PMID- 26102450
TI  - Accelerated Longitudinal Gait Speed Decline in HIV-Infected Older Men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gait speed predicts functional decline, disability, and death and is
      considered a biomarker of biological aging. Changes in gait speed in persons
      aging with HIV may provide an important method of gauging health and longevity in
      an under assessed population. The objective of this study was to evaluate and
      quantify the rate of gait speed decline in HIV-infected (HIV+) men compared with
      HIV-uninfected (HIV-) men. METHODS: The study was nested in the Multicenter AIDS
      Cohort Study. The primary outcome was usual gait speed in meters per second
      measured between 2007 and 2013. Differences in the rate of gait speed decline and
      the incidence of clinically slow gait (<1.0 m/s) were assessed using multivariate
      linear regression models and Cox proportional hazards models, respectively.
      RESULTS: A total of 2025 men (973 HIV+ and 1052 HIV-) aged 40 years and older
      contributed 21,187 person-visits (9955 HIV+ and 11,232 HIV-) to the analysis.
      Average gait speeds at the age 50 years were 1.24 and 1.19 m/s in HIV- and HIV+
      men, respectively (P < 0.001). In fully adjusted models, gait speed decline
      averaged 0.009 m/s per year after age 50 years (P < 0.001); this decline was
      0.025 m/s per year greater in HIV+ men (P < 0.001). Moreover, HIV+ men had a 57%
      greater risk of developing clinically slow gait (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.57,
      95% confidence interval: 1.27 to 1.91). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate a
      faster rate of functional decline in HIV-infected men, suggesting greater risks
      of disability and death with advancing age.

PMID- 26102452
TI  - [Unsafe abortions in countries that restrict legal abortions. Epidemiologic,
      clinical, and prognostic aspects at the University Hospital Center Yalgado
      Ouedraogo of Ouagadougou].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to describe the epidemiologic, clinical, and prognostic aspects of the
      management of the complications of women who had unsafe (illegal) abortions.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: this prospective, descriptive cross-sectional study took
      place the Yalgado Ouedraogo University Hospital Center (UHC-YO) in Ouagadougou
      during the 12-month period from June 2012 to May 2013. The study included all
      women admitted to the obstetrics-gynecology department during the study period
      and diagnosed after clinical examination with complications of an unsafe
      abortion. Data were collected with standardized case report forms. The analysis
      was conducted with Epi Info 3.5.1 software and Student's, Fisher's, and Pearson's
      Chi-square tests to compare the data. The threshold for statistical significance
      was set at 5%. RESULTS: during the study period, 111 women were admitted for
      complications of unsafe abortions, for a rate of 1 per 47 deliveries. The women's
      mean age was 23.6 years and ranged from 15 to 45 years. More than half the women
      (n=62, 55%) were pregnant for the first time. Hemorrhage was the primary reason
      for admission: 78 women, or 75%. Only 18 women (16%) admitted to having had an
      illegal intentional abortions. Complications included endometritis in 10 women
      (11%), anemia in 6 (5%), and hepatonephritis, also in 6 (5%). Six women died, for
      a mortality rate of 24%. CONCLUSION: the epidemiologic profile of women with
      complications from unsafe abortions is that of a young women pregnant for the
      first time, who has no income-producing activity. Morbidity is dominated by
      infectious or hemorrhagic complications and mortality is high. Strengthening
      activities for prevention, health and sex education, and dissemination of
      knowledge of and access to contraceptive methods will help to reduce these
      abortions and their consequences.

PMID- 26102454
TI  - Simultaneous iterative reconstruction technique software for spectral-spatial EPR
      imaging.
AB  - Continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance imaging (EPRI) experiments often
      suffer from low signal to noise ratio. The increase in spectrometer time required
      to acquire data of sufficient quality to allow further analysis can be
      counteracted in part by more processing effort during the image reconstruction
      step. We suggest a simultaneous iterative reconstruction algorithm (SIRT) for
      reconstruction of continuous wave EPRI experimental data as an alternative to the
      widely applied filtered back projection algorithm (FBP). We show experimental and
      numerical test data of 2d spatial images and spectral-spatial images. We find
      that for low signal to noise ratio and spectral-spatial images that are limited
      by the maximum magnetic field gradient strength SIRT is more suitable than FBP. 

PMID- 26102453
TI  - Molecular neurobiology of Drosophila taste.
AB  - Drosophila is a powerful model in which to study the molecular and cellular basis
      of taste coding. Flies sense tastants via populations of taste neurons that are
      activated by compounds of distinct categories. The past few years have borne
      witness to studies that define the properties of taste neurons, identifying
      functionally distinct classes of sweet and bitter taste neurons that express
      unique subsets of gustatory receptor (Gr) genes, as well as water, salt, and
      pheromone sensing neurons that express members of the pickpocket (ppk) or
      ionotropic receptor (Ir) families. There has also been significant progress in
      terms of understanding how tastant information is processed and conveyed to
      higher brain centers, and modulated by prior dietary experience or starvation. 

PMID- 26102455
TI  - Radiation Exposure During Percutaneous Ablation of Small Renal Masses: A Multi
      Institutional Multimodality Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To understand the effective radiation dose during percutaneous
      cryoablation (CA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and characterize variables
      that may affect the individual dose. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effective
      radiation dose was determined by conversion of the dose-length product from CT
      scans performed during percutaneous CA or RFA for patients with solitary renal
      masses (<4 cm) at four academic centers. Radiation dose per case was compared
      between patients and institutions using multivariate and univariate analysis.
      Lifetime attributable risk of cancer was calculated for each institution and
      utilized to determine the number needed to harm for a range of ages at the time
      of exposure. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-three patients met the inclusion
      criteria with a mean age of 71 years. Sixty-nine percent of patients were male,
      mean body-mass index (BMI) was 29.4, and mean tumor size was 2.2 cm. The mean
      effective radiation dose per ablation was 40 mSv (range 3.7-147). On multivariate
      analysis, only BMI and institution were associated with the radiation dose. No
      significant difference in radiation exposure was seen for RFA or CA procedures.
      CONCLUSIONS: Radiation exposure during percutaneous ablation is similar to a
      multiphase CT scan. However, there is wide variability in individual treatment
      exposure, varying from 3.7 to 147 mSv, depending primarily on institution and
      BMI. Standardization of protocols is required to achieve as low as reasonably
      achievable levels of radiation.

PMID- 26102456
TI  - Can the Luminex xTAG gastrointestinal pathogen panel really save money?

PMID- 26102457
TI  - Are high drug prices for hematologic malignancies justified? A critical analysis.
AB  - In the past 15 years, treatment outcomes for hematologic malignancies have
      improved substantially. However, drug prices have also increased drastically.
      This commentary examines the value of the treatment of hematologic malignancies
      at current prices in the United States through a reanalysis of a systematic
      review evaluating 29 studies of 9 treatments for 4 hematologic malignancies.
      Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated on the basis of
      drug prices in the United States in 2014. Sixty-three percent of the studies (15
      of 24) had ICERs higher than $50,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY), the
      benchmark widely used by health economists to define cost-effectiveness. In
      studies evaluating the current standard-of-care treatments for chronic myeloid
      leukemia, the ICERs for tyrosine kinase inhibitors versus hydroxyurea or
      interferon ranged from $210,000 to $426,000/QALY. The lower ICER values were
      mostly obtained from 11 studies evaluating rituximab, which was approved by the
      Food and Drug Administration in 1997 (ICER range, $37,000-$69,000/QALY). In
      conclusion, the costs of the majority of new treatments for hematologic cancers
      are too high to be deemed cost-effective in the United States.

PMID- 26102458
TI  - Transcriptome-wide identification, molecular evolution and expression analysis of
      Toll-like receptor family in a Tibet fish, Gymnocypris przewalskii.
AB  - Toll-like receptors (TLR) are key components of innate immunity that play
      significant roles in immune defense against pathogens invasion. Recent frequent
      outbreaks of the "white spot disease" caused by parasitic infection in farmed
      Tibetan fishes had resulted in great economic losses. However, to our knowledge,
      the roles of TLRs in mediating immune response to parasitic infection in Tibetan
      fishes remain to be determined. Here, we performed data-mining on a widely-farmed
      Tibetan fish (Gymnocypris przewalskii or Gp) transcriptome to determine the
      genetic variation and expression pattern of TLRs. We totally obtained 14 GpTLRs
      and identified 5 with a complete coding sequence. Phylogenetic analysis verified
      their identities and supported the classification of TLRs into six families as in
      other vertebrates. The TLR family motifs, such as leucine rich repeat (LRR) and
      Toll/interleukin (IL)-1 receptor (TIR) domain, are conserved in GpTLR1-5.
      Selective pressure test demonstrated that all known GpTLRs are under purifying
      selection, except GpTLR4 underwent positive selection. Further, site model
      analysis suggested that 11 positively selected sites are found in LRR domain of
      GpTLR4. Three positively selected sites are located on outside surface of TLR4 3D
      structure, indicating that function of GpTLR4 may be affected. Tissue specific
      expression analysis showed all GpTLRs are present in gill, head-kidney and spleen
      but the relative abundance varied among tissues. In response to parasite
      Ichthyophthirius multifiliis infection, 5 GpTLR (GpTLR1, -2, -4, -9 and -20)
      expressions were induced. Intriguingly, GpTLR4 was significantly up-regulated in
      gills, while GpTLR19 and GpTLR21 unexpectedly showed no any change. In summary,
      these results revealed the first genomic resources of TLR family and several
      parasitic infection responsive TLRs in Tibetan fish. These findings provide key
      information for future studies aiming to understand the molecular mechanisms
      underlying the immune response to pathogen invasion in Tibetan fishes.

PMID- 26102459
TI  - Identification and functional characterization of the TAB2 gene from Litopenaeus
      vannamei.
AB  - In Drosophila, TAB2, an important intermediate in the IMD signaling pathway,
      plays critical roles in the innate immune response in response to bacterial and
      viral infection. However, the role of TAB-related proteins in the immune response
      of shrimp has not yet been established. Here, we reported the identification of a
      TAB2-like gene in Litopenaeus vannamei designated as LvTAB2. The full-length cDNA
      of LvTAB2 was 2160 bp with an open reading frame of 1827 bp, which encoded a
      putative protein of 608 amino acids including a ubiquitin binding domain (CUE) at
      the N-terminal and a Zinc Finger domain (ZnF) at the C-terminus. Real-time RT-PCR
      analysis showed that LvTAB2 was expressed in all tested tissues and the
      expression levels of LvTAB2 in gills and hemocytes were positively induced in
      response to LPS, Vibrio parahemolyticus and White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV)
      challenges. Dual luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that LvTAB2 was able to
      induce the expression of antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes, including Drosophila
      Attacin A and shrimp Penaeidins. Interestingly, over-expression of LvTAB2 could
      up-regulate the promoter activities of L. vannamei Vago1, Vago3 and Vago4 genes
      in S2 cells. To our knowledge, it was the first report that TAB2 participated in
      innate immune signaling to regulate the expression of Vago genes in
      invertebrates. Moreover, RNAi-mediated knockdown of LvTAB2 enhanced sensitivity
      of L. vannamei to Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection and caused elevated virus
      loads after WSSV infection. We suggested that the LvTAB2 may play important roles
      in the shrimp innate immunity.

PMID- 26102460
TI  - Molecular cloning and comparative responses of Toll-like receptor 22 following
      ligands stimulation and parasitic infection in yellowtail (Seriola lalandi).
AB  - TLR22 is exclusively present in teleosts and amphibians and is expected to play
      the distinctive role in innate immunity. In this study, we cloned the full-length
      cDNA sequence of yellowtail (Seriola lalandi) TLR22 (SlTLR22). The complete cDNA
      sequence of SlTLR22 was 4208 bp and encodes a polypeptide of 961 amino acids.
      Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence indicated that SlTLR22 has typical
      structural features of proteins belonging to the TLR family. These included 17
      LRR domains (residues 91-633) and one C-terminal LRR domain (LRR-CT, residues 693
      744) in the extracellular region, and a TIR domain (residues 800-943) in the
      cytoplasmic region. Comparison with homologous proteins showed that the deduced
      SlTLR22 has the highest sequence identity to turbot TLR22 (76%). Quantitative
      real-time PCR (qPCR) analysis demonstrated the constitutive expression of SlTLR22
      mRNA in all examined tissues with higher levels in the head kidney, intestine,
      skin and spleen. Further, SlTLR22 expression was significantly up-regulated
      following TLR ligands injection with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), CpG ODN2006 and
      polyinosinic: polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) in spleen and liver. Amyloodinium
      ocellatum infection also induced a high expression of SlTLR22 in spleen,
      intestine, muscle, skin and gill, with maximum increases ranging from 1000 to 100
      fold upon different ligands and organs. Finally, histological examination in gill
      tissue confirmed infection by the parasite and histopathological lesion was
      observed also in spleen and skin. These findings suggest a possible role of
      SlTLR22 in the immune responses to the infections of a broad range of pathogens
      that include DNA and RNA viruses and parasites.

PMID- 26102461
TI  - Is it possible to make a diagnosis of raw, heated, and baked egg allergy in
      children using cutoffs? A systematic review.
AB  - The diagnosis of IgE-mediated egg allergy lies both on a compatible clinical
      history and on the results of skin prick tests (SPTs) and IgEs levels. Both tests
      have good sensitivity but low specificity. For this reason, oral food challenge
      (OFC) is the ultimate gold standard for the diagnosis. The aim of this study was
      to systematically review the literature in order to identify, analyze, and
      synthesize the predictive value of SPT and specific IgEs both to egg white and to
      main egg allergens and to review the cutoffs suggested in the literature. A total
      of 37 articles were included in this systematic review. Studies were grouped
      according to the degree of cooking of the egg used for OFC, age, and type of
      allergen used to perform the allergy workup. In children <2 years, raw egg
      allergy seems very likely when SPTs with egg white extract are >=4 mm or specific
      IgEs are >=1.7 kUA /l. In children >=2 years, OFC could be avoided when SPTs with
      egg white extract are >=10 mm or prick by prick with egg white is >=14 mm or
      specific IgE is >=7.3 kUA /l. Likewise, heated egg allergy can be diagnosed if
      SPTs with egg white extract are >5 and >11 mm in children <2 and >=2 years,
      respectively. Further and better-designed studies are needed to determine the
      remaining diagnostic cutoff of specific IgE and SPT for heated and baked egg
      allergy.

PMID- 26102462
TI  - A review on the basketball jump shot.
AB  - The ability to shoot an effective jump shot in the sport of basketball is
      critical to a player's success. In an attempt to better understand the aspects
      related to expert performance, researchers have investigated successful free
      throws and jump shots of various basketball players and identified movement
      variables that contribute to their success. The purpose of this study was to
      complete a systematic review of the scientific literature on the basketball free
      throw and jump shot for the purpose of revealing the critical components of
      shooting that coaches, teachers, and players should focus on when teaching,
      learning, practising, and performing a jump shot. The results of this review are
      presented in three sections: (a) variables that affect ball trajectory, (b)
      phases of the jump shot, and 

PMID- 26102463
TI  - Ovarian cancer in obese women: risk and optimal medical and surgical treatment
      options.

PMID- 26102464
TI  - Could urine testing be the future of cervical cancer screening?

PMID- 26102465
TI  - Secondary fracture prevention via a Fracture Liaison Service.

PMID- 26102466
TI  - VolitionRx begins first ovarian cancer detection study.

PMID- 26102467
TI  - Advanced abdominal ectopic pregnancy: lessons from three cases from Zimbabwe and
      a literature appraisal of diagnostic and management challenges.
AB  - We report three cases illustrating difficulties in diagnosis and challenges with
      management of the placenta in a low-resource country where ultrasound scanning,
      methotrexate, interventional radiology or blood products are often not accessible
      for the majority of patients. Even in situations where an ultrasound scan is
      available prenatally as in our three cases, the diagnosis is often missed. All
      the cases presented with vague abdominal symptoms, which are common in pregnancy
      anyway. Only one case was correctly diagnosed before surgery by ultrasound scan.
      For the two cases in the second trimester as expected the fetuses did not
      survive. The one advanced pregnancy had a good perinatal outcome. Maternal
      morbidity and mortality usually results from perioperative hemorrhage from the
      placental attachment site. The most important aspect of management is the
      management of the placenta. In the two cases with second trimester pregnancies,
      it was possible to remove the placentas, even though blood loss was significant,
      hemostasis was achieved at surgery. All three mothers recovered well and
      survived. 

PMID- 26102468
TI  - Lapatinib: an oral dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor for HER-2-positive breast
      cancer.
AB  - Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of
      cancer deaths among women in the USA. A quarter of all newly diagnosed cases are
      characterized by overexpression of HER-2 which is associated with poor prognosis.
      In March 2007, lapatinib, an oral dual-tyrosine kinase inhibitor was approved in
      combination with capecitabine for metastatic HER-2-positive breast cancer that
      has progressed on prior trastuzumab therapy, and in combination with letrozole
      for postmenopausal women with HER-2 and hormone receptor-positive advanced breast
      cancer. In the future, lapatinib may play an important role in dual HER-2
      blockade with trastuzumab and other targeted agents for women with HER-2
      overexpressing breast cancer. 

PMID- 26102469
TI  - Should all women be screened for thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy?
AB  - The subject of universal thyroid screening in pregnancy generates impassioned
      debate. Thyroid dysfunction is common, has significant adverse implications for
      fetal and maternal well-being, is readily detectable and can be effectively and
      inexpensively treated. Furthermore, the currently recommended case-finding
      strategy does not identify a substantially proportion of women with thyroid
      dysfunction thus favoring universal screening. On the other hand subclinical
      thyroid dysfunction forms the bulk of gestational thyroid disorders and the
      paucity of high-level evidence to support correction of these asymptomatic
      biochemical abnormalities weighs against universal screening. This review
      critically appraises the literature, examines the pros and cons of universal
      thyroid screening in pregnancy, highlighting the now strong case for implementing
      universal screening and explores strategies for its implementation. 

PMID- 26102470
TI  - The outcomes of complementary and alternative medicine use among pregnant and
      birthing women: current trends and future directions.
AB  - Complementary and alternative medicine is used by a substantial number of
      pregnant women and maternity care providers are often faced with the task of
      ensuring women are using safe and effective treatments while respecting a woman's
      right to autonomous decision-making. In the era of evidence-based medicine
      maternity health professionals are expected to draw upon the best available
      evidence when making clinical decisions and providing health advice. This review
      will outline the current trends in research evidence associated with the outcomes
      of complementary and alternative medicine use amongst pregnant and birthing women
      as well as highlight some potential directions for future development in this
      important yet largely unknown topic in contemporary maternity care. 

PMID- 26102471
TI  - Factors to consider in breast reconstruction.
AB  - Women considering breast ablative therapy are confronted with a variety of
      decisions that include the type of mastectomy (partial, total, skin sparing,
      nipple areolar sparing), the type of reconstruction (prosthetic, autologous,
      oncoplastic) and the need for adjuvant therapy (chemotherapy, radiation). The
      parameters for each are multifactorial and require significant thought and
      counseling. Therapeutic options are essentially individualized and dependent upon
      a variety of factors such as tumor size and location, lymph node involvement,
      comorbidities, expectations and body characteristics. The role of reconstructive
      surgery is now well appreciated and an integral component of the
      multidisciplinary care of the patient and is influenced by the opinions and
      recommendations of surgical, medical and radiation oncologists. This manuscript
      will review the role of reconstructive surgery and the many factors to consider. 

PMID- 26102472
TI  - New insights into endocrine therapy for young women with breast cancer.
AB  - Managing estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer in young women (<40 years)
      requires a multidisciplinary/personalized approach, covering both clinical and
      psychosocial aspects. Five years of tamoxifen has been the standard adjuvant
      endocrine therapy for many years. Recent data from the adjuvant randomized trials
      TEXT-SOFT show that the aromatase inhibitor exemestane plus ovarian suppression
      significantly reduces recurrences as compared with tamoxifen plus ovarian
      suppression. The ATLAS and aTToM trials represent the first evidence of a
      beneficial effect of extended endocrine therapy with tamoxifen in premenopausal
      women. Outside of a clinical trial, no data support neoadjuvant endocrine therapy
      in young women. In the metastatic setting, tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors,
      both with ovarian suppression/ablation, should be the preferred choice, unless
      rapid tumor shrinkage is needed. No data are available with fulvestrant in young
      patients. 

PMID- 26102473
TI  - The next steps in improving the outcomes of advanced ovarian cancer.
AB  - Worldwide ovarian cancer affects over 200,000 women per year. Overall survival
      rates are poor due to two predominate reasons. First, the majority of patients
      present with advanced disease creating significant difficulty with effecting
      disease eradication. Second, acquisition of chemotherapy resistance results in
      untreatable progressive disease. Advances in treatment of advanced ovarian cancer
      involve a spectrum of interventions including improvements in frontline debulking
      surgery and combination chemotherapy. Anti-angiogenic factors have been shown to
      have activity in frontline and recurrent disease while novel chemotherapeutic
      agents and targeted treatments are in development particularly for disease that
      is resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy. These developments aim to improve
      the progression-free and overall survival of women with advanced ovarian cancer. 

PMID- 26102474
TI  - Past, present and future ultrasonographic techniques for analyzing ovarian
      masses.
AB  - Ultrasonography is today the method of choice for distinguishing between benign
      and malignant adnexal pathologies. Using pattern recognition several types of
      tumors can be recognized according to their characteristic appearance on gray
      scale imaging. Color Doppler imaging should be used only to perform a
      semiquantitative color score or evaluate the flow location. International Ovarian
      Tumor Analysis group had standardized definitions characterizing adnexal masses
      and suggested the use of 'simple rules' in premenopausal women. Recently, the use
      of 3D vascular indices has been proposed but its potential use in clinical
      practice is debated. Also computerized aided diagnosis algorithms showed
      encouraging results to be confirmed in the future. 

PMID- 26102475
TI  - Reducing women's cardiovascular disease risk profile.
AB  - Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. Unique risk factors have
      been recognized, including pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and autoimmune diseases.
      Diabetes and hypertension (HTN) also play a unique role in women. Women with
      diabetes have a higher risk for coronary heart disease and microvascular disease
      compared with males. Additionally, older women have a high prevalence of
      uncontrolled HTN and women tend to have more treatment resistant HTN, increasing
      risk for cardiovascular events and mortality. The outcomes of cardiovascular
      disease have shown an increase in the number of heart attacks in younger women,
      though there is decreasing mortality. Treatment with coronary artery bypass graft
      surgery and percutaneous intervention has also shown to have poorer outcomes in
      women. 

PMID- 26102476
TI  - Psychiatric symptoms and disorders associated with reproductive cyclicity in
      women: advances in screening tools.
AB  - Female-specific psychiatric illness including premenstrual dysphoria, perinatal
      depression, and psychopathology related to the perimenopausal period are often
      underdiagnosed and treated. These conditions can negatively affect the quality of
      life for women and their families. The development of screening tools has helped
      guide our understanding of these conditions. There is a wide disparity in the
      methods, definitions, and tools used in studies relevant to female-specific
      psychiatric illness. As a result, there is no consensus on one tool that is most
      appropriate for use in a research or clinical setting. In reviewing this topic,
      we hope to highlight the evolution of various tools as they have built on
      preexisting instruments and to identify the psychometric properties and clinical
      applicability of available tools. It would be valuable for researchers to reach a
      consensus on a core set of screening instruments specific to female
      psychopathology to gain consistency within and between clinical settings. 

PMID- 26102478
TI  - Multivariate product-shot-noise Cox point process models.
AB  - We introduce a new multivariate product-shot-noise Cox process which is useful
      for modeling multi-species spatial point patterns with clustering intra-specific
      interactions and neutral, negative, or positive inter-specific interactions. The
      auto- and cross-pair correlation functions of the process can be obtained in
      closed analytical forms and approximate simulation of the process is
      straightforward. We use the proposed process to model interactions within and
      among five tree species in the Barro Colorado Island plot. 

PMID- 26102477
TI  - Effect of groundwater quality on sustainability of groundwater resource: A case
      study in the North China Plain.
AB  - The North China Plain (NCP) is one of the most severe water shortage areas in
      China. Due to the scarcity of surface water in the NCP, groundwater system is
      seriously over-exploited and use of nitrogen fertilizers is greatly increasing
      year by year to improve soil fertility and crop production, causing a variety of
      environmental issues in the processes of abstracting groundwater. Considering
      that previous research was limited on approaches to assess sustainability of
      groundwater through flow modeling and water level decline, this study focuses on
      addressing the implications of groundwater contaminant for water resource
      sustainability in the central part of NCP. Based on the previously developed
      groundwater flow model, a reaction modular code for the reactive transport in
      three-dimensional aquifers (RT3D) is developed for simulating the reactive
      process of nitrogen species transport in groundwater system. The management
      optimization model coupled with the nitrogen reactive transport model under
      consideration of water quality constraints is then conducted to quantify and
      improve the sustainability of groundwater utilization in the study area. Thus,
      the optimal pumping well locations and pumping rates that lead to the maximum
      total yield or the minimum total management costs subjecting to a series of
      groundwater level constraints are obtained from the optimization models. Compared
      with the optimization model without water quality constraints, this study could
      provide a more useful tool for developing cost-effective strategies for
      sustainable management of groundwater resource in the NCP, and greatly improve
      groundwater management level and water quality. 

PMID- 26102479
TI  - Gametic selection, developmental trajectories, and extrinsic heterogeneity in
      Haldane's rule.
AB  - Deciphering the genetic and developmental causes of the disproportionate rarity,
      inviability, and sterility of hybrid males, Haldane's rule, is important for
      understanding the evolution of reproductive isolation between species. Moreover,
      extrinsic and prezygotic factors can contribute to the magnitude of intrinsic
      isolation experienced between species with partial reproductive compatibility.
      Here, we use the nematodes Caenorhabditis briggsae and C. nigoni to quantify the
      sensitivity of hybrid male viability to extrinsic temperature and developmental
      timing, and test for a role of mito-nuclear incompatibility as a genetic cause.
      We demonstrate that hybrid male inviability manifests almost entirely as
      embryonic, not larval, arrest and is maximal at the lowest rearing temperatures,
      indicating an intrinsic-by-extrinsic interaction to hybrid inviability. Crosses
      using mitochondrial substitution strains that have reciprocally introgressed
      mitochondrial and nuclear genomes show that mito-nuclear incompatibility is not a
      dominant contributor to postzygotic isolation and does not drive Haldane's rule
      in this system. Crosses also reveal that competitive superiority of X-bearing
      sperm provides a novel means by which postmating prezygotic factors exacerbate
      the rarity of hybrid males. These findings highlight the important roles of
      gametic, developmental, and extrinsic factors in modulating the manifestation of
      Haldane's rule.

PMID- 26102481
TI  - Analyses of interactions among pair-rule genes and the gap gene Kruppel in Bombyx
      segmentation.
AB  - In the short-germ insect Tribolium, a pair-rule gene circuit consisting of the
      Tribolium homologs of even-skipped, runt, and odd-skipped (Tc-eve, Tc-run and Tc
      odd, respectively) has been implicated in segment formation. To examine the
      application of the model to other taxa, I studied the expression and function of
      pair-rule genes in Bombyx mori, together with a Bombyx homolog of Kruppel (Bm
      Kr), a known gap gene. Knockdown embryos of Bombyx homologs of eve, run and odd
      (Bm-eve, Bm-run and Bm-odd) exhibited asegmental phenotypes similar to those of
      Tribolium knockdowns. However, pair-rule gene interactions were similar to those
      of both Tribolium and Drosophila, which, different from Tribolium, shows a
      hierarchical segmentation mode. Additionally, the Bm-odd expression pattern
      shares characteristics with those of Drosophila pair-rule genes that receive
      upstream regulatory input. On the other hand, Bm-Kr knockdowns exhibited a large
      posterior segment deletion as observed in short-germ insects. However, a detailed
      analysis of these embryos indicated that Bm-Kr modulates expression of pair-rule
      genes like in Drosophila, although the mechanisms appear to be different. This
      suggested hierarchical interactions between Bm-Kr and pair-rule genes. Based on
      these results, I concluded that the pair-rule gene circuit model that describes
      Tribolium development is not applicable to Bombyx. 

PMID- 26102480
TI  - A critical role for the chromatin remodeller CHD7 in anterior mesoderm during
      cardiovascular development.
AB  - CHARGE syndrome is caused by spontaneous loss-of-function mutations to the ATP
      dependant chromatin remodeller chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 7
      (CHD7). It is characterised by a distinct pattern of congenital anomalies,
      including cardiovascular malformations. Disruption to the neural crest lineage
      has previously been emphasised in the aetiology of this developmental disorder.
      We present evidence for an additional requirement for CHD7 activity in the Mesp1
      expressing anterior mesoderm during heart development. Conditional ablation of
      Chd7 in this lineage results in major structural cardiovascular defects akin to
      those seen in CHARGE patients, as well as a striking loss of cardiac innervation
      and embryonic lethality. Genome-wide transcriptional analysis identified aberrant
      expression of key components of the Class 3 Semaphorin and Slit-Robo signalling
      pathways in Chd7(fl/fl);Mesp1-Cre mutant hearts. CHD7 localises at the Sema3c
      promoter in vivo, with alteration of the local chromatin structure seen following
      Chd7 ablation, suggestive of direct transcriptional regulation. Furthermore, we
      uncover a novel role for CHD7 activity upstream of critical calcium handling
      genes, and demonstrate an associated functional defect in the ability of
      cardiomyocytes to undergo excitation-contraction coupling. This work therefore
      reveals the importance of CHD7 in the cardiogenic mesoderm for multiple processes
      during cardiovascular development. 

PMID- 26102482
TI  - Time course for tail regression during metamorphosis of the ascidian Ciona
      intestinalis.
AB  - In most ascidians, the tadpole-like swimming larvae dramatically change their
      body-plans during metamorphosis and develop into sessile adults. The mechanisms
      of ascidian metamorphosis have been researched and debated for many years. Until
      now information on the detailed time course of the initiation and completion of
      each metamorphic event has not been described. One dramatic and important event
      in ascidian metamorphosis is tail regression, in which ascidian larvae lose their
      tails to adjust themselves to sessile life. In the present study, we measured the
      time associated with tail regression in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Larvae
      are thought to acquire competency for each metamorphic event in certain
      developmental periods. We show that the timing with which the competence for tail
      regression is acquired is determined by the time since hatching, and this timing
      is not affected by the timing of post-hatching events such as adhesion. Because
      larvae need to adhere to substrates with their papillae to induce tail
      regression, we measured the duration for which larvae need to remain adhered in
      order to initiate tail regression and the time needed for the tail to regress.
      Larvae acquire the ability to adhere to substrates before they acquire tail
      regression competence. We found that when larvae adhered before they acquired
      tail regression competence, they were able to remember the experience of adhesion
      until they acquired the ability to undergo tail regression. The time course of
      the events associated with tail regression provides a valuable reference, upon
      which the cellular and molecular mechanisms of ascidian metamorphosis can be
      elucidated. 

PMID- 26102483
TI  - Relationships between job organisational factors, biomechanical and psychosocial
      exposures.
AB  - The relationships between work organisational, biomechanical and psychosocial
      factors were studied using cross-sectional data from a pooled dataset of 1834
      participants. The work organisational factors included: job rotation, overtime
      work, having second jobs and work pace. Task and job level biomechanical
      variables were obtained through sub-task data collected in the field or analysed
      in the laboratory. Psychosocial variables were collected based on responses to 10
      questions. The results showed that job rotations had significant effects on all
      biomechanical and most psychosocial measures. Those with job rotations generally
      had higher job biomechanical stressors, and lower job satisfaction. Overtime work
      was associated with higher job biomechanical stressors, and possibly self
      reported physical exhaustion. Those having second jobs reported getting along
      with co-workers well. Work pace had significant influences on all biomechanical
      stressors, but its impact on job biomechanical stressors and psychosocial effects
      are complicated. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: The findings are based on a large number
      of subjects collected by three research teams in diverse US workplaces. Job
      rotation practices used in many workplaces may not be effective in reducing job
      biomechanical stressors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Overtime work
      is also associated with higher biomechanical stressors.

PMID- 26102484
TI  - White emission magnetic nanoparticles as chemosensors for sensitive colorimetric
      and ratiometric detection, and degradation of ClO- and SCN- in aqueous solutions
      based on a logic gate approach.
AB  - Fluorescent chemosensors for detecting single anions have been largely
      synthesized. However, the simultaneous detection and degradation of multiple
      anions remain a major challenge. Herein we report the synthesis of a white
      emission nanoprobe on the basis of a Coumarin-Rhodamine CR1-Eu complex
      coordinated to dipicolinic acid (dpa)-PEG-Fe3O4 nanoparticles for the selective
      detection of ClO(-) and SCN(-) ions on controlling by a logic gate. The obtained
      nanoprobe exhibits three individual primary colors (blue, green, and red) as well
      as white emission at different excitation energies. Interestingly, this nanoprobe
      shows a marked rose red to violet emission color change in response to ClO(-), a
      reversible violet to rose red emission color change in response to SCN(-), and
      high ClO(-) and SCN(-) selectivity and sensitivity with a detection limit of
      0.037 and 0.250 nM, respectively. Furthermore, the SCN(-) and ClO(-) can degrade
      simultaneously through the redox reaction between ClO(-) and SCN(-). 

PMID- 26102485
TI  - Earth-like aqueous debris-flow activity on Mars at high orbital obliquity in the
      last million years.
AB  - Liquid water is currently extremely rare on Mars, but was more abundant during
      periods of high obliquity in the last few millions of years. This is testified by
      the widespread occurrence of mid-latitude gullies: small catchment-fan systems.
      However, there are no direct estimates of the amount and frequency of liquid
      water generation during these periods. Here we determine debris-flow size,
      frequency and associated water volumes in Istok crater, and show that debris
      flows occurred at Earth-like frequencies during high-obliquity periods in the
      last million years on Mars. Results further imply that local accumulations of
      snow/ice within gullies were much more voluminous than currently predicted;
      melting must have yielded centimetres of liquid water in catchments; and recent
      aqueous activity in some mid-latitude craters was much more frequent than
      previously anticipated. 

PMID- 26102486
TI  - Predicting Complete Ground Reaction Forces and Moments During Gait With Insole
      Plantar Pressure Information Using a Wavelet Neural Network.
AB  - In general, three-dimensional ground reaction forces (GRFs) and ground reaction
      moments (GRMs) that occur during human gait are measured using a force plate,
      which are expensive and have spatial limitations. Therefore, we proposed a
      prediction model for GRFs and GRMs, which only uses plantar pressure information
      measured from insole pressure sensors with a wavelet neural network (WNN) and
      principal component analysis-mutual information (PCA-MI). For this, the
      prediction model estimated GRFs and GRMs with three different gait speeds (slow,
      normal, and fast groups) and healthy/pathological gait patterns (healthy and
      adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) groups). Model performance was validated
      using correlation coefficients (r) and the normalized root mean square error
      (NRMSE%) and was compared to the prediction accuracy of the previous methods
      using the same dataset. As a result, the performance of the GRF and GRM
      prediction model proposed in this study (slow group: r = 0.840-0.989 and NRMSE% =
      10.693-15.894%; normal group: r = 0.847-0.988 and NRMSE% = 10.920-19.216%; fast
      group: r = 0.823-0.953 and NRMSE% = 12.009-20.182%; healthy group: r = 0.836
      0.976 and NRMSE% = 12.920-18.088%; and AIS group: r = 0.917-0.993 and NRMSE% =
      7.914-15.671%) was better than that of the prediction models suggested in
      previous studies for every group and component (p < 0.05 or 0.01). The results
      indicated that the proposed model has improved performance compared to previous
      prediction models.

PMID- 26102487
TI  - Simultaneous Voltammetric/Amperometric Determination of Sulfide and Nitrite in
      Water at BDD Electrode.
AB  - This work reported new voltammetric/amperometric-based protocols using a
      commercial boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode for simple and fast simultaneous
      detection of sulfide and nitrite from water. Square-wave voltammetry operated
      under the optimized working conditions of 0.01 V step potential, 0.5 V modulation
      amplitude and 10 Hz frequency allowed achieving the best electroanalytical
      parameters for the simultaneous detection of nitrite and sulfide. For practical
      in-field detection applications, the multiple-pulsed amperometry technique was
      operated under optimized conditions, i.e., -0.5 V/SCE for a duration of 0.3 s as
      conditioning step, +0.85 V/SCE for a duration of 3 s that assure the sulfide
      oxidation and +1.25 V/SCE for a duration of 0.3 s, where the nitrite oxidation
      occurred, which allowed the simultaneously detection of sulfide and nitrite
      without interference between them. Good accuracy was found for this protocol in
      comparison with standardized methods for each anion. Also, no interference effect
      was found for the cation and anion species, which are common in the water matrix.

PMID- 26102489
TI  - On-Board Event-Based State Estimation for Trajectory Approaching and Tracking of
      a Vehicle.
AB  - For the problem of pose estimation of an autonomous vehicle using networked
      external sensors, the processing capacity and battery consumption of these
      sensors, as well as the communication channel load should be optimized. Here, we
      report an event-based state estimator (EBSE) consisting of an unscented Kalman
      filter that uses a triggering mechanism based on the estimation error covariance
      matrix to request measurements from the external sensors. This EBSE generates the
      events of the estimator module on-board the vehicle and, thus, allows the sensors
      to remain in stand-by mode until an event is generated. The proposed algorithm
      requests a measurement every time the estimation distance root mean squared error
      (DRMS) value, obtained from the estimator's covariance matrix, exceeds a
      threshold value. This triggering threshold can be adapted to the vehicle's
      working conditions rendering the estimator even more efficient. An example of the
      use of the proposed EBSE is given, where the autonomous vehicle must approach and
      follow a reference trajectory. By making the threshold a function of the distance
      to the reference location, the estimator can halve the use of the sensors with a
      negligible deterioration in the performance of the approaching maneuver. 

PMID- 26102488
TI  - DNA-Based Nanobiosensors as an Emerging Platform for Detection of Disease.
AB  - Detection of disease at an early stage is one of the biggest challenges in
      medicine. Different disciplines of science are working together in this regard.
      The goal of nanodiagnostics is to provide more accurate tools for earlier
      diagnosis, to reduce cost and to simplify healthcare delivery of effective and
      personalized medicine, especially with regard to chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes
      and cardiovascular diseases) that have high healthcare costs. Up-to-date results
      suggest that DNA-based nanobiosensors could be used effectively to provide
      simple, fast, cost-effective, sensitive and specific detection of some genetic,
      cancer, and infectious diseases. In addition, they could potentially be used as a
      platform to detect immunodeficiency, and neurological and other diseases. This
      review examines different types of DNA-based nanobiosensors, the basic principles
      upon which they are based and their advantages and potential in diagnosis of
      acute and chronic diseases. We discuss recent trends and applications of new
      strategies for DNA-based nanobiosensors, and emphasize the challenges in
      translating basic research to the clinical laboratory. 

PMID- 26102490
TI  - Citizen Sensors for SHM: Towards a Crowdsourcing Platform.
AB  - This paper presents an innovative structural health monitoring (SHM) platform in
      terms of how it integrates smartphone sensors, the web, and crowdsourcing. The
      ubiquity of smartphones has provided an opportunity to create low-cost sensor
      networks for SHM. Crowdsourcing has given rise to citizen initiatives becoming a
      vast source of inexpensive, valuable but heterogeneous data. Previously, the
      authors have investigated the reliability of smartphone accelerometers for
      vibration-based SHM. This paper takes a step further to integrate mobile sensing
      and web-based computing for a prospective crowdsourcing-based SHM platform. An
      iOS application was developed to enable citizens to measure structural vibration
      and upload the data to a server with smartphones. A web-based platform was
      developed to collect and process the data automatically and store the processed
      data, such as modal properties of the structure, for long-term SHM purposes.
      Finally, the integrated mobile and web-based platforms were tested to collect the
      low-amplitude ambient vibration data of a bridge structure. Possible sources of
      uncertainties related to citizens were investigated, including the phone
      location, coupling conditions, and sampling duration. The field test results
      showed that the vibration data acquired by smartphones operated by citizens
      without expertise are useful for identifying structural modal properties with
      high accuracy. This platform can be further developed into an automated, smart,
      sustainable, cost-free system for long-term monitoring of structural integrity of
      spatially distributed urban infrastructure. Citizen Sensors for SHM will be a
      novel participatory sensing platform in the way that it offers hybrid solutions
      to transitional crowdsourcing parameters. 

PMID- 26102491
TI  - Fingerprint Liveness Detection in the Presence of Capable Intruders.
AB  - Fingerprint liveness detection methods have been developed as an attempt to
      overcome the vulnerability of fingerprint biometric systems to spoofing attacks.
      Traditional approaches have been quite optimistic about the behavior of the
      intruder assuming the use of a previously known material. This assumption has led
      to the use of supervised techniques to estimate the performance of the methods,
      using both live and spoof samples to train the predictive models and evaluate
      each type of fake samples individually. Additionally, the background was often
      included in the sample representation, completely distorting the decision
      process. Therefore, we propose that an automatic segmentation step should be
      performed to isolate the fingerprint from the background and truly decide on the
      liveness of the fingerprint and not on the characteristics of the background.
      Also, we argue that one cannot aim to model the fake samples completely since the
      material used by the intruder is unknown beforehand. We approach the design by
      modeling the distribution of the live samples and predicting as fake the samples
      very unlikely according to that model. Our experiments compare the performance of
      the supervised approaches with the semi-supervised ones that rely solely on the
      live samples. The results obtained differ from the ones obtained by the more
      standard approaches which reinforces our conviction that the results in the
      literature are misleadingly estimating the true vulnerability of the biometric
      system. 

PMID- 26102492
TI  - Loop Closing Detection in RGB-D SLAM Combining Appearance and Geometric
      Constraints.
AB  - A kind of multi feature points matching algorithm fusing local geometric
      constraints is proposed for the purpose of quickly loop closing detection in RGB
      D Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). The visual feature is encoded
      with BRAND (binary robust appearance and normals descriptor), which efficiently
      combines appearance and geometric shape information from RGB-D images.
      Furthermore, the feature descriptors are stored using the Locality-Sensitive
      Hashing (LSH) technique and hierarchical clustering trees are used to search for
      these binary features. Finally, the algorithm for matching of multi feature
      points using local geometric constraints is provided, which can effectively
      reject the possible false closure hypotheses. We demonstrate the efficiency of
      our algorithms by real-time RGB-D SLAM with loop closing detection in indoor
      image sequences taken with a handheld Kinect camera and comparative experiments
      using other algorithms in RTAB-Map dealing with a benchmark dataset. 

PMID- 26102493
TI  - Radar Sensing for Intelligent Vehicles in Urban Environments.
AB  - Radar overcomes the shortcomings of laser, stereovision, and sonar because it can
      operate successfully in dusty, foggy, blizzard-blinding, and poorly lit
      scenarios. This paper presents a novel method for ground and obstacle
      segmentation based on radar sensing. The algorithm operates directly in the
      sensor frame, without the need for a separate synchronised navigation source,
      calibration parameters describing the location of the radar in the vehicle frame,
      or the geometric restrictions made in the previous main method in the field.
      Experimental results are presented in various urban scenarios to validate this
      approach, showing its potential applicability for advanced driving assistance
      systems and autonomous vehicle operations. 

PMID- 26102494
TI  - Gaze-Assisted User Intention Prediction for Initial Delay Reduction in Web Video
      Access.
AB  - Despite the remarkable improvement of hardware and network technology, the
      inevitable delay from a user's command action to a system response is still one
      of the most crucial influence factors in user experiences (UXs). Especially for a
      web video service, an initial delay from click action to video start has
      significant influences on the quality of experience (QoE). The initial delay of a
      system can be minimized by preparing execution based on predicted user's
      intention prior to actual command action. The introduction of the sequential and
      concurrent flow of resources in human cognition and behavior can significantly
      improve the accuracy and preparation time for intention prediction. This paper
      introduces a threaded interaction model and applies it to user intention
      prediction for initial delay reduction in web video access. The proposed
      technique consists of a candidate selection module, a decision module and a
      preparation module that prefetches and preloads the web video data before a
      user's click action. The candidate selection module selects candidates in the web
      page using proximity calculation around a cursor. Meanwhile, the decision module
      computes the possibility of actual click action based on the cursor-gaze
      relationship. The preparation activates the prefetching for the selected
      candidates when the click possibility exceeds a certain limit in the decision
      module. Experimental results show a 92% hit-ratio, 0.5-s initial delay on average
      and 1.5-s worst initial delay, which is much less than a user's tolerable limit
      in web video access, demonstrating significant improvement of accuracy and
      advance time in intention prediction by introducing the proposed threaded
      interaction model. 

PMID- 26102495
TI  - Performance Analysis of Several GPS/Galileo Precise Point Positioning Models.
AB  - This paper examines the performance of several precise point positioning (PPP)
      models, which combine dual-frequency GPS/Galileo observations in the un
      differenced and between-satellite single-difference (BSSD) modes. These include
      the traditional un-differenced model, the decoupled clock model, the semi
      decoupled clock model, and the between-satellite single-difference model. We take
      advantage of the IGS-MGEX network products to correct for the satellite
      differential code biases and the orbital and satellite clock errors. Natural
      Resources Canada's GPSPace PPP software is modified to handle the various
      GPS/Galileo PPP models. A total of six data sets of GPS and Galileo observations
      at six IGS stations are processed to examine the performance of the various PPP
      models. It is shown that the traditional un-differenced GPS/Galileo PPP model,
      the GPS decoupled clock model, and the semi-decoupled clock GPS/Galileo PPP model
      improve the convergence time by about 25% in comparison with the un-differenced
      GPS-only model. In addition, the semi-decoupled GPS/Galileo PPP model improves
      the solution precision by about 25% compared to the traditional un-differenced
      GPS/Galileo PPP model. Moreover, the BSSD GPS/Galileo PPP model improves the
      solution convergence time by about 50%, in comparison with the un-differenced GPS
      PPP model, regardless of the type of BSSD combination used. As well, the BSSD
      model improves the precision of the estimated parameters by about 50% and 25%
      when the loose and the tight combinations are used, respectively, in comparison
      with the un-differenced GPS-only model. Comparable results are obtained through
      the tight combination when either a GPS or a Galileo satellite is selected as a
      reference. 

PMID- 26102496
TI  - A 3-Axis Miniature Magnetic Sensor Based on a Planar Fluxgate Magnetometer with
      an Orthogonal Fluxguide.
AB  - A new class of tri-axial miniature magnetometer consisting of a planar fluxgate
      structure with an orthogonal ferromagnetic fluxguide centrally situated over the
      magnetic cores is presented. The magnetic sensor possesses a cruciform
      ferromagnetic core placed diagonally upon the square excitation coil under which
      two pairs of pick-up coils for in-plane field detection are allocated. Effective
      principles and analysis of the magnetometer for 3-D field vectors are described
      and verified by numerically electromagnetic simulation for the excitation and
      magnetization of the ferromagnetic cores. The sensor is operated by applying the
      second-harmonic detection technique that can verify V-B relationship and device
      responsivity. Experimental characterization of the miniature fluxgate device
      demonstrates satisfactory spatial magnetic field detection results in terms of
      responsivity and noise spectrum. As a result, at an excitation frequency of 50
      kHz, a maximum in-plane responsivity of 122.4 V/T appears and a maximum out-of
      plane responsivity of 11.6 V/T is obtained as well. The minimum field noise
      spectra are found to be 0.11 nT/?Hz and 6.29 nT/?Hz, respectively, in X- and Z
      axis at 1 Hz under the same excitation frequency. Compared with the previous tri
      axis fluxgate devices, this planar magnetic sensor with an orthogonal fluxguide
      provides beneficial enhancement in both sensory functionality and manufacturing
      simplicity. More importantly, this novel device concept is considered highly
      suitable for the extension to a silicon sensor made by the current CMOS-MEMS
      technologies, thus emphasizing its emerging applications of field detection in
      portable industrial electronics. 

PMID- 26102497
TI  - Decompressive Craniectomy Increases Brain Lesion Volume and Exacerbates
      Functional Impairment in Closed Head Injury in Mice.
AB  - Decompressive craniectomy has been widely used in patients with head trauma. The
      randomized clinical trial on an early decompression (DECRA) demonstrated that
      craniectomy did not improve the neurological outcome, in contrast to previous
      animal experiments. The goal of our study was to analyze the effect of
      decompressive craniectomy in a murine model of head injury. Male mice were
      assigned into the following groups: sham, decompressive craniectomy, closed head
      injury (CHI), and CHI followed by craniectomy. At 24 h post-trauma, animals
      underwent the Neurological Severity Score test (NSS) and Beam Balance Score test
      (BBS). At the same time point, magnetic resonance imaging was performed, and
      volume of edema and contusion was assessed, followed by histopathological
      analysis. According to NSS, animals undergoing both trauma and craniectomy
      presented the most severe neurological impairment. Also, balancing time was
      reduced in this group compared with sham animals. Both edema and contusion volume
      were increased in the trauma and craniectomy group compared with sham animals.
      Histopathological analysis showed that all animals that underwent trauma
      presented substantial neuronal loss. In animals treated with craniectomy after
      trauma, a massive increase of edema with hemorrhagic transformation of contusion
      was documented. Decompressive craniectomy applied after closed head injury in
      mice leads to additional structural and functional impairment. The surgical
      decompression via craniectomy promotes brain edema formation and contusional
      blossoming in our model. This additive effect of combined mechanical and surgical
      trauma may explain the results of the DECRA trial and should be explored further
      in experiments. 

PMID- 26102498
TI  - Structural insights into N-terminal to C-terminal interactions and implications
      for thermostability of a (beta/alpha)8-triosephosphate isomerase barrel enzyme.
AB  - Although several factors have been suggested to contribute to thermostability,
      the stabilization strategies used by proteins are still enigmatic. Studies on a
      recombinant xylanase from Bacilllus sp. NG-27 (RBSX), which has the ubiquitous
      (beta/alpha)8 -triosephosphate isomerase barrel fold, showed that just a single
      mutation, V1L, although not located in any secondary structural element, markedly
      enhanced the stability from 70  degrees C to 75  degrees C without loss of
      catalytic activity. Conversely, the V1A mutation at the same position decreased
      the stability of the enzyme from 70  degrees C to 68  degrees C. To gain
      structural insights into how a single extreme N-terminus mutation can markedly
      influence the thermostability of the enzyme, we determined the crystal structure
      of RBSX and the two mutants. On the basis of computational analysis of their
      crystal structures, including residue interaction networks, we established a link
      between N-terminal to C-terminal contacts and RBSX thermostability. Our study
      reveals that augmenting N-terminal to C-terminal noncovalent interactions is
      associated with enhancement of the stability of the enzyme. In addition, we
      discuss several lines of evidence supporting a connection between N-terminal to C
      terminal noncovalent interactions and protein stability in different proteins. We
      propose that the strategy of mutations at the termini could be exploited with a
      view to modulate stability without compromising enzymatic activity, or in
      general, protein function in diverse folds where N and C termini are in close
      proximity. DATABASE: The coordinates of RBSX, V1A and V1L have been deposited in
      the PDB database under the accession numbers 4QCE, 4QCF, and 4QDM, respectively.

PMID- 26102499
TI  - GABA and glutamate: the Yin and Yang of fragile X.

PMID- 26102500
TI  - Epitope Mapping of Antibodies Suggests the Novel Membrane Topology of B-Cell
      Receptor Associated Protein 31 on the Cell Surface of Embryonic Stem Cells: The
      Novel Membrane Topology of BAP31.
AB  - When located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, B-cell receptor
      associated protein 31 (BAP31) is involved in the export of secreted proteins from
      the ER to the plasma membrane. In a previous study, we generated two monoclonal
      antibodies (mAbs), 297-D4 and 144-A8, that bound to surface molecules on human
      embryonic stem cells (hESCs), but not to surface molecules on mouse embryonic
      stem cells (mESCs). Subsequent studies revealed that the mAbs recognized BAP31 on
      the surface of hESCs. To investigate the membrane topology of BAP31 on the cell
      surface, we first examined the epitope specificity of 297-D4 and 144-A8, as well
      as a polyclonal anti-BAP31 antibody (alpha-BAP31). We generated a series of GST
      fused BAP31 mutant proteins in which BAP31 was serially deleted at the C-
      terminus. GST-fused BAP31 mutant proteins were then screened to identify the
      epitopes targeted by the antibodies. Both 297-D4 and 144-A8 recognized C-terminal
      residues 208-217, while alpha-BAP31 recognized C-terminal residues 165-246, of
      BAP31 on hESCs, suggesting that the C-terminal domain of BAP31 is exposed on the
      cell surface. The polyclonal antibody alpha-BAP31 bound to mESCs, which confirmed
      that the C-terminal domain of BAP31 is also exposed on the surface of these
      cells. Our results show for the first time the novel membrane topology of cell
      surface-expressed BAP31 as the extracellular exposure of the BAP31 C-terminal
      domain was not predicted from previous studies. 

PMID- 26102501
TI  - Feedback on Trait or Action Impacts on Caudate and Paracingulum Activity.
AB  - There is a general conception that positive associations to one's trait, e.g.
      'I'm clever', are beneficial for cognitive performance. Scientific evidence shows
      that this is a simplification. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging
      (fMRI) study we used written trial-based trait feedback 'you are clever', or task
      feedback 'your choice was correct', on each correct response of a rule-switching
      task, to investigate how the character of positive self-associations influences
      performance outcome. Twenty participants took part in this crossover design
      study. We found that trait feedback was less beneficial for motivation and
      performance improvement, and resulting in enhanced neural activation on more
      difficult bivalent rule trials. This indicates that the task was treated as more
      complex in this condition. For example, 'you are clever' feedback led to enhanced
      activation in anterior caudate nucleus, an area known to process uncertainty. We
      further observed that activation in anterior paracingulate cortex was sensitive
      to whether self-reflection was imposed by external feedback or generated from
      internal processes, where the latter activation correlated positively with
      performance when following after task feedback. Our results illustrate how
      feedback can evoke self-reflections that either help or hinder motivation and
      performance, most likely by impacting on processes of uncertainty. The results
      support social psychological models stipulating that trait focus take resources
      away from task focus. 

PMID- 26102502
TI  - A Genetic Algorithm for the Bi-Level Topological Design of Local Area Networks.
AB  - Local access networks (LAN) are commonly used as communication infrastructures
      which meet the demand of a set of users in the local environment. Usually these
      networks consist of several LAN segments connected by bridges. The topological
      LAN design bi-level problem consists on assigning users to clusters and the union
      of clusters by bridges in order to obtain a minimum response time network with
      minimum connection cost. Therefore, the decision of optimally assigning users to
      clusters will be made by the leader and the follower will make the decision of
      connecting all the clusters while forming a spanning tree. In this paper, we
      propose a genetic algorithm for solving the bi-level topological design of a
      Local Access Network. Our solution method considers the Stackelberg equilibrium
      to solve the bi-level problem. The Stackelberg-Genetic algorithm procedure deals
      with the fact that the follower's problem cannot be optimally solved in a
      straightforward manner. The computational results obtained from two different
      sets of instances show that the performance of the developed algorithm is
      efficient and that it is more suitable for solving the bi-level problem than a
      previous Nash-Genetic approach. 

PMID- 26102503
TI  - Twilight, a Novel Circadian-Regulated Gene, Integrates Phototropism with Nutrient
      and Redox Homeostasis during Fungal Development.
AB  - Phototropic regulation of circadian clock is important for environmental
      adaptation, organismal growth and differentiation. Light plays a critical role in
      fungal development and virulence. However, it is unclear what governs the
      intracellular metabolic response to such dark-light rhythms in fungi. Here, we
      describe a novel circadian-regulated Twilight (TWL) function essential for
      phototropic induction of asexual development and pathogenesis in the rice-blast
      fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. The TWL transcript oscillates during circadian cycles
      and peaks at subjective twilight. GFP-Twl remains acetylated and cytosolic in the
      dark, whereas light-induced phosphorylation (by the carbon sensor Snf1 kinase)
      drives it into the nucleus. The mRNA level of the transcription/repair factor
      TFB5, was significantly down regulated in the twl? mutant. Overexpression of TFB5
      significantly suppressed the conidiation defects in the twl? mutant. Furthermore,
      Tfb5-GFP translocates to the nucleus during the phototropic response and under
      redox stress, while it failed to do so in the twl? mutant. Thus, we provide
      mechanistic insight into Twl-based regulation of nutrient and redox homeostasis
      in response to light during pathogen adaptation to the host milieu in the rice
      blast pathosystem. 

PMID- 26102505
TI  - Phenols from green tea as a dual functional coating to prepare devices for energy
      storage and molecular separation.
AB  - Polyphenols from green tea were used to electrolessly deposit gold on silk
      cocoons (SCs) and nanoporous aluminum oxide (AAO) templates. The gold coated
      cocoons were used as electrodes in supercapacitors and showed a capacitance as
      high as 254 F g(-1) and a specific power of 2287 W kg(-1). A metal coated AAO
      template was used for molecular separation. 

PMID- 26102504
TI  - KIT Mutation and Loss of 14q May Be Sufficient for the Development of Clinically
      Symptomatic Very Low-Risk GIST.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the minimal set of genetic alterations
      required for the development of a very low risk clinically symptomatic gastro
      intestinal stromal tumour within the stomach wall. We studied the genome of a
      very low-risk gastric gastro-intestinal stromal tumour by whole-genome
      sequencing, comparative genomic hybridisation and methylation profiling. The
      studied tumour harboured two typical genomic lesions: loss of the long arm of
      chromosome 14 and an activating mutation in exon 11 of KIT. Besides these genetic
      lesions, only two point mutations that may affect tumour progression were
      identified: A frame-shift deletion in RNF146 and a missense mutation in a zinc
      finger of ZNF407. Whilst the frameshift deletion in RNF146 seemed to be
      restricted to this particular tumour, a similar yet germline mutation in ZNF407
      was found in a panel of 52 gastro-intestinal stromal tumours from different
      anatomical sites and different categories. Germline polymorphisms in the mitotic
      checkpoint proteins Aurora kinase A and BUB1 kinase B may have furthered tumour
      growth. The epigenetic profile of the tumour matches that of other KIT-mutant
      tumours. We have identified mutations in three genes and loss of the long arm of
      chromosome 14 as the so far minimal set of genetic abnormalities sufficient for
      the development of a very low risk clinically symptomatic gastric stromal tumour.

PMID- 26102507
TI  - Raft-partitioning of calcium channels regulates their function.

PMID- 26102506
TI  - Optimization of a Series of Triazole Containing Mammalian Target of Rapamycin
      (mTOR) Kinase Inhibitors and the Discovery of CC-115.
AB  - We report here the synthesis and structure-activity relationship (SAR) of a novel
      series of triazole containing mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase
      inhibitors. SAR studies examining the potency, selectivity, and PK parameters for
      a series of triazole containing 4,6- or 1,7-disubstituted-3,4-dihydropyrazino[2,3
      b]pyrazine-2(1H)-ones resulted in the identification of triazole containing mTOR
      kinase inhibitors with improved PK properties. Potent compounds from this series
      were found to block both mTORC1(pS6) and mTORC2(pAktS473) signaling in PC-3
      cancer cells, in vitro and in vivo. When assessed in efficacy models, analogs
      exhibited dose-dependent efficacy in tumor xenograft models. This work resulted
      in the selection of CC-115 for clinical development. 

PMID- 26102508
TI  - Enhanced saturation magnetization in buckypaper-films of thin walled carbon
      nanostructures filled with Fe3C, FeCo, FeNi, CoNi, Co and Ni crystals: the key
      role of Cl.
AB  - We report an advanced chemical vapour deposition approach which allows the direct
      in situ synthesis of cm-length ultrathin buckypapers comprising carbon
      nanostructures filled with Fe3C, FeCo, FeNi, CoNi, Co and Ni by sublimation and
      pyrolysis of single or combined metallocenes with very low quantities of
      dichlorobenzene. As a result, extremely high saturation magnetizations of 117 emu
      g(-1), 90 emu g(-1) and 80 emu g(-1) are obtained for the specific cases of Fe3C,
      FeCo and FeNi, respectively, while variable saturation magnetizations of 70 emu
      g(-1), 58 emu g(-1) and 6.7 emu g(-1) are obtained for Co, CoNi and Ni
      respectively. 

PMID- 26102510
TI  - Copper-/Silver-Mediated Arylation of C(sp(2))-H Bonds with 2-Thiophenecarboxylic
      Acids.
AB  - A copper/silver-mediated arylation of (hetero)aryl C-H bonds with 2
      thiophenecarboxylic acids has been achieved. The protocol features a broad
      substrate scope and high functional group tolerance. Preliminary mechanistic
      studies indicate that a cascade protodecarboxylation/dehydrogenative coupling
      process is likely involved. 

PMID- 26102511
TI  - Activity-Based Probe for N-Acylethanolamine Acid Amidase.
AB  - N-Acylethanolamine acid amidase (NAAA) is a lysosomal cysteine hydrolase involved
      in the degradation of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid ethanolamides
      (FAEs), a family of endogenous lipid signaling molecules that includes
      oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA). Among the reported NAAA
      inhibitors, alpha-amino-beta-lactone (3-aminooxetan-2-one) derivatives have been
      shown to prevent FAE hydrolysis in innate-immune and neural cells and to reduce
      reactions to inflammatory stimuli. Recently, we disclosed two potent and
      selective NAAA inhibitors, the compounds ARN077 (5-phenylpentyl-N-[(2S,3R)-2
      methyl-4-oxo-oxetan-3-yl]carbamate) and ARN726 (4-cyclohexylbutyl-N-[(S)-2
      oxoazetidin-3-yl]carbamate). The former is active in vivo by topical
      administration in rodent models of hyperalgesia and allodynia, while the latter
      exerts systemic anti-inflammatory effects in mouse models of lung inflammation.
      In the present study, we designed and validated a derivative of ARN726 as the
      first activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) probe for the in vivo detection of
      NAAA. The newly synthesized molecule 1 is an effective in vitro and in vivo click
      chemistry activity based probe (ABP), which is able to capture the catalytically
      active form of NAAA in Human Embryonic Kidney 293 (HEK293) cells overexpressing
      human NAAA as well as in rat lung tissue. Competitive ABPP with 1 confirmed that
      ARN726 and ARN077 inhibit NAAA in vitro and in vivo. Compound 1 is a useful new
      tool to identify activated NAAA both in vitro and in vivo and to investigate the
      physiological and pathological roles of this enzyme. 

PMID- 26102512
TI  - The Impact of the Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategy for Erythropoiesis
      Stimulating Agents on Their Use and the Incidence of Stroke in Medicare Subjects
      with Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia with Lung and/or Breast Cancers.
AB  - Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), found to be effective in reducing
      anemia in chemotherapy-treated cancer patients, also are associated with an
      increased risk of cardiovascular events, including stroke. In an attempt to
      mitigate the risk, the Food and Drug Administration implemented a Risk Evaluation
      Mitigation Strategy (REMS) in February 2010. The purpose of this study is to
      evaluate change over time in the incidence of stroke among these patients before
      and after implementation of REMS. A retrospective data analysis using the
      Medicare 5% Sample Dataset, 2008-2011, was performed. Patients had to be 65 years
      of age or older at the start of at least 1 year of continuous enrollment and to
      have lung and/or breast cancers along with chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) in
      both pre-REMS and post-REMS periods (1Q2008 through 4Q2009 and 1Q2010 through
      4Q2011, respectively). Logistic regression was used to evaluate differences in
      proportions of patients who received ESAs and experienced a stroke pre and post
      REMS. The pre-REMS cohort included 1252 eligible patients prescribed ESAs; the
      post-REMS cohort included 949 patients. No statistically significant change in
      stroke incidence was observed post REMS among patients with CIA who received
      ESAs. There was a 29.5% decrease in ESA use in patients with lung cancer and a
      27.8% decrease in patients with breast cancer. Both were statistically
      significant. Results adjusted for baseline characteristics and comorbid
      conditions were similar. There was a statistically significant decrease in ESA
      use in patients with breast and/or lung cancers post REMS; no statistically
      significant reduction in the incidence of stroke was observed regardless of
      cancer type.

PMID- 26102509
TI  - Germline ETV6 Mutations Confer Susceptibility to Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and
      Thrombocytopenia.
AB  - Somatic mutations affecting ETV6 often occur in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
      (ALL), the most common childhood malignancy. The genetic factors that predispose
      to ALL remain poorly understood. Here we identify a novel germline ETV6 p. L349P
      mutation in a kindred affected by thrombocytopenia and ALL. A second ETV6 p.
      N385fs mutation was identified in an unrelated kindred characterized by
      thrombocytopenia, ALL and secondary myelodysplasia/acute myeloid leukemia.
      Leukemic cells from the proband in the second kindred showed deletion of wild
      type ETV6 with retention of the ETV6 p. N385fs. Enforced expression of the ETV6
      mutants revealed normal transcript and protein levels, but impaired nuclear
      localization. Accordingly, these mutants exhibited significantly reduced ability
      to regulate the transcription of ETV6 target genes. Our findings highlight a
      novel role for ETV6 in leukemia predisposition. 

PMID- 26102513
TI  - Prevalence and Clinicopathological Characteristics of HER2 and BRAF Mutation in
      Chinese Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - AIMS: To determine the prevalence and clinicopathological characteristics of BRAF
      V600E mutation and HER2 exon 20 insertions in Chinese lung adenocarcinoma (ADC)
      patients. METHODS: Given the fact that the driver mutations are mutually
      exclusive in lung ADCs, 204 EGFR/KRAS wild-type cases were enrolled in this
      study. Direct Sanger sequencing was performed to examine BRAF V600E and HER2 exon
      20 mutations. The association of BRAF and HER2 mutations with clinicopathological
      characteristics was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 204 lung ADCs
      tested, 11 cases (5.4%) carried HER2 exon 20 insertions and 4 cases (2.0%) had
      BRAF V600E mutation. HER2 mutation status was identified to be associated with a
      non-smoking history (p<0.05). HER2 mutation occurs in 9.4% of never smokers
      (10/106), 8.7% of female (8/92) and 2.7% of male (3/112) in this selected cohort.
      All four BRAF mutated patients were women and three of them were never-smokers.
      No HER2 mutant patients harbor BRAF mutation. CONCLUSIONS: HER2 and BRAF
      mutations identify a distinct subset of lung ADCs. Given the high prevalence of
      lung cancer and the availability of targeted therapy, Chinese lung ADC patients
      without EGFR and KRAS mutations are recommended for HER2 and BRAF mutations
      detection, especially for those never smokers.

PMID- 26102514
TI  - Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Long-QT Syndrome: Risky Business.

PMID- 26102515
TI  - Analysis of genetic and aflatoxin diversity among Aspergillus flavus isolates
      collected from sorghum seeds.
AB  - Thirty-four Aspergillus flavus isolates were recovered from sorghum seeds sampled
      across five states in India. Our study included (1) species confirmation through
      PCR assay, (2) quantification of total aflatoxin concentrations by the indirect
      competitive-ELISA (ic-ELISA) method, and (3) analysis of molecular diversity
      among the A. flavus isolates using beta-tubulin, ITS, and ISSR markers. Among the
      isolates studied, 28 were found to be positive for the production of aflatoxins.
      ITS and beta-tubulin phylogenetic analysis segregated the A. flavus sample
      population into two major groups or clades with little to no subdivision based on
      geography. In contrast, ISSR analysis also separated the A. flavus isolates into
      two main clusters, showing a distance of 0.0-0.5, with one cluster exhibiting a
      high level of diversity though no geographic or chemotype subdivision could be
      observed. The majority of sampled A. flavus isolates were highly toxigenic, and
      also highly diversified in terms of toxin-producing potential in-vitro. Genetic
      diversity among the sorghum isolates of A. flavus further warrants the
      development of appropriate farming management practices as well as improved
      aflatoxin detection measures in India. 

PMID- 26102517
TI  - Preparation of a gamma-Fe2 O3 /Ag nanowire coaxial nanocable for high-performance
      lithium-ion batteries.
AB  - In this study, we report the design and synthesis of a silver nanowire-gamma-Fe2
      O3 coaxial nanocable architecture (Ag NWs@gamma-Fe2 O3 nanocable) through mild
      oxidation of [Fe(CO)5 ] on the surface of silver nanowires followed by a
      calcination process. After optimization of the structural design, the Ag
      NWs@gamma-Fe2 O3 nanocable could deliver superior lithium storage performance in
      terms of high reversible capacity, good rate performance, and excellent
      stability, such as a high reversible capacity of about 890 mA h g(-1) after 60
      cycles at a current rate of 0.1 C (1.0 C=1005 mA g(-1) ). The reversible capacity
      remains as high as about 550 mA h g(-1) even at a high current rate of 2.0 C.
      This dramatic performance is mainly attributed to the smart coaxial design, which
      can not only alleviate the large volume change and prevent the aggregation of
      gamma-Fe2 O3 nanoparticles, but also enables good conductivity and thus enhances
      fast charge transfer. The unique structural features of the Ag NWs@gamma-Fe2 O3
      nanocable represent a promising anode material in lithium-ion battery
      applications. 

PMID- 26102516
TI  - The Epidemiology of Transfusion-related Acute Lung Injury Varies According to the
      Applied Definition of Lung Injury Onset Time.
AB  - RATIONALE: Research that applies an unreliable definition for transfusion-related
      acute lung injury (TRALI) may draw false conclusions about its risk factors and
      biology. The effectiveness of preventive strategies may decrease as a
      consequence. However, the reliability of the consensus TRALI definition is
      unknown. OBJECTIVES: To prospectively study the effect of applying two plausible
      definitions of acute respiratory distress syndrome onset time on TRALI
      epidemiology. METHODS: We studied 316 adults admitted to the intensive care unit
      and transfused red blood cells within 24 hours of blunt trauma. We identified
      patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, and defined acute respiratory
      distress syndrome onset time two ways: (1) the time at which the first
      radiographic or oxygenation criterion was met, and (2) the time both criteria
      were met. We categorized two corresponding groups of TRALI cases transfused in
      the 6 hours before acute respiratory distress syndrome onset. We used Cohen's
      kappa to measure agreement between the TRALI cases and implicated blood
      components identified by the two acute respiratory distress syndrome onset time
      definitions. In a nested case-control study, we examined potential risk factors
      for each group of TRALI cases, including demographics, injury severity, and
      characteristics of blood components transfused in the 6 hours before acute
      respiratory distress syndrome onset. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Forty-two of
      113 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome were TRALI cases per the
      first acute respiratory distress syndrome onset time definition and 63 per the
      second definition. There was slight agreement between the two groups of TRALI
      cases (kappa = 0.16; 95% confidence interval, -0.01 to 0.33) and between the
      implicated blood components (kappa = 0.15, 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.20).
      Age, Injury Severity Score, high plasma-volume components, and transfused plasma
      volume were risk factors for TRALI when applying the second acute respiratory
      distress syndrome onset time definition but not when applying the first
      definition. CONCLUSIONS: The epidemiology of TRALI varies when applying two
      plausible definitions of acute respiratory distress syndrome onset time to
      severely injured trauma patients. A TRALI definition that standardizes acute
      respiratory distress syndrome onset time might improve reliability and align
      efforts to understand epidemiology, biology, and prevention.

PMID- 26102518
TI  - Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) and breast cancer incidence worldwide: A revisit
      of earlier findings with analysis of current trends.
AB  - In a study published in Cancer Causes & Control in 2010, Kloog with co-authors
      tested, apparently for the first time, the association between population-level
      ambient exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) and incidence of several
      cancers in women from 164 countries worldwide. The study was based on 1996-2002
      data and concluded that breast cancer (BC) incidence was significantly and
      positively associated with ALAN, while no such association was revealed for other
      cancer types. An open question, however, remains whether the trends revealed by
      Kloog and co-authors were time specific or also hold true for more recent data.
      Using information obtained from the GLOBOCAN, US-DMSP and World Bank's 2002 and
      2012 databases, we reanalyzed the strength of association between BC incidence
      rates in 180 countries worldwide and ALAN, controlling for several country-level
      predictors, including birth rates, percent of urban population, per capita GDP
      and electricity consumption. We also compared BC age-standardized rates (ASRs)
      with multi-annual ALAN measurements, considering potentially different latency
      periods. Compared with the results of Kloog et al.'s analysis of the year-2002 BC
      data, the association between BC and ALAN appears to have weakened overall,
      becoming statistically insignificant in the year 2012 after being controlled for
      potential confounders (t < 0.3; p > 0.5). However, when the entire sample of
      countries was disaggregated into geographic clusters of similarly developed
      countries, a positive BC-ALAN association re-emerged as statistically significant
      (t > 2.2; p < 0.01), helping to explain, along with other factors covered by the
      analysis, about 65-85% of BC ASR variability worldwide, depending on the model
      type. Although the present analysis reconfirms a positive BC-ALAN association,
      this association appeared to diverge regionally in recent years, with countries
      in Western Europe showing the highest levels of such association, while countries
      in Southeast Asia and Gulf States exhibiting relatively low BC rates against the
      backdrop of relatively high ALAN levels. This regional stratification may be due
      to additional protective mechanisms, diminishing BC risks and potentially
      attributed to the local diet and lifestyles.

PMID- 26102519
TI  - Extraction of intercalated O2 from aligned carbon nanotubes: the breaking of
      intertube paths and exponential changes in resistance.
AB  - In carbon nanotube films, the alignment of carbon nanotubes creates Lennard-Jones
      potentials at intertube junctions and trapped O2 appears to oscillate at elevated
      temperatures. Electrical measurements reveal a low hopping barrier along the
      transverse direction and an underlying mechanism that involves intercalated
      molecules acting as charge carriers between tubes. Ab initio calculations support
      dynamic intercalation and charge transfer through O2 bouncing between tubes. 

PMID- 26102520
TI  - Probing the Mucoadhesive Interactions Between Porcine Gastric Mucin and Some
      Water-Soluble Polymers.
AB  - This study investigates the structural features of porcine gastric mucin (PGM) in
      aqueous dispersions and its interactions with water-soluble polymers
      (poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA), poly(ethylene oxide),
      and poly(ethylene glycol)) using isothermal titration calorimetry, turbidimetric
      titration, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy. It is
      established that PAA (450 kDa) and PMAA (100 kDa) exhibit strong specific
      interactions with PGM causing further aggregation of its particles, while PAA (2
      kDa), poly(ethylene oxide) (1 000 kDa), and poly(ethylene glycol) (10 kDa) do not
      show any detectable effects on mucin. Sonication of mucin dispersions prior to
      their mixing with PAA (450 kDa) and PMAA (100 kDa) leads to more pronounced
      intensity of interactions. 

PMID- 26102522
TI  - Nanofilament Dynamics in Resistance Memory: Model and Validation.
AB  - Filamentary resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) employs a single nanoscale
      event to trigger a macroscopic state change. While fundamentally it involves a
      gradual electrochemical evolution in a nanoscale filament that culminates in an
      abrupt change in filament's resistance, understanding over many length and time
      scales from the filament level to the device level is needed to inform the device
      behavior. Here, we demonstrate the nanoscale elements have corresponding elements
      in an empirical equivalent circuit. Specifically, the filament contains a
      variable resistor and capacitor that switch at a critical voltage. This simple
      model explains several observations widely reported on disparate filamentary
      ReRAMs. In particular, its collective system dynamics incorporating the power-law
      time-relaxation of the variable capacitance can accurately account for the
      responses of variously sized single-filament HfOx ReRAMs to DC/quasi-static and
      pulse electrical stimulation, exhibiting Avrami-like switching kinetics and a
      pulse-rate dependence in on/off voltages. 

PMID- 26102521
TI  - Influence of Retirement on Adherence to Statins in the Insurance Medicine All
      Sweden Total Population Data Base.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retirement has been suggested to reduce medication adherence, but no
      evidence is available for statins. We investigated changes in adherence to
      statins among Swedish adults after retirement. METHODS: A prospective cohort
      study was carried out on all individuals living in Sweden on 31 December 2004,
      alive in 2010, having purchased statins in the second half of 2005, and retired
      in 2008 (n=11 718). We used prescription dispensing data in 2006-2010 to
      determine nonadherence (defined as <80% of days covered by filled prescriptions)
      before and after old-age or disability retirement. Using multiple repeat
      measurements of filled statin prescriptions, we calculated the annual prevalence
      rates of nonadherence for those who continued therapy. Discontinuation was
      defined as no statin dispensations during a calendar year. RESULTS: After
      adjustment for age at retirement, the prevalence ratio (PR) of nonadherence after
      retirement in comparison with those before retirement was 1.23 [95% confidence
      interval (CI) 1.17-1.29] for the men and 1.19 (95% CI 1.13-1.26) for the women. A
      post-retirement increase in nonadherence was consistently observed across the
      strata of age at retirement, marital status, education, income, type of
      retirement, and participants with and without cardiovascular disease, the largest
      increases being observed for statin use in secondary prevention (men: PR 1.38,
      95% CI 1.26-1.54; women: PR 1.43, 1.18-1.72). For primary prevention, the
      corresponding prevalence ratios were 1.18 (95% CI 1.13-1.25) and 1.18 (95% CI
      1.11-1.24), respectively. INTERPRETATION: Retirement appears to be associated
      with increased nonadherence to statin therapy among Swedish men and women.

PMID- 26102523
TI  - Organocatalytic, Enantioselective Synthesis of 1- and 3-Substituted Isochromans
      via Intramolecular Oxa-Michael Reaction of Alkoxyboronate: Synthesis of (+)
      Sonepiprazole.
AB  - The enantioselective oxa-Michael reaction of alkoxyboronate strategy was
      demonstrated to provide a new and practical route to enantioriched 1- and 3
      substituted isochromans using a chiral bifunctional organocatalyst. Furthermore,
      this methodology was extended to the enantioselective synthesis of (+)
      sonepiprazole, a dopamine receptor antagonist. 

PMID- 26102524
TI  - Solid State Flexible Asymmetric Supercapacitor Based on Carbon Fiber Supported
      Hierarchical Co(OH)xCO3 and Ni(OH)2.
AB  - Conducting flexible carbon fiber (CF) cloth was used as a substrate for the
      hydrothermal growth of nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2) and cobalt hydroxy carbonate
      [Co(OH)xCO3] with unique hierarchical flowery architecture and then was used as a
      flexible supercapacitor electrode. In a three-electrode configuration in 6 M KOH
      aqueous electrolyte, the CF-Ni(OH)2 and CF-Co(OH)xCO3 electrode showed the
      maximum specific capacitance of 789 F/g and 550 F/g, respectively, at 2A/g
      current accompanied by outstanding cycle stability by retaining 99.9% and 99.5%
      specific capacitance over 1500 consecutive charge-discharge cycles at 5 A/g.
      However, the low cell voltage (0.4 V) restricted the respective specific energy
      to 4.38 and 3.05 Wh/kg at a specific power of 100 W/kg. To overcome the issue,
      two solid state flexible asymmetric supercapacitors were fabricated using the CF
      Ni(OH)2 and CF-Co(OH)xCO3 as the anode and sonochemically deposited CNT over
      carbon fiber as the cathode material in PVA-KOH gel electrolyte. The as
      fabricated flexible supercapacitors CF-Ni(OH)2//CF-CNT and CF-Co(OH)xCO3//CF-CNT
      were able to deliver high specific energy of 41.1 and 33.48 Wh/kg, respectively,
      at high specific power of 1.4 kW/kg accompanied by excellent cycle stability
      (retaining 98% and 97.6% specific capacitance, respectively, over 3000 charge
      discharge cycle at 5 A/g). 

PMID- 26102525
TI  - A genetic toolkit for tagging intronic MiMIC containing genes.
AB  - Previously, we described a large collection of Minos-Mediated Integration
      Cassettes (MiMICs) that contain two phiC31 recombinase target sites and allow the
      generation of a new exon that encodes a protein tag when the MiMIC is inserted in
      a codon intron (Nagarkar-Jaiswal et al., 2015). These modified genes permit
      numerous applications including assessment of protein expression pattern,
      identification of protein interaction partners by immunoprecipitation followed by
      mass spec, and reversible removal of the tagged protein in any tissue. At
      present, these conversions remain time and labor-intensive as they require
      embryos to be injected with plasmid DNA containing the exon tag. In this study,
      we describe a simple and reliable genetic strategy to tag genes/proteins that
      contain MiMIC insertions using an integrated exon encoding GFP flanked by FRT
      sequences. We document the efficiency and tag 60 mostly uncharacterized genes. 

PMID- 26102526
TI  - Age-dependent electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns during sevoflurane general
      anesthesia in infants.
AB  - Electroencephalogram (EEG) approaches may provide important information about
      developmental changes in brain-state dynamics during general anesthesia. We used
      multi-electrode EEG, analyzed with multitaper spectral methods and video
      recording of body movement to characterize the spatio-temporal dynamics of brain
      activity in 36 infants 0-6 months old when awake, and during maintenance of and
      emergence from sevoflurane general anesthesia. During maintenance: (1) slow-delta
      oscillations were present in all ages; (2) theta and alpha oscillations emerged
      around 4 months; (3) unlike adults, all infants lacked frontal alpha predominance
      and coherence. Alpha power was greatest during maintenance, compared to awake and
      emergence in infants at 4-6 months. During emergence, theta and alpha power
      decreased with decreasing sevoflurane concentration in infants at 4-6 months.
      These EEG dynamic differences are likely due to developmental factors including
      regional differences in synaptogenesis, glucose metabolism, and myelination
      across the cortex. We demonstrate the need to apply age-adjusted analytic
      approaches to develop neurophysiologic-based strategies for pediatric anesthetic
      state monitoring. 

PMID- 26102527
TI  - A panel of induced pluripotent stem cells from chimpanzees: a resource for
      comparative functional genomics.
AB  - Comparative genomics studies in primates are restricted due to our limited access
      to samples. In order to gain better insight into the genetic processes that
      underlie variation in complex phenotypes in primates, we must have access to
      faithful model systems for a wide range of cell types. To facilitate this, we
      generated a panel of 7 fully characterized chimpanzee induced pluripotent stem
      cell (iPSC) lines derived from healthy donors. To demonstrate the utility of
      comparative iPSC panels, we collected RNA-sequencing and DNA methylation data
      from the chimpanzee iPSCs and the corresponding fibroblast lines, as well as from
      7 human iPSCs and their source lines, which encompass multiple populations and
      cell types. We observe much less within-species variation in iPSCs than in
      somatic cells, indicating the reprogramming process erases many inter-individual
      differences. The low within-species regulatory variation in iPSCs allowed us to
      identify many novel inter-species regulatory differences of small magnitude. 

PMID- 26102529
TI  - Unsymmetrical Chelation of N-Thioether-Functionalized Bis(diphenylphosphino)amine
      Type Ligands and Substituent Effects on the Nuclearity of Iron(II) Complexes:
      Structures, Magnetism, and Bonding.
AB  - Starting from the short-bite ligands N-thioether-functionalized
      bis(diphenylphosphino)amine-type (Ph2P)2N(CH2)3SMe (1) and (Ph2P)2N(p-C6H4)SMe
      (2), the Fe(II) complexes [FeCl2(1)]n (3), [FeCl2(2)]2 (4), [Fe(OAc)(1)2]PF6 (5),
      and [Fe(OAc)(2)2]PF6 (6) were synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform
      IR, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and also by X-ray diffraction for 3,
      4, and 6. Complex 3 is a coordination polymer in which 1 acts as a P,P
      pseudochelate and a (P,P),S-bridge, whereas 4 has a chlorido-bridged dinuclear
      structure in which 2 acts only as a P,P-pseudochelate. Since these complexes were
      obtained under strictly similar synthetic and crystallization conditions, these
      unexpected differences were ascribed to the different spacer between the nitrogen
      atom and the -SMe group. In both compounds, one Fe-P bond was found to be
      unusually long, and a theoretical analysis was performed to unravel the
      electronic or steric reasons for this difference. Density functional theory
      calculations were performed for a set of complexes of general formula
      [FeCl2(SR2){R21PN(R2)P'R23}] (R = H, Me; R1, R2, and R3 = H, Me, Ph), to
      understand the reasons for the significant deviation of the iron coordination
      sphere away from tetrahedral as well as from trigonal bipyramidal and the varying
      degree of unsymmetry of the two Fe-P bonds involving pseudochelating PN(R)P
      ligands. Electronic factors nicely explain the observed structures, and steric
      reasons were further ruled out by the structural analysis in the solid-state of
      the bis-chelated complex 6, which displays usual and equivalent Fe-P bond
      lengths. Magnetic susceptibility studies were performed to examine how the
      structural differences between 3 and 4 would affect the interactions between the
      iron centers, and it was concluded that 3 behaves as an isolated high-spin Fe(II)
      mononuclear complex, while significant intra- and intermolecular ferromagnetic
      interactions were evidenced for 4 at low temperatures. Complexes 3 and 4 were
      also tested in catalytic ethylene oligomerization but did not exhibit any
      significant activity under the studied conditions.

PMID- 26102528
TI  - Interplay of cell dynamics and epithelial tension during morphogenesis of the
      Drosophila pupal wing.
AB  - How tissue shape emerges from the collective mechanical properties and behavior
      of individual cells is not understood. We combine experiment and theory to study
      this problem in the developing wing epithelium of Drosophila. At pupal stages,
      the wing-hinge contraction contributes to anisotropic tissue flows that reshape
      the wing blade. Here, we quantitatively account for this wing-blade shape change
      on the basis of cell divisions, cell rearrangements and cell shape changes. We
      show that cells both generate and respond to epithelial stresses during this
      process, and that the nature of this interplay specifies the pattern of
      junctional network remodeling that changes wing shape. We show that patterned
      constraints exerted on the tissue by the extracellular matrix are key to force
      the tissue into the right shape. We present a continuum mechanical model that
      quantitatively describes the relationship between epithelial stresses and cell
      dynamics, and how their interplay reshapes the wing. 

PMID- 26102531
TI  - Lower Ribavirin Plasma Concentrations in HCV/HIV-Coinfected Patients Than in HCV
      Monoinfected Patients Despite Similar Dosage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV)/HIV-coinfected patients respond worse to dual
      therapy with ribavirin (RBV)/peginterferon compared with HCV-monoinfected
      patients. Several trials found that lower RBV plasma concentrations are
      associated with impaired virological response rates. The aim of this study was to
      determine RBV plasma concentrations in a cohort of HCV-monoinfected and HCV/HIV
      coinfected patients. Our hypothesis is that HCV/HIV-coinfected patients have
      lower RBV plasma concentrations, which may in part explain their inferior
      response to dual therapy. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed in
      chronic HCV-monoinfected and HCV/HIV-coinfected patients who received
      peginterferon and weight-based RBV. Plasma RBV concentrations were determined at
      weeks 4 and 12 by a validated high-performance liquid chromatography assay. RBV
      concentrations were compared between monoinfected and coinfected patients. We
      calculated the proportion of patients with a subtherapeutic RBV plasma
      concentration defined as <2.0 mg/L. RESULTS: A total of 61 HCV-infected patients
      were included, of whom 21 (34%) were coinfected with HIV. Although there was no
      difference in the weight-based dose of RBV between monoinfected and coinfected
      patients, RBV exposure was significantly lower in HCV/HIV-coinfected patients
      than in HCV-monoinfected patients: the mean +/- SD RBV plasma concentrations were
      1.82 +/- 0.63 mg/L versus 2.25 +/- 0.80 mg/L (P = 0.04) at week 4 and 2.14 +/-
      0.65 mg/L versus 2.62 +/- 0.81 mg/L (P = 0.05) at week 12, respectively. The
      percentage of patients with subtherapeutic plasma concentrations of RBV in
      coinfected patients versus monoinfected patients was 62% versus 46% (P = 0.240)
      at week 4 and 50% versus 16% (P = 0.01) at week 12 of treatment, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: HIV/HCV-coinfected patients yield significantly lower plasma
      concentrations of RBV than HCV-monoinfected patients. This puts them at an
      increased risk of not achieving sustained virological response.

PMID- 26102532
TI  - In grateful appreciation of Dr. Margery Gass for her dedication and service to
      NAMS on her retirement.

PMID- 26102530
TI  - Conformational Stability and Pathogenic Misfolding of the Integral Membrane
      Protein PMP22.
AB  - Despite broad biochemical relevance, our understanding of the physiochemical
      reactions that limit the assembly and cellular trafficking of integral membrane
      proteins remains superficial. In this work, we report the first experimental
      assessment of the relationship between the conformational stability of a
      eukaryotic membrane protein and the degree to which it is retained by cellular
      quality control in the secretory pathway. We quantitatively assessed both the
      conformational equilibrium and cellular trafficking of 12 variants of the alpha
      helical membrane protein peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22), the intracellular
      misfolding of which is known to cause peripheral neuropathies associated with
      Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). We show that the extent to which these
      mutations influence the energetics of Zn(II)-mediated PMP22 folding is
      proportional to the observed reduction in cellular trafficking efficiency.
      Strikingly, quantitative analyses also reveal that the reduction of motor nerve
      conduction velocities in affected patients is proportional to the extent of the
      mutagenic destabilization. This finding provides compelling evidence that the
      effects of these mutations on the energetics of PMP22 folding lie at the heart of
      the molecular basis of CMT. These findings highlight conformational stability as
      a key factor governing membrane protein biogenesis and suggest novel therapeutic
      strategies for CMT. 

PMID- 26102533
TI  - Not all SERMs are created equal: chapter 2.

PMID- 26102534
TI  - Systems integration of innate and adaptive immunity.
AB  - The pathogens causing AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis have proven too complex to
      be overcome by classical approaches to vaccination. The complexities of human
      immunology and pathogen-induced modulation of the immune system mandate new
      approaches to vaccine discovery and design. A new field, systems vaccinology,
      weds holistic analysis of innate and adaptive immunity within a quantitative
      framework to enable rational design of new vaccines that elicit tailored
      protective immune responses. A key step in the approach is to discover
      relationships between the earliest innate inflammatory responses to vaccination
      and the subsequent vaccine-induced adaptive immune responses and efficacy.
      Analysis of these responses in clinical studies is complicated by the
      inaccessibility of relevant tissue compartments (such as the lymph node),
      necessitating reliance upon peripheral blood responses as surrogates. Blood
      transcriptomes, although indirect to vaccine mechanisms, have proven very
      informative in systems vaccinology studies. The approach is most powerful when
      innate and adaptive immune responses are integrated with vaccine efficacy, which
      is possible for malaria with the advent of a robust human challenge model. This
      is more difficult for AIDS and tuberculosis, given that human challenge models
      are lacking and efficacy observed in clinical trials has been low or highly
      variable. This challenge can be met by appropriate clinical trial design for
      partially efficacious vaccines and by analysis of natural infection cohorts.
      Ultimately, systems vaccinology is an iterative approach in which mechanistic
      hypotheses-derived from analysis of clinical studies-are evaluated in model
      systems, and then used to guide the development of new vaccine strategies. In
      this review, we will illustrate the above facets of the systems vaccinology
      approach with case studies. 

PMID- 26102535
TI  - Low tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccination coverage among
      HIV infected individuals in Austria.
AB  - Current management guidelines of HIV infected adults include recommendation to
      immunization against common vaccine preventable diseases. This effort is hindered
      by the scarce knowledge regarding the immunization status of this especially
      vulnerable patient group. This study analyzed the serostatus for pertussis,
      diphtheria and tetanus of more than 700 HIV infected individuals residing in
      Austria. These individuals were representative for the Austrian HIV cohort
      regarding sex, age, transmission risk and HIV progression markers. Overall, 73.6%
      were on suppressive HAART, mean CD4 cell count was 603c/MUl. Seropositivity was
      84% for diphtheria, 51% for tetanus and 1% for pertussis. Migrants had a lower
      chance of tetanus seropositivity (OR 0.30 (CI 0.21 to 0.43)). Increase in CDC
      classification were associated with increased diphtheria seropositivity (OR 1.42
      (CI 1.02 to 1.98)) and a CD4 nadir<200c/MUl was associated with increased
      pertussis seropositivity (OR 12.2, 95% CI 1.2 to 121). Importantly due to the
      well preserved immune status of nearly all participants vaccination would be
      feasible in the majority of the seronegative patients. In patients with a CD4
      count>200c/MUl, 95% lacked seroprotection to at least one of the antigens
      included in the triple vaccine Tdap and could be vaccinated. Thus, a proactive
      approach would largely reduce the number of patients at risk for these vaccine
      preventable diseases. 

PMID- 26102536
TI  - Quantitative proteomics unravels that the post-transcriptional regulator Crc
      modulates the generation of vesicles and secreted virulence determinants of
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
AB  - Recent research indicates that the post-transcriptional regulator Crc modulates
      susceptibility to antibiotics and virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Several P.
      aeruginosa virulence factors are secreted or engulfed in vesicles. To decipher
      the Crc modulation of P. aeruginosa virulence, we constructed a crc deficient
      mutant and measure the proteome associated extracellular vesicles and the vesicle
      free secretome using iTRAQ. Fifty vesicle-associated proteins were more abundant
      and 14 less abundant in the crc-defective strain, whereas 37 were more abundant
      and 17 less abundant in the vesicle-free secretome. Among them, virulence
      determinants, such as ToxA, protease IV, azurin, chitin-binding protein, PlcB and
      Hcp1, were less abundant in the crc-defective mutant. Transcriptomic analysis
      revealed that some of the observed changes were post-transcriptional and, thus,
      could be attributed to a direct Crc regulatory role; whereas, for other
      differentially secreted proteins, the regulatory role was likely indirect. We
      also observed that the crc mutant presented an impaired vesicle-associated
      secretion of quorum sensing signal molecules and less cytotoxicity than its wild
      type strain. Our results offer new insights into the mechanisms by which Crc
      regulates P. aeruginosa virulence, through the modulation of vesicle formation
      and secretion of both virulence determinants and quorum sensing signals. This
      article is part of a Special Issue entitled: HUPO 2014. 

PMID- 26102537
TI  - Finite temperature orbital and spin magnetism of small Fe linear chains.
AB  - The finite temperature spin and orbital magnetism of N<= 10 Fe(N) linear chains
      is theoretically studied in the framework of a spin fluctuation theory based on a
      realistic d-band model Hamiltonian, which includes the spin-orbit coupling
      interaction in a non-perturbative way. Spin and orbital magnetic moments are
      calculated as a function of the temperature by using an exchange Monte Carlo
      method that takes into account in a full way the short-range magnetic order. The
      finite temperature anisotropy effects on the spin and orbital cluster moment
      values are analysed by considering magnetization directions perpendicular to and
      along the chain axis. The temperature dependence of the orbital cluster moment
      follows a general trend similar to that of the spin one and shows clear
      anisotropy effects at low and intermediate temperatures, before total thermal
      disorder appears. Interesting anisotropy effects driven by thermal spin
      fluctuations are also observed for the spin results in most of the systems.

PMID- 26102538
TI  - Surgical Management of Giant Scalp Neurofibroma After Ultra-Selective
      Embolization of Nutrient Artery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Neurofibroma, a common benign tumor in soft tissue, continues to
      grow, so it often appears to be giant. Surgical management of giant neurofibroma
      is a challenge due to the risk of excessive bleeding. Embolization of tumor's
      nutrient artery may reduce the blood loss in operation. This study introduces the
      surgical management of giant scalp neurofibroma with preoperative ultra-selective
      embolization of nutrient artery. METHODS: From January 2006 to December 2013, 9
      patients with giant scalp neurofibroma were enrolled into the study. Digital
      subtraction angiography (DSA) showed tumor's nutrient artery. Ultra-catheter was
      inserted into the nutrient artery and its branches as close as possible to the
      tumor. Then ultra-selective embolization was performed with gelatin sponge
      particles. Surgical removal of tumor was performed in 3 days after embolization.
      The wound was repaired by skin graft. RESULTS: All of the 9 patients underwent
      successful DSA and ultra-selective embolization. Among them, occipital artery was
      embolized in 3 patients (left side in 1 patient and right side in 2 patients).
      Both occipital artery and superficial temporal artery were embolized in 6
      patients (left side in 2 patients, right side in 3 patients, and both side in 1
      patient). No complications, such as ectopic embolism, occurred in the patients.
      All of the tumors were resected completely without blood transfusion. The skin
      graft survived very well on the wounds. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative ultra-selective
      embolization of nutrient artery is a feasible, safe, and effective method to
      reduce the blood loss in operation and facilitate the surgical management of
      giant scalp neurofibroma.

PMID- 26102539
TI  - Orthoptic Sequelae Following Conservative Management of Pure Blowout Orbital
      Fractures: Anecdotal or Clinically Relevant?
AB  - The aim of this study was to prospectively assess the prevalence of orthoptic
      anomalies following conservative management of pure blowout orbital fractures and
      to evaluate their clinical relevance. Clinical and radiologic data of patients
      with unilateral conservatively managed pure blowout orbital fractures with a
      minimum follow-up of 6 months were reviewed. Eligible patients were contacted and
      invited to undergo an extended ophthalmologic examination as follows: distance
      and near visual acuities, Hertel exophthalmometry, corneal light reflex
      (Hirschberg test), ductions and versions in the 6 cardinal fields of gaze, eye
      deviation with prisms and alternate cover test in all of the 9-gaze directions
      with Maddox rod, degrees of incyclo/excyclotorsion with right and left eye
      fixation, horizontal and vertical deviation with Hess-Weiss coordimetry, degree
      of horizontal/vertical and incyclo/excyclotorsion deviation with Harms wall
      deviometry, and vertical deviation with Bielschowsky head-tilt test. Of the 69
      patients contacted, 49 declined to participate given that they were asymptomatic.
      Twenty patients agreed to undergo the examination. One patient complained of
      minimal double vision limited to the extreme downgaze. Four patients had
      asymptomatic ocular motility disturbances limited to the extreme gaze. Seven
      patients had asymptomatic horizontal heterophoria. These disturbances did not
      interfere with daily or professional activities in any of the patients. The
      current study demonstrated that conservative management of pure orbital blowout
      fractures can result in orthoptic anomalies. These sequelae were restricted to a
      very limited portion of the binocular field of the vision and were not found to
      be clinically relevant. 

PMID- 26102540
TI  - New Screw Design for Securing Buried Distractors Usefulness and Ease of Removal.
AB  - There are 2 types of distraction devices for mandibular distraction: buried and
      external. The advantage of buried devices is the stability, but the difficulty in
      removing the screws is the greatest disadvantage. To resolve this problem, an
      osteosynthesis screw (Farina Screw) has been designed, which greatly facilitates
      its removal when buried distractors are used. 

PMID- 26102541
TI  - The Risk of Blepharoptosis in Contact Lens Wearers.
AB  - The aim of this systematic review was to summarize and evaluate the risk of
      blepharoptosis in contact lens wearers. In a PubMed search, 393 papers were found
      using the terms "lens and ptosis." The abstracts were read and 16 full text
      articles were reviewed. Among them, 5 articles were analyzed. Five studies were
      subgrouped and a meta-analysis of these data suggested there is an increased risk
      of blepharoptosis in hard contact lens wearers over nonwearers (n = 7426, OR,
      17.38, 95% CI = 3.71-81.29, P < 0.00001). One study was subgrouped and these data
      suggested there is also an increased risk of blepharoptosis in soft contact lens
      wearers over nonwearers (n = 90, OR, 8.12, 95% CI = 2.68-24.87, P < 0.0002).
      Patients wearing rigid contact lenses should be advised of the risk of ptosis,
      and a history of contact lens use should be sought in all patients who have
      acquired ptosis as the previous authors have recommended. 

PMID- 26102542
TI  - Late Scalp Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

PMID- 26102543
TI  - Frontal Sinolith.
AB  - Sinolith in the paranasal sinus is still a rare entity. A sinolith in the frontal
      sinus is extremely rare, and only 2 patients have been reported in the English
      literature. Herein, the authors present an additional patient of frontal sinolith
      in a 78-year-old woman. The patient was preoperatively diagnosed with fungus ball
      of the frontal sinus, based on radio-opaque densities on computed tomography.
      Endoscopic surgery was performed and surgical biopsy was interpreted as sinolith.
      Clinical manifestations of frontal sinolith, including imaging study findings,
      are discussed with a review of the literature pertaining to this condition.
      Despite its rarity, frontal sinolith should be considered in the differential
      diagnosis of radio-densities in the frontal sinus. 

PMID- 26102544
TI  - Effectiveness and Safety of Selective Neck Dissection in Lymph Node-Positive
      Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of
      selective neck dissection in patients with lymph node-positive head and neck
      squamous cell carcinoma to determine regional control and survival rates. Eighty
      patients with lymph node-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who
      underwent selective dissection were included in the study. Regional control,
      survival rates, and factors affecting survival were analyzed. Regional control
      was 90%, disease-specific survival was 93.4%, and the overall survival rate was
      87.25%. T stage, N stage, age, and extracapsular spread were included in hazard
      regression models. None of the factors were statistically significant. Selective
      neck dissection is an effective and oncologically safe treatment option in
      selected cases. T stage, N stage, and extracapsular spread had no significant
      impact on disease-specific survival. 

PMID- 26102545
TI  - Aging as the Impact Factor on Septoplasty Success.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to discuss the impact of aging on septoplasty
      success. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This prospective case control study was
      conducted at the Umraniye Education and Research Hospital. METHODS: Our study
      group consists of 23 patients older than 60-year-old who have septal deviation
      and have previously been postponed for this surgery due to various reasons.
      Twenty-six patients under 40-year-old are randomly chosen as the control group
      who were running to septoplasty. Postoperative Glasgow Benefit Inventory Index,
      preoperative and postoperative NOSE score, and nasal mucociliary clearance time
      (MCCt) were noted for both the groups. All collected data were compared between
      the groups. RESULTS: In both the groups, postoperative NOSE scores decreased
      significantly compared to preoperative values (P < 0.01). This decrease was not
      significantly different between the groups. In both the groups, a significant
      decrease was noted in nasal MCCt with surgery (P = 0.004). However, this
      difference between two groups was not statistically significant. In addition, the
      Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) index of control group was notably higher than
      the study group and this was statistically significant (P = 0.027). Also, the
      decrease of NOSE scores was conversely related to high GBI indexes and this is
      statistically significant (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: For many surgical procedures,
      aging is considered as one of the important prognostic factors on success. To
      date no study in the literature discussed this relationship between aging and the
      success of septoplasty. At this point, our results showed that septoplasty is a
      successfully performed procedure in all ages. But, satisfaction of patients is
      statistically decreasing with aging.

PMID- 26102546
TI  - Giant Solitary Fibrous Tumor of Orbit.
AB  - Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) have been reported in various locations in the
      body. Solitary fibrous tumors are extremely rare tumors, especially when located
      in the orbit. Diagnosis of SFT cannot be made based on histopathology only
      because it exhibits a variable microscopic appearance, and necessitates
      immunohistochemistry to confirm the diagnosis. A 51-year-old man was admitted to
      our clinic for the evaluation of a mass bulging in his left eye. Clinical
      examination revealed a painless mass extruding out of the orbital cavity with
      dimensions of 8 * 7  cm. Exenteration of the left eye including the upper and
      lower eyelid and reconstruction of the orbital cavity using a temporoparietal
      fascia flap and a temporal muscle flap was performed. SFT of orbital region is
      known as a slow growing and painless tumor. Based on previous studies, increased
      mitotic rate of the tumor gives the impression that the tumor has a malignant
      nature. Until now a small number or orbital SFTs were reported and none of them
      presented with a giant mass protruding out of the orbital cavity. We present a
      unique case of orbital SFT filling the whole orbital cavity and protruding
      outward as a giant mass. This case has been reported to expand our knowledge in
      this debated entity.

PMID- 26102547
TI  - [Factors associated with preterm birth in an urban African environment: A case
      control study at the University Teaching Hospital of Ouagadougou and Saint
      Camille Medical Center].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the risk factors associated with preterm delivery in two busy
      obstetrics centers in Ouagadougou. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective case
      control study included 115 women with preterm deliveries and 230 control
      patients, or two controls per case, recruited from January through June 2011. The
      study took place in the maternity and neonatology departments of the University
      Hospital Center Yalgado-Ouedraogo (UHC-YO) and the Saint-Camille medical center,
      in the same city. Stillbirths were excluded from the study. Case infants were
      born at gestational ages ranging from 28 to 37 weeks. RESULTS: During the study
      period, the preterm delivery rate was 6.1%. Multivariate analysis with logistic
      regression enabled us to identify the factors associated with preterm delivery.
      These factors were: advanced maternal age (>30 years) (OR = 0.4 [0.2-0.8]),
      history of intentional abortions (OR = 3.3 [1.43-7.6], high stress (OR = 4.03
      [2.14-3.39]), too few prenatal care visits (OR = 4.92 [3.03-8]), fever during
      pregnancy (OR = 1.59 [1.01-2.5]), premature rupture of membranes (OR = 3.72 [1.11
      4.34]), urinary infections (OR = 2.55 [1.55-4.19]), and threatened preterm
      delivery (OR = 3.3 [1.43-7.6]). CONCLUSION: Preterm delivery is very frequent at
      both these Ouagadougou health care facilities. Many factors are associated with
      preterm birth, including social and demographic as well as clinical
      characteristics. The effort to reduce the rate of preterm births, which are
      associated with neonatal morbidity, must be strengthened by refocusing on
      prenatal consultations.

PMID- 26102548
TI  - Computerized measurement of melanocytic tumor depth in skin histopathological
      images.
AB  - Measuring the tumor depth of invasion in skin tissue is of great importance for
      decision making in treatment of melanoma. Traditionally, measuring the tumor
      depth is based on the examination of histopathological slides by pathologist
      under the microscope which is time consuming and prone to intra and inter
      observer variability. In this paper, we propose a method for computer assisted
      measurement of tumor depth. At first, cornified layer is segmented based on
      entropy of the ridges detected in the image. Then, segmentation of cells nuclei
      is done using color features and active contour model. Melanocytes are
      distinguished from lymphocytes by applying convergence index filter and Fourier
      feature extraction. Experimental results indicate that the method performs well
      in automated measurement of tumor invasion depth. 

PMID- 26102549
TI  - The standardized Lycium chinense fruit extract protects against Alzheimer's
      disease in 3xTg-AD mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. This
      disease is a progressive and irreversible brain disorder accompanied with severe
      learning and memory impairment. This study investigated whether treatment with
      standardized Lycii Fructus Extract (LFE) would improve the cognitive function and
      the pathological features of AD in 3xTg-AD mice. ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:
      Lycii Fructus is a fruit of Lycium chinense Miller and widely distributed in East
      Asia and has been used traditionally for anti-aging purposes. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The cognitive function of 3xTg-AD mice was assessed using the Morris
      water maze test. The levels of the amyloid beta deposits and NeuN in the
      hippocampus were evaluated with immunohistochemistry. Brain neurotrophic derived
      factor (BDNF) and tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) expressions were examined by western
      blot analysis. RESULTS: LFE treatment significantly ameliorated learning and
      memory deficits in AD mice, as shown by increased time spent in the target zone
      during probe tests. In addition, LFE significantly decreased Abeta deposits,
      increased NeuN-positive cells, and upregulated the expression of BDNF and TrkB in
      the 3xTg AD mice. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that LFE treatment can
      be a useful strategy for treating memory impairment induced by several
      neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID- 26102550
TI  - Antibacterial mode of action of the hydroethanolic extract of Leonotis
      nepetifolia (L.) R. Br. involves bacterial membrane perturbations.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Leonotis nepetifolia (L) R. Br., Lamiaceae, a
      pantropical shrub, popularly known in Brazil as "cordao-de-frade", "rubim", is
      reportedly used in Brazilian ethnomedicine as well as in different countries in
      the treatments of ailments such as infections, inflammations, wounds, stomach
      disorders, among others. AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate its potential cytotoxicity
      and antibacterial mode of action of the hydroethanolic extract of L. nepetifolia
      (HELn) leaves, including phytochemical analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      cytotoxicity of HELn was investigated by Alamar blue assay, using CHO-K1 cells.
      Antibacterial activity of HELn was tested by broth microdilution methods against
      a panel of bacteria of clinical interest. The mode of action of L. nepetifolia
      was studied by targeting bacterial membranes. Phytochemical analysis was
      performed by determining total secondary metabolites with spectrophotometric
      assays and HPLC. RESULTS: HELn is not cytotoxic in the in vitro evaluation
      (IC50>200 MUg/mL). It demonstrated a good spectrum of antibacterial activity with
      major activity against Shigella flexneri, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus
      aureus and Bacillus subtilis with MIC=6.25 ug/mL, Helicobacter pylori with MIC of
      25 ug/mL and Streptococcus pyogenes with MIC of 50 ug/mL. Its mode of action is
      associated, at least partly, with changes in the permeability of bacterial
      membranes, as evidenced by the increased entry of hydrophobic antibiotics in
      Shigella flexneri and intense efflux of K(+) and nucleotide leakage in E.
      faecalis and Shigella flexneri. In addition, the presence of phenols, flavonoids
      and carotenoids, described in the literature to possess antibacterial effects,
      were detected in the composition of HELn, with high phenol content (11.55%),
      especially the flavonoids (6.47%). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that HELn has
      low cytotoxicity and potent antibacterial activity. It is bacteriostatic in
      nature, possibly acting at the level of bacterial membranes, especially on the
      cytoplasmic membrane and outer membrane, thus supporting its popular use in
      infectious processes. In addition, the presence of phenols, flavonoids,
      carotenoids, fatty acids and steroids, described in the literature as possessing
      antimicrobial activity, were detected in the composition of HELn.

PMID- 26102551
TI  - Traditional preparation of Phaleria nisidai, a Palauan tea, reduces exposure to
      toxic daphnane-type diterpene esters while maintaining immunomodulatory activity.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The leaves of Phaleria nisidai Kaneh.
      (Thymelaeaceae) are brewed into a tea commonly used as a tonic, strengthening
      beverage and immune enhancer in Palau, Micronesia. Recently, the leaves of P.
      nisidai have been shown to contain toxic daphnane diterpene esters which may pose
      a public health threat to Palauans. AIMS OF THE STUDY: This project documents the
      use frequency, preparation and side effects of P. nisidai. The content of
      daphnane diterpene esters in aqueous and methanol extracts and infusions prepared
      by healers in Palau is compared to assess the risk of daphnane ingestion
      associated with traditional consumption. Quantitative results are correlated with
      an in vitro assessment of the immunomodulating activity of the extracts.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Research participants, comprising traditional healers and
      laypeople, were interviewed concerning use patterns and side effects of P.
      nisidai. Several traditional healers prepared and provided boiled tea samples for
      chemical analysis. Leaves were collected and methanolic and aqueous extractions
      were prepared in the laboratory. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were
      cultured with various concentrations of methanol and aqueous leaf extracts and
      their output of IFNgamma was measured using ELISA. Cell proliferation was also
      assessed using the MTT assay. The concentration of selected daphnane diterpene
      esters in healer-prepared infusions, lab methanol and lab aqueous extracts was
      quantified using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-triple
      quadrupole detection (UPLC-MS-TQD). RESULTS: Through structured interviews it was
      determined that P. nisidai tea was used frequently, with many participants
      drinking it daily. The reported side effects were mild, and with the exception of
      diarrhea (n=2), no side effect was mentioned more than once. Methanol extracts
      contained 4.0MUg simplexin, 17.6MUg acetoxyhuratoxin and 2.3MUg huratoxin per g
      dry leaf material. In traditional water infusions provided by healers and in
      standardized lab-prepared aqueous extracts all three compounds were below the
      limit of detection (16.3ng/mL) using our UPLC-MS-TQD method. Methanol and aqueous
      extracts increased the release of IFNgamma by PBMCs (p<0.05); however, methanol
      extracts were significantly more active than aqueous extracts (p<0.05). Methanol
      and aqueous extracts significantly increased proliferation of PBMCs, causing at
      least 60% more cell proliferation than negative control (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      The presence of daphnane diterpene esters in a frequently consumed traditional
      beverage was initially viewed as a public health concern, though interview data
      reveal that Palauans do not observe toxicity or side effects associated with
      their use of P. nisidai tea. Concurrently, daphnanes are present in methanolic
      extracts but not detected in aqueous preparations indicating that the traditional
      method of preparation avoids the extraction of these potentially toxic compounds,
      while still maintaining immunostimulant activity.

PMID- 26102552
TI  - Pilot study that evaluated the clinical effectiveness and safety of a
      phytopharmaceutical elaborated with an extract of Ageratina pichinchensis in
      patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The plant species Ageratina pichinchensis
      (Schauer) R.M.King & H.Rob. (Asteraceae) in a wild plant native to Mexico that is
      utilized in traditional medicine for the treatment of skin problems and for mouth
      ulcers. AIM OF THE STUDY: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the
      clinical effectiveness and therapeutic safety of a phytopharmaceutical elaborated
      with a unpigmented hexane-ethyl acetate extract of A. pichinchensis at a
      concentration of 5% in patients with a clinical condition of Minor Recurrent
      aphthous stomatitis (MiRAS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a double-blind,
      randomized, and controlled pilot study in which the experimental treatment was a
      phytopharmaceutical elaborated with a unpigmented hexane-ethyl acetate extract of
      A. pichinchensis at a 5% concentration and, as control treatment, we utilized
      Triamcinolone at 0.1%. Study participants were patients with a diagnosis of
      MiRAS, elderly males and females, with a disease evolution of no. >3 days. Lesion
      size was measured by means of a tracing sheet and pain, by the Visual analog
      scale (VAS). Output variables comprised clinical effectiveness, treatment
      adherence, therapeutic failure, and therapeutic success. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:
      Fifty six patients participated in the study and we distributed these into two
      study groups (28 in each group). The results obtained did not show statistically
      significant differences between the experimental and the control treatments.
      Among patients treated with the A. pichinchensis extract, the time required for
      achieving the absence of pain was 4.0 days, while that of the control treatment
      was 4.1 days. In patients treated with A. pichinchensis, the time necessary for
      healing was 4.5 days and for the Triamcinolone 0.1%-treated group, this was 4.7
      days. Greater clinical effectiveness was evidenced on days 2, 3, and 4 of
      treatment. During the first 7 follow-up days, there was clinical effectiveness in
      92.8% of experimental-group and in 89.2% of control-group patients. At the end of
      the study, 100% therapeutic effectiveness was able to be scored.

PMID- 26102553
TI  - This divided land: An examination of regional inequalities in exposure to
      brownfield land and the association with morbidity and mortality in England.
AB  - This paper is the first empirical examination of the association between
      brownfield land and spatial inequalities in health. Linear mixed modelling of
      ward-level data suggests that there is higher exposure and susceptibility to
      brownfield land in the Northern compared to the Southern regions (with the
      exception of London); that brownfield exposure has an association with regional
      inequalities in mortality and morbidity within regions (particularly in the North
      West); that brownfield has an association with inequalities between regions
      (particularly between the North West and the South East); but that brownfield
      land only makes a small independent contribution to the North-South health divide
      in England. However, brownfield land could be a potentially important and
      previously overlooked independent environmental determinant of spatial
      inequalities in health in England. 

PMID- 26102554
TI  - Fate of Alicyclobacillus spp. in enrichment broth and in juice concentrates.
AB  - In this study, the fate of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris spores in different
      types of juice concentrates stored under different conditions was investigated.
      In addition, the impact of dilution procedures during the enrichment step for the
      detection of Alicyclobacillus in lemon juice concentrates was studied. Pear, red
      grape, mango, tangerine, carrot and lemon juice concentrates (50-69.4 degrees
      Brix, pH1.7-4.3) were inoculated with A. acidoterrestris spores (10(3) spore/mL)
      and stored at 4  degrees C and 20  degrees C, after which the spores were counted
      at 0, 2, 5, 9, 17, 21, 28, 36, 43, and 50 days. No significant differences in the
      number of Alicyclobacillus spores were observed at storage temperatures of 4 
      degrees C and 20  degrees C (p>0.05). The results also indicated that the number
      of spores of A. acidoterrestris remained stable in all types of juice
      concentrates during the storage period, except in lemon juice concentrate. In
      lemon juice concentrate, a decline in A. acidoterrestris spore populations of 0.3
      0.8 log CFU/mL was observed within 5-10 days of storage. The decline in A.
      acidoterrestris spore populations was more pronounced in cloudy lemon juice
      concentrate, which contained higher concentrations of flavonoids (mainly
      eriocitrin and hesperidin) than clarified lemon juice concentrate. It was also
      found that dilution of lemon juice concentrate samples in the proportion of 1:19
      allowed the germination of A. acidoterrestris spores and the growth of
      populations of up to 10(7) CFU/mL. In contrast, the proportion (1:9) recommended
      in internationally recognized methods led to a reduction in the population of
      this microorganism that would yield false negative results. Data presented in
      this study demonstrated that Alicyclobacillus spores remain stable in most juice
      concentrates during storage, but that natural antimicrobial compounds present in
      some of them may decrease spore counts and inhibit their recovery by detection
      procedures.

PMID- 26102555
TI  - Towards spatially smart abatement of human pharmaceuticals in surface waters:
      Defining impact of sewage treatment plants on susceptible functions.
AB  - For human pharmaceuticals, sewage treatment plants (STPs) are a major point of
      entry to surface waters. The receiving waters provide vital functions. Modeling
      the impact of STPs on susceptible functions of the surface water system allows
      for a spatially smart implementation of abatement options at, or in the service
      area of, STPs. This study was performed on a nation-wide scale for the
      Netherlands. Point source emissions included were 345 Dutch STPs and nine rivers
      from neighboring countries. The Dutch surface waters were represented by 2511
      surface water units. Modeling was performed for two extreme discharge conditions.
      Monitoring data of 7 locations along the rivers Rhine and Meuse fall mostly
      within the range of modeled concentrations. Half of the abstracted volumes of raw
      water for drinking water production, and a quarter of the Natura 2000 areas
      (European Union nature protection areas) hosted by the surface waters, are
      influenced by STPs at low discharge. The vast majority of the total impact of all
      Dutch STPs during both discharge conditions can be attributed to only 19% of the
      STPs with regard to the drinking water function, and to 39% of the STPs with
      regard to the Natura 2000 function. Attributing water treatment technologies to
      STPs as one of the possible measures to improve water quality and protect
      susceptible functions can be done in a spatially smart and cost-effective way,
      using consumption-based detailed hydrological and water quality modeling. 

PMID- 26102556
TI  - Thulium Laser Endoscopic En Bloc Enucleation of Nonmuscle-Invasive Bladder
      Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate if thulium laser enucleation of bladder tumor (ThuLEBT)
      offers any advantage over monopolar resection of nonmuscle-invasive bladder
      cancer (NMIBC) without increasing complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From
      February 2012 to September 2013, 58 patients (41 males and 17 females) newly
      diagnosed with having a single papillary bladder tumor more than 1 cm in diameter
      were selected for this prospective study on ThuLEBT. A similar historical cohort
      of 61 patients who underwent traditional monopolar resection (TURB-T) of NMIBC
      (Group B) was used to compare the two procedures. RESULTS: Mean tumor diameter in
      the ThuLEBT group was 2.5 cm (range 0.5-4.5). Mean operative time was 25 minutes
      (range 12-30). Re-resection and cold cup biopsy of the tumor base (in 90 days)
      were negative for bladder cancer (BC) persistence or recurrence in all patients
      with NMIBC treated with ThuLEBT. In Group B, seven patients were found with
      disease persistence. In eight cases of TURB-T patients, no detrusor muscle was
      identified, while it was always easily identified in the ThuLEBT group. No
      patient in Group A experienced obturator nerve reflection intraoperatively and no
      bladder perforation was evidenced in dome-located neoplasm; when involved,
      ureteral meatus was sharply excised without subsequent postoperative evidence of
      distortion. No significant intraoperative or postoperative bleeding occurred in
      all but one patient in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: ThuLEBT may represent a
      potential alternative to TURB-T, which nowadays is considered the standard for
      diagnosis and treatment of NMBIC. In our study, ThuLEBT allowed accurate
      reporting of neoplastic depth invasion, suggesting the possibility to avoid a
      second-look resection at 90 days. All the different intravesical sites of the BC
      may be enucleated with the thulium laser, which offers advantages over the
      monopolar energy, especially when the tumor is located in the lateral bladder
      wall, at the bladder dome, or in the perimeatal zone.

PMID- 26102557
TI  - Transcriptome of the Antarctic brooding gastropod mollusc Margarella antarctica.
AB  - 454 RNA-Seq transcriptome data were generated from foot tissue of the Antarctic
      brooding gastropod mollusc Margarella antarctica. A total of 6195 contigs were
      assembled de novo, providing a useful resource for researchers with an interest
      in Antarctic marine species, phylogenetics and mollusc biology, especially shell
      production. 

PMID- 26102558
TI  - Occurrence of Natural Hybrids Among Sympatric Karyomorphs in Hoplerythrinus
      unitaeniatus (Characiformes, Erythrinidae).
AB  - In this study, 43 specimens of Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus from the Sao Francisco
      River basin were chromosomally analyzed by conventional Giemsa staining, C
      banding, silver nitrate impregnation, and fluorescence in situ hybridization
      (FISH) with probes of 5S and 18S rDNA. The diploid numbers found were 50 and 52
      chromosomes, showing the existence of two well-defined biological entities in
      sympatry. Specimens with 51 chromosomes, which showed three distinct karyotypic
      forms, were also found and are characterized as natural hybrids due to the
      correspondence with the chromosomes of the specimens with 50 and 52 chromosomes.
      By FISH using 5S and 18S rDNA probes, it was possible to detect specific
      chromosomal markers for the specimens with 50 and 52 chromosomes, as well as the
      occurrence of common sites in both. The specimens with 51 chromosomes showed
      intermediate patterns for these markers, reinforcing the hypothesis that these
      are actual natural hybrids. A review and new classification for the karyomorphs
      of H. unitaeniatus have also been proposed. 

PMID- 26102559
TI  - Reliability of an experimental method to analyse the impact point on a golf ball
      during putting.
AB  - This study aimed to examine the reliability of an experimental method identifying
      the location of the impact point on a golf ball during putting. Forty trials were
      completed using a mechanical putting robot set to reproduce a putt of 3.2 m, with
      four different putter-ball combinations. After locating the centre of the dimple
      pattern (centroid) the following variables were tested; distance of the impact
      point from the centroid, angle of the impact point from the centroid and distance
      of the impact point from the centroid derived from the X, Y coordinates. Good to
      excellent reliability was demonstrated in all impact variables reflected in very
      strong relative (ICC = 0.98-1.00) and absolute reliability (SEM% = 0.9-4.3%). The
      highest SEM% observed was 7% for the angle of the impact point from the centroid.
      In conclusion, the experimental method was shown to be reliable at locating the
      centroid location of a golf ball, therefore allowing for the identification of
      the point of impact with the putter head and is suitable for use in subsequent
      studies.

PMID- 26102562
TI  - Using the transit of Venus to probe the upper planetary atmosphere.
AB  - During a planetary transit, atoms with high atomic number absorb short-wavelength
      radiation in the upper atmosphere, and the planet should appear larger during a
      primary transit observed in high-energy bands than in the optical band. Here we
      measure the radius of Venus with subpixel accuracy during the transit in 2012
      observed in the optical, ultraviolet and soft X-rays with Hinode and Solar
      Dynamics Observatory missions. We find that, while Venus's optical radius is
      about 80 km larger than the solid body radius (the top of clouds and haze), the
      radius increases further by >70 km in the extreme ultraviolet and soft X-rays.
      This measures the altitude of the densest ion layers of Venus's ionosphere (CO2
      and CO), useful for planning missions in situ, and a benchmark case for detecting
      transits of exoplanets in high-energy bands with future missions, such as the ESA
      Athena. 

PMID- 26102560
TI  - Gender modulates the development of theta event related oscillations in
      adolescents and young adults.
AB  - The developmental trajectories of theta band (4-7 Hz) event-related oscillations
      (EROs), a key neurophysiological constituent of the P3 response, were assessed in
      2170 adolescents and young adults ages 12 to 25. The theta EROs occurring in the
      P3 response, important indicators of neurocognitive function, were elicited
      during the evaluation of task-relevant target stimuli in visual and auditory
      oddball tasks. These tasks call upon attentional and working memory resources.
      Large differences in developmental rates between males and females were found;
      scalp location and task modality (visual or auditory) differences within males
      and females were small compared to gender differences. Trajectories of
      interregional and intermodal correlations between ERO power values exhibited
      increases with age in both genders, but showed a divergence in development
      between auditory and visual systems during ages 16 to 21. These results are
      consistent with previous electrophysiological and imaging studies and provide
      additional temporal detail about the development of neurophysiological indices of
      cognitive activity. Since measures of the P3 response has been found to be a
      useful endophenotypes for the study of a number of clinical and behavioral
      disorders, studies of its development in adolescents and young adults may
      illuminate neurophysiological factors contributing to the onset of these
      conditions.

PMID- 26102561
TI  - Sex and strain influence attribution of incentive salience to reward cues in
      mice.
AB  - The propensity to attribute incentive salience to reward cues, measured by
      Pavlovian sign-tracking, is strongly associated with addiction-related traits
      including cocaine self-administration, impulsivity, novelty reactivity, and
      novelty preference. Despite its critical role in addiction, the genetic
      underpinnings of incentive salience attribution and its relationship to drug
      addiction are unknown. Mouse genetics can be a powerful means to discover genetic
      mechanisms underlying this relationship. However, feasibility of genetic
      dissection of sign-tracking in mice is unknown as only a single study limited to
      male C57BL/6J mice has rigorously examined this behavior, and limited sign
      tracking was observed. Highly diverse mouse populations such as the Collaborative
      Cross (CC) and Diversity Outbred population (DO) possess a greater range of
      behavioral and genetic variation than conventional laboratory strains. In the
      present study, we evaluated sign-tracking and the related phenotype goal-tracking
      in mice of both sexes from five inbred CC and DO founder strains. Male CAST/EiJ
      mice exhibited robust sign-tracking; male NOD, male C57BL/6J, and female A/J mice
      also exhibited significant sign-tracking. Male and female mice from all strains
      exhibited significant goal-tracking, and significant strain and sex differences
      were observed. Sign-tracking in males was genetically correlated with exploration
      of a novel environment, and heritability of sign-tracking and goal-tracking
      ranged from .32 to .41. These data highlight the importance of considering
      genetic diversity when evaluating the occurrence of specific behavioral traits in
      the laboratory mouse and demonstrate that the CC and DO mouse populations can be
      used to discover mechanisms underlying genetic relationships among sign-tracking
      and addiction-related behaviors. 

PMID- 26102563
TI  - CARD15 gene overexpression reduces effect of etanercept, infliximab, and
      adalimumab on cytokine secretion from PMA activated U937 cells.
AB  - Crohn's disease (CD), a subcategory of inflammatory bowel disease, is an immune
      related disorder characterized by inflammation of the gastrointestinal mucosa,
      which can take place in any region along the alimentary tract. The most important
      gene involved in the etiology of CD is NOD2/CARD15 located on chromosome 16. It
      has been shown that CARD15 is overexpressed in monocytes of CD patients. The
      common treatment for the disease is anti-TNF-alpha drugs, the most hopeful of
      which are probably infliximab and etanercept. Infliximab rapidly reduces signs
      and symptoms of active Crohn's disease. In contrast, etanercept shows no such
      effect. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of the CARD15 gene
      overexpression in monocytic cell line U937 in the production of anti-inflammatory
      cytokine, IL-10, and proinflammatory cytokine, Il-1 beta, produced after
      incubation with infliximab, adalimumab, and etanercept separately. Our results
      show that infliximab and adalimumab significantly decreased IL-10 and IL-1beta
      secretion levels. However, etanercept inhibition of secretion was less compared
      with infliximab or adalimumab. In all three cases, suppression of cytokine
      production is reduced by CARD15 overexpression. 

PMID- 26102564
TI  - Ursolic acid enhances pentobarbital-induced sleeping behaviors via GABAergic
      neurotransmission in mice.
AB  - Prunella vulgaris is widely used as a herbal medicine for cancers, inflammatory
      diseases, and other infections. Although it has long been used, few studies have
      examined its effects on central nervous system function. Here, we first observed
      that ethanolic extracts of P. vulgaris (EEPV) prolonged pentobarbital-induced
      sleep duration in mice. It is known that EEPV consists of many active components
      including triterpenoid (ursolic acid and oleanolic acid), which have many
      biological activities. Therefore, we evaluated which EEPV components induced
      sleep extension in pentobarbital-mediated sleeping model in mice. Surprisingly,
      despite their structural similarity and other common functions such as anti
      inflammation, anti-cancer, and tissue protection, only ursolic acid enhanced
      sleep duration in pentobarbital-treated mice. These results were attenuated by
      bicuculline treatment, which is a GABAA receptor antagonist. The present results
      suggest that ursolic acid from P. vulgaris enhances sleep duration through GABAA
      receptor activation and could be a therapeutic candidate for insomnia treatment. 

PMID- 26102565
TI  - Aegeline from Aegle marmelos stimulates glucose transport via Akt and Rac1
      signaling, and contributes to a cytoskeletal rearrangement through PI3K/Rac1.
AB  - Aegeline is an alkaloidal-amide, isolated from the leaves of Aegle marmelos and
      have shown antihyperglycemic as well as antidyslipidemic activities in the
      validated animal models of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here we delineate, aegeline
      enhanced GLUT4 translocation mediated 2-deoxy-glucose uptake in both time and
      concentration-dependent manner. 2-deoxy-glucose uptake was completely stymied by
      the transport inhibitors (wortmannin and genistein) in C2C12 myotubes.
      Pharmacological inhibition of Akt (also known as protein kinase B) and Ras
      related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) suggest that both Akt and Rac1
      operate aegeline-stimulated glucose transport via distinct parallel pathways.
      Moreover, aegeline activates p21 protein-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) and cofilin
      (an actin polymerization regulator). Rac1 inhibitor (Rac1 inhib II) and PAK1
      inhibitor (IPA-3) completely blocked aegeline-induced phosphorylation of cofilin
      and p21 protein-activated kinase 1 (PAK1). In summary, these findings suggest
      that aegeline stimulates the glucose transport through Akt and Rac1 dependent
      distinct parallel pathways and have cytoskeletal roles via stimulation of the PI3
      kinase-Rac1-PAK1-cofilin pathway in the skeletal muscle cells. Therefore,
      multiple targets of aegeline in the improvement of insulin sensitivity of the
      skeletal muscle cells may be suggested. 

PMID- 26102566
TI  - Effects of beta(3)-adrenoceptor activation on expression of pancreatic
      adrenoceptors and angiotensin II receptors in ApoE(-/-) mice.
AB  - Hyperlipidemia can be harmful to the pancreas and beta3-adrenoceptor agonist can
      improve lipid metabolism disorder. We aimed to study the effects of beta3
      adrenoceptor activation on glucose, insulin and the expression of pancreatic
      adrenoceptors and angiotensin II receptors. Ten C57BL/6J mice at the age of 10
      weeks served as normal control, and forty age-matched apolipoprotein E knockout
      (ApoE(-/-)) mice were randomly divided into hyperlipidaemia model group, low-dose
      and high-dose beta3-adrenoceptor agonist group and beta3-adrenoceptor antagonist
      group. After 26 weeks of high-fat diet, treatments were given for 12 weeks. Serum
      glucose and insulin levels in 48 weeks old mice were measured using an automatic
      biochemical detector. Quantitative rt-PCR and Western blot were used to analyze
      the mRNA and protein expression of alpha1A-, alpha2A-, beta2-, beta3
      adrenoceptors and angiotensin II type 1 and type 2 receptors in pancreas. We
      found that beta3-adrenoceptor agonist could decrease serum glucose and insulin
      levels in aged ApoE(-/-) mice (P<0.01) and down-regulate the expression of
      alpha1A-adrenoceptor and angiotensin II type 1 receptor which were significantly
      increased in model mice (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model mice, alpha2A-,
      beta2-, beta3-adrenoceptor and angiotensin II type 2 receptor expression were up
      regulated in beta3-adrenoceptor agonist treat mice (P<0.05, P<0.01). These
      results suggest that chronic beta3-adrenoceptor activation regulated the
      expression of adrenoceptors and angiontensin II receptors towards contrary
      direction, which indicates that there are interactions between beta3-adrenoceptor
      and subtypes of adrenoceptor and angiotensin II receptor, and these interactions
      may play a protective role in pancreas and improve glucose metabolism disorders. 

PMID- 26102567
TI  - Assessing complex cognitive functioning requires multiple tasks.

PMID- 26102568
TI  - Targets but not flankers are suppressed in crowding as revealed by EEG frequency
      tagging.
AB  - Perception of a visual target can strongly deteriorate in the presence of
      flanking elements (crowding). For example, adding lines next to a vernier makes
      vernier offset discrimination difficult. Crowding is often considered a
      bottleneck of low-level vision, determined by the unavoidable limitations of the
      early visual system. In accordance with this proposal, neural processing of the
      flankers should be impaired in crowding as much as that of the target. To test
      this prediction, we used steady-state visually evoked potentials (ssVEPs) to
      separate target responses from flanker responses. We presented a vernier target
      either alone or flanked by lines, which had the same color as the vernier or a
      different color. Crowding by same-color flankers was stronger than by different
      color flankers. Mirroring the behavioral results, ssVEP amplitudes corresponding
      to the target were higher for different-color flankers than for same-color
      flankers. Flanker related ssVEPs, however, did not depend on crowding strength.
      It seems that target, but not flanker processing, is susceptible to crowding. In
      line with previous results, we suggest that crowding is not caused by low-level
      interferences but is linked to target-flanker grouping instead. 

PMID- 26102569
TI  - What drives selection on flowering time? An experimental manipulation of the
      inherent correlation between genotype and environment.
AB  - The optimal timing of the seasonal switch from somatic growth to reproduction can
      depend on an individual's condition at reproduction, the quality of the
      environment in which it will reproduce, or both. In annual plants, vegetative
      size (a function of age at flowering) affects resources available for seed
      production, whereas exposure to mutualists, antagonists, and abiotic stresses in
      the environment (functions of Julian date of flowering) influences success in
      converting resources into offspring. The inherent tight correlation between age,
      size, and environment obscures their independent fitness contributions. We
      isolated the fitness effects of these factors by experimentally manipulating the
      correlation between age at flowering and date of flowering in Brassica rapa. We
      staggered the planting dates of families with differing ages at flowering to
      produce experimental populations in which age at flowering and date of flowering
      were positively, negatively, or uncorrelated. In all populations, plants with an
      early date of flowering produced more seed than those flowering late, regardless
      of age or size at flowering onset. The temporal environment was thus the
      principal driver of selection on flowering time, but its importance relative to
      that of age and size varied with the presence/absence of herbivores and seed
      predators.

PMID- 26102570
TI  - Bayesian model-averaged benchmark dose analysis via reparameterized quantal
      response models.
AB  - An important objective in biomedical and environmental risk assessment is
      estimation of minimum exposure levels that induce a pre-specified adverse
      response in a target population. The exposure points in such settings are
      typically referred to as benchmark doses (BMDs). Parametric Bayesian estimation
      for finding BMDs has grown in popularity, and a large variety of candidate dose
      response models is available for applying these methods. Each model can possess
      potentially different parametric interpretation(s), however. We present
      reparameterized dose-response models that allow for explicit use of prior
      information on the target parameter of interest, the BMD. We also enhance our
      Bayesian estimation technique for BMD analysis by applying Bayesian model
      averaging to produce point estimates and (lower) credible bounds, overcoming
      associated questions of model adequacy when multimodel uncertainty is present. An
      example from carcinogenicity testing illustrates the calculations. 

PMID- 26102571
TI  - Influence of Age on Cerebral Housekeeping Gene Expression for Normalization of
      Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction after Acute Brain Injury in Mice.
AB  - To prevent methodological errors of quantitative PCR (qPCR) normalization with
      reference genes is obligatory. Although known to influence gene expression,
      impact of age on housekeeping gene expression has not been determined after acute
      brain lesions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI). Therefore, expression of
      eight common control genes was investigated at 15 min, 24 h, and 72 h after
      experimental TBI in 2- and 21-month-old C57Bl6 mice. Expression of beta2
      microglobulin (B2M), beta-actin (ActB), and porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD)
      increased after TBI in both ages. beta2M demonstrated age-dependent differences
      and highest inter- and intragroup variations. Expression of cyclophilin A,
      glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), hypoxanthine ribosyltransferase
      (HPRT), S100B, and 18SrRNA remained stable. Cyclophilin A and HPRT demonstrated
      strongest inter- and intragroup stability. The data indicate that the expression
      of most but not all control genes is stable during aging. The correct choice of
      housekeeping genes is of key importance to ensure adequate normalization of qPCR
      data. With respect to insult and age, normalization strategies should consider
      cyclophilin A as a single normalizer. Normalization with two reference genes is
      recommended with cyclophilin A and HPRT in young mice and in mixed age studies
      and with cyclophilin A and GAPDH in old mice. In addition, the present study
      suggests not to use beta2-microglobulin, beta-actin or PBGD as single control
      genes because of strong regulation after CCI in 2- and 21-month-old mice.

PMID- 26102572
TI  - Determination of biodistribution of ultrasmall, near-infrared emitting gold
      nanoparticles by photoacoustic and fluorescence imaging.
AB  - This study compares fluorescence and photoacoustic (PA) imaging of ex vivo tumors
      and organs from tumor-bearing mice injected intravenously with ultrasmall (<3  nm
      ) tiopronin-capped Au nanoparticles and compares the data with inductively
      coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Good agreement is seen in particle
      distributions and concentrations at the organ level. The spatial resolution from
      the imaging techniques allows for localization of the particles within organ
      structures. Although the particles do not have a plasmon peak, their absorbance
      in the near-infrared (NIR) is sufficient for PA excitation. PA imaging shows an
      increase of signal as particle concentrations increase, with changes in spectrum
      if particles aggregate. Fluorescence imaging using the particles' native NIR
      emission shows agreement in general intensity in each organ, though quenching of
      emission can be seen at very high concentrations. Both of these imaging
      techniques are noninvasive and labor-saving alternatives to organ digestion and
      ICP-MS and may provide insight into cellular distribution of particles. The
      simple construct avoids the use of toxic semiconductor materials or dyes, relying
      upon the gold itself for both the fluorescence and PA signal. This provides a
      useful alternative to more complex approaches to multimodal imaging and one that
      is readily translatable to the clinic.

PMID- 26102573
TI  - Wide-field imaging of retinal vasculature using optical coherence tomography
      based microangiography provided by motion tracking.
AB  - Optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based optical microangiography (OMAG) is a
      high-resolution, noninvasive imaging technique capable of providing three
      dimensional in vivo blood flow visualization within microcirculatory tissue beds
      in the eye. Although the technique has demonstrated early clinical utility by
      imaging diseased eyes, its limited field of view (FOV) and the sensitivity to eye
      motion remain the two biggest challenges for the widespread clinical use of the
      technology. Here, we report the results of retinal OMAG imaging obtained from a
      Zeiss Cirrus 5000 spectral domain OCT system with motion tracking capability
      achieved by a line scan ophthalmoscope (LSO). The tracking LSO is able to guide
      the OCT scanning, which minimizes the effect of eye motion in the final results.
      We show that the tracking can effectively correct the motion artifacts and remove
      the discontinuities and distortions of vascular appearance due to microsaccade,
      leading to almost motion-free OMAG angiograms with good repeatability and
      reliability. Due to the robustness of the tracking LSO, we also show the montage
      scan protocol to provide unprecedented wide field retinal OMAG angiograms. We
      experimentally demonstrate a 12 x 16 mm2 retinal OMAG angiogram acquired from a
      volunteer, which is the widest FOV retinal vasculature imaging up to now in the
      community.

PMID- 26102574
TI  - Physcomitrella patens auxin conjugate synthetase (GH3) double knockout mutants
      are more resistant to Pythium infection than wild type.
AB  - Auxin homeostasis is involved in many different plant developmental and stress
      responses. The auxin amino acid conjugate synthetases belonging to the GH3 family
      play major roles in the regulation of free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels and
      the moss Physcomitrella patens has two GH3 genes in its genome. A role for IAA in
      several angiosperm--pathogen interactions was reported, however, in a moss-
      oomycete pathosystem it had not been published so far. Using GH3 double knockout
      lines we have investigated the role of auxin homeostasis during the infection of
      P. patens with the two oomycete species, Pythium debaryanum and Pythium
      irregulare. We show that infection with P. debaryanum caused stronger disease
      symptoms than with P. irregulare. Also, P. patens lines harboring fusion
      constructs of an auxin-inducible promoter from soybean (GmGH3) with a reporter
      (beta-glucuronidase) showed higher promoter induction after P. debaryanum
      infection than after P. irregulare, indicating a differential induction of the
      auxin response. Free IAA was induced upon P. debaryanum infection in wild type by
      1.6-fold and in two GH3 double knockout (GH3-doKO) mutants by 4- to 5-fold. All
      GH3-doKO lines showed a reduced disease symptom progression compared to wild
      type. Since P. debaryanum can be inhibited in growth on medium containing IAA,
      these data might indicate that endogenous high auxin levels in P. patens GH3-doKO
      mutants lead to higher resistance against the oomycete.

PMID- 26102575
TI  - Serum posaconazole levels among haematological cancer patients taking extended
      release tablets is affected by body weight and diarrhoea: single centre
      retrospective analysis.
AB  - The posaconazole extended release tablet formulation was developed to improve
      bioavailability relative to the oral suspension. Therapeutic drug monitoring has
      been used to optimise posaconazole dosing to achieve a target trough level >=0.7
      MUg ml(-1). We retrospectively evaluated 28 patients with haematological
      malignancies who received posaconazole tablets for antifungal prophylaxis.
      Posaconazole serum trough levels were obtained 5 days after initiation of
      therapy. Mean trough level was 1.19 +/- 0.63 MUg ml(-1), and 71% achieved a
      trough level >=0.7 MUg ml(-1). Diarrhoea was associated with lower mean trough
      levels (0.65 +/- 0.08 MUg ml(-1) vs. 1.31 +/- 0.13 MUg ml(-1)), P = 0.002. Mean
      trough levels were lower in patients >=90 kg (0.74 +/- 0.09 MUg ml(-1)) vs. <90
      kg (1.32 +/- 0.14 MUg ml(-1)), P = 0.002 and in patients with body mass index
      (BMI) >=30 (0.89 +/- 0.13 MUg ml(-1)) vs. BMI <30 (1.29 +/- 0.14 MUg ml(-1)), P =
      0.05. Posaconazole delayed release tablets attain appropriate trough levels in
      most patients, but patients with a higher weight and those experiencing diarrhoea
      are more likely to have lower levels.

PMID- 26102576
TI  - Ordered mesoporous polymers in situ coated on a stainless steel wire for a highly
      sensitive solid phase microextraction fibre.
AB  - Development of facile and effective methods for fabrication of high-performance
      solid phase microextraction (SPME) fibres remains a great challenge. Herein, a
      new class of ordered mesoporous polymers (OMPs) in situ coated on a stainless
      steel wire were successfully developed and utilized as a highly sensitive and
      stable SPME fibre for the first time. Because of the highly ordered mesoporous
      structure of its OMP coating, the pi-pi interactions and the dispersion forces,
      the OMP-coated SPME fibre exhibited much better extraction properties as compared
      to the commercial PDMS fibre. The findings could provide a new benchmark for
      preparing well-defined porous materials for the SPME application. 

PMID- 26102577
TI  - Not so fast: dietary restriction improves chemotherapy-related toxicity.

PMID- 26102579
TI  - Correction: Hollingworth, R.; Grand, R.J. Modulation of DNA Damage and Repair
      Pathways by Human Tumour Viruses. Viruses 2015, 7, 2542-2591.

PMID- 26102578
TI  - Coordinated DNA Replication by the Bacteriophage T4 Replisome.
AB  - The T4 bacteriophage encodes eight proteins, which are sufficient to carry out
      coordinated leading and lagging strand DNA synthesis. These purified proteins
      have been used to reconstitute DNA synthesis in vitro and are a well
      characterized model system. Recent work on the T4 replisome has yielded more
      detailed insight into the dynamics and coordination of proteins at the
      replication fork. Since the leading and lagging strands are synthesized in
      opposite directions, coordination of DNA synthesis as well as priming and
      unwinding is accomplished by several protein complexes. These protein complexes
      serve to link catalytic activities and physically tether proteins to the
      replication fork. Essential to both leading and lagging strand synthesis is the
      formation of a holoenzyme complex composed of the polymerase and a processivity
      clamp. The two holoenzymes form a dimer allowing the lagging strand polymerase to
      be retained within the replisome after completion of each Okazaki fragment. The
      helicase and primase also form a complex known as the primosome, which unwinds
      the duplex DNA while also synthesizing primers on the lagging strand. Future
      studies will likely focus on defining the orientations and architecture of
      protein complexes at the replication fork. 

PMID- 26102580
TI  - Exosomes and Their Role in the Life Cycle and Pathogenesis of RNA Viruses.
AB  - Exosomes are membrane-enclosed vesicles actively released into the extracellular
      space, whose content reflect the physiological/pathological state of the cells
      they originate from. These vesicles participate in cell-to-cell communication and
      transfer of biologically active proteins, lipids, and RNAs. Their role in viral
      infections is just beginning to be appreciated. RNA viruses are an important
      class of pathogens and affect millions of people worldwide. Recent studies on
      Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), human T-cell
      lymphotropic virus (HTLV), and Dengue Virus (DENV) have demonstrated that
      exosomes released from infected cells harbor and deliver many regulatory factors
      including viral RNA and proteins, viral and cellular miRNA, and other host
      functional genetic elements to neighboring cells, helping to establish productive
      infections and modulating cellular responses. Exosomes can either spread or limit
      an infection depending on the type of pathogen and target cells, and can be
      exploited as candidates for development of antiviral or vaccine treatments. This
      review summarizes recent progress made in understanding the role of exosomes in
      RNA virus infections with an emphasis on their potential contribution to
      pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26102581
TI  - RNA Viruses and RNAi: Quasispecies Implications for Viral Escape.
AB  - Due to high mutation rates, populations of RNA viruses exist as a collection of
      closely related mutants known as a quasispecies. A consequence of error-prone
      replication is the potential for rapid adaptation of RNA viruses when a selective
      pressure is applied, including host immune systems and antiviral drugs. RNA
      interference (RNAi) acts to inhibit protein synthesis by targeting specific mRNAs
      for degradation and this process has been developed to target RNA viruses,
      exhibiting their potential as a therapeutic against infections. However, viruses
      containing mutations conferring resistance to RNAi were isolated in nearly all
      cases, underlining the problems of rapid viral evolution. Thus, while promising,
      the use of RNAi in treating or preventing viral diseases remains fraught with the
      typical complications that result from high specificity of the target, as seen in
      other antiviral regimens. 

PMID- 26102583
TI  - Guanosine-based hydrogen-bonded 2D scaffolds: metal-free formation of G-quartet
      and G-ribbon architectures at the solid/liquid interface.
AB  - We report on the synthesis and self-assembly of three novel lipophilic guanosine
      derivatives exposing a ferrocene moiety in the C(5') position of the sugar unit.
      Their self-association in solution, and at the solid/liquid interface, can be
      tuned by varying the size and nature of the C(8)-substituent, leading to the
      generation of either G-ribbons, lamellar G-dimer based arrays or the G4 cation
      free architectures. 

PMID- 26102582
TI  - Characterization of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Integration in the Horse
      Genome.
AB  - Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 has a unique integration profile in the
      human genome relative to murine and avian retroviruses. Equine infectious anemia
      virus (EIAV) is another well-studied lentivirus that can also be used as a
      promising retro-transfection vector, but its integration into its native host has
      not been characterized. In this study, we mapped 477 integration sites of the
      EIAV strain EIAVFDDV13 in fetal equine dermal (FED) cells during in vitro
      infection. Published integration sites of EIAV and HIV-1 in the human genome were
      also analyzed as references. Our results demonstrated that EIAVFDDV13 tended to
      integrate into genes and AT-rich regions, and it avoided integrating into
      transcription start sites (TSS), which is consistent with EIAV and HIV-1
      integration in the human genome. Notably, the integration of EIAVFDDV13 favored
      long interspersed elements (LINEs) and DNA transposons in the horse genome,
      whereas the integration of HIV-1 favored short interspersed elements (SINEs) in
      the human genome. The chromosomal environment near LINEs or DNA transposons
      potentially influences viral transcription and may be related to the unique EIAV
      latency states in equids. The data on EIAV integration in its natural host will
      facilitate studies on lentiviral infection and lentivirus-based therapeutic
      vectors. 

PMID- 26102584
TI  - Effects of Sand Dune Stabilization on the Spatial Pattern of Artemisia ordosica
      Population in Mu Us Desert, Northwest China.
AB  - Vegetation patterns are strongly influenced by sand mobility in desert
      ecosystems. However, little is known about the spatial patterns of Artemisia
      ordosica, a dominant shrub in the Mu Us desert of Northwest China, in relation to
      sand fixation. The aim of this study was to investigate and contrast the effects
      of sand dune stabilization on the population and spatial distribution of this
      desert shrub. Spatial autocorrelation, semi-variance analysis, and point-pattern
      analysis were used jointly in this study to investigate the spatial patterns of
      A. ordosica populations on dunes in Yanchi County of Ningxia, China. The results
      showed that the spatial autocorrelation and spatial heterogeneity declined
      gradually, and the distance between the clustered individuals shortened following
      sand dune fixation. Seedlings were more aggregated than adults in all stage of
      dune stabilization, and both were more aggregated on shifting sand dunes
      separately. Spatial associations of the seedlings with the adults were mostly
      positive at distances of 0-5 m in shifting sand dunes, and the spatial
      association changed from positive to neutral in semi-fixed sand dunes. The
      seedlings were spaced in an almost random pattern around the adults, and their
      distances from the adults did not seem to affect their locations in semi-fixed
      sand dunes. Furthermore, spatial associations of the seedlings with the adults
      were negative in the fixed sand dune. These findings demonstrate that sand
      stabilization is an important factor affecting the spatial patterns of A.
      ordosica populations in the Mu Us desert. These findings suggest that, strong
      association between individuals may be the mechanism to explain the spatial
      pattern formation at preliminary stage of dune fixation. Sand dune stabilization
      can change the spatial pattern of shrub population by weakening the spatial
      association between native shrub individuals, which may affect the development
      direction of desert shrubs. 

PMID- 26102585
TI  - Land Use History Shifts In Situ Fungal and Bacterial Successions following Wheat
      Straw Input into the Soil.
AB  - Soil microbial communities undergo rapid shifts following modifications in
      environmental conditions. Although microbial diversity changes may alter soil
      functioning, the in situ temporal dynamics of microbial diversity is poorly
      documented. Here, we investigated the response of fungal and bacterial diversity
      to wheat straw input in a 12-months field experiment and explored whether this
      response depended on the soil management history (grassland vs. cropland).
      Seasonal climatic fluctuations had no effect on the diversity of soil
      communities. Contrastingly fungi and bacteria responded strongly to wheat
      regardless of the soil history. After straw incorporation, diversity decreased
      due to the temporary dominance of a subset of copiotrophic populations. While
      fungi responded as quickly as bacteria, the resilience of fungal diversity lasted
      much longer, indicating that the relative involvement of each community might
      change as decomposition progressed. Soil history did not affect the response
      patterns, but determined the identity of some of the populations stimulated. Most
      strikingly, the bacteria Burkholderia, Lysobacter and fungi Rhizopus, Fusarium
      were selectively stimulated. Given the ecological importance of these microbial
      groups as decomposers and/or plant pathogens, such regulation of the composition
      of microbial successions by soil history may have important consequences in terms
      of soil carbon turnover and crop health. 

PMID- 26102586
TI  - The interactome of soybean GmWRKY53 using yeast 2-hybrid library screening to
      saturation.
AB  - Soybean GmWRKY53 functions in both biotic and abiotic stress signaling. Using
      GmWRKY53 as a bait yeast 2-hybrid library screening to saturation isolated
      multiple independent fragments for many interacting proteins, enabling
      delineation of minimal interacting domains and computation of a confidence score.
      Multiple independent clones coding for the LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL clock protein
      GmLCL2 (MYB114) were isolated and the binding site for GmWRKY53 was mapped to 90
      amino acids separate from the MYB domain. This suggests a direct input from the
      clock on GmWRKY53 activity. The GmWRKY53-interacting proteins also included 3
      water stress-inducible AP2/ERF transcription factors. One of these
      (Glyma03g26310) is one of the most strongly water stress induced genes in soybean
      roots, suggesting that GmWRKY53/ERF complexes regulate water stress responses. 

PMID- 26102587
TI  - Sex-Related Responses of Populus cathayana Shoots and Roots to AM Fungi and
      Drought Stress.
AB  - We investigated the impact of drought and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on
      the morphological structure and physiological function of shoots and roots of
      male and female seedlings of the dioecious plant Populus cathayana Rehder. Pot
      grown seedlings were subjected to well watered or water-limiting conditions
      (drought) and were grown in soil that was either inoculated or not inoculated
      with the AM fungus Rhizophagus intraradices. No significant differences were
      found in the infection rates between the two sexes. Drought decreased root and
      shoot growth, biomass and root morphological characteristics, whereas superoxide
      radical (O2-) and hydrogen peroxide content, peroxidase (POD) activity,
      malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and proline content were significantly
      enhanced in both sexes. Male plants that formed an AM fungal symbiosis showed a
      significant increase in shoot and root morphological growth, increased proline
      content of leaves and roots, and increased POD activity in roots under both
      watering regimes; however, MDA concentration in the roots decreased. By contrast,
      AM fungi either had no effect or a slight negative effect on the shoot and root
      growth of female plants, with lower root biomass, total biomass and root/shoot
      ration under drought. In females, MDA concentration increased in leaves and roots
      under both watering regimes, and the proline content and POD activity of roots
      increased under drought conditions; however, POD activity significantly decreased
      under well-watered conditions. These findings suggest that AM fungi enhanced the
      tolerance of male plants to drought by improving shoot and root growth, biomass
      and the antioxidant system. Further investigation is needed to unravel the
      complex effects of AM fungi on the growth and antioxidant system of female
      plants. 

PMID- 26102588
TI  - Rice stripe1-2 and stripe1-3 Mutants Encoding the Small Subunit of Ribonucleotide
      Reductase Are Temperature Sensitive and Are Required for Chlorophyll
      Biosynthesis.
AB  - We induced mutants, stripe1-2 (st1-2) and stripe1-3 (st1-3), from rice (Oryza
      sativa L.) Indica 9311 using Ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). Both st1-2 and st1-3
      mutants encoded the small subunit of ribonucleotide reductase 1 (RNRS1), differed
      in the location of the mutated base, and displayed white-stripe from the L2 stage
      through maturity. The mutants were sensitive to temperature, and their
      chlorophyll content increased with the increase in temperature; however, they did
      not revert to normal green leaf phenotype under field conditions. The mutant st1
      2 showed loosely arranged thylakoid lamellar structure as compared with wild-type
      (WT) plants. Contrastingly, st1-3 displayed normal thylakoid lamellar structure,
      good agronomic traits, and higher yield than st1-2 but lower yield than WT. Three
      dimensional structure prediction for RNRS1 indicated that the mutation in Val-171
      residue in st1-2 influenced the connection of RNRS1 to iron, causing abnormal
      development of chloroplasts. Real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression
      levels associated with chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway and photosynthesis were
      affected in st1-2 and st1-3 at different temperatures and different developmental
      stages. 

PMID- 26102589
TI  - The Synthesis of a New Class of Highly Fluorescent Chromones via an Inverse
      Demand Hetero-Diels-Alder Reaction.
AB  - A new class of fluorophores has been developed utilizing an inverse-demand hetero
      Diels-Alder reaction with silyl enol ethers and substituted 3-formylchromones.
      These compounds yield blue to green fluorescence with quantum yields up to 73%.
      They also exhibit good potential for use as fluorescent probes in biological
      systems, as they are cell membrane permeable with low cytotoxicity. 

PMID- 26102590
TI  - Hydration of the sulfate dianion in cold nanodroplets: SO4(2-)(H2O)12 and SO4(2
      )(H2O)13.
AB  - The structures, energetics and infrared spectra of SO4(2-)(H2O)12 and SO4(2
      )(H2O)13 have been investigated by a combination of classical polarizable
      molecular dynamics and static quantum chemical calculations. Snapshots extracted
      from MD trajectories were used as inputs for local DFT optimization. Energies of
      the most stable structures were further refined at the ab initio level. A number
      of new low energy structures have thus been identified. The most stable
      structures of SO4(2-)(H2O)12 have the sulfate on the surface of the water
      cluster, while it may be slightly more burried in SO4(2-)(H2O)13, however still
      with an incomplete first hydration shell. Differences in the infrared spectra
      arise in part from mixing of sulfate stretching and water librational modes in
      the 900-1100 cm(-1) region, leading to some sensitivity of the IR spectrum to the
      structure. Second shell water molecules however do not generate signatures that
      are specific enough to relate spectra to structures straightforwardly, at least
      in this frequency range. Thus the emergence of a new band at 970 cm(-1) in the
      SO4(2-)(H2O)13 spectrum cannot be taken as a clue as to the number of water
      molecules which is necessary for a cluster to close the first hydration shell of
      sulfate. This number is at least 14 and possibly larger. However the density of
      low energy isomers is large enough that individual structures may loose meaning
      at all but the lowest temperatures. 

PMID- 26102591
TI  - Axonal autophagosomes use the ride-on service for retrograde transport toward the
      soma.
AB  - Degradation of autophagic vacuoles (AVs) via lysosomes is an important
      homeostatic process in cells. Neurons are highly polarized cells with long axons,
      thus facing special challenges to transport AVs generated at distal processes
      toward the soma where mature acidic lysosomes are relatively enriched. We
      recently revealed a new motor-adaptor sharing mechanism driving autophagosome
      transport to the soma. Late endosome (LE)-loaded dynein-SNAPIN motor-adaptor
      complexes mediate the retrograde transport of autophagosomes upon their fusion
      with LEs in distal axons. This motor-adaptor sharing mechanism enables neurons to
      maintain effective autophagic clearance in the soma, thus reducing autophagic
      stress in axons. Therefore, our study reveals a new cellular mechanism underlying
      the removal of distal AVs engulfing aggregated misfolded proteins and
      dysfunctional organelles associated with several major neurodegenerative
      diseases. 

PMID- 26102592
TI  - Evolution and Initial Experience of a Statewide Care Transitions Quality
      Improvement Collaborative: Preventing Avoidable Readmissions Together.
AB  - Increasing scrutiny of hospital readmission rates has spurred a wide variety of
      quality improvement initiatives. The Preventing Avoidable Readmissions Together
      (PART) initiative is a statewide quality improvement learning collaborative
      organized by stakeholder organizations in South Carolina. This descriptive report
      focused on initial interventions with hospitals. Eligible participants included
      all acute care hospitals plus home health organizations, nursing facilities,
      hospices, and other health care organizations. Measures were degree of statewide
      participation, curricular engagement, adoption of evidence-based improvement
      strategies, and readmission rate changes. Fifty-nine of 64 (92%) acute care
      hospitals and 9 of 10 (90%) hospital systems participated in collaborative
      events. Curricular engagement included: webinars and coaching calls (49/59, 83%),
      statewide in-person meetings (35/59, 59%), regional in-person meetings (44/59,
      75%), and individualized consultations (46/59, 78%). Among 34 (58%) participating
      hospitals completing a survey at the completion of Year 1, respondents indicated
      complete implementation of multidisciplinary rounding (58%), post-discharge
      telephone calls (58%), and teach-back (32%), and implementation in process of
      high-quality transition records (52%), improved discharge summaries (45%), and
      timely follow-up appointments (39%). A higher proportion of hospitals had
      significant decreases (>=10% relative change) in all-cause readmission rates for
      acute myocardial infarction (55.6% vs. 30.4%, P=0.01), heart failure (54.2% vs.
      31.7%, P=0.09), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (41.7% vs. 33.3%,
      P=0.83) between 2011-2013 compared to earlier (2009-2011) trends. Focus on
      reducing readmissions is driving numerous, sometimes competing, quality
      improvement initiatives. PART successfully engaged the majority of acute care
      facilities in one state to harmonize and accelerate adoption of evidence-based
      care transitions strategies.

PMID- 26102593
TI  - Size- and shape-dependent peroxidase-like catalytic activity of MnFe2O4
      Nanoparticles and their applications in highly efficient colorimetric detection
      of target cancer cells.
AB  - The catalytic activity of nanocrystal catalysts depends strongly on their
      chemical composition, size, and shape. Herein, we report four different sizes and
      shapes of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) prepared by a hydrothermal procedure. In
      addition, the size- and shape-dependent peroxidase-like activity of these NPs was
      first explored using 3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-benzidine and H2O2 as peroxidase
      substrates. The results showed that the peroxidase-like activities of the MnFe2O4
      NPs were size- and shape-dependent and followed the order of 4 nm (spherical) >
      18 nm (plate-like) > 27 nm (near-cubic) > 16 nm (spherical); this order was
      closely related to their surface-to-volume ratio and atom arrangements. Such an
      investigation is of great significance for peroxidase nanomimetics with enhanced
      activity and utilization. Furthermore, folic acid (FA)-conjugated MnFe2O4 NPs
      allow the detection of folate receptor-rich cancer cells. Such investigation can
      be widely utilized for the identification of important target molecules. 

PMID- 26102595
TI  - Thin Layer Chromatography-Autography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Analysis:
      Accelerating the Identification of Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The prevailing treatment for Alzheimer's disease is the use of
      acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors. Natural extracts are the principal source
      of AChE's inhibitors. However, their chemical complexity demands for simple,
      selective and rapid assays. OBJECTIVE: To develop a strategy for identification
      of AChE inhibitors present in mixtures employing high resolution mass
      spectrometry (HRMS) and thin layer chromatography (TLC)-biological staining.
      METHODOLOGY: The strategy uses an autographic assay based on the alpha-naphthyl
      acetate - fast blue B system for the detection of AChE activity. The
      immobilisation of AChE in agar allowed the extraction of the compounds for
      analysis by HRMS. Three TLC experiments employing different solvent systems were
      used in parallel and the mass spectra of the compounds extracted from the
      inhibition halos, were compared. The analysis was performed under MatLab
      environment. RESULTS: The strategy was used to detect the presence of
      physostigmine in an extract of Brassica rapa L. spiked with the inhibitor.
      Similarly, caffeine was straightforwardly spotted as responsible for the
      inhibitory properties of an extract of Ilex paraguariensis Saint-Hilaire.
      Comparison of the HRMS profiles lead to the facile identification of the [M+H](+)
      and [M+Na](+) of the compounds responsible for the inhibition. CONCLUSION: The
      proposed methodology, coupling TLC-AChE autography-HRMS, illustrates the
      feasibility of assigning molecular formulas of active compounds present in
      complex mixtures directly from autography. The new AChE agar-immobilised assay
      presented a more homogenous colour and a better definition than direct spraying
      methods, reducing the cost of the assay and improving its sensitivity.

PMID- 26102594
TI  - Regulation of the Apelinergic System and Its Potential in Cardiovascular Disease:
      Peptides and Small Molecules as Tools for Discovery.
AB  - Apelin peptides and the apelin receptor represent a relatively new therapeutic
      axis for the potential treatment of cardiovascular disease. Several reports
      suggest apelin receptor activation with apelin peptides results in
      cardioprotection as noted through positive ionotropy, angiogenesis, reduction of
      mean arterial blood pressure, and apoptosis. Considering the potential
      therapeutic benefit attainable through modulation of the apelinergic system,
      research is expanding to develop novel therapies that limit the inherent rapid
      degradation of endogenous apelin peptides and produce metabolically stable small
      molecule agonists and antagonists to more rigorously interrogate the apelin
      receptor system. This review details the structure-activity relationships for
      chemically modified apelin peptides and recent disclosures of small molecule
      agonists and antagonists and summarizes the peer reviewed and patented
      literature. Development of metabolically stable ligands of apelin receptor and
      their effects in various models over the coming years will hopefully lead to
      establishment of this receptor as a validated target for cardiovascular
      indications. 

PMID- 26102596
TI  - Back in Black.
AB  - In this issue of Developmental Cell, Iyengar and colleagues (2015) employ live
      imaging of melanocyte regeneration in adult zebrafish to define a bias in
      progenitor cell fates that enables both rapid pigment cell renewal and
      maintenance of regenerative capacity. 

PMID- 26102597
TI  - Nuclear beta-Catenin under Control.
AB  - During Wnt stimulation, beta-catenin accumulates in the nucleus, where it
      regulates gene transcription. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Lu et al.
      (2015) report a mechanism that specifically targets this nuclear pool for
      degradation, using lysine demethylation as ubiquitination signal.

PMID- 26102598
TI  - Bending or Building: Multifaceted Functions of Amphipathic Helices in Basket
      Nucleoporins.
AB  - Recently reporting in Developmental Cell, Meszaros et al. (2015) and Vollmer et
      al. (2015) extend the inventory of membrane-binding and -bending nuclear pore
      proteins to peripheral nucleoporins localized at the nuclear basket.

PMID- 26102599
TI  - Translating Membrane Tension into Cytoskeletal Action by FBP17.
AB  - A recent article by Tsujita et al. (2015) in Nature Cell Biology provides insight
      into how cells sense and translate plasma membrane tension toward polarized actin
      polymerization and migration. They identify FBP17 as a multifunctional adaptor
      that senses membrane curvature and delivers feedback to actin dynamics and
      directed cell migration.

PMID- 26102600
TI  - Enantioselective Amine-Catalyzed [4 + 2] Annulations of Allene Ketones and 2,3
      Dioxopyrrolidine Derivatives: Synthesis of 4H-Pyran Derivatives.
AB  - An efficient cinchona alkaloid-derived amine catalyzed asymmetric [4 + 2]
      cycloaddition is successfully developed. 4H-Pyran fused pyrrolin-2-one products
      are readily obtained in moderate to high yields with good enantioselectivites by
      employing allene ketones and 2,3-dioxopyrrolidine derivatives as substrates. 

PMID- 26102601
TI  - New Clasp Assembly for Distal Extension Removable Partial Dentures: The Reverse
      RPA Clasp.
AB  - Several clasp types are used in distal extension removable partial dentures. In
      some cases the terminal abutments have only distal retentive undercuts that can
      be occupied by bar clasps; however, bar clasps may be contraindicated with no
      suitable alternative. This article presents a reasonable solution by introducing
      a new clasp design as a modification to the well-known RPA clasp. The design
      includes a mesial rest, proximal plate, and buccal retentive arm arising from the
      rest and extending to reach the distal retentive undercut. 

PMID- 26102602
TI  - ThPt2: A New Representative of Close Packed Tetragonal Structures.
AB  - ThPt2 crystallizes with unique type of structure (space group I4/mmm, a =
      4.1565(1) A, c = 14.3663(7) A, Pearson symbol tI12), which belongs to the group
      of the close packed tetragonal structures. An analysis of the chemical bonding by
      the electron localizability approach reveals the formation of two-dimensional
      layered platinum anionic substructures interlinked by strongly polar bonds to Th.
      Measurements of magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, and specific
      heat show ThPt2 to be diamagnetic with metallic type of electrical conductivity
      in good agreement with the calculated electronic structure (N(EF) = 0.9 states
      eV(-1) f.u.(-1)). 

PMID- 26102603
TI  - On-Chip Generation, Routing, and Detection of Resonance Fluorescence.
AB  - Quantum optical circuits can be used to generate, manipulate, and exploit
      nonclassical states of light to push semiconductor based photonic information
      technologies to the quantum limit. Here, we report the on-chip generation of
      quantum light from individual, resonantly excited self-assembled InGaAs quantum
      dots, efficient routing over length scales >=1 mm via GaAs ridge waveguides, and
      in situ detection using evanescently coupled integrated NbN superconducting
      single photon detectors fabricated on the same chip. By temporally filtering the
      time-resolved luminescence signal stemming from single quantum dots we use the
      quantum optical circuit to perform time-resolved excitation spectroscopy on
      single dots and demonstrate resonance fluorescence with a line-width of 10 +/- 1
      MUeV; key elements needed for the use of single photons in prototypical quantum
      photonic circuits. 

PMID- 26102604
TI  - Nanostar Clustering Improves the Sensitivity of Plasmonic Assays.
AB  - Star-shaped Au nanoparticles (Au nanostars, AuNS) have been developed to improve
      the plasmonic sensitivity, but their application has largely been limited to
      single-particle probes. We herein describe a AuNS clustering assay based on
      nanoscale self-assembly of multiple AuNS and which further increases detection
      sensitivity. We show that each cluster contains multiple nanogaps to concentrate
      electric fields, thereby amplifying the signal via plasmon coupling. Numerical
      simulation indicated that AuNS clusters assume up to 460-fold higher field
      density than Au nanosphere clusters of similar mass. The results were validated
      in model assays of protein biomarker detection. The AuNS clustering assay showed
      higher sensitivity than Au nanosphere. Minimizing the size of affinity ligand was
      found important to tightly confine electric fields and improve the sensitivity.
      The resulting assay is simple and fast and can be readily applied to point-of
      care molecular detection schemes. 

PMID- 26102605
TI  - Scanning and transmission electron microscopy and X-ray analysisof leaf salt
      glands of Limoniastrum guyonianum Boiss. under NaCl salinity.
AB  - Leaf salt glands of Limoniastrum guyonianum were examined by scanning and
      transmission electron microscopes and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX)
      system, after growing for three months on sandy soil with or without 300 mM NaCl.
      Results showed that salt glands were irregularly scattered on both leaf sides and
      sunk under the epidermal level. Salt excretion occurred in both conditions and is
      mainly composed of calcium and magnesium in control plants, and essentially
      sodium and chloride in plants subjected to salt treatment. A salt gland is
      comprised of collecting, accumulating, and central compartments, and is made up
      of total thirty-two cells. The collecting cells were characterized by large
      central vacuoles. Accumulating cells contain numerous, large, and unshaped
      vacuoles and rudimentary chloroplasts. The central compartment was comprised of
      four basal cells and each one is surmounted by an apical cell. The basal cells
      are granulated, containing large nucleus, numerous mitochondria, endoplasmic
      reticulum, ribosomes, polyribosomes, and small vacuoles or vesicles. Equally, the
      apical cells are rich in organelles. Application of 300 mM NaCl to the culture
      medium increased vacuoles number and size, and organelles density especially the
      mitochondria which suggests energy requirement for ions transport. The reduction
      in size and number of vacuoles toward the interior of salt glands of treated
      plants and the fusion of the smallest ones with the plasma membrane substantiate
      the implication of such vacuoles in salt excretion process. The current study
      which is the first report on L. guyonianum salt gland has provided an in-depth
      understanding on structure-function relationship in the multicellular salt
      glands.

PMID- 26102606
TI  - "Superchiral" Spectroscopy: Detection of Protein Higher Order Hierarchical
      Structure with Chiral Plasmonic Nanostructures.
AB  - Optical spectroscopic methods do not routinely provide information on higher
      order hierarchical structure (tertiary/quaternary) of biological macromolecules
      and assemblies. This necessitates the use of time-consuming and material
      intensive techniques, such as protein crystallography, NMR, and electron
      microscopy. Here we demonstrate a spectroscopic phenomenon, superchiral
      polarimetry, which can rapidly characterize ligand-induced changes in protein
      higher order (tertiary/quaternary) structure at the picogram level, which is
      undetectable using conventional CD spectroscopy. This is achieved by utilizing
      the enhanced sensitivity of superchiral evanescent fields to mesoscale chiral
      structure. 

PMID- 26102607
TI  - Flexible nanoscale thread of MnSn(OH)6 crystallite with liquid-like behavior and
      its application in nanocomposites.
AB  - We reported a solvent-free nanofluid based on MnSn(OH)6 crystallite with thread
      like morphology through sulfuric-acid-terminated organosilanes as corona and
      polyether amine as canopy. The resultant is characterized by various analytical
      techniques and shows excellent solubility, good dispersity, improved
      processability and fluidity at room temperature in the absence of any solvents,
      which offer great potential in applications such as plasticizers with effects of
      toughening and reinforcement in nanocomposites. In addition, as a kind of
      plasticizer, it can also improve the Tg of its nanocomposites. These advantages
      of the flexible nanoscale thread of MnSn(OH)6 crystallite make it can be easily
      applied on the fabrication of high performance of nanocomposites. 

PMID- 26102609
TI  - Sarcoidosis, complete heart block, and warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia in a
      young woman.
AB  - Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease that affects 10-40 people per
      100,000 in the United States and Europe, with an increased prevalence among
      blacks compared with whites. The clinical presentation of sarcoidosis is
      variable. Sarcoidosis frequently involves the lungs and can have numerous
      extrapulmonary manifestations including skin, joint, cardiac, and eye lesions. We
      present a rare case of sarcoidosis with concurrent third-degree heart block and
      warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia and discuss possible mechanisms behind this
      presentation. 

PMID- 26102608
TI  - Distant skin metastases as primary presentation of gastric cancer.
AB  - Distant gastric metastasis to the skin is uncommonly a presenting symptom,
      although nonspecific paraneoplastic syndromes with dermatologic manifestation
      including diffuse seborrheic keratoses (Leser-Trelat sign), tripe palms, and
      acanthosis nigricans have been described in the literature. We report here the
      case of a 49-year-old woman with gastric adenocarcinoma who presented with
      cutaneous metastasis as an initial symptom. In our case, metastatic skin lesions
      responded significantly to EOX chemotherapy (epirubicin+oxaliplatin+capecitabine)
      despite progression of systemic disease. In similar presentations, a high index
      of clinical suspicion and skin biopsy are important. 

PMID- 26102610
TI  - Association Between Organ Procurement Organization Social Network Centrality and
      Kidney Discard and Transplant Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given growth in kidney transplant waitlists and discard rates, donor
      kidney acceptance is an important problem. We used network analysis to examine
      whether organ procurement organization (OPO) network centrality affects discard
      and outcomes. METHODS: We identified 106,160 deceased donor kidneys recovered for
      transplant from 2000 to 2010 in Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. We
      constructed the transplant network by year with each OPO representing a node and
      each kidney-sharing relationship between OPOs representing a directed tie between
      nodes. Primary exposures were the number of different OPOs to which an OPO has
      given a kidney or from which an OPO has received a kidney in year preceding
      procurement year. Primary outcomes were discard, cold-ischemia time, delayed
      graft function, and 1-year graft loss. We used multivariable regression,
      restricting analysis to the 50% of OPOs with highest discard and stratifying
      remaining OPOs by kidney volume. Models controlled for kidney donor risk index,
      waitlist time, and kidney pumping. RESULTS: An increase in one additional OPO to
      which a kidney was given by a procuring OPO in a year was associated with 1.4%
      lower likelihood of discard for a given kidney (odds ratio, 0.986; 95% confidence
      interval, 0.974-0.998) among OPOs procuring high kidney volume, but 2% higher
      likelihood of discard (odds ratio, 1.021; 95% confidence interval, 1.006-1.037)
      among OPOs procuring low kidney volume, with mixed associations with recipient
      outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the value of network analysis in
      revealing how broader kidney sharing is associated with levels of organ
      acceptance. We conclude interventions to promote broader inter-OPO sharing could
      be developed to reduce discard for a subset of OPOs.

PMID- 26102611
TI  - Impact of Leukocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 Blockade on Endogenous
      Allospecific T Cells to Multiple Minor Histocompatibility Antigen Mismatched
      Cardiac Allograft.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blocking leukocyte function-associated antigen (LFA)-1 in organ
      transplant recipients prolongs allograft survival. However, the precise
      mechanisms underlying the therapeutic potential of LFA-1 blockade in preventing
      chronic rejection are not fully elucidated. Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV)
      is the preeminent cause of late cardiac allograft failure characterized
      histologically by concentric intimal hyperplasia. METHODS: Anti-LFA-1 monoclonal
      antibody was used in a multiple minor antigen-mismatched, BALB.B (H-2B) to
      C57BL/6 (H-2B), cardiac allograft model. Endogenous donor-specific CD8 T cells
      were tracked down using major histocompatibility complex multimers against the
      immunodominant H4, H7, H13, H28, and H60 minor Ags. RESULTS: The LFA-1 blockade
      prevented acute rejection and preserved palpable beating quality with reduced CD8
      T-cell graft infiltration. Interestingly, less CD8 T cell infiltration was
      secondary to reduction of T-cell expansion rather than less trafficking. The LFA
      1 blockade significantly suppressed the clonal expansion of minor
      histocompatibility antigen-specific CD8 T cells during the expansion and
      contraction phase. The CAV development was evaluated with morphometric analysis
      at postoperation day 100. The LFA-1 blockade profoundly attenuated neointimal
      hyperplasia (61.6 vs 23.8%; P < 0.05), CAV-affected vessel number (55.3 vs 15.9%;
      P < 0.05), and myocardial fibrosis (grade 3.29 vs 1.8; P < 0.05). Finally, short
      term LFA-1 blockade promoted long-term donor-specific regulation, which resulted
      in attenuated transplant arteriosclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, LFA-1
      blockade inhibits initial endogenous alloreactive T-cell expansion and induces
      more regulation. Such a mechanism supports a pulse tolerance induction strategy
      with anti-LFA-1 rather than long-term treatment.

PMID- 26102612
TI  - Cancer-Specific and All-Cause Mortality in Kidney Transplant Recipients With and
      Without Previous Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For dialysis patients with a cancer history, a period of surveillance
      is generally recommended before listing for transplantation. However, the
      outcomes of patients with cancer recurrence and/or a second primary cancer after
      transplantation are unknown. AIM: To determine the prognosis of kidney transplant
      recipients who developed cancer after transplantation and whether this varied
      with cancer types (first cancer, recurrence, second primary cancer). METHODS:
      Using data from the Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry,
      we compared the cancer-specific and all-cause mortality among recipients with
      different cancer types using adjusted Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: Of
      the 21,415 recipients transplanted between 1965 and 2012, 3% (651 of 21,415) had
      a previous cancer history. A total of 2840 (13%) recipients developed cancer
      after the first transplant, of whom 2760 (97.2%) developed a first cancer, 23
      (0.8%) experienced cancer recurrence, and 57 (2%) developed a second primary
      cancer. There were no significant differences in the risks of cancer-specific and
      all-cause mortality between recipients who developed their first cancer after
      transplant, those with cancer recurrence (adjusted hazard ratios [aHRs], 0.79;
      95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.38-1.67; P = 0.54 and aHRs, 0.86; 95% CI,
      0.45-1.66; P = 0.66, respectively) and recipients who developed a second primary
      cancer after transplantation (aHRs, 1.01; 95%CI, 0.63-1.62; P = 0.95 and aHRs,
      1.16; 95% CI, 0.79-1.69; P = 0.45, respectively). CONCLUSION: Among patients with
      a previous history of malignancy, recurrent and second primary cancers are
      infrequent after renal transplantation. A history of previous malignancy does not
      have an additive effect on the cancer-specific and overall survival of kidney
      transplant recipients who develop cancer.

PMID- 26102613
TI  - Adipose- and Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Prolong Graft Survival in
      Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Strategies aiming at minimization or elimination of systemic
      immunosuppression are key immediate goals for clinical expansion of vascularized
      composite allotransplantation (VCA). We compared the in vitro and in vivo
      immunomodulatory efficacy of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) and
      bone marrow (BM)-derived MSCs in a rat VCA model. METHODS: Both cell types were
      tested in vitro for suppressor function using mixed lymphocyte reactivity assays.
      AD-MSCs or BM-MSCs were administered intravenously (1 * 10 or 5 * 10
      cells/animal) to Lewis rat recipients of mismatched Brown Norway hindlimb
      transplants. Short course tacrolimus (FK-506) monotherapy was withdrawn at
      postoperative day 21. In vivo regulatory T-cell induction, peripheral blood
      chimerism, and microchimerism in lymphatic organs were analyzed. RESULTS: AD-MSCs
      and BM-MSCs exhibited strong dose-dependent suppressor function in vitro, which
      was significantly more pronounced for AD cells. In vivo, all animals revealed
      peripheral multi-lineage chimerism at four weeks (P < 0.01) independent of cell
      type and dosage. Regulatory T-cell levels were increased with both cell types,
      the most in AD-MSC groups. These immunomodulatory effects were only transient.
      MSC treatment resulted in long-term (>120 day) allograft survival in 47% of the
      animals, which correlated with durable microchimerism in BM and spleen.
      CONCLUSIONS: AD-MSCs and BM-MSCs exert immunomodulatory effects that prolong
      survival of immunogenic skin-bearing VCA grafts with short course (21 day)
      tacrolimus induction therapy. The in vivo findings in terms of allograft survival
      did not reflect superior immunomodulatory characteristics of AD-MSCs found in
      vitro.

PMID- 26102614
TI  - Diffuse Myocardial Fibrosis in Children After Heart Transplantations: A Magnetic
      Resonance T1 Mapping Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether the myocardium undergoes accelerated fibrotic
      remodeling in children after heart transplantation (HTx). METHODS: In this
      prospective study, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) studies in 17 patients 1.3
      years (median, range 0.03-12.6 years) after HTx (mean age, 9.8 +/- 6.2 years; 8
      girls) were compared to CMR studies in 9 healthy controls (mean age, 12.4 +/- 2.4
      years; 4 girls). T1 measurements were performed at a midventricular short axis
      slice before (ie, native T1 times) and after the application of 0.2 mmol/kg
      gadopentetate dimeglumine in the interventricular septum, left ventricular (LV)
      free wall and encompassing the entire LV myocardium. The tissue-blood partition
      coefficient (TBPC), reflecting the degree of diffuse myocardial fibrosis, was
      calculated as a function of the ratio of T1 change of myocardium compared to
      blood. Native T1 times and TBPC were correlated with echocardiographic parameters
      of diastolic function. RESULTS: Native T1 times were significantly higher in HTx
      patients compared to controls in all regions assessed (LV free wall 973 +/- 42 vs
      923 +/- 12 ms; P < 0.005; interventricular septum 1003 +/- 31 vs 974 +/- 21 ms, P
      < 0.05; entire LV myocardium 987 +/- 33 vs 951 +/- 16 ms; P < 0.005) and
      correlated with LV E/e' as an echocardiographic marker of diastolic dysfunction
      (r = 0.54, P < 0.05). The TBPC was elevated in the LV free wall (0.45 +/- 0.06 vs
      0.40 +/- 0.03, P < 0.005) and the entire LV myocardium (0.47 +/- 0.06 vs 0.43 +/-
      0.03, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Evidence of diffuse myocardial fibrosis and is
      already present in children after HTx. It appears to be associated with diastolic
      dysfunction.

PMID- 26102616
TI  - Influence of Current and Previous Smoking on Cancer and Mortality After Kidney
      Transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence is limited regarding the effect of stopping smoking before
      kidney transplantation. METHODS: Collaborative Transplant Study data from 46 548
      recipients of first kidney transplants (1995-2012) were analyzed to 10 years
      after transplantation. RESULTS: Compared with patients who had never smoked (n =
      31,462), patients who stopped smoking before transplantation (n = 10,291) only
      had a modestly increased risk of all-cause graft failure (hazard ratio [HR], 1.1;
      95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.0-1.1; P < 0.001) or death (HR,1.1; 95% CI,
      1.0-1.2; P < 0.001) and a similar risk of death-censored graft failure (HR,1.0,
      95% CI, 1.0-1.1; P = 0.19), but a 40% increase in death from malignancy (HR, 1.4;
      95% CI, 1.2-1.7; P < 0.001). The risk of events was generally markedly higher in
      patients who continued to smoke (n = 4795) versus those who had stopped. For
      tumors of the lip, oral cavity and pharynx, digestive organs, respiratory tract,
      female genitalia and urinary tract, HR values increased significantly from never
      smoked to former smokers to current smokers. The risk of respiratory tumors or
      cervical cancer was approximately halved when smoking was stopped versus
      continued. CONCLUSIONS: This large series provides clear evidence that patients
      who stop smoking before transplantation experience substantial benefits,
      including a substantial reduction in certain types of malignancy.

PMID- 26102615
TI  - The Evolving Roles of Memory Immune Cells in Transplantation.
AB  - Memory cells are the products of immune responses but also exert significant
      impact on subsequent immunity and immune tolerance, thus placing them in a unique
      position in transplant research. Memory cells are heterogeneous, including not
      only memory T cells but also memory B cells and innate memory cells. Memory cells
      are a critical component of protective immunity against invading pathogens,
      especially in immunosuppressed patients, but they also mediate graft loss and
      tolerance resistance. Recent studies suggest that some memory cells unexpectedly
      act as regulatory cells, promoting rather than hindering transplant survival.
      This functional diversity makes therapeutic targeting of memory cells a
      challenging task in transplantation. In this article, we highlight recent
      advances in our understanding of memory cells, focusing on diversity of memory
      cells and mechanisms involved in their induction and functions. We also provide a
      broad overview on the challenges and opportunities in targeting memory cells in
      the induction of transplant tolerance. 

PMID- 26102617
TI  - Single Versus Double Ureteral Stent Placement After Laser Endoureterotomy for the
      Management of Benign Ureteral Strictures: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Endoureterotomy is a viable option for treating patients
      with benign ureteral stricture. We compared the efficacy and safety of double
      versus single ureteral stent placement after laser endoureterotomy. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: This study included 55 patients with benign ureteral strictures; all
      patients underwent retrograde laser endoureterotomy. Patients were randomized
      either to single or double ureteral stents. Single stents were placed in 27
      ureters while double stents were placed in 28 ureters. The stent diameter used
      was 7 F, and stents were indwelling for 8 weeks. Imaging was performed 1 month
      after stent removal and repeated regularly every 3 months. Clinical
      characteristics, operative results, and functional outcomes were compared for
      strictures managed in both groups. Success was evaluated both subjectively and
      objectively. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients with a mean age of 46 (16-75) years had
      benign ureteral strictures; the mean stricture length was 1.92 (1-3) cm. The mean
      follow-up was 25.7 (9-42) months. The overall success rate was 67.3% (37
      patients) with no radiologic evidence of obstruction, 6 (10.9%) patients showed
      symptomatic improvement while 12 (21.8%) patients underwent surgical
      reconstruction. Success was significantly higher for ureteral strictures (>1.5
      cm) managed with double stent placement (82.4%), compared with single stent
      placement (38.9%) with a P value of 0.009. CONCLUSIONS: Double stent placement of
      the ureter after laser endoureterotomy achieved a higher success rate compared
      with single stent placement in cases of benign ureteral strictures. Although
      ureteral strictures (<=1.5 cm) achieved better outcome after laser
      endoureterotomy, strictures (>1.5 cm) favored better with double stent versus
      single stent placement.

PMID- 26102618
TI  - Lanthanide Label Array Method for Identification and Adulteration of Honey and
      Cacao.
AB  - A generic, cost-effective, and simple method has been developed to fingerprint
      liquids to differentiate food brands and ingredients. The method is based on a
      label array using nonspecific long lifetime unstable luminescent lanthanide
      labels. The interaction between the liquid sample and the label is typically
      detrimental to the luminescence of the unstable chelate leading to a sample
      dependent luminescence-intensity array. The label-array method is a unique
      approach as the array of unstable chelates is extremely inexpensive to produce
      and possesses high sensitivity due to spectral as well as unstable structural
      properties of the lanthanide label. The global method has been applied to
      distinguish commercial honey and cacao brands to demonstrate its feasibility as
      honey and cacao are among the most adulterated food products. 

PMID- 26102619
TI  - Microvascular Decompression for Hemifacial Spasm Associated with Bilateral
      Vertebral Artery Compression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microvascular decompression (MVD) has been established as an
      effective treatment for hemifacial spasm (HFS). However, replacement of bilateral
      vertebral arteries (VAs) from the root exit zone (REZ) is difficult and requires
      special techniques. Reports of HFS cases associated with bilateral VA compression
      are quite rare. This study investigated the characteristics of these arteries and
      methods for safe and definite decompression. METHODS: Among 131 patients who
      underwent MVD for HFS, 33 patients (25.2%) had associated VA compression; 4
      patients (3.1%) had bilateral VA compression. Sufficient dissection of the
      arachnoid membrane allowed good visualization around the REZ, and the
      dolichoectatic VAs were successfully transposed and fixed to the nearby dura
      mater in 3 cases. RESULTS: The offending arteries were bilateral VAs plus the
      posterior inferior cerebellar artery in 2 cases, bilateral VAs plus the anterior
      inferior cerebellar artery-posterior inferior cerebellar artery in 1 case, and
      bilateral VAs in 1 case. The contralateral VA of the symptomatic side was more
      ectatic, dolichoectatic, and tougher than the ipsilateral VA in 3 patients and
      was difficult to remove. In 3 patients treated with the transposition method,
      complete resolution of spasm was experienced immediately after surgery. Minimal
      residual spasm occurred in 1 patient treated with the interposition method.
      Transient facial palsy developed in 1 case, and moderate hearing loss developed
      in another case. CONCLUSIONS: HFS caused by bilateral VA compression is rare;
      however, replacement of VAs from the REZ is not easy because such VAs are
      invariably dolichoectatic and tough. Treatment of such cases requires special
      techniques.

PMID- 26102620
TI  - Ethmoidal Arteries and Vascularized Anterior Skull Base Lesions.

PMID- 26102621
TI  - Putting quality at the heart of HIV programs.

PMID- 26102622
TI  - The leadership of communities in HIV service delivery.
AB  - HIV treatment and prevention strategies are life-long endeavours, requiring not
      only comprehensive, high-quality, consistent and equitable medical services but
      also appropriate political and cultural milieus to be effective. Communities
      directly affected by HIV offer a unique expertise and understanding in developing
      services to meet the needs of people seeking out and utilizing HIV treatment,
      prevention and support services. Through their organizations and networks, and
      through partnerships with health systems, these communities provide leadership,
      services and advocacy to ensure the delivery of high-quality, comprehensive
      services to meet the needs of diverse populations affected by HIV. This article
      describes integrated approaches to service delivery in which affected communities
      play a key role in the development and implementation of HIV programmes. Further
      scale-up of these approaches to care can improve overall quality, reduce stigma
      and discrimination, increase demand for services and improve retention in care.

PMID- 26102623
TI  - Monitoring quality at scale: implementing quality assurance in a diverse,
      multicountry HIV program.
AB  - The centrality of quality as a strategy to achieve impact within the U.S.
      President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been widely recognized.
      However, monitoring program quality remains a challenge for many HIV programs,
      particularly those in resource-limited settings, where human resource constraints
      and weaker health systems can pose formidable barriers to data collection and
      interpretation. We describe the practicalities of monitoring quality at scale
      within a very large multicountry PEPFAR-funded program, based largely at health
      facilities. The key elements include the following: supporting national programs
      and strategies; developing a conceptual framework and programmatic model to
      define quality and guide the provision of high-quality services; attending to
      program context, as well as program outcomes; leveraging existing and routinely
      collected data whenever possible; developing additional indicators for judicious
      use in targeted, in-depth assessments; providing hands-on support for data
      collection and use at the facility, sub-national, and national levels; utilizing
      web-based databases for data entry, analysis, and dissemination; and
      multidisciplinary support from a large team of clinical and strategic information
      advisors.

PMID- 26102624
TI  - The role of quality improvement in achieving effective large-scale prevention of
      mother-to-child transmission of HIV in South Africa.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: After a late start and poor initial performance, the South African
      Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme achieved rapid
      progress in achieving effective national-scale implementation of a complex
      intervention across a large number of different geographic and socioeconomic
      contexts. This study shows how quality-improvement methods played a significant
      part in PMTCT improvements. METHODS: The South African rollout of the PMTCT
      programme underwent significant evolution, from a largely ineffective, context
      insensitive, top-down cascaded training approach to a sophisticated bottom-up
      health systems' intervention that used modern adaptive designs. Several
      demonstration projects used quality-improvement methods to improve the
      performance of the PMTCT programme. These results prompted a national redesign of
      key elements of the PMTCT programme which were rapidly scaled up across the
      country using a unified, simplified data-driven approach. RESULTS: The scale up
      of the quality-improvement approach contributed to a dramatic fall in the
      nationally reported transmission rate for mother to child transmission of HIV. By
      2012, measured infection rate of HIV-exposed infants at around 6 weeks after
      birth was 2.6%, close to the reported transmission rates under clinical trial
      conditions. CONCLUSION: Quality-improvement methods can be used to improve
      reliability of complex treatment programmes delivered at primary-care level.
      Rapid scale up and effective population coverage can be accomplished through a
      sequence of demonstration, testing and rapid spread of locally tested
      implementation strategies supported by real-time feedback of a simplified
      indicator dataset and multilevel leadership support.

PMID- 26102625
TI  - A standards-based approach to quality improvement for HIV services at Zambia
      Defence Force facilities: results and lessons learned.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Zambia Defence Force adopted the Standards-Based Management and
      Recognition approach to improve the quality of the HIV-related services at its
      health facilities. This quality improvement intervention relies on comprehensive,
      detailed assessment tools to communicate and verify adherence to national
      standards of care, and to test and implement changes to improve performance.
      METHODS: A quasi-experimental evaluation of the intervention was conducted at
      eight Zambia Defence Force primary health facilities (four facilities implemented
      the intervention and four did not). Data from three previous analyses are
      combined to assess the effect of Standards-Based Management and Recognition on
      three domains: facility readiness to provide services; observed provider
      performance during antiretroviral therapy (ART) and antenatal care consultations;
      and provider perceptions of the work environment. RESULTS: Facility readiness
      scores for ART improved on four of the eight standards at intervention sites, and
      one standard at comparison sites. Facility readiness scores for prevention of
      mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV increased by 15 percentage points at
      intervention sites and 7 percentage points at comparison sites. Provider
      performance improved significantly at intervention sites for both ART services
      (from 58 to 84%; P < 0.01) and PMTCT services (from 58 to 73%; P = 0.003); there
      was no significant change at comparison sites. Providers' perceptions of the work
      environment generally improved at intervention sites and declined at comparison
      sites; differences in trends between study groups were significant for eight
      items. CONCLUSIONS: A standards-based approach to quality improvement proved
      effective in supporting healthcare managers and providers to deliver ART and
      PMTCT services in accordance with evidence-based standards in a health system
      suffering from staff shortages.

PMID- 26102626
TI  - Using adapted quality-improvement approaches to strengthen community-based health
      systems and improve care in high HIV-burden sub-Saharan African countries.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Achieving long-term retention in HIV care is an important challenge
      for HIV management and achieving elimination of mother-to-child transmission.
      Sustainable, affordable strategies are required to achieve this, including
      strengthening of community-based interventions. Deployment of community-based
      health workers (CHWs) can improve health outcomes but there is a need to identify
      systems to support and maintain high-quality performance. Quality-improvement
      strategies have been successfully implemented to improve quality and coverage of
      healthcare in facilities and could provide a framework to support community-based
      interventions. METHODS: Four community-based quality-improvement projects from
      South Africa, Malawi and Mozambique are described. Community-based improvement
      teams linked to the facility-based health system participated in learning
      networks (modified Breakthrough Series), and used quality-improvement methods to
      improve process performance. Teams were guided by trained quality mentors who
      used local data to help nurses and CHWs identify gaps in service provision and
      test solutions. Learning network participants gathered at intervals to share
      progress and identify successful strategies for improvement. RESULTS: CHWs
      demonstrated understanding of quality-improvement concepts, tools and methods,
      and implemented quality-improvement projects successfully. Challenges of using
      quality-improvement approaches in community settings included adapting processes,
      particularly data reporting, to the education level and first language of
      community members. CONCLUSION: Quality-improvement techniques can be implemented
      by CHWs to improve outcomes in community settings but these approaches require
      adaptation and additional mentoring support to be successful. More research is
      required to establish the effectiveness of this approach on processes and
      outcomes of care.

PMID- 26102627
TI  - Going beyond the vertical: leveraging a national HIV quality improvement
      programme to address other health priorities in Haiti.
AB  - Although the central role of quality to achieve targeted population health goals
      is widely recognized, how to spread the capacity to measure and improve quality
      across programmes has not been widely studied. We describe the successful
      leveraging of expertise and framework of a national HIV quality improvement
      programme to spread capacity and improve quality across a network of clinics in
      HIV and other targeted areas of healthcare delivery in rural Haiti.The work was
      led by Zamni LaSante, a Haitian nongovernment organization and its sister
      organization, Partners In Health working in partnership with the Haitian Ministry
      of Health in the Plateau Central and Lower Artibonite regions in 12 public sector
      facilities.Data included routinely collected organizational assessments of
      facility quality improvement capacity, national HIV performance measures and
      Zamni LaSante programme records.We found that facility quality improvement
      capacity increased with spread from HIV to other areas of inpatient and
      outpatient care, including tuberculosis (TB), maternal health and inpatient
      services in all 12 supported healthcare facilities. A significant increase in the
      quality of HIV care was also seen in most areas, including CD4 monitoring, TB
      screening, HIV treatment (all P < 0.01) and nutritional assessment and prevention
      of mother-to-child transmission (both P < .05), with an increase in average
      facility performance from 39 to 72% (P < .01).In conclusion, using a diagonal
      approach to leverage a national vertical programme for wider benefit resulted in
      accelerated change in professional culture and increased capacity to spread
      quality improvement activities across facilities and areas of healthcare
      delivery. This led to improvement within and beyond HIV care and contributed to
      the goal of quality of care for all.

PMID- 26102628
TI  - Creating a national culture of quality: the Tanzania experience.
AB  - Although quality improvement has been a priority for Tanzania's health sector
      since the 1970s, few effective quality improvement initiatives were implemented,
      due to limited expertise, political commitment and resources. More recently, as
      the HIV epidemic gained momentum within the country, an influx of funding and of
      international organizations with quality improvement expertise accelerated the
      implementation of quality improvement projects, as well as efforts to
      institutionalize quality improvement at the national level. The support of US
      President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and other donors, and the
      increasing numbers of HIV-implementing partners focused on quality management,
      and quality improvement strategies catalysed the development of HIV-specific
      quality improvement initiatives first, and then of national quality improvement
      frameworks. The diversity of quality improvement approaches championed by various
      donors and partners also presented important challenges to harmonization and
      institutionalization of quality improvement programmes.

PMID- 26102629
TI  - A quality improvement approach to capacity building in low- and middle-income
      countries.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the HEALTHQUAL framework consisting of the following
      three components: performance measurement, quality improvement and the quality
      management program, representing an adaptive approach to building capacity in
      national quality management programs in low and middle-income countries. DESIGN:
      We present a case study from Namibia illustrating how this approach is adapted to
      country context. METHODS: HEALTHQUAL partners with Ministries of Health to build
      knowledge and expertise in modern improvement methods, including data collection,
      analysis and reporting, process analysis and the use of data to implement quality
      improvement projects that aim to improve systems and processes of care. Clinical
      performance measures are selected in each country by the Ministry of Health on
      the basis of national guidelines. Patient records are sampled using a
      standardized statistical table to achieve a minimum confidence interval of 90%,
      with a spread of +/-8% in participating facilities. Data are routinely reviewed
      to identify gaps in patient care, and aggregated to produce facility mean scores
      that are trended over time. A formal organizational assessment is conducted at
      facility and national levels to review the implementation progress. RESULTS:
      Aggregate mean rates of performance for 10 of 11 indicators of HIV care improved
      for adult HIV-positive patients between 2008 and 2013. CONCLUSIONS: Quality
      improvement is an approach to capacity building and health systems strengthening
      that offers adaptive methodology. Synergistic implementation of elements of a
      national quality program can lead to improvements in care, in parallel with
      systematic capacity development for measurement, improvement and quality
      management throughout the healthcare delivery system.

PMID- 26102630
TI  - Improving care for patients on antiretroviral therapy through a gap analysis
      framework.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To improve quality of care through decreasing existing gaps in the
      areas of coverage, retention, and wellness of patients receiving HIV care and
      treatment. DESIGN: The antiretroviral therapy (ART) Framework utilizes
      improvement methods and the Chronic Care Model to address the coverage,
      retention, and wellness gaps in HIV care and treatment. This is a time-series
      study. SETTING: The ART Framework was applied in five health centers in Buikwe
      District, Uganda. PARTICIPANTS: Quality improvement teams, consisting of
      healthcare workers and expert patients, were established in each of the five
      healthcare facilities. INTERVENTION: The intervention period was October 2010 to
      September 2012. It consisted of quality improvement teams analyzing their
      facility and systems of care from the perspective of the Chronic Care Model to
      identify areas of improvement. They implemented the ART Framework, collected data
      and assessed outcomes, focused on self-management support for patients, to
      improve coverage, retention, and wellness gaps in HIV care and treatment. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Coverage was defined as every patient who needs ART in the
      catchment area, receives it. Retention was defined as every patient who receives
      ART stays on ART, and wellness defined as having a positive clinical,
      immunological, and/or virological response to treatment without intolerable or
      unmanageable side-effects. RESULTS: Results from Buikwe show the gaps in
      coverage, retention, and wellness greatly decreased a gap in coverage of 44-19%,
      gap in retention of 49-24%, and gap in wellness of 53-14% during a 2-year
      intervention period. CONCLUSION: The ART Framework is an innovative and practical
      tool for HIV program managers to improve HIV care and treatment.

PMID- 26102632
TI  - Novel enzymatic synthesis of spacer-linked P(k) trisaccharide targeting for
      neutralization of Shiga toxin.
AB  - A novel alkyl spacer-conjugated derivative of P(k) trisaccharide (P(k)), one of
      the active receptors of Shiga toxins (Stxs; Stx1 and Stx2) produced by pathogenic
      Escherichia coli (STEC), was designed and synthesized by a combination of
      cellulase-mediated condensation from Trichoderma reesei and alpha1,4
      galactosyltransferase (LgtC) from Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The specific activity of
      N. gonorrhoeae LgtC was 66U/mg, which was 13-fold higher than that from N.
      meningitidis expressed in E. coli. 5-trifluoroacetamidopentyl-beta-P(k) (TFAP
      P(k)) was synthesized (yield of 86%, based on the amount of TFAP-lactose added)
      and its binding to Stx1a-B and Stx2a-B was evaluated. The dissociation constants
      (KDs) of Stx1a-B and Stx2a-B to the spacer-linked P(k), immobilized on a CM5
      sensor chip, were 6.8*10(-6) M (kon=4.1*10(1)M(-1)S(-1), koff=2.8*10(-4)S(-1))
      and 2.2*10(-5)M (kon=3.9*10(2)M(-1)S(-1), koff=8.6*10(-3)S(-1)), respectively.
      This result suggests that the monovalent P(k)-derivative, conjugated to a
      pentylamino group, represents a promising Stx-neutralizing agent. This cellulase
      mediated condensation using cellulase and glycosyltransferase is a valuable tool
      for the synthesis of spacer-linked oligosaccharide. 

PMID- 26102631
TI  - Characterization of recombinantly expressed dihydroxy-acid dehydratase from
      Sulfobus solfataricus-A key enzyme for the conversion of carbohydrates into
      chemicals.
AB  - Dihydroxyacid dehydratases (DHADs) are excellent biocatalysts for the
      defunctionalization of biomass. Here, we report on the recombinant production of
      DHAD from Sulfolobus solfataricus (SsDHAD) in E. coli and its characterization
      with special focus on activity toward non-natural substrates, thermo-stability,
      thermo-inactivation kinetics and activation capabilities and its application
      within multi-step cascades for chemicals production. Using a simple heat
      treatment of cell lysate as major purification step we achieved a specific
      activity of 4.4 units per gram cell mass toward the substrate d-gluconate. The
      optimal temperature and pH value for this reaction are 77 degrees C and pH 6.2.
      The inhibitory concentration (IC50, 50% residual activity) of different alcohols
      was determined to be 15% (v/v) for ethanol, 4.5% (v/v) for butanol and 4% (v/v)
      for isobutanol. Besides d-gluconate and the natural substrate 2,3
      dihydroxyisovalerate (DHIV) SsDHAD is able to convert the C3-sugar-acid d
      glycerate to pyruvate, a reaction, which does not occur in natural metabolic
      pathways, with a specific activity of 10.7+/-0.4mU/mg. The specific activity of
      the enzyme can be increased 3-fold by incubation with 2-mercaptoethanol. The
      activation has no impact on temperature dependence, but modulates the thermo
      inactivation tolerance at 50 degrees C. The total turnover numbers for all of the
      three reactions was found to be 35.5*10(3)+/-1.0*10(3) for the conversion of d
      gluconate to 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate (KDG), 28.2*10(3)+/-0.8*10(3) for DHIV to 2
      ketovalerate (KIV) and 943+/-0.28*10(2) for d-glycerate to pyruvate. With
      activated SsDHAD these values could be further increased 5- and 4-fold for the d
      gluconate and d-glycerate conversion, respectively. 

PMID- 26102634
TI  - Development of an aptamer-affinity chromatography for efficient single step
      purification of Concanavalin A from Canavalia ensiformis.
AB  - Herein, an aptamer-based affinity chromatography method for rapid and single step
      purification of Concanavalin A is developed and validated. We have used a
      41ntssDNA aptamer of Con A (Con A aptabody) as an affinity reagent in the
      developed aptamer-affinity chromatography. Stationary phase of the method
      consists of surface functionalized agarose beads carrying covalently immobilized
      Con A-aptabody. Affinity purification of Con A from jack bean (Canavalia
      ensiformis) seed using developed aptamer-affinity columns has resulted in >=66%
      recovery with 90% purity and 336-fold purification of Con A. The developed
      aptamer-affinity chromatography has shown efficient scalability and consistent
      purification when analysed over 13mm, 20mm and 25mm diameter columns having a bed
      height of 60mm each. Also, the developed aptamer-agarose columns were found to be
      reusable with recovery decrease of 12.9% in seven sequential cycles of
      purification. Therefore, the developed aptamer-affinity chromatography provides a
      novel, efficient and single-step methodology for isolation and purification of
      Con A. 

PMID- 26102633
TI  - The Eukaryotic-Like Ser/Thr Kinase PrkC Regulates the Essential WalRK Two
      Component System in Bacillus subtilis.
AB  - Most bacteria contain both eukaryotic-like Ser/Thr kinases (eSTKs) and eukaryotic
      like Ser/Thr phosphatases (eSTPs). Their role in bacterial physiology is not
      currently well understood in large part because the conditions where the eSTKs
      are active are generally not known. However, all sequenced Gram-positive bacteria
      have a highly conserved eSTK with extracellular PASTA repeats that bind cell wall
      derived muropeptides. Here, we report that in the Gram-positive bacterium
      Bacillus subtilis, the PASTA-containing eSTK PrkC and its cognate eSTP PrpC
      converge with the essential WalRK two-component system to regulate WalR regulon
      genes involved in cell wall metabolism. By continuously monitoring gene
      expression throughout growth, we consistently find a large PrkC-dependent effect
      on expression of several different WalR regulon genes in early stationary phase,
      including both those that are activated by WalR (yocH) as well as those that are
      repressed (iseA, pdaC). We demonstrate that PrkC phosphorylates WalR in vitro and
      in vivo on a single Thr residue located in the receiver domain. Although the
      phosphorylated region of the receiver domain is highly conserved among several B.
      subtilis response regulators, PrkC displays specificity for WalR in vitro.
      Consistently, strains expressing a nonphosphorylatable WalR point mutant strongly
      reduce both PrkC dependent activation and repression of yocH, iseA, and pdaC.
      This suggests a model where the eSTK PrkC regulates the essential WalRK two
      component signaling system by direct phosphorylation of WalR Thr101, resulting in
      the regulation of WalR regulon genes involved in cell wall metabolism in
      stationary phase. As both the eSTK PrkC and the essential WalRK two-component
      system are highly conserved in Gram-positive bacteria, these results may be
      applicable to further understanding the role of eSTKs in Gram-positive physiology
      and cell wall metabolism. 

PMID- 26102635
TI  - Optimisation and validation of ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic
      tandem mass spectrometry method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of
      potato steroidal alkaloids.
AB  - An ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC
      MS/MS) method for quantification of potato steroidal alkaloids, namely alpha
      solanine, alpha-chaconine, solanidine and demissidine was developed and
      validated. Three different column chemistries, i.e. ethylene bridged hybrid (BEH)
      C18, hydrophilic lipophilic interaction and amide columns, were assessed. The BEH
      C18 column showed best separation and sensitivity for the alkaloids. Validation
      data (inter-day and intra-day combined) for accuracy and recovery ranged from
      94.3 to 107.7% and 97.0 to 103.5%, respectively. The accuracy data were within
      the acceptable range of 15% as outlined in the United States Food and Drug
      Administration (USFDA) guidelines. The recovery data were consistent and
      reproducible with a coefficient of variation (CV) ranging from 6.2 to 9.7%. In
      addition, precision of the method also met the criteria of the USFDA with CV
      values lower than 15% even at lower limit of quantification (LLOQ), while the
      permissible variation is considered acceptable below 20%. The limit of detection
      and LLOQ of the four alkaloids were in the range of 0.001-0.004MUg/mL whereas the
      linearities of the standard curves were between 0.980 and 0.995. 

PMID- 26102637
TI  - Reverse Case Study: A New Perspective on an Existing Teaching Strategy.

PMID- 26102636
TI  - [Prolonged seizures in children in sub-Saharan Africa Clinical aspects and
      management].
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of epidemiologic studies of prolonged seizures
      (persisting for more than 5 minutes) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
      and in Rwanda. OBJECTIVE: We sought to analyze the clinical presentation, causes,
      pharmacologic management, and shortterm course of these seizures. METHODS: We
      enrolled 436 children, aged five months to ten years, who presented with
      prolonged seizures at the pediatric emergency departments of nine hospitals.
      Findings: Overall, 57.8% of the children were younger than three years; 7% had
      pre-existing psychomotor delay. Although 21% had had previous seizures, only 13%
      were receiving antiepileptic therapy. On presentation, 63.5% of the patients had
      fever and 26% were in status epilepticus. The seizures were focal in 21% of the
      cases. Malaria was the most common cause, involving 63% of the cases. The
      recurrence rate was 38%, and the mortality rate 4%. CONCLUSION: Prolonged
      seizures in DRC and Rwanda are frequently associated with fever, most commonly
      caused by malaria. The immediate use of long-acting antiepileptic drug could
      improve their outcomes.

PMID- 26102638
TI  - Toward a Shared Definition of Scholarly Writing Styles: A Call to Action for
      Readers, Writers, and Reviewers.

PMID- 26102639
TI  - Using Standardized Patients in Nursing Education: Effects on Students'
      Psychomotor Skill Development.
AB  - The present study used a quasi-experimental design to examine the effects of
      using standardized patients for the psychomotor skills development of nursing
      students. The performance of the experimental group in blood pressure measurement
      was significantly higher than that of the control group; however, there was no
      significant difference between the groups with regard to their administration of
      subcutaneous injections. The results indicated that standardized patients can be
      integrated into nursing education for developing psychomotor skills of students.

PMID- 26102989
TI  - Application of bacteriophages to reduce biofilms formed by hydrogen sulfide
      producing bacteria on surfaces in a rendering plant.
AB  - Hydrogen sulfide producing bacteria (SPB) in raw animal by-products are likely to
      grow and form biofilms in the rendering processing environments, resulting in the
      release of harmful hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas. The objective of this study was to
      reduce SPB biofilms formed on different surfaces typically found in rendering
      plants by applying a bacteriophage cocktail. Using a 96-well microplate method,
      we determined that 3 SPB strains of Citrobacter freundii and Hafnia alvei are
      strong biofilm formers. Application of 9 bacteriophages (10(7) PFU/mL) from
      families of Siphoviridae and Myoviridae resulted in a 33%-70% reduction of
      biofilm formation by each SPB strain. On stainless steel and plastic templates,
      phage treatment (10(8) PFU/mL) reduced the attached cells of a mixed SPB culture
      (no biofilm) by 2.3 and 2.7 log CFU/cm(2) within 6 h at 30  degrees C,
      respectively, as compared with 2 and 1.5 log CFU/cm(2) reductions of SPB biofilms
      within 6 h at 30  degrees C. Phage treatment was also applied to indigenous SPB
      biofilms formed on the environmental surface, stainless steel, high-density
      polyethylene plastic, and rubber templates in a rendering plant. With phage
      treatment (10(9) PFU/mL), SPB biofilms were reduced by 0.7-1.4, 0.3-0.6, and 0.2
      0.6 log CFU/cm(2) in spring, summer, and fall trials, respectively. Our study
      demonstrated that bacteriophages could effectively reduce the selected SPB
      strains either attached to or in formed biofilms on various surfaces and could to
      some extent reduce the indigenous SPB biofilms on the surfaces in the rendering
      environment.

PMID- 26102988
TI  - Is the ferret a suitable species for studying perinatal brain injury?
AB  - Complications of prematurity often disrupt normal brain development and/or cause
      direct damage to the developing brain, resulting in poor neurodevelopmental
      outcomes. Physiologically relevant animal models of perinatal brain injury can
      advance our understanding of these influences and thereby provide opportunities
      to develop therapies and improve long-term outcomes. While there are advantages
      to currently available small animal models, there are also significant drawbacks
      that have limited translation of research findings to humans. Large animal models
      such as newborn pig, sheep and nonhuman primates have complex brain development
      more similar to humans, but these animals are expensive, and developmental
      testing of sheep and piglets is limited. Ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) are born
      lissencephalic and undergo postnatal cortical folding to form complex
      gyrencephalic brains. This review examines whether ferrets might provide a novel
      intermediate animal model of neonatal brain disease that has the benefit of a
      gyrified, altricial brain in a small animal. It summarizes attributes of ferret
      brain growth and development that make it an appealing animal in which to model
      perinatal brain injury. We postulate that because of their innate
      characteristics, ferrets have great potential in neonatal neurodevelopmental
      studies. 

PMID- 26102990
TI  - Global Gene-Expression Analysis to Identify Differentially Expressed Genes
      Critical for the Heat Stress Response in Brassica rapa.
AB  - Genome-wide dissection of the heat stress response (HSR) is necessary to overcome
      problems in crop production caused by global warming. To identify HSR genes, we
      profiled gene expression in two Chinese cabbage inbred lines with different
      thermotolerances, Chiifu and Kenshin. Many genes exhibited >2-fold changes in
      expression upon exposure to 0.5- 4 h at 45 degrees C (high temperature, HT): 5.2%
      (2,142 genes) in Chiifu and 3.7% (1,535 genes) in Kenshin. The most enriched GO
      (Gene Ontology) items included 'response to heat', 'response to reactive oxygen
      species (ROS)', 'response to temperature stimulus', 'response to abiotic
      stimulus', and 'MAPKKK cascade'. In both lines, the genes most highly induced by
      HT encoded small heat shock proteins (Hsps) and heat shock factor (Hsf)-like
      proteins such as HsfB2A (Bra029292), whereas high-molecular weight Hsps were
      constitutively expressed. Other upstream HSR components were also up-regulated:
      ROS-scavenging genes like glutathione peroxidase 2 (BrGPX2, Bra022853), protein
      kinases, and phosphatases. Among heat stress (HS) marker genes in Arabidopsis,
      only exportin 1A (XPO1A) (Bra008580, Bra006382) can be applied to B. rapa for
      basal thermotolerance (BT) and short-term acquired thermotolerance (SAT) gene.
      CYP707A3 (Bra025083, Bra021965), which is involved in the dehydration response in
      Arabidopsis, was associated with membrane leakage in both lines following HS.
      Although many transcription factors (TF) genes, including DREB2A (Bra005852),
      were involved in HS tolerance in both lines, Bra024224 (MYB41) and Bra021735 (a
      bZIP/AIR1 [Anthocyanin-Impaired-Response-1]) were specific to Kenshin. Several
      candidate TFs involved in thermotolerance were confirmed as HSR genes by real
      time PCR, and these assignments were further supported by promoter analysis.
      Although some of our findings are similar to those obtained using other plant
      species, clear differences in Brassica rapa reveal a distinct HSR in this
      species. Our data could also provide a springboard for developing molecular
      markers of HS and for engineering HS tolerant B. rapa. 

PMID- 26102991
TI  - WTC-01, a novel synthetic oxime-flavone compound, destabilizes microtubules in
      human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Dynamic polymerization of microtubules is essential for
      cancer cell growth and metastasis, and microtubule-disrupting agents have become
      the most successful anti-cancer agents in clinical use. Besides their antioxidant
      properties, flavonoids also exhibit strong microtubule-disrupting activity and
      inhibit tumour growth. We have designed, synthesized and tested a series of
      oxime/amide-containing flavone derivatives. Here we report the evaluation of one
      compound, WTC-01 for its anti-proliferative effects in human cancer cells.
      EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: We used a range of cancer cell lines including two human
      nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell lines, measuring proliferation, cell cycle
      and apoptosis, along with caspase levels and mitochondrial membrane potentials.
      Assays of tubulin polymerisation in vitro and computer modelling of the
      colchicine binding site in tubulin were also used. In mice, pharmacokinetics and
      growth of NPC-derived tumours were studied. KEY RESULTS: WTC-01 was most potent
      against proliferation of NPC cells (IC50 = 0.45 MUM), inducing accumulation of
      cells in G2 /M and increasing apoptosis, time- and concentration-dependently. The
      colchicine competition-binding experiments and computer modelling results
      suggested that WTC-01 causes microtubule disruption via binding to the colchicine
      binding site of tubulin resulting in mitochondrial membrane damage and cell
      apoptosis via activation of caspase-9/-3 without noticeable activation of the
      caspase-8. Notably, our in vivo studies demonstrated that at doses of 25 and 50
      mg.kg(-1) , WTC-01 exhibited good pharmacokinetic properties and completely
      inhibited the growth of NPC-TW01 cells in a xenograft nude mouse model.
      CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: WTC-01, a new synthetic oxime-containing flavone,
      exhibited potent anti-tumour activity against NPC cells and merits further
      investigation.

PMID- 26102993
TI  - Some Thoughts About Thinking.
AB  - In this first-person case history, the writer Alberto Manguel chronicles the
      experience of losing his ability to write and speak during a stroke. He was
      reassured somewhat by his continued ability to read and to quote mentally from
      literature that he had memorized. Within hours after the stroke, he regained the
      ability to write. He remained unable to speak for a month. In this essay he
      ponders eloquently the relationship between thought and language, and describes
      how it felt not to be able to bridge the gap between thought and speech during
      his period of aphasia. 

PMID- 26102992
TI  - Enhanced therapeutic neovascularization by CD31-expressing cells and embryonic
      stem cell-derived endothelial cells engineered with chitosan hydrogel containing
      VEGF-releasing microtubes.
AB  - Various stem cells and their progeny have been used therapeutically for vascular
      regeneration. One of the major hurdles for cell-based therapy is low cell
      retention in vivo, and to improve cell survival several biomaterials have been
      used to encapsulate cells before transplantation. Vascular regeneration involves
      new blood vessel formation which consists of two processes, vasculogenesis and
      angiogenesis. While embryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived endothelial cells (ESC-ECs)
      have clearer vasculogenic potency, adult cells exert their effects mainly through
      paracrine angiogenic activities. While these two cells have seemingly
      complementary advantages, there have not been any studies to date combining these
      two cell types for vascular regeneration. We have developed a novel chitosan
      based hydrogel construct that encapsulates both CD31-expressing BM-mononuclear
      cells (BM-CD31(+) cells) and ESC-ECs, and is loaded with VEGF-releasing
      microtubes. This cell construct showed high cell survival and minimal
      cytotoxicity in vitro. When implanted into a mouse model of hindlimb ischemia, it
      induced robust cell retention, neovascularization through vasculogenesis and
      angiogenesis, and efficiently induced recovery of blood flow in ischemic
      hindlimbs. This chitosan-based hydrogel encapsulating mixed adult and embryonic
      cell derivatives and containing VEGF can serve as a novel platform for treating
      various cardiovascular diseases. 

PMID- 26102994
TI  - Using the Theories of Joseph Babinski to Manage Functional Vision Loss.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report our use of persuasion to treat patients with functional
      vision loss and to place them in the context of both Joseph Babinski's theories
      on hysteria and the current literature on management of functional vision loss.
      BACKGROUND: Conversion disorders, such as functional vision loss, can develop in
      response to a traumatic event. Recent functional imaging studies have found that,
      rather than being malingerers, patients with conversion disorders show changes
      within neuromodulatory pathways, suggesting organic dysfunction rather than a
      purely psychological disorder. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of
      8 consecutive patients (7 female, 1 male; mean age 16 years) who had presented to
      a university-based neuro-ophthalmology clinic with vision loss from a conversion
      disorder. The patients had been given a lengthy visual task to perform at home,
      with the suggestion that their vision would improve by the time they completed
      the task. RESULTS: All 8 patients had evidence of a dissociation between real and
      perceived visual acuity and fields. All the patients performed the assigned
      visual task at home, and all either reported improvement or showed improved
      visual function at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: A century after Joseph Babinski
      proposed using persuasion in managing patients with vision loss from a conversion
      disorder, we report that his method remains a viable and pathophysiologically
      sound option. Future case-controlled studies that include functional magnetic
      resonance imaging, other neurophysiologic imaging, and neuroradiographic
      evaluation may strengthen the correlation between persuasion therapy and recovery
      of normal vision.

PMID- 26102995
TI  - A Longitudinal Investigation of Sleep Quality in Adolescents and Young Adults
      After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND: We examined sleep-related problems in adolescents and
      young adults after a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) or orthopedic injury. We
      extended the analysis of data from a study of early emotional and
      neuropsychological sequelae in these populations (McCauley et al. 2014. J
      Neurotrauma. 31:914). METHODS: We gave the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to 77
      participants with MTBI, 71 with orthopedic injury, and 43 non-injured controls.
      The age range was 12 to 30 years. We tested sleep quality within 96 hours of
      injury and at 1- and 3-month follow-up. Participants also completed measures of
      pain and fatigue, drug and alcohol use, and post-traumatic stress symptoms.
      RESULTS: Older participants (mean age=25 years) in the MTBI group exhibited a
      sharp increase in sleep-related symptoms between the baseline assessment and 1
      month, and still had difficulties at 3 months. Younger participants with MTBI
      (mean age=15 years) and older participants with an orthopedic injury had modest
      increases in sleep difficulties between baseline and 1 month. The participants
      with MTBI also had more clinically significant sleep difficulties at all 3
      assessments. At 3 months, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores in younger
      participants with MTBI and all participants with orthopedic injury did not differ
      significantly from the non-injured controls'. The controls had no significant
      change in their sleep symptoms during the 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep
      difficulties in young adults may persist for <=3 months after MTBI and exceed
      those after orthopedic injury. Clinicians should seek and treat sleep-related
      problems after MTBI.

PMID- 26102997
TI  - On the Relationship Between Semantic Knowledge and Prejudice About Social Groups
      in Patients with Dementia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE AND BACKGROUND: Patterns of brain-damaged individuals' deficits in
      categorizing living versus non-living things indicate separation of semantic
      knowledge categories in the brain. Recent work in patients with dementia
      suggested that semantic knowledge about social groups differs from knowledge
      about living and non-living things. In this study we analyzed patients' social
      appraisal by testing whether their degree of impairment in social-group knowledge
      predicted their social-group evaluative reactions (prejudice). We hypothesized
      that impaired knowledge about social groups would correlate with either
      heightened or reduced prejudice. METHODS: In Rumiati et al, Cogn Neurosci (2014)
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17588928.2013.876981, we had given a sorting task to 21
      patients with frontotemporal dementia or dementia of the Alzheimer type and 23
      healthy controls, to test their knowledge of social groups and living and non
      living things. In this study we asked the same participants to evaluate social
      groups. We used controls' evaluations to rank 20 social groups from extremely
      negative to extremely positive. We used patients' severity of deficit in sorting
      social groups to predict the patients' evaluations of the groups, controlling for
      their levels of deficit in sorting living and non-living items. We also compared
      the evaluations by patients+/-deficits in social-group sorting to controls'
      evaluations. RESULTS: The patients with impaired social-group knowledge evaluated
      the less-admired groups more positively than did controls, and the more-admired
      groups less positively. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired social-group knowledge, not a
      general semantic loss, predicts reduced evaluative bias. Our findings are
      consistent with neuroimaging evidence for a relationship between semantic and
      evaluative social-group processes.

PMID- 26102996
TI  - Differential Cognitive and Affective Theory of Mind Abilities at Mild and
      Moderate Stages of Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the affective and cognitive components of theory of mind
      (ToM) performance in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia
      (bvFTD), focusing on differential impairment at mild and moderate disease stages.
      BACKGROUND: ToM, a central capacity for appropriate social behavior, is
      critically impaired in patients with bvFTD, even early in the disease. No
      previous study has explored how the cognitive and affective components of ToM may
      relate differentially to disease severity. METHODS: We assessed 40 patients with
      an established diagnosis of bvFTD and 18 healthy controls, using a complete
      neuropsychological battery that featured executive function and ToM tasks. We
      used patients' Clinical Dementia Rating scores to classify them as having either
      mild or moderate bvFTD. RESULTS: Both groups of patients showed deficits in the
      affective and cognitive components of ToM relative to the controls. The patients
      with mild bvFTD outperformed the group with moderate bvFTD in cognitive ToM
      capacities; however, affective ToM was equally impaired in both bvFTD groups. The
      cognitive, but not the affective, component of ToM correlated with performance on
      the executive function tests. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that affective ToM
      is markedly diminished even during the initial stages of bvFTD; as the disease
      progresses, deficits in cognitive ToM become more prominent. These findings may
      relate to the pattern of cortical atrophy described for bvFTD. We also found
      significant correlations between the cognitive component of ToM and executive
      functions.

PMID- 26102998
TI  - Self-Regulation of Driving Behavior in People with Parkinson Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent and nature of driving self-regulation in
      drivers with Parkinson disease (PD) and factors associated with self-regulatory
      practices. BACKGROUND: Although people with PD have consistently been shown to
      have driving impairments, few studies have examined self-regulatory driving
      practices and their relationship to driving performance. METHODS: We used a self
      report driving questionnaire to examine driving self-regulation in 37 drivers
      with PD and 37 healthy age-matched controls. We also analyzed factors associated
      with self-regulatory practices, primarily demographic, disease-related,
      psychological, and simulated driving performance variables. RESULTS: The drivers
      with PD reported significantly higher rates of self-perceived decline in their
      driving ability (P=0.008) and driving significantly shorter distances per week
      (P=0.004) than controls. Unfamiliar situations (P=0.009), in-car distractions
      (P<0.001), low visibility conditions (P=0.004), and long journeys (P=0.003) were
      particularly challenging for the drivers with PD, and their pattern of driving
      avoidance mirrored these difficulties. The use of self-regulatory strategies
      among drivers with PD was associated with female sex (rho=0.42, P=0.009) and
      perceived decline in driving ability (rho=-0.55, P<0.001), but not with age or
      objective measures of disease severity, cognition, or simulated driving
      performance. CONCLUSIONS: Drivers with PD reported driving less overall and
      restricting their driving to avoid particularly difficult circumstances. Further
      research is warranted on effective use of self-regulation strategies to improve
      driving performance in people with PD.

PMID- 26103000
TI  - A novel satellite DNA sequence in the Peromyscus genome (PMSat): Evolution via
      copy number fluctuation.
AB  - Satellite DNAs (satDNA) are tandemly arrayed repeated sequences largely present
      in eukaryotic genomes, which play important roles in genome evolution and
      function, and therefore, their analysis is vital. Here, we describe the isolation
      of a novel satellite DNA family (PMSat) from the rodent Peromyscus eremicus
      (Cricetidae, Rodentia), which is located in pericentromeric regions and exhibits
      a typical satellite DNA genome organization. Orthologous PMSat sequences were
      isolated and characterized from three species belonging to Cricetidae: Cricetus
      cricetus, Phodopus sungorus and Microtus arvalis. In these species, PMSat is
      highly conserved, with the absence of fixed species-specific mutations.
      Strikingly, different numbers of copies of this sequence were found among the
      species, suggesting evolution by copy number fluctuation. Repeat units of PMSat
      were also found in the Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii BioProject, but our results
      suggest that these repeat units are from genome regions outside the
      pericentromere. The remarkably high evolutionary sequence conservation along with
      the preservation of a few numbers of copies of this sequence in the analyzed
      genomes may suggest functional significance but a different sequence
      nature/organization. Our data highlight that repeats are difficult to analyze due
      to the limited tools available to dissect genomes and the fact that assemblies do
      not cover regions of constitutive heterochromatin. 

PMID- 26102999
TI  - Temporal Variant Frontotemporal Dementia is Associated with Globular Glial
      Tauopathy.
AB  - Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a clinically and pathologically heterogeneous
      neurodegenerative disorder associated with atrophy of the frontal and temporal
      lobes. Most patients with focal temporal lobe atrophy present with either the
      semantic dementia subtype of FTD or the behavioral variant subtype. For patients
      with temporal variant FTD, the most common cause found on post-mortem examination
      has been a TDP-43 (transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 kDa)
      proteinopathy, but tauopathies have also been described, including Pick's disease
      and mutations in the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene. We report
      the clinical and imaging features of 2 patients with temporal variant FTD
      associated with a rare frontotemporal lobar degeneration pathology known as
      globular glial tauopathy. The pathologic diagnosis of globular glial tauopathy
      should be considered in patients with temporal variant FTD, particularly those
      who have atypical semantic dementia or an atypical parkinsonian syndrome in
      association with the right temporal variant. 

PMID- 26103001
TI  - Detecting reticulate relationships among diploid Leucanthemum Mill. (Compositae,
      Anthemideae) taxa using multilocus species tree reconstruction methods and AFLP
      fingerprinting.
AB  - We examined the evolutionary history of the diploid representatives of the genus
      Leucanthemum Mill. (Compositae, Anthemideae), which constitutes an extensive
      polyploid complex comprising around 41 species with ploidy levels ranging from 2x
      to 22x. The inference of phylogenetic relationships even on the diploid level is
      complicated in this genus due to the overlay of hybridisation and incomplete
      lineage sorting processes leading to incongruence among gene trees based on
      nuclear and plastid sequence information. Species tree and network
      reconstructions were based on gene trees from nine low-copy nuclear markers and
      the concatenated sequence information for five intergenic spacer regions of the
      chloroplast genome, either sequenced by Roche 454 pyrosequencing techniques or
      traditional Sanger sequencing techniques. Additional phylogenetic information
      came from multi-locus AFLP-fingerprinting of representative individuals of all
      diploid taxa under study and the subsequent analysis of AFLP patterns with
      Bayesian clustering and network reconstruction methods. To distinguish between
      hybridisation and incomplete lineage sorting, we developed and utilized a new
      'hybrid index' calculation for individual taxa of the data set, which was
      compared to a simulated null-distribution assuming the occurrence of incomplete
      lineage sorting alone for pinpointing taxa with a significant hybrid signal. As a
      result, two species groups with contrasting patterns of gene flow and/or hybrid
      speciation signals could be identified in the diploids of Leucanthemum: (a) an
      early-diverging stock of allopatrically distributed diploid species with a lack
      of evidence for recent hybridisation events among its members and (b) a more
      recently radiated taxon assemblage with morphologically less clearly
      circumscribed taxa and a pronounced signal of gene flow among lineages and
      several candidate taxa, for which a homoploid hybrid origin may be considered. 

PMID- 26103002
TI  - Personalized Computational Modeling of Mitral Valve Prolapse: Virtual Leaflet
      Resection.
AB  - Posterior leaflet prolapse following chordal elongation or rupture is one of the
      primary valvular diseases in patients with degenerative mitral valves (MVs).
      Quadrangular resection followed by ring annuloplasty is a reliable and
      reproducible surgical repair technique for treatment of posterior leaflet
      prolapse. Virtual MV repair simulation of leaflet resection in association with
      patient-specific 3D echocardiographic data can provide quantitative biomechanical
      and physiologic characteristics of pre- and post-resection MV function. We have
      developed a solid personalized computational simulation protocol to perform
      virtual MV repair using standard clinical guidelines of posterior leaflet
      resection with annuloplasty ring implantation. A virtual MV model was created
      using 3D echocardiographic data of a patient with posterior chordal rupture and
      severe mitral regurgitation. A quadrangle-shaped leaflet portion in the prolapsed
      posterior leaflet was removed, and virtual plication and suturing were performed.
      An annuloplasty ring of proper size was reconstructed and virtual ring
      annuloplasty was performed by superimposing the ring and the mitral annulus.
      Following the quadrangular resection and ring annuloplasty simulations, patient
      specific annular motion and physiologic transvalvular pressure gradient were
      implemented and dynamic finite element simulation of MV function was performed.
      The pre-resection MV demonstrated a substantial lack of leaflet coaptation which
      directly correlated with the severe mitral regurgitation. Excessive stress
      concentration was found along the free marginal edge of the posterior leaflet
      involving the chordal rupture. Following the virtual resection and ring
      annuloplasty, the severity of the posterior leaflet prolapse markedly decreased.
      Excessive stress concentration disappeared over both anterior and posterior
      leaflets, and complete leaflet coaptation was effectively restored. This novel
      personalized virtual MV repair strategy has great potential to help with
      preoperative selection of the patient-specific optimal MV repair techniques,
      allow innovative surgical planning to expect improved efficacy of MV repair with
      more predictable outcomes, and ultimately provide more effective medical care for
      the patient. 

PMID- 26103003
TI  - MicroRNA-34a targets FMNL2 and E2F5 and suppresses the progression of colorectal
      cancer.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies. Increasing
      evidences indicate that dysregulation of miRNAs is a frequent event in CRC and
      contributes to the pathogenesis of CRC. In this study, we found that over
      expression of miR-34a inhibited cell proliferation and invasion, induced a cell
      cycle arrest and triggered apoptosis, while knockdown of miR-34a showed the
      opposite effects. Moreover, ectopic miR-34a suppressed tumor growth and
      metastasis of CRC cells in vivo. FMNL2 and E2F5 were identified as direct targets
      of miR-34a. Reintroduction of FMNL2 or E2F5 without 3'UTR region reversed the
      inhibitory effects of miR-34a on cell proliferation and invasion. MiR-34a was
      down-regulated in CRC cells and inversely correlated with FMNL2 and E2F5
      expressions. Our study suggests that miR-34a is an important tumor suppressor of
      CRC progression by targeting FMNL2 and E2F5, thus providing new insight into the
      molecular mechanisms underlying CRC progression and establishing a strong
      potential for the application of miR-34a as a novel therapeutic marker against
      CRC.

PMID- 26103004
TI  - A 1.8-kb insertion in the 3'-UTR of RXFP2 is associated with polledness in sheep.
AB  - Sheep breeds show a broad spectrum of different horn phenotypes. In most modern
      production breeds, sheep are polled (absence of horns), whereas horns occur
      mainly in indigenous breeds. Previous studies mapped the responsible locus to the
      region of the RXFP2 gene on ovine chromosome 10. A 4-kb region of the 3'-end of
      RXFP2 was amplified in horned and polled animals from seven Swiss sheep breeds.
      Sequence analysis identified a 1833-bp genomic insertion located in the 3'-UTR
      region of RXFP2 present in polled animals only. An efficient PCR-based genotyping
      method to determine the polled genotype of individual sheep is presented.
      Comparative sequence analyses revealed evidence that the polled-associated
      insertion adds a potential antisense RNA sequence of EEF1A1 to the 3'-end of
      RXFP2 transcripts.

PMID- 26103005
TI  - Impact of Physical Chemical Characteristics of Abutment Implant Surfaces on
      Bacteria Adhesion.
AB  - Surface attachment is the first step in biofilm formation, and the ability of
      bacteria to adhere to surfaces and develop a biofilm is directly influenced by
      electrostatic interactions between the bacteria and the chemical composition of
      material surfaces. Here, we investigated the influence of physical and chemical
      characteristics of titanium (Ti) and zirconia (ZrO2) as implant abutment surfaces
      on the bacterial adhesion phase and compared the results to bovine enamel (BE)
      simulating a human tooth. To achieve this goal, we used 2 common pathogens of the
      oral cavity, Streptococcus mutans UA140 and Porphyromonas gingivalis 33277. To
      investigate the influence of material surfaces on bacterial adhesion, we studied
      the surface free energy as well as the topography by atomic force microscopy, and
      the chemical elements composition by scanning electron microscopy equipped with
      an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope. Our results indicated a hydrophobic
      characteristic for all of the materials; however, the presence of polar and
      nonpolar components could aid in understanding why greater numbers of bacteria
      had adhered to BE compared to the other surfaces. Our confocal microscopy data
      support the proposition that electrostatic interactions, indeed, affected the
      initial adhesion phase. Within the limitations of a laboratory study, the results
      revealed bacterial adhered on BE and no bacteria could be observed by confocal
      images on Ti and ZrO2 implant abutment surfaces. 

PMID- 26103006
TI  - Association of GSTO2 (N142D), GSTT1, and GSTM1 Polymorphisms With Graft-Versus
      Host Disease in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Graft-versus-host disease is a major problem after bone marrow
      transplant. GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTO2 are important genes that interfere with
      xenobiotic and drug metabolism. Polymorphisms of these genes may influence the
      metabolism of immunosuppressive drugs given for inhibition of graft-versus-host
      disease and may influence their susceptibility to diseases, which bone marrow
      transplant could alleviate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined the polymorphisms
      of 2 groups: The first group was composed of 88 patients who had undergone a bone
      marrow transplant and 100 otherwise healthy persons; the second group was
      composed of 54 patients without graft-versus-host disease and 34 patients with
      graft-versus-host disease. We used polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment
      length polymorphism method for genotyping GSTO2 and also for multiplexing
      polymerase chain reactions for GSTT1 and GSTM1 genotypes. RESULTS: No significant
      association existed between the genotypes GSTO2 (DD: P = .458, OR 0.422), GSTM1
      (P = .349, OR 1.52), or GSTT1 (P = .887, OR 1.086), and the incidence of GVHD.
      Moreover, we saw no association between these polymorphisms and the problems that
      lead to bone marrow transplant (GSTO2: DD, P = .181, OR 0.465; GSTM1: P = .699,
      OR 0.892; GSTT1: P = .656, OR 0.845). We showed that men have more bone marrow
      transplants than do women (P = .019, OR 2.034). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show
      that these poly-morphisms may have no effect on the metabolism of drugs used to
      treat graft-versus-host disease and also, may play no significant role in
      creating the problems that lead to bone marrow transplant.

PMID- 26103007
TI  - Nogo to IFN by Ras.

PMID- 26103008
TI  - Constraints on adaptation of Escherichia coli to mixed-resource environments
      increase over time.
AB  - Can a population evolved in two resources reach the same fitness in both as
      specialist populations evolved in each of the individual resources? This question
      is central to theories of ecological specialization, the maintenance of genetic
      variation, and sympatric speciation, yet relatively few experiments have examined
      costs of generalism over long-term adaptation. We tested whether selection in
      environments containing two resources limits a population's ability to adapt to
      the individual resources by comparing the fitness of replicate Escherichia coli
      populations evolved for 6000 generations in the presence of glucose or lactose
      alone (specialists), or in varying presentations of glucose and lactose together
      (generalists). We found that all populations had significant fitness increases in
      both resources, though the magnitude and rate of these increases differed. For
      the first 4000 generations, most generalist populations increased in fitness as
      quickly in the individual resources as the corresponding specialist populations.
      From 5000 generations, however, a widespread cost of adaptation affected all
      generalists, indicating a growing constraint on their abilities to adapt to two
      resources simultaneously. Our results indicate that costs of generalism are
      prevalent, but may influence evolutionary trajectories only after a period of
      cost-free adaptation.

PMID- 26103009
TI  - Concentration-dependent structure and structural transition from chirality to
      nonchirality at the liquid-solid interface by coassembly.
AB  - Understanding the formation and structural transition of the two-dimensional
      chirality of self-assembly is a subject which still gains significant interest in
      surface or interface chirality studies. Here, we present the solvent-induced
      chiral structural transition of a 2-hydroxy-7-pentadecyloxy-9-fluorenone (HPF)
      molecules' self-assembled adlayer through coassembly with achiral aliphatic
      solvents under different concentrations. Polymorphic chiral patterns are obtained
      at low concentrations of aliphatic solvents with different chain lengths. The HPF
      molecules form coassembled structures with these solvents through van der Waals
      interactions. At the same time, at high concentrations, HPF molecules uniformly
      form a nonchiral multimer structure without coadsorbed aliphatic solvent
      molecules. What is interesting is that these structures under different
      concentrations will finally change into a zigzag structure, which is the
      thermodynamically most stable configuration. Especially when using n-hexadecane
      as the solvent, the adlayer shows perfect steric matching due to the close chain
      length of HPF and n-hexadecane, which can maximize the molecule-solvent
      interactions. Thus, HPF molecules in n-hexadecane exhibit the most diversiform
      configuration. The distinct concentration-dependence has proven that the solvent
      molecules can act as a coadsorbed component through van der Waals interactions
      rather than simply a dispersant and further result in the probability and
      stability of chiral self-assembled monolayers by subtle tuning of the solvent
      molecule and solvent-substrate interactions. This result provides a simple and
      alternative strategy to construct the 2D chiral assembled monolayer. 

PMID- 26103012
TI  - The Church Supper: James Baare Turnbull.

PMID- 26103022
TI  - Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies and the Development of Vaccines.

PMID- 26103023
TI  - The 2015 US Dietary Guidelines: Lifting the Ban on Total Dietary Fat.

PMID- 26103024
TI  - A PIECE OF MY MIND. I'm Sorry.

PMID- 26103025
TI  - Underutilization of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators in Older Patients.

PMID- 26103026
TI  - Medical Marijuana: Is the Cart Before the Horse?

PMID- 26103027
TI  - Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Use Among Medicare Patients With Low
      Ejection Fraction After Acute Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are not recommended
      within 40 days of myocardial infarction (MI); thus, ICD implantation might not be
      considered during the post-MI care transition. OBJECTIVE: To examine ICD
      implantation rates and associated mortality among older MI patients with low
      ejection fraction (EF). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective
      observational study of Medicare beneficiaries with an EF of 35% or less after MI,
      treated at 441 US hospitals between 2007 and 2010, excluding patients with prior
      ICD implantation. Follow-up data were available through December 2010. EXPOSURES:
      ICD implantation within 1 year of MI vs no ICD implantation within 1 year of MI.
      MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Patient characteristics associated with receiving an
      ICD within 1 year after discharge and 2-year mortality associated with ICD
      implantation. RESULTS: Among 10,318 MI patients with EF of 35%or lower, the
      cumulative 1-year ICD implantation rate was 8.1% (95%CI, 7.6%-8.7%). Patients
      with ICD implantation were more likely to have prior coronary artery bypass graft
      procedures, higher peak troponin levels, in-hospital cardiogenic shock, and
      cardiology follow-up within 2 weeks after discharge relative to patients who did
      not receive an ICD within 1 year. Implantation of ICD was associated with lower 2
      year mortality (15.3 events per 100 patient-years [128 deaths in 838 patient
      years] vs 26.4 events per 100 patient-years [3033 deaths in 11 479 patient
      years]; adjusted HR, 0.64; 95%CI, 0.53-0.78). [table: see text] CONCLUSIONS AND
      RELEVANCE: In this large registry study of older patients who experienced MI from
      2007-2010, fewer than 1 in 10 eligible patients with low EF received an ICD
      within 1 year after MI, although ICD implantation was associated with lower risk
      adjusted mortality at 2 years. Additional research is needed to determine
      evidence-based approaches to increase ICD implantation among eligible patients.

PMID- 26103028
TI  - Association Between Early Screening for Patent Ductus Arteriosus and In-Hospital
      Mortality Among Extremely Preterm Infants.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: There is currently no consensus for the screening and treatment of
      patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in extremely preterm infants. Less pharmacological
      closure and more supportive management have been observed without evidence to
      support these changes. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between early
      screening echocardiography for PDA and in-hospital mortality. DESIGN, SETTING,
      AND PARTICIPANTS: Comparison of screened and not screened preterm infants
      enrolled in the EPIPAGE 2 national prospective population-based cohort study that
      included all preterm infants born at less than 29 weeks of gestation and
      hospitalized in 68 neonatal intensive care units in France from April through
      December 2011. Two main analyses were performed to adjust for potential selection
      bias, one using propensity score matching and one using neonatal unit preference
      for early screening echocardiography as an instrumental variable. EXPOSURES:
      Early screening echocardiography before day 3 of life. MAIN OUTCOMES AND
      MEASURES: The primary outcome was death between day 3 and discharge. The
      secondary outcomes were major neonatal morbidities (pulmonary hemorrhage, severe
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia, severe cerebral lesions, and necrotizing
      enterocolitis). RESULTS: Among the 1513 preterm infants with data available to
      determine exposure, 847 were screened for PDA and 666 were not; 605 infants from
      each group could be paired. Exposed infants were treated for PDA more frequently
      during their hospitalization than nonexposed infants (55.1% vs 43.1%; odds ratio
      [OR], 1.62 [95% CI, 1.31 to 2.00]; absolute risk reduction [ARR] in events per
      100 infants, -12.0 [95% CI, -17.3 to -6.7). Exposed infants had a lower hospital
      death rate (14.2% vs 18.5% ; OR, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.54 to 0.98]; ARR, 4.3 [95% CI,
      0.3 to 8.3]) and a lower rate of pulmonary hemorrhage (5.6% vs 8.9%; OR, 0.60
      [95% CI, 0.38 to 0.95]; ARR, 3.3 [95% CI, 0.4 to 6.3]). No differences in rates
      of necrotizing enterocolitis, severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or severe
      cerebral lesions were observed. In the overall cohort, instrumental variable
      analysis yielded an adjusted OR for in-hospital mortality of 0.62 [95% CI, 0.37
      to 1.04]. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this national population-based cohort of
      extremely preterm infants, screening echocardiography before day 3 of life was
      associated with lower in-hospital mortality and likelihood of pulmonary
      hemorrhage but not with differences in necrotizing enterocolitis, severe
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or severe cerebral lesions. However, results of the
      instrumental variable analysis leave some ambiguity in the interpretation, and
      longer-term evaluation is needed to provide clarity.

PMID- 26103029
TI  - Use of Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors for Erectile Dysfunction and Risk of
      Malignant Melanoma.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: The target for the oral erectile dysfunction drugs, phosphodiesterase
      type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, is part of a pathway implicated in the development of
      malignant melanoma. An increased risk of melanoma in sildenafil users was
      recently reported. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between use of PDE5
      inhibitors and melanoma risk, including data on specific PDE5 inhibitors, number
      of prescriptions, and melanoma stage. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:
      Nationwide, population-based, nested case-control study in the Swedish Prescribed
      Drug Register, the Swedish Melanoma Register, and other health care registers and
      demographic databases in Sweden, including 4065 melanoma cases diagnosed from
      2006 through 2012 and 5 randomly selected controls per case with matching year of
      birth. EXPOSURES: Number of filled prescriptions for the PDE5 inhibitors
      sildenafil and vardenafil or tadalafil. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Risk of
      melanoma; overall and by stage and risk of basal cell carcinoma in multivariable
      logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Of 4065 melanoma cases, 435 men (11%) had
      filled prescriptions for PDE5 inhibitors, as did 1713 men of 20,325 controls
      (8%). In multivariable analysis, there was an increased risk of melanoma in men
      taking PDE5 inhibitors (OR, 1.21 [95% CI, 1.08-1.36]). The most pronounced
      increase in risk was observed in men who had filled a single prescription (OR,
      1.32 [95% CI, 1.10-1.59]; exposure rate, 4% for cases vs 3% for controls), but
      was not significant among men with multiple filled prescriptions (for 2-5
      prescriptions: OR, 1.14 [95% CI, 0.95-1.37], 4% for cases and 3% for controls;
      for >=6 prescriptions: OR, 1.17 [95% CI, 0.95-1.44], 3% for cases vs 2% for
      controls). PDE5 inhibitors were significantly associated with melanoma stage 0
      (OR, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.22-1.83], 13% for cases vs 8% for controls) and stage I (OR,
      1.21 [95% CI, 1.02-1.43], 12% for cases vs 10% for controls), but not stage II
      through IV (OR, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.63-1.09], 6% for cases vs 7% for controls). The
      risk estimates were similar for sildenafil and vardenafil or tadalafil. PDE5
      inhibitor use was also associated with an increased risk of basal cell carcinoma
      (OR, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.14-1.25], 9% for cases vs 8% for controls). Men taking PDE5
      inhibitors had a higher educational level and annual income, factors that were
      also significantly associated with melanoma risk. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In a
      Swedish cohort of men, the use of PDE5 inhibitors was associated with a modest
      but statistically significant increased risk of malignant melanoma. However, the
      pattern of association (eg, the lack of association with multiple filled
      prescriptions) raises questions about whether this association is causal.

PMID- 26103030
TI  - Cannabinoids for Medical Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Cannabis and cannabinoid drugs are widely used to treat disease or
      alleviate symptoms, but their efficacy for specific indications is not clear.
      OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of the benefits and adverse events
      (AEs) of cannabinoids. DATA SOURCES: Twenty-eight databases from inception to
      April 2015. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized clinical trials of cannabinoids for the
      following indications: nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, appetite
      stimulation in HIV/AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity due to multiple sclerosis or
      paraplegia, depression, anxiety disorder, sleep disorder, psychosis, glaucoma, or
      Tourette syndrome. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Study quality was assessed
      using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. All review stages were conducted
      independently by 2 reviewers. Where possible, data were pooled using random
      effects meta-analysis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Patient-relevant/disease
      specific outcomes, activities of daily living, quality of life, global impression
      of change, and AEs. RESULTS: A total of 79 trials (6462 participants) were
      included; 4 were judged at low risk of bias. Most trials showed improvement in
      symptoms associated with cannabinoids but these associations did not reach
      statistical significance in all trials. Compared with placebo, cannabinoids were
      associated with a greater average number of patients showing a complete nausea
      and vomiting response (47% vs 20%; odds ratio [OR], 3.82 [95% CI, 1.55-9.42]; 3
      trials), reduction in pain (37% vs 31%; OR, 1.41 [95% CI, 0.99-2.00]; 8 trials),
      a greater average reduction in numerical rating scale pain assessment (on a 0-10
      point scale; weighted mean difference [WMD], -0.46 [95% CI, -0.80 to -0.11]; 6
      trials), and average reduction in the Ashworth spasticity scale (WMD, -0.36 [95%
      CI, -0.69 to -0.05]; 7 trials). There was an increased risk of short-term AEs
      with cannabinoids, including serious AEs. Common AEs included dizziness, dry
      mouth, nausea, fatigue, somnolence, euphoria, vomiting, disorientation,
      drowsiness, confusion, loss of balance, and hallucination. CONCLUSIONS AND
      RELEVANCE: There was moderate-quality evidence to support the use of cannabinoids
      for the treatment of chronic pain and spasticity. There was low-quality evidence
      suggesting that cannabinoids were associated with improvements in nausea and
      vomiting due to chemotherapy, weight gain in HIV infection, sleep disorders, and
      Tourette syndrome. Cannabinoids were associated with an increased risk of short
      term AEs.

PMID- 26103032
TI  - Metformin as Initial Oral Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes.

PMID- 26103031
TI  - Medical Marijuana for Treatment of Chronic Pain and Other Medical and Psychiatric
      Problems: A Clinical Review.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: As of March 2015, 23 states and the District of Columbia had medical
      marijuana laws in place. Physicians should know both the scientific rationale and
      the practical implications for medical marijuana laws. OBJECTIVE: To review the
      pharmacology, indications, and laws related to medical marijuana use. EVIDENCE
      REVIEW: The medical literature on medical marijuana was reviewed from 1948 to
      March 2015 via MEDLINE with an emphasis on 28 randomized clinical trials of
      cannabinoids as pharmacotherapy for indications other than those for which there
      are 2 US Food and Drug Administration-approved cannabinoids (dronabinol and
      nabilone), which include nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and
      appetite stimulation in wasting illnesses. FINDINGS: Use of marijuana for chronic
      pain, neuropathic pain, and spasticity due to multiple sclerosis is supported by
      high-quality evidence. Six trials that included 325 patients examined chronic
      pain, 6 trials that included 396 patients investigated neuropathic pain, and 12
      trials that included 1600 patients focused on multiple sclerosis. Several of
      these trials had positive results, suggesting that marijuana or cannabinoids may
      be efficacious for these indications. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Medical
      marijuana is used to treat a host of indications, a few of which have evidence to
      support treatment with marijuana and many that do not. Physicians should educate
      patients about medical marijuana to ensure that it is used appropriately and that
      patients will benefit from its use.

PMID- 26103033
TI  - Perioperative beta-Blocker Therapy.

PMID- 26103034
TI  - Cannabinoid Dose and Label Accuracy in Edible Medical Cannabis Products.

PMID- 26103035
TI  - Housing for Homeless Adults With Mental Illness.

PMID- 26103036
TI  - Housing for Homeless Adults With Mental Illness--Reply.

PMID- 26103037
TI  - Flaws in Patient Safety Measures.

PMID- 26103038
TI  - Flaws in Patient Safety Measures--Reply.

PMID- 26103039
TI  - Dosing Recommendations for New Oral Anticoagulants.

PMID- 26103041
TI  - Wording and Data Errors in the Text and Table.

PMID- 26103040
TI  - Dosing Recommendations for New Oral Anticoagulants--Reply.

PMID- 26103043
TI  - Correspondence: Ben Franklin's Views.

PMID- 26103044
TI  - JAMA PATIENT PAGE. Medical Marijuana.

PMID- 26103045
TI  - Atomic force microscope caliper for critical dimension measurements of micro and
      nanostructures through sidewall scanning.
AB  - A novel atomic force microscope (AFM) dual-probe caliper for critical dimension
      (CD) metrology has been developed. The caliper is equipped with two facing tilted
      optical fiber probes (OFPs) wherein each can be used independently to scan either
      sidewall of micro and nanostructures. The OFP tip with length up to 500 MUm
      (aspect ratio 10:1, apex diameter ?10 nm) has unique features of scanning deep
      trenches and imaging sidewalls of relatively high steps with exclusive profiling
      possibilities. The caliper arms-OFPs can be accurately aligned with a well
      calibrated opening distance. The line width, line edge roughness, line width
      roughness, groove width and CD angles can be measured through serial scan of
      adjacent or opposite sidewalls with each probe. Capabilities of the presented AFM
      caliper have been validated through experimental CD measurement results of comb
      microstructures and AFM calibration grating TGZ3.

PMID- 26103046
TI  - Peculiar rotation of electron vortex beams.
AB  - Standard electron optics predicts Larmor image rotation in the magnetic lens
      field of a TEM. Introducing the possibility to produce electron vortex beams with
      quantized orbital angular momentum brought up the question of their rotational
      dynamics in the presence of a magnetic field. Recently, it has been shown that
      electron vortex beams can be prepared as free electron Landau states showing
      peculiar rotational dynamics, including no and cyclotron (double-Larmor)
      rotation. Additionally very fast Gouy rotation of electron vortex beams has been
      observed. In this work a model is developed which reveals that the rotational
      dynamics of electron vortices are a combination of slow Larmor and fast Gouy
      rotations and that the Landau states naturally occur in the transition region in
      between the two regimes. This more general picture is confirmed by experimental
      data showing an extended set of peculiar rotations, including no, cyclotron,
      Larmor and rapid Gouy rotations all present in one single convergent electron
      vortex beam. 

PMID- 26103047
TI  - Thon rings from amorphous ice and implications of beam-induced Brownian motion in
      single particle electron cryo-microscopy.
AB  - We have recorded dose-fractionated electron cryo-microscope images of thin films
      of pure flash-frozen amorphous ice and pre-irradiated amorphous carbon on a
      Falcon II direct electron detector using 300 keV electrons. We observe Thon rings
      [1] in both the power spectrum of the summed frames and the sum of power spectra
      from the individual frames. The Thon rings from amorphous carbon images are
      always more visible in the power spectrum of the summed frames whereas those of
      amorphous ice are more visible in the sum of power spectra from the individual
      frames. This difference indicates that while pre-irradiated carbon behaves like a
      solid during the exposure, amorphous ice behaves like a fluid with the individual
      water molecules undergoing beam-induced motion. Using the measured variation in
      the power spectra amplitude with number of electrons per image we deduce that
      water molecules are randomly displaced by a mean squared distance of ~1.1 A(2)
      for every incident 300 keV e(-)/A(2). The induced motion leads to an optimal
      exposure with 300 keV electrons of 4.0 e(-)/A(2) per image with which to observe
      Thon rings centred around the strong 3.7 A scattering peak from amorphous ice.
      The beam-induced movement of the water molecules generates pseudo-Brownian motion
      of embedded macromolecules. The resulting blurring of single particle images
      contributes an additional term, on top of that from radiation damage, to the
      minimum achievable B-factor for macromolecular structure determination.

PMID- 26103048
TI  - The Evaluation and Quantitation of Dihydrogen Metabolism Using Deuterium Isotope
      in Rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: Despite the significant interest in molecular hydrogen as an antioxidant
      in the last eight years, its quantitative metabolic parameters in vivo are still
      lacking, as is an appropriate method for determination of hydrogen effectivity in
      the mammalian organism under various conditions. BASIC PROCEDURES:
      Intraperitoneally-applied deuterium gas was used as a metabolic tracer and
      deuterium enrichment was determined in the body water pool. Also, in vitro
      experiments were performed using bovine heart submitochondrial particles to
      evaluate superoxide formation in Complex I of the respiratory chain. MAIN
      FINDINGS: A significant oxidation of about 10% of the applied dose was found
      under physiological conditions in rats, proving its antioxidant properties.
      Hypoxia or endotoxin application did not exert any effect, whilst pure oxygen
      inhalation reduced deuterium oxidation. During in vitro experiments, a
      significant reduction of superoxide formation by Complex I of the respiratory
      chain was found under the influence of hydrogen. The possible molecular
      mechanisms of the beneficial effects of hydrogen are discussed, with an emphasis
      on the role of iron sulphur clusters in reactive oxygen species generation and on
      iron species-dihydrogen interaction. PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS: According to our
      findings, hydrogen may be an efficient, non-toxic, highly bioavailable and low
      cost antioxidant supplement for patients with pathological conditions involving
      ROS-induced oxidative stress.

PMID- 26103049
TI  - Rare zoonotic infection with Microsporum persicolor with literature review.
AB  - We report a case of dermatophytosis caused by Microsporum persicolor in a 38-year
      old male from Poland. Direct microscopic examination revealed high amounts of
      fungal hyphae from the right elbow material. The mould recovered in multiple
      cultures was identified as Microsporum persicolor by molecular identification
      based on partial of beta-tubulin gene (BT2), internal transcribed spacer, partial
      small ribosomal subunit (SSU) and large ribosomal subunit, partial translation
      elongation factor (TEF1) and RNA polymerase second largest subunit (RPB1) loci
      sequence data. The patient was treated with terbinafine. Clinical and mycological
      cure was achieved with this regimen and the patient was subsequently followed for
      1 year without relapse. Microsporum persicolor is a very rare causative agent of
      dermatophytosis worldwide. The source of infection for the patient remained
      unclear and zoonotic transmission could not be confirmed.

PMID- 26103050
TI  - Intra-Genomic Heterogeneity in 16S rRNA Genes in Strictly Anaerobic Clinical
      Isolates from Periodontal Abscesses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Members of the genera Prevotella, Veillonella and Fusobacterium are
      the predominant culturable obligate anaerobic bacteria isolated from periodontal
      abscesses. When determining the cumulative number of clinical anaerobic isolates
      from periodontal abscesses, ambiguous or overlapping signals were frequently
      encountered in 16S rRNA gene sequencing chromatograms, resulting in ambiguous
      identifications. With the exception of the genus Veillonella, the high intra
      chromosomal heterogeneity of rrs genes has not been reported. METHODS: The 16S
      rRNA genes of 138 clinical, strictly anaerobic isolates and one reference strain
      were directly sequenced, and the chromatograms were carefully examined. Gene
      cloning was performed for 22 typical isolates with doublet sequencing signals for
      the 16S rRNA genes, and four copies of the rrs-ITS genes of 9 Prevotella
      intermedia isolates were separately amplified by PCR, sequenced and compared.
      Five conserved housekeeping genes, hsp60, recA, dnaJ, gyrB1 and rpoB from 89
      clinical isolates of Prevotella were also amplified by PCR and sequenced for
      identification and phylogenetic analysis along with 18 Prevotella reference
      strains. RESULTS: Heterogeneity of 16S rRNA genes was apparent in clinical,
      strictly anaerobic oral bacteria, particularly in the genera Prevotella and
      Veillonella. One hundred out of 138 anaerobic strains (72%) had intragenomic
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in multiple locations, and 13 strains (9.4%) had
      intragenomic insertions or deletions in the 16S rRNA gene. In the genera
      Prevotella and Veillonella, 75% (67/89) and 100% (19/19) of the strains had SNPs
      in the 16S rRNA gene, respectively. Gene cloning and separate amplifications of
      four copies of the rrs-ITS genes confirmed that 2 to 4 heterogeneous 16S rRNA
      copies existed. CONCLUSION: Sequence alignment of five housekeeping genes
      revealed that intra-species nucleotide similarities were very high in the genera
      Prevotella, ranging from 94.3-100%. However, the inter-species similarities were
      relatively low, ranging from 68.7-97.9%. The housekeeping genes rpoB and gyrB1
      were demonstrated to be alternative classification markers to the species level
      based on intra- and inter-species comparisons, whereas based on phylogenetic tree
      rpoB proved to be reliable phylogenetic marker for the genus Prevotella.

PMID- 26103051
TI  - Hemodynamics in the Circle of Willis with Internal Carotid Artery Stenosis under
      Cervical Rotatory Manipulation: A Finite Element Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The circle of Willis (CoW) plays an important role in cerebral
      collateral circulation. The hemodynamics changes in the CoW have usually been
      associated with the internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis, but whether rotatory
      manipulation will affect it remains unknown. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study
      we attempted to analyze the influence of rotatory manipulation on the
      hemodynamics in the CoW in models with or without ICA stenosis by means of finite
      element analysis. For this purpose, the CoW was reasonably simplified and a fluid
      solid coupling 3D finite element model was created by using MIMICS10.0 and
      ANSYS14.5. The healthy (without stenosis) and the diseased (ratios of stenosis
      include 15%, 30%, 45%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90%) situations were simulated. A
      remote displacement of 60 degrees  was applied at a distal ICA (the right ICA was
      chosen here) to imitate the rotatory manipulation. Blood flow was then monitored
      at the anterior communicating artery (ACoA) and posterior communicating arteries
      (PCoA). RESULTS: Before the conduction of rotatory manipulation, blood flow
      changed significantly only when the stenosis ratio was increased to more than
      70%, and the situation did not have significant difference after the application
      of remote displacement except the model with stenosis ration of 90%. CONCLUSIONS:
      The result suggests that the rotatory manipulation does not have an obvious
      influence on the blood flow in the CoW when the stenosis of ICA is less than 90%,
      and this kind of manipulation is suggested to be a safe technique in most of the
      clinical applications.

PMID- 26103052
TI  - Asymmetric Synthesis of Deoxypropionate Derivatives via Catalytic Hydrogenolysis
      of Enantioenriched Z-Ketene Heterodimers.
AB  - A diastereoselective approach to deoxypropionate derivatives through Pd/C
      catalyzed hydrogenolysis of enantioenriched ketene heterodimers is described.
      Catalytic hydrogenolysis of the Z-isomer of ketene heterodimers facilitates
      access to anti-deoxypropionate derivatives (10 examples with dr 7:1 to >20:1).
      Transfer of chirality from the Z-ketene heterodimer to an acid product was good
      to excellent in most cases (78-99% ee for 12 examples). 

PMID- 26103053
TI  - Molecular Features of Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Microarray Evidence and
      Further Integrated Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease usually including four
      molecular subtypes such as luminal A, luminal B, HER2-enriched, and triple
      negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC is more aggressive than other breast cancer
      subtypes. Despite major advances in ER-positive or HER2-amplified breast cancer,
      there is no targeted agent currently available for TNBC, so it is urgent to
      identify new potential therapeutic targets for TNBC. METHODS: We first used
      microarray analysis to compare gene expression profiling between TNBC and non
      TNBC. Furthermore an integrated analysis was conducted based on our own and
      published data, leading to more robust, reproducible and accurate predictions.
      Additionally, we performed qRT-PCR in breast cancer cell lines to verify the
      findings in integrated analysis. RESULTS: After searching Gene Expression Omnibus
      database (GEO), two microarray studies were obtained according to the inclusion
      criteria. The integrated analysis was conducted, including 30 samples of TNBC and
      77 samples of non-TNBC. 556 genes were found to be consistently differentially
      expressed (344 up-regulated genes and 212 down-regulated genes in TNBC).
      Functional annotation for these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed that
      the most significantly enriched Gene Ontology (GO) term for molecular functions
      was protein binding (GO: 0005515, P = 6.09E-21), while that for biological
      processes was signal transduction (GO: 0007165, P = 9.46E-08), and that for
      cellular component was cytoplasm (GO: 0005737, P = 2.09E-21). The most
      significant pathway was Pathways in cancer (P = 6.54E-05) based on Kyoto
      Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). DUSP1 (Degree = 21), MYEOV2 (Degree =
      15) and UQCRQ (Degree = 14) were identified as the significant hub proteins in
      the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Five genes were selected to
      perform qRT-PCR in seven breast cancer cell lines, and qRT-PCR results showed
      that the expression pattern of selected genes in TNBC lines and non-TNBC lines
      was nearly consistent with that in the integrated analysis. CONCLUSION: This
      study may help to understand the pathogenesis of different breast cancer
      subtypes, contributing to the successful identification of therapeutic targets
      for TNBC.

PMID- 26103054
TI  - Thyroid hormone induction of mitochondrial activity is coupled to mitophagy via
      ROS-AMPK-ULK1 signaling.
AB  - Currently, there is limited understanding about hormonal regulation of
      mitochondrial turnover. Thyroid hormone (T3) increases oxidative phosphorylation
      (OXPHOS), which generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage mitochondria.
      However, the mechanism for maintenance of mitochondrial activity and quality
      control by this hormone is not known. Here, we used both in vitro and in vivo
      hepatic cell models to demonstrate that induction of mitophagy by T3 is coupled
      to oxidative phosphorylation and ROS production. We show that T3 induction of ROS
      activates CAMKK2 (calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2, beta)
      mediated phosphorylation of PRKAA1/AMPK (5' AMP-activated protein kinase), which
      in turn phosphorylates ULK1 (unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1) leading
      to its mitochondrial recruitment and initiation of mitophagy. Furthermore, loss
      of ULK1 in T3-treated cells impairs both mitophagy as well as OXPHOS without
      affecting T3 induced general autophagy/lipophagy. These findings demonstrate a
      novel ROS-AMPK-ULK1 mechanism that couples T3-induced mitochondrial turnover with
      activity, wherein mitophagy is necessary not only for removing damaged
      mitochondria but also for sustaining efficient OXPHOS. 

PMID- 26103055
TI  - Widespread Distribution and Expression of Gamma A (UMB), an Uncultured,
      Diazotrophic, gamma-Proteobacterial nifH Phylotype.
AB  - Marine dinitrogen (N2) fixation studies have focused nearly exclusively on
      cyanobacterial diazotrophs; however gamma-proteobacteria are an abundant
      component of the marine community and have been largely overlooked until
      recently. Here we present a phylogenetic analysis of all nifH gamma
      proteobacterial sequences available in public databases and qPCR data of a gamma
      proteobacterial phylotype, Gamma A (UMB), obtained during several research
      cruises. Our analysis revealed a complex diversity of diazotrophic gamma
      proteobacteria. One phylotype in particular, Gamma A, was described in several
      traditional and quantitative PCR studies. Though several gamma-proteobacterial
      nifH sequences have been described as laboratory contaminants, Gamma A is part of
      a large cluster of sequences isolated from marine environments and distantly
      related to the clade of contaminants. Using a TaqMan probe and primer set, Gamma
      A nifH DNA abundance and expression were analyzed in nearly 1000 samples
      collected during 15 cruises to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The data showed
      that Gamma A is an active, cosmopolitan diazotroph found throughout oxygenated,
      oligotrophic waters reaching maximum abundances of 8 x 104 nifH DNA copies l-1
      and 5 x 105 nifH transcript copies l-1. Gamma A nifH transcript abundances were
      on average 3 fold higher than nifH DNA abundances. The widespread distribution
      and activity of Gamma A indicate that it has potential to be a globally important
      N2 fixing organism. 

PMID- 26103057
TI  - Caval agenesis in the pediatric liver donor.
AB  - The following is the first report of a pediatric organ donor with caval agenesis
      and the subsequent use of this liver for transplantation. Caval embryology and
      potential implications of utilizing a donor liver with caval agenesis are
      reviewed. 

PMID- 26103056
TI  - Electrocatalysis by subcellular liver fractions bound to carbon nanostructures
      for stereoselective green drug metabolite synthesis.
AB  - A novel, reusable, cofactor-free, and mediator-free human liver microsomal
      bioreactor constructed on carbon nanostructure electrodes for stereoselective
      green syntheses of drug metabolites and specialty chemicals is reported here for
      the first time. Drug metabolites are useful for examining pharmaceutical and
      pharmacological properties of new drugs under development. 

PMID- 26103058
TI  - Tuning the properties of copper-based catalysts based on molecular in situ
      studies of model systems.
AB  - Studying catalytic processes at the molecular level is extremely challenging, due
      to the structural and chemical complexity of the materials used as catalysts and
      the presence of reactants and products in the reactor's environment. The most
      common materials used on catalysts are transition metals and their oxides. The
      importance of multifunctional active sites at metal/oxide interfaces has been
      long recognized, but a molecular picture of them based on experimental
      observations is only recently emerging. The initial approach to interrogate the
      surface chemistry of catalysts at the molecular level consisted of studying metal
      single crystals as models for reactive metal centers, moving later to single
      crystal or well-defined thin film oxides. The natural next iteration consisted in
      the deposition of metal nanoparticles on well-defined oxide substrates. Metal
      nanoparticles contain undercoordinated sites, which are more reactive. It is also
      possible to create architectures where oxide nanoparticles are deposited on top
      of metal single crystals, denominated inverse catalysts, leading in this case to
      a high concentration of reactive cationic sites in direct contact with the
      underlying fully coordinated metal atoms. Using a second oxide as a support
      (host), a multifunctional configuration can be built in which both metal and
      oxide nanoparticles are located in close proximity. Our recent studies on copper
      based catalysts are presented here as an example of the application of these
      complementary model systems, starting from the creation of undercoordinated sites
      on Cu(111) and Cu2O(111) surfaces, continuing with the formation of mixed-metal
      copper oxides, the synthesis of ceria nanoparticles on Cu(111) and the
      codeposition of Cu and ceria nanoparticles on TiO2(110). Catalysts have
      traditionally been characterized before or after reactions and analyzed based on
      static representations of surface structures. It is shown here how dynamic
      changes on a catalyst's chemical state and morphology can be followed during a
      reaction by a combination of in situ microscopy and spectroscopy. In addition to
      determining the active phase of a catalyst by in situ methods, the presence of
      weakly adsorbed surface species or intermediates generated only in the presence
      of reactants can be detected, allowing in turn the comparison of experimental
      results with first principle modeling of specific reaction mechanisms. Three
      reactions are used to exemplify the approach: CO oxidation (CO + 1/2O2 -> CO2),
      water gas shift reaction (WGSR) (CO + H2O -> CO2 + H2), and methanol synthesis
      (CO2 + 3H2 -> CH3OH + H2O). During CO oxidation, the full conversion of Cu(0) to
      Cu(2+) deactivates an initially outstanding catalyst. This can be remedied by the
      formation of a TiCuOx mixed-oxide that protects the presence of active partially
      oxidized Cu(+) cations. It is also shown that for the WGSR a switch occurs in the
      reaction mechanism, going from a redox process on Cu(111) to a more efficient
      associative pathway at the interface of ceria nanoparticles deposited on Cu(111).
      Similarly, the activation of CO2 at the ceria/Cu(111) interface allows its facile
      hydrogenation to methanol. Our combined studies emphasize the need of searching
      for optimal metal/oxide interfaces, where multifunctional sites can lead to new
      efficient catalytic reaction pathways. 

PMID- 26103059
TI  - Quantum phase transitions in interfacing two gapped systems of ordinary fermions
      driven by external strain and atomic adsorption.
AB  - We study how the electronic structure of a single bilayer Bi on a single
      quintuple layer Bi2Se3 (Bi2Te3) changes with interface polarization, strain and H
      adsorption using first-principles calculations. We find that for strained systems
      the Dirac cone state does not show in the band gap. Coupled with strain and H
      adsorption, the six spin-polarized Dirac cones in the band gap are created by the
      interfacing two gapped films. The internal electrical field can result in
      variations in the work function relative to Bi and Bi2Se3 surfaces. Our findings
      confirm that the interface polarization, strain and atomic adsorption are the
      effective means to manipulate electronic structures and topological states on non
      metallic surfaces, which could be helpful for realizing atomically thin
      spintronic devices. 

PMID- 26103060
TI  - Macrocyclic Cu(ii)-organophosphonate building block with room temperature
      magnetic ordering.
AB  - Engineering a copper coordination sphere with organoimine ligands and tuning the
      organophosphonate protonation states produced [{Cu(2,2'-bpy)}2(HO3P(CH2)8PO3H2)4]
      (1) and [{Cu(terpy)}2(2,7-FDA-H2)2].(2,7-FDA-H4)(2H2O) (2) (2,7-FDA-H4 = 2,7
      fluorenonediphosphonic acid) macrocyclic copper-organophosphonate building
      blocks. 1 exhibits high temperature magnetic ordering, while 2 is paramagnetic.
      The structures were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction.

PMID- 26103061
TI  - Biological Efficacy and Toxicity of Diamidines in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1
      Models.
AB  - Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a disease characterized by errors in
      alternative splicing, or "mis-splicing". The causative agent of mis-splicing in
      DM1 is an inherited CTG repeat expansion located in the 3' untranslated region of
      the DM protein kinase gene. When transcribed, CUG repeat expansion RNA sequesters
      muscleblind-like (MBNL) proteins, which constitute an important family of
      alternative splicing regulators. Sequestration of MBNL proteins results in the
      mis-splicing of its regulated transcripts. Previous work has demonstrated that
      pentamidine, a diamidine which is currently FDA-approved as an antiparasitic
      agent, was able to partially reverse mis-splicing in multiple DM1 models, albeit
      at toxic concentrations. In this study, we characterized a series of pentamidine
      analogues to determine their ability to reverse mis-splicing and their toxicity
      in vivo. Experiments in cell and mouse models demonstrated that compound 13, also
      known as furamidine, effectively reversed mis-splicing with equal efficacy and
      reduced toxicity compared to pentamidine. 

PMID- 26103063
TI  - Population Health Considerations for Pediatric Asthma: Findings from the 2011
      2012 California Health Interview Survey.
AB  - Childhood asthma is a prevalent and costly chronic condition. Optimal management
      enables secondary and tertiary prevention. The goal was to identify population
      health considerations for pediatric asthma in California to inform the
      development of quality improvement interventions. California Health Interview
      Survey 2011-2012 is a random-digit dial telephone survey conducted in 5
      languages. It includes 44,000 households from all 58 counties in California. This
      study assessed factors related to symptom control and health care use in children
      ages 2-11 years with asthma. An estimated 492,385 (9.6%) of children in
      California currently have asthma. Urban and rural residents face comparable
      asthma disease burdens. School-age male children as well as Asian and African
      American children are disproportionately affected. Asthma causes significant
      morbidity, with poorer health status, high utilization of emergency care, and the
      need for daily medication use. Only 38% of children with asthma have a recent
      asthma management plan. Half of all children with asthma did not receive
      influenza immunization in the past year, although this reflects the overall low
      rate of influenza vaccination. Parents of children with asthma frequently utilize
      the Internet for health information and communication with their child's health
      care provider. Children with asthma in California face several population-level
      challenges, including poor health status, low influenza vaccination rates, high
      use of emergency care, and suboptimal use of health literacy tools. Focusing on
      improved care coordination and preventive care for high-risk groups is especially
      urgent given the expansion of public health insurance and impending shortages in
      the primary care workforce. (Population Health Management 2016;19:145-151). 

PMID- 26103064
TI  - Correction to "Polarizable Density Embedding: A New QM/QM/MM-based Computational
      Strategy".

PMID- 26103062
TI  - The dynamics of Rho GTPase signaling and implications for targeting cancer and
      the tumor microenvironment.
AB  - Numerous large scale genomics studies have demonstrated that cancer is a
      molecularly heterogeneous disease, characterized by acquired changes in the
      structure and DNA sequence of tumor genomes. More recently, the role of the
      equally complex tumor microenvironment in driving the aggressiveness of this
      disease is increasingly being realized. Tumor cells are surrounded by activated
      stroma, creating a dynamic environment that promotes cancer development,
      metastasis and chemoresistance. The Rho family of small GTPases plays an
      essential role in the regulation of cell shape, cytokinesis, cell adhesion, and
      cell motility. Importantly, these processes need to be considered in the context
      of a complex 3-dimensional (3D) environment, with reciprocal feedback and cross
      talk taking place between the tumor cells and host environment. Here we discuss
      the role of molecular networks involving Rho GTPases in cancer, and the
      therapeutic implications of inhibiting Rho signaling in both cancer cells and the
      emerging concept of targeting the surrounding stroma. 

PMID- 26103065
TI  - Gas Sorption, Second-Order Nonlinear Optics, and Luminescence Properties of a
      Multifunctional srs-Type Metal-Organic Framework Built by Tris(4
      carboxylphenylduryl)amine.
AB  - A chiral 8-fold interpenetrating srs-type metal-organic framework FIR-28 (FIR
      denotes Fujian Institute of Research) exhibits a surface area of 1029 m(2)/g and
      high C3H8/CH4 separation capacity in excess of 154 and displays strong powder
      second-harmonic-generation efficiency, with more than half over potassium
      dihydrogen phosphate powder. Moreover, the luminescence properties of FIR-28 are
      dependent on the solvent guests. 

PMID- 26103066
TI  - Rapid Separation of Three Proanthocyanidin Dimers from Iris lactea Pall. var.
      Chinensis (Fisch.) Koidz by High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography With
      Continuous Sample Load and Double-Pump Balancing Mode.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The dried seeds of Iris lactea have been used in traditional
      Chinese medicine. Previous studies have been focused on irisquinones while other
      chemical components are rarely reported. OBJECTIVE: To establish an efficient
      high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) separation method with
      continuous sample load (CSL) and double-pump balancing (DPB) mode to isolate
      proanthocyanidins from I. lactea. METHODS: Firstly, an ethyl acetate extract of
      I. lactea was pre-fractionated by silica column chromatography for the enrichment
      of proanthocyanidins. Secondly, the enriched proanthocyanidins sample (EPS) was
      further fractionated by HSCCC with a two-phase solvent system ethyl acetate:n
      butanol:water (9:1:10, v/v/v) using DPB mode. The flow rate of the two phases was
      2.2 mL/min, the revolution speed was 900 rpm, the separation temperature was 30 
      degrees C and the detection wavelength was 280 nm. Finally, the structures of the
      three isolated proanthocyanidins were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and
      compared with published data. RESULTS: Under the optimized conditions, 600 mg of
      the EPS with six continuous injections (100 mg/time) was fractionated, yielding
      57 mg of prodelphinidin B3, 198 mg of procyanidin B3, and 162 mg of procyanidin
      B1, at purities of 97.2%, 98.1% and 97.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The HSCCC
      separation method with CSL and DPB proved to be rapid, convenient and economical,
      constituting an efficient strategy for the isolation of proanthocyanidins.

PMID- 26103067
TI  - Extension of conjugation: probing anion binding strength and reporter mechanisms
      in (phenyl)cyclopentadienyl and indenyl receptors.
AB  - Two families of novel organo-iron functionalized boranes have been developed for
      anion binding/detection. Synthetically simple phenylferrocene systems, while
      stable to air and moisture, possess similar binding affinities to FcBMes2 and no
      workable discrimination between F(-) and CN(-). In addition, reduced electronic
      communication between receptor and reporter sites brought about by a lack of
      conformational rigidity means that photochemical and electrochemical responses to
      anion binding are intrinsically weak. Receptors based on a more rigid indenyl
      framework are available in two steps from organic precursors (in ca. 50% yield),
      and feature intrinsically higher binding constants for F(-) and especially CN(-),
      consistent with the lower LUMO energies implied by extended conjugation. One such
      system, (4-dimesitylboryl-indenyl)cyclopentadienyl-iron(ii), can be shown to bind
      cyanide in protic media with an accompanying green to red/pink colour change.
      Extremely high selectivity over fluoride and hydroxide and a detection limit of
      ca. 10 ppm represent a highly desirable combination among borane derived cyanide
      receptors. 

PMID- 26103085
TI  - A review on the salt bridge ASP177-ARG163 (O-N) of wild-type rabbit prion
      protein.

PMID- 26103086
TI  - Correction to Molecular Basis for Fe(III)-Independent Curcumin Potentiation of
      Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Activity.

PMID- 26103087
TI  - Experimental and Theoretical Investigations on the Nanoscale Kinetic Friction in
      Ambient Environmental Conditions.
AB  - The liquid lubrication, thermolubricity and dynamic lubricity due to mechanical
      oscillations are investigated with an atomic force microscope in ambient
      environmental conditions with different relative humidity (RH) levels.
      Experimental results demonstrate that high humidity at low-temperature regime
      enhances the liquid lubricity while at high-temperature regime it hinders the
      effect of the thermolubricity due to the formation of liquid bridges. Friction
      response to the dynamic lubricity in both high- and low-temperature regimes keeps
      the same trends, namely the friction force decreases with increasing the
      amplitude of the applied vibration on the tip regardless of the RH levels. An
      interesting finding is that for the dynamic lubricity at high temperature, high
      humidity condition leads to the friction forces higher than that at low-humidity
      condition while at low temperature the opposite trend is observed. An extended
      two-dimensional dynamic model accounting for the RH is proposed to interpret the
      frictional mechanism in ambient conditions. 

PMID- 26103088
TI  - Efficacy of non-surgical periodontal therapy with adjunct Nd:YAG laser therapy in
      the treatment of periodontal inflammation among patients with and without type 2
      diabetes mellitus: A short-term pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Effect of non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) with and
      without adjunctneodymium-doped:yttrium, aluminum and garnet (Nd:YAG) lasertherapy
      in the treatment of periodontal inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2DM) remains uninvestigated. The aim of the present short-term pilot
      study was to assess efficacy of NSPT with adjunct Nd:YAG laser therapy in the
      treatment of periodontal inflammation in patients with and without T2DM. METHODS:
      Twenty-two patients with T2DM (Group-1) and 22 controls (Group-2) were included.
      Teeth on test- and control-sites underwent NSPT with and without Nd:YAG laser
      therapy, respectively. Periodontal parameters (plaque index [PI], bleeding on
      probing [BOP] and probing pocket depth?4mm [PPD]) were measured at baseline and
      after 1 and 3months. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were measured at baseline and
      after 3months. RESULTS: In Group-1, PI, BOP and PPD?4mm were higher at the
      control-sites (6.4% [P<0.05], 5.5% [P<0.05] and 3.5% [P<0.05], respectively) than
      test-sites (1.5%, 2.1% and 1.1%, respectively) at 1-month follow-up. In Group-2,
      PI, BOP and PPD?4mm were higher at the control-sites (4.2% [P<0.05], 2.2%
      [P<0.05] and 2.2% [P<0.05], respectively) than test-sites (1.2%, 1.3% and 1.1%,
      respectively). At 3-months follow-up, there was no difference in PI, BOP and
      PPD?4mm among test- and control-sites in both groups. At 3-month follow-up, mean
      HbA1c levels were comparable among patients in groups 1 and 2 (5+/-0.2% and 4.6+/
      0.1%, respectively). CONCLUSION: These short-term pilot results support our
      hypothesis that NSPT+Nd:YAG laser therapy is more effective in reducing
      periodontal inflammation in patients with and without T2DM than when NSPT is used
      alone. Further long-term randomized controlled clinical trials are needed in this
      regard.

PMID- 26103089
TI  - An electron dynamics mechanism of charge separation in the initial-stage dynamics
      of photoinduced water splitting in X-Mn-water (X=OH, OCaH) and electron-proton
      acceptors.
AB  - An electron dynamics mechanism of charge separation in the initial stage of
      excited-state reactions of the class of X?Mn?OH2 ???A${ ?to }$X?Mn?OH???HA (X=OH
      or OCaH; A=N-methylformamidine, guanidine, imidazole, or ammonia cluster) is
      reported. The dynamic effect of calcium doping is also revealed. This study
      provides a novel factor to be considered in designing efficient systems for
      photoinduced water splitting. 

PMID- 26103091
TI  - Editorial Comment for George et al.

PMID- 26103090
TI  - Pleiotropy as the Mechanism for Evolving Novelty: Same Signal, Different Result.
AB  - In contrast to the probabilistic way of thinking about pleiotropy as the random
      expression of a single gene that generates two or more distinct phenotypic
      traits, it is actually a deterministic consequence of the evolution of complex
      physiology from the unicellular state. Pleiotropic novelties emerge through
      recombinations and permutations of cell-cell signaling exercised during
      reproduction based on both past and present physical and physiologic conditions,
      in service to the future needs of the organism for its continued survival.
      Functional homologies ranging from the lung to the kidney, skin, brain, thyroid
      and pituitary exemplify the evolutionary mechanistic strategy of pleiotropy. The
      power of this perspective is exemplified by the resolution of evolutionary
      gradualism and punctuated equilibrium in much the same way that Niels Bohr
      resolved the paradoxical duality of light as Complementarity. 

PMID- 26103092
TI  - Skeletal muscle-resident MSCs and bone formation.
AB  - Recent research has highlighted the importance of bone and muscle interactions
      during development and regeneration. There still remains, however, a large gap in
      the current understanding of the cells and mechanisms involved in this interplay.
      In particular, how muscle-derived cells, specifically mesenchymal stromal cells
      (MSCs), can impact bone regeneration or lead to pathologic ectopic bone formation
      is unclear. Here, a review is given of the evidence supporting the contribution
      of muscle-derived MSC to bone regeneration and suggesting a critical role for the
      inflammatory milieu. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Muscle
      Bone Interactions".

PMID- 26103093
TI  - Osteoblast-specific overexpression of amphiregulin leads to transient increase in
      femoral cancellous bone mass in mice.
AB  - The epidermal growth factor receptor ligand amphiregulin (AREG) has been
      implicated in bone physiology and in bone anabolism mediated by intermittent
      parathyroid hormone treatment. However, the functions of AREG in bone have been
      only incipiently evaluated in vivo. Here, we generated transgenic mice
      overexpressing AREG specifically in osteoblasts (Col1-Areg). pQCT analysis of the
      femoral metaphysis revealed increased trabecular bone mass at 4, 8, and 10weeks
      of age in Col1-Areg mice compared to control littermates. However, the high bone
      mass phenotype was transient and disappeared in older animals. Micro-CT analysis
      of the secondary spongiosa confirmed increased trabecular bone volume and
      trabecular number in the distal femur of 4-week-old AREG-tg mice compared to
      control littermates. Furthermore, MU-CT analysis of the primary spongiosa
      revealed unaltered production of new bone trabeculae in distal femora of Col1
      Areg mice. Histomorphometric analysis revealed a reduced number of osteoclasts in
      4-week-old Col1-Areg mice, but not at later time points. Cancellous bone
      formation rate remained unchanged in Col1-Areg mice at all time points. In
      addition, bone mass and bone turnover in lumbar vertebral bodies were similar in
      Col1-Areg and control mice at all ages examined. Proliferation and
      differentiation of osteoblasts isolated from neonatal calvariae did not differ
      between Col1-Areg and control mice. Taken together, these data suggest that AREG
      overexpression in osteoblasts induces a transient high bone mass phenotype in the
      trabecular compartment of the appendicular skeleton by a growth-related, non-cell
      autonomous mechanism, leading to a positive bone balance with unchanged bone
      formation and lowered bone resorption. 

PMID- 26103094
TI  - CTRP3 acts as a negative regulator of osteoclastogenesis through AMPK-c-Fos
      NFATc1 signaling in vitro and RANKL-induced calvarial bone destruction in vivo.
AB  - Adipokines derived from adipocytes are important factors that act as circulating
      regulators of bone metabolism. C1q/tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related Protein-3
      (CTRP3) is a novel adipokine with multiple effects such as lowering glucose
      levels, inhibiting gluconeogenesis in the liver, and increasing angiogenesis and
      anti-inflammation. However, the effects and the mechanisms of CTRP3 on bone
      metabolism, which is regulated by osteoblasts and osteoclasts, have not been
      investigated. Here, we found that CTRP3 inhibited osteoclast differentiation
      induced by osteoclastogenic factors in bone marrow cell-osteoblast co-cultures,
      but did not affect the ratio of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB (NF
      kappaB) ligand (RANKL) to osteoprotegerin (OPG) induced by osteoclastogenic
      factors in osteoblasts. We also found that CTRP3 inhibited osteoclast
      differentiation from mouse bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) induced by RANKL in a
      dose-dependent manner without cytotoxicity. Functionally, CTRP3 inhibited the F
      actin formation and bone resorbing activity of mature osteoclasts. Pretreatment
      with CTRP3 significantly inhibited RANKL-induced expression of c-Fos and nuclear
      factor of activated T-cells (NFATc1), essential transcription factors for
      osteoclast development. Surprisingly, the activation of AMP-activated protein
      kinase (AMPK) was considerably increased by pretreatment with CTRP3 for 1h. The
      CTRP3-stimulated AMPK activation was also maintained during RANKL-induced
      osteoclastogenesis. CTRP3 did not affect RANKL-induced p38, ERK, JNK, Akt,
      IkappaB, CREB, and calcium signaling (Btk and PLCgamma2). These results suggest
      that CTRP3 plays an important role as a negative regulator of RANKL-mediated
      osteoclast differentiation by acting as an inhibitor of NFATc1 activation through
      the AMPK signaling pathway. Furthermore, CTRP3 treatment reduced RANKL-induced
      osteoclast formation and bone destruction in mouse calvarial bone in vivo based
      on micro-CT and histologic analysis. In conclusion, these findings strongly
      suggest that CTRP3 deserves new evaluation as a potential treatment target in
      various bone diseases associated with excessive osteoclast differentiation and
      bone destruction. 

PMID- 26103095
TI  - Defining success with HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis: a prevention-effective
      adherence paradigm.

PMID- 26103096
TI  - Multiple chronic conditions and labor force outcomes: A population study of U.S.
      adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although 1-in-5 adults have multiple (>= 2) chronic conditions,
      limited attention has been given to the association between multiple chronic
      conditions and employment. METHODS: Cross-sectional data (2011 National Health
      Interview Survey) and multivariate regression analyses were used to examine the
      association among multiple chronic conditions, employment, and labor force
      outcomes for U.S. adults aged 18-64 years, controlling for covariates. RESULTS:
      Among U.S. adults aged 18-64 years (unweighted, n = 25,458), having multiple
      chronic conditions reduced employment probability by 11-29%. Some individual
      chronic conditions decreased employment probability. Among employed adults
      (unweighted, n = 16,096), having multiple chronic conditions increased the
      average number of work days missed due to injury/illness in the past year by 3-9
      days. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple chronic conditions are a barrier to employment and
      increase the number of work days missed, placing affected individuals at a
      financial disadvantage. Researchers interested in examining consequences of
      multiple chronic conditions should give consideration to labor force outcomes.

PMID- 26103098
TI  - The evolution of soybean mosaic virus: An updated analysis by obtaining 18 new
      genomic sequences of Chinese strains/isolates.
AB  - Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is widely recognized as a highly damaging pathogen of
      soybean, and various strains/isolates have been reported to date. However, the
      pathogenic differences and phylogenetic relationships of these SMV
      strains/isolates have not been extensively studied. In the present work, by first
      obtaining 18 new genomic sequences of Chinese SMV strains/isolates and further
      compiling these with available data, we have explored the evolution of SMV from
      multiple aspects. First, as in other potyviruses, recombination has occurred
      frequently during SMV evolution, and a total of 32 independent events were
      detected. Second, using a maximum-likelihood method and removing recombinant
      fragments, a phylogeny covering 83 SMV sequences sampled from all over the world
      was reconstructed and the results showed four separate SMV clades, with clade I
      and II recovered for the first time. Third, the population structure analysis of
      SMV revealed significant genetic differentiations between China and two other
      countries (Korea and U.S.A.). Fourth, certain SMV-encoded genes, such as P1, HC
      Pro and P3, exhibited higher non-synonymous substitution rate (dN) than
      synonymous substitution rate (dS), indicating that positive selection has
      influenced these genes. Finally, four Chinese SMV strains/isolates were selected
      for inoculation of both USA and Chinese differential soybean cultivars, and their
      pathogenic phenotypes were significantly different from that of the American
      strains. Overall, these findings have further broadened our understanding on SMV
      evolution, which would assist researchers to better deal with this harmful virus.

PMID- 26103099
TI  - Functional characterization and proteomic analysis of the nucleocapsid protein of
      porcine deltacoronavirus.
AB  - Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) is a newly discovered enterotropic swine
      coronavirus that causes enteritis and diarrhea in piglets. Like other
      coronaviruses, PDCoV commonly contains 4 major structural proteins: spike (S),
      envelope (E), membrane (M), and nucleocapsid (N) proteins. Among these, the N
      protein is known to be the most abundant and multifunctional viral component.
      Therefore, as the first step toward understanding the biology of PDCoV, the
      present study investigated functional characteristics and expression dynamics of
      host proteins in a stable porcine cell line constitutively expressing the PDCoV N
      protein. Similar to N proteins of other coronaviruses, the PDCoV N protein was
      found to interact with itself to form non-covalently linked oligomers and was
      mainly localized to the nucleolus. We then assessed alterations in production
      levels of proteins in the N-expressing PK (PK-PDCoV-N) cells at different time
      points by means of proteomic analysis. According to the results of high
      resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, a total of 43 protein spots were
      initially found to be differentially expressed in PK-PDCoV-N cells in comparison
      with control PK cells. Of these spots, 10 protein spots showed a statistically
      significant alteration, including 8 up-regulated and 2 down-regulated protein
      spots and were picked for subsequent protein identification by peptide mass
      fingerprinting following matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of
      flight mass spectrometry. The affected cellular proteins that we identified in
      this study were classified into the functional groups involved in various
      cellular processes such as cell division, metabolism, the stress response,
      protein biosynthesis and transport, cytoskeleton networks and cell communication.
      Notably, two members of the heat shock protein 70 family were found to be up
      regulated in PK-PDCoV-N cells. These proteomic data will provide insights into
      the specific cellular response to the N protein during PDCoV infection. 

PMID- 26103100
TI  - Confirmation of Y haplogroup tree topologies with newly suggested Y-SNPs for the
      C2, O2b and O3a subhaplogroups.
AB  - Y chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) are useful markers for
      reconstructing male lineages through hierarchically arranged allelic sets known
      as haplogroups, and are thereby widely used in the fields such as human
      evolution, anthropology and forensic genetics. The Y haplogroup tree was recently
      revised with newly suggested Y-SNP markers for designation of several subgroups
      of haplogroups C2, O2b and O3a, which are predominant in Koreans. Therefore,
      herein we analyzed these newly suggested Y-SNPs in 545 unrelated Korean males who
      belong to the haplogroups C2, O2b or O3a, and investigated the reconstructed
      topology of the Y haplogroup tree. We were able to confirm that markers L1373,
      Z1338/JST002613-27, Z1300, CTS2657, Z8440 and F845 define the C2 subhaplogroups,
      C2b, C2e, C2e1, C2e1a, C2e1b and C2e2, respectively, and that markers F3356,
      L682, F11, F238/F449 and F444 define the O subhaplogroups O2b1, O2b1b, O3a1c1,
      O3a1c2 and O3a2c1c, respectively. Among six C2 subhaplogroups (C2b, C2e, C2e1*,
      C2e1a, C2e1b and C2e2), the C2e haplogroup and its subhaplogroups were found to
      be predominant, and among the four O2b subhaplogroups (O2b*, O2b1*, O2b1a and
      O2b1b), O2b1b was most frequently observed. Among the O3a subhaplogroups, O3a2c1
      was predominant and it was further divided into the subhaplogroups O3a2c1a and
      O3a2c1c with a newly suggested marker. However, the JST002613-27 marker, which
      had been known to define the haplogroup C2f, was found to be an ancestral marker
      of the C2e haplogroup, as is the Z1338 marker. Also, the M312 marker for the O2b1
      haplogroup designation was replaced by F3356, because all of the O2b1 haplotypes
      showed a nucleotide change at F3356, but not at M312. In addition, the F238
      marker was always observed to be phylogenetically equivalent to F449, while both
      of the markers were assigned to the O3a1c2 haplogroup. The confirmed phylogenetic
      tree of this study with the newly suggested Y-SNPs could be valuable for
      anthropological and forensic investigations of East Asians including Koreans. 

PMID- 26103097
TI  - New insights into the expression and functions of the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated
      herpesvirus long noncoding PAN RNA.
AB  - The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a clinically relevant
      pathogen associated with several human diseases that primarily affect
      immunocompromised individuals. KSHV encodes a noncoding polyadenylated nuclear
      (PAN) RNA that is essential for viral propagation and viral gene expression. PAN
      RNA is the most abundant viral transcript produced during lytic replication. The
      accumulation of PAN RNA depends on high levels of transcription driven by the Rta
      protein, a KSHV transcription factor necessary and sufficient for latent-to-lytic
      phase transition. In addition, KSHV uses several posttranscriptional mechanisms
      to stabilize PAN RNA. A cis-acting element, called the ENE, prevents PAN RNA
      decay by forming a triple helix with its poly(A) tail. The viral ORF57 and the
      cellular PABPC1 proteins further contribute to PAN RNA stability during lytic
      phase. PAN RNA functions are only beginning to be uncovered, but PAN RNA has been
      proposed to control gene expression by several different mechanisms. PAN RNA
      associates with the KSHV genome and may regulate gene expression by recruiting
      chromatin-modifying factors. Moreover, PAN RNA binds the viral latency-associated
      nuclear antigen (LANA) protein and decreases its repressive activity by
      sequestering it from the viral genome. Surprisingly, PAN RNA was found to
      associate with translating ribosomes, so this noncoding RNA may be additionally
      used to produce viral peptides. In this review, I highlight the mechanisms of PAN
      RNA accumulation and describe recent insights into potential functions of PAN
      RNA. 

PMID- 26103101
TI  - Degree of bother from pelvic floor dysfunction in women one year after first
      delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate rates and range of pelvic floor dysfunction complaints,
      including anterior and posterior compartments and sexual function, in an
      unselected population of primiparous women one year from delivery, and examine
      the degree of bother they cause. STUDY DESIGN: Cross sectional study. Primiparous
      women who delivered their first child in our delivery wards 10-14 months
      previously, were approached by phone and asked to complete the Pelvic Floor
      Symptom Bother Questionnaire (PFBQ) and provide general demographic information.
      Details regarding participants' labor and delivery were extracted from electronic
      medical records. PFBQ score was correlated to demographic and labor and delivery
      parameters. RESULTS: 198 women completed the questionnaire. Response rate was
      94%. Scores ranged from 0 to 44.4 (out of a possible 100). At least one symptom
      of PFD was reported by 64% of respondents. Various degrees of urinary
      incontinence were reported by 9.1-12.1% of women. Some degree of fecal or flatus
      incontinence was reported by 10.1% of women; 11.1% reported some degree of
      obstructed defecation. Severe degree of bother from one or more PFD symptoms was
      reported by 40.1-90.9%. Some level of dyspareunia was reported by 37.3%. A "dose
      response" trend between mode of delivery and rate of dyspareunia was observed.
      CONCLUSIONS: Two-thirds of primiparous women one year after delivery suffer PFD
      symptoms that cause some degree of bother. When asked, women are willing to
      discuss pelvic floor function; caregivers should initiate discussion and refer
      women promptly to interventions where necessary.

PMID- 26103102
TI  - [Cancer screening in the elderly?].

PMID- 26103103
TI  - [Study of vitamin D supplementation in people over 65 years in primary care].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most of the elderly have vitamin D deficiency, which is defined as a
      serum level below 30 ng/mL. OBJECTIVES: To identify the characteristics of
      patients over 65 receiving vitamin D supplements by their primary care physician.
      A descriptive and transverse study was performed on patients over 65 years old
      admitted to Care Following at the La Croix Rouge in Nantes from September 2012 to
      February 2013. The criteria for vitamin D supplementation, the type (vitamin D2
      or D3, continuous prescription or not, route of administration) and starting date
      of vitamin D supplementation were identified. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD)
      was measured at admission. RESULTS: Of 163 patients included, 44% received
      vitamin D supplements (n=71). The patient aged over 80 benefited more often from
      vitamin D supplementation (p=0.019), so did women (p=0.034), patients with
      fractures (p=0.05), patients with osteoporosis treatments (p<0.001) and those
      treated with long-term corticosteroids (p<0.001). Dark skinned patients received
      vitamin D supplementation less often than the others (p=0.046). The dosage of the
      vitamin D was normal for 28% of patients (n=46). CONCLUSIONS: The prescription of
      vitamin D supplements to the elderly is still too scarce and should be
      encouraged, especially in non-bone indications.

PMID- 26103104
TI  - [Cancer screening practices in elderly with dementia].
AB  - Current demographic trends and medical practices raise the question of cancer
      screening in the elderly, especially those with dementia. Furthermore, studies
      have suggested that patient with Alzheimer disease showed a reduced risk of
      cancer. However, this link may be biased by the absence of cancer screening.
      That's why we conducted a survey to poll general practitioners' (GP) opinion on
      screening cancer in the elderly. In this study, 304 general practitioners were
      asked, from May to March 2014, about their cancer screening practices and on the
      elements influencing it. Eighty-two physicians responded. The rate of response
      was 29.4%. Forty-nine (60%) GP said practicing cancer screening in the elderly,
      60 (64%) thought that screening does not lead to treatment, 51 (62%) GP were not
      favorable to cancer screening in patients with dementia, 63 (77%) GP thought that
      there is a lack of recommendations to guide cancer screening in the elderly.
      Finally, this study shows that cancer screening is less performed in patients
      with dementia. Further, promote exchange between general practitioners and
      specialists, by strengthening Cancer and Geriatrics networks, could probably
      increase cancer screening in the elderly, with or without dementia. 

PMID- 26103105
TI  - [Management and new current French recommendations for tetanus care].
AB  - Tetanus is an acute severe disease induced by an exotoxin, often lethal. All
      cases occur in untreated or inadequately vaccinated patients and mainly in
      elderly patients who accumulate many risk factors. The current management of
      wounds faced difficulties in the assessment of immunization status and wound
      risks status. Indeed, all injuries can potentially lead to tetanus. Minor risks
      and chronic wounds are mainly found as tetanus cause. Vaccination remains the key
      element in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with tetanus. It is
      estimated that the vaccine's coverage is fairly good, but decreases with age. To
      improve tetanus prevention, new vaccine recommendations have been established
      which recommend vaccine's injections at fixed age, but their impact seems to be
      limited especially in the elderly. The immunochromatographic tests have
      demonstrated cost-effectiveness in the Emergency department settings. They are
      currently not available outside hospital while general practionners also face a
      significant risk. Effectiveness of these tests should be studied in outpatients
      population including cost-effectiveness. 

PMID- 26103106
TI  - [Interventions based on mindfulness for the elderly chronic pain: review of the
      literature].
AB  - The chronic pain-bio-psycho-social phenomenon would index a transition between a
      pain alarm and a pain disease, with reshaping of the inhibitive brain areas and a
      takeover of psychological factors on the modulatory systems. The current
      treatment of elders' chronic pain suffers from many limits, and this article
      addresses this issue by discussing a new and innovative non-pharmacological
      intervention (mindfulness therapy) to reduce consequences of chronic pain in
      daily-life. Mindfulness therapy mainly targets two transdiagnostic mental
      processes - avoidance and self-centered ruminations - which leads to emotional
      dysregulation in chronic pain patients. Although many studies documented the
      beneficial effect of mindfulness therapy on psychological symptoms in adults,
      there is still a lack of studies testing the effect of mindfulness therapy on
      emotional regulation and psychological symptoms in elderly population with
      chronic pain. It is therefore necessary to investigate therapeutic efficacy with
      this population. In conclusion, we formulate several lines of research to test
      the hypothesis that the effect of the mindfulness therapy on targeted processes
      would improve elders' ability to cope with chronic pain and would reduce
      disturbances associated with chronic pain. 

PMID- 26103107
TI  - [Late-onset lupus in the elderly after 65 years: retrospective study of 18
      cases].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to investigate characteristics of late-onset
      lupus after 65 years compared to younger ones. METHOD: Patients with lupus
      revealed after 65 years were investigated in four French hospitals between 1985
      and 2013. Patients with 4 ACR criteria or more were included. Clinical and
      biological characteristics, prognosis, treatment, comorbidities were described
      retrospectively and compared to the cohort of 1000 lupus patients of Cervera et
      al. RESULTS: Eighteen patients were included (14 women and 4 men). The most
      frequent features were arthritis (13/18), skin involvement (9/18). Hemolytic
      anemia and thrombosis were more frequently found in elderly lupus (p<0.05).
      During evolution, only cutaneous involvement were less frequent than in young
      subjects (p <0.05). Corticosteroids were often used (16/18), but iatrogenic
      complications were frequent (10/16). CONCLUSION: Diagnosis is difficult because
      of non-specific clinical features. Treatment needed a rigourous follow-up because
      of iatrogenic complications.

PMID- 26103108
TI  - [Measuring the impact of an "age-friendly city" approach on a territory by
      setting up cross-cutting indicators].
AB  - The "Age-friendly cities" program has been developing in France since 2010. So
      far the existing protocols had not allowed cities to assess actions taken in
      favor of elderly people comprehensively. The work done with the Francophone
      network of age-friendly cities (RFVAA) has led to the definition of an indicator
      consisting of 12 points; the relative importance of each target was weighted
      using a decision-making tool. This work has demonstrated the major role of
      governance in the implementation of cross-cutting policies for the benefit of
      older people. 

PMID- 26103109
TI  - [Night of the Alzheimer's patient: the nightmare of the caregiver via the
      caregivers'guides].
AB  - Care for Alzheimers' patients is quite a burden on the caregivers. Guides have
      been devoted to improve their knowledge about the disease and to help to provide
      the best care for the patient. A recent study on the reluctance of
      caregivers'spouses to seek external help, shows that none of 31 spouses had read
      a caregiver's guide. The aim of this study was to assess if caregiver's guides
      would help caregivers to deal with sleep/wake disorders. Amongst the 46 French
      guides, published between 1988 and 2013, thirty three raised the subject of the
      night sleep with more or less details. In these guides sleep disturbances are
      considered either as a symptom to be monitored or a natural aging process to be
      supported. We made a survey of the content of the caregiver's guides, of their
      goals and why they have been designed to. Then we analyze how the night sleep
      issue is dealt with in the guides, and eventually we consider the place to be
      granted to the patient in the management of his/her sleep disturbances. 

PMID- 26103110
TI  - [Brain tumors, cognitive and mental disorders in adults].
AB  - Cognitive and mental disorders are observed in 15-20% of brain tumors, and can be
      the first symptoms. The severity of cognitive deficits varies from attention and
      raisoning disorders to major syndromes such as delirium, amnesic syndrome or
      dementia. Mental disorders range from apathy, irritability to major depressive or
      psychotic symptoms. Cognitive and mental disorders are related to many factors
      including the localization and nature of the tumor, peritumoral and remote
      changes, and personal suceptibility. The diagnosis of brain tumor is presently
      made by brain imagery, but the difficulty remains to determine when imagery is to
      be used in cognitive or mental disorders. 

PMID- 26103111
TI  - [Hearing loss and Alzheimer's disease].
AB  - Recent studies suggest that subjects with hearing loss are more likely to develop
      Alzheimer's disease. Hearing loss can be consecutive to presbycusis and/or to
      central auditory dysfunction. Standard audiometric measures (pure tone and speech
      intelligibility) allow the diagnosis of presbycusis. However, to demonstrate
      central auditory dysfunction, specific audiometric tests are needed such as noisy
      and/or dichotic tests. Actually, no consensus exists to investigate hearing loss
      in people with Alzheimer's disease though hearing loss may be an early
      manifestation of Alzheimer's disease. Until now, investigations and clinical
      procedure related to the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease ignored the hearing
      ability of the patient. However, the major part of care management and
      investigations implies the patient's communication ability with the caregivers.
      Hearing loss may be one of the most unrecognized deficit in subjects with
      Alzheimer's disease. Auditory rehabilitation could benefit to the patient in
      order to lessen cognitive decline, but this must be investigated during
      longitudinal studies in order to clearly demonstrate their efficiency. 

PMID- 26103112
TI  - [Anxiety disorders in older adults].
AB  - Prevalence of anxiety disorders is high in the elderly (between 3.2 and 14.2% of
      the subjects) with, by order of frequency, phobic disorders and generalized
      anxiety disorder rank ahead of panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder or
      post-traumatic stress disorder. Anxiety disorders very often start in adulthood
      and become chronic thereafter. It should be pointed out that each anxiety
      disorder has clinical characteristics that are modified with aging. Among the
      psychiatric comorbidity, depressive disorders and addictions, mainly to alcohol,
      especially stand out. Very few studies on anxiety disorders were specifically
      performed in the elderly. Drug treatments are mainly based on antidepressants
      (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake
      inhibitors) and there is little consensus over the duration of the treatment. On
      the other hand, non-pharmacological treatments are proposed, such as supportive
      psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioural therapies, with specific programs to
      improve anxiety disorders in the elderly. 

PMID- 26103113
TI  - [Do the structure and functioning of the elderly's social network influence
      functional health: a preliminary study].
AB  - We examined structural and functional characteristics of social networks related
      to health and well-being among community-dwelling older adults. A survey was
      performed in Brussels, using an original name-generating network inventory, to
      explore the structure and types of social ties (e.g. children, friends,
      neighbors) which forms the elderly's network. Different kinds of support
      (instrumental, emotional, social) were assessed due to the multiple contents of
      social exchanges between the elderly and their network's members. Our results
      highlighted some important social network resources. Especially, social
      participation, contacts with friends of the same age and reciprocity of social
      relationships are likely to promote functional health and well-being in later
      life. We discuss our findings in relation to major social network's typologies
      referring to older adults. 

PMID- 26103114
TI  - [The SQK: a semantic knowledge questionnaire to specify the severity of semantic
      deterioration in Alzheimer's disease patients].
AB  - Lexico-semantic difficulties are common in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The bottom
      up process theory is today well accepted: superordinate attributes tend to
      decline slower than subordinate ones. However, a specific issue in semantic
      memory investigation in AD is to determine the severity of the semantic
      impairment. Given that the regularity of the semantic disorder in early AD is
      uncertain, we argue that the constitution of experimental AD groups must consider
      the semantic deterioration stage. We thus propose a specific semantic knowledge
      questionnaire (SKQ), based on Laiacona et al.'s work (1993). SKQ was proposed to
      49 AD patients and 33 healthy old people. Three experimental AD groups were
      created, based on the global cognitive deterioration. In a second study, we
      explore the possibility for early AD to display different semantic deterioration
      profile. Our results show a significant group effect, a significant type of
      question effect (superordinate vs subordinate) and a significant interaction
      effect. Moreover, a significant correlation between the total errors at the SKQ
      and the MMSE score is observed. Finally, we observe that early AD patients can
      show different semantic alteration, with mild or very mild semantic deterioration
      without any differences in the global cognitive alteration. The SKQ seems adapted
      to highlight the semantic deterioration and the bottom-up process in AD:
      superordinate information are better preserved than subordinate information. It
      can also distinguish different semantic deterioration in early AD. Our result
      clearly show that research on semantic deterioration in early stage of AD must
      take into account the severity of the semantic alteration. 

PMID- 26103115
TI  - Interactions between multisensory inputs with voluntary spatial attention: an
      fMRI study.
AB  - Cross-modal attention and multisensory integration are very essential for us to
      perceive the world. The most intuitive feelings about the environment around us
      are based on what we see and what we hear. Therefore, it is important to
      understand the interactions between visual inputs and auditory inputs. Previous
      studies have shown that multisensory integration can be modulated by attention.
      However, how top-down attention is controlled or allocated across the sensory
      modalities remains unclear. In this study, we measured the cortical areas
      activated by the cue-target spatial attention paradigm in both visual and
      auditory fields using functional MRI. The reaction times of the behavioral
      results indicated that interactions between the two types of stimuli exist. The
      imaging results indicated that interactions between multisensory inputs can lead
      to enhancement or depression of the cortical response with top-down spatial
      attention. Moreover, the activation of the middle temporal gyrus and insula in
      tasks with irrelevant stimuli appears to indicate that multisensory integration
      proceeds automatically. 

PMID- 26103116
TI  - The process of change in hemodynamics after revascularization in the ischemic
      brain.
AB  - In patients with a high-degree of internal carotid artery stenosis, cerebral
      hemodynamics and metabolism are compromised during ischemia. Revascularization
      improves cortical hemodynamics and oxygen metabolism during functional activity,
      but the process by which it occurs is still controversial. Therefore, using
      functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we investigated the process by
      which cerebral hemodynamics improve after revascularization surgery. Eight
      patients with severe carotid artery stenosis were examined using fNIRS during a
      motor task before and after surgery. We evaluated postoperative changes in total
      hemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin (HbR), at 2 weeks after surgery, and again at 3
      months after surgery. Parameters measured were the TTP (time to peak) value,
      defined as the time taken to reach 70% of the maximum total hemoglobin
      concentration, and the increase in HbR during the motor task. TTP was higher in
      four patients preoperatively, but this was no longer evident in two of the
      patients at 2 weeks after surgery. An increase in HbR during the task was
      observed in six patients before surgery, and was maintained at 2 weeks after
      surgery. However, in three of these patients, this increase was no longer evident
      3 months later. These changes observed using fNIRS suggest that the increase in
      cerebral blood flow after revascularization surgery is followed by improvement in
      parenchymal vasodilation and neuronal oxygen metabolism. 

PMID- 26103117
TI  - Effects of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation to primary
      somatosensory cortex on short-latency afferent inhibition.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cathodal transcranial
      direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the primary somatosensory cortex
      (S1) on short-interval afferent inhibition (SAI). Thirteen healthy individuals
      participated in this study. Cathodal tDCS was applied for 15 min at 1 mA over the
      left S1. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were measured from the right first dorsal
      interosseous muscle in response to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the
      left motor cortex before tDCS (pre), immediately after tDCS (immediately), and 15
      min after tDCS (post-15 min). SAI was evaluated by measuring MEPs in response to
      TMS pulses applied 40 ms after peripheral electrical stimulation of the index
      finger. For each measurement period (pre, immediately, and post-15 min), MEP
      amplitude was significantly smaller when TMS followed index finger stimulation
      (SAI condition) than when TMS was delivered alone (single TMS) (P<0.01),
      indicating expression of SAI. The MEP ratio (MEP of SAI/MEP of single TMS) at
      post-15 min was significantly larger than that of pre (P<0.05), indicating
      suppression of SAI. However, no significant difference was observed between pre
      and immediately, and immediately and post-15 min. These results suggest that
      cathodal tDCS applied over the S1 causes a decrease in S1 excitability following
      peripheral electrical stimulation and cathodal tDCS applied over the S1 decreased
      the inhibitory effects of SAI.

PMID- 26103118
TI  - Increased serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in autism spectrum
      disorder.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by
      measuring serum circulating levels of BDNF as well as calcium and comparing them
      with age-matched and sex-matched normal controls. The study included 75 drug
      naive ASD children and 75 age-sex-matched healthy children. The concentration of
      serum BDNF was determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method at
      baseline. Clinical information was collected. The severity of ASD was assessed at
      admission using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale total score. The results
      indicated that the mean serum BDNF levels were significantly (P<0.0001) higher in
      children with ASD compared with the control cases (17.59+/-5.55 vs. 11.21+/-2.79
      ng/ml; t=8.902). On the basis of the receiver operating characteristic curve, the
      optimal cutoff value of serum BDNF levels as an indicator for auxiliary diagnosis
      of autism was projected to be 12.65 ng/ml, which yielded a sensitivity of 80.8%
      and a specificity of 70.2%; the area under the curve was 0.840 [95% confidence
      interval (CI), 0.777-0.904]. In univariate logistic regression analysis, with an
      unadjusted odds ratio of 9.42 (95% CI, 4.33-25.95; P<0.0001), BDNF of 12.65 ng/ml
      or more had an association with a diagnosis of ASD. After adjusting for possible
      covariates, BDNF of 12.65 ng/ml or more is still an independent indicator of ASD,
      with an adjusted odds ratio of 7.33 (95% CI, 2.98-16.55; P<0.0001). Serum BDNF
      levels may be associated independently with the severity of ASD, and higher BDNF
      levels could be considered an independent diagnostic marker of ASD. 

PMID- 26103119
TI  - Eye surface temperature detects stress response in budgerigars (Melopsittacus
      undulatus).
AB  - Previous studies have suggested that stressors not only increase body core
      temperature but also body surface temperature in many animals. However, it
      remains unclear whether surface temperature could be used as an alternative to
      directly measure body core temperature, particularly in birds. We investigated
      whether surface temperature is perceived as a stress response in budgerigars.
      Budgerigars have been used as popular animal models to investigate various neural
      mechanisms such as visual perception, vocal learning, and imitation. Developing a
      new technique to understand the basic physiological mechanism would help
      neuroscience researchers. First, we found that cloacal temperature correlated
      with eye surface temperature. Second, eye surface temperature increased after
      handling stress. Our findings suggest that eye surface temperature is closely
      related to cloacal temperature and that the stress response can be measured by
      eye surface temperature in budgerigars. 

PMID- 26103120
TI  - Emotional effect on cognitive control in implicit memory tasks in patients with
      schizophrenia.
AB  - The aim of this study was to reveal a potential effect of emotion on cognitive
      control in the implicit memory task with emotionally neutral and unpleasant words
      in healthy controls and patients with schizophrenia using a 3.0 T functional MRI
      (fMRI). A total of 15 patients with schizophrenia and 15 healthy controls
      underwent the fMRI. fMRI data were obtained while the participants performed the
      implicit memory tasks with emotionally neutral and unpleasant words. During the
      implicit memory retrieval with emotionally neutral words, the predominant
      activation areas observed in patients in contrast to healthy controls included
      the precuneus, superior parietal gyrus, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
      (dlPFC). In the implicit memory retrieval with unpleasant words, patients with
      schizophrenia showed dominant activities in the superior and middle temporal
      gyri, fusiform gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, occipital gyrus,
      lingual gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, and insula as well as precuneus,
      superior parietal gyrus, and dlPFC. Blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal changes
      in the dlPFC were correlated positively with the scores of the negative symptoms
      under the PANSS during implicit memory retrieval with unpleasant words in
      patients with schizophrenia. These findings would be useful to understand the
      neural mechanisms related to general impairment of cognitive and emotional
      functions commonly observed in schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26103121
TI  - Elevated neuronal alpha-synuclein promotes microglia activation after spinal cord
      ischemic/reperfused injury.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate the mechanism of injured neurons caused by
      ischemia/reperfusion in the induction of microglia activation. Spinal neurons
      were prepared and exposed to ischemic/reperfused conditions. The alpha-synuclein
      protein levels in these cells were analyzed by western blot, immunofluorescence,
      or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Ischemia/reperfusion exposure led to
      elevated alpha-synuclein protein expression and release. Furthermore, when
      cocultured with injured neurons or supernatants from injured neurons, nitric
      oxide generation, H2O2 production, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha expression
      were promoted in microglia. Nevertheless, this effect was impeded by pretreatment
      of the alpha-synuclein antibody in the supernatants from injured neurons.
      Moreover, toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) rather than TLR3 or TLR4 mediated microglia
      activation by alpha-synuclein. This process involved p38 MAPK and NF-kappaB
      activation, the inhibition of which resulted in reduced NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2) in
      microglia. In conclusion, ischemia/reperfusion-injured neurons could express and
      release increased levels of alpha-synuclein and cause microglia activation
      through TLR2 both in vitro and in vivo. 

PMID- 26103123
TI  - Effective risk stratification in patients with moderate cardiovascular risk using
      albuminuria and atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid arteries.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate whether subclinical vascular
      damage improved traditional risk prediction, reclassifying individuals with
      regard to primary prevention. METHODS: Two thousand and fifty-nine healthy
      individuals aged 41, 51, 61, and 71 years were divided into age, Systematic
      COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE), and Framingham risk score (FRS) groups.
      Subclinical vascular damage was defined as carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity at
      least 12 m/s, and carotid atherosclerotic plaques or urine albumin/creatinine
      ratio (UACR) at least 90th percentile of 0.73/1.06 mg/mmol in men/women. The
      composite endpoint of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction,
      nonfatal stroke, and hospitalization for ischemic heart disease was recorded (n =
      229). RESULTS: Both elevated UACR (P = 0.002) and atherosclerotic plaques (P <
      0.0001) identified a subgroup of moderate SCORE risk patients and high
      intermediate FRS risk patients with high risk (P = 0.04 and P = 0.001,
      respectively), whereas elevated carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity did not.
      Elevated UACR or presence of atherosclerotic plaques reclassified patients from
      moderate to high SCORE risk [net reclassification improvement of 6.4%; P =
      0.025), or from high intermediate to high FRS risk (net reclassification
      improvement 8.8%; P = 0.002). Assuming primary prevention could reduce the
      relative cardiovascular risk by 24-27%, on the basis of actual levels of blood
      pressure and cholesterol, one composite endpoint could be avoided by giving
      primary prevention to 19 or 24 reclassified patients found by screening 52 or 104
      patients with high-intermediate FRS or moderate SCORE risk, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Elevated UACR and presence of atherosclerotic plaques could in a
      potentially cost-effective manner identify patients with moderate SCORE risk or
      high-intermediate FRS with actual high cardiovascular risk who will benefit from
      primary prevention.

PMID- 26103122
TI  - The Yeast GSK-3 Homologue Mck1 Is a Key Controller of Quiescence Entry and
      Chronological Lifespan.
AB  - Upon starvation for glucose or any other core nutrient, yeast cells exit from the
      mitotic cell cycle and acquire a set of G0-specific characteristics to ensure
      long-term survival. It is not well understood whether or how cell cycle
      progression is coordinated with the acquisition of different G0-related features
      during the transition to stationary phase (SP). Here, we identify the yeast GSK-3
      homologue Mck1 as a key regulator of G0 entry and reveal that Mck1 acts in
      parallel to Rim15 to activate starvation-induced gene expression, the acquisition
      of stress resistance, the accumulation of storage carbohydrates, the ability of
      early SP cells to exit from quiescence, and their chronological lifespan. FACS
      and microscopy imaging analyses indicate that Mck1 promotes mother-daughter cell
      separation and together with Rim15, modulates cell size. This indicates that the
      two kinases coordinate the transition-phase cell cycle, cell size and the
      acquisition of different G0-specific features. Epistasis experiments place MCK1,
      like RIM15, downstream of RAS2 in antagonising cell growth and activating stress
      resistance and glycogen accumulation. Remarkably, in the ras2? cells, deletion of
      MCK1 and RIM15 together, compared to removal of either of them alone, compromises
      respiratory growth and enhances heat tolerance and glycogen accumulation. Our
      data indicate that the nutrient sensor Ras2 may prevent the acquisition of G0
      specific features via at least two pathways. One involves the negative regulation
      of the effectors of G0 entry such as Mck1 and Rim15, while the other likely to
      involve its functions in promoting respiratory growth, a phenotype also
      contributed by Mck1 and Rim15. 

PMID- 26103124
TI  - Aerobic exercise training increases nitrergic innervation function and decreases
      sympathetic innervation function in mesenteric artery from rats fed a high-fat
      diet.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We investigated whether high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity was
      associated with modifications in mesenteric innervation function, the mechanisms
      involved, and the possible effects of aerobic exercise training on these changes.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: rats fed
      a standard diet (control group); rats fed a HFD (35% fat) for 8 weeks; and HFD
      rats submitted to aerobic exercise training (8 weeks, 5 times per week for 50 
      min). Segments of isolated mesenteric arteries were exposed to electric field
      stimulation (EFS) with or without phentolamine, suramin, or Nomega nitro-L
      arginine methyl ester. Noradrenaline, ATP, and nitric oxide release, and total
      and phosphorylated neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS, P-nNOS) expression were
      also measured. RESULTS: EFS contraction was greater in sedentary HFD than in
      control rats. Phentolamine reduced EFS contractions more markedly in HFD rats.
      Suramin decreased EFS contractions only in control rats. Phentolamine + suramin
      practically abolished EFS-induced contraction in control rats, whereas it did not
      modify it in the HFD rats. Noradrenaline release was greater and ATP was lower in
      HFD rats. Nomega nitro-L-arginine methyl ester increased contractions to EFS only
      in segments from control rats. Nitric oxide release and nNOS and P-nNOS
      expressions were lower in arterial segments from HFD rats than from control rats.
      None of these changes in sedentary HFD rats was present in the trained HFD rats.
      CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced sympathetic and diminished nitrergic components contributed
      to increased vasoconstrictor responses to EFS in sedentary HFD rats. All these
      changes were avoided by aerobic exercise training, suggesting that aerobic
      exercise could reduce peripheral vascular resistance in obesity.

PMID- 26103125
TI  - Circulating tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 is associated with
      aldosterone-induced diastolic dysfunction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test if collagen markers are associated with aldosterone-induced
      diastolic dysfunction. BACKGROUND: Although primary aldosteronism is associated
      with more prominent cardiac remodeling and diastolic dysfunction, the
      reversibility of diastolic function is unclear. In addition, there is no known
      biomarker associated with aldosterone-induced diastolic dysfunction. METHODS: We
      enrolled 27 patients with aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) preparing for
      adrenalectomy, and 27 patients with essential hypertension prospectively from
      October 2006 to March 2010 at a tertiary referral center. Plasma matrix
      metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1
      (TIMP-1) were measured, and echocardiography including tissue Doppler images was
      performed in both groups and 1 year after receiving adrenalectomy in the APA
      group. RESULTS: The baseline plasma TIMP-1 level (88.4 +/- 38.7 vs. 63.6 +/- 32.5
      ng/ml; P = 0.014), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and E/E' ratio (11.5 +/-
      2.9 vs. 9.0 +/- 2.1; P < 0.001) were significantly higher in the APA group. The
      baseline plasma TIMP-1 level significantly correlated with the E/E' ratio, LVMI,
      interventricular septum, and left atrial diameter. The plasma MMP-2 level did not
      correlate with the left ventricular structure parameters, except for
      interventricular septum thickness. After adrenalectomy, LVMI and E/E' ratio
      improved significantly. The postadrenalectomy plasma TIMP-1 levels, but not MMP-2
      levels, also decreased. The change of plasma TIMP-1 levels was negatively
      associated with the postadrenalectomy E/E' ratio after adjustment for age, sex,
      BMI, and mean blood pressure (beta-coefficient = - 3.6, P = 0.004). CONCLUSION:
      Excess of aldosterone induces cardiac diastolic dysfunction, which is reversible
      by adrenalectomy. TIMP-1 is associated with the aldosterone-induced diastolic
      dysfunction.

PMID- 26103126
TI  - Plasma copeptin levels and ambulatory blood pressure characteristics in healthy
      adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether copeptin - a well characterized vasopressin
      related stress hormone - is associated with circadian ambulatory blood pressure
      (BP) variability and/or mean BP levels in young adults. METHOD AND RESULTS: We
      studied a population-based sample of healthy adults aged 25-41 years. Individuals
      with diabetes, treated hypertension, and cardiovascular disease were excluded.
      Ambulatory 24-h BP monitoring was performed using validated devices. To evaluate
      the relationships of copeptin with mean ambulatory BP levels and BP variability
      during daytime and night-time, multivariable adjusted regression models were
      constructed. BP variability was defined as SD of all intraindividual BP values.
      Of the 2012 individuals included in this study, 53% were women and the median age
      was 37 years. Median plasma copeptin levels were 3.9 (interquartile range 2.7,
      5.8) in men and 2.3 pmol/l (interquartile range 1.6, 3.6) in women (P < 0.0001).
      In multivariable linear regression models, log-transformed copeptin was
      significantly associated with systolic and diastolic night-time BP levels among
      men [beta = 1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.6, 3.1, P = 0.003; and beta =
      1.4, 95% CI 0.6, 2.3, P = 0.001, respectively], but not among women. In addition,
      copeptin was strongly associated with an increased systolic and diastolic daytime
      (beta = 0.5, 95% CI 0.2, 0.7, P = 0.001; beta = 0.5, 95% CI 0.3, 0.8, P < 0.0001,
      respectively) and night-time BP variability (beta = 0.6, 95% CI 0.3, 0.9, P =
      0.0002; beta = 0.4, 95% CI 0.2, 0.7, P = 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSION: In
      this large population-based study of young and healthy adults, plasma levels of
      copeptin were significantly associated with an increased BP variability in both
      sexes and an elevated night-time BP among men.

PMID- 26103127
TI  - Association of visceral and total body fat with hypertension and prehypertension
      in a middle-aged Chinese population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article investigates the relative effects of percentage body fat
      (PBF) and visceral fat index (VFI) on the prevalence of hypertension and
      prehypertension, and evaluates if excess visceral deposition of body fat
      increased the risk of hypertension or prehypertension. METHODS: A general
      population-based sample of men (n = 5297) and women (n = 6232), aged 35-64 years,
      was studied. Based on blood pressure (BP) levels, normotensive, prehypertensive,
      and hypertensive study participants were identified. Multivariate linear
      regression models with SBP or DBP as a dependent variable and multivariate
      ordinal logistic regression models with BP categories as a dependent variable
      were performed. RESULTS: In the normotensive, prehypertensive, and hypertensive
      participants, the mean (standard deviation) PBF was 27.83 (6.85), 28.91 (6.65),
      and 30.2 (6.73), respectively, whereas VFI was 6.97 (3.78), 8.89 (4.35), and
      10.75 (5.05), respectively. After adjusting for age, smoking, alcohol
      consumption, education, regions (north or south), areas (urban or rural),
      diabetes, and family history, PBF and VFI (in separate models) showed a strong
      positive association with hypertension or prehypertension (P < 0.0001). However,
      when both PBF and VFI were adjusted for in the same multivariate model, VFI but
      not PBF remained positively associated with hypertension and prehypertension for
      both genders (P < 0.0001). A similar positive association was reported with the
      VFI/PBF ratio (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: As excess visceral body fat is strongly
      associated with higher risk of hypertension and prehypertension, measurements of
      VFI or VFI/PBF ratio, in addition to PBF, will provide a better understanding of
      adiposity-related risks for hypertension and prehypertension.

PMID- 26103128
TI  - Two candidate genes for two quantitative trait loci epistatically attenuate
      hypertension in a novel pathway.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Multiple quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for blood pressure (BP) have
      been detected in rat models of human polygenic hypertension. They influence BP
      physiologically via epistatic modules. Little is known about the causal genes and
      virtually nothing is known on modularized mechanisms governing their regulatory
      connections. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two genes responsible for two individual BP
      QTLs on rat Chromosome 18 have been identified that belong to the same epistatic
      module. Treacher Collins-Franceschetti syndrome 1 (Tcof1) gene is the only
      function candidate for C18QTL3. Haloacid dehalogenase like hydrolase domain
      containing 2 (Hdhd2), although a gene of previously unknown function, is C18QTL4,
      and encodes a newly identified phosphatase. The current work has provided the
      premier evidence that Hdhd2/C18QTL4 and Tcof1/C18QTL3 may be involved in
      polygenic hypertension. Hdhd2/C18QTL4 can regulate the function of Tcof1/C18QTL3
      via de-phosphorylation, and, for the first time, furbishes a molecular mechanism
      in support of a genetically epistatic hierarchy between two BP QTLs, and thus
      authenticates the epistasis-common pathway paradigm. CONCLUSION: The pathway
      initiated by Hdhd2/C18QTL4 upstream of Tcof1/C18QTL3 reveals novel mechanistic
      insights into BP modulations. Their discovery might yield innovative therapeutic
      targets and diagnostic tools predicated on a novel BP cause and mechanism that is
      determined by a regulatory hierarchy. Optimizing the de-phosphorylation
      capability and its downstream target could be antihypertensive. The conceptual
      paradigm of an order and regulatory hierarchy may help unravel genetic and
      molecular relationships among certain human BP QTLs.

PMID- 26103129
TI  - n-3 fatty acids reduce plasma 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid and blood pressure
      in patients with chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metabolism of arachidonic acid by cytochrome P450 omega-hydroxylase
      leads to the formation of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) that
      regulates vascular function, sodium homeostasis and blood pressure (BP).
      Supplementation with n-3 fatty acids is known to alter arachidonic acid
      metabolism and reduce the formation of the lipid peroxidation products F2
      isoprostanes, but the effect of n-3 fatty acids on 20-HETE has not been studied.
      METHOD: We previously reported a significant effect of n-3 fatty acids but not
      coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) to reduce BP in a double-blind, placebo-controlled
      intervention, wherein patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were randomized
      to n-3 fatty acids (4 g), CoQ (200 mg), both supplements or control (4 g olive
      oil), daily for 8 weeks. This study examined the effect of n-3 fatty acids on
      plasma and urinary 20-HETE in the same study, as well as plasma and urinary F2
      isoprostanes, and relate these to changes in BP. RESULTS: Seventy-four patients
      completed the 8-week intervention. n-3 fatty acids but not CoQ significantly
      reduced plasma 20-HETE (P = 0.001) and F2-isoprostanes (P < 0.001). In regression
      models adjusted for BP at baseline, postintervention plasma 20-HETE was a
      significant predictor of the fall in SBP (P < 0.0001) and DBP (P < 0.0001) after
      n-3 fatty acids. CONCLUSION: This is the first report that n-3 fatty acid
      supplementation reduces plasma 20-HETE in humans and that this associates with
      reduced BP. These results provide a plausible mechanism for the reduction in BP
      observed in patients with CKD following n-3 fatty acid supplementation.

PMID- 26103130
TI  - Family history of hypertension and serum triglycerides predict future insulin
      sensitivity: a 17-year follow-up study of young men.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Low insulin sensitivity is closely related to both cardiovascular
      diseases and diabetes development. Still, correlates of insulin sensitivity have
      mainly been examined in cross-sectional studies. As far as we are aware, the
      longitudinal stability of insulin sensitivity in young men is largely unknown. We
      aimed for the first time to examine both the stability (tracking) and
      longitudinal predictors of future insulin sensitivity in healthy young men with
      and without a family history of diabetes or hypertension. METHODS: We performed a
      17-year follow-up study of a cohort of 100 healthy young men. Cardiovascular risk
      markers, including insulin sensitivity measured by the gold standard method-
      hyperinsulinaemic isoglycaemic glucose clamp--were examined both at baseline and
      at follow-up. RESULTS: Baseline insulin sensitivity showed no significant
      correlation with insulin sensitivity at follow-up, whereas all other measured
      cardiovascular risk markers had significant correlation (tracking coefficients
      0.4-0.7). In multiple regression analyses, family history of hypertension and
      baseline triglycerides remained the negative predictors of future insulin
      sensitivity. This was driven by the strong correlations in men with family
      history of diabetes. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that clamp-derived insulin
      sensitivity is not a stable feature in young men, and that family history of
      hypertension and baseline triglycerides were associated with future insulin
      sensitivity, especially in men with a family history of diabetes, and
      irrespective of blood pressure status 17 years earlier. These findings provide
      further insight into the development of insulin sensitivity and related diseases.

PMID- 26103131
TI  - Accuracy of home versus ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the diagnosis of
      white-coat and masked hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated accuracy of home blood pressure (BP) monitoring in
      the diagnosis of white-coat and masked hypertension in comparison with ambulatory
      BP monitoring. METHODS: Our study participants were enrolled in the China
      Ambulatory and Home BP Registry, and underwent clinic, home, and 24-h ambulatory
      BP measurements. We defined white-coat hypertension as an elevated clinic SBP/DBP
      (>=140/90 mmHg) and a normal 24-h ambulatory (<130/80 mmHg) or home SBP/DBP
      (<135/85 mmHg), and masked hypertension as a normal clinic SBP/DBP (<140/90 mmHg)
      and an elevated 24-h ambulatory (>=130/80 mmHg) or home SBP/DBP (>=135/85 mmHg).
      RESULTS: In untreated patients (n = 573), the prevalence of white-coat
      hypertension (13.1 vs. 19.9%), masked hypertension (17.8 vs. 13.1%), and
      sustained hypertension (46.4 vs. 39.6%) significantly (P <= 0.02) differed
      between 24-h ambulatory and home BP monitoring. In treated patients (n = 1201),
      only the prevalence of masked hypertension differed significantly (18.7 vs.
      14.5%; P = 0.005). Regardless of the treatment status, home compared with 24-h
      ambulatory BP had low sensitivity (range 47-74%), but high specificity (86-94%),
      and accordingly low positive (41-87%), but high negative predictive values (80
      94%), and had moderate diagnostic agreement (82-85%) and Kappa statistic (0.41
      0.66). In untreated and treated patients, age advancing was associated with a
      higher prevalence of white-coat hypertension and a lower prevalence of masked
      hypertension defined by 24-h ambulatory (P <= 0.03) but not home BP (P >= 0.10).
      CONCLUSION: Home BP monitoring has high specificity, but low sensitivity in the
      diagnosis of white-coat and masked hypertension, and may therefore behave as a
      complementary to, but not a replacement of, ambulatory BP monitoring.

PMID- 26103133
TI  - Factors influencing blood pressure levels.

PMID- 26103132
TI  - New developments in the pathogenesis of obesity-induced hypertension.
AB  - Obesity is a disorder that develops from the interaction between genotype and
      environment involving social, behavioral, cultural, and physiological factors.
      Obesity increases the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension,
      cardiovascular disease, cancer, musculoskeletal disorders, chronic kidney and
      pulmonary disease. Although obesity is clearly associated with an increased
      prevalence of hypertension, many obese individuals may not develop hypertension.
      Protecting factors may exist and it is important to understand why obesity is not
      always related to hypertension. The aim of this review is to highlight the
      knowledge gap for the association between obesity, hypertension, and potential
      genetic and racial differences or environmental factors that may protect obese
      patients against the development of hypertension and other co-morbidities.
      Specific mutations in the leptin and the melaninocortin receptor genes in animal
      models of obesity without hypertension, the actions of alpha-melanocyte
      stimulating hormone, and SNS activity in obesity-related hypertension may promote
      recognition of protective and promoting factors for hypertension in obesity.
      Furthermore, gene-environment interactions may have the potential to modify gene
      expression and epigenetic mechanisms could also contribute to the heritability of
      obesity-induced hypertension. Finally, differences in nutrition, gut microbiota,
      exposure to sun light and exercise may play an important role in the presence or
      absence of hypertension in obesity. 

PMID- 26103134
TI  - Environmental factors that shape biofilm formation.
AB  - Cells respond to the environment and alter gene expression. Recent studies have
      revealed the social aspects of bacterial life, such as biofilm formation. Biofilm
      formation is largely affected by the environment, and the mechanisms by which the
      gene expression of individual cells affects biofilm development have attracted
      interest. Environmental factors determine the cell's decision to form or leave a
      biofilm. In addition, the biofilm structure largely depends on the environment,
      implying that biofilms are shaped to adapt to local conditions. Second messengers
      such as cAMP and c-di-GMP are key factors that link environmental factors with
      gene regulation. Cell-to-cell communication is also an important factor in
      shaping the biofilm. In this short review, we will introduce the basics of
      biofilm formation and further discuss environmental factors that shape biofilm
      formation. Finally, the state-of-the-art tools that allow us investigate biofilms
      under various conditions are discussed.

PMID- 26103135
TI  - Coaggregation between Rhodococcus and Acinetobacter strains isolated from the
      food industry.
AB  - In this study, coaggregation interactions between Rhodococcus and Acinetobacter
      strains isolated from food-processing surfaces were characterized. Rhodococcus
      sp. strain MF3727 formed intrageneric coaggregates with Rhodococcus sp. strain
      MF3803 and intergeneric coaggregates with 2 strains of Acinetobacter
      calcoaceticus (MF3293, MF3627). Stronger coaggregation between A. calcoaceticus
      MF3727 and Rhodococcus sp. MF3293 was observed after growth in batch culture at
      30  degrees C than at 20  degrees C, after growth in tryptic soy broth than in
      liquid R2A medium, and between cells in exponential and early stationary phases
      than cells in late stationary phase. The coaggregation ability of Rhodococcus sp.
      MF3727 was maintained even after heat and Proteinase K treatment, suggesting its
      ability to coaggregate was protein independent whereas the coaggregation
      determinants of the other strains involved proteinaceous cell-surface-associated
      polymers. Coaggregation was stable at pH 5-9. The mechanisms of coaggregation
      among Acinetobacter and Rhodococcus strains bare similarity to those displayed by
      coaggregating bacteria of oral and freshwater origin, with respect to binding
      between proteinaceous and nonproteinaceous determinants and the effect of
      environmental factors on coaggregation. Coaggregation may contribute to biofilm
      formation on industrial food surfaces, protecting bacteria against cleaning and
      disinfection. 

PMID- 26103137
TI  - Effects of chronic cocaine treatment during adolescence in Lewis and Fischer-344
      rats: Novel location recognition impairment and changes in synaptic plasticity in
      adulthood.
AB  - The use of Lewis (LEW) together with Fischer-344 (F344) rats has been proposed as
      an addiction model because of the addiction behavior differences of these two
      strains. We have previously suggested that these differences could be related to
      learning and memory processes and that they depend on the genetic background of
      these two strains of rats. Adolescence is a period of active synaptic remodeling,
      plasticity and particular vulnerability to the effects of environmental insults
      such as drugs of abuse. We have evaluated spatial memory using novel location
      recognition in LEW and F344 adult rats undergoing a chronic treatment with
      cocaine during adolescence or adulthood. In order to study whether synaptic
      plasticity mechanisms were involved in the possible changes in learning after
      chronic cocaine treatment, we carried out electrophysiological experiments in
      hippocampal slices from treated animals. Our results showed that, in LEW cocaine
      treated rats, hippocampal memory was only significantly impaired when the drug
      was administered during adolescence whereas adult administration did not produce
      any detrimental effect in spatial memory measured in this protocol. Moreover,
      F344 rats showed clear difficulties carrying out the protocol even in standard
      conditions, confirming the spatial memory problems observed in previous reports
      and demonstrating the genetic differences in spatial learning and memory. Our
      experiments show that the effects in behavioral experiments are related to
      synaptic plasticity mechanisms. Long-term depression induced by the glutamate
      agonist NMDA (LTD-NMDA) is partially abolished in cocaine-treated animals in
      hippocampal slices from LEW rats. Hippocampal LTD-NMDA is partially inhibited in
      F344 animals regardless of whether saline or cocaine administration, suggesting
      the lack of plasticity of this strain that could be related to the inability of
      these animals to carry out the novel object location protocol. 

PMID- 26103136
TI  - PKCepsilon phosphorylates alpha4beta2 nicotinic ACh receptors and promotes
      recovery from desensitization.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Nicotinic (ACh) receptor recovery from desensitization is
      modulated by PKC, but the PKC isozymes and the phosphorylation sites involved
      have not been identified. We investigated whether PKCepsilon phosphorylation of
      alpha4beta2 nAChRs regulates receptor recovery from desensitization. EXPERIMENTAL
      APPROACH: Receptor recovery from desensitization was investigated by
      electrophysiological characterization of human alpha4beta2 nAChRs.
      Phosphorylation of the alpha4 nAChR subunit was assessed by immunoblotting of
      mouse synaptosomes. Hypothermia induced by sazetidine-A and nicotine was measured
      in Prkce(-/-) and wild-type mice. KEY RESULTS: Inhibiting PKCepsilon impaired the
      magnitude of alpha4beta2 nAChR recovery from desensitization. We identified five
      putative PKCepsilon phosphorylation sites in the large intracellular loop of the
      alpha4 subunit, and mutating four sites to alanines also impaired recovery from
      desensitization. alpha4 nAChR subunit phosphorylation was reduced in synaptosomes
      from Prkce(-/-) mice. Sazetidine-A-induced hypothermia, which is mediated by
      alpha4beta2 nAChR desensitization, was more severe and prolonged in Prkce(-/-)
      than in wild-type mice. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: PKCepsilon phosphorylates
      the alpha4 nAChR subunit and regulates recovery from receptor desensitization.
      This study illustrates the importance of phosphorylation in regulating
      alpha4beta2 receptor function, and suggests that reducing phosphorylation
      prolongs receptor desensitization and decreases the number of receptors available
      for activation.

PMID- 26103138
TI  - Kisspeptin-13 enhances memory and mitigates memory impairment induced by Abeta1
      42 in mice novel object and object location recognition tasks.
AB  - Kisspeptin (KP), the endogenous ligand of GPR54, is a recently discovered
      neuropeptide shown to be involved in regulating reproductive system, anxiety
      related behavior, locomotion, food intake, and suppression of metastasis across a
      range of cancers. KP is transcribed within the hippocampus, and GPR54 has been
      found in the amygdala and hippocampus, suggesting that KP might be involved in
      mediating learning and memory. However, the role of KP in cognition was largely
      unclear. Here, we investigated the role of KP-13, one of the endogenous active
      isoforms, in memory processes, and determined whether KP-13 could mitigate memory
      impairment induced by Abeta1-42 in mice, using novel object recognition (NOR) and
      object location recognition (OLR) tasks. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.)
      infusion of KP-13 (2MUg) immediately after training not only facilitated memory
      formation, but also prolonged memory retention in both tasks. The memory
      improving effects of KP-13 could be blocked by the GPR54 receptor antagonist,
      kisspeptin-234 (234), and GnRH receptors antagonist, Cetrorelix, suggesting
      pharmacological specificity. Then the memory-enhancing effects were also
      presented after infusion of KP-13 into the hippocampus. Moreover, we found that
      i.c.v. injection of KP-13 was able to reverse the memory impairment induced by
      Abeta1-42, which was inhibited by 234. To sum up, the results of our work
      indicate that KP-13 could facilitate memory formation and prolong memory
      retention through activation of the GPR54 and GnRH receptors, and suppress memory
      impairing effect of Abeta1-42 through activation of the GPR54, suggesting that KP
      13 may be a potential drug for enhancing memory and treating Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26103140
TI  - Mechanical ventilation strategies for the surgical patient.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize clinical evidence for intraoperative ventilation
      settings, which could protect against postoperative pulmonary complications
      (PPCs) in surgical patients with uninjured lungs. RECENT FINDINGS: There is
      convincing evidence for protection against PPCs by low tidal volumes: benefit was
      found in several randomized controlled trials, and was recently confirmed in meta
      analyses. Evidence for protection against PPCs by high levels of positive end
      expiratory pressure (PEEP) is less definite. Although benefit was found in
      several randomized controlled trials, most of them compared a bundle of low tidal
      volume and high level of PEEP with conventional ventilation; one recent large
      randomized controlled trial that compared high with low levels of PEEP showed
      that ventilation with high level of PEEP did not protect against PPCs but caused
      intraoperative complications instead. A recent individual patient data meta
      analysis of trials comparing bundles of low tidal volume and high levels of PEEP
      to conventional intraoperative ventilation suggested that protection against PPCs
      comes from tidal volume reductions, and not from increasing levels of PEEP.
      SUMMARY: The understanding on the protective roles of tidal volume and PEEP
      settings against PPCs has rapidly expanded. During intraoperative ventilation,
      low tidal volumes are protective, the protective role of high levels of PEEP is
      uncertain.

PMID- 26103139
TI  - SWAP-70 contributes to spontaneous transformation of mouse embryo fibroblasts.
AB  - Mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) grow slowly after cultivation from animals,
      however, after an extended period of cultivation, their growth accelerates. We
      found that SWAP-70 deficient MEFs failed to increase growth rates. They maintain
      normal growth rates and proliferation cycles for at least 5 years. Complementing
      SWAP-70 deficiency in one of these MEF clones, MEF1F2, by expressing human SWAP
      70 resulted in fast growth of the cells after further cultivation for a long
      period. The resulting cells show a transformation phenotype, since they grow on
      top of each other and do not show contact inhibition. This phenotype was reverted
      when sanguinarine, a putative SWAP-70 inhibitor, was added. Two SWAP-70
      expressing clones were examined in detail. Even after cell density became very
      high their cdc2 and NFkappaB were still activated suggesting that they do not
      stop growing. One of the clones formed colonies in soft agar and formed tumors in
      nude mice. Lately, one more clone became transformed being able to make colonies
      in soft agar. We maintain 4 human SWAP-70 expressing MEF1F2 cell lines. Three out
      of 4 clones exhibited transforming phenotypes. The mouse SWAP-70 gene also
      promoted transformation of MEFs. Taken together our data suggest that SWAP-70 is
      not a typical oncogene, but is required for spontaneous transformation of MEFs.

PMID- 26103141
TI  - Are all fluids bad for the kidney?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To describe the harmful effects of intravenous fluids on
      kidney structure and function and summarize recent comparisons between different
      fluids and their effect on kidney outcome. RECENT FINDINGS: Administration of
      intravenous fluids may contribute to the development and sustention of acute
      kidney injury. In excess, fluids cause kidney interstitial edema and venous
      congestion, which prevents renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate. In
      contrast to balanced crystalloids, chloride-rich solutions impair renal blood
      flow via autoregulatory mechanisms. Synthetic colloids, such as hydroxyethyl
      starches, gelatins, and dextrans are potentially nephrotoxic because they can
      cause osmotic nephrosis, which, in susceptible patients, might precede permanent
      kidney damage. Albumin solutions appear well tolerated to use in septic patients,
      although their renal efficacy over balanced crystalloids is not established. In
      contrast, administration of albumin solutions to patients with decompensated
      liver failure effectively prevents and ameliorates hepatorenal syndrome. SUMMARY:
      Being nephrotoxic, synthetic colloids should be avoided in patients with reduced
      renal reserve, such as in critically ill patients and in patients with
      preexisting renal dysfunction. Suggested adverse effects with chloride-rich
      solutions need confirmation from ongoing trials. Albumin solutions are well
      tolerated in patients with sepsis and/or liver failure and improve outcomes in
      the latter.

PMID- 26103142
TI  - The perioperative immune response.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A host of immune modulators are now available in clinical
      practice. The perioperative period is characterized by profound alterations in
      host immunity, which can result in poor outcomes, which include infection, cancer
      recurrence and organ failure. Manipulation of the perioperative immune response
      has the potential to improve outcomes. A complete understanding of the mechanisms
      and clinical consequences of altered immune function in this setting is therefore
      imperative. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent in-vivo data have emerged which further our
      understanding of the interaction between tissue damage, immune modulation and
      clinical outcomes by utilizing novel laboratory techniques capable of monitoring
      single-cell immune signatures. Traditional gene expression assays have continued
      to demonstrate their utility and have been instrumental in defining the host
      response to perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion. These mechanistic studies
      are complemented by large clinical studies describing associations between
      anaesthetic modalities and immune-related outcomes. SUMMARY: Laboratory
      techniques are now available that can monitor the perioperative immune response
      and could be further developed to introduce personalized care pathways.
      Consideration must also be given to anaesthesia techniques and perioperative
      treatments that, although not immediately harmful, may be associated with poor
      outcomes temporally distant from the treatment, secondary to induced
      immunosuppression.

PMID- 26103143
TI  - Fluids and coagulation.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Infusion therapy is essential in intravascular hypovolaemia
      and extravascular fluid deficits. Crystalloidal fluids and colloidal volume
      replacement affect blood coagulation when infused intravenously. The question
      remains if this side-effect of infusion therapy is clinically relevant in
      patients with and without bleeding manifestations, and if fluid-induced
      coagulopathy is a risk factor for anaemia, blood transfusion, and mortality, and
      a driver for resource use and costs. RECENT FINDINGS: Pathomechanisms of
      dilutional coagulopathy and evidence for its clinical relevance in perioperative
      and critically ill patients are reviewed. Furthermore, the article discusses
      medicolegal aspects. SUMMARY: The dose-dependent risk of dilutional coagulopathy
      differs between colloids (dextran > hetastarch > pentastarch > tetrastarch,
      gelatins > albumin). Risk awareness includes monitoring for early signs of side
      effects. With rotational thromboelastometry/thrombelastography, the deterioration
      not only in clot strength but also in clot formation and in platelet interaction
      can be assessed. Fibrinogen concentrate administration may be considered in
      severe bleeding as well as relevant dilutional coagulopathy. Targeted doses of
      gelatins and tetrastarches seem to have no proven adverse effect on anaemia and
      allogeneic blood transfusions. Further studies are needed.

PMID- 26103144
TI  - What is the ideal crystalloid?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We discuss the importance of the composition of intravenous
      crystalloid solutions. On the basis of current physiologic principles, evidence
      from basic science and clinical experiments, recent observational studies, and
      clinical trials, we conclude that the 'ideal crystalloid' depends on clinical
      context. We make recommendations on solutions that may be used during critical
      illness, major surgery, and certain clinical situations. RECENT FINDINGS: The
      routine use of solutions with a supraphysiologic chloride content and a low
      strong ion difference (SID), such as isotonic saline solution, may be associated
      with adverse outcomes, especially among critically ill patients. On the contrary,
      solutions with a physiologic chloride content and a 'balanced' electrolyte
      composition (SID closer to plasma) may improve the likelihood of survival. The
      distribution of different types of crystalloids across traditional 'body
      compartments' is a function of osmolality of the fluid infused relative to
      plasma, integrity of the glycocalyx, and the hemodynamic/'volume' state of the
      patient. During critical illness, the routine administration of colloids may
      offer no clinical benefits compared with the use of crystalloids. SUMMARY:
      Crystalloids, like other types of intravenous fluids, are drugs with important
      effects on clinical outcomes that may be mediated by osmolality, chloride
      content, and SID.

PMID- 26103145
TI  - Using cardiac output monitoring to guide perioperative haemodynamic therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this study was to review recent advances and
      evidence for the use of cardiac output monitors to guide perioperative
      haemodynamic therapy. RECENT FINDINGS: There are multiple different cardiac
      output monitoring devices available for clinical use which are coupled with many
      different intervention protocols to manipulate perioperative haemodynamics. There
      is little evidence to demonstrate superiority of any one device. Previous small
      studies and meta-analyses have suggested that perioperative haemodynamic therapy
      guided by cardiac output monitoring improves outcomes after major surgery.
      Despite relatively low-quality evidence several national bodies have recommended
      'perioperative goal-directed therapy' (GDT) as a standard of care.Recent larger
      trials of GDT have mostly failed to prove a benefit of GDT and one explanation
      for this is the increased quality of usual care that may be occurring because of
      initiatives such as enhanced recovery after surgery and the WHO Safer Surgery
      programmes. SUMMARY: Perioperative GDT remains an exciting intervention to reduce
      significant morbidity following major surgery; however, it is not yet a proven
      standard of care. Further large pragmatic trials are required to demonstrate its
      effectiveness particularly in the era of enhanced recovery after surgery
      programmes.

PMID- 26103146
TI  - Which intravenous fluid for the surgical patient?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review appraises recent evidence and provides clinical
      guidance on optimal perioperative fluid therapy. RECENT FINDINGS: Choice of
      perioperative intravenous fluid continues to be the source of much debate. Not
      all crystalloids are equivalent, and there is growing evidence that balanced
      solutions are superior to 0.9% saline in many situations. Recent evidence from
      the critical care population has highlighted risks associated with synthetic
      colloids; this and the absence of demonstrable benefit in the surgical population
      make it difficult to recommend their use in the perioperative period. Giving the
      correct amount of fluid may be as important as the choice of the fluid used.
      There is increasing evidence that excessive positive fluid balance is harmful to
      patients but there have been no randomized trials comparing maintenance fluid
      strategy. A knowledge of the physiology and accurate estimation of fluid balance
      is important for water and electrolyte homeostasis until the patient is able to
      resume adequate enteral nutrition. SUMMARY: Balanced crystalloids are the fluid
      of choice for perioperative resuscitation and optimization in patients not
      requiring blood products. Avoidance of a grossly positive sodium and water
      balance during the maintenance phase is likely to be important, but has not been
      assessed in randomized trials.

PMID- 26103148
TI  - Fluid therapy and the hypovolemic microcirculation.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In shock states, optimizing intravascular volume is crucial to
      promote an adequate oxygen delivery to the tissues. Our current practice in fluid
      management pivots on the Frank-Starling law of the heart, and the effects of
      fluids are measured according to the induced changes on stroke volume. The
      purpose of this review is to evaluate the boundaries of current macrohemodynamic
      approach to fluid administration, and to introduce the microcirculatory
      integration as a fundamental part of tissue perfusion monitoring. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Macrocirculatory changes induced by volume expansion are not always
      coupled to proportional changes in microcirculatory perfusion. Loss of
      hemodynamic coherence limits the value of guiding fluid therapy according to
      macrohemodynamics, and highlights the importance of evaluating the ultimate
      target of volume administration, the microcirculation. SUMMARY: Current approach
      to intravascular volume optimization is made from a macrohemodynamic perspective.
      However, several situations wherein macrocirculatory and microcirculatory
      coherence is lost have been described. Future clinical trials should explore the
      usefulness of integrating the microcirculatory evaluation in fluid optimization.

PMID- 26103147
TI  - How to avoid fluid overload.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review highlights the recent evidence describing the
      outcomes associated with fluid overload in critically ill patients and provides
      an overview of fluid management strategies aimed at preventing fluid overload
      during the resuscitation of patients with shock. RECENT FINDINGS: Fluid overload
      is a common complication of fluid resuscitation and is associated with increased
      hospital costs, morbidity and mortality. SUMMARY: Fluid management goals differ
      during the resuscitation, optimization, stabilization and evacuation phases of
      fluid resuscitation. To prevent fluid overload, strategies that reduce excessive
      fluid infusions and emphasize the removal of accumulated fluids should be
      implemented.

PMID- 26103149
TI  - Albumin in critically ill patients: the ideal colloid?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The use of albumin-containing solutions in critically ill
      patients has been recently revisited, following evidence on harmful effects of
      synthetic colloids, and novel randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in sepsis.
      Here, we review the most recent findings on albumin administration in acutely ill
      and septic patients. RECENT FINDINGS: The revision of Starling's theory on
      microvascular fluid dynamics has highlighted the role of albumin in preserving
      intravascular compartment volume. In cirrhosis, albumin may be important in
      maintaining immune system reactivity and cardiac contractility. Preliminary
      analyses indicate albumin as beneficial in patients with burn, while being
      associated with increased risk of acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery. The
      first RCT (ALBIOS trial) testing the efficacy of albumin replacement in severe
      sepsis did not show a survival benefit associated with albumin, although
      observing at post-hoc analysis a benefit in septic shock. All the eight meta
      analyses performed on albumin in sepsis reveal an absence of harm, and likely a
      benefit lower than expected, whereas suggesting an advantage, to be verified, in
      septic shock. SUMMARY: Further studies are needed to clarify physiology and
      clinical impact of albumin in critically ill patients, considering specific
      phenotypes and secondary outcomes other than survival, yet clinically relevant.

PMID- 26103150
TI  - Microcirculatory disorders during septic shock.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite the progress made over the past 20 years in the
      treatment of septic shock, mortality remains high. Microcirculatory disorders
      raise considerable interest aiming to improve the understanding of the
      physiopathology of septic shock and its management. RECENT FINDINGS: Numerous
      experimental and clinical studies have gradually focused on the analysis of
      microcirculatory blood flow and identified alterations in small vessels. These
      microcirculatory abnormalities appear early, are heterogeneous, and are directly
      linked to organ failure, as well as the patient's prognosis. These anomalies vary
      from one patient to the other, and their evolution during resuscitation cannot be
      predicted by the isolated analysis of global hemodynamic parameters such as blood
      pressure or heart rate. SUMMARY: Microcirculatory disorders appear at a central
      place of the physiopathology and are highly associated with the patient
      prognosis; it therefore seems important to develop and integrate parameters
      reflecting tissue perfusion in the management of septic shock.

PMID- 26103152
TI  - Risk of cancer of unknown primary after hospitalization for autoimmune diseases.
AB  - Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is a heterogeneous syndrome diagnosed at
      metastatic sites. The etiology is unknown but immune dysfunction may be a
      contributing factor. Patients with autoimmune diseases were identified from the
      Swedish Hospital Discharge Register and linked to the Swedish Cancer Registry.
      Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated for subsequent CUP and
      compared with subjects without autoimmune diseases. A total of 789,681 patients
      were hospitalized for any of 32 autoimmune diseases during years 1964-2012; 2,658
      developed subsequent CUP, giving an overall SIR of 1.27. A total of 16 autoimmune
      diseases were associated with an increased risk for CUP;
      polymyositis/dermatomyositis showed the highest SIR of 3.51, followed by primary
      biliary cirrhosis (1.81) and Addison's disease (1.77). CUP risk is known to be
      reduced in long-time users of pain-relieving nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
      (NSAIDs), such as aspirin. For patients with ankylosing spondylitis and with some
      other autoimmune diseases, with assumed chronic medication by NSAIDSs, CUP risks
      decreased in long-term follow-up. The overall risk of CUP was increased among
      patients diagnosed with autoimmune diseases, which call for clinical attention
      and suggest a possible role of immune dysfunction in CUP. The associations with
      many autoimmune diseases were weak which may imply that autoimmunity may not
      synergize with CUP-related immune dysfunction. However, long-term NSAID
      medication probably helped to curtail risks in some autoimmune diseases and CUP
      risks were generally higher in autoimmune diseases for which NSAIDs are not used
      and for these CUP appears to be a serious side effect. 

PMID- 26103151
TI  - Accelerated Growth Rate and Increased Drought Stress Resilience of the Model
      Grass Brachypodium distachyon Colonized by Bacillus subtilis B26.
AB  - Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGB) induce positive effects in plants, for
      instance, increased growth and reduced abiotic stresses susceptibility. The
      mechanisms by which these bacteria impact the host plant are numerous, diverse
      and often specific. Here, we studied the agronomical, molecular and biochemical
      effects of the endophytic PGB Bacillus subtilis B26 on the full life cycle of
      Brachypodium distachyon Bd21, an established model species for functional
      genomics in cereal crops and temperate grasses. Inoculation of Brachypodium with
      B. subtilis strain B26 increased root and shoot weights, accelerated growth rate
      and seed yield as compared to control plants. B. subtilis strain B26 efficiently
      colonized the plant and was recovered from roots, stems and blades as well as
      seeds of Brachypodium, indicating that the bacterium is able to migrate, spread
      systemically inside the plant, establish itself in the aerial plant tissues and
      organs, and is vertically transmitted to seeds. The presence of B. subtilis
      strain B26 in the seed led to systemic colonization of the next generation of
      Brachypodium plants. Inoculated Brachypodium seedlings and mature plants exposed
      to acute and chronic drought stress minimized the phenotypic effect of drought
      compared to plants not harbouring the bacterium. Protection from the inhibitory
      effects of drought by the bacterium was linked to upregulation of the drought
      response genes, DREB2B-like, DHN3-like and LEA-14-A-like and modulation of the
      DNA methylation genes, MET1B-like, CMT3-like and DRM2-like, that regulate the
      process. Additionally, total soluble sugars and starch contents increased in
      stressed inoculated plants, a biochemical indication of drought tolerance. In
      conclusion, we show a single inoculation of Brachypodium with a PGB affected the
      whole growth cycle of the plant, accelerating its growth rates, shortening its
      vegetative period, and alleviating drought stress effects. These effects are
      relevant to grasses and cereal crops. 

PMID- 26103153
TI  - Relative Contribution of Trabecular and Cortical Bone to Primary Implant
      Stability: An In Vitro Model Study.
AB  - The specific aim of this study was to examine the relative contributions to the
      implant insertion torque value (ITV) by cortical and trabecular components of an
      in vitro bone model. Simulated bone blocks of polyurethane were used with 2
      densities of foam (0.08 g/cm(3) to mimic trabecular bone and 0.64 g/cm(3) to
      mimic cortical bone). We have developed a new platform technology to collect data
      that enables quantitative evaluation of ITV at different implant locations. Seven
      groups were used to model varying thicknesses of cortical bone over a lower
      quality trabecular bone that have clinical significance: a solid 0.08 g/cm(3)
      block; 1 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm thick 0.64 g/cm(3) sheets with no underlayer; and 1
      mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm thick 0.64 g/cm(3) sheets laminated on top of a 4 cm thick
      0.08 g/cm(3) block. The ITVs were recorded as a function of insertion
      displacement distance. Relative contributions of ITV ranged from 3% to 18% from
      trabecular bone, and 62% to 74% from cortical bone depending on the thickness of
      the cortical layer. Inserting an implant into 2-mm and 3-mm cortical layers
      laminated atop trabecular blocks had a synergistic effect on ITVs. Finally, an
      implant with a reverse bevel design near the abutment showed final average torque
      values that were 14% to 34% less than their maximum torque values. This work
      provides basic quantitative information for clinicians to understand the
      influence of composite layers of bone in relation to mechanical torque
      resistances during implant insertion in order to obtain desired primary implant
      stability. 

PMID- 26103154
TI  - Modeling Measles Transmission in the North American Amish and Options for
      Outbreak Response.
AB  - Measles outbreaks in the United States continue to occur in subpopulations with
      sufficient numbers of undervaccinated individuals, with a 2014 outbreak in Amish
      communities in Ohio pushing the annual cases to the highest national number
      reported in the last 20 years. We adapted an individual-based model developed to
      explore potential poliovirus transmission in the North American Amish to
      characterize a 1988 measles outbreak in the Pennsylvania Amish and the 2014
      outbreak in the Ohio Amish. We explored the impact of the 2014 outbreak response
      compared to no or partial response. Measles can spread very rapidly in an
      underimmunized subpopulation like the North American Amish, with the potential
      for national spread within a year or so in the absence of outbreak response.
      Vaccination efforts significantly reduced the transmission of measles and the
      expected number of cases. Until global eradication, measles importations will
      continue to pose a threat to clusters of underimmunized individuals in the United
      States. Aggressive outbreak response efforts in Ohio probably prevented
      widespread transmission of measles within the entire North American Amish.

PMID- 26103155
TI  - The Cooperative Landscape of Multinational Clinical Trials.
AB  - The scale and nature of cooperative efforts spanning geopolitical borders in
      clinical research have not been elucidated to date. In a cross-sectional study of
      110,428 interventional trials registered in Clinicaltrials.gov, we characterized
      the evolution, trial demographics, and network properties of multinational
      clinical research. We reveal that the relative growth of international
      collaboratives has remained stagnant in the last two decades, although clinical
      trials have evolved to become much larger in scale. Multinational clinical trials
      are also characterized by higher patient enrollments, industry funding, and
      specific clinical disciplines including oncology and infectious disease. Network
      analyses demonstrate temporal shifts in collaboration patterns between countries
      and world regions, with developing nations now collaborating more within
      themselves, although Europe remains the dominant contributor to multinational
      clinical trials worldwide. Performances in network centrality measures also
      highlight the differential contribution of nations in the global research
      network. A city-level clinical trial network analysis further demonstrates how
      collaborative ties decline with physical distance. This study clarifies evolving
      themes and highlights potential growth mechanisms and barriers in multinational
      clinical trials, which may be useful in evaluating the role of national and local
      policies in organizing transborder efforts in clinical endeavors. 

PMID- 26103156
TI  - CuBr catalyzed aerobic oxidative coupling of 2-aminopyridines with
      cinnamaldehydes: direct access to 3-formyl-2-phenyl-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines.
AB  - Copper bromide catalyzed aerobic oxidative coupling of 2-aminopyridines with
      cinnamaldehydes directly led to the formation of 3-formyl-2-phenyl-imidazo[1,2
      a]pyridines. The quantum chemical calculations were performed to trace the
      reaction mechanism and get insights into the possible reaction pathway. 2
      Aminopyridines on coupling with cinnamaldehyde generate (E)-3-phenyl-3-(pyridin-2
      ylamino)acrylaldehyde IV as a key intermediate, which undergoes C-N bond
      formation reaction to produce 3-formyl-2-phenyl-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines. 

PMID- 26103157
TI  - The crabs that live where hot and cold collide.
AB  - The distribution of Kiwa tyleri with the large male individual in the high
      temperature flow (right hand side - fluid flow indicated by shimmering water) and
      the mixed sex assemblage (left). Note the heavy coat of epibiotic bacteria (grey
      colouring) on the individual in the hottest section of the vent, as expected from
      being closest to the sulphide needed to sustain the epibiotic bacteria that this
      species harvests for its food. Image courtesy of Dr. L. Marsh (Credit: NERC
      ChEsSo Consortium). In Focus: Marsh, L., Copley, J.T., Tyler, P.A. & Thatje, S.
      (2015) In hot and cold water: differential life-history traits are key to success
      in contrasting thermal deep-sea environments. Journal of Animal Ecology, 84, 898
      913. Southern Ocean hydrothermal vents juxtapose two extremes - intense food-poor
      cold and scalding food-rich oases. At these vents, Marsh et al. (2015) found a
      community of Kiwa (Yeti) crabs that separated themselves along this gradient with
      the largest males sitting in hot, food-rich waters, while smaller males and
      females co-occur in an intermediate zone of warmth. However, as their eggs start
      to develop, females embark away from the vent to the food-poor yet stable cold of
      the Southern Ocean. This species has found an intriguing way to balance foraging
      risk and population persistence at the interface of hot and cold. 

PMID- 26103158
TI  - Peroxisomal fission controls yeast life span.

PMID- 26103159
TI  - The Impact of Subclinical Disease and Mechanism of Detection on the Rise in
      Thyroid Cancer Incidence: A Population-Based Study in Olmsted County, Minnesota
      During 1935 Through 2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An ongoing epidemic of thyroid carcinoma (TC) has affected Americans
      since 1975. Understanding the contribution of subclinical disease and the
      mechanism of such disease detection may help to alter the course of this
      epidemic. METHODS: We used Rochester Epidemiology Project resources to examine
      the incidence of TC cases, disease specific mortality, and method of diagnosis
      during 1935 through 2012. During 2000-2012, we also extracted the mechanism of
      detection of clinically occult tumors. RESULTS: The age-adjusted incidence (AAI)
      for TC increased from 7.1 [95% confidence interval (CI) 5.5-8.8] per 100,000
      person-years (p-y) during 1990-1999 to 13.7 [CI 11.8-15.6] per 100,000 p-y during
      2000-2012, with no change in disease-specific mortality since 1935. The incidence
      trend analysis stratified by the mechanism of detection revealed the AAI of
      clinically recognized TC was 5.5 per 100,000 p-y [CI 3.4-7.5] in 1960-1969, a
      rate similar to the incidence seen during 2000-2012. However, AAI of clinically
      occult TC increased from 0.2 per 100,000 p-y [CI 0.0-0.6] in 1935-1949 to 1.9 per
      100,000 p-y [CI 1.2-2.9] in 1990-1999 and to 7.4 per 100,000 p-y [CI 6.0-8.8] in
      2000-2012. During 2000-2012, the most frequent reasons for recognition of
      "occult" tumors were (1) incidental discovery during diagnostic neck imaging in
      40 (19%), (2) pathology review of specimens from thyroid surgery for benign
      conditions in 29 (14%), and (3) investigations of patients with symptoms or
      palpable nodules that were clearly not associated with coexistent but occult TC
      but triggered the use of diagnostic neck imaging in 37 (27%). CONCLUSIONS: In
      this population-based study conducted in Olmsted County, Minnesota, the rapid
      increased incidence of TC during 2000-2012 can be completely attributed to the
      increased diagnosis of occult TCs, which are mainly found through the use of
      diagnostic neck imaging. The incidence of clinical TC and disease-specific TC
      mortality remains stable since 1970, implying that the observed increased
      incidence is due to the increased detection of subclinical lesions.

PMID- 26103160
TI  - Differentiation of Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Into Insulin-Producing
      Clusters by MicroRNA-7.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Diabetes results from inadequate insulin production from pancreatic
      beta-cells. Islet cell replacement is an effective approach for diabetes
      treatment; however, it is not sufficient for all diabetic patients. Thus, finding
      a new source with effective maturation of beta-cells is the major goal of many
      studies. MicroRNAs are a class of small noncoding ribonucleic acid that regulate
      gene expression through posttranscriptional mechanisms. MicroRNA-7 has high
      expression level during pancreatic islet development in humans, thereby playing a
      critical role in pancreatic beta-cell function. We study aimed to develop a
      protocol to differentiate human-induced pluripotent stem cells efficiently into
      isletlike cell clusters in vitro by using microRNA-7. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Human-induced pluripotent stem cell colonies were transfected with hsa-microRNA-7
      by using siPORT NeoFX transfection agent. Total ribonucleic acid was extracted 24
      and 48 hours after transfection. The expression of transcription factors which
      were important during pancreases development was also performed. On the third
      day, the potency of the clusters was assessed in response to high glucose levels.
      Diphenylthiocarbazone was used to identify the existence of the beta-cells. The
      presence of insulin and Neurogenin-3 proteins was investigated by
      immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: Morphologic changes were observed on the first day
      after chemical transfection, and cell clusters were formed on the third day. The
      expression of pancreatic specific transcription factors was increased on the
      first day and significantly increased on the second day. The isletlike cell
      clusters were positive for insulin and Neurogenin-3 proteins in
      immunocytochemistry. The clusters were stained with Diphenylthiocarbazone and
      secreted insulin in a glucose challenge test. CONCLUSIONS: MicroRNA-7
      transcription factor network is important in pancreatic endocrine
      differentiation. Chemical transfection with microRNA-7 can differentiate human
      induced pluripotent stem cells into functional isletlike cell clusters in a short
      time.

PMID- 26103161
TI  - The Antitumor Activity of the Novel Compound Jesridonin on Human Esophageal
      Carcinoma Cells.
AB  - Jesridonin, a small molecule obtained through the structural modification of
      Oridonin, has extensive antitumor activity. In this study, we evaluated both its
      in vitro activity in the cancer cell line EC109 and its in vivo effect on tumor
      xenografts in nude mice. Apoptosis induced by Jesridonin was determined using an
      MTT assay, Annexin-V FITC assay and Hoechest 33258 staining. Apoptosis via
      mitochondrial and death receptor pathways were confirmed by detecting the
      regulation of MDM2, p53, and Bcl-2 family members and by activation of caspase-3/
      8/-9. In addition, vena caudalis injection of Jesridonin showed significant
      inhibition of tumor growth in the xenograft model, and Jesridonin-induced cell
      apoptosis in tumor tissues was determined using TUNEL. Biochemical serum analysis
      of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase
      (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), total protein (TP) and albumin (ALB)
      indicated no obvious effects on liver function. Histopathological examination of
      the liver, kidney, lung, heart and spleen revealed no signs of JD-induced
      toxicity. Taken together, these results demonstrated that Jesridonin exhibits
      antitumor activity in human esophageal carcinomas EC109 cells both in vitro and
      in vivo and demonstrated no adverse effects on major organs in nude mice. These
      studies provide support for new drug development. 

PMID- 26103162
TI  - Location Isn't Everything: Timing of Spawning Aggregations Optimizes Larval
      Replenishment.
AB  - Many species of reef fishes form large spawning aggregations that are highly
      predictable in space and time. Prior research has suggested that aggregating fish
      derive fitness benefits not just from mating at high density but, also, from
      oceanographic features of the spatial locations where aggregations occur. Using a
      probabilistic biophysical model of larval dispersal coupled to a fine resolution
      hydrodynamic model of the Florida Straits, we develop a stochastic landscape of
      larval fitness. Tracking virtual larvae from release to settlement and
      incorporating changes in larval behavior through ontogeny, we found that larval
      success was sensitive to the timing of spawning. Indeed, propagules released
      during the observed spawning period had higher larval success rates than those
      released outside the observed spawning period. In contrast, larval success rates
      were relatively insensitive to the spatial position of the release site. In
      addition, minimum (rather than mean) larval survival was maximized during the
      observed spawning period, indicating a reproductive strategy that minimizes the
      probability of recruitment failure. Given this landscape of larval fitness, we
      take an inverse optimization approach to define a biological objective function
      that reflects a tradeoff between the mean and variance of larval success in a
      temporally variable environment. Using this objective function, we suggest that
      the length of the spawning period can provide insight into the tradeoff between
      reproductive risk and reward. 

PMID- 26103163
TI  - Multi-Dimensional Measurement of Antibody-Mediated Heterosubtypic Immunity to
      Influenza.
AB  - The human immune response to influenza vaccination depends in part on preexisting
      cross-reactive (heterosubtypic) immunity from previous infection by, and/or
      vaccination with, influenza strains that share antigenic determinants with the
      vaccine strains. However, current methods for assessing heterosubtypic antibody
      responses against influenza, including the hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI)
      assay and ELISA, are time and labor intensive, and require moderate amounts of
      serum and reagents. To address these issues we have developed a fluorescent
      multiplex assay, mPlex-Flu, that rapidly and simultaneously measures strain
      specific IgG, IgA, and IgM antibodies against influenza hemagglutinin (HA) from
      multiple viral strains. We cloned, expressed and purified HA proteins from 12
      influenza strains, and coupled them to multiplex beads. Assay validation showed
      that minimal sample volumes (<5 MUl of serum) were needed, and the assay had a
      linear response over a four Log10 range. The assay detected nanogram levels of
      anti-influenza specific antibodies, had high accuracy and reproducibility, with
      an average percentage coefficient of variation (%CV) of 9.06 for intra-assay and
      12.94 for inter-assay variability. Pre- and post-intramuscular trivalent
      influenza vaccination levels of virus specific Ig were consistent with HAI titer
      and ELISA measurements. A significant advantage of the mPLEX-Flu assay over the
      HAI assay is the ability to perform antigenic cartography, determining the
      antigenic distances between influenza HA's, without mathematical correction for
      HAI data issues. For validation we performed antigenic cartography on 14
      different post-influenza infection ferret sera assayed against 12 different
      influenza HA's. Results were in good agreement with a phylogenetic tree generated
      from hierarchical clustering of the genomic HA sequences. This is the first
      report of the use of a multiplex method for antigenic cartography using ferret
      sera. Overall, the mPlex-Flu assay provides a powerful tool to rapidly assess the
      influenza antibody repertoire in large populations and to study heterosubtypic
      immunity induced by influenza vaccination. 

PMID- 26103165
TI  - Application of off-line image processing for optimization in chest computed
      radiography using a low cost system.
AB  - The objective of this study was to improve the visibility of anatomical details
      by applying off-line postimage processing in chest computed radiography (CR).
      Four spatial domain-based external image processing techniques were developed by
      using MATLAB software version 7.0.0.19920 (R14) and image processing tools. The
      developed techniques were implemented to sample images and their visual
      appearances confirmed by two consultant radiologists to be clinically adequate.
      The techniques were then applied to 200 chest clinical images and randomized with
      other 100 images previously processed online. These 300 images were presented to
      three experienced radiologists for image quality assessment using standard
      quality criteria. The mean and ranges of the average scores for three
      radiologists were characterized for each of the developed technique and imaging
      system. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to test the difference of details
      visibility between the images processed using each of the developed techniques
      and the corresponding images processed using default algorithms. The results show
      that the visibility of anatomical features improved significantly (0.005 <= p <=
      0.02) with combinations of intensity values adjustment and/or spatial linear
      filtering techniques for images acquired using 60 <= kVp <= 70. However, there
      was no improvement for images acquired using 102 <= kVp <= 107 (0.127 <= p <=
      0.48). In conclusion, the use of external image processing for optimization can
      be effective in chest CR, but should be implemented in consultations with the
      radiologists. 

PMID- 26103164
TI  - Magnetic Resonance Assessment of Hypertrophic and Pseudo-Hypertrophic Changes in
      Lower Leg Muscles of Boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Their Relationship
      to Functional Measurements.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The primary objectives of this study were to evaluate contractile
      and non-contractile content of lower leg muscles of boys with Duchenne muscular
      dystrophy (DMD) and determine the relationships between non-contractile content
      and functional abilities. METHODS: Lower leg muscles of thirty-two boys with DMD
      and sixteen age matched unaffected controls were imaged. Non-contractile content,
      contractile cross sectional area and non-contractile cross sectional area of
      lower leg muscles (tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum longus, peroneal, medial
      gastrocnemius and soleus) were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
      Muscle strength, timed functional tests and the Brooke lower extremity score were
      also assessed. RESULTS: Non-contractile content of lower leg muscles (peroneal,
      medial gastrocnemius, and soleus) was significantly greater than control group
      (p<0.05). Non-contractile content of lower leg muscles correlated with Brooke
      score (rs = 0.64-0.84) and 30 feet walk (rs = 0.66-0.80). Dorsiflexor (DF) and
      plantarflexor (PF) specific torque was significantly different between the
      groups. DISCUSSION: Overall, non-contractile content of the lower leg muscles was
      greater in DMD than controls. Furthermore, there was an age dependent increase in
      contractile content in the medial gastrocnemius of boys with DMD. The findings of
      this study suggest that T1 weighted MR images can be used to monitor disease
      progression and provide a quantitative estimate of contractile and non
      contractile content of tissue in children with DMD.

PMID- 26103166
TI  - Investigation on the performance of dedicated radiotherapy positioning devices
      for MR scanning for prostate planning.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate performance of the couch and coil
      mounts designed for MR-simulation prostate scanning using data from ten
      volunteers. Volunteers were scanned using the standard MR scanning protocol with
      the MR coil directly strapped on the external body and the volunteer lying on the
      original scanner table. They also were scanned using a MR-simulation table top
      and pelvic coil mounts. MR images from both setups were compared in terms of body
      contour variation and image quality effects within particular organs of interest.
      Six-field conformal plans were generated on the two images with assigned bulk
      density for dose calculation. With the MR-simulation devices, the anterior skin
      deformation was reduced by up to 1.7 cm. The hard tabletop minimizes the
      posterior body deformation which can be up to 2.3 cm on the standard table,
      depending on the weight of volunteer. The image signal-to-noise ratio reduced by
      14% and 25% on large field of view (FOV) and small FOV images, respectively,
      after using the coil mount; the prostate volume contoured on two images showed
      difference of 1.05 +/- 0.66 cm3. The external body deformation caused a mean dose
      reduction of 0.6 +/- 0.3 Gy, while the coverage reduced by 22% +/- 13% and 27% +/
      6% in V98 and V100, respectively. A dedicated MR simulation setup for prostate
      radiotherapy is essential to ensure the agreement between planning anatomy and
      treatment anatomy. The image signal was reduced after applying the coil mount,
      but no significant effect was found on prostate contouring. 

PMID- 26103167
TI  - Baseline correction of a correlation model for improving the prediction accuracy
      of infrared marker-based dynamic tumor tracking.
AB  - We previously found that the baseline drift of external and internal respiratory
      motion reduced the prediction accuracy of infrared (IR) marker-based dynamic
      tumor tracking irradiation (IR Tracking) using the Vero4DRT system. Here, we
      proposed a baseline correction method, applied immediately before beam delivery,
      to improve the prediction accuracy of IR Tracking. To perform IR Tracking, a four
      dimensional (4D) model was constructed at the beginning of treatment to correlate
      the internal and external respiratory signals, and the model was expressed using
      a quadratic function involving the IR marker position (x) and its velocity (v),
      namely function F(x,v). First, the first 4D model, F1st(x,v), was adjusted by the
      baseline drift of IR markers (BDIR) along the x-axis, as function F'(x,v). Next,
      BDdetect, that defined as the difference between the target positions indicated
      by the implanted fiducial markers (Pdetect) and the predicted target positions
      with F'(x,v) (Ppredict) was determined using orthogonal kV X-ray images at the
      peaks of the Pdetect of the end-inhale and end-exhale phases for 10 s just before
      irradiation. F'(x,v) was corrected with BDdetect to compensate for the residual
      error. The final corrected 4D model was expressed as Fcor(x,v) = F1st{(x-BDIR),v}
      BDdetect. We retrospectively applied this function to 53 paired log files of the
      4D model for 12 lung cancer patients who underwent IR Tracking. The 95th
      percentile of the absolute differences between Pdetect and Ppredict (|Ep|) was
      compared between F1st(x,v) and Fcor(x,v). The median 95th percentile of |Ep|
      (units: mm) was 1.0, 1.7, and 3.5 for F1st(x,v), and 0.6, 1.1, and 2.1 for
      Fcor(x,v) in the left-right, anterior-posterior, and superior-inferior
      directions, respectively. Over all treatment sessions, the 95th percentile of
      |Ep| peaked at 3.2 mm using Fcor(x,v) compared with 8.4 mm using F1st(x,v). Our
      proposed method improved the prediction accuracy of IR Tracking by correcting the
      baseline drift immediately before irradiation. 

PMID- 26103168
TI  - Technical evaluation of different respiratory monitoring systems used for 4D CT
      acquisition under free breathing.
AB  - Respiratory monitoring systems are required to supply CT scanners with
      information on the patient's breathing during the acquisition of a respiration
      correlated computer tomography (RCCT), also referred to as 4D CT. The information
      a respiratory monitoring system has to provide to the CT scanner depends on the
      specific scanner. The purpose of this study is to compare two different
      respiratory monitoring systems (Anzai Respiratory Gating System; C-RAD Sentinel)
      with respect to their applicability in combination with an Aquilion Large Bore CT
      scanner from Toshiba. The scanner used in our clinic does not make use of the
      full time dependent breathing signal, but only single trigger pulses indicating
      the beginning of a new breathing cycle. Hence the attached respiratory monitoring
      system is expected to deliver accurate online trigger pulse for each breathing
      cycle. The accuracy of the trigger pulses sent to the CT scanner has to be
      ensured by the selected respiratory monitoring system. Since a trigger pulse
      (output signal) of a respiratory monitoring system is a function of the measured
      breathing signal (input signal), the typical clinical range of the input signal
      is estimated for both examined respiratory monitoring systems. Both systems are
      analyzed based on the following parameters: time resolution, signal amplitude,
      noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal linearity, trigger compatibility, and
      clinical examples. The Anzai system shows a better SNR (>= 28 dB) than the
      Sentinel system (>= 14.6 dB). In terms of compatibility with the cycle-based
      image sorting algorithm of the Toshiba CT scanner, the Anzai system benefits from
      the possibility to generate cycle-based triggers, whereas the Sentinel system is
      only able to generate amplitude-based triggers. In clinical practice, the
      combination of a Toshiba CT scanner and the Anzai system will provide better
      results due to the compatibility of the image sorting and trigger release
      methods.

PMID- 26103169
TI  - Evaluation of 4D CT acquisition methods designed to reduce artifacts.
AB  - Four-dimensional computed tomography (4D CT) is used to account for respiratory
      motion in radiation treatment planning, but artifacts resulting from the
      acquisition and postprocessing limit its accuracy. We investigated the efficacy
      of three experimental 4D CT acquisition methods to reduce artifacts in a
      prospective institutional review board approved study. Eighteen thoracic patients
      scheduled to undergo radiation therapy received standard clinical 4D CT scans
      followed by each of the alternative 4D CT acquisitions: 1) data oversampling, 2)
      beam gating with breathing irregularities, and 3) rescanning the clinical
      acquisition acquired during irregular breathing. Relative values of a validated
      correlation-based artifact metric (CM) determined the best acquisition method per
      patient. Each 4D CT was processed by an extended phase sorting approach that
      optimizes the quantitative artifact metric (CM sorting). The clinical
      acquisitions were also postprocessed by phase sorting for artifact comparison of
      our current clinical implementation with the experimental methods. The
      oversampling acquisition achieved the lowest artifact presence among all
      acquisitions, achieving a 27% reduction from the current clinical 4D CT
      implementation (95% confidence interval = 34-20). The rescan method presented a
      significantly higher artifact presence from the clinical acquisition (37%; p <
      0.002), the gating acquisition (26%; p < 0.005), and the oversampling acquisition
      (31%; p < 0.001), while the data lacked evidence of a significant difference
      between the clinical, gating, and oversampling methods. The oversampling
      acquisition reduced artifact presence from the current clinical 4D CT
      implementation to the largest degree and provided the simplest and most
      reproducible implementation. The rescan acquisition increased artifact presence
      significantly, compared to all acquisitions, and suffered from combination of
      data from independent scans over which large internal anatomic shifts occurred. 

PMID- 26103171
TI  - Moving gantry method for electron beam dose profile measurement at extended
      source-to-surface distances.
AB  - A novel method has been put forward for very large electron beam profile
      measurement. With this method, absorbed dose profiles can be measured at any
      depth in a solid phantom for total skin electron therapy. Electron beam dose
      profiles were collected with two different methods. Profile measurements were
      performed at 0.2 and 1.2 cm depths with a parallel plate and a thimble chamber,
      respectively. 108cm * 108 cm and 45 cm * 45 cm projected size electron beams were
      scanned by vertically moving phantom and detector at 300 cm source-to-surface
      distance with 90 degrees  and 270 degrees  gantry angles. The profiles collected
      this way were used as reference. Afterwards, the phantom was fixed on the central
      axis and the gantry was rotated with certain angular steps. After applying
      correction for the different source-to-detector distances and incidence of angle,
      the profiles measured in the two different setups were compared. Correction
      formalism has been developed. The agreement between the cross profiles taken at
      the depth of maximum dose with the 'classical' scanning and with the new moving
      gantry method was better than 0.5 % in the measuring range from zero to 71.9 cm.
      Inverse square and attenuation corrections had to be applied. The profiles
      measured with the parallel plate chamber agree better than 1%, except for the
      penumbra region, where the maximum difference is 1.5%. With the moving gantry
      method, very large electron field profiles can be measured at any depth in a
      solid phantom with high accuracy and reproducibility and with much less time per
      step. No special instrumentation is needed. The method can be used for
      commissioning of very large electron beams for computer-assisted treatment
      planning, for designing beam modifiers to improve dose uniformity, and for
      verification of computed dose profiles. 

PMID- 26103170
TI  - Accelerated tomotherapy delivery with TomoEdge technique.
AB  - TomoEDGE is an advanced delivery form of tomotherapy which uses a dynamic
      secondary collimator. This plan comparison study describes the new features,
      their clinical applicability, and their effect on plan quality and treatment
      speed. For the first 45 patients worldwide that were scheduled for a treatment
      with TomoEdge, at least two plans were created: one with the previous
      "standard"mode with static jaws and 2.5 cm field width (Reg 2.5) and one with
      TomoEdge technique and 5 cm field width (Edge 5). If, after analysis in terms of
      beam on time, integral dose, dose conformity, and organ at risk sparing the
      treating physician decided that the Edge 5 plan was not suitable for clinical
      treatment, a plan with TomoEdge and 2.5 cm field width was created (Edge 2.5) and
      used for the treatment. Among the 45 cases, 30 were suitable for Edge 5
      treatment, including treatments of the head and neck, rectal cancer, anal cancer,
      malignancies of the chest, breast cancer, and palliative treatments. In these
      cases, the use of a 5 cm field width reduced beam on time by more than 30%
      without compromising plan quality. The 5 cm beam could not be clinically applied
      to treatments of the pelvic lymph nodes for prostate cancer and to head and neck
      irradiations with extensive involvement of the skull, as dose to critical organs
      at risk such as bladder (average dose 28 Gy vs. 29 Gy, Reg 2.5 vs. Edge 5), small
      bowel (29% vs. 31%, Reg 2.5 vs. Edge 5) and brain (average dose partial brain 19
      Gy vs. 21 Gy, Reg 2.5 vs. Edge 5) increased to a clinically relevant, yet not
      statistically significant, amount. TomoEdge is an advantageous extension of the
      tomotherapy technique that can speed up treatments and thus increase patient
      comfort and safety in the majority of clinical settings. 

PMID- 26103172
TI  - CT image quality over time: comparison of image quality for six different CT
      scanners over a six-year period.
AB  - UNSCEAR concluded that increased use of CT scanning caused dramatic changes in
      population dose. Therefore, international radiation protection authorities
      demand: 1) periodical quality assurance tests with respect to image quality and
      radiation dose, and 2) optimization of all examination protocols with respect to
      image quality and radiation dose. This study aimed to evaluate and analyze
      multiple image quality parameters and variability measured throughout time for
      six different CT scanners from four different vendors, in order to evaluate the
      current methodology for QA controls of CT systems. The results from this study
      indicate that there is minor drifting in the image noise and uniformity and in
      the spatial resolution over time for CT scanners, independent of vendors. The HU
      for different object densities vary between different CT scanner models from
      different vendors, and over time for one specific CT scanner. Future tests of
      interphantom and intraphantom variations, along with inclusion of more CT
      scanners, are necessary to establish robust baselines and recommendations of
      methodology for QA controls of CT systems, independent of model and vendor. 

PMID- 26103173
TI  - Comparison between an in-house 1D profile correction method and a 2D correction
      provided in Varian's PDPC Package for improving the accuracy of portal dosimetry
      images.
AB  - While commissioning Varian's Portal Dose Image Prediction (PDIP) algorithm for
      portal dosimetry, an asymmetric radial response in the portal imager due to
      backscatter from the support arm was observed. This asymmetric response led to
      differences on the order of 2%-3% for simple square fields (< 20 * 20 cm2) when
      comparing the measured to predicted portal fluences. A separate problem was that
      discrepancies of up to 10% were seen in measured to predicted portal fluences at
      increasing off-axis distance (> 10 cm). We have modified suggested methods from
      the literature to provide a 1D correction for the off-axis response problem which
      adjusts the diagonal profile used in the portal imager calibration. This
      inherently cannot fix the 2D problem since the PDIP algorithm assumes a radially
      symmetric response and will lead to some uncertainty in portal dosimetry results.
      Varian has recently released generic "2D correction" files with their Portal
      Dosimetry Pre-configuration (PDPC) package, but no independent testing has been
      published. We present the comparison between QA results using the Varian
      correction method to results using our 1D profile correction method using the
      gamma passing rates with a 3%, 3 mm criterion. The average, minimum, and maximum
      gamma pass rates for nine fixed-field IMRT fields at gantry 0 degrees  using our
      profile correction method were 98.1%, 93.7%, and 99.8%, respectively, while the
      results using the PDPC correction method were 98.4%, 93.1%, and 99.8%. For four
      RapidArc fields, the average, minimum, and maximum gamma pass rates using our
      correction method were 99.6%, 99.4%, and 99.9%, respectively, while the results
      using the PDPC correction method were 99.8%, 99.5%, and 99.9%. The average gamma
      pass rates for both correction methods are quite similar, but both show
      improvement over the uncorrected results. 

PMID- 26103174
TI  - Intrafractional prostate motion during external beam radiotherapy monitored by a
      real-time target localization system.
AB  - This paper investigates the clinical significance of real-time monitoring of
      intrafractional prostate motion during external beam radiotherapy using a
      commercial 4D localization system. Intrafractional prostate motion was tracked
      during 8,660 treatment fractions for 236 patients. The following statistics were
      analyzed: 1) the percentage of fractions in which the prostate shifted 2-7 mm for
      a certain duration; 2) the proportion of the entire tracking time during which
      the prostate shifted 2-7mm; and 3) the proportion of each minute in which the
      shift exceeded 2-7 mm. The ten patients exhibiting maximum intrafractional-motion
      patterns were analyzed separately. Our results showed that the percentage of
      fractions in which the prostate shifted by > 2, 3, 5, and 7 mm off the baseline
      in any direction for > 30 s was 56.8%, 27.2%, 4.6%, and 0.7% for intact prostate
      and 68.7%, 35.6%, 10.1%, and 1.8% for postprostatectomy patients, respectively.
      For the ten patients, these percentages were 91.3%, 72.4%, 36.3%, and 6%,
      respectively. The percentage of tracking time during which the prostate shifted >
      2, 3, 5, and 7 mm was 27.8%, 10.7%, 1.6%, and 0.3%, respectively, and it was
      56.2%, 33.7%, 11.2%, and 2.1%, respectively, for the ten patients. The percentage
      of tracking time for a > 3 mm posterior motion was four to five times higher than
      that in other directions. For treatments completed in 5 min (VMAT) and 10 min
      (IMRT), the proportion for the prostate to shift by > 3mm was 4% and 12%,
      respectively. Although intrafractional prostate motion was generally small,
      caution should be taken for patients who exhibit frequent large intrafractional
      motion. For those patients, adjustment of patient positioning may be necessary or
      a larger treatment margin may be used. After the initial alignment, the
      likelihood of prostate motion increases with time. Therefore, it is favorable to
      use advanced techniques (e.g., VMAT) that require less delivery time in order to
      reduce the treatment uncertainty resulting from intrafractional prostate motion. 

PMID- 26103175
TI  - Comparing the dosimetric characteristics of the electron beam from dedicated
      intraoperative and conventional radiotherapy accelerators.
AB  - The specific design of the mobile dedicated intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT)
      accelerators and different electron beam collimation system can change the
      dosimetric characteristics of electron beam with respect to the conventional
      accelerators. The aim of this study is to measure and compare the dosimetric
      characteristics of electron beam produced by intraoperative and conventional
      radiotherapy accelerators. To this end, percentage depth dose along clinical axis
      (PDD), transverse dose profile (TDP), and output factor of LIAC IORT and Varian
      2100C/D conventional radiotherapy accelerators were measured and compared. TDPs
      were recorded at depth of maximum dose. The results of this work showed that
      depths of maximum dose, R90, R50, and RP for LIAC beam are lower than those of
      Varian beam. Furthermore, for all energies, surface doses related to the LIAC
      beam are substantially higher than those of Varian beam. The symmetry and
      flatness of LIAC beam profiles are more desirable compared to the Varian ones.
      Contrary to Varian accelerator, output factor of LIAC beam substantially
      increases with a decrease in the size of the applicator. Dosimetric
      characteristics of beveled IORT applicators along clinical axis were different
      from those of the flat ones. From these results, it can be concluded that
      dosimetric characteristics of intraoperative electron beam are substantially
      different from those of conventional clinical electron beam. The dosimetric
      characteristics of the LIAC electron beam make it a useful tool for
      intraoperative radiotherapy purposes. 

PMID- 26103176
TI  - Compliance with AAPM Practice Guideline 1.a: CT Protocol Management and Review -
      from the perspective of a university hospital.
AB  - The purpose of this paper is to describe our experience with the AAPM Medical
      Physics Practice Guideline 1.a: "CT Protocol Management and Review Practice
      Guideline". Specifically, we will share how our institution's quality management
      system addresses the suggestions within the AAPM practice report. We feel this
      paper is needed as it was beyond the scope of the AAPM practice guideline to
      provide specific details on fulfilling individual guidelines. Our hope is that
      other institutions will be able to emulate some of our practices and that this
      article would encourage other types of centers (e.g., community hospitals) to
      share their methodology for approaching CT protocol optimization and quality
      control. Our institution had a functioning CT protocol optimization process,
      albeit informal, since we began using CT. Recently, we made our protocol
      development and validation process compliant with a number of the ISO 9001:2008
      clauses and this required us to formalize the roles of the members of our CT
      protocol optimization team. We rely heavily on PACS-based IT solutions for
      acquiring radiologist feedback on the performance of our CT protocols and the
      performance of our CT scanners in terms of dose (scanner output) and the function
      of the automatic tube current modulation. Specific details on our quality
      management system covering both quality control and ongoing optimization have
      been provided. The roles of each CT protocol team member have been defined, and
      the critical role that IT solutions provides for the management of files and the
      monitoring of CT protocols has been reviewed. In addition, the invaluable role
      management provides by being a champion for the project has been explained; lack
      of a project champion will mitigate the efforts of a CT protocol optimization
      team. Meeting the guidelines set forth in the AAPM practice guideline was not
      inherently difficult, but did, in our case, require the cooperation of
      radiologists, technologists, physicists, IT, administrative staff, and hospital
      management. Some of the IT solutions presented in this paper are novel and
      currently unique to our institution. 

PMID- 26103177
TI  - Commissioning and quality assurance of Dynamic WaveArc irradiation.
AB  - A novel three-dimensional unicursal irradiation technique "Dynamic WaveArc"
      (DWA), which employs simultaneous and continuous gantry and O-ring rotation
      during dose delivery, has been implemented in Vero4DRT. The purposes of this
      study were to develop a commissioning and quality assurance procedure for DWA
      irradiation, and to assess the accuracy of the mechanical motion and dosimetric
      control of Vero4DRT. To determine the mechanical accuracy and the dose accuracy
      with DWA irradiation, 21 verification test patterns with various gantry and ring
      rotational directions and speeds were generated. These patterns were irradiated
      while recording the irradiation log data. The differences in gantry position,
      ring position, and accumulated MU (EG, ER, and EMU, respectively) between the
      planned and actual values in the log at each time point were evaluated.
      Furthermore, the doses delivered were measured using an ionization chamber and
      spherical phantom. The constancy of radiation output during DWA irradiation was
      examined by comparison with static beam irradiation. The mean absolute error
      (MAE) of EG and ER were within 0.1 degrees  and the maximum error was within 0.2
      degrees . The MAE of EMU was within 0.7 MU, and maximum error was 2.7 MU. Errors
      of accumulated MU were observed only around control points, changing gantry, and
      ring velocity. The gantry rotational range, in which EMU was greater than or
      equal to 2.0 MU, was not greater than 3.2%. It was confirmed that the extent of
      the large differences in accumulated MU was negligibly small during the entire
      irradiation range. The variation of relative output value for DWA irradiation was
      within 0.2%, and this was equivalent to conventional arc irradiation with a
      rotating gantry. In conclusion, a verification procedure for DWA irradiation was
      designed and implemented. The results demonstrated that Vero4DRT has adequate
      mechanical accuracy and beam output constancy during gantry and ring rotation. 

PMID- 26103178
TI  - An evaluation of the stability of image-quality parameters of Varian on-board
      imaging (OBI) and EPID imaging systems.
AB  - Quality assurance (QA) of the image quality for image-guided localization systems
      is crucial to ensure accurate visualization and localization of regions of
      interest within the patient. In this study, the temporal stability of selected
      image parameters was assessed and evaluated for kV CBCT mode, planar radiographic
      kV, and MV modes. The motivation of the study was to better characterize the
      temporal variability in specific image-quality parameters. The CATPHAN, QckV-1,
      and QC-3 phantoms were used to evaluate the image-quality parameters of the
      imaging systems on a Varian Novalis Tx linear accelerator. The planar
      radiographic images were analyzed in PIPSpro with high-contrast spatial
      resolution (f30, f40,f50 lp/mm) being recorded. For OBI kV CBCT, high-quality
      head full-fan acquisition and pelvis half-fan acquisition modes were evaluated
      for uniformity, noise, spatial resolution, HU constancy, and geometric
      distortion. Dose and X-ray energy for the OBI were recorded using the Unfors
      RaySafe Xi system with the R/F High Detector for kV planar radiographic and the
      CT detector for kV CBCT. Dose for the MV EPID was recorded using a PTW975
      Semiflex ion chamber, PTW UNIDOS electrometer, and CNMC Plastic Water. For each
      image-quality parameter, values were normalized to the mean, and the normalized
      standard deviations were recorded to evaluate the parameter's temporal
      variability. For planar radiographic modes, the normalized standard deviations of
      the spatial resolution (f30, f40, & f50) were 0.015, 0.008, 0.004 lp/mm and
      0.006, 0.009, 0.018 lp/mm for the kV and MV, respectively. The normalized
      standard deviation of dose for kV and MV were 0.010 mGy and 0.005mGy,
      respectively. The standard deviations for full- and half-fan kV CBCT modes were
      averaged together. The following normalized standard deviations for each kV CBCT
      parameter were: 0.075 HU (uniformity), 0.071 HU (noise), 0.006mm (AP-geometric
      distortion), 0.005 mm (LAT-geometric distortion), 0.058mm (slice thickness),
      0.124 (f50), 0.031 (HU constancy - Lung), 0.063 (HU constancy- Water), 0.020 (HU
      constancy - Bone), 0.006 mGy (Dose - Center), 0.004 mGy (Dose -Periphery). Using
      control chart analysis, institutional QA tolerances were reported as warning and
      action thresholds based on 1sigma and 2sigma thresholds. A study was performed to
      characterize the stability of image-quality parameters recommended by AAPM Task
      Group-142 for the Varian OBI and EPID imaging systems. Both imaging systems show
      consistent imaging and dosimetric properties over the evaluated time frame. 

PMID- 26103179
TI  - Estimation of patient setup uncertainty using BrainLAB Exatrac X-Ray 6D system in
      image-guided radiotherapy.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate setup uncertainties for brain sites
      with ExacTrac X-Ray 6D system and to provide optimal margin guidelines. Fifteen
      patients with brain tumor were included in this study. Two X-ray images with
      ExacTrac X-Ray 6D system were used to verify patient position and tumor target
      localization before each treatment. The 6D fusion software first generates
      various sets of DRRs with position variations in both three translational and
      three rotational directions (six degrees of freedom) for the CT images. Setup
      variations (translation and rotation) after correction were recorded and
      corrected before treatment. The 3D deviations are expressed as mean +/- standard
      deviation. The random error (Sigma(sigmai)), systematic error (MUi), and group
      systematic error (M(MUi)) for the different X-ray were calculated using the
      definitions of van Herk.(1) Mean setup errors were calculated from X-ray images
      acquired after all fractions. There is moderate patient-to-patient variation in
      the vertical direction and small variations in systematic errors and magnitudes
      of random errors are smaller. The global systematic errors were measured to be
      less than 2.0 mm in each direction. Random component of all patients are smaller
      ranging from 0.1-0.3 mm small. The safety margin (SM) to the lateral, is 0.5 mm
      and 2.6 mm for van Herk(1) and Stroom et al.,(2) respectively, craniocaudal axis
      is 1.5 mm and 3.4 mm, respectively, and with respect to the antero-posterior
      axis, 2.3 mm and 3.9 mm. Daily X-ray imaging is essential to compare and assess
      the accuracy of treatment delivery to different anatomical locations. 

PMID- 26103180
TI  - Interfraction positional variation in pancreatic tumors using daily breath-hold
      cone-beam computed tomography with visual feedback.
AB  - We assessed interfraction positional variation in pancreatic tumors using daily
      breath-hold cone-beam computed tomography at end-exhalation (EE) with visual
      feedback (BH-CBCT). Eleven consecutive patients with pancreatic cancer who
      underwent BH intensity-modulated radiation therapy with visual feedback were
      enrolled. All participating patients stopped oral intake, with the exception of
      drugs and water, for > 3 hr before treatment planning and daily treatment. Each
      patient was fixed in the supine position on an individualized vacuum pillow. An
      isotropic margin of 5 mm was added to the clinical target volume to create the
      planning target volume (PTV). The prescription dose was 42 to 51 Gy in 15
      fractions. After correcting initial setup errors based on bony anatomy, the first
      BH-CBCT scans were performed before beam delivery in every fraction. BH-CBCT
      acquisition was obtained in three or four times breath holds by interrupting the
      acquisition two or three times, depending on the patient's BH ability. The image
      acquisition time for a 360 degrees  gantry rotation was approximately 90 s,
      including the interruption time due to BH. The initial setup errors were
      corrected based on bony structure, and the residual errors in the target position
      were then recorded. The magnitude of the interfraction variation in target
      position was assessed for 165 fractions. The systematic and random errors were
      1.2 and 1.8 mm, 1.1 and 1.8 mm, and 1.7 and 2.9 mm in the left-right (LR),
      anterior-posterior (AP), and superior-inferior (SI) directions, respectively.
      Absolute interfraction variations of > 5 mm were observed in 18 fractions (11.0%)
      from seven patients because of EE-BH failure. In conclusion, target matching is
      required to correct interfraction variation even with visual feedback, especially
      to ensure safe delivery of escalated doses to patients with pancreatic cancer. 

PMID- 26103181
TI  - Evaluation and mitigation of potential errors in radiochromic film dosimetry due
      to film curvature at scanning.
AB  - This work considers a previously overlooked uncertainty present in film dosimetry
      which results from moderate curvature of films during the scanning process. Small
      film samples are particularly susceptible to film curling which may be undetected
      or deemed insignificant. In this study, we consider test cases with controlled
      induced curvature of film and with film raised horizontally above the scanner
      plate. We also evaluate the difference in scans of a film irradiated with a
      typical brachytherapy dose distribution with the film naturally curved and with
      the film held flat on the scanner. Typical naturally occurring curvature of film
      at scanning, giving rise to a maximum height 1 to 2 mm above the scan plane, may
      introduce dose errors of 1% to 4%, and considerably reduce gamma evaluation
      passing rates when comparing film-measured doses with treatment planning system
      calculated dose distributions, a common application of film dosimetry in
      radiotherapy. The use of a triple-channel dosimetry algorithm appeared to
      mitigate the error due to film curvature compared to conventional single-channel
      film dosimetry. The change in pixel value and calibrated reported dose with film
      curling or height above the scanner plate may be due to variations in
      illumination characteristics, optical disturbances, or a Callier-type effect.
      There is a clear requirement for physically flat films at scanning to avoid the
      introduction of a substantial error source in film dosimetry. Particularly for
      small film samples, a compression glass plate above the film is recommended to
      ensure flat-film scanning. This effect has been overlooked to date in the
      literature. 

PMID- 26103182
TI  - Erratum: Coronary calcium quantification using contrast-enhanced dual-energy
      computed tomography scans.

PMID- 26103183
TI  - An image-based method to synchronize cone-beam CT and optical surface tracking.
AB  - The integration of in-room X-ray imaging and optical surface tracking has gained
      increasing importance in the field of image guided radiotherapy (IGRT). An
      essential step for this integration consists of temporally synchronizing the
      acquisition of X-ray projections and surface data. We present an image-based
      method for the synchronization of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and
      optical surface systems, which does not require the use of additional hardware.
      The method is based on optically tracking the motion of a component of the
      CBCT/gantry unit, which rotates during the acquisition of the CBCT scan. A
      calibration procedure was implemented to relate the position of the rotating
      component identified by the optical system with the time elapsed since the
      beginning of the CBCT scan, thus obtaining the temporal correspondence between
      the acquisition of X-ray projections and surface data. The accuracy of the
      proposed synchronization method was evaluated on a motorized moving phantom,
      performing eight simultaneous acquisitions with an Elekta Synergy CBCT machine
      and the AlignRT optical device. The median time difference between the sinusoidal
      peaks of phantom motion signals extracted from the synchronized CBCT and AlignRT
      systems ranged between -3.1 and 12.9 msec, with a maximum interquartile range of
      14.4 msec. The method was also applied to clinical data acquired from seven lung
      cancer patients, demonstrating the potential of the proposed approach in
      estimating the individual and daily variations in respiratory parameters and
      motion correlation of internal and external structures. The presented
      synchronization method can be particularly useful for tumor tracking applications
      in extracranial radiation treatments, especially in the field of patient-specific
      breathing models, based on the correlation between internal tumor motion and
      external surface surrogates. 

PMID- 26103184
TI  - Commissioning and quality assurance for the treatment delivery components of the
      AccuBoost system.
AB  - The objective for this work was to develop a commissioning methodology for the
      treatment delivery components of the AccuBoost system, as well as to establish a
      routine quality assurance program and appropriate guidance for clinical use based
      on the commissioning results. Various tests were developed: 1) assessment of the
      accuracy of the displayed separation value; 2) validation of the dwell positions
      within each applicator; 3) assessment of the accuracy and precision of the
      applicator localization system; 4) assessment of the combined dose profile of two
      opposed applicators to confirm that they are coaxial; 5) measurement of the
      absolute dose delivered with each applicator to confirm acceptable agreement with
      dose based on Monte Carlo modeling; 6) measurements of the skin-to-center dose
      ratio using optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters; and 7) assessment of
      the mammopad cushion's effect on the center dose. We found that the difference
      between the measured and the actual paddle separation is < 0.1 cm for the
      separation range of 3 cm to 7.5 cm. Radiochromic film measurements demonstrated
      that the number of dwell positions inside the applicators agree with the values
      from the vendor, for each applicator type and size. The shift needed for a good
      applicator-grid alignment was within 0.2 cm. The dry-run test using film
      demonstrated that the shift of the dosimetric center is within 0.15 cm. Dose
      measurements in water converted to polystyrene agreed within 5.0% with the Monte
      Carlo data in polystyrene for the same applicator type, size, and depth. A solid
      water-to-water (phantom) factor was obtained for each applicator, and all future
      annual quality assurance tests will be performed in solid water using an average
      value of 1.07 for the solid water-to-water factor. The skin-to-center dose ratio
      measurements support the Monte Carlo-based values within 5.0% agreement. For the
      treatment separation range of 4 cm to 8cm, the change in center dose would be <
      1.0% for all applicators when using a compressed pad of 0.2 cm to 0.3 cm. The
      tests performed ensured that all treatment components of the AccuBoost system are
      functional and that a treatment plan can be delivered with acceptable accuracy.
      Based on the commissioning results, a quality assurance manual and guidance
      documents for clinical use were developed. 

PMID- 26103185
TI  - Retracted: Reducing motion artifacts in 4D MR images using principal component
      analysis (PCA) combined with linear polynomial fitting model.
AB  - We have previously developed a retrospective 4D-MRI technique using body area as
      the respiratory surrogate, but generally, the reconstructed 4D MR images suffer
      from severe or mild artifacts mainly caused by irregular motion during image
      acquisition. Those image artifacts may potentially affect the accuracy of tumor
      target delineation or the shape representation of surrounding nontarget tissues
      and organs. So the purpose of this study is to propose an approach employing
      principal component analysis (PCA), combined with a linear polynomial fitting
      model, to remodel the displacement vector fields (DVFs) obtained from deformable
      image registration (DIR), with the main goal of reducing the motion artifacts in
      4D MR images. Seven patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (2/7) or liver
      metastases (5/7) in the liver, as well as a patient with non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC), were enrolled in an IRB-approved prospective study. Both CT and
      MR simulations were performed for each patient for treatment planning. Multiple
      slice, multiple-phase, cine-MRI images were acquired in the axial plane for 4D
      MRI reconstruction. Single-slice 2D cine-MR images were acquired across the
      center of the tumor in axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. For a 4D MR image
      dataset, the DVFs in three orthogonal direction (inferior-superior (SI), anterior
      posterior (AP), and medial-lateral (ML)) relative to a specific reference phase
      were calculated using an in-house DIR algorithm. The DVFs were preprocessed in
      three temporal and spatial dimensions using a polynomial fitting model, with the
      goal of correcting the potential registration errors introduced by three
      dimensional DIR. Then PCA was used to decompose each fitted DVF into a linear
      combination of three principal motion bases whose spanned subspaces combined with
      their projections had been validated to be sufficient to represent the regular
      respiratory motion. By wrapping the reference MR image using the remodeled DVFs,
      'synthetic' MR images with reduced motion artifacts were generated at selected
      phase. Tumor motion trajectories derived from cine-MRI, 4D CT, original 4D MRI,
      and 'synthetic' 4D MRI were analyzed in the SI, AP, and ML directions,
      respectively. Their correlation coefficient (CC) and difference (D) in motion
      amplitude were calculated for comparison. Of all the patients, the means and
      standard deviations (SDs) of CC comparing 'synthetic' 4D MRI and cine-MRI were
      0.98 +/- 0.01, 0.98 +/- 0.01, and 0.99 +/- 0.01 in SI, AP, and ML directions,
      respectively. The mean +/- SD Ds were 0.59 +/- 0.09 mm, 0.29+/- 0.10 mm, and 0.15
      +/- 0.05 mm in SI, AP and ML directions, respectively. The means and SDs of CC
      comparing 'synthetic' 4D MRI and 4D CT were 0.96 +/- 0.01, 0.95+/- 0.01, and 0.95
      +/- 0.01 in SI, AP, and ML directions, respectively. The mean +/- SD Ds were 0.76
      +/- 0.20 mm, 0.33 +/- 0.14 mm, and 0.19+/- 0.07 mm in SI, AP, and ML directions,
      respectively. The means and SDs of CC comparing 'synthetic' 4D MRI and original
      4D MRI were 0.98 +/- 0.01, 0.98+/- 0.01, and 0.97+/- 0.01 in SI, AP, and ML
      directions, respectively. The mean +/- SD Ds were 0.58 +/- 0.10 mm, 0.30 +/-
      0.09mm, and 0.17 +/- 0.04 mm in SI, AP, and ML directions, respectively. In this
      study we have proposed an approach employing PCA combined with a linear
      polynomial fitting model to capture the regular respiratory motion from a 4D MR
      image dataset. And its potential usefulness in reducing motion artifacts and
      improving image quality has been demonstrated by the preliminary results in
      oncological patients.

PMID- 26103186
TI  - Commissioning a 50-100 kV X-ray unit for skin cancer treatment.
AB  - This study provides the authors' experience along with dosimetric data from the
      commissioning of two Sensus SRT-100 50-100 kV X-ray units. Data collected during
      the commissioning process included: a) HVL, b) output (dose rate), c) applicator
      cone factors, and d) percentage depth dose. A Farmer-type chamber (PTW-N23333),
      and a thin-window parallel plate ion chamber (PTW-N23342) were used for dose rate
      measurements and dose profiles were measured with EBT3 GafChromic film. The
      average HVL values for 50, 70, and 100 kV of the two treatment units were found
      to be 0.52, 1.15, and 2.20 mm Al, respectively. The HVL's were 5%-9% lower when
      measured with the Farmer chamber, as compared to measurements with the parallel
      plate chamber, for energies of 70 and 100 kV. Dose rates were also measured to be
      3%-4% lower with the Farmer chamber. The dose rate variation between the two
      units was found to be 2%-9% for 50, 70, and 100 kV. The dose uniformity over a
      circle of 2 cm diameter was within 4% in four cardinal directions; however, the
      dose profiles for the 5 cm applicator were nonuniform, especially in the cathode
      anode direction. Measurements indicated as much as 15% lower dose for the 50 kV
      beam at field edge on the anode side, when normalized to the center. The
      crossline profile was relatively more symmetric, with a maximum deviation of 10%
      at the field edge. All ion chamber readings agreed with film measurements within
      3%. The nonuniform profile produced by these units may introduce uncertainty in
      dose rate measurements, especially for larger applicators. Since there is no
      intrinsic tool (crosshair or field light) for alignment with the beam axis, the
      user should take care when positioning the chamber for output measurements. The
      data obtained with a Farmer-type chamber should be used cautiously and as a
      reference only for the SRT-100 X-ray treatment unit. 

PMID- 26103187
TI  - Quantifying isocenter measurements to establish clinically meaningful thresholds.
AB  - A dataset range of isocenter congruency verification tests have been examined
      from a statistical perspective for the purpose of establishing tolerance levels
      that are meaningful, based on the fundamental limitation of linear accelerator
      isocentricity and the demands of a high-precision stereotactic radiosurgery
      program. Using a laser-defined isocenter, a total of 149 individual isocenter
      congruency tests were examined with recorded values for ideal spatial corrections
      to the isocenter test tool. These spatial corrections were determined from
      radiation exposures recorded on an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) at
      various gantry, collimator, and treatment couch combinations. The limitations of
      establishing an ideal isocenter were quantified from each variable which
      contributed to uncertainty in isocenter definition. Individual contributors to
      uncertainty, specifically, daily positioning setup errors, gantry sag, multileaf
      collimator (MLC) offset, and couch walkout, were isolated from isocenter
      congruency measurements to determine a clinically meaningful isocenter
      measurement. Variations in positioning of the test tool constituted, on average,
      0.38 mm magnitude of correction. Gantry sag and MLC offset contributed 0.4 and
      0.16 mm, respectively. Couch walkout had an average degrading effect to isocenter
      of 0.72 mm. Considering the magnitude of uncertainty contributed by each
      uncertainty variable and the nature of their combination, an appropriate schedule
      action and immediate action level were determined for use in analyzing daily
      isocenter congruency test results in a stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) program.
      The recommendations of this study for this linear accelerator include a schedule
      action level of 1.25 mm and an immediate action level of 1.50mm, requiring prompt
      correction response from clinical medical physicists before SRS or stereotactic
      body radiosurgery (SBRT) is administered. These absolute values were derived from
      considering relative data from a specific linear accelerator and, therefore,
      represent a means by which a numerical quantity can be used as a test threshold
      with relative specificity to a particular linear accelerator. 

PMID- 26103188
TI  - MLC positional accuracy evaluation through the Picket Fence test on EBT2 films
      and a 3D volumetric phantom.
AB  - The accuracy of MLC positions during radiotherapy is important as even small
      positional deviations can translate into considerable dose delivery errors. This
      becomes crucial when radiosensitive organs are located near the treated volume
      and especially during IMRT, where dose gradients are steep. A test commonly
      conducted to measure the positional accuracy of the MLCs is the Picket Fence
      test. In this study two alterations of the Picket Fence test were performed and
      evaluated, the first one using radiochromic EBT2 films and the second one the
      Delta4PT diode array phantom and its software. Our results showed that EBT2 films
      provide a relatively fast, qualitative visual inspection of the significant leaf
      dispositions. When slight inaccuracies need to be revealed or precise numerical
      results for each leaf position are needed, Delta4PT provides the desired accuracy
      of 1 mm. In treatment modalities where a higher accuracy is required in the
      delivered dose distribution, such as in IMRT, precise numerical values of the
      measurements for the MLC positional inspection are required. 

PMID- 26103189
TI  - Dosimetric validation and clinical implementation of two 3D dose verification
      systems for quality assurance in volumetric-modulated arc therapy techniques.
AB  - A pretreatment quality assurance program for volumetric techniques should include
      redundant calculations and measurement-based verifications. The patient-specific
      quality assurance process must be based in clinically relevant metrics. The aim
      of this study was to show the commission, clinical implementation, and comparison
      of two systems that allow performing a 3D redundant dose calculation. In
      addition, one of them is capable of reconstructing the dose on patient anatomy
      from measurements taken with a 2D ion chamber array. Both systems were compared
      in terms of reference calibration data (absolute dose, output factors, percentage
      depth-dose curves, and profiles). Results were in good agreement for absolute
      dose values (discrepancies were below 0.5%) and output factors (mean differences
      were below 1%). Maximum mean discrepancies were located between 10 and 20 cm of
      depth for PDDs (-2.7%) and in the penumbra region for profiles (mean DTA of 1.5
      mm). Validation of the systems was performed by comparing point-dose measurements
      with values obtained by the two systems for static, dynamic fields from AAPM TG
      119 report, and 12 real VMAT plans for different anatomical sites (differences
      better than 1.2%). Comparisons between measurements taken with a 2D ion chamber
      array and results obtained by both systems for real VMAT plans were also
      performed (mean global gamma passing rates better than 87.0% and 97.9% for the
      2%/2 mm and 3%/3 mm criteria). Clinical implementation of the systems was
      evaluated by comparing dose-volume parameters for all TG-119 tests and real VMAT
      plans with TPS values (mean differences were below 1%). In addition, comparisons
      between dose distributions calculated by TPS and those extracted by the two
      systems for real VMAT plans were also performed (mean global gamma passing rates
      better than 86.0% and 93.0% for the 2%/2 mm and 3%/ 3 mm criteria). The clinical
      use of both systems was successfully evaluated. 

PMID- 26103190
TI  - Initial clinical experience with a radiation oncology dedicated open 1.0T MR
      simulation.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to describe our experience with 1.0T MR-SIM
      including characterization, quality assurance (QA) program, and features
      necessary for treatment planning. Staffing, safety, and patient screening
      procedures were developed. Utilization of an external laser positioning system
      (ELPS) and MR-compatible couchtop were illustrated. Spatial and volumetric
      analyses were conducted between CT-SIM and MR-SIM using a stereotactic QA phantom
      with known landmarks and volumes. Magnetic field inhomogeneity was determined
      using phase difference analysis. System-related, in-plane distortion was
      evaluated and temporal changes were assessed. 3D distortion was characterized for
      regions of interest (ROIs) 5-20 cm away from isocenter. American College of
      Radiology (ACR) recommended tests and impact of ELPS on image quality were
      analyzed. Combined ultrashort echotime Dixon (UTE/Dixon) sequence was evaluated.
      Amplitude-triggered 4D MRI was implemented using a motion phantom (2-10 phases, ~
      2 cm excursion, 3-5 s periods) and a liver cancer patient. Duty cycle,
      acquisition time, and excursion were evaluated between maximum intensity
      projection (MIP) datasets. Less than 2% difference from expected was obtained
      between CT-SIM and MR-SIM volumes, with a mean distance of < 0.2 mm between
      landmarks. Magnetic field inhomogeneity was < 2 ppm. 2D distortion was < 2 mm
      over 28.6-33.6 mm of isocenter. Within 5 cm radius of isocenter, mean 3D
      geometric distortion was 0.59 +/- 0.32 mm (maximum = 1.65 mm) and increased 10-15
      cm from isocenter (mean = 1.57 +/- 1.06 mm, maximum = 6.26 mm). ELPS interference
      was within the operating frequency of the scanner and was characterized by line
      patterns and a reduction in signal-to-noise ratio (4.6-12.6% for TE = 50-150 ms).
      Image quality checks were within ACR recommendations. UTE/Dixon sequences yielded
      detectability between bone and air. For 4D MRI, faster breathing periods had
      higher duty cycles than slow (50.4% (3 s) and 39.4% (5 s), p < 0.001) and
      ~fourfold acquisition time increase was measured for ten-phase versus two-phase.
      Superior-inferior object extent was underestimated 8% (6 mm) for two-phase as
      compared to ten-phase MIPs, although < 2% difference was obtained for >= 4
      phases. 4D MRI for a patient demonstrated acceptable image quality in ~ 7 min. MR
      SIM was integrated into our workflow and QA procedures were developed. Clinical
      applicability was demonstrated for 4D MRI and UTE imaging to support MR-SIM for
      single modality treatment planning. 

PMID- 26103192
TI  - Evaluation of image lag in a flat-panel, detector-equipped cardiovascular X-ray
      machine using a newly developed dynamic phantom.
AB  - We developed a dynamic phantom for use in routine checks. This phantom can be
      used to physically evaluate image lag that occurs in dynamic images. It has a
      unique measurement method. ROIs on the target are chosen, and, with the position
      of ROIs fixed on the image, changes in pixel value are detected physically when
      the target passes through the ROIs over time and perceived as image lag. Thus, it
      was possible to physically detect different intensities of image lag lasting less
      than one second while maintaining the same intensity trends. The checking
      technique we propose with the dynamic phantom that we developed could be
      effective for routine checking of fluoroscopy X-ray machines, and could become an
      established method. 

PMID- 26103191
TI  - Quantitative comparison of automatic and manual IMRT optimization for prostate
      cancer: the benefits of DVH prediction.
AB  - A recent publication indicated that the patient anatomical feature (PAF) model
      was capable of predicting optimal objectives based on past experience. In this
      study, the benefits of IMRT optimization using PAF-predicted objectives as
      guidance for prostate were evaluated. Three different optimization methods were
      compared.1) Expert Plan: Ten prostate cases (16 plans) were planned by an expert
      planner using conventional trial-and-error approach started with institutional
      modified OAR and PTV constraints. Optimization was stopped at 150 iterations and
      that plan was saved as Expert Plan. 2) Clinical Plan: The planner would keep
      working on the Expert Plan till he was satisfied with the dosimetric quality and
      the final plan was referred to as Clinical Plan. 3) PAF Plan: A third sets of
      plans for the same ten patients were generated fully automatically using
      predicted DVHs as guidance. The optimization was based on PAF-based predicted
      objectives, and was continued to 150 iterations without human interaction. DMAX
      and D98% for PTV, DMAX for femoral heads, DMAX, D10cc, D25%/D17%, and D40% for
      bladder/rectum were compared. Clinical Plans are further optimized with more
      iterations and adjustments, but in general provided limited dosimetric benefits
      over Expert Plans. PTV D98% agreed within 2.31% among Expert, Clinical, and PAF
      plans. Between Clinical and PAF Plans, differences for DMAX of PTV, bladder, and
      rectum were within 2.65%, 2.46%, and 2.20%, respectively. Bladder D10cc was
      higher for PAF but < 1.54% in general. Bladder D25% and D40% were lower for PAF,
      by up to 7.71% and 6.81%, respectively. Rectum D10cc, D17%, and D40% were 2.11%,
      2.72%, and 0.27% lower for PAF, respectively. DMAX for femoral heads were
      comparable (< 35 Gy on average). Compared to Clinical Plan (Primary + Boost), the
      average optimization time for PAF plan was reduced by 5.2 min on average, with a
      maximum reduction of 7.1min. Total numbers of MUs per plan for PAF Plans were
      lower than Clinical Plans, indicating better delivery efficiency. The PAF-guided
      planning process is capable of generating clinical-quality prostate IMRT plans
      with no human intervention. Compared to manual optimization, this automatic
      optimization increases planning and delivery efficiency, while maintainingplan
      quality. 

PMID- 26103193
TI  - Clinical experience using a video-guided spirometry system for deep inhalation
      breath-hold radiotherapy of left-sided breast cancer.
AB  - The purpose was to report clinical experience of a video-guided spirometry system
      in applying deep inhalation breath-hold (DIBH) radiotherapy for left-sided breast
      cancer, and to study the systematic and random uncertainties, intra- and
      interfraction motion and impact on cardiac dose associated with DIBH. The data
      from 28 left-sided breast cancer patients treated with spirometer-guided DIBH
      radiation were studied. Dosimetric comparisons between free-breathing (FB) and
      DIBH plans were performed. The distance between the heart and chest wall measured
      on the digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRR) and MV portal images, dDRR(DIBH)
      and dport(DIBH), respectively, was compared as a measure of DIBH setup
      uncertainty. The difference (Deltad) between dDRR(DIBH) and dport(DIBH) was
      defined as the systematic uncertainty. The standard deviation of Deltad for each
      patient was defined as the random uncertainty. MV cine images during radiation
      were acquired. Affine registrations of the cine images acquired during one
      fraction and multiple fractions were performed to study the intra- and
      interfraction motion of the chest wall. The median chest wall motion was used as
      the metric for intra- and interfraction analysis. Breast motions in superior
      inferior (SI) direction and "AP" (defined on the DRR or MV portal image as the
      direction perpendicular to the SI direction) are reported. Systematic and random
      uncertainties of 3.8 mm and 2mm, respectively, were found for this spirometer
      guided DIBH treatment. MV cine analysis showed that intrafraction chest wall
      motions during DIBH were 0.3mm in "AP" and 0.6 mm in SI. The interfraction chest
      wall motions were 3.6 mm in "AP" and 3.4 mm in SI. Utilization of DIBH with this
      spirometry system led to a statistically significant reduction of cardiac dose
      relative to FB treatment. The DIBH using video-guided spirometry provided
      reproducible cardiac sparing with minimal intra- and interfraction chest wall
      motion, and thus is a valuable adjunct to modern breast treatment techniques. 

PMID- 26103194
TI  - Evaluation of a single-scan protocol for radiochromic film dosimetry.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate a single-scan protocol using Gafchromic
      EBT3 film (EBT3) by comparing it with the commonly used 24-hr measurement
      protocol for radiochromic film dosimetry. Radiochromic film is generally scanned
      24 hr after film exposure (24-hr protocol). The single-scan protocol enables
      measurement results within a short time using only the verification film, one
      calibration film, and unirradiated film. The single-scan protocol was scanned 30
      min after film irradiation. The EBT3 calibration curves were obtained with the
      multichannel film dosimetry method. The dose verifications for each protocol were
      performed with the step pattern, pyramid pattern, and clinical treatment plans
      for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The absolute dose distributions
      for each protocol were compared with those calculated by the treatment planning
      system (TPS) using gamma evaluation at 3% and 3 mm. The dose distribution for the
      single-scan protocol was within 2% of the 24-hr protocol dose distribution. For
      the step pattern, the absolute dose discrepancies between the TPS for the single
      scan and 24-hr protocols were 2.0 +/- 1.8 cGy and 1.4 +/- 1.2 cGy at the dose
      plateau, respectively. The pass rates were 96.0% for the single-scan protocol and
      95.9% for the 24-hr protocol. Similarly, the dose discrepancies for the pyramid
      pattern were 3.6 +/- 3.5cGy and 2.9 +/- 3.3 cGy, respectively, while the pass
      rates for the pyramid pattern were 95.3% and 96.4%, respectively. The average
      pass rates for the four IMRT plans were 96.7% +/- 1.8% for the single-scan
      protocol and 97.3% +/- 1.4% for the 24-hr protocol. Thus, the single-scan
      protocol measurement is useful for dose verification of IMRT, based on its
      accuracy and efficiency. 

PMID- 26103195
TI  - Optimization of a general-purpose, actively scanned proton beamline for ocular
      treatments: Geant4 simulations.
AB  - The Italian National Center for Hadrontherapy (CNAO, Centro Nazionale di
      Adroterapia Oncologica), a synchrotron-based hospital facility, started the
      treatment of patients within selected clinical trials in late 2011 and 2012 with
      actively scanned proton and carbon ion beams, respectively. The activation of a
      new clinical protocol for the irradiation of uveal melanoma using the existing
      general-purpose proton beamline is foreseen for late 2014. Beam characteristics
      and patient treatment setup need to be tuned to meet the specific requirements
      for such a type of treatment technique. The aim of this study is to optimize the
      CNAO transport beamline by adding passive components and minimizing air gap to
      achieve the optimal conditions for ocular tumor irradiation. The CNAO setup with
      the active and passive components along the transport beamline, as well as a
      human eye-modeled detector also including a realistic target volume, were
      simulated using the Monte Carlo Geant4 toolkit. The strong reduction of the air
      gap between the nozzle and patient skin, as well as the insertion of a range
      shifter plus a patient-specific brass collimator at a short distance from the
      eye, were found to be effective tools to be implemented. In perspective, this
      simulation toolkit could also be used as a benchmark for future developments and
      testing purposes on commercial treatment planning systems. 

PMID- 26103196
TI  - Percent depth-dose distribution discrepancies from very small volume ion
      chambers.
AB  - As very small ion chambers become commercially available, medical physicists may
      be inclined to use them during the linear accelerator commissioning process to
      better characterize the beam in steep dose gradient areas. For this work, a total
      of eight different ion chambers (volumes from 0.007 cc to 0.6 cc) and four
      different scanning systems were used to scan PDDs at both +300V and -300V biases.
      We observed a reproducible, significant difference (overresponse with depth) in
      PDDs acquired when using very small ion chambers, with specific bias/water tank
      combinations - up to 5% at a depth of 25 cm in water. This difference was not
      observed when the PDDs were sampled using the ion chamber in static positions in
      conjunction with an external electrometer. This suggests noise/signal
      interference produced by the controller box and cable system assemblies, which
      can become relatively significant for the very small current signals collected by
      very small ion chambers, especially at depth as the signal level is even further
      reduced. Based on the results observed here, the use of very small active volume
      chambers under specific scanning conditions may lead to collection of erroneous
      data, introducing systematic errors into the treatment planning system. In case
      the use of such a chamber is required, we recommend determining whether such
      erroneous effect exists by comparing the scans with those obtained with a larger
      chamber. 

PMID- 26103197
TI  - Efficacy and workload analysis of a fixed vertical couch position technique and a
      fixed-action-level protocol in whole-breast radiotherapy.
AB  - Quantification of the setup errors is vital to define appropriate setup margins
      preventing geographical misses. The no-action-level (NAL) correction protocol
      reduces the systematic setup errors and, hence, the setup margins. The manual
      entry of the setup corrections in the record-and-verify software, however,
      increases the susceptibility of the NAL protocol to human errors. Moreover, the
      impact of the skin mobility on the anteroposterior patient setup reproducibility
      in whole-breast radiotherapy (WBRT) is unknown. In this study, we therefore
      investigated the potential of fixed vertical couch position-based patient setup
      in WBRT. The possibility to introduce a threshold for correction of the
      systematic setup errors was also explored. We measured the anteroposterior,
      mediolateral, and superior-inferior setup errors during fractions 1-12 and weekly
      thereafter with tangential angled single modality paired imaging. These setup
      data were used to simulate the residual setup errors of the NAL protocol, the
      fixed vertical couch position protocol, and the fixed-action-level protocol with
      different correction thresholds. Population statistics of the setup errors of 20
      breast cancer patients and 20 breast cancer patients with additional regional
      lymph node (LN) irradiation were calculated to determine the setup margins of
      each off-line correction protocol. Our data showed the potential of the fixed
      vertical couch position protocol to restrict the systematic and random
      anteroposterior residual setup errors to 1.8 mm and 2.2 mm, respectively.
      Compared to the NAL protocol, a correction threshold of 2.5mm reduced the
      frequency of mediolateral and superior-inferior setup corrections with 40% and
      63%, respectively. The implementation of the correction threshold did not
      deteriorate the accuracy of the off-line setup correction compared to the NAL
      protocol. The combination of the fixed vertical couch position protocol, for
      correction of the anteroposterior setup error, and the fixed-action-level
      protocol with 2.5 mm correction threshold, for correction of the mediolateral and
      the superior-inferior setup errors, was proved to provide adequate and comparable
      patient setup accuracy in WBRT and WBRT with additional LN irradiation. 

PMID- 26103198
TI  - TBI lung dose comparisons using bilateral and anteroposterior delivery techniques
      and tissue density corrections.
AB  - This study compares lung dose distributions for two common techniques of total
      body photon irradiation (TBI) at extended source-to-surface distance calculated
      with, and without, tissue density correction (TDC). Lung dose correction factors
      as a function of lateral thorax separation are approximated for bilateral opposed
      TBI (supine), similar to those published for anteroposterior-posteroanterior (AP
      PA) techniques in AAPM Report 17 (i.e., Task Group 29). 3D treatment plans were
      created retrospectively for 24 patients treated with bilateral TBI, and for whom
      CT data had been acquired from the head to the lower leg. These plans included
      bilateral opposed and AP-PA techniques- each with and without - TDC, using source
      to-axis distance of 377 cm and largest possible field size. On average, bilateral
      TBI requires 40% more monitor units than AP-PA TBI due to increased separation
      (26% more for 23 MV). Calculation of midline thorax dose without TDC leads to
      dose underestimation of 17% on average (standard deviation, 4%) for bilateral 6
      MV TBI, and 11% on average (standard deviation, 3%) for 23 MV. Lung dose
      correction factors (CF) are calculated as the ratio of midlung dose (with TDC) to
      midline thorax dose (without TDC). Bilateral CF generally increases with patient
      separation, though with high variability due to individual uniqueness of anatomy.
      Bilateral CF are 5% (standard deviation, 4%) higher than the same corrections
      calculated for AP-PA TBI in the 6 MV case, and 4% higher (standard deviation, 2%)
      for 23 MV. The maximum lung dose is much higher with bilateral TBI (up to 40%
      higher than prescribed, depending on patient anatomy) due to the absence of arm
      tissue blocking the anterior chest. Dose calculations for bilateral TBI without
      TDC are incorrect by up to 24% in the thorax for 6 MV and up to 16% for 23 MV.
      Bilateral lung CF may be calculated as 1.05 times the values published in Table 6
      of AAPM Report 17, though a larger patient pool is necessary to better quantify
      this trend. Bolus or customized shielding will reduce lung maximum dose in the
      anterior thorax. 

PMID- 26103199
TI  - Measurement-guided volumetric dose reconstruction for helical tomotherapy.
AB  - It was previously demonstrated that dose delivered by a conventional linear
      accelerator using IMRT or VMAT can be reconstructed - on patient or phantom
      datasets - using helical diode array measurements and a technique called planned
      dose perturbation (PDP). This allows meaningful and intuitive analysis of the
      agreement between the planned and delivered dose, including direct comparison of
      the dose-volume histograms. While conceptually similar to modulated arc
      techniques, helical tomotherapy introduces significant challenges to the PDP
      formalism, arising primarily from TomoTherapy delivery dynamics. The temporal
      characteristics of the delivery are of the same order or shorter than the
      dosimeter's update interval (50 ms). Additionally, the prevalence of often small
      and complex segments, particularly with the 1 cm Y jaw setting, lead to
      challenges related to detector spacing. Here, we present and test a novel method
      of tomotherapy-PDP (TPDP) designed to meet these challenges. One of the novel
      techniques introduced for TPDP is organization of the subbeams into larger
      subunits called sectors, which assures more robust synchronization of the
      measurement and delivery dynamics. Another important change is the optional
      application of a correction based on ion chamber (IC) measurements in the
      phantom. The TPDP method was validated by direct comparisons to the IC and an
      independent, biplanar diode array dosimeter previously evaluated for tomotherapy
      delivery quality assurance. Nineteen plans with varying complexity were analyzed
      for the 2.5 cm tomotherapy jaw setting and 18 for the 1 cm opening. The dose
      differences between the TPDP and IC were 1.0% +/- 1.1% and 1.1% +/- 1.1%, for 2.5
      and 1.0 cm jaw plans, respectively. Gamma analysis agreement rates between TPDP
      and the independent array were: 99.1%+/- 1.8% (using 3% global normalization/3 mm
      criteria) and 93.4% +/- 7.1% (using 2% global/2 mm) for the 2.5 cm jaw plans; for
      1 cm plans, they were 95.2% +/- 6.7% (3% G/3) and 83.8% +/- 12% (2% G/2). We
      conclude that TPDP is capable of volumetric dose reconstruction with acceptable
      accuracy. However, the challenges of fast tomotherapy delivery dynamics make TPDP
      less precise than the IMRT/VMAT PDP version, particularly for the 1 cm jaw
      setting. 

PMID- 26103200
TI  - Effect of ROI filtering in 3D cone-beam rotational angiography on organ dose and
      effective dose in cerebral investigations.
AB  - The assessment of intracranial aneurysms is increasingly performed using three
      dimensional cone-beam rotational angiography (3D CBRA). To reduce the dose to the
      patient during 3D CBRA procedures, filtered region-of-interest imaging (FROI) is
      presented in literature to be an effective technique as the dose in regions of
      low interest is reduced, while high image quality is preserved in the ROI. The
      purpose of this study was to quantify the benefit of FROI imaging during a
      typical 3D CBRA procedure in a patient's head region. A cone-beam rotational
      angiography unit (Infinix) was modeled in GMctdospp, an EGSnrc-based Monte Carlo
      software, which calculates patient dose distributions in rotational computed
      tomography. Kodak Lanex, a gadolinium compound, was chosen to be the ROI filter
      material. The adult female ICRP reference phantom was integrated in GMctdospp to
      calculate organ and effective doses in simulations of FROI-CBRA examinations.
      During the Monte Carlo simulations, different parameters as the ROI filter
      thickness, the ROI opening size, the tube voltage, and the isocenter position
      were varied. The results showed that the reduction in dose clearly depends on
      these parameters. Comparing the reduction in organ dose in standard 3D CBRA and
      FROI-CBRA, a maximum reduction of about 60%-80% could be achieved with a small
      sized ROI filter and about 40%-70% of the dose could be saved using a ROI filter
      with a large opening. Further we could show that dose reduction strongly depends
      on filter thickness, the location of the organ in the radiated area, and the
      position of the isocenter. As a consequence, dose reduction partially differs
      from theoretically calculated values by a factor up to 1.6. The effective dose
      could be reduced to a minimum of about 40%. Due to the fact that standard 3D CBRA
      is only used for the assessment of aneurysms at present and, thus, most of the
      patient dose originates from the aneurysm treatment (with 2D techniques) itself,
      the dose reduction effect of ROI filtering in 3D CBRA tends to be much smaller,
      if the patient dose of a whole aneurysm treatment procedure is considered. 

PMID- 26103201
TI  - SPARSE: Seed Point Auto-Generation for Random Walks Segmentation Enhancement in
      medical inhomogeneous targets delineation of morphological MR and CT images.
AB  - In medical image processing, robust segmentation of inhomogeneous targets is a
      challenging problem. Because of the complexity and diversity in medical images,
      the commonly used semiautomatic segmentation algorithms usually fail in the
      segmentation of inhomogeneous objects. In this study, we propose a novel
      algorithm imbedded with a seed point autogeneration for random walks segmentation
      enhancement, namely SPARSE, for better segmentation of inhomogeneous objects.
      With a few user-labeled points, SPARSE is able to generate extended seed points
      by estimating the probability of each voxel with respect to the labels. The
      random walks algorithm is then applied upon the extended seed points to achieve
      improved segmentation result. SPARSE is implemented under the compute unified
      device architecture (CUDA) programming environment on graphic processing unit
      (GPU) hardware platform. Quantitative evaluations are performed using clinical
      homogeneous and inhomogeneous cases. It is found that the SPARSE can greatly
      decrease the sensitiveness to initial seed points in terms of location and
      quantity, as well as the freedom of selecting parameters in edge weighting
      function. The evaluation results of SPARSE also demonstrate substantial
      improvements in accuracy and robustness to inhomogeneous target segmentation over
      the original random walks algorithm. 

PMID- 26103202
TI  - Planning for mARC treatments with the Eclipse treatment planning system.
AB  - While modulated arc (mARC) capabilities have been available on Siemens linear
      accelerators for almost two years now, there was, until recently, only one
      treatment planning system capable of planning these treatments. The Eclipse
      treatment planning system now offers a module that can plan for mARC treatments.
      The purpose of this work was to test the module to determine whether it is
      capable of creating clinically acceptable plans. A total of 23 plans were created
      for various clinical sites and all plans delivered without anomaly. The average
      3%/3 mm gamma pass rate for the plans was 98.0%, with a standard deviation of
      1.7%. For a total of 14 plans, an equivalent static gantry IMRT plan was also
      created to compare delivery time. In all but two cases, the mARC plans delivered
      significantly faster than the static gantry plan. We have confirmed the
      successful creation of mARC plans that are deliverable with high fidelity on an
      ARTISTE linear accelerator, thus demonstrating the successful implementation of
      the Eclipse mARC module. 

PMID- 26103203
TI  - The meaning of the MS Degree in Medical Physics, Part 4.

PMID- 26103204
TI  - Dimensionality Controlled Octahedral Symmetry-Mismatch and Functionalities in
      Epitaxial LaCoO3/SrTiO3 Heterostructures.
AB  - Epitaxial strain provides a powerful approach to manipulate physical properties
      of materials through rigid compression or extension of their chemical bonds via
      lattice-mismatch. Although symmetry-mismatch can lead to new physics by
      stabilizing novel interfacial structures, challenges in obtaining atomic-level
      structural information as well as lack of a suitable approach to separate it from
      the parasitical lattice-mismatch have limited the development of this field.
      Here, we present unambiguous experimental evidence that the symmetry-mismatch can
      be strongly controlled by dimensionality and significantly impact the collective
      electronic and magnetic functionalities in ultrathin perovskite LaCoO3/SrTiO3
      heterojunctions. State-of-art diffraction and microscopy reveal that symmetry
      breaking dramatically modifies the interfacial structure of CoO6 octahedral
      building-blocks, resulting in expanded octahedron volume, reduced covalent
      screening, and stronger electron correlations. Such phenomena fundamentally alter
      the electronic and magnetic behaviors of LaCoO3 thin-films. We conclude that for
      epitaxial systems, correlation strength can be tuned by changing orbital
      hybridization, thus affecting the Coulomb repulsion, U, instead of by changing
      the band structure as the common paradigm in bulks. These results clarify the
      origin of magnetic ordering for epitaxial LaCoO3 and provide a route to
      manipulate electron correlation and magnetic functionality by orbital engineering
      at oxide heterojunctions. 

PMID- 26103205
TI  - The synthesis and evaluation of near-infrared probes with barbituric acid
      acceptors for in vivo detection of amyloid plaques.
AB  - A new array of near-infrared probes containing barbituric acid acceptors has been
      developed as Abeta imaging agents. These probes displayed long-emission
      wavelengths and large Stokes shifts, as well as high affinities for Abeta
      aggregates. In vivo and ex vivo studies demonstrated that BBTOM-3 could intensely
      label Abeta plaques in the brains of transgenic mice. 

PMID- 26103206
TI  - Exploring PtSO4 and PdSO4 phases: an evolutionary algorithm based investigation.
AB  - Metal sulfate formation is one of the major challenges to the emission
      aftertreatment catalysts. Unlike the incredibly sulfation prone nature of Pd to
      form PdSO4, no experimental evidence exists for PtSO4 formation. Given the
      mystery of nonexistence of PtSO4, we explore PtSO4 using a combined approach of
      an evolutionary algorithm based search technique and quantum mechanical
      computations. Experimentally known PdSO4 is considered for the comparison and
      validation of our results. We predict many possible low-energy phases of PtSO4
      and PdSO4 at 0 K, which are further investigated in a wide range of temperature
      pressure conditions. An entirely new low-energy (tetragonal P42/m) structure of
      PtSO4 and PdSO4 is predicted, which appears to be the most stable phase of PtSO4
      and a competing phase of the experimentally known monoclinic C2/c phase of PdSO4.
      Phase stability at a finite temperature is further examined and verified by Gibbs
      free energy calculations of sulfates towards their possible decomposition
      products. Finally, temperature-pressure phase diagrams are computationally
      established for both PtSO4 and PdSO4. 

PMID- 26103207
TI  - Good-enough linguistic representations and online cognitive equilibrium in
      language processing.
AB  - We review previous research showing that representations formed during language
      processing are sometimes just "good enough" for the task at hand and propose the
      "online cognitive equilibrium" hypothesis as the driving force behind the
      formation of good-enough representations in language processing. Based on this
      view, we assume that the language comprehension system by default prefers to
      achieve as early as possible and remain as long as possible in a state of
      cognitive equilibrium where linguistic representations are successfully
      incorporated with existing knowledge structures (i.e., schemata) so that a
      meaningful and coherent overall representation is formed, and uncertainty is
      resolved or at least minimized. We also argue that the online equilibrium
      hypothesis is consistent with current theories of language processing, which
      maintain that linguistic representations are formed through a complex interplay
      between simple heuristics and deep syntactic algorithms and also theories that
      hold that linguistic representations are often incomplete and lacking in detail.
      We also propose a model of language processing that makes use of both heuristic
      and algorithmic processing, is sensitive to online cognitive equilibrium, and, we
      argue, is capable of explaining the formation of underspecified representations.
      We review previous findings providing evidence for underspecification in relation
      to this hypothesis and the associated language processing model and argue that
      most of these findings are compatible with them. 

PMID- 26103208
TI  - Exploiting the Complementarity between Dereplication and Computer-Assisted
      Structure Elucidation for the Chemical Profiling of Natural Cosmetic Ingredients:
      Tephrosia purpurea as a Case Study.
AB  - The aqueous-ethanolic extract of Tephrosia purpurea seeds is currently exploited
      in the cosmetic industry as a natural ingredient of skin lotions. The aim of this
      study was to chemically characterize this ingredient by combining centrifugal
      partition extraction (CPE) as a fractionation tool with two complementary
      identification approaches involving dereplication and computer-assisted structure
      elucidation. Following two rapid fractionations of the crude extract (2 g), seven
      major compounds namely, caffeic acid, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, ethyl
      galactoside, ciceritol, stachyose, saccharose, and citric acid, were
      unambiguously identified within the CPE-generated simplified mixtures by a
      recently developed (13)C NMR-based dereplication method. The structures of four
      additional compounds, patuletin-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside,
      guaiacylglycerol 8-vanillic acid ether, and 2-methyl-2-glucopyranosyloxypropanoic
      acid, were automatically elucidated by using the Logic for Structure
      Determination program based on the interpretation of 2D NMR (HSQC, HMBC, and
      COSY) connectivity data. As more than 80% of the crude extract mass was
      characterized without need for tedious and labor-intensive multistep purification
      procedures, the identification tools involved in this work constitute a promising
      strategy for an efficient and time-saving chemical profiling of natural extracts.

PMID- 26103209
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of the Aspergillus-specific bronchoalveolar lavage lateral
      flow assay in haematological malignancy patients.
AB  - We evaluated the performance of the Aspergillus-specific lateral-flow device
      (LFD) test for diagnosing invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in patients with
      underlying haematological malignancies. Participating centres were the two
      Austrian University Hospitals of Graz and Innsbruck. LFD performance was
      evaluated with 95 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples from 72 patients
      collected prospectively in Graz, and with 24 BALF bio bank samples from 23
      patients (21 samples with probable IPA) in Innsbruck. Invasive fungal infections
      were classified according to the revised European Organization of Research and
      Treatment of Cancer/Mycoses Study Group criteria. Overall, 27 patients (30
      samples) had probable IPA, 32 (43 samples) possible and 36 (46 samples) did not
      fulfil IPA criteria. The vast majority of patients - in particular those with
      probable IPA - received mould-active treatment before bronchoscopy. Sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive value and negative-predictive-value for probable
      IPA diagnosis using the BALF-LFD test were 71%, 76%, 35% and 94% for the Graz
      cohort. Sensitivity of the BALF-LFD test for probable IPA was 57% in Innsbruck
      bio bank samples. Our results indicate that the BALF-LFD-test provides fast
      results with moderate sensitivities in patients with underlying haematological
      malignancies. Similar to other diagnostic tests and biomarkers sensitivity of the
      test may be influenced by ongoing systemic mould-active treatment. 

PMID- 26103211
TI  - Spectroscopic and Structural Elucidation of Uranium Dioxophenoxazine Complexes.
AB  - Uranium derivatives of a redox-active, dioxophenoxazine ligand, (DOPO(q))2UO2,
      (DOPO(sq))UI2(THF)2, (DOPO(cat))UI(THF)2, and Cp*U(DOPO(cat))(THF)2 (DOPO =
      2,4,6,8-tetra-tert-butyl-1-oxo-1H-phenoxazin-9-olate), have been synthesized from
      U(VI) and U(III) starting materials. Full characterization of these species show
      uranium complexes bearing ligands in three different oxidation states. The
      electronic structures of these complexes have been explored using (1)H NMR and
      electronic absorption spectroscopies, and where possible, X-ray crystallography
      and SQUID magnetometry. 

PMID- 26103210
TI  - Australian deceased donor kidney allocation protocols: Transplant waiting and
      graft quality for children and adolescents.
AB  - DD kidney allocation protocols may influence timing of transplantation and graft
      quality for pediatric recipients. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of
      these protocols, including pediatric priority, on waiting time on dialysis,
      transplant type, donor age, and HLA matching according to state of transplant in
      Australia. De-identified information on patients <15 yr of age who commenced RRT
      in NSW, Qld, and Victoria from 2002 to 2011 was retrieved from the ANZDATA.
      Transplant type, donor age, and HLA mismatching were compared between states,
      with competing risk regression used to examine the time to transplant. There were
      significant differences in waiting time to DD transplantation between the three
      states. Children in NSW and Qld waited a median of 14 and 11 months vs. 21 months
      in Victoria. The ratio of LD to DD transplants was lower in NSW and Qld.
      Differences correlated with DD pediatric priority in NSW and Qld. DDs in NSW were
      older than in the other states. HLA matching did not differ. DD kidney allocation
      protocols with pediatric priority in Australian states were associated with
      shorter waiting times and increased DD proportion.

PMID- 26103422
TI  - Hippocampal Cortactin Levels are Reduced Following Spatial Working Memory
      Formation, an Effect Blocked by Chronic Calpain Inhibition.
AB  - The mechanism by which the hippocampus facilitates declarative memory formation
      appears to involve, among other things, restructuring of the actin cytoskeleton
      within neuronal dendrites. One protein involved in this process is cortactin,
      which is an important link between extracellular signaling and cytoskeletal
      reorganization. In this paper, we demonstrate that total hippocampal cortactin,
      as well as Y421-phosphorylated cortactin are transiently reduced following
      spatial working memory formation in the radial arm maze (RAM). Because cortactin
      is a substrate of the cysteine protease calpain, we also assessed the effect of
      chronic calpain inhibition on RAM performance and cortactin expression. Calpain
      inhibition impaired spatial working memory and blocked the reduction in
      hippocampal cortactin levels following RAM training. These findings add to a
      growing body of research implicating cortactin and calpain in hippocampus
      dependent memory formation. 

PMID- 26103419
TI  - Evolutionary trends and functional anatomy of the human expanded autophagy
      network.
AB  - All eukaryotic cells utilize autophagy for protein and organelle turnover, thus
      assuring subcellular quality control, homeostasis, and survival. In order to
      address recent advances in identification of human autophagy associated genes,
      and to describe autophagy on a system-wide level, we established an autophagy
      centered gene interaction network by merging various primary data sets and by
      retrieving respective interaction data. The resulting network ('AXAN') was
      analyzed with respect to subnetworks, e.g. the prime gene subnetwork (including
      the core machinery, signaling pathways and autophagy receptors) and the
      transcription subnetwork. To describe aspects of evolution within this network,
      we assessed the presence of protein orthologs across 99 eukaryotic model
      organisms. We visualized evolutionary trends for prime gene categories and
      evolutionary tracks for selected AXAN genes. This analysis confirms the
      eukaryotic origin of autophagy core genes while it points to a diverse
      evolutionary history of autophagy receptors. Next, we used module identification
      to describe the functional anatomy of the network at the level of pathway
      modules. In addition to obvious pathways (e.g., lysosomal degradation, insulin
      signaling) our data unveil the existence of context-related modules such as Rho
      GTPase signaling. Last, we used a tripartite, image-based RNAi - screen to test
      candidate genes predicted to play a role in regulation of autophagy. We verified
      the Rho GTPase, CDC42, as a novel regulator of autophagy-related signaling. This
      study emphasizes the applicability of system-wide approaches to gain novel
      insights into a complex biological process and to describe the human autophagy
      pathway at a hitherto unprecedented level of detail. 

PMID- 26103423
TI  - The effect of cross-border mobility on alcohol and drug use among Mexican
      American residents living at the U.S.-Mexico border.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Little epidemiological evidence exists on alcohol or other
      substance use and related problems along the U.S.-Mexico border, although the
      border has been the focus of recent media attention related to the escalating
      drug/violence "epidemic". The purpose of this study was to analyze the
      association of variables related to crossing the border (cross-border mobility)
      with three substance use outcomes reported for the last year: 1) heavy drinking
      (5+ drinks per day for men or 4+ for women), 2) alcohol use disorder (AUD), and
      3) co-occurring heavy drinking and drug use (any use of illicit and/or non
      medically prescribed drugs). METHODS: Household surveys were conducted, using
      area probability sampling of 1565 Mexican-American residents, aged 18-65, living
      at the Texas-Mexico border in the metropolitan areas of Laredo and
      McAllen/Brownsville. RESULTS: Among those 18-29, more frequent crossing of the
      border was significantly predictive of AUD (OR = 1.61, p < 0.01) and co-occurring
      heavy drinking and drug use (OR = 1.70, p < 0.01). Staying more than one full day
      was predictive of AUD (OR = 3.07, p < 0.001) and crossing to obtain over-the
      counter or prescription drugs ("drug tourism") or for nightlife/drinking were
      predictive of heavy drinking (ORs = 4.14, p < 0.001; 3.92, p < 0.01,
      respectively), AUD (ORs = 7.56, p < 0.001; 7.68, p < 0.01, respectively) and co
      occurring heavy drinking and drug use (ORs = 8.53, p < 0.01; 4.96, p < 0.01,
      respectively). Among those 30-65, staying more than a full day and crossing for
      pharmaceutical reasons were predictive of heavy drinking (OR = 2.54, p < 0.001;
      2.61, p < 0.05, respectively) and co-occurring heavy drinking and drug use (OR =
      3.31, p < 0.001; 4.86, p < 0.01, respectively), while none of the mobility
      variables were predictive of AUD in this age group. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-border
      mobility may play an important role in substance use and problems, especially
      among those 18-29. Findings also highlight the importance of "drug tourism" in
      substance use across the age spectrum.

PMID- 26103424
TI  - Stressful life events, ethnic identity, historical trauma, and participation in
      cultural activities: Associations with smoking behaviors among American Indian
      adolescents in California.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: American Indian (AI) adolescents have the highest prevalence of
      commercial tobacco use of any ethnic group in the United States. This study
      examines ethnic identity (EI), participation in cultural activities, and
      stressful life events (SLEs) as correlates of smoking and examines historical
      trauma (HT) as a mediator of these associations. METHODS: California AI youth (N
      = 969, ages 13-19, recruited from 49 tribal youth organizations and cultural
      activities in urban and reservation areas in California) completed a tobacco
      survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test a model examining HT as a
      potential mediator of the associations of EI, participation in cultural
      activities, and SLEs with cigarette smoking. RESULTS: Model fit was adequate. EI,
      participation in cultural activities, and SLEs predicted HT. HT mediated the
      associations of participation in cultural activities and SLEs with past-month
      smoking. Stronger EI predicted greater past-month smoking and this effect was
      mediated by greater HT. The direct effects from HT to both smoking outcomes were
      positive and the direct effect from EI to past-month smoking was negative.
      CONCLUSIONS: HT is a risk factor for cigarette smoking both directly and in
      mediating the links of EI, cultural activities, and SLEs. More efforts are needed
      to help AI youth to process these thoughts and empower themselves to contribute
      to their own lives and those of their families and communities without resorting
      to unhealthy addictive behaviors such as commercial tobacco use.

PMID- 26103425
TI  - The interactive effect of paternal problem drinking and maternal problem drinking
      on adolescent internalizing problems.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study examined the effects of both paternal problem drinking
      and maternal problem drinking on adolescent internalizing problems (depression
      and anxiety symptomatology). METHODS: Surveys were administered to 566 10th and
      11th grade students from the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. in the spring of
      2007 and again in the spring of 2008. RESULTS: Although significant main effects
      were not observed, significant interactions were found between paternal problem
      drinking and maternal problem drinking for internalizing problems, especially for
      boys. In general, these interactions indicated that when paternal problem
      drinking was high, depression symptomatology and anxiety symptomatology were
      lower if maternal problem drinking was low. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study
      highlight the need to consider both paternal and maternal problem drinking when
      examining the effects that parental problem drinking may have on adolescent
      adjustment.

PMID- 26103426
TI  - Health anxiety and the non-medical use of prescription drugs in young adults: A
      cross-sectional study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Studies have demonstrated a relation between health anxiety
      (hypochondriasis) and substance use, but this minimal body of literature has
      focused on alcohol or illicit drugs. The use of medications without a physician's
      prescription (i.e., non-medical use of prescription drugs, NMUPD) is increasingly
      prevalent among young adults. Health anxiety, a tendency to worry excessively
      about health, is a factor that could contribute to NMUPD, but this has not been
      examined. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relations among
      health anxiety, NMUPD, and other psychological variables related to substance
      use. METHODS: In the present study, young adult college students (N = 758), ages
      18-25, completed an anonymous online survey assessing demographics, health
      anxiety, NMUPD, and other psychological characteristics, including depression and
      general anxiety. RESULTS: Participants who reported NMUPD had higher scores in
      health anxiety, as well as more frequent healthcare appointments, and were more
      likely to report having a chronic health condition. Given that multiple factors
      influence a decision to engage in NMUPD, a multivariable logistic regression
      analysis was performed. Results suggested that hopelessness, sensation-seeking,
      and health anxiety were risk factors for NMUPD, and that health anxiety predicted
      NMUPD over and above these other variables. CONCLUSIONS: Medical professionals
      and mental health service providers should be aware of the increased risk of
      NMUPD for patients with health anxiety. Future research on NMUPD should more
      closely examine the role of health anxiety.

PMID- 26103427
TI  - Carbon dioxide generated from carbonates and acids for sampling blood-feeding
      arthropods.
AB  - Carbon dioxide (CO2) is utilized to attract mosquitoes and other blood-feeding
      arthropods to traps around the world. Commercial forms of CO2 (e.g., dry ice and
      compressed gas) are often unavailable or extremely expensive in developing
      nations, where vector surveillance is essential to make life-saving decisions. We
      developed and tested inexpensive and reproducible methods of CO2 production from
      the combination of acids and carbonates, ranging from very basic (crushed
      seashells and vinegar) to relatively elaborate (a device that controls the timing
      of the acid-carbonate reaction and extends the reaction over several hours). When
      utilized with mosquito traps in Florida, USA and black fly traps in Region des
      Cascades, Burkina Faso, these carbonate-acid CO2 sources attracted significantly
      greater numbers of both vector groups, than did unbaited traps. CO2 was generated
      for more than four hours at levels sufficient to attract vectors over the entire
      period. The utility of this simple methodology in developing nations should be
      further evaluated. 

PMID- 26103428
TI  - A roadmap to success in photopharmacology.
AB  - Light is a fascinating phenomenon that ties together physics, chemistry, and
      biology. It is unmatched in its ability to confer information with temporal and
      spatial precision and has been used to map objects on the scale of tens of
      nanometers (10(-8) m) to light years (10(16) m). This information, gathered
      through super-resolution microscopes or space-based telescopes, is ultimately
      funneled through the human visual system, which is a miracle in itself. It allows
      us to see the Andromeda galaxy at night, an object that is 2.5 million light
      years away and very dim, and ski the next day in bright sunlight at an intensity
      that is 12 orders of magnitude higher. Human vision is only one of many
      photoreceptive systems that have evolved on earth and are found in all kingdoms
      of life. These systems rely on molecular photoswitches, such as retinal or
      tetrapyrrols, which undergo transient bond isomerizations or bond formations upon
      irradiation. The set of chromophores that have been employed in Nature for this
      purpose is surprisingly small. Nevertheless, they control a wide variety of
      biological functions, which have recently been significantly increased through
      the rapid development of optogenetics. Optogenetics originated as an effort to
      control neural function with genetically encoded photoreceptors that use abundant
      chromophores, in particular retinal. It now covers a variety of cellular
      functions other than excitability and has revolutionized the control of
      biological pathways in neuroscience and beyond. Chemistry has provided a large
      repertoire of synthetic photoswitches with highly tunable properties. Like their
      natural counterparts, these chromophores can be attached to proteins to
      effectively put them under optical control. This approach has enabled a new type
      of synthetic photobiology that has gone under various names to distinguish it
      from optogenetics. We now call it photopharmacology. Here we trace our
      involvement in this field, starting with the first light-sensitive potassium
      channel (SPARK) and concluding with our most recent work on photoswitchable fatty
      acids. Instead of simply providing a historical account of our efforts, we
      discuss the design criteria that guided our choice of molecules and receptors. As
      such, we hope to provide a roadmap to success in photopharmacology and make a
      case as to why synthetic photoswitches, properly designed and made available
      through well-planned and efficient syntheses, should have a bright future in
      biology and medicine. 

PMID- 26103429
TI  - Quantitative Correlation of in Vivo Properties with in Vitro Assay Results: The
      in Vitro Binding of a Biotin-DNA Analogue Modifier with Streptavidin Predicts the
      in Vivo Avidin-Induced Clearability of the Analogue-Modified Antibody.
AB  - Quantitative prediction of in vivo behavior using an in vitro assay would
      dramatically accelerate pharmaceutical development. However, studies
      quantitatively correlating in vivo properties with in vitro assay results are
      rare because of the difficulty in quantitatively understanding the in vivo
      behavior of an agent. We now demonstrate such a correlation as a case study based
      on our quantitative understanding of the in vivo chemistry. In an ongoing
      pretargeting project, we designed a trifunctional antibody (Ab) that
      concomitantly carried a biotin and a DNA analogue (hereafter termed MORF). The
      biotin and the MORF were fused into one structure prior to conjugation to the Ab
      for the concomitant attachment. Because it was known that avidin-bound Ab
      molecules leave the circulation rapidly, this design would theoretically allow
      complete clearance by avidin. The clearability of the trifunctional Ab was
      determined by calculating the blood MORF concentration ratio of avidin-treated Ab
      to non-avidin-treated Ab using mice injected with these compounds. In theory, any
      compromised clearability should be due to the presence of impurities. In vitro,
      we measured the biotinylated percentage of the Ab-reacting (MORF-biotin)?-NH2
      modifier, by addition of streptavidin to the radiolabeled (MORF-biotin)?-NH2
      samples and subsequent high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. On
      the basis of our previous quantitative understanding, we predicted that the
      clearability of the Ab would be equal to the biotinylation percentage measured
      via HPLC. We validated this prediction within a 3% difference. In addition to the
      high avidin-induced clearability of the trifunctional Ab (up to ~95%) achieved by
      the design, we were able to predict the required quality of the (MORF-biotin)?
      NH2 modifier for any given in vivo clearability. This approach may greatly reduce
      the steps and time currently required in pharmaceutical development in the
      process of synthesis, chemical analysis, in vitro cell study, and in vivo
      validation. 

PMID- 26103430
TI  - An eosin Y-based "turn-on" fluorescent sensor for detection of perfluorooctane
      sulfonate.
AB  - In this paper, a novel sensing method with a higher sensitivity of
      perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) than perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been
      proposed detection of PFOS in aqueous solution replying on the "off-on" switch of
      eosin Y/polyethyleneimine (PEI)/PFOS fluorescence system due to the higher
      affinity of PEI to PFOS than eosin Y. In pH 7.0 Britton-Robinson buffer solution,
      eosin Y reacts with protonated PEI to form complex by electrostatic attraction,
      which leads to a strong fluorescence quenching of the eosin Y. When PFOS
      presents, the fluorescence of eosin Y is recover due to the electrostatic and
      hydrophobic interactions between PFOS and PEI. The recovered fluorescence
      intensity is proportional to the concentration of PFOS in the ranging from 0 to
      2.0*10(-6) mol/L with the limit of detection (LOD, 3sigma) being 1.5*10(-8) mol/L
      without preconcentration. In this study, the optimum reaction conditions and the
      interferences of foreign substances were investigated. In addition, the effects
      of PFOA, the analog of PFOS, on the fluorescence recovery of the system were also
      studied. The presented approach has been successfully used to detect PFOS in real
      samples with RSD ?2.9%.

PMID- 26103431
TI  - Theoretical study of intermolecular interactions in CB4H8-HOX (X=F, Cl, Br, I)
      complexes.
AB  - The molecular aggregation based on intermolecular interactions between CB4H8 and
      HOX (X=F, Cl, Br and I) with particular emphasis on their bonding characteristics
      have been investigated using second order Moller-Plesset perturbation (MP2)
      method with aug-cc-pVDZ basis set. Different kinds of interactions including
      hydrogen bond (HB; H?O, XH; H?X), dihydrogen bond (DiHB; H?H) and non-classical B
      B?H interactions were found between CB4H8 and HOX molecules. The structures of
      complexes have been analyzed using AIM and natural bond orbital methodologies.
      Good correlations have been found between the interaction energies (SE), the
      second-order perturbation energies E((2)), and the charge transfer qCT in the
      studied systems. 

PMID- 26103432
TI  - A simple method for determination of carmine in food samples based on cloud point
      extraction and spectrophotometric detection.
AB  - In this paper, a simple and cost effective method was developed for extraction
      and pre-concentration of carmine in food samples by using cloud point extraction
      (CPE) prior to its spectrophotometric determination. Carmine was extracted from
      aqueous solution using Triton X-100 as extracting solvent. The effects of main
      parameters such as solution pH, surfactant and salt concentrations, incubation
      time and temperature were investigated and optimized. Calibration graph was
      linear in the range of 0.04-5.0 MUg mL(-1) of carmine in the initial solution
      with regression coefficient of 0.9995. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of
      quantification were 0.012 and 0.04 MUg mL(-1), respectively. Relative standard
      deviation (RSD) at low concentration level (0.05 MUg mL(-1)) of carmine was 4.8%
      (n=7). Recovery values in different concentration levels were in the range of
      93.7-105.8%. The obtained results demonstrate the proposed method can be applied
      satisfactory to determine the carmine in food samples.

PMID- 26103433
TI  - Examining palliative care program use and place of death in rural and urban
      contexts: a Canadian population-based study using linked data.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Palliative care has been both more available and more heavily
      researched in urban than in rural areas. This research studies factors associated
      with palliative care program (PCP) enrollment and place of death across the
      urban/rural continuum. Importantly, rather than simply comparing urban and rural
      areas, this article examines how the effects of demographic, geographic, and
      socioeconomic factors differ across service delivery settings within the Canadian
      province of Nova Scotia. METHODS: This study linked PCP patient enrollment files
      from three districts to Nova Scotia vital statistics death certificate data.
      Postal codes of the decedents were mapped to 2006 Canadian dissemination area
      census data. The study examined 23 860 adult residents of three district health
      authorities, who died from 2003 to 2009 with a terminal illness, organ failure,
      or frailty and who were not nursing home residents. Demographic, geographic, and
      socioeconomic predictors of PCP enrollment and place of death were investigated
      using logistic regression across the entire study area, and stratified by
      district of residence. Univariate and multivariate (adjusted) odds ratios (OR)
      and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) are reported. RESULTS: Overall, 40.3% of
      the study subjects were enrolled in a PCP, and 73.4% died in hospital. Odds of
      PCP enrollment were highest for females (OR: 1.30; 95%CI: 1.22, 1.39), persons
      aged 50-64 years (OR: 1.50; 95%CI: 1.35, 1.67), and persons with a terminal
      disease such as cancer. While in overall multivariate analysis residents of
      census metropolitan areas and agglomerations had higher odds of enrollment (OR:
      1.51; 95%CI: 1.29, 1.77), and those at greater distance from a PCP had lower odds
      (OR: 0.33; 95%CI: 0.27, 0.40), stratified analysis revealed a more nuanced
      picture. Within each district, travel time to PCP remained a significant
      predictor of enrollment but the magnitude of its effect differed markedly. There
      was no consistent relationship with urban/rural residence, social deprivation, or
      economic deprivation. Enrollment in a PCP was associated with lower adjusted odds
      of dying in hospital (OR: 0.78; 95%CI: 0.72, 0.84), and those living at greater
      distance from a PCP had higher odds of hospitalization (OR: 1.52; 95%CI: 1.28,
      1.81), but there was no consistent relationship for urban/rural residence or
      across districts. CONCLUSIONS: Geographic patterns of PCP enrollment and place of
      death differed by district, as did the impact of economic and social deprivation.
      Analysis and reporting of population-based indicators of access should be
      grounded in an understanding of the characteristics of geographic areas and local
      context of health services. Although more research is needed, these findings show
      promise that disparities in access between urban and rural settings are not
      unavoidable, and positive aspects of rural and remote communities may be
      leveraged to improve care at end of life.

PMID- 26103434
TI  - G17V RHOA: Genetic evidence of GTP-unbound RHOA playing a role in tumorigenesis
      in T cells.
AB  - RHOA is a member of RHO family small GTPases. Over the past 2 decades, numerous
      biochemical and cell biological studies on RHOA have demonstrated signalings such
      as activation of RHO-associated coiled-coil forming kinases through guanine
      nucleotide exchange and GTP hydrolysis, cellular responses such as actin fiber
      formation and myocin activation, biological consequences such as cell motility
      and cytokineses, etc. There have also been a plenty of active discussion on the
      roles of RHOA in tumorigenesis, primarily based on gain- and loss-of-function
      experiments. However, cell-type-specific functions of RHOA have only recently
      been delineated by conditional gene targeting strategies. Furthermore, very
      little information had been available on human cancer genetics until we and
      others recently reported frequent somatic RHOA mutations in a distinct subtype of
      T-cell-type malignant lymphoma called angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL),
      and other T-cell lymphoma with AITL-like features. The RHOA mutations were very
      specific to these types of lymphoma among hematologic malignancies, and a single
      hotspot, glycine at the 17th position, was affected by the replacement with
      valine (G17V). Remarkably, G17V RHOA did not bind GTP, and moreover, it inhibited
      the GTP binding to wild-type RHOA. How G17V RHOA contributes to T-cell
      lymphomagenesis needs to be clarified. 

PMID- 26103436
TI  - Mantle cell lymphoma: 2015 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification, and clinical
      management.
AB  - DISEASE OVERVIEW: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a non-Hodgkin lymphoma
      characterized by involvement of the lymph nodes, spleen, blood and bone marrow
      with a short remission duration to standard therapies and a median overall
      survival (OS) of 4-5 years. DIAGNOSIS: Diagnosis is based on lymph node, bone
      marrow, or tissue morphology of centrocytic lymphocytes, small cell type, or
      blastoid variant cells. A chromosomal translocation t (11:14) is the molecular
      hallmark of MCL, resulting in the overexpression of cyclin D1. Cyclin D1 is
      detected by immunohistochemistry in 98% of cases. The absence of SOX-11 or a low
      Ki-67 may correlate with a more indolent form of MCL. The differential diagnosis
      of MCL includes small lymphocytic lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma, and
      follicular lymphoma. RISK STRATIFICATION: The MCL International Prognostic Index
      (MIPI) is the prognostic model most often used and incorporates ECOG performance
      status, age, leukocyte count, and lactic dehydrogenase. A modification of the
      MIPI also adds the Ki-67 proliferative index if available. The median OS for the
      low-risk group was not reached (5-year OS of 60%). The median OS for the
      intermediate risk group was 51 months and 29 months for the high risk group. RISK
      ADAPTED THERAPY: For selected indolent, low MIPI MCL patients, initial
      observation may be appropriate therapy. For younger patients with intermediate or
      high risk MIPI MCL, aggressive therapy with a cytotoxic regimen +/- autologous
      stem cell transplantation should be considered. For older MCL patients with
      intermediate or high risk MIPI, combination chemotherapy with R-CHOP, R
      Bendamustine, or a clinical trial should be considered. In addition, rituximab
      maintenance therapy may prolong the progression-free survival. At the time of
      relapse, agents directed at activated pathways in MCL cells such as bortezomib
      (NFkB inhibitor), lenalidamide (anti-angiogenesis) and Ibruitinib (Bruton's
      Tyrosine Kinase [BTK] inhibitor) have demonstrated excellent clinical activity in
      MCL patients. Autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation can also be
      considered in young patients. Clinical trials with novel agents are always a
      consideration for MCL patients.

PMID- 26103437
TI  - The development of a conceptual model and self-reported measure of occupational
      health and safety vulnerability.
AB  - Injuries at work have a substantial economic and societal burden. Often groups of
      labour market participants, such as young workers, recent immigrants or temporary
      workers are labelled as being "vulnerable" to work injury. However, defining
      groups in this way does little to enable a better understanding of the broader
      factors that place workers at increased risk of injury. In this paper we describe
      the development of a new measure of occupational health and safety (OH&S)
      vulnerability. The purpose of this measure was to allow the identification of
      workers at increased risk of injury, and to enable the monitoring and
      surveillance of OH&S vulnerability in the labour market. The development included
      a systematic literature search, and conducting focus groups with a variety of
      stakeholder groups, to generate a pool of potential items, followed by a series
      of steps to reduce these items to a more manageable pool. The final measure is 29
      item instrument that captures information on four related, but distinct
      dimensions, thought to be associated with increased risk of injury. These
      dimensions are: hazard exposure; occupational health and safety policies and
      procedures; OH&S awareness; and empowerment to participate in injury prevention.
      In a large sample of employees in Ontario and British Columbia the final measure
      displayed minimal missing responses, reasonably good distributions across
      response categories, and strong factorial validity. This new measure of OH&S
      vulnerability can identify workers who are at risk of injury and provide
      information on the dimensions of work that may increase this risk. This
      measurement could be undertaken at one point in time to compare vulnerability
      across groups, or be undertaken at multiple time points to examine changes in
      dimensions of OH&S vulnerability, for example, in response to a primary
      prevention intervention. 

PMID- 26103438
TI  - Development and evaluation of a finite element model of the THOR for occupant
      protection of spaceflight crewmembers.
AB  - New vehicles are currently being developed to transport humans to space. During
      the landing phases, crewmembers may be exposed to spinal and frontal loading. To
      reduce the risk of injuries during these common impact scenarios, the National
      Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is developing new safety standards
      for spaceflight. The Test Device for Human Occupant Restraint (THOR) advanced
      multi-directional anthropomorphic test device (ATD), with the National Highway
      Traffic Safety Administration modification kit, has been chosen to evaluate
      occupant spacecraft safety because of its improved biofidelity. NASA tested the
      THOR ATD at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) in various impact
      configurations, including frontal and spinal loading. A computational finite
      element model (FEM) of the THOR to match these latest modifications was developed
      in LS-DYNA software. The main goal of this study was to calibrate and validate
      the THOR FEM for use in future spacecraft safety studies. An optimization-based
      method was developed to calibrate the material models of the lumbar joints and
      pelvic flesh. Compression test data were used to calibrate the quasi-static
      material properties of the pelvic flesh, while whole body THOR ATD kinematic and
      kinetic responses under spinal and frontal loading conditions were used for
      dynamic calibration. The performance of the calibrated THOR FEM was evaluated by
      simulating separate THOR ATD tests with different crash pulses along both spinal
      and frontal directions. The model response was compared with test data by
      calculating its correlation score using the CORrelation and Analysis rating
      system. The biofidelity of the THOR FEM was then evaluated against tests recorded
      on human volunteers under 3 different frontal and spinal impact pulses. The
      calibrated THOR FEM responded with high similarity to the THOR ATD in all
      validation tests. The THOR FEM showed good biofidelity relative to human
      volunteer data under spinal loading, but limited biofidelity under frontal
      loading. This may suggest a need for further improvements in both the THOR ATD
      and FEM. Overall, results presented in this study provide confidence in the THOR
      FEM for use in predicting THOR ATD responses for conditions, such as those
      observed in spacecraft landing, and for use in evaluating THOR ATD biofidelity. 

PMID- 26103440
TI  - Layer-specific residual deformations and uniaxial and biaxial mechanical
      properties of thoracic porcine aorta.
AB  - In this paper we hypothesize that the layer-separated residual stresses and
      mechanical properties of layer-separated thoracic aorta arteries may be dependent
      on arterial location of the vessel. To demonstrate any possible position
      differences, we measured the axial pre-stretch and opening angle and performed
      uniaxial and biaxial tests under physiological loads to study the mechanical
      behavior of both intact and layer-separated porcine aortic samples taken from
      thoracic region. In addition, we also provided constitutive parameters for each
      layer that can be used by biomedical engineers for investigating better therapies
      and developing artery-specific devices. We found that the opening angle for whole
      artery and adventitia layer are smaller and intima greater for proximal segments
      than for the distal thoracic ones. For the axial pre-stretch, our results showed
      significant increased values of the stretch ratios with location. We found that
      lower thoracic samples are stiffer than upper ones with the most important
      differences corresponding to those between the proximal and distal behaviors in
      the circumferential direction. The anisotropy represented by the different
      circumferential and longitudinal response is more remarkable in lower thoracic
      aorta. Finally, adventitia and intima samples present a tendency to be stiffer
      and more isotropic than the corresponding media samples in both directions for
      upper thoracic aorta and to be more anisotropic for lower thoracic aorta. 

PMID- 26103441
TI  - Image Guidance in Ventricular Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt Catheter Placement: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ventricular shunt placement for treating hydrocephalus is one of the
      most common neurosurgical procedures. The rate of shunt failure, however, has not
      appreciably changed with time. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether intraoperative
      image guidance using ultrasound or stereotaxy contributes to accurate shunt
      catheter placement and survival. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature
      review using PubMed and MEDLINE databases for studies that use ultrasound and
      frameless stereotaxy for ventricular catheter placement for hydrocephalus. All
      articles assessed the accuracy of catheter tip placement and/or overall shunt
      survival, and the rate of accurate shunt catheter placement, the overall failure
      rate, and the average time to shunt failure were extracted for analysis. RESULTS:
      Although each modality (ultrasound/stereotaxy) did not increase catheter
      placement accuracy, a combined random-effects meta-analysis of 738 catheters (136
      guided by ultrasound, 168 guided by frameless stereotaxy, and 434 freehand)
      demonstrated a weak benefit of image guidance (risk ratio: 1.19, 95% confidence
      interval: 1.02-1.39, P = .02), but this result was limited by considerable
      heterogeneity among studies (I2 = 86%, P < .001 by Cochrane's Q test). A meta
      analysis could not be performed for shunt survival due to heterogeneity in data
      reporting. CONCLUSION: Although image guidance offers a promising solution to
      lower the risk of inaccurate catheter placement, which could lead to lower
      premature failure of ventricular shunts, our review demonstrated that there is
      not yet a clear benefit of these technologies. Current literature is limited to
      case series and cohort studies, and significant between-study heterogeneity in
      methodology and reporting currently limits a higher order analysis.

PMID- 26103439
TI  - Mathematical models of the steps involved in the systemic delivery of a
      chemotherapeutic to a solid tumor: From circulation to survival.
AB  - The efficacy of an intravenously administered chemotherapeutic for treatment of a
      solid tumor is dependent on a sequence of steps, including circulation,
      extravasation by the enhanced permeability and retention effect, transport in the
      tumor microenvironment, the mechanism of cellular uptake and trafficking, and the
      mechanism of drug action. These steps are coupled since the time dependent
      concentration in circulation determines the concentration and distribution in the
      tumor microenvironment, and hence the amount taken up by individual cells within
      the tumor. Models have been developed for each of the steps in the delivery
      process although their predictive power remains limited. Advances in our
      understanding of the steps in the delivery process will result in refined models
      with improvements in predictive power and ultimately allow the development of
      integrated models that link systemic administration of a drug to the probability
      of survival. Integrated models that predict outcomes based on patient specific
      data could be used to select the optimum therapeutic regimens. Here we present an
      overview of current models for the steps in the delivery process and highlight
      knowledge gaps that are key to developing integrated models. 

PMID- 26103442
TI  - Use of Omnipaque Intraoperative Dye in the Surgical Treatment of Pan-Spinal
      Epidural Abscesses: Technical Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Spinal epidural abscesses are difficult to diagnose
      and could have high morbidity and mortality if left untreated. If patients
      present with acute neurological deficits and evidence of a multilevel ventral
      spine abscess on neuroimaging, blood cultures should be taken and the abscess
      emergently evacuated in patients able to tolerate surgical interventions.
      CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old man presented with lower back pain, which
      progressed to include urinary retention and evidence of lumbar
      discitis/osteomyelitis on magnetic resonance imaging. The patient was started on
      antibiotic therapy. After the patient developed new cervical pain, interval
      magnetic resonance imaging showed extension of the abscess to involve the
      cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine with intraventricular extension. The
      decision was made to perform a C4 corpectomy and insert a flexible
      ventriculoperitoneal catheter to serially flush out the abscess. Omnipaque dye
      was then used to ensure that the entire abscess was evacuated and no septations
      existed in the anterior epidural space. CONCLUSION: The patient's neurological
      deficits completely resolved, and he is intact a year after the operation. In
      selected patients with pan-spinal epidural abscesses associated with acute
      neurological deficits, a combination of an open approach and a catheter-based
      procedure in addition to an intraoperative monitoring option to ensure complete
      evacuation of the abscess and absence of septations in the anterior epidural
      space is a low-morbidity option in the armamentarium of the surgeon.

PMID- 26103443
TI  - Endotracheal Tube Electrodes to Assess Vocal Cord Motor Function During Surgery
      in the Cerebellopontine Angle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 10th cranial nerve (CN X) is at risk during surgery in the lower
      cerebellopontine angle (CPA). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate endotracheal surface
      electrodes for assessment of CN X motor function during CPA surgery. METHODS:
      Twenty patients were enrolled. Electrophysiological recordings were analyzed and
      retrospectively correlated with clinical, imaging, and intraoperative data.
      RESULTS: Recordings from endotracheal surface electrodes were reliable and
      eligible for analyses in 17 patients; in 3 patients, no surface electrode
      compound motor action potentials (CMAPs) could be obtained. Those patients with
      sufficient recordings underwent surgery in the CPA for tumors in 14 patients and
      for nontumor pathologies in 3 patients. In 12 patients, bipolar stimulation of
      motor rootlets in the CPA resulted in simultaneous CMAPs recorded from both
      surface electrodes and needle electrodes placed in the soft palate. Coactivation
      was particularly seen in patients with an intricate relationship between lower
      cranial nerves and tumor formations (n = 9/10). Amplitudes and latencies of vocal
      cord CMAPs showed high interindividual but low intraindividual variability.
      Parameters were not well correlated with the type of surgery (tumor vs nontumor
      surgery) and lower CN anatomy (displaced vs undisplaced). In 2 patients, vocal
      cord CMAPs were lost during tumor surgery, which was associated with
      postoperative dysphagia and hoarseness in 1 patient. CONCLUSION: Endotracheal
      surface electrodes allow identification of vocal cord motor rootlets in the CPA.
      Worsening of CMAP parameters might indicate functional impairment. These aspects
      support the use of endotracheal surface electrodes in selected patients in whom
      the vagus nerve might be at risk during CPA surgery.

PMID- 26103444
TI  - Usefulness of a Virtual Reality Percutaneous Trigeminal Rhizotomy Simulator in
      Neurosurgical Training.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Simulation-based training may be incorporated into neurosurgery in
      the future. OBJECTIVE: To assess the usefulness of a novel haptics-based virtual
      reality percutaneous trigeminal rhizotomy simulator. METHODS: A real-time
      augmented reality simulator for percutaneous trigeminal rhizotomy was developed
      using the ImmersiveTouch platform. Ninety-two neurosurgery residents tested the
      simulator at American Association of Neurological Surgeons Top Gun 2014.
      Postgraduate year (PGY), number of fluoroscopy shots, the distance from the ideal
      entry point, and the distance from the ideal target were recorded by the system
      during each simulation session. Final performance score was calculated
      considering the number of fluoroscopy shots and distances from entry and target
      points (a lower score is better). The impact of PGY level on residents'
      performance was analyzed. RESULTS: Seventy-one residents provided their PGY-level
      and simulator performance data; 38% were senior residents and 62% were junior
      residents. The mean distance from the entry point (9.4 mm vs 12.6 mm, P = .01),
      the distance from the target (12.0 mm vs 15.2 mm, P = .16), and final score (31.1
      vs 37.7, P = .02) were lower in senior than in junior residents. The mean number
      of fluoroscopy shots (9.8 vs 10.0, P = .88) was similar in these 2 groups. Linear
      regression analysis showed that increasing PGY level is significantly associated
      with a decreased distance from the ideal entry point (P = .001), a shorter
      distance from target (P = .05), a better final score (P = .007), but not number
      of fluoroscopy shots (P = .52). CONCLUSION: Because technical performance of
      percutaneous rhizotomy increases with training, we proposed that the skills in
      performing the procedure in our virtual reality model would also increase with
      PGY level, if our simulator models the actual procedure. Our results confirm this
      hypothesis and demonstrate construct validity.

PMID- 26103445
TI  - A Perforating Artery Compressing the Nerve Rootlet and Causing Glossopharyngeal
      Neuralgia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A surgical procedure for glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) was
      selected from microvascular decompression, glossopharyngeal and upper vagal
      rhizotomy, or a combination of these procedures based on the presence of arteries
      compressing the glossopharyngeal and vagal rootlets. The offending artery is
      usually a main trunk or branch of the cerebellar arteries. A perforating artery
      is a known but uncommon variation of the offending artery that causes GPN. The
      appropriate procedure for such cases is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the
      clinical significance of the perforating artery in GPN, we describe 2 patients
      with a perforating artery compressing the rootlet, and its mobilization relieved
      neuralgia. We examined the validity of decompressing a perforating artery as an
      alternative to rhizotomy in such cases. METHODS: We independently reviewed 12 GPN
      patients treated with microvascular decompression. The patients' pain severity,
      medication doses, preoperative imaging studies, intraoperative findings, and
      outcomes were examined. RESULTS: Eleven patients had neurovascular compression of
      the glossopharyngeal nerve. In 2 of the patients, a perforating artery compressed
      the rootlet, thereby generating an indentation and creating a discoloration of
      the rootlet. Mobilizing the perforating artery with no additional rhizotomy
      provided complete pain relief with no significant complications and allowed the
      discontinuation of medications. CONCLUSION: Even a small perforating artery can
      cause GPN when it compresses the rootlet. In such cases, mobilization of the
      perforating artery with no additional rhizotomy is an effective surgical option.

PMID- 26103447
TI  - Baicalin protects sertoli cells from heat stress-induced apoptosis via activation
      of the Fas/FasL pathway and Hsp72 expression.
AB  - Certain Chinese herbal medicines have antipyretic effects in both animal and
      human clinical practice. However, no report indicates their antipyretic effects
      on heat-stressed cells. The present study aimed to identify the protective
      effects of baicalin on the apoptosis of primary cultured bovine sertoli cells
      (SCs) subjected to heat stress (HS). The results demonstrated that HS induced
      apoptosis in the SCs exposed to 43 degrees C for 1h as Fas/FasL was activated and
      caspase-3 was cleaved, the cells apoptotic rate was decreased. Moreover, the mRNA
      and protein levels of Hsp72 increased, whereas the cells apoptotic rate and
      expression of Fas, FasL, caspases 8 and 3 decreased in the SCs pretreated with
      various concentrations (0.1, 1, 10, 20MUg/mL) of baicalin prior to HS. In
      conclusion, baicalin ameliorates heat stress-induced cell apoptosis via the
      modulation of the cell survival rate through Fas/FasL pathway activation and the
      upregulation of Hsp72 expression in bovine SCs. 

PMID- 26103448
TI  - Resveratrol derivative-rich melinjo (Gnetum gnemon L.) seed extract improves
      obesity and survival of C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet.
AB  - Melinjo (Gnetum gnemon L.) seed extracts (MSEs) are rich in resveratrol dimers
      (gnemonoside A, C, D, gnetin C), trans-resveratrol, and other resveratrol
      derivatives. trans-Resveratrol is a widely studied caloric restriction mimetic.
      In mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), trans-resveratrol protects against obesity,
      type 2 diabetes, and premature death. Here, treatment of HFD-fed mice with 2.0%
      MSE significantly reduced body weight gain (p < 0.001), blood insulin (p < 0.01),
      and HOMA-IR (p < 0.05) after 8 weeks compared with untreated HFD-fed mice.
      Additionally, 0.2% MSE treatment of HFD-fed mice significantly improved
      physiological activity (p < 0.05) at 18 months of age and reduced risk of death
      due to HFD by 25% (hazard ratio = 0.75, p = 0.036). These data show that MSE can
      improve several aspects of metabolic syndrome and survival in mice and may have
      health benefits as a dietary supplement.

PMID- 26103446
TI  - Screening for Anal Cancer in Women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The incidence of anal cancer is higher in women than men in the
      general population and has been increasing for several decades. Similar to
      cervical cancer, most anal cancers are associated with human papillomavirus
      (HPV), and it is believed that anal cancers are preceded by anal high-grade
      squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). Our goals were to summarize the
      literature on anal cancer, HSIL, and HPV infection in women and to provide
      screening recommendations in women. METHODS: A group of experts convened by the
      American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology and the International Anal
      Neoplasia Society reviewed the literature on anal HPV infection, anal SIL, and
      anal cancer in women. RESULTS: Anal HPV infection is common in women but is
      relatively transient in most. The risk of anal HSIL and cancer varies
      considerably by risk group, with human immunodeficiency virus-infected women and
      those with a history of lower genital tract neoplasia at highest risk compared
      with the general population. CONCLUSIONS: While there are no data yet to
      demonstrate that identification and treatment of anal HSIL leads to reduced risk
      of anal cancer, women in groups at the highest risk should be queried for anal
      cancer symptoms and required to have digital anorectal examinations to detect
      anal cancers. Human immunodeficiency virus-infected women and women with lower
      genital tract neoplasia may be considered for screening with anal cytology with
      triage to treatment if HSIL is diagnosed. Healthy women with no known risk
      factors or anal cancer symptoms do not need to be routinely screened for anal
      cancer or anal HSIL.

PMID- 26103449
TI  - Virulence and antimicrobial susceptibility of clinical and environmental strains
      of Aeromonas spp. from northeastern Brazil.
AB  - The aims of the present study were to isolate and identify clinical and
      environmental strains of Aeromonas spp. by means of biochemical tests and the
      automated method VITEK 2 and to investigate the presence of the virulence genes
      cytotoxic enterotoxin (act), hemolysin (asa-1), and type III secretion system
      (ascV), and also the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of the strains. From
      the clinical isolates, 19 Aeromonas hydrophila, 3 Aeromonas veronii bv. sobria,
      and 1 Aeromonas caviae were identified, while from the environmental strains, 11
      A. hydrophila, 22 A. veronii bv. sobria, 1 A. veronii bv. veronii, and 1 A.
      caviae were recovered. The gene act was detected in 69.5% of clinical isolates,
      asa-1 in 8.6%, and ascV in 34.7%. In the environmental strains, the detection
      rates were 51.4%, 45.7%, and 54.2% for the genes act, asa-1, and ascV,
      respectively. Resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanate and piperacillin-tazobactam
      was observed in 15 and 3 clinical strains, respectively, and resistance to
      ceftazidime, meropenem, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim
      sulfamethoxazole was observed in 1 strain for each drug. Resistance to
      amoxicillin-clavulanate and piperacillin-tazobactam was detected in 17 and 1
      environmental strain, respectively. Higher resistance percentages were observed
      in clinical strains, but environmental strains also showed this phenomenon and
      presented a higher detection rate of virulence genes. Thus, it is important to
      monitor the antimicrobial susceptibility and pathogenic potential of the
      environmental isolates. 

PMID- 26103451
TI  - 16S rDNA analysis of archaea indicates dominance of Methanobacterium and high
      abundance of Methanomassiliicoccaceae in rumen of Nili-Ravi buffalo.
AB  - The molecular diversity of rumen methanogens was investigated using 16S rDNA gene
      library prepared from the rumen contents of Nili-Ravi buffaloes. Microbial
      genomic DNA was isolated from four adult male fistulated buffaloes and PCR
      conditions were set up using specific primers. Amplified product was cloned into
      a suitable vector, and the inserts of positive clones were sequenced. A total of
      142 clones were examined, and the analysis revealed 46 species level (0.01
      distance) operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Twenty six OTUs comprising 89
      clones (63% of the total clones) were taxonomically assigned to Methanobacterium
      genus and the majority of them had highest percent identity with Methanobacterium
      flexile among cultured methanogens. Five OTUs comprising 27 clones (19% of total
      clones) were taxonomically assigned to Methanomicrobium genus and these clones
      showed highest sequence identity with Methanomicrobium mobile. Only two OTUs
      comprising 6 clones (4% of total clones) were assigned to Methanobrevibacter
      genus. A total of 17 clones belonging to 10 species level OTUs showed highest
      percent identity (ranging from 85 to 95%) with Methanomassilicoccus luminyensis
      and were taxonomically classified as Methanomassiliicocaceae. Out of the 142 rDNA
      clones, 112 clones, which constitute 79% of the total clones representing 42
      OTUs, had less than 98.5% sequence identity with any of the cultured strains of
      methanogens and represent novel species of methanogens. This study has revealed
      the largest assortment of hydrogenotrophic methanogen phylotypes ever identified
      from the rumen of Nili-Ravi buffaloes. The study indicates that Methanobacterium
      is the most dominant methanogen in the rumen of Nili-Ravi buffalo. This is also
      the first report on the presence of methanogens phylogenetically close to M.
      luminyensis, an H2 dependent methylotrophic methanogen, in the rumen of buffaloes
      at such a high level of abundance. 

PMID- 26103450
TI  - Activation of EP4 receptors prevents endotoxin-induced neutrophil infiltration
      into the airways and enhances microvascular barrier function.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Pulmonary vascular dysfunction is a key event in acute
      lung injury. We recently demonstrated that PGE2 , via activation of E-prostanoid
      (EP)4 receptors, strongly enhances microvascular barrier function in vitro. The
      aim of this study was to investigate the beneficial effects of concomitant EP4
      receptor activation in murine models of acute pulmonary inflammation.
      EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Pulmonary inflammation in male BALB/c mice was induced by
      LPS (20 MUg per mouse intranasally) or oleic acid (0.15 MUL.g-1 , i.v. ). In
      vitro, endothelial barrier function was determined by measuring electrical
      impedance. KEY RESULTS: PGE2 activation of EP4 receptors reduced neutrophil
      infiltration, pulmonary vascular leakage and TNF-alpha concentration in
      bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from LPS-induced pulmonary inflammation. Similarly,
      pulmonary vascular hyperpermeability induced by oleic acid was counteracted by
      EP4 receptor activation. In lung function assays, the EP4 agonist ONO AE1-329
      restored the increased resistance and reduced compliance upon methacholine
      challenge in mice treated with LPS or oleic acid. In agreement with these
      findings, EP4 receptor activation increased the in vitro vascular barrier
      function of human and mouse pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and
      diminished the barrier disruption induced by LPS. The EP2 agonist ONO AE1-259
      likewise reversed LPS-induced lung dysfunction without enhancing vascular barrier
      function. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Our results show that activation of the
      EP4 receptor strengthens the microvascular barrier function and thereby
      ameliorates the pathology of acute lung inflammation, including neutrophil
      infiltration, vascular oedema formation and airway dysfunction. This suggests a
      potential benefit for EP4 agonists in acute pulmonary inflammation.

PMID- 26103452
TI  - Study of the combined effect of electro-activated solutions and heat treatment on
      the destruction of spores of Clostridium sporogenes and Geobacillus
      stearothermophilus in model solution and vegetable puree.
AB  - The combined effect of heat treatment and electro-activated solution (EAS) on the
      heat resistance of spores of Clostridium sporogenes and Geobacillus
      stearothermophilus was assessed under various heating and exposure time
      combinations. The acid and neutral EAS showed the highest inhibitory activity,
      indicating that these solutions may be considered as strong sporicidal
      disinfectants. These EAS were able to cause a reduction of >=6 log of spores of
      C. sporogenes at 60  degrees C in only 1 min of exposition. For G.
      stearothermophilus spores, a reduction of 4.5 log was observed at 60  degrees C
      in 1 min, while in 5 min, >=7 log CFU/ml reduction was observed. Inoculated puree
      of pea and corn were used as a food matrix for the determination of the heat
      resistance of these spores during the treatments in glass capillaries. The
      inactivation kinetics of the spores was studied in an oil bath. Combined
      treatment by EAS and temperature demonstrated a significant decrease in the heat
      resistance of C. sporogenes. The D100 degrees C in pea puree with NaCl solution
      was 66.86 min while with acid and neutral EAS it was reduced down to 3.97 and
      2.19 min, respectively. The spore of G. stearothermophilus displayed higher heat
      resistance as confirmed by other similar studies. Its D130 degrees C in pea puree
      showed a decrease from 1.45 min in NaCl solution down to 1.30 and 0.93 min for
      acid and neutral EAS, respectively. The differences between the spores of these
      species are attributable to their different sensitivities with respect to pH,
      Redox potential and oxygen. 

PMID- 26103454
TI  - Quality of life in patients with hypopituitarism.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Quality of life (QoL) is impaired in patients with adults with
      growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) of any cause, especially if additional
      hypopituitarism is present, and improves after replacement therapy with
      recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH). This review includes relevant
      publications since 2013. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent findings confirm that most
      patients with AGHD who improve their QoL after rhGH therapy experience persistent
      effects for years, if replacement therapy is maintained. Sometimes, however, QoL
      may not normalize completely, especially if it is caused by a craniopharyngioma
      (because of concomitant neuropsychological comorbidities that affect autonomy and
      cognitive function), or functional pituitary tumours, i.e., in Cushing's disease,
      in which chronic brain exposure to hypercortisolism is associated with more
      depression, anxiety, loss of memory and emotional distress. Another group in
      which QoL and energy rarely normalize despite improving after rhGH is
      hypopituitarism because of traumatic brain injury. Worse QoL is seen in patients
      who also suffer insomnia, depression, negative illness perceptions and are
      treated in a rural (compared with an urban) healthcare environment. Better QoL
      after rhGH is seen in AGHD patients who are not depressed, after successful
      surgery, living in Europe (rather than the USA), with poorer baseline QoL scores,
      less obesity and no impaired vision. SUMMARY: Further improvement of QoL may be
      possible with individualized psychosocial interventions.

PMID- 26103457
TI  - Accumulation of metabolic cardiovascular risk factors in Black and White young
      adults over 20 years.

PMID- 26103458
TI  - Simultaneous Application of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 and Platelet-Rich Fibrin
      for the Treatment of Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of Jaw.

PMID- 26103456
TI  - Regulation of Insulin Receptor Trafficking by Bardet Biedl Syndrome Proteins.
AB  - Insulin and its receptor are critical for the regulation of metabolic functions,
      but the mechanisms underlying insulin receptor (IR) trafficking to the plasma
      membrane are not well understood. Here, we show that Bardet Biedl Syndrome (BBS)
      proteins are necessary for IR localization to the cell surface. We demonstrate
      that the IR interacts physically with BBS proteins, and reducing the expression
      of BBS proteins perturbs IR expression in the cell surface. We show the
      consequence of disrupting BBS proteins for whole body insulin action and glucose
      metabolism using mice lacking different BBS genes. These findings demonstrate the
      importance of BBS proteins in underlying IR cell surface expression. Our data
      identify defects in trafficking and localization of the IR as a novel mechanism
      accounting for the insulin resistance commonly associated with human BBS. This is
      supported by the reduced surface expression of the IR in fibroblasts derived from
      patients bearing the M390R mutation in the BBS1 gene. 

PMID- 26103453
TI  - Persistent changes in peripheral and spinal nociceptive processing after early
      tissue injury.
AB  - It has become clear that tissue damage during a critical period of early life can
      result in long-term changes in pain sensitivity, but the underlying mechanisms
      remain to be fully elucidated. Here we review the clinical and preclinical
      evidence for persistent alterations in nociceptive processing following neonatal
      tissue injury, which collectively point to the existence of both a widespread
      hypoalgesia at baseline as well as an exacerbated degree of hyperalgesia
      following a subsequent insult to the same somatotopic region. We also highlight
      recent work investigating the effects of early trauma on the organization and
      function of ascending pain pathways at a cellular and molecular level. These
      effects of neonatal injury include altered ion channel expression in both primary
      afferent and spinal cord neurons, shifts in the balance between synaptic
      excitation and inhibition within the superficial dorsal horn (SDH) network, and a
      'priming' of microglial responses in the adult SDH. A better understanding of how
      early tissue damage influences the maturation of nociceptive circuits could yield
      new insight into strategies to minimize the long-term consequences of essential,
      but invasive, medical procedures on the developing somatosensory system. 

PMID- 26103459
TI  - Oxidative stress-induced methemoglobinemia is the silent killer during snakebite:
      a novel and strategic neutralization by melatonin.
AB  - Oxidative stress-induced methemoglobinemia remained an untouched area in venom
      pharmacology till date. This study for the first time explored the potential of
      animal venoms to oxidize hemoglobin to methemoglobin. In in vitro whole-blood
      assay, methemoglobin forming ability of venoms varied as Naja naja > Ophiophagus
      hannah > Echis carinatus > Daboia russellii > Apis mellifera > Mesobuthus tamulus
      > Hippasa partita. Being highly potential, N. naja venom was further studied to
      observe methemoglobin formation in RBCs and in combinations with PMNs and PBMCs,
      where maximum effect was observed in RBCs + PMNs combination. Naja naja
      venom/externally added methemoglobin-induced methemoglobin formation was in
      parallel with ROS generation in whole blood/RBCs/RBCs + PMNs/RBCs + PBMCs. In in
      vivo studies, the lethal dose (1 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) of N. naja venom
      readily induced methemoglobin formation, ROS generation, expression of
      inflammatory markers, and hypoxia-inducible factor-3alpha. Although the mice
      administered with three effective doses of antivenom recorded zero mortality; the
      methemoglobin and ROS levels remained high. However, one effective dose of
      antivenom when administered along with melatonin (1:50; venom/melatonin, w/w),
      not only offered 100% survival of experimental mice, but also significantly
      reduced methemoglobin level, and oxidative stress markers including hypoxia
      inducible factor-3alpha. This study provides strong drive that, complementing
      melatonin would not only reduce the antivenom load, but for sure greatly increase
      the success rate of antivenom therapy and drastically minimize the global
      incidence of snakebite deaths. However, further detailed investigations are
      needed before translating the combined therapy towards the bed side.

PMID- 26103460
TI  - Numerical Modeling of Mechanical Behavior for Buried Steel Pipelines Crossing
      Subsidence Strata.
AB  - This paper addresses the mechanical behavior of buried steel pipeline crossing
      subsidence strata. The investigation is based on numerical simulation of the
      nonlinear response of the pipeline-soil system through finite element method,
      considering large strain and displacement, inelastic material behavior of buried
      pipeline and the surrounding soil, as well as contact and friction on the
      pipeline-soil interface. Effects of key parameters on the mechanical behavior of
      buried pipeline were investigated, such as strata subsidence, diameter-thickness
      ratio, buried depth, internal pressure, friction coefficient and soil properties.
      The results show that the maximum strain appears on the outer transition
      subsidence section of the pipeline, and its cross section is concave shaped. With
      the increasing of strata subsidence and diameter-thickness ratio, the out of
      roundness, longitudinal strain and equivalent plastic strain increase gradually.
      With the buried depth increasing, the deflection, out of roundness and strain of
      the pipeline decrease. Internal pressure and friction coefficient have little
      effect on the deflection of buried pipeline. Out of roundness is reduced and the
      strain is increased gradually with the increasing of internal pressure. The
      physical properties of soil have a great influence on the mechanical properties
      of buried pipeline. The results from the present study can be used for the
      development of optimization design and preventive maintenance for buried steel
      pipelines. 

PMID- 26103461
TI  - Highly enantioselective synthesis of non-natural aliphatic alpha-amino acids via
      asymmetric hydrogenation.
AB  - By employing a rhodium-Duanphos complex as the catalyst, beta-alkyl (Z)-N
      acetyldehydroamino esters were smoothly hydrogenated in a highly efficient and
      enantioselective way. Excellent enantioselectivities together with excellent
      yields were achieved for a series of substrates. An efficient approach for the
      synthesis of the intermediate of the orally administered anti-diabetic drugs
      Alogliptin and Linagliptin in the DPP-4 inhibitor class was also developed. 

PMID- 26103462
TI  - Structure and aggregation properties of a Schiff-base zinc(II) complex derived
      from cis-1,2-diaminocyclohexane.
AB  - This contribution explores the effect of the bridging diamine upon the
      aggregation properties of a Zn(II) Schiff-base complex, , both in the solid state
      and in solution. The X-ray structure of , resulting from the harvest of good
      quality crystals using chloroform and diethyl ether as solvents, shows the
      presence of a densely packed dimer in the solid state which pentacoordinates two
      Zn atoms involved in a MU-phenoxo bridge. Detailed studies in solution, through
      (1)H NMR, DOSY NMR, and optical spectroscopic investigations, indicate the
      typical aggregation/deaggregation behaviour on switching from non-coordinating to
      coordinating solvents, in relation to the Lewis acidic character of such Zn(II)
      complexes. Thus, while in DMSO-d6 both (1)H NMR and DOSY studies suggest the
      existence of monomeric species, in chloroform solution experimental data support
      the existence of aggregates. However, unlike our previous studies, (1)H NMR data
      in chloroform solution indicate the existence of an asymmetric dimer, as observed
      in the X-ray crystal structure. This further evidences a very rigid backbone of
      the dimeric aggregate and can be related to the defined stereochemistry of the
      chelate cis-1,2-diaminocyclohexane bridge. 

PMID- 26103463
TI  - Two serine residues in Pseudomonas syringae effector HopZ1a are required for
      acetyltransferase activity and association with the host co-factor.
AB  - Gram-negative bacteria inject type III secreted effectors (T3SEs) into host cells
      to manipulate the immune response. The YopJ family effector HopZ1a produced by
      the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae possesses acetyltransferase activity and
      acetylates plant proteins to facilitate infection. Using mass spectrometry, we
      identified a threonine residue, T346, as the main autoacetylation site of HopZ1a.
      Two neighboring serine residues, S349 and S351, are required for the
      acetyltransferase activity of HopZ1a in vitro and are indispensable for the
      virulence function of HopZ1a in Arabidopsis thaliana. Using proton nuclear
      magnetic resonance (NMR), we observed a conformational change of HopZ1a in the
      presence of inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6), which acts as a eukaryotic co-factor
      and significantly enhances the acetyltransferase activity of several YopJ family
      effectors. S349 and S351 are required for IP6-binding-mediated conformational
      change of HopZ1a. S349 and S351 are located in a conserved region in the C
      terminal domain of YopJ family effectors. Mutations of the corresponding
      serine(s) in two other effectors, HopZ3 of P. syringae and PopP2 of Ralstonia
      solanacerum, also abolished their acetyltransferase activity. These results
      suggest that, in addition to the highly conserved catalytic residues, YopJ family
      effectors also require conserved serine(s) in the C-terminal domain for their
      enzymatic activity. 

PMID- 26103465
TI  - Recommendations for the Improved Effectiveness and Reporting of Telemedicine
      Programs in Developing Countries: Results of a Systematic Literature Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A lack of decisive evidence on the impact of telemedicine on
      financial and clinical outcomes has not prohibited significant investment in
      developing countries. Understanding characteristics that facilitate effective
      telemedicine programs is required to allow telemedicine to be used to its full
      potential. This systematic review aimed to identify organizational,
      technological, and financial features of successful telemedicine programs
      providing direct clinical care in developing countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Databases were searched, and the results were reviewed systematically according
      to predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Information on location(s), measure
      of success, and organizational, technological, and financial characteristics were
      extracted. This review was impeded by inadequate program reporting, and so a
      concise checklist was developed to aid improved reporting, enabling future
      reviews to identify key characteristics of effective programs. RESULTS: This
      systematic review identified 46 articles reporting 36 programs that fulfilled the
      inclusion/exclusion criteria. Programs were distributed globally, including
      regional, national, and international programs. Technological modalities included
      synchronous technology, real-time teleconsultations, and asynchronous technology.
      Program integration with existing systems and twinning of international
      institutions were identified as factors enabling program success. Other factors
      included simple and easy-to-use technology, ability to reduce the burden on
      healthcare professionals, and technology able to maintain functionality in
      challenging environmental circumstances. Reports describing effectiveness and
      costs were limited. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review identified key factors
      associated with telemedicine program success. However, inconsistencies in
      reporting represent an obstacle to establishment of successful programs in
      developing countries by limiting the application of previous experiences.
      Adhering to the guidelines suggested here may allow more quantitative assessments
      of effectiveness and impact for future programs.

PMID- 26103464
TI  - Np9, a cellular protein of retroviral ancestry restricted to human, chimpanzee
      and gorilla, binds and regulates ubiquitin ligase MDM2.
AB  - Humans and primates are long-lived animals with long reproductive phases. One
      factor that appears to contribute to longevity and fertility in humans, as well
      as to cancer-free survival, is the transcription factor and tumor suppressor p53,
      controlled by its main negative regulator MDM2. However, p53 and MDM2 homologs
      are found throughout the metazoan kingdom from Trichoplacidae to Hominidae.
      Therefore the question arises, if p53/MDM2 contributes to the shaping of primate
      features, then through which mechanisms. Previous findings have indicated that
      the appearances of novel p53-regulated genes and wild-type p53 variants during
      primate evolution are important in this context. Here, we report on another
      mechanism of potential relevance. Human endogenous retrovirus K subgroup HML-2
      (HERV-K(HML-2)) type 1 proviral sequences were formed in the genomes of the
      predecessors of contemporary Hominoidea and can be identified in the genomes of
      Nomascus leucogenys (gibbon) up to Homo sapiens. We previously reported on an
      alternative splicing event in HERV-K(HML-2) type 1 proviruses that can give rise
      to nuclear protein of 9 kDa (Np9). We document here the evolution of Np9-coding
      capacity in human, chimpanzee and gorilla, and show that the C-terminal half of
      Np9 binds directly to MDM2, through a domain of MDM2 that is known to be
      contacted by various cellular proteins in response to stress. Np9 can inhibit the
      MDM2 ubiquitin ligase activity toward p53 in the cell nucleus, and can support
      the transactivation of genes by p53. Our findings point to the possibility that
      endogenous retrovirus protein Np9 contributes to the regulation of the p53-MDM2
      pathway specifically in humans, chimpanzees and gorillas. 

PMID- 26103466
TI  - Age and Sex of Mice Markedly Affect Survival Times Associated with Hyperoxic
      Acute Lung Injury.
AB  - Mortality associated with acute lung injury (ALI) remains substantial, with
      recent estimates of 35-45% similar to those obtained decades ago. Although
      evidence for sex-related differences in ALI mortality remains equivocal, death
      rates differ markedly for age, with more than 3-fold increased mortality in older
      versus younger patients. Strains of mice also show large differences in ALI
      mortality. To tease out genetic factors affecting mortality, we established a
      mouse model of differential hyperoxic ALI (HALI) survival. Separate genetic
      analyses of backcross and F2 populations generated from sensitive C57BL/6J (B)
      and resistant 129X1/SvJ (X1) progenitor strains identified two quantitative trait
      loci (QTLs; Shali1 and Shali2) with strong, equal but opposite, within-strain
      effects on survival. Congenic lines confirmed these opposing QTL effects, but
      also retained the low penetrance seen in the 6-12 week X1 control strain. Sorting
      mice into distinct age groups revealed that 'age at exposure' inversely
      correlated with survival time and explained reduced penetrance of the resistance
      trait. While B mice were already sensitive by 6 weeks old, X1 mice maintained
      significant resistance up to 3-4 weeks longer. Reanalysis of F2 data gave
      analogous age-related findings, and also supported sex-specific linkage for
      Shali1 and Shali2. Importantly, we have demonstrated in congenic mice that these
      age effects on survival correspond with B alleles for Shali1 (6-week old mice
      more sensitive) and Shali2 (10-week old mice more resistant) placed on the X1
      background. Further studies revealed significant sex-specific survival
      differences in subcongenics for both QTLs. Accounting for age and sex markedly
      improved penetrance of both QTLs, thereby reducing trait variability, refining
      Shali1 to <8.5Mb, and supporting several sub-QTLs within the Shali2 interval.
      Together, these congenics will allow age- and sex-specific studies to interrogate
      myriad subphenotypes affected during ALI development and progression and identify
      intermediary injury biomarkers that can predict outcome. 

PMID- 26103467
TI  - A systematic review of the sleep, sleepiness, and performance implications of
      limited wake shift work schedules.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review was to identify which limited wake shift work
      schedules (LWSW) best promote sleep, alertness, and performance. LWSW are fixed
      work/rest cycles where the time-at-work does is <=8 hours and there is >1 rest
      period per day, on average, for >=2 consecutive days. These schedules are
      commonly used in safety-critical industries such as transport and maritime
      industries. METHODS: Literature was sourced using PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo,
      Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. We identified 20 independent studies (plus
      a further 2 overlapping studies), including 5 laboratory and 17 field-based
      studies focused on maritime watch keepers, ship bridge officers, and long-haul
      train drivers. The measurement of outcome measures was varied, incorporating
      subjective and objective measures of sleep: sleep diaries (N=5), actigraphy
      (N=4), and polysomnography, (N=3); sleepiness: Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (N=5),
      visual analog scale (VAS) alertness (N=2) and author-derived measures (N=2); and
      performance: Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) (N=5), Reaction Time or Vigilance
      tasks (N=4), Vector and Letter Cancellation Test (N=1), and subjective
      performance (N=2). RESULTS: Of the three primary rosters examined (6 hours-on/6
      hours-off, 8 hours-on/8 hours-off and 4 hours-on/8 hours-off), the 4 hours-on/8
      hours-off roster was associated with better sleep and lower levels of sleepiness.
      Individuals working 4 hours-on/8 hours-off rosters averaged 1 hour more sleep per
      night than those working 6 hours-on/6 hours-off and 1.3 hours more sleep than
      those working 8 hours-on/8 hours-off (P<0.01). More broadly, findings indicate
      that LWSW schedules were associated with better sleep and lower sleepines in the
      case of (i) shorter time-at-work, (ii) more frequent rest breaks, (iii) shifts
      that start and end at the same clock time every 24 hours, and (iv) work shifts
      commencing in the daytime (as opposed to night). The findings for performance
      remain incomplete due to the small number of studies containing a performance
      measure and the heterogeneity of performance measures within those that did.
      CONCLUSION: The literature supports the utility of LWSW in industries where
      individuals sleep at or near the workplace as they facilitate at least some sleep
      during the biological night and minimize deficits associated with time-on-shift
      with shorter shifts. Overall, the 4 hour-on/8 hour-off roster best promoted sleep
      and minimized sleepiness compared to other LWSW schedules. Nevertheless, and
      considering the safety-critical nature of industries which employ LWSW, the
      limited literature needs to be greatly expanded with specific focus on the
      consequences for performance and comparison to mainstream rosters.

PMID- 26103468
TI  - Clinical Relevance of Apheretic Graft Composition in Patients With Acute
      Myeloblastic Leukemia Who Received a Busulfan-Fludarabine-Antithymocyte Globulin
      Conditioning Regimen for Allogeneic Transplant.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Sparse data are available about the effects of apheretic graft
      composition on the clinical transplant outcome in allotransplanted patients who
      have hematologic malignant disease. Major obstacles in recent studies have
      included heterogeneity of patient populations and differences in the conditioning
      regimens used. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study included 50 patients
      who had acute myeloblastic leukemia and received busulfan-fludarabine
      antithymocyte globulin-based conditioning for peripheral allogeneic stem cell
      transplant. The concentration of CD34+ cells, T-cell subsets, B cells, and
      natural killer cells in the graft were analyzed by flow cytometry in the donors
      who were matched for human leukocyte antigen. RESULTS: In univariate analysis,
      infusion with a higher dose of natural killer cells (> 1.55 * 106/kg) was
      associated with improved survival (P = .007 for disease-free survival; P = .024
      for overall survival) in patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. Cox
      regression models revealed that increased concentration of natural killer cells
      and CD34+ cells positively affected the clinical outcome of allotransplanted
      patients (P = .005 for both cell types). According to univariate analysis, these
      findings were dependent on minimal residual disease and acute graft-versus-host
      disease. Graft-versus-host disease (acute and chronic forms) was not affected by
      graft composition. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that increased concentration
      of natural killer cells and CD34+ cells in the apheretic product may predict
      better survival. In contrast, busulfan-fludarabine-antithymocyte globulin-based
      conditioning eliminates the disadvantages that resulted from the high content of
      T-cell subsets and B cells, and the course of the transplant and clinical
      parameters were not affected by the amount of T and B cells.

PMID- 26103470
TI  - Evaluation of an electron Monte Carlo dose calculation algorithm for treatment
      planning.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of the electron Monte Carlo
      (eMC) dose calculation algorithm included in a commercial treatment planning
      system and compare its performance against an electron pencil beam algorithm.
      Several tests were performed to explore the system's behavior in simple
      geometries and in configurations encountered in clinical practice. The first
      series of tests were executed in a homogeneous water phantom, where experimental
      measurements and eMC-calculated dose distributions were compared for various
      combinations of energy and applicator. More specifically, we compared beam
      profiles and depth-dose curves at different source-to-surface distances (SSDs)
      and gantry angles, by using dose difference and distance to agreement. Also, we
      compared output factors, we studied the effects of algorithm input parameters,
      which are the random number generator seed, as well as the calculation grid size,
      and we performed a calculation time evaluation. Three different inhomogeneous
      solid phantoms were built, using high- and low-density materials inserts, to
      clinically simulate relevant heterogeneity conditions: a small air cylinder
      within a homogeneous phantom, a lung phantom, and a chest wall phantom. We also
      used an anthropomorphic phantom to perform comparison of eMC calculations to
      measurements. Finally, we proceeded with an evaluation of the eMC algorithm on a
      clinical case of nose cancer. In all mentioned cases, measurements, carried out
      by means of XV-2 films, radiographic films or EBT2 Gafchromic films. were used to
      compare eMC calculations with dose distributions obtained from an electron pencil
      beam algorithm. eMC calculations in the water phantom were accurate.
      Discrepancies for depth-dose curves and beam profiles were under 2.5% and 2 mm.
      Dose calculations with eMC for the small air cylinder and the lung phantom agreed
      within 2% and 4%, respectively. eMC calculations for the chest wall phantom and
      the anthropomorphic phantom also showed a positive agreement with the
      measurements. The retrospective dosimetric comparison of a clinical case, which
      presented scatter perturbations by air cavities, showed a difference in dose of
      up to 20% between pencil beam and eMC algorithms. When comparing to the pencil
      beam algorithm, eMC calculations are definitely more accurate at predicting large
      dose perturbations due to inhomogeneities. 

PMID- 26103469
TI  - LPS Down-Regulates Specificity Protein 1 Activity by Activating NF-kappaB Pathway
      in Endotoxemic Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Specificity protein (Sp) 1 mediates the transcription of a large
      number of constitutive genes encoding physiological mediators. NF-kappaB mediates
      the expression of hundreds of inducible genes encoding pathological mediators.
      Crosstalk between Sp1 and NF-kappaB pathways could be pathophysiologically
      significant, but has not been studied. This study examined the crosstalk between
      the two pathways and defined the role of NF-kappaB signaling in LPS-induced down
      regulation of Sp1 activity. METHODS AND MAIN FINDINGS: Challenge of wild type
      mice with samonelia enteritidis LPS (10 mg/kg, i.p.) down-regulated Sp1 binding
      activity in lungs in a time-dependent manner, which was concomitantly associated
      with an increased NF-kappaB activity. LPS down-regulates Sp1 activity by inducing
      an LPS inducible Sp1-degrading enzyme (LISPDE) activity, which selectively
      degrades Sp1 protein, resulting in Sp1 down-regulation. Blockade of NF-kappaB
      activation in mice deficient in NF-kappaB p50 gene (NF-kappaB-KO) suppressed
      LISPDE activity, prevented Sp1 protein degradation, and reversed the down
      regulation of Sp1 DNA binding activity and eNOS expression (an indicator of Sp1
      transactivation activity). Inhibition of LISPDE activity using a selective LISPDE
      inhibitor mimicked the effects of NF-kappaB blockade. Pretreatment of LPS
      challenged WT mice with a selective LISPDE inhibitor increased nuclear Sp1
      protein content, restored Sp1 DNA binding activity and reversed eNOS protein down
      regulation in lungs. Enhancing tissue level of Sp1 activity by inhibiting NF
      kappaB-mediated Sp1 down-regulation increased tissue level of IL-10 and decreased
      tissue level of TNF- alphain the lungs. CONCLUSIONS: NF-kappaB signaling mediates
      LPS-induced down-regulation of Sp1 activity. Activation of NF-kappaB pathway
      suppresses Sp1 activity and Sp1-mediated anti-inflammatory signals. Conversely,
      Sp1 signaling counter-regulates NF-kappaB-mediated inflammatory response.
      Crosstalk between NF-kappaB and Sp1 pathways regulates the balance between pro-
      and anti-inflammatory cytokines.

PMID- 26103471
TI  - Technical evaluation of TomoTherapy automatic roll correction.
AB  - The TomoTherapy Hi.Art System allows the application of rotational corrections as
      a part of the pretreatment image guidance process. This study outlines a custom
      method to perform an end-to-end evaluation of the TomoTherapy Hi.Art roll
      correction feature. A roll-sensitive plan was designed and delivered to a
      cylindrical solid water phantom to test the accuracy of roll corrections, as well
      as the ability of the automatic registration feature to detect induced roll.
      Cylindrical target structures containing coaxial inner avoidance structures were
      placed adjacent to the plane bisecting the phantom and 7 cm laterally off central
      axis. The phantom was positioned at isocenter with the target-plane parallel to
      the couch surface. Varying degrees of phantom roll were induced and dose to the
      targets and inner avoidance structures was measured using Kodak EDR2 films placed
      in the target-plane. Normalized point doses were compared with baseline (no roll)
      data to determine the sensitivity of the test and the effectiveness of the roll
      correction feature. Gamma analysis comparing baseline, roll-corrected, and
      uncorrected films was performed using film analysis software. MVCT images were
      acquired prior to plan delivery. Measured roll was compared with induced roll to
      evaluate the automatic registration feature's ability to detect rotational
      misalignment. Rotations beyond 0.3 degrees  result in statistically significant
      deviation from baseline point measurements. Gamma pass rates begin to drop below
      90% at approximately 0.5 degrees  induced rotation at 3%/3 mm and between 0.2
      degrees  and 0.3 degrees  for 2%/2 mm. With roll correction applied, point dose
      measurements for all rotations are indistinguishable from baseline, and gamma
      pass rates exceed 96% when using 3% and 3 mm as evaluation criteria. Measured
      roll via the automatic registration algorithm agrees with induced rotation to
      within the test sensitivity for nearly all imaging settings. The TomoTherapy
      automatic registration system accurately detects induced rotations, and the
      method presented here for evaluation of the roll correction feature is easily
      implemented by any clinic with a TomoTherapy Hi.Art unit. This method is
      sensitive to well within half a degree and demonstrates that the TomoTherapy
      Hi.Art roll correction feature accurately corrects for induced rotational
      misalignments to within this level of uncertainty. 

PMID- 26103472
TI  - Increased dose near the skin due to electromagnetic surface beacon transponder.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the increased dose near the skin from
      an electromagnetic surface beacon transponder, which is used for localization and
      tracking organ motion. The bolus effect due to the copper coil surface beacon was
      evaluated with radiographic film measurements and Monte Carlo simulations.
      Various beam incidence angles were evaluated for both 6 MV and 18 MV
      experimentally. We performed simulations using a general-purpose Monte Carlo code
      MCNPX (Monte Carlo N-Particle) to supplement the experimental data. We modeled
      the surface beacon geometry using the actual mass of the glass vial and copper
      coil placed in its L-shaped polyethylene terephthalate tubing casing. Film
      dosimetry measured factors of 2.2 and 3.0 enhancement in the surface dose for
      normally incident 6 MV and 18 MV beams, respectively. Although surface dose
      further increased with incidence angle, the relative contribution from the bolus
      effect was reduced at the oblique incidence. The enhancement factors were 1.5 and
      1.8 for 6 MV and 18 MV, respectively, at an incidence angle of 60 degrees . Monte
      Carlo simulation confirmed the experimental results and indicated that the
      epidermal skin dose can reach approximately 50% of the dose at dmax at normal
      incidence. The overall effect could be acceptable considering the skin dose
      enhancement is confined to a small area (~ 1 cm2), and can be further reduced by
      using an opposite beam technique. Further clinical studies are justified in order
      to study the dosimetric benefit versus possible cosmetic effects of the surface
      beacon. One such clinical situation would be intact breast radiation therapy,
      especially large-breasted women. 

PMID- 26103473
TI  - Potential of 3D printing technologies for fabrication of electron bolus and
      proton compensators.
AB  - In electron and proton radiotherapy, applications of patient-specific electron
      bolus or proton compensators during radiation treatments are often necessary to
      accommodate patient body surface irregularities, tissue inhomogeneity, and
      variations in PTV depths to achieve desired dose distributions. Emerging 3D
      printing technologies provide alternative fabrication methods for these bolus and
      compensators. This study investigated the potential of utilizing 3D printing
      technologies for the fabrication of the electron bolus and proton compensators.
      Two printing technologies, fused deposition modeling (FDM) and selective laser
      sintering (SLS), and two printing materials, PLA and polyamide, were
      investigated. Samples were printed and characterized with CT scan and under
      electron and proton beams. In addition, a software package was developed to
      convert electron bolus and proton compensator designs to printable Standard
      Tessellation Language file format. A phantom scalp electron bolus was printed
      with FDM technology with PLA material. The HU of the printed electron bolus was
      106.5 +/- 15.2. A prostate patient proton compensator was printed with SLS
      technology and polyamide material with -70.1 +/- 8.1 HU. The profiles of the
      electron bolus and proton compensator were compared with the original designs.
      The average over all the CT slices of the largest Euclidean distance between the
      design and the fabricated bolus on each CT slice was found to be 0.84 +/- 0.45 mm
      and for the compensator to be 0.40 +/- 0.42 mm. It is recommended that the
      properties of specific 3D printed objects are understood before being applied to
      radiotherapy treatments. 

PMID- 26103474
TI  - Assessment of Eclipse electron Monte Carlo output prediction for various
      topologies.
AB  - Monte Carlo simulation is deemed to be the leading algorithm for accurate dose
      calculation with electron beams. Patient anatomy (contours and tissue densities)
      as well as irradiation geometry is accounted for. The accuracy of the Monitor
      Unit (MU) determination is one essential aspect of a treatment planning system.
      Patient-specific quality assurance of a Monte Carlo plan usually involves
      verification of the MUs with an independent simpler calculation approach, in
      which flat geometry is to be assumed. The magnitude of the discrepancies between
      flat and varied surfaces for a few scenarios has been investigated in this study.
      The ability to predict MUs for various surface topologies by the commercial
      electron Monte Carlo implementation from Varian Eclipse system (Eclipse eMC) has
      been evaluated and compared to the Generalized Gaussian Pencil Beam (GGPB)
      algorithm. Ten phantoms with different topologies were constructed of water
      equivalent material. Measurements with a parallel plate ionization chamber were
      performed using these phantoms to gauge their relative impact on outputs for 6,
      9, 12, 16, and 20MeV electron beams from a Varian TrueBeam with cone sizes
      ranging from 6 * 6 cm2 to 25 * 25 cm2. The corresponding Monte Carlo simulations
      of the measured geometries were carried out using the CT scans of these phantoms.
      The results indicated that the Eclipse eMC algorithm can predict these output
      changes within 3% for most scenarios. However, at the lowest energy, the
      discrepancy was the greatest, up to 6%. In comparison, the Eclipse GGPB algorithm
      had much worse agreement, with discrepancies up to 17% at the lowest energies. 

PMID- 26103475
TI  - Site-specific tolerance tables and indexing device to improve patient setup
      reproducibility.
AB  - While the implementation of tools such as image-guidance and immobilization
      devices have helped to prevent geometric misses in radiation therapy, many
      treatments remain prone to error if these items are not available, not utilized
      for every fraction, or are misused. The purpose of this project is to design a
      set of site-specific treatment tolerance tables to be applied to the treatment
      couch for use in a record and verify (R&V) system that will insure accurate
      patient setup with minimal workflow interruption. This project also called for
      the construction of a simple indexing device to help insure reproducible patient
      setup for patients that could not be indexed with existing equipment. The
      tolerance tables were created by retrospective analysis on a total of 66 patients
      and 1,308 treatments, separating them into five categories based on disease site:
      lung, head and neck (H&N), breast, pelvis, and abdomen. Couch parameter tolerance
      tables were designed to encompass 95% of treatments, and were generated by
      calculating the standard deviation of couch vertical, longitudinal, and lateral
      values using the first day of treatment as a baseline. We also investigated an
      alternative method for generating the couch tolerances by updating the baseline
      values when patient position was verified with image guidance. This was done in
      order to adapt the tolerances to any gradual changes in patient setup that would
      not correspond with a mistreatment. The tolerance tables and customizable
      indexing device were then implemented for a trial period in order to determine
      the feasibility of the system. During this trial period we collected data from
      1,054 fractions from 65 patients. We then analyzed the number of treatments that
      would have been out of tolerance, as well as whether or not the tolerances or
      setup techniques should be adjusted. When the couch baseline values were updated
      with every imaging fraction, the average rate of tolerance violations was 10% for
      the lung, H&N, abdomen, and pelvis treatments. Using the indexing device,
      tolerances for patients with pelvic disease decreased (e.g., from 5.3 cm to 4.3
      cm longitudinally). Unfortunately, the results from breast patients were highly
      variable due to the complexity of the setup technique, making the couch an
      inadequate surrogate for measuring setup accuracy. In summary, we have developed
      a method to turn the treatment couch parameters within the R&V system into a
      useful alert tool, which can be implemented at other institutions, in order to
      identify potential errors in patient setup. 

PMID- 26103476
TI  - Helical 4D CT pitch management for the Brilliance CT Big Bore in clinical
      practice.
AB  - In external beam radiotherapy treatment planning for patients with thoracic
      malignancies, respiratory-correlated CT (4D CT) is used to obtain high quality
      studies in the presence of respiratory motion. When helical 4D CT scans are
      acquired with a Brilliance CT Big Bore, the pitch must meet two conditions. It
      must be low enough to avoid motion artifacts, and high enough to cover the entire
      scan length within 120 s to prevent overheating of the X-ray tube. We developed a
      nomogram that can be used to obtain a suitable pitch satisfying both
      requirements. We also assessed the effects on the image quality of a pitch that
      exceeds the maximum pitch, and of a field of view (FOV) reduction. It was shown
      that, for AVG and MIP reconstructions, the manufacturer's maximum pitch equation
      yields an underestimation due to its FOV term. 

PMID- 26103477
TI  - In vivo endorectal dosimetry of prostate tomotherapy using dual MOSkin detectors.
AB  - Verification of dose to the anterior rectal wall in helical tomotherapy to the
      prostate is important due to the close proximity of the rectal wall to the
      treatment field. The steep dose gradient makes these measurements challenging. A
      phantom-based study was completed, aimed at developing a system for measurement
      of anterior rectal wall doses during hypofractionated prostate stereotactic body
      radiotherapy (SBRT) utilizing tomotherapy delivery. An array of four dual
      MOSkinTM dosimeters, spaced 1 cm apart, was placed on a replica Rectafix(r)
      immobilization spacer device. This Perspex probe is a more rigid alternative to
      rectal balloons, to improve geometric reproducibility. The doses at each point
      were measured in real time and compared to doses calculated by the treatment
      planning system (TPS). Additionally, distance-to-agreement (DTA) measurements
      were acquired to assist in the comparison of measured and predicted doses. All
      dual MOSkin detectors measured dose to within +/- 5% of the TPS at the anterior
      rectal wall. Whilst several points were outside of experimental error, the
      largest deviation from the TPS predicted dose represented a DTA of only 1.3 mm,
      within the acceptable DTA tolerance of 3 mm. Larger deviations of up to -11.9%
      were observed for the posterior and side walls; however, if acceptable DTA
      measurements are accounted for, then an agreement of 75% was observed. Although
      larger differences were observed at the other rectal wall locations, the overall
      effect of dose at these points was not as significant, given the lower doses.
      Despite the very high-dose gradient region, real-time measurements of the
      anterior rectal wall doses were within acceptable limits of TPS-predicted doses.
      The differences between measured and planned data were due to difficulties in
      precisely locating each detector on the TPS dose grid, which presented large
      variations in dose between CT voxels in regions of steep dose gradients. The dual
      MOSkin system would, therefore, be a useful device for detecting errors in real
      time, such as patient shifts or incorrect setup, during tomotherapy of the
      prostate. 

PMID- 26103478
TI  - Simulation of a medical linear accelerator for teaching purposes.
AB  - Simulation software for medical linear accelerators that can be used in a
      teaching environment was developed. The components of linear accelerators were
      modeled to first order accuracy using analytical expressions taken from the
      literature. The expressions used constants that were empirically set such that
      realistic response could be expected. These expressions were programmed in a
      MATLAB environment with a graphical user interface in order to produce an
      environment similar to that of linear accelerator service mode. The program was
      evaluated in a systematic fashion, where parameters affecting the clinical
      properties of medical linear accelerator beams were adjusted independently, and
      the effects on beam energy and dose rate recorded. These results confirmed that
      beam tuning adjustments could be simulated in a simple environment. Further,
      adjustment of service parameters over a large range was possible, and this allows
      the demonstration of linear accelerator physics in an environment accessible to
      both medical physicists and linear accelerator service engineers. In conclusion,
      a software tool, named SIMAC, was developed to improve the teaching of linear
      accelerator physics in a simulated environment. SIMAC performed in a similar
      manner to medical linear accelerators. The authors hope that this tool will be
      valuable as a teaching tool for medical physicists and linear accelerator service
      engineers. 

PMID- 26103479
TI  - Modeling a superficial radiotherapy X-ray source for relative dose calculations.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to empirically characterize and validate a
      kilovoltage (kV) X-ray beam source model of a superficial X-ray unit for relative
      dose calculations in water and assess the accuracy of the British Journal of
      Radiology Supplement 25 (BJR 25) percentage depth dose (PDD) data. We measured
      central axis PDDs and dose profiles using an Xstrahl 150 X-ray system. We also
      compared the measured and calculated PDDs to those in the BJR 25. The Xstrahl
      source was modeled as an effective point source with varying spatial fluence and
      spectra. In-air ionization chamber measurements were made along the x- and y-axes
      of the X-ray beam to derive the spatial fluence and half-value layer (HVL)
      measurements were made to derive the spatially varying spectra. This beam
      characterization and resulting source model was used as input for our in-house
      dose calculation software (kVDoseCalc) to compute radiation dose at points of
      interest (POIs). The PDDs and dose profiles were measured using 2, 5, and 15 cm
      cone sizes at 80, 120, 140, and 150 kVp energies in a scanning water phantom
      using IBA Farmer-type ionization chambers of volumes 0.65 and 0.13 cc,
      respectively. The percent difference in the computed PDDs compared with our
      measurements range from -4.8% to 4.8%, with an overall mean percent difference
      and standard deviation of 1.5% and 0.7%, respectively. The percent difference
      between our PDD measurements and those from BJR 25 range from -14.0% to 15.7%,
      with an overall mean percent difference and standard deviation of 4.9% and 2.1%,
      respectively - showing that the measurements are in much better agreement with
      kVDoseCalc than BJR 25. The range in percent difference between kVDoseCalc and
      measurement for profiles was -5.9% to 5.9%, with an overall mean percent
      difference and standard deviation of 1.4% and 1.4%, respectively. The results
      demonstrate that our empirically based X-ray source modeling approach for
      superficial X-ray therapy can be used to accurately compute relative dose in a
      homogeneous water-equivalent medium. They also show limitations in the accuracy
      of theBJR 25 PDD data. 

PMID- 26103480
TI  - An accurate algorithm to match imperfectly matched images for lung tumor
      detection without markers.
AB  - In order to locate lung tumors on kV projection images without internal markers,
      digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) are created and compared with
      projection images. However, lung tumors always move due to respiration and their
      locations change on projection images while they are static on DRRs. In addition,
      global image intensity discrepancies exist between DRRs and projections due to
      their different image orientations, scattering, and noises. This adversely
      affects comparison accuracy. A simple but efficient comparison algorithm is
      reported to match imperfectly matched projection images and DRRs. The kV
      projection images were matched with different DRRs in two steps. Preprocessing
      was performed in advance to generate two sets of DRRs. The tumors were removed
      from the planning 3D CT for a single phase of planning 4D CT images using
      planning contours of tumors. DRRs of background and DRRs of tumors were generated
      separately for every projection angle. The first step was to match projection
      images with DRRs of background signals. This method divided global images into a
      matrix of small tiles and similarities were evaluated by calculating normalized
      cross-correlation (NCC) between corresponding tiles on projections and DRRs. The
      tile configuration (tile locations) was automatically optimized to keep the tumor
      within a single projection tile that had a bad matching with the corresponding
      DRR tile. A pixel-based linear transformation was determined by linear
      interpolations of tile transformation results obtained during tile matching. The
      background DRRs were transformed to the projection image level and subtracted
      from it. The resulting subtracted image now contained only the tumor. The second
      step was to register DRRs of tumors to the subtracted image to locate the tumor.
      This method was successfully applied to kV fluoro images (about 1000 images)
      acquired on a Vero (BrainLAB) for dynamic tumor tracking on phantom studies.
      Radiation opaque markers were implanted and used as ground truth for tumor
      positions. Although other organs and bony structures introduced strong signals
      superimposed on tumors at some angles, this method accurately located tumors on
      every projection over 12 gantry angles. The maximum error was less than 2.2 mm,
      while the total average error was less than 0.9mm. This algorithm was capable of
      detecting tumors without markers, despite strong background signals. 

PMID- 26103481
TI  - Comparison between two different algorithms used for pretreatment QA via aSi
      portal images.
AB  - Several algorithms exist to perform quality assurance for volumetric-modulated
      arc therapy (VMAT) treatments based on electronic portal imaging devices (EPID).
      These algorithms are used to compare doses (convert into water, GLAaS) and
      fluences (in amorphous silicon (aSi), Varian portal dosimetry). The aim of this
      study is to compare the two methods using clinical data. In this study, Varian
      portal dosimetry (VPD) and Epiqa solutions were compared. We used a same set of
      patient images data treated with 6 MV and 20 MV photon energies and different
      locations. The response of the portal imaging device was also investigated with
      different field sizes, monitor units, dose rates, sag effect, and linac daily
      output. All images were acquired on an electronic portal imaging device (EPID)
      positioned at source detector distance (SDD) of 100 cm. A virtual water phantom
      was used for Epiqa to calculate the dose matrices at the maximum depth doses
      dmax. The 2D gamma evaluation index (GAI) was performed to quantitatively compare
      the results given by the two solutions. The response of the EPID gave a good
      agreement with Epiqa (deviation less than 1%) for MU greater than 20 for both 6
      MV and 20 MV photon energies. For VPD, the upward sloping trend showed a good
      agreement for MU higher than 50. Dose rate evaluations for both methods gave a
      deviation of, respectively, 0.4 and 0.5 % for 6 MV and 20 MV. The gamma criteria
      of 3 mm for distance to agreement and 3 % for dose difference was, as mean +/-
      1SD, 99.81% +/- 1.48% and 99.42% +/- 0.97% for VPD and Epiqa, respectively, for 6
      MV photon energy. The mean values of the gamma criteria for the collected data
      using 20 MV photon energy were, respectively, 98.33% +/- 2.41% and 98.12% +/-
      1.99% for VPD and Epiqa. The output constancy deviation correction (a 10 * 10cm2
      reference field plan to obtain absorbed dose despite the linac monitor daily
      variations) showed a mean deviation of, respectively, 0.07% +/- 0.57% and 0.16%
      +/- 1.38% for 6 MV and 20 MV photon energies. For sag effect, a slight
      improvement was noticed for realignment of the integrated image and was 0.25%+/-
      0.69% for 6 MV and 0.40% +/- 0.57% for 20 MV. The clinical data were used for
      pretreatment QA with the two systems, both VPD and Epiqa software, showed
      acceptable and similar results for low and high energies. Furthermore, Epiqa
      shows better linearity response for low MU. 

PMID- 26103483
TI  - A special report of current state of the medical physicist workforce - results of
      the 2012 ASTRO Comprehensive Workforce Study.
AB  - The medical physics profession is undergoing significant changes. Starting in
      2014, candidates registering for certification exams by the American Board of
      Radiology must have completed a CAMPEP-accredited residency. This requirement,
      along with tightened state regulations, uncertainty in future reimbursement, and
      a stronger emphasis on board certification, have raised questions concerning the
      state of the medical physics workforce and its ability to adapt to changing
      requirements. In 2012, ASTRO conducted a workforce study of the comprehensive
      field of radiation oncology. This article reviews the findings of the medical
      physics section of the study, including age and gender distribution, educational
      background, workload, and primary work setting. We also report on job
      satisfaction, the perceived supply and demand of medical physicists, and the
      medical physicists' main concerns pertaining to patient safety and quality
      assurance. 

PMID- 26103482
TI  - Flattening filter-free accelerators: a report from the AAPM Therapy Emerging
      Technology Assessment Work Group.
AB  - This report describes the current state of flattening filter-free (FFF)
      radiotherapy beams implemented on conventional linear accelerators, and is aimed
      primarily at practicing medical physicists. The Therapy Emerging Technology
      Assessment Work Group of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine
      (AAPM) formed a writing group to assess FFF technology. The published literature
      on FFF technology was reviewed, along with technical specifications provided by
      vendors. Based on this information, supplemented by the clinical experience of
      the group members, consensus guidelines and recommendations for implementation of
      FFF technology were developed. Areas in need of further investigation were
      identified. Removing the flattening filter increases beam intensity, especially
      near the central axis. Increased intensity reduces treatment time, especially for
      high-dose stereotactic radiotherapy/radiosurgery (SRT/SRS). Furthermore, removing
      the flattening filter reduces out-of-field dose and improves beam modeling
      accuracy. FFF beams are advantageous for small field (e.g., SRS) treatments and
      are appropriate for intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). For conventional 3D
      radiotherapy of large targets, FFF beams may be disadvantageous compared to
      flattened beams because of the heterogeneity of FFF beam across the target
      (unless modulation is employed). For any application, the nonflat beam
      characteristics and substantially higher dose rates require consideration during
      the commissioning and quality assurance processes relative to flattened beams,
      and the appropriate clinical use of the technology needs to be identified.
      Consideration also needs to be given to these unique characteristics when
      undertaking facility planning. Several areas still warrant further research and
      development. Recommendations pertinent to FFF technology, including acceptance
      testing, commissioning, quality assurance, radiation safety, and facility
      planning, are presented. Examples of clinical applications are provided. Several
      of the areas in which future research and development are needed are also
      indicated. 

PMID- 26103484
TI  - Breaking bad IMRT QA practice.
AB  - Agreement between planned and delivered dose distributions for patient-specific
      quality assurance in routine clinical practice is predominantly assessed
      utilizing the gamma index method. Several reports, however, fundamentally
      question current IMRT QA practice due to poor sensitivity and specificity of the
      standard gamma index implementation. An alternative is to employ dose volume
      histogram (DVH)-based metrics. An analysis based on the AAPM TG 53 and ESTRO
      booklet No.7 recommendations for QA of treatment planning systems reveals
      deficiencies in the current "state of the art" IMRT QA, no matter which metric is
      selected. The set of IMRT benchmark plans were planned, delivered, and analyzed
      by following guidance of the AAPM TG 119 report. The recommended point dose and
      planar dose measurements were obtained using a PinPoint ionization chamber, EDR2
      radiographic film, and a 2D ionization chamber array. Gamma index criteria {3%
      (global), 3 mm} and {3% (local), 3 mm} were used to assess the agreement between
      calculated and delivered planar dose distributions. Next, the AAPM TG 53 and
      ESTRO booklet No.7 recommendations were followed by dividing dose distributions
      into four distinct regions: the high-dose (HD) or umbra region, the high-gradient
      (HG) or penumbra region, the medium-dose (MD) region, and the low-dose (LD)
      region. A different gamma passing criteria was defined for each region, i.e., a
      "divide and conquer" (D&C) gamma method was utilized. The D&C gamma analysis was
      subsequently tested on 50 datasets of previously treated patients. Measured point
      dose and planar dose distributions compared favorably with TG 119 benchmark data.
      For all complex tests, the percentage of points passing the conventional {3%
      (global), 3 mm} gamma criteria was 97.2% +/- 3.2% and 95.7% +/- 1.2% for film and
      2D ionization chamber array, respectively. By dividing 2D ionization chamber
      array dose measurements into regions and applying 3mm isodose point distance and
      variable local point dose difference criteria of 7%, 15%, 25%, and 40% for HD,
      HG, MD, and LD regions, respectively, a 93.4% +/- 2.3% gamma passing rate was
      obtained. Identical criteria applied using the D&C gamma technique on 50 clinical
      treatment plans resulted in a 97.9% +/- 2.3% gamma passing score. Based on the TG
      119 standard, meeting or exceeding the benchmark results would indicate an
      exemplary IMRT QA program. In contrast to TG 119 analysis, a different scrutiny
      on the same set of data, which follows the AAPM TG 53 and ESTRO booklet No.7
      guidelines, reveals a much poorer agreement between calculated and measured dose
      distributions with large local point dose differences within different dose
      regions. This observation may challenge the conventional wisdom that an IMRT QA
      program is producing acceptable results. 

PMID- 26103485
TI  - Use of 3D printers to create a patient-specific 3D bolus for external beam
      therapy.
AB  - The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that an inexpensive 3D printer can be
      used to manufacture patient-specific bolus for external beam therapy, and to show
      we can accurately model this printed bolus in our treatment planning system for
      accurate treatment delivery. Percent depth-dose measurements and tissue maximum
      ratios were used to determine the characteristics of the printing materials,
      acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polylactic acid, as bolus material with
      physical density of 1.04 and 1.2 g/cm3, and electron density of 3.38 * 1023
      electrons/cm3 and 3.80 * 1023 electrons/ cm3, respectively. Dose plane
      comparisons using Gafchromic EBT2 film and the RANDO phantom were used to verify
      accurate treatment planning. We accurately modeled a printing material in Eclipse
      treatment planning system, assigning it a Hounsfield unit of 260. We were also
      able to verify accurate treatment planning using gamma analysis for dose plane
      comparisons. With gamma criteria of 5% dose difference and 2 mm DTA, we were able
      to have 86.5% points passing, and with gamma criteria of 5% dose difference and 3
      mm DTA, we were able to have 95% points passing. We were able to create a patient
      specific bolus using an inexpensive 3D printer and model it in our treatment
      planning system for accurate treatment delivery. 

PMID- 26103486
TI  - Evaluation of patient DVH-based QA metrics for prostate VMAT: correlation between
      accuracy of estimated 3D patient dose and magnitude of MLC misalignment.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of commercially available
      software, using patient DVH-based QA metrics, by investigating the correlation
      between estimated 3D patient dose and magnitude of MLC misalignments. We tested
      3DVH software with an ArcCHECK. Two different calculating modes of ArcCHECK
      Planned Dose Perturbation (ACPDP) were used: "Normal Sensitivity" and "High
      Sensitivity". Ten prostate cancer patients treated with hypofractionated VMAT
      (67.6 Gy/26 Fr) in our hospital were studied. For the baseline plan, we induced
      MLC errors (-0.75, -0.5, -0.25, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 mm for each single bank). We
      calculated the dose differences between the ACPDP dose with error and TPS dose
      with error using gamma passing rates and using DVH-based QA metrics. The
      correlations between dose estimation error and MLC position error varied with
      each structure and metric. A comparison using 1%/1 mm gamma index showed that the
      larger was the MLC error-induced, the worse were the gamma passing rates. Slopes
      of linear fit to dose estimation error versus MLC position error for mean dose
      and D95 to the PTV were 1.76 and 1.40% mm-1, respectively, for "Normal
      Sensitivity", and -0.53 and -0.88% mm-1, respectively, for "High Sensitivity",
      showing better accuracy for "High Sensitivity" than "Normal Sensitivity". On the
      other hand, the slopes for mean dose to the rectum and bladder, V35 to the rectum
      and bladder and V55 to the rectum and bladder, were -1.00, -0.55, -2.56, -1.25, 
      3.53, and -1.85%mm-1, respectively, for "Normal Sensitivity", and -2.89, -2.39, 
      4.54, -3.12, -6.24, and -4.11% mm-1, respectively, for "High Sensitivity",
      showing significant better accuracy for "Normal Sensitivity" than "High
      Sensitivity". Our results showed that 3DVH had some residual error for both
      sensitivities. Furthermore, we found that "Normal Sensitivity" might have better
      accuracy for the DVH metric for the PTV and that "High Sensitivity" might have
      better accuracy for DVH metrics for the rectum and bladder. We must be willing to
      tolerate this residual error in clinical care. 

PMID- 26103487
TI  - Potential systematic uncertainties in IGRT when FBCT reference images are used
      for pancreatic tumors.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to quantify the systematic uncertainties resulting
      from using free breathing computed tomography (FBCT) as a reference image for
      image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) for patients with pancreatic tumors, and to
      quantify the associated dosimetric impact that resulted from using FBCT as
      reference for IGRT. Fifteen patients with implanted fiducial markers were
      selected for this study. For each patient, a FBCT and an average intensity
      projection computed tomography (AIP) created from four-dimensional computed
      tomography (4D CT) were acquired at the simulation. The treatment plan was
      created based on the FBCT. Seventy-five weekly kilovoltage (kV) cone-beam
      computed tomography (CBCT) images (five for each patient) were selected for this
      study. Bony alignment without rotation correction was performed 1) between the
      FBCT and CBCT, 2) between the AIP and CBCT, and 3) between the AIP and FBCT. The
      contours of the fiducials from the FBCT and AIP were transferred to the
      corresponding CBCT and were compared. Among the 75 CBCTs, 20 that had > 3 mm
      differences in centers of mass (COMs) in any directions between the FBCT and AIP
      were chosen for further dosimetric analysis. These COM discrepancies were
      converted into isocenter shifts in the corresponding planning FBCT, and dose was
      recalculated and compared to the initial FBCT plans. For the 75 CBCTs studied,
      the mean absolute differences in the COMs of the fiducial markers between the
      FBCT and CBCTs were 3.3 mm +/- 2.5 mm, 3.5 mm +/- 2.4 mm, and 5.8 mm +/- 4.4 mm
      in the right-left (RL), anterior-posterior (AP), and superior-inferior (SI)
      directions, respectively. Between the AIP and CBCTs, the mean absolute
      differences were 3.2 mm +/- 2.2mm, 3.3 mm +/- 2.3 mm, and 6.3 mm +/- 5.4 mm. The
      absolute mean discrepancies in these COMs shifts between FBCT/CBCT and AIP/CBCT
      were 1.1 mm +/- 0.8 mm, 1.3 mm +/- 0.9 mm, and 3.3 mm +/- 2.6 mm in RL, AP, and
      SI, respectively. This represented a potential systematic error. For the 20 CBCTs
      that had COM discrepancies > 3 mm in any direction, the average reduction in
      planning target volume (PTV) coverage (PTV volume receiving 100% of prescription
      dose) was 5.3% +/- 3.1% (range: 0.7%-12.8%). Using FBCT as a reference for IGRT
      may introduce potential interfractional systematic COM shifts if the FBCT is
      acquired at a different breathing phase than the average breathing phase. The
      potential systematic error could be significant in the SI direction and varied
      among patients for the other directions. AIP is a better choice of reference
      image set for IGRT in order to correct interfractional variations due to
      respiratory motion and nonrespiratory organ displacement. 

PMID- 26103488
TI  - Is there a preferred IMRT technique for left-breast irradiation?
AB  - Not all clinics have breath-hold radiotherapy available for left-breast
      irradiation. However intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has also been
      advocated as a means of lowering heart doses. There is currently no large-scale,
      long-term follow-up data after breast IMRT and, since dose distributions may
      differ from classic tangent-based radiotherapy, caution is needed to avoid
      unexpected worsening of the late toxicity profile. We compared four IMRT
      techniques for free-breathing left-breast irradiation. Consistent with the
      aforementioned concerns, our goal in planning was to prioritize organ at risk
      (OAR) sparing in a way that mimicked tangent-based radiotherapy. Ten simultaneous
      integrated boost treatment plans (PTVelective = 15 * 2.67 Gy; PTVboost = 15 *
      3.35 Gy) were created using 1) hybrid-IMRT (H-IMRT), 2) full IMRT (F-IMRT), and
      3) volumetric-modulated arc therapy with two partial arcs (2ARC) and 4) six
      partial arcs (6ARC). Reduction in OAR mean and low dose was prioritized. End
      points included OAR sparing (e.g., heart, left anterior descending artery [LAD+3
      mm], lungs, and contralateral breast) and PTV coverage/dose homogeneity. Under
      these conditions we found the following: 1) H-IMRT provided the best mean and low
      dose OAR sparing, PTVelective coverage (mean V95% = 98%), PTVboost coverage (V95%
      = 98%), and PTV homogeneity. However, it delivered most intermediate-high dose to
      the heart, LAD+3 mm and ipsilateral lung; 2) 6ARC had the best intermediate-high
      dose sparing, followed by F-IMRT, but this was at the expense of more dose in the
      contralateral lung and breast and worse PTV coverage (PTVelective mean V95% =
      96%/97% and PTVboost mean V95% = 91%/96% for 6ARC/F-IMRT). When trying to spare
      mean and low dose to OARs, the preferred IMRT technique for left-breast
      irradiation without breath-hold was H-IMRT. This is currently the standard
      solution in our institution for left-breast radiotherapy under free-breathing and
      breath-hold conditions. 

PMID- 26103489
TI  - Dosimetric characterization of the M-15 high-dose-rate Iridium-192 brachytherapy
      source using the AAPM and ESTRO formalism.
AB  - The Source Production & Equipment Co. (SPEC) model M-15 is a new Iridium-192
      brachytherapy source model intended for use as a temporary high-dose-rate (HDR)
      brachytherapy source for the Nucletron microSelectron Classic afterloading
      system. The purpose of this study is to characterize this HDR source for clinical
      application by obtaining a complete set of Monte Carlo calculated dosimetric
      parameters for the M-15, as recommended by AAPM and ESTRO, for isotopes with
      average energies greater than 50 keV. This was accomplished by using the MCNP6
      Monte Carlo code to simulate the resulting source dosimetry at various points
      within a pseudoinfinite water phantom. These dosimetric values next were
      converted into the AAPM and ESTRO dosimetry parameters and the respective
      statistical uncertainty in each parameter also calculated and presented. The M-15
      source was modeled in an MCNP6 Monte Carlo environment using the physical source
      specifications provided by the manufacturer. Iridium-192 photons were uniformly
      generated inside the iridium core of the model M-15 with photon and secondary
      electron transport replicated using photoatomic cross-sectional tables supplied
      with MCNP6. Simulations were performed for both water and air/vacuum computer
      models with a total of 4 * 109 sources photon history for each simulation and the
      in-air photon spectrum filtered to remove low-energy photons belowdelta = 10 keV.
      Dosimetric data, including D.(r,theta), gL(r), F(r,theta), phian(r), and phi-an,
      and their statistical uncertainty were calculated from the output of an MCNP
      model consisting of an M-15 source placed at the center of a spherical water
      phantom of 100 cm diameter. The air kerma strength in free space, SK, and dose
      rate constant, Lambda, also was computed from a MCNP model with M-15 Iridium-192
      source, was centered at the origin of an evacuated phantom in which a critical
      volume containing air at STP was added 100 cm from the source center. The
      reference dose rate, D.(r0,theta0) = D. (1cm,pi/2), is found to be 4.038 +/-
      0.064 cGy mCi-1 h-1. The air kerma strength, SK, is reported to be 3.632 +/-
      0.086 cGy cm2 mCi-1 g-1, and the dose rate constant, Lambda, is calculated to be
      1.112 +/- 0.029 cGy h-1 U-1. The normalized dose rate, radial dose function, and
      anisotropy function with their uncertainties were computed and are represented in
      both tabular and graphical format in the report. A dosimetric study was performed
      of the new M-15 Iridium-192 HDR brachytherapy source using the MCNP6 radiation
      transport code. Dosimetric parameters, including the dose-rate constant, radial
      dose function, and anisotropy function, were calculated in accordance with the
      updated AAPM and ESTRO dosimetric parameters for brachytherapy sources of average
      energy greater than 50 keV. These data therefore may be applied toward the
      development of a treatment planning program and for clinical use of the source. 

PMID- 26103490
TI  - Anatomy-based, patient-specific VMAT QA using EPID or MLC log files.
AB  - In this project, we investigated the use of an electronic portal imaging device
      (EPID), together with the treatment planning system (TPS) and MLC log files, to
      determine the delivered doses to the patient and evaluate the agreement between
      the treatment plan and the delivered dose distribution. The QA analysis results
      are presented for 15 VMAT patients using the EPID measurements, the ScandiDos
      Delta4 dosimeter, and the beam fluence calculated from the multileaf collimator
      (MLC) log file. EPID fluence images were acquired in continuous acquisition mode
      for each of the patients and they were processed through an in-house MATLAB
      program to create an opening density matrix (ODM), which was used as the input
      fluence for the dose calculation in the TPS (Pinnacle3). The EPID used in this
      study was the aSi1000 Varian on a Novalis TX linac equipped with high-definition
      MLC. The actual MLC positions and gantry angles were retrieved from the MLC log
      files and the data were used to calculate the delivered dose distributions in
      Pinnacle. The resulting dose distributions were then compared against the
      corresponding planned dose distributions using the 3D gamma index with 3 mm/3%
      passing criteria. The ScandiDos Delta4 phantom was also used to measure a 2D dose
      distribution for all the 15 patients and a 2D gamma was calculated for each
      patient using the Delta4 software. The average 3D gamma using the EPID images was
      96.1% +/- 2.2%. The average 3D gamma using the log files was 98.7% +/- 0.5%. The
      average 2D gamma from the Delta4 was 98.1% +/- 2.1%. Our results indicate that
      the use of the EPID, combined with MLC log files and a TPS, is a viable method
      for QA of VMAT plans. 

PMID- 26103491
TI  - AAPM Medical Physics Practice Guideline 3.a: Levels of supervision for medical
      physicists in clinical training.
AB  - The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) is a nonprofit
      professional society whose primary purposes are to advance the science, education
      and professional practice of medical physics. The AAPM has more than 8,000
      members and is the principal organization of medical physicists in the United
      States.The AAPM will periodically define new practice guidelines for medical
      physics practice to help advance the science of medical physics and to improve
      the quality of service to patients throughout the United States. Existing medical
      physics practice guidelines will be reviewed for the purpose of revision or
      renewal, as appropriate, on their fifth anniversary or sooner.Each medical
      physics practice guideline represents a policy statement by the AAPM, has
      undergone a thorough consensus process in which it has been subjected to
      extensive review, and requires the approval of the Professional Council. The
      medical physics practice guidelines recognize that the safe and effective use of
      diagnostic and therapeutic radiology requires specific training, skills, and
      techniques, as described in each document. Reproduction or modification of the
      published practice guidelines and technical standards by those entities not
      providing these services is not authorized.The following terms are used in the
      AAPM practice guidelines:Must and Must Not: Used to indicate that adherence to
      the recommendation is considered necessary to conform to this practice
      guideline.Should and Should Not: Used to indicate a prudent practice to which
      exceptions may occasionally be made in appropriate circumstances. 

PMID- 26103493
TI  - Development of a novel remote-controlled and self-contained audiovisual-aided
      interactive system for immobilizing claustrophobic patients.
AB  - In radiotherapy, only a few immobilization systems, such as open-face mask and
      head mold with a bite plate, are available for claustrophobic patients with a
      certain degree of discomfort. The purpose of this study was to develop a remote
      controlled and self-contained audiovisual (AV)-aided interactive system with the
      iPad mini with Retina display for intrafractional motion management in brain/H&N
      (head and neck) radiotherapy for claustrophobic patients. The self-contained, AV
      aided interactive system utilized two tablet computers: one for AV-aided
      interactive guidance for the subject and the other for remote control by an
      operator. The tablet for audiovisual guidance traced the motion of a colored
      marker using the built-in front-facing camera, and the remote control tablet at
      the control room used infrastructure Wi-Fi networks for real-time communication
      with the other tablet. In the evaluation, a programmed QUASAR motion phantom was
      used to test the temporal and positional accuracy and resolution. Position data
      were also obtained from ten healthy volunteers with and without guidance to
      evaluate the reduction of intrafractional head motion in simulations of a
      claustrophobic brain or H&N case. In the phantom study, the temporal and
      positional resolution was 24 Hz and 0.2 mm. In the volunteer study, the average
      superior-inferior and right-left displacement was reduced from 1.9 mm to 0.3 mm
      and from 2.2 mm to 0.2 mm with AV-aided interactive guidance, respectively. The
      superior-inferior and right-left positional drift was reduced from 0.5 mm/min to
      0.1 mm/min and from 0.4 mm/min to 0.04 mm/min with audiovisual-aided interactive
      guidance. This study demonstrated a reduction in intrafractional head motion
      using a remote-controlled and self-contained AV-aided interactive system of iPad
      minis with Retina display, easily obtainable and cost-effective tablet computers.
      This approach can potentially streamline clinical flow for claustrophobic
      patients without a head mask and also allows patients to practice self-motion
      management before radiation treatment delivery. 

PMID- 26103492
TI  - Use of a novel two-dimensional ionization chamber array for pencil beam scanning
      proton therapy beam quality assurance.
AB  - The need to accurately and efficiently verify both output and dose profiles
      creates significant challenges in quality assurance of pencil beam scanning (PBS)
      proton delivery. A system for PBS QA has been developed that combines a new two
      dimensional ionization chamber array in a waterproof housing that is scanned in a
      water phantom. The MatriXX PT has the same detector array arrangement as the
      standard MatriXX(Evolution) but utilizes a smaller 2 mm plate spacing instead of
      5mm. Because the bias voltage of the MatriXX PT and Evolution cannot be changed,
      PPC40 and FC65-G ionization chambers were used to assess recombination effects.
      The PPC40 is a parallel plate chamber with an electrode spacing of 2mm, while the
      FC65-G is a Farmer chamber FC65-G with an electrode spacing of 2.8 mm. Three bias
      voltages (500, 200, and 100 V) were used for both detectors to determine which
      radiation type (continuous, pulse or pulse-scanned beam) could closely estimate
      Pion from the ratios of charges collected. In comparison with the
      MatriXX(Evolution), a significant improvement in measurement of absolute dose
      with the MatriXX PT was observed. While dose uncertainty of the
      MatriXX(Evolution) can be up to 4%, it is < 1% for the MatriXX PT. Therefore the
      MatriXX(Evolution) should not be used for QA of PBS for conditions in which ion
      recombination is not negligible. Farmer chambers should be used with caution for
      measuring the absolute dose of PBS beams, as the uncertainty of Pion can be > 1%;
      chambers with an electrode spacing of 2 mm or smaller are recommended.

PMID- 26103494
TI  - Effect of radiation dose reduction on image quality in adult head CT with noise
      suppressing reconstruction system with a 256 slice MDCT.
AB  - The purpose of our study was to investigate the effect of iterative
      reconstruction (IR) as a dose reduction system on the image quality (IQ) of the
      adult head computed tomography (CT) at various low-dose levels, and to identify
      ways of setting the amount of dose reduction. We performed two noncontrast low
      dose (LD) adult head CT protocols modified by lowering the tube current with IR
      which were decided in the light of a group of phantom studies. Two groups of
      patients, each 100 underwent noncontrast head CT with LD-I and LD-II,
      respectively. These groups were compared with 100 consecutive standard dose (STD)
      adult head CT protocol in terms of quantitative and qualitative IQ. The signal-to
      noise ratio (SNR) of the white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) and contrast-to
      noise ratio (CNR) values in the LD groups were higher than the STD group. The
      differences were statistically significant. When the STD and the LD groups were
      compared qualitatively, no significant differences were found in overall quality.
      By selecting the appropriate level of IR 34%, radiation dose reduction in adult
      head CT can be achieved without compromising IQ. 

PMID- 26103495
TI  - Tangent field technique of TomoDirect improves dose distribution for whole-breast
      irradiation.
AB  - TomoDirect (TD) is an intensity-modulated radiotherapy system that uses a fixed
      gantry angle instead of rotational beam delivery. Here, we investigated the
      effect of the multiple beam technique of TomoDirect on dose distribution compared
      with commonly-used tangential beams. We included 45 consecutive patients with
      right breast cancer who underwent postoperative radiotherapy in our institute in
      the present study. Clinical target volume (CTV) was the whole right breast. The
      planning target volume (PTV) was created by expanding the CTV by a 0.5 cm margin.
      Paired TD plans were generated for each patient; a two-beam plan using paired
      tangential beams and a six-beam plan with four additional beams with modified
      gantry angles of +/- 5 degrees  from the original tangential beam set. A
      prescribed dose of 50 Gy was defined for 50% isodoses of the PTV. The six-beam
      plan delivered significantly more homogeneous doses to the PTV than the two-beam
      plan; and the mean dose to the PTV in the six-beam plan more closely reflected
      the prescribed dose. V20Gy and mean dose to the right lung and mean dose to the
      whole body were also significantly decreased in the six-beam plan. However,
      duration of radiation exposure was 1 min longer in the six-beam plan than in the
      two-beam plan. The dose distribution to the target and organs at risk were
      improved with the six-beam plan relative to the two-beam plan without increasing
      the whole-body radiation dose. The six-beam plan using TD is a simple technique
      that can be routinely applied to whole-breast irradiation in clinical practice. 

PMID- 26103497
TI  - Portal dosimetry in wedged beams.
AB  - Portal dosimetry using electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) is often applied
      to verify high-energy photon beam treatments. Due to the change in photon energy
      spectrum, the resulting dose values are, however, not very accurate in the case
      of wedged beams if the pixel-to-dose conversion for the situation without wedge
      is used. A possible solution would be to consider a wedged beam as another photon
      beam quality requiring separate beam modeling of the dose calculation algorithm.
      The aim of this study was to investigate a more practical solution: to make aSi
      EPID-based dosimetry models also applicable for wedged beams without an extra
      commissioning effort of the parameters of the model. For this purpose two energy
      dependent wedge multiplication factors have been introduced to be applied for
      portal images taken with and without a patient/phantom in the beam. These wedge
      multiplication factors were derived from EPID and ionization chamber measurements
      at the EPID level for wedged and nonwedged beams, both with and without a
      polystyrene slab phantom in the beam. This method was verified for an EPID
      dosimetry model used for wedged beams at three photon beam energies (6, 10, and
      18 MV) by comparing dose values reconstructed in a phantom with data provided by
      a treatment planning system (TPS), as a function of field size, depth, and off
      axis distance. Generally good agreement, within 2%, was observed for depths
      between dose maximum and 15 cm. Applying the new model to EPID dose measurements
      performed during ten breast cancer patient treatments with wedged 6 MV photon
      beams showed that the average isocenter underdosage of 5.3% was reduced to 0.4%.
      Gamma-evaluation (global 3%/3 mm) of these in vivo data showed an increase in
      percentage of points with gamma <= 1 from 60.2% to 87.4%, while gammamean reduced
      from 1.01 to 0.55. It can be concluded that, for wedged beams, the multiplication
      of EPID pixel values with an energy-dependent correction factor provides good
      agreement between dose values determined by an EPID and a TPS, indicating the
      usefulness of such a practical solution. 

PMID- 26103496
TI  - Evaluation of the scatter doses in the direction of the buccal mucosa from dental
      metals.
AB  - The presence of dental metals creates radiation dose perturbation due to
      scattered radiation during radiation therapy for the head and neck region. The
      purpose of our study was to compare the scatter doses resulting from various
      dental metals in the direction of the buccal mucosa among a single-field
      technique, three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D CRT), and intensity
      modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) during radiation therapy for the head and neck
      region. We used nine metal cubes with 10 mm sides, which were placed inside a
      water phantom. The scatter doses from the cubes in the direction of the buccal
      mucosa were measured using radiochromic films. The films were placed
      perpendicularly to the surface of the cubes. The phantom was irradiated with a 4
      MV photon energy by a linear accelerator for all techniques. In the single-field
      technique, the scatter doses from dental metals showed 3.7%-19.3% dose increases,
      and gold showed the largest dose increase. In 3D CRT, the scatter doses from
      dental metals showed 1.4%-6.9% dose increases, which were within the measurement
      uncertainty (except for gold). In IMRT, the scatter doses from dental metals
      showed only 1.4%-4.3% dose increases, which were all within the measurement
      uncertainty. During radiation therapy for the head and neck region, the scatter
      doses from the tested dental metals in the direction of the buccal mucosa in 3D
      CRT or IMRT were lower than those using the single-field technique. However,
      there were no differences between the scatter doses resulting from particular
      dental metals in the direction of the buccal mucosa in 3D CRT and those in IMRT,
      except for gold. 

PMID- 26103498
TI  - AutoLock: a semiautomated system for radiotherapy treatment plan quality control.
AB  - A semiautomated system for radiotherapy treatment plan quality control (QC),
      named AutoLock, is presented. AutoLock is designed to augment treatment plan QC
      by automatically checking aspects of treatment plans that are well suited to
      computational evaluation, whilst summarizing more subjective aspects in the form
      of a checklist. The treatment plan must pass all automated checks and all
      checklist items must be acknowledged by the planner as correct before the plan is
      finalized. Thus AutoLock uniquely integrates automated treatment plan QC, an
      electronic checklist, and plan finalization. In addition to reducing the
      potential for the propagation of errors, the integration of AutoLock into the
      plan finalization workflow has improved efficiency at our center. Detailed audit
      data are presented, demonstrating that the treatment plan QC rejection rate fell
      by around a third following the clinical introduction of AutoLock. 

PMID- 26103499
TI  - Radiographic film dosimetry of proton beams for depth-dose constancy check and
      beam profile measurement.
AB  - Radiographic film dosimetry suffers from its energy dependence in proton
      dosimetry. This study sought to develop a method of measuring proton beams by the
      film and to evaluate film response to proton beams for the constancy check of
      depth dose (DD). It also evaluated the film for profile measurements. To achieve
      this goal, from DDs measured by film and ion chamber (IC), calibration factors
      (ratios of dose measured by IC to film responses) as a function of depth in a
      phantom were obtained. These factors imply variable slopes (with proton energy
      and depth) of linear characteristic curves that relate film response to dose. We
      derived a calibration method that enables utilization of the factors for
      acquisition of dose from film density measured at later dates by adapting to a
      potentially altered processor condition. To test this model, the characteristic
      curve was obtained by using EDR2 film and in-phantom film dosimetry in parallel
      with a 149.65 MeV proton beam, using the method. An additional validation of the
      model was performed by concurrent film and IC measurement perpendicular to the
      beam at various depths. Beam profile measurements by the film were also evaluated
      at the center of beam modulation. In order to interpret and ascertain the film
      dosimetry, Monte Carlos simulation of the beam was performed, calculating the
      proton fluence spectrum along depths and off-axis distances. By multiplying
      respective stopping powers to the spectrum, doses to film and water were
      calculated. The ratio of film dose to water dose was evaluated. Results are as
      follows. The characteristic curve proved the assumed linearity. The measured DD
      approached that of IC, but near the end of the spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP), a
      spurious peak was observed due to the mismatch of distal edge between the
      calibration and measurement films. The width of SOBP and the proximal edge were
      both reproducible within a maximum of 5mm; the distal edge was reproducible
      within 1 mm. At 5 cm depth, the dose was reproducible within 10%. These large
      discrepancies were identified to have been contributed by film processor
      uncertainty across a layer of film and the misalignment of film edge to the
      frontal phantom surface. The deviations could drop from 5 to 2 mm in SOBP and
      from 10% to 4.5% at 5 cm depth in a well-controlled processor condition(i.e.,
      warm up). In addition to the validation of the calibration method done by the DD
      measurements, the concurrent film and IC measurement independently validated the
      model by showing the constancy of depth-dependent calibration factors. For
      profile measurement, the film showed good agreement with ion chamber measurement.
      In agreement with the experimental findings, computationally obtained ratio of
      film dose to water dose assisted understanding of the trend of the film response
      by revealing relatively large and small variances of the response for DD and beam
      profile measurements, respectively. Conclusions are as follows. For proton beams,
      radiographic film proved to offer accurate beam profile measurements. The
      adaptive calibration method proposed in this study was validated. Using the
      method, film dosimetry could offer reasonably accurate DD constancy checks, when
      provided with a well-controlled processor condition. Although the processor
      warming up can promote a uniform processing across a single layer of the film,
      the processing remains as a challenge. 

PMID- 26103500
TI  - Volumetric-modulated arc therapy planning using multicriteria optimization for
      localized prostate cancer.
AB  - The purpose of this work is to evaluate the volumetric-modulated arc therapy
      (VMAT) multicriteria optimization (MCO) algorithm clinically available in the
      RayStation treatment planning system (TPS) and its ability to reduce treatment
      planning time while providing high dosimetric plan quality. Nine patients with
      localized prostate cancer who were previously treated with 78 Gy in 39 fractions
      using VMAT plans and rayArc system based on the direct machine parameter
      optimization (DMPO) algorithm were selected and replanned using the VMAT-MCO
      system. First, the dosimetric quality of the plans was evaluated using multiple
      conformity metrics that account for target coverage and sparing of healthy
      tissue, used in our departmental clinical protocols. The conformity and
      homogeneity index, number of monitor units, and treatment planning time for both
      modalities were assessed. Next, the effects of the technical plan parameters,
      such as constraint leaf motion CLM (cm/ degrees ) and maximum arc delivery time T
      (s), on the accuracy of delivered dose were evaluated using quality assurance
      passing rates (QAs) measured using the Delta4 phantom from ScandiDos. For the
      dosimetric plan's quality analysis, the results show that the VMAT-MCO system
      provides plans comparable to the rayArc system with no statistical difference for
      V95% (p < 0.01), D1% (p < 0.01), CI (p < 0.01), and HI (p < 0.01) of the PTV,
      bladder (p < 0.01), and rectum (p < 0.01) constraints, except for the femoral
      heads and healthy tissues, for which a dose reduction was observed using MCO
      compared with rayArc (p < 0.01). The technical parameter study showed that a
      combination of CLM equal to 0.5 cm/degree and a maximum delivery time of 72 s
      allowed the accurate delivery of the VMAT-MCO plan on the Elekta Versa HD linear
      accelerator. Planning evaluation and dosimetric measurements showed that VMAT-MCO
      can be used clinically with the advantage of enhanced planning process efficiency
      by reducing the treatment planning time without impairing dosimetric quality. 

PMID- 26103501
TI  - Evaluation of Dosimetry Check software for IMRT patient-specific quality
      assurance.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of the Dosimetry Check system
      for patient-specific IMRT QA. Typical QA methods measure the dose in an array
      dosimeter surrounded by homogenous medium for which the treatment plan has been
      recomputed. With the Dosimetry Check system, fluence measurements acquired on a
      portal dosimeter is applied to the patient's CT scans. Instead of making dose
      comparisons in a plane, Dosimetry Check system produces isodose lines and dose
      volume histograms based on the planning CT images. By exporting the dose
      distribution from the treatment planning system into the Dosimetry Check system,
      one is able to make a direct comparison between the calculated dose and the
      planned dose. The versatility of the software is evaluated with respect to the
      two IMRT techniques - step and shoot and volumetric arc therapy. The system
      analyzed measurements made using EPID, PTW seven29, and IBA MatriXX, and an
      intercomparison study was performed. Plans from patients previously treated at
      our institution with treated anatomical site on brain, head & neck, liver, lung,
      and prostate were analyzed using Dosimetry Check system for any anatomical site
      dependence. We have recommendations and possible precautions that may be
      necessary to ensure proper QA with the Dosimetry Check system. 

PMID- 26103502
TI  - Medical Physics Practice Guideline 4.a: Development, implementation, use and
      maintenance of safety checklists.
AB  - The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) is a nonprofit
      professional society whose primary purposes are to advance the science, education
      and professional practice of medical physics. The AAPM has more than 8,000
      members and is the principal organization of medical physicists in the United
      States.The AAPM will periodically define new practice guidelines for medical
      physics practice to help advance the science of medical physics and to improve
      the quality of service to patients throughout the United States. Existing medical
      physics practice guidelines will be reviewed for the purpose of revision or
      renewal, as appropriate, on their fifth anniversary or sooner.Each medical
      physics practice guideline represents a policy statement by the AAPM, has
      undergone a thorough consensus process in which it has been subjected to
      extensive review, and requires the approval of the Professional Council. The
      medical physics practice guidelines recognize that the safe and effective use of
      diagnostic and therapeutic radiology requires specific training, skills, and
      techniques, as described in each document. Reproduction or modification of the
      published practice guidelines and technical standards by those entities not
      providing these services is not authorized.The following terms are used in the
      AAPM practice guidelines:Must and Must Not: Used to indicate that adherence to
      the recommendation is considered necessary to conform to this practice
      guideline.Should and Should Not: Used to indicate a prudent practice to which
      exceptions may occasionally be made in appropriate circumstances. 

PMID- 26103503
TI  - First experiences in using a dose control system on a TomoTherapy Hi.Art II.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a dose control system
      (DCS) servo installed on two fully commissioned TomoTherapy Hi.Art II treatment
      units. This servo is designed to actively adjust machine parameters to control
      the output variation of a tomotherapy unit to within +/- 0.5% of the nominal dose
      rate. Machine output, dose rate, and patient-specific quality assurance data were
      retrospectively analyzed for periods prior to and following the installation of
      the servo system. Quality assurance tests indicate a reduction in the rotational
      variation of the output during a procedure, where the peak-to-peak amplitude of
      the variation was +/- 1.30 prior to DCS and equal to +/- 0.4 with DCS. Comparing
      two tomotherapy unit static outputs over four years the percentage error was
      1.05% +/- 0.7% and -0.4% +/- 0.66% and, once DCS was installed, was reduced to 
      0.22% +/- 0.29% and -0.08% +/- 0.16%. The results of the quality assurance tests
      indicate that the dose control system reduced the output variation of each
      machine for both static and rotational delivery, leading to an improvement in the
      overall performance of the machine and providing greater certainty in treatment
      delivery. 

PMID- 26103504
TI  - A Web application for the management of clinical workflow in image-guided and
      adaptive proton therapy for prostate cancer treatments.
AB  - Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), based on radiopaque markers placed in the
      prostate gland, was used for proton therapy of prostate patients. Orthogonal X
      rays and the IBA Digital Image Positioning System (DIPS) were used for setup
      correction prior to treatment and were repeated after treatment delivery.
      Following a rationale for margin estimates similar to that of van Herk,(1) the
      daily post-treatment DIPS data were analyzed to determine if an adaptive
      radiotherapy plan was necessary. A Web application using ASP.NET MVC5, Entity
      Framework, and an SQL database was designed to automate this process. The
      designed features included state-of-the-art Web technologies, a domain model
      closely matching the workflow, a database-supporting concurrency and data mining,
      access to the DIPS database, secured user access and roles management, and
      graphing and analysis tools. The Model-View-Controller (MVC) paradigm allowed
      clean domain logic, unit testing, and extensibility. Client-side technologies,
      such as jQuery, jQuery Plug-ins, and Ajax, were adopted to achieve a rich user
      environment and fast response. Data models included patients, staff, treatment
      fields and records, correction vectors, DIPS images, and association logics. Data
      entry, analysis, workflow logics, and notifications were implemented. The system
      effectively modeled the clinical workflow and IGRT process. 

PMID- 26103507
TI  - Retraction Notice: Reducing motion artifacts in 4D MR images using principal
      component analysis (PCA) combined with linear polynomial fitting model.

PMID- 26103506
TI  - Proton-beam therapy: are physicists ignoring clinical realities?

PMID- 26103508
TI  - A Life of Service: Lawrence Williams (Larry) Berkley.

PMID- 26103510
TI  - Bis(sigma-B-H) complexes of copper(i): precursors to a heterogeneous amine-borane
      dehydrogenation catalyst.
AB  - A series of bis(sigma-B-H) complexes of copper(i) have been prepared by
      displacement of arene solvent from a beta-diketiminate copper(i) complex by four
      coordinate boranes, H3B-L (L = NMe3, lutidine). In the presence of the same
      copper arene complex, the secondary amine-borane H3B-NMe2H undergoes
      dehydrogenation. We provide evidence for formation of a heterogengous catalyst
      from decomposition of the solution species. 

PMID- 26103511
TI  - Negative Capacitance in Organic/Ferroelectric Capacitor to Implement Steep
      Switching MOS Devices.
AB  - Because of the "Boltzmann tyranny" (i.e., the nonscalability of thermal voltage),
      a certain minimum gate voltage in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices is
      required for a 10-fold increase in drain-to-source current. The subthreshold
      slope (SS) in MOS devices is, at best, 60 mV/decade at 300 K. Negative
      capacitance in organic/ferroelectric materials is proposed in order to address
      this physical limitation in MOS technology. Here, we experimentally demonstrate
      the steep switching behavior of a MOS device-that is, SS ~ 18 mV/decade (much
      less than 60 mV/decade) at 300 K-by taking advantage of negative capacitance in a
      MOS gate stack. This negative capacitance, originating from the dynamics of the
      stored energy in a phase transition of a ferroelectric material, can achieve the
      step-up conversion of internal voltage (i.e., internal voltage amplification in a
      MOS device). With the aid of a series-connected negative capacitor as an
      assistive device, the surface potential in the MOS device becomes higher than the
      applied gate voltage, so that a SS of 18 mV/decade at 300 K is reliably observed.

PMID- 26103512
TI  - Integration of DNA bio-gates and duplex-specific nuclease signal amplification:
      towards electrochemiluminescence detection of survivin mRNA.
AB  - Using the DNA bio-gate and duplex-specific nuclease assisted target recycling, a
      facile electrochemiluminescence assay was developed for the sensitive detection
      of survivin mRNA. 

PMID- 26103513
TI  - Behavior of Early Warnings near the Critical Temperature in the Two-Dimensional
      Ising Model.
AB  - Among the properties that are common to complex systems, the presence of critical
      thresholds in the dynamics of the system is one of the most important. Recently,
      there has been interest in the universalities that occur in the behavior of
      systems near critical points. These universal properties make it possible to
      estimate how far a system is from a critical threshold. Several early-warning
      signals have been reported in time series representing systems near catastrophic
      shifts. The proper understanding of these early-warnings may allow the prediction
      and perhaps control of these dramatic shifts in a wide variety of systems. In
      this paper we analyze this universal behavior for a system that is a paradigm of
      phase transitions, the Ising model. We study the behavior of the early-warning
      signals and the way the temporal correlations of the system increase when the
      system is near the critical point. 

PMID- 26103514
TI  - Learning Environment, Preparedness and Satisfaction in Osteopathy in Europe: The
      PreSS Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: 1) to assess the preparedness to practice and satisfaction in learning
      environment amongst new graduates from European osteopathic institutions; 2) to
      compare the results of preparedness to practice and satisfaction in learning
      environment between and within countries where osteopathy is regulated and where
      regulation is still to be achieved; 3) to identify possible correlations between
      learning environment and preparedness to practice. METHOD: Osteopathic education
      providers of full-time education located in Europe were enrolled, and their final
      year students were contacted to complete a survey. Measures used were: Dundee
      Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM), the Association of American
      Medical Colleges (AAMC) and a demographic questionnaire. Scores were compared
      across institutions using one-way ANOVA and generalised linear model. RESULTS:
      Nine European osteopathic education institutions participated in the study (4
      located in Italy, 2 in the UK, 1 in France, 1 in Belgium and 1 in the
      Netherlands) and 243 (77%) of their final-year students completed the survey. The
      DREEM total score mean was 121.4 (SEM: 1.66) whilst the AAMC was 17.58
      (SEM:0.35). A generalised linear model found a significant association between
      not-regulated countries and total score as well as subscales DREEM scores
      (p<0.001). Learning environment and preparedness to practice were significantly
      positively correlated (r=0.76; p<0.01). DISCUSSION: A perceived higher level of
      preparedness and satisfaction was found amongst students from osteopathic
      institutions located in countries without regulation compared to those located in
      countries where osteopathy is regulated; however, all institutions obtained a
      'more positive than negative' result. Moreover, in general, cohorts with fewer
      than 20 students scored significantly higher compared to larger student cohorts.
      Finally, an overall positive correlation between students' preparedness and
      satisfaction were found across all institutions recruited.

PMID- 26103515
TI  - Uranium-mediated oxidative addition and reductive elimination.
AB  - Oxidative addition, and its reverse reaction reductive elimination, constitute
      two key reactions that underpin organometallic chemistry and catalysis. Although
      these reactions have been known for decades in main group and transition metal
      systems, they are exceptionally rare or unknown for the f-block. However, in
      recent years much progress has been made. In this Perspective article, advances
      in uranium-mediated oxidative addition/reductive elimination, since the point
      that this research area was initiated in the early-1980s, are summarised. We
      principally divide the Perspective into two parts of oxidative addition and
      reductive elimination, along with a separate section concerning reactions where
      there is no change of uranium oxidation state in reactant and product but the
      reaction has the formal appearance of a 'concerted' reductive
      elimination/oxidative addition from the perspective of the net result. This body
      of work highlights that whilst uranium is capable of performing reactions that to
      some extent conform to traditional reactivity types, novel reactivity that has no
      counterpart anywhere else can be performed, thus adding to the rich palate of
      redox chemistry that uranium can mediate. 

PMID- 26103516
TI  - Treatment of Solitary Painful Osseous Metastases with Radiotherapy, Cryoablation
      or Combined Therapy: Propensity Matching Analysis in 175 Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: aim of this study was to identify outcomes in pain relief and quality of
      life in patients with a solitary painful osseous metastasis treated by
      radiotherapy, cryoablation or the combination using a propensity score matching
      study design. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 175 patients with painful bone metastases
      were included in the study. Twenty-five of them underwent a radiation course (20
      Gy in five daily fractions) 15 days after the cryoablation. These subjects were
      retrospectively matched by propensity analysis with a group of subjects treated
      by radiotherapy (125 subjects) and with a group treated byCryoablation (25
      subjects). The pain relief in terms of complete response, rate of subjects
      requiring analgesics after treatments and the changes in self-rated quality of
      life were measured. Informed consent was obtained from the subject and the study
      was approved by the local Ethical Committee. RESULTS: An higher proportion of
      subjects treated by cryoablation (32%) or cryoablation followed by RT (72%;)
      experienced a complete response compared with patients treated by radiotherapy
      alone (11.2%). After Bonferroni correction strategy, the addition of radiotherapy
      to cryoablation significantly improved the rate of complete response compared
      with cryoablation alone (p = 0.011) and this paralleled with an improved self
      rated quality of life. Seventeen subjects (13.6%) of patients in the radiotherapy
      group, 9 (36%) in the cryoablation group, and 19 (76)% in the cryoablation-
      radiotherapy group did not require narcotic medications. CONCLUSIONS: The
      addition of radiotherapy to cryoablation favorably impacts on perceived pain,
      with a favorable toxicity profile. However, our data should be interpreted with
      caution and could serve as a framework around which to design future trials.

PMID- 26103517
TI  - Koumine, Humantenine, and Yohimbane Alkaloids from Gelsemium elegans.
AB  - Nine new alkaloids of the koumine (1-4), humantenine (5-7), and yohimbane (8, 9)
      types as well as 12 known analogues were isolated from the leaves and vine stems
      of Gelsemium elegans. Compound 1 is the first N-4-demethyl alkaloid of the
      koumine type, compound 7 is the first nor-humantenine alkaloid, and compounds 8
      and 9 are the first N-1-oxide and the first seco-E-ring alkaloids, respectively,
      of the yohimbane type. Compounds 1 and 7 exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against
      five human tumor cell lines with IC50 values in the range 4.6-9.3 MUM. 

PMID- 26103519
TI  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis class II apurinic/apyrimidinic-endonuclease/3'-5'
      exonuclease III exhibits DNA regulated modes of interaction with the sliding DNA
      beta-clamp.
AB  - The class-II AP-endonuclease (XthA) acts on abasic sites of damaged DNA in
      bacterial base excision repair. We identified that the sliding DNA beta-clamp
      forms in vivo and in vitro complexes with XthA in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A
      novel 239 QLRFPKK245 motif in the DNA-binding domain of XthA was found to be
      important for the interactions. Likewise, the peptide binding-groove (PBG) and
      the C-terminal of beta-clamp located on different domains interact with XthA. The
      beta-clamp-XthA complex can be disrupted by clamp binding peptides and also by a
      specific bacterial clamp inhibitor that binds at the PBG. We also identified that
      beta-clamp stimulates the activities of XthA primarily by increasing its affinity
      for the substrate and its processivity. Additionally, loading of the beta-clamp
      onto DNA is required for activity stimulation. A reduction in XthA activity
      stimulation was observed in the presence of beta-clamp binding peptides
      supporting that direct interactions between the proteins are necessary to cause
      stimulation. Finally, we found that in the absence of DNA, the PBG located on the
      second domain of the beta-clamp is important for interactions with XthA, while
      the C-terminal domain predominantly mediates functional interactions in the
      substrate's presence. 

PMID- 26103520
TI  - Mycophenolate mofetil for treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host
      disease after pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
AB  - A standard treatment is yet to be established for steroid-refractory acute aGVHD
      following HSCT. The effects of MMF have not been well studied in children with
      aGVHD. We evaluated the effectiveness of oral MMF in 14 children with steroid
      refractory aGVHD (grade II in one patient, grade III to IV in 13 patients). The
      median initial dose of MMF was 40 mg/kg/day (range, 30-74) and was increased by
      1.5-2 times if manifestations of GVHD did not improve. Within four wk of
      treatment, seven patients (50%) achieved CR, and four (29%) had a PR. Within
      eight wk, 11 patients (79%) achieved CR without using additional agents. Overall,
      12 patients are alive and in remission with a median follow-up of 35 months
      (range, 14-86). The median maximum dose of MMF was 60 mg/kg/day (range, 34-107).
      No fatal toxicity was observed, including MMF-related infections. MMF appears to
      be highly effective for steroid-refractory aGVHD when used at a higher dose than
      has been described previously. Larger studies and pharmacokinetic analysis are
      required to evaluate its efficacy and toxicity and find the optimal dose of MMF
      in children.

PMID- 26103521
TI  - Ferromagnetic Coupling in "Double-Bridged" Dihydrogenpyrophosphate Complexes of
      Cobalt(II) and Nickel(II).
AB  - Three isostructural compounds of the formula {[M(bipy)(H2O)(H2P2O7)]2.2H2O} [bipy
      = 2,2'-bipyridine; M = Ni (1), Co (2), Mn (3)] have been isolated from aqueous
      solutions containing the corresponding metal(II) chloride hydrate with a bipy and
      sodium pyrophosphate solution in a 1:1:2 molar ratio, and their structures were
      determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structures of 1-3 consist of
      neutral aqua(2,2'-bipyridine)metal(II) dinuclear units bridged by two
      dihydrogenpyrophosphate groups adopting a bidentate/monodentate mode. Each metal
      ion in 1-3 is six-coordinate in a distorted octahedral geometry, with the reduced
      value of the angle subtended by the chelating bipy at the metal ion [79.6(1)
      degrees  (1), 77.32(7) degrees  (2), and 72.9(1) degrees  (3)] being the main
      source of this distortion. The values of the intramolecular metal-metal
      separation are 5.271(1) A (1), 5.3065(8) A (2), and 5.371(1) A (3). Magnetic
      susceptibility measurements on polycrystalline samples of 1-3 in the temperature
      range 1.9-300 K shows weak intramolecular ferromagnetic [J = +1.86(2) cm(-1) (1)
      and +0.25(1) cm(-1) (2)] and antiferromagnetic [J = -0.48(1) cm(-1) (3)]
      coupling, with the spin Hamiltonian being defined as H = -JSM1.SM1a. This rarely
      observed coordination mode for dihydrogenpyrophosphate leads to ferromagnetic
      coupling in complexes of nickel(II) or cobalt(II). 

PMID- 26103522
TI  - Total Synthesis of Proposed Structure of Yuremamine and All Diastereomers Using
      [3+2]-Cycloaddition of Platinum-Containing Azomethine Ylide.
AB  - Total synthesis of the proposed structure of yuremamine has been achieved for the
      first time based on the intermolecular [3+2]-cycloaddition reaction of the
      platinum-containing azomethine ylide. All the possible diastereomers of
      yuremamine were also synthesized via the common intermediate. Through these
      syntheses, it was confirmed that the proposed structure of yuremamine and the
      diastereomers differ from the natural product. 

PMID- 26103524
TI  - Hydrogen-Bonding Toughened Hydrogels and Emerging CO2-Responsive Shape Memory
      Effect.
AB  - A double hydrogen bonding (DHB) hydrogel is constructed by copolymerization of 2
      vinyl-4,6-diamino-1,3,5-triazine (hydrophobic hydrogen bonding monomer) and N,N
      dimethylacrylamide (hydrophilic hydrogen bonding monomer) with polyethylene
      glycol diacrylates. The DHB hydrogels demonstrate tunable robust mechanical
      properties by varying the ratio of hydrogen bonding monomer or crosslinker.
      Importantly, because of synergistic energy dissipating mechanism of strong
      diaminotriazine (DAT) hydrogen bonding and weak amide hydrogen bonding, the DHB
      hydrogels exhibit high toughness (up to 2.32 kJ m(-2)), meanwhile maintaining 0.7
      MPa tensile strength, 130% elongation at break, and 8.3 MPa compressive strength.
      Moreover, rehydration can help to recover the mechanical properties of the cyclic
      loaded-unloaded gels. Attractively, the DHB hydrogels are responsive to CO2 in
      water, and demonstrate unprecedented CO2-triggered shape memory behavior owing to
      the reversible destruction and reconstruction of DAT hydrogen bonding upon
      passing and degassing CO2 without introducing external acid. The CO2 triggering
      mechanism may point out a new approach to fabricate shape memory hydrogels.

PMID- 26103523
TI  - Repetitive stimulation of autophagy-lysosome machinery by intermittent fasting
      preconditions the myocardium to ischemia-reperfusion injury.
AB  - Autophagy, a lysosomal degradative pathway, is potently stimulated in the
      myocardium by fasting and is essential for maintaining cardiac function during
      prolonged starvation. We tested the hypothesis that intermittent fasting protects
      against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury via transcriptional stimulation of
      the autophagy-lysosome machinery. Adult C57BL/6 mice subjected to 24-h periods of
      fasting, every other day, for 6 wk were protected from in-vivo ischemia
      reperfusion injury on a fed day, with marked reduction in infarct size in both
      sexes as compared with nonfasted controls. This protection was lost in mice
      heterozygous null for Lamp2 (coding for lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2),
      which demonstrate impaired autophagy in response to fasting with accumulation of
      autophagosomes and SQSTM1, an autophagy substrate, in the heart. In lamp2 null
      mice, intermittent fasting provoked progressive left ventricular dilation,
      systolic dysfunction and hypertrophy; worsening cardiomyocyte autophagosome
      accumulation and lack of protection to ischemia-reperfusion injury, suggesting
      that intact autophagy-lysosome machinery is essential for myocardial homeostasis
      during intermittent fasting and consequent ischemic cardioprotection. Fasting and
      refeeding cycles resulted in transcriptional induction followed by downregulation
      of autophagy-lysosome genes in the myocardium. This was coupled with fasting
      induced nuclear translocation of TFEB (transcription factor EB), a master
      regulator of autophagy-lysosome machinery; followed by rapid decline in nuclear
      TFEB levels with refeeding. Endogenous TFEB was essential for attenuation of
      hypoxia-reoxygenation-induced cell death by repetitive starvation, in neonatal
      rat cardiomyocytes, in-vitro. Taken together, these data suggest that TFEB
      mediated transcriptional priming of the autophagy-lysosome machinery mediates the
      beneficial effects of fasting-induced autophagy in myocardial ischemia
      reperfusion injury. 

PMID- 26103526
TI  - Development of a sensitive and rapid method for rifampicin impurity analysis
      using supercritical fluid chromatography.
AB  - A novel simple, fast and efficient supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC)
      method was developed and compared with RPLC method for the separation and
      determination of impurities in rifampicin. The separation was performed using a
      packed diol column and a mobile phase B (modifier) consisting of methanol with
      0.1% ammonium formate (w/v) and 2% water (v/v). Overall satisfactory resolutions
      and peak shapes for rifampicin quinone (RQ), rifampicin (RF), rifamycin SV (RSV),
      rifampicin N-oxide (RNO) and 3-formylrifamycinSV (3-FR) were obtained by
      optimization of the chromatography system. With gradient elution of mobile phase,
      all of the impurities and the active were separated within 4 min. Taking full
      advantage of features of SFC (such as particular selectivity, non-sloping
      baseline in gradient elution, and without injection solvent effects), the method
      was successfully used for determination of impurities in rifampicin, with more
      impurity peaks detected, better resolution achieved and much less analysis time
      needed compared with conventional reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC)
      methods.

PMID- 26103527
TI  - Dewar Lesion Formation in Single- and Double-Stranded DNA is Quenched by
      Neighboring Bases.
AB  - UV-induced Dewar lesion formation is investigated in single- and double-stranded
      oligonucleotides with ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy. The quantum yield for
      the conversion of the (6-4) lesion to the Dewar isomer in DNA strands is reduced
      by a factor of 4 in comparison to model dinucleotides. Time resolved spectroscopy
      reveals a fast process in the excited state with spectral characteristics of
      bases which are adjacent to the excited (6-4) lesion. These kinetic components
      have large amplitudes and indicate that an additional quenching channel acts in
      the stranded DNA systems and reduces the Dewar formation yield. Presumably
      relaxation evolves via a charge transfer to the neighboring guanine and the
      paired cytosine participates in a double-stranded oligomer. Changes in the decay
      of the relaxed excited electronic state of the (6-4) chromophore point to
      modifications in the excited state energy landscape which may lead to an
      additional reduction of the Dewar formation yield. 

PMID- 26103525
TI  - PHF6 Degrees of Separation: The Multifaceted Roles of a Chromatin Adaptor
      Protein.
AB  - The importance of chromatin regulation to human disease is highlighted by the
      growing number of mutations identified in genes encoding chromatin remodeling
      proteins. While such mutations were first identified in severe developmental
      disorders, or in specific cancers, several genes have been implicated in both,
      including the plant homeodomain finger protein 6 (PHF6) gene. Indeed, germline
      mutations in PHF6 are the cause of the Borjeson-Forssman-Lehmann X-linked
      intellectual disability syndrome (BFLS), while somatic PHF6 mutations have been
      identified in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML). Studies from different groups over the last few years have made a
      significant impact towards a functional understanding of PHF6 protein function.
      In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of PHF6 with particular
      emphasis on how it interfaces with a distinct set of interacting partners and its
      functional roles in the nucleoplasm and nucleolus. Overall, PHF6 is emerging as a
      key chromatin adaptor protein critical to the regulation of neurogenesis and
      hematopoiesis. 

PMID- 26103529
TI  - Prepregnancy body mass index in a first uncomplicated pregnancy and outcomes of a
      second pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effect of body mass index (BMI) before a first
      uncomplicated pregnancy on maternal and fetal outcomes in a subsequent pregnancy,
      including preterm births, preeclampsia, cesarean delivery, small for gestational
      age, large for gestational age, and neonatal deaths. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a
      population-based cohort study (n = 121,092) using the Missouri maternally linked
      birth registry (1989 through 2005). Multivariable binary logistic regression
      models were fit to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the
      parameters of interest after controlling for sociodemographic and pregnancy
      related confounders in the second pregnancy. RESULTS: Compared to women with a
      normal BMI in their first pregnancy, those who were underweight prepregnancy had
      increased odds for preterm birth by 20% and small for gestational age by 40% in
      their second pregnancy, while those with prepregnancy obesity had increased odds
      for large for gestational age, preeclampsia, cesarean delivery, and neonatal
      deaths in their second pregnancy by 54%, 156%, 85%, and 37%, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Women starting a first pregnancy with suboptimal BMI may be at risk
      of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes in a subsequent pregnancy, even if their
      first pregnancy was uncomplicated or if they reached a normal weight by their
      second pregnancy. The long-term consequences of suboptimal BMI carry considerable
      public health implications.

PMID- 26103528
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of cefazolin prophylaxis in obese gravidae at time of cesarean
      delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to compare the pharmacokinetics of 2 g
      and 3 g doses of cefazolin when used for perioperative prophylaxis in obese
      gravidae undergoing cesarean delivery. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a double
      blinded, randomized controlled trial from August 2013 to April 2014. Twenty-six
      obese women were randomized to receive either 2 or 3 g intravenous cefazolin
      within 30 minutes of a skin incision. Serial maternal plasma samples were
      obtained at specific time points up to 8 hours after drug administration.
      Umbilical cord blood was obtained after placental delivery. Maternal adipose
      samples were obtained prior to fascial entry, after closure of the hysterotomy,
      and subsequent to fascial closure. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined via
      noncompartmental analysis. RESULTS: The median area under the plasma
      concentration vs time curve was significantly greater in the 3 g group than in
      the 2 g group (27204 MUg/mL per minute vs 14058 MUg/mL per minute; P = .001).
      Maternal plasma concentrations had an impact by body mass index. For every 1
      kg/m(2) increase in body mass index at the time of the cesarean delivery, there
      was an associated 13.77 MUg/mL lower plasma concentration of cefazolin across all
      time points (P = .01). By the completion of cesarean delivery, cefazolin
      concentrations in maternal adipose were consistently above the minimal inhibitory
      concentration for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with both the 2 g
      and 3 g doses. The median umbilical cord blood concentrations were significantly
      higher in the 3 g vs the 2 g group (34.5 MUg/mL and 21.4 MUg/mL; P = .003).
      CONCLUSION: Cefazolin concentrations in maternal adipose both at time of
      hysterotomy closure and fascial closure were above the minimal inhibitory
      concentration for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria when either 2 g
      or 3 g cefazolin was administered as perioperative surgical prophylaxis. Maternal
      cefazolin concentrations in plasma and maternal adipose tissue are related to
      both dose and body mass index.

PMID- 26103531
TI  - Efficient Delivery of Structurally Diverse Protein Cargo into Mammalian Cells by
      a Bacterial Toxin.
AB  - Platforms enabling targeted delivery of proteins into cells are needed to fully
      realize the potential of protein-based therapeutics with intracellular sites-of
      action. Bacterial toxins are attractive systems to consider as templates for
      designing protein transduction systems as they naturally bind and enter specific
      cells with high efficiency. Here we investigated the capacity of diphtheria toxin
      to function as an intracellular protein delivery vector. We report that
      diphtheria toxin delivers an impressive array of passenger proteins spanning a
      range of sizes, structures, and stabilities into cells in a manner that indicates
      that they are "invisible" to the translocation machinery. Further, we show that
      alpha-amylase delivered into cells by a detoxified diphtheria toxin chimera
      digests intracellular glycogen in live cells, providing evidence that delivered
      cargo is folded, active, and abundant. The efficiency and versatility of
      diphtheria toxin over existing systems open numerous possibilities for
      intracellular delivery of bioactive proteins. 

PMID- 26103530
TI  - Histone deacetylases inhibitors effects on Cryptococcus neoformans major
      virulence phenotypes.
AB  - Cryptococcus neoformans undergoes phenotypical changes during host infection in
      order to promote persistence and survival. Studies have demonstrated that such
      adaptations require alterations in gene transcription networks by distinct
      mechanisms. Drugs such as the histone deacetylases inhibitors (HDACi) Sodium
      Butyrate (NaBut) and Trichostatin A (TSA) can alter the chromatin conformation
      and have been used to modulate epigenetic states in the treatment of diseases
      such as cancer. In this work, we have studied the effect of NaBut and TSA on the
      expression of C. neoformans major virulence phenotypes and on the survival rate
      of an animal model infected with drugs-treated yeasts. Both drugs affected fungal
      growth at 37 degrees C more intensely than at 30 degrees C; nonetheless, drugs
      did not affect cell viability at the concentrations we studied. HDACi also
      provoked the reduction of the fungal capsule expansion. Phospholipases enzyme
      activity decreased; mating process and melanin synthesis were also affected by
      both inhibitors. NaBut led to an increase in the population of cells in G2/M.
      Treated yeast cells, which were washed in order to remove the drugs from the
      culture medium prior to the inoculation in the Galleria mellonela infection
      model, did not cause significant difference at the host survival curve when
      compared to non-treated cells. Overall, NaBut effects on the impairment of C.
      neoformans main virulence factors were more intense and stable than the TSA
      effects. 

PMID- 26103532
TI  - Cytokine-dependent bidirectional connection between impaired social behavior and
      susceptibility to seizures associated with maternal immune activation in mice.
AB  - Maternal immune activation (MIA) results in the development of autism in the
      offspring via hyperactivation of IL-6 signaling. Furthermore, experimental
      studies showed that the MIA-associated activation of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)
      concurrently with IL-6 increases the rate and the severity of hippocampal
      kindling in mice, thus, offering an explanation for autism-epilepsy comorbidity.
      We examined whether epileptic phenotype triggered by prenatal exposure to IL-6
      and IL-1beta combination is restricted to kindling or whether it is reproducible
      in another model of epilepsy, whereby spontaneous seizures develop following
      kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus. We also examined whether in mice
      prenatally exposed to IL-6 and IL-6+IL-1beta, the presence of spontaneous
      seizures would exacerbate autism-like features. Between days 12 and 16 of
      pregnancy, C57BL/6J mice received daily injections of IL-6, IL-1beta, or IL-6+IL
      1beta combination. At postnatal day 40, male offspring were examined for the
      presence of social behavioral deficit, and status epilepticus was induced by
      intrahippocampal KA injection. After 6weeks of monitoring for spontaneous
      seizures, sociability was tested again. Both IL-6 and IL-6+IL-1beta offspring
      presented with social behavioral deficit. Prenatal exposure to IL-6 alleviated,
      while such exposure to IL-6+IL-1beta exacerbated, the severity of KA-induced
      epilepsy. Increased severity of epilepsy in the IL-6+IL-1beta mice correlated
      with the improvement of autism-like behavior. We conclude that complex and not
      necessarily agonistic relationships exist between epileptic and autism-like
      phenotypes in an animal model of MIA coupled with KA-induced epilepsy and that
      the nature of these relationships depends on components of MIA involved. 

PMID- 26103533
TI  - Experiences with Patient Refusal of Off-Label Prescribing of Psychotropic
      Medications to Children and Adolescents in Japan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In child and adolescent psychiatry, the off-label prescribing of
      psychotropic medications is common. The purpose of this study was to examine the
      experiences of Japanese child and adolescent psychiatrists with off-label
      prescribing to children and/or adolescents (hereafter referred to as "children")
      and to identify the factors associated with these experiences. METHODS: A
      prospective questionnaire was sent to 1628 psychiatrists belonging to the
      Japanese Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Stepwise logistic
      regression analyses were used to determine whether demographic characteristics or
      categories of psychotropic medications were able to independently predict patient
      refusals of off-label prescribing. RESULTS: The final sample included 447
      psychiatrists, and 93% of the respondents (416/447) had experiences with off
      label prescribing to children. In addition, 39.7% of the respondents (165/416)
      experienced patient refusal of off-label prescribing when they informed the
      children and/or parents of the prescribing. The most commonly prescribed off
      label psychotropic medications were antipsychotics (82.0%). Patient refusal was
      significantly more frequent when the respondents informed parents (p=0.02) and
      children (p<0.01) about off-label prescribing than when they did not. A stepwise
      logistic regression analysis revealed that informing parents (odds ratio [OR],
      2.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-6.82) or children (OR, 1.70; 95% CI,
      1.12-2.58) about off-label prescribing and antidepressant use (OR, 2.98; 95% CI,
      1.25-7.10) increased the odds of patient refusal of off-label prescribing;
      however, prescribers' years in practice decreased the odds (OR, 0.98; 95% CI,
      0.96-1). CONCLUSIONS: Off-label prescribing of psychotropic medications is common
      among child and adolescent psychiatrists in Japan. Furthermore, the
      psychiatrists' experiences with patient refusal of off-label prescribing were
      significantly associated with informing the parents/patients about off-label
      prescribing, particularly with regard to use of antidepressants. Further studies
      are required to support the development of decision making among clinicians.

PMID- 26103534
TI  - Supramolecular modeling of mono-copper enzyme active sites with calix[6]arene
      based funnel complexes.
AB  - Supramolecular bioinorganic chemistry is a natural evolution in biomimetic
      metallic systems since it constitutes a further degree of complexity in modeling.
      The traditional approach consisting of mimicking the first coordination sphere of
      metal sites proved to be very efficient, because valuable data are extracted from
      these examples to gain insight in natural systems mechanisms. But it does not
      reproduce several specific aspects of enzymes that can be mimicked by the
      implementation of a cavity embedding the labile active site and thus controlling
      the properties of the metal ion by noncovalent interactions. This Account reports
      on a strategy aimed at reproducing some supramolecular aspects encountered in the
      natural systems. The cavity complexes described herein display a coordination
      site constructed on a macrocycle. Thanks to a careful design of the cavity-based
      ligands, complexes orienting their labile site specifically toward the inside of
      the macrocycle were obtained. The supramolecular systems are based on the
      flexible calix[6]arene core that surrounds the metal ion labile site, thereby
      constraining exogenous molecules to pass through the conic funnel to reach the
      metal center. Such an architecture confers to the metal ion very unusual
      properties and behaviors, which in many aspects are biologically relevant. Three
      generations of calix[6]-based ligands are presented and discussed in the context
      of modeling the monocopper sites encountered in some enzymes. A wide range of
      phenomena are highlighted such as the impact that the size and shape of the
      access channel to the metal center have on the selectivity and rate of the
      binding process, the possible remote control of the electronics through small
      modifications operated on the cavity edges, induced-fit behavior associated with
      host-guest association (shoe-tree effect) that affects the redox properties of
      the metal ion and the electron exchange pathway, consequences of forbidden
      associative ligand exchange allowing a redox switch to drive an
      "antithermodynamic" ligand exchange, drastic effects of the full control of the
      second coordination sphere, and dioxygen activation in a confined chamber
      conducted to a selective and unusual four-electron redox process. All these
      findings bring new clues for better understanding the control exerted by the
      proteic environment on a metal center, allow the identification of new reaction
      pathways, and lead to new proposals for enzymatic catalytic cycle (such as the
      formation of an alkylhydroperoxide intermediate for mononuclear Cu-hydroxylases).
      The supramolecular systems may also be exploited for designing highly selective
      and sensitive probes for molecules of particular function and shape or to design
      new selective catalysts. 

PMID- 26103535
TI  - Molecular characterisation of Bacillus thuringiensis strain MEB4 highly toxic to
      the Mediterranean flour moth Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cry2 proteins play an essential role in current Bacillus
      thuringiensis (Bt) applications and in the prevention of insect resistance to
      Cry1A toxins. This paper reports on the screening and characterisation of novel
      Bt strains harbouring effective cry2A-type genes and higher insecticidal activity
      to Ephestia kuehniella. RESULTS: A total of 29 native Bt strains were screened to
      search for the potent strain against E. kuehniella. The plasmid pattern of the
      selected strains showed interesting variability. PCR-RFLP analysis of two
      amplified regions showed high sequence identity within the selected cry2A-type
      genes. SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis revealed the presence of Cry2Aa toxin
      only in the MEB4 and BLB240 strains. The activation of Cry2Aa protoxins by larval
      midgut juice, trypsin or chymotrypsin enzymes revealed significant differences in
      terms of proteolysis profiles. Interestingly, a 49 kDa band was detected in the
      proteolysis pattern of BLB240, suggesting the presence of a chymotrypsin cleavage
      site that might have affected its insecticidal activity. Further, bioassays
      demonstrated that MEB4 (103.08 +/- 36 ug g(-1)) was more active than BLB240
      (153.77 +/- 45.65 ug g(-1)) against E. kuehniella. CONCLUSION: Based on its
      potent insecticidal activity, the MEB4 strain could be considered to be an
      effective alternative agent for the control of E. kuehniella.

PMID- 26103536
TI  - Comparison of two approaches of INR-follow-up and determinants of INR-stability.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and treated with coumarins
      need a close follow-up of the international normalized ratio (INR)-values. This
      can be done by the general practitioner (GP) or by a haematologist in an
      outpatient hospital clinic. OBJECTIVE: To compare both ways of follow-up and to
      investigate determinants of stable INR-patterns. METHODS: Cross-sectional single
      centre study in patients with AF treated at the UZ Brussel, a university hospital
      in Brussels. Of the 113 patients included in the study, 71 had their INR followed
      up by their GP and 42 similar patients were followed-up by a haematologist. Data
      of these 113 patients were further analysed to identify possible determinants for
      stable INR-values. RESULTS: The time in therapeutic range (TTR) did not
      significantly differ between both groups. However, patients in the GP-group had
      significantly more INR-values under 2.0 compared to patients from the
      haematologist-group (P =  0.044), whereas patients in the haematologist-group had
      significantly more INR-values above 3.0 compared to patients from the GP-group (P
      = 0.038). Reimbursement costs of both ways of follow-up were comparable, but the
      out-of-pocket costs for the patient were lower in the GP-group. The time since AF
      diagnosis was the only significant determinant predicting a higher TTR.
      CONCLUSION: Both approaches of follow-up seem to lead to the same TTR, yielding
      no reason to advocate one approach above the other. However, the patient costs
      were lower when followed-up by the GP.

PMID- 26103537
TI  - Prevalence and risk factors of low bone mineral density in patients with multiple
      sclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of low bone mineral
      density (BMD) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: Patients with MS
      who had undergone a BMD evaluation via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
      between January 2010 and December 2013 were included in the study. Descriptive
      data, BMD values, and risk factors for osteoporosis along with the details
      regarding MS, such as age at onset, duration of disease, clinical type of MS,
      expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores, and lifetime steroid intake were
      obtained from the medical record database and telephone interview. RESULTS: The
      study group comprised 67 patients with a mean age of 41.1 +/- 10.2 years. Of the
      patients, 20.9% revealed low BMD for chronological age. Vitamin D insufficiency
      (25(OH)D < 20  ng/ml) rate was 86.6%. Comorbidity and EDSS scores of patients
      with low BMD were significantly higher than those of the remaining patients (P =
      0.000 and P = 0.015, respectively). Neck BMD was inversely correlated with
      comorbidity score, disease duration, relapse number, and lifetime steroid intake
      (r = - 0.270, r = - 0.263, r = - 0.359, and r = - 0.314, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: The current study revealed that low BMD and vitamin D insufficiency
      were common in patients with MS. Longer disease duration, higher comorbidity
      score, and severe disability level led to lower BMD values. In conclusion, it is
      of paramount importance for clinicians to pay more attention on bone health in MS
      and to tailor preventative measures meticulously.

PMID- 26103538
TI  - Inflammatory markers and cardiometabolic diseases.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A growing body of evidence emerges that obesity, metabolic syndrome,
      type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease are intimately related to chronic
      inflammation. METHODS: A narrative review summarizing the most recent data of the
      literature describing the pathological implications of inflammation in obese
      patients with cardiometabolic disorders. RESULTS: Besides high-sensitive C
      reactive protein, various circulating or in situ inflammatory markers have been
      identified, presumably reflecting the presence of inflammation in various key
      organs (visceral adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, pancreatic islets, liver,
      intestine, arterial wall). Available data support the concept that targeting
      inflammation, not only reduces systemic inflammatory markers, but also improves
      insulin sensitivity and ameliorates glucose control in insulin-resistant
      patients, thus potentially reducing the risk of cardiovascular complications.
      CONCLUSION: These observations confirm the role of inflammation in
      cardiometabolic diseases and support the development of pharmacological
      strategies that aim at reducing inflammation, especially in patients with type 2
      diabetes.

PMID- 26103539
TI  - Hoarseness revealing Ortner's syndrome.
AB  - Hoarseness is a common phenomenon that can be caused by uncommon pathology. One
      seldom cause is Ortner's syndrome, a rare cardiovocal disease that can lead to
      hoarseness due to left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy induced by mechanical
      compression of the nerve by cardiovascular structures. This case report describes
      a case of a 41-year-old woman with sudden onset of hoarseness. The patient had
      known pulmonary hypertension and Eisenmenger's syndrome. 

PMID- 26103540
TI  - Thrombolytic therapy regimens for prosthetic valve thrombosis.

PMID- 26103541
TI  - Primary role of thrombolysis in the prosthetic valve thrombosis.

PMID- 26103542
TI  - Compound heterozygosity for hemoglobins S and D.

PMID- 26103543
TI  - Do Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Inhibitors Improve the Glycemic Control in
      Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Concomitant Diabetes Mellitus?
AB  - Inflammation and insulin resistance are closely linked to each other.
      Inflammatory rheumatic diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are
      associated with increased insulin resistance and reduced insulin sensitivity by
      virtue of proinflammatory cytokines, mainly tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF
      alpha). TNF inhibitors have been shown to improve the insulin sensitivity and
      reduce the risk of incident diabetes in patients with RA. We hypothesize that TNF
      inhibitors may improve the glycemic control in patients with concomitant RA and
      diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 26103544
TI  - Magnetic fields suppress Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms and enhance
      ciprofloxacin activity.
AB  - Due to the refractory nature of pathogenic microbial biofilms, innovative biofilm
      eradication strategies are constantly being sought. Thus, this study addresses a
      novel approach to eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Magnetic
      nanoparticles (MNP), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), and magnetic fields were
      systematically evaluated in vitro for their relative anti-biofilm contributions.
      Twenty-four-hour biofilms exposed to aerosolized MNPs, Cipro, or a combination of
      both, were assessed in the presence or absence of magnetic fields (Static one
      sided, Static switched, Oscillating, Static + oscillating) using changes in
      bacterial metabolism, biofilm biomass, and biofilm imaging. The biofilms exposed
      to magnetic fields alone exhibited significant metabolic and biomass reductions
      (p < 0.05). When biofilms were treated with a MNP/Cipro combination, the most
      significant metabolic and biomass reductions were observed when exposed to static
      switched magnetic fields (p < 0.05). The exposure of P. aeruginosa biofilms to a
      static switched magnetic field alone, or co-administration with MNP/Cipro/MNP +
      Cipro appears to be a promising approach to eradicate biofilms of this bacterium.

PMID- 26103545
TI  - Immune outcomes in the liver: Is CD8 T cell fate determined by the environment?
AB  - The liver is known for its tolerogenic properties. This unique characteristic is
      associated with persistent infection of the liver by the hepatitis B and C
      viruses. Improper activation of cellular adaptive immune responses within the
      liver and immune exhaustion over time both contribute to ineffective cytotoxic T
      cell responses to liver-expressed antigens in animal models, and likely play a
      role in incomplete clearance of chronic hepatitis virus infections in humans.
      However, under some conditions, functional immune responses can be elicited
      against hepatic antigens, resulting in control of hepatotropic infections. In
      order to develop improved therapeutics in immune-mediated chronic liver diseases,
      including viral hepatitis, it is essential to understand how intrahepatic
      immunity is regulated. This review focuses on CD8 T cell immunity directed
      towards foreign antigens expressed in the liver, and explores how the liver
      environment dictates the outcome of intrahepatic CD8 T cell responses. Potential
      strategies to rescue unresponsive CD8 T cells in the liver are also discussed. 

PMID- 26103546
TI  - Population data of 17 Y-STR haplotypes in Jining Han population from Shandong
      province, East China.

PMID- 26103547
TI  - Hsp47 mediates Cx43-dependent skeletal growth and patterning in the regenerating
      fin.
AB  - Skeletal morphogenesis describes how bones achieve their correct shape and size
      and appropriately position joints. We use the regenerating caudal fin of
      zebrafish to study this process. Our examination of the fin length mutant short
      fin (sof (b123)) has revealed that the gap junction protein Cx43 is involved in
      skeletal morphogenesis by promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting joint
      formation, thereby coordinating skeletal growth and patterning. Here we
      demonstrate that serpinh1b is molecularly and functionally downstream of cx43.
      The gene serpinh1b codes for a protein called Hsp47, a molecular chaperone
      responsible for proper folding of procollagen molecules. Knockdown of Hsp47 in
      regenerating fins recapitulates the sof (b123) phenotypes of reduced fin length,
      reduced segment length and reduced level of cell proliferation. Furthermore,
      Hsp47 knockdown affects the organization and localization of the collagen-based
      actinotrichia. Together, our findings reveal that serpinh1b acts in a cx43
      dependent manner to regulate cell proliferation and joint formation. We conclude
      that disruption of the collagen-based extracellular matrix influences signaling
      events required for cell proliferation, as well as the patterning of skeletal
      precursor cells that influences segment length. Therefore, we suggest that Hsp47
      function is necessary for skeletal growth and patterning during fin regeneration.

PMID- 26103548
TI  - The vascular niche in adult neurogenesis.
AB  - Blood vessels (BVs) not only serve as conduits for oxygen and nutrients but may
      also fulfill perfusion-independent functions. A growing body of data suggests
      that blood vessels are an integral component of stem cell niches, including stem
      cell niches in the adult brain. This review summarizes in vivo studies supporting
      the contention that blood vessels may indeed control function of neuronal stem
      cells (NSCs) residing in the two major neurogenic niches of the adult brain,
      namely the sub-ventricular zone and the hippocampus. The review discusses
      different modes of BV-NSC communication and possible mechanisms by which BV may
      modulate NSC behavior and responses to external stimuli. 

PMID- 26103549
TI  - The Drosophila blood-brain barrier as interface between neurons and hemolymph.
AB  - The blood-brain barrier is an evolutionary ancient structure that provides direct
      support and protection of the nervous system. In all systems, it establishes a
      tight diffusion barrier that hinders uncontrolled paracellular diffusion into the
      nervous system. In invertebrates, the blood-brain barrier separates the nervous
      system from the hemolymph. Thus, the barrier-forming cells need to actively
      import ions and nutrients into the nervous system. In addition, metabolic or
      environmental signals from the external world have to be transmitted across the
      barrier into the nervous system. The first blood-brain barrier that formed during
      evolution was most likely based on glial cells. Invertebrates as well as
      primitive vertebrates still have a purely glial-based blood-brain barrier. Here
      we review the development and function of the barrier forming glial cells at the
      example of Drosophila. 

PMID- 26103552
TI  - Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in healthcare settings.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Attracting global attention, Middle East respiratory syndrome
      coronavirus (MERS-CoV) continues to cause sporadic cases and a potential risk of
      healthcare-associated infections. In this review, we highlight what is known
      about the risk of transmission within healthcare facilities and discuss
      interventions to halt its transmission within healthcare. RECENT FINDINGS: MERS
      CoV causes a wide range of infections from asymptomatic infections, mild or
      moderately symptomatic cases, to fatal disease. Two years after the initial
      reported case, MERS-CoV has caused limited disease outside the Arabian Peninsula
      with several cases in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Epidemiologically,
      these infections are linked to exposures from the region and their diagnosis
      outside is related to travel. Several reported clusters of disease report
      multiple transmissions of MERS-CoV within healthcare settings that have been
      attributed to poor compliance with the basic infection control measures. Factors
      contributing to the spread and control of MERS-CoV within healthcare settings
      have not been elucidated so far. Data suggest the overcrowding, late recognition
      of MERS-CoV cases, and inadequate infection control practices contribute
      significantly to the transmission. SUMMARY: Understanding factors contributing to
      the spread and the dynamic of MERS-CoV transmission within healthcare settings
      would further enhance the control of the disease in and outside the healthcare
      setting.

PMID- 26103554
TI  - Identification and functional characterisation of a novel KCNJ2 mutation,
      Val302del, causing Andersen-Tawil syndrome.
AB  - Loss-of-function mutations of the KCNJ2 gene encoding for the inward rectifier
      potassium channel subunit Kir2.1 cause Andersen-Tawil Syndrome (ATS), a rare
      genetic disorder characterised by periodic paralysis, ventricular arrhythmias,
      and dysmorphic features. Clinical manifestations of the disease appear to vary
      greatly with the nature of mutation, therefore, functional characterisation of
      ATS-causing mutations is of clinical importance. In this study, we describe the
      identification and functional analysis of a novel KCNJ2 mutation, Val302del,
      identified in a patient with ATS. Heterologously expressed wild type (WT) and
      Val302del mutant alleles showed similar subcellular distribution of the Kir2.1
      protein with high intensity labelling from the membrane region, demonstrating
      normal membrane trafficking of the Val302del Kir2.1 variant. Cells transfected
      with the WT allele displayed a robust current with strong inward rectification,
      while no current above background was detected in cells expressing the Val302del
      Kir2.1 subunit. Co-transfection of CHO cells with the WT and the Val302del Kir2.1
      revealed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect of the Val302del Kir2.1 mutant
      subunit on WT Kir2.1 currents. These observations indicate that the WT and the
      Val302del mutant subunits co-assemble in the cell membrane and that the mutation
      affects potassium conductivity and (or) gating of the WT/Val302del heteromeric
      Kir2.1 channels. 

PMID- 26103555
TI  - Achieving Systemic and Scalable Private Sector Engagement in Tuberculosis Care
      and Prevention in Asia.

PMID- 26103556
TI  - Roles of leptin and ghrelin in adipogenesis and lipid metabolism of rainbow trout
      adipocytes in vitro.
AB  - Leptin and ghrelin are important regulators of energy homeostasis in mammals,
      whereas their physiological roles in fish have not been fully elucidated. In the
      present study, the effects of leptin and ghrelin on adipogenesis, lipolysis and
      on expression of lipid metabolism-related genes were examined in rainbow trout
      adipocytes in vitro. Leptin expression and release increased from preadipocytes
      to mature adipocytes in culture, but did not affect the process of adipogenesis.
      While ghrelin and its receptor were identified in cultured differentiated
      adipocytes, ghrelin did not influence either preadipocyte proliferation or
      differentiation, indicating that it may have other adipose-related roles. Leptin
      and ghrelin increased lipolysis in mature freshly isolated adipocytes, but mRNA
      expression of lipolysis markers was not significantly modified. Leptin
      significantly suppressed the fatty acid transporter-1 expression, suggesting a
      decrease in fatty acid uptake and storage, but did not affect expression of any
      of the lipogenesis or beta-oxidation genes studied. Ghrelin significantly
      increased the mRNA levels of lipoprotein lipase, fatty acid synthase and
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-beta, and thus appears to stimulate
      synthesis of triglycerides as well as their mobilization. Overall, the study
      indicates that ghrelin, but not leptin seems to be an enhancer of lipid turn-over
      in adipose tissue of rainbow trout, and this regulation may at least partly be
      mediated through autocrine/paracrine mechanisms. The mode of action of both
      hormones needs to be further explored to better understand their roles in
      regulating adiposity in fish. 

PMID- 26103557
TI  - Inter-relationships of the chronobiotic, melatonin, with leptin and adiponectin:
      implications for obesity.
AB  - Obesity and its medical complications represent a significant problem throughout
      the world. In recent decades, mechanisms underlying the progression of obesity
      have been intensively examined. The involvement of both the behavioral aspects,
      such as calorie-rich diet, low physical activity and sleep deprivation, and the
      intrinsic factors, including adipose tissue deregulation, chronic inflammation,
      oxidative stress, and chronodisruption, has been identified. The circadian
      disturbances of the adipose tissue endocrine function have been correlated with
      obesity. Leptin and adiponectin are adipokines strongly associated with glucose
      and lipid metabolism and with energy balance. Their synthesis and secretion
      display circadian rhythms that are disturbed in the obese state. Hyperleptinemia
      resulting in leptin resistance, and hypo-adiponectinemia have been linked to the
      pathophysiology of the obesity-related disorders. A deficiency of melatonin, one
      of the consequences of sleep deprivation, has also been demonstrated to correlate
      with obesity. Melatonin is a pineal secretory product involved in numerous
      actions, such as regulation of internal biological clocks and energy metabolism,
      and it functions as an antioxidant and as an anti-inflammatory agent. There
      exists a substantial amount of evidence supporting the beneficial effects of
      melatonin supplementation on obesity and its complications. In the current
      review, the results of studies related to the interactions between melatonin, and
      both leptin and adiponectin are discussed. Despite the existence of some
      inconsistencies, melatonin has been found to normalize the expression and
      secretion patterns of both adipokines. These results support the concept of
      melatonin as a potential therapeutic agent for obesity and related disorders. 

PMID- 26103558
TI  - En Bloc Resection of a Giant Cell Tumor in the Sacrum via a Posterior-Only
      Approach Without Nerve Root Sacrifice: Technical Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Giant cell tumors (GCTs) are rare primary bone
      neoplasms. The best long-term prognosis is achieved via complete tumor excision,
      but this feat is challenging in the spine due to proximity of blood vessels and
      nervous tissue. When occurring in the sacrum, GCTs have been removed in an en
      bloc fashion via combined anterior/posterior approaches, oftentimes with nerve
      root sacrifice. The purpose of this article is to present a case of a single
      staged, posterior-only approach for en bloc resection of a sacral GCT without
      nerve root sacrifice. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 45-year-old female presented with
      intractable lower back and leg pain, saddle anesthesia, and lower extremity
      weakness. She underwent imaging studies, which revealed a lesion involving the S1
      and S2 vertebral bodies. Computed tomography guided biopsy revealed the lesion to
      be a GCT. The patient underwent a posterior-only approach without nerve root
      sacrifice to achieve an en bloc resection, followed by lumbopelvic
      reconstruction. CONCLUSION: Sacrectomy via a single-staged posterior approach
      with nerve root preservation is a challenging yet feasible procedure for the
      treatment of giant cell tumors in carefully selected patients.

PMID- 26103559
TI  - Clinical and Radiographic Evaluation of Immediate Loaded Dental Implants With
      Local Application of Melatonin: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Clinical
      Trial.
AB  - Immediate loading of dental implants in situations where low bone density exist,
      such as the posterior maxillary region, became possible recently after the
      introduction of biomimetic agents. This 1-year preliminary clinical trial was
      carried out to clinically and radiographically evaluate immediate-loaded 1-piece
      implants with local application of melatonin in the osteotomy site as a
      biomimetic material. 14 patients with missing maxillary premolars were randomized
      to receive 14 implants of 1-piece type that were subjected to immediate loading
      after 2 weeks of initial placement. Group I included 7 implants with acid-etched
      surface while group II included 7 implants with acid-etched surface combined with
      local application of melatonin gel at the osteotomy site. Patients were recalled
      for follow up at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after loading. All implants were
      considered successful after 12 months of follow-up. Significant difference (P <
      0.05) was found between both groups at 1 month of implant loading when
      considering the implant stability. At 1 and 3 months there were significant
      differences in the marginal bone level between the 2 groups. These results
      suggest that the local application of melatonin at the osteotomy site is
      associated with good stability and minimal bone resorption. However, more studies
      for longer follow-up periods are required to confirm the effect of melatonin
      hormone on osseointegration of dental implants. 

PMID- 26103560
TI  - Inflammasome activity is essential for one kidney/deoxycorticosterone
      acetate/salt-induced hypertension in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Inflammasomes are multimeric complexes that facilitate
      caspase-1-mediated processing of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta and IL
      18. Clinical hypertension is associated with renal inflammation and elevated
      circulating levels of IL-1beta and IL-18. Therefore, we investigated whether
      hypertension in mice is associated with increased expression and/or activation of
      the inflammasome in the kidney, and if inhibition of inflammasome activity
      reduces BP, markers of renal inflammation and fibrosis. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH:
      Wild-type and inflammasome-deficient ASC(-/-) mice were uninephrectomized and
      received deoxycorticosterone acetate and saline to drink (1K/DOCA/salt). Control
      mice were uninephrectomized but received a placebo pellet and water. BP was
      measured by tail cuff; renal expression of inflammasome subunits and inflammatory
      markers was measured by real-time PCR and immunoblotting; macrophage and collagen
      accumulation was assessed by immunohistochemistry. KEY RESULTS: 1K/DOCA/salt
      induced hypertension in mice was associated with increased renal mRNA expression
      of inflammasome subunits NLRP3, ASC and pro-caspase-1, and the cytokine, pro-IL
      1beta, as well as protein levels of active caspase-1 and mature IL-1beta.
      Following treatment with 1K/DOCA/salt, ASC(-/-) mice displayed blunted pressor
      responses and were also protected from increases in renal expression of IL-6, IL
      17A, CCL2, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, and accumulation of macrophages and collagen.
      Finally, treatment with a novel inflammasome inhibitor, MCC950, reversed
      hypertension in 1K/DOCA/salt-treated mice. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Renal
      inflammation, fibrosis and elevated BP induced by 1K/DOCA/salt treatment are
      dependent on inflammasome activity, highlighting the inflammasome/IL-1beta
      pathway as a potential therapeutic target in hypertension.

PMID- 26103561
TI  - The C-terminal alpha-helix of YsxC is essential for its binding to 50S ribosome
      and rRNAs.
AB  - YsxC is an essential P-loop GTPase that interacts with the 50S subunit of the
      ribosome. The putative implication in ribosome binding of two basic clusters of
      YsxC, a conserved positively charged patch including R31, R116, H117 and K146
      lying adjacent to the nucleotide-binding site, and the C-terminal alpha helix,
      was investigated. C-terminal truncation variants of YsxC were unable to bind to
      both ribosome and rRNAs, whereas mutations in the other cluster did not affect
      YsxC binding. Our results indicate that the basic C-terminal region of YsxC is
      required for its binding to the 50S ribosomal subunit. 

PMID- 26103563
TI  - Reviewing the relevance of fluorescence in biological systems.
AB  - Fluorescence is emitted by diverse living organisms. The analysis and
      interpretation of these signals may give information about their physiological
      state, ways of communication among species and the presence of specific
      chemicals. In this manuscript we review the state of the art in the research on
      the fluorescence emitted by plant leaves, fruits, flowers, avians, butterflies,
      beetles, dragonflies, millipedes, cockroaches, bees, spiders, scorpions and sea
      organisms and discuss its relevance in nature. 

PMID- 26103562
TI  - Towards combinatorial mixing devices without any pumps by open-capillary
      channels: fundamentals and applications.
AB  - In chemistry, biology, medical sciences and pharmaceutical industries, many
      reactions have to be checked by transporting and mixing expensive liquids. For
      such purposes, microfluidics systems consisting of closed channels with external
      pumps have been useful. However, the usage has been limited because of high
      fabrication cost and need for a fixed setup. Here, we show that open-capillary
      channels, which can be fabricated outside a clean room on durable substrates and
      are washable and reusable, are considerably promising for micro-devices that
      function without pumps, as a result of detailed studies on the imbibition of open
      micro-channels. We find that the statics and dynamics of the imbibition follow
      simple scaling laws in a wide and practical range; although a precursor film
      obeying a universal dynamics appears in the vertical imbibition, it disappears in
      the horizontal mode to make the design of complex micro-channel geometry
      feasible. We fabricate micro open-channel devices without any pumps to express
      the green fluorescent protein (GFP) by transporting highly viscous solutions and
      to accomplish simultaneous chemical reactions for the Bromothymol blue (BTB)
      solution. We envision that open-capillary devices will become a simple and low
      cost option to achieve microfluidic devices that are usable in small clinics and
      field studies.

PMID- 26103564
TI  - Inclusion of human immunodeficiency virus Type 2 (HIV-2) in a multiplex
      transcription-mediated amplification assay does not affect detection of HIV-1 and
      hepatitis B and C virus genotypes: a multicenter performance evaluation study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Ultrio Elite assay (Hologic/Grifols) runs on the Panther blood
      screening system and is comparable to the Ultrio Plus assay apart from the
      addition of oligonucleotides for human immunodeficiency virus Type 2 (HIV-2)
      detection. In this multicenter evaluation study the analytical sensitivity and
      genotype detection efficiency of the two assay versions were compared. STUDY
      DESIGN AND METHODS: The analytical sensitivity and genotype detection efficiency
      were analyzed by replicate (18-303) testing of 27 hepatitis B virus (HBV),
      hepatitis C virus (HCV), HIV-1, and HIV-2 standard dilution panels calibrated in
      international units (IUs) and copies/mL. A wider range of subgenotypes was tested
      at 25 copies/mL. Specificity was evaluated in 30,756 donor samples. RESULTS: The
      95% lower limits of detection (LODs) in Ultrio Elite assay on WHO standards were
      4.6, 7.3, 23.5, and 23.3 IU/mL for HBV, HCV, HIV-1, and HIV-2, respectively, and
      ranged from 13 to 44, 7 to 23, 6 to 15, and 9 copies/mL on genotype panels of the
      respective viruses. Comparable LODs had been previously found on the same panels
      with the Ultrio Plus assay. The specificity was 99.95% on initial test and 100%
      in the repeat test algorithm. CONCLUSION: The change in the oligonucleotide
      design of the Ultrio Elite assay to enable HIV-2 detection has not affected the
      analytical sensitivity for the other viruses regardless of the genotype. Genotype
      reference panels are instrumental to compare the sensitivity of nucleic acid test
      assay versions and could serve as an alternative to seroconversion panels.

PMID- 26103565
TI  - An Evaluation of the Feasibility and Safety of a Home-Based Telemental Health
      Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress in the U.S. Military.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although home-based telemental health options have the potential to
      greatly expand the range of services available to U.S. military service members,
      there remains a need to demonstrate that home-based care is technically feasible,
      safe, and effective and meets the military health system's standards of care
      before widespread implementation can be achieved. The purpose of this preliminary
      study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of providing U.S. military
      service members with a behavioral health treatment delivered directly to the home
      using videoconferencing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten previously deployed soldiers
      volunteered to complete eight sessions of a novel behavioral activation treatment
      for posttraumatic stress disorder. The primary clinical outcomes assessed
      included symptoms of posttraumatic stress and depression. Patient safety data and
      attitudes about seeking mental health services, treatment satisfaction, treatment
      adherence, and treatment compliance were also assessed. RESULTS: Clinically
      significant reductions in posttraumatic stress symptom severity and depression
      symptoms were observed. Soldiers indicated high levels of satisfaction with the
      treatment, and there were no adverse events requiring activation of emergency
      safety procedures. Technical problems associated with the network were observed
      but successfully mitigated. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide initial support for
      the feasibility and safety of telemental health treatments delivered by
      videoconferencing to the homes of soldiers. The optimal technical infrastructure
      needs to be determined to support expansion of synchronous videoconferencing
      capabilities to the home. The findings provide preliminary evidence of the
      feasibility, safety, and high user satisfaction with home-based telemental health
      in the military setting.

PMID- 26103566
TI  - Fresh WNT into the regulation of mitosis.
AB  - Canonical Wnt signaling triggering beta-catenin-dependent gene expression
      contributes to cell cycle progression, in particular at the G1/S transition.
      Recently, however, it became clear that the cell cycle can also feed back on Wnt
      signaling at the G2/M transition. This is illustrated by the fact that mitosis
      specific cyclin-dependent kinases can phosphorylate the Wnt co-receptor LRP6 to
      prime the pathway for incoming Wnt signals when cells enter mitosis. In addition,
      there is accumulating evidence that various Wnt pathway components might exert
      additional, Wnt-independent functions that are important for proper regulation of
      mitosis. The importance of Wnt pathways during mitosis was most recently enforced
      by the discovery of Wnt signaling contributing to the stabilization of proteins
      other than beta-catenin, specifically at G2/M and during mitosis. This Wnt
      mediated stabilization of proteins, now referred to as Wnt/STOP, might on one
      hand contribute to maintaining a critical cell size required for cell division
      and, on the other hand, for the faithful execution of mitosis itself. In fact,
      most recently we have shown that Wnt/STOP is required for ensuring proper
      microtubule dynamics within mitotic spindles, which is pivotal for accurate
      chromosome segregation and for the maintenance of euploidy. 

PMID- 26103567
TI  - Analysis of Alpha-2 Macroglobulin from the Long-Lived and Cancer-Resistant Naked
      Mole-Rat and Human Plasma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The naked mole-rat (NMR) is a long-lived and cancer resistant
      species. Identification of potential anti-cancer and age related mechanisms is of
      great interest and makes this species eminent to investigate anti-cancer
      strategies and understand aging mechanisms. Since it is known that the NMR
      expresses higher liver mRNA-levels of alpha 2-macroglobulin than mice, nothing is
      known about its structure, functionality or expression level in the NMR compared
      to the human A2M. RESULTS: Here we show a comprehensive analysis of NMR- and
      human plasma-A2M, showing a different prediction in glycosylation of NMR-A2M,
      which results in a higher molecular weight compared to human A2M. Additionally,
      we found a higher concentration of A2M (8.3+/-0.44 mg/mL vs. and 4.4+/-0.20
      mg/mL) and a lower total plasma protein content (38.7+/-1.79 mg/mL vs. 61.7+/
      3.20 mg/mL) in NMR compared to human. NMR-A2M can be transformed by methylamine
      and trypsin resulting in a conformational change similar to human A2M. NMR-A2M is
      detectable by a polyclonal antibody against human A2M. Determination of tryptic
      and anti-tryptic activity of NMR and human plasma revealed a higher anti-tryptic
      activity of the NMR plasma. On the other hand, less proteolytic activity was
      found in NMR plasma compared to human plasma. CONCLUSION: We found transformed
      NMR-A2M binding to its specific receptor LRP1. We could demonstrate lower protein
      expression of LRP1 in the NMR liver tissue compared to human but higher
      expression of A2M. This was accompanied by a higher EpCAM protein expression as
      central adhesion molecule in cancer progression. NMR-plasma was capable to
      increase the adhesion in human fibroblast in vitro most probably by increasing
      CD29 protein expression. This is the first report, demonstrating similarities as
      well as distinct differences between A2M in NMR and human plasma. This might be
      directly linked to the intriguing phenotype of the NMR and suggests that A2M
      might probably play an important role in anti-cancer and the anti-aging
      mechanisms in the NMR.

PMID- 26103568
TI  - Association Study of IL-12B Polymorphisms Susceptibility with Ankylosing
      Spondylitis in Mainland Han Population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine whether the genetic polymorphisms of IL
      12B gene is a susceptibility factor to Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in mainland
      Han Chinese population. METHOD: Eight single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
      (rs10045431, rs11167764, rs3212227, rs6556412, rs6556416, rs6871626, rs6887695
      and rs7709212) in the IL-12B gene were genotyped by iMLDR Assay technology in 400
      patients [96% (384/400) HLA-B27(+)] and 395 geographically and ethnically matched
      healthy controls in mainland Han Chinese population. The correlation between IL
      12B genetic polymorphisms and AS activity index (BASDAI, BASFI) were tested.
      RESULTS: The significant difference was found in genotype distribution between AS
      and healthy controls (chi2 = 6.942, P-value = 0.031) of the SNP rs6871626.
      Furthermore, significant evidence was also detected under the recessive model for
      minor allele A. The AA genotype carrier had 1.830 fold risk compared with C
      allele carrier (with CC and AC genotypes) [OR (95% CI) = 1.830 (1.131-2.961), P
      value = 0.014]. Nevertheless, the difference was no longer significant after
      Bonferroni correction. Subset analysis on cases with HLA-B27(+) did find the same
      results. Three genotypic groups (AA, CC and CA) in rs6871626 site was highly
      associated with the BASDAI and BASFI (P-value = 0.012 and P-value = 0.023,
      respectively), after adjustment for effect of age, sex, and disease duration, the
      P-value was 0.031 and 0.041, respectively. The AA genotype of rs6871626 was also
      significantly correlated with an increased BASDAI and BASFI compared to the AC
      and CC genotypes in AS patients. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that rs6871626
      may be associated AS susceptibility and with disease activity (BASDAI, BASFI) in
      mainland Han Chinese population.

PMID- 26103571
TI  - Comment on: 'Trends in the lifetime risk of developing cancer in Great Britain:
      comparison of risk for those born from 1930 to 1960'--cancer predictions need
      more context.

PMID- 26103570
TI  - Validation of an RNA cell cycle progression score for predicting death from
      prostate cancer in a conservatively managed needle biopsy cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The natural history of prostate cancer is highly variable and
      difficult to predict accurately. Better markers are needed to guide management
      and avoid unnecessary treatment. In this study, we validate the prognostic value
      of a cell cycle progression score (CCP score) independently and in a prespecified
      linear combination with standard clinical variables, that is, a clinical-cell
      cycle-risk (CCR) score. METHODS: Paraffin sections from 761 men with clinically
      localized prostate cancer diagnosed by needle biopsy and managed conservatively
      in the United Kingdom, mostly between 2000 and 2003. The primary end point was
      prostate cancer death. Clinical variables consisted of centrally reviewed Gleason
      score, baseline PSA level, age, clinical stage, and extent of disease; these were
      combined into a single predefined risk assessment (CAPRA) score. Full data were
      available for 585 men who formed a fully independent validation cohort. RESULTS:
      In univariate analysis, the CCP score hazard ratio was 2.08 (95% CI (1.76, 2.46),
      P<10(-13)) for one unit change of the score. In multivariate analysis including
      CAPRA, the CCP score hazard ratio was 1.76 (95% CI (1.44, 2.14), P<10(-6)). The
      predefined CCR score was highly predictive, hazard ratio 2.17 (95% CI (1.83,
      2.57), chi(2)=89.0, P<10(-20)) and captured virtually all available prognostic
      information. CONCLUSIONS: The CCP score provides significant pretreatment
      prognostic information that cannot be provided by clinical variables and is
      useful for determining which patients can be safely managed conservatively,
      avoiding radical treatment.

PMID- 26103572
TI  - Reproductive and hormonal factors and mortality among women with colorectal
      cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and some
      reproductive factors have been associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk,
      relations between these factors and survival after CRC diagnosis are unclear.
      METHODS: Among 2053 post-menopausal women diagnosed with incident CRC in the NIH
      AARP Diet and Health Study, we calculated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs) using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression to test
      associations between oral contraceptive (OC) use, menarche age, age at first
      birth, parity, menopausal age, and MHT use with all-cause and CRC-specific
      mortality. RESULTS: There were 759 deaths (332 CRC-related deaths) over a median
      follow-up of 7.7 years. We observed no statistically significant associations
      between OC use, menarche age, age at first birth, parity, menopausal age, and
      mortality. Compared with never MHT use, former use was not associated with
      mortality, but we found an inverse association among baseline current users, for
      both all-cause (HR=0.79, 95% CI 0.66-0.94) and CRC mortality (0.76, 0.59-0.99).
      CONCLUSION: Future studies should further focus on the mechanisms by which
      exogenous oestrogen exposure might affect tumour progression and CRC survival.

PMID- 26103569
TI  - MC1R gene variants and non-melanoma skin cancer: a pooled-analysis from the M
      SKIP project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The melanocortin-1-receptor (MC1R) gene regulates human pigmentation
      and is highly polymorphic in populations of European origins. The aims of this
      study were to evaluate the association between MC1R variants and the risk of non
      melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), and to investigate whether risk estimates differed
      by phenotypic characteristics. METHODS: Data on 3527 NMSC cases and 9391 controls
      were gathered through the M-SKIP Project, an international pooled-analysis on
      MC1R, skin cancer and phenotypic characteristics. We calculated summary odds
      ratios (SOR) with random-effect models, and performed stratified analyses.
      RESULTS: Subjects carrying at least one MC1R variant had an increased risk of
      NMSC overall, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC): SOR
      (95%CI) were 1.48 (1.24-1.76), 1.39 (1.15-1.69) and 1.61 (1.35-1.91),
      respectively. All of the investigated variants showed positive associations with
      NMSC, with consistent significant results obtained for V60L, D84E, V92M, R151C,
      R160W, R163Q and D294H: SOR (95%CI) ranged from 1.42 (1.19-1.70) for V60L to 2.66
      (1.06-6.65) for D84E variant. In stratified analysis, there was no consistent
      pattern of association between MC1R and NMSC by skin type, but we consistently
      observed higher SORs for subjects without red hair. CONCLUSIONS: Our pooled
      analysis highlighted a role of MC1R variants in NMSC development and suggested an
      effect modification by red hair colour phenotype.

PMID- 26103573
TI  - Personal history of rosacea and risk of incident cancer among women in the US.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rosacea is an inflammatory skin disease. We examined the association
      between personal history of rosacea and risk of incident cancers. METHODS: A
      total of 75 088 whites were included from the Nurses' Health Study II (1991
      2011). Information on clinician-diagnosed rosacea and diagnosis year was
      collected in 2005. All cancers other than basal cell carcinoma (BCC) were
      confirmed. RESULTS: During 1 447 205 person-years, we identified 5194 cases with
      internal malignancies and 5788 with skin cancers. We did not observe significant
      associations between personal history of rosacea and internal malignancies,
      except for thyroid cancer (hazard ratio (HR)=1.59, 95% confidence interval
      (CI)=1.07-2.36). Among skin cancers, personal history of rosacea was associated
      with an elevated risk of BCC (HR=1.50, 95% CI=1.35-1.67). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest
      possible associations between personal history of rosacea and an increased risk
      of thyroid cancer and BCC. Further studies are warranted to replicate our
      findings and to explore the underlying mechanisms.

PMID- 26103575
TI  - [Time to work for the increase of newly graduated physicians' salaries].

PMID- 26103574
TI  - Dual inhibition of survivin and MAOA synergistically impairs growth of PTEN
      negative prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Survivin and monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) levels are elevated in
      prostate cancer (PCa) compared to normal prostate glands. However, the
      relationship between survivin and MAOA in PCa is unclear. METHODS: We examined
      MAOA expression in the prostate lobes of a conditional PTEN-deficient mouse model
      mirroring human PCa, with or without survivin knockout. We also silenced one gene
      at a time and examined the expression of the other. We further evaluated the
      combination of MAOA inhibitors and survivin suppressants on the growth,
      viability, migration and invasion of PCa cells. RESULTS: Survivin and MAOA levels
      are both increased in clinical PCa tissues and significantly associated with
      patients' survival. Survivin depletion delayed MAOA increase during PCa
      progression, and silencing MAOA decreased survivin expression. The combination of
      MAOA inhibitors and the survivin suppressants (YM155 and SC144) showed
      significant synergy on the inhibition of PCa cell growth, migration and invasion
      with concomitant decrease in survivin and MMP-9 levels. CONCLUSIONS: There is a
      positive feedback loop between survivin and MAOA expression in PCa. Considering
      that survivin suppressants and MAOA inhibitors are currently available in
      clinical trials and clinical use, their synergistic effects in PCa support a
      rapid translation of this combination to clinical practice.

PMID- 26103576
TI  - [Whooping cough--time to reconsider the vaccination program].

PMID- 26103577
TI  - [Life-threatening bed capacity shortage requiring urgent action. The minister of
      healthcare should appoint a crisis commission].

PMID- 26103578
TI  - [Work is in progress for higher wages].

PMID- 26103579
TI  - Attitudes of Medical Students From Different Countries About Organ Donation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Although there have been some case studies that measure the medical
      students' knowledge and attitude about organ donation, there is no such global
      survey in the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online questionnaire was
      prepared to measure the knowledge and attitudes about organ donation. RESULTS: A
      total of 1541 medical students from 104 different countries responded to the
      questionnaire. The participants who have received education before were more
      successful, had a higher self-donation rate, and showed a more-positive attitude
      toward organ donation than did those who did not receive an education, or a
      higher self-donation rate, or a more-positive attitude toward organ donation.
      Opposition against promotion of the organ donation by medical doctors was more
      widespread among men, preclinical students, African participants, and
      participants who did not support organ donation. The two most important decisions
      about increasing the level of organ donation involved in achieving support of the
      media and the education of the health care workers. CONCLUSIONS: Educational
      programs would improve the knowledge and attitudes of medical students about
      organ donation and transplantation.

PMID- 26103581
TI  - A chiral phosphoric acid catalyst for asymmetric construction of 1,3-dioxanes.
AB  - A novel method of enantioselective 1,3-dioxane construction via a
      hemiacetalization/intramolecular oxy-Michael addition cascade by a chiral
      phosphoric acid catalyst was developed. The product was successfully transformed
      into an optically active 1,3-polyol motif, indicating that the proposed reaction
      can provide useful chiral building blocks for the de novo synthesis of
      polyketides. 

PMID- 26103580
TI  - Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Metabolic Syndrome in Adults.
AB  - Air pollutants (AP) play a role in subclinical inflammation, and are associated
      with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is
      inflammatory and precedes cardiovascular morbidity and type 2 diabetes. Thus, a
      positive association between AP and MetS may be hypothesized. We explored this
      association, (taking into account, pathway-specific MetS definitions), and its
      potential modifiers in Swiss adults. We studied 3769 participants of the Swiss
      Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Diseases in Adults, reporting at
      least four-hour fasting time before venepuncture. AP exposures were 10-year mean
      residential PM10 (particulate matter <10MUm in diameter) and NO2 (nitrogen
      dioxide). Outcomes included MetS defined by World Health Organization (MetS-W),
      International Diabetes Federation (MetS-I) and Adult Treatment Panel-III (MetS-A)
      using four- and eight-hour fasting time limits. We also explored associations
      with individual components of MetS. We applied mixed logistic regression models
      to explore these associations. The prevalence of MetS-W, MetS-I and MetS-A were
      10%, 22% and 18% respectively. Odds of MetS-W, MetS-I and MetS-A increased by 72%
      (51-102%), 31% (11-54%) and 18% (4-34%) per 10MUg/m3 increase in 10-year mean
      PM10. We observed weaker associations with NO2. Associations were stronger among
      physically-active, ever-smokers and non-diabetic participants especially with
      PM10 (p<0.05). Associations remained robust across various sensitivity analyses
      including ten imputations of missing observations and exclusion of diabetes
      cases. The observed associations between AP exposure and MetS were sensitive to
      MetS definitions. Regarding the MetS components, we observed strongest
      associations with impaired fasting glycemia, and positive but weaker associations
      with hypertension and waist-circumference-based obesity. Cardio-metabolic effects
      of AP may be majorly driven by impairment of glucose homeostasis, and to a less
      strong extent, visceral adiposity. Well-designed prospective studies are needed
      to confirm these findings. 

PMID- 26103583
TI  - Cyclodextrin and phosphorus(III): a versatile combination for coordination
      chemistry and catalysis.
AB  - With the advent of efficient methods for functionalising cyclodextrins, the
      synthesis of a variety of cyclodextrin-based P(iii) ligands has been made
      possible. Capable of acting both as first and second coordination sphere ligands
      towards various transition metals, these compounds have found many applications
      in homogeneous catalysis. This perspective article describes the different
      approaches that have been used to covalently associate the ubiquitous P(iii)
      donor atom with a cyclodextrin cavity. In addition, special emphasis is placed on
      the influence the cyclodextrin receptor has on the coordination and catalytic
      properties of these cavity-shaped ligands. 

PMID- 26103582
TI  - Discovery of Dark pH-Dependent H(+) Migration in a [NiFe]-Hydrogenase and Its
      Mechanistic Relevance: Mobilizing the Hydrido Ligand of the Ni-C Intermediate.
AB  - Despite extensive studies on [NiFe]-hydrogenases, the mechanism by which these
      enzymes produce and activate H2 so efficiently remains unclear. A well-known EPR
      active state produced under H2 and known as Ni-C is assigned as a Ni(III)-Fe(II)
      species with a hydrido ligand in the bridging position between the two metals. It
      has long been known that low-temperature photolysis of Ni-C yields distinctive
      EPR-active states, collectively termed Ni-L, that are attributed to migration of
      the bridging-H species as a proton; however, Ni-L has mainly been regarded as an
      artifact with no mechanistic relevance. It is now demonstrated, based on EPR and
      infrared spectroscopic studies, that the Ni-C to Ni-L interconversion in
      Hydrogenase-1 (Hyd-1) from Escherichia coli is a pH-dependent process that
      proceeds readily in the dark-proton migration from Ni-C being favored as the pH
      is increased. The persistence of Ni-L in Hyd-1 must relate to unassigned
      differences in proton affinities of metal and adjacent amino acid sites, although
      the unusually high reduction potentials of the adjacent Fe-S centers in this O2
      tolerant hydrogenase might also be a contributory factor, impeding elementary
      electron transfer off the [NiFe] site after proton departure. The results provide
      compelling evidence that Ni-L is a true, albeit elusive, catalytic intermediate
      of [NiFe]-hydrogenases. 

PMID- 26103584
TI  - Validation of a New Counter for Direct Observation of Physical Activity in Parks.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aims to examine the reliability of a 12-button counter to
      simultaneously assess physical activity (PA) by age and gender subgroups in park
      settings. METHODS: A total of 1,160 pairs of observations were conducted in 481
      target areas of 19 neighborhood parks in the great Los Angeles, California, area
      between June 2013 and March 2014. Interrater reliability was assessed by
      Pearson's correlation, intraclass correlation (ICC), and agreement probability in
      metabolic equivalents (METs). Cosine similarity was used to check the resemblance
      of distributions among age and gender categories. Pictures taken in a total of
      112 target areas at the beginning of the observations were used as a second
      reliability check. RESULTS: Interrater reliability was high for the total METs
      and METs in all age and gender categories (between 0.82 and 0.97), except for
      male seniors (correlations and ICC between 0.64 and 0.77, agreement probability
      0.85 to 0.86). Reliability was higher for total METs than for METs spent in
      moderate-to-vigorous PA. Correlation and ICC between observers' measurement and
      picture-based counts are also high (between 0.79 and 0.94). CONCLUSION: Trained
      observers can reliably use the 12-button counter to accurately assess PA
      distribution and disparities by age and gender.

PMID- 26103585
TI  - FliL associates with the stator to support torque generation of the sodium-driven
      polar flagellar motor of Vibrio.
AB  - Flagellar motors generate torque to rotate flagellar filaments and drive
      bacterial cells. Each motor is composed of a rotor and many stators. The stator
      is a force-generating complex that converts ion flux into torque. Previous
      reports have suggested that the membrane protein FliL is located near the stator
      and is involved in torque generation. We investigated the role of FliL in the
      sodium-driven polar flagellar motor of Vibrio alginolyticus. Our results revealed
      that FliL is a cytoplasmic membrane protein and is located at the base of
      flagellum. The deletion of fliL did not affect the cell morphology or
      flagellation but resulted in a significant decrease of swimming speed, especially
      at a higher load thus suggesting that FliL is important for torque generation at
      high load conditions. Furthermore, the polar localization of the stator was
      decreased in a DeltafliL mutant, but the sodium-dependent assembly of the stator
      complex was still retained. The polar localization of FliL was lost in the
      absence of the stator complex, indicating that FliL interacts directly or
      indirectly with the stator. Our results suggest that FliL is localized along with
      the stator in order to support the motor functioning for swimming at high load
      conditions by maintaining the stator assembly. 

PMID- 26103586
TI  - Successful use of reduced-intensity conditioning and matched-unrelated
      hematopoietic stem cell transplant in a child with Diamond-Blackfan anemia and
      cirrhosis.
AB  - For patients with DBA who are transfusion dependent, HSCT is the only cure.
      Chronic transfusions can lead to cirrhosis secondary to iron overload, making
      them poor candidates for myeloablative HSCT. RIC regimens are associated with
      lower morbidity and mortality compared to myeloablative regimens, but use of RIC
      in DBA has been limited. Here we present a 14-yr-old girl with DBA and multiple
      comorbidities including liver cirrhosis, who underwent MUD HSCT utilizing a RIC
      regimen that is novel to this condition. She tolerated the regimen well, and at
      21 months, she remains transfusion independent with chimerisms at 99%.

PMID- 26103587
TI  - Blood Plasma TGF- beta1 Concentration in Sporadic Dilatative Pathology of
      Ascending Aorta: More Questions than Answers.
AB  - Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF- beta1) is a cytokine that participates in
      a broad range of cellular regulatory processes and is associated with various
      diseases including aortic aneurysm. Increased TGF- beta1 levels are associated
      with Marfan syndrome (MFS) caused by FBN1 mutations and subsequent defects in
      signaling system. We studied TGF- beta1 levels in 62 patients with sporadic, non
      syndromic, dilatative pathology of ascending aorta (DPAA) and in reference group
      subjects (n = 212). An initial screening of 212 reference individuals identified
      TGF- beta1 gender discrepancies and age-dependent cytokine increase in women.
      Patients with DPAA had increased levels of TGF- beta1 in comparison to reference
      group subjects (median 7.7 ng/ml, range 2.1-25.3, and median 6.2 ng/ml, range 1.0
      33.1, respectively). There is a significant association between TGF-beta1
      concentration and DPAA (OR 1.084, CI 1.027-1.144, p = 0.004) but the mechanisms
      of cause and effect have not been established yet. Slightly increased TGF-beta1
      concentrations in patients with sporadic DPAA in comparison to the reference
      subjects show a potential use of TGF-beta1 as a biomarker for the disease.
      However, cytokine dependence on age, gender, and other unknown factors among
      individuals with no cardiovascular complains reduces its specificity for DPAA. We
      would also like to raise awareness regarding the choice of methods when measuring
      TGF-beta1 levels with an emphasis on preanalytical phase and the choice of
      sample. 

PMID- 26103588
TI  - Correction: Improved Lower Bounds of DNA Tags Based on a Modified Genetic
      Algorithm.

PMID- 26103590
TI  - Mechanism of the Aerobic Homocoupling of Phenylboronic Acid on Au20-: A DFT
      Study.
AB  - The mechanism of the gold nanocluster-catalyzed aerobic homocoupling of
      arylboronic acids has been elucidated by means of DFT calculations with Au20(-)
      as a model cluster for the Au:[poly(N-vinylpyrrolidin-2-one)] catalyst. We found
      that oxygen affects the adsorption of phenylboronic acid and, by lowering the
      energy barrier, a water molecule enhances dissociation of the C-B bond, which is
      probably the rate-determining step. The key role of oxygen is in activating the
      surface of the gold cluster by generating Lewis acidic sites for adsorption and
      activation of the phenylboronic acid, leading to the formation of biphenyl
      through a superoxo-like species. Moreover, the oxygen adsorbed on the Au
      nanocluster can act as an oxidant for phenylboronic acid, giving phenol as a
      byproduct. As shown by NBO analysis, the basic aqueous reaction medium
      facilitates the reductive elimination process by weakening the Au-C bond, thereby
      enhancing the formation of biphenyl. The coupling of phenyl and reductive
      elimination of biphenyl occur at the top or facet site with low-energy-barrier
      through spillover of phenyl group on Au NC. The present findings are useful for
      the interpretation or design of other coupling reactions with Au NC.

PMID- 26103589
TI  - Complete Chloroplast Genome of Tanaecium tetragonolobum: The First Bignoniaceae
      Plastome.
AB  - Bignoniaceae is a Pantropical plant family that is especially abundant in the
      Neotropics. Members of the Bignoniaceae are diverse in many ecosystems and
      represent key components of the Tropical flora. Despite the ecological importance
      of the Bignoniaceae and all the efforts to reconstruct the phylogeny of this
      group, whole chloroplast genome information has not yet been reported for any
      members of the family. Here, we report the complete chloroplast genome sequence
      of Tanaecium tetragonolobum (Jacq.) L.G. Lohmann, which was reconstructed using
      de novo and referenced-based assembly of single-end reads generated by shotgun
      sequencing of total genomic DNA in an Illumina platform. The gene order and
      organization of the chloroplast genome of T. tetragonolobum exhibits the general
      structure of flowering plants, and is similar to other Lamiales chloroplast
      genomes. The chloroplast genome of T. tetragonolobum is a circular molecule of
      153,776 base pairs (bp) with a quadripartite structure containing two single copy
      regions, a large single copy region (LSC, 84,612 bp) and a small single copy
      region (SSC, 17,586 bp) separated by inverted repeat regions (IRs, 25,789 bp). In
      addition, the chloroplast genome of T. tetragonolobum has 38.3% GC content and
      includes 121 genes, of which 86 are protein-coding, 31 are transfer RNA, and four
      are ribosomal RNA. The chloroplast genome of T. tetragonolobum presents a total
      of 47 tandem repeats and 347 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) with mononucleotides
      being the most common and di-, tri-, tetra-, and hexanucleotides occurring with
      less frequency. The results obtained here were compared to other chloroplast
      genomes of Lamiales available to date, providing new insight into the evolution
      of chloroplast genomes within Lamiales. Overall, the evolutionary rates of genes
      in Lamiales are lineage-, locus-, and region-specific, indicating that the
      evolutionary pattern of nucleotide substitution in chloroplast genomes of
      flowering plants is complex. The discovery of tandem repeats within T.
      tetragonolobum and the presence of divergent regions between chloroplast genomes
      of Lamiales provides the basis for the development of markers at various
      taxonomic levels. The newly developed markers have the potential to greatly
      improve the resolution of molecular phylogenies. 

PMID- 26103591
TI  - Therapeutic Community Treatment of an Inmate Population with Substance Use
      Disorders: Post-Release Trends in Re-Arrest, Re-Incarceration, and Drug Misuse
      Relapse.
AB  - This systematic literature review maps the evidence for the effectiveness of the
      therapeutic community interventions (TCI) in reducing re-arrest, re-incarceration
      or drug misuse following release from prison, including the extent to which these
      effects are retained over time. The databases searched for the review included
      PsychINFO, Medline and Scopus and reference lists from relevant articles
      published between 2007 and 2014. Only quantitative studies that examined the
      effectiveness of TCI for a prisoner population with drug dependence at the time
      of initial incarceration were considered. Fourteen studies were identified for
      inclusion in the review. Three-quarters of the studies reported TCI were
      effective in reducing rates of re-incarceration. About 70% of studies that
      examined follow-up rates of drug misuse relapse found TCI effective in reducing
      rates of drug misuse amongst participants. TCI participation reduced re-arrests
      events in 55% of the studies. Results suggest TCI effective in the short-term
      rather than longer term for reducing rates of re-incarceration among
      participants, and to a slightly lesser extent, drug misuse relapse. 

PMID- 26103592
TI  - Social Support, Stigma and Disclosure: Examining the Relationship with HIV
      Medication Adherence among Ryan White Program Clients in the Mid-South USA.
AB  - Social support from friends and family is positively related to better health
      outcomes among adults living with HIV. An extension of these networks such as
      religious communities may be an untapped source of social support for promoting
      HIV medical adherence. This paper explores the association of HIV medication
      adherence to satisfaction with support from family, friends and church members,
      as well as HIV-related stigma, and HIV disclosure. In partnership with the Shelby
      County Health Department, the Memphis Ryan White Part A Program, and the
      University of Memphis School of Public Health, a total of 286 interviewer
      administered surveys were conducted with Ryan White clients. Seventy-six percent
      (n = 216) of participants reported being prescribed antiretroviral medication
      (ARVs). Nearly all participants (n = 202, 94%) prescribed ARVs reported
      disclosing their HIV status to someone. Almost 20% (n = 40) of those prescribed
      ARVs reported not being satisfied with support received from his/her church.
      Interestingly, participants reported rarely experiencing stigma as a result of
      their HIV status. The extent to which satisfaction with support from personal
      networks and institutional settings like the church affect medication adherence
      is yet to be understood. The complexity of HIV disclosure and HIV stigma in
      relation to these supports warrants further investigation to understand how best
      to improve HIV health outcomes. 

PMID- 26103593
TI  - Determinants of suicidal ideation in gynecological cancer patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Gynecological cancer survivors are at increased risk of psychological
      problems including suicide risk. Suicidal ideation, which was thought to be
      precursor to suicide attempts, has not been well studied. This study aimed to
      investigate the prevalence, and determinants of suicidal ideation for women with
      gynecological cancer, and then to assess the effect of coping style and social
      support on suicidal ideation. METHODS: Patients with cervical, ovarian and
      endometrial cancers seen at Hunan Provincial Tumor Hospital from September 2012
      to June 2013 were consecutively recruited and were asked to complete the Zung
      Self-Rating Depression Scale, Suicidal Ideation of Self-rating Scale, Medical
      Coping Modes Questionnaire and Social Support Rating Scale. Path analysis was
      used to examine the relationship among coping style, social support, depression
      symptoms and suicidal ideation. RESULTS: A total of 579 (579/623, 93.0%)
      gynecological cancer patients were enrolled in this study and completed all
      investigations between September 2012 and June 2013. Among them, 105 (18.1%)
      patients reported suicidal ideation, with the highest rate in patients with
      ovarian cancer (30.16%). Suicidal ideation was associated with depression
      symptoms, care providers, chemotherapy history and acceptance-resignation. Path
      analysis showed that the acceptance-resignation affected suicidal ideation
      directly as well as mediated by social support and depression symptoms, while
      confrontation and avoidance affected suicidal ideation entirely through social
      support and depression symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Suicidal ideation is high among
      patients with gynecological cancer, especially among ovarian cancer patients.
      Coping strategies such as confrontation and avoidance, and social support may be
      helpful for preventing suicidal ideation among them.

PMID- 26103594
TI  - Confirmatory factor analyses of DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in
      psychiatric samples differing in Criterion A status.
AB  - We examined the symptom structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as
      defined by American Psychiatric Association (2013. Diagnostic and statistical
      manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author). DSM-5
      introduced notable changes to PTSD criteria, and the structural impact of these
      changes is unclear. We conducted confirmatory factor analyses comparing seven
      commonly investigated or recently proposed PTSD models in a large sample of
      interviewed psychiatric outpatients reporting a Criterion A trauma (n = 310) or a
      sub-threshold (non-Criterion A) stressful life event (n = 284). A novel six
      factor dysphoria model and recently proposed seven-factor hybrid model
      outperformed other models and fit the data equally well in both groups. Our
      results suggest equal fit for both models, although the six-factor model is more
      parsimonious. These results have implications for research regarding the
      mechanisms underlying and the treatments targeting PTSD.

PMID- 26103595
TI  - Application of 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole in analysis: Fluorescent
      dyes and unexpected reaction with tertiary amines.
AB  - 4-Chloro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-Cl) is widely applied as a
      fluorescent tagging reagent in biochemistry, as a derivatization agent in
      analytical chemistry, and as a component for design of fluorescent nanoparticles.
      Four new 7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD)-tagged polyamines containing two to
      four amine moieties were synthesized and used as an effective tool for staining
      of siliceous frustules of the diatom algae and spicules of the siliceous sponges,
      including fossilized samples. An unexpected reaction between NBD-Cl and tertiary
      amine groups was found, giving rise to NBD-tagged amines with elimination of an
      alkyl group. The reaction proceeds through the Meisenheimer complex and
      quaternary salt, which transform to the product by Hofmann reaction (alkene
      elimination) or nucleophilic substitution (halogenated compound formation). In
      the case of polyamines, NBD-Cl causes chain scissoring, giving a set of NBD
      tagged amines. The found NBD-Cl reaction with tertiary amines must be taken into
      account when using NBD-Cl and similar activated aromatic systems for amine
      derivatization in analytical and biochemistry applications. The reaction with
      polyamines opens the way to libraries of NBD-tagged compounds. 

PMID- 26103597
TI  - CFA-7: an interpenetrated metal-organic framework of the MFU-4 family.
AB  - The novel interpenetrated metal-organic framework CFA-7 (Coordination Framework
      Augsburg University-7), [Zn5Cl4(tqpt)3], has been synthesized containing the
      organic linker {H2-tqpt = 6,6,14,14-tetramethyl-6,14-dihydroquinoxalino[2,3
      b]phenazinebistriazole}. Reaction of H2-tqpt and anhydrous ZnCl2 in N,N
      dimethylformamide (DMF) yields CFA-7 as pseudo-cubic crystals. CFA-7 serves as
      precursor for the synthesis of isostructural frameworks with redox-active metal
      centers, which is demonstrated by postsynthetic metal exchange of Zn(2+) by
      different M(2+) (M = Co, Ni, Cu) ions. The novel framework is robust upon solvent
      removal and has been structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray
      diffraction, TGA and IR spectroscopy, as well as gas sorption (Ar, CO2 and H2). 

PMID- 26103596
TI  - Relative distribution of virulence-associated factors among Australian bovine
      Staphylococcus aureus isolates: Potential relevance to development of an
      effective bovine mastitis vaccine.

PMID- 26103598
TI  - Early cytotoxic lymphocyte expansion contributes to a deep molecular response to
      dasatinib in patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia in the
      chronic phase: results of the D-first study.
AB  - Dasatinib is one of the key treatment options for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
      patients. Increase in lymphocyte counts has been known to be predictive of a good
      treatment response under dasatinib treatment as a second line therapy. However,
      clinical significance of lymphocyte dynamics in the upfront setting has yet to be
      clarified. To investigate the significance of lymphocyte dynamics in newly
      diagnosed chronic phase (CP)-CML, patient data of D-First study
      (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01464411) were analyzed. Fifty-two CML-CP patients
      enrolled to this study were treated with dasatinib (100 mg day(-1) ) and all were
      followed-up for 18 months. The incidence of lymphocyosis was observed in 14
      (27%), but it was not associated with deep molecular response achievement.
      However, natural killer (NK) cell or cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) counts at 1
      month were significantly higher in patients with deep molecular response (DMR) by
      18 months compared to those without DMR. When the patients were divided into two
      groups according to those calculated thresholds by receiver operating
      characteristic curve (407/MUL for NK cells and 347/MUL for CTLs), the cumulative
      DMR rates by 18 months were significantly better in higher value group compared
      to lower value group. In contrast, regulatory T cell counts were significantly
      lower at 12 and 15 months in patients achieved DMR. These results suggest the
      presence of dual effects of dasatinib on immune system through the cytotoxic
      lymphocytes activation and Treg deregulation in different periods in newly
      diagnosed CML-CP.

PMID- 26103599
TI  - A case of "order insensitivity"? Natural and artificial language processing in a
      man with primary progressive aphasia.
AB  - Processing of linear word order (linear configuration) is important for virtually
      all languages and essential to languages such as English which have little
      functional morphology. Damage to systems underpinning configurational processing
      may specifically affect word-order reliant sentence structures. We explore order
      processing in WR, a man with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). In a previous
      report, we showed how WR showed impaired processing of actives, which rely
      strongly on word order, but not passives where functional morphology signals
      thematic roles. Using the artificial grammar learning (AGL) paradigm, we examined
      WR's ability to process order in non-verbal, visual sequences and compared his
      profile to that of healthy controls, and aphasic participants with and without
      severe syntactic disorder. Results suggested that WR, like some other patients
      with severe syntactic impairment, was unable to detect linear configurational
      structure. The data are consistent with the notion that disruption of possibly
      domain-general linearization systems differentially affects processing of active
      and passive sentence structures. Further research is needed to test this account,
      and we suggest hypotheses for future studies. 

PMID- 26103601
TI  - Syntax, action verbs, action semantics, and object semantics in Parkinson's
      disease: Dissociability, progression, and executive influences.
AB  - Several studies have recently shown that basal ganglia (BG) deterioration leads
      to distinctive impairments in the domains of syntax, action verbs, and action
      semantics. In particular, such disruptions have been repeatedly observed in
      Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. However, it remains unclear whether these
      deficits are language-specific and whether they are equally dissociable from
      other reported disturbances -viz., processing of object semantics. To address
      these issues, we administered linguistic, semantic, and executive function (EFs)
      tasks to two groups of non-demented PD patients, with and without mild cognitive
      impairment (PD-MCI and PD-nMCI, respectively). We compared these two groups with
      each other and with matched samples of healthy controls. Our results showed that
      PD patients exhibited linguistic and semantic deficits even in the absence of
      MCI. However, not all domains were equally related to EFs and MCI across samples.
      Whereas EFs predicted disturbances of syntax and object semantics in both PD-nMCI
      and PD-MCI, they had no impact on action-verb and action-semantic impairments in
      either group. Critically, patients showed disruptions of action-verb production
      and action semantics in the absence of MCI and without any executive influence,
      suggesting a sui generis deficit present since early stages of the disease. These
      findings indicate that varied language domains are differentially related to the
      BG, contradicting popular approaches to neurolinguistics. 

PMID- 26103602
TI  - Effects of Adjuvant Systems on the cardiovascular and respiratory functions in
      telemetered conscious dogs and anaesthetised rats.
AB  - Adjuvants Systems (AS) containing immunostimulant combinations are used in human
      vaccines. Safety pharmacology studies evaluated the cardiorespiratory effects of
      AS in conscious telemetered dogs and in anaesthetised rats. Sixteen telemetered
      beagle dogs (4/group) received intramuscular injections of saline at Day 0, and
      one clinical dose of AS01, AS03, AS04 or AS15 at Day 7 (7* the equivalent human
      dose on a bodyweight basis). Bodyweights were measured through Day 14 and
      cardiorespiratory parameters and body temperature through 72 h post-treatment.
      Anaesthetised rats (4/group) received one intravenous injection of AS01, AS03 or
      AS15 at 1 mL/kg bodyweight (140* the equivalent human dosages), or saline.
      Cardiorespiratory parameters were measured for 120 min post-dose. In dogs, food
      consumption and mean bodyweight decreased with AS03, and mean body temperature
      slightly increased with AS01, AS03 and AS15, but were not considered to be
      adverse. Cardiovascular effects (a slight, reversible increase in mean heart rate
      and shortened mean RR/PR/QT-intervals) were observed with AS15. No relevant
      clinical effects or effects on QRS-complex/QTc-interval durations, arterial
      pressure or respiratory parameters were observed. In rats, there were no
      consistent treatment-related effects. Collectively, this suggests that AS01,
      AS03, AS04 and AS15 are not associated with potentially deleterious effects on
      ventricular repolarisation, atrio/intra-ventricular conductivities or respiratory
      functions.

PMID- 26103600
TI  - Classification and clinicoradiologic features of primary progressive aphasia
      (PPA) and apraxia of speech.
AB  - The consensus criteria for the diagnosis and classification of primary
      progressive aphasia (PPA) have served as an important tool in studying this group
      of disorders. However, a large proportion of patients remain unclassifiable
      whilst others simultaneously meet criteria for multiple subtypes. We
      prospectively evaluated a large cohort of patients with degenerative aphasia
      and/or apraxia of speech using multidisciplinary clinical assessments and
      multimodal imaging. Blinded diagnoses were made using operational definitions
      with important differences compared to the consensus criteria. Of the 130
      included patients, 40 were diagnosed with progressive apraxia of speech (PAOS),
      12 with progressive agrammatic aphasia, 9 with semantic dementia, 52 with
      logopenic progressive aphasia, and 4 with progressive fluent aphasia, while 13
      were unclassified. The PAOS and progressive fluent aphasia groups were least
      impaired. Performance on repetition and sentence comprehension was especially
      poor in the logopenic group. The semantic and progressive fluent aphasia groups
      had prominent anomia, but only semantic subjects had loss of word meaning and
      object knowledge. Distinct patterns of grey matter loss and white matter changes
      were found in all groups compared to controls. PAOS subjects had bilateral
      frontal grey matter loss, including the premotor and supplementary motor areas,
      and bilateral frontal white matter involvement. The agrammatic group had more
      widespread, predominantly left sided grey matter loss and white matter
      abnormalities. Semantic subjects had bitemporal grey matter loss and white matter
      changes, including the uncinate and inferior occipitofrontal fasciculi, whereas
      progressive fluent subjects only had left sided temporal involvement. Logopenic
      subjects had diffuse and bilateral grey matter loss and diffusion tensor
      abnormalities, maximal in the posterior temporal region. A diagnosis of logopenic
      aphasia was strongly associated with being amyloid positive (46/52 positive). Our
      findings support consideration of an alternative way of identifying and
      categorizing subtypes of degenerative speech and language disorders. 

PMID- 26103603
TI  - Subject transfer BCI based on Composite Local Temporal Correlation Common Spatial
      Pattern.
AB  - In this paper, a subject transfer framework is proposed for the classification of
      Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). This
      study introduces a modification of Common Spatial Pattern (CSP) for subject
      transfer BCIs, where similar characteristics are considered to transfer knowledge
      from other subjects' data. With this aim, we proposed a new approach based on
      Composite Local Temporal Correlation CSP, namely Composite LTCCSP with selected
      subjects, which considers the similarity between subjects using Frobenius
      distance. The performance of the proposed method is compared with different
      methods like traditional CSP, Composite CSP, LTCCSP and Composite LTCCSP.
      Experimental results have shown that our proposed method has increased the
      performance compared to all these different methods. Furthermore, our results
      suggest that it is worth emphasizing the data of subjects with similar
      characteristics in a subject transfer diagram. The suggested framework, as
      demonstrated by experimental results, can obtain a positive knowledge transfer
      for enhancing the performance of BCIs. 

PMID- 26103604
TI  - Relationships of Childhood Adverse Experiences With Mental Health and Quality of
      Life at Treatment Start for Adult Refugees Traumatized by Pre-Flight Experiences
      of War and Human Rights Violations.
AB  - Adverse and potentially traumatic experiences (PTEs) in childhood were examined
      among 54 adult refugee patients with pre-flight PTEs of war and human rights
      violations (HRVs) and related to mental health and quality of life at treatment
      start. Extent of childhood PTEs was more strongly related to mental health and
      quality of life than the extent of war and HRV experiences. Childhood PTEs were
      significantly related to arousal and avoidance symptoms of posttraumatic stress
      disorder (PTSD) and to quality of life, whereas pre-flight war and HRV
      experiences were significantly related to reexperiencing symptoms of PTSD only.
      Within childhood adversities, experiences of family violence and external
      violence, but not of loss and illness, were significantly related to increased
      mental health symptoms and reduced quality of life. These results point to the
      importance of taking childhood adverse experiences into account in research and
      treatment planning for adult refugees with war and HRVs trauma. 

PMID- 26103606
TI  - Ghrelin and atherosclerosis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The increasing prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the
      consequent cardiovascular diseases has stimulated an active search for novel risk
      factors. The hormones regulating energy balance are of special interest as
      potential risk factor indicators of cardiovascular diseases. Ghrelin provides an
      attractive target for studies of atherosclerosis being a gastric peptide hormone
      having multiple functions including orexigenic and growth hormone-releasing
      effects and is also involved in the regulation of cardiovascular and
      immunomodulatory system. RECENT FINDINGS: The aim of the present article is to
      review recent studies on the role of ghrelin in the atherosclerosis. Ghrelin
      seems to influence known risk factors of atherosclerosis, endothelial
      dysfunction, inflammation and oxidation. These themes will be covered by the
      present article and a summary of clinical studies of ghrelin in atherosclerosis
      will be given. SUMMARY: Ghrelin plays a beneficial role in multiple processes of
      atherogenesis and vascular function. However, ghrelin's effects are not as strong
      as those of traditional known risk factors.

PMID- 26103605
TI  - What an anticardiovascular diet should be in 2015.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Given scientific and public debate about optimal diet to
      prevent cardiovascular disease, and interest in diet and other chronic diseases,
      we propose that following a few simple dietary principles would reduce chronic
      disease incidence. RECENT FINDINGS: Nutrition research has been criticized for
      focusing on individual nutrients and foods, treated like drug therapy. With a few
      important exceptions, clinical trials of supplemental nutrients have not shown
      benefit. Although highly specific nutrition information is elusive, diet patterns
      have provided consistent answers, important for public health. Observational
      cohort studies have found that some dietary patterns are reported with high
      reliability over long periods and predict future cardiovascular and other
      inflammatory-related diseases. Two randomized clinical trials confirmed this
      finding. There are many common features of Mediterranean and prudent diets,
      particularly the plant-centered aspect, coupled with variety of foods eaten. A
      dietary pattern characterized by high fruit, vegetable, legume, whole grain, nut,
      berry, seed, and fish intakes, and possibly by intakes of dairy, coffee, tea,
      chocolate, and alcohol (not in excess), but low meat and detrimentally processed
      foods is associated with reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease and rates of
      noncardiovascular, noncancer chronic inflammatory-related mortality. SUMMARY: A
      plant-centered diet may be broadly recommended.

PMID- 26103607
TI  - Proprotein convertases in atherogenesis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The proprotein convertases subtilisin/kexin (PCSKs) are
      endoproteases identified as activators of precursors from hormones and peptides.
      On the basis of the variety of substrates and regulation in disease, they have
      been recognized as mediators in atherogenesis. The discovery of PCSK9, which
      regulates low-density lipoprotein receptor cell membrane availability, has led to
      a resurgence of interest in these enzymes and their function in cardiovascular
      diseases. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent data demonstrate that PCSKs are expressed in
      human atheroma and are regulated in animal models of atherosclerosis. In animal
      models, inhibition of PCSKs, such as PCSK3, affects cell proliferation and
      migration as well as inflammation, reducing atherosclerosis. In addition,
      targeting PCSK9 lowers cholesterol levels and has now been demonstrated to lessen
      vascular lesion formation in mice. Experimentally investigated novel anti-PCSK9
      strategies include genome editing and vaccination. Furthermore, studies show that
      PCSKs contribute to the initiation and progression of cardiometabolic risk
      factors, such as insulin resistance and obesity. SUMMARY: PCSKs affect
      cardiovascular diseases on multiple levels, including atherosclerotic lesion
      formation as well as their contribution to cardiometabolic risk factors. PCSK9 is
      a key regulator of plasma cholesterol levels, thereby potentially affecting
      atherosclerosis and has rapidly emerged as a pharmacological target.

PMID- 26103608
TI  - Should we assess cardiovascular risk in young adults born preterm?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Eleven percent of infants are born preterm worldwide. Preterm
      infants continue their development and growth in a substantially different
      environment than in uterus. The prenatal and postnatal period have long-lasting
      effects on a child's health. Previous studies have shown that adults born preterm
      with very low birth weight show enhancement of cardiometabolic risk factors such
      as elevated blood pressure and impaired glucose regulation compared with their
      peers born at term. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies have more often included
      individuals born less preterm, as over 70% of premature infants are born late
      preterm (in 34-36 gestational weeks). Adults born preterm have elevated levels of
      cardiometabolic-risk factors concerning several aspects such as body size and
      composition, energy metabolism, blood pressure, vascular structure, glucose and
      lipid metabolism, lifestyle, and some emerging cardiometabolic-risk factors.
      SUMMARY: Most of the cardiometabolic-risk factors related to preterm birth are
      modifiable. Favorable early-life circumstances of premature infants, such as
      optimal nutrition and growth, might reduce the risk of later cardiometabolic
      disorders. In addition, adults born preterm might particularly benefit from
      screening of risk factors and promotion of a healthy lifestyle.

PMID- 26103609
TI  - Rapid emergence of atherosclerosis in Asia: a systematic review of coronary
      atherosclerotic heart disease epidemiology and implications for prevention and
      control strategies.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is a global epidemic of coronary heart disease (CHD)
      caused by atherosclerosis. We discussed its emergence, underlying reasons, and
      implications for prevention and control strategies in Asia. RECENT FINDINGS: Most
      countries in Asia are experiencing the challenges from CHD, with the mortality
      rate varying from 103 to 366 per 100 000 adult populations, reported by recently
      published studies. Raised population cholesterol levels played a pivotal role.
      Men, older adults, and those with dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes were
      high-risk individuals. During the past decade, there was a marked rising trend of
      atherosclerosis-related burden particularly in Eastern Asia where an alarming
      increase of 117.2 and 115.3% of total deaths and disability adjusted life-years,
      respectively, were observed. The rise of CHD could be attributed to unhealthy
      lifestyles, clinical-risk factors, psychosocial factors, and public health
      transitions. Ageing, urbanization, and increase in prosperity may serve as
      underlying key drivers. SUMMARY: The burden of CHD is substantial, whereas
      contributors are multifactorial. This grand challenge should be a top priority
      for injecting healthcare resources. The formulation of public health measures
      will need to adopt an integrated and life-course approach, based on the need and
      risks of different population subgroups in Asia.

PMID- 26103610
TI  - Dysbetalipoproteinemia: an extreme disorder of remnant metabolism.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Lipoprotein metabolism and the role of apolipoprotein E in the
      pathogenesis of dysbetalipoproteinemia. RECENT FINDINGS: Remnant lipoproteins,
      modulated by lifestyle and genetic factors, are atherogenic.
      Dysbetalipoproteinemia could be viewed as a monogenic disorder of remnant
      metabolism. SUMMARY: Elevated plasma triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations
      (mixed hyperlipidemias) are commonly encountered and dysbetaliproteinemia should
      be considered in this setting. Dysbetalipoproteinemia (remnant clearance disease,
      Fredrickson type III hyperlipidemia) is an uncommon dyslipoproteinemia related to
      mutations in apolipoprotein E that disrupt the clearance of remnants of
      triglyceride-rich lipoproteins; it may be overlooked because xanthomata of the
      skin and/or tendons occur in a minority of patients. The diagnosis ideally
      requires the demonstration of remnant lipoprotein accumulation and a genetic
      cause. Genotyping for apolipoprotein E2 may not prove the diagnosis as it may be
      associated with low plasma lipid values. The recent association of remnant
      lipoproteins with atherosclerosis along with many factors that modulate remnant
      lipoprotein metabolism underscores the importance of recognising
      dysbetalipoproteinemia as an extreme state of remnant lipoprotein accumulation.
      Although there may be some differences between remnants in the general population
      and dysbetalipoproteinemia, it is clear that remnants promote atherosclerosis.
      Current treatment strategies are adequate but new strategies could also be of
      benefit in dysbetalipoproteinemia.

PMID- 26103611
TI  - Importance of early recognition of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To outline recent updates in the diagnosis and management of
      heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent guidelines
      have suggested that familial hypercholesterolaemia is vastly underdiagnosed in
      most countries worldwide. Improvements in next-generation sequencing have led to
      the detection of novel mutations and the cheaper cost of this technology makes
      the early identification of asymptomatic individuals a feasible option. With more
      widespread use of high doses of more potent statins in affected adults,
      cardiovascular mortality has decreased in adults with hypercholesterolaemia.
      SUMMARY: Barriers to cascade testing of relatives of index cases remain worldwide
      despite improvements in gene technology and the marked recent decrease in costs
      of genetic testing. Recent guidelines recommending screening of young children,
      for example, 8-10 years with measurement of LDL cholesterol concentrations will
      increase the diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia among children but long
      term safety data of the use of statins in this young age group are not available.
      To date, the benefit of statin-induced decreases in LDL cholesterol concentration
      in children is based on effects of treatment on proxy measures of cardiovascular
      disease and not a reduction in cardiovascular events.

PMID- 26103612
TI  - Bariatric surgery, lipoprotein metabolism and cardiovascular risk.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize recent epidemiological, preclinical and clinical
      studies on the effects of Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass (RYGBP) surgery on
      cardiovascular risk factors and the underlying mechanisms. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Although RYGBP has mechanical effects on the gastrointestinal tract, the reduced
      gastric pouch and intestinal calorie absorption cannot fully explain the
      metabolic improvements. SUMMARY: Obesity predisposes to cardiovascular risk
      factors such as dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
      and hypertension. In contrast to the limited success of pharmacological and
      lifestyle interventions, RYGBP induces sustained weight loss, metabolic
      improvements and decreases morbidity/mortality. In line, RYGBP reduces
      cardiovascular risk factors. Although the mechanisms are not entirely understood,
      RYGBP induces complex changes in the gut affecting other organs through endocrine
      and metabolic signals from the intestine to all key metabolic organs, which can
      link RYGBP and decreased cardiovascular risk. Here, we discuss the roles of
      changes in lipid absorption and metabolism, bile acid metabolism, gut hormones
      and the microbiote as potential mechanisms in the decreased cardiovascular risk
      and metabolic improvement after RYGBP.

PMID- 26103613
TI  - Unintended positive and negative effects of drugs on lipoproteins.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Dyslipidaemia is an important cardiovascular disease risk
      factor. Many drugs affect lipid profile and lipoprotein metabolism. We reviewed
      unintended effects of nonlipid modifying, commonly used medications on lipid
      profile and lipoprotein metabolism. RECENT FINDING: Several detrimental effects
      of many drug classes such as diuretics, antidepressant, anticonvulsant and
      antiretroviral drugs have been reported, whereas other drug classes such as
      antiobesity, alpha 1-blockers, oestrogens and thyroid replacement therapy were
      associated with positive effects. SUMMARY: Dyslipidaemia is a common side-effect
      of many medications. This should be taken into consideration, especially in
      patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Other drugs demonstrated
      positive effects on circulating lipids and lipoproteins. The impact of these
      unintended effects on atherosclerotic disease risk and progression is unclear.

PMID- 26103614
TI  - How HDL protects LDL against atherogenic modification: paraoxonase 1 and other
      dramatis personae.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize the current evidence about how HDL impedes the
      oxidative and glycative atherogenic modification of LDL. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is located on HDL. Meta-analysis of clinical epidemiological
      investigations reveals a substantial association of low serum PON1 activity with
      coronary heart disease incidence independent of other risk factors including HDL
      cholesterol and apolipoprotein AI (apoAI). Transgenic animal models also indicate
      an antiatherosclerotic role for PON1. However, highly purified and recombinant
      PON1 do not retain their antioxidant properties. SUMMARY: The therapeutic
      potential of PON1 should be recognized in preventing atherosclerosis and
      combating infection and organophosphate toxicity. In unleashing this potential,
      it is important to consider that both highly purified and recombinant PON1 are
      dissociated from the lipid phase and other components of HDL, such as apoAI and
      apoM, all of which may be required for HDL (through its PON1 component) to
      hydrolyze more lipophilic substrates.

PMID- 26103615
TI  - Finite-time boundedness and stabilization of uncertain switched neural networks
      with time-varying delay.
AB  - This paper deals with the finite-time boundedness and stabilization problem for a
      class of switched neural networks with time-varying delay and parametric
      uncertainties. Based on Lyapunov-like function method and average dwell time
      technique, some sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee the finite-time
      boundedness of considered uncertain switched neural networks. Furthermore, the
      state feedback controller is designed to solve the finite-time stabilization
      problem. Moreover, the proposed sufficient conditions can be simplified into the
      form of linear matrix equalities for conveniently using Matlab LMI toolbox.
      Finally, two numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness of the main
      results. 

PMID- 26103616
TI  - Supporting malaria elimination with 21st century antimalarial agent drug
      discovery.
AB  - The burden of malaria has been considerably reduced over recent years. However,
      to achieve disease elimination, drug discovery for the next generation needs to
      focus on blocking disease transmission and on targeting the liver-stage forms of
      the parasite. Properties of the 'ideal' new antimalarial drug and the key
      scientific and technological advances that have led to recent progress in
      antimalarial drug discovery are reviewed. Using these advances, Novartis has
      built a robust pipeline of next-generation antimalarials. The preclinical and
      clinical development of two candidate drugs: KAE609 and KAF156, provide a
      framework for the path to breakthrough treatments that could be taking us a step
      closer to the vision of malaria elimination. 

PMID- 26103617
TI  - Therapeutic approaches of magnetic nanoparticles for the central nervous system.
AB  - The diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) represent one of the fastest
      growing areas of concern requiring urgent medical attention. Treatment of CNS
      ailments is hindered owing to different physiological barriers including the
      blood-brain barrier (BBB), which limits the accessibility of potential drugs.
      With the assistance of a nanotechnology-based drug delivery strategy, the
      problems could be overcome. Recently, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have proven
      immensely useful as drug carriers for site-specific delivery and as contrast
      agents owing to their magnetic susceptibility and biocompatibility. By utilizing
      MNPs, diagnosis and treatment of CNS diseases have progressed by overcoming the
      hurdles of the BBB. In this review, the therapeutic aspect and the future
      prospects related to the theranostic approach of MNPs are discussed. 

PMID- 26103618
TI  - Ocular Trauma From Dog Bites: Characterization, Associations, and Treatment
      Patterns at a Regional Level I Trauma Center Over 11 Years.
AB  - PURPOSE: Canine bites frequently result in periocular injury. The authors aimed
      to further characterize the dog breeds, types of injuries inflicted, and
      treatment outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on all
      dog bites recorded in the University of Washington trauma registry from 2003 to
      2013. Cases involving ocular injury were further investigated to identify ocular
      tissues affected, treatment patterns, and outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 342 dog
      bite victims were identified, of whom 91 sustained ocular trauma (27%). The mean
      age of patients with ocular injuries was significantly lower than those without
      (14.1 +/- 1.9 vs. 30.0 +/- 1.3 years, p < 0.001). Children bitten by dogs were
      4.2 times more likely to sustain ocular injuries than adults (45.2% vs. 10.8%).
      The most common breed of dog inflicting ocular injury was the pit bull (25%).
      Forty percent of patients with ocular trauma sustained canalicular lacerations
      and epiphora was noted in only 3 patients (8%) after repair. Three percent had
      orbital fractures and 2% sustained ruptured globes. Infections were rare,
      affecting only 2% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this study is the
      largest to date to report the incidence and characteristics of ocular injuries
      sustained from dog bites. These injuries were disproportionately more common in
      children and have a high incidence of canalicular laceration. Though rare, globe
      injuries and orbital fractures were seen in this population. Importantly, this
      study establishes that pit bulls are the most frequent breed associated with
      ocular injuries from dog bites.

PMID- 26103619
TI  - Altered distribution of ICa impairs Ca release at the t-tubules of ventricular
      myocytes from failing hearts.
AB  - In mammalian cardiac ventricular myocytes, Ca influx and release occur
      predominantly at t-tubules, ensuring synchronous Ca release throughout the cell.
      Heart failure is associated with disrupted t-tubule structure, but its effect on
      t-tubule function is less clear. We therefore investigated Ca influx and release
      at the t-tubules of ventricular myocytes isolated from rat hearts ~18weeks after
      coronary artery ligation (CAL) or corresponding Sham operation. L-type Ca current
      (ICa) was recorded using the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique in intact and
      detubulated myocytes; Ca release at t-tubules was monitored using confocal
      microscopy with voltage- and Ca-sensitive fluorophores. CAL was associated with
      cardiac and cellular hypertrophy, decreased ejection fraction, disruption of t
      tubule structure and a smaller, slower Ca transient, but no change in ryanodine
      receptor distribution, L-type Ca channel expression, or ICa density. In Sham
      myocytes, ICa was located predominantly at the t-tubules, while in CAL myocytes,
      it was uniformly distributed between the t-tubule and surface membranes.
      Inhibition of protein kinase A with H-89 caused a greater decrease of t-tubular
      ICa in CAL than in Sham myocytes; in the presence of H-89, t-tubular ICa density
      was smaller in CAL than in Sham myocytes. The smaller t-tubular ICa in CAL
      myocytes was accompanied by increased latency and heterogeneity of SR Ca release
      at t-tubules, which could be mimicked by decreasing ICa using nifedipine. These
      data show that CAL decreases t-tubular ICa via a PKA-independent mechanism,
      thereby impairing Ca release at t-tubules and contributing to the altered
      excitation-contraction coupling observed in heart failure. 

PMID- 26103620
TI  - Transmission of Multidrug-Resistant and Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis within
      Households: A Prospective Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The "fitness" of an infectious pathogen is defined as the ability of
      the pathogen to survive, reproduce, be transmitted, and cause disease. The
      fitness of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) relative to drug-susceptible
      tuberculosis is cited as one of the most important determinants of MDRTB spread
      and epidemic size. To estimate the relative fitness of drug-resistant
      tuberculosis cases, we compared the incidence of tuberculosis disease among the
      household contacts of MDRTB index patients to that among the contacts of drug
      susceptible index patients. METHODS AND FINDINGS: This 3-y (2010-2013)
      prospective cohort household follow-up study in South Lima and Callao, Peru,
      measured the incidence of tuberculosis disease among 1,055 household contacts of
      213 MDRTB index cases and 2,362 household contacts of 487 drug-susceptible index
      cases. A total of 35/1,055 (3.3%) household contacts of 213 MDRTB index cases
      developed tuberculosis disease, while 114/2,362 (4.8%) household contacts of 487
      drug-susceptible index patients developed tuberculosis disease. The total follow
      up time for drug-susceptible tuberculosis contacts was 2,620 person-years, while
      the total follow-up time for MDRTB contacts was 1,425 person-years. Using
      multivariate Cox regression to adjust for confounding variables including contact
      HIV status, contact age, socio-economic status, and index case sputum smear
      grade, the hazard ratio for tuberculosis disease among MDRTB household contacts
      was found to be half that for drug-susceptible contacts (hazard ratio 0.56, 95%
      CI 0.34-0.90, p = 0.017). The inference of transmission in this study was limited
      by the lack of genotyping data for household contacts. Capturing incident disease
      only among household contacts may also limit the extrapolation of these findings
      to the community setting. CONCLUSIONS: The low relative fitness of MDRTB
      estimated by this study improves the chances of controlling drug-resistant
      tuberculosis. However, fitter multidrug-resistant strains that emerge over time
      may make this increasingly difficult.

PMID- 26103621
TI  - Kinetics of protein-ligand unbinding via smoothed potential molecular dynamics
      simulations.
AB  - Drug discovery is expensive and high-risk. Its main reasons of failure are lack
      of efficacy and toxicity of a drug candidate. Binding affinity for the biological
      target has been usually considered one of the most relevant figures of merit to
      judge a drug candidate along with bioavailability, selectivity and metabolic
      properties, which could depend on off-target interactions. Nevertheless, affinity
      does not always satisfactorily correlate with in vivo drug efficacy. It is indeed
      becoming increasingly evident that the time a drug spends in contact with its
      target (aka residence time) can be a more reliable figure of merit. Experimental
      kinetic measurements are operatively limited by the cost and the time needed to
      synthesize compounds to be tested, to express and purify the target, and to setup
      the assays. We present here a simple and efficient molecular-dynamics-based
      computational approach to prioritize compounds according to their residence time.
      We devised a multiple-replica scaled molecular dynamics protocol with suitably
      defined harmonic restraints to accelerate the unbinding events while preserving
      the native fold. Ligands are ranked according to the mean observed scaled
      unbinding time. The approach, trivially parallel and easily implementable, was
      validated against experimental information available on biological systems of
      pharmacological relevance. 

PMID- 26103622
TI  - Cross section measurements of deuteron induced nuclear reactions on natural
      titanium up to 34 MeV.
AB  - Experimental cross sections for deuteron induced nuclear reactions on natural
      titanium were measured, using the stacked-foil technique and gamma spectrometry,
      up to 34 MeV with beams provided by the ARRONAX cyclotron. The experimental cross
      section values were monitored using the (nat)Ti(d,x)(48)V reaction, recommended
      by the IAEA. The excitation functions for (nat)Ti(d,x)(44m,46,47,48)Sc are
      presented and compared with the existing ones and with the TALYS 1.6 code
      calculations using default models. Our experimental values are in good agreement
      with data found in the literature. TALYS 1.6 is not able to give a good
      estimation of the production cross sections investigated in this work. These
      production cross sections of scandium isotopes fit with the new Coordinated
      Research Project (CRP) launched by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
      to expand the database of monitor reactions.

PMID- 26103623
TI  - Uranium beam characterization at CIRCE for background and contamination
      determinations.
AB  - The Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is the most sensitive technique, compared
      either to the Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP-MS) or Thermal Ionization (TI-MS)
      mass spectrometer, for the actinide (e.g. (236)U, (x)Pu isotopes) measurements.
      They are present in environmental samples at the ultra trace level since
      atmospheric tests of Nuclear Weapons (NWs) performed in the past, deliberate
      dumping of nuclear waste, nuclear fuel reprocessing, on a large scale, and
      operation of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), on a small scale, have led to the
      release of a wide range of radioactive nuclides in the environment. At the Center
      for Isotopic Research on Cultural and Environmental heritage (CIRCE) in Caserta,
      Italy, an upgraded actinide AMS system, based on a 3-MV pelletron tandem
      accelerator, has been developed and routinely operated. At CIRCE a charge state
      distribution as a function of terminal voltage, the beam emittance, measured in
      the 20 degrees  actinides dedicated beam line, as well as the energy and position
      validation of the U ions were performed in order to determine the best
      measurement conditions. A (236)U/(238)U isotopic ratio background level of about
      5*10(-12) or 3*10(-13), depending on the Time of Flight-Energy (TOF-E)
      configurations, as well as the spatial distribution of the (235)U, (238)U
      interferences ions and a (236)U contamination mass of about 0.5 fg have been
      determined.

PMID- 26103624
TI  - Advanced Microcirculatory Parameters of Lower Extremity Free Flaps during
      Dangling and Their Influencing Factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dangling of the leg to habituate a free flap to the lower extremity
      is common practice. However, little is known about the microcirculatory changes
      in free flaps and the influence of comorbidities. METHODS: Tissue oxygen
      saturation (StO2) and hemoglobin content (tissue hemoglobin index [THI]) of 39
      lower extremity free flaps was measured during dangling on postoperative days
      (PODs) 6 to 9. We assessed the maximal desaturation during dangling and re
      elevation and the maximal increase in THI as well as the time required to reach a
      stable plateau during dangling, among others. RESULTS: All parameters showed
      significant changes during dangling (desaturation during dangling: 0.23 +/- 10.7
      vs. - 4.66 +/- 12.6%, p = 0.001 for POD 6 vs. 7; further desaturation after re
      elevation: - 11.1 +/- 7.4 versus - 14.5 +/- 7.8%, p = 0.001 for POD 6 vs. 9; THI
      increase during dangling: from 3.4 +/- 1.6 to 4.2 +/- 1.8 AU, p = 0.008, time to
      THI plateau: 1.7 +/- 1.2 vs. 2.5 +/- 1.7 minutes, p = 0.004 for POD 6 vs. 7).
      Age, gender, and smoking did not influence the mentioned parameters. Nondiabetic
      patients showed a significant increase of baseline StO2, whereas diabetic
      patients did not (p = 0.009 vs. 0.11). For THI, both diabetic and hypertensive
      patients showed a lower increase in THI on the first day of dangling (p = 0.056;
      p = 0.009) and significantly lower baseline values on the last day (0.046 for
      both). CONCLUSION: Duration of dependency seems to have the greatest impact on
      microcirculation during dangling, although comorbidities may interfere with the
      adaptive processes. An earlier start of dangling could safely be applied in most
      patients. Special care needs to be taken in diabetic and hypertensive patients.

PMID- 26103625
TI  - Establishment of Magnetic Microparticles-Assisted Time-Resolved Fluoroimmunoassay
      for Determinating Biomarker Models in Human Serum.
AB  - In order to early screen and detect suspected biomarkers from pathogens and the
      human body itself, tracers or reaction strategies that can act as signal
      enhancers have been proposed forth at purpose. In this paper, we discussed the
      applicability of magnetic microparticles-assisted time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay
      (MMPs-TRFIA) for sensitive determination of potential analytes. Hepatitis B e
      antigen, antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen and free triiodothyronine were
      used as biomarker models to explore the reliability of the method. By coupling
      with bioprobes, MMPs were used as immunoassay carriers to capture target
      molecules. Under optimal condition, assay performance, including accuracy,
      precision and specificity, was outstanding and demonstrated satisfactory. To
      further evaluate the performance of the MMPs-TRFIA in patients, a total of 728
      serum samples from hospital were analyzed for three biomarkers in parallel with
      the proposed method and chemiluminescence immunoassay kit commercially available.
      Fairly good agreements are obtained between the two methods via data analysis.
      Not only that but the reliability of MMPs-TRFIA has also been illustrated by
      three different reaction models. It is confirmed that the novel method modified
      with MMPs has been established and showed great potential applications in both
      biological detection and clinical diagnosis, including big molecule protein and
      low molecular weight haptens. 

PMID- 26103627
TI  - On the role of the extracellular space on the holistic behavior of the brain.
AB  - Multiple players are involved in the brain integrative action besides the
      classical neuronal and astrocyte networks. In the past, the concept of complex
      cellular networks has been introduced to indicate that all the cell types in the
      brain can play roles in its integrative action. Intercellular communication in
      the complex cellular networks depends not only on well-delimited communication
      channels (wiring transmission) but also on diffusion of signals in physically
      poorly delimited extracellular space pathways (volume transmission). Thus, the
      extracellular space and the extracellular matrix are the main players in the
      intercellular communication modes in the brain. Hence, the extracellular matrix
      is an 'intelligent glue' that fills the brain and, together with the
      extracellular space, contributes to the building-up of the complex cellular
      networks. In addition, the extracellular matrix is part of what has been defined
      as the global molecular network enmeshing the entire central nervous system, and
      plays important roles in synaptic contact homeostasis and plasticity. From these
      premises, a concept is introduced that the global molecular network, by enmeshing
      the central nervous system, contributes to the brain holistic behavior.
      Furthermore, it is suggested that plastic 'brain compartments' can be detected in
      the central nervous system based on the astrocyte three-dimensional tiling of the
      brain volume and on the existence of local differences in cell types and
      extracellular space fluid and extracellular matrix composition. The relevance of
      the present view for neuropsychiatry is discussed. A glossary box with terms and
      definitions is provided. 

PMID- 26103626
TI  - CXCL8 and CCL20 Enhance Osteoclastogenesis via Modulation of Cytokine Production
      by Human Primary Osteoblasts.
AB  - Generalized osteoporosis is common in patients with inflammatory diseases,
      possibly because of circulating inflammatory factors that affect osteoblast and
      osteoclast formation and activity. Serum levels of the inflammatory factors CXCL8
      and CCL20 are elevated in rheumatoid arthritis, but whether these factors affect
      bone metabolism is unknown. We hypothesized that CXCL8 and CCL20 decrease
      osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, and enhance osteoblast-mediated
      osteoclast formation and activity. Human primary osteoblasts were cultured with
      or without CXCL8 (2-200 pg/ml) or CCL20 (5-500 pg/ml) for 14 days. Osteoblast
      proliferation and gene expression of matrix proteins and cytokines were analyzed.
      Osteoclast precursors were cultured with CXCL8 (200 pg/ml) and CCL20 (500 pg/ml),
      or with conditioned medium (CM) from CXCL8 and CCL20-treated osteoblasts with or
      without IL-6 inhibitor. After 3 weeks osteoclast formation and activity were
      determined. CXCL8 (200 pg/ml) and CCL20 (500 pg/ml) enhanced mRNA expression of
      KI67 (2.5-2.7-fold), ALP (1.6-1.7-fold), and IL-6 protein production (1.3-1.6
      fold) by osteoblasts. CXCL8-CM enhanced the number of osteoclasts with 3-5 nuclei
      (1.7-fold), and with >5 nuclei (3-fold). CCL20-CM enhanced the number of
      osteoclasts with 3-5 nuclei (1.3-fold), and with >5 nuclei (2.8-fold). IL-6
      inhibition reduced the stimulatory effect of CXCL8-CM and CCL20-CM on formation
      of osteoclasts. In conclusion, CXCL8 and CCL20 did not decrease osteoblast
      proliferation or gene expression of matrix proteins. CXCL8 and CCL20 did not
      directly affect osteoclastogenesis. However, CXCL8 and CCL20 enhanced osteoblast
      mediated osteoclastogenesis, partly via IL-6 production, suggesting that CXCL8
      and CCL20 may contribute to osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis by affecting
      bone cell communication. 

PMID- 26103628
TI  - Immunomodulatory activity of methanolic leaf extract of Moringa oleifera in
      Wistar albino rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Globally, Moringa oleifera is used by different communities to treat
      various ailments including modulation of the immune system though with limited
      scientific evidence. The aim was to study the immunomodulatory activity of M.
      oleifera methanolic leaf extract in Wistar albino rats. METHODS: An experimental
      laboratory-based study was done following standard methods and procedures. Nine
      experimental groups (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX) each comprising of six
      animals were used. Group I received normal saline. Groups II to IX received 200
      mg/kg bwt cyclophosphamide at the beginning of the study. Group III received 50
      mg/kg bwt of an immunostimulatory drug levamisole. Groups IV to IX were dosed
      daily for 14 days with extract at doses of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg bwt,
      respectively, using an intragastric tube. Complete blood count (CBC), delayed
      type hypersensitivity reaction (DTH), neutrophil adhesion test, and
      hemagglutination antibody titer were determined using standard methods and
      procedures. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad prism 5.0a
      Software. RESULTS: There was an increment in WBC, lymphocyte, and neutrophil
      counts at a dose of 1000 mg/kg bwt similar to the levamisole-positive control
      group. The neutrophil adhesion was statistically significant (p<=0.05) for
      treatment groups that received 1000 mg/kg bwt (29.94%) and 500 mg/kg bwt at
      17.28%. The mean percentage increment in footpad thickness was highest (26.9%)
      after 8 h of injection of antigen in the footpad of rats dosed 500 mg/kg bwt and
      this later reduced to 25.6% after 24 h. There was a dose-dependent increment in
      the mean hemagglutination antibody titer to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) from
      10.73+/-0.57 HA units/MUL for the 250 mg/kg bwt to 26.22+/-1.70 HA units/MUL for
      the 1000 mg/kg bwt. CONCLUSIONS: Methanolic leaf extract of M. oleifera caused a
      significant immunostimulatory effect on both the cell-mediated and humoral immune
      systems in the Wistar albino rats.

PMID- 26103629
TI  - The impact of Tween 20 on repeatability of amyloid beta and tau measurements in
      cerebrospinal fluid.

PMID- 26103630
TI  - Analytical assessment of the novel homocysteine liquid enzymatic assay on Beckman
      Coulter AU5800.

PMID- 26103631
TI  - Involvement of epigenetic modifiers in the pathogenesis of testicular dysgenesis
      and germ cell cancer.
AB  - Testicular germ cell cancer manifests mainly in young adults as a seminoma or non
      seminoma. The solid tumors are preceded by the presence of a non-invasive
      precursor cell, the carcinoma in situ cell (CIS), which shows great similarity to
      fetal germ cells. It is therefore hypothesized that the CIS cell is a fetal germ
      cell that has been arrested during development due to testicular dysgenesis. CIS
      cells retain a fetal and open chromatin structure, and recently several
      epigenetic modifiers have been suggested to be involved in testicular dysgenesis
      in mice. We here review the possible involvement of epigenetic modifiers with a
      focus on jumonji C enzymes in the development of testicular dysgenesis and germ
      cell cancer in men. 

PMID- 26103632
TI  - Metal bridges to probe membrane ion channel structure and function.
AB  - Ion channels are integral membrane proteins that undergo important conformational
      changes as they open and close to control transmembrane flux of different ions.
      The molecular underpinnings of these dynamic conformational rearrangements are
      difficult to ascertain using current structural methods. Several functional
      approaches have been used to understand two- and three-dimensional dynamic
      structures of ion channels, based on the reactivity of the cysteine side-chain.
      Two-dimensional structural rearrangements, such as changes in the accessibility
      of different parts of the channel protein to the bulk solution on either side of
      the membrane, are used to define movements within the permeation pathway, such as
      those that open and close ion channel gates. Three-dimensional rearrangements -
      in which two different parts of the channel protein change their proximity during
      conformational changes - are probed by cross-linking or bridging together two
      cysteine side-chains. Particularly useful in this regard are so-called metal
      bridges formed when two or more cysteine side-chains form a high-affinity binding
      site for metal ions such as Cd2+ or Zn2+. This review describes the use of these
      different techniques for the study of ion channel dynamic structure and function,
      including a comprehensive review of the different kinds of conformational
      rearrangements that have been studied in different channel types via the
      identification of intra-molecular metal bridges. Factors that influence the
      affinities and conformational sensitivities of these metal bridges, as well as
      the kinds of structural inferences that can be drawn from these studies, are also
      discussed.

PMID- 26103634
TI  - Transformer Incipient Fault Prediction Using Combined Artificial Neural Network
      and Various Particle Swarm Optimisation Techniques.
AB  - It is important to predict the incipient fault in transformer oil accurately so
      that the maintenance of transformer oil can be performed correctly, reducing the
      cost of maintenance and minimise the error. Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) has been
      widely used to predict the incipient fault in power transformers. However,
      sometimes the existing DGA methods yield inaccurate prediction of the incipient
      fault in transformer oil because each method is only suitable for certain
      conditions. Many previous works have reported on the use of intelligence methods
      to predict the transformer faults. However, it is believed that the accuracy of
      the previously proposed methods can still be improved. Since artificial neural
      network (ANN) and particle swarm optimisation (PSO) techniques have never been
      used in the previously reported work, this work proposes a combination of ANN and
      various PSO techniques to predict the transformer incipient fault. The advantages
      of PSO are simplicity and easy implementation. The effectiveness of various PSO
      techniques in combination with ANN is validated by comparison with the results
      from the actual fault diagnosis, an existing diagnosis method and ANN alone.
      Comparison of the results from the proposed methods with the previously reported
      work was also performed to show the improvement of the proposed methods. It was
      found that the proposed ANN-Evolutionary PSO method yields the highest percentage
      of correct identification for transformer fault type than the existing diagnosis
      method and previously reported works. 

PMID- 26103633
TI  - SYTO-13, a Viability Marker as a New Tool to Monitor In Vitro Pharmacodynamic
      Parameters of Anti-Pneumocystis Drugs.
AB  - While Pneumocystis pneumonia (PcP) still impacts the AIDS patients, it has a
      growing importance in immunosuppressed HIV-negative patients. To determine the
      anti-Pneumocystis therapeutic efficacy of new compounds, animal and in vitro
      models have been developed. Indeed, well-designed mouse or rat experimental
      models of pneumocystosis can be used to describe the in vivo anti-Pneumocystis
      activity of new drugs. In vitro models, which enable the screening of a large
      panel of new molecules, have been developed using axenic cultures or co-culture
      with feeder cells; but no universally accepted standard method is currently
      available to evaluate anti-Pneumocystis molecules in vitro. Thus, we chose to
      explore the use of the SYTO-13 dye, as a new indicator of Pneumocystis viability.
      In the present work, we established the experimental conditions to define the in
      vitro pharmacodynamic parameters (EC50, Emax) of marketed compounds
      (trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, pentamidine, atovaquone) in order to specifically
      measure the intrinsic activity of these anti-P. carinii molecules using the SYTO
      13 dye for the first time. Co-labelling the fungal organisms with anti-P. carinii
      specific antibodies enabled the measurement of viability of Pneumocystis
      organisms while excluding host debris from the analysis. Moreover, contrary to
      microscopic observation, large numbers of fungal cells can be analyzed by flow
      cytometry, thus increasing statistical significance and avoiding misreading
      during fastidious quantitation of stained organisms. In conclusion, the SYTO-13
      dye allowed us to show a reproducible dose/effect relationship for the tested
      anti-Pneumocystis drugs. 

PMID- 26103635
TI  - Simulation of Runoff Hydrograph on Soil Surfaces with Different Microtopography
      Using a Travel Time Method at the Plot Scale.
AB  - In this study, a simple travel time-based runoff model was proposed to simulate a
      runoff hydrograph on soil surfaces with different microtopographies. Three main
      parameters, i.e., rainfall intensity (I), mean flow velocity (vm) and ponding
      time of depression (tp), were inputted into this model. The soil surface was
      divided into numerous grid cells, and the flow length of each grid cell (li) was
      then calculated from a digital elevation model (DEM). The flow velocity in each
      grid cell (vi) was derived from the upstream flow accumulation area using vm. The
      total flow travel time through each grid cell to the surface outlet was the sum
      of the sum of flow travel times along the flow path (i.e., the sum of li/vi) and
      tp. The runoff rate at the slope outlet for each respective travel time was
      estimated by finding the sum of the rain rate from all contributing cells for all
      time intervals. The results show positive agreement between the measured and
      predicted runoff hydrographs. 

PMID- 26103637
TI  - The Effects of Kinesiotape Applied to the Lateral Aspect of the Ankle: Relevance
      to Ankle Sprains--A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify, evaluate and synthesise evidence on the effect of
      kinesiotape applied to the lateral aspect of the ankle, through a systematic
      review of quantitative studies. DATA SOURCES: A search for quantitative studies
      was undertaken using key terms of "kinesiotape" and "ankle" in seven electronic
      databases, using the maximum date ranges. Databases included: the Cochrane
      Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medline,
      Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Scopus, SPORTDiscus and Web of Science. STUDY
      SELECTION: Database hits were evaluated against explicit inclusion criteria. From
      107 database hits, 8 quantitative studies were included. DATA EXTRACTION: Two
      independent reviewers appraised the methodological rigour of the studies using
      the McMaster Critical Review Form for Quantitative Studies. Data were extracted
      on participant characteristics, kinesiotape parameters, comparison interventions,
      outcome measures and findings. DATA SYNTHESES: Most studies (n=7) had good to
      very good methodological rigour. Meta-analysis was not possible due to
      heterogeneity in participants, interventions and outcome measures. No adverse
      events were reported. Kinesiotape may produce different effects in healthy and
      injured ankles. In healthy ankles, kinesiotape may increase postural control,
      whereas in injured ankles it may improve proprioception, plantarflexor endurance
      and the performance of activities. These trends were identified from a small body
      of evidence including 276 participants. CONCLUSIONS: It is recommended that
      kinesiotape may be used in clinical practice to prevent lateral ankle injuries
      (through its effects on postural control) and manage lateral ankle injuries due
      to its positive effects on proprioception, muscle endurance and activity
      performance. It appears that kinesiotape may not provide sufficient mechanical
      support to improve postural control in unstable ankles. Adverse events associated
      with kinseiotape are unlikely.

PMID- 26103636
TI  - Alpha-2-Macroglobulin Is Acutely Sensitive to Freezing and Lyophilization:
      Implications for Structural and Functional Studies.
AB  - Alpha-2-macroglobulin is an abundant secreted protein that is of particular
      interest because of its diverse ligand binding profile and multifunctional
      nature, which includes roles as a protease inhibitor and as a molecular
      chaperone. The activities of alpha-2-macroglobulin are typically dependent on
      whether its conformation is native or transformed (i.e. adopts a more compact
      conformation after interactions with proteases or small nucleophiles), and are
      also influenced by dissociation of the native alpha-2-macroglobulin tetramer into
      stable dimers. Alpha-2-macroglobulin is predominately present as the native
      tetramer in vivo; once purified from human blood plasma, however, alpha-2
      macroglobulin can undergo a number of conformational changes during storage,
      including transformation, aggregation or dissociation. We demonstrate that,
      particularly in the presence of sodium chloride or amine containing compounds,
      freezing and/or lyophilization of alpha-2-macroglobulin induces conformational
      changes with functional consequences. These conformational changes in alpha-2
      macroglobulin are not always detected by standard native polyacrylamide gel
      electrophoresis, but can be measured using bisANS fluorescence assays. Increased
      surface hydrophobicity of alpha-2-macroglobulin, as assessed by bisANS
      fluorescence measurements, is accompanied by (i) reduced trypsin binding
      activity, (ii) increased chaperone activity, and (iii) increased binding to the
      surfaces of SH-SY5Y neurons, in part, via lipoprotein receptors. We show that
      sucrose (but not glycine) effectively protects native alpha-2-macroglobulin from
      denaturation during freezing and/or lyophilization, thereby providing a
      reproducible method for the handling and long-term storage of this protein. 

PMID- 26103639
TI  - Dose-Dependent Effects of L-Arginine on PROP Bitterness Intensity and Latency and
      Characteristics of the Chemical Interaction between PROP and L-Arginine.
AB  - Genetic variation in the ability to taste the bitterness of 6-n-propylthiouracil
      (PROP) is a complex trait that has been used to predict food preferences and
      eating habits. PROP tasting is primarily controlled by polymorphisms in the
      TAS2R38 gene. However, a variety of factors are known to modify the phenotype.
      Principle among them is the salivary protein Ps-1 belonging to the basic proline
      rich protein family (bPRP). Recently, we showed that oral supplementation with Ps
      1 as well as its related free amino acids (L-Arg and L-Lys) enhances PROP
      bitterness perception, especially for PROP non-tasters who have low salivary
      levels of Ps-1. Here, we show that salivary L-Arg levels are higher in PROP super
      tasters compared to medium tasters and non-tasters, and that oral supplementation
      with free L-Arg enhances PROP bitterness intensity as well as reduces bitterness
      latency in a dose-dependent manner, particularly in individuals with low salivary
      levels of both free L-Arg and Ps-1 protein. Supplementation with L-Arg also
      enhanced the bitterness of caffeine. We also used 1H-NMR spectroscopy and quantum
      mechanical calculations carried out by Density Functional Theory (DFT) to
      characterize the chemical interaction between free L-Arg and the PROP molecule.
      Results showed that the -NH2 terminal group of the L-ArgH+ side chain interacts
      with the carbonyl or thiocarbonyl groups of PROP by forming two hydrogen bonds
      with the resulting charged adduct. The formation of this PROP*ArgH+ hydrogen
      bonded adduct could enhance bitterness intensity by increasing the solubility of
      PROP in saliva and its availability to receptor sites. Our data suggest that L
      Arg could act as a 'carrier' of various bitter molecules in saliva. 

PMID- 26103641
TI  - Authors' response.

PMID- 26103642
TI  - To: The economic effect of extracorporeal membrane   oxygenation to support
      adults with severe respiratory   failure in Brazil: a hypothetical analysis.

PMID- 26103640
TI  - IGFBP-5 Promotes Fibrosis Independently of Its Translocation to the Nucleus and
      Its Interaction with Nucleolin and IGF.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-5 levels are
      increased in systemic sclerosis (SSc) skin and lung. We previously reported that
      IGFBP-5 is a pro-fibrotic factor that induces extracellular matrix (ECM)
      production and deposition. Since IGFBP-5 contains a nuclear localization signal
      (NLS) that facilitates its nuclear translocation, we sought to examine the role
      of nuclear translocation on the fibrotic activity of IGFBP-5 and identify IGFBP-5
      binding partners relevant for its nuclear compartmentalization. METHODS: We
      generated functional wild type IGFBP-5 and IGFBP-5 with a mutated NLS or a
      mutated IGF binding site. Abrogation of nuclear translocation in the NLS mutant
      was confirmed using immunofluorescence and immunoblotting of nuclear and
      cytoplasmic cellular extracts. Abrogation of IGF binding was confirmed using
      western ligand blot. The fibrotic activity of wild type and mutant IGFBP-5 was
      examined in vitro in primary human fibroblasts and ex vivo in human skin. We
      identified IGFBP-5 binding partners using immunoprecipitation and mass
      spectrometry. We examined the effect of nucleolin on IGFBP-5 localization and
      function via sequence-specific silencing in primary human fibroblasts. RESULTS:
      Our results show that IGFBP-5-induced ECM production in vitro in primary human
      fibroblasts is independent of its nuclear translocation. The NLS-mutant also
      induced fibrosis ex vivo in human skin, thus confirming and extending the in
      vitro findings. Similar findings were obtained with the IGF-binding mutant.
      Nucleolin, a nucleolar protein that can serve as a nuclear receptor, was
      identified as an IGFBP-5 binding partner. Silencing nucleolin reduced IGFBP-5
      translocation to the nucleus but did not block the ability of IGFBP-5 to induce
      ECM production and a fibrotic phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: IGFBP-5 transport to the
      nucleus requires an intact NLS and nucleolin. However, nuclear translocation is
      not necessary for IGFBP-5 fibrotic activity; neither is IGF binding. Our data
      provide further insights into the role of cellular compartmentalization in IGFBP
      5-induced fibrosis.

PMID- 26103644
TI  - Presumption of Herbicide Exposure and Presumption of Disability During Service
      for Reservists Presumed Exposed to Herbicide. Interim final rule.
AB  - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending its regulation governing
      individuals presumed to have been exposed to certain herbicides. Specifically, VA
      is expanding the regulation to include an additional group consisting of
      individuals who performed service in the Air Force or Air Force Reserve under
      circumstances in which they had regular and repeated contact with C-123 aircraft
      known to have been used to spray an herbicide agent ("Agent Orange'') during the
      Vietnam era. In addition, the regulation will establish a presumption that
      members of this group who later develop an Agent Orange presumptive condition
      were disabled during the relevant period of service, thus establishing that this
      service constituted "active, naval, military or air service.'' The effect of this
      action is to presume herbicide exposure for these individuals and to allow
      individuals who were exposed to herbicides during reserve service to establish
      veteran status for VA purposes and eligibility for some VA benefits. The need for
      this action results from a recent decision by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
      to acknowledge that individuals who had regular and repeated exposure to C-123
      aircraft that the United States Air Force used to spray the herbicides in Vietnam
      during Operation Ranch Hand were exposed to Agent Orange.

PMID- 26103643
TI  - Theoretical and practical aspects in total uncemented hip  arthroplasty by using
      short femoral stem prosthesis.
AB  - Hip arthrosis, primary or secondary, is an osteoarthritic degenerative process
      that affects the hip joint. Primary hip arthrosis has an unknown etiology, and
      secondary hip arthrosis has well defined causes; of these causes, some are known
      to lead to arthrosis of the hip in the young age patient. The surgical treatment
      aims either to preserve the patient's hip joint, or to replace the joint. The
      most commonly used procedure at this time is the total hip arthroplasty. The
      femoral component may have a short or a long stem. The short femoral stem
      prosthesis is usually impacted by using a unique technique and unique
      instruments, according to the manufacturer's specifications. There are several
      models of short stem femoral prosthesis, but no matter which one is chosen, the
      surgical indication, the surgical technique and a well-conducted recovery program
      are important. The choosing of each arthroplastic implant must be made with care,
      taking into consideration the patient's benefit, his expectations, and also the
      surgeon's experience.

PMID- 26103646
TI  - [View on the problem of Klatskin tumor].
AB  - Klatskin tumor arises from the common hepatic duct and its bifurcation the bile
      ducts and is the most common primary malignancy of the biliary tree. the location
      of the tumor and its close relationship with vascular structures at the hepatic
      hilum have resulted in a low resectability and high morbidity and mortality.
      Improvement of instrumental diagnostics and operative techniques allows to
      perform extended resection and complex interventions on the liver, bile ducts and
      vascular structures at the hepatic hilum. The role of chemoratiotherapy and
      photodynamic therapy is not fully understood. thus, questions of treatment and
      prognosis of the disease are remain relevant and require further study.

PMID- 26103647
TI  - [Internal drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts].

PMID- 26103648
TI  - [Optimization of postoperative period in patients after colon resection].

PMID- 26103649
TI  - [The role of medical service for combat losses replenishment in personnel during
      the Great Patriotic War (to the anniversary of the Great Victory)].

PMID- 26103650
TI  - [To the 90th anniversary from the birthday].

PMID- 26103651
TI  - [Research progress on objective diagnosis of Meniere's disease].

PMID- 26103652
TI  - [The appilication of artificial intelligence in diagnosis of vertigo].

PMID- 26103653
TI  - [Study on evaluating quality of life of allergy rhinitis patients and risk
      factors].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the level of life quality and the influence factors and
      to furnish basis for improving life quality and treatment compliance of patients
      with allerge rhinitis. METHOD: Adopt the rhino conjunctivitis quality of life
      questionnaire (RQLQ), visual analogue scales (VAS), curing to obey the sex grade
      point questionnaire. quality of life and patient's compliance on cross-sectional
      study. One hundred and twenty the examples enter the inquisitional sufferer to
      press whether accepted to is divided into the A1 set and B1 sets with the
      medicine leading and whether accepted to use the medicine the direct is divided
      into the A2 set and B2 sets, the A set accepts use the medicine leading and use
      the medicine direct. Multiple databases were established based on questionnaire.
      SPSS 17.0 software was used in statistical analysis. RESULT: Coefficient
      correlation of patient's compliance, cognition level, questionnaire with quality
      of life has statistical significance, and is positive correlation. CONCLUSION:
      Treatment compliance of patients, duration and level of education have great
      impact on the quality of life for patients AR. Enhance patient compliance with
      treatment can improve the quality of life of patients with AR.

PMID- 26103654
TI  - [Value of patient education in the treatment of allergic rhinitis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of patient education on patients with allergic
      rhinitis (AR). METHOD: From January 2009 to December 2013, 100 cases of allergic
      rhinitis were treated. The patients were randomly divided into experimental group
      or control group by Stochastic tables law,50 patients in control group accepted
      only drug treatment, 50 patients in experimental group accepted both drug
      treatment and patient education. The difference in compliance with treatment,
      treatment effect, incidence of adverse drug reactions and complications, average
      costs and times of treatment between two groups were evaluated by the
      rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ) score. The independent
      sample t-test and chi2 test were used for statistical analysis. RESULT: The
      patients of experimental group showed more positive attitude to treatment
      compared to the patients of control group (P < 0.01). The average scores of each
      classification and overall symptoms after treatment in experimental group were
      lower than those in control group (P < 0.05). The incidence of adverse drug
      reactions (nose-bleed, dry nose,nasal mucosa ulcer)and complications in patients
      with AR (asthma, chronic cough, secretory otitis media) in experimental group was
      lower than that in control group, with statistically differences (P < 0.05). The
      average times of treatment and costs of diagnosis and treatment(calculation of
      budesonide nasal spray)in experimental group were significantly lower than those
      in control group (P < 0.01). The total score for RQLQ and the scores of seven
      dimensions in experimental group were lower than those in control group (P <
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patient education can help the patients with AR to cooperate
      actively with treatment, to reduce the incidence of adverse drug reactions and AR
      complications, and to save medical costs and improve the quality of life.

PMID- 26103655
TI  - [Progress in diagnosis and treatment of children allergic rhinitis].
AB  - Children allergic rhinitis, referred to as children allergic rhinitis (AR), is a
      kind of non-infectious inflammation of the nasal mucosa mediated by IgE with the
      main symtoms of paroxysmal sneezing, rhinorrhoea, nasal itching and nasal
      obstruction when the susceptible individuals contact the allergen. It is a high
      reaction disease of the respiratory mucosa common with childhood, which has
      serious implications to the Children's quality of life, study, rest and growth.
      The global sampling survey reveals that the morbidity is about 14%, of which 10%
      in our country and there is an upward trend year by year. At present, drug
      therapy is still one of the most important methods for children AR. Definite
      diagnosis, standardized drug therapy and the development of new specific immune
      therapy make children AR in a good control . This review updates the diagnosis
      and treatment for children AR, referring to the newest guide by WHO about
      allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma (ARIA).

PMID- 26103656
TI  - [Analysis of allergens spectrum in children with allergic rhinitis in Zhengzhou
      district].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the main allergens in children with allergic rhinitis and
      provide scientific basis for prevention and treatment in Zhengzhou district.
      METHOD: Twenty standardization allergens were used to perform skin prick test in
      412 children with AR, and the results were statistically analyzed. RESULT: Three
      hundred and twenty-nine of 412 cases (79.85%) showed positive reaction. The
      positive rate of dermatophagoides farina (87.54%) was the highest in inhaled
      allergens, followed by dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (86.32%), cat hair
      (62.31%), fungus I (47.72%) and dog hair (43.16%). The positive rate of shrimp
      (13.68%) was the highest in ingestive allergens, then egg (5.17%), carp (4.56%),
      meat I (3. 04%) and milk (3.04%). CONCLUSION: Dust mites, cat hair, fungus,dog
      hair were the most common allergens in children in Zhengzhou district. Improving
      living environment of children with AR and avoiding contacting with allergens
      were pretty important.

PMID- 26103657
TI  - [Distribution characteristics and influencing factors of children with allergic
      rhinitis in a domestic dust mites allergens content distribution characteristics
      and influencing factors].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the household environment dust mites allergens content
      distribution characteristics and influence factors of children with allergic
      rhinitis to dust mites in Wuhu. METHOD: Collect the surface dust in bedroom and
      living room floor, mattresses, pillows, sofa of 102 children with allergic
      rhinitis families. Dust mite allergen components 1 (Der f1) and house dust mites
      allergens 1 components (Der p1) of the dust samples were determined by enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULT: One hundred and twenty samples were
      collected . In a domestic dust mites samples, with a median of M (Min and Max)
      said dust mite allergen levels, Der f1 and Der p1 content was 2.66 (0.03, 26.63),
      3.48 (0, 03, 33.68), respectively. Der f1 was significantly less than Der p1, and
      the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). According to the
      classification of urban and township, there were 68 cases and 34 cases. Der f1
      content in the samples was 2.91 (0.31, 26.63), 2.40 (0.08, 16.02), respectively.
      Der p1 content was 4.28 (0.03, 20.77), 3.88 (0.14, 33.68), respectively. The dust
      mites content of urban was significantly more than that of villages and towns,
      the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Samples were also
      classified by gender. The dust mites allergens content in either boy's or girl's
      family were similar, there was no statistically significant difference (P >
      0.05). CONCLUSION: The household dust mites of children allergic rhinitisin Wuhu
      area is given priority to with Der p1, and urban dust mites are significantly
      more than village's and town's. Enhancing health education, controlling dust
      mites allergens contamination inside the bedroom, especially urban areas, are
      positive differences for the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases such
      as allergic rhinitis in children.

PMID- 26103658
TI  - [The cultivation and migration in vitro of olfactory ensheathing cells from human
      olfactory mucosa].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the bionomics of the olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs)
      of human olfactory mucosa. METHOD: To separate and cultivate the OECs of human
      and rat olfactory mucosa. To observe the cell growth, cell grouping and cell
      migration in vitro of the two types of OECs. RESULT: Successfully separated and
      cultivated the OECs of human and rat olfactory mucosa. OECs of the human and rat
      olfactory mucosa had the similar cell growth, cell grouping and cell migration
      ability in vitro. CONCLUSION: OECs of the human and rat olfactory mucosa have the
      similar bionomics in vitro, as a result, OECs of the human olfactory mucosa could
      be a reliable source of cell transplant for nerve injury.

PMID- 26103659
TI  - [The clinical curative effect of the low temperature plasma ablation
      adenoidectomy and tympanic membrane indwelling catheter in parallel or not used
      on childhood patients with secretory otitis media].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of endoscope-guided low temperature
      plasma ablateing adenoidectomy with tympanic membrane incision drainage and
      tympanic membrane indwelling catheter to treat secretory otitis media of
      children. METHOD: Fifty-two cases (98 ears) of secretory otitis media in children
      with adenoid hypertrophy were treated. Respectively endoscope-guided tympanic
      membrane incision drainage parallel low temperature plasma ablateing
      adenoidectomy and endoscope-guided tympanic membrane indwelling catheter parallel
      low temperature plasma ablateing adenoidectomy. RESULT: In group A, 30 cases of
      58 ears, cure 36 ears, improving 14 ears, invalid 8 ears, the effective rate was
      86.2%. In group B, 22 cases of 40 ears, cured 32 ears, improvement in 6 ears,
      invalid 2 ears, the effective rate was 95.0%. According to statistical analysis
      of curative effect, there was no significant difference by effective rate between
      two groups. CONCLUSION: For the patients with secretory otitis media caused by
      adenoidal hypertrophy, the endoscope-guided tympanic membrane incision drainage
      parallel low temperature plasma ablateing adenoidectomy can be regarded as a kind
      of method to reduce the risk of tympanic membrane perforation.

PMID- 26103660
TI  - [Clinical analysis of simple orbital blowout fracture].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To discuss the clinical features and treatment methods for simple
      orbital blowout fracture. METHOD: Retrospective analysis of the CT images of 16
      orbital blowout fracture case, and identification of the sites, degree, patterns
      and features of fractures. Among the 16 cases, 2 cases adopted conservative
      treatment; 11 cases gained a reduction of orbital fracture through endoscopic
      transnasal surgery; the other 3 patients choosed endoscopic transnasal surgery
      and Caldwell-Luc operations. RESULT: Among 16 diplopia cases, 13 cases were
      completely cured, and 3 patients' vision were significantly improved. Among 11
      enophthalmos cases, 10 patients were cured, and the effect of the other one was
      not satisfied. Among the 15 eye movement disorder cases, 13 patients' eye
      movement gained a full recovery, and the other 2 cases were nearly normal. All
      patients' vision were improved in different extents, and no one got a
      complication. CONCLUSION: Computerized Tomography is helpful to the diagnosis of
      simple orbital blowout fracture. Caldwell-Luc operation with transnasal endoscope
      is an effective method for the treatment of orbital fractures.

PMID- 26103661
TI  - [Detection and grading of endolymphatic hydrops in Meniere's disease using 3D
      FLAIR MRI].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the extent of endolymphatic hydrops as shown by three
      dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging (3D
      FLAIR MRI) performed 24 hours after bilateral intratympanic gadolinium
      administration and discuss the positive rate of endolymphatic hydrops in
      vestibule and cochlea. METHOD: Twenty-four hours after bilateral intra-tympanic 8
      times diluted gadolinium administration, three-dimensional fluid-attenuated
      inversion recovery MRI, using a three-Tesla unit, was performed in 48 patients,
      and then assessed the extent of endolymphatic hydrops in the MRI images. RESULT:
      Forty-eight patients showed different levels of enhancement of perilymth in the
      inner ear. In these patients, obvious signs of endolymphatic hydrops were
      visualized in vestibule,including 8 slight hydrops, 17 mild hydrops and 23 severe
      hydrops with a diagnostic rate of 83.3%. There were almost no complications in
      all 48 patients after bilateral intra-tympanic injection except short vertigo in
      some of them. CONCLUSION: 3D FLAIR MRI resonance imaging has a high positive
      diagnostic rate in assessing endolymphatic hydrops of Meniere's disease and
      provides direct imaging evidence for diagnosing Meniere's disease.

PMID- 26103662
TI  - [A new classification of extensions of the sphenoid sinus of Chinese adult by
      CT].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine various pneumatized extensions of the sphenoid sinus of
      Chinese people. METHOD: The sphenoid sinus and its surrounding structures were
      examined from 100 computed tomography images of the sinus. The type of the
      sphenoid sinus was classified according to the various extensions of the sinus.
      RESULT: The type of the sphenoid sinus was classified into the following 6 basic
      types based on the direction of pneumatization: sphenoid body, lateral, clival,
      lesser wing, anterior, and combined. CONCLUSION: The variations in the extensions
      of pneumatization of the sphenoid sinus may facilitate entry into areas bordering
      the sphenoid sinus.

PMID- 26103663
TI  - [The function of tubomanometry in forcasting the progonosis of acute otitis media
      with effusion].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the function of tubomanometry (TMM) in forcasting the
      progonosis of acute otitis media with effusion (OME). METHOD: We used the
      technique of TMM to quantify the degree of eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction in 65
      patients with OME. The opening of the ET and the transportation of gas into the
      middle ear were registered by a pressure sensor in the occluded outer ear after
      applying the stimulus of a controlled gas bolus into the nasopharynx during
      swallowing. Three excess pressure values were tested subsequently (30, 40, and 50
      mbar). If tube opening was registered, the time of opening in relation to
      pressure applied was measured. The TMM calculated the opening latency index or
      index R. An R value of < 1 indicated early opening of the tube at the start of
      application of the stimulus, which was considered optimal. A value > 1 indicated
      late opening of the tube occurring after the initial stimulus and was interpreted
      as suboptimal. Inability to calculate the index R value indicated that the tube
      was unable to actively open at all. The TMM results, were weighted as follows: no
      R with 0 points, R > 1 with 1 point and R < 1 with 2 points for the measurements
      at 30, 40, and 50 mbar, respectively. The points of these three tests were added
      so the ET score (ETS) ranges from 0 (worst value) to 6 (best value). According to
      the medical history, the patients were divided into two groups, chronic OME group
      (defined as positive control group), 30 cases with 38 ears; and acute OME group,
      35 cases with 46 ears. The healthy ears of all patients were defined as normal
      control group, 46 cases with 46 ears. The same regular treatments, including
      classic medical treatments and intratympanic dexamethasone injections, were used
      to acute OME group in the following 1-2 months. On the basis of therapeutic
      effect, acute OME group was subdivided into valid group (26 cases with 33 ears)
      and invalid group (9 cases with 13 ears). RESULT: The ETS of normal control group
      was 5.11 +/- 1.32 while it was 1.08 +/- 1.32 in positive control group. It was
      found marked differences between the two groups (P < 0.01). The ETS of both valid
      and invalid subgroup of actue OME group were significantly lower than normal
      control group (P < 0.01), but in valid subgroup it was significantly higher than
      positive control group (P < 0.01), and no marked difference was found between the
      invalid subgroup and positive control group. After treatments, a significant
      improvement of the ETS was found in both valid and invalid subgroup (P < 0.05)
      there was no marked difference between valid subgroup and normal control group.
      But in invalid subgroup it was still significantly lower than normal cohtrol
      group (P < 0. 01). CONCLUSION: TMM could forecast the prognosis of acute OME.
      Patients with acute OME suffered from ET dysfunction of varied degrees. Those
      with high ETS could be cured by classic medical treatments and intratympanic
      dexamethasone injections. But those with poor ETS could not be cured in short
      period, tube insertion should be considered. If ETS could not be improved by
      ventilation tube placement, more active treatment, for example, balloon
      Eustachian tuboplasty (BET), should be used to prevent transforming into chronic
      OME.

PMID- 26103664
TI  - [The clinical research of aviatic nasal diseases with medical evaluation
      prevention and control intervention].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Exploring the clinical features of aviatic nasal diseases to provide
      references for medical evaluation, prevention and control measures in aircrew.
      METHOD: To analysis and summary 605 cases with 503 pilots of nasal diseases in
      aircrew during 1966 to 2013. RESULT: (1) There were 605 cases of aviatic nasal
      diseases, including 550 cases of general diseases and 55 cases of specific
      diseases. The general nasal diseases included 140 cases of anatomical
      abnormalities in nasal cavity type, 290 cases of inflammation in nasal cavity, 73
      cases of allergy type, 47 cases of cyst and tumor type, and the specific nasal
      diseases were 55 cases of sinus barotrauma (SB). (2) The, constituent ratio of
      SB, which was happened in frontal sinus and /or maxillary sinus, was 95.55%. (3)
      The constituent ratio of cyst and tumor type in nasal cavity was easier causing
      to SB than anatomical abnormalities, inflammation, allergy disease in nasal
      cavity (P < 0.05). (4) The grounded constituent ratio of secondary SB was higher
      than anatomical abnormalities, inflammation, allergy, cyst and tumor disease in
      nasal cavity (P < 0.05). (5) The ways of hypobaric chamber tests were different
      for the kinds of aircrew. The qualified adjustment function of sinuses for
      barometric pressure was an essential condition for aircrew to continue flying.
      (6) The key point for the treatment of aviatic nasal diseases was to remove
      pathological change in nasal cavity and sinus and restore sinus ostium patency.
      The key point for the medical evaluation was to restore normal sinus pressure
      balance function. CONCLUSION: The key point of medical evaluation about aviatic
      nasal diseases is to assess the sinus pressure balance function in hypobaric
      chamber tests. Normative treatment and medical evaluation can effectively avoid
      flight accidents and improve the attendance rate for aircrew.

PMID- 26103665
TI  - [Expression and significance of C/EBPalpha and CK10 in nasal inverted papilloma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The expression of C/EBPalpha, CK10 in nasal inverted papilloma (NIP)
      were detected in the study. Further discussed their significance in genesia,
      development and recurrence of NIP. METHOD: Three groups including nasal cavity
      mucosae (NM 10 cases), nasal polyp (NP 20 cases) and NIP (30 cases) were selected
      in the study. Expretion of C/EBPalpha, CK10 were detected by immunohistochemisty
      PV-6000 method. RESULT: (1) The different expression of C/EBPalpha and CK10 in
      the group of NM, NP and NIP was statistically significant (P < 0.05). (2) The
      different expression of C/EBPalpha, CK10 in the group of benign NIP and NIP with
      atypical hyperplasia was statistically significant (P < 0.05). (3) The different
      expression of C/EBPalpha and CK10 in the group of NIP with recurrence and NIP
      with no recurrence was statistically significant, P < 0.05, respectively. (4) Our
      result indicate that the relationship of C/EBPalpha and CK10 (r = 0.578, P <
      0.01) was direct correlation. The difference was statistically significant.
      CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the present results describe C/EBPalpha, CK10
      expression in NIP and their possible implication in the regulation of tumor
      growth and differentiation. C/EBPalpha and CK10 production may prove useful in
      terms of a prognostic marker for the recurrence in nasal inverted papilloma.

PMID- 26103666
TI  - [The study of auditory performance of prelingual deaf cochlear implant recipients
      using Chinese version of categories of auditory performance].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Applying Chinese version of categories of auditory performance (CAP)
      to assess cochlear implant (CI) recipients of prelingual deaf and test the
      reliability of Chinese version of CAP. METHOD: Fifty CI recipients of prelingual
      deaf were interviewed by a parent and a speech therapist using Chinese version of
      CAP. Kappa coefficient analysis was applied to test the reliability of Chinese
      version of CAP. RESULT: Thirty-five of 50 cases (70%) were found completely
      coincident, 12 cases (24%) were one category different, 3 cases (6%) were 2
      categories different. Kappa coefficient was 0.624. CONCLUSION: Chinese version of
      CAP was found reliable and useful to evaluate auditory performance of prelingual
      deaf pediatric after cochlear implantation.

PMID- 26103667
TI  - [Olfactory function in patients with Alzheimer' disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between olfactory bulb (OB) volume, depth
      of olfactory sulcus (OS) and olfactory function in patients with Alzheimer'
      disease (AD). METHOD: Fifty patients with AD patients and 50 healthy subjects
      were examined by olfactory function T&T testing, OB volume and depth of OS
      assessed with Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). RESULT: T&T olfactory testing
      revealed that AD patients had higher scores than control group (1.50 +/- 0.17,
      2.80 +/- 0.31, P < 0.05). Bilateral and average OB volumes were smaller in AD
      group [(29.78 +/- 5.17) mm3, (30.14 +/- 4.87)mm3, (30.05 +/- 5.08) mm3] than in
      control group [(36.65 +/- 4.08)mm3, (36.56 +/- 4.12)mm3, (36.46 +/- 4.11)mm3] (P
      < 0.01). OS depth study revealed no statistical difference between AD patients
      and control groups (P > 0.05). Olfactory discriminate threshold was negatively
      correlated with average olfactory bulb volumes (r = -0. 711, P < 0.05), and was
      not correlated with depth of OS (r = -0.127, P > 0.05) in AD patients.
      CONCLUSION: The OB volume were lower in AD patients as compare to controls, the
      depth of OS has no significant changes in AD patients; The OB volume is
      correlated with olfactory function, the depth of OS is no correlated with
      olfactory function. Cognitive impairment degree in AD patients is accordance with
      the lower degree olfactory function. The olfactory loss may be the earlier period
      and objective diagnosis indicator for AD patients.

PMID- 26103668
TI  - [Comparative study of nasal packs and postoperative negative-pressure septal
      drainage in patients undergoing nasal septal surgery].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study whether negative-pressure septal drainage could be an
      alternative to packs after septoplasty. METHOD: This was a randomized controlled
      trial. The study involved 60 patients who underwent septoplasty. Patients were
      randomly divided into two groups, one with anterior nasal packs and the other
      with negative-pressure septal drainage. Patients were asked to record pain levels
      using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Postoperative symptoms and complications
      were compared during 24 h and 48 h postoperative period including pain, drying
      sensation of mouth, sleep difficulty, conjunctival congestion, haemorrhage. VAS
      scores and incidence were evaluated during 1 week and 6 weeks postoperative
      period including pain, bleeding, haematoma, septal perforation, synechiae and
      septal perforation. RESULT: Patients of negative-pressure septal drainage
      suffered from less pain than patients of nasal packs during the first 24 h and 48
      h postoperative period. The results for pain, drying sensation of mouth, sleep
      difficulty, conjunctival congestion, haemorrhage were different between groups (P
      < 0.05), especially the amount of bleeding during 48 h postoperatively in
      patients undergoing negative pressure drainage [(0.52 +/- 0.63)ml] was
      significantly less than the group who received anterior nasal packs [(21.03 +/-
      5.88) ml] (P < 0.01). On the other hand, haematoma, synechiae and perforation
      were not statistically different between groups during 1 week and 6 weeks follow
      up period (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Using negative-pressure drainage instead of
      nasal packs after septoplasty seems a more reasonable option. The negative
      pressure drainage technique may be the preferred option to provide higher patient
      satisfaction and has the same level of postoperative complica.tion to nasal packs
      as for septoplasty surgery.

PMID- 26103669
TI  - [Different intranasal corticosteroids effects on nasal airway remodeling of
      allergic rhinitis murine and matrix metalloproteinase-9].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To discuss the effect of different doses intranasal corticosteroids on
      remodeling of allergic rhinitis (AR) mice nasal mucosa and expression level of
      matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). METHOD: Thirty BALB/c female mice were
      divided into five groups randomly and received OVA or normal saline (NS) with
      intraperitoneal injection or nasal challenge, respectively. The treatment groups
      received additional different doses of budesonide (0.6 MUg/20 g, 3.0 MUg/20 g and
      15.0 MUg/20 g) daily for 16 weeks. We assessed the nasal symptoms at 4 and 16
      weeks. Collected the mice nasal tissue, and then stained with hematoxylin-eosin,
      Masson's Trichrome, and periodic acid-schiff respectively to evaluate airway
      remodeling at 16 weeks. MMP-9 was measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA). Result: Times of rubbing, sneezes and infiltrate of eosinophil increased
      more in B group than in A group, and subepithelial fibrosis, collagen deposition,
      goblet cell hyperplasia, and submucosal gland hypertrophy were only observed in B
      group at 16 weeks. The nasal symptoms and eosinophil infiltration were inhibited
      by treatment with budesonide from a dose of 0.6 MUg onwards, while the prevention
      of structure changes was only observed with 3.0 MUg onwards. In addition,
      intranasal budesonide reduced MMP-9 in the nasal of AR mice. CONCLUSION: The
      study suggests that higher dose intranasal corticosteroids might inhibit the
      airway remodeling of nasal mucosa by reducing MMP-9.

PMID- 26103670
TI  - [The changes of microRNA in nasal mucosa after the specific immunotherapy for
      allergic rhinitis in mice].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the changes of microRNAs in nasal mucosa after the specific
      immunotherapy (SIT) for allergic rhinitis (AR) in mice. METHOD: Female BALB/c
      mice, 6-8 weeks of age, were randomly divided into control group, model group and
      treatment group. AR model were established by intraperitoneal injection and
      intranasal challenge of ovalbumin and SIT was performed by inguinal subcutaneous
      injections. AR symptom scores were documented. The eosinophils (EOS) in the nasal
      mucosa were measured. Ovalbumin-specific IgE (OVA-sIgE) in the serum and
      expression of interferon-gamma and interleukin-4 in the nasal lavage were
      measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay meanwhile the ratio of interferon
      gamma and interleukin-4 was calculated. The microRNAs in the nasal mucosa were
      preliminary screened by microRNA gene microarray. Comparing with model group, the
      Fold changes of microRNA of the treatment group were >= 2.0 and the P < 0.05.
      MicroRNA target genes were predicted with GeneSpring 12.5 software. We took the
      intersection between genes in the signal pathway which associated with immune
      response,inflammation and target genes. The MEV-4-6-0 and Cytoscape_v2. 8. 2.
      software was applied to perform the cluster analysis and target gene regulatory
      networks maps. RESULT: The model of AR in mice and its SIT were successful.
      Comparing with the model group, the Fold changes of 15 microRNAs, of which 9
      microRNAs were up-regulated and 6 microRNAs were down-regulated, were >= 2.0 in
      treatment group (P < 0.05). Cluste analysis showed clearly that microRNAs in the
      treatment group and model group respectively aggregated in two branches. The 15
      microRNAs had 5302 target genes, of which, 451 genes were related more with SIT
      by the intersection. One microRNA can regulate many target genes, and one gene
      can also be affected by many microRNAs. Their synergistic effects may be involved
      in the mechanism of SIT. CONCLUSION: The expressions of microRNAs are changed in
      nasal mucosa after SIT for AR in mice and we can speculate that microRNAs are
      involved in the process of SIT for AR. Bioinformatics methods can diminish the
      scope of target genes of microRNAs, which will help us studying the effect of
      changed microRNA on its relative target genes after SIT, and make us better
      understanding the mechanism of the disease and its SIT.

PMID- 26103672
TI  - [Diagnosis and treatment of 17 cases of nasal foreign body by button battery].

PMID- 26103673
TI  - [The electric coagulation under nasal endoscopic treatment for refractory nasal
      bleeding in 168 cases].

PMID- 26103671
TI  - [The relization of EABR test out of cochlea and the effects of different location
      of electrode on EABR wave].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of the round window stimulation
      electrical evoked auditory brainstem response (EABR) test, and optimize the
      parameters of recording and stimulation electrodes positions. METHOD: Ten healthy
      Hartley guinea pigs (20 ears) were used for the EABR test. The positive
      stimulation electrodes were placed into the round window niche, the animals were
      divided into three group according to the negative electrodes position, group A:
      the electric field was parallel with the projection of cochlear modiolus on the
      tympanic membrane, group B: the electric field was perpendicular to modiolus
      projection toward to the mastoid, group C: the electric field was perpendicular
      to modiolus projection toward to the zygomatic process. A series of optimized
      recording and stimulation parameters were uesed to reduce the electrical
      artifact. RESULT: All the 20 ears were normal in the ABR testing, and EABR waves
      were stable and well-differentiated in the EABR tests out of cochlea. But EABR
      waves of group A were more stable and differentiated than those of group B and C.
      In group A, the threshold of EABR was (0.54 +/- 0.11) mA, and latency of wave III
      was (1.71 +/- 0.05) ms when the stimulus intensity was 0.8 mA. In group B, the
      threshold of EABR was (0.62 +/- 0.12) mA, and latency of wave III was (1.77 +/-
      0.03) ms. In group C, the threshold of EABR was (0.70 +/- 0.14) mA, and latency
      of wave III was (1.86 +/- 0.04)ms. The threshold of EABR and latency of wave III
      were significantly different among the three groups by statistic analysis.
      CONCLUSION: EABR waves were stable and well-differentiated in the EABR tests out
      of cochlea. The EABR waves were recorded more stably and differentiated when the
      stimulating electrode and recording electrode were paralleled with the projection
      of modiolus on the tympanic membrane.

PMID- 26103674
TI  - [Myoepithelioma of nasal cavity: a case report].
AB  - Myoepithelioma is an uncommon benign tumor that most likely occurs in the
      salivary gland. Extra-salivary myoepithelioma are sporadic and rare, especially
      the quantities occur in the sinonasal cavity are fewer in related literature
      reported. In this paper, we present a rare case of benign myoepithelioma that
      occurred in the nasal cavity, and the related process of pathogenesis, diagnosis,
      treatment and prognosis are discussed.

PMID- 26103675
TI  - [Nasal malignant granular cell tumor: a case report].
AB  - We reported a case of nasal malignant granular cell tumor. The patient was a 51
      years old man who went to the hospital because of "right nasal intermittent
      bleeding for half a year". The pathological examination after resection showed
      malignant granular cell tumor. No recurrence was noted during a year after
      resection. The etiology and pathogenesis, clinical features, pathological
      features and treatments of malignant granular cell tumor were reviewed.

PMID- 26103676
TI  - [Olfactory neuroblastoma with initial manifestations of hyponatremia: a case
      report].
AB  - Clinical records of a patient with olfactory neuroblastoma presented with
      hyponatremia as initial symptoms were analyzed and the literatures were reviewed.
      At initial onset, the patient presented with hyponatremia. After pathological
      examination, the diagnosis was olfactory neuroblastoma. The blood sodium has been
      normal after operation and radiotherapy. The incidence rate of olfactory
      neuroblastoma is low, and it is easily misdiagnosed. Its diagnosis relies on
      pathological examination. We should pay more attention to the unspecific symptoms
      of patients with hyponatremia, which can help to improve early diagnosis and the
      prognosis.

PMID- 26103677
TI  - [Nasal primitive neuroectodermal tumor: a case report].
AB  - Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) is a small round cell malignancies,
      normally confined to the chest wall and soft tissues of children and young
      adults, and reports of this tumor existing in nasal cavity are scarce. We herein
      present a case of nasal PNET. A 35-year-old male patient presented with a chief
      complaint of stuffy nose was diagnosed with a primary nasal pPNET by the
      clinical, microscopic, immunohistochemical features. Since these tumors are
      highly aggressive and patient prognosis is typically very poor, early diagnosis,
      immediate surgical resection and re-resection if possible, early radiotherapy and
      chemotherapy and close follow-up are required. We also review literatures on
      pPNET.

PMID- 26103678
TI  - [Why should rhinologic doctor pay attention to the lower respiratory tract of
      chronic rhinosinusitis patients?].
AB  - The purpose of this review is to explain the relationship between chronic
      rhinosinusitis (CRS) and lower respiratory tract inflammation, especially asthma
      and introduce the new advances in the treatment of CRS patient with asthma. We
      also introduce our treatment strategy for these patients, including surgery
      technique and perioperative management.

PMID- 26103679
TI  - Genetic Variation of Salmo trutta L. Populations from the Catchment Areas of the
      Rega, Parseta and Wieprza Rivers Evaluated by RAPD and SSR Markers.
AB  - By using simple sequence repeats (SSR) and random amplification of polymorphic
      DNA (RAPD) markers, the genetic variability of three Salmo trutta L. populations
      from three rivers, the Wieprza, the Rega and the Parseta, was determined. The
      investigated populations showed a high level of genetic variability.
      Microsatellites showed that observed heterozygosity (Ho) was higher than the
      expected heterozygosity (He), with most heterozygotes found in the population
      from the Parseta river and the fewest in the Wieprza population. The F(IS)
      coefficient in all investigated populations of the sea trout indicate a high
      excess of heterozygotes. The highest genetic differentiation was observed between
      the sea trout from the Rega river and those from the Wieprza (0.366). The
      obtained results based on microsatellite and RAPD analysis showed that the
      investigated populations formed two groups. The first group consisted of the sea
      trout populations from the Wieprza and the Parseta rives, while the second group
      was formed solely by the Rega river population.

PMID- 26103680
TI  - Frequency of Cytoplasmic Droplets Depends on the Breed and Age of Insemination
      Boars.
AB  - In this study an attempt was made to analyse morphological changes in sperm with
      particular attention to sperm with a cytoplasmic droplet, taking into account the
      age and breed of the boar. The material for the study consisted of ejaculates of
      insemination boars of five breeds. Morphological examination of sperm was carried
      out in 30 randomly selected boars--6 individuals from each breed. The morphology
      of 500 spermatozoa was evaluated in each slide. The percentage of sperm with
      normal morphology in the semen of the boars varied between breeds and was
      dependent in varying degrees on the age of the boar. The primary defects in sperm
      occurred more frequently in Duroc and Pietrain boars than in other breeds and
      were more dependent on the age of the boar. The high percentage of primary
      defects in the sperm of young Duroc boars was determined by the frequency of
      sperm cells with a proximal cytoplasmic droplet on the midpiece. A particularly
      high percentage of sperm cells with secondary defects was noted in the initial
      stage of the reproductive life of the boars. The high number of sperm cells with
      secondary defects noted in the semen of the Duroc and Pietrain boars and the
      changes occurring with age in the frequency of secondary morphological defects
      were mainly determined by the frequency of sperm cells with a distal protoplasmic
      droplet in the middle piece and to a lesser degree by that of sperm cells with a
      pseudodroplet.

PMID- 26103681
TI  - Genetic identification of a rare record of Ommastrephes Bartramii (Cephalopoda:
      Ommastrephidae) from the Eastern Adriatic Sea.
AB  - The neon flying squid Ommastrephes bartramii Lesueur, 1821 belongs to the
      Ommastrephidae, Cephalopoda family. The family Ommastrephidae (Mollusca:
      Cephalopoda) includes many commercially important species, dispersed around the
      world. The Ommastrephidae family is conventionally divided into three subfamilies
      (Illicinae, Todarodinae, and Ommastrephinae). We report a specimen of neon flying
      squid caught in the winter 2013 at Luka Sipanska, Island of Sipan, Croatia and
      identified at the genetic level using the standard mitochondrial COI barcode
      region. This record represents the first genetic identification of a neon flying
      squid from the Adriatic Sea.

PMID- 26103682
TI  - Preliminary Results Concerning the Influence of Human Kisspeptin on LH Secretion
      in Prussian Carp (Carassius gibelio) Females at the Stage of Ovarian
      Recrudescence and Spawning Season.
AB  - The aim of the experiments was to evaluate the influence of human kisspeptin on
      LH secretion of Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) females during ovarian
      recrudescence and spawning season. For the experiments, human kisspeptin KISS1
      (0.1 mg kg(-1) of body weight--b.w.), GnRH analogue (Des Gly(10), D-Ala(6)) GnRH
      A (20 ug kg(-1) b.w.) and dopamine antagonist (pimozide) (5 mg kg(-1) b.w.) were
      used alone or in combinations. At 3, 6, 12, 24 hours after injection(s) blood
      samples were collected from all fish. LH levels were measured in plasma with the
      use of the ELISA method. KISS1 did not show any significant effects on
      spontaneous LH secretion in both tested seasons. At 12 hours sampling time (both
      stages of gonad maturity) a combination of tested compounds (GnRH-A+KISS1)
      significantly increased LH release in comparison with the control. In the stage
      of gonad recrudescence KISS1 significantly increased LH secretion evoked by
      pimozide at 24 hours. A combination of three components: KISS1, GnRH-A, and
      pimozide significantly decreased LH secretion in comparison to LH secretion
      evoked by GnRH-A and pimozide during stage of gonad recrudescence. These results
      suggest that kisspeptin is involved in seasonal control of reproduction in
      Prussian carp. The possible interaction of kisspeptin and the dopaminergic system
      is also discussed.

PMID- 26103683
TI  - Inbreeding and Offspring Sex Ratio in the Pygmy Hippopotamus (Cheoropsis
      liberiensis) Population Kept in Zoological Gardens.
AB  - The aim of this study was to estimate the inbreeding level and its impact on
      offspring sex ratio in the pygmy hippopotamus population kept in zoological
      gardens. Records of pygmy hippopotamus born between 1873-2013 were extracted from
      the international studbook. Totally, 1357 individuals originating from 148
      breeding units were included (individuals with unknown sex were omitted). The
      offspring sex ratio is defined as the number of sons to the total number of
      progeny of each dam and sire. Spearman's rank correlation was employed to examine
      the relationships between the inbreeding level and offspring sex ratio.
      Inbreeding coefficients and individual increase in inbreeding coefficients
      (included as a linear co-variable) were examined as well as the geographic region
      and birth period using general linear models. The average inbreeding coefficient
      was 5.39%. The following sex proportion was observed for the inbred population:
      57% and 43% for females and males, respectively. A significant relationship
      between inbreeding level of parents and their offspring sex ratio were estimated
      for European zoological gardens, whereas in others geographic regions the
      dependencies were insignificant.

PMID- 26103684
TI  - Examination of Growth Hormone (GH) Gene Polymorphism and its Association with
      Body Weight and Selected Body Dimensions in Ducks.
AB  - The main objective of the study was to assess the polymorphism in intron 2 of the
      GH gene and its association with some morphological traits (body weight--BW,
      length of trunk with neck--LTN, length of trunk--LT, chest girth--CG, length of
      breast bone--LBB, length of shank--LS). Polymorphism in intron 2 of the GH gene
      was evaluated for four duck populations (Pekin ducks AF51, Muscovy ducks from a
      CK and CRAMMLCFF mother and Mulard ducks). Genetic polymorphism was determined
      with the PCR-RFLP method using the BsmFI restriction enzyme. In the studied duck
      sample two alleles (GH(C) and GH(T)) and three genotypes (GH/TT, GH/CT, GH/CC)
      were found at locus GH/BsmFI. In both groups of Muscovies and in Mulards the
      dominant allele was GH(T). On the contrary in Pekin ducks AF51, the frequency of
      both alleles was found to be similar. The most frequent genotype in the examined
      ducks was GH/TT. In Pekin ducks AF51 three genotypes were observed, while in
      Mulard ducks and in male Muscovy ducks from a mother marked as CK, two genotypes
      (GH/TT and GH/CT) were identified. Muscovy duck females from a CK mother and all
      males and females of Muscovy duck from a CRAMMLCFF mother were monomorphic with
      only the GH/TTgenotype detected. The results showed that males of Pekin duck AF51
      with the GH/TT genotype were characterized by higher (P < 0.01) BW value than
      those with the GH/CC and GH/CTgenotype. In females of Pekin ducks AF51, this same
      trend was observed; individuals with GH/TT genotype were superior (P < 0.05 and P
      < 0.01) to birds with two other detected genotypes in respect to BW, CG, LBB and
      LS. In the case of Mulards, ducks with the GH/TT genotype were distinguished by
      higher values of all evaluated traits compared to ducks with GH/CT and GH/CC
      genotypes, however most of the recorded differences were not significant. The
      only trait markedly impacted (P < 0.05) by the polymorphism of the GH gene intron
      2 was the LS value in males.

PMID- 26103685
TI  - No ALAD Polymorphism in Bank Vole Populations from Unpolluted and Lead-Zinc
      Polluted Areas in Poland.
AB  - Although a variety of biomarkers has been developed to assess the adverse effect
      of lead on human and animal populations, studies show that the most important
      factor conditioning the response may be the genetic make-up of an individual.
      ALAD (delta aminolevulinic acid dehydratase) gene polymorphism found in human
      populations results in the existence of two alleles: ALAD1 and ALAD2. The
      difference between them is the result of one nucleotide change (G177C, rs1800435)
      which implicates different enzyme affinity for lead ions. As a result, carriers
      of these alleles respond differently to lead exposure in terms of tissue lead
      content, as well as neurobehavioral response. The aim of our study was to
      determine if such a phenomenon is present in wild animal populations. Two
      hypotheses were tested: (i) does the same ALAD polymorphism occur in lead exposed
      rodent species and is the frequency of different alleles similar to that of
      humans, (ii) if polymorphism exists, is the tissue lead content higher in
      individuals having ALAD2 alleles. We used bank voles (Myodes glareolus)
      inhabiting different lead contaminated sites for this purpose. The results
      obtained show no polymorphism in the bank vole populations that were studied.
      Contrary to the results obtained for humans, our study shows that all animals
      were found to have the C nucleotide. In human populations this nucleotide
      determines the ALAD2 allele and is much less frequent.

PMID- 26103686
TI  - Polymorphism of the CTNNB1 and FOXL2 Genes is not Associated with Canine XX
      Testicular/Ovotesticular Disorder of Sex Development.
AB  - 78,XX testicular or ovotesticular disorder of sex development (DSD) is the most
      common sex anomaly in dogs, but its molecular background remains unknown. It was
      hypothesized that the causative mutation may reside in canine chromosome 23
      (CFA23), where two genes playing a pivotal role in ovarian development (CTNNB1
      and FOXL2) are located. The aim of our study was to search for polymorphism in
      both candidate genes in 15 DSD dogs (78,XX and a lack of the SRYgene) and 29
      normal females. Altogether, 7 novel polymorphic variants were identified: 5 SNPs
      in CTNNB1 and 2 indels in the FOXL2 gene. The distribution of the identified
      variants was similar in the DSD and control dogs. Therefore, we concluded that
      the conducted research did not prove an association between these polymorphisms
      and canine testicular or ovotesticular XX DSD.

PMID- 26103687
TI  - Changes in Quail Blastodermal Cell Status as a Result of Selection.
AB  - Genetic selection over many years has significantly improved the growth rate of
      broilers and increased the number of eggs laid by egg laying chicken breeds.
      Selection has improved desired parameters, but has caused some negative effects
      as well. Adverse effects of selection may negatively affect embryonic
      development. The number of live and apoptotic blastodermal cells (BCs) at the X
      stage of embryogenesis may be a good indicator of changes in selected
      individuals. In this paper, a comparison of the number of live and apoptotic BCs
      was made for three lines of quail: Pharaoh (F33), meat-type line, selected for
      body weight; egg laying line (S33), selected for egg number; and laying line
      (S22), additionally selected (for 17 generations) for high yolk cholesterol
      content. Apoptotic BCs were separated by the magnetic activated cell sorting
      (MACS) method. The percentage of live and apoptotic BCs was different (P <= 0.01)
      for F33 (35.8% and 64.2%, respectively) and S33 (60.0% and 36.4%). The number of
      apoptotic BCs for F33 embryos (45,098) was higher (P <= 0.01) compared to the
      number of apoptotic BCs for S33 embryos (26,667). The selection for high yolk
      cholesterol content caused an increase (P <= 0.01) in the total number of BCs
      from 78,403 (S33) to 140,139 (S22). The percentage of apoptotic BCs was lower (P
      <= 0.01) in the S22 line (17.1%) compared to the S33 line (36.4%). The results
      showed that it is possible to evaluate the effects of selection in the early
      stage of embryonic development.

PMID- 26103688
TI  - Species Relationships in the Genus Bryodaemon (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).
AB  - Establishing reliable taxonomy and phylogeny of similar, evolutionarily young
      species is among the greatest challenges in biology. Clearly the best approach is
      to use a combination of informative traits, including molecular markers and
      morphometric measurements. The objective of this study was to verify the taxonomy
      and phylogeny of four morphologically similar Carpathian species of Bryodaemon
      Podlussany, 1998 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Species relationships were studied
      using three molecular markers: two nuclear (ITS-2 and EF1-alpha) and one
      mitochondrial (COI, barcoding marker). We also took morphometric measurements of
      35 taxonomically derived characteristics of body parts and genital apparatus. The
      potential presence of apomorphic features also was determined. We then compared
      our results with data concerning the ecology and geography of previously studied
      species. Our analyses confirmed the monophyly ofthis group and established a
      phylogeny for the genus. We propose that B. hanakii is the earliest derived
      species, based on morphometric measurements, apomorphies and the EF-lalpha
      phylogeny. The pattern ofnucleotide variation in this marker also indicates that
      B. rozneri and B. boroveci are the youngest species. This hypothesis is
      consistent with geographical ranges and ecological preferences of Carpathian
      Bryodaemon species. We also considered an alternative hypothesis based on the COI
      gene tree which indicated that B. rozneri was the oldest species. However, this
      arrangement is inconsistent with our morphological data.

PMID- 26103689
TI  - Molecular Identification of Paramecium bursaria Syngens and Studies on Geographic
      Distribution using Mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit I (COI).
AB  - Paramecium bursaria is composed of five syngens that are morphologically
      indistinguishable but sexually isolated. The aim of the present study was to
      confirm by molecular methods (analyses of mitochondrial COI) the identification
      of P. bursaria syngens originating from different geographical locations.
      Phylograms constructed using both the neighbor-joining and maximum-likelihood
      methods based on a comparison of 34 sequences of P. bursaria strains and P.
      multimicronucleatum, P. caudatum and P.calkinsi strains used as outgroups
      revealed five clusters which correspond to results obtained previously by mating
      reaction. Our analysis shows the existence of 24 haplotypes for the COI gene
      sequence in the studied strains. The interspecies haplotype diversity was Hd =
      0.967. We confirmed genetic differentiation between strains of P. bursaria and
      the occurrence of a correlation between geographical distribution and the
      correspondent syngen.

PMID- 26103690
TI  - Preventing and Controlling Cervical Cancer in Africa: A Call for Action.

PMID- 26103691
TI  - Community Factors Influencing Birth Spacing among Married Women in Uganda and
      Zimbabwe.
AB  - Short birth spacing continues to be a problem in Uganda and Zimbabwe, resulting
      in negative infant, child, and maternal health outcomes. This study investigates
      community-level influences on birth spacing outcomes among women aged 15-49 in
      Uganda and Zimbabwe, using Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 2011
      (Uganda) and 2010-2011 (Zimbabwe). Women living in communities with higher mean
      maternal age, mean age at marriage, and mean parity were significantly more
      likely to have longer birth spacing. Women living in communities with higher
      levels of contraceptive use and low levels of unmet contraceptive need were more
      likely to have short birth spacing. The significance of community-level
      demographic and fertility norms, gender norms, economic prosperity, and family
      planning behaviors demonstrate the broad influence of community variables on
      birth spacing outcomes. This analysis highlights the importance of moving beyond
      individual and household-level interventions in order to harness the power of
      contextual influences on birth spacing.

PMID- 26103692
TI  - Skilled Birth Attendance in Nigeria: A Function of Frequency and Content of
      Antenatal Care.
AB  - The utilization rate of maternal services remains low in sub-Saharan Africa and
      may be contributing to the region's high maternal mortality rate. This study
      examines the influence of antenatal care (ANC) on skilled birth attendance (SBA)
      in Nigeria. The data used were collected from a nationally representative sample
      of women (aged 15-49) in 2011. The sample is restricted to women who were within
      two years postpartum (weighted n = 9879). Multivariate logistic regression was
      used to assess the association between ANC (number of visits attended and
      services received during last pregnancy) and SBA. Despite 70% of the women
      receiving any ANC, only 49% had SBA during their last childbirth. The number of
      ANC services received, rather than the number of ANC visits attended, was
      positively associated with having SBA during last childbirth after controlling
      for relevant covariates (p < 0.05). The focus, therefore, should be on increasing
      the number of services received during ANC.

PMID- 26103693
TI  - Social Networks and Decision Making for Clandestine Unsafe Abortions: Evidence
      from Kenya.
AB  - Little is known about the role of social networks in promoting clandestine
      abortions. This study investigated the role social networks play in decision
      making for and facilitation of clandestine abortions. It was a mixed method study
      in which 320 women treated for complications of unsafe abortions were interviewed
      in a cross sectional survey to determine their consultation with social networks
      and how this ended up in clandestine abortions. Information obtained was
      supplemented with information from focus group discussions, case studies and key
      informant interviews. It was found that 95% of women consulted their social
      networks as part of decision making before aborting clandestinely and unsafely.
      The man responsible for pregnancy, friend of same sex and woman's mother were the
      most consulted at 64%, 32% and 23% respectively. 92% of advice was for the woman
      to abort. The man responsible for pregnancy and the woman's mother were the most
      influential advisors (p < 0.05). Intermediaries linked the woman to clandestine
      and unsafe abortion and included agents and previous clients of clandestine
      abortion providers and the woman's friends and relatives. Decision making and
      seeking for clandestine abortion were therefore found to be shared
      responsibilities. It is recommended that programs for reducing unsafe abortions
      be designed with this fact in mind.

PMID- 26103694
TI  - Factors Influencing Prevention and Control of Malaria among Pregnant Women
      Resident in Urban Slums, Southern Ghana.
AB  - Throughout Africa and particularly in Ghana, there are concerns about malaria
      infection during pregnancy. This study aimed to investigate factors that
      influence malaria prevention and control practices among pregnant women residing
      in Chorkor and Korle-Gonno in Accra, Ghana. One hundred and twenty pregnant women
      between ages 18-49 were randomly recruited during antenatal sessions at a
      maternity facility in Accra, as participants for the study. An interviewer
      administered questionnaire was used to collect data, which were analysed using
      SPSS version16.0. It was found that in Chorkor and Korle-Gonno, 57.4% and 42.6%
      participants respectively reported having been infected with malaria during their
      current pregnancy. There was no significant relationship between religious
      beliefs of participants and their malaria prevention and control practices (X2 =
      0.28, P = .53). However, there was a significant relationship between malaria
      prevention and control practices of participants and their income earning (X2 =
      53.94, P = .00) and employment (X2 = 61.76, P = .00) statuses. With the exception
      of ethnicity (X2 = 35.62, P =.22), other socio-cultural conditions had a
      significant relationship with malaria prevention and control practices of the
      participants. The findings suggest the need to consider and integrate factors,
      such as poverty and poor living conditions in malaria prevention and control
      strategies.

PMID- 26103695
TI  - Human Resource Challenges to Integrating HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) into
      the Public Health System in Kenya: A Qualitative Study.
AB  - Extensive planning will be necessary to integrate HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis
      (PrEP) into public health systems. In Bondo and Kisumu, Kenya, we conducted
      interviews with 16 district and provincial public health stakeholders and held
      consultations with 18 provincial and 23 national public health stakeholders on
      topics related to PrEP rollout. We coded interview transcripts and created memos
      summarizing responses. We documented consultation discussions through note
      taking. Human resource challenges identified included increased workload and
      insufficient personnel, the need for task shifting/sharing, training needs,
      infrastructural requirements, discrimination and stigma by staff towards at-risk
      clients, and providers' personal priorities about offering PrEP. These challenges
      paralleled current challenges related to integration of antiretroviral therapy
      (ART) and could be partially addressed prior to PrEP rollout. The recommendations
      for training staff are likewise grounded in lessons from ART and have practical
      application for program planners developing training curricula for PrEP delivery.

PMID- 26103696
TI  - "Over my Dead Body": Knowledge and Attitude of Children towards HIV and AIDS in
      the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana.
AB  - In Ghana, it was estimated in 2013 that some 34,557 children were living with HIV
      and AIDS. Researches on children's perception of risk, knowledge and support
      services for infected persons have been rarely undertaken. This paper is based on
      responses obtained from 120 in-school children aged 9-13 years drawn from three
      schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana. The respondents provided
      qualitative data through essays and quantitative data through questionnaires. All
      the respondents have had some knowledge on HIV and AIDS and knew of where to
      access HIV and AIDS information. More than seventy per cent of them were not
      willing to purchase fresh vegetables from AIDS vendors nor were willing to allow
      AIDS infected female teachers to continue teaching them. It was recommended that
      children should be targeted with behavioural change communication messages
      especially by teachers to enable them live harmoniously with people infected and
      affected with AIDS.

PMID- 26103697
TI  - Accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Information and Services: A Mixed
      Methods Study of Young Women's Needs and Experiences in Soweto, South Africa.
AB  - Young women and girls in South Africa are at high risk of unintended pregnancy
      and HIV. Previous studies have reported barriers to contraceptive and other
      sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services among young women in this context.
      We aimed to assess young women's SRH knowledge and experiences and to determine
      how they get SRH information and services in Soweto, South Africa using
      quantitative and qualitative methods. Young women, aged 18-24, recruited from
      primary health clinics and a shopping mall, reported that they have access to SRH
      information and know where to obtain services. However there are challenges to
      accessing and utilizing information and services including providers'
      unsupportive attitudes, uneven power dynamics in relationships and communication
      issues with parents and community members. There is a need to assist young women
      in understanding the significance of SRH information. They need access to age
      appropriate, youth-friendly services in order to have healthy sexual experiences.

PMID- 26103698
TI  - Prevalence and Correlates of Sexual abuse among Female Out-of- School Adolescents
      in Iwaya Community, Lagos State, Nigeria.
AB  - This study set out to document the prevalence and predictors of sexual
      intercourse with persons below the age of consent (statutory rape) and outright
      sex without consent (rape) among out-of-school adolescents in an urban slum in
      Lagos, Nigeria. Data gathered from a survey of 480 participants were employed.
      About 14% and 35% of the participants had been victims of rape and statutory rape
      respectively. Experience of rape was found to be a function of age and basic
      deprivation (Cox and Snell's R2 of 0.060 and a Nagelkerke's R2 of 0.108). Another
      model (with a Cox and Snell's R2 of 0.286 and a Nagelkerke's R2 of 0.394) shows
      that predictors of the experience of statutory rape include age, basic
      deprivation, living arrangement and previous attendance of school. In view of the
      overarching influence of basic deprivation on the experience of sexual abuse, an
      intervention programme that addresses the material conditions of adolescent girls
      in Nigeria is recommended.

PMID- 26103699
TI  - Prevalence and Factors Associated with Intimate Partner Violence among Married
      Women in an Urban Community in Lagos State, Nigeria.
AB  - Violence against women is a major public health problem globally. A cross
      sectional descriptive study was conducted in Ikosi Isheri LCDA of Lagos State
      among 400 married women. A multistage sampling method was used to select the
      respondents. The lifetime prevalence for physical violence, sexual violence and
      psychological violence were 50.5%, 33.8% and 85.0% respectively. Predictive
      factors for physical IPV include lower educational status of the women (AOR 3.22
      95% CI: 1.54-6.77) and partner's daily alcohol intake (AOR: 1.84 95% CI: 1.05
      3.23). The predictors of sexual violence include unemployment status of the
      partners (OR 5.89:1.39-24.84) and daily/weekly alcohol use (AOR 1.87 95% CI: 1.05
      3.33). Predictors of psychological violence include respondents witness of
      parental violence (AOR 2.80 95% CI: 1.04-7.5) and daily alcohol use by partners
      (AOR 2.71 95% CI: 1.19-6.18). Preventive interventions such as increasing the
      educational status of women and reducing the intake of alcohol by men may help
      break the cycle of abuse.

PMID- 26103700
TI  - Adolescent Sexuality and Life Skills Education in Nigeria: To What Extent have
      Out-of-School Adolescents Been Reached?
AB  - The introduction of school-based adolescent sexuality and life skills education
      in Nigeria's formal education sector raises the misgiving that out-of-school
      youths who constitute more than half of the youth population might be neglected.
      This study investigated the extent to which out-of-school adolescents have been
      reached with sexuality education in Nigeria. The study took place in the six
      geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, and involved out-of
      school adolescents, Non-Governmental Organizations, and community leaders. The
      qualitative research approaches were employed. Most of the youths had been
      exposed to sexuality education through seminars, trainings and workshops
      organized by different organizations. However, states in the south were better
      served than those in the north. Sexually Transmitted Infections including
      HIV/AIDS prevention accounted for more than 40% of the content of sexuality and
      life skills education received by out-of-school adolescents. The programmes have
      impacted positively on adolescents' disposition and relationship with the
      opposite sex, knowledge and skill building.

PMID- 26103701
TI  - Obstetric Fistula "Disease" and Ensuing Care: Patients' Views in West-Africa.
AB  - We explored obstetric fistula patients' real-life experience of care in modern
      Health System. Our aim was to analyze how these women's views impacted their care
      uptake and coping. We conducted 67 in-depth interviews with 35 fistula patients
      or former patients in 5 fistula repair centers within referral hospitals in Mali
      and Niger. Perceptions of obstetric fistula influenced the care experience and
      vice versa. Obstetric fistula was viewed as a severe chronic disease due to
      length of care process, limitation of surgery and persisting physical and moral
      suffering. We highlight the opportunity to build on patients' views on obstetric
      fistula trauma and care in order to implement an effective holistic care process.

PMID- 26103702
TI  - Perceived Health System Causes of Obstetric Fistula from Accounts of Affected
      Women in Rural Tanzania: A Qualitative Study.
AB  - Obstetric fistula is still a major problem in low income countries. While its
      main cause is untreated obstructed labour, misconceptions about it still persist.
      This study aimed at exploring and describing perceived health system causes of
      obstetric fistula from women affected by it in rural Tanzania. This exploratory
      qualitative study included twenty-eight women affected by obstetric fistula. Semi
      structured interviews and focus group discussions were held and thematic analysis
      used to analyse perceived health system causes of obstetric fistula from women's
      account. Perceived health system causes of obstetric fistula fundamentally
      reflected the poor quality of obstetric care women received at health care
      facilities relating to staff unaccountability, late referral, and torture by
      nurses. The women's perception emphasizes the importance of improving the quality
      of obstetric care provided by health care providers in health care facilities.

PMID- 26103703
TI  - Epidemiology of Cervical Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions in HIV Infected Women
      in Kenya: a cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. Infection
      with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its related immunosuppression are
      associated with an increased risk of prevalent, incident, and persistent squamous
      intraepithelial lesions (SILs) of the cervix. The objective of the study was to
      describe the prevalence and predictors of high-risk HPV and cervical cancer to
      support the need for strengthening cervical cancer screening programs for HIV
      infected women in Kenya. A cross sectional study was conducted in a hospital in
      Central Kenya, Kiambu district. The study population constituted of HIV positive
      women attending the ART treatment clinic. A total of 715 HIV positive women
      initiated on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) were enrolled in this study. About 359
      (52.1%) were less than 40 years of age and 644 (90.3%) of the patients were
      widowed. About 642 (92.6%) of the HIV infected women were in follow-up period of
      >= 1 year. The outcome/prognosis of the patients undergoing ICC was 3 cured, 5
      good and 4 poor respectively. In a multivariable ordinal logistic regression
      analysis showed that for a one-unit decrease of CD4, we expect 1.23 log odds of
      increasing the severity of cervical cancer (B = 1.23, P < 0.0 15), given that all
      of the other variables in the model are held constant. In conclusion screening of
      all HIV infected women, who are under HIV care and treatment, enrolling patients
      on HAART with higher CD4 counts is recommended to see the net effect of HAART
      response.

PMID- 26103704
TI  - Cervical Cancer and Human Papilloma Virus Knowledge and Acceptance of Vaccination
      among Medical Students in Southwest Nigeria.
AB  - Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the commonest viral sexually transmitted infection
      in the world and the leading cause of cervical cancer. Medical students as future
      healthcare providers will play a role in influencing patients' decision to
      receive HPV vaccination. This study was aimed at determining the knowledge of
      cervical cancer and HPV as well as the acceptance of HPV vaccination among
      medical students of the University of Lagos. A descriptive cross-sectional study
      was carried out among 280 medical students sampled using stratified sampling
      technique. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect relevant data.
      Most respondents were aware of cervical cancer (95.4%), HPV (85.4%) and HPV
      vaccination (69.3%) and the most common source of information was school
      teaching. Good knowledge of cervical cancer, HPV and HPV vaccination was
      demonstrated by 51.8%, 67.1% and 21.1% respectively; only 39.6% fully accepted
      HPV vaccination. Inadequate information and high costs were the obstacles
      identified to receiving vaccine and recommending it to others. Older age and
      higher levels of study were significantly associated with good knowledge of HPV.
      Good knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccination respectively were significantly
      associated with full acceptance of vaccination. There is need for more education
      on cervical cancer, HPV infection and HPV vaccination for the medical students
      via school teaching and other media, and inclusion of the HPV vaccine in the
      National Program on Immunization to improve access.

PMID- 26103705
TI  - Preface.

PMID- 26103706
TI  - Diagnosis of Fetal Anomaly and the Increased Maternal Psychological Toll
      Associated with Pregnancy Termination.
AB  - Approximately 4% of U.S. abortions occur in desired pregnancies, with many
      resulting from fetal anomalies. The majority of terminations occur in the second
      trimester; however in recent years first-trimester ultrasound measurement for
      nuchal translucency, calculation of risk based on maternal age, and biochemistry
      at 11-14 weeks gestation, have resulted in earlier prenatal diagnoses for
      chromosomal abnormalities. First trimester ultrasound can also now lead to
      diagnoses of major structural abnormalities including anecephaly, ventral wall
      defects, and limb abnormalities. The American College of Medical Genetics
      released recommendations underscoring the crucial importance of ethical
      counseling and substantive communication with parents facing a prenatal diagnosis
      of fetal anomaly. Unfortunately, the inability of health care providers to
      understand and empathize with the ardent desire of some parents to refuse
      termination is likely to be a large factor in the common practice of
      professionals attempting to steer expectant parents toward termination. Perinatal
      hospice is family-centered, comprehensive, and integrative in nature. The care
      provided by perinatal hospice units is delivered by an interdisciplinary team of
      obstetricians, pediatricians, nurses, social workers and chaplains in 130
      locations throughout the U.S. Support is offered from diagnosis until death and
      beyond with time for "bonding, loving, and losing." "Hospice care is an
      interactive, and at times intense, form of care. Rather than simply 'letting
      nature take its course,' this approach empowers the family to take control of
      some of the consequences of their unfortunate situation." A primary focus of
      perinatal hospice is on fear reduction. Parents facing the death of an infant
      often fear isolation and abandonment in addition to worrying about their child
      experiencing pain. Parents are assured that they will be cared for and supported
      throughout this entire chapter of their lives, as their babies are kept
      comfortable and free of pain until death. The approach is realistic without
      shattering hope that the diagnosis was wrong or that a miracle will take place as
      there is recognition that hope keeps parents going. There is also recognition
      that building memories is essential to the grieving process and frequent use of
      ultrasound is designed to provide visualization experience. Perinatal hospice
      teams assist in the development of birth plans, address the type and location of
      the delivery as well as aftercare of the mother and infant.

PMID- 26103707
TI  - Sociological Environmental Causes are Insufficient to Explain Autism Changepoints
      of Incidence.
AB  - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently published a study analyzing
      time trends in the cumulative incidence of autistic disorder (AD) in the U.S.,
      Denmark, and worldwide. A birth year changepoint (CP) around 1988 was identified.
      It has been argued that the epidemic rise in autism over the past three decades
      is partly due to a combination of sociologic factors along with the potential
      contribution of thimerosal containing vaccines. Our work conducted an expanded
      analysis of AD changepoints in CA and U.S., and determined whether changepoints
      in time trends of AD rates temporally coincide with changepoints for the proposed
      causative sociologic and environmental factors. Birth year changepoints were
      identified for 1980.9 [95% CI, 1978.6-1983.1], 1988.4 [95% CI, 1987.8-1989.0] and
      1995.6 [95% CI, 1994.6-1996.6] for CA and U.S. data, confirming and expanding the
      EPA results. AD birth year changepoints significantly precede the changepoints
      calculated for indicators of increased social awareness of AD. Furthermore, the
      1981 and 1996 AD birth year changepoints don't coincide with any predicted
      changepoints based on altered thimerosal content in vaccines nor on revised
      editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

PMID- 26103708
TI  - Epidemiologic and Molecular Relationship Between Vaccine Manufacture and Autism
      Spectrum Disorder Prevalence.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the public health consequences of fetal cell line
      manufactured vaccines that contain residual human fetal DNA fragments utilizing
      laboratory and ecological approaches including statistics, molecular biology and
      genomics. METHOD: MMR coverage and autism disorder or autism spectrum disorder
      prevalence data for Norway, Sweden and the UK were obtained from public and
      government websites as well as peer reviewed published articles. Biologically,
      the size and quantity of the contaminating fetal DNA in Meruvax II and Havrix as
      well as the propensity of various cell lines for cellular and nuclear uptake of
      primitive human DNA fragments were measured and quantified using gel
      electrophoresis, fluorescence microscopy and fluorometry. Lastly, genomic
      analysis identified the specific sites where fetal DNA fragment integration into
      a child's genome is most likely to occur. RESULTS: The average MMR coverage for
      the three countries fell below 90% after Dr. Wakefield's infamous 1998
      publication but started to recover slowly after 2001 until reaching over 90%
      coverage again by 2004. During the same time period, the average autism spectrum
      disorder prevalence in the United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden dropped
      substantially after birth year 1998 and gradually increased again after birth
      year 2000. Average single stranded DNA and double stranded DNA in Meruvax II were
      142.05 ng/vial and 35.00 ng/vial, respectively, and 276.00 ng/vial and 35.74
      ng/vial in Havrix respectively. The size of the fetal DNA fragments in Meruvax II
      was approximately 215 base pairs. There was spontaneous cellular and nuclear DNA
      uptake in HFF1 and NCCIT cells. Genes that have been linked to autism (autism
      associated genes; AAGs) have a more concentrated susceptibility for insults to
      genomic stability in comparison to the group of all genes contained within the
      human genome. Of the X chromosome AAGs, 15 of 19 have double strand break motifs
      less than 100 kilobases away from the center of a meiotic recombination hotspot
      located within an exon. CONCLUSION: Vaccines manufactured in human fetal cell
      lines contain unacceptably high levels of fetal DNA fragment contaminants. The
      human genome naturally contains regions that are susceptible to double strand
      break formation and DNA insertional mutagenesis. The "Wakefield Scare" created a
      natural experiment that may demonstrate a causal relationship between fetal cell
      line manufactured vaccines and ASD prevalence.

PMID- 26103709
TI  - The Epidemiology of Abortion And Its Prevention in Chile.
AB  - Mortality by abortion has continuously decreased over the past fifty years in
      Chile. In fact, maternal death as a result of an induced abortion has become an
      exceptionally rare phenomenon in epidemiological terms (a risk of 1 in 4 million
      pregnant women of fertile age or 0.4 per 100,000 life births for abortion of any
      type, excluding ectopic pregnancy). After abortion became illegal in 1989, deaths
      related to abortion continued to decrease from 10.8 to 0.39 per 100,000 live
      births. This scientific fact challenges the common notion that less permissive
      abortion laws lead to greater mortality associated with abortion.

PMID- 26103710
TI  - AAPLOG Practice Bulletin No. 1: Perinatal Hospice--Care with Compassion for
      Families with an Adverse Prenatal Diagnosis.

PMID- 26103711
TI  - Parental Notification/Consent for Treatment of the Adolescent.
AB  - A continuing debate exists in both law and medicine regarding an adolescent's
      capacity to make rational, independent decisions. This is particularly true
      concerning an adolescent's capacity to make an informed decision with regard to
      abortion. Neuroscience research responds to the question by noting that the area
      of the brain involved in critical thinking and decision-making does not reach
      full maturity until the early to mid-twenties. Consequently, teens are more
      likely to act impulsively, rather than with rational and goal-oriented thought.
      Relying upon outdated information, medical organizations have generally
      maintained that most teens are fully competent to understand the risks and
      consequences of, and give informed consent to, medical procedures including
      abortion without parental knowledge, involvement, or consent. The American
      College of Pediatricians examines the data and challenges this position,
      emphasizing the important contribution of parents in advising their adolescent
      children about such life-changing decisions.

PMID- 26103712
TI  - Our reach matters: Expanding occupational therapy knowledge sharing and creation
      using the Internet.

PMID- 26103713
TI  - Metacognition in persons with substance abuse: Findings and implications for
      occupational therapists.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Addiction is a massive public health problem in which a person's
      occupational life is compromised and metacognition is impaired. Occupational
      therapists may play a critical role in addiction rehabilitation, but more
      information about patterns of metacognitive deficit co-occurring with addictive
      behaviour is needed to develop interventions that specifically target these
      impairments. PURPOSE: This study examined whether persons with addiction(s)
      demonstrated specific patterns of metacognitive deficit on four subscales of
      metacognition measuring self-reflectivity, understanding others' thoughts,
      decentration, and mastery. METHOD: Using a mixed-methods design, qualitative data
      were obtained via the Indiana Psychiatric Illness Interview, which was then rated
      using a quantitative scale, the Metacognition Assessment Scale-Abbreviated.
      FINDINGS: Persons with addiction(s) demonstrated significant impairments in
      metacognitive mastery but not other areas of metacognition. IMPLICATIONS:
      Occupational therapy interventions for addiction should focus on improving
      metacognitive mastery. Future efficacy studies of interventions to improve
      mastery and overall outcomes are warranted.

PMID- 26103714
TI  - A call for sustainable practice in occupational therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ability of the earth to sustain health among humans and in the
      natural world is under threat from overpopulation, environmental degradation, and
      climate change. These global threats are anticipated to harm health and human
      occupation in many direct and indirect ways. Strategies are needed to mitigate
      the effects of these threats and to build individual and community capacities to
      foster resilience. PURPOSE: This paper links issues of sustainability with
      occupational therapy philosophy and discusses how employing a sustainability lens
      with professional reasoning can help practitioners integrate sustainability into
      their practice. KEY ISSUES: Human occupation is inseparable from the environments
      in which people live. Human occupation has caused the current environmental
      crisis, and targeted human action is required to safeguard future health and well
      being. IMPLICATIONS: Occupational therapists have an ethical obligation to use
      professional reasoning strategies that, taken collectively, can help to build a
      sustainable and resilient future.

PMID- 26103715
TI  - [Reappropriation of residential space of families with a person with a spinal
      cord injury].
AB  - BACKGROUND: To date, we do not know how home adaptations transform the
      residential experience of people with disabilities and their families. PURPOSE:
      This study aimed to describe the residential reappropriation process of people
      with spinal cord injury and their families. METHOD: Interviews with 31 people
      with spinal cord injuries and 31 family members focused on the adaptations,
      satisfaction with the adaptations, territorial behaviour at home, and family
      functioning. FINDINGS: Adaptations aimed to sustain the disabled person's
      autonomy and mobility. Participants were satisfied with the physical adaptations,
      particularly in regard to convenience and feeling safe. Territorial behaviour
      supported the need for control and freedom. A more successful reappropriation
      process was associated with more effective family functioning. IMPLICATIONS:
      Territorial behaviours and effective family functioning should be considered by
      occupational therapists working with families.

PMID- 26103716
TI  - Assessment practices of Canadian occupational therapists working with adults with
      mental disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about assessment practices of occupational therapists
      working with adults with mental disorders. PURPOSE: This study investigates the
      assessment practices of occupational therapists working with clients experiencing
      symptoms of schizophrenia or major depressive disorder. METHOD: We conducted a
      national survey of assessment practices using case vignettes of hypothetical
      clients. FINDINGS: From 343 vignettes completed by 286 respondents, 68.4%
      included the use of one or more standardized measures during treatment. Measures
      were rarely repeated. Results showed that the Canadian Occupational Performance
      Measure was the most frequently used, suggesting a focus on assessing global
      functioning, while the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills was listed as the
      most desired assessment tool. Implementing nonstandardized assessments was
      common. IMPLICATIONS: Despite wide variations in occupational therapists'
      assessment practices, the use of standardized assessments is prevalent. The low
      rate of repeated measures (0% to 25.9%) suggests a need to better monitor changes
      and treatment outcomes.

PMID- 26103717
TI  - Empowering people to change occupational behaviours to address critical global
      issues.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The greatest threat to human well-being in this century is climate
      change and related global issues. PURPOSE: We examined the effectiveness of the
      Modified Instrumentalism in Occupational Therapy model as a framework for
      facilitating occupational behaviour change to address climate change and related
      issues. METHOD: Eleven individuals participated in this mixed-methods single
      subject-design study. Data were gathered using the Modified Assessment and
      Intervention Instrument for Instrumentalism in Occupational Therapy and Daily
      Occupational Inventories. Quantitative data were analyzed using two- and three
      standard deviation band methods. Qualitative data were analyzed using heuristic
      phenomenological procedures. FINDINGS: Occupational performance changed for five
      participants. Participants' feelings shifted from frustration and helplessness to
      empowerment and a desire for action. They felt empowered to find occupation-based
      solutions to the global issues. IMPLICATIONS: Occupation-based interventions that
      increase personal awareness of the connection between occupational performance
      and global issues could empower people to be agents for action to ameliorate the
      issues.

PMID- 26103718
TI  - [The Integration and Regulation of Hormone-Sensitive Lipase in Reproductive
      System].
AB  - Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) has long been considered as a classical rate
      limiting enzyme during lipolysis since it was first described in 1960s. HSL is
      regulated mainly by catecholamine, including adrenalin. Studies in recent years
      indicated that the substrates for HSL are not only triglycerides, but also
      diacylglycerol with the catalytic activity is ten times that of triglycerides,
      glycerol esters and cholesterol esters, which overthrow the opinion that HSL is
      specific to triglyceride. The scientists have generated HSL gene knockout mice
      and confirmed HSL is widely located in the reproductive system, which indicates
      that HSL may play an important role in the regulation of physiological and
      pathophysiological process in the reproductive system. Here, we will focus on the
      features of the HSL gene, mRNA and its protein, and summarize the HSL functions
      in the reproductive system.

PMID- 26103719
TI  - [The Progress of Research About Pancreatic Lipase].
AB  - During the digestive procedure, pancreatic lipase is known as the main enzyme in
      vivo for digestion and absorption of dietary fat, consisting of pancreatic
      triglyceride lipase, pancreatic lipase related proteins 1 and 2, bile salt -
      stimulated Lipase and phospholipase A2. The changes of the development pattern of
      pancreatic lipase have confirmed associations with metabolic diseases such as
      obesity, not only because age is connected with the development of pancreatic
      lipase, but also pancreatic lipase itself is regulated by the dietary structure
      and endocrine hormone.

PMID- 26103720
TI  - [The Development of Gene Knockout Technologies in Large and Medium Animal
      Models].
AB  - Technique of homologous recombination based gene targeting developed in the late
      1980s and won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2007. However, this
      technique could only performed in mice which embryonic stem (ES) cells could keep
      in the potential of multifunction in vitro. Therefore gene knockout technology
      was difficult to be applied in other species of animals for a long time. Since
      2008, with the development of the new technologies, such as the new ES cell gene
      targeting, zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector
      nucleases (TALENs) and clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic
      repeats/Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9), building gene knockout in large and medium animals
      models which are similar to human in disease research becomes possible. This
      review describes some new gene knockout technologies in large and medium animal
      models for recent years.

PMID- 26103721
TI  - [MicroRNAs Regulation of Cancer Stem Cells].
AB  - Cancer stem cells(CSCs) have been reported in many human tumors and are
      associated with tumor initiation and progression. CSCs share many biological
      properties with normal somatic stem cells, such as self-renewal, the propagation
      of differentiated progeny. However, they also have differences in their
      chemoresistance and tumorigenic and metastatic activity. CSCs have potential
      clinical importance, but the regulation at the molecular level is not well
      understood. MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are a class of endogenous non-coding RNAs, and play
      important role in the regulation of several cellular processes. Varieties of
      evidence show that, miRNAs can regulates the CSCs at a molecular level and are
      associated with tumor initiation and progression. Better understanding of the
      regulation of CSCs gene expression by miRNAs could be used to identify the
      biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In the present review, we summarize the major
      development on the regulation of CSCs by miRNAs.

PMID- 26103722
TI  - [Endothelium Aging and Oxidative Stress].
AB  - In the endothelium, ROS mainly derive from mitochondria, endothelial nitric oxide
      synthases and NADPH oxidases 4. Excessive ROS are a major cause of oxidative
      stress, the primary stimulus of vascular dysfunction and oxidative stress-related
      diseases. However, cellular evolution has made possible the development of
      adaptive antioxidant systems that scavenge excessive ROS, such as Nrf2/Keapl-ARE,
      PPAR-y, SIRT and FOXO, etc. Among them, the Nrf2/Keapl-ARE signaling pathway is
      perhaps the most prominent. What is more, there are the "crosstalk" among these
      antioxidant stress-related signaling pathways aim to alleviate oxidative stress
      injurys and promote cells survival. The understanding of the relationship between
      endothelial aging and oxidative stress may serve as a therapeutic clues in the
      treatment of oxidative stress-related diseases.

PMID- 26103723
TI  - [Immune tolerance induced by Foxp3' Treg and organ transplantotion].

PMID- 26103725
TI  - [Function of miRNA passenger strand].

PMID- 26103724
TI  - [The new approaches of aptamer-based therapeutics to combating human
      immunodeficiency virus].

PMID- 26103726
TI  - [Investigation for the memory of enzyme].

PMID- 26103728
TI  - [Apelin/APJ system--the important targets for the regulation of energy
      metabolism].

PMID- 26103727
TI  - [Research progress of complement-C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein].

PMID- 26103729
TI  - [Progress in signal pathways of ABCA1 mediated cholesterol efflux and anti
      inflammatory].

PMID- 26103730
TI  - [Progress in the sleep of female].

PMID- 26103731
TI  - [The role of histone deacetylases in the regulation of energy metabolism].

PMID- 26103732
TI  - [Progress in roles and mechanism of FHFs in arrhythmia].

PMID- 26103734
TI  - [The effect and advance of Kupffer cells in the mechanism of ischemia reperfusion
      injury after liver transplantion].

PMID- 26103733
TI  - [The doubt, progress and challenges of female germline stem cells in mammalian
      research].

PMID- 26103735
TI  - [The physiological and pathophysiological function of TRPC6 in lung].

PMID- 26103736
TI  - Regional versus general anesthesia for spine surgery. A comprehensive review.
AB  - The use of regional anesthesia techniques for intra-operative anesthesia remains
      very controversial for patients scheduled to undergo spinal interventions. Spine
      surgery is still mostly performed under general anesthesia. This has to be
      explained by the patient's position required during surgery, the extent and
      duration of some procedures, the preference of the surgeon and/or
      anesthesiologist and a trend which becomes more and more prominent to abandon
      central nerve blocks in general. The presence of foreign material in the
      neighborhood of the surgical field may be a reason for surgeons to refuse such
      techniques. Nevertheless, during the last decade the available literature has
      increased progressively in support of regional anesthesia for these
      interventions. The present overview will focus on the feasibility of different
      regional techniques to be used intra-operatively. These techniques may also be of
      interest or even intended for prolonged postoperative analgesia and benefit even
      after a single bolus injection, continuous or intermittent administration.
      Although all techniques described offered favorable success rates, future
      research is mandatory to determine their superiority over general intra-operative
      anesthesia and conventional pain therapy.

PMID- 26103737
TI  - Cerebral tissue oxygen saturation during arthroscopic shoulder surgery in the
      beach chair and lateral decubitus position.
AB  - Arthroscopic shoulder surgery is a common procedure and can be performed with the
      patient in the lateral decubitus position (LDP) or beach chair position (BCP).
      Although the BCP is associated with better visualization and less bleeding, it
      has also been associated with hemodynamic changes and consequently cerebral
      hypoperfusion. Devastating events reported after surgery in the BCP were
      attributed to a combination of the upright position and hypotension. Besides
      position and blood pressure, ventilator management and type of anesthesia should
      be taken into account. Near infrared spectroscopy might be able to provide an
      early warning sign of cerebral hypoperfusion during shoulder surgery in the BCP.
      It was therefore recommended to continuously monitor cerebral oxygenation in
      patients undergoing shoulder surgery in the BCP, to potentially prevent
      devastating outcomes. However, more clinical research on the safe lower limits of
      cerebral tissue oxygen saturation is needed for this recommendation to gain broad
      acceptance.

PMID- 26103738
TI  - Skin Temperature during Cold Pressor Test in Fibromyalgia: an Evaluation of the
      Autonomic Nervous System?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common chronic pain disorder characterized
      by whole-body pain and multiple symptoms. This study investigated potential
      dysfunctions of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) in FM patients through the
      measurement of the autonomic response during a cold-water test. METHODS: 23
      female patients with FM and 15 healthy female controls were recruited. First, FM
      patients filled out the following questionnaires: PainDETECT, American College of
      Rheumatology (ACR) criteria of FM, and Profile of Mood States (POMS). Healthy
      controls only filled out the POMS. Subsequently, all participants immersed their
      forearm into 1 degrees C cold-water as long as they could tolerate for a maximum
      of 120 seconds. A thermographic camera recorded skin temperature and its
      recuperation process. RESULTS: The two groups differed significantly regarding
      central body temperature, forearm thermography, and peripheral (forearm)-central
      (ear) temperature ratio. FM patients showed less tolerance to cold water than
      control participants. Although total temperature decrease, cool-down rate,
      recuperation between 0 and 20 minutes after withdrawal showed significant
      intergroup differences, thermal recovery followed similar patterns in both
      groups. DISCUSSION: Peculiar ANS baseline characteristics are seen in FM
      patients. Although those patients have reduced ability to sustain low
      temperatures, therefore limiting extrapolation of inter-group analysis, their
      thermal-adaptive responses were found different as compared to controls.

PMID- 26103739
TI  - Postsurgical compartment syndrome of the forearm diagnosed in a child receiving a
      continuous infra-clavicular peripheral nerve block.
AB  - Opinions diverge as to whether or not regional anaesthesia delays the diagnosis
      of evolving acute compartment syndrome. Withholding regional anaesthesia from
      patients with painful orthopaedic injuries may be ethically unacceptable,
      however. In this report, we describe a case of acute compartment syndrome in a 4
      year old child who underwent resection of a forearm osteochondroma. Analgesia was
      satisfactory during the first post-operative night, but the child later
      complained of pain despite an effective infra-clavicular block. Motor function
      and sensibility were disturbed and the fingers were swollen. The forearm cast was
      removed as it was suspected to be causing external compression. Pain disappeared
      while motor function and sensation recovered. The child was discharged without
      any complications. Despite an effective peripheral nerve block and the young age
      of the patient, the diagnosis of acute compartment syndrome could be made thanks
      to a well-defined post-operative analgesia protocol, a high level of suspicion
      and careful clinical assessment when break-through pain occurred.

PMID- 26103740
TI  - Anaesthetic consideration of a child with concomitant craniovertebral junction
      anomaly and arrested hydrocephalus.
AB  - Congenital malformations of various sorts account for a large percentage of
      childhood hydrocephalus but associated Craniovertebral junction (CVJ) anomaly has
      not been reported earlier. Though the anaesthetic concerns for isolated arrested
      hydrocephalus and CVJ anomaly has been reported but the concomitant occurrence of
      both and its anaesthetic implications is not mentioned in literature. Here we
      present the anaesthetic management of a child with arrested hydrocephalus along
      with CVJ anomaly leading to compression of cervicomedullary junction and
      myelopathy scheduled for decompression and fixation of craniovertebral junction.

PMID- 26103741
TI  - Infant Formula: The Addition of Minimum and Maximum Levels of Selenium to Infant
      Formula and Related Labeling Requirements. Final rule.
AB  - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is amending the regulations on
      nutrient specifications and labeling for infant formula to add the mineral
      selenium to the list of required nutrients and to establish minimum and maximum
      levels of selenium in infant formula.

PMID- 26103742
TI  - National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Addition of Intussusception as
      Injury for Rotavirus Vaccines to the Vaccine Injury Table. Final rule.
AB  - On July 24, 2013, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary)
      published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
      proposing changes to the regulations governing the National Vaccine Injury
      Compensation Program (VICP). Specifically, the Secretary proposed revisions to
      the Vaccine Injury Table (Table). The basis for this change is consistent with
      the Secretary's findings that intussusceptions can reasonably be determined in
      some circumstances to be caused by rotavirus vaccines. The Secretary is now
      making this amendment to the Table and to the Qualifications and Aids to
      Interpretation (QAI), described below under Background Information, as proposed
      in the NPRM. These regulations will apply only to petitions for compensation
      under the VICP filed after this final rule becomes effective.

PMID- 26103743
TI  - Experiences and Attitudes of Primary Care Providers Under the First Year of ACA
      Coverage Expansion: Findings from the Kaiser Family Foundation/Commonwealth Fund
      2015 National Survey of Primary Care Providers.
AB  - A new survey from The Kaiser Family Foundation and The Commonwealth Fund asked
      primary care providers--physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants
      -about their views of and experiences with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and
      other changes in health care delivery and payment, as well as their thoughts on
      the future of primary care. In this first brief based on the survey, many
      providers reported seeing an increased number of patients since the coverage
      expansions went into effect, but not an accompanying compromise in quality of
      care. A large majority of primary care providers are satisfied with their medical
      practice, but a substantial percentage of physicians expressed pessimism about
      the future of primary care. Similar to the population overall, providers' views
      of the ACA are divided along party lines. A second brief will report on
      providers' reactions to other changes occurring in primary care delivery and
      payment.

PMID- 26103744
TI  - An Introduction to Chemical Knowledge in the Early Modern World.

PMID- 26103745
TI  - Transmuting Sericon: Alchemy as "Practical Exegesis" in Early Modern England.
AB  - An influential strand of English alchemy was the pursuit of the "vegetable
      stone," a medicinal elixir popularized by George Ripley (d. ca. 1490), made from
      a metallic substance, "sericon." Yet the identity of sericon was not fixed,
      undergoing radical reinterpretation between the fifteenth and seventeenth
      centuries as Ripley's lead-based practice was eclipsed by new methods, notably
      the antimonial approach of George Starkey (1628-65). Tracing "sericonian" alchemy
      over 250 years, I show how alchemists fed their practical findings back into
      textual accounts, creating a "feedback loop" in which the authority of past
      adepts was maintained by exegetical manipulations--a process that I term
      "practical exegesis."

PMID- 26103746
TI  - Aubeta Quecksilber und Schwefel Rein: Johann Mathesius (1504-65) and Sulfur
      Mercurius in the Silver Mines of Joachimstal.
AB  - The Sarepta, oder Bergpostill (1562) by Johann Mathesius is a book of sermons on
      mining and mineral subjects in which the composition and generation of metals in
      ore veins are discussed in terms of the sulfur-mercurius theory. Gur was an
      embodiment of mercurius or of sulfur and mercurius. Sulfur was evident in the
      sulfurous odor of the mines, in the supposed effects of subterranean heat, and in
      the deposition of mineral sulfur during the roasting of the ores. The toxic smoke
      given off during smelting was considered to be an additional manifestation of
      mercurius. Mathesius's sermons offer a glimpse of the ways miners' understanding
      of ores overlapped with alchemists' theories.

PMID- 26103747
TI  - Eloquence in the Marketplace: Erudition and Pragmatic Humanism in the Restoration
      of Chymia.
AB  - This chapter focuses upon the relation between textual and social practices that
      influenced the formation of a communal approach to acquiring chemical knowledge
      in the early seventeenth century. It also describes the utilitarian purpose of a
      humanist-inspired program of chemical learning that blended practices of
      textual/linguistic expertise and artisanal know-how. Humanism, made pragmatic,
      sought to define the principles for "making things well." In the design of
      Andreas Libavius (ca. 1555-1616), interpretive intuitions resulting from
      practiced reading of ancient and medieval texts combined with a knowledge of
      workshop language to build consensus about chymia's tools, procedures, and
      materials and to define its principia artificialia.

PMID- 26103748
TI  - Robert Boyle, Transmutation, and the History of Chemistry before Lavoisier: A
      Response to Kuhn.
AB  - In an influential article of 1952, Thomas Kuhn argued that Robert Boyle had
      little or no influence on the subsequent development of chemistry. This essay
      challenges Kuhn's view on two fronts. First, it shows that Johann Joachim Becher
      developed his hierarchical matter theory under the influence of Boyle and then
      transmitted it to the founder of the phlogiston theory, G. E. Stahl. Second, this
      essay argues that transmutational matter theories were not necessarily opposed to
      the existence of stable chemical species, pace Kuhn. Boyle's corpuscular theory
      descended largely from the tradition of "chymical atomism," which often advocated
      both chrysopoeia and the reality of robust chemical substances.

PMID- 26103749
TI  - The Chymistry of "The Learned Dr Plot" (1640-96).
AB  - In the seventeenth century, there were developing norms of openness in the
      presentation of scientific knowledge that were at odds with traditions of secrecy
      among chymists, particularly practitioners of chrysopoeia, or the transmutation
      of metals. This chapter analyzes how Dr. Robert Plot, the first professor of
      chymistry at Oxford, negotiated these boundaries within an institutional context.
      I first delineate his chymical and experimental practice, which incorporated
      procedures from medieval alchemical sources, particularly the Lullian corpus, as
      well as more novel practices from seventeenth-century chymistry. Then, I analyze
      how personal and institutional ambitions and economic considerations shaped to
      what extent Plot negotiated the boundaries between secrecy and the public
      dissemination of chymical knowledge.

PMID- 26103750
TI  - The End of Alchemy? The Repudiation and Persistence of Chrysopoeia at the
      Academie Royale des Sciences in the Eighteenth Century.
AB  - The general abandonment of serious endeavor toward metallic transmutation
      represents a major development in the history of chemistry, yet its exact causes
      and timing remain unclear. This essay examines the fate of chrysopoeia at the
      eighteenth-century Academie Royale des Sciences. It reveals a long-standing
      tension between Academie chemists, who pursued transmutation, and administrators,
      who tried to suppress it. This tension provides background for Etienne-Francois
      Geoffroy's 1722 paper describing fraudulent practices around transmutation.
      Although transmutation seems to disappear after Geoffroy's paper, manuscripts
      reveal that most of the institution's chemists continued to pursue it privately
      until at least the 1760s, long after widely accepted dates for the "demise of
      alchemy" in learned circles.

PMID- 26103751
TI  - Etienne-Francois Geoffroy (1672-1731), a Chemist on the Frontiers.
AB  - Etienne-Francois Geoffroy is certainly the most representative chemist of the
      Paris Academie Royale des Sciences in the early eighteenth century. Interested in
      Newtonian ideas, he did not reject Cartesian mechanism. He is the inventor of the
      "Table des rapports entre les substances chimiques," which remained in use
      throughout the eighteenth century, but he drew from the alchemical tradition. He
      readily theorized about the composition of metals or the laws of chemical
      affinities, but he practiced a chemistry that was rooted in laboratory work and
      the search for substances useful to craftsmen.

PMID- 26103752
TI  - Communications of Chemical Knowledge: Georg Ernst Stahl and the Chemists at the
      French Academy of Sciences in the First Half of the Eighteenth Century.
AB  - Histories of eighteenth-century chemistry often assert that the works of the
      German chemist Georg Ernst Stahl (1659-1734), especially his ideas about
      phlogiston, were largely unknown to French chemists until the 1740s. A careful
      analysis of Stahl's writings and the publications of the Royal Academy of
      Sciences in Paris shows that academy chemists were well informed about, and even
      integrated, Stahl's chemical theories, experiments, and methods beginning in the
      1710s, and that Stahl kept abreast of the work by his colleagues at the Paris
      Academy. It also reveals the frequency and significance of the communication
      between French and German chemical communities in the first half of the
      eighteenth century.

PMID- 26103753
TI  - Measuring Fire: Herman Boerhaave and the Introduction of Thermometry into
      Chemistry.
AB  - This essay examines Herman Boerhaave's work with the instrument maker, Daniel
      Gabriel Fahrenheit, on integrating the thermometer into the practice of
      eighteenth-century chemistry. Boerhaave utilized the thermometer to generate
      empirical evidence for the existence and actions of his instrument, "fire," by
      incorporating the instrument into pedagogical demonstrations, chemical research
      on heat, and, finally, the performing of operations. I examine how the use of the
      thermometer altered the chemists' traditional approach to heat, based on skilled
      sense perception and experiential judgment, and suggest that the threat to
      traditional practice posed by the instrument explains some of the resistance to
      it among some chemists in the mid-eighteenth century.

PMID- 26103754
TI  - How to See a Diagram: A Visual Anthropology of Chemical Affinity.
AB  - In 1766, Thomas Cochrane entered the Edinburgh classroom of Joseph Black (1728
      99) to learn chemistry for the first time. Cochrane was studying medicine, and,
      like so many of Black's students, he dutifully recorded several diagrams in his
      notebooks. These visualizations were not complex. They were, in fact, simple. One
      of them, reproduced in this essay, was a single "X" a chiasm. Black used it to
      illustrate ratios of chemical attraction. This diagram is particularly important
      for the history of chemistry because it is often held to be the first chemical
      formula, and, as such, historians have endeavored to explain why it was unique
      and how Black invented it. In this essay, I wish to turn the foregoing premise on
      its head by arguing that Black's chiasm was neither visually unique nor invented
      by him. I do this by approaching a number of his diagrams via a visual
      anthropology that allows me to examine how students learned to attach meaning to
      patterns that were already familiar to them. In the end, we will see that Black's
      diagrams were successful because their visual simplicity and familiarity made
      them ideally suited to represent the chemical theories that he so skillfully
      attached to them.

PMID- 26103755
TI  - Between the Workshop and the Laboratory: Lavoisier's Network of Instrument
      Makers.
AB  - Throughout his career, Lavoisier paid particular attention to the apparatuses he
      intended to use in his experimental pursuits. Lavoisier engaged many instrument
      makers in Paris, the French provinces, and abroad, and he made several efforts,
      more or less successful, to design a new environment for chemical
      experimentation. In addition to working with famous instrument makers such as
      Fortin, Megnie, and Ramsden, Lavoisier had his instruments made by more than
      seventy other different makers. In this essay, I outline their contributions and
      make a preliminary attempt to establish their role in the design of Lavoisier's
      instruments and in the changes that occurred in chemical experimentation.

PMID- 26103756
TI  - An Empire's Extract: Chemical Manipulations of Cinchona Bark in the Eighteenth
      Century Spanish Atlantic World.
AB  - In 1790, the Spanish Crown sent a "botanist-chemist" to South America to
      implement production of a chemical extract made from cinchona bark, a botanical
      medicament from the Andes used throughout the Atlantic World to treat malarial
      fevers. Even though the botanist-chemist's efforts to produce the extract failed,
      this episode offers important insight into the role of chemistry in the early
      modern Atlantic World. Well before the Spanish Crown tried to make it a tool of
      empire, chemistry provided a vital set of techniques that circulated among a
      variety of healers, who used such techniques to make botanical medicaments useful
      and intelligible in new ways.

PMID- 26103757
TI  - Elements in the Melting Pot: Merging Chemistry, Assaying, and Natural History,
      Ca. 1730-60.
AB  - This essay examines how the modern concept of the chemical element emerged during
      the eighteenth century. It traces this concept to a group of assayers,
      mineralogists, and chemists active at the Swedish Bureau of Mines
      (Bergskollegium). Driven by a deep ontological pragmatism, these "mining
      chemists" came to regard all inquiries into the component parts of metals as
      useless speculation. Instead, metals were treated as immutable species that made
      mineralogical taxonomy possible. Their work was a form of Enlightenment boundary
      work, which associated chrysopoeia and the pursuit of the components of metals
      with superstition and disreputable activities such as astrology.

PMID- 26103758
TI  - Pierre-Joseph Macquer: Chemistry in the French Enlightenment.
AB  - Despite recent studies of chemistry courses and of academic research at the
      beginning of the eighteenth century, the perception of chemistry in the French
      Enlightenment has often been overshadowed by Lavoisier's works. This article
      proposes three specific case studies selected from Pierre Joseph Macquer's (1718
      84) rich career to show the continuous evolution of chemistry throughout the
      century: medicinal chemistry through the application of the Comte de La Garaye's
      metallic salt solutions, the emergence of industrial chemistry through a few of
      Macquer's evaluations at the Bureau du Commerce, and finally communal academic
      research through the experiments on diamonds using Tschirnhaus's lens. These
      examples attempt to illustrate the innovative, creative, dynamic, multicultural,
      and multifaceted chemistry of the Enlightenment.

PMID- 26103759
TI  - Chemical Expertise: Chemistry in the Royal Prussian Porcelain Manufactory.
AB  - Eighteenth-century chemists defined chemistry as both a "science and an art." By
      "chemical art" they meant not merely experimentation but also parts of certain
      arts and crafts. This raises the question of how to identify the "chemical parts"
      of the arts and crafts in eighteenth-century Europe. In this essay I tackle this
      question with respect to porcelain manufacture. My essay begins with a brief
      discussion of historiographical problems related to this question. It then
      analyzes practices involved in porcelain manufacture that can be reasonably
      identified as chemical practices or a chemical art. My analysis yields evidence
      for the argument that chemical experts and expertise fulfilled distinct technical
      functions in porcelain manufacture and, by extension, in eighteenth-century "big
      industry," along with its system of division of labor.

PMID- 26103760
TI  - Pharmacy and Chemistry in the Eighteenth Century: What Lessons for the History of
      Science?
AB  - This essay questions the continuity of chemistry across the eighteenth century
      based on an analysis of its relationship to pharmacy in France. Comparing a text
      by Nicolas Lemery (1675) with one by Antoine Baume (1773), the article argues for
      a key transformation in chemistry across this period. The elimination of the
      practical side of pharmacy (indications and dosages) from chemistry texts is
      symptomatic of a reorientation of chemistry toward more theoretical or
      philosophical concerns. The essay considers several possible explanations for
      this change in orientation, including developments within pharmacy, but in the
      end privileges an approach in terms of the changing publics for chemistry in
      eighteenth-century France.

PMID- 26103761
TI  - Concluding Remarks: A View of the Past through the Lens of the Present.
AB  - Reflecting on the upsurge of interest among historians of chemistry in the
      material, artisanal, and commercial aspects of early modern chemistry, this essay
      argues that they are attracting attention because of a number of similarities
      between the style of chemistry cultivated in this period and the new cultures of
      chemistry being developed today. The close interactions between knowing and
      making, academic knowledge and practical applications, the social value and
      prestige attached to chemistry, the public engagement in chemical culture, the
      concern with recycling, and even a specific relational ontology instantiated in
      the term "rapport" are characteristic features of the current technoscientific
      culture. However, these analogies between early modern chemistry and the
      technoscientific paradigm may turn into obstacles if they end up in hasty
      rapprochements and whiggish interpretations of the past. In keeping with the
      attempts displayed in many articles in this volume to identify and understand the
      meaning of the actors' categories, this essay emphasizes the contrast between the
      visions of the past and the future developed by eighteenth-century chemists and
      the concept of time that prevails nowadays. The concept of "regime of
      historicity" provides a useful conceptual tool to take a view of chemistry as
      embedded in a culture and integral part of the horizon of expectation of an
      epoch. On the basis of this contrast between the regimes of historicity, the
      essay recommends the pluralism of concepts of time (polychronism) as an antidote
      to anachronisms.

PMID- 26103762
TI  - [Horizon 00].

PMID- 26103763
TI  - [Risk communication in travel medicine].
AB  - Recommendations for malaria prevention for travelers planning a trip in medium to
      low risk countries differ between countries, despite the fact that people are
      exposed to the same risk in the travelled country. Decision aids have been
      developed and tested in a population of travelers planning a trip in such
      countries n order to present travelers the various prevention options and involve
      them in the decision. The use of the decision aid showed that he majority of
      people choose not to take chemoprophylaxis and that they could motivate their
      choice with valid reasons. The development of decision aids based on recognized
      quality criteria is foreseen; these will allow to improving the relevance of the
      recommendations and enable travelers to choose a prevention option that will be
      the closest to their values and preferences while following to the principles of
      medical ethics.

PMID- 26103764
TI  - [Reemergence of Chikungunya virus].
AB  - Arboviral diseases transmitted by mosquitoes such as Dengue, Chikungunya and West
      Nile are global health issues of growing magnitude. Their dissemination in new
      areas is triggered by increased mobility of persons, animal reservoirs and
      vectors. This article describes virological, epidemiological and clinical aspects
      of Chikungunya, which causes sporadic cases or epidemics, sometimes massive, such
      as the one spreading in the Americas since December 2013. Chikungunya should be
      suspected in all travellers presenting with fever, arthralgia and sometimes a
      rash returning from an endemic area. In the absence of vaccine, individual
      protection relies on the prevention of mosquito bites.

PMID- 26103765
TI  - [Acute schistosomiasis: lessons learned from a cohort of 42 exposed travelers].
AB  - Acute schistosomiasis is a regularly encountered disease in travelers. Because of
      the temporal delay, its unspecific presentation and the spontaneous resolution,
      acute schistosomiasis can easily remain unrecognized by physicians who are not
      familiar with tropical pathologies. In December 2011, a female traveler was
      admitted to the hospital with undetermined fever after having returned from
      Madagascar where she bathed in fresh water. Acute schistosomiasis was diagnosed
      and infection was suspected among other travelers of her group. Seroconversion
      was confirmed among 78% of participants. This article intends to clarify the
      preventive and diagnostic strategies based on the lessons learned from this
      cluster of 42 travelers exposed to schistosomiasis.

PMID- 26103766
TI  - [The tropical traveling child: risks and prevention].
AB  - Children increasingly travel to the tropics. Compared with adults, the risks of
      severe malaria, dehydration due to diarrhea, and the number of infectious
      episodes, are higher. Paradoxically, children receive less pre-travel advice than
      adults, and some parents are opposed to vaccinations. The consultation must
      target essential prevention topics. We present the age-related schedules for
      immunizations against yellow and typhoid fevers, hepatitis A and B, tick-borne
      and Japanese encephalitis, and rabies. We discuss the preventive measures for
      malaria, accidents, altitude, and prescriptions for antimalarial drugs,
      rehydration solutions and standby antibiotics according to weight.

PMID- 26103767
TI  - [Elderly travellers: review and advices].
AB  - Thanks to improved health and transport means, an increasing number of elderly
      people travel. This population shows characteristics that necessitate adaptations
      of the pre-travel consultation. Travel-associated diseases are related to the
      presence of pre-existing underlying conditions. Indeed, a healthy elderly
      traveller does not have more risk to get sick during travel than a younger
      traveller. However, the frequency and severity of complications of some travel
      related diseases are increased. The aim of the pre-travel consultation in elderly
      will not be restrained to the usual prevention advices and immunization, but will
      also evaluate the risks of decompensation of pre-existing comorbidities, adapt if
      necessary ongoing medications to the conditions of travel, and plan access to
      care in case of acute decompensation.

PMID- 26103768
TI  - [Malaria and HIV: which interactions?].
AB  - People living with HIV (PLHIV) frequently travel, including to the tropics, with
      a variable risk of infection by one of the species of Plasmodium, the
      hemoprotozoan parasite responsible for malaria. The HIV-malaria co-infection
      increases the risk of severe malaria, in proportion to the degree of
      immunosuppression. Protective measures against mosquito bites and antimalarial
      drug prophylaxis are recommended for PLHIV travelling to malaria highly endemic
      areas. PLHIV, as compared to the general population, are less likely to attend a
      pre-travel consultation prior to departure. Among returning travelers with
      malaria, early diagnosis and artemisinin-based treatments are the main
      determinants of successful treatment outcome.

PMID- 26103769
TI  - [Diverticulitis: operate or not?].

PMID- 26103771
TI  - [The mortal danger of the averages and scores].

PMID- 26103770
TI  - [Nausea and cough (in children): questions about drug treatments].

PMID- 26103772
TI  - [2015: Has the time come to find the paths of Asilomar?].

PMID- 26103774
TI  - [Xylella fastidiosa: the new plant pest that threatens the Old Continent].

PMID- 26103773
TI  - [Smoking and health: harmful effects well beyond the classic associations?].

PMID- 26103775
TI  - [Drug pricing: down 4 to 5%].

PMID- 26103776
TI  - [PID: the slogans of political parties].

PMID- 26103777
TI  - [New in the production of human GMOs].

PMID- 26103778
TI  - Fetal fibronectin status and cervical length in women with threatened preterm
      labor and the effectiveness of maintenance tocolysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of maintenance tocolysis in women who are at high
      or low risk for preterm delivery according to fetal fibronectin (fFN) status and
      cervical length (CL). STUDY DESIGN: We compared the risk of preterm delivery in
      fFN pos and fFN neg women and in women with a CL <15 mm and >=15 mm, by using the
      Cox regression. Differences between the effectiveness of maintenance tocolysis in
      high- and low-risk women were assessed by using an interaction term. RESULTS: 122
      fFN tests were taken, of which 50 were fFN pos. CL was measured in 236 women, of
      whom 52 women had a CL <15 mm. The median gestational age at delivery was lower
      in fFN pos women; fFN pos women had a higher hazard for preterm delivery at any
      point of time (HR 4.7; 95% CI 2.9 to 7.6). Comparable results were seen for CL.
      Neither fFN status nor CL did alter the effect of maintenance tocolysis, which
      was ineffective in the total randomized group, on the risk of preterm delivery (p
      for interaction = 0.87 for fFN and 0.18 for CL). CONCLUSION: Maintenance
      tocolytic therapy with nifedipine is ineffective and not dependent on fFN or CL
      status.

PMID- 26103779
TI  - Perinatal outcome of singleton versus twin late preterm infants: do twins mature
      faster than singletons?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether as a result of an assumed advanced maturation
      late preterm twin infants have a more favorable perinatal outcome than singleton
      late preterm infants. METHODS: Over a 36-month period (from September 2011 to
      September 2014), 277 late preterm infants (153 from singleton and 124 from twin
      pregnancies) were hospitalised in NICU, University Hospital Center "Sisters of
      Mercy" Zagreb, Croatia, and were retrospectively studied by review of maternal
      and neonatal charts for gestational age, sex, birth weight, mode of delivery, 5
      min Apgar score and for several outcome variables expected for preterm infants,
      until the day of discharge. RESULTS: There was statistically no significant
      difference in the incidence of any of the observed and compared outcomes, except
      in the incidence of phototherapy which was higher in singletons group (49.01
      versus 13.7%, p < 0.0001). The mean birth weight, as expected, was smaller in the
      twin group. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence to support the traditional belief
      that twin late preterm infants have accelerated maturation and better neonatal
      outcome compared with singleton late preterm infants. Our findings suggest that
      late preterm twins have a prognosis similar to that of singleton late preterm
      infants born at the same gestational age.

PMID- 26103780
TI  - Fetal midgut volvulus: report of eight cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether prenatal diagnosis of intestinal midgut volvulus
      (a rare condition due to the small bowel loops twisting) can improve the
      prognosis of the newborns. METHODS: In our Prenatal Diagnosis Center, eight cases
      of intestinal volvulus observed between 2007 and 2014 were retrospectively
      considered. Ultrasonographic signs can be direct and specific (whirlpool sign,
      coffee bean sign) or indirect and non-specific (abdominal mass, dilated bowel
      loops, pseudocysts, ascites, polyhydramnios). RESULTS: Prenatal diagnosis was
      performed at 20-34 weeks of gestation. All newborns were exposed to an emergency
      surgery: the major complication was due to cystic fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: An early
      suspicion of intestinal volvulus allows the clinician to refer the patient to a
      tertiary center so to confirm the diagnosis and perform an appropriate follow-up
      in order to identify the proper time of delivery. The prognosis of the babies
      with prenatal intestinal volvulus depends on the length of the segment involved,
      on the level of intestinal obstruction, on the presence of meconium peritonitis
      and on the gestational age at birth. Our experience, according with the
      literature, suggests that ascites and absence of abdominal peristalsis are
      ultrasonographic signs that, in the third trimester of pregnancy, correctly lead
      to an immediate delivery intervention.

PMID- 26103781
TI  - A comparison of manual versus automated saturation of peripheral oxygenation in
      the neonatal intensive care unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is vital to maintain the saturation of peripheral oxygenation
      (SpO2) in a targeted range in extremely premature infants to improve survival
      without significant morbidities. OBJECTIVES: To compare manual versus automated
      monitor documentations of daily upper and lower values of SpO2 in premature
      infants. METHODS: In a prospective observational study, the highest and lowest
      daily SpO2 manually recorded values from electronic medical records were compared
      with automatically recorded values from bedside cardiorespiratory monitors.
      RESULTS: Eighteen infants were monitored for 605 patient days, with a mean birth
      weight of 859 +/- 183 g, and gestational age of 26.0 +/- 1.3 wks. Within the
      lowest SpO2 values, manually recorded values were consistently higher than the
      simultaneous automatically recorded monitor values. The highest SpO2 point
      differences in documentation was seen in patients with SpO2 range <= 70% (16 +/-
      13 points), followed by 71-80% (10 +/- 7 points) and 81-90% (7 +/- 4 points); p <
      0.01. CONCLUSIONS: The difference between manually and automatically recorded
      SpO2 is large in lower SpO2 ranges and small in higher SpO2 ranges. Automated
      oxygen administering systems should be considered to reduce potential errors.

PMID- 26103782
TI  - Effects of neonatal sepsis on thrombocyte tests.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hemostatic disorders are common complications in sepsis, and
      coagulation abnormalities occur in almost all the septic patients. Thrombocytes
      have a key role in the pathogenesis of coagulation abnormalities in sepsis. This
      study aimed to investigate thrombocyte function disorders as a likely cause of
      hemorrhagic diathesis in patients with neonatal sepsis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The
      study included 70 septic newborns (sepsis group) and 59 healthy newborns (control
      group). Blood samples were collected from the patients within the first 24 h of
      hospitalization. Thrombocyte aggregation and secretion tests were performed by
      optical aggregometry and lumi-aggregometry, respectively. Collagen (2 MUg/mL),
      epinephrine (5 MUM), standard (5 MUM) and high (10 MUM) doses of adenosine
      diphosphate (ADP), standard (1 unit) and high (4 units) doses of thrombin,
      ristocetin (1.25 mg/mL) and arachidonic acid (0.5 mM) were used as the agonists.
      RESULTS: The mean age of the septic newborns was significantly higher than that
      of the controls (6.78 +/- 14.47 days versus 1.25 +/- 1.17, p < 0.001). There was
      no difference between the groups regarding gender- and birth-related
      characteristics. No difference was observed between the groups regarding platelet
      count (293.37 +/- 144.48 * 10(9)/L in the sepsis group and 254.22 +/- 65.26 *
      10(9)/L in the control group, p = 0.195). Platelet secretion induced by collagen,
      epinephrine, standard and high (10 MUM) doses of ADP, or arachidonic acid and
      platelet aggregation induced by collagen, high-dose ADP, arachidonic acid,
      ristocetin or thrombin (1 unit) were significantly higher in the sepsis group
      than in the control group. CONCLUSION: Based on the results, we concluded that
      large-scale studies with recurrent tests performed in different periods of sepsis
      are needed.

PMID- 26103783
TI  - Cord clamping time in spontaneously breathing preterm neonates in the first
      minutes after birth: impact on cerebral oxygenation - a prospective observational
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyse impact of delayed cord clamping (DCC60sec) on cerebral
      regional tissue oxygenation (crSO2) and fractional tissue oxygen extraction
      (cFTOE) in spontaneously breathing preterm neonates during the first 15 min after
      birth. METHODS: Two-centre observational study, crSO2 and cFTOE was monitored in
      neonates with DCC60sec or early cord clamping (ECC < 30 s). RESULTS: Seventy-six
      infants (birth weight and gestational age 1736 +/- 508 g and 31.8 +/- 2.5 weeks)
      were included. DCC was associated with lower initial crSO2 and higher cFTOE and
      lower initial Apgar-score and heart rate. CONCLUSION: Attending practitioners
      should be aware that DCC might impact initial immediate transition in
      spontaneously breathing preterm neonates.

PMID- 26103784
TI  - VapB type 8 plasmids in Rhodococcus equi isolated from the small intestine of
      pigs and comparison of selective culture media.
AB  - The virulence-plasmid profile of Rhodococcus equi strains isolated from Suidae
      and humans is similar. Recent evidence suggests that the consumption of pork
      products contaminated with faeces might be a potential source of R. equi
      infections in humans, mainly to patients with rhodococcosis without history of
      contact with pigs or pig farms. This study investigated the virulence-associated
      genes (vapA and vapB) and plasmid profiles of R. equi among the 150 samples of
      small intestinal content obtained from slaughtered pigs. In addition, all samples
      were subjected to microbiological culture in conventional sheep blood agar and
      CAZ-NB, TCP and TVP selective media. A total of 40 (26.7%) of the samples
      recovered R. equi, with two samples recovering isolates harbouring the VapB type
      8 plasmid. Among the 150 pigs sampled herein, CAZ-NB was considered the best
      selective medium for the isolation of R. equi from faeces. Our results provide
      evidence that the contamination of slaughtered pig carcasses with pathogenic R.
      equi might occur through faeces, representing a public health concern.
      Furthermore, this study is the first description of R. equi strains carrying the
      VapB plasmid in the gut of pigs. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY:
      Intermediately virulent (VapB) is a common plasmid-type harboured by R. equi
      isolated from pigs and humans with AIDS. Curiously, humans with rhodococcosis
      usually have no history of contact with pigs or pig farms. Virulence-plasmid
      profile of 40 R. equi isolated among 150 small intestine content samples from
      pigs revelled two carrying isolates with the VapB type-8 plasmids. Moreover,
      comparison of three selective culture media shows that CAZ-NB was the best. Our
      results provide evidence that contamination of slaughtered pig carcasses with
      pathogenic R. equi might occur through faeces, representing a public health
      concern. Furthermore, R. equi carrying VapB type-8 plasmids types are described
      for the first time in the gut of the pig.

PMID- 26103785
TI  - Registration of randomized clinical trials--a challenge.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Registration of interventional studies is necessary according to the
      Declaration of Helsinki but implementation has been a challenge for many
      journals. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica (Acta) requires registration for
      studies conducted after January 1(st) 2010. We aimed to assess the proportion of
      correctly registered randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in Acta from
      2009 to 2014. METHODS: We manually searched all Acta issues from 2009 to 2014 for
      RCTs. Information about timing of data collection and registration in trial
      registries was extracted. We classified RCTs as correctly registered when it
      could be verified that patient enrolment was started after registration in a
      trial registry. RESULTS: We identified 200 RCTs. Dates for patient enrolment were
      not specified in 51 (25.5%). The proportion of correctly registered trials
      increased significantly from 17.1% (19/111) for trials starting enrolment before
      2010 to 63.2% after 2010 (24/38, P < 0.01). Most clinical trials were registered
      at clinicaltrials.gov. CONCLUSION: Many published randomized controlled trials
      from Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica were not adequately registered but the
      requirement of trial registration has resulted in a significant increase in the
      proportion of correctly registered trials.

PMID- 26103786
TI  - Deconstructing the power resistance relationship for squats: A joint-level
      analysis.
AB  - Generating high leg power outputs is important for executing rapid movements.
      Squats are commonly used to increase leg strength and power. Therefore, it is
      useful to understand factors affecting power output in squatting. We aimed to
      deconstruct the mechanisms behind why power is maximized at certain resistances
      in squatting. Ten male rowers (age = 20 +/- 2.2 years; height = 1.82 +/- 0.03 m;
      mass = 86 +/- 11 kg) performed maximal power squats with resistances ranging from
      body weight to 80% of their one repetition maximum (1RM). Three-dimensional
      kinematics was combined with ground reaction force (GRF) data in an inverse
      dynamics analysis to calculate leg joint moments and powers. System center of
      mass (COM) velocity and power were computed from GRF data. COM power was
      maximized across a range of resistances from 40% to 60% 1RM. This range was
      identified because a trade-off in hip and knee joint powers existed across this
      range, with maximal knee joint power occurring at 40% 1RM and maximal hip joint
      power at 60% 1RM. A non-linear system force-velocity relationship was observed
      that dictated large reductions in COM power below 20% 1RM and above 60% 1RM.
      These reductions were due to constraints on the control of the movement. 

PMID- 26103787
TI  - Pyrolysis Reactions of 3-Oxetanone.
AB  - The pyrolysis products of gas-phase 3-oxetanone were identified via matrix
      isolation Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and photoionization mass
      spectrometry. Pyrolysis was conducted in a hyperthermal nozzle at temperatures
      from 100 to 1200  degrees C with the dissociation onset observed at ~600  degrees
      C. The ring strain in the cyclic structure of 3-oxetanone causes the molecule to
      decompose at relatively low temperatures. Previously, only one dissociation
      channel, producing formaldehyde and ketene, was considered as significant in
      photolysis. This study presents the first experimental measurements of the
      thermal decomposition of 3-oxetanone demonstrating an additional dissociation
      channel that forms ethylene oxide and carbon monoxide. Major products include
      formaldehyde, ketene, carbon monoxide, ethylene oxide, ethylene, and methyl
      radical. The first four products stem from initial decomposition of 3-oxetanone,
      while the additional products, ethylene and methyl radical, are believed to be
      due to further reactions involving ethylene oxide. 

PMID- 26103788
TI  - Successful treatment with ustekinumab of psoriasis vulgaris in a patient
      undergoing hemodialysis.
AB  - Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease but psoriasis patients
      with renal impairment undergoing dialysis are not frequently seen. Furthermore,
      the published work contains little information on the treatment with biologic
      drugs of patients with end-stage renal disease. We describe a 57-year-old man
      with refractory plaque-type psoriasis and end-stage renal disease due to
      polycystic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis. He had tried topical
      medications and ultraviolet therapy for many years and was then treated with
      ustekinumab (an interleukin-12 and interleukin-23 blocker), which resulted in
      good clinical response along with stable renal function. After a few years of
      therapy, no side-effects have been observed. Our experience with this patient
      expands the spectrum of ustekinumab to include psoriasis patients with renal
      failure undergoing hemodialysis. 

PMID- 26103789
TI  - First-line Bismuth-containing Five-day Concomitant Quintuple Therapy for
      Helicobacter Pylori Eradication.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Widespread use of antibiotics has resulted in increased rates of
      antibiotic resistance and decreased rates of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)
      eradication, leading to a search for newer therapeutic options. This study aimed
      to examine the efficacy, tolerability, and patient compliance of a first-line
      bismuth-containing 5-day concomitant quintuple therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This prospective study included 144 eradication treatment naive H. pylori
      positive patients with dyspeptic complaints. Patients received the following
      concomitant quintuple therapy for 5 days: bismuth subcitrate 300 mg q.i.d,
      omeprazole 20 mg b.i.d, clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d., amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d., and
      metronidazole 500 mg t.i.d. Eradication was assessed with H. pylori stool antigen
      test or urea-breath test 6 weeks after the completion of therapy. RESULTS:
      Treatment compliance rate in this study was 97.2%. Intention to treat and per
      protocol eradication rates were 134/144 (93.1%, 95% CI, 88.9-97.2) and 134/140
      (95.7%, 95% CI, 92.2-98.6), respectively. Side effect was reported by 8.5% of the
      patients that attended follow-up visits, including epigastric pain (2.8%),
      nausea/vomiting (2.1%), diarrhea (1.4%), taste disturbance (1.4%), and fatigue
      (0.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Bismuth-containing, short course, quintuple concomitant
      therapy appears to be an effective and safe therapeutic option for the first-line
      H. pylori eradication, particularly in populations with high resistance.

PMID- 26103790
TI  - Self-perceived health versus actual cardiovascular disease risks.
AB  - AIM: Self-perceived poor health is related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk
      perception, cardiovascular event, hospital readmission, and death from CVD. This
      study evaluated the associations between self-perceived health and actual CVD
      risk in South Koreans as well as the influence of sociodemographic and
      cardiovascular risk factors on self-perceived poor health. METHODS: This is a
      secondary data analysis of the 2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Survey. The sample was 4535 South Koreans aged 30-74 years without
      CVD. Self-perceived health status was compared with actual cardiovascular risk
      separately by sex using chi(2) -tests. Logistic regressions were used to identify
      potential sociodemographic and cardiovascular risk factors of self-perceived poor
      health. RESULTS: Self-perceived poor health was related to higher CVD risk but
      there were substantial gaps between them. Among cardiovascular risk factors,
      dyslipidemia, obesity, smoking, and a family history of CVD did not affect self
      perceived health. CONCLUSION: Gaps between perceived health and actual CVD risk
      should be closed to optimize cardiovascular health of South Koreans. Koreans need
      to increase risk perception to a level commensurate with their actual risk.
      Healthcare providers should try to provide individuals at increased CVD risk with
      better information more frequently, especially those who have favorable
      perceptions of their health but smoke or have elevated cholesterol levels and
      bodyweight.

PMID- 26103791
TI  - Developing logistic regression models using purchase attributes and demographics
      to predict the probability of purchases of regular and specialty eggs.
AB  - Consumers' interest in specialty eggs appears to be growing in Europe and North
      America. The objective of this research was to develop logistic regression models
      that utilise purchaser attributes and demographics to predict the probability of
      a consumer purchasing a specific type of table egg including regular (white and
      brown), non-caged (free-run, free-range and organic) or nutrient-enhanced eggs.
      These purchase prediction models, together with the purchasers' attributes, can
      be used to assess market opportunities of different egg types specifically in
      British Columbia (BC). An online survey was used to gather data for the models. A
      total of 702 completed questionnaires were submitted by BC residents. Selected
      independent variables included in the logistic regression to develop models for
      different egg types to predict the probability of a consumer purchasing a
      specific type of table egg. The variables used in the model accounted for 54% and
      49% of variances in the purchase of regular and non-caged eggs, respectively.
      Research results indicate that consumers of different egg types exhibit a set of
      unique and statistically significant characteristics and/or demographics. For
      example, consumers of regular eggs were less educated, older, price sensitive,
      major chain store buyers, and store flyer users, and had lower awareness about
      different types of eggs and less concern regarding animal welfare issues.
      However, most of the non-caged egg consumers were less concerned about price, had
      higher awareness about different types of table eggs, purchased their eggs from
      local/organic grocery stores, farm gates or farmers markets, and they were more
      concerned about care and feeding of hens compared to consumers of other eggs
      types. 

PMID- 26103792
TI  - Multifocal small bowel obstruction in an infant.
AB  - This is a case report of an acute small bowel obstruction in a 17-month-old girl
      with no significant past medical history. Computerized tomography (CT) of the
      abdomen demonstrated complete obstruction at the proximal jejunum as well as
      perplexing dilation and air-fluid levels within the distal jejunum beyond the
      initial obstruction. Imaging demonstrated no evidence of malrotation, volvulus,
      or intussusception, but a clear diagnosis was not evident. Exploratory laparotomy
      was performed and multiple foreign bodies that appeared to be rubber balls were
      found within the small bowel. This case study identifies important clinical and
      radiologic considerations when assessing infants for small bowel obstruction. 

PMID- 26103793
TI  - Postoperative outcome and survival in relation to small intestinal involvement of
      total colonic aganglionosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognosis and treatment of total colonic aganglionosis (TCA) vary
      according to the presence and extent of small bowel involvement. METHODS: Medical
      records of TCA patients treated in Helsinki University Children's Hospital during
      1984-2013 (n=21) were reviewed. RESULTS: The aganglionosis extended up to cecum
      or distal ileum (n=12), mid small bowel (n=4), or duodenojejunal flexure (n=5).
      Patients underwent resection of distal aganglionic bowel with ileoanal (IAA) or
      jejunoanal anastomosis (JAA) with (n=9) or without J-pouch (n=5), Lester-Martin
      pull-through (n=1), or were left with an end-jejunostomy (n=6). Further
      procedures included autologous intestinal reconstruction (n=3) and ITx/listing
      for ITx (n=2). Compared to distal ileum aganglionosis, patients with more
      proximal disease required parenteral nutrition (PN) more often (100% vs. 25%) and
      weaned off PN less frequently (p=0.001). At last follow-up 6.5 (interquartile
      range 2.5-14.5) years postoperatively, all patients with distal ileum
      aganglionosis were off PN and alive compared to 78% on PN (p<0.001) and 67% alive
      (p=0.063) of those with more proximal disease. All had normal plasma bilirubin
      and patients with preserved intestinal continuity (n=13) were continent.
      CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes following restorative proctocolectomy for aganglionosis
      extending up to mid small bowel are promising, whereas long-term outlook in
      proximal small intestinal disease is dismal without ITx.

PMID- 26103795
TI  - Editorial: Practising with our hearts and minds: nurses and intimate partner
      violence.

PMID- 26103794
TI  - Diabetes telemonitoring reduces the risk of hypoglycaemia during Ramadan: a pilot
      randomized controlled study.
AB  - AIM: This pilot study evaluated the short-term benefits of a telemonitoring
      supplemented focused diabetic education compared with education alone in
      participants with Type 2 diabetes who were fasting during Ramadan. METHODS: In
      this pilot mixed-method study, we identified 37 participants and randomly
      allocated them to either a telemonitoring group (n = 18) or a group receiving
      Ramadan-focused pre-education only (usual care; n = 19). The telemonitoring group
      received goal-setting and personalized feedback. RESULTS: The telemonitoring
      group was less likely to experience hypoglycaemia than the usual care group (odds
      ratio: 0.1273; 95% confidence interval: 0.0267-0.6059). No significant
      differences were noted in glycaemic control at the end of study. Participants
      viewed telemedicine as a more convenient alternative although technological
      barriers remain a concern. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study reinforce the
      need for monitoring as well as educational initiatives for Muslims with diabetes
      who fast during Ramadan. Telemonitoring offers an attractive option requiring
      further research. (Clinical Trial Registry No. NCT02189135).

PMID- 26103796
TI  - PRE-EMPT (PRE-eclampsia-Eclampsia Monitoring, Prevention and Treatment): A low
      and middle income country initiative to reduce the global burden of maternal,
      fetal and infant death and disease related to pre-eclampsia.

PMID- 26103797
TI  - Review: Potential druggable targets for the treatment of early onset
      preeclampsia.
AB  - Placental delivery is the only known cure for early onset preeclampsia, a major
      cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Prolonging
      pregnancy beyond 25weeks without undue maternal risk favors fetal survival,
      improves neonatal outcome and saves money. In vitro experiments using human
      placental tissue and in vivo studies employing "preeclamptic" animal models
      reveal the presence of likely druggable targets, especially within the maladapted
      intracellular nucleotide transduction pathways of preeclampsia. This review
      focuses on some novel pharmacological treatment options targeting early onset
      severe preeclampsia. Human and animal derived experimental data support the
      possible roles of nitric oxide donors (glyceryltrinitrate), aspirin, dietary
      supplements (calcium, l-Arginine, anti-oxidant vitamins), phosphodiesterase-5
      inhibitors, statins, carbon monoxide and most recently, hydrogen sulfide.
      Extension of pregnancy or improvement of the disorder using means applicable in
      under resourced areas of the world would have a major positive impact on women's
      health globally. We therefore advocate the immediate launch of clinical trials
      testing simple innovative therapies in large obstetric units of developing
      countries such as South Africa or Brazil where preeclampsia is endemic and a
      regular killer of both mothers and offspring. 

PMID- 26103798
TI  - Urine protein concentration estimation for biomarker discovery.
AB  - Recent advances have been made in the study of urinary proteomics as a diagnostic
      tool for renal disease and pre-eclampsia which requires accurate measurement of
      urinary protein. We compared different protein assays (Bicinchoninic acid (BCA),
      Lowry and Bradford) against the 'gold standard' amino-acid assay in urine from 43
      women (8 non-pregnant, 34 pregnant, including 8 with pre-eclampsia). BCA assay
      was superior to both Lowry and Bradford assays (Bland Altman bias: 0.08) compared
      to amino-acid assay, which performed particularly poorly at higher protein
      concentrations. These data highlight the need to use amino-acid or BCA assays for
      unprocessed urine protein estimation. 

PMID- 26103799
TI  - First trimester screening of serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 and
      placental growth factor predicting hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of first trimester soluble fms-like tyrosine
      kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) in predicting pregnancy
      hypertension and pre-eclampsia; and compare with the accuracy of routinely
      collected maternal and clinical risk factors. STUDY DESIGN: In this population
      based cohort study, serum sFlt-1 and PlGF levels were measured in first trimester
      in 2,681 women with singleton pregnancies in New South Wales, Australia. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Prediction of pregnancy hypertension and pre-eclampsia.
      RESULTS: There were 213 (7.9%) women with pregnancy hypertension, including 68
      (2.5%) with pre-eclampsia. The area under the curve (AUC) for both sFlt-1 and
      PlGF was not different from chance, but combined was 0.55 (P=0.005). Parity and
      previous diagnosed hypertension had better predictive accuracy than serum
      biomarkers (AUC=0.64, P<0.001) and the predictive accuracy for all maternal and
      clinical information was fair (AUC=0.70, P<0.001 for pregnancy hypertension and
      AUC=0.74, P<0.001 for pre-eclampsia). Adding sFlt-1 and PlGF to maternal risk
      factors did not improve the ability of the models to predict pregnancy
      hypertension or pre-eclampsia. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal first trimester serum
      concentrations of sFlt-1 and PlGF do not predict hypertensive disorders in
      pregnancy any better than routinely collected clinical and maternal risk factor
      information. Screening for sFlt-1 and PlGF levels in early pregnancy would not
      identify those pregnancies at-risk.

PMID- 26103800
TI  - Evaluation of the value of the first and third trimester maternal mean platelet
      volume (MPV) for prediction of pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia is one of the most serious complications of pregnancy
      and one of the major causes of maternal mortality. Thus its prediction is a
      matter for serious concern. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study is to
      determine the value of mean platelet volume (MPV) measurement in the first and
      third trimesters of pregnancy for the prediction of pre-eclampsia. METHOD: A
      prospective nested case-control study was performed on pregnant women who were at
      9-12weeks of pregnancy. In the first trimester and again in 26-28weeks, MPV was
      calculated. All eligible women were then monitored to delivery and the MPV of
      women who were pre-eclamptic was compared with the MPV of normotensive women.
      RESULTS: Pre-eclamptic women were compared with 269 normotensive women. MPV at
      the first trimester of pre-eclamptic women was significantly higher than
      normotensive women (10.2+/-1.06fl VS 9.68+/-1.09fl, P=0.008). Also, MPV at the
      third trimester of pregnancy of pre-eclamptic women was more than normotensives
      (10.16+/-1.23fl VS 9.62+/-1.12fl, P=0.009). Area under the curve in receiver
      operating characteristics (ROC) curve was calculated as 0.64 for the predictive
      value of MPV at the first and third trimesters of pregnancy, which showed a low
      value of this test for predicting of pre-eclampsia. CONCLUSION: MPV at the first
      and third trimesters of pregnancy are higher in women who eventually would be pre
      eclamptic, but has low predictive value and is not a good predictor of pre
      eclampsia.

PMID- 26103801
TI  - The brain study: Cognition, quality of life and social functioning following
      preeclampsia; An observational study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Previously preeclamptic women may express cognitive difficulties,
      which have largely been unappreciated or attributed to stresses of a complicated
      pregnancy. This study aimed to explore the scope of perceived neurocognitive and
      psychosocial problems as well as quality of life following preeclampsia. STUDY
      DESIGN: Observational study. Through website promotion and e-mail, registrants of
      the USA-based Preeclampsia Foundation who experienced preeclampsia in the past
      20years were invited to complete a web-based survey. Participants were requested
      to ask an acquaintance that had a normotensive pregnancy to also complete the
      survey (controls). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire
      (CFQ), abbreviated WHO Quality Of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), Social
      Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ) and Breslau Short Screening Scale for DSM-IV
      Posttraumatic Stress Disorder were used in the survey. Analysis was performed
      using Mann-Whitney U tests and linear regression. RESULTS: 966 cases and 342
      controls completed the survey (median age 34, median time since first pregnancy 4
      vs. 5years). Cases scored significantly worse on CFQ (median 35 vs. 27), WHOQOL
      BREF domains physical health (15 vs. 17), psychological (13 vs. 15), social
      relationships (13 vs. 15) and environment (15 vs. 16), and SFQ (8 vs. 7). All
      p<0.001. Multivariable analysis showed an independent significant effect of
      eclampsia on CFQ and of migraine on all questionnaires and the effect of
      preeclampsia was still present after adjustment for confounders. Posttraumatic
      stress symptoms accounted for part of the relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Previously
      preeclamptic women appear to perceive more cognitive and social problems, and
      report poorer quality of life compared to a group of women with normotensive
      pregnancies. Research relating to the origin and management of these issues is
      needed.

PMID- 26103802
TI  - Expectant management in pregnant women with early and severe preeclampsia and
      concomitant risk factors.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to demonstrate that women with severe early-onset
      preeclampsia and concomitant risk factors benefit from expectant management.
      METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted between January 2009 and December
      2010. Stable women with severe preeclampsia between 23+6 and 33+6weeks of
      gestation were admitted to the IOCU for conservative management. They were
      classified into two groups: those with concomitant risk factors, i.e. associated
      medical conditions, HELLP syndrome, severe oligohydramnios, fetal growth
      restriction and multiple pregnancies (group A) and those without (group B). P
      values lesser than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: No
      significant differences were found in maternal and perinatal outcomes between
      groups. Neither were differences observed in pregnancy prolongation (mean:
      8.42days (SD+/-7.462) in group A and 10.5days (SD+/-8.235) in group B (p=0.391)).
      At the start of expectant management, 31.8% of fetuses had an abnormal middle
      cerebral artery Doppler; prior to delivery, this percentage was 77.4%.
      CONCLUSION: Pregnant women with severe early-onset preeclampsia and associated
      risk factors benefited from expectant management. During expectant management
      using a continuous magnesium sulfate regimen, the majority of fetuses showed
      cerebral vasodilatation. The exact clinical value of this finding should be
      clarified in further studies.

PMID- 26103803
TI  - High blood pressure six weeks postpartum after hypertensive pregnancy disorders
      at term is associated with chronic hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Hypertension in pregnancy is associated with cardiovascular disease
      (CVD) later in life. Blood pressure monitoring in women who experienced
      hypertension in pregnancy after puerperium has been suggested to be important for
      early detection and prevention of CVD. The aim of this study is to evaluate if
      hypertension six weeks postpartum is associated with chronic hypertension in
      women with a history of term hypertensive pregnancy disorders. STUDY DESIGN:
      Women with a history of term gestational hypertension or preeclampsia were
      included in a follow up study of the HYPITAT trial. Blood pressures were measured
      six weeks and 2.5years postpartum according to the study protocol. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Hypertension was defined as a diastolic blood pressure ?90mmHg and/or a
      systolic blood pressure ?140mmHg or use of antihypertensive medication.
      Differences in categorical variables between groups were analyzed by Chi-Square
      tests. Blood pressure was analyzed using unpaired t-tests and Wilcox ranked
      tests. RESULTS: Among 187 women who had term hypertensive pregnancy disorders, 75
      (40%) had hypertension at six weeks postpartum. Of these 46 (61%) had
      hypertension 2.5years postpartum. In contrast, of 112 women without hypertension
      at six weeks postpartum, 36 (32%) had hypertension 2.5years (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.8
      6.2). CONCLUSION: Among 61% of women who had hypertensive pregnancy disorders at
      term, high blood pressure at six weeks postpartum indicated chronic hypertension.
      This warrants the importance of identification of hypertension 6weeks postpartum
      for women's future health.

PMID- 26103804
TI  - Clinical risk factors for gestational hypertensive disorders in pregnant women at
      high risk for developing preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate clinical risk factors for the development of gestational
      hypertensive disorders in a group of pregnant women at high risk for developing
      preeclampsia. Secondly we evaluated the incidence and recurrence rate of
      preeclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective
      analysis of data obtained from a cohort study was performed. Pregnant women were
      included who had at least one of the following risk factors for preeclampsia:
      previous history of preeclampsia, previous history of HELLP syndrome, chronic
      hypertension, diabetes mellitus, multiple pregnancy, obesity, or autoimmune
      disease. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to
      evaluate the role of clinical characteristics and risk factors in the development
      of hypertensive disorders. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Development of gestational
      hypertensive disorders. RESULTS: Thirty-five percent (36/103) developed a
      hypertensive disorder. The univariate analysis identified preeclampsia in a
      previous pregnancy (OR 2.94, 95% CI: 1.25-6.91, p=0.013) as a significant risk
      factor. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that a previous history of
      preeclampsia was the only significant independent risk factor for gestational
      hypertensive disorders (OR 2.89, 95% CI: 1.17-7.08, p=0.021). Women with a
      previous history of PE had the highest incidence rate of 51.4% for hypertensive
      disorders compared to the incidence rates of other risk factors (20.8%-38.5%).
      CONCLUSION: A previous history of preeclampsia proves to be a strong independent
      clinical risk factor for gestational hypertensive disorders in high-risk pregnant
      women, even in our relatively small cohort study.

PMID- 26103805
TI  - Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and risk of screening positive for
      Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A cross-sectional study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (HDP) encompass a spectrum of
      disorders that affect 6-8% of US pregnancies. We aim to determine the impact of
      self-reported history of HDP as a risk factor for screening positive for
      Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which results from exposure to a traumatic
      event, and to evaluate whether the risk of PTSD differed by severity of HDP.
      STUDY DESIGN: We conducted an online survey on the Preeclampsia Foundation
      website that is accessed worldwide by women who have experienced HDP, as well as
      their friends and family. 1448 women in total responded to the survey, including
      1076 women who reported a history of HDP in at least one prior pregnancy and 372
      women who reported no history of HDP during any prior pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: We measured PTSD outcome with the Breslau Short Screening Scale for DSM
      IV PTSD. We used logistic regression to model the relationship between PTSD and
      HDP. RESULTS: Women who reported a history of HDP were more than four times as
      likely to screen positive for PTSD than women who reported having a normotensive
      pregnancy history (ORadj=4.46, 95% CI: 3.20-6.20). In addition, there was a
      marked trend toward increasing risk of screening positive for PTSD as the
      severity of HDP increased from gestational hypertension to eclampsia (p<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Women with a history of HDP may be at increased risk of PTSD, with
      severe cases most likely to suffer from symptoms. Clinicians should consider
      implementing routine screenings during post-partum visits in this vulnerable
      population.

PMID- 26103806
TI  - Non-invasive assessment of maternal hemodynamics in early pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Non-invasive assessment of maternal hemodynamics in early pregnancy
      may be promising in evaluating maternal hemodynamic (mal)adaptation to pregnancy.
      We explored usage of applanation tonometry and Doppler ultrasound for assessment
      of cardiac output (CO), systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and arterial stiffness
      in early pregnancy. METHODS: Pregnant healthy nulliparous women were studied
      during first trimester. Radial artery pressure waveform (augmentation
      index(AIx)), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and cardiac output (CO)
      were measured by applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor), electrocardiogram and
      Doppler ultrasound (USCOM) and related to maternal demographic characteristics
      and literature concerning advanced pregnancy and non-pregnant subjects. RESULTS:
      116 women were studied during gestational age range of 7(+2)-14weeks. Systolic
      and diastolic central blood pressure were correlated with systolic and diastolic
      brachial blood pressure respectively. Both measures of arterial stiffness (heart
      rate corrected AIx(AIx@75) and PWV) were correlated. AIx@75, PWV and SVR were
      correlated with central mean arterial pressure. CO was negatively correlated with
      AIx and associated with BMI. PWV was associated with age and BMI, whereas SVR was
      associated with age. CONCLUSIONS: Applanation tonometry and Doppler Ultrasound
      for assessment of maternal hemodynamics in early pregnancy revealed similar
      associations between different hemodynamic parameters and maternal
      characteristics as have previously been reported in advanced pregnancy and non
      pregnant subjects. The SphygmoCor and the USCOM appear to be reliable methods for
      the assessment of maternal hemodynamics in early pregnancy. Obtaining a
      comprehensive hemodynamic profile using these modalities may offer insight in
      maternal (mal)adaptation to pregnancy. Future work needs to be done relating such
      measures to pregnancy outcome.

PMID- 26103807
TI  - Biophysical interaction between blood pressure and uterine artery Doppler for the
      occurrence of early-onset preeclampsia: A prospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the biological interaction between blood pressure (BP)
      and uterine artery Doppler (UAD) in the second trimester for early-onset
      preeclampsia (EO-PE) risk. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: In 2410 pregnant women, mean pulsatility index (mPI) and mean notch
      depth index (mNDI) were examined by UAD at 16-23weeks' gestation. We defined EO
      PE as PE with onset at <34weeks, abnormal UAD as coexistence of mPI?90th
      percentile and mNDI?90th percentile, and high BP as systolic BP/diastolic
      BP?120/80mmHg. Abnormal UAD and high BP were combined as a series of dummy
      variables, and were entered into a logistic regression model. The relative excess
      risk due to biological interaction (RERI) was calculated using the following
      equation: RERI=odds ratio (OR) in women with both high BP and abnormal UAD - OR
      in women with high BP alone - OR in women with abnormal UAD alone +1. RERI?10 was
      considered as strong. RESULTS: EO-PE and late-onset PE (LO-PE) occurred in 1.1%
      and 1.2%, respectively. Adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) in women with abnormal UAD
      alone, high BP alone, and both high BP and abnormal UAD for predicting EO-PE was
      4.3 (0.37-49), 12 (2.6-55) and 85 (17-422), respectively; and that for predicting
      LO-PE was 6.3 (1.5-27), 6.1 (2.1-17) and 15 (3.6-61), respectively. The RERI for
      EO-PE and LO-PE was 70 and 3.3, respectively. CONCLUSION: High BP and abnormal
      UAD may have a strong biological interaction for the occurrence of EO-PE.

PMID- 26103808
TI  - Porcine retinal cell line VIDO R1 and Chlamydia suis to modelize ocular
      chlamydiosis.
AB  - Human ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infections can lead to trachoma, the major
      cause of infectious blindness worldwide. Trachoma control strategies are very
      helpful but logistically challenging, and a trachoma vaccine is needed but not
      available. Pigs are a valuable large animal model for various immunological
      questions and could facilitate the study of human ocular chlamydial infections.
      In addition, a recent study identified the zoonotic potential of Chlamydia suis,
      the natural pathogen of pigs. In terms of the One Health Initiative,
      understanding the host-pathogen-interactions and finding a vaccine for porcine
      chlamydia infections would also benefit human health. Thus, we infected the
      porcine retinal cell line VIDO R1 with C. suis and analyzed the chlamydial life
      cycle and the innate immune response of the infected cells. Our results indicate
      that C. suis completes its life cycle in VIDO R1 cells within 48 h, comparable to
      C. trachomatis in humans. C. suis infection of VIDO R1 cells led to increased
      levels of various innate immune mediators like pathogen recognition receptors,
      cytokines and chemokines including IL6, TNFalpha, and MMP9, also most relevant in
      human C. trachomatis infections. These results illustrate the first steps in the
      host-pathogen-interactions of ocular C. suis infections in pigs and show their
      similarity to C. trachomatis infections in humans, justifying further testing of
      pigs as an animal model for human trachoma.

PMID- 26103810
TI  - [A case of combined central and peripheral demyelination].
AB  - A 22-year-old man had had difficulty running fast since about he was 10 years
      old. In June 2011, he was referred to us because of worsened unsteady gait. A
      neurological examination revealed mild ataxic speech, weakness of the four limbs,
      with spasticity, and pes cavus. Magnetic resonance T2-weighted images showed
      multiple high-intensity lesions in the bilateral periventricular white matter,
      brainstem, and thoracic spinal cord. Peripheral nerve conduction studies revealed
      marked motor conduction velocities were markedly reduced and sensory nerve
      velocities were not evoked in the upper and lower limbs. A sural nerve biopsy
      showed highly active demyelinating lesions. The patient was treated with high
      dose steroid therapy (intravenous methylprednisolone, 1,000 mg/day * 3 days)
      followed by self-injection of interferon beta. With these treatments, his
      symptoms gradually improved. In this case, we could not detect the causative
      factors, and all autoantibodies tested, except for the anti-neurofascin antibody,
      were negative. The anti-neurofascin antibody might induce demyelination in the
      central and peripheral nervous systems. However, in the literature, the evidence
      of an association between this antibody and these clinical characteristics is not
      conclusive. We need more studies on the pathogenesis of combined central and
      peripheral demyelination to establish more effective therapies.

PMID- 26103809
TI  - Apelin promotes diabetic nephropathy by inducing podocyte dysfunction via
      inhibiting proteasome activities.
AB  - Podocyte injuries are associated with progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN).
      Apelin, an adipocyte-derived peptide, has been reported to be a promoting factor
      for DN. In this study, we aim to determine whether apelin promotes progression of
      DN by inducing podocyte dysfunction. kk-Ay mice were used as models for DN.
      Apelin and its antagonist, F13A were intraperitoneally administered for 4 weeks,
      respectively. Renal function and foot process proteins were analysed to evaluate
      the effects of apelin on kk-Ay mice and podocytes. Apelin increased albuminuria
      and decreased podocyte foot process proteins expression in kk-Ay mice, which is
      consistent with the results that apelin receptor (APLNR) levels increased in
      glomeruli of patients or mice with DN. In cultured podocytes, high glucose
      increased APLNR expression and apelin administration was associated with
      increased permeability and decreased foot process proteins levels. All these
      dysfunctions were associated with decreased 26S proteasome activities and
      increased polyubiquitinated proteins in both kk-Ay mice and cultured podocytes,
      as demonstrated by 26S proteasome activation with cyclic adenosine monophosphate
      (cAMP) or oleuropein. These effects seemed to be related to endoplasmic reticulum
      (ER) stress, as apelin increased C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and peiFalpha
      levels while cAMP or oleuropein reduced it in high glucose and apelin treated
      podocytes. These results suggest that apelin induces podocyte dysfunction in DN
      through ER stress which was induced by decreased proteasome activities in
      podocytes. 

PMID- 26103811
TI  - [A case of bilateral auricular chondritis with anti-glutamate receptor
      (GluRepsilon2) antibody-positive non-herpetic acute limbic encephalitis].
AB  - A 62-year-old man experienced pain and swelling in both of his auricles. One and
      a half months later, he was referred to us because of a memory disturbance. A
      neurological examination revealed disorientation and recent memory impairment.
      Diffusion-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance
      images showed high intensity and swelling lesions in the bilateral medial
      temporal regions. In cerebrospinal fluid, mononuclear cell counts and total
      protein concentration were increased, but a herpes polymerase chain reaction was
      negative. Thus, he was suspected to have non-herpetic acute limbic encephalitis
      (NHALE). In addition, relapsing polychondritis (RP) was suspected because of the
      bilateral auricular chondritis and type-II collagen antibody positivity in the
      serum. He was treated with high-dose steroid therapy (two cycles of intravenous
      methylprednisolone, 500 mg per day for 3 days), which was followed by oral
      steroid therapy. With these treatments, his symptoms, including the painful
      auricular swelling and memory disturbance, gradually improved. This case
      exhibited anti-glutamate receptor (GluRepsilon2) antibody positivity in both
      serum and cerebrospinal fluid, but anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor
      antibody (NR1 + NR2) by cell-based assay negative in cerebrospinal fluid.
      Although a vascular mechanism of NHALE that is associated with RP has been
      suggested in the literature, this autoantibody might have induced NHALE as the
      mechanism of neuronal damage to target neuron in our case. More studies on the
      pathogenesis of NHALE that is associated with RP are needed.

PMID- 26103812
TI  - [Two cases of hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal dominant
      involvement (HMSN-P)].
AB  - We, herein, report two independent cases with hereditary motor and sensory
      neuropathy with proximal dominant involvement (HMSN-P) inherited in an autosomal
      dominant fashion. Their common clinical features are slowly progressive proximal
      dominant muscular atrophy, fasciculations and mild to moderate distal sensory
      disturbance with areflexia. Nerve conduction study revealed an absence of sensory
      nerve action potentials, in contrast to almost normal compound muscle action
      potentials. Gene analysis in both patients elucidated heterozygous mutation
      (c.854C>T, p.Pro285Leu) in the TFG, which is an identical mutation, already
      described by Ishiura et al. Okinawa and Shiga are two foci of HMSN-P in Japan.
      Eventually, one patient is from Okinawa and the other is from a mountain village
      in Shiga prefecture. When we see a patient who has symptoms suggestive of motor
      neuron disease with sensory neuropathy, HMSN-P should be considered as a
      differential diagnosis despite the patient's actual resident place. 

PMID- 26103813
TI  - [A long-term follow up of right ophthalmoplegia and severe right middle cerebral
      artery stenosis with right herpes zoster ophthalmics: a case report].
AB  - Here we report a case of a 68-year-old man with severe stenosis of the right
      middle cerebral artery (MCA) following herpes zoster ophthalmicus. He presented
      with right-sided ptosis and ophthalmoplegia 2 months after herpes zoster
      ophthalmicus. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis revealed monocytosis, increased
      protein levels, and positivity for herpes zoster virus immunoglobulin M (IgM).
      Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a small asymptomatic infarct in
      the right basal ganglia and severe stenosis of the right MCA (M1 segment). One
      month later, he presented with muscle weakness of the fingers of the left hand.
      Repeat CSF analysis revealed similar abnormalities to the previous analysis, and
      MRI showed a new small infarct in the right-sided motor area corresponding to the
      left fingers. He was treated with acyclovir (750 mg/day), prednisolone (1
      mg/kg/day), and aspirin (100 mg/day). O2-gas positron emission tomography (PET)
      revealed decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF) after acetazolamide injection and
      normal cerebral vascular reactivity (CVR). He was on continuous treatment with
      prednisolone and aspirin for 1 year. The muscle weakness of the fingers of the
      left hand and right-sided ophthalmoplegia improved, and magnetic resonance
      angiography revealed considerable decrease in the stenosis of the right middle
      cerebral artery. CBF before and after acetazolamide injection and CVR on O2-gas
      PET also normalized. These results suggested that long-term treatment may prevent
      subsequent infarcts following herpes zoster ophthalmics.

PMID- 26103814
TI  - [Effect of sodium pyruvate on exercise intolerance and muscle weakness due to
      mitochondrial myopathy: a case report].
AB  - We report the case of a 19-year-old woman who had been suffering from general
      fatigue and exercise intolerance since 15 years old. At 18 years old, she
      experienced muscle weakness and myalgia of the calves. Six months later, she was
      admitted to our hospital. She showed muscle weakness of the neck and proximal
      limbs, and myalgia of the calves was prominent. Serum levels of creatine kinase
      (CK) and lactic acid were elevated, as was the level of lactic acid in
      cerebrospinal fluid. T2-weighted and short-inversion-time inversion recovery
      (STIR) imaging of the lower limbs showed hyperintensity on bilateral
      gastrocnemius muscles, and the region revealed Gd enhancement. Based on
      histopathological findings from muscle and identification of a m.3271T>C point
      mutation, mitochondrial myopathy was diagnosed. Rest and administration of
      vitamins B1 and B2, coenzyme Q10, and L-carnitine improved serum CK levels;
      however, exercise intolerance, myalgia, and lactic acidemia remained. Sodium
      pyruvate was then administered, and lactic acid levels, exercise intolerance, and
      findings on magnetic resonance imaging improved. Sodium pyruvate could prove
      effective in addressing both elevated serum lactic acid levels and exercise
      intolerance in mitochondrial disease. 

PMID- 26103815
TI  - [A case of multiple sclerosis who relapsed early after fingolimod therapy
      introduced].
AB  - The patient was a 46-year-old woman having a history of multiple sclerosis (MS)
      for 14 years. She had been treated with interferon beta-1b since 2001, but
      discontinued because of psychiatric problems in 2006. Thereafter relapses were
      observed 1-2 times a year, and EDSS became 2.5 to 6.5. In April 2012, relapse of
      MS was noticed and the patient received introduction of fingolimod (FTY) after
      methylprednisolone (mPSL) pulse therapy. Twenty days later, dysarthria and lower
      limb weakness were appeared. Brain MRI showed more than 20 several millimeter Gd
      enhanced lesions in periventricular white matter, juxta-cortical white matter,
      and cerebellum. Careful determination and observation are required upon the FTY
      administration into the MS with high frequency of relapse. 

PMID- 26103816
TI  - [A case of recurrent aseptic meningitis induced by ergot agents].
AB  - We describe the case of a 29-year-old woman with recurrent aseptic meningitis
      that was caused by ergot agents. She miscarried at age 27, and the uterus
      constrictor methylergometrine was prescribed. Three days later, she developed
      aseptic meningitis and was hospitalized. Two years later, she again developed
      aseptic meningitis the day after she took ergotamine tartrate. In both events,
      her symptoms improved rapidly when the medication was stopped. The drug-induced
      lymphocyte stimulation test for methylergometrine yielded a value of 180%. Drug
      induced meningitis is a rare form of recurrent aseptic meningitis. Many studies
      have reported cases of meningitis caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
      drugs, but many other drugs can induce aseptic meningitis. To the best of our
      knowledge, this is the first case of aseptic meningitis induced by ergot agents. 

PMID- 26103817
TI  - [A case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with a double mutation (V180I/M232R) in the
      PRNP gene].
AB  - Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) presents with rapidly progressive dementia
      associated with several symptoms including pyramidal, extrapyramidal, and
      cerebellar signs. In Japan, patients with PRNP gene mutations comprise 18.3% of
      CJD cases. In the present study, we report a 74-year-old man with a double
      mutation in the PRNP gene. He showed dysarthria, gait disturbance, and cognitive
      impairment. High signal intensity was observed in the bilateral cortex on brain
      MRI in diffusion-weighted images. There were high total Tau protein and 14-3-3
      protein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid. We diagnosed him as having CJD
      clinically, and analyzed the PRNP gene, which revealed a V180I mutation and a
      M232R one, i.e., a compound heterozygous status. In our patient, the disease has
      very slowly progressive (total disease course, 37 months). The V180I and M232R
      mutations are specific mutations to Japanese CJD patients. For patients with a
      double PRNP gene mutation, only V180I and M232R have been known. Patients with a
      double mutation (V180I /M232R) in the PRNP gene might show an atypical disease
      course with a slow progression. 

PMID- 26103818
TI  - [A case of Behcet disease developing recurrent ischemic stroke with fever and
      scrotal ulcers].
AB  - A 30-year-old man, who was diagnosed with Behcet disease at 10 years of age, was
      hospitalized because of transient right hemiparesis after presenting with high
      fever and scrotal ulcers. Brain MRI revealed ischemic lesions in the area
      supplied by the anterior cerebral arteries. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
      showed pleocytosis and a high interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration (668 pg/ml). The
      patient was diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke associated with exacerbation of
      Behcet disease. After initiation of corticosteroid therapy, his clinical symptoms
      improved, and the CSF IL-6 concentration decreased. One year later, the patient
      developed high fever and scrotal ulcers after the onset of transient left upper
      limb plegia. Brain MRI showed an acute ischemic lesion in the right putamen, and
      CSF analysis showed an elevated IL-6 concentration (287 pg/ml). Brain CT
      angiography revealed stenosis of the left anterior cerebral artery and occlusion
      of the right anterior cerebral artery, which had been well visualized one year
      previously. Involvement of the intracranial cerebral arteries in Behcet disease
      is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of
      a patient with recurrent symptomatic ischemic stroke associated with high fever
      and scrotal ulcers, which suggests exacerbation of Behcet disease.

PMID- 26103819
TI  - [A case of 16q linked autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia (16q-ADCA) presenting
      dystonia].

PMID- 26103820
TI  - [A case of 77-year-old male with spinocerebellar ataxia type 31 with left
      dominant dystonia].

PMID- 26103821
TI  - [Encephalopathy in HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy].

PMID- 26103826
TI  - [Editor' Note].

PMID- 26103822
TI  - [Response regarding "HIV encephalopathy due to drug resistance despite 2-year
      suppression of HIV viremia by cART"].

PMID- 26103827
TI  - NHS needs a workforce plan, not border control.

PMID- 26103829
TI  - Majority vote against covert filming.

PMID- 26103828
TI  - Outgoing RCN general secretary urges nurses to speak up and unite.

PMID- 26103830
TI  - RCN president calls for staffing guidance U-turn.

PMID- 26103831
TI  - Stress is a leading cause of nurses' sickness absence.

PMID- 26103832
TI  - Protest over end of NICE's project on safe staffing.

PMID- 26103833
TI  - Senior nurse exodus threatens to disrupt plans for seven-day NHS.

PMID- 26103834
TI  - Charity highlights unsafe inhaler use.

PMID- 26103836
TI  - Mental health wards offered L 5m for more social activities.

PMID- 26103837
TI  - Colleagues celebrate Windrush legacy.

PMID- 26103838
TI  - 'The NHS is paying millions to rent overseas nurses temporarily'.

PMID- 26103839
TI  - How safer clinical practice could prevent needless asthma deaths.

PMID- 26103845
TI  - Violence at work.

PMID- 26103846
TI  - A nurse who never gives up.

PMID- 26103847
TI  - Fit for the future.

PMID- 26103857
TI  - The Academy of Fabulous NHS Stuff.

PMID- 26103848
TI  - Why women ignore first signs of cancer.

PMID- 26103859
TI  - NUH Staff.

PMID- 26103861
TI  - We need more registered nursing staff on the wards.

PMID- 26103862
TI  - Post-registration training must be part of the education debate.

PMID- 26103863
TI  - A greater degree of pride is needed to build a better NHS.

PMID- 26103864
TI  - I vow to keep making 'noise' about the importance of safe staffing levels.

PMID- 26103865
TI  - Immigration change for nurses not the same as 'deportation'.

PMID- 26103867
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26103870
TI  - Diagnosis of dementia.
AB  - There are two stages to making a diagnosis of dementia: establishing the presence
      of a dementia syndrome and determining the likely cause. Dementia should be
      distinguished from mild cognitive impairment, in which any cognitive and
      functional changes are less marked. Diagnosis of dementia is essentially clinical
      but investigations are helpful in excluding other disorders and in determining
      the underlying cause of the condition. International diagnostic criteria exist
      for the most common causes of dementia and these are useful for clinical and
      research purposes. At and following diagnosis, patients and their families
      require information, support and guidance about the future. 

PMID- 26103871
TI  - Use of interviews in nursing research.
AB  - Conducting interviews is one of the most common ways of collecting data in
      healthcare research. In particular, interviews are associated with qualitative
      research, where researchers seek to understand participants' experiences through
      their own words and perspectives. This article will help healthcare researchers
      prepare to carry out interviews as part of their research. It will also emphasise
      important skills to consider during the interview process. Consideration will
      also be given to remedying interviews that do not go according to plan, as well
      as identifying appropriate debriefing processes post-interview. With this
      knowledge, healthcare researchers are more likely to conduct effective interviews
      that will yield better quality data and protect the participant. 

PMID- 26103872
TI  - Managing fatigue in adults with multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms experienced by people with multiple
      sclerosis (MS) and has a significant effect on all aspects of daily living and on
      quality of life. It is important for healthcare professionals working with
      patients with MS to identify fatigue where present and to be able to offer
      clinically effective treatment options. This article explores assessment and
      measurement of fatigue, evidence-based pharmacological and non-pharmacological
      treatments for managing fatigue and the role of MS specialist nurses and
      therapists. 

PMID- 26103873
TI  - Writing for publication.

PMID- 26103874
TI  - Your chance to shine.

PMID- 26103875
TI  - Volunteering in a disaster zone.

PMID- 26103877
TI  - Ward off unwanted advances.

PMID- 26103878
TI  - Covering letter is your big chance to stand out.

PMID- 26103879
TI  - Novel protein C gene mutation in a compound heterozygote resulting in
      catastrophic thrombosis in early adulthood: diagnosis and long-term treatment
      with subcutaneous protein C concentrate.

PMID- 26103880
TI  - miR-370 and miR-373 regulate the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis by modulating one
      carbon metabolism via SHMT-2 and MECP-2, respectively.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the mechanism underlying the association
      between one-carbon metabolism and DNA methylation during chronic degenerative
      joint disorder, osteoarthritis (OA). Articular chondrocytes were isolated from
      human OA cartilage and normal cartilage biopsied, and the degree of cartilage
      degradation was determined by safranin O staining. We found that the expression
      levels of SHMT-2 and MECP-2 were increased in OA chondrocytes, and 3'UTR reporter
      assays showed that SHMT-2 and MECP-2 are the direct targets of miR-370 and miR
      373, respectively, in human articular chondrocytes. Our experiments showed that
      miR-370 and miR-373 levels were significantly lower in OA chondrocytes compared
      to normal chondrocytes. Overexpression of miR-370 or miR-373, or knockdown of
      SHMT-2 or MECP-2 reduced both MMP-13 expression and apoptotic cell death in
      cultured OA chondrocytes. In vivo, we found that introduction of miR-370 or miR
      373 into the cartilage of mice that had undergone destabilization of the medial
      meniscus (DMM) surgery significantly reduced the cartilage destruction in this
      model, whereas introduction of SHMT-2 or MECP-2 increased the severity of
      cartilage destruction. Together, these results show that miR-370 and miR-373
      contribute to the pathogenesis of OA and act as negative regulators of SHMT-2 and
      MECP-2, respectively. 

PMID- 26103881
TI  - Membrane Protein Folding & Lipid Interactions: Theory & Experiment.

PMID- 26103882
TI  - Editorial Comment from Dr Li to Varicocele is associated with varicose veins: A
      population-based case-control study.

PMID- 26103883
TI  - Editorial: Chemical Ecology.

PMID- 26103886
TI  - Intermolecular carbon-carbon, nitrogen-nitrogen and oxygen-oxygen non-covalent
      bonding in dipolar molecules.
AB  - Clear evidence for the existence of intermolecular carbon-carbon (C...C),
      nitrogen-nitrogen (N...N) and oxygen-oxygen (O...O) interactions between atoms in
      similar chemical environments in homogeneous dimers of organic dipolar molecules
      has been obtained from molecular orbital (MO), natural bond orbital (NBO) and
      atoms-in-molecule (AIM) electron density analyses at the M06L/6-311++G(d,p) level
      of density functional theory (DFT). These X...X type interactions are mainly the
      result of local polarization effects, causing segregation of electron-rich and
      electron-deficient regions in the X atoms, leading to complementary electrostatic
      interactions. NBO analysis provides evidence of charge transfer between the two X
      atoms. Even in symmetrical molecules such as acetylene, induced dipoles in the
      dimer create C...C bonding interactions. The strength of this type of interaction
      increases with increase in the dipole moment of the molecule. Energy
      decomposition analysis (EDA) shows that the electrostatic component of the
      interaction energy (Eint) is very high, up to 95.86%. The C...C interactions
      between similar carbon atoms are located for several crystal structures obtained
      from the literature. In addition, MO, AIM and electrostatic potential analyses
      support interactions between similar oxygen (O...O) and nitrogen (N...N) atoms in
      a variety of molecular dimers. Good prediction of Eint is achieved in terms of
      the total gain in electron density at non-covalently interacting intermolecular
      bonds (?rho) and the monomer dipole moment (MU). A rigorously tested QSAR
      equation has been derived to predict Eint for all dimer systems: Eint (kcal mol(
      1)) = -138.395?rho(au) - 0.551MU (Debye). This equation suggests that the
      polarization-induced bonding interaction between atoms in a similar chemical
      environment could well be a general chemical phenomenon. The results have been
      further validated by different density functional methods and also by G3MP2
      method.

PMID- 26103887
TI  - The History of Pyrosequencing((r)).
AB  - One late afternoon in the beginning of January 1986, bicycling from the lab over
      the hill to the small village of Fulbourn, the idea for an alternative DNA
      sequencing technique came to my mind. The basic concept was to follow the
      activity of DNA polymerase during nucleotide incorporation into a DNA strand by
      analyzing the pyrophosphate released during the process. Today, the technique is
      used in multidisciplinary fields in academic, clinical, and industrial settings
      all over the word. This technique can be used for both single-base sequencing and
      whole-genome sequencing, depending on the format used.In this chapter, I give my
      personal account of the development of Pyrosequencing((r))-beginning on a winter
      day in 1986, when I first envisioned the method-until today, nearly 30 years
      later. 

PMID- 26103885
TI  - Controlled synthesis of series NixCo3-xO4 products: Morphological evolution
      towards quasi-single-crystal structure for high-performance and stable lithium
      ion batteries.
AB  - Transition metal oxides are very promising alternative anode materials for high
      performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, their conversion reactions and
      concomitant volume expansion cause the pulverization, leading to poor cycling
      stability, which limit their applications. Here, we present the quasi-single
      crystal Ni(x)Co(3-x)O4 hexagonal microtube (QNHM) composed of continuously
      twinned single crystal submicron-cubes as anode materials for LIBs with high
      energy density and long cycle life. At the current density of 0.8 A g(-1), it can
      deliver a high discharge capacities of 1470 mAh g(-1) over 100 cycles (105% of
      the 2nd cycle) and 590 mAh g(-1) even after 1000 cycles. To better understand
      what underlying factors lead our QNHMs to achieve excellent electrochemical
      performance, a series of Ni(x)Co(3-x)O4 products with systematic shape evolution
      from spherical to polyhedral, and cubic particles as well as circular microtubes
      consisted of spheres and square microtubes composed of polyhedra have been
      synthesized. The excellent electrochemical performance of QNHMs is attributed to
      the unique stable quasi-single-crystal structure, which can both provide
      efficient electrical transport pathway and suppress the electrode pulverization.
      It is important to note that such quasi-single-crystal structure would be helpful
      to explore other high-energy lithium storage materials based on alloying or
      conversion reactions.

PMID- 26103884
TI  - Down syndrome individuals with Alzheimer's disease have a distinct
      neuroinflammatory phenotype compared to sporadic Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability
      and is primarily caused by the triplication of chromosome 21. The overexpression
      of amyloid precursor protein gene may be sufficient to drive Alzheimer's disease
      (AD) neuropathology that is observed in virtually all individuals with DS by the
      age of 40 years. There is relatively little information about inflammation in the
      DS brain and how the genetics of DS may alter inflammatory responses and modify
      the course of AD pathogenesis in this disorder. Using the macrophage
      classification system of M1, M2a, M2b, and M2c inflammatory phenotypes, we have
      shown that the early stages of AD are associated with a bias toward an M1 or M2a
      phenotype. In later stages of AD, markers of M1, M2a and M2c are elevated. We now
      report the inflammatory phenotype in a DS autopsy series to compare this with the
      progression in sporadic AD. Tissue from young DS cases (under 40 years of age,
      pre-AD) show a bias toward M1 and M2b states with little M2a or M2c observed.
      Older DS cases (over 40 with AD pathology) show a distinct bias toward an M2b
      phenotype. Importantly, this is distinct from sporadic AD where the M2b phenotype
      has been rarely, if ever observed in postmortem studies. Stimulated by immune
      complex activation of microglial cells and toll-like receptor activation, the M2b
      phenotype represents a unique neuroinflammatory state in diseased brain and may
      have significant implications for therapeutic intervention for persons with DS.

PMID- 26103888
TI  - PyroMark(r) Instruments, Chemistry, and Software for Pyrosequencing(r) Analysis.
AB  - Since the early 2000s, Pyrosequencing((r)) technology has been adapted for
      various instrument platforms to enable users to examine the role of epigenetic
      DNA methylation in gene expression regulation, genetic markers for specific
      phenotypes in livestock, drug resistance development in pathogens, and
      polymorphisms in forensic samples of mitochondrial DNA.The instruments, software,
      and chemistry have been modified to facilitate different sample throughputs and
      sample amounts. Just recently, major changes have been implemented to enable
      increased read length and more precise Pyrosequencing results. These improvements
      were made possible through a number of changes to various system components. In
      addition, assay development has been streamlined through the availability of
      optimized PCR and Pyrosequencing reagents, automated assay design tools, and a
      number of predesigned Pyrosequencing assays.In future, instruments with smaller
      footprints and the ability to automate crucial steps of the Pyrosequencing
      protocol will be available and will provide even more convenient and standardized
      Pyrosequencing analysis with flexible throughput. 

PMID- 26103889
TI  - Software-Based Pyrogram(r) Evaluation.
AB  - Pyrosequencing((r)) is a widely used technology to detect gene mutations in a
      molecular research or diagnostics laboratory. Compared to Sanger sequencing, it
      is inherently more quantitative with a superior limit of detection, although it
      has a shorter read length and has difficulty with homopolymeric sequences.Results
      of Pyrosequencing experiments are typically presented as traces with sequential
      peaks, called Pyrograms((r)). For the majority of clinical diagnostic cases,
      Pyrograms are straightforward to read. However, there are occasionally complex
      results that are uninterpretable or difficult to interpret. In this chapter, we
      demonstrate a computer software, named Pyromaker that has been developed to help
      with the analysis of Pyrograms. Pyromaker is a freely and publically available
      software program to assist in the recognition of patterns of mutations,
      interpretation of difficult or ambiguous testing results and design of an optimal
      strategy to detect potential mutations by generating simulated Pyrograms. In
      addition to help diagnostic activities, Pyromaker can also be used as a virtual
      and user-friendly educational tool to teach newcomers the fundamental mechanism
      of Pyrosequencing, and correct interpretation of actual Pyrosequencing data.

PMID- 26103890
TI  - Quantitative Validation and Quality Control of Pyrosequencing(r) Assays.
AB  - Pyrosequencing((r)) offers the opportunity to quantify the amount of nucleotides
      incorporated during the sequencing reaction. This enables the precise and
      sensitive quantification of DNA methylation, allele-specific expression, or
      mutation load. However, only a few studies addressed the question how precise and
      sensitive Pyrosequencing really is. Many publications claiming precise
      measurement (with two decimal places) fail to demonstrate performance figures
      like precision or reproducibility. And most publications reporting the detection
      (and quantification) of very weak signals by Pyrosequencing do omit to report the
      technical sensitivity of the assay used (i.e., limit of blank, limit of
      detection, limit of quantification).Therefore, this chapter aims at providing (1)
      an introduction to important basic concepts defining quantitative analytical
      assays, (2) an outline of a minimal set of validation measurements every study
      employing Pyrosequencing should include, especially if values close to the
      analytical threshold are reported.

PMID- 26103891
TI  - Extended KRAS and NRAS Mutation Profiling by Pyrosequencing(r).
AB  - With the advent of targeted therapies-drugs that specifically target molecules of
      tumor-driving signalling pathways-and the availability of biomarkers that predict
      the response of an individual patient on such a targeted therapy, the analysis of
      the status of the biomarker became an integral part of the therapy. For
      metastatic colorectal cancer, anti-EGFR-targeted antibodies
      (Cetuximab/Erbitux((r)), Panitumumab/Vectibix((r))) fall into this category of
      drugs as it was shown in several clinical studies that oncogenic mutations in
      exons 2-4 of the RAS genes KRAS or NRAS result in therapeutic resistance of the
      metastatic colorectal cancers against the action of both targeted drugs.
      Therefore, mutations in the RAS genes exclude patients from this kind of targeted
      therapy (negative biomarker). Thus the molecular-pathological testing of the
      mutational status of KRAS and NRAS has become an important cornerstone in
      planning oncological strategies in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.
      As the profile of mutations in the RAS genes is characterized by hotspot
      mutations in only a small number of codons (12, 13 in exon 2-59, 61 in exon 3
      117, 146 in exon 4). Pyrosequencing((r)) is an ideal and robust tool in the
      molecular-pathological detection. A detailed protocol for this detection
      procedure employing Pyrosequencing(r) is given here. 

PMID- 26103892
TI  - Universal BRAF State Detection by the Pyrosequencing(r)-Based U-BRAF(V600) Assay.
AB  - Malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive type of malignancy with considerable
      metastatic potential and frequent resistance to cytotoxic agents. BRAF mutant
      protein was recently recognized as therapeutic target in metastatic melanoma.We
      present the newly developed U-BRAF(V600) approach (Patent No. 12153477.0-1404)-a
      universal Pyrosequencing((r))-based assay for mutation detection within the
      activation segment in exon 15 of human BRAF. We identified five different BRAF
      mutations in a single assay analyzing 75 different formalin-fixed paraffin
      embedded samples of cutaneous melanoma metastases from 29 patients. All mutant
      variants were quantitatively detectable by the newly developed U-BRAF(V600)
      assay. These results were confirmed by ultra-deep sequencing. In contrast to all
      other BRAF state detection methods, the U-BRAF(V600) assay is capable of
      automated quantitative identification of at least 36 previously published BRAF
      mutations. Under the precaution of a minimum of 5 % mutated cells in a background
      of wild-type cells, the U-BRAF(V600) assay design completely excludes false
      negative wild-type results. The corresponding algorithm for classification of
      BRAF-mutated variants is provided in this chapter together with a detailed step
      by-step protocol for the Pyrosequencing reaction.The single-reaction format and
      automation of data analysis make our approach suitable for the assessment of
      large clinical cohorts. Therefore, we suggest U-BRAF(V600) assay as a powerful
      sequencing-based diagnostic tool to automatically identify BRAF status.

PMID- 26103893
TI  - Pyrosequencing(r)-Based Identification of Low-Frequency Mutations Enriched
      Through Enhanced-ice-COLD-PCR.
AB  - A number of molecular diagnostic assays have been developed in the last years for
      mutation detection. Although these methods have become increasingly sensitive,
      most of them are incompatible with a sequencing-based readout and require prior
      knowledge of the mutation present in the sample. Consequently, coamplification at
      low denaturation (COLD)-PCR-based methods have been developed and combine a high
      analytical sensitivity due to mutation enrichment in the sample with the
      identification of known or unknown mutations by downstream sequencing
      experiments. Among these methods, the recently developed Enhanced-ice-COLD-PCR
      appeared as the most powerful method as it outperformed the other COLD-PCR-based
      methods in terms of the mutation enrichment and due to the simplicity of the
      experimental setup of the assay. Indeed, E-ice-COLD-PCR is very versatile as it
      can be used on all types of PCR platforms and is applicable to different types of
      samples including fresh frozen, FFPE, and plasma samples. The technique relies on
      the incorporation of an LNA containing blocker probe in the PCR reaction followed
      by selective heteroduplex denaturation enabling amplification of the mutant
      allele while amplification of the wild-type allele is prevented. Combined with
      Pyrosequencing((r)), which is a very quantitative high-resolution sequencing
      technology, E-ice-COLD-PCR can detect and identify mutations with a limit of
      detection down to 0.01 %. 

PMID- 26103894
TI  - Analysis of Mutational Hotspots in Routinely Processed Bone Marrow Trephines by
      Pyrosequencing(r).
AB  - Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) bone marrow trephines are widely used in
      pathology, because they best preserve the morphological details of the bone
      marrow. However, DNA isolated from FFPE material is fragmented, limiting the size
      of amplification products, which is a challenge for all sequencing
      applications.Pyrosequencing((r)) is a quantitative and sensitive method for the
      detection of single-nucleotide variations (SNVs) in DNA samples. Pyrosequencing
      can easily be performed in a 96-well-plate format with a cost-effective medium
      sized throughput.This chapter provides a general outline of SNV detection in FFPE
      bone marrow trephines, including a detailed protocol of the Pyrosequencing
      procedure and guidelines for the design of new assays and evaluation of
      Pyrograms. The strengths of this approach are discussed using myeloproliferative
      neoplasms as an example.

PMID- 26103895
TI  - Analysis of Copy Number Variation by Pyrosequencing(r) Using Paralogous
      Sequences.
AB  - The determination of gene copy numbers of highly similar genes is difficult with
      conventional PCR-based methods. However, by amplification of similar genes in the
      same PCR reaction followed by Pyrosequencing((r)), one may distinguish the genes
      based on a single-nucleotide difference. The ratio between the peak heights of
      gene-specific nucleotides obtained in the Pyrosequencing reaction may thereby be
      used to calculate the relative copy numbers of target genes. This method is easy
      and cost effective compared to other methods, and allows for the determination of
      copy numbers of genes that were previously difficult to achieve. 

PMID- 26103896
TI  - Prenatal Diagnosis of Chromosomal Aneuploidies by Quantitative Pyrosequencing(r).
AB  - One of the major reasons for pregnant women to ask for prenatal diagnosis is to
      detect fetal chromosomal aneuploidies. Analysis of allele ratios of SNPs has been
      used for prenatal detection of fetal aneuploidies using MALDI-TOF mass
      spectrometry (MS). However, quantitative SNP genotyping by MALDI-TOF MS is
      challenging. To obtain a better quantification of allelic ratios, a
      Pyrosequencing((r)) protocol for SNP genotyping has been developed to perform
      prenatal diagnosis of aneuploidies.To avoid the laborious process and risk of
      cross-contamination brought in by DNA extraction procedures, a PCR assay, which
      can amplify DNA directly from cells in amniotic fluid, has been developed. Pre
      amplification steps such as cell enrichment and heating are required to obtain
      sufficient amounts of amplification products.In this chapter, SNPs on chromosome
      21 are used to detect trisomy 21 as an example of aneuploidy by quantifying the
      allele ratio using Pyrosequencing. Primer selection for PCRs and Pyrosequencing
      reactions, optimization of nucleotide dispensation orders, establishment of
      cutoff values for trisomy 21, and interpretation of data are all factors
      essential for a successful diagnosis and are discussed in detail herein. 

PMID- 26103897
TI  - HLA-B and HLA-C Supratyping by Pyrosequencing(r).
AB  - Usually, HLA typing has been performed either by serology-based typing incubating
      a panel of known anti-HLA antibodies with viable lymphocytes of unknown HLA type
      or by molecular typing including medium-resolution HLA typing by Sequence
      Specific Oligonucleotide Probes (SSOP) or high-resolution HLA typing by Sequence
      Based Typing (SBT). Traditionally, HLA antigens have been defined using
      serological techniques, but these methods have several disadvantages, such as low
      resolution, the requirement for viable cells, and cell surface expression of HLA
      molecules. HLA type screening methods are categorized as low, medium, and high
      resolution, and only sequencing-based typing methods provide the highest
      resolution and are considered the gold standard for HLA typing.Among the HLA SBT
      based-methods, the Pyrosequencing((r)) technique is an extremely versatile and
      accurate real-time sequencing technique with some advantages compared to classic
      Sanger method.Here, we describe a quick and inexpensive method that allows
      through the use of Pyrosequencing subtyping of HLA class I molecules, into HLA
      Bw6, -Bw4 I80, or -Bw4 T80 and HLA-C1, or -C2 groups. In particular, this
      analysis is focused on the amino acids around residue 80. This method
      demonstrated good sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. Using a
      quantitative allele acquisition mode, the method provides accurate sequence
      information required for the definition of heterozygous and/or homozygous
      samples. 

PMID- 26103898
TI  - Allele Quantification Pyrosequencing(r) at Designated SNP Sites to Detect Allelic
      Expression Imbalance and Loss-of-Heterozygosity.
AB  - Pyrosequencing((r)) is able to quantitate the level of a nucleotide at a
      designated germ-line or somatic variant, including single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs). SNPs within a gene of interest may be used to distinguish
      between the two genetic alleles and study their behavior in heterozygous
      individuals. With regard to cancer etiology and development, identification of
      alleles and the detection of allelic imbalances, such as transcriptional loss
      from one allele or loss-of-heterozygosity (due to deletion of one allele), within
      a tumor are particularly useful. Lynch syndrome, the most common form of
      hereditary bowel and uterine cancer, is caused by heterozygous germ-line
      mutations within the DNA mismatch repair genes and tumors develop following
      inactivation of the remaining functional allele within somatic tissues, usually
      by acquired loss-of-heterozygosity. MLH1 is the most frequently mutated gene in
      Lynch syndrome; however, some cases whose tumors display immunohistochemical loss
      of the MLH1 protein have no apparent mutation within the coding region of MLH1.
      Allelic loss of expression or reduced function of MLH1 can also result in the
      propensity to develop Lynch syndrome associated cancers. In this chapter we
      describe allele quantification Pyrosequencing assays designed at a common benign
      SNP within the MLH1 coding region for application to either DNA or mRNA (cDNA)
      templates, which enabled us to detect pathological allelic imbalances in such
      cases with suspected Lynch syndrome. Our allele quantification Pyrosequencing
      assays at the MLH1 c.655A > G (rs1799977) exonic SNP were applied to clinical
      specimens and detected both constitutional allelic expression loss and tumor loss
      of-heterozygosity in some cases, facilitating the identification of the
      mechanistic cause underlying their cancer development. We provide detailed
      protocols for implementing these Pyrosequencing assays and illustrative examples
      of their application in patients. 

PMID- 26103899
TI  - Quantitative DNA Methylation Analysis by Pyrosequencing(r).
AB  - DNA methylation is an epigenetic mark playing an important role in development
      and disease. Aberrant DNA methylation was identified as an alternative mechanism
      for gene inactivation complementing deletions and mutations in cancer initiation
      and progression. However, to accurately compare differences in DNA methylation
      among various tissue types, adequate quantitative approaches are required.
      Pyrosequencing((r)), as a sequencing-by-synthesis method, allows such
      quantification with single CpG resolution and the ability for threshold
      determination. This book chapter provides a detailed protocol for DNA methylation
      analysis by Pyrosequencing, including information on assay design and practical
      procedure. Additionally, emphasis is placed on the discussion of strengths and
      weaknesses of the methodology. 

PMID- 26103900
TI  - Quantitative Methylation Analysis of the PCDHB Gene Cluster.
AB  - Long Range Epigenetic Silencing (LRES) is a repressed chromatin state of large
      chromosomal regions caused by DNA hypermethylation and histone modifications and
      is commonly observed in cancer. At 5q31 a LRES region of 800 kb includes three
      multi-gene clusters (PCDHA@, PCDHB@, and PCDHG@, respectively). Multiple
      experimental evidences have led to consider the PCDHB cluster as a DNA
      methylation marker of aggressiveness in neuroblastoma, second most common solid
      tumor in childhood. Because of its potential involvement not only in
      neuroblastoma but also in other malignancies, an easy and fast assay to screen
      the DNA methylation content of the PCDHB cluster might be useful for the precise
      stratification of the patients into risk groups and hence for choosing the most
      appropriate therapeutic protocol. Accordingly, we have developed a simple and
      cost-effective Pyrosequencing((r)) assay to evaluate the methylation level of 17
      genes in the protocadherin B cluster (PCDHB@). The rationale behind this
      Pyrosequencing assay can in principle be applied to analyze the DNA methylation
      level of any gene cluster with high homologies for screening purposes.

PMID- 26103901
TI  - Assessment of Changes in Global DNA Methylation Levels by Pyrosequencing(r) of
      Repetitive Elements.
AB  - Transposable elements (TE) comprise half of the human genome. LINE-1 and ALU are
      the most common TE, and they have been used to assess changes in the DNA
      methylation of repetitive elements in response to intrinsic and extrinsic
      cellular events. Pyrosequencing((r)) is a real-time sequencing technology that
      enables quantitative assessment of TE methylation at single-base resolution. In
      Pyrosequencing, a region of interest is first amplified from bisulfite-converted
      DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), before PCR amplicons are rendered single
      stranded and annealed with the Pyrosequencing primer prior to sequencing. In this
      chapter, we provide an overview of the analysis of repetitive element DNA
      methylation by bisulfite Pyrosequencing, and we describe a protocol that can be
      used for such purposes. 

PMID- 26103902
TI  - Global Analysis of DNA 5-Methylcytosine Using the Luminometric Methylation Assay,
      LUMA.
AB  - The study of epigenetic alterations of the genome is becoming increasingly
      important in order to understand how environment and genetic background interact
      to build and regulate the functional genome. There are several types of
      epigenetic modifications to both DNA and histone proteins in eukaryotic cells;
      chiefly studied among these are changes to cytosine, where methylation of the 5
      carbon position is the most prominent. Although this has many consequences for
      gene regulation and cell differentiation, other modifications have recently
      emerged as biologically relevant. Since global DNA methylation states may be used
      as a general measure of the methylome, cost-effective, rapid, and specific
      analytical tools are wanted.This protocol described here focuses on the
      Luminometric Methylation Assay (LUMA), a method which analyzes global DNA 5
      methylcytosine (5mC) through the use of restriction enzymes and detection with
      Pyrosequencing((r)). Up to 96 samples can be simultaneously analyzed. In contrast
      to the majority of other methods focused on 5mC analysis, with appropriate
      enzymes, LUMA does not appear to detect 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and is
      therefore more specific than most 5mC techniques.

PMID- 26103903
TI  - Limiting Dilution Bisulfite Pyrosequencing(r): A Method for Methylation Analysis
      of Individual DNA Molecules in a Single or a Few Cells.
AB  - Bisulfite-based methods for DNA methylation analysis of small amounts of DNA from
      a limited number of cells are technologically challenging. Degradation of genomic
      DNA by bisulfite treatment, contamination with foreign DNA, and biases in the
      amplification of individual DNA molecules can generate results, which are not
      representative of the starting sample. Limiting dilution (LD) bisulfite
      Pyrosequencing((r)) (BSP) is a relatively simple technique to circumvent these
      problems. The bisulfite-treated DNA of a single or a few cells is diluted to an
      extent, that only a single DNA target molecule is present in the reaction. Then
      each individual DNA molecule in the starting sample is separately amplified and
      analyzed by Pyrosequencing. This allows the detection of rare alleles that are
      easily masked when pools of DNA target molecules are analyzed. Amplicons
      containing a heterozygous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) allow one to
      delineate the parental origin of the recovered molecules in addition to their
      methylation status. The number of cells (DNA target molecules) in the starting
      sample determines the dilution level and the number of reactions that have to be
      performed. LD-BSP allows methylation analysis of small cell pools (i.e., 5-10
      microdissected cells) and even individual cells. The primers and PCR conditions
      described here have been successfully employed to analyze the methylation status
      of up to eight target genes in individual 2-16 cell embryos, germinal vesicle
      (GV) oocytes, and haploid sperms. 

PMID- 26103904
TI  - Detection of Loss of Imprinting by Pyrosequencing(r).
AB  - Genomic imprinting is an epigenetically regulated process determining allele
      specific expression in a parent-of-origin dependent manner. Altered expression of
      imprinted genes characterizes numerous congenital diseases including Beckwith
      Wiedemann, Silver-Russell, Angelman, and Prader-Willi syndromes as well as
      acquired disorders such as cancer. The detection of imprinting alterations has
      important translational implications in clinics and the application of the
      Pyrosequencing((r)) technology offers the possibility to identify accurately also
      subtle modifications in allele-specific expression and in DNA methylation
      levels.Here, we describe two methods to investigate genomic imprinting defects
      (loss of imprinting, LOI) using Pyrosequencing: (1) Allele-specific expression
      analysis based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), and (2) quantification of
      DNA methylation.The protocol for the quantification of the allele-specific
      expression is carried out by analyzing an informative SNP located within the
      transcribed portion of an imprinted gene. The method includes the cDNA
      amplification of the region containing the SNP and the Pyrosequencing-based
      analysis for the quantitative allelic discrimination comparing the ratio of the
      two alleles.The second protocol allows the accurate quantification of the DNA
      methylation levels at the Imprinting Control Regions (ICRs). Imprinted genes are
      clustered in chromosomal regions and their expression is mainly regulated by DNA
      methylation at CpG sites located within the ICRs. After bisulfite modification of
      the genomic DNA, the region of interest is amplified by PCR and analyzed by
      Pyrosequencing. The methylation value at each CpG site is calculated by the CpG
      software, which determines the ratio of the incorporation of "C" and "T" and
      converts the value in methylation percentage.

PMID- 26103905
TI  - Analysis of DNA Methylation Patterns in Single Blastocysts by Pyrosequencing(r).
AB  - Extensive epigenetic reprogramming occurs during mammalian gametogenesis and
      preimplantation development. DNA methylation patterns that are laid down during
      these stages are essential for subsequent normal foetal development. The
      requirement for more precise assessment of the epigenetic programming of in vitro
      derived human preimplantation embryo has become of paramount importance following
      the identification of epigenetic diseases that are associated with assisted
      reproduction and/or infertility. Such techniques are also useful and applicable
      to experimental reproductive biology. In order to expand our knowledge of
      epigenetic marks, including DNA methylation, during mammalian reproduction and
      early development, it is necessary to test new and sufficiently sensitive
      protocols. There are, however, unique challenges to obtain DNA methylation data
      from the small cell numbers that are present in the preimplantation embryo. In
      this protocol, we describe the successful application of Pyrosequencing((r)) to
      yield quantitative DNA methylation data over several CpG sites at differentially
      methylated regions (DMRs) at imprinted loci in single blastocysts, in this case,
      human blastocysts. Future developments of the protocol will allow DNA methylation
      analysis of a more extensive panel of genes for each embryo and at the same time,
      since the protocol allows for the extraction of mRNA from the embryo, the
      comparison between DNA methylation and gene expression. 

PMID- 26103906
TI  - Allele-Specific DNA Methylation Detection by Pyrosequencing(r).
AB  - DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that plays important roles in
      healthy as well as diseased cells, by influencing the transcription of genes. In
      spite the fact that human somatic cells are diploid, most of the currently
      available methods for the study of DNA methylation do not provide information on
      the methylation status of individual alleles of genes. This information may be of
      importance in many situations. In particular, in cancer both alleles of tumour
      suppressor genes generally need to be inactivated for a phenotypic effect to be
      observed. Here, we present a simple and cost-effective protocol for allele
      specific DNA methylation detection based on Pyrosequencing((r)) of methylation
      specific PCR (MSP) products including a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
      within the amplicon. 

PMID- 26103907
TI  - SNP-Based Quantification of Allele-Specific DNA Methylation Patterns by
      Pyrosequencing(r).
AB  - The analysis of allele-specific DNA methylation patterns has recently attracted
      much interest as loci of allele-specific DNA methylation overlap with known risk
      loci for complex diseases and the analysis might contribute to the fine-mapping
      and interpretation of non-coding genetic variants associated with complex
      diseases and improve the understanding between genotype and phenotype. In the
      presented protocol, we present a method for the analysis of DNA methylation
      patterns on both alleles separately using heterozygous Single Nucleotide
      Polymorphisms (SNPs) as anchor for allele-specific PCR amplification followed by
      analysis of the allele-specific DNA methylation patterns by Pyrosequencing((r)).
      Pyrosequencing is an easy-to-handle, quantitative real-time sequencing method
      that is frequently used for genotyping as well as for the analysis of DNA
      methylation patterns. The protocol consists of three major steps: (1)
      identification of individuals heterozygous for a SNP in a region of interest
      using Pyrosequencing; (2) analysis of the DNA methylation patterns surrounding
      the SNP on bisulfite-treated DNA to identify regions of potential allele-specific
      DNA methylation; and (3) the analysis of the DNA methylation patterns associated
      with each of the two alleles, which are individually amplified using allele
      specific PCR. The enrichment of the targeted allele is re-enforced by
      modification of the allele-specific primers at the allele-discriminating base
      with Locked Nucleic Acids (LNA). For the proof-of-principle of the developed
      approach, we provide assay details for three imprinted genes (IGF2, IGF2R, and
      PEG3) within this chapter. The mean of the DNA methylation patterns derived from
      the individual alleles corresponds well to the overall DNA methylation patterns
      and the developed approach proved more reliable compared to other protocols for
      allele-specific DNA methylation analysis. 

PMID- 26103908
TI  - DNA Methylation Analysis of ChIP Products at Single Nucleotide Resolution by
      Pyrosequencing(r).
AB  - Interaction and co-occurrence of protein and DNA-based epigenetic modifications
      have become a topic of interest for many fundamental and biomedical questions. We
      describe within this chapter a protocol that combines two techniques in order to
      determine the methylation status of the DNA specifically associated with a
      protein of interest. First, DNA that directly interacts with the selected protein
      (such as a specific histone modification, a transcription factor, or any other
      DNA-associated protein) is purified by standard chromatin immunoprecipitation
      (ChIP). Second, the level of DNA methylation of this immunoprecipitated DNA is
      measured by bisulfite conversion and Pyrosequencing, a quantitative sequencing-by
      synthesis method. This procedure allows determining the methylation status of
      genomic DNA associated to a specific protein at single nucleotide resolution. 

PMID- 26103909
TI  - Multiplex Pyrosequencing(r): Simultaneous Genotyping Based on SNPs from Distant
      Genomic Regions.
AB  - Pyrosequencing((r)) is a technique that allows the quick sequencing of short
      stretches of DNA, and results can be inspected in real time as they are
      generated. As such, it is a highly useful tool for the typing of organisms, based
      on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, if a single polymorphism is
      not sufficient for typing and several distant genomic regions need to be
      examined, multiple Pyrosequencing reactions have to be performed for each
      organism. This strongly increases both workload and reagent costs. Alternatively,
      multiplex Pyrosequencing can be performed, in which the multiple sequencing
      reactions for all analyzed genomic regions are performed in a single reaction.
      However, when using this method, special care has to be taken while designing the
      assay and analyzing the results.Here we present a detailed protocol using our
      newly developed software mPSQed for assay design and MultiPSQ for data analysis. 

PMID- 26103910
TI  - Detection of Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health problem. The increasing prevalence of
      drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of TB, demands new
      measures to combat the situation. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of the pathogen
      and its drug susceptibility pattern is essential for timely initiation of optimal
      treatment, and, ultimately, control of the disease. We have developed a molecular
      method for detection of first- and second-line drug resistance in M. tuberculosis
      by Pyrosequencing((r)). The method consists of seven Pyrosequencing assays for
      the detection of mutations in the genes or promoter regions, which are most
      commonly responsible for resistance to the drugs rifampicin, isoniazid,
      ethambutol, amikacin, kanamycin, capreomycin, and fluoroquinolones. The method
      was validated on clinical isolates and it was shown that the sensitivity and
      specificity of the method were comparable to those of Sanger sequencing. In the
      protocol in this chapter we describe the steps necessary for setting up and
      performing Pyrosequencing for M. tuberculosis. The first part of the protocol
      describes the assay development and the second part of the protocol describes
      utilization of the method. 

PMID- 26103911
TI  - Application of Pyrosequencing(r) in Food Biodefense.
AB  - The perpetration of a bioterrorism attack poses a significant risk for public
      health with potential socioeconomic consequences. It is imperative that we
      possess reliable assays for the rapid and accurate identification of biothreat
      agents to make rapid risk-informed decisions on emergency response. The
      development of advanced methodologies for the detection of biothreat agents has
      been evolving rapidly since the release of the anthrax spores in the mail in
      2001, and recent advances in detection and identification techniques could prove
      to be an essential component in the defense against biological attacks. Sequence
      based approaches such as Pyrosequencing((r)), which has the capability to
      determine short DNA stretches in real time using biotinylated PCR amplicons, have
      potential biodefense applications. Using markers from the virulence plasmids and
      chromosomal regions, my laboratory has demonstrated the power of this technology
      in the rapid, specific, and sensitive detection of B. anthracis spores and
      Yersinia pestis in food. These are the first applications for the detection of
      the two organisms in food. Furthermore, my lab has developed a rapid assay to
      characterize the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene profiles for Y. pestis using
      Pyrosequencing. Pyrosequencing is completed in about 60 min (following PCR
      amplification) and yields accurate and reliable results with an added layer of
      confidence, thus enabling rapid risk-informed decisions to be made. A typical run
      yields 40-84 bp reads with 94-100 % identity to the expected sequence. It also
      provides a rapid method for determining the AMR profile as compared to the
      conventional plate method which takes several days. The method described is
      proposed as a novel detection system for potential application in food
      biodefense. 

PMID- 26103912
TI  - Forensic Analysis of Mitochondrial and Autosomal Markers Using Pyrosequencing(r).
AB  - Forensic casework analyses often face challenges, such as limited genetic
      material with or without fragmentation and damage. To compensate for low amounts
      and degradation, shorter amplicons are often applied in the analysis. Also, a
      change of markers might be necessary using mitochondrial instead of autosomal
      markers. In addition, forensic research often involves analysis of large number
      of samples for marker evaluation and population-database compilation. Therefore,
      a flexible, robust but also rapid method for the detection of variation is highly
      useful. Pyrosequencing((r)) is a rapid, reliable, easy-to-use method for sequence
      analysis. The method is well suited for rapid forensic analysis of a few targets
      or analysis of a single target in many samples. It allows sequencing of very
      short amplicons, which facilitates analysis of degraded DNA. Here we present the
      use of Pyrosequencing, a robust method for sensitive forensic analysis of
      mitochondrial DNA, autosomal STRs, and Y-chromosome STRs and SNPs. 

PMID- 26103913
TI  - Tissue-Specific DNA Methylation Patterns in Forensic Samples Detected by
      Pyrosequencing(r).
AB  - In certain circumstances the outcome of a trial may hinge on the ability of a
      forensic laboratory to determine the identity of biological stains present at
      crime scenes. An example of such a situation would be the detection of blood,
      saliva, vaginal fluid, or other body fluid in a specific location whereby its
      presence would reinforce the victim's or suspect's version of the events that
      happened during the commission of a crime. However, current serological methods
      used for identifying body fluids may lack the sensitivity and specificity to
      identify these fluids, particularly for trace levels. New procedures using
      proteomic methods and RNA-based gene expression show promise in addressing this
      issue; however, concerns about stability and relative levels of gene expression
      remain. An alternative approach is to utilize patterns of epigenetic DNA
      methylation. DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that regulates the
      specificity of genes being expressed or silenced in cells. Regions in the human
      genome referred to as tissue-specific differentially methylated regions account
      for unique patterns of DNA methylation that are specific for each cell type. This
      chapter addresses the application of bisulfite-modified PCR combined with
      Pyrosequencing((r)) to detect tissue-specific DNA methylation patterns and
      perform trace serological analysis. The quantitative nature and precision
      available with Pyrosequencing presents major advantages in these studies as it
      permits detection of and contrast between cells with differential levels of
      methylation. The procedure can be applied to a variety of biological fluids which
      may be present at crime scenes. 

PMID- 26103914
TI  - BMP protein-mediated crosstalk between inflammatory cells and human pluripotent
      stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.
AB  - Following cardiac injury, the ischaemic heart tissue is characterized by the
      invasion of pro-inflammatory (M1) and pro-healing (M2) macrophages. Any
      engineered cardiac tissue will inevitably interact with the inflammatory
      environment found at the site of myocardial infarction at the time of
      implantation. However, the interactions between the inflammatory and the cardiac
      repair cells remain poorly understood. Here we recapitulated in vitro some of the
      important cellular events found at the site of myocardial injury, such as
      macrophage recruitment and their effect on cardiac differentiation and
      maturation, by taking into account the involvement of paracrine-mediated
      signalling. By using a 3D inverted invasion assay, we found that cardiomyocyte
      (CM) conditioned medium can trigger the recruitment of pro-inflammatory (M1)
      macrophages, through a mechanism that involves, in part, CM-derived BMP4. Pro
      inflammatory (M1) macrophages were also found to affect CM proliferation and
      differentiation potential, in part due to BMP molecules secreted by macrophages.
      These effects involved the activation of the canonical outside-in signalling
      pathways, such as SMAD1,5,8, which are known to be activated during myocardial
      injury in vivo. In the present study we propose a new role for CM- and macrophage
      derived BMP proteins during the recruitment of macrophage subtypes and the
      maturation of repair cells, representing an important step towards creating a
      functional cardiac patch with superior therapeutic properties. Copyright (c) 2015
      John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26103915
TI  - Safe transcranial electric stimulation motor evoked potential monitoring during
      posterior spinal fusion in two patients with cochlear implants.
AB  - Transcranial electric stimulation (TES) motor evoked potentials (MEPs) have
      become a regular part of intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IONM) for
      posterior spinal fusion (PSF) surgery. Almost all of the relative
      contraindications to TES have come and gone. One exception is in the case of
      patients with a cochlear implant (CI). Herein we illustrate two cases of
      pediatric patients with CIs who underwent PSF using TES MEPs as part of IONM. In
      both instances the patients displayed no untoward effects from TES, and post
      operatively both CIs were intact and functioning as they were prior to surgery. 

PMID- 26103916
TI  - Ethical problems in health research with indigenous or originary peoples in Peru.
AB  - The varied, abrupt and amazing geography of the land of Peru is home of one of
      the major concentrations of indigenous peoples in the world. The asymmetry of
      power, however, in their relationship with the rest of society and the State is
      still very evident in their social exclusion, their gap in social and economic
      development, barriers in their access to health services as well as their
      marginalization and exploitation as subjects of health research. In this paper,
      we analyse two cases of research on indigenous populations in Peru, discuss them
      from the point of view of bioethics and reflect on important issues for
      researchers, research participants and the society, such as the need to respect
      different cultures, the need that the research being done is relevant to the
      needs of the population in which it is conducted and the necessity to empower
      indigenous communities in participatory research, to strengthen the institutions
      and to protect human rights, namely through ethics committees for research and
      the free, informed and meaningful informed consent. This approach should foster
      quality research, while at the same time fully respecting human rights and
      bioethics. We cannot forget that advancements in genetics, throughout the world,
      are very much in debt to indigenous populations. 

PMID- 26103917
TI  - Covalent docking using autodock: Two-point attractor and flexible side chain
      methods.
AB  - We describe two methods of automated covalent docking using Autodock4: the two
      point attractor method and the flexible side chain method. Both methods were
      applied to a training set of 20 diverse protein-ligand covalent complexes,
      evaluating their reliability in predicting the crystallographic pose of the
      ligands. The flexible side chain method performed best, recovering the pose in
      75% of cases, with failures for the largest inhibitors tested. Both methods are
      freely available at the AutoDock website (http://autodock.scripps.edu).

PMID- 26103918
TI  - Optimum predictors of therapeutic outcome in HCV patients in Pakistan.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) constitutes a major public health issue in Pakistan.
      Interferon alpha and ribavirin is used widely in routine practice in HCV infected
      patients in Pakistan.Treatment prediction is an important tool in therapy
      management. The present study aims to evaluate trends of predictive variables of
      treatment outcome in patients with different genotypes. The analysis comprised of
      921 patients infected with different HCV genotypes. All the patients received IFN
      alpha-2b combined with ribavirin for 24 weeks. Overall, 60.2% patients achieved
      Sustained virologic response (SVR). In females sustained virologic response (SVR)
      was higher in age group <40 years (77.2%) than >=40-50 years (60%) but in male
      SVR was almost equal in both age groups. We also found higher SVR with low
      pretreatment viral load (72.4%, P < 0.0001). Sustained Virologic Response in
      genotype 3a was 63.1%, 3b was 55%, 1a was 36.3% and 1b was 35% 3a +3b was 55.0%
      and 1a+3a was 42.9%. According to multivariable logistic regression analysis age
      < 40 years (2.0; 95%CI, 1.49-2.84; P = 0.0001), low pretreatment RNA
      level<800,000 IU/ml (4.0; 95%CI, 2.64-6.17; P = 0.0001), early virologic response
      at week 12 (12.3; 95%CI, 8.18-18.58; P < 0.0001) and non-fatty liver (2.5; 95%CI,
      3.6-6.2; P = 0.005) showed significance for SVR. Nucleotide substitution in 5'UTR
      before treatment failed to show any characteristic pattern that has correlation
      with sustained response. Subtype 3a showed 95% presence among patients with age
      <40 years while older patients showed 79.9%.

PMID- 26103919
TI  - Effects of Home Visitation on Maternal Competencies, Family Environment, and
      Child Development: a Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - Based on the US Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program, the German home visiting
      program "Pro Kind" offered support for socially and financially disadvantaged
      first-time mothers from pregnancy until the children's second birthday. A multi
      centered, longitudinal randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to assess
      its effectiveness on mothers and children. A total of 755 women with multiple
      risk factors were recruited, 394 received regular home visits (treatment group),
      while 361 only had access to standard community services (control group). Program
      influences on family environment (e.g., quality of home, social support),
      maternal competencies (e.g., maternal self-efficacy, empathy, parenting style),
      and child development (e.g., cognitive and motor development) were assessed from
      mothers' program intake in pregnancy to children's second birthday based on self
      reports in regular interviews and developmental tests. Generalized estimating
      equations (GEE) models showed small, but significant positive treatment effects
      on parental self-efficacy, and marginally significant effects on social support,
      and knowledge on child rearing. Maternal stress, self-efficacy, and feelings of
      attachment in the TG tend to show a more positive development over time. Subgroup
      effects were found for high-risk mothers in the TG, who reported more social
      support over time and, generally, had children with higher developmental scores
      compared to their CG counterparts. Post hoc analyses of implementation variables
      revealed the quality of the helping relationship as a significant indicator of
      treatment effects. Results are discussed in terms of implementation and public
      policy differences between NFP and Pro Kind. 

PMID- 26103920
TI  - Changing Latino Adolescents' Substance Use Norms and Behaviors: the Effects of
      Synchronized Youth and Parent Drug Use Prevention Interventions.
AB  - While parent and youth substance use prevention interventions have shown
      beneficial effects on preadolescents, many programs have typically targeted US
      born European American and African American families while overlooking the unique
      factors that characterize recent immigrant Latino families. This article presents
      the results on youth substance use when adding a culturally grounded parenting
      component, Familias Preparando la Nueva Generacion (FPNG), to the existing and
      already proven efficacious classroom-based drug abuse prevention intervention,
      keepin'it REAL (kiR). Data come from youth (N = 267) participating in the
      randomized control trial of the interventions who were surveyed at baseline
      (beginning at 7th grade) and 18 months later (end of 8th grade). Using
      multivariate linear regression path analyses, results indicate when FPNG and kiR
      are combined, youth had significantly lowered alcohol and cigarettes use at the
      end of 8th grade, mediated through anti-drug norms, when compared with youth who
      only participated in kiR without parental participation in FPNG. These findings
      indicate that adolescent normative beliefs and related behaviors can be changed
      through synchronized culturally grounded parent and youth interventions and
      together can play an important role in reducing adolescent substance use. 

PMID- 26103921
TI  - Pilot Test of an Adapted, Evidence-Based HIV Sexual Risk Reduction Intervention
      for Homeless Women.
AB  - Women experiencing homelessness are at heightened risk for HIV, yet risk
      reduction interventions specifically designed for this population are lacking.
      This study reports on a pilot efficacy trial of a brief evidence-based
      intervention, Sister To Sister (STS), that we specifically adapted for homeless
      women in the temporary/emergency settings where they typically seek services.
      Seventy-nine women, recruited from three service sites in Los Angeles County,
      were assigned to the 40-min adapted STS intervention or an information-only
      control group. At 30-day follow-up, intervention participants reported
      significantly greater condom use, intentions to use condoms, and sexual impulse
      control (as well as marginally higher positive condom beliefs and condom self
      efficacy) compared to control participants. Results provide preliminary evidence
      that HIV risk reduction can be achieved for homeless women through a brief skill
      based intervention. A randomized controlled trial employing a longer follow-up
      period to monitor outcomes will be necessary to determine efficacy of the adapted
      intervention. 

PMID- 26103922
TI  - BAFF-driven autoimmunity requires CD19 expression.
AB  - B cell activating factor of the tumor necrosis factor family (BAFF or BLyS) is a
      critical factor for B cell survival and maturation. BAFF-transgenic (BAFF-Tg)
      mice develop autoimmunity that resembles systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a
      T cell-independent but MyD88-dependent manner, implicating toll-like receptor
      (TLR) signaling. The specific B cell subtypes that make pro-inflammatory
      autoantibodies in BAFF-Tg mice are TLR-activated innate B cells known as marginal
      zone (MZ) and B1 B cells. These cells infiltrate the salivary glands and kidneys
      of diseased BAFF-Tg mice. However, loss of B1a or MZ B cells does not protect
      BAFF-Tg mice against disease, suggesting that B1b B cells might be the important
      pathogenic B cell subset. To test this hypothesis, we have generated BAFF-Tg mice
      that retained follicular B cells, but are deficient in B1a, B1b and MZ B cells,
      by crossing BAFF-Tg mice to CD19-deficient mice (BTg-CD19(-/-)). The BTg-CD19(-/
      ) mice did not produce autoantibodies and were protected from splenomegaly,
      kidney pathology and all signs of autoimmunity. This work suggests that B1b B
      cells, rather than MZ or B1a B cells, are sufficient and possibly required for
      the development of autoimmunity. Loss of the majority of innate-like B cells was
      able to protect BAFF-Tg mice from developing disease, so we can now conclude that
      autoimmunity induced by excessive BAFF production requires B1b B cells and CD19
      signaling. 

PMID- 26103923
TI  - Exosomes released by keratinocytes modulate melanocyte pigmentation.
AB  - Cells secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs), exosomes and microvesicles, which
      transfer proteins, lipids and RNAs to regulate recipient cell functions. Skin
      pigmentation relies on a tight dialogue between keratinocytes and melanocytes in
      the epidermis. Here we report that exosomes secreted by keratinocytes enhance
      melanin synthesis by increasing both the expression and activity of melanosomal
      proteins. Furthermore, we show that the function of keratinocyte-derived exosomes
      is phototype-dependent and is modulated by ultraviolet B. In sum, this study
      uncovers an important physiological function for exosomes in human pigmentation
      and opens new avenues in our understanding of how pigmentation is regulated by
      intercellular communication in both healthy and diseased states. 

PMID- 26103924
TI  - Epidemiology of Lyme disease in low-incidence states.
AB  - Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S. Surveillance
      data from four states with a low-incidence of Lyme disease was evaluated. Most
      cases occurred after travel to high-incidence Lyme disease areas. Cases without
      travel-related exposure in low-incidence states differed epidemiologically;
      misdiagnosis may be common in these areas. 

PMID- 26103925
TI  - Identification of non-host semiochemicals for the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus
      sanguineus sensu lato (Acari: Ixodidae), from tick-resistant beagles, Canis lupus
      familiaris.
AB  - Studies have shown that the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato,
      when fed on the beagle breed of dog, Canis lupus familiaris, development
      negatively affected in comparison with tick development after feeding on the
      English cocker spaniel breed. Thus leading to the suggestion that beagle dogs are
      be tick-resistant dogs. Behavioural studies have demonstrated that more ticks are
      attracted by extracts from cocker spaniels than from beagles and that the odour
      of beagles is a repellent. To test the hypothesis that resistant hosts produce
      repellent compounds, we undertook comparative chemical analysis on beagle odour
      and cocker spaniel extracts using coupled high-resolution gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry (GC-MS) and also used Petri-dish and olfactometer behavioural assays
      to assess the response of ticks to identified non-host compounds. The beagle
      odour extracts contained almost three times as many chemical compounds as cocker
      spaniel samples. Several non-host compounds were identified, i.e. 2-hexanone,
      benzaldehyde, nonane, decane and undecane. In Petri-dish assays, 2-hexanone was
      repellent at 30 min at concentrations of 0.200 and 0.050 mg cm(-2), whilst at 10
      min, the 0.100 mg cm(-2) concentration was repellent. Benzaldehyde repelled ticks
      at 30 min (0.200 mg cm(-2)) and at 5 min (0.050 mg cm(-2)). Undecane was
      repellent for R. sanguineus s.l. ticks for the first 5 min at the highest
      concentration tested. Nonane and decane did not show any significant repellency
      at any concentration or time evaluated. When 2-hexanone and benzaldehyde were
      combined, an increase in the repellency rate was observed, with activity
      comparable or better than N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET). In olfactometer
      bioassays, a 1:1 mixture of 2-hexanone:benzaldehyde and DEET were repellent for
      R. sanguineus s.l. adults at the concentration of 0.200 mg cm(-2). This study
      identified non-host semiochemicals that mediate avoidance of the beagle dog breed
      by R. sanguineus s.l. This finding may enable development of new approaches to
      control this tick.

PMID- 26103926
TI  - Common maxillofacial terminology: Do our patients understand who we are?

PMID- 26103927
TI  - Relevance of Whitnall's tubercle and auditory meatus in diagnosing exclusions
      during skull-photo superimposition.
AB  - Video vision mixer based skull-photo superimposition is a popular method for
      identifying skulls retrieved from unidentified human remains. A report on the
      reliability of the superimposition method suggested increased failure rates of
      17.3 to 32% to exclude and 15 to 20% to include skulls while using related and
      unrelated face photographs. Such raise in failures prompted an analysis of the
      methods employed for the research. The protocols adopted for assessing the
      reliability are seen to vary from those suggested by the practitioners in the
      field. The former include overlaying the skull- and face-images on the basis of
      morphology by relying on anthropometric landmarks on the front plane of the face
      images and evaluating the goodness of match depending on mix-mode images; the
      latter consist of orienting the skull considering landmarks on both the eye and
      ear planes of the face- and skull-images and evaluating the match utilizing
      images seen in wipe-mode in addition to those in mix-mode. Superimposition of a
      skull with face-images of five living individuals in two sets of experiments, one
      following the procedure described for the research on reliability and the other
      applying the methods suggested by the practitioners has shown that overlaying the
      images on the basis of morphology depending on the landmarks on the front plane
      alone and assessing the match in mix-mode fails to exclude the skull. However,
      orienting the skull relying on the relationship between the anatomical landmarks
      on the skull- and face-images such as Whitnall's tubercle and exocanthus in the
      front (eye) plane and the porion and tragus in the rear (ear) plane as well as
      assessing the match using wipe-mode images enables excluding that skull while
      superimposing with the same set of face-images. 

PMID- 26103928
TI  - Practical relevance of prescribing superimposition for determining a frontal
      sinus pattern match.
AB  - A research that tested the methods suitable for comparing ante- and post-mortem
      radiographic patterns of frontal sinuses concluded that superimposition should be
      followed as a stringent method for establishing individual identification. We
      verified the practical relevance of prescribing superimposition by superimposing
      ante- and post-mortem frontal sinus patterns recorded in case situations as well
      as simulated ante- and post-mortem of frontal sinus patterns recorded using
      archived skulls. For superimposition, the wipe facility available in the vision
      mixer was employed in addition to the mix mode. Ante- and post-mortem
      radiographic patterns that were available in two earlier cases were not
      superimposable. Related simulated ante- and post-mortem radiographic patterns of
      frontal sinuses are superimposable only when the skull that is initially oriented
      for recording the ante-mortem radiograph is retained in the same posture for
      recording the post-mortem radiograph also. Once the skull has been removed from
      the X-ray table, after recording the simulated ante-mortem radiograph, and
      repositioned for the simulated post-mortem radiograph, even when the intervening
      time is 1min, the sinus patterns in these radiographs are not superimposable.
      Superimposition cannot be used as a conditional requirement for side-by-side
      comparison of radiographic patterns of frontal sinuses. 

PMID- 26103930
TI  - Amphiphilic graphene oxide stabilisation of hexagonal BN and MoS2 sheets.
AB  - A simple and scalable method has been developed for directly forming water
      dispersible van der Waals solids involving mixing aqueous solution of graphene
      oxide (GO) with hexagonal boron nitride (BN) or molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) in N
      methylpyrrolidone. The GO acts as an amphiphile in stabilising the colloidal
      solutions of the heterolaminar material in water. 

PMID- 26103929
TI  - Efficacy of treatment of edge stenosis of endografts inserted for superficial
      femoral artery stenotic disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The role of endografts in the treatment of extensive superficial
      femoral artery (SFA) occlusive disease is enlarging. Results are limited by the
      occurrence of edge stenosis. The aim of the study was to retrospectively evaluate
      the efficacy of treatment of edge stenosis of endografts inserted for SFA
      occlusive disease. METHODS: All patients, treated between November 2001 and
      December 2011, with a self-expandable polytetrafluoroethylene-endograft were
      gathered in a prospective database in three hospitals. The incidence of primary
      edge stenosis and the incidence of re-edge stenosis after treatment were
      retrospectively noted and a comparison was made between the results of
      percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and extension of the endograft.
      RESULTS: A total of 88 patients presented with 115 edge stenoses, of which the
      majority presented within 1 year after insertion of the endograft (mean time to
      edge stenosis 10.7 +/- 8.2 months). Seventy-three stenoses (63%) manifested at
      the proximal and 42 at the distal edge (37%). The 1-year incidence of restenosis
      and/or occlusion was 45% after PTA and 43% after endograft extension, with 1-year
      patency rates of 81% and 92%, respectively. The incidence of restenosis/occlusion
      after treatment with PTA was 12% higher at two years compared to extension of the
      endograft (55% vs. 43%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Edge stenosis may well be
      treated with either PTA or extension of the endograft. The incidence of
      restenosis and/or occlusion after both PTA and extension is high, but patency
      rates are acceptable. Aggressive surveillance is needed during the first year
      after insertion.

PMID- 26103931
TI  - An iterative procedure for extracting skill maps from data.
AB  - The methodologies for the construction of a knowledge structure mainly refer to
      the query to experts, the skill maps, and the data-driven approaches. This last
      method is of growing interest in recent literature. In this paper, an iterative
      procedure for building a skill map from a set of data is introduced. This
      procedure is based on the minimization of the distance between the knowledge
      structure delineated by a given skill map and the data. The accuracy of the
      proposed method is tested through a number of simulation studies where the amount
      of noise in the data is manipulated as well as the kind of structure to be
      reconstructed. Results show that the procedure is accurate and that its
      performance tends to be sufficiently stable even with high error rates. The
      procedure is compared to two already-existing methodologies to derive knowledge
      structures from a set of data. The use of the corrected Akaike Information
      Criterion (AICc) as a stopping criterion of the iterative reconstruction
      procedure is tested against the app criterion introduced by Schrepp. Moreover,
      two empirical applications on clinical data are reported, and their results show
      the applicability of the procedure.

PMID- 26103932
TI  - Major hepatectomies for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma: Predictors for clinically
      relevant postoperative complications using the International Study Group of Liver
      Surgery definitions.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Major hepatectomies are widely used in curative-intent surgery
      for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, but morbidity rates are high. The aim of the
      study is to explore potential predictors for clinically relevant complications
      after major hepatectomies for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: Seventy
      patients were included. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for
      risk factors of morbidities using the International Study Group of Liver Surgery
      definitions. RESULTS: Severe morbidity rate was 36.5%. Clinically relevant
      posthepatectomy liver failure, bile leak, and hemorrhage rates were 24%, 22%, and
      8.5%, respectively. A neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio > 3.3 is an independent
      prognostic factor for severe complications (hazard ratio = 1.258; 95% confidence
      interval 1.008-1.570; p = 0.042) while the number of blood units > 3 is an
      independent prognostic factor for clinically relevant liver failure (hazard ratio
      = 1.254; 95% confidence interval 1.082-1.452; p = 0.003). Biliary drainage and
      portal vein resection were not statistically correlated with any postoperative
      complication (p >= 0.101). Significantly higher bilirubinemia levels were
      observed in patients with postoperative hemorrhage (p = 0.023). CONCLUSION:
      Clinically relevant morbidity rates after major hepatectomies for perihilar
      cholangiocarcinoma are high. Liver failure represents the main complication and
      is correlated with the number of transfused blood units. A patient with increased
      bilirubinemia appears to have a high risk for postoperative hemorrhage. Biliary
      drainage and portal vein resection does not appear to have a detrimental effect
      on morbidities. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is a novel independent predictor
      for severe morbidity after major hepatectomies for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma
      and may contribute to better and informed decision-making.

PMID- 26103933
TI  - Simultaneous resection of pulmonary tumor following cardiovascular surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A pulmonary tumor is occasionally detected on a chest computed
      tomography (CT) scan before cardiovascular surgery. PURPOSE: In this study, we
      examined clinical courses of patients who had undergone the simultaneous
      resection of a pulmonary tumor following cardiovascular surgery. METHODS: From
      2008 to 2013, 18 patients (13 men and 5 women) with a median age of 69.8 years
      underwent the wedge pulmonary resection for a lung tumor through a median
      thoracotomy following cardiovascular surgery in our hospital. Cardiovascular
      surgeries consisted of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in six
      patients, aortic valve replacement and/or mitral valve plasty in 10 patients,
      total arch replacement in 10 patients and descending aorta replacement in 10
      patients. RESULTS: No complications associated with pulmonary resections were
      observed. Pathological examination revealed that 15 patients (83.3%) were
      diagnosed with lung cancers including 13 adenocarcinomas and two squamous cell
      carcinomas, with the clinical stages of 1A in 13 patients, 2A in one patient and
      2B in one patient. Among them, five patients received the radical pulmonary
      resection subsequently, whereas 10 patients were unable to receive it due to
      their poor cardiopulmonary function. Kaplan-Meier analysis of patients with lung
      cancer revealed that the 5-year survival rate and progression-free survival (PFS)
      rate after 3 years from the surgery were 46.2% and 73.8%, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The simultaneous resection of pulmonary tumor following
      cardiovascular surgery is safely performed, and is useful for the pathological
      diagnosis of the tumor. Further studies are warranted, however, this procedure
      may contribute to controlling the progression of lung cancer in patients with
      cardiovascular disease with comorbidities.

PMID- 26103934
TI  - Co-occurrence of tannin and tannin-less vacuoles in sensitive plants.
AB  - Vacuoles of different types frequently coexist in the same plant cell, but the
      duality of the tannin/tannin-less vacuoles observed in Mimosa pudica L. is rare.
      In this plant, which is characterized by highly motile leaves, the development
      and original features of the double vacuolar compartment were detailed in primary
      pulvini from the young to the mature leaf stage. In young pulvini, the
      differentiation of tannin vacuoles first occurred in the epidermis and
      progressively spread toward the inner cortex. In motor cells of nonmotile
      pulvini, tannin deposits first lined the membranes of small vacuole profiles and
      then formed opaque clusters that joined together to form a large tannin vacuole
      (TV), the proportion of which in the cell was approximately 45%. At this stage,
      transparent vacuole profiles were rare and small, but as the parenchyma cells
      enlarged, these profiles coalesced to form a transparent vacuole with a convexity
      toward the larger-sized tannin vacuole. When leaf motility began to occur, the
      two vacuole types reached the same relative proportion (approximately 30%).
      Finally, in mature cells displaying maximum motility, the large transparent
      colloidal vacuole (CV) showed a relative proportion increasing to approximately
      50%. At this stage, the proportion of the tannin vacuole, occurring in the
      vicinity of the nucleus, decreased to approximately 10%. The presence of the
      condensed type of tannins (proanthocyanidins) was proven by detecting their
      fluorescence under UV light and by specific chemical staining. This dual vacuolar
      profile was also observed in nonmotile parts of M. pudica (e.g., the petiole and
      the stem). Additional observations of leaflet pulvini showing more or less rapid
      movements showed that this double vacuolar structure was present in certain
      plants (Mimosa spegazzinii and Desmodium gyrans), but absent in others (Albizzia
      julibrissin, Biophytum sensitivum, and Cassia fasciculata). Taken together, these
      observations strongly suggest that a direct correlation cannot be found between
      the presence of a tannin vacuole and the osmoregulated motility of pulvini.

PMID- 26103935
TI  - Determination of methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone in
      cosmetic products by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem
      mass spectrometry.
AB  - Isothiazolinone biocides are broad-spectrum preservatives that are widely used in
      cosmetics, household, and industrial products. An increase in the number of cases
      of allergic contact dermatitis to isothiazolinone preservatives, namely,
      methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone, have been recently
      noticed. The Food and Drug Administration relies on analytical methods to
      quantify levels of use of cosmetic ingredients and support enforcement action
      against products that are not in compliance with the law. In this study, an
      efficient ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass
      spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of
      methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone in selected cosmetic
      products. The lower limit of quantitation was determined to be 0.1 MUg/g for both
      preservatives. A survey of 24 cosmetic products was conducted and found
      concentrations of methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone ranging
      from not quantified, or below the lower limit of quantitation, to 89.64 MUg/g and
      not quantified to 10.31 MUg/g, respectively. 

PMID- 26103936
TI  - [Hip arthroplasty in the presence of proximal femoral deformity].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Proximal femoral deformities may result in pain in the ipsilateral
      hip joint and profound functional disability, ultimately requiring arthroplasty. 
      PROCEDURE: Primary hip replacement procedures in the presence of markedly altered
      anatomy of the proximal femur present a technical challenge for the orthopedic
      surgeon. The deformity and its underlying condition, whether congenital or
      acquired, may complicate canal preparation and affect the choices of implant,
      exposure and postoperative physiotherapy protocol. Furthermore, a two- or multi
      stage treatment may be required, e.g. for implant removal, for femoral osteotomy
      or to rule out infection. DISCUSSION: Treatment strategies must be individually
      tailored, respecting patient needs, the etiology, the anatomic site and the
      geometry of the deformity encountered, bone quality, soft tissue deficits, the
      presence of retained implants in the proximal femur, infection status and
      comorbidities.

PMID- 26103937
TI  - [Patellofemoral instability in trisomy 21: MPFL-Reconstruction as a single
      procedure].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patellar instability is a common orthopaedic condition which is often
      seen in younger individuals. Biomechanical studies have shown that the medial
      patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) is the most important soft tissue that restrains
      lateral subluxation of the patella in the beginning of flexion of the knee joint.
      METHODS: MPFL reconstruction is an effective procedure to treat recurrent
      patellar dislocation. Double-bundle and single-bundle procedures have been
      described. If double-bundle reconstruction is not possible, there are good
      postoperative outcomes with single-bundle procedure as well. DISCUSSION: This is
      the first report of MPFL reconstruction as a single procedure to treat patellar
      instability in patients with down syndrome.

PMID- 26103938
TI  - When should we change our clinical practice based on the results of a clinical
      study? Study endpoints.

PMID- 26103939
TI  - Effects of electrolyte, catalyst, and membrane composition and operating
      conditions on the performance of solar-driven electrochemical reduction of carbon
      dioxide.
AB  - Solar-driven electrochemical cells can be used to convert carbon dioxide, water,
      and sunlight into transportation fuels or into precursors to such fuels. The
      voltage efficiency of such devices depends on the (i) physical properties of its
      components (catalysts, electrolyte, and membrane); (ii) operating conditions
      (carbon dioxide flowrate and pressure, current density); and (iii) physical
      dimensions of the cell. The sources of energy loss in a carbon dioxide reduction
      (CO2R) cell are the anode and cathode overpotentials, the difference in pH
      between the anode and cathode, the difference in the partial pressure of carbon
      dioxide between the bulk electrolyte and the cathode, the ohmic loss across the
      electrolyte and the diffusional resistances across the boundary layers near the
      electrodes. In this study, we analyze the effects of these losses and propose
      optimal device configurations for the efficient operation of a CO2R
      electrochemical cell operating at a current density of 10 mA cm(-2). Cell
      operation at near-neutral bulk pH offers not only lower polarization losses but
      also better selectivity to CO2R versus hydrogen evolution. Addition of supporting
      electrolyte to increase its conductivity has a negative impact on cell
      performance because it reduces the electric field and the solubility of CO2.
      Addition of a pH buffer reduces the polarization losses but may affect catalyst
      selectivity. The carbon dioxide flowrate and partial pressure can have severe
      effects on the cell efficiency if the carbon dioxide supply rate falls below the
      consumption rate. The overall potential losses can be reduced by use of an anion,
      rather than a cation, exchange membrane. We also show that the maximum
      polarization losses occur for the electrochemical synthesis of CO and that such
      losses are lower for the synthesis of products requiring a larger number of
      electrons per molecule, assuming a fixed current density. We also find that the
      reported electrocatalytic activity of copper below -1 V vs. RHE is strongly
      influenced by excessive polarization of the cathode and, hence, does not
      represent its true activity at bulk conditions. This article provides useful
      guidelines for minimizing polarization losses in solar-driven CO2R
      electrochemical cells and a method for predicting polarization losses and
      obtaining kinetic overpotentials from measured partial current densities. 

PMID- 26103940
TI  - Zebrafish as a model for studying the developmental neurotoxicity of propofol.
AB  - Anesthetics can cause widespread apoptotic neurodegeneration and adverse effects
      on synaptogenesis during early postnatal life. Synaptogenesis correlates with
      several proteins, including myelin basic protein (MBP). However, little is known
      about the adverse effects of exposure to propofol on MBP, particularly during
      embryonic development. Our goal was to use zebrafish to explore the effect of
      propofol on embryonic development, apoptosis and MBP expression. Zebrafish
      embryos were exposed to propofol at defined doses and stages from 6 to 48 h
      postfertilization by immersion. The survival rate, hatchability, aberration rate,
      cell apoptosis and gene expression were analyzed at defined stages. Analysis
      revealed that doses of 1, 2 and 3 ug ml(-1) propofol were reasonable anesthetic
      concentrations for zebrafish embryos. These doses of propofol caused a
      significant decrease in hatchability and an increase in aberration rate.
      Moreover, 6 days postfertilization (dpf) larvae are anesthetized by immersion
      into water containing 1, 2 or 3 ug ml(-1) of propofol. The number of apoptotic
      cells in the head of propofol-treated 36 h postfertilization embryos were
      significantly increased, and the expression of caspases-3, -8 and -9 were
      upregulated. Apoptosis was also induced in the brain of 3 dpf larvae exposed to
      propofol. However, propofol caused a decrease in mbp gene and protein (dose
      dependent) expression levels in the central nervous system of 3 dpf zebrafish.
      These data show that embryonic exposure to propofol is neurotoxic, causing
      increased apoptosis and decreased MBP expression. We believe zebrafish can be
      used as a novel model to explore the mechanisms of propofol neurotoxicity.

PMID- 26103941
TI  - Influence of Family and Childhood Memories in the Development and Manifestation
      of Paranoid Ideation.
AB  - : Several studies point out to the influence of social experiences on perceptions
      of the environment and others in cognitive functioning and different aspects of
      psychopathology. The current study aimed at studying the influence of the
      psychosocial risk factors in a mixed sample of participants from the general
      population and affected by paranoid schizophrenia. The extent to which the
      existence of negative life events and events that are threatening to the inner
      models of the self (i.e., history of maltreatment, physical, social or
      psychological abuse) or the memories of these traumatic events occurring during
      childhood are related to the existence of paranoid beliefs in adulthood was
      explored. Results suggested that memories of parental behaviours characterized by
      antipathy from both parental figures, submissiveness and bullying victimization
      were important predictors of paranoid ideation in adult life. This further
      emphasizes the need for understanding the family and social dynamics of people
      presenting paranoid ideations to the development of therapeutic interventions
      that can effectively reduce the invalidation caused by severe psychopathology, as
      is the case of schizophrenia. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY
      PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Memories of family dynamics characterized by behaviours of
      antipathy from both parental figures, submissiveness and bullying victimization
      are important predictors of paranoid ideation in adult life. The study highlights
      the importance of exploring subjective recalls of feelings and behaviours
      associated with early rearing experiences, peer relationships and themes related
      to social rank theory in the roots of internal models of relationship with the
      self and others in the general sample, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and
      their first-degree relatives. Our findings indicate that schizophrenic patients
      in active phase differ regarding memories of threat and submission and are more
      likely to remember childhood experiences perceived as threatening during an
      active phase than when in remission. It is possible that by changing these
      internal models and social interaction styles, patients may be able to get
      involved in more cooperating and affiliative interactions, disconfirming these
      early beliefs about others being rejecting, critical or hostile towards the self,
      and more effectively reducing the invalidation caused by positive and negative
      symptomatology of schizophrenia on social functioning.

PMID- 26103942
TI  - Grb2 monomer-dimer equilibrium determines normal versus oncogenic function.
AB  - The adaptor protein growth factor receptor-bound protein 2 (Grb2) is ubiquitously
      expressed in eukaryotic cells and involved in a multitude of intracellular
      protein interactions. Grb2 plays a pivotal role in tyrosine kinase-mediated
      signal transduction including linking receptor tyrosine kinases to the
      Ras/mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway, which is implicated in
      oncogenic outcome. Grb2 exists in a constitutive equilibrium between monomeric
      and dimeric states. Here we show that only monomeric Grb2 is capable of binding
      to SOS and upregulating MAP kinase signalling and that the dimeric state is
      inhibitory to this process. Phosphorylation of tyrosine 160 (Y160) on Grb2, or
      binding of a tyrosylphosphate-containing ligand to the SH2 domain of Grb2,
      results in dimer dissociation. Phosphorylation of Y160 on Grb2 is readily
      detectable in the malignant forms of human prostate, colon and breast cancers.
      The self-association/dissociation of Grb2 represents a switch that regulates MAP
      kinase activity and hence controls cancer progression. 

PMID- 26103943
TI  - From Paul Broca's great limbic lobe to the limbic system.
AB  - Paul Broca's concept of the "great limbic lobe" has had a huge impact on
      neuroscience. In this commentary, which accompanies the first English translation
      of the original paper, we comment on Broca's contribution and its influence on
      the understanding of the brain bases of emotion.

PMID- 26103944
TI  - Iron(II) supramolecular helicates condense plasmid DNA and inhibit vital DNA
      related enzymatic activities.
AB  - The dinuclear iron(II) supramolecular helicates [Fe2 L3 ]Cl4 (L=C25 H20 N4 ) bind
      to DNA through noncovalent (i.e., hydrogen-bonding, electrostatic) interactions
      and exhibit antimicrobial and anticancer effects. In this study, we show that the
      helicates condense plasmid DNA with a much higher potency than conventional DNA
      condensing agents. Notably, molecules of DNA in the presence of the M enantiomer
      of [Fe2 L3 ]Cl4 do not form intermolecular aggregates typically formed by other
      condensing agents, such as spermidine or spermine. The helicates inhibit the
      activity of several DNA-processing enzymes, such as RNA polymerase, DNA
      topoisomerase I, deoxyribonuclease I, and site-specific restriction
      endonucleases. However, the results also indicate that the DNA condensation
      induced by the helicates does not play a crucial role in these inhibition
      reactions. The mechanisms for the inhibitory effects of [Fe2 L3 ]Cl4 helicates on
      DNA-related enzymatic activities have been proposed. 

PMID- 26103945
TI  - Toward a genome-wide approach for detecting hybrids: informative SNPs to detect
      introgression between domestic cats and European wildcats (Felis silvestris).
AB  - Endemic gene pools have been severely endangered by human-mediated hybridization,
      which is posing new challenges in the conservation of several vertebrate species.
      The endangered European wildcat is an example of this problem, as several natural
      populations are suffering introgression of genes from the domestic cat. The
      implementation of molecular methods for detecting hybridization is crucial for
      supporting appropriate conservation programs on the wildcat. In this study,
      genetic variation at 158 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was analyzed in
      139 domestic cats, 130 putative European wildcats and 5 captive-bred hybrids
      (N=274). These SNPs were variable both in wild (HE=0.107) and domestic cats
      (HE=0.340). Although we did not find any SNP that was private in any population,
      22 SNPs were monomorphic in wildcats and pairwise FCT values revealed marked
      differences between domestic and wildcats, with the most divergent 35 loci
      providing an average FCT>0.74. The power of all the loci to accurately identify
      admixture events and discriminate the different hybrid categories was evaluated.
      Results from simulated and real genotypes show that the 158 SNPs provide
      successful estimates of admixture, with 100% hybrid individuals (two to three
      generations in the past) being correctly identified in STRUCTURE and over 92%
      using the NEWHYBRIDS' algorithm. None of the unclassified cats were wrongly
      allocated to another hybrid class. Thirty-five SNPs, showing the highest FCT
      values, provided the most parsimonious panel for robust inferences of parental
      and first generations of admixed ancestries. This approach may be used to further
      reconstruct the evolution of wildcat populations and, hopefully, to develop sound
      conservation guidelines for its legal protection in Europe. 

PMID- 26103946
TI  - Abiotic stress does not magnify the deleterious effects of spontaneous mutations.
AB  - Although the effects of deleterious alleles often are predicted to be greater in
      stressful environments, there is no theoretical basis for this prediction and the
      empirical evidence is mixed. Here we characterized the effects of three types of
      abiotic stress (thermal, oxidative and hyperosmotic) on two sets of nematode
      (Caenorhabditis elegans) mutation accumulation (MA) lines that differ by
      threefold in fitness. We compared the survival and egg-to-adult viability between
      environments (benign and stressful) and between fitness categories (high-fitness
      MA, low-fitness MA). If the environment and mutation load have synergistic
      effects on trait means, then the difference between the high and low-fitness MA
      lines should be larger in stressful environments. Although the stress treatments
      consistently decreased survival and/or viability, we did not detect significant
      interactions between fitness categories and environment types. In contrast, we
      did find consistent evidence for synergistic effects on (micro)environmental
      variation. The lack of signal in trait means likely reflects the very low
      starting fitness of some low-fitness MA lines, the potential for cross-stress
      responses and the context dependence of mutational effects. In addition, the
      large increases in the environmental variance in the stressful environments may
      have masked small changes in trait means. These results do not provide evidence
      for synergism between mutation and stress. 

PMID- 26103947
TI  - Genetic and phenotypic influences on copulatory plug survival in mice.
AB  - Across a diversity of animals, male seminal fluid coagulates upon ejaculation to
      form a hardened structure known as a copulatory plug. Previous studies suggest
      that copulatory plugs evolved as a mechanism for males to impede remating by
      females, but detailed investigations into the time course over which plugs
      survive in the female's reproductive tract are lacking. Here, we cross males from
      eight inbred strains to females from two inbred strains of house mice (Mus
      musculus domesticus). Plug survival was significantly affected by male genotype.
      Against intuition, plug survival time was negatively correlated with plug size:
      long-lasting plugs were small and relatively more susceptible to proteolysis.
      Plug size was associated with divergence in major protein composition of seminal
      vesicle fluid, suggesting that changes in gene expression may play an important
      role in plug dynamics. In contrast, we found no correlation to genetic variation
      in the protein-coding regions of five genes thought to be important in copulatory
      plug formation (Tgm4, Svs1, Svs2, Svs4 and Svs5). Our study demonstrates a
      complex relationship between copulatory plug characteristics and survival. We
      discuss several models to explain unexpected variation in plug phenotypes. 

PMID- 26103948
TI  - Using multiple markers to elucidate the ancient, historical and modern
      relationships among North American Arctic dog breeds.
AB  - Throughout most of the Americas, post-colonial dogs largely erased the genetic
      signatures of pre-historical dogs. However, the North American Arctic harbors
      dogs that are potentially descended from pre-historical ancestors, as well as
      those affected by post-colonial translocations and admixtures. In particular,
      Inuit dogs from Canada and Greenland are thought to descend from dogs associated
      with Thule peoples, who relied on them for transportation ca. 1000 years ago.
      Whether Thule dogs reflected an earlier colonization by Paleoeskimo dogs ca. 4500
      years ago is unknown. During the Alaskan Gold Rush, additional sled dogs,
      possibly of post-colonial derivation, the Alaskan Husky, Malamute and Siberian
      Husky, were used in the Arctic. The genealogical relationships among and origins
      of these breeds are unknown. Here we use autosomal, paternal and maternal DNA
      markers to (1) test the hypothesis that Inuit dogs have retained their indigenous
      ancestry, (2) characterize their relationship to one another and to other Arctic
      breeds, and (3) estimate the age of North American indigenous matrilines and
      patrilines. On the basis of the agreement of all three markers we determined that
      Inuit dogs have maintained their indigenous nature, and that they likely derive
      from Thule dogs. In addition, we provide support for previous research that the
      Inuit dogs from Canada and Greenland dog should not be distinguished as two
      breeds. The Alaskan Husky displayed evidence of European introgression, in
      contrast to the Malamute and Siberian Husky, which appear to have maintained most
      of their ancient Siberian ancestry. 

PMID- 26103949
TI  - The fruits of a functional approach for psychological science.
AB  - The current paper introduces relational frame theory (RFT) as a functional
      contextual approach to complex human behaviour and examines how this theory has
      contributed to our understanding of several key phenomena in psychological
      science. I will first briefly outline the philosophical foundation of RFT and
      then examine its conceptual basis and core concepts. Thereafter, I provide an
      overview of the empirical findings and applications that RFT has stimulated in a
      number of key domains such as language development, linguistic generativity, rule
      following, analogical reasoning, intelligence, theory of mind, psychopathology
      and implicit cognition. 

PMID- 26103950
TI  - High incidence of primary melanomas in an MC1R RHC homozygote/CDKN2A mutant
      genotype patient.
AB  - Melanoma incidence in Australia remains the highest in the world; hence
      understanding its causation is paramount for future therapeutic developments.
      Multiple primary melanomas are also common occurrences among the Australian
      population with identified risk factors such as personal and family history of
      melanoma, fair skin type, dysplastic naevus syndrome and history of significant
      ultraviolet exposure. The roles of both environmental and genetic factors have
      been elucidated in melanoma development, but the synergy of interactions between
      the two remains complex given the heterogeneous nature of the disease. We present
      a rare case of a 57-year-old female with 20 cutaneous melanomas and review the
      role of genetic and environmental factors in development of her multiple primary
      melanomas. 

PMID- 26103951
TI  - Melanoma survival is superior in females across all tumour stages but is
      influenced by age.
AB  - Among patients with invasive melanoma, females are known to have higher survival
      than males globally. However, this survival advantage has not been explored in
      thin melanomas, the most common form of the disease. In addition, it is unclear
      if this advantage is true across all age groups. We aimed to compare melanoma
      survival between males and females by clinical stage and within age groups.
      Melanomas from 1995 to 2008 were extracted from the Queensland Cancer Registry
      and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, and melanoma
      specific deaths were ascertained up to 2011. Flexible parametric survival models
      compared survival between groups. The Queensland cohort of 28,979 patients
      experienced 1712 melanoma deaths and the SEER cohort of 57,402 patients included
      6929 melanoma deaths. Survival rates were in favour of females across nearly all
      tumour stages, including thin invasive tumours in both cohorts after adjusting
      for demographic and clinical factors [odds ratio (OR) death female:male for stage
      I melanoma = 0.64 in Queensland; and OR = 0.79 in the US, both P < 0.001]. The
      sex influence on survival interacted with age categories. In particular, the
      survival advantage was inconsistent in females with stage I melanoma aged under
      60. Females with melanoma have a survival advantage over males including in stage
      I melanomas. However, this advantage is dependent on age at diagnosis, suggesting
      an underlying biological mechanism influenced by age that exists from the very
      early stages of the disease.

PMID- 26103952
TI  - Adjuvant regimens with trastuzumab administered for small HER2-positive breast
      cancer in routine clinical practice.
AB  - PURPOSE: Trastuzumab has proven to improve the prognosis of HER2-positive breast
      cancer, but the information available about its administration for small tumors
      is still limited. Therefore, we assessed the use of adjuvant regimens with
      trastuzumab for the treatment of small HER2-positive breast cancer in routine
      clinical practice. METHODS: This observational study was conducted in patients
      with HER2-positive breast adenocarcinoma <=1.5 cm who received trastuzumab-based
      adjuvant treatment in clinical practice. Clinical/histopathological data were
      retrieved from patients' medical charts. RESULTS: A total of 101 evaluable
      patients were enrolled (median age [range], 56.7 [49.0-64.8] years; ECOG 0, 98.0
      %; ductal carcinoma, 88.1 %; lymph nodes N0, 79.2 %). Only five (5.0 %) patients
      received neoadjuvant treatment, while all patients underwent tumor surgery.
      Adjuvant trastuzumab was administered at a mean (+/-SD) dose of 5.9 +/- 1.5
      mg/kg/cycle, and mostly in a three-weekly schedule (89 [89.0 %] patients). The
      most frequent adjuvant therapy used with trastuzumab was chemotherapy (87 [86.1
      %] patients), followed by radiotherapy (63 [62.4 %] patients) and hormone therapy
      (52 [51.5 %] patients). Chemotherapy regimens mainly included doxorubicin,
      cyclophosphamide and paclitaxel/docetaxel (n = 30), docetaxel and
      cyclophosphamide (n = 15), docetaxel and carboplatin (n = 13). Hormone therapy
      mainly included letrozole (n = 17) and tamoxifen (n = 17). Nine (8.9 %) patients
      reported trastuzumab-related adverse events; only one allergic reaction reached
      grade 3 toxicity. CONCLUSION: This study shows that trastuzumab-based adjuvant
      treatment of small HER2-positive breast cancer is mostly based on chemotherapy
      mainly paclitaxel/docetaxel. Adjuvant administration of trastuzumab for small
      HER2-positive breast cancer seems to be similar to that used for larger tumors.

PMID- 26103953
TI  - miR-448 negatively regulates ovarian cancer cell growth and metastasis by
      targeting CXCL12.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study is to investigate the roles of miR-448 in
      ovarian cancer. METHODS: miR-448 and CXCL12 mRNA expression were examined using
      qRT-PCR. CXCL12 promoter activity was detected by luciferase activity system.
      Cell proliferation was assayed by MTT or colony formation. Migration and invasion
      was assayed by transwell chamber. RESULTS: miR-448 expression was usually under
      expressed in ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines compared with their normal
      ones. Ectopic expression of miR-448 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and
      invasion in ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, bioinformatic prediction suggested
      that CXCL12 was a target gene of miR-448. We also demonstrated that restored
      expression of CXCL12 dampened miR-448-mediated suppression of tumor progression,
      which suggests the important role of miR-448 in tumor progression. CONCLUSION:
      Our data indicate that miR-448 functions as a tumor suppressor in ovarian cancer,
      which exerts its activity by suppressing the expression of CXCL12.

PMID- 26103955
TI  - Sleep apnoea headache in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome patients presenting
      with morning headache: comparison of the ICHD-2 and ICHD-3 beta criteria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Morning headache is associated with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome
      (OSAS); however, OSAS patients present with various characteristics of morning
      headache, and they often do not fulfil the International Classification of
      Headache Disorders (ICHD)-2 criteria for "sleep apnoea headache". The aims of
      this study were to assess the new ICHD-3 beta criteria for sleep apnoea headache
      in OSAS patients and to evaluate the differences with the ICHD-2. METHODS: We
      conducted a cross-sectional survey regarding morning and sleep apnoea headaches
      that included 235 OSAS outpatients receiving continuous positive airway pressure
      (CPAP) treatment. The presence of morning headache was evaluated by reviewing the
      medical records before administration of CPAP treatment. RESULTS: Of all of the
      OSAS patients, 48 (20.4%) reported morning headaches. Of the 48 patients with
      morning headaches, 29 (60.4%) and 39 (81.3%) fulfilled the ICHD-2 and ICHD-3 beta
      criteria for sleep apnoea headache, respectively. The increased frequency of
      individuals who qualified for diagnosis was likely attributable to the extension
      of headache duration from 30 min to 4 h. The severity of OSAS was not associated
      with the presence of sleep apnoea headache. CONCLUSIONS: The utilisation of ICHD
      3 beta criteria is clinically useful for diagnosing sleep apnoea headache in
      patients with OSAS. Applying the ICHD-3 beta criteria was of clinical
      significance when considering the marked response of these headaches to CPAP
      therapy. The cause of sleep apnoea headache remains to be elucidated.

PMID- 26103956
TI  - P-Type Photochromism of New Helical Naphthopyrans: Synthesis and Photochemical,
      Photophysical and Theoretical Study.
AB  - Two novel helical naphthopyrans have been synthesised. The helical scaffold has
      the interesting effect of increasing the thermal stability of the transoid-trans
      (TT) open isomer formed upon UV irradiation of the closed form (CF), which
      transforms these naphthopyrans from thermal to photochemical photochromes. The
      photochromic performance is excellent in both polar and apolar solvents and the
      conversion percentage from the CF to the TT form can be as high as 92.8 %. We
      propose a new method to determine the quantum yields of the photochemical
      processes that lead to transoid-cis (TC) and TT isomers, and their molar
      absorption coefficients. The thermal stability of the TT and TC isomers has been
      studied in different solvents. The quantum yields of fluorescence before and
      after irradiation, along with the decay lifetimes, have also been measured. TD
      DFT calculations have been performed to determine the relative thermodynamic
      stability of the species involved in the photochromic mechanism and to
      rationalise their spectral properties. 

PMID- 26103957
TI  - Serum Leptin Levels and Well-Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: A True Association:
      Reply.

PMID- 26103958
TI  - [Prevalence of pica in iron deficiency anemia in Marrakech (Morocco)].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pica is an eating disorder, defined by long-term ingestion of non
      nutritive substances. PURPOSE: To determine the frequency of pica in patients
      with iron deficiency anemia and to describe the population with both iron
      deficiency anemia and pica. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study
      examined records from the department of hematology at the Mohammed VI University
      Hospital Center in Marrakech of all adult patients seen from January 1, 2005,
      through December 31, 2010 who met both criteria. Results: During the 6-year study
      period, 320 patients with iron deficiency anemia were seen: 256 women and 64 men
      (sex-ratio F/M: 4). The prevalence of pica among the patients with iron
      deficiency anemia was 17.5% (56/320). All the patients with pica were women, for
      a prevalence of 21.8% (56/256); their average age was 23 years; 40 were white
      (71.4%) and 16 black (28.6%). The clinical signs were primarily pallor (100%) and
      asthenia (100%). The mean level of hemoglobin was 7.6 g/dL and of ferritin, 6.4
      mg/L. Geophagia was the most common form of pica (75%). Iron supplementation
      induced regression of pica in 64.3% of patients. CONCLUSION: Our study shows a
      high prevalence of pica in patients with iron deficiency anemia.

PMID- 26103959
TI  - Crenosoma vulpis in wild and domestic carnivores from Italy: a morphological and
      molecular study.
AB  - Crenosoma vulpis is a metastrongyloid nematode primarily associated with
      respiratory tract infections of red foxes in North America and Europe. Sporadic
      cases have also been reported in domestic dogs. The present study aimed to
      provide morphological, molecular, and epidemiological data on the geographical
      distribution of this nematode throughout Italy. From 2012 to 2014, 12 of the 138
      foxes examined, three dogs and one badger scored positive for C. vulpis. Forty
      adults were isolated from foxes and the badger, whereas first-stage larvae were
      detected in the three dogs. All specimens were morphologically identified as C.
      vulpis, and 28 nematodes were also molecularly characterized by sequencing
      mitochondrial (12S ribosomal DNA (rDNA)) and nuclear (18S rDNA) ribosomal genes.
      Four haplotypes were identified based on the 12S rDNA target gene, with the most
      representative (78.5%) designated as haplotype I. No genetic variability was
      detected for the 18S rDNA gene. The molecular identification was consistent with
      the distinct separation of species-specific clades inferred by the phylogenetic
      analyses of both mitochondrial and ribosomal genes. Data herein reported
      indicates that C. vulpis has a wide distribution in foxes from southern Italy,
      and it also occurs in dogs from southern and northern regions of the country.
      Practitioners should consider the occurrence of this nematode in the differential
      diagnosis of canine respiratory disease, particularly in dogs living close to
      rural areas where foxes are present.

PMID- 26103960
TI  - Plasma endotoxin core antibody concentration and linear growth are unrelated in
      rural Malawian children aged 2-5 years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Environmental enteropathy is subclinical inflammation of the upper
      gastrointestinal tract associated with reduced linear growth in developing
      countries. Usually investigators have used biopsy or a dual sugar absorption test
      to assess environmental enteropathy. Such tests are time and resource intensive,
      restricting their utility as screening methods. Serum endotoxin core antibody
      (EndoCab) concentration is a potential indicator of intestinal inflammation and
      integrity, and thus may be useful to predict environmental enteropathy. We
      analyzed the association of serum EndoCab levels versus linear growth and
      lactulose-mannitol assay results in 2-5 year old rural Malawian children.
      METHODS: This was an observational study of 388 rural, asymptomatic Malawian
      children who had anthropometric measurements taken at least every 3 months since
      birth. In June and July 2011, dual sugar permeability tests were performed and
      serum samples were drawn for EndoCab assays. Pearson correlation, Student's t
      test and multivariable linear regression were used to compare ln EndoCab
      concentrations with height-for-age z scores (HAZ) at time of sampling and 3
      months later. Identical analysis was also performed for ln EndoCab versus
      measurements from dual sugar permeability testing performed in conjunction with
      serum sampling. In a subgroup of children with anthropometric data in the months
      prior to serum sampling, Pearson correlation was used to estimate the
      relationship between ln EndoCab and recent linear growth. RESULTS: Ln EndoCab
      concentrations were not correlated with HAZ at time of measurement (B = -0.078, P
      = 0.14) nor change in HAZ over the subsequent 3 months HAZ (B = -0.018, P =
      0.27). EndoCab concentration was not associated with %lactulose excretion (B <
      0.001, P = 0.98) nor the lactulose:mannitol ratio (B = 0.021, P = 0.62). Subgroup
      analysis also did not reveal any significant association between EndoCab and
      recent growth. CONCLUSION: EndoCab titers were not correlated with measurements
      of growth or intestinal permeability in rural pre-school aged Malawian children.

PMID- 26103961
TI  - "That pulled the rug out from under my feet!" - adverse experiences and altered
      emotion processing in patients with functional neurological symptoms compared to
      healthy comparison subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medically unexplained movement or sensibility disorders, recently
      defined in DSM-5 as functional neurological symptoms (FNS), are still
      insufficiently understood. Stress and trauma have been addressed as relevant
      factors in FNS genesis. Altered emotion processing has been discussed. The
      present study screened different types and times of adverse experiences in
      childhood and adulthood in patients with FNS as well as in healthy individuals.
      The relationship between stress profile, aspects of emotion processing and
      symptom severity was examined, with the hypothesis that particularly emotional
      childhood adversities would have an impact on dysfunctional emotion processing as
      a mediator of FNS. METHODS: Adverse childhood experiences (ACE), recent negative
      life events (LE), alexithymia, and emotion regulation style were assessed in 45
      inpatients diagnosed with dissociative disorder expressing FNS, and in 45 healthy
      comparison subjects (HC). RESULTS: Patients reported more severe FNS, more
      (particularly emotional) ACE, and more LE than HC. FNS severity varied with
      emotional ACE and negative LE, and LE partially mediated the relation between ACE
      and FNS. Alexithymia and suppressive emotion regulation style were stronger in
      patients than HC, and alexithymia varied with FNS severity. Structural equation
      modeling verified partial mediation of the relationship between emotional ACE and
      FNS by alexithymia. CONCLUSIONS: Early, emotional and accumulating stress show a
      substantial impact on FNS-associated emotion processing, influencing FNS.
      Understanding this complex interplay of stress, emotion processing and the
      severity of FNS is relevant not only for theoretical models, but, as a
      consequence also inform diagnostic and therapeutic adjustments.

PMID- 26103962
TI  - Metabolic interactions between hyperhomocysteinemia and endothelin-1 among
      Tunisian patients with acute coronary diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are complex and polygenic diseases
      which are a real problem of public health. These syndromes require
      multidisciplinary studies to understand the pathogenesis mechanisms and metabolic
      interactions between different risk factors.This study aimed to explore the
      variation of two coronary risk parameters not mentioned by Framingham cohorts,
      hyperhomocysteinemia and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in Tunisian coronary and the study
      of the variation of these parameters based on various cardiac risk factors and
      metabolic relationship between them.To 157 coronary and 142 healthy subjects, the
      concentration of homocysteine was quantified by fluorescence polarization
      immunoassay; the concentration of ET-1 was measured by an analytical technique,
      the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry.
      RESULTS: Our study showed that homocysteine and ET-1 were significantly higher in
      patients compared to healthy subjects (24.40 +/- 12.5 MUmol/L vs 7.44 +/- 2.5
      MUmol/L p <0.00001) for homocysteine and (15.2 +/- 5.3 nmol/L vs 7.1 +/- 2.7
      nmol/L, p <0.00001) for ET-1. On the other hand, homocysteine varies according to
      tobacco and diabetes while ET-1 depends on the sex, hypertension, smoking,
      obesity and dyslipidemia and a statistically negative correlation was shown
      between homocysteine and ET-1 in coronary patients (r = -0.66 p <0.00001).
      CONCLUSION: The study of the variation of these two parameters in coronary
      patients and metabolic exploration of the relationship between homocysteine and
      ET-1 according to various risk factors and the interactions between themselves
      facilitates the decision of therapeutic treatment.

PMID- 26103964
TI  - Differential hepatotoxicity of dietary and DNL-derived palmitate in the
      methionine-choline-deficient model of steatohepatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Saturated fatty acids are toxic to liver cells and are believed to
      play a central role in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. In
      experimental steatohepatitis induced by feeding mice a methionine-choline
      deficient (MCD) diet, the degree of liver damage is related to dietary sugar
      content, which drives de novo lipogenesis and promotes the hepatic accumulation
      of saturated fatty acids. The objective of this study was to determine whether
      dietary palmitate exerts the same toxicity as carbohydrate-derived palmitate in
      the MCD model of fatty liver disease. METHODS: We fed mice custom MCS and MCD
      formulas containing 4 different carbohydrate-fat combinations: starch-oleate,
      starch-palmitate, sucrose-oleate and sucrose-palmitate.  After 3 wk, we compared
      their metabolic and disease outcomes. RESULTS: Mice fed the custom MCD formulas
      developed varying degrees of hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis, in the order
      starch-oleate < starch-palmitate < sucrose-oleate < sucrose-palmitate. Liver
      injury correlated positively with the degree of hepatic lipid accumulation. Liver
      injury also correlated positively with the amount of palmitate in the liver, but
      the relationship was weak. Importantly, mice fed MCD starch-palmitate accumulated
      as much hepatic palmitate as mice fed MCD sucrose-oleate, yet their degree of
      liver injury was much lower. By contrast, mice fed MCD sucrose-palmitate
      developed severe liver injury, worse than that predicted by an additive influence
      of the two nutrients. CONCLUSION: In the MCD model of steatohepatitis,
      carbohydrate-derived palmitate in the liver is more hepatotoxic than dietary
      palmitate. Dietary palmitate becomes toxic when combined with dietary sugar in
      the MCD model, presumably by enhancing hepatic de novo lipogenesis.

PMID- 26103963
TI  - Next-generation sequencing applied to a large French cone and cone-rod dystrophy
      cohort: mutation spectrum and new genotype-phenotype correlation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cone and cone-rod dystrophies are clinically and genetically
      heterogeneous inherited retinal disorders with predominant cone impairment. They
      should be distinguished from the more common group of rod-cone dystrophies
      (retinitis pigmentosa) due to their more severe visual prognosis with early
      central vision loss. The purpose of our study was to document mutation spectrum
      of a large French cohort of cone and cone-rod dystrophies. METHODS: We applied
      Next-Generation Sequencing targeting a panel of 123 genes implicated in retinal
      diseases to 96 patients. A systematic filtering approach was used to identify
      likely disease causing variants, subsequently confirmed by Sanger sequencing and
      co-segregation analysis when possible. RESULTS: Overall, the likely causative
      mutations were detected in 62.1 % of cases, revealing 33 known and 35 novel
      mutations. This rate was higher for autosomal dominant (100 %) than autosomal
      recessive cases (53.8 %). Mutations in ABCA4 and GUCY2D were responsible for 19.2
      % and 29.4 % of resolved cases with recessive and dominant inheritance,
      respectively. Furthermore, unexpected genotype-phenotype correlations were
      identified, confirming the complexity of inherited retinal disorders with
      phenotypic overlap between cone-rod dystrophies and other retinal diseases.
      CONCLUSIONS: In summary, this time-efficient approach allowed mutation detection
      in the most important cohort of cone-rod dystrophies investigated so far covering
      the largest number of genes. Association of known gene defects with novel
      phenotypes and mode of inheritance were established.

PMID- 26103965
TI  - Effect of BMP7 on podocyte transdifferentiation and Smad7 expression induced by
      hyperglycemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of BMP7 on the transdifferentiation and
      Smad7 expression of podocytes induced by high glucose in vitro and to explore its
      possible protective mechanisms. METHODS: Mouse podocytes were cultured and
      divided into normal glucose group (NG), high glucose group (HG), mannitol group,
      NG+BMP7 group, and HG+BMP7 group. Real-time PCR and Western blot were applied
      respectively to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of synaptopodin,
      desmin, and Smad7. RESULTS: The cells significantly up-regulated the mRNA and
      protein expression of desmin and reduced the expression of both synaptopodin and
      Smad7 after 48 hours (vs. NG, p < 0.01). BMP7 dramatically suppressed the mRNA
      and protein expression of desmin and protected the expression of synaptopodin and
      Smad7 after incubation with high glucose for 48 hours (vs. HG, p < 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: BMP7 can inhibit the epithelial-to-mesenchymal cell transformation
      (EMT) of podocytes induced by high glucose; Smad7 may mediate the blunting
      effects of BMP7 on high glucose in podocytes.

PMID- 26103966
TI  - Characteristics of oseltamivir-resistant influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 virus during
      the 2013-2014 influenza season in Mainland China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of oseltamivir
      resistant influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 virus isolated from patients in mainland China
      during the influenza season from September 2013 through March 2014, and provide
      guidance on which antiviral to be used for clinical treatment. METHODS: The all
      viruses collected from September 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014 were obtained
      from the Chinese National Influenza Surveillance Network. A fluorescence-based
      assay was used to detect virus sensitivity to neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs).
      The hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) gene of the oseltamivir-resistant
      viruses were sequenced. RESULTS: A total of 24 (2.14 %) influenza A (H1N1) pdm09
      viruses that were resistant to oseltamivir were identified. These 24 viruses were
      isolated from 23 patients and no epidemiological link among them could be
      identified. Except for one virus with the H275H/Y mixture substitution, all the
      other 23 viruses had H275Y substitution in the NA protein. Sequence analysis
      revealed that the amino acid substitutions in the HA protein of influenza A
      (H1N1) pdm09 viruses with H275Y substitution isolated from mainland China were
      similar to the viruses from clustered cases reported in the United States, and
      the amino acid substitutions in the NA protein were similar to the viruses
      reported in Sapporo, Japan in 2013-2014. All of the oseltamivir-resistant viruses
      in mainland China and Japan possessed additional substitutions N386K, V241I and
      N369K in the NA protein, while most (>89 %) resistant-viruses from the United
      States during the same period possess V241I and N369K and did not have the N386K
      substitution. The N386K substitution was also exist in most sensitive viruses
      during the same period in mainland China. The amino acid substitutions in both HA
      and NA protein differed from the clustered cases from Australia reported in 2011
      with additional substitutions. The drug-resistant influenza A(H1N1) pdm09 viruses
      were from patients without any known NAIs medication history prior to sampling.
      CONCLUSIONS: During the influenza season from September 2013 through March 2014
      in Mainland China, oseltamivir-resistant influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses were much
      more frequently detected than ever since the appearance of the virus in 2009.

PMID- 26103967
TI  - Modified Release Biodegradable Polymeric Microspheres of Stavudine: Cell
      Viability, Cellular Uptake, Hemolysis Studies and In Vivo Pharmacokinetics.
AB  - Family of retroviruses which replicates through the use of the reverse
      transcriptase enzyme or the enzyme needed to convert RNA to DNA for replication
      bears Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). It causes irreversible destruction of
      the immune system leading to the occurrence of opportunistic infections and
      malignancies. The eradication of HIV is highly unlikely as the cells of the
      mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) besides CD4 T lymphocytes are the specific
      hosts for HIV which need to be targeted even after extended blood plasma profile
      of antiviral drug to maintain viral suppression and reduced disease progression.
      Aiming the current goal, biodegradable polymeric microspheres of PLGA 50: 50
      (RESOMER((r)) 505H) were developed and evaluated. These polymeric particles
      encapsulating Stavudine (d4T) exhibited nearly 100% cell viability during
      cytotoxicity studies in comparison to pure d4T. The histological studies have
      revealed the in vivo biocompatibility while hemolysis studies certified the
      liability of formulation to be used parenteraly exhibiting no significant
      hemolytic toxixicty. The in vivo pharmacokinetics has shown the extended drug
      release from microsphere matrix upto a month. The calculated AUCtotal for d4T
      loaded polymeric microspheres was found to be 3341.656 MUM h/ml; which was nearly
      54 times than the total AUC of free d4T injected subcutaneously to the control
      group of animals; exhibiting the stable d4T concentration in blood avoiding
      fluctuation of the same indicating decreased probabilities of development of
      resistance against the treatment. Combination of targeted and subcutaneous
      administration of d4T will not only provide the stable and extended release of
      drug but also eradicate the hidden HIV hosted by macrophages. The concomitant
      regimen will potentially enhance the therapeutic efficacy with patient
      compliance; renewing new hopes for complete cure and improved quality of life in
      the AIDS patient. 

PMID- 26103968
TI  - Asymptomatic transmission and the resurgence of Bordetella pertussis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The recent increase in whooping cough incidence (primarily caused by
      Bordetella pertussis) presents a challenge to both public health practitioners
      and scientists trying to understand the mechanisms behind its resurgence. Three
      main hypotheses have been proposed to explain the resurgence: 1) waning of
      protective immunity from vaccination or natural infection over time, 2) evolution
      of B. pertussis to escape protective immunity, and 3) low vaccine coverage.
      Recent studies have suggested a fourth mechanism: asymptomatic transmission from
      individuals vaccinated with the currently used acellular B. pertussis vaccines.
      METHODS: Using wavelet analyses of B. pertussis incidence in the United States
      (US) and United Kingdom (UK) and a phylodynamic analysis of 36 clinical B.
      pertussis isolates from the US, we find evidence in support of asymptomatic
      transmission of B. pertussis. Next, we examine the clinical, public health, and
      epidemiological consequences of asymptomatic B. pertussis transmission using a
      mathematical model. RESULTS: We find that: 1) the timing of changes in age
      specific attack rates observed in the US and UK are consistent with asymptomatic
      transmission; 2) the phylodynamic analysis of the US sequences indicates more
      genetic diversity in the overall bacterial population than would be suggested by
      the observed number of infections, a pattern expected with asymptomatic
      transmission; 3) asymptomatic infections can bias assessments of vaccine efficacy
      based on observations of B. pertussis-free weeks; 4) asymptomatic transmission
      can account for the observed increase in B. pertussis incidence; and 5)
      vaccinating individuals in close contact with infants too young to receive the
      vaccine ("cocooning" unvaccinated children) may be ineffective. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although a clear role for the previously suggested mechanisms still exists,
      asymptomatic transmission is the most parsimonious explanation for many of the
      observations surrounding the resurgence of B. pertussis in the US and UK. These
      results have important implications for B. pertussis vaccination policy and
      present a complicated scenario for achieving herd immunity and B. pertussis
      eradication.

PMID- 26103970
TI  - Detection of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli from Nonhuman Sources and
      Strain Typing.
AB  - Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains are commonly found in the
      intestine of ruminant species of wild and domestic animals. Excretion of STEC
      with animal feces results in a broad contamination of food and the environment.
      Humans get infected with STEC through ingestion of contaminated food, by contact
      with the environment, and from STEC-excreting animals and humans. STEC strains
      can behave as human pathogens, and some of them, called enterohemorrhagic E. coli
      (EHEC), may cause hemorrhagic colitis (HC) and hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS).
      Because of the diversity of STEC types, detection strategies for STEC and EHEC
      are based on the identification of Shiga toxins or the underlying genes. Cultural
      enrichment of STEC from test samples is needed for identification, and different
      protocols were developed for this purpose. Multiplex real-time PCR protocols
      (ISO/CEN TS13136 and USDA/FSIS MLG5B.01) have been developed to specifically
      identify EHEC by targeting the LEE (locus of enterocyte effacement)-encoded eae
      gene and genes for EHEC-associated O groups. The employment of more genetic
      markers (nle and CRISPR) is a future challenge for better identification of EHEC
      from any kinds of samples. The isolation of STEC or EHEC from a sample is
      required for confirmation, and different cultivation protocols and media for this
      purpose have been developed. Most STEC strains present in food, animals, and the
      environment are eae negative, but some of these strains can cause HC and HUS in
      humans as well. Phenotypic assays and molecular tools for typing EHEC and STEC
      strains are used to detect and characterize human pathogenic strains among
      members of the STEC group. 

PMID- 26103969
TI  - NKX2.1-Related Disorders: a novel mutation with mild clinical presentation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A highly variable phenotype characterized by thyroid, respiratory and
      neurological defects has been reported in an already established group of
      disorders namely NKX2.1-related disorders. We describe here the case of an infant
      with a novel mutation of the NKX2.1 gene characterized by mild clinical
      presentation. Aim of the study was to elucidate the genotype-phenotype
      correlation in our patient. METHODS: We performed genetic analysis of the NKX2.1
      gene in an infant with no neonatal respiratory distress and near-normal results
      at neonatal screening test for congenital hypothyroidism, choreoathetosis, ataxia
      and delayed independent walking. RESULTS: A novel mutation of the NKX2.1 gene has
      been identified, that is responsible for a mild framework of congenital
      hypothyroidism and neurological symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of
      congenital hypothyroidism cases associated with NKX2.1 mutations is expected to
      be higher in a subgroup of patients, selected according to the neurological
      presentation. In these patients the analysis of NKX2.1 mutational status is
      recommended.

PMID- 26103971
TI  - Mycobacterial Lipidomics.
AB  - Lipidomics is a distinct subspecialty of metabolomics concerned with hydrophobic
      molecules that organize into membranes. Most of the lipid classes present in
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis are found only in Actinobacteria and show extreme
      structural diversity. This article highlights the conceptual basis and the
      practical challenges associated with the mass spectrometry-based lipidomic study
      of M. tuberculosis to solve basic questions about the virulence of this lipid
      laden organism. 

PMID- 26103972
TI  - The Physiology and Genetics of Oxidative Stress in Mycobacteria.
AB  - During infection, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is exposed to a diverse array of
      microenvironments in the human host, each with its own unique set of redox
      conditions. Imbalances in the redox environment of the bacillus or the host
      environment serve as stimuli, which could regulate virulence. The ability of M.
      tuberculosis to evade the host immune response and cause disease is largely owing
      to the capacity of the mycobacterium to sense changes in its environment, such as
      host-generated gases, carbon sources, and pathological conditions, and alter its
      metabolism and redox balance accordingly for survival. In this article we discuss
      the redox sensors that are, to date, known to be present in M. tuberculosis, such
      as the Dos dormancy regulon, WhiB family, anti-sigma factors, and MosR, in
      addition to the strategies present in the bacillus to neutralize free radicals,
      such as superoxide dismutases, catalase-peroxidase, thioredoxins, and methionine
      sulfoxide reductases, among others. M. tuberculosis is peculiar in that it
      appears to have a hierarchy of redox buffers, namely, mycothiol and
      ergothioneine. We discuss the current knowledge of their biosynthesis, function,
      and regulation. Ergothioneine is still an enigma, although it appears to have
      distinct and overlapping functions with mycothiol, which enable it to protect
      against a wide range of toxic metabolites and free radicals generated by the
      host. Developing approaches to quantify the intracellular redox status of the
      mycobacterium will enable us to determine how the redox balance is altered in
      response to signals and environments that mimic those encountered in the host. 

PMID- 26103973
TI  - Taxonomy Meets Public Health: The Case of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli.
AB  - To help assess the clinical and public health risks associated with different
      Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains, an empirical
      classification scheme was used to classify STEC into five "seropathotypes"
      (seropathotype A [high risk] to seropathotypes D and E [minimal risk]). This
      definition is of considerable value in cases of human infection but is also
      problematic because not all STEC infections are fully characterized and coupled
      to reliable clinical information. Outbreaks with emerging hybrid strains
      continuously challenge our understanding of virulence potential and may result in
      incorrect classification of specific pathotypes; an example is the hybrid strain
      that caused the 2011 outbreak in Germany, STEC/EAggEC O104:H4, which may deserve
      an alternative seropathotype designation. The integration of mobile virulence
      factors in the stepwise and parallel evolution of pathogenic lineages of STEC
      collides with the requirements of a good taxonomy, which separates elements of
      each group into subgroups that are mutually exclusive, unambiguous, and,
      together, include all possibilities. The concept of (sero)-pathotypes is
      therefore challenged, and the need to identify factors of STEC that absolutely
      predict the potential to cause human disease is obvious. Because the definition
      of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) is distinct, a basic and primary definition of
      HUS-associated E. coli (HUSEC) for first-line public health action is proposed:
      stx2 in a background of an eae- or aggR-positive E. coli followed by a second
      line subtyping of stx genes that refines the definition of HUSEC to include only
      stx2a and stx2d. All other STEC strains are considered "low-risk" STEC. 

PMID- 26103974
TI  - Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Adhesins.
AB  - Adhesins are a group of proteins in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC)
      that are involved in the attachment or colonization of this pathogen to abiotic
      (plastic or steel) and biological surfaces, such as those found in bovine and
      human intestines. This review provides the most up-to-date information on these
      essential adhesion factors, summarizing important historical discoveries and
      analyzing the current and future state of this research. In doing so, the
      proteins intimin and Tir are discussed in depth, especially regarding their role
      in the development of attaching and effacing lesions and in EHEC virulence.
      Further, a series of fimbrial proteins (Lpf1, Lpf2, curli, ECP, F9, ELF, Sfp,
      HCP, and type 1 fimbria) are also described, emphasizing their various
      contributions to adherence and colonization of different surfaces and their
      potential use as genetic markers in detection and classification of different
      EHEC serotypes. This review also discusses the role of several autotransporter
      proteins (EhaA-D, EspP, Saa and Sab, and Cah), as well as other proteins
      associated with adherence, such as flagella, EibG, Iha, and OmpA. While these
      proteins have all been studied to varying degrees, all of the adhesins summarized
      in this article have been linked to different stages of the EHEC life cycle,
      making them good targets for the development of more effective diagnostics and
      therapeutics. 

PMID- 26103975
TI  - Molecular Basis of Drug Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - In this chapter we review the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance to the
      major first- and second-line antibiotics used to treat tuberculosis. 

PMID- 26103976
TI  - Genetics of Mycobacterial Trehalose Metabolism.
AB  - Trehalose [alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1->1)-alpha-D-glucopyranoside] is a highly
      abundant disaccharide in mycobacteria that fulfills many biological roles and has
      a plethora of possible metabolic fates. Trehalose is synthesized in mycobacteria
      de novo either from glycolytic intermediates or from alpha-glucans via two
      alternative routes, the OtsA-OtsB and the TreY-TreZ pathways, respectively.
      Intracellular trehalose can serve as an endogenous remobilizable carbon storage
      compound and as a biocompatible stress protectant. Furthermore, trehalose
      functions as the sugar core of many glycolipids with important structural or
      immunomodulatory functions such as the cord factor trehalose dimycolate,
      sulfolipids, and polyacyltrehalose. Moreover, trehalose plays a central role in
      the formation of the mycolic acid cell wall layer because it serves as a carrier
      molecule that shuttles mycolic acids in the form of the glycolipid trehalose
      monomycolate between the cytoplasm and the periplasm. In this process, a specific
      importer recycles the free trehalose that is extracellularly released as a by
      product during mycolate processing via the antigen 85 complex, which might
      represent a specific adaptation to the intracellular lifestyle of Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis with limited carbohydrate availability. Finally, trehalose is
      converted to glycogen-like branched alpha-glucans by a four-step metabolic
      pathway involving the essential maltosyltransferase GlgE, which may be further
      processed to derivatives with intracellular or extracellular destinations such as
      polymethylated lipopolysaccharides or capsular alpha-glucans, respectively. In
      this article we summarize the current knowledge of the genetic basis of trehalose
      biosynthesis and metabolism in mycobacteria, the biological functions of
      trehalose-based molecules, and their roles in virulence of the human pathogen M.
      tuberculosis.

PMID- 26103978
TI  - Metabolomics of Central Carbon Metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - Metabolism is a biochemical activity of all cells, thought to fuel the
      physiologic needs of a given cell in a quantitative, rather than qualitatively
      specific, manner. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a chronic facultative
      intracellular pathogen that resides in humans as its only known host and
      reservoir. Within humans, M. tuberculosis resides chiefly in the macrophage
      phagosome, the cell type and compartment most committed to its eradication. M.
      tuberculosis thus occupies the majority of its decades-long life cycle in a state
      of slowed or arrested replication. At the same time, M. tuberculosis remains
      poised to reenter the cell cycle to ensure its propagation as a species. M.
      tuberculosis has thus evolved its metabolic network to both maintain and
      propagate its survival as a species within a single host. Knowledge of the
      specific ways in which its metabolic network serves these distinct though
      interdependent functions, however, remains highly incomplete. In this article we
      review existing knowledge of M. tuberculosis's central carbon metabolism as
      reported by studies of its basic genetic and biochemical composition, regulation,
      and organization, with the hope that such knowledge will inform our understanding
      of M. tuberculosis's ability to traverse the stringent and heterogeneous niches
      encountered in the host. 

PMID- 26103977
TI  - Metallobiology of Tuberculosis.
AB  - Transition metals are essential constituents of all living organisms, playing
      crucial structural and catalytic parts in many enzymes and transcription factors.
      However, transition metals can also be toxic when present in excess. Their uptake
      and efflux rates must therefore be carefully controlled by biological systems. In
      this chapter, we summarize the current knowledge about uptake and efflux systems
      in Mycobacterium tuberculosis for mainly three of these metals, namely iron,
      zinc, and copper. We also propose questions for future research in the field of
      metallobiology of host-pathogen interactions in tuberculosis. 

PMID- 26103979
TI  - Step-down strategy of spacing TNF-blocker injections for established rheumatoid
      arthritis in remission: results of the multicentre non-inferiority randomised
      open-label controlled trial (STRASS: Spacing of TNF-blocker injections in
      Rheumatoid ArthritiS Study).
AB  - Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-blocker tapering has been proposed for patients with
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in remission. OBJECTIVE: The trial aims to compare the
      effect of progressive spacing of TNF-blocker injections (S-arm) to their
      maintenance (M-arm) for established patients with RA in remission. METHODS: The
      study was an 18-month equivalence trial which included patients receiving
      etanercept or adalimumab at stable dose for >=1 year, patients in remission on 28
      joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) for >=6 months and patients with stable
      joint damage. Patients were randomised into two arms: maintenance or injections
      spacing by 50% every 3 months up to complete stop. Spacing was reversed to the
      previous interval in case of relapse, and eventually reattempted after remission
      was reachieved. The primary outcome was the standardised difference of DAS28
      slopes, based on a linear mixed-effects model (equivalence interval set at +/
      30%). RESULTS: 64 and 73 patients were included in the S-arm and M-arm,
      respectively, which was less than planned. In the S-arm, TNF blockers were
      stopped for 39.1%, only tapered for 35.9% and maintained full dose for 20.3%. The
      equivalence was not demonstrated with a standardised difference of 19% (95% CI 
      5% to 46%). Relapse was more common in the S-arm (76.6% vs 46.5%, p=0.0004).
      However, there was no difference in structural damage progression. CONCLUSIONS:
      Tapering was not equivalent to maintenance strategy, resulting in more relapses
      without impacting structural damage progression. Further studies are needed to
      identify patients who could benefit from such a strategy associated with
      substantial cost savings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov:
      NCT00780793; EudraCT identifier: 2007-004483-41.

PMID- 26103980
TI  - Smoking cessation strategies may increase quit rates among adults of low
      socioeconomic status.

PMID- 26103982
TI  - Network biology approach to epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cancer
      metastasis: three stage theory.
AB  - Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a critical role in promoting cancer
      metastasis. In this study, cancer EMT is considered as an overall structural
      change in the gene regulatory network (GRN), and its essential features are
      elucidated by the network biology approach. We first defined the state space of
      GRN as a set of all possible activation patterns of GRN, and then introduced the
      quasi-potential field into this space to show the relative stability distribution
      of each state. The quasi-potential was determined empirically by collecting gene
      expression profiles from public databases. Changes of GRN states during the EMT
      process were traced in the state space, by using time-course data of gene
      expression profiles of a cell line inducing EMT from the database. It was found
      that cancer EMT occurred in three sequential stable stages, each of which formed
      a potential basin along the EMT trajectory. As confirmation, structural changes
      of GRN were estimated by applying the ARACNe algorithm to the same time-course
      data, and then applying master regulator analysis to extract the main
      regulations. Each group of master regulators was found to be alternatively active
      in the subsequent three stages to cause overall structural changes of GRN during
      cancer EMT. 

PMID- 26103981
TI  - Why the communicable/non-communicable disease dichotomy is problematic for public
      health control strategies: implications of multimorbidity for health systems in
      an era of health transition.
AB  - In today's globalized world, rapid urbanization, mechanization of the rural
      economy, and the activities of trans-national food, drink and tobacco
      corporations are associated with behavioral changes that increase the risk of
      chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These changes include less healthy
      diet, lower physical activity, tobacco smoking and increased alcohol consumption.
      As a result, population health profiles are rapidly changing. For example, the
      global burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus is expected to double by 2030, with 80%
      of adult cases occurring in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). Many LMIC are
      undergoing rapid changes associated with developing high rates of NCD while
      concomitantly battling high levels of certain communicable diseases, including
      HIV, TB and malaria. This has population health, health systems and economic
      implications for these countries. This critical review synthesizes evidence on
      the overlap and interactions between established communicable and emerging NCD
      epidemics in LMIC. The review focuses on HIV, TB and malaria and explores the
      disease-specific interactions with prevalent NCDs in LMIC including diabetes,
      cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic renal
      disease, epilepsy and neurocognitive diseases. We highlight the complexity, bi
      directionality and heterogeneity of these interactions and discuss the
      implications for health systems. 

PMID- 26103983
TI  - BMA demands that health services be excluded from trade treaty.

PMID- 26103984
TI  - Natriuretic Peptides and Cardiometabolic Health.
AB  - Natriuretic peptides are cardiac-derived hormones with a range of protective
      functions, including natriuresis, diuresis, vasodilation, lusitropy, lipolysis,
      weight loss, and improved insulin sensitivity. Their actions are mediated through
      membrane-bound guanylyl cyclases that lead to production of the intracellular
      second-messenger cyclic guanosine monophosphate. A growing body of evidence
      demonstrates that genetic and acquired deficiencies of the natriuretic peptide
      system can promote hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, obesity, diabetes mellitus,
      the metabolic syndrome, and heart failure. Clinically, natriuretic peptides are
      robust diagnostic and prognostic markers, and augmenting natriuretic peptides is
      a target for therapeutic strategies in cardiometabolic disease. This review will
      summarize current understanding and highlight novel aspects of natriuretic
      peptide biology.

PMID- 26103985
TI  - Specificity of arrestin subtypes in regulating airway smooth muscle G protein
      coupled receptor signaling and function.
AB  - Arrestins have been shown to regulate numerous G protein-coupled receptors
      (GPCRs) in studies employing receptor/arrestin overexpression in artificial cell
      systems. Which arrestin isoforms regulate which GPCRs in primary cell types is
      poorly understood. We sought to determine the effect of beta-arrestin-1 or beta
      arrestin-2 inhibition or gene ablation on signaling and function of multiple
      GPCRs endogenously expressed in airway smooth muscle (ASM). In vitro [second
      messenger (calcium, cAMP generation)], ex vivo (ASM tension generation in
      suspended airway), and in vivo (invasive airway resistance) analyses were
      performed on human ASM cells and murine airways/whole animal subject to beta
      arrestin-1 or -2 knockdown or knockout (KO). In both human and murine model
      systems, knockdown or KO of beta-arrestin-2 relative to control missense small
      interfering RNA or wild-type mice selectively increased (40-60%) beta2
      adrenoceptor signaling and function. beta-arrestin-1 knockdown or KO had no
      effect on signaling and function of beta2-adrenoceptor or numerous procontractile
      GPCRs, but selectively inhibited M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor signaling
      (~50%) and function (~25% ex vivo, >50% in vivo) without affecting EC50 values.
      Arrestin subtypes differentially regulate ASM GPCRs and beta-arrestin-1
      inhibition represents a novel approach to managing bronchospasm in obstructive
      lung diseases.

PMID- 26103986
TI  - Involvement of 14-3-3 in tubulin instability and impaired axon development is
      mediated by Tau.
AB  - 14-3-3 proteins act as adapters that exert their function by interacting with
      their various protein partners. 14-3-3 proteins have been implicated in a variety
      of human diseases including neurodegenerative diseases. 14-3-3 proteins have
      recently been reported to be abundant in the neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs)
      observed inside the neurons of brains affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD). These
      NFTs are mainly constituted of phosphorylated Tau protein, a microtubule
      associated protein known to bind 14-3-3. Despite this indication of 14-3-3
      protein involvement in the AD pathogenesis, the role of 14-3-3 in the Tauopathy
      remains to be clarified. In the present study, we shed light on the role of 14-3
      3 proteins in the molecular pathways leading to Tauopathies. Overexpression of
      the 14-3-3sigma isoform resulted in a disruption of the tubulin cytoskeleton and
      prevented neuritic outgrowth in neurons. NMR studies validated the phosphorylated
      residues pSer214 and pSer324 in Tau as the 2 primary sites for 14-3-3 binding,
      with the crystal structure of 14-3-3sigma in complex with Tau-pSer214 and Tau
      pSer324 revealing the molecular details of the interaction. These data suggest a
      rationale for a possible pharmacologic intervention of the Tau/14-3-3
      interaction.

PMID- 26103987
TI  - Circadian timing in central and peripheral tissues in a migratory songbird:
      dependence on annual life-history states.
AB  - Predictable seasonal change in photoperiod triggers a sequential change in the
      daily activity-rest pattern, adaptive for migration in several bird species. The
      night-migratory black-headed bunting (Emberiza melanocephala) is day active under
      short photoperiods (8 h light:16 h dark, short day sensitive). Under long
      photoperiods (16 h light:8 h dark), the buntings are initially day active (long
      day premigratory) but subsequently become intensely night active (long day
      migratory) and after few weeks again return to a day active pattern (long day
      refractory). However, it is unclear how the daily expression of circadian genes
      changes during photoperiod-induced seasonal life-history states (LHSs). We
      measured period 2 (Per2), cryptochrome 1 (Cry1), brain and muscle arnt-like
      protein 1 (Bmal1), and circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (Clock) mRNA
      expressions in various neural and peripheral tissues of buntings in different
      LHSs and discovered differences of ~2 to 6 h in the phase and 2- to 4-fold in
      amplitude of circadian oscillations of Per2, Cry1, and Bmal1 between photoperiod
      induced LHSs. Phase relationship in mRNA oscillations was altered between
      oscillator components in the circadian pacemaker system (retina, pineal,
      hypothalamus) as well as in the peripheral (liver, muscle) tissues. These results
      show for the first time altered waveforms of clock gene expressions in all
      tissues in parallel with behavioral shifts and suggest the involvement of
      circadian system in photoperiod induction of seasonal LHSs in a migratory
      species.

PMID- 26103988
TI  - Development of thermal energy storage materials for biomedical applications.
AB  - The phase change materials (PCMs) have been utilized widely for solar thermal
      energy storage (TES) devices. The quality of these materials to remain at a
      particular temperature during solid-liquid, liquid-solid phase transition can
      also be utilized for many biomedical applications as well and has been explored
      in recent past already. This study reports some novel PCMs developed by them,
      along with some existing PCMs, to be used for such biomedical applications.
      Interestingly, it was observed that the heating/cooling properties of these PCMs
      enhance the quality of a variety of biomedical applications with many advantages
      (non-electric, no risk of electric shock, easy to handle, easy to recharge
      thermally, long life, cheap and easily available, reusable) over existing
      applications. Results of the present study are quite interesting and exciting,
      opening a plethora of opportunities for more work on the subject, which require
      overlapping expertise of material scientists, biochemists and medical experts for
      broader social benefits. 

PMID- 26103989
TI  - Convection-enhanced delivery for glioblastoma: targeted delivery of antitumor
      therapeutics.
AB  - Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain tumor in adults and carries a
      dismal prognosis despite advancements in treatment. Diffuse tumor infiltration
      precludes curative surgical resection and necessitates advancements in drug
      delivery mechanisms. Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) enables continuous local
      drug delivery for a diverse population of antitumor agents. Importantly, CED
      circumvents therapeutic challenges posed by the blood-brain barrier by
      facilitating concentrated local therapeutic drug delivery with limited systemic
      effects. Here, we present a concise review of properties essential for safe and
      efficient convection-enhanced drug delivery, as well as a focused review of
      clinical studies evaluating CED in the treatment of glioblastoma.

PMID- 26103990
TI  - Genetic diversity of Trichomonas vaginalis clinical isolates from Henan province
      in central China.
AB  - Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellated protozoan parasite that infects the human
      urogenital tract, causing the most common non-viral, sexually transmitted disease
      worldwide. In this study, genetic variants of T. vaginalis were identified in
      Henan Province, China. Fragments of the small subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA
      (18S rRNA) were amplified from 32 T. vaginalis isolates obtained from seven
      regions of Henan Province. Overall, 18 haplotypes were determined from the 18S
      rRNA sequences. Each sampled population and the total population displayed high
      haplotype diversity (Hd), accompanied by very low nucleotide diversity (Pi). In
      these molecular genetic variants, 91.58% genetic variation was derived from intra
      regions. Phylogenetic analysis revealed no correlation between phylogeny and
      geographic distribution. Demographic analysis supported population expansion of
      T. vaginalis isolates from central China. Our findings showing moderate-to-high
      genetic variations in the 32 isolates of T. vaginalis provide useful knowledge
      for monitoring changes in parasite populations for the development of future
      control strategies. 

PMID- 26103991
TI  - Ethylene Response Factors: A Key Regulatory Hub in Hormone and Stress Signaling.
AB  - Ethylene is essential for many developmental processes and a key mediator of
      biotic and abiotic stress responses in plants. The ethylene signaling and
      response pathway includes Ethylene Response Factors (ERFs), which belong to the
      transcription factor family APETALA2/ERF. It is well known that ERFs regulate
      molecular response to pathogen attack by binding to sequences containing AGCCGCC
      motifs (the GCC box), a cis-acting element. However, recent studies suggest that
      several ERFs also bind to dehydration-responsive elements and act as a key
      regulatory hub in plant responses to abiotic stresses. Here, we review some of
      the recent advances in our understanding of the ethylene signaling and response
      pathway, with emphasis on ERFs and their role in hormone cross talk and redox
      signaling under abiotic stresses. We conclude that ERFs act as a key regulatory
      hub, integrating ethylene, abscisic acid, jasmonate, and redox signaling in the
      plant response to a number of abiotic stresses. 

PMID- 26103992
TI  - MicroRNA396-Targeted SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE Is Required to Repress Flowering and
      Is Related to the Development of Abnormal Flower Symptoms by the Phyllody
      Symptoms1 Effector.
AB  - Leafy flowers are the major symptoms of peanut witches' broom (PnWB) phytoplasma
      infection in Catharanthus roseus. The orthologs of the phyllody symptoms1 (PHYL1)
      effector of PnWB from other species of phytoplasma can trigger the proteasomal
      degradation of several MADS box transcription factors, resulting in leafy flower
      formation. In contrast, the flowering negative regulator gene SHORT VEGETATIVE
      PHASE (SVP) was up-regulated in PnWB-infected C. roseus plants, but most microRNA
      (miRNA) genes had repressed expression. Coincidentally, transgenic Arabidopsis
      (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants expressing the PHYL1 gene of PnWB (PHYL1 plants),
      which show leafy flower phenotypes, up-regulate SVP of Arabidopsis (AtSVP) but
      repress a putative regulatory miRNA of AtSVP, miR396. However, the mechanism by
      which PHYL1 regulates AtSVP and miR396 is unknown, and the evidence of miR396
      mediated AtSVP degradation is lacking. Here, we show that miR396 triggers AtSVP
      messenger RNA (mRNA) decay using genetic approaches, a reporter assay, and high
      throughput degradome profiles. Genetic evidence indicates that PHYL1 plants and
      atmir396a-1 mutants have higher AtSVP accumulation, whereas the transgenic plants
      overexpressing MIR396 display lower AtSVP expression. The reporter assay
      indicated that target-site mutation results in decreasing the miR396-mediated
      repression efficiency. Moreover, degradome profiles revealed that miR396 triggers
      AtSVP mRNA decay rather than miRNA-mediated cleavage, implying that AtSVP caused
      miR396-mediated translation inhibition. We hypothesize that PHYL1 directly or
      indirectly interferes with miR396-mediated AtSVP mRNA decay and synergizes with
      other effects (e.g. MADS box transcription factor degradation), resulting in
      abnormal flower formation. We anticipate our findings to be a starting point for
      studying the posttranscriptional regulation of PHYL1 effectors in symptom
      development. 

PMID- 26103994
TI  - Incremental value of pulmonary artery diameter indexed for BSA in pulmonary
      hypertension.

PMID- 26103993
TI  - Molecular Evidence for Functional Divergence and Decay of a Transcription Factor
      Derived from Whole-Genome Duplication in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Functional divergence between duplicate transcription factors (TFs) has been
      linked to critical events in the evolution of land plants and can result from
      changes in patterns of expression, binding site divergence, and/or interactions
      with other proteins. Although plant TFs tend to be retained post
      polyploidization, many are lost within tens to hundreds of million years. Thus,
      it can be hypothesized that some TFs in plant genomes are in the process of
      becoming pseudogenes. Here, we use a pair of salt tolerance-conferring
      transcription factors, DWARF AND DELAYED FLOWERING1 (DDF1) and DDF2, that
      duplicated through paleopolyploidy 50 to 65 million years ago, as examples to
      illustrate potential mechanisms leading to duplicate retention and loss. We found
      that the expression patterns of Arabidopsis thaliana (At)DDF1 and AtDDF2 have
      diverged in a highly asymmetric manner, and AtDDF2 has lost most inferred
      ancestral stress responses. Consistent with promoter disablement, the AtDDF2
      promoter has fewer predicted cis-elements and a methylated repetitive element.
      Through comparisons of AtDDF1, AtDDF2, and their Arabidopsis lyrata orthologs, we
      identified significant differences in binding affinities and binding site
      preference. In particular, an AtDDF2-specific substitution within the DNA-binding
      domain significantly reduces binding affinity. Cross-species analyses indicate
      that both AtDDF1 and AtDDF2 are under selective constraint, but among A. thaliana
      accessions, AtDDF2 has a higher level of nonsynonymous nucleotide diversity
      compared with AtDDF1. This may be the result of selection in different
      environments or may point toward the possibility of ongoing functional decay
      despite retention for millions of years after gene duplication. 

PMID- 26103995
TI  - Palliative care for patients with advanced fibrotic lung disease: a randomised
      controlled phase II and feasibility trial of a community case conference
      intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Those affected by advanced fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILDs)
      have considerable unmet symptom and psychological needs. Case conferencing has
      been proposed to address these issues, but requires evaluation. AIM: To obtain
      preliminary information on the impact of a case conference intervention delivered
      in the home (Hospital2Home) on palliative care concerns of patients and their
      carers, and to evaluate feasibility and acceptability. METHODS: Hospital2Home was
      trialled at a specialist centre using a Phase II fast-track randomised controlled
      trial with qualitative interviews. The primary outcome for effect was mean change
      from baseline of Palliative Care Outcome Scale (POS) (a measure of symptoms and
      concerns) at 4 weeks. Secondary outcomes included symptom control, quality of
      life, consent and recruitment rates and percentage of patients in the fast-track
      group receiving case conferences within 14 days. RESULTS: 53 patients were
      recruited (26 fast-track, 27 controls). Mean (SD) POS scores at 4 weeks were -5.7
      (7.5) fast-track vs -0.4 (8.0) control, (mean change difference between the two
      arms was -5.3 (95% CI -9.8 to -0.7) independent t test p=0.02); effect size (95%
      CI) -0.7 (-1.2 to -0.1). The secondary outcomes of quality of life, anxiety and
      depression were superior in the fast-track arm, and none were worse. Qualitative
      findings corroborate these data. Recruitment was successful and 53/67 (79%) of
      eligible patients consented. 6/25 (24%) had case conferences within 14 days.
      CONCLUSIONS: Community case conferences improve palliative symptoms and quality
      of life after 4 weeks. Hospital2Home for the most part is both feasible and
      acceptable. It now requires further testing in multicentre trials. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01450644.

PMID- 26103997
TI  - Persistence of asthma following allergen avoidance is associated with proTh2
      myeloid dendritic cell activation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The natural history of asthma includes in some patients periods of
      disease remission, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. OBJECTIVES: We
      explored whether type 1 myeloid dendritic cell (mDC) dysfunction could be
      involved in the persistence of asthma, studying the controlled setting of
      occupational asthma after allergen avoidance. METHODS: We recruited 32 patients
      with occupational asthma to flour or latex ascertained by specific inhalation
      challenge and who were no longer exposed to the causal allergen. Leukapheresis
      was performed in each patient to isolate and characterise blood type 1 mDCs, and
      their functionality was studied in coculture with allogeneic CD4(+) T cells from
      controls. RESULTS: At follow-up, 11/32 patients (34%) were characterised by the
      absence of symptoms and non-specific bronchial hyper-responsiveness to histamine
      and were considered to be cured. When compared with cured patients, mDCs from
      patients with persistent disease increased the production of interleukin (IL) 5
      and IL-13 by CD4(+) T cells, and upregulated programmed death ligand 2 (PD-L2)
      upon allergen pulsing. In addition, IL-5 and IL-13 responses could be reversed by
      exogenous IL-12, as well as by PD-L2 blockade. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates
      that pro-Th2 features of mDCs correlate with disease activity in asthma after
      cessation of exposure to the causal allergen. The findings also highlight that
      the Th2 programming by dendritic cells is flexible and partly mediated by PD-L2.

PMID- 26103996
TI  - Asthma in Latin America.
AB  - Consistent with the diversity of Latin America, there is profound variability in
      asthma burden among and within countries in this region. Regional variation in
      asthma prevalence is likely multifactorial and due to genetics, perinatal
      exposures, diet, obesity, tobacco use, indoor and outdoor pollutants,
      psychosocial stress and microbial or parasitic infections. Similarly, non-uniform
      progress in asthma management leads to regional variability in disease morbidity.
      Future studies of distinct asthma phenotypes should follow-up well-characterised
      Latin American subgroups and examine risk factors that are unique or common in
      Latin America (eg, stress and violence, parasitic infections and use of biomass
      fuels for cooking). Because most Latin American countries share the same barriers
      to asthma management, concerted and multifaceted public health and research
      efforts are needed, including approaches to curtail tobacco use, campaigns to
      improve asthma treatment, broadening access to care and clinical trials of non
      pharmacological interventions (eg, replacing biomass fuels with gas or electric
      stoves). 

PMID- 26103998
TI  - Characterization of Interstrand DNA-DNA Cross-Links Derived from Abasic Sites
      Using Bacteriophage phi29 DNA Polymerase.
AB  - Interstrand cross-links in cellular DNA are highly deleterious lesions that block
      transcription and replication. We recently characterized two new structural types
      of interstrand cross-links derived from the reaction of abasic (Ap) sites with
      either guanine or adenine residues in duplex DNA. Interestingly, these Ap-derived
      cross-links are forged by chemically reversible processes, in which the two
      strands of the duplex are joined by hemiaminal, imine, or aminoglycoside
      linkages. Therefore, understanding the stability of Ap-derived cross-links may be
      critical in defining the potential biological consequences of these lesions. Here
      we employed bacteriophage phi29 DNA polymerase, which can couple DNA synthesis
      and strand displacement, as a model system to examine whether dA-Ap cross-links
      can withstand DNA-processing enzymes. We first demonstrated that a chemically
      stable interstrand cross-link generated by hydride reduction of the dG-Ap cross
      link completely blocked primer extension by phi29 DNA polymerase at the last
      unmodified nucleobase preceding cross-link. We then showed that the nominally
      reversible dA-Ap cross-link behaved, for all practical purposes, like an
      irreversible, covalent DNA-DNA cross-link. The dA-Ap cross-link completely
      blocked progress of the phi29 DNA polymerase at the last unmodified base before
      the cross-link. This suggests that Ap-derived cross-links have the power to block
      various DNA-processing enzymes in the cell. In addition, our results reveal phi29
      DNA polymerase as a tool for detecting the presence and mapping the location of
      interstrand cross-links (and possibly other lesions) embedded within regions of
      duplex DNA. 

PMID- 26103999
TI  - Voltage-Gated Transport of Nanoparticles across Free-Standing All-Carbon-Nanotube
      Based Hollow-Fiber Membranes.
AB  - Understanding the mechanism underlying controllable transmembrane transport
      observed in biological membranes benefits the development of next-generation
      separation membranes for a variety of important applications. In this work, on
      the basis of common structural features of cell membranes, a very simple
      biomimetic membrane system exhibiting gated transmembrane performance has been
      constructed using all-carbon-nanotube (CNT)-based hollow-fiber membranes. The
      conductive CNT membranes with hydrophobic pore channels can be positively or
      negatively charged and are consequently capable of regulating the transport of
      nanoparticles across their pore channels by their "opening" or "closing". The
      switch between penetration and rejection of nanoparticles through/by CNT
      membranes is of high efficiency and especially allows dynamic control. The
      underlying mechanism is that CNT pore channels with different polarities can
      prompt or prevent the formation of their noncovalent interactions with charged
      nanoparticles, resulting in their rejection or penetration by/through the CNT
      membranes. The theory about noncovalent interactions and charged pore channels
      may provide new insight into understanding the complicated ionically and
      bimolecularly gated transport across cell membranes and can contribute to many
      other important applications beyond the water purification and resource recovery
      demonstrated in this study. 

PMID- 26104000
TI  - Association Between Acute Medical Exacerbations and Consuming or Producing Web
      Based Health Information: Analysis From Pew Survey Data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Internet is an increasingly important resource for individuals
      who seek information from both health professionals and peers. While the
      demographic and health characteristics of persons who use health information
      technology has been well described, less is known about the relationship between
      these health characteristics and level of engagement with health information
      technology. Even less is known about whether persons who produce Web-based health
      information differ in health status from persons who consume such content.
      OBJECTIVE: We explored the health characteristics of persons who engage with the
      Internet for the purposes of consuming or producing Web-based health information,
      and specifically, whether healthier versus sicker persons engage with health
      information technology in different ways. METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2012
      Pew Health survey, a landline and cell phone survey of 3104 adults in the United
      States. Using multiple logistic regression with sampling weights, we examined the
      association between sociodemographic and health characteristics and the
      consumption or production of Web-based health information. Sociodemographic
      variables included age, sex, race, and education. Health characteristics included
      self-reported health status, presence of chronic condition(s), and having an
      acute medical exacerbation. Acute medical exacerbations were defined as an
      emergency department visit, hospitalization, or other serious medical emergency
      in the last 12 months. RESULTS: The majority of the sample reported good or
      excellent health (79.7%), although 50.3% reported having at least one chronic
      condition. About a fifth (20.2%) of the sample experienced an acute medical
      exacerbation in the past year. Education was the sociodemographic characteristic
      most strongly associated with consuming Web-based health information. The
      strongest health-related predictors of consuming Web-based health information
      were an acute medical exacerbation (OR 2.39, P<.001) and having a chronic
      condition (OR 1.54, P=.007). Having an acute medical exacerbation was the only
      predictor of producing Web-based health information (OR 1.97, P=.003). All
      participants, regardless of health status, were most interested in Web-based
      health information regarding diseases or medical problems. However, persons with
      acute medical exacerbations were more likely to seek Web-based health information
      regarding medical tests, procedures, and drugs compared to persons without acute
      medical exacerbations. CONCLUSIONS: Producers of Web-based health information
      differ from consumers of this information in important health characteristics
      that could skew the content of peer-generated Web-based health information and
      overrepresent the experiences of persons with acute medical exacerbations.
      Providers may have a role to play in directing patients towards high-quality,
      easy-to-understand online information, especially information regarding
      treatments and procedures.

PMID- 26104001
TI  - [Nosocomial outbreaks and resistant microorganisms].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the number and duration of nosocomial outbreaks caused by
      highly resistant microorganisms (HRMO) posing a potential threat to public
      health, in order to undertake a risk assessment. DESIGN: Descriptive study.
      METHOD: Data on nosocomial outbreaks were collected from April 2012 to June 2014.
      The following characteristics were recorded at the start and end of each
      outbreak: type of microorganism, reason for reporting, phase of outbreak, number
      of patients colonised and infected, and infection prevention measures
      implemented. RESULTS: 47 medical institutions reported 87 outbreaks (mean: 3
      outbreaks per month). 20 outbreaks were reported in 2012 (2.2/month), 39 in 2013
      (3.3/month), and 28 in the first six months of 2014 (4.7/month). Outbreaks of
      vancomycin-resistant enterococci (n = 26), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
      aureus (MRSA; n = 23) and resistant or highly resistant Enterobacteriaceae (n =
      17) were reported most frequently. 65 outbreaks (75%) were controlled within two
      months of reporting. CONCLUSION: Transparent reporting of HRMO outbreaks is
      important for correct public perceptions of the safety of hospitals and nursing
      homes in the Netherlands. Reports to the Hospital-acquired Infection and
      Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring Group show that HRMO outbreaks are an almost
      daily occurrence in Dutch hospitals. However, most outbreaks are quickly
      controlled without posing a threat to public health.

PMID- 26104003
TI  - [Thyroid autoantibodies].
AB  - Here we describe the role of laboratory assessment of autoantibodies against the
      thyroid antigens thyroid peroxidase (TPO), thyroid stimulating hormone receptor
      (TSHR) and thyroglobulin (TG) in the diagnosis of disorders of the thyroid. The
      practical use of these tests is illustrated by two case studies. This is followed
      by an in-depth discussion of the most recent literature, including national and
      international guidelines for thyroid disorders. The applicability of TPO
      antibodies in subclinical hypothyroidism, THSR antibodies in pregnant women with
      a history of Graves' hyperthyroidism, and TG antibodies in the follow-up of
      differentiated thyroid carcinoma, are highlighted. 

PMID- 26104005
TI  - [Abdominal splenosis].
AB  - Splenosis is a common benign finding that occurs after splenic trauma or after
      splenectomy. It is auto-transplantation of splenic tissue and can be seen intra
      abdominally, intra-thoracically and even subcutaneously. Splenosis is usually
      found incidentally at laparoscopy, laparotomy or on radiological examination and
      is mostly asymptomatic. Treatment is only required if a patient complains of
      abdominal pain, obstruction or bleeding. On radiological examination splenosis
      can mimic a metastatic malignant disease. For this reason it is important to
      recognise splenosis and know the patient's medical history concerning splenic
      trauma or splenectomy, thus avoiding diagnostic laparoscopy or ultrasound guided
      biopsy. This paper presents two patients with splenosis. Additionally, we
      describe how to diagnose this entity by scintigraphy with (99m) Technetium
      labelled heat-denatured erythrocytes. 

PMID- 26104006
TI  - [A sore throat: tumour, tuberculosis or both?].
AB  - The incidence of tuberculosis in the Netherlands has dropped dramatically over
      the past 50 years. With declining experience of tuberculosis, misdiagnosis can
      easily happen. Laryngeal tuberculosis often presents as a tumorous mass that may
      initially be mistaken for cancer. As laryngeal tuberculosis is usually highly
      infectious, this poses a risk to the patient as well as his/her contacts
      including healthcare providers. We describe three patients with (suspected)
      laryngeal tuberculosis and discuss potential pitfalls. Pivotal for a correct
      diagnosis are thorough history-taking, physical examination and relatively simple
      radiological and laboratory tests. Risk groups have been identified for
      tuberculosis and this can provide a clue. Differentiation between tuberculosis
      and cancer can be difficult, and the two diseases may concur. Even in low
      incidence settings for tuberculosis, knowledge of the disease remains necessary
      as it is curable and further spread can be prevented with simple measures.

PMID- 26104007
TI  - [A child with a S-shaped skin condition on his abdomen].
AB  - A 14-year-old boy with a pruritic erythematous plaque on his abdomen along the
      lines of Blaschko, visited the dermatology outpatient clinic. Histopathology of a
      skin biopsy confirmed the clinical diagnosis linear cutaneous lupus
      erythematosus. We treated the patient with potent topical corticosteroids. 

PMID- 26104008
TI  - FAT1 cadherin acts upstream of Hippo signalling through TAZ to regulate neuronal
      differentiation.
AB  - The Hippo pathway is emerging as a critical nexus that balances self-renewal of
      progenitors against differentiation; however, upstream elements in vertebrate
      Hippo signalling are poorly understood. High expression of Fat1 cadherin within
      the developing neuroepithelium and the manifestation of severe neurological
      phenotypes in Fat1-knockout mice suggest roles in neurogenesis. Using the SH-SY5Y
      model of neuronal differentiation and employing gene silencing techniques, we
      show that FAT1 acts to control neurite outgrowth, also driving cells towards
      terminal differentiation via inhibitory effects on proliferation. FAT1 actions
      were shown to be mediated through Hippo signalling where it activated core Hippo
      kinase components and antagonised functions of the Hippo effector TAZ.
      Suppression of FAT1 promoted the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of TAZ leading to
      enhanced transcription of the Hippo target gene CTGF together with accompanying
      increases in nuclear levels of Smad3. Silencing of TAZ reversed the effects of
      FAT1 depletion thus connecting inactivation of TAZ-TGFbeta signalling with Hippo
      signalling mediated through FAT1. These findings establish FAT1 as a new upstream
      Hippo element regulating early stages of differentiation in neuronal cells.

PMID- 26104010
TI  - Denisovan Ancestry in East Eurasian and Native American Populations.
AB  - Although initial studies suggested that Denisovan ancestry was found only in
      modern human populations from island Southeast Asia and Oceania, more recent
      studies have suggested that Denisovan ancestry may be more widespread. However,
      the geographic extent of Denisovan ancestry has not been determined, and moreover
      the relationship between the Denisovan ancestry in Oceania and that elsewhere has
      not been studied. Here we analyze genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data
      from 2,493 individuals from 221 worldwide populations, and show that there is a
      widespread signal of a very low level of Denisovan ancestry across Eastern
      Eurasian and Native American (EE/NA) populations. We also verify a higher level
      of Denisovan ancestry in Oceania than that in EE/NA; the Denisovan ancestry in
      Oceania is correlated with the amount of New Guinea ancestry, but not the amount
      of Australian ancestry, indicating that recent gene flow from New Guinea likely
      accounts for signals of Denisovan ancestry across Oceania. However, Denisovan
      ancestry in EE/NA populations is equally correlated with their New Guinea or
      their Australian ancestry, suggesting a common source for the Denisovan ancestry
      in EE/NA and Oceanian populations. Our results suggest that Denisovan ancestry in
      EE/NA is derived either from common ancestry with, or gene flow from, the common
      ancestor of New Guineans and Australians, indicating a more complex history
      involving East Eurasians and Oceanians than previously suspected. 

PMID- 26104011
TI  - Duplication and Adaptive Evolution of a Key Centromeric Protein in Mimulus, a
      Genus with Female Meiotic Drive.
AB  - The fundamental asymmetry of female meiosis creates an arena for genetic elements
      to compete for inclusion in the egg, promoting the selfish evolution of
      centromere variants that maximize their transmission to the future egg. Such
      "female meiotic drive" has been hypothesized to explain the paradoxically complex
      and rapidly evolving nature of centromeric DNA and proteins. Although
      theoretically widespread, few cases of active drive have been observed, thereby
      limiting the opportunities to directly assess the impact of centromeric drive on
      molecular variation at centromeres and binding proteins. Here, we characterize
      the molecular evolutionary patterns of CENH3, the centromere-defining histone
      variant, in Mimulus monkeyflowers, a genus with one of the few known cases of
      active centromere-associated female meiotic drive. First, we identify a novel
      duplication of CENH3 in diploid Mimulus, including in lineages with actively
      driving centromeres. Second, we demonstrate long-term adaptive evolution at
      several sites in the N-terminus of CENH3, a region with some meiosis-specific
      functions that putatively interacts with centromeric DNA. Finally, we infer that
      the paralogs evolve under different selective regimes; some sites in the N
      terminus evolve under positive selection in the pro-orthologs or only one paralog
      (CENH3_B) and the paralogs exhibit significantly different patterns of
      polymorphism within populations. Our finding of long-term, adaptive evolution at
      CENH3 in the context of centromere-associated meiotic drive supports an
      antagonistic, coevolutionary battle for evolutionary dominance between
      centromeric DNA and binding proteins. 

PMID- 26104009
TI  - Convergent Evolution of Head Crests in Two Domesticated Columbids Is Associated
      with Different Missense Mutations in EphB2.
AB  - Head crests are important display structures in wild bird species and are also
      common in domesticated lineages. Many breeds of domestic rock pigeon (Columba
      livia) have crests of reversed occipital feathers, and this recessive trait is
      associated with a nonsynonymous coding mutation in the intracellular kinase
      domain of EphB2 (Ephrin receptor B2). The domestic ringneck dove (Streptopelia
      risoria) also has a recessive crested morph with reversed occipital feathers, and
      interspecific crosses between crested doves and pigeons produce crested
      offspring, suggesting a similar genetic basis for this trait in both species. We
      therefore investigated EphB2 as a candidate for the head crest phenotype of
      ringneck doves and identified a nonsynonymous coding mutation in the
      intracellular kinase domain that is significantly associated with the crested
      morph. This mutation is over 100 amino acid positions away from the crest
      mutation found in rock pigeons, yet both mutations are predicted to negatively
      affect the function of ATP-binding pocket. Furthermore, bacterial toxicity assays
      suggest that "crest" mutations in both species severely impact kinase activity.
      We conclude that head crests are associated with different mutations in the same
      functional domain of the same gene in two different columbid species, thereby
      representing striking evolutionary convergence in morphology and molecules. 

PMID- 26104012
TI  - Assessment of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in patients with psoriasis
      by speckle tracking echocardiography: A Speckle Tracking Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory disease and is reportedly
      associated with adverse cardiovascular risks. Left ventricular (LV) function has
      not been studied comprehensively in psoriasis. OBJECTIVES: This study was
      conducted to study LV mechanics in patients with psoriasis by speckle tracking
      echocardiography. METHODS: The study population consisted of 40 patients with
      psoriasis and 35 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Two-dimensional
      echocardiography images were obtained from LV apical four-chamber (4C), long axis
      (LAX), and two-chamber (2C) views. Peak longitudinal strain and strain rate were
      obtained from 4C, LAX, and 2C views. Global strain and strain rate were
      calculated by averaging data for the three apical views. RESULTS: Patients with
      psoriasis had significantly lower mean +/- standard deviation (SD) 4C (17.1 +/-
      1.7 vs. 19.2 +/- 2.3; P < 0.01), LAX (16.6 +/- 1.5 vs. 19.5 +/- 2.3; P < 0.01),
      and 2C (16.5 +/- 1.5 vs. 19.4 +/- 2.2; P < 0.01) peak longitudinal strain values
      compared with the control group. Moreover, mean +/- SD LV global strain (16.6 +/-
      1.5 vs. 19.9 +/- 2.1; P < 0.01) and strain rate (1.39 +/- 0.30 vs. 1.51 +/- 0.20;
      P < 0.01) values were found to be significantly lower in the psoriasis group. In
      a multiple regression model, global strain was independently associated with high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein (beta = 0.29, P = 0.04), duration of disease (beta
      = 0.35, P < 0.01), ejection fraction (EF) (beta = 0.38, P =0.01), and the ratio
      of early diastolic mitral inflow velocity to early diastolic annular velocity
      (E/E' ratio) (beta = 0.34, P =0.02). Also, in a multiple regression model, global
      strain rate was independently associated with duration of disease (beta = 0.36, P
      < 0.01), EF (beta = 0.32, P = 0.01), and E/E' ratio (beta = 0.35, P < 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Using 2-D strain imaging, we have demonstrated that patients with
      psoriasis have lower LV functions.

PMID- 26104014
TI  - Effect-site concentration of remifentanil for attenuating QTc interval
      prolongation following intubation in hypertensive female patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Haemodynamic changes after sympathetic stimuli like tracheal
      intubation are more pronounced in hypertensive patients than in normotensive
      patients. Heart rate (HR)-corrected QT (QTc) interval changes related to
      intubation may also be more prominent in hypertensive patients. We hypothesised
      that there would be a difference in the effect-site concentration (Ce) of
      remifentanil to attenuate QTc interval prolongation in normotensive and
      hypertensive patients following intubation. METHODS: Twenty-two normotensive and
      22 hypertensive female patients (>= 50 year) were enrolled and anaesthesised with
      remifentanil and propofol using a target-controlled infusion. All hypertensive
      patients received oral antihypertensive medications for > 6 months and took the
      medications in the morning of the surgery. The effective concentration of
      remifentanil Ce in 50% (EC50 ) and 95% of the population (EC95 ) required to
      maintain QTc interval prolongation < 15 ms following intubation was calculated
      using the isotonic regression and a bootstrapping approach following the Dixon's
      up-and-down method. RESULTS: Median duration of hypertension was 6 years.
      Isotonic regression revealed that the EC50 (83% confidence interval) of
      remifentanil Ce for reducing QTc interval prolongation following intubation was
      3.8 (3.5-4.1) ng/ml in normotensive and 6.1 (5.8-6.2) ng/ml in hypertensive
      female patients. The EC95 (95% confidence interval) of remifentanil Ce was 4.4
      (4.3-4.5) ng/ml in normotensive and 6.5 (6.4-6.5) ng/ml in hypertensive female
      patients. CONCLUSION: The Ce of remifentanil required to attenuate QTc interval
      prolongation following intubation was significantly higher in hypertensive
      patients than it was in normotensive patients. Thus, more caution should be taken
      related to QTc interval prolongation when intubating hypertensive patients.

PMID- 26104013
TI  - Randomised clinical trial: gut microbiome biomarkers are associated with clinical
      response to a low FODMAP diet in children with the irritable bowel syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides
      and polyols (FODMAP) diet can ameliorate symptoms in adult irritable bowel
      syndrome (IBS) within 48 h. AIM: To determine the efficacy of a low FODMAP diet
      in childhood IBS and whether gut microbial composition and/or metabolic capacity
      are associated with its efficacy. METHODS: In a double-blind, crossover trial,
      children with Rome III IBS completed a 1-week baseline period. They then were
      randomised to a low FODMAP diet or typical American childhood diet (TACD),
      followed by a 5-day washout period before crossing over to the other diet. GI
      symptoms were assessed with abdominal pain frequency being the primary outcome.
      Baseline gut microbial composition (16S rRNA sequencing) and metabolic capacity
      (PICRUSt) were determined. Metagenomic biomarker discovery (LEfSe) compared
      Responders (>=50% decrease in abdominal pain frequency on low FODMAP diet only)
      vs. Nonresponders (no improvement during either intervention). RESULTS: Thirty
      three children completed the study. Less abdominal pain occurred during the low
      FODMAP diet vs. TACD [1.1 +/- 0.2 (SEM) episodes/day vs. 1.7 +/- 0.4, P < 0.05].
      Compared to baseline (1.4 +/- 0.2), children had fewer daily abdominal pain
      episodes during the low FODMAP diet (P < 0.01) but more episodes during the TACD
      (P < 0.01). Responders were enriched at baseline in taxa with known greater
      saccharolytic metabolic capacity (e.g. Bacteroides, Ruminococcaceae,
      Faecalibacterium prausnitzii) and three Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes
      orthologues, of which two relate to carbohydrate metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: In
      childhood IBS, a low FODMAP diet decreases abdominal pain frequency. Gut
      microbiome biomarkers may be associated with low FODMAP diet efficacy.
      ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01339117.

PMID- 26104015
TI  - Emotional intelligence in sport and exercise: A systematic review.
AB  - This review targets emotional intelligence (EI) in sport and physical activity.
      We systematically review the available literature and offer a sound theoretical
      integration of differing EI perspectives (the tripartite model of EI) before
      considering applied practice in the form of EI training. Our review identified 36
      studies assessing EI in an athletic or physical activity context. EI has most
      often been conceptualized as a trait. In the context of sport performance, we
      found that EI relates to emotions, physiological stress responses, successful
      psychological skill usage, and more successful athletic performance. In the
      context of physical activity, we found that trait EI relates to physical activity
      levels and positive attitudes toward physical activity. There was a shortage of
      research into the EI of coaches, officials, and spectators, non-adult samples,
      and longitudinal and experimental methods. The tripartite model proposes that EI
      operates on three levels - knowledge, ability, and trait - and predicts an
      interplay between the different levels of EI. We present this framework as a
      promising alternative to trait and ability EI conceptualizations that can guide
      applied research and professional practice. Further research into EI training,
      measurement validation and cultural diversity is recommended. 

PMID- 26104016
TI  - Low-oxygen tensions found in Salmonella-infected gut tissue boost Salmonella
      replication in macrophages by impairing antimicrobial activity and augmenting
      Salmonella virulence.
AB  - In Salmonella infection, the Salmonella pathogenicity island-2 (SPI-2)-encoded
      type three secretion system (T3SS2) is of key importance for systemic disease and
      survival in host cells. For instance, in the streptomycin-pretreated mouse model
      SPI-2-dependent Salmonella replication in lamina propria CD11c(-)CXCR1(-)
      monocytic phagocytes/macrophages (MPhi) is required for the development of
      colitis. In addition, containment of intracellular Salmonella in the gut
      critically depends on the antimicrobial effects of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase
      (PHOX), and possibly type 2 nitric oxide synthase (NOS2). For both antimicrobial
      enzyme complexes, oxygen is an essential substrate. However, the amount of
      available oxygen upon enteroinvasive Salmonella infection in the gut tissue and
      its impact on Salmonella-MPhi interactions was unknown. Therefore, we measured
      the gut tissue oxygen levels in a model of Salmonella enterocolitis using
      luminescence two-dimensional in vivo oxygen imaging. We found that gut tissue
      oxygen levels dropped from ~78 Torr (~11% O2) to values of ~16 Torr (~2% O2)
      during infection. Because in vivo virulence of Salmonella depends on the
      Salmonella survival in MPhi, Salmonella-MPhi interaction was analysed under such
      low oxygen values. These experiments revealed an increased intracellular
      replication and survival of wild-type and t3ss2 non-expressing Salmonella. These
      findings were paralleled by blunted nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) production and reduced Salmonella ROS perception. In addition, hypoxia
      enhanced SPI-2 transcription and translocation of SPI-2-encoded virulence
      protein. Neither pharmacological blockade of PHOX and NOS2 nor impairment of
      T3SS2 virulence function alone mimicked the effect of hypoxia on Salmonella
      replication under normoxic conditions. However, if t3ss2 non-expressing
      Salmonella were used, hypoxia did not further enhance Salmonella recovery in a
      PHOX and NOS2-deficient situation. Hence, these data suggest that hypoxia-induced
      impairment of antimicrobial activity and Salmonella virulence cooperate to allow
      for enhanced Salmonella replication in MPhi.

PMID- 26104017
TI  - Case of respiratory discomfort due to myositis after administration of nivolumab.

PMID- 26104018
TI  - The Enhanced liver fibrosis score is associated with clinical outcomes and
      disease progression in patients with chronic liver disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Current tools for risk stratification of chronic liver
      disease subjects are limited. We aimed to determine whether the serum-based ELF
      (Enhanced Liver Fibrosis) test predicted liver-related clinical outcomes, or
      progression to advanced liver disease, and to compare the performance of ELF to
      liver biopsy and non-invasive algorithms. METHODS: Three hundred patients with
      ELF scores assayed at the time of liver biopsy were followed up (median 6.1
      years) for liver-related clinical outcomes (n = 16) and clear evidence of
      progression to advanced fibrosis (n = 18), by review of medical records and
      clinical data. RESULTS: Fourteen of 73 (19.2%) patients with ELF score indicative
      of advanced fibrosis (>=9.8, the manufacturer's cut-off) had a liver-related
      clinical outcome, compared to only two of 227 (<1%) patients with ELF score <9.8.
      In contrast, the simple scores APRI and FIB-4 would only have predicted
      subsequent decompensation in six and four patients respectively. A unit increase
      in ELF score was associated with a 2.53-fold increased risk of a liver-related
      event (adjusted for age and stage of fibrosis). In patients without advanced
      fibrosis on biopsy at recruitment, 55% (10/18) with an ELF score >=9.8 showed
      clear evidence of progression to advanced fibrosis (after an average 6 years),
      whereas only 3.5% of those with an ELF score <9.8 (8/207) progressed (average 14
      years). In these subjects, a unit increase in ELF score was associated with a
      4.34-fold increased risk of progression. CONCLUSIONS: The ELF score is a valuable
      tool for risk stratification of patients with chronic liver disease.

PMID- 26104019
TI  - Acute myeloid leukaemia in pregnancy.

PMID- 26104020
TI  - Sparing Native Upper Lobes in Living-Donor Lobar Lung Transplantation: Five Cases
      From a Single Center.
AB  - Living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) is indicated for rapidly
      deteriorating patients, and the total volume of two lower lobe grafts must be
      sufficient for the recipient. To rescue patients with small lobar grafts, we
      performed five LDLLTs sparing native upper lobes. This strategy was used when
      upper lobes or segments were preoperatively less impaired. There were no hospital
      deaths. Extracorporeal circulation time and operative time were similar to those
      of conventional LDLLTs. The length of intensive care unit stay was also similar.
      Late complications attributed to the spared lungs were airway infection in one
      recipient and pneumothorax in two but they were successfully managed. All
      recipients were discharged without supplemental oxygen. The spared lung volumes
      measured by volumetry did not change after LDLLT. Lung perfusion scintigraphy
      performed at 1 year showed remaining perfusion in the spared lungs, although much
      less than in the grafts. These results suggested that the spared lobes kept
      adequate space in the thoracic cavity and kept functioning to a limited extent.
      The new lobar-sparing strategy appears feasible and effective in LDLLT using
      small grafts for selected patients when the upper lobes or segments are less
      impaired. 

PMID- 26104021
TI  - Efficacy and safety of antihyperglycaemic drug regimens added to metformin and
      sulphonylurea therapy in Type 2 diabetes: a network meta-analysis.
AB  - AIM: To assess the efficacy and safety of third-line adjuvant antihyperglycaemic
      agents in people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus failing metformin and
      sulphonylurea combination therapy. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL,
      clinicaltrials.gov and regulatory websites, and conducted a manual search of
      references in the identified studies. Randomized trials evaluating
      antihyperglycaemic agents in adults with Type 2 diabetes experiencing poor
      glycaemic control despite optimized metformin and sulphonylurea therapy (>= 1500
      mg metformin or maximum tolerated dose; >= 50% of maximum sulphonylurea dose for
      >= 3 weeks) were included. Data extraction included: study characteristics;
      change in HbA1c concentration; weight; systolic blood pressure; and relative risk
      of hypoglycaemia, urinary tract infections; and genital tract infections. A
      network meta-analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 20 trials evaluating 13
      antihyperglycaemic agents were included. Compared with placebo/control, all
      antihyperglycaemic agents reduced HbA1c levels, albeit by differing magnitudes
      [range 7 mmol/mol (0.6%) for acarbose to 13 mmol/mol (1.20%) for liraglutide].
      Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors reduced weight (1.43-2.07 kg) whereas
      thiazolidinediones, glargine and sitagliptin caused weight gain (1.48-3.62 kg)
      compared with placebo/control. Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors,
      rosiglitazone and liraglutide decreased systolic blood pressure compared with
      placebo/control, pioglitazone, glargine and sitagliptin (2.41-8.88 mm Hg).
      Glargine, thiazolidinediones, liraglutide, sitagliptin and canagliflozin
      increased hypoglycaemia risk compared with placebo/control (relative risk 1.92
      7.47), while glargine and rosiglitazone increased hypoglycaemia compared with
      most antihyperglycaemic agents (relative risk 2.81-7.47). No antihyperglycaemic
      agent increased the risk of urinary tract infection, but canagliflozin increased
      the risk of genital tract infection by 3.9-fold compared with placebo/control.
      CONCLUSIONS: When added to metformin and a sulphonylurea, antihyperglycaemic
      agents had varying effects on efficacy and safety endpoints. These conclusions
      should be considered when clinicians choose between possible adjunctive agents.

PMID- 26104022
TI  - Tailored versus Triple plus Bismuth or Concomitant Therapy as Initial
      Helicobacter pylori Treatment: A Randomized Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With markedly increased antibiotic resistance and unsatisfactory
      efficacies of common empiric eradication regimens in the mainland of China,
      tailored therapy may be the best choice to achieve good efficacy. This study
      compared the eradication rates, safety, and compliance of tailored therapy to
      those of triple therapy plus bismuth and concomitant therapy in the naive
      patients with Helicobacter pylori infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between
      September 2013 and April 2014, 1050 patients with H. pylori infection at three
      tertiary hospitals were randomly assigned to 10-day treatment with tailored,
      triple plus bismuth, or concomitant regimens. In tailored therapy, medications
      were adjusted according to clarithromycin sensitivity and cytochrome P450
      isoenzyme 2C19 genotype. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing (E test) was
      performed. Eradication status was assessed 4-12 weeks after treatment. RESULTS:
      The eradication rate was significantly higher in tailored group than in triple
      plus bismuth and concomitant groups in both intention-to-treat (88.7 vs 77.4 vs
      78.3%, p < .001) and per-protocol (93.3 vs 87.0 vs 87.4%, p = .021) analyses in a
      setting with high antibiotic resistance (clarithromycin 48.8%, metronidazole
      65.7%, and dual resistance 35.3%). Significantly, fewer adverse effects occurred
      in tailored group than in concomitant group (22.0 vs 31.7%, p = .018). The
      eradication rates of dual clarithromycin and metronidazole resistance, isolated
      clarithromycin resistance, isolated metronidazole resistance, and dual
      susceptible were 78.7, 82.4, 94.8, and 94.4% in triple therapy plus bismuth and
      75.9, 87.2, 92.9, and 95.2% in concomitant therapy, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      First-line tailored therapy achieves significantly higher eradication rates and
      fewer side effects, compared to triple therapy plus bismuth and concomitant
      therapy in a setting with high rates of clarithromycin and metronidazole
      resistance.

PMID- 26104023
TI  - Improved antioxidant status by omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in breast
      cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: a case series.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women
      worldwide and the third most common cancer in India. Various studies have
      reported that chemotherapy reduces the antioxidant status in patients with
      cancer. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to offer protection
      against breast cancer through various mechanisms. However, there are no reports
      suggesting a relationship between consumption of omega-3 fatty acids during
      chemotherapy and antioxidant status in patients with breast cancer. Thus, the
      objective of this study was to evaluate whether fish oil supplementation could
      improve the antioxidant status of five women with breast cancer undergoing
      chemotherapy. CASE PRESENTATION: We report on the cases of five Indian women with
      breast cancer, in the age group of 34 to 60 years, who had poorly differentiated
      breast carcinoma and underwent modified radical mastectomy. Postsurgery, the
      patients were given fish oil capsules containing eicosapentaenoic acid (180 mg)
      and docosahexaenoic acid (120 mg)/capsule during their chemotherapy. Informed
      consent was obtained from each participant and they were followed-up to the
      completion of six chemotherapy cycles at 21-day intervals. CONCLUSIONS: The
      supplementation of fish oil significantly (p < 0.01) increased superoxide
      dismutases, glutathione reductase and catalase activity in red blood cells as
      well as the total plasma antioxidant status in the patients. This approach of
      using omega-3 fatty acids as an adjuvant treatment for breast cancer may help
      oncologists to manage the side effects of ongoing chemotherapy by improving the
      antioxidant status in patients.

PMID- 26104024
TI  - Predictors of hepatitis A vaccine coverage among university students in Korea.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the status of hepatitis A vaccination, knowledge, and health
      beliefs among university students in Korea and identify factors influencing their
      hepatitis A vaccination rate. METHODS: A self-reporting survey was conducted with
      367 university students in Korea via descriptive survey. Data were collected on
      demographics, status of hepatitis A vaccination, knowledge, and health beliefs.
      RESULTS: The hepatitis A vaccination rate was 23.4%. The hepatitis A vaccination
      rate was significantly higher in those who had a general awareness about the
      hepatitis A (odds ratio [OR] = 3.56, P = 0.003), those with some overseas travel
      experience (OR = 2.64, P = 0.025), those perceiving the benefits of hepatitis A
      vaccination (OR = 1.66, P = 0.023), and those perceiving barriers (inversed) to
      hepatitis A vaccination (OR = 1.95, P = 0.011). CONCLUSION: To promote hepatitis
      A vaccination among university students, information and education should be
      provided to improve their health beliefs. In addition, this demographic should be
      a major target population for hepatitis A vaccination. This study's results
      suggest that the development of national promotional campaigns and hepatitis A
      vaccination programs based on predictors of the vaccination rate are needed.

PMID- 26104025
TI  - Does the type of abortion provider influence contraceptive uptake after abortion?
      An analysis of longitudinal data from 64 health facilities in Ghana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding what factors influence the receipt of postabortion
      contraception can help improve comprehensive abortion care services. The abortion
      visit is an ideal time to reach women at the highest risk of unintended pregnancy
      with the most effective contraceptive methods. The objectives of this study were
      to estimate the relationship between the type of abortion provider (consultant
      physician, house officer, or midwife) and two separate outcomes: (1) the
      likelihood of adopting postabortion contraception; (2) postabortion
      contraceptors' likelihood of receiving a long-acting and permanent versus a short
      acting contraceptive method. METHODS: We used retrospective cohort data collected
      from 64 health facilities in three regions of Ghana. The dataset includes
      information on all abortion procedures conducted between 1 January 2008 and 31
      December 2010 at each health facility. We used fixed effect Poisson regression to
      model the associations of interest. RESULTS: More than half (65 %) of the 29,056
      abortion clients received some form of contraception. When midwives performed the
      abortion, women were more likely to receive postabortion contraception compared
      to house officers (RR: 1.18; 95 % CI: 1.13, 1.24) or physicians (RR: 1.21; 95 %
      CI: 1.18, 1.25), after controlling for facility-level variation and client-level
      factors. Compared to women seen by house officers, abortion clients seen by
      midwives and physicians were more likely to receive a long-acting and permanent
      rather than a short-acting contraceptive method (RR: 1.46; 95 % CI: 1.23, 1.73;
      RR: 1.58; 95 % CI: 1.37, 1.83, respectively). Younger women were less likely to
      receive contraception than older women irrespective of provider type and
      indication for the abortion (induced or PAC). CONCLUSIONS: When comparing
      consultant physicians, house officers, and midwives, the type of abortion
      provider is associated with whether women receive postabortion contraception and
      with whether abortion clients receive a long-acting and permanent or a short
      acting method. New strategies are needed to ensure that women seen by physicians
      and house officers can access postabortion contraception and to ensure that women
      seen by house officers have access to long-acting and permanent contraceptive
      methods.

PMID- 26104026
TI  - Editorial Comment to High neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts poor clinical
      outcome in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with
      docetaxel chemotherapy.

PMID- 26104028
TI  - Identification and Purification of the CPD Photolyase in Vibrio parahaemolyticus
      RIMD2210633.
AB  - Photoreactivation is an error-free mechanism of DNA repair, utilized by
      prokaryotes and most eukaryotes and is catalyzed by specific enzymes called DNA
      photolyases. Photoreactivation has been reported in Vibrio parahaemolyticus WP28;
      however, information on photolyases in V. parahaemolyticus (V.p) strains has not
      been reported. This study examined the photoreactivation in V.p RIMD2210633. The
      photolyase responsible for repairing cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) in DNA
      was identified, and the corresponding gene was determined as VPA1471. The protein
      was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and was purified for functional assessment
      in vitro. The mRNA level and protein expression level of this gene increased
      after ultraviolet A (UVA) illumination following ultraviolet C (UVC) irradiation.
      In vitro experiments confirmed that the protein encoded by VPA1471 could reduce
      the quantity of CPD in DNA. We designated the corresponding gene and protein of
      VPA1471 phr and Phr, respectively, although the function of two other
      photolyase/cryptochrome family members, VPA0203 and VPA0204, remains unclear. UV
      (ultraviolet) irradiation experiments suggest that these two genes possess some
      photorepairing ability. Therefore, we hypothesize that VPA0203 and VPA0204 encode
      (6-4) photolyase in V. parahaemolyticus RIMD2210633. 

PMID- 26104027
TI  - Partial eNOS deficiency causes spontaneous thrombotic cerebral infarction,
      amyloid angiopathy and cognitive impairment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cerebral infarction due to thrombosis leads to the most common type
      of stroke and a likely cause of age-related cognitive decline and dementia.
      Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) generates NO, which plays a crucial role
      in maintaining vascular function and exerting an antithrombotic action. Reduced
      eNOS expression and eNOS polymorphisms have been associated with stroke and
      Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common type of dementia associated with
      neurovascular dysfunction. However, direct proof of such association is lacking.
      Since there are no reports of complete eNOS deficiency in humans, we used
      heterozygous eNOS(+/-) mice to mimic partial deficiency of eNOS, and determine
      its impact on cerebrovascular pathology and perfusion of cerebral vessels.
      RESULTS: Combining cerebral angiography with immunohistochemistry, we found
      thrombotic cerebral infarctions in eNOS(+/-) mice as early as 3-6 months of age
      but not in eNOS(+/+) mice at any age. Remarkably, vascular occlusions in eNOS(+/
      ) mice were found almost exclusively in three areas: temporoparietal and
      retrosplenial granular cortexes, and hippocampus this distribution precisely
      matching the hypoperfused areas identified in preclinical AD patients. Moreover,
      progressive cerebral amyloid angiopaphy (CAA), blood brain barrier (BBB)
      breakdown, and cognitive impairment were also detected in aged eNOS(+/-) mice.
      CONCLUSIONS: These data provide for the first time the evidence that partial eNOS
      deficiency results in spontaneous thrombotic cerebral infarctions that increase
      with age, leading to progressive CAA and cognitive impairments. We thus conclude
      that eNOS(+/-) mouse may represent an ideal model of ischemic stroke to address
      early and progressive damage in spontaneously-evolving chronic cerebral ischemia
      and thus, study vascular mechanisms contributing to vascular dementia and AD.

PMID- 26104029
TI  - Predictors and Proarrhythmic Consequences of Inappropriate Implantable
      Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the benefits of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)
      therapy, inappropriate shocks can lead to multiple adverse effects. The aim of
      this study was to clarify the predictors of inappropriate ICD shocks and their
      proarrhythmic consequences. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively studied 316
      consecutive patients who underwent ICD implantation from December 2000 to
      December 2011. Of them, 70 (22%) experienced inappropriate ICD shocks without
      proarrhythmia requiring some intervention; 2 patients (0.6%) had proarrhythmic
      inappropriate ICD therapy by antitachycardia pacing (ATP), thereby calculated to
      be 0.18% of patients per year. However, they did not have syncope from this
      inappropriate ATP. Multivariate analysis identified younger age (<=56 years:
      hazard ratio [HR] 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-2.77, P=0.043),
      paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (HR 3.00, 95% CI 1.64-5.31, P=0.0002), stroke (HR
      2.23, 95% CI 1.11-4.47, P=0.024), and no diuretic use (HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.03-2.93,
      P=0.039) as independent predictors of the occurrence of inappropriate ICD shocks.
      CONCLUSIONS: Young age, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, stroke, and no use of
      diuretics were independently associated with inappropriate ICD shocks.
      Proarrhythmic inappropriate ICD therapy was observed with an annual incidence of
      0.18% by ATP.

PMID- 26104030
TI  - New Modified CHA2DS2-VA Scoring System for Japanese Patients With Non-Valvular
      Atrial Fibrillation.

PMID- 26104032
TI  - Pitavastatin therapy in polymedicated patients is associated with a low risk of
      drug-drug interactions: analysis of real-world and phase 3 clinical trial data.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Medications that interact with the pathways responsible for statin
      metabolism may increase the risk of statin-associated myalgia. Pharmacokinetic
      studies show that pitavastatin is carried into the liver by a range of
      transporters and is minimally metabolized by cytochrome P450 in healthy
      volunteers, indicating a reduced potential for drug-drug interactions (DDIs).
      This post hoc analysis investigates the incidence of adverse events in patients
      receiving pitavastatin with concomitant medication in two large data sets.
      METHODS: The largest pitavastatin patient data sets are the LIVALO Effectiveness
      and Safety (LIVES) postmarketing surveillance study in Japan (n = 19,925) and the
      European phase 3 clinical trial program (n = 2,396). Adverse events were
      classified according to the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (Med
      DRA) and whether they occurred in patients taking medications that interact with
      hepatocyte organic anion-transporting polypeptide or cytochrome P450 (CYP)
      isoenzyme pathways. RESULTS: Concomitant administration of pitavastatin with
      other medications was not associated with clinically significant increases in the
      incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), even when given with medications that
      interact with CYP2C9, responsible for the minimal CYP metabolism of pitavastatin.
      There was a significant interaction with biguanides in LIVES, but this was
      associated with a reduced risk of muscle ADRs. CONCLUSION: In clinical trials,
      pitavastatin is associated with a low incidence of adverse events related to
      DDIs, consistent with data from healthy volunteers. Prescribing a metabolically
      stable statin, such as pitavastatin, may improve patient adherence to medication,
      thus facilitating the attainment of lipid targets and reducing cardiovascular
      risk.

PMID- 26104031
TI  - A novel dynamic exercise initiative for older people to improve health and well
      being: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exercise is an important and effective approach to preventing falls
      in older people, but adherence to exercise participation remains a persistent
      problem. A unique purpose-built exercise park was designed to provide a fun but
      physically challenging environment to support exercise in a community setting.
      This project is a randomised controlled trial designed to evaluate the
      effectiveness of an exercise intervention using an exercise park specifically
      designed for older people in reducing the risk of falls. METHODS/DESIGN: This
      study will be a parallel randomised control trial with pre and post intervention
      design. One hundred and twenty people aged between 60 and 90 years old will be
      recruited from Melbourne suburbs and will be randomly allocated to either an
      exercise park intervention group (EPIG) or a control group (CG). The CG will
      receive social activities and an educational booklet on falls prevention. The
      BOOMER balance test will be used as the primary outcome measure. Secondary
      outcome measures will include hand grip strength, two minute walk test, lower
      limb strength test, spatio-temporal walking parameters, health related quality of
      life, feasibility, adherence, safety, and a number of other psychosocial
      measures. Outcome assessment will be conducted at baseline and at 18 and 26 weeks
      after intervention commencement. Participants will inform their falls and
      physical activity history for a 12-month period via monthly calendars. Mixed
      linear modelling incorporating intervention and control groups at the baseline
      and two follow up time points (18 weeks and 26 weeks after intervention
      commencement) will be used to assess outcomes. DISCUSSION: This planned trial
      will be the first to provide evidence if the exercise park can improve functional
      and physiological health, psychological and well-being. In addition, this study
      will provide empirical evidence for effectiveness and explore the barriers to
      participation and the acceptability of the senior exercise park in the Australian
      older community. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered with the Australian
      New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry-Registry No. ACTRN12614000700639 registered
      on Jul 3rd 2014.

PMID- 26104033
TI  - Population pharmacokinetics and safety of eptifibatide in healthy Chinese
      volunteers and simulations on the dose regimens approved for a Western
      population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) and
      safety of eptifibatide in healthy Chinese volunteers and provide information for
      the further study in the Chinese population. METHODS: 30 healthy volunteers (15
      male) were enrolled in the study and divided into three dose groups (45 ug x kg
      1, 90 ug x kg-1, and 180 ug x kg-1). Plasma and urine samples were drawn after
      one single-bolus administration and measured by LC-MS/MS. The plasma and urine
      data were analyzed simultaneously by the population approach using the NONMEM
      software and evaluated by the visual predicted check (VPC) and bootstraping. The
      PK profiles of dose regimens approved for a Western population in the Chinese
      population were simulated. RESULTS: A two-compartment model adequately described
      the PK profiles of eptifibatide. The clearance (CL) and the distribution volume
      (V1) of the central compartment were 0.128 L x h-1 x kg-1 and 0.175 L x kg-1,
      respectively. The clearance (Q) and V2of the peripheral compartment were 0.0988 L
      x h-1 x kg-1 and 0.147 L x kg-1, respectively. The elimination fraction from
      plasma to urine (F0) was 17.2%. No covariates were found to have a significant
      effect. Inter-individual variabilites were all within 33.9%. The VPC plots and
      bootstrap results indicated good precision and prediction of the model. The
      simulations of the approved regimens in the Chinese population showed much lower
      steady-state concentrations than the target concentration obtained from the
      Western clinical trials. No severe safety events were found in this study.
      CONCLUSIONS: The PK model of eptifibatide was established and could provide PK
      information for further studies in the Chinese population.

PMID- 26104034
TI  - Effect of CYP3A4*1G, CYP3A5*3, POR*28, and ABCB1 C3435T on the pharmacokinetics
      of nifedipine in healthy Chinese volunteers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Nifedipine is a calcium channel blocker that is widely used in the
      treatment of cardiovascular disease. However, significant individual variances in
      the disposition of nifedipine have been reported, and genetic factors are
      considered to play an important role. The aim of the present study was to
      investigate the effect of CYP3A4*1G, CYP3A5*3, ABCB1-C3435T, and POR*28 genetic
      polymorphisms on nifedipine pharmacokinetics in healthy Chinese volunteers.
      METHODS: 45 healthy Chinese volunteers enrolled in this study received a single
      oral dose of 90 mg nifedipine after providing written informed consent.
      Volunteers were genotyped for CYP3A4*1G, CYP3A5*3, POR*28, and ABCB1-C3435T. The
      blood concentrations of nifedipine were determined by high performance liquid
      chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. RESULTS AND
      DISCUSSION: There were significant differences of AUC00-infinity and AUC0-48h in
      the different CYP3A5*3 genotype groups (p = 0.043 and p = 0.048, respectively).
      The CYP3A5*3 GG group and POR*28 CT/TT group were found to have lower AUC00
      infinity and Cmax compared with the POR*28 CC group (p = 0.046 and p = 0.002,
      respectively). In addition, the POR*28 CT/TT group was found to have longer t1/2
      but lower Cmax than the CYP3A4*1G GG group (p = 0.032 and p = 0.002,
      respectively) as well as the CYP3A4*1G GG and the CYP3A5*3 GG group (p = 0.038
      and p = 0.036, respectively) compared with the POR*28 CC group. No significant
      associations were found between CYP3A4*1G/ABCB1-C3435T polymorphism and
      pharmacokinetics of nifedipine. CONCLUSION: Both CYP3A5*3 and POR*28
      polymorphisms are found to be associated with the difference in disposition of
      nifedipine; POR*28 is considered to have an impact on CYP3A4 activity.

PMID- 26104035
TI  - Evidence supporting the need for considering the effects of smoking on drug
      disposition and effectiveness in medication practices: a systematic narrative
      review.
AB  - This study was conducted to provide a narrative overview of interactions between
      smoking and drug effectiveness/ pharmacokinetics. Database searches were
      performed to identify review articles published prior to March 10, 2013. Eligible
      articles reporting altered pharmacokinetic profiles, drug response, or adverse
      drug effects due to drug-smoking interactions were selected. Information on
      mechanism of action and clinical effects from the selected articles (n = 83) were
      summarized by therapeutic drug class. For cardiovascular drugs, smoking effects
      were variable. Smoking reduced aspirin response but increased clopidogrel
      response by increasing active metabolites. Warfarin, which has a narrow
      therapeutic range, required dosage adjustment in smokers due to its rapid
      clearance. Smoking is a risk factor for respiratory disease, leading to a lower
      response to corticosteroid and requiring increased doses or additional drugs.
      Higher doses of theophylline and some antipsychotics, which are mainly
      metabolized by CYP1A2, are required to reach an optimal plasma concentration in
      smokers. Smoking is also a risk factor for cancer, especially for lung cancer.
      Erlotinib or gefitinib are epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase
      inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) for lung cancer and showed lower anticancer effects in
      smokers. This summary of the interactions between smoking and drug
      pharmacological properties will aid healthcare professionals in providing
      patients with appropriate drug therapies, and emphasizes the need for considering
      smoking status as a patient factor in the clinical setting. 

PMID- 26104036
TI  - Impact of pharmacist interventions on rational prophylactic antibiotic use and
      cost saving in elective cesarean section.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of pharmacist interventions on rational use of
      prophylactic antibiotics and cost saving in elective cesarean section and the
      economic outcomes of implementing pharmacist interventions. METHODS: A pre-to
      post intervention design was applied to the practices of prophylactic antibiotic
      use in the department of gynecology and obstetrics in a Chinese tertiary
      hospital. Patients admitted during a 3-month period from June to August 2012 and
      during that from October to December 2012 undergoing elective cesarean section
      were assigned to the pre-intervention and the post-intervention group,
      respectively. Pharmacist interventions were performed in the post-intervention
      group, including obstetrician education, realtime monitoring of clinical records
      and making recommendations to obstetricians on prophylactic antibiotic
      prescription based on the criteria set at the beginning of the study. Data from
      the two groups were then compared to evaluate the outcomes of pharmacist
      interventions. Cost-outcome analysis was performed to determine the economic
      effect of implementing pharmacist interventions in preoperative antibiotic
      prophylaxis. RESULTS: Pharmacist interventions led to significant reductions in
      antibiotic usage cost/patient-day (p < 0.001), mean antibiotic cost (p < 0.001),
      mean total drug cost (p < 0.001), mean total hospitalization cost (p < 0.001),
      the duration of prophylaxis antibiotics (p < 0.001) and a significant increase by
      19.29% in the percentage of cases adhering to all of the four criteria (p <
      0.001). The ratio of the saving in antibiotic use to the cost of pharmacist time
      was 27.23 : 1 and the net cost benefit was $65,255.84. CONCLUSION: This study
      provides evidence that pharmacist interventions promoted rational use of
      prophylactic antibiotics and substantial cost saving in elective cesarean
      section.

PMID- 26104037
TI  - Physicians' and pharmacists' acceptance of online, real-time "drug combinations
      to avoid" messages.
AB  - Drug-induced prolongation of the electrocardiogram QT interval, a risk factor for
      ventricular arrhythmia and death, has been observed for some small drugs with
      masses < 1 kDa. Over the last two decades, patient exposure to large molecule
      monoclonal antibody drugs with masses > 40 kDa has increased dramatically; hence,
      the aim of this study was to systematically review the scientific literature for
      evidence of QT prolongation induced by these drugs. METHODS: The PubMed and
      Embase databases were searched for cases indicative of drug-induced QT
      prolongation for 28 pre-identified monoclonal antibody drugs authorized in
      Europe. Cases were identified by applying a standardized search string and a
      subsequent text search and manual review. In parallel, the public European
      Medicines Agency (EMA) database was searched for reported frequencies of adverse
      events indicative of QT prolongation. RESULTS: A valid case of drug-induced QT
      prolongation, caused indirectly by hypocalcaemia, could be identified for only 1
      out of 28 monoclonal antibody drugs (denosumab) from the PubMed and Embase
      search. The EMA database showed no hits for denosumab. Considering that
      hypocalcaemia-mediated QT prolongation is an already-identified and labelled risk
      for denosumab, the current study did not identify any additional evidence of QT
      prolongation caused by monoclonal antibody drugs.

PMID- 26104038
TI  - Regulation of cytokinesis and its clinical significance.
AB  - Dysregulation of the cell cycle leads to polyploid cells, which are classified
      into mononuclear or binuclear polyploid cells depending on the number of nuclei.
      Polyploidy is common in plants and in animals. Physiologically, polyploidy and
      binucleation are differentiation markers and also features of the aging process.
      In fact, although they provide multiple copies of genes required for survival, a
      negative correlation between growth capacity and polyploidy has been reported,
      and thus, suppression or reversal of this phenomenon may be a growth advantage.
      On the other hand, unscheduled polyploidization may cause genomic instability
      that might lead to neoplastic aneuploidy. The aim of this review is to analyze
      the mechanisms that lead to polyploidy, and particularly binucleation, and
      highlight the potential of ploidy as a marker of illness severity or the success
      of the adaptive response for an injury, with special emphasis in the liver under
      physiological and pathological conditions. Hepatocyte binucleation occurs in late
      fetal development and postnatal maturation, especially after weaning via
      phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (Akt). It also increases upon
      aging of the liver as well as in liver cirrhosis and cancer. Liver binucleation
      mainly indicates the severity of the damage. Furthermore, the eventual increase
      in hepatocyte binucleation points out compensatory proliferation associated with
      liver injury. Ploidy conveyor would also permit hepatocyte adaptation to
      xenobiotic or nutritional injury. In contrast, polyploidy is a feature of many
      human cancers, and it may predispose to genomic instability and generation of
      aneuploidization that play a major role in carcinogenesis. Finally, a better
      understanding of the polyploidization process is needed in order to approach
      clinical research but also, to get deeper knowledge of cell cycle control. The
      fascinating regulation of cell cycle in liver and the generation and reversal of
      ploidies will provide more clues for the mystery of liver regeneration. 

PMID- 26104040
TI  - Introduction: Calculations on Large Systems.

PMID- 26104039
TI  - Pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion study of a furostanol
      glycoside-based standardized fenugreek seed extract in rats.
AB  - The furostanol glycoside isolated from the seed of fenugreek (SFSE-G) has an
      array of pharmacological activities. To date, no validated high-performance
      liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been reported for quantification of SFSE
      G in biological samples. Hence, the aim of the present study was to study the
      pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion profiles of SFSE-G after oral
      administration in rats. A rapid, sensitive, selective, robust and reproducible
      HPLC method has been developed for determination of SFSE-G in the rat biological
      samples. The chromatographic separation was accomplished on a reversed-phase C18
      column using formic acid and acetonitrile (80:20) as mobile phase at a flow rate
      of 1.0 mL/min and 274 nm as a detection wavelength. The assay was linear for SFSE
      G with the correlation coefficients (R(2)) >0.996. The analytes were stable
      during samples storage and handling, and no matrix effects were observed. After
      oral dosing of SFSE-G at a dose of 200 mg/kg, the elimination half-life was app.
      40.10 h. It showed relatively slowly distribution and eliminated in urine and
      feces after 24 h, and could be detected until 108 h post-dosing. Following oral
      single dose (200 mg/kg), SFSE-G was detected in lung and brain which indicated
      that it could cross the blood-brain barrier. It is a major route of elimination
      is excretion through urine and feces. In conclusion, oral administration of SFSE
      G showed slow distribution to tissues, such as lung and brain, but showed fast
      renal elimination. 

PMID- 26104041
TI  - Effects of reallocating time in different activity intensities on health and
      fitness: a cross sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effects of replacing time in specific activity categories for
      other categories (e.g. replacing sedentary time with light activity) on health
      and fitness are not well known. This study used isotemporal substitution to
      investigate the effects of substituting activity categories in an equal time
      exchange fashion on health and fitness in young people. METHODS: Participants
      were drawn from schools in Camden, London (n = 353, mean age 9.3 +/- 2.3 years).
      Time sedentary, in light and in moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA) was measured
      via accelerometry. The effects of substituting time in activity categories
      (sedentary, light and MVPA) with equivalent time in another category on health
      and fitness were examined using isotemporal substitution. RESULTS: In single and
      partition models, MVPA was favourably associated with body fat %, horizontal jump
      distance and flexibility. Time sedentary and in light activity were not
      associated with health and fitness outcomes in these models. In substitution
      models, replacing one hour of sedentary time with MVPA was favourably associated
      with body fat % (B = -4.187; 95% confidence interval (CI), -7.233, -1.142),
      horizontal jump distance (B = 16.093; 95% CI, 7.476, 24.710) and flexibility (B =
      4.783; 95% CI, 1.910, 7.656). Replacing time in light activity with MVPA induced
      similar benefits but there were null effects for replacing sedentary with light
      intensity. CONCLUSION: Substituting time sedentary and in light activity with
      MVPA was associated with favourable health and fitness. Time in sedentary
      behaviour may only be detrimental to health and fitness when it replaces time in
      MVPA in young people.

PMID- 26104042
TI  - Interfacial Polymerization of Dopamine in a Pickering Emulsion: Synthesis of
      Cross-Linkable Colloidosomes and Enzyme Immobilization at Oil/Water Interfaces.
AB  - Colloidosomes are promising carriers for immobilizing enzyme for catalytic
      purposes in aqueous/organic media. However, they often suffer from one or more
      problems regarding catalytic performance, stability, and recyclability. Here, we
      report a novel approach for the synthesis of cross-linkable colloidosomes by the
      selective polymerization of dopamine at oil/water interfaces in a Pickering
      emulsion. An efficient enzyme immobilization method was further developed by
      covalently bonding enzymes to the polydopamine (PDA) layer along with the
      formation of such colloidosomes with lipase as a model enzyme. In this enzyme
      system, the PDA layer served as a cross-linking layer and enzyme support for
      simultaneously enhancing the colloidosomes' stability and improving surface
      availability of the enzymes for catalytic reaction. It was found that the
      specific activity of lipases immobilized on the colloidosome shells was 8 and 1.4
      times higher than that of free lipase and encapsulated lipase positioned in the
      aqueous cores of colloidosomes, respectively. Moreover, the immobilized lipases
      demonstrated excellent operational stability and recyclability, retaining 86.6%
      of enzyme activity after 15 cycles. It is therefore reasonable to expect that
      this novel approach for enzyme immobilization has great potential to serve as an
      important technique for the construction of biocatalytic systems. 

PMID- 26104043
TI  - DHA protects against experimental colitis in IL-10-deficient mice associated with
      the modulation of intestinal epithelial barrier function.
AB  - A defect in the intestinal barrier is one of the characteristics of Crohn's
      disease (CD). The tight junction (TJ) changes and death of epithelial cells
      caused by intestinal inflammation play an important role in the development of
      CD. DHA, a long-chain PUFA, has been shown to be helpful in treating inflammatory
      bowel disease in experimental models by inhibiting the NF-kappaB pathway. The
      present study aimed at investigating the specific effect of DHA on the intestinal
      barrier function in IL-10-deficient mice. IL-10-deficient mice (IL-10(-/-)) at 16
      weeks of age with established colitis were treated with DHA (i.g. 35.5 mg/kg per
      d) for 2 weeks. The severity of their colitis, levels of pro-inflammatory
      cytokines, epithelial gene expression, the distributions of TJ proteins (occludin
      and zona occludens (ZO)-1), and epithelial apoptosis in the proximal colon were
      measured at the end of the experiment. DHA treatment attenuated the established
      colitis and was associated with reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells in the
      colonic mucosa, lower mean histological scores and decreased levels of pro
      inflammatory cytokines (IL-17, TNF-alpha and interferon-gamma). Moreover,
      enhanced barrier function was observed in the DHA-treated mice that resulted from
      attenuated colonic permeability, rescued expression and corrected distributions
      of occludin and ZO-1. The results of the present study indicate that DHA therapy
      may ameliorate experimental colitis in IL-10(-/-) mice by improving the
      intestinal epithelial barrier function.

PMID- 26104045
TI  - Selective decontamination and antibiotic resistance in ICUs.
AB  - Selective digestive decontamination (SDD) and selective oropharyngeal
      decontamination (SOD) have been associated with reduced mortality and lower ICU
      acquired bacteremia and ventilator-associated pneumonia rates in areas with low
      levels of antibiotic resistance. However, the effect of selective decontamination
      (SDD/SOD) in areas where multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are endemic
      is less clear. It will be important to determine whether SDD/SOD improves patient
      outcome in such settings and how these measures affect the epidemiology of
      multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Here we review the current evidence
      on the effects of SDD/SOD on antibiotic resistance development in individual ICU
      patients as well as the effect on ICU ecology, the latter including both ICU
      level antibiotic resistance and antibiotic resistance development during long
      term use of SDD/SOD. 

PMID- 26104044
TI  - Patient Portals and Patient Engagement: A State of the Science Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient portals (ie, electronic personal health records tethered to
      institutional electronic health records) are recognized as a promising mechanism
      to support greater patient engagement, yet questions remain about how health care
      leaders, policy makers, and designers can encourage adoption of patient portals
      and what factors might contribute to sustained utilization. OBJECTIVE: The
      purposes of this state of the science review are to (1) present the definition,
      background, and how current literature addresses the encouragement and support of
      patient engagement through the patient portal, and (2) provide a summary of
      future directions for patient portal research and development to meaningfully
      impact patient engagement. METHODS: We reviewed literature from 2006 through 2014
      in PubMed, Ovid Medline, and PsycInfo using the search terms "patient portal" OR
      "personal health record" OR "electronic personal health record". Final inclusion
      criterion dictated that studies report on the patient experience and/or ways that
      patients may be supported to make competent health care decisions and act on
      those decisions using patient portal functionality. RESULTS: We found 120 studies
      that met the inclusion criteria. Based on the research questions, explicit and
      implicit aims of the studies, and related measures addressed, the studies were
      grouped into five major topics (patient adoption, provider endorsement, health
      literacy, usability, and utility). We discuss the findings and conclusions of
      studies that address the five topical areas. CONCLUSIONS: Current research has
      demonstrated that patients' interest and ability to use patient portals is
      strongly influenced by personal factors such age, ethnicity, education level,
      health literacy, health status, and role as a caregiver. Health care delivery
      factors, mainly provider endorsement and patient portal usability also contribute
      to patient's ability to engage through and with the patient portal. Future
      directions of research should focus on identifying specific populations and
      contextual considerations that would benefit most from a greater degree of
      patient engagement through a patient portal. Ultimately, adoption by patients and
      endorsement by providers will come when existing patient portal features align
      with patients' and providers' information needs and functionality.

PMID- 26104046
TI  - Is one motor cortex enough for two hands?
AB  - We report on a patient with mirror movements sustained by a mono-hemispheric fast
      control of bilateral hand muscles and normal hand function. Transcranial magnetic
      stimulation of the right motor cortex evoked contractions of muscles in both
      hands while no responses were observed from the left hemisphere. Somatosensory
      evoked potentials, functional magnetic resonance, and diffusion tractography
      showed evidence of sensorimotor dissociation and asymmetry of corticospinal
      projections, suggestive of reorganization after early unilateral left brain
      lesion. This is the first evidence that, in certain rare conditions, good hand
      function is possible with ipsilateral corticospinal reorganization, supporting
      the role of unexplored mechanisms of motor recovery. 

PMID- 26104047
TI  - Efficacy and safety of anti-TNF therapy in elderly patients with inflammatory
      bowel disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The general increased life expectancy is reflected in the age of
      patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The knowledge about efficacy and
      safety of anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy in elderly is scarce and
      conflicting. AIM: To assess the efficacy and safety of anti-TNF therapy in
      elderly patients taking into account eventual comorbidity. METHODS: Observational
      and retrospective single-centred study where 66 IBD patients initiating anti-TNF
      treatment at age >=65 years (cases: >=65 anti-TNF) were compared with 112 IBD
      patients initiating anti-TNF <65 years (controls <65 anti-TNF) and 61 anti-TNF
      naive IBD patients treated with immunosuppressants (IMS) and/or corticosteroids
      (CS) >=65 years (controls >=65 IMS/CS). Controls were matched to cases for IBD
      type, follow-up, disease duration and anti-TNF type. Comorbidity was assessed by
      using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Both efficacy and safety of treatment
      were adjusted for comorbidity. RESULTS: The short-term clinical response to anti
      TNF at 10 weeks was significantly lower in cases: >=65 anti-TNF (68% vs. 89%; P <
      0.001), whereas at >=6 months, differences were not significant (79.5% vs. 82.8%;
      P = 0.639). The risk for any severe adverse events was higher in cases: >=65 anti
      TNF than in controls <65 anti-TNF (RR = 4.7; P < 0.001) or controls >=65 IMS/CS
      (RR = 3.09; P = 0.0008). Age older than 65 and CCI > 0 were independent risk
      factors for malignancy and mortality regardless of the medication. CONCLUSION:
      Elderly patients treated with anti-TNF have a lower rate of short-term clinical
      response and a higher rate of severe adverse events than the younger patients
      under the same treatment.

PMID- 26104048
TI  - Early warning score predicts acute mortality in stroke patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Clinical deterioration and death among patients with acute stroke are
      often preceded by detrimental changes in physiological parameters. Systematic and
      effective tools to identify patients at risk of deterioration early enough to
      intervene are therefore needed. The aim of the study was to investigate whether
      the aggregate weighted track and trigger system early warning score (EWS) can be
      used as a simple observational tool to identify patients at risk and predict
      mortality in a population of patients with acute stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Patients admitted with acute stroke at the Copenhagen University Hospital,
      Nordsjaellands Hospital, Denmark, from May to September 2012 were enrolled in a
      retrospective cohort study (n = 274). Vital signs were measured immediately after
      admission and consistently during the hospitalization period. Based on the vital
      signs, a single composite EWS was calculated. Death within 30 days was used as
      outcome. Area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) and a
      Kaplan-Meier curve were computed to examine the prognostic validity of EWS.
      RESULTS: A total of 24 patients (8.8%) died within 30 days. The prognostic
      performance was high for both the EWS at admission (AUROC 0.856; 95% CI 0.760
      0.951; P-value < 0.001) and the maximal EWS measured (AUROC 0.949; 95% CI 0.919
      0.980; P-value < 0.001). Mortality rates were lowest for admission EWS 0-1 (2%)
      and highest for admission EWS >= 5 (63%). CONCLUSIONS: Early warning score is a
      simple and valid tool for identifying patients at risk of dying after acute
      stroke. Readily available physiological parameters are converted to a single
      score, which can guide both nurses and physicians in clinical decision making and
      resource allocation.

PMID- 26104049
TI  - Changes in Warfarin Sensitivity During Decompensated Heart Failure and Chronic
      Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) has been associated with an elevated international
      normalized ratio (INR) in patients on warfarin. OBJECTIVES: Compare warfarin
      sensitivity during hospital admission for HF exacerbation and chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation with admissions unrelated to HF or COPD
      (controls) as well as during disease stability. METHODS: We conducted a case
      controlled observational study. Patients admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital
      for HF exacerbation (n = 37), COPD exacerbation (n = 26), and admissions
      unrelated to HF or COPD (controls, n = 60) were included. Warfarin sensitivity
      (INR per daily mg dose of warfarin) at admission was compared to periods of
      disease stability and also compared between the 3 groups. RESULTS: The increase
      in warfarin sensitivity at admission was 94% for HF patients (P < 0.0001), 59%
      for COPD (P = 0.003) patients, and 24% for controls (P = 0.002). HF patients with
      New York Heart Association (NYHA) class 3 and 4 and NYHA class 1 and 2
      experienced changes in warfarin sensitivity of 125% (P = 0.006) and 50% (P =
      0.13) at admission. HF patients had higher warfarin sensitivity at admission
      (mean = 1.62 [SD = 1.27]) compared to the control group (0.91 [0.52], P < 0.0001)
      and COPD group (1.03 [0.79], P = 0.04). and required greater intervention with
      vitamin K than controls (14% vs 0%, P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: HF and COPD patients
      were more sensitive to warfarin during disease exacerbation, with HF exacerbation
      having the largest impact, resulting in clinically significant management
      implications.

PMID- 26104050
TI  - Implementation of a Meningitis Care Bundle in the Emergency Room Reduces
      Mortality Associated With Acute Bacterial Meningitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prompt administration of antibiotics, adjunctive steroid therapy, and
      optimization of antibiotic delivery to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are factors
      associated with improved outcome of patients hospitalized for acute bacterial
      meningitis (ABM). However, the impact of a bundle of these procedures has not
      been reported. OBJECTIVE: To assess mortality and neurological sequelae at
      hospital discharge in a cohort of patients with ABM managed according to a
      predefined bundle. METHODS: Prospective study of all the patients hospitalized
      for ABM in two provinces of Northern Italy, over two consecutive periods (2005
      2009, 2010-2013). The bundle included: i) supportive care if needed; ii)
      immediate administration of dexamethasone and 3rd generation cephalosporin; and
      iii) addition of levofloxacin if turbid CSF. Patients managed according to the
      bundle were compared with a historical group of patients cared for ABM before the
      bundle was implemented. RESULTS: Overall, 85 patients with ABM were managed
      according to the bundle and were compared with 92 historical controls. In
      hospital mortality rates for bundle and control group were 4.7% and 14.1%
      (p=0.04). Among survivors, 13.5% and 18.9% (p=0.4) of bundle and control-group
      patients presented neurological sequelae. The only variable associated with
      mortality at multivariate analysis was ICU admission (HR 3.65). After adjusting
      for ICU admission, patients managed according with the ABM bundle had
      significantly lower mortality rate compared to historical controls. CONCLUSIONS:
      Use of a bundled protocol and antibiotics with excellent CSF penetration for the
      initial management of ABM in emergency department is feasible and associated with
      significant reduction in mortality.

PMID- 26104051
TI  - Is Fluconazole or an Echinocandin the Agent of Choice for Candidemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Candidemia is among the most common nosocomial bloodstream infections
      and is associated with high mortality, increased length of hospital stay, and
      significant economic burden. The introduction of the echinocandins in the 2000s
      has expanded the armamentarium against Candida spp and provides therapeutic
      options that are effective, safe, and tolerable. Although the Infectious Diseases
      Society of America favors echinocandins as treatment for candidemia in selected
      settings (at least as initial therapy), there remain divergent opinions about
      whether an echinocandin or fluconazole is the preferred agent for candidemia, and
      clinical practice guidelines are in flux. In this review, the currently available
      laboratory and clinical data are summarized and critically evaluated. DATA
      SOURCES: A MEDLINE search of the English language literature was performed using
      the search terms echinocandin, fluconazole, and candidemia. References of review
      articles and guidelines were also screened for inclusion. STUDY SELECTION AND
      DATA EXTRACTION: Studies whose primary goal was to compare echinocandins with
      fluconazole were evaluated as well as studies that differentiated pharmacological
      and pharmacokinetic properties between agents. DATA SYNTHESIS: It is clear that
      echinocandins and fluconazole each have roles in the management of candidemia.
      Specific recommendations are provided that will hopefully optimize outcomes in
      candidemia while incorporating stewardship concepts of cost-effectiveness and
      limiting the emergence of resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the advantages brought
      by the echinocandins and fluconazole, outcomes among patients with candidemia
      remain suboptimal. Improved treatment of candidemia may ultimately be achieved by
      optimizing the use of antifungal agents rather than the development of new drugs.

PMID- 26104052
TI  - Dosing of Target-Specific Oral Anticoagulants in Special Populations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review current literature for target-specific oral anticoagulants
      (TSOACs) and provide critical analysis for dosing recommendations in special
      population groups. DATA SOURCES: A literature search was conducted in Medline
      (1996 to April week 2 2015) and Embase (1980 to 2015 week 16) using key terms
      dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban, kidney diseases, liver diseases,
      elderly, obesity, and special populations. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:
      Randomized controlled trials in English assessing efficacy and safety of TSOACs
      in healthy adults and special populations were selected for analysis. DATA
      SYNTHESIS: Phase 3 trials for TSOACs predominately excluded patients with severe
      renal impairment or active liver disease. There were no exclusion criteria based
      on age, body weight or body mass index. Additional conclusions were made in
      special populations, including those with renal or liver impairment and obese and
      elderly patients, based on secondary analyses, pharmacokinetic, and
      pharmacodynamic studies. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes
      associated special populations may alter clinical decision with regard to drug
      selection and dosing. It is valuable to understand the rationale for labeled
      dosing recommendations in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and venous
      thromboembolism treatment and prevention, particularly in patients that fall into
      special population groups. Furthermore, the use of TSOACs is likely to increase
      as clinicians gain experience with these agents and additional TSOACs and
      indications are approved.

PMID- 26104053
TI  - Levetiracetam Use With Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy.

PMID- 26104054
TI  - Evaluating Vitamin D Repletion Regimens and Effects in Veteran Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are wide variations in recommended dosing for vitamin D
      repletion. The identification of specific dosing thresholds to optimize repletion
      of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (also known as 25(OH)D) may help narrow the wide spectrum
      of vitamin D dosing. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to
      evaluate vitamin D treatment regimens and their dose response effect on vitamin D
      serum levels. Secondary outcomes include evaluation of the frequency of
      monitoring vitamin D serum levels and prescription adherence. METHODS: This was a
      multicenter, retrospective data extraction analysis conducted in patients who
      initiated monotherapy of ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol between January 1,
      2005 and December 31, 2010. Following vitamin D therapy initiation, changes in
      laboratory values, frequency of laboratory monitoring, and prescription adherence
      were assessed. Ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol groups were separately
      organized into quartiles to identify dosing ranges that had the most impact on
      changes in 25(OH)D laboratory values. RESULTS: There were 2272 and 4140
      monotherapy patients in the ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol groups,
      respectively. Cholecalciferol mean doses between 600 and 1100 IU had similar
      changes in 25(OH)D ranging from 8 to 9.1 ng/mL. Cholecalciferol mean doses of
      2700 IU had 12.7 ng/mL 25(OH)D increase (P < 0.05). Ergocalciferol at mean doses
      of 11 000 IU had a 19.9 ng/mL increase of 25(OH)D (P < 0.05). At baseline 25(OH)D
      levels less than 15 ng/mL, 90% of subjects reached a therapeutic 25(OH)D level
      with a cumulative 300 000 IU cholecalciferol dose. Adherence, calculated by
      medication possession ratio, was greater with cholecalciferol than ergocalciferol
      (87% compared with 68%). CONCLUSIONS: Lower vitamin D dose ranges had a
      comparable effect on 25(OH)D change. Higher doses can produce higher levels, but
      the relationship is not linear.

PMID- 26104055
TI  - Nutritional intake and anthropometric changes of professional road cyclists
      during a 4-day competition.
AB  - Appropriate nutrition through adequate dietary intake of total calories,
      macronutrients, and micronutrients is an essential component of optimizing the
      performance of all elite athletes. The aim of this study was to describe the food
      intake, body composition, and biochemical profile of professional cyclists during
      the Tour of Andalusia, a four-stage race covering a total distance of 647.6 km.
      Nutritional data were collected by trained investigators who weighed all of the
      food and fluid ingested by the cyclists. The nutritional intake of the cyclists
      was as follows: CHO, 12.8 +/- 1.7 g/kg of body weight (BW; 62.3%); fat, 2.1 +/-
      0.2 g/kg BW (23.2%); proteins, 3.0 +/- 0.3 g/kg BW (14.5%); total kcal was 5644.3
      +/- 593.1. Intake of all micronutrients, except for folate and potassium [which
      were 93.7% and 91.3% of Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA)] exceeded the RDA/I.
      Percentage of body fat and fat weight significantly decreased (P < 0.05) while
      weight of muscle mass remained unchanged after the Tour. Concentrations of urea,
      aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, creatine kinase, myoglobin,
      and high-density lipoproteins significantly increased (P < 0.05) after the Tour.
      To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe both nutritional intake and
      the body and biochemical composition of a sample of professional road cyclists
      during a top-class cycling race. 

PMID- 26104056
TI  - Synthetic and Natural Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors as Potential Lead Compounds
      for Effective Therapeutics.
AB  - Monoamine oxidases A and B (MAO-A and B) play a critical role in the metabolism
      of intracellular neurotransmitters of the central nervous system. For decades,
      MAO inhibitors have proven their clinical efficacy as potential drug targets for
      several neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. Use of first generation non
      selective MAO inhibitors as neuropsychiatric drugs elicited several side effects
      like hypertensive crisis and cheese reaction. Therefore their use is now limited
      due to non-selectivity towards MAO isoforms and inhibition of metabolizing
      enzymes like cytochrome P450. Development of selective and specific MAO
      inhibitors like moclobemide, toloxatone improves their efficacy as disease
      modifying effects in monotherapy as well as adjunctive therapy. Recently a lot of
      research has been done to elucidate the pharmacological potential of medicinal
      plants and their isolated bioactive constituents having MAO inhibitory activity.
      Herbs containing MAO inhibitors are extensively used for the development of
      potent synthetic drugs and as safe and effective alternatives to the available
      synthetic drugs in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as
      depression, Parkinson and Alzheimer's. In several diseases like Parkinson natural
      MAO inhibitors prevented the neuron denaturalization by their dual action via
      enhancing neurotransmission of dopamine as well as lowering the generation of
      free radicals and toxins. Currently development of selective MAO inhibitors is
      still under study to achieve more effective therapies by using Computer Aided
      Drug Designing, Ligand-based models and structure-activity hypothesis. These
      approaches also facilitate understanding the interaction of newly designed
      molecule with MAO enzymes and the rationalization of probable mechanisms of
      action. 

PMID- 26104057
TI  - Subfascial lipoma in the temporal muscle that extended to under the zygomatic
      arch.

PMID- 26104058
TI  - Tricyclic antidepressants for the treatment of tenesmus associated with rectal
      prolapse.
AB  - AIM: Tenesmus in rectal prolapse leads to a vicious circle of straining with
      deterioration of prolapse. The primary phenomenon triggering this may be rectal
      hypersensitivity. We aimed to assess whether treatment with tricyclic
      antidepressants (TCAs) may break the vicious circle and improve tenesmus. METHOD:
      A retrospective review was carried out of patients with rectal prolapse and
      severe tenesmus who were poor surgical candidates or had refused surgery. They
      were treated at our tertiary centre with low dose tricyclic antidepressants.
      RESULTS: Twenty-three (18 female) patients were included, with mean age 75.3 (+/
      SD 14.6) years. The mean duration of symptoms was 10.8 (+/- 8.6) months. Full
      thickness rectal prolapse was diagnosed in 16 (70%) patients while seven (30%)
      had mucosal or incomplete prolapse. Ten (43%), eight (35%) and five (22%)
      patients were treated with nortriptyline (25 mg daily), amitriptyline (10 mg
      daily) and desipramine (25 mg daily). After a mean follow-up of 9.05 (+/- 8.2)
      months, 14 (61%) patients reported significant improvement in symptoms, five
      (22%) had a partial response, three (13%) were lost to follow-up and one (4%)
      failed to respond. The response rates for nortriptyline, desipramine and
      amitriptyline were 90%, 100% and 62.5%. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge
      this is the first report to address the symptomatic, conservative treatment of
      tenesmus in patients with rectal prolapse. TCAs may be an acceptable option for
      poor surgical candidates or patients refusing surgery.

PMID- 26104059
TI  - HCV-associated B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas and new direct antiviral agents.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatitis C virus-related B-cell proliferation is a model of
      virus-driven autoimmune/neoplastic disorder leading to mixed cryoglobulinaemia
      and/or B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. These lymphomas are often marginal zone
      lymphomas or diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. Peginterferon/Ribavirin therapy has
      proved its crucial role in the cure of these non-Hodgkin lymphomas, but data are
      lacking concerning new direct anti-viral agents. METHODS: We report five cases of
      Hepatitis C virus-associated B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with direct anti
      viral agents: two marginal zone lymphomas received direct anti-viral agents alone
      (one with a leukaemic phase only, one with splenic and deep lymph nodes
      localizations); one renal marginal zone lymphoma with renal insufficiency
      received direct anti-viral agents and four rituximab infusions simultaneously;
      two diffuse large B-cell lymphomas were treated with direct ant-viral agents
      following chemotherapy. RESULTS: Sustained virological response was obtained in
      all patients, and complete remission of NHL was noted 6 months after cessation of
      any treatment except for one patient with a persistent small leukaemic phase.
      CONCLUSION: Direct anti-viral agents might be proposed as a first-line treatment
      in marginal zone lymphomas in the case of no life-threatening complications with
      the precaution of a long-term follow-up. In the setting of diffuse large B-cell
      lymphomas, well-tolerated direct anti-viral agents could potentially be
      introduced very early not only to prevent relapse of these lymphomas but also to
      limit the liver toxicity of chemotherapy and rituximab by preventing outbreaks of
      viral load. New observations and trials should support these assumptions.

PMID- 26104060
TI  - Diabetes management in psychiatric inpatients: time to change?

PMID- 26104061
TI  - Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma in the US: higher incidence and poorer
      survival among Asians.

PMID- 26104063
TI  - Insights on leadership from early career nurse academics: findings from a mixed
      methods study.
AB  - AIM: To explore the perceptions of early career nursing academics on leadership
      in academia. BACKGROUND: There is growing emphasis on leadership capacity
      building across all domains of nursing. However, there is limited evidence on
      leadership capacity in early career academics. This study tested an intervention
      to develop leadership capacity amongst early career nursing academics in two
      Australian universities. METHODS: A sequential mixed methods design, using online
      surveys and semi-structured interviews, was used to collect data. RESULTS: Twenty
      three early career nursing academics participated. Most had experience of formal
      leadership roles and were aware of its importance to them as they developed their
      academic careers. Participants were able to discuss their own views of themselves
      as leaders; their perceptions of their own needs for leadership development, and
      ways in which they could seek to develop further as leaders. CONCLUSION: There is
      a need to provide initial and ongoing opportunities for leadership development
      amongst nurse academics. These opportunities should be contextualised and
      recognise factors such as gender, and the effects of structural oppression.
      IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse academics are involved in the
      preparation of the next generation of clinical leaders and it is imperative that
      they are able to articulate a clear view of leadership.

PMID- 26104062
TI  - Treatment with tetrahydrobiopterin overcomes brain death-associated injury in a
      murine model of pancreas transplantation.
AB  - Brain death (BD) has been associated with an immunological priming of donor
      organs and is thought to exacerbate ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI). Recently,
      we showed that the essential nitric oxide synthase co-factor tetrahydrobiopterin
      (BH4) abrogates IRI following experimental pancreas transplantation. We therefore
      studied the effects of BD in a murine model of syngeneic pancreas transplantation
      and tested the therapeutic potential of BH4 treatment. Compared with sham
      operated controls, donor BD resulted in intragraft inflammation reflected by
      induced IL-1beta, IL-6, VCAM-1, and P-selectin mRNA expression levels and
      impaired microcirculation after reperfusion (p < 0.05), whereas pretreatment of
      the BD donor with BH4 significantly improved microcirculation after reperfusion
      (p < 0.05). Moreover, BD had a devastating impact on cell viability, whereas BH4
      treated grafts showed a significantly higher percentage of viable cells (p <
      0.001). Early parenchymal damage in pancreatic grafts was significantly more
      pronounced in organs from BD donors than from sham or non-BD donors (p < 0.05),
      but BH4 pretreatment significantly ameliorated necrotic lesions in BD organs (p <
      0.05). Pretreatment of the BD donor with BH4 resulted in significant recipient
      survival (p < 0.05). Our data provide novel insights into the impact of BD on
      pancreatic isografts, further demonstrating the potential of donor pretreatment
      strategies including BH4 for preventing BD-associated injury after
      transplantation. 

PMID- 26104064
TI  - Health-related quality of life in patients with idiopathic normal pressure
      hydrocephalus.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Factors affecting health-related quality of life (HRQoL)
      were explored in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH).
      METHODS: Using the 15D instrument HRQoL was evaluated in 132 patients diagnosed
      with iNPH by clinical and neuroradiological examinations. The severity of iNPH
      symptoms was measured with the iNPH grading scale (iNPHGS), depressive symptoms
      with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-21) and cognitive impairment with the
      Mini-Mental State Examination. RESULTS: The mean (SD) 15D score (on a 0-1 scale)
      of patients with iNPH was significantly lower than that of an age- and gender
      matched sample of the general population [0.718 (0.103) vs. 0.870 (0.106); P <
      0.001]. The mean 15D score was lower in iNPH patients with moderate or severe
      depressive symptoms than in patients without depressive symptoms (P = 0.003).
      According to stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, a higher total iNPHGS
      score (b = -0.62, P < 0.001) and a higher BDI-21 total score (beta = -0.201, P =
      0.025) predicted a lower 15D score; in combination, these explained 51% of the
      variance in the 15D score (R(2)  = 0.506, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Idiopathic
      normal pressure hydrocephalus impairs patients' HRQoL on multiple dimensions,
      similarly to other chronic diseases. Potentially treatable depressive symptoms
      contribute greatly to the HRQoL impairment of iNPH patients, but only if they are
      moderate or severe. The 15D portrayed HRQoL dimensions affected by iNPH in a
      similar way to broader assessment batteries and thus is a potentially useful tool
      for treatment evaluation and cost-utility analysis.

PMID- 26104065
TI  - Erectile Dysfunction is Associated with Subsequent Cardiovascular and Respiratory
      Mortality in Cohort of 1,436 Chinese Elderly Men.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is commonly shown to be associated with
      subsequent cardiovascular mortality, but not respiratory mortality, despite
      respiratory disease being highly prevalent among ED patients. AIM: We aim to
      examine associations of ED with all-cause and cause-specific (i.e.,
      cardiovascular and respiratory) mortality in a prospective cohort of 1,436
      Chinese men, followed up from 2001 for a median of 11.5 years. METHODS: ED
      measurement was based on a single question of four categories at the 4-year
      follow up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures include all-cause and cause
      specific mortality (i.e., cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, classified
      according to the International Classification of Disease-version 10 [ICD-10]).
      Multivariable regression models estimated associations between ED and all-cause
      and cause-specific mortality, adjusting for the presence of chronic conditions,
      and socio-demographics and lifestyle factors. For each category of disease
      specific mortality, subjects with the corresponding diseases and death cases from
      other causes were excluded. Cancer mortality was included for comparison.
      RESULTS: Participants who were completely impotent had significantly increased
      risk of all-cause (HR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.20-2.23), cardiovascular (HR = 3.94, 95%
      CI = 1.77-8.76) and respiratory mortality (HR = 3.16, 95% CI = 1.46-6.81)
      compared with non-impotent participants, adjusting for chronic conditions, and
      socio-demographics and lifestyle factors. CONCLUSION: ED is significantly
      associated with subsequent all-cause mortality, possibly via its association with
      cardiovascular and respiratory mortality. Primary care practitioners should pay
      attention to ED patients' cardiovascular and respiratory risk profiles, which may
      benefit their prognosis.

PMID- 26104066
TI  - Comparative analysis of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis of 411 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is a disease that can involve every organ system. While
      pulmonary tuberculosis is the most common presentation, extrapulmonary
      tuberculosis (EPT) is also an important clinical problem. The current study aimed
      to outline and compare the demographic and clinical features of pulmonary and
      extrapulmonary tuberculosis cases in adults. METHODS: Medical records of 411
      patients (190 women, 221 men) treated between January 2010 and July 2014 in
      provincial tuberculosis control dispensary was retrospectively reviewed.
      Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared for pulmonary and
      extrapulmonary tuberculosis cases. RESULTS: Of these 411 cases, 208 (50.6%) had
      pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and 203 were diagnosed with extrapulmonary
      tuberculosis (EPTB) (49.4%). The average ages for PTB and EPTB groups were 33.00
      27.00 and 31.00-29.75, respectively (p = 0.513). Men were more frequently
      affected by PTB (59.6%), while EPTB was more commonly detected in women (52.2%)
      (p = 0.016). Main diagnostic modalities for PTB were sputum/smear analyses
      (72.7%), clinical-radiological data (21.7%) and biopsy (6.1%); while biopsy
      (71.5%), sputum/fluid analysis (18.8%) and clinical-radiological data (4.9%) were
      used for confirming EPTB (p < 0.0019). The most common sites of EPTB involvement
      were lymph nodes (39.4%), followed by pleura (23.6%), peritoneum (9.9%) and bone
      (7.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Extrapulmonary involvement of tuberculosis is common and
      females are more likely to be affected. Increased clinical awareness is important
      since atypical presentations of the disease may constitute diagnostic and
      therapeutic challenges.

PMID- 26104067
TI  - Ortner's syndrome presenting as thoracic aortic aneurysm mimicking thoracic
      malignancy: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ortner's syndrome is defined as left recurrent laryngeal nerve
      palsy caused by a cardiovascular pathology. Here we report the case of a 68-year
      old man who presented to our hospital with hoarseness, whose initial chest
      imaging mimicked a thoracic neoplastic process with left pleural effusion. The
      final diagnosis was Ortner's syndrome due to the silent rupture of a
      thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. Diagnostic thoracentesis, before computed
      tomography, in resource-poor settings, may have resulted in an adverse outcome in
      our case. CASE PRESENTATION: A 68-year-old Sri Lankan man was referred to us by
      an otolaryngologist for further evaluation of a suspected thoracic malignancy.
      His presenting symptom was hoarseness of three months duration. He had essential
      hypertension for the last four years and had a history of 25 pack-years of
      cigarettes smoking. His chest X-ray showed a left-sided mediastinal mass with
      mild to moderate pleural effusion. An ultrasound appeared to show an encysted
      pleural fluid collection. However, we proceeded with computed tomography before
      diagnostic thoracentesis. The diagnosis of Ortner's syndrome was made after the
      computed tomography due to the silent rupture of his thoracoabdominal aortic
      aneurysm. CONCLUSIONS: Hoarseness due to left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy can
      be the presenting symptom of cardiovascular pathologies, Ortner's syndrome.
      Silent rupture of thoracic aortic aneurysms can mimic that of thoracic
      malignancy, which is reported in literature. We illustrate the importance of a
      high degree of suspicion of cardiovascular pathology in order to avoid an adverse
      outcome following diagnostic thoracentesis.

PMID- 26104068
TI  - The Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Program (ECHO): an ecologically-based
      intervention delivered by home visitors for newborns and their mothers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is a major problem in the United States, particularly among
      socio-economically disadvantaged Latino and Black children. Effective
      interventions that can be disseminated to large numbers of at-risk children and
      their families are needed. The goals of the Early Childhood Obesity Prevention
      Program (ECHO) are to examine the 12-month efficacy of a primary obesity
      prevention program targeting the first year of life that is delivered by home
      visitors and that engages mothers as agents of change to modify their own
      behavior and their infant's behavior through education and skill-building around
      nutrition, physical activity, and wellness, and then "echoes" her training with
      linkages to neighborhood programs and resources. METHODS/DESIGN: Six family
      centers located in low-income neighborhoods in Hartford, CT were randomized into
      control and intervention neighborhoods. Fifty-seven mothers were recruited either
      prenatally or shortly after delivery into the Nurturing Families Network home
      visitation program; 27 lived in a control neighborhood and received the standard
      home visitation program and 30 lived in an intervention neighborhood and received
      both the standard home visitation program and the ECHO intervention. The
      intervention increases maternal skills in goal-setting, stimulus control and
      problem-solving, engages family members to support changes, links mothers to
      neighborhood resources and is embedded in the standard home visitation program.
      ECHO targets include breastfeeding, solids, juice and sugar-sweetened beverages,
      routines for sleep and responding to infant cues, television/screen time, and
      maternal diet and physical activity. We hypothesize that infants in ECHO will
      have been breastfed longer and exclusively, will have delayed introduction of
      solids and juice, have longer sleep duration, decreased television/screen time
      and a lower weight for length z-score at 12 months, and their mothers will have
      greater fruit and vegetable consumption and higher levels of physical activity.
      DISCUSSION: ECHO will provide important information about whether an enhanced
      behavior change curriculum integrated into an existing home visitation program,
      focused on the mother as the agent of change and linked to neighborhood resources
      is effective in changing energy balance behaviors in the infant and in the
      mother. If effective, the intervention could be widely disseminated to prevent
      obesity in young children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02052518
      January 30, 2014.

PMID- 26104069
TI  - Surgical stress and postoperative complications related to regional and radical
      mastectomy in dogs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgery is the treatment of choice for regional control of mammary
      neoplasms in female dogs. Various surgical techniques may be used, as long as
      mammary gland anatomy, lymphatic drainage, and known prognostic factors are
      respected. The purpose of this study was to compare surgical stress-including
      duration of surgery, nociception and hematological changes-and postoperative
      complications in dogs undergoing regional and unilateral radical mastectomy.
      Eighteen dogs were selected for each technique. Postoperative pain (nociception),
      hematological changes, and postoperative complications were compared between the
      two groups. RESULTS: The group treated with radical mastectomy had a longer
      surgical duration, showed more intense physiological changes, achieved higher
      scores on nociception scales, and experienced more postoperative complications.
      CONCLUSION: Compared to regional mastectomy, radical mastectomy was associated
      with longer surgical duration, greater nociceptive stimulus, greater surgical
      stress, and higher incidence of postoperative complications in dogs. Although
      evaluation of long-term results was not a goal of this study, it is suggested
      that postoperative recovery and patient quality of life should be considered when
      choosing a surgical approach for treating mammary tumors in dogs.

PMID- 26104070
TI  - Correlation between Morphologic Changes and Autism Spectrum Tendency in Obsessive
      Compulsive Disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most debilitating
      psychiatric disorders, with some speculating that a reason for difficulty in its
      treatment might be its coexistence with autism spectrum. We investigated the
      tendency for autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) in patients with OCD from a
      neuroimaging point of view using voxel-based morphometry. METHODS: We acquired T1
      weighted images from 20 patients with OCD and 30 healthy controls and
      investigated the difference in regional volume between the groups as well as the
      correlation between Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scores and regional cerebral
      volumes of patients with OCD. RESULTS: Volumes in the bilateral middle frontal
      gyri were significantly decreased in patients with OCD compared to controls.
      Correlational analysis showed significant positive correlations between AQ scores
      and regional gray matter (GM) volumes in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
      (DLPFC) and left amygdala. Furthermore, GM volumes of these regions were
      positively correlated with each other. CONCLUSIONS: The positive correlation of
      ASD traits in patients with OCD with regional GM volumes in the left DLPFC and
      amygdala could reflect the heterogeneity of patient symptoms. Our results suggest
      that differences in GM volume might allow classification of patients with OCD for
      appropriate therapy based on their particular traits.

PMID- 26104071
TI  - Radiofrequency-shielding Effect of a Titanium Mesh Implanted for Cranioplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: After cranioplasty with a titanium mesh, radiofrequency (RF)-shielding
      images appear during magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. To clarify their influence,
      we evaluated the effect of mesh position, phase-encoding direction, and type of
      coil employed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: On a 1.5-tesla MR imager, we placed a
      titanium mesh board (100 * 100 * 0.8 mm) on the surface of a cubic phantom to
      mimic a human brain and used a quadrature coil and an 8-channel neurovascular
      coil to measure nonuniformity, signal decay ratio, and the B1 map. RESULTS:
      Nonuniformity was 6.7 times higher at the quadrature head coil and 1.6 times
      higher at the neurovascular coil when the mesh was on the phantom's right side or
      anterior to it than when it was on its superior end or absent. The profile of the
      signal decay ratio increased by 1.9% mm(-1) from 0 to 40 mm from the mesh side to
      the base value at the quadrature head coil when the mesh was on the phantom's
      right side and 0.9% mm(-1) from 0 to 80 mm at the neurovascular coil when the
      mesh was on the phantom's right side or anterior to it. The quadrature head coil
      showed greater incline of the profile when the mesh was on the right in coronal
      and axial views and no notable change in the profile in coronal and sagittal
      views when the mesh was on the superior end. In the B1 map, the flip angle was
      lower when the mesh was nearer. CONCLUSION: The response to the RF-shielding
      effect from a titanium mesh depends on the location of the mesh and the RF coil
      used but not on the phase-encoding direction.

PMID- 26104072
TI  - Assessment of MR Imaging as a Tool to Differentiate between the Major
      Histological Types of Uterine Sarcomas.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We retrospectively compared and quantified magnetic resonance (MR)
      images to distinguish major histological types of uterine sarcomas and malignant
      and benign tumors. METHODS: MR images were obtained from patients who underwent
      preoperative examinations. We compared 25 pathologically confirmed uterine
      sarcomas (8 leiomyosarcomas, 11 carcinosarcomas, 6 endometrial stromal sarcomas)
      with 25 uterine leiomyomas. MR findings included tumor size, location, contour,
      signal intensity (SI), and contrast enhancement. Analysis focused on the contrast
      ratio (CR) of SI in T2-weighted images for the areas of lowest, highest, and main
      SI of each tumor as well as the contrast-enhanced ratio (CER) for the main solid
      part of each tumor in contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. We evaluated
      diffusion-weighted (DW) images and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in
      18 tumors (4 sarcomas, 14 leiomyomas). RESULTS: Uterine sarcomas and leiomyomas
      differed significantly in tumor location, contour, hemorrhaging, necrotic and
      cystic components, CR for the area of lowest SI (P < 0.05), CR for the area of
      main SI (P < 0.01), and CER (P < 0.05). Leiomyosarcomas were larger than
      carcinosarcomas or endometrial stromal sarcomas, and the CR for the area of
      lowest SI of leiomyosarcomas (P < 0.05) was significantly lower. The CER for
      endometrial stromal sarcomas (P < 0.05) showed the most homogeneous enhancement.
      Hemorrhagic or necrotic and cystic components were found more often in larger
      tumors, although there was no significant difference in their occurrence between
      sarcoma types. All uterine sarcomas showed high intensity on DW images. The ADC
      values were lower of uterine sarcomas than leiomyomas, although the difference
      was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Quantitative assessment using the
      CR or CER was useful for distinguishing benign and malignant uterine tumors as
      well as major histological types of uterine sarcomas.

PMID- 26104073
TI  - Ventricular Temperatures in Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (iNPH)
      Measured with DWI-based MR Thermometry.
AB  - PURPOSE: The brain produces intense heat as a result of cerebral metabolism and
      cerebral blood flow, and the generated heat is removed mainly through circulation
      of the intracranial blood vessels and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Because magnetic
      resonance (MR) images are constructed from analysis of the spin of various
      molecules, the diffusion coefficient can be used as a parameter that reflects the
      temperature of water molecules. We used diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)-based MR
      imaging to measure the temperature of the CSF around the lateral ventricles in
      patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). METHODS: Our study
      included 33 cases of iNPH (Group N, mean age, 75.1 years) and 40 age-matched
      controls (Group C, mean age, 74.5 years). We calculated CSF temperature in the
      ventricular domain using the conversion formula to evaluate the feasibility of
      iNPH study. RESULTS: The mean temperatures were significantly higher in Group N
      (37.6 degrees C +/- 0.4 degrees C) than Group C (36.7 degrees C +/- 0.5 degrees
      C; P < 0.01). The cut-off value of 37.2 degrees C (more than the mean + 2
      standard deviations [SD] of the values in Group C) showed sensitivity of 72.4%
      and specificity of 77.5% for distinguishing the 2 groups. We confirmed improved
      CSF temperature in the lateral ventricles in all patients examined both before
      and after shunting. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated ventricular temperatures in patients
      with iNPH (Group N) may represent a disturbance in heat balance. Our results
      showed that thermometry using DWI-based MR imaging can help in the noninvasive
      and consistent evaluation of CSF temperature and may thus provide a useful
      supplementary brain biomarker for iNPH.

PMID- 26104075
TI  - Diffusion-weighted MR Imaging of Deep Vein Thrombosis.

PMID- 26104074
TI  - Clinical Significance of Discrepancy between Arterial Spin Labeling Images and
      Contrast-enhanced Images in the Diagnosis of Brain Tumors.
AB  - PURPOSE: In the imaging of intra-axial brain tumors, we sometimes found areas of
      high signal intensity around the enhanced tumor lesions on arterial spin labeling
      (ASL) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. We undertook this study to investigate the
      relationship between high signal intensity on ASL imaging outside the area of
      contrast enhancement (CE) and histological diagnosis of intra-axial brain tumors.
      METHODS: We examined images from 28 consecutive patients with intra-axial brain
      tumors who underwent ASL and CE MR imaging-three with low grade glioma (LGG), 13
      with high grade glioma (HGG), six with metastasis, and six with primary central
      nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL)-and divided imaging findings into an "ASL
      dominant" group when hyperintensity on ASL was found outside the CE area and a
      "CE dominant" group when hyperintensity on ASL was not found outside the area of
      enhancement. We then analyzed the relationship between imaging findings and the
      histological diagnosis of the tumors. RESULTS: Four cases were excluded because
      of poor quality of ASL images, 7 cases were classified as ASL dominant, and 17
      cases were classified as CE dominant. The histological diagnoses of ASL dominant
      cases were LGG in 3 cases, HGG in 3 cases, and PCNSL in one case. Those of CE
      dominant cases were HGG in 10 cases, metastasis in 5 cases, and PCNSL in 2 cases.
      All cases with brain metastasis were classified as CE dominant. CONCLUSION: The
      high signal intensity outside the area of contrast enhancement is probably caused
      by increased perfusion or vascular proliferation, which indicates the presence of
      glioma or PCNSL and not metastasis. This finding indicates a new utility for ASL
      images in the diagnosis of brain tumors as a supplement to the conventional
      measurement of perfusion obtained from ASL images.

PMID- 26104076
TI  - Comparison of Brain Tumor Contrast-enhancement on T1-CUBE and 3D-SPGR Images.
AB  - PURPOSE: T1-Cube (GE HealthCare) is a relatively new 3-dimensional (3D) fast spin
      echo (FSE)-based magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequence that uses a variable
      flip angle to acquire gap-free volume scans. We compared the gadolinium
      enhancement characteristics of a heterogeneous population of brain tumors imaged
      by T1-Cube and then 3D fast spoiled gradient recall acquisition in steady state
      (3D FSPGR) 3-tesla MR imaging to identify the superior modality for specific
      diagnostic purposes. METHODS: We examined 61 lesions from 32 patients using the 2
      sequences after administration of gadopentetic acid (Gd-DTPA; 0.1 mmol/kg). Two
      neuroradiologists independently measured each lesion twice using a region-of
      interest (ROI) method. We measured the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), the
      difference in signal intensity (SI) between the tumor and normal white matter
      relative to the standard deviation (SD) of the SI within the lesion, for both
      post-contrast 3D FSPGR and post-contrast T1-Cube images of the same tumor and
      compared modality-specific CNRs for all tumors and in subgroups defined by tumor
      size, enhancement ratio, and histopathology. RESULTS: The mean CNR was
      significantly higher on T1-Cube images than 3D FSPGR images for the total tumor
      population (1.85 +/- 0.97 versus 1.12 +/- 1.05, P < 0.01) and the histologic
      types, i.e., metastasis (P < 0.01) and lymphoma (P < 0.05). The difference in CNR
      was even larger for smaller tumors in the metastatic group (4.95 to 23.5 mm(2))
      (P < 0.01). In contrast, mean CNRs did not differ between modalities for high
      grade glioma and meningioma. CONCLUSIONS: Gadolinium enhancement of brain tumors
      was generally higher when imaged by T1-Cube than 3D FSPGR, and T1-Cube with Gd
      enhancement may be superior to 3D FSPGR for detecting smaller metastatic tumors.

PMID- 26104077
TI  - Fusion of Delayed-enhancement MR Imaging and Contrast-enhanced MR Angiography to
      Visualize Radiofrequency Ablation Scar on the Pulmonary Vein.
AB  - Delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI) is reported to detect the
      radiofrequency (RF) ablation scar of pulmonary vein isolation. However, the
      precise localization of RF scar is difficult to recognize due to the poor
      anatomical information of the 3-dimensionally reconstructed DE-MRI. We report 2
      cases in which fusion of DE-MRI and contrast-enhanced MR angiography facilitated
      the identification of RF scar, and we detail our fusion method. 

PMID- 26104078
TI  - Optimization of Scan Parameters to Reduce Acquisition Time for Diffusion Kurtosis
      Imaging at 1.5T.
AB  - PURPOSE: To shorten acquisition of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) in 1.5-tesla
      magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, we investigated the effects of the number of b
      values, diffusion direction, and number of signal averages (NSA) on the accuracy
      of DKI metrics. METHODS: We obtained 2 image datasets with 30 gradient
      directions, 6 b-values up to 2500 s/mm(2), and 2 signal averages from 5 healthy
      volunteers and generated DKI metrics, i.e., mean, axial, and radial kurtosis (MK,
      K?, and K?) maps, from various combinations of the datasets. These maps were
      estimated by using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with those from
      the full datasets. RESULTS: The MK and K? maps generated from the datasets
      including only the b-value of 2500 s/mm(2) showed excellent agreement (ICC, 0.96
      to 0.99). Under the same acquisition time and diffusion directions, agreement was
      better of MK, K?, and K? maps obtained with 3 b-values (0, 1000, and 2500
      s/mm(2)) and 4 signal averages than maps obtained with any other combination of
      numbers of b-value and varied NSA. Good agreement (ICC > 0.6) required at least
      20 diffusion directions in all the metrics. CONCLUSION: MK and K? maps with ICC
      greater than 0.95 can be obtained at 1.5T within 10 min (b-value = 0, 1000, and
      2500 s/mm(2); 20 diffusion directions; 4 signal averages; slice thickness, 6 mm
      with no interslice gap; number of slices, 12).

PMID- 26104079
TI  - Added Value of a Gadoxetic Acid-enhanced Hepatocyte-phase Image to the LI-RADS
      System for Diagnosing Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated the added value of the hypointensity on hepatocyte-phase
      (HP) imaging of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI (EOB-MRI) in the 2014 version of the
      Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) for distinguishing
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from benign hepatic lesions in patients with
      chronic liver disease. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated targeted lesions
      (111 HCCs, 28 benign hepatic lesions) of 139 patients (101 men, 38 women; aged 18
      to 89 years, mean age, 68 +/- 11 years) with chronic liver disease. EOB-MRI and
      dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) were performed within 3
      months. Two abdominal radiologists independently reviewed 3 imaging datasets: (1)
      EOB-MRI without an HP image using the LI-RADS system (MR imaging without HP); (2)
      EOB-MRI with an HP image using a modified version of the LI-RADS system in which
      hypointensity on the HP image was used as an additional major criterion of
      malignancy (MR imaging with HP); and (3) dynamic contrast-enhanced computed
      tomography (CECT) images using the LI-RADS system. We evaluated intra- and inter
      reader agreement with kappa statistics along with 95% confidence intervals and
      compared diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the 3 imaging datasets with
      McNemar's test. RESULTS: The sensitivities of MR imaging were statistically
      higher with HP (Reader 1, 95% [107/111]; Reader 2, 95% [106/111]) than without HP
      (Reader 1, 84% [93/111], P = 0.002; Reader 2, 86% [96/111], P = 0.002).
      Specificity was comparably high between MR imaging with HP (Reader 1, 96%
      [27/28]; Reader 2, 96% [27/28]) and dynamic CECT (Reader 1, 100% [28/28], P =
      0.317; Reader 2, 100% [28/28], P = 0.317) and MR imaging without HP (Reader 1,
      96% [27/28], P = 1.00; Reader 2, 100% [28/28], P = 0.317). CONCLUSION: The use of
      an HP image from EOB-MRI as an additional major criterion improved the
      sensitivity of LI-RADS to distinguish HCCs from benign hepatic lesions while
      retaining high specificity.

PMID- 26104080
TI  - Removing Ambiguity Caused by T2 Shine-through using Weighted Diffusion
      Subtraction (WDS).
AB  - We propose a novel image processing technique that combines images routinely
      acquired with low and high b values to create a single image that contains
      clinically useful information without the ambiguity of T2 shine-through. The
      contrast of resulting images is similar to that of a T2 image, but the signals of
      pixels with low apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values are inverted. The
      proposed technique takes the threshold ADC value as the one adjustable parameter.

PMID- 26104081
TI  - Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: Comparison of Diffusion-weighted
      MRI at b-values of 1,000 and 2,000 s/mm(2) to Predict Response to Induction
      Chemotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recent publications have reported contradictory results of pretreatment
      diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) for the prediction of
      chemoradiotherapeutic response in primary squamous cell carcinomas of the head
      and neck (HNSCC). Therefore, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of DWI
      obtained with both standard (b = 0 and 1,000 s/mm2) and high (b = 0 and 2,000
      s/mm2) b-values for predicting response to induction chemotherapy in HNSCCs.
      METHODS: For 25 patients with primary HNSCC who underwent DWI with both standard
      and high b-values prior to treatment, we calculated corresponding apparent
      diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. Regions of interest containing the tumor were
      drawn on every section of ADC maps and summated to make volume-based data of the
      entire tumor. Histogram parameters (mean ADC, kurtosis, and skewness) were
      correlated with treatment response using unpaired Student t test. Univariate and
      multivariate analysis of the ADC parameters, patient age, sex, whole tumor
      volume, and T stage were also performed to predict tumor response to induction
      chemotherapy. RESULTS: Response to induction chemotherapy was good in 13 of the
      25 patients and poor in 12. The mean ADC values of good responders at standard b
      value (ADC1000), 1.23 +/- 0.34 (* 10-3 mm2/s), and high b-value (ADC2000), 0.62
      +/- 0.14 (* 10-3 mm2/s), were lower than those of poor responders (ADC1000, 1.32
      +/- 0.28 [* 10-3 mm2/s]; ADC2000, 0.76 +/- 0.15 [* 10-3 mm2/s]), but significant
      difference was achieved only at the ADC2000 map (P = 0.02). In addition, mean
      tumor volume prior to treatment of good responders was smaller than that of poor
      responders. However, at multiple logistic regression analysis, only the mean
      ADC2000 value remained as a significant predictor of response to induction
      chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: DWI with high b-values (b = 0 and 2,000 s/mm2) as an
      assessment of ADC values may help predict tumor response to neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy for primary HNSCCs.

PMID- 26104082
TI  - Intraindividual Crossover Comparison of Gadoxetic Acid Dose for Liver MRI in
      Normal Volunteers.
AB  - PURPOSE: We performed a quantitative intraindividual comparison of the
      performance of 0.025- and 0.05-mmol/kg doses for gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver
      magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven healthy volunteers
      underwent liver MR imaging twice, once with a 0.025- and once with a 0.05-mmol/kg
      dose of gadoxetic acid. MR spectroscopy and 3-dimensional gradient-echo T1
      weighted images (3D-GRE) were obtained before and 3, 10, and 20 min after
      injection of the contrast medium to measure T1 and T2 values and signal-to-noise
      ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) performance. During the dynamic
      phase, highly time-resolved 3D-GRE was used to estimate the relative CNR (CNRrel)
      of the hepatic artery and portal vein (PV) to the liver. We used paired t-tests
      to compare the results of different doses. RESULTS: During the hepatobiliary
      phase, we observed shorter T1 values and higher SNRs of the liver (P < 0.001) and
      higher liver-to-PV and liver-to-muscle CNRs (P < 0.002) using 0.05 mmol/kg
      compared to 0.025 mmol/kg. Increasing the dose to 0.05 mmol/kg yielded a greater
      T1-shortening effect at 10 min delay even compared with 0.025 mmol/kg at 20 min
      (P < 0.001). During the dynamic phase, the peak CNRrel for the hepatic artery and
      portal vein were higher using 0.05 mmol/kg (P = 0.007 to 0.035). CONCLUSION: Use
      of gadoxetic acid at a dose of 0.05 mmol/kg leads to significantly higher SNR and
      CNR performance than with 0.025 mmol/kg. Quantitatively, a 10-min delay may be
      feasible for hepatobiliary-phase imaging when using 0.05 mmol/kg of gadoxetic
      acid.

PMID- 26104083
TI  - What We Have Learned about Human Primary Visual Cortex from High Resolution
      Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - This article reviews our exploration of structures and functions of the human
      visual cortex using high resolution (submillimeter) functional magnetic resonance
      imaging (fMRI). It discusses factors that restrict the spatial resolution of
      blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) fMRI-the point-spread function of the
      BOLD signal, limited by both imaging techniques to be used and neurovascular
      units to be studied, and the signal-to-noise ratio. I offer personal thoughts
      regarding optimal solutions for dealing with these issues, summarize techniques
      we have developed over the years for using high resolution fMRI to visualize
      functional architectures and explore physiological properties in the primary
      visual cortex of humans, including choices of imaging hardware and pulse
      sequences, experimental procedures, and stimulation paradigms, and finally offer
      my personal opinions regarding the future of high resolution fMRI. 

PMID- 26104085
TI  - Two cases of in-frame deletion mutation in juxtamembrane domain of the FLT3.

PMID- 26104086
TI  - David Roger Oldroyd (20 January 1936--7 November 2014) An Appreciation.

PMID- 26104084
TI  - Genetics of anaplastic large cell lymphoma.
AB  - Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) comprises a group of T-cell non-Hodgkin
      lymphomas unified by common morphologic and immunophenotypic characteristics, but
      with a spectrum of clinical presentations and behaviors. Early identification of
      anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangements in some ALCLs led to
      recognition of ALK as an important diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, and a key
      driver of ALCL pathobiology. Rearrangements and other genetic abnormalities of
      ALK subsequently were identified in diverse other human malignancies. Recent
      clinical, pathologic, and genetic data have begun to shed light on ALK-negative
      ALCLs, revealing significant heterogeneity within this more ill-defined entity. 

PMID- 26104087
TI  - Poinsinet's Edition of the Naturalis historia (1771-1782) and the Revival of
      Pliny in the Sciences of the Enlightenment.
AB  - This paper analyses the revival of Pliny's Naturalis historia within the
      scientific culture of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries,
      focusing on a French effort to produce an edition with annotations by scientists
      and scholars. Between the Renaissance and the early eighteenth century, the
      Naturalis historia had declined in scientific importance. Increasingly, it was
      relegated to the humanities, as we demonstrate with a review of editions. For a
      variety of reasons, however, scientific interest in the Naturalis historia grew
      in the second half of the eighteenth century. Epitomizing this interest was a
      plan for a scientifically annotated, Latin-French edition of the Naturalis
      historia. Initially coordinated by the French governmental minister Malesherbes
      in the 1750s, the edition was imperfectly realized by Poinsinet a few decades
      later. It was intended to rival two of the period's other distinguished multi
      volume books of knowledge, Diderot and D'Alembert's Encyclopedie and Buffon's
      Histoire naturelle, to which we compare it. Besides narrating the scientific
      revival of the Historia naturalis during this period, we examine its causes and
      the factors contributing to its end in the first half of the nineteenth century. 

PMID- 26104088
TI  - Ruling Engines, Diffraction Gratings and Wavelength Measurements before the
      Rowland Era.
AB  - Diffraction gratings have contributed enormously to modern science. Although some
      historians have written about them, there is much more to be brought to light.
      This paper discusses their development and use in the period up to about 1880
      before Rowland began to produce them. Rittenhouse described the action of a
      diffraction grating in 1786, but no explanation was possible until the wave
      theory of light was developed. Fraunhofer discovered the dark lines in the solar
      spectrum in 1814, and then investigated diffraction, producing the first ruled
      gratings, making detailed measurements and calculating the wavelengths of
      prominent spectral lines. After Bunsen and Kirchhoff showed the association
      between spectral lines and chemical elements there was an upsurge of interest in
      measuring wavelengths. The gratings used in this work almost all came from one
      source, a relatively unknown instrument maker called Nobert, who made them by an
      extremely laborious process using a machine he had built himself. The most
      significant wavelength measurements were made by Angstrom, but Mascart, Van der
      Willigen, Stefan, Ditscheiner and Cornu also did important work. Nobert gratings
      were investigated by Quincke, copied photographically by Rayleigh, and were known
      and discussed in the USA. Nobert's work helped to advance spectroscopy much more
      than has been acknowledged. 

PMID- 26104089
TI  - [The delayed emergence of the printing chronograph in French observatories (late
      19th - early 20th centuries].
AB  - Western observatories became scientific factories from the mid-19th century.
      Astrometry symbolized the transition to an industrious economy of scientific
      practices. The printing chronograph, which reduced the personal equations of the
      observers, was, first in the United States, then in England, the symbolic
      instrument of this transformation. In France, the initiatives of the astronomer
      Liais were prototypical. In the practices of the Hendaye Observatory, and thanks
      to the abbe Verschaffel, the printing chronograph made its definitive entry in
      French observatories at the beginning of the 20th century. Excessive
      centralization of French astronomy, the authoritarianism of Urbain Le Verrier,
      the director of the Paris Observatory, and the poor market for scientific
      instruments explain why the printing chronograph took root, belatedly, in France.

PMID- 26104090
TI  - Galileo's Discorsi as a Tool for the Analytical Art.
AB  - A heretofore overlooked response to Galileo's 1638 Discorsi is described by
      examining two extant copies of the text (one which has received little attention
      in the historiography, the other apparently unknown) which are heavily annotated.
      It is first demonstrated that these copies contain annotations made by Seth Ward
      and Sir Christopher Wren. This article then examines one feature of Ward's and
      Wren's responses to the Discorsi, namely their decision to re-write several of
      Galileo's geometrical demonstrations into the language of symbolic algebra. It is
      argued that this type of active reading of period mathematical texts may have
      been part of the regular scholarly and pedagogical practices of early modern
      British mathematicians like Ward and Wren. A set of Appendices contains a
      transcription and translation of the analytical solutions found in these
      annotated copies. 

PMID- 26104101
TI  - A Scalable Method toward Superhydrophilic and Underwater Superoleophobic PVDF
      Membranes for Effective Oil/Water Emulsion Separation.
AB  - A superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic PVDF membrane (PVDFAH) has been
      prepared by surface-coating of a hydrogel onto the membrane surface, and its
      superior performance for oil/water emulsion separation has been demonstrated. The
      coated hydrogel was constructed by an interfacial polymerization based on the
      thiol-epoxy reaction of pentaerythritol tetrakis (3-mercaptopropionate) (PETMP)
      with diethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) and simultaneously tethered on
      an alkaline-treated commercial PVDF membrane surface via the thio-ene reaction.
      The PVDFAH membranes can be fabricated in a few minutes under mild conditions and
      show superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic properties for a series of
      organic solvents. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis shows that the hydrogel
      coating was efficient throughout the pore lumen. The membrane shows superior
      oil/water emulsion separation performance, including high water permeation,
      quantitative oil rejection, and robust antifouling performance in a series
      oil/water emulsions, including that prepared from crude oil. In addition, a 24 h
      Soxhlet-extraction experiment with ethanol/water solution (50:50, v/v) was
      conducted to test the tethered hydrogel stability. We see that the membrane
      maintained the water contact angle below 5 degrees , indicating the covalent
      tethering stability. This technique shows great promise for scalable fabrication
      of membrane materials for handling practical oil emulsion purification. 

PMID- 26104103
TI  - Formation of hexagonal-molybdenum trioxide (h-MoO3) nanostructures and their
      pseudocapacitive behavior.
AB  - The crystallographic structure and morphology of redox active transition metal
      oxides have a pronounced effect on their electrochemical properties. In this
      work, h-MoO3 nanostructures with three distinct morphologies, i.e., pyramidal
      nanorod, prismatic nanorod and hexagonal nanoplate, were synthesized by a facile
      solvothermal method. The morphologies of h-MoO3 nanostructures were tailored by a
      controlled amount of hexamethylenetetramine. An enhanced specific capacitance
      about 230 F g(-1) at an applied current density of 0.25 A g(-1) was achieved in h
      MoO3 pyramidal nanorods. Electrochemical studies confirmed that the h-MoO3
      pyramidal nanorods exhibit superior charge-storage ability. This improved
      performance can be ascribed to the coexistence of its well exposed
      crystallographic planes with abundant active sites, i.e., hexagonal window (HW),
      trigonal cavity (TC) and four-coordinated square window (SW). The mechanism of
      charge-storage is likely facilitated by the vehicle mechanism of proton
      transportation due to the availability of the vehicles, i.e., NH4(+) and H2O. The
      promising, distinct and unexploited features of h-MoO3 nanostructures reveal a
      strong candidate for pseudocapacitive electrode materials. 

PMID- 26104102
TI  - Mapping pathological changes in brain structure by combining T1- and T2-weighted
      MR imaging data.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A workflow based on the ratio between standardized T1-weighted (T1
      w) and T2-weighted (T2-w) MR images has been proposed as a new tool to study
      brain structure. This approach was previously used to map structural properties
      in the healthy brain. Here, we evaluate whether the T1-w/T2-w approach can
      support the assessment of structural impairments in the diseased brain. We use
      schizophrenia data to demonstrate the potential clinical utility of the
      technique. METHODS: We analyzed T1-w and T2-w images of 36 schizophrenic patients
      and 35 age-matched controls. These were collected for the Function Biomedical
      Informatics Research Network (fBIRN) collaborative project, which had an IRB
      approval and followed the HIPAA guidelines. We computed T1-w/T2-w images for each
      individual and compared intensities in schizophrenic and control groups on a
      voxel-wise basis, as well as in regions of interest (ROIs). RESULTS: Our results
      revealed that the T1-w/T2-w image permits to discriminate brain regions showing
      group-level differences between patients and controls with greater accuracy than
      conventional T1-w and T2-w images. Both the ROIs and the voxel-wise analysis
      showed globally reduced gray and white matter values in patients compared to
      controls. Significantly reduced values were found in regions such as insula,
      primary auditory cortex, hippocampus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and
      inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. CONCLUSION: Our findings were consistent
      with previous meta-analyses in schizophrenia corroborating the hypothesis of a
      potential "disconnection" syndrome in conjunction with structural alterations in
      local gray matter regions. Overall, our study suggested that the T1-w/T2-w
      technique permits to reliably map structural differences between the brains of
      patients and healthy individuals.

PMID- 26104104
TI  - farFRET: Extending the Range in Single-Molecule FRET Experiments beyond 10 nm.
AB  - Single-molecule Forster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) has become a powerful
      nanoscopic tool in studies of biomolecular structures and nanoscale objects;
      however, conventional smFRET measurements are generally blind to distances above
      10 nm thus impeding the study of long-distance phenomena. Here, we report the
      development of farFRET, a technique that extends the range in smFRET measurements
      beyond the 10 nm line by enhanced energy transfer using multiple acceptors. We
      demonstrate that farFRET can be readily employed to quantify FRET efficiencies
      and conformational dynamics using double-stranded DNA molecules, RecA-filament
      formation on single-stranded DNA and Holliday junction dynamics. farFRET allows
      quantitative measurements of large biomolecular complexes and nanostructures thus
      bridging the remaining gap to superresolution microscopy. 

PMID- 26104105
TI  - Application of Partial Least Square (PLS) Analysis on Fluorescence Data of 8
      Anilinonaphthalene-1-Sulfonic Acid, a Polarity Dye, for Monitoring Water
      Adulteration in Ethanol Fuel.
AB  - Fluorescence characteristic of 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (ANS) in
      ethanol-water mixture in combination with partial least square (PLS) analysis was
      used to propose a simple and sensitive analytical procedure for monitoring the
      adulteration of ethanol by water. The proposed analytical procedure was found to
      be capable of detecting even small adulteration level of ethanol by water. The
      robustness of the procedure is evident from the statistical parameters such as
      square of correlation coefficient (R(2)), root mean square of calibration (RMSEC)
      and root mean square of prediction (RMSEP) that were found to be well with in the
      acceptable limits. 

PMID- 26104106
TI  - A systematic review of studies investigating the care of stroke survivors in long
      term care facilities.
AB  - PURPOSE: The burden of stroke is immense, with approximately 30 million stroke
      survivors globally. Approximately one-quarter of residents in long-term care
      (LTC) facilities are stroke survivors. This review aims to integrate the existing
      knowledge from the literature and elucidate themes around the care of stroke
      survivors in LTC facilities. METHOD: A systematic search was performed in PubMed,
      Ovid MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library and CINAHL. Articles that met the eligibility
      criteria were selected. Synthesis of results according to similar themes was
      performed. RESULTS: A total of 1920 articles were screened for eligibility, of
      which 22 met the eligibility criteria. Of the 22 articles selected, five and 17
      articles comprised interventional and observational studies, respectively. Three
      themes were identified: rehabilitation, stroke specific care and secondary stroke
      drug prevention. These were found to be lacking within LTC facilities. There is
      also a dearth of interventional studies in stroke survivors from LTC facilities.
      CONCLUSIONS: The care of stroke survivors in LTC facilities is lacking in
      rehabilitation, stroke specific care and secondary stroke prevention. This needs
      to be addressed through conducting further research to build a strong body of
      evidence to influence change in the care of this vulnerable group of patients.
      Implications for Rehabilitation Care of stroke survivors in long-term care
      facilities Stroke survivors make up almost a quarter of residents in long-term
      care facilities. They suffer from functional impairments and many other
      disabilities as a result of more severe stroke, precluding them from living in
      their own homes. Rehabilitation, stroke-specific care and secondary stroke
      prevention for stroke survivors are lacking in long-term care facilities despite
      strong evidence showing benefits for these interventions in stroke survivors
      living in the community. Interventions to address the unmet need in stroke
      survivors living in long-term care facilities are vital for optimal care of this
      vulnerable group of patients.

PMID- 26104107
TI  - Psychosocial factors associated with physical activity in ambulatory and manual
      wheelchair users with spinal cord injury: a mixed-methods study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify psychosocial factors which explain lower levels of leisure
      time physical activity (LTPA) in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) who are
      ambulatory relative to those who use manual wheelchairs. METHOD: For the
      quantitative study component, 347 adults with SCI (78% male; M age = 47.7)
      completed baseline measures of LTPA attitudes, subjective norms, perceived
      behavioural control and intentions. Six months later, LTPA was assessed. The
      qualitative component involved semi-structured interviews with six ambulant
      adults with SCI (five male, M age = 52.8) addressing LTPA experiences with an
      emphasis on barriers and facilitators. RESULTS: Ambulatory individuals had poorer
      attitudes towards LTPA than chair users (p = 0.004). Their attitudes had
      significant indirect effects on LTPA, through intentions. Perceived behavioural
      control was a significant negative predictor of LTPA. Qualitative analysis
      revealed three themes: an underestimated disability, low wheelchair skill self
      efficacy and experiencing chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS: Poorer attitudes towards
      LTPA may partially explain why ambulatory individuals are less active. The
      qualitative and quantitative data suggest ambulators are an often-overlooked
      subgroup in need of targeted resources to enhance their attitudes, wheelchair
      skill self-efficacy and awareness of LTPA opportunities. Implications for
      Rehabilitation Rehabilitation practitioners must be sensitive to the unique needs
      of spinal cord injured individuals who are ambulatory, and tailor physical
      activity promotional strategies to suit the needs of this distinct group. Lack of
      wheelchair skills is a participation barrier for ambulators; ambulators should be
      introduced to activities that do not require wheelchair use, such as swimming,
      hand-cycling and adapted forms of circuit training. Strategies that encourage
      wheelchair skill development in non-wheelchair using ambulators, may increase
      physical activity opportunities for this segment of the spinal injured
      population.

PMID- 26104108
TI  - mTOR is expressed in polymyositis but not in sporadic inclusion body myositis.

PMID- 26104110
TI  - Upper Airway Obstruction in Children.
AB  - Children with upper airway obstruction are both unique and variable in their
      presentation and management, often posing a challenge to the pediatrician.
      Several anatomical and physiologic peculiarities make a child vulnerable to
      develop an obstruction of upper airways. The characteristic finding in upper
      airway obstruction is stridor-inspiratory, biphasic or expiratory. The etiologies
      vary widely throughout the age groups and according to the mode of presentation.
      The approach starts with suspicion, mandates careful clinical evaluation of the
      degree of obstruction and many a times emergency measures precede any
      investigation or even precise diagnosis. Maintaining an open and stable airway is
      of the utmost importance, often requiring a team approach of emergency physician,
      pediatrician, otorhinolaryngologist and pediatric pulmonologist. The commonest
      condition presenting with upper airway obstruction in pediatric population is
      viral croup. Croup is a clinical diagnosis in a febrile child, with barking cough
      and stridor preceded by upper respiratory infection. It is treated with systemic
      or inhaled steroids and nebulized epinephrine. Epiglottitis and bacterial
      tracheitis are acute bacterial infections of upper airways, presenting as true
      airway emergencies. Though the mainstay of therapy is IV antibiotics, the prime
      concern is maintenance of airway, which frequently requires endotracheal
      intubation. Rigid bronchoscopy is the procedure of choice for airway foreign
      bodies, a common cause of upper airway obstruction in children below 3 y of age.
      Airway malacias are the commonest cause of chronic stridor and are mostly managed
      conservatively. 

PMID- 26104109
TI  - Changing risk awareness and personal protection measures for low to high
      pathogenic avian influenza in live-poultry markets in Taiwan, 2007 to 2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Outbreaks of low and high pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI, HPAI)
      H5N2 in chickens have occurred in Taiwan since 2003 and 2012, respectively. Fully
      understanding the different awareness, attitudes and protective behaviors adopted
      by workers in live-poultry markets (LPMWs) and local community residents (CRs) to
      face the challenges of LPAI and HPAI is very important to minimize viral
      adaptations to human populations. METHODS: A structural questionnaire containing
      information on respondents' occupation, personal risk awareness, attitudes toward
      different policies, and preventative measures was administered. The two-stage
      survey (before and after HPAI H5N2 outbreaks) was conducted from 2007 to 2012,
      including: (1) 430 LPMWs and 418 CRs at LPMs from different geographical areas of
      Taiwan after the government announced outbreaks of LPAI H5N2 during 2007-2009,
      and (2) 73 LPMWs and 152 CRs at two LPMs in central Taiwan after the HPAI H5N2
      outbreaks in 2012. The chi-squared test and logistic regression were applied for
      univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively. RESULTS: Before HPAI-H5N2
      outbreaks, higher educated respondents demonstrated greater risk awareness and
      concerns regarding AI. However, LPM-workers protected themselves less from AI
      viruses (AIVs) and had lower acceptance of human or avian influenza vaccines.
      Most importantly, the participants who opposed (versus agreed with) the policy on
      banning live-poultry slaughtering at LPMs reported lower awareness of government
      prevention and control policies [Odds Ratio (OR): 0.76, 95 % Confidence Interval
      (CI): 0.56-1.01] or practiced preventive measures (OR: 0.42, 95 % CI: 0.25-0.70).
      After HPAI-H5N2 outbreaks, the risk awareness about AI in central Taiwan
      significantly increased [LPAI to HPAI LPMWs: 34.6 to 65.6 %, p < 0.05; CRs: 44.0
      to 76.5 %, p < 0.05] and LPMWs' belief in the effectiveness of vaccination to
      prevent human or avian influenza virus infection strikingly decreased (92.3 to
      68.5 %, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Risk awareness depends on high or low
      pathogenicity of AIVs, working in LPMs, levels of education, age, and proximity
      to the sites of severe AI outbreaks. Regardless of novel LPAI or HPAI virus
      reassortants that pose public health risks, prompt and clear risk communication
      focusing on both correct information about AIVs and the most appropriate
      preventive measures are important for effective prevention of human infection.

PMID- 26104111
TI  - Targeted Next Generation Sequencing Identifies a Novel Deletion in LAMA2 Gene in
      a Merosin Deficient Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Patient.

PMID- 26104112
TI  - Validity, reliability, and usability of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability
      Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test for autism spectrum disorders.
AB  - AIM: This study aimed to explore the test-retest reliability of the Pediatric
      Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test for autism spectrum
      disorders (PEDI-CAT [ASD]), the concurrent validity of this test with the
      Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS-II), and parents' perceptions of
      usability. METHOD: A convenience sample of participants (n=39) was recruited
      nationally through disability organizations. Parents of young people aged 10 to
      18 years (mean age 14y 10mo, SD 2y 8mo; 34 males, five females) who reported a
      diagnosis of autism were eligible to participate. Parents completed the VABS-II
      questionnaire once and the PEDI-CAT (ASD) twice (n=29) no more than 3 weeks apart
      (mean 12d) using computer-simulated administration. Parents also answered
      questions about the usability of these instruments. We examined score reliability
      using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and we explored the relationship
      between instruments using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. Parent
      responses were grouped by common content; content categories were triangulated by
      an additional reviewer. RESULTS: Intraclass correlation coefficients indicate
      excellent reliability for all PEDI-CAT (ASD) domain scores (ICC >= 0.86). PEDI
      CAT (ASD) and VABS-II domain scores correlated as expected or stronger than
      expected (0.57-0.81). Parents reported that the computer-based PEDI-CAT (ASD) was
      easy to use and included fewer irrelevant questions than the VABS-II instrument.
      INTERPRETATION: These findings suggest that the PEDI-CAT (ASD) is a reliable
      assessment that parents can easily use. The PEDI-CAT (ASD) operationalizes the
      International Classification of Function, Disability and Health for Children and
      Youth constructs of 'activity' and 'participation', and this preliminary research
      suggests that the instrument's constructs are related to those of VABS-II.

PMID- 26104113
TI  - Surface plasmon & visible light for polymer functionalization of mesopores and
      manipulation of ionic permselectivity.
AB  - The near-field of surface plasmons is locally confined to nanometer dimensions.
      Here, we use surface plasmons to initiate polymer-functionalization of mesoporous
      silica films allowing subsequent ionic permselectivity gating based on polymer
      charge. We expect this functionalization approach to open a new dimension of
      functional miniaturization e.g. in nanofluidics. 

PMID- 26104114
TI  - Effectiveness, Mediators, and Effect Predictors of Internet Interventions for
      Chronic Cancer-Related Fatigue: The Design and an Analysis Plan of a 3-Armed
      Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Internet interventions offer advantages that especially cancer
      survivors who suffer from fatigue could benefit from. Given the growing number of
      such patients, Internet interventions could supplement and strengthen currently
      available health care. OBJECTIVE: This paper describes the design and analysis
      plan that will be used to study 2 Internet interventions aimed at reducing severe
      fatigue in cancer survivors: a mobile ambulant activity feedback therapy
      supported through a weekly email by a physiotherapist and a weekly Web- and
      mindfulness-based cognitive therapy supported online by a psychologist. The data
      resulting from this trial will be used to (1) investigate the effectiveness, (2)
      investigate potential mediators of these interventions, and (3) explore
      participant characteristics that can predict the effect of these interventions.
      METHODS: A 3-armed randomized controlled trial is proposed that compares both
      Internet interventions with an active control condition that solely consists of
      receiving psycho-educational emails. The intervention period is 9 weeks for all 3
      conditions. Six months after baseline, participants in the control condition can
      choose to follow 1 of the 2 experimental Internet interventions. Outcomes are
      measured in terms of fatigue severity, mental health, and self-perceived work
      ability. All are Web-assessed at baseline, 2 weeks after the intervention period,
      and at 6 and 12 months after baseline. Fatigue severity, mindfulness, physical
      activity, expectations and credibility of the intervention, therapeutic working
      alliance, sleep quality, and sense of control over fatigue are assessed 3 times
      during the intervention period for identifying mediators of the interventions.
      Recruitment is performed nationally throughout the Netherlands through patient
      organizations and their websites, newspapers, and by informing various types of
      health professionals. All participants register at an open-access website. We aim
      at including 330 cancer survivors who have finished curative-intent cancer
      treatment at least 3 months previously, and have been suffering from severe
      fatigue ever since. All cancer types are included. A detailed analysis plan is
      described to address the research questions, which allows for individual
      variation, and fully exploits the longitudinal design. RESULTS: Recruitment
      started in April 2013 and will proceed until April 2015. CONCLUSIONS: This paper
      describes a systematic trial design for studying 2 different interventions for
      chronic cancer-related fatigue in order to gain insight into the effectiveness
      and mediators of the interventions. This design will also be used to identify
      predictors for the interventions' effect on fatigue. By publishing our hypotheses
      and analysis plan before completion of data collection, this paper is a first
      step in reporting on this trial comprehensively. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The
      Netherlands National Trial Register (NTR3483). (Archived by WebCite at
      http://www.webcitation.org/6NWZqon3o).

PMID- 26104115
TI  - Geometric-attributes-based segmentation of cortical bone slides using optimized
      neural networks.
AB  - In cortical bone, solid (lamellar and interstitial) matrix occupies space left
      over by porous microfeatures such as Haversian canals, lacunae, and canaliculi
      containing clusters. In this work, pulse-coupled neural networks (PCNN) were used
      to automatically distinguish the microfeatures present in histology slides of
      cortical bone. The networks' parameters were optimized using particle swarm
      optimization (PSO). When forming the fitness functions for the PSO, we considered
      the microfeatures' geometric attributes-namely, their size (based on measures of
      elliptical perimeter or area), shape (based on measures of compactness or the
      ratio of minor axis length to major axis length), and a two-way combination of
      these two geometric attributes. This hybrid PCNN-PSO method was further enhanced
      for pulse evaluation by combination with yet another method, adaptive threshold
      (AT), where the PCNN algorithm is repeated until the best threshold is found
      corresponding to the maximum variance between two segmented regions. Together,
      this framework of using PCNN-PSO-AT constitutes, we believe, a novel framework in
      biomedical imaging. Using this framework and extracting microfeatures from only
      one training image, we successfully extracted microfeatures from other test
      images. The high fidelity of all resultant segments was established using
      quantitative metrics such as precision, specificity, and Dice indices. 

PMID- 26104116
TI  - Comparison of treatment effects of teriparatide and the bisphosphonate
      risedronate in an aged, osteopenic, ovariectomized rat model under various
      clinical conditions.
AB  - Teriparatide and bisphosphonates are osteoporosis medications that increase bone
      mineral density (BMD) and prevent fracture, but each has a different mechanism of
      action. Teriparatide promotes bone formation, while bisphosphonates suppress bone
      resorption. In the clinical setting, however, drug selection is not always
      tailored to the particular clinical condition of the patient or mechanism of
      action of the drug. We compared the effects of teriparatide and the
      bisphosphonate risedronate on bone metabolism using two ovariectomized rat models
      to elucidate the optimal use of these two drugs in the clinical setting. We first
      performed dose-finding experiments to determine the equivalent effective doses of
      each drug (5.6 and 3.0 ug/kg for teriparatide and risedronate, respectively). We
      then compared the effects of these doses on bone metabolism after subcutaneous
      administration three times weekly for 4 months starting either the day after
      ovariectomy (preventive study) or 12 months after ovariectomy (therapeutic
      study). The increase in proximal tibial BMD under the physical conditions that
      increased bone turnover at 1 to 2 months after ovariectomy was greater in the
      risedronate group than in the teriparatide group. In contrast, the increases in
      lumbar vertebral BMD and bone strength under the physical conditions that
      significantly decreased BMD and bone strength at 12 months after ovariectomy were
      greater in the teriparatide group than in the risedronate group. The present
      study provides important information on the selection of antiosteoporotic drugs,
      including teriparatide and risedronate, in treatment protocols tailored to the
      clinical conditions of patients and drug mechanisms. 

PMID- 26104119
TI  - What's new in the quantification of causal effects from longitudinal cohort
      studies: a brief introduction to marginal structural models for intensivists.

PMID- 26104120
TI  - Erratum to: Impact of follow-up consultations for ICU survivors on post-ICU
      syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PMID- 26104117
TI  - Saliva from nymph and adult females of Haemaphysalis longicornis: a proteomic
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Haemaphysalis longicornis is a major vector of Theileria spp.,
      Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia spp. and Coxiella burnetti in East Asian
      countries. All life stages of ixodid ticks have a destructive pool-feeding style
      in which they create a pool-feeding site by lacerating host tissue and secreting
      a variety of biologically active compounds that allows the tick to evade host
      responses, enabling the uptake of a blood meal. The identification and functional
      characterization of tick saliva proteins can be useful to elucidate the molecular
      mechanisms involved in tick development and to conceive new anti-tick control
      methods. METHODS: H. longicornis tick saliva was collected from fully engorged
      nymphs and fully engorged adults induced by dopamine or pilocarpine,
      respectively. Saliva was digested with trypsin for LC-MS/MS sequencing and
      peptides were searched against tick and rabbit sequences. RESULTS: A total of 275
      proteins were identified, of which 135 were tick and 100 were rabbit proteins. Of
      the tick proteins, 30 proteins were identified exclusively in fully engorged
      nymph saliva, 74 in fully engorged adult females, and 31 were detected in both
      stages. The identified tick proteins include heme/iron metabolism-related
      proteins, oxidation/detoxification proteins, enzymes, proteinase inhibitors, tick
      specific protein families, and cytoskeletal proteins. Proteins involved in signal
      transduction, transport and metabolism of carbohydrate, energy, nucleotide, amino
      acids and lipids were also detected. Of the rabbit proteins, 13 were present in
      nymph saliva, 48 in adult saliva, and 30 were present in both. The host proteins
      include immunoglobulins, complement system proteins, antimicrobial proteins,
      serum albumin, peroxiredoxin, serotransferrin, apolipoprotein, hemopexin,
      proteinase inhibitors, and hemoglobin/red blood cells-related products.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study allows the identification of H. longicornis saliva
      proteins. In spontaneously detached tick saliva various proteins were identified,
      although results obtained with saliva of fully engorged ticks need to be
      carefully interpreted. However, it is interesting to note that proteins
      identified in this study were also described in other tick saliva proteomes using
      partially engorged tick saliva, including hemelipoprotein, proteases, protease
      inhibitors, proteins related to structural functions, transporter activity,
      metabolic processes, and others. In conclusion, these data can provide a deeper
      understanding to the biology of H. longicornis.

PMID- 26104118
TI  - Molecular targets and pathways involved in liver metastasis of colorectal cancer.
AB  - We here summarize the current view of molecular mechanisms involved in the
      dissemination process of colorectal cancer cells to the liver as deduced from
      preclinical models. We focus on molecular aspects of the current understanding of
      the biology of liver metastases formation and survival, both being crucial for
      identification and validation of possible therapeutic targets and review the
      latest findings elucidating some features of the liver as a metastatic niche. In
      more detail, we outline the role of proteases and of major pathways such asc-MET
      signaling and its modulation by factors such as MACC1 and TIMP1, as well as Notch
      and TGFbeta signaling. The relevance of these signalling pathways during tumor
      stroma interactions in this context will be addressed. In addition, the
      functional role and validation of targets such as PRL3, Trop-2, L1CAM, S100A4,
      S100P, CD133, LIPC, and APOBEC3G are summarized. 

PMID- 26104121
TI  - Response to Girbes et al.: Investigating associations between ICU level and
      quality of care in the Netherlands: reporting only SMRs is not the whole story.

PMID- 26104122
TI  - ESGAR 2015 Book of Abstracts.

PMID- 26104123
TI  - Multidetector CT imaging of complications after laparoscopic nephron-sparing
      surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: Laparoscopic nephron-sparing surgery (L-NSS) is increasingly performed
      to treat localised renal lesions. However, the associated morbidity is non
      negligible, with a rate of major complications approaching 10 %. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: This paper provides an overview of indications, surgical techniques and
      results of L-NSS; explains the incidence, risk factors and manifestations of
      postoperative complications; discusses the preferred multidetector computed
      tomography (CT) acquisition techniques; illustrates the appearance of normal
      postoperative images following L-NSS; and reviews, with example images, the most
      common and unusual iatrogenic complications. These include haematuria,
      haemorrhage, vascular injuries, infections and urinary leaks. Most emphasis is
      placed on CT, which provides rapid, reliable triage and follow-up of iatrogenic
      complications after L-NSS, identifying occurrences that require transarterial
      embolisation or repeated surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Multidetector CT allows precise
      assessment of the surgical resection site; detection of pneumoperitoneum and
      subcutaneous emphysema; quantification of retroperitoneal blood; and
      identification of active bleeding, pseudoaneurysms, arterio-venous fistulas,
      abscess collections and extravasated urine. TEACHING POINTS: * Laparoscopic
      nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) is increasingly performed to treat renal lesions. *
      Radiologists are increasingly requested to investigate suspected post-surgical
      NSS complications. * Post-NSS complications include haemorrhage, haematuria,
      vascular injuries, infections and urinary leaks. * Multidetector CT allows choice
      between conservative treatment, transarterial embolisation or surgery.

PMID- 26104124
TI  - Why is Pain Still Under-Treated in the Emergency Department? Two New Hypotheses.
AB  - Across the world, pain is under-treated in emergency departments (EDs). We
      canvass the literature testifying to this problem, the reasons why this problem
      is so important, and then some of the main hypotheses that have been advanced in
      explanation of the problem. We then argue for the plausibility of two new
      hypotheses: pain's under-treatment in the ED is due partly to (1) an epistemic
      preference for signs over symptoms on the part of some practitioners, and (2)
      some ED practices that themselves worsen pain by increasing patients' anxiety and
      fear. Our argument includes the following logic. Some ED practitioners depart
      from formal guidance in basing their acute pain assessments on observable
      features rather than on patient reports of pain. This is potentially due to an
      epistemic preference for signs over symptoms which aims to circumvent intentional
      and/or unintentional misrepresentation on the part of patients. However,
      conducting pain assessments in line with this epistemic preference contributes to
      the under-treatment of pain in at least three respects, which we detail.
      Moreover, it may do little to help the practitioner circumvent any intentional
      misrepresentation on the part of the patient, as we explain. Second, we examine
      at least four ED practices that may be contributing to the under-treatment of
      pain by increasing patient anxiety and fear, which can worsen pain. These
      practices include failing to provide orienting information and partially
      objectifying patients so as to problem-solve along lines pre-established by
      modern medical science. We conclude by touching on some potential solutions for
      ED practice. 

PMID- 26104125
TI  - Cesarean section and the risk of emergency peripartum hysterectomy in high-income
      countries: a systematic review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Our objective was to determine the incidence and mortality rates
      associated with emergency peripartum hysterectomy, factors that lead to
      uncontrolled hemorrhage and emergency peripartum hysterectomy, and to determine
      the relationship between cesarean section and risk of emergency peripartum
      hysterectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Studies published between January 1, 2000
      and December 31, 2012 were identified using PubMed, OVID and Web of Science
      databases. Studies were included if they reported incidence rates for emergency
      peripartum hysterectomy, factors that lead to hemorrhage and emergency peripartum
      hysterectomy, or the association of emergency peripartum hysterectomy with
      cesarean section in high-income countries. RESULTS: Four hundred and fifty-one
      studies were identified, and 52 were included. The incidence of emergency
      peripartum hysterectomy ranged from 0.20 to 5.09 per 1000 deliveries with a
      median incidence rate of 0.61 per 1000 deliveries. These rates have increased
      over time. Rates varied by region/country, specifically with the United States
      reporting higher rates than North American, Asian, Oceania, and European
      countries. The most common factor leading to emergency peripartum hysterectomy
      was placental abnormalities. Both cesarean section and prior cesarean section
      were strong risk factors for emergency peripartum hysterectomy with higher risks
      conferred for each additional cesarean section. The mean percentage of maternal
      deaths for EPH survivors was 3.0 %. CONCLUSION: Given the association of cesarean
      section with emergency peripartum hysterectomy, the increased risk of emergency
      peripartum hysterectomy should be factored into the decision of whether to
      proceed with cesarean delivery, particularly for women who desire more children.

PMID- 26104126
TI  - Surgery, endometriosis-related infertility and negative impact on ovarian
      reserve: "which came first, the hen or the egg?" An unresolved dilemma.

PMID- 26104127
TI  - Relationship between preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, and vitamin D
      receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms.

PMID- 26104128
TI  - Response to: relationship between preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, and
      vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms.

PMID- 26104129
TI  - Charge density waves in individual nanoribbons of orthorhombic-TaS3.
AB  - Orthorhombic-TaS3 is a quasi-1D material that undergoes a Peierls' transition to
      become a charge density wave conductor at low temperatures. Electrical transport
      measurements of individual single-crystalline TaS3 nanoribbons prepared by a
      novel bottom-up method from elemental precursors indicate a depression of the
      Peierls' ordering temperature to 205 K, broadening of the electric-field-induced
      depinning of the charge density wave below the Peierls' transition temperature,
      and a greatly increased threshold voltage for nucleation of charge density wave
      dislocations posited to be a result of surface confinement and finite size
      effects. Single-nanoribbon measurements of broad-band noise indicate discrete
      phase slip events near the depinning threshold. Three distinct regimes are
      identified with the normalized noise spectrum showing a distinctive maxima near
      the threshold voltage for depinning of the charge density wave, corresponding to
      sampling of different metastable states that balance ordered and sliding charge
      density waves. 

PMID- 26104130
TI  - Triple decker sandwiches and related compounds of the first row transition metals
      with cyclopentadienyl and hexafluorobenzene rings: remarkable effects of fluorine
      substitution.
AB  - The complete series of Cp2M2(MU-C6F6) (M = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) structures
      have been examined theoretically for comparison with their unsubstituted Cp2M2(MU
      C6H6) analogues. The singlet triple decker sandwich titanium complex
      Cp2Ti2(eta(6),eta(6)-C6F6) with a closed shell electronic structure and a non
      planar C6F6 ring is preferred energetically by a wide margin (>20 kcal mol(-1))
      over other isomers and spin states. This is in contrast to the hydrogen analogue
      for which related triplet spin state structures are clearly preferred. A similar
      low-energy triple-decker sandwich Cp2V2(eta(6),eta(6)-C6F6) structure is found
      for vanadium but with a quintet spin state. The later transition metals from Cr
      to Ni energetically prefer the so-called "rice-ball" cis-Cp2M2(MU-C6F6)
      structures with varying hapticities of metal-ring bonding, a range of formal
      orders of metal-metal bonding, and varying spin states depending on the metal
      atom. Thus the lowest energy Cp2Cr2(MU-C6F6) structures are triplet and quintet
      structures with pentahapto-trihapto eta(5),eta(3)-MU-C6F6 rings and formal Cr=Cr
      double bonds. This contrasts with the structure of Cp2Cr2(MU-C6H6) having a
      bis(tetrahapto) eta(4),eta(4)-C6H6 ring and a formal Cr-Cr quadruple bond. The
      lowest energy Cp2Mn2(MU-C6F6) structures are trans and cis quintet spin state
      structures. This contrasts with Cp2Mn2(MU-C6H6) for which a closed-shell singlet
      triple decker sandwich structure is preferred. The lowest energy Cp2Fe2(MU-C6F6)
      structure is a triplet cis structure with a tetrahapto-dihapto eta(4),eta(2)-MU
      C6F6 ring and a formal Fe-Fe single bond. The lowest energy Cp2Co2(MU-C6F6)
      structures are singlet spin state structures with formal M-M single bonds and
      either bridging bis(trihapto) eta(3),eta(3)-C6F6 or tetrahapto-dihapto
      eta(4),eta(2)-C6F6 rings. For Cp2Ni2(MU-C6F6) low energy singlet cis and trans
      structures are both found. The singlet cis-Cp2Ni2(MU-C6F6) structure has a Ni-Ni
      single bond of length ~2.5 A and a bridging bis(dihapto) eta(2),eta(2)-C6F6
      ligand with an uncomplexed C=C double bond. The singlet trans-Cp2Ni2(MU-C6F6)
      structure has a bis(trihapto) eta(3),eta(3)-C6F6 ligand.

PMID- 26104131
TI  - Cardiovascular disease among people with drug use disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To present the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular disease
      (CVD) in a national cohort of patients seeking treatment for drug use disorders
      (DUD). METHODS: This is a longitudinal record linkage study of consecutive DUD
      treatment admissions between 2000 and 2006 from Denmark. RESULTS: Of 17,642
      patients seeking treatment for DUD, 828 individuals (4.53%) had a history of CVD
      at treatment entry. Among the remaining patients, 16,820 were traced and 1535 new
      incident cases of CVD were observed during a mean follow-up time of 7.5 years.
      The incidence of CVD was associated with intravenous drug use [subhazard ratio
      (SHR) = 1.41, p < 0.001], not responding to injection question (SHR = 1.23, p =
      0.005), older age (SHR = 1.04 per year, p = 0.000), use of prescription methadone
      (SHR = 1.32, p < 0.001), use of benzodiazepines (SHR = 1.21, p = 0.005), and
      being referred to methadone treatment (SHR = 1.15, p = 0.022). The use of
      amphetamines was negatively associated with the risk of CVD within this cohort
      (SHR = 0.75, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients injecting drugs using prescribed
      methadone were at elevated risk for cardiovascular disease and should be
      monitored for CVD. Opioid medications should be evaluated in terms of their
      cardiovascular sequelae.

PMID- 26104132
TI  - Positive HBcAb is associated with higher risk of early recurrence and poorer
      survival after curative resection of HBV-related HCC.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Previous studies predicted the prognosis of hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) mainly based on tumour-related factors, whereas the impacts of
      hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related factors are usually ignored. The objective of
      this exploratory study was to investigate the prognostic role of hepatitis B core
      antibody (HBcAb) on post-operative survival and recurrence of HCC. METHODS: A
      retrospective analysis of 3388 HBsAg positive (HBV-related) HCC patients treated
      by curative resection was performed. Multivariate analysis of independent
      prognostic factors was performed by Cox proportional hazards regression model.
      RESULTS: HBcAb positivity was an independent prognostic factor for recurrence
      free survival (RFS) of HBV-related patients (P < 0.001, HR: 1.723, 95% CI: 1.278
      2.324), and the 1-, 3-, 5-year RFS rates for HBcAb-negative patients were
      significantly better than those of HBcAb-positive patients (92.5%, 72.1% and
      65.9% vs 77.9%, 58.6% and 46.9%, P < 0.001). HBcAb-positive HCC was much bigger
      (P = 0.006), more often involved with vascular invasion (P = 0.001), elevated AFP
      (P = 0.001) and ALT (P = 0.046) levels, but less often involved with capsule
      formation (P = 0.034). Besides vascular invasion, tumour size, interferon-alpha
      treatment, AFP and GGT level, HBcAb positivity was an independent prognostic
      factor for early intrahepatic recurrence of HBV-related patients (P = 0.025, HR:
      1.766, 95% CI: 1.073-2.907) and the majority of HBcAb-positive recurrence were
      early recurrence while most of HBcAb-negative recurrence were late recurrence (P
      = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Positive HBcAb may represent a more invasive phenotype of
      HBV-related HCC, and is associated with a higher risk of early intrahepatic
      recurrence and poorer RFS of HBV-related patients after curative resection.

PMID- 26104133
TI  - Effects of aortic irregularities on blood flow.
AB  - Anatomic aortic anomalies are seen in many medical conditions and are known to
      cause disturbances in blood flow. Turner syndrome (TS) is a genetic disorder
      occurring only in females where cardiovascular anomalies, particularly of the
      aorta, are frequently encountered. In this study, numerical simulations are
      applied to investigate the flow characteristics in four TS patient- related
      aortic arches (a normal geometry, dilatation, coarctation and elongation of the
      transverse aorta). The Quemada viscosity model was applied to account for the non
      Newtonian behavior of blood. The blood is treated as a mixture consisting of
      water and red blood cells (RBC) where the RBCs are modeled as a convected scalar.
      The results show clear geometry effects where the flow structures and RBC
      distribution are significantly different between the aortas. Transitional flow is
      observed as a jet is formed due to a constriction in the descending aorta for the
      coarctation case. RBC dilution is found to vary between the aortas, influencing
      the WSS. Moreover, the local variations in RBC volume fraction may induce large
      viscosity variations, stressing the importance of accounting for the non
      Newtonian effects. 

PMID- 26104134
TI  - Light and electron microscopic studies of the intestinal epithelium in Notoplana
      humilis (Platyhelminthes, Polycladida): the contribution of
      mesodermal/gastrodermal neoblasts to intestinal regeneration.
AB  - Some free-living flatworms in the phylum Platyhelminthes possess strong
      regenerative capability that depends on putative pluripotent stem cells known as
      neoblasts. These neoblasts are defined based on several criteria, including their
      proliferative capacity and the presence of cellular components known as
      chromatoid bodies. Polyclads, which are marine flatworms, have the potential to
      be a good model system for stem cell research, yet little information is
      available regarding neoblasts and regeneration. In this study, transmission
      electron microscopy and immunostaining analyses, using antibodies against phospho
      histone H3 and BrdU, were used to identify two populations of neoblasts in the
      polyclad Notoplana humilis: mesodermal neoblasts (located in the mesenchymal
      space) and gastrodermal neoblasts (located within the intestine, where granular
      club cells and phagocytic cells are also located). Light and electron microscopic
      analyses also suggested that phagocytic cells and mesodermal/gastrodermal
      neoblasts, but not granular club cells, migrated into blastemas and remodeled the
      intestine during regeneration. Therefore, we suggest that, in polyclads,
      intestinal regeneration is accomplished by mechanisms underlying both
      morphallaxis (remodeling of pre-existing tissues) and epimorphosis (de novo
      tissue formation derived from mesodermal/gastrodermal neoblasts). Based on the
      assumption that gastrodermal neoblasts, which are derived from mesodermal
      neoblasts, are intestinal stem cells, we propose a model to study intestinal
      regeneration. 

PMID- 26104135
TI  - SrGAP3 knockout mice display enlarged lateral ventricles and specific cilia
      disturbances of ependymal cells in the third ventricle.
AB  - In several mouse models of mental retardation, ventricular enlargements have been
      observed. Mutation in the SrGAP3 gene residing on chromosome 3p25 has previously
      been associated with intellectual disability in humans. In addition, SrGAP3 is
      related to Rho-GAPs signaling pathways, which play essential roles in the
      development and plasticity of the nervous system. About 10 % of postnatal
      homozygous SrGAP3-deficient mice die due to hydrocephalus, whereas the remaining
      mice survive into adulthood but display enlarged ventricles. We analyze the
      ventricular enlargement of these mice by performing a post-mortem MRI approach.
      We found a more than 15-fold enlargement of the lateral ventricles of homozygous
      SrGAP3-deficient mice. Moreover, we demonstrate that this phenotype was not
      accompanied by a stenosis of the aqueduct. Instead, SrGAP3 knockout mice
      displayed reduced densities of cilia of ependymal cells in These third ventricle
      compared to age-matched controls. This results indicate that the ventricular
      enlargement may be due to ciliopathy. 

PMID- 26104136
TI  - Testicular Embolism After Endovascular Aneurysm Repair: A Rare Complication of
      Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms.

PMID- 26104137
TI  - Anagen effluvium due to thallium poisoning derived from the intake of Chinese
      herbal medicine and rodenticide containing thallium salts.

PMID- 26104138
TI  - Developing a theoretical maintenance model for disordered eating in Type 1
      diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: According to the literature, eating disorders are an increasing
      problem for more than a quarter of people with Type 1 diabetes and they are
      associated with accentuated diabetic complications. The clinical outcomes in this
      group when given standard eating disorder treatments are disappointing. The
      Medical Research Council guidelines for developing complex interventions suggest
      that the first step is to develop a theoretical model. AIM: To review existing
      literature to build a theoretical maintenance model for disordered eating in
      people with Type 1 diabetes. METHOD: The literature in diabetes relating to
      models of eating disorder (Fairburn's transdiagnostic model and the dual pathway
      model) and food addiction was examined and assimilated. RESULTS: The elements
      common to all eating disorder models include weight/shape concern and problems
      with mood regulation. The predisposing traits of perfectionism, low self-esteem
      and low body esteem and the interpersonal difficulties from the transdiagnostic
      model are also relevant to diabetes. The differences include the use of insulin
      mismanagement to compensate for breaking eating rules and the consequential wide
      variations in plasma glucose that may predispose to 'food addiction'. Eating
      disorder symptoms elicit emotionally driven reactions and behaviours from others
      close to the individual affected and these are accentuated in the context of
      diabetes. CONCLUSION: The next stage is to test the assumptions within the
      maintenance model with experimental medicine studies to facilitate the
      development of new technologies aimed at increasing inhibitory processes and
      moderating environmental triggers.

PMID- 26104139
TI  - Effect of diet/atorvastatin on atherosclerotic lesions associated to nonalcoholic
      fatty liver disease in chickens.
AB  - Comparative histological examination of both liver and the supra-aortic arteries
      have not previously examined the consequences of atherosclerosis and nonalcoholic
      fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and their response to diet and atorvastatin therapy.
      This study evaluates the effects of diet alone or in combination with
      atorvastatin therapy on the progression/regression of atherosclerosis and its
      correlation with NAFLD. This research was performed on a cohort of chickens on
      standard (SD) or hyperlipidemic diets (HD), either with or without atorvastatin
      therapy. The development of atherosclerotic lesions was assessed by histology,
      immunohistochemistry and quantitative image analysis and correlated with liver
      histology. The lowest levels of atherosclerotic lesions were found in animals on
      the HD for 3 months, followed by 3 months of SD in combination with oral
      atorvastatin. There was a strong association between the histologic findings of
      atherosclerosis and those of NAFLD. These studies show that standard diet and
      atorvastatin therapy can positively affect both arterial and hepatic lesions,
      influencing the regression of the changes. These results support the hypothesis
      that NAFLD and atherosclerosis may be actually two aspects of a shared disease
      and suggest the possibility of regression of both disorders with dietary and
      pharmacologic manipulations. 

PMID- 26104140
TI  - Enantiomer-specific analysis of multi-component mixtures by correlated electron
      imaging-ion mass spectrometry.
AB  - Simultaneous, enantiomer-specific identification of chiral molecules in multi
      component mixtures is extremely challenging. Many established techniques for
      single-component analysis fail to provide selectivity in multi-component mixtures
      and lack sensitivity for dilute samples. Here we show how enantiomers may be
      differentiated by mass-selected photoelectron circular dichroism using an
      electron-ion coincidence imaging spectrometer. As proof of concept, vapours
      containing ~1% of two chiral monoterpene molecules, limonene and camphor, are
      irradiated by a circularly polarized femtosecond laser, resulting in multiphoton
      near-threshold ionization with little molecular fragmentation. Large chiral
      asymmetries (2-4%) are observed in the mass-tagged photoelectron angular
      distributions. These asymmetries switch sign according to the handedness (R- or S
      ) of the enantiomer in the mixture and scale with enantiomeric excess of a
      component. The results demonstrate that mass spectrometric identification of
      mixtures of chiral molecules and quantitative determination of enantiomeric
      excess can be achieved in a table-top instrument. 

PMID- 26104142
TI  - Xiakemycin A, a novel pyranonaphthoquinone antibiotic, produced by the
      Streptomyces sp. CC8-201 from the soil of a karst cave.

PMID- 26104141
TI  - Development of a multiplex PCR system and its application in detection of blaSHV,
      blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-9 and blaOXA-1 group genes in clinical Klebsiella
      pneumoniae and Escherichia coli strains.
AB  - Resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics through beta-lactamase production by
      Enterobacteriaceae continues to burden the health-care sector worldwide.
      Traditional methods for detection of beta-lactamases are time-consuming and labor
      intensive and newer methods with varying capabilities continue to be developed.
      The objective of this study was to develop a multiplex PCR (M-PCR) system for the
      detection of blaSHV, blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-9 and blaOXA-1 group genes and
      to apply it in clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli strains. To do
      this, we used group-specific PCR primers in singleplex reactions followed by
      optimization into multiplex reactions. Specificity and sensitivity of the M-PCR
      were then evaluated using 58 reference strains before its application to detect
      bla group genes in 203 clinical Enterobacteriaceae strains. PCR amplicons were
      sequenced to determine the beta-lactamase subtypes. The M-PCR system exhibited
      100% specificity and sensitivity. In all, 83.7% of K. pneumoniae and 89.8% of E.
      coli clinical strains harbored bla group genes with 46.9%, 40.1%, 15.0%, 21.1%
      and 6.1% of K. pneumoniae having blaSHV, blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-9 and
      blaOXA-1 group genes, respectively, whereas 12.2%, 77.6%, 22.4%, 36.7% and 8.2%
      of E. coli had blaSHV, blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-9 and blaOXA-1 group genes,
      respectively. BlaSHV-1, blaSHV-11, blaSHV-27, blaSHV-33, blaSHV-144, blaTEM-1,
      blaTEM-135, blaOXA-1, blaCTX-M-3, blaCTX-M-9, blaCTX-M-14, blaCTX-M-15, blaCTX-M
      27, blaCTX-M-55, blaCTX-M-65 and blaCTX-M-104 were detected. In conclusion, the M
      PCR system was efficient and versatile with an advantage of simultaneously
      detecting all the targeted bla group genes. Hence, it is a potential candidate
      for developing M-PCR kits for the screening of these genes for clinical or
      epidemiological purposes. 

PMID- 26104143
TI  - Abnormal ABO typing.

PMID- 26104144
TI  - Prediction of structural features and application to outer membrane protein
      identification.
AB  - Protein three-dimensional (3D) structures provide insightful information in many
      fields of biology. One-dimensional properties derived from 3D structures such as
      secondary structure, residue solvent accessibility, residue depth and backbone
      torsion angles are helpful to protein function prediction, fold recognition and
      ab initio folding. Here, we predict various structural features with the
      assistance of neural network learning. Based on an independent test dataset,
      protein secondary structure prediction generates an overall Q3 accuracy of ~80%.
      Meanwhile, the prediction of relative solvent accessibility obtains the highest
      mean absolute error of 0.164, and prediction of residue depth achieves the lowest
      mean absolute error of 0.062. We further improve the outer membrane protein
      identification by including the predicted structural features in a scoring
      function using a simple profile-to-profile alignment. The results demonstrate
      that the accuracy of outer membrane protein identification can be improved by ~3%
      at a 1% false positive level when structural features are incorporated. Finally,
      our methods are available as two convenient and easy-to-use programs. One is PSSM
      2-Features for predicting secondary structure, relative solvent accessibility,
      residue depth and backbone torsion angles, the other is PPA-OMP for identifying
      outer membrane proteins from proteomes. 

PMID- 26104145
TI  - Polymorphisms in a desaturase 2 ortholog associate with cuticular hydrocarbon and
      male mating success variation in a natural population of Drosophila serrata.
AB  - Elucidating the nature of genetic variation underlying both sexually selected
      traits and the fitness components of sexual selection is essential to
      understanding the broader consequences of sexual selection as an evolutionary
      process. To date, there have been relatively few attempts to connect the genetic
      variance in sexually selected traits with segregating DNA sequence polymorphisms.
      We set out to address this in a well-characterized sexual selection system--the
      cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) of Drosophila serrata--using an indirect
      association study design that allowed simultaneous estimation of the genetic
      variance in CHCs, sexual fitness and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) effects
      in an outbred population. We cloned and sequenced an ortholog of the D.
      melanogaster desaturase 2 gene, previously shown to affect CHC biosynthesis in D.
      melanogaster, and associated 36 SNPs with minor allele frequencies > 0.02 with
      variance in CHCs and sexual fitness. Three SNPs had significant multivariate
      associations with CHC phenotype (q-value < 0.05). At these loci, minor alleles
      had multivariate effects on CHCs that were weakly associated with the
      multivariate direction of sexual selection operating on these traits. Two of
      these SNPs had pleiotropic associations with male mating success, suggesting
      these variants may underlie responses to sexual selection due to this locus.
      There were 15 significant male mating success associations (q-value < 0.1), and
      interestingly, we detected a nonrandom pattern in the relationship between allele
      frequency and direction of effect on male mating success. The minor-frequency
      allele usually reduced male mating success, suggesting a positive association
      between male mating success and total fitness at this locus.

PMID- 26104146
TI  - Temporal tweezing of light through the trapping and manipulation of temporal
      cavity solitons.
AB  - Optical tweezers use laser light to trap and move microscopic particles in space.
      Here we demonstrate a similar control over ultrashort light pulses, but in time.
      Our experiment involves temporal cavity solitons that are stored in a passive
      loop of optical fibre pumped by a continuous wave 'holding' laser beam. The
      cavity solitons are trapped into specific time slots through a phase modulation
      of the holding beam, and moved around in time by manipulating the phase profile.
      We report both continuous and discrete manipulations of the temporal positions of
      picosecond light pulses, with the ability to simultaneously and independently
      control several pulses within a train. We also study the transient drifting
      dynamics and show complete agreement with theoretical predictions. Our study
      demonstrates how the unique particle-like characteristics of cavity solitons can
      be leveraged to achieve unprecedented control over light. These results could
      have significant ramifications for optical information processing. 

PMID- 26104148
TI  - Open synovectomy of the ankle joint in young haemophiliacs: mid-term to long-
      term results of a single-centre series of 32 procedures.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In haemophiliacs, recurrent hemarthrosis and chronic synovitis lead
      to chronic arthropathy. Synovectomy is indicated when medical treatment fails.
      Few studies report the results of open synovectomy of the ankle in haemophiliacs
      with a small number of procedures and also a limited follow-up. AIM: The aim of
      this paper is to report the long-term results of open surgical synovectomy of the
      tibio-talar joint. METHODS: Thirty-two open synovectomies were performed in 21
      young haemophiliacs in the same haemophilia center using an antero-lateral and
      postero-medial approaches. The median follow-up was 15.4 years. Clinical (Petrini
      scores) and radiological evaluations (Pettersson scores) were made preoperatively
      and at each multidisciplinary follow-up visit. Wilcoxon and Spearman's tests were
      used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: Preoperative median Petrini score was
      6 (range 3-12), and improved at 2 and 5 years follow-up (P = 0.0003 and P =
      0.0001 respectively). At 10 and 15 years follow-ups, median score remained below
      preoperative score (median 3.5, range 0-11). Ten ankles had a follow-up of more
      than 20 years. Preoperative median Petterson score presented a slight but
      continuous worsening in the first 2 and 5 years of follow-ups (P = 0.02, P =
      0.003), but not correlation between clinical and radiological results was
      observed. CONCLUSION: Our long-term results support that clinical scores are
      improved even if radiological scores progress. Open synovectomy retards the
      progression of the arthropathy, but not stops it. Bleeding and pain are
      controlled and even if recurrence of bleedings is frequent, it is less severe,
      less painful and requiring less factors replacement.

PMID- 26104147
TI  - Experience with central venous access devices (CVADs) in the Canadian hemophilia
      primary prophylaxis study (CHPS).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Haemophilia A treatment with factor VIII concentrates requires
      frequent venipunctures; a central venous access device (CVAD) may be required to
      facilitate reliable venous access, especially in young children. While CVADs
      provide reliable venous access, complications such as infection and thrombosis
      may occur. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess CVAD use in the Canadian
      Hemophilia Primary Prophylaxis Study (CHPS), a single-arm, multi-centre
      prospective study whereby factor use is tailored to individual prophylactic need.
      METHODS: Participants received a tailored, escalating dose, prophylaxis regimen
      of increasing frequency of FVIII infusions: step-1: 50 IU kg(-1) once weekly;
      step-2: 30 IU kg(-1) twice weekly; and step-3: 25 IU kg(-1) on alternate days,
      according to their level of bleeding. CVAD insertion was at the discretion of the
      local health care team. Details regarding CVAD use during this protocol were
      analysed. RESULTS: Fifty six boys were enrolled, 21 required 25 CVADs due to
      difficult venous access. CVADs were inserted at a median age of 1.3 years (range:
      0.6-2.1) and were removed at a median age of 8.7 years (range 6.3-11.8). Six
      participants experienced non-life threatening CVAD-complications, the most
      frequent being device malfunction requiring CVAD replacement (n = 4). Two boys
      were shown to have CVAD-associated thrombosis detected on routine imaging; one
      required removal due to infusion difficulties and the other was asymptomatic and
      did not require device removal. No CVAD-related infections were documented.
      CONCLUSION: Our study shows that the CHPS tailored prophylaxis regimen is
      associated with a decreased requirement for CVADs and with few device-related
      complications.

PMID- 26104149
TI  - Commentary on: Sex Offenders Seeking Treatment for Sexual Dysfunction--Ethics,
      Medicine, and the Law.

PMID- 26104150
TI  - Islet heparan sulfate but not heparan sulfate proteoglycan core protein is lost
      during islet isolation and undergoes recovery post-islet transplantation.
AB  - Islet beta cells in situ express intracellular heparan sulfate (HS), a property
      previously shown in vitro to be important for their survival. We report that HS
      levels inside islet beta cells correlate with the novel intracellular
      localization of the HSPG core proteins for collagen type XVIII (Col18), a
      conventional extracellular matrix component. Syndecan-1 (Sdc1) and CD44 core
      proteins were similarly localized inside beta cells. During isolation, mouse
      islets selectively lose HS to 11-27% of normal levels but retain their HSPG core
      proteins. Intra-islet HS failed to recover substantially during culture for 4
      days and was not reconstituted in vitro using HS mimetics. In contrast,
      significant recovery of intra-islet HS to ~40-50% of normal levels occurred by 5
      10 days after isotransplantation. Loss of islet HS during the isolation procedure
      is independent of heparanase (a HS-degrading endoglycosidase) and due, in part,
      to oxidative damage. Treatment with antioxidants reduced islet cell death by ~60%
      and increased the HS content of isolated islets by ~twofold compared to untreated
      islets, preserving intra-islet HS to ~60% of the normal HS content of islets in
      situ. These findings suggest that the preservation of islet HS during the islet
      isolation process may optimize islet survival posttransplant. 

PMID- 26104152
TI  - Determinants of dietary behavior and physical activity among Canadian Inuit: a
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased dependence on Western diets and low physical activity have
      largely contributed to weight gain and associated chronic diseases in the
      Canadian Inuit population. The purpose of this study was to systematically review
      factors influencing dietary and physical activity behaviors to guide health
      promotion interventions and provide recommendations for future studies. METHOD:
      We conducted a systematic literature review to identify relevant articles.
      Searches were conducted between May 2014 and July 2014, and inclusive of articles
      published up until July 2014. Articles were searched using four databases:
      PubMed, PsycINFO, SocINDEX, and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection.
      Eligible studies focused on diet and/or physical activity or determinants of diet
      and/or physical activity in Canadian Inuit population, and were published in
      English. RESULTS: A total of 45 articles were included in the analysis. A
      detailed appraisal of the articles suggested that many Inuit have disconnected
      from the traditional ways of life, including harvesting and processing of
      traditional food species and the associated physical activity. In the last two
      decades there has been a significant shift from consumption of healthy
      traditional foods to energy-dense store-bought foods particularly among younger
      Inuit (<50 years of age). Additionally, low socioeconomic status (SES) and high
      transportation cost affect food accessibility and contribute to poor dietary
      choices in the population. However, a few articles that described the mediating
      role of psychosocial factors reported that higher SES, increased healthful food
      knowledge, and self-efficacy towards healthy dietary behavior, were associated
      with greater intentions to make healthier food choices and participate in
      physical activity. CONCLUSION: It is evident that the rapid social, cultural, and
      environmental changes in the Arctic have altered dietary and physical activity
      behaviors of Canadian Inuit. However, our understanding is limited on how these
      behaviours might be influenced in the face of these changes. Prospective studies
      are needed to advance our knowledge of cognitive and environmental determinants
      of Inuit energy balance-related behaviours. These studies can inform the
      development of health promotion interventions in the population.

PMID- 26104153
TI  - Initial combination anti-viral therapy with lamivudine and adefovir dipivoxil
      decreases short-term fatality rate of hepatitis-B-virus-related acute-on-chronic
      liver failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a common serious hepatitis B
      virus (HBV)-related disease and has a poor prognosis. Until recently, initial
      combination antiviral treatment in ACLF patients was rarely reported. This study
      evaluated the effect of initial combination treatment with lamivudine and
      adefovir dipivoxil on the prognosis of HBV-related ACLF. METHODS: In this
      retrospective study, 131 eligible ACLF patients, including 61 treated with 100 mg
      lamivudine and 10 mg adefovir dipivoxil daily and 70 not treated with any
      nucleoside analogs (NAs), were selected and assigned into the NA and non-NA
      groups. All the patients received standard medicinal therapy. At weeks 0-4 and
      12, serum markers for hepatic and renal functions were measured in all patients
      and accumulated fatality rates were calculated. Statistical analyses, including
      Student's t test, chi(2) test and unconditional logistic regression analysis,
      were performed using SPSS version 17.0 software. RESULTS: Clinical data indicated
      that improvement of hepatic function was better in the NA than in the non-NA
      group. The accumulated fatality rate in the NA group was lower than in the non-NA
      group at weeks 2-4 and 12, and these differences were significant. Univariate
      analysis showed that age, prothrombin activity, model of end-stage liver disease
      (MELD) score, and treatment without NAs were risk factors for short-term survival
      of ACLF. Further research by unconditional logistic regression analysis
      identified that older age, high MELD score and treatment without NAs were
      independent risk factors for short-term survival of ACLF. CONCLUSIONS: Initial
      combination antiviral treatment is effective in decreasing short-term fatality of
      HBV-related ACLF.

PMID- 26104154
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the medicinal fungus Ganoderma applanatum
      (Polyporales, Basidiomycota).
AB  - We have determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial genome
      of the medicinal fungus Ganoderma applanatum (Pers.) Pat. using the next
      generation sequencing technology. The circular molecule is 119,803 bp long with a
      GC content of 26.66%. Gene prediction revealed genes encoding 15 conserved
      proteins, 25 tRNAs, the large and small ribosomal RNAs, all genes are located on
      the same strand except trnW-CCA. Compared with previously sequenced genomes of G.
      lucidum, G. meredithiae and G. sinense, the order of the protein and rRNA genes
      is highly conserved; however, the types of tRNA genes are slightly different. The
      mitochondrial genome of G. applanatum will contribute to the understanding of the
      phylogeny and evolution of Ganoderma and Ganodermataceae, the group containing
      many species with high medicinal values.

PMID- 26104151
TI  - Characteristics of natural antibody-secreting cells.
AB  - Natural IgM plays a critical role in protection from pathogens and the prevention
      of autoimmunity. While its importance has been shown in many different settings,
      its origins are incompletely understood. This review focuses on the properties of
      the natural IgM antibody-secreting cells (ASCs), which arise mainly from the B-1
      cell lineage. B-1 cells are generated in multiple waves during development,
      mostly in the fetal and early postfetal periods. The developmental time points
      can affect their repertoire: prenatal B-1 cells express a mainly germ line
      encoded repertoire, while postnatally developing B-1 cells can express Ig with a
      greater degree of variation. Spleen and bone marrow, but not the body cavities,
      are primary sites of natural IgM secretion. Within these tissues heterogeneous
      populations of IgM ASCs can be found. While some ASCs express classical markers
      of B-1 lymphocytes, others express those of terminally differentiated plasma
      cells. A better understanding of the properties of these different natural IgM
      ASCs could aid their future therapeutic exploitation. 

PMID- 26104155
TI  - Hints for panmixia in Scomberomorus commerson in Indian waters revealed by
      mitochondrial ATPase 6 and 8 genes.
AB  - Scomberomorus commerson is an economically important migratory fish distributed
      worldwide. The genetic stock structure of S. commerson distributed along the
      Indian waters was identified using mitochondrial ATPase 6 and 8 genes. A total of
      842 bp sequence of ATPase 6/8 genes obtained in this study revealed 23 haplotypes
      with mean low nucleotide diversity and high haplotype diversity. Co-efficient of
      genetic differentiation (FST) values obtained for pair wise populations were low
      and non-significant with an overall value of -0.02074. The high haplotype and low
      nucleotide diversity values together with mismatch distribution analysis
      suggested a history of genetic bottleneck events or founder effect, with
      subsequent population expansion in S. commerson. The findings of the present
      study indicated the panmixia nature of the species which can be managed as a unit
      stock in Indian waters.

PMID- 26104156
TI  - Two complete chloroplast genome sequences of Cannabis sativa varieties.
AB  - In this study, we determined the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes from two
      varieties of Cannabis sativa. The genome sizes were 153,848 bp (the Korean non
      drug variety, Cheungsam) and 153,854 bp (the African variety, Yoruba Nigeria).
      The genome structures were identical with 131 individual genes [86 protein-coding
      genes (PCGs), eight rRNA, and 37 tRNA genes]. Further, except for the presence of
      an intron in the rps3 genes of two C. sativa varieties, the cp genomes of C.
      sativa had conservative features similar to that of all known species in the
      order Rosales. To verify the position of C. sativa within the order Rosales, we
      conducted phylogenetic analysis by using concatenated sequences of all PCGs from
      17 complete cp genomes. The resulting tree strongly supported monophyly of
      Rosales. Further, the family Cannabaceae, represented by C. sativa, showed close
      relationship with the family Moraceae. The phylogenetic relationship outlined in
      our study is well congruent with those previously shown for the order Rosales.

PMID- 26104157
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of bearded pig, Sus barbatus, and comparative
      mitochondrial genomics of Cetartiodactyla.
AB  - In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of bearded pig, Sus
      barbatus, with the total length of 16,480 bp, is determined for the first time.
      This mitogenome harbors 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two
      ribosomal RNA genes, and one control region (D-loop). The overall base
      composition is A (34.80%), C (26.07%), G (13.12%), and T (26.01%), so the slight
      A-T bias (60.81%) was detected. Most of the genes are distributed on the H
      strand, except for the ND6 subunit gene and eight tRNA genes. To obtain the
      phylogenetic relationship of the Cetartiodactyla, 11 mitochondrial genomes were
      used for phylogenetic analysis. The mitochondrial genome of S. barbatus presented
      here will contribute to a better understanding of the population genetics.

PMID- 26104159
TI  - Multiplexed pyrosequencing of nine sea anemone (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia:
      Actiniaria) mitochondrial genomes.
AB  - Six complete and three partial actiniarian mitochondrial genomes were amplified
      in two semi-circles using long-range PCR and pyrosequenced in a single run on a
      454 GS Junior, doubling the number of complete mitogenomes available within the
      order. Typical metazoan mtDNA features included circularity, 13 protein-coding
      genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and length ranging from 17,498 to 19,727 bp.
      Several typical anthozoan mitochondrial genome features were also observed
      including the presence of only two transfer RNA genes, elevated A + T richness
      ranging from 54.9 to 62.4%, large intergenic regions, and group 1 introns
      interrupting NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, the
      latter of which possesses a homing endonuclease gene. Within the sea anemone
      Alicia sansibarensis, we report the first mitochondrial gene order rearrangement
      within the Actiniaria, as well as putative novel non-canonical protein-coding
      genes. Phylogenetic analyses of all 13 protein-coding and 2 ribosomal genes
      largely corroborated current hypotheses of sea anemone interrelatedness, with a
      few lower-level differences.

PMID- 26104158
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genome of the Loligo duvaucelii.
AB  - In this study, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome of the little
      squid (Loligo duvaucelii). The genome is 17,413 bp in length, containing 13
      protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and 3 main non
      coding regions. The overall base composition of L. duvaucelii is 40.01% A, 32.33%
      T, 19.14% C and 8.52% G, with a high A + T bias of 72.34%. All of the three
      control regions (CR) contain termination-associated sequences and conserved
      sequence blocks. Here, we describe a phylogenetic analysis of 10 species of
      Cephalopoda based on the complete mitochondrial genome, the result showed that
      the Loliolus uyii is most closely related to L. duvaucelii. This mitogenome
      sequence data would play an important role in the investigation of phylogenetic
      relationship, taxonomic resolution and phylogeography of the Cephalopoda.

PMID- 26104161
TI  - Introduction: Atomism and Organic Chemistry in Context: Essays in Honour of Alan
      J. Rocke.

PMID- 26104160
TI  - Small RNAs in metastatic and non-metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Small non-coding regulatory RNAs control cellular functions at the
      transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Oral squamous cell carcinoma is
      among the leading cancers in the world and the presence of cervical lymph node
      metastases is currently its strongest prognostic factor. In this work we aimed at
      finding small RNAs expressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma that could be
      associated with the presence of lymph node metastasis. METHODS: Small RNA
      libraries from metastatic and non-metastatic oral squamous cell carcinomas were
      sequenced for the identification and quantification of known small RNAs. Selected
      markers were validated in plasma samples. Additionally, we used in silico
      analysis to investigate possible new molecules, not previously described,
      involved in the metastatic process. RESULTS: Global expression patterns were not
      associated with cervical metastases. MiR-21, miR-203 and miR-205 were highly
      expressed throughout samples, in agreement with their role in epithelial cell
      biology, but disagreeing with studies correlating these molecules with cancer
      invasion. Eighteen microRNAs, but no other small RNA class, varied consistently
      between metastatic and non-metastatic samples. Nine of these microRNAs had been
      previously detected in human plasma, eight of which presented consistent results
      between tissue and plasma samples. MiR-31 and miR-130b, known to inhibit several
      steps in the metastatic process, were over-expressed in non-metastatic samples
      and the expression of miR-130b was confirmed in plasma of patients showing no
      metastasis. MiR-181 and miR-296 were detected in metastatic tumors and the
      expression of miR-296 was confirmed in plasma of patients presenting metastasis.
      A novel microRNA-like molecule was also associated with non-metastatic samples,
      potentially targeting cell-signaling mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: We corroborate
      literature data on the role of small RNAs in cancer metastasis and suggest the
      detection of microRNAs as a tool that may assist in the evaluation of oral
      squamous cell carcinoma metastatic potential.

PMID- 26104162
TI  - Atomic Theory and Multiple Combining Proportions: The Search for Whole Number
      Ratios.
AB  - John Dalton's atomic theory, with its postulate of compound formation through
      atom-to-atom combination, brought a new perspective to weight relationships in
      chemical reactions. A presumed one-to-one combination of atoms A and B to form a
      simple compound AB allowed Dalton to construct his first table of relative atomic
      weights from literature analyses of appropriate binary compounds. For such simple
      binary compounds, the atomic theory had little advantages over affinity theory as
      an explanation of fixed proportions by weight. For ternary compounds of the form
      AB2, however, atomic theory made quantitative predictions that were not deducible
      from affinity theory. Atomic theory required that the weight of B in the compound
      AB2 be exactly twice that in the compound AB. Dalton, Thomas Thomson and William
      Hyde Wollaston all published within a few years of each other experimental data
      that claimed to give the predicted results with the required accuracy. There are
      nonetheless several experimental barriers to obtaining the desired integral
      multiple proportions. In this paper I will discuss replication experiments which
      demonstrate that only Wollaston's results are experimentally reliable. It is
      likely that such replicability explains why Wollaston's experiments were so
      influential. 

PMID- 26104163
TI  - Chemical Research and Instruction in Zurich, 1833-1872.
AB  - The development of universities and technical schools in nineteenth century
      Switzerland is commonly assumed to be similar to the development of comparable
      schools in Germany. To a large extent this is correct, but there are subtle
      differences in the founding and organization of Swiss institutions that are
      reflective of the Swiss national and local cantonal contexts. In the case of
      Zurich, the specific local political and financial conditions underlying the
      formation of the University of Zurich, the Zurich Cantonal School and the Swiss
      Federal Polytechnic resulted in a complex set of dual appointments and shared
      facilities that were absent at comparable chemical laboratories at German
      universities. This essay outlines the origins of these complex relationships
      under Carl Lowig (1833-1853) and Georg Stadeler (1853-1870) and follows in more
      detail the complex career path of Johannes Wislicenus in Zurich from his
      appointment as Privatdozent in 1860 to his appointment as Director of the
      Polytechnic in 1871. Wislicenus' career path illustrates the institutional
      context of chemistry in Zurich and shows how this context, including the roles of
      cantonal and federal support, and the physical constraints created by shared
      laboratory facilities, shaped chemical research and instruction in Zurich. 

PMID- 26104164
TI  - Chemical Identity Crisis: Glass and Glassblowing in the Identification of Organic
      Compounds.
AB  - This essay explains why and how nineteenth-century chemists sought to stabilize
      the melting and boiling points of organic substances as reliable characteristics
      of identity and purity and how, by the end of the century, they established these
      values as 'Constants of Nature'. Melting and boiling points as characteristic
      values emerge from this study as products of laboratory standardization,
      developed by chemists in their struggle to classify, understand and control
      organic nature. A major argument here concerns the role played by the
      introduction of organic synthesis in driving these changes. Synthetic organic
      chemistry vastly increased the number of known organic substances, precipitating
      the chemical identity crisis of my title. Successful natural product synthesis,
      moreover, depended on chemists' ability to demonstrate the absolute identity of
      synthetic product and natural target--something late nineteenth-century chemists
      eventually achieved by making reliable, replicable melting and boiling point
      measurements. In the period before the establishment of national standards
      laboratories, chemists and scientific glassblowers worked together to standardize
      melting and boiling points as physical constants, such collaborations
      highlighting the essential importance of chemical glassware and glassblowing
      skill in the development of nineteenth-century organic chemistry.

PMID- 26104165
TI  - William Barlow and the Determination of Atomic Arrangement in Crystals.
AB  - William Barlow (1845-1934) was an important if unconventional scientist, known
      for having developed the 'closest-packing' atomic models of crystal structure. He
      resumed an early nineteenth-century tradition of utilizing crystallographical and
      chemical data to determine atomic arrangements in crystals. This essay recounts
      Barlow's career and scientific activity in three parts: (a) His place in the
      tradition of determining atomic arrangement in context of this earlier tradition
      and of contemporaneous developments of crystallography and chemistry, (b) his
      unconventional career, and (c) the 'success' of his program to determine atomic
      arrangements in crystals and its influence on the work of William Lawrence Bragg.

PMID- 26104166
TI  - Dilemmas of 19th-century Liberalism among German Academic Chemists: Shaping a
      National Science Policy from Hofmann to Fischer, 1865-1919.
AB  - This paper's primary goal is to compare the personalities, values, and influence
      of August Wilhelm Hofmann and Emil Fischer as exemplars and acknowledged leaders
      of successive generations of the German chemical profession and as scientists
      sharing a 19th-century liberal, internationalist outlook from the German wars of
      unification in the 1860s to Fischer's death in 1919 in the aftermath of German
      defeat in World War I. The paper will consider the influence of Hofmann and
      Fischer on the shaping of national scientific institutions in Germany, from
      founding of the German Chemical Society in 1867 to the first institutes of the
      Kaiser Wilhelm Society founded in 1911, their academic leadership in other areas
      including the shaping of a successful academic-industrial symbiosis in organic
      chemistry, and finally their response to war as a force disruptive of scientific
      internationalism. All of these developments posed serious dilemmas, exacerbated
      by emerging strains of nationalism and anti-Semitism in German society. Whereas
      Hofmann's lifework came to a relatively successful end in 1892, Fischer was not
      so fortunate, as the war brought him heavy responsibilities and terrible personal
      losses, but with no German victory and no peace of reconciliation--a bleak end
      for Fischer and the 19th-century liberal ideals that had inspired him.

PMID- 26104167
TI  - Benzene and Beyond: Pursuing the Core of Aromaticity.
AB  - Kekule first suggested a hexagonal structure for benzene in 1865. For over a half
      century after, chemists struggled to reconcile proposed structures for benzene
      and other aromatic compounds with their resistance to chemical transformation and
      tendency to maintain the type during reaction. The combined structural and
      reactivity features of these compounds were eventually covered by the term
      'aromaticity'. Kekule, Bamberger and Thiele had each proposed a criterion for
      aromaticity; all were either empirically contradicted or incapable of evaluation.
      In the 1930s, two rival quantum mechanical methods succeeded in establishing a
      physical basis for aromaticity. Using valence bond theory, Pauling attributed
      benzene's stability to its being a resonance hybrid of several Lewis structures.
      Calculating resonance energies was challenging but manipulating Lewis structures
      was not; that procedure provided qualitative insights into aromatic structure and
      reactivity. Resonance theory appealed especially to organic chemists and eclipsed
      Huckel's contemporaneous molecular orbital approach, which remained relatively
      inaccessible. In the 1950s, however, simple rules derived from Huckel's
      mathematics, combined with proton NMR data, provided seemingly universal criteria
      for aromaticity. In the event, post-1950 discoveries of non-organic, three
      dimensional compounds such as ferrocene and the fullerenes that exhibit aromatic
      properties led chemists to doubt the utility and universality of 'aromaticity' as
      a concept. A recent consensus maintains that aromaticity is a multi-variable
      phenomenon that cannot be reduced to a strict definition, a property it shares
      with other core chemical concepts such as 'acidity' and 'reactivity'. 

PMID- 26104168
TI  - Today, Will T.H. Huxley Dig the Garden or Paper the Parlour?

PMID- 26104175
TI  - Quantitative Assessment of Mitral Apparatus Geometry Using Dual-Source Computed
      Tomography in Mitral Regurgitation.
AB  - To quantitatively assess the geometric changes in mitral valve apparatus in
      mitral regurgitation (MR) by dualsource computed tomography (DSCT) and to analyze
      its impact on MR.The study subjects consisted of 20 controls, 20 patients with
      mild MR, and 30 patients with moderate to severe MR, all of whom underwent DSCT.
      The geometric parameters of the mitral valve were measured by CT and compared
      among the 3 groups. The correlations between DSCT measurements and MR severity
      were also analyzed.As regurgitation worsened, our results showed progressive
      enlargements of the mitral annular area, anteroposterior diameter, and mitral
      valve tenting area at the central level. Moreover, a higher mitral valve
      sphericity index and longer distance between the heads of the papillary muscles
      reflected a more outward displacement of the papillary muscles. The mitral
      annular area and tenting area at the central level had strong correlations with
      regurgitation severity.DSCT is available to quantitatively assess mitral valve
      morphology and provide additional information regarding its geometry. The mitral
      annular area and tenting area at the central level were the strongest
      determinants of MR severity. 

PMID- 26104176
TI  - Association Between Genetic Variation in the SCN10A Gene and Cardiac Conduction
      Abnormalities in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Arrhythmias are associated with reduced quality of life and poor prognosis in
      patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Recent genome-wide association
      studies revealed that a nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphism, rs6795970,
      in the SCN10A gene was associated with the PR interval. We examined whether the
      PR prolonging allele (A allele) in the SCN10A gene may be associated with cardiac
      conduction abnormalities in HCM patients.We genotyped the polymorphism in 149 HCM
      patients. Conduction abnormalities were defined as first-degree heart block,
      bundle-branch block, and bifascicular heart block. Patients were divided into two
      groups: group A consisted of 122 patients (82%) without a conduction abnormality;
      and group B consisted of 27 patients (18%) with one or more cardiac conduction
      abnormalities. The frequency distribution of the SCN10A genotypes (G/G, G/A, and
      A/A) among the patients with HCM was 71%, 26%, and 3%, respectively. A cardiac
      conduction abnormality was documented in 9% with G/G and 40% with G/A or A/A.
      There was a significant difference in the genotype distribution between the two
      groups (P = 0.0002). In the dominant A allele model, there was a significant
      difference in genotypes between the two groups (P < 0.0001). In addition, the A
      allele remained significant after adjusting for other covariates in a
      multivariate model (odds ratio = 6.30 [95% confidence interval: 2.24 to 19.09], P
      = 0.0005).The rs6795970 in the SCN10A gene, which is reported to carry a high
      risk of heart block, might be associated with cardiac conduction abnormalities in
      HCM patients. 

PMID- 26104177
TI  - Reversible Cardiomyopathy After Epirubicin Administration.
AB  - Anthracycline-containing chemotherapy can cause irreversible and progressive left
      ventricular dysfunction. Epirubicin, which is widely used for breast cancer
      chemotherapy, is an anthracycline that has less cardiac toxicity than
      doxorubicin. The present report describes the case of a 70-year-old woman with
      breast cancer who developed severe congestive heart failure and severe cardiac
      dysfunction at 6 weeks from epirubicin final administration. Left ventricular
      function gradually improved after intensive treatment for heart failure and
      recovered completely within 2 months. To the best of our knowledge, this is the
      first report to describe epirubicin-induced subacute reversible cardiotoxicity. 

PMID- 26104178
TI  - Analysis of Gene Expression During the Development of Congestive Heart Failure
      After Myocardial Infarction in Rat Models.
AB  - Our study aimed to investigate the gene expression at different myocardial
      infarction (MI) phases and to understand the development mechanisms of congestive
      heart failure (CHF) after MI. Dataset GSE1957 including 24 samples of rat left
      ventricles at 1-day post MI or sham operation and 7-day post MI or sham operation
      was downloaded from Gene Expression Ominibus. The data were normalized with an
      affyPLM package and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified with a
      Linear Models for Microarray Data package. Heat maps of the DEGs were constructed
      using Cluster 3.0. GO (Gene Ontology) enrichment analysis of the DEGs was
      performed in Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery. A
      protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by Biomolecular
      Interaction Network Database and visualized by Cytoscape, and a subnetwork was
      analyzed using plugin ClusterONE in Cytoscape. A total of 5 DEGs at 1-day post
      MI, 5 DEGs at 7-day post-MI, and 7 DEGs between the MI and sham groups at 1-day
      and 7-day post-MI were identified. For the GO category analysis, DEGs at 1-day
      post-MI were enriched in response to cytokine stimulus. DEGs at 7-day post-MI
      were enriched in response to inorganic substance and chemical homeostasis. DEGs
      between 1-day and 7-day post-MI including CDK2 and CDC20 were significantly
      enriched in mitosis. CDK2, ANXA1, CDC20, and AQP2 were included in the PPI
      network, and CDK2 was the only DEG included in the subnetwork. In conclusion, the
      induction of DEGs at 7-day post-MI might participate in the response to a hormone
      and endogenous stimulus to regulate the development of CHF after MI. 

PMID- 26104179
TI  - Impact of Admission Anemia on Coronary Microcirculation and Clinical Outcomes in
      Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary
      Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.
AB  - Microvascular dysfunction after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
      augments myocardial damage and prognosis in acute myocardial infarction. However,
      the relationship between baseline anemia and coronary microcirculation in
      patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear.
      We performed primary PCI in 337 consecutive patients with STEMI. Anemia was
      defined as a hemoglobin level < 13 g/dL in men and < 12 g/dL in women. Admission
      anemia was present in 17.5% of the patients enrolled. Data on epicardial coronary
      flow, STsegment resolution (STR) on electrocardiography, myocardial injury, and
      the incidence of adverse cardiac events defined as cardiac death or
      hospitalization for congestive heart failure were analyzed. The median follow-up
      period was 54.8 months. Despite comparable epicardial coronary flow, the rate of
      STR >= 50% was lower in anemic patients compared with non-anemic patients (55.9%
      versus 71.2%, P = 0.02). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, baseline
      anemia was an independent negative predictor of STR >= 50% (odds ratio, 0.53; 95%
      confidence interval: 0.31-0.92, P = 0.03). Moreover, anemic patients had higher
      maximum creatine kinase levels normalized for body surface area (2,215 +/- 1,318
      IU/L/m(2) versus 1,797 +/- 1,199 IU/L/m(2), P = 0.047). Anemia remained an
      independent significant predictor of adverse events on multivariate Cox
      proportional hazard analysis (hazard ratio, 2.34; 95% confidence interval: 1.01
      5.64, P = 0.048). In conclusion, admission anemia was related to microcirculatory
      dysfunction and poor prognosis in patients with STEMI. The decreased oxygen
      delivery might exacerbate microvascular function. 

PMID- 26104180
TI  - Impact of Either GLP-1 Agonists or DPP-4 Inhibitors on Pathophysiology of Heart
      Failure.
AB  - Since diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common cause of heart failure (HF), it
      is critically important to clarify whether incretin hormones including glucagon
      like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which play an important role in blood glucose control,
      mediate cardioprotection. There are many lines of basic research evidence
      indicating that GLP-1 improves the pathophysiology of HF: In murine and canine HF
      models, either GLP-1 analogues or DPP-IV inhibitors improved cardiac functions.
      The first question that arises is how either GLP-1 analogues or DPP-IV inhibitors
      mediate cardioprotection. Cardiovascular diseases are tightly linked to impaired
      glucose tolerance (IGT): IGT is not only one of the causes of cardiovascular
      events but also the result of HF. Indeed, the treatment of IGT improved HF,
      showing that one of the mechanisms attributable to DPP-IV inhibitors is related
      to the improvement of IGT. Intriguingly, either DPP-IV inhibitors or GLP-1
      analogues mediate cardioprotection even without IGT, suggesting two possible
      explanations: One is that GLP-1 analogues directly activate the prosurvival
      kinases, such as Akt and Erk1/2, and another is that DPP-IV inhibition increases
      cardioprotective peptides such as BNP and SDF-1alpha. The next question is
      whether cardioprotection is translated to clinical medicine. Small scale clinical
      trials proved their cardioprotective effects; however, several large scale
      clinical trials have not proved the beneficial effects of DPP-IV inhibitors.
      Taken together, GLP-1 analogues or DPP-IV inhibitors can mediate
      cardioprotection, however, what needs to be clarified is who mainly receives
      their benefits among the patients with cardiovascular diseases and/or DM. 

PMID- 26104181
TI  - Holy Grail Deformity of Distal Disc Hubless Atrial Septal Occluders in Pediatric
      Hearts.
AB  - A special deformity associated with the use of left atrial disc hubless atrial
      septal occluders has been described in 3 children. This chalice-shaped deformity
      that occurred during the use of Occlutech and Lifetech septal occluders was given
      the name "Holy Grail Configuration". Despite being easily reversible, reduction
      of the metal load on the left atrium has been suggested to have some negative
      effects. 

PMID- 26104182
TI  - Interfacial electron-shuttling processes across KolliphorEL monolayer grafted
      electrodes.
AB  - Covalently grafted KolliphorEL (a poly(ethylene glycol)-based transporter
      molecule for hydrophobic water-insoluble drugs; MW, ca. 2486; diameter, ca. 3 nm)
      at the surface of a glassy-carbon electrode strongly affects the rate of electron
      transfer for aqueous redox systems such as Fe(CN)6(3-/4-). XPS data confirm
      monolayer grafting after electrochemical anodization in pure KolliphorEL. On the
      basis of voltammetry and impedance measurements, the charge transfer process for
      the Fe(CN)6(3-/4-) probe molecule is completely blocked after KolliphorEL
      grafting and in the absence of a "guest". However, in the presence of low
      concentrations of suitable ferrocene derivatives as guests, mediated electron
      transfer across the monolayer via a shuttle mechanism is observed. The resulting
      amplification of the ferrocene electroanalytical signal is investigated
      systematically and compared for five ferrocene derivatives. The low-concentration
      electron shuttle efficiency decreases in the following sequence:
      (dimethylaminomethyl)ferrocene > n-butyl ferrocene > ferrocene dimethanol >
      ferroceneacetonitrile > ferroceneacetic acid. 

PMID- 26104183
TI  - Quenching of the upconversion luminescence of NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ and NaYF4:Yb3+,Tm3+
      nanophosphors by water: the role of the sensitizer Yb3+ in non-radiative
      relaxation.
AB  - We have studied the mechanisms of water-based quenching of the upconversion
      photoluminescence of upconverting nanophosphors (UCNPs) via luminescence decay
      measurements for a better understanding of the non-radiative deactivation
      pathways responsible for the relatively low upconversion luminescence efficiency
      in aqueous solutions. This included both upconversion luminescence measurements
      and the direct excitation of emissive energy states of Er(3+) and Yb(3+) dopants
      in NaYF4:Yb(3+),Er(3+) UCNPs by measuring the decays at 550 and 655 nm upon 380
      nm excitation and at 980 nm upon 930 nm excitation, respectively. The
      luminescence intensities and decays were measured from both bare and silanized
      NaYF4:Yb(3+),Er(3+) and NaYF4:Yb(3+),Tm(3+) UCNPs in H2O and D2O. The
      measurements revealed up to 99.9% quenching of the upconversion photoluminescence
      intensity of both Er(3+) and Tm(3+) doped bare nanophosphors by water. Instead of
      the multiphonon relaxation of excited energy levels of the activators, the main
      mechanism of quenching was found to be the multiphonon deactivation of the Yb(3+)
      sensitizer ion caused by OH-vibrations on the surface of the nanophosphor. Due to
      the nonlinear nature of upconversion, the quenching of Yb(3+) has a higher order
      effect on the upconversion emission intensity with the efficient Yb-Yb energy
      migration in the ~35 nm nanocrystals making the whole nanophosphor volume
      susceptible to surface quenching effects. The study underlines the need of
      efficient surface passivation for the use of UCNPs as labels in bioanalytical
      applications performed in aqueous solutions. 

PMID- 26104185
TI  - Fructose induces prothrombotic phenotype in human endothelial cells : A new role
      for "added sugar" in cardio-metabolic risk.
AB  - Intake of large amounts of added sweeteners has been associated with the
      pathogenesis of cardiometabolic risk. Several studies have shown that fructose
      increases the cardiovascular risk by modulating endothelial dysfunction and
      promoting atherosclerosis. Recently, a potential role for fructose in
      cardiovascular thrombosis has been suggested but with controversial results.
      Tissue factor (TF) plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular
      thrombosis by triggering the formation of intracoronary thrombi following
      endothelial injury. This study investigates the effects of fructose, in a
      concentration range usually observed in the plasma of patients with increased
      cardiovascular risk, on TF in human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs). Cells
      were stimulated with increasing concentrations of fructose (0.25, 1 and 2.5 mM)
      and then processed to evaluate TF-mRNA levels by real-time PCR as well as TF
      expression/activity by FACS analysis and procoagulant activity. Finally, a
      potential molecular pathway involved in modulating this phenomenon was
      investigated. We demonstrate that fructose induces transcription of mRNA for TF.
      In addition, we show that this monosaccharide promotes surface expression of TF
      that is functionally active. Fructose effects on TF appear modulated by the
      oxygen free radicals through activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB
      since superoxide dismutase and NF-kappaB inhibitors suppressed TF expression.
      Data of the present study, although in vitro, indicate that fructose, besides
      promoting atherosclerosis, induces a prothrombotic phenotype in HUVECs, thus
      indicating one the mechanism(s) by which this sweetener might increase
      cardiometabolic risk. 

PMID- 26104186
TI  - Lycium intricatum Boiss.: An unexploited and rich source of unsaturated fatty
      acids, 4-desmethylsterols and other valuable phytochemicals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lycium intricatum Boiss., a Solanaceous shrubbery is used in Tunisia
      as a windbreak and medicinal plant. However, it is considered as underexploited
      specie despite its high potential to serve as source with economic and
      nutritional value. To date only limited information about its phytochemistry,
      especially of its oil has been published. This work provides data on fatty acids,
      phytosterols and vitamin D composition of L. intricatum seed oil. It opens up new
      possibilities of developing L. intricatum as a new crop that contains
      phytochemicals with high added value little influenced by selection or commercial
      breeding. FINDINGS: The composition of fatty acids, phytosterols and vitamin D in
      L. intricatum seed oil was assessed by GC-FID. The main fatty acids of L.
      intricatum seed oil were linoleic acid (49.47%), palmitoleic acid (27.96%) and
      erucic acid (13.62%). Palimtic acid was present at low percentage (0.63%). The
      content of unsaturated fatty acids was high as 94.04%. The sterolic fraction was
      composed of stigmasterol (18.56 mg/100 g), beta-sitosterol (13.04 mg/100 g). L.
      intricatum oil is an oily matrix that contains hydrocarbons, mainly squalene
      (63.36 mg/100 g), and two triterpenic alcohol erythrodiol (80.36 mg/100 g) and
      uvaol (24.06 mg/100 g). provitamin D was present in high quantity (8.12 mg/100
      g). CONCLUSIONS: From these results it has been shown that L. intricatum seeds
      have great potential as a source of fatty acids and phytosterols for natural
      health products.

PMID- 26104187
TI  - Coagulopathy and spontaneous hemorrhage in a patient with nephrotic syndrome.
AB  - Patients with nephrotic syndrome, particularly those with membranous nephropathy
      tend to be in a hypercoagulable state and often present with thromboembolic
      phenomena. The association of nephrotic syndrome with a bleeding diathesis
      however is much less common and the etiologies less well recognized. We report a
      patient who presented with coagulopathy and recurrent spontaneous hemorrhage in
      association with nephrotic syndrome. The case highlights key diagnostic and
      therapeutic challenges and strategies: 1) work up to establish a unifying
      etiology for both nephrotic syndrome and the bleeding disorder; 2) decision
      making to obtain a tissue biopsy, select the site of biopsy and understand the
      relative yields for each site; 3) recognizing the risk and managing peri
      procedural bleeding; and 5) developing a treatment strategy with the lowest risk
      of possible complications. Our patient underwent a kidney biopsy without any
      complications and a definitive diagnosis of AL amyloidosis was reached. He was
      treated with anti-plasma cell chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell
      transplant with resultant complete hematologic response, improved coagulation
      parameters, and no further bleeding. 

PMID- 26104188
TI  - Lumbo-sacral epidural anaesthesia as a complement to dissociative anaesthesia
      during scrotal herniorrhaphy of livestock pigs in the field.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Sweden, scrotal or inguinal herniorrhaphy of livestock pigs in the
      field has traditionally been an important part of the surgical skills training of
      veterinary students. Few substances meet the legal requirements for field
      anaesthesia of production animals in the European Union but a protocol based on
      azaperone-detomidine-butorphanol-ketamine does. Unfortunately the anaesthesia is
      characterised by unpredictable duration and depth and of abrupt awakenings which
      is not acceptable from an animal welfare perspective and impedes surgical
      training. Lumbo-sacral epidural analgesia is proven to provide sufficient
      analgesia to allow abdominal surgery, but there are few reports on the field use
      of this loco-regional technique. The study aim was to evaluate whether lumbo
      sacral anaesthesia can be safely and successfully used in the field by a
      veterinary student and whether the combination of dissociative and lumbo-sacral
      epidural anaesthesia improves analgesia and anaesthesia to guarantee animal
      welfare during herniorrhaphy in livestock pigs, enabling surgical skills
      training. RESULTS: Pigs in the control-group (placebo) responded significantly
      stronger to surgery, with five out of 11 requiring additional doses of detomidine
      and ketamine. There were no significant differences between groups in respiratory
      rate, heart rate, blood pressure, SpO2 or blood gases. SpO2 levels <94 % were
      recorded in several pigs in both groups. No post-injection complications were
      reported at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study showed that lumbo
      sacral epidural anaesthesia with lidocaine could successfully be administered
      during dissociative anaesthesia of livestock pigs by a veterinary student and
      without reported post-injection complications. It improved analgesia and
      anaesthesia during herniorrhaphy of sufficient duration to enable surgical skills
      training. The risks and consequences of hypoxaemia and hypoventilation should be
      considered.

PMID- 26104190
TI  - Burr-like, laser-made 3D microscaffolds for tissue spheroid encagement.
AB  - The modeling, fabrication, cell loading, and mechanical and in vitro biological
      testing of biomimetic, interlockable, laser-made, concentric 3D scaffolds are
      presented. The scaffolds are made by multiphoton polymerization of an organic
      inorganic zirconium silicate. Their mechanical properties are theoretically
      modeled using finite elements analysis and experimentally measured using a
      Microsquisher((r)). They are subsequently loaded with preosteoblastic cells,
      which remain live after 24 and 72 h. The interlockable scaffolds have maintained
      their ability to fuse with tissue spheroids. This work represents a novel
      technological platform, enabling the rapid, laser-based, in situ 3D tissue
      biofabrication. 

PMID- 26104189
TI  - Using an electronic activity monitor system as an intervention modality: A
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is a growing global health concern that may lead to
      cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and cancer. Several systematic reviews
      have shown that technology is successful in combating obesity through increased
      physical activity, but there is no known review on interventions that use an
      electronic activity monitor system (EAMS). EAMSs are defined as a wearable device
      that objectively measures lifestyle physical activity and can provide feedback,
      beyond the display of basic activity count information, via the monitor display
      or through a partnering application to elicit continual self-monitoring of
      activity behavior. These devices improve upon standard pedometers because they
      have the ability to provide visual feedback on activity progression, verbal
      encouragement, and social comparison. This systematic review aimed to synthesize
      the efficacy and feasibility results of EAMSs within published physical activity
      interventions. METHODS: Electronic databases and journal references were searched
      for relevant articles. Data sources included CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, Medline
      Ovid, PsycINFO, and clinicaltrials.gov. Out of the 1,574 retrieved, 11 articles
      met the inclusion criteria. These articles were reviewed for quality and content
      based on a risk of bias tool and intervention components. RESULTS: Most articles
      were determined to be of medium quality while two were of low quality, and one of
      high quality. Significant pre-post improvements in the EAMS group were found in
      five of nine studies for physical activity and in four of five studies for
      weight. One found a significant increase in physical activity and two studies
      found significant weight loss in the intervention group compared with the
      comparator group. The EAMS interventions appear to be feasible with most studies
      reporting continual wear of the device during waking hours and a higher retention
      rate of participants in the EAMS groups. CONCLUSION: These studies provide
      preliminary evidence suggesting that EAMS can increase physical activity and
      decrease weight significantly, but their efficacy compared to other interventions
      has not yet been demonstrated. More high-quality randomized controlled trials are
      needed to evaluate the overall effect of EAMS, examine which EAMS features are
      most effective, and determine which populations are most receptive to an EAMS.

PMID- 26104191
TI  - Plasma treatment for next-generation nanobiointerfaces.
AB  - Energy deficiency, global poverty, chronic hunger, chronic diseases, and
      environment conservation are among the major problems threatening the whole
      mankind. Nanostructure-based technologies could be a possible solution. Such
      techniques are now used for the production of many vitally important products
      including cultured and fermented food, antibiotics, various medicines, and
      biofuels. On the other hand, the nanostructure-based technologies still
      demonstrate low efficiency and controllability, and thus still are not capable to
      decisively address the global problems. Furthermore, future technologies should
      ensure lowest possible environmental impact by implementing green production
      principles. One of the most promising approaches to address these challenges are
      the sophisticatedly engineered biointerfaces. Here, the authors briefly evaluate
      the potential of the plasma-based techniques for the fabrication of complex
      biointerfaces. The authors consider mainly the atmospheric and inductively
      coupled plasma environments and show several examples of the artificial plasma
      created biointerfaces, which can be used for the biotechnological and medical
      processes, as well as for the drug delivery devices, fluidised bed bioreactors,
      catalytic reactors, and others. A special attention is paid to the plasma-based
      treatment and processing of the biointerfaces formed by arrays of carbon
      nanotubes and graphene flakes. 

PMID- 26104192
TI  - Vector-Mediated In Vivo Antibody Expression.
AB  - This article focuses on a novel vaccine strategy known as vector-mediated
      antibody gene transfer, with a particular focus on human immunodeficiency virus
      (HIV). This strategy provides a solution to the problem of current vaccines that
      fail to generate neutralizing antibodies to prevent HIV-1 infection and AIDS.
      Antibody gene transfer allows for predetermination of antibody affinity and
      specificity prior to "immunization" and avoids the need for an active humoral
      immune response against the HIV envelope protein. This approach uses recombinant
      adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vectors, which have been shown to transduce muscle
      with high efficiency and direct the long-term expression of a variety of
      transgenes, to deliver the gene encoding a broadly neutralizing antibody into the
      muscle. Following rAAV vector gene delivery, the broadly neutralizing antibodies
      are endogenously synthesized in myofibers and passively distributed to the
      circulatory system. This is an improvement over classical passive immunization
      strategies that administer antibody proteins to the host to provide protection
      from infection. Vector-mediated gene transfer studies in mice and monkeys with
      anti-HIV and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-neutralizing antibodies
      demonstrated long-lasting neutralizing activity in serum with complete protection
      against intravenous challenge with virulent HIV and SIV. These results indicate
      that existing potent anti-HIV antibodies can be rapidly moved into the clinic.
      However, this methodology need not be confined to HIV. The general strategy of
      vector-mediated antibody gene transfer can be applied to other difficult vaccine
      targets such as hepatitis C virus, malaria, respiratory syncytial virus, and
      tuberculosis. 

PMID- 26104193
TI  - Conjugation in Gram-Positive Bacteria.
AB  - Conjugative transfer is the most important means of spreading antibiotic
      resistance and virulence factors among bacteria. The key vehicles of this
      horizontal gene transfer are a group of mobile genetic elements, termed
      conjugative plasmids. Conjugative plasmids contain as minimum instrumentation an
      origin of transfer (oriT), DNA-processing factors (a relaxase and accessory
      proteins), as well as proteins that constitute the trans-envelope transport
      channel, the so-called mating pair formation (Mpf) proteins. All these protein
      factors are encoded by one or more transfer (tra) operons that together form the
      DNA transport machinery, the Gram-positive type IV secretion system. However,
      multicellular Gram-positive bacteria belonging to the streptomycetes appear to
      have evolved another mechanism for conjugative plasmid spread reminiscent of the
      machinery involved in bacterial cell division and sporulation, which transports
      double-stranded DNA from donor to recipient cells. Here, we focus on the protein
      key players involved in the plasmid spread through the two different modes and
      present a new secondary structure homology-based classification system for type
      IV secretion protein families. Moreover, we discuss the relevance of conjugative
      plasmid transfer in the environment and summarize novel techniques to visualize
      and quantify conjugative transfer in situ. 

PMID- 26104194
TI  - Animal Reservoirs of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli.
AB  - Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains have been detected in a
      wide diversity of mammals, birds, fish, and several insects. Carriage by most
      animals is asymptomatic, thus allowing for dissemination of the bacterium in the
      environment without detection. Replication of the organism may occur in the
      gastrointestinal tract of some animals, notably ruminants. Carriage may also be
      passive or transient, without significant amplification of bacterial numbers
      while in the animal host. Animals may be classified as reservoir species,
      spillover hosts, or dead-end hosts. This classification is based on the animal's
      ability to (i) transmit STEC to other animal species and (ii) maintain STEC
      infection in the absence of continuous exposure. Animal reservoirs are able to
      maintain STEC infections in the absence of continuous STEC exposure and transmit
      infection to other species. Spillover hosts, although capable of transmitting
      STEC to other animals, are unable to maintain infection in the absence of
      repeated exposure. The large diversity of reservoir and spillover host species
      and the survival of the organism in environmental niches result in complex
      pathways of transmission that are difficult to interrupt. 

PMID- 26104195
TI  - Animal Models of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Infection.
AB  - The first major outbreaks caused by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC)
      raised public and medical awareness of the risks associated with acquiring this
      potentially deadly infection. The widespread presence of these organisms in the
      environment, the severity of the clinical sequelae, and the lack of treatment
      options and effective preventive measures demand that we obtain a better
      understanding of how this group of organisms cause disease. Animal models allow
      study of the processes and factors that contribute to disease and, as such, form
      a valuable tool in the repertoire of infectious disease researchers. Yet despite
      more than 30 years of research, it seems that no single model host reproduces the
      full spectrum of clinical disease induced by EHEC in humans. In the first part of
      this review, a synopsis of what is known about EHEC infections is garnered from
      human outbreaks and biopsy specimens. The main features and limitations of EHEC
      infection models that are based on the three most commonly used species (pigs,
      rabbits, and mice) are described within a historical context. Recent advances are
      highlighted, and a brief overview of models based on other species is given.
      Finally, the impact of the host on moderating EHEC infection is considered in
      light of growing evidence for the need to consider the biology and virulence
      strategies of EHEC in the context of its niche within the intestine. 

PMID- 26104196
TI  - Plasmid Replication Control by Antisense RNAs.
AB  - Plasmids are selfish genetic elements that normally constitute a burden for the
      bacterial host cell. This burden is expected to favor plasmid loss. Therefore,
      plasmids have evolved mechanisms to control their replication and ensure their
      stable maintenance. Replication control can be either mediated by iterons or by
      antisense RNAs. Antisense RNAs work through a negative control circuit. They are
      constitutively synthesized and metabolically unstable. They act both as a
      measuring device and a regulator, and regulation occurs by inhibition. Increased
      plasmid copy numbers lead to increasing antisense-RNA concentrations, which, in
      turn, result in the inhibition of a function essential for replication. On the
      other hand, decreased plasmid copy numbers entail decreasing concentrations of
      the inhibiting antisense RNA, thereby increasing the replication frequency.
      Inhibition is achieved by a variety of mechanisms, which are discussed in detail.
      The most trivial case is the inhibition of translation of an essential
      replication initiator protein (Rep) by blockage of the rep-ribosome binding site.
      Alternatively, ribosome binding to a leader peptide mRNA whose translation is
      required for efficient Rep translation can be prevented by antisense-RNA binding.
      In 2004, translational attenuation was discovered. Antisense-RNA-mediated
      transcriptional attenuation is another mechanism that has, so far, only been
      detected in plasmids of Gram-positive bacteria. ColE1, a plasmid that does not
      need a plasmid-encoded replication initiator protein, uses the inhibition of
      primer formation. In other cases, antisense RNAs inhibit the formation of an
      activator pseudoknot that is required for efficient Rep translation. 

PMID- 26104197
TI  - Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in Fresh Produce--A Food Safety
      Dilemma.
AB  - Produce contains high levels of mixed microflora, including coliforms and
      Escherichia coli, but occasionally pathogens may also be present. Enterotoxigenic
      E. coli and Shigatoxin-producing E. coli (STEC) have been isolated from various
      produce types, especially spinach. The presence of STEC in produce is easily
      detected by PCR for the Shiga toxin (Stx) gene, stx, but this is insufficient for
      risk analysis. STEC comprises hundreds of serotypes that include known pathogenic
      serotypes and strains that do not appear to cause severe illness. Moreover, Stx
      without a binding factor like intimin (encoded by eae) is deemed to be
      insufficient to cause severe disease. Hence, risk analyses require testing for
      other virulence or serotype-specific genes. Multiplex PCR enables simultaneous
      testing of many targets, but, in a mixed flora sample, not all targets detected
      may be coming from the same cell. The need to isolate and confirm STEC in produce
      is critical, but it is time- and labor-intensive due to the complexity of the
      group. Studies showed that only a handful of STEC strains in produce have eae,
      and most belonged to recognized pathogenic serotypes so are of definite health
      risks. Several eae-negative strains belonged to serotypes O113:H21 and O91:H21
      that historically have caused severe illness and may also be of concern. Most of
      the other STEC strains in produce, however, are only partially serotyped or are
      unremarkable serotypes carrying putative virulence factors, whose role in
      pathogenesis is uncertain, thus making it difficult to assess the health risks of
      these STEC strains. 

PMID- 26104198
TI  - Genetics of Mycobacterial Arabinogalactan and Lipoarabinomannan Assembly.
AB  - The cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is unique in that it differs
      significantly from those of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The
      thick, carbohydrate- and lipid-rich cell wall with distinct lipoglycans enables
      mycobacteria to survive under hostile conditions such as shortage of nutrients
      and antimicrobial exposure. The key features of this highly complex cell wall are
      the mycolyl-arabinogalactan-peptidoglycan (mAGP)-based and phosphatidyl-myo
      inositol-based macromolecular structures, with the latter possessing potent
      immunomodulatory properties. These structures are crucial for the growth,
      viability, and virulence of M. tuberculosis and therefore are often the targets
      of effective chemotherapeutic agents against tuberculosis. Over the past decade,
      sophisticated genomic and molecular tools have advanced our understanding of the
      primary structure and biosynthesis of these macromolecules. The availability of
      the full genome sequences of various mycobacterial species, including M.
      tuberculosis, Mycobacterium marinum, and Mycobacterium bovis BCG, have greatly
      facilitated the identification of large numbers of drug targets and antigens
      specific to tuberculosis. Techniques to manipulate mycobacteria have also
      improved extensively; the conditional expression-specialized transduction
      essentiality test (CESTET) is currently used to determine the essentiality of
      individual genes. Finally, various biosynthetic assays using either purified
      proteins or synthetic cell wall acceptors have been developed to study enzyme
      function. This article focuses on the recent advances in determining the
      structural details and biosynthesis of arabinogalactan, lipoarabinomannan, and
      related glycoconjugates. 

PMID- 26104199
TI  - Physiology and Sporulation in Clostridium.
AB  - Clostridia are Gram-positive, anaerobic, endospore-forming bacteria, incapable of
      dissimilatory sulfate reduction. Comprising approximately 180 species, the genus
      Clostridium is one of the largest bacterial genera. Physiology is mostly devoted
      to acid production. Numerous pathways are known, such as the homoacetate
      fermentation by acetogens, the propionate fermentation by Clostridium
      propionicum, and the butyrate/butanol fermentation by C. acetobutylicum, a well
      known solvent producer. Clostridia degrade sugars, alcohols, amino acids,
      purines, pyrimidines, and polymers such as starch and cellulose. Energy
      conservation can be performed by substrate-level phosphorylation as well as by
      the generation of ion gradients. Endospore formation resembles the mechanism
      elucidated in Bacillus. Morphology, contents, and properties of spores are very
      similar to bacilli endospores. Sporulating clostridia usually form swollen mother
      cells and accumulate the storage substance granulose. However, clostridial
      sporulation differs by not employing the so-called phosphorelay. Initiation
      starts by direct phosphorylation of the master regulator Spo0A. The cascade of
      sporulation-specific sigma factors is again identical to what is known from
      Bacillus. The onset of sporulation is coupled in some species to either solvent
      (acetone, butanol) or toxin (e.g., C. perfringens enterotoxin) formation. The
      germination of spores is often induced by various amino acids, often in
      combination with phosphate and sodium ions. In medical applications, C. butyricum
      spores are used as a C. difficile prophylaxis and as treatment against diarrhea.
      Recombinant spores are currently under investigation and testing as antitumor
      agents, because they germinate only in hypoxic tissues (i.e., tumor tissue),
      allowing precise targeting and direct killing of tumor cells. 

PMID- 26104200
TI  - Functions of Antibodies.
AB  - Antibodies can impact pathogens in the presence or in the absence of effector
      cells or effector molecules such as complement, and experiments can often sort
      out with precision the mechanisms by which an antibody inhibits a pathogen in
      vitro. In addition, in vivo models, particularly those engineered to knock in or
      knock out effector cells or effector molecules, are excellent tools for
      understanding antibody functions. However, it is highly likely that multiple
      antibody functions occur simultaneously or sequentially in the presence of an
      infecting organism in vivo. The most critical incentive for measuring antibody
      functions is to provide a basis for vaccine development and for the development
      of therapeutic antibodies. In this respect, some functions, such as virus
      neutralization, serve to inhibit the acquisition of a pathogen or limit its
      pathogenesis. However, antibodies can also enhance replication or contribute to
      pathogenesis. This review emphasizes those antibody functions that are
      potentially beneficial to the host. In addition, this review will focus on the
      effects of antibodies on organisms themselves, rather than on the toxins the
      organisms may produce. 

PMID- 26104201
TI  - The Molecular Genetics of Fluoroquinolone Resistance in Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis.
AB  - The fluoroquinolones (FQs) are synthetic antibiotics effectively used for curing
      patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). When a multidrug-resistant
      strain develops resistance to the FQs, as in extensively drug-resistant strains,
      obtaining a cure is much more difficult, and molecular methods can help by
      rapidly identifying resistance-causing mutations. The only mutations proven to
      confer FQ resistance in M. tuberculosis occur in the FQ target, the DNA gyrase,
      at critical amino acids from both the gyrase A and B subunits that form the FQ
      binding pocket. GyrA substitutions are much more common and generally confer
      higher levels of resistance than those in GyrB. Molecular techniques to detect
      resistance mutations have suboptimal sensitivity because gyrase mutations are not
      detected in a variable percentage of phenotypically resistant strains. The
      inability to find gyrase mutations may be explained by heteroresistance: bacilli
      with a resistance-conferring mutation are present only in a minority of the
      bacterial population (>1%) and are therefore detected by the proportion method,
      but not in a sufficient percentage to be reliably detected by molecular
      techniques. Alternative FQ resistance mechanisms in other bacteria--efflux pumps,
      pentapeptide proteins, or enzymes that inactivate the FQs--have not yet been
      demonstrated in FQ-resistant M. tuberculosis but may contribute to intrinsic
      levels of resistance to the FQs or induced tolerance leading to more frequent
      gyrase mutations. Moxifloxacin is currently the best anti-TB FQ and is being
      tested for use with other new drugs in shorter first-line regimens to cure drug
      susceptible TB.

PMID- 26104202
TI  - Genetics of Capsular Polysaccharides and Cell Envelope (Glyco)lipids.
AB  - This article summarizes what is currently known of the structures, physiological
      roles, involvement in pathogenicity, and biogenesis of a variety of noncovalently
      bound cell envelope lipids and glycoconjugates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and
      other Mycobacterium species. Topics addressed in this article include
      phospholipids; phosphatidylinositol mannosides; triglycerides; isoprenoids and
      related compounds (polyprenyl phosphate, menaquinones, carotenoids, noncarotenoid
      cyclic isoprenoids); acyltrehaloses (lipooligosaccharides, trehalose mono- and di
      mycolates, sulfolipids, di- and poly-acyltrehaloses); mannosyl-beta-1
      phosphomycoketides; glycopeptidolipids; phthiocerol dimycocerosates, para
      hydroxybenzoic acids, and phenolic glycolipids; mycobactins; mycolactones; and
      capsular polysaccharides. 

PMID- 26104203
TI  - EHEC Genomics: Past, Present, and Future.
AB  - This article examines the role of genomics in the understanding and
      identification of O157:H7 enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). We highlight
      the development of novel molecular typing systems that are based on the genomic
      sequence that has been generated for this pathotype. The genomic comparisons of
      EHEC to other E. coli strains highlight the close relatedness of the O157 and O55
      isolates and also identify other non-O157 clades of isolates that appear to have
      a different genomic history. Analysis within the EHEC isolates must be completed
      on a fine scale using whole-genome sequence-based approaches to assess both the
      conserved and lateral acquired gene content. The plethora of genomic data for
      EHEC isolates has provided the ability to examine this pathotype in detail, which
      has provided opportunities for novel surveillance, detection, and diagnostics. 

PMID- 26104204
TI  - Resistance to Isoniazid and Ethionamide in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Genes,
      Mutations, and Causalities.
AB  - Isoniazid (INH) is the cornerstone of tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapy, used for
      both treatment and prophylaxis of TB. The antimycobacterial activity of INH was
      discovered in 1952, and almost as soon as its activity was published, the first
      INH-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains were reported. INH and its
      structural analog and second-line anti-TB drug ethionamide (ETH) are pro-drugs.
      INH is activated by the catalase-peroxidase KatG, while ETH is activated by the
      monooxygenase EthA. The resulting active species reacts with NAD+ to form an INH
      NAD or ETH-NAD adduct, which inhibits the enoyl ACP reductase InhA, leading to
      mycolic acid biosynthesis inhibition and mycobacterial cell death. The major
      mechanism of INH resistance is mutation in katG, encoding the activator of INH.
      One specific KatG variant, S315T, is found in 94% of INH-resistant clinical
      isolates. The second mechanism of INH resistance is a mutation in the promoter
      region of inhA (c-15t), which results in inhA overexpression and leads to
      titration of the drug. Mutations in the inhA open reading frame and promoter
      region are also the major mechanism of resistance to ETH, found more often in ETH
      resistant clinical isolates than mutations in the activator of ETH. Other
      mechanisms of resistance to INH and ETH include expression changes of the drugs'
      activators, redox alteration, drug inactivation, and efflux pump activation. In
      this article, we describe each known mechanism of resistance to INH and ETH and
      its importance in M. tuberculosis clinical isolates. 

PMID- 26104205
TI  - Mechanisms of Pyrazinamide Action and Resistance.
AB  - Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a unique antituberculosis (anti-TB) drug that plays a key
      role in shortening TB therapy. PZA kills nonreplicating persisters that other TB
      drugs fail to kill, which makes it an essential drug for inclusion in any drug
      combinations for treating drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB such as
      multidrug-resistant TB. PZA acts differently from common antibiotics by
      inhibiting multiple targets such as energy production, trans-translation, and
      perhaps pantothenate/coenzyme A required for persister survival. Resistance to
      PZA is mostly caused by mutations in the pncA gene encoding pyrazinamidase, which
      is involved in conversion of the prodrug PZA to the active form pyrazinoic acid.
      Mutations in the drug target ribosomal protein S1 (RpsA) are also found in some
      PZA-resistant strains. The recent finding that panD mutations are found in some
      PZA-resistant strains without pncA or rpsA mutations may suggest a third PZA
      resistance gene and a potential new target of PZA. Current phenotype-based PZA
      susceptibility testing is not reliable due to false resistance; sequencing of the
      pncA gene represents a more rapid, cost-effective, and reliable molecular test
      for PZA susceptibility testing and should be used for guiding improved treatment
      of multidrug-resistant and extensively multidrug-resistant TB. Finally, the story
      of PZA has important implications for not only TB therapy but also chemotherapy
      in general. PZA serves as a model prototype persister drug and hopefully a
      "tipping point" that inspires new efforts at developing a new type of antibiotic
      or drug that targets nonreplicating persisters for improved treatment of not only
      TB but also other persistent bacterial infections. 

PMID- 26104206
TI  - The Inflammatory Response during Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Infection.
AB  - The inflammatory response is an integral part of host defense against
      enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection and also contributes to
      disease pathology. In this article we explore the factors leading to inflammation
      during EHEC infection and the mechanisms EHEC and other attaching and effacing
      (A/E) pathogens have evolved to suppress inflammatory signaling. EHEC stimulates
      an inflammatory response in the intestine through host recognition of bacterial
      components such as flagellin and lipopolysaccharide. In addition, the activity of
      Shiga toxin and some type III secretion system effectors leads to increased
      tissue inflammation. Various infection models of EHEC and other A/E pathogens
      have revealed many of the immune factors that mediate this response. In
      particular, the outcome of infection is greatly influenced by the ability of an
      infected epithelial cell to mount an effective host inflammatory response. The
      inflammatory response of infected enterocytes is counterbalanced by the activity
      of type III secretion system effectors such as NleE and NleC that modify and
      inhibit components of the signaling pathways that lead to proinflammatory
      cytokine production. Overall, A/E pathogens have taught us that innate mucosal
      immune responses in the gastrointestinal tract during infection with A/E
      pathogens are highly complex and ultimate clearance of the pathogen depends on
      multiple factors, including inflammatory mediators, bacterial burden, and the
      function and integrity of resident intestinal epithelial cells. 

PMID- 26104207
TI  - Prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: From Vaccine to Antibody.
AB  - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract
      disease in infants and young children. Initial efforts to develop a vaccine to
      prevent RSV lower respiratory tract disease in children were halted because of
      serious adverse events that occurred when children were infected with RSV
      following vaccination, including vaccine-related deaths. Subsequently, a major
      focus for researchers was to understand what led to these adverse events.
      Investment in a vaccine for RSV continues, and new strategies are under
      development. Success to prevent RSV disease was met by the development of
      immunoprophylaxis, first with intravenous immunoglobulin and then with
      recombinant monoclonal antibody. The story of immunoprophylaxis for RSV includes
      the first-in-class use of antibody technology for infectious disease, and
      palivizumab currently remains the only way to prevent serious lower respiratory
      tract disease due to RSV infection. 

PMID- 26104208
TI  - Genetic Strategies for Identifying New Drug Targets.
AB  - Genetic strategies have yet to come into their own as tools for antibiotic
      development. While holding a lot of initial promise, they have only recently
      started to bear fruit in the quest for new drug targets. An ever-increasing body
      of knowledge is showing that genetics can lead to significant improvements in the
      success and efficiency of drug discovery. Techniques such as high-frequency
      transposon mutagenesis and expression modulation have matured and have been
      applied successfully not only to the identification and characterization of new
      targets, but also to their validation as tractable weaknesses of bacteria. Past
      experience shows that choosing targets must not rely on gene essentiality alone,
      but rather needs to incorporate knowledge of the system as a whole. The ability
      to manipulate genes and their expression is key to ensuring that we understand
      the entire set of processes that are affected by drug treatment. Focusing on
      exacerbating these perturbations, together with the identification of new targets
      to which resistance has not yet occurred--both enabled by genetic approaches--may
      point us toward the successful development of new combination therapies
      engineered based on underlying biology.

PMID- 26104209
TI  - The Locus of Enterocyte Effacement and Associated Virulence Factors of
      Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli.
AB  - A subset of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains, termed
      enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), is defined in part by the ability to produce
      attaching and effacing (A/E) lesions on intestinal epithelia. Such lesions are
      characterized by intimate bacterial attachment to the apical surface of
      enterocytes, cytoskeletal rearrangements beneath adherent bacteria, and
      destruction of proximal microvilli. A/E lesion formation requires the locus of
      enterocyte effacement (LEE), which encodes a Type III secretion system that
      injects bacterial proteins into host cells. The translocated proteins, termed
      effectors, subvert a plethora of cellular pathways to the benefit of the
      pathogen, for example, by recruiting cytoskeletal proteins, disrupting epithelial
      barrier integrity, and interfering with the induction of inflammation,
      phagocytosis, and apoptosis. The LEE and selected effectors play pivotal roles in
      intestinal persistence and virulence of EHEC, and it is becoming clear that
      effectors may act in redundant, synergistic, and antagonistic ways during
      infection. Vaccines that target the function of the Type III secretion system
      limit colonization of reservoir hosts by EHEC and may thus aid control of
      zoonotic infections. Here we review the features and functions of the LEE-encoded
      Type III secretion system and associated effectors of E. coli O157:H7 and other
      Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains. 

PMID- 26104210
TI  - Shiga Toxin/Verocytotoxin-Producing Escherichia coli Infections: Practical
      Clinical Perspectives.
AB  - Escherichia coli strains that produce Shiga toxins/verotoxins are rare, but
      important, causes of human disease. They are responsible for a spectrum of
      illnesses that range from the asymptomatic to the life-threatening hemolytic
      uremic syndrome; diseases caused by E. coli belonging to serotype O157:H7 are
      exceptionally severe. Each illness has a fairly predictable trajectory, and good
      clinical practice at one phase can be inappropriate at other phases. Early
      recognition, rapid and definitive microbiology, and strategic selection of tests
      increase the likelihood of good outcomes. The best management of these infections
      consists of avoiding antibiotics, antimotility agents, and narcotics and
      implementing aggressive intravenous volume expansion, especially in the early
      phases of illness. 

PMID- 26104211
TI  - Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Virulence Gene Regulation.
AB  - Coordinated expression of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli virulence genes
      enables the bacterium to cause hemorrhagic colitis and the complication known as
      hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Horizontally acquired genes and those common to E.
      coli contribute to the disease process, and increased virulence gene expression
      is correlated with more severe disease in humans. Researchers have gained
      considerable knowledge about how the type III secretion system, secreted
      effectors, adhesin molecules, and the Shiga toxins are regulated by environmental
      signals and multiple genetic pathways. Also emergent from the data is an
      understanding of how enterohemorrhagic E. coli regulates response to acid stress,
      the role of flagellar motility, and how passage through the human host and bovine
      intestinal tract causes disease and supports carriage in the cattle reservoir,
      respectively. Particularly exciting areas of discovery include data suggesting
      how expression of the myriad effectors is coordinately regulated with their
      cognate type III secretion system and how virulence is correlated with bacterial
      metabolism and gut physiology. 

PMID- 26104212
TI  - The Interplay between Different Stability Systems Contributes to Faithful
      Segregation: Streptococcus pyogenes pSM19035 as a Model.
AB  - The Streptococcus pyogenes pSM19035 low-copy-number theta-replicating plasmid
      encodes five segregation (seg) loci that contribute to plasmid maintenance. These
      loci map outside of the minimal replicon. The segA locus comprises beta2
      recombinase and two six sites, and segC includes segA and also the gamma
      topoisomerase and two ssiA sites. Recombinase beta2 plays a role both in
      maximizing random segregation by resolving plasmid dimers (segA) and in
      catalyzing inversion between two inversely oriented six sites. segA, in concert
      with segC, facilitates replication fork pausing at ssiA sites and overcomes the
      accumulation of "toxic" replication intermediates. The segB1 locus encodes omega,
      epsilon, and zeta genes. The short-lived epsilon2 antitoxin and the long-lived
      zeta toxin form an inactive zetaepsilon2zeta complex. Free zeta toxin halts cell
      proliferation upon decay of the epsilon2 antitoxin and enhances survival. If
      epsilon2 expression is not recovered, by loss of the plasmid, the toxin raises
      lethality. The segB2 locus comprises delta and omega genes and six parS sites.
      Proteins delta2 and omega2, by forming complexes with parS and chromosomal DNA,
      pair the plasmid copies at the nucleoid, leading to the formation of a dynamic
      delta2 gradient that separates the plasmids to ensure roughly equal distribution
      to daughter cells at cell division. The segD locus, which comprises omega2 (or
      omega2 plus omega22) and parS sites, coordinates expression of genes that control
      copy number, better-than-random segregation, faithful partition, and antibiotic
      resistance. The interplay of the seg loci and with the rep locus facilitates
      almost absolute plasmid stability. 

PMID- 26104213
TI  - Genetics of Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis.
AB  - The complex cell envelope is a hallmark of mycobacteria and is anchored by the
      peptidoglycan layer, which is similar to that of Escherichia coli and a number of
      other bacteria but with modifications to the monomeric units and other structural
      complexities that are likely related to a role for the peptidoglycan in
      stabilizing the mycolyl-arabinogalactan-peptidoglycan complex (MAPc). In this
      article, we will review the genetics of several aspects of peptidoglycan
      biosynthesis in mycobacteria, including the production of monomeric precursors in
      the cytoplasm, assembly of the monomers into the mature wall, cell wall turnover,
      and cell division. Finally, we will touch upon the resistance of mycobacteria to
      beta-lactam antibiotics, an important class of drugs that, until recently, have
      not been extensively exploited as potential antimycobacterial agents. We will
      also note areas of research where there are still unanswered questions. 

PMID- 26104214
TI  - The Molecular Genetics of Mycolic Acid Biosynthesis.
AB  - Mycolic acids are major and specific long-chain fatty acids that represent
      essential components of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell envelope. They play a
      crucial role in the cell wall architecture and impermeability, hence the natural
      resistance of mycobacteria to most antibiotics, and represent key factors in
      mycobacterial virulence. Biosynthesis of mycolic acid precursors requires two
      types of fatty acid synthases (FASs), the eukaryotic-like multifunctional enzyme
      FAS I and the acyl carrier protein (ACP)-dependent FAS II systems, which consists
      of a series of discrete mono-functional proteins, each catalyzing one reaction in
      the pathway. Unlike FAS II synthases of other bacteria, the mycobacterial FAS II
      is incapable of de novo fatty acid synthesis from acetyl-coenzyme A, but instead
      elongates medium-chain-length fatty acids previously synthesized by FAS I,
      leading to meromycolic acids. In addition, mycolic acid subspecies with defined
      biological properties can be distinguished according to the chemical
      modifications decorating the meromycolate. Nearly all the genetic components
      involved in both elongation and functionalization of the meromycolic acid have
      been identified and are generally clustered in distinct transcriptional units. A
      large body of information has been generated on the enzymology of the mycolic
      acid biosynthetic pathway and on their genetic and biochemical/structural
      characterization as targets of several antitubercular drugs. This chapter is a
      comprehensive overview of mycolic acid structure, function, and biosynthesis.
      Special emphasis is given to recent work addressing the regulation of mycolic
      acid biosynthesis, adding new insights to our understanding of how pathogenic
      mycobacteria adapt their cell wall composition in response to environmental
      changes. 

PMID- 26104216
TI  - Predictors of blood pressure response: Obesity is associated with a less
      pronounced treatment response after renal denervation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of BP response.
      BACKGROUND: Catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) causes significant blood
      pressure (BP) reductions in a large number of patients with resistant
      hypertension. METHODS: One hundred one consecutive patients with resistant
      hypertension who underwent RDN with the SymplicityTM catheter were included in
      this retrospective study. Primary endpoint was the change in office systolic BP
      after 6 months. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed
      to detect baseline predictors of a significant BP response 6 months after RDN
      (age, gender, office and ambulatory BP, renal function, body mass index [BMI],
      diabetes mellitus, antihypertensive medication, number of ablations). RESULTS:
      The procedure was technically uneventful in all patients. Mean BP at baseline was
      166.6/90.2 +/- 22.5/16.4 mmHg and decreased by -14.7 (P < 0.0001)/-5.3 (P <
      0.001) +/- 22.8/14.1 mm Hg at 6-month follow-up. Similarly, paired analysis of 24
      hr-ambulatory BP measurement (n = 71) showed a significant reduction of mean
      systolic BP by 6.8 +/- 14.4 mm Hg (P < 0.0002). Upon univariate analyses, a
      higher baseline office systolic BP (P < 0.0001) and lower BMI (P = 0.014) were
      identified as significant predictors of the magnitude of BP response after 6
      months. Importantly, on multivariate analysis, baseline office systolic BP
      (standardized beta = -0.46; r = -0.47; P < 0.0001) and BMI (standardized beta =
      0.21; r = 0.95; P = 0.019) remained significant. CONCLUSION: Blood pressure
      reductions after RDN were more pronounced in patients with higher baseline blood
      pressure and lower BMI. These findings may have implications regarding patient
      selection for renal denervation. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26104217
TI  - A near-infrared multifunctional fluorescent probe with an inherent tumor
      targeting property for bioimaging.
AB  - A mitochondria-targeting probe, by conjugating a quaternary ammonium cation with
      glucosamine modified pH-activated cyanine, was designed and synthesized. This
      probe has excellent selectivity and sensitivity toward pH, stability, cellular
      membrane permeability and low cytotoxicity. Owing to the acidic feature of tumors
      and the more negative mitochondrial membrane potential of tumor cells than that
      of normal cells, this probe can selectively accumulate in tumor cells and light
      up its fluorescence. It has been successfully applied for in vivo tumor imaging
      with a high signal-to-noise ratio. Moreover, this multifunctional switchable
      sensor was also employed for the fluorescent imaging of the fluctuation of
      intracellular pH in HeLa cells. 

PMID- 26104215
TI  - Novel VPS13B Mutations in Three Large Pakistani Cohen Syndrome Families Suggests
      a Baloch Variant with Autistic-Like Features.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cohen Syndrome (COH1) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder,
      principally identified by ocular, neural and muscular deficits. We identified
      three large consanguineous Pakistani families with intellectual disability and in
      some cases with autistic traits. METHODS: Clinical assessments were performed in
      order to allow comparison of clinical features with other VPS13B mutations.
      Homozygosity mapping followed by whole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing
      strategies were used to identify disease-related mutations. RESULTS: We
      identified two novel homozygous deletion mutations in VPS13B, firstly a 1 bp
      deletion, NM_017890.4:c.6879delT; p.Phe2293Leufs*24, and secondly a deletion of
      exons 37-40, which co-segregate with affected status. In addition to COH1-related
      traits, autistic features were reported in a number of family members,
      contrasting with the "friendly" demeanour often associated with COH1. The
      c.6879delT mutation is present in two families from different regions of the
      country, but both from the Baloch sub-ethnic group, and with a shared haplotype,
      indicating a founder effect among the Baloch population. CONCLUSION: We suspect
      that the c.6879delT mutation may be a common cause of COH1 and similar phenotypes
      among the Baloch population. Additionally, most of the individuals with the
      c.6879delT mutation in these two families also present with autistic like traits,
      and suggests that this variant may lead to a distinct autistic-like COH1
      subgroup.

PMID- 26104218
TI  - Species sensitivity analysis of heavy metals to freshwater organisms.
AB  - Acute toxicity data of six heavy metals [Cu, Hg, Cd, Cr(VI), Pb, Zn] to aquatic
      organisms were collected and screened. Species sensitivity distributions (SSD)
      curves of vertebrate and invertebrate were constructed by log-logistic model
      separately. The comprehensive comparisons of the sensitivities of different
      trophic species to six typical heavy metals were performed. The results indicated
      invertebrate taxa to each heavy metal exhibited higher sensitivity than
      vertebrates. However, with respect to the same taxa species, Cu had the most
      adverse effect on vertebrate, followed by Hg, Cd, Zn and Cr. When datasets from
      all species were included, Cu and Hg were still more toxic than the others. In
      particular, the toxicities of Pb to vertebrate and fish were complicated as the
      SSD curves of Pb intersected with those of other heavy metals, while the SSD
      curves of Pb constructed by total species no longer crossed with others. The
      hazardous concentrations for 5 % of the species (HC5) affected were derived to
      determine the concentration protecting 95 % of species. The HC5 values of the six
      heavy metals were in the descending order: Zn > Pb > Cr > Cd > Hg > Cu,
      indicating toxicities in opposite order. Moreover, potential affected fractions
      were calculated to assess the ecological risks of different heavy metals at
      certain concentrations of the selected heavy metals. Evaluations of sensitivities
      of the species at various trophic levels and toxicity analysis of heavy metals
      are necessary prior to derivation of water quality criteria and the further
      environmental protection.

PMID- 26104219
TI  - Association between new indices in the locomotive syndrome risk test and decline
      in mobility: third survey of the ROAD study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to clarify the association between new indices in a
      locomotive syndrome risk test and decline in mobility. METHODS: In the third
      survey of the Research on Osteoarthritis/osteoporosis Against Disability (ROAD)
      study, data on the indices were obtained from 1575 subjects (513 men, 1062 women)
      of the 1721 participants in mountainous and coastal areas. As outcome measures
      for decline in mobility, we used the five-times-sit-to-stand test (FTSST) and
      walking speed with cutoff values of 12 s and 0.8 m/s, respectively. RESULTS: We
      first estimated the prevalence of the indices in locomotive syndrome risk test
      stage 1, including two-step test score <1.3, difficulty with one-leg standing
      from a 40-cm-high seat in the stand-up test, and 25-question GLFS score >=7,
      which were found to be 57.4, 40.6, and 22.6 %, respectively. Next, we
      investigated the prevalence of the indices in locomotive syndrome risk test stage
      2, including two-step test score <1.1, difficulty with standing from a 20-cm-high
      seat using both legs in the stand-up test, and 25-question GLFS score >=16, which
      were found to be 21.1, 7.9, and 10.6 %, respectively. Logistic regression
      analysis using slow FTSST time or slow walking speed as the objective factor, and
      presence or absence of indices as the independent factor, after adjusting for
      confounders, showed all three indices in both stages 1 and 2 were significantly
      and independently associated with immobility. Finally, we clarified the risk of
      immobility according to an increasing number of indices in both stages 1 and 2
      and found that the odds ratio for both slow FTSST time and slow walking speed
      increased exponentially. CONCLUSION: We found that the three indices
      independently predicted immobility and that accumulation of indices increased the
      risk of immobility exponentially.

PMID- 26104221
TI  - Asthma exacerbations and lung function in patients with severe or difficult-to
      treat asthma.

PMID- 26104220
TI  - Development of a support tool for the clinical diagnosis of symptomatic lumbar
      intra- and/or extra-foraminal stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Not all lumbar intra- and/or extra-foraminal stenosis (LIEFS) on MRI
      is symptomatic. Therefore, the establishment of clinical diagnostic tools that
      can identify patients with symptomatic LIEFS is crucial in the clinical setting.
      The aim of this study was to develop a support tool for clinical diagnosis of
      LIEFS. METHODS: Patients with L5 radiculopathy alone were prospectively enrolled.
      Fifty-one patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis only at the L4-5 level and
      49 patients with LIEFS only at the L5-S1 level were extracted from this cohort.
      We compared the two groups with regard to 12 variables--three subjective and
      three objective items from the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score;
      Kemp's sign; results of the lumbar flexion test, Bonnet test, and Freiberg test;
      pain on sitting; and pain when recumbent--to determine which factors were
      associated with a high index of clinical suspicion of LIEFS. RESULTS: The
      significant predictors of a final diagnosis of LIEFS were identified as follows:
      pain when recumbent, Freiberg and Bonnet test results, and pain on sitting. To
      develop a diagnostic tool, a scoring system (0-20 points) was formulated on the
      basis of the contribution ratios of these risk factors. To determine the
      contribution ratio, an integer score was assigned to the identified risk factors
      as follows: pain when recumbent = 9 points, Freiberg = 5 points, Bonnet = 3
      points, and pain on sitting = 3 points. The Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic for this
      scoring system was p = 0.063, and confirmed that it was a good model. Receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated a cut-off value of 5
      points, an area under the ROC curve of 0.87435, sensitivity of 75.5 %, and
      specificity of 82.3 %. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that the use of this tool in the
      clinical setting will improve the accuracy of diagnosing symptomatic LIEFS, which
      will lead to improved quality of patient care.

PMID- 26104222
TI  - The Painful Legacy of Childhood Violence: Migraine Headaches Among Adult
      Survivors of Adverse Childhood Experiences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Childhood adversities have been associated with adult migraine in the
      general population. However, most research has focused on only a few types of
      maltreatment and has not always controlled for factors correlated with early
      adversities and migraine. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate
      the relationship between early adversities and migraine, while controlling for a
      range of potential explanatory factors. METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2012
      Canadian Community Health Survey - Mental Health. Using a representative sample
      of 10,358 men and 12,638 women, we undertook gender-specific logistic regression
      analyses to determine the association between number and type of self-reported
      childhood adversities (physical abuse, sexual abuse, and witnessing parental
      domestic violence) and migraine, while controlling for sociodemographics,
      comorbid adversities, health behaviors, depression, and anxiety. RESULTS: In
      total, 6.5% of men and 14.2% of women reported migraines. All three adversities
      were significantly associated with migraine for both genders, even after
      controlling for a range of variables. The fully adjusted odds of migraine
      associated with physical abuse, parental domestic violence, and sexual abuse were
      1.61 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.42-1.83), 1.64 (95% CI = 1.39-1.93), and
      1.32 (95% CI = 1.11-1.57), respectively, for women, and 1.50 (95% CI = 1.25
      1.80), 1.52 (95% CI = 1.16-1.98), and 1.70 (95% CI = 1.22-2.36) for men. Greater
      number of adversities was also associated with increasing odds of migraine. Men
      reporting all three adversities had over three times (odds ratio = 3.26; 95% CI =
      2.09-5.07) and women over two times (OR = 2.85; 95% CI = 2.25-3.60) the odds of
      migraine compared with those without childhood adversities. CONCLUSIONS: Number
      and type of early adversities are associated with migraine among Canadian men and
      women.

PMID- 26104223
TI  - Effectiveness of Three Types of Interventions in Patients with Fibromyalgia in a
      Region of Southern Catalonia.
AB  - Several pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments can be used to
      alleviate the symptoms of fibromyalgia, although none of them are completely
      effective at present. In this study, we analyzed the effectiveness of different
      therapies in three groups of people diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The sample for
      this randomized controlled trial was made up of 66 people diagnosed with
      fibromyalgia in southern Catalonia. In turn, this sample was divided into three
      groups of 22 participants each, who were treated with: i) cervical infiltration
      with botulinum toxin, ii) group problem-solving therapy, or iii) both therapies.
      The variables recorded were quality of life, suicidal thoughts, perception of
      pain, quality of sleep, and satisfaction. Female patients composed 96.9% (n = 64)
      of the study sample. Satisfaction with the infiltration was 5.1 +/- 2.7 points,
      while in group problem-solving therapy it was 6.6 +/- 3.2. Self-perceived health
      in the infiltration group (p = .016) and the therapy group (p = .001) improved
      after the intervention took place. The risk of suicide decreased in the both
      treatments/groups (p = .049). Pain was reduced by 31.8% with infiltration, 13.6%
      with therapy, and 22.7% with both treatments. Anxiety/depression decreased by 45%
      with therapy, 36.3% with infiltration, and 36.3% with both treatments. The
      results also showed that the use of both treatments significantly reduces
      suicidal thoughts (p = .049). In conclusion, this study showed the complexity of
      reducing chronic pain and increasing the quality of life of people with
      fibromyalgia. 

PMID- 26104224
TI  - IgG4-related disease in the sinonasal cavity accompanied by intranasal structure
      loss.
AB  - IgG4-related disease was recently proposed under the classification of systemic
      chronic inflammatory disease. In the field of otolaryngology, organ-specific
      diagnostic criteria have been established for the occurrence of this condition in
      the salivary glands, but not in the sinonasal cavity. Here we report a case
      involving a 70-year-old man with IgG4-related disease in the sinonasal cavity.
      The patient, with the chief complaint of nasal bleeding, first visited a
      physician. However, the patient experienced recurrent bleeding with intranasal
      structure loss and was subsequently referred to our hospital. His IgG4 level was
      elevated, and histopathological examination of a tissue sample obtained from the
      edematous sphenoid sinus showed increased IgG4-positive plasma cells and
      storiform fibrosclerosis. A definitive diagnosis of IgG4-related rhinosinusitis
      was made on the basis of comprehensive criteria for IgG4-related disease. The
      disease showed a progressively destructive course that was clearly different from
      that of chronic sinusitis and represented a very rare case of IgG4-related
      rhinosinusitis. IgG4-related disease originating in the sinonasal cavity is rare,
      and, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first primary case of IgG4-related
      disease that originated in one side of the sinonasal cavity and showed
      progressive destruction. 

PMID- 26104226
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26104225
TI  - Hypertrophic olivary degeneration resulting from posterior fossa masses and their
      treatments.
AB  - PURPOSE: Characterize hypertrophic olivary degeneration (HOD) that develops from
      posterior fossa masses and their treatments. METHODS: Retrospectively reviewed MR
      images and clinical data of 10 patients with posterior fossa masses and HOD.
      RESULTS: Eight patients had cerebellar lesions, and two patients had pontine
      lesions. Lesions consisted of tumors, demyelination, and nonspecific necrosis.
      MRI showed T2 hyperintense signal in the inferior olive a median 86 days after
      the diagnosis of a posterior fossa lesion. HOD presented prior to surgery (n=2),
      after surgery (n=3), after surgery/radiation therapy (n=4), or without treatment
      (n=1). CONCLUSIONS: HOD may develop from posterior fossa masses and surgical
      and/or radiation therapy.

PMID- 26104227
TI  - Pre-eclampsia: Definitions, paternal contributions and a four stage model.
AB  - It is 40 years since I started researching pre-eclampsia. Much has changed but
      some old problems persist. These include the debate of how to define a syndrome,
      the inheritance and genetics of pre-eclampsia, why primiparae are so susceptible
      and is primipaternity important? If it is, in a multiparous pregnancy (after
      changing partners), the old hypothesis that pre-eclampsia is the outcome of
      failed maternal immunoregulation to accommodate nature's transplant - the fetus -
      must be confronted. These points are briefly reviewed and a four stage model of
      pre-eclampsia derived. 

PMID- 26104228
TI  - Biomarkers of oxidative stress in pre-eclampsia.
AB  - Pre-eclampsia is associated with oxidative stress, confirmed by measurement of
      biomarkers and relevant antioxidant enzymes in the placenta and maternal
      circulation. Studies in vitro have described the pathways by which placental
      ischaemia can lead to oxidative stress as well as endoplasmic reticulum stress,
      which is coupled to synthesis of reactive oxygen species. However, clinical
      trials of antioxidants vitamins C and E, with an associated increase of plasma
      vitamins C and E concentrations have shown no benefit in prevention of the
      disorder, which may infer lack of a mechanistic role. Before oxidative stress is
      dismissed as an irrelevant accompaniment to pre-eclampsia further studies of
      proven biomarkers of oxidative stress are required to determine whether vitamins
      C and E supplementation leads to evidence of reversal of oxidative processes and
      tissue damage. If not, alternative antioxidant strategies may be worthy of
      consideration. 

PMID- 26104229
TI  - Circulating predictive biomarkers in preeclampsia.
AB  - The aim of the paper was to review promising prediction biomarkers for
      preeclampsia. The methods included review of abstracts on PubMed, using
      "preeclampsia", "biomarker", "prediction" as key words, followed by review of
      primary papers investigating blood based biomarkers. Angiogenic factors, such as
      PlGf and sFlt1, and PP13 seem presently to have the best predictive test values
      for preeclampsia, but sensitivity and specificity is still too low to prove
      useful in a population screening setting. Biomarker testing should still be part
      of research protocols. Biomarkers could provide useful in selecting high-risk
      women for prophylactic trials as well as identifying pregnancies that could
      profit from closer follow-up. 

PMID- 26104230
TI  - Inflammation and preeclampsia.
AB  - No individual can claim credit for all the advances made during his lifetime.
      However, certain individuals have a far greater influence than others. Prof.
      Christopher Redman has had a huge role to play in increasing the understanding of
      the aetiology, pathology, progression and management of preeclampsia. The work he
      did personally, led in others and stimulated in colleagues, both friend and foe,
      has helped to progress preeclampsia from a disease that came from nowhere to one
      that is more understood and safely managed. In this paper, it is the work in
      immunology that will be concentrated on in a chronological way but this will be
      linked to other relevant research and clinical practice. The understanding that
      preeclampsia is a two-stage disease starting in the placenta and progressing
      systemically has led to greater understanding as well as more questions. The
      universal role of immunology first as an acceptor within the placental bed then
      as a disease driver in the systemic circulation emphasises the good and the bad
      in physiological systems. Prof. Redman has been present in all these areas of
      discovery and enlightenment as will be described. 

PMID- 26104231
TI  - Endothelial progenitor cells: Their potential role in pregnancy and preeclampsia.
AB  - The normal maternal cardiovascular adaptation to pregnancy involves a complex
      physiologic response to the growing conceptus, including alterations in maternal
      vascular endothelial cells that contribute to a profound fall in total systemic
      vascular resistance. There is a large body of evidence that adverse changes in
      the vascular endothelium underlie the multisystemic maternal manifestations of
      the hypertensive pregnancy disorder preeclampsia. Our knowledge is incomplete
      regarding the mechanisms of adaptive endothelial changes of normal pregnancy, and
      why these changes are attenuated or fail in women who develop preeclampsia.
      Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are a heterogeneous population of cells that
      exist in both the fetus and adult. These cells can be mobilized into the
      circulation by growth factors and can then support the health of the vascular
      endothelium by several mechanisms. This review highlights some of the current
      understanding of EPCs, their potential role in pregnancy, and emerging evidence
      for EPC dysfunction in preeclampsia. We speculate that interference with nitric
      oxide (NO)-driven mobilization or activity of EPCs in the maternal circulation
      partially contributes to the widespread endothelial dysfunction underlying the
      clinical manifestations of preeclampsia. Potential roles of EPCs in the placenta
      and fetus are also considered. 

PMID- 26104232
TI  - The functions of microparticles in preeclampsia.
AB  - Circulating blood cells, trophoblast cells and endothelial cells release
      microparticles (MP) into the maternal blood by membrane shedding. This process
      occurs upon activation or apoptosis of these cells. Evidence is accumulating that
      MP play a role in the development of thrombotic diseases. In recent years, the
      importance of changes in circulating MP numbers and in composition in
      preeclampsia has been recognized and research is now directed to discover the
      functional consequences of these changes. In this review we will discuss the
      structure and function of MP, with special emphasis on the changes in MP numbers,
      composition and function in pregnancy and preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26104233
TI  - Endovascular trophoblast and preeclampsia: A reassessment.
AB  - Since the earliest report on impaired spiral artery remodelling in preeclamptic
      human pregnancies, numerous studies have been devoted to possible mechanisms of
      impaired trophoblast invasion. A better knowledge of early uteroplacental blood
      flow has provided a physiological context for the processes of spiral artery
      invasion and associated remodelling, revealing a closely timed relationship
      between increasing flow and early steps in vascular remodelling. Concerning the
      impaired trophoblast invasion in preeclampsia, it has also to be considered that
      impaired invasion not only concerns invasion depth per se, but also the extension
      of this deep invasion from the central towards the more lateral spiral arteries
      of the placental bed. Since also in preeclampsia the very central spiral arteries
      may be normally invaded, the existence of such spatial gradient provides a
      further dimension to the problem. A practical consequence is that frequently used
      rodent models, which show invasion of two or three spiral arteries only, may be
      less useful for studying this particular aspect of the disease. Amongst non-human
      primates, baboons and rhesus monkeys are 'shallow invaders', and only in some of
      the great apes deep trophoblast invasion and associated spiral artery remodelling
      occurs. A better knowledge of the evolutionary history of deep invasion and its
      possible selective benefit might ultimately improve our understanding of failed
      deep invasion and impaired spiral artery remodelling in preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26104234
TI  - Trophoblast differentiation, fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia.
AB  - The number of hypotheses trying to decipher the etiologies of preeclampsia and
      fetal growth restriction (FGR) is still increasing. However, for preeclampsia the
      actual knowledge we have is that the placenta is a prerequisite for the
      development of the syndrome. The recent years have seen a shift in understanding
      of the causes of preeclampsia from mostly focusing on the extravillous
      trophoblast towards the dysregulation of villous trophoblast development and
      maintenance. It seems as if a failure of the villous syncytiotrophoblast
      differentiation results in abnormal release of non-apoptotic fragments into
      maternal blood. In preeclampsia such necrotic or aponecrotic fragments can be
      found in maternal blood systemically and seem to be causative in the development
      of the inflammatory response of the mother. In cases with fetal growth
      restriction (FGR) extravillous trophoblast fails to adequately transform uterine
      spiral arteries. However, in FGR cases abnormal development of villous
      cytotrophoblast may have an impact on fetal nutrition without the induction of an
      inflammatory response of the mother. It is still unclear why the villous
      trophoblast fails to achieve an adequate turnover both in preeclampsia and in
      FGR. However, the detection of new biomarkers for preeclampsia such as placental
      protein 13 (PP13) has helped in clarifying the issue of when the syndrome starts
      to develop. PP13 levels in maternal serum are significantly altered already at
      six to seven weeks of gestation in women subsequently developing preeclampsia.
      Thus, there needs to be a very early alteration of villous development in such
      placentas. Herein the changes in villous trophoblast in preeclampsia and FGR are
      compared and differences between both scenarios are presented. 

PMID- 26104235
TI  - Placental oxidative stress, selenium and preeclampsia.
AB  - There is considerable evidence that placental oxidative stress plays a
      significant role in the etiology of preeclampsia. Prophylactic use of exogenous
      anti-oxidants such as vitamins E and C have proven to be ineffective and
      potentially dangerous. The current study addresses the role of endogenous anti
      oxidant systems in preeclampsia. In particular, data on the selenodependent
      enzymes glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase will be presented and
      the role of selenium in preeclampsia will be considered. The aim of these studies
      was to determine the levels of endogenous antioxidants, selenium, and biological
      oxidation in normal and preeclamptic placental tissues. Furthermore, animal
      studies were conducted to assess the impact of selenium depletion on anti-oxidant
      expression and activity, oxidative stress and symptoms of preeclampsia. Selenium
      depletion generated placental oxidative stress and produced a preeclamptic like
      syndrome in pregnant rats suggesting a link between placental oxidative stress,
      endogenous antioxidant disequilibria and the pathogenesis of preeclampsia that
      may be linked to insufficient dietary selenium. The selenium of status of
      preeclamptic mothers was also considered and lower levels of selenium were
      observed when compared to normal controls. Selenium supplementation improves
      endogenous anti-oxidant expression in trophoblast cells and might provide an
      effective method of protecting the placenta from oxidative stress during
      preeclampsia. Clinical studies are now underway to investigate the benefits of
      low dose selenium supplementation on the development and progression of
      preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26104236
TI  - Studies using routine data versus specific data collection: What can we learn
      about the epidemiology of eclampsia and the impact of changes in management of
      gestational hypertensive disorders?
AB  - Evidence-based changes in practice, services and policy may impact on the
      spectrum of pregnancy hypertensive disorders at many levels. Demonstration of
      clinical benefit relies on assessment of changes in disease incidence or
      complications. Two main alternative observational methodologies may be used to
      investigate changes in disease incidence; the first using routinely collected
      data and the second with specially designed prospective data collection.
      Routinely collected data have been shown to have limitations; the introduction of
      specific prospective data collection systems, such as the UK Obstetric
      Surveillance System, allow for an increased robustness and range of disease
      incidence and outcome studies, and thus enhance our ability to investigate the
      impact of changes in practice. The comparison of recent national studies using
      these systems shows that the incidence of eclampsia has declined in the UK, but
      that the incidence of eclampsia is higher in the Netherlands and Scandinavia. The
      decrease in the UK is clearly due to a fall in the number of women with diagnosed
      pre-eclampsia who go on to have an eclamptic fit; figures from the Netherlands
      and Scandinavia suggest that eclamptic fits in the group with prior diagnosed pre
      eclampsia are less effectively prevented and this may be the reason for the
      observed higher incidence of eclampsia. This information may help to further
      inform management and preventive strategies, and illustrates the additional
      benefits of international comparisons of severe maternal morbidities. 

PMID- 26104237
TI  - Action on Pre-eclampsia: Crisis and recovery.
AB  - This is a review of the antenatal guidelines developed under the auspices of the
      charity Action on Preeclampsia since 2001. They are evidence-based and cover the
      screening and diagnosis of preeclampsia. They include a risk assessment early in
      pregnancy, referral for specialist input, a two tier schedule of assessment based
      on risk, signs and symptoms, referral for step-up care and confirmation of
      diagnosis, including blood tests. They describe methods for improving reliability
      of proteinuria testing, and reducing errors in the measurement of blood pressure.
      Management flowcharts are provided. 

PMID- 26104238
TI  - Purification of vandaterosides from Vanda teres (Orchidaceae) by stepwise
      gradient centrifugal partition chromatography.
AB  - Vandaterosides are polar glucosyloxybenzyl eucomate derivatives found in Vanda
      teres (Orchidaceae), which display biological activities that slow the skin
      ageing process. In order to obtain larger quantities to allow us to go further in
      the bioassays, the hydroalcoholic extract of aerial parts (leaves and stems) of
      V. teres were fractionated by centrifugal partition chromatography, combining
      isocratic, gradient, and dual elution modes. The first fractionation was
      performed on the extract maintained in the stationary phase as water saturated in
      butanol, while increasing the polarity of the mobile phase by changing the
      proportions of ethyl acetate/1-butanol/water, in order to obtain two enriched
      fractions. Vandateroside I was then purified by isocratic mode with ethyl
      acetate/ethanol/water (46:14:40), while vandateroside II was obtained by
      combining isocratic elution with ethyl acetate/isopropanol/water (30:20:50)
      followed by a multiple dual mode with ethyl acetate/ethanol/water (46:14:40). In
      this manner, hundreds of milligrams of vandateroside I and II were recovered from
      10 g of V. teres extract. 

PMID- 26104239
TI  - Relationship between postoperative bulla neogenesis at the staple line and the
      resected lung volume in primary spontaneous pneumothorax.
AB  - PURPOSE: In patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP), bullae are
      generally resected using autosutures under video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery
      (VATS). However, postoperative bulla neogenesis (POBN) along the staple line is
      not rare and is a factor promoting PSP recurrence. POBN is attributed to tension
      along the staple line, and we surmise that the resected lung volume affects this
      tension. Therefore, in this study, we retrospectively examined the relationship
      between POBN and the resected lung volume in patients who underwent surgical
      treatment of PSP. METHODS: Between February 2011 and May 2015, 70 lung resection
      sites in 56 PSP patients who underwent primary VATS at our hospital were
      evaluated. POBN was diagnosed on high-resolution computed tomography 1 year
      postoperatively in principle. RESULTS: POBN was detected at 26 of 70 (37.1 %)
      sites. On univariate analysis, lung weight >=1.5 g, lung length >=4.0 cm,
      resected site: apical, age <25 years old and non-smoking habit were identified as
      significant, and the POBN rates for cases with lung weight >=1.5 g or lung length
      >=4.0 cm were 47.9 % (P = 0.004) and 44.1 % (P < 0.001), respectively. On
      multivariate analysis, lung weight >=1.5 g was only significant factor for POBN
      (P = 0.043). CONCLUSION: A resected lung weight >=1.5 g was only significant risk
      factor of POBN in patients with PSP.

PMID- 26104240
TI  - Moral Philosophy, Moral Expertise, and the Argument from Disagreement.
AB  - Several recent articles have weighed in on the question of whether moral
      philosophers can be counted as moral experts. One argument denying this has been
      rejected by both sides of the debate. According to this argument, the extent of
      disagreement in modern moral philosophy prevents moral philosophers from being
      classified as moral experts. Call this the Argument From Disagreement (AD). In
      this article, I defend a version of AD. Insofar as practical issues in moral
      philosophy are characterized by disagreement between moral philosophers who are
      more or less equally well credentialed on the issue, non-philosophers have no
      good reasons to defer to their views. 

PMID- 26104241
TI  - Structure-function correlations in tyrosinases.
AB  - Tyrosinases are metalloenzymes belonging to the type-3 copper protein family
      which contain two copper ions in the active site. They are found in various
      prokaryotes as well as in plants, fungi, arthropods, and mammals and are
      responsible for pigmentation, wound healing, radiation protection, and primary
      immune response. Tyrosinases perform two sequential enzymatic reactions:
      hydroxylation of monophenols and oxidation of diphenols to form quinones which
      polymerize spontaneously to melanin. Two other members of this family are
      catechol oxidases, which are prevalent mainly in plants and perform only the
      second oxidation step, and hemocyanins, which lack enzymatic activity and are
      oxygen carriers. In the last decade, several structures of plant and bacterial
      tyrosinases were determined, some with substrates or inhibitors, highlighting
      features and residues which are important for copper uptake and catalysis. This
      review summarizes the updated information on structure-function correlations in
      tyrosinases along with comparison to other type-3 copper proteins. 

PMID- 26104242
TI  - Bilateral Cavernous Carotid Aneurysms: The Growth Potential of a Contralateral
      Aneurysm after Therapeutic Unilateral Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the introduction of flow-diverter stents has been recognized
      as a major revolution in the treatment of cavernous carotid aneurysms (CCAs),
      therapeutic internal carotid artery occlusion (TICAO) remains a reliable
      procedure for alleviating symptoms caused by CCAs. However, TICAO has the
      potential risk of the enlargement of coexisting aneurysms that are frequently
      detected in CCA patients. The purpose of this study is to assess the occurrence
      of the enlargement of aneurysms coexisting with CCAs after TICAO. METHODS: We
      reviewed medical charts of CCA patients who were managed using unilateral TICAO.
      Coexisting aneurysms were identified using angiograms obtained before TICAO, and
      imaging data in long follow-up periods were retrospectively examined to determine
      the extent of the enlargement after TICAO. RESULTS: Of 12 patients with CCAs, 10
      had 12 coexisting aneurysms; 5 of the coexisting aneurysms (41.7%) showed
      enlargement during a mean follow-up period of 8.1 years, and all enlarged
      aneurysms were smaller of the bilateral CCAs; the larger CCA had been managed by
      TICAO. Five of 6 (83.3%) patients with bilateral CCAs showed enlargement of the
      contralateral aneurysm after TICAO. Two contralateral CCAs showed marked
      enlargement after TICAO and were subsequently treated with stent-assisted coil
      embolization. CONCLUSIONS: Contralateral, smaller aneurysms frequently enlarge
      after unilateral TICAO in patients with bilateral CCAs. The findings emphasize
      the importance of long-term observation after TICAO and appropriate interventions
      against enlarging contralateral aneurysms.

PMID- 26104244
TI  - A Eulogy and Tribute to Andrea Luigi Tranquilli.

PMID- 26104243
TI  - Adherence to Mediterranean diet and 10-year incidence (2002-2012) of diabetes:
      correlations with inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in the ATTICA
      cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this work was to investigate the links between
      oxidative stress, inflammation and coagulation and their effect on Mediterranean
      diet-diabetes relationship. METHODS: In 2001-2002, a random sample of 1514 men
      (18-87 years old) and 1528 women (18-89 years old) was selected to participate in
      the ATTICA study, where Athens is the major metropolis. A validated questionnaire
      was used to assess lifestyle and dietary factors. Adherence to Mediterranean diet
      was recorded using MedDietScore. Among others, oxidative stress and inflammatory
      biomarkers were recorded. During 2011-2012, the 10-year follow-up was performed.
      Diabetes incidence was defined according to the American Diabetes Association
      criteria. RESULTS: A total of 191 incident cases of diabetes were documented,
      yielding an incidence of 12.9% (13.4% in men and 12.4% in women). Medium and high
      adherence was found to decrease diabetes risk by 49% (95% CI: 0.30, 0.88) and 62%
      (95% CI: 0.16, 0.88), respectively, compared with low adherence. A logarithmic
      trend between Mediterranean diet and diabetes incidence was also revealed (p for
      trend = 0.042). Individuals with abnormal waist circumference (>94 for men, >80
      for women) were benefited the most. Wholegrain cereals, fruits and legumes had
      the greatest predictive ability. The anti-diabetic effect of Mediterranean diet
      correlated with measurements of tumour necrosis factor-alpha, homocysteine and
      total antioxidant capacity. CONCLUSIONS: The reported results support the role of
      Mediterranean diet as a promising dietary tool for the primary prevention of
      diabetes, by attenuating inflammation and fostering total antioxidant capacity.
      This dietary pattern may have therapeutic potential for many cardiometabolic
      disorders associated with inflammation and/or oxidative stress.

PMID- 26104245
TI  - The relationship between Activin A and anti-angiogenic factors in the development
      of pre-eclampsia.
AB  - Anti-angiogenic factors such as sFlt/sEng contribute to the pathology seen in
      preeclampsia. Activin A, which is released by the placenta following exposure to
      oxidative stress and elevated in preeclampsia, may interact with sFlt/sEng during
      the disease process. Using placental explant cultures, we determined that
      transcription of sFLT1, ENG and INHBA was upregulated following exposure to
      oxidative stress or IL-6. Explants treated with Activin A did not increase
      transcription of sFLT1, ENG. Conversely, treatment of placental explants with
      sFlt/sEng did not increase transcription of INHBA. These data may suggest that
      Activin A and sFlt/sEng contribute to preeclampsia via separate pathways. 

PMID- 26104246
TI  - Trophoblast calcyclin is elevated in placental tissue from patients with early
      pre-eclampsia.
AB  - The aetiology of pre-eclampsia is thought to originate from aberrant spiral
      artery remodelling and invasion evoking cellular oxidative stress. Previously, we
      discovered differentially expressed proteins in trophoblast cells of pre
      eclamptic pregnancies. One of these proteins is calcyclin (S100A6); a Ca(2+)
      binding protein associated with cellular stress response. By immunohistochemistry
      on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded placental tissue, calcyclin expression was
      compared between women with early pre-eclampsia (n=72) and non-hypertensive
      control patients (n=66) (chi(2), p=0.006) blindly by two observers. Significantly
      more intense staining was seen in trophoblast cells of pre-eclamptic pregnancies
      compared to control placentas suggesting that trophoblast calcyclin is elevated
      in early pregnancy. 

PMID- 26104247
TI  - Reduced circulating miR-196b levels is associated with preeclampsia.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRs) are small noncoding RNAs, highly stable in plasma, that regulate
      gene expression by base-pairing to the 3'-untranslated region of target mRNAs. We
      compared the expression of 3 circulating miRs (miR-125b, miR-146a, and miR-196b),
      which is related to the control of cell proliferation, differentiation, and
      apoptosis in preeclamptic (n=19) and healthy pregnant women (n=14). We found that
      women with preeclampsia (PE) presented lower expression of miR-196b (-2.9-fold
      change). The other miRs were at similar levels. This study is the first to
      demonstrate this difference, and highlights new opportunities for investigation
      into the role of miRs in PE. 

PMID- 26104248
TI  - Haplotype analysis of TGF-beta1 gene in a preeclamptic population of northern
      Mexico.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequencies of -800G/A (rs1800468), -509C/T
      (rs1800469) and 869T/C (rs1800470) polymorphisms and their haplotypes in the TGF
      beta1 gene and their association with preeclampsia in a population of northern
      Mexico. DESIGN AND METHODS: This case-control study involved 175 preeclamptic and
      253 normoevolutive pregnant women. The polymorphisms were genotyped by real time
      PCR. RESULTS: The allele and genotype frequencies of polymorphisms showed no
      significant differences between cases and controls; the -800AA genotype had a
      very low frequency in cases (1%) and controls (0.4%). The TT genotype of the
      869T/C polymorphism is a protective factor of severe preeclampsia (OR 0.56, 95%
      CI 0.32-0.98). The -509C/T and 869T/C polymorphisms were in linkage
      disequilibrium (D'=.537, p=.009). The most common haplotypes in case and control
      groups were -800G/-509C/869C, 34.95% and 37.24%, respectively. We found no
      increased risk of preeclampsia by haplotype. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest
      that -800G/A, -509C/T and 869T/C polymorphisms of TGF-beta1 gene or their
      haplotypes are not associated with preeclampsia and that only the TT genotype of
      869T/C polymorphism is a protective factor of severe preeclampsia in a population
      of northern Mexico.

PMID- 26104249
TI  - Hydralazine vs labetalol for the treatment of severe hypertensive disorders of
      pregnancy. A randomized, controlled trial.
AB  - Hydralazine and labetalol for intravenous use are equally effective in the
      management of hypertensive crisis in pregnant patients (24weeks or more) with
      severe hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, showing a similar frequency of
      adverse effects in both groups. 

PMID- 26104250
TI  - Association of NT-proBNP with plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone
      concentration in women with singleton pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of the N-terminal fragment of precursor
      protein brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels with plasma renin
      activity (PRA) and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) in singleton
      pregnancies. DESIGN: Serum NT-proBNP levels, PRA and PAC were determined in 215
      blood specimens from 139 women with singleton pregnancies, including 34 and 105
      women who did and did not develop hypertensive disorders in pregnancy,
      respectively. Twenty-five blood specimens were obtained from 25 women who later
      developed hypertension (systolic BP?140mmHg and/or diastolic BP?90mmHg), but were
      normotensive at the time of blood sampling. RESULTS: The serum NT-proBNP levels
      [pg/ml, median (range), 32 (5-142)] did not change in normotensive women, but
      increased significantly to 97 (23-436) after the development of hypertension
      (D/H). The PRA [ng/ml/h, median (range), 7.1 (1-20)] did not change in
      normotensive women, but decreased significantly to 1.9 (1-16) after D/H. PAC
      (pg/ml) increased significantly from 397 (94-1750) to 667 (123-2010) between the
      2nd and 3rd trimesters in normotensive women. However, as PAC of hypertensive
      women did not change significantly before and after D/H, PAC [293 (116-1720)]
      after D/H was significantly lower than that [667 (123-2010)] of the 3rd trimester
      in the normotensive women. The serum levels of NT-proBNP were significantly and
      negatively correlated with both PRA and PAC. CONCLUSIONS: The renin-angiotensin
      aldosterone system is suppressed in pregnant women with cardiac conditions
      associated with higher NT-proBNP levels.

PMID- 26104251
TI  - Maternal serum CA-125 level is elevated in severe preeclampsia.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between serum
      concentrations of cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) and pre-eclampsia severity.
      METHODS: We evaluated 91 females with a singleton pregnancy. Serum CA-125 levels
      were measured in subjects with severe pre-eclampsia (n=34) and those with mild
      pre-eclampsia (n=24). Females with healthy pregnancies (n=31) served as the
      control group. The three study groups were statistically similar in terms of
      maternal age, gestational age, and body mass index. RESULTS: The CA-125 level was
      significantly higher in the severe pre-eclampsia group than that in the mild pre
      eclampsia and control groups (p<0.05). No significant difference in CA-125 levels
      between the mild pre-eclampsia and control groups was observed. CA-125 level was
      positively correlated with proteinuria (r=0.489, p=0.000), systolic blood
      pressure (r=0.503, p=0.018), and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.532, p=0.000). In
      contrast, CA-125 was negatively correlated with birth weight (r=0.266, p=0.012)
      and gestational age at birth (r=0.250, p=0.018). CONCLUSIONS: CA-125 level
      increased in severe pre-eclampsia, which reflected abnormal trophoblastic
      invasion and chronic inflammation. Elevated levels of CA-125 in pre-eclamptic
      patients may be a marker of the disease severity.

PMID- 26104252
TI  - The risk of preeclampsia beyond the first pregnancy among women with type 1
      diabetes parity and preeclampsia in type 1 diabetes.
AB  - AIM: To estimate the incidence of preeclampsia (PE) among nulliparous and
      multiparous patients with type 1 diabetes and to study predictors of PE. METHODS:
      We prospectively collected data on all pregnancies of patients with
      pregestational type 1 diabetes, followed at our Prenatal Medicine Unit between
      1993 and 2008. Medical records were prospectively reviewed by two obstetricians
      for maternal demographics, pregnancy data, maternal and fetal outcomes. Data were
      analyzed according to the development of PE and parity. RESULTS: We identified
      and collected data on 291 eligible pregnancies (195 among nulliparae and 96 among
      multiparae). The incidence of PE was 9.2% (95% CI: 5.6-14.2) among nulliparae and
      9.4% (95% CI: 4.4-17.0) among multiparae. Patients who developed PE had higher
      HbA1c during pregnancy compared to patients who did not (p=0.026 among nulliparae
      and p=0.032 among multiparae). Chronic hypertension [OR 17.12 (3.22, 91.00)],
      microalbuminuria at the beginning of the pregnancy [OR 3.77 (1.22, 11.61)],
      weight gain during pregnancy [OR 1.13 (1.04, 1.23)] and HbA1c in the first
      trimester [2.81 (1.12, 7.05)], but not parity, were significant predictors of PE.
      CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with type 1 diabetes the incidence of PE was similar
      among nulliparae and multiparae, unlikely in the general population where PE is a
      disease of the first pregnancy. An increased risk of PE should be assumed for
      both nulliparous and multiparous women with pregestational diabetes.

PMID- 26104253
TI  - Blood pressure in pregnancy and magnesium sensitive genes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: High blood pressure during the last part of pregnancy is a risk
      indicator of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia which augment infant and maternal
      morbidity and mortality. Magnesium deficiency has been related to the risk of
      hypertension. A study was performed to assess the relation between pregnancy
      induced hypertension, excretion of urinary magnesium and expression of magnesium
      sensitive genes (MgSG). METHODS: A cohort of healthy, nulliparous women with
      singleton pregnancies was recruited. Blood pressure was recorded throughout
      pregnancy. Urinary magnesium excretion and expression of MgSGs in leukocytes were
      determined. RESULTS: The expression of the gene TRPM6 was higher among pregnant
      women compared to non-pregnant controls at week 12. All other genes had lower
      expressions in pregnant women. At week 37 the expressions of all genes were lower
      than at week 12. The expressions of SLC41A1, SLC41A3, and TRPM7 were related to
      the systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Furthermore, the expression of TRPM6
      was related to the urinary excretion of magnesium and the change in diastolic
      blood pressure weeks 12-37 was inversely related to the change in magnesium
      excretion. CONCLUSIONS: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the excretion
      of magnesium during pregnancy were related to the expression of different MgSGs.
      The results suggest that magnesium is involved in the regulation of blood
      pressure during pregnancy.

PMID- 26104254
TI  - Effect of age, parity, and race on the incidence of pregnancy associated
      hypertension and eclampsia in the United States.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the incidence of pregnancy associated hypertension and
      eclampsia from adolescence through the fifth decade of life, including the effect
      of parity and race, in the United States. METHODS: Data were evaluated from the
      National Center for Health Statistics (vital statistics section). The data were
      stratified by maternal age group, parity (G1, first pregnancy; G2+, second or
      higher pregnancy), and racial group. RESULTS: The incidence of pregnancy
      associated hypertension (PAH) decreased with increased age in late adolescence in
      the G2+ group but not the G1 group (total and all racial groups). The incidence
      of PAH was significantly greater for non-Hispanic black or non-Hispanic white
      than Hispanic groups for all age groups (P?.02) except age ?15years (G2+ group)
      and 45-54years (both G1 and G2+ groups). The incidence of eclampsia decreased
      with increased age in late adolescence in the G2+ group (total and all racial
      groups) and the G1 group (total and non-Hispanic black groups). The incidence of
      eclampsia was significantly greater for non-Hispanic black than non-Hispanic
      white and for non-Hispanic white than Hispanic groups for all age groups except
      age ?15years in the G2+ group. The incidence of PAH and eclampsia increased
      substantially in both G1 and G2+ groups in the fifth decade of life (total and
      all racial groups). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of PAH (G2+ group) and eclampsia
      (G1 and G2+ groups) decreased with increased age during adolescence and increased
      in the fifth decade (G1 and G2+ groups).

PMID- 26104255
TI  - Obstetric implications of fetal inherited thrombophilia in thrombophilic women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The relationship between fetal thrombophilic polymorphism and adverse
      pregnancy outcomes is still unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate if
      fetal thrombophilia may affect obstetric and perinatal outcomes in thrombophilic
      women. STUDY DESIGN: From 2007 to 2011 all patients with a known inherited
      thrombophilic mutation consecutively admitted to our labor ward at ?25weeks of
      gestation with a singleton viable pregnancy were considered eligible for the
      purpose of the study. At the age of 1year, the infants were tested for inherited
      thrombophilic mutations. Patients were then divided into two groups according to
      the presence or absence of any neonatal mutation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The
      following outcome variables were then compared between the two groups:
      gestational age at delivery, birth weight, incidence of hypertensive disorders of
      pregnancy and SGA neonates. RESULTS: Overall, 67 pregnancies of 49 women were
      studied. Among them, the G20210A Prothrombin (32/67 or 47.7%) mutation and the
      Factor V Leiden mutation (31/67 or 46.3%) were the commonest findings, with a
      single patient presenting both. A thrombophilic mutation was found in 38 mother
      infant pairs. The risk of all maternal and perinatal events including the
      incidence of hypertensive disorders disorders (5/29 or 17.2% vs 6/38 or 15.7%
      p=1.00) and of SGA neonates (3/29 or 10.3% vs 7/38 or 18.4%, p=0.49) was
      comparable between the two groups irrespective of the associated fetal
      thrombophilia. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that women with inherited
      thrombophilia carrying a thrombophilic fetus are not at increased risk of adverse
      pregnancy outcomes.

PMID- 26104256
TI  - Association of COMT G675A and MTHFR C677T polymorphisms with hypertensive
      disorders of pregnancy in Mexican mestizo population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between COMT G675A and MTHFR C677T
      polymorphisms and hypertension disorders of pregnancy (HDP) in a Mexican mestizo
      population. DESIGN AND METHODS: This case-control study involved 194 HDP and 194
      normoevolutive pregnant women. The polymorphisms were genotyped by real time PCR.
      RESULTS: Our results showed that the COMT AA genotype increases the risk to HDP
      (OR: 2.67; 95% CI 1.33-5.35), preeclampsia (OR: 2.69; 95% CI 1.00-7.22) and
      gestational hypertension (OR: 3.87; 95% CI 1.25-12.0). Furthermore, the double
      mutant genotype (COMTAA/MTHFRTT) potency the risk to HDP more than two times (OR:
      5.21; 95% CI 1.12-24.3, p=0.019). CONCLUSION: Our work provides evidence that
      COMT 675AA genotype is a risk factor for HDP and that this risk is increased by
      the presence of MTHFR 677TT genotype in a Mexican mestizo population.

PMID- 26104257
TI  - Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene Glu298Asp polymorphism and
      expression in North Indian preeclamptic women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pathophysiological processes in preeclampsia (PE) are influenced by
      genetic factors, nitric oxide synthases seem to play important roles, although
      their expression in and their role is still unclear. To better characterize the
      host genetic factors determining the susceptibility to PE, we evaluated the
      influence of polymorphisms (Glu298Asp) in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase
      (eNOS) gene on the risk of developing PE by checking the expression level.
      METHODS: We conducted a hospital-based case-control study including 300 women
      with preeclampsia and 200 healthy pregnant women. Their blood samples were
      analyzed for levels of nitric oxide, eNOS gene polymorphism and expression. eNOS
      mRNA levels were determined using RT-PCR and expressed as arbitrary units after
      correction with control beta-Actin gene mRNA levels. RESULTS: The mRNA expression
      of eNOS gene was found to be significantly lower in blood (P<0.05) from women
      with PE compared to that from normal pregnancies. The total nitric oxide levels
      (P<0.001) were decreased in study Group as compared to healthy pregnant patients.
      The intergenotypic variation of nitric oxide levels in preeclamptic women was
      found to be significant (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate the
      relationship between reduced nitric oxide levels and eNOS gene polymorphism
      leading to its altered expression in preeclamptic women.

PMID- 26104258
TI  - Altered metabolic profile in early and late onset preeclampsia: An FTIR
      spectroscopic study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Metabolic anomalies, if any, between early and late onset preeclampsia
      [PE] were explored using Fourier transform infrared [FTIR] spectroscopy. SETTING:
      Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, SSKM Hospital, IPGMER, Kolkata and
      Midnapur Medical College Hospital, Midnapur, India. SAMPLE: 80 pregnant women
      attending routine antenatal care units; (i) early onset PE [gestational age;
      GA<34weeks] (ii) late onset PE [GA>34weeks] (iii) early onset control [GA 24
      34weeks] and (iv) late onset control [GA>34weeks]. METHODS: Serum FTIR spectra
      were obtained in the wave-number range of 600-4000cm(-1) at 4cm(-1) resolution.
      (1)H NMR and estimation of atherosclerotic index (AI) were performed to validate
      the FTIR findings. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Clinical characteristics and
      metabolic profile. RESULTS: 13 spectral peaks corresponding to the carbohydrate,
      protein and lipid region were significantly altered in early onset PE [P<0.001;
      at 95% confidence interval]. Discriminant analysis identified five highly
      significant wave-numbers (1078, 1088, 1122, 1169 and 1171cm(-1)) having ?80%
      overall accuracy. Hierarchical cluster analysis of the obtained spectra at these
      5 wave-numbers provided excellent segregation of early and late onset PE with
      respect to their controls. Principal component analysis revealed that these 5
      wave-numbers significantly separated the two sub-groups of PE (97.95% of the
      total variance). (1)H NMR results showed that serum levels of glutamate, choline,
      alanine and lactate were significantly higher while ariginine and citrate were
      significantly decreased in early onset PE as compared to late onset cases.
      CONCLUSION: Our study reveals differences in metabolomic profiles of early and
      late onset preeclamptic cases.

PMID- 26104259
TI  - Expectant management of severe preeclampsia with severe fetal growth restriction
      in the second trimester.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether women with severe fetal growth restriction
      (FGR <5th percentile) associated with severe preeclampsia (PE) occurring in the
      second trimester are candidates for expectant management. STUDY DESIGN: This is a
      retrospective study involving 33 women who developed severe PE or superimposed PE
      in the second trimester and were expectantly managed at a tertiary center. They
      were divided into groups with and without severe FGR on admission (severe FGR (+)
      group: 17 women; severe FGR (-) group: 16 women) for comparison of the duration
      of pregnancy prolongation, major maternal complications, and perinatal outcomes.
      The data are presented as medians (range) or frequencies (percentage). RESULTS:
      The duration of pregnancy prolongation was 10days in both groups. Major maternal
      complications occurred in 5 of 17 women (29.4%) in the severe FGR (+) and 5 of 16
      (31.3%) in the severe FGR (-) group, showing very similar incidence rates in the
      2 groups. The perinatal survival rates were favorable at 82.4% (14/17) in the
      severe FGR (+) and 100% (16/16) in the severe FGR (-) group. CONCLUSION:
      Regarding expectant management of severe preeclampsia occurring in the second
      trimester, there was no difference in the duration of pregnancy prolongation
      between the groups with and without severe FGR on admission. Because favorable
      perinatal outcomes can be expected without compromising maternal safety by
      prolonging pregnancy as expectant management for severe FGR, it was suggested
      that women with severe FGR are suitable candidates for expectant management.

PMID- 26104260
TI  - Spot urine protein-creatinine ratio and 24-h urine protein excretion: Diagnostic
      accuracy in women with pre-eclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of spot urinary protein/creatinine ratio with
      24h urinary protein excretion in women with pre-eclampsia. METHODS: A total of 85
      women with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy were prospectively studied.
      Urine protein/creatinine ratio in spot urine sample was compared with 24h urinary
      protein. Sensitivity and specificity for urinary spot P/C (protein/creatinine)
      ratio was assessed, and receiver operating curve was used to determine the value
      against the gold standard of >300mg proteinuria in 24h urinary sample. RESULTS:
      Of 85 women, complete data were available for 81 women. There was a strong
      correlation between spot urinary P/C ratio and 24h urine protein excretion
      (r=0.81, P value <0.000). The optimal spot P/C ratio cut-off point was 0.14 for
      300mg/24h of protein excretion (preeclampsia) with a sensitivity of 82% and
      specificity of 79%. CONCLUSION: We found a strong correlation between spot
      urinary P/C and 24h urinary protein. Spot urinary protein/creatinine ratio is a
      good predictor of proteinuria for pre-eclampsia.

PMID- 26104261
TI  - Pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension are less common in HIV infected women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension are
      less common in HIV infected women. METHODS: This prospective cohort study was
      performed in the Western Cape province of South Africa. HIV negative and positive
      pregnant women without chronic renal or chronic hypertensive disease were
      continuously recruited. During the study period HIV positive patients received
      either mono- or triple (HAART) antiretroviral therapy for prevention of vertical
      transmission or maternal care. Only routine clinical management was performed.
      The development of hypertensive disease during pregnancy was recorded. RESULTS:
      1093 HIV positive and 1173 HIV negative cases were identified during pregnancy
      and evaluated again after delivery. Significantly fewer cases of pre-eclampsia
      n=35 (3.2%) were recorded in the HIV positive group than in the HIV negative
      group, n=57 (4.9%) (p=0.045; OR 0.65 95% CI 0.42-0.99). There were also
      significantly fewer cases of gestational hypertension recorded in the HIV
      positive group compared to the HIV negative group (p=0.026; OR 0.53 95% CI 0.30
      0.94). Multiple logistic regression analysis confirmed the reductive effect of
      HIV on pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension. CONCLUSION: Pre-eclampsia and
      gestational hypertension are less common in HIV infected women being managed with
      mono- or triple anti-retroviral therapy.

PMID- 26104263
TI  - Neocortical neuronal morphology in the newborn giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis
      tippelskirchi) and African elephant (Loxodonta africana).
AB  - Although neocortical neuronal morphology has been documented in the adult giraffe
      (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) and African elephant (Loxodonta africana),
      no research has explored the cortical architecture in newborns of these species.
      To this end, the current study examined the morphology of neurons from several
      cortical areas in the newborn giraffe and elephant. After cortical neurons were
      stained with a modified Golgi technique (N = 153), dendritic branching and spine
      distributions were analyzed by using computer-assisted morphometry. The results
      showed that newborn elephant neurons were considerably larger in terms of all
      dendritic and spine measures than newborn giraffe neurons. Qualitatively, neurons
      in the newborns appeared morphologically comparable to those in their adult
      counterparts. Neurons in the newborn elephant differed considerably from those
      observed in other placental mammals, including the giraffe, particularly with
      regard to the morphology of spiny projection neurons. Projection neurons were
      observed in both species, with a much larger variety in the elephant (e.g.,
      flattened pyramidal, nonpyramidal multipolar, and inverted pyramidal neurons).
      Although local circuit neurons (i.e., interneurons, neurogliaform, Cajal-Retzius
      neurons) resembled those observed in other eutherian mammals, these were usually
      spiny, which contrasts with their adult, aspiny equivalents. Newborn projection
      neurons were smaller than the adult equivalents in both species, but newborn
      interneurons were approximately the same size as their adult counterparts.
      Cortical neuromorphology in the newborn giraffe is thus generally consistent with
      what has been observed in other cetartiodactyls, whereas newborn and adult
      elephant morphology appears to deviate substantially from what is commonly
      observed in other placental mammals.

PMID- 26104262
TI  - Mothers', fathers' and children's perceptions of parents' expectations about
      children's family obligations in nine countries.
AB  - Children's family obligations involve assistance and respect that children are
      expected to provide to immediate and extended family members and reflect beliefs
      related to family life that may differ across cultural groups. Mothers, fathers
      and children (N = 1432 families) in 13 cultural groups in 9 countries (China,
      Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Philippines, Sweden, Thailand and United States)
      reported on their expectations regarding children's family obligations and
      parenting attitudes and behaviours. Within families, mothers and fathers had more
      concordant expectations regarding children's family obligations than did parents
      and children. Parenting behaviours that were warmer, less neglectful and more
      controlling as well as parenting attitudes that were more authoritarian were
      related to higher expectations regarding children's family obligations between
      families within cultures as well as between cultures. These international
      findings advance understanding of children's family obligations by
      contextualising them both within families and across a number of diverse cultural
      groups in 9 countries. 

PMID- 26104264
TI  - Antinociceptive roles of galanin receptor 1 in nucleus accumbens of rats in a
      model of neuropathic pain.
AB  - It has been reported that galanin and its receptors might be involved in the
      modulation and transmission of nociception in the central nervous system. Our
      previous research has also demonstrated that galanin induces antinociception in
      the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of intact rats. However, the interaction between
      galanin and its receptors in the NAc and the underlying mechanism of suppressing
      pain transmission remain unclear. The present study seeks to determine the
      antinociception induced by galanin receptor (GalR)-1 stimulation in the NAc of
      rats with neuropathic pain. The left sciatic nerve of rats was ligated to mimic a
      neuropathic pain model. Western blots showed that the expression of GalR1 was
      significantly upregulated in the NAc of rats with neuropathic pain. Intra-NAc
      injection of GalR1 agonist M617 induced a dose-dependent increase in hindpaw
      withdrawal latency (HWL) to noxious thermal and mechanical stimulations in rats
      with neuropathic pain. Also, the effect of M617 was attenuated by M35, a GalR1/2
      antagonist; at the same time, M35 reduced the galanin-induced antinociception,
      suggesting that GalR1 mediates antinociception induced by galanin in the NAc of
      rats with neuropathic pain. Furthermore, we found that M617-induced
      antinociception in rats with neuropathic pain was stronger than the
      antinociception in intact rats. We also found that injections of M617 and galanin
      each induced significant increases in HWL, but the galanin-induced
      antinociception was stronger than that of M617. All these results suggest that
      GalR1 plays an important role in antinociception and that other GalRs also are
      involved in pain modulation induced by galanin in the NAc of rats with
      neuropathic pain.

PMID- 26104265
TI  - The possible preventive effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) against
      myringosclerosis.

PMID- 26104266
TI  - Highly trans-selective arylation of Achmatowicz rearrangement products by
      reductive gamma-deoxygenation and Heck-Matsuda reaction: asymmetric total
      synthesis of (-)-musellarins A-C and their analogues.
AB  - Fully functionalized pyranuloses derived from Achmatowicz rearrangement (AR) are
      versatile building blocks in organic synthesis. However, access to trans-2,6
      dihydropyrans from pyranuloses remains underexplored. Herein, we report a new two
      step trans arylation of AR products to access 2,6-trans-dihydropyranones. This
      new trans-arylation method built on numerous plausible, but unsuccessful, direct
      arylation reactions, including Ferrier-type and Tsuji-Trost-type reactions, was
      finally enabled by an unprecedented, highly regioselective gamma-deoxygenation of
      AR products by using Zn/HOAc and a diastereoselective Heck-Matsuda coupling. The
      synthetic utility of the reaction was demonstrated in the first asymmetric total
      synthesis of (-)-musellarins A-C and 12 analogues in 11-12 steps. The brevity and
      efficiency of our synthetic route permitted preparation of enantiomerically pure
      musellarins and analogues (>20 mg) for preliminary cytotoxicity evaluation, which
      led us to identify two analogues with three-to-six times greater potency than the
      musellarins as promising new leads. 

PMID- 26104268
TI  - Synthetic chemistry with nitrous oxide.
AB  - This review article summarizes efforts to use nitrous oxide (N2O, 'laughing gas')
      as a reagent in synthetic chemistry. The focus will be on reactions which are
      carried out in homogeneous solution under (relatively) mild conditions. First,
      the utilization of N2O as an oxidant is discussed. Due to the low intrinsic
      reactivity of N2O, selective oxidation reactions of highly reactive compounds are
      possible. Furthermore, it is shown that transition metal complexes can be used to
      catalyze oxidation reactions, in some cases with high turnover numbers. In the
      final part of this overview, the utilization of N2O as a building block for more
      complex molecules is discussed. It is shown that N2O can be used as an N-atom
      donor for the synthesis of interesting organic molecules such as triazenes and
      azo dyes. 

PMID- 26104267
TI  - Morphological analyses and a novel de novo DLX3 mutation associated with tricho
      dento-osseous syndrome in a Chinese family.
AB  - Tricho-dento-osseous (TDO) syndrome, an autosomal-dominant disorder, affects the
      morphological appearance of the tooth enamel, hair, and bone. Previous studies
      have confirmed that mutations in the DLX3 gene are responsible for TDO. In this
      study, we describe a Chinese patient with the typical traits of TDO - kinky hair,
      enamel hypoplasia, skull and jaw bones thickening, and sclerosis. Unfortunately,
      as a result of excessive attrition, we were unable to assess taurodontism.
      Examination of the tooth ground section showed a thin layer of enamel with no
      rods on the patient's tooth and abnormalities in Tomes' granular layer and the
      dentinal tubules. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray
      spectroscopy of the tooth enamel showed significant differences between the
      patient and the control individuals. A hair sample from the patient observed
      under a laser-scanning microscope showed longitudinal grooves in the hair shaft.
      Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurement showed that the bone mineral density
      values of the patient's bones was much higher than normal. Finally, genetic
      analysis revealed a novel de novo missense mutation c.533A>G (p.Q178R) in the
      conserved homeodomain of the DLX3 gene. This DLX3 mutation is the sixth causative
      mutation for TDO to be identified so far. 

PMID- 26104269
TI  - Orbit and spin resolved magnetic properties of size selected [ConRh]+ and
      [ConAu]+ nanoalloy clusters.
AB  - Bi-metallic nanoalloys of mixed 3d-4d or 3d-5d elements are promising candidates
      for technological applications. The large magnetic moment of the 3d materials in
      combination with a high spin-orbit coupling of the 4d or 5d materials give rise
      to a material with a large magnetic moment and a strong magnetic anisotropy,
      making them ideally suitable in for example magnetic storage devices. Especially
      for clusters, which already have a higher magnetic moment compared to the bulk,
      these alloys can profit from the cooperative role of alloying and size reduction
      in order to obtain magnetically stable materials with a large magnetic moment.
      Here, the influence of doping of small cobalt clusters on the spin and orbital
      magnetic moment has been studied for the cations [Co(8-14)Au](+) and [Co(10
      14)Rh](+). Compared to the undoped pure cobalt [Co(N)](+) clusters we find a
      significant increase in the spin moment for specific Co(N-1)Au(+) clusters and a
      very strong increase in the orbital moment for some Co(N-1)Rh(+) clusters, with
      more than doubling for Co12Rh(+). This result shows that substitutional doping of
      a 3d metal with even just one atom of a 4d or 5d metal can lead to dramatic
      changes in both spin and orbital moment, opening up the route to novel
      applications.

PMID- 26104270
TI  - The Nordic diet and cognition--The DR's EXTRA Study.
AB  - The rapid increase in the prevalence of dementia associated with ageing
      populations has stimulated interest in identifying modifiable lifestyle factors
      that could prevent cognitive impairment. One such potential preventive lifestyle
      factor is the Nordic diet that has been shown to reduce the risk of CVD; however,
      its effect on cognition has not been studied. The aim of the present study was to
      estimate the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of the baseline Nordic
      diet with cognitive function at baseline and after a 4-year follow-up in a
      population-based random sample (n 1140 women and men, age 57-78 years) as
      secondary analyses of the Finnish Dose-Responses to Exercise Training study. The
      Nordic diet score was created based on reported dietary components in 4-d food
      records. Cognition was assessed by the Consortium to Establish a Registry for
      Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery and the Mini-mental State
      Examination (MMSE). The baseline Nordic diet score had been positively associated
      with Verbal Fluency (beta 0.08 (95% CI 0.00, 0.16), P = 0.039) and Word List
      Learning (beta 0.06 (95% CI 0.01, 0.10), P = 0.022) at 4 years but not with the
      Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease total score (CERAD-TS)
      or MMSE at 4 years, after adjustment for baseline cognitive scores, demographic
      factors and health-related factors. After excluding individuals with impaired
      cognition at baseline, the baseline Nordic diet score had also been positively
      associated with the CERAD-TS (beta 0.10 (95% CI 0.00, 0.20), P = 0.042) and MMSE
      (beta 0.03 (95% CI 0.00, 0.06), P = 0.039) at 4 years. These associations
      disappeared after further adjustment for energy intake. In conclusion, the Nordic
      diet might have a positive association with cognition in individuals with normal
      cognition.

PMID- 26104271
TI  - Cyproterone acetate induces a wide spectrum of acute liver damage including
      corticosteroid-responsive hepatitis: report of 22 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Cyproterone acetate (CPA), an anti-androgenic drug for
      prostate cancer, has been associated with drug-induced liver injury (DILI). We
      aim to expand the knowledge on the spectrum of phenotypes and outcomes of CPA
      induced DILI. METHODS: Twenty-two males (70 +/- 8 years; range 54-83) developing
      liver damage as a result of CPA therapy (dose: 150 +/- 50 mg/day; range 50-200)
      were included. Severity index and causality by RUCAM were assessed. RESULTS: From
      1993 to 2013, 22 patients were retrieved. Latency was 163 +/- 97 days. Most
      patients were symptomatic, showing hepatocellular injury (91%) and jaundice.
      Liver tests at onset were: ALT 18 +/- 13 * ULN, ALP 0.7 +/- 0.7 * ULN and total
      serum bilirubin 14 +/- 10 mg/dl. International normalized ratio values higher
      than 1.5 were observed in 14 (66%) patients. Severity was mild in 1 case (4%),
      moderate in 7 (32%), severe in 11 (50%) and fatal in 3 (14%). Five patients
      developed ascitis, and four encephalopathy. One patient had a liver injury that
      resembled autoimmune hepatitis. Eleven (50%) were hospitalized. Nineteen patients
      recovered after CPA withdrawal, although three required steroid therapy (two of
      them had high ANA titres). Liver biopsy was performed in seven patients (two
      hepatocellular collapse, one submassive necrosis, two cholestatic hepatitis, one
      cirrhosis with iron overload and one autoimmune hepatitis). RUCAM category was
      'highly probable' in 19 (86%), 'probable' in 1 (4%), and 'possible' in 2 (9%).
      CONCLUSIONS: CPA-induced liver injury is severe and can be fatal, and may
      occasionally resemble autoimmune DILI. The benefit/risk ratio of this drug should
      be thoroughly assessed in each patient.

PMID- 26104272
TI  - Comparison of Intracranial Aneurysms Treated by 2-D Versus 3-D Coils: A Matched
      Pairs Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Knowledge on the influence of 2D and 3D coils to occlude intracranial
      aneurysms is poor. Therefore, aim of our analysis was to evaluate whether the use
      of 3-D versus 2-D coils alone may improve the efficacy of endovascular aneurysm
      treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a matched pair analysis comparing
      aneurysms treated by 3-D coils as initial "framing" coils to aneurysms treated
      exclusively by 2-D coils. Number of coils, implanted coil length/volume, and
      associated packing density were calculated. Aneurysmal occlusion was assessed and
      monitored 6 months (DSA; magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)) and 18 months
      (MRA) after embolization. Periprocedural complications and retreatment rate of
      each group were analyzed. RESULTS: Our retrospective analysis revealed 50 pairs.
      Concerning the 3-D group, number of coils (353 in total, median 7; p = 0.002),
      implanted coil length (55.69  +/- 48.4 cm), implanted coil length per volume
      (5.92 mm/mm3), and packing density (30 %; p = 0.017) was higher than in the 2-D
      group (259 in total, median 5 coils; 38.52 +/- 43.13 cm; 4.54 mm/mm3; 23 %).
      Occlusion was not significantly different immediately after treatment but at 6
      and 18 months follow-up in favor of 3-D coils. Retreatment was performed in 2
      cases of the 3-D group and in 3 cases of the 2-D group and therefore in a similar
      range (p = 0.564). CONCLUSION: Initial use of 3-D coils revealed a higher packing
      density and a higher long-term occlusion. Therefore, we recommend initial use of
      3-D coils.

PMID- 26104274
TI  - Some Considerations on the Kernohan-Woltman Notch Phenomenon.

PMID- 26104273
TI  - Tract-Specific Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Before
      and After Decompressive Spinal Surgery: Preliminary Results.
AB  - PURPOSE: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics of the cervical spinal cord in
      patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) were compared to those
      measured in healthy volunteers, using tract-specific region of interests (ROIs)
      across all cervical intervertebral disc levels. METHODS: Magnetic resonance (MR)
      imaging of the cervical spinal cord was performed in four patients with CSM and
      in five healthy volunteers on a 3-T MR scanner. Region-specific fractional
      anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were calculated on axial imaging with
      ROI placement in the anterior, lateral, and posterior regions of the spinal cord.
      FA and MD were also calculated on sagittal acquisitions. Nonparametric
      statistical tests were used to compare controls and patients before and after
      surgery. RESULTS: FA values were significantly lower (p = 0.050) and MD values
      were significantly higher (p = 0.014) in CSM patients measured at level of
      maximal compression before surgery than in healthy controls in lateral and
      posterior ROIs, respectively. In posterior ROIs, MD values were significantly
      higher in patients before surgery compared to controls at all levels except C7
      T1. CONCLUSION: Patients with CSM may demonstrate region-specific changes in DTI
      metrics when compared to healthy controls. Changes in DTI metrics may also occur
      at levels remote from site of compression.

PMID- 26104275
TI  - Adult feeding moths (Sphingidae) differ from non-adult feeding ones (Saturniidae)
      in activity-timing overlap and temporal niche width.
AB  - According to classic ecology, resource partitioning by segregation along at least
      one of the three main niche axes (time, food, and space) must take place for the
      coexistence of species with similar ecological requirements. We used nocturnal
      light traps to investigate the assemblage structuration of two moth families:
      Sphingidae (23 species) and Saturniidae (13 species). Because competition for
      food among adults potentially occurs only among sphingids, only for this family
      did we expect less overlap of diel activity patterns than expected by chance and
      also a greater temporal niche width compared to saturniids. Moreover, we expected
      a greater number of sphingid species pairs to differ in activity timing compared
      to saturniid pairs. We also hypothesized that in the case of a lack of temporal
      structuration, sphingids would be morphologically structured in relation to
      proboscis length. Contrary to what we expected, both families overlapped their
      activity patterns more than expected by chance alone and sphingid moths were not
      morphologically structured. Nevertheless, there were 173 significant pairwise
      differences in temporal activity between sphingids, contrasting with no
      interspecific differences between saturniids. Sphingid species also showed a
      wider temporal niche width than saturniids, as expected. Predation risk and
      abiotic factors may have caused the overall similarities in activity patterns for
      both families. The temporal niche seemed not to be determinant for the assemblage
      structuration of moths as a whole for either of the studied families, but
      segregation along the temporal niche axis of some potentially competing species
      pairs can be a relevant factor for the coexistence of nectar-feeding species. 

PMID- 26104276
TI  - Seasonal associations of climatic drivers and malaria in the highlands of
      Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impacts of interannual climate fluctuations on vector-borne
      diseases, especially malaria, have received considerable attention in the
      scientific literature. These effects can be significant in semi-arid and high
      elevation areas such as the highlands of East Africa because cooler temperature
      and seasonally dry conditions limit malaria transmission. Many previous studies
      have examined short-term lagged effects of climate on malaria (weeks to months),
      but fewer have explored the possibility of longer-term seasonal effects. METHODS:
      This study assessed the interannual variability of malaria occurrence from 2001
      to 2009 in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. We tested for associations of climate
      variables summarized during the dry (January-April), early transition (May-June),
      and wet (July-September) seasons with malaria incidence in the early peak (May
      July) and late peak (September-December) epidemic seasons using generalized
      linear models. Climate variables included land surface temperature (LST),
      rainfall, actual evapotranspiration (ET), and the enhanced vegetation index
      (EVI). RESULTS: We found that both early and late peak malaria incidence had the
      strongest associations with meteorological conditions in the preceding dry and
      early transition seasons. Temperature had the strongest influence in the wetter
      western districts, whereas moisture variables had the strongest influence in the
      drier eastern districts. We also found a significant correlation between malaria
      incidence in the early and the subsquent late peak malaria seasons, and the
      addition of early peak malaria incidence as a predictor substantially improved
      models of late peak season malaria in both of the study sub-regions. CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings suggest that climatic effects on malaria prior to the main rainy
      season can carry over through the rainy season and affect the probability of
      malaria epidemics during the late malaria peak. The results also emphasize the
      value of combining environmental monitoring with epidemiological surveillance to
      develop forecasts of malaria outbreaks, as well as the need for spatially
      stratified approaches that reflect the differential effects of climatic
      variations in the different sub-regions.

PMID- 26104277
TI  - Morphometric study of the greater palatine canal: cone-beam computed tomography.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze greater palatine canal (GPC) dimensions using cone-beam
      computed tomography (CBCT) images, and to evaluate the position of the greater
      palatine foramen (GPF) with respect to various landmarks selected in relation to
      dental status. METHODS: This study included 150 CBCTs. Axial slices were used to
      determine the position and dimensions of the GPF. Sagittal slices were used to
      assess GPC length. Reference lines were established to evaluate the GPC diameter
      in sagittal and coronal slices. RESULTS: From the 77 GPF analyzed, 76 were
      located on level 2. Average posterior GPF distance was 6.59 +/- 3.27 mm on right
      side and 7.35 +/- 3.40 mm on left side. Several measurements to determine the
      position and dimensions of the GPF presented significant values (p <= 0.05). GPC
      length was 12.31 +/- 1.96 mm on right side and 12.52 +/- 2.15 mm on left side,
      statistically significant differences were detected between genders only on right
      canal (p <= 0.004). Sagittal and coronal reference lines presented significantly
      higher values for men except for the S3 (p < 0.062) and C1 (p < 0.067) in the
      left GPC. CONCLUSIONS: CBCT is a useful tool for evaluating GPC morphometrically
      in the three anatomical slices. The sagittal nasal plane and posterior nasal
      plane are two intraoral anatomical landmarks for the location of the GPF. Their
      scant variability allows accurate identification of GPFs in both dentate as well
      as edentulous patients.

PMID- 26104278
TI  - Response to Rosival: Pathophysiology of diabetic ketoacidosis.

PMID- 26104279
TI  - Perifollicular elastolysis associated with pseudofolliculitis of Behcet's
      disease.

PMID- 26104280
TI  - How to use... lumbar puncture in children.
AB  - Lumbar puncture (LP) is a useful diagnostic tool in a wide spectrum of paediatric
      clinical situations. A common indication is to rule out a serious intracranial
      infection in a febrile child. Success rate can be optimised by proper
      positioning, appropriate technique and enhanced operator's skill in performing
      the procedure. The purpose of this review is to explore the indications and
      contraindications for performing paediatric LP, to describe the anatomical and
      physiological knowledge required to maximise success rates and to describe
      complications and their management. We will also provide advice on requesting
      various cerebrospinal fluid studies, interpretation of results and clinical
      situations in which LP may be indicated. 

PMID- 26104282
TI  - Help us find and honour the stars of South Asian healthcare.

PMID- 26104281
TI  - Multiple synchronous sites of origin of vestibular schwannomas in
      neurofibromatosis Type 2.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) is a dominantly inherited tumour
      syndrome with a phenotype which includes bilateral vestibular (eighth cranial
      nerve) schwannomas. Conventional thinking suggests that these tumours originate
      at a single point along the superior division of the eighth nerve. METHODS: High
      resolution MRI was performed in children genetically proven to have NF2. The
      superior vestibular nerve (SVN) and inferior vestibular nerve (IVN) were
      visualised along their course with points of tumour origin calculated as a
      percentage relative to the length of the nerve. RESULTS: Out of 41 patients
      assessed, 7 patients had no identifiable eighth cranial nerve disease. In 16
      patients there was complete filling of the internal auditory meatus by a tumour
      mass such that its specific neural origin could not be determined. In the
      remaining 18 cases, 86 discrete separate foci of tumour origin on the SVN or IVN
      could be identified including 23 tumours on the right SVN, 26 tumours on the
      right IVN, 18 tumours on the left SVN and 19 tumours on the left IVN. DISCUSSION:
      This study, examining the origins of vestibular schwannomas in NF2, refutes their
      origin as being from a single site on the transition zone of the superior
      division of the vestibular nerve. We hypothesise a relationship between the
      number of tumour foci, tumour biology and aggressiveness of disease. The
      development of targeted drug therapies in addition to bevacizumab are therefore
      essential to improve prognosis and quality of life in patients with NF2 given the
      shortcomings of surgery and radiation treatments when dealing with the
      multifocality of the disease.

PMID- 26104283
TI  - Space, time and aliens: charting the dynamic structure of Galapagos pollination
      networks.
AB  - Oceanic archipelagos are threatened by the introduction of alien species which
      can severely disrupt the structure, function and stability of native communities.
      Here we investigated the pollination interactions in the two most disturbed
      Galapagos Islands, comparing the three main habitats and the two seasons, and
      assessing the impacts of alien plant invasions on network structure. We found
      that the pollination network structure was rather consistent between the two
      islands, but differed across habitats and seasons. Overall, the arid zone had the
      largest networks and highest species generalization levels whereas either the
      transition between habitats or the humid habitat showed lower values. Our data
      suggest that alien plants integrate easily into the communities, but with low
      impact on overall network structure, except for an increase in network
      selectiveness. The humid zone showed the highest nestedness and the lowest
      modularity, which might be explained by the low species diversity and the higher
      incidence of alien plants in this habitat. Both pollinators and plants were also
      more generalized in the hot season, when networks showed to be more nested. Alien
      species (both plants and pollinators) represented a high fraction (~56 %) of the
      total number of interactions in the networks. It is thus likely that, in spite of
      the overall weak effect we found of alien plant invasion on pollination network
      structure, these introduced species influence the reproductive success of native
      ones, and by doing so, they affect the functioning of the community. This
      certainly deserves further investigation. 

PMID- 26104284
TI  - Incidence of human adenoviruses and Hepatitis A virus in the final effluent of
      selected wastewater treatment plants in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Municipal effluent constitutes a large reservoir of human enteric
      viruses and bacteria. Contemporary monitoring practices rely on indicator
      bacteria, and do not test for viruses. Different viruses, including Norwalk-like
      viruses, Hepatitis A virus (HAV), adenoviruses, and rotaviruses, are important
      agents of illnesses in humans. The burden of disease caused by adenoviruses
      manifests as pneumonia, bronchiolitis, otitis media, conjunctivitis, and
      tonsillitis, whereas HAV infection can manifest as acute inflammatory diseases of
      the liver, fever, anorexia, malaise, nausea, and abdominal discomfort, followed
      by jaundice and dark urine. The public health implications of these viruses
      depend upon the physiological status of the wastewater microbial community.
      METHODS: The occurrence of human adenovirus (HAdV) and HAV was determined in the
      final effluents of five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Eastern Cape,
      South Africa, over 12 months (September 2012-August 2013). The viruses were
      detected with real-time PCR, and conventional PCR was used for serotyping.
      RESULTS: Adenovirus was detected in effluent samples from all five WWTPs and in
      64 % of the total samples, whereas HAV was not detected in any effluent sample.
      At WWPT-A, samples were collected from the final effluent tank (adenoviral
      concentrations ranged from 1.05 * 10(1) to 1.10 * 10(4) genome/L, with a 41.7 %
      detection rate) and the discharge point (adenoviral concentrations ranged between
      1.2 * 10(1) and 2.8 * 10(4) genome/L, with a 54.5 % detection rate). At WWPT-B,
      HAdV was detected in 91.7 % of samples, with viral concentrations of 7.92 * 10(1)
      2.37 * 10(5) genome/L. The HAdV concentrations at WWPT-C were 5.32 * 10(1)-2.20 *
      10(5) genome/L, and the detection rate was 75 %. The adenoviral concentrations at
      WWPT-D were 1.23 * 10(3)-1.05 * 10(4) genome/L, and the detection rate was 66.7
      %. At WWPT-E, the viral concentrations were 1.08 * 10(1)-5.16 * 10(4) genome/L,
      and the detection rate was 54.5 %. Characterization of the adenoviruses revealed
      HAdV serotypes 2 (1.4 %) and 41 (7.1 %), in species C and F, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to report the prevalence of HAdV in the
      final effluents of WWTPs in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The adenoviral
      detection rates indicate the potential contamination of the environment, with
      adverse effects on public health.

PMID- 26104285
TI  - The effects of perturbed cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity on
      structural MRI and behavioral readouts in mild traumatic brain injury.
AB  - This study investigated the effects of perturbed cerebral blood flow (CBF) and
      cerebrovascular reactivity (CR) on relaxation time constant (T2), apparent
      diffusion coefficient (ADC), fractional anisotropy (FA), and behavioral scores at
      1 and 3 hours, 2, 7, and 14 days after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats. Open
      skull TBI was induced over the left primary forelimb somatosensory cortex (N=8
      and 3 sham). We found the abnormal areas of CBF and CR on days 0 and 2 were
      larger than those of the T2, ADC, and FA abnormalities. In the impact core, CBF
      was reduced on day 0, increased to 2.5 times of normal on day 2, and returned
      toward normal by day 14, whereas in the tissue surrounding the impact,
      hypoperfusion was observed on days 0 and 2. CR in the impact core was negative,
      most severe on day 2 but gradually returned toward normal. T2, ADC, and FA
      abnormalities in the impact core were detected on day 0, peaked on day 2, and
      pseudonormalized by day 14. Lesion volumes peaked on day 2 and were temporally
      correlated with forelimb asymmetry and foot-fault scores. This study quantified
      the effects of perturbed CBF and CR on structural magnetic resonance imaging and
      behavioral readouts. 

PMID- 26104286
TI  - CDK5 knockdown prevents hippocampal degeneration and cognitive dysfunction
      produced by cerebral ischemia.
AB  - Acute ischemic stroke is a cerebrovascular accident and it is the most common
      cause of physical disabilities around the globe. Patients may present with
      repeated ictuses, experiencing mental consequences, such as depression and
      cognitive disorders. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is a kinase that is
      involved in neurotransmission and plasticity, but its dysregulation contributes
      to cognitive disorders and dementia. Gene therapy targeting CDK5 was administered
      to the right hippocampus of ischemic rats during transient cerebral middle artery
      occlusion. Physiologic parameters (blood pressure, pH, pO2, and pCO2) were
      measured. The CDK5 downregulation resulted in neurologic and motor improvement
      during the first week after ischemia. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 RNA interference
      (RNAi) prevented dysfunctions in learning, memory, and reversal learning at 1
      month after ischemia. These observations were supported by the prevention of
      neuronal loss, the reduction of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2)
      immunoreactivity, and a decrease in astroglial and microglia hyperreactivities
      and tauopathy. Additionally, CDK5 silencing led to an increase in the expression
      of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), its Tropomyosin Receptor kinase B
      (TRKB) receptor, and activation of cyclic AMP response element-binding protein
      (CREB) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), which are important
      targets in neuronal plasticity. Together, our findings suggest that gene therapy
      based on CDK5 silencing prevents cerebral ischemia-induced neurodegeneration and
      motor and cognitive deficits. 

PMID- 26104287
TI  - Metabolic changes in early poststatus epilepticus measured by MR spectroscopy in
      rats.
AB  - There is little experimental in vivo data on how differences in seizure duration
      in experimental status epilepticus influence metabolic injury. This is of
      interest given that in humans, status duration is a factor that influences the
      probability of subsequent development of epilepsy. This question is studied using
      7-T magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy, T2 relaxometry in the incremented
      kainate rodent model of temporal lobe epilepsy, using two durations of status
      epilepticus, 1.5 and 3 hours. Histologic evaluation was performed in a subset of
      animals. Three days after status, single-voxel (8 mm(3)) point resolved
      spectroscopy (PRESS) MR spectroscopic measurements were acquired at 7 T to assess
      the cerebral metabolites measured as a ratio to total creatine (tCr). The status
      injury resulted in decreased N-acetylaspartate NAA/tCr, increased myo
      inositol/tCr and glutamine/tCr, increased T2, and significant declines in NeuN
      stained neuronal counts in both status groups. Regressions were identified in the
      status groups that provide evidence for neuronal injury and astrocytic reaction
      after status in both the short and long status duration groups. The long status
      group displays changes in glutathione/tCr that are not identified in the short
      status group, this difference possibly representing a maturation of injury and
      antioxidant response that occurs in synchrony with glutamatergic injury and glial
      activation.

PMID- 26104288
TI  - Effects of anesthesia on BOLD signal and neuronal activity in the somatosensory
      cortex.
AB  - Most functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) animal studies rely on
      anesthesia, which can induce a variety of drug-dependent physiological changes,
      including depression of neuronal activity and cerebral metabolism as well as
      direct effects on the vasculature. The goal of this study was to characterize the
      effects of anesthesia on the BOLD signal and neuronal activity. Simultaneous fMRI
      and electrophysiology were used to measure changes in single units (SU), multi
      unit activity (MUA), local field potentials (LFP), and the blood oxygenation
      level-dependent (BOLD) response in the somatosensory cortex during whisker
      stimulation of rabbits before, during and after anesthesia with fentanyl or
      isoflurane. Our results indicate that anesthesia modulates the BOLD signal as
      well as both baseline and stimulus-evoked neuronal activity, and, most
      significantly, that the relationship between the BOLD and electrophysiological
      signals depends on the type of anesthetic. Specifically, the behavior of LFP
      observed under isoflurane did not parallel the behavior of BOLD, SU, or MUA.
      These findings suggest that the relationship between these signals may not be
      straightforward. BOLD may scale more closely with the best measure of the
      excitatory subcomponents of the underlying neuronal activity, which may vary
      according to experimental conditions that alter the excitatory/inhibitory balance
      in the cortex. 

PMID- 26104289
TI  - De novo expression of dopamine D2 receptors on microglia after stroke.
AB  - Dopamine is the predominant catecholamine in the brain and functions as a
      neurotransmitter. Dopamine is also a potent immune modulator. In this study, we
      have characterized the expression of dopamine receptors on murine microglia. We
      found that cultured primary microglia express dopamine D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5
      receptors. We specifically focused on the D2 receptor (D2R), a major target of
      antipsychotic drugs. Whereas D2Rs were strongly expressed on striatal neurons in
      vivo, we did not detect any D2R expression on resident microglia in the healthy
      brains of wild-type mice or transgenic mice expressing the green fluorescent
      protein (GFP) under the control of the Drd2 promoter. However, cerebral ischemia
      induced the expression of D2R on Iba1-immunoreactive inflammatory cells in the
      infarct core and penumbra. Notably, D2R expression was confined to CD45(hi)
      cells, and GFP BM chimeras revealed that D2R was expressed on activated resident
      microglia as well as on peripherally derived macrophages in the ischemic brain.
      Importantly, the D2/3R agonist, pramipexole, enhanced the secretion of nitrite by
      cultured microglia in response to proinflammatory stimuli. Thus, dopamine may
      serve as a modulator of microglia function during neuroinflammation. 

PMID- 26104290
TI  - Selective astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression contributes to dementia
      associated with ischemic stroke by exaggerating astrocyte-derived amyloid
      secretion.
AB  - Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is synthesized by endothelial cells and astrocytes in stroke
      and in brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. Our transgenic mice with ET-1
      overexpression in the endothelial cells (TET-1) showed more severe blood-brain
      barrier (BBB) breakdown, neuronal apoptosis, and glial reactivity after 2-hour
      transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) with 22-hour reperfusion and
      more severe cognitive deficits after 30 minutes tMCAO with 5 months reperfusion.
      However, the role of astrocytic ET-1 in contributing to poststroke cognitive
      deficits after tMCAO is largely unknown. Therefore, GET-1 mice were challenged
      with tMCAO to determine its effect on neurologic and cognitive deficit. The GET-1
      mice transiently displayed a sensorimotor deficit after reperfusion that
      recovered shortly, then more severe deficit in spatial learning and memory was
      observed at 3 months after ischemia compared with that of the controls.
      Upregulation of TNF-alpha, cleaved caspase-3, and Thioflavin-S-positive
      aggregates was observed in the ipsilateral hemispheres of the GET-1 brains as
      early as 3 days after ischemia. In an in vitro study, ET-1 overexpressing
      astrocytic cells showed amyloid secretion after hypoxia/ischemia insult, which
      activated endothelin A (ETA) and endothelin B (ETB) receptors in a PI3K/AKT
      dependent manner, suggesting role of astrocytic ET-1 in dementia associated with
      stroke by astrocyte-derived amyloid production. 

PMID- 26104291
TI  - The functional and structural changes in the basilar artery due to overpressure
      blast injury.
AB  - Overpressure blast-wave induced brain injury (OBI) leads to progressive
      pathophysiologic changes resulting in a reduction in brain blood flow, blood
      brain barrier breakdown, edema, and cerebral ischemia. The aim of this study was
      to evaluate cerebral vascular function after single and repeated OBI. Male
      Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: Control (Naive), single OBI
      (30 psi peak pressure, 1 to 2 msec duration), and repeated (days 1, 4, and 7) OBI
      (r-OBI). Rats were killed 24 hours after injury and the basilar artery was
      isolated, cannulated, and pressurized (90 cm H2O). Vascular responses to
      potassium chloride (KCl) (30 to 100 mmol/L), endothelin-1 (10(-12) to 10(-7)
      mol/L), acetylcholine (ACh) (10(-10) to 10(-4) mol/L) and diethylamine-NONO-ate
      (DEA-NONO-ate) (10(-10) to 10(-4) mol/L) were evaluated. The OBI resulted in an
      increase in the contractile responses to endothelin and a decrease in the
      relaxant responses to ACh in both single and r-OBI groups. However, impaired DEA
      NONO-ate-induced vasodilation and increased wall thickness to lumen ratio were
      observed only in the r-OBI group. The endothelin-1 type A (ET(A)) receptor and
      endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) immunoreactivity were significantly
      enhanced by OBI. These findings indicate that both single and r-OBI impairs
      cerebral vascular endothelium-dependent dilation, potentially a consequence of
      endothelial dysfunction and/or vascular remodelling in basilar arteries after
      OBI.

PMID- 26104292
TI  - Cerebral hypoperfusion: a new pathophysiologic concept in multiple sclerosis?
AB  - The exact pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is incompletely understood.
      Although auto-immune responses have an important role in the development of
      hallmark focal demyelinating lesions, the underlying mechanism of axonal
      degeneration, the other key player in MS pathology and main determinant of long
      term disability, remains unclear and corresponds poorly with inflammatory disease
      activity. Perfusion-weighted imaging studies have demonstrated that there is a
      widespread cerebral hypoperfusion in patients with MS, which is present from the
      early beginning to more advanced disease stages. This reduced cerebral blood flow
      (CBF) does not seems to be secondary to loss of axonal integrity with decreased
      metabolic demands but appears to be mediated by elevated levels of the potent
      vasospastic peptide endothelin-1 in the cerebral circulation. Evidence is
      evolving that cerebral hypoperfusion in MS is associated with chronic hypoxia,
      focal lesion formation, diffuse axonal degeneration, cognitive dysfunction, and
      fatigue. Restoring CBF may therefore emerge as a new therapeutic target in MS. 

PMID- 26104293
TI  - Protocols for uncontrolled donation after circulatory death: a systematic review
      of international guidelines, practices and transplant outcomes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A chronic shortage of organs remains the main factor limiting organ
      transplantation. Many countries have explored the option of uncontrolled donation
      after circulatory death (uDCD) in order to expand the donor pool. Little is known
      regarding the variability of practices and outcomes between existing protocols.
      This systematic review addresses this knowledge gap informing policy makers,
      researchers, and clinicians for future protocol implementation. METHODS: We
      searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Google Scholar electronic databases from 2005 to
      March 2015 as well as the reference lists of selected studies, abstracts,
      unpublished reports, personal libraries, professional organization reports, and
      government agency statements on uDCD. We contacted leading authors and
      organizations to request their protocols and guidelines. Two reviewers extracted
      main variables. In studies reporting transplant outcomes, we added type,
      quantity, quality of organs procured, and complications reported. Internal
      validity and the quality of the studies reporting outcomes were assessed, as were
      the methodological rigour and transparency in which a guideline was developed.
      The review was included in the international prospective register of systematic
      reviews (Prospero, CRD42014015258). RESULTS: Six guidelines and 18 outcome
      studies were analysed. The six guidelines are based on limited evidence and major
      differences exist between them at each step of the uDCD process. The outcome
      studies report good results for kidney, liver, and lung transplantation with high
      discard rates for livers. CONCLUSIONS: Despite procedural, medical, economic,
      legal, and ethical challenges, the uDCD strategy is a viable option for
      increasing the organ donation pool. Variations in practice and heterogeneity of
      outcomes preclude a meta-analysis and prevented the linking of outcomes to
      specific uDCD protocols. Further standardization of protocols and outcomes is
      required, as is further research into the role of extracorporeal resuscitation
      and other novel therapies for treatment of some refractory cardiac arrest. It is
      essential to ensure the maintenance of trust in uDCD programs by health
      professionals and the public.

PMID- 26104294
TI  - Differentially expressed and activated proteins associated with non small cell
      lung cancer tissues.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a leading cause of mortality. The most common cancer
      subtype, non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), accounts for 85-90% all cases and is
      mainly caused by environmental and genetic factors. Mechanisms involved in lung
      carcinogenesis include deregulation of several kinases and molecular pathways
      affecting cell proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation. Despite advances in
      lung cancer detection, diagnosis and staging, survival rate still remains poor
      and novel biomarkers for both diagnosis and therapy need to be identified. In the
      present study, we have explored the potential of novel specific biomarkers in the
      diagnosis of NSCLC, and the over-expression/activation of several kinases
      involved in disease development and progression. METHOD: Lung tumor tissue
      specimens and adjacent cancer-free tissues from 8 NSCLC patients undergoing
      surgery were collected. The differential activation status of ERK1/2, AKT and
      IKBalpha/NF-kappabeta was analyzed. Subsequently, protein expression profile of
      NSCLC vs normal surrounding tissue was compared by a proteomic approach using LC
      MS MS. Subsequently, MS/MS outputs were analyzed by the Protein Discoverer
      platform for label-free quantitation analysis. Finally, results were confirmed by
      western blotting analysis. RESULTS: This study confirms the involvement of
      ERK1/2, AKT, IKBalpha and NF-kappabeta proteins in NSCLC demonstrating a
      significant over-activation of all tested proteins. Furthermore, we found
      significant differential expression of 20 proteins (Rsc >= 1.50 or <= -1.50) of
      which 7 are under-expressed and 13 over-expressed in NSCLC lung tissues. Finally,
      we validated, by western blotting, the two most under-expressed NSCLC tissue
      proteins, carbonic anhydrase I and II isoforms. CONCLUSION: Our data further
      support the possibility of developing both diagnostic tests and innovative
      targeted therapy in NSCLC. In addition to selective inhibitors of ERK1/2, AKT,
      IKBalpha and NF-kappabeta, as therapeutic options, our data, for the first time,
      indicates carbonic anhydrase I and II as attractive targets for development of
      diagnostic tools enabling selection of patients for a more specific therapy in
      NSCLC.

PMID- 26104295
TI  - Splenic lymphocyte subtypes in immune thrombocytopenia: increased presence of a
      subtype of B-regulatory cells.

PMID- 26104297
TI  - Atypical cytological features of a solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas
      metastatic to the liver.

PMID- 26104296
TI  - The prognostic significance of CXCL1 hypersecretion by human colorectal cancer
      epithelia and myofibroblasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) remains
      limited, especially when the tumor harbors a KRAS mutation. This study aimed to
      identify prognostic biomarkers in CRC that are accessible for therapeutic
      inhibition. METHODS: Conditioned media from human CRC epithelial cells and
      myofibroblasts were screened by cytokine arrays for tumorigenic factors. The
      protein and mRNA expressions of these factors were determined by
      immunohistochemistry and gene microarrays in human CRC tissues. Prognostic
      biomarkers were determined by correlation of mRNA expression to overall survival
      in stage IV CRC patients. Inhibition of CXCL1 was performed with specific
      neutralizing antibody and lentiviral shRNAs. Malignant growth was assessed by
      soft agar growth assays and xenograft tumor growth in immunocompromised mice.
      RESULTS: CXCL1 was highly secreted by KRAS mutant human CRC cells and
      myofibroblasts in a complementary adaptive response to serum deprivation.
      Elevated CXCL1 level promoted anchorage-independent growth of murine fibroblasts
      and human CRC cells. Inhibition of CXCL1 by neutralizing antibody and specific
      shRNAs decreased CRC tumor growth. Highly elevated CXCL1 expression significantly
      correlated with decreased overall survival in stage IV CRC patients (hazard ratio
      0.28; 95% CI 0.11-0.72). CONCLUSIONS: High CXCL1 expression is a poor prognostic
      biomarker in metastatic CRC. CXCL1 inhibition suppressed tumorigenic growth of
      KRAS mutant CRC cells.

PMID- 26104298
TI  - Digital microfluidic immunocytochemistry in single cells.
AB  - We report a new technique called Digital microfluidic Immunocytochemistry in
      Single Cells (DISC). DISC automates protocols for cell culture, stimulation and
      immunocytochemistry, enabling the interrogation of protein phosphorylation on
      pulsing with stimulus for as little as 3 s. DISC was used to probe the
      phosphorylation states of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) and the
      downstream signalling protein, Akt, to evaluate concentration- and time-dependent
      effects of stimulation. The high time resolution of the technique allowed for
      surprising new observations-for example, a 10 s pulse stimulus of a low
      concentration of PDGF is sufficient to cause >30% of adherent fibroblasts to
      commit to Akt activation. With the ability to quantitatively probe signalling
      events with high time resolution at the single-cell level, we propose that DISC
      may be an important new technique for a wide range of applications, especially
      for screening signalling responses of a heterogeneous cell population.

PMID- 26104300
TI  - Ivor Owen Grattan-Guinness (1941-2014).

PMID- 26104301
TI  - Time, Weather and Empires: The Campos Rodrigues Observatory in Lourenco Marques,
      Mozambique (1905-1930).
AB  - In 1905 the Campos Rodrigues Observatory (CRO) was founded in Lourenco Marques
      (nowadays Maputo), the capital of Mozambique, by then part of the Portuguese
      overseas empire. In this paper the inception and early history of the CRO are
      analysed in the broader context of the interwoven history of the Portuguese and
      British empires in Africa, and specifically with respect to the scientific
      relations between Mozambique and South Africa. The equipment, personnel,
      practices and networks involved in the inception and early development of the CRO
      are brought into focus in order to illustrate the problems and strategies that
      shaped the establishment and functioning of this observatory, which was conceived
      essentially as a symbol of imperial stamina and colonial prowess. It is suggested
      that by providing a focal point for the development of scientific relations
      between Mozambique and South Africa, the CRO served both Portuguese ambitions for
      recognition as an imperial power and the emergence of South African nationalism. 

PMID- 26104302
TI  - [A Fragment Of De speculis comburentibus of Regiomontanus Copied by Toscanelli
      and Inserted in the Books of Leonardo (Codex Atlanticus, 611rb / 915ra)].
AB  - This article studies a fragment on the conic sections that appear in the Codex
      Atlanticus, fols. 611rb/915ra. Arguments are put forward to assemble these two
      folios. Their comparison with the Latin texts available before 1500 shows that
      they derive from the De speculis comburentibus of Alhacen and the De speculis
      comburentibus of Regiomontanus, joined together in his autograph manuscript
      (Vienna, Oster. Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 5258). Having identified the sources,
      and discussed their mathematics, the issue of their transmission is targeted. It
      is shown that these notes were written by Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli, through
      whom they reached the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci.

PMID- 26104303
TI  - Editing Newton in Geneva and Rome: The Annotated Edition of the Principia by
      Calandrini, Le Seur and Jacquier.
AB  - This contribution examines the circumstances of composition of the annotated
      edition of Newton's Principia that was printed in Geneva in 1739-1742, which ran
      to several editions and was still in print in Britain in the mid-nineteenth
      century. This edition was the work of the Genevan Professor of Mathematics, Jean
      Louis Calandrini, and of two Minim friars based in Rome, Thomas Le Seur and
      Francois Jacquier. The study of the context in which this edition was conceived
      sheds light on the early reception of Newtonianism in Geneva and Rome. By taking
      into consideration the careers of Calandrini, Le Seur and Jacquier, as authors,
      lecturers and leading characters of Genevan and Roman cultural life, I will show
      that their involvement in the enterprise of annotating Newton's Principia
      answered specific needs of Genevan and Roman culture. The publication and
      reception of the Genevan annotated edition has also a broader European dimension.
      Both Calandrini and Jacquier were in touch with the French republique des
      lettres, most notably with Clairaut and Du Chatelet, and with the Bernoulli
      family in Basel. Therefore, this study is also relevant for the understanding of
      the dissemination of Newton's ideas in Europe. 

PMID- 26104304
TI  - Vital Instability: Life and Free Will in Physics and Physiology, 1860-1880.
AB  - During the period 1860-1880, a number of physicists and mathematicians, including
      Maxwell, Stewart, Cournot and Boussinesq, used theories formulated in terms of
      physics to argue that the mind, the soul or a vital principle could have an
      impact on the body. This paper shows that what was primarily at stake for these
      authors was a concern about the irreducibility of life and the mind to physics,
      and that their theories can be regarded primarily as reactions to the law of
      conservation of energy, which was used among others by Helmholtz and Du Bois
      Reymond as an argument against the possibility of vital and mental causes in
      physiology. In light of this development, Maxwell, Stewart, Cournot and
      Boussinesq showed that it was still possible to argue for the irreducibility of
      life and the mind to physics, through an appeal to instability or indeterminism
      in physics: if the body is an unstable or physically indeterministic system, an
      immaterial principle can act through triggering or directing motions in the body,
      without violating the laws of physics. 

PMID- 26104305
TI  - The Correspondence of Michael Faraday.

PMID- 26104310
TI  - Low density lipoprotein cholesterol control status among Canadians at risk for
      cardiovascular disease: findings from the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel
      Surveillance Network Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To determine the prevalence of uncontrolled LDL-C in patients with
      high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks across Canada and to examine its related
      factors. METHODS: Non-pregnant adults >20 years-old, who had a lipid test
      completed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2011 and were included in the
      Canadian Primary Care Surveillance Network (CPCSSN) database were studied. The
      Framingham-Risk-Score was calculated to determine the risk levels. A serum LDL-C
      level of >2.0 mmol/L was considered as being poorly controlled. Patients with a
      previous record of a cerebrovascular accident, peripheral artery disease, or an
      ischemic heart disease were regarded as those under secondary prevention.
      Logistic regression modeling was performed to examine the factors associated with
      the LDL-C control. RESULTS: A total of 6,405 high-risk patients were included in
      the study and, of this population, 68% had a suboptimal LDL-C, which was
      significantly associated with the female gender (OR: 3.26; 95% CI: 2.63-4.05, p <
      0.0001) and no medication therapy (OR: 6.31, 95% CI: 5.21-7.65, p < 0.0001).
      Those with comorbidities of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and smokers had a
      better LDL-C control. Rural residents (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.52-0.78, p < 0.0001),
      and those under secondary prevention (OR: 0.42; 95 % CI: 0.35-0.51, p < 0.0001),
      were also more likely to have a better LDL-C control. CONCLUSION: A high
      proportion of high-cardiac risk patients in Canadian primary care settings have
      suboptimal LDL-C control. A lack of medication therapy appears to be the major
      contributing factor to this situation.

PMID- 26104311
TI  - Microbial respiration with chlorine oxyanions: diversity and physiological and
      biochemical properties of chlorate- and perchlorate-reducing microorganisms.
AB  - Chlorine oxyanions are valuable electron acceptors for microorganisms. Recent
      findings have shed light on the natural formation of chlorine oxyanions in the
      environment. These suggest a permanent introduction of respective compounds on
      Earth, long before their anthropogenic manufacture. Microorganisms that are able
      to grow by the reduction of chlorate and perchlorate are affiliated with
      phylogenetically diverse lineages, spanning from the Proteobacteria to the
      Firmicutes and archaeal microorganisms. Microbial reduction of chlorine oxyanions
      can be found in diverse environments and different environmental conditions
      (temperature, salinities, pH). It commonly involves the enzymes perchlorate
      reductase (Pcr) or chlorate reductase (Clr) and chlorite dismutase (Cld).
      Horizontal gene transfer seems to play an important role for the acquisition of
      functional genes. Novel and efficient Clds were isolated from microorganisms
      incapable of growing on chlorine oxyanions. Archaea seem to use a periplasmic Nar
      type reductase (pNar) for perchlorate reduction and lack a functional Cld.
      Chlorite is possibly eliminated by alternative (abiotic) reactions. This was
      already demonstrated for Archaeoglobus fulgidus, which uses reduced sulfur
      compounds to detoxify chlorite. A broad biochemical diversity of the trait, its
      environmental dispersal, and the occurrence of relevant enzymes in diverse
      lineages may indicate early adaptations of life toward chlorine oxyanions on
      Earth. 

PMID- 26104312
TI  - Vorapaxar, a Protease-Activated Receptor-1 Antagonist, a Double-Edged Sword!
AB  - Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) constitutes a group of pathophysiological entities
      resulting from reduced blood flow in the coronary arteries leading to decreased
      or improper functioning or death of heart muscle. Such patients are usually
      prescribed combination antiplatelet drug therapy, containing acetylsalicylic acid
      (aspirin) and an adenosine diphosphate receptor inhibitor to prevent recurrence
      of ischemic events. The combination prophylactic therapy to certain extend has
      been successful in preventing secondary complications including
      ischemic/thrombotic events in these patients. However, research is still on for
      newer advances in anti-thrombotic therapy that can further prevent secondary
      complications of Acute Coronary Syndrome. Vorapaxar is a newer drug recommended
      along with aspirin or clopidogril for prevention of recurrence of cardiac events.
      Vorapaxar, a thrombin receptor antagonist acts by reversible inhibition of the
      protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1). PAR-1 is expressed on platelets, and it
      inhibits platelet aggregation, both thrombin-induced and thrombin receptor
      agonist peptide (TRAP)-induced. Various trials world -wide have documented its
      efficacy as an anti-platelet agent for preventing recurrent cardiovascular
      ischemic events but at the expense of increased bleeding complications including
      intracranial haemorrhage (ICH), when compared to standard therapy alone. For the
      same reason, vorapaxar is contraindicated in patients with prior stroke,
      transient ischemic attack and ICH. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
      approved vorapaxar in May 2014 as an antiplatelet agent along with standard anti
      platelet therapy for the reduction of recurring thrombotic cardiovascular events
      in patients with a history of myocardial infarction or with peripheral arterial
      disease. Vorapaxar is developed and marketed by Merck Sharp Dohme and is
      available by the brand name 'Zontivity' as 2.5 mg oral tablet equivalent to 2.08
      mg of vorapaxar sulfate. There are two patents protecting this drug. 

PMID- 26104313
TI  - The beneficial effect of alpha-blockers for ureteral stent-related discomfort:
      systematic review and network meta-analysis for alfuzosin versus tamsulosin
      versus placebo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was carried out a network meta-analysis of evidence from
      randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate stent-related discomfort in
      patients with alfuzosin or tamsulosin versus placebo. METHODS: Relevant RCTs were
      identified from electronic databases. The proceedings of appropriate meetings
      were also searched. Seven articles on the basis of RCTs were included in our meta
      analysis. Using pairwise and network meta-analyses, comparisons were made by
      qualitative and quantitative syntheses. Evaluation was performed with the
      Ureteric Stent Symptoms Questionnaire to assess the urinary symptom score (USS)
      and body pain score (BPS). RESULTS: One of the seven RCTs was at moderate risk of
      bias for all quality criteria; two studies had a high risk of bias. In the
      network meta-analysis, both alfuzosin (mean difference [MD];-4.85, 95 %
      confidence interval [CI];-8.53--1.33) and tamsulosin (MD;-8.84, 95 % CI;-13.08-
      4.31) showed lower scores compared with placebo; however, the difference in USS
      for alfuzosin versus tamsulosin was not significant (MD; 3.99, 95 % CI;-1.23
      9.04). Alfuzosin (MD;-5.71, 95 % CI;-11.32--0.52) and tamsulosin (MD;-7.77, 95 %
      CI;-13.68--2.14) showed lower scores for BPS compared with placebo; however, the
      MD between alfuzosin and tamsulosin was not significant (MD; 2.12, 95 % CI;-4.62
      8.72). In the rank-probability test, tamsulosin ranked highest for USS and BPS,
      and alfuzosin was second. CONCLUSION: The alpha-blockers significantly decreased
      USS and BPS in comparison with placebo. Tamsulosin might be more effective than
      alfuzosin.

PMID- 26104314
TI  - Involvement of cAMP-guanine nucleotide exchange factor II in hippocampal long
      term depression and behavioral flexibility.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) activate small GTPases
      that are involved in several cellular functions. cAMP-guanine nucleotide exchange
      factor II (cAMP-GEF II) acts as a target for cAMP independently of protein kinase
      A (PKA) and functions as a GEF for Rap1 and Rap2. Although cAMP-GEF II is
      expressed abundantly in several brain areas including the cortex, striatum, and
      hippocampus, its specific function and possible role in hippocampal synaptic
      plasticity and cognitive processes remain elusive. Here, we investigated how cAMP
      GEF II affects synaptic function and animal behavior using cAMP-GEF II knockout
      mice. RESULTS: We found that deletion of cAMP-GEF II induced moderate decrease in
      long-term potentiation, although this decrease was not statistically significant.
      On the other hand, it produced a significant and clear impairment in NMDA
      receptor-dependent long-term depression at the Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses
      of hippocampus, while microscopic morphology, basal synaptic transmission, and
      depotentiation were normal. Behavioral testing using the Morris water maze and
      automated IntelliCage system showed that cAMP-GEF II deficient mice had
      moderately reduced behavioral flexibility in spatial learning and memory.
      CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that cAMP-GEF II plays a key role in hippocampal
      functions including behavioral flexibility in reversal learning and in mechanisms
      underlying induction of long-term depression.

PMID- 26104316
TI  - Challenges in definitive fracture management of blast injuries.
AB  - The United States military remains engaged in the longest armed conflict in this
      nation's history. The majority of casualties in the global war on terror come
      from blast-related injuries. Multiple centers have published their experience and
      outcomes with these complex patients. Findings from the study of injured military
      personnel have implications for mass casualty events resulting from industrial
      accidents or terrorism in the civilian sector. This article will review the
      pathophysiology of blast-related injury. The authors will summarize treatment
      considerations, priorities, and techniques that have proven successful. Finally,
      the authors will discuss the incidence and management of common complications
      after blast-related injuries. 

PMID- 26104317
TI  - Esculentoside A suppresses Abeta(1-42)-induced neuroinflammation by down
      regulating MAPKs pathways in vivo.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Esculentoside A (EsA) is a saponin isolated from the roots of
      Phytolacca esculenta. Previous studies have demonstrated that EsA exerts strong
      anti-inflammatory effects in peripheral immune inflammation. This study is to
      determine whether EsA is effective in inflammation-related neurodegenerative
      diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Male C57BL/6(B6) mice were
      divided into three groups of six mice as follows: (1) control group; (2) AD model
      group (Abeta(1-42)-induced AD mice with saline); (3) EsA group (Abeta(1-42)
      induced AD mice with EsA, 5  mg/kg/day, i.p. for 15 days). Behavioural testing
      was performed after 15  days of EsA treatment. Real time PCR and Western blot
      were used to assess the level of inflammation factors and mitogen-activated
      protein kinases (MAPKs). Immunostaining was used to determine the level of
      activated microglia and astrocyte. RESULTS: The results showed that EsA
      attenuated memory deficits in Abeta(1-42)-induced AD mice. Esculentoside A
      decreased the pro-inflammatory factors and microglia and astrocyte activation in
      the hippocampi of Abeta(1-42)-induced AD mice. Moreover, Abeta(1-42) activated
      phosphorylation of ERK, JNK and p38 MAPKs in the hippocampi of mice in the AD
      model group, while EsA significantly decreased the phosphorylation levels.
      CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that EsA provides protective effects against
      neuroinflammation triggered by beta-amyloid.

PMID- 26104315
TI  - Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for doxorubicin cardiomyopathy: hopes and fears.
AB  - Chemotherapy has made an essential contribution to cancer treatment in recent
      decades despite its adverse effects. As cancer survivors have increased, concern
      about ex-patient lifespan has become more important too. Doxorubicin is an
      effective anti-neoplastic drug that produces a cardiotoxic effect. Cancer
      survivors who received doxorubicin became more vulnerable to cardiac disease than
      the normal population did. Many efforts have been made to prevent cardiac
      toxicity in patients with cancer. However, current therapies cannot guarantee
      permanent cardiac protection. One of their main limitations is that they do not
      promote myocardium regeneration. In this review, we summarize and discuss the
      promising use of mesenchymal stem cells for cardio-protection or cardio
      regeneration therapies and consider their regenerative potential without leaving
      aside their controversial effects on tumor progression. 

PMID- 26104318
TI  - Clitorodynia: A Descriptive Study of Clitoral Pain.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Clitorodynia is classified as a type of localized vulvodynia. Our
      knowledge of this problem is limited to case studies and one published report.
      AIMS: The objective of the present study was to describe quantitatively the
      clinical characteristics of clitoral pain, to assess interference with sexual
      function, and to investigate whether clitoral pain is a unitary category.
      METHODS: One hundred twenty-six women with clitoral pain completed an online
      questionnaire that assessed demographic information, descriptive pain
      characteristics, intensity and impact on daily activities, sexual function, and
      gynecological and medical histories. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome
      measures used for the study are the following: clitoral pain characteristics
      (e.g., intensity, duration, quality, distress, etc.), short-form McGill pain
      questionnaire-2, and the female sexual function index. RESULTS: Clitoral pain is
      characterized by frequent and intense pain episodes that can either be provoked
      or unprovoked, and causes significant impairment in both daily and sexual
      function. The pain can be localized to the clitoris only or can occur with other
      genital pain. Comorbidity with other chronic pain disorders is common. A cluster
      analysis suggested two distinct patterns of clitoral pain, one localized and one
      generalized. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that women with clitoral pain
      suffer from significant, distressing, and often long-term pain, which interferes
      with sexual and daily activities. Two subtypes of clitoral pain may exist, each
      with distinct pain characteristics and subjective experiences.

PMID- 26104319
TI  - Systematic review: effect of whole-body computed tomography on mortality in
      trauma patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The initial diagnostic evaluation and management of trauma patients
      is mainly based on Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) guidelines worldwide.
      Based on ATLS principles, conventional diagnostics such as conventional
      radiography (CR) and focused abdominal sonography in trauma (FAST) should precede
      selective use of CT. Whole-body CT (WBCT) is highly accurate and allows detection
      of life threatening injuries with good sensitivity and specificity. WBCT is
      faster than conventional diagnostics and saves more time in management of trauma
      patients. This study aims to review studies investigating the effect of WBCT on
      mortality in trauma patients. METHODS: Literatures were found by searching
      keywords in Medline, PubMed and Cochrane library. The relevant articles were
      selected by two independent reviewers based on title, abstract and introduction
      sections. Full-texts of selected articles were reviewed and those investigating
      effect of WBCT on mortality in trauma patients were included. RESULTS: Searching
      the keywords in Medline and PubMed resulted in 178 and 167 articles,
      respectively. Nine studies met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. These
      included 8 retrospective and 1 prospective cohort studies. Mortality was measured
      as mortality rate or standardised mortality ratio (SMR) in the included studies.
      CONCLUSIONS: Unlike previous systematic reviews, this review indicates that use
      of WBCT in blunt trauma patients is associated with reduced overall mortality
      rate and that WBCT can potentially improve the probability of survival in
      haemodynamically stable and unstable blunt trauma patients. High quality RCTs are
      required to describe a causal relationship between WBCT and mortality in trauma
      patients.

PMID- 26104321
TI  - Ultralow noise miniature external cavity semiconductor laser.
AB  - Advanced applications in optical metrology demand improved lasers with high
      spectral purity, in form factors that are small and insensitive to environmental
      perturbations. While laboratory-scale lasers with extraordinarily high stability
      and low noise have been reported, all-integrated chip-scale devices with sub-100
      Hz linewidth have not been previously demonstrated. Lasers integrated with
      optical microresonators as external cavities have the potential for substantial
      reduction of noise. However, stability and spectral purity improvements of these
      lasers have only been validated with rack-mounted support equipment, assembled
      with fibre lasers to marginally improve their noise performance. In this work we
      report on a realization of a heterogeneously integrated, chip-scale semiconductor
      laser featuring 30-Hz integral linewidth as well as sub-Hz instantaneous
      linewidth. 

PMID- 26104320
TI  - Molecular determinants of acute kidney injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a condition that leads to a rapid
      deterioration of renal function associated with impairment to maintain
      electrolyte and acid balance, and, if left untreated, ultimately irreversible
      kidney damage and renal necrosis. There are a number of causes that can trigger
      AKI, ranging from underlying conditions as well as trauma and surgery.
      Specifically, the global rise in surgical procedures led to a substantial
      increase of AKI incidence rates, which in turn impacts on mortality rates,
      quality of life and economic costs to the healthcare system. However, no
      effective therapy for AKI exists. Current approaches, such as pharmacological
      intervention, help in alleviating symptoms in slowing down the progression, but
      do not prevent or reverse AKI-induced organ damage. METHODS: An in-depth
      understanding of the molecular machinery involved in and modulated by AKI
      induction and progression is necessary to specifically pharmacologically target
      key molecules. A major hurdle to devise a successful strategy is the
      multifactorial and complex nature of the disorder itself, whereby the activation
      of a number of seemingly independent molecular pathways in the kidney leads to
      apoptotic and necrotic events. RESULTS: The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system
      (RAAS) axis appears to be a common element, leading to downstream events such as
      triggers of immune responses via the NF?B pathway. Other pathways intricately
      linked with AKI-induction and progression are the tumor necrosis factor alpha
      (TNF?) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF?) signaling cascades, as well as
      a number of other modulators. Surprisingly, it has been shown that the
      involvement of the glutamatergic axis, believed to be mainly a component of the
      neurological system, is also a major contributor. CONCLUSIONS: Here we address
      the current understanding of the molecular pathways evoked in AKI, their
      interplay, and the potential to pharmacologically intervene in the effective
      prevention and/or progression of AKI.

PMID- 26104322
TI  - Green and scalable production of colloidal perovskite nanocrystals and
      transparent sols by a controlled self-collection process.
AB  - Colloidal perovskite oxide nanocrystals have attracted a great deal of interest
      owing to the ability to tune physical properties by virtue of the nanoscale, and
      generate thin film structures under mild chemical conditions, relying on self
      assembly or heterogeneous mixing. This is particularly true for
      ferroelectric/dielectric perovskite oxide materials, for which device
      applications cover piezoelectrics, MEMs, memory, gate dielectrics and energy
      storage. The synthesis of complex oxide nanocrystals, however, continues to
      present issues pertaining to quality, yield, % crystallinity, purity and may also
      suffer from tedious separation and purification processes, which are
      disadvantageous to scaling production. We report a simple, green and scalable
      "self-collection" growth method that produces uniform and aggregate-free
      colloidal perovskite oxide nanocrystals including BaTiO3 (BT), Ba(x)Sr(1-x)TiO3
      (BST) and quaternary oxide BaSrTiHfO3 (BSTH) in high crystallinity and high
      purity. The synthesis approach is solution processed, based on the sol-gel
      transformation of metal alkoxides in alcohol solvents with controlled or
      stoichiometric amounts of water and in the stark absence of surfactants and
      stabilizers, providing pure colloidal nanocrystals in a remarkably low
      temperature range (15  degrees C-55  degrees C). Under a static condition, the
      nanoscale hydrolysis of the metal alkoxides accomplishes a complete
      transformation to fully crystallized single domain perovskite nanocrystals with a
      passivated surface layer of hydroxyl/alkyl groups, such that the as-synthesized
      nanocrystals can exist in the form of super-stable and transparent sol, or self
      accumulate to form a highly crystalline solid gel monolith of nearly 100% yield
      for easy separation/purification. The process produces high purity ligand-free
      nanocrystals excellent dispersibility in polar solvents, with no impurity
      remaining in the mother solution other than trace alcohol byproducts (such as
      isopropanol). The afforded stable and transparent suspension/solution can be
      treated as inks, suitable for printing or spin/spray coating, demonstrating great
      capabilities of this process for fabrication of high performance dielectric thin
      films. The simple "self-collection" strategy can be described as green and
      scalable due to the simplified procedure from synthesis to
      separation/purification, minimum waste generation, and near room temperature
      crystallization of nanocrystal products with tunable sizes in extremely high
      yield and high purity.

PMID- 26104323
TI  - Erratum to: Diagnostic Performance of (68)Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT, (18)F-FDG PET/CT
      and (131)I-MIBG Scintigraphy in Mapping Metastatic Pheochromocytoma and
      Paraganglioma.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s13139-015-0331-7.]. 

PMID- 26104324
TI  - Effects of exercise on soleus in severe burn and muscle disuse atrophy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Muscle loss is a sequela of severe burn and critical illness with bed
      rest contributing significantly to atrophy. We hypothesize that exercise will
      mitigate muscle loss after burn with bed rest. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male rats
      were assigned to sham ambulatory (S/A), burn ambulatory (B/A), sham hindlimb
      unloading (S/H), or burn hindlimb unloading (B/H). Rats received a 40% scald burn
      or sham and were ambulatory or placed in hindlimb unloading, a model of bed rest.
      Half from each group performed twice daily resistance climbing. Hindlimb
      isometric forces were measured on day 14. RESULTS: Soleus mass and muscle
      function were not affected by burn alone. Mass was significantly lower in
      hindlimb unloading (79 versus 139 mg, P < 0.001) and no exercise (103 versus 115
      mg, P < 0.01). Exercise significantly increased soleus mass in B/H (86 versus 77
      mg, P < 0.01). Hindlimb unloading significantly decreased muscle force in the
      twitch (12 versus 31 g, P < 0.001), tetanic (55 versus 148 g, P < 0.001), and
      specific tetanic measurements (12 versus 22 N/cm(2), P < 0.001). Effects of
      exercise on force depended on other factors. In B/H, exercise significantly
      increased twitch (14 versus 8 g, P < 0.05) and specific tetanic force (14 versus
      7 N/cm(2), P < 0.01). Fatigue index was lower in ambulatory (55%) and exercise
      (52%) versus hindlimb (69%, P = 0.03) and no exercise (73%, P = 0.002).
      CONCLUSIONS: Hindlimb unloading is a significant factor in muscle atrophy.
      Exercise increased the soleus muscle mass, twitch, and specific force in this
      model. However, the fatigue index decreased with exercise in all groups. This
      suggests exercise contributes to functional muscle change in this model of disuse
      and critical illness.

PMID- 26104326
TI  - Surgery for the treatment of obesity in children and adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Child and adolescent overweight and obesity have increased globally,
      and are associated with significant short and long term health consequences.
      OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of surgical interventions for treating obesity
      in childhood and adolescence. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Library,
      MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE as well as LILACS, ICTRP Search Portal and
      ClinicalTrials.gov (all from database inception to March 2015). References of
      identified studies and systematic reviews were checked. No language restrictions
      were applied. SELECTION CRITERIA: We selected randomised controlled trials (RCTs)
      of surgical interventions for treating obesity in children and adolescents (age <
      18 years) with a minimum of six months follow-up. Interventions that specifically
      dealt with the treatment of eating disorders or type 2 diabetes, or included
      participants with a secondary or syndromic cause of obesity were excluded.
      Pregnant females were also excluded. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review
      authors independently assessed risk of bias and extracted data. Where necessary
      authors were contacted for additional information. MAIN RESULTS: We included one
      RCT (a total of 50 participants, 25 in both the intervention and comparator
      group). The intervention focused on laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding
      surgery, which was compared to a control group receiving a multi component
      lifestyle programme. The participating population consisted of Australian
      adolescents (a higher proportion of girls than boys) aged 14 to 18 years, with a
      mean age of 16.5 and 16.6 years in the gastric banding and lifestyle group,
      respectively which was conducted in a private hospital, receiving funding from
      the gastric banding manufacturer. The study authors were unable to blind
      participants, personnel and outcome assessors which may have resulted in a high
      risk of performance and detection bias. Attrition bias was noted as well. The
      study authors reported a mean reduction in weight of 34.6 kg (95% confidence
      interval (CI) 30.2 to 39.0) at two years, representing a change in body mass
      index (BMI) of 12.7 (95% CI 11.3 to 14.2) for the surgery intervention; and a
      mean reduction in weight of 3.0 kg (95% CI 2.1 to 8.1) representing a change in
      BMI of 1.3 (95% CI 0.4 to 2.9) for the lifestyle intervention. The differences
      between groups were statistically significant for all weight measures at 24
      months (P < 0.001). The overall quality of the evidence according to the Grading
      of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) was low.
      Adverse events were reported in 12/25 (48%) participants in the intervention
      group compared to 11/25 (44%) in the control group (low quality evidence). A
      total of 28% of the adolescents undergoing gastric banding required revisional
      surgery. No data were reported for all-cause mortality, behaviour change,
      participants views of the intervention and socioeconomic effects. At two years,
      the gastric banding group performed better than the lifestyle group in two of
      eight health-related quality of life concepts (very low quality evidence) as
      measured by the Child Health Questionnaire (physical functioning score (94 versus
      78, community norm 95) and change in health score (4.4 versus 3.6, community norm
      3.5)). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic gastric banding led to greater body
      weight loss compared to a multi component lifestyle program in one small study
      with 50 patients. These results do not provide enough data to assess efficacy
      across populations from different countries, socioeconomic and ethnic
      backgrounds, who may respond differently. This systematic review highlights the
      lack of RCTs in this field. Future studies should assess the impact of the
      surgical procedure and post operative care to minimise adverse events, including
      the need for post operative adjustments and revisional surgery. Long-term follow
      up is also critical to comprehensively assess the impact of surgery as
      participants enter adulthood.

PMID- 26104327
TI  - Unravelling viral camouflage: approaches to the study and characterization of
      conformational epitopes.
AB  - Antibodies are broadly used in clinical and basic research. Many of monoclonal
      antibodies are successfully adopted for therapeutic and diagnostic targeting of
      viral pathogens. Efficacy of antiviral neutralizing or protective antibodies
      depends on their ability to recognize epitopes interfering with viral infection.
      However, viruses are able to incessantly change their antigenic determinants to
      escape surveillance of humoral immune system and therefore the successful
      antiviral therapies require continuous development. Characterization of
      interactions of antibodies with prevalently conformational viral epitopes is
      important for understanding antibody mode of action and can help to identify
      conserved regions that may be exploited in designing new vaccines and virus
      neutralizing antibodies. In this article, we are reviewing techniques in use for
      characterization of conformational epitopes of monoclonal antibodies with focus
      on viruses. 

PMID- 26104325
TI  - Kv7 channels in the nucleus accumbens are altered by chronic drinking and are
      targets for reducing alcohol consumption.
AB  - Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are a major public health issue and produce enormous
      societal and economic burdens. Current Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
      approved pharmacotherapies for treating AUDs suffer from deleterious side effects
      and are only effective in a subset of individuals. It is therefore essential to
      find improved medications for the management of AUDs. Emerging evidence suggests
      that anticonvulsants are a promising class of drugs for treating individuals with
      AUDs. In these studies, we used integrative functional genomics to demonstrate
      that genes that encode Kv7 channels (i.e. Kcnq2/3) are related to alcohol
      (ethanol) consumption, preference and acceptance in rodents. We then tested the
      ability of the FDA-approved anticonvulsant retigabine, a Kv7 channel opener, to
      reduce voluntary ethanol consumption of Wistar rats in a two-bottle choice
      intermittent alcohol access paradigm. Systemic administration and microinjections
      of retigabine into the nucleus accumbens significantly reduced alcohol drinking,
      and retigabine was more effective at reducing intake in high- versus low-drinking
      populations of Wistar rats. Prolonged voluntary drinking increased the
      sensitivity to the proconvulsant effects of pharmacological blockade of Kv7
      channels and altered surface trafficking and SUMOylation patterns of Kv7.2
      channels in the nucleus accumbens. These data implicate Kcnq2/3 in the regulation
      of ethanol drinking and demonstrate that long-term drinking produces
      neuroadaptations in Kv7 channels. In addition, these results have identified
      retigabine as a potential pharmacotherapy for treating AUDs and Kv7 channels as a
      novel therapeutic target for reducing heavy drinking.

PMID- 26104328
TI  - Efficiency of live attenuated and inactivated rabies viruses in prophylactic and
      post exposure vaccination against the street virus strain.
AB  - Rabies remains an enigmatic and widely discussed global infectious disease and
      causes an increasing number of deaths. The currently used highly effective
      prophylactic and post exposure (p.e.) vaccination depends solely upon
      inexpensive, effective and safe vaccines to counteract the spread of the disease.
      In this study, the potential of an attenuated Chinese rabies vaccine (SRV9)
      strain in prophylactic and p.e. vaccination against the street strain of rabies
      virus (RV) was evaluated in mice. Prophylactic vaccination consisting of one
      intramuscular (i.m.) dose of SRV9 protected 100% of mice from intracerebral
      (i.c.) challenge with a lethal dose of the street virus. The latter was detected
      in the brain of mice at day 6 post challenge by RT-PCR. Post exposure vaccination
      was performed at days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 post infection (p.i.) with either SRV9
      or inactivated rabies vaccine. The survival rates after i.m. inoculation of SRV9
      at the indicated days were 70%, 50%, 30%, 20%, 10%, and 0%, respectively; the
      corresponding survival rates for the inactivated rabies vaccine were 30%, 20%,
      10%, 0%, 0%, and 0%, respectively. However, 100%, 90%, 70%, 50%, 20%, 10%, and
      10% of mice survived after i.c. inoculation of SRV9 at the indicated days. The
      increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier and the infiltration of CD19+ B
      cells into the central nervous system after i.c. inoculation of SRV9 are regarded
      as prerequisites for the clearance of the street virus. The obtained data suggest
      that SRV9 is a promising candidate for prophylactic and p.e. vaccination against
      rabies infection and that it exhibits a potential for the control of rabies in
      China. 

PMID- 26104329
TI  - Association of tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus DNA-B with bhendi yellow vein
      mosaic virus in okra showing yellow vein mosaic disease symptoms.
AB  - Okra samples showing yellow vein mosaic, vein twisting and bushy appearance were
      collected from different locations of India during the surveys conducted between
      years 2005-2009. The dot blot and PCR detection revealed that 75.14% of the
      samples were associated with monopartite begomovirus and remaining samples with
      bipartite virus. Whitefly transmission was established for three samples
      representing widely separated geographical locations which are negative to
      betasatellites and associated with DNA-B. Genome components of these three
      representative isolates were cloned and sequenced. The analysis of DNA-A-like
      sequence revealed that three begomovirus isolates shared more than 93% nucleotide
      sequence identity with bhendi yellow vein mosaic virus from India (BYVMV), a
      monopartite begomovirus species that was reported previously as causative agent
      of bhendi yellow mosaic disease in association of bhendi yellow vein mosaic
      betasatellite. Further, the DNA-B-like sequences associated with the three virus
      isolates shared no more than 90% sequence identity with tomato leaf curl New
      Delhi virus (ToLCNDV). Analyses of putative iteron-binding sequence required for
      trans-replication suggests that begomovirus sequences shared compatible rep
      binding iterons with DNA-B of ToLCNDV. Our data suggest that the monopartite
      begomovirus associated with okra yellow vein disease has captured DNA-B of
      ToLCNDV to infect okra. Widespread distribution of the complex shows the
      increasing trend of the capturing of DNA-B of ToLCNDV by monopartite
      begomoviruses in the Indian subcontinent. The recombination analysis showed that
      the DNA-A might have been derived from the inter-specific recombination of
      begomoviruses, while DNA-B was derived from the ToLCNDV infecting different
      hosts. 

PMID- 26104330
TI  - Sequence and phylogenetic analyses of five low pathogenic avian influenza H5N2
      viruses isolated in China.
AB  - Five H5N2 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) were isolated in Xianghai National
      Nature Reserve, Jilin Province, China in October 2011. They were all identified
      as low pathogenic AIVs (LPAIVs) based on their deduced amino acid sequences at
      the cleavage site of HA protein. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all gene
      segments clustered in the Eurasian lineage and that the nucleotide homology of
      the five isolates was greater for HA and NA genes than for the genes for internal
      proteins PB2, PB1, PA, M, NP and NS. 

PMID- 26104331
TI  - Induction of interferon lambda in influenza a virus infected cells treated with
      shRNAs against M1 transcript.
AB  - RNA interference (RNAi) represents a form of post-transcriptional gene silencing
      mediated by small interfering RNAs (siRNA) and provides a powerful tool to
      specifically inhibit viral infection. To investigate therapeutic capacity of
      siRNAs targeting M gene, six vectors with U1-short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression
      system were prepared and tested in infected cells and animals. In infected cells,
      three of six shRNAs targeting M1 gene significantly (P <0,01) reduced the virus
      titer to 66%, 45% or 21%, respectively. Replication of IAV and levels of M1 RNAs
      were significantly reduced in the cells transfected with shRNAs, which decreased
      the virus titer. IFN-alpha/beta altered in shRNAs-treated cells. The level of IFN
      lambda (type III interferon) mRNA was significantly increased in the infected
      cells treated with shM22, shM349, shM522, and (type I interferon) as well as IP
      10 (type II interferon) mRNAs were not significantly their mixtures. The
      increased level of IFN-lambda mRNA corresponded to significantly increased level
      of RIG-1 mRNA. shRNAs inhibited influenza virus infection in a gene-specific
      manner in co-operation with IFN-lambda. Some constructs targeting the M1
      transcript prolonged the survival of infected mice. 

PMID- 26104332
TI  - Pathotyping of recent Indian field isolates of Marek's disease virus serotype 1.
AB  - A study was undertaken to assess the virulence of Marek's disease virus (MDV)
      serotype 1 field isolates obtained from poultry flocks of southern part of India.
      Five representative MDV serotype 1 strains were isolated from eighty-six blood
      samples collected from fifteen farms. Three out of five isolates which were free
      from avian leukosis virus (ALV) and reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) were
      adapted in chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) culture and designated as
      Ind/TN/11/01, Ind/KA/12/02 and Ind/TN/12/03. Pathotyping assay was conducted in
      two trials. In the first trial, non-vaccinated chickens were challenged (trial
      I), while in second trial, two types of vaccinated chickens along with non
      vaccinated controls were challenged (trial II). Birds inoculated with field
      isolate Ind/TN/12/03 had very low body (75.34 +/- 3.04 g 15 days post infection
      (dpi)) and bursa Fabricii weight (1.64 +/- 0.06 at 15 dpi) when compared to those
      inoculated with the other two isolates (Ind/TN/11/01 and Ind/KA/12/02) and
      uninoculated controls (body weight 111.33 +/- 1.30 g and bursa Fabricii weight
      4.33 +/- 0.11 15 dpi). Incidence of early mortality syndrome (53%) and lymphoma
      (86%) induced by Ind/TN/12/03 was comparable with very virulent strains published
      elsewhere. In protection test, the percentage of Marek's disease (MD) incidence
      induced by Ind/TN/12/03 was 57.5% and 25% in monovalent and bivalent vaccine
      inoculated birds respectively compared to uninoculated control (100%). Based on
      the above findings in pathotyping experimental trials with a supportive evidence
      of histopathological observations, isolate Ind/TN/12/03 was considered as very
      virulent MDV and other two isolates were considered as virulent MDVs.

PMID- 26104333
TI  - Virus-neutralizing antibody response of mice to consecutive infection with human
      and avian influenza A viruses.
AB  - In this work we simulated in a mouse model a naturally occurring situation of
      humans, who overcame an infection with epidemic strains of influenza A, and were
      subsequently exposed to avian influenza A viruses (IAV). The antibody response to
      avian IAV in mice previously infected with human IAV was analyzed. We used two
      avian IAV (A/Duck/Czechoslovakia/1956 (H4N6) and the attenuated virus rA/Viet
      Nam/1203-2004 (H5N1)) as well as two human IAV isolates (virus
      A/Mississippi/1/1985 (H3N2) of medium virulence and A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1)
      of high virulence). Two repeated doses of IAV of H4 or of H5 virus elicited virus
      specific neutralizing antibodies in mice. Exposure of animals previously infected
      with human IAV (of H3 or H1 subtype) to IAV of H4 subtype led to the production
      of antibodies neutralizing H4 virus in a level comparable with the level of
      antibodies against the human IAV used for primary infection. In contrast, no
      measurable levels of virus-neutralizing (VN) antibodies specific to H5 virus were
      detected in mice infected with H5 virus following a previous infection with human
      IAV. In both cases the secondary infection with avian IAV led to a significant
      increase of the titer of VN antibodies specific to the corresponding human virus
      used for primary infection. Moreover, cross-reactive HA2-specific antibodies were
      also induced by sequential infection. By virtue of these results we suggest that
      the differences in the ability of avian IAV to induce specific antibodies
      inhibiting virus replication after previous infection of mice with human viruses
      can have an impact on the interspecies transmission and spread of avian IAV in
      the human population. 

PMID- 26104334
TI  - Molecular characterization of cucumber mosaic virus isolates infecting tomato in
      Hamedan and Tehran provinces of Iran.
AB  - Here we identified four isolates, MS, 3H, 50A, and 2K of cucumber mosaic virus
      (CMV) infecting tomato, on the basis of their non-coding intergenic region and a
      part of the coat protein (CP) sequence in the CMV genomic RNA3. The sequences
      from the four isolates were compared with other previously characterized isolates
      of CMV isolated from different plant species across the globe. Sequence
      comparisons revealed that the two CMV isolates from Hamedan province (MS and 3H)
      had the highest sequence identity with CMV-G10 (98%), which was previously
      reported as a severe Hellenic tomato isolate of CMV, while the CMV isolates from
      Tehran province, including CMV-2K (isolated from Karaj region) and CMV-50A
      (isolated from Varamin region), had the highest sequence identity with that of
      CMV-ALF (99%). Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequences showed that CMV
      MS and CMV-3H belong to group IB, while CMV-2K and CMV-50A belong to group IA.
      This is the first report on the molecular characterization of novel isolates of
      CMV infecting tomato plants in Iran. 

PMID- 26104335
TI  - Prion protein prevents heavy metals overloading of cells and thus protects them
      against their toxicity.
AB  - Physiological function of a prion protein (PrP) is not known yet. Regarding the
      relation of PrP to heavy metals it is known that PrP is able to bind divalent
      ions of copper, zinc, manganese and nickel through its octarepeat region. It has
      been hypothesized but not yet confirmed that PrP could play a role in copper
      metabolism. In this study, cells expressing human full-length PrP (HuPrP1) and
      PrP-knockout (PrP0/0/1) cells were incubated with various concentrations of
      copper, zinc, manganese and nickel for 4 days and then were assayed for
      intracellular content of these metals and cell viability. The results showed that
      HuPrP1 cells accumulated less heavy metals than PrP0/0/1 cells when
      concentrations of heavy metals exceeded physiological level. In conclusion,
      HuPrP1 cells are more resistant to chronic overload with copper, manganese, zinc
      or nickel than PrP0/0/1 cells. The resistance to metals overload is caused solely
      by the presence of PrP, since HuPrP1 and PrP0/0/1 cells differ only in the
      expression of PrP. These results indicate that one of the functions of PrP can be
      the modulation of trace heavy metal concentrations in cells and protection of
      cells against heavy metals overload and subsequent oxidative stress. 

PMID- 26104336
TI  - Detection of sweet potato virus C, sweet potato virus 2 and sweet potato feathery
      mottle virus in Portugal.
AB  - Field sweet potato plants showing virus-like symptoms, as stunting, leaf
      distortion, mosaic and chlorosis, were collected in southwest Portugal and tested
      for the presence of four potyviruses, sweet potato virus C (SPVC), sweet potato
      virus 2 (SPV2), sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV), sweet potato virus G
      (SPVG), and the crinivirus sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV). DsRNA
      fractions were extracted from symptomatic leaves and used as templates in single
      and multiplex RT-PCR assays using previously described specific primers for each
      analyzed virus. The amplified reaction products for SPVC, SPV2 and SPFMV were of
      expected size, and direct sequencing of PCR products revealed that they
      correspond to the coat protein gene (CP) and showed 98%, 99% and 99% identity,
      respectively, to those viruses. Comparison of the CP genomic and amino acid
      sequences of the Portuguese viral isolates recovered here with those of ten other
      sequences of isolates obtained in different countries retrieved from the GenBank
      showed very few differences. The application of the RT-PCR assays revealed for
      the first time the presence of SPVC and SPFMV in the sweet potato crop in
      Portugal, the absence of SPVG and SPCSV in tested plants, as well as the
      occurrence of triple virus infections under field conditions. 

PMID- 26104337
TI  - Preparation of vesicular stomatitis virus pseudotype with Chikungunya virus
      envelope protein.
AB  - Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that causes
      Chikungunya fever (CHIKF) in millions of people mainly in developing countries.
      CHIKF is characterized by high fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, rash,
      myalgia and severe arthralgia. To date, there is no specific treatment and no
      licensed vaccine against CHIKV infection. In this study, we developed a safe,
      efficient and easy neutralization assay of CHIKV based on vesicular stomatitis
      virus (VSV) pseudotype with CHIKV envelope protein and the green fluorescent
      protein (GFP) or luciferase as reporter gene, which could be used under a reduced
      safety level. The VSV pseudotype can be applied to the epidemic survey by
      measuring the expression of GFP or luciferase activity in infected cells. This
      system can also be used to study the mechanisms of virus entry. 

PMID- 26104338
TI  - Comparative analysis of sialidase protein in velogenic and lentogenic strains of
      Newcastle disease virus.
AB  - The sialidase protein is a  major part of hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN)
      protein of Newcastle disease virus (NDV), which is an important multifunctional
      envelope protein. This protein plays key roles in virus attachment to cells and
      virus-cell fusion. In this study, we compared the sialidase protein of Iranian
      virulent velogenic field strains with that of avirulent lentogenic strains. Six
      of seventeen variations in amino acid 395, 523, 550 432, 479 and 540 were
      observed near the catalytic and glycosylation sites in the sialidase protein. The
      obtained results showed fundamental differences in various biological parameters
      such as post-translational modification, antigenic index and electrostatic
      potential of tertiary structure of the sialidase protein. We suggest these six
      amino acids might play an effective role in the pathogenesis of NDV. 

PMID- 26104339
TI  - Serum total antioxidant capacity status of HTLV-1 infected patients.
AB  - Many aspects of the pathogenesis of Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV
      1) still need further elucidations. Previous studies have indicated that
      oxidative stress occurs during infection with the other retrovirus, human
      immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1). Similar results have been observed in some
      other chronic viral infections including hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV).
      In order to reveal possible oxidative stress in HTLV-1-infected patients, we
      evaluated serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as an indicator of oxidative
      stress in these patients. Forty-four HTLV-1-seropositive individuals were
      included in this study, consisting of 12 symptomatic and 32 asymptomatic
      (carrier) cases. Controls consisted of 36 apparently healthy, HTLV-1-, HIV- and
      hepatitis-seronegative individuals. All symptomatic patients had HTLV-1
      associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Serum TAC levels in
      patients and healthy individuals were measured using a quantitative TAC assay.
      The antioxidant capacity in HTLV-1-seropositive cases was significantly reduced
      compared to control group (P = 0.001). In addition, TAC was lower in patients
      with more than 5 years history of HAM/TSP compared to those with <=5 years
      duration of the myelopathy (P = 0.03). Our results show a depletion of TAC during
      HTLV-1 infection, which intensifies along with the disease progress. This finding
      indicates a role of the oxidative stress in pathogenesis of HTLV-1. These results
      may prompt further research to evaluate any possible therapeutic effect of
      antioxidant dietary supplements for HTLV-1 infected individuals. 

PMID- 26104340
TI  - Characterization of tomato aspermy virus isolated from chrysanthemum and
      elucidation of its complete nucleotide sequence.

PMID- 26104341
TI  - The Short Questionnaire to Assess Health-Enhancing (SQUASH) Physical Activity in
      Adolescents: A Validation Using Doubly Labeled Water.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accurate assessment of physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE)
      among adolescents is important for surveillance, evaluating interventions, and
      understanding the relation between energy balance and normal physiological and
      behavioral growth and development. The purpose of this study was to examine the
      validity of the Short Questionnaire to Assess Health-Enhancing Physical Activity
      (SQUASH)13 for measuring PAEE among adolescents. METHODS: The participants were
      seventeen adolescents (9 females; Mean age = 17.53; SD = 0.62). Energy
      expenditure was measured during a 9-day period with doubly labeled water (DLW).
      The SQUASH was self-administered on the morning of the 10th day and assessed
      commuting activities, leisure time activities, household activities, and
      activities at work and school over the previous 9 days. RESULTS: A Bland-Altman
      plot indicated that the SQUASH underestimated PAEE compared with DLW by a mean
      difference of 126 kcal.d-1 (95% limits of agreement: -1,207 to 1,459 kcal.d-1),
      representative of a 10% underestimation. The Spearman rank order correlation
      coefficient showed there was a significant association between the SQUASH and DLW
      (r = .50, P = .04), for estimating PAEE. CONCLUSION: When using a sample of
      highly active adolescents, the SQUASH is a valid self-report tool for measuring
      PAEE at the group and individual rank order level.

PMID- 26104343
TI  - Evasion of Innate and Adaptive Immunity by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - Through thousands of years of reciprocal coevolution, Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      has become one of humanity's most successful pathogens, acquiring the ability to
      establish latent or progressive infection and persist even in the presence of a
      fully functioning immune system. The ability of M. tuberculosis to avoid immune
      mediated clearance is likely to reflect a highly evolved and coordinated program
      of immune evasion strategies that interfere with both innate and adaptive
      immunity. These include the manipulation of their phagosomal environment within
      host macrophages, the selective avoidance or engagement of pattern recognition
      receptors, modulation of host cytokine production, and the manipulation of
      antigen presentation to prevent or alter the quality of T-cell responses. In this
      article we review an extensive array of published studies that have begun to
      unravel the sophisticated program of specific mechanisms that enable M.
      tuberculosis and other pathogenic mycobacteria to persist and replicate in the
      face of considerable immunological pressure from their hosts. Unraveling the
      mechanisms by which M. tuberculosis evades or modulates host immune function is
      likely to be of major importance for the development of more effective new
      vaccines and targeted immunotherapy against tuberculosis. 

PMID- 26104342
TI  - Structure and function of the mammalian middle ear. I: Large middle ears in small
      desert mammals.
AB  - Many species of small desert mammals are known to have expanded auditory bullae.
      The ears of gerbils and heteromyids have been well described, but much less is
      known about the middle ear anatomy of other desert mammals. In this study, the
      middle ears of three gerbils (Meriones, Desmodillus and Gerbillurus), two jerboas
      (Jaculus) and two sengis (elephant-shrews: Macroscelides and Elephantulus) were
      examined and compared, using micro-computed tomography and light microscopy.
      Middle ear cavity expansion has occurred in members of all three groups,
      apparently in association with an essentially 'freely mobile' ossicular
      morphology and the development of bony tubes for the middle ear arteries. Cavity
      expansion can occur in different ways, resulting in different subcavity patterns
      even between different species of gerbils. Having enlarged middle ear cavities
      aids low-frequency audition, and several adaptive advantages of low-frequency
      hearing to small desert mammals have been proposed. However, while Macroscelides
      was found here to have middle ear cavities so large that together they exceed
      brain volume, the bullae of Elephantulus are considerably smaller. Why middle ear
      cavities are enlarged in some desert species but not others remains unclear, but
      it may relate to microhabitat. 

PMID- 26104344
TI  - Resolution of Multimeric Forms of Circular Plasmids and Chromosomes.
AB  - One of the disadvantages of circular plasmids and chromosomes is their high
      sensitivity to rearrangements caused by homologous recombination. Odd numbers of
      crossing-over occurring during or after replication of a circular replicon result
      in the formation of a dimeric molecule in which the two copies of the replicon
      are fused. If they are not converted back to monomers, the dimers of replicons
      may fail to correctly segregate at the time of cell division. Resolution of
      multimeric forms of circular plasmids and chromosomes is mediated by site
      specific recombination, and the enzymes that catalyze this type of reaction fall
      into two families of proteins: the serine and tyrosine recombinase families. Here
      we give an overview of the variety of site-specific resolution systems found on
      circular plasmids and chromosomes. 

PMID- 26104345
TI  - Spore Surface Display.
AB  - A variety of bioactive peptides and proteins have been successfully displayed on
      the surface of recombinant spores of Bacillus subtilis and other sporeformers. In
      most cases, spore display has been achieved by stably anchoring the foreign
      molecules to endogenous surface proteins or parts of them. Recombinant spores
      have been proposed for a large number of potential applications ranging from oral
      vaccine vehicles to bioremediation tools, and including biocatalysts, probiotics
      for animal or human use, as well as the generation and screening of mutagenesis
      libraries. In addition, a nonrecombinant approach has been recently developed to
      adsorb antigens and enzymes on the spore surface. This nonrecombinant approach
      appears particularly well suited for applications involving the delivery of
      active molecules to human or animal mucosal surfaces. Both the recombinant and
      nonrecombinant spore display systems have a number of advantages over cell- or
      phage-based systems. The stability, safety of spores of several bacterial
      species, and amenability to laboratory manipulations, together with the lack of
      some constraints limiting the use of other systems, make the spore a highly
      efficient platform to display heterologous proteins. 

PMID- 26104346
TI  - New Therapeutic Developments against Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli.
AB  - Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is an etiologic agent of
      bloody diarrhea. A serious sequela of disease, the hemolytic uremic syndrome
      (HUS) may arise in up to 25% of patients. The development of HUS after STEC
      infection is linked to the presence of Stx. STEC strains may produce one or more
      Stxs, and the Stxs come in two major immunological groups, Stx1 and Stx2. A
      multitude of possible therapeutics designed to inhibit the actions of the Stxs
      have been developed over the past 30 years. Such therapeutics are important
      because antibiotic treatment of STEC infections is contraindicated due to an
      increased potential for development of HUS. The reason for the increased risk of
      HUS after antibiotic treatment is likely because certain antibiotics induce
      expression of the Stxs, which are generally associated with lysogenic
      bacteriophages. There are a few potential therapeutics that either try to kill
      STEC without inducing Stx expression or target gene expression within STEC.
      However, the vast majority of the treatments under development are designed to
      limit Stx receptor generation or to prevent toxin binding, trafficking,
      processing, or activity within the cell. The potential therapies described in
      this review include some that have only been tested in vitro and several that
      demonstrate efficacy in animals. The therapeutics that are currently the furthest
      along in development (completed phase I and II trials) are monoclonal antibodies
      directed against Stx1 and Stx2. 

PMID- 26104347
TI  - DNA Assembly Tools and Strategies for the Generation of Plasmids.
AB  - Since the discovery of restriction enzymes and the generation of the first
      recombinant DNA molecule over 40 years ago, molecular biology has evolved into a
      multidisciplinary field that has democratized the conversion of a digitized DNA
      sequence stored in a computer into its biological counterpart, usually as a
      plasmid, stored in a living cell. In this article, we summarize the most relevant
      tools that allow the swift assembly of DNA sequences into useful plasmids for
      biotechnological purposes. We cover the main components and stages in a typical
      DNA assembly workflow, namely in silico design, de novo gene synthesis, and in
      vitro and in vivo sequence assembly methodologies. 

PMID- 26104348
TI  - Conditional Activation of Toxin-Antitoxin Systems: Postsegregational Killing and
      Beyond.
AB  - Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are small genetic modules formed by a stable toxin
      and an unstable antitoxin that are widely present in plasmids and in chromosomes
      of Bacteria and Archaea. Toxins can interfere with cell growth or viability,
      targeting a variety of key processes. Antitoxin inhibits expression of the toxin,
      interacts with it, and neutralizes its effect. In a plasmid context, toxins are
      kept silent by the continuous synthesis of the unstable antitoxins; in plasmid
      free cells (segregants), toxins can be activated owing to the faster decay of the
      antitoxin, and this results in the elimination of these cells from the population
      (postsegregational killing [PSK]) and in an increase of plasmid-containing cells
      in a growing culture. Chromosomal TA systems can also be activated in particular
      circumstances, and the interference with cell growth and viability that ensues
      contributes in different ways to the physiology of the cell. In this article, we
      review the conditional activation of TAs in selected plasmidic and chromosomal TA
      pairs and the implications of this activation. On the whole, the analysis
      underscores TA interactions involved in PSK and points to the effective
      contribution of TA systems to the physiology of the cell. 

PMID- 26104349
TI  - Veterinary Public Health Approach to Managing Pathogenic Verocytotoxigenic
      Escherichia coli in the Agri-Food Chain.
AB  - Verocytoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) comprises many diverse serogroups, but
      seven serogroups, O157, O26, O103, O145, O111, O21, and O45, have been most
      commonly linked to severe human infections, though illness has also been reported
      from a range of other VTEC serogroups. This poses challenges in assessing the
      risk to humans from the diverse range of VTEC strains that may be recovered from
      animals, the environment, or food. For routine assessment of risk posed by VTEC
      recovered from the agri-food chain, the concept of seropathotype can be used to
      rank the human risk potential from a particular VTEC serogroup on the basis of
      both serotype (top seven serogroups) and the presence of particular virulence
      genes (vt in combination with eae, or aaiC plus aggR). But for other VTEC
      serogroups or virulence gene combinations, it is not currently possible to fully
      assess the risk posed. VTEC is shed in animal feces and can persist in the farm
      environment for extended periods ranging from several weeks to many months,
      posing an ongoing reservoir of contamination for grazing animals, water courses,
      and fresh produce and for people using farmland for recreational purposes.
      Appropriate handling and treatment of stored animal waste (slurries and manures)
      will reduce risk from VTEC in the farm environment. Foods of animal origin such
      as milk and dairy products and meat may be contaminated with VTEC during
      production and processing, and the pathogen may survive or grow during processing
      operations, highlighting the need for well-designed and validated Hazard Analysis
      Critical Control Point management systems. This article focuses on a veterinary
      public health approach to managing VTEC, highlighting the various routes in the
      agri-food chain for transmission of human pathogenic VTEC and general approaches
      to managing the risk. 

PMID- 26104350
TI  - Nucleotide Metabolism and DNA Replication.
AB  - The development and application of a highly versatile suite of tools for
      mycobacterial genetics, coupled with widespread use of "omics" approaches to
      elucidate the structure, function, and regulation of mycobacterial proteins, has
      led to spectacular advances in our understanding of the metabolism and physiology
      of mycobacteria. In this article, we provide an update on nucleotide metabolism
      and DNA replication in mycobacteria, highlighting key findings from the past 10
      to 15 years. In the first section, we focus on nucleotide metabolism, ranging
      from the biosynthesis, salvage, and interconversion of purine and pyrimidine
      ribonucleotides to the formation of deoxyribonucleotides. The second part of the
      article is devoted to DNA replication, with a focus on replication initiation and
      elongation, as well as DNA unwinding. We provide an overview of replication
      fidelity and mutation rates in mycobacteria and summarize evidence suggesting
      that DNA replication occurs during states of low metabolic activity, and conclude
      by suggesting directions for future research to address key outstanding
      questions. Although this article focuses primarily on observations from
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it is interspersed, where appropriate, with insights
      from, and comparisons with, other mycobacterial species as well as better
      characterized bacterial models such as Escherichia coli. Finally, a common theme
      underlying almost all studies of mycobacterial metabolism is the potential to
      identify and validate functions or pathways that can be exploited for
      tuberculosis drug discovery. In this context, we have specifically highlighted
      those processes in mycobacterial DNA replication that might satisfy this critical
      requirement. 

PMID- 26104351
TI  - Double-Strand DNA Break Repair in Mycobacteria.
AB  - Discontinuity of both strands of the chromosome is a lethal event in all living
      organisms because it compromises chromosome replication. As such, a diversity of
      DNA repair systems has evolved to repair double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs). In
      part, this diversity of DSB repair systems has evolved to repair breaks that
      arise in diverse physiologic circumstances or sequence contexts, including
      cellular states of nonreplication or breaks that arise between repeats.
      Mycobacteria elaborate a set of three genetically distinct DNA repair pathways:
      homologous recombination, nonhomologous end joining, and single-strand annealing.
      As such, mycobacterial DSB repair diverges substantially from the standard model
      of prokaryotic DSB repair and represents an attractive new model system. In
      addition, the presence in mycobacteria of a DSB repair system that can repair
      DSBs in nonreplicating cells (nonhomologous end joining) or when DSBs arise
      between repeats (single-strand annealing) has clear potential relevance to
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis, although the exact role of these systems
      in M. tuberculosis pathogenesis is still being elucidated. In this article we
      will review the genetics of mycobacterial DSB repair systems, focusing on recent
      insights. 

PMID- 26104352
TI  - The Interplay between the Microbiota and Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli.
AB  - The gastrointestinal tract of mammals is home to a plethora of microbial species
      that comprise the microbiota. The role of the microbiota in human health is at
      the forefront of science in recent years, because it is now appreciated that this
      intricate microbe-host association shapes the host's immune response and
      physiology. Many diseases are associated with changes in the microbiota, called
      dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is associated with obesity, metabolic syndromes,
      inflammatory bowel-disease, inflammatory bowel syndrome, cancer, diabetes,
      allergies, and autism. The microbiota is largely regarded as a barrier to enteric
      infections, such as with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). However, the
      interactions between pathogens and the microbiota are largely unknown, as is how
      these interactions influence the outcome of enteric disease. The microbial
      composition of the gastrointestinal tract shapes the landscape in which EHEC
      survives within the host. This organism competes for nutrients derived from the
      host diet, liberates additional resources from dietary and host sources, and
      produces signaling molecules sensed by EHEC to direct gene expression. To
      successfully colonize the recto-anal junction of a ruminant, the EHEC reservoir,
      or the colon of a human, an accidental host, EHEC must alter its physiology to
      survive within the host digestive tract. In this article, we explore the classes
      of molecules produced or modified by the microbiota that appear to be
      instrumental in governing virulence gene expression of EHEC. We also explore how
      interaction with different microbiotas influences EHEC infectivity and host
      interaction. 

PMID- 26104353
TI  - High-Throughput DNA Sequencing Analysis of Antibody Repertoires.
AB  - New high-throughput DNA sequencing (HTS) technologies developed in the past
      decade have begun to be applied to the study of the complex gene rearrangements
      that encode human antibodies. This article first reviews the genetic features of
      Ig loci and the HTS technologies that have been applied to human repertoire
      studies, then discusses key choices for experimental design and data analysis in
      these experiments and the insights gained in immunological and infectious disease
      studies with the use of these approaches. 

PMID- 26104354
TI  - Efficient Methods To Isolate Human Monoclonal Antibodies from Memory B Cells and
      Plasma Cells.
AB  - In this article, we highlight the advantages of isolating human monoclonal
      antibodies from the human memory B cells and plasma cell repertoires by using
      high-throughput cellular screens. Memory B cells are immortalized with high
      efficiency using Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the presence of a toll-like receptor
      (TLR) agonist, while plasma cells are maintained in single-cell cultures by using
      interleukin 6 (IL-6) or stromal cells. In both cases, multiple parallel assays,
      including functional assays, can be used to identify rare cells that produce
      antibodies with unique properties. Using these methods, we have isolated potent
      and broadly neutralizing antibodies against a variety of viruses, in particular,
      a pan-influenza-A-neutralizing antibody and an antibody that neutralizes four
      different paramyxoviruses. Given the high throughput and the possibility of
      directly screening for function (rather than just binding), these methods are
      instrumental to implement a target-agnostic approach to identify the most
      effective antibodies and, consequently, the most promising targets for vaccine
      design. This approach is exemplified by the identification of unusually potent
      cytomegalovirus-neutralizing antibodies that led to the identification of the
      target, a pentameric complex that we are developing as a candidate vaccine. 

PMID- 26104355
TI  - Spore Resistance Properties.
AB  - Spores of various Bacillus and Clostridium species are among the most resistant
      life forms known. Since the spores of some species are causative agents of much
      food spoilage, food poisoning, and human disease, and the spores of Bacillus
      anthracis are a major bioweapon, there is much interest in the mechanisms of
      spore resistance and how these spores can be killed. This article will discuss
      the factors involved in spore resistance to agents such as wet and dry heat,
      desiccation, UV and gamma-radiation, enzymes that hydrolyze bacterial cell walls,
      and a variety of toxic chemicals, including genotoxic agents, oxidizing agents,
      aldehydes, acid, and alkali. These resistance factors include the outer layers of
      the spore, such as the thick proteinaceous coat that detoxifies reactive
      chemicals; the relatively impermeable inner spore membrane that restricts access
      of toxic chemicals to the spore core containing the spore's DNA and most enzymes;
      the low water content and high level of dipicolinic acid in the spore core that
      protect core macromolecules from the effects of heat and desiccation; the
      saturation of spore DNA with a novel group of proteins that protect the DNA
      against heat, genotoxic chemicals, and radiation; and the repair of radiation
      damage to DNA when spores germinate and return to life. Despite their extreme
      resistance, spores can be killed, including by damage to DNA, crucial spore
      proteins, the spore's inner membrane, and one or more components of the spore
      germination apparatus. 

PMID- 26104356
TI  - The Influence of Biofilms in the Biology of Plasmids.
AB  - The field of plasmid biology has historically focused on bacteria growing in
      liquid culture. Surface-attached communities of bacterial biofilms have recently
      been understood to be the normal environment of bacteria in the natural world.
      Thus, studies examining plasmid replication, maintenance, and transfer in
      biofilms are essential for a true understanding of bacterial plasmid biology.
      This article reviews the current knowledge of the interplay between bacterial
      biofilms and plasmids, focusing on the role of plasmids in biofilm development
      and the role of biofilms in plasmid maintenance, copy-number control, and
      transfer. The studies examined herein highlight the importance of biofilms as an
      important ecological niche in which bacterial plasmids play an essential role. 

PMID- 26104357
TI  - A Unique DNA Recombination Mechanism of the Mating/Cell-type Switching of Fission
      Yeasts: a Review.
AB  - Cells of the highly diverged Schizosaccharomyces (S.) pombe and S. japonicus
      fission yeasts exist in one of two sex/mating types, called P (for plus) or M
      (for minus), specified by which allele, M or P, resides at mat1. The fission
      yeasts have evolved an elegant mechanism for switching P or M information at mat1
      by a programmed DNA recombination event with a copy of one of the two silent
      mating-type genes residing nearby in the genome. The switching process is highly
      cell-cycle and generation dependent such that only one of four grandchildren of a
      cell switches mating type. Extensive studies of fission yeast established the
      natural DNA strand chirality at the mat1 locus as the primary basis of asymmetric
      cell division. The asymmetry results from a unique site- and strand-specific
      epigenetic "imprint" at mat1 installed in one of the two chromatids during DNA
      replication. The imprint is inherited by one daughter cell, maintained for one
      cell cycle, and is then used for initiating recombination during mat1 replication
      in the following cell cycle. This mechanism of cell-type switching is considered
      to be unique to these two organisms, but determining the operation of such a
      mechanism in other organisms has not been possible for technical reasons. This
      review summarizes recent exciting developments in the understanding of mating
      type switching in fission yeasts and extends these observations to suggest how
      such a DNA strand-based epigenetic mechanism of cellular differentiation could
      also operate in diploid organisms. 

PMID- 26104358
TI  - Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence in Gram-Negatives: the
      Klebsiella pneumoniae Paradigm.
AB  - Plasmids harbor genes coding for specific functions including virulence factors
      and antibiotic resistance that permit bacteria to survive the hostile environment
      found in the host and resist treatment. Together with other genetic elements such
      as integrons and transposons, and using a variety of mechanisms, plasmids
      participate in the dissemination of these traits, resulting in the virtual
      elimination of barriers among different kinds of bacteria. In this article we
      review the current information about the physiology of plasmids and their role in
      virulence and antibiotic resistance from the Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen
      Klebsiella pneumoniae. This bacterium has acquired multidrug resistance and is
      the causative agent of serious community- and hospital-acquired infections. It is
      also included in the recently defined ESKAPE group of bacteria that cause most
      U.S. hospital infections. 

PMID- 26104359
TI  - Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Pathogenesis and the Host Response.
AB  - Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is a highly pathogenic bacterial strain
      capable of causing watery or bloody diarrhea, the latter termed hemorrhagic
      colitis, and hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS is defined as the simultaneous
      development of non-immune hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal
      failure. The mechanism by which EHEC bacteria colonize and cause severe colitis,
      followed by renal failure with activated blood cells, as well as neurological
      symptoms, involves the interaction of bacterial virulence factors and specific
      pathogen-associated molecular patterns with host cells as well as the host
      response. The innate immune host response comprises the release of antimicrobial
      peptides as well as cytokines and chemokines in addition to activation and/or
      injury to leukocytes, platelets, and erythrocytes and activation of the
      complement system. Some of the bacterial interactions with the host may be
      protective in nature, but, when excessive, contribute to extensive tissue injury,
      inflammation, and thrombosis, effects that may worsen the clinical outcome of
      EHEC infection. This article describes aspects of the host response occurring
      during EHEC infection and their effects on specific organs. 

PMID- 26104360
TI  - The Spectrum of Drug Susceptibility in Mycobacteria.
AB  - A major factor complicating efforts to control the tuberculosis epidemic is the
      long duration of treatment required to successfully clear the infection. One
      reason that long courses of treatment are required may be the fact that
      mycobacterial cells arise during the course of infection that are less
      susceptible to antibiotics. Here we describe the paradigms of phenotypic drug
      tolerance and resistance as they apply to mycobacteria. We then discuss the
      mechanisms by which phenotypically drug-tolerant and -resistant cells arise both
      at a population level and in specialized subpopulations of cells that may be
      especially important in allowing the bacterium to survive in the face of
      treatment. These include general mechanisms that have been shown to alter the
      susceptibility of mycobacteria to antibiotics including growth arrest, efflux
      pump induction, and biofilm formation. In addition, we discuss emerging data from
      single-cell studies of mycobacteria that have identified unique ways in which
      specialized subpopulations of cells arise that vary in their frequency, in their
      susceptibility to drug, and in their stability over time. 

PMID- 26104361
TI  - Human Metapneumovirus.
AB  - Human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a paramyxovirus identified in 2001, is a leading
      cause of respiratory tract infections in both children and adults. Seroprevalence
      studies demonstrate that the primary infection occurs before the age of 5 years,
      and humans are reinfected throughout life. The four subgroups of HMPV occur with
      year-to-year variability, and infection with one subgroup confers some serologic
      cross-protection. Experimental vaccines elicit a humoral response in both animal
      and human models and have been used to identify antigenic determinants. The main
      target of protective antibodies is the fusion (F) protein, although many of the
      remaining eight proteins are immunogenic. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting
      the F protein are both protective and therapeutic in animal models. Most
      recently, the identification of broadly neutralizing antibodies against HMPV and
      respiratory syncytial virus demonstrates that common epitopes are present between
      the two viruses. Broadly neutralizing mAbs have significant clinical implications
      for prophylaxis and treatment of high-risk hosts as well as vaccine development. 

PMID- 26104362
TI  - Risk Factors for Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli-Associated Human
      Diseases.
AB  - We have reviewed the risk factors for the occurrence of Shiga toxin-producing
      Escherichia coli (STEC)-associated human diseases. The analysis of STEC
      surveillance data and trends shows differences in frequency and severity of the
      illnesses across countries, whereas the economic and social costs for the
      affected families, the community, and the health system are better estimated in
      developed countries. The occurrence of STEC infections is determined by the
      interaction of the pathogen, the reservoirs, and the biological, cultural, and
      behavioral aspects of the host. The main risk factors identified in earlier case
      control and population-based studies were dietary behaviors and beef consumption.
      However, in recent years, other risky exposures have also emerged, like the
      consumption of raw vegetables and sprouts, working or camping in rural areas,
      visiting farms, and person-to-person transmission. Epidemiological changes have
      also been determined by the intensification of cattle production, the increase in
      centralized food production and distribution, and the growth in the volume of
      international trade of foods. The main lessons learned from recent large
      outbreaks are knowledge of virulence determinants of new pathogenic strains,
      recognition of new vehicles of infection, development of new methodologies for
      detecting STEC in foods and humans, improvement in food regulations and hygiene
      guidelines, new therapeutic approaches in the treatment of infected patients,
      establishment of continuous educational programs for food consumers, and enhanced
      cooperation and teamwork of regional and international networks. 

PMID- 26104363
TI  - Tn7.
AB  - The bacterial transposon Tn7 is distinguished by the levels of control it
      displays over transposition and its capacity to utilize different kinds of target
      sites. Transposition is carried out using five transposon-encoded proteins, TnsA,
      TnsB, TnsC, TnsD, and TnsE, which facilitate transfer of the element while
      minimizing the chances of inactivating host genes by using two pathways of
      transposition. One of these pathways utilizes TnsD, which targets transposition
      into a single site found in bacteria (attTn7), and a second utilizes TnsE, which
      preferentially directs transposition into plasmids capable of moving between
      bacteria. Control of transposition involves a heteromeric transposase that
      consists of two proteins, TnsA and TnsB, and a regulator protein TnsC. Tn7 also
      has the ability to inhibit transposition into a region already occupied by the
      element in a process called target immunity. Considerable information is
      available about the functional interactions of the Tn7 proteins and many of the
      protein-DNA complexes involved in transposition. Tn7-like elements that encode
      homologs of all five of the proteins found in Tn7 are common in diverse bacteria,
      but a newly appreciated larger family of elements appears to use the same core
      TnsA, TnsB, and TnsC proteins with other putative target site selector proteins
      allowing different targeting pathways. 

PMID- 26104364
TI  - "Preharvest" Food Safety for Escherichia coli O157 and Other Pathogenic Shiga
      Toxin-Producing Strains.
AB  - Preharvest food safety refers to the concept of reducing the rates of
      contamination of unprocessed foods with food-borne disease pathogens in order to
      reduce human exposure and disease. This article addresses the search for
      effective preharvest food safety practices for application to live cattle to
      reduce both contamination of foods of bovine origin and environmental
      contamination resulting from cattle. Although this research has resulted in
      several practices that significantly decrease contamination by Escherichia coli
      O157, the effects are limited in magnitude and unlikely to affect the incidence
      of human disease without much wider application and considerably higher efficacy
      than is presently apparent. Infection of cattle with E. coli O157 is transient
      and seasonally variable, likely resulting from a complex web of exposures. It is
      likely that better identification of the true maintenance reservoir of this agent
      and related Shiga toxin-producing E. coli is required to develop more effective
      control measures for these important food- and waterborne disease agents. 

PMID- 26104365
TI  - Evolution in the Bacillaceae.
AB  - The family Bacillaceae constitutes a phenotypically diverse and globally
      ubiquitous assemblage of bacteria. Investigation into how evolution has shaped,
      and continues to shape, this family has relied on several widely ranging
      approaches from classical taxonomy, ecological field studies, and evolution in
      soil microcosms to genomic-scale phylogenetics, laboratory, and directed
      evolution experiments. One unifying characteristic of the Bacillaceae, the
      endospore, poses unique challenges to answering questions regarding both the
      calculation of evolutionary rates and claims of extreme longevity in ancient
      environmental samples. 

PMID- 26104366
TI  - Shiga Toxin (Verotoxin)-Producing Escherichia coli in Japan.
AB  - A series of outbreaks of infection with Shiga toxin (verocytotoxin)-producing
      Escherichia coli or enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) O157:H7 occurred in Japan in
      1996, the largest outbreak occurring in primary schools in Sakai City, Osaka
      Prefecture, where more than 7,500 cases were reported. Although the reason for
      the sudden increase in the number of reports of EHEC isolates in 1996 is not
      known, the number of reports has grown to more than 3,000 cases per year since
      1996, from an average of 105 reports each year during the previous 5-year period
      (1991-1995). Despite control measures instituted since 1996, including
      designating Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection as a notifiable disease, and
      nationwide surveillance effectively monitoring the disease, the number of reports
      remains high, around 3,800 cases per year. Serogroup O157 predominates over other
      EHEC serogroups, but isolation frequency of non-O157 EHEC has gone up slightly
      over the past few years. Non-O157 EHEC has recently caused outbreaks where
      consumption of a raw beef dish was the source of the infection, and some fatal
      cases occurred. Laboratory surveillance comprised prefectural and municipal
      public health institutes, and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases has
      contributed to finding not only multiprefectural outbreaks but recognizing
      sporadic cases that could have been missed as an outbreak without the aid of
      molecular subtyping of EHEC isolates. This short overview presents recent
      information on the surveillance of EHEC infections in Japan. 

PMID- 26104368
TI  - Mycobacterial Biofilms.
AB  - Bacteria have a natural propensity to grow as sessile, matrix-encapsulated,
      multicellular communities called biofilms. Formation of biofilms proceeds through
      genetically programmed, distinct developmental stages signaled by intricate
      networks of communication among the constituent population and their environment.
      Growing in the complex and heterogeneous microenvironments of biofilms, the
      resident bacteria acquire unique phenotypes that are generally not associated
      with their planktonic counterparts. Most notable among these is an extraordinary
      level of tolerance to a variety of environmental stresses, including antibiotics.
      Although mycobacteria have long been observed to spontaneously form complex
      multicellular structures in vitro, it has only recently become apparent that
      these structures are not only formed through dedicated genetic pathways but are
      also tolerant to antibiotics. In this article, we review the recent advances in
      the understanding of mycobacterial biofilms in vitro. We further consider the
      possible linkage between biofilm-like lifestyles and characteristic persistence
      of mycobacterial infections against host-defense mechanisms as well as
      antibiotics. 

PMID- 26104369
TI  - Historical Events That Spawned the Field of Plasmid Biology.
AB  - This chapter revisits the historical development and outcome of studies focused
      on the transmissible, extrachromosomal genetic elements called plasmids. Early
      work on plasmids involved structural and genetic mapping of these molecules,
      followed by the development of an understanding of how plasmids replicate and
      segregate during cell division. The intriguing property of plasmid transmission
      between bacteria and between bacteria and higher cells has received considerable
      attention. The utilitarian aspects of plasmids are described, including examples
      of various plasmid vector systems. This chapter also discusses the functional
      attributes of plasmids needed for their persistence and survival in nature and in
      man-made environments. The term plasmid biology was first conceived at the Fallen
      Leaf Lake Conference on Promiscuous Plasmids, 1990, Lake Tahoe, California. The
      International Society for Plasmid Biology was established in 2004 (www.ISPB.org).

PMID- 26104367
TI  - The Pup-Proteasome System of Mycobacteria.
AB  - Proteasomes are ATP-dependent, barrel-shaped proteases found in all three domains
      of life. In eukaryotes, proteins are typically targeted for degradation by
      posttranslational modification with the small protein ubiquitin. In 2008, the
      first bacterial protein modifier, Pup (prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein), was
      identified in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Functionally analogous to ubiquitin,
      conjugation with Pup serves as a signal for degradation by the mycobacterial
      proteasome. Proteolysis-dependent and -independent functions of the M.
      tuberculosis proteasome are essential for virulence of this successful pathogen.
      In this article we describe the discovery of the proteasome as a key player in
      tuberculosis pathogenesis and the biology and biochemistry of the Pup-proteasome
      system. 

PMID- 26104370
TI  - Retroviral DNA Transposition: Themes and Variations.
AB  - Retroviruses and LTR retrotransposons are transposable elements that encapsidate
      the RNAs that are intermediates in the transposition of DNA copies of their
      genomes (proviruses), from one cell (or one locus) to another. Mechanistic
      similarities in DNA transposase enzymes and retroviral/retrotransposon integrases
      underscore the close evolutionary relationship among these elements. The
      retroviruses are very ancient infectious agents, presumed to have evolved from
      Ty3/Gypsy LTR retrotransposons (1), and DNA copies of their sequences can be
      found embedded in the genomes of most, if not all, members of the tree of life.
      All retroviruses share a specific gene arrangement and similar replication
      strategies. However, given their ancestries and occupation of diverse
      evolutionary niches, it should not be surprising that unique sequences have been
      acquired in some retroviral genomes and that the details of the mechanism by
      which their transposition is accomplished can vary. While every step in the
      retrovirus lifecycle is, in some sense, relevant to transposition, this Chapter
      focuses mainly on the early phase of retroviral replication, during which viral
      DNA is synthesized and integrated into its host genome. Some of the initial
      studies that set the stage for current understanding are highlighted, as well as
      more recent findings obtained through use of an ever-expanding technological
      toolbox including genomics, proteomics, and siRNA screening. Persistence in the
      area of structural biology has provided new insight into conserved mechanisms as
      well as variations in detail among retroviruses, which can also be instructive.

PMID- 26104371
TI  - The Plasmid Mobilome of the Model Plant-Symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti: Coming
      up with New Questions and Answers.
AB  - Rhizobia are Gram-negative Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria living in the
      underground which have the ability to associate with legumes for the
      establishment of nitrogen-fixing symbioses. Sinorhizobium meliloti in particular
      the symbiont of Medicago, Melilotus, and Trigonella spp.-has for the past decades
      served as a model organism for investigating, at the molecular level, the
      biology, biochemistry, and genetics of a free-living and symbiotic soil bacterium
      of agricultural relevance. To date, the genomes of seven different S. meliloti
      strains have been fully sequenced and annotated, and several other draft genomic
      sequences are also available. The vast amount of plasmid DNA that S. meliloti
      frequently bears (up to 45% of its total genome), the conjugative ability of some
      of those plasmids, and the extent of the plasmid diversity has provided
      researchers with an extraordinary system to investigate functional and structural
      plasmid molecular biology within the evolutionary context surrounding a plant
      associated model bacterium. Current evidence indicates that the plasmid mobilome
      in S. meliloti is composed of replicons varying greatly in size and having
      diverse conjugative systems and properties along with different evolutionary
      stabilities and biological roles. While plasmids carrying symbiotic functions
      (pSyms) are known to have high structural stability (approaching that of
      chromosomes), the remaining plasmid mobilome (referred to as the non-pSym,
      functionally cryptic, or accessory compartment) has been shown to possess
      remarkable diversity and to be highly active in conjugation. In light of the
      modern genomic and current biochemical data on the plasmids of S. meliloti, the
      current article revises their main structural components, their transfer and
      regulatory mechanisms, and their potential as vehicles in shaping the evolution
      of the rhizobial genome. 

PMID- 26104372
TI  - Plasmids as Tools for Containment.
AB  - Active containment systems are a major tool for reducing the uncertainty
      associated with the introduction of monocultures, genetically engineered or not,
      into target habitats for a large number of biotechnological applications (e.g.,
      bioremediation, bioleaching, biopesticides, biofuels, biotransformations, live
      vaccines, etc.). While biological containment reduces the survival of the
      introduced organism outside the target habitat and/or upon completion of the
      projected task, gene containment strategies reduce the lateral spread of the key
      genetic determinants to indigenous microorganisms. In fundamental research,
      suicide circuits become relevant tools to address the role of gene transfer,
      mainly plasmid transfer, in evolution and how this transfer contributes to genome
      plasticity and to the rapid adaptation of microbial communities to environmental
      changes. Many lethal functions and regulatory circuits have been used and
      combined to design efficient containment systems. As many new genomes are being
      sequenced, novel lethal genes and regulatory elements are available, e.g., new
      toxin-antitoxin modules, and they could be used to increase further the current
      containment efficiencies and to expand containment to other organisms. Although
      the current containment systems can increase the predictability of genetically
      modified organisms in the environment, containment will never be absolute, due to
      the existence of mutations that lead to the appearance of surviving
      subpopulations. In this sense, orthogonal systems (xenobiology) appear to be the
      solution for setting a functional genetic firewall that will allow absolute
      containment of recombinant organisms. 

PMID- 26104373
TI  - Committing the Oldest Sins in the Newest Kind of Ways-Antibodies Targeting the
      Influenza Virus Type A Hemagglutinin Globular Head.
AB  - The globular head of the trimeric influenza hemagglutinin (HA) contains the
      receptor-binding domain (RBD) and is the target of potently neutralizing human
      monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with high in vivo activity. In general, these mAbs
      are induced easily by vaccination, but only infrequently display cross
      neutralizing activity against antigenic drift variants or even against HA
      molecules from viruses of heterologous subtypes. Recently, the atomic resolution
      structures of several such antibodies in complex with HA have been determined by
      X-ray crystallography. Not surprisingly, cross-reactive globular head antibodies
      target, at least partially, the conserved RBD. The cross-reactive potential of
      such mAbs is limited by contacts of hypervariable HA residues outside the
      conserved RBD. The RBD of H2 HA seems especially immunogenic. Increasing the
      immunogenicity of the RBD of other HA subtypes may be a step toward a universal
      influenza vaccine. The germ line-encoded Phe54 residue of the CDR-H2 of the VH1
      69 germ line sequence appears to be ideally suited not only to reach into a
      conserved, hydrophobic pocket on the HA stem, but also to reach into the
      conserved, hydrophobic pocket that is the RBD. We have cloned antibodies from
      different individuals that are encoded by the VH1-69 germ line gene segment that
      contact the universally conserved Trp153 on the bottom of the RBD. These
      antibodies serve as further evidence of antibody genetic sequence convergence
      across individuals. 

PMID- 26104375
TI  - Mobilizable Rolling-Circle Replicating Plasmids from Gram-Positive Bacteria: A
      Low-Cost Conjugative Transfer.
AB  - Conjugation is a key mechanism for horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. Some
      plasmids are not self-transmissible but can be mobilized by functions encoded in
      trans provided by other auxiliary conjugative elements. Although the transfer
      efficiency of mobilizable plasmids is usually lower than that of conjugative
      elements, mobilizable plasmids are more frequently found in nature. In this
      sense, replication and mobilization can be considered important mechanisms
      influencing plasmid promiscuity. Here we review the currently available
      information on two families of small mobilizable plasmids from Gram-positive
      bacteria that replicate via the rolling-circle mechanism. One of these families,
      represented by the streptococcal plasmid pMV158, is an interesting model since it
      contains a specific mobilization module (MOBV) that is widely distributed among
      mobilizable plasmids. We discuss a mechanism in which the promiscuity of the
      pMV158 replicon is based on the presence of two origins of lagging strand
      synthesis. The current strategies to assess plasmid transfer efficiency as well
      as to inhibit conjugative plasmid transfer are presented. Some applications of
      these plasmids as biotechnological tools are also reviewed. 

PMID- 26104376
TI  - Sporulation in Bacteria: Beyond the Standard Model.
AB  - Endospore formation follows a complex, highly regulated developmental pathway
      that occurs in a broad range of Firmicutes. Although Bacillus subtilis has served
      as a powerful model system to study the morphological, biochemical, and genetic
      determinants of sporulation, fundamental aspects of the program remain mysterious
      for other genera. For example, it is entirely unknown how most lineages within
      the Firmicutes regulate entry into sporulation. Additionally, little is known
      about how the sporulation pathway has evolved novel spore forms and reproductive
      schemes. Here, we describe endospore and internal offspring development in
      diverse Firmicutes and outline progress in characterizing these programs.
      Moreover, comparative genomics studies are identifying highly conserved
      sporulation genes, and predictions of sporulation potential in new isolates and
      uncultured bacteria can be made from these data. One surprising outcome of these
      comparative studies is that core regulatory and some structural aspects of the
      program appear to be universally conserved. This suggests that a robust and
      sophisticated developmental framework was already in place in the last common
      ancestor of all extant Firmicutes that produce internal offspring or endospores.
      The study of sporulation in model systems beyond B. subtilis will continue to
      provide key information on the flexibility of the program and provide insights
      into how changes in this developmental course may confer advantages to cells in
      diverse environments. 

PMID- 26104374
TI  - Transposable Phage Mu.
AB  - Transposable phage Mu has played a major role in elucidating the mechanism of
      movement of mobile DNA elements. The high efficiency of Mu transposition has
      facilitated a detailed biochemical dissection of the reaction mechanism, as well
      as of protein and DNA elements that regulate transpososome assembly and function.
      The deduced phosphotransfer mechanism involves in-line orientation of metal ion
      activated hydroxyl groups for nucleophilic attack on reactive diester bonds, a
      mechanism that appears to be used by all transposable elements examined to date.
      A crystal structure of the Mu transpososome is available. Mu differs from all
      other transposable elements in encoding unique adaptations that promote its viral
      lifestyle. These adaptations include multiple DNA (enhancer, SGS) and protein
      (MuB, HU, IHF) elements that enable efficient Mu end synapsis, efficient target
      capture, low target specificity, immunity to transposition near or into itself,
      and efficient mechanisms for recruiting host repair and replication machineries
      to resolve transposition intermediates. MuB has multiple functions, including
      target capture and immunity. The SGS element promotes gyrase-mediated Mu end
      synapsis, and the enhancer, aided by HU and IHF, participates in directing a
      unique topological architecture of the Mu synapse. The function of these DNA and
      protein elements is important during both lysogenic and lytic phases. Enhancer
      properties have been exploited in the design of mini-Mu vectors for genetic
      engineering. Mu ends assembled into active transpososomes have been delivered
      directly into bacterial, yeast, and human genomes, where they integrate
      efficiently, and may prove useful for gene therapy. 

PMID- 26104377
TI  - Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on rats with the third
      lumbar vertebrae transverse process syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of
      transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) at local or distant
      acupuncture points in a rat model of the third lumbar vertebrae transverse
      process syndrome. METHODS: Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into
      control, model, model plus local acupuncture point stimulation at BL23
      (model+LAS) and model plus distant acupuncture point stimulation at ST36
      (model+DAS) groups. All rats except controls underwent surgical third lumbar
      vertebrae transverse process syndrome modelling on day 2. Thereafter, rats in the
      model+LAS and model+DAS groups were treated daily with TENS for a total of six
      treatments (2/100 Hz, 30 min/day) from day 16 to day 29. Thermal pain thresholds
      were measured once a week during treatment and were continued until day 57, when
      local muscle tissue was sampled for RT-PCR and histopathological examination
      after haematoxylin and eosin staining. mRNA expression of interleukin-1 beta (IL
      1beta), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and inducible nitric oxide
      synthase (iNOS) was determined. RESULTS: Thermal pain thresholds of all model
      rats decreased relative to the control group. Both LAS and DAS significantly
      increased the thermal pain threshold at all but one point during the treatment
      period. Histopathological assessment revealed that the local muscle tissues
      around the third lumbar vertebrae transverse process recovered to some degree in
      both the model+LAS and model+DAS groups; however, LAS appeared to have a greater
      effect. mRNA expression of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and iNOS in the local muscle
      tissues was increased after modelling and attenuated in both model+LAS and
      model+DAS groups. The beneficial effect was greater after LAS than after DAS.
      CONCLUSIONS: TENS at both local (BL23) and distant (ST36) acupuncture points had
      a pain-relieving effect in rats with the third lumbar vertebrae transverse
      process syndrome, and LAS appeared to have greater anti-inflammatory and
      analgesic effects than DAS. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: 09073.

PMID- 26104378
TI  - Clinical outcomes and predictors of fetal and maternal consequences of pregnancy
      in lupus nephritis patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To define the outcomes and risk predictors of fetal and maternal
      consequences of pregnancy in lupus nephritis (LN) patients. METHODS: Maternal and
      fetal outcomes of pregnancy in 52 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients
      were observed. Patients were allocated into two groups according to the presence
      or absence of LN. RESULTS: LN patients were subject to a higher risk of fetal
      complications, including fetal loss (7/24, 29.2 %, P = 0.001), lower birth weight
      (2548.2 +/- 540.8 vs. 2949.1 +/- 592.6 g, P = 0.028) and a higher frequency of
      small for gestational age births (33.3 vs. 10.7 %, P = 0.002). Higher rates of
      lupus flares (83.3 vs. 21.4 %, P = 0.001) and increased LAI-P scores (0.65 +/-
      0.36 vs. 0.21 +/- 0.27, P = 0.001) during pregnancy were observed in LN patients.
      Multivariate analysis showed that increased SLE activity (P = 0.02, OR 4.2, 95 %
      CI 1.2-14.5), renal damage (P = 0.001, OR 8.4, 95 % CI 2.2-31.8),
      hypocomplementemia (P = 0.05, OR 3.23, 95 % CI 1.0-10.7), hypoalbuminemia (P =
      0.011, OR 5.62, 95 % CI 1.4-23.0) and hypertension (P = 0.021, OR 6.0, 95 % CI
      1.5-24.2) during pregnancy were predictors of adverse fetal outcomes.
      CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy in LN patients should be monitored before and during
      pregnancy because of poor fetal and maternal outcomes. Increased LAI-P scores,
      renal damage, hypocomplementemia, hypoalbuminemia and hypertension are predictors
      of adverse fetal outcomes for SLE patients.

PMID- 26104379
TI  - Risk stratification model, including preoperative serum C-reactive protein and
      estimated glomerular filtration rate levels, in patients with upper urinary tract
      urothelial carcinoma undergoing radical nephroureterectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the prognostic indicators, including clinicopathological
      and preoperative hematological factors, in patients undergoing radical
      nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), and
      to develop a prognostic factor-based risk stratification model. METHODS: The
      clinicopathological data and preoperative parameters were collected from 345 UTUC
      patients treated with RNU without neoadjuvant therapy, retrospectively. The
      prognostic values of preoperative hematological parameters and
      clinicopathological factors were evaluated. Then, a risk stratification model was
      developed to predict poor survival after RNU using the regression coefficients of
      multivariate analysis. RESULTS: In multivariate analysis, high serum C-reactive
      protein (CRP) levels (>=0.5 mg/dl), low estimated glomerular filtration rate
      (eGFR) levels (<50 ml/min/1.73 m(2)), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
      Performance status >=1, number of tumor foci >1, tumor grade (G3), positive LN,
      and positive surgical margin were independent factors predicting poor cancer
      specific survival (CSS). Patients were stratified into three groups, and the risk
      stratification model revealed significant differences in CSS between the three
      subgroups. The 5-year CSS in patients at low, intermediate, and high risk was
      92.7, 75.4, and 31.5 %, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that
      preoperative hematological markers, such as low eGFR and high CRP levels predict
      a poor survival in patients with UTUC. Our risk stratification model may provide
      physicians with useful prognostic information for identifying patients who may be
      candidates for multimodal treatment.

PMID- 26104380
TI  - The role of DCs in the immunopathogenesis of chronic HBV infection and the
      methods of inducing DCs maturation.
AB  - Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the result of an inadequate immune
      response towards the virus. Dendritic cells (DCs), as the most efficient
      professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs), possess the strongest antigen
      presenting the effect in the body and can stimulate the initial T cell activation
      and proliferation. DCs of patients with chronic HBV infection are impaired,
      resulting in more tolerogenic rather than immunogenic responses, which may
      contribute to viral persistence. Recently, numerous methods have been developed
      to induce DCs maturation. To date, recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage
      colony stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF) combined with interleukin-4 (rhIL-4) has
      been a classic culture combination to DCs. The recently classified type III
      interferon group interferon-lambda (IFN-lambda) displays antiviral, antitumor,
      and immunoregulatory activity. In our laboratory, we demonstrate that IFN-lambda1
      combined with rhGM-CSF and rhIL-4 can significantly increase the expression of DC
      surface molecules and the secretion of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon
      gamma (IFN-gamma) in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. In this review,
      we emphasize on the role of DCs in the immunopathogenesis of chronic HBV
      infection. Importantly, we systematic review that the latest update in the
      current status of knowledge on the methods of inducing DCs maturation in anti-HBV
      immunity. What's more, we conclude that IFN-lambda1 combined with GM-CSF and IL-4
      can induce DCs maturation, which could become a possibility to be applied to the
      autologus dendritic cell vaccine to treat chronic hepatitis B.

PMID- 26104381
TI  - Understanding the Association Between School Climate and Future Orientation.
AB  - Promoting students' future orientation is inherently a goal of the educational
      system. Recently, it has received more explicit attention given the increased
      focus on career readiness. This study aimed to examine the association between
      school climate and adolescents' report of future orientation using data from
      youth (N = 27,698; 49.4 % female) across 58 high schools. Three-level
      hierarchical linear models indicated that perceptions of available emotional and
      service supports, rules and consequences, and parent engagement were positively
      related to adolescents' future orientation. Additionally, the school-level
      average future orientation was significantly related to individuals' future
      orientation, indicating a potential influence of contextual effects on this
      construct. Taken together, these findings suggest that interventions targeting
      school climate may hold promise for promoting future orientation.

PMID- 26104382
TI  - Fontan Completion for Younger than 3 Years of Age: Outcome in Patients with
      Functional Single Ventricle.
AB  - Most single ventricle patients undergo Fontan procedure earlier in current era.
      However, optimal timing of Fontan completion after an intermediate staging
      surgery is controversial. We present children who had Fontan surgeries younger
      than 3 years of age comparing the data with older patients. Between 2000 and
      2013, 45 patients with functional single ventricle underwent extracardiac total
      cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) using GORE-TEX((r)) conduit at a single
      institution. Children were divided into group A (age < 36 months; n = 15) and
      group B (age >= 36 months; n = 30), and retrospectively reviewed. Median follow
      up was 2.9 [interquartile range (IQR) 2-4.4] years. There were two hospital
      deaths and one late death (all in group B, p = 0.286). One TCPC was taken down in
      group A. The median intensive care unit and hospital stay were 90 (IQR 46-140) h
      and 21 (IQR 16-33) days for group A versus 65 (IQR 45-115) h and 29 (IQR 20.8
      38.5) days for group B, respectively (p = 0.322 and p = 0.057). Ventricular
      ejection fraction and GORE-TEX((r)) conduit size were similar in both groups. The
      time of chest drain stay was significantly lower in group A (median 12 days, IQR
      7-22) than in group B (22 days, IQR 16-32.5) (p = 0.014). Extracardiac TCPC can
      be performed earlier with good intermediate results. Earlier Fontan procedure
      might be advantageous for reducing chest drains stay. 

PMID- 26104384
TI  - Steps to combat climate change would also improve human health, commission says.

PMID- 26104383
TI  - Nox2 is a mediator of ischemia reperfusion injury.
AB  - Delayed graft function (DGF) results from ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and
      the generation of reactive oxygen species. We hypothesized that NADPH oxidase 2
      (Nox2) plays an important role in pathways leading to DGF. We tested this
      hypothesis in vitro, in an animal model of IRI using wild type and Nox2(-/-)
      mice, and in patients with DGF. Under hypoxic conditions, primary tubular
      epithelial cells from Nox2(-/-) mice had reduced expression of MMP2, vimentin,
      and HSP27. BUN and creatinine levels were significantly increased in both Nox2(-/
      ) and WT mice at 4 weeks and 6 months after IRI, suggesting the development of
      acute and chronic kidney injury. At 4 weeks, kidney fibrosis (alpha-SMA,
      picrosirius) and oxidative stress (dihydroethidine, HNE) were significantly
      reduced in Nox2(-/-) mice, confirming the oxidative and pro-fibrotic effects of
      Nox2. The molecular signature of IRI using genomic analyses demonstrated a
      significant decline in hypoxia reponse, oxidative stress, fibrosis, and
      inflammation in Nox2(-/-) mice. Immunohistochemical analyses of pre-implanatation
      kidney allograft biopsies from patients with subsequent DGF showed significantly
      greater Nox2 levels and vascular injury compared with patients without DGF. These
      studies demonstrate that Nox2 is a modulator of IRI and its absence is associated
      with reduced inflammation, OS, and fibrosis. 

PMID- 26104385
TI  - Hyperoxia-induced methylation decreases RUNX3 in a newborn rat model of
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature infants is a
      predominantly secondary occurrence to intrauterine inflammation/infection and
      postpartum mechanical ventilation; in recent years, an association with
      epigenetics has also been found. DNA methylation, catalyzed by DNA methyl
      transferases (DNMTs), and tri-methylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27me3),
      mediated by the methyltransferase, Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2), are some
      of the most commonly found modifications in epigenetics. Runt-related
      transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) is associated with pulmonary epithelial and
      vascular development and regulates expression at the post-transcriptional level
      by DNA methylation through DNMT1 or DNMT3b. However, the involvements of these
      epigenetic factors in the occurrence of BPD are, as yet, unclear. METHODS:
      Newborn rats were randomly assigned to a model, hyperoxia (85 % O2) or control,
      normoxia group (21 % O2). Lung tissues and alveolar type 2 (AT2) epithelial cells
      were collected between 1-14 days. The expression of DNMTs, and EZH2 was detected
      by immunohistochemistry, Western blot and real-time PCR. The percentage of DNA
      methylation and H3K27me3 levels in the RUNX3 promoter region was measured by
      bisulfite sequencing PCR and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. RUNX3 protein
      and mRNA expression in AT2 cells was also measured after inhibition using the DNA
      methylation inhibitor, 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine, the H3K27me3 inhibitor, JMJD3, and
      the EZH2 inhibitor, DZNep. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, RUNX3
      protein was downregulated and DNMT3b and EZH2 were highly expressed in lung
      tissues and AT2 cells of the model group (P < 0.05), while high DNA methylation
      and H3K27me3 modifications were present in the RUNX3 promoter region, in lung
      tissues of the model group (P < 0.05). Following hyperoxia in the model group,
      JMJD3 and DZNep significantly reversed the hyperoxia-induced down-regulation of
      RUNX3 expression in AT2 cells (P < 0.05), more so than 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (P
      < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: 1) DNA methylation and H3K27 trimethylation are present in
      the BPD model; 2) RUNX3 down-regulation is attributed to both DNMT3b-catalyzed
      DNA methylation and EZH2-catalyzed histone methylation.

PMID- 26104386
TI  - Lipid stability, antioxidant potential and fatty acid composition of broilers
      breast meat as influenced by quercetin in combination with alpha-tocopherol
      enriched diets.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dietary supplementation of antioxidants is a vital route to affect
      the oxidative stability and fatty acid profile of broiler meat. The
      supplementation of feed with antioxidants decreases degradation of lipids in
      muscles thereby enhances meat stability. METHODS: The present study was carried
      out to investigate the influence of dietary quercetin in combination with alpha
      tocopherol on growth performance, antioxidant potential, lipid stability and
      fatty acid composition in breast meat of birds. Accordingly, one day old 300
      Hubbard strain male broiler birds were given three levels of quercetin @100, 200
      and 300 mg/kg feed in combination with alpha-tocopherol @150, 225 and 300 mg/kg
      feed. The resultant meat was subjected to antioxidant assay, lipid stability,
      quantification of antioxidants followed by fatty acid profile of broiler breast
      meat. RESULTS: The results explicated that feed treatments imparted momentous
      effect on gain in weight, and feed conversion efficiency however, intake of feed
      in birds affected non-momentously. The highest weight gain recorded in T9 as
      2374.67 & 2388 g/bird followed by T8 & T6 2350 & 2353.33 and 2293.33 & 2307
      g/bird, respectively whilst the lowest in T0 as 1992.67 & 1999 g/bird during the
      experimental year 2013 and 2014. The results regarding antioxidant potential
      revealed that among treatments, T9 exhibited highest values for total phenolic
      contents (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) & ferric reducing
      antioxidant power assay (FRAP) i.e. 158.70 +/- 0.84 mg GAE/100 g, 82.40 +/- 0.93%
      and 682 +/- 2.11 MUmol/Fe(+2/)g, respectively as compared to T0 104.27 +/- 1.64
      mg GAE/100 g, 54.71 +/- 0.64% and 542.67 +/- 1.74 MUmol/Fe(+2) /g of meat,
      correspondingly. The TBARS assay indicated that malondialdehydes production in
      meat increased during storage however, antioxidants deposition varied
      significantly among treatments. Fatty acid compositional analysis revealed that
      addition of quercetin with alpha-tocopherol in the bird's diet decreased the
      fatty acid generation particularly saturated fatty acids. CONCLUSION:
      Conclusively, dietary supplementation of quercetin along with alpha-tocopherol
      improves growth performance, antioxidant capacity, stability of lipids and fatty
      acid composition in breast meat of birds.

PMID- 26104387
TI  - Braces versus Invisalign(r): gingival parameters and patients' satisfaction
      during treatment: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fixed orthodontic appliances (FOA) temporarily interfere with
      periodontal health of patients, as the appliance complicates oral hygiene. The
      use of aligners in orthodontic therapy increased strongly during the last decade.
      In the literature, the reports about effects of aligner treatment on oral hygiene
      and gingival conditions are scarce. This cross-sectional study evaluated oral
      hygiene and patient's satisfaction during orthodontic treatment of patients with
      FOA or Invisalign(r). METHODS: 100 patients (FOA = 50, Invisalign(r) = 50) were
      included who underwent orthodontic treatment for more than 6 months. Clinical
      examinations were performed to evaluate patients' periodontal condition and were
      compared with clinical data at the beginning of the orthodontic treatment. Oral
      hygiene, patients' satisfaction and dietary habits were documented by a detailed
      questionnaire. For statistical analysis, the Mann-Whitney U-Test and Fisher's
      Exact Test were used; as multiple testing was applied, a Bonferroni correction
      was performed. RESULTS: At the time of clinical examinations, patients with FOA
      were in orthodontic therapy for 12.9 +/- 7.2 months, whereas patients with
      Invisalign(r) were in orthodontic therapy for 12.6 +/- 7.4 months. Significantly
      better gingival health conditions were recorded in Invisalign(r) patients (GI:
      0.54 +/- 0.50 for FOA versus 0.35 +/- 0.34 for Invisalign(r); SBI: 15.2 +/- 7.6
      for FOA versus 7.6 +/- 4.1 for Invisalign(r)), whereas the amount of dental
      plaque was also less but not significantly different (API: 37.7 % +/- 21.9 for
      FOA versus 27.8 % +/- 24.6 for Invisalign(r)). The evaluation of the
      questionnaire showed greater patients' satisfaction in patients treated with
      Invisalign(r) than with FOA. CONCLUSION: Patients treated with Invisalign(r) have
      a better periodontal health and greater satisfaction during orthodontic treatment
      than patients treated with FOA.

PMID- 26104388
TI  - Developing a set of quality indicators for breast cancer care in China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Large gaps exist between clinical practice and recommended care of
      breast cancer. Evidence demonstrates that assessment of breast cancer care can
      help bridge these gaps. However, no valid indicators are currently available for
      measurement of breast cancer care in China. This study aimed to develop a set of
      quality indicators to measure and improve the quality of breast cancer care.
      DESIGN: A modified Delphi process was implemented, and each of the six selection
      criteria (scientific evidence, utility, interpretability, validity,
      preventability and data availability) for potential indicators was evaluated on a
      5-point scale. PARTICIPANTS: A 16-member expert panel was assembled, including 10
      medical oncologists, 5 surgical oncologists and 1 radiation oncologist. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURE: Quality indicators with mean ratings >=4, coefficient of
      variation equal to or <25% and selectivity >=81.25% in each of the six selection
      criteria were retained for the face-to-face round. RESULTS: Twenty-six indicators
      were retained from the rating round and five indicators were retrieved in the
      face-to-face round. A total of 31 indicators constituted the final set of quality
      indicators, and the number of indicators pertaining to structure, process,
      communication and cooperation, management of symptoms or treatment toxicity and
      outcome was 1, 24, 2, 2 and 2, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Quality indicators for
      breast cancer care can be systematically developed and will be utilized as a
      quality measurement tool for breast cancer care.

PMID- 26104389
TI  - Protective effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids levels in patients with
      acute myocardial infarction - A new target to prevent reperfusion injury.

PMID- 26104390
TI  - Hollow tubular porous covalent organic framework (COF) nanostructures.
AB  - Hollow and tubular TpPa-COF structures have been synthesized by template-assisted
      replication of nanometer sized ZnO-nanorods. The hollow structures composed of
      microporous TpPa shells have high periodicity, moderate porosity, chemical
      stability and capsule shaped morphology as revealed by X-ray diffraction,
      porosity measurements, and SEM and TEM analyses. 

PMID- 26104391
TI  - Novel function of PIWIL1 in neuronal polarization and migration via regulation of
      microtubule-associated proteins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Young neurons in the developing brain establish a polarized
      morphology for proper migration. The PIWI family of piRNA processing proteins are
      considered to be restrictively expressed in germline tissues and several types of
      cancer cells. They play important roles in spermatogenesis, stem cell
      maintenance, piRNA biogenesis, and transposon silencing. Interestingly a recent
      study showed that de novo mutations of PIWI family members are strongly
      associated with autism. RESULTS: Here, we report that PIWI-like 1 (PIWIL1), a
      PIWI family member known to be essential for the transition of round spermatid
      into elongated spermatid, plays a role in the polarization and radial migration
      of newborn neurons in the developing cerebral cortex. Knocking down PIWIL1 in
      newborn cortical neurons by in utero electroporation of specific siRNAs resulted
      in retardation of the transition of neurons from the multipolar stage to the
      bipolar stage followed by a defect in their radial migration to the proper
      destination. Domain analysis showed that both the RNA binding PAZ domain and the
      RNA processing PIWI domain in PIWIL1 were indispensable for its function in
      neuronal migration. Furthermore, we found that PIWIL1 unexpectedly regulates the
      expression of microtubule-associated proteins in cortical neurons. CONCLUSIONS:
      PIWIL1 regulates neuronal polarization and radial migration partly via modulating
      the expression of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). Our finding of PIWIL1's
      function in neuronal development implies conserved functions of molecules
      participating in morphogenesis of brain and germline tissue and provides a
      mechanism as to how mutations of PIWI may be associated with autism.

PMID- 26104392
TI  - Road traffic noise is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and
      mortality and all-cause mortality in London.
AB  - AIMS: Road traffic noise has been associated with hypertension but evidence for
      the long-term effects on hospital admissions and mortality is limited. We
      examined the effects of long-term exposure to road traffic noise on hospital
      admissions and mortality in the general population. METHODS AND RESULTS: The
      study population consisted of 8.6 million inhabitants of London, one of Europe's
      largest cities. We assessed small-area-level associations of day- (7:00-22:59)
      and nighttime (23:00-06:59) road traffic noise with cardiovascular hospital
      admissions and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in all adults (>=25 years)
      and elderly (>=75 years) through Poisson regression models. We adjusted models
      for age, sex, area-level socioeconomic deprivation, ethnicity, smoking, air
      pollution, and neighbourhood spatial structure. Median daytime exposure to road
      traffic noise was 55.6 dB. Daytime road traffic noise increased the risk of
      hospital admission for stroke with relative risk (RR) 1.05 [95% confidence
      interval (CI): 1.02-1.09] in adults, and 1.09 (95% CI: 1.04-1.14) in the elderly
      in areas >60 vs. <55 dB. Nighttime noise was associated with stroke admissions
      only among the elderly. Daytime noise was significantly associated with all-cause
      mortality in adults [RR 1.04 (95% CI: 1.00-1.07) in areas >60 vs. <55 dB].
      Positive but non-significant associations were seen with mortality for
      cardiovascular and ischaemic heart disease, and stroke. Results were similar for
      the elderly. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term exposure to road traffic noise was associated
      with small increased risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality
      and morbidity in the general population, particularly for stroke in the elderly.

PMID- 26104393
TI  - Factors affecting larval tick feeding success: host, density and time.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ectoparasites rely on blood-feeding to sustain activity, support
      development and produce offspring. Blood-feeding is also a route for transmission
      of diverse vector-borne pathogens. The likelihood of successfully feeding is thus
      an important aspect of ectoparasite population dynamics and pathogen
      transmission. Factors that affect blood-feeding include ectoparasite density,
      host defenses, and ages of the host and ectoparasite. How these factors interact
      to affect feeding success is not well understood. METHODS: We monitored blood
      feeding success of larval Rocky Mountain wood ticks (RMWTs; Dermacentor
      andersoni) on deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) in several experiments to
      determine how tick density, host defense, and ages of mice and ticks interact to
      influence feeding success. In the first experiment, tick-naive deer mice were
      infested with one of several densities of RMWT larvae, while a second cohort of
      mice were infested with 50 larvae each. Two weeks after ticks dropped off, mice
      in the first cohort were re-exposed to 50 larvae each and mice in the second
      cohort were re-exposed to varying densities of larvae. In the second experiment
      mice of different ages (45-374 days old) were exposed to 50 larvae each. Two
      weeks later mice were re-exposed to 50 larvae each. We combined data from these
      and several similar experiments to test the generality of the patterns we
      observed. Lastly, we tested whether tick feeding success was consistent on
      individual mice that were challenged on four occasions. RESULTS: Mice acquired
      resistance such that feeding success declined dramatically from the first to the
      second infestation. Feeding success also declined with tick density and tick age.
      Mice, however, became more permissive with age. The sizes of these effects were
      similar and additive. Surprisingly, over successive infestations the relative
      resistance among mice changed among hosts within a cohort. CONCLUSIONS: We
      predict that larval blood-feeding success, and thus development to the nymph
      stage, will change due to variation in tick age and density, as well as the age
      and history of the host. Incorporating these biotic factors into modeling of tick
      population dynamics may improve predictions of tick-borne pathogen transmission.

PMID- 26104394
TI  - African Indigenous Cattle: Unique Genetic Resources in a Rapidly Changing World.
AB  - At least 150 indigenous African cattle breeds have been named, but the majority
      of African cattle populations remain largely uncharacterized. As cattle breeds
      and populations in Africa adapted to various local environmental conditions, they
      acquired unique features. We know now that the history of African cattle was
      particularly complex and while several of its episodes remain debated, there is
      no doubt that African cattle population evolved dramatically over time. Today, we
      find a mosaic of genetically diverse population from the purest Bos taurus to the
      nearly pure Bos indicus. African cattle are now found all across the continent,
      with the exception of the Sahara and the river Congo basin. They are found on the
      rift valley highlands as well as below sea level in the Afar depression. These
      unique livestock genetic resources are in danger to disappear rapidly following
      uncontrolled crossbreeding and breed replacements with exotic breeds. Breeding
      improvement programs of African indigenous livestock remain too few while
      paradoxically the demand of livestock products is continually increasing. Many
      African indigenous breeds are endangered now, and their unique adaptive traits
      may be lost forever. This paper reviews the unique known characteristics of
      indigenous African cattle populations while describing the opportunities, the
      necessity and urgency to understand and utilize these resources to respond to the
      needs of the people of the continent and to the benefit of African farmers. 

PMID- 26104395
TI  - Estimation of Genetic Parameters for Pork Belly Components in Yorkshire Pigs.
AB  - This study was conducted to estimate the genetic parameters for pork belly traits
      and muscles in Yorkshire pigs. Each pork belly was cut into nine parts
      perpendicular to the thoracic vertebrae (6th to 14th). Traits of belly muscles
      including the deep pectoral, latissimus dorsi, cutaneous trunci, rectus
      abdominis, external and internal abdominal oblique from 382 purebred pigs were
      recorded and analyzed using SAS Package (9.1) and Derivative-free restricted
      maximum likelihood methods. Heritability estimates for belly traits ranged from
      0.27 to 0.49, while they were 0.12 to 0.66 for belly muscles. Moderate to high
      heritability estimates were noted in belly weight (0.33), belly length (0.28),
      and belly width (0.49). In belly muscles, the latissimus dorsi and deep pectoral,
      which are located only in the 6th to 9th vertebrae sections, were found to have
      heritability estimates ranging from 0.21 to 0.29 and 0.23 to 0.35, respectively.
      Strong heritability estimates were observed in the 7th to 13th sections of
      cutaneous trunci muscle ranging from 0.42 to 0.66. Genetic correlations of
      latissimus dorsi m. with belly length were positive (0.50), while cutaneous
      trunci m. with belly weight also revealed a positive relationship that ranged
      from 0.35 to 0.47. The estimated genetic parameters indicate that belly weight
      can be improved by genetic selection. Differences in the levels of heritability
      occurred among various parameters of Yorkshire pork belly, which should be
      considered when performing selection to improve pork belly quality. Moreover,
      these results can provide valuable information that can be used as the basis for
      further investigations to improve pork belly. 

PMID- 26104396
TI  - Multiple Linkage Disequilibrium Mapping Methods to Validate Additive Quantitative
      Trait Loci in Korean Native Cattle (Hanwoo).
AB  - The efficiency of genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) depends on power of
      detection for quantitative trait loci (QTL) and precision for QTL mapping. In
      this study, three different strategies for GWAS were applied to detect QTL for
      carcass quality traits in the Korean cattle, Hanwoo; a linkage disequilibrium
      single locus regression method (LDRM), a combined linkage and linkage
      disequilibrium analysis (LDLA) and a BayesCpi approach. The phenotypes of 486
      steers were collected for weaning weight (WWT), yearling weight (YWT), carcass
      weight (CWT), backfat thickness (BFT), longissimus dorsi muscle area, and
      marbling score (Marb). Also the genotype data for the steers and their sires were
      scored with the Illumina bovine 50K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chips.
      For the two former GWAS methods, threshold values were set at false discovery
      rate <0.01 on a chromosome-wide level, while a cut-off threshold value was set in
      the latter model, such that the top five windows, each of which comprised 10
      adjacent SNPs, were chosen with significant variation for the phenotype. Four
      major additive QTL from these three methods had high concordance found in 64.1 to
      64.9Mb for Bos taurus autosome (BTA) 7 for WWT, 24.3 to 25.4Mb for BTA14 for CWT,
      0.5 to 1.5Mb for BTA6 for BFT and 26.3 to 33.4Mb for BTA29 for BFT. Several
      candidate genes (i.e. glutamate receptor, ionotropic, ampa 1 [GRIA1], family with
      sequence similarity 110, member B [FAM110B], and thymocyte selection-associated
      high mobility group box [TOX]) may be identified close to these QTL. Our result
      suggests that the use of different linkage disequilibrium mapping approaches can
      provide more reliable chromosome regions to further pinpoint DNA makers or
      causative genes in these regions. 

PMID- 26104397
TI  - Whole Genome Association Study to Detect Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms for
      Behavior in Sapsaree Dog (Canis familiaris).
AB  - The purpose of this study was to characterize genetic architecture of behavior
      patterns in Sapsaree dogs. The breed population (n = 8,256) has been constructed
      since 1990 over 12 generations and managed at the Sapsaree Breeding Research
      Institute, Gyeongsan, Korea. Seven behavioral traits were investigated for 882
      individuals. The traits were classified as a quantitative or a categorical group,
      and heritabilities (h(2)) and variance components were estimated under the Animal
      model using ASREML 2.0 software program. In general, the h(2) estimates of the
      traits ranged between 0.00 and 0.16. Strong genetic (r G ) and phenotypic (r P )
      correlations were observed between nerve stability, affability and adaptability,
      i.e. 0.9 to 0.94 and 0.46 to 0.68, respectively. To detect significant single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) for the behavioral traits, a total of 134 and 60
      samples were genotyped using the Illumina 22K CanineSNP20 and 170K CanineHD bead
      chips, respectively. Two datasets comprising 60 (Sap60) and 183 (Sap183) samples
      were analyzed, respectively, of which the latter was based on the SNPs that were
      embedded on both the 22K and 170K chips. To perform genome-wide association
      analysis, each SNP was considered with the residuals of each phenotype that were
      adjusted for sex and year of birth as fixed effects. A least squares based single
      marker regression analysis was followed by a stepwise regression procedure for
      the significant SNPs (p<0.01), to determine a best set of SNPs for each trait. A
      total of 41 SNPs were detected with the Sap183 samples for the behavior traits.
      The significant SNPs need to be verified using other samples, so as to be
      utilized to improve behavior traits via marker-assisted selection in the Sapsaree
      population. 

PMID- 26104398
TI  - Influence of Temperature and Humidity on Pregnancy Rate of Murrah Buffaloes under
      Subtropical Climate.
AB  - Heat stress has adverse effects on fertility of dairy animals. Decline in
      fertility is linearly associated with an increase in combination of both
      temperature and humidity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the
      relationship between temperature humidity index (THI) and the pregnancy rate of
      Murrah buffaloes in a subtropical climate. The effects of genetic and non-genetic
      factors viz., sire, parity, period of calving and age group at first calving were
      found non-significant on pregnancy rate. The effect of THI was found significant
      (p<0.001) on pregnancy rate of Murrah buffaloes calved for first time and overall
      pregnancy rate. The threshold THI affecting the pregnancy rate was identified as
      THI 75. The months from October to March showed THI<75 and considered as non heat
      stress zone (NHSZ), while months from April to September were determined as heat
      stress zone (HSZ) with THI>=75. The lowest overall pregnancy rate (0.25) was
      obtained in July with THI 80.9, while the highest overall pregnancy rate (0.59)
      was found in November with THI 66.1. May and June were identified as critical
      heat stress zone (CHSZ) within the HSZ with maximum decline (-7%) in pregnancy
      rate with per unit increase in THI. The highest overall pregnancy rate was
      estimated as 0.45 in NHSZ with THI value 56.7 to 73.2. The pregnancy rate was
      found to have declined to 0.28 in HSZ with THI 73.5 to 83.7. However, the lowest
      pregnancy rate was estimated as 0.27 in CHSZ with THI value 80.3 to 81.6. 

PMID- 26104399
TI  - Effects of Supplementation of Eucalyptus (E. Camaldulensis) Leaf Meal on Feed
      Intake and Rumen Fermentation Efficiency in Swamp Buffaloes.
AB  - Four rumen fistulated swamp buffaloes were randomly assigned according to a 4*4
      Latin square design to investigate the effects of Eucalyptus (E. Camaldulensis)
      leaf meal (ELM) supplementation as a rumen enhancer on feed intake and rumen
      fermentation characteristics. The dietary treatments were as follows: T1 = 0 g
      ELM/hd/d; T2 = 40 g ELM/hd/d; T3 = 80 g ELM/hd/d; T4 = 120 g ELM/hd/d,
      respectively. Experimental animals were kept in individual pens and concentrate
      was offered at 0.3% BW while rice straw was fed ad libitum. The results revealed
      that voluntary feed intake and digestion coefficients of nutrients were similar
      among treatments. Ruminal pH, temperature and blood urea nitrogen concentrations
      were not affected by ELM supplementation; however, ELM supplementation resulted
      in lower concentration of ruminal ammonia nitrogen. Total volatile fatty acids,
      propionate concentration increased with the increasing level of EML (p<0.05)
      while the proportion of acetate was decreased (p<0.05). Methane production was
      linearly decreased (p<0.05) with the increasing level of ELM supplementation.
      Protozoa count and proteolytic bacteria population were reduced (p<0.05) while
      fungal zoospores and total viable bacteria, amylolytic, cellulolytic bacteria
      were unchanged. In addition, nitrogen utilization and microbial protein synthesis
      tended to increase by the dietary treatments. Based on the present findings, it
      is suggested that ELM could modify the rumen fermentation and is potentially used
      as a rumen enhancer in methane mitigation and rumen fermentation efficiency. 

PMID- 26104400
TI  - Effects of Dietary Lycopene Supplementation on Plasma Lipid Profile, Lipid
      Peroxidation and Antioxidant Defense System in Feedlot Bamei Lamb.
AB  - Lycopene, a red non-provitamin A carotenoid, mainly presenting in tomato and
      tomato byproducts, has the highest antioxidant activity among carotenoids because
      of its high number of conjugated double bonds. The objective of this study was to
      investigate the effect of lycopene supplementation in the diet on plasma lipid
      profile, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defense system in feedlot lamb.
      Twenty-eight Bamei male lambs (90 days old) were divided into four groups and fed
      a basal diet (LP0, 40:60 roughage: concentrate) or the basal diet supplemented
      with 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg lycopene. After 120 days of feeding, all lambs were
      slaughtered and sampled. Dietary lycopene supplementation significantly reduced
      the levels of plasma total cholesterol (p<0.05, linearly), total triglycerides
      (TG, p<0.05) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, p<0.05), as well as
      atherogenic index (p<0.001), whereas no change was observed in high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (p>0.05). The levels of TG (p<0.001) and LDL-C (p<0.001)
      were decreased with the feeding time extension, and both showed a linear trend
      (p<0.01). Malondialdehyde level in plasma and liver decreased linearly with the
      increase of lycopene inclusion levels (p<0.01). Dietary lycopene intake linearly
      increased the plasma antioxidant vitamin E level (p<0.001), total antioxidant
      capacity (T-AOC, p<0.05), and activities of catalase (CAT, p<0.01), glutathione
      peroxidase (GSH-Px, p<0.05) and superoxide dismutase (SOD, p<0.05). The plasma T
      AOC and activities of GSH-Px and SOD decreased with the extension of the feeding
      time. In liver, dietary lycopene inclusion showed similar antioxidant effects
      with respect to activities of CAT (p<0.05, linearly) and SOD (p<0.001, linearly).
      Therefore, it was concluded that lycopene supplementation improved the
      antioxidant status of the lamb and optimized the plasma lipid profile, the dosage
      of 200 mg lycopene/kg feed might be desirable for growing lambs to prevent
      environment stress and maintain normal physiological metabolism. 

PMID- 26104401
TI  - Nighttime Cooling Is an Effective Method for Improving Milk Production in
      Lactating Goats Exposed to Hot and Humid Environment.
AB  - Heat production in ruminants follows a diurnal pattern over the course of a day
      peaking 3 hours following afternoon feeding and then gradually declining to its
      lowest point prior to morning feeding. In order to clarify the cooling period
      most effective in reducing decreases in feed intake and milk production,
      experiments were carried out based on the diurnal rhythm of heat production and
      heat dissipation. In experiment 1, the effects of hot environment on milk
      production were investigated. The animals were kept first in a thermoneutral
      environment (20.0 degrees C, 80.0%) for 12 days, they were then transitioned to a
      hot environment (32 degrees C, 80.0%) for 13 days before being returned to second
      thermoneutral environment for a further 12 days. In experiment 2, the
      effectiveness of daytime cooling or nighttime cooling for improving milk
      production in hot environment was compared. While ten lactating Japanese Saanen
      goats (aged 2 years, weighing 41.0 kg) during early lactation were used in
      experiment 1, ten lactating goats (aged 2 years, weighing 47.5 kg) during mid
      lactation were used in experiment 2. The animals were fed 300 g of concentrated
      feed and excessive amounts of crushed alfalfa hay cubes twice daily. Water was
      given ad libitum. The animals were milked twice daily. When exposed to a hot
      environment, milk yield and composition decreased significantly (p<0.05). Milk
      yield in the hot environment did not change with daytime cooling, but tended to
      increase with nighttime cooling. Compared to the daytime cooling, milk components
      percentages in the nighttime cooling were not significantly different but the
      milk components yields in the nighttime cooling were significantly higher
      (p<0.05). The results indicate that nighttime cooling is more effective than
      daytime cooling in the reduction of milk production declines in lactating goats
      exposed to a hot environment. 

PMID- 26104402
TI  - Lipid Sources with Different Fatty Acid Profile Alters the Fatty Acid Profile and
      Quality of Beef from Confined Nellore Steers.
AB  - The present study was conducted to determine the effects of lipid sources with
      different fatty acids profile on meat fatty acids profile and beef quality traits
      of Nellore. A total of 45 Nellore animals with an average initial body weight of
      419+/-11 kg (at 15+/-2 mo) were distributed in a completely randomized design
      consisting of 5 treatments and 9 replicates. The roughage feed was maize silage
      (600 g/kg on a dry matter [DM] basis) plus concentrate (400 g/kg on a DM basis).
      The dietary treatments were as follows: without fat (WF), palm oil (PO), linseed
      oil (LO), protected fat (PF), and soybean grains (SG). No effects of lipid
      sources were observed (p>0.05) on beef color, pH, water-holding capacity, and
      sarcomere length. Beef from cattle fed PO had greater shear-force values (p<0.05)
      compared to beef from cattle fed WF. Deposition of main unsaturated fatty acids
      (oleic, linoleic, and linolenic) was greater in treatments WF, SG, and LO,
      respectively, while the values of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) were greater
      when animals were fed LO. The inclusion of LO in the diet enhances the
      concentration of CLA in longissimus muscle and subcutaneous fat besides improving
      the atherogenicity index and elongase activity. As such, LO can be used with the
      aim to improve the quality of beef from confined Nellore cattle. Conversely, the
      use of PO is not recommended since it may increase the concentration of
      undesirable unsaturated fatty acids in muscle and subcutaneous fat, shear-force
      and the atherogenicity index. 

PMID- 26104403
TI  - Effects of Palm Kernel Expellers on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility,
      and Blood Profiles of Weaned Pigs.
AB  - This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of palm kernel expellers
      on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and blood profiles of weaned pigs.
      A total of 88 weaned pigs (6.94+/-0.76 kg body weight [BW]; 28 d old) were
      randomly allotted to 2 dietary treatments (4 pigs/pen; 11 replicates/treatment)
      in a randomized complete block design (sex as a block). The dietary treatments
      were a typical nursery diet based on corn and soybean meal (CON) and CON added
      with 20% of palm kernel expellers (PKE). Pigs were fed for 6 wk using a 3-phase
      feeding program with declining diet complexity and with phases of 1, 2, and 3 wk,
      respectively. Blood was collected from randomly selected 2 pigs in each pen
      before weaning and on d 7 after weaning. Pigs were fed respective dietary
      treatments containing 0.2% chromic oxide from d 29 to 35 after weaning. Fecal
      samples were collected from randomly selected 2 pigs in each pen daily for the
      last 3 days after the 4-d adjustment period. Measurements were growth
      performances, digestibility of dry matter, nitrogen and energy, white and red
      blood cell counts, packed cell volume, and incidence of diarrhea. The PKE
      increased average daily gain (ADG) (246 vs 215 g/d; p = 0.06) and average daily
      feed intake (ADFI) (470 vs 343 g/d; p<0.05) and decreased gain-to-feed ratio
      (G:F) (0.522 vs 0.628 g/g; p<0.05) during phase 2 compared with CON, but did not
      affect growth performance during phase 1 and 3. During overall experimental
      period, PKE increased ADG (383 vs 362 g/d; p = 0.05) and ADFI (549 vs 496 g/d;
      p<0.05) compared with CON, but did not affect G:F. However, no differences were
      found on digestibility of dry matter, nitrogen, and energy between CON and PKE.
      The PKE reduced frequency of diarrhea (15% vs 25%; p = 0.08) for the first 2 wk
      after weaning compared with CON. Similarly, PKE decreased white blood cells (8.19
      vs 9.56*10(3)/MUL; p = 0.07), red blood cells (2.92 vs 3.25*10(6)/MUL; p = 0.09),
      and packed cell volume (11.1% vs 12.6%; p = 0.06) on d 7 after weaning compared
      with CON. In conclusion, addition of 20% palm kernel expellers to nursery diet
      based on corn and soybean meal had no negative effects on growth performance,
      nutrient digestibility, and blood profiles of weaned pigs. 

PMID- 26104404
TI  - Prediction of Eggshell Ultrastructure via Some Non-destructive and Destructive
      Measurements in Fayoumi Breed.
AB  - Possibilities of predicting eggshell ultrastructure from direct non-destructive
      and destructive measurements were examined using 120 Fayoumi eggs collected from
      the flock at 45 weeks of age. The non-destructive measurements included weight,
      length and width of the egg. The destructive measurements were breaking strength
      and shell thickness. The eggshell ultrastructure traits involved the total
      thickness of eggshell layer, thickness of palisade layer, cone layer and total
      score. Prediction of total thickness of eggshell layer based on non-destructive
      measurements individually or simultaneously was not possible (R(2) = 0.01 to
      0.16). The destructive measurements were far more accurate than the non
      destructive in predicting total thickness of eggshell layer. Prediction based on
      breaking strength alone was more accurate (R(2) = 0.85) than that based on shell
      thickness alone (R(2) = 0.72). Adding shell thickness to breaking strength (the
      best predictor) increased the accuracy of prediction by 5%. The results obtained
      indicated that both non-destructive and destructive measurements were not useful
      in predicting the cone layer (R(2) not exceeded 18%). The maximum accuracy of
      prediction of total score (R(2) = 0.48) was obtained from prediction based on
      breaking strength alone. Combining shell thicknesses and breaking strength into
      one equation was no help in improving the accuracy of prediction. 

PMID- 26104405
TI  - The Effect of Bacillus-based Feed Additive on Growth Performance, Nutrient
      Digestibility, Fecal Gas Emission, and Pen Cleanup Characteristics of Growing
      finishing Pigs.
AB  - Bacillus-based feed additive was evaluated for its efficacy on growth
      performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal gas emission, and the consumption of
      time and amount of water for cleaning the pen of growing finishing pigs. A total
      of 120 growing pigs (23.59+/-1.41 kg) were used in a 16-wk feeding trial. Pigs
      were randomly distributed into 1 of 2 treatments on the basis of body weight and
      sex. There were 12 replicate pens per treatment, with 5 pigs (3 barrows and 2
      gilts) per pen. Dietary treatments were CON which was basal diet, and T1 which
      was CON+62.5 ppm microbial feed additive that provided 1.47*10(8) cfu of Bacillus
      organisms per gram of supplement. During the weeks 0 to 6, average daily gain
      (ADG) in T1 treatment was higher (p<0.05) than CON, but no improvement in average
      daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed efficiency (G:F) was noted. During 6 to 16
      weeks, no difference (p>0.05) was noted in growth performance. However, ADG was
      improved (p<0.05) and overall ADFI tended (p = 0.06) to improve in T1 compared
      with CON. At week 6, the co-efficient of apparent total tract digestibility
      (CATTD) of dry matter (DM) nitrogen (N) was increased (p<0.05) in T1 compared
      with CON. Fecal NH3 emission was decreased (p<0.05) in T1 compared with CON, at
      the end of 6th and 15th weeks. The time and water consumed for washing the pens
      were decreased (p<0.05) in T1 compared with CON. In conclusion, supplementation
      with Bacillus-based feed additive could improve the overall growth performances,
      increase the CATTD of DM and decrease the fecal NH3 content and the time and
      water consumed in washing the pens for growing-finishing pigs. 

PMID- 26104406
TI  - Effect of gamma-Aminobutyric Acid-producing Lactobacillus Strain on Laying
      Performance, Egg Quality and Serum Enzyme Activity in Hy-Line Brown Hens under
      Heat Stress.
AB  - Heat-stress remains a costly issue for animal production, especially for poultry
      as they lack sweat glands, and alleviating heat-stress is necessary for ensuring
      animal production in hot environment. A high gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
      producer Lactobacillus strain was used to investigate the effect of dietary GABA
      producer on laying performance and egg quality in heat-stressed Hy-line brown
      hens. Hy-Line brown hens (n = 1,164) at 280 days of age were randomly divided
      into 4 groups based on the amount of freeze-dried GABA-producer added to the
      basal diet as follows: i) 0 mg/kg, ii) 25 mg/kg, iii) 50 mg/kg, and iv) 100
      mg/kg. All hens were subjected to heat-stress treatment through maintaining the
      temperature and the relative humidity at 28.83+/-3.85 degrees C and 37% to 53.9%,
      respectively. During the experiment, laying rate, egg weight and feed intake of
      hens were recorded daily. At the 30th and 60th day after the start of the
      experiment, biochemical parameters, enzyme activity and immune activity in serum
      were measured. Egg production, average egg weight, average daily feed intake,
      feed conversion ratio and percentage of speckled egg, soft shell egg and
      misshaped egg were significantly improved (p<0.05) by the increasing
      supplementation of the dietary GABA-producer. Shape index, eggshell thickness,
      strength and weight were increased linearly with increasing GABA-producer
      supplementation. The level of calcium, phosphorus, glucose, total protein and
      albumin in serum of the hens fed GABA-producing strain supplemented diet was
      significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of the hens fed the basal diet, whereas
      cholesterol level was decreased. Compared with the basal diet, GABA-producer
      strain supplementation increased serum level of glutathione peroxidase (p =
      0.009) and superoxide dismutase. In conclusion, GABA-producer played an important
      role in alleviating heat-stress, the isolated GABA-producer strain might be a
      potential natural and safe probiotic to use to improve laying performance and egg
      quality in heat-stressed hens. 

PMID- 26104407
TI  - Effects of Supplemental Beta-mannanase on Digestible Energy and Metabolizable
      Energy Contents of Copra Expellers and Palm Kernel Expellers Fed to Pigs.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of beta-mannanase
      supplementation on digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) contents
      of copra expellers (CE) and palm kernel expellers (PKE) fed to pigs. Six barrows
      with an initial body weight of 38.0 kg (standard deviation = 1.5) were randomly
      allotted to a 6*6 Latin square design with 6 dietary treatments and 6 periods.
      Six experimental diets were prepared in a 3*2 factorial treatment arrangement
      with 3 diets of a corn-soybean meal-based diet, a CE 30% diet, and a PKE 30% diet
      and with 2 concentrations of supplemental beta-mannanase at 0 or 2,400 U/kg. All
      diets had the same proportion of corn:soybean meal ratio at 2.88:1. The marker-to
      marker procedure was used for fecal and urine collection with 4-d adaptation and
      5-d collection periods. No interactive effects were observed between diet and
      beta-mannanase on energy digestibility and DE and ME contents of experimental
      diets. However, diets containing CE or PKE had less (p<0.05) DE and ME contents
      compared with the corn-soybean meal-based diet. The DE and ME contents in CE and
      PKE were not affected by supplemental beta-mannanase. Taken together, we failed
      to find the effect of beta-mannanase supplementation on energy utilization in CE
      and PKE fed to pigs. 

PMID- 26104408
TI  - Effect of Different Tumbling Marination Methods and Time on the Water Status and
      Protein Properties of Prepared Pork Chops.
AB  - The combined effect of tumbling marination methods (vacuum continuous tumbling
      marination, CT; vacuum intermittent tumbling marination, IT) and effective
      tumbling time (4, 6, 8, and 10 h) on the water status and protein properties of
      prepared pork chops was investigated. Results showed that regardless of tumbling
      time, CT method significantly decreased the muscle fiber diameter (MD) and
      significantly increased the total moisture content, product yield, salt soluble
      proteins (SSP) solubility, immobilized water component (p<0.05) compared with IT
      method. With the effective tumbling time increased from 4 h to 10 h, the fat
      content and the MD were significantly decreased (p<0.05), whereas the SSP
      solubility of prepared pork chops increased firstly and then decreased. Besides,
      an interactive effect between CT method and effective tumbling time was also
      observed for the chemical composition and proportion of immobilized water
      (p<0.05). These results demonstrated that CT method of 8 h was the most
      beneficial for improving the muscle structure and water distribution status,
      increasing the water-binding capacity and accelerating the marinade efficiency of
      pork chops; and thus, it should be chosen as the most optimal treatment method
      for the processing production of prepared pork chops. 

PMID- 26104409
TI  - Relationships between Descriptive Sensory Attributes and Physicochemical Analysis
      of Broiler and Taiwan Native Chicken Breast Meat.
AB  - Unique organoleptic characteristics such as rich flavors and chewy texture
      contribute to the higher popularity of native chicken in many Asian areas, while
      the commercial broilers are well-accepted due to their fast-growing and higher
      yields of meat. Sensory attributes of foods are often used to evaluate food
      eating quality and serve as references during the selection of foods. In this
      study, a three-phase descriptive sensory study was conducted to evaluate the
      sensory attributes of commercial broiler (BR) and Taiwan native chicken (TNC)
      breast meat, and investigate correlations between these sensory attributes and
      instrumental measurements. The results showed that for the first bite (phase 1),
      TNC meat had significantly higher moisture release, hardness, springiness, and
      cohesiveness than BR meat. After chewing for 10 to 12 bites (phase 2), TNC meat
      presented significantly higher chewdown hardness and meat particle size, whereas
      BR meat had significantly higher cohesiveness of mass. After swallowing (phase
      3), TNC meat had higher chewiness and oily mouthcoat and lower residual loose
      particles than BR meat. TNC meat also provided more intense chicken flavors. This
      study clearly demonstrates that descriptive sensory analysis provides more
      detailed and more objectively information about the sensory attributes of meats
      from various chicken breeds. Additionally, sensory textural attributes vary
      between BR and TNC meat, and are highly correlated to the shear force value and
      collagen content which influence meat eating qualities greatly. The poultry
      industry and scientists should be able to recognize the sensory characteristics
      of different chicken meats more clearly. Accordingly, based on the meat's unique
      sensory and physicochemical characteristics, future work might address how meat
      from various breeds could best satisfy consumer needs using various cooking
      methods. 

PMID- 26104410
TI  - Effects of Mixing on the Aggressive Behavior of Commercially Housed Pigs.
AB  - In this study, we investigated the effects of mixing on the aggressive behavior
      of commercially housed pigs. The behavioral patterns of 36 groups of pigs (a
      total of 360 animals) were observed over 3 consecutive days directly after
      weaning (25+/-1.2 days of age), and 25 and 50 days later with the aid of video
      technology. Fight latency and total duration and frequency of fighting were
      significantly different among the age groups. The aggressive behaviors decreased
      in 75-day old pigs if compared to 25- and 50-day old animals. Moreover, dominance
      index (DI) was higher in 25-day old and lower in 75-day old pigs. A comparison of
      dominant (DI>0) and submissive (DI<0) pigs showed significant differences
      (p<0.05) for major aggressive behaviors in all age groups. Dominant pigs were
      involved in more aggressive interactions, had longer fights, and initiated more
      fights than submissive pigs. Post-mixing aggressive behavior was altered by
      previous experience of mixing. Aggressive behavior and DI are suitable methods
      for analyzing the effects of mixing on commercially housed growing pigs. 

PMID- 26104411
TI  - Modelling Pasture-based Automatic Milking System Herds: The Impact of Large Herd
      on Milk Yield and Economics.
AB  - The aim of this modelling study was to investigate the effect of large herd size
      (and land areas) on walking distances and milking interval (MI), and their impact
      on milk yield and economic penalties when 50% of the total diets were provided
      from home grown feed either as pasture or grazeable complementary forage rotation
      (CFR) in an automatic milking system (AMS). Twelve scenarios consisting of 3 AMS
      herds (400, 600, 800 cows), 2 levels of pasture utilisation (current AMS
      utilisation of 15.0 t dry matter [DM]/ha, termed as 'moderate'; optimum pasture
      utilisation of 19.7 t DM/ha, termed as 'high') and 2 rates of incorporation of
      grazeable complementary forage system (CFS: 0, 30%; CFS = 65% farm is CFR and 35%
      of farm is pasture) were investigated. Walking distances, energy loss due to
      walking, MI, reduction in milk yield and income loss were calculated for each
      treatment based on information available in the literature. With moderate pasture
      utilisation and 0% CFR, increasing the herd size from 400 to 800 cows resulted in
      an increase in total walking distances between the parlour and the paddock from
      3.5 to 6.3 km. Consequently, MI increased from 15.2 to 16.4 h with increased herd
      size from 400 to 800 cows. High pasture utilisation (allowing for an increased
      stocking density) reduced the total walking distances up to 1 km, thus reduced
      the MI by up to 0.5 h compared to the moderate pasture, 800 cow herd combination.
      The high pasture utilisation combined with 30% of the farm in CFR in the farm
      reduced the total walking distances by up to 1.7 km and MI by up to 0.8 h
      compared to the moderate pasture and 800 cow herd combination. For moderate
      pasture utilisation, increasing the herd size from 400 to 800 cows resulted in
      more dramatic milk yield penalty as yield increasing from c.f. 2.6 and 5.1
      kg/cow/d respectively, which incurred a loss of up to $AU 1.9/cow/d. Milk yield
      losses of 0.61 kg and 0.25 kg for every km increase in total walking distance
      (voluntary return trip from parlour to paddock) and every one hour increase in
      MI, respectively. The high pasture utilisation combined with 30% of the farm in
      CFR in the farm increased milk yield by up to 1.5 kg/cow/d, thereby reducing loss
      by up to $0.5/cow/d (c.f. the moderate pasture and 800 cow herd scenario). Thus,
      it was concluded that the successful integration of grazeable CFS with pasture
      has the potential to improve financial performance compared to the pasture only,
      large herd, AMS. 

PMID- 26104412
TI  - Struvite Crystallization of Anaerobic Digestive Fluid of Swine Manure Containing
      Highly Concentrated Nitrogen.
AB  - In this study, the optimal operation factors for struvite crystallization for
      removing and recovering nitrogen and phosphorus from anaerobic digestive fluid of
      swine manure containing highly concentrated nitrogen was determined. Every
      experiment for the struvite crystallization reaction was conducted by placing
      1,000 mL of digestion fluid in a 2,000 mL Erlenmeyer flask at various
      temperatures, pH, and mixing speed. Except for special circumstances, the
      digestion fluid was centrifuged (10,000 rpm, 10 min) and then the supernatant was
      used for the experiment at room temperature and 100 rpm. The optimal mole ratio
      of PO4 (3-):Mg(2+) was 1:1.5, and the pH effect ranging from 9 to 11 was similar,
      when mixed for 1 hour. Under this condition, the removal efficiency of NH4 (+)-N
      and PO4 (3-)-P was 40% and 88.6%, respectively. X-shaped crystal was observed by
      light and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, struvite crystal structure
      was confirmed through X-ray diffraction analysis. 

PMID- 26104413
TI  - Determinants of use of care provided by complementary and alternative health care
      practitioners to pregnant women in primary midwifery care: a prospective cohort
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregnant women visit complementary/alternative health care
      practitioners in addition to regular maternal health care practitioners. A wide
      variation has been reported with regard to rates and determinants of use of
      complementary/alternative medicine (CAM), which may be due to heterogeneous
      populations. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and determinants
      of use of CAM practitioners by a homogeneous population of low-risk pregnant
      women in the Netherlands. METHODS: Data from the population-based DELIVER study
      was used, concerning 1500 clients from twenty midwifery practices across the
      Netherlands in 2009 and 2010. CAM use was measured based on patient reports.
      Potential determinants were derived from Andersen's behavioural model of health
      care utilization. RESULTS: The prevalence of CAM practitioner use by low-risk
      pregnant women was 9.4 %. Women were more likely to use CAM if they had
      supplementary health care insurance (OR 3.11; CI 1.41-6.85), rated their health
      as 'bad/fair' (OR 2.63; CI 1.65-4.21), reported a chronic illness or handicap (OR
      1.93; CI 1.14-3.27), smoked during pregnancy (OR 1.88; CI 1.06-3.33), or used
      alcohol during pregnancy (OR 2.30; CI 1.46-3.63). CONCLUSIONS: CAM is relatively
      frequently used by low-risk pregnant women. Determinants revealed in this study
      diverge from other studies using heterogeneous populations. Maternal health care
      practitioners must be aware of CAM use by low-risk pregnant women and incorporate
      this knowledge into daily practice by actively discussing this subject with
      pregnant women.

PMID- 26104414
TI  - Different tenogenic differentiation capacities of different mesenchymal stem
      cells in the presence of BMP-12.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are regarded as a promising cell-based
      therapeutic tool for tendon repair. This study aimed to compare the different
      tenogenic differentiation capacities of the three types of MSCs in the presence
      of bone morphogenic protein 12 (BMP-12). METHODS: MSCs were isolated from rat
      bone marrow (BM), inguinal adipose tissue (AD), and synovium (SM) from the knee
      joint. MSCs were characterized by morphology, proliferation, trilineage
      differentiation, and surface marker analysis. Tenogenic differentiation potential
      was initially assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot,
      and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in vitro. Histological assessments were
      also performed after subcutaneous implantation of BMP-12 recombinant adenovirus
      infected MSCs in nude mice in vivo. RESULTS: The three types of MSCs exhibited
      similar fibroblast-like morphology and surface markers but different
      differentiation potentials toward adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic
      lineage fates. Bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) showed the most superior in
      vitro tenogenic differentiation capacity, followed by synovial membrane-derived
      MSCs (SM-MSCs) and then adipose-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs). After implantation, all
      three types of MSC masses infected with BMP-12 recombinant adenovirus emerged in
      the form of fiber-like matrix, especially in 6-week specimens, compared with the
      control MSCs in vivo. BM-MSCs and SM-MSCs revealed more intense staining for
      collagen type I (Col I) compared with AD-MSCs. Differences were not observed
      between BM-MSCs and SM-MSCs. However, SM-MSCs demonstrated higher proliferation
      capacity than BM-MSCs. CONCLUSION: BM-MSCs exhibited the most superior tenogenic
      differentiation capacity, followed by SM-MSCs. By contrast, AD-MSCs demonstrated
      the inferior capacity among the three types of MSCs in the presence of BMP-12
      both in vivo and in vitro.

PMID- 26104415
TI  - Spinal cord stimulation modulates supraspinal centers of the descending
      antinociceptive system in rats with unilateral spinal nerve injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The descending antinociceptive system (DAS) is thought to play
      crucial roles in the antinociceptive effect of spinal cord stimulation (SCS),
      especially through its serotonergic pathway. The nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) in
      the rostral ventromedial medulla is a major source of serotonin [5
      hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] to the DAS, but the role of the dorsal raphe nucleus
      (DRN) in the ventral periaqueductal gray matter is still unclear. Moreover, the
      influence of the noradrenergic pathway is largely unknown. In this study, we
      evaluated the involvement of these serotonergic and noradrenergic pathways in SCS
      induced antinociception by behavioral analysis of spinal nerve-ligated (SNL)
      rats. We also investigated immunohistochemical changes in the DRN and locus
      coeruleus (LC), regarded as the adrenergic center of the DAS, and expression
      changes of synthetic enzymes of 5-HT [tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH)] and
      norepinephrine [dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DbetaH)] in the spinal dorsal horn.
      RESULTS: Intrathecally administered methysergide, a 5-HT1- and 5-HT2-receptor
      antagonist, and idazoxan, an alpha2-adrenergic receptor antagonist, equally
      abolished the antinociceptive effect of SCS. The numbers of TPH-positive
      serotonergic and phosphorylated cyclic AMP response element binding protein
      (pCREB)-positive neurons and percentage of pCREB-positive serotonergic neurons in
      the DRN significantly increased after 3-h SCS. Further, the ipsilateral-to
      contralateral immunoreactivity ratio of DbetaH increased in the LC of SNL rats
      and reached the level seen in naive rats, even though the number of pCREB
      positive neurons in the LC was unchanged by SNL and SCS. Moreover, 3-h SCS did
      not increase the expression levels of TPH and DbetaH in the spinal dorsal horn.
      CONCLUSIONS: The serotonergic and noradrenergic pathways of the DAS are involved
      in the antinociceptive effect of SCS, but activation of the DRN might primarily
      be responsible for this effect, and the LC may have a smaller contribution. SCS
      does not potentiate the synthetic enzymes of 5HT and norepinephrine in the
      neuropathic spinal cord.

PMID- 26104417
TI  - The classification, diagnosis and management of the hypertensive disorders of
      pregnancy: A revised statement from the ISSHP.

PMID- 26104416
TI  - Human-induced pluripotent stem cells generated from intervertebral disc cells
      improve neurologic functions in spinal cord injury.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have emerged as a promising
      cell source for immune-compatible cell therapy. Although a variety of somatic
      cells have been tried for iPSC generation, it is still of great interest to test
      new cell types, especially those which are hardly obtainable in a normal
      situation. METHODS: In this study, we generated iPSCs by using the cells
      originated from intervertebral disc which were removed during a spinal operation
      after spinal cord injury. We investigated the pluripotency of disc cell-derived
      iPSCs (diPSCs) and neural differentiation capability as well as therapeutic
      effect in spinal cord injury. RESULTS: The diPSCs displayed similar
      characteristics to human embryonic stem cells and were efficiently differentiated
      into neural precursor cells (NPCs) with the capability of differentiation into
      mature neurons in vitro. When the diPSC-derived NPCs were transplanted into mice
      9 days after spinal cord injury, we detected a significant amelioration of
      hindlimb dysfunction during follow-up recovery periods. Histological analysis at
      5 weeks after transplantation identified undifferentiated human NPCs (Nestin(+))
      as well as early (Tuj1(+)) and mature (MAP2(+)) neurons derived from the
      transplanted NPCs. Furthermore, NPC transplantation demonstrated a preventive
      effect on spinal cord degeneration resulting from the secondary injury.
      CONCLUSION: This study revealed that intervertebral discs removed during surgery
      for spinal stabilization after spinal cord injury, previously considered a
      "waste" tissue, may provide a unique opportunity to study iPSCs derived from
      difficult-to-access somatic cells and a useful therapeutic resource for
      autologous cell replacement therapy in spinal cord injury.

PMID- 26104418
TI  - Diagnosis, evaluation, and management of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This guideline summarizes the quality of the evidence to date and
      provides a reasonable approach to the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of the
      hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). EVIDENCE: The literature reviewed
      included the previous Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
      (SOGC) HDP guidelines from 2008 and their reference lists, and an update from
      2006. Medline, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), Cochrane Central
      Registry of Controlled Trials (CCRCT) and Database of Abstracts and Reviews of
      Effects (DARE) were searched for literature published between January 2006 and
      March 2012. Articles were restricted to those published in French or English.
      Recommendations were evaluated using the criteria of the Canadian Task Force on
      Preventive Health Care and GRADE.

PMID- 26104419
TI  - Magnesium in pregnancy blood pressure and pre-eclampsia - A review.
AB  - Magnesium is an important cation present in more than 300 enzymes in the body.
      This review evaluates the information on magnesium and pregnancy. In normal
      pregnancies Mg responsive genes are upregulated, suggesting Mg deficiency. Blood
      pressure increase is related to the urinary excretion of Mg. In pregnancies
      complicated by preeclampsia the Mg homeostasis is different from normal
      pregnancies. Supplementation with Mg has shown beneficial effects on high blood
      pressure and infant conditions in some studies. Although several studies show
      important relationships between Mg homeostasis and pregnancy, particularly those
      with pre-eclampsia, further studies are needed to assess the relationship and
      formulate requirements for intervention programmes. 

PMID- 26104420
TI  - The l-arginine/nitric oxide pathway is impaired in overweight/obese pregnant
      women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the l-arginine/NO system and its role in insulin signaling
      and endothelial function during the pregnancy of women of different BMI
      categories. STUDY DESIGN: Twelve women with BMI?25 were compared with 10 normal
      weight women in a fasting condition after the infusion of l-arginine (20g in 3h)
      and after the evaluation of the flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) of the brachial
      artery between the 9th-12th and 24th-27th weeks. Blood samples for insulin and
      nitrite/nitrate (NOx) were collected at baseline and after 1, 2 and 3h after
      initiating the infusion. RESULTS: In both trimesters, the baseline NOx levels
      were similar among groups. In the 1st trimester of the lean women, there was a
      NOx increase in response to l-Arg (AUC: 1328; 3, 3173), which had increased by
      the 2nd trimester (AUC: 3884; 1905, 7686); in overweight/obese women, no
      responses to l-Arg were found in the 1st or 2nd trimesters. In the 1st trimester,
      the insulin levels were significantly reduced in both groups after l-Arg
      infusion. Although the insulin levels in all BMI categories were higher in the
      2nd trimester, such levels during weeks 24-27 were suppressed only in normal
      weight women after l-Arg infusion. The FMD was higher during both trimesters in
      the lean controls and was impaired in the overweight/obese subjects. CONCLUSIONS:
      NO availability is impaired in overweight/obese women during pregnancy, which
      affects endothelial functioning and interferes with insulin regulation. These
      mechanisms could be involved in the development of hypertensive disorders and
      glucose intolerance in this population.

PMID- 26104421
TI  - How accurate are placental growth factor, urate, lactate dehydrogenase and
      proteinuria in diagnosing preeclampsia and its severity?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of serum and
      urinary placental growth factor (sPlGF and uPlGF, respectively), urate, lactate
      dehydrogenase (LDH), and proteinuria for diagnosing and differentiating between
      women with preeclampsia and women with a normal healthy pregnancy, gestational
      hypertension, and gestational proteinuria. STUDY DESIGN: Urine and blood samples
      were taken from pregnant women diagnosed with late-onset severe preeclampsia (30
      patients), mild preeclampsia (30 patients), gestational hypertension without
      meeting the criteria for preeclampsia (30 patients), gestational proteinuria
      without meeting the criteria for preeclampsia (30 patients), and healthy pregnant
      control women (30 patients). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves
      analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and to select the
      optimal cutoff points for different markers. RESULTS: sPlGF is the best test for
      differentiating women with severe preeclampsia from women in all of the other
      groups (p=0.001). However, there was no significant difference between sPlGF and
      proteinuria in the 24-h urine collection (p=0.329) in this differentiation. uPlGF
      can be used to differentiate women with severe preeclampsia from women in all of
      the other groups. However, proteinuria in the 24-h urine collection is better
      than uPlGF for this differentiation (p=0.013). CONCLUSION: sPlGF and uPlGF can be
      used to diagnose women with severe preeclampsia and should be considered at least
      as important as proteinuria in the diagnosis of preeclampsia. A large study that
      considers the cost-effectiveness of adding these markers to the diagnosis of
      preeclampsia should be conducted before our recommendation is applied.

PMID- 26104422
TI  - A study on the role of HLA-G 14bp and ACE IN/DEL polymorphisms in pre-eclamptic
      South Indian women.
AB  - Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy specific syndrome characterized by hypertension
      and proteinuria. Defective placentation during early stages of pregnancy in
      combination with maternal and environmental factors could lead to systemic
      inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and the manifestation of the clinical
      symptoms. HLA-G is considered essential for feto-maternal immune tolerance and
      successful placentation in pregnancy. ACE promotes decidualization, trophoblast
      proliferation and plays an important role in blood pressure homeostasis. The HLA
      G 14bp and ACE IN/DEL polymorphisms have been reported to be associated with the
      development of pre-eclampsia (PE). The present study aimed at investigating the
      role of HLA-G and ACE gene polymorphisms in the aetiopathogenesis of PE. A total
      of 412 (206 PE patients and 206 normal pregnant women) blood samples were
      collected from Govt. maternity hospital, Hyderabad, India. Genotyping was carried
      out for both the genes using PCR followed by PAGE for HLA-G and AGE for ACE gene
      polymorphisms. DD(ACE) genotype was observed to be elevated (52.9% vs. 31.1%) in
      the patient group and ID(ACE) (29.6% vs. 54.8%) in the control group (p<0.05).
      However, HLA-G polymorphism did not differ between patients and controls
      (p>0.05). Further, combined genotype analysis revealed ID(HLA-G) DD(ACE) to be
      predisposing genotypes and ID(HLA-G) ID(ACE) to be protective toward preeclampsia
      in south Indian Women. The ACE genotype (DD(ACE)) is associated with high levels
      of angiotensin and seems to predispose the individual to PE. However, women
      carrying the intermediate levels of ACE and HLA-G associated combined genotype
      (ID(HLA-G) ID(HLA-G)) appear to be protective against developing PE. 

PMID- 26104423
TI  - Is there any relationship between ABO/Rh blood group and patients with pre
      eclampsia?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association
      between pre-eclampsia and blood groups in a group of pregnant women hospitalized
      in a University Hospital in Porto Alegre, Brazil - Hospital Sao Lucas
      (HSL)/PUCRS. STUDY DESIGN: Our sample consisted of 10,040 pregnant women admitted
      to the maternity department of HSL between 2005 and 2010. The patients were
      reviewed retrospectively for inclusion. Medical records of 414 women were
      diagnosed as preeclampsia/eclampsia and 9611 women were identified to the control
      group. The patients were divided into two groups: the group with
      preeclampsia/eclampsia and the control group, and their blood groups were
      considered. Data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows version 17.0. Categorical
      data were summarized by counts and percentages, with the statistical significance
      evaluated by the Chi-square test. The null hypothesis was rejected when p<0.05.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Maternal parameters were compared between control group
      and pre-eclampsia, respectively, Systolic Blood Pressure (117+/-19.98 vs. 165+/
      19.99); Diastolic Blood Pressure (73+/-14.23 vs. 106+/-14.24) and maternal weight
      at booking (73+/-33 vs. 83+/-33). For all data: mean+SD; p<0.05. In relation to
      blood groups, firstly they were stratified by Rh and ABO phenotypes, separately.
      After that the groups were put together. RESULTS: No differences in blood group
      distribution were observed between controls and pre-eclampsia for any analysis.
      (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: When we adopted stricter criteria for pre-eclampsia and a
      large sample from the same region we noted that the results did not show any
      association between blood groups and the development of pre-eclampsia.

PMID- 26104424
TI  - Plasma antithrombin levels correlate with albumin and total protein in
      gestational hypertension and preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the antithrombin-III (AT-III) activity in the plasma in
      relation to the serum albumin and total protein in preeclampsia and gestational
      hypertension. STUDY DESIGN: The medical records of 139 patients who were
      diagnosed with gestational hypertension (n=33) and preeclampsia (n=106) were
      reviewed, and the relationships between the activity of AT-III and serum albumin
      or total protein were evaluated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The plasma AT-III
      activity in gestational hypertension and preeclampsia was correlated with the
      serum albumin and TP levels. RESULTS: There were significant correlations between
      AT-III activity and albumin in gestational hypertension (r=0.504, p=0.003) and
      preeclampsia (r=0.343, p=0.003). There were also significant correlations between
      AT-III activity and TP in gestational hypertension (r=0.619, p=0.001) and
      preeclampsia (r=0.366, p=0.001). Regression coefficients between AT-III and
      albumin and between AT-III and TP in gestational hypertension (23.7 and 14.0,
      respectively) were significantly steeper than those in preeclampsia (14.6 and
      9.6, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The plasma AT-III activity in gestational
      hypertension and preeclampsia was correlated with the serum albumin and TP
      levels. This suggests that AT-III activity is more likely to decrease in
      gestational hypertension than in preeclampsia.

PMID- 26104425
TI  - Preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease share genetic risk factors on chromosome
      2q22.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Four putative single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) risk variants at
      the preeclampsia susceptibility locus on chromosome 2q22; rs2322659 (LCT),
      rs35821928 (LRP1B), rs115015150 (RND3) and rs17783344 (GCA), were recently shown
      to associate with known cardiovascular risk factors in a Mexican American cohort.
      This study aimed to further evaluate the pleiotropic effects of these
      preeclampsia risk variants in an independent Australian population-based cohort.
      METHODS: The four SNPs were genotyped in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort
      (Raine) Study that included DNA, clinical and biochemical data from 1246 mothers
      and 1404 of their now adolescent offspring. Genotype association analyses were
      undertaken using the SOLAR software. RESULTS: Nominal associations (P<0.05) with
      cardiovascular risk factors were detected for all four SNPs. The LCT SNP was
      associated with decreased maternal height (P=0.005) and decreased blood glucose
      levels in adolescents (P=0.022). The LRP1B SNP was associated with increased
      maternal height (P=0.026) and decreased maternal weight (P=0.044). The RND3 SNP
      was associated with decreased triglycerides in adolescents (P=0.001). The GCA SNP
      was associated with lower risk in adolescents to be born of a preeclamptic
      pregnancy (P=0.003) and having a mother with prior preeclamptic pregnancy
      (P=0.033). CONCLUSIONS: Our collective findings support the hypothesis that
      genetic mechanisms for preeclampsia and CVD are, at least in part, shared, but
      need to be interpreted with some caution as a Bonferroni correction for multiple
      testing adjusted the statistical significance threshold (adjusted P<0.001).

PMID- 26104427
TI  - The strength in comparison: Franz von Leydig (May 21, 1821 - April 13, 1908).

PMID- 26104428
TI  - Role of Carboplatin in the Treatment of Triple Negative Early- Stage Breast
      Cancer.
AB  - Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is more prevalent in younger patients and
      those carrying BRCA mutations. Although the incidence of breast cancer in general
      has dropped during the last years, TNBC has shown a relative increase. It is
      recognized as a breast cancer subtype with a high risk of tumor relapse and
      mortality. However, patients who achieve pathological complete response (pCR)
      with the use of neoadjuvant treatments have better prognosis and may attain cure.
      The lack of effective targeted therapies makes the use of conventional
      chemotherapy the only alternative available to fight this disease. Since many
      TNBCs share at least some phenotypic characteristics with germline BRCA-mutated
      tumors (BRCAness) cross-linking agents, such platinum salts, are particularly
      useful. Recently, two randomized phase 2 clinical trials support this
      presumption. However, improvement in pCR rates does not come free of toxicity.
      Given the potential change in practice associated with the generalized use of
      carboplatin in the neoadjuvant setting for TNBC patients, the aim of this review
      is to discuss the benefits as well as the potential drawbacks linked with the use
      of this strategy. 

PMID- 26104429
TI  - Lithological and hydrochemical controls on distribution and speciation of uranium
      in groundwaters of hard-rock granitic aquifers of Madurai District, Tamil Nadu
      (India).
AB  - Uranium is a radioactive element normally present in hexavalent form as U(VI) in
      solution and elevated levels in drinking water cause health hazards.
      Representative groundwater samples were collected from different litho-units in
      this region and were analyzed for total U and major and minor ions. Results
      indicate that the highest U concentration (113 ug l(-1)) was found in granitic
      terrains of this region and about 10 % of the samples exceed the permissible
      limit for drinking water. Among different species of U in aqueous media,
      carbonate complexes [UO2(CO3)(2)(2-)] are found to be dominant. Groundwater with
      higher U has higher pCO2 values, indicating weathering by bicarbonate ions
      resulting in preferential mobilization of U in groundwater. The major minerals
      uraninite and coffinite were found to be supersaturated and are likely to control
      the distribution of U in the study area. Nature of U in groundwater, the effects
      of lithology on hydrochemistry and factors controlling its distribution in hard
      rock aquifers of Madurai district are highlighted in this paper.

PMID- 26104431
TI  - Subtyping schizophrenia: A comparison of positive/negative and system-specific
      approaches.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder. Over the years, different
      approaches have been proposed to approach this heterogeneity by categorizing
      symptom patterns. The study aimed to compare positive/negative and system
      specific approaches to subtyping. METHODS: We used the Positive and Negative
      Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Bern Psychopathology Scale (BPS), which consists of
      subscales for three domains (language, affect and motor behavior) that are
      hypothesized to be related to specific brain circuits, to assess cross-sectional
      psychopathological characteristics in a sample of 100 inpatients with
      schizophrenia spectrum disorders. We then categorized participants into
      positive/negative and system-specific subgroups to allow comparisons of the two
      approaches. RESULTS: The analyses revealed correlations between the PANSS
      positive subscore and the BPS affective subscore (r=.446, p<.001) and between the
      PANSS negative subscore and the BPS motor behavior subscore (r=.227, p=.023). As
      regards the positive and negative subtype, more participants were classified as
      positive in the language-dominant subtype (30.3%) and affect-dominant subtype
      (30.3%), whereas more were classified as negative in the motor behavior-dominant
      subtype (44.4%). However, most patients met the criteria for the mixed subtype.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the positive/negative and system-specific
      approaches can be regarded as complementary. Future studies should examine both
      approaches in a longitudinal assessment of psychopathological symptoms and link
      them with qualitative-phenomenological approaches.

PMID- 26104430
TI  - Stenting in Intracranial Stenosis: Current Controversies and Future Directions.
AB  - Angioplasty and stenting for intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) are a
      last resort for patients with high-grade intracranial stenosis with multiple
      ischemic events unresponsive to medical therapy. Medical management, consisting
      of aggressive risk factor control and dual antiplatelet therapy, is superior to
      angioplasty and stenting for the prevention of future stroke. Future studies of
      angioplasty and stenting in this population are important, as the stroke risk on
      medical therapy is 12 % at 1 year and post-procedure stroke rates are similar to
      rates with medical treatment. There are many issues that will need to be resolved
      for stenting to offer any benefit, however. Procedural risks of hemorrhagic and
      ischemic stroke are unacceptably high. High-risk subgroups, potentially based on
      hemodynamic factors, will need to be identified for future interventional trials.
      Nevertheless, it is still reasonable to consider angioplasty and stenting for
      selected patients with multiple recurrent events despite aggressive medical
      management, but benefits are unclear at this time.

PMID- 26104432
TI  - Is reflective functioning associated with clinical symptoms and long-term course
      in patients with personality disorders?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Mentalization is the capacity to understand behavior as the expression
      of various mental states and is assumed to be important in a range of
      psychopathologies, especially personality disorders (PDs). The first aim of the
      present study was to investigate the relationship between mentalization capacity,
      operationalized as reflective functioning (RF), and clinical manifestations
      before entering study treatment. The second aim was to investigate the
      relationship between baseline RF and long-term clinical outcome both independent
      of treatment (predictor analyses) and dependent on treatment (moderator
      analyses). METHODS: Seventy-nine patients from a randomized clinical trial
      (Ulleval Personality Project) who had borderline and/or avoidant PD were randomly
      assigned to either a step-down treatment program, comprising short-term day
      hospital treatment followed by outpatient combined group and individual
      psychotherapy, or to outpatient individual psychotherapy. Patients were evaluated
      on variables including symptomatic distress, psychosocial functioning,
      personality functioning, and self-esteem at baseline, 8 and 18months, and 3 and
      6years. RESULTS: RF was significantly associated with a wide range of variables
      at baseline. In longitudinal analyses RF was not found to be a predictor of long
      term clinical outcome. However, when considering treatment type, there were
      significant moderator effects of RF. Patients with low RF had better outcomes in
      outpatient individual therapy compared to the step-down program. In contrast,
      patients in the medium RF group achieved better results in the step-down program.
      CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that RF is associated with core aspects of
      personality pathology and capture clinically relevant phenomena in adult patients
      with PDs. Moreover, patients with different capacities for mentalization may need
      different kinds of therapeutic approaches.

PMID- 26104433
TI  - Diversity-generating Retroelements in Phage and Bacterial Genomes.
AB  - Diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) are DNA diversification machines found
      in diverse bacterial and bacteriophage genomes that accelerate the evolution of
      ligand-receptor interactions. Diversification results from a unidirectional
      transfer of sequence information from an invariant template repeat (TR) to a
      variable repeat (VR) located in a protein-encoding gene. Information transfer is
      coupled to site-specific mutagenesis in a process called mutagenic homing, which
      occurs through an RNA intermediate and is catalyzed by a unique, DGR-encoded
      reverse transcriptase that converts adenine residues in the TR into random
      nucleotides in the VR. In the prototype DGR found in the Bordetella bacteriophage
      BPP-1, the variable protein Mtd is responsible for phage receptor recognition. VR
      diversification enables progeny phage to switch tropism, accelerating their
      adaptation to changes in sequence or availability of host cell-surface molecules
      for infection. Since their discovery, hundreds of DGRs have been identified, and
      their functions are just beginning to be understood. VR-encoded residues of many
      DGR-diversified proteins are displayed in the context of a C-type lectin fold,
      although other scaffolds, including the immunoglobulin fold, may also be used.
      DGR homing is postulated to occur through a specialized target DNA-primed reverse
      transcription mechanism that allows repeated rounds of diversification and
      selection, and the ability to engineer DGRs to target heterologous genes suggests
      applications for bioengineering. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of
      our current understanding of this newly discovered family of beneficial
      retroelements. 

PMID- 26104435
TI  - Public Health Microbiology of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli.
AB  - Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains are the only pathogenic
      group of E. coli that has a definite zoonotic origin, with ruminants and, in
      particular, cattle being recognized as the major reservoir. Most human STEC
      infections are food borne, but the routes of transmission include direct contact
      with animals and a variety of environment-related exposures. Therefore, STEC
      public health microbiology spans the fields of medical, veterinary, food, water,
      and environmental microbiology, requiring a "One Health" perspective and
      laboratory scientists with the ability to work effectively across disciplines.
      Public health microbiology laboratories play a central role in the surveillance
      of STEC infections, as well as in the preparedness for responding to outbreaks
      and in providing scientific evidence for the implementation of prevention and
      control measures. This article reviews (i) how the integration of surveillance of
      STEC infections and monitoring of these pathogens in animal reservoirs and
      potential food vehicles may contribute to their control; (ii) the role of
      reference laboratories, in both the public health and veterinary and food
      sectors; and (iii) the public health perspectives, including those related to
      regulatory issues in both the European Union and the United States. 

PMID- 26104436
TI  - Plasmid-Encoded Iron Uptake Systems.
AB  - Plasmids confer genetic information that benefits the bacterial cells containing
      them. In pathogenic bacteria, plasmids often harbor virulence determinants that
      enhance the pathogenicity of the bacterium. The ability to acquire iron in
      environments where it is limited, for instance the eukaryotic host, is a critical
      factor for bacterial growth. To acquire iron, bacteria have evolved specific iron
      uptake mechanisms. These systems are often chromosomally encoded, while those
      that are plasmid-encoded are rare. Two main plasmid types, ColV and pJM1, have
      been shown to harbor determinants that increase virulence by providing the cell
      with essential iron for growth. It is clear that these two plasmid groups evolved
      independently from each other since they do not share similarities either in the
      plasmid backbones or in the iron uptake systems they harbor. The siderophores
      aerobactin and salmochelin that are found on ColV plasmids fall in the
      hydroxamate and catechol group, respectively, whereas both functional groups are
      present in the anguibactin siderophore, the only iron uptake system found on pJM1
      type plasmids. Besides siderophore-mediated iron uptake, ColV plasmids carry
      additional genes involved in iron metabolism. These systems include ABC
      transporters, hemolysins, and a hemoglobin protease. ColV- and pJM1-like plasmids
      have been shown to confer virulence to their bacterial host, and this trait can
      be completely ascribed to their encoded iron uptake systems. 

PMID- 26104437
TI  - Biology of Three ICE Families: SXT/R391, ICEBs1, and ICESt1/ICESt3.
AB  - Integrative and Conjugative Elements (ICEs) are bacterial mobile genetic elements
      that play a key role in bacterial genomes dynamics and evolution. ICEs are widely
      distributed among virtually all bacterial genera. Recent extensive studies have
      unraveled their high diversity and complexity. The present review depicts the
      general conserved features of ICEs and describes more precisely three major
      families of ICEs that have been extensively studied in the past decade for their
      biology, their evolution and their impact on genomes dynamics. First, the large
      SXT/R391 family of ICEs disseminates antibiotic resistance genes and drives the
      exchange of mobilizable genomic islands (MGIs) between many enteric pathogens
      such as Vibrio cholerae. Second, ICEBs1 of Bacillus subtilis is the most well
      understood ICE of Gram-positive bacteria, notably regarding the regulation of its
      dissemination and its initially unforeseen extrachromosomal replication, which
      could be a common feature of ICEs of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative
      bacteria. Finally, ICESt1 and ICESt3 of Streptococcus thermophilus are the
      prototypes of a large family of ICEs widely distributed among various
      streptococci. These ICEs carry an original regulation module that associates
      regulators related to those of both SXT/R391 and ICEBs1. Study of ICESt1 and
      ICESt3 uncovered the cis-mobilization of related genomic islands (CIMEs) by a
      mechanism called accretion-mobilization, which likely represents a paradigm for
      the evolution of many ICEs and genomic islands. These three major families of
      ICEs give a glimpse about ICEs dynamics and their high impact on bacterial
      adaptation. 

PMID- 26104438
TI  - Plasmid Diversity and Adaptation Analyzed by Massive Sequencing of Escherichia
      coli Plasmids.
AB  - Whole-genome sequencing is revolutionizing the analysis of bacterial genomes. It
      leads to a massive increase in the amount of available data to be analyzed.
      Bacterial genomes are usually composed of one main chromosome and a number of
      accessory chromosomes, called plasmids. A recently developed methodology called
      PLACNET (for plasmid constellation networks) allows the reconstruction of the
      plasmids of a given genome. Thus, it opens an avenue for plasmidome analysis on a
      global scale. This work reviews our knowledge of the genetic determinants for
      plasmid propagation (conjugation and related functions), their diversity, and
      their prevalence in the variety of plasmids found by whole-genome sequencing. It
      focuses on the results obtained from a collection of 255 Escherichia coli
      plasmids reconstructed by PLACNET. The plasmids found in E. coli represent a
      nonaleatory subset of the plasmids found in proteobacteria. Potential reasons for
      the prevalence of some specific plasmid groups will be discussed and, more
      importantly, additional questions will be posed. 

PMID- 26104434
TI  - Host Factors in Retroviral Integration and the Selection of Integration Target
      Sites.
AB  - In order to replicate, a retrovirus must integrate a DNA copy of the viral RNA
      genome into a chromosome of the host cell. The study of retroviral integration
      has advanced considerably in the past few years. Here we focus on host factor
      interactions and the linked area of integration targeting. Genome-wide screens
      for cellular factors affecting HIV replication have identified a series of host
      cell proteins that may mediate subcellular trafficking for preintegration
      complexes, nuclear import, and integration target site selection. The cell
      transcriptional co-activator protein LEDGF/p75 has been identified as a tethering
      factor important for HIV integration, and recently, BET proteins (Brd2, 4, and 4)
      have been identified as tethering factors for the gammaretroviruses. A new class
      of HIV inhibitors has been developed targeting the HIV-1 IN-LEDGF binding site,
      though surprisingly these inhibitors appear to block assembly late during
      replication and do not act at the integration step. Going forward, genome-wide
      studies of HIV-host interactions offer many new starting points to investigate
      HIV replication and identify potential new inhibitor targets. 

PMID- 26104439
TI  - Antibodies: Computer-Aided Prediction of Structure and Design of Function.
AB  - With the advent of high-throughput sequencing, and the increased availability of
      experimental structures of antibodies and antibody-antigen complexes, comes the
      improvement of computational approaches to predict the structure and design the
      function of antibodies and antibody-antigen complexes. While antibodies pose
      formidable challenges for protein structure prediction and design due to their
      large size and highly flexible loops in the complementarity-determining regions,
      they also offer exciting opportunities: the central importance of antibodies for
      human health results in a wealth of structural and sequence information that-as a
      knowledge base-can drive the modeling algorithms by limiting the conformational
      and sequence search space to likely regions of success. Further, efficient
      experimental platforms exist to test predicted antibody structure or designed
      antibody function, thereby leading to an iterative feedback loop between
      computation and experiment. We briefly review the history of computer-aided
      prediction of structure and design of function in the antibody field before we
      focus on recent methodological developments and the most exciting application
      examples. 

PMID- 26104440
TI  - Radiolabeled Antibodies for Therapy of Infectious Diseases.
AB  - Novel approaches to the treatment of infectious diseases are urgently needed.
      This need has resulted in renewing the interest in antibodies for therapy of
      infectious diseases. Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is a cancer treatment modality that
      utilizes radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies. During the last decade we have
      translated RIT into the field of experimental fungal, bacterial, and HIV
      infections. In addition, successful proof of principle experiments with
      radiolabeled pan-antibodies that bind to antigens shared by major pathogenic
      fungi have been performed in vitro. The armamentarium of pan-antibodies would
      result in reducing our dependence on microorganism-specific antibodies and thus
      would speed up the development of RIT for infections. We believe that the time is
      ripe for deploying RIT in the clinic to combat infectious diseases. 

PMID- 26104441
TI  - Retroviral Integrase Structure and DNA Recombination Mechanism.
AB  - Due to the importance of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase as
      a drug target, the biochemistry and structural aspects of retroviral DNA
      integration have been the focus of intensive research during the past three
      decades. The retroviral integrase enzyme acts on the linear double-stranded viral
      DNA product of reverse transcription. Integrase cleaves specific phosphodiester
      bonds near the viral DNA ends during the 3' processing reaction. The enzyme then
      uses the resulting viral DNA 3'-OH groups during strand transfer to cut
      chromosomal target DNA, which simultaneously joins both viral DNA ends to target
      DNA 5'-phosphates. Both reactions proceed via direct transesterification of
      scissile phosphodiester bonds by attacking nucleophiles: a water molecule for 3'
      processing, and the viral DNA 3'-OH for strand transfer. X-ray crystal structures
      of prototype foamy virus integrase-DNA complexes revealed the architectures of
      the key nucleoprotein complexes that form sequentially during the integration
      process and explained the roles of active site metal ions in catalysis. X-ray
      crystallography furthermore elucidated the mechanism of action of HIV-1 integrase
      strand transfer inhibitors, which are currently used to treat AIDS patients, and
      provided valuable insights into the mechanisms of viral drug resistance. 

PMID- 26104442
TI  - Plasmid Partition Mechanisms.
AB  - The stable maintenance of low-copy-number plasmids in bacteria is actively driven
      by partition mechanisms that are responsible for the positioning of plasmids
      inside the cell. Partition systems are ubiquitous in the microbial world and are
      encoded by many bacterial chromosomes as well as plasmids. These systems,
      although different in sequence and mechanism, typically consist of two proteins
      and a DNA partition site, or prokaryotic centromere, on the plasmid or
      chromosome. One protein binds site-specifically to the centromere to form a
      partition complex, and the other protein uses the energy of nucleotide binding
      and hydrolysis to transport the plasmid, via interactions with this partition
      complex inside the cell. For plasmids, this minimal cassette is sufficient to
      direct proper segregation in bacterial cells. There has been significant progress
      in the last several years in our understanding of partition mechanisms. Two
      general areas that have developed are (i) the structural biology of partition
      proteins and their interactions with DNA and (ii) the action and dynamics of the
      partition ATPases that drive the process. In addition, systems that use tubulin
      like GTPases to partition plasmids have recently been identified. In this
      chapter, we concentrate on these recent developments and the molecular details of
      plasmid partition mechanisms. 

PMID- 26104443
TI  - Clinical Studies of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Conjugate Vaccines in Adults and
      Young Children.
AB  - Pediatric immunization has been the most effective measure to prevent and reduce
      the burden of infectious diseases in children. The recent inclusion of
      pneumococcal and meningococcal polysaccharide conjugates in infant immunization
      further reinforces their importance. Currently there is no human vaccine against
      enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infections. This review focuses on the
      human EHEC vaccine that has been studied clinically, in particular, the
      polysaccharide conjugate against E. coli O157. The surface polysaccharide
      antigen, O-specific polysaccharide, was linked to rEPA, recombinant exotoxin A of
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In adults and children 2 to 5 years old, O157-rEPA
      conjugates, shown to be safe, induced high levels of antilipopolysaccharide
      immunoglobulin G with bactericidal activities against E. coli O157, a functional
      bioassay that mimics the killing of inoculum in vivo. A similar construct using
      the B subunit of Shiga toxin (Stx) 1 as the carrier protein elicited both
      bactericidal and toxin-neutralizing antibodies in mice. So far there is no
      clinical study of Stx-based human vaccine. Passive immunization of Stx-specific
      antibodies with humanized, chimeric, or human monoclonal antibodies, produced in
      transgenic mice, showed promising data in animal models and offered high
      prospects. Demonstrations of their safety and effectiveness in treating hemolytic
      uremic syndrome or patients with EHEC infections are under way, and results are
      much anticipated. For future development, other virulence factors such as the
      nontoxic Stx B subunit or intimin should be included, either as carrier protein
      in conjugates or as independent components. The additional antigens from O157 may
      provide broader coverage to non-O157 Stx-producing E. coli and facilitate both
      preventive and therapeutic treatment.

PMID- 26104444
TI  - Dengue Antibody-Dependent Enhancement: Knowns and Unknowns.
AB  - Dengue provides the most abundant example in human medicine and the greatest
      human illness burden caused by the phenomenon of intrinsic antibody-dependent
      infection enhancement (iADE). In this immunopathological phenomenon infection of
      monocytes or macrophages using infectious immune complexes suppresses innate
      antiviral systems, permitting logarithmic intracellular growth of dengue virus.
      The four dengue viruses evolved from a common ancestor yet retain similar ecology
      and pathogenicity, but although infection with one virus provides short-term
      cross-protection against infection with a different type, millions of secondary
      dengue infections occur worldwide each year. When individuals are infected in the
      virtual absence of cross-protective dengue antibodies, the dengue vascular
      permeability syndrome (DVPS) may ensue. This occurs in around 2 to 4% of second
      heterotypic dengue infections. A complete understanding of the biologic mechanism
      of iADE, dengue biology, and the mechanism of host responses to dengue infection
      should lead to a comprehensive and complete understanding of the pathogenesis of
      DVPS. A crucial emphasis must be placed on understanding ADE. Clinical and
      epidemiological observations of DVPS define the research questions and provide
      research parameters. This article will review knowledge related to dengue ADE and
      point to areas where there has been little research progress. These observations
      relate to the two stages of dengue illnesses: afferent phenomena are those that
      promote the success of the microorganism to infect and survive; efferent
      phenomena are those mounted by the host to inhibit infection and replication and
      to eliminate the infectious agent and infected tissues. Data will be discussed as
      "knowns" and "unknowns." 

PMID- 26104446
TI  - Recombination and Diversification of the Variant Antigen Encoding Genes in the
      Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
AB  - The most severe form of human malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite
      Plasmodium falciparum. These parasites invade and replicate within the
      circulating red blood cells of infected individuals leading to numerous disease
      manifestations, including severe anemia, altered circulation, and tissue
      inflammation. Malaria parasites are also known for their ability to maintain a
      chronic infection through antigenic variation, the ability to systematically
      alter the antigens displayed on the surface of infected cells and thereby avoid
      clearance by the host's antibody response. The genome of P. falciparum includes
      several large, multicopy gene families that encode highly variable forms of the
      surface proteins that are the targets of host immunity. Alterations in expression
      of genes within these families are responsible for antigenic variation. This
      process requires the continuous generation of new antigenic variants within these
      gene families, and studies have shown that new variants arise through extensive
      recombination and gene conversion events between family members. Malaria
      parasites possess an unusual complement of DNA repair pathways, thus the study of
      recombination between variant antigen encoding genes provides a unique view into
      the evolution of mobile DNA in an organism distantly related to the more closely
      studied model eukaryotes. 

PMID- 26104445
TI  - vls Antigenic Variation Systems of Lyme Disease Borrelia: Eluding Host Immunity
      through both Random, Segmental Gene Conversion and Framework Heterogeneity.
AB  - Spirochetes that cause Lyme borreliosis (also called Lyme disease) possess the
      vls locus, encoding an elaborate antigenic variation system. This locus contains
      the expression site vlsE as well as a contiguous array of vls silent cassettes,
      which contain variations of the central cassette region of vlsE. The locus is
      present on one of the many linear plasmids in the organism, e.g. plasmid lp28-1
      in the strain Borrelia burgdorferi B31. Changes in the sequence of vlsE occur
      continuously during mammalian infection and consist of random, segmental,
      unidirectional recombination events between the silent cassettes and the cassette
      region of vlsE. These gene conversion events do not occur during in vitro culture
      or the tick portion of the infection cycle of B. burgdorferi or the other related
      Borrelia species that cause Lyme disease. The mechanism of recombination is
      largely unknown, but requires the RuvAB Holliday junction branch migrase. Other
      features of the vls locus also appear to be required, including cis locations of
      vlsE and the silent cassettes and high G+C content and GC skew. The vls system is
      required for long-term survival of Lyme Borrelia in infected mammals and
      represents an important mechanism of immune evasion. In addition to sequence
      variation, immune selection also results in significant heterogeneity in the
      sequence of the surface lipoprotein VlsE. Despite antigenic variation, VlsE
      generates a robust antibody response, and both full-length VlsE and the C6
      peptide (corresponding to invariant region 6) are widely used in immunodiagnostic
      tests for Lyme disease. 

PMID- 26104447
TI  - Plasmid-Mediated Tolerance Toward Environmental Pollutants.
AB  - The survival capacity of microorganisms in a contaminated environment is limited
      by the concentration and/or toxicity of the pollutant. Through evolutionary
      processes, some bacteria have developed or acquired mechanisms to cope with the
      deleterious effects of toxic compounds, a phenomenon known as tolerance. Common
      mechanisms of tolerance include the extrusion of contaminants to the outer media
      and, when concentrations of pollutants are low, the degradation of the toxic
      compound. For both of these approaches, plasmids that encode genes for the
      degradation of contaminants such as toluene, naphthalene, phenol, nitrobenzene,
      and triazine or are involved in tolerance toward organic solvents and heavy
      metals, play an important role in the evolution and dissemination of these
      catabolic pathways and efflux pumps. Environmental plasmids are often conjugative
      and can transfer their genes between different strains; furthermore, many
      catabolic or efflux pump genes are often associated with transposable elements,
      making them one of the major players in bacterial evolution. In this review, we
      will briefly describe catabolic and tolerance plasmids and advances in the
      knowledge and biotechnological applications of these plasmids. 

PMID- 26104448
TI  - Programmed Genome Rearrangements in Tetrahymena.
AB  - Ciliates are champions in programmed genome rearrangements. They carry out
      extensive restructuring during differentiation to drastically alter the
      complexity, relative copy number, and arrangement of sequences in the somatic
      genome. This chapter focuses on the model ciliate Tetrahymena, perhaps the
      simplest and best-understood ciliate studied. It summarizes past studies on
      various genome rearrangement processes and describes in detail the remarkable
      progress made in the past decade on the understanding of DNA deletion and other
      processes. The process occurs at thousands of specific sites to remove defined
      DNA segments that comprise roughly one-third of the genome including all
      transposons. Interestingly, this DNA rearranging process is a special form of RNA
      interference. It involves the production of double-stranded RNA and small RNA
      that guides the formation of heterochromatin. A domesticated piggyBac transposase
      is believed to cut off the marked chromatin, and the retained sequences are
      joined together through nonhomologous end-joining processes. Many of the proteins
      and DNA players involved have been analyzed and are described. This link provides
      possible explanations for the evolution, mechanism, and functional roles of the
      process. The article also discusses the interactions between parental and progeny
      somatic nuclei that affect the selection of sequences for deletion, and how the
      specific deletion boundaries are determined after heterochromatin marking. 

PMID- 26104450
TI  - Programmed Rearrangement in Ciliates: Paramecium.
AB  - Programmed genome rearrangements in the ciliate Paramecium provide a nice
      illustration of the impact of transposons on genome evolution and plasticity.
      During the sexual cycle, development of the somatic macronucleus involves
      elimination of ~30% of the germline genome, including repeated DNA (e.g.,
      transposons) and ~45,000 single-copy internal eliminated sequences (IES). IES
      excision is a precise cut-and-close process, in which double-stranded DNA
      cleavage at IES ends depends on PiggyMac, a domesticated piggyBac transposase.
      Genome-wide analysis has revealed that at least a fraction of IESs originate from
      Tc/mariner transposons unrelated to piggyBac. Moreover, genomic sequences with no
      transposon origin, such as gene promoters, can be excised reproducibly as IESs,
      indicating that genome rearrangements contribute to the control of gene
      expression. How the system has evolved to allow elimination of DNA sequences with
      no recognizable conserved motif has been the subject of extensive research during
      the past two decades. Increasing evidence has accumulated for the participation
      of noncoding RNAs in epigenetic control of elimination for a subset of IESs, and
      in trans-generational inheritance of alternative rearrangement patterns. This
      chapter summarizes our current knowledge of the structure of the germline and
      somatic genomes for the model species Paramecium tetraurelia, and describes the
      DNA cleavage and repair factors that constitute the IES excision machinery. We
      present an overview of the role of specialized RNA interference machineries and
      their associated noncoding RNAs in the control of DNA elimination. Finally, we
      discuss how RNA-dependent modification and/or remodeling of chromatin may guide
      PiggyMac to its cognate cleavage sites. 

PMID- 26104451
TI  - The Serine Recombinases.
AB  - In site-specific recombination, two short DNA sequences ('sites') are each cut at
      specific points in both strands, and the cut ends are rejoined to new partners.
      The enzymes that mediate recognition of the sites and the subsequent cutting and
      rejoining steps are called recombinases. Most recombinases fall into one of two
      families according to similarities of their protein sequences and mechanisms;
      these families are known as the tyrosine recombinases and the serine
      recombinases, the names referring to the conserved amino acid residue that
      attacks the DNA phosphodiester and becomes covalently linked to a DNA strand end
      during catalysis. This chapter gives an overview of our current understanding of
      the serine recombinases, their types, biological roles, structures, catalytic
      mechanisms, mechanisms of regulation, and applications. 

PMID- 26104449
TI  - Programmed Genome Rearrangements in the Ciliate Oxytricha.
AB  - The ciliate Oxytricha is a microbial eukaryote with two genomes, one of which
      experiences extensive genome remodeling during development. Each round of
      conjugation initiates a cascade of events that construct a transcriptionally
      active somatic genome from a scrambled germline genome, with considerable help
      from both long and small noncoding RNAs. This process of genome remodeling
      entails massive DNA deletion and reshuffling of remaining DNA segments to form
      functional genes from their interrupted and scrambled germline precursors. The
      use of Oxytricha as a model system provides an opportunity to study an
      exaggerated form of programmed genome rearrangement. Furthermore, studying the
      mechanisms that maintain nuclear dimorphism and mediate genome rearrangement has
      demonstrated a surprising plasticity and diversity of noncoding RNA pathways,
      with new roles that go beyond conventional gene silencing. Another aspect of
      ciliate genetics is their unorthodox patterns of RNA-mediated, epigenetic
      inheritance that rival Mendelian inheritance. This review takes the reader
      through the key experiments in a model eukaryote that led to fundamental
      discoveries in RNA biology and pushes the biological limits of DNA processing. 

PMID- 26104452
TI  - Using Plasmids as DNA Vaccines for Infectious Diseases.
AB  - DNA plasmids can be used to induce a protective (or therapeutic) immune response
      by delivering genes encoding vaccine antigens. That naked DNA (without the
      refinement of coat proteins or host evasion systems) can cross from outside the
      cell into the nucleus and be expressed is particularly remarkable given the
      sophistication of the immune system in preventing infection by pathogens. As a
      result of the ease, low cost, and speed of custom gene synthesis, DNA vaccines
      dangle a tantalizing prospect of the next wave of vaccine technology, promising
      individual designer vaccines for cancer or mass vaccines with a rapid response
      time to emerging pandemics. There is considerable enthusiasm for the use of DNA
      vaccination as an approach, but this enthusiasm should be tempered by the
      successive failures in clinical trials to induce a potent immune response. The
      technology is evolving with the development of improved delivery systems that
      increase expression levels, particularly electroporation and the incorporation of
      genetically encoded adjuvants. This review will introduce some key concepts in
      the use of DNA plasmids as vaccines, including how the DNA enters the cell and is
      expressed, how it induces an immune response, and a summary of clinical trials
      with DNA vaccines. The review also explores the advances being made in vector
      design, delivery, formulation, and adjuvants to try to realize the promise of
      this technology for new vaccines. If the immunogenicity and expression barriers
      can be cracked, then DNA vaccines may offer a step change in mass vaccination. 

PMID- 26104453
TI  - Plasmid-Mediated Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococci and Other Firmicutes.
AB  - In staphylococci and other Firmicutes, resistance to numerous classes of
      antimicrobial agents, which are commonly used in human and veterinary medicine,
      is mediated by genes that are associated with mobile genetic elements. The gene
      products of some of these antimicrobial resistance genes confer resistance to
      only specific members of a certain class of antimicrobial agents, whereas others
      confer resistance to the entire class or even to members of different classes of
      antimicrobial agents. The resistance mechanisms specified by the resistance genes
      fall into any of three major categories: active efflux, enzymatic inactivation,
      and modification/replacement/protection of the target sites of the antimicrobial
      agents. Among the mobile genetic elements that carry such resistance genes,
      plasmids play an important role as carriers of primarily plasmid-borne resistance
      genes, but also as vectors for nonconjugative and conjugative transposons that
      harbor resistance genes. Plasmids can be exchanged by horizontal gene transfer
      between members of the same species but also between bacteria belonging to
      different species and genera. Plasmids are highly flexible elements, and various
      mechanisms exist by which plasmids can recombine, form cointegrates, or become
      integrated in part or in toto into the chromosomal DNA or into other plasmids. As
      such, plasmids play a key role in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance
      genes within the gene pool to which staphylococci and other Firmicutes have
      access. This chapter is intended to provide an overview of the current knowledge
      of plasmid-mediated antimicrobial resistance in staphylococci and other
      Firmicutes. 

PMID- 26104454
TI  - Hairpin Telomere Resolvases.
AB  - Covalently closed hairpin ends, also known as hairpin telomeres, provide an
      unusual solution to the end replication problem. The hairpin telomeres are
      generated from replication intermediates by a process known as telomere
      resolution. This is a DNA breakage and reunion reaction promoted by hairpin
      telomere resolvases (also referred to as protelomerases) found in a limited
      number of phage and bacteria. The reaction promoted by these enzymes is a
      chemically isoenergetic two-step transesterification without a requirement for
      divalent metal ions or high-energy cofactors and uses an active site and
      mechanism similar to that for type IB topoisomerases and tyrosine recombinases.
      The small number of unrelated telomere resolvases characterized to date all
      contain a central, catalytic core domain with the active site, but in addition
      carry variable C- and N-terminal domains with different functions. Similarities
      and differences in the structure and function of the telomere resolvases are
      discussed. Of particular interest are the properties of the Borrelia telomere
      resolvases, which have been studied most extensively at the biochemical level and
      appear to play a role in shaping the unusual segmented genomes in these organisms
      and, perhaps, to play a role in recombinational events. 

PMID- 26104455
TI  - Peri- and Postharvest Factors in the Control of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia
      coli in Beef.
AB  - Certain Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains are important
      causes of food-borne disease, with hemorrhagic colitis and, in some cases,
      hemolytic-uremic syndrome as the clinical manifestations of illness. Six
      serogroups and one serotype of STEC (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and
      O157:H7) are responsible for the vast majority of cases in the United States.
      Based on recent data for all food commodities combined, 55.3% and 50.0% of the
      outbreaks of STEC O157 and non-O157 in the United States, respectively, are
      attributable to beef as a food source. Consequently, the U.S. Department of
      Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service declared these organisms as
      adulterants in raw, nonintact beef. In North America, cattle are a major
      reservoir of STEC strains, with organisms shed in the feces and contaminated
      hides of the animals being the main vehicle for spread to carcasses at slaughter.
      A number of peri- and postharvest interventions targeting STEC have been
      developed, and significant progress has been made in improving the
      microbiological quality of beef in the past 20 years as a result. However,
      continued improvements are needed, and accurate assessment of these
      interventions, especially for non-O157 STEC, would greatly benefit from
      improvements in detection methods for these organisms. 

PMID- 26104456
TI  - Vaccination of Cattle against Escherichia coli O157:H7.
AB  - Human infection with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157)
      is relatively rare, but the consequences can be serious, especially in the very
      young and the elderly. Efforts to control the flow of STEC O157 during beef
      processing have meaningfully reduced the incidence of human STEC O157 infection,
      particularly prior to 2005. Unfortunately, despite early progress, the incidence
      of STEC O157 infection has not changed meaningfully or statistically in recent
      years, suggesting that additional actions, for example, targeting the cattle
      reservoir, are necessary to further reduce STEC O157 illness. Ideally, preharvest
      interventions against STEC O157 should reduce the likelihood that cattle carry
      the organism, have practical application within the beef production system, and
      add sufficient value to the cattle to offset the cost of the intervention. A
      number of STEC O157 antigens are being investigated as potential vaccine targets.
      Some vaccine products have demonstrated efficacy to reduce the prevalence of
      cattle carrying STEC O157 by making the gut unfavorable to colonization. However,
      in conditions of natural exposure, efficacy afforded by vaccination depends on
      how the products are used to control environmental transmission within groups of
      cattle and throughout the production system. Although cattle vaccines against
      STEC O157 have gained either full or preliminary regulatory approval in Canada
      and the United States, widespread use by cattle feeders is unlikely until there
      is an economic signal to indicate that cattle vaccinated against STEC O157 are
      valued over other cattle. 

PMID- 26104457
TI  - Plasmid Biopharmaceuticals.
AB  - Plasmids are currently an indispensable molecular tool in life science research
      and a central asset for the modern biotechnology industry, supporting its mission
      to produce pharmaceutical proteins, antibodies, vaccines, industrial enzymes, and
      molecular diagnostics, to name a few key products. Furthermore, plasmids have
      gradually stepped up in the past 20 years as useful biopharmaceuticals in the
      context of gene therapy and DNA vaccination interventions. This review provides a
      concise coverage of the scientific progress that has been made since the
      emergence of what are called today plasmid biopharmaceuticals. The most relevant
      topics are discussed to provide researchers with an updated overview of the
      field. A brief outline of the initial breakthroughs and innovations is followed
      by a discussion of the motivation behind the medical uses of plasmids in the
      context of therapeutic and prophylactic interventions. The molecular
      characteristics and rationale underlying the design of plasmid vectors as gene
      transfer agents are described and a description of the most important methods
      used to deliver plasmid biopharmaceuticals in vivo (gene gun, electroporation,
      cationic lipids and polymers, and micro- and nanoparticles) is provided. The
      major safety issues (integration and autoimmunity) surrounding the use of plasmid
      biopharmaceuticals is discussed next. Aspects related to the large-scale
      manufacturing are also covered, and reference is made to the plasmid products
      that have received marketing authorization as of today. 

PMID- 26104459
TI  - Virulence Plasmids of Spore-Forming Bacteria.
AB  - Plasmid-encoded virulence factors are important in the pathogenesis of diseases
      caused by spore-forming bacteria. Unlike many other bacteria, the most common
      virulence factors encoded by plasmids in Clostridium and Bacillus species are
      protein toxins. Clostridium perfringens causes several histotoxic and enterotoxin
      diseases in both humans and animals and produces a broad range of toxins,
      including many pore-forming toxins such as C. perfringens enterotoxin, epsilon
      toxin, beta-toxin, and NetB. Genetic studies have led to the determination of the
      role of these toxins in disease pathogenesis. The genes for these toxins are
      generally carried on large conjugative plasmids that have common core
      replication, maintenance, and conjugation regions. There is considerable
      functional information available about the unique tcp conjugation locus carried
      by these plasmids, but less is known about plasmid maintenance. The latter is
      intriguing because many C. perfringens isolates stably maintain up to four
      different, but closely related, toxin plasmids. Toxin genes may also be plasmid
      encoded in the neurotoxic clostridia. The tetanus toxin gene is located on a
      plasmid in Clostridium tetani, but the botulinum toxin genes may be chromosomal,
      plasmid-determined, or located on bacteriophages in Clostridium botulinum. In
      Bacillus anthracis it is well established that virulence is plasmid determined,
      with anthrax toxin genes located on pXO1 and capsule genes on a separate plasmid,
      pXO2. Orthologs of these plasmids are also found in other members of the Bacillus
      cereus group such as B. cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis. In B. thuringiensis
      these plasmids may carry genes encoding one or more insecticidal toxins. 

PMID- 26104458
TI  - V(D)J Recombination: Mechanism, Errors, and Fidelity.
AB  - V(D)J recombination, the mechanism responsible for generating antigen receptor
      diversity, has the potential to generate aberrant DNA rearrangements in
      developing lymphocytes. Indeed, the recombinase has been implicated in several
      different kinds of errors leading to oncogenic transformation. Here we review the
      basic aspects of V(D)J recombination, mechanisms underlying aberrant DNA
      rearrangements, and the types of aberrant events uncovered in recent genomewide
      analyses of lymphoid neoplasms. 

PMID- 26104460
TI  - Escherichia coli O104:H4 Pathogenesis: an Enteroaggregative E. coli/Shiga Toxin
      Producing E. coli Explosive Cocktail of High Virulence.
AB  - A major outbreak caused by Escherichia coli of serotype O104:H4 spread throughout
      Europe in 2011. This large outbreak was caused by an unusual strain that is most
      similar to enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) of serotype O104:H4. A significant
      difference, however, is the presence of a prophage encoding the Shiga toxin,
      which is characteristic of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) strains. This
      combination of genomic features, associating characteristics from both EAEC and
      EHEC, represents a new pathotype. The 2011 E. coli O104:H4 outbreak of
      hemorrhagic diarrhea in Germany is an example of the explosive cocktail of high
      virulence and resistance that can emerge in this species. A total of 46 deaths,
      782 cases of hemolytic-uremic syndrome, and 3,128 cases of acute gastroenteritis
      were attributed to this new clone of EAEC/EHEC. In addition, recent
      identification in France of similar O104:H4 clones exhibiting the same virulence
      factors suggests that the EHEC O104:H4 pathogen has become endemically
      established in Europe after the end of the outbreak. EAEC strains of serotype
      O104:H4 contain a large set of virulence-associated genes regulated by the AggR
      transcription factor. They include, among other factors, the pAA plasmid genes
      encoding the aggregative adherence fimbriae, which anchor the bacterium to the
      intestinal mucosa (stacked-brick adherence pattern on epithelial cells).
      Furthermore, sequencing studies showed that horizontal genetic exchange allowed
      for the emergence of the highly virulent Shiga toxin-producing EAEC O104:H4
      strain that caused the German outbreak. This article discusses the role these
      virulence factors could have in EAEC/EHEC O104:H4 pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26104461
TI  - Plasmids from Euryarchaeota.
AB  - Many plasmids have been described in Euryarchaeota, one of the three major
      archaeal phyla, most of them in salt-loving haloarchaea and hyperthermophilic
      Thermococcales. These plasmids resemble bacterial plasmids in terms of size (from
      small plasmids encoding only one gene up to large megaplasmids) and replication
      mechanisms (rolling circle or theta). Some of them are related to viral genomes
      and form a more or less continuous sequence space including many integrated
      elements. Plasmids from Euryarchaeota have been useful for designing efficient
      genetic tools for these microorganisms. In addition, they have also been used to
      probe the topological state of plasmids in species with or without DNA gyrase
      and/or reverse gyrase. Plasmids from Euryarchaeota encode both DNA replication
      proteins recruited from their hosts and novel families of DNA replication
      proteins. Euryarchaeota form an interesting playground to test evolutionary
      hypotheses on the origin and evolution of viruses and plasmids, since a robust
      phylogeny is available for this phylum. Preliminary studies have shown that for
      different plasmid families, plasmids share a common gene pool and coevolve with
      their hosts. They are involved in gene transfer, mostly between plasmids and
      viruses present in closely related species, but rarely between cells from
      distantly related archaeal lineages. With few exceptions (e.g., plasmids carrying
      gas vesicle genes), most archaeal plasmids seem to be cryptic. Interestingly,
      plasmids and viral genomes have been detected in extracellular membrane vesicles
      produced by Thermococcales, suggesting that these vesicles could be involved in
      the transfer of viruses and plasmids between cells. 

PMID- 26104462
TI  - Iteron Plasmids.
AB  - Iteron-containing plasmids are model systems for studying the metabolism of
      extrachromosomal genetic elements in bacterial cells. Here we describe the
      current knowledge and understanding of the structure of iteron-containing
      replicons, the structure of the iteron plasmid encoded replication initiation
      proteins, and the molecular mechanisms for iteron plasmid DNA replication
      initiation. We also discuss the current understanding of control mechanisms
      affecting the plasmid copy number and how host chaperone proteins and proteases
      can affect plasmid maintenance in bacterial cells. 

PMID- 26104463
TI  - Xer Site-Specific Recombination: Promoting Vertical and Horizontal Transmission
      of Genetic Information.
AB  - Two related tyrosine recombinases, XerC and XerD, are encoded in the genome of
      most bacteria where they serve to resolve dimers of circular chromosomes by the
      addition of a crossover at a specific site, dif. From a structural and
      biochemical point of view they belong to the Cre resolvase family of tyrosine
      recombinases. Correspondingly, they are exploited for the resolution of multimers
      of numerous plasmids. In addition, they are exploited by mobile DNA elements to
      integrate into the genome of their host. Exploitation of Xer is likely to be
      advantageous to mobile elements because the conservation of the Xer recombinases
      and of the sequence of their chromosomal target should permit a quite easy
      extension of their host range. However, it requires means to overcome the
      cellular mechanisms that normally restrict recombination to dif sites harbored by
      a chromosome dimer and, in the case of integrative mobile elements, to convert
      dedicated tyrosine resolvases into integrases. 

PMID- 26104464
TI  - The spectrum of epilepsy caused by POLG mutations.
AB  - Mutations in POLG are increasingly recognized as a cause of refractory occipital
      lobe epilepsy (OLE) and status epilepticus (SE). Our aim was to describe the
      epilepsy syndrome in seven patients with POLG mutations. We retrospectively
      reviewed the medical records of seven patients with POLG mutations and epilepsy.
      Mutation analysis was performed by direct sequencing of the coding exons of the
      POLG gene. Disease onset was at a median age of 18 years (range 12-26). Epilepsy
      was the presenting problem in six patients. All had focal seizures, with motor (n
      = 6) and visual (n = 6) phenomena. Six patients had secondarily generalized
      seizures and two patients had myoclonic seizures. Six patients had one or more
      episodes of refractory SE, including focal (n = 5), subtle (n = 4), myoclonic (n
      = 2) and convulsive (n = 3) SE. During or after SE, brain MRI showed lesions
      affecting the occipital lobe in all patients, probably due to continuous
      epileptic activity. Five of the six patients with SE died during treatment of SE,
      one due to valproate-induced hepatotoxicity. Associated clinical symptoms were
      ataxia (n = 6), polyneuropathy (n = 6), progressive external ophthalmoplegia
      (PEO) (n = 3) and migraine (n = 3). Epilepsy may be the first and dominant
      neurological problem caused by POLG mutations. The epilepsy may be severe and the
      condition of the patient may end in fatal SE. Refractory OLE and SE in a patient
      with polyneuropathy, ataxia, PEO or migraine warrant screening for POLG
      mutations. In this clinical setting, valproate should not be given in view of the
      risk of fatal hepatotoxicity.

PMID- 26104465
TI  - Suspected cancer (part 2--adults): reference tables from updated NICE guidance.

PMID- 26104466
TI  - Importance of lipid accumulation product index as a marker of CVD risk in PCOS
      women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is considered the most common
      endocrine disease during the woman's reproductive life, with prevalence ranging
      from 5 to 10% of women of reproductive age. There is a paucity of studies
      regarding the use of the lipid accumulation product (LAP) as a risk marker for
      the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: A cross-sectional study
      was conducted on 78 women aged 18 to 42 years seen at University Hospital of
      Maranhao, with a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome according to the
      Rotterdam criteria. The following variables of interest were recorded on a
      protocol form: sociodemographic and behavioral data, body mass index, waist
      circumference, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density
      lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and systolic and
      diastolic blood pressure. RESULTS: Logistic regression showed that, except for
      HDL, all cardiovascular risk markers presented a higher chance of being altered
      when the lipid accumulation product was above the cut off value of 37.9
      cm.mmol/L. CONCLUSION: The lipid accumulation product seems to be sufficient to
      indicate a risk of cardiovascular diseases in women with polycystic ovary
      syndrome.

PMID- 26104467
TI  - Histone modifications predispose genome regions to breakage and translocation.
AB  - Chromosome translocations are well-established hallmarks of cancer cells and
      often occur at nonrandom sites in the genome. The molecular features that define
      recurrent chromosome breakpoints are largely unknown. Using a combination of
      bioinformatics, biochemical analysis, and cell-based assays, we identify here
      specific histone modifications as facilitators of chromosome breakage and
      translocations. We show enrichment of several histone modifications over
      clinically relevant translocation-prone genome regions. Experimental modulation
      of histone marks sensitizes genome regions to breakage by endonuclease challenge
      or irradiation and promotes formation of chromosome translocations of endogenous
      gene loci. Our results demonstrate that histone modifications predispose genome
      regions to chromosome breakage and translocations.

PMID- 26104468
TI  - Adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy in the "sandwich" method for high risk endometrial
      cancer--a review of literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endometrial cancer is a common female malignancy. Patients with high
      risk endometrial cancer have relatively high incidence of metastasis and
      recurrence. Despite complete resection, patients with stage III or IV are at high
      risk of local or distant recurrence. Systemic adjuvant treatment includes
      chemotherapy and radiotherapy. But the optimal scheduling is not known. Recently
      proposed sequential chemo-radiotherapy as sandwich therapy for high risk
      endometrial cancer have yielded encouraging results. This article is to review
      the adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy in the "sandwich" method for high risk
      endometrial cancer to help clinicians identify the most effective adjuvant
      treatment for patients with high risks of it. METHODS: We used MEDLINE, EMBASE,
      Cochrane Library and CBM databases to search the literature. RESULTS: A
      systematic review was made. And most data showed "sandwich" therapy is feasible,
      efficacious, well-tolerated and resulted in excellent long-term progression free
      and overall survival in the setting of advanced endometrial cancer. CONCLUSION:
      Randomized trials are necessary to compare chemo-radio therapy given in the
      "sandwich" fashion to other means of sequencing these treatment modalities. It is
      also necessary to define which population is best suited for "sandwich" adjuvant
      therapy.

PMID- 26104469
TI  - The recursive combination filter approach of pre-processing for the estimation of
      standard deviation of RR series.
AB  - Variation in the interval between the R-R peaks of the electrocardiogram
      represents the modulation of the cardiac oscillations by the autonomic nervous
      system. This variation is contaminated by anomalous signals called ectopic beats,
      artefacts or noise which mask the true behaviour of heart rate variability. In
      this paper, we have proposed a combination filter of recursive impulse rejection
      filter and recursive 20% filter, with recursive application and preference of
      replacement over removal of abnormal beats to improve the pre-processing of the
      inter-beat intervals. We have tested this novel recursive combinational method
      with median method replacement to estimate the standard deviation of normal to
      normal (SDNN) beat intervals of congestive heart failure (CHF) and normal sinus
      rhythm subjects. This work discusses the improvement in pre-processing over
      single use of impulse rejection filter and removal of abnormal beats for heart
      rate variability for the estimation of SDNN and Poncare plot descriptors (SD1,
      SD2, and SD1/SD2) in detail. We have found the 22 ms value of SDNN and 36 ms
      value of SD2 descriptor of Poincare plot as clinical indicators in discriminating
      the normal cases from CHF cases. The pre-processing is also useful in calculation
      of Lyapunov exponent which is a nonlinear index as Lyapunov exponents calculated
      after proposed pre-processing modified in a way that it start following the
      notion of less complex behaviour of diseased states.

PMID- 26104470
TI  - Length of stay and long-term mortality following ST elevation myocardial
      infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Over the last few decades, there has been a significant reduction in
      hospital length of stay (LOS) among patients undergoing percutaneous intervention
      (PCI) for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Although studies have
      looked at predictors of long hospital stay after STEMI, the impact of LOS on long
      term outcomes after PCI remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate the association
      between LOS at the time of index hospitalization for PCI and long-term mortality
      among patients presenting with STEMI. METHODS: We examined all patients
      undergoing PCI for STEMI at the Cleveland Clinic Catheterization Laboratory
      between 2002 and 2011. Long-term all-cause mortality was assessed using the
      Social Security Death Index and electronic medical record review. LOS was
      extracted from the discharge summary of the index hospitalization. RESULTS: A
      total of 1,963 patients were included in the study. Of these 1,963 patients
      undergoing PCI for STEMI, 126 (6.4%) died during the index hospitalization. Among
      survivors of this hospitalization, we observed a significant increase in long
      term mortality with an increase in LOS during index hospitalization (P < 0.001).
      Adjustment for demographic and clinical characteristics yielded statistically
      significant increased mortality among patients with LOS of 6-10 days [HR (95%
      CI): 2.2 (1.3-3.5)] and LOS > 10 days [HR (95% CI): 2.6 (1.6-4.3)], in comparison
      with patients with LOS of 1-2 days. CONCLUSIONS: Long hospital stay after PCI
      among patients with STEMI was associated with an increased long-term mortality. A
      long hospital stay may be used as a marker to identify patients at higher risk
      for long-term mortality.

PMID- 26104472
TI  - Changes in verbal learning of patients with schizophrenia: Results from a
      randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of amantadine adjunctive to
      antipsychotics.

PMID- 26104474
TI  - Investigation of the dynamics of the viral immediate-early protein 1 in different
      conformations and oligomerization states.
AB  - The viral immediate-early protein 1 (IE1) is crucial for efficient replication of
      cytomegalovirus (CMV). A recent crystal structure of the IE1 protein from rhesus
      CMV revealed that the protein exhibits a novel fold and crystallizes in two
      slightly different dimeric arrangements. Molecular dynamics simulations and
      energetic analyses performed in this study show that both dimers are stable and
      allowed us to identify a common set of five residues that appear particularly
      important for dimer formation. These residues are distributed over the entire
      dimer interface and do not form a typical hot spot for protein interactions. In
      addition, the dimer interface of IE1 proved to include a high portion of
      hydrophilic interactions pointing toward the transient nature of dimer formation.
      Characterization of monomeric and dimeric IE1 revealed three sequentially
      discontinuous dynamic domains that exhibit correlated motion within the domain
      and are simultaneously anti-correlated to the adjacent domains. The hinge motions
      observed between the dynamic domains increase the shape complementarity to the
      coiled-coil region of tripartite motif proteins, suggesting that the detected
      dynamics of IE1 might be physiologically important by enabling a better
      interaction with its cellular target molecules. 

PMID- 26104473
TI  - Abnormal N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase expression in prefrontal cortex in
      schizophrenia.
AB  - Changes in the extent of the posttranslational modification glycosylation have
      been previously reported in several brain regions in schizophrenia. Quality
      control within the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi, branching of glycans,
      intracellular trafficking and targeting, protein-protein interactions, and
      endocytosis are processes regulated by both N-linked and O-linked glycosylation.
      Previous studies in schizophrenia have found altered glycan biosynthesis and
      abnormal glycan levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma, as well as
      altered expression in frontal cortex of glycosyltransferase transcripts encoding
      proteins associated with both N- and O-linked glycosylation. The N
      acetylglucosaminyltransferases (GlcNAcTs) are glycosylating enzymes that play a
      key role in adding N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) to substrates to facilitate their
      proper trafficking, intracellular targeting, and cellular function. Given
      previous results indicating abnormal glycosylation in schizophrenia, we
      hypothesized that these GlcNAcTs may be abnormally expressed in this illness. We
      measured protein expression of nine distinct GlcNAcTs by Western blot analysis in
      postmortem samples of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) from twelve pairs of
      elderly patients with schizophrenia and comparison subjects. We found decreased
      protein expression of UDP-GlcNAc:BetaGal Beta-1,3 GlcNAcT 8 (B3GNT8) and mannosyl
      (alpha-1,3-)-glycoprotein beta-1,4 GlcNAcT (MGAT4A) expression in schizophrenia.
      These data provide further evidence that glycosylation is dysregulated in
      schizophrenia, and suggest a potential mechanism associated with alterations in
      protein function, trafficking, and intracellular targeting in this illness.

PMID- 26104471
TI  - Individual-patient meta-analysis of three randomized trials comparing
      endovascular versus open repair for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The benefits of endovascular repair of ruptured abdominal aortic
      aneurysm remain controversial, without any strong evidence about advantages in
      specific subgroups. METHODS: An individual-patient data meta-analysis of three
      recent randomized trials of endovascular versus open repair of abdominal aortic
      aneurysm was conducted according to a prespecified analysis plan, reporting on
      results to 90 days after the index event. RESULTS: The trials included a total of
      836 patients. The mortality rate across the three trials was 31.3 per cent for
      patients randomized to endovascular repair/strategy and 34.0 per cent for those
      randomized to open repair at 30 days (pooled odds ratio 0.88, 95 per cent c.i.
      0.66 to 1.18), and 34.3 and 38.0 per cent respectively at 90 days (pooled odds
      ratio 0.85, 0.64 to 1.13). There was no evidence of significant heterogeneity in
      the odds ratios between trials. Mean(s.d.) aneurysm diameter was 8.2(1.9) cm and
      the overall in-hospital mortality rate was 34.8 per cent. There was no
      significant effect modification with age or Hardman index, but there was
      indication of an early benefit from an endovascular strategy for women. Discharge
      from the primary hospital was faster after endovascular repair (hazard ratio
      1.24, 95 per cent c.i. 1.04 to 1.47). For open repair, 30-day mortality
      diminished with increasing aneurysm neck length (adjusted odds ratio 0.69 (95 per
      cent c.i. 0.53 to 0.89) per 15 mm), but aortic diameter was not associated with
      mortality for either type of repair. CONCLUSION: Survival to 90 days following an
      endovascular or open repair strategy is similar for all patients and for the
      restricted population anatomically suitable for endovascular repair. Women may
      benefit more from an endovascular strategy than men and patients are, on average,
      discharged sooner after endovascular repair.

PMID- 26104475
TI  - A Muscular Etiology for Medial Implant Malposition Following Subpectoral
      Augmentation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Implant malposition is becoming an increasingly recognized
      complication following subpectoral breast augmentation. Although several causes
      of medial malposition have been previously demonstrated, medial implant
      malposition secondary to unintended pectoralis muscle slips has not been
      previously described. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to describe a form of
      medial implant malposition caused by pectoralis major and minor musculature
      vectors on the implant. METHODS: The primary investigator performed a
      retrospective review of all patients who underwent revisional breast surgery for
      the diagnosis of symmastia or medial implant malposition following subpectoral
      augmentation. Those patients with muscular-type etiology for medial implant
      malposition were identified. RESULTS: Five patients with pectoralis muscle slips
      causing medial implant malposition were identified. The pectoralis muscle slips
      were successfully diagnosed on preoperative exam and corrected with specific
      surgical procedures aimed at balancing surrounding forces and thus correcting
      malposition. CONCLUSIONS: Pectoralis muscle slips contributing to medial
      malposition can be found in some patients after subpectoral breast augmentation.
      The etiology of this deformity is unknown, but theorized to be caused by anatomic
      predisposition, with slips inadvertently formed during subpectoral pocket
      formation arising from the pectoralis minor and/or incompletely released or
      accessory pectoralis major muscles.

PMID- 26104476
TI  - Shared Decision-Making in Cosmetic Medicine and Aesthetic Surgery.
AB  - Shared decision-making (SDM) invokes the bidirectional communication between
      physicians and patients required to involve the patient's preference in the
      eventual treatment choice. This paper will explain what SDM is, why it is
      important, and how it is performed in clinical practice. It is an essential part
      of evidence-based medicine, as it helps determine whether the available evidence
      on the possible benefits and harms of treatment options match the patient's
      characteristics and preferences. Cosmetic medicine and aesthetic surgery seem to
      be obvious fields of medicine in which SDM should be applied to achieve high
      quality care. 

PMID- 26104477
TI  - Transaxillary endoscopic breast augmentation with shaped gel implants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At its inception, transaxillary breast augmentation was a blind
      technique associated with complications and unpredictable outcomes. The
      transaxillary approach now involves electrocautery dissection with direct
      endoscopic visualization and yields excellent aesthetic outcomes with a concealed
      scar. Shaped implant devices can be combined with transaxillary augmentation for
      natural-appearing results that can be individualized to the patient. OBJECTIVES:
      The authors sought to improve the results of transaxillary endoscopic breast
      augmentation by placing shaped gel implants in patients with an indistinct or
      absent inframammary fold (IMF), who wished to avoid a breast scar. METHODS: One
      hundred sixteen Asian women underwent transaxillary endoscopic breast
      augmentation with electrocautery dissection and were evaluated in a prospective
      study. A partial retropectoral plane pocket was created in 4 sequential
      dissection steps with direct endoscopic visualization and careful control of
      bleeding. Shaped cohesive gel implants were placed to produce smooth, natural
      appearing breast mounds and well-defined IMFs. RESULTS: Patients were monitored
      for 6 to 24 months after surgery (mean, 10 months; median, 12 months). There were
      no instances of pneumothorax, instrument-related skin burns, or severe implant
      deformation due to rotation or displacement of the implants postoperatively.
      Three of 116 patients (2.6%) experienced Baker 3 unilateral capsular contracture.
      One patient developed a unilateral hematoma at 3 weeks after surgery.
      CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic breast surgery is associated with shortened recovery
      times, a reduced need for drainage, and excellent outcomes, including a well
      defined and symmetric IMF. This approach, combined with shaped gel implants, can
      yield natural-appearing results of transaxillary breast augmentation. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: 4 Therapeutic.

PMID- 26104478
TI  - Molecular characterisation of the tick Rhipicephalus microplus in Malaysia: new
      insights into the cryptic diversity and distinct genetic assemblages throughout
      the world.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The morphotaxonomy of Rhipicephalus microplus complex has been
      challenged in the last few years and prompted many biologists to adopt a DNA
      based method for distinguishing the members of this group. In the present study,
      we used a mitochondrial DNA analysis to characterise the genetic assemblages,
      population structure and dispersal pattern of R. microplus from Southeast Asia,
      the region where the species originated. METHODS: A phylogeographic analysis
      inferred from the 16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) genes was
      performed with five populations of R. microplus collected from cattle in
      Malaysia. Malaysian R. microplus sequences were compared with existing COI and
      16S rRNA haplotypes reported globally in NCBI GenBank. RESULTS: A total of seven
      and 12 unique haplotypes were recovered by the 16S rRNA and COI genes,
      respectively. The concatenated sequences of both 16S rRNA and COI revealed 18
      haplotypes. Haplotype network and phylogenetic analyses based on COI+16S rRNA
      sequences revealed four genetically divergent groups among Malaysian R.
      microplus. The significantly low genetic differentiation and high gene flow among
      Malaysian R. microplus populations supports the occurrence of genetic admixture.
      In a broader context, the 16S rRNA phylogenetic tree assigned all isolates of
      Malaysian R. microplus into the previously described African/the Americas
      assemblage. However, the COI phylogenetic tree provides higher resolution of R.
      microplus with the identification of three main assemblages: clade A sensu Burger
      et al. (2014) comprises ticks from Southeast Asia, the Americas and China; clade
      B sensu Burger et al. (2014) is restricted to ticks that originated from China;
      and clade C sensu Low et al. (2015) is a new genetic assemblage discovered in
      this study comprising ticks from India and Malaysia. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude
      that the R. microplus complex consisting of at least five taxa: R. australis, R.
      annulatus, R. microplus clade A sensu Burger et al. (2014), R. microplus clade B
      sensu Burger et al. (2014) and the new taxon, R. microplus clade C sensu Low et
      al. (2015). The use of COI as the standard genetic marker in discerning the
      genetic assemblages of R. microplus from a broad range of biogeographical regions
      is proposed.

PMID- 26104479
TI  - Review of clinical and pathological features of 93 cases of well-differentiated
      thyroid carcinoma in pediatric age at the Lisbon Centre of the Portuguese
      Institute of Oncology between 1964 and 2006.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thyroid carcinoma is the most common endocrine malignancy. In
      childhood, thyroid carcinoma usually behaves aggressively and relapses
      frequently. Nevertheless, it has a favorable prognosis. Our aim is to present our
      experience with pediatric well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma (WDTC) treated at
      the Portuguese Institute of Oncology in Lisbon (L-PIO), between 1964 and 2006.
      METHODS: Review of clinical files of WDTC in<=18-year-old patients selected from
      the databases of the Endocrinology Service of L-PIO and the South Portugal
      Regional Cancer Registry (SPCR). RESULTS: 93 cases of WDTC were found. Of these,
      70 (75.3%) were girls. The median age was 15 years old (range 5-18) with a median
      follow-up time of 15.1 years (range 0.2-47.8). The most common histological
      diagnosis was papillary carcinoma of the classical variant (n=60, 64.5%). Initial
      staging showed locoregional dissemination in 27 (29.0%) patients and distant
      metastasis in 16 (17.2%) patients. Median age was lower in patients with distant
      disease than in patients with locoregional disease or with disease confined to
      the thyroid (P=0.007). After the initial treatment, 44 (47.3%) patients were in
      remission and 46 (49.5%) had persistent disease (lost follow-up in 3). Of the
      disease-free patients after initial treatment, 11 (25.0%) relapsed later. At the
      last observation, most patients (n=63, 67.7%) showed no evidence of disease.
      CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that children with distant metastatic disease
      are younger than children with a less aggressive disease. However, in both groups
      the response to treatment is favorable and the prognosis is usually excellent.

PMID- 26104480
TI  - Tinnitus reported by children aged 7 and 12 years.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess prevalence and risk factors of tinnitus reported by 7- and
      12-year-old children from primary schools in Warsaw. A secondary objective was to
      test the relationship between hearing loss and tinnitus prevalence. METHODS:
      Observational cross-sectional study of 15,199 students aged 7 and 12 years (66.9%
      of the students of those ages) from all 173 public primary schools in Warsaw in
      the school year 2012/13. Audiometric hearing threshold levels were determined for
      the right and left ear of each student at frequencies of 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8kHz.
      Normal hearing was defined as air threshold values of 20dB HL or less for all
      tested frequencies. Unilateral and bilateral hearing loss cases were included
      into the analysis. Tinnitus experience was assessed with an audiological
      questionnaire administered verbally to the children. RESULTS: Overall 6.0% of the
      7- and 12-year-old students reported tinnitus lasting for 5min or more. The
      prevalence of tinnitus was significantly related to the hearing loss and age.
      Children with the unilateral high-frequency hearing loss reported tinnitus
      significantly less often compared to other children from the unilateral loss
      group. Children with bilateral moderate hearing loss reported tinnitus
      significantly more often than other children from the bilateral hearing loss
      group. Frequency of tinnitus reported by children was equal between the sexes and
      also between the children with unilateral and bilateral hearing loss. CONCLUSION:
      Results obtained in this study with a large sample suggest that hearing loss and
      young age can be considered potential risk factors for tinnitus in school-age
      children. A consensus on how to define tinnitus is needed in order to enable
      direct comparison between data from different studies.

PMID- 26104481
TI  - Extraosseous chondroma of anterior neck in pediatric patient.
AB  - Extraosseous chondroma (EC) is uncommon soft tissue tumor composed of hyaline
      cartilage without connection to bone or periosteum. The frequent sites of EC are
      the hands and feet and rarely reported in the pediatric population and anterior
      neck lesion. We present an extremely rare case of anterior neck mass in a 5-year
      old male who underwent total resection, with the final diagnosis of EC. The
      review of the literature showed that all cases of EC in anterior neck lesion have
      been found in young age and preoperative diagnosis was difficult. 

PMID- 26104482
TI  - Dynamic imaging of a single gold nanoparticle in liquid irradiated by off
      resonance femtosecond laser.
AB  - Plasmonic nanoparticles can lead to extreme confinement of the light in the near
      field. This unique ability of plasmonic nanoparticles can be used to generate
      nanobubbles in liquid. In this work, we demonstrate with single-particle
      monitoring that 100 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) irradiated by off-resonance
      femtosecond (fs) laser in the tissue therapeutic optical window (lambda = 800
      nm), can act as a durable nanolenses in liquid and provoke nanocavitation while
      remaining intact. We have employed combined ultrafast shadowgraphic imaging, in
      situ dark field imaging and dynamic tracking of AuNP Brownian motion to ensure
      the study of individual AuNPs/nanolenses under multiple fs laser pulses. We
      demonstrate that 100 nm AuNPs can generate multiple, highly confined (radius down
      to 550 nm) and transient (life time < 50 ns) nanobubbles. The latter is of
      significant importance for future development of in vivo AuNP-assisted laser
      nanosurgery and theranostic applications, where AuNP fragmentation should be
      avoided to prevent side effects, such as cytotoxicity and immune system's
      response. The experimental results have been correlated with theoretical modeling
      to provide an insight to the AuNP-safe cavitation mechanism as well as to
      investigate the deformation mechanism of the AuNPs at high laser fluences. 

PMID- 26104483
TI  - HLA-B*58:01 is strongly associated with allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous
      adverse reactions in Han Chinese patients: a multicentre retrospective case
      control clinical study.

PMID- 26104485
TI  - Effects of priming self-construals on self-evaluations: Cultural game player
      perspective.
AB  - This study examined the validity of situational view on culture-specific
      behaviours focusing on self-evaluation. Two experiments with American students as
      samples were conducted to examine whether priming their self-construals would
      affect individuals' self-evaluation. In Experiment 1, the participants' self
      evaluation was compared across different conditions of primed self-contruals. In
      Experiment 2, the participants were split into 2 groups based on their initial
      default self-consturals and, the self-evaluations were compared across the 2
      groups after priming self-contruals. The results demonstrated that although the
      participants' self-evaluation was initially in accord with their default self
      construal, it changed into accord with the primed self-construals. The findings
      supported the proposed cultural game player view. Implications on situational
      view of self-evaluation are also discussed.

PMID- 26104484
TI  - Caspase-8 scaffolding function and MLKL regulate NLRP3 inflammasome activation
      downstream of TLR3.
AB  - TLR2 promotes NLRP3 inflammasome activation via an early MyD88-IRAK1-dependent
      pathway that provides a priming signal (signal 1) necessary for activation of the
      inflammasome by a second potassium-depleting signal (signal 2). Here we show that
      TLR3 binding to dsRNA promotes post-translational inflammasome activation through
      intermediate and late TRIF/RIPK1/FADD-dependent pathways. Both pathways require
      the scaffolding but not the catalytic function of caspase-8 or RIPK1. Only the
      late pathway requires kinase competent RIPK3 and MLKL function. Mechanistically,
      FADD/caspase-8 scaffolding function provides a post-translational signal 1 in the
      intermediate pathway, whereas in the late pathway it helps the oligomerization of
      RIPK3, which together with MLKL provides both signal 1 and 2 for inflammasome
      assembly. Cytoplasmic dsRNA activates NLRP3 independent of TRIF, RIPK1, RIPK3 or
      mitochondrial DRP1, but requires FADD/caspase-8 in wildtype macrophages to remove
      RIPK3 inhibition. Our study provides a comprehensive analysis of pathways that
      lead to NLRP3 inflammasome activation in response to dsRNA. 

PMID- 26104487
TI  - Synthesis and reactivity of TADDOL-based chiral Fe(II) PNP pincer complexes
      solution equilibria between kappa(2)P,N- and kappa(3)P,N,P-bound PNP pincer
      ligands.
AB  - Treatment of anhydrous FeX2 (X = Cl, Br) with 1 equiv. of the asymmetric chiral
      PNP pincer ligands PNP-R,TAD (R = iPr, tBu) with an R,R-TADDOL (TAD) moiety
      afforded complexes of the general formula [Fe(PNP)X2]. In the solid state these
      complexes adopt a tetrahedral geometry with the PNP ligand coordinated in
      kappa(2)P,N-fashion, as shown by X-ray crystallography and Mossbauer
      spectroscopy. Magnetization studies led to a magnetic moment very close to 4.9MUB
      reflecting the expected four unpaired d-electrons (quintet ground state). In
      solution there are equilibria between [Fe(kappa(3)P,N,P-PNP-R,TAD)X2] and
      [Fe(kappa(2)P,N-PNP-R,TAD)X2] complexes, i.e., the PNP-R,TAD ligand is
      hemilabile. At -50  degrees C these equilibria are slow and signals of the non
      coordinated P-TAD arm of the kappa(2)P,N-PNP-R,TAD ligand can be detected by
      (31)P{(1)H} NMR spectroscopy. Addition of BH3 to a solution of [Fe(PNP
      iPr,TAD)Cl2] leads to selective boronation of the pendant P-TAD arm shifting the
      equilibrium towards the four-coordinate complex [Fe(kappa(2)P,N-PNP
      iPr,TAD(BH3))Cl2]. DFT calculations corroborate the existence of equilibria
      between four- and five-coordinated complexes. Addition of CO to [Fe(PNP
      iPr,TAD)X2] in solution yields the diamagnetic octahedral complexes trans
      [Fe(kappa(3)P,N,P-PNP-iPr,TAD)(CO)X2], which react further with Ag(+) salts in
      the presence of CO to give the cationic complexes trans-[Fe(kappa(3)P,N,P-PNP
      iPr,TAD)(CO)2X](+). CO addition most likely takes place at the five coordinate
      complex [Fe(kappa(3)P,N,P-PNP-iPr,TAD)X2]. The mechanism for the CO addition was
      also investigated by DFT and the most favorable path obtained corresponds to the
      rearrangement of the pincer ligand first from a kappa(2)P,N- to a kappa(3)P,N,P
      coordination mode followed by CO coordination to [Fe(kappa(3)P,N,P-PNP
      iPr,TAD)X2]. Complexes bearing tBu substituents do not react with CO. Moreover,
      in the solid state none of the tetrahedral complexes are able to bind CO. 

PMID- 26104486
TI  - The role of evolutionarily conserved germ-line DH sequence in B-1 cell
      development and natural antibody production.
AB  - Because of N addition and variation in the site of VDJ joining, the third
      complementarity-determining region of the heavy chain (CDR-H3) is the most
      diverse component of the initial immunoglobulin antigen-binding site repertoire.
      A large component of the peritoneal cavity B-1 cell component is the product of
      fetal and perinatal B cell production. The CDR-H3 repertoire is thus depleted of
      N addition, which increases dependency on germ-line sequence. Cross-species
      comparisons have shown that DH gene sequence demonstrates conservation of amino
      acid preferences by reading frame. Preference for reading frame 1, which is
      enriched for tyrosine and glycine, is created both by rearrangement patterns and
      by pre-BCR and BCR selection. In previous studies, we have assessed the role of
      conserved DH sequence by examining peritoneal cavity B-1 cell numbers and
      antibody production in BALB/c mice with altered DH loci. Here, we review our
      finding that changes in the constraints normally imposed by germ-line-encoded
      amino acids within the CDR-H3 repertoire profoundly affect B-1 cell development,
      especially B-1a cells, and thus natural antibody immunity. Our studies suggest
      that both natural and somatic selection operate to create a restricted B-1 cell
      CDR-H3 repertoire. 

PMID- 26104488
TI  - Vascular precursor epilepsy - Old wine in new skins?

PMID- 26104489
TI  - Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: State-of-the-Art Review with a Focus on Pulmonary
      Involvement.
AB  - Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal-dominant neurocutaneous disease
      with high phenotypic variability. The incidence is approximately one in 5000
      10,000 births. TSC is characterized by widespread hamartomas and benign or rarely
      malignant neoplasms affecting various organs, most commonly the brain, skin,
      retinas, kidneys, heart, and lungs. The wide range of organs affected reflects
      the roles of TSC1 and TSC2 genes in the regulation of cell proliferation and
      differentiation. Clinical diagnostic criteria are important because genetic
      testing does not identify the mutation in up to 25% of patients. Imaging is
      pivotal, as it allows a presumptive diagnosis of TSC and definition of the extent
      of the disease. Common manifestations of TSC include cortical tubers,
      subependymal nodules, white matter abnormalities, retinal abnormalities, cardiac
      rhabdomyoma, lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), renal angiomyolipoma, and skin
      lesions. Pulmonary involvement consists of LAM and, less commonly, multifocal
      micronodular pneumocyte hyperplasia (MMPH), which causes cystic and nodular
      diseases, respectively. Recent reports indicate that pulmonary LAM is found by
      computed tomography in up to 35% of the female patients with TSC. MMPH is rare
      and may be associated with LAM or, less frequently, occurs as an isolated
      pulmonary manifestation in women with TSC. Dyspnea and pneumothorax are common
      clinical presentations of LAM, whereas MMPH is usually asymptomatic. The aim of
      this review is to describe the main clinical, imaging, and pathological aspects
      of TSC, with a focus on pulmonary involvement.

PMID- 26104491
TI  - A Giant Cell Tumor Arising from the Anterior Costal Arc in a Young Man.

PMID- 26104490
TI  - Diffuse Idiopathic Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Cell Hyperplasia of the Lung
      (DIPNECH): Current Best Evidence.
AB  - Diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia (DIPNECH) is
      recognized as a preneoplastic condition by the World Health Organization. We
      reviewed our experience with 30 patients and performed a systematic review of the
      English literature to collect best evidence on the clinical features and disease
      course in 169 additional patients. Some patients presented with one or more
      carcinoid tumors associated with multiple small pulmonary nodules on imaging
      studies and showed DIPNECH as a somewhat unexpected pathologic finding. Others
      presented with multiple small pulmonary nodules that raised suspicion of
      metastatic disease on imaging. A third subset was presented with previously
      unexplained respiratory symptoms. In most patients, DIPNECH was associated with a
      good prognosis, with chronological progression into a subsequent carcinoid tumor
      noted in only one patient and death attributed directly to DIPNECH in only two
      patients. There is no best evidence to support the use of octreotide, steroids,
      or bronchodilators in DIPNECH patients. 

PMID- 26104492
TI  - sFlt-1 and IP-10 in women with early-onset preeclampsia.
AB  - Intense inflammatory response and an anti-angiogenic state have been implicated
      in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Here, we investigated this hypothesis
      evaluating the serum concentrations of CXCL10/IP-10, sFlt-1, and PlGF in women
      with early-onset preeclampsia. CXCL10/IP-10 was measured by Cytometric Bead
      Array. sFlt-1 and PlGF were measured by automated electrochemiluminescence
      immunoassay. The median serum concentration of CXCL10/IP-10 was 109.5pg/mL in
      preeclamptic women, as compared with 52.28pg/mL in the controls (P=0.0028). The
      mean serum level of sFlt-1 was 13,636pg/mL in preeclamptic women, as compared
      with 2020pg/mL in the controls (P<0.0001). PlGF levels were significantly lower
      in women with preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26104493
TI  - Clinical symptoms and laboratory parameters do not predict adverse maternal and
      fetal outcomes in HELLP.
AB  - AIM: To determine the ability of clinical symptoms and laboratory parameters to
      predict adverse outcomes in HELLP syndrome. METHODS: A retrospective chart
      analysis of pregnant women diagnosed with HELLP during a 5year (2005-2009) period
      at a tertiary care perinatal center. The diagnosis of HELLP was based on Sibai's
      criteria and categorized based on the Mississippi classification. Clinical
      symptoms and the presence of maternal and fetal adverse events were noted from
      the records. Receiver operator characteristics, likelihood ratios and adjusted
      odds ratios were used to determine the predictive ability of clinical symptoms
      and laboratory parameters. RESULTS: The medical records of 74 pregnant women with
      HELLP were analyzed. Any adverse (maternal and/or fetal) event was present in 40
      (54.1%, 95% CI: 42.4%, 65.7%) pregnancies with HELLP syndrome in this population.
      One in four pregnancies with HELLP resulted in an adverse maternal event and 35%
      of pregnancies with HELLP in an adverse fetal event. There were no maternal
      deaths in this series and the perinatal mortality rate was 149 per 1000 births.
      Clinical symptoms or laboratory parameters were not predictive of adverse events.
      CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed to identify factors that can predict
      adverse perinatal outcomes in HELLP.

PMID- 26104494
TI  - Plasma calprotectin as inflammation marker in pregnancies complicated by diabetes
      mellitus and superimposed preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that pregnancies complicated by diabetes mellitus with
      or without preeclampsia show an elevated systemic inflammatory response evaluated
      by the inflammation markers calprotectin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein
      (hsCRP). STUDY DESIGN: Third trimester EDTA plasma and serum from 138 women with
      diabetes mellitus (type 1, n=53; type 2, n=11; gestational diabetes mellitus
      (GDM), n=63; diabetes mellitus with preeclampsia, n=11) were analyzed for
      calprotectin and hsCRP and compared to previously published results from 37
      healthy and 27 preeclamptic pregnancies. RESULTS: Median plasma calprotectin
      concentration was intermediate in women with GDM as compared to healthy and
      preeclamptic pregnancies (729 vs 552 and 1081MUg/L, P=.006 and P=.001,
      respectively). In diabetic pregnancies with preeclampsia, median plasma
      calprotectin concentration was elevated as compared to controls, but not
      different from women with preeclampsia alone (969 vs 552 and 1081MUg/L, P=.01 and
      P=.1, respectively). hsCRP was only elevated in type 2 diabetic pregnancies as
      compared to healthy pregnancies (6.6 vs 3.8mg/L, P=.02). CONCLUSION: Elevated
      plasma calprotectin concentrations in GDM may reflect an accentuated inflammatory
      process, possibly contributing to the augmented preeclampsia risk. Increased
      plasma calprotectin in diabetic pregnancies with preeclampsia may originate from
      the excess systemic inflammatory response associated with preeclampsia.

PMID- 26104495
TI  - S100B brain expression and plasma concentrations in a preeclampsia rat model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess brain damage using the neuroinflammation marker S100B in a
      preeclampsia rat model. METHODS: Non-pregnant and pregnant rats were infused with
      saline or low-dose-endotoxin on day 14 of pregnancy. S100B expression in the
      brain (immunohistochemistry) and S100B plasma concentrations (ELISA) were
      studied. RESULTS: No differences in S100B expression in brain tissue were
      observed between the four groups. Pregnant endotoxin treated animals did not show
      increased levels of plasma S100B levels as compared with control pregnant rats,
      while significantly higher plasma S100B levels were found in non-pregnant
      endotoxin versus pregnant endotoxin infused rats. CONCLUSION: Pregnancy nor
      experimental preeclampsia, alter S100B in rat brain, or in plasma. Increased
      plasma S100B in non-pregnant endotoxin-treated rats may indicate brain injury in
      these rats, whereas pregnancy might be protective.

PMID- 26104496
TI  - Homocysteine and folate plasma concentrations in mother and baby at delivery
      after pre-eclamptic or normotensive pregnancy: Influence of parity.
AB  - Pre-eclampsia affects between 2% and 7% of all pregnant women, contributing to
      perinatal and maternal morbidity. There are conflicting data on plasma
      homocysteine and folate in pre-eclampsia, and little about fetal concentrations.
      OBJECTIVES: Firstly, to compare the concentrations of homocysteine and folate in
      maternal and paired fetal (umbilical venous) plasma samples from normotensive or
      pre-eclamptic pregnancies at delivery; secondly, to identify any effect of parity
      on these concentrations. STUDY DESIGN: Hospital based cross-sectional study
      consisting of 24 normotensive and 16 pre-eclamptic pregnant White European women
      from whom maternal and fetal plasma samples were collected at delivery. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Maternal and fetal plasma homocysteine and folate
      concentrations between normotensive and pre-eclamptic pregnancies with varying
      parity. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in either maternal or
      fetal plasma homocysteine or folate concentrations between normotensive and pre
      eclamptic pregnancies, or between homocysteine and folate. In both the
      normotensive and pre-eclamptic women, plasma folate concentration was higher in
      paired fetal compared to maternal plasma (P<0.001 and P=0.047, respectively).
      With regards to homocysteine, only the normotensive samples had higher fetal
      concentrations (P=0.002). Both maternal and fetal plasma folate concentrations
      were lower in parous women (P=0.001 and P=0.017, respectively), the lowest
      concentrations being in pre-eclamptic parous women (P=0.004), but homocysteine
      concentrations were similar (P>0.4 for both). CONCLUSIONS: The low plasma folate
      in parous women is an interesting finding and, when intake is also low, may
      contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes, particularly in relation to pre
      eclampsia.

PMID- 26104497
TI  - Influence of the couple on hypertensive disorders during pregnancy: A
      retrospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our study investigates a possible couple predisposition for pregnancy
      related hypertensive disorders (PRHDs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We selected 350
      women with PRHDs and a random control cohort without PRHDs. We analyzed their
      clinical files and asked them and their partners about clinical information and
      family history for some common pathologies. Statistical bivariate and
      multivariate analysis was performed by R, considering significant p<0.05.
      RESULTS: Familial history reveals in cases more maternal grandparents
      hypertension and thrombophilia, and paternal, personal and familial,
      thrombophilia history than in controls. By multivariate analysis, the occurrence
      of PRHDs is influenced by stress, maternal BMI, maternal chronic hypertension,
      pre-pregnancy diabetes mellitus, nulliparity, maternal grandmother and
      grandfather hypertension; and academic degrees is a protective factor. Selecting
      only multipara, PRHDs correlate with advanced maternal age, higher maternal BMI,
      chronic hypertension, longer interpregnancy interval, stress, previous
      pregnancies affected by PRHDs, and paternal, personal and familial, thrombophilia
      history. Moreover the multivariate logistic regression models considering parents
      familial and personal history results are accurate to predict PRHDs with an AUC
      of 79% in the general population and 82% among multiparous women. CONCLUSIONS:
      The couple should be evaluated together for PRHDs risk, both parents familial
      history should be considered in PRHDs screening programs, and further studies are
      required, in a society continuously changing its characteristics and habits.

PMID- 26104498
TI  - The HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets):
      Clinical characteristics and maternal-fetal outcome in 172 patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To analyze the frequency of the different clinical presentations of
      the disease in women with HELLP syndrome and the most important factors that can
      predict a different maternal and fetal outcome. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross
      sectional, consecutive, case-series study, the subjects being all patients with
      HELLP syndrome admitted to our Hospital within the last decade (1999-2009).
      RESULTS: The rate of maternal complications was 43.0% and perinatal mortality
      14.1%. The severity of the syndrome, measured by The Mississippi Classification,
      influenced the rate of maternal complications but not fetal mortality: the rate
      of maternal complications among women in class 1 HELLP syndrome was 67.6%,
      compared to 49.3% in class 2 and 24.0% in class 3 HELLP syndrome, p<0.0001. In a
      21.8% of women, the onset of the disease was after delivery. We highlight the
      fact that those cases with an early puerperium onset of the disease were those
      with a higher number of maternal complications (odds ratio: 2.38; CI: 1.05-5.44).
      CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the possibility of an increased complication
      rate when the onset of the syndrome appears after delivery and the necessity of
      having a high grade of suspicion in every case to diagnose the disease, even when
      the gestation and delivery were normal.

PMID- 26104499
TI  - Apoptosis and proliferation in first trimester trophoblast of further complicated
      and uncomplicated pregnancies related to maternal serum screening markers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Differences in proliferation and apoptosis in term trophoblast as
      well as maternal serum markers (MSM) for Down's syndrome in early pregnancy are
      related to adverse pregnancy outcomes. We investigated proliferation and
      apoptosis in first trimester chorionic villous sampling (CVS) as well as MSM and
      related these to pregnancy outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We selected 51 samples
      of first trimester chorionic villi of pregnancies later complicated by
      hypertensive disorders (HD) (n=36) and intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR)
      (n=15) with matched controls. Immunohistochemistry (cleaved caspase-3 for
      apoptosis and MIB-1 for proliferation) was performed. Apoptosis- (AI) and
      proliferation-index (PI) were determined and proliferation-apoptosis index (PA)
      was calculated by PI/AI. First trimester serum screening (n=39), samples taken at
      the time of CVS (n=108) or regular second trimester serum screening samples
      (n=99) were examined. RESULTS: The IUGR group compared to the hypertensive
      disorders group shows an increase of AI (p<0.05) and decrease in PA (p<0.03).
      Correlation is seen between PAPP-A and PI, AFP and AI and hCG and PA (all
      p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Proliferation and apoptosis differ already in first
      trimester placentas of pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders or IUGR.
      Serum screening markers show correlation with proliferation and apoptosis and a
      subsequent adverse pregnancy outcome.

PMID- 26104500
TI  - Comparative analysis of recommendations in local Dutch guidelines on
      'Hypertension and pregnancy'.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy remain the most prevalent cause of
      maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. We hypothesise that incompleteness of
      local protocols 'Hypertension during pregnancy' might be associated with adverse
      obstetric outcome. Therefore, we analyzed the contents of the local Dutch
      protocols. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed local Dutch protocols on 'Hypertension
      during pregnancy' using qualitative methods to score the completeness using the
      national guideline as standard. Indicators were designed using key recommendation
      from the national Dutch guideline 'Hypertension during pregnancy' (n=83
      indicators), 22 of these indicators were classified as crucial indicators.
      Deficiencies in the local Dutch protocols, differences between the protocols and
      differences between the protocols of academically affiliated hospitals, teaching
      non-academic hospitals and non-teaching hospitals were analyzed using ANOVA test.
      RESULTS: The median total score of the local protocols is 32.5 (max 83, range
      from 2 to 55). Thirteen indicators were described in less than 10% of the local
      protocols. We found more indicators lacking in the non-teaching hospitals
      protocols compared to academically affiliated hospitals and teaching non
      academically hospitals protocols. (Six of the crucial indicators were described
      in less than 50% of the local protocols.) CONCLUSIONS: The data from this review
      imply incompleteness of the local Dutch protocols. Improvement of the protocols
      can result in improvement of implementation and subsequent improvement of quality
      care for pregnant women with hypertension finally resulting in better outcome of
      mother and child.

PMID- 26104501
TI  - Antihypertensive drug prescription pattern before and during pregnancy in France.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study provides firsthand information on antihypertensive
      prescriptions before and during pregnancy in France. METHODS: The study, on
      23,898 women, was carried out using data from the French Health Insurance System.
      RESULTS: Before and during pregnancy, 1.1% and 5.1% of women received
      prescriptions for antihypertensive drugs: beta blockers and diuretics before, and
      nifedipine, nicardipine, labetalol and methyldopa during pregnancy. Sixty-six
      pregnant women were exposed to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and
      angiotensin II receptor antagonists. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women still receive
      prescriptions for harmful drugs. In order to prevent such exposures, it should be
      recommended to avoid these prescriptions in women of child-bearing age who plan
      to be pregnant.

PMID- 26104502
TI  - Simultaneous determination of praziquantel, pyrantel embonate, febantel and its
      active metabolites, oxfendazole and fenbendazole, in dog plasma by liquid
      chromatography/mass spectrometry.
AB  - A liquid chromatography-electrospray-mass spectrometry method (LC/MS) has been
      developed and validated for determination of praziquantel (PZQ), pyrantel (PYR),
      febantel (FBT), and the active metabolites fenbendazole (FEN) and oxfendazole
      (OXF), in dog plasma, using mebendazole as internal standard (IS). The method
      consists of solid-phase extractions on Strata-X polymeric cartridges.
      Chromatographic separation was carried out on a Phenomenex Gemini C6 -Phenyl
      column using binary gradient elution containing methanol and 50 mm ammonium
      formate (pH 3). The method was linear (r(2)  >= 0.990) over concentration ranges
      of 3-250 ng/mL for PYR andFEB, 5-250 ng/mL for OXF and FEN, and 24-1000 ng/mL for
      PZQ. The mean precisions were 1.3-10.6% (within-run) and 2.5-9.1% (between-run),
      and mean accuracies were 90.7-109.4% (within-run) and 91.6-108.2% (between-run).
      The relative standard deviations (RSD) were <9.1%. The mean recoveries of five
      targeted compounds from dog plasma ranged from 77 to 94%.The new LC/MS method
      described herein was fully validated and successfully applied to the
      bioequivalence studies of different anthelmintic formulations such as tablets
      containing PZQ, PYR embonate and FBT in dogs after oral administration.

PMID- 26104503
TI  - The impact of an exercise intervention on C - reactive protein during pregnancy:
      a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein (CRP) during pregnancy has been associated with
      adverse maternal outcomes such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes mellitus.
      Randomized trials suggest that exercise programs may be associated with
      reductions in CRP in non-pregnant populations; however, such studies have not
      been conducted among pregnant women. The purpose of this study was to evaluate
      the impact of an individually-tailored motivationally-matched exercise
      intervention on CRP in pregnant women. METHODS: The Behaviors Affecting Baby and
      You study was a randomized controlled trial of prenatal physical activity to
      prevent the development of gestational diabetes mellitus in women at increased
      risk. Women were randomized to either a 12-week exercise intervention (n = 84) or
      a comparison health and wellness intervention (n = 87). High sensitivity CRP
      (mg/dL) was measured using a commercial immunoassay kit. Physical activity was
      measured using the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire. Mixed model
      analyses were used to evaluate the impact of the intervention on change in CRP
      using an intent-to-treat approach. RESULTS: CRP decreased (-0.09 mg/dL, 95 % CI: 
      0.25, 0.07) from pre- to post-intervention in the exercise arm (p = 0.14) and
      increased (0.08 mg/dL, 95 % CI: -0.07, 0.24) (p = 0.64) in the health and
      wellness arm; however the between group difference was not statistically
      significant (p = 0.14). Findings did not differ according to ethnic group or pre
      pregnancy body mass index. In a secondary analysis based on self-reported
      physical activity, women who decreased their time spent in sports/exercise
      experienced a mean increase in CRP (0.09 mg/dL, 95 % CI: -0.14, 0.33), whereas
      women who maintained or increased their sports/ exercise experienced a mean
      decrease in CRP (-0.08 mg/dL, 95 % CI: -0.23, 0.08) (p = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS:
      Findings from this randomized trial in an ethnically and socio-economically
      diverse population of pregnant women were consistent with a positive impact of
      the exercise intervention on CRP levels, but not of statistical significance.
      CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00728377 . Registered 2
      August 2008.

PMID- 26104504
TI  - Imaging phase separation in model lipid membranes through the use of BODIPY based
      molecular rotors.
AB  - In order to fully understand the dynamics of processes within biological lipid
      membranes, it is necessary to possess an intimate knowledge of the physical state
      and ordering of lipids within the membrane. Here we report the use of three
      molecular rotors based on meso-substituted boron-dipyrrin (BODIPY) in combination
      with fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy to investigate the viscosity and phase
      behaviour of model lipid bilayers. In phase-separated giant unilamellar vesicles,
      we visualise both liquid-ordered (Lo) and liquid-disordered (Ld) phases using
      fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), determining their associated
      viscosity values, and investigate the effect of composition on the viscosity of
      these phases. Additionally, we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate
      the orientation of the BODIPY probes within the bilayer, as well as using
      molecular dynamics simulations and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to
      compare diffusion coefficients with those predicted from the fluorescence
      lifetimes of the probes. 

PMID- 26104505
TI  - Appropriateness of oral drugs for long-term treatment of lower urinary tract
      symptoms in older persons: results of a systematic literature review and
      international consensus validation process (LUTS-FORTA 2014).
AB  - AIM: we aimed to systematically review drugs to treat lower urinary tract
      symptoms (LUTS) regularly used in older persons to classify appropriate and
      inappropriate drugs based on efficacy, safety and tolerability by using the Fit
      fOR The Aged (FORTA) classification. METHODS: to evaluate the efficacy, safety
      and tolerability of drugs used for treatment of LUTS in older persons, a
      systematic review was performed. Papers on clinical trials and summaries of
      individual product characteristics were analysed regarding efficacy and safety in
      older persons (>=65 years). The most frequently used drugs were selected based on
      current prescription data. An interdisciplinary international expert panel
      assessed the drugs in a Delphi process. RESULTS: for the 16 drugs included here,
      a total of 896 citations were identified; of those, only 25 reported clinical
      trials with explicit data on, or solely performed in older people, underlining
      the lack of evidence in older people for drug treatment of LUTS. No drug was
      rated at the FORTA-A-level (indispensable). Only three were assigned to FORTA B
      (beneficial): dutasteride, fesoterodine and finasteride. The majority was rated
      FORTA C (questionable): darifenacin, mirabegron, extended release oxybutynin,
      silodosin, solifenacin, tadalafil, tamsulosin, tolterodine and trospium. FORTA D
      (avoid) was assigned to alfuzosin, doxazosin, immediate release oxybutynin,
      propiverine and terazosin. CONCLUSIONS: dutasteride, fesoterodine and finasteride
      were classified as beneficial in older persons or frail elderly people (FORTA B).
      For most drugs, in particular those from the group of alpha-blockers and
      antimuscarinics, use in this group seems questionable (FORTA C) or should be
      avoided (FORTA D).

PMID- 26104507
TI  - A proposal: the need for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura Specialist Centres-
      providing better outcomes.
AB  - Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is heralded by its demanding
      presentation and impending mortality. The complex and life-threatening
      characteristics of TTP justify the need for early referral and responsive
      management in centres with comprehensive multi-disciplinary resources. In an era
      where compromise of patient safety or experience is unsatisfactory, the provision
      of specialist-led, organized care for this patient group remains overdue.
      Patients and clinical teams continue to lack the knowledge, support and resources
      required to achieve consistently high levels of clinical care. This forms the
      rationale for development of TTP Specialist Centres. In this article we focus on
      what we believe to be the recognized and potential merits of a specialist service
      provision, highlighting individual components of a high level of integrated
      expertise. The challenges in managing the condition from acute diagnosis to long
      term care are described alongside defining key standards that represent
      excellence in patient care. The emphasis will be on understanding how the
      evolution of TTP Specialist Centres diverges from an ad hoc approach to managing
      this vulnerable patient group and offers promise in the translation to improved
      patient outcomes. 

PMID- 26104506
TI  - Antibiotic prescribing and associated diarrhoea: a prospective cohort study of
      care home residents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: the risk factors for and frequency of antibiotic prescription and
      antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) among care home residents are unknown. AIM:
      to prospectively study frequency and risks for antibiotic prescribing and AAD for
      care home residents. DESIGN AND SETTING: a 12-month prospective cohort study in
      care homes across South Wales. METHOD: antibiotic prescriptions and the
      development of AAD were recorded on case report forms. We defined AAD as three or
      more loose stools in a 24-h period occurring within 8 weeks of exposure to an
      antibiotic. RESULTS: we recruited 279 residents from 10 care homes. The incidence
      of antibiotic prescriptions was 2.16 prescriptions per resident year (95% CI:
      1.90-2.46). Antibiotics were less likely to be prescribed to residents from dual
      registered homes (OR compared with nursing homes: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.18-0.79). For
      those who were prescribed antibiotics, the incidence of AAD was 0.57 episodes per
      resident year (95% CI: 0.41-0.81 episodes). AAD was more likely in residents who
      were prescribed co-amoxiclav (hazards ratio, HR = 2.08, 95% confidence interval,
      CI: 1.18-3.66) or routinely used incontinence pads (HR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.26-5.13)
      and less likely in residents from residential homes (HR compared with nursing
      homes: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.06-0.32). CONCLUSION: residents of care homes,
      particularly of nursing homes, are frequently prescribed antibiotics and often
      experience diarrhoea following such prescriptions. Co-amoxiclav is associated
      with greater risk of AAD.

PMID- 26104508
TI  - Antiplatelet Therapy During PCI for Patients with Stable Angina and Atrial
      Fibrillation.
AB  - The pharmacological treatment options for anticoagulation in patients with atrial
      fibrillation (Afib) have increased with the introduction of novel oral
      anticoagulants, compared with earlier times, when vitamin K antagonist was the
      drug of choice. As they age, many Afib patients require percutaneous coronary
      intervention (PCI), necessitating antiplatelet medication in addition to
      anticoagulation therapy. Choosing the appropriate combination and duration of
      anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapies may be challenging in stable coronary
      artery disease (CAD) and even more complicated during and after coronary
      intervention with the introduction of additional antithrombotic drugs. In this
      article, we review the scientific basis for the recent guidelines for
      anticoagulation and antithrombotic therapy in patients with Afib and stable CAD
      before, during, and after elective PCI. 

PMID- 26104509
TI  - Natural Killer Cells: Key Players in Endometriosis.
AB  - Endometriosis affects more than 10% of women, causing significant pain and
      morbidity. It is also a significant cause of infertility. The aetiology of the
      disease remains an enigma, and the mechanisms responsible for the associated
      infertility are unclear. A role for immune cells in endometriosis has been
      postulated, with attention directed towards natural killer (NK) cells and
      macrophages. NK cells kill tumours and infected cells but also have roles in
      tissue remodelling in several organs including the uterus and are key to
      successful pregnancy. Here, we explore evidence (from peer-reviewed published
      articles) of phenotypic and functional abnormalities in NK cell subpopulations of
      women with endometriosis. It is clear that peripheral blood NK cells and
      peritoneal NK cells have reduced cytotoxic function in women with endometriosis.
      Uterine NK cells have a vital role in infertility, but very little research has
      been carried out in this area. We propose that abnormal u NK cell activity may
      contribute to the pathogenesis of endometriosis and its associated infertility
      and that future research should focus on this complex area.

PMID- 26104510
TI  - Clinical experience of strain imaging using DENSE for detecting infarcted cardiac
      segments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We hypothesised that myocardial deformation determined with magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) will detect myocardial scar. METHODS: Displacement
      Encoding with Stimulated Echoes (DENSE) was used to calculate left ventricular
      strain in 125 patients (29 women and 96 men) with suspected coronary artery
      disease. The patients also underwent cine imaging and late gadolinium
      enhancement. 57 patients had a scar area >1% in at least one segment, 23 were
      considered free from coronary artery disease (control group) and 45 had
      pathological findings but no scar (mixed group). Peak strain was calculated in
      eight combinations: radial and circumferential strain in transmural,
      subendocardial and epicardial layers derived from short axis acquisition, and
      transmural longitudinal and radial strain derived from long axis acquisitions. In
      addition, the difference between strain in affected segments and reference
      segments, "differential strain", from the control group was analysed. RESULTS: In
      receiver-operator-characteristic analysis for the detection of 50% transmurality,
      circumferential strain performed best with area-under-curve (AUC) of 0.94. Using
      a cut-off value of -17%, sensitivity was 95% at a specificity of 80%. AUC did not
      further improve with differential strain. There were significant differences
      between the control group and global strain circumferential direction (-17%
      versus -12%) and in the longitudinal direction (-13% versus -10%). Interobserver
      and scan-rescan reproducibility was high with an intraclass correlation
      coefficient (ICC) >0.93. CONCLUSIONS: DENSE-derived circumferential strain may be
      used for the detection of myocardial segments with >50 % scar area. The
      repeatability of strain is satisfactory. DENSE-derived global strain agrees with
      other global measures of left ventricular ejection fraction.

PMID- 26104512
TI  - Estimation of Genetic Associations between Production and Meat Quality Traits in
      Duroc Pigs.
AB  - Data collected from 690 purebred Duroc pigs from 2009 to 2012 were used to
      estimate the heritability, and genetic and phenotypic correlations between
      production and meat quality traits. Variance components were obtained through the
      restricted maximum likelihood procedure using Wombat and SAS version 9.0. Animals
      were raised under the same management in five different breeding farms. The
      average daily gain, loin muscle area (LMA), backfat thickness (BF), and lean
      percent (LP) were measured as production traits. Meat quality traits included pH,
      cooking loss, lightness (L*), redness (a*), yellowness (b*), marbling score (MS),
      moisture content (MC), water holding capacity (WHC), and shear force. The results
      showed that the heritability estimates for meat quality traits varied largely
      from 0.19 to 0.79. Production traits were moderate to highly heritable from 0.41
      to 0.73. Genotypically, the BF was positively correlated (p<0.05) with MC
      (0.786), WHC (0.904), and pH (0.328) but negatively correlated with shear force (
      0.533). The results of genetic correlations indicated that selection for less BF
      could decrease pH, moisture content, and WHC and increase the shear force of
      meat. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was recorded between
      average daily gain and WHC, which indicates pork from faster-growing animals has
      higher WHC. Furthermore, selection for larger LMA and LP could increase MS and
      lightness color of meat. The meat quality and production traits could be improved
      simultaneously if desired. Hence, to avoid further deterioration of pork
      characteristics, appropriate selection of traits should be considered. 

PMID- 26104511
TI  - Epigenetics could explain some Moroccan population colorectal cancers
      peculiarities: microsatellite instability pathway exploration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colorectal Cancers (CRC) are one of the most common malignancies in
      the world. Their incidence in Morocco, between 2005 and 2007, was 5.6 for 100000
      inhabitants, which is very low compared to what found in developed countries. In
      addition, CRCs show a high frequency of rectal localizations, and occurs in a
      younger population in Morocco compared to what found in developed countries. The
      purpose of this study is to confirm these CRC peculiarities in Morocco and try to
      explain them by exploring the microsatellite instability molecular pathway.
      METHODS: This is a prospective observational study conducted since January 2010,
      including 385 patients admitted in Hassan II University Hospital of Fez. We
      collected clinical, radiological and pathological data. We investigated the
      expression of mismatch repair (MMR) proteins in 214 patients and BRAF gene
      mutations in 159 patients. RESULTS: Mean age was 55.08 +/- 15.16 years. 36.5% of
      patients were less than 50 years old and 49.3% of tumors were localized in the
      rectum. Loss of MMR protein expression was observed in 11.2% of cases. It was
      independently associated with individual or family history of cancer belonging to
      Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) spectrum (p = 0.01) and
      proximal localization (p = 0.02). No BRAF mutation was detected in all cases.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the high occurrence of CRCs to young patients
      and the high frequency of rectal localizations in Moroccan population. They
      mostly show an absence of BRAF mutation, supposing a rarity of MLH1 promoter
      hypermethylation pathway, which may even partially explain the CRC peculiarities
      in our context. VIRTUAL SLIDES: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be
      found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/5868184711716884.

PMID- 26104513
TI  - Y-Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Diversity in Chinese Indigenous Horse.
AB  - In contrast to high genetic diversity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), equine Y
      chromosome shows extremely low variability, implying limited patrilines in the
      domesticated horse. In this study, we applied direct sequencing and restriction
      fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods to investigate the polymorphisms of
      33 Y chromosome specific loci in 304 Chinese indigenous horses from 13 breeds.
      Consequently, two Y-single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (Y-45701/997 and Y
      50869) and one Y-indel (Y-45288) were identified. Of those, the Y-50869 (T>A)
      revealed the highest variation frequency (24.67%), whereas it was only 3.29% and
      1.97% in Y-45288 (T/-) and Y-45701/997 (G>T) locus, respectively. These three
      mutations accounted for 27.96% of the total samples and identified five Y-SNP
      haplotypes, demonstrating genetic diversity of Y chromosome in Chinese horses. In
      addition, all the five Y-SNP haplotypes were shared by different breeds. Among 13
      horse breeds analyzed, Balikun horse displayed the highest nucleotide diversity
      (pi = 5.6*10(-4)) and haplotype diversity (h = 0.527), while Ningqiang horse
      showed the lowest nucleotide diversity (pi = 0.00000) and haplotype diversity (h
      = 0.000). The results also revealed that Chinese horses had a different
      polymorphic pattern of Y chromosome from European and American horses. In
      conclusion, Chinese horses revealed genetic diversity of Y chromosome, however
      more efforts should be made to better understand the domestication and paternal
      origin of Chinese indigenous horses. 

PMID- 26104514
TI  - Gene Expression Patterns Associated with Peroxisome Proliferator-activated
      Receptor (PPAR) Signaling in the Longissimus dorsi of Hanwoo (Korean Cattle).
AB  - Adipose tissue deposited within muscle fibers, known as intramuscular fat (IMF or
      marbling), is a major determinant of meat quality and thereby affects its
      economic value. The biological mechanisms that determine IMF content are
      therefore of interest. In this study, 48 genes involved in the bovine peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathway, which is involved in lipid
      metabolism, were investigated to identify candidate genes associated with IMF in
      the longissimus dorsi of Hanwoo (Korean cattle). Ten genes, retinoid X receptor
      alpha, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG), phospholipid
      transfer protein, stearoyl-CoA desaturase, nuclear receptor subfamily 1 group H
      member 3, fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3), carnitine palmitoyltransferase
      II, acyl-Coenzyme A dehydrogenase long chain (ACADL), acyl-Coenzyme A oxidase 2
      branched chain, and fatty acid binding protein 4, showed significant effects with
      regard to IMF and were differentially expressed between the low- and high-marbled
      groups (p<0.05). Analysis of the gene co-expression network based on Pearson's
      correlation coefficients identified 10 up-regulated genes in the high-marbled
      group that formed a major cluster. Among these genes, the PPARG-FABP4 gene pair
      exhibited the strongest correlation in the network. Glycerol kinase was found to
      play a role in mediating activation of the differentially expressed genes. We
      categorized the 10 significantly differentially expressed genes into the
      corresponding downstream pathways and investigated the direct interactive
      relationships among these genes. We suggest that fatty acid oxidation is the
      major downstream pathway affecting IMF content. The PPARG/RXRA complex triggers
      activation of target genes involved in fatty acid oxidation resulting in
      increased triglyceride formation by ATP production. Our findings highlight
      candidate genes associated with the IMF content of the loin muscle of Korean
      cattle and provide insight into the biological mechanisms that determine adipose
      deposition within muscle. 

PMID- 26104515
TI  - Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in the Coding Region of Bovine Chemerin Gene and
      Their Associations with Carcass Traits in Japanese Black Cattle.
AB  - Chemerin, highly expressed in adipose and liver tissues, regulates glucose and
      lipid metabolism and immunity in these tissues in ruminants and mice. Our
      previous reports showed that chemerin is involved in adipogenesis and lipid
      metabolism in adipose tissue as an adipokine. The aim of the present study was to
      identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the coding region of the
      chemerin gene and to analyze their effects on carcass traits and intramuscular
      fatty acid compositions in Japanese Black cattle. The SNPs in the bovine chemerin
      gene were detected in 232 Japanese Black steers (n = 161) and heifers (n = 71)
      using DNA sequencing. The results revealed five novel silent mutations:
      NM_001046020: c.12A>G (4aa), c.165G<A (55aa), c.276C>T (92aa), c.321 A>G (107aa),
      and c.396C>T (132aa). There was no association between 4 of the SNPs (c.12A>G
      [4aa], c.165G<A [55aa], c.321 A>G [107aa], and c.396C>T) and carcass traits or
      intramuscular fatty acid compositions. Regarding the remaining SNP, c.276C>T, we
      found that cattle with genotype CC had a higher beef marbling score than that of
      cattle with genotype CT, whereas cattle with genotype CT had a higher body
      condition score (p<0.10). Further, cattle with genotype CC had significantly
      higher C18:0 content in their intramuscular fat tissue than that of cattle with
      genotype CT (p<0.05). On the other hand, cattle with genotype CT had
      significantly higher C14:0 and C16:0 content in their intramuscular fat tissue
      (p<0.05). Moreover, the number of individuals carrying the minor allele of
      c.276C>T SNP is small. It is suggested that the c.276C>T SNP of the chemerin gene
      has potential in cattle breeding using modern methods, such as marker assisted
      selection. So, further functional and physiological research elucidating the
      impact of the chemerin gene on bovine lipid metabolism including fatty acid
      synthesis will help in understanding these results. 

PMID- 26104516
TI  - Genetic Variability of Show Jumping Attributes in Young Horses Commencing
      Competing.
AB  - The aim of the study was to select traits that may constitute a prospective
      criterion for breeding value prediction of young horses. The results of 1,232
      starts of 894 four-, five-, six-, and seven-year-old horses, obtained during
      jumping championships for young horses which had not been evaluated in,
      alternative to championships, training centres were analyed. Nine traits were
      chosen of those recorded: ranking in the championship, elimination (y/n),
      conformation, rating of style on day one, two, and three, and penalty points on
      day one, two, and three of a championship. (Co)variance components were estimated
      via the Gibbs sampling procedure and adequate (co)variance component ratios were
      calculated. Statistical classifications were trait dependent but all fitted
      random additive genetic and permanent environment effects. It was found that such
      characteristics as penalty points and jumping style are potential indicators of
      jumping ability, and the genetic variability of the traits was within the range
      of 14% to 27%. Given the low genetic correlations between the conformation and
      other results achieved on the parkour, the relevance of assessment of
      conformation in four-years-old horses has been questioned. 

PMID- 26104517
TI  - Pelleting in Associated with Sodium Monensin Increases the Conjugated Linoleic
      Acids Concentration in the Milk of Dairy Cows Fed Canola Seeds.
AB  - To evaluate the effects of the pelleting and the addition of sodium monensin on
      production, the chemical and lipid composition of milk and butter physical
      characteristics, 4 Holstein dairy cows (135 days of lactation) with an average
      milk production of 14.7 kg/d, were supplemented with a concentrate containing
      ground canola seeds. The cows were assigned to a 4*4 Latin square design with a
      2*2 factorial arrangement of treatments: i) ground maize, soybean meal, mineral
      and vitamin supplements, and ground canola seeds (CG); ii) CG concentrate with
      31.5 mg of monensin added per kg of dry matter (DM); iii) CG pelleted
      concentrate; iv) CG concentrate with monensin addition pelleted. There was no
      difference in milk production and composition. The addition of monensin increased
      milk concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), the PUFA/saturated
      fatty acids (SFA) ratio, and omega 6. The pelleting increased the concentration
      of monounsaturated fatty acids, the PUFA/SFA ratio, and the omega 6/omega 3
      ratio, but decreased the concentration of SFA. The association between pelleting
      and the addition of monensin increased the concentration of conjugated linoleic
      acids by 46.9%. The physical characteristics of butter were not affected by the
      evaluated diets. We concluded that the concentrate with 31.5 mg of monensin added
      per kg DM basis combined with the pelleting improves the lipid composition of
      milk from Holstein cows that are on pasture and supplemented with ground canola
      seeds, without changing the production, milk composition, and spreadability of
      butter. 

PMID- 26104518
TI  - Influence of Restricted Grazing Time Systems on Productive Performance and Fatty
      Acid Composition of Longissimus dorsi in Growing Lambs.
AB  - Fifty 3-month-old male Tan lambs (similar in body weight) were divided into 5
      groups to investigate the effects of different restricted pasture grazing times
      and indoor supplementation on the productive performances and fatty acid
      composition of the intramuscular fat in growing lambs. The lambs grazed for
      different periods of time (12 h/d, 8 h/d, 4 h/d, 2 h/d, and 0 h) and received
      various amounts of supplementary feedings during the 120-day trial. Pasture dry
      matter intake (DMI), total DMI, average daily gains and the live body weights of
      the lambs were measured during the experiment. The animals were slaughtered at
      the end of the study, their carcass traits were measured, and their longissimus
      dorsi muscles were sampled to analyze the intramuscular fat (IMF) content and
      fatty acid profiles. The results indicated that the different durations of
      grazing and supplementary feedings affected the animal performances and the
      composition of fatty acids. Grazing for 8 h/d or 2 h/d with the corresponding
      supplementary concentrate resulted in lambs with higher body weights, carcass
      weights and IMF contents. Lambs with longer grazing times and less concentrate
      accumulated more healthy fatty acids such as conjugated linoleic acid and n-3
      polyunsaturated fatty acid and had higher n-3/n-6 ratios. Overall, a grazing
      allowance of 8 h/d and the corresponding concentrate was recommended to maintain
      a high quantity and quality of lamb meat. 

PMID- 26104519
TI  - Influence of Sunflower Whole Seeds or Oil on Ruminal Fermentation, Milk
      Production, Composition, and Fatty Acid Profile in Lactating Goats.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the effect of sunflower seeds, either as whole or
      as oil, on rumen fermentation, milk production, milk composition and fatty acids
      profile in dairy goats. Fifteen lactating Damascus goats were divided randomly
      into three groups (n = 5) fed a basal diet of concentrate feed mixture and fresh
      Trifolium alexandrinum at 50:50 on dry matter basis (Control) in addition to 50
      g/head/d sunflower seeds whole (SS) or 20 mL/head/d sunflower seeds oil (SO) in a
      complete randomized design. Milk was sampled every two weeks during 90 days of
      experimental period for chemical analysis and rumen was sampled at 30, 60, and 90
      days of the experiment for ruminal pH, volatile fatty acids (tVFA), and ammonia-N
      determination. Addition of SO decreased (p = 0.017) ruminal pH, whereas SO and SS
      increased tVFA (p<0.001) and acetate (p = 0.034) concentrations. Serum glucose
      increased (p = 0.013) in SO and SS goats vs Control. The SO and SS treated goats
      had improved milk yield (p = 0.007) and milk fat content (p = 0.002). Moreover,
      SO increased milk lactose content (p = 0.048) and feed efficiency (p = 0.046)
      compared to Control. Both of SS and SO increased (p<0.05) milk unsaturated fatty
      acids content specially conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) vs Control. Addition of
      SS and SO increased (p = 0. 021) C18:3N3 fatty acid compared to Control diet.
      Data suggested that addition of either SS or SO to lactating goats ration had
      beneficial effects on milk yield and milk composition with enhancing milk content
      of healthy fatty acids (CLA and omega 3), without detrimental effects on animal
      performance. 

PMID- 26104520
TI  - Natural Lactic Acid Bacteria Population and Silage Fermentation of Whole-crop
      Wheat.
AB  - Winter wheat is a suitable crop to be ensiled for animal feed and China has the
      largest planting area of this crop in the world. During the ensiling process,
      lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play the most important role in the fermentation. We
      investigated the natural population of LAB in whole-crop wheat (WCW) and examined
      the quality of whole-crop wheat silage (WCWS) with and without LAB inoculants.
      Two Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum strains, Zhengzhou University 1 (ZZU
      1) selected from corn and forage and grass 1 (FG 1) from a commercial inoculant,
      were used as additives. The silages inoculated with LAB strains (ZZU 1 and FG 1)
      were better preserved than the control, with lower pH values (3.5 and 3.6,
      respectively) (p<0.05) and higher contents of lactic acid (37.5 and 34.0 g/kg of
      fresh matter (FM), respectively) (p<0.05) than the control. Sixty LAB strains
      were isolated from fresh material and WCWS without any LAB inoculation. These LAB
      strains were divided into the following four genera and six species based on
      their phenotypic, biochemical and phylogenetic characteristics: Leuconostoc
      pseudomesenteroides, Leuconostoc citreum, Weissella cibaria, Lactococcus lactis
      subsp. lactis, Lactobacillus buchneri, and Lactobacillus plantarum subsp.
      plantarum. However, the prevalent LAB, which was predominantly heterofermentative
      (66.7%), consisted of Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, Leuconostoc citreum,
      Weissella cibaria, and Lactobacillus buchneri. This study revealed that most of
      isolated LAB strains from control WCWS were heterofermentative and could not grow
      well at low pH condition; the selective inoculants of Lactobacillus strains,
      especially ZZU 1, could improve WCWS quality significantly. 

PMID- 26104521
TI  - The Technical and Financial Effects of Parenteral Supplementation with Selenium
      and Vitamin E during Late Pregnancy and the Early Lactation Period on the
      Productivity of Dairy Cattle.
AB  - This study aimed to determine the effects of parenteral selenium (Se) and vitamin
      E supplementation on economic impact, milk yield, and some reproductive
      parameters in high-yield dairy cows in the dry period and in those at the
      beginning of lactation. At the beginning of the dry period, cows (n = 323) were
      randomly divided into three groups as follows: Treatment 1 (T1), Treatment 2
      (T2), and Control (C). Cows in group T1 received this preparation 21 days before
      calving and on calving day, and cows in group T2 received it only on calving day.
      The cows in the control group did not receive this preparation. Supplementation
      with Se increased Se serum levels of cows treated at calving day (p<0.05).
      Differences in milk yield at all weeks and the electrical conductivity values at
      the 8th and 12th weeks were significant (p<0.05). Supplementation with Se and
      Vitamin E decreased the incidence of metritis, the number of services per
      conception and the service period, but had no effects on the incidence of
      retained fetal membrane. A partial budgeting analysis indicated that Se
      supplementation was economically profitable; cows in group T1 averaged 240.6$ per
      cow, those in group T2 averaged 224.6$ per cow. Supplementation with Se and
      Vitamin E has been found to increase serum Se levels, milk yield, and has
      positive effects on udder health by decreasing milk conductivity values and
      incidence of sub-clinical mastitis. 

PMID- 26104522
TI  - Effect of Age on Energy Requirement for Maintenance and Growth of Dorper and Hu
      Crossbred F1 Ewes Weighing 20 to 50 kg.
AB  - This research aimed to define the energy requirement of Dorper and Hu Hybrid F1
      ewes 20 to 50 kg of body weight, furthermore to study energy requirement changes
      with age and evaluate the effect of age on energy requirement parameters. In
      comparative slaughter trial, thirty animals were divided into three dry matter
      intake treatments (ad libitum, n = 18; low restricted, n = 6; high restricted, n
      = 6), and were all slaughtered as baseline, intermediate, and final slaughter
      groups, to calculate body chemical components and energy retained. In
      digestibility trial, twelve ewes were housed in individual metabolic cages and
      randomly assigned to three feeding treatments in accordance with the design of a
      comparative slaughter trial, to evaluate dietary energetic values at different
      feed intake levels. The combined data indicated that, with increasing age, the
      net energy requirement for maintenance (NEm) decreased from 260.62+/-13.21 to
      250.61+/-11.79 kJ/kg(0.75) of shrunk body weight (SBW)/d, and metabolizable
      energy requirement for maintenance (MEm) decreased from 401.99+/-20.31 to
      371.23+/-17.47 kJ/kg(0.75) of SBW/d. Partial efficiency of ME utilization for
      maintenance (km, 0.65 vs 0.68) and growth (kg, 0.42 vs 0.41) did not differ
      (p>0.05) due to age; At the similar condition of average daily gain, net energy
      requirements for growth (NEg) and metabolizable energy requirements for growth
      (MEg) for ewes during late fattening period were 23% and 25% greater than
      corresponding values of ewes during early fattening period. In conclusion, the
      effect of age upon energy requirement parameters in the present study were
      similar in tendency with previous recommendations, values of energy requirement
      for growth (NEg and MEg) for Dorper and Hu crossbred female lambs ranged between
      the NRC (2007) recommendation for early and later maturating growing sheep. 

PMID- 26104523
TI  - Effects of Palm Kernel Expellers on Productive Performance, Nutrient
      Digestibility, and White Blood Cells of Lactating Sows.
AB  - This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of palm kernel expellers
      on productive performance, nutrient digestibility, and changes in white blood
      cells (WBC) of lactating sows. A total of 14 sows (200+/-12 kg of average body
      weight [BW]; 2.5 of average parity) were used and moved from gestation room to
      farrowing room on d 109 of gestation. Sows were randomly assigned to 2 dietary
      treatments in a completely randomized design. The treatments were a diet based on
      corn and soybean meal (CON) and CON added with 20% of palm kernel expellers
      (PKE). Sows were fed the treatments for 28 days (weaning) after farrowing. Blood
      was collected from each sow and 4 randomly selected piglets from each sow before
      farrowing or on d 3, 7, or 14 of lactation. Sows were fed respective treatments
      containing 0.2% chromic oxide from d 15 to 21 of lactation. Fecal samples were
      collected daily for the last 3 days after the 4-d adjustment period. Measurements
      were performances and WBC changes of sows and litter, nutrient digestibility of
      sows, and daily diarrhea of litter. Sows fed PKE had greater average daily feed
      intake (7.38 vs 7.10 kg/d; p<0.05) and lost less BW (-6.85 vs -8.54 kg; p<0.05)
      and backfat depth (-0.42 vs -0.71 mm; p<0.05) than those fed CON. However, there
      were no differences on digestibility of dry matter, nitrogen, and energy and
      weaning to estrus interval of sows fed either CON or PKE. Piglets from sows fed
      PKE gained more BW (203 vs 181 g/d; p = 0.08) and had less frequency of diarrhea
      (6.80 vs 8.56%; p = 0.07) than those from sows fed CON. On the other hand, no
      difference was found on preweaning mortality of piglets from sows fed either CON
      or PKE. Sows fed PKE had lower number of WBC (9.57 vs 11.82 *10(3)/MUL; p = 0.09)
      before farrowing than those fed CON, but no difference on d 3 and 7. Similarly,
      piglets from sows fed PKE had also lower number of WBC (7.86 vs 9.80 *10(3)/MUL;
      p<0.05) on d 14 of lactation than those from sows fed CON, but no difference on d
      3 and 7. In conclusion, addition of 20% palm kernel expellers to lactation diet
      based on corn and soybean meal had no negative effects on productive performance,
      nutrient digestibility, and WBC changes of lactating sows. 

PMID- 26104524
TI  - Estimating Apparent Nutrient Digestibility of Diets Containing Leucaena
      leucocephala or Moringa oleifera Leaf Meals for Growing Rabbits by Two Methods.
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate the nutrient digestibility of growing rabbits fed
      diets with different levels of either Leucaena leucocephala (LLM) or Moringa
      oleifera (MOLM) leaf meals and also to compare total collection and TiO2 marker
      methods for estimating digestibility. A total of 30 California growing rabbits
      (1.81+/-0.19 kg live weight on average) were randomly distributed into five
      experimental groups of six rabbits each and were housed in individual cages. The
      groups were control, 30% LLM, 40% LLM, 30% MOLM, and 40% MOLM. All groups
      received pelleted diets for two weeks; diets also contained 4 g/kg titanium
      dioxide as dietary marker. Daily feed intake was recorded during the whole
      experimental period and total feces were collected daily and weighed individually
      during four days. The results showed that there were no difference (p>0.05) in
      feed, dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), digestible
      energy, and crude fiber (CF) intake between the control group and the other
      experimental groups. The apparent digestibility values of DM, OM, CP, CF, acid
      detergent fiber, and gross energy were the highest for control group (p = 0.001),
      meanwhile MOLM diets had generally higher nutrient digestibility coefficients
      than LLM diets. Increasing the inclusion level of leaf meal in the diet from 30%
      to 40% improved the digestibility of CF from 45.02% to 51.69% for LLM and from
      48.11% to 55.89% for MOLM. Similar results for apparent nutrient digestibility
      coefficients were obtained when either total collection or indigestible marker
      method was used. In conclusion, the digestibility of MOLM containing diets were
      better than LLM diets, furthermore TiO2 as an external marker could be used as a
      simple, practical and reliable method to estimate nutrients digestibility in
      rabbit diets. 

PMID- 26104525
TI  - Optimizing Production of Two Potential Probiotic Lactobacilli Strains Isolated
      from Piglet Feces as Feed Additives for Weaned Piglets.
AB  - Two probiotic strains, Lactobacillus johnsonii x-1d-2 and Lactobacillus mucosae x
      4w-1, originally isolated from piglet feces, have been demonstrated to possess
      antimicrobial activities, antibiotic resistances and interleukin-6 induction
      ability in RAW 267.4 macrophages in our previous study. These characteristics
      make L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L. mucosae x-4w-1 good candidates for application in
      feed probiotics. In this study, soybeal meal, molasses and sodium acetate were
      selected to optimize the growth medium for cultivation of L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and
      L. mucosae x-4w-1. These two strains were then freeze-dried and mixed into the
      basal diet to feed the weaned piglets. The effects of L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L.
      mucosae x-4w-1 on the growth performance and fecal microflora of weaned piglets
      were investigated. The results showed that the bacterial numbers of L. johnsonii
      x-1d-2 and L. mucosae x-4w-1 reached a maximum of 8.90 and 9.30 log CFU/mL,
      respectively, when growing in optimal medium consisting of 5.5% (wt/vol) soybean
      meal, 1.0% (wt/vol) molasses and 1.0% (wt/vol) sodium acetate. The medium cost
      was 96% lower than the commercial de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe medium. In a further
      feeding study, the weaned piglets fed basal diet supplemented with freeze-dried
      probiotic cultures exhibited higher (p<0.05) body weight gain, feed intake, and
      gain/feed ratio than weaned piglets fed basal diet. Probiotic feeding also
      increased the numbers of lactobacilli and decreased the numbers of E. coli in the
      feces of weaned piglets. This study demonstrates that L. johnsonii x-1d-2 and L.
      mucosae x-4w-1 have high potential to be used as feed additives in the pig
      industry. 

PMID- 26104526
TI  - Isolation, Culture and Identification of Porcine Skeletal Muscle Satellite Cells.
AB  - The objective of this study was to establish the optimum protocol for the
      isolation and culture of porcine muscle satellite cells. Mononuclear muscle
      satellite cells are a kind of adult stem cell, which is located between the basal
      lamina and sarcolemma of muscle fibers and is the primary source of myogenic
      precursor cells in postnatal muscle. Muscle satellite cells are a useful model to
      investigate the mechanisms of muscle growth and development. Although the
      isolation and culture protocols of muscle satellite cells in some species (e.g.
      mouse) have been established successfully, the culture system for porcine muscle
      satellite cells is very limited. In this study, we optimized the isolation
      procedure of porcine muscle satellite cells and elaborated the isolation and
      culture process in detail. Furthermore, we characterized the porcine muscle
      satellite cells using the immunofluorecence. Our study provides a reference for
      the isolation of porcine muscle satellite cells and will be useful for studying
      the molecular mechanisms in these cells. 

PMID- 26104527
TI  - Effect of Various Phyto-extracts on Physico-chemical, Colour, and Oxidative
      Stability of Pork Frankfurters.
AB  - Lipid oxidation, colour stability and physico-chemical quality of pork
      frankfurters with the incorporation of 0.30% sea buckthorn (SBT), 0.10% grape
      seed (GSE), 0.03% green tea (GTE), 0.12% fenugreek seed (FSE) and 0.10% Acacia
      catechu (ACE) were studied during 20 days of refrigerated aerobic storage. The
      SBT and ACE were identified as being the most effective antioxidants to retard
      lipid oxidation with the potency decreasing in the following order:
      SBT>ACE>GSE>GTE>FSE based on thiobarbituric acid reacting substances, peroxide
      value and free fatty acids. In all samples pH and aw decreased during storage
      period. The L* value of treated as well as control samples decreased over time
      while SBT and ACE exhibited an increased redness producing higher a* values than
      other treatments. However, GTE was more effective in increasing b* values than
      other treatments at the end of storage. The results suggest that functional plant
      derived extracts can be valuable to the modification of frankfurter formulations
      for improved oxidative stability as well as quality characteristics. 

PMID- 26104528
TI  - Effects of Dietary Restriction on the Expression of Lipid Metabolism and Growth
      Hormone Signaling Genes in the Longissimus dorsi Muscle of Korean Cattle Steers.
AB  - This study determined the effects of dietary restriction on growth and the
      expression of lipid metabolism and growth hormone signaling genes in the
      longissimus dorsi muscle (LM) of Korean cattle. Thirty-one Korean cattle steers
      (average age 10.5 months) were allocated to normal (N; n = 16) or dietary
      restriction (DR; n = 15) groups. The feeding trial consisted of two stages: for
      the 8-month growing period, the DR group was fed 80% of the food intake of the
      normal diet, and for the 6-month growth-finishing period, the DR group was fed a
      DR total mixed ration with 78.4% of the crude protein and 64% of the net energy
      for gain of the normal diet. The LM was biopsied 5 months (period 1 [P1] at 15.5
      months of age) and 14 months (period 2 [P2] at 24.5 months of age) after the
      start of feeding. The mRNA levels were determined using real-time polymerase
      chain reaction. Body weight, daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed
      efficiency were lower in the DR group compared with the normal group at both P1
      and P2. At P1, the lipogenic fatty acid synthase (FASN) mRNA levels were lower
      (p<0.05) in the DR group compared with the normal group. The DR group tended (p =
      0.06) to have higher of levels of growth hormone receptor (GHR) mRNA than the
      normal group. At P2, the DR group tended to have lower (p = 0.06) androgen
      receptor (AR) mRNA levels than the normal group. In conclusion, our results
      demonstrate that dietary restriction partially decreases the transcription of
      lipogenic FASN and growth hormone signaling AR genes, but increases transcription
      of the GHR gene. These changes in gene transcription might affect body fat
      accumulation and the growth of the animals. 

PMID- 26104529
TI  - Consumption of Oxidized Soybean Oil Increased Intestinal Oxidative Stress and
      Affected Intestinal Immune Variables in Yellow-feathered Broilers.
AB  - This study investigated the effect of oxidized soybean oil in the diet of young
      chickens on growth performance and intestinal oxidative stress, and indices of
      intestinal immune function. Corn-soybean-based diets containing 2% mixtures of
      fresh and oxidized soybean oil provided 6 levels (0.15, 1.01, 3.14, 4.95, 7.05,
      and 8.97 meqO2/kg) of peroxide value (POV) in the diets. Each dietary treatment,
      fed for 22 d, had 6 replicates, each containing 30 birds (n = 1,080). Increasing
      POV levels reduced average daily feed intake (ADFI) of the broilers during d 1 to
      10, body weight and average daily gain at d 22 but did not affect overall ADFI.
      Concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) increased in plasma and jejunum as POV
      increased but total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC) declined in plasma and
      jejunum. Catalase (CAT) activity declined in plasma and jejunum as did plasma
      glutathione S-transferase (GST). Effects were apparent at POV exceeding 3.14
      meqO2/kg for early ADFI and MDA in jejunum, and POV exceeding 1.01 meqO2/kg for
      CAT in plasma and jejunum, GST in plasma and T-AOC in jejunum. Relative jejunal
      abundance of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) P50 and NF-kappaB P65 increased
      as dietary POV increased. Increasing POV levels reduced the jejunal
      concentrations of secretory immunoglobulin A and cluster of differentiation (CD)
      4 and CD8 molecules with differences from controls apparent at dietary POV of
      3.14 to 4.95 meqO2/kg. These findings indicated that growth performance, feed
      intake, and the local immune system of the small intestine were compromised by
      oxidative stress when young broilers were fed moderately oxidized soybean oil. 

PMID- 26104530
TI  - Effects of L-tryptophan, Fructan, and Casein on Reducing Ammonia, Hydrogen
      Sulfide, and Skatole in Fermented Swine Manure.
AB  - The effects of daily dietary Bacillus subtilis (Bs), and adding L-tryptophan,
      fructan, or casein to fecal fermentation broths were investigated as means to
      reduce the production of noxious gas during manure fermentation caused by
      ammonia, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and 3-methylindole (skatole). Eighty swine
      (50.0+/-0.5 kg) were equally apportioned to an experimental group given Bs in
      daily feed, or a control group without Bs. After 6 weeks, fresh manure was
      collected from both groups for fermentation studies using a 3*3 orthogonal array,
      in which tryptophan, casein, and fructan were added at various concentrations.
      After fermentation, the ammonia, H2S, L-tryptophan, skatole, and microflora were
      measured. In both groups, L-tryptophan was the principle additive increasing
      skatole production, with significant correlation (r = 0.9992). L-tryptophan had
      no effect on the production of ammonia, H2S, or skatole in animals fed Bs. In
      both groups, fructan was the principle additive that reduced H2S production (r =
      0.9981). Fructan and Bs significantly interacted in H2S production (p = 0.014).
      Casein was the principle additive affecting the concentration of ammonia, only in
      the control group. Casein and Bs significantly interacted in ammonia production
      (p = 0.039). The predominant bacteria were Bacillus spp. CWBI B1434 (26%) in the
      control group, and Streptococcus alactolyticus AF201899 (36%) in the experimental
      group. In summary, daily dietary Bs reduced ammonia production during fecal
      fermentation. Lessening L-tryptophan and increasing fructan in the fermentation
      broth reduced skatole and H2S. 

PMID- 26104531
TI  - Lamb Production Costs: Analyses of Composition and Elasticities Analysis of Lamb
      Production Costs.
AB  - Since lamb is a commodity, producers cannot control the price of the product they
      sell. Therefore, managing production costs is a necessity. We explored the study
      of elasticities as a tool for basing decision-making in sheep production, and
      aimed at investigating the composition and elasticities of lamb production costs,
      and their influence on the performance of the activity. A representative sheep
      production farm, designed in a panel meeting, was the base for calculation of
      lamb production cost. We then performed studies of: i) costs composition, and ii)
      cost elasticities for prices of inputs and for zootechnical indicators. Variable
      costs represented 64.15% of total cost, while 21.66% were represented by
      operational fixed costs, and 14.19% by the income of the factors. As for
      elasticities to input prices, the opportunity cost of land was the item to which
      production cost was more sensitive: a 1% increase in its price would cause a
      0.2666% increase in lamb cost. Meanwhile, the impact of increasing any technical
      indicator was significantly higher than the impact of rising input prices. A 1%
      increase in weight at slaughter, for example, would reduce total cost in 0.91%.
      The greatest obstacle to economic viability of sheep production under the
      observed conditions is low technical efficiency. Increased production costs are
      more related to deficient zootechnical indexes than to high expenses. 

PMID- 26104532
TI  - Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multi locus sequence typing for
      characterizing genotype variability of Yersinia ruckeri isolated from farmed fish
      in France.
AB  - Yersinia ruckeri is a pathogen that has an impact on aquaculture worldwide. The
      disease caused by this bacterial species, yersiniosis or redmouth disease,
      generates substantial economic losses due to the associated mortality and
      veterinary costs. For predicting outbreaks and improving control strategies, it
      is important to characterize the population structure of the bacteria. The
      phenotypic and genetic homogeneities described previously indicate a clonal
      population structure as observed in other fish bacteria. In this study, the
      pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multi locus sequence typing (MLST)
      methods were used to describe a population of isolates from outbreaks on French
      fish farms. For the PFGE analysis, two enzymes (NotI and AscI) were used
      separately and together. Results from combining the enzymes showed the great
      homogeneity of the outbreak population with a similarity > 80.0% but a high
      variability within the cluster (cut-off value = 80.0%) with a total of 43
      pulsotypes described and an index of diversity = 0.93. The dominant pulsotypes
      described with NotI (PtN4 and PtN7) have already been described in other European
      countries (Finland, Germany, Denmark, Spain and Italy). The MLST approach showed
      two dominant sequence types (ST31 and ST36), an epidemic structure of the French
      Y. ruckeri population and a preferentially clonal evolution for rainbow trout
      isolates. Our results point to multiple types of selection pressure on the Y.
      ruckeri population attributable to geographical origin, ecological niche
      specialization and movements of farmed fish. 

PMID- 26104533
TI  - When all else fails: extracorporeal life support in therapy-refractory
      cardiogenic shock.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: No guidelines for mechanical circulatory support in patients with
      therapy-refractory cardiogenic shock and multiorgan failure including ongoing
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) exist. To achieve immediate cardiopulmonary
      stabilization, we established an interdisciplinary concept with on-site
      percutaneous extracorporeal life support (ECLS) implantation. METHODS: From
      February 2012 to November 2014, 96 patients were deemed eligible for ECLS
      implantation. Establishing ECLS was successful in 87 patients (mean age 54 +/- 13
      years, 16% female, initial flow 4.4 +/- 0.9 l/min). Aetiologies included acute
      coronary syndromes (n = 52, 60%), cardiomyopathies (n = 25, 29%) and other
      pathologies. Fifty-nine patients (68%) had been resuscitated, and in 27 (31%),
      implantation was performed during CPR; 11 patients (13%) were awake at
      implantation and 20 (23%) underwent implantation in the referring hospital.
      RESULTS: Metabolic parameters differed in non-survivors versus survivors before
      ECLS implantation (pH 7.15 +/- 0.23 vs. 7.27 +/- 0.18, P = 0.007; lactate levels
      10.90 +/- 6.00 mmol/l vs. 8.79 +/- 5.78 mmol/l, P = 0.091) and 6 h
      postimplantation (pH 7.27 +/- 0.11 vs. 7.37 +/- 0.11, P < 0.001; lactate levels
      10.19 +/- 5.52 mmol/l vs. 5.52 +/- 4.17 mmol/l, P < 0.001). Altogether 44
      patients could be weaned, and 9 were bridged to assist device implantation and 1
      to heart transplantation. The mean time of support was 6 days, and the 30-day
      survival rate was 47% (n = 41). CONCLUSIONS: ECLS serves as a bridge-to-decision
      and bridge-to-treatment device. Our interdisciplinary ECLS programme achieved
      acceptable survival of critically ill patients despite a substantial percentage
      of patients having been resuscitated and no absolute exclusion criteria. Further
      studies defining inclusion- and exclusion criteria might additionally improve
      outcome.

PMID- 26104534
TI  - Interactions between pupae of the pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea
      pityocampa) and parasitoids in a Pinus forest.
AB  - Parasitoids are significant enemies of many economically important insects and
      there is some evidence to suggest that their actions have a role in terminating
      the outbreaks of forest Lepidoptera populations. In this study, we examined the
      impact of parasitoids on the pupae of the pine processionary moth, and
      highlighted the presence of several parasitoid species for this developmental
      stage. A higher rate of parasitism was found when the pupal density in the soil
      was reduced, but the rate of parasitism was not influenced by pupal morphological
      traits or by the presence or absence of a cocoon around a pupa. Of the external
      factors examined, a delay in the time of descent of larvae from the trees had a
      positive effect on the level of parasitism. Observational data indicated that
      dipteran and hymenopteran were the most abundant parasitoids to emerge from moth
      pupae. Our study highlights the complexity of the parasitoid-host dynamics, and
      stresses the importance of carefully determining environmental effects on host
      parasitoid relations. 

PMID- 26104536
TI  - Feeding strategy design for recombinant human growth hormone production by
      Bacillus subtilis.
AB  - Defined and semi-defined medium-based feeding strategies were developed to
      enhance recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) production by Bacillus subtilis
      BGSC-1A178 (scoC (-)) strain carrying pMK4::pre(subC)::hGH. Defined medium-based
      feeding strategies were designed by exponential feeding of glucose and (NH4)2HPO4
      at two pre-determined specific growth rates, u 0 = 0.10 and 0.17 h(-1). Semi
      defined medium-based feeding strategies were designed by exponential feeding of
      substrate solution consisting of glucose, (NH4)2HPO4, peptone, and trace salt
      solution (PTM1) at three pre-determined specific growth rates, u 0 = 0.10, 0.17,
      and 0.25 h(-1). At all the strategies applied, transition cultivation time from
      batch to fed-batch operation was t T = 4 h. The highest rhGH concentration was
      obtained as C rhGH = 0.5 g L(-1) with semi-defined medium-based feeding strategy
      designed with u 0 = 0.25 h(-1) using feed substrate stock solution containing 200
      g L(-1) glucose, 117 g L(-1) (NH4)2HPO4, 100 g L(-1) peptone, and 5 mL L(-1) PTM1
      at t = 22 h when the cell concentration reached to C X = 8.29 g L(-1). The
      overall product and cell yields on glucose were obtained as [Formula: see text] =
      7.21 mg g(-1) and [Formula: see text] = 0.12 g g(-1), respectively. The results
      indicate the requirement of designing continuous feed stream in fed-batch
      production to enhance rhGH production by r-B. subtilis. 

PMID- 26104535
TI  - Protease inhibitors-based therapy induces acquired spherocytic-like anaemia and
      ineffective erythropoiesis in chronic hepatitis C virus patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: The addition of protease inhibitors, boceprevir (BOC) or
      telaprevir (TRV), to peg-interferon and ribavirin (PR) increases the incidence of
      anaemia in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Although
      genetic variants in inosine triphosphatase (ITPA) gene have been linked to the
      haemolytic anaemia induced by PR, the mechanism sustaining severe anaemia during
      triple therapy is still unknown. This study aims to elucidate the molecular
      mechanisms underlying anaemia in chronic HCV patients with combined therapy.
      METHODS: We studied 59 patients with chronic HCV genotype-1: 29 treated with
      TRV/PR and 30 with BOC/PR. We evaluated biochemical and haematological
      parameters, red cell index at baseline, 4, 12, 16 and 24 weeks of treatment; in a
      subgroup, we performed functional studies: osmotic fragility, red cell membrane
      protein separation, mass spectrometry analysis, quantification of erythroid
      microparticles release. IL28B and ITPA polymorphisms were also evaluated.
      RESULTS: We found early acute normochromic normocytic haemolytic anaemia (4-8
      weeks) followed by a late macrocytic hypo-regenerative anaemia with inappropriate
      low reticulocyte count (12-24 weeks). Studies on red cells revealed: (i) presence
      of spherocytes; (ii) increased osmotic fragility; (iii) abnormalities in red cell
      membrane protein composition; (iv) reduced membrane-cytoskeleton stability; (v)
      increased release of erythroid microparticles. ITPA polymorphisms impacted only
      the early phase of anaemia. CONCLUSIONS: The bimodal pattern of anaemia in
      chronic HCV patients on triple therapy might be because of acquired spherocytic
      like anaemia in the early phase, followed by hyporegenerative anaemia, most
      likely related to the combined effects of PR and TRV or BOC on erythropoiesis.

PMID- 26104537
TI  - Enhancing enzyme stability and metabolic functional ability of beta-galactosidase
      through functionalized polymer nanofiber immobilization.
AB  - A functionalized polystyrene nanofiber (PSNF) immobilized beta-galactosidase
      assembly (PSNF-Gal) was synthesized as a nanobiocatalyst aiming to enhance the
      biocatalyst stability and functional ability. The PSNF fabricated by
      electrospinning was functionalized through a chemical oxidation method for enzyme
      binding. The bioengineering performance of the enzyme carriers was further
      evaluated for bioconversion of lactose to galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS). The
      modified PSNF-Gal demonstrated distinguished performances to preserve the same
      activity as the free beta-galactosidase at the optimum pH of 7.0, and to enhance
      the enzyme stability of PSNF-Gal in an alkaline condition up to pH 10. The PSNF
      assembly demonstrated improved thermal stability from 37 to 60  degrees C. The
      nanobiocatalyst was able to retain 30 % of its initial activity after ninth
      operation cycles comparing to four cycles with the unmodified counterpart. In
      contrast with free beta-galactosidase, the modified PSNF-Gal enhanced the GOS
      yield from 14 to 28 %. These findings show the chemically modified PSNF-based
      nanobiocatalyst may be pertinent for various enzyme-catalysed bioprocessing
      applications. 

PMID- 26104538
TI  - Flow-injection chemiluminescence method for the determination of moxifloxacin in
      pharmaceutical tablets and human urine using silver nanoparticles sensitized
      calcein-KMnO4 system.
AB  - Silver nanoparticles have been synthesized and were utilized for the enhanced
      luminometric estimation of moxifloxacin antibiotic. During the experimental
      procedure, it was clearly found that the addition of silver nanoparticles
      intensifies the weak chemiluminescence signal intensity of calcein-KMnO4 system
      by several folds. It was also obvious that the intensity enhancement was linearly
      proportional to the moxifloxacin concentration and this phenomenon was further
      utilized for the quantitative determination of target analyte. Effects of the
      different chemical variables during the experiment were studied to achieve best
      chemiluminescence signal. Under the optimized experimental parameters, the linear
      calibration graph was established over the moxifloxacin concentration range of
      6.0 * 10(-8) M to 2.5 * 10(-6) M with coefficient of correlation (r (2)) value
      0.9998. The lower detection limit was found to be 5.6 * 10(-9) M. The percentage
      relative standard deviation calculated from five replicate chemiluminescence
      measurements was found to be 2.63 %. The developed chemiluminescence technique
      was successfully applied to the determination of moxifloxacin in tablet
      formulation and spiked human urine sample. 

PMID- 26104539
TI  - Polymicrobial biofilms by diabetic foot clinical isolates.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus is a major chronic disease that continues to increase
      significantly. One of the most important and costly complications of diabetes is
      foot ulceration that may be colonized by pathogenic and antimicrobial resistant
      bacteria, which may express several virulence factors that could impair treatment
      success. These bacterial communities can be organized in polymicrobial biofilms,
      which may be responsible for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) chronicity. We evaluated
      the influence of polymicrobial communities in the ability of DFU isolates to
      produce biofilm, using a microtiter plate assay and a multiplex fluorescent in
      situ hybridization, at three time points (24, 48, 72 h), after evaluating biofilm
      formation by 95 DFU isolates belonging to several bacterial genera
      (Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, Enterococcus, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter).
      All isolates were biofilm-positive at 24 h, and the amount of biofilm produced
      increased with incubation time. Pseudomonas presented the higher biofilm
      production, followed by Corynebacterium, Acinetobacter, Staphylococcus and
      Enterococcus. Significant differences were found in biofilm formation between the
      three time points. Polymicrobial communities produced higher biofilm values than
      individual species. Pseudomonas + Enterococcus, Acinetobacter + Staphylococcus
      and Corynebacterium + Staphylococcus produced higher biofilm than the ones formed
      by E. faecalis + Staphylococcus and E. faecalis + Corynebacterium. Synergy
      between bacteria present in dual or multispecies biofilms has been described, and
      this work represents the first report on time course of biofilm formation by
      polymicrobial communities from DFUs including several species. The biological
      behavior of different bacterial species in polymicrobial biofilms has important
      clinical implications for the successful treatment of these infections. 

PMID- 26104540
TI  - Short-term stability of Borrelia garinii in cerebrospinal fluid.
AB  - The aim of our study was to find out the optimal conditions for short-term
      storage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples for direct diagnosis of Lyme
      disease. A mixture of Borrelia-negative CSFs spiked with a defined amount of
      cultured Borrelia garinii was used. Borrelia stability was investigated over 7
      days at four different temperatures [room temperature (RT), +4, -20 and -70 
      degrees C]. Quantitative changes in CSF Borrelia were measured by quantitative
      PCR (qPCR), and morphological changes in the spirochetes were observed by
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These qPCR results were statistically
      evaluated. We found +4  degrees C to be an optimal temperature for short-term
      storage of CSF samples intended for TEM observation. There was no significant
      difference between the temperatures tested in the average quantity of Borrelia
      measured by qPCR. On the contrary, electron optical diagnosis of frozen samples
      and samples stored at RT showed destructive morphological changes and decreased
      spirochete counts. Our results show that optimal conditions for the pre
      analytical phase of investigation of one type of material can differ depending on
      the diagnostic method employed.

PMID- 26104541
TI  - [Specialized clinical facilities for the treatment of highly contagious, life
      threatening infectious diseases : a comparison between Germany and 15 European
      nations].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients suffering from highly contagious, life-threatening
      infections should be treated in specialized clinical facilities that follow the
      highest infection control standards. Consensus statements defining technical
      equipment and operational procedures have been published in recent years, but the
      level of adherence to these has not been evaluated. METHODS: Data summarized here
      comparing German and European isolation facilities are the partial results of a
      cross-sectional analysis conducted by the "European Network for Highly Infectious
      Diseases" that included 48 clinical care facilities in 16 European nations. Data
      collection was conducted using questionnaires and on-site visits, focussing on
      aspects of infrastructure, technical equipment, and the availability of trained
      personnel. RESULTS: Although all centres enrolled were listed as "isolation
      units", all aspects evaluated differed broadly. Eighteen facilities fulfilled the
      definition of a 'High Level Isolation Unit', as 6/8 enrolled German facilities
      did. In contrast, 24 facilities could not operate independently from their co
      located hospital. DISCUSSION: Within and between nations contributing data
      disparities regarding the fulfilment of guidelines published were seen. German
      isolation facilities mostly fulfilled all criteria evaluated and performed on a
      high technical level. However, data presented do not reflect the current
      situation in Germany due to the time that has elapsed since the study was
      conducted. Hence, longitudinal data collection and harmonisation of terminology
      at least on national level needs to be implemented.

PMID- 26104542
TI  - Local control in Ewing sarcoma of the chest wall: results of the EURO-EWING 99
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary Ewing sarcoma (ES) can sometimes present as a chest-wall
      tumor. Multidisciplinary management, including chemotherapy and local treatment
      consisting of surgery, radiotherapy (RT), or both, has improved the survival of
      patients with localized ES; however, the best approach to achieving local control
      remains controversial. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 198
      patients with non-metastatic ES of the chest wall, who were registered in the
      database of the German Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology between July
      1998 and April 2009. The majority of patients (n = 130) presented with rib
      tumors; 7 patients received RT only, 85 patients underwent surgery alone, and 106
      patients were treated with a combination of surgery and RT. RESULTS: Overall
      survival in all patients was 78 and 71 % at 3 and 5 years, respectively. Event
      free survival at 5 years (5-year EFS) was 57 % in the RT group, 73 % in the
      surgery group and 63 % in the surgery + RT group. In patients with complete
      resections, 5-year EFS did not improve with the addition of RT compared with
      surgery alone. There was no difference in the 5-year EFS in patients with partial
      (63 %) or total (64 %) resection of the affected ribs, and median follow-up was
      4.71 years (range 0.40-13.48). CONCLUSIONS: Complete tumor resection is the best
      way to achieve local control of ES of the chest wall; additional RT is only
      useful in patients with incomplete resection. The main limitation of this study
      was its retrospective nature, and the benefit of total resection of the affected
      ribs could not be proved.

PMID- 26104543
TI  - Surgical Resection of Remnant Gastric Cancer Following Distal Gastrectomy: A
      Retrospective Clinicopathological Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Remnant gastric cancer (RGC) is one of the less prevalent gastric
      cancers. The purpose of this study was to explore the clinicopathological
      characteristics and results of the operation of RGC following distal gastrectomy.
      In particular, we examined factors related to prognosis. METHODS: Between January
      1970 and December 2012, 122 patients with RGC following distal gastrectomy
      underwent further surgery and were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Initial
      gastric diseases included benign (49 patients, 40.2 %) and malignant diseases (73
      patients, 59.8 %). Reconstructions by initial surgery included Billroth I (80
      patients, 65.6 %) and Billroth II (42 patients, 34.4 %). Tumors were located at
      anastomotic (44 patients, 36.1 %) and nonanastomotic sites (78 patients, 63.9 %).
      There were 59 patients (48.4 %) classified with pathological (p) stage I, 19 as p
      stage II (15.6 %), 22 as p stage III (18.0 %), and 22 (18.0 %) as p stage IV. A
      total of 100 patients (82.0 %) underwent curative resection, and 22 underwent
      noncurative resection. The number of cases of postoperative morbidity, 90-day
      mortality, and adjuvant chemotherapy were 23 (18.9 %), 3 (2.5 %), and 20 (16.4
      %), respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify
      the prognostic factors of RGC. Multivariate analysis revealed historical periods,
      pathological venous invasion, curative resection, and postoperative morbidity to
      be independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of patients with
      RGC can be improved by aggressively performing curative resection without causing
      complications.

PMID- 26104544
TI  - Sperm DNA quality evaluated by comet assay and sperm chromatin structure assay in
      stallions after unilateral orchiectomy.
AB  - Unilateral orchiectomy (UO) may interfere with thermoregulation of the remaining
      testis caused by inflammation surrounding the incision site, thus altering normal
      spermatogenesis and consequently sperm quality. Two measures of sperm DNA quality
      (neutral comet assay and the sperm chromatin structure assay [SCSA]) were
      compared before UO (0 days) and at 14, 30, and 60 days after UO to determine
      whether sperm DNA changed after a mild testis stress (i.e., UO). The percent DNA
      in the comet tail was higher at 14 and 60 days compared to 0 days (P < 0.05)
      after UO. All other comet tail measures (i.e., length, moment, migration) were
      higher at all time periods after UO compared to 0 days (P < 0.05). Two SCSA
      measures (mean-alphat, mode-alphat) increased at 14 days after UO (P < 0.05),
      whereas two measures (SD-alphat and COMP-alphat) did not change. This study
      identified a decrease in sperm DNA quality using both the neutral comet assay and
      the SCSA, which was not identified using traditional measures of sperm quality.

PMID- 26104545
TI  - The significance of extracellular mucin in breast fine needle aspiration
      specimens.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if all breast fine needle aspiration (FNA) specimens with
      abundant extracellular mucin require excisional biopsy. METHODS: Fifty cases of
      breast FNA containing extracellular mucin, reported with a recommendation for
      biopsy and with histological follow-up were reviewed. Cellular features were
      noted, and the cases reclassified ignoring the presence of mucin and then
      correlated with histological outcome. RESULTS: Subsequent histology showed benign
      changes in 20% (10/50), two cases (4%) of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) and
      76% (38/50) to be malignant lesions, including three cases of ductal carcinoma in
      situ (DCIS). When the FNA cases were reviewed disregarding the presence of mucin,
      11 cases were reclassified as benign and one case that contained mucin-like
      material but no epithelial cells reviewed as non-diagnostic. All cases of
      invasive mixed and mucinous carcinoma (MC) would have been reported with a
      recommendation for histological examination. In addition, the three cases each of
      fibroadenoma (FA) and a benign mucocoele-like lesion (MLL) were correctly
      identified as benign. However, two cases each of DCIS and ADH would have been
      reported benign with no recommendation for further histology. CONCLUSIONS: Breast
      FNA specimens with mucinous material may arise from sampling of a range of benign
      and malignant processes; however, a biopsy should be recommended, even in cases
      of low cellularity, owing to sampling problems and the frequent co-occurrence of
      significant lesions. FNA is highly accurate at predicting carcinoma with mucinous
      differentiation although it is not possible to reliably predict if the lesion
      represents pure MC or a mixed carcinoma.

PMID- 26104546
TI  - What doesn't kill you might make you stronger: functional basis for variation in
      body armour.
AB  - 1. Predation has been proposed to be a selective agent in the evolution of
      morphological antipredator strategies in prey. Among vertebrates, one of the
      morphological traits that evolved multiple times is body armour, including
      carapaces, thickened keratinized scales and plates of dermal bone. 2. It has been
      generally assumed that body armour provides protection against a predatory
      attack; yet, few explicit tests of the hypothesis exist. Cordylidae, a relatively
      small family of southern African lizards, show considerable variation in the
      degree of body armour. Hence, this family provides an opportunity to test the
      hypothesis that body armour serves as protection against predators. 3.
      Experiments were conducted to test whether the bite forces of four species of
      mammalian predators were high enough to penetrate the skins of Karusasaurus
      polyzonus, Namazonurus peersi, Cordylus cordylus and Cordylus macropholis, as
      well as those of Ouroborus cataphractus individuals originating from three
      localities that differed in their predator diversity. Furthermore, histological
      techniques were used to test whether variation in skin toughness was associated
      with concomitant changes in the degree of epidermal (i.e. beta-keratin) and
      dermal (i.e. osteoderm) armour. 4. The skin toughness values for four out of five
      cordylid lizards tested in this study were well below the bite forces of the
      mammalian predators. In contrast, the thick osteoderms in the dermis of O.
      cataphractus can withstand bites from several mongoose species. However, the
      significant variation in body armour that is present between the three
      populations of O. cataphractus does not seem to be related to predator diversity.
      5. It is concluded that body armour can serve as protection against predation in
      O. cataphractus, but that alternative selection pressures, such as
      thermoregulation or predation by snakes, presumably underlie variation in
      defensive morphology in the other cordylid lizards.

PMID- 26104547
TI  - A Positive Allosteric Modulator of the Adenosine A1 Receptor Selectively Inhibits
      Primary Afferent Synaptic Transmission in a Neuropathic Pain Model.
AB  - In the spinal cord and periphery, adenosine inhibits neuronal activity through
      activation of the adenosine A1 receptor (A1R), resulting in antinociception and
      highlighting the potential of therapeutically targeting the receptor in the
      treatment of neuropathic pain. This study investigated the changes in adenosine
      tone and A1R signaling, together with the actions of a novel A1R positive
      allosteric modulator (PAM), VCP171 [(2-amino-4-(3
      (trifluoromethyl)phenyl)thiophen-3-yl)(phenyl)methanone], on excitatory and
      inhibitory neurotransmission at spinal cord superficial dorsal horn synapses in a
      rat partial nerve-injury model of neuropathic pain. In the absence of A1R
      agonists, superfusion of the A1R antagonist, 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine
      (DPCPX; 1 MUM), produced a significantly greater increase in electrically evoked
      alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor-mediated
      synaptic current (eEPSC) amplitude in both lamina I and II neurons from nerve
      injured animals than in controls, suggesting that endogenous adenosine tone is
      increased in the dorsal horn. Inhibitory GABAergic and glycinergic synaptic
      currents were also significantly increased by DPCPX in controls but there was no
      difference after nerve injury. The A1R agonist, N6-cyclopentyladenosine, produced
      greater inhibition of eEPSC amplitude in lamina II but not lamina I of the spinal
      cord dorsal horn in nerve-injured versus control animals, suggesting a functional
      increase in A1R sensitivity in lamina II neurons after nerve injury. The A1R PAM,
      VCP171, produced a greater inhibition of eEPSC amplitude of nerve-injury versus
      control animals in both lamina I and lamina II neurons. Enhanced adenosine tone
      and A1R sensitivity at excitatory synapses in the dorsal horn after nerve injury
      suggest that new generation PAMs of the A1R can be effective treatments for
      neuropathic pain. 

PMID- 26104548
TI  - cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase A (PKA)-Mediated c-Myc Degradation Is Dependent on
      the Relative Proportion of PKA-I and PKA-II Isozymes.
AB  - The transcription factor c-Myc regulates numerous target genes that are important
      for multiple cellular processes such as cell growth and differentiation. It is
      commonly deregulated in leukemia. Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is
      characterized by a blockade of granulocytic differentiation at the promyelocyte
      stage. Despite the great success of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)-based therapy,
      which results in a clinical remission by inducing promyelocyte maturation, a
      significant number of patients relapse due to the development of ATRA resistance.
      A significant role has been ascribed to the cAMP/cAMP-dependent protein kinase A
      (PKA) signaling pathway in retinoid treatment since PKA activation is able to
      restore differentiation in some ATRA-resistant cells and eradicate leukemia
      initiating cells in vivo. In this study, using NB4 APL cell variants resistant to
      ATRA-induced differentiation, we reveal distinct functional roles of the two PKA
      isozymes, PKA type I (PKA-I) and PKA-type II (PKA-II), on the steady-state level
      of c-Myc protein, providing a likely mechanism by which cAMP-elevating agents can
      restore differentiation in ATRA maturation-resistant APL cells. Therefore, both
      the inhibition of c-Myc activity and the PKA-I/PKA-II ratio should be taken into
      account if cAMP-based therapy is considered in the clinical management of APL. 

PMID- 26104549
TI  - The CRISPR-Cas Immune System and Genetic Transfers: Reaching an Equilibrium.
AB  - Horizontal gene transfer drives the evolution of bacterial genomes, including the
      adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Exogenous DNA can enter a
      bacterial cell through transformation (free DNA or plasmids) or through the
      transfer of mobile genetic elements by conjugation (plasmids) and transduction
      (bacteriophages). Favorable genes can be acquired, but undesirable traits can
      also be inadvertently acquired through these processes. Bacteria have systems,
      such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat CRISPR
      associated genes (CRISPR-Cas), that can cleave foreign nucleic acid molecules. In
      this review, we discuss recent advances in understanding CRISPR-Cas system
      activity against mobile genetic element transfer through transformation and
      conjugation. We also highlight how CRISPR-Cas systems influence bacterial
      evolution and how CRISPR-Cas components affect plasmid replication. 

PMID- 26104550
TI  - Phage and Yeast Display.
AB  - Despite the availability of antimicrobial drugs, the continued development of
      microbial resistance--established through escape mutations and the emergence of
      resistant strains--limits their clinical utility. The discovery of novel,
      therapeutic, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) offers viable clinical alternatives in
      the treatment and prophylaxis of infectious diseases. Human mAb-based therapies
      are typically nontoxic in patients and demonstrate high specificity for the
      intended microbial target. This specificity prevents negative impacts on the
      patient microbiome and avoids driving the resistance of nontarget species. The in
      vitro selection of human antibody fragment libraries displayed on phage or yeast
      surfaces represents a group of well-established technologies capable of
      generating human mAbs. The advantage of these forms of microbial display is the
      large repertoire of human antibody fragments present during a single selection
      campaign. Furthermore, the in vitro selection environments of microbial surface
      display allow for the rapid isolation of antibodies--and their encoding genes-
      against infectious pathogens and their toxins that are impractical within in vivo
      systems, such as murine hybridomas. This article focuses on the technologies of
      phage display and yeast display, as these strategies relate to the discovery of
      human mAbs for the treatment and vaccine development of infectious diseases.

PMID- 26104551
TI  - Animal Models for the Pathogenesis, Treatment, and Prevention of Infection by
      Bacillus anthracis.
AB  - This article reviews the characteristics of the major animal models utilized for
      studies on Bacillus anthracis and highlights their contributions to understanding
      the pathogenesis and host responses to anthrax and its treatment and prevention.
      Advantages and drawbacks associated with each model, to include the major models
      (murine, guinea pig, rabbit, nonhuman primate, and rat), and other less
      frequently utilized models, are discussed. Although the three principal forms of
      anthrax are addressed, the main focus of this review is on models for
      inhalational anthrax. The selection of an animal model for study is often not
      straightforward and is dependent on the specific aims of the research or test. No
      single animal species provides complete equivalence to humans; however, each
      species, when used appropriately, can contribute to a more complete understanding
      of anthrax and its etiologic agent. 

PMID- 26104552
TI  - Antibodies Targeting the Envelope of HIV-1.
AB  - Antibodies (Abs) are a critical component of the human immune response against
      viral infections. In HIV-infected patients, a robust Ab response against the
      virus develops within months of infection; however, due to numerous strategies,
      the virus usually escapes the biological effects of the various Abs. Here we
      provide an overview of the different viral evasion mechanisms, including
      glycosylation, high mutation rate, and conformational masking by the envelope
      glycoproteins of the virus. In response to virus infection and to its evolution
      within a host, "conventional Abs" are generated, and these can also be induced by
      immunization; generally, these Abs are limited in their neutralization breadth
      and potency. In contrast, "exceptional Abs" require extended exposure to virus to
      generate the required hypermutation in the immunoglobulin variable regions, and
      they occur only in rare HIV-infected individuals, but they display impressive
      breadth and potency. In this review, we describe the major regions of the HIV
      envelope spike that are targeted by conventional and exceptional Abs. These
      include the first, second, and third variable loops (V1, V2, and V3) located at
      the apex of the envelope trimer, the CD4 binding site, and the membrane-proximal
      external region of the gp41 ectodomain. Lastly, we discuss the challenging task
      of HIV immunogen design and approaches for choosing which immunogens might be
      used to elicit protective Abs. 

PMID- 26104553
TI  - Transposons Tn10 and Tn5.
AB  - The study of the bacterial transposons Tn10 and Tn5 has provided a wealth of
      information regarding steps in nonreplicative DNA transposition, transpososome
      dynamics and structure, as well as mechanisms employed to regulate transposition.
      The focus of ongoing research on these transposons is mainly on host regulation
      and the use of the Tn10 antisense system as a platform to develop riboregulators
      for applications in synthetic biology. Over the past decade two new regulators of
      both Tn10 and Tn5 transposition have been identified, namely H-NS and Hfq
      proteins. These are both global regulators of gene expression in enteric bacteria
      with functions linked to stress-response pathways and virulence and potentially
      could link the Tn10 and Tn5 systems (and thus the transfer of antibiotic
      resistance genes) to environmental cues. Work summarized here is consistent with
      the H-NS protein working directly on transposition complexes to upregulate both
      Tn10 and Tn5 transposition. In contrast, evidence is discussed that is consistent
      with Hfq working at the level of transposase expression to downregulate both
      systems. With regard to Tn10 and synthetic biology, some recent work that
      incorporates the Tn10 antisense RNA into both transcriptional and translational
      riboswitches is summarized. 

PMID- 26104554
TI  - Mobile Bacterial Group II Introns at the Crux of Eukaryotic Evolution.
AB  - This review focuses on recent developments in our understanding of group II
      intron function, the relationships of these introns to retrotransposons and
      spliceosomes, and how their common features have informed thinking about
      bacterial group II introns as key elements in eukaryotic evolution. Reverse
      transcriptase-mediated and host factor-aided intron retrohoming pathways are
      considered along with retrotransposition mechanisms to novel sites in bacteria,
      where group II introns are thought to have originated. DNA target recognition and
      movement by target-primed reverse transcription infer an evolutionary
      relationship among group II introns, non-LTR retrotransposons, such as LINE
      elements, and telomerase. Additionally, group II introns are almost certainly the
      progenitors of spliceosomal introns. Their profound similarities include splicing
      chemistry extending to RNA catalysis, reaction stereochemistry, and the position
      of two divalent metals that perform catalysis at the RNA active site. There are
      also sequence and structural similarities between group II introns and the
      spliceosome's small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) and between a highly conserved core
      spliceosomal protein Prp8 and a group II intron-like reverse transcriptase. It
      has been proposed that group II introns entered eukaryotes during bacterial
      endosymbiosis or bacterial-archaeal fusion, proliferated within the nuclear
      genome, necessitating evolution of the nuclear envelope, and fragmented giving
      rise to spliceosomal introns. Thus, these bacterial self-splicing mobile elements
      have fundamentally impacted the composition of extant eukaryotic genomes,
      including the human genome, most of which is derived from close relatives of
      mobile group II introns. 

PMID- 26104556
TI  - Mechanisms of Theta Plasmid Replication.
AB  - Plasmids are autonomously replicating pieces of DNA. This article discusses theta
      plasmid replication, which is a class of circular plasmid replication that
      includes ColE1-like origins of replication popular with expression vectors. All
      modalities of theta plasmid replication initiate synthesis with the leading
      strand at a predetermined site and complete replication through recruitment of
      the host's replisome, which extends the leading strand continuously while
      synthesizing the lagging strand discontinuously. There are clear differences
      between different modalities of theta plasmid replication in mechanisms of DNA
      duplex melting and in priming of leading- and lagging-strand synthesis. In some
      replicons duplex melting depends on transcription, while other replicons rely on
      plasmid-encoded trans-acting proteins (Reps); primers for leading-strand
      synthesis can be generated through processing of a transcript or in other
      replicons by the action of host- or plasmid-encoded primases. None of these
      processes require DNA breaks. The frequency of replication initiation is tightly
      regulated to facilitate establishment in permissive hosts and to achieve a steady
      state. The last section of the article reviews how plasmid copy number is sensed
      and how this feedback modulates the frequency of replication. 

PMID- 26104557
TI  - Plasmid Rolling-Circle Replication.
AB  - Plasmids are DNA entities that undergo controlled replication independent of the
      chromosomal DNA, a crucial step that guarantees the prevalence of the plasmid in
      its host. DNA replication has to cope with the incapacity of the DNA polymerases
      to start de novo DNA synthesis, and different replication mechanisms offer
      diverse solutions to this problem. Rolling-circle replication (RCR) is a
      mechanism adopted by certain plasmids, among other genetic elements, that
      represents one of the simplest initiation strategies, that is, the nicking by a
      replication initiator protein on one parental strand to generate the primer for
      leading-strand initiation and a single priming site for lagging-strand synthesis.
      All RCR plasmid genomes consist of a number of basic elements: leading strand
      initiation and control, lagging strand origin, phenotypic determinants, and
      mobilization, generally in that order of frequency. RCR has been mainly
      characterized in Gram-positive bacterial plasmids, although it has also been
      described in Gram-negative bacterial or archaeal plasmids. Here we aim to provide
      an overview of the RCR plasmids' lifestyle, with emphasis on their characteristic
      traits, promiscuity, stability, utility as vectors, etc. While RCR is one of the
      best-characterized plasmid replication mechanisms, there are still many questions
      left unanswered, which will be pointed out along the way in this review. 

PMID- 26104558
TI  - Site-specific DNA Inversion by Serine Recombinases.
AB  - Reversible site-specific DNA inversion reactions are widely distributed in
      bacteria and their viruses. They control a range of biological reactions that
      most often involve alterations of molecules on the surface of cells or phage.
      These programmed DNA rearrangements usually occur at a low frequency, thereby
      preadapting a small subset of the population to a change in environmental
      conditions, or in the case of phages, an expanded host range. A dedicated
      recombinase, sometimes with the aid of additional regulatory or DNA architectural
      proteins, catalyzes the inversion of DNA. RecA or other components of the general
      recombination-repair machinery are not involved. This chapter discusses site
      specific DNA inversion reactions mediated by the serine recombinase family of
      enzymes and focuses on the extensively studied serine DNA invertases that are
      stringently controlled by the Fis-bound enhancer regulatory system. The first
      section summarizes biological features and general properties of inversion
      reactions by the Fis/enhancer-dependent serine invertases and the recently
      described serine DNA invertases in Bacteroides. Mechanistic studies of reactions
      catalyzed by the Hin and Gin invertases are then explored in more depth,
      particularly with regards to recent advances in our understanding of the function
      of the Fis/enhancer regulatory system. These include the steps leading to the
      formation of the active recombination complex (invertasome) containing the
      recombinase tetramer and Fis/enhancer element and the process of DNA strand
      exchange by rotation of synapsed subunit pairs within the invertasome. The role
      of DNA topological forces that function in concert with the Fis/enhancer
      controlling element in specifying the overwhelming bias for DNA inversion over
      deletion and intermolecular recombination is also discussed. 

PMID- 26104559
TI  - Mammalian Endogenous Retroviruses.
AB  - Over 40% of mammalian genomes comprise the products of reverse transcription.
      Among such retrotransposed sequences are those characterized by the presence of
      long terminal repeats (LTRs), including the endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), which
      are inherited genetic elements closely resembling the proviruses formed following
      exogenous retrovirus infection. Sequences derived from ERVs make up at least 8 to
      10% of the human and mouse genomes and range from ancient sequences that predate
      mammalian divergence to elements that are currently still active. In this chapter
      we describe the discovery, classification and origins of ERVs in mammals and
      consider cellular mechanisms that have evolved to control their expression. We
      also discuss the negative effects of ERVs as agents of genetic disease and cancer
      and review examples of ERV protein domestication to serve host functions, as in
      placental development. Finally, we address growing evidence that the gene
      regulatory potential of ERV LTRs has been exploited multiple times during
      evolution to regulate genes and gene networks. Thus, although recently
      endogenized retroviral elements are often pathogenic, those that survive the
      forces of negative selection become neutral components of the host genome or can
      be harnessed to serve beneficial roles. 

PMID- 26104561
TI  - Replication and Maintenance of Linear Phage-Plasmid N15.
AB  - The lambdoid phage N15 of Escherichia coli is very unusual among temperate phages
      in that its prophage is not integrated into the chromosome but is a linear
      plasmid molecule with covalently closed ends (telomeres). Upon infection, the
      phage DNA circularizes via cohesive ends, and then a special phage enzyme of the
      tyrosine recombinase family, protelomerase, cuts at another site and joins the
      ends, forming hairpin telomeres of the linear plasmid prophage. Replication of
      the N15 prophage is initiated at an internally located ori site and proceeds
      bidirectionally, resulting in the formation of duplicated telomeres. The N15
      protelomerase cuts them, generating two linear plasmid molecules with hairpin
      telomeres. Stable inheritance of the plasmid prophage is ensured by a
      partitioning operon similar to the F factor sop operon. Unlike the F centromere,
      the N15 centromere consists of four inverted repeats dispersed in the genome. The
      multiplicity and dispersion of centromeres are required for efficient
      partitioning of a linear plasmid. The centromeres are located in the N15 genome
      regions involved in phage replication and control of lytic development, and
      binding of partition proteins at these sites regulates these processes. The
      family of N15-like linear phage-plasmids includes lambdoid phages phiKO2 and
      pY54, as well as Myoviridae phages PhiHAP-1, VHML, VP882, Vp58.5, and vB_VpaM_MAR
      of marine gamma-proteobacteria. The genomes of these phages contain similar
      protelomerase genes, lysogeny control modules, and replication genes, suggesting
      that these phages may belong to a group diverged from a common ancestor. 

PMID- 26104560
TI  - Plasmid Detection, Characterization, and Ecology.
AB  - Plasmids are important vehicles for rapid adaptation of bacterial populations to
      changing environmental conditions. It is thought that to reduce the cost of
      plasmid carriage, only a fraction of a local population carries plasmids or is
      permissive to plasmid uptake. Plasmids provide various accessory traits which
      might be beneficial under particular conditions. The genetic variation generated
      by plasmid carriage within populations ensures the robustness toward
      environmental changes. Plasmid-mediated gene transfer plays an important role not
      only in the mobilization and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes but
      also in the spread of degradative pathways and pathogenicity determinants of
      pathogens. Here we summarize the state-of-the-art methods to study the
      occurrence, abundance, and diversity of plasmids in environmental bacteria.
      Increasingly, cultivation-independent total-community DNA-based methods are being
      used to characterize and quantify the diversity and abundance of plasmids in
      relation to various biotic and abiotic factors. An improved understanding of the
      ecology of plasmids and their hosts is crucial in the development of intervention
      strategies for antibiotic-resistance-gene spread. We discuss the potentials and
      limitations of methods used to determine the host range of plasmids, as the
      ecology of plasmids is tightly linked to their hosts. The recent advances in
      sequencing technologies provide an enormous potential for plasmid classification,
      diversity, and evolution studies, but numerous challenges still exist. 

PMID- 26104555
TI  - Related Mechanisms of Antibody Somatic Hypermutation and Class Switch
      Recombination.
AB  - The primary antibody repertoire is generated by mechanisms involving the assembly
      of the exons that encode the antigen-binding variable regions of immunoglobulin
      heavy (IgH) and light (IgL) chains during the early development of B lymphocytes.
      After antigen-dependent activation, mature B lymphocytes can further alter their
      IgH and IgL variable region exons by the process of somatic hypermutation (SHM),
      which allows the selection of B cells in which SHMs resulted in the production of
      antibodies with increased antigen affinity. In addition, during antigen-dependent
      activation, B cells can also change the constant region of their IgH chain
      through a DNA double-strand-break (DSB) dependent process referred to as IgH
      class switch recombination (CSR), which generates B cell progeny that produce
      antibodies with different IgH constant region effector functions that are best
      suited for a elimination of a particular pathogen or in a particular setting.
      Both the mutations that underlie SHM and the DSBs that underlie CSR are initiated
      in target genes by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). This review
      describes in depth the processes of SHM and CSR with a focus on mechanisms that
      direct AID cytidine deamination in activated B cells and mechanisms that promote
      the differential outcomes of such cytidine deamination. 

PMID- 26104562
TI  - Mobile DNA in the Pathogenic Neisseria.
AB  - The genus Neisseria contains two pathogenic species of prominant public health
      concern: Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis. These pathogens
      display a notable ability to undergo frequent programmed recombination events.
      The recombination-mediated pathways of transformation and pilin antigenic
      variation in the Neisseria are well-studied systems that are critical for
      pathogenesis. Here we will detail the conserved and unique aspects of
      transformation and antigenic variation in the Neisseria. Transformation will be
      followed from initial DNA binding through recombination into the genome with
      consideration to the factors necessary at each step. Additional focus is paid to
      the unique type IV secretion system that mediates donation of transforming DNA in
      the pathogenic Neisseria. The pilin antigenic variation system uses programmed
      recombinations to alter a major surface determinant, which allows immune
      avoidance and promotes infection. We discuss the trans- and cis- acting factors
      which facilitate pilin antigenic variation and present the current understanding
      of the mechanisms involved in the process. 

PMID- 26104563
TI  - Cre Recombinase.
AB  - The use of Cre recombinase to carry out conditional mutagenesis of transgenes and
      insert DNA cassettes into eukaryotic chromosomes is widespread. In addition to
      the numerous in vivo and in vitro applications that have been reported since Cre
      was first shown to function in yeast and mammalian cells nearly 30 years ago, the
      Cre-loxP system has also played an important role in understanding the mechanism
      of recombination by the tyrosine recombinase family of site-specific
      recombinases. The simplicity of this system, requiring only a single recombinase
      enzyme and short recombination sequences for robust activity in a variety of
      contexts, has been an important factor in both cases. This review discusses
      advances in the Cre recombinase field that have occurred over the past 12 years
      since the publication of Mobile DNA II. The focus is on those recent
      contributions that have provided new mechanistic insights into the reaction. Also
      discussed are modifications of Cre and/or the loxP sequence that have led to
      improvements in genome engineering applications. 

PMID- 26104564
TI  - Use of Human Hybridoma Technology To Isolate Human Monoclonal Antibodies.
AB  - The human hybridoma technique offers an important approach for isolation of human
      monoclonal antibodies. A diversity of approaches can be used with varying
      success. Recent technical advances in expanding the starting number of human
      antigen-specific B cells, improving fusion efficiency, and isolating new myeloma
      partners and new cell cloning methods have enabled the development of protocols
      that make the isolation of human monoclonal antibodies from blood samples
      feasible. Undoubtedly, additional innovations that could improve efficiency are
      possible. 

PMID- 26104565
TI  - Mining Environmental Plasmids for Synthetic Biology Parts and Devices.
AB  - The scientific and technical ambition of contemporary synthetic biology is the
      engineering of biological objects with a degree of predictability comparable to
      those made through electric and industrial manufacturing. To this end, biological
      parts with given specifications are sequence-edited, standardized, and combined
      into devices, which are assembled into complete systems. This goal, however,
      faces the customary context dependency of biological ingredients and their
      amenability to mutation. Biological orthogonality (i.e., the ability to run a
      function in a fashion minimally influenced by the host) is thus a desirable trait
      in any deeply engineered construct. Promiscuous conjugative plasmids found in
      environmental bacteria have evolved precisely to autonomously deploy their
      encoded activities in a variety of hosts, and thus they become excellent sources
      of basic building blocks for genetic and metabolic circuits. In this article we
      review a number of such reusable functions that originated in environmental
      plasmids and keep their properties and functional parameters in a variety of
      hosts. The properties encoded in the corresponding sequences include inter alia
      origins of replication, DNA transfer machineries, toxin-antitoxin systems,
      antibiotic selection markers, site-specific recombinases, effector-dependent
      transcriptional regulators (with their cognate promoters), and metabolic genes
      and operons. Several of these sequences have been standardized as BioBricks
      and/or as components of the SEVA (Standard European Vector Architecture)
      collection. Such formatting facilitates their physical composability, which is
      aimed at designing and deploying complex genetic constructs with new-to-nature
      properties. 

PMID- 26104566
TI  - BMA annual meeting: Public health is threatened by "wholesale reductions" in
      staff and "dumbing down".

PMID- 26104567
TI  - Glucocerebrosidase deficiency and mitochondrial impairment in experimental
      Parkinson disease.
AB  - Gaucher disease is an autosomal recessive disease, caused by a lack or functional
      deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme, glucocerebrosidase (GCase). Recently,
      mutations in the glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA) have been associated with
      Parkinson's disease (PD) and GBA mutations are now considered the most important
      genetic vulnerability factor for PD. In this study, we have investigated (i) in
      vivo whether inhibition of the enzyme glucosylceramide synthase by miglustat may
      protect C57Bl/6 mice against subchronic 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6
      tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) intoxication and (ii) in vitro whether a decrease of
      GCase activity may render dopaminergic neurons susceptible to MPP(+) (1-methyl-4
      phenylpyridinium) or alpha-synuclein (alpha-Syn) toxicity and amenable to
      miglustat treatment. We could demonstrate that reduction of glucocerebroside by
      inhibition of glucosylceramide synthase partially protects mice against MPTP
      induced toxicity. Conversely, we could show that inhibition of GCase activity
      with conduritol-B-epoxide (CBE) enhances both alpha-Syn and MPP(+) induced
      toxicity in vitro. However, only CBE-induced enhancement of MPP(+) toxicity could
      be reversed by miglustat. Moreover, we were unable to reveal any alterations of
      complex I activity or cell respiration upon treatment with either CBE or
      miglustat. Our findings suggest that the reduction of GCase activity rather than
      an accumulation of glucocerebroside increases aSyn toxicity. 

PMID- 26104568
TI  - A prediction model of falls for patients with neurological disorder in acute care
      hospital.
AB  - For the prevention of falls, individual fall risk assessment is the necessary
      first step. Thus, we attempted to identify independent risk factors for falls and
      develop a prediction model using a scoring system for patients with neurological
      disorders in acute hospital settings. This study was a secondary analysis of a
      previous study performed to compare the reliability and validity of three well
      known fall assessment tools in patients with neurological disorders. We
      considered comorbid diseases and potential medications in addition to variables
      included in the three tools. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to
      develop a prediction model for falls. Predictive scores were calculated using the
      proportional odds ratio (OR) of each predictor. The discriminative power of this
      model was evaluated by receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) area under the
      curve (AUC) analysis. A total of 32 falls were noted among 1018 patients. History
      of falls (OR, 4.01; 95% CI, 1.61-9.98; p=.003), cerebrovascular disease (CVD)
      (OR, 2.61; 95% CI, 1.11-6.14; p=.028), severe impaired gait (OR, 7.28; 95% CI,
      2.45-21.65; p<.001), and overestimate of one's own gait ability (OR, 9.14; 95%
      CI, 3.89-21.45; p<.001) were identified as meaningful predictors for falling
      after adjusting for age, diabetes, confusion or disorientation, up-and-go test,
      altered elimination, and antipsychotics by univariate analysis. The
      discriminative power of fall risk score calculated by the prediction model was
      0.904 of AUC (p<.001). Our results suggest that in addition to fall history and
      the presence of CVD, neurological assessment for gait and insight into gait
      ability are imperative to predict falls in patients with neurological disorders. 

PMID- 26104569
TI  - Iowa-type hereditary cerebral amyloid angiopathy in a Polish family.

PMID- 26104570
TI  - Multiple cerebral infarctions in a young patient with heroin-induced
      hypereosinophilic syndrome.
AB  - Hypereosinophilic syndrome represents a rare cause for cerebral infarctions and
      inflammatory neurological disorders. Various possible pathogenic mechanisms for
      cerebral infarctions have already been discussed. Complex mechanisms including a
      local hypercoagulability by eosinophilic granules as well as a direct damage to
      endothelial cells, leading to alterations of the microcirculation seem to be
      involved. The changing pattern of heroin use to inhalation/sniffing leading to an
      increasing abuse may cause a rise in the prevalence of Heroin induced
      eosinophilia, as it has been reported in a case of eosinophilic pneumonia
      associated with heroin inhalation. To our knowledge, the present case report
      displays the first description of stroke in the setting of heroin induced
      hypereosinophilia. Thus, besides usual vasoconstriction, HES should be considered
      in drug-induced cerebral infarctions.

PMID- 26104571
TI  - Association of aortic root calcification severity with the extent of coronary
      artery calcification assessed by calcium-scoring dual-source computed tomography.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the association between aortic root calcification (ARC)
      and coronary artery calcification (CAC) assessed by coronary artery calcium
      scoring dual-source computed tomography (DSCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed 143 consecutive patients who underwent coronary artery
      calcium-scoring during coronary DSCT angiography. 57 patients had findings of ARC
      on calcium-scoring scans. ARC volume (ARCV) and Agatston coronary artery calcium
      score (CACS) were calculated. Chi-square test was used to assess differences of
      categorical variables between patients with and without ARC. Statistical
      significances between both groups were assessed with the independent-Sample t
      test. RESULTS: Compared with patients without ARC (n=86), patients with ARC
      (n=57) showed a significantly higher presence of CAC (87.7% vs. 24.4%; P<0.001),
      and a higher mean CACS (700.6 +/- 941.2 vs. 256.4 +/- 724.3; P=0.009) in patients
      with CAC. Patients with a calculated ARCV > 40 mm(3) (n=32) showed significantly
      higher rates of severe CAC (56.3% vs. 24.0%; P=0.014) compared with patients with
      an ARCV< 40 mm(3) (n=25). Compared with patients without CAC (n=42), patients
      with CAC (n=101) showed a significantly higher presence of ARC (83.3% vs. 50.5%;
      P<0.001) and a higher mean ARCV (95.4 +/- 116.2mm(3) vs. 29.7 +/- 33.0 mm(3);
      P=0.003). Severe CAC (n=24) correlated with an increased mean ARCV (122.3 +/-
      148.8mm(3)) compared to patients with minimal to moderate CAC (n=33, mean ARCV:
      61.9 +/- 64.8mm(3); P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The extent of ARC is directly
      associated with the presence and degree of CAC on calcium-scoring scans during
      coronary DSCT angiography.

PMID- 26104572
TI  - Imaging of limb salvage surgery and pelvic reconstruction following resection of
      malignant bone tumours.
AB  - Advances in reconstructive orthopaedic techniques now allow for limb salvage and
      prosthetic reconstruction procedures to be performed on patients who would
      otherwise be required to undergo debilitating limb amputations for malignant bone
      tumours. The resulting post-operative imaging of such cases can be daunting for
      the radiologist to interpret, particularly in the presence of distorted anatomy
      and unfamiliar hardware. This article reviews the indications for limb salvage
      surgery, prosthetic reconstruction devices involved, expected post-operative
      imaging findings, as well as the potential hardware related complications that
      may be encountered in the management of such cases.

PMID- 26104573
TI  - Myelodysplastic syndromes in South America: a multinational study of 1080
      patients.
AB  - There are previously reported data describing differences between Asian and
      European patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), few direct comparisons
      based on cancer registration characteristics or using cohorts to validate scoring
      systems. This is the first study from South-America, which attempts to describe
      demographic, clinical features, and outcome of MDS patients. We retrospectively
      analyzed 1,080 patients with de novo MDS from Argentina (635), Brazil (345), and
      Chile (100). Chilean patients were younger (P = 0.001) with female preponderance
      (P = 0.071). Brazilian series showed a higher predominance of RARS subtype
      regarding FAB and WHO classifications (P < 0.001). Hemoglobin levels were
      significantly lower in Brazilian and Chilean series (P < 0.001), and Chilean
      series also showed a lower platelet count (P = 0.028), with no differences
      concerning the neutrophil count, % BM blast, and the distribution of cytogenetic
      risk groups (P > 0.05). Chilean series depicted a lower overall survival (OS; 35
      months vs. 56 months-Argentine; 55 months-Brazil, P = 0.030), which was
      consistent with a higher predominance of the high-risk group according both to
      the IPSS and IPSS-R (P = 0.046 and P < 0.001). The IPSS-R system and its
      variables showed a good reproducibility to predict clinical outcome for the whole
      South-American population. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics,
      distribution among prognostic subgroups, the OS, and the access to disease
      modifying therapies were more similar between Argentinean and Brazilian compared
      with Chilean MDS series. This will need further analysis in a larger group of
      patients. Descriptive and comparative studies are necessary to establish
      epidemiological features useful for public health attitudes to generate suitable
      therapeutic schemes.

PMID- 26104574
TI  - In Vitro infection of human dura-mater fibroblasts with Staphylococcus aureus:
      colonization and reactive production of IL-1beta.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Post-operative meningitis, caused mainly by Staphylococcus aureus and
      Gram-negative rods, is a life-threatening complication after neurosurgery, and
      its pathogenesis is far from clear. The purpose of this work was to study the
      experimental infection of human dura-mater fibroblasts and whole human dura by S.
      aureus. METHODS: In vitro cultures of human dura-mater fibroblasts and
      organotypic cultures of small pieces of human dura mater were inoculated with a
      human-derived S. aureus strain. The pattern of bacterial infection as well as
      cytokines secretion by the infected fibroblasts was studied. RESULTS: Our results
      suggest that colonisation of human dura-mater fibroblasts in culture and whole
      dura-mater tissue by S. aureus includes bacterial growth on the cell surface,
      fibroblast intracellular invasion by bacteria and a significant synthesis of
      interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) by the infected cells. CONCLUSION: This is the first
      report of human dura-mater fibroblast infection by S. aureus. Hopefully, these
      results can lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of meningitis
      caused by this bacterial species and to a more rational therapeutic approach.

PMID- 26104576
TI  - Rate and pattern of interproximal dental attrition.
AB  - Although occlusal and interproximal attrition occur because of diverse etiology
      and present dissimilar features, both progress with age. The objectives of this
      study were to reveal the rate and pattern of development of interproximal
      attrition facets (PAF) with age and to compare those with occlusal attrition (OA)
      changes. Five-hundred and ninety-four teeth were collected from 198 skulls (of
      adults, 20-71 yr of age). Three mandibular teeth [first premolar (P1), second
      premolar (P2), and first molar (M1)] were examined for PAF size and OA rate.
      Interproximal attrition and OA followed similar patterns of development until
      subjects reached 40-45 yr of age, after which they took different paths: PAF did
      not increase in size and were not as large as in younger groups, regardless of
      facet location, whereas OA continued to progress. The PAF changes with age
      differed between premolars and molars, unlike OA, which presented a similar rate
      for all teeth studied. Although OA scores presented significantly moderate
      correlations with age, PAF area size demonstrated low correlations with age. Low,
      but significant, correlations were found between the rate of OA and that of PAF.
      However, PAF and OA exhibited different patterns of development with age.
      Premolars and molars presented dissimilar development of PAF, which is probably
      caused by a unique attrition pattern in the molar teeth, different morphology,
      and force vectors.

PMID- 26104575
TI  - Paratransgenesis: a promising new strategy for mosquito vector control.
AB  - The three main mosquito genera, Anopheles, Aedes and Culex, transmit respectively
      malaria, dengue and lymphatic filariasis. Current mosquito control strategies
      have proved unsuccessful, and there still is a substantial number of morbidity
      and mortality from these diseases. Genetic control methods have now arisen as
      promising alternative strategies, based on two approaches: the replacement of a
      vector population by disease-refractory mosquitoes and the release of mosquitoes
      carrying a lethal gene to suppress target populations. However, substantial
      hurdles and limitations need to be overcome if these methods are to be used
      successfully, the most significant being that a transgenic mosquito strain is
      required for every target species, making genetically modified mosquito
      strategies inviable when there are multiple vector mosquitoes in the same area.
      Genetically modified bacteria capable of colonizing a wide range of mosquito
      species may be a solution to this problem and another option for the control of
      these diseases. In the paratransgenic approach, symbiotic bacteria are
      genetically modified and reintroduced in mosquitoes, where they express effector
      molecules. For this approach to be used in practice, however, requires a better
      understanding of mosquito microbiota and that symbiotic bacteria and effector
      molecules be identified. Paratransgenesis could prove very useful in mosquito
      species that are inherently difficult to transform or in sibling species
      complexes. In this approach, a genetic modified bacteria can act by: (a) causing
      pathogenic effects in the host; (b) interfering with the host's reproduction; (c)
      reducing the vector's competence; and (d) interfering with oogenesis and
      embryogenesis. It is a much more flexible and adaptable approach than the use of
      genetically modified mosquitoes because effector molecules and symbiotic bacteria
      can be replaced if they do not achieve the desired result. Paratransgenesis may
      therefore become an important integrated pest management tool for mosquito
      control. 

PMID- 26104577
TI  - Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia with extramedullary involvement at initial
      diagnosis portends a poorer prognosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognostic importance of extramedullary involvement in patients
      with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) at diagnosis and treatment options for
      these patients has not been well evaluated. In this study, we investigated the
      clinical manifestations, biological features, and effect of first-line therapy on
      the outcome of WM patients diagnosed with extramedullary involvement (EMWM) vs
      those with only bone marrow involvement (BMWM). METHODS: We analyzed the clinical
      data of 312 WM patients diagnosed with EMWM (n = 106) and BMWM (n = 206) at The
      University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from 1994 to 2014. EMWM was
      confirmed by biopsy, positron emission tomography-computed tomography, or
      magnetic resonance imaging, and clinical laboratory analyses. RESULTS:
      Characteristics associated with EMWM were male sex (P = 0.027), age younger than
      65 years (P = 0.048), presence of B symptoms (P < 0.001), high serum beta-2
      macroglobulin (P < 0.001) level, low serum albumin level (P = 0.036), and
      cytogenetic abnormalities (P = 0.010). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis results
      showed that EMWM patients had a significantly shorter median overall survival (P
      < 0.001) and progression-free survival (PFS) (P < 0.001) than did BMWM patients.
      Chemotherapy combined with targeted therapy improved PFS for BMWM patients (P =
      0.004) but not for EMWM patients. Additionally, initial treatment with rituximab
      significantly improved the PFS of BMWM patients (P = 0.012) but had no effect on
      EMWM patients. However, EMWM patients treated with nucleoside analogs attained a
      better PFS than those who did not (P = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: We show that
      extramedullary involvement at diagnosis is an adverse prognostic factor in WM
      patients and that first-line therapy with nucleoside analogs improved PFS for
      patients with EMWM. The study provides unique clinical and treatment observations
      in subtypes of WM patients.

PMID- 26104578
TI  - Myricetin induces apoptosis by inhibiting P21 activated kinase 1 (PAK1) signaling
      cascade in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and
      evidence suggests that Ras signaling regulates various hallmarks of cancer via
      regulating several effector pathways such as ERK and PI3K. The aim of the present
      study is to understand the efficacy of a flavonoid myricetin for the first time
      in inhibiting the downstream target p21 activated kinase 1 (PAK1) of Ras
      signaling pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma. The analysis of gene expression
      revealed that myricetin inhibits PAK1 by abrogating the Ras-mediated signaling by
      decelerating Wnt signaling, the downstream of Erk/Akt, thereby inducing intrinsic
      caspase-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis by downregulating the expression of anti
      apoptotic Bcl-2 and survivin and upregulating pro-apoptotic Bax. The results also
      provide striking evidence that the myricetin inhibits the development of HCC by
      inhibiting PAK1 via coordinate abrogation of MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT and their
      downstream signaling Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, thus being a promising candidate
      for cancer prevention and therapy. 

PMID- 26104579
TI  - Urinary monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and vitamin D-binding protein as
      biomarkers for early detection of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes
      mellitus.
AB  - Diabetic nephropathy is a serious complication of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes
      and, unless arrested, leads to end-stage renal disease. Therefore, early
      prediction and detection of DN would greatly benefit the disease management and
      delay its progression. The aim of this study is to evaluate the levels of urinary
      monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (uMCP-1) and urinary vitamin D-binding protein
      (uVDBP) in type 2 diabetic patients with different degrees of diabetic
      nephropathy (DN) and to assess the value of uMCP-1 and uVDBP in the early
      detection of DN. Seventy-five type 2 diabetic patients with normoalbuminuria (n =
      25), microalbuminuria (n = 25), macroalbuminuria (n = 25), and 25 healthy
      controls were included in this study. Urinary MCP-1 and VDBP levels were
      evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A significant elevation in the
      uMCP-1 and uVDBP levels was found in macroalbuminuric (p < 0.001) and
      microalbuminuric (p < 0.01) diabetic patients compared to that in
      normoalbuminuric diabetic patients and control subjects (p < 0.001). Correlation
      study revealed that both uMCP-1 and uVDBP were significantly positively
      correlated to urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (r = 0.968, p < 0.001 and r =
      0.973, p < 0.001, respectively), serum urea (r = 0.461, p = 0.001 and r = 0.456,
      p = 0.002, respectively), and serum creatinine (r = 0.475, p = 0.001 and r =
      0.448, p = 0.004, respectively) and significantly inversely correlated to
      glomerular filtration rate (r = -0.983, p < 0.001 and r = -0.988, p < 0.001,
      respectively). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of uMCP-1
      and uVDBP levels for early diagnosis and detection of DN revealed that the cut
      off value of uMCP-1 was 110 pg/mg with 92% sensitivity and 100% specificity;
      whereas, the cut-off value of uVDBP was 550 ng/mg with 96% sensitivity and 84%
      specificity. The findings of the present study suggest that uMCP-1 and uVDBP may
      be considered as novel potential diagnostic biomarkers for the early detection of
      diabetic nephropathy.

PMID- 26104580
TI  - Prevalence of undiagnosed dysglycemia in an emergency department observation
      unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The proposed 2015 US Preventive Services Task Force guidelines
      recommend diabetes screening for individuals >=45 years or demonstrating other
      risk factors for dysglycemia. Still, many patients with dysglycemia remain
      undiagnosed, and opportunities for early intervention are lost. METHODS: To test
      novel approaches for diagnosis using the haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c ) test, we
      screened adult patients who were admitted to an observation unit from the
      emergency department with no known history of pre-diabetes or diabetes. RESULTS:
      Of 256 subjects, 9% were newly diagnosed with diabetes and 52% were newly
      diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Of those aged 18-29 years, 33% were newly diagnosed
      with dysglycemia, while 55% of those aged 30-44 years and 70% of those aged >=45
      years were newly diagnosed with dysglycemia. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest
      that regardless of age, a large proportion of patients in the emergency
      department observation unit have undiagnosed dysglycemia, an important finding
      given the large number of observation admissions. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley &
      Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26104581
TI  - Characterization of potassium binding with human telomeres.
AB  - Human telomeres are G-rich tandem repeats that assume G-quadruplex structures at
      the ends of chromosomes. Stabilization of telomeric G-quadruplex represents a
      significant drug target for inhibiting the telomerase activity that is required
      in about 85% of cancers. Metal ions have been revealed as important stabilizers
      to DNA G-quadruplexes, but their binding process with human telomeric G
      quadruplex remains unclear. In this report, we show that K+ traverses into the G
      tetrads centre of two G-tetrad layers through the half-capped top pathway
      constructed by the two edge-wise loop bases. The binding is mediated by the
      electrostatic interactions between K+ and the nearby bases of G-tetrads. However,
      direct traverse of K+ into the interior of G-quadruplex is negatively regulated
      by the steric hindrance of water molecules. Once K+ enters the G-quadruplex,
      stabilization of the in-plane or sandwiched conformation of the telomeric G
      quadruplex-K+ complex is maintained by surrounding water molecules. These
      findings provide insights into the atomic interactions between K+ and telomere G
      tetrads for targeted drug design.

PMID- 26104582
TI  - Effects of Ixeris dentata water extract and caffeic acid on allergic inflammation
      in vivo and in vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ixeris dentata Nakai has been used for the treatment of mithridatism,
      calculous, indigestion, pneumonia, hepatitis, and tumors in Korea, China, and
      Japan. However, the effect of a water extract of Ixeris dentata (ID) and its
      molecular mechanism on allergic inflammation has not been elucidated. In this
      study, we attempted to evaluate the effects of ID and its major compound caffeic
      acid on allergic inflammation in vivo and in vitro. METHODS: ID was applied to 2,
      4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB)-induced atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesion
      mice and immune cell infiltration, cytokine production, and the activation of
      mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) were investigated. Moreover, the effect
      of ID on compound 48/80-induced anaphylactic shock was investigated in a mouse
      model. The human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT cells) and human mast cells (HMC
      1) were treated with ID or caffeic acid to investigate the effects on the
      production of chemokines and proinflammatory cytokines and on the activation of
      MAPKs. RESULTS: ID inhibited the serum levels of IgE and interleukin (IL)-1beta
      in DNFB-induced AD-like skin lesion mouse models and suppressed anaphylactic
      shock in the mouse models. ID and caffeic acid inhibited the production of
      chemokines and adhesion molecules in HaCaT cells. In addition, ID reduced the
      release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and IL-8 via the inhibition of MAPKs
      phosphorylation in HMC-1 cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ID is a
      potential therapeutic agent for allergic inflammatory diseases, including
      dermatitis.

PMID- 26104584
TI  - Recombinant Hepatitis E virus like particles can function as RNA nanocarriers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Assembled virus-like particles (VLPs) without genetic material, with
      structure similar to infectious virions, have been successfully used as vaccines.
      We earlier described in vitro assembly, characterisation and tissue specific
      receptor dependent Clathrin mediated entry of empty HEV VLPs, produced from
      Escherichia coli expressed HEV capsid protein (pORF2). Similar VLP's have been
      described as a potential candidate vaccine (Hecolin) against HEV. FINDINGS: We
      have attempted to use such recombinant assembled Hepatitis E virus (HEV) VLPs as
      a carrier for heterologous RNA with protein coding sequence fused in-frame with
      HEV 5' region (containing cap and encapsidation signal) and investigated, if the
      relevant protein could be expressed and elicit an immune response in vivo. In
      vitro transcribed red fluorescent protein (RFP)/Hepatitis B virus surface antigen
      (HBsAg) RNA, fused to 5'-HEV sequence with cap and encapsidation signal (1-249
      nt), was packaged into the recombinant HEV-VLPs and incubated with five different
      cell lines (Huh7, A549, Vero, HeLa and SiHa). The pORF2-VLPs could specifically
      transfer exogenous coding RNA into Huh7 and A549 cells. In vivo, Balb/c mice were
      immunized (intramuscular injections) with 100 ug pORF2-VLP encapsidated with 5'
      methyl-G-HEV (1-249 nt)-HBsAg RNA, blood samples were collected and screened by
      ELISA for anti-pORF2 and anti-HBsAg antibodies. Humoral immune response could be
      elicited in Balb/c mice against both HEV capsid protein and cargo RNA encoded
      HBsAg protein. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that other than being a
      possible vaccine, HEV pORF2-VLPs can be used as a promising non-replicative
      tissue specific gene delivery system.

PMID- 26104583
TI  - Comprehensive identification and analysis of human accelerated regulatory DNA.
AB  - It has long been hypothesized that changes in gene regulation have played an
      important role in human evolution, but regulatory DNA has been much more
      difficult to study compared with protein-coding regions. Recent large-scale
      studies have created genome-scale catalogs of DNase I hypersensitive sites
      (DHSs), which demark potentially functional regulatory DNA. To better define
      regulatory DNA that has been subject to human-specific adaptive evolution, we
      performed comprehensive evolutionary and population genetics analyses on over 18
      million DHSs discovered in 130 cell types. We identified 524 DHSs that are
      conserved in nonhuman primates but accelerated in the human lineage (haDHS), and
      estimate that 70% of substitutions in haDHSs are attributable to positive
      selection. Through extensive computational and experimental analyses, we
      demonstrate that haDHSs are often active in brain or neuronal cell types; play an
      important role in regulating the expression of developmentally important genes,
      including many transcription factors such as SOX6, POU3F2, and HOX genes; and
      identify striking examples of adaptive regulatory evolution that may have
      contributed to human-specific phenotypes. More generally, our results reveal new
      insights into conserved and adaptive regulatory DNA in humans and refine the set
      of genomic substrates that distinguish humans from their closest living primate
      relatives. 

PMID- 26104586
TI  - Successful treatment with dapsone for skin lesions of amyopathic dermatomyositis.

PMID- 26104585
TI  - Predictors of vocational activity over the first year in inner-city early
      intervention in psychosis services.
AB  - AIM: Work and educational activities are an important part of recovery for young
      people with psychosis, and improving vocational outcomes is a key target for
      early intervention services (EIS). This study evaluated predictors of vocational
      activity for first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients during the first year of EIS
      care. It was hypothesized that longer duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and
      minority ethnic status would predict poorer vocational outcomes, whereas a
      history of good vocational functioning would predict better vocational
      functioning during follow up. METHODS: FEP patients aged 14-35 years, who
      presented to seven EIS in London, UK, between 2003 and 2010, were followed for 1
      year. Sociodemographic, clinical and vocational information (qualifications
      obtained and paid employment) were collected using the MiData audit tool at entry
      to EIS and 1 year later. RESULTS: Approximately one-third of patients (n =
      345/1013) were studying or employed at some point during the first year of EIS
      care. Baseline vocational activity was the strongest predictor of vocational
      functioning during 1 year of follow up. Moreover, employment prior to entry into
      EIS strongly predicted change in vocational activity during 1 year of follow up.
      Individuals with DUP <6 months or of Asian or black African origin were more
      likely to be studying than their white British counterparts. CONCLUSION: This
      study confirms that a significant proportion of FEP patients are able to engage
      in meaningful vocational activities even within the first year of EIS care.
      However, services need to focus more resources on getting patients with poor
      educational or employment histories into training programmes to improve their
      vocational outcomes.

PMID- 26104587
TI  - Disease mapping for informing targeted health interventions: childhood pneumonia
      in Bohol, Philippines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRI) are the leading cause
      of childhood mortality worldwide. Currently, most developing countries assign
      resources at a district level, and yet District Medical Officers have few tools
      for directing targeted interventions to high mortality or morbidity areas.
      Mapping of ALRI at the local level can guide more efficient allocation of
      resources, coordination of efforts and targeted interventions, which are
      particularly relevant for health management in resource-scarce settings. METHODS:
      An efficacy study of 11-valent pneumococcal vaccine was conducted in six
      municipalities in the Bohol Province of central Philippines from July 2000 to
      December 2004. Geocoded under-five pneumonia cases (using WHO classifications)
      were mapped to create spatial patterns of pneumonia at the local health unit
      (barangay) level. RESULTS: There were 2951 children with WHO-defined clinical
      pneumonia, of whom 1074 were severe or very severely ill, 278 were radiographic,
      and 219 were hypoxaemic. While most children with pneumonia were from urban
      barangays, there was a disproportionately higher distribution of severe/very
      severe pneumonia in rural barangays and the most severe hypoxaemic children were
      concentrated in the northern barangays most distant from the regional hospital.
      CONCLUSIONS: Mapping of ALRI at the local administrative health level can be
      performed relatively simply. If these principles are applied to routinely
      collected IMCI classification of disease at the district level in developing
      countries, such efforts can form the basis for directing public health and
      healthcare delivery efforts in a targeted manner.

PMID- 26104588
TI  - Medicare 40 years on: a privilege for the profession and a right for its
      patients.

PMID- 26104589
TI  - Contact lens management of keratoconus.
AB  - Contact lenses are the primary form of visual correction for patients with
      keratoconus. Contemporary advances in contact lens designs and materials have
      significantly expanded the available fitting options for patients with corneal
      ectasia. Furthermore, imaging technology, such as corneal topography and anterior
      segment optical coherence tomography, can be applied to both gain insight into
      corneal microstructural changes and to guide contact lens fitting. This paper
      provides a comprehensive review of the range of contact lens modalities,
      including soft lenses, hybrid designs, rigid lenses, piggyback configurations,
      corneo-scleral, mini-scleral and scleral lenses that are currently available for
      the optical management of keratoconus. The review also discusses the importance
      of monitoring for disease progression in patients with keratoconus, in particular
      children, who tend to undergo more rapid progressive changes, so as to facilitate
      appropriate modification to contact lens fitting and/or potential referral for
      corneal collagen cross-linking treatment, as appropriate. 

PMID- 26104590
TI  - Therapeutic treatment of keratoconus: a survey of local optometric practice
      criteria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Defining the threshold for therapeutic and surgical intervention in
      patients with keratoconus presents a considerable challenge given the lack of
      clear, evidence-based data. Little is known about the patterns of practice and
      referral criteria of optometrists within Australia. METHODS: All members of the
      NSW branch of Optometrist Association Australia were invited to complete an
      online survey in January 2013. This survey was designed to elicit practice
      information regarding the evaluation and therapeutic treatment of patients with
      keratoconus in the optometric setting. RESULTS: Responses were received from 71
      optometrists, of whom 65.2 per cent had 15 years or greater experience as an
      optometrist. Many (35.4 per cent) responded that they prescribed soft contact
      lenses daily. This percentage dropped to 9.2 per cent for rigid gas-permeable
      lenses (RGP), although 47.7 per cent said they would prescribe RGP lenses at
      least once per month. The main barriers to prescribing were experience with
      fitting RGP lenses, time and low market demand. In terms of patient referral to
      an ophthalmologist, the results were variable, with 34.4 per cent stating that
      they would refer on progression of corneal signs, 23.4 per cent suggesting no set
      time and 7.8 per cent would refer on initial diagnosis. Many optometrists (62.9
      per cent) would refer a patient for possible surgery, when visual acuity dropped
      to between 6/9 and 6/12. The size or location of the practice was not associated
      with the number of newly diagnosed cases of keratoconus. Optometrists with
      greater experience were more likely to prescribe RGP lenses and co-manage
      patients with ophthalmologists. Ownership of a corneal topographic unit suggested
      an increased likelihood of prescribing RGP lenses but did not appear to alter
      referral patterns. CONCLUSION: Optometrists have an integral role in the
      diagnosis and management of patients with keratoconus. Our survey provides a
      basic snapshot of current, local practice. Additionally, ophthalmology should
      continue to work with optometry to develop guidelines for referral and co
      management to optimise future outcomes for our patients.

PMID- 26104591
TI  - Effects of rigid contact lenses on optical coherence tomographic parameters in
      eyes with keratoconus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim was to evaluate the effect of irregular astigmatism on the
      retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL), macular thickness and ganglion cell analysis
      obtained by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) in eyes with
      keratoconus. METHODS: Fifty-two eyes of 31 patients (20 females) with keratoconus
      that required correction of irregular astigmatism with rigid gas-permeable (RGP)
      contact lenses were included to this study. The average, superior, nasal,
      inferior, temporal and 12 clock hour sector's RNFL, ganglion cell and macular
      thickness analyses before and 30 minutes after RGP contact lens (Rose K2 -Menicon
      Z material, David Thomas Contact Lenses Ltd, Northampton, United Kingdom) wear
      were performed to all patients with Cirrus HD spectral domain optical coherence
      tomography. RESULTS: The average thickness of the retinal nerve fibre layer, the
      thickness at the nasal quadrants and 1-2-3-4 o'clock hour sectors and mean signal
      strength were increased significantly by RGP contact lens wearing independent of
      the stage of keratoconus. Central sub-field thickness increased after correction
      with RGP contact lens (p = 0.037). After wearing RGP contact lenses, changes on
      ganglion cell analysis were not significant (all p values >= 0.111). CONCLUSIONS:
      OCT is a widely used device for retinal nerve fibre layer and macular thickness
      evaluation in patients with glaucoma and macular diseases. The study demonstrates
      that OCT parameters such as retinal nerve fibre layer, central sub-field
      thickness and mean signal strength are affected by irregular astigmatism.
      Correction of irregular astigmatism with RGP contact lenses should be recommended
      before analysing keratoconic eyes to obtain optimum results on OCT measurements.

PMID- 26104592
TI  - Rate of change and predictive factors for increasing minus contact lens powers in
      young myopes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding the factors associated with myopic progression is
      critical to properly recruit subjects into clinical trials for control of myopia.
      The purpose of this study is to describe the rate of change in soft contact lens
      (SCL) power and the associated predictive factors in a young clinical population
      from the Contact Lens Assessment in Youth study. METHODS: Data from a
      retrospective chart review of myopic SCL wearers aged eight to 22 years were
      analysed for rate of progression of myopia and associated characteristics using
      multivariate methods. RESULTS: Myopic subjects (n = 912) with at least six months
      of follow-up were observed (4,341 visits, mean follow-up 25 months, 37 per cent
      hydrogel and 63 per cent silicone hydrogel SCLs). During observation, 36 per cent
      of subjects experienced a change in soft contact lens power of -0.50 D or more.
      Significant predictors of future increase in minus lens power were: ages eight to
      13 years, shorter time to the first increase in minus power and hydrogel soft
      contact lens material. The mean annualised increase in minus decreased with age (
      0.31D per year for eight to 13 year olds to -0.10 D per year for 20 to 22 year
      olds, p < 0.0001). Increases in minus were less common among users of silicone
      hydrogel materials than hydrogel daily disposable lenses after controlling for
      age (p = 0.039). CONCLUSION: In this retrospective chart review of young soft
      contact lens wearers, the mean annualised rate of increase in minus soft contact
      lens power decreased with age, longer time to first increase in power and was
      greater with hydrogel soft contact lenses. The rates observed were similar to
      progression rates in prospective myopia clinical trials that employed cylcoplegic
      autorefraction.

PMID- 26104593
TI  - Shape discrimination thresholds among subjects with emmetropia and corrected
      myopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myopia is highly prevalent in some Asian countries yet the ability of
      subjects with myopia to discriminate shapes using radial frequency (RF) patterns
      circular patterns that are defined by sinusoidal modulation of the radius in
      polar coordinates-is not well documented. In this psychophysical study, we
      explore the relative ability of subjects with corrected myopia to discriminate
      shapes using radial frequency patterns. Specifically, the aims were to find if
      there are any differences in modulation detection thresholds among subjects with
      emmetropia and corrected myopia and to establish thresholds as a function of
      myopic refractive error. METHODS: Shape discrimination thresholds were measured
      for subjects with emmetropia (n = 20) and corrected myopia (n = 20) using
      circular D4 (fourth derivative of Gaussian) radial frequency patterns. A total of
      five radial frequency patterns (RF1 to RF16) with peak spatial frequencies of 2,
      4, 6 and 8 (SF2 to SF8) cycles per degree were studied. The radial frequency
      suffix determines the number of deformation cycles present around the
      circumference, while the peak spatial frequency is related to the thickness of
      the circular contour. RESULTS: Overall, shape discrimination thresholds were not
      significantly different (p > 0.05) between subjects with emmetropia and corrected
      myopia. Similarly, there was no significant correlation (p > 0.05) in thresholds
      with the magnitude of corrected myopia. Shape discrimination performance was best
      for RF8 patterns, with thresholds ranging from nine to 12 seconds of arc for SF2
      to SF6 patterns and from 20 to 22 seconds of arc for SF8 patterns. Thresholds
      were significantly higher (p < 0.05) for SF8 patterns compared to the other
      spatial frequency patterns (SF2 to SF6) for all radial frequency patterns. The
      average thresholds increased by about 1 to 1.5 log units from RF1 to RF4 and RF8.
      CONCLUSION: Across all patterns studied here, shape discrimination thresholds
      remain at hyperacuity levels and are not degraded in subjects with corrected
      myopia compared to emmetropia.

PMID- 26104594
TI  - Correlation of choroidal thickness with serum cortisol level.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim was to investigate the correlation of serum cortisol level
      with choroidal thickness. METHODS: Sixty-six healthy volunteers had no visual
      complaints or history of ocular disease. Subfoveal choroidal thickness at the
      foveal centre was measured with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD
      OCT). Morning serum cortisol levels were obtained at 8:00 am immediately
      following the SD-OCT measurement. Measurements of only the right eyes were
      included in the study. Age, gender, axial length and spherical equivalent were
      noted. Correlation of choroidal thickness with age, gender, axial length,
      spherical equivalent and serum cortisol level were investigated with linear and
      multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-six eyes of 66 patients were
      evaluated. Mean age was 43.4 +/- 3.6 years (range: 40 to 53 years), mean
      spherical equivalent was -0.15 D (range: -1.25 to +1.50 D), mean axial length was
      23.2 mm (range; 22.0 to 23.7 mm), mean choroidal thickness was 317.9 +/- 45.1 MUm
      (range: 206 to 394 MUm). Age and spherical equivalent were not significantly
      correlated with choroidal thickness. Axial length had a strong negative
      correlation with choroidal thickness (R(2): 0.488, p = 0.000). There was no
      significant correlation between serum cortisol level and choroidal thickness
      (R(2): 0.034, p = 0.139). CONCLUSION: Our results did not reveal any correlation
      between serum cortisol level and choroidal thickness. We believe that more
      prospective studies are needed to determine the relationship of cortisol and
      other hormones with choroidal thickness.

PMID- 26104595
TI  - Non-rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with hair-like object in
      vitreous: a case report.

PMID- 26104596
TI  - Case of extremely high refractive error misdiagnosed as normal by PlusoptiX S09
      photoscreener.

PMID- 26104599
TI  - A genetic coding variant rs72474224 in GJB2 is associated with clinical features
      of psoriasis vulgaris in a Chinese Han population.
AB  - Our recent targeted sequencing study identified a missense single-nucleotide
      polymorphism rs72474224 (c.324C>T) in GJB2. To investigate the correlation
      between rs72474224 (c.324C>T) and subphenotypes of psoriasis, genotype data for
      rs72474224 (c.324C>T, p.Val37Ile) was analyzed in 9946 cases and 9906 controls.
      The additive model provided the best fit for rs72474224 (P = 7.34 * 10(-9)). The
      genotypic and allelic frequency distributions were associated with plaque
      psoriasis in case-only (Pgenotype = 2.67 * 10(-3), Pallele = 6.22 * 10(-4)) and
      subphenotype-control (Pgenotype = 1.58 * 10(-11), Pallele = 8.16 * 10(-12))
      analyses. No other significant difference was found in case-only analyses.
      Rs72474224 in GJB2 is preferentially associated with plaque psoriasis in Chinese
      population and might contribute to the complexity of psoriasis clinical features.

PMID- 26104600
TI  - Safety and efficacy of canagliflozin in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes
      mellitus: post hoc subgroup analyses according to body mass index in a 52-week
      open-label study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors
      in non-obese compared with obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is
      unknown. METHODS: We conducted post hoc analyses of the results of a 52-week open
      label study of Japanese type 2 diabetes mellitus patients treated with 100 or 200
      mg canagliflozin. Patients were divided into four subgroups according to their
      baseline body mass index (BMI): group I, BMI < 22 kg/m(2); group II, BMI >= 22 to
      < 25 kg/m(2); group III, BMI >= 25 to < 30 kg/m(2) and group IV, BMI >= 30
      kg/m(2). RESULTS: The overall safety was similar among the four BMI subgroups,
      although there were slight differences in terms of the incidences of
      hypoglycemia, asymptomatic hypoglycemia, female genital infections and
      proportions of patients with total ketone body levels exceeding 1000 MUmol/l at
      any time for both canagliflozin doses. Hemoglobin A1c, fasting plasma glucose and
      body weight decreased significantly from baseline to week 52 at both
      canagliflozin doses. The changes in hemoglobin A1c, and fasting plasma glucose
      were not significantly different among the four BMI subgroups for either dose.
      CONCLUSION: Canagliflozin was tolerated in patients irrespective of their BMI at
      the start of treatment, although some caution may be needed.

PMID- 26104601
TI  - Continuous fast focusing in a trapezoidal void channel based on bidirectional
      isotachophoresis in a wide pH range.
AB  - This study concentrates on development of instrumentation for focusing and
      separation of analytes in continuous flow. It is based on bidirectional ITP
      working in wide pH range with separation space of closed void channel of
      trapezoidal shape and continuous supply of sample. The novel instrumentation is
      working with electrolyte system formulated previously and on the contrary to
      devices currently available, it allows preparative separation and concentration
      of cationic, anionic, and amphoteric analytes simultaneously and in wide pH
      range. The formation of sharp edges at zone boundaries as well as low
      conductivity zones are avoided in suggested system and thus, local overheating is
      eliminated allowing for high current densities at initial stages of focusing.
      This results in high focusing speed and reduction of analysis time, which is
      particularly advantageous for separations performed in continuous flow systems.
      The closed void channel is designed to avoid basic obstacles related to liquid
      leakage, bubbles formation, contacts with electrodes, channel height and
      complicated assembling. The performance of designed instrumentation and focusing
      dynamics were tested by using colored low molecular mass pH indicators for local
      pH determination, focusing pattern, and completion. In addition, feasibility and
      separation efficiency were demonstrated by focusing of cytochrome C and
      myoglobin. The collection of fractions at instrument output allows for subsequent
      analysis and identification of sample components that are concentrated and
      conveniently in form of solution for further processing. Since the
      instrumentation operates with commercially available simple defined buffers and
      compounds without need of carrier ampholytes background, it is economically
      favorable. 

PMID- 26104602
TI  - A Preliminary Investigation on the Antimicrobial Activity of Listerine(r), Its
      Components, and of Mixtures Thereof.
AB  - Listerine(r) is one of the most popular mouthwashes worldwide and claims to
      combat harmful bacteria. In the past century, its recipe was changed from an
      essential oil mouthwash to a five-component mixture (thymol, menthol, eucalyptol,
      and methyl salicylate dissolved in 27% ethanol). The aim of this study was to get
      preliminary information about the antimicrobial activities of individual
      Listerine(r) components and their mixtures. We tested the bacterial strains
      Streptococcus mutans, Enterococcus faecalis, and Eikenella corrodens and the
      yeast Candida albicans. The established minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)
      assay and the minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC) assay were
      applied. None of the combinations of two phenols at the concentrations contained
      within Listerine(r) were associated with either an additive or synergistic
      effect. Thymol had lower MIC and MBC/MFC values than the other Listerine(r)
      components and Listerine(r) against E. corrodens and C. albicans. The mixtures
      consisting of eucalyptol, methyl salicylate, and thymol were the most effective
      against S. mutans and E. faecalis and more effective than Listerine(r). Our
      results demonstrate that the phenols and their concentrations as contained within
      Listerine(r) could be further optimized in terms of selecting those which
      increase their general effectiveness, at concentrations that do not induce harm.

PMID- 26104603
TI  - State Legislation Related to Increasing Physical Activity: 2006-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Strategies to improve physical activity prevalence often include
      policy and environmental changes. State-level policies can be influential in
      supporting access and opportunities for physical activity in schools and
      communities. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of state
      legislation related to physical activity and identify the correlates of enactment
      of this legislation. METHODS: An online legislative database was used to collect
      bills from 50 states in the U.S. from 2006 to 2012 for 1010 topics related to
      physical activity. Bills were coded for content and compiled into a database with
      state-level variables (eg, obesity prevalence). With enactment status as the
      outcome, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Of the
      1,542 bills related to physical activity introduced, 30% (N = 460) were enacted.
      Bills on public transportation and trails were more likely to be enacted than
      those without these topics. Primary sponsorship by the Republican Party,
      bipartisan sponsorship, and mention of specific funding amounts were also
      correlates of enactment. CONCLUSION: Policy surveillance of bills and correlates
      of enactment are important for understanding patterns in legislative support for
      physical activity. This information can be used to prioritize advocacy efforts
      and identify ways for research to better inform policy.

PMID- 26104604
TI  - Different levels of IL-1alpha, IL-6, TNF-alpha, NF-kappaB and PPAR-gamma in
      monocyte cultures exposed by plasma preeclampsia and normotensive pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine different levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1alpha,
      IL-6, TNF-alpha, nuclear NF-kappaB p50 and PPAR-gamma in monocyte cultures
      exposed to normotensive pregnancy plasma compared with those exposed to
      preeclamptic plasma. Study design The study involved primigravidae with
      preeclampsia (12) and normotensive pregnancy (12) in which their blood plasma was
      given to monocyte cultures from isolated PBMC of healthy and non-pregnant women.
      They were divided into 2 groups, the first group was incubated for 24h and the
      second one was incubated for 48h (step 1). The levels of IL-1alpha, IL-6, TNF
      alpha, and nuclear NF-kappaB p50 as well as PPAR-gamma of both groups were
      subsequently measured and compared (step 2). Data were analyzed to determine the
      differences and interaction between both treatment groups using one-way ANOVA.
      RESULTS: There was a significantly different level (p-value <0.05) of IL-1alpha
      in monocyte cultures incubated for 24h compared with those incubated for 48h, as
      shown in step 1 of the study. Meanwhile, step 2 of the study found significantly
      different levels of IL-1alpha, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and NF-kappaB p50 in monocyte
      cultures exposed to preeclamptic plasma compared with those exposed to
      normotensive pregnancy, in which the latter showed higher levels. Both groups
      also showed decreased levels of PPARgamma, in which monocyte culture exposed to
      severe preeclamptic plasma (p value <0.05). CONCLUSION: Preeclamptic plasma
      significantly increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1a, IL-6, and TNF
      a in monocyte cultures. This condition was consistent with the increasing of NF
      kappaB p50 and decreasing of PPARgamma.

PMID- 26104605
TI  - Prediction of recurrence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in the term
      period, a retrospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the recurrence risk of term hypertensive disease of
      pregnancy and to determine which potential risk factors are predictive of
      recurrence. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a retrospective cohort study in two
      secondary and one tertiary care hospitals in the Netherlands. We identified women
      with a hypertensive disorder in the index pregnancy and delivery after 37weeks of
      gestation between January 2000 and December 2002. Data were extracted from
      medical files and women were approached for additional information on subsequent
      pregnancies. Adverse outcome was defined as recurrence of a hypertensive disorder
      in the next subsequent pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The absolute risk of
      recurrence and a prediction model containing demographic and clinical factors
      predictive of recurrence. RESULTS: We identified 638 women for potential
      inclusion, of whom 503 could be contacted. Of these women, 312 (62%) had a
      subsequent pregnancy. Hypertensive disorders recurred in 120 (38%, 95% CI 33-44)
      women, of whom 15 (5%, 95% CI 3-7) delivered preterm. Women undergoing recurrence
      were more at risk to develop chronic hypertension after pregnancy (35% versus
      16%, OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.5-5.3). Body mass index, non-White European origin, chronic
      hypertension, maximum diastolic blood pressure, no use of anticonvulsive
      medication and interpregnancy interval were predictors for recurrence.
      CONCLUSIONS: Women with hypertensive disorders and term delivery have a
      substantial chance of recurrence, but a small risk of preterm delivery. A number
      of predictors for recurrence could be identified and women with a recurrence more
      often developed chronic hypertension.

PMID- 26104606
TI  - Circulating endothelial progenitor cells and placental abruption in women with
      preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Abnormalities in circulating angiogenic factors and endothelial
      progenitor cells (EPCs) have been reported in patients with preeclampsia and
      placental abruption. The objective of this study was to determine whether the
      number of EPCs is altered in patients with placental abruption. DESIGN: A case
      control study. SETTING: Hiroshima University Hospital in Japan. SAMPLE: Pregnant
      Japanese women with preeclampsia (n=27) and those without any complications
      (n=15). METHOD: The EPC (CD45(low)CD34(+)CD133(+) cells) counts were examined
      using flow cytometry in peripheral blood collected from 27 women with
      preeclampsia and 15 normal pregnant women. Among the 27 women with preeclampsia,
      five subsequently developed placental abruption. All subjects were divided into
      three groups: normal pregnancy (NP, n=15), preeclampsia without placenta
      abruption (PE, n=22) and preeclampsia with placental abruption (PA, n=5). MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: The EPC counts were measured in pregnant women with
      preeclampsia who subsequently developed placental abruption. RESULTS: The EPC
      count in the PE group significantly decreased in comparison to that observed in
      the NP group (620cells/ml versus 1918 cells/ml, P<0.01). In the PA group, the EPC
      count was found to markedly decrease in comparison to that observed in the PE
      group (221cells/ml, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The number of EPCs was found to
      significantly decrease in preeclamptic women who subsequently developed placental
      abruption.

PMID- 26104607
TI  - Maternal hypertensive diseases negatively affect offspring motor development.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hypertension in pregnancy and preeclampsia have been linked to poor
      outcomes in cognitive, mental and psychomotor development; however, few
      longitudinal studies have researched their effect on offspring motor development,
      particularly in late childhood and adolescence. The purpose of this study was to
      determine if maternal hypertensive diseases during pregnancy are a risk factor
      for compromised motor development at 10, 14, and 17years. STUDY DESIGN:
      Longitudinal cohort study using data from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort
      Study (Raine). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Offspring (n=2868) were classified by their
      maternal blood pressure profiles during pregnancy: normotension (n=2133),
      hypertension (n=626) and preeclampsia (n=109). Offspring motor development, at
      10, 14, and 17years was measured by the Neuromuscular Developmental Index (NDI)
      of the McCarron Assessment of Motor Development (MAND). METHODS: Linear mixed
      models were used to compare outcomes between pregnancy groups. RESULTS: Offspring
      from pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia had poorer motor outcomes at all
      ages than offspring from either normotensive mothers (p?0.001) or those with
      hypertension (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Hypertensive diseases during pregnancy, in
      particular preeclampsia, have long term and possibly permanent consequences for
      motor development of offspring.

PMID- 26104608
TI  - 2-Methoxyestradiol deficiency is strongly related to hypertension in early onset
      severe pre-eclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: 2-Methoxyestradiol (2ME) deficiency leading to placental insufficiency
      has been related to pre-eclampsia (PE). Here we investigate whether 2ME is
      related to clinical profiles and vasoactive factors in early onset severe PE
      patients. METHODS: 28 severe PE patients and 20 uncomplicated normal pregnant
      women, with gestational weeks between 24 and 32weeks, were recruited. All cases
      and controls had singleton pregnancies and were matched for maternal age, parity,
      body mass index, and gestational weeks. Plasma levels of 2ME, estradiol (E2),
      soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT-1), endothelin-1 (ET-1), nitric oxide
      (NO) were determined. RESULTS: PE patients had significant lower 2ME [906(422
      1768) vs. 2032(1400-2910)pg/mL, P=0.002], higher sFLT-1 [5.55(3.24-11.22) vs.
      3.13(2.17-5.36)ng/mL, P=0.015] and higher NO [122.40(72.92-168.23) vs.
      45.83(25.52-61.46)MUmol/L, P=0.0008] levels in their plasma than the controls. In
      the PE group, plasma 2ME level correlated negatively with systolic pressure (r=
      0.48, P=0.012), diastolic pressure (r=-0.52, P=0.007) and mean arterial pressure
      (r=-0.54, P=0.005) even after controlling for maternal age; 2ME level did not
      correlate with proteinuria, plasma levels of E2, sFLT-1, ET-1 or NO. In the
      control group, plasma 2ME level did not correlate with any of the above clinical
      profiles or laboratory measurements. CONCLUSIONS: 2ME levels were markedly lower
      in early onset severe PE and they correlated inversely with blood pressure only
      in women with PE. Although we cannot tell whether lower 2ME level is the
      causation or the result of PE, our study provides clinical evidences that 2ME
      deficiency is strongly related to hypertension in early onset severe PE patients.

PMID- 26104609
TI  - A comparison of Doppler waveform parameters versus flow-mediated vascular
      dilation of the brachial artery in pregnant women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Flow mediated dilation of the brachial artery is impaired with
      endothelial dysfunction. We previously identified that brachial artery waveforms
      were changed in preeclamptic women. We therefore sought to compare Doppler
      waveform analysis with flow mediated vascular dilation (FMVD) measurements in
      pregnant women. STUDY DESIGN: A cross sectional study of 71 pregnant women at
      >20weeks gestation comparing FMVD measurements with Doppler waveform parameters
      was performed. Research was conducted at three hospitals and two geographic
      settings; (1) Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT, (2) Mount Hope Maternity
      and (3) Port of Spain General Hospital in Trinidad. Brachial artery Doppler
      waveform measurements were done at baseline and 90s post cuff-release. From the
      Doppler waveforms we assessed percent change in Peak Systolic Velocity (%
      DeltaPSV), systolic acceleration, acceleration time and pulsatility index and
      compared them with the percent change in FMVD. Statistical analysis using
      Student's t tests and correlation coefficient was done as necessary. RESULTS:
      Correlation analysis between the % change in the Doppler waveform parameters and
      the % change in mean FMVD identified only the waveform parameter of % DeltaPSV as
      significantly correlated (p=0.040). CONCLUSION: FMVD remains the gold standard
      for assessment of endothelial dysfunction. A correlation was observed between the
      Doppler measured % DeltaPSV and FMVD, which may allow it to be used to assess
      endothelial dysfunction changes under different conditions was identified.

PMID- 26104610
TI  - A trio of risk factors for the onset of preeclampsia in the second and early
      third trimesters.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the biological interaction among mean blood pressure
      (MBP), uterine artery Doppler (UAD), and the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1
      (sFlt-1)/placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio for preeclampsia (PE) risk. STUDY
      DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In 1239 pregnant
      women, MBP and UAD were measured at 16-23weeks of gestation, and plasma levels of
      the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio at 19-25weeks and 26-31weeks. A Cox proportional hazard
      model was used. Women with a low sFlt-1/PlGF ratio and either low BP or normal
      UAD were set as controls. The relative excess risk due to biological interaction
      (RERI) was calculated using the following equation: RERI=hazard ratio (HR) in
      women with high sFlt-1/PlGF and both high BP and abnormal UAD (group 3) - HR in
      women with both high BP and abnormal UAD alone (group 1) - HR in women with high
      sFlt-1/PlGF alone (group 2)+1. RERI?10 was considered to be strong. RESULTS: At
      19-25weeks, the HR and 95% confidence intervals (CI) in group 1, group 2, and
      group 3 were 7.4 (3.1-17.4), 15.3 (4.5-52.2), and 107.0 (41.0-279), respectively,
      and the RERI for PE was 85.3. At 26-31weeks, the HR and 95% CI in each group were
      8.3 (2.9-23.2), 7.5 (0.97-57.8), and 69.0 (18.5-256), respectively; the RERI for
      PE was 54.2. CONCLUSIONS: We found a trio of risk factors for the onset of PE in
      the second and early third trimesters: high BP, abnormal UAD, and high sFlt
      1/PlGF ratio.

PMID- 26104611
TI  - Exercise in pregnancy - UK women's views and experiences: results of an online
      survey.
AB  - Both NICE and RCOG recommend 30min of moderate physical activity, at least four
      times per week, for women with uncomplicated pregnancies, in all trimesters. The
      primary aims of this study were to establish the views of UK women regarding how
      much exercise they should undertake at each stage of pregnancy and whether they
      accumulated the recommended amount of physical activity through exercise during
      their current or most recent pregnancy. METHODS: An online survey was developed
      and advertised to women who had been or were pregnant via social media and
      websites related to pregnancy or parenting. Exercise was defined within the
      survey as including jogging, cycling, exercise classes and brisk but not gentle
      walking. RESULTS: 1001 women participated. 22.9% were currently pregnant, and
      64.8% had been pregnant in the last three years. 38.5% of participants reported
      that women should exercise four or more times per week in the first trimester,
      and 23% in the third trimester. 21.3% reported exercising four or more times per
      week in their first trimester, and 11.4% in the third trimester. 46.9% reduced
      their exercise upon becoming pregnant, while 6.7% increased exercise and 12%
      stopped completely. Tiredness (62.7%), aches and pains (44.8%), morning sickness
      (41.4%) and worry about miscarriage (27.4%) were the most common reasons to avoid
      exercise. CONCLUSIONS: UK women may be unaware of the recommended levels of
      physical activity in pregnancy and may fail to meet recommendations through
      exercise. Despite no evidence of risk, women are concerned that exercise
      contributes to miscarriage.

PMID- 26104612
TI  - What women really think about gestational weight management: A thematic analysis
      of posts made in online parenting forums.
AB  - Traditional research methods may not assess true beliefs and views of sensitive
      topics such as obesity because the research situation tends to promote particular
      responses based on the perceived expectations of the researcher and pressure to
      be 'politically correct'. The publication of the NICE guidance on weight
      management in pregnancy in 2010, and the subsequent press coverage of it,
      provided a stimulus for discussion of gestational weight management on UK-based
      online parenting forums. A systematic search identified 21 UK parenting forums on
      which 400 posts referring to guidance on weight management in pregnancy were made
      by 202 women in the two-week period following the publication of the guidance.
      These posts were analysed thematically resulting in the identification of three
      main themes: (i) Perceived control/responsibility (ii) Risk perception (iii)
      Confused messages. Women differed in their perceptions of the level of control
      that people had over being overweight with some women reporting feeling guilty
      and experiencing significant obesity stigma. Information about the risks of
      overweight and obesity in pregnancy were difficult messages for women to hear,
      and for health professionals to deliver and they used a range of strategies to
      downplay their personal risk. Women reported being confused by the messages that
      they received. Health messages need to be delivered sensitively to women, and
      health professionals need support and training to do this. Risk information
      should always be accompanied with advice and support to help women to manage
      their weight in pregnancy. 

PMID- 26104613
TI  - Choose to change maternity weight management pilot.
AB  - Obesity during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of adverse health
      outcomes during pregnancy. There is limited research available regarding
      effective interventions during pregnancy for obese women and this is combined
      with local inadequate service provision to support obese mothers in Greater
      Manchester (GM). Choose to Change (CTC) aims to develop, deliver and evaluate a
      community based weight management programme to limit excessive gestational weight
      gain. Participants (n=73) referred from January to December 2013 by Community
      Midwifery Teams (>18years) with a BMI >30 attended a healthy lifestyle
      intervention (1:1 or group) covering nutrition, physical activity and behaviour
      change over 12weeks. Baseline measures were weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Blood
      Pressure, physical activity, dietary habits and psychological questionnaires
      measuring anxiety, self-esteem and dis-ordered eating. 28 clients were assigned
      to intervention (group (n=15), 1:1 (n=13). Mean age 29 (SD=5.78), mean BMI at
      referral was 38.96 (SD=4.87). Descriptive statistics suggest an average weight
      gain for clients (excluding drop outs n=12) is 0.94kg (SD=6.65). For those who
      have completed the programme (n=8) average weight gain was 1.03kg (SD=7.71).
      Results vary according to intervention type 1:1, 0.04kg (SD=8.82kg), group,
      1.52kg (SD=3.17kg). Drop-out rate from referral to assessment was 62%, from
      assessment to intervention 32% and during intervention 26%. Overall the results
      of the present pilot study indicate that the CTC healthy lifestyle intervention
      can limit excessive gestational weight gain. CTC is looking at future directions
      for development including changing the assessment procedure to improve DORs,
      further analysis of various mediating factors including BMI and intervention type
      and exploration of post-measurements to show further improved health outcomes as
      the programme is rolled out across GM. 

PMID- 26104614
TI  - Weight management during and after pregnancy: A multi-disciplinary approach.
AB  - The Specialist Weight Management Service (SWMS) Maternity Pathway was launched in
      January 2012 as a result of growing public health issues surrounding obesity and
      the production of NICE Guidelines for weight management before, during and after
      pregnancy (PH27). Our unique NHS service is aimed at pregnant women with a BMI>35
      and supports them with introducing healthy lifestyle changes during pregnancy and
      safely minimising weight gain in this period. We also actively encourage service
      users to re-engage with the integrated SWMS pathway for up to 18months post
      partum. The majority of referrals are received directly from midwives, and women
      can also self-refer. Pregnant women who come to our service are seen in multi
      disciplinary clinics by a Dietitian, Physiotherapist and Health-Improvement
      Midwife. The service-users can also access Occupational Therapists, Medical
      Consultants and Health Trainers if required. Our staff use a patient-centred
      behavior change approach, often adopting motivational interviewing techniques to
      help engage patients with implementing positive lifestyle changes. The pathway
      also helps expectant mothers and their wider families access other services
      including smoking cessation, breastfeeding networks and healthy-start services to
      name a few. Plans are in place to launch an outreach service to the more deprived
      areas of the Borough, where drop-in sessions will be held at accessible locations
      to improve engagement of pregnant women in these areas. We believe that this
      multi-disciplinary approach to weight management is unique, and early statistics
      indicate that the support we offer pregnant women during the ante and post natal
      period are a success in terms of key outcome measures. 

PMID- 26104615
TI  - Differential gene expression in obese pregnancy.
AB  - Maternal obesity is a major risk factor for maternal and perinatal complications,
      and is associated with increased risk of premature cardiovascular death in the
      offspring. We aimed to identify differentially expressed genes in obese and lean
      pregnancies. Pregnant women were recruited antenatally and whole-blood samples
      taken at gestational week 28. Women were classified as lean (BMI<25, n=5),
      overweight (BMI 25-30, n=11) or obese (BMI>30, n=4). Subcutaneous adipose tissue
      was obtained from a separate cohort of women undergoing elective Caesarean
      section (n=3 lean, n=6 overweight, n=9 obese). Total RNA was isolated and gene
      expression profiled by Illumina microarray technology. Differential gene
      expression was identified by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and validated by TaqMan
      qRT-PCR. In whole blood, differential expression (p<0.05) of six genes (ANGPTL,
      COX7A2, EIF3A, PTS, CISD1 and GLRX) was identified between lean and non-lean
      pregnant women by microarray. When gene expression was studied in subcutaneous
      tissues, we observed a trend towards lower expression of the cytochrome c oxidase
      subunit 7A2 gene (COX7A2) in overweight vs lean (p=0.057) and obese vs lean
      (p=0.06) women, whereas expression was similar between overweight and obese women
      (p=0.55). Other genes were not differentially expressed across groups. Maternal
      obesity is associated with differential expression of multiple genes in whole
      blood. In subcutaneous tissue at term, there was a trend towards reduced COX7A2
      expression in obese women. COX7A2 is a mitochondrial protein, with key roles in
      steroidogenesis and oxidative stress regulation and could provide a link between
      inflammation and obesity-related pregnancy complications. 

PMID- 26104616
TI  - 'Healthy Eating and Lifestyle in Pregnancy (HELP)' trial: Process evaluation
      framework.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We developed and tested in a cluster RCT a theory-driven group
      based intervention for obese pregnant women. It was designed to support women to
      moderate weight gain during pregnancy and reduce BMI one year after birth, in
      addition to targeting secondary health and wellbeing outcomes. In line with MRC
      guidance on developing and evaluating complex interventions in health, we
      conducted a process evaluation alongside the trial. This paper describes the
      development of the process evaluation framework. METHOD: This cluster RCT
      recruited 598 pregnant women. Women in the intervention group were invited to
      attend a weekly weight-management group. Following a review of relevant
      literature, we developed a process evaluation framework which outlined key
      process indicators that we wanted to address and how we would measure these.
      Central to the process evaluation was to understand the mechanism of effect of
      the intervention. We utilised a logic-modelling approach to describe the
      intervention which helped us focus on what potential mediators of intervention
      effect to measure, and how. RESULTS: The resulting process evaluation framework
      was designed to address 9 core elements; context, reach, exposure, recruitment,
      fidelity, recruitment, retention, contamination and theory-testing. These were
      assessed using a variety of qualitative and quantitative approaches. The logic
      model explained the processes by which intervention components bring about change
      in target outcomes through various mediators and theoretical pathways including
      self-efficacy, social support, self-regulation and motivation. CONCLUSION:
      Process evaluation is a key element in assessing the effect of any RCT. We
      developed a process evaluation framework and logic model, and the results of
      analyses using these will offer insights into why the intervention is or is not
      effective.

PMID- 26104617
TI  - Weight management in Pregnancy: Participants' experiences of 'Healthy Eating and
      Lifestyle in Pregnancy (HELP)', a maternity care intervention for obese pregnant
      women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Around 1 in 5 pregnant women in the UK are obese. Obesity is linked
      to poor health and pregnancy complications. We developed and tested in a cluster
      RCT a group-based intervention for obese pregnant women, facilitated by midwives
      and slimming world consultants. It was designed to support obese women during
      pregnancy to moderate weight gain and reduce BMI one year after birth, in
      addition to targeting secondary health and wellbeing outcomes. This paper aims to
      explore participants' experiences of engaging in the 'HELP' trial in particular
      their views of the intervention and ongoing weight challenges. METHODS: Thirty
      participants took part in semi-structured telephone interviews as part of the
      process evaluation. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS:
      Participants' accounts offered insights into the intervention group environment,
      the importance of social support and the value of each facilitator's involvement.
      Reasons for compliance were highlighted, with interesting discussion on aspects
      that encouraged and supported women to make behaviour changes during their
      pregnancy, barriers to engaging with the intervention and longer term behaviour
      change. Participants, especially those who had previously accessed maternity
      care, emphasised the benefits of this service being available where they obtained
      knowledge, skills and support in relation to weight and pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS:
      Engaging in the intervention can help women to adopt healthier habits leading to
      avoidance of excess weight gain during pregnancy, better outcomes for mother,
      baby and the wider family. Consideration of other factors may be required for
      impact on long term outcomes.

PMID- 26104618
TI  - The feasibility and acceptability of regular weighing of pregnant women by
      community midwives to prevent excessive weight gain: RCT.
AB  - Pregnancy is a critical period for the development of later obesity. Regular
      weighing of pregnant women is not currently recommended in the UK. This study
      aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of regular weighing by community midwives
      (CMWs) as a potential intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain.
      Low risk healthy/overweight pregnant women cared for by eight CMWs were
      randomised to usual care or usual care plus the intervention at 10-14 weeks of
      pregnancy. The intervention involved CMWs weighing and charting weight gain on an
      IOM weight gain chart, setting a weight target and giving brief feedback at
      antenatal appointments. The focus of the study was on process evaluation
      outcomes. Data on other outcomes were also collected including gestational weight
      gain. We interviewed women and CMWs about their views of the intervention. CMWs
      referred 123 women, 95 agreed to participate and 76 were randomised. Over 90% of
      women were weighed at 38 weeks of pregnancy demonstrating high follow up. There
      was no evidence the intervention caused anxiety. Most women commented they had
      found the intervention useful in encouraging them to think about their weight and
      believed it should be part of routine antenatal care. CMW's felt the intervention
      could be implemented within antenatal care without adding substantially to
      consultation length. To conclude, pregnant women were keen to participate in the
      study and the intervention was acceptable to pregnant women and CMWs. An
      effectiveness trial is now planned. 

PMID- 26104619
TI  - Implementation of pregnancy weight management and obesity guidelines: A meta
      synthesis of healthcare professionals' barriers and facilitators using the
      Theoretical Domains Framework.

PMID- 26104620
TI  - Systematic review of randomised controlled trials on exercise interventions for
      weight management during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum among normal
      weight, overweight and obese women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the effectiveness of exercise interventions in managing
      weight among pregnant and postpartum women. METHODS: Ten databases were searched
      for randomised controlled studies, published between January 1990 and September
      2013 that compared an exercise-based weight management intervention with routine
      care or another type of intervention. There were no restrictions to the type,
      frequency, duration, intensity or mode of exercise intervention. Interventions
      not specifically designed to target or affect weight were excluded. Study quality
      was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias
      in randomised trials and the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials
      statement. RESULTS: The combined searches yielded 354 articles. Reasons for study
      exclusion included but were not limited to; non-randomisation, retrospective
      study design, duplicates, qualitative/baseline studies, not specifically designed
      to influence weight, combined intervention and study protocols. Five papers were
      included in this review (three trials with pregnant women and two trials with
      postpartum women). Two of the three pregnancy-related studies found that exercise
      interventions significantly reduced gestational weight gain. In addition,
      postpartum women in the intervention groups lost significantly more body weight
      than those in the control groups. CONCLUSIONS: There is a paucity of information
      on the efficacy of exercise-only interventions for the prevention of excessive
      gestational weight gain and retention. However, there is some limited evidence to
      suggest that exercise can be used for these groups to alleviate some of the
      issues associated with maternal obesity.

PMID- 26104621
TI  - Association between physical activity in obese pregnant women and offspring
      health.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity in pregnancy is associated with macrosomia, neontatal fat
      mass and increased obesity and diabetes in the offspring. Physical activity
      during pregnancy may mediate the relationship between maternal insulin action and
      infant body composition. Interventions to increase physical activity might
      therefore improve metabolic outcomes for pregnant women and reduce the risk of
      obesity and diabetes in their offspring. The UK Pregnancy Better Eating and
      Activity Trial (UPBEAT) is a complex intervention, designed to improve pregnancy
      outcome through dietary change and increased physical activity. The analysis
      presented here includes data from 183 women recruited to the pilot phase of
      UPBEAT. METHODS: Physical activity was assessed by accelerometer at recruitment,
      at 27-28weeks' gestation and at 35-36weeks' gestation. The relationship between
      sedentary behaviour and moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and infant
      body composition at birth was examined using Spearman partial correlations.
      RESULTS: Maternal sedentary time at recruitment was inversely associated with
      neonatal abdominal circumference (-0.333, p=0.016), but at 35-36weeks' gestation
      was positively associated with neonatal abdominal circumference (0.435, p=0.023).
      Sedentary time was not associated with these outcomes at 27-28weeks' gestation.
      MVPA at 35-36weeks' gestation was inversely associated with neonatal abdominal
      circumference (-0.466, p=0.014). No associations between physical activity and
      birthweight were apparent. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that physical
      activity during pregnancy is associated with infant body composition and that
      maternal physical activity is an appropriate target for intervention to improve
      infant outcomes. UPBEAT is funded by NIHR-UK (RP-0407-10452).

PMID- 26104622
TI  - Timing of pregnancy in obese women after bariatric surgery.
AB  - AIMS: There is an increased risk of preterm and small-for-gestational-age births
      associated with bariatric surgery, especially if maternal early pregnancy body
      mass index (BMI) is <30.0kg/m(2). However, the relationship between timing of
      pregnancy post-bariatric surgery and effects on pregnancy outcome are unknown.
      The aim of this study was to investigate the timing of pregnancy post-bariatric
      surgery and compare early pregnancy BMI between women who became pregnant before
      or after the recommended 12month postoperative window. METHODS/RESULTS: Women who
      underwent either sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass and subsequently became
      pregnant were offered antenatal care in a multidisciplinary high-risk clinic.
      There were 50 such pregnancies in women who attended our high-risk clinic (n=26
      <12months and n=24 >12months postoperatively, mean estimated times to conception
      31.9+/-12.6weeks and 102.8+/-37.7weeks respectively). There was no significant
      difference in early pregnancy BMI between groups (33.2+/-6.8kg/m(2) and
      32.5+2.1kg/m(2) respectively, p=0.78). There were 6 miscarriages in each group,
      however more women in the <12month (n=8) than in the >12months group (n=2) were
      lost-to-follow-up (likelihood ratio 4.2, p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Women who became
      pregnant <12months post-bariatric surgery were, for unknown reasons, less likely
      to attend follow-up in a specialist antenatal clinic than those who became
      pregnant >12months postoperatively. Further research is required to explore the
      relationship between timing of pregnancy post-bariatric surgery and pregnancy
      outcome and to identify predictors more clinically useful than early pregnancy
      BMI, in this high-risk pregnancy group.

PMID- 26104623
TI  - Maternal vitamin D status in Type 1 diabetic pregnancy: Impact on neonatal
      vitamin D status and association with maternal glycaemic control.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: 1. To examine relationships between 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) in
      women with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) during pregnancy, post-delivery and in cord
      blood. 2. To investigate interactions between maternal body mass index (BMI) and
      foetal vitamin D status. 3. To examine relationships between maternal 25OHD and
      glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c). METHODOLOGY: An observational study of 52
      pregnant controls without diabetes and 65 pregnant women with T1DM in a
      university teaching hospital. 25OHD was measured by liquid chromatography tandem
      mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Vitamin D deficiency (25OHD <25nmol/L) was apparent
      in control and T1DM women in all 3 trimesters. All cord blood 25OHD were
      <50nmol/L. Maternal 25OHD correlated positively with cord 25OHD at all 3
      trimesters in the T1DM group (p=0.02; p<0.001; p<0.001). Cord 25OHD was
      significantly lower for T1D women classified as obese vs. normal weight at
      booking [normal weight BMI <25kg/m(2) vs. obese BMI>30kg/m(2) (nmol/L+/-SD);
      19.93+/-11.15 vs. 13.73+/-4.74, p=0.026]. In the T1DM group, HbA1c at booking was
      significantly negatively correlated with maternal 25OHD at all 3 trimesters
      (p=0.004; p=0.001; p=0.05). CONCLUSION: In T1DM pregnancy, low vitamin D levels
      persist throughout gestation and post-delivery. Cord blood vitamin D levels
      correlate with those of the mother, and are significantly lower in obese vs
      normal weight women. Maternal vitamin D levels exhibit a significant negative
      relationship with HbA1c, supporting a potential role for this vitamin in
      maintaining glycaemic control.

PMID- 26104624
TI  - Anthropometric and nutritional associations of food cravings in pregnancy.
AB  - Dietary cravings alter food intake however the nutritional and anthropometric
      consequences are unknown. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and types of
      foods craved during pregnancy and secondly to compare the anthropometric,
      clinical characteristics and nutritional intakes of women with and without food
      cravings. METHODS: Healthy pregnant women were participants in the Belfast cohort
      of Hyperglycaemic and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome study (HAPO), a prospective
      observational study examining maternal glycaemia and pregnancy outcome. Diet was
      assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire at
      29weeks gestation which included subjective questions on food cravings. Mean
      daily nutrient intakes were analysed using Q Builder nutritional software
      (Tinuviel Software, UK) and SPSS Version 20. RESULTS: Data were available for
      1639 women, mean age 30 (SD 5.5) years; mean BMI at booking (<16weeks gestation)
      25.6kg/m(2) (range 16.5-50.8) of which 39% (n=635) experienced food cravings.
      Women who craved foods had a higher mean daily energy intake (9721kJ+3016)
      (p=0.002) and gained more weight (9.55kg+5.4) (p=0.049) throughout pregnancy than
      those who did not experience food cravings (9256kJ+2786 and 8.95kg+5.4
      respectively). Women who were overweight (30%) or obese (16%) at booking, did not
      differ in their likelihood of reporting cravings to those who were under- or
      normal weight at booking. CONCLUSION: Cravings occur commonly in pregnancy and
      those women who craved foods had a higher mean energy intake and gained more
      weight throughout pregnancy than those who did not crave foods. This study was
      supported by a grant from Sugar Nutrition UK.

PMID- 26104625
TI  - Pre-pregnancy obesity and mental disorders during pregnancy and postpartum: A
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence and risk of antenatal and postnatal mental
      disorders among obese and overweight women. METHOD: Six databases (including
      MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO) were searched from inception to January 2013, in
      addition to citation tracking, hand-searches and expert recommendations. Studies
      were eligible if antenatal or postnatal mental disorders were assessed with
      diagnostic or screening tools among women who were obese or overweight at the
      start of pregnancy. Of the 4627 screened articles, 62 met the inclusion criteria
      for the review. RESULTS: Unadjusted odds ratios were pooled using random-effects
      meta-analysis for studies examining antenatal depression (n=29), postnatal
      depression (n=16), antenatal anxiety (n=10) and postnatal anxiety (n=3). Obese
      and overweight women had significantly higher odds of elevated depression
      symptoms than normal weight women, both during pregnancy and postpartum . Obese
      women also had higher odds of antenatal anxiety. The few studies identified for
      eating disorders (n=2) or serious mental illness (n=2) also suggested increased
      risk among obese pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare providers should be
      aware that women who are obese when they become pregnant are more likely to
      experience elevated antenatal and postpartum depression symptoms than normal
      weight women, with intermediate risks for overweight women. Further high quality
      studies are needed for other mental disorders, and to investigate the impact of
      co-morbid obesity and mental disorders on pregnancy outcomes. This review was
      carried out as part of a PhD studentship funded by the Medical Research Council
      and Tommy's Charity.

PMID- 26104626
TI  - Evaluation of 'Just4Mums' - A community based healthy eating and physical
      activity course for obese pregnant women.
AB  - Current NICE guidelines state that women in England need to be supported
      regarding eating healthily and being physically active during pregnancy. In
      response to these guidelines, the Just4Mums service was developed - a free six
      week community-based course for obese (BMI?30) pregnant women. The service
      encouraged a healthy weight gain in pregnancy through the provision of
      information on healthy eating and opportunities to be physically active. The aim
      of this evaluation was to provide preliminary evidence on efficacy. METHODS:
      Participants' were assessed at the beginning and end of the course, in terms of
      healthy eating and physical activity (PA) behaviour, mental well-being, and
      mediating variables (i.e. intentions, self-efficacy and attitudes towards healthy
      eating and PA). RESULTS: Thirty-four out of 60 women (57%) women completed the
      course. There were few differences between those women who completed and did not
      complete the course. After attending the service, the intention-to-treat analysis
      showed an improvement in healthy eating (higher intake of fruit and vegetables,
      lower intake of fast food), no change in PA, reduction in sedentary behaviour and
      an improvement in mental well-being. Participants also increased their attitude,
      intention and self-efficacy towards engaging in PA and intention to eat fruit and
      vegetables. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that women who completed the
      Just4Mums service improved their health behaviours. More research is needed to
      identify why so many women dropped out of the service.

PMID- 26104627
TI  - 3-Epi-25 hydroxyvitamin D in pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The physiological importance of the C3 epimers of vitamin D (3-epi
      25OHD2/3) is uncertain and there have been limited studies determining the levels
      of these epimers in human populations. The aims of the current study were (1) to
      determine 3-epi-25OHD2/3 levels throughout non-diabetic and T1DM pregnancy, (2)
      to examine the relationships between 25OHD and 3-epi-25OHD, (3) to assess the
      impact of maternal BMI on 3-epi-25OHD and examine associations with markers of
      glycaemic control. METHODOLOGY: An observational study of 52 pregnant controls
      without diabetes and 65 pregnant women with T1DM in a university teaching
      hospital. 25OHD and 3-epi-25OHD were measured by liquid chromatography tandem
      mass spectrometry. RESULTS: 3-Epi-25OHD was found in 90.2% of control (median
      0.9nmol/L; range 0.1-5.9nmol/L), and in 94.5% of T1DM, women (median 1.4nmol/L;
      range 0.1-10.5nmol/L). In both control and T1DM groups, maternal and cord 3-epi
      25OHD correlated significantly with 25OHD. Seasonal variation in maternal 3-epi
      25OHD levels was evident in both groups; Summer levels were significantly higher
      than all other seasons in the control group (p<0.001) and significantly higher
      than Spring (p=0.003) and Winter (p<0.001) in the T1DM group. In T1DM women HbA1c
      was significantly negatively correlated with 3-epi-25OHD at trimesters 1 and 2
      (p=0.049; p=0.001) and with cord 3-epi-25OHD (p=0.012). Maternal BMI >30kg/m(2)
      had a significant negative impact on 3-epi-25OHD. CONCLUSION: Maternal 3-epi
      25OHD exhibits seasonal variation and, in common with cord 3-epi-25OHD,
      correlates with 25OHD throughout both non-diabetic and T1D pregnancy. In T1DM
      women 3-epi-25OHD is associated with a key marker of glycaemic control.

PMID- 26104628
TI  - Variation in outcomes in trials reporting effects of diet and lifestyle based
      intervention on pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review.
AB  - Obesity is a growing threat to women of childbearing age. Increased maternal
      weight or excessive weight gain in pregnancy is associated with adverse pregnancy
      outcomes. Interventions based on diet and physical activity minimise gestational
      weight gain with varied effect on a number of clinical outcomes. There is no
      consensus amongst the trialists on the core outcomes that need to be reported to
      inform the clinical care of pregnant women. The aim of this systematic review is
      to evaluate variation in the type and quality of outcomes reported in systematic
      reviews and randomised controlled trials on diet and lifestyle interventions on
      maternal and fetal outcomes. We will assess the correlation between the type of
      outcome, the quality of the studies and journal impact factor. We searched the
      major databases from the inception to October 2013 without language restrictions.
      We used current recommendations for quality of outcome reporting using a 6-point
      scale. The quality assessment of systematic reviews and RCTs was performed using
      the AMSTAR and Jadad scoring systems. Additionally we obtained journals' impact
      factor in the year of publication. We calculated Spearman rank coefficient to
      assess the correlation between the type of outcome, and study quality. An
      overview of outcome reporting will show the current attitude of the researchers
      towards outcomes of importance when conducting trials on diet and lifestyle
      management in pregnancy. If our abstract is accepted, we will provide the details
      of the results. 

PMID- 26104629
TI  - Pregnancy and beyond - the role of BMI in predicting body satisfaction, eating
      behaviour and infant feeding across two countries.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Weight change during pregnancy and maternal body mass index (BMI)
      are associated with negative body image and restrained eating. However, there are
      cross-cultural differences in how these changes are experienced and how this
      might in turn affect maternal eating or infant feeding. The present study aimed
      to: (1) examine if self-esteem, eating behaviours and body satisfaction measured
      during pregnancy changed following birth and varied according to country (Israel
      vs. UK); and (2) explore any relationship between these measurements and infant
      feeding/eating behavior. METHODS: Participants were asked to complete the
      following questionnaires: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Questionnaire, Body Image Scale,
      Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire, Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire and the
      Infant Feeding Questionnaire. Multilevel linear modelling was used to account for
      differences over time and to assess the independent impact of BMI on
      questionnaire scores. RESULTS: 73 women and infants participated in the study
      16(9) weeks following birth. Levels of self-esteem and eating behaviours did not
      significantly change. UK women showed significantly higher desire to be slim
      following birth compared to Israeli women. Mothers' perceptions of infant's
      eating did not vary according to BMI nor country, however heavier mothers
      reported a significantly higher tendency to feed their infant according to a
      schedule. CONCLUSION: BMI was the strongest and most stable predictor of maternal
      well being and eating behaviour. The lack of change post-pregnancy suggests that
      self esteem, body image and affect are relatively stable but that it is important
      to follow the mothers beyond the early stages of the postnatal period.

PMID- 26104630
TI  - Who are we missing? Examining non-participants in "Fit for Delivery", a
      randomized, controlled trial of a lifestyle intervention in pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fit for Delivery (FFD) is a randomized, controlled trial of a
      lifestyle intervention designed to limit weight gain and increase physical
      activity in pregnancy. A questionnaire for non-participants was included in the
      design of the study. METHODS: Nulliparous women residing in southern Norway were
      invited to participate in FFD if they had a singleton pregnancy at ?20weeks
      gestation, age ?18years and body mass index (BMI) of ?19kg/m(2). Women who
      declined participation were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire with 7
      questions. They were asked reason for non-participation (8 choices), age, height,
      pre-pregnancy weight, smoking status, educational level and frequency of physical
      activity. Study participants (n=606) completed a more comprehensive questionnaire
      before randomization. Responses were compared using independent-samples t-test
      and chi-square test for continuous and categorical data, respectively. RESULTS:
      Non-participants who completed the non-response questionnaire (n=60) most often
      cited satisfaction with their own nutrition and fitness plan (50%) and being too
      busy to exercise several days a week (43%). Compared with participants, non
      participants were younger (mean difference 1.48 years, CI 0.51-2.65 (p=0.013)),
      more often smokers (12.5% vs. 4%, p=0.014), and fewer had ?4years of higher
      education (9.4% vs. 35.6%, p<0.001). There were no significant differences
      between groups in weight, height, BMI or physical activity level. CONCLUSION:
      There is a statistically significant difference in age, smoking and educational
      status between FFD participants and non-participants. BMI and activity level do
      not differ between groups. These finding may help us in developing future
      interventions and trials.

PMID- 26104631
TI  - Altered maternal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in obese pregnancy
      is associated with macrosomia and prolonged pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is important for fetal
      growth and timing of parturition. Maternal obesity is associated with macrosomia
      (birthweight ?4000g) and prolonged pregnancy (?41weeks). We aimed to characterise
      HPA axis hormones in obese pregnancy and to test associations with these
      pregnancy outcomes. METHOD: Fasting cortisol was measured by radioimmunoassay in
      venous blood at 16, 28 and 36 weeks of gestation in 286 obese (BMI 44.05+/
      3.98kg/m(2)) and 137 lean (BMI 22.71+/-1.66kg/m(2)) pregnant women. In subsets
      (n=20 obese, 20 lean) we measured corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG) and CRH
      by radioimmunoassay; progesterone, estradiol (E2), estriol (E3) and sex-hormone
      binding-globulin (SHBG) by ELISA; and albumin by bromocresol green binding. Free
      cortisol levels were calculated using Coolen's equation. RESULTS: Cortisol, CBG,
      calculated free cortisol, CRH, E2, E3, progesterone and SHBG levels rose
      similarly during pregnancy in obese and lean, but were significantly lower in
      obese (p<0.05). In obese, lower free cortisol at 16 weeks was associated with
      higher birthweight (r=-0.46, p<0.05). Cortisol was not associated with labour
      onset. CRH was significantly lower at 36 weeks in women who delivered at ?41weeks
      and in women with macrosomic babies (p<0.05); and correlated negatively with
      gestation at delivery in obese (r=-0.557, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings
      suggest that decreased HPA axis activity in obese pregnancy may be a mechanism
      underlying macrosomia and prolonged pregnancy.

PMID- 26104632
TI  - Pregnancy after diabetes obesity surgery (PADOS): Qualitative study of pre
      pregnancy care.
AB  - Half of all bariatric surgical procedures are in women of childbearing age.
      Surgery may improve fertility yet exacerbate nutritional deficiencies, that may
      be disadvantageous to the fetus. A frequently encountered subgroup of obese women
      have type 2 diabetes. The health risks, to both mother and child, of diabetes in
      pregnancy are well described including 4.7* risk of stillbirth and 2* risk of
      congenital abnormality. What is not clear is whether bariatric surgery mitigates
      or complicates the health consequences of women with obesity and diabetes in
      pregnancy. In addition the influence of the type of surgery, the optimal interval
      between surgery and conception and evidence based preconception recommendations
      are unknown. This study complements wider research aiming to inform optimal
      management of this patient population. Obese diabetic women require clear
      guidance regarding pregnancy planning after surgery. This study will develop an
      understanding of the barriers and facilitators (psychological, behavioural,
      attitudinal and nutritional) to achieving effective pre-pregnancy health and care
      in women with type 2 diabetes who have undergone metabolic surgery. Currently
      women's perception of fertility issues and risks after bariatric surgery is
      unknown and thus a qualitative interpretive paradigm was chosen. Interviews with
      the target population will explore decision-making processes; experience
      regarding metabolic surgery and perceived pregnancy risk. Interviews with a broad
      range of health professionals involved in bariatric care will include rationale
      for selected surgical procedure and post surgery referral processes e.g.
      contraceptive care. This will advance understanding of how to provide targeted
      support and monitoring. 

PMID- 26104633
TI  - Differences in health related pregnancy characteristics between White British and
      Pakistani women: The influence of the woman's, her partner's and their parents'
      place of birth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Migration to high income countries can offer socioeconomic advantages
      such as improved education, employment opportunities, housing and health care.
      However, environmental improvements do not necessarily translate into improved
      health outcomes. It is possible that the unhealthy lifestyles associated with
      acculturation, characterised by less physical activity and high calorie diets,
      counteract any potential health advantage. Adoption of such lifestyles may be
      particularly harmful to South Asians who for a given BMI, have greater adiposity
      and an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. METHODS: We
      compared BMI, fasting and postload glucose and fasting insulin between 5038
      Pakistani and 4412 White British women recruited to the Born in Bradford study
      and examined whether differences varied depending on the woman's, her partner's
      and their parents' place of birth. RESULTS: BMI was lower among Pakistani
      compared to White British women (mean difference -1.12 95%CI -1.43, -0.81) but
      the difference was markedly greater where the partner was UK born irrespective of
      the woman's place of birth. Pakistani women had higher fasting and postload
      glucose (mean difference 0.20 95%CI 0.17, 0.24; 0.37 95%CI 0.28, 0.45) and higher
      fasting insulin than White British women (mean difference 25.71 95%CI 22.73,
      28.69). This difference was greatest when women and their partners were South
      Asian born. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest some changes in health related
      pregnancy characteristics in response to migration to the UK.

PMID- 26104635
TI  - Welcome Message from the Chairman of Indonesia ISSHP.

PMID- 26104634
TI  - Pregnancy after diabetes obesity surgery (PADOS): Incidence and outcomes.
AB  - Half of all bariatric surgical procedures are in women of childbearing age but it
      remains unclear whether surgery is suitable for women who subsequently conceive:
      specifically the relative risks and benefits of potential nutrient deficiencies
      versus weight reduction. We will present data collected from Clinical Practice
      Research Databases on the maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancies complicated
      either by obesity or previous bariatric surgery (BS). Two groups, matched to
      obese controls for BMI pre-BS and post-BS (at the time of ante-natal booking)
      will be compared. In this way, the effect of BS on pregnancy outcomes may be
      examined, independent of its effect on weight. A sub-group of women with
      antecedent Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) will allow for investigation of the additional
      impact and persistence of this co-morbidity. This builds upon pilot data
      collected from a retrospective cohort of women (18-45years) undergoing
      laparoscopic roux-en-Y (RYGB) surgery over a 24-month period (n=218). After
      exclusions and loss to follow up, data from 111 patients were analysed; 81 (73%)
      had conceived prior to RYGB, 20 (18%) became pregnant post RYGB and a further 22
      patients (20%) were trying to conceive at the time of data collection. Three
      women had T2DM which resolved post BS. A suggestion of greater miscarriage risk
      prior to surgery in this sub-group will be confirmed as more women are recruited.
      Pregnancy is a frequent desire/occurrence after BS. This database study will
      advance understanding of the maternal and fetal outcomes of such pregnancies and
      inform antenatal care. 

PMID- 26104636
TI  - Early and late-onset pre-eclampsia.
AB  - There is discrepancy in the literature on the definitions of severe and early
      onset pre-eclampsia. We aimed to determine those definitions for clinical
      purposes and to introduce them in the classification of the hypertensive
      disorders of pregnancy forpublication purposes. We circulated a questionnaire to
      the International Committee of the International Society for the Study of
      Hypertension in Pregnancy focusing on the thresholds for defining severe
      preeclampsia and the gestation at which to define early-onset preeclampsia, and
      on the definition and inclusion of the HELLPsyndrome or other clinical features
      in severe preeclampsia. The questions were closed, but all answers had space for
      more open detailed comments.There was a general agreement to define preeclampsia
      as severe if blood pressure was ?160mmHg systolic or 110mmHg diastolic. There was
      scarce agreement on the amount of proteinuria to define severity. The HELLP
      syndrome was considered a feature to include in the severe classification. Most
      investigators considered early-onset preeclampsia as that occurring before 34
      weeks. A definition of pre-eclampsia is paramount for driving good clinical
      practice. Classifications on the other hand are useful to enable international
      comparisons of clinical data and outcomes. We used the results of this survey to
      update our previous classification for the purposes of providing clinical
      research definitions of severe and early onset pre- eclampsia that will hopefully
      be accepted in the international literature. 

PMID- 26104637
TI  - Diagnostic and predictive accuracy of placental growth factor in suspected pre
      eclampsia.
AB  - The diagnosis of preeclampsia can be difficult with considerable uncertainty when
      the presenting features are borderline. Moreover underlying medical conditions
      may obscure or simulate the onset of pre-eclampsia. There is a clinical need to
      be able to diagnose, more accurately, those forms of the disease that are likely
      to progress to an adverse fetal or maternal outcome. Maternal circulating
      placental growth factor (PIGF) concentrations are decreased in these women, in
      correlation with disease severity and gestational age of onset. In this study its
      diagnostic performance was evaluated with an accurate, point of care test. The
      PELICAN study was a prospective observational cohort study, in seven maternity
      units in the British Isles. 625 women presenting between 20+0 and 40+6 weeks
      gestation with suspected preeclampsia were recruited, excluding those already
      diagnosed with preeclampsia. PIGF was measured (Alere Triage(r) PIGF test) in the
      enrolment sample after all participants had delivered so that clinical decisions
      were not affected by its results. ISSHP definitions of hypertensive disease were
      assigned, blinded to PIGF values. Analysis was conducted to assess diagnostic
      accuracy of the enrolment PIGF level for placental dysfunction requiring delivery
      within 14days. In women who presented before 35 week's gestation the PIGF test
      predicted placental dysfunction, that required deliverywithin the next 14days,
      with the following characteristics: sensitivity 0.95 (0.86-0.98); specificity
      0.56 [0.49-0.63); NPV 0.97 (0.92-0.99); PPV0.42 (0.35-0.51). CONCLUSION: PIGF is
      a strong predictor of time-to-delivery and may be an independent and
      complementary tool to assist in diagnosis and risk stratification of pregnancies
      complicated by placental dysfunction. These valuable attributes are to be tested
      in prospecting randomised double-blind controlled trial.

PMID- 26104638
TI  - Pre-eclampsia: A complex and variable disease.
AB  - We would like to know the cause of pre-eclampsia. We would also like to be able
      to diagnose and treat it quickly and effectively, to be able to predict it
      accurately with one simple test and prevent it with safe and simple medication.
      But we cannot, nor on present evidence, will we ever be able to do so. Why is
      this? There are several reasons, which I will attempt to summarise: the heart of
      the problem is the complexity and variability of the disorder, which is so
      daunting that every specific statement about preeclampsia seems to have
      exceptions - it is truly a disease of exceptions. The cause of pre-eclampsia
      appears to be the placenta - in that the disorder can occur without a fetus as in
      hydatidiform mole, without a uterus as in abdominal pregnancy and is resolved by
      delivery (of the placenta). On the other hand some of the worst presentations are
      of women who are normal until delivery and then get a major crisis, eclampsia or
      the HELLP syndrome, immediately afterwards, when the placenta has gone. The
      placental problem is poor uteroplacental circulation secondary to inadequate
      remodelling of the spiral arteries that occurs between weeks 8 and week 18 (poor
      placentation). The maternal symptoms and signs arise from maternal endothelial
      dysfunction and an associated vascular inflammation. But the placental pathology
      can occur without features of pre-eclampsia and endothelial dysfunction can arise
      in mothers without placental disease (maternal pre-eclampsia). This apparent
      confusion can be resolved in part by recognising that pre-eclampsia is not a
      disease but a syndrome - encompassed by its defining features of new hypertension
      and proteinuria that remit after delivery. A syndrome is simply an empirical
      definition of a clinical presentation that demands action. It tells you nothing
      about pathogenesis. One syndrome usually encompasses several conditions and this
      is likely to be true of pre-eclampsia. The key here is to acknowledge that there
      are many routes to pre-eclampsia; that the final disorder arises from different
      mixes of environmental and genetic factors, with different contributions from the
      mother and the placenta. In terms of disease, the unique feature of the latter is
      that two individuals are involved, mother and baby, each with their different
      genetic make-ups. This can explain the heterogeneity of pre-eclampsia: for
      example the difference between early-onset disease with its high preponderance of
      fetuses that are growth restricted and prominent placental pathology in contrast
      to the late onset disease, which may be associated with large for gestational age
      fetuses and routinely reveals little placental pathology. Finally, many very mild
      features of pre-eclampsia arise towards term in normal healthy women. It is
      possible that all women are destined to get the disorder. Timing is the key
      feature, such that late gestation is a race against time: will spontaneous
      delivery occur before pre-eclampsia or vice versa? 

PMID- 26104639
TI  - Pre-eclampsia - A disease of an individual couple.
AB  - Preeclampsia still ranks as one of obstetrics major problems. Clinicians
      typically encounter preeclampsia as maternal disease with variable degrees of
      fetal involvement. More and more the unique immunogenetic maternal-paternal
      relationship is appreciated, and as such also the specific 'genetic conflict'
      that is characteristic of haemochorial placentation. From that perspective
      preeclampsia can also been seen as a disease of an individual couple with
      primarily maternal and fetal manifestations. Factors that are unique to a
      specific couple would include the length and type of sexual relationship, the
      maternal (decidual natural killer cells) acceptation of the invading
      cytotrophoblast (paternal HLA-C), and seminal levels of transforming growth
      factor-b and probably other cytokines. The magnitude of the maternal response
      would be determined by factors including a maternal set of genes determining her
      characteristic inflammatory responsiveness, age, quality of her endothelium,
      obesity/insulin resistance and probably a whole series of susceptibility genes
      amongst which the thrombophilias received a lot of attention in recent years. The
      maternal and fetal genomes perform different roles during development.
      Inheritable paternal, rather than maternal, imprinting of the genome is necessary
      for normal trophoblast development. Preeclampsia may relate to a 'hefty' genetic
      conflict, or a mother unable to cope with a 'physiologic' genetic conflict. The
      paternal contribution to preeclampsia, in addition to the actual act of
      fertilization is demonstrated by. 

PMID- 26104640
TI  - The role of maternal & fetal doppler in pre-eclampsia.
AB  - Pre-eclampsia is associated with significant maternal and fetal morbidity and
      mortality worldwide. Pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia and/or by fetal growth
      restriction are reported to have inadequate maternal vascular responses to
      placentation. This defective vascular response was due to the failure of second
      wave of endovascular trophoblast migration leading to both a reduced amount and
      depth of trophoblast invasion of myometrium followed by the development of
      placental hypoxia and ischemia that can be measured biophysically by means of
      Doppler Ultrasound. The role of Doppler in the screening and management of
      preeclampsia would be reviewed in here focusing on uterine artery,
      umbilicalartery (UA), middle cerebral artery (MCA) and ductus venosus (DV)
      waveforms. The commonly used flow velocity waveform (FVW) spectrum is used namely
      resistance index (RI), systolic/diastolic ratio (S/D) or pulsatility index (Pl).
      The presence or persistence of an early diastolic notch of uterine artery over 24
      weeks of pregnancy is predictive of subsequent preeclampsia and or IUGR later on.
      Umbilical artery Pl falls with gestational age, although mean Pl is relatively
      stable after 30 weeks gestation. While elevated indices are predictive of adverse
      outcome, absent or reversed end-diastolic velocities (AREDV) are of particular
      significance for growth restriction. Mean MCA Pl increases to approximately
      28weeks gestation and then falls to term. Progressive hypoxemia results in a
      reduction in MCA Pl and therefore values 5th centile are regarded as abnormal.
      The ratio of UA/MCA Pl has been widely used as an index of cerebral
      redistribution. The 9 51h centile for pulsatility index for vein (PIV) of ductus
      venosus FVW falls from 0.9 at 20 weeks to 0.7 at term, with values above this
      being regarded as abnormal. The absence or reversal of atrial systolic forward
      flow of DV FVW are of particular clinical significance. By using Doppler in the
      early detection of preeclampsia and its fetal complication namely growth
      restriction we can arrange the management decisions and monitoring strategy for
      preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26104641
TI  - Genetic and preeclampsia.
AB  - Preeclampsia is usually called as a disease of theories where the real
      etipatology still unclear. Preeclampsia is a medical complication of pregnancy
      which is characterized by hypertension and proteinuria after 20week pregnancy. It
      is kown that preeclampsia has a clear genetic component. Polymorphism of the KIR
      genes might be associated with the genetic predisposition of preeclampsia. It is
      found that the KIR3DL2 (Killer cell immunoglobuline-like receptor 3 domains, long
      cytoplasmic tail, 2 (KIR3DL2) gene expression was obviously decreased in
      preeclampsia and assumed that decreased KIR3DL2 gene expression weakened the
      protection of trophoblasts from being attacked by maternal immunological cell and
      made in adequate trophoblast invasion in early pregnancy. It causes insufficient
      utero-placental blood flow and the defective piacentation. 

PMID- 26104642
TI  - Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic implications of the carbon monoxide/hmox1
      and the hydrogen sulfide/CSE pathways in the prevention of pre-eclampsia and
      fetal growth restriction.
AB  - The exact aetiology of preeclampsia is unknown, but there is a good association
      with an imbalance in angiogenic growth factors and abnormal placentation (Ahmad
      and Ahmed, 2004). The incidence of preeclampsia is reduced by a third in smokers,
      but not in snuff users. Soluble Flt-1 (sFlt-1) and soluble endoglin (sEng) are
      increased prior to the clinical onset of preeclampsia. Animals exposed to high
      circulating levels of sFlt-1 and sEng elicit severe preeclampsia-like symptoms.
      Smokers have reduced circulating sFlt-1 and cigarette smoke extract decreases
      sFlt-1 release from placental villous explants. An anti-inflammatory enzyme, heme
      oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and its metabolite carbon monoxide (CO), inhibit sFlt-1 and
      sEng release. Women with preeclampsia exhale less CO than women with normal
      pregnancies and HO expression decreases as the severity of preeclampsia
      increases. In contrast, sFlt-1 levels increase with increasing severity. More
      importantly, chorionic villous sampling from women at eleven weeks gestation
      shows that HO-1 mRNA expression is decreased in women who go on to develop
      preeclampsia. Collectively, these facts provide compelling evidence to support
      the proposition that the pathogenesis of preeclampsia is largely due to loss of
      HO activity. This results in an increase in inflammation and excessive elevation
      of the two key anti-angiogenic factors responsible for the clinical signs of
      preeclampsia. The identification of a protective role for HO-1 in pregnancy,
      offers HO/CO pathway as a target for the treatment of preeclampsia. The
      cardiovascular drugs, statins, stimulate HO-1 expression and inhibit sFlt-1
      release in vivo and in vitro, suggesting statins have the potential to ameliorate
      preeclampsia. The StAmP trial is underway to address this and if positive, its
      outcome will lead to the very first therapeutic intervention to prolong affected
      pregnancies. Hydrogen sulphide (H2S), a gaseous messenger produced mainly by
      cystathionineY-lyase (CSE), is pro-angiogenic vasodilator (Yang et al., 2008;
      Papapetropoulos et al., 2009). We hypothesized that a reduction in CSE activity
      may alter the angiogenic balance in pregnancy and induce abnormal placentation
      and maternal hypertension. Plasma levels of H2S were significantly decreased in
      preeclamptic women (p<-0.01), which was associated with reduced CSE message and
      protein expression in human placenta as determined by real - time PCR and
      immunohistochemistry. Inhibition of CSE activity by DL-propargylglycine (PAG) in
      first trimester (8-12weeks gestation) human placental explants had reduced
      placenta growth factor (PIGF) production as assessed by ELISA and inhibited
      trophoblast invasion in vitro. Endothelial CSE knockdown by siRNA transfection
      increased the endogenous release of soluble fms-Like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1)
      and soluble endoglin, (sEng) from human umbilical vein endothelial cells while
      adenoviral-mediated CSE overexpression inhibited their release. Administration of
      PAG to pregnant mice induced hypertension, liver damage, and promoted abnormal
      labyrinth vascularisation in the placenta and decreased fetal growth. Finally, a
      slow releasing, H2S-generating compound, GYY4137, inhibited circulating sFlt-1
      and sEng levels and restored fetal growth that was compromised by PAG-treatment
      demonstrating that the effect of CSE inhibitor was due to inhibition of H2S
      production. These results imply that endogenous H2S is required for healthy
      placental vasculature and a decrease in of CSE/ H2S activity may contribute to
      the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This work was supported by
      grants from the Medical Research Council (G0601295 and G0700288) and Aston
      University StrategicFunds.

PMID- 26104643
TI  - Maternal and fetal factors and placentation: implications for pre-eclampsia.
AB  - The etiology of preeclampsia is still mysterious and a source of a variety of
      hypotheses. Accordingly, there is a number of theories present today describing
      different pathways how this disorder may develop. The most cited hypothesis on
      the etiology of preeclampsia is based on an inadequate remodeling of uterine
      spiral arteries in the placental bed due to superficial trophoblast invasion
      followed by placental hypoxia. Since maternal blood into the placenta is only
      established after week 12 of gestation, an effect of a failure in arterial
      remodeling can only affect the placenta starting with the second trimester of
      pregnancy. Recent studies on early predictive biomarkers for preeclampsia (such
      as PP13, fetal hemoglobin and PIGF) have indicated that there are changes of the
      villous trophoblast already weeks before the onset of maternal blood flow into
      the placenta, i.e. during mid first trimester. Moreover, a number of studies has
      shown that in cases with impaired trophoblast invasion resulting in inadequate
      remodeling of uterine spiral arteries placental hypoxia does not occur. In all
      these studies where mostly indirect assessments of placental oxygen have been
      performed, a higher oxygen partial pressure within the placenta has been
      measured. This is in clear contrast to the old hypothesis where placental hypoxia
      is essential for the etiology of preeclampsia. New biomarkers from the maternal
      and/or fetal compartment for the early prediction of preeclampsia may help in
      identifying the real etiology of preeclampsia. We need to use this momentum to
      decipher the real causes of this syndrome. 

PMID- 26104644
TI  - Oxygenation of the placenta and its role in pre-eclampsia.
AB  - Proper oxygenation of the placenta and hence the embryo/fetus is essential for a
      successful pregnancy. During the first trimester of pregnancy the partial
      pressure of oxygen in the placenta and the embryo is very low and does not exceed
      20mmHg. At the end of the first trimester maternal blood flow towards the
      placenta is established leading to a sudden increase in placental oxygenation to
      about 50-60mmHg. This level of oxygenation is keptuntil delivery. One of the
      numerous hypotheses to describe the etiology of preeclampsia, which is still the
      most cited hypothesis today, is based on a failure of extravillous trophoblast to
      invade the uterine spiral arteries in the placental bed. This in turn is believed
      to result in placental hypoxia and subsequently to damage of the villous
      trophoblast. Following this hypothesis, there is a series of events following
      these hypoxic conditions of the placenta. There is a large number of articles
      published that have investigated the effect of different oxygen concentrations on
      the phenotype of trophoblasts in vitro and have used this data to corroborate the
      hypothesis above. Unfortunately, one important aspect has not been addressed
      until recently: What is the placental oxygen concentration in placental
      pathologies such as preeclampsia in vivo? All studies that have tried to
      elucidate the placental oxygen concentration have done this indirectly, since
      direct measurements of placental oxygen in the third trimester of pregnancy have
      been defined as unethical. Not a single of such studies has revealed that
      oxygenation of the placenta in pregnancy pathologies is decreased. At the same
      time a number of studies have shown that in intra-uterine growth restriction
      (IUGR) placental oxygenation is increased rather than decreased. This has been
      shown to be true in the presence and absence of preeclampsia. This data clearly
      disprove the above hypothesis and should open our minds to decipherthe realcauses
      of preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26104645
TI  - The role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia.
AB  - Exclusively occurred during pregnancy, preeclampsia causing complex multisystem
      disorders that lead to maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. The major
      burden in discovering pathogenesis of preeclampsia is still widely noticed.
      Oxidative stress believed to be one of the major causalin its pathophysiology.
      Its role on reducing blood perfusion thorugh ischemia results on abnormal
      placentation. Dysfunction assumed to be caused by oxidative damage and
      antioxidant defence imbalance as it becoming a central feature in the
      pathophysiology of preeclampsia. This pathway is widely studied and acknowledged
      recent years. 

PMID- 26104646
TI  - Prediction, medical illness and the risk of pre-eclampsia.
AB  - Preeclampsia, the leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and
      mortality, has been recently considered not only a pregnancy disease but also a
      risk factor for developing diseases later in life. Preeclampsia is becoming a
      disease of interest to internists and not just obstetricians. Women who have had
      preeclampsia seem to be at higher risk of premature death, mortality from
      ischemic heart disease, cardiovascular diseases including ischemic heart disease
      and hypertension, fatal and non-fatal stroke, venous thromboembolism.renal
      failure, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, and cognitive defects,
      although they appear surprisingly protected from cancer. Furthermore, having had
      preeclampsia isa problem not only for the mother's future health, but it also
      affects the offspring's adult health. Children born from preeclamptic pregnancies
      are more prone to hypertension, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus,
      neurological problems, stroke, and mental disorders along their life.Whether
      preeclampsia is a risk factor for disease later in life or it creates long-term
      organ damage is an intriguing question. Understanding the etiological background
      may provide guidance for the prevention and follow-up of women who experience
      preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26104647
TI  - The characteristic of Indonesia's pre-eclampsia: From obstetric intensive care
      with ventilator until epidemiologic and its molecular biology profile of
      pulmonary edema in severe pre-eclampsia.
AB  - Pulmonary edema is among the least frequently diagnosed criteria for severe pre
      eclampsia. A higher incidence of pulmonary edema was noted in older patients,
      multigravidas, and patients with underlying chronic hypertension that developed
      prior to delivery. The development of pulmonary edema was also associated with
      the administration of excess colloid or crystaloid infusion. Two hundreds and
      thirty millions people occupying Indonesia as tropical and coastal country gave
      rise the problem of highly maternal mortality rate of 225/100,000 deliveries
      where pre-eclampsia and eclampsia as most possible cause. Over 5years from the
      year 2005 through 2009 our 160 eclampsia study observed about significantly
      correlation between typical estafet referred case and maternal mortality (Odds
      ratio 19.1 and P=0.065). Specifically those referred eclampsia cases arriving
      lately to our tertiary hospital, complication of pulmonary edema also apparently
      became determinant factor to uphold the increased maternal mortality (Odds ratio
      6.1 and P=0.083) We found at our teaching hospital Dr. Soetomo Surabaya as
      referral center along the year 2012, 477 pre-eclampsia-eclampsia cases which
      complicated by 27 cases of pulmonary from which we apply obstetric intensive care
      unit for tightly monitoring treatment. The majority use of ventilator were
      applied on 22 cases (81.4%), that most approximately 16 cases (72%) need 48h
      under ventilator use and the remaining 6 cases was not untill 5days of
      extubation. The etiology of pulmonary edema in preeclamptic patients involves
      multi-factors; abnormal COP-PWCP gradient, increased pulmonary capillary
      permeability, and left ventricular failure were identified causes. It has been
      well known that the pathogenesis of pulmonary edema in severe pre-eclampsia
      eclampsia initiated by capillary alveolar leakage that leading increased
      capillary permeability and extravascular fluid oncotic as well as decreased
      plasma oncotic pressure. In severe pre-eclampsia appear that another circumstance
      directing its worst state of inhibited angiogenesis related pulmonary edema. The
      study confirmed that the decreased serum albumin of ?3g% and its content of amino
      acid essentiale acitvate endoplasmic reticulum stress response in which indicated
      by increasingly produced GRP (Glucose Related-Protein) 78. It may affect the
      decreased VEGFR and may also be inhibiting angiogenesis and hypoxia as well. At
      such moment apparently pulmonary edema patient get worsening clinical sign. 

PMID- 26104648
TI  - Management of preeclampsia.
AB  - Most patients with a pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorder have no clinical
      symptoms. So it can only be reliably detected by repetitive searches (screening)
      for the early signs and symptoms in the 2nd half of pregnancy. Adequate and
      proper prenatal care is the most important part of management of preeclampsia.
      Maternal antenatal monitoring includes identifying women at increased risk, early
      detection of preeclampsia by recognizing clinical signs and symptoms, and to
      observe progression of the condition to the severe state. As the etiology of
      preeclampsia remains in question, the only effective treatment is to deliver the
      infant and placenta; ancillary therapy is predominantly symptomatic and not
      directed at underlying causes. Once the diagnosis of preeclampsia is made,
      subsequent therapy will depend on the results of initial maternal and fetal
      evaluation. The primary objective of management of preeclampsia must always be
      safety of the mother. Although delivery is always appropriate for the mother, it
      may not be optimal for the fetus that is extremely premature. The decision
      between delivery and expectant management depends on fetal gestational age,
      maternal and fetal status at time of initial evaluation, presence of labor or
      rupture of fetal membranes, and level of available neonatal and maternal
      services. It is important to emphasize that hypertension is merely one
      manifestation of this disease, albeit directly related to one of the most serious
      consequences for the mother, i.e cerebral involvement, which may manifest itself
      as convulsions, focal neurological events such as cortical blindness, and even
      cerebral hemorrhage. The benefits of acute pharmacologic control of severe
      hypertension prior to delivery are generally accepted. The more contentious
      issues are the role of pharmacologic therapy in allowing prolongation of
      pregnancy and the ability of such therapy to modify the course of the underlying
      systemic disorder and affect fetal and maternal outcome. Ali hypertensive drugs
      affect both the mother and the fetus; some may produce side effects in the mother
      and others may produce adverse effects on the fetus or the newborn. The indirect
      effects of antihypertensive drugs on the fetus may be by impairing uteroplacental
      perfusion or directly by influencing the fetal cardiovascular circulation. In
      general, women with mild disease developing at 37weeks' gestation or longer have
      a pregnancy outcome similar to that found in normotensive pregnancy. Thus, those
      patients should undergo induction of labor for delivery. Induction of labor
      and/or delivery is also recommended for those at or beyond 34 weeks' gestation in
      the presence of severe preeclampsia, labor or rupture of membranes, or non
      reassuring tests of fetal well-being because the mother is at slightly increased
      risk for development of placental abruption and progression to eclampsia. In
      women who remain undelivered, close maternal and fetal evaluation is essential.
      The type of test and frequency of evaluation will depend on fetal gestational age
      as well as severity of maternal condition, and presence or absence of IUGR. These
      tests should be repeated promptly in case of worsening maternal condition
      (progression to severe disease) or fetal condition (reduced fetal movement or
      suspected IUGR). Expectant management of severe preeclampsia:The clinical course
      of severe preeclampsia may be characterized by progressive deterioration in both
      maternal and fetal conditions. Because these pregnancies have been associated
      with increased rates of maternal morbidity and mortality and with significant
      risks for the fetus, there is universal agreement that such patients be delivered
      if the disease develops after 34weeks' gestational, 243. Delivery is also clearly
      indicated when there is imminent eclampsia (persistent severe symptoms),
      multiorgan dysfunction, severe IUGR, suspected placental abruption, or non
      reassuring fetal testing before 34 weeks' gestation. There is disagreement
      however, about treatment of patients with severe preeclampsia before 34 weeks'
      gestation where maternal condition is stable and fetal condition is reassuring.
      The Cochrane review on interventionist versus expectant care states that it is
      not possible to draw firm conclusions, as there are only two small trials (133
      women) that have compared a policy of early elective delivery, with a policy of
      delayed delivery, and the confidence intervals for all outcomes are wide.
      However, the evidence is promising that short-term morbidity for the baby may be
      reduced by a policy of expectant care. Sibai and Barton recently reviewed the
      literature on maternal and perinatal of expected management of severe
      preeclampsia remote from term and reviewed the major studies in the literature.
      Based on this review, they concluded that the results of these studies suggest
      that expectant treatment in a select group of women with severe preeclampsia
      between 24 0/7 and 32 6/7weeks of gestation in a suitable hospital is safe and
      improves neonatal outcome. Most studies on expectant management report 7-10days
      of prolongation. For gestational age of 24 0/7weeks, expectant treatment was
      associated with high maternal morbidity with limited perinatal benefit. 

PMID- 26104649
TI  - The six stages of pre-eclampsia.
AB  - For many years pre eclampsia has been considered to be a two-stage disease. The
      first stage comprises poor placentation. The second stage is the clinical
      expression of the disease namely new hypertension and new proteinuria. The first
      stage is preclinical and symptomless, which evolves between weeks 8 and 18 of
      pregnancy, when the uteroplacental circulation is established by spiral artery
      remodelling. Its consequence is dysfunctional perfusion of the intervillous space
      of the placenta with oxidative and haemodynamic stress. The damaged placenta
      releases excessive pro-inflammatory and antiangiogenic factors into the maternal
      circulation. With increasing knowledge, this model has become inadequate. First
      the antecedents of poor placentation have become clearer and are immunological in
      origin, reflecting the mother's ability to accommodate to the genetic foreignness
      of her unborn child. They begin, as discussed already in this meeting, with
      preconceptual tolerisation of the mother to the semen of the prospective father
      of her child. A lack of tolerisation, arising from a short interval between first
      coitus and conception increases the likelihood of poor placentation and pre
      eclampsia (Stage 1). This is presumed to affect the health and growth of the
      embryo immediately after implantation but there is little evidence of this at the
      moment (Stage 2). Placentation begins after week 8 when the uteroplacental
      circulation, which previously has been closed by trophoblast plugs in the spiral
      arteries, begins to open. Defective placentation may arise from premature
      opening, and perfusion of the intervillous space by oxygenised arterial blood
      before the placenta is equipped to cope with the stress. Placentation extends
      over about 10 weeks and, when it is defective, constitutes stage 3 of pre
      eclampsia. Stages 4-6 all occur in the second half of pregnancy. Stage 4 is
      associated with excessive or deficient placental derived factors in the mother's
      blood, secondary to placental damage, before the appearance of clinical signs.
      When the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia can be made stage 5 has begun. Stage 6
      affects less than half of women with pre-eclampsia. It is the superimposition of
      a second and later spiral artery lesion called acute atherosis, which has some
      resemblance to atherosclerosis, which is suffered by middle and old-aged, non
      pregnant adults. Its importance is that it further reduces uteroplacental
      perfusion and predisposes to spiral artery thrombosis, which underlies the
      occurrence of placental infarcts. The evidence for and the mechanisms of these
      multiple stages will be briefly presented. 

PMID- 26104650
TI  - The role of angiogenic factors in pre-eclampsia.
AB  - Preeclampsia is best described as a Pregnancy specific syndrome that can affect
      virtually every organ system. Preeclampsia, a systemic syndrome of pregnancy
      clinically characterized by new onset of proteinuria and hypertension, is
      associated with significant morbidity and mortality to both mothers and fetuses.
      Preeclampsia originates in the placenta, starting within adequate cytotrophoblast
      invasion and ending with widespread maternal endothelial dysfunction. Production
      of placental anti-angiogenic factors, specifically soluble fms-related tyrosine
      kinase 1 and soluble endoglin, have been shown to be upregulated in preeclampsia.
      These placental anti-angio-genic factors are released into the maternal
      circulation; their actions disrupt the maternal endothelium and result in
      hypertension, proteinuria, and the other systemic manifestations of preeclampsia.
      The molecular basis for placental dysregulation of these pathogenic factors
      remains unknown, remains unknown. Hypoxia is likely an important regulator. Other
      factors such as alterations in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis, immune
      maladaption, excessive shedding of trophoblast debris, oxidative stress, and
      genetic factors likely contribute to the pathogenesis of the abnormal
      placentation. The only successful treatment for preeclampsia is delivery. No
      definitive preventive strategies have been identified. 

PMID- 26104651
TI  - The role of albumin and endoplasmic reticulum in pathogenesis Preeclampsia.
      Changes of GRP78 and placental VEGF in preeclampsia.
AB  - Preeclampsia remains the highest causes of maternal mortality in Indonesia. This
      disease is known as "the disease of theories" since the etiology of this disease
      still obscure, but it is clearly accepted that this disease is correlated with
      placenta. The incidence of this disease increased in dr. Soetomo General Hospital
      during economic crisis in Indonesia, as nutritional problem occurred, but
      correlation between nutrition to preeclampsia still unclear. This study was
      conducted to find out the influence of hypoalbuminemia caused by alteration of
      amino acids and changes of GRP78 and placental VEGF in preeclampsia. METHOD: It
      was cross-sectional study among 10 patients with preeclampsia albumin ? gram/dL
      and 9 patients with preeclampsia albumin >3g/dL. Placenta collected was
      homogenized and blood was separated from the cells. Placental lysat, serum and
      plasma were stored -87 degrees C until laboratory analysis for GRP78 and VEGF.
      Data were analyzed using student t test, Manova. Pearson correlation, simple and
      multiple regressions. RESULT: There were alterations of amino acid's profile
      among albumin ?3g/dL compare with albumin >3g/dL. GRP78 concentration on albumin
      ?3g/dL group was higher, but were not significant. Weak negative correlation
      between albumins to GRP78 was found. Negative correlation were found in the
      groups of albumin ?3g/dL - GRP?425MUg/dL, but significant result only on albumin
      ?3g/dL - GRP?425MUg/dL. Positive correlation were found in the group of albumin
      >3g/dL - GRP>425MUg/dL. Response of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress appeared
      different depends on levels of albumin (stressor) and GRP78 (stress response
      protein). Placental VEGF were significantly lower in albumin ?3g/dL (p<0.05).
      Correlation between GRP78 on placental VEGF was negative with coefficient
      correlation was 3.8%. Placental VEGF profoundly decreased as correlation between
      albumin and GRP78 stronger. CONCLUSION: Alteration of amino acids profile
      influenced Albumin concentration. Hypoalbuminemia was a stressor that induced
      reticulum endoplasmic response by increasing GRP78, decreasing placental VEGF.
      Responses of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress depend on levels of stressor (albumin)
      and stress response protein (GRP78).

PMID- 26104652
TI  - Characterization of sulfur deposition over the period of industrialization in
      Japan using sulfur isotope ratio in Japanese cedar tree rings taken from stumps.
AB  - We characterized the sulfur deposition history over the period of
      industrialization in Japan based on the sulfur isotope ratio (delta(34)S) in tree
      rings of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) stumps. We analyzed and
      compared delta(34)S values in the rings from two types of disk samples from 170
      year-old stumps that had been cut 5 years earlier (older forest stand) and from
      40-year-old living trees (younger forest stand) in order to confirm the validity
      of using stump disks for delta(34)S analysis. No differences in delta(34)S values
      by age were found between the sample types, indicating that stump disks can be
      used for delta(34)S analysis. The delta(34)S profile in tree rings was
      significantly correlated with anthropogenic SO2 emissions in Japan (r = -0.76, p
      < 0.05) and, thus, tree rings serve as a record of anthropogenic sulfur
      emissions. In addition, the values did not change largely from pre
      industrialization to the 1940s (+4.2 to +6.10/00). The values before the 1940s
      are expected to reflect the background sulfur conditions in Japan and, thus,
      disks containing rings formed before the 1940s contain information about the
      natural environmental sulfur, which is useful for biogeochemical studies. 

PMID- 26104653
TI  - The cuticular plate: a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside a hair cell.
AB  - The mechanosensitive hair cells of the inner ear are crucial to hearing and
      vestibular function. Each hair cell detects the mechanical stimuli associated
      with sound or head movement with a hair bundle at the apical surface of the cell,
      consisting of a precise array of actin-based stereocilia. Each stereocilium
      inserts as a rootlet into a dense filamentous actin mesh known as the cuticular
      plate. Disruption of the parallel actin bundles forming the stereocilia results
      in hearing impairments and balance defects. The cuticular plate is thought to be
      involved in holding the stereocilia in place. However, the precise role of the
      cuticular plate in hair bundle development, maintenance, and hearing remains
      unknown. Ultrastructural studies have revealed a complex cytoskeletal
      architecture, but a lack of knowledge of proteins that inhabit the cuticular
      plate and a dearth of mutations that perturb relevant proteins have hindered our
      understanding of the functions of the cuticular plate. Here, we discuss what is
      known about the structure and development of this unique and poorly-understood
      actin-rich organelle.

PMID- 26104654
TI  - Phase 1 pharmacokinetic study of the oral pan-AKT inhibitor MK-2206 in Japanese
      patients with advanced solid tumors.
AB  - PURPOSE: MK-2206 is an oral, highly selective inhibitor of AKT. The safety,
      tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and anti-tumor activity of MK-2206 was
      evaluated in Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors. METHODS: Patients
      received a single oral dose of MK-2206 according to an every other day (QOD)
      dosing schedule or a once weekly (QW) dosing schedule in repeating 28-day
      treatment cycles, with a 7-day rest after only the first cycle. The dose-limiting
      toxicities (DLTs) were evaluated during Cycle 1. Full PK sampling was performed
      during Cycle 1. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients were treated at 45 mg (n = 3) or 60
      mg (n = 9) QOD or at 135 mg (n = 3) or 200 mg (n = 9) QW. One patient experienced
      a DLT at 60 mg QOD, and three patients experienced DLTs at 200 mg QW. No DLTs
      were observed at 45 mg QOD or at 135 mg QW. The DLTs included mucosal
      inflammation, hyponatremia, face edema, erythema multiforme, and hyperglycemia.
      Common adverse events related to MK-2206 included rash, an elevated insulin c
      peptide level, stomatitis, pyrexia, eosinophilia, leukopenia, and hyperglycemia.
      PK differences in MK-2206 exposure were observed between Japanese patients and
      non-Japanese patients. The higher exposure in Japanese patients was likely caused
      by the relatively lower weight of Japanese patients versus non-Japanese patients.
      No tumor responses were observed, but six patients exhibited stable disease
      lasting longer than 4 months. CONCLUSIONS: MK-2206 has an acceptable safety
      profile in Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors and warrants further
      investigation.

PMID- 26104655
TI  - Sonographic appearances of the epididymis in boys with acute testicular torsion
      but preserved testicular blood flow on color Doppler.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little attention has been given to the sonographic appearances of the
      epididymis in testicular torsion. OBJECTIVE: To describe the position and
      morphology of the epididymis in childhood acute testicular torsion when
      testicular flow is present on color Doppler sonography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      studied the sonographic findings in boys with clinically and surgically proven
      acute testicular torsion who were examined sonographically from May 2013 to May
      2014 and who had preserved intratesticular flow on color Doppler sonography. We
      retrospectively evaluated the sonograms with emphasis on the epididymal findings.
      RESULTS: In all nine boys with confirmed torsion but with preserved
      intratesticular flow on color Doppler sonography, the epididymal head had an
      unexpected configuration and size, and no close relationship with the upper pole
      of the testis. In five of these children the spermatic cord appeared twisted on
      the affected side. In the remaining four boys the spermatic cord appeared
      straight. CONCLUSION: The position and morphology of the head of the epididymis
      were abnormal in all boys with acute testicular torsion but with preserved
      testicular flow.

PMID- 26104656
TI  - Scylla serrata reovirus p35 protein expressed in Escherichia coli cells alters
      membrane permeability.
AB  - To promote viral entry, replication, release, and spread to neighboring cells,
      many cytolytic animal viruses encode proteins responsible for modification of
      host cell membrane permeability and for formation of ion channels in host cell
      membranes. Scylla serrata reovirus (SsRV) is a major pathogen that can severely
      damage mud crab (S. serrata) aquaculture. Protein p35, which is encoded by
      segment 10 of SsRV, contains two transmembrane domains. In this study, we found
      that SsRV p35 can induce membrane permeability changes when expressed in
      Escherichia coli. SsRV p35 expressed in bacterial cells existed as monomers under
      reducing conditions but formed homodimers and homotrimers under non-reducing
      conditions. These findings demonstrate that p35 may act as a viroporin; further
      studies are needed to elucidate the detailed structure-function relationships of
      this protein. 

PMID- 26104657
TI  - Preventing malaria transmission by indoor residual spraying in Malawi: grappling
      with the challenge of uncertain sustainability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the past decade, there has been rapid scale-up of insecticide
      based malaria vector control in the context of integrated vector management (IVM)
      according to World Health Organization recommendations. Endemic countries have
      deployed indoor residual spraying (IRS) and long-lasting insecticidal nets as
      hallmark vector control interventions. This paper discusses the successes and
      continued challenges and the way forward for the IRS programme in Malawi. CASE
      DESCRIPTION: The National Malaria Control Programme in Malawi, with its efforts
      to implement an integrated approach to malaria vector control, was the 'case' for
      this study. Information sources included all available data and accessible
      archived documentary records on IRS in Malawi. A methodical assessment of
      published and unpublished documents was conducted via a literature search of
      online electronic databases. DISCUSSION: Malawi has implemented IRS as the main
      malaria transmission-reducing intervention. However, pyrethroid and carbamate
      resistance in malaria vectors has been detected extensively across the country
      and has adversely affected the IRS programme. Additionally, IRS activities have
      been characterized by substantial inherent logistical and technical challenges
      culminating into missed targets. As a consequence, programmatic IRS operations
      have been scaled down from seven districts in 2010 to only one district in 2014.
      The future of the IRS programme in Malawi is uncertain due to limited funding,
      high cost of alternative insecticides and technical resource challenges being
      experienced in the country. CONCLUSIONS: The availability of a long-lasting
      formulation of the organophosphate pirimiphos-methyl makes the re-introduction of
      IRS a possibility and may be a useful approach for the management of pyrethroid
      resistance. Implementing the IVM strategy, advocating for sustainable domestic
      funding, including developing an insecticide resistance monitoring and management
      plan and vector surveillance guidelines will be pivotal in steering entomologic
      monitoring and future vector control activities in Malawi.

PMID- 26104659
TI  - Clonal architecture of del(5q) myelodysplastic syndromes: aberrant CD5 or CD7
      expression within the myeloid progenitor compartment defines a subset with high
      clonal burden.

PMID- 26104658
TI  - What are white matter hyperintensities made of? Relevance to vascular cognitive
      impairment.

PMID- 26104660
TI  - Effects of p38alpha/beta inhibition on acute lymphoblastic leukemia proliferation
      and survival in vivo.
AB  - P38alpha/beta has been described as a tumor-suppressor controlling cell cycle
      checkpoints and senescence in epithelial malignancies. However, p38alpha/beta
      also regulates other cellular processes. Here, we describe a role of
      p38alpha/beta as a regulator of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) proliferation
      and survival in experimental ALL models. We also report first evidence that
      p38alpha/beta phosphorylation is associated with the occurrence of relapses in
      TEL-AML1-positive leukemia. First, in vitro experiments show that p38alpha/beta
      signaling is induced in a cyclical manner upon initiation of proliferation and
      remains activated during log-phase of cell growth. Next, we provide evidence that
      growth-permissive signals in the bone marrow activate p38alpha/beta in a novel
      avian ALL model, in which therapeutic targeting can be tested. We further
      demonstrate that p38alpha/beta inhibition by small molecules can suppress
      leukemic expansion and prolong survival of mice bearing ALL cell lines and
      primary cells. Knockdown of p38alpha strongly delays leukemogenesis in mice
      xenografted with cell lines. Finally, we show that in xenografted TEL-AML1
      patients, ex vivo p38alpha/beta phosphorylation is associated with an inferior
      long-term relapse-free survival. We propose p38alpha/beta as a mediator of
      proliferation and survival in ALL and show first preclinical evidence for
      p38alpha/beta inhibition as an adjunct approach to conventional therapies. 

PMID- 26104661
TI  - Antileukemia multifunctionality of CD4(+) T cells genetically engineered by HLA
      class I-restricted and WT1-specific T-cell receptor gene transfer.
AB  - To develop gene-modified T-cell-based antileukemia adoptive immunotherapy,
      concomitant administration of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells that have been gene
      modified using identical HLA class I-restricted leukemia antigen-specific T-cell
      receptor (TCR) gene transfer has not yet been fully investigated. Here, using
      CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells that had been gene modified with a retroviral vector
      expressing HLA-A*24:02-restricted and Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1)-specific TCR
      alpha/beta genes and siRNAs for endogenous TCRs (WT1-siTCR/CD4(+) T cells and WT1
      siTCR/CD8(+) T cells), we examined the utility of this strategy. WT1-siTCR/CD4(+)
      T cells sufficiently recognized leukemia cells in an HLA class I-restricted
      manner and provided target-specific Th1 help for WT1-siTCR/CD8(+) T cells. By
      using a xenografted mouse model, we found that WT1-siTCR/CD4(+) T cells migrated
      to leukemia sites and subsequently attracted WT1-siTCR/CD8(+) T cells via
      chemotaxis. Therapy-oriented experiments revealed effective enhancement of
      leukemia suppression mediated by concomitant administration of WT1-siTCR/CD4(+) T
      cells and WT1-siTCR/CD8(+) T cells. Importantly, this augmented efficacy in the
      presence of WT1-siTCR/CD4(+) T cells was correlated with longer survival and
      enhanced formation of memory T cells by WT1-siTCR/CD8(+) T cells. Collectively,
      our experimental findings strongly suggest that this strategy would be clinically
      advantageous for the treatment of human leukemia. 

PMID- 26104662
TI  - Loss of HIF-1alpha accelerates murine FLT-3(ITD)-induced myeloproliferative
      neoplasia.
AB  - Hypoxia-induced signaling is important for normal and malignant hematopoiesis.
      The transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) has a
      crucial role in quiescence and self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs),
      as well as leukemia-initiating cells (LICs) of acute myeloid leukemia and chronic
      myeloid leukemia. We have investigated the effect of HIF-1alpha loss on the
      phenotype and biology of FLT-3(ITD)-induced myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN).
      Using transgenic mouse models, we show that deletion of HIF-1alpha leads to an
      enhanced MPN phenotype reflected by an increased number of white blood cells,
      more severe splenomegaly and decreased survival. The proliferative effect of HIF
      1alpha loss is cell intrinsic as shown by transplantation into recipient mice.
      HSC loss and organ-specific changes in the number and percentage of long-term
      HSCs were the most pronounced effects on a cellular level after HIF-1alpha
      deletion. Furthermore, we found a metabolic hyperactivation of malignant cells in
      the spleen upon loss of HIF-1alpha. Some of our findings are in contrary to what
      has been previously described for the role of HIF-1alpha in other myeloid
      hematologic malignancies and question the potential of HIF-1alpha as a
      therapeutic target. 

PMID- 26104665
TI  - [The role of induced pluripotent stem cells in modeling of neurological
      diseases].
AB  - The longitudinal follow-up of the development and course of central nervous
      system related diseases on a molecular level was unsolved for decades. Direct
      examination of the pathological state on organ or tissue levels was feasible in
      the late stage of the disease. Modeling diseases has an important role in
      studying the pathophysiological mechanism underlying central nervous system
      disorders but animals used as model organism due to species specific nervous
      system differences can lead to less valid conclusions in translational research.
      The model of induced pluripotent stem cells may help to solve partially these
      types of problems. In recent years this model had a strong effect on
      understanding the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental
      disorders. Although induced pluripotent stem cells have a low impact on clinical
      research studies, they have a prominent role in the field of cell physiology and
      molecular biology research.

PMID- 26104664
TI  - Rapamycin impairs endothelial cell function in human internal thoracic arteries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Definitive fate of the coronary endothelium after implantation of a
      drug-eluting stent remains unclear, but evidence has accumulated that treatment
      with rapamycin-eluting stents impairs endothelial function in human coronary
      arteries. The aim of our study was to demonstrate this phenomenon on functional,
      morphological and biochemical level in human internal thoracic arteries (ITA)
      serving as coronary artery model. METHODS: After exposure to rapamycin for 20 h,
      functional activity of ITA rings was investigated using the organ bath technique.
      Morphological analysis was performed by scanning electron microscopy and
      evaluated by two independent observers in blinded fashion. For measurement of
      endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) release, mammalian target of rapamycin
      (mTOR) and protein kinase B (PKB) (Akt) activation, Western blotting on human
      mammary epithelial cells-1 and on ITA homogenates was performed. RESULTS:
      Comparison of the acetylcholine-induced relaxation revealed a significant
      concentration-dependent decrease to 66 +/- 7 % and 36 +/- 7 % (mean +/- SEM)
      after 20-h incubation with 1 and 10 MUM rapamycin. Electron microscopic
      evaluation of the endothelial layer showed no differences between controls and
      samples exposed to 10 MUM rapamycin. Western blots after 20-h incubation with
      rapamycin (10 nM-1 MUM) revealed a significant and concentration-dependent
      reduction of p (Ser 1177)-eNOS (down to 38 +/- 8 %) in human mammary epithelial
      cells (Hmec)-1. Furthermore, 1 MUM rapamycin significantly reduced activation of
      p (Ser2481)-mTOR (58 +/- 11 %), p (Ser2481)-mTOR (23 +/- 4 %) and p (Ser473)-Akt
      (38 +/- 6 %) in ITA homogenates leaving Akt protein levels unchanged.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present data suggests that 20-h exposure of ITA rings to
      rapamycin reduces endothelium-mediated relaxation through down-regulation of Akt
      phosphorylation via the mTOR signalling axis within the ITA tissue without
      injuring the endothelial cell layer.

PMID- 26104666
TI  - [Next generation sequencing and its applications in non-invasive prenatal testing
      of aneuploidies].
AB  - The development of the new generation sequencing techniques brought a new era in
      the field of DNA sequencing, that also revolutionized the prenatal screening for
      aneuploidy. In order to provide a more complete view, the authors describe some
      first generation methods as well as the theoretical and technical background of
      the next generation methods. In the second part of this review, the authors
      focuse on non-invasive prenatal testing, which is a fetal cell-free DNA based
      method requiring advanced sequencing procedures. After discussing the theoretical
      and technical background, the authors review current application and utility of
      non-invasive prenatal testing. They conclude that non-invasive prenatal testing
      is the most effective screening test in high risk pregnancies and its efficiency
      can be justified in studies involving low risk pregnancies as well.

PMID- 26104663
TI  - A point mutation of zebrafish c-cbl gene in the ring finger domain produces a
      phenotype mimicking human myeloproliferative disease.
AB  - Controlled self-renewal and differentiation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor
      cells (HSPCs) are critical for vertebrate development and survival. These
      processes are tightly regulated by the transcription factors, signaling molecules
      and epigenetic factors. Impaired regulations of their function could result in
      hematological malignancies. Using a large-scale zebrafish N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea
      mutagenesis screening, we identified a line named LDD731, which presented
      significantly increased HSPCs in hematopoietic organs. Further analysis revealed
      that the cells of erythroid/myeloid lineages in definitive hematopoiesis were
      increased while the primitive hematopoiesis was not affected. The homozygous
      mutation was lethal with a median survival time around 14-15 days post
      fertilization. The causal mutation was located by positional cloning in the c-cbl
      gene, the human ortholog of which, c-CBL, is found frequently mutated in
      myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) or acute leukemia. Sequence analysis showed
      the mutation in LDD731 caused a histidine-to-tyrosine substitution of the amino
      acid codon 382 within the RING finger domain of c-Cbl. Moreover, the
      myeloproliferative phenotype in zebrafish seemed dependent on the Flt3 (fms-like
      tyrosine kinase 3) signaling, consistent with that observed in both mice and
      humans. Our study may shed new light on the pathogenesis of MPN and provide a
      useful in vivo vertebrate model of this syndrome for screening drugs. 

PMID- 26104667
TI  - [Cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome and blood pressure control].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome is a rare, hardly known condition,
      which can result in serious complications either after surgical or endovascular
      revascularization. Recognition of the typical triad (headache, seizure, focal
      neurological deficit) and the prompt radiological diagnosis (sonography, computed
      tomography) are crucial to achieve a favourable outcome. AIM: The aim of the
      authors was to select the endangered group and set up an effective therapeutic
      protocol based their own experience in combination with relevant literature data.
      METHOD: From the beginning of 2010 up to now three cases with these symptoms
      pursuant to the criteria of cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome have been recognized
      by the authors. RESULTS: Each of the three patients were treated by similar
      principles on intensive care unit, but the applied therapy resulted in complete
      remission in one patient only. CONCLUSIONS: At present there is no efficient
      diagnostic way to screen the endangered group, hence the only opportunity for
      prevention is the appropriate perioperative blood pressure control. If symptoms
      have developed already, urgent treatment is required.

PMID- 26104668
TI  - [Relationship between Machiavellianism and emotional and behavioral difficulties
      in adolescence].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Machiavellianism is a personality trait that is characterized by
      intense interpersonal manipulation in order to achieve personal material goals.
      Previous studies revealed a relationship between Machiavellianism and diverse
      forms of psychological difficulties in adults. AIM: Studies also revealed such
      relationships in adolescents as well, but studies investigating the relationship
      between Machiavellianism and psychological difficulties in adolescents are still
      absent in Hungary. METHOD: In this study 502 secondary school students (356
      girls) filled out questionnaires that measured Machiavellianism and psychological
      and behavioral difficulties. RESULTS: Machiavellianism was associated with higher
      total problem score. This resulted mainly from higher scores on scales measuring
      emotional and behavioral problems. Moreover, hyperactivity and lack of prosocial
      behavior were also associated with Machiavellianism. At the same time,
      Machiavellian adolescents did not differ in self-reported loneliness from their
      peers. CONCLUSIONS: The author discusses the results in the light of previous
      research and from the perspective of emotion and behavior regulation. Practical
      aspects of the results are also discussed in the context of prevention.

PMID- 26104669
TI  - [Not everything is coeliac disease what it seems].
AB  - The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease is ten times more common in patients
      with celiac disease; however, studies investigating the reverse relation have
      contradictory findings. Many gene polymorphisms are known to be present in both
      diseases; furthermore, similarities observed in their pathophysiological
      mechanism, their family concomitance, results of the serologic analysis and their
      macroscopic and microscopic symptoms in the gastro-intestinal system suggest a
      relevant association between the two diseases. The author presents the history of
      four patients, of whom two had both Crohn's and coeliac diseases. In the two
      other patients with inflammatory bowel disease the possible diagnosis of coeliac
      disease was suspected, but after additional examinations coeliac disease was
      excluded in one patient and seemed to be unlikely in the other patient. The
      author concludes that the differential diagnosis of the two diseases is not easy
      and if one of them is diagnosed, the possible presence of the other one should be
      taken into consideration.

PMID- 26104670
TI  - [The impact factor and those who dislike it].
AB  - Since its introduction in 1976, the impact factor is permanently a subject of
      both criticism and glorification. This paper gives an overview on what actually
      the reservations and objections attack. A closer look often reveals that the
      criticisms are not against the specific substantial features of the impact
      factor. They may formulate much more general doubts or, on the other hand,
      superficial technical details, easily remediable flaws or inconsistensies
      resulting erroneous use.

PMID- 26104671
TI  - [Caesarean section performed by Semmelweis in Pest in 1857].

PMID- 26104672
TI  - Membranes with artificial free-volume for biofuel production.
AB  - Free-volume of polymers governs transport of penetrants through polymeric films.
      Control over free-volume is thus important for the development of better
      membranes for a wide variety of applications such as gas separations,
      pharmaceutical purifications and energy storage. To date, methodologies used to
      create materials with different amounts of free-volume are based primarily on
      chemical synthesis of new polymers. Here we report a simple methodology for
      generating free-volume based on the self-assembly of polyethylene-b
      polydimethylsiloxane-b-polyethylene triblock copolymers. We have used this method
      to fabricate a series of membranes with identical compositions but with different
      amounts of free-volume. We use the term artificial free-volume to refer to the
      additional free-volume created by self-assembly. The effect of artificial free
      volume on selective transport through the membranes was tested using
      butanol/water and ethanol/water mixtures due to their importance in biofuel
      production. We found that the introduction of artificial free-volume improves
      both alcohol permeability and selectivity. 

PMID- 26104673
TI  - Microbial community development on the surface of Hans and Werenskiold Glaciers
      (Svalbard, Arctic): a comparison.
AB  - Surface ice and cryoconite holes of two types of polythermal Svalbard Glaciers
      (Hans Glacier--grounded tidewater glacier and Werenskiold Glacier-land-based
      valley glacier) were investigated in terms of chemical composition, microbial
      abundance and diversity. Gathered data served to describe supraglacial habitats
      and to compare microbe-environment interactions on those different type glaciers.
      Hans Glacier samples displayed elevated nutrient levels (DOC, nitrogen and
      seston) compared to Werenskiold Glacier. Adjacent tundra formations, bird nesting
      sites and marine aerosol were candidates for allochtonic enrichment sources.
      Microbial numbers were comparable on both glaciers, with surface ice containing
      cells in the range of 10(4) mL(-1) and cryoconite sediment 10(8) g(-1) dry
      weight. Denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis band-based clustering revealed
      differences between glaciers in terms of dominant bacterial taxa structure.
      Microbial community on Werenskiold Glacier benefited from the snow-released
      substances. On Hans Glacier, this effect was not as pronounced, affecting mainly
      the photoautotrophs. Over-fertilization of Hans Glacier surface was proposed as
      the major factor, desensitizing the microbial community to the snow melt event.
      Nitrogen emerged as a limiting factor in surface ice habitats, especially to
      Eukaryotic algae.

PMID- 26104675
TI  - Causes and hemodynamic findings in chronic severe pulmonary regurgitation.
AB  - Severe pulmonary regurgitation (PR) most commonly occurs as a sequelae of
      treatment of pulmonic stenosis or Tetralogy of Fallot with fewer cases of primary
      pulmonic valvular regurgitation. The amount of PR is influenced by valvular
      integrity, right ventricular (RV) size, and RV diastolic pressures. In chronic
      severe PR, the RV remodels to accommodate the regurgitant flow and RV stroke
      volume increases to maintain effective forward blood flow. Hemodynamic changes
      include a widened pulmonary artery (PA) pulse pressure and low PA diastolic
      pressures. As the amount of regurgitation increases, RV end diastolic pressure
      becomes elevated and systemic cardiac output is reduced, especially with
      exercise. "Ventricularization" of the PA pressure tracing, in which the contour
      of the PA pressure is similar to the contour of the RV pressure, is a specific
      but not sensitive finding in severe PR. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26104674
TI  - Membrane-bound amylopullulanase is essential for starch metabolism of Sulfolobus
      acidocaldarius DSM639.
AB  - Sulfolobus acidocaldarius DSM639 produced an acid-resistant membrane-bound
      amylopullulanase (Apu) during growth on starch as a sole carbon and energy
      source. The physiological role of Apu in starch metabolism was investigated by
      the growth and starch degradation pattern of apu disruption mutant as well as
      biochemical properties of recombinant Apu. The Deltaapu mutant lost the ability
      to grow in minimal medium in the presence of starch, and the amylolytic activity
      observed in the membrane fraction of the wild-type strain was not detected in the
      Deltaapu mutant when the cells were grown in YT medium. The purified membrane
      bound Apu initially hydrolyzed starch, amylopectin, and pullulan into various
      sizes of maltooligosaccharides, and then produced glucose, maltose, and
      maltotriose in the end, indicating Apu is a typical endo-acting glycoside
      hydrolase family 57 (GH57) amylopullulanase. The maltose and maltotriose observed
      in the culture medium during the exponential and stationary phase growth
      indicates that Apu is the essential enzyme to initially hydrolyze the starch into
      small maltooligosaccharides to be transported into the cell.

PMID- 26104677
TI  - Suspected cancer (part 1--children and young adults): visual overview of updated
      NICE guidance.

PMID- 26104676
TI  - Age-related increases in amyloid beta and membrane attack complex: evidence of
      inflammasome activation in the rodent eye.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The membrane attack complex (MAC) is a key player in the pathogenesis
      of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and is a putative activator of the
      NLRP3 inflammasome. Amyloid beta (Abeta), a component of drusen deposits, has
      also been implicated in inflammasome activation by our work and those of others.
      However, the interactions of MAC and Abeta are still poorly understood,
      especially their roles in aging and retinal degenerative pathologies. Since
      inflammasome activation may represent a key cellular pathway underlying age
      related chronic inflammation in the eye, the purpose of this study is to identify
      the effects associated with MAC and inflammasome activation in the retinal
      pigment epithelium (RPE)/choroid and to evaluate the therapeutic merits of MAC
      suppression. METHODS: Adult Long-Evans rats were divided into treatment and
      control groups. Treatment groups received oral aurin tricarboxylic acid complex
      (ATAC), a MAC inhibitor, in drinking-water, and control groups received drinking
      water alone (No ATAC). Groups were sacrificed at 7.5 or 11.5 months, after
      approximately 40 days of ATAC treatment. To study age-related changes of Abeta
      and MAC in RPE/choroid, naive animals were sacrificed at 2.5, 7.5, and 11.5
      months. Eye tissues underwent immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis for
      MAC, Abeta, NF-kappaB activation, as well as cleaved caspase-1 and IL-18. Vitreal
      samples were collected and assessed by multiplex assays for secreted levels of IL
      18 and IL-1beta. Statistical analyses were performed, and significance level was
      set at p <= 0.05. RESULTS: In vivo studies demonstrated an age-dependent increase
      in MAC, Abeta, and NF-kappaB activation in the RPE/choroid. Systemic ATAC
      resulted in a prominent reduction in MAC formation and a concomitant reduction in
      inflammasome activation measured by cleaved caspase-1 and secreted levels of IL
      18 and IL-1beta, but not in NF-kappaB activation. In vitro studies demonstrated
      Abeta-induced MAC formation on RPE cells. CONCLUSIONS: Age-dependent increases in
      Abeta and MAC are present in the rodent outer retina. Our results suggest that
      suppressing MAC formation and subsequent inflammasome activation in the
      RPE/choroid may reduce chronic low-grade inflammation associated with IL-18 and
      IL-1beta in the outer retina.

PMID- 26104678
TI  - Reactivity of rat bone marrow-derived macrophages to neurotransmitter stimulation
      in the context of collagen II-induced arthritis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Numerous observations indicate that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has a
      bone marrow component. In parallel, local synovial changes depend on neuronal
      components of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system. Here, we wanted to
      analyze whether collagen II-induced arthritis (CIA) has an impact on number,
      adhesion, apoptosis, and proliferation of the macrophage subset of bone marrow
      cells and how alterations in neurotransmitter microenvironment affect these
      properties. METHODS: Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) were isolated from
      Dark Agouti rats at different stages of CIA, and number, adhesion, caspase 3/7
      activity, and proliferation were analyzed in the presence of acetylcholine (ACh),
      noradrenaline (NA), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). RESULTS: Opposed to
      enhanced CD11b(+) (cluster of differentiation 11b-positive) and EMR1(+)
      (epidermal growth factor-like module-containing mucin-like hormone receptor-like
      1-positive) cells, characterizing the macrophage subset, in native bone marrow of
      rats with acute inflammatory arthritis, we found decreased numbers of CIA
      macrophages after enrichment and culture in comparison with healthy (control)
      animals. Adhesion studies revealed significantly reduced attachment to plastic in
      acute arthritis and collagen type I and fibronectin in chronic arthritis.
      Additionally, we found a strong reduction in proliferation of BMMs at CIA onset
      and in the chronic phase of CIA. Apoptosis remained unaffected. Neurotransmitter
      stimulation profoundly affected proliferation, adhesion, and apoptosis of BMMs
      from CIA and control rats, depending on disease time point. Cultured BMMs from
      CIA and control animals expressed neurotransmitter receptors for ACh, VIP and NA,
      but the expression profile seemed not to be affected by CIA. CONCLUSIONS:
      Induction of CIA distinctly inhibits proliferation of BMMs in low- and non
      inflammatory phases and reduces attachment to plastic at the acute inflammatory
      arthritis stage and adhesion to collagen I and fibronectin at the chronic stage.
      Influence of neurotransmitter stimulation on adhesion, apoptosis, and
      proliferation is altered by CIA depending on disease stage. We suggest an altered
      reactivity of BMMs to neurotransmitter stimulation caused by CIA and maybe also
      by aging.

PMID- 26104679
TI  - Impetigo herpetiformis with IL36RN mutations in a Chinese patient: A founder
      haplotype of c.115+6T>C in East Asia.

PMID- 26104680
TI  - Corticosteroid-induced psychiatric disturbances: It is time for pharmacists to
      take notice.
AB  - Corticosteroids are widely used to relieve signs and symptoms arising from many
      diseases, including common inflammatory and autoimmune disorders affecting a
      number of organ systems. However, corticosteroids also induce significant adverse
      effects; in particular, a range of severe psychiatric adverse effects may occur
      including delirium, depression, mania, psychosis and cognitive/memory impairment.
      These adverse effects occur in up to 60% of patients taking corticosteroids and
      recent studies show an increased rate of psychopathologies in this population.
      Long-term adverse effects on mood and behavior are severely debilitating, thereby
      influencing the quality of life, employment and health status of individuals
      taking corticosteroids. Strategies used to manage corticosteroid-induced
      psychiatric disturbances through psychotropic drugs vary significantly. This
      commentary summarizes existing literature on mechanisms underlying corticosteroid
      induced psychiatric adverse effects and evidence associated with using
      psychotropic drugs to manage these effects. Despite its importance, there is an
      absolute dearth in the literature examining pharmacists' understanding and
      perceptions of psychiatric adverse effects of corticosteroids. Educational
      programs need to be implemented so that pharmacists can counsel patients about
      how to recognize corticosteroid-induced psychiatric disturbances. Physicians do
      not consistently alert patients to watch for behavioral changes, and patients may
      feel that mood changes they experience fall within the category of 'normal
      behavior,' and thus are less likely to report them. Given that patients taking
      corticosteroids usually have complex medical histories, discussions of adverse
      effects with pharmacists are vital to improve health outcomes in this population.

PMID- 26104681
TI  - England's Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) initiative: Facilitating the engagement
      of pharmacy support staff in public health.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The concept of the Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) in England was first
      piloted in Portsmouth in 2010. HLPs proactively promote health and wellbeing,
      offering brief advice, services or signposting on a range of health issues such
      as smoking, physical activity, sexual health, healthy eating and alcohol
      consumption. OBJECTIVES: To explore the views and attitudes of pharmacy support
      staff on the Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) initiative. METHODS: Qualitative semi
      structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with pharmacy support staff
      recruited from community pharmacies involved in the HLP initiative in the
      Northumberland region of England. A topic guide was developed which underwent
      face validity testing and piloting with one participant. Interviews were audio
      recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using framework technique. RESULTS: A
      total of 21 pharmacy support staff from 12 HLPs participated in the study.
      Results suggest that involving pharmacy support staff at very early stages of the
      HLP planning process drives their motivation for service delivery. Level of
      engagement with HLP services was often related to support staff roles within
      pharmacy. Integration of public health roles with routine pharmacy activities was
      perceived to be more suited to pharmacy counter based roles than dispensing
      roles. Further training needs were identified around how to proactively deliver
      public health advice, mainly in service areas perceived 'difficult' by the
      participants, such as weight management. A total of 19 facilitators/barriers were
      identified from the data including training, access to information, client
      feedback, availability of space and facilities within pharmacies, time and
      competing priorities. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacy support staff engagement with the HLP
      initiative can be promoted by involving them from the outset of the service
      introduction process. Support staff might benefit from targeted training around
      certain public health areas within the HLP initiative. Facilitators/barriers
      identified in this study will inform development and further roll out of HLP
      initiative in wider areas.

PMID- 26104682
TI  - YY1 regulates melanoma tumorigenesis through a miR-9 ~ RYBP axis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Yin Yang 1 (YY1) transcription factor has been identified to
      target a plethora of potential target genes, which are important for cell
      proliferation and differentiation. Although the role that YY1 plays in different
      human types of cancer has been reported, its biological and mechanistic
      significance in melanoma has not been well defined. METHODS: Quantitative RT-PCR
      analysis was used to determine whether aberrant YY1 and miR-9 expression occurred
      in melanoma, compared with benign nevi and normal tissue controls. Furthermore,
      the transcriptional regulation of YY1 on miR-9 expression was assessed by using
      quantitative ChIP-PCR assay. Subsequently, the effects of YY1 and miR-9 on
      proliferation, cell cycle, migration and invasion of melanoma cells were detected
      using CCK-8, flow cytometric analysis, wound healing and transwell invasion
      assays, respectively. Finally, the post-transcriptional regulation of miR-9 on
      RYBP was analyzed using luciferase reporter and immunoblot analysis. RESULTS:
      Elevated YY1 levels were observed in patients with melanoma, compared with benign
      nevi and normal tissue controls, and the increased YY1 was associated with
      melanoma metastasis state and tumor stage. Furthermore, YY1 negatively regulated
      miR-9 transcription. Silencing of YY1 inhibited proliferation, cell cycle
      progression, migration and invasion in melanoma cells, while ectopic of miR-9 did
      the same. Additionally, RYBP was shown to be a direct target of miR-9 through
      binding to its 3' UTR, thus forming a YY1 ~ miR-9 ~ RYBP axis. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results identify a novel YY1 ~ miR-9 ~ RYBP axis involved in melanoma
      tumorigenesis and reinforce the idea that regulatory circuitries involving miRNAs
      and TFs are prevalent mechanisms.

PMID- 26104683
TI  - Police referrals at the psychiatric emergency service in Taiwan.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The police are the frontline workers in crisis situations involving
      patients with severe mental illness and act as a primary referral source for
      psychiatric emergency services (PES) in the community. The aims of this study
      were to investigate the distribution and characteristics of police referral among
      psychiatric patients in Taiwan. METHODS: The study cohort consisted of patients
      who visited the PES of Taipei City Psychiatric Center from January 2009 to
      December 2010. The associations between the factors of demographics, clinical
      characteristics, and psychiatric service utilization and police referral were
      evaluated. RESULTS: Among the 7656 psychiatric emergency visits, 3029 (39.6%)
      were referred by the police. These patients referred by police were more likely
      to be male and aged between 30 to 49 years. Clinical factors related to police
      referrals including a higher triage assessment level, chief problems included
      violence, disturbance, substance use, less anxiety, and a diagnosis of
      unspecified psychosis. The triage assessment level and chief problems assessed by
      nurses were major predictors. These patients tended to be referred from the
      catchment area and during the nighttime shift, were discharged during the daytime
      shift, and stayed longer in the PES. Disposition arrangements such as discharge
      against medical advice and involuntary admission were also associated with police
      referrals. DISCUSSION: Patients referred by the police to the PES were those with
      more severe psychiatric problems and illnesses assessed by psychiatric nurses and
      psychiatrists. They tended to have more complex service utilization at the PES.

PMID- 26104684
TI  - Resonant tunnelling in a quantum oxide superlattice.
AB  - Resonant tunnelling is a quantum mechanical process that has long been attracting
      both scientific and technological attention owing to its intriguing underlying
      physics and unique applications for high-speed electronics. The materials system
      exhibiting resonant tunnelling, however, has been largely limited to the
      conventional semiconductors, partially due to their excellent crystalline
      quality. Here we show that a deliberately designed transition metal oxide
      superlattice exhibits a resonant tunnelling behaviour with a clear negative
      differential resistance. The tunnelling occurred through an atomically thin,
      lanthanum delta-doped SrTiO3 layer, and the negative differential resistance was
      realized on top of the bipolar resistance switching typically observed for
      perovskite oxide junctions. This combined process resulted in an extremely large
      resistance ratio (~10(5)) between the high and low-resistance states. The
      unprecedentedly large control found in atomically thin delta-doped oxide
      superlattices can open a door to novel oxide-based high-frequency logic devices. 

PMID- 26104685
TI  - Influence of day of surgery on mortality following elective colorectal
      resections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the increased
      mortality previously identified for surgery performed on Fridays was apparent
      following major elective colorectal resections and how this might be affected by
      case mix. METHODS: Patients undergoing elective colorectal resections in England
      from 2001 to 2011 were identified using Hospital Episode Statistics. Propensity
      scores were used to match patients having operations on a Friday in a 1 : 1 ratio
      with those undergoing surgery on other weekdays. Multivariable analyses were used
      to investigate overall deaths within 1 year of operation. RESULTS: A total of
      204,669 records were extracted for patients undergoing major elective colorectal
      resections. Patients who had surgery on Fridays were more deprived (4780 (17.1
      per cent) of 27,920 versus 28,317 (16.0 per cent) of 176,749; P < 0.001), a
      greater proportion had had an emergency admission in the 3 previous months (7870
      (28.2 per cent) of 27,920 versus 48,623 (27.5 per cent) of 176,749; P = 0.019),
      underwent minimal access surgery (4565 (16.4 per cent) of 27,920 versus 23,783
      (13.5 per cent) of 176,749; P < 0.001) and had surgery for benign diagnoses (6502
      (23.3 per cent) of 27,920 versus 38,725 (21.9 per cent) of 176,749; P < 0.001)
      than those who had surgery on Mondays to Thursdays. In a matched analysis the
      odds ratio for 30-day mortality after colorectal resections performed on Fridays
      compared with other weekdays was 1.25 (95 per cent c.i. 1.13 to 1.37); odds
      ratios for 90-day and 1-year mortality were 1.16 (1.07 to 1.25) and 1.10 (1.04 to
      1.16) respectively. CONCLUSION: Patients selected for colorectal resections on
      Fridays had a higher mortality rate than patients operated on from Monday to
      Thursday and had different characteristics, suggesting that increased mortality
      may reflect patient factors rather than hospital variables alone.

PMID- 26104686
TI  - In Vitro Evaluation of the Effect of 7-Methyl Substitution on Glucuronidation of
      Daphnetin: Metabolic Stability, Isoform Selectivity, and Bioactivity Analysis.
AB  - The C-8 phenol group is essential to exert the bioactivities of daphnetin, but it
      is readily conjugated with glucuronic acid prior to excretion. In this study,
      daphnetin-7-methylether (7M-DNP) was used to investigate the effect of 7-methyl
      substitution on daphnetin glucuronidation in human/rat liver (HLM/RLM) and
      intestine (HIM/RIM) microsomes, and recombinant UDP-glucuronosyltransferases
      (UGTs). Compared with daphnetin, the Vmax /Km values of 7M-DNP via 8-O
      glucuronidation were 2.1-fold lower in HLM, 1.7-fold lower in HIM, and 2.4-fold
      lower in RLM, suggesting an improvement in metabolic stability. Different from
      daphnetin 8-O-glucuronidation exclusively catalyzed by UGT1A6 and UGT1A9, UGT1A1,
      -1A3, -1A7, -1A8, and -1A9 showed glucuronidation activity toward 7M-DNP.
      Kinetics studies, chemical inhibition, and the relative activity factor approach
      were used to demonstrate that UGT1A9 was mainly responsible for the reaction in
      HLM, whereas UGT1A1 was a primary contributor in HIM. The Vmax /Km values of 7M
      DNP glucuronidation in HLM and HIM were 0.61-0.74-fold lower than those of rat,
      suggesting the differences between the two species. The bioactivity analysis
      demonstrated that 7M-DNP had an anti-inflammatory activity comparable to that of
      daphnetin. These findings indicated that the outcomes of 7-methyl substitution on
      daphnetin might be positive, but this should be confirmed in future in vivo
      studies.

PMID- 26104687
TI  - Continuous poly(2-oxazoline) triblock copolymer synthesis in a microfluidic
      reactor cascade.
AB  - Cationic ring-opening polymerizations of 2-oxazolines were investigated in
      continuous microflow reactors. Fast homopolymerizations of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline
      (EtOx) and 2-n-propyl-2-oxazoline (nPropOx) were carried out up to 180  degrees
      C, yielding well-controlled polymers. Also well-defined diblock and triblock
      copolymers were produced in a microfluidic reactor cascade, demonstrating the
      high value of microflow synthesis for the built-up of advanced poly(2-oxazoline)
      based polymers. 

PMID- 26104688
TI  - Reproducible and label-free biosensor for the selective extraction and rapid
      detection of proteins in biological fluids.
AB  - Erythropoietin (EPO), a glycoprotein hormone of ~ 34 kDa, is an important
      hematopoietic growth factor, mainly produced in the kidney and controls the
      number of red blood cells circulating in the blood stream. Sensitive and rapid
      recombinant human EPO (rHuEPO) detection tools that improve on the current
      laborious EPO detection techniques are in high demand for both clinical and
      sports industry. A sensitive aptamer-functionalized biosensor (aptasensor) has
      been developed by controlled growth of gold nanostructures (AuNS) over a gold
      substrate (pAu/AuNS). The aptasensor selectively binds to rHuEPO and, therefore,
      was used to extract and detect the drug from horse plasma by surface enhanced
      Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Due to the nanogap separation between the
      nanostructures, the high population and distribution of hot spots on the pAu/AuNS
      substrate surface, strong signal enhancement was acquired. By using wide area
      illumination (WAI) setting for the Raman detection, a low RSD of 4.92% over 150
      SERS measurements was achieved. The significant reproducibility of the new
      biosensor addresses the serious problem of SERS signal inconsistency that hampers
      the use of the technique in the field. The WAI setting is compatible with
      handheld Raman devices. Therefore, the new aptasensor can be used for the
      selective extraction of rHuEPO from biological fluids and subsequently screened
      with handheld Raman spectrometer for SERS based in-field protein detection.

PMID- 26104690
TI  - The Ty1 LTR-Retrotransposon of Budding Yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - Long-terminal repeat (LTR)-retrotransposons generate a copy of their DNA (cDNA)
      by reverse transcription of their RNA genome in cytoplasmic nucleocapsids. They
      are widespread in the eukaryotic kingdom and are the evolutionary progenitors of
      retroviruses. The Ty1 element of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was
      the first LTR-retrotransposon demonstrated to mobilize through an RNA
      intermediate, and not surprisingly, is the best studied. The depth of our
      knowledge of Ty1 biology stems not only from the predominance of active Ty1
      elements in the S. cerevisiae genome but also the ease and breadth of genomic,
      biochemical, and cell biology approaches available to study cellular processes in
      yeast. This review describes the basic structure of Ty1 and its gene products,
      the replication cycle, the rapidly expanding compendium of host cofactors known
      to influence retrotransposition, and the nature of Ty1's elaborate symbiosis with
      its host. Our goal is to illuminate the value of Ty1 as a paradigm to explore the
      biology of LTR-retrotransposons in multicellular organisms, where the low
      frequency of retrotransposition events presents a formidable barrier to
      investigations of retrotransposon biology. 

PMID- 26104689
TI  - Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of the ethanolic extract of
      Annona vepretorum Mart. (Annonaceae) in rodents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Annona vepretorum Mart. (Annonaceae) is a native tree from Caatinga
      (Brazilian Northeastern savanna biome), popularly known as "araticum" and "pinha
      da Caatinga". In this study, we investigated the effects of the crude ethanolic
      extract (Av-EtOH) in models of pain and inflammation in rodents. METHODS: The
      evaluation of antinociceptive activity was carried out by the acetic acid-induced
      writhing, formalin, hot plate and tail flick tests, while paw edema induced by
      carrageenan or histamine, and leukocyte migration to the peritoneal cavity were
      used for anti-inflammatory profile. Histological analyses also were carried out.
      RESULTS: Av-EtOH (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg, p.o) significantly reduced the number of
      writhing (P < 0.01) and decreased (P < 0.01) the paw licking time in both phases
      of the formalin test. In the hot plate and tail flick tests, this extract
      increased the reaction time, consequently reduced painful behavior. The effects
      in the formalin and hot plate tests were antagonized by naloxone. Av-EtOH
      inhibited significantly (P < 0.01) the increase in the edema volume after
      administration of carrageenan and histamine. In the peritonitis test, acute pre
      treatment with Av-EtOH inhibited leukocyte migration. Histological analysis
      showed less inflammation in the groups treated with the extract when the
      inflammation was induced by carrageenan or histamine. CONCLUSION: Thus, Av-EtOH
      has significant antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties, which are
      related probably with the activation of opioid receptors and inhibition of
      release of mediators of the inflammatory process. This specie is a potential
      target for drug discovery.

PMID- 26104691
TI  - Mariner and the ITm Superfamily of Transposons.
AB  - The IS630-Tc1-mariner (ITm) family of transposons is one of the most widespread
      in nature. The phylogenetic distribution of its members shows that they do not
      persist for long in a given lineage, but rely on frequent horizontal transfer to
      new hosts. Although they are primarily selfish genomic-parasites, ITm transposons
      contribute to the evolution of their hosts because they generate variation and
      contribute protein domains and regulatory regions. Here we review the molecular
      mechanism of ITm transposition and its regulation. We focus mostly on the mariner
      elements, which are understood in the greatest detail owing to in vitro
      reconstitution and structural analysis. Nevertheless, the most important
      characteristics are probably shared across the grouping. Members of the ITm
      family are mobilized by a cut-and-paste mechanism and integrate at 5'-TA
      dinucleotide target sites. The elements encode a single transposase protein with
      an N-terminal DNA-binding domain and a C-terminal catalytic domain. The
      phosphoryl-transferase reactions during the DNA-strand breaking and joining
      reactions are performed by the two metal-ion mechanism. The metal ions are
      coordinated by three or four acidic amino acid residues located within an RNase H
      like structural fold. Although all of the strand breaking and joining events at a
      given transposon end are performed by a single molecule of transposase, the
      reaction is coordinated by close communication between transpososome components.
      During transpososome assembly, transposase dimers compete for free transposon
      ends. This helps to protect the host by dampening an otherwise exponential
      increase in the rate of transposition as the copy number increases. 

PMID- 26104692
TI  - Biofilm Development.
AB  - During the past decade we have gained much knowledge about the molecular
      mechanisms that are involved in initiation and termination of biofilm formation.
      In many bacteria, these processes appear to occur in response to specific
      environmental cues and result in, respectively, induction or termination of
      biofilm matrix production via the second messenger molecule c-di-GMP. In between
      initiation and termination of biofilm formation we have defined specific biofilm
      stages, but the currently available evidence suggests that these transitions are
      mainly governed by adaptive responses, and not by specific genetic programs. It
      appears that biofilm formation can occur through multiple pathways and that the
      spatial structure of the biofilms is species dependent as well as dependent on
      environmental conditions. Bacterial subpopulations, e.g., motile and nonmotile
      subpopulations, can develop and interact during biofilm formation, and these
      interactions can affect the structure of the biofilm. The available evidence
      suggests that biofilm formation is programmed in the sense that regulated
      synthesis of extracellular matrix components is involved. Furthermore, our
      current knowledge suggests that biofilm formation mainly is governed by adaptive
      responses of individual bacteria, although group-level activities are also
      involved. 

PMID- 26104693
TI  - Tyrosine Recombinase Retrotransposons and Transposons.
AB  - Retrotransposons carrying tyrosine recombinases (YR) are widespread in
      eukaryotes. The first described tyrosine recombinase mobile element, DIRS1, is a
      retroelement from the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum. The YR elements are
      bordered by terminal repeats related to their replication via free circular dsDNA
      intermediates. Site-specific recombination is believed to integrate the circle
      without creating duplications of the target sites. Recently a large number of YR
      retrotransposons have been described, including elements from fungi (mucorales
      and basidiomycetes), plants (green algae) and a wide range of animals including
      nematodes, insects, sea urchins, fish, amphibia and reptiles. YR retrotransposons
      can be divided into three major groups: the DIRS elements, PAT-like and the Ngaro
      elements. The three groups form distinct clades on phylogenetic trees based on
      alignments of reverse transcriptase/ribonuclease H (RT/RH) and YR sequences, and
      also having some structural distinctions. A group of eukaryote DNA transposons,
      cryptons, also carry tyrosine recombinases. These DNA transposons do not encode a
      reverse transcriptase. They have been detected in several pathogenic fungi and
      oomycetes. Sequence comparisons suggest that the crypton YRs are related to those
      of the YR retrotransposons. We suggest that the YR retrotransposons arose from
      the combination of a crypton-like YR DNA transposon and the RT/RH encoding
      sequence of a retrotransposon. This acquisition must have occurred at a very
      early point in the evolution of eukaryotes. 

PMID- 26104695
TI  - The Integron: Adaptation On Demand.
AB  - The integron is a powerful system which, by capturing, stockpiling, and
      rearranging new functions carried by gene encoding cassettes, confers upon
      bacteria a rapid adaptation capability in changing environments. Chromosomally
      located integrons (CI) have been identified in a large number of environmental
      Gram-negative bacteria. Integron evolutionary history suggests that these
      sedentary CIs acquired mobility among bacterial species through their association
      with transposable elements and conjugative plasmids. As a result of massive
      antibiotic use, these so-called mobile integrons are now widespread in clinically
      relevant bacteria and are considered to be the principal agent in the emergence
      and rise of antibiotic multiresistance in Gram-negative bacteria. Cassette
      rearrangements are catalyzed by the integron integrase, a site-specific tyrosine
      recombinase. Central to these reactions is the single-stranded DNA nature of one
      of the recombination partners, the attC site. This makes the integron a unique
      recombination system. This review describes the current knowledge on this
      atypical recombination mechanism, its implications in the reactions involving the
      different types of sites, attC and attI, and focuses on the tight regulation
      exerted by the host on integron activity through the control of attC site
      folding. Furthermore, cassette and integrase expression are also highly
      controlled by host regulatory networks and the bacterial stress (SOS) response.
      These intimate connections to the host make the integron a genetically stable and
      efficient system, granting the bacteria a low cost, highly adaptive evolution
      potential "on demand". 

PMID- 26104694
TI  - c-di-GMP and its Effects on Biofilm Formation and Dispersion: a Pseudomonas
      Aeruginosa Review.
AB  - Since its initial discovery as an allosteric factor regulating cellulose
      biosynthesis in Gluconacetobacter xylinus, the list of functional outputs
      regulated by c-di-GMP has grown. We have focused this article on one of these c
      di-GMP-regulated processes, namely, biofilm formation in the organism Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa. The majority of diguanylate cyclases and phosphodiesterases encoded
      in the P. aeruginosa genome still remain uncharacterized; thus, there is still a
      great deal to be learned about the link between c-di-GMP and biofilm formation in
      this microbe. In particular, while a number of c-di-GMP metabolizing enzymes have
      been identified that participate in reversible and irreversible attachment and
      biofilm maturation, there is a still a significant knowledge gap regarding the c
      di-GMP output systems in this organism. Even for the well-characterized Pel
      system, where c-di-GMP-mediated transcriptional regulation is now well
      documented, how binding of c-di-GMP by PelD stimulates Pel production is not
      understood in any detail. Similarly, c-di-GMP-mediated control of swimming,
      swarming and twitching also remains to be elucidated. Thus, despite terrific
      advances in our understanding of P. aeruginosa biofilm formation and the role of
      c-di-GMP in this process since the last version of this book (indeed there was no
      chapter on c-di-GMP!) there is still much to learn. 

PMID- 26104696
TI  - The Integration and Excision of CTnDOT.
AB  - Bacteroides species are one of the most prevalent groups of bacteria present in
      the human colon. Many strains carry large, integrated elements including
      integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs). One such ICE is CTnDOT, which is 65
      kb in size and encodes resistances to tetracycline and erythromycin. CTnDOT has
      been increasing in prevalence in Bacteroides spp., and is now found in greater
      than 80% of natural isolates. In recent years, CTnDOT has been implicated in the
      spread of antibiotic resistance among gut microbiota. Interestingly, the excision
      and transfer of CTnDOT is stimulated in the presence of tetracycline. The
      tyrosine recombinase IntDOT catalyzes the integration and excision reactions of
      CTnDOT. Unlike the well-characterized lambda Int, IntDOT tolerates heterology in
      the overlap region between the sites of cleavage and strand exchange. IntDOT also
      appears to have a different arrangement of active site catalytic residues. It is
      missing one of the arginine residues that is conserved in other tyrosine
      recombinases. The excision reaction of CTnDOT is complex, involving excision
      proteins Xis2c, Xis2d, and Exc, as well as IntDOT and a Bacteroides host factor.
      Xis2c and Xis2d are small, basic proteins like other recombination directionality
      factors (RDFs). Exc is a topoisomerase; however, the topoisomerase function is
      not required for the excision reaction. Exc has been shown to stimulate excision
      frequencies when there are mismatches in the overlap regions, suggesting that it
      may play a role in resolving Holliday junctions (HJs) containing heterology. Work
      is currently under way to elucidate the complex interactions involved with the
      formation of the CTnDOT excisive intasomes. 

PMID- 26104697
TI  - History and Practice: Antibodies in Infectious Diseases.
AB  - Antibodies and passive antibody therapy in the treatment of infectious diseases
      is the story of a treatment concept which dates back more than 120 years, to the
      1890s, when the use of serum from immunized animals provided the first effective
      treatment options against infections with Clostridium tetani and Corynebacterium
      diphtheriae. However, after the discovery of penicillin by Fleming in 1928, and
      the subsequent introduction of the much cheaper and safer antibiotics in the
      1930s, serum therapy was largely abandoned. However, the broad and general use of
      antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine has resulted in the development of
      multi-resistant strains of bacteria with limited to no response to existing
      treatments and the need for alternative treatment options. The combined
      specificity and flexibility of antibody-based treatments makes them very valuable
      tools for designing specific antibody treatments to infectious agents. These
      attributes have already caused a revolution in new antibody-based treatments in
      oncology and inflammatory diseases, with many approved products. However, only
      one monoclonal antibody, palivizumab, for the prevention and treatment of
      respiratory syncytial virus, is approved for infectious diseases. The high cost
      of monoclonal antibody therapies, the need for parallel development of
      diagnostics, and the relatively small markets are major barriers for their
      development in the presence of cheap antibiotics. It is time to take a new and
      revised look into the future to find appropriate niches in infectious diseases
      where new antibody-based treatments or combinations with existing antibiotics,
      could prove their value and serve as stepping stones for broader acceptance of
      the potential for and value of these treatments. 

PMID- 26104699
TI  - An Unexplored Diversity of Reverse Transcriptases in Bacteria.
AB  - Reverse transcriptases (RTs) are usually thought of as eukaryotic enzymes, but
      they are also present in bacteria and likely originated in bacteria and migrated
      to eukaryotes. Only three types of bacterial retroelements have been
      substantially characterized: group II introns, diversity-generating
      retroelements, and retrons. Recent work, however, has identified a myriad of
      uncharacterized RTs and RT-related sequences in bacterial genomes, which exhibit
      great sequence diversity and a range of domain structures. Apart from group II
      introns, none of these putative RTs show evidence of active retromobility.
      Instead, available information suggests that they are involved in useful
      processes, sometimes related to phages or phage resistance. This article reviews
      our knowledge of both characterized and uncharacterized RTs in bacteria. The
      range of their sequences and genomic contexts promises the discovery of new
      biochemical reactions and biological phenomena. 

PMID- 26104700
TI  - Site-specific non-LTR retrotransposons.
AB  - Although most of non-long terminal repeat (non-LTR) retrotransposons are
      incorporated in the host genome almost randomly, some non-LTR retrotransposons
      are incorporated into specific sequences within a target site. On the basis of
      structural and phylogenetic features, non-LTR retrotransposons are classified
      into two large groups, restriction enzyme-like endonuclease (RLE)-encoding
      elements and apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE)-encoding elements. All
      clades of RLE-encoding non-LTR retrotransposons include site-specific elements.
      However, only two of more than 20 APE-encoding clades, Tx1 and R1, contain site
      specific non-LTR elements. Site-specific non-LTR retrotransposons usually target
      within multi-copy RNA genes, such as rRNA gene (rDNA) clusters, or repetitive
      genomic sequences, such as telomeric repeats; this behavior may be a symbiotic
      strategy to reduce the damage to the host genome. Site- and sequence-specificity
      are variable even among closely related non-LTR elements and appeared to have
      changed during evolution. In the APE-encoding elements, the primary determinant
      of the sequence- specific integration is APE itself, which nicks one strand of
      the target DNA during the initiation of target primed reverse transcription
      (TPRT). However, other factors, such as interaction between mRNA and the target
      DNA, and access to the target region in the nuclei also affect the sequence
      specificity. In contrast, in the RLE-encoding elements, DNA-binding motifs appear
      to affect their sequence-specificity, rather than the RLE domain itself. Highly
      specific integration properties of these site-specific non-LTR elements make them
      ideal alternative tools for sequence-specific gene delivery, particularly for
      therapeutic purposes in human diseases. 

PMID- 26104701
TI  - piggyBac Transposon.
AB  - The piggyBac transposon was originally isolated from the cabbage looper moth,
      Trichoplusia ni, in the 1980s. Despite its early discovery and dissimilarity to
      the other DNA transposon families, the piggyBac transposon was not recognized as
      a member of a large transposon superfamily for a long time. Initially, the
      piggyBac transposon was thought to be a rare transposon. This view, however, has
      now been completely revised as a number of fully sequenced genomes have revealed
      the presence of piggyBac-like repetitive elements. The isolation of active copies
      of the piggyBac-like elements from several distinct species further supported
      this revision. This includes the first isolation of an active mammalian DNA
      transposon identified in the bat genome. To date, the piggyBac transposon has
      been deeply characterized and it represents a number of unique characteristics.
      In general, all members of the piggyBac superfamily use TTAA as their integration
      target sites. In addition, the piggyBac transposon shows precise excision, i.e.,
      restoring the sequence to its preintegration state, and can transpose in a
      variety of organisms such as yeasts, malaria parasites, insects, mammals, and
      even in plants. Biochemical analysis of the chemical steps of transposition
      revealed that piggyBac does not require DNA synthesis during the actual
      transposition event. The broad host range has attracted researchers from many
      different fields, and the piggyBac transposon is currently the most widely used
      transposon system for genetic manipulations. 

PMID- 26104702
TI  - The Plasmidome of Firmicutes: Impact on the Emergence and the Spread of
      Resistance to Antimicrobials.
AB  - The phylum Firmicutes is one of the most abundant groups of prokaryotes in the
      microbiota of humans and animals and includes genera of outstanding relevance in
      biomedicine, health care, and industry. Antimicrobial drug resistance is now
      considered a global health security challenge of the 21st century, and this
      heterogeneous group of microorganisms represents a significant part of this
      public health issue.The presence of the same resistant genes in unrelated
      bacterial genera indicates a complex history of genetic interactions. Plasmids
      have largely contributed to the spread of resistance genes among Staphylococcus,
      Enterococcus, and Streptococcus species, also influencing the selection and
      ecological variation of specific populations. However, this information is
      fragmented and often omits species outside these genera. To date, the
      antimicrobial resistance problem has been analyzed under a "single centric"
      perspective ("gene tracking" or "vehicle centric" in "single host-single
      pathogen" systems) that has greatly delayed the understanding of gene and plasmid
      dynamics and their role in the evolution of bacterial communities.This work
      analyzes the dynamics of antimicrobial resistance genes using gene exchange
      networks; the role of plasmids in the emergence, dissemination, and maintenance
      of genes encoding resistance to antimicrobials (antibiotics, heavy metals, and
      biocides); and their influence on the genomic diversity of the main Gram-positive
      opportunistic pathogens under the light of evolutionary ecology. A revision of
      the approaches to categorize plasmids in this group of microorganisms is given
      using the 1,326 fully sequenced plasmids of Gram-positive bacteria available in
      the GenBank database at the time the article was written. 

PMID- 26104704
TI  - Reverse Transcription of Retroviruses and LTR Retrotransposons.
AB  - The enzyme reverse transcriptase (RT) was discovered in retroviruses almost 50
      years ago. The demonstration that other types of viruses, and what are now called
      retrotransposons, also replicated using an enzyme that could copy RNA into DNA
      came a few years later. The intensity of the research in both the process of
      reverse transcription and the enzyme RT was greatly stimulated by the
      recognition, in the mid-1980s, that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was a
      retrovirus and by the fact that the first successful anti-HIV drug,
      azidothymidine (AZT), is a substrate for RT. Although AZT monotherapy is a thing
      of the past, the most commonly prescribed, and most successful, combination
      therapies still involve one or both of the two major classes of anti-RT drugs.
      Although the basic mechanics of reverse transcription were worked out many years
      ago, and the first high-resolution structures of HIV RT are now more than 20
      years old, we still have much to learn, particularly about the roles played by
      the host and viral factors that make the process of reverse transcription much
      more efficient in the cell than in the test tube. Moreover, we are only now
      beginning to understand how various host factors that are part of the innate
      immunity system interact with the process of reverse transcription to protect the
      host-cell genome, the host cell, and the whole host, from retroviral infection,
      and from unwanted retrotransposition. 

PMID- 26104703
TI  - Integration, Regulation, and Long-Term Stability of R2 Retrotransposons.
AB  - R2 elements are sequence specific non-LTR retrotransposons that exclusively
      insert in the 28S rRNA genes of animals. R2s encode an endonuclease that cleaves
      the insertion site and a reverse transcriptase that uses the cleaved DNA to prime
      reverse transcription of the R2 transcript, a process termed target primed
      reverse transcription. Additional unusual properties of the reverse transcriptase
      as well as DNA and RNA binding domains of the R2 encoded protein have been
      characterized. R2 expression is through co-transcription with the 28S gene and
      self-cleavage by a ribozyme encoded at the R2 5' end. Studies in laboratory
      stocks and natural populations of Drosophila suggest that R2 expression is tied
      to the distribution of R2-inserted units within the rDNA locus. Most individuals
      have no R2 expression because only a small fraction of their rRNA genes need to
      be active, and a contiguous region of the locus free of R2 insertions can be
      selected for activation. However, if the R2-free region is not large enough to
      produce sufficient rRNA, flanking units - including those inserted with R2 - must
      be activated. Finally, R2 copies rapidly turnover within the rDNA locus, yet R2
      has been vertically maintained in animal lineages for hundreds of millions of
      years. The key to this stability is R2's ability to remain dormant in rDNA units
      outside the transcribed regions for generations until the stochastic nature of
      the crossovers that drive the concerted evolution of the rDNA locus inevitably
      reshuffle the inserted and uninserted units, resulting in transcription of the R2
      inserted units. 

PMID- 26104705
TI  - Sleeping Beauty Transposition.
AB  - Sleeping Beauty (SB) is a synthetic transposon that was constructed based on
      sequences of transpositionally inactive elements isolated from fish genomes. SB
      is a Tc1/mariner superfamily transposon following a cut-and-paste transpositional
      reaction, during which the element-encoded transposase interacts with its binding
      sites in the terminal inverted repeats of the transposon, promotes the assembly
      of a synaptic complex, catalyzes excision of the element out of its donor site,
      and integrates the excised transposon into a new location in target DNA. SB
      transposition is dependent on cellular host factors. Transcriptional control of
      transposase expression is regulated by the HMG2L1 transcription factor. Synaptic
      complex assembly is promoted by the HMGB1 protein and regulated by chromatin
      structure. SB transposition is highly dependent on the nonhomologous end joining
      (NHEJ) pathway of double-strand DNA break repair that generates a transposon
      footprint at the excision site. Through its association with the Miz-1
      transcription factor, the SB transposase downregulates cyclin D1 expression that
      results in a slowdown of the cell-cycle in the G1 phase, where NHEJ is
      preferentially active. Transposon integration occurs at TA dinucleotides in the
      target DNA, which are duplicated at the flanks of the integrated transposon. SB
      shows a random genome-wide insertion profile in mammalian cells when launched
      from episomal vectors and "local hopping" when launched from chromosomal donor
      sites. Some of the excised transposons undergo a self-destructive autointegration
      reaction, which can partially explain why longer elements transpose less
      efficiently. SB became an important molecular tool for transgenesis, insertional
      mutagenesis, and gene therapy. 

PMID- 26104698
TI  - The Influence of LINE-1 and SINE Retrotransposons on Mammalian Genomes.
AB  - Transposable elements have had a profound impact on the structure and function of
      mammalian genomes. The retrotransposon Long INterspersed Element-1 (LINE-1 or
      L1), by virtue of its replicative mobilization mechanism, comprises ~17% of the
      human genome. Although the vast majority of human LINE-1 sequences are inactive
      molecular fossils, an estimated 80-100 copies per individual retain the ability
      to mobilize by a process termed retrotransposition. Indeed, LINE-1 is the only
      active, autonomous retrotransposon in humans and its retrotransposition continues
      to generate both intra-individual and inter-individual genetic diversity. Here,
      we briefly review the types of transposable elements that reside in mammalian
      genomes. We will focus our discussion on LINE-1 retrotransposons and the non
      autonomous Short INterspersed Elements (SINEs) that rely on the proteins encoded
      by LINE-1 for their mobilization. We review cases where LINE-1-mediated
      retrotransposition events have resulted in genetic disease and discuss how the
      characterization of these mutagenic insertions led to the identification of
      retrotransposition-competent LINE-1s in the human and mouse genomes. We then
      discuss how the integration of molecular genetic, biochemical, and modern genomic
      technologies have yielded insight into the mechanism of LINE-1
      retrotransposition, the impact of LINE-1-mediated retrotransposition events on
      mammalian genomes, and the host cellular mechanisms that protect the genome from
      unabated LINE-1-mediated retrotransposition events. Throughout this review, we
      highlight unanswered questions in LINE-1 biology that provide exciting
      opportunities for future research. Clearly, much has been learned about LINE-1
      and SINE biology since the publication of Mobile DNA II thirteen years ago.
      Future studies should continue to yield exciting discoveries about how these
      retrotransposons contribute to genetic diversity in mammalian genomes. 

PMID- 26104706
TI  - Ecology of Bacillaceae.
AB  - Members of the family Bacillaceae are among the most robust bacteria on Earth,
      which is mainly due to their ability to form resistant endospores. This trait is
      believed to be the key factor determining the ecology of these bacteria. However,
      they also perform fundamental roles in soil ecology (i.e., the cycling of organic
      matter) and in plant health and growth stimulation (e.g., via suppression of
      plant pathogens and phosphate solubilization). In this review, we describe the
      high functional and genetic diversity that is found within the Bacillaceae (a
      family of low-G+C% Gram-positive spore-forming bacteria), their roles in ecology
      and in applied sciences related to agriculture. We then pose questions with
      respect to their ecological behavior, zooming in on the intricate social behavior
      that is becoming increasingly well characterized for some members of Bacillaceae.
      Such social behavior, which includes cell-to-cell signaling via quorum sensing or
      other mechanisms (e.g., the production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes,
      toxins, antibiotics and/or surfactants) is a key determinant of their lifestyle
      and is also believed to drive diversification processes. It is only with a deeper
      understanding of cell-to-cell interactions that we will be able to understand the
      ecological and diversification processes of natural populations within the family
      Bacillaceae. Ultimately, the resulting improvements in understanding will benefit
      practical efforts to apply representatives of these bacteria in promoting plant
      growth as well as biological control of plant pathogens. 

PMID- 26104707
TI  - Ty3, a Position-specific Retrotransposon in Budding Yeast.
AB  - Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons constitute significant fractions of
      many eukaryotic genomes. Two ancient families are Ty1/Copia (Pseudoviridae) and
      Ty3/Gypsy (Metaviridae). The Ty3/Gypsy family probably gave rise to retroviruses
      based on the domain order, similarity of sequences, and the envelopes encoded by
      some members. The Ty3 element of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the most
      completely characterized elements at the molecular level. Ty3 is induced in
      mating cells by pheromone stimulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase
      pathway as cells accumulate in G1. The two Ty3 open reading frames are translated
      into Gag3 and Gag3-Pol3 polyprotein precursors. In haploid mating cells Gag3 and
      Gag3-Pol3 are assembled together with Ty3 genomic RNA into immature virus-like
      particles in cellular foci containing RNA processing body proteins. Virus-like
      particle Gag3 is then processed by Ty3 protease into capsid, spacer, and
      nucleocapsid, and Gag3-Pol3 into those proteins and additionally, protease,
      reverse transcriptase, and integrase. After haploid cells mate and become
      diploid, genomic RNA is reverse transcribed into cDNA. Ty3 integration complexes
      interact with components of the RNA polymerase III transcription complex
      resulting in Ty3 integration precisely at the transcription start site. Ty3
      activation during mating enables proliferation of Ty3 between genomes and has
      intriguing parallels with metazoan retrotransposon activation in germ cell
      lineages. Identification of nuclear pore, DNA replication, transcription, and
      repair host factors that affect retrotransposition has provided insights into how
      hosts and retrotransposons interact to balance genome stability and plasticity. 

PMID- 26104710
TI  - Mutator and MULE Transposons.
AB  - The Mutator system of transposable elements (TEs) is a highly mutagenic family of
      transposons in maize. Because they transpose at high rates and target genic
      regions, these transposons can rapidly generate large numbers of new mutants,
      which has made the Mutator system a favored tool for both forward and reverse
      mutagenesis in maize. Low copy number versions of this system have also proved to
      be excellent models for understanding the regulation and behavior of Class II
      transposons in plants. Notably, the availability of a naturally occurring locus
      that can heritably silence autonomous Mutator elements has provided insights into
      the means by which otherwise active transposons are recognized and silenced. This
      chapter will provide a review of the biology, regulation, evolution and uses of
      this remarkable transposon system, with an emphasis on recent developments in our
      understanding of the ways in which this TE system is recognized and
      epigenetically silenced as well as recent evidence that Mu-like elements (MULEs)
      have had a significant impact on the evolution of plant genomes. 

PMID- 26104708
TI  - Topological Behavior of Plasmid DNA.
AB  - The discovery of the B-form structure of DNA by Watson and Crick led to an
      explosion of research on nucleic acids in the fields of biochemistry, biophysics,
      and genetics. Powerful techniques were developed to reveal a myriad of different
      structural conformations that change B-DNA as it is transcribed, replicated, and
      recombined and as sister chromosomes are moved into new daughter cell
      compartments during cell division. This article links the original discoveries of
      superhelical structure and molecular topology to non-B form DNA structure and
      contemporary biochemical and biophysical techniques. The emphasis is on the power
      of plasmids for studying DNA structure and function. The conditions that trigger
      the formation of alternative DNA structures such as left-handed Z-DNA, inter- and
      intra-molecular triplexes, triple-stranded DNA, and linked catenanes and
      hemicatenanes are explained. The DNA dynamics and topological issues are detailed
      for stalled replication forks and for torsional and structural changes on DNA in
      front of and behind a transcription complex and a replisome. The complex and
      interconnected roles of topoisomerases and abundant small nucleoid association
      proteins are explained. And methods are described for comparing in vivo and in
      vitro reactions to probe and understand the temporal pathways of DNA and
      chromosome chemistry that occur inside living cells. 

PMID- 26104709
TI  - Biofilm Matrix Proteins.
AB  - Proteinaceous components of the biofilm matrix include secreted extracellular
      proteins, cell surface adhesins, and protein subunits of cell appendages such as
      flagella and pili. Biofilm matrix proteins play diverse roles in biofilm
      formation and dissolution. They are involved in attaching cells to surfaces,
      stabilizing the biofilm matrix via interactions with exopolysaccharide and
      nucleic acid components, developing three-dimensional biofilm architectures, and
      dissolving biofilm matrix via enzymatic degradation of polysaccharides, proteins,
      and nucleic acids. In this article, we will review functions of matrix proteins
      in a selected set of microorganisms, studies of the matrix proteomes of Vibrio
      cholerae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and roles of outer membrane vesicles and of
      nucleoid-binding proteins in biofilm formation. 

PMID- 26104712
TI  - Mating-type Gene Switching in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two alternative mating types
      designated MATa and MATalpha. These are distinguished by about 700 bp of unique
      sequences, Ya or Yalpha, including divergent promoter sequences and part of the
      open reading frames of genes that regulate mating phenotype. Homothallic budding
      yeast, carrying an active HO endonuclease gene, HO, can switch mating type
      through a recombination process known as gene conversion, in which a site
      specific double-strand break (DSB) created immediately adjacent to the Y region
      results in replacement of the Y sequences with a copy of the opposite mating type
      information, which is harbored in one of two heterochromatic donor loci, HMLalpha
      or HMRa. HO gene expression is tightly regulated to ensure that only half of the
      cells in a lineage switch to the opposite MAT allele, thus promoting conjugation
      and diploid formation. Study of the silencing of these loci has provided a great
      deal of information about the role of the Sir2 histone deacetylase and its
      associated Sir3 and Sir4 proteins in creating heterochromatic regions. MAT
      switching has been examined in great detail to learn about the steps in
      homologous recombination. MAT switching is remarkably directional, with MATa
      recombining preferentially with HMLalpha and MATalpha using HMRa. Donor
      preference is controlled by a cis-acting recombination enhancer located near HML.
      RE is turned off in MATalpha cells but in MATa binds multiple copies of the Fkh1
      transcription factor whose forkhead-associated phosphothreonine binding domain
      localizes at the DSB, bringing HML into conjunction with MATa. 

PMID- 26104711
TI  - The lambda Integrase Site-specific Recombination Pathway.
AB  - The site-specific recombinase encoded by bacteriophage lambda (Int) is
      responsible for integrating and excising the viral chromosome into and out of the
      chromosome of its Escherichia coli host. Int carries out a reaction that is
      highly directional, tightly regulated, and depends upon an ensemble of accessory
      DNA bending proteins acting on 240 bp of DNA encoding 16 protein binding sites.
      This additional complexity enables two pathways, integrative and excisive
      recombination, whose opposite, and effectively irreversible, directions are
      dictated by different physiological and environmental signals. Int recombinase is
      a heterobivalent DNA binding protein and each of the four Int protomers, within a
      multiprotein 400 kDa recombinogenic complex, is thought to bind and, with the aid
      of DNA bending proteins, bridge one arm- and one core-type DNA site. In the 12
      years since the publication of the last review focused solely on the lambda site
      specific recombination pathway in Mobile DNA II, there has been a great deal of
      progress in elucidating the molecular details of this pathway. The most dramatic
      advances in our understanding of the reaction have been in the area of X-ray
      crystallography where protein-DNA structures have now been determined for of all
      of the DNA-protein interfaces driving the Int pathway. Building on this
      foundation of structures, it has been possible to derive models for the assembly
      of components that determine the regulatory apparatus in the P-arm, and for the
      overall architectures that define excisive and integrative recombinogenic
      complexes. The most fundamental additional mechanistic insights derive from the
      application of hexapeptide inhibitors and single molecule kinetics. 

PMID- 26104713
TI  - Serine Resolvases.
AB  - Serine resolvases are an interesting group of site-specific recombinases that, in
      their native contexts, resolve large fused replicons into smaller separated ones.
      Some resolvases are encoded by replicative transposons and resolve the
      transposition product, in which the donor and recipient molecules are fused, into
      separate replicons. Other resolvases are encoded by plasmids and function to
      resolve plasmid dimers into monomers. Both types are therefore involved in the
      spread and maintenance of antibiotic-resistance genes. Resolvases and the closely
      related invertases were the first serine recombinases to be studied in detail,
      and much of our understanding of the unusual strand exchange mechanism of serine
      recombinases is owed to those early studies. Resolvases and invertases have also
      served as paradigms for understanding how DNA topology can be harnessed to
      regulate enzyme activity. Finally, their relatively modular structure, combined
      with a wealth of structural and biochemical data, has made them good choices for
      engineering chimeric recombinases with designer specificity. This chapter focuses
      on the current understanding of serine resolvases, with a focus on the
      contributions of structural studies. 

PMID- 26104715
TI  - Everyman's Guide to Bacterial Insertion Sequences.
AB  - The number and diversity of known prokaryotic insertion sequences (IS) have
      increased enormously since their discovery in the late 1960s. At present the
      sequences of more than 4000 different IS have been deposited in the specialized
      ISfinder database. Over time it has become increasingly apparent that they are
      important actors in the evolution of their host genomes and are involved in
      sequestering, transmitting, mutating and activating genes, and in the
      rearrangement of both plasmids and chromosomes. This review presents an overview
      of our current understanding of these transposable elements (TE), their
      organization and their transposition mechanism as well as their distribution and
      genomic impact. In spite of their diversity, they share only a very limited
      number of transposition mechanisms which we outline here. Prokaryotic IS are but
      one example of a variety of diverse TE which are being revealed due to the advent
      of extensive genome sequencing projects. A major conclusion from sequence
      comparisons of various TE is that frontiers between the different types are
      becoming less clear. We detail these receding frontiers between different IS
      related TE. Several, more specialized chapters in this volume include additional
      detailed information concerning a number of these.In a second section of the
      review, we provide a detailed description of the expanding variety of IS, which
      we have divided into families for convenience. Our perception of these families
      continues to evolve and families emerge regularly as more IS are identified. This
      section is designed as an aid and a source of information for consultation by
      interested specialist readers. 

PMID- 26104716
TI  - Division of Labor in Biofilms: the Ecology of Cell Differentiation.
AB  - The dense aggregation of cells on a surface, as seen in biofilms, inevitably
      results in both environmental and cellular heterogeneity. For example, nutrient
      gradients can trigger cells to differentiate into various phenotypic states. Not
      only do cells adapt physiologically to the local environmental conditions, but
      they also differentiate into cell types that interact with each other. This
      allows for task differentiation and, hence, the division of labor. In this
      article, we focus on cell differentiation and the division of labor in three
      bacterial species: Myxococcus xanthus, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa. During biofilm formation each of these species differentiates into
      distinct cell types, in some cases leading to cooperative interactions. The
      division of labor and the cooperative interactions between cell types are assumed
      to yield an emergent ecological benefit. Yet in most cases the ecological
      benefits have yet to be elucidated. A notable exception is M. xanthus, in which
      cell differentiation within fruiting bodies facilitates the dispersal of spores.
      We argue that the ecological benefits of the division of labor might best be
      understood when we consider the dynamic nature of both biofilm formation and
      degradation. 

PMID- 26104714
TI  - P Transposable Elements in Drosophila and other Eukaryotic Organisms.
AB  - P transposable elements were discovered in Drosophila as the causative agents of
      a syndrome of genetic traits called hybrid dysgenesis. Hybrid dysgenesis exhibits
      a unique pattern of maternal inheritance linked to the germline-specific small
      RNA piwi-interacting (piRNA) pathway. The use of P transposable elements as
      vectors for gene transfer and as genetic tools revolutionized the field of
      Drosophila molecular genetics. P element transposons have served as a useful
      model to investigate mechanisms of cut-and-paste transposition in eukaryotes.
      Biochemical studies have revealed new and unexpected insights into how eukaryotic
      DNA-based transposons are mobilized. For example, the P element transposase makes
      unusual 17nt-3' extended double-strand DNA breaks at the transposon termini and
      uses guanosine triphosphate (GTP) as a cofactor to promote synapsis of the two
      transposon ends early in the transposition pathway. The N-terminal DNA binding
      domain of the P element transposase, called a THAP domain, contains a C2CH zinc
      coordinating motif and is the founding member of a large family of animal
      specific site-specific DNA binding proteins. Over the past decade genome
      sequencing efforts have revealed the presence of P element-like transposable
      elements or P element transposase-like genes (called THAP9) in many eukaryotic
      genomes, including vertebrates, such as primates including humans, zebrafish and
      Xenopus, as well as the human parasite Trichomonas vaginalis, the sea squirt
      Ciona, sea urchin and hydra. Surprisingly, the human and zebrafish P element
      transposase-related THAP9 genes promote transposition of the Drosophila P element
      transposon DNA in human and Drosophila cells, indicating that the THAP9 genes
      encode active P element "transposase" proteins. 

PMID- 26104717
TI  - DNA Recombination Strategies During Antigenic Variation in the African
      Trypanosome.
AB  - Survival of the African trypanosome in its mammalian hosts has led to the
      evolution of antigenic variation, a process for evasion of adaptive immunity that
      has independently evolved in many other viral, bacterial and eukaryotic
      pathogens. The essential features of trypanosome antigenic variation have been
      understood for many years and comprise a dense, protective Variant Surface
      Glycoprotein (VSG) coat, which can be changed by recombination-based and
      transcription-based processes that focus on telomeric VSG gene transcription
      sites. However, it is only recently that the scale of this process has been truly
      appreciated. Genome sequencing of Trypanosoma brucei has revealed a massive
      archive of >1000 VSG genes, the huge majority of which are functionally impaired
      but are used to generate far greater numbers of VSG coats through segmental gene
      conversion. This chapter will discuss the implications of such VSG diversity for
      immune evasion by antigenic variation, and will consider how this expressed
      diversity can arise, drawing on a growing body of work that has begun to examine
      the proteins and sequences through which VSG switching is catalyzed. Most studies
      of trypanosome antigenic variation have focused on T. brucei, the causative agent
      of human sleeping sickness. Other work has begun to look at antigenic variation
      in animal-infective trypanosomes, and we will compare the findings that are
      emerging, as well as consider how antigenic variation relates to the dynamics of
      host-trypanosome interaction. 

PMID- 26104718
TI  - Mechanisms of DNA Transposition.
AB  - DNA transposases use a limited repertoire of structurally and mechanistically
      distinct nuclease domains to catalyze the DNA strand breaking and rejoining
      reactions that comprise DNA transposition. Here, we review the mechanisms of the
      four known types of transposition reactions catalyzed by (1) RNase H-like
      transposases (also known as DD(E/D) enzymes); (2) HUH single-stranded DNA
      transposases; (3) serine transposases; and (4) tyrosine transposases. The large
      body of accumulated biochemical and structural data, particularly for the RNase H
      like transposases, has revealed not only the distinguishing features of each
      transposon family, but also some emerging themes that appear conserved across all
      families. The more-recently characterized single-stranded DNA transposases
      provide insight into how an ancient HUH domain fold has been adapted for
      transposition to accomplish excision and then site-specific integration. The
      serine and tyrosine transposases are structurally and mechanistically related to
      their cousins, the serine and tyrosine site-specific recombinases, but have to
      date been less intensively studied. These types of enzymes are particularly
      intriguing as in the context of site-specific recombination they require strict
      homology between recombining sites, yet for transposition can catalyze the
      joining of transposon ends to form an excised circle and then integration into a
      genomic site with much relaxed sequence specificity. 

PMID- 26104720
TI  - Retraction: Targeting HMGB1 Inhibits Ovarian Cancer Growth and Metastasis by
      Lentivirus-Mediated RNA Interference.

PMID- 26104719
TI  - Modified mosquito landing boxes dispensing transfluthrin provide effective
      protection against Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes under simulated outdoor
      conditions in a semi-field system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Efforts to control malaria vectors have primarily focused on scaling
      up of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying.
      Although highly efficient against indoor-biting and indoor-resting vectors, these
      interventions have lower impact on outdoor-biting mosquitoes. Innovative vector
      control tools are required to prevent outdoor human-mosquito contacts. In this
      work, the potential of spatial repellents, delivered in an active system that
      requires minimal user compliance, to provide personal protection against
      exophagic mosquitoes active in the early evening was explored. METHODS: A device
      previously used as an odour-baited lure and kill apparatus, the mosquito landing
      box (MLB), was modified to dispense the volatile synthetic pyrethroid,
      transfluthrin, as a spatial repellent. The MLB has an active odour-dispensing
      mechanism that uses a solar-powered fan and switches on at dusk to provide long
      duration dispensing of volatile compounds without the need for the user to
      remember to employ it. Two MLBs were located 5 m from a human volunteer to
      investigate the repellent effects of a transfluthrin 'bubble' created between the
      MLBs. Transfluthrin was emanated from polyester strips, hanging inside the MLB
      odour-dispensing unit. A fully randomized cross-over design was performed in a
      large, semi-field, screened cage to assess the effect of the repellent against
      laboratory-reared Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes under ambient outdoor
      conditions. The knock-down capacity of the transfluthrin-treated strips was also
      evaluated at different time points up to 3 weeks after being impregnated to
      measure duration of efficacy. RESULTS: The protective transfluthrin bubble
      provided 68.9% protection against An. arabiensis bites under these simulated
      outdoor conditions. Volatile transfluthrin caused low mortality among mosquitoes
      in the semi-field system. Transfluthrin-treated strips continued to knock down
      mosquitoes in laboratory tests, 3 weeks after impregnation, although this effect
      diminished with time. CONCLUSION: Modified MLBs can be used as efficient and long
      lasting dispensers of volatile spatial repellents such as transfluthrin, thereby
      providing high levels of protection against outdoor-biting mosquitoes in the peri
      domestic space. They have a potential role in combatting outdoor malaria
      transmission without interfering with effective indoor interventions such as
      LLINs.

PMID- 26104725
TI  - Ir(III) complexes designed for light-emitting devices: beyond the luminescence
      color array.
AB  - In pursuing novel efficient lighting technologies and materials, phosphorescent
      cyclometallated Ir(iii) complexes have been prominent due to their wide color
      arrays and highly efficient electroluminescence. Their photophysical properties
      are strongly influenced by spin-orbit coupling exerted by the iridium core,
      usually resulting in intense, short-lived emission, which can be systematically
      tuned as a triumph of molecular engineering. This Perspective aims to present
      recent breakthroughs and state of the art on emissive Ir(iii) compounds, in
      particular a personal account on heteroleptic [Ir(N^C)2(L^X)](+) complexes,
      addressing the mechanistic concepts behind their luminescence. Their fascinating
      photophysical properties strengthen application in more-efficient light-emitting
      technologies, such as organic light-emitting diodes and light-emitting
      electrochemical cells. 

PMID- 26104726
TI  - Erratum to: Ageing with HIV: a multidisciplinary review.

PMID- 26104727
TI  - Endocarditis caused by Streptococcus canis: an emerging zoonosis?
AB  - We report a human case of infective endocarditis caused by Streptococcus canis.
      Identification was carried out from positive blood culture using mass
      spectrometry and SodA gene sequencing. S. canis related zoonotic invasive
      infections may have been previously underdiagnosed due to inadequate
      identification of group G Streptococcus species. 

PMID- 26104728
TI  - Non-transferrin-bound iron is associated with biomarkers of oxidative stress,
      inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in type 2 diabetes.
AB  - AIMS: To investigate the association between circulating non-transferrin-bound
      iron [NTBI], and markers of oxidative stress, endothelial function and
      inflammation in subjects with type 2 diabetes and non-diabetic subjects with
      varying degrees of obesity. METHODS: Plasma NTBI was measured by HPLC, together
      with total iron, iron-binding capacity, transferrin saturation and soluble
      transferrin receptor, together with total and reduced ascorbate, malondialdehyde
      [MDA], E-selectin and high-sensitivity c-reactive protein [hs-CRP] in groups of
      28 subjects with type 2 diabetes, 28 non-obese controls and 17 obese non-diabetic
      subjects. RESULTS: Levels of NTBI were higher than controls in the diabetes
      group, but the total serum iron levels were lower. MDA levels were higher than
      controls in both the diabetes and obese groups, and this was associated with
      higher levels of oxidised ascorbate. hs-CRP levels were higher in both the
      diabetes and obese groups, and E-selectin was significantly higher in the
      diabetes group. There were strong positive correlations between HbA1c levels and
      NTBI [P<0.01], HbA1c and E-selectin [P<0.001] and NTBI and E-selectin [P<0.02] in
      the diabetes group. CONCLUSION: These results support the hypothesis that iron
      mediated oxidative stress may be a mechanism linking poor glycaemic control with
      vascular dysfunction in type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 26104729
TI  - Adverse event notifications implicating metformin with lactic acidosis in
      Australia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To summarise the reported lactic acidosis cases associated with
      metformin from the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and estimate
      the incidence of metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA) in Australia.
      METHOD: All "lactic acidosis" cases associated with metformin and reported to the
      TGA between January 1971 and October 2014 were included. Data extracted included
      patient demographics, medical history and co-existing conditions, metformin
      dosage and relevant pathology results. RESULT: A total of 152 cases of suspected
      MALA were included in this study. For 20 patients the outcome was unknown. There
      were 23 patients (n=132, 17.4%) reported as deceased. Plasma lactate levels were
      higher in non-survivors (p=0.02). Thirty-five patients (n=132, 26.5%) were
      reported to have at least one pre-existing contraindication to the use of
      metformin; this proportion was not different between patients who died or
      survived. Renal impairment was the most common contraindication. Approximately
      75% of patients were reported to have at least one clinical condition which might
      cause acidosis. Metformin dosage, plasma lactate and serum creatinine were not
      correlated. Based on the cases reported to the TGA, the incidence of MALA in
      Australia was estimated to be 2.3 (95% CI, 1.5-3.1) cases per 100,000 patient
      years between 1997 and 2011. CONCLUSION: Pre-existing clinical conditions, such
      as renal impairment, and acute illnesses associated with lactic acidosis were
      frequently reported in the cases of MALA. The estimated incidence of MALA was
      lower than in most previous studies in other countries, probably due to the
      nature of spontaneous reports to the TGA.

PMID- 26104730
TI  - Association between ApoA-II -265T/C polymorphism and oxidative stress in patients
      with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Apolipoprotein A-II (ApoA-II) constitutes approximately 20% of the
      total HDL protein content. The results of various studies on the relationship
      between cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and the plasma ApoA-II level are
      contradictory. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between
      ApoA-II polymorphism and oxidative stress (OS) as a risk factor for CVD. METHODS:
      The present comparative study was carried out on 180 obese and non-obese patients
      with type 2 diabetes, with equal numbers of CC, TC, and TT genotypes of ApoA-II 
      265T/C gene. The ApoA-II genotype was determined by the TaqMan assay method. The
      anthropometric measurements and serum levels of lipid profile, superoxide
      dismutase activity (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and 8
      isoprostaneF2alpha were measured. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounding
      factors, in the total study population and in obese and non-obese groups, the
      subjects with CC genotype had a lower mean serum SOD activity (p=0.002, p=0.007
      and p=0.005, respectively) and higher mean 8-isoprostaneF2alpha concentration
      (p<0.001, p=0.003 and p=0.004, respectively) than the T-allele carriers. In the
      TT/TC group, the mean 8-isoprostanF2alpha concentration was significantly higher
      in the obese subjects than the non-obese subjects (p=0.009). In the CC group, no
      significant differences were found in the OS factors between obese and non-obese
      groups. CONCLUSION: The T allele in patients with type 2 diabetes is a protective
      factor against OS; obesity inhibits this protective effect. The results of this
      study represent the anti-atherogenic properties of ApoA-II. However, further
      studies are needed in this field.

PMID- 26104731
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26104732
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26104733
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26104734
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26104735
TI  - [VATS - technique and indications].
AB  - Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has revolutionized the practice of
      thoracic surgeons and improved patient experiences and outcomes worldwide. The
      VATS approach has matured over the past decades and now accounts for
      approximately 50 % of all operations in specialized thoracic surgery units. The
      VATS procedure is less invasive and therefore allows a faster recovery of
      patients. Over the last 20 years VATS has developed into a safe and effective
      technique for the diagnostics and therapy of many thoracic diseases. With
      increasing experience thoracic surgeons can carry out more advanced and
      technically challenging interventions. Nowadays, VATS is the superior technique
      in many cases of thoracotomy. 

PMID- 26104736
TI  - A dinaphtho[8,1,2-cde:2',1',8'-uva]pentacene derivative and analogues: synthesis,
      structures, photophysical and electrochemical properties.
AB  - Dinaphtho[8,1,2-cde:2',1',8'-uva]pentacene and analogues as a new type of acene
      derivatives with scorpion-shaped structures were conveniently synthesized. Their
      structures, photophysical and electrochemical properties were experimentally and
      theoretically investigated. It was found that the pentacene derivative has a
      twisted configuration, but shows marked intermolecular pi-pi interactions, strong
      electronic delocalization, and a small HOMO-LUMO bandgap, which are different
      from those of pentacene and pentatwistacene derivatives with similar structures. 

PMID- 26104737
TI  - Controlling pyridinic, pyrrolic, graphitic, and molecular nitrogen in multi-wall
      carbon nanotubes using precursors with different N/C ratios in aerosol assisted
      chemical vapor deposition.
AB  - Nitrogen-containing multi-wall carbon nanotubes (N-MWCNTs) were synthesized using
      aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques in conjunction with
      benzylamine:ferrocene or acetonitrile:ferrocene mixtures. Different amounts of
      toluene were added to these mixtures in order to change the N/C ratio of the
      feedstock. X-ray photoelectron and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure
      spectroscopy detected pyridinic, pyrrolic, graphitic, and molecular nitrogen
      forms in the N-MWCNT samples. Analysis of the spectral data indicated that whilst
      the nature of the nitrogen-containing precursor has little effect on the
      concentrations of the different forms of nitrogen in N-MWCNTs, the N/C ratio in
      the feedstock appeared to be the determining factor. When the N/C ratio was lower
      than ca. 0.01, all four forms existed in equal concentrations, for N/C ratios
      above 0.01, graphitic and molecular nitrogen were dominant. Furthermore, higher
      concentrations of pyridinic nitrogen in the outer shells and N2 molecules in the
      core of the as-produced N-MWCNTs suggest that the precursors were decomposed into
      individual atoms, which interacted with the catalyst surface to form CN and NH
      species or in fact diffused through the bulk of the catalyst particles. These
      findings are important for a better understanding of possible growth mechanisms
      for heteroatom-containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and therefore paving the way
      for controlling the spatial distribution of foreign elements in the CNTs using
      CVD processes. 

PMID- 26104738
TI  - Focus on symptoms to improve early diagnosis, new cancer guidance says.

PMID- 26104739
TI  - Cross-vendor evaluation of key user-defined clinical decision support
      capabilities: a scenario-based assessment of certified electronic health records
      with guidelines for future development.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Clinical decision support (CDS) is essential for delivery of high
      quality, cost-effective, and safe healthcare. The authors sought to evaluate the
      CDS capabilities across electronic health record (EHR) systems. METHODS: We
      evaluated the CDS implementation capabilities of 8 Office of the National
      Coordinator for Health Information Technology Authorized Certification Body (ONC
      ACB)-certified EHRs. Within each EHR, the authors attempted to implement 3 user
      defined rules that utilized the various data and logic elements expected of
      typical EHRs and that represented clinically important evidenced-based care. The
      rules were: 1) if a patient has amiodarone on his or her active medication list
      and does not have a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) result recorded in the last
      12 months, suggest ordering a TSH; 2) if a patient has a hemoglobin A1c result
      >7% and does not have diabetes on his or her problem list, suggest adding
      diabetes to the problem list; and 3) if a patient has coronary artery disease on
      his or her problem list and does not have aspirin on the active medication list,
      suggest ordering aspirin. RESULTS: Most evaluated EHRs lacked some CDS
      capabilities; 5 EHRs were able to implement all 3 rules, and the remaining 3 EHRs
      were unable to implement any of the rules. One of these did not allow users to
      customize CDS rules at all. The most frequently found shortcomings included the
      inability to use laboratory test results in rules, limit rules by time, use
      advanced Boolean logic, perform actions from the alert interface, and adequately
      test rules. CONCLUSION: Significant improvements in the EHR certification and
      implementation procedures are necessary.

PMID- 26104740
TI  - National Veterans Health Administration inpatient risk stratification models for
      hospital-acquired acute kidney injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hospital-acquired acute kidney injury (HA-AKI) is a potentially
      preventable cause of morbidity and mortality. Identifying high-risk patients
      prior to the onset of kidney injury is a key step towards AKI prevention.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A national retrospective cohort of 1,620,898 patient
      hospitalizations from 116 Veterans Affairs hospitals was assembled from
      electronic health record (EHR) data collected from 2003 to 2012. HA-AKI was
      defined at stage 1+, stage 2+, and dialysis. EHR-based predictors were identified
      through logistic regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator
      (lasso) regression, and random forests, and pair-wise comparisons between each
      were made. Calibration and discrimination metrics were calculated using 50
      bootstrap iterations. In the final models, we report odds ratios, 95% confidence
      intervals, and importance rankings for predictor variables to evaluate their
      significance. RESULTS: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve
      (AUC) for the different model outcomes ranged from 0.746 to 0.758 in stage 1+,
      0.714 to 0.720 in stage 2+, and 0.823 to 0.825 in dialysis. Logistic regression
      had the best AUC in stage 1+ and dialysis. Random forests had the best AUC in
      stage 2+ but the least favorable calibration plots. Multiple risk factors were
      significant in our models, including some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,
      blood pressure medications, antibiotics, and intravenous fluids given during the
      first 48 h of admission. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that, although all
      the models tested had good discrimination, performance characteristics varied
      between methods, and the random forests models did not calibrate as well as the
      lasso or logistic regression models. In addition, novel modifiable risk factors
      were explored and found to be significant.

PMID- 26104742
TI  - RobotReviewer: evaluation of a system for automatically assessing bias in
      clinical trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate RobotReviewer, a machine learning (ML) system
      that automatically assesses bias in clinical trials. From a (PDF-formatted) trial
      report, the system should determine risks of bias for the domains defined by the
      Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) tool, and extract supporting text for these
      judgments. METHODS: We algorithmically annotated 12,808 trial PDFs using data
      from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR). Trials were labeled as
      being at low or high/unclear risk of bias for each domain, and sentences were
      labeled as being informative or not. This dataset was used to train a multi-task
      ML model. We estimated the accuracy of ML judgments versus humans by comparing
      trials with two or more independent RoB assessments in the CDSR. Twenty blinded
      experienced reviewers rated the relevance of supporting text, comparing ML output
      with equivalent (human-extracted) text from the CDSR. RESULTS: By retrieving the
      top 3 candidate sentences per document (top3 recall), the best ML text was rated
      more relevant than text from the CDSR, but not significantly (60.4% ML text rated
      'highly relevant' v 56.5% of text from reviews; difference +3.9%, [-3.2% to
      +10.9%]). Model RoB judgments were less accurate than those from published
      reviews, though the difference was <10% (overall accuracy 71.0% with ML v 78.3%
      with CDSR). CONCLUSION: Risk of bias assessment may be automated with reasonable
      accuracy. Automatically identified text supporting bias assessment is of equal
      quality to the manually identified text in the CDSR. This technology could
      substantially reduce reviewer workload and expedite evidence syntheses.

PMID- 26104741
TI  - Design and implementation of a privacy preserving electronic health record
      linkage tool in Chicago.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To design and implement a tool that creates a secure, privacy
      preserving linkage of electronic health record (EHR) data across multiple sites
      in a large metropolitan area in the United States (Chicago, IL), for use in
      clinical research. METHODS: The authors developed and distributed a software
      application that performs standardized data cleaning, preprocessing, and hashing
      of patient identifiers to remove all protected health information. The
      application creates seeded hash code combinations of patient identifiers using a
      Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant SHA-512 algorithm
      that minimizes re-identification risk. The authors subsequently linked individual
      records using a central honest broker with an algorithm that assigns weights to
      hash combinations in order to generate high specificity matches. RESULTS: The
      software application successfully linked and de-duplicated 7 million records
      across 6 institutions, resulting in a cohort of 5 million unique records. Using a
      manually reconciled set of 11 292 patients as a gold standard, the software
      achieved a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 100%, with a majority of the
      missed matches accounted for by patients with both a missing social security
      number and last name change. Using 3 disease examples, it is demonstrated that
      the software can reduce duplication of patient records across sites by as much as
      28%. CONCLUSIONS: Software that standardizes the assignment of a unique seeded
      hash identifier merged through an agreed upon third-party honest broker can
      enable large-scale secure linkage of EHR data for epidemiologic and public health
      research. The software algorithm can improve future epidemiologic research by
      providing more comprehensive data given that patients may make use of multiple
      healthcare systems.

PMID- 26104743
TI  - Improving prediction of fall risk among nursing home residents using electronic
      medical records.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Falls are physically and financially costly, but may be preventable
      with targeted intervention. The Minimum Data Set (MDS) is one potential source of
      information on fall risk factors among nursing home residents, but its limited
      breadth and relatively infrequent updates may limit its practical utility.
      Richer, more frequently updated data from electronic medical records (EMRs) may
      improve ability to identify individuals at highest risk for falls. METHODS: The
      authors applied a repeated events survival model to analyze MDS 3.0 and EMR data
      for 5129 residents in 13 nursing homes within a single large California chain
      that uses a centralized EMR system from a leading vendor. Estimated regression
      parameters were used to project resident fall probability. The authors examined
      the proportion of observed falls within each projected fall risk decile to assess
      improvements in predictive power from including EMR data. RESULTS: In a model
      incorporating fall risk factors from the MDS only, 28.6% of observed falls
      occurred among residents in the highest projected risk decile. In an alternative
      specification incorporating more frequently updated measures for the same risk
      factors from the EMR data, 32.3% of observed falls occurred among residents in
      the highest projected risk decile, a 13% increase over the base MDS-only
      specification. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating EMR data improves ability to identify
      those at highest risk for falls relative to prediction using MDS data alone.
      These improvements stem chiefly from the greater frequency with which EMR data
      are updated, with minimal additional gains from availability of additional risk
      factor variables.

PMID- 26104744
TI  - FoldNucleus: web server for the prediction of RNA and protein folding nuclei from
      their 3D structures.
AB  - MOTIVATION: To gain insight into how biopolymers fold as quickly as they do, it
      is useful to determine which structural elements limit the rate of RNA/protein
      folding. SUMMARY: We have created a new web server, FoldNucleus. Using this
      server, it is possible to calculate the folding nucleus for RNA molecules with
      known 3D structures-including pseudoknots, tRNAs, hairpins and ribozymes-and for
      protein molecules with known 3D structures, as long as they are smaller than 200
      amino acid residues. Researchers can determine and understand which elements of
      the structure limit the folding process for various types of RNAs and protein
      molecules. Experimental F values for 21 proteins can be found and compared with
      those determined by our method:
      http://bioinfo.protres.ru/resources/phi_values.htm. AVAILABILITY AND
      IMPLEMENTATION: http://bioinfo.protres.ru/foldnucleus/. CONTACT:
      ogalzit@vega.protres.ru.

PMID- 26104745
TI  - MetaQuery: a web server for rapid annotation and quantitative analysis of
      specific genes in the human gut microbiome.
AB  - Microbiome researchers frequently want to know how abundant a particular
      microbial gene or pathway is across different human hosts, including its
      association with disease and its co-occurrence with other genes or microbial
      taxa. With thousands of publicly available metagenomes, these questions should be
      easy to answer. However, computational barriers prevent most researchers from
      conducting such analyses. We address this problem with MetaQuery, a web
      application for rapid and quantitative analysis of specific genes in the human
      gut microbiome. The user inputs one or more query genes, and our software returns
      the estimated abundance of these genes across 1267 publicly available fecal
      metagenomes from American, European and Chinese individuals. In addition, our
      application performs downstream statistical analyses to identify features that
      are associated with gene variation, including other query genes (i.e. gene co
      variation), taxa, clinical variables (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease and
      diabetes) and average genome size. The speed and accessibility of MetaQuery are a
      step toward democratizing metagenomics research, which should allow many
      researchers to query the abundance and variation of specific genes in the human
      gut microbiome. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: http://metaquery.docpollard.org.
      CONTACT: snayfach@gmail.comS UPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are
      available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 26104746
TI  - Living on a knife edge-the daily struggle of coping with symptomatic cardiac
      arrhythmias.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2010 a retrospective audit was undertaken to assess the viability
      of using PROMs in patients with symptomatic cardiac arrhythmias having undergone
      percutaneous arrhythmia ablation. A response rate of 74 % was achieved, with
      finding suggesting that arrhythmia patients reported a significant impact on
      their work, social and family life. AIMS: To conduct a qualitative cross
      sectional survey to understand patients' perspectives of how cardiac arrhythmias
      affect their daily lives, as part of a program to develop a Patient Reported
      Outcome Measure (PROM). METHOD: Twenty five patients aged 18 or over, diagnosed
      with a variety of symptomatic cardiac arrhythmias referred for a cardiac ablation
      procedure took part in cognitive interviews. These aimed to inform the
      development of a patient reported outcome measure and to determine factors
      important to this patient group. Common themes were identified using content
      analysis. RESULTS: Participants reported that symptoms of their arrhythmia caused
      them considerable problems and impacted adversely on their quality of life in
      many ways. This extended through daily routine, work and social activities and
      also to friends and family, with fear and anxiety being significant factors for
      most responders. Patients felt their illness was poorly understood, even by
      health professionals, and often reported that they felt isolated, lacking support
      and information. CONCLUSION: Symptomatic cardiac arrhythmias are a source of
      debilitating and life limiting symptoms, having a negative impact on quality of
      life. Symptoms and related complications are relevant across different arrhythmia
      substrates and patient groups. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study is registered on the
      Clinical Trials website, Identifier NCT01672528.

PMID- 26104747
TI  - Improving prevalence estimation through data fusion: methods and validation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Estimation of health prevalences is usually performed with a single
      survey. Some attempts have been made to integrate more than one source of data.
      We propose here to validate this approach through data fusion. Data Fusion is the
      process of integrating two sources of data into one combined file. It allows us
      to take even greater advantage of existing information collected in databases.
      Here, we use data fusion to improve the estimation of health prevalences for two
      primary health factors: cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. METHODS: We use a
      real data fusion operation on population health, where the imputation of basic
      health risk factors is used to enrich a large-scale survey on self-reported
      health status. We propose choosing the imputation methodology for this problem
      through a suite of validation statistics that assess the quality of the fused
      data. The compared imputation techniques have been chosen from among the main
      imputation methodologies: k-nearest neighbor, probabilistic modeling and
      regression. We use the 2006 Health Survey of Catalonia, which provides a complete
      report of the perceived health status. In order to deal with the uncertainty
      problem, we compare these methodologies under the single and multiple imputation
      frames. RESULTS: A suite of validation statistics allows us to discern the
      strengths and weaknesses of studied imputation methods. Multiple outperforms
      single imputation by providing better and much more stable estimates, according
      to the computed validation statistics. The summarized results indicate that the
      probabilistic methods preserve the multivariate structure better; sequential
      regression methods deliver greater accuracy of imputed data; and nearest neighbor
      methods end up with a more realistic distribution of imputed data. CONCLUSIONS:
      Data fusion allows us to integrate two sources of information in order to take
      grater advantage of the available data. Multiple imputed sequential regression
      models have the advantage of grater interpretability and can be used for health
      policy. Under certain conditions, more accurate estimates of the prevalences can
      be obtained using fused data (the original data plus the imputed data) than just
      by using only the observed data.

PMID- 26104748
TI  - Genomics in the renal clinic - translating nephrogenetics for clinical practice.
AB  - Genetic Renal Disease (GRD) presents to mainstream clinicians as a mixture of
      kidney-specific as well as multi-organ entities, many with highly variable
      phenotype-genotype relationships. The rapid increase in knowledge and reduced
      cost of sequencing translate to new and additional approaches to clinical care.
      Specifically, genomic technologies to test for known genes, the development of
      pathways to research potential new genes and the collection of registry data on
      patients with mutations allow better prediction of outcomes. The aim of such
      approaches is to maximise personal and health-system utility from genomics for
      those affected by nephrogenetic disorders. 

PMID- 26104749
TI  - From trainee to tenure-track: ten tips.

PMID- 26104750
TI  - Derivation of genetic biomarkers for cancer risk stratification in Barrett's
      oesophagus: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The risk of developing adenocarcinoma in non-dysplastic Barrett's
      oesophagus is low and difficult to predict. Accurate tools for risk
      stratification are needed to increase the efficiency of surveillance. We aimed to
      develop a prediction model for progression using clinical variables and genetic
      markers. METHODS: In a prospective cohort of patients with non-dysplastic
      Barrett's oesophagus, we evaluated six molecular markers: p16, p53, Her-2/neu,
      20q, MYC and aneusomy by DNA fluorescence in situ hybridisation on brush cytology
      specimens. Primary study outcomes were the development of high-grade dysplasia or
      oesophageal adenocarcinoma. The most predictive clinical variables and markers
      were determined using Cox proportional-hazards models, receiver operating
      characteristic curves and a leave-one-out analysis. RESULTS: A total of 428
      patients participated (345 men; median age 60 years) with a cumulative follow-up
      of 2019 patient-years (median 45 months per patient). Of these patients, 22
      progressed; nine developed high-grade dysplasia and 13 oesophageal
      adenocarcinoma. The clinical variables, age and circumferential Barrett's length,
      and the markers, p16 loss, MYC gain and aneusomy, were significantly associated
      with progression on univariate analysis. We defined an 'Abnormal Marker Count'
      that counted abnormalities in p16, MYC and aneusomy, which significantly improved
      risk prediction beyond using just age and Barrett's length. In multivariate
      analysis, these three factors identified a high-risk group with an 8.7-fold (95%
      CI 2.6 to 29.8) increased HR when compared with the low-risk group, with an area
      under the curve of 0.76 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: A prediction model
      based on age, Barrett's length and the markers p16, MYC and aneusomy determines
      progression risk in non-dysplastic Barrett's oesophagus.

PMID- 26104752
TI  - Incidence of fall-related injury among old people in mainland China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The fall-related injuries of old people have attracted increasing
      attention particularly because of the continuous aging of the population. In this
      meta-analysis, we aim to present the incidence and sub-groups of fall-related
      injuries among old people in mainland China. METHODS: A systematic electronic
      literature search was performed using four Chinese and two English databases. The
      selected papers were cross-sectional studies in mainland China, the participants
      of which were recruited based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were
      collected through face-to-face interviews using questionnaire. The risk of bias
      was assessed using the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology
      (STROBE), and the pooled rates were estimated by DerSimonian and Laird random
      effects model. RESULTS: A total of 40 cross-sectional studies that focused on
      128,691 participants who were aged 60 years were included in this review. On the
      one hand, 54.95 per 1000 (overall), 45.94 per 1000 (males), 78.89 per 1000
      (females), 25.95 per 1000 (60 years to 69 years), 33.03 per 1000 (70 years to 79
      years), and 62.74 per 1000 (>=80 years) were estimated for the pooled incidence
      of fall-related injury. On the other hand, 91.72 per 1000 (overall), 94.54 per
      1000 (males), and 144.93 per 1000 (females) were estimated for person-time
      incidence of fall-related injury. Higher incidence rates were observed in females
      compared with males, and these rates continued to increase along with age.
      CONCLUSIONS: A moderate level of fall-related injuries was observed among old
      people in mainland China.

PMID- 26104753
TI  - Pulmonary metastases in differentiated thyroid cancer: efficacy of radioiodine
      therapy and prognostic factors.
AB  - CONTEXT: Data from a large cohort of patients with pulmonary metastases from
      differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) were retrospectively analyzed. OBJECTIVE: To
      assess the effect of radioiodine therapy and investigate the prognostic factors
      of survival for patients with pulmonary metastasis secondary to DTC. METHODS: A
      total of 372 patients with pulmonary metastasis from DTC treated with (131)I
      entered the study. According to the results of (131)I whole-body scan (WBS),
      pulmonary metastases were classified as (131)I-avid and non-(131)I-avid. For
      patients with (131)I-avid lung metastases, treatment response was measured by
      three parameters: serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels, chest computed tomography (CT)
      and post-therapeutic (131)I-WBS. Overall survival was calculated by the Kaplan
      Meier method. Factors predictive of the outcome were determined by multivariate
      analyses. RESULTS: Among patients demonstrating (131)I-avid pulmonary metastases
      (256/372, 68.8%), 156 cases (156/256, 60.9%) showed a significant decrease in
      serum Tg levels after (131)I therapy and 138 cases (138/229, 60.3%) showed a
      reduction in pulmonary metastases on follow-up CT. A complete cure, however, was
      only achieved in 62 cases (62/256, 24.2%). Multivariate analysis showed that only
      age, the presence of multiple distant metastases and pulmonary metastatic node
      size were significant independent variables between the groups of (131)I-avid and
      non-(131)I-avid. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that, most (131)I-avid
      pulmonary metastases from DTC can obtain partial or complete remission after
      (131)I therapy. Younger patients (<40 years old) with only pulmonary metastases
      and small ('fine miliaric' or micronodular) metastases appear to have relative
      favorite outcomes. Patients who do not respond to (131)I treatment have a worse
      prognosis.

PMID- 26104754
TI  - A cost-effectiveness comparison between early surgery and non-surgical approach
      for incidental papillary thyroid microcarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The issue of whether all incidental papillary thyroid microcarcinoma
      (PTMC) should be managed by early surgery (ES) has been questioned and there is a
      growing acceptance that a non-surgical approach (NSA) might be more appropriate.
      We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing the two strategies in
      managing incidental PTMC. METHODS: Our base case was a hypothetical 40-year-old
      female diagnosed with a unifocal intra-thyroidal 9 mm PTMC. The PTMC was
      considered suitable for either strategy. A Markov decision tree model was
      constructed to compare the estimated cost-effectiveness between ES and NSA after
      20 years. Outcome probabilities, utilities and costs were derived from the
      literature. The threshold for cost-effectiveness was set at USD 50,000/quality
      adjusted life year (QALY). A further analysis was done for patients < 40 and >=
      40 years. Sensitivity and threshold analyses were used to examine model
      uncertainty. RESULTS: Each patient who adopted NSA over ES cost an extra USD
      682.54 but gained an additional 0.260 QALY. NSA was cost saving (i.e. less costly
      and more effective) up to 16 years from diagnosis and remained cost-effective
      from 17 years onward. In the sensitivity analysis, NSA remained cost-effective
      regardless of patient age (< 40 and >= 40 years), complications, rates of
      progression, year cycle and discount rate. In the threshold analysis, none of the
      scenarios that could have changed the conclusion appeared clinically likely.
      CONCLUSIONS: For a selected group of incidental PTMC, adopting NSA was not only
      cost saving in the initial 16 years but also remained cost effective thereafter.
      This was irrespective of patient age, complication rate or rate of PTMC
      progression.

PMID- 26104751
TI  - British Society of Gastroenterology/Association of Coloproctologists of Great
      Britain and Ireland guidelines for the management of large non-pedunculated
      colorectal polyps.
AB  - These guidelines provide an evidence-based framework for the management of
      patients with large non-pedunculated colorectal polyps (LNPCPs), in addition to
      identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) that permit the audit of quality
      outcomes. These are areas not previously covered by British Society of
      Gastroenterology (BSG) Guidelines.A National Institute of Health and Care
      Excellence (NICE) compliant BSG guideline development process was used throughout
      and the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) tool was
      used to structure the guideline development process. A systematic review of
      literature was conducted for English language articles up to May 2014 concerning
      the assessment and management of LNPCPs. Quality of evaluated studies was
      assessed using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Methodology
      Checklist System. Proposed recommendation statements were evaluated by each
      member of the Guideline Development Group (GDG) on a scale from 1 (strongly
      agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) with >80% agreement required for consensus to be
      reached. Where consensus was not reached a modified Delphi process was used to re
      evaluate and modify proposed statements until consensus was reached or the
      statement discarded. A round table meeting was subsequently held to finalise
      recommendations and to evaluate the strength of evidence discussed. The GRADE
      tool was used to assess the strength of evidence and strength of recommendation
      for finalised statements.KPIs, a training framework and potential research
      questions for the management of LNPCPs were also developed. It is hoped that
      these guidelines will improve the assessment and management of LNPCPs. 

PMID- 26104755
TI  - Ag29(BDT)12(TPP)4: A Tetravalent Nanocluster.
AB  - The bottom-up assembly of nanoparticles into diverse ordered solids is a
      challenge because it requires nanoparticles, which are often quasi-spherical, to
      have interaction anisotropy akin to atoms and molecules. Typically, anisotropy
      has been introduced by changing the shape of the inorganic nanoparticle core.
      Here, we present the design, self-assembly, optical properties, and total
      structural determination of Ag29(BDT)12(TPP)4, an atomically precise tetravalent
      nanocluster (NC) (BDT, 1,3-benzenedithiol; TPP, triphenylphosphine). It features
      four unique tetrahedrally symmetrical binding surface sites facilitated by the
      supramolecular assembly of 12 BDT (wide footprint bidentate thiols) in the ligand
      shell. When each of these sites was selectively functionalized by a single
      phosphine ligand, particle stability, synthetic yield, and the propensity to self
      assemble into macroscopic crystals increased. The solid crystallized NCs have a
      substantially narrowed optical band gap compared to that of the solution state,
      suggesting strong interparticle electronic coupling occurs in the solid state. 

PMID- 26104756
TI  - Parallel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay screening for human immunodeficiency
      virus among blood donors in five Chinese blood centres: a retrospective analysis.
AB  - AIMS: To evaluate the strategy of parallel screening with different enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assays (ELISA) among Chinese blood donors. BACKGROUND: Parallel
      screening with ELISA has been the main strategy to detect human immunodeficiency
      virus (HIV) in blood donations in China for more than a decade. The performance
      of the strategy should be analysed. METHODS: A total of 821,927 donations
      collected from five Chinese blood centres in 2008-2010 were tested using two
      third-generation ELISAs by different manufacturers licenced and confirmed by the
      Western blot (WB) in this study. The confirmatory positive predictive values
      (PPV), false positive rates (FPR), false negative rates (FNR) and potential risks
      for transfusion resulting from single or sequential ELISA screening were
      evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 5318 (0.647%) of donations screened HIV reactive
      and were discarded. WB confirmatory results on 1668 available samples suggested
      that PPVs for dual ELISA, one round ELISA reactive and grey zone samples were
      75.1, 0.7 and 0.5%, respectively. Eight out of 1124 one round ELISA reactive and
      1 out of 195 grey zone samples were WB confirmed positive. All but one ELISA
      assay displayed comparable PPVs but variable FPRs and FNRs that differed by blood
      centre. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of nucleic acid testing (NAT), parallel ELISA
      screening prevented a substantial number of HIV infected donations from entering
      the Chinese blood supply. However, the loss of false positive donors should be re
      evaluated especially given the frequently reported blood supply shortage in
      China.

PMID- 26104757
TI  - Private firm gets L400m contract to run NHS administrative services in England.

PMID- 26104758
TI  - Variation of perioperative plasma mitochondrial DNA correlate with peak
      inflammatory cytokines caused by cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.
AB  - BACKGROUD: Cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) may cause
      inflammatory responses, which can deteriorate the outcomes. Inflammatory
      cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6,-8 and 
      10, can act as both the effector and the predictor for post-operative
      inflammatory responses. Plasma mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was found as a pro
      inflammatory agent recently, which was released when cells were insulted.
      METHODS: In the present study, we included 38 patients undergoing coronary artery
      bypass graft (CABG) to analyze their perioperative plasma mtDNA and levels of
      inflammatory cytokines. Blood samples were collected before aortic cross-clamping
      (T1), at the end of CPB (T2), 6 h post-CPB (T3), 12 h post-CPB (T4), and 24 h
      post-CPB (T5). Rt-PCR and specific ELISA kits were used to quantify the plasma
      mtDNA and inflammatory cytokines, respectively. Bivariate correlations analysis
      was used to check the correlations between plasma mtDNA and inflammatory
      cytokines respectively. RESULTS: Results shown that plasma mtDNA elevated
      significantly at T2 and peaked at T4. Furthermore, plasma TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL
      8 levels significantly increased at T2 and peaked at T3 while IL-10 elevated and
      peaked at T2. Bivariate correlations analysis showed that the peak plasma mtDNA
      were positively correlated with the peak TNF-alpha (r = 0.677, P < 0.001), the
      peak IL-6 (r = 0.706, P < 0.001), the peak IL-8 (r = 0.584, P < 0.001) and the
      peak IL-10 (r = 0.565, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We found that plasma mtDNA might
      play a key role in CPB-induced post-operative inflammatory responses.

PMID- 26104759
TI  - HLA-DRalpha1-mMOG-35-55 treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
      reduces CNS inflammation, enhances M2 macrophage frequency, and promotes
      neuroprotection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: DRalpha1-mouse(m)MOG-35-55, a novel construct developed in our
      laboratory as a simpler and potentially less immunogenic alternative to two
      domain class II constructs, was shown previously to target the MIF/CD74 pathway
      and to reverse clinical and histological signs of experimental autoimmune
      encephalomyelitis (EAE) in DR*1501-Tg mice in a manner similar to the parent
      DR2beta1-containing construct. METHODS: In order to determine whether DRalpha1
      mMOG-35-55 could treat EAE in major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatched
      mice and to evaluate the treatment effect on central nervous system (CNS)
      inflammation, C57BL/6 mice were treated with DRalpha1-mMOG-35-55. In addition,
      gene expression profile was analyzed in spinal cords of EAE DR*1501-Tg mice that
      were treated with DRalpha1-mMOG-35-55. RESULTS: We here demonstrate that DRalpha1
      mMOG-35-55 could effectively treat EAE in MHC-mismatched C57BL/6 mice by reducing
      CNS inflammation, potentially mediated in part through an increased frequency of
      M2 monocytes in the spinal cord. Microarray analysis of spinal cord tissue from
      DRalpha1-mMOG-35-55-treated vs. vehicle control mice with EAE revealed decreased
      expression of a large number of pro-inflammatory genes including CD74, NLRP3, and
      IL-1beta and increased expression of genes involved in myelin repair (MBP) and
      neuroregeneration (HUWE1). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that the DRalpha1
      mMOG-35-55 construct retains therapeutic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective
      activities during treatment of EAE across MHC disparate barriers.

PMID- 26104760
TI  - High performing hospitals: a qualitative systematic review of associated factors
      and practical strategies for improvement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High performing hospitals attain excellence across multiple measures
      of performance and multiple departments. Studying high performing hospitals can
      be valuable if factors associated with high performance can be identified and
      applied. Factors leading to high performance are complex and an exclusive
      quantitative approach may fail to identify richly descriptive or relevant
      contextual factors. The objective of this study was to undertake a systematic
      review of qualitative literature to identify methods used to identify high
      performing hospitals, the factors associated with high performers, and practical
      strategies for improvement. METHODS: Methods used to collect and summarise the
      evidence contributing to this review followed the 'enhancing transparency in
      reporting the synthesis of qualitative research' protocol. Peer reviewed studies
      were identified through Medline, Embase and Cinahl (Jan 2000-Feb 2014) using
      specified key words, subject terms, and medical subject headings. Eligible
      studies required the use of a quantitative method to identify high performing
      hospitals, and qualitative methods or tools to identify factors associated with
      high performing hospitals or hospital departments. Title, abstract, and full text
      screening was undertaken by four reviewers, and inter-rater reliability
      statistics were calculated for each review phase. Risk of bias was assessed.
      Following data extraction, thematic syntheses identified contextual factors
      important for explaining success. Practical strategies for achieving high
      performance were then mapped against the identified themes. RESULTS: A total of
      19 studies from a possible 11,428 were included in the review. A range of
      process, output, outcome and other indicators were used to identify high
      performing hospitals. Seven themes representing factors associated with high
      performance (and 25 sub-themes) emerged from the thematic syntheses: positive
      organisational culture, senior management support, effective performance
      monitoring, building and maintaining a proficient workforce, effective leaders
      across the organisation, expertise-driven practice, and interdisciplinary
      teamwork. Fifty six practical strategies for achieving high performance were
      catalogued. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides insights into methods used to
      identify high performing hospitals, and yields ideas about the factors important
      for success. It highlights the need to advance approaches for understanding what
      constitutes high performance and how to harness factors associated with high
      performance.

PMID- 26104762
TI  - Correction for Sarkadi et al., High-Level Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses
      in Guinea Pigs Immunized Intradermally with a Heat-Inactivated Varicella-Zoster
      Virus Vaccine.

PMID- 26104761
TI  - SIRT1 affects DNA methylation of polycomb group protein target genes, a hotspot
      of the epigenetic shift observed in ageing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: SIRT1 is likely to play a role in the extension in healthspan induced
      by dietary restriction. Actions of SIRT1 are pleiotropic, and effects on
      healthspan may include effects on DNA methylation. Polycomb group protein target
      genes (PCGTs) are suppressed by epigenetic mechanisms in stem cells, partly
      through the actions of the polycomb repressive complexes (PRCs), and have been
      shown previously to correspond with loci particularly susceptible to age-related
      changes in DNA methylation. We hypothesised that SIRT1 would affect DNA
      methylation particularly at PCGTs. To map the sites in the genome where SIRT1
      affects DNA methylation, we altered SIRT1 expression in human intestinal (Caco-2)
      and vascular endothelial (HuVEC) cells by transient transfection with an
      expression construct or with siRNA. DNA was enriched for the methylated fraction
      then sequenced (HuVEC) or hybridised to a human promoter microarray (Caco-2).
      RESULTS: The profile of genes where SIRT1 manipulation affected DNA methylation
      was enriched for PCGTs in both cell lines, thus supporting our hypothesis. SIRT1
      knockdown affected the mRNA for none of seven PRC components nor for DNMT1 or
      DNMT3b. We thus find no evidence that SIRT1 affects DNA methylation at PCGTs by
      affecting the expression of these gene transcripts. EZH2, a component of PRC2
      that can affect DNA methylation through association with DNA methyltransferases
      (DNMTs), did not co-immunoprecipitate with SIRT1, and SIRT1 knockdown did not
      affect the expression of EZH2 protein. Thus, it is unlikely that the effects of
      SIRT1 on DNA methylation at PCGTs are mediated through direct intermolecular
      association with EZH2 or through effects in its expression. CONCLUSIONS: SIRT1
      affects DNA methylation across the genome, but particularly at PCGTs. Although
      the mechanism through which SIRT1 has these effects is yet to be uncovered, this
      action is likely to contribute to extended healthspan, for example under
      conditions of dietary restriction.

PMID- 26104764
TI  - The expression of microRNA-34a is inversely correlated with c-MET and CDK6 and
      has a prognostic significance in lung adenocarcinoma patients.
AB  - We aimed to establish whether the expression of microRNA-34a (miR-34a) is
      correlated with that of c-MET and G1 phase regulators such as cyclin dependent
      kinase (CDK) 4, CDK6, and cyclin D (CCND) 1 in non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC), and whether a relationship exists between miR-34a expression and both
      clinicopathologic factors and recurrence-free survival (RFS). For 58 samples
      archived from NSCLC patients, we measured the expression of miR-34a and c-MET,
      CDK4/6, and CCND1 by quantitative RT-PCR and assessed the relationship between
      miR-34a expression, clinicopathological factors, and RFS. The expression of miR
      34a was significantly lower in squamous cell tumors (P < 0.001) and in tumors
      associated with lymphatic invasion (P = 0.001). We found significant inverse
      correlations between miR-34a and c-MET (R = -0.316, P = 0.028) and CDK6
      expression (R = -0.4582, P = 0.004). RFS were longer in adenocarcinoma patients
      with high miR-34a expression than in those with low miR-34a expression (55.6 vs.
      21.6 months; P = 0.020). With univariate analysis, statistically significant
      prognostic factors for RFS in adenocarcinoma patients were miR-34a expression
      (Relative risk (RR), 8.14; P = 0.049), TNM stage (RR, 13.55; P = 0.001), LN
      metastasis (RR, 4.19; P = 0.043), and the presence of lymphatic invasion (RR,
      7.05; P = 0.015). In multivariate analysis, only miR-34a was prognostic for RFS
      (RR, 11.5; P = 0.027). miR-34a expression was inversely correlated with that of c
      MET and CDK6 in NSCLC, and had prognostic significance for RFS, especially in
      adenocarcinoma patients.

PMID- 26104765
TI  - Shikonin inhibits invasiveness of osteosarcoma through MMP13 suppression.
AB  - Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor, notorious for
      its metastasis. We have recently shown that shikonin, an effective constituent
      extracted from Chinese medicinal herb, induces necroptosis in OS cells.
      Nevertheless, the effects of low-dose shikonin on the invasiveness of OS cells
      are unknown. Here, we showed that shikonin dose-dependently decreased OS cell
      invasiveness in both scratch wound healing assay and transwell cell migration
      assay. Moreover, the direct target of shikonin on cell invasiveness was found to
      be matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13. Further, the inhibitory effects of shikonin
      on cell invasiveness were completely abolished in MMP13-overexpressing OS cells.
      Together, these data suggest that shikonin may suppress OS invasiveness through
      MMP13 suppression. Thus, our data highlight a previous unappreciated role for
      shikonin in suppressing OS cell metastasis.

PMID- 26104766
TI  - Correlation between serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor-C and
      sentinel lymph node status in early breast cancer.
AB  - Axillary lymph nodes status is the most important prognosis factor in early
      breast cancer. This status is known by a selective sentinel lymph node biopsy
      (SLNB) and/or lymphadenectomy. Immunohistochemical studies of breast cancer
      tumour tissue have reported a relation between the increased expression of
      vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and the risk of lymph node
      metastasis. We researched whether serum levels of VEGF-C could be a predictor
      factor of sentinel lymph node status in these patients. A prospective analysis
      was performed on serum from 174 patients with early breast cancer who underwent
      SLNB. The level of VEGF-C was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
      Clinical-pathologic variables were collected. Univariate analysis and
      multivariate logistic regression were conducted, taking SLNB positivity as the
      segmentation variable. The predictive value of VEGF-C was assessed using ROC
      curves. Of the sample group of 167 patients, 64 (38.3 %) had affected lymph node.
      Eighteen patients (28.1 %) presented micrometastasis; there were isolated tumour
      cells in 11 cases (17.2 %) and macrometastasis in 35 (54.6 %). The median value
      of VEGF-C was 6561.5 pg/ml. These values did not correlate with any clinical
      variables, and there was no association between the level of VEGF-C and SLNB
      status (p = 0.626). In the multivariate analysis, tumour size (p = 0.009) and the
      presence of vascular invasion (p < 0.001) were independently associated with
      sentinel lymph node affected. Serum levels of VEGF-C do not appear to predict
      sentinel lymph node status in patients with early breast cancer who undergo SLNB.

PMID- 26104767
TI  - Stage-dependent changes of preoperative neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and
      platelet to lymphocyte ratio in colorectal cancer.
AB  - This study aims to assess the association of the preoperative neutrophil to
      lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with tumor stage in
      colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. A retrospective study was performed in 336 CRC
      patients. Preoperative whole blood counts, serum levels of carcinoembryonic
      antigen (CEA), and clinicopathologic data were collected. The correlations
      between laboratory parameters and the tumor, node, and metastasis (TNM) stages
      were analyzed. The clinicopathologic TNM stages among CRC patients were 12.8 % at
      stage I, 32.4 % at stage II, 44.6 % at stage III, and 10.1 % at stage IV. NLR,
      PLR, and CEA levels were higher in CRC patients compared to healthy controls (all
      P < 0.0001). Both NLR and PLR showed an early elevation as compared to CEA, with
      a higher area under curve (AUC) value (0.71 vs. 0.62) in predicting the presence
      of the tumor with stage I/II. Accordingly, significant elevations of NLR (P =
      0.0018) and PLR (P < 0.0001) were firstly detected in stage I and stage II,
      respectively. In addition, NLR exhibited a second phase elevation in stage IV,
      with a significant higher level in M1 subgroup compared to M0 subgroup (P =
      0.022). While PLR showed a T stage-dependent increase (P = 0.0003) and was
      identified as an independent factor for the T grade development (P < 0.0001). Our
      data indicated that both neutrophil- and platelet-mediated inflammatory reactions
      are predominantly involved in the different stages of CRC development.
      Determination of pretreatment levels of NLR and PLR might provide useful
      information for the early diagnosis or the therapeutic choices in CRC patients.

PMID- 26104768
TI  - TGIF1 promoted the growth and migration of cancer cells in nonsmall cell lung
      cancer.
AB  - Transforming growth factor beta-inducing factor 1 (TGIF1) was reported to be
      dysregulated in several types of cancer. However, its expression pattern and
      functions in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remained unknown. In the present
      study, the expression of TGIF1 was found to be elevated in the clinical NSCLC
      tissues. TGIF1 promoted the growth and migration of NSCLC cells, while knocking
      down the expression of TGIF1 inhibited the growth and migration of NSCLC cells.
      Moreover, downregulation of TGIF1 impaired the metastasis of NSCLC cells. In the
      study for the molecular mechanisms, it was found that TGIF1 positively regulated
      beta-catenin/TCF signaling. In summary, our study demonstrated the oncogenic role
      of TGIF1 in NSCLC, and TGIF1 might be a therapeutic target for NSCLC.

PMID- 26104770
TI  - Long-term spatio-temporal changes in a West African bushmeat trade system.
AB  - Landscapes in many developing countries consist of a heterogeneous matrix of
      mixed agriculture and forest. Many of the generalist species in this matrix are
      increasingly traded in the bushmeat markets of West and Central Africa. However,
      to date there has been little quantification of how the spatial configuration of
      the landscape influences the urban bushmeat trade over time. As anthropogenic
      landscapes become the face of rural West Africa, understanding the dynamics of
      these systems has important implications for conservation and landscape
      management. The bushmeat production of an area is likely to be defined by
      landscape characteristics such as habitat disturbance, hunting pressure, level of
      protection, and distance to market. We explored (SSG, tense) the role of these
      four characteristics in the spatio-temporal dynamics of the commercial bushmeat
      trade around the city of Kumasi, Ghana, over 27 years (1978 to 2004). We used
      geographic information system methods to generate maps delineating the spatial
      characteristics of the landscapes. These data were combined with spatially
      explicit market data collected in the main fresh bushmeat market in Kumasi to
      explore the relationship between trade volume (measured in terms of number of
      carcasses) and landscape characteristics. Over time, rodents, specifically cane
      rats (Thryonomys swinderianus), became more abundant in the trade relative to
      ungulates and the catchment area of the bushmeat market expanded. Areas of
      intermediate disturbance supplied more bushmeat, but protected areas had no
      effect. Heavily hunted areas showed significant declines in bushmeat supply over
      time. Our results highlight the role that low intensity, heterogeneous
      agricultural landscapes can play in providing ecosystem services, such as
      bushmeat, and therefore the importance of incorporating bushmeat into ecosystem
      service mapping exercises. Our results also indicate that even where high
      bushmeat production is possible, current harvest levels may cause wildlife
      depletion. 

PMID- 26104769
TI  - Interaction analysis of IL-12A and IL-12B polymorphisms with the risk of
      colorectal cancer.
AB  - IL-12 is an antitumor cytokine with functions of inhibiting tumor growth,
      invasion, and metastasis, indicating that IL-12 is a promising candidate for
      cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of IL
      12A rs568408, IL-12A rs2243115, and IL-12B rs3212227 with the susceptibility to
      colorectal cancer (CRC). Two hundred and fifty-seven histopathologically
      confirmed CRC patients and 236 age- and gender-matched controls were enrolled.
      The three polymorphisms were genotyped using a polymerase chain reaction
      restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. We found that the IL-12A rs568408
      AG/AA genotypes were associated with an increased risk of CRC with an adjusted
      odds ratio (OR) of 1.66 (95 % confidence interval (CI), 1.11-2.48). Stratified
      analyses showed that patients carrying the IL-12B rs3212227AC/CC genotypes had a
      1.97-fold increased risk of tumor metastasis (OR = 1.97; 95 % CI, 1.04-3.70).
      Gene-gene interaction analysis showed that subjects carrying the IL-12A
      rs568408AG/AA and IL-12B rs3212227AA genotypes had a 2.40-fold increased risk of
      CRC (OR = 2.40; 95 % CI, 1.14-5.07) and individuals carrying the IL-12A
      rs568408AG/AA and IL-12B rs3212227AC/CC genotypes had a 1.93-fold increased risk
      of CRC (OR = 1.93; 95 % CI, 1.10-3.41). These findings indicate that IL-12A
      rs568408 and IL-12B rs3212227 may be related to the development of CRC.

PMID- 26104771
TI  - Optogenetic probing of mitochondrial damage responses.
AB  - It is now possible to functionally impair mitochondria through light illumination
      with high specificity. These optogenetic tools permit precise control on the
      timing, location, and extent of mitochondrial damage within a cell population
      with subcellular resolution, allowing quantitative probing of the various types
      of mitochondrial damage responses within cells. This approach can generally be
      extended toward the probing of other organelle damage responses. 

PMID- 26104772
TI  - Using Star Wars' supporting characters to teach about psychopathology.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The pop culture phenomenon of Star Wars has been underutilised as a
      vehicle to teach about psychiatry. It is well known to students, registrars, and
      consultants alike. New Star Wars films are expected out in 2015, which will
      likely lead to further popularity. The purpose of this article is to illustrate
      psychopathology and psychiatric themes demonstrated by supporting characters, and
      ways they can be used to teach concepts in a hypothetical yet memorable way.
      CONCLUSIONS: Using the minor characters as a springboard for teaching has the
      benefit of students not having preconceived notions about them. Characters can be
      used to approach teaching about ADHD, anxiety, kleptomania and paedophilia.

PMID- 26104773
TI  - The importance of least restrictive care: the clinical implications of a recent
      High Court decision on negligence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to explain the meaning and implications for practice
      of the High Court of Australia's finding in the negligence case, Hunter and New
      England Local Health District v McKenna [2014] HCA 44. METHOD: The facts of the
      case and the law of negligence are reviewed before reporting the Court's
      decision. RESULTS: The High Court found that the obligation upon doctors to
      provide the least restrictive option for care that was imposed by the, then
      applicable, Mental Health Act 1990 (NSW) was inconsistent with an obligation that
      might otherwise be imposed by a common law duty to have regard to the interests
      of those with whom a psychiatric patient may come into contact if not detained.
      CONCLUSIONS: The Court's finding underlines the importance of clinicians
      documenting their clinical reasoning around why their negotiated management plan
      was the option least restrictive of the patient's freedom and most protective of
      his or her human rights.

PMID- 26104774
TI  - Communication skills in psychiatry training.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Mental health clinicians can experience problems communicating
      distressing diagnostic information to patients and their families, especially
      about severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. Evidence suggests that
      interpersonal communication skills can be effectively taught, as has been
      demonstrated in the specialty of oncology. However, very little literature exists
      with respect to interpersonal communication skills training for psychiatry. This
      paper provides an overview of the communication skills training literature.
      CONCLUSIONS: The report reveals significant gaps exist and highlights the need
      for advanced communication skills training for mental health clinicians,
      particularly about communicating a diagnosis and/or prognosis of schizophrenia. A
      new communication skills training framework for psychiatry is described, based on
      that used in oncology as a model. This model promotes applied skills and
      processes that are easily adapted for use in psychiatry, providing an effective
      platform for the development of similar training programs for psychiatric
      clinical practice.

PMID- 26104775
TI  - Treating OCD: what to do when first-line therapies fail.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide a clinically-focused review of the biological treatment of
      treatment-resistant obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). CONCLUSIONS: There is a
      paucity of research on how to manage OCD patients who fail to respond adequately
      to first line therapies. High-dose selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
      (SSRIs) and clomipramine have good evidence-based data. Combinations of SSRIs
      have little support in clinical trials, but the combination of SSRIs and
      clomipramine can be helpful: careful clinical and cardiac monitoring is required.
      Certain adjunctive antipsychotics have a reasonable evidence base in OCD, but
      their use also needs to be weighed against the potential side effect burden. In
      patients with substantial generalised anxiety symptoms, clonazepam is worth
      considering. Of the other augmenting strategies, memantine and ondansetron appear
      useful in some cases, and are well tolerated. Topiramate might ameliorate
      compulsions to some degree, but it is less well tolerated. If all these
      strategies, along with expert psychological therapy, fail, careful consideration
      should be given to deep brain stimulation (DBS), which has an emerging evidence
      base and which can result in dramatic benefits for some individuals. For some
      patients, gamma radiosurgery might also still have a place.

PMID- 26104776
TI  - Psychological treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder: an update.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to provide an update on current
      psychological treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). CONCLUSIONS:
      Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), incorporating exposure and response
      prevention, remains the non-pharmacological treatment of choice for OCD. Recent
      developments highlight the importance of family involvement in adult OCD
      treatment, and the use of alternative 'third-wave' interventions. Internet
      delivered CBT may provide an opportunity to overcome barriers to effective
      treatment, such as distance and lack of trained clinicians.

PMID- 26104777
TI  - Reactions to driving cessation: a qualitative study of people with dementia and
      their families.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A proportion of older people with mild dementia are safe to drive.
      However, driving cessation is recommended at some point as the disease
      progresses. Driving cessation can have significant psychological and social
      consequences on people with dementia and their carers. This paper aims to explore
      the psychosocial and adjustment issues following driving cessation for people
      with dementia and their supporters. METHOD: Participants and their supporters
      were interviewed within 1 month of driving-cessation advice, and again 6 months
      later. Issues associated with driving cessation were explored in semi-structured
      interviews. RESULTS: Seven participants and their supporters were recruited. This
      has generated a total of 22 transcripts for qualitative analysis including follow
      up interviews. For those who could remember the details of driving cessation,
      most were unhappy with the decision. Carers who were supportive of driving
      cessation questioned the legality of it. Most participants minimised the impact
      of their driving cessation on their supporters. Most supporters were negatively
      affected by the decision. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary findings highlight the
      need for a more comprehensive process for driving cessation in those with
      dementia, with closer links to regulatory bodies, and increased support for their
      families/carers.

PMID- 26104778
TI  - ECT and lithium in old age depression - cause or treatment of rapid cycling?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article presents the case of an elderly woman experiencing a
      depressive phase of Bipolar Affective Disorder 1 (BPAD1), who required
      electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), prior to which her lithium was ceased, and who
      developed ultra-ultra-rapid cycling (UURC) and ultra-rapid cycling (URC). This
      resolved with the recommencement of lithium and continuation of ECT. METHOD: Case
      report and review of the relevant literature. RESULTS: The patient's mood
      stabilized with recommencement of lithium and continuation of ECT. CONCLUSIONS:
      Ceasing lithium prior to ECT may carry a risk of URC or UURC in BPAD1.

PMID- 26104779
TI  - Examining Mental Health Act usage in an urban emergency department.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study we aimed to examine the characteristics of Mental Health
      Act (MHA) usage in the Emergency Department (ED) of an urban teaching hospital in
      Sydney. METHODS: All MHA certificates written on individuals in the ED over a 12
      week period in 2013 were collected. The medical record of each individual was
      reviewed by a member of the research team using an audit tool developed for the
      study. Any uncertainty over individual cases was addressed through research team
      consensus. RESULTS: A total of 172 MHA certificates were collected; 67 were
      written by police, 45 by ambulance, 54 by medical officers and three by
      accredited persons. Three magistrate orders for assessment were also received.
      Seventy percent of police and 60% of ambulance MHA certificates did not result in
      admission. Over a third were revoked by ED physicians. Forty-five people (32.4%)
      who presented voluntarily were subsequently detained. CONCLUSIONS: Police and
      ambulance MHA certification was a poor predictor of admission. Least restrictive
      measures were predominantly the outcome. Delegating ED physicians with authorised
      medical officer status assisted in facilitating this process. Formalised
      education and training on the principles and practicalities of MHA legislation
      should be ongoing for all professionals involved.

PMID- 26104780
TI  - Psychological treatments for trichotillomania: update and future directions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to provide an overview of evidence-based psychological
      treatments for trichotillomania. CONCLUSIONS: Advances in the understanding of
      the phenomenology of trichotillomania has led to the augmentation of behavioural
      treatments with dialectical behaviour therapy and acceptance and commitment
      therapy. Further studies of treatment component efficacy and cognitive
      behavioural models are required.

PMID- 26104781
TI  - Families of returned defence force personnel: a changing landscape of challenges.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to identify the key challenges experienced by the
      families of defence force personnel following deployment. METHOD: We undertook a
      selective review of four post-deployment challenges to the families of defence
      force personnel: (1) changes to relationships; (2) changes to family member roles
      and responsibilities; (3) adjustment of children and parenting challenges; and
      (4) anger, family conflict and violence. Emerging issues in the area of post
      deployment adjustment are also discussed. RESULTS: Empirical studies of post
      deployment family adjustment are lacking. Each of the reviewed challenges can
      contribute to psychological difficulties and precipitate contact with mental
      health services. CONCLUSIONS: The challenges faced by defence force personnel
      when returning from deployment arise within a family context. Clinicians should
      thoroughly assess these factors in families following deployment, but also
      recognise family strengths and resilience to these challenges.

PMID- 26104782
TI  - Tension gastrothorax: acute life-threatening manifestation of late onset
      congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in children.
AB  - Tension gastrothorax in children is a life-threatening condition and presents
      dramatically with acute and severe respiratory distress. It develops when an
      intra-thoracic stomach herniated through a diaphragmatic defect is massively
      distended by trapped air and/or fluid causing mediastinal displacement. Tension
      gastrothorax is often misinterpreted as tension pneumothorax and managed as such
      leading to increased morbidity and mortality. We present a child with tension
      gastrothorax and a literature review of this phenomenon.Immediate clinical and
      radiographic evaluation should lead to accurate diagnosis followed by emergency
      decompression of the stomach before laparotomy with reduction of herniated
      viscera and repair of the diaphragmatic defect. 

PMID- 26104783
TI  - Pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasm in a transgender patient.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cystic pancreatic lesions are increasingly more frequent detected
      clinical entities. Mucinous cystic neoplasm (MCN) is a hormone-related pancreatic
      tumor (HRTP) with a strong predominance in young and middle-aged females. CASE
      PRESENTATION: Here, we present the case of a 31-year-old surgically transgendered
      female-to-male patient with a history of alcoholic pancreatitis, on chronic
      testosterone therapy. He was found to have a pancreatic MCN and underwent distal
      pancreatectomy and splenectomy. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first
      reported case of a transgender patient with a history of hormone replacement
      therapy (HRT) and pancreatic MCN. We consider possible mechanisms for the
      pathogenesis to explain this patient's neoplasm.

PMID- 26104784
TI  - Productivity loss and indirect costs associated with cardiovascular events and
      related clinical procedures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The high acute costs of cardiovascular disease and acute
      cardiovascular events are well established, particularly in terms of direct
      medical costs. The costs associated with lost work productivity have been
      described in a broad sense, but little is known about workplace absenteeism or
      short term disability costs among high cardiovascular risk patients. The
      objective of this study was to quantify workplace absenteeism (WA) and short-term
      disability (STD) hours and costs associated with cardiovascular events and
      related clinical procedures (CVERP) in United States employees with high
      cardiovascular risk. METHODS: Medical, WA and/or STD data from the Truven Health
      MarketScan(r) Research Databases were used to select full-time employees aged 18
      64 with hyperlipidemia during 2002-2011. Two cohorts (with and without CVERP)
      were created and screened for medical, drug, WA, and STD eligibility. The CVERP
      cohort was matched with a non-CVERP cohort using propensity score matching. Work
      loss hours and indirect costs were calculated for patients with and without CVERP
      and by CVERP type. Wages were based on the 2013 age-, gender-, and geographic
      region-adjusted wage rate from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
      RESULTS: A total of 5,808 WA-eligible, 21,006 STD-eligible, and 3,362 combined WA
      and STD eligible patients with CVERP were well matched to patients without CVERP,
      creating three cohorts of patients with CVERP and three cohorts of patients
      without CVERP. Demographics were similar across cohorts (mean age 52.2-53.1
      years, male 81.3-86.8%). During the first month of follow-up, patients with CVERP
      had more WA/STD-related hours lost compared with patients without CVERP (WA
      eligible: 23.4 more hours, STD-eligible: 51.7 more hours, WA and STD-eligible:
      56.3 more hours) (p < 0.001). Corresponding costs were $683, $895, and $1,119
      higher, respectively (p < 0.001). Differences narrowed with longer follow-up. In
      the first month and year of follow-up, patients with coronary artery bypass graft
      experienced the highest WA/STD-related hours lost and costs compared with
      patients with other CVERP. CONCLUSIONS: CVERP were associated with substantial
      work loss and indirect costs. Prevention or reduction of CVERP could result in WA
      and STD-related cost savings for employers.

PMID- 26104785
TI  - Human biting activity, spatial-temporal distribution and malaria vector role of
      Anopheles calderoni in the southwest of Colombia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anopheles calderoni was first recognized in Colombia in 2010 as this
      species had been misidentified as Anopheles punctimacula due to morphological
      similarities. An. calderoni is considered a malaria vector in Peru and has been
      found naturally infected with Plasmodium falciparum in Colombia. However, its
      biting behaviour, population dynamics and epidemiological importance have not
      been well described for Colombia. METHODS: To assess the contribution of An.
      calderoni to malaria transmission and its human biting behaviour and
      spatial/temporal distribution in the southwest of Colombia, human landing catches
      (HLC) and larval collections were carried out in a cross-sectional, entomological
      study in 22 localities between 2011 and 2012, and a longitudinal study was
      performed in the Boca de Prieta locality in Olaya Herrera municipality between
      July 2012 and June 2013. All mosquitoes determined as An. calderoni were tested
      by ELISA to establish infection with Plasmodium spp. RESULTS: Larvae of An.
      calderoni were found in four localities in 12 out of 244 breeding sites
      inspected. An. calderoni adults were collected in 14 out of 22 localities during
      the cross-sectional study and represented 41.3% (459 of 1,111) of the collected
      adult specimens. Other species found were Anopheles albimanus (54.7%), Anopheles
      apicimacula (2.1%), Anopheles neivai (1.7%), and Anopheles argyritarsis (0.2%).
      In the localities that reported the highest malaria Annual Parasite Index
      (>10/1,000 inhabitants) during the year of sampling, An. calderoni was the
      predominant species (>90% of the specimens collected). In the longitudinal study,
      1,528 An. calderoni were collected by HLC with highest biting rates in February,
      May and June 2013, periods of high precipitation. In general, the species showed
      a preference to bite outdoors (p < 0.001). In Boca de Prieta, two specimens of
      An. calderoni were ELISA positive for Plasmodium circumsporozoite protein: one
      for P. falciparum and one for Plasmodium vivax VK-210. This represents an overall
      sporozoite rate of 0.1% and an annual entomological inoculation rate of 2.84
      infective bites/human/year. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that An. calderoni is a
      primary malaria vector in the southwest of Colombia. Its observed preference for
      outdoor biting is a major challenge for malaria control.

PMID- 26104786
TI  - Methods considerations for nystagmography.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: 1. To assess the reproducibility of eye movement velocity measurement
      using two methods: traditional electro-oculography (EOG) and infrared video
      oculography (VOG) and, 2. Determine whether the normal values for unilateral
      weakness and bilateral reduction of caloric responses vary according to method
      employed. BACKGROUND: Vestibular testing frequently involves measurement of eye
      movements. EOG has been the standard method for decades, but VOG and other
      methods have recently become popular. The assumption has been that all methods
      measure eye movements equally and accurately but this assumption has not been
      validated. In this paper we examine this assumption. METHODS: Eye movements were
      recorded simultaneously with commercially available EOG and VOG methods to
      evaluate differences in results for nineteen normal subjects undergoing caloric
      tests with warm and cold water. Examination of the records permitted
      identification and simultaneous measurement of 840 nystagmus beats. RESULTS: EOG
      and VOG measurements were correlated but the correlation was not strong (Spearman
      rho = 0.529, p < 0.01). Eye velocities recorded by the VOG system were greater
      than that for the EOG system. The mean VOG/EOG ratio was 1.71. Normal values used
      at our centre were adjusted to accommodate the use of video technology to account
      for the differences in sensitivity between EOG and VOG methods. CONCLUSION: The
      traditional EOG-based normal value for bilateral reduction of caloric response,
      30 degree per second (d/s) based on traditional EOG measurements should be
      revised to 50 d/s for modern VOG testing in our lab. Normal values for vestibular
      testing may need to be re-evaluated when new technology is introduced. Each lab
      should verify normal values for their own methods and equipment.

PMID- 26104787
TI  - Circadian Arterial Blood Pressure Variation and Glaucoma Progression: More
      Questions Than Answers?

PMID- 26104788
TI  - Brachial Systolic Blood Pressure Fails to Predict Short-Term Outcome in Patients
      With Acute Ischemic Stroke: What About Central Systolic Pressure?

PMID- 26104789
TI  - Developing an industry-oriented safety curriculum using the Delphi technique.
AB  - In this study, we examined the development of industry-oriented safety degree
      curricula at a college level. Based on a review of literature on the practices
      and study of the development of safety curricula, we classified occupational
      safety and health curricula into the following three domains: safety engineering,
      health engineering, and safety and health management. We invited 44 safety
      professionals to complete a four-round survey that was designed using a modified
      Delphi technique. We used Chi-square statistics to test the panel experts'
      consensus on the significance of the items in the three domains and employed
      descriptive statistics to rank the participants' rating of each item. The results
      showed that the top three items for each of the three domains were Risk
      Assessment, Dangerous Machinery and Equipment, and Fire and Explosion Prevention
      for safety engineering; Ergonomics, Industrial Toxicology, and Health Risk
      Assessment for health engineering; and Industrial Safety and Health Regulations,
      Accident Investigation and Analysis, and Emergency Response for safety and health
      management. Only graduates from safety programmes who possess practical industry
      oriented abilities can satisfy industry demands and provide value to the
      existence of college safety programmes. 

PMID- 26104790
TI  - The relationship between child- and parent-reported shared decision making and
      child-, parent-, and clinician-reported treatment outcome in routinely collected
      child mental health services data.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Shared decision making (SDM) between service users and providers is
      increasingly being suggested as a key component of good healthcare. The aim of
      this research was to explore whether child- and parent-reported experience of SDM
      was associated with child- and parent-reported improvement in psychosocial
      difficulties and clinician-reported functioning at the end of treatment in child
      and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). METHOD: The sample comprised N =
      177 children (62% female; 31% aged 6-12 and 69% aged 13-18) with a variety of
      mental health problems from 17 services where routinely collected data consisted
      of presenting problems at outset, child- and parent-reported change in symptoms
      between Time 1 and Time 2 (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SDQ),
      clinician-reported change in functioning between Time 1 and Time 2 (Children's
      Global Assessment Scale; CGAS), and experience of SDM at Time 2 (as measured by
      responses to the Experience of Service Questionnaire; ESQ). RESULTS: Analysis
      revealed that both child- and parent-reported experience of SDM were associated
      with higher levels of child- and parent-reported improvement in psychosocial
      difficulties. However, child-reported experience of SDM was only associated with
      higher levels of child-reported improvement when their parents also reported
      higher levels of SDM. CONCLUSION: In CAMHS, involving both children and parents
      in decision making may contribute to enhanced treatment outcomes.

PMID- 26104791
TI  - The Rendez-vous technique for treatment of caesarean scar defects: a novel
      combined endoscopic approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A caesarean scar defect is a late complication of caesarean birth
      with a wide range of prevalence between 56 and 84% depending on which diagnostic
      tool and which definition is used. The referred symptoms which include
      postmenstrual spotting and infertility are fortunately rare. Moreover, severe
      complications such as caesarean scar pregnancy and uterine rupture in the
      following pregnancy may occur. Given the increasing incidence of caesarean
      births, the potential morbidity associated with caesarean scars is likely to
      become more important. Recently, a few repair techniques were described in the
      literature including the hysteroscopic resection of scarred tissue or the
      laparoscopic repair with or without robotic assistance. METHODS: Between June
      2009 and February 2014, 21 women with caesarean scar defects were operated with
      the Rendez-vous technique, a minimally invasive surgery combining the
      laparoscopic and hysteroscopic approach. Data were retrospectively collected. The
      indications for this surgery included secondary infertility, previous caesarean
      scar pregnancy, recurrent miscarriage and postmenstrual spotting. Prior to
      operation, a transvaginal ultrasound was performed to examine the uterine wall
      defect. RESULTS: The patient characteristics are provided in Table 1. In all
      cases, the operation was successfully completed laparoscopically. The median
      operation time was 125 min. One case was complicated by recurrence of the scar
      defect 6 weeks after the operation. No other intra- or post-operative
      complications were observed, and the median in-patient stay was 3 days.
      CONCLUSIONS: The benefits of the technique include the feasibility and safety of
      the procedure, the "Halloween sign" (Fig. 1) which indicates the exact extent and
      localization of the scar defect and the immediate assessment of repair through
      the hysteroscopy at the end of the surgery. However, before further studies
      evaluate the efficacy of this method, the routine repair of caesarean scar
      defects cannot be recommended. A video of the technique is presented.

PMID- 26104792
TI  - Unidirectional barbed sutures as a novel technique for laparoscopic ventral
      hernia repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Incisional hernias remain a significant complication of abdominal
      surgeries. Primary closure of the hernia defect has been suggested to improve
      long-term abdominal wall function. However, this can be technically challenging
      and time consuming. This study describes laparoscopic use of non-absorbable
      barbed sutures in primary closure of hernia defects in addition to
      intraperitoneal mesh. METHODS: Patients who underwent laparoscopic primary
      ventral hernia repair with mesh were prospectively reviewed. Two groups were
      defined: Operations performed with barbed sutures for primary closure in addition
      to mesh and operations with only mesh without defect repair. The surgical
      technique involved running the hernia defect with a 2-polypropylene non
      absorbable unidirectional barbed suture and subsequently fixing the mesh
      intraperitoneally with tacks. In both groups, a single transfascial centering
      suture was also utilized. RESULTS: Twenty-eight cases with barbed suture and mesh
      reinforcement and 29 cases with mesh-only were identified. The average dimensions
      of the ventral hernia defects were 57.8 (6-187) and 44.6 cm(2) (9-156) in the
      barbed suture with mesh and mesh-only group, respectively, p = 0.23. Median
      operating time was 78 min (range 35-187 min) in the barbed suture with mesh group
      versus 62 min (34-155 min) in the mesh-only group, p = 0.44. The median suturing
      time of closing the ventral hernia defect was 16 min (11-24 min). There were no
      differences in the pain scores. Mean follow-up for both groups was 8.2 +/- 3.6
      months (1-17 months) with one hernia recurrence in the mesh-only group, p = 0.41.
      CONCLUSIONS: The barbed suture closure system could be used for rapid and
      effective primary defect closure in laparoscopic ventral hernia repair in
      addition to intraperitoneal mesh placement. No significant difference in
      operating time was detected when compared to the mesh-only approach. Further
      evidence to support these findings and longer follow-up periods is warranted to
      evaluate short- and long-term complications.

PMID- 26104793
TI  - Development and implementation of the Structured Training Trainer Assessment
      Report (STTAR) in the English National Training Programme for laparoscopic
      colorectal surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a lack of educational tools available for surgical teaching
      critique, particularly for advanced laparoscopic surgery. The aim was to develop
      and implement a tool that assesses training quality and structures feedback for
      trainers in the English National Training Programme for laparoscopic colorectal
      surgery. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were performed and analysed, and
      items were extracted. Through the Delphi process, essential items pertaining to
      desirable trainer characteristics, training structure and feedback were
      determined. An assessment tool (Structured Training Trainer Assessment Report
      STTAR) was developed and tested for feasibility, acceptability and educational
      impact. RESULTS: Interview transcripts (29 surgical trainers, 10 trainees, four
      educationalists) were analysed, and item lists created and distributed for
      consensus opinion (11 trainers and seven trainees). The STTAR consisted of 64
      factors, and its web-based version, the mini-STTAR, included 21 factors that were
      categorised into four groups (training structure, training behaviour, trainer
      attributes and role modelling) and structured around a training session timeline
      (beginning, middle and end). The STTAR (six trainers, 48 different assessments)
      demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha = 0.88) and inter-rater reliability
      (ICC = 0.75). The mini-STTAR demonstrated good inter-item reliability (alpha =
      0.79) and intra-observer reliability on comparison of 85 different
      trainer/trainee combinations (r = 0.701, p = <0.001). Both were found to be
      feasible and acceptable. The educational report for trainers was found to be
      useful (4.4 out of 5). CONCLUSIONS: An assessment tool that evaluates training
      quality was developed and shown to be reliable, acceptable and of educational
      value. It has been successfully implemented into the English National Training
      Programme for laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

PMID- 26104794
TI  - Efficacy and safety of Hybrid-APC for the ablation of Barrett's esophagus.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM: After thermal ablation of Barrett's esophagus (BE),
      stricture formation is reported in 5 to over 10% of patients. The question arises
      whether submucosal fluid injection prior to ablation may lower the risk of
      stricture formation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy
      and safety of the new technique of Hybrid-APC which combines submucosal injection
      with APC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who had a residual BE segment of at
      least 1 cm after endoscopic resection of early Barrett's neoplasia underwent
      thermal ablation of BE by Hybrid-APC. Prior to thermal ablation, submucosal
      injection of sodium chloride 0.9% was carried out using a flexible water-jet
      probe (Erbejet 2; Erbe Elektromedizin, Tuebingen, Germany). Check-up upper GI
      endoscopy was carried out 3 months after macroscopically complete ablation
      including biopsies from the neo-Z-line and the former BE segment, and recording
      of stricture formation. RESULTS: From May 2011 to November 2012, a total of 60
      patients (pt) were included in the study [55 pt male (92%); mean age 62 +/- 9
      years, range 42-79]. Ten patients were excluded from the study. In the remaining
      50 pt, Hybrid-APC ablation and check-up endoscopy at 3 months were carried out.
      Forty-eight out of 50 pt (96%; ITT: 49/60, 82%) achieved macroscopically complete
      remission after a median of 3.5 APC sessions [SD 2.4; range 1-10]. Freedom from
      BE was histopathologically observed in 39/50 patients (78%). There was one
      treatment-related stricture (2%). Minor adverse events of Hybrid-APC were
      observed in 11 patients (22%). CONCLUSIONS: According to this pilot series,
      Hybrid-APC was effective and safe for BE ablation in a tertiary referral center.
      The rate of stricture formation was only 2%. Further studies are required to
      confirm the present results. GERMAN CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTER: DRKS00003369.

PMID- 26104795
TI  - Length of Stay and Readmissions in Mastectomy Patients.
AB  - Interest is growing in preventing readmissions as payers start to link
      reimbursement to readmission rates. The purpose of this study was to assess
      factors that contribute to 30-day readmission rates for women undergoing
      mastectomy for breast cancer. Data from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost
      Containment Council were queried for women undergoing mastectomy for breast
      cancer during 2011 (n = 2,919). The outcomes measured were length of stay (LOS)
      and 30-day readmission. Univariate comparisons between characteristics of
      readmitted (n = 172) and nonreadmitted patients were performed using t-tests and
      chi-square tests. Readmission was modeled using logistic regression; LOS was
      modeled using linear regression and controlled for potential confounders. In
      multivariate analyses, patients with peripheral vascular disease were more likely
      to be readmitted (OR 4.36, p = 0.002). Increased LOS was also associated with
      increased odds of readmission (OR 1.26, p = <0.0001). Since LOS was an important
      predictor of readmission we also estimated determinants of LOS using linear
      regression. The occurrence of reconstructive surgery (p = <0.0001) and renal
      disease (p < 0.0001) were highly predictive of longer LOS. This study showed
      peripheral vascular disease and longer lengths of stay were associated with
      higher odds of readmission in women undergoing mastectomy. Clinicians should be
      cognizant that optimizing a patient's vascular status before mastectomy may lead
      to lower rates of readmission. Additional research is needed to determine whether
      the relationship between readmissions and length of hospital stay is a causative
      versus associative phenomenon since LOS is a modifiable factor that may lead to
      lower readmissions.

PMID- 26104796
TI  - Calcitonin suppresses intervertebral disk degeneration and preserves lumbar
      vertebral bone mineral density and bone strength in ovariectomized rats.
AB  - We investigated the effect of calcitonin (CT) on lumbar intervertebral disk
      degeneration (LIDD) in rats with ovariectomy-induced osteopenia. CT protected
      ovariectomized rats from LIDD by, at least in part, modifying extracellular
      matrix metabolism of the disks and preserving the microarchitecture and
      biomechanical properties of adjacent vertebrae. INTRODUCTION: The present study
      aimed to investigate the effect of CT on lumbar vertebral bone mineral density
      and intervertebral disk degeneration in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. METHODS: We
      first subjected 50 3-month-old female rats to either OVX (n = 30) or sham (n =
      20). Twelve weeks later, ten OVX and ten sham rats were necropsied. The remaining
      OVX rats began to receive either saline vehicle (OVX + V, n = 10), or salmon CT
      (OVX + CT, 16 IU/kg/2 days, n = 10). After 12 weeks of treatment, necropsy was
      conducted and bone mineral density was determined in L3-4 and L5-6 vertebrae. The
      microstructure and biomechanical properties of L3 vertebrae were detected by
      micro-computed tomography and compression test, respectively. L5-6 was also used
      to measure intervertebral disk height and observe intervertebral disk
      histological changes by Van Gieson staining and histological scores, as well as
      immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis of matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-1, MMP-13,
      and collagen II expression. RESULTS: At 12 weeks post-OVX, OVX rats had lower
      BV/TV and Tb.N and higher intervertebral disk histological score than sham rats.
      After 24 weeks, OVX + CT rats had higher BMD, BV/TV, Tb.N, and bone biomechanical
      strength values than OVX + V rats. Histological analysis showed OVX + CT rats had
      significantly lower disk degeneration scores than OVX + V rats. IHC analysis
      revealed CT treatment decreased expression of MMP-1 and MMP-13 and increased
      expression of collagen II compared with OVX + V rats. CONCLUSIONS: Our data
      demonstrate that CT-treated OVX rats display less intervertebral disk
      degeneration and favorable changes in intervertebral disk metabolism, associated
      with higher trabecular bone mass, better trabecular microarchitecture, and better
      biomechanical strength when compared to vehicle-treated OVX rats.

PMID- 26104797
TI  - Spectacular improvement in vitamin D status in elderly osteoporotic women: 8-year
      analysis of an osteoporotic population treated in a dedicated fracture liaison
      service.
AB  - In a population of postmenopausal women with a fragility fracture, we found a
      drastic reduction in the proportion of women with severe (<25 nmol/L) and
      moderate (25 to 75 nmol/L) hypovitaminosis D, especially from 2009 onwards. These
      results show that supplementation has been very widely integrated into current
      practice. INTRODUCTION: Vitamin D (25(OH)D) is essential for bone health. In
      institutionalised osteoporotic women, it reduces the risk of fragility fractures.
      Numerous articles suggesting the possibility of extraosseous effects have
      generated a growing number of publications and recommendations on more widespread
      administration, to limit the risks of moderate or severe hypovitaminosis D. We
      assessed the impact on clinical practice of these recommendations concerning
      25(OH)D supplementation in elderly at-risk populations. METHODS: A total of 1486
      postmenopausal osteoporotic women were seen in the context of a fracture liaison
      service (i.e. a rheumatology consultation following a peripheral fragility
      fracture), between May 2005 and December 2012. Of these, 1107 had a 25(OH)D assay
      (femur, n = 520; humerus, n = 207; wrist, n = 380). RESULTS: The average age of
      the total population was 76.7 +/- 9.9 years, while for women with an available
      25(OH)D assay, the average age was 75.1 +/- 11.8 years. The average 25(OH)D
      (nmol/L) level was similar for the three fracture sites: femur, 30 +/- 36.2;
      humerus, 27.5 +/- 24; and wrist, 31 +/- 26. A drastic reduction in the proportion
      of women with severe (<25 nmol/L) and moderate (25 to 75 nmol/L) hypovitaminosis
      D was observed, especially from 2009 onwards, with a mean prevalence of 69 and 30
      % respectively before that year and 35 and 52 % thereafter. Conversely, the
      proportion of women with 25(OH)D at the threshold value of 75 nmol/L increased
      from 1.2 to 24 %. Overall, mean serum 25(OH)D levels were significantly higher
      when comparing the two periods 2005-2008 and 2009-1012 (17.6 +/- 14.6 and 48.4 +/
      39.2 nmol/L, respectively; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: These results show that
      supplementation has been very widely integrated into current practice. We can
      expect it to yield beneficial effects in osseous and extraosseous terms in
      osteoporotic women, particularly the very elderly.

PMID- 26104798
TI  - Pharmacological targeting of valosin containing protein (VCP) induces DNA damage
      and selectively kills canine lymphoma cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Valosin containing protein (VCP) is a critical mediator of protein
      homeostasis and may represent a valuable therapeutic target for several forms of
      cancer. Overexpression of VCP occurs in many cancers, and often in a manner
      correlating with malignancy and poor outcome. Here, we analyzed VCP expression in
      canine lymphoma and assessed its potential as a therapeutic target for this
      disease. METHODS: VCP expression in canine lymphomas was evaluated by
      immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. The canine lymphoma cell lines CLBL-1,
      17-71 and CL-1 were treated with the VCP inhibitor Eeyarestatin 1 (EER-1) at
      varying concentrations and times and were assessed for viability by trypan blue
      exclusion, apoptosis by TUNEL and caspase activity assays, and proliferation by
      propidium iodide incorporation and FACS. The mechanism of EER-1 action was
      determined by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence analyses of Lys48 ubiquitin
      and markers of ER stress (DDIT3), autophagy (SQSTM1, MAP1LC3A) and DNA damage
      (gammaH2AFX). TRP53/ATM-dependent signaling pathway activity was assessed by
      immunoblotting for TRP53 and phospho-TRP53 and real-time RT-PCR measurement of
      Cdkn1a mRNA. RESULTS: VCP expression levels in canine B cell lymphomas were found
      to increase with grade. EER-1 treatment killed canine lymphoma cells
      preferentially over control peripheral blood mononuclear cells. EER-1 treatment
      of CLBL-1 cells was found to both induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in G1.
      Unexpectedly, EER-1 did not appear to act either by inducing ER stress or
      inhibiting the aggresome-autophagy pathway. Rather, a rapid and dramatic increase
      in gammaH2AFX expression was noted, indicating that EER-1 may act by promoting
      DNA damage accumulation. Increased TRP53 phosphorylation and Cdkn1a mRNA levels
      indicated an activation of the TRP53/ATM DNA damage response pathway in response
      to EER-1, likely contributing to the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle
      arrest. CONCLUSIONS: These results correlate VCP expression with malignancy in
      canine B cell lymphoma. The selective activity of EER-1 against lymphoma cells
      suggests that VCP will represent a clinically useful therapeutic target for the
      treatment of lymphoma. We further suggest a mechanism of EER-1 action centered on
      the DNA repair response that may be of central importance for the design and
      characterization of VCP inhibitory compounds for therapeutic use.

PMID- 26104799
TI  - Cu(II) enhances the effect of Alzheimer's amyloid-beta peptide on microglial
      activation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aggregated forms of amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides are important
      triggers for microglial activation, which is an important pathological component
      in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. Cu(II) ions are reported to be coordinated
      to monomeric Abeta, drive Abeta aggregation, and potentiate Abeta neurotoxicity.
      Here we investigated whether Cu(II) binding modulates the effect of Abeta on
      microglial activation and the subsequent neurotoxicity. METHODS: Abeta peptides
      were incubated with Cu(II) at an equimolar ratio to obtain the Cu(II)-Abeta
      complex. Primary and BV-2 microglial cells were treated with Cu(II)-Abeta, Abeta,
      or Cu(II). The tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and nitric oxide levels in
      the media were determined. Extracellular hydrogen peroxide was quantified by a
      fluorometric assay with Amplex Red. Mitochondrial superoxide was detected by
      MitoSOX oxidation. RESULTS: Incubation of Cu(II) with Abeta confers different
      chemical properties on the resulting complex. At the subneurotoxic
      concentrations, Cu(II)-Abeta (but not Abeta or Cu(II) alone) treatment induced an
      activating morphological phenotype of microglia and induced the microglial
      release of TNF-alpha and nitric oxide as well as microglia-mediated neuronal
      damage. Cu(II)-Abeta-triggered microglial activation was blocked by nuclear
      factor (NF)-kappaB inhibitors and was accompanied with NF-kappaB activation.
      Moreover, Cu(II)-Abeta induced hydrogen peroxide release, which was not affected
      by NADPH oxidase inhibitors. Mitochondrial superoxide production was increased
      after Cu(II)-Abeta stimulation. N-acetyl-cysteine, a scavenger of reactive oxygen
      species (ROS), inhibited Cu(II)-Abeta-elicited microglial release of TNF-alpha
      and nitric oxide as well as the microglia-mediated neurotoxic effect. CONCLUSION:
      Our observations suggest that Cu(II) enhances the effect of Abeta on microglial
      activation and the subsequent neurotoxicity. The Cu(II)-Abeta-triggered
      microglial activation involves NF-kappaB activation and mitochondrial ROS
      production.

PMID- 26104800
TI  - Health effects of fructose and fructose-containing caloric sweeteners: where do
      we stand 10 years after the initial whistle blowings?
AB  - Suspicion that fructose-containing caloric sweeteners (FCCS) may play a causal
      role in the development of metabolic diseases has elicited intense basic and
      clinical research over the past 10 years. Prospective cohort studies converge to
      indicate that FCCS, and more specifically sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs),
      consumption is associated with weight gain over time. Intervention studies in
      which FCCS or SSB consumption is altered while food intake is otherwise left ad
      libitum indicate that increased FCCS generally increases total energy intake and
      body weight, while FCCS reduction decreases body weight gain. Clinical trials
      assessing the effects of SSB reduction as a sole intervention however fail to
      observe clinically significant weight loss. Many mechanistic studies indicate
      that excess FCCS can cause potential adverse metabolic effects. Whether this is
      associated with a long-term risk remains unknown. Scientific evidence that excess
      FCCS intake causes more deleterious effects to health than excess of other
      macronutrients is presently lacking. However, the large consumption of FCCS in
      the population makes it one out of several targets for the treatment and
      prevention of metabolic diseases. 

PMID- 26104804
TI  - Effect of oxidation heat treatment on the bond strength between a ceramic and
      cast and milled cobalt-chromium alloys.
AB  - There is a dearth of dental scientific literature on the effect of different
      oxidation heat treatments (OHTs) (as surface pretreatments) on the bonding
      performance of cast and milled cobalt-chromium (CoCr) alloys. The objective of
      this study was to evaluate the effect of different OHTs on the bond strength
      between a ceramic and cast and milled CoCr alloys. Cobalt-chromium metallic
      specimens were prepared using either a cast or a milled method. Specimens were
      subjected to four different OHT methods: without OHT; OHT under normal
      atmospheric pressure; OHT under vacuum; and OHT under vacuum followed by
      sandblasting. The metal-ceramic bond strength was evaluated using a three-point
      bending test according to ISO9693. Scanning electron microscopy and energy
      dispersive spectroscopy were used to study the specimens' microstructure and
      elemental composition. The bond strength was not affected by the CoCr
      manufacturing method. Oxidation heat treatment performed under normal atmospheric
      pressure resulted in the highest bond strength. The concentration of oxygen on
      the alloy surfaces varied with the different pretreatment methods in the
      following order: OHT under normal atmospheric pressure > OHT under vacuum >
      without OHT ~ OHT under vacuum followed by sandblasting.

PMID- 26104805
TI  - Cellular Uptake Mechanism of Paclitaxel Nanocrystals Determined by Confocal
      Imaging and Kinetic Measurement.
AB  - Nanocrystal formulation has become a viable solution for delivering poorly
      soluble drugs including chemotherapeutic agents. The purpose of this study was to
      examine cellular uptake of paclitaxel nanocrystals by confocal imaging and
      concentration measurement. It was found that drug nanocrystals could be
      internalized by KB cells at much higher concentrations than a conventional,
      solubilized formulation. The imaging and quantitative results suggest that
      nanocrystals could be directly taken up by cells as solid particles, likely via
      endocytosis. Moreover, it was found that polymer treatment to drug nanocrystals,
      such as surface coating and lattice entrapment, significantly influenced the
      cellular uptake. While drug molecules are in the most stable physical state,
      nanocrystals of a poorly soluble drug are capable of achieving concentrated
      intracellular presence enabling needed therapeutic effects. 

PMID- 26104806
TI  - Fatigue stipulation of bulk-fill composites: An in vitro appraisal.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the Weibull and slow crack
      growth (SCG) parameters of bulk-fill resin based composites. The strength
      degradation over time of the materials was also assessed by strength-probability
      time (SPT) analysis. METHODS: Three bulk-fill [Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill (TBF); X
      tra fil (XTR); Filtek Bulk-fill flowable (BFL)] and a conventional one [Filtek
      Z250 (Z250)] were studied. Seventy five disk-shaped specimens (12mm in diameter
      and 1mm thick) were prepared by inserting the uncured composites in a stainless
      steel split mold followed by photoactivation (1200mW/cm(2)/20s) and storage in
      distilled water (37 degrees C/24h). Degree of conversion was evaluated in five
      specimens by analysis of FT-IR spectra obtained in the mid-IR region. The SCG
      parameters n (stress corrosion susceptibility coefficient) and sigmaf0 (scaling
      parameter) were obtained by testing ten specimens in each of the five stress
      rates: 10(-2), 10(-1), 10(0), 10(1) and 10(2)MPa/s using a piston-on-three-balls
      device. Weibull parameter m (Weibull modulus) and sigmaf0 (characteristic
      strength) were obtained by testing additional 20 specimens at 1MPa/s. Strength
      probability-time (SPT) diagrams were constructed by merging SCG and Weibull
      parameters. RESULTS: BFL and TBF presented higher n values, respectively (40.1
      and 25.5). Z250 showed the highest (157.02MPa) and TBF the lowest (110.90MPa)
      sigmaf0 value. Weibull analysis showed m (Weibull modulus) of 9.7, 8.6, 9.7 and
      8.9 for TBF, BFL, XTR and Z250, respectively. SPT diagram for 5% probability of
      failure showed strength decrease of 18% for BFL, 25% for TBF, 32% for XTR and 36%
      for Z250, respectively, after 5 years as compared to 1 year. SIGNIFICANCE: The
      reliability and decadence of strength over time for bulk-fill resin composites
      studied are, at least, comparable to conventional composites. BFL shows the
      highest fatigue resistance under all simulations followed by TBF, while XTR was
      at par with Z250.

PMID- 26104807
TI  - Apparent- and Tissue-Level Yield Behaviors of L4 Vertebral Trabecular Bone and
      Their Associations with Microarchitectures.
AB  - The precise quantification of vertebral trabecular bone strength and the
      associations between the microarchitecture and nonlinear mechanics of trabecular
      bone under various loading conditions may provide insights into trabecular bone
      quality and trabecular strength prediction based on microarchitectures. In this
      research, 44 cubic L4 vertebral trabecular bone specimens (5 * 5 * 5 mm(3)) were
      selected from six male Chinese donors aged 62-70 years. For each vertebral
      trabecular cube, micro-computed tomography image-based nonlinear micro-finite
      element analyzes were conducted under compressive and tensile loadings along two
      orthogonal directions. A bilinear tissue constitutive model was used to describe
      the nonlinearity of bone tissue material. In each analysis, apparent Young's
      modulus and initial apparent yield point were determined; the average tissue von
      Mises stress at the apparent yield point was also calculated, and the amount of
      tissue elements yielded was obtained. Principal components (PCs) analysis
      revealed three independent components of the microarchitectural parameters of the
      vertebral trabecular bones; these three PCs can account for 80.744% of the total
      variability of trabecular microarchitectures; the first PC (PC1) included bone
      volume fraction, connectivity density and trabecular number; the second PC (PC2)
      comprised structure model index and degree of anisotropy; and the third PC (PC3)
      represented trabecular thickness and age. Multivariate linear regression analysis
      showed that the PCs were strongly predictive of the apparent- and tissue-level
      mechanical parameters of the vertebral trabecular bone. To gain further insights
      into the mechanical properties of trabecular bone, we divided the six vertebral
      bodies into two groups based on the microarchitectural parameters: high-quality
      group and low-quality group. We then compared the differences in the mechanical
      parameters between tension and compression, as well as along longitudinal and
      transverse loading directions. Results showed that the apparent Young's moduli of
      the high-quality group were significantly greater than those of the low-quality
      group in longitudinal and transverse directions. Only the apparent yield strains
      of the two groups under the longitudinal compressive loading condition were
      significantly different. The apparent yield stresses and the average tissue von
      Mises stresses of the trabeculae in the trabecular cubes of the high-quality
      group were significantly greater than those of the low-quality group under the
      four loading conditions. This study provided quantitative information regarding
      the nonlinear mechanical properties of vertebral trabecular bone. This study also
      described the associations of these mechanical properties with
      microarchitectures. Our findings may help estimate vertebral strength and the
      related fracture risk.

PMID- 26104808
TI  - That's not it, either-neither polymorphisms in PHOX2B nor in MIF are involved in
      sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
AB  - The occurrence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has been linked to several
      genetic risk factors, e.g. genes involved in the neuroadrenergic system,
      variations in serotonin reporter genes or mutations in long-QT syndrome genes.
      Additionally, polymorphisms in genes with impact in sleep disorder syndromes have
      been proposed to be of importance as genetic risk factors for SIDS. In this
      study, we investigated the polyalanine length variation of PHOX2B and the -794
      CATT repeat in the MIF promoter region as well as single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (rs28462174, rs28727473, rs16853571, rs755622, rs12485058, rs12485068, rs4822444,
      rs4822445, rs4822446, rs4822447 and rs2012124) in both genes in 278 SIDS cases
      and 240 controls. No significant differences were found in allele distribution of
      neither length polymorphisms nor single nucleotide polymorphisms between SIDS
      cases or controls. Therefore, an importance of these variations for the
      occurrence of SIDS could be ruled out. 

PMID- 26104809
TI  - Motivators and deterrents to blood donation among Black South Africans: a
      qualitative analysis of focus group data.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: South Africa has a markedly skewed representation
      where the majority of blood (62%) is presently collected from an ethnically White
      minority. This study seeks to identify culturally specific factors affecting
      motivation of donors in South Africa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a
      qualitative study to evaluate motivators and deterrents to blood donation among
      Black South Africans. A total of 13 focus groups, comprising a total of 97 Black
      South Africans, stratified by age and geographic location were conducted.
      Transcripts of the interviews were analysed using a coding framework by Bednall &
      Bove. RESULTS: Participants made 463 unique comments about motivators focusing
      primarily on promotional communications (28%), incentives (20%) and prosocial
      motivation (16%). Participants made 376 comments about deterrents which focused
      primarily on fear (41%), negative attitudes (14%) and lack of knowledge (10%).
      CONCLUSION: Although prosocial motivation (altruism) was the most frequently
      mentioned individual motivator, promotional communication elicited more overall
      comments by participants. As reported by many authors, fear and lack of awareness
      were strong deterrents, but scepticism engendered by perceived racial
      discrimination in blood collection were unique to the South African environment.

PMID- 26104810
TI  - How a patient advocacy group developed the first proposed draft guidance document
      for industry for submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
AB  - Among the challenges confronting patients with rare diseases is a dearth of
      treatment options. The development of safe and effective new therapies is
      hampered by challenges associated with conducting clinical trials in small
      populations. In this article, we describe how the Duchenne muscular dystrophy
      community-led by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy-created a proposed draft
      guidance document for industry for submission to the U.S. Food and Drug
      Administration. This unprecedented undertaking involved a broad coalition of more
      than 80 stakeholders collaborating across nine time zones to produce a document
      in only 6 months. We hope that other rare disease communities and advocacy
      organizations can use our experience as a model for developing their own draft
      guidance documents. 

PMID- 26104811
TI  - Pre-eclampsia in 2014: Seven ways to make a difference.

PMID- 26104812
TI  - Bilateral exudative retinal detachment in a patient with early onset severe
      preeclampsia.
AB  - This article describes a rare case of early onset severe preeclampsia presenting
      with loss of vision in both eyes due to retinal detachment. Retinal detachment
      has been mainly reported in late onset preeclampsia unlike in this case. Though,
      some authors believe that occurrence of maternal retinal detachment in cases of
      preeclampsia has no prognostic implication to the fetus, in this case, presence
      of retinal detachment was associated with foetal demise. 

PMID- 26104813
TI  - Peptides do not prevent cleavage of endoglin to produce soluble endoglin.
AB  - MMP14 cleaves membrane bound endoglin to produce soluble endoglin (sEng), an anti
      angiogenic factor that causes endothelial dysfunction in preeclampsia. A recent
      publication proposed peptides with an amino acid sequence straddling the MMP14
      cleavage site on endoglin decreases sEng release. This may be an exciting
      therapeutic approach and requires validation. We administered peptides to JAR
      cells, and primary placental explants and endothelial cells. The peptides had no
      effect on sEng production, and did not block sEng production in HEK293 with MMP14
      and endoglin overexpressed. Peptides with an amino acid sequence encompassing the
      cleavage site do not prevent sEng production in vitro.

PMID- 26104814
TI  - Impact of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on hypertensive disorders of
      pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use has the potential to
      adversely affect blood pressure in women with hypertensive disorders of
      pregnancy. We sought to evaluate this association. STUDY DESIGN: Women affected
      with severe hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were identified by retrospective
      chart review. The medication administration record was then used to identify
      controls (no NSAID exposure) until a sufficient number of patients were obtained,
      after which the cases (NSAID exposed) were identified in a chronological manner
      during the same study period until a 2:1 ratio was achieved. The primary outcome
      was the change in mean of all postpartum mean arterial pressures (MAP) throughout
      the hospital stay. Power analysis showed that 146 exposed and 73 unexposed
      subjects were necessary to obtain 90% power to detect a MAP difference of 10mmHg
      between the groups. Secondary outcomes included: initiation of anti-hypertensive
      medication, need for increased doses of anti-hypertension medication, and adverse
      events related to hypertension. RESULTS: 223 women had severe hypertensive
      disorders of pregnancy, of whom 75 (34%) were not exposed to NSAIDs and 148 (66%)
      were exposed. NSAID exposure was not associated with a difference in the average
      MAP postpartum (p=0.70), nor any of the secondary outcomes evaluated. Exposure to
      NSAIDs was less likely as serum creatinine increased (p=0.012). CONCLUSION: In
      women with severe hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, NSAIDs did not appear to
      increase the average postpartum MAP, increase the requirement for anti
      hypertensive medications, or increase the rate of adverse postpartum events.

PMID- 26104815
TI  - Cost-effectiveness analysis of cardiovascular risk factor screening in women who
      experienced hypertensive pregnancy disorders at term.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the cost-effectiveness of post-partum screening on
      cardiovascular risk factors and subsequent treatment in women with a history of
      gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia at term. STUDY DESIGN: Two separate
      Markov models evaluated the cost-effectiveness analysis of hypertension (HT)
      screening and screening on metabolic syndrome (MetS), respectively, as compared
      to current practice in women with a history of term hypertensive pregnancy
      disorders. Analyses were performed from the Dutch health care perspective, using
      a lifetime horizon. One-way sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulation
      evaluated the robustness of the results. RESULTS: Both screening on HT and MetS
      in women with a history of gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia resulted in
      increase in life expectancy (HT screening 0.23year (95% CI -0.06 to 0.54); MetS
      screening 0.14years (95% CI -0.16 to 0.45)). The gain in QALYs was limited, with
      HT screening and MetS screening generating 0.04 QALYs (95% CI -0.12 to 0.20) and
      0.03 QALYs (95% CI -0.14 to 0.19), resulting in costs to gain one QALY of ?4228
      and ?28,148, respectively. Analyses for uncertainty showed a chance of 74% and
      75%, respectively, that post-partum screening is cost-effective at a threshold of
      ?60,000/QALY. CONCLUSIONS: According to the available knowledge post-partum
      screening on cardiovascular risk factors and subsequent treatment in women with a
      history of gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia at term is likely to be cost
      effective.

PMID- 26104816
TI  - Use of first or second trimester serum markers, or both, to predict preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy, threatening
      fetal and maternal health. The aim of our study is to examine the association
      between preeclampsia and biochemical markers, in matched first and second
      trimester maternal serum samples. STUDY DESIGN: This is a nested case/control
      study derived from the cohort of pregnancies delivering at Women & Infants
      Hospital. Cases were identified at a clinic or by hospital codes, and
      individually confirmed by record review. Stored samples were available from
      'integrated' Down syndrome screening. Results were expressed as multiples of the
      median (MoM). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Preeclampsia was classified as early/severe,
      late/severe, or mild based on professional guidelines. An additional adverse
      outcome group had only gestational hypertension. RESULTS: Ninety-eight cases were
      each matched with five control pregnancies. Population distribution parameters
      and within and between trimester correlations were derived for cases and controls
      for six markers, as well as in case subgroups. The strongest associations were
      for early/severe preeclampsia with second trimester PAPP-A (rank sum test 2.30,
      p<0.01); PlGF (2.60, p<0.05) inhibin A (4.45, p<0.05) and endoglin (4.25,
      p<0.05). No strong associations were found for sVEGF-R and FLRG. Second trimester
      associations were stronger than those in the first (e.g., PAPP-A 2.45, p<0.01).
      No between-trimester associations were found that would provide important
      improvements in prediction. CONCLUSIONS: This matched analysis of the serum
      markers in early pregnancy allows for direct comparison of first and second
      trimester associations with preeclampsia. PAPP-A and PlGF are equally and highly
      predictive of early/severe preeclampsia.

PMID- 26104817
TI  - Adverse maternal and fetal outcomes and deaths related to preeclampsia and
      eclampsia in Haiti.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to define the prevalence and clinical
      characteristics of preeclampsia and eclampsia at a hospital in rural Haiti.
      METHODS: This is a retrospective review of women presenting to Hopital Albert
      Schweitzer (HAS) in Deschapelles, Haiti with singleton pregnancy and diagnosis of
      preeclampsia or eclampsia from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2012.
      Hospital charts were reviewed to obtain medical and prenatal history, hospital
      course, delivery information, and fetal/neonatal outcomes. The outcomes included
      placental abruption, antepartum eclampsia, postpartum eclampsia, maternal death,
      birthweight <2500g and stillbirth. Data are presented as median (quartile 1,
      quartile 3) or n (%) and risk ratios. RESULTS: During the study period, 1743
      women were admitted to the maternity service at HAS and 290 (16.6%) were
      diagnosed with preeclampsia or eclampsia. Only singleton pregnancies were
      analyzed (N=270). Nearly all (95.0%) patients admitted with preeclampsia had
      severe preeclampsia. There were 83 patients with eclampsia (30.7%) of which 61
      (73.4%) had antepartum eclampsia. There were 48 stillbirths (17.8%) and 5
      maternal deaths (1.9%). Patients with antepartum eclampsia were younger, more
      likely to be nulliparous and had less prenatal care compared to women with
      antepartum preeclampsia. Antepartum eclampsia was associated with placental
      abruption and maternal death. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of preeclampsia and its
      associated complications, such as eclampsia, placental abruption, maternal death
      and stillbirth, are high at this facility in Haiti. Such data are essential to
      developing region-specific systems to prevent preeclampsia-related complications.

PMID- 26104818
TI  - Characterization of protocols for primary trophoblast purification, optimized for
      functional investigation of sFlt-1 and soluble endoglin.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and soluble endoglin
      (sEng) are the most studied molecules in preeclampsia. However, most trophoblast
      cell lines do not secrete both these factors. Thus, we set out to characterize
      protocols to functionally investigate sFlt-1 and sEng from primary trophoblast.
      STUDY DESIGN: Primary trophoblasts were isolated from term placenta by percoll
      gradient, then negative selection using a CD9 antibody. Purity was assessed by
      cytokeratin 7 immunostaining. We first examined the effects of CD9 negative
      selection on sFlt-1, sEng and hCG secretion and the ability of forskolin to
      enhance syncytialization. We then examined the effects of hypoxia on sFlt-1
      production and assessed gene knockdown using siRNA. RESULTS: CD9 negative
      selection produced a pure population of primary trophoblasts. Secretion of sEng
      was 5-fold lower when CD9-positive cells were removed, sFlt1 was unchanged, and
      hCG was significantly increased. hCG analysis of the purified population
      indicated spontaneous syncytialization, which was not enhanced by forskolin.
      Forskolin similarly did not alter sFlt-1 secretion. Hypoxia significantly
      increased sFlt-1 secretion as expected. Importantly, high gene silencing
      efficiencies were readily achieved. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we present a
      protocol that yields primary trophoblasts of high purity that produce abundant
      sFlt-1 and low but detectable levels of sEng. Furthermore, these cells are
      readily amenable to gene silencing by siRNAs and hence suitable for functional
      studies.

PMID- 26104819
TI  - Abnormal uterine artery Doppler velocimetry predicts adverse outcomes in patients
      with abnormal analytes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to determine if uterine artery (UtA) Doppler studies
      would risk-stratify women with abnormal serum analytes on prenatal genetic
      screening into those at baseline and increased risk for preeclampsia and small
      for-gestational age (SGA). STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study examined
      outcomes of patients with ?one abnormal analyte (PAPP-A<0.3, hCG>3.0, AFP>2.5,
      inhibin>2.0, or unconjugated estriol<0.3MoM). At approximately 24weeks, we
      assessed UtA pulsatility index (PI). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Preeclampsia, preterm
      preeclampsia, SGA (birthweight (BW) <10%) and intrauterine growth restriction
      (IUGR) (BW<3%). RESULTS: We identified 132 patients with ?one abnormal analyte,
      UtA Doppler screening, and delivery outcomes. Twenty-four (18%) had an elevated
      UtA PI (PI>1.6); preeclampsia occurred in 16 (12%) and 26 (20%) delivered a SGA
      neonate. Abnormal UtA Doppler PI increased the likelihood of a composite outcome
      of preeclampsia or SGA from 27% to 71% (LR 6.48 (2.93, 14.30)); a negative UtA
      Doppler PI reduced the likelihood to 18% (LR 0.57 (0.42, 0.78)). Abnormal UtA
      Doppler PI increased the likelihood of a more severe composite outcome of preterm
      preeclampsia or IUGR from 11% to 39% (LR 5.49 (3.03, 9.97)); a negative UtA
      Doppler study reduced the likelihood to 4% (LR 0.35 (0.16, 0.80)). CONCLUSIONS:
      In patients with abnormal serum analytes, abnormal UtA Doppler PI is
      significantly associated with preeclampsia or SGA and improves the prediction of
      these adverse outcomes by 9-15-fold. Providers can incorporate UtA Doppler PI
      into an abbreviated surveillance regimen; they can be reassured that a normal
      study markedly decreases the risk of a severe early adverse outcome.

PMID- 26104820
TI  - Lessons learned in using realist evaluation to assess maternal and newborn health
      programming in rural Bangladesh.
AB  - Realist evaluation furnishes valuable insight to public health practitioners and
      policy makers about how and why interventions work or don't work. Moving beyond
      binary measures of success or failure, it provides a systematic approach to
      understanding what goes on in the 'Black Box' and how implementation decisions in
      real life contexts can affect intervention effectiveness. This paper reflects on
      an experience in applying the tenets of realist evaluation to identify optimal
      implementation strategies for scale-up of Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH)
      programmes in rural Bangladesh. Supported by UNICEF, the three MNH programmes
      under consideration employed different implementation models to deliver similar
      services and meet similar MNH goals. Programme targets included adoption of
      recommended antenatal, post-natal and essential newborn care practices; health
      systems strengthening through improved referral, accountability and
      administrative systems, and increased community knowledge. Drawing on focused
      examples from this research, seven steps for operationalizing the realist
      evaluation approach are offered, while emphasizing the need to iterate and
      innovate in terms of methods and analysis strategies. The paper concludes by
      reflecting on lessons learned in applying realist evaluation, and the unique
      insights it yields regarding implementation strategies for successful MNH
      programming.

PMID- 26104821
TI  - Exploring corruption in the South African health sector.
AB  - Recent scholarly attention has focused on weak governance and the negative
      effects of corruption on the provision of health services. Employing agency
      theory, this article discusses corruption in the South African health sector. We
      used a combination of research methods and triangulated data from three sources:
      Auditor-General of South Africa reports for each province covering a 9-year
      period; 13 semi-structured interviews with health sector key informants and a
      content analysis of print media reports covering a 3-year period. Findings from
      the Auditor-General reports showed a worsening trend in audit outcomes with
      marked variation across the nine provinces. Key-informants indicated that
      corruption has a negative effect on patient care and the morale of healthcare
      workers. The majority of the print media reports on corruption concerned the
      public health sector (63%) and involved provincial health departments (45%).
      Characteristics and complexity of the public health sector may increase its
      vulnerability to corruption, but the private-public binary constitutes a false
      dichotomy as corruption often involves agents from both sectors. Notwithstanding
      the lack of global validated indicators to measure corruption, our findings
      suggest that corruption is a problem in the South African healthcare sector.
      Corruption is influenced by adverse agent selection, lack of mechanisms to detect
      corruption and a failure to sanction those involved in corrupt activities. We
      conclude that appropriate legislation is a necessary, but not sufficient
      intervention to reduce corruption. We propose that mechanisms to reduce
      corruption must include the political will to run corruption-free health
      services, effective government to enforce laws, appropriate systems, and citizen
      involvement and advocacy to hold public officials accountable. Importantly, the
      institutionalization of a functional bureaucracy and public servants with the
      right skills, competencies, ethics and value systems and whose interests are
      aligned with health system goals are critical interventions in the fight against
      corruption.

PMID- 26104822
TI  - Pathophysiology of Corneal Dystrophies: From Cellular Genetic Alteration to
      Clinical Findings.
AB  - Corneal dystrophies are a heterogeneous group of bilateral, inherited, rare
      diseases characterized by slowly progressive corneal opacities, that lead to
      visual impairment. Most of them have an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance
      with variable expressivity, but new mutations have been described. Many corneal
      dystrophies have been genetically characterized and the specific gene mutations
      identified, such as for the epithelial-stromal TGFBI dystrophies. Current
      classification systems identified four main groups of corneal dystrophies based
      on clinical, histologic, and genetic information. Diagnosis is performed during a
      routine ophthalmic examination that shows typical cellular abnormalities of the
      corneal epithelium, stroma, or endothelium. Disease progression should be
      carefully monitored to decide the proper clinical management. The treatment of
      corneal dystrophies is variable, depending on symptoms, clinical course,
      severity, and type of dystrophy. Management aimed to reduce symptoms and to
      improve vision, includes different surgical approaches. Novel cellular and
      genetic therapeutic approaches are under evaluation. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 261
      269, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26104823
TI  - Effect of induction chemotherapy on survival in locally advanced head and neck
      squamous cell carcinoma treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy: Single center
      experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although induction chemotherapy can reduce distant metastases in
      locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), overall survival
      (OS) improvement because of induction chemotherapy has not been confirmed.
      METHODS: We reviewed medical records of 224 patients diagnosed with locally
      advanced HNSCC who were treated with induction chemotherapy followed by
      concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT; induction chemotherapy/CRT; N = 144) and CRT
      alone (N = 80) from 2005 to 2013. We analyzed OS and progression-free survival
      (PFS). RESULTS: The 3-year OS rate was significantly higher in the induction
      chemotherapy/CRT group compared to the CRT group (74.0% vs 62.7%; p = .045). The
      3-year PFS rate was 64.6% in the induction chemotherapy/CRT group and 54.1% in
      the CRT group (p = .060). Subgroup analysis showed patients with high N
      classification (N2 or N3) oropharyngeal cancer had greater benefits when treated
      with induction chemotherapy/CRT. CONCLUSION: Induction chemotherapy plus CRT
      improved OS, compared to CRT alone in locally advanced HNSCC, especially with
      high N classification.

PMID- 26104825
TI  - Borderline personality features and associated difficulty in emotion perception:
      An examination of accuracy and bias.
AB  - Research on borderline personality disorder (BPD) has consistently found that
      those with the disorder often experience volatile interpersonal interactions, and
      several areas of research have been dedicated to the understanding of the
      mechanisms behind these interpersonal struggles. One of the most common theories
      is that the emotional dysregulation that is characteristic of BPD may adversely
      impact these interpersonal interactions, perhaps through a resulting
      misperception of emotional states in others. The purpose of the current study was
      to examine perception of negative affect in those with borderline personality
      features using a signal detection paradigm, a modified version of the Reading the
      Mind in the Eyes Task. Results support the hypothesis of atypical perception of
      negative emotions in BPD, but with disinhibitory aspects of the disorder
      demonstrating the largest potential influence. This finding was obtained even
      after controlling for gender differences that were also observed on this task.
      These results suggest that an examination of trait components of BPD may be
      necessary for a complete understanding of the emotion perception abilities of
      those with the disorder.

PMID- 26104824
TI  - Composition, proteolysis indices and coagulating properties of ewe milk as
      affected by bulk tank somatic cell count.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the effect of ovine bulk tank somatic cell
      count (BTSCC) on composition, proteose-peptone (p-p) content and casein fractions
      as indicating parameters for proteolysis and coagulating properties of milk. A
      total of 97 samples of bulk tank milk from Manchega breed ewe flocks were grouped
      according to somatic cell count (SCC) into four classes: fewer than 500,000
      cells/ml, from 500,000 to 10,00000 cells/ml, from 10,00000 to 15,00000 and more
      than 15,00000 cells/ml. The casein : protein ratio and lactose content decreased
      with BTSCC. Proteolysis increased with BTSCC, causing a drop in beta-casein and
      an increase in the gamma-caseins from a concentration of 500,000 cells/ml.
      Regarding coagulation behaviour, the rennet clotting time (RCT) and firming time
      (k20) rose from 10,00000-15,00000 cells/ml of milk. The results showed that the
      impairment of milk quality and milk ability to make cheese as affected by
      intramammary infection (IMI) can be inferred from the bulk tank milk of flocks
      with poor udder health.

PMID- 26104827
TI  - Satellite-based observations of unexpected coastal changes due to the Saemangeum
      Dyke construction, Korea.
AB  - Spatial and temporal changes around an area of conventional coastal engineering
      can be easily observed from field surveys because of the clear cause-and-effect
      observable in the before and after stages of the project. However, it is more
      difficult to determine environmental changes in the vicinity of tidal flats and
      coastal areas that are a considerable distance from the project. To identify any
      unexpected environmental impacts of the construction of Saemangeum Dyke in the
      area, we examined morphological changes identified by satellite-based
      observations through a field survey on Gomso Bay tidal flats (15km from
      Saemangeum Dyke), and changes in the suspended sediment distribution identified
      by satellite-based observations through a hydrodynamic analysis in the Saemangeum
      and Gomso coastal area. We argue that hydrodynamic changes due to conventional
      coastal engineering can affect the sedimentation pattern in the vicinity of tidal
      flats. We suggest that the environmental impact assessment conducted before a
      conventional coastal engineering project should include a larger area than is
      currently considered. 

PMID- 26104826
TI  - In vivo effects of ketamine on glutamate-glutamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid in
      obsessive-compulsive disorder: Proof of concept.
AB  - We previously reported the rapid and robust clinical effects of ketamine versus
      saline infusions in a proof-of-concept crossover trial in unmedicated adults with
      obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This study examined the concurrent
      neurochemical effects of ketamine versus saline infusions using proton magnetic
      resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) during the clinical proof-of-concept crossover
      trial. Levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
      and the excitatory neurochemicals glutamate+glutamine (Glx) were acquired in the
      medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), a region implicated in OCD pathology. Seventeen
      unmedicated OCD adults received two intravenous infusions at least 1 week apart,
      one of saline and one of ketamine, while lying supine in a 3.0 T GE MR scanner.
      The order of each infusion pair was randomized. Levels of GABA and Glx were
      measured in the MPFC before, during, and after each infusion and normalized to
      water (W). A mixed effects model found that MPFC GABA/W significantly increased
      over time in the ketamine compared with the saline infusion. In contrast, there
      were no significant differences in Glx/W between the ketamine and saline
      infusions. Together with earlier evidence of low cortical GABA in OCD, our
      findings suggest that models of OCD pathology should consider the role of
      GABAergic abnormalities in OCD symptomatology.

PMID- 26104828
TI  - Sand patties provide evidence for the presence of Deepwater Horizon oil on the
      beaches of the West Florida Shelf.
AB  - The ecological consequences of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill are both
      long-term and pervasive. The distribution of toxicity and mutagenicity in the
      Gulf of Mexico suggests oil from the DWH spill could have contaminated the West
      Florida Shelf (WFS). We utilized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) analysis
      to determine presence and potential origin of oil contaminants in beach sand
      patty samples. PAH profiles from WFS beaches were statistically significantly
      similar to DWH contaminated samples from the Northeast Gulf of Mexico (Gulf
      Shores, AL; Ft. Pickens, FL). Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS), a major
      component of Corexit 9500 dispersant was also detected in the sediments. DOSS
      concentrations ranged from 1.6 to 5.5ngg(-1) dry weight. Additionally, two
      samples from DWH oil contaminated beaches were acutely toxic and one WFS beach
      sediment sample was mutagenic. These observations provide support for the theory
      that DWH oil made its way onto beaches of the WFS. 

PMID- 26104829
TI  - Microtubule-associated proteins as direct crosslinkers of actin filaments and
      microtubules.
AB  - The cytoskeletal polymers--actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments--are
      interlinked by coordinated protein interactions to form a complex three
      dimensional cytoskeletal network. Association of actin filaments with
      microtubules is important for various cellular processes such as cell division,
      migration, vesicle and organelle transport, and axonal growth. Several proteins
      including signaling molecules, motor proteins, and proteins directly or
      indirectly associated with microtubules and actin are involved in bridging the
      cytoskeletal components. Microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) belonging to the
      MAP1, 2, 4 family and Tau proteins have been identified as key players that
      directly crosslink the two cytoskeletons. This review summarizes the current
      understanding of the interactions of these MAPs with actin filaments and their
      role in forming the actin-microtubule network and further discusses how the in
      vitro reconstitution assays can be used to study the dynamics of coordinated
      networks. Understanding the mechanisms by which actin and microtubules interact
      is key to decipher cancer, wound healing, and neuronal regeneration.

PMID- 26104830
TI  - Role of T-regulatory cells in the response to hepatitis B vaccine in hemodialysis
      patients.
AB  - Human disease elicits a complex array of biological processes that results in
      long-term protective immunological memory to infectious agents. Chronic kidney
      disease is known to impair induction of sustained immunological memory to
      hepatitis B vaccine (HBVax) antigens. We asked the question: Does end-stage renal
      disease promote changes in subtypes of regulatory T (Treg) cells that correlate
      with diminished amnestic response to HBVax antigen compared to healthy controls?
      The study design and setting was a prospective observational cohort at a veterans
      affairs medical center. End-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis (HD)
      were compared with individuals with self-reported normal kidney function. All
      subjects received HBVax. Peripheral blood was sampled for assessment for Treg
      cells pre and post vaccination. CD4+ FOXP3 Treg numbers were similar between HD
      and healthy subjects during a 14-day time period post vaccination. HD subjcts had
      lower anti-HBSag antibody than CON (control) subjects (330 +/- 108.7 vs. 663.1 +/
      129.7 IU/mL; P = 0.063). Hemodialysis subjects with resting Tregs higher than
      the median value in our cohort demonstrated a significantly lower change in HBsAB
      at 30 days post booster vaccination (P = 0.030). No such relationship was found
      for the activated Treg subset among HD subjects, or either subset among CON
      subsets. In our limited comparison study of 11 HD and 8 CON subjects, Treg
      subsets did not differ between the two groups; but differences in the suppressive
      Treg numbers in the HD group could explain the altered antibody response to HBVax
      and is worthy of further study. 

PMID- 26104831
TI  - The phenomenology of shame in the clinical encounter.
AB  - This article examines the phenomenology of body shame in the context of the
      clinical encounter, using the television program 'Embarrassing Bodies' as
      illustrative. I will expand on the insights of Aaron Lazare's 1987 article 'Shame
      and Humiliation in the Medical Encounter' where it is argued that patients often
      see their diseases and ailments as defects, inadequacies or personal shortcomings
      and that visits to doctors and medical professionals involve potentially
      humiliating physical and psychological exposure. I will start by outlining a
      phenomenology of shame in order to understand more clearly the effect shame about
      the body can have in terms of one's personal experience and, furthermore, one's
      interpersonal dynamics. I will then examine shame in the clinical encounter,
      linking body shame to the cultural stigma attached to illness, dysfunction and
      bodily frailty. I will furthermore explore how shame can be exacerbated or even
      incited by physicians through judgment and as a result of the power imbalance
      inherent to the physician-patient dynamic, compounded by the contemporary
      tendency to moralise about 'lifestyle' illnesses. Lastly, I will provide some
      reflections for how health care workers might approach patient shame in clinical
      practice. 

PMID- 26104832
TI  - Temperament Dispositions, Problematic Eating Behaviours and Overweight in
      Adolescents.
AB  - Obesity, a common health condition in adolescence leading to severe medical
      complications, is assumed to be influenced by temperament factors. This paper
      investigates associations between reactive and regulative temperament,
      problematic eating behaviours and excess weight. Several self-report instruments
      were completed by 130 adolescents (mean age 14.13 +/- 0.61 years), including 27
      overweight and obese individuals (20.8%). Bootstrap analysis revealed a mediating
      effect of restrained eating on the relation between reactive temperament and body
      mass index percentile, which differed according to gender: Restrained eating,
      which predicted weight gain, was more present in girls having a higher
      sensitivity to reward and in boys showing a higher sensitivity to punishment. No
      effect of regulative temperament was found. These results have important
      implications for weight management programmes, as they suggest that reducing
      restrained eating by working on temperament may help to control weight.

PMID- 26104833
TI  - Energy Level Tuning of Non-Fullerene Acceptors in Organic Solar Cells.
AB  - The use of non-fullerene acceptors in organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices could
      lead to enhanced efficiencies due to increased open-circuit voltage (VOC) and
      improved absorption of solar light. Here we systematically investigate planar
      heterojunction devices comprising peripherally substituted subphthalocyanines as
      acceptors and correlate the device performance with the heterojunction
      energetics. As a result of a balance between VOC and the photocurrent, tuning of
      the interface energy gap is necessary to optimize the power conversion efficiency
      in these devices. In addition, we explore the role of the charge transport layers
      in the device architecture. It is found that non-fullerene acceptors require
      adjusted buffer layers with aligned electron transport levels to enable efficient
      charge extraction, while the insertion of an exciton-blocking layer at the anode
      interface further boosts photocurrent generation. These adjustments result in a
      planar-heterojunction OPV device with an efficiency of 6.9% and a VOC above 1 V. 

PMID- 26104835
TI  - Universal influenza vaccines, science fiction or soon reality?
AB  - Currently used influenza vaccines are only effective when the vaccine strains
      match the epidemic strains antigenically. To this end, seasonal influenza
      vaccines must be updated almost annually. Furthermore, seasonal influenza
      vaccines fail to afford protection against antigenically distinct pandemic
      influenza viruses. Because of an ever-present threat of the next influenza
      pandemic and the continuous emergence of drift variants of seasonal influenza A
      viruses, there is a need for an universal influenza vaccine that induces
      protective immunity against all influenza A viruses. Here, we summarize some of
      the efforts that are ongoing to develop universal influenza vaccines. 

PMID- 26104834
TI  - Characterization of moose intestinal glycosphingolipids.
AB  - As a part of a systematic investigation of the species-specific expression of
      glycosphingolipids, acid and non-acid glycosphingolipids were isolated from three
      small intestines and one large intestine of the moose (Alces alces). The
      glycosphingolipids were characterized by binding of monoclonal antibodies,
      lectins and bacteria in chromatogram binding assays, and by mass spectrometry.
      The non-acid fractions were complex mixtures, and all had glycosphingolipids
      belonging to the lacto- and neolactoseries (lactotriaosylceramide,
      lactotetraosylceramide, neolactotetraosylceramide, Galalpha3-Le(x)
      hexaosylceramide, and lacto-neolactohexaosylceramide), globo-series
      (globotriaosylceramide and globotetraosylceramide), and isogloboseries
      (isoglobotriaosylceramide). Penta- and heptaglycosylceramides with terminal
      Galili determinants were also characterized. Furthermore, glycosphingolipids with
      terminal blood group O determinants (H triaosylceramide, H type 2
      pentaosylceramide, H type 1 penta- and heptaosylceramide) were characterized in
      two of the moose small intestines, and in the one large intestine, while the
      third small intestine had glycosphingolipids with terminal blood group A
      determinants (A tetraosylceramide, A type 1 hexa- and octaosylceramide, A
      dodecaosylceramide). The acid glycosphingolipid fractions of moose small and
      large intestine contained sulfatide, and the gangliosides GM3, GD3, GD1a, GD1b,
      and also NeuGc and NeuAc variants of the Sd(a) ganglioside and the sialyl
      globopenta/SSEA-4 ganglioside. In humans, the NeuAc-globopenta/SSEA-4 ganglioside
      is a marker of embryonic and adult stem cells, and is also expressed in several
      human cancers. This is the first time sialyl-globopentaosylceramide/SSEA-4 has
      been characterized in a fully differentiated normal tissue, and also the first
      time NeuGc-globopentaosylceramide has been characterized. 

PMID- 26104836
TI  - Space-time modelling of the spread of pancreas disease (PD) within and between
      Norwegian marine salmonid farms.
AB  - Infectious diseases are a constant threat to industrialised farming, which is
      characterised by high densities of farms and farm animals. Several mathematical
      and statistical models on spatio-temporal dynamics of infectious diseases in
      various farmed host populations have been developed during the last decades. Here
      we present a spatio-temporal stochastic model for the spread of a disease between
      and within aquaculture farms. The spread between farms is divided into several
      transmission pathways, including (i) distance related spread and (ii) other types
      of contagious contacts. The within-farm infection dynamics is modelled by a
      susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model. We apply this framework to model the
      spread of pancreas disease (PD) in salmon farming, using data covering all farms
      producing salmonids over 9 years in Norway. The motivation for the study was
      partly to unravel the spatio-temporal dynamics of PD in salmon farming and partly
      to use the model for scenario simulation of PD control strategies. We find, for
      example, that within-farm infection dynamics vary with season and we provide
      estimates of the timing from unobserved infection events to disease outbreaks on
      farms are detected. The simulations suggest that if a strategy involving culling
      of infectious cohorts is implemented, the number of detected disease outbreaks
      per year may be reduced by 57% after the full effect has been reached. We argue
      that the high detail and coverage of data on salmonid production and disease
      occurrence should encourage the use of simulation modelling as a means of testing
      effects of extensive control measures before they are implemented in the salmon
      farming industry. 

PMID- 26104837
TI  - HbA2 : biology, clinical relevance and a possible target for ameliorating sickle
      cell disease.
AB  - HbA2 , a tetramer of alpha- and delta-globin chains, provides a diagnostic clue
      to the presence of beta-thalassaemia trait. This minor haemoglobin, which forms
      about 2-3% of the total, has no known physiological role, but has the interesting
      property of preventing polymerization of deoxy-sickle haemoglobin. If it were
      possible to increase the level of HbA2 sufficiently it could have a benefit in
      sickle cell disease similar to that of foetal haemoglobin. Moreover, HbA2 is
      present in all erythrocytes, an advantage not found with foetal haemoglobin,
      which is heterocellularly expressed. The molecular basis of HbA2 gene (HBD)
      expression is partially understood, and with new molecular tools, it might be
      possible to induce levels of HbA2 that could be clinically important. However,
      high concentrations of this positively charged haemoglobin might damage the
      erythrocyte membrane; also, the reciprocal relationship of delta- and gamma
      globin gene (HBD and HBG1/2, respectively) expression might negate any benefit of
      increasing transcription of the former. 

PMID- 26104838
TI  - Mechanical circulatory support with impella to facilitate percutaneous coronary
      intervention for post-TAVI bilateral coronary obstruction.
AB  - One of the potential complications of transcatheter aortic valve implantation
      (TAVI) is coronary obstruction (CO), which can occur by displacement of heavily
      calcified native valve cusps against the coronary ostium. Treatment mandates
      immediate percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to restore coronary flow and
      improve hemodynamics and if unsuccessful, urgent implementation of circulatory
      support, commonly extracorporeal, with subsequent surgical revascularization. We
      report a case of post-TAVI CO for which successful emergent deployment of Impella
      percutaneous mechanical circulatory support to restore hemodynamic stability
      facilitated definitive treatment with bilateral PCI. Impella support represents
      an expeditious, effective, and widely available therapy to complement and
      facilitate PCI in the treatment of CO complicating TAVI, and may diminish
      requirement for urgent coronary artery bypass surgery. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26104839
TI  - Case of ketoacidosis in pregnancy.

PMID- 26104840
TI  - Effect of Serenoa Repens on Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory and Growth Factors in
      Obese Wistar Rats with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.
AB  - Serenoa repens has been widely used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia and
      lower urinary tract symptoms; however, most of the studies have been conducted in
      individuals with normal weight and not obese. In this study, the effects of a
      lipidic extract of S. repens, in markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and
      growth factors, in obese rats with testosterone-induced prostatic hyperplasia,
      were investigated. Total nitrites, malondialdehyde, total glutathione, superoxide
      dismutase (SOD), and catalase activity were measured; in addition, assays for
      inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6 and the growth factors basic
      fibroblast growth factor (FGFb) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
      were performed. The obese rats had a higher prostate weight compared with
      controls. S. repens significantly decreased prostate weight, total nitrites, and
      malondialdehyde; improved total glutathione, SOD, and catalase activity; and
      significantly reduced inflammatory (TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6) and growth
      factors (VEGF and FGFb). S. repens showed high antioxidant and antiinflammatory
      activity in obese rats, suggesting that their use could be beneficial in the
      treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

PMID- 26104843
TI  - Unusual case of phakomatosis pigmentovascularis in a Japanese female infant
      associated with three phakomatoses: Port-wine stain, dermal melanocytosis and
      cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita.

PMID- 26104842
TI  - Survival of African Swine Fever Virus in Excretions from Pigs Experimentally
      Infected with the Georgia 2007/1 Isolate.
AB  - African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a lethal haemorrhagic disease of swine
      which can be transmitted through direct contact with infected animals and their
      excretions or indirect contact with contaminated fomites. The shedding of ASFV by
      infected pigs and the stability of ASFV in the environment will determine the
      extent of environmental contamination. The recent outbreaks of ASF in Europe make
      it essential to develop disease transmission models in order to design effective
      control strategies to prevent further spread of ASF. In this study, we assessed
      the shedding and stability of ASFV in faeces, urine and oral fluid from pigs
      infected with the Georgia 2007/1 ASFV isolate. The half-life of infectious ASFV
      in faeces was found to range from 0.65 days when stored at 4 degrees C to 0.29
      days when stored at 37 degrees C, while in urine it was found to range from 2.19
      days (4 degrees C) to 0.41 days (37 degrees C). Based on these half-lives and the
      estimated dose required for infection, faeces and urine would be estimated to
      remain infectious for 8.48 and 15.33 days at 4 degrees C and 3.71 and 2.88 days
      at 37 degrees C, respectively. The half-life of ASFV DNA was 8 to 9 days in
      faeces and 2 to 3 days in oral fluid at all temperatures. In urine, the half-life
      of ASFV DNA was found to be 32.54 days at 4 degrees C decreasing to 19.48 days at
      37 degrees C. These results indicate that ASFV in excretions may be an important
      route of ASFV transmission.

PMID- 26104844
TI  - A Therapeutic Fast for Lymphoma Resulting in Wernicke Encephalopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wernicke encephalopathy is an acute neurological emergency caused by
      thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. The syndrome is associated with a significant
      morbidity and mortality, and prompt recognition and treatment of the syndrome in
      the emergency department (ED) is essential to improving patient outcomes.
      Numerous factors and clinical settings have been identified that predispose a
      patient to thiamine deficiency and subsequent Wernicke encephalopathy. CASE
      REPORT: We present the rare case of a 42-year-old man with a recent diagnosis of
      non-Hodgkin lymphoma who opted against chemotherapy in favor of a 60-day
      therapeutic water-only fast. On day 53 of his fast, the patient arrived to our ED
      in a coma and respiratory failure. Moments after the administration of thiamine,
      the patient's mental status and respiratory status improved significantly. Prior
      to admission and transport to the medical intensive care unit, the patient was
      awake, alert, and following basic commands. He was ultimately diagnosed with
      Wernicke encephalopathy. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?:
      With the increasing incidence of patients choosing alternative medical therapies
      to treat a variety of diseases, numerous electrolyte, metabolic, and nutritional
      disorders are becoming increasingly more common in the ED setting. In some cases,
      patients may choose a therapeutic fast in an effort to combat a malignancy; the
      danger being that patients with cancers such as lymphoma are already at risk for
      thiamine deficiency as a result of the increased thiamine consumption associated
      with rapid cellular turnover. Wernicke encephalopathy is a life-threatening
      neurological emergency, and the emergency physician must be aware of the numerous
      predisposing factors to the condition, as early identification and treatment
      improves patient outcomes.

PMID- 26104845
TI  - Spinal Intramedullary Cysticercosis: A Rare Diagnostic Dilemma.

PMID- 26104846
TI  - Efficacy of Bolus-dose Phenylephrine for Peri-intubation Hypotension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intubation in hypotensive emergency department (ED) patients may
      increase the risk of life-threatening complications such as hypoperfusion and
      cardiovascular collapse. Peripherally administered, diluted "push-dose"
      phenylephrine has been advocated to treat peri-intubation hypotension, however,
      its effectiveness is unknown. STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and
      usage patterns of bolus-dose phenylephrine for peri-intubation hypotension at an
      academic medical center. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all adult
      intubated, hypotensive patients (systolic blood pressure [SBP] < 90 mm Hg) over
      12 months was conducted. During the peri-intubation period (30-min prior to/after
      intubation), the effect of phenylephrine was evaluated pre/post drug
      administration by comparing SBP, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate
      (HR). RESULTS: A total of 119 patients met eligibility criteria. Phenylephrine
      was given to 29/119 (24%) patients and 20 (17%) were treated during the peri
      intubation period. Phenylephrine was given for many different conditions, and
      treatment timing varied greatly. Phenylephrine was given with other vasopressors
      70% of the time (14/20), however, the timing of vasopressor infusion also varied
      greatly. When phenylephrine was given during the peri-intubation period, there
      were significant increases in SBP and DBP (p < 0.01) with no change in HR.
      CONCLUSION: In this academic ED, bolus-dose phenylephrine was used by
      practitioners without a systematic pattern. Although phenylephrine improved
      hemodynamics, it is possible that nonsystematic use of phenylephrine may cause
      inadvertent negative effects. Further studies will need to be conducted to better
      understand the best practices for use of phenylephrine.

PMID- 26104847
TI  - A highly reducing metal-free photoredox catalyst: design and application in
      radical dehalogenations.
AB  - Here we report the use of 10-phenylphenothiazine (PTH) as an inexpensive, highly
      reducing metal-free photocatalyst for the reduction of carbon-halogen bonds via
      the trapping of carbon-centered radical intermediates with a mild hydrogen atom
      donor. Dehalogenations were carried out on various substrates with excellent
      yields at room temperature in the presence of air. 

PMID- 26104848
TI  - Transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation in patients with small
      diseased peripheral vessels.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, safety and short
      term outcomes of transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TF-TAVI)
      in patients with small diseased peripheral vessels. BACKGROUND: The transfemoral
      (TF) route for transcatheter aortic valve (TAVI) is the default option due to
      associated advantages. However, this is limited due to the high prevalence of
      significant peripheral arterial disease and increased risk of vascular
      complications. METHODS: Of 539 consecutive patients undergoing TAVI in a single
      Italian center, 23 patients underwent TF-TAVI in the presence of small peripheral
      vessels as defined by a minimal luminal diameter (MLD) of <=5.5mm [by computed
      tomography (CT)] and/or the inability to advance a large-bore sheath.
      Calcification was defined as being concentric if calcium extended more than 270
      degrees  around the circumference of the artery. All patients underwent 30-day
      clinical follow-up. RESULTS: 17 (73.9%) patients underwent peripheral vessel pre
      dilatation with a semi-compliant balloon and 6 (26.1%) patients with a Solopath
      sheath. 6 (26.1%) patients suffered a peri-procedural complication, with 1
      patient requiring surgical embolectomy for thrombotic occlusion and the remaining
      patients successfully managed percutaneously in the catheter laboratory. No
      patient suffered a vessel perforation or required implantation of a covered
      stent. At 30-day follow-up, all patients were free of symptoms and signs or
      symptoms of peripheral vascular disease, with well-functioning TAVI prostheses as
      evaluated by echocardiography. CONCLUSIONS: Performing TF-TAVI is feasible in
      patients with no other viable vascular access option in the presence of small MLD
      and calcification of the peripheral vasculature, with any anticipated acute
      vascular complication managed in the catheter laboratory with established
      percutaneous techniques.

PMID- 26104849
TI  - Identifying efficient blue-phosphorescent polymer light-emitting diode host
      materials based on carbazole derivatives with C/Si-centered substituents using
      density functional theory.
AB  - Two series of carbazole derivatives were designed and studied that could
      potentially be used in polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) as host molecules.
      These carbazole-based host molecules incorporated substituents with C or Si at
      their centers at the 3- and 6-positions on the carbazole moiety. Density
      functional theory calculations were performed to investigate the influence of the
      substituent on energy and charge transfer, and to predict whether each molecule
      could act as an effective host material in PLEDs. The results show that, for the
      series in which the carbazole moiety is linked to the substituent via the central
      C/Si atom ("cbz-sub series"), triplet-state electron transitions and triplet
      excitons arise from the carbazole moiety. Members of the cbz-sub series also
      exhibited higher triplet energies (ET) than the series in which the carbazole
      moiety is linked to the C/Si-centered substituent via an extra phenyl group ("cbz
      ph-sub series"). Moreover, members of the cbz-sub series presented strong
      molecular orbital interactions and suitable singlet and triplet energy
      differences (DeltaEST). Further investigations showed that, in each series, the
      presence of an Si atom was more likely to inhibit charge and exciton
      delocalization, and inserting a methyl or tert-butyl group at the 2- and 7
      position, respectively, of the carbazole moiety in the cbz-ph-sub molecules
      improved their ET values and led to clear intramolecular charge-transfer
      character. A comparison of the energies of host and guest molecules showed that
      all of the molecules designed in this work are suitable for use with blue-light
      guest materials.

PMID- 26104850
TI  - In vivo detection of peripheral clefting in melanocytic lesions.

PMID- 26104851
TI  - Injectable tissue engineered pulmonary heart valve implantation into the pig
      model: A feasibility study.
AB  - BACKROUND: Transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement is currently performed in
      clinical trials, however limited by the use of glutaraldehyde treated
      bioprostheses. This feasibility study was performed to evaluate delivery-related
      tissue distortion during implantation of a tissue engineered (TE) heart valves.
      MATERIAL AND METHOD: The injectable TE heart valve was mounted on a self
      expanding nitinol stent (n=7) and delivered into the pulmonary position of seven
      pigs, (weight 26 to 31 kg), performing a sternotomy or limited lateral
      thoracotomy. Prior to implantation, the injectable TE heart valve was crimped and
      inserted into an applicator. Positioning of the implants was guided by
      fluoroscopy and after carefully deployment angiographic examination was performed
      to evaluate the correct delivered position. Hemodynamic measurements were
      performed by epicardial echocardiography. Finally, the animals were sacrificed
      and the injectable TE heart valves were inspected by gross examination and
      histological examination. RESULTS: Orthotopic delivery of the injectable TE heart
      valves were all successful performed, expect in one were the valve migrated due
      to a discrepancy of pulmonary and injectable TE valve size. Angiographic
      evaluation (n=6) showed normal valve function, supported by epicardial
      echocardiography in which no increase flow velocity was measured, neither trans-
      nor paravalvular regurgitation. Histological evaluation demonstrated absence of
      tissue damage due to the delivery process. CONCLUSIONS: Transcatheter
      implantation of an injectable TE heart valve seems to be possible without tissue
      distortion due to the delivery system.

PMID- 26104852
TI  - Can echocardiography and ECG discriminate hereditary transthyretin V30M
      amyloidosis from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hereditary transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis with increased left
      ventricular wall thickness could easily be misdiagnosed by echocardiography as
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Our aim was to create a diagnostic tool based
      on echocardiography and ECG that could optimise identification of ATTR
      amyloidosis. METHODS: Data were analysed from 33 patients with biopsy proven ATTR
      amyloidosis and 30 patients with diagnosed HCM. Conventional features from ECG
      were acquired as well as two dimensional and Doppler echocardiography, speckle
      tracking derived strain and tissue characterisation analysis. Classification
      trees were used to select the most important variables for differentiation
      between ATTR amyloidosis and HCM. RESULTS: The best classification was obtained
      using both ECG and echocardiographic features, where a QRS voltage >30 mm was
      diagnostic for HCM, whereas in patients with QRS voltage <30 mm, an
      interventricular septal/posterior wall thickness ratio (IVSt/PWt) >1.6 was
      consistent with HCM and a ratio <1.6 supported the diagnosis of ATTR amyloidosis.
      This classification presented both high sensitivity (0.939) and specificity
      (0.833). CONCLUSION: Our study proposes an easily interpretable classification
      method for the differentiation between HCM and increased left ventricular
      myocardial thickness due to ATTR amyloidosis. Our combined echocardiographic and
      ECG model could increase the ability to identify ATTR cardiac amyloidosis in
      clinical practice.

PMID- 26104853
TI  - Vertebral compression fractures as the initial presentation of AL amyloidosis:
      case series and review of literature.
AB  - The clinical presentation of AL amyloidosis is highly variable. In this series,
      we describe five cases of AL amyloidosis with vertebral compression fractures as
      initial presentation. All five patients had evidence of bone marrow replacement
      on magnetic resonance imaging and bone marrow biopsies demonstrating diffuse
      interstitial amyloid deposition. Hepatomegaly and elevated liver enzymes,
      consistent with liver involvement with amyloidosis, were also seen in each case.
      All five patients responded well to anti-plasma cell chemotherapy, with
      normalization of serum free light chain levels, reduction in alkaline phosphatase
      and improvement in pain and functional status. Although rare, AL amyloidosis
      should be considered in the differential diagnosis of selected patients with
      spontaneous vertebral compression fractures. Moreover, there seems to be an
      association of vertebral compression fractures with liver involvement in AL
      amyloidosis. 

PMID- 26104855
TI  - Selective inhibition by aspirin and naproxen of mainstream cigarette smoke
      induced genotoxicity and lung tumors in female mice.
AB  - The role of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in smoke-related lung
      carcinogenesis is still controversial. We have developed and validated a murine
      model for evaluating the tumorigenicity of mainstream cigarette smoke (MCS) and
      its modulation by chemopreventive agents. In the present study, the protective
      effects of the nonselective cyclooxygenase inhibitors aspirin and naproxen were
      investigated by using a total of 277 Swiss H neonatal mice of both genders.
      Groups of mice were exposed whole-body to MCS during the first 4 months of life,
      followed by an additional 3.5 months in filtered air in order to allow a better
      growth of tumors. Aspirin (1600 mg/kg diet) and naproxen (320 mg/kg diet) were
      given after weanling until the end of the experiment. After 4 months of exposure,
      MCS significantly enhanced the frequency of micronucleated normochromatic
      erythrocytes in the peripheral blood of mice, and naproxen prevented such
      systemic genotoxic damage in female mice. After 7.5 months, exposure of mice to
      MCS resulted in the formation of lung tumors, both benign and malignant, and in
      several other histopathological lesions detectable both in the respiratory tract
      and in the urinary tract. Aspirin and, even more sharply, naproxen significantly
      inhibited the formation of lung tumors in MCS-exposed mice, but this protective
      effect selectively occurred in female mice only. These results lend support to
      the views that estrogens are involved in smoke-related pulmonary carcinogenesis
      and that NSAIDs have antiestrogenic properties. The two NSAIDs proved to be safe
      and efficacious in the experimental model used. 

PMID- 26104854
TI  - Interindividual variation in gene expression responses and metabolite formation
      in acetaminophen-exposed primary human hepatocytes.
AB  - Acetaminophen (APAP) is a readily available over-the-counter drug and is one of
      the most commonly used analgesics/antipyretics worldwide. Large interindividual
      variation in susceptibility toward APAP-induced liver failure has been reported.
      However, the exact underlying factors causing this variability in susceptibility
      are still largely unknown. The aim of this study was to better understand this
      variability in response to APAP by evaluating interindividual differences in gene
      expression changes and APAP metabolite formation in primary human hepatocytes
      (PHH) from several donors (n = 5) exposed in vitro to a non-toxic to toxic APAP
      dose range. To evaluate interindividual variation, gene expression data/levels of
      metabolites were plotted against APAP dose/donor. The correlation in APAP dose
      response between donors was calculated by comparing data points from one donor to
      the data points of all other donors using a Pearson-based correlation analysis.
      From that, a correlation score/donor for each gene/metabolite was defined,
      representing the similarity of the omics response to APAP in PHH of a particular
      donor to all other donors. The top 1 % highest variable genes were selected for
      further evaluation using gene set overrepresentation analysis. The biological
      processes in which the genes with high interindividual variation in expression
      were involved include liver regeneration, inflammatory responses, mitochondrial
      stress responses, hepatocarcinogenesis, cell cycle, and drug efficacy.
      Additionally, the interindividual variation in the expression of these genes
      could be associated with the variability in expression levels of hydroxyl/methoxy
      APAP and C8H13O5N-APAP-glucuronide. The before-mentioned metabolites or their
      derivatives have also been reported in blood of humans exposed to therapeutic
      APAP doses. Possibly these findings can contribute to elucidating the causative
      factors of interindividual susceptibility toward APAP. 

PMID- 26104856
TI  - Wogonoside induces growth inhibition and cell cycle arrest via promoting the
      expression and binding activity of GATA-1 in chronic myelogenous leukemia cells.
AB  - GATA-1, a zinc finger transcription factor, has been demonstrated to play a key
      role in the progression of leukemia. In this study, we investigate the effects of
      wogonoside, a naturally bioactive flavonoid derived from Scutellaria baicalensis
      Georgi, on cell growth and cell cycle in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells,
      and uncover its underlying mechanisms. The experimental design comprised CML cell
      lines K562, imatinib-resistant K562 (K562r) cells, and primary CML cells, treated
      in vitro or in vivo, respectively, with wogonoside; growth and cell cycle were
      then evaluated. We found that wogonoside could induce growth inhibition and G0/G1
      cell cycle arrest in both normal and K562r cells. Wogonoside promotes the
      expression of GATA-1 and facilitates the binding to methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and
      p21 promoter, thus inhibiting MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling
      and cell cycle checkpoint proteins, including CDK2, CDK4, cyclin A, and cyclin
      D1, and increasing p21 expression. Furthermore, in vivo studies showed that
      administration of wogonoside decreased CML cells and prolonged survival in
      NOD/SCID mice with CML cell xenografts. In conclusion, these results clearly
      revealed the inhibitory effect of wogonoside on the growth in CML cells and
      suggested that wogonoside may act as a promising drug for the treatment of
      imatinib-resistant CML. 

PMID- 26104857
TI  - Synergistic augmentation of ATP-induced interleukin-6 production by arsenite in
      HaCaT cells.
AB  - Chronic arsenic exposure causes cutaneous diseases such as hyperkeratosis and
      skin cancer. However, little information has been available regarding the
      molecular mechanisms underlying these symptoms. Because extracellular ATP and
      interleukin-6 (IL-6) are involved in pathological aspects of cutaneous diseases,
      we examined whether sodium arsenite (As(III)) affects ATP-induced IL-6 production
      in human epidermal keratinocyte HaCaT cells. The results showed that the addition
      of As(III) into the medium of HaCaT cells dose dependently increased the
      production of IL-6 induced by extracellular ATP, although As(III) alone had no
      effect on IL-6 production. To elucidate the mechanism of the synergistic effect
      of As(III) on IL-6 production by extracellular ATP, we next examined the
      phosphorylation of p38, ERK and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), since we
      found that these signaling molecules were stimulated by exposure to extracellular
      ATP. The results indicated that ATP-induced phosphorylation of p38, ERK and EGFR
      was synergistically enhanced by co-exposure to As(III). To clarify the mechanisms
      underlying the enhanced phosphorylation of p38, ERK and EGFR by As(III), we
      explored two possible mechanisms: the inhibition of extracellular ATP degradation
      and the inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) activity by As(III).
      The degradation of extracellular ATP was not changed by As(III), whereas the
      activity of PTPs was significantly inhibited by As(III). Our results suggest that
      As(III) augments ATP-induced IL-6 production in HaCaT cells through enhanced
      phosphorylation of the EGFR and p38/ERK pathways, which is associated with the
      inhibition of PTPs activity. 

PMID- 26104858
TI  - 'Am I covered?': an analysis of a national enquiry database on scope of practice.
AB  - AIM: Analysis of a national database of enquiries to a professional body
      pertaining to the scope of nursing and midwifery practice. BACKGROUND: Against a
      backdrop of healthcare reform is a demand for flexibility in nursing and
      midwifery roles with unprecedented redefinition of role boundaries and/or
      expansion. Guidance from professional regulatory bodies is being sought around
      issues of concern that are arising in practice. DESIGN: Qualitative thematic
      analysis. METHOD: The database of telephone enquiries (n = 9818) made by
      Registered Nurses and midwives to a national regulatory body (2001-2013) was
      subjected to a cleaning process and examined to detect those concerns that
      pertained to scope of practice. A total of 978 enquiries were subjected to
      thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Enquiries were concerned with three main areas:
      medication management, changing and evolving scope of practice and professional
      role boundaries. The context was service developments, staff shortages and
      uncertainty about role expansion and professional accountability. Other concerns
      related to expectations around responsibility and accountability for other
      support staff. CONCLUSION: Efforts by employers to maximize the skill mix of
      their staff and optimally deploy staff to meet service needs and/or address gaps
      in service represented the primary service context from which many enquiries
      arose. The greatest concern for nurses arises around medication management but
      innovation in healthcare delivery and the demands of service are also creating
      challenges for nurses and midwives. Maintaining and developing competence is a
      concern among nurses and midwives particularly in an environment of limited
      resources and where re-deployment is common.

PMID- 26104859
TI  - More rapid shift to a benthic niche in larger Gadus morhua juveniles.
AB  - Trophic use by Atlantic cod Gadus morhua juveniles was examined early and late in
      the shift from pelagic to benthic habitats. Changes in the proportion of pelagic
      copepods, estimates of benthic prey indicated by isotope mixing models and stable
      isotope values between sample periods suggested a gradual shift towards a benthic
      niche. Values of the trophic proxies, however, changed most markedly in the
      largest juvenile group, suggesting a more rapid trophic niche shift, and in turn
      competitive advantage, of larger juveniles. 

PMID- 26104860
TI  - Effects of medetomidine and its active enantiomer dexmedetomidine on N
      demethylation of ketamine in canines determined in vitro using enantioselective
      capillary electrophoresis.
AB  - Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes catalyze the metabolism of both, the analgesic and
      anesthetic drug ketamine and the alpha2 -adrenergic receptor-agonist medetomidine
      that is used for sedation and analgesia. As racemic medetomidine or its active
      enantiomer dexmedetomidine are often coadministered with racemic or S-ketamine in
      animals and dexmedetomidine together with S- or racemic ketamine in humans, drug
      drug interactions are likely to occur and have to be characterized.
      Enantioselective CE with highly sulfated gamma-cyclodextrin as chiral selector
      was employed for analyzing in vitro (i) the kinetics of the N-demethylation of
      ketamine mediated by canine CYP3A12 and (ii) interactions occurring with racemic
      medetomidine and dexmedetomidine during coincubation with ketamine and canine
      liver microsomes (CLM), canine CYP3A12, human liver microsomes (HLM), and human
      CYP3A4. For CYP3A12 without an inhibitor, Michaelis-Menten kinetics was
      determined for the single enantiomers of ketamine and substrate inhibition
      kinetics for racemic ketamine. Racemic medetomidine and dexmedetomidine showed an
      inhibition of the N-demethylation reaction in the studied canine enzyme systems.
      Racemic medetomidine is the stronger inhibitor for CLM, whereas there is no
      difference for CYP3A12. For CLM and CYP3A12, the inhibition of dexmedetomidine is
      stronger for the R- compared to the S-enantiomer of ketamine, a stereoselectivity
      that is not observed for CYP3A4. Induction is observed at a low dexmedetomidine
      concentration with CYP3A4 but not with CYP3A12, CLM, and HLM. Based on these
      results, S-ketamine combined with dexmedetomidine should be the best option for
      canines. The enantioselective CE assay with highly sulfated gamma-cyclodextrin as
      chiral selector is an effective tool for determining kinetic and inhibition
      parameters of metabolic pathways.

PMID- 26104861
TI  - Metallosupramolecular Ni2L3 and Ni4L6 complexes of bis-bidentate pyridine
      containing ligands: X-ray structures and catalytic proton reduction.
AB  - The pyridine-containing ligands and react with Ni(2+) ions to afford dinuclear
      triple-stranded helicate and tetrahedral cage supramolecular complexes,
      respectively; the two architectures exhibit contrasting reactivity towards
      electro- and photocatalytic proton reduction. 

PMID- 26104864
TI  - In memoriam: Robert J. Arceci.

PMID- 26104862
TI  - Developing Medications Targeting Glutamatergic Dysfunction in Autism: Progress to
      Date.
AB  - Pharmacologic treatments targeting specific molecular mechanisms relevant for
      autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are beginning to emerge in early drug development.
      This article reviews the evidence for the disruption of glutamatergic
      neurotransmission in animal models of social deficits and summarizes key pre
      clinical and clinical efforts in developing pharmacologic interventions based on
      modulation of glutamatergic systems in individuals with ASD. Understanding the
      pathobiology of the glutamatergic system has led to the development of new
      investigational treatments for individuals with ASD. Specific examples of
      medications that modulate the glutamatergic system in pre-clinical and clinical
      studies are described. Finally, we discuss the limitations of current strategies
      and future opportunities in developing medications targeting the glutamatergic
      system for treating individuals with ASD. 

PMID- 26104865
TI  - [Thoughts on the current euthanasia debate from the perspective of the German
      Society for Palliative Care].

PMID- 26104863
TI  - Disruption of p21-activated kinase 1 gene diminishes atherosclerosis in
      apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.
AB  - Pak1 plays an important role in various cellular processes, including cell
      motility, polarity, survival and proliferation. To date, its role in
      atherogenesis has not been explored. Here we report the effect of Pak1 on
      atherogenesis using atherosclerosis-prone apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE(-/-))
      mice as a model. Disruption of Pak1 in ApoE(-/-) mice results in reduced plaque
      burden, significantly attenuates circulating IL-6 and MCP-1 levels, limits the
      expression of adhesion molecules and diminishes the macrophage content in the
      aortic root of ApoE(-/-) mice. We also observed reduced oxidized LDL uptake and
      increased cholesterol efflux by macrophages and smooth muscle cells of ApoE(-/
      ):Pak1(-/-) mice as compared with ApoE(-/-) mice. In addition, we detect
      increased Pak1 phosphorylation in human atherosclerotic arteries, suggesting its
      role in human atherogenesis. Altogether, these results identify Pak1 as an
      important factor in the initiation and progression of atherogenesis. 

PMID- 26104866
TI  - Structural basis for double cofactor specificity in a new formate dehydrogenase
      from the acidobacterium Granulicella mallensis MP5ACTX8.
AB  - Formate dehydrogenases (FDHs) are considered particularly useful enzymes in
      biocatalysis when the regeneration of the cofactor NAD(P)H is required, that is,
      in chiral synthesis with dehydrogenases. Their utilization is however limited to
      the recycling of NAD(+), since all (apart one) of the FDHs characterized so far
      are strictly specific for this cofactor, and this is a major drawback for their
      otherwise wide applicability. Despite the many attempts performed to modify
      cofactor specificity by protein engineering different NAD(+)-dependent FDHs, in
      the general practice, glucose or phosphite dehydrogenases are chosen for the
      recycling of NADP(+). We report on the functional and structural characterization
      of a new FDH, GraFDH, identified by mining the genome of the extremophile
      prokaryote Granulicella mallensis MP5ACTX8. The new enzyme displays a valuable
      stability in the presence of many organic cosolvents as well as double cofactor
      specificity, with NADP(+) preferred over NAD(+) at acidic pH values, at which it
      also shows the highest stability. The quite low affinities for both cofactors as
      well as for the substrate formate indicate, however, that the native enzyme
      requires optimization to be applied as biocatalytic tool. We also determined the
      crystal structure of GraFDH both as apoprotein and as holoprotein, either in
      complex with NAD(+) or NADP(+). Noticeably, the latter represents the first
      structure of an FDH enzyme in complex with NADP(+). This fine picture of the
      structural determinants involved in cofactor selectivity will possibly boost
      protein engineering of the new enzyme or other homolog FDHs in view of their
      biocatalytic exploitation for NADP(+) recycling.

PMID- 26104867
TI  - Biosynthesis of 2-deoxysugars using whole-cell catalyst expressing 2-deoxy-D
      ribose 5-phosphate aldolase.
AB  - 2-Deoxy-D-ribose 5-phosphate aldolase (DERA) accepts a wide variety of aldehydes
      and is used in de novo synthesis of 2-deoxysugars, which have important
      applications in drug manufacturing. However, DERA has low preference for non
      phosphorylated substrates. In this study, DERA from Klebsiella pneumoniae (KDERA)
      was mutated to increase its enzyme activity and substrate tolerance towards non
      phosphorylated polyhydroxy aldehyde. Mutant KDERA(K12) (S238D/F200I/DeltaY259)
      showed a 3.15-fold improvement in enzyme activity and a 1.54-fold increase in
      substrate tolerance towards D-glyceraldehyde compared with the wild type.
      Furthermore, a whole-cell transformation strategy using resting cells of the
      BL21(pKDERA12) strain, containing the expressed plasmid pKDERA12, resulted in
      increase in 2-deoxy-D-ribose yield from 0.41 mol/mol D-glyceraldehyde to 0.81
      mol/mol D-glyceraldehyde and higher substrate tolerance from 0.5 to 3 M compared
      to in vitro assays. With further optimization of the transformation process, the
      BL21(pKDERA12) strain produced 2.14 M (287.06 g/L) 2-deoxy-D-robose (DR), with a
      yield of 0.71 mol/mol D-glyceraldehyde and average productivity of 0.13 mol/L.h
      (17.94 g/L.h). These results demonstrate the potential for large-scale production
      of 2-deoxy-D-ribose using the BL21(pKDERA12) strain. Furthermore, the
      BL21(pKDERA12) strain also exhibited the ability to efficiently produce 2-deoxy-D
      altrose from D-erythrose, as well as 2-deoxy-L-xylose and 2-deoxy-L-ribose from L
      glyceraldehyde.

PMID- 26104868
TI  - Environmental factors shaping the abundance and distribution of laccase-encoding
      bacterial community with potential phenolic oxidase capacity during composting.
AB  - Increasing molecular evidence points to a wide occurrence of laccase-like
      multicopper oxidase (LMCO)-encoding genes in bacteria. Most researches mainly
      focused on the bacterial LMCO diversity, whereas the processes and the
      environmental factors responsible for structuring bacterial LMCO communities
      remain relatively unknown in a composting system. Six gene libraries were
      constructed from samples in representative stages during composting. A total of
      185 sequences obtained from sample DNA extracts were classified to 59 operational
      taxonomic units (OTUs) based on 10 % cutoff. The distribution profile of
      bacterial LMCO genes showed that proteobacterial- and actinobacterial-associated
      species were the dominant communities during composting. Pearson correlation
      analysis indicated that the pile temperature and water-soluble carbon (WSC)
      content were significantly positively correlated with bacterial LMCO gene OTU
      numbers, Chao1 and Shannon index, whereas the humic acid (HA)-like carbon content
      had the most significant effect on the distribution of the bacterial LMCO genes
      during composting by redundancy analysis. These findings will improve the
      understanding of the mutual relationship between environmental factors and
      bacterial LMCO community compositions in composting.

PMID- 26104869
TI  - "Paper Machine" for Molecular Diagnostics.
AB  - Clinical tests based on primer-initiated amplification of specific nucleic acid
      sequences achieve high levels of sensitivity and specificity. Despite these
      desirable characteristics, these tests have not reached their full potential
      because their complexity and expense limit their usefulness to centralized
      laboratories. This paper describes a device that integrates sample preparation
      and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) with end point detection using
      a hand-held UV source and camera phone. The prototype device integrates paper
      microfluidics (to enable fluid handling) and a multilayer structure, or a "paper
      machine", that allows a central patterned paper strip to slide in and out of
      fluidic path and thus allows introduction of sample, wash buffers, amplification
      master mix, and detection reagents with minimal pipetting, in a hand-held,
      disposable device intended for point-of-care use in resource-limited
      environments. This device creates a dynamic seal that prevents evaporation during
      incubation at 65  degrees C for 1 h. This interval is sufficient to allow a LAMP
      reaction for the Escherichia coli malB gene to proceed with an analytical
      sensitivity of 1 double-stranded DNA target copy. Starting with human plasma
      spiked with whole, live E. coli cells, this paper demonstrates full integration
      of sample preparation with LAMP amplification and end point detection with a
      limit of detection of 5 cells. Further, it shows that the method used to prepare
      sample enables concentration of DNA from sample volumes commonly available from
      fingerstick blood draw. 

PMID- 26104870
TI  - Deaths of older Australians related to their use of motorised mobility scooters.
AB  - This study describes motorized mobility scooter (MMS) rider-related fatalities in
      the older Australian population during the years 2000-2011, identified from the
      National Coronial Information System. Seventy-seven fatalities were identified,
      most aged 80 years or older (74.1%) and males predominated (76.6%). Most deaths
      (88.3%) resulted from collisions with motor vehicles or falling from the MMS.
      These findings are consistent with the reported morbidity data. Challenges to MMS
      case identification included lack of specification in reports to Coroners and
      inadequate codes. Improved specificity and coding are necessary to fully describe
      the extent of MMS-related injury. This study raises the issue of emerging largely
      unregulated consumer products. Further research is required to understand the
      uptake and use of MMS in the ageing population. Strategies are needed to decrease
      rider injuries whilst meeting community mobility needs.

PMID- 26104871
TI  - ROS-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis-like event directly affect the cell
      viability of cryopreserved embryogenic callus in Agapanthus praecox.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: Oxidative stress and apoptosis-like programmed cell death, induced
      in part by H 2 O 2 , are two key factors that damage cells during plant
      cryopreservation. Their inhibition can improve cell viability. We hypothesized
      that oxidative stress and apoptosis-like event induced by ROS seriously impact
      plant cell viability during cryopreservation. This study documented changes in
      cell morphology and ultrastructure, and detected dynamic changes in ROS
      components (O 2 (.-) , H2O2 and OH.), antioxidant systems, and programmed cell
      death (PCD) events during embryonic callus cryopreservation of Agapanthus
      praecox. Plasmolysis, organelle ultrastructure changes, and increases in
      malondialdehyde (a membrane lipid peroxidation product) suggested that oxidative
      damage and PCD events occurred at several early cryopreservation steps. PCD
      events including autophagy, apoptosis-like, and necrosis also occurred at later
      stages of cryopreservation, and most were apoptosis. H2O2 is the most important
      ROS molecule mediating oxidative damage and affecting cell viability, and
      catalase and AsA-GSH cycle are involved in scavenging the intracellular H2O2 and
      protecting the cells against stress damage in the whole process. Gene expression
      studies verified changes of antioxidant system and PCD-related genes at the main
      steps of the cryopreservation process that correlated with improved cell
      viability. Reducing oxidative stress or inhibition of apoptosis-like event by
      deactivating proteases improved cryopreserved cell viability from 49.14 to 86.85
      % and 89.91 %, respectively. These results verify our model of ROS-induced
      oxidative stress and apoptosis-like event in plant cryopreservation. This study
      provided a novel insight into cell stress response mechanisms in
      cryopreservation.

PMID- 26104872
TI  - Two novel alleles, HLA-B*46:01:11 and HLA-B*51:01:39 were identified in Chinese
      bone marrow donors.
AB  - HLA-B*46:01:11 has 219 G>A compared with HLA-B*46:01:01, and HLA-B*51:01:39 shows
      561 G>A with HLA-B*51:01:01. 

PMID- 26104873
TI  - Response to: spectral domain optical coherence tomography imaging of
      mucopolysaccharidoses I, II, IV A, and VI.

PMID- 26104874
TI  - Low concentrations of ethanol but not of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) impair
      reciprocal retinal signal transduction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The model of the isolated and superfused retina provides the
      opportunity to test drugs and toxins. Some chemicals have to be applied using low
      concentrations of organic solvents as carriers. Recently, E-/R-type (Cav2.3) and
      T-type (Cav3.2) voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels were identified as participating in
      reciprocal inhibitory retinal signaling. Their participation is apparent, when
      low concentrations of NiCl2 (15 MUM) are applied during superfusion leading to an
      increase of the ERG b-wave amplitude, which is explained by a reduction of
      amacrine GABA-release onto bipolar neurons. During these investigations,
      differences were observed for the solvent carrier used. METHODS: Recording of the
      transretinal receptor potentials from the isolated bovine retina. RESULTS: The
      pretreatment of bovine retina with 0.01 % (v/v) dimethylsulfoxide did not impair
      the NiCl2-mediated increase of the b-wave amplitude, which was 1.31-fold +/- 0.03
      of initial value (n = 4). However, pretreatment of the retina with the same
      concentration of ethanol impaired reciprocal signaling (0.96-fold +/- 0.05, n =
      4). Further, the implicit time of the b-wave was increased, suggesting that
      ethanol itself but not DMSO may antagonize GABA-receptors. CONCLUSION: Ethanol
      itself but not DMSO may block GABA receptors and cause an amplitude increase by
      itself, so that reciprocal signaling is impaired.

PMID- 26104875
TI  - Identification of novel Xanthomonas euvesicatoria type III effector proteins by a
      machine-learning approach.
AB  - The Gram-negative bacterium Xanthomonas euvesicatoria (Xcv) is the causal agent
      of bacterial spot disease in pepper and tomato. Xcv pathogenicity depends on a
      type III secretion (T3S) system that delivers effector proteins into host cells
      to suppress plant immunity and promote disease. The pool of known Xcv effectors
      includes approximately 30 proteins, most identified in the 85-10 strain by
      various experimental and computational techniques. To identify additional Xcv 85
      10 effectors, we applied a genome-wide machine-learning approach, in which all
      open reading frames (ORFs) were scored according to their propensity to encode
      effectors. Scoring was based on a large set of features, including genomic
      organization, taxonomic dispersion, hypersensitive response and pathogenicity
      (hrp)-dependent expression, 5' regulatory sequences, amino acid composition bias
      and GC content. Thirty-six predicted effectors were tested for translocation into
      plant cells using the hypersensitive response (HR)-inducing domain of AvrBs2 as a
      reporter. Seven proteins (XopAU, XopAV, XopAW, XopAP, XopAX, XopAK and XopAD)
      harboured a functional translocation signal and their translocation relied on the
      HrpF translocon, indicating that they are bona fide T3S effectors. Remarkably,
      four belong to novel effector families. Inactivation of the xopAP gene reduced
      the severity of disease symptoms in infected plants. A decrease in cell death and
      chlorophyll content was observed in pepper leaves inoculated with the xopAP
      mutant when compared with the wild-type strain. However, populations of the xopAP
      mutant in infected leaves were similar in size to those of wild-type bacteria,
      suggesting that the reduction in virulence was not caused by impaired bacterial
      growth.

PMID- 26104876
TI  - Re-imaging malaria in the Philippines: how photovoice can help to re-imagine
      malaria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This paper responds to a recent call for malaria to be re-imagined
      by: explaining why it needs to be re-imagined; offering one possible way in which
      this can be done; and describing some of benefits for malaria control when it is.
      METHODS: This study involved conducting a 15-week photovoice project with 44
      predominantly ethnically Palawan school-going children in the municipality of
      Bataraza in the Philippines. The primary aim was to critically examine how
      facilitating children to take their own pictures of malaria could alter their
      understanding of it as well as the practices that they then engaged into prevent
      and treat it. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: During the photovoice process, participants
      responded to the question, 'what does malaria mean to you?' by photographing
      multiple versions of malaria. Some of these versions align with biomedical
      conceptions and mirror common images of: its sources (e.g. mosquitoes); symptoms
      (e.g. fever); prevention practices (e.g. use of mosquito nets); diagnostic
      practices (e.g. use Rapid Diagnostic Tests) and treatment practices (e.g. use of
      anti-malarial drugs). However, in addition to these depictions, participants also
      took images of malaria that aligned with more local understanding of the body,
      health and well-being, which are often neglected by health practitioners. In the
      case of the Palawan, these versions of malaria are structured around the central
      tenet of balance. Participants therefore photographed themselves and members of
      their family and community engaging in a number of practices, which are
      orientated towards restoring and maintaining balance. As well being an effective
      means to illuminate multiple malarias and the practices that surround them,
      photovoice also enabled participants to learn new things and significantly, teach
      these things to others using their images. CONCLUSION: Photovoice is an effective
      method for re-imaging malaria. It allowed participants to depict and describe
      multiple versions of malaria and the practices that they engage in in context.
      Photovoice also had a potentially transformative effect. It acted as a means for
      participants and researchers to: visually depict everyday practices; collectively
      gain a deeper understanding of this doing; and then seek ways in which to make
      changes in line with this joint understanding.

PMID- 26104877
TI  - Chromium allergy and dermatitis: prevalence and main findings.
AB  - The history of chromium as an allergen goes back more than a century, and
      includes an interventional success with national legislation that led to
      significant changes in the epidemiology of chromium allergy in construction
      workers. The 2015 EU Leather Regulation once again put a focus on chromium
      allergy, emphasizing that the investigation of chromium allergy is still far from
      complete. Our review article on chromium focuses on the allergen's chemical
      properties, its potential exposure sources, and the allergen's interaction with
      the skin, and also provides an overview of the regulations, and analyses the
      epidemiological pattern between nations and across continents. We provide an
      update on the allergen from a dermatological point of view, and conclude that
      much still remains to be discovered about the allergen, and that continued
      surveillance of exposure sources and prevalence rates is necessary. 

PMID- 26104878
TI  - Practical Guidance on the Use of Premix Insulin Analogs in Initiating,
      Intensifying, or Switching Insulin Regimens in Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Premix insulin analogs are a well-established treatment for type 2
      diabetes (T2D). However, there is a lack of simple, clear guidance on some
      aspects of their use. These include choosing a regimen for insulin initiation,
      recognizing when patients need intensification of therapy, and switching from
      basal-bolus to a premix insulin analog when appropriate. METHODS: An independent
      expert panel formulated recommendations on the use in T2D of the premix insulin
      analog formulations widely available in Australasia, based on the available
      evidence and their own experience. RESULTS: Results from trials in both
      initiation and intensification of insulin show that no single insulin or regimen
      is best on all endpoints, and that improved glycemic control can be expected
      regardless of which regimen is used. Thus, individual patient factors and
      preferences become more important. Guidance is presented to help the clinician
      choose between a premix insulin analog or basal analog for insulin initiation,
      and to intensify insulin therapy using premix insulin analogs. Recommendations
      are made on dosing, titration, the concomitant use of non-insulin glucose
      lowering drugs, and other practical issues, and on the special case of switching
      from basal-bolus to premix insulin analog therapy. CONCLUSION: This guidance is
      intended to help both general and specialist practitioners make informed choices
      and provide optimal care for patients with T2D. It emphasizes the importance of
      taking into account individual patient factors and preferences so that the choice
      of insulin regimen is individualized to the patient in the same way that glycemic
      targets are now individualized. FUNDING: Novo Nordisk Region IO A/S.

PMID- 26104879
TI  - [Familial hypertriglyceridemia: biochemical, clinical and molecular study in a
      Moroccan family].
AB  - Familial hypertriglyceridemia is a rare autosomal recessive inborn error of
      metabolism. Mutation within the LPL gene constitutes the first cause of monogenic
      etiology. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is the key enzyme in triglyceride-rich
      lipoproteins catabolism. Familial LPL deficiency is expressed by eruptive
      xanthomatosis and acute pancreatitis. We report a Moroccan case with a monstrous
      hypertriglyceridemia caused by LPL gene mutation. We discuss pathophysiology
      aspects according to available investigations data and the relevance of familial
      screening. The proband is a 19-year-old woman originating from the village of
      Taourirt (South of Morocco). She was admitted in emergency for diabetic
      ketoacidosis. Clinical investigations and routine laboratory tests were performed
      upon admission. Then lipoprotein electrophoresis and sequencing of the LPL gene
      were practiced. A monstrous hypertriglyceridemia up to 199 mmol/L was found.
      Lipoprotein electrophoresis has objectified profound disturbances on
      chylomicrons, VLDL and IDL. The sequencing detected a missense mutation p.S286R
      at homozygous state in a consanguinity context. Discovery of this LPL gene
      mutation is the first indigenous and documented case, never related in any other
      ethnic group. It constitutes a novel proof of a founder effect in the south
      Moroccan population. Prevalence studies with familial screening should be done
      for preventative action which is the only acceptable way to limit the
      cardiovascular and pancreatitis risks in this population where inbreeding is a
      general rule. 

PMID- 26104882
TI  - Physicochemical stability profile of Tulane virus: a human norovirus surrogate.
AB  - AIMS: Human norovirus (HuNoV) is estimated to cause 19-21 million illnesses each
      year in the US. A major limitation in HuNoV research is the lack of an in vitro
      culture system; therefore, surrogate viruses including murine norovirus (MNV) and
      feline calicivirus (FCV) are used to study HuNoV. Here, we aim to establish the
      physiochemical properties of Tulane virus (TV)-a newer HuNoV surrogate. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: For thermal inactivation, TV was exposed to 37 degrees C for 2 h,
      and 56, 63 and 72 degrees C for 30 min. For ethanol tolerance, TV was treated
      with 60, 70 and 90% ethanol at room temperature (RT) for 5 min. Tulane virus pH
      stability at pH 2, 3, 7, 9 and 10 was performed at RT for 90 min. At 37 degrees
      C, there was no significant reduction in TV after 2 h. However, at 56, 63 and 72
      degrees C, D-values of 4.03, 1.18, and 0.24 min, were calculated respectively.
      The D-values obtained for TV ethanol tolerance were 1.46, 1.93, and 0.35 min at
      60, 70 and 90% respectively. Less than 1 log10 plaque forming units (PFU)
      reduction was observed for TV at all pH levels except pH 10 where about a 2-log10
      PFU reduction was observed. Tulane virus was also tolerant to chlorine
      disinfection on a solid surface with D-values of 15.82 and 5.42 min at 200 and
      1000 ppm respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Tulane virus is likely a suitable surrogate
      to study HuNoV thermal stability as well as ethanol tolerance below 90%. Tulane
      virus also is a promising surrogate to study HuNoV pH stability and chlorine
      tolerance. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Based on current work, in vitro
      studies demonstrate that TV is an overall more conservative and suitable
      surrogate for the study of HuNoV physicochemical properties.

PMID- 26104881
TI  - Influence of blood flow occlusion on the development of peripheral and central
      fatigue during small muscle mass handgrip exercise.
AB  - Critical power represents an important threshold for neuromuscular fatigue
      development and may, therefore, dictate intensities for which exercise tolerance
      is determined by the magnitude of fatigue accrued. Peripheral fatigue appears to
      be constant across O2 delivery conditions for large muscle mass exercise, but
      this consistency is equivocal for smaller muscle mass exercise. We sought to
      determine the influence of blood flow occlusion during handgrip exercise on
      neuromuscular fatigue development and to examine the relationship between
      neuromuscular fatigue development and W '. Blood flow occlusion influenced the
      development of both peripheral and central fatigue, thus providing further
      evidence that the magnitude of peripheral fatigue is not constant across O2
      delivery conditions for small muscle mass exercise. W ' appears to be related to
      the magnitude of fatigue accrued during exercise, which may explain the reported
      consistency of intramuscular metabolic perturbations and work performed for
      severe-intensity exercise. The influence of the muscle metabolic milieu on
      peripheral and central fatigue is currently unclear. Moreover, the relationships
      between peripheral and central fatigue and the curvature constant (W ') have not
      been investigated. Six men (age: 25 +/- 4 years, body mass: 82 +/- 10 kg, height:
      179 +/- 4 cm) completed four constant power handgrip tests to exhaustion under
      conditions of control exercise (Con), blood flow occlusion exercise (Occ), Con
      with 5 min post-exercise blood flow occlusion (Con + Occ), and Occ with 5 min
      post-exercise blood flow occlusion (Occ + Occ). Neuromuscular fatigue
      measurements and W ' were obtained for each subject. Each trial resulted in
      significant peripheral and central fatigue. Significantly greater peripheral
      (79.7 +/- 5.1% vs. 22.7 +/- 6.0%) and central (42.6 +/- 3.9% vs. 4.9 +/- 2.0%)
      fatigue occurred for Occ than for Con. In addition, significantly greater
      peripheral (83.0 +/- 4.2% vs. 69.0 +/- 6.2%) and central (65.5 +/- 14.6% vs. 18.6
      +/- 4.1%) fatigue occurred for Occ + Occ than for Con + Occ. W ' was
      significantly related to the magnitude of global (r = 0.91) and peripheral (r =
      0.83) fatigue. The current findings demonstrate that blood flow occlusion
      exacerbated the development of both peripheral and central fatigue and that post
      exercise blood flow occlusion prevented the recovery of both peripheral and
      central fatigue. Moreover, the current findings suggest that W ' may be
      determined by the magnitude of fatigue accrued during exercise.

PMID- 26104883
TI  - Fetal outcome of trisomy 18 diagnosed after 22 weeks of gestation: Experience of
      123 cases at a single perinatal center.
AB  - To investigate the pregnancy outcome of the fetuses with trisomy 18, we studied
      123 cases of trisomy 18 who were born at our hospital from 1993 to 2009. Among
      them, 95.9% were diagnosed with trisomy 18 prenatally. Prenatal ultrasound
      findings showed fetal growth restriction in 77.2%, polyhydramnios in 63.4% and
      congenital heart defects in 95.1%. For 18 cases, cesarean section (C-section) was
      chosen, and for 75 cases, transvaginal delivery was chosen. Premature delivery
      occurred in 35.5%. Stillbirths occurred in 50 cases (40.7%). Fetal demise before
      onset of labor occurred in 30 cases and fetal demise during labor occurred in 20
      cases which was 26.7% of vaginal deliveries. Among the 73 live-born infants, the
      survival rate for 24 h, 1 week, 1 month and 1 year were 63%, 43%, 33% and 3%. The
      median survival time was 3.5 days. There was no significant difference between
      the survival time of C-section and that of vaginal delivery. However, for the
      births involving breech presentation, the survival time of C-section was
      significantly longer than that of vaginal delivery. When the fetus is diagnosed
      with trisomy 18, the parents have to make many choices. These findings constitute
      critical information in prenatal counseling to the couples whose fetuses have
      been found to have trisomy 18, especially when they choose palliative approaches
      in the perinatal management. 

PMID- 26104880
TI  - Inherited coding variants at the CDKN2A locus influence susceptibility to acute
      lymphoblastic leukaemia in children.
AB  - There is increasing evidence from genome-wide association studies for a strong
      inherited genetic basis of susceptibility to acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)
      in children, yet the effects of protein-coding variants on ALL risk have not been
      systematically evaluated. Here we show a missense variant in CDKN2A associated
      with the development of ALL at genome-wide significance (rs3731249, P=9.4 * 10(
      23), odds ratio=2.23). Functional studies indicate that this hypomorphic variant
      results in reduced tumour suppressor function of p16(INK4A), increases the
      susceptibility to leukaemic transformation of haematopoietic progenitor cells,
      and is preferentially retained in ALL tumour cells. Resequencing the CDKN2A
      CDKN2B locus in 2,407 childhood ALL cases reveals 19 additional putative
      functional germline variants. These results provide direct functional evidence
      for the influence of inherited genetic variation on ALL risk, highlighting the
      important and complex roles of CDKN2A-CDKN2B tumour suppressors in
      leukaemogenesis. 

PMID- 26104884
TI  - [Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy versus Lobectomy for Operable Stage I Non
      small -cell Lung Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of Two Randomized Trials ?-
      Interpretation of Thoracic Surgeons].

PMID- 26104885
TI  - [Treatment for Stage I Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: ?Stereotactic Ablative
      Radiotherapy or Surgery?].

PMID- 26104886
TI  - [Stereotactic Ablative Aadiotherapy?--A Better Choice for Operable Stage I Non
      small Cell Lung Cancer?].

PMID- 26104887
TI  - [Early Stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Surgery or Stereotactic Ablative
      Radiotherapy?].

PMID- 26104888
TI  - [Methodology of Establishing and Identifying NCI-H2228/Crizotinib-resistant Cell
      Lines In Vitro].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The mechanisms of small molecule targeting drug
      resistance and ways to overcome resistance are now both urgent need to improve
      the clinical efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using
      different methods to establish the crizotinib-resistant non-small cell lung
      cancer NCI-H2228/Crizotinib cell lines and to clarify the mechanisms of
      resistance to small molecule targeting drug, thus providing experimental and
      theoretical bases for further studies to overcome the mechanisms of Crizotinib
      resistance. METHODS: The study utilized stepwise increase of drug concentrations
      and chemical mutagen to induce Crizotinib-resistant NCI-H2228 cells. The drug 50%
      inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of parental and resistant cells and the
      population doubling time were determined by MTT assay. The echinoderm microtubule
      associated protein-like 4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (EML4-ALK) expression was
      evaluated by RT-PCR and Western blot. Full-length sequencing method was used to
      compare the EML4-ALK genes in the parent and drug-resistant cells and analyze the
      mechanisms of drug resistance. RESULTS: The method of gradually increasing drug
      concentration to induce Crizotinib-resistant NCI-H2228 cells was time-consuming
      because the cell growth recovery was extremely slow. Thus, this method was
      considered invalid. However, chemical mutagen ENU can effectively induce NCI
      H2228 cells resistant to crizotinib in a short time [IC50]= (3.810+/-1.100)
      MUmol/L, P=0.002,9 vs parental cells]. Furthermore, the gene mutation frequency
      of EML4-ALK in the resistant cells was significantly higher than that in the
      parent cells. CONCLUSIONS: Chemical mutagen-induced cell resistance was easily
      operated and had effectively shortened the experimental process. Preliminary
      technical methods and experimental evidence for in-depth study of drug resistance
      mechanisms and approaches to overcome the targeted drug resistance were also
      provided.?.

PMID- 26104889
TI  - [Screening of Highly Expressed CPEDeltaN Lung Cancer H1299 Cells].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The N-terminal truncated carboxypeptidase E (CPEDeltaN)
      protein is a novel biomarker of tumor metastasis. This study screened the H1299
      cell line with a highly expressed CPEDeltaN gene for in vivo imaging experiment.
      METHODS: Human CPEDeltaN gene was cloned into the luciferase lentiviral vector.
      H1299 cells transduced with CPEDeltaN or control lentiviral vectors were selected
      with 2 ug/mL puromycin. The expression of CPEDeltaN was identified through
      Western blot analysis, and luciferase activity was measured using luciferase
      reporters. RESULTS: The human CPEDeltaN lentiviral expression vector was
      successfully constructed. The transfection rate of H1299 cells by the lentivirus
      achieved 80%, with an infection multiplicity of 20. The H1299 cell line with high
      CPEDeltaN (H1299-CPEDeltaN) expression was established, with an increase in
      CPEDeltaN expression by four times compared with the control lentivirus
      transfected H1299 cell line (H1299-control). As H1299-CPEDeltaN and H1299-control
      can effectively decompose luciferase substrates, they can be applied in in vivo
      imaging. CONCLUSIONS: H1299-CPEDeltaN and H1299-control can be used in in vivo
      imaging experiment for further research on molecular mechanisms and signal
      transduction to elucidate the role of CPEDeltaN in lung cancer metastasis.

PMID- 26104890
TI  - PR-Set7 is Degraded in a Conditional Cul4A Transgenic Mouse Model of Lung Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maintenance of genomic integrity is essential to ensure normal
      organismal development and to prevent diseases such as cancer. PR-Set7 (also
      known as Set8) is a cell cycle regulated enzyme that catalyses monomethylation of
      histone 4 at Lys20 (H4K20me1) to promote chromosome condensation and prevent DNA
      damage. Recent studies show that CRL4CDT2-mediated ubiquitylation of PR-Set7
      leads to its degradation during S phase and after DNA damage. This might occur to
      ensure appropriate changes in chromosome structure during the cell cycle or to
      preserve genome integrity after DNA damage. METHODS: We developed a new model of
      lung tumor development in mice harboring a conditionally expressed allele of
      Cul4A. We have therefore used a mouse model to demonstrate for the first time
      that Cul4A is oncogenic in vivo. With this model, staining of PR-Set7 in the
      preneoplastic and tumor lesions in AdenoCre-induced mouse lungs was performed.
      Meanwhile we identified higher protein level changes of gamma-tubulin and
      pericentrin by IHC. RESULTS: The level of PR-Set7 down-regulated in the
      preneoplastic and adenocarcinomous lesions following over-expression of Cul4A. We
      also identified higher levels of the proteins pericentrin and gamma-tubulin in
      Cul4A mouse lungs induced by AdenoCre. CONCLUSIONS: PR-Set7 is a direct target of
      Cul4A for degradation and involved in the formation of lung tumors in the
      conditional Cul4A transgenic mouse model.

PMID- 26104891
TI  - [Combined Chemotherapy with Vinorelbine and Ifosfamide as Third-line Treatment
      and Beyond of Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC) should be treated with first-line and second-line chemotherapy or
      target therapy according to the lung cancer guidelines. However, no recommended
      treatments are available after failure to these treatments. In our study, the
      efficacy and safety of combined chemotherapy of vinorelbine and ifosfamide as
      third-line therapy or beyond for advanced NSCLC was evaluated. METHODS: A total
      of 41 patients took a combination of vinorelbine and ifosfamide as third-line or
      above chemotherapy in Peking Union Hospital between May 2010 and May 2014. They
      were pathologically or cytologically confirmed as having locally advanced or
      metastatic NSCLC. Clinically measurable lesions existed, and Eastern Cooperative
      Oncology Group performance status ranged from 0 to 2. No serious complications
      were observed in the hematopoietic system, and liver and renal functions were
      normal. RESULTS: The 41 patients enrolled in this study were given 150 cycles of
      chemotherapy, of which 23 cycles (15.3%) were delayed or dose-adjusted. Results
      of the objective response evaluation showed that 3 cases had objective partial
      response (7.3%) and 25 cases were stable (61.0%). The median progression-free
      survival time was 5.5 months, and the median overall survival time was 10.5
      months. Hematological toxicity was the most frequent adverse event. Grade 3/4
      neutropenia had 10.7% occurrence; grade 3/4 white blood cell decrease had 8.7%;
      and grade 3/4 anemia had 8.7%. All adverse events were manageable, and no drug
      related death was found. CONCLUSIONS: Vinorelbine and ifosfamide as third-line
      treatment and beyond of NSCLC were well tolerated. Most patients can benefit from
      this combined chemotherapy. A clinical trial with large samples is necessary to
      prove whether overall survival will .

PMID- 26104892
TI  - [Variations in Serum CEA and CYFRA21-1 Levels Before and After Surgery Facilitate
      Prognosis of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and the soluble
      fragment of cytokeratin 19 (CYFRA21-1) are important tumor markers (TMs) in the
      preoperative examination of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
      However, the prognostic role of these markers in NSCLC patients remains
      controversial. The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical significance
      of serum CEA variances and CYFRA21-1 levels for the prognosis of NSCLC patients
      following surgery. METHODS: This retrospective study investigated the clinical
      records and follow-up sessions of 175 patients with NSCLC who accepted surgery
      and adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients were subdivided into groups based on serum
      CEA and CYFRA21-1 levels. Survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan-Meier
      method for each group. The prognostic factor was evaluated using Cox proportional
      hazards model. RESULTS: The overall survival (OS) of patients with high
      preoperative CEA or CYFRA21-1 levels was lower than that of patients with normal
      preoperative CEA or CYFRA21-1 levels. The OS displayed a significant difference
      (P=0.001) between groups with high and normal preoperative CYFRA21-1. Compared
      with groups exhibiting normal preoperative and postoperative levels of CEA or
      CYFRA21-1, the OS was shorter for groups with high preoperative and postoperative
      levels of CEA or CYFRA21-1. The difference of the paired groups was significant
      (P<0.05). Compared with the groups with normal preoperative and postoperative
      levels of CEA and CYFRA21-1, the OS was lower for the groups with high
      preoperative and postoperative levels of CEA and CYFRA21-1, which indicated a
      significant difference (P<0.001). The CEACYFRA211 (HHHH), CEACYFRA211 (NNHH),
      CYFRA21-1 (HH), CEA (HH), and male gender were identified as independent
      prognostic factors (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that the prognosis
      of NSCLC patients was not significantly satisfactory if preoperative and
      postoperative level of serum CEA or CYFRA21-1 was higher than standard value,
      especially if the preoperative and postoperative levels of CYFRA21-1 and CEA were
      higher than the standard values. The measurement of preoperative and
      postoperative levels of CYFRA21-1 and CEA proved helpful for the prognosis of
      patients with NSCLC.?.

PMID- 26104893
TI  - [Safety of Neoadjuvant Bevacizumab plus Pemetrexed and Carboplatin ?in Patients
      with IIIa Lung Adenocarcinoma].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Bevacizumab has showed its efficacy in advanced non
      squamous lung cancer. The aim of this study is to assess the safety of
      bevacizumab plus pemetrexed and carboplatin neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients
      with lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: 25 patients with IIIa lung adenocarcinoma
      undergoing lobectemy or pneumonectomy with mediastinal lymphadenectomy after
      induction bevacizumab (Bev) plus pemetrexed/carboplatin (PC) were selected.
      Toxicity of chemotherapy and postoperative complications were analyzed. RESULTS:
      Grade 3 or 4 neoadjuvant-related adverse events included fatigue (3 patients),
      neutropenia (3 patients), hypertension (1 patient). The adverse events thought to
      be related to bevacizumab included epistaxis in 2 patients (grade 1: 1; grade 2:
      1) and hypertension in 3 patients (grade 1: 2; grade 3: 1). Postoperative
      complications included pneumonia in 2 patients, bronchial stump insufficiency in
      1 case, atelectasis in 2 cases, and arrhythmia in 1 case. Hemorrhage events,
      thromboembolic events and wound-healing problems were not observed in the
      perioperative period. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment modality of neoadjuvant Bev-PC
      appears to be safe and tolerant in patients with stage IIIa lung adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 26104894
TI  - [Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of Icotinib with Standard Second-line
      ?Chemotherapy in Previously Treated Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study compared the efficacy and safety of icotinib
      with standard second-line chemotherapy (single-agent docetaxel or pemetrexed) in
      previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Thirty
      two consecutive patients treated with icotinib and 33 consecutive patients
      treated with standard second-line chemotherapy in Xuanwu Hospital from January
      2012 to July 2013 were enrolled in our retrospective research. The Response
      Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors were used to evaluate the tumor responses,
      and the progression-free survival (PFS) was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier method.
      RESULTS: Icotinib was comparable with standard second-line chemotherapy for
      advanced NSCLC in terms of overall response rate (ORR) (28.1% vs 18.2%, P=0.341),
      disease control rate (DFS)(43.8% vs 45.5%, P=0.890), and PFS (4.3 months vs 3.8
      months, P=0.506). In the icotinib group, the ORR of epidermal growth factor
      receptor (EGFR) mutant was significantly higher than that of EGFR unknown or wild
      type (P=0.017). In multivariate analysis, age, gender, histology, and the optimum
      first-line treatment response were dependent prognostic factors based on the PFS
      of the icotinib group. The incidence of adverse events was significantly fewer in
      the icotinib group than in the chemotherapy group (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Compared with the standard second-line chemotherapy, icotinib is active in the
      treatment of advanced NSCLC patients, especially with EGFR unknown in the second
      line, with an acceptable adverse event profile.

PMID- 26104895
TI  - [Progress of Postoperative Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Stage I Non-small Cell Lung
      Cancer].
AB  - The morbidity and mortality of lung cancer rank the first place among all the
      malignant tumor. According to the histopathological characteristics, lung cancer
      is divided into non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer.
      Only 20% patients diagnosed with NSCLC have the chance for surgery while their 5
      yr overall survival is about 30%-60%. The therapeutic outcome of surgery alone is
      not satisfying. Adjuvant chemotherapy after surgical resection in stage II-IIIa
      lung cancer showed efficacy in many randomized clinical trials, but its role in
      stage I disease remains controversial. The choice of appropriate chemotherapy
      candidates, the selection of chemotherapy regimens and the research progress on
      biomarker are mainly discussed in this review. 

PMID- 26104896
TI  - [Role of RRM1 in the Treatment and Prognosis of Advanced Non-small Cell Lung
      Cancer].
AB  - Lung cancer is one of the most common and highest mortality rates malignant
      tumors, further, 75%-80% is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). For the majority
      of patients, lost the chance of radical operation or radiotherapy, chemotherapy
      is the main treatment. However, because of the diversities of tumor behavior and
      drug-resistant, the chemotherapy of advanced NSCLC is not optimistic. In recent
      years, with the application of molecular markers for individual chemotherapy,
      these patients have achieved prolong life and improved life quality.
      Individualized chemotherapy based on molecular markers to select the appropriate
      drug is the problem that needs to be solved. The paper gives a brief review on
      the role of ribonucleotide reductase subunit 1 (RRM1) in the treatment and
      prognosis of advanced NSCLC. Individualized chemotherapy by RRM1 can't become
      commonplace for advanced NSCLC and needs further research. 

PMID- 26104897
TI  - [Progress in Tissue Specimens Alternative for the Driver Genes Testing of Non
      small Cell Lung Cancer].
AB  - Target treatment based on driver genes in advanced non-small cell lung cancer is
      very important currently. Tumor tissues is the gold standard for driver genes
      testing. However, most of patients could not get the gene information for lack of
      enough tissues. To explore the tissue specimens alternatives is a hot spot in
      clinical work. This report reviews the tissue specimen alternatives of driver
      gene testing in non-small cell lung cancer. 

PMID- 26104898
TI  - [Research Progress of Biomakers Proteomics-based in Lung Cancer].
AB  - Proteomic technologies can be applied to cancer research to detect differential
      protein expression that could find cancer biomakers. Lung cancer biomarker
      discovery is significant due to its anticipated critical role in early diagnosis,
      therapy guidance, and prognosis monitoring of lung cancer. Therefore, there is an
      indeed need to identify new biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis that
      could serve to open novel therapeutic means. This article briefly introduces the
      latest reports in proteomic studies of lung cancer. It contains diagnostic,
      prognostic, and predictive biomarkers, and a summary based on the most recent
      literature and our own work. 

PMID- 26104899
TI  - Removal, redistribution, and potential risks of soil Cd, Pb, and Zn after washing
      with various extractants.
AB  - The effectiveness of four different washing extractants--HCl, FeCl3, citric acid,
      and EDTA--in removing Cd, Pb, and Zn from polluted soil was studied. The removal
      of these metals, their redistribution between fractions, and the potential risks
      posed by them, in soils washed with the tested extractants, were examined.
      Although all the rounds of washing removed Cd, Pb, and Zn from soil, the first
      round removed more metals than subsequent rounds. Each of the four extractants
      had different effects on the removal of the metals. At the end of the first round
      of washing, HCl, EDTA, and FeCl3 were the most effective in removing Zn, Pb, and
      Cd, respectively. Both the single round and five successive rounds of washing
      with various extractants resulted in significant increases in Pb in the
      exchangeable/acid extractable fraction. Washing with HCl, EDTA, and FeCl3
      significantly reduced potential risks (calculated as the Potential Risk Index,
      PRI) posed by Cd in washed soil. The first round of washing, using all
      extractants, increased the risks posed by Pb and Zn. However, five successive
      rounds of washing with FeCl3 and EDTA reduced the risk posed by Pb, and washing
      with citric acid and FeCl3 increased the risks posed by Zn. EDTA and HCl were
      better for reducing Zn risks, and successive washing with EDTA and FeCl3 were
      more effective in reducing Pb risks than the other extractants. Finally, five
      successive rounds of washing, with all the extractants, effectively reduced the
      potential risks posed by Cd. Among the four reagents, EDTA was advised to be the
      alternative of the washing reagent by significantly reducing the PRI values of
      Cd, Pb, and Zn.

PMID- 26104900
TI  - Exogenous NO depletes Cd-induced toxicity by eliminating oxidative damage, re
      establishing ATPase activity, and maintaining stress-related hormone equilibrium
      in white clover plants.
AB  - Various nitric oxide (NO) regulators [including the NO donor sodium nitroprusside
      (SNP), the NO scavenger 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl
      3-oxide (cPTIO), the NO-synthase inhibitor N (G)-nitro-L-Arg-methyl ester (L
      NAME), and the SNP analogues sodium nitrite/nitrate and sodium ferrocyanide] were
      investigated to elucidate the role of NO in white clover (Trifolium repens L.)
      plants after long-term (5 days) exposure to cadmium (Cd). A dose of 100 MUM Cd
      stress significantly restrained plant growth and decreased the concentrations of
      chlorophyll and NO in vivo, whereas it disrupted the balance of stress-related
      hormones and enhanced the accumulation of Cd, thereby inducing reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) burst. However, the inhibition of plant growth was relieved by 50
      MUM SNP through its stimulation of ROS-scavenging compounds (ascorbic acid,
      ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, glutathione reductase, non-protein thiol,
      superoxide dismutase, and total glutathione), regulation of H(+)-ATPase activity
      of proton pumps, and increasing jasmonic acid and proline but decreasing ethylene
      in plant tissues. Even so, the alleviating effect of SNP on plant growth was
      counteracted by cPTIO and L-NAME and was not observed with SNP analogues,
      suggesting that the protective roles of SNP are related to the induction of NO.
      These results suggest that NO may improve the Cd tolerance of white clover plants
      by eliminating oxidative damage, re-establishing ATPase activity, and maintaining
      hormone equilibrium. Improving our understanding of the role of NO in white
      clover plants is key to expanding the plantations to various regions and the
      recovery of pasture species in the future.

PMID- 26104901
TI  - Removal of sulfadimethoxine in soil mediated by extracellular oxidoreductases.
AB  - Sulfadimethoxine (SDM) is an antibiotic commonly used in concentrated animal
      feeding operations and released into the environment via manure application on
      agricultural lands. Transformation of antibiotics in soil impacts the likelihood
      of their entry to water bodies, uptake by plants, and thus their effect on
      terrestrial and aquatic organisms. We conducted experiments to incubate SDM in a
      sandy loam soil in the presence of humification enzymes commonly found in natural
      soil, laccase, horseradish peroxidase, and lignin peroxidase. Incubation with the
      enzymes led to significant reduction in the fraction of SDM extractable from
      soil, indicating the formation of bound residues. Such transformation was
      enhanced when the organic matter content in soil is increased or when certain
      chemical mediators were used along with laccase. The study provided a basis for
      understanding the environmental fate of sulfonamides and help with the
      development of remediation methods to mitigate the release of sulfonamides from
      soil to water. 

PMID- 26104902
TI  - Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass
      spectrometry for the analysis of antibiotic residues in environmental waters.
AB  - An optimized solid-phase extraction (SPE) and ultra-high performance liquid
      chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was
      developed for the effective analysis of 35 antibiotics including sulfonamides
      (SAs), quinolones (QLs), tetracyclines (TCs), macrolides (MALs), lincomycin
      (LIN), and chloramphenicol (CAP). The addition of 0.1% formic acid to the mobile
      phase was favorable for the formation of [M + H](+) and the enhancement in the
      detection signals, but using ammonium formate decreased [M + H](+) with a
      corresponding reduction in the response of CAP. The optimal pH range for the SPE
      was 4.5 ~ 5.0 with 6 mL aqueous ammonia/methanol (5/95, v/v) as the optimized
      eluent. An internal standard (IS) was selected for each type of analytes based on
      similarities in classification and retention time. The detection was completed in
      less than 10 min and was excellent with method detection limits (MDL) of 0.29 ~
      4.03 ng/L. The recoveries of the antibiotics in samples from ultrapure water and
      groundwater were 67.13 ~ 93.00% and 68.91 ~ 92.67%, respectively. The antibiotics
      in samples collected from wastewater, surface water, and groundwater were also
      effectively detected. This newly developed method has the advantages of short
      detection times, small sample consumption, excellent reproducibility, and high
      sensitivity. This provides a reliable and promising technique for the
      simultaneous detection and monitoring of various residual antibiotics in aqueous
      environmental samples.

PMID- 26104903
TI  - The dendroanalysis of oak trees as a method of biomonitoring past and recent
      contamination in an area influenced by uranium mining.
AB  - We reconstructed the contamination history of an area influenced by 40 years of
      uranium mining and subsequent remediation actions using dendroanalysis (i.e., the
      determination of the elemental content of tree rings). The uranium content in the
      tree rings of four individual oak trees (Quercus sp.) was determined by laser
      ablation with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). This
      technique allows the investigation of trace metals in solid samples with a
      spatial resolution of 250 MUm and a detection limit below 0.01 MUg/g for uranium.
      The investigations show that in three of the four oaks sampled, there were
      temporally similar uranium concentrations. These were approximately 2 orders of
      magnitude higher (0.15 to 0.4 MUg/g) than those from before the period of active
      mining (concentrations below 0.01 MUg/g). After the mining was terminated and the
      area was restored, the uranium contents in the wood decreased by approximately 1
      order of magnitude. The similar radial uranium distribution patterns of the three
      trees were confirmed by correlation analysis. In combination with the results of
      soil analyses, it was determined that there was a heterogeneous contamination in
      the forest investigated. This could be confirmed by pre-remediation soil uranium
      contents from literature. The uranium contents in the tree rings of the oaks
      investigated reflect the contamination history of the study area. This study
      demonstrates that the dendrochemical analysis of oak tree rings is a suitable
      technique for investigating past and recent uranium contamination in mining
      areas.

PMID- 26104904
TI  - Permeable reactive barrier of coarse sand-supported zero valent iron for the
      removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol in groundwater.
AB  - In this study, coarse sand-supported zero valent iron (ZVI) composite was
      synthesized by adding sodium alginate to immobilize. Composite was detected by
      scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray
      fluorescence (XRF). SEM results showed that composite had core-shell structure
      and a wide porous distribution pattern. The synthesized composite was used for
      degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) contamination in groundwater.
      Experimental results demonstrated that degradation mechanism of 2,4-DCP using
      coarse sand-supported ZVI included adsorption, desorption, and dechlorination.
      2,4-DCP adsorption was described as pseudo-second-order kinetic model. It was
      concluded that dechlorination was the key reaction pathway, ZVI and hydrogen are
      prime reductants in dechlorination of 2,4-DCP using ZVI. 

PMID- 26104905
TI  - Photocatalytic degradation of humic substances in aqueous solution using Cu-doped
      ZnO nanoparticles under natural sunlight irradiation.
AB  - In this study, Cu-doped ZnO nanoparticles were investigated as an efficient
      synthesized catalyst for photodegradation of humic substances in aqueous solution
      under natural sunlight irradiation. Cu-doped ZnO nanocatalyst was prepared
      through mild hydrothermal method and was characterized using FT-IR, powder XRD
      and SEM techniques. The effect of operating parameters such as doping ratio,
      initial pH, catalyst dosage, initial concentrations of humic substances and
      sunlight illuminance were studied on humic substances degradation efficiency. The
      results of characterization analyses of samples confirmed the proper synthesis of
      Cu-doped ZnO nanocatalyst. The experimental results indicated the highest
      degradation efficiency of HS (99.2%) observed using 1.5% Cu-doped ZnO
      nanoparticles at reaction time of 120 min. Photocatalytic degradation efficiency
      of HS in a neutral and acidic pH was much higher than that at alkaline pH.
      Photocatalytic degradation of HS was enhanced with increasing the catalyst dosage
      and sunlight illuminance, while increasing the initial HS concentration led to
      decrease in the degradation efficiency of HS. Conclusively, Cu-doped ZnO
      nanoparticles can be used as a promising and efficient catalyst for degradation
      of HS under natural sunlight irradiation.

PMID- 26104906
TI  - Differentiation syndrome in acute myeloid leukemia after treatment with
      azacitidine.
AB  - We report a case report of hyperleukocytosis, fever, hypotension, pulmonary and
      pericardial effusions, and acute kidney injury during initial treatment with
      azacitidine in a patient with AML-MRC. Collectively, the symptomatology resembled
      differentiation syndrome. Azacitidine has been previously associated with fever,
      peripheral edema, and hyperleukocytosis, but its side effect profile has never
      been described as similar to differentiation syndrome. The patient's
      deteriorating course quickly turned around after treatment with dexamethasone.
      This potential reaction, and potential treatment, is important for clinicians to
      be aware of. 

PMID- 26104908
TI  - Persistent Disparities in Adult Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.
AB  - The use of large databases has provided advancements in the understanding of
      racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in the field of adult hematopoietic
      cell transplants (HCT). Disparities exist on individual, institutional, and
      systemic levels for both allogeneic and autologous HCT. We reviewed the most
      recent publications that utilized large databases to elucidate disparities in HCT
      and placed them into historical context of the other major studies in the field.
      Two emerging themes were identified. These themes are persistent inequalities in
      both allogeneic HCT and autologous HCT for myeloma and the importance of
      improving homogeneity of care in HCT. Minimization of inequalities can be
      achieved only with an understanding of the persistent barriers that exist in the
      field. 

PMID- 26104907
TI  - To Each Its Own: Linking the Biology and Epidemiology of NHL Subtypes.
AB  - Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) constitutes a diverse group of more than 40 subtypes,
      each characterized by distinct biologic and clinical features. Until recently,
      pinpointing genetic and epidemiologic risk factors for individual subtypes has
      been limited by the relative rarity of each. However, several large pooled case
      control studies have provided sufficient statistical power for detecting
      etiologic differences and commonalities between subtypes and thus yield new
      insight into their unique epidemiologic backgrounds. Here, we review the subtype
      specific medical, lifestyle, and biologic components identified in these studies,
      which suggest that a complex interplay between host genetics, autoimmune
      disorders, modifiable risk factors, and occupation contributes to
      lymphomagenesis. 

PMID- 26104909
TI  - Cluster-Randomized Trial to Increase Hepatitis B Testing among Koreans in Los
      Angeles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the United States, Korean immigrants experience a
      disproportionately high burden of chronic hepatitis B (HBV) viral infection and
      associated liver cancer compared with the general population. However, despite
      clear clinical guidelines, HBV serologic testing among Koreans remains
      persistently suboptimal. METHODS: We conducted a cluster-randomized trial to
      evaluate a church-based small group intervention to improve HBV testing among
      Koreans in Los Angeles. Fifty-two Korean churches, stratified by size (small,
      medium, large) and location (Koreatown versus other), were randomized to
      intervention or control conditions. Intervention church participants attended a
      single-session small-group discussion on liver cancer and HBV testing, and
      control church participants attended a similar session on physical activity and
      nutrition. Outcome data consisted of self-reported HBV testing obtained via 6
      month telephone follow-up interviews. RESULTS: We recruited 1,123 individuals, 18
      to 64 years of age, across the 52 churches. Ninety-two percent of the sample
      attended the assigned intervention session and 86% completed the 6-month follow
      up. Sample characteristics included were as follows: mean age 46 years, 65%
      female, 97% born in Korea, 69% completed some college, and 43% insured. In an
      intent-to-treat analysis, the intervention produced a statistically significant
      effect (OR = 4.9, P < 0.001), with 19% of intervention and 6% of control group
      participants reporting a HBV test. CONCLUSION: Our intervention was successful in
      achieving a large and robust effect in a population at high risk of HBV infection
      and sequelae. IMPACT: The intervention was fairly resource efficient and thus has
      high potential for replication in other high-risk Asian groups.

PMID- 26104910
TI  - Estrogen Metabolites Are Not Associated with Colorectal Cancer Risk in
      Postmenopausal Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A potential protective role for estrogen in colon carcinogenesis has
      been suggested based on exogenous hormone use, but it is unclear from previous
      studies whether endogenous estrogens are related to colorectal cancer risk. These
      few prior studies focused on parent estrogens; none evaluated effects of estrogen
      metabolism in postmenopausal women. METHODS: We followed 15,595 women (ages 55-80
      years) enrolled in the Breast and Bone Follow-up to the Fracture Intervention
      Trial (B~FIT) who donated blood between 1992 and 1993 for cancer through December
      2004. A panel of 15 estrogen metabolites (EM), including estradiol and estrone,
      were measured in serum from 187 colorectal cancer cases and a subcohort of 501
      women not using exogenous hormones at blood draw. We examined EM individually,
      grouped by pathway (hydroxylation at the C-2, C-4, or C-16 position) and by
      ratios of the groupings using Cox proportional hazards regression models.
      RESULTS: No significant associations were seen for estrone (HRQ4 vs. Q1 = 1.15;
      95% CI, 0.69-1.93; Ptrend = 0.54), estradiol (HRQ4 vs. Q1 = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.58
      1.64; Ptrend > 0.99), or total EM (the sum of all EM; HRQ4 vs. Q1 = 1.35; 95% CI,
      0.81-2.24; Ptrend = 0.33). Most metabolites in the 2-, 4-, or 16-pathway were
      unrelated to risk, although a borderline trend in risk was associated with high
      levels of 17-epiestriol. CONCLUSION: Circulating estrogens and their metabolites
      were generally unrelated to colorectal cancer risk in postmenopausal women.
      IMPACT: Additional studies are needed to understand how exogenous estrogen may
      prevent colorectal cancer.

PMID- 26104911
TI  - [Glottis injection to improve voice function : Review of more than 500
      operations].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hoarseness due to insufficient glottal closure can be treated by
      injection laryngoplasty (augmentation). Vocal fold injections can be performed as
      an in-office procedure or under general anesthesia. As injection materials have
      recently improved and different injection approaches are available, injection
      laryngoplasties are performed much more frequently. OBJECTIVES: Advantages and
      disadvantages of injection materials, laryngeal approaches, and differential
      indications are described. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Literature research and
      experience of more than 500 laryngeal injection procedures are provided. RESULTS
      AND CONCLUSIONS: Sophisticated use of available injection materials can provide a
      satisfying improvement of voice function with minimal patient discomfort.
      Adequate indication is mandatory for a favorable outcome. Further improvement
      regarding biocompatibility and the duration of injection materials is desirable.

PMID- 26104912
TI  - Cu(I) stabilizing crosslinked polyethyleneimine.
AB  - Polyethyleneimine (PEI) is known for its metal-coordinating properties and in its
      crosslinked form has applications in different areas ranging from drug delivery
      to waste water treatment and recovery of trace metals. With the aim to regulate
      the coordination environment of Cu(I) and Cu(II) ions in marine coatings, we have
      prepared a triazole cross-linking agent with 'soft' coordination that can
      crosslink PEI via indirect reductive amination. We have shown that this triazole
      crosslinker not only increases the Cu(II) absorption capacity of the crosslinked
      PEI in comparison to the traditionally used glutaraldehyde-crosslinked PEI (PEI
      GA), but also allows the crosslinked polymer network to stabilize the Cu(I)
      oxidation state more effectively. The Cu(II) uptake and Cu(I) stabilization of
      the polymer have been determined by elemental analysis and UV-vis spectroscopy.
      It was found that the triazole-crosslinked polymer (PEI-TA) could coordinate up
      to 12 wt% of Cu(II) before and 6 wt% Cu(II) after imine reduction.

PMID- 26104913
TI  - Increased levels of inflammatory cytokines in the female reproductive tract are
      associated with altered expression of proteases, mucosal barrier proteins, and an
      influx of HIV-susceptible target cells.
AB  - Elevated inflammatory cytokines (EMCs) at mucosal surfaces have been associated
      with HIV susceptibility, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We
      characterized the soluble mucosal proteome associated with elevated cytokine
      expression in the female reproductive tract. A scoring system was devised based
      on the elevation (upper quartile) of at least three of seven inflammatory
      cytokines in cervicovaginal lavage. Using this score, HIV-uninfected Kenyan women
      were classified as either having EMC (n=28) or not (n=68). Of 455 proteins
      quantified in proteomic analyses, 53 were associated with EMC (5% false discovery
      rate threshold). EMCs were associated with proteases, cell motility, and actin
      cytoskeletal pathways, whereas protease inhibitor, epidermal cell
      differentiation, and cornified envelope pathways were decreased. Multivariate
      analysis identified an optimal signature of 16 proteins that distinguished the
      EMC group with 88% accuracy. Three proteins in this signature were neutrophil
      associated proteases that correlated with many cytokines, especially GM-CSF
      (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor), IL-1beta (interleukin-1beta),
      MIP-3alpha (macrophage inflammatory protein-3alpha), IL-17, and IL-8. Gene set
      enrichment analyses implicated activated immune cells; we verified experimentally
      that EMC women had an increased frequency of endocervical CD4(+) T cells. These
      data reveal strong linkages between mucosal cytokines, barrier function,
      proteases, and immune cell movement, and propose these as potential mechanisms
      that increase risk of HIV acquisition. 

PMID- 26104914
TI  - Antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes target airway CD103+ and CD11b+
      dendritic cells to suppress allergic inflammation.
AB  - Allergic airway inflammation is driven by the recognition of inhaled allergen by
      T helper type 2 (Th2) cells in the airway and lung. Allergen-specific cytotoxic T
      lymphocytes (CTLs) can strongly reduce airway inflammation, however, the
      mechanism of their inhibitory activity is not fully defined. We used mouse models
      to show that allergen-specific CTLs reduced early cytokine production by Th2
      cells in lung, and their subsequent accumulation and production of interleukin
      (IL)-4 and IL-13. In addition, treatment with specific CTLs also increased the
      proportion of caspase(+) dendritic cells (DCs) in mediastinal lymph node (MLN),
      and decreased the numbers of CD103(+) and CD11b(+) DCs in the lung. This decrease
      required expression of the cytotoxic mediator perforin in CTLs and of the
      appropriate MHC-antigen ligand on DCs, suggesting that direct CTL-DC contact was
      necessary. Lastly, lung imaging experiments revealed that in airway-challenged
      mice XCR1-GFP(+) DCs, corresponding to the CD103(+) DC subset, and XCR1-GFP(-)
      CD11c(+) cells, which include CD11b(+) DCs and alveolar macrophages, both
      clustered in the areas surrounding the small airways and were closely associated
      with allergen-specific CTLs. Thus, allergen-specific CTLs reduce allergic airway
      inflammation by depleting CD103(+) and CD11b(+) DC populations in the lung, and
      may constitute a mechanism through which allergic immune responses are regulated.

PMID- 26104915
TI  - Heat Shock Protein 90 Regulates Subcellular Localization of Smads in Mv1Lu Cells.
AB  - Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) regulates the stability of various proteins and
      plays an essential role in cellular homeostasis. Many client proteins of HSP90
      are involved in cell growth, survival, and migration; processes that are
      generally accepted as participants in tumorigenesis. HSP90 is also up-regulated
      in certain tumors. Indeed, the inhibition of HSP90 is known to be effective in
      cancer treatment. Recently, studies showed that HSP90 regulates transforming
      growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1)-induced transcription by increasing the stability
      of the TGF-beta receptor. TGF-beta signaling also has been implicated in cancer,
      suggesting the possibility that TGF-beta1 and HSP90 function cooperatively during
      the cancer cell progression. Here in this paper, we investigated the role of
      HSP90 in TGF-beta1-stimulated Mv1Lu cells. Treatment of Mv1Lu cells with the
      HSP90 inhibitor, 17-allylamino-demethoxy-geldanamycin (17AAG), or transfection
      with truncated HSP90 (DeltaHSP90) significantly reduced TGF-beta1-induced cell
      migration. Pretreatment with 17AAG or transfection with DeltaHSP90 also reduced
      the levels of phosphorylated Smad2 and Smad3. In addition, the HSP90 inhibition
      interfered the nuclear localization of Smads induced by constitutively active
      Smad2 (S2EE) or Smad3 (S3EE). We also found that the HSP90 inhibition decreased
      the protein level of importin-beta1 which is known to regulate R-Smad nuclear
      translocation. These data clearly demonstrate a novel function of HSP90; HSP90
      modulates TGF-beta signaling by regulating Smads localization. Overall, our data
      could provide a detailed mechanism linking HSP90 and TGF-beta signaling. The
      extension of our understanding of HSP90 would offer a better strategy for
      treating cancer.

PMID- 26104916
TI  - Late Gadolinium Enhancement on Cardiac MRI Correlates with QT Dynamicity
      Represented by QT/RR Relationship in Patients with Ventricular Arrhythmias.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The distribution of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on the cardiac
      MRI (CMR) indicates myocardial fibrosis and provides information of possible
      reentry substrates. QT dynamicity reflecting repolarization abnormalities has
      gained attention as a potential prognostic predictive factor. OBJECTIVE: To
      clarify the correlation between the LGE distribution on CMR and QT dynamicity
      represented by the QT/RR relationship. METHODS: CMR and QT/RR analyses using
      Holter monitoring were performed in 34 patients (24 males, 60 +/- 11 years) with
      ventricular tachycardia (VT) and/or ventricular fibrillation (VF). The LGE on CMR
      was scored using a 4-point score in 17 left ventricular segments. The sum of the
      LGE scores was calculated for each patient. The QT/RR slope and daytime/nighttime
      QT/RR ratio (day/night ratio) were calculated. The correlation between the slope
      or the day/night QT/RR ratio and late enhancement findings was analyzed. RESULTS:
      All patients were divided into 23 LGE positive (LGE(+)) and 11 LGE negative (LGE(
      )) patients. The slopes of the QTe/RR and QTa /RR were significantly steeper in
      the LGE(+) than in LGE(-) patients (0.21 +/- 0.03 vs 0.13 +/- 0.02; P < 0.001,
      0.19 +/- 0.03 vs 0.13 +/- 0.02; P < 0.001, respectively), and both slopes were
      significantly correlated with the total LGE scores (r = 0.83, P < 0.001; r =
      0.71, P < 0.001, respectively). In the LGE(+) patients, the QTe day/night (1.37
      +/- 0.38 vs 0.91 +/- 0.33; P = 0.002) and QTa day/night ratios (1.33 +/- 0.26 vs
      1.06 +/- 0.30; P = 0.011) were significantly greater than those in the LGE(-)
      patients. CONCLUSION: The LGE distribution was closely related to the QT
      dynamicity, suggesting that a combination of these markers can be a powerful tool
      for understanding the background pathophysiology.

PMID- 26104917
TI  - Interleukin-6 reduces NMDAR-mediated cytosolic Ca2+ overload and neuronal death
      via JAK/CaN signaling.
AB  - Cytosolic Ca(2+) overload induced by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) is one of the
      major causes for neuronal cell death during cerebral ischemic insult and
      neurodegenerative disorders. Previously, we have reported that the cytokine
      interleukin-6 (IL-6) reduces NMDA-induced cytosolic Ca(2+) overload by inhibiting
      both L-type voltage-gated calcium channel (L-VGCC) activity and intracellular
      Ca(2+) store release in cultured cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs). Here we aimed
      to show that NMDA-gated receptor channels (i.e., NMDA receptors, NMDARs) are an
      inhibitory target of IL-6 via a mediation of calcineurin (CaN) signaling. As
      expected, IL-6 decreased NMDAR-mediated cytosolic Ca(2+) overload and inward
      current in cultured CGNs. The NMDAR subunits, NR1, NR2A, NR2B and NR2C, were
      expressed in CGNs. Blocking either of NR2A, NR2B and NR2C with respective
      antagonist reduced NMDA-induced extracellular Ca(2+) influx and neuronal death.
      Importantly, the reduced percentages in extracellular Ca(2+) influx and neuronal
      death by either NR2B or NR2C antagonist were weaker in the presence of IL-6 than
      in the absence of IL-6, while the reduced percentage by NR2A antagonist was not
      significantly different between the presence and the absence of IL-6. AG490, an
      inhibitor of Janus kinase (JAK), abolished IL-6 protection against extracellular
      Ca(2+) influx, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, neuronal death, and CaN
      activity impairment induced by NMDA. The CaN inhibitor FK506 reduced these IL-6
      neuroprotective properties. Collectively, these results suggest that IL-6 exerts
      neuroprotection by inhibiting activities of the NMDAR subunits NR2B and NR2C (but
      not NR2A) via the intermediation of JAK/CaN signaling.

PMID- 26104918
TI  - Mitochondrial Ca2+ handling is crucial for generation of rhythmical Ca2+ waves in
      vascular interstitial cells from rabbit portal vein.
AB  - Vasomotion is the rhythmical changes in vascular tone of various blood vessels.
      It was proposed that in rabbit portal vein (RPV) the spontaneous contractile
      activity is driven by vascular interstitial cells (VICs), since RPV VICs generate
      rhythmical changes in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) associated
      with membrane depolarisation in these cells. In this work, using confocal imaging
      in Fluo-3 loaded RPV VICs we studied if generation of rhythmical [Ca(2+)]i
      changes is affected when Ca(2+) handling by mitochondria is compromised. We also
      visualised mitochondria in VICs using Mito Tracker Green fluorescent dye. Our
      results showed that freshly dispersed RPV VICs generated rhythmical [Ca(2+)]i
      oscillations with a frequency of 0.2-0.01 Hz. Imaging of VICs stained with Mito
      Tracker Green revealed abundant mitochondria in these cells with a higher density
      of the organelles in sub-plasmalemmar region compared to the central region of
      the cell. Oligomycin, an ATP synthase inhibitor, did not affect the amplitude and
      frequency of rhythmical [Ca(2+)]i oscillations. In contrast, two uncoupling
      agents, carbonylcyanide-3-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) and carbonylcyanide-4
      trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP) effectively abolished rhythmical [Ca(2+)]i
      changes with simultaneous increase in basal [Ca(2+)]i in RPV VICs. These data
      suggest that in RPV VICs mitochondrial Ca(2+) handling is important for the
      generation of rhythmical [Ca(2+)]i changes which underlie the spontaneous
      rhythmical contractile activity in this vessel.

PMID- 26104919
TI  - Impact of vibration and agitation speed on dissolution of USP prednisone tablets
      RS and various IR tablet formulations.
AB  - Dissolution testing is an in vitro procedure which is widely used in quality
      control (QC) of solid oral dosage forms and, given that real biorelevant test
      conditions are applied, can also be used as a predictive tool for the in vivo
      performance of such formulations. However, if a dissolution method is intended to
      be used for such purposes, it has to deliver results that are only determined by
      the quality of the test product, but not by other variables. In the recent past,
      more and more questions were arising on how to address the effects of vibration
      on dissolution test results. The present study was performed to screen for the
      correlation of prednisone dissolution of USP Prednisone Tablets RS with vibration
      caused by a commercially available vibration source as well as to investigate how
      drug release from a range of immediate release formulations containing class 1-4
      drugs of the biopharmaceutical classification scheme is affected by vibration
      when performing dissolution experiments at different agitation rates. Results of
      the present study show that the dissolution process of oral drug formulations can
      be affected by vibration. However, it also becomes clear that the degree of which
      a certain level of vibration impacts dissolution is strongly dependent on several
      factors such as drug properties, formulation parameters, and the design of the
      dissolution method. To ensure the establishment of robust and predictive
      dissolution test methods, the impact of variation should thus be considered in
      method design and validation. 

PMID- 26104920
TI  - Generalized vitiligo in a dog with primary hypoadrenocorticism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is presumed to be an autoimmune disorder in the dog; primary
      adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease) is associated with immune-mediated
      destruction of the adrenal cortex. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: In this case report we
      describe a dog with primary hypoadrenocorticism that developed generalized
      vitiligo. CASE REPORT: A 4-year-old spayed female cross-bred dog developed signs
      of Addison's disease and this was confirmed by biochemical testing; the dog was
      treated with fludrocortisone acetate and then desoxycorticosterone pivalate.
      Three months after the diagnosis, the dog developed depigmentation of the whole
      hair coat and of several focal areas of the skin. Histopathological findings were
      consistent with vitiligo. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Dogs with immune
      mediated disease may develop other manifestations of immune-mediated disease,
      including a combination of Addison's disease and vitiligo. The cause in this case
      was not determined.

PMID- 26104921
TI  - Composite pheochromocytoma of the adrenal gland: a case series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Composite pheochromocytoma is a rare pathological condition
      characterized by elements of both pheochromocytoma and neurogenic tumors.
      However, detailed clinical outcomes of this tumor have not been fully shown. From
      2007 to 2013, we experienced three cases of adrenal composite pheochromocytoma.
      In this report, we investigate the clinicopathological features of these three
      cases of composite pheochromocytoma and compare them with previously reported
      cases. CASE PRESENTATIONS: Cases 1 and 2 were a 29-year-old Japanese woman and a
      59-year-old Japanese man, respectively. They underwent laparoscopic left
      adrenalectomy, and pathological examination revealed composite pheochromocytoma
      ganglioneuroma. Case 3 was a 53-year-old Japanese man who had been receiving
      hemodialysis for 17 years. He underwent laparoscopic right adrenalectomy, and
      pathological examination revealed composite pheochromocytoma
      ganglioneuroblastoma. Although the Ki67-positive rates varied from 1.0 to 6.2%
      among the three cases, no clinical recurrences occurred. Despite the relatively
      high rate of Ki67 positivity, complete tumor resection resulted in favorable
      clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: We experienced three cases of adrenal composite
      pheochromocytoma. Although the clinical findings and treatment outcomes of
      composite pheochromocytoma were similar to those of ordinary pheochromocytoma,
      further studies of the biological behavior and genetic profiles of composite
      pheochromocytoma are necessary to achieve a better understanding of this tumor.

PMID- 26104922
TI  - Molecular Biomarkers in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

PMID- 26104923
TI  - Brazil's Challenges and Opportunities.

PMID- 26104924
TI  - Is Equipment Development Stifling Innovation in Radiation Oncology?

PMID- 26104925
TI  - Final Report of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Protocol 9003: Provocative, but
      Limited Conclusions From Exploratory Analyses.

PMID- 26104926
TI  - What Is Reasonably Foreseeable? Lessons Learned From the SUPPORT Trial.

PMID- 26104927
TI  - Does Cancer Literature Reflect Multidisciplinary Practice? A Systematic Review of
      Oncology Studies in the Medical Literature Over a 20-Year Period.
AB  - PURPOSE: Quality cancer care is best delivered through a multidisciplinary
      approach requiring awareness of current evidence for all oncologic specialties.
      The highest impact journals often disseminate such information, so the
      distribution and characteristics of oncology studies by primary intervention
      (local therapies, systemic therapies, and targeted agents) were evaluated in 10
      high-impact journals over a 20-year period. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Articles
      published in 1994, 2004, and 2014 in New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet,
      Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical
      Oncology, Annals of Oncology, Radiotherapy and Oncology, International Journal of
      Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, Annals of Surgical Oncology, and European
      Journal of Surgical Oncology were identified. Included studies were prospectively
      conducted and evaluated a therapeutic intervention. RESULTS: A total of 960
      studies were included: 240 (25%) investigated local therapies, 551 (57.4%)
      investigated systemic therapies, and 169 (17.6%) investigated targeted therapies.
      More local therapy trials (n=185 [77.1%]) evaluated definitive, primary treatment
      than systemic (n=178 [32.3%]) or targeted therapy trials (n=38 [22.5%]; P<.001).
      Local therapy trials (n=16 [6.7%]) also had significantly lower rates of industry
      funding than systemic (n=207 [37.6%]) and targeted therapy trials (n=129 [76.3%];
      P<.001). Targeted therapy trials represented 5 (2%), 38 (10.2%), and 126 (38%) of
      those published in 1994, 2004, and 2014, respectively (P<.001), and industry
      funded 48 (18.9%), 122 (32.6%), and 182 (54.8%) trials, respectively (P<.001).
      Compared to publication of systemic therapy trial articles, articles
      investigating local therapy (odds ratio: 0.025 [95% confidence interval: 0.012
      0.048]; P<.001) were less likely to be found in high-impact general medical
      journals. CONCLUSIONS: Fewer studies evaluating local therapies, such as surgery
      and radiation, are published in high-impact oncology and medicine literature.
      Further research and attention are necessary to guide efforts promoting
      appropriate representation of all oncology studies in high-impact, broad
      readership journals.

PMID- 26104928
TI  - Underrepresentation of Local Therapy Trials in Leading Medical Journals: Cause
      for Outrage or Indifference?

PMID- 26104929
TI  - Medical Student--Reported Outcomes of a Radiation Oncologist--Led Preclinical
      Course in Oncology: A Five-Year Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: There is a recognized need for more robust training in oncology for
      medical students. At our institution, we have offered a core dedicated oncology
      block, led by a radiation oncologist course director, during the second year of
      the medical school curriculum since the 2008-2009 academic year. Herein, we
      report the outcomes of the oncology block over the past 5 years through an
      analysis of student perceptions of the course, both immediately after completion
      of the block and in the third year. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We analyzed 2 separate
      surveys. The first assessed student impressions of how well the course met each
      of the course's learning objectives through a survey that was administered to
      students immediately after the oncology block in 2012. The second was
      administered after students completed the oncology block during the required
      radiology clerkship in the third year. All questions used a 5-level Likert scale
      and were analyzed by use of a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: Of the 169
      students who took the oncology course in 2012, 127 (75.1%) completed the course
      feedback survey. Over 73% of students agreed or strongly agreed that the course
      met its 3 learning objectives. Of the 699 medical students who took the required
      radiology clerkship between 2010 and 2013, 538 participated in the second survey,
      for a total response rate of 77%. Of these students, 368 (68.4%) agreed or
      strongly agreed that the course was effective in contributing to their overall
      medical education. CONCLUSION: Student perceptions of the oncology block are
      favorable and have improved across multiple categories since the inception of the
      course. Students self-reported that a dedicated preclinical oncology block was
      effective in helping identify the basics of cancer therapy and laying the
      foundation for clinical electives in oncology, including radiation oncology.

PMID- 26104930
TI  - Grade Inflation in Medical Student Radiation Oncology Clerkships: Missed
      Opportunities for Feedback?
AB  - PURPOSE: To test the hypothesis that medical student radiation oncology elective
      rotation grades are inflated and cannot be used to distinguish residency
      applicants. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The records of 196 applicants to a single
      radiation oncology residency program in 2011 and 2012 were retrospectively
      reviewed. The grades for each rotation in radiation oncology were collected and
      converted to a standardized 4-point grading scale (honors, high pass, pass,
      fail). Pass/fail grades were scored as not applicable. The primary study endpoint
      was to compare the distribution of applicants' grades in radiation oncology with
      their grades in medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology core
      clerkships. RESULTS: The mean United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1
      score of the applicants was 237 (range, 188-269), 43% had additional Masters or
      PhD degrees, and 74% had at least 1 publication. Twenty-nine applicants were
      graded for radiation oncology rotations on a pass/fail basis and were excluded
      from the final analysis. Of the remaining applicants (n=167), 80% received the
      highest possible grade for their radiation oncology rotations. Grades in
      radiation oncology were significantly higher than each of the other 4 clerkships
      studied (P<.001). Of all applicants, 195 of 196 matched into a radiation oncology
      residency. Higher grades in radiation oncology were associated with significantly
      higher grades in the pediatrics core clerkship (P=.002). However, other medical
      school performance metrics were not significantly associated with higher grades
      in radiation oncology. CONCLUSIONS: Although our study group consists of a
      selected group of radiation oncology applicants, their grades in radiation
      oncology clerkships were highly skewed toward the highest grades when compared
      with grades in other core clerkships. Student grading in radiation oncology
      clerkships should be re-evaluated to incorporate more objective and detailed
      performance metrics to allow for meaningful feedback to trainees and to better
      evaluate residency applicants to radiation oncology.

PMID- 26104931
TI  - Noncoplanar Beam Angle Class Solutions to Replace Time-Consuming Patient-Specific
      Beam Angle Optimization in Robotic Prostate Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate development of a recipe for the creation of a beam angle
      class solution (CS) for noncoplanar prostate stereotactic body radiation therapy
      to replace time-consuming individualized beam angle selection (iBAS) without
      significant loss in plan quality, using the in-house "Erasmus-iCycle" optimizer
      for fully automated beam profile optimization and iBAS. METHODS AND MATERIALS:
      For 30 patients, Erasmus-iCycle was first used to generate 15-, 20-, and 25-beam
      iBAS plans for a CyberKnife equipped with a multileaf collimator. With these
      plans, 6 recipes for creation of beam angle CSs were investigated. Plans of 10
      patients were used to create CSs based on the recipes, and the other 20 to
      independently test them. For these tests, Erasmus-iCycle was also used to
      generate intensity modulated radiation therapy plans for the fixed CS beam
      setups. RESULTS: Of the tested recipes for CS creation, only 1 resulted in 15-,
      20-, and 25-beam noncoplanar CSs without plan deterioration compared with iBAS.
      For the patient group, mean differences in rectum D1cc, V60GyEq, V40GyEq, and
      Dmean between 25-beam CS plans and 25-beam plans generated with iBAS were 0.2 +/-
      0.4 Gy, 0.1% +/- 0.2%, 0.2% +/- 0.3%, and 0.1 +/- 0.2 Gy, respectively.
      Differences between 15- and 20-beam CS and iBAS plans were also negligible. Plan
      quality for CS plans relative to iBAS plans was also preserved when narrower
      planning target volume margins were arranged and when planning target volume dose
      inhomogeneity was decreased. Using a CS instead of iBAS reduced the computation
      time by a factor of 14 to 25, mainly depending on beam number, without loss in
      plan quality. CONCLUSIONS: A recipe for creation of robust beam angle CSs for
      robotic prostate stereotactic body radiation therapy has been developed. Compared
      with iBAS, computation times decreased by a factor 14 to 25. The use of a CS may
      avoid long planning times without losses in plan quality.

PMID- 26104932
TI  - Quality of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Treatment Plans Using a 60Co
      Magnetic Resonance Image Guidance Radiation Therapy System.
AB  - PURPOSE: This work describes a commercial treatment planning system, its
      technical features, and its capabilities for creating (60)Co intensity modulated
      radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment plans for a magnetic resonance image guidance
      radiation therapy (MR-IGRT) system. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The ViewRay treatment
      planning system (Oakwood Village, OH) was used to create (60)Co IMRT treatment
      plans for 33 cancer patients with disease in the abdominal, pelvic, thorax, and
      head and neck regions using physician-specified patient-specific target coverage
      and organ at risk (OAR) objectives. Backup plans using a third-party linear
      accelerator (linac)-based planning system were also created. Plans were evaluated
      by attending physicians and approved for treatment. The (60)Co and linac plans
      were compared by evaluating conformity numbers (CN) with 100% and 95% of
      prescription reference doses and heterogeneity indices (HI) for planning target
      volumes (PTVs) and maximum, mean, and dose-volume histogram (DVH) values for
      OARs. RESULTS: All (60)Co IMRT plans achieved PTV coverage and OAR sparing that
      were similar to linac plans. PTV conformity for (60)Co was within <1% and 3% of
      linac plans for 100% and 95% prescription reference isodoses, respectively, and
      heterogeneity was on average 4% greater. Comparisons of OAR mean dose showed
      generally better sparing with linac plans in the low-dose range <20 Gy, but
      comparable sparing for organs with mean doses >20 Gy. The mean doses for all
      (60)Co plan OARs were within clinical tolerances. CONCLUSIONS: A commercial
      (60)Co MR-IGRT device can produce highly conformal IMRT treatment plans similar
      in quality to linac IMRT for a variety of disease sites. Additional work is in
      progress to evaluate the clinical benefit of other novel features of this MR-IGRT
      system.

PMID- 26104933
TI  - Automatic Segmentation of the Eye in 3D Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Novel
      Statistical Shape Model for Treatment Planning of Retinoblastoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Proper delineation of ocular anatomy in 3-dimensional (3D) imaging is a
      big challenge, particularly when developing treatment plans for ocular diseases.
      Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is presently used in clinical practice for
      diagnosis confirmation and treatment planning for treatment of retinoblastoma in
      infants, where it serves as a source of information, complementary to the fundus
      or ultrasonographic imaging. Here we present a framework to fully automatically
      segment the eye anatomy for MRI based on 3D active shape models (ASM), and we
      validate the results and present a proof of concept to automatically segment
      pathological eyes. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Manual and automatic segmentation were
      performed in 24 images of healthy children's eyes (3.29 +/- 2.15 years of age).
      Imaging was performed using a 3-T MRI scanner. The ASM consists of the lens, the
      vitreous humor, the sclera, and the cornea. The model was fitted by first
      automatically detecting the position of the eye center, the lens, and the optic
      nerve, and then aligning the model and fitting it to the patient. We validated
      our segmentation method by using a leave-one-out cross-validation. The
      segmentation results were evaluated by measuring the overlap, using the Dice
      similarity coefficient (DSC) and the mean distance error. RESULTS: We obtained a
      DSC of 94.90 +/- 2.12% for the sclera and the cornea, 94.72 +/- 1.89% for the
      vitreous humor, and 85.16 +/- 4.91% for the lens. The mean distance error was
      0.26 +/- 0.09 mm. The entire process took 14 seconds on average per eye.
      CONCLUSION: We provide a reliable and accurate tool that enables clinicians to
      automatically segment the sclera, the cornea, the vitreous humor, and the lens,
      using MRI. We additionally present a proof of concept for fully automatically
      segmenting eye pathology. This tool reduces the time needed for eye shape
      delineation and thus can help clinicians when planning eye treatment and
      confirming the extent of the tumor.

PMID- 26104934
TI  - A Contralateral Esophagus-Sparing Technique to Limit Severe Esophagitis
      Associated With Concurrent High-Dose Radiation and Chemotherapy in Patients With
      Thoracic Malignancies.
AB  - PURPOSE: Severe (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group [RTOG] grade 3 or greater)
      esophagitis generally occurs in 15% to 25% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      patients undergoing concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy (CCRT), which
      may result in treatment breaks that compromise local tumor control and pose a
      barrier to dose escalation. Here, we report a novel contralateral esophagus
      sparing technique (CEST) that uses intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
      to reduce the incidence of severe esophagitis. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We reviewed
      consecutive patients with thoracic malignancies undergoing curative CCRT in whom
      CEST was used. The esophageal wall contralateral (CE) to the tumor was contoured
      as an avoidance structure, and IMRT was used to guide a rapid dose falloff
      gradient beyond the target volume in close proximity to the esophagus.
      Esophagitis was recorded based on the RTOG acute toxicity grading system.
      RESULTS: We identified 20 consecutive patients treated with CCRT of at least 63
      Gy in whom there was gross tumor within 1 cm of the esophagus. The median
      radiation dose was 70.2 Gy (range, 63-72.15 Gy). In all patients, >=99% of the
      planning and internal target volumes was covered by >=90% and 100% of
      prescription dose, respectively. Strikingly, no patient experienced grade >=3
      esophagitis (95% confidence limits, 0%-16%) despite the high total doses
      delivered. The median maximum dose, V45, and V55 of the CE were 60.7 Gy, 2.1 cc,
      and 0.4 cc, respectively, indicating effective esophagus cross-section sparing by
      CEST. CONCLUSION: We report a simple yet effective method to avoid exposing the
      entire esophagus cross-section to high doses. By using proposed CE dose
      constraints of V45 <2.5 cc and V55 <0.5 cc, CEST may improve the esophagus
      toxicity profile in thoracic cancer patients receiving CCRT even at doses above
      the standard 60- to 63-Gy levels. Prospective testing of CEST is warranted.

PMID- 26104935
TI  - Hypercellularity Components of Glioblastoma Identified by High b-Value Diffusion
      Weighted Imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: Use of conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for target
      definition may expose glioblastomas (GB) to inadequate radiation dose coverage of
      the nonenhanced hypercellular subvolume. This study aimed to develop a technique
      to identify the hypercellular components of GB by using high b-value diffusion
      weighted imaging (DWI) and to investigate its relationship with the prescribed
      95% isodose volume (PDV) and progression-free survival (PFS). METHODS AND
      MATERIALS: Twenty-one patients with GB underwent chemoradiation therapy post
      resection and biopsy. Radiation therapy (RT) treatment planning was based upon
      conventional MRI. Pre-RT DWIs were acquired in 3 orthogonal directions with b
      values of 0, 1000, and 3000 s/mm(2). Hypercellularity volume (HCV) was defined on
      the high b-value (3000 s/mm(2)) DWI by a threshold method. Nonenhanced signified
      regions not covered by the Gd-enhanced gross tumor volume (GTV-Gd) on T1-weighted
      images. The PDV was used to evaluate spatial coverage of the HCV by the dose
      plan. Association between HCV and PFS or other clinical covariates were assessed
      using univariate proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS: HCVs and
      nonenhanced HCVs varied from 0.58 to 67 cm(3) (median: 9.8 cm(3)) and 0.15 to 60
      cm(3) (median: 2.5 cm(3)), respectively. Fourteen patients had incomplete dose
      coverage of the HCV, 6 of whom had >1 cm(3) HCV missed by the 95% PDV (range:
      1.01-25.4 cm(3)). Of the 15 patients who progressed, 5 progressed earlier, within
      6 months post-RT, and 10 patients afterward. Pre-RT HCVs within recurrent GTVs-Gd
      were 78% (range: 65%-89%) for the 5 earliest progressions but lower, 53% (range:
      0%-85%), for the later progressions. HCV and nonenhanced HCV were significant
      negative prognostic indicators for PFS (P<.002 and P<.01, respectively). The
      hypercellularity subvolume not covered by the 95% PDV was a significant negative
      predictor for PFS (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: High b-value DWI identifies the
      hypercellular components of GB and could aid in RT target volume definition.
      Future studies will allow us to investigate the role of high b-value DWI in
      identifying radiation boost volumes and diagnosing progression.

PMID- 26104936
TI  - The Effects of Pulsed Radiation Therapy on Tumor Oxygenation in 2 Murine Models
      of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of low-dose pulsed radiation therapy (PRT) in 2
      head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) xenografts and to investigate the
      mechanism of action of PRT compared with standard radiation therapy (SRT).
      METHODS AND MATERIALS: Subcutaneous radiosensitive UT-SCC-14 and radioresistant
      UT-SCC-15 xenografts were established in athymic NIH III HO female mice. Tumors
      were irradiated with 2 Gy/day by continuous standard delivery (SRT: 2 Gy) or
      discontinuous low-dose pulsed delivery (PRT: 0.2 Gy * 10 with 3-min pulse
      interval) to total doses of 20 Gy (UT14) or 40 Gy (UT15) using a clinical 5-day
      on/2-day off schedule. Treatment response was assessed by changes in tumor
      volume, (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) (tumor metabolism), and (18)F
      fluoromisonidazole (FMISO) (hypoxia) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging
      before, at midpoint, and after treatment. Tumor hypoxia using pimonidazole
      staining and vascular density (CD34 staining) were assessed by quantitative
      histopathology. RESULTS: UT15 and UT14 tumors responded similarly in terms of
      growth delay to either SRT or PRT. When compared with UT14 tumors, UT15 tumors
      demonstrated significantly lower uptake of FDG at all time points after
      irradiation. UT14 tumors demonstrated higher levels of tumor hypoxia after SRT
      when compared with PRT as measured by (18)F-FMISO PET. By contrast, no
      differences were seen in (18)F-FMISO PET imaging between SRT and PRT for UT15
      tumors. Histologic analysis of pimonidazole staining mimicked the (18)F-FMISO PET
      imaging data, showing an increase in hypoxia in SRT-treated UT14 tumors but not
      PRT-treated tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in (18)F-FMISO uptake for UT14
      tumors after radiation therapy between PRT and SRT were measurable despite the
      similar tumor growth delay responses. In UT15 tumors, both SRT and PRT were
      equally effective at reducing tumor hypoxia to a significant level as measured by
      (18)F-FMISO and pimonidazole.

PMID- 26104937
TI  - Personalized Medicine in Radiation Oncology--A Work in Progress.

PMID- 26104938
TI  - Preoperative Single-Fraction Partial Breast Radiation Therapy: A Novel Phase 1,
      Dose-Escalation Protocol With Radiation Response Biomarkers.
AB  - PURPOSE: Women with biologically favorable early-stage breast cancer are
      increasingly treated with accelerated partial breast radiation (PBI). However,
      treatment-related morbidities have been linked to the large postoperative
      treatment volumes required for external beam PBI. Relative to external beam
      delivery, alternative PBI techniques require equipment that is not universally
      available. To address these issues, we designed a phase 1 trial utilizing widely
      available technology to 1) evaluate the safety of a single radiation treatment
      delivered preoperatively to the small-volume, intact breast tumor and 2) identify
      imaging and genomic markers of radiation response. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Women
      aged >=55 years with clinically node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive, and/or
      progesterone receptor-positive HER2-, T1 invasive carcinomas, or low- to
      intermediate-grade in situ disease <=2 cm were enrolled (n=32). Intensity
      modulated radiation therapy was used to deliver 15 Gy (n=8), 18 Gy (n=8), or 21
      Gy (n=16) to the tumor with a 1.5-cm margin. Lumpectomy was performed within 10
      days. Paired pre- and postradiation magnetic resonance images and patient tumor
      samples were analyzed. RESULTS: No dose-limiting toxicity was observed. At a
      median follow-up of 23 months, there have been no recurrences. Physician-rated
      cosmetic outcomes were good/excellent, and chronic toxicities were grade 1 to 2
      (fibrosis, hyperpigmentation) in patients receiving preoperative radiation only.
      Evidence of dose-dependent changes in vascular permeability, cell density, and
      expression of genes regulating immunity and cell death were seen in response to
      radiation. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative single-dose radiation therapy to intact
      breast tumors is well tolerated. Radiation response is marked by early indicators
      of cell death in this biologically favorable patient cohort. This study
      represents a first step toward a novel partial breast radiation approach.
      Preoperative radiation should be tested in future clinical trials because it has
      the potential to challenge the current treatment paradigm and provide a path
      forward to identify radiation response biomarkers.

PMID- 26104940
TI  - Consensus Guidelines and Contouring Atlas for Pelvic Node Delineation in Prostate
      and Pelvic Node Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to establish reproducible guidelines for
      delineating the clinical target volume (CTV) of the pelvic lymph nodes (LN) by
      combining the freehand Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH) and Radiation Therapy
      Oncology Group (RTOG) vascular expansion techniques. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Seven
      patients with prostate cancer underwent standard planning computed tomography
      scanning. Four different CTVs (RMH, RTOG, modified RTOG, and Prostate and pelvIs
      Versus prOsTate Alone treatment for Locally advanced prostate cancer [PIVOTAL]
      trial) were created for each patient, and 6 different bowel expansion margins
      (BEM) were created to assess bowel avoidance by the CTV. The resulting CTVs were
      compared visually and by using Jaccard conformity indices. The volume of overlap
      between bowel and planning target volume (PTV) was measured to aid selection of
      an appropriate BEM to enable maximal LN yet minimal normal tissue coverage.
      RESULTS: In total, 84 nodal contours were evaluated. LN coverage was similar in
      all groups, with all of the vascular-expansion techniques (RTOG, modified RTOG,
      and PIVOTAL), resulting in larger CTVs than that of the RMH technique (mean
      volumes: 287.3 cm(3), 326.7 cm(3), 310.3 cm(3), and 256.7 cm(3), respectively).
      Mean volumes of bowel within the modified RTOG PTV were 19.5 cm(3) (with 0 mm
      BEM), 17.4 cm(3) (1-mm BEM), 10.8 cm(3) (2-mm BEM), 6.9 cm(3) (3-mm BEM), 5.0
      cm(3) (4-mm BEM), and 1.4 cm(3) (5-mm BEM) in comparison with an overlap of 9.2
      cm(3) seen using the RMH technique. Evaluation of conformity between LN-CTVs from
      each technique revealed similar volumes and coverage. CONCLUSIONS: Vascular
      expansion techniques result in larger LN-CTVs than the freehand RMH technique.
      Because the RMH technique is supported by phase 1 and 2 trial safety data, we
      proposed modifications to the RTOG technique, including the addition of a 3-mm
      BEM, which resulted in LN-CTV coverage similar to that of the RMH technique, with
      reduction in bowel and planning target volume overlap. On the basis of these
      findings, recommended guidelines including a detailed pelvic LN contouring atlas
      have been produced and implemented in the PIVOTAL trial.

PMID- 26104941
TI  - Defining the "Hostile Pelvis" for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy: The
      Impact of Anatomic Variations in Pelvic Dimensions on Dose Delivered to Target
      Volumes and Organs at Risk in Patients With High-Risk Prostate Cancer Treated
      With Whole Pelvic Radiation Therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of variations in pelvic
      dimensions on the dose delivered to the target volumes and the organs at risk
      (OARs) in patients with high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) to be treated with whole
      pelvic radiation therapy (WPRT) in an attempt to define the hostile pelvis in
      terms of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: In
      45 men with high-risk PCa to be treated with WPRT, the target volumes and the
      OARs were delineated, the dose constraints for the OARs were defined, and
      treatment plans were generated according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group
      0924 protocol. Six dimensions to reflect the depth, width, and height of the bony
      pelvis were measured, and 2 indexes were calculated from the planning computed
      tomographic scans. The minimum dose (Dmin), maximum dose (Dmax), and mean dose
      (Dmean) for the target volumes and OARs and the partial volumes of each of these
      structures receiving a specified dose (VD) were calculated from the dose-volume
      histograms (DVHs). The data from the DVHs were correlated with the pelvic
      dimensions and indexes. RESULTS: According to an overall hostility score (OHS)
      calculation, 25 patients were grouped as having a hospitable pelvis and 20 as
      having a hostile pelvis. Regarding the OHS grouping, the DVHs for the bladder,
      bowel bag, left femoral head, and right femoral head differed in favor of the
      hospitable pelvis group, and the DVHs for the rectum differed for a range of
      lower doses in favor of the hospitable pelvis group. CONCLUSIONS: Pelvimetry
      might be used as a guide to define the challenging anatomy or the hostile pelvis
      in terms of treatment planning for IMRT in patients with high-risk PCa to be
      treated with WPRT.

PMID- 26104939
TI  - Importance of Local Control in Early-Stage Prostate Cancer: Outcomes of Patients
      With Positive Post-Radiation Therapy Biopsy Results Treated in RTOG 9408.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between positive
      post-radiation therapy (RT) biopsy results and subsequent clinical outcomes in
      males with localized prostate cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Radiation Therapy
      Oncology Group study 94-08 analyzed 1979 males with prostate cancer, stage T1b
      T2b and prostate-specific antigen concentrations of <= 20 ng/dL, to investigate
      whether 4 months of total androgen suppression (TAS) added to RT improved
      survival compared to RT alone. Patients randomized to receive TAS received
      flutamide with luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist. According to
      protocol, patients without evidence of clinical recurrence or initiation of
      additional endocrine therapy underwent repeat prostate biopsy 2 years after RT
      completion. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of positive
      post-RT biopsy results on clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 831 patients
      underwent post-RT biopsy, 398 were treated with RT alone and 433 with RT plus
      TAS. Patients with positive post-RT biopsy results had higher rates of
      biochemical failure (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3
      2.1) and distant metastasis (HR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.3-4.4) and inferior disease
      specific survival (HR = 3.8; 95% CI = 1.9-7.5). Positive biopsy results remained
      predictive of such outcomes after correction for potential confounders such as
      Gleason score, tumor stage, and TAS administration. Prior TAS therapy did not
      prevent elevated risk of adverse outcome in the setting of post-RT positive
      biopsy results. Patients with Gleason score >= 7 with a positive biopsy result
      additionally had inferior overall survival compared to those with a negative
      biopsy result (HR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.04-2.35). CONCLUSIONS: Positive post-RT
      biopsy is associated with increased rates of distant metastases and inferior
      disease-specific survival in patients treated with definitive RT and was
      associated with inferior overall survival in patients with high-grade tumors.

PMID- 26104942
TI  - Small Cell Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder: A Retrospective, Multicenter Rare
      Cancer Network Study of 107 Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: Small cell carcinomas of the bladder (SCCB) account for fewer than 1% of
      all urinary bladder tumors. There is no consensus regarding the optimal treatment
      for SCCB. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Fifteen academic Rare Cancer Network medical
      centers contributed SCCB cases. The eligibility criteria were as follows: pure or
      mixed SCC; local, locoregional, and metastatic stages; and age >=18 years. The
      overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were calculated from the
      date of diagnosis according to the Kaplan-Meier method. The log-rank and Wilcoxon
      tests were used to analyze survival as functions of clinical and therapeutic
      factors. RESULTS: The study included 107 patients (mean [+/-standard deviation,
      SD] age, 69.6 [+/-10.6] years; mean follow-up time, 4.4 years) with primary
      bladder SCC, with 66% of these patients having pure SCC. Seventy-two percent and
      12% of the patients presented with T2-4N0M0 and T2-4N1-3M0 stages, respectively,
      and 16% presented with synchronous metastases. The most frequent curative
      treatments were radical surgery and chemotherapy, sequential chemotherapy and
      radiation therapy, and radical surgery alone. The median (interquartile range,
      IQR) OS and DFS times were 12.9 months (IQR, 7-32 months) and 9 months (IQR, 5-23
      months), respectively. The metastatic, T2-4N0M0, and T2-4N1-3M0 groups differed
      significantly (P=.001) in terms of median OS and DFS. In a multivariate analysis,
      impaired creatinine clearance (OS and DFS), clinical stage (OS and DFS), a
      Karnofsky performance status <80 (OS), and pure SCC histology (OS) were
      independent and significant adverse prognostic factors. In the patients with
      nonmetastatic disease, the type of treatment (ie radical surgery with or without
      adjuvant chemotherapy vs conservative treatment) did not significantly influence
      OS or DFS (P=.7). CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis for SCCB remains poor. The finding
      that radical cystectomy did not influence DFS or OS in the patients with
      nonmetastatic disease suggests that conservative treatment is appropriate in this
      situation.

PMID- 26104943
TI  - Expert Consensus Contouring Guidelines for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy
      in Esophageal and Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S): Current guidelines for esophageal cancer contouring are
      derived from traditional 2-dimensional fields based on bony landmarks, and they
      do not provide sufficient anatomic detail to ensure consistent contouring for
      more conformal radiation therapy techniques such as intensity modulated radiation
      therapy (IMRT). Therefore, we convened an expert panel with the specific aim to
      derive contouring guidelines and generate an atlas for the clinical target volume
      (CTV) in esophageal or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer. METHODS AND
      MATERIALS: Eight expert academically based gastrointestinal radiation oncologists
      participated. Three sample cases were chosen: a GEJ cancer, a distal esophageal
      cancer, and a mid-upper esophageal cancer. Uniform computed tomographic (CT)
      simulation datasets and accompanying diagnostic positron emission tomographic/CT
      images were distributed to each expert, and the expert was instructed to generate
      gross tumor volume (GTV) and CTV contours for each case. All contours were
      aggregated and subjected to quantitative analysis to assess the degree of
      concordance between experts and to generate draft consensus contours. The panel
      then refined these contours to generate the contouring atlas. RESULTS: The kappa
      statistics indicated substantial agreement between panelists for each of the 3
      test cases. A consensus CTV atlas was generated for the 3 test cases, each
      representing common anatomic presentations of esophageal cancer. The panel agreed
      on guidelines and principles to facilitate the generalizability of the atlas to
      individual cases. CONCLUSIONS: This expert panel successfully reached agreement
      on contouring guidelines for esophageal and GEJ IMRT and generated a reference
      CTV atlas. This atlas will serve as a reference for IMRT contours for clinical
      practice and prospective trial design. Subsequent patterns of failure analyses of
      clinical datasets using these guidelines may require modification in the future.

PMID- 26104944
TI  - Image-Based Brachytherapy for the Treatment of Cervical Cancer.
AB  - Cervical cancer is a disease that requires considerable multidisciplinary
      coordination of care and labor in order to maximize tumor control and survival
      while minimizing treatment-related toxicity. As with external beam radiation
      therapy, the use of advanced imaging and 3-dimensional treatment planning has
      generated a paradigm shift in the delivery of brachytherapy for the treatment of
      cervical cancer. The use of image-based brachytherapy, most commonly with
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), requires additional attention and effort by the
      treating physician to prescribe dose to the proper volume and account for
      adjacent organs at risk. This represents a dramatic change from the classic
      Manchester approach of orthogonal radiographic images and prescribing dose to
      point A. We reviewed the history and currently evolving data and recommendations
      for the clinical use of image-based brachytherapy with an emphasis on MRI-based
      brachytherapy. 

PMID- 26104945
TI  - SBRT Dose and Survival in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: In Regard to Koshy et al.

PMID- 26104946
TI  - In Reply to Levy et al.

PMID- 26104947
TI  - SRS With or Without Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy for Those With 1 to 4 Brain
      Metastases: In Regard to Sahgal et al.

PMID- 26104948
TI  - In Regard to Sahgal et al.

PMID- 26104949
TI  - In Reply to Gemici and Yaprak and Lowrey and Marcus.

PMID- 26104952
TI  - Regenerative medicine in otorhinolaryngology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tissue engineering using biocompatible scaffolds, with or without
      cells, can permit surgeons to restore structure and function following tissue
      resection or in cases of congenital abnormality. Tracheal regeneration has
      emerged as a spearhead application of these technologies, whilst regenerative
      therapies are now being developed to treat most other diseases within
      otolaryngology. METHODS AND RESULTS: A systematic review of the literature was
      performed using Ovid Medline and Ovid Embase, from database inception to 15
      November 2014. A total of 561 papers matched the search criteria, with 76
      fulfilling inclusion criteria. Articles were predominantly pre-clinical animal
      studies, reflecting the current status of research in this field. Several key
      human research articles were identified and discussed. CONCLUSION: The main
      issues facing research in regenerative surgery are translation of animal model
      work into human models, increasing stem cell availability so it can be used to
      further research, and development of better facilities to enable implementation
      of these advances.

PMID- 26104953
TI  - Dr. Charles J. Burstone (1928-2015).

PMID- 26104954
TI  - Creative adjuncts for clear aligners, part 2: Intrusion, rotation, and extrusion.

PMID- 26104955
TI  - Clinical applications of predictable force systems, part 1: One-couple and two
      couple systems.

PMID- 26104956
TI  - Early management of impacted maxillary incisors with skeletal anchorage.

PMID- 26104957
TI  - External inflammatory root resorption associated with a traumatic occlusion.

PMID- 26104958
TI  - Torque and intrusion control of the upper incisors with a modified posted
      archwire.

PMID- 26104959
TI  - Octanoic acid promotes branched-chain amino acid catabolisms via the inhibition
      of hepatic branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase kinase in rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: It has been reported that administration of octanoic acid, one of
      medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), promoted leucine oxidation in vitro and in
      vivo, but it remained unclear how octanoic acid stimulated leucine oxidation.
      Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism that octanoic
      acid facilitates branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism. MATERIALS/METHODS:
      In in vivo experiments, male rats were orally administered MCFAs as free fatty
      acids or triacylglycerol (trioctanoin), and then activities of hepatic branched
      chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKDH) complex (BCKDC) and BCKDH kinase (BDK)
      and alterations in the concentration of blood components were analyzed. In in
      vitro experiments, purified BCKDC associated with BDK (BCKDH-BDK complex) was
      reacted with various concentrations of hexanoic, octanoic, and decanoic acids.
      RESULTS: Oral administration of trioctanoin in rats activated hepatic BCKDC via
      down-regulation of BDK activity in association with a decrease in plasma BCAA
      concentration and an increase in serum ketone body concentration. In vitro
      experiments using purified BCKDH-BDK complex showed that MCFAs (hexanoic,
      octanoic, and decanoic acids) inhibited BDK activity and that this inhibition was
      higher in hexanoic and octanoic acids than in decanoic acid. Oral administration
      of octanoic acid, but not decanoic acid, in rats activated hepatic BCKDC via down
      regulation of BDK activity by decreasing the amount of BDK bound to the complex.
      The serum ketone body level was elevated by both administration of octanoic acid
      and decanoic acid. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that octanoic acid promotes
      BCAA catabolism in vivo by activation of BCKDC via decreasing the bound form of
      BDK.

PMID- 26104960
TI  - Advances in imaging for diagnosis and management of cardiac sarcoidosis.
AB  - Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disorder with a high prevalence of
      cardiac involvement. Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) may be life threatening due to end
      stage cardiomyopathy and sudden cardiac death. The frequent absence of specific
      symptoms and lack of a diagnostic 'gold standard' pose challenges in the
      diagnosis of CS. Endomyocardial biopsy, although specific, has an unacceptably
      low sensitivity. Non-invasive cardiac imaging has a huge role in the assessment
      of patients with known or suspected CS. This comprehensive review compares the
      diagnostic accuracy, along with advantages and disadvantages, of established and
      emerging imaging modalities for CS. 

PMID- 26104961
TI  - Pulmonary veins: an important side window into ventricular function.

PMID- 26104962
TI  - Ruptured mitral valve aneurysm due to infective endocarditis.

PMID- 26104963
TI  - Attenuation of dendritic spine density in the perirhinal cortex following 17beta
      Estradiol replacement in the rat.
AB  - Intraperirhinal cortex infusion of 17-beta estradiol (E2) impairs object
      recognition memory. However, it is not currently known whether this hormone
      modulates synaptic plasticity in this structure. Most excitatory synapses in the
      central nervous system are located on dendritic spines, and elevated E2 levels
      influence the density of these spines in several brain areas. The goal of the
      present study was to determine whether differences in dendritic spine density in
      the perirhinal cortex are observed following high E2 replacement in
      ovariectomized rats. The density of total spines, and mushroom-shaped (i.e.
      mature) spines were compared between a high E2 replacement (10 ug/kg/day, s.c.)
      and a no replacement condition. The perirhinal cortex is subdivided into
      Broadmann's area 35 and 36 and so group comparisons were made within each sub
      region separately. High E2 replacement resulted in lower density of mushroom
      shaped spines in area 35 relative to no replacement. There was no effect of high
      E2 replacement on dendritic spine density in area 36. These findings are
      consistent with the idea that higher E2 levels reduce dendritic spine density in
      area 35, which may result from spine shrinkage, or reduced synapse formation.
      This study provides preliminary evidence for a mechanism through which E2 may
      impair object-recognition memory.

PMID- 26104965
TI  - Factors affecting patterns of Amblyomma triste (Acari: Ixodidae) parasitism in a
      rodent host.
AB  - Here we offer a multivariable analysis that explores associations of different
      factors (i.e., environmental, host parameters, presence of other ectoparasites)
      with the interaction of Amblyomma triste immature stages and one of its main
      hosts in Argentina, the rodent Akodon azarae. Monthly and for two years, we
      captured and sampled rodents at 16 points located at 4 different sites in the
      Parana River Delta region. The analyses were conducted with Generalized Linear
      Mixed Models with a negative binomial response (counts of larvae or nymphs). The
      independent variables assessed were: (a) environmental: trapping year, season,
      presence of cattle; type of vegetation (natural grassland or implanted forest);
      rodent abundance; (b) host parameters: body length; sex; body condition; blood
      cell counts; natural antibody titres; and (c) co-infestation with other
      ectoparasites: other stage of A. triste; Ixodes loricatus; lice; mites; and
      fleas. Two-way interaction terms deemed a priori as relevant were also included
      in the analysis. Larvae were affected by all environmental variables assessed and
      by the presence of other ectoparasites (lice, fleas and other tick species). Host
      factors significantly associated with larval count were sex and levels of natural
      antibodies. Nymphs were associated with season, presence of cattle, body
      condition, body length and with burdens of I. loricatus. In most cases, the
      direction and magnitude of the associations were context-dependent (many
      interaction terms were significant). The findings of greater significance and
      implications of our study are two. Firstly, as burdens of A. triste larvae and
      nymphs were greater where cattle were present, and larval tick burdens were
      higher in implanted forests, silvopastoral practices developing in the region may
      affect the population dynamics of A. triste, and consequently the eco
      epidemiology of Rickettsia parkeri. Secondly, strong associations and numerous
      interactions with other ectoparasites suggest that co-infestations may be more
      important for tick dynamics than has so far been appreciated. 

PMID- 26104964
TI  - Dose-dependent effects of experimental infection with the virulent Neospora
      caninum Nc-Spain7 isolate in a pregnant mouse model.
AB  - Pregnant BALB/c mice have been widely used as an in vivo model to study Neospora
      caninum infection biology and to provide proof-of-concept for assessments of
      drugs and vaccines against neosporosis. The fact that this model has been used
      with different isolates of variable virulence, varying infection routes and
      differing methods to prepare the parasites for infection, has rendered the
      comparison of results from different laboratories impossible. In most studies,
      mice were infected with similar number of parasites (2 * 10(6)) as employed in
      ruminant models (10(7) for cows and 10(6) for sheep), which seems inappropriate
      considering the enormous differences in the weight of these species. Thus, for
      achieving meaningful results in vaccination and drug efficacy experiments, a
      refinement and standardization of this experimental model is necessary. Thus, 2 *
      10(6), 10(5), 10(4), 10(3) and 10(2) tachyzoites of the highly virulent and well
      characterised Nc-Spain7 isolate were subcutaneously inoculated into mice at day 7
      of pregnancy, and clinical outcome, vertical transmission, parasite burden and
      antibody responses were compared. Dams from all infected groups presented nervous
      signs and the percentage of surviving pups at day 30 postpartum was surprisingly
      low (24%) in mice infected with only 10(2) tachyzoites. Importantly, infection
      with 10(5) tachyzoites resulted in antibody levels, cerebral parasite burden in
      dams and 100% mortality rate in pups, which was identical to infection with 2 *
      10(6) tachyzoites. Considering these results, it is reasonable to lower the
      challenge dose to 10(5) tachyzoites in further experiments when assessing drugs
      or vaccine candidates.

PMID- 26104966
TI  - Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Pulmonary Metastases.

PMID- 26104967
TI  - Immunoregulatory functions and expression patterns of PE/PPE family members:
      Roles in pathogenicity and impact on anti-tuberculosis vaccine and drug design.
AB  - The Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome was sequenced more than 15 years ago. It
      revealed a lot of interesting information, one of which was that 10% of the total
      coding capacity of the M. tuberculosis genome is dedicated to the PE/PPE family.
      There is a gradual expansion of these proteins from nonpathogenic to pathogenic
      mycobacteria, and there is increasing evidence that PE/PPE proteins play
      important roles in mycobacterial pathogenesis. In this review, we discuss PE/PPE
      proteins, their close functional association with the ESX clusters, their
      immunomodulatory functions, and their important roles in mycobacterial virulence.
      In addition, we have attempted to review and compile information available in the
      literature detailing the expression patterns of PE/PPE family members in
      different mycobacterial species and also during infection. Our attempt has been
      to provide a succinct overview of this interesting family.

PMID- 26104968
TI  - Conditioned pain modulation is not decreased after partial sleep restriction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sleep problems have been identified as a risk factor for several
      chronic pain conditions. Reduced sleep has been related to increased pain
      perception and it has been hypothesized that reduced pain inhibition may explain
      this. The aim of this study was to determine if sleep restriction (SR) affects
      heat pain perception and conditioned pain modulation (CPM). METHODS: In a paired
      cross-over design with two conditions (2 nights habitual sleep (HS) vs. 2 nights
      50% SR) CPM was tested in 22 healthy individuals (14 women, 8 men). The test
      stimulus (TS) was 2-min contact heat stimulation (47  +/- 1.3   degrees C) to the
      volar forearm. TS was delivered before and during a 7  degrees C cold pressor
      test (conditioning stimulus, CS) to the contralateral hand. RESULTS: TS was
      perceived as more painful after SR compared to after HS (p < 0.001). A stronger
      inhibitory CPM was found after SR versus after HS (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The
      results indicate that SR leads to increased heat pain perception, but not reduced
      inhibitory CPM. This contradicts general assumptions on the relation between SR
      and the CPM effect.

PMID- 26104969
TI  - Efficacy of losartan for improving insulin resistance and vascular remodeling in
      hemodialysis patients.
AB  - Insulin resistance and vascular remodeling are prevalent and predict
      cardiovascular mortality in hemodialysis patients. Angiotensin II (Ang II) may be
      involved in both pathogenesis. In the present study, we investigated the effects
      of the Ang II receptor blocker losartan on insulin resistance, arterial
      stiffness, and carotid artery structure in hemodialysis patients. Seventy-two
      hemodialysis patients were randomly assigned to receive either losartan 50 mg qd
      (n = 36) or beta-blocker bisoprolol 5 mg qd (n = 36). At the start and at month
      12, ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring, aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV)
      measurements, and carotid artery ultrasound were performed, and homeostasis model
      assessment index of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was determined. During the study
      period, bioimpedance method was used to evaluate volume status every 3 months.
      Home-monitored BPs were measured at least monthly. Ambulatory BP decreased
      significantly and similarly by either losartan or bisoprolol. Decreases in PWVs
      in losartan group at the end of month 12 were significantly greater than changes
      in PWV in bisoprolol group (0.9 +/- 0.3 vs. 0.4 +/- 0.5 m/s, P = 0.021). Common
      carotid artery intima-media cross-sectional area decreased significantly only in
      patients treated with losartan (20.3 +/- 4.9 vs. 19.1 +/- 5.1 mm(2) , P = 0.001),
      and HOMA-IR was also reduced in losartan group only (1.9 +/- 1.0 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.8,
      P = 0.003). Multiple regression analysis showed significant correlations between
      changes in PWV and changes in HOMA-IR. With comparable BP-lowering efficacy,
      losartan achieved better improvement in insulin sensitivity, arterial stiffness,
      and carotid artery hypertrophy in hemodialysis patients. The regression of
      arterial stiffness may be in part through attenuation in insulin resistance. 

PMID- 26104971
TI  - Salidroside Mitigates Sepsis-Induced Myocarditis in Rats by Regulating IGF
      1/PI3K/Akt/GSK-3beta Signaling.
AB  - Sepsis-induced myocardial injury (SIMI) is caused by various mechanisms. The aim
      of this study was to investigate the effects of salidroside (Sal) on SIMI and its
      mechanisms in rats. The sepsis model was established by intraperitoneal injection
      of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (15 mg/kg in sterile saline). Sal decreased the serum
      levels of creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta),
      whereas the expressions of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling-related
      proteins, such as IGF-1 and its corresponding receptor (IGF-1R),
      phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), p-PI3K, Akt, p-Akt, and glycogen synthase
      kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta), in the heart were decreased with Sal pretreatment.
      Mitigated myocardial cell swelling, degeneration, loss of transverse striations,
      and inflammatory cell infiltration were also observed in the LPS + Sal groups.
      Thus, Sal is assumed to exert pronounced cardioprotective effects in rats
      subjected to LPS, probably through regulation of IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/GSK-3beta
      signaling. 

PMID- 26104973
TI  - Gastroesophageal reflux and lung disease.
AB  - Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) can cause respiratory symptoms and may trigger,
      drive and/or worsen airway disorders, interstitial lung diseases and lung
      allograft dysfunction. Whether lifestyle changes and acid suppression alone can
      counter and prevent the adverse effects of GER on the respiratory tract remains
      unclear. Recent data suggest that antireflux surgery may be more effective in
      preventing lung disease progression in patients with idiopathic pulmonary
      fibrosis or lung transplant recipients who have evidence of allograft dysfunction
      associated with the presence of excessive GER. Additional research and clinical
      trials are needed to determine the role of GER in various lung disorders and
      identify which interventions are most efficacious in preventing the respiratory
      consequences of gastroesophageal reflux disease. In addition, measuring
      biomarkers that indicate that gastric refluxate has been aspirated into the lower
      respiratory tract (e.g., pepsin and bile acid concentrations in bronchoalveolar
      lavage fluid) may prove helpful in both diagnosis and therapeutic decision
      making. 

PMID- 26104972
TI  - Diffuse left ventricular interstitial fibrosis is associated with sub-clinical
      myocardial dysfunction in Alstrom Syndrome: an observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alstrom syndrome is a rare inherited ciliopathy with progressive
      multisystem involvement. Dilated cardiomyopathy is common in infancy and recurs
      or presents de novo in adults with high rates of premature cardiovascular death.
      Although Alstrom syndrome is characterised by fibrosis in solid organs such as
      the liver, the pathogenesis of related cardiomyopathy are not clear. To date it
      is not known whether diffuse interstitial myocardial fibrosis is present before
      the onset of heart failure symptoms or changes in conventional parameters of left
      ventricular function. METHODS: In this observational study, 26 patients with
      Alstrom syndrome (mean age 27 +/- 9 years, 65 % male, 24 h ABPM 130 +/- 14 / 77
      +/- 9 mmHg) without symptomatic cardiovascular disease were recruited from a
      single centre and compared to matched healthy controls. All subjects underwent
      cardiac MRI (1.5 T) to assess ventricular function, diffuse interstitial
      myocardial fibrosis by measurement of extracellular volume on T1-mapping (MOLLI)
      and coarse replacement fibrosis using standard late gadolinium enhancement
      imaging. RESULTS: Global extracellular volume was increased in Alstrom syndrome
      with wider variation compared to controls (0.30 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.25 +/- 0.01, p <
      0.05). Left ventricular long axis function and global longitudinal strain were
      impaired in Alstrom syndrome without change in ejection fraction, ventricular
      size or atrial stress (NT-proBNP) (p < 0.05). Global extracellular volume was
      associated with reduced peak systolic longitudinal strain (r = -0.73, p < 0.01)
      and strain rate (r = -0.57, p < 0.01), increased QTc interval (r = 0.49, p <
      0.05) and serum triglycerides (r = 0.66, p < 0.01). Nine (35 %) patients had
      diffuse mid-wall late gadolinium enhancement in a non-coronary artery
      distribution. CONCLUSION: Diffuse interstitial myocardial fibrosis is common in
      Alstrom syndrome and is associated with impaired left ventricular systolic
      function. Serial studies are required to determine whether global extracellular
      volume may be an independent imaging biomarker of vulnerability to dilated
      cardiomyopathy and heart failure.

PMID- 26104974
TI  - Absence of leukaemic CD34+ cells in acute myeloid leukaemia is of high prognostic
      value: a longstanding controversy deciphered.
AB  - Primary resistance and relapses after initial successful treatment are common in
      acute myeloid leukaemia and therefore outcome remains poor. More accurate risk
      group stratification and effective personalized risk adapted treatment are
      necessary to improve outcome. In the last two decades, controversial results have
      been published concerning the prognostic relevance of CD34 expression. In this
      study of 706 acute myeloid leukaemia patients, we established a new flow
      cytometric-based CD34-definition, without use of cut-off values. We discriminated
      CD34-positive (n = 548) and CD34-negative (n = 158) patients by the presence or
      absence of neoplastic CD34+ cells, respectively. CD34-status was defined using
      aberrant immunophenotypes and validated using molecular phenotypes. This new
      definition of CD34 enables strong prediction of treatment outcome in the entire
      patient group and in several risk subgroups. Previously observed discrepancies in
      prognostic impact of CD34 protein expression using cut-offs (5-20%) can now
      entirely be explained by considering the number of CD34-negative cases. In the
      total patient group, the absence of neoplastic CD34-positive cells is paralleled
      by low levels of minimal residual disease, suggesting relative therapy
      sensitivity and explaining longer survival. Overall, we present CD34 surface
      expression as a relatively simple, powerful and independent predictor of clinical
      outcome, now warranting incorporation in acute myeloid leukaemia risk
      stratification.

PMID- 26104975
TI  - Recommendations from GEC ESTRO Breast Cancer Working Group (I): Target definition
      and target delineation for accelerated or boost Partial Breast Irradiation using
      multicatheter interstitial brachytherapy after breast conserving closed cavity
      surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim was to develop a delineation guideline for target definition
      for APBI or boost by consensus of the Breast Working Group of GEC-ESTRO. PROPOSED
      RECOMMENDATIONS: Appropriate delineation of CTV (PTV) with low inter- and intra
      observer variability in clinical practice is complex and needs various steps as:
      (1) Detailed knowledge of primary surgical procedure, of all details of
      pathology, as well as of preoperative imaging. (2) Definition of tumour
      localization before breast conserving surgery inside the breast and translation
      of this information in the postoperative CT imaging data set. (3) Calculation of
      the size of total safety margins. The size should be at least 2 cm. (4)
      Definition of the target. (5) Delineation of the target according to defined
      rules. CONCLUSION: Providing guidelines based on the consensus of a group of
      experts should make it possible to achieve a reproducible and consistent
      definition of CTV (PTV) for Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI) or
      boost irradiation after breast conserving closed cavity surgery, and helps to
      define it after selected cases of oncoplastic surgery.

PMID- 26104976
TI  - New dosimetry for childhood skin hemangioma treatments with (226)Ra needles or
      tubes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Stockholm Hemangioma Cohort is important for evaluation of late
      effects after exposure to ionizing radiation during childhood. Dose estimates in
      this cohort were based on both measurements and calculations using an old
      treatment planning system. METHODS: We compare previously published and
      calculated dose estimates with new ones, obtained by Monte Carlo simulations,
      which mimic the hemangioma treatments with (226)Ra needles and tubes. The
      distances between the (226)Ra sources and the thyroid and breasts, respectively,
      were reassessed. RESULT: The Monte Carlo calculations showed significantly lower
      dose values than those obtained earlier. The differences depended both on the
      modeling of the sources and on further individualized distances from the sources.
      The mean value of the new calculated doses was 25% of the old breast doses and
      46% of the old thyroid doses. CONCLUSION: New dosimetry for hemangioma treatments
      gives significantly lower organ doses for the few cases receiving the highest
      absorbed dose values. This implies that radiation risk estimates will increase
      and have to be recalculated. For retrospective studies it is now possible to
      calculate organ doses from radium treatments using modern treatment planning
      systems by modeling the source geometry carefully and apply the TG-43 formalism.
      It is important to be aware of the large uncertainties in calculated absorbed
      dose values.

PMID- 26104977
TI  - Pregnancy associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A retrospective case-control
      analysis of maternal survival outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregnancy-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (PANPC) has been
      associated with poor survival. Recent advances in radiation technology and
      imaging techniques, and the introduction of chemotherapy have improved survival
      in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); however, it is not clear whether these changes
      have improved survival in PANPC. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to
      compare five-year maternal survival in patients with PANPC and non-pregnant
      patients with NPC. METHODS: After adjusting for age, stage and chemotherapy mode,
      we conducted a retrospective case-control study among 36 non-metastatic PANPC
      patients and 36 non-pregnant NPC patients (control group) who were treated at our
      institution between 2000 and 2010. RESULTS: The median age of both groups was
      30years (range, 23-35years); median follow-up for all patients was 70months.
      Locoregionally-advanced disease accounted for 83.3% of all patients with PANPC
      and 92.9% of patients who developed NPC during pregnancy. In both the PANPC and
      control groups, 31 patients (86.1%) received chemotherapy and all patients
      received definitive radiotherapy. The five-year rates for overall survival (70%
      vs. 78%, p=0.72), distant metastasis-free survival (79% vs. 76%, p=0.77), loco
      regional relapse-free survival (97% vs. 91%, p=0.69) and disease-free survival
      (69% vs. 74%, p=0.98) were not significantly different between the PANPC and
      control groups. Multivariate analysis using a Cox proportional hazards model
      revealed that only N-classification was significantly associated with five-year
      OS. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that, in the modern treatment era,
      pregnancy itself may not negatively influence survival outcomes in patients with
      NPC; however, pregnancy may delay the diagnosis of NPC.

PMID- 26104978
TI  - Transfemoral approach with systematic use of FemoSealTM closure device compared
      to transradial approach in primary angioplasty.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare the incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular
      events (MACCE) and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) bleedings in
      primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) performed through transradial
      approach (TRA) or transfemoral approach (TFA) with systematic closure by
      FemoSealTM. BACKGROUND: Although the risk of bleeding can be reduced using
      vascular closure devices (VCD), there are few data comparing TRA and TFA with
      VCD, particularly in the setting of pPCI. METHODS: we included in this
      retrospective registry 777 patients who underwent pPCI at two centers from years
      2010 to 2013. Exclusion criteria were implantation of intra-aortic balloon pump
      and achievement of femoral hemostasis by other means than FemoSealTM. We
      performed propensity-score matching and multivariate analysis to adjust for
      clinical and procedural confounders. RESULTS: We enrolled 511 patients in TRA
      group and 266 in TFA group. Both in the general population and in the propensity
      matched population, the incidence of MACCE was comparable in TRA vs. TFA patients
      (3.5 vs. 3.4% and 4.4 vs. 2.6%, respectively; P = ns). On the contrary, we
      observed a higher incidence of TIMI bleedings in TFA vs. TRA patients (5.6 vs.
      2.2% in the general population and 6.6 vs. 1.3% in the propensity-matched
      population; P < 0.05); this difference was mainly driven by TIMI major bleedings.
      TFA was an independent predictor of bleeding at multivariate analysis.
      CONCLUSIONS: In pPCI the rate of TIMI major bleedings was higher in TFA with
      closure by FemoSealTM as compared to TRA, whereas the rates of minor bleedings
      and of MACCE were similar.

PMID- 26104979
TI  - Re: Asia, Australia and New Zealand Dyspnoea in Emergency Departments (AANZDEM)
      study: Rationale, design and analysis.

PMID- 26104980
TI  - Optimization of arterial spin labeling MRI for quantitative tumor perfusion in a
      mouse xenograft model.
AB  - Perfusion is an important biomarker of tissue function and has been associated
      with tumor pathophysiology such as angiogenesis and hypoxia. Arterial spin
      labeling (ASL) MRI allows noninvasive and quantitative imaging of perfusion;
      however, the application in mouse xenograft tumor models has been challenging due
      to the low sensitivity and high perfusion heterogeneity. In this study, flow
      sensitive alternating inversion recovery (FAIR) ASL was optimized for a mouse
      xenograft tumor. To assess the sensitivity and reliability for measuring low
      perfusion, the lumbar muscle was used as a reference region. By optimizing the
      number of averages and inversion times, muscle perfusion as low as 32.4 +/- 4.8
      (mean +/- standard deviation) ml/100 g/min could be measured in 20 min at 7 T
      with a quantification error of 14.4 +/- 9.1%. Applying the optimized protocol,
      heterogeneous perfusion ranging from 49.5 to 211.2 ml/100 g/min in a renal
      carcinoma was observed. To understand the relationship with tumor pathology,
      global and regional tumor perfusion was compared with histological staining of
      blood vessels (CD34), hypoxia (CAIX) and apoptosis (TUNEL). No correlation was
      observed when the global tumor perfusion was compared with these pathological
      parameters. Regional analysis shows that areas of high perfusion had low
      microvessel density, which was due to larger vessel area compared with areas of
      low perfusion. Nonetheless, these were not correlated with hypoxia or apoptosis.
      The results suggest that tumor perfusion may reflect certain aspect of
      angiogenesis, but its relationship with other pathologies needs further
      investigation.

PMID- 26104982
TI  - Eradication of Transboundary Animal Diseases: Can the Rinderpest Success Story be
      Repeated?
AB  - A matrix system was developed to aid in the evaluation of the technical
      amenability to eradication, through mass vaccination, of transboundary animal
      diseases (TADs). The system involved evaluation of three basic criteria - disease
      management efficiency, surveillance and epidemiological factors - each in turn
      comprised of a number of elements (17 in all). On that basis, 25 TADs that have
      occurred or do occur in southern Africa and for which vaccines are available, in
      addition to rinderpest (incorporated as a yardstick because it has been
      eradicated worldwide), were ranked. Cluster analysis was also applied using the
      same criteria to the 26 diseases, creating division into three groups. One
      cluster contained only diseases transmitted by arthropods (e.g. African horse
      sickness and Rift Valley fever) and considered difficult to eradicate because
      technologies for managing parasitic arthropods on a large scale are unavailable,
      while a second cluster contained diseases that have been widely considered to be
      eradicable [rinderpest, canine rabies, the Eurasian serotypes of foot and mouth
      disease virus (O, A, C & Asia 1) and peste des petits ruminants] as well
      classical swine fever, Newcastle disease and lumpy skin disease. The third
      cluster contained all the other TADs evaluated with the implication that these
      constitute TADs that would be more difficult to eradicate. However, it is
      acknowledged that the scores assigned in the course of this study may be biased.
      The point is that the system proposed offers an objective method for assessment
      of the technical eradicability of TADs; the rankings and groupings derived during
      this study are less important than the provision of a systematic approach for
      further development and evaluation.

PMID- 26104983
TI  - Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and future health and mortality: A record
      linkage study.
AB  - The objective of this register-based cohort study was to examine the relationship
      between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and future hospital discharges from
      specified causes including cardiovascular disease, incident cancer registrations
      and mortality. From the Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank we identified
      34,854 women who were born on or before 31st December 1967 and who had (i)
      preeclampsia/eclampsia, (ii) gestational hypertension or (iii) normal blood
      pressure in their first pregnancy. Hospital discharges from selected causes
      including cardiovascular disease, cancer registrations and deaths in these women
      were identified from the Scottish Morbidity Records. There were 2026 women who
      had preeclampsia, 8891 who had gestational hypertension and 23,937 who were
      normotensive during their first pregnancy. Compared to normotensive women, women
      with preeclampsia had a higher mortality from ischaemic heart disease (adj. IRR
      1.38, 95% CI 1.03, 1.84) and circulatory disease (adj. IRR 1.30, 95% CI 1.06,
      1.60). Similar trends were seen with gestational hypertension. There was no
      difference in all cause mortality in the three groups. The odds of a hypertensive
      episode were higher in women with preeclampsia (adj. OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.55, 2.05)
      and gestational hypertension (adj. OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.55, 1.82) compared to
      normotensives. Compared to normotensives, women with gestational hypertension
      (adj. IRR 0.91, 95% CI 0.85, 0.96) or preeclampsia (adj. IRR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77,
      0.97) had lower incidences of cancer. Women with pregnancy induced hypertension
      are at a higher risk of incidence and mortality from ischaemic heart disease and
      a lower risk of cancer. 

PMID- 26104984
TI  - A single rapid point-of-care placental growth factor determination as an aid in
      the diagnosis of preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical performance of a rapid point-of-care test,
      Triage PLGF (Alere, San Diego) in the diagnosis of preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN:
      For the reference range 2212 plasma samples were collected from 595 subjects with
      normotensive pregnancies, between week 17 of gestation and delivery. In the case
      control part, two cohorts of women with preeclampsia (80 women) were matched for
      maternal age, gestational age (GA) at sampling and parity with normotensive women
      who delivered at 37weeks or more. RESULTS: The areas under the receiver operating
      characteristic curves (GA<35weeks) were 1.0 and 0.994 (cohort 1 and 2,
      respectively). The clinical sensitivity of the Triage PLGF test for the pooled GA
      range of 21?GA<35, using a GA dependent cut-off, was 1.0 for both cohorts with
      specificities of 1.0 and 0.940. CONCLUSIONS: The Triage PLGF test distinguishes
      well between preterm pregnancies with and without preeclampsia.

PMID- 26104985
TI  - Transient gestational hypertension: Not always a benign event.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pregnancy outcome in women with transient gestational hypertension
      (TGH);defined as de novo blood pressure elevation after 20weeks gestation that
      normalizes by subsequent evaluation in a Day Assessment Unit. STUDY DESIGN:
      Retrospective cohort analysis of hypertensive pregnancies between 2003 and 2008.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Final hypertensive delivery diagnosis and composites of
      adverse maternal and fetal outcome. RESULTS: Overall 1417 women were referred;
      890 met criteria; 41% (65% of study population) had TGH. Twenty percent with TGH
      developed gestational hypertension and 19% preeclampsia. Women with TGH who
      developed preeclampsia had similar composite adverse maternal outcomes to other
      preeclamptic women (51% vs. 63%; p=0.24) but fewer adverse fetal outcomes (50%
      vs. 71%; p<0.01) due to less prematurity (30% vs. 45%; p=0.02) and small for
      gestational age babies (33% vs. 51%; p=0.02). Within the TGH
      population;developing gestational hypertension or preeclampsia was associated
      with referral at gestation <33weeks (RRR 2.8; p<0.01);initial average systolic
      blood pressure 130-139mmHg (RRR 2.1; p<0.01) and initial average diastolic blood
      pressure 80-89mmHg (RRR 3.2; p<0.01). CONCLUSION: TGH after 20weeks is common in
      pregnancy. Although initial assessment implies low risk;the risk of progression
      to gestational hypertension or preeclampsia is substantial and warrants
      appropriate clinical surveillance.

PMID- 26104986
TI  - Body mass index and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We compared the incidence of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
      in obese women with women of a normal body mass index (BMI). STUDY DESIGN:
      Prospective observational study in which BMI was calculated accurately early in
      pregnancy. Women were enrolled after a sonographic confirmation of an ongoing
      pregnancy. To reduce confounding variables the study was confined to white
      European women with a singleton pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of
      pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension. RESULTS: In 2230 women, 16.8% were
      obese. Pre-eclampsia was diagnosed in 3.3% (n=74) and gestational hypertension in
      3.0% (n=67). Both pre-eclampsia (p=0.01) and gestational hypertension (p<0.01)
      were common in obese women compared with normal weight women. Overall 13.1% of
      obese women developed a hypertensive disorder during pregnancy. When analysed by
      parity pre-eclampsia occurred in 2.1% of primigravidas and 0.3% of multigravidas.
      Pre-eclampsia was increased in obese multigravidas (p=0.001), but not obese
      primigravidas, suggesting that parity is more influential than obesity in the
      development of pre-eclampsia. CONCLUSIONS: Obese multigravidas are more likely to
      develop hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and obese primigravidas are more
      likely to develop gestational hypertension. This is important in clinical
      practice because maternal weight, unlike parity, is potentially modifiable before
      or during pregnancy.

PMID- 26104987
TI  - Treatment approaches for preeclampsia in low-resource settings: A randomized
      trial of the Springfusor pump for delivery of magnesium sulfate.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test the safety, efficacy, and acceptability of a simple,
      mechanically flow-controlled pump (Springfusor(r)) for the delivery of magnesium
      sulfate for the treatment of preeclampsia. DESIGN: Eligible women (n=300) had
      blood pressure ?140/100mmHg, and proteinuria ?1+ (30mgdL); the clinic team
      determined that they were likely to benefit from magnesium sulfate. Women were
      randomized to 24h of magnesium sulfate by either IV administered by the
      Springfusor(r) pump (n=147) or standard hospital practice - IV loading dose
      administered manually followed by maintenance therapy using an IM route of
      administration (n=153). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Our primary outcome of interest
      was the safety and efficacy of the Springfusor pump including the side and
      adverse effects experienced during drug administration. Data on side effects,
      patient acceptability, delivery complications, and maternal and neonatal outcomes
      were collected. RESULTS: Fewer women stopped treatment due to side effects,
      toxicity, oliguria or renal failure, or women's request in the Springfusor arm
      (4% or 6 of 147 women) compared to the Standard of Care arm (6.5% or 10 of 153
      women). Women in the Springfusor arm reported significantly less nausea,
      headache, and pain than women in the Standard of Care arm. Almost all women (97%)
      in the Springfusor arm reported their pain level as 'acceptable' or 'very
      acceptable' compared to only 30% of women given the Standard of Care. CONCLUSION:
      The Springfusor pump may offer an alternative to intramuscular administration of
      magnesium sulfate where electronic pumps are not available.

PMID- 26104988
TI  - Comparison of maternal serum levels of interleukin-10, interleukin-12, and
      interleukin-2 in normal and preeclamptic pregnancies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was 2 fold: (1) to compare the maternal serum
      levels of IL-10, IL-12, and IL-2 in preeclamptic and normal pregnant women, and
      (2) to study the serum levels of these cytokines in preeclamptic pregnancies with
      and without intrauterine growth retardation. STUDY DESIGN: Forty women with
      singleton pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia (32 severe and 8 mild) and 29
      normotensive healthy pregnant women were included in the study. Preeclamptic
      patients were further divided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence
      of intrauterine growth retardation. Maternal serum levels of IL-10, IL 12, and IL
      2 were compared between these groups using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.
      RESULTS: Maternal serum levels of IL-10 were significantly higher in the
      preeclampsia group than in controls (p<0.001). There were no statistically
      significant differences in maternal serum concentrations of IL-2 and IL-10
      between the study and control groups (p>0.05). Serum levels of IL-2 and IL-10 in
      the patients with preeclampsia complicated by IUGR were elevated in comparison
      with the uncomplicated preeclampsia group. These differences were statistically
      significant (p<0.05 for both). CONCLUSIONS: IL-10 may be involved in the
      pathologic process of preeclampsia. Increased serum levels of IL-10 and IL-2 in
      preeclampsia complicated with IUGR suggests a possible role of these cytokines in
      IUGR.

PMID- 26104989
TI  - The role of podocytes in the early detection of pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia is a significant cause of maternal and neonatal
      mortality and morbidity in resource constrained countries. Because the exact
      aetiology is unknown, treatment of preeclampsia is empiric. Therefore,
      researchers have been investigating biomarkers for early detection of the
      syndrome to take steps to prevent complications. The kidney is reported to be
      affected by the preeclamptic process before clinical signs appear. Podocytes have
      been suggested as possible markers for this syndrome. However there is debate as
      to which is the best way to measure the amount of podocyturia. OBJECTIVE: To
      determine the best method to estimate podocyturia as a biomarker. METHODS:
      Midstream urine specimens were collected from 18 normotensive healthy
      primigravidae at their first antenatal visit. Urinary podocyte immunolabelling
      was performed by two techniques viz., culture and cytospin on urine from
      normotensive and clinically healthy pregnant women. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURED: Are
      the podocyte specific proteins, podocalyxin, podocin, nephrin and synaptopodin
      able to detect pre-eclampsia prior to the development of clinical signs as
      measured by two separate techniques. RESULTS: The results suggest that the
      expression of podocyte specific proteins, podocalyxin, podocin, nephrin and
      synaptopodin, is identifiable and quantifiable from midstream urine in healthy
      normotensive pregnant women. Cytospin was more efficient in determining the
      podocyte specific protein expression levels and podocalyxin was the most
      sensitive marker, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.23. CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      suggest that immuno-expression of podocyturia are best detected by the cytospin
      method.

PMID- 26104990
TI  - Plasma soluble corin and N-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide levels in
      pregnancy induced hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: One of the theories involved in the pathogenesis of pregnancy induced
      hypertension involves salt and water retention. We aimed to measure the proenzyme
      convertase corin, responsible for pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) cleavage
      to active ANP, in plasma of hypertensive pregnant females. STUDY DESIGN: Sixty
      pregnant females suffering from pregnancy induced hypertension in second and
      third trimesters of pregnancy were compared to twenty eight healthy pregnant
      females of the same gestational period. Concomitant urine and plasma samples were
      collected for the determination of some biochemical parameters. Plasma soluble
      corin and N-terminal (NT) pro-ANP (1-98) values were determined in both groups
      using enzyme immunoassays. RESULTS: Plasma soluble corin mean value was
      significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control group. Upon
      dividing the patient group according to blood pressure, plasma NT pro-ANP showed
      significantly higher mean value in the group with blood pressure?140/90mmHg
      compared to the group with blood pressure<140/90mmHg and control group.
      CONCLUSIONS: High plasma soluble corin and NT pro-ANP values in hypertensive
      pregnant females particularly those with blood pressure?140/90mmHg speculates an
      ANP receptor/ post receptor signaling defect, which would aggravate the pregnancy
      induced hypertensive state.

PMID- 26104991
TI  - Effect of nitric oxide deficiency on tissue-type plasminogen activator expression
      in the umbilical cord in a pregnancy-induced hypertension rat model.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Our study investigates the effects of nitric oxide (NO) deficiency
      during pregnancy on coagulation and fibrinolysis balance in fetal circulation.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pregnant rats were treated with or without oral N(G)-nitro
      l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and urinary
      protein were measured. On gestational day 20, mRNA levels of tissue-type
      plasminogen activator (tPA), tissue factor (TF), and TF pathway inhibitor (TFPI)
      in the umbilical cord, placenta, and maternal aorta were evaluated.
      Immunohistochemical staining of the placenta for PA inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) was
      performed. RESULTS: L-NAME treatment in pregnant rats caused significant SBP
      elevation and severe proteinuria. In the L-NAME-treated group, weights of fetuses
      and placentae were diminished. tPA mRNA expression decreased in the umbilical
      cord and placenta, whereas TF and TFPI mRNA levels did not change. Intense PAI-1
      immunoreactivity was observed in a part of degenerated placenta. In the aorta,
      tPA mRNA expression increased in the L-NAME-treated group, while TFPI mRNA levels
      were lower than in controls. CONCLUSIONS: NO deficiency during pregnancy
      decreased tPA mRNA expression in the umbilical cord and placenta but not in the
      maternal aorta. Imbalance between coagulation and fibrinolysis in fetal and
      maternal circulations may, at least in part, contribute to fetal growth
      restriction.

PMID- 26104992
TI  - Calcium-to-creatinine ratio in pregnancy-induced hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Hypocalciuria has been correlated with preeclampsia. This study
      compared the calcium-to-creatinine ratio among the groups, and the correlation
      with the 24-h measurement of this ratio and a diagnosis of preeclampsia. STUDY
      DESIGN: Case-control study including mild and severe preeclampsia, chronic
      hypertension and normal pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The calcium-to
      creatinine ratio differentiates severe preeclampsia from mild preeclampsia,
      chronic hypertension and normal pregnancy. RESULTS: There were statistically
      significant differences between the groups when comparing severe preeclampsia and
      chronic hypertension, severe preeclampsia and normal pregnancy, and mild and
      severe preeclampsia (p<0.0001). The Spearman index between the calcium-to
      creatinine ratio and 24-h calciuria was 0.65 (high correlation). CONCLUSIONS: The
      calcium-to-creatinine ratio can reliably estimate 24-h calciuria, differentiating
      severe preeclampsia from mild preeclampsia, chronic hypertension and normal
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26104993
TI  - Question Prompt Lists in health consultations: A review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This review examines the use and effectiveness of Question Prompt
      Lists (QPL) as communication aids to enhance patient question asking, information
      provision to patients and patient participation in health and medical
      consultations. METHODS: A systematic search was undertaken to identify relevant
      literature concerning QPLs including academic databases, Google-based and
      snowball searching. Forty-two relevant studies reporting 50 interventions were
      identified. RESULTS: Although findings varied there was some evidence that a QPL
      endorsed by the physician increased total question asking. Using a QPL increased
      question asking concerning specific content areas (e.g. prognosis). There was
      some evidence that physicians provided more information during consultations.
      There were no consistent findings concerning effects on patient knowledge recall,
      anxiety and satisfaction or consultation time. Some interventions that increased
      question asking had longer consultation times. CONCLUSION: There is evidence that
      an appropriate QPL, endorsed by the physician and provided immediately before the
      consultation, may increase patient question asking and lead to more information
      being provided by the physician. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: There is increasing
      evidence to support QPL use in routine practice. Further trials might address the
      issues identified including an assessment of QPL optimal length and QPL
      adaptation for cultural and special needs groups.

PMID- 26104994
TI  - Development of a brief questionnaire to assess contraceptive intent.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to develop and validate an instrument that can enable
      providers to identify young women who may be at risk of contraceptive non
      adherence. METHODS: Item response theory based methods were used to evaluate the
      psychometric properties of the Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire, a 15-item self
      administered questionnaire, based on theory and prior qualitative and
      quantitative research. The questionnaire was administered to 200 women aged 15-24
      years who were initiating contraceptives. We assessed item fit to the item
      response model, internal consistency, internal structure validity, and
      differential item functioning. RESULTS: All items fit a one-dimensional model.
      The separation reliability coefficient was 0.73. Participants' overall scores
      covered the full range of the scale (0-15), and items appropriately matched the
      range of participants' contraceptive intent. Items met the criteria for internal
      structure validity and most items functioned similarly between groups of women.
      CONCLUSION: The Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire appears to be a reliable and
      valid tool. Future testing is needed to assess predictive ability and clinical
      utility. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire may serve
      as a valid tool to help providers identify women who may have problems with
      contraceptive adherence, as well as to pinpoint areas in which counseling may be
      directed.

PMID- 26104995
TI  - Surface plasmons in quantum-sized noble-metal clusters: TDDFT quantum
      calculations and the classical picture of charge oscillations.
AB  - The localized surface-plasmon resonance of metal nanoparticles corresponds to a
      classical charge oscillation of the quasi-free conduction electrons. In the case
      of noble-metal nanoparticles, interband transitions from the d electrons
      influence the spectra strongly. In addition, the inhomogeneity of the
      nanoparticles at the atomistic level becomes important for small sizes. Using the
      time-evolution formulation of time-dependent density-functional theory, we show
      that in spherical 147-atom silver clusters, the localized surface-plasmon
      resonance corresponds indeed to a collective charge oscillation resembling the
      schematic picture, while the dynamics in a comparable gold cluster shows multiple
      modes which correspond to the spectra without strong resonance. Short nanorods
      show the same difference between Au and Ag. However, nanorods of high aspect
      ratio develop a silver-like charge oscillation. Monatomic silver chains behave
      similarly to the nanorods and show a clear transverse charge oscillation mode.
      The role of the d electrons in the screening of the localized surface-plasmon
      resonance is demonstrated. 

PMID- 26104996
TI  - Fungal contamination of nebuliser devices used by people with cystic fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poor nebuliser hygiene can result in bacterial contamination and risk
      of infections. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of fungal
      contamination of nebulisers used by adults with cystic fibrosis. METHODS: A total
      of 170 nebulisers from 149 subjects were screened by wetting a sterile cotton
      swab with sterile water and swabbing each drug chamber. The swab was then plated
      out on Sabouraud and on Scel+agar and incubated at 27  degrees C for up to 2
      weeks. RESULTS: Fungal cultures were positive in 86 (57.7%) patient's devices. In
      28/149 (18.8%), 39/149 (26.2%), 47/149 (31.5%) and 20/149 (13.4%) of subjects
      Aspergillus species, yeasts, moulds and both yeasts and moulds were isolated
      respectively. There was no difference in contamination rates between different
      devices. CONCLUSION: Nebuliser devices are frequently contaminated by moulds and
      yeasts and emphasis should be placed on ensuring adequate nebuliser hygiene.

PMID- 26104997
TI  - Fear of Childbirth and Preference for Cesarean Delivery Among Young American
      Women Before Childbirth: A Survey Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fear of birth and mode of delivery preferences are similar among
      pregnant and nonpregnant women, suggesting that attitudes toward birth are formed
      in young adulthood or earlier. Understanding why some young women fear birth and
      prefer obstetric interventions can inform public health initiatives aimed at
      reducing fear and promoting birth as a normal life event. METHODS: We conducted
      an online survey with 752 American nulliparous young women to assess their
      preferences and attitudes toward childbirth. We identified explanatory variables
      associated with reported fear of childbirth and cesarean delivery (CD)
      preferences. RESULTS: A preference for CD was reported by 14 percent of young
      women and 27 percent had scores indicating elevated fear of birth. Fear of birth
      increased the likelihood of cesarean preference (adjusted relative risk (ARR)
      3.84 [95% CI 2.49-5.95]) as did a family history of CD (ARR 1.65 [95% CI 1.13
      2.42]). The likelihood of reporting elevated childbirth fear was increased among
      young women who reported concerns about the physical changes pregnancy and birth
      have on women's bodies (ARR 2.04 [95% CI 1.50-2.78]). Young women who reported a
      high degree of confidence in their knowledge about childbirth were significantly
      less likely to report childbirth fear (ARR 0.61 [95% CI 0.42-0.87]). Access to
      childbirth information was also associated with a decreased likelihood of fear of
      birth (ARR 0.75 [95% CI 0.59-0.95]). CONCLUSIONS: Young women reporting high
      levels of childbirth fear are nearly four times more likely to prefer a CD.
      Specific fears, such as worries over the influence of pregnancy and birth on the
      female body, need to be addressed before pregnancy.

PMID- 26104999
TI  - Mechanochemical Reactions Reporting and Repairing Bond Scission in Polymers.
AB  - The past 10 years have seen a resurgence of interest in the field of polymer
      mechanochemistry. Whilst the destructive effects of mechanical force on polymer
      chains have been known for decades, it was only recently that researchers tapped
      into these forces to realize more useful chemical transformations. The current
      review discusses the strategic incorporation of weak covalent bonds in polymers
      to create materials with stress-sensing and damage-repairing properties. Firstly,
      the development of mechanochromism and mechanoluminescence as stress reporters is
      considered. The second half focuses on the net formation of covalent bonds as a
      response to mechanical force, via mechanocatalysis and mechanically unmasked
      chemical reactivity, and concludes with perspectives for the field. 

PMID- 26104998
TI  - Sequential karyotyping in Burkitt lymphoma reveals a linear clonal evolution with
      increase in karyotype complexity and a high frequency of recurrent secondary
      aberrations.
AB  - Typical Burkitt lymphoma is characterized by an IG-MYC translocation and overall
      low genomic complexity. Clinically, Burkitt lymphoma has a favourable prognosis
      with very few relapses. However, the few patients experiencing disease
      progression and/or relapse have a dismal outcome. Here we report cytogenetic
      findings of seven cases of Burkitt lymphoma in which sequential karyotyping was
      performed at time of diagnosis and/or disease progression/relapse(s). After case
      selection, karyotype re-review and additional molecular analyses were performed
      in six paediatric cases, treated in Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster-Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
      study group trials, and one additional adult patient. Moreover, we analysed 18
      cases of Burkitt lymphoma from the Mitelman database in which sequential
      karyotyping was performed. Our findings show secondary karyotypes to have a
      significant increase in load of cytogenetic aberrations with a mean number of 2,
      5 and 8 aberrations for primary, secondary and third investigations. Importantly,
      this increase in karyotype complexity seemed to result from recurrent secondary
      chromosomal changes involving mainly trisomy 21, gains of 1q and 7q, losses of
      6q, 11q, 13q, and 17p. In addition, our findings indicate a linear clonal
      evolution to be the predominant manner of cytogenetic evolution. Our data may
      provide a biological framework for the dismal outcome of progressive and
      relapsing Burkitt lymphoma. 

PMID- 26105000
TI  - Value of Antral Nodularity for the Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Infection in
      Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to confirm the role of antral nodularity in
      the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in children. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: This prospective study included 107 children (58 male; 54.2%),
      between the ages of 3 and 18 years, infected with H. pylori, which was confirmed
      if the patient had at least 2 of 4 positive test results (urea breath test,
      urease test in gastric biopsy, histopathology - positive hematoxylin and eosin
      and Giemsa staining, and/or monoclonal stool ELISA test - Amplified IDEIATM Hp
      StARTM). The control group consisted of 234 children with abdominal pain, of
      similar age, in whom urease test in gastric tissue and histopathology were
      negative. In both groups, photographs of the gastric antrum taken during
      endoscopy were evaluated for nodularity by 3 independent endoscopists, blinded to
      the results of other tests. Sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive
      predictive value of nodularity were assessed. Indication for upper endoscopy was
      chronic abdominal pain not considered to be functional. RESULTS: There were no
      statistical differences between groups regarding sex (chi-square test with
      Yates's correction: p=0.8763) or age (mean +/-SD) 11.77+/-3.49 and 12.43+/-3.32,
      study and control groups, respectively (Mann-Whitney test: p=0.1352). The
      sensitivity of the presence of nodularity as an indication of H. pylori infection
      was 91.6% and specificity was 91%. PPV of gastric nodularity was 81% and NPV was
      96%. CONCLUSIONS: Antral nodularity is reliable test. Physicians could start
      treatment of H. pylori infection whenever gastric nodularity is observed and the
      urease test result is positive, without waiting for histopathology results.

PMID- 26105002
TI  - Effects of new class III antiarrhythmic drug niferidil on electrical activity in
      murine ventricular myocardium and their ionic mechanisms.
AB  - A new class III antiarrhythmic drug niferidil has been recently introduced as a
      highly effective therapy cure for cases of persistent atrial fibrillation, but
      ionic mechanisms of its action are still unknown. Effects of niferidil on action
      potential (AP) waveform and major ionic currents were studied in mouse
      ventricular myocardium. APs were recorded with glass microelectrodes in
      multicellular preparations of right ventricular wall. Whole-cell patch-clamp
      technique was used to measure K(+), Ca(2+), and Na(+) currents in isolated mouse
      ventricular myocytes. While 10(-7) M niferidil failed to alter the AP
      configuration, 10(-6) M tended to prolong APs (by 12.05 +/- 1.8% at 50% of
      repolarization) and 10(-5) M induced significant slowing of repolarization (32.1
      +/- 4.9% at 50% of repolarization). Among the potassium currents responsible for
      AP repolarization phase, IK1 was found to be almost insensitive to niferidil. Ito
      demonstrated low sensitivity to niferidil with IC50 = 2.03 * 10(-4) M. IKur,
      which was previously hypothesized to be the main target of the drug, was more
      sensitive with IC50 = 6 * 10(-5) M. However, sustained delayed rectifier
      potassium current Iss was inhibited with even lower IC50 = 2.8 * 10(-5) M.
      Therefore, suppression of Iss and, second, IKur by niferidil seems to underlie
      the AP prolongation in mouse ventricular tissue. Niferidil also produced a modest
      decrease in ICaL peak amplitude (IC50~10(-4) M), but failed to alter INa
      significantly. Niferidil prolongs APs in mouse ventricular myocardium mainly by
      inhibiting Iss and IKur K(+) currents, but not exclusively IKur, as was proposed
      earlier. Further investigations are required to reveal the mechanisms of
      niferidil action in human myocardium, where IKr is strongly expressed instead of
      Iss.

PMID- 26105001
TI  - Effect of thioridazine on antioxidant status of HEMn-DP melanocytes.
AB  - Thioridazine as an antipsychotic agent was extensively used to treat various
      psychotic disorders, e.g. schizophrenia. However, the therapy with this drug can
      induce serious side effects such as extrapyramidal symptoms or ocular and skin
      disorders, which mechanisms are still not fully established. To gain inside the
      molecular mechanisms underlying thioridazine toxicity, we examined the effect of
      this drug on cell viability, antioxidant defence system as well as melanogenesis
      in normal human melanocytes. It was demonstrated that thioridazine induces
      concentration-dependent loss in cell viability. The value of EC50 was calculated
      to be 2.24 MUM. To study the effect of thioridazine on antioxidant defence system
      in melanocytes, the level of hydrogen peroxide and the activities of antioxidant
      enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were
      determined. The drug in concentrations of 0.1, 0.25, 1.0 and 2.5 MUM caused
      changes in cellular antioxidant defence system indicating the induction of
      oxidative stress. It was also shown that the analysed neuroleptic in
      concentrations of 1.0 and 2.5 MUM significantly inhibited melanogenesis. The
      observed changes in cell viability, antioxidant defence system and melanization
      in normal human melanocytes after thioridazine treatment may explain an important
      role of reactive oxygen species as well as melanin in mechanisms involved in this
      drug side effects directed on pigmented tissues. 

PMID- 26105003
TI  - Anti-tumor properties of the cGMP/protein kinase G inhibitor DT3 in pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers in the
      world. Therefore, new therapeutic options are urgently needed to improve the
      survival of PDAC patients. Protein kinase G (PKG) conducts the interlude of cGMP
      signaling which is important for healthy as well as for cancer cells. DT3 is a
      specific inhibitor of PKG, and it has been shown to possess an anti-tumor
      cytotoxic activity in vitro. The main aim of this work was to investigate anti
      tumor effects of DT3 upon PDAC in vivo.Expression of PKG was assessed with real
      time PCR analysis in the normal and tumor pancreatic cells. In vitro cell
      viability, proliferation, apoptosis, necrosis, migration, and invasion of the
      murine PDAC cell line Panc02 were assessed after DT3 treatment. In vivo anti
      tumor effects of DT3 were investigated in the murine Panc02 orthotopic model of
      PDAC. Western blot analysis was used to determine the phosphorylation state of
      the proteins of interest.Functional PKGI is preferentially expressed in PDAC
      cells. DT3 was capable to reduce viability, proliferation, and migration of
      murine PDAC cells in vitro. At the same time, DT3 treatment did not change the
      viability of normal epithelial cells of murine liver. In vivo, DT3 treatment
      reduced the tumor volume and metastases in PDAC-bearing mice, but it was
      ineffective to prolong the survival of the tumor-bearing animals. In addition,
      DT3 treatment decreased phosphorylation of GSK-3, P38, and CREB in murine
      PDAC.Inhibition of PKG could be a potential therapeutic strategy for PDAC
      treatment which should be carefully validated in future pre-clinical studies. 

PMID- 26105004
TI  - Effects of an in-hospital nursing intervention on changing illness perceptions in
      patients with injury.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a nursing
      intervention in changing the illness perceptions of injured patients. BACKGROUND:
      Illness perceptions have been found to be among the important patient outcomes
      after an injury. Research has suggested that a designed intervention might be an
      effective means of shaping injured patients' illness perceptions. DESIGN: An
      experimental study design was employed. METHODS: A total of 82 injured patients
      completed this study, with 42 in the experimental group and 40 in the control
      group. Data were collected from 2011-2013. A trained nurse practitioner delivered
      an in-hospital nursing intervention according to self-regulatory theory. The
      outcome measure was the change in illness perceptions of injury among the
      patients as measured by the Chinese Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised
      Trauma (the Chinese IPQ-R-Trauma), which comprises eight subscales. The
      experimental and control groups were followed up via telephone survey 3 months
      after discharge. The generalized estimating equations were used to analyse the
      data. RESULTS: The results showed statistically significant differences on two
      subscales of the Chinese IPQ-R-Trauma, Identity and Controllability, before and
      after the intervention. Results for the remaining six subscales did not change
      significantly. The findings indicate that the intervention resulted in a decrease
      in injury-related physical symptoms and in increases in positive perceptions
      among patients about controlling their postinjury condition. CONCLUSIONS: This
      nursing intervention led to changes in patients' illness perceptions and
      potentially improved the patients' self-regulation after their injuries. Future
      research can be conducted to enhance the effectiveness of the intervention
      protocol.

PMID- 26105005
TI  - The studies of N-Octyl-N-Arginine-Chitosan coated liposome as an oral delivery
      system of Cyclosporine A.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: An amphiphilic polymer N-Octyl-N-Arginine-Chitosan (OACS) was
      synthesized to coat the Cyclosporine A (CsA) liposomes (CL) to decrease the
      destruction of liposomes in gastrointestinal tract (GI) tract and improve its
      oral absorption. METHODS: CL and OACS-CsA liposomes (OACS-CL) were prepared by
      rotary-film evaporation method, and characterized by dynamic light scattering,
      transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscope and releasing
      properties. In-situ single pass perfusion experiment and in-vivo studies in rats
      were carried out to verify its absorption enhancement. KEY FINDINGS: The
      characterization results showed that its particle size, zeta potential and
      morphology changed before and after polymer coating. Release experiment indicated
      that OACS could slow down drug release and protect its degradation in the
      stomach. In-situ single pass perfusion proved that the absorption of OACS-CL at
      the jejunum was enhanced about 3 and 22 times compared with commercial
      preparation of microemulsions (Tianke) and CsA suspensions, respectively. In
      vivo, AUC0->infinity of three different OACS-CL groups (93.48 +/- 2.54, 100.98 +/
      13.08 and 99.01 +/- 19.02 h.MUg/ml, respectively) were higher than those of
      Tianke (69.34 +/- 7.93 h.MUg/ml), CL group (54.31 +/- 6.70 h.MUg/ml) and
      suspensions (31.14 +/- 1.30 h.MUg/ml). CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, OACS coated
      liposomes can be an effective strategy to promote drug's absorption and further
      reduce the anaphylactic reaction of abundant surfactants in commercial
      preparations.

PMID- 26105006
TI  - The RGD sequence present in IGFBP-2 is required for reduced glucose clearance
      after oral glucose administration in female transgenic mice.
AB  - Recent studies suggest that insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-2 (IGFBP
      2) affects both growth and metabolism. Whereas negative growth effects are
      primarily due to negative interference with IGF-I, the mechanisms for metabolic
      interference of IGFBP-2 are less clear. As we demonstrate, overexpression of
      IGFBP-2 in transgenic mice is correlated with a decelerated clearance of blood
      glucose after oral administration. IGFBP-2 carries an integrin-binding domain
      (RGD motif), which has been shown to also mediate IGF-independent effects. We
      thus asked if higher serum levels of IGFBP-2 without an intact RGD motif would
      also partially block blood glucose clearance after oral glucose application. In
      fact, transgenic mice overexpressing mutated IGFBP-2 with higher levels of IGFBP
      2 carrying an RGE motif instead of an RGD were not characterized by decelerated
      glucose clearance. Impaired glucose tolerance was correlated with lower levels of
      GLUT4 present in plasma membranes isolated from muscle tissues after glucose
      challenge. At the same time, activation of TBC1D1 was depressed in mice
      overexpressing wild-type but not mutated IGFBP-2. Although we do not have reason
      to assume altered activation of IGF-I receptor or PDK1/Akt activation in both
      models, we have identified increased levels of integrin-linked kinase and focal
      adhesion kinase dependent on the presence of the RGD motif. From our results we
      conclude that impaired glucose clearance in female IGFBP-2 transgenic mice is
      dependent on the presence of the RGD motif and that translocation of GLUT4 in the
      muscle may be regulated by IGFBP-2 via RGD-dependent mechanisms. 

PMID- 26105007
TI  - Effect of lipopolysaccharides on adipogenic potential and premature senescence of
      adipocyte progenitors.
AB  - The elevation of circulating LPS has been associated with obesity and aging.
      However, whether and how LPS contributes to adipose tissue dysfunction is
      unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of LPS on the adipogenic
      capacity and cellular senescence of adipocyte progenitors. Stromal-vascular cells
      were isolated from inguinal adipose tissue of C57BL/6 mice and treated with LPS
      during the different time periods of adipocyte differentiation. We found that LPS
      treatment for 24 h prior to the induction of differentiation led to the most
      profound effect on the inhibition of adipogenesis, as evidenced by the
      morphological changes and the decreased mRNA expression of adipocyte marker
      genes. In addition, LPS induced features of premature senescence of SV cells,
      including the activation of p53, the elevation of SA-beta-gal activity, and
      increased hydrogen peroxide production, but not telomere length. Upon LPS
      treatment, SV cells also developed senescence-associated secretory phenotype
      (SASP), as demonstrated by the increased expression of TNFalpha, IL-1beta, IL-6,
      MCP-1, and VEGFalpha. Blocking LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation and cytokine
      production by Bay 11-7082 failed to rescue the impaired adipogenesis and the
      reduction in PPARgamma and Zfp423 expression. On the contrary, rosiglitazone had
      little effect on cytokine production but corrected the defective adipogenic
      potential. In conclusion, we demonstrate that LPS inhibits adipogenesis by
      disrupting the differentiation of adipocyte progenitors in a NF-kappaB
      independent manner; LPS also induces premature senescence of adipocyte
      progenitors. Our data suggest that LPS could be a potential contributor to the
      defective adipogenesis and the development of cellular senescence in adipose
      tissue during obesity and aging. 

PMID- 26105008
TI  - Effect of N-acetylcysteine infusion on exercise-induced modulation of insulin
      sensitivity and signaling pathways in human skeletal muscle.
AB  - -Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in skeletal muscle may play a role in
      potentiating the beneficial responses to exercise; however, the effects of
      exercise-induced ROS on insulin action and protein signaling in humans has not
      been fully elucidated. Seven healthy, recreationally active participants
      volunteered for this double-blind, randomized, repeated-measures crossover study.
      Exercise was undertaken with infusion of saline (CON) or the antioxidant N
      acetylcysteine (NAC) to attenuate ROS. Participants performed two 1-h cycling
      exercise sessions 7-14 days apart, 55 min at 65% Vo2peak plus 5 min at
      85%Vo2peak, followed 3 h later by a 2-h hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp (40
      mIU.min(-1).m(2)) to determine insulin sensitivity. Four muscle biopsies were
      taken on each trial day, at baseline before NAC infusion (BASE), after exercise
      (EX), after 3-h recovery (REC), and post-insulin clamp (PI). Exercise, ROS, and
      insulin action on protein phosphorylation were evaluated with immunoblotting. NAC
      tended to decrease postexercise markers of the ROS/protein carbonylation ratio by
      -13.5% (P = 0.08) and increase the GSH/GSSG ratio twofold vs. CON (P < 0.05).
      Insulin sensitivity was reduced (-5.9%, P < 0.05) by NAC compared with CON
      without decreased phosphorylation of Akt or AS160. Whereas p-mTOR was not
      significantly decreased by NAC after EX or REC, phosphorylation of the downstream
      protein synthesis target kinase p70S6K was blunted by 48% at PI with NAC compared
      with CON (P < 0.05). We conclude that NAC infusion attenuated muscle ROS and
      postexercise insulin sensitivity independent of Akt signaling. ROS also played a
      role in normal p70S6K phosphorylation in response to insulin stimulation in human
      skeletal muscle. 

PMID- 26105009
TI  - Proteome profile of salt gland-rich epidermis extracted from a salt-tolerant tree
      species.
AB  - Preparation of proteins from salt-gland-rich tissues of mangrove plant is
      necessary for a systematic study of proteins involved in the plant's unique
      desalination mechanism. Extraction of high-quality proteins from the leaves of
      mangrove tree species, however, is difficult due to the presence of high levels
      of endogenous phenolic compounds. In our study, preparation of proteins from only
      a part of the leaf tissues (i.e. salt gland-rich epidermal layers) was required,
      rendering extraction even more challenging. By comparing several extraction
      methods, we developed a reliable procedure for obtaining proteins from salt gland
      rich tissues of the mangrove species Avicennia officinalis. Protein extraction
      was markedly improved using a phenol-based extraction method. Greater resolution
      1D protein gel profiles could be obtained. More promising proteome profiles could
      be obtained through 1D-LC-MS/MS. The number of proteins detected was twice as
      much as compared to TUTS extraction method. Focusing on proteins that were solely
      present in each extraction method, phenol-based extracts contained nearly ten
      times more proteins than those in the extracts without using phenol. The approach
      could thus be applied for downstream high-throughput proteomic analyses involving
      LC-MS/MS or equivalent. The proteomics data presented herein are available via
      ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001691. 

PMID- 26105010
TI  - Modeling the magnetic properties of lanthanide complexes: relationship of the REC
      parameters with Pauling electronegativity and coordination number.
AB  - In a previous study, we introduced the Radial Effective Charge (REC) model to
      study the magnetic properties of lanthanide single ion magnets. Now, we perform
      an empirical determination of the effective charges (Zi) and radial displacements
      (Dr) of this model using spectroscopic data. This systematic study allows us to
      relate Dr and Zi with chemical factors such as the coordination number and the
      electronegativities of the metal and the donor atoms. This strategy is being used
      to drastically reduce the number of free parameters in the modeling of the
      magnetic and spectroscopic properties of f-element complexes. 

PMID- 26105011
TI  - Product-Specific Regulatory Pathways to Approve Generic Drugs: The Need for
      Follow-up Studies to Ensure Safety and Effectiveness.
AB  - Generic drugs possessing the same active ingredients, dosage form, strength,
      route of administration, and labeling can be approved by the US Food and Drug
      Administration (FDA) as interchangeable with a brand-name drug without needing to
      repeat the formal Phase I, II, and III clinical trials conducted by the original
      manufacturers. In recent years, the FDA has approved several generic drugs using
      product-specific testing to determine therapeutic equivalence in accordance with
      the unique features of the particular drug. These have been used in two primary
      situations: (1) cases for which certain bioequivalence studies were not relevant;
      and (2) cases of complex molecules that may require specially tailored
      pharmaceutical equivalence studies. Examples include venlafaxine extended
      release, acarbose, vancomycin capsules, sodium ferric gluconate, salmon
      calcitonin nasal spray, and enoxaparin. Product-specific approaches to
      demonstrating therapeutic equivalence are essential to avoid delays in low-cost
      generic drug availability but can have important clinical implications; yet,
      currently, there is no formal process in place to monitor the safety and
      effectiveness of generic drugs approved using modified regulatory pathways.
      Several strategies can be used to monitor the safety and effectiveness of generic
      drugs approved via product-specific determinations of therapeutic equivalence. 

PMID- 26105012
TI  - Aging mechanisms in amorphous phase-change materials.
AB  - Aging is a ubiquitous phenomenon in glasses. In the case of phase-change
      materials, it leads to a drift in the electrical resistance, which hinders the
      development of ultrahigh density storage devices. Here we elucidate the aging
      process in amorphous GeTe, a prototypical phase-change material, by advanced
      numerical simulations, photothermal deflection spectroscopy and impedance
      spectroscopy experiments. We show that aging is accompanied by a progressive
      change of the local chemical order towards the crystalline one. Yet, the glass
      evolves towards a covalent amorphous network with increasing Peierls distortion,
      whose structural and electronic properties drift away from those of the
      resonantly bonded crystal. This behaviour sets phase-change materials apart from
      conventional glass-forming systems, which display the same local structure and
      bonding in both phases. 

PMID- 26105013
TI  - Sleep profiles in children with Down syndrome.
AB  - Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability
      and results from an extra chromosome 21 (Trisomy 21). Sleep issues and/or
      obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are assumed to be part of the DS phenotype with a
      high prevalence but are often under recognized. This cross-sectional study of
      children with DS examines the caregiver-reported sleep behaviors of 108 children
      with DS, ranging in age from 1.50 to 13.40 years (mean = 5.18 years) utilizing a
      standardized assessment tool, the Children's Sleep Habit Questionnaire (CSHQ).
      The CSHQ revealed 76% of children with DS had sleep problems, which began at a
      young age, and continue to persist and may recur with increasing age.
      Furthermore, children with DS who undergone adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy for
      OSA continued to have sleep problems suggesting that ongoing monitoring of sleep
      issues is needed in this population. Implications of sleep problems and
      recommended anticipatory guidance and intervention are discussed.

PMID- 26105014
TI  - High-resolution ultrasound of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve:
      visualization and initial experience with patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The posterior femoral cutaneous nerve (PFCN) is a sensory nerve
      originating from the sacral plexus. PFCN neuropathy leads to pain within the
      inferior gluteal region and the posterior aspect of the thigh. As
      electrophysiological assessment is challenging, diagnosis of PFCN neuropathy has
      been, thus far, primarily based on clinical findings, which can result in
      misdiagnosis. Therefore, alternative confirmatory assessments such as an imaging
      modality that could aid in the diagnosis of PFCN neuropathy would be desirable.
      The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of visualization of
      the PFCN with high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) and to test this technique in our
      clinical routine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study consisted of two parts. In the
      first part, HRUS-guided perineural ink injections along the course of the PFCN
      were performed at the posterior aspect of the thigh in 26 lower limbs of 14 fresh
      non-embalmed cadavers. Subsequent dissection confirmed correct identification of
      the nerve. In the second part, patients with a suspected PFCN neuropathy were
      examined and a selective HRUS-guided nerve block was performed to verify the
      suspected diagnosis. RESULTS: The PFCN was correctly identified with HRUS in
      96.2% (25/26) of cadavers. Further, six patients with a suspected lesion of the
      PFCN were examined, and the diagnosis was proven by successful HRUS-guided block
      in all cases. CONCLUSION: We confirmed the reliable visualization of the PFCN
      using HRUS. This offers a new technique for the assessment of the PFCN, which
      could also be demonstrated with the case series presented.

PMID- 26105015
TI  - Hamstring injuries: prevention and treatment-an update.
AB  - Despite increased knowledge of hamstring muscle injuries, the incidence has not
      diminished. We now know that not all hamstring injuries are the same and that
      certain types of injuries require prolonged rehabilitation and return to play.
      The slow stretch type of injury and injuries involving the central tendon both
      require longer times to return to play. A number of factors have been proposed as
      being indicators of time taken to return to play, but the evidence for these is
      conflicting. Recurrence rates remain high and it is now thought that strength
      deficits may be an important factor. Strengthening exercise should be performed
      with the hamstrings in a lengthened position. There is conflicting evidence
      regarding the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma injection in the treatment of
      hamstring injuries so at this stage we cannot advise their use. Various tests
      have been proposed as predictors of hamstring injury and the use of the Nordboard
      is an interesting addition to the testing process. Prevention of these injuries
      is the ultimate aim and there is increasing evidence that Nordic hamstring
      exercises are effective in reducing the incidence. 

PMID- 26105016
TI  - Gait modifications to change lower extremity gait biomechanics in runners: a
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abnormal biomechanics have been cited as a potential risk factor for
      running-related injury. Many modifiable biomechanical risk factors have also been
      proposed in the literature as interventions via gait retraining. AIM: To
      determine which interventions have successfully modified biomechanical variables
      linked to running-related injury. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic literature review.
      METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, SportDiscus and PSYCINFO were searched using
      key terms related to running biomechanics and gait retraining. Quality of
      included studies was assessed using the modified Downs and Black Quality Index
      and a best evidence synthesis was performed. RESULTS: 27 studies investigating
      the effect of biomechanical interventions on kinetic, kinematic and
      spatiotemporal variables were included in this review. Foot strike manipulation
      had the greatest effect on kinematic measures (conflicting evidence for proximal
      joint angles; strong evidence for distal joint angles), real-time feedback had
      the greatest effect on kinetic measures (ranging from conflicting to strong
      evidence), and combined training protocols had the greatest effect on
      spatiotemporal measures (limited to moderate evidence). CONCLUSIONS: Overall,
      this systematic review shows that many biomechanical parameters can be altered by
      running modification training programmes. These interventions result in short
      term small to large effects on kinetic, kinematic and spatiotemporal outcomes
      during running. In general, runners tend to employ a distal strategy of gait
      modification unless given specific cues. The most effective strategy for reducing
      high-risk factors for running-related injury-such as impact loading-was through
      real-time feedback of kinetics and/or kinematics.

PMID- 26105017
TI  - Isokinetic muscle strength and readiness to return to sport following anterior
      cruciate ligament reconstruction: is there an association? A systematic review
      and a protocol recommendation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR),
      strength is a key variable in regaining full function of the knee. Isokinetic
      strength is commonly used as part of the return to sport (RTS) criteria. AIM: We
      systematically reviewed the isokinetic strength evaluation protocols that are
      currently being used following ACLR. A secondary aim was to suggest an isokinetic
      protocol that could meet RTS criteria. METHOD: Articles were searched using
      ScienceDirect, PubMed and Sage Journals Online, combined with cross-checked
      reference lists of the publications. Protocol data and outcome measurements and
      RTS criteria were extracted from each article included in the review. RESULTS: 39
      studies met the inclusion criteria and reported their isokinetic strength
      evaluation protocol following ACLR. The variables that were most commonly used
      were concentric/concentric mode of contraction (31 studies), angular velocity of
      60 degrees /s (29 studies), 3-5 repetitions (24 studies), range of motion of 0-90
      degrees  (6 studies), and using gravity correction (9 studies). 8 studies
      reported strength limb symmetry index scores as part of their RTS criteria.
      CONCLUSIONS: There was no standardised isokinetic protocol following ACLR;
      isokinetic strength measures have not been validated as useful predictors of
      successful RTS. We propose a standard protocol to allow consistency of testing
      and accurate comparison of future research.

PMID- 26105018
TI  - The effect of strengthening interventions on strength and physical performance in
      people with cerebral palsy (PEDro synthesis).

PMID- 26105019
TI  - Method for (236)U Determination in Seawater Using Flow Injection Extraction
      Chromatography and Accelerator Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - An automated analytical method implemented in a flow injection (FI) system was
      developed for rapid determination of (236)U in 10 L seawater samples. (238)U was
      used as a chemical yield tracer for the whole procedure, in which extraction
      chromatography (UTEVA) was exploited to purify uranium, after an effective iron
      hydroxide coprecipitation. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) was applied for
      quantifying the (236)U/(238)U ratio, and inductively coupled plasma mass
      spectrometry (ICPMS) was used to determine the absolute concentration of (238)U;
      thus, the concentration of (236)U can be calculated. The key experimental
      parameters affecting the analytical effectiveness were investigated and optimized
      in order to achieve high chemical yields and simple and rapid analysis as well as
      low procedure background. Besides, the operational conditions for the target
      preparation prior to the AMS measurement were optimized, on the basis of studying
      the coprecipitation behavior of uranium with iron hydroxide. The analytical
      results indicate that the developed method is simple and robust, providing
      satisfactory chemical yields (80-100%) and high analysis speed (4 h/sample),
      which could be an appealing alternative to conventional manual methods for (236)U
      determination in its tracer application. 

PMID- 26105020
TI  - Good practices on cost - effective road infrastructure safety investments.
AB  - The paper presents the findings of a research project aiming to quantify and
      subsequently classify several infrastructure-related road safety measures, based
      on the international experience attained through extensive and selected
      literature review and additionally on a full consultation process including
      questionnaire surveys addressed to experts and relevant workshops. Initially, a
      review of selected research reports was carried out and an exhaustive list of
      road safety infrastructure investments covering all types of infrastructure was
      compiled. Individual investments were classified according to the infrastructure
      investment area and the type of investment and were thereafter analysed on the
      basis of key safety components. These investments were subsequently ranked in
      relation to their safety effects and implementation costs and on the basis of
      this ranking, a set of five most promising investments was selected for an in
      depth analysis. The results suggest that the overall cost effectiveness of a road
      safety infrastructure investment is not always in direct correlation with the
      safety effect and is recommended that cost-benefit ratios and safety effects are
      always examined in conjunction with each other in order to identify the optimum
      solution for a specific road safety problem in specific conditions and with
      specific objectives.

PMID- 26105021
TI  - Prevalence and distribution of colonic diverticula assessed with CT colonography
      (CTC).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of colonic diverticula
      according to age, gender, distribution, disease extension and symptoms with CT
      colonography (CTC). METHODS: The study population included 1091 consecutive
      patients who underwent CTC. Patients with diverticula were retrospectively
      stratified according to age, gender, clinical symptoms and colonic segment
      involvement. Extension of colonic diverticula was evaluated using a three-point
      quantitative scale. Using this data, a multivariate regression analysis was
      applied to investigate the existence of any correlation among variables. RESULTS:
      Colonic diverticula were observed in 561 patients (240 men, mean age 68 +/- 12
      years). Symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD) was present in
      47.4% of cases. In 25.6% of patients <=40 years, at least one diverticulum in the
      colon was observed. Prevalence of right-sided diverticula in patients >60 years
      was 14.2% in caecum and 18.5% in ascending colon. No significant difference was
      found between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients regarding diverticula
      prevalence and extension. No correlation was present between diverticula
      extension and symptoms. CONCLUSION: The incidence of colonic diverticula appears
      to be greater than expected. Right colon diverticula do not appear to be an
      uncommon finding, with their prevalence increasing with patient age. SUDD does
      not seem to be related to diverticula distribution and extension. KEY POINTS:
      Incidence of colonic diverticula appears to be greater than expected. Right colon
      diverticula do not appear to be an uncommon finding. SUDD does not seem to be
      related to diverticula distribution and extension.

PMID- 26105022
TI  - Increasing signal intensity within the dentate nucleus and globus pallidus on
      unenhanced T1W magnetic resonance images in patients with relapsing-remitting
      multiple sclerosis: correlation with cumulative dose of a macrocyclic gadolinium
      based contrast agent, gadobutrol.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate correlation between cumulative dose of gadobutrol and
      signal intensity (SI) within dentate nucleus and globus pallidus on unenhanced T1
      weighted images in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
      METHODS: Dentate nucleus-to-pons and globus pallidus-to-thalamus SI ratios, and
      renal and liver functions, were evaluated after multiple intravenous
      administrations of 0.1 mmol/kg gadobutrol at 27, 96-98, and 168 weeks. We
      compared SI ratios based on the number of administrations, total amount of
      gadobutrol administered, and time between injections. RESULTS: Globus pallidus-to
      thalamus (p = 0.025) and dentate nucleus-to-pons (p < 0.001) SI ratios increased
      after multiple gadobutrol administrations, correlated with the number of
      administrations (rho = 0.263, p = 0.046, respectively) and depended on the length
      of administration (p = 0.017, p = 0.037, respectively). Patients receiving
      gadobutrol at 27 weeks showed the greatest increase in both SI ratios (p = 0.006;
      p = 0.014, respectively, versus 96-98 weeks). GGT increased at the end of the
      study (p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: In patients with RRMS, SI within the dentate
      nucleus and globus pallidus increased on unenhanced T1-weighted images after
      multiple gadobutrol injections. Administration of the same total amount of
      gadobutrol over a shorter period caused greater SI increase. KEY POINTS:
      Gadolinium deposition may occur within the human brain after multiple gadolinium
      contrast administrations. Increasing T1W signal intensity occurs within the
      dentate nucleus and globus pallidus. Increasing signal intensity may be a
      consequence of multiple administrations of gadobutrol. Administration of
      gadobutrol over a shorter period causes greater signal intensity increase.

PMID- 26105023
TI  - Breast cancer detection rates using four different types of mammography
      detectors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the performance of different types of detectors in breast
      cancer detection. METHODS: A mammography image set containing subtle malignant
      non-calcification lesions, biopsy-proven benign lesions, simulated malignant
      calcification clusters and normals was acquired using amorphous-selenium (a-Se)
      detectors. The images were adapted to simulate four types of detectors at the
      same radiation dose: digital radiography (DR) detectors with a-Se and caesium
      iodide (CsI) convertors, and computed radiography (CR) detectors with a powder
      phosphor (PIP) and a needle phosphor (NIP). Seven observers marked suspicious and
      benign lesions. Analysis was undertaken using jackknife alternative free-response
      receiver operating characteristics weighted figure of merit (FoM). The cancer
      detection fraction (CDF) was estimated for a representative image set from
      screening. RESULTS: No significant differences in the FoMs between the DR
      detectors were measured. For calcification clusters and non-calcification
      lesions, both CR detectors' FoMs were significantly lower than for DR detectors.
      The calcification cluster's FoM for CR NIP was significantly better than for CR
      PIP. The estimated CDFs with CR PIP and CR NIP detectors were up to 15% and 22%
      lower, respectively, than for DR detectors. CONCLUSION: Cancer detection is
      affected by detector type, and the use of CR in mammography should be
      reconsidered. KEY POINTS: The type of mammography detector can affect the cancer
      detection rates. CR detectors performed worse than DR detectors in mammography.
      Needle phosphor CR performed better than powder phosphor CR. Calcification
      clusters detection is more sensitive to detector type than other cancers.

PMID- 26105024
TI  - The identification of a killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor 3DL1*0150209 in
      an Asian population using molecular techniques.
AB  - Full-length sequences of KIR3DL1*0150209 differ from those of KIR3DL1*0150201
      with seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms. 

PMID- 26105025
TI  - Dexamethasone inhibits chondrocyte differentiation by suppression of Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling in the chondrogenic cell line ATDC5.
AB  - Glucocorticoids (GCs) regulate proliferation and differentiation in cultured
      mesenchymal cells through the modulation of various molecules. However, the
      relationship between growth factor signaling and GCs in differentiating
      chondrocytes has not been elucidated. In this study, we examined the effects of
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling on chondrocyte differentiation and the effects of a GC
      analogue, dexamethasone (Dex), on Wnt/beta-catenin signaling activity by using a
      chondrocyte progenitor cell line ATDC5. Western blot analysis and TCF/LEF
      optimized promoter EGFP (TOPEGFP) assay showed that both beta-catenin protein
      levels and TCF/LEF transcription were up-regulated during insulin-transferrin
      sodium selenite (ITS)-induced chondrogenic differentiation. Morphological
      analysis showed that TCF/LEF transcription activity was most prominent in
      cartilage nodule-like structures. Furthermore, a beta-catenin mutant with
      constitutive transcriptional activity (DeltaN90) showed increased Alcian blue
      staining intensity and mRNA expression of Sox9, Col2a, aggrecan, Col10, and
      alkaline phosphatase, even in the absence of ITS stimulation. In contrast, Dex
      suppressed formation of ITS-induced cartilage nodule-like structures, TCF/LEF
      mediated transcription, and beta-catenin protein levels. Real-time PCR analysis
      showed that Dex increased the mRNA expression levels of secreted frizzled-related
      protein 1 (sFRP1) and Axin2. Furthermore, treatment with a sFRP1 inhibitor or the
      DeltaN90 beta-catenin mutant transfection attenuated Dex-induced suppression of
      cartilage matrix production by increasing Sox9 mRNA levels. These results suggest
      that Dex inhibits chondrocyte differentiation via down-regulation of Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling, which promotes chondrocyte differentiation in ATDC5 cells. 

PMID- 26105027
TI  - To core, or not to core: the impact of coring on tree health and a best-practice
      framework for collecting dendrochronological information from living trees.
AB  - Trees are natural repositories of valuable environmental information that is
      preserved in the growth and structure of their stems, branches and roots.
      Dendrochronological analyses, based on the counting, crossdating and
      characterisation of incrementally formed wood rings, offer powerful insights for
      diverse fields including ecology, climatology and archaeology. The application of
      this toolset is likely to increase in popularity over coming decades due to
      advances in the field and a reduction in the cost of analyses. In research
      settings where the continued value of living trees subject to dendrochronological
      investigation is important, the use of an increment bore corer to extract trunk
      tissue is considered the best option to minimise negative impacts on tree health
      (e.g. stress and fitness). A small and fragmented body of literature, however,
      reports significant after-effects, and in some cases fatal outcomes, from this
      sampling technique. As it stands, the literature documenting increment bore
      coring (IBC) impacts lacks experimental consistency and is poorly replicated,
      making it difficult for prospective users of the method to assess likely tree
      responses to coring. This paucity of information has the potential to lead to
      destructive misuse of the method and also limits its safe implementation in
      circumstances where the risk of impacts may be appropriate. If IBC is to fulfil
      its potential as a method of choice across research fields, then we must first
      address our limited understanding of IBC impacts and provide a framework for its
      appropriate future use. Firstly, we review the historical context of studies
      examining the impacts of IBC on trees to identify known patterns, focal issues
      and biases in existing knowledge. IBC wound responses, particularly those that
      impact on lumber quality, have been the primary focus of prior studies. No
      universal treatment was identified that conclusively improved wound healing and
      few studies have linked wound responses to tree health impacts. Secondly, we
      build on literature insights using a theoretical approach to identify the most
      important factors to guide future research involving implementation of IBC,
      including innate tree characteristics and environmental factors. Thirdly, we
      synthesise and interrogate the quantitative data available through meta-analysis
      to identify risk factors for wound reactions. Although poor reporting standards,
      restricted scopes and a bias towards temperate ecosystems limited quantitative
      insight, we found that complete cambial wound closure could still harbour high
      rates of internal trunk decay, and that conditions favouring faster growth
      generally correlated with reduced indices of internal and external damage in
      broadleaved taxa. Finally, we propose a framework for guiding best-practice
      application of IBC to address knowledge gaps and maximise the utility of this
      method, including standardised reporting indices for identifying and minimising
      negative impacts on tree health. While IBC is an underutilised tool of ecological
      enquiry with broad applicability, the method will always incur some risk of
      negative impacts on the cored tree. We caution that the decision to core, or not
      to core, must be given careful consideration on a case-by-case basis. In time, we
      are confident that this choice will be better informed by evidence-based insight.

PMID- 26105026
TI  - Proteoglycans support proper granule formation in pancreatic acinar cells.
AB  - Zymogen granules (ZG) are specialized organelles in the exocrine pancreas which
      allow digestive enzyme storage and regulated secretion. The molecular mechanisms
      of their biogenesis and the sorting of zymogens are still incompletely
      understood. Here, we investigated the role of proteoglycans in granule formation
      and secretion of zymogens in pancreatic AR42J cells, an acinar model system.
      Cupromeronic Blue cytochemistry and biochemical studies revealed an association
      of proteoglycans primarily with the granule membrane. Removal of proteoglycans by
      carbonate treatment led to a loss of membrane curvature indicating a supportive
      role in the maintenance of membrane shape and stability. Chemical inhibition of
      proteoglycan synthesis impaired the formation of normal electron-dense granules
      in AR42J cells and resulted in the formation of unusually small granule
      structures. These structures still contained the zymogen carboxypeptidase, a
      cargo molecule of secretory granules, but migrated to lighter fractions after
      density gradient centrifugation. Furthermore, the basal secretion of amylase was
      increased in AR42J cells after inhibitor treatment. In addition, irregular-shaped
      granules appeared in pancreatic lobules. We conclude that the assembly of a
      proteoglycan scaffold at the ZG membrane is supporting efficient packaging of
      zymogens and the proper formation of stimulus-competent storage granules in
      acinar cells of the pancreas. 

PMID- 26105028
TI  - Impact of a New Fusion Receptor on PD-1-Mediated Immunosuppression in Adoptive T
      Cell Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adoptive T cell transfer (ACT) is currently under investigation for
      the treatment of metastatic cancer. Recent evidence suggests that the
      coinhibitory PD-1-PD-L1 axis plays a major role in ACT failure. We hypothesized
      that a new fusion receptor reverting PD-1-mediated inhibition into CD28
      costimulation may break peripheral tolerance. METHODS: Different PD-1-CD28 fusion
      receptor constructs were created and retrovirally transduced into primary T cell
      receptor transgenic murine CD8(+) T cells specific for ovalbumin (OT-1). Cytokine
      release, proliferation, cytotoxicity, and tumor recognition were analyzed in
      vitro. Antitumor efficacy and mode of action were investigated in mice bearing
      subcutaneous tumors induced with the pancreatic carcinoma cell line Panc02
      expressing the model antigen ovalbumin (Panc-OVA). For antitumoral efficacy, six
      to eight mice per group were used. All statistical tests are two-sided. RESULTS:
      Transduction of the PD-1-CD28 receptor constructs mediated enhanced cytokine
      release, T cell proliferation, and T cell-induced lysis of target tumor cells.
      The PD-1-CD28 receptor function was dependent on two of the CD28-signaling motifs
      and IFN-gamma release. Treatment of mice with established Panc-OVA tumors with
      fusion receptor-transduced OT-1 T cells mediated complete tumor regression. Mice
      rejecting the tumor were protected upon subsequent rechallenge with either
      ovalbumin-positive or -negative tumors, indicative of a memory response and
      epitope spreading in nine of 11 mice vs none of the six naive mice (P < .001).
      Treatment efficacy was associated with accumulation of IFN-gamma-producing T
      cells and an increased ratio of CD8(+) T cells to immunosuppressive myeloid
      derived suppressor cells in the tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Transduction of T cells with
      this new PD-1-CD28 receptor has the potential of breaking the PD-1-PD-L1
      immunosuppressive axis in ACT.

PMID- 26105030
TI  - Effectiveness of community-based health services by nurse practitioners: protocol
      for a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To realise universal health coverage in an ageing society, adequate
      provision of appropriately trained human resources is essential. The nurse
      practitioner (NP) is an autonomous and independent, advanced practice nurse
      capable of providing treatment and care that can be substituted for some aspects
      of a medical doctor's (MD's) role, especially in a community setting. Previous
      systematic reviews found higher levels of patient satisfaction with services
      provided by NPs than those provided by MDs. As non-communicable diseases become a
      major health burden requiring long-term healthcare in community settings, this
      systematic review aims to assess the equivalence of NP services to standard care
      provided by MDs, and to determine whether their practice is an effective
      alternative to that of MDs in community settings. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Relevant
      randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster RCTs will be searched in the
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the
      British Nursing Index. We will assess patient and health system utilisation
      outcomes of interventions comparing treatment and care provided by NPs in
      community settings with that provided by MDs. Two authors will independently
      screen studies for inclusion, consulting with a third author where necessary to
      resolve discrepancies. The risk of bias of included studies will be assessed
      using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool, and quality of evidence using
      the GRADE approach. Meta-analysis of included studies will be conducted using
      fixed-effect or random-effects models depending on the degree of between-study
      heterogeneity. Results will be presented using risk ratios with 95% CI for
      dichotomous outcomes and standardised mean differences with 95% CI for continuous
      outcomes. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systematic review and meta-analysis
      protocol does not require ethical approval. We will disseminate the findings of
      this systematic review and meta-analysis via publications in peer-reviewed
      journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPEROCRD42014009627.

PMID- 26105029
TI  - Evaluation of the Methods and Management of Acute Coronary Events (EMMACE)-3:
      protocol for a longitudinal study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patients with cardiovascular disease are living longer and are more
      frequently accessing healthcare resources. The Evaluation of the Methods and
      Management of Acute Coronary Events (EMMACE)-3 national study is designed to
      improve understanding of the effect of quality of care on health-related outcomes
      for patients hospitalised with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS AND
      ANALYSIS: EMMACE-3 is a longitudinal study of 5556 patients hospitalised with an
      ACS in England. The study collects repeated measures of health-related quality of
      life, information about medications and patient adherence profiles, a survey of
      hospital facilities, and morbidity and mortality data from linkages to multiple
      electronic health records. Together with EMMACE-3X and EMMACE-4, EMMACE-3 will
      assimilate detailed information for about 13 000 patients across more than 60
      hospitals in England. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: EMMACE-3 was given a favourable
      ethical opinion by Leeds (West) Research Ethics committee (REC reference:
      10/H131374). On successful application, study data will be shared with academic
      collaborators. The findings from EMMACE-3 will be disseminated through peer
      reviewed publications, at scientific conferences, the media, and through patient
      and public involvement. STUDY REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
      NCT01808027. Information about the study is also available at EMMACE.org.

PMID- 26105031
TI  - Long-term effectiveness and outcome predictors of therapist-guided internet-based
      cognitive-behavioural therapy for social anxiety disorder in routine psychiatric
      care.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Although the short-term outcome of therapist-guided internet-based
      cognitive-behavioural therapy (ICBT) for treating social anxiety disorder (SAD)
      has been well studied, little research has been undertaken on the sustainability
      of treatment gains, especially under clinically representative conditions.
      Further, there is some debate whether delivering psychological treatment via the
      internet may be suitable for more severely ill patients. DESIGN: Longitudinal
      multilevel growth-modelling of long-term (1-4 years) follow-up cohort data.
      SETTING: An outpatient psychiatric clinic specialised in internet interventions.
      PARTICIPANTS: 446 adults having been treated for SAD. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were estimated improvement rate and Cohen's d
      effect size on the self-rated Liebowitz Social Anxiety Disorder Scale. Secondary
      outcome measures were change in comorbid depressive symptoms and health-related
      quality of life. RESULTS: A large treatment effect was observed on the primary
      outcome measure after treatment (d=0.8 (95% CI 0.7 to 0.9)), with continued long
      term improvements (d=1.2 (95% CI 1.0 to 1.3)). However, the rate of change varied
      significantly between individuals over time. A faster rate of improvement was
      observed among patients with higher illness severity, whereas having a family
      history of social anxiety was related to worse response. Long-term improvements
      were also observed in comorbid depressive symptoms (d=0.7 (95% CI 0.5 to 0.8))
      and health-related quality of life (d=-0.3 (95% CI -0.4 to -0.1)). CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings provide evidence for the long-term effectiveness of ICBT for SAD
      in routine clinical practice, even for more severe cases.

PMID- 26105034
TI  - An optimal control problem for ovine brucellosis with culling.
AB  - A mathematical model is used to study the dynamics of ovine brucellosis when
      transmitted directly from infected individual, through contact with a
      contaminated environment or vertically through mother to child. The model
      developed by Ainseba et al. [A model for ovine brucellosis incorporating direct
      and indirect transmission, J. Biol. Dyn. 4 (2010), pp. 2-11. Available at
      http://www.math.u-bordeaux1.fr/~pmagal100p/papers/BBM-JBD09.pdf. Accessed 3 July
      2012] was modified to include culling and then used to determine important
      parameters in the spread of human brucellosis using sensitivity analysis. An
      optimal control analysis was performed on the model to determine the best way to
      control such as a disease in the population. Three time-dependent controls to
      prevent exposure, cull the infected and reduce environmental transmission were
      used to set up to minimize infection at a minimum cost.

PMID- 26105033
TI  - Prevalence and prognostic impact of chronic kidney disease in STEMI from a gender
      perspective: data from the SWEDEHEART register, a large Swedish prospective
      cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Gender differences in prevalence and prognostic impact of chronic
      kidney disease (CKD) in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have
      been poorly evaluated. In STEMI, female gender has been independently associated
      with an increased risk of mortality. CKD has been found to be an important
      prognostic marker in myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to evaluate
      gender differences in prevalence and prognostic impact of CKD on short-term and
      long-term mortality. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study. SETTING: The
      national quality register SWEDEHEART was used. In the beginning of the study
      period, 94% of the Swedish coronary care units contributed data to the register,
      which subsequently increased to 100%. The glomerular filtration rate was
      estimated (eGFR) according to Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study (MDRD)
      and Cockcroft-Gault (CG). PARTICIPANTS: All patients with STEMI registered in
      SWEDEHEART from the years 2003-2009 were included (37,991 patients, 66% men).
      MAIN RESULTS: Women had 1.6 (MDRD) to 2.2 (CG) times higher multivariable
      adjusted risk of CKD. Half of the women had CKD according to CG. CKD was
      associated with 2-2.5 times higher risk of in-hospital mortality and
      approximately 1.5 times higher risk of long-term mortality in both genders. Each
      10 mL/min decline of eGFR was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital
      and long-term mortality (22-33% and 9-16%, respectively) and this did not vary
      significantly by gender. Both in-hospital and long-term mortality were doubled in
      women. After multivariable adjustment including eGFR, there was no longer any
      gender difference in early outcome and the long-term outcome was better in women.
      CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with STEMI, female gender was independently
      associated with CKD. Reduced eGFR was a strong independent risk factor for short
      term and long-term mortality without a significant gender difference in
      prognostic impact and seems to be an important reason why women have higher
      mortality than men with STEMI.

PMID- 26105032
TI  - Clinical cardiovascular risk during young adulthood in offspring of hypertensive
      pregnancies: insights from a 20-year prospective follow-up birth cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Offspring of hypertensive pregnancies have increased cardiovascular
      risk factors during childhood. We hypothesised that offspring of hypertensive
      pregnancies would demonstrate increased clinical levels of hypertension by young
      adult life, which would be proportional to the severity of the pregnancy
      complication. DESIGN: Prospective birth cohort study SETTING: Tertiary obstetric
      hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 2868 young adult offspring of women enrolled during
      pregnancy into the Western Australia Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Cardiovascular risk, including incidence of hypertension and metabolic
      disease, in those born to hypertensive compared to normotensive pregnancies.
      RESULTS: Young adult offspring of hypertensive pregnancies were 2.5 times (95% CI
      1.32 to 4.56, p=0.004) more likely to have global lifetime risk (QRISK) scores
      above the 75th centile. Thirty per cent of 20 year olds with hypertensive blood
      pressures were born following a hypertensive pregnancy. Pre-eclampsia or
      hypertension resulting in preterm birth associated with a threefold (95% CI 1.3
      to 7.0, p=0.01) greater risk of being hypertensive by age 20 years, with no
      differences in body mass index. Whereas pregnancy-induced hypertension associated
      with a smaller 3 +/- 1 mm Hg blood pressure rise (p=0.001) and a twofold (95% CI
      1.5 to 2.8, p=0.001) greater risk of being obese or overweight. Risk factor
      associations were consistent throughout early life and independent of other birth
      factors. CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of offspring hypertension was significantly
      increased in those whose mothers had a more complicated pregnancy history,
      including preterm birth and pre-eclampsia.

PMID- 26105035
TI  - Therapeutic efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine for the treatment of
      uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Enfranze, north-west Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plasmodium falciparum accounts for approximately 60% of malaria cases
      in Ethiopia and artemether-lumefantrine has been used as a first-line treatment
      for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria since 2004. The aim of this study was to
      assess the therapeutic efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine (AL) for the treatment
      of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in north-western Ethiopia. METHODS: A 28
      day one-arm, prospective evaluation of the clinical and parasitological response
      to the first-line treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria was conducted
      in Enfranze Health Centre in accordance with the 2009 WHO efficacy study
      guidelines. Patients were treated with a 3-day course of AL and clinical and
      parasitological parameters were monitored over a 28-day follow-up. All data from
      recruited patients were imported into an electronic data base and Kaplan-Meier
      survival analysis was used for analysing primary [early treatment failures (ETF),
      late clinical failure (LCF), late parasitological failures (LPF), and adequate
      clinical and parasitological response (ACPR)] and secondary (PCT, GCT and FCT)
      outcomes. RESULTS: Eighty patients were enrolled and all of them completed the 28
      day follow-up period. The PCR-corrected cure rate was 95.0% (95% CI 87.0-98.4%)
      and there were two ETF, one LCF and three LPF. Two of the LPF were classified as
      re infections by PCR. Seventy three point seven five percent, 91.25 and 95% of
      patients had cleared their parasitaemia by days 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and
      75, 91.25 and 96.25% of patients had cleared their fever by days 1, 2, and 3. All
      patients completely cleared their gametocytes by day 7. CONCLUSION: The
      relatively high cure rate, low proportion of patients still positive on day 3 as
      well as parasite clearance times in this study would indicate no imminent threat
      of artemisinin resistance development in the region. However, the threat of
      spreading or de novo development of artemisinin resistance warrants regular
      monitoring of drug efficacy throughout the region.

PMID- 26105037
TI  - Body composition and the obesity paradox in coronary heart disease: can heavier
      really be healthier?

PMID- 26105036
TI  - Acute and recent air pollution exposure and cardiovascular events at labour and
      delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between acute air pollution exposure and
      cardiovascular events during labour/delivery. METHODS: The Consortium on Safe
      Labor (2002-2008), an observational US cohort with 223,502 singleton deliveries
      provided electronic medical records. Air pollution exposure was estimated by
      modified Community Multiscale Air Quality models. Cardiovascular events (cardiac
      failure/arrest, stroke, myocardial infarcts and other events) were recorded in
      the hospital discharge records for 687 pregnancies (0.3%). Logistic regression
      with generalised estimating equations estimated the relationship between
      cardiovascular events and daily air pollutant levels for delivery day and the 7
      days preceding delivery. RESULTS: Increased odds of cardiovascular events were
      observed for each IQR increase in exposure to nitric oxides at 5 and 6 days prior
      to delivery (OR=1.17, 99% CI 1.04 to 1.30 and OR=1.15, 1.03 to 1.28,
      respectively). High exposure to toxic air pollution species such as ethylbenzene
      (OR=1.50, 1.08 to 2.09), m-xylene (OR=1.54, 1.11 to 2.13), o-xylene (OR=1.51,
      1.09 to 2.09), p-xylene (OR=1.43, 1.03 to 1.99) and toluene (OR=1.42, 1.02 to
      1.97) at 5 days prior to delivery were also associated with cardiovascular
      events. Decreased odds of events were observed with exposure to ozone.
      CONCLUSIONS: Air pollution in the days prior to delivery, especially nitrogen
      oxides and some toxic air pollution species, was associated with increased risk
      of cardiovascular events during the labour/delivery admission.

PMID- 26105039
TI  - External approach to rhinoplasty.
AB  - The technique of external rhinoplasty is outlined. Having reviewed 74 cases, its
      advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Reluctance to use this external
      approach seems to be based on emotional rather than radical grounds, for its
      seems to be the procedure of choice for many problems.

PMID- 26105038
TI  - Watchful observation versus early aortic valve replacement for symptomatic
      patients with normal flow, low-gradient severe aortic stenosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The timing of aortic valve replacement (AVR) remains controversial in
      symptomatic patients with normal flow, low-gradient severe aortic stenosis (AS)
      and preserved LVEF. We sought to compare long-term mortality of early AVR versus
      a watchful observation strategy. METHODS: From 2000 to 2011, we prospectively
      evaluated 284 consecutive symptomatic patients (136 men, age 68+/-10 years) with
      normal flow, low-gradient severe AS and preserved LVEF who were potential
      candidates for early AVR. Normal flow, low-gradient severe AS was defined as
      indexed aortic valve area <0.6 cm(2)/m(2) with mean gradient <40 mm Hg and stroke
      volume index >=35 mL/m(2). Early AVR was performed on 98 patients (early AVR
      group), while the watchful observation strategy was selected for 186 patients
      (watchful observation group). Patients in the watchful observation group were
      referred for AVR if mean gradient was >=40 mm Hg during follow-up. RESULTS: There
      were no significant differences between the early AVR and the watchful
      observation groups for the risk of overall mortality (HR 0.94 for the early AVR;
      95% CI 0.51 to 1.73) or for the estimated actuarial 8-year mortality rates (17+/
      5% vs 27+/-5%, p=0.84) in the overall cohort. Society of Thoracic Surgeons score,
      comorbidity index, age, coronary artery disease, aetiology of AS and performance
      of AVR were associated with overall survival. For 83 propensity-score-matched
      pairs, the risk of overall death was not significantly different between the two
      groups (HR 1.13 for the early AVR, 95% CI 0.55 to 2.35, p=0.74). CONCLUSIONS:
      Early AVR and watchful observation strategy show similar survival in symptomatic
      patients with normal flow, low-gradient severe AS and preserved LVEF. Watchful
      observation with timely performance of AVR should be considered a therapeutic
      option.

PMID- 26105040
TI  - Functional evaluation following microvascular oromandibular reconstruction of the
      oral cancer patient: A comparative study of reconstructed and nonreconstructed
      patients.

PMID- 26105041
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26105043
TI  - Microhydrated dihydrogen phosphate clusters probed by gas phase vibrational
      spectroscopy and first principles calculations.
AB  - We report infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectra of cryogenically
      cooled H2PO4(-)(H2O)n anions (n = 2-12) in the spectral range of the stretching
      and bending modes of the solute anion (600-1800 cm(-1)). The spectra cannot be
      fully understood using the standard technique of comparison to harmonic spectra
      of minimum-energy structures; a satisfactory assignment requires considering
      anharmonic effects as well as entropy-driven hydrogen bond network fluctuations.
      Aided by finite temperature ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, the
      observed changes in the position, width and intensity of the IRMPD bands with
      cluster size are related to the sequence of microsolvation. Due to stronger
      hydrogen bonding to the two terminal P[double bond, length as m-dash]O groups,
      these are hydrated before the two P-OH groups. By n = 6, all four end groups are
      involved in the hydrogen bond network and by n = 12, the cluster spectra show
      similarities to the condensed phase spectrum of H2PO4(-)(aq). Our results reveal
      some of the microscopic details concerning the formation of the aqueous solvation
      environment around H2PO4(-), provide ample testing grounds for the design of
      model solvation potentials for this biologically relevant anion, and support a
      new paradigm for the interpretation of IRMPD spectra of microhydrated ions. 

PMID- 26105042
TI  - Hyperparathyroidism and Bone Health.
AB  - Bone pain, proximal muscle weakness, skeletal deformities, and pathological
      fractures are features of osteitis fibrosa cystica which occur in severe primary
      hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). In this condition, bone mineral density is usually
      extremely low, but may be reversible after parathyroidectomy. On X-ray, bone
      abnormalities are described as having a salt-and-pepper appearance in the skull,
      with bone erosions and resorption of the phalanges, brown tumors and cysts, as
      well as diffuse demineralization, along with pathological fractures, particularly
      in the long bones of the extremities. A marked elevation of the serum calcium and
      PTH concentrations is seen, and renal involvement is manifested by
      nephrolithiasis and nephrocalcinosis. In asymptomatic PHPT, the absence of
      clinically significant bone involvement has led to much more data on bone mineral
      density becoming available by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and also on new
      technologies such as trabecular bone score (TBS), which is a gray-level textural
      analysis of DXA images that provides an indirect index of trabecular
      microarchitecture. In addition, high-resolution peripheral computed tomography
      (HRpQCT), which has a low radiation exposure, provides further understanding of
      the microstructural skeletal features at both trabecular and cortical sites. 

PMID- 26105044
TI  - Density Gradient Centrifugation for the Isolation of Cells of Multiple Lineages.
AB  - We recently developed a simple strategy for the enrichment of mesenchymal stem
      cells (MSCs) with the capacity for osteoblast, chondrocyte, and adipocyte
      differentiation. On transplantation, the progenitor-enriched fraction can
      regenerate bone with multiple lineages of donor origin. Although comprising
      multiple precursor cell types, the population is enriched >100-fold in
      osteoprogenitors, hence the name "highly purified osteoprogenitors" (HipOPs). To
      establish a new modified method of purifying pure MSCs, it is useful to know the
      expression patterns of surface markers on heterogeneous MSCs and committed cells
      such as osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes. However, calcium deposition by
      osteoblasts is a critical obstacle in visualizing the expression patterns of
      surface markers. We now report a new method of separating differentiated
      osteoblastic HipOPs (OB-HipOPs) from calcium deposits using the Percoll density
      gradient centrifugation technique. After centrifuge separation, calcium deposits
      were observed at the bottom of the centrifuge tube, and living OB-HipOPs were
      harvested from the 10-70% fractions. However, there were no living cells in the
      70-80% fraction. We concluded that living OB-HipOPs are separated by one 10-70%
      Percoll gradient. Furthermore, we analyzed the expression patterns of putative
      MSC markers on differentiated HipOPs. FACS analysis revealed that Sca-1, CD44,
      CD73, CD105, and CD106 were decreased in OB-HipOPs. In adipogenic- and
      chondrogenic-HipOPs, Sca-1, CD73, CD105, and CD106 were decreased. This new
      technique is a helpful tool to identify MSC surface markers and to clarify in
      more detail the differentiation stages of osteoblasts.

PMID- 26105045
TI  - The relationship between trauma, shame, and guilt: findings from a community
      based study of refugee minors in Germany.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationships between traumatic stress and self-conscious
      emotions, such as shame and guilt, remain to be fully explored, especially in
      refugees, who frequently are exposed to a multitude of stressors. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of the present study was to investigate shame and guilt in refugee minors and
      to assess to what extent a greater cumulative exposure to traumatic stressors
      would result not only in more severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
      symptoms but also in higher levels of shame and guilt. METHODS: Thirty-two male
      refugee minors, who were all below the age of 18 when they sought asylum in
      Germany, agreed to participate. At the time of the assessment, the age ranged
      from 11 to 20 years. Eighteen refugees had arrived without relatives in their
      host country ("unaccompanied minors"). In structured diagnostic interviews, a
      PTSD diagnosis was established using the UCLA PTSD Index. Posttraumatic guilt was
      assessed by means of the Trauma-related Guilt Inventory, and the Shame
      Variability Questionnaire was used to record the intensity, duration, and
      frequency of shame episodes. RESULTS: Feelings of guilt and shame as well as
      trauma symptoms were all associated with the number of traumatic event types
      subjects had experienced. Posttraumatic guilt and shame were both correlated with
      PTSD symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that cumulative stress
      such as exposure to multiple traumatic events poses a risk factor for the mental
      health including greater suffering and functional impairment due to shame and
      guilt.

PMID- 26105046
TI  - Food restriction alters energy allocation strategy during growth in tobacco
      hornworms (Manduca sexta larvae).
AB  - Growing animals must alter their energy budget in the face of environmental
      changes and prioritize the energy allocation to metabolism for life-sustaining
      requirements and energy deposition in new biomass growth. We hypothesize that
      when food availability is low, larvae of holometabolic insects with a short
      development stage (relative to the low food availability period) prioritize
      biomass growth at the expense of metabolism. Driven by this hypothesis, we
      develop a simple theoretical model, based on conservation of energy and
      allometric scaling laws, for understanding the dynamic energy budget of growing
      larvae under food restriction. We test the hypothesis by manipulative experiments
      on fifth instar hornworms at three temperatures. At each temperature, food
      restriction increases the scaling power of growth rate but decreases that of
      metabolic rate, as predicted by the hypothesis. During the fifth instar, the
      energy budgets of larvae change dynamically. The free-feeding larvae slightly
      decrease the energy allocated to growth as body mass increases and increase the
      energy allocated to life sustaining. The opposite trends were observed in food
      restricted larvae, indicating the predicted prioritization in the energy budget
      under food restriction. We compare the energy budgets of a few endothermic and
      ectothermic species and discuss how different life histories lead to the
      differences in the energy budgets under food restriction. 

PMID- 26105047
TI  - Male ruff colour as a rank signal in a monomorphic-horned mammal: behavioural
      correlates.
AB  - Coexistence of individuals within a social group is possible through the
      establishment of a hierarchy. Social dominance is achieved through aggressive
      interactions, and, in wild sheep and goats, it is related mainly to age, body
      size and weapon size as rank signals. Adult male Himalayan tahr are much larger
      than females and subadult males. They have a prominent neck ruff, ranging in
      colour from yellow (5.5-9.5 years old, i.e. young adults, golden males) to brown
      (7.5-14.5 years old, i.e. older individuals, pale and dark brown males), with
      golden males being the most dominant. We investigated the social behaviour of
      male tahr and analysed the relationships between ruff colour, courtship and
      agonistic behaviour patterns during the rut. Colour classes varied in their use
      of several behaviour patterns (male dominance: approach, stare, horning
      vegetation; courtship: low stretch, naso-genital contact, rush). Golden-ruffed
      males used more threats than darker ones. Pale brown and dark brown males
      addressed threats significantly more often to males of lower or their own colour
      classes, respectively, whereas golden ones addressed threats to all colour
      classes, including their own. The courtship of dominant males was characterised
      by the assertive rush, whereas that of subordinates did not. Ruff colour of male
      Himalayan tahr may have evolved as a rank signal, homologous to horn size in wild
      sheep and goats.

PMID- 26105048
TI  - The South African Food Sensitisation and Food Allergy population-based study of
      IgE-mediated food allergy: validity, safety, and acceptability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies exist on food sensitization and challenge-proven food
      allergy in low- and middle-income countries. OBJECTIVE: To describe the study
      design and methodology to recruit infants from an African population for skin
      prick testing and oral food challenges and the use of preliminary data to
      investigate the extent to which the study sample is representative of the target
      population. METHODS: Children 12 to 36 months old were recruited from childcare
      education facilities in Cape Town. Children underwent skin prick testing to
      foods. Those with a reactive wheal of at least 1 mm larger than the negative
      control and not clearly tolerant according to history to a full age-appropriate
      portion to at least 1 food underwent oral food challenges. Parents who chose not
      to participate completed a nonparticipant questionnaire. Interim analysis of at
      least 500 respondents was performed. Demographic features of participating
      children were compared with those of nonparticipants and the population
      demographics of the most recent Cape Town census data. RESULTS: The response rate
      was 60.1%, with high participation and completion rates of 96.5% and 97.5%,
      respectively. Demographics of the completed participant sample were similar to
      those of the Cape Town census. Use of a nonrespondent questionnaire indicated no
      selection bias in favor of increased participation of participants with allergy.
      No ethnic differences in sensitization or food allergy were evident. CONCLUSION:
      The study was safe and feasible and the recruitment was effective and
      representative of the target population. Future studies will aim to increase the
      precision of the prevalence of food sensitization and allergy, describe
      environmental risk factors, and include a rural black African cohort.

PMID- 26105049
TI  - Do endothelial cells belong to the primitive stem leukemic clone in CML? Role of
      extracellular vesicles.
AB  - The expression of BCR-ABL in hematopoietic stem cells is a well-defined primary
      event in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Some reports have described the presence
      of BCR-ABL on endothelial cells from CML patients, suggesting the origin of the
      disease in a primitive hemangioblastic cell. On the other hand, extracellular
      vesicles (EVs) released by CML leukemic cells are involved in the angiogenesis
      modulation process. In the current work we hypothesized that EVs released from
      BCR-ABL(+) cells may carry inside the oncogene that can be transferred to
      endothelial cells leading to the expression of both BCR-ABL transcript and the
      oncoprotein. EVs from K562 cells and plasma of newly diagnosed CML patients were
      isolated by ultracentrifugation. RT-PCR analysis detected the presence of BCR-ABL
      RNA in the EVs isolated from both K562 cells and plasma of CML patients. The
      incorporation of these EVs into endothelial cells was demonstrated by flow
      cytometry and fluorescence microscopy showed that after 24h of incubation most
      EVs were incorporated. BCR-ABL transcripts were detected in all experiments on
      endothelial cells incubated with EVs from both sources. The presence of BCR-ABL
      on endothelial cells incubated with Philadelphia(+) EVs was also confirmed by
      Western blot assays. In summary, endothelial cells acquire BCR-ABL RNA and the
      oncoprotein after incubation with EVs released from Ph(+) positive cells (either
      from K562 cells or from plasma of newly diagnosed CML patients). This results
      challenge the hypothesis that endothelial cells may be part of the
      Philadelphia(+) clone in CML. 

PMID- 26105050
TI  - G Protein-coupled Receptor 40 (GPR40) and Peroxisome Proliferator-activated
      Receptor gamma (PPARgamma): AN INTEGRATED TWO-RECEPTOR SIGNALING PATHWAY.
AB  - Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) ligands have been
      widely used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, knowledge of PPARgamma
      signaling remains incomplete. In addition to PPARgamma, these drugs also activate
      G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40), a Galphaq-coupled free fatty acid receptor
      linked to MAPK networks and glucose homeostasis. Notably, p38 MAPK activation has
      been implicated in PPARgamma signaling. Here, rosiglitazone (RGZ) activation of
      GPR40 and p38 MAPK was found to boost PPARgamma-induced gene transcription in
      human endothelium. Inhibition or knockdown of p38 MAPK or expression of a
      dominant negative (DN) p38 MAPK mutant blunted RGZ-induced PPARgamma DNA binding
      and reporter activity in EA.hy926 human endothelial cells. GPR40 inhibition or
      knockdown, or expression of a DN-Galphaq mutant likewise blocked activation of
      both p38 MAPK and PPARgamma reporters. Importantly, RGZ induction of PPARgamma
      target genes in primary human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) was
      suppressed by knockdown of either p38 MAPK or GPR40. GPR40/PPARgamma signal
      transduction was dependent on p38 MAPK activation and induction of PPARgamma co
      activator-1 (PGC1alpha). Silencing of p38 MAPK or GPR40 abolished the ability of
      RGZ to induce phosphorylation and expression of PGC1alpha in PAECs. Knockdown of
      PGC1alpha, its essential activator SIRT1, or its binding partner/co-activator
      EP300 inhibited RGZ induction of PPARgamma-regulated genes in PAECs.
      RGZ/GPR40/p38 MAPK signaling also led to EP300 phosphorylation, an event that
      enhances PPARgamma target gene transcription. Thus, GPR40 and PPARgamma can
      function as an integrated two-receptor signal transduction pathway, a finding
      with implications for rational drug development. 

PMID- 26105051
TI  - Early and Long-term Undernutrition in Female Rats Exacerbates the Metabolic Risk
      Associated with Nutritional Rehabilitation.
AB  - Human studies have suggested that early undernutrition increases the risk of
      obesity, thereby explaining the increase in overweight among individuals from
      developing countries who have been undernourished as children. However, this
      conclusion is controversial, given that other studies do not concur. This study
      sought to determine whether rehabilitation after undernutrition increases the
      risk of obesity and metabolic disorders. We employed a published experimental
      food-restriction model. Wistar female rats subjected to severe food restriction
      since fetal stage and controls were transferred to a moderately high-fat diet
      (cafeteria) provided at 70 days of life to 6.5 months. Another group of
      undernourished rats were rehabilitated with chow. The energy intake of
      undernourished animals transferred to cafeteria formula exceeded that of the
      controls under this regime and was probably driven by hypothalamic disorders in
      insulin and leptin signal transduction. The cafeteria diet resulted in greater
      relative increases in both fat and lean body mass in the undernourished rats when
      compared with controls, enabling the former group to completely catch up in
      length and body mass index. White adipose tissues of undernourished rats
      transferred to the high-lipid regime developed a browning which, probably,
      contributed to avoid the obesigenic effect observed in controls. Nevertheless,
      the restricted group rehabilitated with cafeteria formula had greater accretion
      of visceral than subcutaneous fat, showed increased signs of macrophage
      infiltration and inflammation in visceral pad, dyslipidemia, and ectopic fat
      accumulation. The data indicate that early long-term undernutrition is associated
      with increased susceptibility to the harmful effects of nutritional
      rehabilitation, without causing obesity. 

PMID- 26105052
TI  - Sialic Acids on Varicella-Zoster Virus Glycoprotein B Are Required for Cell-Cell
      Fusion.
AB  - Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a member of the human Herpesvirus family that
      causes varicella (chicken pox) and zoster (shingles). VZV latently infects
      sensory ganglia and is also responsible for encephalomyelitis. Myelin-associated
      glycoprotein (MAG), a member of the sialic acid (SA)-binding immunoglobulin-like
      lectin family, is mainly expressed in neural tissues. VZV glycoprotein B (gB)
      associates with MAG and mediates membrane fusion during VZV entry into host
      cells. The SA requirements of MAG when associating with its ligands vary
      depending on the specific ligand, but it is unclear whether the SAs on gB are
      involved in the association with MAG. In this study, we found that SAs on gB are
      essential for the association with MAG as well as for membrane fusion during VZV
      infection. MAG with a point mutation in the SA-binding site did not bind to gB
      and did not mediate cell-cell fusion or VZV entry. Cell-cell fusion and VZV entry
      mediated by the gB-MAG interaction were blocked by sialidase treatment. N
      glycosylation or O-glycosylation inhibitors also inhibited the fusion and entry
      mediated by gB-MAG interaction. Furthermore, gB with mutations in N-glycosylation
      sites, i.e. asparagine residues 557 and 686, did not associate with MAG, and the
      cell-cell fusion efficiency was low. Fusion between the viral envelope and
      cellular membrane is essential for host cell entry by herpesviruses. Therefore,
      these results suggest that SAs on gB play important roles in MAG-mediated VZV
      infection. 

PMID- 26105053
TI  - Dickkopf Homolog 3 Induces Stem Cell Differentiation into Smooth Muscle Lineage
      via ATF6 Signalling.
AB  - Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are a key component of healthy and tissue engineered
      vessels and play a crucial role in vascular development and the pathogenic events
      of vascular remodeling i.e. restenosis. However, the cell source from which they
      can be isolated is limited. Embryonic stem (ES) cells that have the remarkable
      capability to differentiate into vascular SMCs in response to specific stimuli
      provide a useful model for studying SMC differentiation. Previous studies
      suggested that dickkopf homolog 3 (DKK3) has a role in human partially induced
      pluripotent stem cell to SMC differentiation. Here, we demonstrate that the
      expression of DKK3 is essential for the expression of SMC markers and myocardin
      at both the mRNA and protein levels during mouse ES cell differentiation into
      SMCs (ESC-SMC differentiation). Overexpression of DKK3 leads to further up
      regulation of the aforementioned markers. Further investigation indicates that
      DKK3 added as a cytokine activates activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6),
      leading to the increased binding of ATF6 on the myocardin promoter and increased
      its expression. In addition, inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinases
      1/2 (ERK1/2) promotes the expression of ATF6 and leads to further increase of
      myocardin transcription. Our findings offer a novel mechanism by which DKK3
      regulates ESC-SMC differentiation by activating ATF6 and promoting myocardin
      expression. 

PMID- 26105054
TI  - The Activation Pathway of Human Rhodopsin in Comparison to Bovine Rhodopsin.
AB  - Rhodopsin, the photoreceptor of rod cells, absorbs light to mediate the first
      step of vision by activating the G protein transducin (Gt). Several human
      diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa or congenital night blindness, are linked
      to rhodopsin malfunctions. Most of the corresponding in vivo studies and
      structure-function analyses (e.g. based on protein x-ray crystallography or
      spectroscopy) have been carried out on murine or bovine rhodopsin. Because these
      rhodopsins differ at several amino acid positions from human rhodopsin, we
      conducted a comprehensive spectroscopic characterization of human rhodopsin in
      combination with molecular dynamics simulations. We show by FTIR and UV-visible
      difference spectroscopy that the light-induced transformations of the early
      photointermediates are very similar. Significant differences between the pigments
      appear with formation of the still inactive Meta I state and the transition to
      active Meta II. However, the conformation of Meta II and its activity toward the
      G protein are essentially the same, presumably reflecting the evolutionary
      pressure under which the active state has developed. Altogether, our results show
      that although the basic activation pathways of human and bovine rhodopsin are
      similar, structural deviations exist in the inactive conformation and during
      receptor activation, even between closely related rhodopsins. These differences
      between the well studied bovine or murine rhodopsins and human rhodopsin have to
      be taken into account when the influence of point mutations on the activation
      pathway of human rhodopsin are investigated using the bovine or murine rhodopsin
      template sequences. 

PMID- 26105055
TI  - Structural Hot Spots Determine Functional Diversity of the Candida glabrata
      Epithelial Adhesin Family.
AB  - For host colonization, the human fungal pathogen Candida glabrata is known to
      utilize a large family of highly related surface-exposed cell wall proteins, the
      lectin-like epithelial adhesins (Epas). To reveal the structure-function
      relationships within the entire Epa family, we have performed a large scale
      functional analysis of the adhesion (A) domains of 17 Epa paralogs in combination
      with three-dimensional structural studies of selected members with cognate
      ligands. Our study shows that most EpaA domains exert lectin-like functions and
      together recognize a wide variety of glycans with terminal galactosides for
      conferring epithelial cell adhesion. We further identify several conserved and
      variable structural features within the diverse Epa ligand binding pockets, which
      affect affinity and specificity. These features rationalize why mere phylogenetic
      relationships within the Epa family are weak indicators for functional
      classification and explain how Epa-like adhesins have evolved in C. glabrata and
      related fungal species. 

PMID- 26105058
TI  - Comparison of breastfeeding rates and health outcomes for infants receiving care
      from hospital outpatient clinic and community health centres in China.
AB  - Utilization of community health centres for child health care instead of hospital
      outpatient clinics is being promoted in China. To evaluate breastfeeding rates
      and health outcomes of infants who received health care from hospital outpatient
      clinic or community health centre, a prospective cohort study with six months
      follow-up was undertaken in Chengdu, China. Participants were 845 mothers and
      their infants, 417 receiving care from one hospital and 428 from five community
      health centres. The 'any breastfeeding' rates at one and three months post-partum
      were significantly lower (p < 0.01) in the hospital outpatient clinic (84% and
      68%) than community health centres (92% and 78%). The presence of common illness
      problems was similar, though the prevalence of lower respiratory tract infection
      was significantly higher in the hospital group (14.6% vs. 6%, p < .01). No
      difference in infant growth was observed between the two groups. The results
      support continuing expansion of child health-care services through community
      health centres in China.

PMID- 26105057
TI  - A Simple Numerical Body Surface Mapping Parameter Signifies Successful
      Percutaneous Coronary Artery Intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In coronary artery disease (CAD), body surface potential mapping
      (BSPM) may reveal minor electrical potential changes appearing in the
      depolarization phase even if pathological changes are absent on the conventional
      12-lead ECG. We hypothesized that a simple BSPM parameter, Max/Min signifies
      successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Ninety-two adult
      Caucasian patients with stable CAD and positive exercise test underwent coronary
      angiography. Seventy patients (age, 59 +/- 8; 46 males) were revascularized by
      PCI (left anterior descending [LAD] in 38, right [RCA] in 17 and left circumflex
      [LCX] coronary artery in 15). Control groups contained 22 patients (age, 60 +/-
      8; 14 males) without intervention and 35 healthy subjects (age, 58 +/- 2; 15
      males). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, transthoracic echocardiography)
      and Max/Min BSPM parameter (63-lead Montreal system) were evaluated before and 4
      40 days following coronary angiography. Max/Min was defined by the ratio of the
      highest maximum to the deepest minimum potential of all leads recorded by BSPM.
      RESULTS: Before PCI, Max/Min value of patients with LAD lesion (0.83 [0.74;
      0.93]) was significantly lower while that with RCA lesion (1.63 [1.35; 1.99]) was
      significantly higher than that of healthy group (1.01 [0.970; 1.13]) (P < 0.05)
      and LVEF was significantly lower in LAD lesion (46.50% [43.00; 51.00]) than in
      the healthy group (55.00% [50.00; 58.75]) (P < 0.01). Max/Min value significantly
      increased from 0.83 [0.74; 0.93] to 0.92 [0.82; 0.99] (P < 0.01) following LAD
      PCI while significantly decreased from 1.63 [1.35; 1.98] to 1.35 [1.21; 1.43] (P
      < 0.01) post-RCA PCI. It did not vary significantly, however, either following
      LCX PCI or without intervention. LVEF significantly increased (from 46.50%
      [43.00; 51.00] to 49.00% [46.00; 51.00]) only after LAD PCI. CONCLUSION: Max/Min
      parameter is suitable to follow patients after LAD and RCA PCI.

PMID- 26105059
TI  - Addressing childhood obesity at school entry: Qualitative experiences of school
      health professionals.
AB  - School entry provides an opportune moment for health professionals to intervene
      with children who are overweight, yet identification and management of childhood
      obesity presents challenges in practice. This multi-method qualitative study
      explored the experiences of 26 school health professionals in addressing
      childhood obesity at school entry. Methods included semi-structured interviews
      with service managers (n = 3); focus groups with school nurses (n = 12) and child
      health practitioners (n = 6); and open-ended questionnaires with school nurses (n
      = 4) and child health practitioners (n = 1) who were unable to attend the focus
      groups. A thematic analysis revealed agreement between service managers, school
      nurses and child health practitioners. Whilst it was felt school health
      professionals have an important role to play in managing childhood obesity,
      efforts to address child weight were limited by a lack of capacity, lack of clear
      protocols, challenges of engaging parents and insufficient training in childhood
      obesity and related lifestyle issues. School health policymakers need to
      recognize childhood obesity as a serious public health issue, allocate
      appropriate resources to nurse training and development and ensure clear pathways
      are established to ensure consistency of care.

PMID- 26105056
TI  - Consensus Paper: Revisiting the Symptoms and Signs of Cerebellar Syndrome.
AB  - The cerebellum is involved in sensorimotor operations, cognitive tasks and
      affective processes. Here, we revisit the concept of the cerebellar syndrome in
      the light of recent advances in our understanding of cerebellar operations. The
      key symptoms and signs of cerebellar dysfunction, often grouped under the generic
      term of ataxia, are discussed. Vertigo, dizziness, and imbalance are associated
      with lesions of the vestibulo-cerebellar, vestibulo-spinal, or cerebellar ocular
      motor systems. The cerebellum plays a major role in the online to long-term
      control of eye movements (control of calibration, reduction of eye instability,
      maintenance of ocular alignment). Ocular instability, nystagmus, saccadic
      intrusions, impaired smooth pursuit, impaired vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), and
      ocular misalignment are at the core of oculomotor cerebellar deficits. As a motor
      speech disorder, ataxic dysarthria is highly suggestive of cerebellar pathology.
      Regarding motor control of limbs, hypotonia, a- or dysdiadochokinesia, dysmetria,
      grasping deficits and various tremor phenomenologies are observed in cerebellar
      disorders to varying degrees. There is clear evidence that the cerebellum
      participates in force perception and proprioceptive sense during active
      movements. Gait is staggering with a wide base, and tandem gait is very often
      impaired in cerebellar disorders. In terms of cognitive and affective operations,
      impairments are found in executive functions, visual-spatial processing,
      linguistic function, and affective regulation (Schmahmann's syndrome). Nonmotor
      linguistic deficits including disruption of articulatory and graphomotor
      planning, language dynamics, verbal fluency, phonological, and semantic word
      retrieval, expressive and receptive syntax, and various aspects of reading and
      writing may be impaired after cerebellar damage. The cerebellum is organized into
      (a) a primary sensorimotor region in the anterior lobe and adjacent part of
      lobule VI, (b) a second sensorimotor region in lobule VIII, and (c) cognitive and
      limbic regions located in the posterior lobe (lobule VI, lobule VIIA which
      includes crus I and crus II, and lobule VIIB). The limbic cerebellum is mainly
      represented in the posterior vermis. The cortico-ponto-cerebellar and cerebello
      thalamo-cortical loops establish close functional connections between the
      cerebellum and the supratentorial motor, paralimbic and association cortices, and
      cerebellar symptoms are associated with a disruption of these loops. 

PMID- 26105060
TI  - An empowerment health education program for children undergoing surgery for
      congenital heart diseases.
AB  - Since the surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD) is considered highly risky,
      appropriate postoperative care is crucial. After the surgery, children are often
      discharged with unhealed wounds, incomplete recovery, and continuing pain. Health
      education programs based on empowerment education model can assist clients to
      develop skills in self-management. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness
      of an empowerment health education program for improving caregiving knowledge,
      caring behaviors, and self-efficacy of parents caring for children after
      corrective surgery for CHD. This prospective clinical trial enrolled pediatric
      patients undergoing surgical correction for CHD. Patients were divided into two
      groups: the control group (n = 42), which received the standard education
      program, and the intervention group (n = 44), which participated in the
      empowerment theory-based education program. We collected data on left ventricular
      ejection fraction (LVEF); peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2); New York Heart
      Association classification of the patients; and the parents' caregiving
      knowledge, caring behaviors, and self-efficacy before surgery and one month and
      three months after surgery. At one month and three months after surgery, the
      intervention group scored higher than the control group in caregiving knowledge,
      caring behavior, and self-efficacy. By the third month after surgery, the
      intervention group had significantly higher values of LVEF and SpO2 than the
      control group.

PMID- 26105061
TI  - Uncertainty: A little bit not sure. Parental concern about child growth or
      development.
AB  - Delays in child growth or development are significant problems for children,
      their families and population health. Eliciting parental concerns as early as
      possible to promote child growth and development requires close collaborative
      working with parents. There is evidence that parents delay expressing concern and
      that health-care professionals are not always effective at eliciting and
      attending to parental concerns. The aim of this study was to understand the
      experiences of parents of preschool children who had expressed a child growth or
      development concern. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study
      design was used with a purposive sample of parents of 15 preschool children in
      Ireland. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews and analysed using
      IPA. One key superordinate theme - Uncertainty - 'a little bit not sure' captured
      how parents made sense of their concerns about their child's growth and
      development. In addition to watching, comparing and wondering, parents assessed
      whether their child could 'do other things' or if something in particular could
      have caused the growth or development problem. Parents, particularly mothers,
      grapple with uncertainty associated with unfamiliar cues in the complex and
      multifaceted nature of child growth and development in their efforts to make
      sense of what is happening with their child.

PMID- 26105062
TI  - Protecting children in research: Safer ways to research with children who may be
      experiencing violence or abuse.
AB  - Children participating in research, like other children, may be being maltreated.
      There is also potential for exposure to abuse during research. Research training,
      practices and protocols to respond to disclosure and discovery of abuse to
      protect both researchers and children may not be sufficiently robust. Our aim was
      to compare and contrast research practices reported in the literature related to
      protecting children and to recommend safer ways to conduct research. The
      simultaneous increase in research with children, along with an increased
      willingness to listen to child victims of abuse, means that researchers must
      consider the protection of children in the research setting. Twenty-three papers
      were identified in a literature review. These studies reported a wide variation
      of ethical considerations, methods, methodology and came from different
      disciplines. From the 23 papers, two overarching themes were identified: social
      justice and research and safer research. To make research safer teams should
      consider training, safety protocols and support for child protection, which
      includes support to report safeguarding concerns to social care. Further work is
      required to ensure that training, protocols and support are effective in
      facilitating researchers to identify and make appropriate child abuse referrals.
      Ethics practices in abuse research need further debate.

PMID- 26105063
TI  - The road to retirement.

PMID- 26105064
TI  - Clinical applications of predictable force systems, part 2: Miniscrew anchorage.

PMID- 26105065
TI  - Changes in orthodontists' retirement planning and practice operations due to the
      recent recession.

PMID- 26105066
TI  - Creative adjuncts for clear aligners, part 3: Extraction and interdisciplinary
      treatment.

PMID- 26105067
TI  - Total TMJ reconstruction in cases of advanced idiopathic condylysis.

PMID- 26105068
TI  - Intrusion of palatally displaced maxillary lateral incisors using nickel titanium
      closed-coil springs.

PMID- 26105069
TI  - Guided eruption of multiple impacted teeth using a modified miniplate.

PMID- 26105070
TI  - VOLUME 31: HTA'S EVOLUTION: FROM CONSUMER TO HONEST BROKER TO ENGAGED
      COLLABORATOR.
AB  - In this issue, Facey and colleagues have eloquently summarized the product of the
      February 2015 HTAi Policy Forum discussion-the need for health technology
      assessment (HTA) to shift from a historically reactive role in both evaluating
      current evidence and requesting additional evidence generation to a more
      proactive role engaging with stakeholders to ensure that evidence produced is
      appropriate for any given intervention at different stages of the clinical
      development program. This makes logical a priori sense, of course, as proactive
      and engaged discussion is always superior to reactive and potentially adversarial
      interaction. 

PMID- 26105071
TI  - Surface plasmon resonance imaging of pathogens: the Yersinia pestis paradigm.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Yersinia pestis, causing deadly plague, is classified as a group A
      bioterrorism bacterium. Some recent DNA-based methods were used for detection of
      bioterrorism agents. RESULTS: Y. pestis was used as a model organism to develop
      an immunosensor based on surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) using
      monoclonal antibody against Y. pestis F1 antigen. The experimental approach
      included step-by-step detection of Y. pestis membrane proteins, lysed bacteria,
      intact bacteria, mock-infected powder and mock-infected clinical specimens. SPRi
      detected on average 10(6) intact Y. pestis organisms in buffer, in mock-infected
      powder and in a 1:4 mixture with HEL cells. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers the
      proof-of-concept of the SPRi-based detection of a human pathogen in both
      environmental and clinical specimens.

PMID- 26105072
TI  - Evaluation of an educational program for essential newborn care in resource
      limited settings: Essential Care for Every Baby.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Essential Care for Every Baby (ECEB) is an evidence-based educational
      program designed to increase cognitive knowledge and develop skills of health
      care professionals in essential newborn care in low-resource areas. The course
      focuses on the immediate care of the newborn after birth and during the first day
      or until discharge from the health facility. This study assessed the overall
      design of the course; the ability of facilitators to teach the course; and the
      knowledge and skills acquired by the learners. METHODS: Testing occurred at 2
      global sites. Data from a facilitator evaluation survey, a learner satisfaction
      survey, a multiple choice question (MCQ) examination, performance on two
      objective structured clinical evaluations (OSCE), and pre- and post-course
      confidence assessments were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Pre-post
      course differences were examined. Comments on the evaluation form and post-course
      group discussions were analyzed to identify potential program improvements.
      RESULTS: Using ECEB course material, master trainers taught 12 facilitators in
      India and 11 in Kenya who subsequently taught 62 providers of newborn care in
      India and 64 in Kenya. Facilitators and learners were satisfied with their
      ability to teach and learn from the program. Confidence (3.5 to 5) and MCQ scores
      (India: pre 19.4, post 24.8; Kenya: pre 20.8, post 25.0) improved (p < 0.001).
      Most participants demonstrated satisfactory skills on the OSCEs. Qualitative data
      suggested the course was effective, but also identified areas for course
      improvement. These included additional time for hands-on practice, including
      practice in a clinical setting, the addition of video learning aids and the
      adaptation of content to conform to locally recommended practices. CONCLUSION:
      ECEB program was highly acceptable, demonstrated improved confidence, improved
      knowledge and developed skills. ECEB may improve newborn care in low resource
      settings if it is part of an overall implementation plan that addresses local
      needs and serves to further strengthen health systems.

PMID- 26105073
TI  - A large-scale functional screen identifies Nova1 and Ncoa3 as regulators of
      neuronal miRNA function.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of neuronal development, network
      connectivity, and synaptic plasticity. While many neuronal miRNAs were previously
      shown to modulate neuronal morphogenesis, little is known regarding the
      regulation of miRNA function. In a large-scale functional screen, we identified
      two novel regulators of neuronal miRNA function, Nova1 and Ncoa3. Both proteins
      are expressed in the nucleus and the cytoplasm of developing hippocampal neurons.
      We found that Nova1 and Ncoa3 stimulate miRNA function by different mechanisms
      that converge on Argonaute (Ago) proteins, core components of the miRNA-induced
      silencing complex (miRISC). While Nova1 physically interacts with Ago proteins,
      Ncoa3 selectively promotes the expression of Ago2 at the transcriptional level.
      We further show that Ncoa3 regulates dendritic complexity and dendritic spine
      maturation of hippocampal neurons in a miRNA-dependent fashion. Importantly, both
      the loss of miRNA activity and increased dendrite complexity upon Ncoa3 knockdown
      were rescued by Ago2 overexpression. Together, we uncovered two novel factors
      that control neuronal miRISC function at the level of Ago proteins, with possible
      implications for the regulation of synapse development and plasticity. 

PMID- 26105075
TI  - Brain network connectivity-behavioral relationships exhibit trait-like
      properties: Evidence from hippocampal connectivity and memory.
AB  - Despite a growing number of studies showing relationships between behavior and
      resting-state functional MRI measures of large-scale brain network connectivity,
      no study to our knowledge has sought to investigate whether intrinsic
      connectivity-behavioral relationships are stable over time. In this study, we
      investigated the stability of such brain-behavior relationships at two
      timepoints, approximately 1 week apart. We focused on the relationship between
      the strength of hippocampal connectivity to posterior cingulate cortex and
      episodic memory performance. Our results showed that this relationship is stable
      across samples of a different age and reliable over two points in time. These
      findings provide the first evidence that the relationship between large-scale
      intrinsic network connectivity and episodic memory performance is a stable
      characteristic that varies between individuals.

PMID- 26105074
TI  - The HDAC6/APOBEC3G complex regulates HIV-1 infectiveness by inducing Vif
      autophagic degradation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has evolved a complex
      strategy to overcome the immune barriers it encounters throughout an organism
      thanks to its viral infectivity factor (Vif), a key protein for HIV-1 infectivity
      and in vivo pathogenesis. Vif interacts with and promotes "apolipoprotein B mRNA
      editing enzyme-catalytic, polypeptide-like 3G" (A3G) ubiquitination and
      subsequent degradation by the proteasome, thus eluding A3G restriction activity
      against HIV-1. RESULTS: We found that cellular histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6)
      directly interacts with A3G through its C-terminal BUZ domain (residues 841
      1,215) to undergo a cellular co-distribution along microtubules and cytoplasm.
      The HDAC6/A3G complex occurs in the absence or presence of Vif, competes for Vif
      mediated A3G degradation, and accounts for A3G steady-state expression level. In
      fact, HDAC6 directly interacts with and promotes Vif autophagic clearance, thanks
      to its C-terminal BUZ domain, a process requiring the deacetylase activity of
      HDAC6. HDAC6 degrades Vif without affecting the core binding factor beta (CBF
      beta), a Vif-associated partner reported to be key for Vif- mediated A3G
      degradation. Thus HDAC6 antagonizes the proviral activity of Vif/CBF-beta
      associated complex by targeting Vif and stabilizing A3G. Finally, in cells
      producing virions, we observed a clear-cut correlation between the ability of
      HDAC6 to degrade Vif and to restore A3G expression, suggesting that HDAC6
      controls the amount of Vif incorporated into nascent virions and the ability of
      HIV-1 particles of being infectious. This effect seems independent on the
      presence of A3G inside virions and on viral tropism. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      identifies for the first time a new cellular complex, HDAC6/A3G, involved in the
      autophagic degradation of Vif, and suggests that HDAC6 represents a new antiviral
      factor capable of controlling HIV-1 infectiveness by counteracting Vif and its
      functions.

PMID- 26105076
TI  - A hypomorphic BMPR1B mutation causes du Pan acromesomelic dysplasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Grebe dysplasia, Hunter-Thompson dysplasia, and du Pan dysplasia
      constitute a spectrum of skeletal dysplasias inherited as an autosomal recessive
      trait characterized by short stature, severe acromesomelic shortening of the
      limbs, and normal axial skeleton. The majority of patients with these disorders
      have biallelic loss-of-function mutations of GDF5. In single instances, Grebe
      dysplasia and a Grebe dysplasia-like phenotype with genital anomalies have been
      shown to be caused by mutations in BMPR1B, encoding a GDF5 receptor. METHODS: We
      clinically and radiologically characterised an acromesomelic chondrodysplasia in
      an adult woman born to consanguineous parents. We sequenced GDF5 and BMPR1B on
      DNA of the proposita. We performed 3D structural analysis and luciferase reporter
      assays to functionally investigate the identified BMPR1B mutation. RESULTS: We
      extend the genotype-phenotype correlation in the acromesomelic chondrodysplasias
      by showing that the milder du Pan dysplasia can be caused by a hypomorphic BMPR1B
      mutation. We show that the homozygous c.91C>T, p.(Arg31Cys) mutation causing du
      Pan dysplasia leads to a significant loss of BMPR1B function, but to a lesser
      extent than the previously reported p.Cys53Arg mutation that results in the more
      severe Grebe dysplasia. CONCLUSIONS: The phenotypic severity gradient of the
      clinically and radiologically related acromesomelic chondrodysplasia spectrum of
      skeletal disorders may be due to the extent of functional impairment of the
      ligand-receptor pair GDF5-BMPR1B.

PMID- 26105077
TI  - Combating oil spill problem using plastic waste.
AB  - Thermoplastic polymers (such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene
      terephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE)) constitute 5-15% of
      municipal solid waste produced across the world. A huge quantity of plastic waste
      is disposed of each year and is mostly either discarded in landfills or
      incinerated. On the other hand, the usage of synthetic polymers as oil sorbents,
      in particular, polyolefins, including polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene (PE)
      are the most commonly used oil sorbent materials mainly due to their low cost.
      However, they possess relatively low oil absorption capacities. In this work, we
      provide an innovative way to produce a value-added product such as oil-sorbent
      film with high practical oil uptake values in terms of g/g from waste HDPE
      bottles for rapid oil spill remedy. 

PMID- 26105078
TI  - Grape Marc Extract-Induced Defense Reactions and Protection against Phytophthora
      parasitica Are Impaired in NahG Tobacco Plants.
AB  - Grape marc extract (GME) acts as an elicitor of plant defense responses. This
      study analyzed GME-induced plant defense reactions in NahG transgenic tobacco.
      Leaf infiltration of NahG leaves revealed HR-like reactions with reduced lesions
      and weak deployment of autofluorescent compounds in the surrounding infiltrated
      tissues. The beta-1,3-glucanase PR2-, endochitinase PR3-, and osmotin PR5-target
      transcript levels were strongly lowered in NahG leaves, and the mutant failed to
      accumulate the antimicrobial PR1 transcripts. GME-induced protection against
      Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae (Ppn) was evaluated on tobacco leaves.
      The antimicrobial properties of GME against Ppn were evidenced using a range of
      in vitro tests. GME-sprayed wild-type leaves showed reduced infection areas,
      whereas GME failed to induce a protective effect against Ppn in NahG leaves. The
      results suggest that GME-induced plant defense reactions in tobacco plants was
      mediated by salicylic acid (SA) and that GME-induced protection against Ppn could
      be the combined result of antimicrobial and defense actions. 

PMID- 26105079
TI  - Simultaneous transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement and transcatheter
      mitral valve replacement for native valvular stenosis.
AB  - Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is well established for patients
      who cannot undergo surgery (Leon et al., N Engl J Med 2010;363:1597) or are high
      risk for surgery (Smith et al., N Engl J Med 2011;364:2187-2198). Experience with
      the TAVR procedure has led to recent reports of successful transcatheter mitral
      valve replacement (TMVR) procedures (Cheung et al., J Am Coll Cardiol
      2014;64:1814; Seiffert et al., J Am Coll Cardiol Interv 2012;5:341-349)
      separately or simultaneously with the TAVR. However, these reports were of
      simultaneous valve-in-valve procedures (Cheung Anson, et al. J Am Coll Cardiol
      2013;61:1759-1766). A recent report from Portugal also reported simultaneous
      transpical implantation of an inverted transcatheter aortic valve-in-ring in the
      mitral position and transcatheter aortic valve (Hasan et al., Circulation
      2013;128:e74-e76). There has been an experience of TMVR only in native mitral
      valve for mitral valve stenosis, but none in both aortic and mitral valves. We
      report the first in human case of simultaneous transapical TAVR and TMVR in
      native valves secondary to valvular stenosis. Our patient was not a candidate for
      percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty secondary to a high Wilkins Score.
      Sizing of the aortic valve was based on the transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE),
      whereas sizing of the mitral valve was based on TEE measurements and balloon
      inflation during left ventriculography. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26105081
TI  - Lumpy Skin Disease in Iraq: Study of the Disease Emergence.
AB  - This study intends to report the first emergence of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in
      Iraq, in addition to describing its related clinical signs. In August 2013, 21
      cases of four outbreaks developed clinical signs suggestive of LSD in the Nineveh
      (Mosul) and Baghdad Governorates, which were considered as the first infected
      foci of LSD in Iraq. The disease was diagnosed tentatively, on the basis of
      clinical signs and epidemiological features, and it was confirmed as positive by
      the polymerase chain reaction and histopathological features. In September 2013,
      eight new outbreaks of LSD also appeared in Baghdad and Nineveh. In 2014, the
      disease spread rapidly to the governorates of Kirkuk, Salah Al-Din, Al-Anbar,
      Diyala, Wasit, Babil, Karbala, Najaf, Al-Diwaniyah, Muthanna, Maysan, DhiQar and
      Basra. The total number of infected cows and calves reported was 7396 and 227,
      respectively. The apparent morbidity and mortality rates were 9.11% and 0.51%,
      respectively, while the apparent case-fatality rate was 5.56%. Skin nodules,
      anorexia, reduce in milk production and decrease in bodyweight were the common
      clinical signs. Moreover, myiasis and mastitis were seen as complications in some
      infected animals. Attempts were made to stop the distribution of the disease
      including quarantine and treatment, control over animal movement and arthropod
      control. Ring vaccination was used in a 10 km radius zone around the outbreak
      with live sheep pox vaccine. The highly contagious transboundary nature of the
      LSD, its endemic distribution in the Iraqi neighbouring countries, and the
      current armed conflict in the area were the possible factors for the disease
      being introduced into the country. LSD had spread through the Middle East and
      Gulf peninsula and could be a cause of danger to the rest of Asia and Europe.
      International precaution, cooperation and exchange of information could guarantee
      the prevention and further spread of the disease to the rest of Asia and Europe.

PMID- 26105082
TI  - The Need for Cultural Safety in Injury Prevention.
AB  - Public health nurses are on the front line of injury prevention initiatives.
      However, within injury prevention interventions and research, issues pertaining
      to culture are often addressed through the employment of one of the three
      approaches: cultural competency, cultural appropriateness, and/or cultural
      sensitivity. When using these approaches, it is often suggested that it is only
      those who are the recipients of an intervention or the focus of research that
      "have" culture. The injury prevention designer's/provider's/researcher's own
      culture, as well as the ways in which it may influence the interventions or
      research, is typically rendered invisible. In this paper, we provide an overview
      and illustrations of the use of cultural competency, cultural appropriateness,
      and cultural sensitivity in injury prevention initiatives, as well as each
      approach's shortcomings. We then introduce cultural safety, an approach that has
      not yet gained traction in injury prevention but has had significant uptake
      within nursing in general, and argue that it has the potential to overcome many
      other approaches' shortcomings and thus may lead to more effective and socially
      just injury prevention initiatives. 

PMID- 26105083
TI  - Urine biomarkers of schistosomiais and its associated bladder cancer.
AB  - Schistosomiasis (SCH) is the second only to malaria among the parasitic diseases
      affecting humans regarding the prevalence of infection worldwide. In this
      nonsystematic review, we summarize the existing data on commercially available
      and promising investigational urine markers for the detection of SCH and its
      associated bladder cancer (BC). We searched PubMed, Scopus and Cochran without
      time limits. We reviewed the recent literatures on urine-based markers for SCH
      and its associated BC. Many studies identified several urine biomarkers of
      Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni worms and their associated BC
      using automated, inexpensive, quantitative assays in urine. These markers may aid
      in early detection of bladder carcinoma and have the potential to reduce the
      number of follow-up cystoscopy, thus reducing healthcare costs and patient
      discomfort, at the same time. Nevertheless, clinical evidence is insufficient to
      warrant the substitution of the cystoscopic follow-up scheme by any of the
      currently available urine marker tests. 

PMID- 26105084
TI  - Sodium NMR/MRI for anisotropic systems.
AB  - Sodium ((23)Na) plays a central role in many physiological processes, and its
      high NMR sensitivity makes it an attractive nucleus for biomedical NMR and MRI
      research. Many biological tissues contain structures such as fibers and membranes
      that impose anisotropic translational and rotational motions on the sodium ions.
      Translational motion can be studied by diffusion measurements. Anisotropic
      rotational motion results in non-vanishing quadrupolar interaction that it is
      best studied by exploiting multiple quantum coherences for (23)Na NMR
      spectroscopy and MRI. The current review covers the application of the various
      NMR techniques to the study of (23)Na in anisotropic compartments in cartilage,
      tendon, intervertebral discs, red blood cells, nervous system and muscles.

PMID- 26105085
TI  - Effect of high-protein supplemental therapy on subjective global assessment of
      CKD-5D patients.
AB  - Adequate nutrition in patients on hemodialysis is an important step for improving
      the quality of life. This prospective study was undertaken to monitor the
      nutritional status of patients who were given high-protein supplements on
      malnutrition inflammation score (MIS) and to correlate with biochemical
      parameters in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. This prospective study was
      conducted on 55 chronic kidney disease patients on MHD (37 women, 18 men), aged
      between 21 and 67 years. Of the 55 patients, 26 patients received high-protein
      commercial nutritional supplements, whereas 29 patients received high-protein
      kitchen feeding. Every patient had their MIS, 24-hour dietary recall, hand grip,
      mid arm circumference, triceps skin-fold thickness at 0, 3, and 6 months. Each of
      the above parameters was compared between the high-protein commercial nutritional
      supplement cohort and high-protein kitchen feeding cohort, and the data were
      analyzed. Of the 55 patients, 82.61% of patients on high-protein kitchen feeding
      group and 66.67% in high-protein commercial nutritional supplement group were
      nonvegetarian (P = 0.021). According to the MIS, improvement was observed in
      malnutrition status from 3- to 6-month period in 38.1% of patients in high
      protein commercial supplement group, whereas only in 8.7% in high-protein kitchen
      feeding group (P = 0.04). Assessment showed improvement in malnutrition status
      with high-protein commercial nutritional supplement, which was marked in patients
      with age group >65 years (P = 0.03) and in those in whom serum albumin is <35 g/L
      (P = 0.02). Both high-protein kitchen feeding and high-protein commercial
      nutritional supplement cohorts were observed to have improvement in overall
      nutritional status. Older patients >65 years with lower serum albumin levels
      (<3.5 g/dL) were observed to have significant improvement in nutritional status
      with high-protein commercial nutritional supplements. 

PMID- 26105086
TI  - Brefeldin A exerts differential effects on anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive
      anaplastic large cell lymphoma and classical Hodgkin lymphoma cell lines.
AB  - To obtain further insights into the biological differences of anaplastic lymphoma
      kinase positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALK+ ALCL) and classical Hodgkin
      lymphoma (HL), we screened microbial culture filtrates to search for compounds
      that would exert a significantly greater effect on the viability of ALK+ ALCL
      cell lines compared to HL cell lines and identified Brefeldin A (BFA) as a
      suitable candidate. BFA inhibited phosphorylation of ALK and its downstream
      molecule, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), one of the
      central pathways for the survival of ALK+ ALCL cells. In HL cell lines BFA did
      not affect CD30 expression or constitutive nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB activity,
      both of which are critical for HL cell survival. BFA induced disruption of the
      Golgi apparatus in ALK+ ALCL cell lines, which was accompanied by a decrease in
      active ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1), whereas BFA had no significant effect on
      these parameters in HL cell lines. These results add extra insights into the
      biological distinction between ALK+ ALCL and HL cells and highlight the Golgi
      apparatus as a target for the treatment of ALK+ ALCL. 

PMID- 26105087
TI  - Parinaud's oculoglandular syndrome revealing subclinical Rickettsia conorii
      infection.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to report a case of Parinaud's oculoglandular
      syndrome associated with subclinical Rickettsia conorii infection. We report a
      case of a 66-year-old male patient presented with unilateral persistent
      granulomatous conjunctivitis in the left eye and an ipsilateral preauricular
      lymphadenopathy without associated systemic features. Laboratory evaluation
      showed a positive indirect immunofluorescence antibody test for R. conorii. The
      patient received a 2-week course of oral doxycycline, with subsequent complete
      resolution of all his symptoms. Rickettsial disease should be considered in the
      differential diagnosis of oculoglandular syndrome with or without associated
      systemic symptoms in any patient living in or returning from a specific endemic
      area. 

PMID- 26105088
TI  - Personality subtypes and chest pain in patients with nonobstructive coronary
      artery disease from the TweeSteden Mild Stenosis study: mediating effect of
      anxiety and depression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients presenting with chest pain in nonobstructive coronary artery
      disease (CAD, luminal narrowing <60%) are at risk for emotional distress and
      future events. We aimed to examine the association of personality subtypes with
      persistent chest pain, and investigated the potential mediating effects of
      negative mood states. METHODS: Any chest pain in the past month was the primary
      outcome measure reported by 523 patients with nonobstructive CAD (mean age 61.4
      years, SD = 9.4; 48% men), who participate in the TweeSteden Mild Stenosis
      (TWIST) observational cohort. Personality was categorized into a 'reference
      group', a high social inhibition ('SI only'), a high negative affectivity ('NA
      only') and a 'Type D' (NA and SI) group. Negative mood states included symptoms
      of depression and anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and cognitive
      and somatic depression (Beck Depression Inventory). The PROCESS macro was used to
      examine the relation between personality subtypes and chest pain presence, with
      the negative mood states as potential mediators. RESULTS: Persistent chest pain
      was present in 44% of the patients with nonobstructive CAD. Type D personality
      (OR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.24-2.95), but not the 'NA only' (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 0.89
      2.44) or the 'SI only' (OR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.53-1.64) group was associated with
      chest pain, adjusted for age and sex. Negative mood states mediated the
      association between personality and chest pain. CONCLUSIONS: Type D personality,
      but not negative affectivity or social inhibition, was related to chest pain in
      nonobstructive CAD, which was mediated by negative mood states.

PMID- 26105089
TI  - Human herpesvirus 6 infection in a bone marrow biopsy specimen after allogeneic
      stem cell transplantation.

PMID- 26105090
TI  - Posterior Displacement of Supraspinatus Central Tendon Observed on Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging: A Useful Preoperative Indicator of Rotator Cuff Tear
      Characteristics.
AB  - PURPOSE: To characterize the orientation of the normal supraspinatus central
      tendon and describe the displacement patterns of the central tendon in rotator
      cuff tears using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based method. METHODS: We
      performed a retrospective MRI and chart review of 183 patients with a rotator
      cuff tear (cuff tear group), 52 with a labral tear but no rotator cuff tear
      (labral tear group), and 74 with a normal shoulder (normal group). The
      orientation of the supraspinatus central tendon relative to the bicipital groove
      was evaluated based on axial MRI and was numerically represented by the shortest
      distance from the lateral extension line of the central tendon to the bicipital
      groove. Tear size, fatty degeneration, and involvement of the anterior
      supraspinatus were evaluated to identify the factors associated with orientation
      changes. RESULTS: The mean distance from the bicipital groove to the central
      tendon line was 0.7 mm and 1.3 mm in the normal group and labral tear group,
      respectively. Full-thickness cuff tears involving the anterior supraspinatus
      showed a significantly greater distance (17.7 mm) than those sparing the anterior
      supraspinatus (4.9 mm, P = .001). Fatty degeneration of the supraspinatus was
      significantly correlated with the distance (P = .006). Disruption of the anterior
      supraspinatus and fatty degeneration of the supraspinatus were independent
      predictors of posterior displacement. CONCLUSIONS: The supraspinatus central
      tendon has a constant orientation toward the bicipital groove in normal
      shoulders, and the central tendon is frequently displaced posteriorly in full
      thickness rotator cuff tears involving the anterior leading edge of the
      supraspinatus. The degree of posterior displacement is proportional to tear size
      and severity of fatty degeneration of the supraspinatus muscle. A simple and
      quick assessment of the central tendon orientation on preoperative MRI can be a
      useful indicator of tear characteristics, potentially providing insight into the
      intraoperative repair strategy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, diagnostic case
      control study.

PMID- 26105091
TI  - Incidence and Risk Factor Analysis of Symptomatic Venous Thromboembolism After
      Knee Arthroscopy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To (1) determine the incidence of symptomatic venous thromboembolic
      events (VTEs) after knee arthroscopy and arthroscopy-assisted procedures at a
      single institution and (2) determine associated risk factors for VTEs in these
      patients. METHODS: The records of patients who underwent knee arthroscopy at a
      single institution between 1988 and 2008 were reviewed. Chemoprophylaxis was not
      routinely used. Confirmed VTEs occurring within 4 weeks after the index
      arthroscopy procedure were included. A 2:1 matched control group was generated to
      include patients in whom knee arthroscopy was performed by the same surgeon
      either on the same day or immediately before each case resulting in a VTE.
      Preoperative and perioperative data were collected with respect to demographic
      data, medical history, medications, and surgical and anesthesia data. Univariate
      and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: During the study period,
      12,595 patients underwent knee arthroscopy. Among these patients, 43 cases of
      VTEs (35 deep venous thromboses [DVTs], 5 pulmonary embolisms [PEs], and 3 DVTs
      that progressed to PEs) occurred, resulting in an incidence of 0.30% (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.22% to 0.41%) for DVT, 0.06% (95% CI, 0.03% to 0.12%)
      for PE, and 0.34% (95% CI, 0.25% to 0.46%) for VTEs overall. Factors associated
      with an elevated risk of symptomatic postoperative VTEs included a history of
      malignancy (P = .01; odds ratio [OR], 6.3), a history of VTEs (P = .02; OR, 5.2),
      or the presence of more than 2 classic risk factors for VTEs (P = .01; OR, 13.6).
      CONCLUSIONS: In this study, symptomatic VTEs were rare and occurred infrequently,
      with an incidence of 0.34% (95% CI, 0.25% to 0.46%), after knee arthroscopy and
      arthroscopy-assisted cases in the absence of routine chemoprophylaxis. Patients
      with a history of VTEs, a history of malignancy, or 2 or more classic risk
      factors are at increased risk of VTEs after knee arthroscopy, and
      chemoprophylaxis should be considered in these select patients. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level III, case-control study.

PMID- 26105092
TI  - Hip Strength Deficits in Patients With Symptomatic Femoroacetabular Impingement
      and Labral Tears.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of hip strength deficits in a consecutive
      cohort of patients with unilateral femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) compared
      with the asymptomatic contralateral hip. METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients
      undergoing hip arthroscopy for symptomatic FAI underwent preoperative hip
      strength dynamometer measurements and were included in the study. Manual
      isometric hip strength measurements were performed with a handheld dynamometer
      and included measurements of various hip strengths (flexion, extension,
      adduction, abduction, internal rotation, and external rotation). Weakness greater
      than or equal to 10% for any given measurement was defined as a strength deficit
      in this study. Clinical data including age, gender, size of labral tear, and
      preoperative outcome scores were recorded. Outcome scores included the modified
      Harris Hip Score and Short Form 12 Physical Component. RESULTS: The mean age of
      patients in the study was 32.0 years (range, 18.1 to 49.8 years). There were 32
      male and 18 female patients. Hip abduction strength deficits were seen in 46% of
      patients and flexion strength deficits in 42% of patients. An 8% decrease in
      strength of the involved hip was seen in flexion, and an 8.7% decrease was seen
      in abduction. Patients with hip flexion strength deficits had a loss of function
      (mean modified Harris Hip Score, 57.8 v 66.1; P = .021) and larger labral tears
      (mean, 39 mm v 28 mm; P = .003). Hip flexion strength deficits correlated with
      loss of hip flexion (r = 0.373, P = .008). CONCLUSIONS: Hip strength deficits
      were common in patients presenting with unilateral symptomatic FAI and occurred
      most commonly in hip abduction and flexion. Strength deficits in hip flexion were
      associated with decreased function, loss of motion, and larger labral tears in
      patients with FAI and labral tears. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, prognostic case
      series.

PMID- 26105093
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26105094
TI  - Influence of so far neglected psychosomatic factors, BMI and smoking on pregnancy
      induced hypertension (PIH).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Correlation of descriptive psychosomatic factors and birth parameters
      for pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). STUDY DESIGN: For this prospective
      study 508 pregnant (singleton) women from 16th-22nd gestational week (GW) were
      investigated by means of a semi-standardized questionnaire. Complete data
      concerning delivery were obtained from medical records. In addition to medical
      and sociodemographic risk factors, so far neglected parameters such as
      biographical information, personality factors, social environment, stress coping
      strategies and pregnancy-related anxieties were examined. A factor analysis was
      performed using a principal component method with subsequent varimax rotation.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Main outcome measures were imminent preterm delivery, PIH,
      factual preterm delivery before 37GW and birth weight <10th percentile. RESULTS:
      Four hundred and eighty-eight qualified for evaluation and got included in the
      univariate logistic regression - 12.6% of them had PIH. The development of PIH
      showed a significant correlation with age (OR, 95% CI). Very young and older
      women were more likely to develop PIH. Development of PIH is significantly more
      frequent in women, whose parents adhered to an authoritarian educational style,
      had no emotional support of female friends, and a higher BMI. Women who always
      had been non-smokers and women who did not give up smoking during pregnancy, but
      only reduced the amount of cigarettes had the least probability of developing
      PIH, whereas total abandoning of smoking before and especially during pregnancy
      was associated with a significantly increased risk for the development of PIH.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests psychosomatic factors, BMI and smoking behavior
      to be relevant for the development of PIH.

PMID- 26105095
TI  - Serum S100B in pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia: A case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serum S100B is a protein produced and released primarily by
      astrocytes of the Central Nervous System (CNS). Elevated levels of serum S100B
      are associated with several types of pathological conditions of the brain,
      including the eclampsia in pregnant women. The aim of this study was to compare
      serum S100B concentrations in pregnant women with severe and mild preeclampsia
      (PE) with S100B serum levels in normotensive pregnant women. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Serum S100B protein was measured in normotensive pregnant women (n=15)
      and in women with mild PE (n=12) or severe PE (n=34). The serum S100B level
      (MUg/L) was determined by an luminometric assay. RESULTS: Sixty-one expectant
      mothers were studied, aged 26.6+/-8.7 (mean+/-SD) years and with a gestational
      age of 33.3+/-4.2 weeks. The severe PE group demonstrated higher S100B levels
      (0.20+/-0.19), as compared with mild PE (0.07+/-0.05) or normotensive groups
      (0.04+/-0.05). CONCLUSION: Elevated serum S100B levels in pregnant women with
      severe PE suggest that some kind of neural damage and subsequent astrocytic
      release of S100B is not dependent on the progression from severe preeclampsia to
      eclampsia.

PMID- 26105096
TI  - Association between placental growth factor levels in early onset preeclampsia
      with the occurrence of postpartum hemorrhage: A prospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between PlGF (placental growth factor)
      estimation in early second trimester (22-24weeks of gestation), with the
      occurrence of postpartum hemorrhage in pregnant women with early onset
      preeclampsia and whether the mode of delivery (cesarean or vaginal) has any
      association with increased risk of developing postpartum hemorrhage. STUDY
      DESIGN: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 788 pregnant women with
      singleton pregnancies diagnosed with early onset preeclampsia between March 2009
      and June 2011. Maternal serum PlGF level estimation was done between 22 and
      24weeks of gestation and a cut-off value of <122pg/ml was determined by receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for identifying those at risk of
      developing postpartum hemorrhage. Association between serum PlGF level <122pg/ml
      and cesarean deliveries with the risk of developing postpartum hemorrhage was
      analyzed by logistic regression analysis and Odds ratio, which were computed. The
      results were considered statistically significant when P-value <0.05. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of study population developing postpartum
      hemorrhage. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed the association of serum
      PlGF <122pg/ml at 22-24weeks (Odds ratio 8.9516; 95% CI, 5.0728-15.7963) and that
      of cesarean delivery (Odds ratio 2.4252; 95% CI, 1.4573-4.0360) with the risk of
      developing postpartum hemorrhage. Both the associations were found to be
      statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Maternal serum PlGF level <122pg/ml at 22
      24weeks of gestation and cesarean delivery are both strongly associated with the
      risk of developing postpartum hemorrhage in pregnant women with early onset
      preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105097
TI  - Folate transporter expression decreases in the human placenta throughout
      pregnancy and in pre-eclampsia.
AB  - The transport of folate across the placenta involves a number of different
      receptors including folate receptor-alpha (FR-alpha), reduced folate carrier
      (RFC) and proton coupled folate transporter (PCFT). In addition there are a
      number of ATP-dependent transporters which have also recently been shown to be
      involved in folate transport; these include ABCB1, ABCC2 and BCRP (ABCG2). The
      aim of the current study was to characterise the placental mRNA and protein
      expression of these folate transporters throughout gestation and also to see if
      expression is altered in pre-eclampsia. Placental tissue was collected from women
      undergoing termination of pregnancy (TOP) and from women undergoing elective
      Caesarean section. To investigate mRNA expression quantitative real time PCR was
      used with gene specific oligonucleotide primers to FR-alpha, RFC, PCFT, ABCB1,
      ABCC2, BCRP and the reference gene YWHAZ. Protein expression was also
      characterised using immunohistochemistry of paraffin embedded placental tissue.
      Both protein and mRNA expression of all transporters examined decreased as the
      gestation progressed. Expression of FR-alpha and PCFT mRNA and protein were
      decreased in pre-eclampsia compared with normal term pregnancy. The higher levels
      of expression of FR-alpha, RFC, PCFT, ABCB1, ABCC2 and BCRP in early pregnancy
      indicate that these transporters may have an important role in the establishment
      and development of the placenta, with expression reducing in preparation for
      parturition. Reductions in FR-alpha and PCFT in pre-eclampsia may be a mechanism
      involved in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia by limiting placental folate uptake
      resulting in reduced levels of angiogenesis, cell proliferation and antioxidant
      protection. 

PMID- 26105098
TI  - Cardiac function at term in human pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We have previously demonstrated deterioration in cardiac function at
      term in human pregnancy. To explore further, we investigated central arterial
      hemodynamics and association with maternal weight during gestation. STUDY DESIGN:
      Primiparous women (n=32) were recruited in a tertiary referral obstetric hospital
      and a longitudinal cohort study with analyses at median 16 and 37weeks gestation
      undertaken. Subgroups of normal body mass index, <25kg/m(2), and overweight,
      ?25kg/m(2), at 16weeks were created. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We performed 2D
      speckle tracking echocardiography strain analysis and tonometric measures of
      central arterial pressures, waveforms and pulse wave velocity. RESULTS: A
      reduction in cardiac strain (2P=0.002) from 16 to 37weeks gestation was
      associated with increased systemic vascular resistance (2P=0.008), reduced
      arterial compliance (2P=0.004) and increased central arterial pressures
      (2P<0.001) and augmentation index (2P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: By 37weeks, compared
      with values in earlier pregnancy, overweight women had higher systemic vascular
      resistance (2P<0.05). Additionally, their central diastolic pressure was higher
      (2P<0.05) and their ventricular strain was lower (2P<0.05) than in normal weight
      pregnant women. An increase in systemic vascular resistance and central arterial
      pressures by term may contribute to the observed deterioration in cardiac
      function. This appears more prominent in overweight women.

PMID- 26105099
TI  - The maternal cardiovascular effect of carbetocin compared to oxytocin in women
      undergoing caesarean section.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare haemodynamic changes, measured noninvasively using the
      USCOM monitor, after combined spino-epidural anaesthesia and after administration
      of two different uterotonic drugs, oxytocin and carbetocin, in a population of
      pregnant women during elective caesarean delivery. METHODS: Haemodynamic
      measurements were obtained with the USCOM system, by positioning a probe at
      maternal suprasternal notch (SSN) until the aortic valve flow's profile was
      optimally identified. Evaluations of the haemodynamic profile were obtained in
      seven different moments: before anaesthesia; during skin incision; 60, 180 and
      300s after administration of uterotonic drug, at closure of the uterus, at
      closure of the skin. Doses of uterotonic drugs were: Oxytocin 5UI in 500cc NaCl
      eV, Carbetocin 100mcg in bolus eV. Main measured parameters were: heart rate,
      mean blood pressure, stroke volume, cardiac output and total vascular resistance.
      RESULTS: We enrolled 32 pregnant women. Patients were randomized in two groups:
      oxytocin and carbetocin. A reduction in mean blood pressure, a reduction of total
      vascular resistance and an increase of cardiac output and of stroke volume were
      seen, while heart rate values remained stable in both treatment groups. No
      statistically significant differences were found. DISCUSSION: Administration of
      carbetocin is associated with a substantial global haemodynamic stability in
      patients undergoing elective caesarean section without any difference with
      oxytocin. This observation allows us to consider carbetocin comparable to
      oxytocin, with minimum haemodynamic impact on the maternal circulation. This
      minimal effect on global haemodynamic stability might extend the use of this
      uterotonic drug in patients at high haemorrhagic risk with preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105100
TI  - Postpartum physical activity after preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: After mild and severe preeclampsia, to assess whether women meet the
      physical activity recommendation at 3 and 6months postpartum, and whether
      demographic, obstetric and anthropometric characteristics, mental health, and
      health-related quality of life are associated with less physical activity than
      recommended. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self
      reported physical activity in MET-min/week, percentage of women who fail to meet
      the physical activity recommendation. METHODS: Of the 255 women diagnosed with
      preeclampsia invited to participate in this prospective cohort study, 174 (68%)
      provided informed consent. Analyses were restricted to 141 participants who
      completed the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire at
      3 and/or 6months postpartum. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate
      changes in physical activity level over time, and to establish which variables
      were associated with failure to meet the postpartum physical activity
      recommendation. RESULTS: At both 3 and 6months postpartum, 38% of women failed to
      meet the physical activity recommendation. Failure was associated with severe
      preeclampsia, cesarean section, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit,
      low gestational age at delivery, and low birth weight (all p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      There seems to be a need to stimulate physical activity in about one third of
      women after a pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia, particularly in case of
      severe preeclampsia and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Tailored lifestyle
      interventions are needed for women who fail to meet the recommendation.

PMID- 26105101
TI  - Lipid concentration in small for gestational age (SGA)pregnancies and
      hypertensive disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Low maternal serum lipid and high maternal serum lipid have both been
      associated with some complications in pregnancy. The lipid profiles in
      pregnancies complicated by small for gestational age (SGA) or hypertension
      disorders have been compared with those of normal pregnancies. METHOD: In a
      prospective study, 900 pregnant women between 13 and 23weeks of pregnancy were
      studied. Primarily, serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG),
      low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol,
      were measured. Ultimately, the serum lipid levels at 13-23weeks of pregnancies
      were compared between the women who later suffered from hypertension disorders or
      SGA and the matched women with normal pregnancies. RESULTS: At 13-23weeks of
      pregnancy, the mean triglyceride levels were significantly higher in the women
      who later experienced preeclampsia when compared with normal, matched pregnancies
      with an appropriate weight for gestational age and women who had gestational
      hypertension (p=0.001 and p=0.014, respectively). Also, triglyceride levels were
      significantly higher in women with neonates with large for gestational age (LGA)
      in comparison with those who gave birth to neonates with SGA (p=0.012) and with
      uncomplicated matched pregnant women who gave birth to neonates with weight >10th
      and <90th percentile for their gestational age (p=0.007). CONCLUSION: Only the
      levels of TG and not any other lipids evaluated were found to be different in
      pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia when compared to pregnancies complicated
      by SGA.

PMID- 26105102
TI  - Maternal soluble human leukocyte antigen-G levels in pregnancies complicated by
      foetal intrauterine growth restriction with and without preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the maternal serum of soluble
      human leukocyte antigen-G (sHLA-G) levels in pregnant women with an isolated
      intrauterine growth restricted foetus (IUGR) and in preeclamptic pregnancies with
      and without IUGR. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 31
      normotensive patients with pregnancy complicated by IUGR, 17 preeclamptic
      patients with appropriate-for-gestational-age foetal intrauterine growth, 21 with
      preeclampsia complicated by IUGR, and 32 healthy pregnant controls. Maternal
      serum sHLA-G levels were calculated using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
      RESULTS: Maternal serum sHLA-G levels tended to be higher in both groups of
      preeclamptic patients, and were highest in patients with IUGR in the course of
      severe preeclampsia. Lower serum levels of sHLA-G were observed in the group of
      normotensive pregnant women with an intrauterine growth restricted foetus, but
      these differences were not statistically significant. The mean values were
      22.759+/-14.151units/mL in the IUGR group, 25.948+/-18.888units/mL in
      preeclamptic patients with normal intrauterine foetal growth, 31.646+/
      27.576units/mL in preeclamptic pregnant women with IUGR, and 24.178+/
      24.828units/mL in the healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that
      the increased levels of sHLA-G in the maternal serum may play a significant role
      in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, especially in preeclampsia complicated by
      intrauterine foetal growth restriction. These associations may offer a better
      insight into the etiology and pathogenesis of preeclampsia with and without IUGR.
      It seems that sHLA-G does not play a clinically significant role in the
      pathogenesis of isolated intrauterine foetal growth restriction in normotensive
      pregnancies.

PMID- 26105103
TI  - Off-label and unlicenced medicine administration to paediatric emergency
      department patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and nature of off-label and unlicenced
      (off-label/unlicenced) medicine administration to paediatric ED patients.
      METHODS: We undertook a retrospective, observational study in six EDs (July 2011
      to June 2012, inclusive). Patients, aged 0-17 years, who were administered a
      medicine in the ED were included. At each site, 50 eligible patients were
      randomly selected each month of the study period. An explicit review of each
      patient's records was undertaken. Medicines were classified as on or off
      label/unlicenced according to categories of use approved by the Therapeutic Goods
      Administration. RESULTS: There were 3343 patients enrolled (56.5% men, mean +/-
      SD age 6.7 +/- 5.4 years). Of the 6786 medicine doses administered, 2072 (30.5%,
      95% CI 29.4-31.7%) were off-label/unlicenced. The off-label/unlicenced doses were
      administered to 1213 (36.3%, 95% CI 34.7-37.9%) patients. Patients administered
      an off-label/unlicenced medicine were younger than those who were not (P < 0.01).
      Salbutamol, ondansetron, ipratropium, fentanyl and oxycodone were the medicines
      most commonly administered off-label. In 910 (44.0%) cases, the dose/frequency
      was not approved; in 592 (28.6%), there was an unapproved indication for
      treatment; in 158 (7.6%), the medicine was administered via an unapproved route;
      in 154 (7.4%) the medicine was not approved for the weight or age; and in 74
      (3.5%) an unlicenced product was administered. The remaining cases had
      combinations of reasons. CONCLUSIONS: Off-label/unlicenced medicine
      administration is common. A registry of commonly used off-label medicines is
      recommended in which the safety and efficacy of their off-label use have been
      demonstrated by published evidence.

PMID- 26105104
TI  - Fluorination-dependent molecular orbital occupancy in ring-shaped
      perfluorocarbons.
AB  - Perfluorocarbons are a family of molecules consisting mainly of carbon and
      fluorine atoms. They have interesting chemical properties and have diverse
      applications in biomedicine, physical chemistry and polymer science. In this
      work, carbon K-edge absorption and emission spectra of liquid decalin are
      presented and compared to perfluorodecalin. A comprehensive picture of the
      electronic structure of decalin is provided based on soft X-ray absorption and
      emission spectroscopies. Experimental data are compared to theoretical time
      dependent density functional theory for the hydrocarbon, the perfluorocarbon and
      the stepwise fluorinated derivatives. We observed a molecular orbital change from
      unoccupied to occupied orbitals for perfluorodecalin, which was induced through
      the fluorination process. 

PMID- 26105105
TI  - Anatomy of the bovine ascending aorta and brachiocephalic artery found
      unfavorable for total artificial heart implant.
AB  - The biocompatibility assessment of the Cleveland Clinic continuous-flow total
      artificial heart is an important part of the device developmental program.
      Surgical and postoperative management are key factors in achieving optimal
      outcomes. However, the presence of vascular anatomical abnormalities in
      experimental animal models is often unpredictable and may worsen the expected
      outcomes. We report a technical impediment encountered during total artificial
      heart implantation complicated by unfavorable bovine anatomy of the ascending
      aorta and brachiocephalic arterial trunk. 

PMID- 26105106
TI  - A reoperation of thrombosed On-X valve detected by multidetector-row computed
      tomography.
AB  - A 62-year-old female patient underwent mitral valve replacement with a 31/33-mm
      On-X valve for ischemic mitral valve regurgitation. Three months later,
      transthoracic echocardiography incidentally showed a blocked leaflet with 6 mmHg
      of mean pressure gradient and 2.4 cm(2) of mitral valve orifice area.
      Transesophageal echocardiography could not detect thrombus.
      Electrocardiographically gated multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT)
      clearly demonstrated a blocked leaflet in the close position and thrombus (2 cm
      in length, 0.4 cm(2) in area) attached onto the atrial aspect of the leaflet.
      These findings observed by MDCT were confirmed at reoperation. MDCT was useful
      diagnostic method for visualizing prosthetic valve thrombosis. 

PMID- 26105107
TI  - Palliative parenteral nutrition use in patients with intestinal failure as a
      consequence of advanced pseudomyxoma peritonei: a case series.
AB  - Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare condition complicated by intra-abdominal
      spread that can cause multilevel gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction. Parenteral
      nutrition (PN) use in the context of palliative care and malignancy remains
      controversial. We describe the use of palliative PN in three patients with
      progressive PMP causing multilevel GI obstruction and intestinal failure. All
      patients received > 90 days of PN. PN was safe in this cohort of patients.
      However, patient selection and the timing of intervention are important factors
      when considering the initiation of PN.

PMID- 26105108
TI  - Relatively high mortality risk in elderly Swedish subjects with low selenium
      status.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The daily dietary intake of selenium (Se), an essential
      trace element, is still low in Sweden in spite of decades of nutritional
      information campaigns and the effect of this on the public health is presently
      not well known. The objective of this study was to determine the serum Se levels
      in an elderly Swedish population and to analyze whether a low Se status had any
      influence on mortality. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Six-hundred sixty-eight (n=668) elderly
      participants were invited from a municipality and evaluated in an observational
      study. Individuals were followed for 6.8 years and Se levels were re-evaluated in
      98 individuals after 48 months. Clinical examination of all individuals included
      functional classification, echocardiography, electrocardiogram and serum Se
      measurement. All mortality was registered and endpoints of mortality were
      assessed by Kaplan-Meier plots, and Cox proportional hazard ratios adjusted for
      potential confounding factors were calculated. RESULTS: The mean serum Se level
      of the study population (n=668) was 67.1 MUg/l, corresponding to relatively low
      Se intake. After adjustment for male gender, smoking, ischemic heart disease,
      diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and impaired heart function,
      persons with serum Se in the lowest quartile had 43% (95% confidence interval
      (CI): 1.02-2.00) and 56% (95% CI: 1.03-2.36) increased risk for all-cause and
      cardiovascular mortality, respectively. The result was not driven by inflammatory
      effects on Se concentration in serum. CONCLUSION: The mean serum Se concentration
      in an elderly Swedish population was 67.1 MUg/l, which is below the physiological
      saturation level for several selenoprotein enzymes. This result may suggest the
      value of modest Se supplementation in order to improve the health of the Swedish
      population.

PMID- 26105110
TI  - Surgical Anatomical Landmarks of the Thoracolumbar Vertebral Column on Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging in Dogs.
AB  - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in veterinary medicine profoundly improved
      spinal cord disease investigation in canine patients. We aimed to further
      describe the anatomical landmarks of the thoracolumbar junction in sagittal MRI
      sequences. MRI studies from 90 dogs were reviewed retrospectively, representing a
      broad cross section of breeds and body weights. The ratio of the distance from
      the dorsal aspect of the vertebral canal to the dorsal aspect of the transverse
      process or rib articulation relative to the length of L2 vertebra was determined
      for T12, T13, L1 and L2 vertebrae. A statistically significant difference was
      noted with the transverse processes being more ventrally located than the cranial
      fovea costalis. The lumbar transverse processes and rib articulations
      dramatically varied in shape, being oval or round, respectively. The sagittal
      image at the level of the lateral margin of the articular facet joint proved to
      be the most consistent for review of these structures. 

PMID- 26105109
TI  - DHEA metabolism to the neurosteroid androsterone: a possible mechanism of DHEA's
      antidepressant action.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alterations in neurosteroid secretion have been implicated in the
      efficacy of antidepressants. In a previous study, the adrenal androgen DHEA, a
      precursor of the neurosteroid androsterone, produced antidepressant and libido
      enhancing effects in patients with midlife depression. To investigate the
      mechanisms underlying DHEA's behavioral effects in this same patient group, we
      examined plasma levels of four additional neurosteroids implicated in the
      regulation of affective behavior. METHODS: Blood samples were assayed for
      neurosteroids in men (n = 13) and women (n = 10) with midlife depression who
      previously participated in a crossover study in which DHEA and placebo were
      administered for 6 weeks each. Depression severity was measured by the Center for
      Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Plasma levels of androsterone
      (ADT), allopregnanolone, pregnanolone, and pregnenolone were measured by GC-MS at
      baseline and week 6 of each treatment phase. Data were analyzed with repeated
      measures analysis of variance (ANOVA-R) and Bonferroni t tests. RESULTS: ADT
      levels (but not allopregnanolone, pregnanolone, and pregnenolone) increased after
      DHEA but not after placebo (F 2,42 = 3.3, p < 0.05). Post-DHEA ADT levels were
      higher in women than men [t 63 = 2.9, p < 0.05]. However, in both men and women
      who met criteria for clinical response on the CES-D, baseline ADT levels
      significantly increased post-DHEA, and the magnitude of the ADT increase post
      DHEA treatment was similar in men and women. Consequently, it was the non
      responders who accounted for the sex difference in post-DHEA plasma ADT levels, a
      difference that was driven by values in two women (the only female non
      responders). CONCLUSIONS: The small sample size notwithstanding, these data
      emphasize the potential behavioral relevance of ADT in humans, which may include
      contribution to the antidepressant effects of DHEA.

PMID- 26105112
TI  - Simultaneous and stereospecific analysis of warfarin oxidative metabolism using
      2D LC/Q-TOF.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Warfarin is a widely used racemic anticoagulant with narrow
      therapeutic range and wide interindividual response to treatment. This is due to
      the extensive and differential clearance of R- and S-warfarin with the
      involvement of several polymorphic CYP450 enzymes resulting in the formation of
      several stereoisomeric oxidative metabolites. RESULTS: A stereospecific 2DLC/Q
      TOF method was developed for the simultaneous identification and quantitation of
      hydroxylated warfarin metabolites from a single sample analysis. Using this
      method metabolites from rat microsomal and plated hepatocyte incubations with R-,
      S- and (R/S)-warfarin were estimated. CONCLUSION: Multiheart cutting with high
      resolution MS and MS/MS analysis is suggested as a viable approach for achiral
      chiral separation of metabolites of warfarin and other chiral or prochiral drugs.

PMID- 26105111
TI  - Modulation of oxidative and inflammatory cardiac response by nonselective 1- and
      2-cyclooxygenase inhibitor and benznidazole in mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the combined effects of benznidazole (BZ) and
      ibuprofen (IB) on the oxidative and inflammatory status of the cardiac tissue in
      vivo. METHODS: Swiss mice were randomized in groups receiving BZ (100 mg/kg) and
      IB (400 mg/kg) alone or combined (BZ + IB 200 or 400 mg/kg). Control animals were
      concurrently treated with 1% carboxymethyl cellulose. All treatments were
      administered orally for 7 days. KEY FINDINGS: BZ treatment increased cardiac
      production of nitrogen/oxygen-reactive species, malondialdeyde, carbonyl
      proteins, prostaglandins as well as the activities of catalase, superoxide
      dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. These parameters were attenuated by IB,
      with the best results at higher dose. Individually, BZ and IB significantly
      reduced the tissue levels of chemokine ligand 2, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and
      IL-10, but no reduction was observed when the treatments were combined.
      CONCLUSIONS: BZ triggers an oxidative and nitrosative route, which is associated
      with increased prostaglandin synthesis and marked damages to the lipids and
      proteins of the cardiac tissue. IB treatment attenuated reactive stresses
      triggered by BZ, which was an independent effects of this drug on the endogenous
      antioxidant enzymes. Individually, but not together, BZ and IB reduced the
      cardiac inflammatory status, indicating a beneficial and complex drug
      interaction.

PMID- 26105113
TI  - Research on drug-receptor interactions and prediction of drug activity via
      oriented immobilized receptor capillary electrophoresis.
AB  - Oriented covalent immobilized beta2 -adrenergic receptor (beta2 -AR) CE (OIRCE)
      was developed to determine the interactions between a set of natural extracts of
      Radix Paeoniae Rubra (NERPR) and beta2 -AR, and to predict the activity of NERPR.
      The inner capillary surface is chemically bonded with stable beta2 -AR coating
      via microwave-assisted technical synthesis. The modified capillaries were
      characterized via infrared spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore,
      the bonding amounts of beta2 -AR were first obtained via fluorescence
      spectroscopy method. In determining the amount of bonded beta2 -AR, the
      regression equation A  =  576 707C + 35.449 and the correlation coefficient
      0.9995 were obtained. This result revealed an excellent linear relationship in
      the range of 2 * 10(-4)  mg/mL to 1 * 10(-3)  mg/mL. The normalized capacity
      factor (KRCE ) was obtained using OIRCE in evaluating drug-receptor interactions.
      Related theories and equations were used to calculate KRCE values from apparent
      migration times of a solute and EOF. The order of KRCE and the binding constant
      (Kb ) values between drugs and beta2 -AR was well consistent. The results
      confirmed that the OIRCE and KRCE values can be effectually used to investigate
      drug-receptor interactions, and OIRCE has the potential to predict drug activity
      and to select leading compounds from natural chemicals. 

PMID- 26105114
TI  - Double [3 + 2]-dimerisation cascade synthesis of bis(triazolyl)bisphosphanes, a
      new scaffold for bidentate bisphosphanes.
AB  - A highly convergent synthesis of bis(triazolylphosphane oxides) was developed by
      a tandem copper-mediated Huisgen reaction-oxidative coupling. The phosphane
      oxides were reduced by trichlorosilane and the coordination of the resulting
      bisphosphanes was studied with various transition metals. 

PMID- 26105116
TI  - Naltrexone ER/Bupropion ER: A Review in Obesity Management.
AB  - Oral naltrexone extended-release/bupropion extended-release (naltrexone
      ER/bupropion ER; Contrave((r)), Mysimba(TM)) is available as an adjunct to a
      reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity in adults with an initial
      body mass index (BMI) of >= 30 kg/m(2) (i.e. obese) or a BMI of >= 27 kg/m(2)
      (i.e. overweight) in the presence of at least one bodyweight-related comorbidity,
      such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension or dyslipidaemia. In 56-week phase
      III trials in these patient populations, oral naltrexone ER/bupropion ER 32/360
      mg/day was significantly more effective than placebo with regard to percentage
      bodyweight reductions from baseline and the proportion of patients who achieved
      bodyweight reductions of >= 5 and >= 10%. Significantly greater improvements in
      several cardiometabolic risk factors were also observed with naltrexone
      ER/bupropion ER versus placebo, as well as greater improvements in glycated
      haemoglobin levels in obese or overweight adults with type 2 diabetes. Naltrexone
      ER/bupropion ER was generally well tolerated in phase III trials, with nausea
      being the most common adverse event. Thus, naltrexone ER/bupropion ER 32/360
      mg/day as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity,
      is an effective and well tolerated option for chronic bodyweight management in
      obese adults or overweight adults with at least one bodyweight-related
      comorbidity.

PMID- 26105115
TI  - Glycan clustering stabilizes the mannose patch of HIV-1 and preserves
      vulnerability to broadly neutralizing antibodies.
AB  - The envelope spike of HIV-1 employs a 'glycan shield' to protect itself from
      antibody-mediated neutralization. Paradoxically, however, potent broadly
      neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) that target this shield have been isolated. The
      unusually high glycan density on the gp120 subunit limits processing during
      biosynthesis, leaving a region of under-processed oligomannose-type structures,
      which is a primary target of these bnAbs. Here we investigate the contribution of
      individual glycosylation sites in the formation of this so-called intrinsic
      mannose patch. Deletion of individual sites has a limited effect on the overall
      size of the intrinsic mannose patch but leads to changes in the processing of
      neighbouring glycans. These structural changes are largely tolerated by a panel
      of glycan-dependent bnAbs targeting these regions, indicating a degree of
      plasticity in their recognition. These results support the intrinsic mannose
      patch as a stable target for vaccine design. 

PMID- 26105117
TI  - Dalbavancin: A Review in Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections.
AB  - Intravenous dalbavancin (DalvanceTM; XydalbaTM) is approved for use in adult
      patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI), with
      the recommended regimen being a 1000 mg dose followed 1 week later by a 500 mg
      dose. In the multinational DISCOVER 1 and 2 trials in adult patients with ABSSSI,
      dalbavancin treatment was noninferior to vancomycin (for >= 3 days with an option
      to switch to oral linezolid to complete a 10- to 14-day course) in terms of early
      clinical success rates (assessed 48-72 h after initiation of treatment; primary
      endpoint required by the FDA to assess noninferiority in registration trials of
      ABSSSI). Clinical response rates were also similar in both treatment groups at
      the end of treatment (day 14-15), irrespective of geographic region or baseline
      characteristics, including by infection type, diabetes mellitus status, systemic
      inflammatory response syndrome status, causative pathogen and renal function.
      Dalbavancin was generally well tolerated, with adverse events generally being of
      mild to moderate intensity and transient. With its broad spectrum of activity
      against clinically relevant Gram-positive pathogens and its favourable
      pharmacokinetic profile that permits a convenient two-dose, once-weekly regimen
      with no requirement for therapeutic drug monitoring, dalbavancin is a promising
      emerging option for the treatment of ABSSSI in adult patients.

PMID- 26105118
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26105120
TI  - Pillion riders' cloth related injuries and helmet wearing patterns: a study of
      Lahore, Pakistan.
AB  - This study aims at investigating the burden and pattern of clothing related
      pillion riders' injuries and their helmet wearing pattern in Lahore, Pakistan.
      Data were collected for nine months (July 2013 to March 2014), reporting 13,248
      motorcycle related injuries, out of which 8751 (66%) cases were related to the
      clothing related pillion riders' injuries. Out of these injuries 10.30% were
      severe injuries which can be prevented or reduced by proper safety measure, e.g.
      wearing helmet. It was also found that most of the fatalities were not wearing
      helmet. Injuries due to wearing of loose fitting clothes and absence of helmet
      are not uncommon in Pakistan and other underdeveloped parts of the world. Such
      accidents may be reduced by creating awareness and safety sense in the riders,
      where use of safe dress and helmet should be encouraged in order to avoid such
      fatal damages.

PMID- 26105119
TI  - Multi-contrast attenuation map synthesis for PET/MR scanners: assessment on FDG
      and Florbetapir PET tracers.
AB  - Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (PET/MR) scanners are
      expected to offer a new range of clinical applications. Attenuation correction is
      an essential requirement for quantification of PET data but MRI images do not
      directly provide a patient-specific attenuation map. Methods We further validate
      and extend a Computed Tomography (CT) and attenuation map (MU-map) synthesis
      method based on pre-acquired MRI-CT image pairs. The validation consists of
      comparing the CT images synthesised with the proposed method to the original CT
      images. PET images were acquired using two different tracers ((18)F-FDG and (18)F
      florbetapir). They were then reconstructed and corrected for attenuation using
      the synthetic MU-maps and compared to the reference PET images corrected with the
      CT-based MU-maps. During the validation, we observed that the CT synthesis was
      inaccurate in areas such as the neck and the cerebellum, and propose a refinement
      to mitigate these problems, as well as an extension of the method to multi
      contrast MRI data. Results With the improvements proposed, a significant
      enhancement in CT synthesis, which results in a reduced absolute error and a
      decrease in the bias when reconstructing PET images, was observed. For both
      tracers, on average, the absolute difference between the reference PET images and
      the PET images corrected with the proposed method was less than 2%, with a bias
      inferior to 1%. Conclusion With the proposed method, attenuation information can
      be accurately derived from MRI images by synthesising CT using routine anatomical
      sequences. MRI sequences, or combination of sequences, can be used to synthesise
      CT images, as long as they provide sufficient anatomical information. 

PMID- 26105121
TI  - Direct High-Precision Measurements of the (87)Sr/(86)Sr Isotope Ratio in Natural
      Water without Chemical Separation Using Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry
      Equipped with 10(12) Omega Resistors.
AB  - Thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) allows excellent precision for
      determining Sr isotope ratios in natural water samples. Traditionally, a chemical
      separation procedure using cation exchange resin has been employed to obtain a
      high purity Sr fraction from natural water, which makes sample preparation time
      consuming. In this study, we present a rapid and precise method for the direct
      determination of the Sr isotope ratio of natural water using TIMS equipped with
      amplifiers with two 10(12) Omega resistors. To eliminate the (87)Rb isobaric
      interference, Re ribbons are used as filaments, providing a significant advantage
      over W ribbons in the inhibition of Rb(+) emission, based on systematically
      examining a series of NIST SRM987 standard doping with various amounts of Rb
      using Re and W ribbons. To validate the applicability of our method, twenty-two
      natural water samples, including different water types (rain, snow, river, lake
      and drinking water), that show a large range in Sr content variations (2.54-922.8
      ppb), were collected and analyzed from North and South China. Analytical results
      show good precision (0.003-0.005%, 2 RSE) and the method was further validated by
      comparative analysis of the same water with and without chemical separation. The
      method is simple and rapid, eliminates sample preparation time, and prevents
      potential contamination during complicated sample-preparation procedures.
      Therefore, a high sample throughput inherent to the TIMS can be fully utilized. 

PMID- 26105122
TI  - A novel HLA-B*27 allele, B*27:138, identified by sequence-based typing.
AB  - HLA-B*27:138 differs from B*27:06 by two nucleotide changes in exon 3. 

PMID- 26105123
TI  - [Persisting lesion of the conjunctiva. A masquerade syndrome?].
AB  - A 26-year-old female patient was referred because of a persisting swelling and
      redness of the conjunctiva for 4 months accompanied by pruritus. An ultrasound
      biomicroscopy showed hypoechogenic structures separated by multiple
      hyperechogenic septa. A biopsy was performed which revealed a marginal B-cell
      lymphoma of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type. A generalized
      lymphatic disease could be excluded by positron emission tomography-computed
      tomography (PET-CT). In agreement with the patient an extensive excision was
      performed followed by a wait and see strategy including close monitoring by
      ophthalmological and general internist control examinations. 

PMID- 26105124
TI  - [Artificial iris after severe trauma of the orbit].
AB  - INDICATIONS: Surgical revision of the eye of a 52-year-old female patient with
      iris replacement was carried out 1 year after severe injury of the globe.
      OBJECTIVE: The further surgical measures were necessary to improve not only the
      functional but also the cosmetic results. OPERATION TECHNIQUE: Due to the complex
      initial situation a combination of vitrectomy and peeling of the epiretinal
      membrane, perforating keratoplasty and finally iris and lens replacement was
      carried out. The complete surgical procedure is presented in a video accompanying
      this article. RESULTS: The best corrected vision increased to 0.25, 6 months
      after the intervention and the patient was satisfied with the functional and
      cosmetic results. The intraocular pressure remained in the normal range after 1
      year of follow-up with no further therapy.

PMID- 26105125
TI  - The healthy worker effect: Do health problems predict participation rates in, and
      the results of, a follow-up survey?
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the impact of the healthy worker effect (HWE) as a bias for
      the external and internal validity of the follow-up assessment in prospective
      survey research. Specifically, the study examined (1) whether the health status
      of respondents at the baseline measurement influenced response at the follow-up
      survey (external validity) and (2) whether HWE is a threat to internal validity
      by differential attrition, i.e., whether associations between work and health at
      baseline differ between stayers and dropouts. METHODS: In a two-wave
      questionnaire survey with a 2-year time lag comprising 6283 persons, 4392
      responded at both time points (response rate 70%). Mental distress and somatic
      symptoms served as indicators of health. Role conflict and role clarity were
      indicators of work factors. RESULTS: There were few differences in response rate
      at follow-up between persons with and without health complaints at the baseline
      measurement. As response rate increased incrementally with educational level,
      there seems to be a socio-educational bias, rather than a HWE bias on survey
      participation. Baseline relationships between work factors and health indicators
      were equal in magnitude among stayers and dropouts. CONCLUSION: The health status
      of participants at baseline seems to have little impact on the external and
      internal validity of the follow-up assessment in prospective survey research.
      Hence, the findings provide little support to the HWE as a potential bias in
      prospective studies within occupational health research. A limitation of the
      study is that the findings do not inform about the impact of the HWE on
      participation in the baseline assessment.

PMID- 26105126
TI  - Virus ecology of fluvial systems: a blank spot on the map?
AB  - The ecology of viruses has been studied only in a limited number of rivers and
      streams. In light of a recent re-appraisal of the global fluvial surface area,
      issues such as abundance and production, host mortality and the influence of
      suspended particles and biofilms are addressed. Viral life cycles, potential
      impacts of viruses on water biochemistry and carbon flow, and viral diversity are
      considered. Variability in trophic levels along with the heterogeneous nature and
      hydrological dynamics of fluvial environments suggest a prevailingly physical
      control of virus-related processes under lotic conditions and more biological
      control under lentic conditions. Viral lysis likely contributes to a pool of
      rapidly cycling carbon in environments typically characterized by high
      proportions of recalcitrant terrestrial carbon. On average, 33.6% (equalling
      0.605 Pg C year-1 ) of the globally respired carbon from fluvial systems may pass
      through a viral loop. Virus distribution and the proportion of organic material
      in horizontal transport versus processes in retention zones remain to be
      determined in detail. The need for up-scaling the contribution of virus-related
      processes in fluvial systems is of global relevance. Further, the role of climate
      change and the effect of anthropogenic alterations of fluvial systems on viruses
      require attention. The identification of these considerable knowledge gaps should
      foster future research efforts.

PMID- 26105127
TI  - Diagnostic test allergens used for in vivo diagnosis of allergic diseases are at
      risk: a European Perspective.
AB  - In the European Union (EU), allergens used for diagnostic tests (TAs) are defined
      as medicinal products and have to be registered by national authorities. The
      current situation is not homogeneous. Existing authorizations need to be kept in
      the market in some EU states, while others need complete new authorizations
      requiring clinical trials, quality assurance methods, stability studies, and
      periodic safety update reports. Allergen manufacturers argue that offering a
      comprehensive panel of TAs may be economically disastrous. Expenses for
      initiation and maintenance of TA authorizations far exceed their related revenues
      and manufacturers may be forced to significantly limit their allergen portfolios.
      The availability of a wide range of high-quality TAs is very important for in
      vivo diagnoses of IgE-mediated allergies. Increased regulatory demands induce
      costs that need to be covered by public health organizations or reimbursed by
      health insurance companies.

PMID- 26105129
TI  - The incidence of metastatic basal cell carcinoma (mBCC) in Denmark, 1997-2010.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few data exist on the occurrence of metastatic basal cell carcinoma
      (mBCC). OBJECTIVE: To identify all cases of mBCC in Denmark over a 14-year
      period. METHODS: We searched the Danish National Patient Registry covering all
      Danish hospitals, the Danish Cancer Registry, the National Pathology Registry and
      the Causes of Death Registry during the period 1997 to 2010 for potential cases
      of mBCC registered according to the International classification of diseases ICD
      10 and the International Systemized Nomenclature of Medicine (SNOMED). RESULTS:
      We identified 126,627 patients with a history of primary basal cell carcinoma
      (BCC) in the registries during the 14-year study period. Using case
      identifications from the four registries, a total of 170 potential mBCC cases
      were identified. However, after a pathology review, only five cases could be
      confirmed, of which three were basosquamous carcinomas. The 14-year cumulative
      incidence proportion of mBCC was 0.0039% (95% CI 0.0016-0.0083) among individuals
      with a history of previous BCC (n = 126,627) and 0.0001% (95% CI 0.0000-0.0002)
      in the general population. CONCLUSION: MBCC is a rare disease and only a small
      proportion of potential cases identified in automated clinical databases or
      registries can be confirmed by pathology and medical record review.

PMID- 26105130
TI  - The predictive value of multidetector CTA on outcomes in patients with below-the
      knee vascular injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multidetector computed tomographic angiography (MDCTA) has become the
      gold standard for the early assessment of lower extremity vascular injury. The
      objective of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of MDCTA documented
      vessel run-off to the foot on limb salvage rates after lower extremity vascular
      injury. METHODS: All trauma patients undergoing lower extremity MDCTA for
      suspected vascular injury assessed at 2 high-volume Level I trauma centers
      between January 2009 and December 2012. Demographics, clinical data and outcomes
      (compartment syndrome requiring fasciotomy and limb salvage) were extracted. The
      predictive value of MDCTA vessel run-off was tested against an aggregate gold
      standard of operative intervention, clinical follow-up and all imaging obtained.
      RESULTS: During the 4-year study period, 398 patients sustained lower extremity
      trauma and were screened for inclusion into this study. Of those, 166 (41.7%)
      patients (72.9% at MHH and 27.1% at LAC+USC Medical Center) underwent initial
      evaluation with MDCTA, 86 (51.8%) had vascular injury below the knee identified
      by MDCTA. Among these, the average age was 38.0+/-15.8 years, 80.2% were men and
      83.7% sustained a blunt injury mechanism. On admission, 8.1% were hypotensive and
      the median ISS was 10 (range 1-57). There was a direct correlation between the
      number of patent vessels to the foot and the need for operative intervention
      (86.4% with no patent vessels, 56.0% with 1 patent vessel, 33.3% with 2 and 0.0%
      with 3, p<0.001). When outcomes were analysed, the rates of fasciotomy for
      compartment syndrome decreased in a stepwise fashion as the number of patent
      vessels to the foot increased (63.6% with no patent vessels; 44.0% with 1; 21.2%
      with 2; and 0.0% with 3; p=0.003). No amputations occurred in patients with 2 or
      more patent vessels to the foot (68.2% for no patent vessel; 16.0% for 1; 0.0%
      for 2; and 0.0% for 3; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter evaluation of
      patients undergoing MDCTA for suspected below-the-knee vascular injury, there was
      a stepwise increase in the need for operative intervention, fasciotomy and
      amputation as the number of patent vessels to the foot decreased.

PMID- 26105131
TI  - Evaluation of diaphragm in penetrating left thoracoabdominal stab injuries: The
      role of multislice computed tomography.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Penetrating left thoracoabdominal stab injuries are accompanied by
      diaphragmatic injury in 25-30% of cases, about 30% of which later develop into
      diaphragmatic hernia. This study aimed to determine the role of multislice
      computed tomography in the evaluation of left diaphragm in patients with
      penetrating left thoracoabdominal stab wounds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study
      reviewed penetrating left thoracoabdominal stab injuries managed in our clinic
      between April 2009 and September 2014. The thoracoabdominal region was defined as
      the region between the sternum, fourth intercostal space, and arcus costa
      anteriorly and the vertebra, lower tip of scapula, and the curve of the last rib
      posteriorly. Unstable cases and cases with signs of peritonitis were operated
      with laparotomy; the remaining patients were closely monitored. Forty-eight hours
      later, a diagnostic laparoscopy was applied to evaluate the left hemidiaphragma
      in asymptomatic patients who did not need laparotomy. The preoperatively obtained
      multislice thoracoabdominal computed tomography images were retrospectively
      examined for the presence of left diaphragm injury. Then, operative and
      tomographic findings were compared. RESULTS: This study included a total of 43
      patients, 39 (91%) males and 4 (9%) females of mean age 30 years (range 15-61
      years). Thirty patients had normal tomography results, whereas 13 had left
      diaphragmatic injuries. An injury to the left diaphragm was detected during the
      operation in 9 (1 in laparotomy and 8 in diagnostic laparoscopy) of 13 patients
      with positive tomography for left diaphragmatic injury and 2 (in diagnostic
      laparoscopy) of 30 patients with negative tomography. Multislice tomography had a
      sensitivity of 82% (95% CI: 48-98%), a specificity of 88% (71-96%), a positive
      predictive value of 69% (39-91%), and a negative predictive value of 93% (78-99%)
      for detection of diaphragmatic injury in penetrating left thoracoabdominal stab
      injury. CONCLUSIONS: Although diagnostic laparoscopy is the gold standard for
      diaphragmatic examination in patients with penetrating left thoracoabdominal stab
      wounds, multislice computed tomography is also valuable for detecting
      diaphragmatic injury.

PMID- 26105128
TI  - Discovery of Rare Mutations in Autism: Elucidating Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of highly genetic neurodevelopmental
      disorders characterized by language, social, cognitive, and behavioral
      abnormalities. ASD is a complex disorder with a heterogeneous etiology. The
      genetic architecture of autism is such that a variety of different rare mutations
      have been discovered, including rare monogenic conditions that involve autistic
      symptoms. Also, de novo copy number variants and single nucleotide variants
      contribute to disease susceptibility. Finally, autosomal recessive loci are
      contributing to our understanding of inherited factors. We will review the
      progress that the field has made in the discovery of these rare genetic variants
      in autism. We argue that mutation discovery of this sort offers an important
      opportunity to identify neurodevelopmental mechanisms in disease. The hope is
      that these mechanisms will show some degree of convergence that may be amenable
      to treatment intervention. 

PMID- 26105132
TI  - Mortuary based injury surveillance for low-mid income countries: process
      evaluation of pilot studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Globally, injury is the fourth major cause of death and the third
      leading contributor to Disability Adjusted Life Years lost due to health
      conditions, with the greatest burden borne by low-middle income countries (LMICs)
      where injury data is scarce. In the absence of effective vital registration
      systems, mortuaries have been shown to provide an alternative source of cause of
      death information for practitioners and policy makers to establish strategic
      injury prevention policies and programs. This evaluation sought to assess the
      feasibility of implementing a standardised fatal injury data collection process
      to systematically collect relevant fatal injury data from mortuaries. The process
      evaluation is described. METHODS: A manual including a one page data collection
      form, coding guide, data dictionary, data entry and analysis program was
      developed through World Health Organization and Monash University Australia
      collaboration, with technical advice from an International Advisory Group. The
      data collection component was piloted in multiple mortuaries, in five LMICs
      (Egypt, India, Sri-Lanka, Tanzania and Zambia). Process evaluation was based on a
      questionnaire completed by each country's Principal Investigator. RESULTS:
      Questionnaires were completed for data collections in urban and rural mortuaries
      between September 2010 and February 2011. Of the 1795 reported fatal injury cases
      registered in the participating mortuaries, road traffic injury accounted for the
      highest proportion of cases, ranging from 22% to 87%. Other causes included
      burns, poisoning, drowning and falls. Positive system attributes were
      feasibility, acceptability, usefulness, timeliness, and simplicity and data field
      completeness. Some limitations included short duration of the pilot studies,
      limited injury data collector training and apparent underreporting of cases to
      the medico-legal system or mortuaries. CONCLUSION: The mortuary has been shown to
      be a potential data source for identifying injury deaths and their circumstances
      and monitoring injury trends and risk factors in LMICs. However, further piloting
      is needed, including in rural areas and training of forensic pathologists and
      data-recorders to overcome some of the difficulties experienced in the pilot
      countries. The key to attracting ongoing funding and support from governments and
      donors in LMICs for fatal injury surveillance lies in further demonstrating the
      usefulness of collected data.

PMID- 26105133
TI  - Comments to the paper "do we really need new medical information about the Turin
      Shroud?".
AB  - Following the interesting arguments raised in a recent letter to the editor,
      about a paper recently published in this journal, the authors are happy to take a
      cue from them to clarify some facts that have not been sufficiently treated for
      space. After a description of the methods used, arguments regarding a blunt
      trauma on the right shoulder with consequent dislocation, the position of the
      hands on the pubis with brachial plexus injury, and the wrist nailing that caused
      retracted thumbs are discussed in detail. 

PMID- 26105134
TI  - Synaptic microRNAs Coordinately Regulate Synaptic mRNAs: Perturbation by Chronic
      Alcohol Consumption.
AB  - Local translation of mRNAs in the synapse has a major role in synaptic structure
      and function. Chronic alcohol use causes persistent changes in synaptic mRNA
      expression, possibly mediated by microRNAs localized in the synapse. We profiled
      the transcriptome of synaptoneurosomes (SN) obtained from the amygdala of mice
      that consumed 20% ethanol (alcohol) in a 30-day continuous two-bottle choice test
      to identify the microRNAs that target alcohol-induced mRNAs. SN are membrane
      vesicles containing pre- and post-synaptic compartments of neurons and astroglia
      and are a unique model for studying the synaptic transcriptome. We previously
      showed that chronic alcohol regulates mRNA expression in a coordinated manner.
      Here, we examine microRNAs and mRNAs from the same samples to define alcohol
      responsive synaptic microRNAs and their predicted interactions with targeted
      mRNAs. The aim of the study was to identify the microRNA-mRNA synaptic
      interactions that are altered by alcohol. This was accomplished by comparing the
      effect of alcohol in SN and total homogenate preparations from the same samples.
      We used a combination of unbiased bioinformatic methods (differential expression,
      correlation, co-expression, microRNA-mRNA target prediction, co-targeting, and
      cell type-specific analyses) to identify key alcohol-sensitive microRNAs.
      Prediction analysis showed that a subset of alcohol-responsive microRNAs was
      predicted to target many alcohol-responsive mRNAs, providing a bidirectional
      analysis for identifying microRNA-mRNA interactions. We found microRNAs and mRNAs
      with overlapping patterns of expression that correlated with alcohol consumption.
      Cell type-specific analysis revealed that a significant number of alcohol
      responsive mRNAs and microRNAs were unique to glutamate neurons and were
      predicted to target each other. Chronic alcohol consumption appears to perturb
      the coordinated microRNA regulation of mRNAs in SN, a mechanism that may explain
      the aberrations in synaptic plasticity affecting the alcoholic brain. 

PMID- 26105135
TI  - Prenatal Nicotine Exposure Impairs the Proliferation of Neuronal Progenitors,
      Leading to Fewer Glutamatergic Neurons in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex.
AB  - Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is associated with various disabilities in the
      offspring such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning
      disabilities, and persistent anxiety. We have reported that nicotine exposure in
      female mice during pregnancy, in particular from embryonic day 14 (E14) to
      postnatal day 0 (P0), induces long-lasting behavioral deficits in offspring.
      However, the mechanism by which prenatal nicotine exposure (PNE) affects
      neurodevelopment, resulting in behavioral deficits, has remained unclear. Here,
      we report that PNE disrupted the proliferation of neuronal progenitors, leading
      to a decrease in the progenitor pool in the ventricular and subventricular zones.
      In addition, using a cumulative 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine labeling assay, we
      evaluated the rate of cell cycle progression causing the impairment of neuronal
      progenitor proliferation, and uncovered anomalous cell cycle kinetics in mice
      with PNE. Accordingly, the density of glutamatergic neurons in the medial
      prefrontal cortex (medial PFC) was reduced, implying glutamatergic dysregulation.
      Mice with PNE exhibited behavioral impairments in attentional function and
      behavioral flexibility in adulthood, and the deficits were ameliorated by
      microinjection of D-cycloserine into the PFC. Collectively, our findings suggest
      that PNE affects the proliferation and maturation of progenitor cells to
      glutamatergic neuron during neurodevelopment in the medial PFC, which may be
      associated with cognitive deficits in the offspring.

PMID- 26105136
TI  - Dissociating Motivational From Physiological Withdrawal in Alcohol Dependence:
      Role of Central Amygdala kappa-Opioid Receptors.
AB  - Chronic intermittent alcohol vapor exposure leads to increased dynorphin (DYN) A
      like peptide expression and heightened kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) signaling in
      the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and these neuroadaptive responses
      differentiate alcohol-dependent from non-dependent phenotypes. Important for
      therapeutic development efforts is understanding the nature of the stimulus that
      drives dependence-like phenotypes such as escalated alcohol self-administration.
      Accordingly, the present study examined the impact of intra-CeA KOR antagonism on
      escalated operant alcohol self-administration and physiological withdrawal
      symptoms during acute withdrawal and protracted abstinence in rats previously
      exposed to chronic intermittent alcohol vapor. Following operant training, rats
      were implanted with intra-CeA guide cannula and exposed to long-term intermittent
      alcohol vapor exposure that resulted in escalated alcohol self-administration and
      elevated physiological withdrawal signs during acute withdrawal. Animals received
      intra-CeA infusions of the KOR antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI; 0, 2, 4,
      or 6 MUg) prior to operant alcohol self-administration sessions and physiological
      withdrawal assessment during acute withdrawal and protracted abstinence. The
      results indicated that site-specific KOR antagonism in the CeA ameliorated
      escalated alcohol self-administration during both acute withdrawal and protracted
      abstinence test sessions, whereas KOR antagonism had no effect on physiological
      withdrawal scores at either time point. These results dissociate escalated
      alcohol self-administration from physiological withdrawal symptoms in relation to
      KOR signaling in the CeA and help clarify the nature of the stimulus that drives
      escalated alcohol self-administration during acute withdrawal and protracted
      abstinence.

PMID- 26105137
TI  - Negative Allosteric Modulators Selective for The NR2B Subtype of The NMDA
      Receptor Impair Cognition in Multiple Domains.
AB  - Antidepressant activity of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists and
      negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) has led to increased investigation of their
      behavioral pharmacology. NMDA antagonists, such as ketamine, impair cognition in
      multiple species and in multiple cognitive domains. However, studies with NR2B
      subtype-selective NAMs have reported mixed results in rodents including increased
      impulsivity, no effect on cognition, impairment or even improvement of some
      cognitive tasks. To date, the effects of NR2B-selective NAMs on cognitive tests
      have not been reported in nonhuman primates. The current study evaluated two
      selective NR2B NAMs, CP101,606 and BMT-108908, along with the nonselective NMDA
      antagonists, ketamine and AZD6765, in the nonhuman primate Cambridge
      Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) list-based delayed match to
      sample (list-DMS) task. Ketamine and the two NMDA NR2B NAMs produced selective
      impairments in memory in the list-DMS task. AZD6765 impaired performance in a non
      specific manner. In a separate cohort, CP101,606 impaired performance of the
      nonhuman primate CANTAB visuo-spatial Paired Associates Learning (vsPAL) task
      with a selective impairment at more difficult conditions. The results of these
      studies clearly show that systemic administration of a selective NR2B NAM can
      cause transient cognitive impairment in multiple cognitive domains. 

PMID- 26105138
TI  - The Human BNST: Functional Role in Anxiety and Addiction.
AB  - The consequences of chronic stress on brain structure and function are far
      reaching. Whereas stress can produce short-term adaptive changes in the brain,
      chronic stress leads to long-term maladaptive changes that increase vulnerability
      to psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and addiction. These two disorders are
      the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in the United States, and are typically
      chronic, disabling, and highly comorbid. Emerging evidence implicates a tiny
      brain region-the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST)-in the body's stress
      response and in anxiety and addiction. Rodent studies provide compelling evidence
      that the BNST plays a central role in sustained threat monitoring, a form of
      adaptive anxiety, and in the withdrawal and relapse stages of addiction; however,
      little is known about the role of BNST in humans. Here, we review current
      evidence for BNST function in humans, including evidence for a role in the
      production of both adaptive and maladaptive anxiety. We also review preliminary
      evidence of the role of BNST in addiction in humans. Together, these studies
      provide a foundation of knowledge about the role of BNST in adaptive anxiety and
      stress-related disorders. Although the field is in its infancy, future
      investigations of human BNST function have tremendous potential to illuminate
      mechanisms underlying stress-related disorders and identify novel neural targets
      for treatment. 

PMID- 26105139
TI  - Not All Antidepressants Are Created Equal: Differential Effects of Monoamine
      Uptake Inhibitors on Effort-Related Choice Behavior.
AB  - Motivated behavior can be characterized by behavioral activation and high work
      output. Moreover, people with depression and other disorders show effort-related
      motivational symptoms, such as anergia, psychomotor retardation, and fatigue.
      Effort-based decision making is studied using tasks offering choices between high
      effort options leading to highly valued reinforcers vs low effort/low reward
      options, and such tasks could be useful as animal models of motivational
      symptoms. In the present studies the effort-related effects of the vesicular
      monoamine transport (VMAT-2) inhibitor tetrabenazine (TBZ) were investigated. TBZ
      blocks vesicular storage and also produces depressive symptoms in humans.
      Moreover, TBZ alters effort-based choice in rats, biasing animals toward low
      effort alternatives. The present studies investigated the ability of acute
      administration of various monoamine uptake inhibitors to reverse the effects of
      TBZ. Effort-related effects of TBZ were attenuated by the catecholamine uptake
      inhibitor and antidepressant bupropion, and this effect of bupropion was reversed
      by either D1 or D2 family antagonism. The effort-related effects of TBZ were also
      attenuated by the selective dopamine uptake blocker GBR12909. The 5-HT uptake
      inhibitor fluoxetine and the norepinephrine uptake inhibitor desipramine failed
      to reverse the effects of TBZ, and higher doses of these drugs, given alone or in
      combination with TBZ, led to further behavioral impairments. These results
      indicate that drugs acting on dopamine transmission are relatively effective at
      reversing the effort-related effects of TBZ, and are consistent with the
      hypothesis that drugs that enhance dopamine transmission may be effective at
      treating effort-related psychiatric symptoms in humans. 

PMID- 26105140
TI  - Effects of Escitalopram Administration on Face Processing in Intermittent
      Explosive Disorder: An fMRI Study.
AB  - The neurobiological underpinnings of intermittent explosive disorder (IED) are
      traditionally linked to deficiencies in the serotonergic system. In this study,
      we investigated the effects of escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake
      inhibitor (SSRI), on brain activation during face processing. We expected that
      escitalopram would reduce amygdala activity in IED and in addition, we explored
      the effect in other social-emotional-related brain regions. A total of 17
      subjects with current IED and 14 healthy controls participated in a randomized,
      double-blind, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced fMRI face processing study. The
      analysis focused on the faces compared to a fixation baseline contrast, and a
      factorial model with Group as between-subject and Drug as within-subject factor
      was tested. Group * Drug interaction effects were found in the amygdala (small
      volume corrected) and the left temporal parietal junction (TPJ; whole-brain
      corrected). Escitalopram increased amygdala activation in controls, but
      surprisingly not in IED. However, the TPJ showed increased activity in IED on
      escitalopram compared with placebo. The TPJ is associated with social-cognitive
      processes, such as perspective taking and empathy. The TPJ findings suggest that
      SSRI administration may reduce aggressive tendencies towards other people by
      enhancing these social-cognitive processes. Future research should further
      elucidate the long-term effects of SSRIs on various social-emotional tasks in
      IED.

PMID- 26105141
TI  - Clinically Relevant Pharmacological Strategies That Reverse MDMA-Induced Brain
      Hyperthermia Potentiated by Social Interaction.
AB  - MDMA-induced hyperthermia is highly variable, unpredictable, and greatly
      potentiated by the social and environmental conditions of recreational drug use.
      Current strategies to treat pathological MDMA-induced hyperthermia in humans are
      palliative and marginally effective, and there are no specific pharmacological
      treatments to counteract this potentially life-threatening condition. Here, we
      tested the efficacy of mixed adrenoceptor blockers carvedilol and labetalol, and
      the atypical antipsychotic clozapine, in reversing MDMA-induced brain and body
      hyperthermia. We injected rats with a moderate non-toxic dose of MDMA (9 mg/kg)
      during social interaction, and we administered potential treatment drugs after
      the development of robust hyperthermia (>2.5  degrees C), thus mimicking the
      clinical situation of acute MDMA intoxication. Brain temperature was our primary
      focus, but we also simultaneously recorded temperatures from the deep temporal
      muscle and skin, allowing us to determine the basic physiological mechanisms of
      the treatment drug action. Carvedilol was modestly effective in attenuating MDMA
      induced hyperthermia by moderately inhibiting skin vasoconstriction, and
      labetalol was ineffective. In contrast, clozapine induced a marked and immediate
      reversal of MDMA-induced hyperthermia via inhibition of brain metabolic
      activation and blockade of skin vasoconstriction. Our findings suggest that
      clozapine, and related centrally acting drugs, might be highly effective for
      reversing MDMA-induced brain and body hyperthermia in emergency clinical
      situations, with possible life-saving results.

PMID- 26105144
TI  - Ureteral relaxation through calcitonin gene-related peptide release from sensory
      nerve terminals by hypotonic solution.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the influence of hypotonic solutions on ureteral
      relaxation mediated by the release of calcitonin gene-related peptide from
      intramural sensory nerve endings. METHODS: Urine osmolarity of Sprague-Dawley
      rats drinking water low in salt content (Fiuggi water) or a reference water for 7
      days was measured. Release of calcitonin gene-related peptide-like
      immunoreactivity from slices of rat ureter and urinary bladder by hypotonic
      solutions was assessed by an immunometric assay. The mechanism through which
      hypotonic solutions inhibit neurokinin A-induced phasic contractions of isolated
      rat ureters was evaluated by organ bath studies. RESULTS: A 7-day consumption of
      Fiuggi water in rats reduced urine osmolarity by ~40%. Exposure to hypotonic
      solutions released calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactivity from
      slices of rat ureter. This response was abated in a calcium-free medium, after
      capsaicin desensitization, and in the presence of the unselective transient
      receptor potential channel antagonist, ruthenium red. Exposure of isolated rat
      ureteral preparations to a hypotonic solution inhibited neurokinin A-evoked
      phasic contraction. This response was attenuated by capsaicin desensitization and
      in the presence of the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist,
      calcitonin gene-related peptide8-37 . Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 or
      transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 antagonists did not affect the
      neurogenic and calcitonin gene-related peptide-dependent relaxation. CONCLUSION:
      Present data show that hypotonic solution evokes calcitonin gene-related peptide
      release from capsaicin-sensitive intramural sensory nerves, thus inhibiting
      ureteral contractility, through a transient receptor potential-dependent
      mechanism. However, this mechanism does not involve transient receptor potential
      vanilloid 1 or transient receptor potential vanilloid 4. Future studies with
      appropriate in vivo models should investigate the hypothesis that hypostenuric
      urine diffusing into the ureteral tissue might favor ureteral relaxation through
      this novel mechanism.

PMID- 26105145
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of sufentanil during long-term infusion in critically ill
      pediatric patients.
AB  - The aim of this study was to develop a population pharmacokinetic model of
      sufentanil and to assess the influence of covariates in critically ill children
      admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit. After institutional approval, 41
      children were enrolled in the study. Blood samples for pharmacokinetic (PK)
      assessment were collected from routinely placed arterial catheters during and
      after discontinuation of infusion. Population nonlinear mixed-effects modeling
      was performed using NONMEM. A 2-compartment model described sufentanil PK
      sufficiently. Typical values of the central and peripheral volume of distribution
      and the metabolic and intercompartmental clearance for a theoretical patient
      weighing 70 kg were VC = 7.90 l, VT  = 481 L, Cl =  5.3 L/h, and Q = 38.3 L/h,
      respectively. High interindividual variability of all PK parameters was noted.
      Allometric/isometric principles to scale sufentanil PK revealed that to achieve
      the same steady-state sufentanil concentrations in plasma for pediatric patients
      of different body weights, the infusion rate should follow the formula (infusion
      rate for a 70-kg adult patient, MUg/h) * (body weight/70 kg)(0.75). Severity of
      illness described by PRISM score, the monitored physiological and laboratory
      parameters, and coadministered drugs such as vasopressors were not found to be
      significant covariates.

PMID- 26105143
TI  - Toward Understanding How Early-Life Stress Reprograms Cognitive and Emotional
      Brain Networks.
AB  - Vulnerability to emotional disorders including depression derives from
      interactions between genes and environment, especially during sensitive
      developmental periods. Adverse early-life experiences provoke the release and
      modify the expression of several stress mediators and neurotransmitters within
      specific brain regions. The interaction of these mediators with developing
      neurons and neuronal networks may lead to long-lasting structural and functional
      alterations associated with cognitive and emotional consequences. Although a vast
      body of work has linked quantitative and qualitative aspects of stress to
      adolescent and adult outcomes, a number of questions are unclear. What
      distinguishes 'normal' from pathologic or toxic stress? How are the effects of
      stress transformed into structural and functional changes in individual neurons
      and neuronal networks? Which ones are affected? We review these questions in the
      context of established and emerging studies. We introduce a novel concept
      regarding the origin of toxic early-life stress, stating that it may derive from
      specific patterns of environmental signals, especially those derived from the
      mother or caretaker. Fragmented and unpredictable patterns of maternal care
      behaviors induce a profound chronic stress. The aberrant patterns and rhythms of
      early-life sensory input might also directly and adversely influence the
      maturation of cognitive and emotional brain circuits, in analogy to visual and
      auditory brain systems. Thus, unpredictable, stress-provoking early-life
      experiences may influence adolescent cognitive and emotional outcomes by
      disrupting the maturation of the underlying brain networks. Comprehensive
      approaches and multiple levels of analysis are required to probe the protean
      consequences of early-life adversity on the developing brain. These involve
      integrated human and animal-model studies, and approaches ranging from in vivo
      imaging to novel neuroanatomical, molecular, epigenomic, and computational
      methodologies. Because early-life adversity is a powerful determinant of
      subsequent vulnerabilities to emotional and cognitive pathologies, understanding
      the underlying processes will have profound implications for the world's current
      and future children. 

PMID- 26105146
TI  - Dynamic CT perfusion image data compression for efficient parallel processing.
AB  - The increasing size of medical imaging data, in particular time series such as CT
      perfusion (CTP), requires new and fast approaches to deliver timely results for
      acute care. Cloud architectures based on graphics processing units (GPUs) can
      provide the processing capacity required for delivering fast results. However,
      the size of CTP datasets makes transfers to cloud infrastructures time-consuming
      and therefore not suitable in acute situations. To reduce this transfer time,
      this work proposes a fast and lossless compression algorithm for CTP data. The
      algorithm exploits redundancies in the temporal dimension and keeps random read
      only access to the image elements directly from the compressed data on the GPU.
      To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to present a GPU-ready
      method for medical image compression with random access to the image elements
      from the compressed data. 

PMID- 26105142
TI  - Stress and Fear Extinction.
AB  - Stress has a critical role in the development and expression of many psychiatric
      disorders, and is a defining feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
      Stress also limits the efficacy of behavioral therapies aimed at limiting
      pathological fear, such as exposure therapy. Here we examine emerging evidence
      that stress impairs recovery from trauma by impairing fear extinction, a form of
      learning thought to underlie the suppression of trauma-related fear memories. We
      describe the major structural and functional abnormalities in brain regions that
      are particularly vulnerable to stress, including the amygdala, prefrontal cortex,
      and hippocampus, which may underlie stress-induced impairments in extinction. We
      also discuss some of the stress-induced neurochemical and molecular alterations
      in these brain regions that are associated with extinction deficits, and the
      potential for targeting these changes to prevent or reverse impaired extinction.
      A better understanding of the neurobiological basis of stress effects on
      extinction promises to yield novel approaches to improving therapeutic outcomes
      for PTSD and other anxiety and trauma-related disorders. 

PMID- 26105147
TI  - A laser Doppler system for monitoring cerebral microcirculation: implementation
      and evaluation during neurosurgery.
AB  - The aim of this study was to adapt and evaluate laser Doppler perfusion
      monitoring (LDPM) together with custom-designed brain probes and software for
      continuous recording of cerebral microcirculation in patients undergoing
      neurosurgery. The LDPM system was used to record perfusion and backscattered
      light (TLI). These parameters were displayed together with the extracted heart
      rate (HR), pulsatility index (PI) and signal trends from adjustable time
      intervals. Technical evaluation was done on skin during thermal provocation.
      Clinical measurements were performed on ten patients undergoing brain tumour
      surgery. Data from 76 tissue sites were captured with a length varying between 10
      s to 15 min. Statistical comparisons were done using Mann-Whitney tests. Grey and
      tumour tissue could be separated from white matter using the TLI signal (p <
      0.05). The perfusion was significantly higher in grey and tumour tissue compared
      to white matter (p < 0.005). LDPM was successfully used as an intraoperative tool
      for monitoring local blood flow and additional parameters linked to cerebral
      microcirculation (perfusion, TLI, HR and PI) during tumour resection. The systems
      stability opens up for studies in the postoperative care of patients with, for
      example, traumatic brain injury or subarachnoid haemorrhage.

PMID- 26105148
TI  - Influence of physical fitness and activity behavior on retinal vessel diameters
      in primary schoolchildren.
AB  - Retinal vessel alterations have been shown to be associated with cardiovascular
      risk factors and physical inactivity as early as childhood. In this context, the
      analysis of physical activity in children has solely been based on questionnaire
      assessments. The study aimed to examine the association of physical fitness
      performance and self-reported physical activity with retinal vessel diameters in
      young children. Three hundred ninety-one primary schoolchildren [7.3 years (SD
      0.4)] were examined in this cross-sectional study. The primary outcome was
      endurance performance measured with the 20-m shuttle run. The additional tests
      consisted of a 20-m sprint, jumping sidewards and balancing backwards. Retinal
      microcirculation was assessed using a static retinal vessel analyzer. Parents
      completed questionnaires about physical and sedentary activities. Endurance
      performance was associated with narrower retinal venular diameters [-0.9 (95%CI: 
      1.8; -0.1) measuring units (mu)/ unit shuttle run, P = 0.04] and a higher
      arteriolar to venular ratio [0.003 (-0.001; 0.006)/unit shuttle run, P = 0.06].
      The sprint performance was associated with narrower retinal arterioles [4.7 (0.8;
      8.6) mu/unit sprint, P = 0.02]. Indoor playing activity correlated with narrower
      retinal venules [-0.04 (-0.07; -0.01) mu/per unit, P = 0.02]. Our data suggest
      that objectively measured endurance performance relates with better retinal
      vessel health in early childhood. 

PMID- 26105149
TI  - Outcomes of transformed follicular lymphoma in the modern era: a report from the
      National LymphoCare Study (NLCS).
AB  - We assessed the incidence, prognostic features, and outcomes associated with
      transformation of follicular lymphoma (FL) among 2652 evaluable patients
      prospectively enrolled in the National LymphoCare Study. At a median follow-up of
      6.8 years, 379/2652 (14.3%) patients transformed following the initial FL
      diagnosis, including 147 pathologically confirmed and 232 clinically suspected
      cases. Eastern Cancer Oncology Group performance status >1, extranodal sites >1,
      elevated lactate dehydrogenase, and B symptoms at diagnosis were associated with
      transformation risk. Relative to observation, patients initiating treatment at
      diagnosis had a reduced risk of transformation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.58; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.46-0.75). The risk of transformation was similar in
      patients treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and
      prednisone compared with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone
      (adjusted HR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.62-1.42). Maintenance rituximab was associated with
      reduced transformation risk (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.46-0.97). Five-year survival
      from diagnosis was significantly worse for patients with vs without
      transformation (75%, 95% CI, 70-79 vs 85%, 95% CI, 83-86). The median overall
      survival post-transformation was 5 years. Forty-seven patients with evidence of
      transformation at the time of diagnosis shared similar prognostic factors and
      survival rates to those without transformation. Improved outcomes for
      transformation in the modern era are suggested by this observational study. This
      trial is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00097565.

PMID- 26105151
TI  - Polyethylene Liner Dissociation Is a Complication of the DePuy Pinnacle Cup: A
      Report of 23 Cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polyethylene liner dissociation is a rare but catastrophic event in
      total hip arthroplasty (THA), and certain implant designs are known to be at
      greater risk. Although the DePuy Pinnacle (Warsaw, IN, USA) modular acetabular
      construct has an excellent record of fixation and wear, an unexpectedly high
      number of liner dissociations has been noted. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: The purposes of
      this study were (1) to characterize the clinical parameters observed in a large
      group of patients who have experienced liner dissociations with the DePuy
      Pinnacle acetabular component; (2) to describe the radiographic findings in this
      group of patients; and (3) to calculate a minimum frequency of this complication.
      METHODS: Since 2001, 23 patients with previously well-functioning THAs presented
      with sudden atraumatic polyethylene liner dissociation at four separate
      institutions. These THAs were performed between 2001 and 2013. Eight different
      arthroplasty specialists had performed the index hip arthroplasties using the
      DePuy Pinnacle acetabular component with a polyethylene liner. Polyethylene
      failures were evaluated for liner type and radiographic cup position. For three
      of the surgeons who contributed cases, institutional registries allowed the
      calculation of the number of components of this type that they used during the
      period in question, which provided a conservative estimate of the frequency of
      this type of failure. RESULTS: All 23 liner failures occurred atraumatically in
      previously asymptomatic THAs at a mean of 48 months (range, 3-138 months).
      Patients characteristically reported a new and sudden onset of discomfort with
      audible, reproducible squeaking. Surgical inspection of dissociated liners
      demonstrated displacement of polyethylene with shearing of the peripheral locking
      tabs. Radiographic evaluation demonstrated that 14 cups were well positioned and
      nine cups were malpositioned outside the so-called safe zone. Conservative
      estimates of the frequency of this complication from the three surgeons'
      practices whose institutional registries allowed calculation of the lowest
      possible frequency were 0.32% (six of 1888), 0.77% (three of 391), and 0.82%
      (three of 367). CONCLUSIONS: With this report of 23 additional liner
      dissociations, we suggest that surgeons should be aware of the problem and take
      extra precautions when using this implant to ensure locking mechanism integrity
      at the time of surgery. We caution that the frequency of liner dissociation may
      be higher than previously reported. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic
      study.

PMID- 26105153
TI  - CORR Insights((r)): Do Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Influence Microscopic Residual
      or Metastatic Osteosarcoma in a Murine Model?

PMID- 26105154
TI  - Concepts in bio-molecular spectroscopy: vibrational case studies on
      metalloenzymes.
AB  - Spectroscopic techniques play a major role in the elucidation of structure
      function relationships of biological macromolecules. Here we describe an
      integrated approach for bio-molecular spectroscopy that takes into account the
      special characteristics of such compounds. The underlying fundamental concepts
      will be exemplarily illustrated by means of selected case studies on
      biocatalysts, namely hydrogenase and superoxide reductase. The treatise will be
      concluded with an overview of challenges and future prospects, laying emphasis on
      functional dynamics, in vivo studies, and computational spectroscopy. 

PMID- 26105152
TI  - What Is the Most Useful Questionnaire for Measurement of Coping Strategies in
      Response to Nociception?
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are several measures of coping strategies in response to
      nociception. These measures all correlate highly both with each other and with
      symptom intensity and magnitude of disability in patients with upper limb
      illness. This study aims to determine if distinct measures of coping strategies
      in response to nociception address the same underlying aspect of human illness
      behavior. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: Our primary study question was: is there one common
      aspect of human illness behavior measured by (1) the Pain Catastrophizing Scale
      (PCS); (2) the Psychological Inflexibility in Pain Scale (PIPS); (3) the Patient
      Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Pain Interference (PROMIS-PI)
      Computer Adaptive Test (CAT); and (4) the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire
      (PSEQ)? Secondarily, we aimed to determine which of the four questionnaires is
      most psychometrically sound. We measured correlations among questionnaires,
      coverage, reliability, completion time, and collinearity of these questionnaires
      when entered together in a multivariable model with the shortened version of the
      Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) upper extremity disability
      questionnaire. METHODS: In this prospective study, 138 consecutive new or
      followup English-speaking patients aged 18 years or older presenting to a
      tertiary care referral center with traumatic and nontraumatic upper extremity
      conditions were invited to participate between March and May 2014. One hundred
      thirty-four (97%) patients agreed to participate and completed the four
      questionnaires in random order before their visit with the physician. We used
      exploratory factor analysis to assess whether there was a single common trait-an
      underlying aspect of human illness behavior-measured by these questionnaires.
      Interquestionnaire correlation was assessed using Spearman rank correlation
      coefficients; coverage by assessing floor and ceiling effect (proportion of
      scores at lower and upper limit); reliability by Cronbach's alpha measure of
      internal consistency; completion time in seconds using Kruskal-Wallis analysis;
      and collinearity statistics through a regression model with QuickDASH. RESULTS:
      Exploratory factor analysis identified a common trait measured by these four
      measures-coping strategies in response to nociception-indicated by a substantial
      correlation of every individual questionnaire with the underlying trait (PCS:
      0.74, PIPS: 0.84, PROMIS-PI: 0.83, PSEQ: -0.86). All interquestionnaire
      correlations were also large to substantial and were highest for PROMIS-PI with
      PSEQ (rho = -0.84, p < 0.001) and lowest for PROMIS-PI with PCS (rho = 0.67, p <
      0.001). Internal consistencies were high (PCS: 0.93, PIPS: 0.88, PSEQ: 0.92, and
      not determined for the PROMIS-PI as a result of its CAT administration). PROMIS
      PI was the quickest to complete (30 seconds [interquartile range, 24-44])
      compared with the others (PCS: 91 seconds [66-122], p < 0.001; PIPS: 105 seconds
      [82-141], p < 0.001; PSEQ: 78 seconds [60-101], p < 0.001). The four coping
      questionnaires had a low partial r(2) and a relatively high variation inflation
      factor, indicating multicollinearity. PROMIS-PI was found to have the strongest
      correlation with QuickDASH (beta coefficient: 0.63; standard error: 0.10; p <
      0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence that the four widely used measures of
      coping strategies in response to nociception address a single common aspect of
      human illness behavior, which negatively impacts upper extremity disability.
      Future studies assessing functional outcome should incorporate a measure of human
      illness behavior as it strongly relates to disability. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Given
      that all of these measures address the same important aspect of human illness
      behavior, we recommend the PROMIS-PI CAT as the most efficient measure.

PMID- 26105155
TI  - Sequence-Based Predictive Models of Resistance to HIV-1 Integrase Inhibitors: An
      n-Grams Approach to Phenotype Assessment.
AB  - Amino acid substitutions in HIV-1 proteins critical to the viral replication
      cycle have the potential to undermine successful inhibition of those targets,
      with some mutations leading to either reduced susceptibility to certain
      medications or complete drug resistance. Phenotypic tests are best suited to
      quantify the effects of complex mutational patterns on drug resistance; however,
      the relatively high cost and long turnaround time associated with phenotyping has
      increased the demand for in silico drug-specific models capable of accurately
      predicting phenotype directly from the target protein sequences. The focus of
      this study is on the HIV-1 integrase (IN) enzyme, which mediates integration of
      reversibly transcribed viral DNA into the host cell genome, and the development
      of predictive statistical learning models of resistance to the IN inhibitors
      Raltegravir (RAL) and Elvitegravir (EVG). Models were trained using datasets of
      IN protein sequence variants each having a known phenotype, quantified as the
      fold change in susceptibility to the respective inhibitor, and obtained using an
      experimental assay. A sequence-based approach employing n-grams relative
      frequencies was implemented to uniquely characterize each IN variant as a feature
      vector of input attributes. Models for classifying IN variants as susceptible or
      resistant reach cross-validation balanced accuracy rates of 89% with RAL and 85%
      with EVG. Additionally, regression models achieve Pearson's correlation
      coefficients, between experimental and predicted log-transformed phenotypic fold
      change values, as high as r = 0.80 with RAL and r = 0.76 with EVG. Our results
      suggest that as additional training data are made publicly available, the models
      may hold promise as supplementary tools for making treatment decisions. 

PMID- 26105150
TI  - Rare and low-frequency variants and their association with plasma levels of
      fibrinogen, FVII, FVIII, and vWF.
AB  - Fibrinogen, coagulation factor VII (FVII), and factor VIII (FVIII) and its
      carrier von Willebrand factor (vWF) play key roles in hemostasis. Previously
      identified common variants explain only a small fraction of the trait
      heritabilities, and additional variations may be explained by associations with
      rarer variants with larger effects. The aim of this study was to identify low
      frequency (minor allele frequency [MAF] >=0.01 and <0.05) and rare (MAF <0.01)
      variants that influence plasma concentrations of these 4 hemostatic factors by
      meta-analyzing exome chip data from up to 76,000 participants of 4 ancestries. We
      identified 12 novel associations of low-frequency (n = 2) and rare (n = 10)
      variants across the fibrinogen, FVII, FVIII, and vWF traits that were independent
      of previously identified associations. Novel loci were found within previously
      reported genes and had effect sizes much larger than and independent of
      previously identified common variants. In addition, associations at KCNT1, HID1,
      and KATNB1 identified new candidate genes related to hemostasis for follow-up
      replication and functional genomic analysis. Newly identified low-frequency and
      rare-variant associations accounted for modest amounts of trait variance and
      therefore are unlikely to increase predicted trait heritability but provide new
      information for understanding individual variation in hemostasis pathways.

PMID- 26105156
TI  - Pivotal Role of the Genital Epithelial Cells in HIV-1 Transmission.
AB  - AIDS remains one of the world's most serious health challenges, with 35 million
      people living with HIV worldwide at the end of 2013. HIV sexual transmission
      accounts for the overwhelming majority of people newly infected, making genital
      and rectal mucosal tissues the major sites of infection. This review focuses on
      the role of the female genital epithelial cells in the establishment of HIV
      infection. 

PMID- 26105157
TI  - Mitochondrial responsibility in ageing process: innocent, suspect or guilty.
AB  - Ageing is accompanied by the accumulation of damaged molecules in cells due to
      the injury produced by external and internal stressors. Among them, reactive
      oxygen species produced by cell metabolism, inflammation or other enzymatic
      processes are considered key factors. However, later research has demonstrated
      that a general mitochondrial dysfunction affecting electron transport chain
      activity, mitochondrial biogenesis and turnover, apoptosis, etc., seems to be in
      a central position to explain ageing. This key role is based on several effects
      from mitochondrial-derived ROS production to the essential maintenance of
      balanced metabolic activities in old organisms. Several studies have demonstrated
      caloric restriction, exercise or bioactive compounds mainly found in plants, are
      able to affect the activity and turnover of mitochondria by increasing biogenesis
      and mitophagy, especially in postmitotic tissues. Then, it seems that
      mitochondria are in the centre of metabolic procedures to be modified to lengthen
      life- or health-span. In this review we show the importance of mitochondria to
      explain the ageing process in different models or organisms (e.g. yeast, worm,
      fruitfly and mice). We discuss if the cause of aging is dependent on
      mitochondrial dysfunction of if the mitochondrial changes observed with age are a
      consequence of events taking place outside the mitochondrial compartment. 

PMID- 26105159
TI  - The Paradoxical Effects of AMPK on Insulin Gene Expression and Glucose-Induced
      Insulin Secretion.
AB  - The activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is known to repress the
      expression of the insulin gene and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS).
      However, the mechanisms by which this occurs, as well as the effects of AMPK
      activation on glucolipotoxicity-induced beta-cell dysfunction, have not been
      elucidated. To investigate the effects of 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide
      ribonucleotide (AICAR) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptorgamma
      coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha) on beta-cell-specific genes under glucolipotoxic
      conditions, we performed real-time PCR and measured insulin secretion by primary
      islets. To study these effects in vivo, we administered AICAR for 10 days (1 mg/g
      body weight) to 90% pancreatectomized hyperglycemic mice. The exposure of
      isolated rat and human islets to glucolipotoxic conditions and the overexpression
      of PGC-1alpha suppressed insulin and NEUROD1 mRNA expression. However, the
      expression of these genes was preserved by AICAR treatment and by PGC-1alpha
      inhibition. Exposure of isolated islets to glucolipotoxic conditions for 3 days
      decreased GSIS, which was also well maintained by AICAR treatment and by PGC
      1alpha inhibition. The administration of AICAR to 90% pancreatectomized
      hyperglycemic mice improved glucose tolerance and insulin secretion. These
      results indicate that treatment of islets with an AMPK agonist under
      glucolipotoxic conditions protects against glucolipotoxicity-induced beta-cell
      dysfunction. A better understanding of the functions of molecules such as PGC
      1alpha and AMPK, which play key roles in intracellular fuel regulation, could
      herald a new era for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by
      providing protection against glucolipotoxicity.

PMID- 26105158
TI  - Tumor Microenvironment Remodeling by 4-Methylumbelliferone Boosts the Antitumor
      Effect of Combined Immunotherapy in Murine Colorectal Carcinoma.
AB  - We have previously demonstrated that a low dose of cyclophosphamide (Cy) combined
      with gene therapy of interleukin-12 (AdIL-12) has a synergistic, although
      limited, antitumoral effect in mice with colorectal carcinoma. The main mechanism
      involved in the efficacy of Cy+AdIL-12 was the induction of a specific immune
      response mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Our current aims were to evaluate
      the effects of 4-methylumbelliferone (4Mu), a selective inhibitor of hyaluronan
      (HA) synthesis, on tumor microenvironment (TME) and to investigate how 4Mu
      affects the therapeutic efficacy of Cy+AdIL-12. The results showed that 4Mu
      significantly reduced the amount of tumoral HA leading to a significant decrease
      in tumor interstitial pressure (TIP). As a consequence, tumor perfusion was
      improved allowing an increased adenoviral transgene expression. In addition,
      treatment with 4Mu boosted the number of cytotoxic T lymphocytes that reach the
      tumor after adoptive transfer resulting in a potent inhibition of tumor growth.
      Importantly, we observed complete tumor regression in 75% of mice when 4Mu was
      administrated in combination with Cy+AdIL-12. The triple combination 4Mu+Cy+AdIL
      12 also induced a shift toward antiangiogenic factors production in tumor milieu.
      Our results showed that TME remodeling is an interesting strategy to increase the
      efficacy of anticancer immunotherapies based on gene and/or cell therapy. 

PMID- 26105160
TI  - [Trauma and posttraumatic stress symptoms in patients in German primary care
      settings].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary care settings have an important gatekeeping function to
      detect mental diseases, including trauma and posttraumatic stress disorders.
      OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of trauma and posttraumatic symptoms in a
      first sample of northeast German primary care patients and to evaluate the
      diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the general practitioners. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Traumatic experiences and posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) were
      assessed with self-rating questionnaires in a sample of N = 400 patients from 3
      primary care facilities. Additionally, knowledge and diagnostic accuracy of the
      general practitioners were evaluated. RESULTS: According to the results of the
      patient health questionnaire (PHQ-15) data from all patients, the majority of
      patients questioned showed slight to moderate stress from somatic symptoms. Of
      the patients with complete data 7 % (n = 25) had a complete PTSD according to the
      results of the questionnaire, which was also identified in the medical assessment
      with a sensitivity of 40 %. The stress resulting from posttraumatic symptoms was
      closely associated with the extent of somatic complaints. CONCLUSION: Patients
      with a history of trauma and posttraumatic symptoms are prevalent in primary care
      settings. An early diagnosis by the general practitioner can help patients to
      receive adequate treatment. Patients with somatoform disorders in particular
      should be screened for trauma and posttraumatic symptoms.

PMID- 26105161
TI  - [Stroke - lifestyle and environment].
AB  - Lifestyle modifications and environmental factors are important for stroke
      prevention and rehabilitation after stroke. The individual stroke risk may be
      modified by factors like physical activity, body weight and nutrition, special
      dietary supplements such as vitamins, smoking, consumption of tea, coffee and
      alcohol, psychological factors and by keeping a pet. The focus of this article
      lies on measures for stroke prevention. For certain topics, it also comments on
      factors that are important during rehabilitation after stroke. 

PMID- 26105162
TI  - [Influence of lifestyle on neurodegenerative diseases].
AB  - Lifestyle factors in midlife have an important influence on the risk of
      developing a neurodegenerative disease during later life. Data on lifestyle
      factors exist for Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Continuous
      physical and cognitive activity, a balanced or Mediterranean diet with a high
      proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, the pharmacological treatment of arterial
      hypertension, sufficient and unfragmented sleep and possibly treatment with
      lipophilic statins reduce the risk of developing dementia later in life. Several
      studies in recent years have provided evidence that during the last decades the
      age-adjusted incidence of dementia has decreased. This is probably due to a
      healthier lifestyle and the treatment of risk factors. Continuous physical
      activity also decreases the likelihood of developing Parkinson's disease. Whether
      lifestyle factors also have an influence on the course and the progression of
      Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases in the symptomatic stages is unknown. 

PMID- 26105163
TI  - [Psychiatric interventions for the unemployed].
AB  - Unemployment is related to a higher risk for psychological distress and mental
      disorders, which cause individual suffering and socioeconomic costs for society
      in general. This selective review surveys the relationship between unemployment
      and psychological well-being and mental disorders. The most important programs
      for the improvement of the mental health of the unemployed are summarized: 1.
      Interventions for the unemployed with the aim of improving coping strategies
      reduce the risk of developing depressive symptoms. 2. The SUPPORT liaison
      outpatient unit collaborates closely with the unemployment agency and offers a
      low-threshold screening for mental disorders for unemployed subjects as well as
      counseling for those in need of treatment. 3. A group training based on cognitive
      behavioral therapy improves the psychological well-being of unemployed
      participants. 4. Supported employment is an effective means of placing severely
      mentally ill patients in a work-place accompanied by an extensive professional
      support. 

PMID- 26105164
TI  - Childhood psychological maltreatment subtypes and adolescent depressive symptoms.
AB  - The aim of this study was to understand how subtypes and the timing of
      psychological maltreatment contribute to adolescent depressive symptoms at age
      14. The sample included 638 youth from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse
      and Neglect (LONGSCAN). At age 12, youth reported experiences of psychological
      maltreatment (degradation, isolating, and terrorizing), physical abuse
      (endangerment and physical injury), and sexual abuse that occurred before and
      during elementary school/last year. Multivariable regression models were
      conducted separately for females and males at each of the two time periods and
      accounted for demographics, primary caregiver depressive symptoms, other
      maltreatment subtypes, and youth-reported age 12 depressive symptoms. For girls,
      caregiver degradation was the only maltreatment subtype that contributed unique
      variance to depressive symptoms. Degradation before elementary school and chronic
      degradation had a stronger impact on depression symptoms. Only caregiver
      isolating behaviors during elementary school/last year and chronic isolation
      predicted depressive symptoms in boys. These results suggest that childhood
      psychological maltreatment is multi-dimensional and is implicated in the etiology
      of adolescent depressive symptoms. Future prevention efforts should consider
      parental psychological maltreatment in reducing risk for adolescent depression. 

PMID- 26105165
TI  - Humane accomplishment of physicians and the philosophy of minimally-invasive and
      noninvasive medicine: A perspective.
AB  - The highest realm in clinical medicine is the harmonious unity of medical
      sciences and the humanistic spirit. Given that the beauty of human nature resides
      in humanity, a competent medical practitioner should be a sage that personifies
      the rigorous scientific spirit and the humanity. It is essential for a medical
      practitioner to learn to seek answers to medical inquiries at the philosophical
      level. Important as it is to study the organs, the cells and the functions of the
      body, medical practitioners need to be well-versed in the utmost beauty of
      mankind. The central tenet of minimally-invasive therapeutic medicine is to
      minimize harm to patients while effectively managing the lesion. The radical
      changes brought about by minimally-invasive technologies, exemplified by the non
      invasive high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) surgery, are to change the face
      of traditional surgery. 

PMID- 26105166
TI  - Proceedings of the ASNC Cardiac PET Summit Meeting 12 May 2015, Baltimore, MD :
      6. Recommendations for training and education for cardiac PET.

PMID- 26105167
TI  - Tedizolid: The First Once-Daily Oxazolidinone Class Antibiotic.
AB  - Tedizolid phosphate is the second commercially available oxazolidinone
      antibiotic, although the first one in class that is dosed once daily. It is a
      prodrug that is rapidly converted to the active compound tedizolid. Tedizolid has
      activity against a wide range of gram-positive pathogens, including methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is approved to treat acute bacterial skin and
      skin structure infections (ABSSSIs). In 2 randomized controlled phase 3 trials, 6
      days of tedizolid (200 mg once daily) has been proven to be noninferior to 10
      days of linezolid (600 mg twice daily). These 2 ABSSSI studies have positioned
      tedizolid among the growing armamentarium of newer, novel, anti-gram-positive
      agents. Tedizolid appears to differ from linezolid in the incidence of
      gastrointestinal and hematologic side effects and appears to lack drug
      interactions with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Conditions other than
      ABSSSI are currently being evaluated in clinical studies. 

PMID- 26105168
TI  - Recent Updates on the Role of Pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics in Antimicrobial
      Susceptibility Testing as Applied to Clinical Practice.
AB  - Given current challenges in antimicrobial resistance and drug development,
      infectious diseases clinicians must rely on their own ingenuity to effectively
      treat infections while preserving the current antimicrobial armamentarium. An
      understanding of pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), antimicrobial
      susceptibility testing (AST), and how these concepts relate, is essential to this
      task. In this review, we discuss how and why PK-PD impacts AST and the way
      infectious diseases are being treated, with a particular focus on vancomycin for
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, penicillin for Streptococcus
      pneumoniae, and an update on cephalosporins for Enterobacteriaceae. Finally, we
      address how new ideas to exploit PK-PD can promote innovative study design and
      bring about more rapid regulatory review of new antimicrobials. 

PMID- 26105169
TI  - The Treatment of a Gangrenous Leg.

PMID- 26105171
TI  - Statistics and sovereignty: the workings of biopower in epidemiology.

PMID- 26105170
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of Raltegravir in HIV-Infected Patients on Rifampicin-Based
      Antitubercular Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rifampicin (RIF) induces UGT1A1, an enzyme involved in raltegravir
      (RAL) elimination, thereby potentially lowering RAL exposure. We examined the
      pharmacokinetics of RAL in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients
      on RIF-based antitubercular therapy in the French National Agency for HIV/AIDS
      and Viral Hepatitis Research 12 180 Reflate Tuberculosis trial. METHODS: Patients
      started RAL in combination with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and lamivudine
      after initiation of RIF (10 mg/kg/day). In arm 1 (n = 21), they received 400 mg
      RAL twice daily; in arm 2 (n = 16), they received RAL 800 mg twice daily
      initially then 400 mg twice daily 4 weeks after RIF discontinuation.
      Pharmacokinetic sampling was performed over 12-hour periods, 4 weeks after
      initiation of RAL together with RIF (period 1), 4 weeks after RIF discontinuation
      (period 2), and after the RAL dose reduction in arm 2 (period 3). RESULTS: In arm
      1, the geometric mean ratio (GMR) between period 1 and period 2 was 0.94 (90%
      confidence interval [CI], .64-1.37) for the 12-hour area under the time
      concentration curve (AUC0-12), and 0.69 (90% CI, .42-1.13) for the concentration
      at 12 hours (C12). In arm 2, the corresponding GMRs were 0.75 (90% CI, .48-1.17)
      and 1.10 (90% CI, .61-2.00) for period 1 vs period 2, and 1.10 (90% CI, .78-1.55)
      and 1.68 (90% CI, .88-3.23) for period 1 vs period 3. CONCLUSIONS: The double
      dose of RAL overcompensated for RIF induction, but the standard dose was
      associated with only small decreases in AUC0-12 and C12 during RIF
      coadministration, warranting further evaluation in patients with HIV/tuberculosis
      coinfection. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT0082231.

PMID- 26105172
TI  - Fashion victim: rhabdomyolysis and bilateral peroneal and tibial neuropathies as
      a result of squatting in 'skinny jeans'.

PMID- 26105173
TI  - Mutational spectrum and phenotypic variability of VCP-related neurological
      disease in the UK.

PMID- 26105174
TI  - Mid-Ventricular Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Apical Aneurysm
      Mimicking Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - Nonischemic ST-segment elevation may be confused as acute ST-elevation myocardial
      infarction (STEMI), especially in patients with atypical presenting symptoms.
      Among the possible differential diagnosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
      should be considered. Mid-ventricular obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
      (MVOHCM) is a rare type of cardiomyopathy, accounting for approximately 5% of all
      HCM cases. ST-segment elevation on electrocardiogram (ECG) in patients with
      MVOHCM is a rare clinical presentation. We present a case of MVOHCM and apical
      aneurysm mimicking acute STEMI. 

PMID- 26105175
TI  - Localization of CGRP receptor components and receptor binding sites in rhesus
      monkey brainstem: A detailed study using in situ hybridization,
      immunofluorescence, and autoradiography.
AB  - Functional imaging studies have revealed that certain brainstem areas are
      activated during migraine attacks. The neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related
      peptide (CGRP) is associated with activation of the trigeminovascular system and
      transmission of nociceptive information and plays a key role in migraine
      pathophysiology. Therefore, to elucidate the role of CGRP, it is critical to
      identify the regions within the brainstem that process CGRP signaling. In situ
      hybridization and immunofluorescence were performed to detect mRNA expression and
      define cellular localization of calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CLR) and
      receptor activity-modifying protein 1 (RAMP1), respectively. To define CGRP
      receptor binding sites, in vitro autoradiography was performed with [(3)H]MK-3207
      (a CGRP receptor antagonist). CLR and RAMP1 mRNA and protein expression were
      detected in the pineal gland, medial mammillary nucleus, median eminence,
      infundibular stem, periaqueductal gray, area postrema, pontine raphe nucleus,
      gracile nucleus, spinal trigeminal nucleus, and spinal cord. RAMP1 mRNA
      expression was also detected in the posterior hypothalamic area, trochlear
      nucleus, dorsal raphe nucleus, medial lemniscus, pontine nuclei, vagus nerve,
      inferior olive, abducens nucleus, and motor trigeminal nucleus; protein
      coexpression of CLR and RAMP1 was observed in these areas via immunofluorescence.
      [(3)H]MK-3207 showed high binding densities concordant with mRNA and protein
      expression. The present study suggests that several regions in the brainstem may
      be involved in CGRP signaling. Interestingly, we found receptor expression and
      antagonist binding in some areas that are not protected by the blood-brain
      barrier, which suggests that drugs inhibiting CGRP signaling may not be able to
      penetrate the central nervous system to antagonize receptors in these brain
      regions.

PMID- 26105176
TI  - Pushing the extraction envelope.

PMID- 26105177
TI  - Asymmetrical mandibular molar protraction with conventional mechanics.

PMID- 26105178
TI  - Atypical extractions in adult treatment.

PMID- 26105179
TI  - Orthodontic movement of a lower incisor across the midline.

PMID- 26105180
TI  - Flowable resin for temporary fixation in bonding lingual retainers.

PMID- 26105181
TI  - 3D-printed orthodontic auxiliaries.

PMID- 26105182
TI  - Transcatheter device closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect in
      children treated with prophylactic oral steroids: acute and mid-term results of a
      single-centre, prospective, observational study.
AB  - Background and Objective Although transcatheter closure of perimembranous
      ventricular septal defect is emerging as an accepted, viable alternative,
      conduction disturbances still remain a major concern. Although steroid treatment
      has shown encouraging results with complete recovery, efficacy of prophylactic
      use of steroids is still speculative. We aim to study the mid-term outcome of
      perimembranous ventricular septal defect closure in children who received
      prophylactic oral steroids. Materials and methods A prospective study was
      designed and antegrade device closure was attempted in eligible children who met
      the following inclusion criteria: age 3-18 years and weight >10 kg, defect
      diameter ?12 mm, and symptomatic, haemodynamic changes or history of infective
      endocarditis. Prophylactic steroid protocol consisted of 2 weeks oral
      prednisolone (1 mg/kg/day) initiated immediately after the procedure, and in the
      event of bradyarrhythmia it was escalated to 2 mg/kg. Patients were regularly
      followed-up at 1, 6, and 12 months and then annually. Patients with post
      procedure heart block underwent Holter monitoring after a minimum of 1 year
      interval. RESULTS: Between May, 2007 and August, 2012, successful device closure
      was accomplished in 290/297 patients. Mean age and weight were 9+/-3.12 years and
      21+/-8.27 kg, respectively. The defect measured 5+/-1.38 mm on echocardiography.
      Mean fluoroscopy time was 12.98+/-8.64 minutes. Eight patients with major
      complications included one each with device embolisation, haemolysis, severe
      aortic regurgitation, and five with bradyarrhythmias, including complete
      atrioventricular block in three, Mobitz II in one, and bifascicular block in one.
      Patients with complete atrioventricular block responded to high-dose steroid and
      temporary pacemaker. Minor complications included post-procedure heart block
      (n=22) and blood loss (n=2). At 18.23+/-13.15 months follow-up, 8/27 (five major,
      22 minor) with arrhythmia had persistent post-procedure heart block of no
      clinical consequences. CONCLUSION: In our patient population, transcatheter
      device closure of the perimembranous ventricular septal defect with prophylactic
      oral steroid resulted in excellent closure rate and acceptably low incidence of
      conduction disturbances at mid-term follow-up.

PMID- 26105183
TI  - Epigenetic mechanisms in diurnal cycles of metabolism and neurodevelopment.
AB  - The circadian cycle is a genetically encoded clock that drives cellular rhythms
      of transcription, translation and metabolism. The circadian clock interacts with
      the diurnal environment that also drives transcription and metabolism during
      light/dark, sleep/wake, hot/cold and feast/fast daily and seasonal cycles.
      Epigenetic regulation provides a mechanism for cells to integrate genetic
      programs with environmental signals in order produce an adaptive and consistent
      output. Recent studies have revealed that DNA methylation is one epigenetic
      mechanism that entrains the circadian clock to a diurnal environment. We also
      review recent circadian findings in the epigenetic neurodevelopmental disorders
      Prader-Willi, Angelman and Rett syndromes and hypothesize a link between optimal
      brain development and intact synchrony between circadian and diurnal rhythms.

PMID- 26105184
TI  - WNT3 involvement in human bladder exstrophy and cloaca development in zebrafish.
AB  - Bladder exstrophy, a severe congenital urological malformation when a child is
      born with an open urinary bladder, is the most common form of bladder exstrophy
      epispadias complex (BEEC) with an incidence of 1:30,000 children of Caucasian
      descent. Recent studies suggest that WNT genes may contribute to the etiology of
      bladder exstrophy. Here, we evaluated WNT-pathway genes in 20 bladder exstrophy
      patients using massively parallel sequencing. In total 13 variants were
      identified in WNT3, WNT6, WNT7A, WNT8B, WNT10A, WNT11, WNT16, FZD5, LRP1 and
      LRP10 genes and predicted as potentially disease causing, of which seven variants
      were novel. One variant, identified in a patient with a de novo nonsynonymous
      substitution in WNT3 (p.Cys91Arg), was further evaluated in zebrafish. Knock down
      of wnt3 in zebrafish showed cloaca malformations, including disorganization of
      the cloaca epithelium and expansion of the cloaca lumen. Our study suggests that
      the function of the WNT3 p.Cys91Arg variant was altered, since RNA overexpression
      of mutant Wnt3 RNA does not result in embryonic lethality as seen with wild-type
      WNT3 mRNA. Finally, we also mutation screened the WNT3 gene further in 410 DNA
      samples from BEEC cases and identified one additional mutation c.638G>A
      (p.Gly213Asp), which was paternally inherited. In aggregate our data support the
      involvement of WNT-pathway genes in BEEC and suggest that WNT3 in itself is a
      rare cause of BEEC. 

PMID- 26105185
TI  - Dynamic distribution and the role of abscisic acid during seed development of a
      lady's slipper orchid, Cypripedium formosanum.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although abscisic acid (ABA) is commonly recognized as a
      primary cause of seed dormancy, there is a lack of information on the role of ABA
      during orchid seed development. In order to address this issue, the localization
      and quantification of ABA were determined in developing seeds of Cypripedium
      formosanum. METHODS: The endogenous ABA profile of seeds was measured by enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Temporal and spatial distributions of ABA in
      developing seeds were visualized by immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal
      ABA antibodies. Fluoridone was applied to test the causal relationship between
      ABA content and seed germinability. KEY RESULTS: ABA content was low at the
      proembryo stage, then increased rapidly from 120 to 150 days after pollination
      (DAP), accompanied by a progressive decrease in water content and seed
      germination. Immunofluorescence signals indicated an increase in fluorescence
      over time from the proembryo stage to seed maturation. From immunogold labelling,
      gold particles could be seen within the cytoplasm of embryo-proper cells during
      the early stages of seed development. As seeds approached maturity, increased
      localization of gold particles was observed in the periplasmic space, the
      plasmalemma between embryo-proper cells, the surface wall of the embryo proper,
      and the inner walls of inner seed-coat cells. At maturity, gold particles were
      found mainly in the apoplast, such as the surface wall of the embryo proper, and
      the shrivelled inner and outer seed coats. Injection of fluoridone into capsules
      resulted in enhanced germination of mature seeds. CONCLUSIONS: The results
      indicate that ABA is the key inhibitor of germination in C. formosanum. The
      distinct accumulation pattern of ABA suggests that it is synthesized in the
      cytosol of embryo cells during the early stages of seed development, and then
      exported to the apoplastic region of the cells for subsequent regulatory
      processes as seeds approach maturity.

PMID- 26105186
TI  - Continent-wide distribution in mycorrhizal fungi: implications for the
      biogeography of specialized orchids.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although mycorrhizal associations are predominantly
      generalist, specialized mycorrhizal interactions have repeatedly evolved in
      Orchidaceae, suggesting a potential role in limiting the geographical range of
      orchid species. In particular, the Australian orchid flora is characterized by
      high mycorrhizal specialization and short-range endemism. This study investigates
      the mycorrhizae used by Pheladenia deformis, one of the few orchid species to
      occur across the Australian continent. Specifically, it examines whether P.
      deformis is widely distributed through using multiple fungi or a single
      widespread fungus, and if the fungi used by Australian orchids are widespread at
      the continental scale. METHODS: Mycorrhizal fungi were isolated from P. deformis
      populations in eastern and western Australia. Germination trials using seed from
      western Australian populations were conducted to test if these fungi supported
      germination, regardless of the region in which they occurred. A phylogenetic
      analysis was undertaken using isolates from P. deformis and other Australian
      orchids that use the genus Sebacina to test for the occurrence of operational
      taxonomic units (OTUs) in eastern and western Australia. KEY RESULTS: With the
      exception of one isolate, all fungi used by P. deformis belonged to a single
      fungal OTU of Sebacina. Fungal isolates from eastern and western Australia
      supported germination of P. deformis. A phylogenetic analysis of Australian
      Sebacina revealed that all of the OTUs that had been well sampled occurred on
      both sides of the continent. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a widespread fungal OTU in
      P. deformis enables a broad distribution despite high mycorrhizal specificity.
      The Sebacina OTUs that are used by a range of Australian orchids occur on both
      sides of the continent, demonstrating that the short-range endemism prevalent in
      the orchids is not driven by fungal species with narrow distributions.
      Alternatively, a combination of specific edaphic requirements and a high
      incidence of pollination by sexual deception may explain biogeographic patterns
      in southern Australian orchids.

PMID- 26105187
TI  - Aluminium alleviates manganese toxicity to rice by decreasing root symplastic Mn
      uptake and reducing availability to shoots of Mn stored in roots.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Manganese (Mn) and aluminium (Al) phytotoxicities occur
      mainly in acid soils. In some plant species, Al alleviates Mn toxicity, but the
      mechanisms underlying this effect are obscure. METHODS: Rice (Oryza sativa)
      seedlings (11 d old) were grown in nutrient solution containing different
      concentrations of Mn(2+) and Al(3+) in short-term (24 h) and long-term (3 weeks)
      treatments. Measurements were taken of root symplastic sap, root Mn plaques, cell
      membrane electrical surface potential and Mn activity, root morphology and plant
      growth. KEY RESULTS: In the 3-week treatment, addition of Al resulted in
      increased root and shoot dry weight for plants under toxic levels of Mn. This was
      associated with decreased Mn concentration in the shoots and increased Mn
      concentration in the roots. In the 24-h treatment, addition of Al resulted in
      decreased Mn accumulation in the root symplasts and in the shoots. This was
      attributed to higher cell membrane surface electrical potential and lower Mn(2+)
      activity at the cell membrane surface. The increased Mn accumulation in roots
      from the 3-week treatment was attributed to the formation of Mn plaques, which
      were probably related to the Al-induced increase in root aerenchyma. CONCLUSIONS:
      The results show that Al alleviated Mn toxicity in rice, and this could be
      attributed to decreased shoot Mn accumulation resulting from an Al-induced
      decrease in root symplastic Mn uptake. The decrease in root symplastic Mn uptake
      resulted from an Al-induced change in cell membrane potential. In addition, Al
      increased Mn plaques in the roots and changed the binding properties of the cell
      wall, resulting in accumulation of non-available Mn in roots.

PMID- 26105188
TI  - Life cycle stage and water depth affect flooding-induced adventitious root
      formation in the terrestrial species Solanum dulcamara.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Flooding can occur at any stage of the life cycle of a
      plant, but often adaptive responses of plants are only studied at a single
      developmental stage. It may be anticipated that juvenile plants may respond
      differently from mature plants, as the amount of stored resources may differ and
      morphological changes can be constrained. Moreover, different water depths may
      require different strategies to cope with the flooding stress, the expression of
      which may also depend on developmental stage. This study investigated whether
      flooding-induced adventitious root formation and plant growth were affected by
      flooding depth in Solanum dulcamara plants at different developmental stages.
      METHODS: Juvenile plants without pre-formed adventitious root primordia and
      mature plants with primordia were subjected to shallow flooding or deep flooding
      for 5 weeks. Plant growth and the timing of adventitious root formation were
      monitored during the flooding treatments. KEY RESULTS: Adventitious root
      formation in response to shallow flooding was significantly constrained in
      juvenile S. dulcamara plants compared with mature plants, and was delayed by deep
      flooding compared with shallow flooding. Complete submergence suppressed
      adventitious root formation until up to 2 weeks after shoots restored contact
      with the atmosphere. Independent of developmental stage, a strong positive
      correlation was found between adventitious root formation and total biomass
      accumulation during shallow flooding. CONCLUSIONS: The potential to deploy an
      escape strategy (i.e. adventitious root formation) may change throughout a
      plant's life cycle, and is largely dependent on flooding depth. Adaptive
      responses at a given stage of the life cycle thus do not necessarily predict how
      the plant responds to flooding in another growth stage. As variation in
      adventitious root formation also correlates with finally attained biomass, this
      variation may form the basis for variation in resistance to shallow flooding
      among plants.

PMID- 26105189
TI  - Multidimensional Caregiving Burden of Female Family Caregivers in Korea.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine a staged theoretical model to explain
      cultural knowledge-based multidimensional burden of women family caregivers
      caring for community-dwelling older adults using a modified Poulshock and
      Deimling model. In the model, the antecedents included elders' impairment in
      activities of daily living (ADL), elders' cognitive impairment, caregivers' self
      efficacy, and caregivers' familism. The perception contained the disruptive
      behavior burden and social functioning burden of caregivers. The consequence
      variable included social activity restriction and negative changes in family
      relationships. The total sample was 157 primary women caregivers caring for
      community-dwelling older adults aged 65 and older. Instruments were General Self
      Efficacy Scale, Family Scale, and Burden Scale. Path analysis was done to analyze
      the model using multiple linear regression methods. This study showed that
      impairments of older adults (impairment in ADL, cognitive impairment) and
      caregiver beliefs (strong familism, low self-efficacy) had an indirect influence
      on negative changes in family relationship and social activity restriction
      through the perceived emotional distress.

PMID- 26105190
TI  - Targeted therapies in advanced differentiated thyroid cancer.
AB  - Differentiated thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy, and its
      incidence has been rising rapidly over the past 10 years. Although most patients
      with this disease have an excellent prognosis, a subset develops a more
      aggressive disease phenotype refractory to conventional therapies. Until
      recently, there was no effective therapy for these patients. With increasing
      knowledge of the molecular pathogenesis of thyroid cancer, novel targeted
      therapies are being developed for this group of patients. Sorafenib and
      lenvatinib, small-molecule multikinase inhibitors, were approved for the
      treatment of progressive, symptomatic, radioactive iodine refractory, advanced
      differentiated thyroid cancer in 2013 and 2015, respectively. This represents a
      major innovation in the therapy of patients with advanced thyroid cancer.
      However, these therapies still have many limitations and further research needs
      to be pursued with the ultimate goal of providing safe and effective personalized
      therapy for patients with advanced thyroid cancer.

PMID- 26105191
TI  - Adjunctive intracardiac echocardiography imaging from the left ventricle to guide
      percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip in patients with failed prior
      surgical rings.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We evaluated intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) for adjunctively
      guiding the MitraClip procedure in patients with prior surgical rings.
      BACKGROUND: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is the standard imaging
      modality used to guide the MitraClip procedure (Abbott Vascular, CA). However, in
      patients with post-surgical anatomy, clear imaging of the mitral valve leaflets
      may be complex because of shadowing from the surgical ring. In these patients,
      TEE may be suboptimal for guiding the procedure, even using three-dimensional
      imaging. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included data from 121 consecutive
      patients with mitral regurgitation who underwent MitraClip procedures at the
      University of Virginia. ICE was used adjunctively when there was difficulty with
      TEE, particularly for assessing the insertion of the posterior leaflet into the
      MitraClip's arms. The ICE catheter was introduced transarterially into the left
      ventricle and flexed to obtain the short-axis view. RESULTS: Six patients had
      prior surgical rings, and in five, we used adjunctive ICE. The etiology of the
      mitral regurgitation was prolapse of the posterior leaflet in one patient and
      restriction of the posterior leaflet due to ischemic tethering in the remainder.
      All images were obtained from the left ventricle, and were adequate for assessing
      posterior leaflet insertion and the perpendicularity of the MitraClip arms. The
      procedural success rate was 80%. There was no adverse event related to the ICE
      procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Mitral valve repair with the MitraClip system assisted by
      ICE is feasible in patients with prior surgical rings, achieving an excellent
      risk profile and satisfactory procedural success.

PMID- 26105192
TI  - Grid cells correlation structure suggests organized feedforward projections into
      superficial layers of the medial entorhinal cortex.
AB  - Navigation requires integration of external and internal inputs to form a
      representation of location. Part of this integration is considered to be carried
      out by the grid cells network in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC). However, the
      structure of this neural network is unknown. To shed light on this structure, we
      measured noise correlations between 508 pairs of simultaneous previously recorded
      grid cells. We differentiated between pure grid and conjunctive cells (pure grid
      in Layers II, III, and VI vs. conjunctive in Layers III and V--only Layer III was
      bi-modal), and devised a new method to classify cell pairs as belonging/not
      belonging to the same module. We found that pairs from the same module show
      significantly more correlations than pairs from different modules. The
      correlations between pure grid cells decreased in strength as their relative
      spatial phase increased. However, correlations were mostly at 0 time-lag,
      suggesting that the source of correlations was not only synaptic, but rather
      resulted mostly from common input. Given our measured correlations, the two
      functional groups of grid cells (pure vs. conjunctive), and the known
      disorganized recurrent connections within Layer II, we propose the following
      model: conjunctive cells in deep layers form an attractor network whose activity
      is governed by velocity-controlled signals. A second manifold in Layer II
      receives organized feedforward projections from the deep layers, giving rise to
      pure grid cells. Numerical simulations indicate that organized projections induce
      such correlations as we measure in superficial layers. Our results provide new
      evidence for the functional anatomy of the entorhinal circuit-suggesting that
      strong phase-organized feedforward projections support grid fields in the
      superficial layers.

PMID- 26105193
TI  - Stabilization of the i-motif structure by the intra-strand cross-link formation.
AB  - The i-motif structures are formed by oligonucleotides containing cytosine tracts
      under acidic conditions. The folding of the i-motif under physiological
      conditions is of great interest because of its biological role. In this study, we
      investigated the effect of the intra-strand cross-link on the stability of the i
      motif structure. The 4-vinyl-substituted analog of thymidine (T-vinyl) was
      incorporated into the 5'-end of the human telomere complementary strand, which
      formed the intra-strand cross-link with the internal adenine. The intra-strand
      cross-linked i-motif displayed CD spectra similar to that of the natural i-motif
      at acidic pH, which was transformed into a random coil with the increasing pH.
      The pH midpoint for the transition from the i-motif to random coil increased from
      pH 6.1 for the natural one to pH 6.8 for the cross-linked one. The thermodynamic
      parameters were obtained by measuring the thermal melting behaviors by CD and UV,
      and it was determined that the intra-strand cross-linked i-motif is stabilized
      due to a favorable entropy effect. Thus, this study has clearly indicated the
      validity of the intra-strand cross-linking for stabilization of the i-motif
      structure. 

PMID- 26105194
TI  - Design, synthesis and evaluation of MCH receptor 1 antagonists--Part III:
      Discovery of pre-clinical development candidate BI 186908.
AB  - Although overweight and obesity are highly prevalent conditions, options to treat
      them are still very limited. As part of our search for safe and effective MCH-R1
      antagonists for the treatment of obesity, two series of pyridones and
      pyridazinones were evaluated. Optimization was aimed at improving DMPK properties
      by increasing metabolic stability and improving the safety profile by reducing
      inhibition of the hERG channel and reducing the potential to induce
      phospholipidosis. Steric shielding of a labile keto moiety with an ortho-methyl
      group and fine-tuning of the polarity in several parts of the molecule resulted
      in BI 186908 (11 g), a potent and selective MCH-R1 antagonist with favorable DMPK
      and CMC properties. Chronic administration of BI 186908 resulted in significant
      body weight reduction comparable to sibutramine in a 4 week diet-induced obesity
      model in rats. Based on its favorable safety profile, BI 186908 was advanced to
      pre-clinical development.

PMID- 26105195
TI  - Synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of fatty acid amides from
      Echinacea.
AB  - Alkylamides are lipophilic constituents of Echinacea and possess numerous
      biological activities. Although significant effort has been focused on the study
      of crude Echinacea extracts, very little is known regarding the activities of the
      individual constituents that make up these herbal treatments. Herein we explore
      the SAR of simple alkylamides found in Echinacea extracts with respect to their
      ability to decrease the production of the pro-inflammatory mediator TNF-alpha.
      Our results have revealed the key structural requirements for activity and
      provide lead compounds for further investigation of these poorly understood
      molecules. 

PMID- 26105196
TI  - Sulfonamide bearing pyrazolylpyrazolines as potent inhibitors of carbonic
      anhydrase isoforms I, II, IX and XII.
AB  - A series of pyrazolylpyrazolines was designed, synthesized and evaluated for
      carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) inhibitory activity against cytosolic human
      (h) isozymes hCA I and hCA II as well as transmembrane tumor associated isozymes,
      hCA IX and hCA XII. All the tested compounds exhibited an excellent CA activity
      profile against hCA I, hCA II and hCA XII when compared to the reference drug
      acetazolamide (AZA). Compounds 6d, 6f and 7a-7f have exhibited better inhibition
      profile against hCA XII (Ki = 0.47-5.1 nM) as compared with AZA (Ki = 5.7 nM)
      especially, compounds 6a, 7a, 7c and 7d which were nearly 10-fold better than
      reference drug. Against hCA II, all of the tested compounds were better than the
      standard drug especially compounds 6c, 6d, 7c and 7d (Ki = 1.1-1.7 nM) were many
      fold better inhibitors than AZA (Ki = 12.1 nM). In addition, they acted as
      selective CA inhibitors of isoform hCA XII over the physiological isoform hCA I.

PMID- 26105198
TI  - Patent foramen ovale closure following cryptogenic stroke or transient ischaemic
      attack: Long-term follow-up of 301 cases.
AB  - Patent foramen ovale has been identified as a conduit for paradoxical embolism
      resulting in cryptogenic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). We aimed to
      establish rates of death, recurrent stroke or TIA among patients undergoing PFO
      closure for stroke or TIA at our unit. A retrospective analysis of all PFO
      closure patients was performed between May 2004 and January 2013. Follow up was
      performed by mortality tracing using the Medical Research Information Service of
      the Office of National Statistics. With regard to stroke or TIA recurrence,
      written consent forms and questionnaires were mailed with follow up telephone
      calls. Medical notes and imaging records were consulted where adverse events were
      noted. 301 patients aged 48.6 +/- 11.0 years, 54.4% male, with >=1 thromboembolic
      neurovascular event had percutaneous PFO closure with one of eight devices, with
      successful implantation in 99% of cases. Follow-up duration was 40.2 +/- 26.2
      months (range 1.3-105.3); complete in 301 patients for mortality (100%) and 283
      patients (94.0%) for neurovascular events. Two patients died during follow-up
      (respiratory failure n = 1; road traffic accident n = 1). Recurrent stroke (MRI
      or CT confirmed) was observed in five patients (0.5%; 0.55 per 100 person-years)
      and TIA in 9 (1.1%; 0.98 per 100 person-years). Atrial fibrillation requiring
      treatment was documented in 14 patients (1.7%). Percutaneous PFO closure in
      patients with cryptogenic stroke or TIA is a safe treatment with a low incidence
      of procedural complications and recurrent neurovascular events. Registry data
      like these may help to demonstrate the utility of PFO closure in stroke.

PMID- 26105197
TI  - South African HIV-1 subtype C transmitted variants with a specific V2 motif show
      higher dependence on alpha4beta7 for replication.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The integrin alpha4beta7 mediates the trafficking of immune cells to
      the gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) and is an attachment factor for the HIV
      gp120 envelope glycoprotein. We developed a viral replication inhibition assay to
      more clearly evaluate the role of alpha4beta7 in HIV infection and the
      contribution of viral and host factors. RESULTS: Replication of 60 HIV-1 subtype
      C viruses collected over time from 11 individuals in the CAPRISA cohort were
      partially inhibited by antibodies targeting alpha4beta7. However, dependence on
      alpha4beta7 for replication varied substantially among viral isolates from
      different individuals as well as over time in some individuals. Among 8
      transmitted/founder (T/F) viruses, alpha4beta7 reactivity was highest for viruses
      having P/SDI/V tri-peptide binding motifs. Mutation of T/F viruses that had LDI/L
      motifs to P/SDI/V resulted in greater alpha4beta7 reactivity, whereas mutating
      P/SDI/V to LDI/L motifs was associated with reduced alpha4beta7 binding. P/SDI/V
      motifs were more common among South African HIV subtype C viruses (35%) compared
      to subtype C viruses from other regions of Africa (<8%) and to other subtypes,
      due in part to a founder effect. In addition, individuals with bacterial
      vaginosis (BV) and who had higher concentrations of IL-7, IL-8 and IL-1alpha in
      the genital tract had T/F viruses with higher alpha4beta7 dependence for
      replication, suggesting that viruses with P/SDI/V motifs may be preferentially
      transmitted in the presence of BV in this population. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively,
      these data suggest a role for alpha4beta7 in HIV infection that is influenced by
      both viral and host factors including the sequence of the alpha4beta7 binding
      motif, the cytokine milieu and BV in the genital tract. The higher frequency of
      P/SDI/V sequences among South African HIV-1 subtype C viruses may have particular
      significance for the role of alpha4beta7 in this geographical region.

PMID- 26105200
TI  - Contrast echocardiography for analysis of heart anatomy in tortoises.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The cardiac anatomy in tortoises depicted on B-mode and color-Doppler
      should be better differentiated by additional contrast-echocardiography. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: An intravenous contrast agent (INN-sulphur hexafluoride
      [SonoVue(r)]) was injected in four tortoises (three Testudo hermanni, one
      Agrionemys horsfieldii), via the coccygeal vein, with parallel B-mode
      echocardiographic examination. The results of the contrast-enhanced
      echocardiography were compared with the contrast-free B-mode recordings and color
      Doppler ultrasound. RESULTS: The use of SonoVue(r) enabled clearer distinction of
      the cardiac structures, differentiation of the arising major arteries,
      identification of wash-out-shunts, and visualization of blood flow patterns
      throughout the tortoise heart. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study
      enables the accurate depiction and differentiation of cardiac anatomy in
      tortoises through the use of a combination of B-mode, color-Doppler and contrast
      echocardiography. Basic knowledge of blood flow in the reptile heart is essential
      to understand echocardiographic anatomy. Blood-flow-patterns and anatomy of the
      tortoise heart as found in this study will help to establish a basis for further
      echocardiographic examinations of these animals.

PMID- 26105199
TI  - Intra- and inter-tumor heterogeneity in a vemurafenib-resistant melanoma patient
      and derived xenografts.
AB  - The development of targeted inhibitors, like vemurafenib, has greatly improved
      the clinical outcome of BRAF(V600E) metastatic melanoma. However, resistance to
      such compounds represents a formidable problem. Using whole-exome sequencing and
      functional analyses, we have investigated the nature and pleiotropy of
      vemurafenib resistance in a melanoma patient carrying multiple drug-resistant
      metastases. Resistance was caused by a plethora of mechanisms, all of which
      reactivated the MAPK pathway. In addition to three independent amplifications and
      an aberrant form of BRAF(V600E), we identified a new activating insertion in
      MEK1. This MEK1(T55delins) (RT) mutation could be traced back to a fraction of
      the pre-treatment lesion and not only provided protection against vemurafenib but
      also promoted local invasion of transplanted melanomas. Analysis of patient
      derived xenografts (PDX) from therapy-refractory metastases revealed that
      multiple resistance mechanisms were present within one metastasis. This
      heterogeneity, both inter- and intra-tumorally, caused an incomplete capture in
      the PDX of the resistance mechanisms observed in the patient. In conclusion,
      vemurafenib resistance in a single patient can be established through distinct
      events, which may be preexisting. Furthermore, our results indicate that PDX may
      not harbor the full genetic heterogeneity seen in the patient's melanoma. 

PMID- 26105202
TI  - Motivational Factors Predict Weight Loss in Rural Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective was to: (a) describe the changes over time in
      motivational factors of weight loss and (b) to examine predictors of weight loss
      in rural adults enrolled in a weight loss program. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: A
      longitudinal study was conducted in a convenience sample of 50 adults recruited
      from a rural Young Men's Christian Association. MEASURES: Questionnaires were
      completed at baseline (preprogram), 1, 2 and 3 months (end of program). RESULTS:
      Mean age was 42.4 (SD +/- 11.8); 84% were female and mean BMI was 32.9 (SD +/-
      4.3). Individuals lost an average of 12.1 pounds. Barriers to healthy eating
      decreased significantly over time (p < .001). Significant predictors of weight
      loss included gender (beta = .501, p < .001), and the amount of change between
      baseline and 3 months in controlled regulation (beta = .270, p < .05), barriers
      to healthy eating (beta = -0.225, p < .05), and physical activity (beta = .238, p
      < .05) explaining 45% of the variance (F[(8, 41] = 5.92, p < .001) in weight
      loss. CONCLUSIONS: Rural adults were more likely to lose weight if they had
      higher levels of controlled regulation, if barriers were reduced, and if physical
      activity levels increased during the 3-month weight loss program.

PMID- 26105201
TI  - A comparison of resource utilization following chemotherapy for acute myeloid
      leukemia in children discharged versus children that remain hospitalized during
      neutropenia.
AB  - Comparisons of early discharge and outpatient postchemotherapy supportive care in
      pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients are limited. We used data from
      the Pediatric Health Information System on a cohort of children treated for newly
      diagnosed AML to compare course-specific mortality and resource utilization in
      patients who were discharged after chemotherapy to outpatient management during
      neutropenia relative to patients who remained hospitalized. Patients were
      categorized at each course as early or standard discharge. Discharges within 3
      days after chemotherapy completion were considered "early". Resource utilization
      was determined based on daily billing data and reported as days of use per 1000
      hospital days. Inpatient mortality, occurrence of intensive care unit (ICU)-level
      care, and duration of hospitalization were compared using logistic, log-binomial
      and linear regression methods, respectively. Poisson regression with inpatient
      days as offset was used to compare resource use by discharge status. The study
      population included 996 patients contributing 2358 treatment courses. Fewer
      patients were discharged early following Induction I (7%) than subsequent courses
      (22-24%). Across courses, patients discharged early experienced high readmission
      rates (69-84%), yet 9-12 fewer inpatient days (all P < 0.001). Inpatient
      mortality was low across courses and did not differ significantly by discharge
      status. The overall risk for ICU-level care was 116% higher for early compared to
      standard discharge patients (adjusted risk ratio: 2.16, 95% confidence interval:
      1.50, 3.11). Rates of antibiotic, vasopressor, and supplemental oxygen use were
      consistently elevated for early discharge patients. Despite similar inpatient
      mortality to standard discharge patients, early discharge patients may be at
      greater risk for life-threatening chemotherapy-related complications, including
      infections.

PMID- 26105203
TI  - Squamous cell carcinoma originating from cutaneous cysts: The Henry Ford
      Experience and review of the literature.
AB  - PURPOSE: Malignant transformation to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising within
      cutaneous epidermal cysts is a very rare phenomenon. We provide a series of new
      cases and an overview of the literature. We sought to define the prevalence of
      and characterize SCC arising within epidermal and pilar cysts. PATIENT AND
      METHODS: We searched Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) non-melanoma skin cancer
      (NMSC) registry from 2005 to 2009 to identify cases of SCC arising from epidermal
      cysts. RESULTS: We identified 1904 cases of epidermal cysts at our institution
      between 2005 and 2014. Of these, three cases of SCC arose from an epidermal cyst
      and one case of SCC developed from a pilar cyst. All lesions occurred below the
      waist with the exception of the pilar cyst on the scalp. CONCLUSIONS: Given the
      extremely low incidence, propensity of malignant lesions to become symptomatic
      and efficacy of treatment, we do not recommend routine excision of all epidermal
      cysts. Instead, we recommend excision and pathology for all symptomatic epidermal
      cysts, or those that rapidly grow, or do not respond to medical therapy.

PMID- 26105205
TI  - Biologics and biosimilars.
AB  - Biological drugs are large, complex glycoprotein molecules produced in living
      organisms. Revolutionary treatments for many conditions, biologics used in
      dermatology will face patent expiration, opening opportunities for competitive
      versions. Biologic drugs are so complex such that it is impossible to reproduce
      them exactly. Biosimilars are designed to be highly similar, though not
      identical, to the innovator product. Because biosimilars are not exact replicates
      of innovator biologics, guidelines have suggested that biosimilars should be
      considered as unique therapeutic interventions, requiring unique names and
      physician notification prior to substitution. However, because biologics can
      never be replicated exactly, even innovator biologics have inherent batch-to
      batch variability; when the second batch of innovator products were released,
      physicians began prescribing non-identical variants of biologics to their
      patients, accepting the possibility of variation in clinical effects. Unlike the
      variants in innovator products, biosimilars will provide clinical trial data
      demonstrating similar clinical effects, though there will always be some degree
      of uncertainty in how much clinical impact will be result from the variation in
      both innovator and biosimilar products. How biosimilars are approved and how we
      use biosimilars will need to balance considerations of cost and development time
      with the possibility of variation in biological response. 

PMID- 26105204
TI  - Meglumine antimoniate is more effective than sodium stibogluconate in the
      treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis.
AB  - Sodium stibogluconate (SSG, Pentostam) and meglumine antimoniate (MA, Glucantime)
      are two antimonials that are widely used to treat cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL),
      but the relative efficacies of these treatments are not clear. The aim of this
      study is to compare the efficacy of intralesional SSG with intralesional MA
      therapy in the treatment of CL. One month after completion of the therapy, 1431
      of 1728 patients (82%) who received intralesional MA showed complete clinical
      cure compared to 1157 of 1728 patients (67%) in the SSG group. Patients who did
      not respond to the first round of therapy were re-administered the same treatment
      but with twice weekly injections. Following completion of the second course of
      therapy, 237 of 297 patients (80%) in the MA group and 407 of 561 patients (72%)
      in the SSG group healed their lesions by 1-month post-treatment. At both times,
      the differences in cure rates between MA and SSG groups were statistically
      significant (p < 0.05). Cure rates in the MA group were always significantly
      higher than SSG groups irrespective of other parameters including age, gender,
      lesion site and type of lesion. Intralesional MA is more effective than
      intralesional SSG in the treatment of CL. 

PMID- 26105206
TI  - Successful treatment of severe psoriasis with ustekinumab in a 13-year old girl.

PMID- 26105208
TI  - The Role of Early Language Difficulties in the Trajectories of Conduct Problems
      Across Childhood.
AB  - This study uses latent growth curve modelling to contrast the developmental
      trajectories of conduct problems across childhood for children with early
      language difficulties (LD) and those with typical language (TL). It also examines
      whether the presence of early language difficulties moderates the influence of
      child, parent and peers factors known to be associated with the development of
      conduct problems. Unconditional and language status conditional latent growth
      curves of conduct problems were estimated for a nationally representative cohort
      of children, comprising of 1627 boys (280 LD) and 1609 girls (159 LD) measured at
      ages 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 and 10-11. Multiple regression tested interaction between
      language status and predictors of the level and slope of the development of
      conduct symptoms. On average, children's conduct problems followed a curvilinear
      decrease. Compared to their TL peers, LD boys and girls had trajectories of
      conduct problems that had the same shape but with persistently higher levels.
      Among boys, LD amplified the contributions of parental hostility and SES and
      protected against the contributions of sociability and maternal psychological
      distress to a high level of conduct problems. In low SES boys, LD was a
      vulnerability to a slower rate of decline in conduct problems. Among girls, LD
      amplified the contributions of low pro-social behaviour to a higher level and
      sociability to a slower rate of decline of conduct problems while dampening the
      contribution of peer problems to a higher level of problems.

PMID- 26105207
TI  - Src family kinases differentially influence glioma growth and motility.
AB  - Src-family kinase (SFK) signaling impacts multiple tumor-related properties,
      particularly in the context of the brain tumor glioblastoma. Consequently, the
      pan-SFK inhibitor dasatinib has emerged as a therapeutic strategy, despite
      physiologic limitations to its effectiveness in the brain. We investigated the
      importance of individual SFKs (Src, Fyn, Yes, and Lyn) to glioma tumor biology by
      knocking down individual SFK expression both in culture (LN229, SF767, GBM8) and
      orthotopic xenograft (GBM8) contexts. We evaluated the effects of these
      knockdowns on tumor cell proliferation, migration, and motility-related signaling
      in culture, as well as overall survival in the orthotopic xenograft model. The
      four SFKs differed significantly in their importance to these properties. In
      culture, Src, Fyn, and Yes knockdown generally reduced growth and migration and
      altered motility-related phosphorylation patterns while Lyn knockdown did so to a
      lesser extent. However the details of these effects varied significantly
      depending on the cell line: in no case were conclusions about the role of a
      particular SFK applicable to all of the measures or all of the cell types
      examined. In the orthotopic xenograft model, mice implanted with non-target or
      Src or Fyn knockdown cells showed no differences in survival. In contrast, mice
      implanted with Yes knockdown cells had longer survival, associated with reduced
      tumor cell proliferation. Those implanted with Lyn knockdown cells had shorter
      survival, associated with higher overall tumor burden. Together, our results
      suggest that Yes signaling directly affects tumor cell biology in a pro
      tumorigenic manner, while Lyn signaling affects interactions between tumor cells
      and the microenvironment in an anti-tumor manner. In the context of therapeutic
      targeting of SFKs, these results suggest that pan-SFK inhibitors may not produce
      the intended therapeutic benefit when Lyn is present. 

PMID- 26105210
TI  - Erratum to: Observing Interactions between Children and Adolescents and their
      Parents: The Effects of Anxiety Disorder and Age.

PMID- 26105209
TI  - Within-Person Changes in Individual Symptoms of Depression Predict Subsequent
      Depressive Episodes in Adolescents: a Prospective Study.
AB  - The current longitudinal study examined which individual symptoms of depression
      uniquely predicted a subsequent Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in adolescents,
      and whether these relations differed by sex. Adolescents (N = 240) were first
      interviewed in grade 6 (M = 11.86 years old; SD = 0.56; 54% female; 81.5%
      Caucasian) and then annually through grade 12 regarding their individual symptoms
      of depression as well as the occurrence of MDEs. Individual symptoms of
      depression were assessed with the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised
      (CDRS-R) and depressive episodes were assessed with the Longitudinal Interval
      Follow-up Evaluation (LIFE). Results showed that within-person changes in sleep
      problems and low self-esteem/excessive guilt positively predicted an increased
      likelihood of an MDE for both boys and girls. Significant sex differences also
      were found. Within-person changes in anhedonia predicted an increased likelihood
      of a subsequent MDE among boys, whereas irritability predicted a decreased
      likelihood of a future MDE among boys, and concentration difficulties predicted a
      decreased likelihood of an MDE in girls. These results identified individual
      depressive symptoms that predicted subsequent depressive episodes in male and
      female adolescents, and may be used to guide the early detection, treatment, and
      prevention of depressive disorders in youth.

PMID- 26105211
TI  - Risks, severity and timing of infections in patients with multiple myeloma: a
      longitudinal cohort study in the era of immunomodulatory drug therapy.
AB  - We defined the epidemiology and clinical predictors of infection in patients with
      multiple myeloma (MM) receiving immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs), proteasome
      inhibitors (PI) and autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant (ASCT) in a
      large longitudinal cohort study. Clinical and microbiology records of patients
      with MM diagnosed between January 2008 and December 2012 were reviewed to capture
      patient demographics, characteristics of myeloma and infections (type, severity,
      outcomes). Conditional risk set modelling was used to determine clinical
      predictors of infection. One hundred and ninety-nine patients with MM with 771
      episodes of infection were identified. 44.6% of infections were clinically
      defined, 35.5% were microbiologically defined and 19.9% were fever of unknown
      focus. There was a bimodal peak in incidence of bacterial (4-6 and 70-72 months)
      and viral infections (7-9 and 52-54 months) following disease diagnosis.
      Chemotherapy regimens high-dose melphalan [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.07], intravenous
      cyclophosphamide (HR = 1.96) and intensive combination systemic chemotherapy (HR
      = 1.86) and cumulative doses of corticosteroid (HR = 3.06 at highest dose) were
      independently associated with increased risk of infection overall (P < 0.05).
      IMiDs and PI and other clinical factors were not independently associated with
      increased risk of infection. New approaches to prevention and treatment of
      infection should focus upon identified periods of risk and treatment-related risk
      factors. 

PMID- 26105212
TI  - Downregulation of Protection of Telomeres 1 expression in myelodysplastic
      syndromes with 7q deletion.

PMID- 26105213
TI  - About the RICA registry in patients with heart failure.

PMID- 26105214
TI  - The electronic properties of mixed valence hydrated europium chloride thin film.
AB  - We investigate the electronic properties of a model mixed-valence hydrated
      chloride europium salt by means of high resolution photoemission spectroscopy
      (HRPES) and resonant photoemission spectroscopy (RESPES) at the Eu 3d -> 4f and
      4d -> 4f transitions. From the HRPES spectra, we have determined that the two
      europium oxidation states are homogeneously distributed in the bulk and that the
      hydrated salt film is exempt from surface mixed valence transition. From the
      RESPES spectra, the well separated resonant contributions characteristic of
      divalent and trivalent europium species (4f(6) and 4f(7) final states,
      respectively) are accurately extracted and quantitatively determined from the
      resonant features measured at the two edges. The partial absorption yield
      spectra, obtained by integrating the photoemission intensity in the valence-band
      region, can be well reproduced by atomic multiplet calculation at the M(4,5) (3d
      4f) absorption edge and by an asymmetric Fano-like shape profile at the N(4,5)
      (4d-4f) absorption edge. The ratio of Eu(2+) and Eu(3+) species measured at the
      two absorption edges matches with the composition of the mixed valence europium
      salt as determined chemically. We have demonstrated that the observed
      spectroscopic features of the mixed valence salt are attributed to the mixed
      valence ground state rather than surface valence transition. HRPES and RESPES
      spectra provide reference spectra for the study of europium salts and their
      derivatives.

PMID- 26105215
TI  - Tyranny of distance and rural prehospital care: Is there potential for a national
      rural responder network?
AB  - Critical illness intersects with the workload of rural doctors in Australia,
      mostly via their on-call responsibilities to rural hospitals. A significant
      proportion of these are prehospital incidents - vehicle crashes, farming
      injuries, bushfire etc. Effective care for such patients requires an integration
      of prehospital ambulance services, retrieval services and tertiary level trauma
      services all the way through to rehabilitation. Ambulance services in rural areas
      are often volunteer based, and with increasing remoteness via the 'tyranny of
      distance' comes the likelihood of increased delay in arrival of specialist
      retrieval services. Potential exists to utilise rural clinicians to respond to
      prehospital incidents in certain defined circumstances, as suggested by a recent
      survey of rural doctors. 

PMID- 26105216
TI  - OS001. Pregnancy outcome in subsequent pregnancies after eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Eclampsia in the previous pregnancy may have impact on future
      reproductive performance of the women. Few studies have been conducted in recent
      years to review the subsequent pregnancy outcome. In this study women with
      previous eclampsia were followed up in subsequent pregnancy and outcome was
      compared with normotensive control group. OBJECTIVES: To study the risk of
      recurrence of hypertension and associated complications in subsequent pregnancies
      following eclampsia. METHODS: Fifty-three pregnant women with previous history of
      eclampsia were supervised and delivered in PGIMER, Chandigarh, India (2001 April
      2011 March) were studied prospectively. The pregnancy outcome was compared with
      106 age and gravida matched controls who had remained normotensive in previous
      pregnancies. The data analysis was done by Chi-square test and Student 't' test.
      RESULTS: Amongst women with previous eclampsia eight women (15%) were found to
      have underlying chronic hypertension. The incidence of gestational hypertension
      and pre-eclampsia was 37.7% amongst these women, compared to 7.5% in control
      group (p=0.0001). Preterm deliveries mainly due to preterm inductions were higher
      (32%) amongst women with previous eclampsia compared to 12% amongst controls
      (p=0.0004). Incidence of intra uterine growth restriction was significantly
      higher amongst cases (15% vs 1.5%, p=0.0003). CONCLUSION: Women with previous
      eclampsia have higher incidence of chronic hypertension. These women are at
      significant risk to develop hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and its related
      complications. The recurrence of eclampsia is low with aggressive and vigilant
      antenatal care.

PMID- 26105217
TI  - OS002. Comparison TNF-alpha level and pathogen periodontal microorganismbetween
      normal pregnant women, periodontitis pregnant women, and lateonset severe
      preeclampsia women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia Morbidity and Mortality is still high because of
      unknown etiology and pathogenesis. One of the theory about pathogenesis of
      preeclampsia in developing country is infections. Periodontitis is found in 10
      60% preeclampsia cases in our center. So we held this research to evaluate the
      association between preeclampsia, periodontal pathogen, and TNF-alpha level.
      OBJECTIVES: To compare and analyse the TNF-alpha level and pathogen periodontal
      microorganism between normal pregnant women, periodontitis pregnant women, and
      late onset severe preeclampsia women. Furthermore the research want to find any
      relationship between periodontitis and late onset severe preeclampsia. METHODS:
      Analytic observational research with cross sectional study design at Soetomo
      Hospital from November 2010 until February 2011. Thirty patients divided into 3
      groups, normal pregnant women, periodontitis pregnant women, and late onset
      severe preeclampsia women group. All patients were evaluated whether any
      periodontitis. Periodontal swab were performed and blood samples were taken from
      all of the patients. TNF-alpha level and pathogen periodontal microorganism were
      evaluated and analysed. RESULTS: There is a significant difference TNF-alpha
      level between normal pregnant women, periodontitis pregnant women, and late onset
      severe preeclampsia p=0.000 (p<0.05). The highest TNF-alpha level is late onset
      preeclampsia, and the lowest is normal pregnant women. There is a significant
      difference pathogen periodontal microorganism between normal pregnant women,
      periodontitis pregnant women, and late onset severe preeclampsia p=0.001
      (p<0.05). Porpyromonas ginggivalis is the most pathogen periodontal microorganism
      found at the samples. There is a significant difference TNF-alpha level between
      the samples with positive and negative pathogen periodontal microorganism p=0.04
      (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: There is a significant difference about the TNF-alpha level
      and pathogen periodontal microorganism between normal pregnant women,
      periodontitis pregnant women, and late onset severe preeclampsia. Furthermore the
      TNF-alpha level between the samples with positive and negative pathogen
      periodontal microorganism is significantly difference. Maybe periodontitis has
      association with late onset severe preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105218
TI  - OS003. The influence of gestational weight gain on the development ofgestational
      hypertension in obese women.

PMID- 26105219
TI  - OS004. A link between the complement system and angiogenic imbalance
      inpreeclampsia: ficolin-2 deficiency.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: An excessive maternal systemic inflammatory response to pregnancy,
      as well as an imbalance between circulating angiogenic factors and their
      antagonists plays a central role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. The
      complement system, as part of innate immunity, is fundamental to the host's
      immune defense against microbial pathogens, apoptotic and necrotic cells. Both of
      its excessive activation and deficiencies can lead to various disorders.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine circulating levels of
      components of the complement system and their relationship to those of angiogenic
      factors in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia. METHODS: Sixty preeclamptic
      patients, 60 healthy pregnant women and 59 healthy non-pregnant women were
      involved in this case-control study. Circulating levels of C1rC1sC1-inh, C3bBbP,
      C4d, C3a, SC5b9, ficolin-2, ficolin-3, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt
      1) and placental growth factor (PlGF), as well as activity of the complex of
      mannose-binding lectin and mannose-binding lectin-associated serine protease 2
      (MBL-MASP2 complex) were measured. For statistical analyses, non-parametric
      methods were applied. RESULTS: Circulating levels of C3bBbP, C4d, C3a, SC5b9,
      sFlt-1, PlGF, as well as MBL-MASP2 activity were significantly higher, while
      ficolin-2 concentrations were significantly lower in healthy pregnant than in
      healthy non-pregnant women. Furthermore, preeclamptic patients had significantly
      higher C1rC1sC1-inh, C3bBbP, C4d, C3a, SC5b9 and sFlt-1 levels and significantly
      lower ficolin-2, ficolin-3 and PlGF concentrations than healthy pregnant women.
      In the groups of healthy pregnant women and preeclamptic patients, plasma ficolin
      2 levels showed a significant positive correlation with serum PlGF concentrations
      and a significant inverse correlation with serum levels of sFlt-1. There was no
      other relationship between complement components and angiogenic factors in either
      study group. CONCLUSION: Elevated levels of activation products in the systemic
      circulation indicate complement activation with increased terminal complex
      formation in preeclampsia, which seems to be independent from alterations in
      circulating angiogenic factors. Nevertheless, low ficolin-2 concentrations might
      contribute to the angiogenic imbalance in preeclampsia by impaired removal of the
      sFlt-1-containing trophoblast-derived material released into the maternal
      circulation by the hypoxic and oxidatively stressed preeclamptic placenta.

PMID- 26105220
TI  - OS005. Treatment with magnesium sulphate reduced the serum level of IL-6in
      preeclamptic women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is one of the most common complications of pregnancy,
      affecting 2-7% of pregnant women. To prevent eclampsia from preeclampsia
      treatment with magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) is widely used. However the action of
      magnesium sulphate is unknown. OBJECTIVES: Although a RCT compared magnesium
      supplementation with placebo suggested there is no effect on the incidence of
      preeclampsia, a study showed treatment with MgSO4 reduced the level of IL-6
      secretion in maternal circulation of preeclamptic placenta not fetal side [1]. In
      addition, a most recent study suggests that treatment with MgSO4 inhibited
      inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 secretion induced by LPS [2]. Taken together
      these data suggest MgSO4 may be able to normalise IL-6 actions and secretion. IL
      6 level is elevated in preeclamtic women, therefore in this study we investigated
      whether maternal MgSO4 treatment inhibit IL-6 secretion in women with
      preeclampsia. METHODS: Twenty two preeclamptic women and 71 gestation matched
      health women were included in this study. The definition of preeclampsia is
      followed by ACOG guideline. The gestation of preeclamptic women in this study was
      26-38 weeks. The blood samples of preeclamptic women were taken before and after
      MgSO4 administration and the serum level of IL-6 was measured by ELISA kit (BD).
      RESULTS: The serum level of IL-6 in preeclamptic women (24.59pg/ml) was
      significantly increased before MgSO4 administration compared to gestation matched
      health pregnant women (11.1pg/ml). However the serum level of IL-6 was
      significantly reduced after MgSO4 administration (19.8pg/ml), but sill higher
      than gestation matched health pregnant women. CONCLUSION: Although the mechanism
      of magnesium sulphate is incompletely understood, our date consist with recent
      findings and suggest that it may act through the regulation of the level of IL-6
      secretion which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105221
TI  - OS006. Functional expression of endogenous ligands of Toll like receptor4 on
      monocytes and placentae from women during normal pregnancy andpre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) is characterized by an exaggerated systemic
      inflammatory response (ESIR). Several recent studies by our group and others have
      demonstrated up-regulation of Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) in trophoblast,
      placenta and leukocytes in PE but the exact role of TLR4 in the pathogenesis of
      PE remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the expression levels of
      endogenous ligands of TLR4 in plasma and placentas from women with PE vs
      normotensive pregnant women (NP), and to compare the inflammatory cytokine
      expression profiles of monocytes from women with PE to NP, in order to identify
      which of these endogenous ligands of TLR4 may play a functional role in the
      pathogenesis of PE for further study. METHODS: We recruited 16 PE (gestational
      age=33.6+/-3.0weeks), 10 normal pregnant (gestational age=31.6+/-3.8weeks) and 10
      non-pregnant women. Plasma levels of endogenous TLR4 ligands-heparan sulfate,
      hyaluronan, fibronectin, fibrinogen and High mobility group box-1(HMGB1)-were
      measured by ELISA. Monocytes were isolated from peripheral blood, cultured and
      stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS; TLR4 bacterial ligand) and endogenous TLR4
      ligands, and inflammatory cytokines were measured in supernatant medium by
      cytometric array. Placental tissue from PE and NP were investigated for the
      different endogenous ligands by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Plasma levels of
      heparan sulfate and fibronectin did not differ between study groups, but HMGB1
      was higher in PE (P<0.05) whilst fibrinogen was significantly lower in PE
      compared to NP (P<0.05). Stimulation of PE monocytes with LPS resulted in
      profound secretion of various cytokines: IL-6, IL-8, IL-1beta, TNFalpha and IL
      10, in comparison with NP. Moreover, exposure to fibrinogen, but not to other
      endogenous TLR4 ligands, was also associated with significantly increased
      production of inflammatory cytokines in PE compared to NP. Also, we observed
      altered distribution levels of studied endogenous ligands in the placenta from PE
      vs NP. CONCLUSION: Our findings of increased inflammatory cytokine expression
      levels in PE in response to LPS are consistent with upregulation of TLR4 in PE. A
      similar response induced by fibrinogen suggests an important role for this
      endogenous ligand of TLR4 in the pathogenesis of PE. Whether our observation of
      decreased plasma levels of fibrinogen in PE is linked to this observation, or
      represents increased fibrinogenesis and fibrinolysis associated with the abnormal
      coagulopathy seen in this condition, is unclear.

PMID- 26105222
TI  - OS007. The apoptosis markers are altered in CD4(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(+) T
      regulatorylymphocytes in pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a common obstetric syndrome affecting about 5
      10% of pregnant women. The etiology and pathogenesis of this syndrome are not
      fully understood. There are many studies describing alterations in the innate and
      adaptive immune system which may have an influence on the onset of this disorder.
      It was suggested that the activation of cell-mediated immunity may play the key
      role in the etiology of pre-eclampsia. It was proposed that inappropriate
      activation of the immune system can lead to pre-eclampsia. OBJECTIVES: The aim of
      our study was to estimate the surface expressions of CD95(APO-1/Fas) antigen and
      the intracellular expressions of anti-apoptotic proteinBcl-2 and pro-apoptotic
      proteinBax in CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) T regulatory lymphocytes (Tregs) as well as
      the percentage of CD8(+)CD28(+) T cytotoxic cells in peripheral blood of patients
      with pre-eclampsia in comparison with healthy pregnant women in the third
      trimester of physiological pregnancy. METHODS: Twenty-four women with pre
      eclampsia and twenty normal third trimester pregnant women were included in the
      study. The lymphocytes were isolated from peripheral blood samples and labelled
      with monoclonal antibodies. The expressions of surface antigens and intracellular
      proteins were estimated using flow cytometry. RESULTS: The population of
      CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) Treg cells was significantly lower in peripheral blood of
      patients with pre-eclampsia when compared to normal third trimester pregnant
      women. The percentages of CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) Treg cells that express Bcl-2
      protein were significantly lower in peripheral blood of patients with pre
      eclampsia when compared to healthy pregnant women, whereas the percentages of
      CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) Treg cells with the expressions of Bax protein did not
      differ in both groups. Moreover, the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of Bcl-2
      protein in CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) Treg cells was significantly lower and MFI of
      Bax protein significantly higher in pre-eclampsia when compared to the control
      group. The percentage of CD8(+)CD28(+) T cells did not differ in both studied
      groups but MFI of CD28 antigen on T CD8(+) cells was significantly higher in pre
      eclampsia when compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The obtained results
      suggest that the deficit of CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) Treg lymphocytes which is
      observed in pre-eclampsia maybe associated with alterations in apoptosis markers.

PMID- 26105223
TI  - OS009. Second trimester serum hyperglycosylated human chorionic gonadotrophin and
      preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hyperglycosylated human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG-h), produced
      by the placental trophoblast cells, is involved in placental development in early
      pregnancy. Decreased second trimester urine hCG-h is associated with later
      preeclampsia, which may be a sign of impaired trophoblastic invasion preceding
      symptoms of the disease. OBJECTIVES: To study whether maternal second trimester
      serum hCG-h concentrations predict later development of preeclampsia. METHODS:
      Fifty-five women with subsequent preeclampsia, 21 women with gestational
      hypertension, 30 normotensive women with small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants
      and 83 controls with uneventful pregnancies were included in the study. Their
      serum hCG and hCG-h concentrations were analyzed by fluoroimmunoassay at 14
      17weeks of gestation. The proportion of hCG-h of total hCG (%hCG-h) was
      calculated and converted to multiples of the median (MoMs) of the controls. MoMs
      of the groups were compared by Mann-Whitney U test. Pearson's correlation was
      used to analyze correlations between clinical characteristics and serum marker
      concentrations. The results are given as medians with 95% confidence intervals
      (95% CI). A two-tailed P<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The
      concentrations of hCG-h and %hCG-h decreased with advancing gestational weeks in
      women with subsequent preeclampsia (r=-0.289, p=0.032 and r=-0.464, p<0.001), but
      not in women in the other groups. There was a tendency towards lower
      concentrations of hCG-h and %hCG-h in women with subsequent preeclampsia than in
      controls. The median MoMs of %hCG-h were 0.89 (95% CI,0.79-1.00) in women with
      subsequent preeclampsia and 1.00 (0.91-1.11) in controls. The corresponding
      values for women with subsequent gestational hypertension were 1.00 (0.86-1.16),
      for those with subsequent SGA infants they were 1.09 (0.89-1.23). The difference
      between preeclampsia and the other groups together was significant (p=0.029).
      CONCLUSION: Earlier studies suggest that decreased urine hCG-h concentrations
      reflect changes in placental function that precede the development of
      preeclampsia. At 14-17weeks of gestation, the serum concentrations of hCG-h
      showed moderate validity to predict later development of preeclampsia. Further
      studies on the utility of hCG-h for prediction of subsequent preeclampsia are
      warranted.

PMID- 26105224
TI  - OS010. Use of retinal imaging to characterise physiological vascularchanges
      throughout pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Visualisation of the microcirculation through retinal imaging can
      provide information on the health of systemic vasculature. Characterisation of
      the retinal vasculature throughout pregnancy using retinal imaging is a novel
      approach to examine physiological changes to the cardiovascular system, and may
      be useful to predict early pathophysiological signs of adverse maternal outcomes.
      OBJECTIVES: To characterise the retinal vascular and blood pressure (BP) changes
      that occur throughout a healthy pregnancy. METHODS: Data was collected from women
      recruited at 13+/-2 weeks of gestation from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, a major
      tertiary referral hospital in Sydney, Australia. Retinal images centred on the
      optic disc and BP readings were collected throughout pregnancy. Postnatal data
      was collected from medical records, and women with hypertensive disorders of
      pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus were excluded. This left a final
      group of 19 women. Retinal images from 13+/-2, 19+/-2, 29+/-2 and 38+/-2 weeks
      gestation were graded using semi-automated retinal vascular calibre measurement
      (IVAN) software and the central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE), and central
      retinal venular equivalent (CRVE). BP data was collected at the same time points
      as the retinal images. Analysis of data was performed using paired t-tests and
      repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Women with missing data points
      were excluded from the analysis at the relevant time points. RESULTS: Over the
      course of pregnancy, there was a significant dilatation of retinal arterioles
      between 13+/-2 and 19+/-2weeks (from 166.4 to 172.7MUm, SE: 3.7MUm, n=19,
      p=0.01), corresponding to a significant fall in diastolic BP during this time
      (from 64.6 to 60.2mmHg, SE: 1.5mmHg, p=0.01). No significant changes in venular
      diameter or systolic BP were noted. Between 19+/-2 and 29+/-2weeks (n=4), no
      significant changes to retinal arteriolar or venular diameter were seen although
      there were significant increases in both systolic and diastolic BP (SBP: from
      100.3 to 109.9mmHg, SE: 1.9mmHg, p=0.01; DBP: from 59.3 to 64.6mmHg, SE: 6.9mmHg,
      p=0.01). Between 29+/-2 and 38+/-2weeks (n=3), no significant changes in retinal
      arteriolar, and venular diameter or BP were observed. CONCLUSION: An increase in
      retinal arteriolar diameter between 13+/-2 and 19+/-2 weeks gestation was
      observed, which corresponded to a decrease in both systolic and diastolic BP.
      However, between 19+/-2 and 29+/-2 weeks there was no change in vasculature, even
      though there was a significant increase in BP. By characterising the changes to
      retinal vessels that occur throughout a healthy pregnancy, we can further our
      understanding of the response of the systemic vasculature to pregnancy, which may
      provide clues to early vascular disease of pregnancies.

PMID- 26105225
TI  - OS011. Management of late preterm pregnancy complicated by mildpreeclampsia: A
      prospective randomized trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In the absence of properly undertaken prospective randomized
      clinical trials, the optimal management of late preterm mild preeclampsia for
      best maternal and perinatal outcomes remains unclear for obstetricians worldwide.
      OBJECTIVES: We desired to determine if immediate or expectant management of the
      late preterm mother presenting with mild preeclampsia was more beneficial to her
      without compromise to her newborn. METHODS: This prospective randomized clinical
      trial of immediate versus expectant delivery for patients presenting with mild
      preeclampsia between the late preterm period of 34-0/7 to 36-6/7weeks gestation
      was undertaken using CONSORT guidelines. Patients were randomized to immediate
      delivery via induction of labor or cesarean delivery or inpatient expectant
      management with delivery at 37-0/7weeks gestation or earlier at onset of labor or
      progression to severe preeclampsia. The primary outcome was progression to severe
      preeclampsia; secondary outcomes were neonatal morbidity and mortality. Data were
      analyzed by appropriate tests for continuous or categorical outcomes with
      differences considered significant if p<0.05. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty nine
      patients during 2002-2008 satisfied and sustained protocol criteria in the
      immediate delivery (n=94) or inpatient expectant management (n=75) arms of the
      study. A third (33%) of expectantly managed patients developed severe
      preeclampsia during significantly longer hospitalization versus 3% in the
      immediately delivered patients (p=0.001). Cesarean delivery rates were similar.
      No significant neonatal morbidity differences were observed between groups; there
      were no maternal or neonatal deaths. The study was stopped in 2008 at 74% of the
      enrollment target when hospital policy changed to discourage inpatient
      hospitalization for uncomplicated mild preterm preeclampsia and in view of
      growing national concern for increased late preterm/early term neonatal morbidity
      and cost of care. CONCLUSION: Proceeding to delivery of the late preterm
      (?34weeks gestation) patient with mild preeclampsia lessens maternal risk without
      significantly increasing neonatal risk.

PMID- 26105226
TI  - OS012. Eclampsia with progressing disease correlates to severe diastolicblood
      pressure.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Eclampsia is MRI-radiologically defined as posterior reversible
      encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), which indicate cases with eclampsia might improve
      spontaneously and reversibly. On the other hand the central nervous system is the
      main target organ affected by the disease of severe preeclampsia. Eclampsia is
      thought to be one of the severe states of this disease. We should recognise some
      eclamptic cases to grow worse resulting in disastrous stroke or poor prognosis.
      Especially the symptoms of long lasting unconsciousness or repeating seizures, or
      the sings with cerebrovascular vasospasms or brain stem lesion are considered as
      the progressing disease among the disease of eclampsia. We studied what factors
      among obstetrics features are related to this progressing disease of eclampsia.
      OBJECTIVES: Thirty six cases with eclampsia were entered in this study. All cases
      were managed in our hospital from 1995 to 2011. All cases had hypertensive
      disorders and 23 cases complicated with preeclampsia or superimposed
      preeclampsia. Four cases were antepartum eclampsia, 12 cases intrapartum and 10
      cases postpartum. 20 cases were diagnosed as progressing disease of eclampsia,
      and 16 cases were no progressing disease. METHODS: As obstetric features, the
      peak values of hypertension at the onset of eclampsia, the proteinuria severity,
      the organ involvements such as HELLP syndrome or renal failure, parity and
      maternal age were studied. The values of systolic blood pressure (sBP) and
      diastolic blood pressure (dBP) were considered as independent parameters each
      other in this study. Statistical analysis was performed how these obstetric
      confounding features were to be correlated with progressing disease of eclampsia
      by logistic regression analysis (LRA). Univaiate and multivariate LRA were
      performed using with peak sBP, peak dBP, peak proteinuria, or other features as
      covariates, and progressive disease as dependent variable. RESULTS: Univariate
      analysis showed that ?210mmHg of sBP, ?105mmHg of dBP and ?10g/day of proteinuria
      were related to the progressing disease of eclampsia compared with the no
      progressing disease. And multivariate analysis showed that ?105mg of dBP had
      significantly the highest adjusted odds ratio of 10.0 (95%CI 0.96-103, p=0.05).
      CONCLUSION: We had shown previously CNS disorders such as eclampsia had the
      strongest correlation with severe sBP ?200mmHg among 108 cases of preeclampsia
      with severe hypertension and severe proteinuria, whereas other organ involvements
      such as HELLP syndrome had the strongest correlation with severe dBP ?110mmHg
      (now not in published, presented in ISSHP 2010). Other studies also strengthen
      the significance of high sBP in the management of eclampsia [1,2].
      Controversially we noticed in this study that the progressing disease of
      eclampsia significantly related to severe dBP ?105mmHg. This indicates that
      severe dBP are the important marker as for predicting serious organ involvements
      either in central nervous system or in other organs in the disease of
      preeclampsia/eclampsia.

PMID- 26105227
TI  - OS013. Reduction of preeclampsia related complications with with theNO-donor
      penterythriltetranitrat (petn) in risk pregnancies - Aprospective randomized
      double-blind placebo pilot study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: NO-donors reduce the impedance in uteroplacental vessels.
      Consequently Lees et al. pilot study demonstrated that transdermal nitroglycerin
      positively influences pregnancy outcome within a high-risk collective.
      Furthermore the NO-donor pentaerythriltetranitrate additionally expresses cell
      stabilizing effects in endothelial cells. OBJECTIVES: Hypothesizing an effect on
      endothelial health and uterine perfusion in pregnancies presented with
      pathological uterine perfusion at 20weeks of gestation we performed a randomized,
      prospective, and placebo-controlled, double-blind study implemented with the aim
      to investigate whether the oral NO-donor Pentalong((r)) (PETN) is suitable as a
      prophylactic drug in abnormal placentation. METHODS: We included 111 pregnancies
      presenting with abnormal placental perfusion (bilateral notch or mean RI>0.7)
      between the 19th and 24thweek of gestation (w.o.g.). Further risk factors (high
      risk group: history of HELLP/preeclampsia/IUGR/IUFD/placental abruption, type I
      diabetes mellitus, hypertension, thrombosis/thrombophilia) were identified in 78
      study participants. Fifty-four women received PETN 57 received placebo. Doppler
      velocimetry measurements of uteroplacental and fetal vessels and fetal growth
      scans were monitored biweekly with primary endpoints being the occurrence of
      preeclampsia, IUGR and/or premature birth. RESULTS: Within the first week of
      intake, PETN improved uteroplacental perfusion significantly in comparison to
      placebo (mean PI 1.26+/-0.36 vs. 1.49+/-0.44; p< 0.01). Overall frequency of
      premature birth <32nd w.o.g.(4 vs. 12), IUGR <10th percentile (15 vs. 29) and
      preeclampsia (11 vs. 14) were reduced. Although reduction in preeclampsia was
      comparably low in those 25 patients developing preeclampsia the outcome was
      markedly improved in the PETN study group by reducing the frequency of IUGR (4
      vs. 10), diagnosis of preeclampsia before 32 w.o.g. (3 vs. 7) and premature birth
      before 32 w.o.g. (1 vs. 6). Furthermore 4 fetal losses occurred in the study
      group all in the placebo group. CONCLUSION: NO-donors constitute an interesting
      option in the prophylaxis of adverse pregnancy outcome related to abnormal
      placentation.

PMID- 26105228
TI  - OS014. Which first-line drug to control severe hypertension in pregnancy? A pilot
      study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Severe hypertension is a common complication in pregnancy
      associated hypertensive disorders and there is no clear consensus on which first
      line antihypertensive drug to use in this setting. OBJECTIVES: To determine the
      efficacy and safety of four antihypertensive drugs (two intravenous and two oral)
      in pregnant women with severe hypertension. METHODS: Pilot prospective randomised
      study. INCLUSION CRITERIA: pregnant women with a gestational age >24weeks and
      admitted in the Obstetrics Department with severe hypertension defined as
      systolic blood pressure (SBP) ?165mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP)
      ?105mmHg. The women were randomised in 4 groups to receive:-20mg intravenous
      labetalol;-5mg intravenous hydralazine;-10mg oral nifedipine tablets ;-10mg
      sublingual nifedipine. Treatment was repeated every 20mn until target SBP and DBP
      were reached (?150/?95mmHg). The primary endpoint was the time needed to achieve
      effective blood pressure control. Treatment failure was defined as the unability
      to reach the target BP within one hour. RESULTS: After giving informed consent,
      41 pregnant women admitted with severe hypertension were randomised. Mean age was
      35 years (SD 3.5), 65% were nulliparous and mean SBP and DBP at admission were
      176 (SD 16) and 105 (SD 12)mmHg, respectively. Success to achieve target BP was
      reached in all patients within the oral 10mg nifedipine group (11 patients), in
      all but one patients with the 10mg sublingual group (12 patients), and only in 5
      out of 9 patients and 6 out of 9 patients within the labetalol and hydralazine
      groups. They were only one hypotension (defined as SBP <120mmHg) in the two
      groups with intravenous drugs and 3 and 5 in the oral and sublingual nifedipine
      groups. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that oral nifedipine seems more
      effective than intravenous labetalol or hydralazine to reach BP control in
      pregnant patients with severe hypertension. A large scale randomized trial
      comparing oral nifedipine versus these commonly used intravenous antihypertensive
      drugs should be implemented in order to determine whether oral nifedipine is a
      more effective treatment in this population.

PMID- 26105229
TI  - OS015. What is the optimal time for delivery in women with
      gestationalhypertension?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is conflicting evidence regarding the treatment of women with
      gestational hypertension (GHTN). OBJECTIVES: To assess the optimal timing of
      delivery for women with GHTN by quantifying the risks of adverse maternal and
      fetal outcomes associated with ongoing pregnancy and with induction of labor at
      each gestational week 36-41 completed weeks. METHODS: The Consortium on Safe
      Labor electronic database from 19 hospitals across the US with 228,668 deliveries
      2002-2008 was used to extract data on gravidas with GHTN, diagnosis assigned at
      delivery admission, using standard definitions. We only considered the first
      pregnancy to avoid intra-person correlation. Pregnancies complicated by diabetes
      mellitus, cardiac, pulmonary, or renal disease were excluded. The week-specific
      rates of maternal and neonatal morbidity/mortality (M/M) were calculated
      following induction of labor. Maternal outcomes included serious morbidity
      (composite defined as any of: ICU admission, abruption, large blood loss (>0.5L
      SVD, >1.0L CS), postpartum HTN) and mortality. Neonatal outcomes included SGA
      (?10th %tile), serious morbidity (composite defined as any of: seizures, severe
      respiratory morbidity or 5-min Apgar score ?3) and mortality. Pointwise 95% CI
      were calculated around each of these gestational age-specific rates. Statistical
      analyses were performed using FREQ, GLM and LOGISTIC procedures in SAS 9.2.
      RESULTS: Following induction of labor, the rate of maternal M/M reached a nadir
      of 89.6 per 1000 live births [95% CI 67.8,111.5], at 38-38 6/7 weeks gestation,
      while the rate of neonatal M/M fell to 10.5 per 1000 live births [95% CI
      2.8,18.2], at 39-39 6/7 weeks. The rate of SGA ?10th 0/00decreased sharply
      between 36 and 37 weeks from 109.7 [95% CI 69.9,149.5], to 52.0 [95% CI
      31.3,72.7]. CONCLUSION: In women with GHTN, induction of labor prior to 38weeks
      results in greater maternal M/M, but for the neonate induction at 39weeks results
      in lowest M/M.

PMID- 26105230
TI  - OS016. Retinal vascular changes in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are characterised by
      vascular dysfunction. Retinal vascular imaging is a novel, non-invasive way to
      characterise early microvascular changes in pregnancy, and as a result has the
      potential to be used to predict the onset of HDP. OBJECTIVES: To characterise
      retinal vascular changes that occur in HDP, and compare these changes to those in
      healthy pregnancies. METHODS: Women were recruited at 13+/-2 weeks of gestation
      from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, a major metropolitan tertiary referral
      hospital in Sydney, Australia. Retinal images centred on the optic disc and blood
      pressure (BP) readings were collected at 13+/-2, 19+/-2, 29+/-2 and 38+/-2 weeks
      gestation. Retinal images were graded using semi-automated retinal vascular
      calibre measurement software (IVAN) and the central retinal arteriolar equivalent
      (CRAE) and central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE) were calculated. Within and
      between subject repeat measures analysis was performed on images from each
      trimester, using paired t-tests and repeated measures analysis of variance
      (ANOVA). Multiple linear regressions were used to model the average arteriole
      diameter adjusted for age, tobacco consumption and body mass index (BMI). All
      tests were two-sided using a 5% level of significance. A clinical diagnosis of
      HDP was obtained from postnatal medical record data. Women with missing data
      points were excluded from the analysis at that time point. RESULTS: Of the 39
      women included in the study, 6 (15%) were diagnosed with HDP. In the HDP cohort,
      repeated measures ANOVA revealed no significant changes in arteriolar or venular
      diameter measurements throughout pregnancy. Paired t-tests indicated no
      significant differences in any of the outcome measures between HDP and healthy
      pregnancies at 13+/-2 (n=36) and 19+/-2 (n=39)weeks. At 29+/-2weeks (n=39), there
      was a significantly smaller venular diameter in HDP pregnancies (220.4+/-6.9MUm
      vs 239.1+/- 5.4MUm in healthy pregnancies, p=0.03). At 38+/-2weeks (n=39),
      arteriolar diameter was significantly smaller in HDP pregnancies (148.6+/-6.0MUm
      vs 164.1+/-4.6MUm in healthy pregnancies, p=0.04). Similar results persisted
      following adjustments for cardiovascular risk factors (age, tobacco use and BMI).
      CONCLUSION: Significant differences in the retinal vasculature develop in HDP as
      compared to healthy pregnancies. These differences appear at29+/-2weeks gestation
      and persist throughout the rest of the pregnancy. Retinal vascular imaging is a
      promising tool for the detection of the early microvascular changes in HDP, prior
      to diagnosis.

PMID- 26105231
TI  - OS017. Maternal death risk factor score based on hospital reference pattern and
      maternal condition of eclamptic woman in Soetomo Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Maternal Mortality Rate in Indonesia is still high, around
      230/100,000 live birth in 2005. Eclampsia is the second most cause of maternal
      death (about 13%). We have a very high prevalence of eclampsia in our center
      (Surabaya) about 1.08% of all delivery. One of our main problem about eclampsia
      case is multiple referral hospital system, because we do not have many tertiary
      center for this case. We assumed that high incidence of maternal death because of
      eclampsia is caused by this factor. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate relationship between
      hospital referral system and maternal condition of eclamptic woman with maternal
      death event and develope scoring system to predict maternal death event on
      eclamptic woman. METHODS: This is a case control study with retrospective
      observational analytic design, involve all eclamptic woman whom reffered and
      admitted to Soetomo hospital (Indonesia) from 1 January 2005 until 31 December
      2009. Total eclamptic woman was 160 cases, with 12 maternal death on case group
      and 148 survive maternal on control group. Research variable includes maternal
      condition (ages, parity, eclampsia type, complication) and hospital referral
      pattern (ANC, Magnesium Sulfate, anti-hypertensive drugs, multiple hospital
      referral, health workers accompanion during patient referral). Primary outcome
      includes maternal death. RESULTS: There is significant association between
      multiple hospital referral (RO 6.1, P=0.083), maternal age >35 (RO 17.4,
      P=0.032), lung oedema (RO 19.1, P=0.065), renal failure (RO 98.8, P=0.002), intra
      cranial hemorrhage (RO 6319.7, P?0.0001), Eclampsia type (RO 0.009), on eclamptic
      women with maternal death. No significant association between parity (RO 0.3
      P=0.310), HELLP syndrome (RO 2.2 P=0.478), Magnesium Sulfate given before patient
      reffered (RO 0.7, P=0.685), ANC quantity (RO 0.9 P=0.844), health workers
      accompanion during referral (RO 0.9, P=0.901), on eclamptic women with maternal
      death event. CONCLUSION: There are 6 significant variable includes Maternal
      complication (ICH, renal failure, lung oedema), Maternal ages >35 years,
      antihypertensive drugs, multiple hospital referral, multiparity, and eclampsia
      type that can be made a scoring system. We develop scoring system based on risk
      factor that can be used to predict maternal death event on eclamptic woman.

PMID- 26105232
TI  - OS018. Maternal mortality and its mainly possible causepre-eclampsia/eclampsia in
      developing country (Surabaya-Indonesia as themodel).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: By slow decrease of Indonesia's 2010 highly maternal mortality rate
      (MMR) as 228/100,000 births mostly estimated to be out reach toward 2014 MDG
      target achievement of 118/100,000 births, even maternal deaths are notoriously
      under reported, possibly at least by as much as quarter. The population of
      Indonesia according to the 2010 national census is 237.6 million, with 58% living
      on the island of Java, the world's most populous island since it is only 6% of
      Indonesia total area. Despite risk approaching strategy and referral method in
      Indonesia national health system had already been formed but the application has
      not been optimal yet so that its achievement is still far from destination.
      OBJECTIVES: To study the correlationship between maternal mortality rate and its
      mainly possible cause pre-eclampsia/eclampsia METHODS: Retrospectively study was
      performed by using data Dr. Soetomo teaching hospital Surabaya and local
      government of East Java. RESULTS: Before the year 2008 the maternal deaths on our
      hospital Dr. Soetomo Surabaya was depicted very high as approximate 713/100,000
      births (range 5.05-10.24 per 100,000 births) or 105 maternal deaths among 14,712
      births. Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia was the most possible cause rate of 50-65%.
      Although at present tend to be improved situation but the year 2008 classic data
      indicated bad referral system application of severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia
      cases that they came lately into our teaching hospital's intensive care unit with
      approximately 12.6% major complications consist of 50% lung oedema and the remain
      with placental abruption and cerebral bleeding. In more detailed description of
      maternal deaths as 29% died on the day 1 of intensive care unit treatment that
      some cases were death on arrival, 35% on the day 1-3 and >day 3 showed 36% of
      deaths. Even 40% our preeclampsia/eclampsia dominated ventilator use in hospital
      ICU due to >60% lung oedema that almost those 70% persist until 3 days (72h) in
      respiratory machine use. Our Dr. Soetomo hospital Surabaya as the tertiary
      hospital and referral center as well we observed 210 cases of severely pre
      eclampsia which divided into 40 cases of early onset and late onset type as 170
      cases by the year 2010. Mainly the characteristic features in early onset type as
      follow 70% they were reproductive ages (20-35 years old), 60% was 24-32
      gestational weeks, 12.5% got complication of Hellp syndrome, 25% with low albumin
      serum level (<3g%) and had renal failure as 40%. CONCLUSION: Despite Indonesia
      MMR apparently declined over last two decades but it did not slump as expected
      even it failed to achieve the 2014 MDG's target.

PMID- 26105233
TI  - OS019. External validation of the fullPIERS model in an existing dataset of women
      with severe pre-eclampsia, eclampsia or HELLP syndrome.

PMID- 26105234
TI  - OS020. Effects of exercise on maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnantwomen
      with chronic hypertension and/or previous preecampsia: A randomized clinical
      trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic hypertension (CH) and previous preeclampsia (PE) are
      considered risk factors for developing PE. Physical activity (PA) has been
      proposed as an important part of hypertension's treatment and has been studied as
      a possibility for the prevention of PE and its complications.PA is recommended
      during pregnancy because it may be beneficial to maternal health.Furthermore, it
      is considered a safe activity for the mother and fetus. OBJECTIVES: The objective
      of this study was to assess the association between exercise in pregnant women
      with CH and/or previous PE and type of delivery, maternal and neonatal outcomes.
      METHODS: Randomized clinical trial performed between January, 2008 and November,
      2011, at the Women's Hospital Dr.Jose Aristodemo Pinotti-CAISM/Unicamp, Brazil,
      enrolled 116 pregnant women presenting CH, previous PE or both factors
      associated.Women from 12 to 20 gestational weeks were selected from the prenatal
      outpatient clinic and randomly allocated to the study (SG) or non-interventional
      group (NIG). Women at the SG performed physical exercise using stationary bicycle
      (horizontal bench model) during 30min, once a week, under physical therapist
      supervision.The HR was maintained at 20% above resting heart rate and up to 140
      beats per minute.The NIG followed regular prenatal routine.After birth the data
      related to type of delivery, maternal and neonatal outcomes were collected from
      medical records and analyzed comparing groups.The statistical analyzes was
      performed by Chi-square test and Fisher'sexact test.The program was SAS 9.1
      version.Significance was assumed as p<0.5%. RESULTS: We had 6 drop-outs and 7
      that did not deliver at our hospital and we could not retrieve the data.A total
      of 103 pregnant women were analyzed (53 in the SG and 50 in the NIG). The mean
      age was 31.4+/-5.9 and mean of Body Mass Index (BMI) was 34.9+/
      7.9kg/m(2).Considering the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics the SG
      and NIG were similar and homogeneous.The average exercise sessions conducted by
      the SG was 10.11 sessions.The cesarean rate was 69.9% in this study, and the most
      prevalent indication was cephalopelvic disproportion with 34.3%.However, no
      statistical differences was observed between groups on type of delivery (p=
      0.1901), indications for cesarean delivery and maternal outcomes, including
      maternal morbidity, rate of PE events and admission in the Intensive Unit Care
      (ICU). The neonatal outcomes were no significant differences:newborn weigh
      (p=0.69), adequacy for gestational age (p=0.40), gestational age by recent
      ultrasound (p=0.20), Apgar 1 min scores (p=0.12), Apgar 5 min score (p=0.24),
      admission to the ICU (p=0.95) and neonatal morbidity (p=0.39). CONCLUSION:
      Exercise using stationary bicycle in pregnant women of high risk for PE (CH
      and/or previous PE) performed once a week, under physical therapist supervision
      does not seem to interfere in the type of delivery or maternal and neonatal
      outcomes. This study suggests that exercise with controlled intensity is safe,
      with no additional harm towards newborn health and with possible benefits to
      women's future health.

PMID- 26105235
TI  - OS021. Risk factors and outcomes of maternal obesity and excessive weight gain
      during pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among women of
      reproductive age is increasing. Maternal obesity seems to be associated with
      short-term and long-term adverse outcomes. Excessive gestational weight gain
      might also influence the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Not much is known
      about risk factors of maternal obesity and excessive gestational weight gain.
      Also, little is known about critical periods of gestational weight gain in
      relation to adverse pregnancy outcomes. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine risk
      factors and maternal, fetal and childhood consequences of maternal obesity and
      excessive gestational weight gain. Furthermore, we examined the associations of
      trimester-specific weight gain with the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
      METHODS: The study was embedded in a population-based prospective cohort study
      among 6959 mothers and their children. Maternal anthropometrics were measured in
      each trimester of pregnancy. Information about maternal weight just before
      pregnancy, maximum weight during pregnancy and potential socio-demographic and
      lifestyle related determinants was obtained from questionnaire. Information about
      gestational hypertensive disorders and birth outcomes was obtained from medical
      records. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were used. RESULTS:
      Maternal lower educational level, lower household income, multiparity, and FTO
      risk allel were associated with an increased risk of maternal obesity, whereas
      maternal European ethnicity, nulliparity, higher total energy intake, and smoking
      during pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of excessive gestational
      weight gain (all p-values <0.05). As compared to normal weight, maternal obesity
      was associated with increased risks of gestational hypertension (OR 6.31 (95% CI
      4.30,9.26)), preeclampsia (OR (3.61 (95% CI 2.04,6.39)), gestational diabetes (OR
      6.28 (95%CI 3.01,13.06)), caesarean delivery (OR 1.91 (95% CI 1.46,2.50)),
      delivering large size for gestational age infants (OR 2.97 (95% CI 2.16,4.08)),
      and childhood obesity (OR 5.02 (95% CI:2.97,8.45)). Weaker associations of
      excessive gestational weight gain with these outcomes were observed, with the
      strongest effects for first trimester weight gain. Weight gain in first and third
      trimester was associated with the risk of gestational hypertension (OR 1.24 (95%
      CI 1.12,1.39) and OR 1.27 (95% CI 1.06,1.51) per standard deviation of change in
      gestational weight gain per week, respectively), whereas weight gain in third
      trimester was associated with the risk of preeclampsia (OR 1.35 (95% CI
      1.08,1.69), per standard deviation of change in gestational weight gain per
      week). CONCLUSION: Our study shows that maternal obesity and excessive weight
      gain during pregnancy are associated with socio-demographic, lifestyle, and
      genetic factors and with increased risks of adverse maternal, fetal and childhood
      health outcomes. As compared to prepregnancy overweight and obesity, excessive
      gestational weight gain has a limited influence on adverse pregnancy outcomes.

PMID- 26105236
TI  - OS022. Global use of ultrasound for maternal mortality reduction incountries with
      high maternal mortality ratios.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Over a decade ago, the World Health Organization identified
      ultrasound as a low cost, portable technology and advocated for widespread
      teaching and application. Outcome data related to the use of ultrasound, however,
      is limited in low income countries. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the global use of
      obstetric ultrasound for management of hypertensive disorders in pregnancies in
      countries with high maternal mortality ratios (MMR). METHODS: We performed a
      systematic review of the English language literature through PubMed, Global
      Health, CINAHL (Nursing and Allied Health) and Google Scholar, databases. We
      searched the terms "ultrasound", "obstetrics", "pregnancy", "maternal services",
      "extrauterine pregnancy", "embryo implantation", pregnancy toxemia", "eclampsia",
      and "pregnancy complications" to identify all published papers from 2000 to 2011.
      These terms were cross referenced with "Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the
      Caribbean". The maternal mortality report of 2005 from WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and
      World Bank was used to identify all countries with MMR of ?100/100,000 live
      births. We systematically reviewed papers that described the use of obstetric
      ultrasound. We categorized usage into groups based on maternal mortality
      reduction, prenatal diagnosis/anomaly detection and ultrasound practice patterns.
      RESULTS: We identified 85 articles meeting the search criteria. The most commonly
      described obstetric categories included nomogram development, policy
      issues/social impact of ultrasound, and anomaly detection (Table 1). Six papers
      in the literature described maternal/perinatal outcomes, however, none described
      ultrasound use in the management of hypertensive diseases in pregnancy.
      CONCLUSION: Hypertensive diseases in pregnancy remain leading causes of maternal
      mortality worldwide. Few studies in the world's literature address the use of
      obstetric ultrasound for maternal and perinatal mortality reduction in high MMR
      regions. Further research and publications are needed in this area.

PMID- 26105237
TI  - OS023. Postpartum cardiovascular disease risk factors in women with ahistory of
      early onset preeclampsia, late onset preeclampsia and pregnancy induced
      hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality and
      morbidity in women. Epidemiological studies have shown an increased risk of a CVD
      event in women who have had a hypertensive disorder in one of their previous
      pregnancies. These data also suggest that these increased risks are associated
      with severity and time of onset of pre-eclampsia. Risk factors for CVD have not
      yet been compared between women who experienced early versus late and mild versus
      severe hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: In this study we compared
      classic CVD risk factors of postpartum women with previous early-onset
      preeclampsia (EOPE), late onset pre-eclampsia (LOPE) and pregnancy induced
      hypertension (PIH). METHODS: A total of 81 women with previous EOPE (delivery
      required ?34weeks), 76 with LOPE (delivery ?36weeks) and 229 with PIH were
      included along with 79 healthy controls. Statistical analyses were performed
      using generalized linear models in PASW statistics 17.0, SPSS Inc. RESULTS:
      Adjusted means of blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose levels and LDL levels
      were significantly increased after all hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
      compared to controls. This increase of CVD risk factors was significantly
      correlated with severity and time of onset of the disease (Table 1). The
      prevalence of metabolic syndrome (BMI>30kg/m(2) and ?2 of the following;
      triglycerides ?150mg/dl, HDL cholesterol ?50mg/dl, systolic blood pressure ?130
      or diastolic blood pressure ?85 and fasting plasma glucose levels ?100mg/dl) did
      not differ between the study groups; women who had PIH had the highest number of
      components of the metabolic syndrome (). CONCLUSION: These results further
      establish the predisposition to CVD in women with previous pre-eclampsia or PIH.
      EOPE is associated with a more pronounced CVD risk factor profile than LOPE or
      PIH, which may explain the previously described higher CVD event risk.

PMID- 26105238
TI  - OS024. Characteristics and outcomes of critically ill obstetric patientswith
      hypertensive disease of pregnancy in argentina: Multicenter study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, hypertensive disease of pregnancy is one of the most
      frequent causes of admission of obstetric patients to the ICU. Maternal mortality
      risk related to Hypertension during pregnancy in Latin America is significantly
      higher than in developed countries. OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics
      and outcomes of pregnant-postpartum patients with hypertensive disease of
      pregnancy admitted to ICU METHODS: DESIGN: Multicenter case series study.
      POPULATION: pregnant-postpartum (<42days) patients with hypertensive disease of
      pregnancy admitted to ICU. SETTING: 3 ICUs in Argentina, 2 from the Public (P1)
      and 1 from the Private Health Sector (P2). STATISTICS: Continuous data are
      presented as mean+/-SD or median [IQR], and categorical data as number (%).
      Comparisons among continuous data were performed with unpaired t test or Mann
      Whitney U test. Categorical variables were analyzed by Chi-square test or Fisher
      exact test as appropriate. A two-sided alpha<0.05 was considered as significant.
      SPSS version 15 was used. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty four patients were
      included, 161(87.5%) from P1. General characteristics are shown in the Table.
      Gestational age was 34+/-5 weeks. Risk factors for preeclampsia not included in
      Charlson score were chronic hypertension (22;12%), Obesity (6;3%) and
      preeclampsia in previous pregnancy (5;3%). ICU admission was postpartum in
      80%(145). Causes of admission were eclampsia (63;34%), severe preeclampsia
      (61;33%), HELLP (33;18%), Eclampsia-HELLP (18;10%), Chronic Hypertension (5;3%)
      and Gestational Hypertension (4;2%). Predictive mortality according with APACHEII
      was 14%. Antenatal care was present in 115/142(81%) patients; 97/124(78%) in P1
      vs 18/18 (100%) in P2; p0.024. Antenatal care was appropriate in 77/108(71.3%) of
      patients; 59/90(65.5%) in P1 vs 18/18(100%) in P2; p0.001. Maternal deaths (6)
      occurred in the Public sector and none of the patients had received antenatal
      care. Causes of mortality were hemorrhagic stroke (3) and multiple organ
      dysfunction (3) Table 1. CONCLUSION: Most patients were from the public health
      sector and the majority did not have any comorbidity according with the Charlson
      score. Nevertheless, 18% presented risk factors for preeclampsia, not included in
      the mentioned score. Two-thirds of patients were admitted with eclampsia and
      severe preeclampsia. APACHEII overpredicted mortality. Half of deaths were
      related with hemorrhagic stroke, complication almost eradicated from developed
      countries. None of the patients who died had received antenatal care.

PMID- 26105239
TI  - OS025. Placental malaria infection as a risk factor for hypertensivedisorders of
      pregnancy in malaria endemic regions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a leading cause of
      maternal mortality in low and middle income countries (LMICs). HDP complicates
      pregnancy in many malarial endemic areas with the greatest burden in sub-saharan
      Africa. It has been suggested that there is a link between placental malaria
      infection (PMI) caused by Plasmodium falciparum and HDP. To our knowledge, a
      systematic review has never been conducted on the relationship between PMI and
      HDP and the modification of that relationship with parity. OBJECTIVES: 1. To
      critically assess the association between PMI and HDP among a general obstetrical
      population in malarial endemic regions 2. To evaluate if the relationship between
      PMI and HDP is modified by parity. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review for
      any study reporting on placental malaria and hypertension. A literature search
      based on a prospectively prepared protocol was conducted in PubMed Central and
      EMBASE until 06/09/2011. Additional data on parity of study participants in each
      study group was requested from corresponding authors of included studies by
      personal contact through email. Studies were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa
      Scale. The Cochrane Revman 5.1 software was used for statistical analysis
      according to standardised methodology. Risk Ratios with 95% confidence interval
      were calculated. RESULTS: Seven studies met our inclusion criteria [1-7]. These
      included cross-sectional, case control and observational studies. Six were in
      English and one was translated internally from French. One study [2] was further
      excluded because it did not represent a general obstetrical population. Our meta
      analysis found no association between PMI and HDP in a general obstetric
      population in malaria endemic areas [RR of 1.00, 95% CI of 0.82,1.23].
      Furthermore, we did not find that this relationship was modified by parity in two
      studies [RR (nulliparous) 0.92, 95% CI of 0.26,3.25)]. Events=women with HDP ().
      CONCLUSION: Although trends and associations have been reported in individual
      studies, we did not find a significant association between PMI and the risk of
      HDP. There is an apparent need for a large prospective cohort study to be
      conducted on PMI and the possible association with HDP.

PMID- 26105240
TI  - OS026. Study of neuroradiological and biochemical abnormalities in 100 women with
      preeclampsia-eclapmsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome-PRES is recognised
      as the neuro radiologic abnormality in Eclampsia and with prompt treatment and
      delivery is usually reversible. OBJECTIVES: To study neuro radiological and
      biochemical abnormalities in severe preeclampsia and eclampsia and their
      reversibility following delivery. METHODS: 100 Women with severe pre-eclampsia
      and eclampsia admitted to High risk unit at Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad were
      studied between September 2008 and September 2010. Preeclamptic women who
      presented with complications of pre eclampsia were included. Patients with
      convulsions in the absence of proteinuria and hypertension such as epileptics and
      other central nervous disorders and known intracranial pathology were excluded .
      All the women were investigated for laboratory parameters such as renal function
      tests, platelet counts, liver function tests, coagulation profile, fundoscopy, in
      antepartum period and abnormal results were re-evaluated one week after delivery
      and in cases with persistent abnormal results at one week postpartum were again
      evaluated at the end of two weeks. Fifty women with eclampsia among the study
      group underwent MR imaging of brain before delivery and thirty of these women who
      showed PRES underwent MR imaging postpartum. The different types images used are
      (i) T1 weighted image (ii) T2 weighted image - highly sensitive (iii) Flair image
      (iv) Diffusion Weighted image (DW) with Apparent Diffusion Co-efficient (ADC).
      MRI studies were performed in axial, coronal and sagittal axes in varying
      thickness of 5-10mm. The machine used was 1.5 Tesla Aves Siemens. The biochemical
      parameters and results of neuro imaging were studied antepartum and postpartum.
      RESULTS: Thirty six out of 50 women showed abnormal MRI findings. In 30 women
      (83%) findings were consistent with PRES. 3 cases (8%) showed infarction, 1 case
      showed CSVT , 1 cerebral hemorrhage and 1 showed glioma undiagnosed in antenatal
      period . Out of 30 cases of PRES, 18(77%) cases showed reversal within 1 week
      postpartum, and 9(33%) cases within 2 weeks postpartum. 80-90% of the abnormal
      laboratory parameters reversed to normal within 1 week post partum. Abnormal
      persistent parameters reversed to normal in all cases at the end of 2 weeks.
      CONCLUSION: Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) is a new clinico
      radiological entity resulting from vasogenic edema in almost all cases of
      eclampsia but rare with preeclampsia. In fact eclampsia may be considered as
      clinical manifestation of PRES. Though MRI brain is a valuable diagnostic tool in
      evaluation of eclampsia it is expensive, and less available. Repeat MRI
      investigations may not be necessary, as almost all cases of PRES are reversible.
      MRI brain in cases of eclampsia also help to identify rare pathologies in the
      brain other than PRES, wrongly attributed to eclampsia Though preeclampsia and
      eclampsia are reversible, duration required for reversal is 1-2week period,
      during which period pathology is resolving but not recovered completely and
      complications can still occur. Hence, close observation is required in the first
      1-2week postpartum.

PMID- 26105241
TI  - OS027. Ethnicity and adverse pregnancy outcomes: A cohort study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women who develop pregnancy complications are more likely to
      develop cardiovascular disorders later in life. A history of pre-eclampsia (PE)
      is associated with a four-fold increased risk of hypertension and twice the risk
      of future ischaemic heart disease and stroke. Early identification of women at
      risk of developing pregnancy complications is likely to facilitate targeted
      antenatal surveillance and possibly intervention. Maternal ethnicity affects the
      risk of developing some of these complications, and so is likely to be an
      important variable in the risk assessment. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this study
      was to quantify the ethnicity-related risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
      METHODS: This was a multicentre cohort study in singleton pregnancies at 11(+0)
      13(+6) weeks of gestation. Data on maternal characteristics, medical and
      obstetric history were collected and pregnancy outcomes ascertained. Racial
      origin was classified into Caucasian, African, South Asian, East Asian and mixed.
      The adverse pregnancy outcomes in this study included PE, gestational
      hypertension (GH), gestational diabetes (GDM), preterm delivery (PTD), small for
      gestational age (SGA), large for gestational age (LGA), stillbirth, obstetric
      cholestasis (OC) and emergency Caesarean section (CS). The diagnosis of PE and GH
      was made according to the guidelines of the International Society for the Study
      of Hypertension in Pregnancy. The neonate was considered SGA if the birthweight
      was less than the 5th percentile and LGA if the birthweight was more than the
      90th percentile for gestation at delivery. The diagnosis of GDM was made if the
      fasting plasma glucose level was at least 6mmol/L or the plasma glucose level 2h
      after oral administration of 75g glucose was 7.8mmol/L or more (WHO). Stillbirth
      was defined as the death of a fetus before birth after the 24th week of
      pregnancy. The diagnosis of OC was made when there was pruritus in association
      with abnormal liver function in the absence of any other identifiable liver
      pathology which resolved after delivery. Multiple regression analysis was used to
      examine which maternal characteristics provided a significant contribution in the
      prediction of these adverse pregnancy outcomes. Crude and adjusted odds ratios
      (ORs) were derived for each pregnancy outcome. RESULTS: Seventy five thousand and
      four hundred women were included in the study, of whom 57,564 were Caucasian and
      11,395 African. Compared to Caucasian ethnic origin, African women were more
      likely to develop PE [OR (95% CI): 2.77 (2.49-3.09), p<0.0001], GH [OR 1.38 (1.23
      1.56), p<0.0001], SGA [OR 3.48 (3.16-3.83), p<0.0001], stillbirth [OR 2.42 (1.87
      3.12), p<0.0001], GDM [OR 1.82 (1.59-2.07), p<0.0001], PTD prior to 37 weeks
      gestation [OR 1.33 (1.23-1.44), p<0.0001], and emergency CS [OR 2.42 (1.87-3.12),
      p<0.0001]. On the other hand, African women were less likely to develop LGA and
      OC [OR (95% CI): 0.63 (0.58-0.67) and 0.47 (0.32-0.69) respectively; p<0.0001 for
      both]. CONCLUSION: Compared to Caucasian ethnic background, women of African
      origin have a different risk profile for adverse pregnancy outcomes. This
      difference should be taken into account when calculating an individualised
      adjusted risk or when tailoring antenatal care.

PMID- 26105242
TI  - OS028. Hypertensive disease in pregnancy: An examination of ethnic differences
      and the Hispanic paradox.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The "Hispanic Paradox" refers to the epidemiological finding that
      Hispanics in the US have better health outcomes than the average population
      despite what their aggregate socioeconomic determinants would predict.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate obstetric outcomes for a
      multiethnic population with hypertensive diseases. METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective review of parturients with hypertensive disease delivering at Duke
      University Medical Center in 2005-2007. We analyzed maternal sociodemographic
      characteristics and ethnic differences in hypertensive disease types using Chi
      Square. We assessed the role of race and ethnicity on maternal and neonatal
      outcomes through a series of logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Nine thousand
      eight hundred and thirteen women delivered during the study period, and 9% had
      hypertensive diseases in pregnancy. There were significant racial and ethnic
      differences in presentation (Chi-square=39.11, p<.001) with gestational
      hypertension more common in Whites, chronic hypertension in African Americans,
      and mild preeclampsia in Hispanics. The overall incidence of preeclampsia was
      lower in Hispanics. However, severe preeclampsia rates were equal across groups.
      Hispanics were more likely to be uninsured, younger, enter prenatal care later,
      and least likely to complete high school. There was no significant difference in
      smoking or parity. Stratified analyses by ethnicity showed that the relationship
      between severe preeclampsia and comorbidities (IUGR, LBW, ICN admission) were
      least pronounced in Hispanics and strongest in African American women.
      CONCLUSION: Despite similar rates of severe preeclampsia and adverse
      sociodemographic characteristics, Hispanic women with severe preeclampsia had
      better pregnancy outcomes than African-American or White women with the disease.

PMID- 26105243
TI  - OS029. Severe anemia, sickle cell disease, and thalassemia as riskfactors for
      preeclampsia in developing countries.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders during pregnancy contribute greatly to
      maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The
      pathogenesis of such conditions may be illuminated by exploring their
      relationship to anemia. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether several types of anemia
      are risk factors for hypertensive disorders during pregnancy in developing
      countries. METHODS: Using data from the World Health Organization Global Survey
      for Maternal and Perinatal Health, collected in hospitals in six African and six
      Latin American countries from 2007 to 2008 and in four Asian countries from 2004
      to 2005, we examined the associations between severe anemia, sickle cell disease
      and thalassemia and gestational hypertension or preeclampsia/eclampsia. After
      exclusions for comorbidities (chronic hypertension, diabetes, HIV infection) and
      missing data, the severe anemia, sickle cell disease, and thalassemia groups
      consisted of 219,627,117,383, and 9376 women, respectively. RESULTS: Multiparous
      women with severe anemia were at an increased risk of gestational hypertension
      (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.58; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.15-2.19). Severe
      anemia had a significant association with preeclampsia/eclampsia for nulliparous
      (OR: 3.55; 95% CI: 2.87-4.41) and multiparous (OR: 3.94; 95% CI: 3.05-5.09)
      women. Sickle cell disease exhibited a significant association with gestational
      hypertension among nulliparous (OR: 2.49; 95% CI: 1.46-4.25) and multiparous (OR:
      3.27; 95% CI: 2.33-4.58) women. No significant associations were found between
      sickle cell disease and preeclampsia/eclampsia, or between thalassemia and either
      gestational hypertension or preeclampsia/eclampsia. CONCLUSION: Severe anemia
      appears to be a risk factor for preeclampsia/eclampsia, while sickle cell disease
      appears to be a risk factor for gestational hypertension among women seeking
      hospital care in developing countries.

PMID- 26105244
TI  - OS030. Hypertension and labor duration: Does it take longer?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disease in pregnancy carries higher maternal and fetal
      morbidity and mortality and often requires labor induction to minimize risk. It
      was previously taught that preeclampsia was associated with a more rapid
      progression through all stages of labor, while there is a paucity of data in
      other hypertensive categories. One investigation in preeclamptic women
      demonstrated that labor progress was prolonged with increased risk for cesarean
      delivery. OBJECTIVES: To study labor progression in induced nulliparas at term
      with hypertensive diseases in pregnancy. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study
      using data from the Consortium on Safe Labor; a multicenter project that
      abstracted labor and delivery information from electronic medical records in 19
      hospitals across the US. A total of 32,276 women with singleton term gestation,
      induced labor, and vertex presentation were studied. Hypertensive women were
      grouped into 4 separate categories: chronic hypertension (cHTN), gestational
      hypertension (gHTN), preeclampsia (PreE) and superimposed preeclampsia (SIPreE)
      and compared to controls (no hypertensive disorder). For the first stage of
      labor, Interval-censored regression analysis was used to estimate median and
      95th% duration of labor, centimeter by centimeter and from 4-10cm. RESULTS:
      Significant differences were noted in demographics between each group and
      controls including age, race, labor admission body mass index, gestational age at
      delivery, comorbidities, and admission cervical dilation (P<0.01 for all
      comparisons to the control group). As noted in the table, women with cHTN and
      SIPreE had a longer first stage of labor, gHTN had a shorter first stage of
      labor, and labor length was similar in PreE compared to controls. Second stage of
      labor was longer (5-41min) with epidural and varied among groups; however, the
      clinical significance is limited. 95th% for progression from 4-10cm in cHTN,
      SIPreE and gHTN were 27.4, 28.2 and 16.5h respectively (controls 20.1h) ().
      CONCLUSION: In nulliparas induced at term with hypertensive disease, labor
      progression in the first and second stage varies from controls. gHTN women have
      the shortest first stage of labor while PreE gravidas have labor patterns similar
      to controls. As cHTN and SIPreE women have a longer first stage, allowing labor
      to continue for a longer period in these gravidas may contribute to a reduced
      rate of cesarean delivery in the US, but will require further investigation.

PMID- 26105245
TI  - OS031. Lifestyle intervention after complicated pregnancy successfully improves
      cardiovascular and metabolic health: Results of the pro-active study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women with a pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia, intra-uterine
      growth restriction and/or gestational diabetes are at increased risk of future
      cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Lifestyle intervention may help these women
      to effectively lower these risks. OBJECTIVES: To test if offering lifestyle
      intervention after a complicated pregnancy significantly reduces weight (primary
      objective) and/or other cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors (secondary
      objective). METHODS: The Pro-Active study (Postpartum Rotterdam Appraisal of
      Cardiovascular health and Tailored Intervention) is a feasibility study to
      develop and evaluate a postpartum lifestyle intervention program. In a
      prospective case-control setting we tested the effect of the lifestyle
      intervention. Women were included between April 2007 and August 2009. They were
      eligible if ?18 years old at time of inclusion, being able to understand and
      speak the Dutch language and not having pre-existing conditions that could
      interfere with the lifestyle intervention. Cases were offered lifestyle
      intervention by a trained counsellor between 6 and 10 months postpartum. During 3
      private sessions, mainly exercise and fat-intake and to some extend smoking
      habits were discussed and aims were made to improve lifestyle. Controls did not
      receive these sessions, but were not restricted to improve lifestyle on their
      own. Anthropometric and laboratory measurements were taken at 6 and 10 months
      postpartum and again at 13 months postpartum to test for durability of the
      effects. RESULTS: During our study 1121 women gave birth after a complicated
      pregnancy. Four hundred and ninety Women were eligible for the study of which 240
      women (49%) gave informed consent to participate. 56 Women (23%) were lost-to
      follow-up, leaving 186 women for the analysis. Between 6 and 13 months postpartum
      weight was significantly reduced in cases compared to controls by 2.1kg (95%>CI
      0.4-3.7), resulting in a 0.7kg/m(2) (0.1-1.3) lower BMI. Also systolic blood
      pressure (5.0mmHg(0.3-9.7)), waist circumference (4.6cm(2.6-6.6)) and waist-to
      hip ratio (0.03(0.01-0.04)) were significantly improved in cases compared to
      controls. Heart rate, hip circumference and total cholesterol were significantly
      improved within cases, but not compared to controls. Diastolic blood pressure and
      fasting glucose were not improved. CONCLUSION: Lifestyle intervention after
      complicated pregnancy may be effective in lowering weight and improving other
      cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors. It suggests that now is prudent and
      justified to start a large-scale randomised controlled trial to validate our
      results.

PMID- 26105246
TI  - OS032. Pharmacotherapy for pre-eclampsia in low and middle income countries: An
      analysis of essential medicines lists (EMLS).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia is the second leading cause of maternal mortality in
      low and middle income countries (LMIC). Pharmacological management of pre
      eclampsia has five major components including antihypertensive therapy for severe
      and non-severe hypertension, magnesium sulphate for prevention or treatment of
      eclampsia, treatment of pre-eclampsia-related end-organ complications, antenatal
      corticosteroids for acceleration of fetal pulmonary maturity given iatrogenic
      preterm delivery for maternal and/or fetal indications, and labour induction for
      such indicated deliveries. Essential medicines are defined by the World Health
      Organization (WHO) as "drugs that satisfy the health care needs of the majority
      of the population". Essential Medicines Lists (EMLs) detail these essential
      medicines within an individual country and support the argument that the
      medication should be routinely available. OBJECTIVES: To determine how many drugs
      required for comprehensive pre-eclampsia management are listed in national EMLs
      of LMIC. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive analysis of relevant drug prevalence
      on identified EMLs. We searched for the national EMLs of the 144 LMIC identified
      by the World Bank. EMLs were collected by broad based internet searches and in
      collaboration with the WHO. The EMLs were surveyed for therapies for the
      different aspects of pre-eclampsia management: hypertension (non-severe and
      severe with oral or parenteral agents), eclampsia, pre-eclampsia complications
      (e.g., pulmonary oedema, thrombosis), preterm birth, and labour induction.
      RESULTS: EMLs were located and reviewed for 58(40.3%) of LMIC. One or more
      parenteral antihypertensive agents were listed in 51(87.9%) EMLs. The most common
      agents were: hydralazine (67.2%), verapamil (58.6%), propranolol (39.7%) and
      sodium nitroprusside (37.9%); parenteral labetalol was listed by only 19.0% of
      EMLs. The most prevalent oral antihypertensive therapies listed were: nifedipine
      (96.6%, usually 10 or 20mg intermediate-acting tablets), methyldopa (94.8%),
      propranolol (89.7%), and atenolol (87.9%). Captopril, enalapril,
      hydrochlorothiazide and spironolactone were commonly listed. Magnesium sulphate
      for prevention and management of eclampsia was present in 86.2% of EMLs (and its
      antidote, calcium gluconate in 82.8%). To manage complications of pre-eclampsia,
      oral frusemide was listed in 94.8% of EMLs and parenteral heparin in 91.4%. Most
      EMLs listed parenteral dexamethasone (91.4%) for acceleration of fetal pulmonary
      maturity and oxytocin (98.3%) or a prostanoid (usually misoprostol, 39.7%) for
      labour induction. CONCLUSION: EMLs of LMIC provide comprehensive coverage of all
      aspects of recommended pre-eclampsia pharmacotherapy. These EMLs may be used as
      advocacy tools to ensure the availability of these therapies within each country.

PMID- 26105247
TI  - OS033. Correlates of maternal health outcomes associated with a low
      costintervention in secondary facilities across Kano state, Nigeria.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nigeria has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the
      world. Eclampsia is a major contributor to the deaths especially in Northern
      Nigeria where the culture of teenage marriage is common. Kano is the state with
      the highest population in Nigeria. Despite its effectiveness, magnesium sulphate
      was been used to treat eclampsia and severe preclampsia in only one of 35 general
      hospitals inthe state as at 2007. OBJECTIVES: In 2008, magnesium sulphate was
      introduced in 10 General Hospitals in Kano state of Northern Nigeria in a
      Population Council project funded by the MacArthur Foundation. The aim of the
      study was to determine if the maternal outcomes improved. METHODS: Doctors and
      midwives from the 10 hospitals were trained on the use of magnesium sulphate. The
      trained health workers later conducted step down trainings at their health
      facilities. Magnesium sulphate, treatment protocol, patella hammer and calcium
      gluconate were then supplied to the hospitals. Data was collected through
      structured data forms. The data was analysed using SPSS. RESULTS: Within a year
      of the project, 1045 patients with severe preeclampsia and eclampsia were
      treated. The case fatality rate for severe preeclampsia and eclampsia fell from
      20.9% (95% CI 18.7-23.2) recorded before the project to 2.3% (95%CI 1.5-3.5)
      after the project. The perinatal mortality rate in those that received magnesium
      sulphate was 12.3% (CI 10.4-14.5) while the 5min APGAR score for 72.9% of the
      babies was 7 or more. CONCLUSION: Training of health workers on updated evidence
      based interventions and providing an enabling environment for their practice are
      key components to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals in
      developing countries.

PMID- 26105248
TI  - OS034. Magnesium sulfate for prevention of eclampsia: Are intramuscularand
      intravenous regimens equivalent?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Magnesium sulfate is the agent of choice for the treatment and
      prevention of eclampsia. Optimal loading and maintenance dosing has not been
      determined. OBJECTIVES: To compare the pharmacokinetic parameters if IM vs. IV
      magnesium sulfate. METHODS: A pharmacokinetic study was performed as part of a
      randomized trial that enrolled 300 women comparing IM and IV regimens of
      magnesium dosing in two low resource sites in India. Data from 258 enrolled women
      were analyzed in the pharmacokinetic study. Due to infrastructure available at
      the sites, a single sample was drawn per subject with the expectation of
      utilizing samples in a pooled data analysis. RESULTS: Magnesium clearance was
      estimated via pharmacokinetic modeling to be 48.1dL/h, volume of distribution
      156dL and IM bioavailability 86.2%. The IM regimen produced higher initial serum
      concentrations, consistent with a substantially larger loading dose. At steady
      state, Mg concentrations in the IM and IV Groups were comparable. With either
      regimen, a substantial number of subjects would be expected to have serum
      concentrations lower than those generally expected to be therapeutic. CONCLUSION:
      A larger loading dose for the IV regimen should be considered. Where feasible,
      individualized higher doses of magnesium sulfate would yield a greater number of
      treated women with clinically effective magnesium concentrations.

PMID- 26105249
TI  - OS035. Blood pressure measurement by health professionals, comparison with
      American Heart Association Technique.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It seems measurement of the blood pressure is always easy, although
      it is important and should be done by applying standard method. Even a few
      mistake can make difference between being prescribed medication or having the
      blood pressure monitored. OBJECTIVES: To compare the rate and accuracy of
      measuring blood pressure. METHODS: In this clinical trail study five hundred
      health professional consist of 179 nurses, 58 physicians, 99 medical and 118
      nursing students and 46 association nurses were studied in 10 hospitals (3th of
      them were mother and child health centers) and health centers and five nursing
      and medical instructions when working with their students observed them. Two
      questioners were use for the data, demographic information and American Heart
      Association Standard questioner. RESULTS: The mean systolic-diastolic blood
      pressure for research samples in this study was 126+/-20.82/78.55+/-12.70mmHg and
      for the researcher's measurement was 120.15+/-20.56/72.08+/-12.24. The
      differences were-5.85mmHg for systolic and -6.47mmHg for diastolic BP. The most
      change of blood pressure before and after taking blood pressure were about
      pregnant women.Nurses and nursing students aided by 63% of the recommended
      procedures for taking blood pressure and other health professionals done by
      approximately 40%. CONCLUSION: Results indicated that health professional failed
      comply with the BP measurement guidelines, this may lead to a wrong diagnose. The
      importance of performing certain variables should be taken into account when
      teaching and assessing students in the future. Because hypertension is one of the
      leading causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, the simple and accurate
      measurement of BP can be life saving.

PMID- 26105250
TI  - OS036. Ethnic differences in blood pressure and hypertensivecomplications during
      pregnancy; the generation R Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Blood pressure levels during pregnancy are important risk factors
      for gestational hypertensive disorders. Non-pregnant women from ethnic minority
      groups are found to have higher blood pressure levels compared to white women.
      Little is known about variation in blood pressure development during pregnancy
      across different ethnic groups. OBJECTIVES: To investigate ethnic differences in
      blood pressure levels in each trimester of pregnancy and the risk of gestational
      hypertensive disorders and the degree to which such differences can be explained
      by education and lifestyle related factors. METHODS: The study included 6215
      women participating in a population-based prospective cohort study from early
      pregnancy onwards in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Ethnicity was assessed at
      enrolment. Blood pressure was measured in each trimester. Information about
      gestational hypertensive disorders was available from medical records. Lifestyle
      factors included smoking, alcohol, caffeine intake, folic acid supplementation,
      sodium and energy intake, body mass index and maternal stress. Associations and
      explanatory pathways were investigated using linear and logistic regression
      analysis. RESULTS: Dutch pregnant women had higher systolic blood pressure levels
      as compared to women in other ethnic groups in each trimester of pregnancy.
      Compared to Dutch women, Turkish and Moroccan women had lower diastolic blood
      pressure levels in each trimester. These differences remained after adjusting for
      education and lifestyle factors. Turkish and Moroccan women had a lower risk of
      gestational hypertension as compared to Dutch women (OR 0.32; 95% CI: 0.18, 0.58
      and OR 0.28; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.58) and Cape Verdean women had an elevated risk of
      preeclampsia (OR 2.22; 95% CI: 1.22, 4.07). Differences could not be explained by
      education or lifestyle. CONCLUSION: Substantial ethnic differences were observed
      in blood pressure levels in each trimester of pregnancy and risk of gestational
      hypertensive disorders. A wide range of potential explanatory variables could not
      explain these differences.

PMID- 26105251
TI  - OS037. Minipiers (pre-eclampsia integrated estimate of risk):Development of a
      clinical prediction model for use in low and middleincome countries (LMIC).

PMID- 26105252
TI  - OS038. Pre-conceptional preparation of women with chronic hypertensionof I-II
      stage II of the degree of risk of CHF 0-I and recurrent bacterial vaginosis.

PMID- 26105253
TI  - OS039. Early prediction of preeclampsia with maternal parameters,SVEGF-R1, PLGF,
      Inhibin-A and PAPP-A in general population: Results from the MSPE study.

PMID- 26105254
TI  - OS040. Effect of folic acid supplementation in pregnancy on preeclampsia- Folic
      acid clinical trial (FACT).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Observational studies suggest that folic acid supplementation
      during pregnancy can reduce the risk of preeclampsia (PE). No randomized
      controlled trial has been conducted to demonstrate the effect of folic acid
      supplementation on PE. OBJECTIVES: FACT aims to determine efficacy on a new PE
      prevention strategy of high dose folic acid supplementation from early pregnancy
      (8(0/7) to 16(6/7)weeks of gestation) until delivery in women with high risk of
      developing PE. METHODS:  DESIGN: FACT is an international, multi-centre, double
      blind, placebo controlled clinical trial of 3656 women. Eligible women will be
      randomised in a 1:1 ratio to folic acid 4.0mg or placebo. POPULATION: Pregnant
      women (8(0/7)and 16(6/7) weeks of gestation) ?18 years of age, taking ?1.1mg of
      folic acid supplementation who fulfill at least one of the following identified
      risk factors for PE. Pre-existing hypertension (blood pressure ?90mmHg on two
      separate occasions or at least 4h apart prior to randomization, or use of
      antihypertensive medication during this pregnancy specifically for the treatment
      of hypertension prior to randomization), pre-pregnancy diabetes (Type I or Type
      II DM), twin pregnancy, history of PE in a previous pregnancy, BMI ?35kg/m(2)
      within 3 months prior this pregnancy or during the first trimester of this
      pregnancy. PRIMARY OUTCOME: PE is defined as blood pressure ?d90mmHg on two
      occasions ?4 h apart and proteinuria developed in women greater than 20 weeks of
      gestation. Or HELLP (Haemolysis, Elevated, Liver Enzymes, Low Platelets) syndrome
      Or superimposed PE, defined as history of pre-existing hypertension (diagnosed
      pre-pregnancy or before 20 weeks' gestation) with new proteinuria. Proteinuria is
      defined as: Analysis plan: Intent-to-Treat (ITT) population will be analyzed. Chi
      square test will be used in the comparison of incidence of PE between the
      intervention and placebo groups for analysis of the primary outcome. RESULTS: The
      Ottawa Hospital randomized the first FACT subject in April 2011. As of February
      29th, 2012, 62 subjects have been randomized. There are currently 18 Canadian
      sites participating in FACT, of which 10 are actively recruiting and 8 are
      pending site activation. Internationally, Argentina, Australia and the United
      Kingdom are anticipating first recruits in the late spring of 2012. Israel and
      Holland are expected to begin enrolment as early as the fall of 2012. CONCLUSION:
      Recruitment is on target and expected to end August 2014. Results from this large
      scale trial will provide a definitive answer to the important question whether
      folic acid supplementation can prevent PE.

PMID- 26105255
TI  - OS041. Apolipoprotein A-I protects normal integration of the trophoblast into
      endothelial cellular networks in an in vitro model of preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Failure of the trophoblast to appropriately invade uterine spiral
      arteries is thought to be an initiating event in preeclampsia, a disorder
      associated with endothelial dysfunction. A dyslipidemia characterised by low
      plasma levels of high density lipoproteins (HDL) and elevated triglycerides has
      also been described in preeclampsia. The pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha
      inhibits trophoblast invasion of uterine endothelial cells. Previous work using
      an in vitro JEG-3 cell/Uterine endothelial cell co-culture model investigated the
      effect of apoliopoprotein A-I, the main apolipoprotein component of HDL, on
      trophoblast incorporation into endothelial tubules in the presence and absence of
      TNF-alpha. These effects are now investigated using the human invasive
      trophoblast cell line HTR-8/SVneo. OBJECTIVES: This study asks if apoA-I, which
      has established anti-inflammatory properties, can protect against the deleterious
      effect of TNF-alpha on trophoblast-endothelial cell interactions. METHODS: The in
      vitro trophoblast-uterine endothelial cell co-culture model was used to
      investigate the effect of apoA-I on trophoblast incorporation into endothelial
      tubules in the presence and absence of TNF-alpha. Uterine endothelial cells were
      pre-incubated with lipid free apoA-I (final apoA-I concentration 1 mg/mL) for 16h
      prior to seeding on matrigel coated plates. Tubules formed within 4h.
      Fluorescence-labelled HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells were then co-cultured with
      the endothelial cells+/-TNF-alpha (final concentration of 0.2ng/mL). Bright field
      and fluorescent images were captured after 24h. The effect of TNF-alpha on HTR
      8/SVneo cell invasion was quantified with Image J software. Integration of HTR
      8/SVneo trophoblast cells into uterine endothelial tubular networks was also
      imaged using live cell imaging techniques (Zeiss Axiovert). RESULTS: TNF-alpha
      inhibited HTR-8/SVneo (trophoblast) cell integration into endothelial tubular
      structures by 24.1+/-3.7% p<0.001. This effect was reversed when the endothelial
      cells were pre-incubated for 16h with lipid free apoA-I (p<0.001 compared to non
      incubated cells). Live cell images of the co-culture clearly demonstrate a
      disruption to the normal integration of trophoblast into endothelial tubular
      structures in the presence of TNF-alpha. The protective effect conferred by pre
      incubation of endothelial cells with apoA-I against TNF-alpha is also clearly
      visible. CONCLUSION: Apolipoprotein A-I has been shown to enhance trophoblast
      endothelial cell integration in the presence of a pro-inflammatory stimulus. A
      healthy lipid profile may affect pregnancy outcomes by priming endothelial cells
      in preparation for trophoblast invasion.

PMID- 26105256
TI  - OS042. Discovery and characterization of antibody biomarkers ofpre-eclampsia and
      reagents for their detection.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The effective management of pre-eclampsia (PE), a complex condition
      affecting 5% of pregnancies [1], would benefit from a clear diagnostic assay. Due
      to this need, great interest lies in the development and validation of objective
      biomarkers, among which antibodies remain attractive given their amplification by
      the immune system, stability, and current clinical use. Although several recent
      studies lend support to the idea that autoantibodies against the angiotensin II
      AT1 receptor (AT1-AAs) could be involved in PE [1], their presence is not highly
      specific for PE as measured by cell-based assays for AT1 agonism [2]. Given these
      results, we hypothesized that additional antibody biomarkers may exist in PE, and
      that a small panel of such biomarkers could provide an effective diagnostic tool.
      Furthermore, development of a simple binding assay will facilitate AT1-AA
      detection for larger-scale studies, while identifying other antibody biomarker(s)
      would enhance understanding of the immune component to PE pathogenesis.
      OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to identify a panel of
      peptide reagents that preferentially bind PE patients' serum antibodies. In
      addition, we sought to measure the frequency of AT1-AAs in a new patient cohort
      using a simplified assay. METHODS: Plasma samples were obtained from normal
      outcome pregnancies (n=28) as well as PE patients (n=25) and enriched for the
      antibody fraction. The seven amino acid AT1-AA epitope [1] was expressed on the
      surface of E. coli for reactivity analysis by flow cytometry. A bacteria
      displayed linear peptide library was screened against the antibody repertoires
      using a unique method of fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) to isolate
      peptides that react with multiple patients and show little reactivity with normal
      outcome pregnancies. FACS analysis was used to measure individual peptide
      reactivity, and statistical analyses included a Student's t-test and
      nonparametric tests to compare the means, medians, and normal scores. RESULTS:
      Using this simple binding assay, AT1-AAs were detected in a majority of PE
      patients and more rarely in normal-outcome pregnancies. Among the isolated
      peptide mimics, several unique peptides demonstrated significantly (p<0.03)
      higher reactivity with PE patients than with control samples but showed no
      sequence homology to the known AT1 epitope. Not only did our peptides perform
      well with the original set of samples used for discovery, but these peptides also
      reacted with antibodies from a small set of new PE (n=10) sera but not from new
      normal-outcome (n=10) pregnancies. CONCLUSION: Peptides distinct from the AT1
      epitope and identified by library screening exhibited potential diagnostic
      utility for PE, suggesting that a panel of such peptides might provide a novel
      diagnostic test to distinguish PE from other conditions with similar symptoms.
      Also, this study demonstrated AT1-AA presence in an independent patient cohort
      with a simple binding assay, which can be easily expanded to evaluate larger
      cohorts.

PMID- 26105257
TI  - OS043. Identification and validation of novel markers for the predictionof pre
      eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Currently no test accurately predicts pre-eclampsia (PE) in a
      healthy nulliparous population. Unbiased protein biomarker discovery has the
      potential to identify novel markers but multimarker panels are required to
      achieve clinically relevant prediction of PE. To this purpose, single biomarker
      performances were obtained and multimarker panels developed in a significant
      subcohort of the international Screening fOr Pregnancy Endpoints study (SCOPE)
      study [1]. OBJECTIVES: To identify and validate novel protein markers for PE
      prediction using chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques which enable
      the identification and quantification of plasma proteins present in plasma at sub
      ng/ml concentration (Pronota, Belgium). METHODS: Pre-disease plasma samples (22
      26 weeks) from women who subsequently developed PE and those with uncomplicated
      pregnancies [2] were used to generate 30 plasma proteome profiles using the
      MASStermindTM pipeline. A set of novel protein candidates were validated using an
      antibody-free mass spectrometry method using multiple reaction monitoring
      (MASSterclassTM) in a subcohort of the SCOPE study (NZ & Aus) [1]. Relative
      abundance of 40+ proteins was determined in 20week plasma samples from 100 women
      who developed PE and 200 women who did not develop PE (included women with other
      pregnancy complications). Multivariate analyses were performed to identify
      algorithms with predictive performance using combinations confined to a maximum
      of 6 parameters (protein markers and clinical parameters) to avoid overfitting.
      Validation of the prediction panels was performed in an independent subcohort of
      SCOPE (Europe) comprising 50 PE and 150 no PE. RESULTS: From this large scale
      biomarker discovery effort a number of key results were obtained: a novel
      protein, i.e., Insulin-like growth factor binding protein, acid labile subunit
      (IGFALS), was identified. AUC for this marker for the prediction of all PE was
      0.71 (CI 0.68-0.75) which was greater than both PlGF and s-Eng (respective AUCs:
      0.64 and 0.61). IGFALS was also found to have predictive value for term (AUC
      0.70) as well as preterm disease (AUC 0.75). Using multivariate analysis, marker
      panels were identified that achieved clinically relevant prediction (exemplary
      panel prediction of all PE cases AUC=0.79; prediction of preterm PE AUC=0.92).
      These multivariate models were successfully validated in the European SCOPE
      subcohort. In addition, predictive algorithms based on mass spectrometric read
      outs were largely invariant to interchanging the IGFALS mass spectrometry
      quantitation data with IGFALS ELISA data. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the
      capability of high level LC-MS technologies to discover candidate biomarkers and
      execute large scale multiplex validation to develop a predictive screening test
      for preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105258
TI  - OS044. Morphological differences in murine placenta detected by magneticresonance
      imaging measurements of T2 relaxation times in mouse models ofpreeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We have demonstrated that morphologically distinct regions of the
      murine placenta can be detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with image
      contrast arising from the variation in T2 relaxation times between regions and
      dependent upon blood flow. Previous studies of human placenta by other groups
      have shown a homogeneous tissue with correlation of relaxation times with
      gestational age and a trend for shorter relaxation times in pregnancies
      complicated by preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. The ability to detect
      morphological changes and alterations in blood flow in experimental models of
      preeclampsia would be a significant boost in understanding the relationship
      between abnormal placental implantation, reduced placental perfusion,
      inflammatory cytokines, angiogenic molecules and other factors that may play a
      role in the syndrome. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate
      whether morphological changes or abnormalities can be detected by T2 mapping in
      the placenta of mice subject to two experimental models of preeclampsia (reduced
      uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) model and TNF-alpha induced model). METHODS:
      Pregnant C57BL/6JArc mice were, on day 13.5 of gestation, either subject to a
      unilateral ligation of the right uterine artery (RUPP) (n=2) or given an infusion
      of TNF-alpha by subcutaneous insertion of a mini-osmotic pump primed to deliver
      500ng/kg/day for 4days (n=2). Controls were normal pregnant (n=2), sham-operated
      (n=1) or saline infused animals(n=1). MRI images were acquired on anaesthetised
      mice on day 17.5 of gestation using a Bruker Avance 11.7 Tesla wide-bore
      spectrometer with micro-imaging probe capable of generating gradients of 0.45T/m.
      T2 measurements were acquired using an MSME sequence protocol (Bruker MSME-T2
      map) with an in-plane resolution of 0.1-0.2mm. Matlab was used to generate R2
      (i.e.,1/T2) maps from the acquired data with the T2 values being calculated from
      selected regions of interest from 2-6 individual placenta from each mouse.
      RESULTS: Differences in the pattern of the regions of T2 contrast in the placenta
      were observed between normal, TNF-alpha treated and RUPP mice. The ratio of T2
      values from the inner two regions was also significantly altered in TNF-alpha
      treated 1.98+/-0.09 (p=0.007); RUPP 1.94+/-0.11 (p=0.006) compared to normal
      animals 2.5+/-0.1 . CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that morphological
      differences or abnormalities can be detected by T2 mapping in the placenta of
      mice subject to experimental models of preeclampsia and may be used to analyse
      changes quantitatively. This technology has the potential to be used when
      studying the dynamic changes in the placenta of pregnancies complicated by
      preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105259
TI  - OS045. Multi-dimensional protein identification technology analysis of
      syncytiotrophoblast vesicles released from perfused preeclampsia placentas.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In pre-eclampsia, the consequences of poor placentation lead to the
      second stage of pre-eclampsia, which involves activation of a maternal systemic
      inflammatory response (MSIR). Endothelial and other inflammatory cellular
      dysfunction cause the diverse features which characterise the disorder. We have
      previously shown that syncytiotrophoblast microvesicles (STBM) are pro
      inflammatory and circulate in increased amounts in pre-eclamptic women. We
      hypothesise that multiple placental "danger signals" are carried by STBM into the
      maternal circulation in increased amounts in PE with pro-inflammatory, anti
      angiogenic and pro-coagulant activity, implicating STBM in the pathophysiology of
      PE. OBJECTIVES: To characterise the proteins carried by STBM from normal and PE
      placentas. For the first time multi-dimensional protein identification technology
      (MudPIT) was used to derive the proteome profiles of normal and PE placenta STBM.
      METHODS: STBM were prepared from placentas (normal term: n=9 and PE: n=5) by dual
      lobe perfusion, isolated by ultracentrifugation and stored at -80 degrees C.
      Normal and PE derived placenta STBM pools were then subjected to MudPIT analysis.
      RESULTS: 538 proteins unique to PE STBM, 604 proteins unique to normal STBM and
      1421 proteins common to both preparations were found. Preliminary analysis
      indicates the presence of alarmins (HSP70, and galectin 3), exosomal proteins
      (CD63,CD9,CD81), immunoregulatory molecules (CD26,CD200,CD47,Galectin 1),
      complement and complement regulatory molecules (C1q,C3,CD55,CD59 and
      vitronectin), amino acid transporters (CD98) and anti-angiogenic molecules
      (endoglin). Our analysis also reveals that proteins known to be elevated in blood
      before, or at, the time of pre-eclampsia are elevated or unique in STBM from PE
      placentas, including Fetuin A, Inter-alpha (globulin) inhibitor H4, Serum amyloid
      P component, Apolipoprotein H (or B2GP1) and Apolipoprotein AII. Thus, as
      predicted, a large number of circulating molecules are associated with STBM. The
      inter-relationships between proteins that are unique to either PE or normal
      pregnancy and the processes in which they are involved are being determined by
      Ingenuity Pathways Analysis software. In terms of biofunctions, preliminary
      analysis shows that proteins unique to PE STBM have a highly significant
      association (p<10(-11)) with 6 disease pathways including inflammatory,
      immunological, cardiovascular and reproductive system diseases and organ injury,
      whereas for proteins unique to normal STBM only protein synthesis was significant
      at the same level. CONCLUSION: STBM contain a heterogeneous population of
      vesicles that convey a large repertoire of placental proteins into the maternal
      circulation. The profound differences between PE and normal STBM indicate their
      pro-inflammatory potential.

PMID- 26105260
TI  - OS046. Genome-wide association scans identify novel maternalsusceptibility loci
      for preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We have successfully utilized a family-based study design to
      localize several positional candidate preeclampsia susceptibility genes to
      chromosomes 2q22(ACVR2A,LCT,LRP1B,RND3,GCA),5q (ERAP2) and 13q(TNFSF13B). We now
      report on our continued positional cloning efforts using an alternative genome
      wide association (GWA) mapping strategy in large Caucasian case-control cohorts
      from Australia and Norway. OBJECTIVES: To identify maternal genetic risk loci for
      preeclampsia. METHODS: The unrelated Australian samples (545 cases,547 controls)
      were genotyped using Illumina BeadChip technology (700K loci) and have been
      analyzed using PLINK. All unrelated Norwegian samples were genotyped across
      several Illumina BeadChip substrates and consist of 847 cases (700K loci) and 638
      controls. The Norwegian control samples originate from other HUNT studies
      pertaining to migraine (n=95,700K loci), lung cancer (n=89,370K loci) and normal
      brain pathology (n=454,2.5M loci). To analyze a concordant set of 2.5-3 million
      genotypes across all Norwegian samples we are currently using MaCH to impute
      those loci not directly genotyped. The Norwegian GWA data will be analyzed in
      SOLAR utilizing empirical kinship estimates to account for any distant
      relatedness. RESULTS: 1078 Australian samples (538 cases,540 controls) and 648,
      175 SNPs passed our quality control metrics. Two SNP associations
      (rs7579169,p=3.6*10(-7); rs12711941,p=4.3*10(-7)) satisfied our genome-wide
      significant threshold (p<5.1*10(-7)). These SNPs reside less than 15kb downstream
      from the 3 terminus of the Inhibin, beta B (INHBB) gene on 2q14.2. Sequencing of
      the INHBB locus in our patient cohort identified a third intergenic SNP to
      significantly associate with preeclampsia (rs7576192,p=1.5*10(-7)). These three
      SNPs confer risk (OR>1.56) and are in strong linkage disequilibrium with each
      other (r(2)>0.9) but not with any other genotyped SNP +/-200kb. The analysis of
      the Norwegian GWAS is underway. CONCLUSION: The Australian GWAS has identified a
      novel preeclampsia risk locus on chromosome 2q. The INHBB gene closest to our SNP
      associations is a plausible positional candidate susceptibility gene. There is a
      substantive body of evidence implicating inhibins, activins and other members of
      the TGF-betasuperfamily to have a role in the development of preeclampsia. The
      biological connection between ACVR2A and INHBB leads us to speculate that our
      linkage-based and GWA-based study designs, respectively, have identified a key
      biological pathway involved in susceptibility to preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105261
TI  - OS047. Quantification of placental vascularization in a rabbit model ofIUGR with
      three-dimensional power doppler angiography.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Placental dysfunction is known to be a major cause of pregnancy
      complications, such as perinatal loss, preeclampsia, and intrauterine growth
      restriction (IUGR). Inadequate remodeling of the spiral arteries resulting in
      decreased blood flowto the placenta has been implicated in the pathophysiology of
      preeclampsia and IUGR. 3D power Doppler angiography (PDA) is a noninvasive and
      safe way to study blood flow within an organ or region of interest. The aim of
      this study was to evaluate PDA as a method to quantify placental perfusion in a
      pharmacological rabbit model of vascular IUGR induced by inhibition of NO
      synthesis. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to evaluate the 3D power Doppler
      angiography (PDA) in terms of feasibility and ability to detect placental hypo
      perfusion in an experimental rabbit model of intrauterine growth restriction
      (IUGR). METHODS: Fourteen pregnant females were treated with NG-nitro-L-arginine
      methylester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, from day 24 to day 28 of
      gestation, to induce an IUGR. Concomitantly, 8 pregnant rabbits were used as
      controls. On day 28, 3D power Doppler indices were quantified in each
      uteroplacental unit. RESULTS: A total number of 180 live fetuses were obtained,
      180 from the L-NAME group and 72 from the control group. G28 fetal weight was
      significantly lower in the L-NAME group than in the control group (27.40+/-0.55g
      vs 33.14+/-0.62g,p<0.0001). In the L-Name group the vascularization index (VI)
      was significantly lower than in the control group (2.6 [1.4;6.0] vs 7.6
      [3.5;12.6],p<0.05). Similar results were obtained for the Flow Index (FI) and the
      Vascularization Flow Index (VFI). The number of fetuses considered as small for
      gestational age (SGA;weight<10th centile) was significantly higher in the L-NAME
      group than in the control group (47/108 vs 7/72,p<0.0001). The VI was
      significantly lower in the SGA group than in the eutrophic group (3.46 [0.46;5.9]
      vs 7.50 [4.22;10.9] p<0.05). Similar results were obtained for FI and VFI.
      CONCLUSIONS: This experiment study demonstrates that quantitative 3D PDA indices
      are sensitive enough to detect placental vascular insufficiency in an
      experimental model of IUGR.

PMID- 26105262
TI  - OS048 Mitochondrial content and function in placental cells and tissuesof
      preeclampsia and IUGR.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Early onset placenta Preeclampsia (ePE) with Intrauterine Growth
      Restriction (IUGR) is associated with insufficient placental function, leading to
      decreased nutrient and oxygen (O2) availability for the fetus [1]. Mitochondria
      (mt) are the cell energy producers. Mt dysfunctions could be involved in altered
      placental metabolism leading to ePE and IUGR. We previously demonstrated higher
      levels of mtDNA in human IUGR placentas [2]. OBJECTIVES: Here we investigate
      mtDNA levels in ePE and PE without IUGR placentas, and we present an innovative
      technique, High Resolution Respirometry (HRR), on cytotrophoblast cells (CTC)
      from PE, IUGR and control placentas (C), measuring cell O2 consumption which
      represents respiratory chain efficiency. METHODS: mtDNA was measured by Real-Time
      PCR in 20 PE placentas, with (n=14) or without (n=6) IUGR, and 45 C. CTC were
      isolated from 4 PE, 4 IUGR and 6 C and characterized by flow cytometry, staining
      samples with anti-cytokeratin-7 and anti-vimentin antibodies. Cells were located
      in chambers with atmospheric O2levels; 2 different protocols were used, with or
      without digitonin permeabilization, allowing to measure the O2 consumption of the
      respiratory chain complexes singularly or all together. Substrates and inhibitors
      of different respiratory chain complexes were sequentially administered
      (succinate, ADP, oligomycin, FCCP, rotenone, antimycin A, glutamate, malate,
      myxothiazol, TMPD, ascorbate, pyruvate, cytochrome C, differently combined
      depending on the protocol) and O2 consumption levels were recorded. Data were
      normalized by Citrate Synthase (CS) activity and CTC mtDNA content. RESULTS: PE
      placentas: mtDNA content was significantly increased in ePE+IUGR (p=0.02) vs C;
      opposite to this, mtDNA was decreased in PE without IUGR (p=0.03). CTC: single mt
      O2 consumption (obtained by normalizing data both by CS activity and mtDNA) was
      slightly increased both in PE and IUGR. The global cell respiration was
      increased, though not significantly. The trend towards higher O2 consumption
      studied on permeabilized cells  was confirmed for all the respiratory chain
      complexes. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that mtDNA is increased also in ePE with
      IUGR and added the novel observation that mtDNA is decreased in PE without IUGR.
      In both conditions placental mitochondria present an altered respiratory chain
      activity, with a trend to a higher respiratory capacity. This could lead to
      higher ATP production likely as an attempt to compensate for other aspects of
      placental disease due to small or inefficient exchange capabilities. Further data
      are needed to confirm these preliminary results, together with specific enzymatic
      assays to asses the respiratory chain complexes functionality. Supported by
      Fondazione Giorgio Pardi, Associazione Studio Malformazion(ASM) and by a Grant
      COFIN (Italian Ministry of Research) on: New markers for preterm deliveries.

PMID- 26105263
TI  - OS049. Exome sequencing identifies likely functional variantsinfluencing
      preeclampsia and CVD risk.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) in family-based study designs will
      be pivotal in unlocking the missing heritability of common complex diseases.
      Whilst our prior linkage- and association-based positional cloning studies in
      family- and population-based Australian cohorts, respectively, have discovered
      novel preeclampsia candidate genes
      (INHBB,ACVR2A,LCT,LRP1B,RND3,GCA,ERAP2,TNFSF13B), the full complement of causal
      genetic variation remains largely unknown. We have now sequenced the exomes of
      two Australian preeclampsia families in another step forward to unlocking
      preeclampsia's complex allelic architecture. OBJECTIVES: Identify family-specific
      exon-centric loci segregating in preeclamptic women only. METHODS: The exomes of
      18 women (7 preeclamptics,11 controls) from two Australian families contributing
      to our chromosome 5q (Family 1) and 13q (Family 2) susceptibility loci,
      respectively, were sequenced using Illumina's TruSeq Exome Enrichment assay and
      NGS technology. Sequence alignments, quality control assessment and variant
      calling were conducted on our 8000 parallel processor compute server, MEDUSA. As
      a first pass, we prioritized exome sequence data to non-synonymous variants
      within the 1-LOD drop intervals of our 5q and 13q loci. Prioritized exonic
      variants were also genotyped in the Western Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Cohort
      to assess their significance against a plethora of cardiovascular disease (CVD)
      related traits. RESULTS: In Family 1 we identified two missense SNPs and in
      Family 2 we identified one missense SNP to segregate in the preeclamptic women
      but not in the unaffected women. The first SNP in Family 1 (rs62375061) resides
      within the LYSMD3 gene, is predicted to "possibly" damage the focal protein and
      the only public record of this SNP is within the Watson genome. The second SNP in
      Family 1 (rs111033530) resides within the GPR98 gene, is predicted to "probably"
      damage the focal protein and is rare (1.7% population prevalence). The SNP in
      Family 2 (rs1805388) resides within the LIG4 gene, is predicted to be highly
      deleterious (F-SNP FSS=0.849) and is common (?17% population prevalence). In the
      Raine cohort the LIG4 SNP was also significantly associated with weight
      (p=0.0085), total cholesterol (p=0.0007), HDL cholesterol (p=0.0067) and LDL
      cholesterol (p=0.0324). CONCLUSION: Our preliminary exome data documents the
      substantial potential to rapidly identify likely functional variants that
      influence preeclampsia risk. The GPR98 finding is of major interest to us as a
      recent genome-wide association study reported a significant association with
      diastolic blood pressure for a SNP at this same gene locus. Furthermore, our
      findings implicate LIG4 as a novel candidate susceptibility gene for CVD and add
      weight to the hypothesis of shared genetic risk factors for preeclampsia and CVD.

PMID- 26105264
TI  - OS050. Genetic variants in pre-eclampsia: a meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia has a clear familial component, suggesting that the
      syndrome may be partly attributable to genetic susceptibility. The search for
      susceptibility genes has lead to a massive increase in the number of published
      studies involving genetic associations in preeclampsia. However, attempts to
      replicate these findings have yielded inconsistent results. This meta-analysis
      aims to assess the pooled effect of each genetic variant that is reproducibly
      associated with preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: To create an overview of the genetic
      variants that are reproducibly associated with preeclampsia. METHODS: Studies
      assessing the association between genes and preeclampsia were searched in PubMed,
      EMBASE and Web of Science. We selected all genetic variants that were
      significantly associated with preeclampsia in an initial study and then
      independently reproduced in at least one additional study. Subsequently, all
      studies assessing these reproduced variants were included. The association
      between these variants and preeclampsia was calculated at the allele level and
      the main measure of effect was a pooled odds ratio. RESULTS: The literature
      search resulted in 2965 citations, of which 542 were genetic association studies
      investigating preeclampsia. We identified 23 replicated genetic variants, of
      which 8 remained significantly associated with preeclampsia in a random-effects
      meta-analysis. These variants were in or near the following genes:
      ACE,AGT,CTLA4,F2,FV (two variants),LPL and SERPINE1. CONCLUSION: This meta
      analysis found 8 genetic variants associated with preeclampsia. Most of these
      variants are in the renin-angiotensin and the coagulation system. Importantly,
      many of the variants that were associated with preeclampsia are known to be risk
      factors for the development of cardiovascular disease, indicating that
      preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease have shared genetic risk factors. The
      relative contribution and relevance of the identified genes in the pathogenesis
      of preeclampsia should be the focus of future studies.

PMID- 26105265
TI  - OS051. Web-based scientific data management and standardized specimencollection
      important tools for research and scientific exchange.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Data management and specimen collection in scientific research
      underlie a number of challenges and often have to fit into daily routine as well
      as meet scientific standards. In the daily routine of E-science, data security
      combined with maximum user friendliness and autonomy have a clear positive impact
      on scientific efficiency.Using standardized specimen collection enables for
      exchanging material between research partners and helps answering scientific
      questions in shorter time period and with more scientific outcome. OBJECTIVES: We
      aim to establish SOP's for specimen collection and data management in obstetrics
      to ensure high quality and comparability in research. METHODS: We present a web
      based scientific platform for obstetrical data management and show SOP's for high
      quality specimen collection. RESULTS: The database was designed to administrate
      data concerning pregnancy, child-bed and the newborn and is by now fully
      integrated in clinical and scientific routine. It consists of documentation
      sheets that guarantee high quality data management and help administrating data
      protected by username and password. For answering scientific questions not only
      good data management but also SOPs for specimen collection are an important tool.
      Therefore we assessed protocols for standardized blood, urine and placenta
      collection which make material sampled on different study sites comparable.
      CONCLUSION: Standardized data and specimen collection are necessary for research
      co-operations and play an important role in answering scientific questions in a
      shorter time period and with enlarging sample size.

PMID- 26105266
TI  - OS052. Preeclampsia candidate genes differentially methylated in maternal
      leukocyte DNA.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Altered gene expression in biomarkers associated with preeclampsia/
      eclampsia (PE) could be explained in part by epigenetic phenomena such as
      variable methylation OBJECTIVES: We sought to characterize the methylation
      profiles of candidate genes known to be associated with the preeclampsia
      phenotype in maternal leukocyte DNA in preeclamptic cases and normotensive
      controls at the time of delivery. METHODS: Methylation profiles of maternal
      leukocyte DNA were evaluated in 14 PE cases and 14 normotensive controls.
      Subjects were nulliparous, non-smokers, age and BMI matched. Genomic DNA was run
      on a commercially available beadchip human methylation assay. Mean methylation at
      sites in genes from a well-defined preeclampsia gene set present on our platform
      were compared using a t-test. RESULTS: QC confirmed high correlation of
      replicates and detection p values >95%. Of the 39 genes in the "preeclampsia gene
      set", 34 were present on our platform with 73 CpG sites. Seven out of 34 tested
      in this gene set had differential methylation with p value <0.05. Two genes were
      found to be less methylated in PE which may result in more expression. AGT (
      3%;p= 0.027), angiotensin, is a potent vasoconstrictor with exaggerated effect in
      PE. DDAH1 (-6%;p=0.031) is involved in nitric oxide generation, via asymmetric
      dimethylarginine (ADMA), levels of which are known to be altered in PE. Five
      genes were more methylated and therefore may correlate with reduced
      transcription. CALCA (+4%;p=0.001) forms calcitonin-gene related peptide, a
      potent vasodilator decreased in the PE . F5 (+1%;p=0.016), coagulation Factor V,
      is a target of activated protein C, and increased resistance related to genetic
      variants (Factor V Leiden) or pregnancy have been associated with PE. MTHFR
      (+3%;p=0.041) regulates homocysteine; high levels are associated with a 20X
      increase in risk for PE. POMC (+4%;p=0.014) produces beta endorphin and through
      ACTH stimulates aldosterone, both decreased in PE. PTGS2 (+3%;p=0.03) is part of
      the COX 2 prostaglandin pathway involved in inflammation. CONCLUSION:
      Differential methylation of these 7 genes may affect transcription and explain
      known alterations in gene product associated with PE.

PMID- 26105267
TI  - OS053. Trophoblast invasion in the mesometrial triangle of atp infused pregnant
      rats.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Poor placentation (disturbed and decreased trophoblast invasion) is
      a hallmark of preeclampsia (PE), which is a major complication of pregnancy.
      Unfortunately, the cause and mechanism of disturbed trophoblast invasion is still
      unknown. OBJECTIVES: The pro-inflammatory agent ATP has been shown to induce PE
      like signs, after a single infusion in pregnant rats. These PE-like
      characteristics include proteinuria and decreased fetal weight. Since purinergic
      ATP receptors are expressed on trophoblast cells, we aimed to study the effect of
      ATP infusion on trophoblast invasion in pregnant rats in this pilot study.
      METHODS: Pregnant rats received a single ATP (n=4) or saline (control,ni=5)
      infusion via a permanent jugular vein cannula on day 14 of pregnancy. At the time
      of maximal trophoblast invasion (day 17 of pregnancy) rats were sacrificed and
      placentas with mesometrial triangle were collected, fixed in zinc-buffer and
      embedded in paraffin. 4 MUm sections were stained with monoclonal alpha
      cytokeratin antibodies. In the mesometrial triangle, the maternal part of the rat
      placenta, the percentage of surface area of trophoblast invasion was evaluated
      using computerized image analysis. Also, the depth and width of invasion were
      analyzed by subdividing the mesometrial triangle in three concentric depth levels
      of equal width. In addition, trophoblast invaded versus non-invaded spiral
      arteries in the mesometrial triangle were quantified. RESULTS: In the mesometrial
      triangle, no changes in percentage of surface area of trophoblast invasion and
      percentage of invaded spiral arteries were observed after ATP infusion. However,
      the pattern of trophoblast invasion appeared to be disturbed in ATP infused rats,
      with a decreased depth of invasion and an increased width of invasion, resulting
      in a trend towards a decreased depth/width ratio of trophoblast invasion in ATP
      infused rats. CONCLUSION: In this (pilot) study we showed an altered trophoblast
      invasion pattern in the mesometrial triangle of the placenta, although no
      significant differences in the total surface area of trophoblast invasion were
      seen in experimental versus control pregnant animals. e mechanism by which ATP
      induces this altered trophoblast invasion pattern and its potential contribution
      to the pathophysiology of this experimental PE in the pregnant rat awaits further
      investigation.

PMID- 26105268
TI  - OS054. Differential strain sensitivities to ischemia/reperfusion in two mouse
      models of fetal growth restriction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Uterine ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rodents is a common model for
      the study of fetal growth restriction (FGR). It has been observed that different
      strains of mice vary in their response to uterine I/R. OBJECTIVES: Our objective
      was to characterize fetal and placental growth, and uterine and placental
      inflammation, in pregnant mice from 2 strains (C3H/HeOuJ and C57BL/6J), in
      response to different uterine I/R modalities. METHODS: Timed-pregnant mice (6-8
      in each experimental group) were subjected to unilateral uterine I/R by either
      total flow restriction (TFR,right ovarian and uterine arterial clamping,5 or
      30min) or partial flow restriction (PFR,right ovarian artery clamping,30min), or
      to sham-operation, on the 14th (for C57 mice) or 15th (for C3H mice) day of
      gestation. Four days later, fetal and placental weights and fetal loss were
      evaluated, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was assayed in uterine and
      placental tissues. Data were analyzed by ANOVA with p<0.05 considered
      significant. RESULTS: In C3H/HeOuJ mice, TFR/30 min induced significantly
      (p<0.05) lower fetal and placental weights, and higher MPO activity in both
      uterus and placenta, compared to sham-operated controls. PFR/30min produced fetal
      but not placental growth restriction in the C3H mice. In contrast, C57BL/6J mice
      exhibited much greater sensitivity to uterine I/R: TFR/5 min was adequate to
      induce FGR in the C57 mice, which was equivalent in proportion to FGR caused by
      TFR/30min in C3H. C57 mice also exhibited significantly greater fetal loss and
      higher uterine, but not placental, MPO activity in response to I/R compared to
      sham-operated controls. CONCLUSION: Reliable FGR can be induced in different
      strains of mice by uterine I/R through adjustment of intensity, duration, and
      gestation day of the challenge. Mice of different strains have different
      tolerance to uterine I/R. These strain disparities would lend themselves to
      identifying the role of mouse strain-specific genetic determinants which form the
      bases for the observed differences in sensitivity to I/R-induced FGR.

PMID- 26105269
TI  - OS055. Sex-dependent differences in expression of FLT-1 variants andJMJD6 in
      mouse placenta.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is evidence for fetal sex-dependent differences in the way in
      which preeclamptic pregnancies proceed, and in maternal and neonatal outcomes.
      Mouse models are common in the study of preeclampsia and pooled tissue from
      multiple placentae is often used to obtain samples for expression studies.
      Potential concerns regarding this practice are the sex-dependent differences in
      placental expression of candidate factors. One biomolecule of interest is soluble
      fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFLT-1) which is a known marker of preeclampsia and
      commonly used to determine the severity of the induced preeclampsia-like syndrome
      in rodent models. OBJECTIVES: It was the aim of this preliminary study to
      determine whether variation exists in the expression of different genes in murine
      placenta based on pup sex in C57BL/6JArc mice. A novel gene, Jumonji domain
      containing protein 6 (Jmjd6) that may prove to have a role in the pathogenesis of
      preeclampsia, mFLT-1 and sFLT-1 were selected as targets. METHODS: Seventeen pups
      were retrieved from three normal pregnant female mice euthanized via cervical
      dislocation (CD) on day 17.5 or 18.5. Tails and corresponding placentas were
      collected from the pups, snap frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80 degrees
      C. Tails were used to accurately determine pup sex via PCR amplification of sex
      chromosome-specific sequences and revealed the presence of 3 females and 14
      males. Quantitative PCR was used to determine the relative expression of the FLT
      1 and Jmjd6 transcripts in each placenta. The placenta collected from the first
      pup of the first pregnant female served as the reference sample and transcript
      expression in the remaining samples was expressed relative to this sample.
      General linear modelling using linear regression with categorical variables was
      used to evaluate the difference in transcript expression between the sexes and
      Pearson's correlation coefficient used to examine relationships between
      variables. RESULTS: Pup sex was found to have a significant effect on the
      relative expression of sFLT-1 after controlling for litter, pup weight and
      gestational age (p=0.013), with 1.5 times more expression in the placentas of
      female pups. The expression of sFLT-1 was highly correlated with mFLT-1
      (r=0.690,p=0.002). The relative expression of Jmjd6 was not significantly
      different in male and female placentas and sFlt-1 was not correlated with Jmjd6.
      CONCLUSION: This is the first study to demonstrate a link between fetal sex and
      placental sFLT-1 expression in mice, finding increased levels of this gene in the
      placentas of female pups. It is possible that in normal pregnancies, female
      placentas produce more sFLT-1 which acts to condition them and offer some
      protection during the sFLT-1 spike seen in preeclampsia. The findings of this
      study also highlight a possible need to consider sex as a variable in placental
      expression studies using mice to ensure the accuracy of results.

PMID- 26105270
TI  - OS056. Angiotensin II sensitivity and endothelial dysfunction afterexperimental
      preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women who suffered from preeclampsia (PE) have an increased risk
      for cardiovascular and renal diseases later in life. Although the exact
      mechanisms underlying this relationship are unknown, they may relate to an
      increased sensitivity to angiotensin II (Ang-II) and endothelial dysfunction
      during a preeclamptic pregnancy, which may persist after PE. Recently, we showed
      vascular hypersensitivity to Ang-II and disturbed endothelial cell function in
      experimental PE in rats as compared to healthy pregnant rats. OBJECTIVES: To
      study whether vascular hypersensitivity to Ang-II and endothelial dysfunction
      persist postpartum in experimental PE. METHODS: In this ongoing study, we thus
      far included non-pregnant rats (NP;n=9), formerly healthy pregnant rats (HP;n=9)
      and formerly experimental preeclamptic rats (PE; infusion of a low dose
      endotoxin; n=16). Six weeks after pregnancy, animals from each group were treated
      with Ang-II (osmotic minipump; 200ng/kg/min;NP: n=5;HP: n=6;PE: n=8) or were sham
      treated (NP: n=4;HP: n=3;PE: n=8). Blood pressure was measured in all rats one
      day before and weekly after Ang-II or sham treatment (for three weeks). At
      termination, the aortas of sham operated rats were obtained. Aortic rings (2mm)
      were mounted for isotonic measurement of vasotonus. Endothelium-dependent
      acetylcholine- (ACh) mediated vasodilation was studied in phenylephrine
      preconstricted rings in the presence of vehicle, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl
      ester, indomethacin or both, followed by full concentration response curves for
      ACh (10(-8)M-10(-4)M). Ang-II sensitivity was assessed by obtaining full
      concentration response curves (10(-10)M-10(-6)M). AT-1 and AT-2 receptor
      sensitivity was determined by administration of Ang-II in the presence of the AT
      1 receptor blocker losartan, or the AT-2 receptor blocker PD123319. RESULTS: Our
      results indicate no difference in mean (+/-SD) systolic blood pressure (SBP)
      between the three groups six weeks after delivery (NP: 129(+/-7);HP: 127(+/
      9);PE: 123(+/-10)mmHg;p=0.248). However, after three weeks of Ang-II treatment, a
      trend was found towards a stronger increase in SBP in PE rats as compared to HP
      rats (45.7(+/-18.9)% vs 63.4(+/-20.1)% respectively;p=0.081). Although we found
      no differences in in-vitro Ang-II sensitivity between the three groups, NP rats
      showed a trend towards an increased sensitivity of the AT-2 receptor to Ang-II
      compared to both groups of formerly pregnant rats. Total ACh-mediated endothelial
      relaxation was not different between the three groups. However, contribution of
      both NO and EDHF components to ACh-mediated relaxation seemed decreased in both
      groups of formerly pregnant rats as compared to the NP rats. CONCLUSION: These
      preliminary data suggest that healthy rats that suffered from preeclampsia during
      pregnancy have increased in-vivo sensitivity to Ang-II postpartum as compared to
      rats with an uncomplicated pregnancy. Whether these differences are related to in
      vitro- changes in Ang-II sensitivity or changes in endothelial function remains
      to be established.

PMID- 26105271
TI  - OS057. Pathophysiological role of elevated tissue transglutaminase in
      autoantibody-induced features of preeclampsia in pregnant mice.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) is highly associated with the presence of
      autoantibodies that activate the major angiotensin receptor, AT1R. These
      autoantibodies (termed AT1-AA) cause most features of PE when introduced into
      pregnant mice and are believed to contribute to disease pathogenesis. Tissue
      transglutaminase (tTG) is a prominent member of a family of enzymes that
      crosslink proteins by catalyzing the formation of an isopeptide bond between the
      amide group of glutamine and the free amino group of lysine and is believed to
      play a role in AT1R activation. OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that tTG plays
      a role in autoantibody-mediated AT1R activation and thereby contributes to the
      pathophyhsiology of PE. METHODS: Western blotting was used to quantify tTG in
      placentas of normotensive pregnant women and those with PE. Immunohistochemistry
      was used to determine cellular localization of tTG, AT1R and glutamyl-lysine
      isopeptides in placenta tissue. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments were used to
      explore the possible association of tTG and AT1R. Finally, in an effort to
      determine the role of tTG in AT1-AA-induced features of PE in vivo, we treated
      autoantibody-injected pregnant mice with cystamine, a potent tTG inhibitor.
      RESULTS: Western blot analysis showed elevated tTG in placentas of women with PE.
      Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that increased levels of tTG, glutamyl
      lysineisopeptides, AT1R co-localized in the microvillous membrane of PE
      placentas. Immunoprecipitation of tTG from human trophoblast cell (HTR) lysates
      resulted in the co-immunoprecipitation of AT1R, thereby providing evidence for an
      interaction between tTG and AT1R in HTR cells. Finally, we found that cystamine
      treatment significantly attenuated key features associated with PE including
      hypertension and proteinuria in the PE-IgG-injected pregnant mice. CONCLUSION:
      Taken together, we identified a previously unrecognized role of elevated tTG in
      PE likely by activating or stabilizing AT1Rs. These studies provide novel
      mechanisms of autoantibody-induced AT1R activation by elevated placental tTG,
      highlight the role of tTG in the pathogenesis of PE and suggest novel therapeutic
      strategies for the disease.

PMID- 26105272
TI  - OS058. Aldosterone deficiency adversely affects pregnancy outcome in mice.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In pregnancy, plasma volume is expanded due to high aldosterone
      levels to support placental perfusion and fetal nutrition. Inadequately low
      aldosterone levels as present in preeclampsia, a life-threatening disease for
      both mother and child, are discussed to be involved in its pathogenesis or
      severity. OBJECTIVES: We used aldosterone synthase deficient (AS(-/-)) mice to
      test whether the absence of aldosterone is sufficient to impair pregnancy or even
      to cause preeclampsia. METHODS: AS(-/-) and AS(+/+) females were mated with
      AS(+/+) and AS(-/-) males, respectively, always generating AS(+/-) offspring.
      Blood pressure was measured by tail cuff, fetal and placental number and size as
      well as placental histology were assessed. Placental expression of HIF-1alphaand
      angiogenic factors was assessed by semiquantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: With
      maternal aldosterone deficiency in AS(-/-) mice, systolic blood pressure was low
      before and further reduced during pregnancy and with no increase in proteinuria.
      Yet, AS(-/-) had smaller litters due to loss of fetuses as indicated by a high
      number of necrotic placentas with massive lymphocyte infiltrations at gestational
      day 18. Surviving fetuses and their placentas from AS(-/-) females were smaller.
      High salt diet before and during pregnancy increased systolic blood pressure only
      before pregnancy in both genotypes and reduced blood pressure during late
      pregnancy as compared to normal salt controls. Litter size from AS(-/-) was
      slightly improved and the differences in placental and fetal weights between
      AS(+/+) and AS(-/-) mothers disappeared. Overall an increased placental
      efficiency was observed in both groups. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that
      aldosterone deficiency has profound adverse effects on placental function. High
      dietary salt intake improved placental function and lowered blood pressure in
      wild-type mice. In this animal model, aldosterone deficiency did not cause
      preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105273
TI  - OS059. Blockade of the bradykinin B2 receptor in early pregnancy reduces fetal
      growth and trophoblast invasion in guinea-pigs.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Research in preeclampsia (PE) is hampered by the difficulty of
      sampling the placental bed in early pregnancies followed to delivery to be
      defined as normal or preeclamptic. Thus, animal models contribute to the
      understanding of its physiopathology. The guinea-pig shares with humans extensive
      vascular remodelling, a hemomonochorial placenta [1] and a vasodilator and
      angiogenic utero-placental repertoire [2]. In pregnancy it expresses bradykinin
      (BK) B1R and B2R receptors in cells related to invasion, angiogenesis and
      vasodilatation. In addition, in HTR-8/SVneo cells, BK induces a B2R-mediated
      increase in migration and invasion [3]. OBJECTIVES: To test whether blocking the
      B2R with a rodent-selective non-peptide antagonist Bradyzide (BDZ) from days 20
      to 34 of an ~65 day gestation - period of maximal trophoblast invasion and
      placental development - induces PE-like morphological and functional alterations.
      METHODS: Virgin Pirbright guinea-pigs (Cavia Porcellus) after mating and
      echographic confirmation of pregnancy, were allocated in gestational day 20 to to
      subcutaneous implantation of Alzet pumps that delivered for 14 days saline
      (Control; n=7), BDZ0,875mg/kg/day (BDZ0,87; n=6) and BDZ 1,2mg/kg/day (BDZ1,2;
      n=7). Systolic pressure was acquired in the right hindlimb with a Power Lab 8 SP
      and analyzed with Labchart at day 34. On that day dams were sacrificed, vesical
      urine was extracted for protein determination, the fetuses and corresponding
      placentas weighed and the cephalo-caudal length measured. The placentas were
      studied by HE and immunohistochemistry for cytokeratin to identify trophoblasts.
      Results are expressed as means+/-SE. Statistical analysis was performed with
      Graphpad Prism 5.1, using one-way ANOVA, the recommended post hoc tests and chi2
      test. RESULTS: Maternal systolic pressure tended to increase in BDZ0,875 and
      BDZ1,2 versus controls (63+/-567+/-6 versus 56+/-2,mm Hg respectively; NS).
      Proteinuria was not observed in any group. The number of viable fetuses tended to
      be reduced in both BZD treated groups (NS). The fetal weight (% maternal weight)
      was reduced in animals treated with BDZ0,875 and BDZ1,2 (042+/-002 and 045+/-001
      versus 054+/-0,04 in controls; p (P<0.01 and 0.05 respectively). The cephalo
      caudal length was reduced in BDZ0,875 and BDZ1,2 (373+/-24 and 371+/-07 versus
      422+/-21mm in controls; P<0.01). No differences were observed in placental
      weight. Spiral arteries surrounded by trophoblasts (%) were reduced in BDZ 0875
      and BDZ1,2 versus controls (63 and 66.6 versus 100%, P=0.02). Invaded spiral
      arteries (%) were also reduced in the treated groups (80 and 43 versus 100%;
      P<0.002) No differences were observed in the depth of trophoblast decidual
      invasion. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that blocking the B2R in early
      pregnancy impairs fetal growth and transformation of the spiral arteries, and
      supports the role of the B2R in the local physiological adaptation. Further
      studies are needed to elucidate whether the early impairment translates to
      hypertension and proteinuria in the last third of pregnancy; if so, the guinea
      pig would provide a model to understand the physiopathology of the syndrome.
      Study financed by Fondecyt 1080228.

PMID- 26105274
TI  - OS060. Exercise training promotes placental growth and development in an animal
      model of preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic hypertension is an important risk factor for preeclampsia,
      increasing the prevalence of the disease to 15-25% in pregnant women.
      Unfortunately there are no known treatments for this disease aside from inducing
      delivery of the fetus. Nonetheless, several studies have found exercise training
      to have a protective effect on the risk of developing preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES:
      To determine the mechanisms implicated in the preventive effect of exercise
      training on preeclampsia, by focusing on the placenta. METHODS: Double transgenic
      mice, overexpressing both human renin and angiotensinogen (R(+)/A(+)), were used
      to investigate the effect of exercise training on an animal model of preeclampsia
      superimposed on chronic hypertension. Mice were placed in cages with free access
      to an exercise wheel 4 weeks prior to and during pregnancy. At gestational day
      18, mice were sacrificed and their organs were collected. Real time PCR and
      Western Blot were performed to evaluate placental genes and proteins,
      respectively. Circulating sFlt-1(soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase-1) levels were
      investigated by ELISA. Placental alterations were assessed by histology and
      immunohistochemistry, while blood pressure was measured by radiotelemetry.
      RESULTS: Sedentary R(+)/A(+) mice presented with significantly greater placental
      pathology, which was normalized with exercise training. This was characterized by
      a normalization of cytokeratin and histone H3 protein expression, thereby
      restoring placental development, specifically looking at trophoblasts and
      trophoblast giant cells, respectively. This exercise training effect appears to
      normalize placental growth primarily by promoting angiogenesis and development.
      Indeed, a pro-angiogenic shift could be detected which was characterized by an
      increase in placental growth factor gene expression, along with a decrease in
      sFlt-1 gene expression, which produced a decrease in circulating sFlt-1.
      Sedentary R(+)/A(+) mice also presented with a significant increase in VEGF
      protein, which was significantly decreased with exercise. Of interest, since it
      has been observed to be decreased with preeclampsia, insulin regulated
      aminopeptidase (IRAP) gene expression was significantly increased in the trained
      transgenic mice. Finally, exercise training prevented the increase in blood
      pressure normally observed at the end of gestation in sedentary R(+)A(+) mice.
      CONCLUSION: Exercise training both before and during gestation appears to promote
      placental growth and development by producing a pro-angiogenic placental
      environment. Put together, along with the lack in blood pressure increase, these
      factors may be responsible for preventing the development of preeclampsia in our
      animal model of preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension. Identifying
      the mechanisms implicated in exercise-induced preeclampsia risk reduction will be
      critical to improve preeclampsia prophylaxis.

PMID- 26105275
TI  - OS061. Placental growth factor reduces blood pressure and proteinuria in
      experimental preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is a disorder related to an imbalance in the
      angiogenesis axis manifesting as endothelial dysfunction. Animal and human
      studies have shown that sFLT-1 (soluble fms like tyrosine kinase 1) is increased
      and PlGF (placental growth factor) reduced during the disease state. There are a
      paucity of studies investigating the clinical significance of normalising
      angiogenic axis. OBJECTIVES: To use a non-human primate uteroplacental ischemic
      (UPI) model of preeclampsia to assess if reversing the angiogenic imbalance, by
      increasing circulating PlGF, is able to ameliorate the hypertension and
      proteinuria. METHODS: Hypertensive proteinuria was induced in a non-human primate
      (Papio hamadryas) by ligation of a unilateral uterine artery at 130days of an
      182day pregnancy. After two weeks of UPI, PlGF was administered by subcutaneous
      injection (100mg/kg/day) for 5 days (n=3) or normal saline in an equivalent
      volume (n=3). Blood pressure was monitored via intra-arterial radiotelemetry,
      sFLT-1 measured via ELISA and spot urinary protein:creatinine ratios were
      measured to monitor proteinuria. Data was analysed using SPSS by t-tests and
      analysis of repeated measures. Significance was set at p<0.05 and data expressed
      as the mean +/-SEM. RESULTS: After two weeks of UPI both groups demonstrated a
      significant elevation in blood pressure, proteinuria (p<0.05) and sFLT-1
      (p<0.001). The systolic BP increased by 12.4+/-2.3mmHg and 11.7+/-2.9mmHg in the
      PlGF and control groups respectively compared to baseline (p<0.005). After PlGF
      administration, there was a significant reduction in blood pressure in the
      treated group (-5.2s+/-0.8mmHg) compared to the increase in BP in the control
      group (+6.5+/-3mmHg). Proteinuria also reduced in the treated group from 112+/
      51mg/mmol to 38+/-12mg/mmol whilst proteinuria in the control group was
      unchanged. The total circulating sFLT-1 was not significantly affected by the
      administration of PlGF after 5days. Although this study was not designed to
      assess fetal safety or outcomes, there was no adverse fetal outcome attributable
      to the administration of the PlGF. CONCLUSION: Administration of PlGF resulted in
      a reduction in BP and proteinuria without significantly affecting total sFLT-1
      levels. Correcting the angiogenic axis imbalance may improve the clinical
      parameters in a non-human primate animal model of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105276
TI  - OS062. Oxidative stress mediates podocyte injury in preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Emerging evidence has shown that other than glomerular
      endotheliosis, podocyte injury plays a key role in kidney dysfunction in
      preeclampsia (PE). Podocyte shedding has been demonstrated in patients with PE,
      and proteinuria is signature of podocyte injury. We previously found altered
      distribution and reduced expression of podocyte protein nephrin and podoplanin in
      shed podocytes in PE. However, the mechanism of podocyte shedding and altered
      podocyte functional protein expression in shed podocytes in PE is not known.
      OBJECTIVES: To investigate if oxidative stress could induce podocyte injury in
      PE. METHODS: Kidney podocytes were isolated from urinary specimen from women with
      PE. Urinary podocytes were cultured with RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% FBS and
      ITS liquid media. Podocyte expression and distribution of nephrin and superoxide
      dismutase-1 (CuZn-SOD) were determined by immunofluorescent staining. Images were
      captured by Apotome Observer and were reconstructed with Axiovision software.
      CuZn-SOD expression was used as an indicator of podocyte oxidative stress.
      Immortalized human podocytes (AB 8/13 cells) were used as control. Effects of
      oxidative stress on podocyte nephrin and CuZn-SOD expressions were induced by
      treating AB 8/13 cells with or without exposure to the hypoxic mimetic agent
      cobalt chloride. Protein expressions and distributions for nephrin and CuZn-SOD
      were determined by immunofluorescent staining and by Western blot. RESULTS: In
      differentiated podocytes (AB 8/13 cells), nephrin and CuZn-SOD were co-localized
      and expressed in the peripheral region of the foot process area. In contrast,
      nephrin and CuZn-SOD expressions were markedly reduced or lost in the foot
      process area in shed podocytes from PE patients. When AB 8/13 cells were treated
      with cobalt chloride, the patterns of nephrin and CuZn-SOD expressions and
      distributions were similar to that seen in shed podocytes from PE. Nephrin and
      CuZn-SOD expression and distribution were time-dependently decreased in AB 8/13
      cells treated with cobalt chloride. We further found that after prolonged
      culture, shed podocytes differentiated into mature podocytes in vitro evidenced
      by the expression of nephrin and CuZn-SOD at the foot process area of the cells.
      CONCLUSION: Nephrin is a specific podocyte slit diaphragm protein. The findings
      of the co-localization of nephrin and CuZn-SOD in differentiated podocytes and a
      lack of nephrin and CuZn-SOD expressions in shed podocytes from PE suggest that
      sufficient antioxidant activity is required for maintaining the functional
      integrity of glomerular podocytes. The differentiation process was associated
      with functional protein rejuvenation including nephrin, podoplanin, and CuZn-SOD
      in shed podocytes from PE. The phenomenon of oxidative stress-induced reduced and
      altered nephrin and CuZn-SOD expression and distribution further suggests that
      increased oxidative stress contributes to podocyte injury in PE.

PMID- 26105277
TI  - OS064. Contribute of the L-cysteine/ H2S pathway in placenta homeostasisin
      hypertensive disorders.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is considered the third endogenous gas
      transmitter besides nitric oxide and carbon monoxide [1]. It is produced from L
      cysteine or L-methionine via the enzymes cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) and
      cystathionine gamma-lyase (CSE). H2S is involved in the control of vascular
      homeostasis, having either relaxant or contractant effect on smooth muscle cells.
      The H2S involvement in rat and human intrauterine tissues has also been shown
      [2]. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to investigate the L-cysteine/ H2S
      pathway in rat and human placenta in hypertensive state. METHODS: Placental
      samples were collected from spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive
      rat (Wistar Kyoto; WKY). In parallel, placental samples were collected from 10
      pre-eclamptic women and 5 controls after caesarean sections. Pre-eclamptic women
      were divided into two subgroups: Group1 (women who developed Early Preeclampsia,
      n=4); Group2 (women who developed Late Preeclampsia, n=6). The expression of CBS
      and CSE was evaluated in sample tissues by Western blotting analysis. The
      enzymatic activity was assessed in basal and stimulated (L- cysteine) condiction
      by a colorimetric assay. Statistical analysis was performed by using Student's t
      test. P<0,05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The expression
      of CBS and CSE in placenta of SHR rats were significantly reduced (p<0.05)
      compared to WKY. The H2S production resulted significantly (p<0,05) lower in SHR
      than WKY rats. In human placenta, the basal H2S production was similar in the
      three groups; interestingly the H2S production by adding L-cysteine, was higher
      in Late Preeclampsia compared to control group. CONCLUSION: H2S was produced in
      rat and human placenta. CBS and CSE, the enzymes involved in the production of
      H2S, were down-regulated in SHR rats and, as a consequence the H2S production was
      significantly reduced. Starting from these data, we tried to analyze the role of
      hydrogen sulfide in preeclampsia to assess the contribute of this gas transmitter
      in the development of this condition. Unexpectedly, preliminary data demonstrated
      that in women developing Late Preeclampsia there was an higher production of H2S
      after stimulation with L-cysteine, not revealed in Early Preeclampsia or in
      healthy control group. Our results indicated that the L-cysteine/H2S pathway
      could contribute to the development of preeclampsia condition.

PMID- 26105278
TI  - OS063. Vitamin D promotes endothelial progenitor cell differentiationand
      upregulates VEGF.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is multifactorial in origin but the primary trigger is
      thought to be related to impaired placentation which is followed by systemic
      maternal responses. Vitamin D3 deficiency is a worldwide problem and is
      associated with a substantial increase in preeclampsia risk. Endothelial
      progenitor cells, in particular their highly proliferative subpopulation of
      endothelial colony forming cells (ECFC), play an important role in placental
      vasculogenesis and endothelial repair capacity. However, the mechanisms of
      vitamin D3 influence on placental development are poorly understood. OBJECTIVES:
      Therefore we investigated the influence of vitamin D3 on the differentiation of
      endothelial progenitor cells (ECFCs) in a placental angiogenesis model and
      hypothesized that vitamin D3 stimulates the expression of vascular endothelial
      growth factor (VEGF) in ECFCs. METHODS: Umbilical cord blood was obtained from
      uncomplicated, term pregnancies, the mononuclear cells were isolated and seeded
      onto collagen-coated culture plates for outgrowth of ECFCs. After preincubation
      with 10 nM vitamin D3, ECFCs were plated onto Matrigel (BD Biosciences) in the
      presence of the treatment media. After 6 hours capillary-like tubules were fixed
      and their total length was determined per well and median values were calculated
      from n=38 experiments. For mRNA expression analyses total RNA isolation was
      performed. High capacity cDNA reverse transcription kit (Invitrogen) was used for
      cDNA synthesis and Real time RT-PCR was performed on the Rotor Gene 6000 PCR
      instrument (Corbett Research) using VEGF-A primers according to existing
      literature. Statistical analysis was performed using Wilcoxon signed rank test.
      RESULTS: Our experiments show a significant promoting effect of vitamin D3 on
      tubule formation in ECFCs. ECFCs treated with 10nM vitamin D3 showed a 1.27 times
      higher tubule formation compared to vehicle-treated controls (1.27+/-0.19,
      p<0.05, n=38). mRNA expression analysis showed a 1.8 times higher expression of
      VEGF-A mRNA in ECFCs treated with 10nM vitamin D3 compared to controls (1.82+/
      0.43, p<0.0001, n=18). CONCLUSION: Physiological concentrations of vitamin D3
      significantly promote the formation of capillary-like structures by ECFCs in a
      cell culture model. This effect is mediated by an up-regulation of VEGF-mRNA in
      ECFCs by Vitamin D3. Since the de novo angiogenesis is a crucial step in
      development of the placenta, a vitamin D deficiency could play an important role
      in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia. This finding goes along with clinical
      studies in which vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of preeclampsia
      substantially.

PMID- 26105279
TI  - OS065. Placental growth factor as a diagnostic and prognostic test forplacental
      complications of pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Placental growth factor (PlGF) levels in maternal circulation are
      altered in pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (Benton et
      al.) and may have utility in identifying cases associated with placental
      dysfunction and stratifying pregnancy survival. OBJECTIVES: We sought to
      determine if a positive PlGF test measured on the Triage PlGF rapid assay (Alere,
      San Diego) agrees with the clinical diagnosis and predicts preterm delivery.
      METHODS: EDTA-blood was collected from women admitted to the AMC Obstetrics
      Department after 20 weeks of gestation with informed consent and according to the
      protocol approved by the AMC Medical Ethical Board (10/127). Plasma free PlGF
      levels from women diagnosed with early-onset pre-eclampsia (n=28), normotensive
      IUGR (N=6) and pregnancy complications excluding pre-eclampsia and IUGR (n=18)
      were quantified using the Triage PlGF immunoassay. Samples were collected before
      GA 34+6 and analyzed in batch assay. Results were interpreted against GA
      dependent cutoffs set at the 5th centile for gestational age in normal pregnancy
      (Knudsen et al). PlGF levels below the cutoffs were assigned "positive" according
      to the product insert. The proportion of subjects with a positive PlGF test
      result was calculated for each group, together with the proportion of subjects
      requiring preterm delivery. RESULTS: Twenty-eight women developed early-onset pre
      eclampsia and, of these, 27/28 (96.4%) had a positive PlGF test. The woman with
      negative PlGF test presented to clinic at GA 34+3 with hypertension and suspected
      pre-eclampsia, but delivered at GA 39+4. Six women developed normotensive IUGR,
      of which 4 had a positive PlGF test, and in each the PlGF level was below the
      limit of detection of the test. The 2 women with a negative PlGF test had twin
      pregnancies. Eighteen women developed pregnancy complications excluding pre
      eclampsia and IUGR. Six had at least one serial sample with a positive PlGF test.
      Of these, one woman had partial placental abruption, 3 had PPROM, one had
      spontaneous labour at GA 33+3, and one had bleeding after elective embryo
      reduction and neonatal death during delivery at 23+3. The proportion of women
      with a positive PlGF test, where the date of delivery is known, requiring preterm
      delivery was 34/37 (91.9%). CONCLUSION: These preliminary data suggest that a
      positive PlGF test by Triage may identify placentally-mediated pregnancy
      complications and that a very low level of PlGF identifies women at increased
      risk for preterm delivery.

PMID- 26105280
TI  - OS066. Intrauterine CYP2J2 expression and circulatingepoxyeicosatrienoic acid
      levels in preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The cytochrome P450 (CYP)-system regulates vascular functions,
      inflammation, and angiogenesis that are mechanistically important in
      preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze the dysregulation
      of the Cytochrome P450 in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. METHODS: We performed
      microarray screening of placenta and decidua from 25 preeclamptic women and 23
      controls. Results were confirmed by realtime RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and
      Serum of patients were analyzed by HPLC tandem mass spectrometry. For functional
      testing we did cardiomyocyte contraction bioassay and myograph studies. The
      reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) rat model was proceed for
      interventional study. RESULTS: In microarray studies the CYP subfamily 2J
      polypeptide 2 (CYP2J2) was upregulated in preeclamptic decidual tissue (3.9 fold,
      p<0.0001) and in preeclamptic placenta (1.55 fold, p<0.001). RT-PCR confirmed the
      upregulation and immunohistochemistry, localized CYP2J2 in trophoblasts of villi
      and deciduas at week 12 and term. The CYP2J2 metabolites were analyzed by HPLC
      tandem mass spectrometry. 5,6- epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EET), 14,15-EET, and
      the corresponding dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHET), were elevated in
      preeclamptic women compared to controls in the latter two-thirds of pregnancy and
      after delivery. Stimulation of the trophoblast-derived cell line SGHPL-4 with the
      preeclampsia-associated cytokine tumor necrosis factor-a enhanced CYP2J2 gene and
      protein expression. For functional testing, 5,6-EET increased the beating rate of
      neonatal cardiomyocytes in a bioassay and downregulated large-conductance calcium
      activated potassium channel KCa 1.1 activity. In the RUPP rat model of
      preeclampsia, we observed elevated EET, DHET, and preeclamptic features that were
      ameliorated by the CYP inhibitor MsPPOH. Uterine arterial rings of rats also
      dilated in response to MsPPOH. CONCLUSION: Our data implicate CYP2J2 in the
      pathogenesis of preeclampsia and as a potential candidate for the disturbed
      uteroplacental remodeling, leading to hypertension and endothelial dysfunction.

PMID- 26105281
TI  - OS067. VEGF, a novel stimulator of aldosterone production.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Adrenal aldosterone production depends upon capillary integrity.
      Inadequately explained by increased renin secretion, aldosterone is high in
      pregnancy, a proangiogenic state. In preeclampsia, low aldosterone levels
      coincide with disturbed endothelial integrity due to disrupted VEGF signaling.
      OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that the stimulation of adrenal aldosterone
      production is VEGF-sensitive. METHODS: We cultured endothelial cells (EC) in the
      presence and absence of VEGF. The supernatent was transferred to cultured adrenal
      cells, either the cell line H295R or isolated primary human adrenal cells from
      zona glomerulosa. aldosterone synthase mRNA and protein expression, aldosterone
      synthesis was assessed by adding radioactive labeled precursors or measuring
      aldosterone in the supernatent by Elisa. Cells were cultured either with
      angiotensin II (Ang II), VEGF or a combination hereof. Adenovirus-based
      overexpression of the soluble VEGF receptor type 1 (sFlt-1) was used to simulated
      conditions of preeclampsia in rats and its effect on the adrenocortical
      vasculature and circulating aldosterone levels. RESULTS: EC conditioning in the
      presence of VEGF enhanced aldosterone synthase activity in human adrenocortical
      cells. VEGF either alone or combined with Ang II increased aldosterone synthase
      transcription, enzyme availability and aldosterone production in adrenal cells.
      Neuropilin-1 and VEGF receptor expression differed only for Flt-1 which was
      present in ECs but not in adrenocortical cells. In contrast to Ang II, VEGF did
      not upregulate the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein. In line with this
      observation, Ang II stimulated both aldosterone and cortisol synthesis from
      progesterone whereas VEGF preferably the former. In rats, overexpression of sFlt
      1 which traps VEGF led to adrenocortical capillary rarefaction. Serum aldosterone
      concentrations inversely correlated with sFlt-1 levels. CONCLUSION: In
      conclusion, VEGF stimulates aldosterone production indirectly via ECs and
      directlyin adrenocortical cells a finding explaining the increased
      aldosterone/renin ratio in normal pregnancy. It is reasonable to assume that the
      inappropriately low aldosterone availability in preeclampsia is a consequence of
      the known disturbed VEGF signaling.

PMID- 26105282
TI  - OS068. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and angiogenic factors in early-onset severe
      preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105283
TI  - OS070. Shared genetic risk factors for preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is compelling evidence to support the hypothesis that a
      maternal constitutional predisposition to cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a key
      component in development of preeclampsia. In particular, CVD and preeclampsia
      share pathological features such as endothelial dysfunction and inflammation, and
      have several metabolic abnormalities in common. In support of this hypothesis,
      our recent genetic dissection of the Australian preeclampsia susceptibility locus
      on chromosome 2q22 revealed shared novel genetic risk factors for preeclampsia
      and CVD-related traits. OBJECTIVES: To replicate association between our recently
      reported 2q22 preeclampsia risk variants and CVD-related traits in an independent
      Australian population based cohort. METHODS: Four independent SNPs from four
      genes, rs35821928 (LRP1B), rs17783344 (GCA), rs115015150 (RND3) and rs2322659
      (LCT), were recently found to be significantly associated with preeclampsia
      susceptibility and CVD-related traits. These SNPs were genotyped in a large
      independent Australian cohort rich in quantitative CVD risk traits; The Western
      Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. This cohort comprises of blood samples
      from 1246 mothers and 1461 adolescents and clinical measures such as, but not
      limited to, anthropometric measures of adiposity and lipid-related measures.
      Genetic association analyses of these four potential preeclampsia susceptibility
      SNPs against the CVD-related risk traits were performed using the software
      package R. All statistical analyses assumed an additive model of gene action.
      RESULTS: Several significant associations (p<0.05) for all four SNPs with a
      variety of CVD-related risk traits were detected, both for the mothers and the
      adolescents. The LRP1B SNP was associated with HDL/cholesterol ratio, LDL
      cholesterol, triglycerides, skinfold measures and weight. The GCA SNP was
      associated with total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, serum insulin, hemoglobin,
      blood glucose, BMI and skinfold measures. The RND3 SNP was associated with
      triglycerides and waist-hip ratio. The LCT SNP was associated with hemoglobin,
      blood glucose and abdominal skinfold. CONCLUSION: We have recently identified
      genetic variants within the LRP1B, GCA, RND3 and LCT genes to be significantly
      associated with preeclampsia susceptibility and CVD-related risk traits. We have
      now demonstrated thatthese specific genetic variants are associated with CVD
      related risk traits in an independent population. Our collective findings provide
      substantial empirical data to support the hypothesis that genetic risk factors
      for preeclampsia and CVD are, at least in part, shared.

PMID- 26105284
TI  - OS069. Light, a TNF superfamily member, contributes to pathophysiology in a mouse
      model of preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) is associated with alterations in the renin
      angiotensin system due to the presence of autoantibodies that activate the major
      angiotensin receptor, AT1R. The resulting chronic activation of the AT1 receptor
      is believed to contribute to a pro-inflammatory state that is also characteristic
      of PE. Microarray analysis revealed a pronounced increase in the abundance of
      LIGHT, a potent member of the TNF superfamily that has emerged as a key factor
      mediating strong T-cell inflammatory responses and a contributor to autoimmune
      disease pathogenesis. OBJECTIVES: The goal of research described here is to
      determine the contribution of LIGHT to the pathophysiology of PE. METHODS: An
      ELISA, specific for LIGHT was used to validate the results of the initial
      microarray analysis. Infusion experiments were used to determine the effects of
      elevated LIGHT in pregnant and non-pregnant mice. An adoptive transfer model of
      PE in pregnant mice was used to determine if AT1R agonistic autoantibodies
      (AT1AA) stimulate LIGHT production. The potential contribution of increased LIGHT
      to clinical features of PE in pregnant mice was evaluated by the use of
      neutralizing antibodies directed to the LIGHT receptors, HVEM and LTbetaR.
      RESULTS: The use of a LIGHT-specific ELISA showed that the cytokine was
      significantly increased in the circulation and placentas of women with PE. The
      infusion of recombinant LIGHT into pregnant mice induced major clinical features
      of PE, including hypertension and proteinuria. Such changes were not observed
      when LIGHT was infused into not non-pregnant mice. LIGHT was significantly
      elevated in a pregnant mouse model of PE based on the introduction of IgG from
      women with PE. In this autoantibody-injection model of PE, the use of
      neutralizing antibodies to the LIGHT receptors, HVEM and LTbetaR, blocked
      autoantibody-induced hypertension, proteinuria, elevated sFlt-1 production,
      impaired placental angiogenesis and endothelial dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Overall,
      our studies show that LIGHT is significantly elevated in women with PE and that
      elevated LIGHT contributes to pathophysiology of PE in an antibody-injection
      model of PE in pregnant mice. LIGHT-induced pathophysiology can be abrogated by
      the use of neutralizing antibodies directed at its receptors, HVEM and LTbetaR.
      These results indicate that LIGHT may have a previously unrecognized role in the
      pathophysiology of PE and that its detrimental effects are pregnancy-dependent.
      These findings immediately suggest novel therapeutic possibilities.

PMID- 26105285
TI  - OS071. Effect of methyldopa on the cerebral circulation in chronic hypertensive
      pregnancies.

PMID- 26105286
TI  - OS072. Regional distribution of cerebral white matter lesions years following
      (pre)eclampsia.

PMID- 26105287
TI  - OS074. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation as a predictor of pre-eclampsia
      in the first trimester of pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Increased vascular reactivity secondary to endothelial injury has
      been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia (PE). However,
      whether these observations of vascular activity are the result or the cause of PE
      is still not fully understood. Some studies have shown that pregnant women who
      subsequently suffer from PE have an impaired flow-mediated dilatation in the
      brachial artery at the beginning of the second half of pregnancy. However this
      parameter has not been tested as a first trimester predictor of PE. OBJECTIVES:
      To investigate the role of maternal brachial artery reactivity during the first
      trimester of pregnancy (11-14 weeks) for the prediction of PE. METHODS:
      Prospective study with singleton pregnancies examined at 11-14 weeks of
      gestation, presenting consecutively for antenatal care in a tertiary Brazilian
      hospital. Maternal endothelial dysfunction was assessed by flow-mediated
      dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery. FMD was assessed in 550 pregnant women
      by the same examiner. Obstetric and perinatal outcomes were available in 506
      patients (92%). A total of 19 cases were excluded, because 6 miscarried, 12
      presented isolated fetal growth restriction (FGR) and 1 was considered an
      "outlier" because of a significant inflammatory medical co-morbidity. The main
      outcome was PE based on the ISSHP classification, and we considered early-onset
      PE when delivery occurred before 34 weeks and late-onset PE when delivery
      occurred after 34 weeks. RESULTS: In a total of 487 patients, 31 cases developed
      PE (6.3%), with 9 cases (1.8%) of early-PE and 22 cases (4.5%) of late-PE. The
      mean gestational age of the study was 12 weeks (range 11-14 weeks).The diameter
      of the brachial artery at rest was similar between control and PE groups (2.83mm
      and 2.93mm; p = 0.60) and the resistance and pulsatility index measurements also
      showed no significant differences among these groups. The mean FMD was 7.4 +/-
      8.2% in the control group and 7.3 +/- 8.2% in the PE group. Logistic regression
      analysis determined that FDM was not a predictor of PE (OR=0.99, CI 95% 0.94
      1.04; p=0.90). Dividing the cases of PE in early and late-onset, it was also
      observed that the mean diameter of the brachial artery at rest was similar among
      these groups, and that after the shear stress test the diameter was not
      significantly different in patients who developed early-PE. CONCLUSION: Maternal
      brachial artery reactivity assessed by FMD in the first trimester of pregnancy is
      not a predictor of PE.

PMID- 26105288
TI  - OS073. Over-expression of MIRNA-203 results in increased inflammatory response in
      endothelial cells: a mechanism of increased endothelial inflammatory response in
      preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally
      regulate gene expression and play important roles in various biological and
      pathological processes. Several miRNAs have been found to regulate endothelial
      cell (EC) function. Studies have shown that miR-203 plays an important role in
      the inflammatory response. OBJECTIVES: The present study was designed to
      specifically investigate miR-203 in the regulation of endothelial inflammatory
      responses and to determine if over-expression of miR-203 expression could lead to
      increased inflammatory response that is associated with endothelial
      activation/dysfunction in preeclampsia (PE). METHODS: Total RNA was isolated from
      ECs from 8 normal and 11 PE pregnancies. miR-203 expression was determined by
      real-time PCR. Relative miR-203 expression was calculated by comparative CT with
      formula 2(-DeltaDeltaCt). To determine if increased miR-203 expression is
      associated with increased EC inflammatory response, ECs were transfected with pre
      miR-203. Successful transfection of pre-miR-203 in ECs was confirmed by RT-PCR
      and U6 expression. EC production of ICAM, IL-6, and IL-8 were measured by ELISA.
      EC mRNA expressions for ICAM, IL-6, and IL-8 were determined by RT-PCR. miR-203
      induced increased inflammatory response was also determined by leukocyte
      endothelial adhesion assay. Leukocyte myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was measured
      as an indicator of leukocyte adhesion. RESULTS: (1) miR-203 expression was
      significantly increased in ECs from PE compared to normal pregnant controls
      (p<0.05) and the increased miR-203 expression was associated with increased ICAM
      expression in PE-ECs; (2) ICAM, IL-6, and IL-8 production and expression were
      significantly increased in ECs transfected with pre-miR-203, p<0.01; (3) MPO
      activity was significantly increased in ECs transfected with miR-203 compared to
      the controls, p<0.05. CONCLUSION: miR-203 expression is increased in PE-ECs. Over
      expression of miR-203 in ECs results in: (1) increased endothelial adhesion
      molecule ICAM production and expression; (2) increased inflammatory cytokine IL-6
      and IL-8 productions and expressions; and (3) increased leukocyte and endothelial
      adhesion. Increased endothelial adhesion molecule expression and cytokine
      production are well-recognized endothelial inflammatory responses in PE.
      Therefore, our data provide strong evidence that increased miR-203 expression
      could be a molecular mechanism that leads to endothelial activation/dysfunction
      in PE.

PMID- 26105289
TI  - OS075. Endothelial-dependent vascular function is significantly impaired in
      obesity and restored by overexpression of DDAH1: Evidence for the role of ADMA.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a significant independent risk factor for preeclampsia.
      Vascular dysfunction is a central pathophysiological feature of preeclampsia.
      Vascular dysfunction is common in obesity. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is
      an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase and metabolized primarily by the
      enzyme DDAH1. ADMA is significantly elevated in obesity and preeclampsia.
      OBJECTIVES: The focus of this study was to investigate the role of elevated ADMA
      in obesity-mediated vascular dysfunction. METHODS: Endothelial-dependent and
      independent- vascular function of mesenteric arteries was assessed using an
      isometric myograph. Arteries from pregnant female C57/B6J control lean (n=7),
      control obese (n=12), DDAH1 overexpressing lean (n=6) and DDAH1 obese (n=10) mice
      were investigated. Obesity was induced by a high fat diet (42% fat, with adjusted
      calories, Harlan Teklad) for 8 weeks prior to mating. Data were analyzed by
      repeated measures ANOVA with significance at p<0.05. RESULTS: DDAH1 transgenic
      mice and control wild-type mice both increased body weight significantly on the
      high fat diet compared to lean mice (p<0.01). Obese mice also evidenced
      significantly elevated leptin concentrations (control obese= 4.1ng/ml and DDAH1
      obese 3.9ng/ml) compared to lean mice (1.1ng/ml, p<0.05) reflecting increased
      adiposity. Contractile response to phenylephrine was not different between
      arteries from all groups of pregnant mice, however tension was greater in
      arteries from control obese mice compared to control lean mice (p<0.01).
      Methacholine-induced endothelial-dependent relaxation was significantly blunted
      in arteries from control obese mice (66+/-14%) compared to control lean mice
      (93+/-2%, p<0.001). In contrast, endothelial-dependent relaxation was intact in
      arteries from DDAH1 obese mice (90+/-8%). Endothelial-dependent relaxation was
      restored in arteries from control obese mice by ex-vivo incubation with L
      arginine (91+/-9%). Endothelial-dependent relaxation was not different between
      arteries from all groups of mice in the presence of the nitric oxide synthase
      inhibitor L-NAME. Similarly, endothelial-independent relaxation in response to
      nitroprusside was not different between arteries from all groups of mice.
      CONCLUSION: Overexpression of the ADMA metabolizing enzyme DDAH1 is protective of
      the obesity-mediated loss in endothelial-dependent relaxation. These data suggest
      that elevated ADMA is a significant contributor to vascular dysfunction in
      pregnancy. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: This project supported by National Institutes of
      Health grant R01-HL091094.

PMID- 26105290
TI  - OS076. The effect of lectin-like oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor
      monoclonal antibody (LOX-1 MAb) on the expression of eNOS in preeclamptic HUVECs
      model.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is a major cause of fetal and maternal morbidity and
      mortality and it still occurs in 7-10% of all pregnancies worldwide. The
      pathophysiology remains unclear and so it was named "a disease of theories".
      Clinical and biochemical evidences assumed that disruption of normal endothelial
      cells may be the primary cause in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Factors that
      cause endothelial dysfunction are not certainly known, but the evidence suggests
      that factors related to the placenta. In a previous study conducted, HUVECs were
      found to significantly increase the uptaking of Ox-LDL by endothelial cells in
      response to the exposure to preeclampsia plasma when compared with non-pregnant
      women plasma and plasma of pregnant women. Ox-LDL binds to LOX-1 in vascular
      cells, including endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, and is thought to
      cause endothelial dysfunction in patients with preeclampsia. One sign of
      endothelial dysfunction is the decline in biological activity of endothelial
      derived NO. NO biological half-time in vivo is less than 1 second. Nitric oxide
      is produced by the five-electron oxidation of L-arginine which is catalyzed by
      the enzyme eNOS. This research will observes the expression of eNOS in HUVECs PE
      model which were exposed to 5, 10, 20MUg/ml LOX-1 MAb (lectin-like oxidized LDL
      receptor monoclonal antibody). OBJECTIVES: To know the effect of LOX-1 MAb on the
      expression of eNOS in Preeclamptic HUVECs Model. METHODS: The study used HUVECs
      PE model which is HUVECs culture that was exposed with pre-eclamptic serum and it
      shown endothelial dysfunction. HUVECs culture was taken from the endothel of
      umbilical cord of newborn. HUVECs culture were divided into four groups: (1)
      HUVECs + Preeclamptic serum (HUVECs PE model), (2) HUVECs PE Model + LOX-1 MAb
      5MUg/ml, (3) HUVECs PE Model + LOX-1 MAb 10;MUg/ml, 4) HUVECs PE Model + LOX-1
      MAb 20MUg/ml. We performed immunocytochemistry study using primary antibody (anti
      eNOS) while eNOS expression was observed in each group. The data were analyzed
      using ANOVA, Tukey's test, Correlation and Regression test. RESULTS: eNOS
      expression in group 1 was significantly different with group 2, 3 and 4 (p<0.05).
      Group 2 was significantly different with group 1, 3 and 4 (p<0.05). In group 4
      and 5 there were no significant difference each other, but both were
      significantly different with group 1 and 2 (p<0.05). About 72% of the expression
      of eNOS in HUVECs PE model were influenced by exposure LOX-1 MAb and the other
      28% were influenced by other factors. In the observation of HUVECs PE model, we
      found that the higher dosage of LOX-1 MAb given on the model, the eNOS expression
      will increase proportionally. CONCLUSION: Exposure of LOX-1 MAb will
      significantly increase eNOS expression on HUVECs PE model. We concluded that the
      higher dosage of LOX-1 MAb given on the HUVECs PE model, the eNOS expression will
      increase proportionally.

PMID- 26105291
TI  - OS077. The chromosome 2q22 preeclampsia susceptibility locus reveals shared novel
      risk factors for CVD.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We have previously localized a preeclampsia susceptibility locus on
      chromosome 2q22 in 34 Australian and New Zealand (AUS/NZL) families. Using an
      extended number of AUS/NZL families (n=74) we have now performed a comprehensive
      molecular genetics dissection of this locus. OBJECTIVES: Identify causal genetic
      risk factors for preeclampsia at the 2q22 risk locus. METHODS: To prioritize
      positional candidate genes for analysis we used a combination of bioinformatics,
      SNPing, whole-genome transcriptional profiling and proximity to the peak linkage
      signal. Prioritized genes were earmarked for exon-centric re-sequencing in 48
      founder individuals from the 74 AUS/NZL families. All identified sequence
      variants were genotyped back in this extended familial cohort. Variants showing
      the strongest genetic association were genotyped in independent case-control
      cohorts from Australia (n=1095), Norway (n=3397) and Finland (n=1519), and in a
      large cohort of Mexican American families rich in quantitative cardiovascular
      disease (CVD) risk traits. RESULTS: We interrogated 1598 variants from 52 genes
      and identified four independent SNPs to be significantly associated with
      preeclampsia susceptibility in the 74 AUS/NZL families. These four SNPs reside in
      four novel preeclampsia candidate genes: LCT (rs2322659, p=0.002), LRP1B
      (rs35821928, p=0.0001), RND3 (rs115015150, p=0.002) and GCA (rs17783344,
      p=0.002). We could only replicate the LCT SNP association in the Australian case
      control population (p=0.04, combined p=0.001). These four SNPs are however,
      significantly associated with several quantitative CVD risk traits such as
      oxidative stress indicators, inflammatory biomarkers and obesity risk factors.
      CONCLUSION: Previous independent studies have reported significant genetic
      associations with total cholesterol levels and obesity risk factors for variants
      within LCT and LRP1B, respectively. RND3 inhibits the biological activity of a
      downstream effector protein, ROCK, which is known to affect endothelial
      dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress and vascular re-modeling. Grancalcin
      (GCA) is known to impact the adhesive properties of fibronectin, a marker for
      endothelial vascular injury. To our knowledge, data from the current study
      present for the first time empirical evidence of possible shared genetic risk
      factors underlying both preeclampsia and other CVD-related traits.

PMID- 26105292
TI  - OS078. Fetal growth restriction: A marker of severity of early-onset pre
      eclampsia?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia (PE), particularly early-onset PE (PE requiring
      delivery before 34 weeks), is commonly associated with fetal growth restriction
      (FGR). The evidence for an association between FGR and a more severe PE phenotype
      is controversial. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this study was to investigate
      whether the presence of FGR in women with early-onset PE is associated with more
      severe maternal disease compared to those with appropriately grown fetuses (AGA).
      METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of women with early-onset PE
      between 2001 and 2010 at University College London Hospital. The diagnosis of PE
      was made according to the criteria defined by the International Society of the
      Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy (ISSHP). PE was diagnosed when the systolic
      blood pressure was 140mmHg or more and/or the diastolic blood pressure 90mmHg or
      more on at least two occasions four hours apart developing after 20 weeks of
      gestation in previously normotensive women with proteinuria of 300 mg or more in
      24h or two readings of at least ++ on dipstick analysis of midstream or catheter
      urine specimens if no 24-h collection is available. FGR was defined as
      birthweight less than the 5th centile, with abnormal umbilical artery Doppler
      (raised pulsatility index, absent or reversed end-diastolic flow). Maternal,
      fetal and neonatal data were collected and study groups compared using Chi-square
      test or Fisher's exact test (categorical variables), and Mann Whitney-U test
      (continuous variables). Data analysis was performed using SPSS 16.0. RESULTS: In
      women with early-onset PE (n=134), FGR (n=66, 49%) was associated with
      significantly higher perinatal mortality (p=0.02). Gestational age at delivery
      was significantly lower in the FGR group (median, IQR: 29.0 weeks, 28.0-32.8 vs
      32.0, 30.0-33.2, p=0.01). However, maternal indicators of PE severity, including
      blood pressure (3)160mmHg systolic or (3)110mmHg diastolic, ALT>100U/L, platelet
      count <100*10(9)/L, use of magnesium sulphate or use of antihypertensive therapy,
      were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSION: In women with early onset PE, FGR was
      associated with worse perinatal outcome, but was not associated with a more
      severe maternal PE phenotype. This may be because the presence of FGR in these
      women leads to earlier iatrogenic delivery, before the maternal condition
      deteriorates, but further studies are needed to investigate this.

PMID- 26105293
TI  - OS079. Fetal deglycosylated apolipoprotein C-III (Apo C-III0) concentration is
      altered in intrauterine growth restriction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We recently demonstrated that serum lipid levels are altered in
      growth restricted fetuses (IUGR) [1]. OBJECTIVES: We now aimed to analyse the
      proteome profile of umbilical cord blood in order to gain a greater understanding
      about metabolic changes in IUGR fetuses. METHODS: umbilical cord blood serum
      samples of IUGR (n=15) and of gestational age matched controls (CN; n=15) were
      subjected to fractionation by affinity chromatography using a bead system with
      hydrophobic interaction capabilities. So prepared protein mixtures were forwarded
      to MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric profiling. Assignment of ion signals in the mass
      spectra to specific proteins was substantiated by SDS-PAGE in conjunction with
      peptide mass fingerprint analysis. Concentrations of proteins of interest were
      additionally measured by ELISA. Statistical estimations were performed by
      Student's t-test and calculation of Spearman's correlation coefficient. RESULTS:
      MALDI mass spectra showed on average more than 60 protein ion signals between m/z
      4000 and 25,000. The six best differentiating ion signals were found at m/z 8205,
      m/z 8766, m/z 13,945, m/z 15,129, m/z 15,308, and m/z 16,001. One of the
      constituent of this proteome signature is the deglycosylated form of
      apolipoprotein C-III, apo C-III0 (8766 m/z) that is known to prevent
      triglycerides from catabolism. While total Apo CIII concentration tended to be
      decreased (IUGR 22.54MUg/mL SD 10.25. CN 29.9MUg/mL SD 15.46. p=0.1355)
      calculated Apo C-III0 concentration levels has been found to be more abundant in
      the IUGR cord blood serum samples (IUGR 1.99MUg/mL SD 0.85. CN 1.15MUg/mL SD
      0.55. p<0.0001). Moreover, fetal triglycerid levels were significantly increased
      in IUGR (IUGR 16.7mg/dL SD 7.58. CN 56.5mg/dL SD 49.92. p-value after log
      transformation =0.0008)and apo C-III0 was highly correlated to fetal triglyceride
      levels (rho=0.694). CONCLUSION: Using mass spectrometric approaches we
      successfully developed an IUGR specific proteome signature derived from human
      umbilical cord blood samples. Most interesting the deglycosylated form of the
      apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III0) was found to be significantly increased in IUGR
      and thus might lead to reduced triglyceride catabolism. This observation is in
      agreement with the known observation of triglyceride levels being increased in
      IUGR fetuses. Our results indicate that subtle alterations in protein
      glycosylation need to be considered for improving our understanding of the
      pathomechanisms in IUGR.

PMID- 26105294
TI  - OS080. Maternal and fetal lipoprotein concentrations and expression of placental
      lipoprotein transporters in pre-eclampsia and normotensive controls.

PMID- 26105295
TI  - OS081. Novel KCNQ3/KCNE5 isoform protein and mRNA expression in first trimester
      human placentae.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Potassium channel alpha-subunits encoded by KCNQ1-5 genes (Kv7)
      form voltage-dependent channels that can be modulated by KCNE1-5 encoded
      accessory proteins. These channels are known to play a role in the reactivity of
      blood vessels. We have previously shown that both mRNA and protein expression for
      the novel combination of KCNQ3 and KCNE5 are increased in term and preterm pre
      eclampsia (PE) compared to normotensive control placentae [1]. The expression of
      these isoforms in early placental tissue has not been examined. OBJECTIVES: The
      aims of this study were to determine whether KCNQ3 and KCNE5 mRNA and proteins
      are expressed in first trimester placental tissue. METHODS: Placental samples
      were obtained from women undergoing elective surgical termination of pregnancy
      between 6 and 12 weeks' gestation (n=7) following informed written consent. KCNQ3
      and KCNE5 mRNA expression was measured by qRT-PCR and normalised to stably
      expressed GAPDH. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess protein expression and
      localisation of the isoforms. RESULTS: Both mRNA and protein expression of KCNQ3
      and KCNE5 were detected in placental tissue at all gestations. KCNE5 mRNA
      expression remained constant between 6 and 10 weeks with a subsequent rise at 11
      and 12 weeks. KCNQ3 mRNA expression was initially lower than KCNE5 but markedly
      increased at 7 weeks remaining high until 10 weeks and falling below KCNE5 levels
      by 12 weeks. Protein expression for both KCNQ3 and KCNE5 was localised mainly to
      the syncytiotrophoblast but was also evident in the mesenchyme; overall KCNQ3
      intensity significantly increased with gestational age (p=0.044). CONCLUSION:
      KCNQ3 and KCNE5 channel isoforms are highly expressed in first trimester
      placenta. The temporal changes in mRNA expression mirror changes in the placental
      tissue oxygen tension which increases between 8 and 10 weeks. This would precede
      the dislocation of the spiral artery plugs enabling maternal blood to flow freely
      and continuously into the intervillous spaces. We speculate that the increase in
      mesenchymal protein expression may be related to angiogenesis during this
      critical window of feto-placental vascular development. Future work will
      characterise the complete KCNQ/KCNE isoforms in first trimester placental tissue
      and assess potential functional roles of these channels both in early
      placentation and in relation to PE. FUNDING: Tommy's Charity (Registered charity
      1060508).

PMID- 26105296
TI  - OS082. CHIPS-Child: Testing the developmental origins hypothesis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: CHIPS-Child is a natural test of the Developmental Origins of
      Health and Disease hypothesis (DOHaD) [1,2]. Reduced fetal growth rate is
      associated with adult cardiovascular risk markers (e.g., obesity) and disease
      [3,4]. Evidence worldwide indicates that this relationship is independent of
      birth weight. The leading theory describes 'developmental programming'in utero
      leading to permanent alteration of the fetal genome. While those changes are
      adaptive in utero, they may be maladaptive postnatally. OBJECTIVES: To directly
      test, for the first time in humans, whether differential blood pressure (BP)
      control in pregnancy has developmental programming effects, independent of birth
      weight. We predict that, like famine or protein malnutrition, 'tight' (vs. 'less
      tight') control of maternal BP will be associated with fetal under-nutrition and
      effects will be consistent with developmental programming. METHODS: CHIPS-Child
      is a parallel, ancillary study to the CHIPS randomized controlled trial (RCT).
      CHIPS is designed to determine whether 'less tight' control [target diastolic BP
      (dBP) 100mmHg] or 'tight' control [target dBP 85mmHg] of non-proteinuric
      hypertension in pregnancy is better for the baby without increasing maternal
      risk. CHIPS-Child will examine offspring of CHIPS participants non-invasively at
      12m corrected post-gestational age (+/-2m) for anthropometry, hair cortisol,
      buccal swabs for epigenetic testing and a maternal questionnaire about infant
      feeding practices and background. Annual contact will be maintained in years 2-5
      and will include annual parental measurement of the child's height, weight and
      waist circumference. CHIPS will recruit 1028 women. We estimate that 80% of CHIPS
      centres will participate in CHIPS-Child, approximately 97% of babies will
      survive, and 90% of children will be followed to 12m resulting in a sample size
      of 626. Power will be >80% to detect a between-group difference of ?0.25 in
      'change in z-score for weight' between birth and 12m (2-sided alpha=0.05, SD 1).
      RESULTS: Recruitment has begun. The primary outcome will be the between-group
      difference in early postnatal weight gain ('change in z score for weight')
      between birth and 12m (p<0.05). Secondary:outcomes are (i) hypothalamic pituitary
      adrenal axis function (hair cortisol for overall cortisol production); and (ii)
      between-groups differences in DNA methylation, using targeted (genes associated
      with growth, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and/or a developmental programming
      effect) and global (genome-wide microarray) methods. CONCLUSION: CHIPS-Child
      offers a unique opportunity to both clarify whether differential dBP control in
      pregnancy has developmental programming effects and contribute to our
      understanding of human biology and diversity in a way that a cross-sectional or
      other observational studies cannot.

PMID- 26105297
TI  - OS084. Maternal haemodynamics at 11-13 weeks of gestation and adverse pregnancy
      outcomes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women who develop adverse pregnancy outcomes are at increased risk
      of cardiovascular disease. In individuals with cardiovascular disorders there is
      increased central aortic systolic blood pressure (SBPAo) and arterial stiffness.
      OBJECTIVES: The hypothesis is that increased SBPAo and arterial stiffness are
      apparent before the clinical onset of adverse pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: This
      was a prospective study in singleton pregnancies at 11(+0)-13(+6) weeks'
      gestation. Pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AIx) and SBPAo were
      measured. At the same visit, we recorded maternal characteristics and medical
      history and performed combined screening for aneuploidies. We also measured the
      uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index (PI). The study outcomes included
      preeclampsia (PE), gestational hypertension (GH), gestational diabetes (GDM),
      small for gestational age (SGA) and preterm delivery (PTD). The diagnosis of PE
      and GH was made according to the guidelines of the International Society for the
      Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. The neonate was considered SGA if the birth
      weight was less than the 5th percentile for gestation at delivery. The diagnosis
      of GDM was made if the fasting plasma glucose level was at least 6 mmol/L or the
      plasma glucose level 2 h after oral administration of 75 g glucose was 7.8 mmol/L
      or more (WHO). We compared these parameters in those that developed PE (n=181),
      GDM (n=105), GH (n=137), SGA (n=337), PTD prior to 37 weeks' gestation (n=354)
      with unaffected controls (n=6,766). Multiple regression analysis was used to
      examine which maternal characteristics provided a significant contribution in the
      prediction of AIx-75, PWV and SBPAo. Each value was expressed as a multiple of
      the median (MoM) after adjustment for those characteristics. Pearson correlation
      analysis was used to examine the association between log10AIx-75 MoM, log10PWV
      MoM, log10 SBPAo MoM, log10uterine artery PI MoM and log10PAPP-A MoM with
      gestational age at delivery. RESULTS: In the PE group there was an increase in
      AIx-75 (1.13, IQR 0.96-1.33 MoM vs 1.00, IQR 0.87-1.16 MoM, p<0.0001), PWV (1.11,
      IQR 0.97-1.17 MoM vs 1.00, IQR 0.90-1.12 MoM, p<0.0001), and SBPAo (1.09, IQR
      1.02-1.20 MoM vs. 1.00, IQR 0.94-1.08 MoM, p<0.0001). In those that subsequently
      developed GH, compared to unaffected controls, there was no significant
      difference in the uterine artery PI, PAPP-A or PWV but AIx-75 and SBPAo were
      increased (p<0.0001). In the GDM group there was an increase in PWV (1.06, IQR
      0.96-1.19 MoM vs. 1.00, IQR 0.90-1.13 MoM, p=0.001) and SBPAo (1.03, IQR 0.98
      1.14 vs. 1.00, IQR 0.94-1.08, p<0.0001), but no significant difference in the AIx
      75 (1.02, IQR 0.89-1.22 MoM vs. 1.00, IQR 0.87-1.17 MoM, p=0.118). Compared to
      women who had term delivery, women who had iatrogenic PTD had significantly
      higher AIx-75 (1.08, IQR 0.91-1.27 MoM vs. 1.00, IQR 0.86-1.16 MoM, p<0.001) and
      SBPAo (1.06 MoM, IQR 0.98-1.15 vs. 1.00, IQR 0.93-1.07, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: A
      high proportion of women who develop PE, GDM or iatrogenic PTD have increased
      SBPAo and arterial stiffness that is apparent from the first trimester of
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26105298
TI  - OS083. Fetal growth and maternal vascular function in early pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Increasing evidence indicates that the rate of fetal growth is
      partly determined already in the first half of pregnancy. A number of authors
      have reported that if the fetus is smaller than expected at dating, the risk for
      a small for gestational age fetus increases. OBJECTIVES: To investigate if
      maternal vascular function in early pregnancy reflects fetal growth in the first
      trimester. METHODS: Fifty healthy women with singleton viable pregnancies were
      included in the study that were recorded the ultrasound department of UltraGyn
      Stockholm, Sweden for ultrasound dating in gestational week 11-14 . Of these, 25
      women had their estimated date of delivery postponed ? 7 days at ultrasound
      dating compared to last menstrual period in gestational week 11-14. As controls
      25 women were fetal size were in accordance with the last menstrual period
      (defined as expected date of delivery moved less than six days) were recruited.
      The dating examinations were performed by specially trained midwives. To assess
      gestational age, biparietal diameter was used. Exclusion criteria were the use of
      oral contraceptives within three months before conception, uncertain date of the
      last menstrual period, irregular menstrual periods, fetuses that were ? 21 days
      larger or smaller than expected, and fetal anomalies. Women that smoked were also
      excluded. Blood pressure was measured in the upper arm in a conventional way. The
      central blood pressure was calculated with a validated algorithm. Changes in skin
      microcirculation were measured using laser Doppler fluxmetri (LDF). Both
      endothelial dependent dilatation using assessment of acetylcholine (Ach) and
      local warming of skin to 44C for maximum micro vascular hyperaemia (MMH) and non
      endothelial dilatation using assessment of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was
      examined. RESULTS: Fetuses that were smaller than expected at ultrasound dating
      compared to last menstrual period at gestational week 11-14, had an increased
      change in maximum micro vascular hyperaemia (p=0.034). There was no significant
      correlation between ACh-response (p=0.59) and SNP-response (p=0.23). No
      differences were seen in blood pressure. CONCLUSION: In the first trimester,
      changes in vascular function might reflect important adaptations that are
      required to facilitate normal fetal growth. This was highlighted by the findings
      of a positive correlation between fetal growth at 11-14 weeks gestation and
      changes in endothelial dependent microcirculation. Vascular function of these
      women will be followed longitudinally during pregnancy and related to obstetric
      outcome. If changes in microcirculation in the first trimester correlates to an
      increased risk for complications such as hypertensive disorders during pregnancy
      or intrauterine growth restriction this gives new insights into the early phase
      of these complications.

PMID- 26105299
TI  - OS085. Decreased maternal circulating PLGF is a significant predictor of length
      of pregnancy in women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diagnosis of the presence of disease and prediction of the rate of
      progression of disease in women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy remains
      a clinical problem. Better methods are needed to determine the magnitude of risk
      to support patient counseling and clinical management. OBJECTIVES: To investigate
      whether the level of free PlGF is a significant predictor of length of pregnancy
      in women with hypertension. METHODS: In this case-control study a single sample
      was taken between the 22nd and 34th completed gestational weeks from 130 pregnant
      women with a final diagnosis of: pre-eclampsia (PE), HELLP-syndrome, superimposed
      pre-eclampsia (SIPE), chronic hypertension (CHT), gestational hypertension (GHT),
      and normal healthy pregnancy (Control). Plasma was analysed for PlGF using the
      Triage(r) PlGF assay (Alere, San Diego). A positive PlGF test was defined as
      below the 5th centile of normal healthy pregnancy. Hazard ratios for length-of
      pregnancy were calculated for a positive PlGF test in a multivariate Cox
      proportional hazards model adjusting for two covariates, the gestational age at
      sample collection and a final diagnosis of proteinuric hypertension (PE, HELLP,
      and SIPE). RESULTS: Median PlGF concentration was significantly lower in women
      with hypertension than in controls. Women with proteinuric hypertension had the
      lowest levels of PlGF. A positive PlGF test predicted delivery before 35 weeks in
      93.7% women, and delivery before 37 weeks in 90.5% women. A positive PlGF test
      was associated with a significantly higher risk of imminent delivery. PlGF was a
      significant and independent predictor of women destined to deliver early because
      of maternal or fetal complication (adjusted Hazard Ratio of 3.43, 95%CI of 1.97
      to 5.98). CONCLUSION: A positive PlGF test is significant predictor of length of
      pregnancy, independent of other diagnostic criteria. PlGF has the potential to
      identify increased risk without the limitation of non-specificity which exists
      with other diagnostic parameters.

PMID- 26105300
TI  - OS086. Methylation status of the HOXA13 promoter region in placental tissue of
      pregnancies complicated by early onset severe preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Compromised placental function and morphology found in early onset
      preeclampsia as well as a modified phenotype of the fetus may derive from a
      deviation in the normal gene expression pattern. Previous studies demonstrated by
      experimental animal models, that the gene HOXA13 plays an essential role in the
      arrangement of the placental vascular net, identifying direct and indirect target
      functions this gene has on the endothelial component. Research in model systems
      and now expanding to human studies has suggested that the causes and consequences
      of a variety of pregnancy-related pathologies are connected to epigenetic
      regulation. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the methylation status of the promoter region
      of HOXA13 within placental tissue and its association with specific clinical
      signs of severe early onset preeclampsia. METHODS: A prospective case - control
      study was performed to evaluate the methylation status of the promoter region of
      HOXA13 by pyrosequencing analysis within placental tissue and its association
      with specific clinical signs of severe early onset preeclampsia (EOSP). RESULTS:
      The group of preeclamptic patients reached a mean methylation degree of 27.06%
      (+/-8.94) and 30.56% (+/-8.08) on two CpG islands of HOXA13 5' promoter
      respectively. Conversely in the group of physiologic controls the mean degree of
      methylation resulted 15.12%(+/-3.64) (p<0.0016) and 18.25% (+/-3.45) (p<0.0005).
      CONCLUSION: This study firstly demonstrated that an hypermethylation of placental
      HOXA13 exists in preeclamptic placental tissues and concentrates only on the gene
      promoter. Additionally, the existence of a correspondence between themethylation
      process of the gene promoter HOXA 13 and the clinical manifestation of severe
      early onset preeclampsia supports the original hypothesis that this process may
      be at the base of the preeclamptic pathogenesis.

PMID- 26105301
TI  - OS087. Maternal characteristics, mean arterial pressure and PLGF in early
      prediction of preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In a previous study, we described the predictive value of first
      trimester pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), free beta-subunit of
      human chorionic gonadotrophin (fb-hCG), Placental Growth Factor (PlGF) and A
      Desintegrin And Metalloproteinase 12 (ADAM12) for early onset preeclampsia
      (delivery <34 weeks) [1]. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the current study was to
      obtain the predictive value of these serum makers, for both early onset PE (EOPE)
      and late onset PE (LOPE), combined with maternal characteristics and first
      trimester maternal mean arterial blood pressure (MAP). METHODS: This was a nested
      case-control study, using stored first-trimester maternal serum from 167 women
      who subsequently developed PE, and 500 uncomplicated singleton pregnancies which
      resulted in a live birth =>37 weeks. Maternal characteristics (i.e. medical
      records, parity, weight, length) MAP and pregnancy outcome (i.e. gestational age
      at delivery, birthweight, fetal sex) were collected for each individual and used
      to calculate prior risks for PE in a multiple logistic regression model. MAP
      values and marker levels of PAPP-A, fb-hCG, PlGF and ADAM12 were expressed as
      multiples of the gestation-specific normal median (MoMs). Subsequently, MoMs were
      log-transformed and compared between PE and controls using Student's t-tests.
      Posterior risks were calculated using different combinations of variables;(1)
      maternal characteristics, serum markers, and MAP separately (2) maternal
      characteristics combined with serum markers or MAP (3) maternal characteristics
      combined with serum markers and MAP. The model-predicted detection rates (DR) for
      fixed 10% false-positive rates were obtained for EOPE and LOPE with or without
      intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR,birth weight <10th centile). RESULTS: The
      maternal characteristics: maternal age, weight, length, smoking status and
      nulliparity were discriminative between PE and control groups and therefore
      incorporated in the multiple logistic regression model. MoM MAP was significantly
      elevated (1.10 p<0.001; 1.07 p<0.001) and MoM PlGF was significantly reduced
      (0.95 p=0.016; 0.90 p=0.029) in the EOPE and LOPE group, respectively. The
      differences in markers for IUGR groups were larger. The estimated DRs of the
      three different models are presented in the table. CONCLUSION: This study
      demonstrates that first-trimester MAP and PlGF combined with maternal
      characteristics are promising markers in risk assessment for PE. Combination of
      markers proved especially useful for risk assessment for term PE. Detection rates
      were higher in the presence of IUGR.

PMID- 26105302
TI  - OS089. Elevated levels of the heme scavenger alpha-1-microglobulin in maternal
      plasma at the end of first trimester in patients who subsequently develop
      preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Resent research has revealed an increased concentration of free
      fetal hemoglobin (HbF) in maternal serum from patients who subsequently develops
      preeclampsia (PE). In a previous study of 96 patients we have shown that HbF in
      combination with the heme-scavenger alpha-1-microglobulin (A1M) are potential
      predictive biomarkers of PE. OBJECTIVES: In this validating case-control study we
      aimed to confirm the previous findings, that A1M is elevated in the maternal
      circulation at the end of first trimester in patients who subsequently develops
      PE. In this study A1M was measured in plasma instead of serum. METHODS: Patients
      were recruited from an ongoing prospective study of new biomarkers to predict and
      diagnose PE. In total we included 84 patients. 8 patients subsequently developed
      PE, 4 developed pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) and 72 were controls with
      uncomplicated pregnancies. The plasma samples were all taken at 7+0-18+0 weeks of
      gestation (mean 12+1) and analyzed for concentrations of A1M with Radioimmuno
      Assay (RIA). This method has been previously described in details. Statistics was
      performed using one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: The mean plasma concentration of A1M in
      the PE group was 8.6mg/ml, 6.0 in the PIH group and 7.1mg/ml in the controls
      group. The PE group differed significantly from the controls group (p=0.004),
      whereas the PIH group did not differ significantly from the controls. CONCLUSION:
      Our findings in plasma confirm previous findings described for serum, i.e. A1M is
      significantly increased in in first trimester maternal plasma in patients who
      subsequently develops PE. Since A1M is the most efficient heme scavenger we
      suggest that A1M may be a physiological defense mechanism against the elevated
      levels of free HbF found in patients who subsequently develops PE or in patients
      with manifest PE. Furthermore, A1M did not increase in patients who develops PIH
      later in their pregnancies indicating its specificity for PE.

PMID- 26105303
TI  - OS088. First trimester triple vascular test for pre-eclampsia prediction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although PE represents a major cause of maternal and fetal
      morbidity and mortality, the vascular mechanisms underlying this disorder have
      not been clearly identified. During the past three decades, while numerous
      clinical, biophysical, and biochemical screening tests have been proposed for the
      early detection of preeclampsia, maternal circulation changes during early
      pregnancy have yet to be fully evaluated for their contribution to PE prediction.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine a combination of maternal risk
      factors, mean arterial blood pressure, uterine artery Doppler, brachial artery
      flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), and ophthalmic artery Doppler for pre-eclampsia
      prediction during the first trimester of pregnancy. METHODS: Prospective study
      with singleton pregnancies examined at 11-14 weeks of gestation, presenting
      consecutively for antenatal care in a tertiary Brazilian hospital. The base
      cohort population constituted of 487 singleton pregnancies, including 9 case
      subjects who developed pre-eclampsia (PE) requiring delivery before 34 weeks
      (early PE) and 22 with late PE, 47 with gestational hypertension, and 409 cases
      subjects (84%) who were unaffected by PE or gestational hypertension. Maternal
      history (nulliparity, previous and family history of PE), body mass index (BMI),
      mean arterial pressure (MAP), uterine artery pulsatility index, brachial artery
      FMD and ophthalmic artery Doppler were recorded in all of the cases. Univariate
      and logistic regression analysis was used to derive algorithms for the prediction
      of hypertensive disorders. RESULTS: Uterine artery percentile of mean PI was
      higher in the PE than in the control group (p<0.01). The mean brachial artery FMD
      was 7.4%+/-8.2% in the control group and 7.3%+/-8.2% in the PE group. Logistic
      regression analysis determined that FDM was not a predictor of PE (OR=0.99, CI
      95% 0.94-1.04; p=0.90) and this test was withdrawn from the predictive model. The
      average of the first diastolic peak velocity in the ophthalmic artery was higher
      in the PE group compared with controls (24.56cm/s*21.13cm/s; p<0.01).It was
      estimated that, with the prediction algorithm for PE, a combination of maternal
      factors + MAP + uterine artery Doppler or ophthalmic artery Doppler can detect
      78% of early-onset PE with 10% false-positive rate. CONCLUSION: Maternal
      ophthalmic artery Doppler in the first trimester of pregnancy is a novel
      predictive parameter for PE (especially early-onset PE), it has the same
      detection rate contribution in a multi-parameter predictive model as would be the
      case uterine artery Doppler was used instead.

PMID- 26105304
TI  - OS091. The origin of preeclampsia in diet-induced maternal endothelial stiffness.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite research documenting variances in cellular hypoxia,
      angiogenesis, oxidative stress, endothelial signaling, and autoimmunity, the
      etiology of preeclampsia remains unknown. Women affected by preeclampsia show
      increased arterial stiffness and abnormal serum lipids when compared to
      unaffected mothers. Although enzymes modify and synthesize lipids, most acyl
      chains are incorporated into cell membranes unmodified from the form in which
      they were absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, diet plays a major
      role in determining the rheology and composition of cell membranes. OBJECTIVES: A
      To present a model of how diet might alter cell membrane composition and cause
      increased maternal membrane viscosity when lipids are actively transported across
      the placenta to the fetus. B-To demonstrate how rapidly changing maternal
      membrane composition and viscosity might cause the pathological elements of
      preeclampsia. METHODS: Literature search. RESULTS: Compared to diets of 10,000
      years ago, modern diets have increased trans- and long-chain fatty acids,
      elevated omega-6 to -3 fatty acid ratios, and produce stiffer cell membranes,
      therefore might require increased membrane softening components such as cis
      polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to maintain homeoviscosity. High fetal
      requirements for essential PUFAs might deplete body stores of these molecules in
      mothers with decreased dietary intake, thereby causing increased maternal
      membrane stiffness. Native proteins are only marginally stable under
      physiological conditions. A 2005 study using artificial membranes and the
      receptor rhodopsin, demonstrated that alteration of membrane lipid composition to
      increase membrane stiffness caused lower rhodopsin activation [1]. Increased
      membrane stiffness arising from dietary lipid variances might alter membrane
      proteins and cause the endothelial signaling dysfunction of preeclampsia.
      Although primary amino acid sequences remain unchanged, the disruption of
      tertiary protein structure might yield proteins that appear foreign and thus
      evoke an immune response, giving rise to antibodies such as agonistic
      autoantibody angiotensin-1. In mitochondria, disruption of electron transport
      protein structures might interfere with electron tunneling and increase the
      production of free radicals and oxidative stress. Because oxygen diffuses more
      rapidly through flexible versus stiff membranes,stiff cell membranes might
      initiate the signaling cascade indicative of cellular hypoxia in preeclampsia
      with increased hypoxia inducible factor and angiogenic factors such as soluble
      endoglin and fms-like tyrosine kinase. The arterial intima acts as a sensor with
      blood pressure homeostatic responses modulated by the flexibility of endothelial
      membranes. Similarly to a diaphragm pressure transducer, if the diaphragm
      material is stiff, the signal is attenuated; conversely, a flexible diaphragm
      makes the instrument more sensitive to pressure. Thus, stiffened endothelium
      might cause hypertension. CONCLUSION: This paper presents a unifying molecular
      and cell membrane-based model of how diet-induced maternal cell membrane
      stiffness offers a coherent and unifying explanation for the pathological changes
      seen in preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105305
TI  - OS090. Performance of candidate clinical and biochemical markers in screening
      early in pregnancy to detect women at high risk to develop preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The advent of early preventive measures, such as low-dose aspirin
      targeting women at high risk of preeclampsia (PE), emphasizes the need for better
      detection. Despite the emergence of promising biochemical markers linked to the
      pathophysiological processes, systematic reviews have shown that, until now, no
      single tests fulfill the criteria set by WHO for biomarkers to screen for a
      disease. However, recent literature reveals that by combining various clinical,
      biophysical and biochemical markers into multivariate algorithms, one can
      envisage to estimate the risk of PE with a performance that would reach clinical
      utility and cost-effectiveness, but this remains to be demonstrated in various
      environments and health care settings. OBJECTIVES: To investigate, in a
      prospective study, the clinical utility of candidate biomarkers and clinical data
      to detect, early in pregnancy, women at risk to develop PE and to propose a
      multivariate prediction algorithm combining clinical parameters to biochemical
      markers. METHODS: 7929 pregnant women prospectively recruited at the first
      prenatal visit, provided blood samples, clinical and sociodemographic
      information. 214 pregnant women developed hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
      (HDP) of which 88 had PE (1.2%), including 44 with severe PE (0.6%). A nested
      case-control study was performed including for each case of HDP two normal
      pregnancies matched for maternal age, gestational age at recruitment, ethnicity,
      parity, and smoking status. Based on the literature we selected the most
      promising markers in a multivariate logistic regression model: mean arterial
      pressure (MAP), BMI, placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble Flt-1, inhibin A and
      PAPP-A. Biomarker results measured between 10-18 weeks gestation were expressed
      as multiples of the median. Medians were determined for each gestational week.
      RESULTS: When combined with MAP at the time of blood sampling and BMI at the
      beginning of pregnancy, the four biochemical markers discriminate normal
      pregnancies from those with HDP. At a 5% false positive rate, 37% of the affected
      pregnancies would have been detected. However, considering the prevalence of HDP
      in our population, the positive predictive value would have been only 15%. If all
      the predicted positive women would have been proposed a preventive intervention,
      only one out 6.7 women could have potentially benefited. In the case of severe
      PE, performance was not improved, sensitivity was the same, but the positive
      predictive value decreased to 3% (lower prevalence of severe PE). CONCLUSION: In
      our low-risk Caucasian population, neither individual candidate markers nor
      multivariate risk algorithm using an a priori combination of selected markers
      reached a performance justifying implementation. This also emphasizes the
      necessity to take into consideration characteristics of the population and
      environment influencing prevalence before promoting wide implementation of such
      screening strategies. In a perspective of personalized medicine, it appears more
      than ever mandatory to tailor recommendations for HDP screening according not
      only to individual but also to population characteristics.

PMID- 26105306
TI  - OS092. qPCR-based analysis of podocyturia is a feasible diagnostic tool in
      preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia affects 5% of all pregnancies and is a significant
      cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortalityworldwide. A clinically useful
      screening test that can predict the development of preeclampsia at an early stage
      is urgently needed. The detection of podocyturia by immunohistochemistry
      following cell culture has been noted as a sensitive and specific marker for
      preeclampsia. However, this method is laborious and carries the risk of cell
      culture contamination. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the
      diagnostic value of qPCR as a rapid and sensitive method to detect podocyturia in
      women with preeclampsia. METHODS: Mid-stream urine samples were collected from
      preeclamptic [1] (n=35), healthy pregnant matched for gestational age (n=34), and
      healthy non-pregnant (n=12) women. mRNA was isolated using the Trizol method.
      qPCR analysis was performed for nephrin, VEGF, podocin, GAPDH and megalin
      transcripts. A ROC-curve analysis was performed. RESULTS: Significantly elevated
      mRNA expression levels of nephrin, podocin and VEGF were detected in preeclamptic
      women compared to healthy pregnant and healthy non-pregnant controls. A positive
      correlation (rho=0.82, p<0.0001) was observed between nephrin and VEGF mRNA
      expression in preeclamptic women. ROC curve analyses demonstrated a strong
      ability of this method to discriminate between the different study groups.
      CONCLUSION: qPCR analysis of podocyte-specific molecules in urine samples is a
      rapid and reliable method to quantify podocyturia. We demonstrate that this
      method distinguishes preeclamptic patients from healthy controls at disease
      onset. This method may be a tool for the detection of preeclampsia at an earlier
      stage, thereby preventing maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 26105307
TI  - OS093. Prevalance of sleep disordered breathing in pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Snoring is a common symptom of Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB), a
      condition that is present in 4% of the general population. SDB is identified by
      snoring and repetitive cessation of breathing during sleep accompanied by
      repetitive hypoxia and has been found to be associated with hypertension, stroke
      and heart attack.The general risk factors associated with severe preeclampsia
      significantly overlap with those reported to increase the risk of SDB syndromes.
      Further risk factors that need consideration include: multiple pregnancy,
      diabetes and chronic hypertension treatment. OBJECTIVES: To determine the
      prevalence of SDB in the pregnant population in a metropolitan hospital and to
      examine self-reported snoring against actual snoring as determined by Sonomat (c)
      studies and report fetal outcomes of those who snored compared to those who did
      not snore. METHODS: A questionnaire containing The Epworth Sleepiness Scale and
      the Berlin Questionnaire (which examines snoring and tiredness) was administered
      to 3000 pregnancies over a period of two years. Women were additionally recruited
      for detailed sleep studies, which entailed continuous night time blood pressure
      monitoring, encephalogram for sleep staging and continuous night time
      cardiotocographic monitoring. RESULTS: To date, 2206 surveys have been completed.
      Sleep studies have been undertaken by 280 women, of which half have continuous
      blood pressure readings. The detailed data provided through these studies is
      currently being examined and will be completed by June 2012. CONCLUSION: This
      study is unique and unprecedented in the scope of detailed data obtained through
      the variety of parameters measured. Coupled with pregnancy progression and
      comprehensive maternal and neonatal outcomes, it is anticipated that this multi
      faceted study will provide a wealth of knowledge on sleep patterns, SDB and its
      effect on pregnancy for both the mother and the fetus.

PMID- 26105308
TI  - OS094. Subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in preeclamptic women with
      preserved left ventricular ejection fraction: A 2D speckle tracking imaging
      study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patients with preeclampsia are at risk for cardiovascular disease
      [1,2]. Changes in cardiac function are subtle in preeclampsia and are
      quantitatively difficult with conventional imaging. Strain measurements using
      speckle-tracking echocardiography have been used to sensitively
      quantifyabnormalities in other disease settings [3]. OBJECTIVES: The objective of
      this study was to evaluate changes in myocardial strain using speckle tracking
      echocardiography in women with and without preeclampsia. We hypothesized that
      global left systolic strain measures would prove more sensitive than conventional
      left ventricular ejection fraction in detecting early changes in systolic LV
      function manifesting as subclinical disease prior to overt progression. METHODS:
      We evaluated the feasibility and sensitivity of strain imaging using speckle
      tracking echocardiography. Thirty-six women were enrolled in this pilot study; 28
      were analyzed: 11 with preeclampsia and 17 without preeclampsia.
      Echocardiographic Ejection fraction and global peak longitudinal ,radial and
      circumferential strain were measured. RESULTS: Global Median longitudinal strain
      was significantly worsened in women with preeclampsia compared to women without
      preeclampsia (P<0.0001). Similar results were observed for global radial strain
      (P=0.006) and circumferential strain (P=0.03). There was no significant
      difference in ejection fraction between the groups (P=0.52) (Table 1). Data are
      presented as median (interquartile range). CONCLUSION: Myocardial strain imaging
      using speckle tracking is more sensitive than left ventricular ejection fraction
      to detect differences in left ventricular systolic function in women with and
      without preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105309
TI  - OS095. Impedance cardiography: A straightforward and reliable tool to evaluate
      differences of cardiac reflex response between normal pregnancy and pre
      eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Reflex responses of cardiac cycle time intervals (CCTI) can be
      measured by echocardiography, and are reported to differ between uneventful
      pregnancy (UP) and pre-eclampsia (PE). It is unknown whether impedance
      cardiography (ICG) is a useful method to measure CCTI during pregnancy.
      OBJECTIVES: ICG measurements of CCTI before and after orthostatic challenge are
      evaluated in UP and in the clinical phase of PE. METHODS: Examinations were
      performed twice in 16 UP (30-36 weeks), and once in 30 early PE (EPE, <34 weeks)
      and in 32 late PE (LPE, ?34 weeks). A 3rd generation ICG device using a 4
      electrode arrangement (NICCOMO, Medis, Germany) was used to measure CCTI in
      supine position and after moving to upright position. The pre-ejection period
      (PEP) is the time-interval between ventricular depolarisation and start of aortic
      flow. The left ventricular ejection time (LVET) is the time-interval between
      opening and closing of the aortic valve. Diastolic time (DT) is heart period
      duration - (PEP+LVET). Orthostatic-induced changes from supine to upright
      position (cardiac reflex response or CRR) were evaluated using One-sample
      Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests. All CRRs in EPE and LPE were compared to UP using
      Mann-Whitney U tests. Data are represented as medians (interquartile ranges).
      RESULTS: Maternal age was comparable between all groups [29 (26-32) years;
      p?0.47]. Gestational age was comparable between both early [31 (28-32) vs 31 (27
      33) weeks] and late [37 (36-39) vs 38 (36-39) weeks] third trimester UP and PE
      [p?0.38]. Pre-gestational BMI was higher in EPE compared to UP [26 (24-32) vs 23
      (21-24); p<0.01]. This was not true for LPE [25 (23-28); p=0.06]. Birth weight
      percentiles were lower in both EPE and LPE compared to UP [UP: 44 (38-78), EPE:
      18 (5-28), LPE: 31 (18-59); p<0.05], and also lower in EPE compared to LPE
      [p=0.03]. CRRs within each group are shown in Table 1. The CRRs of PEP were
      significantly different between UP and both EPE and LPE [p?0.01], due to
      orthostatic-induced increase in PE but not in UP . CONCLUSION: Our study confirms
      that orthostasis does not change PEP in UP but induces a significant increase of
      PEP in PE. The increased reflex-induced duration of isovolumetric contraction
      time can be explained by a decreased left ventricular performance in the clinical
      phase of PE as compared to UP. ICG turns out to be a straightforward and useful
      method to evaluate these hemodynamic features.

PMID- 26105310
TI  - OS096. Characteristics of hypertensive disorders in twin versus singleton
      pregnancies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia is well characterised in single pregnancies but less
      well in twin pregnancies, where the risks are higher. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this
      study, therefore, was to determine the characteristics of hypertensive disorders
      of pregnancy (HDP) in twin compared with singleton pregnancies. METHODS: We
      performed an analysis of 4976 prospectively recorded hypertensive pregnancies.
      These included pre-eclampsia (PE), gestational hypertension (GH) and chronic
      hypertension (CH). The rates and characteristics of these disorders were compared
      between singleton and twin pregnancies as was the progression of GH to PE for
      both groups. Maternal outcomes for severe hypertension (BP?170/?110mmHg),
      eclampsia, total antihypertensive medication requirements and maternal death were
      compared. Neonatal outcomes evaluated included birth weight, small for
      gestational age (SGA) and perinatal mortality. RESULTS: After exclusion of higher
      order pregnancies (triplets (n=2), a quadruplet pregnancy (n=1)), those with
      known secondary HT, white coat HT, or not fulfilling strict criteria for an
      accurate diagnosis (n=470) and those without an initial diagnosis recorded, there
      were 4156 women comprising 3942 singleton and 214 (5%) twin
      pregnancies.Hypertension (GH or PE) in twin pregnancy was diagnosed earlier than
      in singleton pregnancy (34+/-3 v 36+/-3 weeks, p<0.001). In the singleton
      pregnancies with de novo hypertension (n=3161), 60% had an initial diagnosis of
      GH and 40% had PE. In the twin pregnancies with de novo hypertension (n=199), 35%
      of women were initially diagnosed with GH and 65% with PE (p<0.001, single v
      twins). At delivery, 46% of the singletons had GH and 54% had PE, compared with
      twin pregnancies where 23% had GH and 77 % had PE (p<0.001). The progression from
      GH to PE for twins was greater than that for singleton pregnancies (34% v 15%,
      p<0.001). There were also781 singleton pregnancies and 15 twin pregnancies with
      CH. Twin pregnancies complicated by CH were more likely to progress to PE than
      singletons (54% v 18%, p<0.01). Women carrying twins were older (p<0.01) and they
      required less medication compared to those carrying singleton pregnancies(0.9+/
      1.2 v 1.3+/-1.5 medication score, p<0.05). Other maternal outcomes did not differ
      between the two groups. For neonatal outcomes, the gestation at delivery was
      earlier for twin than singleton pregnancies (36+/-2 v38+/-2 weeks, p<0.001) and
      SGA (less than 10th percentile) for twins was higher than singleton pregnancies
      (22% v 12%, p<0.001).No difference in perinatal mortality was noted. CONCLUSION:
      Women carrying twins who develop hypertension during pregnancy are more likely to
      present earlier, have initial PE rather than GH and to subsequently progress from
      GH to PE than in singleton pregnancy. Neonatal outcomes are worse in such
      pregnancies. It is thus reasonable for pregnant women with twins who develop de
      novo hypertension to be considered very high risk and possibly be managed in
      hospital.

PMID- 26105311
TI  - OS097. Hemodynamic assesment by applanation tonometry in women with early and
      late preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is associated with profound changes in the
      maternal cardiovascular system. The new concept of early and late preeclampsia
      established the hypothesis that these two entities may be associated with
      different models of vascular adaptation. Studies of central hemodynamics are
      limited. The applanation tonometry is able to evaluate, noninvasively, several
      vascular features and can be used to study the pathophyology of different forms
      of preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: To compare vascular parameters of pulse wave
      analysis in pregnant women with early and late preeclampsia, determined by
      applanation tonometry. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving
      pregnant women with 34 early-onset PE (<34 weeks) and 51 late-onset (?34 weeks)
      PE. Central blood pressure, peripheral and central pulse pressure, augmentation
      index, the augmentation pressure, subendocardial viability ratio and the ejection
      duration were assessed noninvasively using applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor
      (r)). Data were expressed as means+/-SD or as median and percentage. The mean was
      used for parameters with normal distribution and median for parameters that were
      not normally distribution. Comparisons between groups were performed using t
      test, Mann-Whitney test or chi-square(c(2)) for numerical and categorical data,
      respectively. It was considered a significance level of 5%. Statistical analysis
      were done using SPSS 10.5. RESULTS: Compared to late-onset PE group, women that
      developed early-onset PE had higher augmentation index (24.2+/-13.1 vs 18.8+/
      12.5; p=0.03). Any other paremeters presented significant differences between the
      groups. CONCLUSION: We found that early-onset PE is characterized by increased
      maternal arterial stiffness when compared late-onset PE, using applanation
      tonometry.

PMID- 26105312
TI  - OS098. Increased adiposity decreases the intensity myeloperoxidase in neutrophils
      from pregnant women at delivery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The cardiovascular risk factor myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a lysozomal
      enzyme found within azurophillic granules of inflammatory cells. Upon activation,
      inflammatory cells degranulate and release MPO. In the pregnancy disorder
      preeclampsia, MPO is elevated in the circulation and placenta and greater numbers
      of neutrophils are positive for hydrogen peroxide. OBJECTIVES: To determine if
      during preeclampsia, increases in circulating MPO result in losses of
      intracellular MPO within neutrophils. We also sought to determine if the degree
      by which neutrophil functionand intracellular MPO levels varies by BMI differsin
      women with preeclampsia compared to normal control pregnancies. METHODS: Reactive
      oxygen species (nitric oxide, superoxide and hydrogen preoxide) weredetermined in
      fresh whole blood samples from non-smoking women with normal pregnancies (n=8)
      and preeclampsia (n=9) by flow cytometry using intracellular fluorescent probes.
      Granulocytes were permeabilized (Dako, Glostrup, Denmark) and stained for MPO
      (anti-MPO, BD, San Jose, CA), and the number and percentage of CD15 and MPO
      positive cells and the intensity of MPO staining (MFI) was determined by flow
      cytometry. Student t-test or one-way ANOVA was used to test for significance.
      Dataare reported as mean+/-sem. RESULTS: There wasno significant difference in
      the number (percentage) orintensity of neutrophils staining for MPO between
      normal pregnancies and preeclampsia (MPO positive cells: 2816+/-981(39% positive)
      vs 2714+/-901(28% positive), Intensity: 3337+/-434 vs 3178+/-367 MFI units).
      However, there was a dramatic reduction in intensity of MPO staining in
      neutrophils from overweight women (BMI>27) compared to normal weight women
      regardless of pregnancy outcome (2508+/-160 vs 4091+/-376 MFI units, p=0.001).
      Among normal pregnancies, lean women had significantly more MFI of MPO than
      overweight women (4500+/-750 vs 2639+/-178 MFI units, p=0.04). The same trend was
      seen among women with preeclampsia (lean; 3845+/-428 vs overweight; 2344+/-292MFI
      units, p=0.07). CONCLUSION: The increased circulating levels of MPO in
      preeclampsia did not result in decreased intensity of MPO staining in circulating
      neutrophils. Neutrophils from normal weight women have greater amounts of
      intracellular MPO available upon activation than overweight and obese women.
      ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: This project was supported byNational Institutes of Health grant
      PO1-HD30367.

PMID- 26105313
TI  - OS099. The chips trial (control of hypertension in pregnancy study).

PMID- 26105314
TI  - OS100. Plasma placental growth factor (PLGF) measurement in women presenting with
      suspected pre-eclampsia: the pelican study.

PMID- 26105315
TI  - OS101. The brain study: cognition, quality of life and social functioning
      following preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Previously preeclamptic women may express cognitive difficulties,
      which have largely been ignored or attributed to the stresses of a complicated
      pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the scope of neurocognitive
      and psychosocial problems following preeclampsia. METHODS: Through website
      promotion and a mass e-mail members of the USA-based Preeclampsia Foundation who
      experienced preeclampsia in the past 20 years were invited to complete a web
      based survey, consisting of a questionnaire about current and past medical
      health, the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ), the abbreviated WHO Quality
      Of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), and the Social Functioning Questionnaire
      (SFQ). Participants were stimulated to ask a friend who had a normotensive
      pregnancy to complete the survey as well (controls). Women with current or past
      neurological conditions were excluded. Analysis was performed using Mann Whitney
      U test and linear regression. RESULTS: 966 cases and 342 controls were included.
      Median age was 34, median time since first pregnancy 4 and 5 years respectively.
      Cases scored significantly worse on all three questionnaires, and more often
      underwent psychiatric therapy, currently or in the past. There was a significant
      effect of migraine on all questionnaires and of eclampsia on CFQ score.
      Cronbach's alphas were >0.7, indicating good internal consistency of the
      questionnaires. Results are expressed as median (range) or number (percentage)
      (*)p<.001. CONCLUSION: Previously preeclamptic women report more cognitive and
      social problems, and worse quality of life compared to women who had normotensive
      pregnancies. Health care providers and patients should be aware of this so that
      affected women may receive recognition, psychological care and escape from the
      ignorance of their environment. Our findings may stimulate research relating to
      the origin and management of these important issues.

PMID- 26105316
TI  - OS102. Continuing pathology following a hypertensive pregnancy and the risk of
      future disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: New onset hypertension in pregnancy affects up to 6-8% of all
      pregnancies. For most women, hypertension and proteinuria settle following
      delivery. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
      Hypertension in Pregnancy guideline recommends that this group of patients are
      reviewed by a medical professional postnatally [3]. However, studies have shown
      that blood pressure and urinalysis are often not checked in the postpartum period
      [4]. Women with a history of hypertension in pregnancy have a higher risk of
      future hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD) than women who have
      uncomplicated pregnancies [2]. Risk scores are available for assessing an
      individual's risk of CVD although they are not validated in women under 30. In
      UK, the most appropriate is QRISK2 score [1]. OBJECTIVES: To determine the
      frequency of ongoing problems following a new onset hypertensive pregnancy and
      assess the risk of future cardiovascular disease. METHODS: 351 women with new
      onset hypertension in pregnancy were reviewed 6 weeks postnatally. They were
      assessed for ongoing disease and cardiovascular risk. 10 year QRISK2 scores and
      heart age (the age at which a matched person has that score) were calculated.
      RESULTS: 211 women with pre-eclampsia (PE) and 140 with gestational hypertension
      (GH) were reviewed. 9% and 11% of women with previous PE and GH respectively
      still required antihypertensive agents at follow-up. Only 1 woman required more
      than one antihypertensive medication (PE group). 19 women with PE (9%) had
      ongoing proteinuria (PCR>30). 5% had an estimated GFR <60ml/min. In addition to
      those with a strong family history of hypertension, 23 patients (6.5%) required
      investigation for ongoing problems. Risk factors for CVD were common 6 weeks
      after delivery: Although the overall risk of CVD was low (median 10 year QRISK2
      score 0.3, median relative risk 1.0), with 41% of women having the lowest
      possible heart age, 22% of women had a significantly elevated risk of CVD (QRISK2
      heart age ?age+10). CONCLUSION: 16% of women had ongoing hypertension or
      proteinuria, evidence supporting the NICE guidance that all women with
      hypertension in pregnancy need follow-up after delivery. The overall risk of
      future CVD in women with previous hypertension in pregnancy is low but about one
      fifth of women are at very high risk. A program of risk assessment is required to
      allow preventative measures to be implemented.

PMID- 26105318
TI  - OS104. Are preeclampsia and adverse obstetrical outcomes predictors for longterm
      cardiovascular disease?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Epidemiologic studies suggest that pregnancy complications such as
      preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery and low birth weight
      independently increase maternal risk for future development of cardiovascular
      disease. OBJECTIVES: To further investigate whether preeclampsia, gestational
      diabetes, and adverse obstetrical outcomes such as placental abruption,
      intrauterine growth restriction and preterm delivery, are independent risk
      factors for longterm cardiovascular disease. METHODS: This was a case-control
      study where 252 parous women (cases) with coronary artery disease were matched
      with a parous woman within 5 years of age with no known coronary artery disease
      (controls). Participants were recruited from the Royal Alexandra Hospital in
      cardiac catheterization lab recovery room in Edmonton, Canada. Women with
      significant angiographic coronary artery stenosis were eligible as cases and
      those without were eligible as controls. Participants were interviewed on their
      pregnancy histories and traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as
      hypertension, diabetes etc. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and
      conditional regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: We recruited 244 cases
      and 246 controls. The average age was 66.3 and 65.8 respectively. Cases were more
      likely obese, had more pregnancies as well as traditional cardiovascular risk
      factors than controls. Adverse pregnancy outcomes were similar between the two
      groups except gestational hypertension. However, it was not statistically
      significant in the conditional logistic regression model. Independent risk
      factors for future cardiovascular diseases were: dyslipidemia (OR 12.8),
      hypertension (3.0), and being a current (OR 7.4) or former smoker (1.8). Adverse
      pregnancy outcomes CONCLUSION: In this study, adverse pregnancy outcomes were not
      independently associated with cardiovascular disorders. Our study was limited by
      recall bias, and ascertainment of diagnosis.Our study supports that dyslipidemia,
      hypertensiion and smoking increase future cardiovascular disease. Further studies
      are needed to examine a postpartum intervention model to proactively manage
      cardiovascular risk factors, such as lipids, in these at-risk women.

PMID- 26105317
TI  - OS103. Hypertensive disorders during pregnancy and cognitive decline of the
      offspring up to old age: the helsinki birth cohort study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders affect the fetal developmental milieu and
      may point to mechanisms by which prenatal adversity is associated with lower
      cognitive ability in subsequent life. OBJECTIVES: We tested whether hypertensive
      disorders during pregnancy predict age-related change in cognitive ability in the
      offspring up to old age. METHODS: Using mothers' blood pressure and urinary
      protein measurements from the maternity clinics and birth hospitals, we defined
      normotensive or hypertensive pregnancies in mothers of 398 men, who participated
      in the Helsinki Birth Cohort 1934-44 Study. The men underwent the Finnish Defense
      Forces basic ability test twice, first, during compulsory military service at age
      20.1 (SD=1.4) years and, then, in a re-test at age 68.5 (SD=2.9) years. The test
      yields a total score and subscores for tests measuring verbal, arithmetic and
      visuospatial reasoning. Scores were standardized with a mean of 100 and standard
      deviation of 15. RESULTS: Men born after pregnancies complicated by a
      hypertensive disorder, compared with men born after normotensive pregnancies,
      scored 3.84 (95% Confidence Interval, 0.77 to 6.91) points lower on total
      cognitive ability at 68.5 years, and displayed a greater decline in total
      cognitive ability (2.31, 0.23 to 4.39) after 20.1 years. Of the subscores,
      associations were strongest for arithmetic reasoning. CONCLUSION: Maternal
      hypertensive disorders in pregnancy predict lower cognitive ability and greater
      cognitive decline up to old age. Multidisciplinary research is essential in order
      to uncover the mechanisms linking hypertensive pregnancy disorders with lower
      cognitive abilities in the offspring.

PMID- 26105319
TI  - OS105. Increased left ventricular mass index in normotensive formerly
      preeclamptic women is associated with the later development of chronic
      hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A history of preeclampsia is associated with a 4-fold increased
      risk to develop chronic hypertension later in life. Interestingly, preeclampsia
      and chronic hypertension share the presence of increased left ventricular mass
      and increased left atrial diameter. Whether these increases are also present in
      the preclinical phase of chronic hypertension in women with a history of
      preeclampsia is still unknown. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether increased left
      ventricular mass index and/or left atrial widening in normotensive formerly
      preeclamptic women are associated with the development of chronic hypertension.
      METHODS: 324 Women with a history of preeclampsia, who were normotensive at the
      time of a diagnostic work-up 4 months postpartum, were included in this study.
      The tests employed included cardiac ultrasound and blood pressure measurements.
      Left ventricular mass was indexed (LVMi) for length in meters(2.7). To follow up
      on the health state, we send a health checklist to each screened former patient
      once every two years. The information of the diagnostic work-up and the one of
      the returned checklists were used for the statistical analysis by Uni- and
      Multivariate Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Women who had developed chronic
      hypertension during a medium follow-up period of 6 years showed a significant
      Hazard Ratio (HR) of 1.11 (95% CI 1.03-1.18) for Left ventricular mass index,
      1.13 (95% CI 1.06-1.20) for diastolic BP, 1.07 (95% CI 1.02-1.11) for systolic
      BP, 1.05 (95% CI 1.01-1.10) for Heart Rate and 0.215 (95% CI 0.055-0.848) for EA
      ratio. The multivariate top-down analysis showed a significant HR only for LVMi
      and diastolic BP, 1.08 (95% CI 1.00-1.18) and 1.10 (95% CI 1.02-1.19),
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Increased diastolic blood pressure and increased LVMi
      in normotensive formerly preeclamptic women are both associated with the
      development of chronic hypertension.

PMID- 26105320
TI  - OS107. Pregnancies involving hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are associated
      with posttraumatic stress disorder.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
      (HDP) can result in adverse perinatal outcomes leading to additional and
      unexpected levels of stress for the families involved. OBJECTIVES: Our primary
      aim was to examine if HDP is associated with posttraumatic stress disorder
      (PTSD). METHODS: We analyzed data collected through an online survey by the
      Preeclampsia Foundation on PTSD symptoms using the Breslau Short Screening Scale
      for DSM-IV. We compared participant characteristics between women with and
      without PTSD using chi-square tests for discrete variables and t-tests for
      continuous variables. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses
      were used to examine the outcome of PTSD and identify possible risk factors
      associated with HDP. RESULTS: We surveyed 1448 women (1076 HDP, 372 controls).
      After adjusting for psychiatric illness or mood disorder, parity, and age at
      affected pregnancy, we found that women with HDP were more than four times as
      likely to screen positive for PTSD (OR = 4.64, 95% CI: 3.37-6.39) when compared
      to women without HDP. Additionally, we found that PTSD symptoms increase with
      severity of HDP. When stratifying by severity, we found that women with
      gestational hypertension and preeclampsia were three and a half times more likely
      (OR=3.45, 95% CI: 1.70-7.00 and OR=3.48, 95% CI: 2.45-4.96, respectively); women
      with hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets (HELLP) syndrome were
      nearly six times as likely (OR=5.76, 95% CI: 3.97-8.36), and women with eclampsia
      were almost ten times as likely to screen positive for PTSD (OR=9.76, 95% CI:
      5.45-17.49) when compared to women without HDP. CONCLUSION: Pregnancies
      complicated by HDP are associated with increased risk of PTSD, with risk of PTSD
      increasing as severity of HDP increases. Medical practitioners should be aware of
      this association and consider screening women with HDP for signs of PTSD at their
      first postpartum visit. Those who screen positive could then be referred for a
      confirmatory diagnosis and, if needed, subsequent supportive care.

PMID- 26105321
TI  - OS106. The postpartum preeclampsia clinic (PPPEC) - an interdisciplinary clinic
      for cardiovascular risk reduction for women with preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PEC) is a well-established risk factor for the
      development of future premature cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, women with
      PEC are not routinely counselled about these longterm risks, nor are their risk
      factors regularly assessed or treated for prevention of CVD. An interdisciplinary
      PPPEC clinic was recently established at the University of Alberta in order to
      address patient education and CVD risk factor management. OBJECTIVES: (1) To
      describe the implementation of a novel interdisciplinary clinic for postpartum
      women with PEC designed to both educate women of their CVD risk and manage their
      risk factors. (2) To describe our one-year experience with this clinic,
      identifying attendance issues common to postpartum clinics. METHODS: We performed
      a retrospective chart review using data obtained from standardized clinic booking
      lists. From these records, we extracted the following information: number of
      referrals, attendance dates (including adherence to visit) and patient
      demographics. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patient demographics
      and percentages of missed visits were calculated. RESULTS: PPPEC Clinic
      Implemenation: All patients who attend this PPPEC clinic received education on
      PEC, its implications for future vascular health, and evidence-based strategies
      for CVD risk reduction through both a slide presentation, educational handouts as
      well as individualized CVD risk assessment by the interdisciplinary team
      (Obstetric Internist, nurse practitioner, pharmacist and dietician). Next,
      specific patient-directed lifestyle modification goals were developed in the form
      of an "Action Plan" for each CVD risk factor: blood pressure, cholesterol,
      glucose intolerance, physical activity level, weight, and smoking. These goals
      were reviewed at each follow-up visit. PPPEC Clinic Experience: From Sept 2010 to
      Feb 2012, there were 123 appointments in this bi-weekly clinic (63 new consults
      and 60 follow ups). The women's mean age was 29.4 years (range 17-43). Seventy
      four percent of scheduled apointments were attended. Of those that were missed,
      half were initial consultations and halfwere follow-up appointments. CONCLUSION:
      This interdisciplinary PPPEC addresses an important gap in clinical care for CVD
      prevention for these high-risk women. This study identified suboptimal attendance
      of scheduled postpartum visits. Future plans include: (1) identifying barriers to
      postpartum clinic attendance and strategies to overcome them, (2) examining the
      effectiveness of the educational and clinical intervention model in reducing
      cardiovascular risk factors in these women.

PMID- 26105322
TI  - OS108. Preeclamptic women display salt sensitivity and cardiovascular damage
      before their menopause.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Salt sensitivity is an important cardiovascular risk factor. It has
      been shown that preeclamptic (PEC) women may not be totally cured after the
      delivery and keep a higher cardiovascular risk than nonPEC women. OBJECTIVES: We
      aimed to study the salt sensitivity of the blood pressure in women with a history
      of severe preeclamspia and women with no history of hypertensive
      complications.The design was a case control study with intervention, including 42
      women recruited 5 to 17 years following delivery. METHODS: 21 women having
      suffered from a severe preeclampsia before 34 weeks of pregnancy and 19 age, race
      matched controls women,were randomized to follow for one week a low salt (LS)
      diet and a high salt (HS) diet (adding 6g NACL/d to usual diet). On day seven of
      each dietary period, 24h ambulatory blood pressure was recorded, and 24h urine
      collected in order to measure sodium excretion.Salt sensitivity was assigned if
      the mean 24h blood pressure increased by ? 3mmHg on a high- compared with a low
      salt diet. RESULTS: Preeclamptic women were aged 39.1(24-49) and controls 40.1(29
      49), p=NS.Two of the PEC women already suffered from a cardiovascular event
      (2coronary events). The PEC women showed a significant increase of the BP and
      standard deviation (SD) of the BP compared to the controls.10 (47.6%)
      preeclamptic women showed salt sensitivity (odd ratio 5.4, 95% CI 0.972
      30.601;P=0.042).Recurrent preeclampsia was associated with a significantly high
      risk to salt sensitivity status (OR 5; 95% confidence interval 1.1-31.6).
      CONCLUSION: Severe PEC women display already salt sensitivity of the blood
      pressure before their menopause and increased variability of the BP. Recurrent
      preeclampsia is a high risk factor for salt sensitivity and could allow to target
      this high-risk group at an early stage for preventive measures for cardiovascular
      disease.

PMID- 26105323
TI  - OS109. Lifestyle intervention after complicated pregnancy successfully improves
      saturated fat-intake, but not exercise and smoking habits: results of the pro
      active study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women with a pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia, intra-uterine
      growth restriction and/or gestational diabetes are at increased risk of future
      cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Lifestyle intervention may help these women
      to effectively lower these risks. OBJECTIVES: To test if offering lifestyle
      intervention after a complicated pregnancy significantly improves saturated fat
      intake and exercise (primary objectives) and/or smoking habits (secondary
      objective). METHODS: The Pro-Active study (Postpartum Rotterdam Appraisal of
      Cardiovascular health and Tailored Intervention) is a feasibility study to
      develop and evaluate a postpartum lifestyle intervention program. In a
      prospective case-control setting we tested the effect of the lifestyle
      intervention. Women were included between April 2007 and August 2009. They were
      eligible if ?18 years old at time of inclusion, being able to understand and
      speak the Dutch language and not having pre-existing conditions that could
      interfere with the lifestyle intervention. Cases were offered lifestyle
      intervention by a trained counsellor between 6 and 10 months postpartum. During 3
      private sessions, mainly exercise and fat-intake and to some extend smoking
      habits were discussed and aims were made to improve lifestyle. Controls did not
      receive these sessions, but were not restricted to improve lifestyle on their
      own. Lifestyle habits were scored at 6 and 13 months postpartum. For saturated
      fat-intake we used the Maastricht Fatlist. For exercise we used the International
      Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). For smoking habits we used a short
      version of the questionnaire of STIVORO (the Dutch anti-smoking association). We
      also performed a formative evaluation of the intervention program. RESULTS:
      During our study 1121 women gave birth after a complicated pregnancy. 490 Women
      were eligible for the study of which 240 women (49%) gave informed consent to
      participate. 56 Women (23%) were lost-to-follow-up, leaving 186 women for the
      analysis. Between 6 and 13 months postpartum saturated fat-intake was
      significantly reduced by 3.6g/day (95%>CI 1.8-5.4) in cases compared to controls.
      Exercise was improved in cases compared to controls, but it did not reach
      significance (277 MET's (-2699-3254)). Although smoking decreased from 14.5% to
      10.4% in cases, it was not significant and comparable to the decrease in controls
      (15.0% to 8.4%). The formative evaluation showed that the most important
      motivator to improve lifestyle was the increased risk of future cardiovascular
      and metabolic disease (70%) and the increased risk for recurrence in a next
      pregnancy (57%). Main barriers were an already busy life (40%), distance (35%)
      and duration (38%) of travelling to the hospital and to early postpartum to pay
      attention to lifestyle (26%). CONCLUSION: Lifestyle intervention after
      complicated pregnancy may be effective in improving saturated fat-intake. Other
      interventions, specially aimed at postpartum women, are needed to improve
      exercise and smoking habits. More research is needed to develop lifestyle
      intervention program specifically aimed at these women. New possibilities of
      multimedia are promising.

PMID- 26105324
TI  - PP001. Variability in MRNA expression of Jmjd6 and FLT-1 variants in normal and
      preeclamptic human placenta.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Biomolecules such as soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFLT-1)
      have been implicated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia with many studies
      reporting on their expression in human placenta. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to
      determine whether variation exists in the expression of different genes in human
      placenta based on collection site. Expression of different FLT-1 variants
      including the primate-specific sFLT-1e15a and a novel gene, Jumonji domain
      containing protein 6 (Jmjd6) that may prove to have a role in the pathogenesis of
      preeclampsia, was selected as targets. METHODS: Placental tissue was collected
      from one normotensive and one preeclamptic woman following caesarean section at
      38 weeks. Twelve 1.5cm diameter*2mm thick samples were excised from various sites
      around the decidual surface. Quantitative PCR was used to determine the relative
      expression of the FLT-1 and Jmjd6 transcripts in the separate samples. Within a
      placenta, the first sample collected served as the reference and transcript
      expression in the remaining 11 samples was expressed relative to this sample.
      Between placentas, a pooled normal sample was used as a reference to determine
      the relative expression in preeclamptic compared to normal placental samples. One
      sample t -tests and coefficients of variation (CV) were used to explore the
      variation and Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to examine
      relationships. RESULTS: Within the normal placenta, significant variation was
      seen in the 12 collection sites for sFLT-1 e15a (CV=45.1% p=0.008) and Jmjd6
      (CV=30.4% p=0.019). The CVs for sFLT-1 i13 and mFLT-1 were 25.6% and 23.7%
      respectively. Within the preeclamptic placenta, significant variation was seen in
      the expression of all FLT-1 variants; mFLT-1 (CV=66.9% p=0.023), sFLT-1 i13
      (CV=64.8% p=0.033) and sFLT-1 e15a (CV=61.1% p=0.001) across different collection
      sites. Significant variation was also seen between preeclamptic placenta sites
      and a normotensive pool; mFLT-1 (CV=66.9% p=0.012), sFLT-1 e15a (CV=61.1%
      p=0.005) and Jmjd6(CV=65.2% p=0.029). Using cumulative moving means, the minimum
      number of samples required to obtain a zero difference in means for all
      transcripts in a data subset was 8 for the normal placenta and 6 for the
      preeclamptic placenta. Overall, the expression of Jmjd6 and all FLT-1 variants
      was increased in the samples from the preeclamptic placenta compared to normal.
      Expression of mFLT-1 was highly correlated with sFLT-1 i13 and sFLT-1 e15ain
      preeclamptic (r=0.808 p=0.001; r=0.841p=0.001) but not normal placenta, and Jmjd6
      was not correlated with any transcript in either placenta. CONCLUSION: This study
      demonstrates significant variation in expression levels of several new and
      commonly investigated genes across sites in both normal and preeclamptic human
      placenta. These data show samples should be obtained from no less than 8 separate
      sites when pooling samples for expression analysis. Further, given that many
      studies examine relationships between different colocalised molecules, it may
      also be prudent to examine expression levels in each site separately to ensure
      that no relationships are missed.

PMID- 26105325
TI  - PP003. Antagonism in A2A and A2B adenosine receptor on fetal endothelium
      proliferation involves a nitric oxide-depended intracellular pathway in early and
      late-onset pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Adenosine A2A and A2B receptor intracellular pathway is associated
      with either increasing endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) expression
      or eNOS activation (i.e., tyrosine 1177 phosphorylation); a mechanism linked to
      pro or anti-proliferative effects depending of the cell type. However, there are
      no reports in pre-eclampsia. OBJECTIVES: Investigate whether NO signaling pathway
      is involved in fetal endothelium proliferation induced by adenosine receptor
      activation in early and late-onset pre-eclampsia. METHODS: Human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells (HUVEC) were isolated from normal (n=25), late-onset pre
      eclampsia (n=11) and early-onset pre-eclampsia (n=22). Adenosine A2A and A2B
      expression was evaluated by immunocytochemistry and Western blot. Cell
      proliferation was analyzed using MTS-assay in absence or presence of non
      selective adenosine receptor agonist (NECA 10MUM), adenosine A2A receptor
      selective agonist (CGS-21680, 100nM), and/or the antagonists ZM-241385 (0-100MUM)
      or MRS-1754 (0-1MUM) for A2A and A2B receptors during 24h. In parallel
      experiments NOS inhibitor (L-NAME, 100MUM) was used in co-incubation by either
      adenosine receptor agonist or antagonists. Nitrite concentration in the culture
      medium and protein nitration assessed by Western blot were measured in cells
      exposed to CGS-21680 (30min). RESULTS: Early-onset pre-eclampsia was associated
      to low A2A (~70%), but high (~2-fold) A2B adenosine receptor protein abundance
      compared with normal or late-onset pre-eclampsia. Basally, HUVEC from early-onset
      showed a low (~42%), whereas late-onset exhibited high proliferation (~1.5-fold)
      compared with normal pregnancy. Cell proliferation was increased by CGS-21680 (~2
      fold) in late-onset or normal pregnancy and ~5-fold in early-onset pre-eclampsia
      compared with respective control. NECA increased cell proliferation only in
      normal cells. Stimulatory effect of CGS-21680, was inhibited by ZM-241385 in
      normal pregnancies (Ki, 25nM) and late-onset (Ki 50nM) but not in early-onset (Ki
      ambiguous). Interestingly, MRS-1754 showed an increase in cell proliferation in a
      dose-response manner only in early-onset group. L-NAME partially blocked (~25%)
      the stimulatory effect of CGS-21680 in late-onset and normal pregnancy.
      Interestingly, L-NAME revert the maximal stimulatory effect of MRS-1754 observed
      in early-onset. Total and phosphorylated eNOS protein was reduced (~50%) in early
      onset pre-eclampsia compared to late-onset or normal pregnancy. In turn, cells
      from late-onset pre-eclampsia exhibited high (~2-fold) eNOS phosphorylation
      compared with normal pregnancy. In normal pregnancy, CGS-21680 (30min) increased
      (~2-fold) the eNOS phosphorylation and nitrotyrosine formation, without changes
      in nitrite levels, but non-significant changes were observed in early or late
      onset pre-eclamptic cells. CONCLUSION: Fetal endothelium from early-onset
      exhibits a predominant anti-proliferative effect mediated by adenosine A2B
      receptors activation, whereas the stimulatory effect of adenosine A2A receptors
      prevails in cells from late-onset pre-eclampsia. Both pro and anti-proliferative
      effects seem mediated by a nitric oxide-depended intracellular pathway. Supported
      by FONDECYT 1100684, Conicyt Anillo ACT73.

PMID- 26105327
TI  - PP004. Study of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and the reduced-folate
      carrier-1 gene polymorphism in healthy and severe pre-eclamptic patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: One-carbon cycle is involved in two essential physiological
      processes: The synthesis of purins and pyrimidines required for DNA synthesis and
      repair. The other is the methylation with the methionine cycle. These one-carbon
      groups are served by the tetrahydrofolate and the S-adenosylmethionine.
      Deficiencies of the folate, or other abnormalities within the methionine pathway
      lead to elevated homocysteine levels. These disorders have been implicated in
      placental diseases. Earlier studies have shown that homocysteine levels are
      elevated by patients with severe pre-eclampsia than by healthy pregnant
      normotensive women. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T
      missense mutation has a high frequency by patients with HELLP syndrome and
      connected with elevated serum homocysteine levels. The reduced-folate carrier
      (RFC-1) facilitates the internalization of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate from the
      blood into peripheral cells. The mutation G80A this gene leads to higher plasma
      folate. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to identify the polymorphism of these two genes
      in samples of severe pre-eclamptic patients and healthy controls. METHODS: Blood
      samples were collected from healthy pregnant normotensive women (n=82) and women
      with pre-eclampsia (n=75). DNA was isolated and quantitative real-time PCR method
      combined with melting curve analysis was performed for the detection of the two
      polymorphisms. Statistical analysis was performed with the STATISTICA software
      package. RESULTS: The frequency of the A allele in the RFC-1 gene was 46.57% by
      healthy pregnant and 41% by severe pre-eclamptic patients. The overall
      distribution of genotypes was not significantly different between the control and
      pre-eclamptic groups (p=0.58). In the study groups by the MTHFR gene the
      frequency of the T was 32% in pre-eclamptics, and 35.92% in controls. Similarly
      the overall distribution of genotypes was not significantly different between the
      two study groups (p=0.15). CONCLUSION: In hypertensive disorders of the pregnancy
      the one-carbon cycle is disturbed. We studied single nucleotide mutations in the
      genes of two enzymes involved in the cycle. We determined the allele and genotype
      frequencies in healthy control and pre-eclamptic patients and found no
      significant differences. Further examinations of other genetical compounds can
      help to understand the elevated homocysteine levels in pre-eclampsia.

PMID- 26105326
TI  - PP002. Study of polymorphisms of the adiponectin gene in women with gestational
      hypertension and preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Adiponectin is involved in energy homeostasis by regulating glucose
      and lipid metabolism. Additionally, it presents anti-inflammatory and anti
      atherosclerotic functions. Polymorphisms in adiponectin gene (ADIPOQ) can
      modulate the concentrations of adiponectin. The influence of these polymorphisms
      on the development of gestational hypertension (GH) and preeclampsia (PE) is
      unknown. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work was to examine the influence of
      polymorphisms in the gene ADIPOQ on the development of gestational hypertension
      and preeclampsia. METHODS:  PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 401 pregnant women:
      161 healthy pregnant (HP), 113 pregnant with gestational hypertension (GH) and
      127 pregnant with preeclampsia (PE). Polymorphisms ADIPOQ -11391G>A (rs17300539),
      -11377C>G (rs266729), 45T>G (rs2241766) and 276G>T (rs1501299) were genotyped by
      allelic discrimination by PCR in real time. Haplotypes were inferred using the
      PHASE 2.1 program. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences
      in allele and genotype frequencies of the polymorphisms studied. In the analysis
      of haplotypes, we observed small differences in haplotype frequencies between
      groups, however, none of these differences was statistically significant
      (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: We found no association between the genotypic and allelic
      variants of the ADIPOQ gene polymorphisms with the development of gestational
      hypertension and preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105328
TI  - PP005. Natriuretic peptide precursor B gene (TTTC)N microsatellite polymorphism
      and elevated BNP levels in early onset pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is a variable tandem repeat (TTTC) polymorphism in the 5(')
      flanking region of the natriuretic peptide precursor B gene (NPPB), which shows
      association with severe pre-eclampsia. The 11-repeat carrier frequency is
      significantly higher in severe pre-eclamptic patients. The 11/11 genotype
      carriers in the pre-eclamptics has significantly higher BNP levels. OBJECTIVES:
      Our aim was to identify this polymorphism in samples of early onset pre-eclamptic
      (EOP) patients, late onset pre-eclamptic patients and healthy controls. We also
      compared the natriuretic peptide B (BNP) concentrations. METHODS: Blood samples
      were collected from healthy pregnant normotensive women (n=235) and women with
      pre-eclampsia (n=220). DNA was isolated and fluorescent PCR and DNA fragment
      analysis was performed for the detection of (TTTC) repeats. The plasma BNP
      concentration was measured by fluorescence immunoassay method using Triage BNP
      (Alere, San Diego). RESULTS: We detected 12 different repeats on the NPPB gene.
      The overall distribution of alleles and genotypes was significantly different
      between the control and pre-eclamptic groups. The 11/11 genotype carriers showed
      a significantly higher frequency in early onset pre-eclamptic patients than in
      the healthy pregnant controls (p=0.026). Calculated odds ratio (OR) was 1.694
      (95% CI: 1.06-2.70). In contrast the 11/11 genotype carrier frequency was not
      significantly higher in the late onset pre-eclamptic group than in the control
      group (p=0.5308), adjusted OR 1.22 (95% CI: 0.7138-2.086). In the early onset pre
      eclamptics the 11/11 genotype showed a significantly higher frequency than in the
      late onset group (p=0.0039) OR: 6.00. The concentration of the BNP was 9.75pg/ml
      in the healthy controls and 32.40pg/ml in the pre-eclamptic group (p<0.0001). The
      11/11 genotype carriers had significantly higher BNP levels in the pre-eclamptic
      group. The early onset pre-eclamptic patients had a significantly higher BNP
      concentration (40.55pg/ml) than in the late onset pre-eclamptic patients
      (24.1pg/ml) (p=0.013). CONCLUSION: The NPPB gene (TTTC) microsatellite
      polymorphism in the 5(')-flanking region showed a significant difference in the
      distribution of alleles and genotypes between early onset and late onset pre
      eclamptic patients in an ethnically homogeneous population. The concentration of
      the BNP was higher in early onset pre-eclamptic women, and it showed association
      with the genotypes.

PMID- 26105329
TI  - PP006. The comparison of serum VEGF and sFlt-1 on preeclampsia and eclampsia
      pregnant woman before and after delivery at Ulin Hospital, Banjarmasin,
      Indonesia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is the main cause of maternal morbidity and mortality
      at Indonesia. In 2010, 228 maternal deaths occur in 100,000 live birth. Ulin
      Hospital, Banjarmasin, a tertiary care hospital has high prevalence of
      preeclampsia and eclampsia (22%). Vascular angiogenesis has a role on
      pathogenesis of preeclampsia, including angiogenic factor and anti-angiogenic
      factor like VEGF and sFlt-1. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate changes of sFlt-1 and VEGF
      levels on preeclampsia and eclampsia woman before and after delivery. METHODS:
      This is a cross sectional research, which include 30 pregnant women with
      preeclampsia and eclampsia at Ulin Hospital, Banjarmasin, whom pregnancy was
      terminated vaginaly or abdominaly. Every patient was checked for the serum level
      of sFlt-1 and VEGF before and 3days after delivery. RESULTS: There are
      significant changes of the serum level sFlt-1 and VEGF before and after delivery.
      Serum sFlt-1 mean value decrease significantly after delivery (18251.4pg/ml vs
      1193.9pg/ml; p<0.0001). Serum VEGF mean value increase significantly after
      delivery (50.4pg/ml vs 836.1pg/ml; p<0.0001). Mean value of the angiogenic factor
      before and after delivery was not significantly different between early-onset PE,
      late-onset PE and eclampsia. CONCLUSION: There are significant changes of the
      angiogenic factors (sFlt-1 and VEGF) before and 3days after delivery.

PMID- 26105330
TI  - PP007. Effects of STAT1 suppression on ERK1/2 in trophoblastic cells.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Migration and trophoblast invasion are controlled functionally
      along with the active participation of cytokines and growth factors. Two
      important intracellular signaling pathways are the Janus kinase/signal transducer
      and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) and extracellular regulated kinase1/2
      (ERK1/2). These pathways have been associated with the regulation of gene
      expression, cellular proliferation, differentiation, angiogenesis, embryo
      development and invasion in tumor and trophoblast cells. OBJECTIVES: The aim of
      our study is to characterize and analyze the regulation and crosstalks of STAT1
      and ERK1/2 in trophoblast cells and the identification of activating cytokines.
      METHODS: The trophoblast derived cell line HTR-8/svneo and a choriocarcinoma cell
      line (JEG-3) were stimulated with interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-11, granulocyte
      macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMC-SF), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)
      or oncostatine M (OSM). The the expression and phosphorylation of STAT1(tyr705)
      and ERK1/2 were analyzed by gel electrophoresis and Western blotting. Expression
      of STAT1 was inhibited by administration of 50MUM fludarabine (2-fluoro-ara-AMP)
      for 2, 4, 8, 24, 48 or 72h or by using small interfering RNA (siRNA). The full
      activation of STAT1 was assessed by using an STAT1 DNA-binding assay. Finally,
      proliferation and invasion assays were performed (Grant Deutscher Akademischer
      Austausch Dienst A/10172477). RESULTS: LIF and OSM induce STAT1 and ERK1/2
      phosphorylation in HTR-8 and JEG-3 cells. Fludarabine inhibits the so induced
      phosphorylation of STAT1 when administered 48 or 72h before stimulation.
      Simultaneously, ERK phosphorylation increases. In contrast, silencing of STAT1 by
      application of specific siRNA induces reduction of ERK1/2 phosphorylation.
      Fludarabine reduces STAT1 DNA-binding capacity. LIF and OSM increase
      proliferation. Silencing of STAT1 slightly decreases invasiveness of analyzed
      cells. CONCLUSION: STAT1 in trophoblast cells can be activated by placental
      cytokines. Suppression of STAT1 by fludarabine or siRNA influences activity of
      ERK1/2 which indicates a crosstalk between both pathways. Current studies will
      clarify the reason for the different effects on ERK1/2 in trophoblastic cells.

PMID- 26105331
TI  - PP008. Lipotoxicity and preeclampsia: A probable correlation (preliminary
      results).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The impact of preeclampsia (PE) of pregnancy is seen as a global
      concern. Despite their importance, PE does not have well-established causes.
      Several studies point to obesity as a predisposing factor for PE [1]. In a
      systematic review Duckitt and Harrington showed that in women with BMI?30 the
      relative risk of developing PE is equal to 2.1 [2]. Bianco et al. demonstrated
      that the chance of patients with BMI?35 developing PE is more than 4 times [3].
      Furthermore, it is believed that the intracellular accumulation of triglycerides
      cause mitochondrial dysfunction, more electron transport and generation of ROS
      (Reactive Oxygen Species) [4], causing a harmful effect on the endothelium.
      OBJECTIVES: To compare the incidence of potential lipotoxicity markers among
      normal pregnant women and with pre-eclampsia. METHODS: A case-control study,
      including pregnant women from October 2011 to January 2012 at Hospital Guilherme
      Alvaro in Santos/Brazil. The study group consisted of 27 mothers with pre
      eclampsia, according to the criteria of NHBPEP (2000) and the control group
      consisted of 27 mothers with normal pregnancy, who gave birth vaginally, at term
      without hypertension. The exclusion criteria were diagnosis of collagen diseases,
      smoking, diabetes, twin pregnancy and fetal malformations. Blood samples were
      collected immediately after delivery and the results were analyzed in conjunction
      with maternal data, according to the following variables: age, body mass index
      (BMI), serum cholesterol total and fractions, glucose, triglyceride and creative
      protein. Analysis of SF data was performed by calculating the odds ratio adopting
      an hypothesis rejection level of 0.05. RESULTS: The PE group had BMI>30 (or),
      serum triglycerides>150 (or) and LDL cholesterol>100 (or) more frequently than
      normal mothers, and as regards statistical significance comparing the age of the
      women, glucose level, HDS cholesterol, there was no significant difference
      between the groups. CONCLUSION: In pregnancy, lipotoxicity reduces the ability of
      trophoblastic invasion, causing maternal systemic endothelial and placental
      dysfunction causing alterations in metabolic functions. All such changes maintain
      a close relationship with the pathophysiology of PE. Monitoring pregestational
      period of obese patients or those with lipid disorders is part of the medical
      arsenal against PE by monitoring and advising on the best time to conceive.

PMID- 26105332
TI  - PP009. A follow-up study of Finnish pre-eclampsia families identifies a new fetal
      susceptibility locus on chromosome 18.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: According to the epidemiological research both maternal and fetal
      genes influence in predisposition to pre-eclampsia (PE). We have previously
      detected linkage signals in Finnish families on chromosomes 2p25, 4q32, and 9p13
      using maternal phenotypes. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to perform a follow-up linkage
      analysis using updated maternal phenotypes and an unprecedented linkage analysis
      using fetal phenotypes. METHODS: We performed a non-parametric linkage analysis
      using the same sample set and microsatellite markers as reported in the original
      linkage study (Laivuori et al., [1]). Markers genotyped were available from 237
      individuals in 15 Finnish families including 72 affected mothers (pregnancy
      complicated by PE n=54, eclampsia n=1, or gestational hypertension [GHT] n=17),
      and 49 affected fetuses (born from a pregnancy complicated by PE n=45, or GHT
      n=4). MERLIN software (Abecasis et al., 2002) was used for sample and marker
      quality control and linkage analysis. Results from this study were compared
      against the original results obtained by using GENEHUNTER 2.1 software. RESULTS:
      The maximum nonparametric linkage (NPL) scores on chromosome 2 were at 21.70cM
      near marker D2S168 using maternal and fetal phenotypes (NPL score 3.79,
      p=0.00008, and NPL score 2.95, p=0.002, respectively). On chromosome 4 the
      highest peak was at 158.20 cM near marker D4S413 using maternal phenotypes (NPL
      score 3.13 p=0.0009), and at 109.60 cM near marker D4S1572 using fetal phenotypes
      (NPL score 2.50, p=0.006). On chromosome 9 the highest peaks using maternal
      phenotypes were at 38.90cM near marker D9S169 (NPL=3.76, p=0.00008), and at
      120.80 cM near marker D9S1811 (NPL=2.74, p=0.003). The maximum peak on chromosome
      9 using fetal phenotypes was found at 59.20cM near marker D9S175 (NPL=2.69,
      p=0.004). We found a suggestive linkage on chromosome 18 at 86.80cM near marker
      D18S64 using fetal phenotypes (NPL score of 2.51, p=0.006), but the highest peak
      using maternal phenotypes did not reach significance. CONCLUSION: In this follow
      up study we have confirmed the linkage signals identified in the original linkage
      analysis using maternal phenotypes. Linkage to chromosome 2 was also supported by
      analysis using fetal phenotypes. Chromosome 18 may harbour a new fetal
      susceptibility locus for PE.

PMID- 26105333
TI  - PP010. Does aldosterone participate in placental angiogenesis via PLGF?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Angiogenic signals are a vital signal of placental integrity.
      Aldosterone has recently been shown to enhance placental growth factor (PlGF)
      expression in the peripheral vasculature [1] and to promote trophoblast growth
      [2]. The plgf gene possesses a functional mineralocorticoid receptor responsive
      element in the promoter region. OBJECTIVES: Thus, we hypothesized that
      aldosterone adapts placental angiogenesis to trophoblast growth by secreting
      PlGF. METHODS: The human choriocarcinoma cell line BeWo and first and third
      trimester human primary trophoblasts cells were subjected to several
      syncytialization signals. Upon visual confirmation, the cultured cells were
      subjected to either control conditions, the known stimulator forskolin, and
      increasing amounts of aldosterone (10(-9) to 10(-6)M) with and without the
      competitive aldosterone receptor blocker spironolactone. After 6 and 24h of
      incubation, RNA and protein were extracted. PlGF transcripts were quantified by
      Taqman PCR normalized to several housekeeping genes. Protein expression was
      quantified by ELISA. RESULTS: PlGF mRNA expression increased 3-fold with
      forskolin in BeWo cells. In this cell line, aldosterone could slightly stimulate
      PlGF production. In non-syncytialized primary human first trimester trophoblasts,
      aldosterone did not exert a specific effect. In contrast, the term primary human
      trophoblasts did respond with a 2.5-fold increase after incubation with
      aldosterone (10(-7)M) in the presence of forskolin to allow forming a syncytial
      layer. PlGF protein was already slightly upregulated following 6h of incubation
      with aldosterone. CONCLUSION: We concluded that aldosterone does regulate PlGF
      expression in specified conditions during pregnancy. Inappropriately low
      aldosterone levels such as in preeclampsia might such not only compromise plasma
      volume and trophoblast growth but also placental vascularization and systemic
      PlGF availability. These observations merit further investigation.

PMID- 26105334
TI  - PP011. Increased placental expression of angiogenin inhibitor (Ribonuclease
      inhibitor), a novel gene in pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is convincing evidence that imbalance between angiogenic and
      anti-angiogenic factors play an important role in the pathophysiology of pre
      eclampsia. Increased expression of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt1),
      along with decreased placental growth factor (PlGF) and vascular endothelial
      growth factor (VEGF) appear to play a key role in the abnormal placentation and
      vascular dysfunction of pre-eclampsia. Angiogenin is a potent inducer of
      angiogenesis and serum levels are elevated in pre-eclampsia. Angiogenin Inhibitor
      (also called placental Ribonuclease inhibitor) is a potent antagonist of both
      angiogenic and ribonucloetic activities of angiogenin. We demonstrate that
      placental expression of angiogenin inhibitor is altered in pre-eclampsia and may
      play a role in its pathophysiology. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to
      assess the expression of angiogenin inhibitor in healthy normotensive and pre
      eclamptic placentas. METHODS: Placental expression of angiogenin inhibitor was
      measured in term placentae of 14 pre-eclamptic women and 16 normal pregnant
      controls. The women were matched for age, gestation and parity. Placental tissue
      was collected immediately after delivery and stored at -80 degrees C. The
      angiogenin inhibitor gene expression was measured using real-time quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction (rt-QPCR). The results were standardized using the
      glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) reference gene. RESULTS: mRNA
      expression of angiogenin inhibitor gene was significantly increased in pre
      eclamptic placentae (p=0.027) compared to normal pregnant controls; 0.44 (0.174
      1.048) versus 0.091 (0.029-0.301), median and interquartile range, for pre
      eclampsia and normal controls, respectively. CONCLUSION: Placenta expression of
      angiogenin inhibitor gene is significantly increased in pre-eclampsia and may
      play a role in its pathophysiology. This finding may directly correlate with the
      reported ability of angiogenin inhibitor to protect from oxidative stress by its
      reactivity as an oxygen species scavenger.

PMID- 26105335
TI  - PP012. Morphometric analysis of the differences in placental angiogenesis during
      early and late-onset pre-eclampsia.

PMID- 26105336
TI  - PP013. Oxidized low density lipoprotein accumulation and the expression of the
      lectin-like oxLDL receptor (LOX-1) in placental tissue in preeclampsia and
      healthy controls.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oxidized Low Density Lipoproteins (oxLDL) and its receptor the
      lectin-like oxLDL receptor 1 (LOX-1) are key players in the development of
      atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. OBJECTIVES: Since preeclampsia is known
      to share similarities to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis we hypothesized an
      increased accumulation of oxLDL and an increased expression of LOX-1 at the
      materno-fetal and feto-fetal interface within the placental tissue in
      preeclampsia in comparison to a control group. Second, we analyzed maternal and
      fetal serum lipid parameters including fetal oxLDL concentration. METHODS: OxLDL
      and LOX-1 intensity was determined via immunohistochemistry in placental paraffin
      sections of 11 women suffering from preeclampsia and compared to 11 gestational
      age matched preterm deliveries (29th to 36th week of gestation). Ten 'High Power
      Fields' were chosen randomly by the newCAST software and expression was analyzed
      via standardized methods by two independent and blinded observers. Maternal and
      fetal triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were
      measured by enzymatic colorimetric methods. Fetal oxLDL serum concentration was
      estimated by ELISA. Statistical examination was carried out by Student's t-test.
      Skewed variables were log-transformed. RESULTS: oxLDL and LOX-1 was predominantly
      found to be in villous trophoblast and placental endothelium. No significant
      differences could be observed in oxLDL expression intensities between
      preeclampsia and controls. LOX-1 expression tended to be increased in placental
      trophoblast and endothelium without being statistical significant (Table 1).
      Fetal triglyceride levels were significantly elevated in preeclampsia compared to
      controls while maternal triglyceride levels tend to be increased. No other
      significant differences in lipid concentrations could be observed (Table 2).
      CONCLUSION: We could not confirm our initial hypothesis of an accelerated oxLDL
      accumulation in placental tissue of preeclampsia. Though not statistically
      significant, placental endothelium seems to be activated in preeclampsia since
      LOX-1 expression is increased. Moreover, preeclampsia is a condition of
      dyslipidemia affecting both, maternal and fetal serum with implications for
      development of cardiovascular diseases in later life.

PMID- 26105337
TI  - PP014. Estimating fully and minimal oxidized low density lipoprotein accumulation
      in placental tissue in intrauterine growth restriction and healthy controls.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We recently demonstrated that maternal serum LDL- and fetal serum
      HDL-cholesterol concentration is significantly reduced in intrauterine growth
      restriction (IUGR) [1]. OBJECTIVES: We now hypothesized that increased oxidative
      stress in IUGR placenta leads to an accumulation of oxidized LDL (oxLDL)
      particles which then become trapped within the placenta subsequently leading to
      reduced availability of cholesterol for mother and fetus. METHODS: Fully oxidized
      LDL (oxLDL) was determined via immunohistochemistry in placental paraffin
      sections of 18 women suffering from IUGR and 18 gestational age matched controls.
      Ten 'High Power Fields' were chosen randomly by the newCAST software and oxLDL
      expression was estimated via standardized methods by two independent and blinded
      observers. Minimal oxidatively modified LDL (MM-LDL) and non-modified
      Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) concentration was measured in full placental tissue
      lysates by ELISA. Values were correlated with maternal and fetal total
      cholesterol, LDL-, and HDL-cholesterol concentrations. Statistical examinations
      were carried out by Student's t-test and calculation of Pearson's correlation
      coefficient. RESULTS: oxLDL was found predominantly to be in villous trophoblast
      and placental endothelium. OxLDL intensity tended to be increased in IUGR (Table
      1). We found MM-LDL concentrations in whole placental tissue lysates to be highly
      correlated to placental ApoB concentration (r=0.93). Both parameters were non
      significantly decreased in placenta of IUGR compared to controls (Table 1).
      Maternal serum LDL-C, and fetal serum LDL-C, TC, and HDL-C concentrations were
      significantly decreased in IUGR compared to controls (Table 2). OxLDL staining
      intensity was mildly negatively correlated to maternal LDL-C (r=-0.315) and much
      less to fetal HDL-C concentrations (r=-0.212). Placental ApoB and MM-LDL
      concentration were moderately positively correlated with fetal HDL-C
      concentrations (r=0.492 and r=0.447). CONCLUSION: Conformational changes of the
      ApoB lipoprotein during the process of oxidation might lead to an accumulation of
      oxLDL particles in placental tissue of IUGR and reduced fetal cholesterol
      bioavailability as evidenced by a decrease in fetal serum cholesterol levels.
      However, our analysis lacks in sufficient power and further studies are underway
      focussing on that subject.

PMID- 26105338
TI  - PP015. Differential expression of Nrf2 and VEGF in human placental beds from
      normal and pregnancies complicated with preeclampsia and IUGR.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Impaired trophoblast invasion into the uteroplacental arteries is
      accompanied with an evidence of oxidative stress in the extravillous trophoblast
      in preeclampsia complicated with IUGR. OBJECTIVES: Preeclampsia is characterised
      by increased lipid oxidation and diminished antioxidant capacity; recently, we
      have shown that PE is associated with an increased expression of the nuclear
      factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in villous cytotrophoblast. A possible
      relationship between the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Nrf2 was
      established in vitro and the activation of Nrf2 pathway could lead to
      upregulation of VEGF synthesis through the induction of Nrf2-dependent Heme
      oxygenase-1 (HO-1). In this study the expression of Nrf2 and VEGF was determined
      in the interstitial and intramural extravillous trophoblast in normal pregnancies
      and those complicated by preeclampsia and intra-uterine growth restriction
      (IUGR). METHODS: Full-thickness uterine tissues were obtained from caesarean
      hysterectomies performed in 5 healthy normotensive women delivering term infants
      and from 5 women with severe early-onset preeclampsia and IUGR (29-34 week's
      gestation). The interstitial and intramural trophoblasts were studied by
      immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin sections stained with anti VEGF and anti
      Nrf2. RESULTS: Cases suffering from preeclampsia with IUGR were characterised by
      reduced invasion of extravillous trophoblast into uteroplacental arteries in the
      endometrial and myometrial segments. In addition, these cells showed an increased
      expression of Nrf2 in the pathological sections. The overexpression of Nrf2 in
      cases with preeclampsia was associated with restricted expression of VEGF in
      these cells compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that besides
      villous cytotrophoblast, also the extravillous trophoblast is a source of Nrf2
      dependent genes. VEGF deficiency may cause higher oxidative stress in
      extravillous trophoblast in cases with preeclampsia with IUGR. The resulting
      reduced basal defence against oxidative stress and the higher vulnerability to
      oxidative damage may play a role in the limited trophoblast invasion into
      uteroplacental arteries in cases suffering from early onset preeclampsia and
      IUGR.

PMID- 26105339
TI  - PP016. Circulating lymphangiogenic factors in preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia, a human pregnancy specific disorder is characterized
      by an anti-angiogenic state due to high levels of circulating soluble vascular
      endothelial growth factor 1 (sVEGFR1). However, the role of lymphangiogenesis in
      preeclampsia has not been investigated. Recently, impaired VEGF-C (factor that
      regulates lymphangiogenesis) signalling has been implicated in the pathogenesis
      of interstitial edema and salt-sensitive hypertension. OBJECTIVES: Therefore, we
      hypothesized that circulating VEGF-C and its circulating receptors (sVEGFR2 and
      sVEGFR3) may also be altered in preeclampsia and correlate with the severity of
      the phenotype. METHODS: We analyzed plasma levels of VEGF-C, sVEGFR1, sVEGFR2 and
      sVEGFR3 in women with gestational hypertension (GHTN, n=20), preeclampsia (PE,
      n=20) and normotensive pregnancies (NP, n=20) in the third trimester and values
      reported as mean+/-SD in pg/ml. RESULTS: As previously reported, sVEGFR1 levels
      were significantly higher in subjects with PE (19938 +/- 12973) than in GHTN
      (7156+/-5432), p<0.01 or NP (7760+/-6018), p<0.01. VEGF-C levels were lower in
      subjects with GHTN (676+/-323) than in PE (1335+/-625), p<0.01, but not
      statistically different than in NP (971+/-556), p=0.11. There was a trend towards
      lower sVEGFR-2 in PE as compared to GHTN or NP. Interestingly sVEGFR-3 was
      significantly lower in PE (54,371+/-21,107) as compared to NP (83,709+/-24,983),
      p<0.01, but not different as compared to GHTN (54,642+/-26,947). The ratio of
      sVEGFR-2+sVEGFR-3/VEGF-C was dramatically lower during PE (57+/-38) as compared
      to GHTN (113+/-72), p<0.01 or NP (133+/-91), p<0.01. CONCLUSION: Preeclampsia is
      characterized by circulating pro-lymphangiogenic state as evidenced by decreased
      sVEGFR-3, slightly decreased VEGFR-2, increased VEGF-C and a dramatically lower
      ratio of sVEGFR2+sVEGFR3/VEGF-C. Our data suggests that the circulating pro
      lymphoangiogenic state during preeclampsia may be a compensatory response to
      edema and hypertension. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the clinical
      relevance of the altered lymphangiogenic signalling pathway during preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105340
TI  - PP017 Comparison of vascular function in preeclamptic and normotensive pregnant
      women in the rural eastern Cape province of South Africa.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is associated with arterial stiffness and endothelial
      dysfunction. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to compare vascular function of
      pregnant women with preeclampsia and normotensives by non-invasive techniques.
      METHODS: This was a comparative study where participants were recruited from
      Mthatha General Hospital complex Antenatal clinics. Fifty four (54) normotensive
      and 21 preeclamptic women were recruited into the study. Arterial stiffness was
      assessed using applanation tonometry with SphygmoCor device; central aortic
      pressures and peripheral and central augmentation index (Alx) and carotid-femoral
      pulse wave velocity were then calculated. Endothelial function was assessed by
      EndoPAT 2000 device; pneumatic probes were fitted to the index fingers; after
      baseline recordings a blood pressure cuff was inflated on the non-dominant arm
      then released after 5min to induce flow mediated reactive hyperemia; the ratio of
      the readings before and after occlusion was then used to calculate the score for
      endothelial function; the reactive hyperaemia index (RHI) RESULTS: RHI was
      significantly higher; p<0.001 among preeclamptic women compared to normotensives
      (1.76+/-0.5 vs 1.45+/-0.22) indicating good endothelial function. Pulse wave
      velocity was significantly higher; p<0.001 in preeclamptic than normotensive
      women (6.7+/-1.5 vs 5.1+/-0.7) indicating arterial stiffness. Alx measured by the
      EndoPAT 2000 correlated with peripheral Alx (r=0.623, p<0.0001) and central Alx
      (r=0.60, p<0.0001) was measured by the SphygmoCor. This means that either of
      these parameters can be used to assess arterial stiffness. CONCLUSION: In this
      interim analysis, we have demonstrated that women with preeclampsia have
      increased pulse wave velocity and peripheral augmentation index suggesting
      vascular stiffness. Low RHI values indicate endothelial dysfunction in the
      general population; however our results showed a higher value in preeclampsia
      than in normal pregnancy. Could there be other factors responsible for RHI in
      pregnancy?

PMID- 26105341
TI  - PP018 Cardiac reflex responses measured by impedance cardiography are different
      between low and high cardiac output pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia (PE) has been categorised into subtypes depending on
      low or high cardiac output (CO) states. Are cardiac reflex responses (CRR)
      different between these two subtypes? OBJECTIVES: Impedance cardiography (ICG)
      measurements of cardiac cycle time intervals (CCTI) before and after orthostatic
      challenge are evaluated in the clinical phase of PE with low and high CO (LPE and
      HPE, respectively). METHODS: Examinations were performed in 25 LPE (CO?7l/min)
      and 16 HPE (CO?9l/min). A third generation ICG device using a four electrode
      arrangement (NICCOMO, Medis, Germany) was used to measure CCTI in supine position
      and after moving to upright position. The pre-ejection period (PEP) is the time
      interval between ventricular depolarisation and start of aortic flow. The left
      ventricular ejection time (LVET) is the time-interval between opening and closing
      of the aortic valve. Systolic time ratio (STR) is PEP/LVET. Diastolic time (DT)
      is the heart period duration - (PEP+LVET). Time intervals were expressed as a
      percentage of the heart period duration, i.e. PEPi, LVETi and DTi. Orthostatic
      induced changes from supine to upright position (cardiac reflex response or CRR)
      were evaluated using One-sample Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests. All CRRs were
      compared between LPE and HPE using Mann-Whitney U tests. Data are presented as
      medians (interquartile ranges). RESULTS: Maternal age was comparable between LPE
      and HPE [29 (26-34) vs 28 (26-33) years; p=0.55]. This was also true for
      gestational age [34 (30-38) vs 36 (31-39) weeks; p=0.50], and pre-gestational BMI
      [24 (22-30) vs 25 (24-32); p=0.21]. Birth weight percentiles were lower in LPE
      compared to HPE [18 (5-31) vs 44 (18-83); p<0.01]. CRRs within each group are
      shown in Table 1. CRRs of PEP, PEPi and DT were different between LPE and HPE
      [p?0.04], whereas changes in LVET, LVETi, DTi and STR were not [p?0.09]. Reflex
      induced changes of diastolic blood pressure and heart rate (HR) were not
      significantly different between LPE and HPE [p?0.41]. CONCLUSION: Orthostasis
      does not change PEP in HPE, but induces a significant increase of PEP in LPE. PEP
      is dependent on HR, preload, afterload and sympathetic activity. There is no
      difference in the reflex-induced response of HR, DBP (~afterload), and STR
      (~sympathetic activity) between the two groups. This suggests that the
      orthostatic-induced change in the isovolumetric contraction time in LPE is
      preload-induced. Our observations suggest that hemodynamic background mechanisms
      behind LPE and HPE are different, and support the view that these subtypes are
      two different clinical entities.

PMID- 26105342
TI  - PP019 The role of renal markers in women with and without preeclampsia:
      Evaluation of urinary excretion of podocytes and proteins.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) is an important cause of glomerulopathy.
      Assessment of renal markers during pregnancy may have a predictive value for
      glomerular disease later in life. The early detection of PE may prevent the
      complications of this syndrome. OBJECTIVES: Assess the glomerular involvement in
      PE and in normal pregnancy by evaluating renal markers such as podocyturia and
      proteinuria. METHODS: Case-control study with 39 pregnant women after 20 weeks of
      gestation (control group - CG with n=25 and PE with n=14), we assessed
      podocyturia (cytospin method) and proteinuria (albuminuria, urine
      protein:creatinine - PCR, urinary retinol protein - RBP and albumin/creatinine
      ratio - ACR). (Grant FAPESP 08/56338-1) RESULTS: Mean+/-standard deviation of age
      and mean gestational age of CG were 26.9+/-6.4years and 37.1+/-5.0weeks and of
      PE, 26.4+/-6.9 and 30.6+/-5.6, respectively (p=0.001). No statistical differences
      were found between podocyturia in CG and PE although it was more frequent in this
      last group (p=0.258). Podocyte cells and parietal epithelial cells were detected
      in the slides. Mean+/-standard deviation of urinary RBP (p=0.017), albuminuria
      (p=0.002) and UAC ratio (p=0.006) of CG were 0.4+/-0.7mg/L, 7.3+/-6.9mg/L and
      8.2+/-6.7mg/g and of PE, 2.0+/-4.4mg/L, 2267.4+/-2130.8mg/L (p=0.002) and
      3778.9+/-4296.6mg/g (p=0.006), respectively. Mean value+/-standard deviation of
      urine PCR in PE was 6.7+/-6.1g/g (p=< 0.001). CONCLUSION: Urinary RBP, PCR,
      albuminuria and UAC ratio were elevated in PE in comparison to CG indicating its
      glomerular involvement but there was no correlation between those renal
      parameters and podocyturia. RPC and UAC ratios were good predictors of PE, but
      not podocyturia. Either podocyte cells as parietal epithelial cells were detected
      in the urine, these findings may indicate a non-invasive marker for renal disease
      activity but more studies are required to determine its role in PE.

PMID- 26105343
TI  - PP020 Association between renal dysfunction and angiogenic factors in
      preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hyperuricemia is a common finding in preeclamptic pregnancies and
      proteinuria, as well as hypertension are markers of preeclampsia. Production of
      anti-angiogenic proteins seems to be involved in the pathophysiology of
      hypertension and proteinuria in preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this
      study was to evaluate whether there is an association between renal function and
      changes in serum levels of angiogenic factors in preeclamptic patients. METHODS:
      Serum was obtained from 83 preeclamptic patients in the last trimester of
      pregnancy for determination of uric acid. Placental growth factor (PlGF),
      vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and soluble form of vascular
      endothelial growth factor receptor (sVEGFR-1) were evaluated in serum by an
      enzyme immunoassay. Proteinuria was determined in a 24-h urine collection. The
      concentration of angiogenic factors was compared with serum uric acid levels
      (<6mg/dL vs ?6mg/dL) and with proteinuria levels (<2g vs ?2g). Statistical
      analysis was performed using non-parametric tests with significance level set at
      5%. RESULTS: In 40% of women with preeclampsia serum uric acid levels were
      ?6mg/dL, and proteinuria concentration ?2g was detected in 41% of patients.
      Positive correlation was observed between uric acid and proteinuria levels
      (r=0.7274; p<0.0001). Serum levels of PIGF were significantly lower in
      preeclamptic women with serum uric acid level ?6mg/dL compared with women with
      serum uric acid <6mg/dL (median 48.46 vs 117.32pg/mL). Significant difference
      between proteinuria ?2g and <2g was detected in relation to serum levels of PIGF
      (median 47.58 vs 114.24pg/mL), VEGF (median 25.35 vs 33.74pg/mL) and sVEGFR-1
      (median 5386 vs 4605pg/mL). CONCLUSION: Elevation in circulating uric acid as
      well as proteinuria in preeclamptic women is associated with an altered
      angiogenic balance, suggesting that angiogenic factors may be involved in kidney
      dysfunction.

PMID- 26105344
TI  - PP021 Outcomes for adolescent women and their pregnancies in greater Western
      Sydney.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) are a common complication
      of pregnancy. It is widely believed that this is a more common complication of
      adolescent pregnancies. Adolescent pregnancies are generally primiparous and
      result in earlier delivery, and these factors put them at a greater risk of
      preeclampsia. However, the generally lower blood pressure of the group should act
      as a protective measure against this. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this investigation
      was to compare the adolescent age group (maternal age <20years at time of
      recruitment) to those in the 20-34years age group in terms of their change in
      blood pressure and diagnosis of HDP and preeclampsia. Immediate obstetric
      outcomes (gestation at delivery, birthweight and mode of delivery) were also
      compared. METHODS: Questionnaires were administered to pregnant women at
      Campbelltown and Liverpool hospitals as part of a much broader study looking at
      sleep disordered breathing in pregnancy. Data collected included demographic
      information, pregnancy blood pressure readings, pregnancy complications, delivery
      type and neonatal outcomes. Adolescents (Group 1 age <20years) were compared to
      older women (Group 2 aged 20-34years) utilizing Student's t-tests analysed with
      IBM SPSS v.19TM. RESULTS: Results were available on 2306 women, 108 in Group 1
      and 2198 in Group 2. Adolescents had a lower booking systolic blood pressure
      (105mmHg and 109mmHg, p<0.005) and diastolic blood pressure (63mmHg and 65mmHG,
      p<0.002) than older women respectively. There was no statistical difference in
      the highest recorded systolic blood pressure antenatally (119mmHg and 121mmHg,
      p<0.06) nor the highest recorded diastolic blood pressure readings between Groups
      1 and 2 respectively (74mmHg and 75mmHg, p=0.6). There was no difference in the
      rates of HDP between the groups (8.3% and 8.2%, p=0.8) nor the rates of
      preeclampsia (2.8% and 2.9%, p=1.0). CONCLUSION: Although adolescents have lower
      booking blood pressures than their older peers, their highest antenatal blood
      pressure readings are similar and they have the same incidence of HDP and
      preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105345
TI  - PP022 The haemostatic suture (technique of B-Lynch) may be an alternative to
      control uterine hemorrhage associated with hypertensive disorders.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Postpartum haemorrhage is an important cause of maternal morbidity
      and mortality, uterine atony being responsible for most of the cases.
      Hypertensive disorders are supposed to increase the possibility of such
      complications, mainly when complicated by "abruptio placentae". The classical
      treatments for postpartum haemorrhage have been based on medications like
      oxytocin and misoprostol, but more recently a haemostatic uterine suture
      developed by Christopher B-Lynch has been indicated. Here, we describe our
      experience of performing such technique and investigate its results in patients
      complicated by hypertensive disorders. OBJECTIVES: Reporting a series of cases of
      postpartum haemorrhage treated with the B-Lynch suture. METHODS: This is a
      descriptive study including 39 patients treated with the B-Lynch suture after
      postpartum haemorrhage related to uterine atony. The period evaluated was between
      January 2005 and February 2012. Intravascular oxytocin was routinely used in all
      cases, with doses changing from 20 to 60 IU. The suture material used was chromed
      catgut 1.0mm. RESULTS: The mode of delivery was cesarean-section in all cases.
      Five patients (12.8%) had hypertensive disorder as additional complication and
      one of these patients had abruptio placentae followed by development of
      Couvelaire uterus. Overall, the B-Lynch technique helped to control haemorrhage
      in all cases evaluated. CONCLUSION: We believe that the B-Lynch technique appears
      as an important procedure to be indicated in cases of postpartum haemorrhage.
      Therefore, we recommend that this technique should be tried to control such
      complications before deciding for other more aggressive procedures like
      hysterectomy. It seems that this treatment may be used in patients complicated by
      hypertensive disorders.

PMID- 26105346
TI  - PP023. Unexpected random urinary protein: creatinine ratio results - Insightsfrom
      clinician-laboratory medicine collaboration.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Proteinuria assessment is important in pregnancy, particularly in
      determining whether or not a woman has pre-eclampsia. The random protein to
      creatinine ratio (PrCr) has been recommended as a confirmatory test for dipstick
      proteinuria in pregnancy, defined as random PrCr ?30mg/mmol. However, it has been
      our clinical impression that women with normal pregnancy outcomes have
      fluctuating or persistently elevated PrCr values. OBJECTIVES: As the primary goal
      of proteinuria testing in pregnancy should be to identify women at increased risk
      of adverse outcomes, we sought to explore our clinical impression that an
      elevated PrCr is seen not infrequently in pregnancies with normal outcome.
      METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, consecutive inpatients or outpatients
      (attending high-risk maternity clinics) were evaluated at a tertiary care
      facility. Random midstream urine samples were obtained as part of normal clinical
      care. Urine protein was measured using a pyrocatechol violet molybdate dye
      binding method, and urine creatinine by an enzymatic method, both on an automated
      analyser (Vitros(r) 5.1 FS or Vitros(r) 5600, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics,
      Rochester, NY) followed by PrCr calculation. Maternal and perinatal outcomes were
      abstracted from the hospital case notes. RESULTS: 160 women (81.9% outpatients)
      were screened at one/more antenatal visits providing a total of 233 samples for
      analysis. Ninety one (39.1%) samples had a random PrCr ?30 mg/mmol. This result
      was more common when urinary creatinine concentration was <3mM [64 (94.1%)]
      compared with ?3mM [27 (16.4%)], even among the 32 (20.0%) women with known
      normal pregnancy outcome [(13 (92.9%) vs. 0 (0%), respectively] (Panel A). In
      dilution studies using the same automated analyser, urinary protein (at a
      concentration of 0.12g/L) was 'detected' in deionised, double-distilled water.
      Method-specific re-analysis of data from two other published cohorts from our
      centre revealed substantially less inflation of PrCr values in dilute 24h urine
      samples tested using a pyrogallol red dye-binding based protein assay. When
      results were categorized according to urinary creatinine <3mM vs. ?3mM, PrCr
      ?30mg/mmol occurred in 12 (66.7%) vs. 99 (55.3%) respectively (p=0.35) in a 24-h
      urine completeness cohort and 92 (73.6%) vs. 313 (64.9%) respectively (p=0.07) in
      a cohort of women hospitalised for pre-eclampsia (Panel B). CONCLUSION: Random
      urinary PrCr results may be inflated in dilute urines because of overestimation
      of proteinuria in a common pyrocatechol violet dye-based method. This inflation
      was reduced but not eliminated when the dye used was pyrogallol red. Analytical
      methods do matter in the assessment of proteinuria in pregnant women. It may be
      prudent to consider the potential for falsely positive PrCr ?30mg/mmol in dilute
      urine, and to order PrCr testing on first voided (concentrated) urines whenever
      possible.

PMID- 26105347
TI  - PP024. Random urine albumin: Creatinine ratio in high-risk pregnancy - Is it
      clinically useful?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The albumin:creatinine ratio (ACr) is the newest of available
      methods of proteinuria assessment in pregnancy. Published cut-offs for detection
      of ?0.3g/d proteinuria vary from 2mg/mmol to 8mg/mmol. Up to 20% of women have an
      elevated ACr in pregnancy but normal outcome. In addition, it is our impression
      that the urine albumin component of the ACr is frequently below the detection
      limit of the assay. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the frequency with which a measurable
      ACr can be obtained in a high-risk outpatient maternity population. METHODS: In
      this prospective cohort study, consecutive inpatients or outpatients (attending
      primarily morning high-risk maternity clinics) were evaluated at a tertiary care
      facility. Random midstream urine samples were obtained as part of normal clinical
      care. In the hospital laboratory, urinary albumin was measured using an
      immunoturbidimetric method, and urinary creatinine by an enzymatic method, both
      on an automated analyser (Vitros(r) 5,1 FS or Vitros(r) 5600, Ortho-Clinical
      Diagnostics, Rochester NY). ACr was calculated for samples with measurable urine
      albumin, and for samples with albumin below the assay range, ACr was calculated
      using the assay cut-off for albumin of 6.00mg/L. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty
      women (81.9% outpatients) were screened at one/more antenatal visits, providing a
      total of 233 urine samples for analysis. 68 (29.2%) urine samples were dilute
      (i.e., had urinary creatinine <3mM); only 13 (19.1%) of these had measurable
      urinary albumin for calculation of the ACr. Overall, 117/233 samples (50.2%) had
      measurable urine albumin that could be used to calculate the ACr. 76 (65.0%) had
      ACr >2mg/mmol and 34 (29.1%) had ACr >8mg/mmol. For the 116/233 (49.8%) samples
      with urine albumin below the assay detection limit, ACr was calculated using
      6.00mg/L as the value for urine albumin. All of the 55 dilute samples had an ACr
      >2mg/mmol and 3 (2.6%) had an ACr >8mg/mmol. If dilute samples were excluded,
      none of the remaining 61 samples had an ACr value >2mg/mmol. CONCLUSION: Among a
      population of pregnant women attending primarily morning high-risk maternity
      clinics, urine is often dilute and urine albumin is often below the assay
      detection limit. This combination may result in uninterpretable ACr values if an
      ACr cut-off of 2mg/mmol is used as the decision limit for proteinuria ?0.3g/d.
      ACr may be best performed on first voided (concentrated) urine if ACr is used to
      assess proteinuria in pregnancy.

PMID- 26105348
TI  - PP025. Urinary dipstick proteinuria testing - Does automated strip analysis offer
      an advantage over visual testing?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The visual urinary test strip is widely accepted for screening for
      proteinuria in pregnancy, given the convenience of the method and its low cost.
      However, test strips are known to lack sensitivity and specificity. The 2010 NICE
      (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) guidelines for management
      of pregnancy hypertension have recommended the use of an automated test strip
      reader to confirm proteinuria (http://nice.org.uk/CG107). Superior diagnostic
      test performance of an automated (vs. visual) method has been proposed based on
      reduced subjectivity. OBJECTIVES: To compare the diagnostic test properties of
      automated vs. visual read urine dipstick testing for detection of a random
      protein:creatinine ratio (PrCr) of ?30mg/mmol. METHODS: In this prospective
      cohort study, consecutive inpatients or outpatients (obstetric medicine and high
      risk maternity clinics) were evaluated at a tertiary care facility. Random
      midstream urine samples (obtained as part of normal clinical care) were split
      into two aliquots. The first underwent a point-of-care testing for proteinuria
      using both visual (Multistix 10SG, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Inc.,
      Tarrytown NY) and automated (Chemstrip 10A, Roche Diagnostics, Laval QC) test
      strips, the latter read by an analyser (Urisys 1100(r), Roche Diagnostics, Laval
      QC). The second aliquot was sent to the hospital laboratory for analysis of
      urinary protein using a pyrocatechol violet molybdate dye-binding method, and
      urinary creatinine using an enzymatic method, both on an automated analyser
      (Vitros(r) 5,1 FS or Vitros(r) 5600, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Rochester NY);
      random PrCr ratios were calculated in the laboratory. Following exclusion of
      dilute samples with urinary creatinine concentration <3mM (given inflation of
      PrCr values in dilute urine by our method), diagnostic test properties were
      determined for visual and automated dipstick proteinuria testing (?1+) for
      detection of a random PrCr ?30mg/mmol. RESULTS: 160 women (81.9% outpatients)
      were screened at one/more antenatal visits, providing a total of 233 urine
      samples for analysis. Both visual and automated read urinary dipstick testing
      showed low sensitivity (56.0% and 53.9%, respectively). Positive likelihood
      ratios (LR+) and 95% CI were 15.0 [5.9,37.9] and 24.6 [7.6,79.6], respectively.
      Negative LR (LR-) were 0.46 [0.29,0.71] and 0.47 [0.31,0.72], respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Automated dipstick urinalysis is not more sensitive than visual read
      urinalysis for detection of proteinuria in a primarily outpatient setting in
      pregnancy. Both have excellent LR+ but only fair to poor LR- as previously
      recognised for visual dipstick testing. Performance of automated strip analysis
      testing may vary with the test strips and analyser used.

PMID- 26105349
TI  - PP026. Hyperuricemia in the prognosis of adverse perinatal outcomes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Elevated uric acid levels during the first or third trimester of
      gestation have been associated with poor perinatal outcomes in women with
      hypertensive pregnancies. OBJECTIVES: Investigate whether uric acid levels are
      related to adverse perinatal outcomes in Chilean hypertensive women. METHODS: It
      is a post-hoc analysis from a retrospective study including clinical records
      (n=416) of women with diagnosis of hypertension in pregnancy treated in the
      Hospital Clinico Herminda Martin, Chillan, Chile. From these records, 86 showed
      quantification of uric acid plasma levels at the moment of hypertension diagnosis
      ((3) 140/90mmHg; at 34+/-5weeks). Women were divided into three groups,
      considering uric acid levels below 25th percentile (Low group, n=27, <3.7mg/dl),
      from 25th to 75th percentile (Middle group, n=38, 3.8 to 5.7mg/dl) and above 75th
      percentile (High group, n=21, >5.8mg/dl) for the studied population. RESULTS: In
      the entire group of hypertensive women, the uric acid/creatinine ratio was
      positively related to hospitalization days (p=0.04), and negatively associated
      with newborn weight (p=0.02) and size (p=0.01). ANOVA analysis did not show
      statistical differences in age, parity, systolic, diastolic or media blood
      pressure, body mass index, proteinuria, hepatic enzymes or hypoxia perinatal in
      women with low, middle or high uric acid levels. However, women with high uric
      acid levels showed a longer-hospitalization period (~1.2days more), less platelet
      count (~40*10(3)/ml) and high creatinine plasma levels (~0.2mg/dl) and their
      babies showed less birth weight (~800g) and were smaller (~3cm) compared with
      women with low uric acid levels. Relative risk of intrauterine growth restriction
      in women with high levels of uric acid was 1.3 (CI, 0.96 to 1.73) compared with
      women with low levels. CONCLUSION: These data reinforce the general agreement
      about the utility of hyperuricemia in the prognosis of adverse perinatal outcomes
      in hypertensive pregnancies.

PMID- 26105350
TI  - PP027. Variation of urinary protein/creatinine ratio during the day in women
      suspected for preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105351
TI  - PP028. To assess maternal and neonatal outcomes of women on an antihypertensive
      agent with gestational hypertension, chronic hypertension or preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is a lack of evidence regarding antihypertensive medicine use
      in pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: To compare maternal and neonatal outcomes of women on
      an antihypertensive agent with gestational hypertension (GHTN), chronic
      hypertension (CHTN) and preeclampsia (preE). METHODS: The Consortium on Safe
      Labor electronic database from 19 hospitals across the US with 228,668 deliveries
      during 2002-2008 was used to extract data on gravidas with GHTN, CHTN, and preE
      on a calcium channel blocker, methyldopa, or beta blocker. Univariate and
      multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: There were 637 women on beta
      blockers, 207 on calcium channel blockers, 249 on Methyldopa, and 6869 women with
      hypertension on no agent (control group). Women on beta blockers had an increased
      risk of ICU admission, OR 3.74 (95% CI 1.8-7.6). Risk of thrombosis was increased
      in women on beta blockers, OR 3.6 (95% CI 1.4-9.2) and calcium channel blockers,
      OR 10.6 (95% CI 3.8-29.2). There was no increased risk of small for gestational
      age babies. There was a small, increased risk of NICU admission for babies of
      women on calcium channel blockers, OR 1.7 (95% CI 1.2-2.6) and methyldopa, OR 1.9
      (95% CI 1.4-2.7). CONCLUSION: Beta and calcium channel blocker use was associated
      with significant risks of morbidity compared to Methyldopa use by gravid women
      with hypertensive disease.

PMID- 26105352
TI  - PP029. Gestational hypertension and birth weight in twin pregnancies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It is well known that hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are most
      frequent in twin pregnancies than in singleton ones. As demonstrated by a
      previous work of our group, twin pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia are
      associated with a higher rate of "small for gestational age" (SGA) neonates and
      inter-twin weight discordance than normotensive ones. OBJECTIVES: The present
      study investigates the effect of gestational hypertension (GH) on neonatal birth
      weight, inter-twin weight discordance and growth restriction rate among twin
      pregnancies. METHODS: A 26 year retrospective study was undertaken by examining
      196 twin pregnancies complicated by GH, from January 1, 1980 to December 31,
      2006, and comparing them to 912 normotensive twin pregnancies. RESULTS: No
      significant differences were observed between the two groups in relationship to
      birth weight, inter-twin weight discordance and growth restriction rate, with a
      trend towards a higher birth weight in GH group. In normotensive group, the
      discordance >25% was associated with a lower gestational age at the delivery
      (p<0.00001). Moreover, the rate of pregnancies with SGA second twin gradually
      rose while paralleling the degree of discordance. CONCLUSION: Contrary to
      preeclampsia in twin pregnancies the outcome of those complicated by GH is
      similar to normotensive ones. The trend towards a higher birth weight in GH seems
      apparently paradoxical, but it may reflect the role of uncomplicated hypertension
      in twin pregnancies: the increased blood pressure could be a physiologic response
      for more blood nutrient supply to the fetuses.

PMID- 26105353
TI  - PP030. Cardiovascular disease and risk in a pregnant woman's father as a risk
      factor for preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In women experiencing their first pregnancy the assessment of risk
      of developing a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP) including preeclampsia
      is imprecise. Identification of women at higher than normal risk of developing
      preeclampsia may improve pregnancy management and lead to better outcomes.
      Previous studies, mostly retrospective, have indicated a possible link between
      cardiovascular history and risk of preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the self
      reported family history of cardiovascular disease and risk (CVD/R) during an
      antenatal interview as a means of screening for risk of developing preeclampsia
      or other HDP. METHODS: Nulliparous women were recruited prospectively in early
      pregnancy before diagnosis of any HDP. Women reported on their maternal
      characteristics and the history of cardiovascular health in themselves, their
      parents and siblings and the father of the baby and his parents and siblings.
      Cardiovascular health was assessed as cardiovascular risk (high blood pressure,
      high cholesterol and diabetes) and cardiovascular disease (heart attack, stroke,
      angina and any major vascular surgery). Pregnancy outcomes were recorded after
      delivery, the diagnoses of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and
      superimposed preeclampsia being assigned according to the criteria defined by
      SOMANZ, 2008. A nominal logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the
      effects of family history on risk of developing HDP while adjusting for clinical
      risk factors known at the time of recruitment. RESULTS: Nine hundred and ninety
      seven women completed the study. Median gestational age at recruitment was
      31.3weeks (Interquartile range [IQR] 24.4-35.9, range 5.6-39.1). Median age was
      27.0years (IQR 23.0-32.0, range 16.0-45.0), median BMI was 28.6 (IQR 24.8-36.4,
      range 16.7-64.4) and 76.4% of the women did not smoke during the pregnancy.
      Preeclampsia was diagnosed in 12.6% of the women (103/997 preeclampsia, 23/997
      superimposed) and 6.2% developed gestational hypertension (62/997). CVD/R was
      reported by 22.3% of mothers (including 1.7% of CVD alone) and in 9.3% of the
      partners (including 1.7% of CVD alone). Women reported CVD/R in 39.1% of their
      mothers (including 6.5% CVD alone) and in 42.2% (including 13.3% CVD alone) of
      their fathers. Women reported CVD/R in 30.3% (including 6.1% CVD alone) of the
      partners' mothers and in 38.9% (including 15.0% CVD alone) of the partners'
      fathers. Women who knew of CVD/R in their fathers had increased risk of
      preeclampsia (16.2% vs. 10.1%; Odds Ratio [OR]=.66 95% Confidence Interval [CI]
      1.16-2.36, p=.005) that remained elevated after adjustments for maternal age,
      BMI, smoking in pregnancy and maternal CVD/R. No similar increase in risk of
      gestational hypertension was evident (7.4% vs. 5.4%; OR=1.31 95% CI0.81
      2.10,p=0.272). CVD/R reported for any other family member did not significantly
      alter the woman's risk of developing preeclampsia or any other HDP. CONCLUSION:
      The presence of a history of CVD/R in the father of the pregnant woman indicated
      an increased risk of developing preeclampsia. The possibility of a similar
      association between CVD/R in other family members and HDP may exist however women
      in their first pregnancy may not have sufficient knowledge of family history.
      This lack of comprehensive information may limit the potential value of family
      history in determining the risk of preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders
      in pregnancy.

PMID- 26105354
TI  - PP031. The prevalence of microalbuminuria following preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: About 7years after preeclampsia, the prevalence of microalbuminuria
      is reported to be around 30% [1]. As proteinuria resolves in most cases within
      two years of post partum, [2] this raises the question of whether
      microalbuminuria first regresses after preeclampsia or persists. OBJECTIVES: This
      cross-sectional study describes the prevalence of microalbuminuria in the years
      following preeclampsia. METHODS: Women with a history of preeclampsia (n=823)
      were evaluated 4-180months after delivery. Women with pre-existing hypertension,
      renal disease or diabetes mellitus were excluded (n=65). In a 24h urine
      collection we determined total protein (pyrogallol red), microalbuminuria
      (turbidometry, Cobas Bio and since 2007 nephelometry, BN ProSpec) and creatinine
      (Jaffe method). Microalbuminuria was considered to be present when there was
      ?3.5mg/mmol of creatinine. Proteinuria was defined as a total protein level of
      ?300mg/24h. RESULTS: Microalbuminuria was present in 12.0%, CI 9.7-14.6 and
      proteinuria in 2.7%, CI 1.7-4.1 of all cases. Microalbuminuria decreased up to
      40months postpartum, but increased after that period of time (p=0.01 compared
      with 24-40months). CONCLUSION: This study suggests a U-shaped microalbuminuria
      pattern over time. Longitudinal research is necessary to confirm this.

PMID- 26105355
TI  - PP032. Unique features of long-term cardiovascular phenotype in young women with
      early-onset pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Early-onset preeclampsia is associated with a greater risk of
      cardiovascular disease than late-onset preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: We tested the
      hypothesis that young women, with previous early-onset preeclampsia, have unique
      differences in long term cardiovascular phenotype compared to late-onset
      preeclampsia or normal pregnancy. METHODS: 140 women (mean age 40 yrs) were
      followed up 6-13years following pregnancy. 90 had had preeclampsia (45 early
      onset (before 34 weeks of gestation), 45 late onset) and 50 had normotensive
      uncomplicated pregnancies. Women with cardiovascular risk factors present before
      pregnancy were excluded. Fasting lipids, glucose, insulin and circulating
      cytokines were measured. Central blood pressure (BP) and arterial stiffness
      (pulse wave velocity (PWV)/augmentation index (AI)) were assessed by applanation
      tonometry, common carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) by ultrasound and
      cutaneous capillary density by intravital microscopy. 46 women returned for
      assessment of cardiac structure and function by magnetic resonance and
      echocardiography as well as ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. RESULTS: All
      women with a previous history of preeclampsia had 5-10mmHg higher peripheral and
      central BP (P<0.001) as well as elevated total: HDL cholesterol (P<0.003),
      insulin resistance (P<0.04) and circulating TNFalpha (P<0.007). They also had
      increased arterial stiffness (P<0.04) and cIMT (P<0.005). Cardiac size and
      systolic function were preserved but there was evidence of abnormal diastolic
      relaxation (E/E' -P<0.04). In contrast early-onset preeclampsia was associated
      with characteristic differences in peri-pregnancy blood pressure, long term
      ambulatory measures and microvascular function. CONCLUSION: Early onset
      preeclampsia is associated with unique features in long term cardiovascular
      phenotype. Pregnancy disease characteristics may identify women at greatest
      potential benefit from monitoring and primary prevention.

PMID- 26105356
TI  - PP033. High blood pressure in pregnancy: an indicator of future health outcomes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) remain a leading cause of
      maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Australia
      approximately 10% of all pregnancies are affected by HDP. There is growing
      evidence that endothelial damage caused by HDP remains after pregnancy and has
      long term consequences on maternal health. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our research
      was to determine the association between HDP and risk of having high blood
      pressure in later life. METHODS: Self-reported data regarding a physician's
      diagnosis of HDP and of high blood pressure later in life were obtained from
      women recruited from the 45 and Up Study, Australia. Relative risks (converted
      from odds ratios) and 99% confidence intervals were estimated using logistic
      regression, adjusting for demographic and lifestyle characteristics. RESULTS: A
      total of 82,164 women were included in the study, of which 9,845 reported having
      HDP. Women who had HDP had a significantly increased risk of having high blood
      pressure later in life compared to women who did not have HDP (adjusted relative
      risk of 2.05, 99% CI 1.99-2.11, p<0.001). The results showed that women who had
      HDP develop high blood pressure 6.3 years (99% CI 5.85-6.66, p<0.001) earlier
      compared to women without HDP. CONCLUSION: Women who have HDP are at a greater
      risk of future onset of high blood pressure compared to women who have a healthy
      pregnancy. Women with HDP should be monitored closely in the years following
      pregnancy for early identification and intervention of high blood pressure.

PMID- 26105357
TI  - PP035. Placental klotho protein in preeclampsia: A possible link to long term
      outcomes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: An aging-suppressor gene, klotho, is a candidate factor for
      vascular disease because its deficiency leads to impaired endothelium-dependent
      vasodilation and impaired angiogenesis. Although klotho protein is predominantly
      expressed in the kidney, it is detected in a limited number of other tissues,
      such as the placenta, ovary, prostate gland, and small intestine. This protein is
      involved in several metabolic pathways such as calcium and phosphate homeostasis,
      the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), apoptosis, angiotensin-II-induced
      events in the kidney and oxidative stress. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to assess the
      expression of the klotho gene in the placenta from pregnancies affected by severe
      preeclampsia. METHODS: Placentas were collected from normal pregnancies (n=12)
      and pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia (n=12), matched for gestational age.
      Klotho mRNA and protein were determined using real-time quantitative polymerase
      chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS: Real-Time PCR
      analyses demonstrated a significant (p=0.005) 83% down-regulation of Klotho in
      patients with Preeclampsia versus Controls. Results of Western Blot agreed with
      those from Real-Time PCR. CONCLUSION: Klotho mRNA expression in the placenta is
      decreased in preeclamptic pregnancies. Given its role in cardiovascular disease
      in aging, it may link preeclamptic mothers and their offsprings to long term
      cardiovascular outcomes.

PMID- 26105358
TI  - PP034. Cardiovascular outcomes remote from pregnancy in women with HDP: 23
      32years following delivery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality
      worldwide in women aged >54years. There is a strong association between HDP and
      the development of hypertension in later life. OBJECTIVES: To ascertain the
      current health profile of some of the women who were diagnosed with a HDP and
      participated in a trial during the time period of 1980-1989 and to examine the
      association between the two. METHODS: Women who delivered at a major teaching
      hospital during the designated time period and who were enrolled at that time in
      trials examining HDP treatments and outcomes were invited to participate in a
      health status evaluation. Their medical histories, time sequenced blood pressure
      readings, urinalysis, BMI and pulse wave analysis were compared using standard
      statistical techniques of Chi-square analysis and Student's t-tests obtained from
      IBM SPSS v.19TM. RESULTS: Thirty-nine women from the trials were available for
      follow-up. Of these women, 85% had current CVD, of which 88% had hypertension,
      59% hypercholesterolaemia and 3% had experienced a CVA. Compared to the general
      female population of 22% for CVD this equates to a RR of 7.2 (CI 95% 3.042
      15.13). CONCLUSION: HDP is associated with an increased risk of CVD compared to
      the general female population. Women who experience HDP in their pregnancy should
      be monitored regularly due to an increased risk of CVD and potentially early
      onset of the disease.

PMID- 26105359
TI  - PP036. Cardiovascular disease risk factors among women with a history of
      placental abruption.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Several studies have shown that the risk of premature
      cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increased after maternal placental syndromes
      (MPS), including hypertensive disorders and placental abruption. Although a high
      prevalence of CVD risk factors has been observed for women with a history of
      preeclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension, it is unclear whether patients
      with previous placental abruption exhibit the same cardiovascular risk profile.
      OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of placental abruption with the
      presence of modifiable CVD risk factors that may be of potential use for
      prevention programs. METHODS: We performed a case-control study of 75 women with
      a history of placental abruption and a control group of 79 women with uneventful
      pregnancies. At 6-9months postpartum we measured the following CVD risk factors:
      blood pressure, body-mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose levels, total
      cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and CRP. Baseline
      variables in the two groups with and without a previous abruption were expressed
      as means and standard deviations (SD). Where appropriate, means were adjusted for
      potential confounders using a generalized linear model. Data were further
      stratified for women with or without additional MPS-related complications, i.e.
      preeclampsia, gestational hypertension and intrauterine growth restriction.
      RESULTS: Women who experienced placental abruption had a significantly higher
      systolic and diastolic blood pressures, BMI, fasting blood glucose levels, CRP,
      total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and cholesterol/HDL ratio, as
      compared to controls. These associations remained significant in women with
      previous placental abruption without concomitant other MPS only for plasma lipid
      profile, BMI and fasting blood glucose levels, but not for diastolic and systolic
      blood pressure. CONCLUSION: A history of placental abruption is independently
      associated with increased BMI, fasting blood glucose levels, total cholesterol
      and LDL-cholesterol postpartum. Early detection of CVD risk factors in women with
      previous placental abruption offers an attractive opportunity for primary and
      secondary prevention.

PMID- 26105360
TI  - PP037. Family history of cardiovascular disease and maternal vascular function
      during early pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women with a family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) have an
      increased risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. Pregnancy is
      associated with increased physical demands on the cardiovascular system and
      hemodynamic changes. Cardiac output increases by about 40-50%, blood volume by 10
      20% and vascular resistance decreases. OBJECTIVES: Our hypotheses was that women
      with a family history of CVD fail to have an adequate cardiovascular adaptation
      during pregnancy. METHODS: Fifty healthy women with singleton viable pregnancies
      were included in the study who were recorded in the Ultrasound Department of
      UltraGyn Stockholm, Sweden for ultrasound dating in gestational week of 11-14. Of
      these, 25 women had a family history of CVD which was defined as having at least
      one first degree relative with the diagnosis of premature hypertension,
      myocardial infarct or stroke before the age of 55 (men) or 65 (women). Twenty
      five healthy women without a family history were included as controls. Smokers
      were excluded. Blood pressure was measured in the upper left arm in a
      conventional way. The pulse wave was registered in the radial artery (SphygmoCor
      Px and Vx, PWV Medical). The central blood pressure was calculated with a
      validated algorithm. The pulse wave was then registered in the femoral artery,
      the velocity was calculated and the arterial stiffness estimated. Flow mediated
      vasodilation was studied in the radial artery through measurement with ultrasound
      of diameter changes and blood flow before and after ischemia (Vivid 7, GE, 10MHz
      transducer). RESULTS: Systolic blood pressure in the upper left arm was
      significantly higher in women with a family history of CVD (median 109.5mmHg
      versus 105mmHg, p=0.04). Diastolic blood pressure did not differ. Aortic blood
      pressure also differed significantly in women with a family history of CVD, both
      systolic (median 95mmHg versus 86.3mmHg, p=0.0005) and diastolic (median 66mmHg
      versus 59.3mmHg, p=0.0024). No other results were significantly different. All
      values refer to examinations at gestational weeks 11-14. CONCLUSION: Changes in
      vascular function during the first trimester reflect important adaptations that
      are necessary for a normal pregnancy. Women with a family history of CVD had a
      significantly higher blood pressure at 11-14weeks of gestation although the
      values were within normal range. The pregnancy related decrease of vascular
      resistance may be less pronounced in women with a family history of CVD. Vascular
      function will be followed longitudinally during pregnancy and related to
      obstetric outcome in this group.

PMID- 26105361
TI  - PP039. The importance of intentionally considering class 1 HELLP syndrome
      outcomes versus all other categories of HELLP syndrome or severe preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Combining HELLP syndrome patient groups in publications and
      presentations may obfuscate any potential differences among patient groups with
      regard to maternal-perinatal outcomes and rendered therapies. OBJECTIVES: We
      explored the prevalence of major maternal morbidity (MMM) for patients with
      severe preeclampsia (SPRE) and each defined group of HELLP syndrome. METHODS:
      Retrospective cohort study 2000-2007 of patients categorized either as class 1
      HELLP syndrome (HELLP1, platelets?50,000, AST?70,LDH?600), class 2 (HELLP2,
      platelets>50,000 to ?100,000), class 3 (HELLP3, platelets>100,000 to ?150,000),
      or partial/incomplete (HELLP4) with only 2 of 3 diagnostic parameters present.
      All SPRE patients (no HELLP) of 2005-2007 were also evaluated. Total MMM for each
      group was determined. MMM included cardiopulmonary [cardiogenic or noncardiogenic
      pulmonary edema, pleural or pericardial effusion, pulmonary embolus, indicated
      intubation, myocardial infarction or arrest], hematologic/coagulation [DIC,
      transfused blood products], central nervous system/visual [stroke, cerebral
      edema, hypertensive encephalopathy, vision loss], hepatic [subcapsular hematoma
      or rupture] or renal complications [acute tubular necrosis or renal failure]. All
      HELLP1 and HELLP2 patients received corticosteroids, magnesium sulfate and anti
      hypertensives. Comparison among groups was done using Chi-square or Fisher exact
      test at 95% CI. RESULTS: Four hundred and twenty patients had a form of HELLP
      syndrome 2000-2007; 688 patients had SPRE 2005-2007.The prevalence of MMM for
      each patient group was determined: HELLP1=41.5%; HELLP2=10.3%; HELLP3=20.0%;
      HELLP4=21.0%; and SPRE=17.7%. MMM in HELLP1 was significantly increased over all
      other groups (P<0.001). Combining MMM for HELLP1+HELLP2 produced a prevalence of
      22.1% MMM, insignificantly different from all others including HELLP3, HELLP4 and
      SPRE (p=0.19), thereby obscuring the significantly elevated MMM of HELLP1
      patients. CONCLUSION: Only patients with HELLP1 have significantly increased MMM
      compared to other HELLP groups or SPRE. Failing to separately evaluate patients
      with HELLP1 in studies of HELLP syndrome could lead to mistaken conclusions about
      the effectiveness of a treatment to reduce MMM. All publications reviewing HELLP
      syndrome management should address how well it functions to reduce patient
      development of HELLP1 and thus minimize MMM.

PMID- 26105362
TI  - PP038. Are women with gestational hypertension or preeclampsia at an increased
      long term risk of kidney function impairment?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is known to cause impairment of kidney function in
      pregnancy, which manifests as proteinuria. Previous studies have found an
      association between preeclampsia and kidney disease but were restricted in their
      numbers or had a short follow up time. OBJECTIVES: To assess the long term
      effects of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy on kidney function in later life.
      METHODS: From the Aberdeen maternity and neonatal databank (AMND), we identified
      the first singleton pregnancy of all women with date of birth on or before 30th
      June 1969. These women were linked by means of their identifying information to
      the local renal biochemistry database (GRBD). GRBD captures all kidney function
      tests from primary and secondary care in the health region. A cohort study design
      was used to assess the odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for chronic
      kidney disease stage 1-5 (predefined based on internationally accepted KDOQI
      definition) occurring at least 1year following delivery. Those with gestational
      hypertension and preeclampsia were compared to normotensive women using
      multivariate logistic regression to adjust for potential confounders. RESULTS: A
      total of 14675 women who had been linked to the RBD and had complete information
      regarding age, socio-economic class, smoking category, and body mass index (BMI)
      were included in a multivariate model. The unadjusted odds ratio (95% confidence
      interval) of having chronic kidney disease (according to previously stated
      definition) in preeclamptic women was 2.04 (1.53,2.71) and that in women with
      gestational hypertension was 1.37 (1.15,1.65), while the adjusted odds ratio (95%
      confidence interval) of having chronic kidney disease was 1.93 (1.44,2.57) and
      1.36 (1.13,1.63) in preeclamptic women and women with gestational hypertension
      respectively compared to women who were normotensive in their first pregnancy.
      CONCLUSION: Women who had gestational hypertension or preeclampsia in their first
      pregnancy had a higher risk of impairment of renal function compared to women who
      were normotensive.

PMID- 26105363
TI  - PP041. The effect of exercise in pregnant women with chronic hypertension and/or
      previous preeclampsia on blood pressure and heart rate variability.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders during pregnancy are an important issue in
      global public health. Physical activity has been proposed as an important part of
      hypertension's treatment and has been studied as a possibility for the prevention
      of PE and its complications. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of exercise using
      stationary bicycle through blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) measurements
      in pregnant women with CH, previous PE pregnancies or both factors associated.
      METHODS: This randomized clinical trial (preliminary data) performed at the
      Women's Hospital Dr. Jose Aristodemo Pinotti - CAISM/Unicamp, Brazil, enrolled 52
      pregnant women presenting with CH, previous PE experience or both. Women from 12
      to 20 gestational weeks were selected from the prenatal outpatient clinic and
      randomly allocated to the study (SG) or non-interventional group (NIG). Women at
      the SG performed physical exercise using stationary bicycle (horizontal bench
      model) during 30min, once a week, under a physical therapist supervision. The HR
      was maintained at 20% above resting heart rate and up to 140 beats per minute. BP
      and HR measurements were evaluated before and after exercise in sitting position.
      The NIG followed a regular prenatal routine with weekly returns for HR and BP
      measurements. The BP (systolic and diastolic) and HR were analyzed comparing
      groups. The BP measurement was analyzed comparing before and after exercise in
      the SG. Significance was assumed as p<5%. RESULTS: We had 6 drop-outs in the SG
      and 5 in the NIG. A total of 41 pregnant women were analyzed (16 in the SG and 25
      in the NIG). The mean age was 32years and mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was 34.2+/
      7.0kg/m(2) in the SG and 34.5+/-8.4kg/m(2) in the NIG (p=0.91). Considering the
      sociodemographic and clinical characteristics the SG and NIG were similar and
      homogeneous. No statistical differences were observed between groups on systolic
      and diastolic BP and HR. However, BP at the end of the study in the
      interventional group was lower compared to pre-study BP. CONCLUSION: Pregnant
      women with CH, previous PE or both factors associated who did exercise using
      stationary bicycle, under supervision, once a week, did not present HR and BP
      changes in these preliminary data.

PMID- 26105364
TI  - PP040. Expression of RANTES (CCL5) in maternal plasma, fetal plasma and placenta
      in pre-eclampsia and normotensive controls.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Studies have shown pre-eclampsia (PE) as an exacerbation of
      gestational inflammatory process. RANTES (Regulated upon Activation, Normal T
      cell Expressed, and Secreted)/CCL5 is a chemokine, which is involved in chronic
      inflammation by the recruitment of inflammatory cells. It is secreted by many
      cell types such as endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, macrophages, platelets
      and activated T-cells. Thus we hypothesized that RANTES expression is altered in
      PE and may be different in gestational tissues (maternal plasma, fetal plasma and
      placenta). OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study is to analyze the expression of
      RANTES (CCL5) in three different tissues: maternal plasma, fetal plasma and
      placenta, in PE and normotensive controls (NC). METHODS: PE was diagnosed by the
      National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group Report on High Blood
      Pressure in Pregnancy guidelines. The patients were assisted in the Sao Lucas
      Hospital from PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil. Following ethical approval and
      informed written consent, maternal and umbilical plasma and placental biopsies
      were taken from 33 PE and 35 NC. Samples were centrifuged immediately after blood
      collection and plasma was stored at -80 degrees C until assay. Placental Biopsies
      were taken midway between the cord and periphery, from the central region of
      cotyledons and were stored as well. RANTES expression was made by the ELISA test,
      in duplicates. They were also analyzed in each group: maternal age, maternal
      parity, gestational age on delivery, glucose, body mass index, proteinuria
      creatinuria ratio, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP),
      delivery method, birth weight, placental weight and Apgar index in 1st and 5th
      minute. RESULTS: Maternal age at the time of blood collection was not
      significantly different between the two groups. The women with preeclampsia
      delivered earlier and had smaller babies compared with the controls. Significant
      associations between groups (p<0.001) were seen in SBP, DBP, birth weight and
      delivery method. RANTES was increased in maternal plasma and placenta in patients
      with PE and decreased in fetus plasma in the same group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: In
      this study, we have shown that RANTES expression in maternal plasma and placenta
      tissues, in women with established pre-eclampsia, is higher than in gestation
      matched women with a healthy pregnancy. It confirms the hypotheses that
      physiology of PE is associated with an increase of normal gestational
      inflammatory process. However in fetus tissue, the inflammatory chemokine is
      decreased in PE women. FUNDING: CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of
      Brazil, Brasilia - DF 70040-020, Brazil.

PMID- 26105365
TI  - PP042. Anti-hypertensive drugs hydralazine, clonidine and labetalol improve
      trophoblast integration into endothelial cellular networks in vitro.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is an exaggerated maternal inflammatory state with
      over-expression of placental soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1). It is
      also associated with shallow trophoblast invasion and inadequate transformation
      of uterine spiral arteries. Antihypertensive drugs administrated in preeclampsia
      to control blood pressure have been reported to regulate placental and
      circulating cytokine production from women with preeclampsia. Whether they could
      modulate the interaction between trophoblast and endothelial cells are not
      investigated. OBJECTIVES: This study is to examine the effect of pharmacological
      dose of anti-hypertensive hydralazine, clonidine and labetalol on trophoblast
      cell integration into inflammatory TNF-a pre-exposed endothelial cellular
      networks. METHODS: Human uterine myometrial microvascular endothelial cells
      (UtMVECs) were pre-incubated with (or without) low dose (0.5ng/ml) inflammatory
      TNF-a or TNF-a plus sFlt-1 (100ng/ml) for 24hours. These cells were labelled with
      red fluorescence and seeded on a 24-well culture plate coated with Matrigel.
      Endothelial tubular structures appeared within 4hours. Green fluorescent-labelled
      HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells were then co-cultured with endothelial cells, with
      (or without) hydralazine (10MUg/ml), clonidine (1.0MUg/ml) or labetalol
      (0.5MUg/ml). Red and green fluorescent images were captured after 24hours. Drug
      effect on HTR-8 cells integration into endothelial cellular networks was
      quantified by Image Analysis software. The conditioned media were also collected
      to measure concentrations of free VEGF, PLGF and sFlt-1 by ELISA. RESULTS: When
      HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells were co-cultured with TNF-a pre-incubated
      endothelial cells, hydralazine and clonidine can significantly increase the
      trophoblast integration into endothelial cellular networks. This increase was not
      seen if co-cultured with normal endothelial cells (without TNF-a pre-incubation)
      or with TNF-a plus sFlt-1 treated endothelial cells. Labetalol could increase the
      HTR-8 cell integration into all endothelial cellular networks (with TNF-a and TNF
      a plus sFlt-1 treatment). There was no effect of any drug on the trophoblast
      invasion in the absence of TNF-a. In the conditioned medium, sFlt-1 was down
      regulated by hydralazine and clonidine but not by labetalol. A decrease in PLGF
      was seen in normal endothelial cell groups but not seen in pre-TNF-a or pre-TNF-a
      plus sFlt-1 endothelial cell groups. VEGF was not changed in all treatment
      groups. CONCLUSION: Some anti-hypertensive drugs may improve the cellular
      interaction between trophoblast and endothelial cells during pregnancy. An
      increase in sFlt-1 seen in human preeclampsia may deteriorate this effect.
      Hydralazine and clonidine can reduce the sFlt-1 concentration in the medium.
      Labetalol could increase trophoblast integration without decreasing sFlt-1,
      suggesting a mechanism independent of sFlt-1. Our in-vitrodata show that there is
      a potential effect of these agents on placental maternal arterial modelling. The
      drug effect on arterial/trophoblast interactions can be related to altered
      production of sFlt-1.

PMID- 26105366
TI  - PP043. Do women know what pre-eclampsia is? What is the level of knowledge of the
      disease in a small population connected to a social net?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia is responsible for a great number of maternal deaths
      in our country. Even in urban areas that, theoretically, has more access to
      information and more medical assistance possibilities, much more women have very
      severe cases that could be avoided. Many initiatives to reduce this problem
      include effective women participation in that item, making us to believe that
      actual information access would allow precocious detection of the problem,
      leading to reduction of the maternal and perinatal risks. OBJECTIVES: To
      investigate a specific female population about how much they understand about the
      disease and its risks. METHODS: Using the social net Facebook(r), a survey was
      developed for online use, where direct questions related to pre-eclampsia were
      made. The questions involved information about age, times of pregnancy, knowledge
      about pre-eclampsia and their risks. It was considered an inclusion criterion the
      women who decided to participate in the survey spontaneously, and their identity
      was preserved. This form was sent to 1000 women, and 120 fully answered the
      questions and they were put under analysis. RESULTS: The studied group had
      average age between 22 and 35years. From the total, 107 (89.6%) had at least
      initiated high school, and the rest (11%) said that they had at least finished
      elementary school. From the analyzed data, it was found that 60 (50%) of the
      interviewed women, did not know anything about the subject. The rest said that
      they had some knowledge about the topic. From those, 14 (23%) had already heard
      about pre-eclampsia, but did not know what was it, 44 (73%) had a vaguely notion
      but did not know about the risks, and just 2 (4%) gave the entirely correct
      definition and knew about its implications. From all, 24 (20%) from the
      interviewed had at least once been pregnant, and 15 from those, had never heard
      about the pathology. CONCLUSION: Despite of the impact that pre-eclampsia
      represents on mother and baby's health, our results show that information in the
      studied group, is poor. The studied group has naturally more access to
      information, showing us that the situation is even more concerning. We believe
      that it is necessary to apply instruments that could redefine, in a greater way,
      the real information level to the female population in all levels of assistance.
      To enlarge the health politics, and increase its efficiency through informed
      women, seem to us, a fundamental strategy to qualify assistance and enhance
      maternal and prenatal safety. In an era that social nets had changed human
      behavior, why should not we use it as an efficient tool to promote life quality?

PMID- 26105367
TI  - PP044. Profile of pregnant women with pre-eclampsia treated in priority area.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The maternity mortality rate in the Santos lowlands region,
      priority region of Sao Paulo/Brazil, is higher when compared to regions in the
      state of Sao Paulo. The hypertensive disorders are implicated in approximately
      20% of death. Severe preeclampsia (PE) is recognized as the frequent diagnosis
      associated with maternal and fetal ominous outcomes. The recognition of potential
      risk support antenatal intervention which could anticipate the installation of
      catastrophic results. Identifying the epidemiological profile of women who may
      present with this evolution can guide public health policies and actions of the
      professionals involved in caring for these women avoiding preformed concepts and
      contributing to the recognition of local reality situation. OBJECTIVES: Identify
      the epidemiological profile of women affected by severe PE. METHODS: A
      descriptive study involving 46 pregnant women admitted to specialized hospital
      for high-risk pregnancy with the diagnosis of severe PE according to the criteria
      of NHBPEP (2000), as: blood pressure ?160/110mmHg, proteinuria 2.0g/24h or +2
      dipstick, serum creatinine >1.2mg/dl (new onset), platelets <100,000/mm(3),
      microangiopathic hemolysis (increased lactate dehydrogenase), elevated alanine
      aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase, persistent headaches or other
      cerebral or visual disturbance, persistent epigastric pain or eclampsia in the
      period from January/2008 to November/2010. RESULTS: The average age of the
      pregnant women was 25.5years (+/-6.5), 11 women were multiparous and nulliparous
      and 35 (76.1%), the average gestational age at admission was 34 4/7, developing
      to eclampsia and/or HELLP syndrome were 07 women (15.2%), admission often
      occurred before the installation of labor in (93.5%) had a previous diagnosis of
      chronic hypertension (30.4%) and in all cases magnesium sulfate administration
      with an average length of 32h (+/-16.6h). CONCLUSION: The occurrence of severe PE
      was more common in nulliparous women at the age of 25years, admitted in
      prematurity and not in preterm labor. The outcome of seizure and/or HELLP has a
      considerable impact. The association of chronic hypertension with severe PE is
      more than 1/4 of the cases. These data are equivalent to other areas of Brazil
      and may contribute to emphasize the practice of prenatal acting that can
      recognize and pre-comment possible adverse developments and attitudes aimed at
      intercepting the process.

PMID- 26105368
TI  - PP046. Adherence to exercise with bicycle during pregnancy in women with risk of
      preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Physical activity (PA) has been proposed as an important part of
      hypertension's treatment and has been studied as a possibility for the prevention
      of preeclampsia (PE) and its complications. PA is recommended during pregnancy
      because it may be beneficial to maternal health. However, some studies relate the
      difficulty in adherence to exercise during pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: The objective
      of this study was to evaluate the adherence to exercise with bicycle in pregnant
      women with risk of preeclampsia development and characterize these pregnants.
      METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial at the
      Women's Hospital Dr. Jose Aristodemo Pinotti - CAISM/Unicamp, Brazil. We enrolled
      116 pregnant women presenting with chronic hypertension (CH), previous PE or both
      factors associated (risk of PE development). Women from 12 to 20 gestational
      weeks were selected from the prenatal outpatient clinic and randomly allocated to
      the study (SG) or non-interventional group (NIG). Women at the SG performed
      exercise using stationary bicycle (horizontal bench model) during 30min, once a
      week, under a physical therapist supervision. The HR was maintained at 20% above
      resting heart rate and up to 140 beats per minute, and the BP was evaluated
      before and after exercise. The NIG followed regular prenatal routine with weekly
      returns for HR and BP measurements. We analyzed the adherence of the SG to
      exercise with bicycle and their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.
      RESULTS: We invited 152 pregnants to participate and 33 (21.7%) refused. 116
      pregnants were randomized and 58 were allocated to the SG. The mean age was
      31.7+/-6.2 and mean of Body Mass Index (BMI) was 34.9+/-7.9kg/m(2). Previous PE
      were prevalent in 16 (27.6%) pregnant, CH in 51 (87.9%) pregnant and 9
      (15.5(10.5%) pregnants relate to exercise before pregnancy. The average sessions
      performed by the SG using stationary bicycle were 9.24+/-7.03. That those who
      realized less than the mean session of the SG 14 had discontinued, 3 changed the
      prenatal city, 4 had TPP, 3 had difficulty in controlling blood pressure, 1 had
      autoimmune hepatitis diagnosis and 1 had fetal malformation. Considering the
      sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of these 27 the majority were obese
      and had had CH, they were not used to practice any type of exercise before
      pregnancy. Most of them were not primiparous, also had more children at home and
      found difficul to find time for exercise. The majority did not live next to our
      center. CONCLUSION: The majority of our population were obese, sedentary before
      pregnancy and with CH. In this study exercise, performed once a week, using
      stationary bicycle in pregnant women of high risk PE, seems to be difficult.

PMID- 26105369
TI  - PP045. Maternal mortality due to hypertension: A look at the puerperium.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Maternal death is the death of a woman during pregnancy within
      42days after delivery. It is one of the most serious violations of human rights
      of women, because it is a preventable tragedy in 92% of cases and occurs mainly
      in developing countries. Brazil, a country of continental dimensions has the
      challenge of reducing maternal deaths; one of the priority regions is Santos, a
      city in the state of Sao Paulo. It is felt that efforts are made to the adoption
      of care that can minimize risks during complicated pregnancy with hypertensive
      disorders, but not always this service is offered proportionally to postpartum.
      Perhaps the erroneous concept that the delivery is capable of quickly balancing
      the harm of maternal hypertensive disorders is implicated in reducing postpartum
      surveillance, exposing this group of women to undesirable outcomes. OBJECTIVES:
      Analyze the percentage of postpartum maternal deaths until 42days after delivery
      for hypertensive disorders in Santos in the period of 1999-2009. METHODS: Data
      were provided by the Ministry of Health of Brazil in www.datasus.gov.br (accessed
      February 2012). The number of maternal deaths was divided into maternal death in
      pregnancy, delivery and abortion and maternal death in puerperium up to 42,
      considering all causes of maternal death and identifying the proportion of deaths
      due to hypertensive syndromes. RESULTS: According to the general causes of death,
      more women die during pregnancy, delivery and abortion (69.7%) than postpartum
      (30.3%) and hypertensive disorders account for 20% of these outcomes. Analyzing
      the proportion of deaths due to hypertensive disorders in each period, we
      observed that during pregnancy the disorder accounts for 16.5% of all causes,
      however, the percentage reaches 30.3% in the puerperium. CONCLUSION: The increase
      of death in postpartum due to hypertensive syndromes, regarding all general
      causes, shows the necessary action to be done by the professional team to offer
      continuity care in and out of hospital in this period, considering that the
      challenges persist even after delivery.

PMID- 26105370
TI  - PP048. Questionnaire for obstetricians and neurosurgeons on brain stroke and
      hypertension in pregnancy in/around Nara Prefecture, Japan.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Brain stroke in pregnancy, one of the most emergency features in
      hypertensive pregnancy, was surveyed nationwide (1582 hospitals) and 184 cases (1
      2 in 10000 birth) including 10 maternal deaths were reported in Japan (2006).
      Also in a developed country, co-work of obstetricians (OB) and neurosurgeons (NS)
      is not always cooperative and the situation stresses clinical workers in
      emergency maternal transfer. OBJECTIVES: We performed a survey of obstetric and
      neurosurgery specialists in/around Nara Prefecture (1.3million population, placed
      in the middle of Japan and does not have remote rural area) about their
      understanding and preparation on brain stroke in pregnancy. A final aim of this
      study is to assess the problem in emergency care in pregnancy, especially in
      hypertensive disorder. METHODS: Fifty-seven OB answered the first questionnaire
      (executed by NS [S.Y.]) in January 2011 by post. After the analysis, a new
      questionnaire was executed by OB (K.N.) and 70 answers were given by NS in
      October 2011. Items in the questionnaire are shown below. Agreements for use of
      the answers in this research were given by each respondent. RESULTS: [Experience]
      Three OB (5.3%) and 32 NS (45.7%, 38 cases) experienced a brain stroke in
      pregnancy in their career. Four NS (10.5% of cases) faced maternal death,
      including brain hemorrhage after eclampsia. [Diagnosis] Symptoms that OB suspect
      of brain stroke were loss of consciousness > hemiplegia > headache, and
      hemiplegia > loss of consciousness > speech disorder in NS. [Hypertension and
      Brain Stroke] Sixty-four (92.8%) NS thought chronic hypertension as a risk factor
      of brain stroke in women in reproductive age, and 53 (75.7%) NS thought acute
      hypertension is. The target blood pressure in the treatment of brain stroke
      mostly indicated by NS was 140mm/Hg in systolic and 85mm/Hg in diastolic blood
      pressure. Medication for hypertension chosen by NS was calcium blocker (77.1%)
      and ARB (38.6%). [Emergency Transfer in Japan] In Japan, ER center to accept
      women with perinatal emergency is not enough stated. Once the transfer to the
      central hospital due to brain stroke in pregnancy is needed, a primary department
      to accept the patient must be decided. Forty-seven (82.7%) OB preferred the
      Obstetrics Department to be a primary receiver; on the other hand, 38 (56.7%) NS
      preferred the Neurosurgery Department and only 17 (25.3%) NS answered that
      obstetrics should be a primary department. Twelve (17.9%) NS answered that the
      both departments should work together from the beginning. CONCLUSION: Japanese
      maternal mortality rate is one of the lowest in the world (3.1 per 100,000 birth;
      2007), but it was revealed in this study that the maternal emergency system in
      pregnancy-unrelated disease is not well arranged. Even though emergency system
      varies between each country, this knowledge in confliction between OB and NS in
      this area may be useful when other countries need to maintain the ER performance
      in hypertensive disorder in pregnancy.

PMID- 26105371
TI  - PP047. Outpatient management of pregnancy complicated by mild hypertensive
      disorders.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Antenatal day care units have been experienced as an alternative to
      inpatient care for women with pregnancy complications including hypertensive
      disorders. OBJECTIVES: To assess the outcomes of outpatient management in women
      with gestational hypertension and mild preeclampsia and compare them to inpatient
      management. METHODS: Perinatal records of 294 patients (OUT group) attending the
      obstetric outpatient clinic were reviewed and compared with records of 398 women
      (IN group) attending the obstetric unit of the same tertiary referral center. The
      patients were divided as: GH, gestational hypertension (OUT: 194; IN: 244), GH
      with Intrauterine Growth Restriction (OUT: 52; IN: 78) and PE, mild preeclampsia
      (OUT: 48; IN: 76). The groups were comparable for age, parity, body mass index
      and gestational age at enrollment. RESULTS: When compared with patients treated
      in hospital, GH OUT women showed a higher gestational age at delivery (38+/-1.7
      vs 35.5+/-2.3 weeks; p<0.001), longer time to delivery (62.0+/-4.8 vs 31.3+/
      5.4days; p<0.001), higher birthweight (3251+/-389 vs 2271+/-759.1g; p<0.001), and
      a lower admission to neonatal intensive care unit (21.3% vs 0%; p<0.001)
      (hospitalization rate: 25%). Similarly, Mild PE women treated as out patient
      showed later gestational age at delivery (37+/-1.2 vs 34.4+/-1.7weeks), longer
      time to delivery (55.4+/-6.9 vs 35.3+/-4.5days), higher birthweight (3168+/-363
      vs 2196+/-685.17g), and a lower admission to NICU (15.6% vs 35.5%)
      (hospitalization rate: 55.6%), than the inpatient controls. In the gestational
      hypertension with IUGR no significant differences were observed between out- and
      in-patient management. CONCLUSION: Women attending day care units have better or
      comparable perinatal outcomes than inpatients. Ambulatory management at a day
      care unit is an option for monitoring and following up women with mild
      gestational hypertension or preeclampsia remote from term. Hospitalization
      remains an absolute indication if worsening of preeclampsia is diagnosed.

PMID- 26105372
TI  - PP050. Distribution of ABO and Rhesus blood groups in patients withpre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The ABO-system of antigens and the Rh-system (D-antigen) is
      genetically determined and remains the most important blood group systems
      clinically. Several studies have examined the association between ABO and Rhesus
      blood group systems and pre-eclampsia. At present there is no consensus to define
      this association, especially not in a Brazilian population. OBJECTIVES: The
      purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between pre
      eclampsia versus ABO and Rhesus blood group systems in pregnant women
      hospitalized in a University Hospital in Porto Alegre, Brazil -Hospital Sao Lucas
      (HSL). METHODS: Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (PE/E) was diagnosed by the National High
      Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group Report on High Blood Pressure in
      Pregnancy guidelines. This study consisted of 14,894 pregnant women admitted to
      the Maternity Department between 2005 and 2010. The patients were reviewed
      retrospectively for inclusion. Complications in pregnancy not related to pre
      eclampsia/eclampsia (PE/E) and those with uncompleted data were excluded. Medical
      records of 410 women were used to diagnose PE/E. The control group consisted of
      8781 women. Each group was subdivided according to their blood groups. RESULTS:
      In comparison to the PE/E women and controls, no specific relation in blood
      groups was observed. With respect to ABO and Rh groups, no differences between
      PE/E and controls were observed (P=0.479 and P=0.169 respectively). When analyzed
      with both Rh and ABO Pearson Chi-Square also showed no differences (P=0.569).
      CONCLUSION: This study aimed to demonstrate some association between blood groups
      and PE/E using a large sample from the south of Brazil, a population not
      investigated before. In our study, no specific differences were observed between
      PE/E and controls in the distribution of the blood groups. In conclusion, the
      results of this study suggest no association between ABO and Rhesus blood group
      systems and PE/E in our population. FUNDING: CAPES Foundation-Ministry of
      Education of Brazil.

PMID- 26105373
TI  - PP049. Could the supplementation of L-arginine plus folic acid T improve reduced
      endothelial function seen in preeclampsia?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is characterized as an increase in vascular tone due
      to the disorder of endothelial cell function. It was found that action of nitric
      oxide (NO) derived from endothelial cell might be decreasing in preeclamptic
      women. OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we investigated whether or not the
      supplementation of L-arginine (LARG, NO synthase substrate) and folic acid (FA)
      might improve the reduced action of NO seen in preeclampsia. METHODS: Change in
      brachial artery diameter by hyperemia (%FMD) was measured to evaluate the
      endothelial function using ultrasound. Twelve of 25 normal pregnant women seen
      with reduced %FMD (<110) at less than 16weeks of gestation were given the
      supplementation of FA 0.8mg+LARG1g/day throughout pregnancy. The concentrations
      of FA+LARG in erythrocyte, and cGMP (a second messenger of NO) in serum were
      measured. The informed consent was obtained from each patient. This investigation
      was approved by the Ethics Committee of Nagoya City East and West Medical Center.
      RESULTS: Reduced % FMD was seen in 25 pregnant women. One of 12 pregnant women in
      the supplementation group developed mild, late onset preeclampsia, while 8 of 13
      pregnant women in no supplement group developed onset preeclampsia (4 cases were
      severe). Following the supplementation, %FMD had been increasing as well as the
      concentrations of FA and LARG in erythrocyte, while the concentration of cGMP in
      serum had not changed. CONCLUSION: The supplementation of FA+LARG might prevent
      preeclampsia due to improvement of the reduced endothelial function in high risk
      pregnant women of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105374
TI  - PP051. Prediction of preeclampsia with the sFlt-1/PLGF ratio: impact of the slope
      of repeated measurements.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patients with preeclampsia (PE) exhibit different serum
      concentrations of sFlt-1 and PlGF. The sFlt-1/PlGF ratio can be used as an aid in
      the diagnosis of preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to
      explore the use of the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio as an aid in the prediction of
      preeclampsia in women with a high risk of the condition. METHODS: 150 patients
      with high risk of preeclampsia were included in this prospective study. Groups
      were compared according to the outcome of pregnancy: healthy pregnant women
      (controls, n=114), pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction
      without PE (IUGR, n=14), early PE<34 weeks of gestation (early PE, n=6) and late
      PE?34 weeks of gestation (late PE, n=16). Measurements of sFlt-1 and PlGF were
      performed on the automated Elecsys system. Statistical comparison of the sFlt
      1/PlGF ratio in different outcome groups and multilevel analysis for logistic
      data using the random slope model was performed. RESULTS: We found significant
      differences in the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio between the outcome groups in weeks 24-36 of
      gestation (p=0,05). A significant difference in the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio between
      controls, IUGR and PE (early and late PE) could be measured up to six weeks
      before diagnosis (PE) or birth (IUGR, controls) (p=0,05). The random slope model
      showed significant different slopes (p=0,05) for individual outcome groups
      (controls 0,657; IUGR 1,786; early PE 1,951; late PE 0,881). CONCLUSION: The sFlt
      1/PlGF ratio is able to identify pathologic pregnancy outcomes in gestational
      weeks 24-36. Prediction is feasible up to six weeks before clinical diagnosis
      (PE) or 6 weeks before birth (IUGR, controls). Repeated measurements are
      necessary beginning in 24 weeks of gestation with a maximum distance of six
      weeks. The slope between two measurements of the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio is predictive
      of further pregnancy outcome and the risk of developing preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105375
TI  - PP052. The course of sFlt-1 and PLGF reflects different progression pattern in
      early- versus late-onset preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE), a serious multisystem disorder in pregnancy, is
      a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality worldwide and
      angiogenic factors like sFlt-1 and PlGF are closely related to the clinical
      course of preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: We wondered, if these factors and the sFlt
      1/PlGF ratio are a tool to differentiate the clinical progression pattern between
      early and late-onset PE and HELLP syndrome. METHODS: This retrospective study
      included 30 patients with PE out of which 7 patients had HELLP syndrome. Early
      onset PE was defined as patients with gestational age <34 weeks. Serial
      measurements of sFlt-1 and PlGF using the automated Elecsys platform (Roche(r))
      were done from admission until delivery. RESULTS: Early-onset PE is characterized
      by an increase of sFlt-1 of 66% leading to an 137% increase of the sFlt-1/PlGF
      ratio. Late-onset PE shows a slower progression with an increase of the sFlt
      1/PlGF ratio of only 39%. Patients with HELLP syndrome show comparable
      progression pattern. CONCLUSION: Angiogenic factors characterize PE and HELLP
      syndrome as continuously progressive diseases with a uniform development towards
      an antiangiogenic state. Early-onset subtypes show a more aggressive progression
      with a faster sFlt-1 increase.

PMID- 26105376
TI  - PP053. Development and validation of a model for prepregnant prediction of
      recurrence of early-onset preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women with a history of early-onset preeclampsia, requiring
      delivery before 34 weeks of gestation, often receive intensive surveillance with
      far more visits than routine antenatal care, additional testing such as the
      serial measurement of various fetal arterial Doppler blood flow velocity
      profiles, repetitive assessment of the fetal biometry, the amount of amniotic
      fluid, the fetal biophysical profile, and repetitive blood testing. Yet,
      recurrence risk is generally low. OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a
      prepregnant prediction model to identify women at very low risk of recurrence of
      early-onset preeclampsia. These women may be reassured and offered routine
      antenatal care. METHODS: For the derivation of the model, we enrolled 407
      pregnant women from 5 Dutch hospitals who had experienced early-onset
      preeclampsia in their previous pregnancy. Based on previous published evidence,
      we selected five predictor variables (gestational age at the time of previous
      birth, prior small-for-gestational-age (SGA) newborn, fasting blood glucose, body
      mass index (BMI) and the presence or absence of chronic hypertension) to be
      entered in a logistic regression model. Discrimination and calibration measures
      were evaluated after an internal validation step using standard bootstrapping
      techniques. After the model was built, we enrolled another 200 women to
      externally validate the model. For the external validation study, 6 more
      hospitals provided patients. RESULTS: The individual risk of recurrence of early
      onset preeclampsia using our formula can be calculated as follows:
      P(recurrence)=1/(1+e(-(linear predictor))), with linear predictor=0.29
      0.42*fasting blood glucose (mmol/L) + 0.59* hypertension (yes/no) -
      0.01*gestational age at the time of previous birth (days) - 0.41*prior SGA
      (yes/no)+0.01*BMI (kg/m(2)). After internal validation, the area under the
      receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the model was 0.65 (95% CI: 0.56
      0.74) in the development sample, and was higher in the external validation sample
      (AUC=0.76, 95% CI=0.58-0.96), indicating that the model discriminates well
      between women who will develop a recurrence and those who will not. Using a
      predicted risk threshold of, for example, 4.6%, about one-fourth of the
      population would be regarded low-risk with a negative predictive value of 100%.
      Calibration was satisfactory in both samples. CONCLUSION: Our model is helpful in
      the identification of women at very low risk of recurrent early-onset
      preeclampsia, and may be used to stratify women into normal care and intensified
      care groups. At present, we are conducting the PreCare study, in which we assess
      the effects and costs of introducing our prediction model into routine clinical
      practice.

PMID- 26105377
TI  - PP054. Predicting preeclampsia at late mid-term pregnancy before occurrence of
      clinical symptoms: Clinical utility of biomarkers and clinical parameters in a
      low-risk population.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite research efforts and healthcare improvement, preeclampsia
      (PE) continues to be a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and
      mortality. Early identification of women at risk of developing PE is the most
      promising approach to implement preventive measures such as low-dose aspirin to
      reduce negative outcomes. However, it is still relevant to evaluate pregnant
      women to detect PE before the occurrence of clinical symptoms and/or to have
      better tools to assist in its differential diagnosis. Recently, measurements of
      biomarkers such as soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (SFLT-1) and placental
      growth factor (PlGF) have been proposed and some manufacturers are already
      marketing reagents for this purpose. OBJECTIVES: To examine in a prospective
      study the performance of selected clinical and biochemical markers for
      identifying late mid-term pregnancy women at risk of developing PE within a few
      weeks. METHODS: Seven thousand nine hundred and twenty nine pregnant women
      prospectively recruited at the first routine prenatal visit, provided blood
      samples, clinical and sociodemographic information. Two hundred and fourteen
      pregnant women developed hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) of which 88
      had PE (1.2%), including 44 who presented with severe PE (0.6%). We performed a
      nested case-control study from the whole cohort including for each case of HDP
      two normal pregnancies after matching for maternal age, gestational age at
      recruitment, ethnicity, parity, and smoking status. Based on the literature, we
      selected the most promising clinical and biochemical markers to be included in a
      multivariate logistic regression model: mean arterial pressure and body mass
      index (BMI), PlGF, SFLT-1, inhibin A, and PAPP-A. All markers were measured
      between 20 and 32 weeks of gestation except for BMI (early pregnancy). All
      biological marker results were transformed in multiples of median. Medians were
      established for each gestational week. Multivariate logistic regression analyses
      were performed to develop prediction algorithm. RESULTS: The resulting regression
      model discriminated the affected from normal pregnancies as indicated by an area
      under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve of 0.8. But at a 5%
      false positive rate, only 28% of the women who have developed HDP would have been
      detected. Even when the statistical analyses were limited to severe PE, the
      performance was poor: sensitivity 30%, positive predictive value 2.7%.
      CONCLUSION: In our low-risk Caucasian population, neither individual candidate
      markers nor multivariate risk algorithm using an a priori combination of selected
      clinical and biochemical markers reached a performance justifying implementation
      as a screening procedure. These results emphasize the necessity to take into
      consideration the environment, population and health care settings influencing
      prevalence and characteristics of HDP before promoting wide implementation of
      such screening strategies. It is imperative to tailor future recommendations for
      HDP screening not only according to the individual but also to the population
      characteristics if clinical utility has to be reached.

PMID- 26105378
TI  - PP055. Preliminary results of the more prepared study (microparticle orientated
      risk evaluation in the prediction of preeclampsia among risk gravidas): A
      multicenter prospective prognostic marker study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) is a potentially dangerous pregnancy pathology
      contributing to a higher worldwide mortality and morbidity. The negative
      influence of syncytiotrophoblastic microparticles (STBMs) on the placenta and
      maternal endothelia is thought to play a key role in generating the inflammatory
      effects that lead to PE symptoms. Doppler sonography of the uterine arteries
      assists in identifying a risk population, however, the positive predictive value
      for this method is low. OBJECTIVES: Aim of this study is to evaluate whether
      STBMs can serve as an accessory marker to conventional Doppler sonography to
      better identify pregnant women who will actually develop PE. METHODS: Pregnant
      women between 19-21 gestational weeks (GW) with abnormal uterine perfusion were
      enrolled into this prospective study. Plasma samples were taken at inclusion
      (baseline) and at two further visits at 8 week intervals to follow STBM
      concentration alterations during pregnancy. The primary endpoint assessed is PE
      and/or hemolysis, elevated liver, low platelets (HELLP) syndrome. Other PE
      associated pathologies (intrauterine growth retardation [IUGR], intrauterine
      fetal demise [IUFD], placental abruption, premature delivery) constitute the
      secondary endpoints. Maternal STBM concentrations were measured using a home made
      Enzyme Linked Sorbent Assay (ELSA) which specifically measures STBMs. The
      receiver operating characteristics (ROC) for baseline measures are graphically
      displayed and area under curve (AUC) is estimated including 95% confidence
      levels. RESULTS: Of the 73 women included in the study, 16 developed PE (cases)
      and 56 did not (control). After analyses of mid-gestational probes, the ROC curve
      was in close proximity to the line of no-discrimination. CONCLUSION: Our
      preliminary results indicate that the maternal STBM concentration at mid
      gestation does not predict the development of PE or associated pregnancy
      pathologies. Further analysis is underway to assess whether STBM measurements at
      later gestational time points can predict PE shortly before onset of disease.

PMID- 26105379
TI  - PP056. Placental growth factor is a better predictor of preterm birth than
      uterine or umbilical artery doppler in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diagnosis of the presence of disease and prediction of the rate of
      progression of disease in women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy remains
      a clinical problem. OBJECTIVES: Adequate placentation and placental development
      are important for normal pregnancy. We determined whether PlGF is a better
      predictor of delivery before 34+0 and 37+0 weeks than uterine artery and
      umbilical artery doppler. METHODS: One hundred and four women presenting before
      the completed 34th week of pregnancy with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
      were enrolled into the study. Final diagnosis was chronic hypertension (N=24),
      gestational hypertension (N=21), pre-eclampsia (N=24), HELLP-syndrome (N=15),
      superimposed preeclampsia (N=20). Blood draw occurred before the 34th week of
      pregnancy at the time of investigation for expedited delivery or expectant
      management. Plasma was analysed for PlGF by the Alere Triage(r) PlGF assay using
      fluorescently-labelled monoclonal antibodies against PlGF. A positive PlGF test
      was defined as below the 5th centile of normal healthy pregnancy. RESULTS: Of the
      104 pregnant women, the level of PlGF was abnormal in 23 of 24 (96%) women with
      IUGR, compared to 10 of 24 (42%) and 14 of 24 (58%) for uterine artery doppler
      and umbilical artery doppler, respectively. In the case of pre-eclampsia, the
      level of PlGF was abnormal in 50 of 59 (85%), compared to 15 of 59 (25%) and 25
      of 56 (45%) for uterine artery doppler and umbilical artery doppler,
      respectively. Forty four (42%) women required medical delivery before 34+0 weeks
      gestation and 68 (65%) before 37+0 weeks gestation (see Table). PlGF detected a
      higher number of women requiring early delivery than doppler. CONCLUSION: The new
      Triage(r) PlGF test provides useful information to inform clinical decisions in
      pregnancy-associated hypertensive disorders, before the 34th completed
      gestational week.

PMID- 26105380
TI  - PP057. The role of uterine artery pulsatility index for prediction of pregnancy
      outcome, in women affected by pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Uterine artery (UtA) Pulsatility index assessed in the second
      trimester is known to be the best predictor of Pre-eclampsia (PE) in women with
      risk factors. The role of this index when PE occurs seems to be related with
      clinical outcome. OBJECTIVES: To detect if there does exist a correlation between
      mean UtA PI, assessed at diagnosis of PE, and: (A) Gestational Age (GA) at
      delivery; (B) birth weight (BW) percentile. To detect the predictive value of
      mean UtA PI and the development of adverse pregnancy outcome (APO). METHODS:
      Cohort study on 100 consecutive singleton pregnancies complicated with pre
      eclampsia referred to our Department from January 2010 and December 2011. Doppler
      evaluations were performed from diagnosis to delivery. Mean UtA PI obtained at
      time of diagnosis of PE were analysed. PE was defined according to ISSHP
      criteria. Clinical and perinatal outcomes were reviewed. APO was defined as Apgar
      score less than 7 at five minutes, pH <7.20; birth weight <5th percentile (SGA),
      stillbirth or neonatal death. Receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve was
      used to determine the predictive ability for subsequent development of APO.
      RESULTS: Maternal characteristics and main pregnancy outcomes are shown in Table
      1. Fifty-six pregnancies developed APO. One case of stillbirth and four cases of
      neonatal death were observed. SGA occurred in 56/100 neonates; 52/95 (55%) live
      births were admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Table 1. Mean UtA PI at
      diagnosis of PE was 1.40 (SD+/-0.28) in women that developed APO and 1.10 (SD+/
      0.41) in women that did not develop APO (p=0.02). Pearson's Correlation
      coefficient for mean UtA PI and GA at Delivery was -0.533 (p=0.002); while for
      mean UtA PI and BW percentile was -0.466 (p=0.007). The prediction of subsequent
      development of APO, expressed as the area under ROC curve, was 61.6 (95% CI 0.44
      0.79) for UtA PI at Diagnosis of PE. CONCLUSION: Our data confirm that mean UtA
      PI, assessed at diagnosis of PE, represent a good independent predictor for GA at
      delivery end BW percentile. However the predictive value for development of APO
      seems to be poor.

PMID- 26105381
TI  - PP058. The additive effect of plasma levels of sFlt-1/PLGF ratio following the
      risk classification using both blood pressure levels and uterine artery blood
      flow impedance in the second trimester on the later occurrence of preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The multivariate model including circulating levels of soluble fms
      like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1)/placental growth factor (PlGF) ratios, maternal
      factors, blood pressure (BP) levels and uterine artery (UtA) doppler in the first
      to second trimester has been reported to be clinically useful to predict PE more
      accurately. However, the effects of levels of sFlt-1/PlGF ratio after the
      stratification of women using two major risk factors for PE, BP levels and UtA
      blood flow imdedance (BFI) have not been evaluated. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to
      evaluate the additive effect of plasma levels of sFlt-1/PlGF ratio following the
      risk classification using both mean blood pressure (MBP) levels and the
      combination of two UtABFI, mean pulsatility index (mPI) and mean notch depth
      index (mNDI), on the later occurrence of PE. METHODS: 1161 women were recruited
      into a prospective cohort study during 2004 and 2008. Clinical BPs were measured
      twice during 16 and 23 weeks, UtA doppler was performed twice during 16 and 23
      weeks, and the mPI and mNDI was measured. Plasma samples were drawn once at 20
      23weeks, and were stored at -20 degrees C until use. The levels of sFlt-1/PlGF
      ratio were measured by automated electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (Roche
      Diagnostics K.K.). The cutoff value of mean BP (MBP) was determined as 91.3mmHg
      using ROC curve, and that of sFlt-1/PlGF ratio was 13.0, the 97.5th percentile of
      log10(sFlt-1/PlGF) at 20-23 weeks in normal pregnant women. If the mPI was <90th
      percentile of the gestational-age specific reference range of mPI, or the mNDI
      was <90th percentile of the gestational-age specific reference range of mNDI, we
      defined that the UtABFI was low; if the mPI was ?90th percentile and the mNDI was
      ?90th percentile, we defined that the UtABFI was high. RESULTS: When women were
      stratified to 4 groups: low BP and low UtABFI, high BP but low UtABFI, high
      UtABFI but low BP, high BP and high UtABFI, the PPVs were 0.7%, 6.9%, 6.2% and
      39.1%, respectively. In women with low BP and low UtABFI, the high sFlt-1/PlGF
      changed the PPV to 11.1%; the interval from the sampling to the onset of PE in
      women with high sFlt-1/PlGF ratio was significantly shorter than in those with
      low sFlt-1/PlGF ratio (mean+/-SD [weeks]: 5.9+/-1.5 vs. 16.5+/-2.1, p<0.01). In
      women with high BP but low UtABFI, the high sFlt-1/PlGF changed the PPV to 18.2%;
      the interval from the sampling to the onset of PE in women with high sFlt-1/PlGF
      ratio was significantly shorter than in those with low sFlt-1/PlGF ratio (8.0+/
      5.7 vs. 12.6+/-3.7, p<0.05). Although these effects of sFlt-1/PlGF ratio on the
      occurrence of PE were not confirmed in women with high BP and high UtABFI, PE
      occurred in all women with three risk factors (5/5), and the interval from the
      sampling to the onset of PE was6.8+/-4.1 weeks. CONCLUSION: Women with both high
      BP and high UtABFI, especially those with additional risk of high sFlt-1/PlGF
      ratio, were the highest risk of PE. In the lowest risk group of low BP and low
      UtABFI, the addition of sFlt-1/PlGF ratio improved the PPV and the interval from
      the sampling to the onset of PE. These results clearly indicated the clinical
      importance of measuring sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in addition to BP levels and UtABFI in
      all pregnant women in the second trimester.

PMID- 26105382
TI  - PP059. Angiogenic factors and risk of preeclampsia related adverse outcomes in
      twin pregnancies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy specific hypertensive disorder
      with an overall incidence of 5-8% among all pregnancies.Incidence of PE in twins
      is about 2-4 fold higher compared to singletons.Angiogenic factors are implicated
      in pathogenesis of PE and related adverse outcomes.No studies exist evaluating
      angiogenic factor assessment in twin pregnancies complicated by PE or use of
      these proteins for prediction of PE-related adverse outcomes in twins.
      OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to evaluate whether angiogenic factor levels
      correlate with the diagnosis of PE and predict adverse maternal and perinatal
      outcomes in women with twin pregnancy. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort
      study of women with suspected PE and twin pregnancy from July 2009-August
      2011.Antiangiogenic soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) and proangiogenic
      placental growth factor (PlGF) were measured at presentation on an automated
      platform.Diagnosis of hypertension PE during pregnancy was based on ACOG
      criteria.All diagnoses and outcomes were recorded 2 weeks later.An adverse
      outcome was defined as hemolysis elevated liver enzymes and low platelets (HELLP)
      syndrome; disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC); abruption; pulmonary
      edema; cerebral hemorrhage; maternal, fetal and neonatal death; eclampsia; acute
      renal failure; small for gestational age; and indicated delivery.Data are
      presented as median (interquartile range).We computed the area under the curve
      (AUC) from the receiver operating characteristic curves to evaluate the ability
      of clinical values to discriminate between women who would and would not develop
      an adverse outcome within 2 weeks. RESULTS: There were 79 women with twin
      gestation who presented to triage for evaluation of PE. The median gestational
      age at enrollment was 33.9 (31.9-36.0) weeks.The incidence of PE was 58.2%, of
      which 60.9% was mild and 39.1% was severe.The median sFlt1/PlGF ratio was 72.2
      (42.5-111.9) in women with PE compared to 47.4 (5.5-82.2) in women with no
      hypertensive disorder (P=0.052).Among the 52 (65.8%) women who experienced an
      adverse outcome within 2 weeks, the median sFlt1/PlGF ratio at presentation was
      elevated [74.2 (43.5-110.5)] compared to the 27 (34.2%) women without an adverse
      outcome [36.2 (7.1-71.3); P=0.0003].Among those presenting at <34 weeks (n=40),
      the difference in sFlt1/PlGF ratio was more striking [97.7 (76.6-178.1) versus
      31.7 (6.5-48.7); P=0.001].When using only the highest systolic blood pressure at
      presentation and proteinuria the AUC was 0.61.Adding the sFlt1/PlGF ratio
      significantly improved the AUC to 0.77 (P=0.01).When restricting to women who
      presented at <34 weeks, a similar, although not statistically significant,
      improvement was seen when adding the sFlt1/PlGF ratio (AUC=0.85) compared with
      blood pressure and proteinuria alone(AUC=0.69;P=0.08). CONCLUSION: In women with
      twin pregnancy and suspected PE, the sFlt1/PlGF ratio at the time of initial
      evaluation is associated with subsequent diagnosis of PE and, more importantly,
      PE-related adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. These findings are similar to
      singleton pregnancies and may implicate similar pathogenic pathways.

PMID- 26105383
TI  - PP060. Matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 and their inhibitors: A role in the
      development of pre-eclampsia?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a common and potentially life-threatening
      condition, affecting 3-10% pregnancies[1]. Placentation has been shown to be
      deficient in PE and this may be a result of impaired trophoblast invasion [1].
      Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-dependent enzymes which may be
      important in trophoblast invasion. The activity of MMPs is regulated by tissue
      inhibitors (TIMPs) and it has been proposed that alterations in MMP/TIMP levels
      may alter net MMP activity and play a part in both the early and late
      pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia [2]. Previous studies have largely looked at
      both active and latent MMP-9 and there is a need for more studies looking
      specifically at the active forms of these enzymes. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this
      study were to characterise active MMP-9 expression throughout normal gestation by
      immunohistochemical localisation, and to compare the levels of MMP-2, -9 (both
      pro and active) and TIMP-2 in normal and pre-eclamptic term placentae. METHODS:
      Immunohistochemical localisation of active MMP-9 was carried out on a gestational
      series of normal placentae from 6-41 weeks' gestation. Quantification of MMP and
      TIMP levels in term healthy (n=12), pre-eclamptic (n=16) and IUGR (n=12)
      placental homogenates was done by gelatin-substrate zymography and ELISA.
      Placentae from IUGR and healthy pregnancies were used as controls to allow us to
      identify and PE-specific alterations. RESULTS: Using immunohistochemical
      localisation, we demonstrated a negative relationship between gestational age and
      active MMP-9 expression throughout normal gestation (p=0.012). The zymographic
      and ELISA results showed no significant difference in MMP-2, MMP-9 or TIMP-2
      levels in placenta from the healthy, pre-eclamptic and IUGR groups (p>0.05).
      CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report using immunohistochemistry
      to specifically localise the active form of MMP-9 in a gestational series of this
      size. Our findings demonstrate that there may be high MMP-9 activity during early
      gestation, which is consistent with a key role for this enzyme in the process of
      placentation. Thus, it is important to determine if MMP-9 activity is abnormal in
      PE. In term placentae no difference was found in protein levels of MMPs and TIMPs
      between control and PE samples; further studies are ongoing to study the MMP and
      TIMP mRNA expression in these samples.

PMID- 26105384
TI  - PP061. The role of heat shock protein 60 and 70 in early- and late-onset
      preeclampsia differentiation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is a human pregnancy-specific syndrome characterized
      by the onset of hypertension and proteinuria. These manifestations may occur
      before the 34th week of gestation or from this period on, being denominated early
      onset or late-onset preeclampsia respectively. The etiology of both disorders
      seems to differ qualitatively; therefore, different strategies of prevention and
      treatment must be studied. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study is to
      determine whether the plasma levels of heat-shock proteins Hsp60 and Hsp70 as
      well as specific antibodies anti-Hsp60 and anti-Hsp70 may differentiate early
      onset from late-onset preeclampsia. METHODS: We evaluated 175 pregnant women with
      PE (55 early-onset PE and 120 late-onset PE). Plasma was obtained from peripheral
      blood and Hsp60, Hsp70 as well as anti-Hsp60 and anti-Hsp70 antibody levels were
      determined by enzyme immunoassay. Uric acid levels were also determined in the
      plasma of patients. For statistical analyses, the Mann-Whitney U-test and the
      Spearman rank order correlation were applied with significance level set at 5%.
      RESULTS: Hsp70 levels obtained from early-onset PE group were significantly
      higher than the late-onset PE women and showed positive correlation with uric
      acid (r=0.4547; p=0.0028). The Hsp60 production was similar in both groups. Our
      results also indicate that there was no significant difference of anti-Hsp60 and
      anti-Hsp70 antibody levels between women with early- and late-onset PE.
      However,these antibody levels were high,indicating a strong relationship with the
      production of HSP60 and Hsp70 protein. CONCLUSION: Association between levels of
      Hsp70 and uric acid in plasma of patients with early-onset PE seems to reflect
      the oxidative stress in this group of patients. This study provides evidence that
      Hsp70 determination may be utilized to assess the differentiation between early-
      and late-onset PE. FINANCIAL SUPPORT: FAPESP 2010/09241-2.

PMID- 26105385
TI  - PP062. Silibinin modulates NF-kB pathway and proinflammatory cytokines production
      by mononuclear cells of preeclamptic women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a complication of human pregnancy
      characterized by hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. In
      addition to increased activation of monocytes and granulocytes, there is an
      elevated production of proinflammatory cytokines in pregnant women with PE. The
      nuclear transcription factor-kB (NF-kB) is present in the cells of the immune
      system and is responsible for transcription of genes related to inflammation.
      Whereas the PE is associated with intense inflammatory response, the use of
      substances modulating the activity of NF-kB factor could be useful in alleviating
      the inflammation present in these patients. Silibinin is the main component of
      silymarin, a polyphenolic extract obtained from fruits and seeds of Sylibum
      marianum with potent hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic
      activities. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess whether
      silibinin modulates the activity of NF-kB and the production of inflammatory
      cytokines by mononuclear cells of patients with PE. METHODS: We evaluated 34
      pregnant women with PE, 20 normotensive pregnant women (NT) and 15 non-pregnant
      women (NP). Mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained from peripheral blood and
      cultured in the presence or absence of silibinin (50uM) and stimulated with
      1ug/mL of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 18h. The supernatant was employed for
      determination of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 (IL
      1beta) by enzyme immunoassay. The cells were also cultured for 30min to perform
      the extraction and determination of the nuclear activity of NF-kB. RESULTS: The
      results showed increased endogenous activation of NF-kB in PBMC of the PE group
      compared with the NT and NP groups. We also observed increased production of TNF
      alpha and IL-1beta by non-stimulated PBMC in the PE group compared with NT and NP
      groups. A positive correlation between NF-kB activity and endogenous production
      of TNF-alpha (r=0.6509; p=0.0047) or IL-1 b (r=0.5106; p=0.0304) was observed in
      the PE group. Silibinin showed an anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the
      spontaneous and LPS-stimulated NF-kB activation as well as the production of
      inflammatory cytokines in all the groups studied. CONCLUSION: Patients with PE
      showed a greater activation of PBMC cells compared with NT women. Silibinin
      showed modulatory activity on the inflammatory response by downregulation of NF
      kB activation as well as TNF-alpha and IL-10 production. FINANCIAL SUPPORT:
      FAPESP 2010/00776-0.

PMID- 26105386
TI  - PP063. TLR-4 expression and pro-inflammatory cytokine production by peripheral
      blood monocytes from preeclamptic women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 and TLR-2 are involved in inflammatory
      response of monocytes. These cells are activated in pregnant women with
      preeclampsia (PE), and over-produce inflammatory cytokines. TLR4 may recognize
      endogenous ligands, the so-called danger signals released by damaged cells,
      leading to production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. OBJECTIVES: This study
      investigated TLR2 and TLR4 expression and cytokine production by monocytes from
      women with PE before and after stimulation with TLR ligands. METHODS: Monocytes
      (5*10(5)cell/mL) were obtained from 32 preeclamptic (PE) and 20 normotensive (NT)
      pregnant women in the last trimester of pregnancy. TLR2 and TLR4 expression on
      monocyte surface was determined by flow cytometry in non-stimulated cells, and
      after 18h of culture with lipopysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan (PG). TNF
      alpha, IL-10 and IL-12p70 production by these cells stimulated or not with LPS or
      PG was evaluated by enzyme immunoassay. Results were analyzed by non-parametric
      tests with significance level set at 5%. RESULTS: In the absence of stimulation,
      the basal TLR4 expression by monocytes detected by the median fluorescence
      intensity (MFI) was significantly higher in the PE group than in the NT group
      while no significant differences were observed between groups in relation to
      endogenous TLR2 expression. An increase in TLR4 MFIs was detected after monocytes
      from NT pregnant women were stimulated with LPS while TLR2 expression was
      increased after PG-stimulation. No alterations in TLR expression was detected
      after LPS or PG-stimulation in monocytes from patients with PE. Evaluation of
      endogenous cytokine levels in supernatant culture of monocytes showed higher
      concentrations of TNF-alpha and IL-12p70 in preeclamptic women in comparison with
      the NT group, whereas IL-10 values were significantly higher in NT pregnant women
      than in the PE group. In contrast, when monocytes were stimulated with the TLRs
      ligands LPS and PG, the release of TNF-alpha was significantly reduced, while IL
      12p70 levels were significantly higher in women with PE compared to NT group. IL
      10 production was similar in both groups studied. CONCLUSION: The basal up
      regulation of TLR4 expression associated with endogenous high TNF-alpha and IL
      12p70 production by monocytes from preeclamptic women confirms the activated
      profile of these cells by the disease process. These findings provide new
      insights into possible roles for TLRs in the pathogenesis of systemic
      inflammation detected in PE. FINANCIAL SUPPORT: FAPESP 2009/11924-3 and
      2010/20207-0.

PMID- 26105387
TI  - PP064. M1 Monocyte subpopulation is associated with pro-inflammatory
      cytokineproduction in pregnant women with preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Monocytes from peripheral blood of pregnant women with preeclampsia
      are endogenously activated and secrete high levels of free radicals and
      inflammatory cytokines. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at evaluating whether the
      inflammatory state of monocytes observed in preeclampsia is associated with the
      polarization of monocyte to M1 profile in peripheral blood, correlating the
      expression of surface receptors CD64, TLR2, TLR4, and CD163 and CD206 with
      cytokine production. METHODS: We studied 90 pregnant women, 30 normotensive and
      60 with preeclampsia, matched for gestational age. Peripheral blood monocytes
      obtained from normotensive pregnant or preeclamptic pregnant women were cultured
      for 18h, and the expression of surface receptors on M1 inflammatory monocyte
      subpopulation (TLR2, TLR4 and CD64) and M2 suppressor monocyte subpopulation
      (CD163 and CD206) were evaluated by flow cytometry, using specific monoclonal
      antibodies, labeled with fluorochromes. The values were expressed as ??the mean
      fluorescence intensity. Moreover, the production of proinflammatory cytokines
      associated with M1 profile (TNF-alpha, IL-12p70 and IL-23) and the anti
      inflammatory cytokine associated with M2 profile (IL-10) were evaluated in the
      monocyte supernatant of culture by enzyme immunoassay. Results were analyzed
      using nonparametric tests with significance level set at 5%. RESULTS: The
      expression of CD4 and TLR4 on monocyte surface, from women with preeclampsia was
      significantly higher, while the expression of CD163 and CD206 was significantly
      decreased compared with normotensive pregnant women, suggesting the predominance
      of monocyte M1 profile. Endogenous production of TNF-alpha, IL-12p70 and IL-23 by
      monocytes was increased, while synthesis of IL-10 was lower in women with
      preeclampsia compared with normotensive pregnant women. Positive correlations
      between TLR4 and CD64 (r=0.5849), TLR4 and TNF-alpha (r=0.5126) or TLR4 and IL-23
      (r=0.8095), as well as between CD64 and TNF-alpha (r = 0.7133) or CD64 and IL-23
      (r = 0.6051) were observed in the preeclamptic group. The results confirm the
      activated state of monocytes from women with preeclampsia by increased production
      of proinflammatory cytokines and the expression of receptors characteristic of
      the M1 subpopulation. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that monocytes
      from women with preeclampsia are classically activated and the systemic
      inflammatory environment may differentiate and polarize these cells to the M1
      profile. FINANCIAL SUPPORT: CNPq, FAPESP 2009/11924-3 and 2010/20207-0.

PMID- 26105388
TI  - PP065. dNK and dNK-CM mediated alterations of DNA methylation in extravillous
      cytotrophoblasts (EVTS).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Placental DNA methylation is thought to be influenced by
      environmental exposure. Decidual natural killer cells (dNKs) directly contact
      with cytotrophoblasts in the early stage of pregnancy. dNKs may affect DNA
      methylation of extravillous cytotrophoblasts (EVTs) directly or indirectly
      through their secreted soluble factors. OBJECTIVES: Previously, we showed that
      EVT outgrowth and migration on collagen gel were restricted by exposure to dNK or
      dNK-derived conditioned medium (dNK-CM) (ref [1]). The aim of this study was to
      determine if EVT DNA methylation was altered by treating with dNK or dNK-CM.
      METHODS: Placental explants collected from 6 first-trimester healthy pregnancy
      terminations were cultured on a rat collagen gel model. Outgrowth EVTs from each
      subject were treated with medium or concordant dNK (trapped inside of hollow
      fibers) or dNK-CM. EVTs were harvested after 96-hour co-culturing and underwent
      DNA extraction. DNA methylation was quantified using the Infinium Human
      Methylation 450 BeadChip, which targets over 450,000 CpG sites in the human
      genome. Differential methylation was defined by having p<0.05 (Student's t-test)
      and average DNA methylation change >10% before and after treatments. Functional
      enrichment was assessed by gene ontology analysis with False Discovery Rate <10%
      defined as significantly enriched. RESULTS: Increased DNA methylation was
      observed for 360 loci and 572 loci by dNK or dNK-CM respectively, and decreased
      DNA methylation was shown for 62 loci and 188 loci by dNK or dNK-CM respectively.
      DNA methylation at 44 loci was altered by both dNK and dNK-CM. The common loci
      were overrepresented for associations with EVT differentiation, adhesion and
      migration. Examples of the relevant overlapped loci with increased DNA
      methylations were MYO15A and PRDM16 (PR domain zinc finger protein 16); and the
      overlapped loci with reduced DNA methylation were CDH9 and USP29 (ubiquitin
      specific protein 29). dNK but not dNK-CM reduced IL18 methylation and increased
      methylation on ITGAL (integrin, alpha L) and ITGB7. dNK-CM but not dNK reduced
      methylation of ITGAD and PCDH8 (protocadherin 8) and increased methylation of
      CDH4 and CDH6. CONCLUSION: DNA methylation of EVT was altered by exposure to
      surrounding dNK and their secreted soluble molecules. These results serve as a
      basis for further investigations on whether DNA methylation can mediate the
      changes in protein expression that influence EVT differentiation, adhesion and
      migration.

PMID- 26105389
TI  - PP066. Renal artery stenosis revealed by an early-onset preeclampsia: A series of
      6 cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Renovascular hypertension (HT) due to an renal artery stenosis
      (RAS) is uncommon. Therefore, it is actually very rare to diagnose RAS during a
      pregnancy; very few cases have been published. OBJECTIVES: We report here a
      series of RAS diagnosed after an early-onset preeclampsia (EOPE). METHODS: We
      reviewed the files of women who had been seen at our Obstetric Medicine Clinic
      after an EOPE over a 19-year period. EOPE was defined by occurrence of
      proteinuria ?0.30g/d before 32 weeks of gestation (WG) with permanent HT ?
      140mmHg for systolic pressure and/or 90 for diastolic pressure. RESULTS: Six
      cases of RAS complicated with EOPE were included in the study (see table). Mean
      age at the time of EOPE was 27.8 years (24-35), mean term of appearance of EOPE
      was 22.8 WG (10-31) and mean parity was 1.5 (1-3). HELLP syndrome was found in
      one case, no patient had renal failure. Fetal death had occurred in three cases
      (two medical terminations of the pregnancy and one in utero fetal death). The
      mean birth weight of surviving neonates was 1235g (1070-1410). Physical
      examination revealed an abdominal bruit in two cases. RAS was suggested with
      duplex sonography in two cases, and evidenced with conventional percutaneous
      contrast angiography in five cases. RAS was secondary to a fibromuscular
      dysplasia in five cases and to atheromatosis in one case. Angioplasty was
      performed during conventional angiography procedure in four cases. During the
      follow-up, two women had a subsequent uneventful pregnancy. Restenosis was
      diagnosed in one case five years after angioplasty. PE: Pre-eclampsia. WG : Weeks
      of Gestation. MTP: Medical Termination of Pregnancy. IUFD : Intra-Uterine Fetal
      Death. RAS : Renal Artery Stenosis. NA : Not Applicable CONCLUSION: This series
      shows the necessity of exploring every case of HT with clinical features
      suggestive of secondary HT. Moreover, after an adverse obstetrical event, mainly
      after an EOPE and namely if it had occurred very early (before 28 WG),
      renovascular HT must be excluded before a subsequent pregnancy. Doppler
      ultrasound of the renal arteries is the first imaging modality to use since it is
      simple and noninvasive. Magnetic resonance angiography or computed axial
      tomography are also convenient. However, conventional percutaneous contrast
      angiography remains the gold standard for diagnosis of RAS, since it shows
      directly renal arteries and allows intervention in the same time with angioplasty
      and/or stent placement.

PMID- 26105390
TI  - PP068. Catastrophic antiphospholipid-syndrome (CAPS) - A severe pregnancy
      complication.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), is an autoimmune, hypercoagulable
      state caused by antibodies against cell-membrane phospholipids provoking arterial
      and venous thromboses as well as pregnancy-related complications such as
      miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm delivery, or severe preeclampsia. The syndrome
      occurs due to the autoimmune production of antibodies against phospholipid (aPL),
      a cell membrane substance. In particular, the disease is characterised by
      antibodies against cardiolipin (anti-cardiolipin antibodies) and beta2
      glycoprotein I. In rare cases, APS can lead to rapid organ failure due to
      generalised thrombosis. This life-threatening complication is termed
      "catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome" (CAPS) and is associated with a high
      maternal mortality. OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of patients who
      developed catastrophic APS triggered during pregnancy and to possibly identify
      potential risk factors for the development of this complication. METHODS:
      Patients charts of women with autoimmune disorders (such as APS or systemic lupus
      erythematodes) observed and treated at the University of Graz and The University
      of Jena between 2007 and 2012 were evaluated. RESULTS: Four cases of CAPS were
      identified. In all women CAPS occurred as a severe early onset complication (<34
      weeks of gestation) and all women had to be delivered by caesarean section
      between 27 and 32 weeks. With an "individualized" treatment including
      plasmapheresis, pregnancy can be prolonged for a short period to at least achieve
      lung maturation by steroids. Several specific features could be found: HELLP
      (haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets) syndrome-like symptoms,
      eclampsia-like symptoms (headache, amaurosis), abdominal pain resistent to
      conventional analgesic therapy, and intrauterine growth restriction. Histologic
      examination after delivery revealed placental infarctions. CONCLUSION: It is
      important to consider the possibility of the development of catastrophic APS in
      those patients with signs of HELLP syndrome and multiorgan failure during
      pregnancy or puerperium, especially in those patients with previous history of
      abortions and/or thrombosis. In specialised centers prolongation of pregnancy
      with an individualized treatment including plasmapheresis may be an option.

PMID- 26105391
TI  - PP069. The expressions of B7-H1 and B7-H4 co-stimulatory molecules on myeloid and
      lymphoid dendritic cells in pre-eclampsia and normal pregnancy. The expressions
      of B7-H1 and B7-H4 co-stimulatory moleculeson myeloid and lymphoid dendritic
      cells in pre-eclampsia and normal pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a common obstetric syndrome affecting about 5
      10% of pregnant women. The syndrome is a leading cause of maternal and fetal
      morbidity and mortality, even in developed world. The etiology and pathogenesis
      of this syndrome are not fully understood. There are many studies describing
      alterations in the innate and adaptive immune system which may have an influence
      on the onset of this disorder. It was suggested that activation of cell-mediated
      immunity may play the key role in the etiology of pre-eclampsia. OBJECTIVES: The
      purpose of our study was to estimate the expressions of B7-H1 and B7-H4
      costimulatory molecules on myeloid and lymphoid DCs (CD1c(+), BDCA-2(+)) in the
      peripheral blood of patients with pre-eclampsia and normal pregnant women in the
      third trimesters of physiological pregnancy. METHODS: Thirty three patients with
      pre-eclampsia and 26 normal pregnant women were included in the study. Dendritic
      cells were isolated from peripheral blood, stained with monoclonal antibodies
      against blood dendritic cell antigens and B7-H1 and B7-H4 molecules and estimated
      using flow cytometry. RESULTS: The expressions of B7-H1 molecule on CD1c(+)
      myeloid DCs and B7-H4 molecule on BDCA-2(+) lymphoid DCs did not differ in pre
      eclampsia and healthy third trimester pregnant women. The expressions of B7-H4
      molecule on CD1c(+) myeloid DCs and B7-H1 molecule on BDCA-2(+) lymphoid DCs were
      significantly higher in peripheral blood of patients with pre-eclampsia in
      comparison with the control group. CONCLUSION: It seems possible that higher
      expressions of B7-H4 molecule on CD1c(+) myeloid DCs and B7-H1 molecule on
      lymphoid BDCA-2(+) DCs in pre-eclampsia may be the tolerogenic mechanism
      secondary to the pro-inflammatory response which is observed in this syndrome.

PMID- 26105392
TI  - PP070. Maternal flow-mediated dilation and nitrite concentration during third
      trimester of pregnancy and postpartum period.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The vascular endothelium is thought to be responsible for
      cardiovascular adaptations in gestation, such as the decrease in peripheral
      vascular resistance and the decrease in arterial pressure. There is an increase
      of nitric oxide (NO) serum levels in normal gestation due to an increment in the
      activity of the enzyme endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). OBJECTIVES: To
      compare maternal flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery (FMD) and the
      nitrite concentration between the third trimester of pregnancy and postpartum
      period. Additionally we want to evaluate whether FMD correlates with nitrite
      concentration. METHODS: Eligibility criteria were healthy pregnant women with
      single fetus, gestational age greater than 28 weeks, nonsmokers, and without
      personal or family history of vascular disease. Each pregnant woman was examined
      in the third trimester of pregnancy (3(rd)T) and between 8 and 12 weeks
      postpartum (PP) to evaluate FMD and nitrite concentrations in the whole blood. We
      excluded women who were not examined in both periods. We compared the values
      between the two periods using paired t tests. The correlation between FMD and
      nitrite concentration was examined by Pearson correlation coefficient.
      Significance level was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: 42 pregnant women were invited for
      the study. 35 healthy women were elected and 7 of them were excluded for not
      attending the postpartum evaluation. We found a trend of decreased FMD in the PP
      period (10.39+/-5.57 % vs. 8.42+/-4.21 %, p=0.11; 3(rd)T vs. PP respectively). No
      significant change was observed in the nitrite concentration (257.41+/
      122.95nmol/L vs.237.16+/-90.01nmol/L, p=0.28). We did not observe significant
      correlation between FMD and nitrite during 3(rd)T (r=-0.13, p=0.50) or PP
      (r=0.14, p=0.48). CONCLUSION: Although our sample size did not permit sufficient
      precision, FMD seems to decrease between the third trimester and postpartum
      period. Nitrite concentration did not change between the third trimester of
      pregnancy and the postpartum period, and it was not correlated to FMD. Studies
      evaluating larger samples are necessary to confirm these findings.

PMID- 26105393
TI  - PP071. Evaluation of maternal-fetal doppler parameters and of whole blood nitrite
      throughout gestation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Doppler method is extensively applied today for the evaluation
      of pregnancies with involvement of the uteroplacental blood flow. Although
      increased nitric oxide (NO) formation plays an important role in regulation of
      systemic vascular resistance during pregnancy, growing evidence indicates that
      reduced NO formation is associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy,
      especially preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: The studies were to assess the maternal and
      fetal Doppler parameters and to determine the whole blood nitrite levels during
      pregnancy. METHODS: Thirty-three healthy pregnant women were evaluated during the
      first (11-14 weeks), second (20-24 weeks) and third trimesters (34-36 weeks) of
      pregnancy. The maternal (uterine arteries) and fetal (cerebral and umbilical
      arteries) vessels were evaluated by Doppler velocimetry. venous blood was
      collected(15mL) for the determination of plasma nitrite by chemiluminescence.
      RESULTS: Regarding the Doppler parameters of the uterine arteries the mean
      pulsatility index was 1.73, 1.06 and 0.73 in the first, second and third
      trimesters of pregnancy, respectively. Fetal Doppler showed a mean resistance
      index of 0.82 and 0.81 for the middle cerebral artery, 0.73 and 0.60 for the
      umbilical artery in the second and third trimesters, respectively. The mean
      plasma nitrite concentration was 189.10, 178.28 and 199.57 nmol/ml in the first,
      second and third trimesters of pregnancy, respectively. CONCLUSION: The study
      demonstrated that a fall in flow resistance occurs in the uteroplacental vessels
      without changes in plasma nitrite concentrations during pregnancy.

PMID- 26105394
TI  - PP073. Gestational hypertension: A study on placental expression of endothelial
      and inducible nitric oxide synthase and no metabolism.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertension is one of the most common medical disorders in
      pregnancy and a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and death. In
      primates adequate development of the embryo, and later of the fetus, depends on a
      successful hemomonochorial placentation. Nitric oxide (NO) a low molecular weight
      mediator, induces vasodilatation, inhibits platelet aggregation, and prevents the
      adhesion of platelets to endothelial cells. Till date, no data are available
      regarding gestational hypertension (GH) placenta and no metabolism and related
      enzyme expression and activity. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate
      eNOS and iNOS expression in the placentas of both normal and GH patients, by
      means of Real-Time quantitative PCR, measure placental nitric oxide and
      peroxynitrite levels in the same group of subjects, and correlate such findings
      with HELLP group already published. METHODS: Fifteen patients with gestational
      hypertension and thirty healthy pregnant controls comparable for maternal and
      gestational age were enrolled in the study. Placental tissue was taken
      immediately after delivery. eNOS and iNOS mRNA levels were evaluated Real-Time
      quantitative PCR, whereas nitric oxide and peroxynitrite production was measured
      by a commercially available kit. RESULTS: Placental eNOS and iNOS mRNA levels
      were significantly reduced in GH (2,02-fold reduction and 2,33-fold reduction,
      respectively) when compared to controls. Conversely, NO and ONOO(-) production
      were significantly higher in GH group compared to control group (31.56+/-4.15nmol
      NO/mg prot vs. 23.98+/-5.14nmol NO/mg prot and 68.49+/-8.57 arbitrary
      fluorescence units vs 17.31+/-2.25 arbitrary fluorescence units; p<0, 05). Such
      results were compared to HELLP group obtained in an already published study.
      CONCLUSION: As from results herein reported, we can hypothesize that complex
      mechanisms involving NO pathways cause a placental vasculature damage. However,
      it is not easy to understand if these changes could be interpreted as causes or
      consequences of this pathologic state.

PMID- 26105395
TI  - PP072. Features of intrarenal blood flow in patients with preeclampsia (PE).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The pregnancy-associated complication preeclampsia is a leading
      cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The classical clinical
      manifestations of preeclampsia are elevated blood pressure and proteinuria due to
      renal damage. In severe cases of preeclampsia, the only effective treatment is
      delivery, irrespective of gestational age. OBJECTIVES: To investigate renal
      perfusion in PE patients by ultrasound Doppler examination and to assess the
      possibility of strategy to identify renal blood flow changes to predict
      preeclampsia before the onset of disease. METHODS: We studied 31 pregnant women
      of 21-46 years without renal disease: 19 PE (gr.1) and 12 volunteers (gr.2 ). PE
      was defined as a combination of proteinuria >0.3g/24h and blood pressure
      >140/90mmHg. We used Vivid7. We measured systolic (Vps), diastolic (Ved)
      velocities in renal and segmental arteries, and in at 5 pulse beats of interlobar
      and arcuate arteries. The resistance parameter (RI)=(Vps-Ved )/Vps. RESULTS:
      Table 1. The intrarenal blood flow in distal arteries. There was no difference in
      velocities and RI in renal and segmental arteries in both groups. We noted
      decrease of arterial and increase of the venous flow (color Doppler) of distal
      arteries in gr.1 seems to be a marker of renal ischaemia. All volunteers have the
      same parameters from signals of all pulse beats in one area - in arcuate and
      interlobar arteries. The RI in gr.1 varied in all distal arteries pulse beats in
      comparison with gr.2, where RI was identical. CONCLUSION: The "patchy" decreasing
      of RI suggests the presence of thromo-occlusive lesions leading to arteriovenous
      blood flow bypassing. The doppler ultrasonography may be used as a method of
      early diagnostic PE.

PMID- 26105396
TI  - PP075. Endothelial dysfunction may be impaired by increased oxidative stress in
      preeclamptic women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The essential pathogenesis in preeclampsia is vasospasm induced by
      endothelial cell injury. The vascular endothelium regulates vascular smooth
      muscle tone by producing vasoconstrictors and vasodilators, such as nitric oxide
      (NO). Recently, it has been reported that the levels of oxidative stress are
      increased and they may impair endothelial NO production and induce endothelial
      dysfunction in preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether maternal release of
      oxygen free radical and antioxidants are associated with maternal vascular
      endothelial cell injury, we measured serum parameters of oxidative stress and
      endothelial function during pregnancy in women with or without preeclampsia.
      METHODS: We evaluated 20 participants with uncomplicated pregnancies, 15 with
      mild preeclampsia, and 18 with severe preeclampsia. Plasma concentrations were
      measured for derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) and biological
      antioxidant potential (BAP) as markers of oxygen free radicals and antioxidants,
      respectively. Flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) was also assessed as a marker of
      endothelial function. RESULTS: D-ROMs were increased in the maternal blood of the
      severe preeclamptic group compared with the control group (681.0+/-239.0 vs
      478.6+/-101.4 CARR U, P<0.001), but not in the mild preeclamptic group (562.0+/
      106.5 CARR U). Plasma BAP levels did not change significant in all three groups.
      The proportion of d-ROMs to BAP was higher in the severe preeclamptic group than
      in controls (0.28+/-0.11 vs 0.21+/-0.05, P<0.01), but not in the mild
      preeclamptic group (0.24+/-0.08). FMD was significantly decreased in both
      preeclamptic groups (severe, 4.3+/-3.3%, P<0.001; mild, 6.5+/-3.6%, P<0.001)
      compared with controls (10.5+/-2.3%), but FMD in the severe preeclamptic group
      was significantly greater than in the mild preeclamptic group. A negative
      correlation between FMD and d-ROM concentrations was observed in all participants
      (r=-0.376, P<0.05), and the ratio of serum d-ROMsto BAP correlated negatively
      with FMD (r=-0.413, P<0.05) in all participants. CONCLUSION: We found that the
      production of oxygen free radicals increased, but not the production of
      antioxidants which decreased, as a result, an imbalance between reactive oxygen
      species formation and antioxidant defence mechanisms may have impaired
      endothelial function in preeclamptic women.

PMID- 26105397
TI  - PP074. Characteristic changes in endothelial function in uterine artery by
      administration of no synthase inhibitor during period of placental formation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is characterized as an increased peripheral vascular
      resistance. It is found that the administration of the NOS inhibitor l-NAME at
      early pregnancy developed hypertension in rats similar to preeclampsia.
      Furthermore, we found action of endothelial NO was reduced due to possibly
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) in preeclamptic women. OBJECTIVES: We investigated
      whether this treatment modulates NO and ROS production in uterine artery
      endothelial cells at late pregnancy in rats. METHODS: l-NAME was continuously
      administered during the 8-14th day of gestation in Wistar rats. Blood pressure
      was meassured by use of tail-cuff method. The uterine artery was obtained at the
      20th day of gestation. Acetylcholine (ACh)-induced endothelial NO production was
      estimated from DAF-2 fluorescence. Furthermore, ACh-induced endothelial cell ROS
      production was estimated from CM-H2 DCFDA by fluorescence imaging system.
      RESULTS: Blood pressure was higher and birth body weight was smaller in l-NAME
      treated rats than in saline-treated rats. Acetylcholine (ACh)-induced endothelial
      NO production was higher, while ACh-induced endothelial cell ROS production was
      similar, in l-NAME-treated rats when compared with those in control rats.
      CONCLUSION: It is suggested that the increased endothelial NO production in the
      uterine artery seen by a short term administration of l-NAME to rats during early
      pregnancy may function to protect the development of hypertension.

PMID- 26105398
TI  - PP076. Oscillation of blood pressure seen in eclamptic women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It was found that eclampsia might be caused by vasogenic edema as a
      result of breaking autoregulation of cerebral blood flow. The finding of PRES
      (posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome) was seen on MRI (T2 FLAIR) in
      eclamptic women. PRES was also seen in women complicated by severe hypertension.
      Therefore, severity of hypertension might depend on the onset of eclampsia in
      pregnant women. However, it remains to be unclear with other factors except
      severity. OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we estimated the pathophysiological
      mechanisms focusing on changes of blood pressure in preeclamptic women. METHODS:
      From May to December 2011, 5 eclamptic women were present in Nagoya City West
      Medical center (795 pregnant women, including 22 preeclamptic women). Four of
      preeclamptic women developed eclampsia. We recorded changing blood pressure and
      analyzed them for 4 days (before and after 2 days). RESULTS: Three were severe
      hypertension (more than 160/110mmHg) before 2days. Just before, all showed wide
      oscillation of blood pressure (more than 30/15mmHg). One was severe preeclampsia
      in 37weeks of gestation. After cesarean section, blood pressure was decreasing
      (100/50mmHg), due to blood loss. Taking blood transfusion, blood pressure
      subsequently increased and disease occurred. Double product, which means a
      working index of heart function was low and was in turn low after it.
      Furthermore, shock index, which means a blood volume was upset. CONCLUSION: From
      these results, it was suggested that a wide-difference of blood pressure might
      induce elampsia in women complicated by preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105399
TI  - PP077. Effect of maternal antioxidant concentrations on expressions of
      angiogenesis-related genes in the villous trophoblasts from early pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The pathogenesis of preeclampsia is associated with oxidative
      stress of villous trophoblasts in early pregnancy. We have reported that
      antioxidant supplementations from 12weeks of gestation could prevent mild
      preeclampsia in pregnant women with oxidative stress. OBJECTIVES: To prove the
      effect of maternal antioxidant concentrations on expressions of angiogenesis
      related genes in the villous trophoblasts from early pregnancy. METHODS: Villous
      tissue and blood samples were obtained from pregnant women who had artificial
      abortions between 6 and 11weeks of gestation. RNA was extracted from villous
      tissue, and gene expression levels of fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (FLT-1),
      endoglin (ENG), and placental growth factor (PGF) in villous tissue were measured
      by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Serum vitamin C and E
      concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This study was
      approved by the Ethics Committee of Showa University Hospital. RESULTS: Negative
      correlations between maternal serum vitamin C levels and gene expressions of ENG
      (r=-0.856, p=0.007) and FLT-1 (r=-0.898, p=0.002) in the villous trophoblasts
      were observed. There was no correlation of maternal serum vitamin E concentration
      with any other gene expression in the villous trophoblasts. CONCLUSION: It is
      suggested that maternal oxidative stress may increase the gene expressions of
      anti-angiogenic factors in villous trophoblasts of early gestation, which may
      lead to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105400
TI  - PP078. Total antioxidant capacity in patients with pregnancy induced
      hypertension: Its relation to maternal and/or perinatal complications.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is a major cause of maternal
      and perinatal mortality and morbidity, particularly in under-resourced countries,
      like Mexico. Studies on PIH have shown increased oxidative stress products such
      as malondialdehyde and decrease of total antioxidant capacity (TAC). In this
      research we measured one marker of oxidative stress (OS) the TAC in patients with
      PIH and we associated it with the development of maternal and/or fetal
      complications. OBJECTIVES: Determine whether the plasma level of total
      antioxidant capacity (as a marker of oxidative stress) influences the development
      of maternal and/or perinatal complications in patients with PIH. METHODS: A
      observational, analytical, clinical study was conducted in patients with
      gestational hypertension (GH), mild preeclampsia (MP), severe preeclampsia (SP)
      and normal pregnancy (NP) > or = 28weeks gestational age. Serum samples were
      collected and stored at -70 degrees C until use for the determination of total
      antioxidant capacity. It was associated with the development of maternal and/or
      perinatal complications. RESULTS: TAC level in normotensive patients (NP) was
      mean of 2679 +/- 2014mEq/L while in hypertensive patients (GH, MP, SP) was on
      mean of 1502 +/-1340mEq/L (p<0.05), in the GH group was 1620 +/-1042mEq/L, in the
      MP group was 1977 +/-1865mEq/L, in the SP was 819 +/-305meq/L The mean TAC level
      in the 29 patients who had maternal and/or perinatal complications was 1521mEq/L,
      while in the 38 patients who showed no maternal and/or perinatal complications
      the mean was 2355mEq/L (p<0.05). Of the 29 patients who had complications 15
      (52%) had greatly diminished TAC levels (less than 1000mEq/L), 9 (31%) had
      between 1000 and 2500mEq/L and only 5 (17%)>2500mEq/L. 72% (28/39) of PIH group
      had one or more maternal and/or perinatal complications, while only 1 patient
      (3.6%) of 28 patients with NP had one or more maternal and/or perinatal
      complications (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients with decreased TAC level had a
      higher percentage of maternal and/or perinatal complications. Patients with PIH
      classified as mild preeclampsia, showing reduced TAC level should be in close
      observation as they have the risk of developing life-threatening complications
      since management is usually as outpatient.

PMID- 26105401
TI  - PP079. Evidence of placental and vascular endothelial apotosis and dysfunction by
      elevated serum human chorionic gonadotropin, soluble selectin and soluble Fas in
      HELLP syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The etiology of Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzyme, and Low Platelets
      (HELLP) syndrome remains unknown. We hypothesized that placental and vascular
      endothelial apoptosis and dysfunction might be the pathogenesis of HELLP
      syndrome. OBJECTIVES: To determine maternal serum levels and association among
      human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), soluble Fas (sFas), and E-selectin (sE
      selectin) in HELLP syndrome. METHODS: Forty-two singleton pregnant women were
      studied. Fourteen patients were with HELLP syndrome and 28 patients were healthy
      gravidas. The serum levels of total beta-hCG, sFas, and sE-selectin were measured
      by enzyme-linked immunoassays. Mann-Whitney test and Spearman rank correlation
      were used for statistical analyses. Data were expressed as median and ranges. P
      value less than 0.05 is considered statistically significant. RESULTS: There were
      no significant differences in maternal age, gestational age, parity or race in
      patients with and without HELLP syndrome. The median levels of serum total beta
      hCG, sFas, and sE-selectin were significantly higher in women with HELLP syndrome
      than in healthy gravidas {total beta-hCG: 52,168 (14,936-213,445)mIU/mL vs.
      17,942 (966-176,600)mIU/mL, p=0.016; sFas: 8.20 (3.0-22.6)U/ml vs. 5.8 (1.2
      18.5)U/ml, p=0.001; sE-selectin: 107.7 (26.2-194.7)ng/mL vs. 23.0 (11.1
      107.7)ng/mL, p<0.0001}. Moreover, serum total beta-hCG levels were significantly
      correlated with serum sFas (r=0.32, p=0.039) and sE-selectin levels (r=0.32,
      p=0.038). Serum sFas levels were also significantly correlated with serum sE
      slectin (r=0.47, p=0.003) CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that placental and
      vascular endothelial apoptosis in preeclampsia may further lead to placental and
      endothelial dysfunction as the possible pathogenesis in HELLP syndrome.

PMID- 26105402
TI  - PP080. Blood pressure in the offspring of experimental preeclamptic and
      normotensive baboon pregnancies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Experimental manipulation of the maternal environment in animal
      models has assisted with our understanding of the mechanisms contributing to
      fetal programming. Evidence suggests that individuals who experience a suboptimal
      intrauterine milieu have an increased risk of developing disease later in life.
      Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy known to alter the fetal environment.
      Such alterations lead to programming of the fetus for subsequent susceptibility
      to cardiovascular disease, including hypertension. Studies indicate that
      offspring from women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are at an increased
      risk of cardiovascular complications later in life. OBJECTIVES: To investigate
      whether offspring of experimental preeclamptic baboon pregnancies have higher
      blood pressure compared with offspring of their experimental controls and those
      of normotensive pregnancies. This is a pilot study to assess the feasibility of
      measuring health outcomes and risk factors for experimental preeclampsia
      offspring. METHODS: We have successfully developed two models of preeclampsia in
      the baboon (Papio hamadryas) through induction of uteroplacental ischemia in late
      pregnancy and TNFalpha infusion mid pregnancy. Systolic and diastolic blood
      pressure (SBP, DBP) were measured in baboon offspring from experimental
      preeclamptic (EPE, n=4), experimental preeclamptic control (EPE control, n=4) and
      normotensive pregnancies (Normal, n=12) using indirect sphygmomanometry (first
      and fourth Korotkoff sounds recorded). Each measurement was taken three times
      under identical anaesthetic and environmental conditions. Data are reported as
      the average +/- standard deviation. A generalized linear model was applied to the
      data and adjusted for age and sex. RESULTS: There was no significant difference
      in SBP of offspring from EPE (97.3+/-7.2mm Hg, P=0.21) or EPE control (108.4+/
      7.3mm Hg, P=0.16) when compared with offspring of normotensive pregnancies
      (102.6+/-7.3mm Hg). Similarly, there was no difference in DBP of offspring from
      EPE (67.5+/-15.4 mm Hg, P=0.72) or EPE control (61.5+/-15.7mm Hg, P=0.79)
      compared with normotensive offspring (63.9+/-16.7mm Hg). There was a significant
      difference in SBP and DBP of young (<5yrs) compared to older (?5yrs) animals
      (SBP: 96.4+/-7.9 versus 109.1+/-7.5mm Hg, P=0.003; DBP: 54.3+/-17.2 versus 74.4+/
      16.4mm Hg, P=0.009). There were no differences in SBP or DBP between male and
      female offspring (102.1+/-7.7 versus 103.4+/-8.3mm Hg, P=0.70; 63.9+/-16.8 versus
      64.8+/-18.4mm Hg, P=0.90 respectively). CONCLUSION: This study has shown that
      offspring from experimental preeclamptic pregnancies survive and are able to
      undergo long-term testing of blood pressure. There does not appear to be any
      significant differences in blood pressure among EPE offspring and their controls.
      However, the opportunity to investigate offspring over an extended period of time
      is feasible. This will enable us to examine other parameters that affect BP of
      experimental preeclampsia offspring.

PMID- 26105403
TI  - PP081. Study group obstetrics - A platform for efficient collaboration and
      networking in obstetrical science.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Modern medical science has to meet a series of challenges including
      the integration of new technologies and strategies to daily scientific routine.
      Biobanking is defined as 'a collection of biological material and the associated
      data and information stored in an organized system for a population or a large
      subset of a population' and plays a key role in these efforts. OBJECTIVES: The
      study group obstetrics aims to establish a platform for efficient collaboration
      and networking in obstetrical science. METHODS: Based on existing resources,
      technologies and expertise, autonomous data and sample collection in local
      biobanks shall be processed with uniformed SOPs to guarantee quality and
      compatibility. RESULTS: The study group obstetrics has created harmonized
      standards for sample and data management in biobanks as well as ethical and legal
      frameworks. Internet - based data management with uniform documentation sheets
      guarantee high data quality. Material and data are administrated autonomously and
      can be combined in the context of specific co-operations. CONCLUSION: Due to the
      outstanding dynamics over a limited period, the human pregnancy is an attractive
      field for biobanking and clinical case/control cohorts including disease focused
      cohorts. Harmonized standards and linkage in a network allow efficient scientific
      co-operations. Everyone interested is invited to join the study group obstetrics
      as an equitable member.

PMID- 26105404
TI  - PP082. Ophthalmic artery doppler for identification of severe preeclampsia in
      pregnancies complicated by hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertension is the most common disorder that occurs during
      pregnancy and one of the main causes of maternal mortality worldwide. Among the
      hypertensive disorders that affect pregnancy, preeclampsia (PE) is the major
      cause of maternal mortality, maternal morbidity, perinatal death, prematurity and
      intrauterine growth restriction. The acute cerebral complications in PE account
      for at least 75% of maternal death. Central nervous system hemodynamic
      modifications in PE are a controversial issue. Neurological involvement in PE
      eclampsia syndrome fulfills the criteria of posterior reversible encephalopathy
      syndrome (PRES). The pathophysiology of PRES is still under investigation.
      Assessment of cerebral circulation is challenging. Noninvasive techniques,
      especially transcranial Doppler sonography, are becoming more widely used to
      evaluate cerebral flow. Ophthalmic artery Doppler is a noninvasive examination
      used to study central vascular flow that has been shown to be a promising method
      in the evaluation of pregnant women with hypertension. OBJECTIVES: The aim of
      this study was to compare the ophthalmic artery Doppler indices observed in
      singleton pregnant women complicated by hypertension (study group) and to
      correlate the indices observed in hypertensive pregnant women with those observed
      in normal pregnant women (control group). METHODS: Ophthalmic artery Doppler
      indices of 30 mild and 30 severe pre-eclamptic women and 30 pregnant women with
      chronic hypertension (CH) at 20-40weeks of gestational age (GA) were compared.
      The control group consisted of 289 healthy pregnant women. Resistance index (RI),
      pulsatility index (PI), and peak ratio (PR) were determined in the right eye. The
      mean and SD were calculated for each group. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used
      to compare Doppler indexes means between groups. As significant differences were
      determined by ANOVA analysis, each group was compared by the Tukey method.
      Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to determine the
      predictive power of ophthalmic artery Doppler indexes for the identification of
      severe pre-eclamptic women. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
      RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the values obtained for RI,
      PI, and PR in severe PE women compared to the other groups (study and control).
      The mean and SD for IR, IP and PR in mild PE, severe PE and CH groups were
      respectively 0.73 (+/-0.06), 1.63 (+/-0.35) and 0.65 (+/-0.10); 0.63 (+/-0.09),
      1.13 (+/-0.31) and 0.89 (+/-0.12); 0.73 (+/-0.07), 1.66 (+/-0.49) and 0.66 (+/
      0.14). The mean and SD for IR, IP and PR in normotensive pregnant women were 0.75
      (+/-0.05), 1.88 (+/-0.43), 0.52 (+/-0.10). The optimal cut-off values for IR, IP
      and PR for the identification of severe pre-eclamptic women determined by roc
      curves was 0.657, 1.318, 0.784 (sensitivity and specificity were 0.633 and 0.919,
      0.733 and 0.888, 0.833 and 0.974, respectively). The area under the ROC curve for
      IR was 0.787(95% CI: 0.68-0.89), for IP was 0.797 (95% CI: 0.69-0.90) and for PR
      was 0.886 (95% CI: 0.80-0.96). CONCLUSION: Ophthalmic Doppler is a useful method
      in the identification of severe PE. PR was best ophthalmic Doppler index at
      discriminating between severe PE and pregnant women with mild PE or chronic
      hypertension as determined by roc curve.

PMID- 26105405
TI  - PP083. Clinic and out-of-clinic blood pressure changes during pregnancy by
      parity: Boshi study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nulliparity is believed to be one of the risk factors for
      hypertension during pregnancy. However, the relationship between parity and out
      of-clinic blood pressure during pregnancy is still unknown. OBJECTIVES: The aim
      of this study was to evaluate clinic blood pressure and blood pressure measured
      at home during pregnancy among nulliparous and multiparous women. METHODS: This
      study was a prospective cohort study. We examined blood pressure measured in the
      clinic and at home among 530 normotensive pregnant women who received antenatal
      care at a maternity hospital in Japan. Clinic blood pressures were obtained by
      duplicate measurements at each antenatal care visit. The participants were also
      required to measure their own blood pressures every morning at home while they
      were pregnant. A linear mixed model was used for analysis of the blood pressure
      course throughout pregnancy [1]. The SAS package (version 9.2) was used for the
      statistical analyses. RESULTS: A total of 315 nulliparous and 215 multiparous
      women were entered into this study (mean ages 30.1+/-4.6years and 33.0+/
      4.1years, respectively). Clinic blood pressure during pregnancy among nulliparous
      women was significantly higher than that among multiparous women (P=0.02/P<0.0001
      for systolic/diastolic blood pressure), whereas there were no significant
      differences in blood pressure measured at home during pregnancy between them
      (P=0.42/P=0.22 for systolic/diastolic blood pressure). CONCLUSION: Out-of-clinic
      blood pressure levels during pregnancy have been shown not to differ between
      nulliparous and multiparous women, while clinic blood pressure during pregnancy
      among nulliparous women is higher than that among multiparous women.

PMID- 26105406
TI  - PP084. Magnetic resonance imaging measurements of T2 relaxation times within
      contrasting regions of murine placenta is dependent upon blood flow.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It has been postulated that reduced placental perfusion as a result
      of abnormal placental implantation is the initiating event that leads to the
      maternal symptoms of preeclampsia. To be able to directly measure blood flow and
      perfusion in the placenta in experimental models of preeclampsia would provide
      valuable insight into the structural abnormalities of this syndrome. Magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) offers visualization of anatomy and analysis of changes
      in tissue morphology and function including blood flow and perfusion. The major
      source of image contrast in MRI comes from the variation in relaxation times
      between tissues. Previously, human placenta has appeared as fairly homogeneous in
      studies of T1 and T2 relaxation times, with no internal morphology apparent.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate, using much higher field
      strengths (11.7Tesla) and much higher resolution than have been used previously,
      whether structural inhomogeneities in the placenta can be discerned by T2 mapping
      and whether T2 mapping is capable of detecting structural abnormalities that may
      affect blood flow in a preeclamptic placenta. METHODS: Magnetic resonance images
      were acquired on an anaesthetised C57BL/6JArc mouse placed in a vertical animal
      probe using a Bruker Avance 11.7Tesla wide-bore spectrometer with micro-imaging
      probe capable of generating gradients of 0.45T/m. T2 measurements were acquired
      using an MSME sequence protocol (Bruker MSME-T2-map) with an in-plane resolution
      of 0.1-0.2mm. Matlab was used to generate R2 (i.e., 1/T2) maps from the acquired
      data with the T2 values being calculated from selected regions of interest within
      5 individual placenta. Additional T2 measurements were acquired on the same
      slices immediately after blood flow was reduced to zero. RESULTS: Three distinct
      regions of T2 contrast were discerned in the mouse placenta, likely correlating
      to the labrynthine, junctional and decidual zones. The contrast between the inner
      two regions was substantially abrogated when blood flow ceased upon euthanasia of
      the animal by anaesthetic overdose (p<0.005), whereas the decidual region
      remained unchanged (p=0.13). CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that
      morphologically distinct regions of the mouse placenta can be detected through
      the mapping of T2 relaxation times. The contrast between regions is lost when
      blood flow ceases and the placenta becomes homogeneous in appearance, suggesting
      that differences in T2 relaxation times across regions of the placenta may be
      used to non-invasively examine structural abnormalities and blood flow in the
      placenta of experimental animal models of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105407
TI  - PP085. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor antibodies increase angiotensin II
      sensitivity in pregnant rats.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pregnant women who subsequently develop preeclampsia are highly
      sensitive to infused angiotensin (Ang) II; the sensitivity persists postpartum.
      Activating autoantibodies against the Ang II type 1 (AT1) receptor are present in
      preeclampsia. In vitro and in vivo data suggest that they could be involved in
      the disease process. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to show if AT1-AB
      generated by immunisation alters Ang II sensitivity in pregnant rats. METHODS: We
      generated and purified activating antibodies against the AT1 receptor (AT1-AB) by
      immunizing rabbits against the AFHYESQ epitope of the second extracellular loop,
      which is the binding epitope of endogenous activating autoantibodies against AT1
      from patients with preeclampsia. We then purified AT1-AB using affinity
      chromatography with the AFHYESQ peptide. RESULTS: We were able to detect AT1-AB
      both by ELISA and a functional bioassay. We then passively transferred AT1-AB
      into pregnant rats, alone or combined with Ang II. AT1-AB activated protein
      kinase C-alpha and extracellular-related kinase 1/2. Passive transfer of AT1-AB
      alone or Ang II (435ng/kg per minute) infused alone did not induce a preeclampsia
      like syndrome in pregnant rats. However, the combination (AT1-AB plus Ang II)
      induced hypertension, proteinuria, intrauterine growth retardation, and
      arteriolosclerosis in the uteroplacental unit. We next performed gene-array
      profiling of the uteroplacental unit and found that hypoxia-inducible factor
      1alpha was upregulated by Ang II plus AT1-AB, which we then confirmed by Western
      blotting in villous explants. Furthermore, endothelin 1 was upregulated in
      endothelial cells by Ang II plus AT1-AB. We show that AT1-AB induces Ang II
      sensitivity. CONCLUSION: Our mechanistic study supports the existence of an
      "autoimmune-activating receptor" that could contribute to Ang II sensitivity and
      possibly to preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105408
TI  - PP086. The modern search for possible predictors of preeclampsia in the first
      trimester of pregnancy (preliminary study).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is a major complication affecting at least 3-4% of all
      pregnancies and is globally responsible for approximately 50,000 maternal deaths
      annually. Currently the main cause of preeclampsia is a shallow placentation,
      with abnormal invasion of cytotrophoblasts and incomplete remodeling of placenta
      supplying maternal uterine spiral arteries. However, up to 20weeks, these
      processes are asymptomatic, although they are accompanied by the release of
      various macromolecules in the bloodstream of the mother, which are potential
      biomarkers of disease, needed to detect. Much progress has been made in recent
      years towards first-trimester models using combined factors that will be of
      realistic use in clinical practice.The ability to predict the most severe forms
      of preeclampsia would allow closer surveillance and earlier intervention to
      improve pregnancy outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To determine the significance of
      measuring the concentration of PlGF and sFlt-1 and their ratio in 11-13 weeks of
      pregnancy as early markers of preeclampsia. METHODS: The study included 85
      pregnant women in 11-13 weeks with subsequent uncomplicated pregnancy and 11
      patients which developed various hypertensive disorders, four of them have
      developed severe (n=2) and mild (n=2) preeclampsia later. Concentrations of
      markers were determined on automated analyzers Cobas E411 (Hoffmann La Roche)
      using test kits Elecsys PlGF and Elecsys sFlt-1. RESULTS: In the first trimester
      the concentration of sFlt-1 in healthy pregnant women was 1618,0+/-18,2pg/ml,
      PlGF - 47,5+/-3,5pg/ml, the sFlt-1/PLGF ratio - 35,9+/-3,2. In the second
      trimester parameters were as follows: sFlt-1 - 1898,0+/-29,8pg/ml, PlGF - 208,0+/
      11,0pg/ml, the sFlt-1/PLGF ratio-11,2+/-2,6. Two patients with severe
      preeclampsia had sFlt-1 concentration at 11-12 weeks of 2185 and 14923pg/ml, PlGF
      - 12,8 and 61.3pg/ml, the ratio sFlt-1/PLGF - 170,7 and 243.4. In two patients
      with mild preeclampsia, these figures were in 1700 and 2312pg/ml, 38.2 and
      37,6pg/ml, 44,4 and 61,4, respectively. CONCLUSION: The optimal prediction
      biomarker does probably not exist. Our preliminary results confirm the
      feasibility of determining concentrations of sFlt-1 and PlGF, and their ratio in
      the 1st trimester of pregnancy to assess the risk of preeclampsia in order to
      reduce the frequency of obstetric complications and perinatal loss. Effective
      prediction of PE can be achieved at 11-13weeks' gestation. Further studies on the
      development and implementation a modified integrated screening program for early
      diagnosis of PE at 11-14weeks of gestation should be based on the assessment of
      maternal factors, biophysical, biochemical, and molecular genetic markers are
      needed. Better individualised patient prediction will allow us to target existing
      prevention, as it is, and to also develop new treatments in future.

PMID- 26105409
TI  - PP087. Deep trial secondary analysis: Digoxin immune fab fragment treatment has
      additional benefits in endogenous digitalis-like factor positive preeclamptic
      women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A double blinded placebo controlled clinical trial of a commercial
      digoxin immune Fab fragment (DIF) in preeclamptic (PE) women provided some
      benefit to treated subjects (1). In that study DIF, relative to placebo,
      prevented a decline in CrCl and lowered levels of endogenous digitalis-like
      factor (EDLF) activity as measured by sodium pump inhibition (SPI). However, some
      PE subjects had undetectable EDLF. OBJECTIVES: The hypothesis tested was that
      only PE women with measureable EDLF would respond to DIF treatment and analysis
      of EDLF positive women might reveal treatment effects masked by inclusion of EDLF
      negative, and hence non-responding, PE women. Accordingly, analyses of DIF
      effects in EDLF positive PE women were conducted. METHODS: Patient
      characteristics and study design have been published (1). In these subanalyses,
      subjects were considered to be EDLF positive if their plasma inhibited red cell
      sodium pump mediated Rb uptake. All analyses were redone for the EDLF positive
      subgroup by Covance Inc as in the original trial. Continuous data were analyzed
      by ANCOVA. Categorical data were analyzed by Barnard Exact Test. RESULTS: 45
      subjects (23 DIF, 22 placebo) had baseline SPI evaluated. Of these 22% had
      undetectable SPI. EDLF positive PE women showed greater and more significant
      reductions of SPI in response to DIF at each time point (12, 24, 48 hr treatment)
      than in the original analysis. Subjects with undetectable EDLF showed no
      significant change in response to DIF or placebo. For CrCl, EDLF positive PE
      women showed greater and more significant preservation of CrCl compared with
      original analyses. Subjects absent EDLF showed deterioration of CrCl with or
      without DIF. Among EDLF positive PE women DIF treated women had significantly
      less maternal pulmonary edema (p=0.035) and significantly less intraventricular
      hemorrhage in their infants (p=0.015). There was the suggestion of reductions in
      the incidence of other maternal and neonatal abnormalities. CONCLUSION: These
      data indicate that EDLF positive PE women are those that responded to DIF and
      also raise the possibility of extended benefits of DIF treatment in this group.
      Results support further research in this area.

PMID- 26105410
TI  - PP088. Oral antihypertensive therapy for severe hypertension in pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are among the leading
      causes of maternal mortality and morbidity. The vast majority occurs in low and
      middle income countries. It is widely accepted that women with severe
      hypertension are at increased risk of stroke and benefit from blood pressure (BP)
      reduction. Although traditionally, parenteral antihypertensive agents have been
      studied for treatment of severe hypertension in pregnancy, oral agents would be
      ideal for use in the community and in under-resourced settings. OBJECTIVES: To
      review the published evidence for the effectiveness of oral antihypertensive
      therapy for severe hypertension in pregnancy. METHODS: The following databases
      were searched (to May/11) for randomised controlled trials (RCT) of oral
      antihypertensive therapy for severe hypertension in pregnancy: MEDLINE, Cochrane
      Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews,
      and Database of Abstracts of Reviews. Inclusion criteria were: severe
      hypertension [an inclusion criterion or average enrollment BP of: systolic BP
      ?160mmHg and/or diastolic BP ?110mmHg), use of oral or sublingual
      antihypertensive therapy in at least one of the treatment arms, and at least one
      relevant measure of maternal or perinatal outcome within a week of
      administration. Data were abstracted independently by two reviewers and
      discrepancies resolved by consensus. The Cochrane Revman 5.1 software was used
      for statistical analysis according to standardised methodology. RESULTS: We
      identified 14 eligible trials (796 women). Most compared oral/sublingual (SL)
      nifedipine 5-10mg (10 trials, 606 women, 8/10 trials specified capsule
      preparation), with either: intravenous (iv) hydralazine 5-20mg (6 trials, 282
      women), oral nifedipine 10mg PA tablets (1 trial), oral prazosin 1mg (1 trial),
      iv labetalol (1 trial), or iv/intramuscular (im) chlorpromazine 12.5 (1 trial).
      Three trials (154 women) compared oral methyldopa (250-500mg initially) with
      either oral labetalol (100mg), atenolol (50-200mg) or kentanserin (80-120mg) (1
      trial each). One trial (36 women) compared SL isosorbide 1.25mg with iv magnesium
      sulphate (4g iv then 1g/hr). No trials were identified that compared oral
      labetalol with either parenteral hydralazine or oral nifedipine. Nifedipine
      compared favourably with parenteral hydralazine with no differences seen in BP
      control or maternal or perinatal outcomes. Heterogeneity between trial results
      was seen within the oral/SL nifedipine vs. iv hydralazine subgroup in which one
      trial evaluated treatment success and side effects over 20min, and found that
      nifedipine was associated with relatively lower success and fewer side effects.
      The incidence of maternal hypotension in the nifedipine capsule arms of these
      trials was low (1/102, 3 trials), but hypotension was common in both arms of a
      trial of nifedipine 10mg capsule vs. 10mg PA tablet trial (i.e., 11/31 vs. 3/33,
      risk difference 26%, 95% CI7% to 46%). CONCLUSION: Given the available RCT data
      on which to base oral antihypertensive treatment of severe hypertension in
      pregnancy, the choice of antihypertensive agent may need to be driven by the
      availability of the drug, setting in which it is to be administered, and by whom.
      For facility use, the evidence supports oral nifedipine capsules.

PMID- 26105411
TI  - PP089. A new expectant management of early-onset preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Early-onset and severe preeclampsia (PE) is a leading cause of
      maternal and prenatal morbidity and mortality. It has been challenging for
      doctors to produce good outcomes for both preeclamptic mothers and their babies.
      OBJECTIVES: To ameliorate this situation, a new expectant management was
      introduced in this study. METHODS: Umbilical blood velocity was monitored in 10
      cases of early-onset preeclampsia patients who were treated continuously with
      magnesium sulfate accordingly. RESULTS: The average gestational age when PE
      initiated was 28+/-3 weeks (ranging from 23 to 31weeks). The mean days prolonged
      by expectant management were 32.5+/-23.6 days (ranging from 8 to 95days). The
      average gestational age at delivery was 34+/-1weeks (ranging from 31(+3) to
      37weeks). The mean amount of magnesium sulfate used was 310.5+/-252.3g (ranging
      from 70 to 1000g). 10 pregnant women were all with abnormal umbilical blood
      velocity when admitted. All 10 babies were born alive. The mean birth weight was
      1848+/-669g (ranging from 900 to 3120g). 9 (90%) babies were premature, and 6
      (60%) babies had intrauterine growth restriction. There was no mortality or
      morbidity in both mothers and newborns. CONCLUSION: Early-onset preeclampsia is a
      process of stress injuries directly caused by feta-placental ischemia, which
      could be monitored by measuring the umbilical blood velocity by Doppler
      Ultrasound. Continuous use of magnesium sulfate may better maternal and prenatal
      outcomes by dilating placental blood vessels and increasing the umbilical blood.

PMID- 26105412
TI  - PP090. The contribution of podocyturia to the evaluation of ongoing glomerular
      disorder in pregnant women with kidney graft (preliminary results).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Progressive proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis characterize chronic
      allograft nephropathy. However, the causes are not fully elucidated. Injury of
      parietal epithelial cells in glomeruli, the podocytes, is the initiating cause of
      many renal diseases, leading to proteinuria with possible progression to
      glomerulosclerosis. Podocytes are highly specialized cells, with an important
      role in maintaining the glomerular filtration barrier and producing growth factor
      for mesangial cells and endothelial cells. With their foot processes they cover
      the glomerular basement membrane, and form slit diaphragms with neighboring
      podocytes. The potential role of podocytes in the failing transplanted kidney is
      unknown. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate podocyturia as a functional marker in pregnant
      women with kidney grafts. METHODS: Twenty pregnant women with kidney grafts had
      their urine samples cytocentrifugated and evaluated by indirect
      immunofluorescence. The slide was incubated for 45' at room temperature with
      fluorescein (FITC) anti-rabbit IgG secondary antibody (Sigma-Aldrich, EUA). Then
      Vectashield (mounting medium for fluorescence) with DAPI (4'6-diamino-2
      fenilindol dihidrocloreto) were applied H-1200 (Vector laboratories, inc, USA).
      The podocytes and the total number of cells were counted in 15 fields
      photographed under 400x magnification with a digital camera coupled to an
      epifluorescence microscope DM1000 (Leica, Germany) connected to a computer. The
      results were expressed as podocyte/total cells (%) per area of higher cell
      concentration (hot spots) in the field of 400x detected by staining of nuclei and
      cytoplasm. (Grant FAPESP 08/56338-1). RESULTS: The mean age of the women was
      26years. The urinalysis was performed at the third trimester of gestation; 11 did
      not exhibit urinary podocytes and 9 had podocyturia. There was also a
      relationship between blood pressure levels, proteinuria and the excretion of
      podocytes. CONCLUSION: Urinary podocyte number, blood pressure and proteinuria
      were associated. We observed that urinary podocyte excretion occurs in pregnant
      women with kidney transplant almost synchronously with higher systolic and
      diastolic blood pressure and higher mean levels of proteinuria. The detection of
      podocyturia in these women could be useful for early diagnosis and follow-up of
      glomerular injury, eventually preeclampsia. It may be also associated to its
      severity or activity, although additional studies are necessary to confirm these
      aspects.

PMID- 26105413
TI  - PP091. Prematurity and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. A major public health
      problem.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Around the world each year 10% to 15% of direct maternal deaths are
      associated with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. Not only it can be
      devastating and life threatening for the mothers but also for the babies. Risks
      for the baby include poor growth and prematurity [1]. In low and middle income
      countries many public hospitals have limited access to neonatal intensive care,
      and so the mortality and morbidity is likely to be considerably higher than in
      settings where such facilities are available. Thus, the approach to the problem
      preeclampsia should include issues related to prematurity and its impact, since
      many of these babies develop definitive complications, constituting a major
      public health problem with social and economic repercussions. OBJECTIVES: To
      evaluate the prevalence of preterm births in a public hospital health of the city
      of Sao Paulo, checking its main causal conditions, focusing in particular on the
      importance of hypertensive disorders in its determinism. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective study of a consecutive series of preterm infants, defined as
      gestational age less than 37 weeks born at Maternity School Vila Nova
      Cachoeirinha, situated at the north of Sao Paulo City, in the period from 01/04
      to 31/12/2011. The study population was classified according to three main groups
      of causal factors: spontaneous labor, premature rupture of membranes and elective
      preterm delivery. In this group was evaluated the specific participation of
      hypertensive disorders. RESULTS: The number of live births during the study
      period was 5302 babies. Among these 433 had gestational age less than 37 weeks,
      corresponding to a prematurity rate of 8.16%. Of all infants, 385 cases were
      included in the analysis. Regarding the causes of the onset of preterm labor
      found that 140 cases (36.4%) presented with spontaneous labor, 128 cases (33.2%)
      had premature rupture of membranes and 117 (30.4%) cases were born as a result of
      elective preterm delivery. In the latter group 88 cases (75.2%) had complications
      related to hypertensive disorders. Regarding the general population of premature
      infants, hypertension accounted for 22.8% of cases. CONCLUSION: We conclude that
      among the various obstetric problems, hypertensive disorders represent an
      important impact on preterm birth in our setting, considering that our
      institution is a reference to this type of care across the city of Sao Paulo.
      This knowledge is a fundamental tool to support the adoption of interventions
      that can detect groups at risk for hypertension in pregnancy, the promotion of
      follow-up to intercept severe cases and provide an efficient network of maternity
      care that may have neonatal intensive care units. This set of measures is
      essential to minimize the impact of this serious problem.

PMID- 26105414
TI  - PP092. Satisfaction and experiences of pregnant hypertensive women participating
      in a feasibility study of guided imagery effects on blood pressure.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are associated with maternal
      and perinatal health risk. Some studies have demonstrated blood pressure
      reduction from the use of relaxation therapies, although previous study in
      pregnancy was limited. We undertook a RCT to determine the effects of guided
      imagery relaxation on BP and anxiety in hypertensive women during pregnancy, to
      answer feasibility questions for a larger trial. OBJECTIVES: This presentation
      will describe experiences and satisfaction with study participation, as reported
      by women in our study. METHODS: Pregnant women with hypertension (n=69) were
      randomized to two daily periods of guided imagery or quiet rest, for 4weeks or
      until delivery, whichever came first. Participants provided compliance data and
      evaluated guided imagery each week, and completed postpartum questionnaires about
      their satisfaction with study participation. RESULTS: Sixty women completed at
      least one week in the study. Compliance with allocated group conditions was high.
      Most women were satisfied with their allocation; 83.3% would choose to be in the
      study again. A greater proportion (42.4%) indicated that the study reassured
      them, compared to 3.4% who felt it added to their worry. Of those in the Guided
      Imagery group providing ratings, more than 75% reported enjoyment and ease of
      use. Most indicated they would use it for future hypertension in pregnancy and
      for stress, and would recommend it to others. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest
      that Guided Imagery may moderate BP increases in pregnant women with
      hypertension. However, success of any clinical intervention requires a high
      degree of patient compliance and acceptability. Guided imagery was acceptable,
      based on reported use and intent to use it for future stress and hypertension.
      Guided imagery can be used by hypertensive pregnant women to promote relaxation.
      Further research is required to determine whether it can improve physical and
      psychological health outcomes during pregnancy, birthing and postpartum.

PMID- 26105415
TI  - PP093 Maternal and fetal outcomes in oocyte donor pregnancies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The history of oocyte donation is relatively new in the framework
      of in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques, and little has been discussed about
      the obstetric outcomes of such pregnancies. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is
      to assess the obstetric outcomes of pregnancy following in vitro fertilization
      with embryo transfer (IVF-ET) using donor oocytes and compare them to the
      outcomes from autologous IVF-ET and to spontaneous pregnancy in women with
      advanced age (AMA) to identify possible criticalities and help in counseling
      women and their doctors. METHODS: The study included a total of 70 delivered
      pregnancies. The study group included 14 oocyte donors IVF-ET (d-IVF-ET) from
      women aged 32-52years. The results from the study group were compared to the next
      two consecutive deliveries from the autologous IVF-ET (IVF-ET group) (n=28; age
      30-46years) and with two more consecutive deliveries from women older than
      40years (Advanced Maternal Age: AMA) (n=28, age 40-45years). We evaluated the
      occurrence of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), preeclampsia (PE), fetal
      growth restriction (IUGR), the gestational age at birth, placental anomalies, the
      mode of delivery, birth weight and the neonatal Apgar score. The fetal weight was
      corrected with the gestational age at the time of delivery according to Gardosi.
      Statistical analysis was performed with the Chi-squared test. RESULTS: Oocyte
      donor pregnancies had significantly higher rates of PE (d-IVF-ET 21.4%, IVF-ET
      0%, AMA 0%, p<0.011). They also had higher rates of PIH and IUGR (d- IVF-ET
      21.4%, IVF-ET 0%, AMA 3.6% p<0.011) (d- IVF-ET 21.4%, IVF-ET 7.1%, AMA 3.6%
      p<0.011 respectively). We found placental anomalies only in the d-IVF-ET group;
      the incidence of placental accretism was 28.6%, (p<0.003). There are not
      significant differences in the gestational age at birth, placental anomalies, the
      mode of delivery, birth weight and the neonatal Apgar score between the groups.
      CONCLUSION: This is the first study that compares the obstetric outcomes of donor
      pregnancies to the outcomes of autologous IVF-ET pregnancies and to advanced
      maternal age. The advanced maternal age criterion assumes that most women
      requiring oocyte donation are older. Hypertensive disorders were surprisingly not
      related to maternal age or to the in vitro fertilization technique. Obstetricians
      that deal with pregnancies from oocyte donation need to be aware of the more
      severe obstetric outcomes, especially placenta accrete and pregnancy-related
      hypertensive disorders. This warrants close blood pressure monitoring and an
      accurate placenta ultrasound. All women who conceive through oocyte donation
      should be counselled as early as the pre-conception period and referred to
      specific centres for high-risk pregnancies.

PMID- 26105416
TI  - PP094. A comparison of gestational changes in urinary excretion of magnesium with
      those of calcium.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Magnesium is one of the essential minerals required in various
      cellular functions. Some investigators have postulated that some aspects of
      pathophysiology in preeclampsia could be associated with alteration in regulatory
      mechanisms of the mineral. However, gestational changes in absorption, excretion
      and blood concentration of magnesium have remained less elucidated compared with
      those of calcium, which is another important mineral forming a divalent cation.
      OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to clarify if urinary excretion of
      magnesium during pregnancy might be altered compared with those of calcium.
      METHODS: Sixty specimens of 24h urine and 586 samples of spot urine were
      collected from healthy pregnant women who gave consent. Determination of the
      minerals were according to Orthocresol-phthalein complexone method for calcium,
      and xylidyl blue method for magnesium. Urinary creatinine was determined by Jaffe
      Method. RESULTS: Daily excretions of magnesium determined with 24h samples were
      60, 70, 81, 65, and 102mg in 1st, 2nd, and early 3rd trimesters, term, and
      postpartum 4weeks, respectively. There were no statistical differences among the
      values. Those of calcium were 174, 186, 139, 52, and 40mg, respectively. The
      values in term and in postpartum were significantly lower than those in 1st
      through early 3rd trimesters. The Mg/Cr ratios (mg/mg Cr) determined with spot
      urine samples were 0.064, 0.071, 0.066, 0.067, and 0.086, in 1st, 2nd, and early
      3rd trimesters, term, and postpartum 4weeks, respectively. The value of Mg/Cr in
      postpartum was significantly higher than the values in pregnant period. The Ca/Cr
      ratios (mg/mg Cr) were 0.164, 0.163, 0.135, 0.118, and 0.090, respectively. There
      was a trend of decreasing pattern in changes of Ca/Cr from 2nd trimester to
      postpartum. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that there is a mechanism of preservation
      of calcium in the late phase of pregnancy or puerperal period by reducing urinary
      excretion of the mineral. However, human pregnancy does not seem to show such a
      function controlling magnesium metabolism.

PMID- 26105417
TI  - PP095. Guideline-based development of quality indicators for hypertensive
      diseases in pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are one of the main causes of
      maternal morbidity and mortality. Internationally, several organizations have
      developed clinical guidelines to assist professionals and to supply patients with
      the best possible care. To improve the care for this group of patients, insight
      into the application of clinical guidelines in daily practice is needed. Valid
      quality indicators are necessary to estimate actual guideline adherence. In this
      study, we developed a set of valid guidelines based quality indicators for
      hypertensive diseases in pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: None. METHODS: A systematic RAND
      modified Delphi method was used to develop a set of quality indicators based on
      evidence-based guidelines and the literature, about hypertension and pregnancy.
      Experts' opinions were used to select the indicators regarding specific criteria
      such as efficacy, level of health gain and potential for care improvement.
      RESULTS: A representative set of 14 quality indicators was selected from 48
      initial guideline recommendations. Indicators concerned both professional
      performance and organisation of care for patients with hypertension in pregnancy.
      CONCLUSION: This study describes the systematic, stepwise method used to develop
      quality indicators that can be used to monitor care for hypertensive diseases in
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26105418
TI  - PP096. The effect of preterm placental calcification on uteroplacental blood
      flow, fetal growth and perinatal outcome in hypertension complicating pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Placental calcification is often found in pregnancy at term and
      regarded as a physiological aging process. However, its earlier presence, before
      36weeks' gestation (preterm placental calcification) may have an unusual
      pathological implication [1-3]. OBJECTIVES: This prospective cohort study aims to
      examine the effect of preterm placental calcification on uteroplacental blood
      flow, fetal growth and perinatal death (including intrauterine fetal death and
      neonatal death) in hypertension complicating pregnancy. METHODS: Monthly
      ultrasound was performed starting at 28weeks' gestation to establish the
      diagnosis of Grade III placental calcification, with measurement of fetal growth
      and uteroplacental blood flow by Doppler velocimetry on the umbilical vessels at
      34weeks' gestation. Participants (n=105) were classified into Group A (n=44), a
      hypertensive study group with notable preterm placental calcification at 28
      36weeks' gestation, and Group B (n=61), a hypertensive control group without
      notable preterm placental calcification prior to 36weeks' gestation. Women who
      smoked or drank alcohol during their pregnancies, had multifetal gestations, or
      major fetal congenital anomalies were all excluded. In addition to the
      measurement of S/D ratio, poor uteroplacental blood flow was confirmed by absent
      or reversed end-diastolic velocity (AREDV). Logistic regression analysis was used
      to estimate the risks of AREDV, poor fetal growth (IUGR) and perinatal death by
      calculating odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusted by
      maternal age, body mass index, economic status, co-morbidities (e.g. diabetes,
      marked anemia and placenta previa), type of delivery, and parity. RESULTS: In
      Group A, there is significant higher mean S/D ratio (3.80 Vs 3.28), as well as
      higher incidences of AREDV (28.2% Vs 10.5%), IUGR (45.5% Vs 26.2%), and perinatal
      deaths (20.5% Vs 6.6%) than those in Group B (p<0.05). The risks of AREDV (OR
      3.28; 95%CI 1.04-10.37), IUGR (OR 3.24; 95%CI 1.26-8.29), and perinatal death (OR
      4.78; 95%CI 1.23-18.67) were greater in Group A than those in Group B (the
      control group). CONCLUSION: In hypertension complicating pregnancy, the presence
      of preterm placental calcification is associated with a higher incidence of poor
      uteroplacental blood flow, fetal growth and perinatal death. Being an ominous
      sign, it may precede poor uteroplacental blood flow, fetal growth and adverse
      fetal outcome and can serve as a predictor of such findings when noted on
      ultrasonography. The affected baby is at greater risk, thus requiring closer
      antepartum surveillance for fetal well-being.

PMID- 26105419
TI  - PP097. Cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance in normal pregnancy and in
      control non-pregnant women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Changes in cardiac output (CO) and systemic vascular resistance
      (SVR) have been shown to precede the clinical onset of pregnancy complications,
      such as pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction. CO and SVR undergo major
      changes during normal pregnancy. However, assessment of these vascular parameters
      requires intensive training and expensive techniques, so currently can be
      performed only in specialised centres. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to
      investigate maternal cardiovascular function measured using an ultrasonic cardiac
      output monitor (USCOM), a simple non-invasive continuous wave Doppler device, in
      a cohort of pregnant women and non-pregnant controls. METHODS: This was a cross
      sectional study including 185 women with normal singleton pregnancies at 11
      40weeks of gestation and 49 non-pregnant controls. Stroke volume (SV), CO and SVR
      were measured using the USCOM device. All measurements were performed with the
      patients in supine position. All women with a gestational age of >20weeks were in
      a left lateral position by placing a wedge-shaped pillow under their right side
      to prevent vena cava compression. In a group of 25 pregnant women, each
      measurement was repeated three times to evaluate the reproducibility of this
      technique. Cardiac index (CI), SV index (SVI) and SVR index (SVRI) relate CO, SV
      and SVR to the body surface area. The data were normally distributed after
      logarithmic transformation. Comparisons between pregnant and non-pregnant women
      were performed using Studentt-test, Chi-Square test or multiple regression
      analysis, when adjustment for potential confounders was necessary. Data analysis
      was performed using SPSS 16.0. RESULTS: In the first trimester, all of the
      following vascular parameters were higher in pregnant women compared to non
      pregnant controls: CO [median (IQR): 4.86 (4.45-5.57) vs 5.57 (4.76-6.52)L/min,
      P<0.001], CI [median (IQR): 2.69 (2.44-3.07) vs 3.25 (2.80-3.86)L/min/m(2),
      P<0.001], SV [median (IQR): 72.51 (68.10-80.18) vs 80.75 (74.50-99.74)mL/beat,
      P<0.001], SVI [median (IQR): 41.93 (37.53-46.57) vs 47.01 (43.85
      53.79)mL/m(2)/beat, P<0.001]. Pregnant women had significantly lower SVR [median
      (IQR): 1458 (1261-1649) vs 1165 (1023-1406)sec/cm(-5), P<0.001] and SVRI [median
      (IQR): 2646 (2307-2963) vs 2006 (1179-2277)dynes-sec/cm(-5)/m(2), P<0.001] at 11
      13weeks' gestation. CONCLUSION: Using USCOM, maternal cardiac function can be
      assessed in a simple, non-invasive and reproducible manner. This simple technique
      is likely to facilitate large scale studies of maternal cardiovascular function
      in pregnancy.

PMID- 26105420
TI  - PP098. Lipidic fingerprinting in women with early-onset preeclampsia: A first
      look.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: preeclampsia is characterized by intense inflammatory response and
      an anti-angiogenic state. Maternal obesity has been considered to have important
      impact on the genesis of preeclampsia as lipotoxicity leads to maternal
      endothelial dysfunction and chronic inflammation. Here we investigate the plasma
      lipid profile of preeclamptic women. OBJECTIVES: identify possible lipid
      biomarkers for preeclampsia. METHODS: this study included 8 pregnant women with
      early-onset preeclampsia (before 34weeks gestation) and 8 normal pregnant women.
      Each patient in the preeclampsia group was matched to a patient in the control
      group according to gestational age at the time of sample collection. All patients
      in the control group were followed until term and had normal outcomes. To
      investigate the lipid profile, lipids were extracted from plasma samples using
      the Bligh-Dyer protocol and the extracts were subjected to MALDI-TOF Mass
      Spectrometry. Data matrix was exported for partial least squares discriminant
      analysis. All the variables analysed were sorted by a score number named Variable
      Importance in the Projection. The major discriminant variables were selected and
      underwent to Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: a total of 1290 ions were initially
      identified during lipidomic assessment. Twelve m/z signals were highlighted as
      the most important lipids for the discrimination of patients with preeclampsia.
      The identification of these differential lipids was carried out through Lipid
      Database Search. The main classes identified were Glycerophosphocholines [GP01],
      Glycerophosphoserines [GP03], Glycerophosphoglycerols [GP04],
      Glycosyldiradylglycerols [GL05] and Glycerophosphates [GP10]. CONCLUSION: Our
      results suggest that some lipid species may be potential biomarkers for early
      onset preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105421
TI  - PP099. Chronic hypertension: follow-up of chronic hypertension pregnant women in
      2008-2009.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic Hypertension (CH) is one of the most prevalent diseases in
      the world. Because women are getting pregnant in late ages, the incidence of
      Chronic Hypertension in pregnancy is raising (2-3%). As a long term disease in
      its essential form, with low repercussion in target-organs at reproductive age,
      the medical complications related to CH are not the main concern of the pregnant
      women. However, it influences the pregnancy and may result in serious maternal
      fetal complications, especially if a preeclampsia/eclampsia superimposes to
      pregnancy. The complications may be manifested as placental abruption, acute
      renal failure, cardiac decompensation, and cerebral accidents in the mother and
      of growth restriction and unexplained mid-trimester fetal death. The main goal in
      the follow-up of this pregnant women is to achieve controlled levels of blood
      pressure (Systolic - 110-140mmHg, Diastolic - 80-90mmHg) with anti-hypertensive
      drugs, and evaluate and early diagnose the most serious complication,
      preeclampsia/eclampsia(PE/E). OBJECTIVES: Review the cases of Chronic
      Hypertension followed in our institution in 2008-2009, with the analysis of
      population, anti-hypertensive drugs required to control HTA, fetal complications
      (growth restriction, preterm delivery and fetal death) and maternal/fetal
      complications (PE/E, Abruption placentae, Renal and Cardiac acute insufficiency,
      and cerebral accidents). METHODS: In a retrospective study, from January 2008 to
      December 2009, were analysed all files related with Chronic Hypertension followed
      in the obstetric department of Prof. Fernando Fonseca's Hospital. The statistic
      analysis was based on Excel 2007. RESULTS: The incidence of Chronic Hypertension
      was 40% of all hypertensive disorders in this period and of 1,5% in overall
      pregnant population. The maternal mean age of this group was 33,8 years (16;44)
      being the most prevalent pre-existing co-morbidities the endocrinologic disorders
      (obesity, Diabetes and thyroid pathology). 38% were previous medicated with anti
      hypertensive drugs, the majority of them needing only one drug to control blood
      pressure (BP) (64%). During the pregnancy follow up, 78% were medicated with one
      or more anti-hypertensive drugs, requiring only one drug to control BP in the
      majority of cases 66%. In terms of fetal complications 3 cases of growth
      restriction were signed (2%), preterm delivery in 26 cases (21%) and 2
      interruptions of pregnancy in the second trimester before 24 weeks because of
      maternal complications (2%). There was one case of Abruption Placentae (1%). In
      terms of maternal complications there were 5 ICU internments (4%), and one
      situation of acute cardiac disfunction (1%). The CH was complicated by PE/E in 22
      cases (18%). CONCLUSION: Chronic Hypertension is a prevalent disease, with an
      elevated incidence in pregnancy, and potential major fetal-maternal
      complications, obliging medical professionals to a straight and careful follow-up
      to control BP levels and early diagnose the adversely outcomes.

PMID- 26105422
TI  - PP100. Pre-eclampsia: Risk factors and outcomes - A two-year study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive disorder responsible for major
      morbidity and mortality in both mother and fetus. There are some risk factors
      associated with this entity, but it remains very difficult to predict.
      OBJECTIVES: Study the incidence of PE and the related risk factors, as well as
      the maternal and fetal outcome. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical records of
      pregnant women admitted to Prof. Fernando Fonseca's Hospital from January 2008 to
      December 2009, with the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia. The statistic analysis was
      based on Excel 2007. RESULTS: There were 90 cases of PE, among the 308
      hypertensive disorders reviewed, with an incidence of 1,1% in overall population
      of pregnant women. Risk factors with higher association were Chronic Hypertension
      before pregnancy (24,4%), maternal age above 35 years old (16,67%), maternal age
      under 20 years old (14,44%), and previous episode of pre-eclampsia (8,89%). Major
      maternal complications that determined Intensive Care Unit admission were
      recorded in 17 cases (18,89%), with 3 HELLP syndromes (Hemolysis, elevated liver
      enzymes, and low platelets)(3,33%). No maternal death was recorded. Preterm
      delivery (PTD) was seen in 61,1%, 32% before 34weeks and 6,67% before 28weeks.
      There were 19 cases of 1st minute Apgar Index below 7 and 5 cases of 5th minute
      Apgar Index below 7. There was one in utero death and two interruptions of
      pregnancy below 24 weeks due to serious PE. Three twin pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS:
      PE is a form of hypertensive pregnancy disorder, with a risk of recurrence in
      subsequent pregnancies. It has a catastrophic potential, mainly associated to
      PTD, and also with significant morbidity to the pregnant women, reflected in the
      incidence of admissions to ICU, HELLP syndrome and end-organ failure. In our
      study we confirmed the adverse outcomes related to this entity, and the risk
      factors associated.

PMID- 26105423
TI  - PP101. Preeclampsia and pregnancy induced hypertension and carotid artery
      atherosclerosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recent studies indicated preeclampsia (PE) and pregnancy-induced
      hypertension (PIH) as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in young women.
      Women with a history of preeclampsia face double the risk of a heart disease
      during the 5-15years after pregnancy. We assessed the impact of these factors on
      endothelial function, atherosclerotic changes and lipid metabolism in young women
      with a history of preeclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension. OBJECTIVES:
      The aim of this study was to examine whether women with a history of preeclampsia
      more often show signs of atherosclerosis compared with control group METHODS: We
      analyzed serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C, LDL-C and triglycerides
      (TG). Endothelium-dependent vasodilation and carotid artery intima-media
      thickness (CA-IMT) were evaluated in 18 patients with a history of PE, 16 with a
      history of PIH and 17 healthy controls (CN). Inter-group differences were
      calculated using Student's t-test. RESULTS: We found a worse lipid profile among
      women with PE and PIH. LDL-C was increased significantly in PE and PIH (PE:
      3.17mmol/l [SD 0.50] and PIH: 3.37mmol/l [SD 0.48] vs CN: 2.83mmol/l [SD 0.35],
      p<0.05); TC and TG were higher in the PE and PIH groups, but not significantly
      (p>0.05). Compared to controls, endothelium-dependent vasodilation was
      significantly reduced in PE and PIH patients (10.5% [SD 4.3] and 8.8% [SD 3.1] vs
      14.5% [SD 3.6], p<0.05). The mean combined CA-IMT was significantly higher in PE
      and PIH patients (0.66mm [SD 0.08] and 0.63mm [SD 0.09], respectively vs 0.52mm
      [SD 0.04]). CONCLUSION: We conclude that impaired endothelial vasoreactivity and
      increased CA-IMT are prevalent in women with a history of PE and PIH and are
      associated with traditional risk factors that strongly suggest that PE and PIH
      could be non-traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

PMID- 26105424
TI  - PP102. Hypertension in pregnancy and long term cardiovascular mortality outcomes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (HDP) remain a leading cause of
      maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide affecting up to 10% of all
      pregnancies. Previous works inform that long term morbidity includes
      cardiovascular disease, including ischaemic heart disease, stroke and
      hypertension. The extent of long term mortality amongst women distant from the
      primary pregnancy event is not known. OBJECTIVES: To determine mortality rates
      and cause of death for women who had hypertension during pregnancy between the
      years 1980-86. METHODS: Women who had hypertension during pregnancy were
      identified via by ICD-9 coding. From record examination, there was an existing
      cohort of women who participated in clinical trials at Royal Prince Alfred
      Hospital in the 1980's. These trials included placebo controlled for blood
      pressure in pregnancy. The deaths among this cohort were identified by the NSW
      Registry of Birth Deaths and Marriages. The causes of death were verified from
      the International Classification of Diseases versions depending upon the year of
      death. RESULTS: There were a total of 332 women identified as participating in
      the various trials between the years 1980-86. Of these, there were 17 deaths
      reported by 2011. This gives an overall mortality rate of 5.1%. Five of these
      deaths were due to CVD. This equates to an RR of 44.6 (CI 95% 17.43-112.56).
      CONCLUSION: Women with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy have a higher
      mortality rate compared to the general female population. Further research is
      required to determine the relationship between HDP and future hypertension and
      whether the type of treatment and management women receive with HDP effects their
      risk of future long term health outcomes.

PMID- 26105425
TI  - PP103. Arterial stiffness in women with previous GDM - A follow up of Chinese
      HAPO study cohort.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It is well known that women with history of gestational diabetes
      (GDM) are at risk of future DM. Whether they are at a higher risk of hypertension
      and cardiovascular risk remained to be determined. OBJECTIVES: To determine
      whether Chinese women who have been diagnosed GDM according to the new IADPSG
      criteria have a higher risk of hypertension & arterial stiffness than women with
      normal glucose tolerance (NGT) during pregnancy. METHODS: Chinese women who had
      participated in the HAPO study between 2001 and 2006 in Hong Kong were followed
      up at a median of 6years postpartum. All underwent anthropometric & BP
      measurements. Central systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP & DBP),
      augmentation index (AI) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were assessed by using
      SphygmoCor((r)) PVx.A total of 608 women (494 NGT, 114 GDM) were followed up till
      early 2012. RESULTS: Although there was no significant difference in the rate of
      hypertension, the central SBP (106+/-12 vs 102+/-13mmHg, p=0.03), AI (22.1+/-8.3
      vs 18.9+/-8.5%, p<0.001) and PWV (6.8+/-1.0 vs 6.6+/-0.8, p=0.03) were all higher
      in women with history of GDM. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest a higher risk of
      subclinical atherosclerosis amongst women with GDM despite the blood pressure may
      appear normal at the time of follow up.

PMID- 26105426
TI  - PP104. Pregnancy-induced hypertension is a strong risk factor for hypertension
      just 5 years after delivery: A double cohort study at the National Center for
      Child Health and Development and Showa University Hospital, Tokyo.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is associated with increased
      risk for cardiovascular diseases later in life. OBJECTIVES: To assess the
      prevalence of subsequent hypertension and other life-style diseases five years
      after delivery in women who experienced pregnancy- induced hypertension. METHODS:
      A total of 1527 women who delivered singletons were registered at the National
      Center for Child Health and Development and Showa University Hospital Mother and
      child health center of integrated perinatal period between 2003 and 2005. After
      five years, these women were invited to participate in this study by mail, and
      816 women completed the analysis. The women visited our hospital and underwent a
      medical examination. Women who were pregnant and nursing at the time when the
      physical examination was conducted were excluded from this survey. The outcomes
      assessed included the prevalences of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.
      RESULTS: The number of PIH cases was 27 (3.3%: PIH group), whereas 787 women were
      used as controls subjects. The mean blood pressure five years after delivery was
      higher in the PIH group than in the control group (91.6+/-15.5mmHg vs 82.4+/
      8.8mmHg, respectively; p<0.001), and the prevalence of hypertension five years
      after labor was 18.5% in the PIH group and 2.9% in the controls (odds ratio UOR
      Y=6.2; 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.2-17.5; p=0.003). Moreover, regarding high
      normal blood pressure (>130/85mmHg), the prevalence was 33.4% in the PIH group
      and 6.1% in the control subjects (OR=7.2; 95% CI=3.1-16.3; p=0.003). No
      differences in the prevalences of subsequent diabetes or dyslipidemia were
      observed. CONCLUSION: Five years after the index pregnancy, women who experienced
      PIH exhibit an increased risk for subsequent hypertension. Therefore, the blood
      pressure of women with history of PIH should be regularly monitored after
      delivery.

PMID- 26105427
TI  - PP105. Mental health problems following preeclampsia or HELLP syndrome: Do we
      have a case? A systematic review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women who suffered from pregnancy complications seem at higher risk
      for mental health problems. A common pregnancy complication is preeclampsia (PE)
      and the HELLP syndrome. OBJECTIVES: To review the literature and to investigate
      whether former PE/HELLP patients are more likely to have mental health problems
      or more severe mental health problems, as compared to women without a history of
      PE/HELLP, and to investigate whether PE/HELLP is an independent risk factor for
      developing mental health problems. METHODS: We performed a systematic search on
      PubMed and PsycInfo in July 2011. Studies had to present original data, consider
      postpartum depression, anxiety, or posttraumatic stress as outcomes, include both
      women with a history of PE/HELLP syndrome and at least one comparison group of
      women who had not experienced PE/HELLP, present the results for each group
      separately, or present the results of a multivariate regression analysis in which
      the diagnosis of PE/HELLP was considered as a factor, or both. Information on
      study design, participants and outcomes of interest for the current review were
      extracted using a prespecified form. Furthermore, a short critical appraisal
      checklist was used in order to evaluate the appropriateness of the studies in
      light of our specific review questions. For the purpose of the second review
      question, confounder control and handling of intermediate variables were
      specifically considered important. RESULTS: The search resulted in 227 articles,
      of which six were included. Four studies were historical cohort studies, two
      prospective. With respect to depression, the evidence is mixed. Out of the six
      studies addressing depression, all studies showed positive associations between
      PE/HELLP and the prevalence of depression or severity of depressive symptoms.
      However, the results of three of them were not statistically significant. The two
      studies addressing anxiety did not show a statistically significant association
      between PE and anxiety scores, although differences were in the expected
      direction (i.e. higher scores among women with PE). In the four studies
      addressing posttraumatic stress, associations were generally in the expected
      direction (i.e. higher prevalence and severity among women with PE/HELLP), but
      only a minority of them was statistically significant or partly significant. In
      most studies, confounder control was poor. CONCLUSION: Current evidence
      supporting a higher prevalence and an increased severity of mental health
      problems after PE/HELLP than after an uneventful pregnancy is inconclusive.
      Future studies should be prospective in design and should control for more
      possible confounders.

PMID- 26105428
TI  - PP106. Risk of long term renal graft loss after pregnancy in renal transplant
      recipients immunosuppressed with calcineurin inhibitors.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intron long-term graft function are uncertain. Although there have
      been a large number of successful pregnancies in renal graft recipients, the
      effects of pregnancy and type of immunosuppressant drugs. OBJECTIVES: To analyze
      (1) the impact of pregnancy on the long term renal function and graft survival of
      kidney transplant recipients (KTx), and (2) the impact og the pregnancy in (KTx)
      immunosupressed with calcineurin inhibitors (CNI). METHODS: Retrospective
      analysis of two cohorts: one (PG) formed by all the KTx recipients from our
      institution that became pregnant between 1973 and 2004, and the other one (NPG)
      formed by, when possible, up two KTx patients of similar demographic and clinical
      characteristics: patient age, donor source, donor age, interval between KTx and
      pregnancy (or a matched interval for NPG), baseline renal function before
      pregnancy, hypertension, proteinuria >1g, and CNI-based immunosuppression. but
      without pregnancies. Particular attention has been paid to long-term (5 and
      10years) renal function and graft survival. Males were selected to complete NPG
      if no matched women were available. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Assessment of baseline
      homogeneity between the two cohorts was performed by appropriate analysis. Time
      of survival of kidney was estimated by means Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox
      proportional hazard model was used to perform adjusted analysis. RESULTS: Fifty
      five pregnancies in 43 patients (PG) and 68 paired controls (NPG) were included
      in the study. The basal and functional characteristics of PG before pregnancy and
      NPG were not statistical and clinical significantly different. In a univariate
      Cox regression analysis, 10 years graft survival after pregnancy/study entry was
      significantly better in CG (79.9%) than PG (60.9%) (P=0.02). Multivariate
      analysis of graft survival showed an increased risk of long-term graft loss in
      pregnant women that had been treated with CNI as immunosuppressant drug compared
      with NP KTx that received CNIs (HR: 2.4, 95% CI, 1.17-5.00; P=0.02). In a
      stratified analysis, evaluating separately the recipients that had received or
      not CNIs, the risk of graft loss was only increased among recipients that became
      pregnant post-transplantation treated with CNI compared with recipients that had
      received CNIs but had not become pregnant (HR: 3.3, 95% CI, 1.42-7.45; P=0.005),
      but not among recipients that became pregnant post-transplantation and received
      other immunosuppressant agents (HR: 0.9, 95% CI, 0.24-3.80; P=0.94). CONCLUSION:
      Pregnancy in women receiving baseline immunosuppression with CNI significantly
      increases the risk of long-term graft loss, non observed in KTx patients treated
      with CNI that not became pregnant, nor in KTx patients that became pregnant but
      are treated with other immunosuppressant drugs . At our knowledge, this
      observation has not been previously reported.

PMID- 26105429
TI  - PP107. Cardiovascular parameters 40 years after hypertensive pregnancies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Epidemiological data indicate an increased cardiovascular risk in
      women with previous hypertensive pregnancies. There are few clinical
      investigations regarding the mechanisms that could mediate this increased risk.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to clarify if any deterioration in
      the cardiovascular, metabolic or neuroendocrine status is present in women 40
      years after pregnancies complicated by hypertension. METHODS: Three hundred and
      nineteen women were invited to take part in a follow up investigation regarding
      cardiovascular regulation. One hundred and five women accepted to participate -
      50 with previously hypertensive pregnancies (HTP) and 55 with normotensive
      pregnancies (NTP). Office and ambulatory blood pressure levels, central blood
      pressure and pulse wave velocity, echocardiographic measurements (RWT, LVMI, LA,
      LA-RA, diastolic function, strain) and P-glucose, HbA1c, S-leptin, S-hsCRP, P
      renin, P-Noradrenaline and NT-proBNP were examined. Women who choose not to
      participate (n=214) were followed up with a questionnaire regarding their
      previous pregnancies and present cardiovascular health. RESULTS: The
      investigations did not reveal differences in any examined variables regarding
      blood pressure, echocardiographic parameters or blood analysis for metabolic and
      neurohumoral balance. Twenty-five individuals were diagnosed with hypertension in
      the HTP group (mean BP 145/86mmHg) and 17 subjects in the NTP group (mean BP
      145/87mmHg). The questionnaire was answered by 79% of the participants and
      revealed that these women had an impaired cardiovascular health compared to the
      group investigated. CONCLUSION: Blood pressure, metabolic and neuroendocrine
      parameters are not permanently worsened in all women with previous hypertensive
      pregnancies. There exist disparities within the group of women with previous
      hypertensive pregnancies and there are women without obvious cardiovascular or
      metabolic dysfunction 40 years after the hypertensive manifestation during
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26105430
TI  - PP108. Post-partum evaluation of the blood pressure and the kidney function in
      pre-eclamptic women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recent data have shown that preeclampsia is not just a disease of
      pregnancy that resolves with delivery. Preeclampsia may be considered a 'risk
      marker' for later-life diseases, including cardiovascular and renal diseases and
      the metabolic syndrome. OBJECTIVES: We aimed a longitudinal prospective study to
      analyze the renal abnormalities in the post-partum. METHODS: We studied 127 post
      preeclamptic women at 6 weeks post-partum. Twenty-four hour urine collection,
      ambulatory blood pressure and renal function were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean
      age (+/-SD) was 32+/-6years, BMI was 29.4+/-5.7, the race distribution was
      Caucasian 69%, Hispanic 14%, Black 12% and Orient 5%. Ten % were active smokers,
      10% have been suffering from gestational diabetes. The mean duration of the
      pregnancy was 36 weeks 3/7+/-4. Our results show that the prevalence of
      hypertension defined by office blood pressure ?140/90 mmHg or ongoing
      antihypertensive treatment was 35%. The daytime ambulatory blood pressure (ABPM)
      was 122+/-16/85+/-11 mmHg, heart rate 84+/-8, and 111+/-20/75+/-11 mmHg at
      nighttime.Sixteen % had a daytime ABPM ?135/85mmHg corresponding to the
      definition of ambulatory hypertension. Ultrasensitive CRP was 4.9+/-5.1mg/ml, of
      them 31% had a frank elevation of the CRP >4. The glomerular filtration rate
      evaluated by the Gault-Cockroft equation showed a hyperfiltration with a mean
      value of 150+/-42ml/min. Eleven% had a decreased GFR < 90 ml/min.
      Microalbumine/creatinine ratio measured in the urine spot was 7 +/-4. Mean
      microalbuminuria was 225+/-529mg/d measured on the 24h urine collection.Urine 24h
      Na excretion rate was 204+/-48 mmol/d. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, after the post
      partum period, women having suffered from a pre-eclampsia display many
      cardiovascular risk factors with a high prevalence of hypertension,
      microalbuminuria, renal hyperfiltration and elevated CRP. These women should be
      carefully screened, and sub-groups with the higher risk have to be targeted for
      prevention and treatment, and close follow-up.

PMID- 26105431
TI  - PP109. Risk of preeclampsia in homologous and oocyte donation IVF pregnancies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women who conceived by donor oocyte in vitro fertilization (IVF)
      are at high risk for placenta-related complications, because of advanced maternal
      age, nulliparity and maybe for an altered immune response. OBJECTIVES: The aim of
      this case-control study is to compare the incidence and the characteristics of
      preeclampsia in women who conceived by oocyte donor or by homologous IVF.
      METHODS: Data were collected from 65 consecutive women who conceived through
      oocyte donor IVF and 71 consecutive pregnancies from homologous IVF in women
      older than 35years (control group), who attended our institution between 2009 and
      2011. Data are expressed as percentage, average and standard deviation (SD).
      Statistical analysis was performed by chi-square test for unpaired data and the
      results were considered significant with p<0.05. RESULTS: Thirteen women from the
      donor oocyte group were excluded because of first trimester miscarriage, ectopic
      pregnancy and lack of data. After the exclusion, 52 pregnancies from oocyte
      donation were compared to the control group. Baseline characteristics, such as
      maternal age, BMI, parity and prevalence of twin pregnancies were similar in the
      two groups. Preexisting hypertension was present only in the oocyte donor IVF
      group (n=6 cases). The risk of preeclampsia was significantly related to oocyte
      donor IVF (27% vs 5.6%, p=0.0024 OR=6.17), even when only singleton pregnancies
      were considered (16.7 vs 1.9%; p=0.02, OR=9). When women with preexisting
      hypertension were excluded, the incidence of severe preeclampsia remained
      significant (p=0.02). This result was not confirmed when both preexisting
      hypertension and twin pregnancies were excluded (p=0.09), even if the percentage
      of cases was higher in the oocyte donor IVF group (10.7% vs 1.85%). Three cases
      of life threatening severe preeclampsia occurred before the 24th week, two of
      which required interruption of pregnancy; one case was complicated by eclampsia.
      The two groups did not show significant differences in terms of prevalence of
      IUGR, both in multiple and singleton pregnancies, even if percentage values were
      higher in the donor IVF group (multiple: 21.2% vs 11.3%, p=0.21/ singleton 10% vs
      5.6%, p=0.48). CONCLUSION: IVF with oocyte donation stands as an independent risk
      factor for preeclampsia. The risk of developing a severe and early preeclampsia
      may be increased when chronic hypertension occurs.

PMID- 26105432
TI  - PP110. The role of doppler to predict adverse pregnancy outcome in patients with
      pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recently Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA) to uterine artery (UtA)
      Pulsatility Index (PI) ratio and MCA to Umblical Artery (UA) PI ratio have been
      described to be good predictors of neonatal outcome in pre-eclamptic patients in
      the third trimester and have been proposed to identify fetuses at risk of
      morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the value of doppler indexes
      such as MCA PI, UA PI; MCA to UtA PI ratio and MCA to UA PI ratio to predict
      adverse pregnancy outcome (APO) in patients affected by Pre-eclampsia (PE).
      METHODS: Cohort study on 100 consecutive singleton pregnancies complicated with
      pre-eclampsia referred to our Department from January 2010 and December
      2011.Doppler evaluations were performed from diagnosis to delivery.UtA, UA and
      ACM PI were assessed at each scan, Measurements obtained within one week from
      delivery were analysed, and MCA/UA PI ratio and MCA/UtA PI ratio calculated.PE
      was defined according to ISSHP criteria.Clinical and perinatal outcomes were
      reviewed.APO was defined as Apgar score less than 7 at five minutes, pH<7.20;
      birth weight <5th percentile (SGA), stillbirth or neonatal death. Receiver
      operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to determine the predictive
      ability for subsequent development of APO. Logistic regression was run to assess
      the additional value to the routine indexes for both ratios. RESULTS: One case of
      stillbirth and four cases of neonatal death were observed.SGA was present in
      56/100 neonates; 52/95 (55%) live births were admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care
      Unit.Maternal Age was 33years (mean, SD+/-5yy), mean maternal BMI was 23.6Kg/mq
      (SD+/-4.9Kg/mq), gestational age (GA at diagnosis of PE was 32+5w (mean, SD+/
      3+6w), GA at delivery was 33+4w (mean, SD+/-3+4w), birth weight percentile was
      13.33 (mean, SD+/-18.23), pH was 7.26 (mean, SD+/-0.11)Fifty-six pregnancies
      developed APO. Doppler findings assessed within one week from delivery are shown
      in Table 1, values are expressed as mean (+/-SD). The prediction of subsequent
      development of APO, expressed as the area under ROC curve, was 0.695 (95% CI 0.59
      0.80) for UtA PI; 0.730 (95% CI 0.62-0.81) for UAPI; 0.677 (95% CI 0.55-0.78) for
      MCA PI; 0.785 (95% CI 0.66-0.87) for MCA/UA PI; 0.774 (95% CI 0.66-0.86) for
      MCA/UtA PI. Moreover, a MCA/UA PI=1.28 showed a sensitivity of 74.4% and a
      specificity of 76.0% in predicting APO. Logistic regression analysis showed that
      the better index combination is represented by MCA/UA PI and MCA/UtA PI.
      CONCLUSION: In addition to UtA and UAPI, MCA/UA PI ratio and MCA/UtA PI ratio are
      useful predictors of neonatal outcome in pregnancies complicated with PE.

PMID- 26105433
TI  - PP111. The preceding features before onset of gestational hypertension and
      preeclampsia in home blood pressure monitoring: The existence of the inflection
      point and the rapid increased speed of blood pressure.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It has not been clarified whether home blood pressure monitoring
      (HBPM) during pregnancy is useful to detect high risk pregnant women with later
      onset of gestational hypertension (GH) and preeclampsia (PE). OBJECTIVES: We
      thought to determine the preceding features of blood pressure (BP) in HBPM before
      the onset of GH and PE. We especially focused on the existence of the inflection
      point, its level, when it occurs, and the increased speed of BP after the
      inflection point. We compared these features in normal pregnant women (NP), women
      with GH, and women with PE. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 361
      singleton pregnant women, among them 100 women recruited due to high risk for
      GH/PH in the second trimester, participated in a couple of tertiary perinatal
      centers between 2008 and 2010. HBPM were measured with the validated OMRON HEM
      5001(R) automated digital oscillometric sphygmomanometer (OMRON Healthcare
      Japan). The device was programmed to take three consecutive readings at 15-second
      interval. HBPM was measured twice a day, at the time of awakening and sleep,
      through the first to third trimester, and the average systolic blood pressure
      (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of each gestational week (almost 42
      times a week) were calculated. We defined the data of HBPM which started before
      28 gestational weeks and continued until 2 weeks before the onset of GH/PE or
      delivery are eligible. The increased speed of systolic or diastolic BP after the
      inflection point was defined as ("BP at the onset in GH/PE or at delivery in NP" 
      "BP at the inflection point") / ("Gestational weeks at the onset in GH/PE or at
      delivery in NP" - "Gestational weeks at the inflection point"). If there was no
      inflection point in HBPM, the increased speed of BP was defined as zero. The
      comparisons were performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by
      multiple comparison. Data were shown as mean+/-SE. RESULTS: A total of 17 (4.7%)
      women developed PE, and 12 (3.3%) GH.The systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels at
      the inflection point in NP, GH and PE was 102.4+/-1.3, 118.7+/-2.9 and 117.4+/
      2.2mmHg, respectively (Significant pairs: NP < GH, PE); the diastolic blood
      pressure (DBP) levels at the inflection point was 59.2+/-1.0, 74.5+/-2.0 and
      73.1+/-2.0mmHg, respectively (NP < GH, PE). The inflection point in NP, GH and PE
      occurred at 31.3+/-0.9, 28.4+/-1.5 and 22.3+/-1.4weeks, respectively (PE < GH,
      NP). The increased speed of SBP in NP, GH and PE was 1.2+/-0.1, 3.0+/-0.4 and
      4.7+/-0.7mmHg/wk, respectively (NP < GH, PE); the increased speed of DBP was1.1+/
      0.1, 2.1+/-0.3 and 2.8+/-0.4mmHg/wk, respectively (NP < GH, PE). CONCLUSION: In
      women with later onset of GH/PE, the BP level at the inflection points was higher
      than in NP. The average inflection point in PE was earlier gestational weeks than
      in GH and NP. The average increased speed of blood pressure after the inflection
      point in GH/PE was faster than in NP. The preceding features of BP in HBPM may be
      clinically useful to detect high risk women with later onset of GH/PE.

PMID- 26105434
TI  - PP112. Prediction of preeclampsia based on clinical risk factors: A prospective
      high-risk cohort study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Early recognition of preeclampsia (PE) is crucial for better
      obstetric care. Clinical risk factors are easier to identify than biochemical
      markers and may be useful in the prediction of PE. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate which
      risk factors provide the best prediction for PE in a group at high-risk for
      developing PE. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of 100 pregnant women was
      performed. During the first trimester we included pregnant women who had at least
      one of the following risk factors for PE: previous history of PE, previous
      history of HELLP, pre-existing hypertension, diabetes mellitus, multiple
      pregnancy, obesity or autoimmune diseases. These women were monitored during
      their pregnancy and their medical data were used to set up a database. We focused
      on baseline characteristics (parity, maternal age, maternal smoking, ethnic
      origin, blood pressure at booking, risk factors mentioned above and medication
      use). Differences between groups were analysed using the Student's t test or the
      Mann-Whitney U test as applicable. Categorical data were analysed with chi(2)
      statistics. Subsequently, multivariable logistic regression analysis with a
      stepwise backward selection procedure of predictors was performed to identify
      independent risk factors for PE. RESULTS: Of the 100 women 22 (22.0%) developed
      PE and 13 (13.0%) developed gestational hypertension (GH). More women in the
      group with progression to PE had a history of PE (50.0% versus 26.2%, p=0.039),
      while less women had a multiple pregnancy (4.5% versus 27.7%, p=0.023) as
      compared with the group not progressing to either PE or GH. In the group of GH,
      no women were using antihypertensive medication while in the group of women not
      progressing to either PE or GH 32.3% were using antihypertensive medication
      (p=0.017). Multivariable logistic regression revealed that singleton pregnancy
      was the only independent predictor of PE (OR 8.04, 95% CI 1.01 - 64.3, p=0.045).
      CONCLUSION: In this prospective cohort study we evaluated clinical risk factors
      for the development of PE in pregnant high-risk women based on obstetric history
      and comorbidity. We found that a singleton pregnancy was the only independent
      predictor for PE in this group of high-risk women. The other risk factors for
      which the women were included were not strong enough to act as a predictor for PE
      in this relatively small cohort. Nonetheless, it is important to be alert for PE
      in this group of pregnant women with high-risk for PE, especially because most of
      them have more than one risk factor.

PMID- 26105435
TI  - PP114. First trimester multi-parameter prediction of pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia (PE), which affects about 3-5% of pregnant women, is
      the most frequent serious medical complication in pregnancy and a major cause of
      maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. During the past three decades,
      numerous clinical, biophysical, and biochemical screening tests have been
      proposed for the early detection of PE. Literature shows large variations in the
      sensitivity and predictive value of these tests. No single screening test used
      for PE prediction has gained widespread acceptance into clinical practice.
      Instead, panels of tests, which combine several clinical measurements, seem to be
      of more value for increasing the predictive value for PE. OBJECTIVES: The aim of
      this study was to examine a combination of maternal risk factors, mean arterial
      blood pressure, and uterine artery Doppler for pre-eclampsia prediction during
      the first trimester of pregnancy. METHODS: Prospective study with singleton
      pregnancies examined at 11-14 weeks of gestation, presenting consecutively for
      antenatal care in a tertiary Brazilian hospital. The base-cohort population was
      487 singleton pregnancies, including nine case subjects who developed PE
      requiring delivery before 34 weeks (early PE) and 22 with late PE, 47 with
      gestational hypertension, and 409 cases subjects (84%) who were unaffected by PE
      or gestational hypertension. Maternal history, body mass index (BMI), mean
      arterial pressure (MAP), and uterine artery pulsatility index were recorded in
      all of the cases. Univariate and logistic regression analysis was used to derive
      algorithms for the prediction of hypertensive disorders. RESULTS: The maternal
      characteristics selected by regression analysis to be part of the final
      predictive model were nulliparity, previous personal and family history of PE.
      MAP was higher (86 versus 78 mmHg) in patients who developed PE (p<0.01). The
      uterine artery percentile of mean PI was higher in the PE than in the control
      group (50.3%+/-31.7% versus 37.4%+/-30.0%; p<0.01). It was estimated that, with
      the algorithm for PE, 78%, 45%, and 26% of early PE, late PE, and gestational
      hypertension, respectively, could be detected with a 10% false-positive rate.
      CONCLUSION: The traditional approach to screening for PE, which is based on
      maternal demographic characteristics and medical history, identifies ~60% of
      cases destined to develop early PE for a false-positive rate of 10%. This study
      proposes that a combination of maternal risk factors, mean arterial blood
      pressure, and uterine artery Doppler, for the same false-positive rate of 10%,
      could identify 78% of cases of early PE.

PMID- 26105436
TI  - PP113. NT-Pro-BNP: A predictor of adverse maternal outcomes in hypertensive
      gestational syndromes?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: BNP (brain-type natriuretic peptide) is released by cardiomyocytes,
      as a pro-hormone, in response to parietal stress augmentation and systemic
      endothelial dysfunction, and then Pro-BNP is cleaved into: NT-Pro-BNP and BNP
      fragment in 1:1 ratio. BNP is considered an important component of the adaptative
      mechanism that helps to reduce the load on the myocardium, through systemic
      vasodilatation, reduction in venous return and reduction in vascular volume.
      Hypertensive Gestational Syndromes (HGS) are considered to share those
      mechanisms, but the role of NT-Pro-BNP to evaluate maternal outcomes, is not well
      defined. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the correlation between NT-Pro-BNP: in Normotensive
      Pregnant Women (NPW) and HGS with established markers of adverse maternal
      outcomes in HGS. METHODS: We performed a transversal case-control study to
      analyze NT-Pro-BNP in 68 patients with HGS vs 80 NPW admitted at a private
      hospital, and to evaluate its correlation with established clinical and blood
      markers of maternal outcomes at hospital admission. Patients with renal chronic
      failure, previous cardiac disease and mola were excluded. We used the Pearson and
      Kendall correlation test for quantitative variables and the non-parametrical Mann
      Whitney test for qualitative variables. RESULTS: The average maternal age was:
      NPW 33.2 years, HGS 33.8 years; average gestational age at delivery: NPW 38.5
      weeks, HGS 35.3 weeks; first pregnancy: NPW 36%, HGS 56%; birth average weight:
      NPW 3351.6g, HGS 2615.5g; media NT-Pro-BNP: NPW 59.7pg/ml, HGS 704.8pg/ml. None
      of the NPW had high levels of NT-Pro-BNP. In the HGS group: 57% had preeclampsia,
      10% HELLP, 25% gestational hypertension and 8% chronic hypertension. In the HGS
      media values for: proteinuria 1.5g/24h, glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase 86 UI/L,
      platelets 231,688/mm(3), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase 100 UI/L, uric acid
      48mg/dl, hematocrit 33%, alkaline phosphatase 152 UI/L, lactic dehydrogenase 284
      UI/L. In the HGS the following significant correlations were found: for NT-Pro
      BNP relation to: proteinuria (0.34 p=0.001), glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase
      (0.375 p=0.001), platelets (-0.353 p=0.001), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (0.317
      p=0.001), uric acid (0.398 p=0.001), hematocrit (-0.183 p=0.048), gestational age
      at delivery (-0.29 p=0.002), birth average weight (-0.23 p=0.018), cardiac
      failure ( p=0.001), number of used anti-hypertensive drugs (0.367 p=0.004),
      lactic dehydrogenase (0.65 p=0.001). The media NT-Pro-BNP was: 936pg/ml in
      preeclampsia , 1909pg/ml in HELLP, 150pg/ml in gestational hypertension and
      107pg/ml in chronic hypertension. The highest NT-Pro-BNP level was 12,386pg/ml in
      a patient with systolic dysfunction (LVEF: 35%) associated with preeclampsia.
      After delivery, 13% HGS women had persistent hypertension post-partum, and this
      did not correlate with the level of NT-Pro-BNP at hospital admission. CONCLUSION:
      NT-Pro-BNP significantly correlates with established markers of adverse maternal
      outcomes in HGS, probing to be useful in routine maternal evaluation in this
      setting.

PMID- 26105437
TI  - PP115. Relationship between angiogenic factors and preeclampsia: Preliminary
      results.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The pathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE) is complex and involves many
      mechanisms, including impaired placental angiogenesis. Endoglin (Eng) promotes
      angiogenesis, but in its soluble form (sEng) it is antiangiogenic and adiponectin
      has pro-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory effects on the endothelium. The combined
      analysis of these factors seems to better reflect maternal vascular damage.
      OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate adiponectin and soluble endoglin levels, to
      analyze adiponectin (+45) gene polymorphism and its relation with adiponectin
      serum levels in patients with PE. METHODS: This case-control study included 24 PE
      patients and 20 healthy pregnant women (C: control). Adiponectin and sEng serum
      levels were determined by ELISA. Polymorphism genotyping was obtained by PCR
      RFLP. Data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney, Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests and
      significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: There were no differences in adiponectin
      levels between the groups (C*PE: 6772.4ng/mL*7763.2ng/mL, p=0.99), but women with
      PE had significantly higher sEng levels (23.45 ng/mL*3.35ng/mL, p<0.0001).
      Moreover, the ratio adiponectin/sEng was significantly lower in PE than in C
      women (325.02*2119.4, p<0.0001). There was no association between PE and the
      analyzed polymorphism, neither between adiponectin genotype/phenotype.
      CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm an association between PE and altered sEng
      levels. In addition, these results suggest that angiogenic mediators when
      analyzed together, can better reflect their involvement in the pathophysiology of
      PE. Financial support: FAPESP (09/54729-6 and 10/08082-8).

PMID- 26105438
TI  - PP116. Circulating PlGF can help predict preeclampsia and adverse outcome in
      patients with suspected preeclampsia or fetal growth restriction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The circulating concentration of PlGF is reported to be lower in
      patients experiencing preeclampsia and patients delivering a small for
      gestational age (SGA) neonate. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the predictive value of
      circulating PlGF for preeclampsia and adverse outcome in patients with suspected
      preeclampsia or fetal growth restriction. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 96
      women who were included after 22 weeks gestation (WG) for suspected preeclampsia
      or suspected SGA, and measured plasma levels of PlGF (Triage(r) PLGF, Alere(c))
      at enrollment. We studied outcome until delivery and one week postpartum, and
      defined adverse outcome as severe preeclampsia, SGA neonate (<10th centile) or
      elective delivery for maternal or fetal complication. Severe adverse outcome was
      studied among patients included <34WG and defined as eclampsia, HELLP syndrome,
      very SGA (<3rd centile) or elective delivery <34WG. RESULTS: The mean
      logtransformed PlGF level was lower for women who experienced preeclampsia than
      for those who did not (2.9 vs 3.7, p=0.02), and was markedly lower for patients
      who experienced adverse outcome (2.9 vs 4.3, p<0.001). The odds of presenting an
      adverse outcome were higher for the lowest tertile of PlGF compared to the higher
      (OR=12 , 95% CI [3-46] ). Among patients included <34WG, the odds of experiencing
      a severe adverse outcome were, respectively, for the lowest and intermediate
      tertile as compared with the higher tertile: OR=132 , 95% CI [14-1273]; and
      OR=20, 95% CI [4-106] . When included <34 WG, patients with a PlGF level <12pg/ml
      experienced a severe adverse outcome in 96% of cases (24/25), and only 1 of 28
      patients with a PlGF level >50pg/ml experienced a severe adverse outcome within
      15 days (4%). Among women with suspected SGA who were enrolled <32WG and whose
      PlGF level was <12pg/ml, 89% had an elective delivery before 34 WG (17/19).
      CONCLUSION: Among women with suspected preeclampsia or SGA, PlGF circulating
      levels differ between women who will experience an adverse outcome and those who
      will not. It can therefore be of help in the management of these patients,
      especially for those for whom the diagnosis is suspected early in pregnancy.

PMID- 26105439
TI  - PP117. Measurement of sFlt-1 and PlGF for prediction of pregnancy associated
      diseases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Severe preeclampsia is associated with characteristic changes of
      sFlt-1 and PlGF levels in the maternal serum. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study is
      the determination of the predictive value of sFlt-1 and PlGF for preeclampsia and
      other pregnancy associated diseases in women with a pathological uterine Doppler
      measurement during the second trimester of pregnancy. METHODS: An updated
      analysis of an ongoing prospective trial will be presented. Criterion of
      inclusion was a bilateral pathological uterine Doppler measurement with an
      increase of the resistance index (RI) >95th percentile and/or a bilateral
      postsystolic notch during 19 and 24 weeks. Ratio of sFlt-1 and PlGF was
      repeatedly measured during pregnancy using a full-automated system (Elecsys(r),
      Roche). RESULTS: Presently, we recruited 36 patients. Full data are available
      from 17 patients. Out of these in 23.5% (n=4) a delivery before 37 weeks was
      indicated. 41% of all newborns (7/17) showed a birth weight <5th percentile.
      23.5% of all patients developed a hypertensive pregnancy disorder but without
      fulfilling the criterions of preeclampsia. Only two patients had a sFlt-1/PlGF
      ratio >95th percentile. In both cases we found severe fetal growth retardation.
      One of them developed a pregnancy related hypertension based on an
      antiphospholipid syndrome. CONCLUSION: The additional measurement of the sFlt
      1/PlGF ratio in a high risk group of pregnancies may improve the prediction of
      severe pregnancy related diseases during the second trimester. But keeping the
      low incidence of severe preeclampsia in mind, the measurements seem to be only
      usefulness in a high risk population. Although we reported presently only of a
      small part of our study population the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio did not revealed a good
      specificity for prediction of preeclampsia. Pathological values were also found
      in cases with fetal growth retardation without signs of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105440
TI  - PP118. Is the placental mass associated with the severity of preeclampsia?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia contributes to an increased perinatal morbidity and
      mortality of both the mother and the fetus. The exact pathogenesis of PE is
      unclear; it is generally believed, however, that the placenta plays a pivotal
      role in this process. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyse the effect
      of the placental mass on the severity of PE. METHODS: Following PE placentae were
      analyzed and their weights were compared with those of normal pregnancies [1].
      Moderate and severe PE as well as HELLP syndrome were defined according to
      international guidelines. To compare placental weights obtained at different
      gestational ages, a ratio between observed (O) and expected (E) weights were
      calculated. Chi(2)-test and Kruskal-Wallis-test were used for statistical
      analysis and significance was considered when p<0.05. RESULTS: Two hundred and
      eight placentae following singleton pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia were
      enrolled. The mean gestational age at birth was 31.8+/-3.8 weeks, 130 (62.5%)
      cases delivered before the 34th week. The group with severe PE delivered earlier
      than that with moderate PE (mean+/-SD, 32+/-3.9 vs. 34+/-3 weeks; p<0.01). Severe
      PE was found in 176 (84.6%) cases; 85 of this group were associated with a HELLP
      syndrome. Isolated HELLP were found in 4 (1.9%) cases. In 144 (69.2%) cases
      placental weight was below the 10th percentile. The mean of the weights was
      higher in the group with moderate PE than in those with severe PE, PE with HELLP
      and isolated HELLP (410+/-67g, respectively, 376+/-79g, 344+/-86g, 341+/-88g).
      When normalized using the O/E-ratio (in order to correct for gestational age)
      these differences were not significant (moderate PE 0.75+/-0.24; severe PE 0.74+/
      0.22, PE with HELLP 0.73+/-0.22; isolated HELLP 0.88+/-0.05; p=NS). CONCLUSION:
      Our data show that the placental mass is not associated with the severity of PE.
      We hypothesize that once the pathogenesis of PE is triggered (by placental
      factors), the severity of the disease is modulated mainly by the maternal
      response and not by the placental mass.

PMID- 26105441
TI  - PP119. The role of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in
      preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is a multi-organ syndrome characterized by maternal
      endothelial damage, is an independent long-term risk factor for hypertension and
      cardiovascular disease. OBJECTIVES: In animal models the administration of the
      Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) could reverse the hypertensive signs
      accompanying this disease. In addition VEGF is implicated in placental oxidative
      stress during preeclampsia. One of the major cellular defence mechanisms against
      oxidative stress is the activation of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related
      factor 2 (Nrf2). Therefore, the activation of Nrf2 up regulates the HO-1/CO
      system. The principal aim of this work is to investigate whether the activation
      of Nrf2 raises VEGF levels by up regulation of CO release. METHODS: This study
      took place in vitro, the choriocarcinoma cell line BeWo cells and the primary
      human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were used to study the
      relationship between VEGF and an Nrf2 inducer Sulforaphane, a naturally occurring
      compound derived from broccoli. ELISA, Western blot assay and the Dual Luciferase
      Assay were both mainly applied for protein and VEGF activity analysis. RESULTS:
      It was found that activation of HO-1 expression via Nrf2/ARE pathway augmented
      the production of CO, which in turn up-regulated the gene expression of VEGF, and
      down regulated the production of the antiangiogenic protein, the VEGF antagonist
      sFlt-1. CONCLUSION: Nrf2 driven HO-1 expression elevates the levels of VEGF via
      CO production. In particular, activating of Nrf2 via sulforaphane, may have
      therapeutic potential in preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105442
TI  - PP120. Hydatidiform mole as a cause of eclampsia in the first trimester: A case
      report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The occurrence of preeclampsia before the 20th week of gestation is
      rare and it has been associated with hydatidiform molar pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: We
      describe a case of first trimester eclampsia which occurred in a patient with
      hydatidiform mole. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 16-year-old woman came to
      emergency service for abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding. She had been suffering
      of vomiting after meals and complaining for abdominal mass for 2months, without
      consulting her physician. The last reported period was 1month before; the patient
      told her periods were regular and the only disease she reported was chronic HBV
      hepatitis. Vital parameters were all normal. Urine pregnancy test resulted always
      negative. The gynecological exam reported an increased uterus and a little
      bleeding, so serum bhCG was performed because of the exam findings and resulted
      110,5317UI/L. The transvaginal ultrasound showed images consistent with
      gestational trophoblastic disease. Computed tomography (CT) scan revealed the
      presence of an uterine mass and three lung nodules, reported as possibly
      metastatic. A few days later, the patient underwent dilation and curettage (D&C).
      Second grade hydatiform mole was diagnosed by histology. After D&C, the serum
      bhCG was 202,511UI/L. The day after, the patient presented bilateral acute
      blindness, followed by incoming general seizures, concurrent hypertension and
      tachycardia. Intravenous diazepam, levetiracetam and mannitol controlled the
      seizures, but the conscious state of the patient remained critical. Temperature
      reached 40 degrees C, with concurrent leukocytosis. Then, a lumbar puncture was
      performed but it resulted negative for inflammatory/infective processes. A head
      CT was performed the same day and showed a posterior reversible encephalopathy
      syndrome (PRES). Intravenous methylprednisolone was started. Long term therapy
      with methylprednisolone and levetiracetam was effective and the patient's status
      improved and stabilized. A subsequent chemotherapy with EMA/CO regimen
      (etoposide, methotrexate, actinomycin D, cyclophosphamide, vincristine/oncovine)
      was performed for six cycles, until serum bhCG resulted negative and the
      abdomen/pelvis ultrasound, head NMR and chest X-ray resulted normal. CONCLUSION:
      Preeclampsia and eclampsia are regarded as common causes of PRES, which is
      considered to be the result of vasogenic brain edema. Clinical and imaging
      findings are usually reversible. Early diagnosis and elimination of possible
      causes are important in order to avoid permanent visual or brain injury. Imaging
      (especially MRI) should be carried out in eclamptic patients with visual
      disturbance in order to exclude other causes of blindness. Molar pregnancy is a
      rare but important cause of eclampsia, and it has always to be considered in case
      of early manifestations.

PMID- 26105443
TI  - PP121. Expression of PlGF, sFlt, MTF-1, HO-1 and HIF-1 alpha mRNAs in
      preeclampsia placenta and effect of preeclampsia sera on their expression of
      choriocarcinoma cells.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Placenta growth factor (PlGF) is a growth factor originated from
      placenta. The sFlt-1 is soluble receptor for PlGF and suppresses PlGF function.
      It has been reported that in preeclampsia, serum level of PlGF decreased and sFlt
      1 level increased and that preeclampsia placenta is in hypoxic condition. Metal
      responsive transcription factor (MTF)-1, Hemoxigenase 1 (HO-1) and Hypoxia
      responsive factor -1 (HIF-1) may be induced in hypoxic condition. OBJECTIVES: In
      order to investigate pathophysiology in preeclampsia, we studied the expression
      of PlGF, sFlt-1, MTF-1, HO-1 and HIF-1 alpha mRNAs in placenta taken from
      preeclampsia and the effect of preeclampsia sera on their expression of
      choriocarcinoma cells and analysed the effect of placental hypoxia and serum
      factor on the expression of PlGF and sFlt-1 mRNA. METHODS: Placenta and serum
      samples were taken from preeclampsia and normal pregnancy with informed consent.
      The choriocarcinoma cells (JEG-3) were cultured in 24-well tissue culture plate.
      The cells were cultured with preeclampsia and normal pregnant sera. The RNAs were
      purified from these cells 24h after and placenta. The expressions of these mRNA
      were measured by using the real time PCR method (Applied Biosystems-7500).
      RESULTS: The expression of PlGF mRNA decreased and that of sFlt-1mRNA increased
      in preeclampsia placenta. The expression of MTF-1 and HO-1 mRNA decreased. The
      correlation was found between the expression of PlGF and MTF-1 mRNA, PlGF and HO
      1 mRNA and sFlt-1 and HO-1mRNA. Moreover, expression of sFlt-1mRNA increased and
      HO-1mRNA decreased in JEG-3 cells after incubation of preeclampsia sera.
      CONCLUSION: The changes of PlGFmRNA in preeclampsia placenta may relate to the
      expression of MTF-1 and HO-1 mRNA. The changes of sFlt-1mRNA may relate to the
      expression of HO-1 mRNA and serum factor. Not only hypoxia but also serum factor
      may play a role of the levels of PlGF and sFlt-1 in preeclampsia placenta.

PMID- 26105444
TI  - PP122. Lack of correlation between placental weight and circulating soluble fms
      like tyrosine kinase-1 and placental growth factor suggests trophoblastic
      activity as a major contributor to the serum pool.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Serum levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and
      placental growth factor (PlGF) are altered in preeclampsia and fetal growth
      restriction. Whether the alterations result from mere variation in trophoblastic
      mass or trophoblastic activity in these diseases is still elusive. OBJECTIVES:
      Using placental weight as a surrogate for trophoblastic mass, we explored the
      relationship between placental weight at delivery and serum levels of sFlt-1 and
      PlGF at various gestational ages in normotensive pregnant Thai women. METHODS:
      One hundred and forty two serum samples from healthy, normotensive, singleton
      Thai pregnant women were prospectively collected from 6 gestational age
      intervals; 10-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, and 35-40weeks'. Analysis for the
      levels of sFlt-1 and PlGF was made from fresh specimens, using a commercially
      available automated system. Placental weight at delivery was followed in
      participants who remained unaffected with preeclampsia or fetal growth
      restriction until the time of delivery. RESULTS: Statistical analyses were
      achieved from 140 participants. Quartiles for these markers were calculated for
      each gestational age interval. Serum sFlt-1 levels continuously increased through
      the pregnancy. Serum PlGF levels reached its peak levels at menstrual period of
      25-29weeks', and then declined. Serum sFlt-1/PlGF ratios were consistently lower
      than that of the European population throughout the pregnancy. No significant
      correlation is found between placental weight at delivery, and serum levels of
      either sFlt-1 or PlGF at any gestational age interval. CONCLUSION: Ethnic
      variation of serum angiogenic markers is shown in this study. Lack of correlation
      between placental weight and serum angiogenic markers in normotensive individuals
      suggest that trophoblastic activity, and not number of the trophoblast,
      contribute to the alterations in circulating pool. This may facilitate a better
      understanding for its potential clinical applications of these biomarkers for
      other placental related diseases.

PMID- 26105445
TI  - PP123. Evaluation of glycosaminoglycans in placental of pregnant women with and
      without preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) is a major cause of maternal and perinatal
      mobility and mortality and its etiology is not yet completely understood.
      Recently studies have shown the association between increased expression of
      glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in placental of women with PE and its physiopathology.
      OBJECTIVES: Identify and quantify GAGs in placental of pregnant women in healthy
      pregnancy and PE. METHODS: Case-control study with 44 patients, control group
      (CG) n=29 and n=15 PE group. All patients were submitted to placental tissue
      resection (sample size of 5*5cm with the umbilical cord insertion in the center).
      The tissue was conserved in acetone. The GAGs' analysis consisted of
      centrifugation, proteolysis, precipitation, and electrophoresis RESULTS: Average
      age and gestational age in CG and PE were 27.33years and 39.02weeks and 24.17 and
      36.90, respectively. In CG 68.96% (20/29) were Caucasian and 80.00% (12/15) in
      PE. We found in CG 34.48% (10/29) of primiparous and 40.00% (6/15) in PE. The
      average 24-hour proteinuria in PE was 554.28g/24hs. The average birth weight was
      3333.31g in CG and 2972.66 in PE. The mean +/- standard deviation of dermatan
      sulfate (DS), heparan sulfate (HS) and hyaluronic acid (HA) in CG and PE were:
      0,100MUg/mg of tissue +/-0,005 and 0,144 +/-0,071; 0,077+/-0,041 and 0,113+/
      0,061; 1,281+/-1,857 and 3,076+/-4,930. CONCLUSION: GAGs are increased in PE when
      compared to normal pregnancy. The expression of HA and HS was twice higher in PE.
      More studies are needed to determine the correlation between GAGs and
      physiopathology of PE.

PMID- 26105446
TI  - PP124. Trofoblastic invasion: The role of subunits STAT1 and STAT3.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The trophoblastic migration/invasion are controlled by cytokines
      and growth factors that use intracellular pathways of signal to promote the
      regulation of gene expression, proliferation, cells differentiation, angiogenesis
      and embryonic development. The most important mediator of cytokine in
      trophoblastic invasion is the Janus-Kinase/signal transducer and activator of
      transcription (JAK/STAT). STATs are amino acids, compounds of 700-850 variable
      long-chain with isoforms alpha and beta and molecular weight between 83-113kDa.
      The role of these factors in the pregnancy set up may contribute to adopt
      interventions that could contribute to prophylaxis and/or treatment of
      abnormalities in the course of gestation when installed early. OBJECTIVES: Search
      on database the role of STAT in the process of trophoblastic invasion with
      emphasis on subunits STAT1 and STAT3. METHODS: This is a review performed on
      PubMed database. Have been included Studies found from 1992 (the year of
      discovery of STATs) until July 2011, without language restriction. The
      descriptors were: "Signal transducers and activators of transcription "and"
      Trophoblast". In the end we excluded bibliographical review. RESULTS: Five of the
      six selected papers studied the role of STAT3 in the physiology of the
      trophoblastc invasion process. One of them, indirectly by selection process of
      lactobacilli of vaginal flora endogenous, during change of vaginal pH on
      pregnancy, altering the release of greater or lesser number of Interleukin-10
      which modulates the activation JAK/STAT. Among them, one of the study refers to
      involvement of STAT1 in the immunomodulation of interface fetus-mother.
      CONCLUSION: STAT3 is directly involved in the process of trophoblast invasion
      either in its endometrium adherence to, angiogenesis, invasion and regulation of
      invasion. And STAT1 is involved in immunomodulation through its suppression by
      trophoblast STAT utron. Several soluble factors that are generally present in the
      decidua, especially hepatocyte growth factor, granulocyte macrophagocytic-colony
      stimulating factors, interleukin-6, interleukin-11 and inhibition leukemia factor
      , which have been described by using the JAK-STAT activating STAT1 and STAT3 for
      intracellular signaling and from this process may influence the invasion
      trophoblast.

PMID- 26105447
TI  - PP125. High mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1): A pathogenic role in
      preeclampsia?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A central pathogenic mechanism of preeclampsia is believed to be
      the production by the hypoxic placenta of various mediators which promote
      inflammation and oxidative stress when released into the maternal circulation.
      The high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) is a ubiquitous nuclear protein. In
      conditions of hypoxic cellular stress or necrosis, HMGB1 is released into the
      extracellular milieu. Extracellular HMGB1 has proinflammatory effects, due to the
      engagement of various cell membrane receptors, notably the receptor for advanced
      glycation products (RAGE). OBJECTIVES: In preeclampsia, there is evidence for
      activation of RAGE, and enhanced amounts of HMGB1 have also been demonstrated in
      the placenta and amniotic fluid, but not, so far, in maternal blood. We
      hypothesize therefore that, in preeclampsia, the concentration of HMGB1 is
      abnormally high in maternal blood. METHODS: We enrolled 16 women in third
      trimester pregnancy and suffering from preeclampsia (blood pressure > 140/90mmHg
      with significant proteinuria), 16 women with normal pregnancies who were matched
      pairwise with the former for BMI and gestation week, and 16 non pregnant healthy
      women, matched for age with the other two groups. HMGB1 was assessed in
      peripheral blood with a commercial ELISA kit. The variance between the three
      groups was appreciated using an ANOVA analysis. Significance was considered for a
      probability value of < 0.5. RESULTS: The median [interquartile range] HMGB1
      concentrations (in ng/mL) were 2.1 [1.1-3.2] in preeclamptic pregnancies, 1.1
      [1.0-1.2] in normal pregnancies (p<0.05 vs preeclamptic group), and 0.6 [0.5-0.8]
      in non pregnant women (p<0.01 vs both other groups). CONCLUSION: In third
      trimester pregnancy, the presence of preeclampsia is associated with an
      approximately two-fold increase of HMGB1 concentration in maternal peripheral
      blood. Considering its known proinflammatory effects, HMGB1 could be one mediator
      responsible for the maternal manifestations of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105448
TI  - PP126. Are placental fas and fas ligand gene polymorphisms associated with
      preeclampsia?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Increased placental trophoblastic apoptosis has been reported in
      pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. Fas-Fas ligand is one of the major
      signal transduction pathways of apoptosis. OBJECTIVES: To determine if placental
      Fas and Fas ligand gene polymorphisms differ between patients with and without
      preeclampsia. METHODS: Forty-five singleton placentas were studied. Twenty-three
      placentas were from preeclamptic pregnancies and 22 were from normotensive
      controls. The study was approved by IRB. Genotyping was performed for Fas-1377,
      Fas-691, Fas-670, Fas ligand-844, Fas ligand-1174, Fas ligand-2777. Chi-square
      and Fisher's exact tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There were
      no significant differences in maternal age, parity or race between the two
      groups. There were no significant differences in genotypes or allele frequencies
      for the placental Fas-1377, Fas-691, Fas-670, Fas ligand-844, Fas ligand-1174 and
      Fas ligand-2777. CONCLUSION: Immune intolerance of maternal and placental
      interaction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Our
      findings do not support the role of placental Fas and Fas ligand gene
      polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. The heterogeneous and complex
      etiology of preeclampsia makes it unrealistic to expect a single nucleotide
      polymorphism to explain the pathogenesis of this pregnancy complication. This
      relatively understudied area warrants further investigation.

PMID- 26105449
TI  - PP127. CMV infection and TLR2 expression in HELLP syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The HELLP syndrome is a serious complication in pregnancy
      characterized by haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count
      occurring in 10-20% of cases with severe preeclampsia and associated with
      metabolic disorders symptoms later in life. Emerging evidence indicated that
      cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and TLR signaling activation are associated with
      severe preeclampsia and metabolic disorder conditions. OBJECTIVES: The aim of
      this study was to examine CMV sero-prevalence and its associated TLR signaling
      activation in patients with HELLPs. METHODS: A case-control study was performed.
      Subjects included women with HELLP syndrome (n=6) and normal pregnancy controls
      (n=20), who matched with cases for maternal age, gestational age and parity.
      Maternal serum CMV serology and cytokines response were measured by ELISA. TLR2
      and TLR4 expression on peripheral Neutrophils were detected by real-time PCR.
      RESULTS: CMV IgG seropositivity was more prevalent among HELLP syndrome patients
      than normal pregnancy controls (85% versus 40%, p<0.01). Patients with HELLP
      syndrome also had elevated TLR2 (p<0.01) and IL-1beta mRNA expressions (p<0.05)
      and increased TNF-alpha: IL-10 (p<0.05) and IL-6: IL-10 (p<0.05) ratio compared
      with matched normal pregnancy controls. CONCLUSION: It is important to consider
      pregnancy CMV infection through TLR2 signaling in modulation of innate immune
      response in maternal HELLP syndrome, and may be linked with increased metabolic
      disorders later in life.

PMID- 26105450
TI  - PP128. Placental Caspase-3 gene polymorphisms is associated with preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Increased placental trophoblastic apoptosis (programmed cell death)
      was previously reported in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. Caspase-3 is
      one of the key executioners of apoptosis. Caspase are expressed in many tissues
      including human placental trophoblast and other tissues. Variations in the
      promoter area of the Caspase genes may modulate apoptotic signaling, contributing
      to an increased risk of preeclampsia OBJECTIVES: To determine if gene
      polymorphisms of Caspase 3 proteins differ between patient with and without
      preeclampsia. METHODS: Forty-three singleton placentas were studied. Twenty-two
      placentas were with preeclampsia and 21 were normotensive controls. DNA was
      extracted from placentas using QIAAmp DNA Minikit. Genotyping of Caspase 3 +567
      was determined by real-time PCR using the Applied Biosystems Prism 7900 HT SDS
      machine. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used for statistical analysis.
      RESULTS: There were no significant differences in maternal age, parity or race
      between the two groups. Preeclamptic placentas had higher frequency of wild type
      TT of Caspase-3 SNP (+567) as compared with normotensive controls (59% versus
      28.5%). Preeclamptic placentas expressed significantly more genotype of TT of
      Caspase-3 SNP (+567) than normotensive patients when compared to CC (p=0.02). The
      alle frequencies of the Caspase SNP (+567) in preeclampstic placentas were 0.77
      and 0.23 for T and C, respectively, as compared to 0.52 and 0.48, respectively,
      in placentas from normotensive pregnancies. CONCLUSION: Immune intolerance of
      maternal and placental interaction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of
      preeclampsia. Increased of placental apoptosis was reported in pregnancy
      complicated with preeclamsia. Our findings indicate placental Caspase 3 (+567)
      gene polymorphisms is associated with preeclampsia. Altered placental alle
      frequencies and caspase-3 SNP (+567) in preeclampsia further suggests
      preeclampsia is a trophoblastic disorder.

PMID- 26105451
TI  - PP129. Assessment of oxidative status markers and no bioavailability in
      hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Evidences point that an imbalance between overproduction of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the lack of antioxidant mechanisms may
      contribute to endothelial dysfunction observed in hypertensives disorders of
      pregnancy (HDP), including preeclampsia (PE) and gestational hypertensives (GH).
      OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we expanded these previous findings and
      evaluated systemically the plasma levels of oxidative stress markers (TBARS [2]
      and carbonyl [3]) and total antioxidant status (FRAP [1] and reduction of MTT
      (Medina et al., 2007)), as well as assessed the impact these markers on NO status
      in healthy pregnant, gestational hypertensive and preeclampsia pregnant. METHODS:
      A total of 99 pregnant were enrolled (38 HP, 33 GH and 28 PE. The lipid
      peroxidation was assessed by (TBARS, [2]). The determination of carbonyl was
      performed according to the method of [3] and FRAP assay by Benzie and Strain
      [1]). Nitrite levels were evaluated using chemiluminescence assay. RESULTS: We
      found similar values of TBARS among groups, and reduced carbonyl levels in HDP.
      Conversely, significant increases in plasma activity of antioxidant status of
      were observed in these groups (GH and PE) compared to healthy pregnant (using
      both MTT or FRAP method). CONCLUSION: Although antioxidant compensatory mechanism
      observed in HDP, the levels of nitrite remain reduced in these pregnant compared
      to healthy pregnant, suggesting that other mechanisms may be involved in the NO
      bioavailability. This study was funded by the Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do
      Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG-Brazil), the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento
      Cienti'fico e Tecnologico (CNPq).

PMID- 26105452
TI  - PP130. ENOS tagging SNP haplotypes in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Haplotypes formed by polymorphisms (T-786C, rs2070744; a variable
      number of tandem repeats in intron 4, and Glu298Asp, rs1799983) of eNOS gene were
      associated previously with gestational hypertension (GH) and preeclampsia (PE).
      However, no study has explored the tagging SNPs rs743506 and rs7830 in these
      disorders. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to compare the
      distribution of the genotypes and haplotypes formed by the two tagging SNPs or by
      the five eNOS polymorphisms mentioned among healthy pregnant GH and PE. METHODS:
      We recruited 122 HP, 138 GH and 157 PE. Genotypes for the T-786C, the Glu298Asp
      and rs743506 polymorphisms were determined by Taqmana Allele Discrimination
      assays and fluorescence signals were measured on Chromo 4 Detector (Bio-Rad
      Laboratories, USA). Genotypes for the VNTR polymorphism in intron 4 and rs7830,
      however, were determined by PCR and fragment separation by electrophoresis in 8%
      polyacrylamide gels. Plasma aliquots were analyzed in triplicate for their
      nitrite content using an ozone-based chemiluminescence assay. RESULTS: The
      haplotype formed by the most common variants in each polymorphism "T b G A C" was
      more frequent in PE group compared to HP (P=0.00004), which may be explained by
      the higher linkage disequilibrium found in PE compared to GH and HP. Conversely,
      the haplotype "C b G G C" was more frequent in HP compared to PE (P=0.00113),
      which is supported by previous findings that demonstrated the association of the
      combination "C b G" with higher level of nitrite (NO marker). CONCLUSION: Our
      results suggest a protective effect of the haplotype "C b G G C" against the
      development of PE. This study was funded by the Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do
      Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG-Brazil), the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de
      Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento
      Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) and the Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado
      de Sao Paulo (FAPESP-Brazil).

PMID- 26105453
TI  - PP131. Regulation of heme oxygenase/carbon monoxide (ho/co) and l-arginine/nitric
      oxide (no) pathways by human chorionic gonadotropin (hcg) in human fetal
      endothelium.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: HO/CO and l-arginine/NO pathways are critical regulators of
      vascular function in early human pregnancy. HO is the rate-limiting enzyme in
      heme catabolism leading to the formation of biliverdin, which is subsequently
      reduced to bilirubin by biliverdin reductase, carbon monoxide, and free iron. HO
      1, the inducible isoform of the enzyme, is essential to promote placental
      function and fetal development (1). HO-1 is also required to maintain nitric
      oxide synthesis (2). Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is the first blastocyst
      derived hormonal signal playing a significant role in implantation and
      placentation (3). We hypothesized that hCG upregulates HO-1 and thus positively
      regulates early vascular events in human pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: In this study we
      used human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to demonstrate that hCG up
      regulates mRNA and protein abundance of HO-1. The effect of hCG on l-arginine
      transport and the expression of hCAT1, the main cationic amino acid transporter
      involved in endothelial nitric oxide synthesis were evaluated. METHODS: HUVEC
      were isolated from normal pregnancies (approval from the Institutional Review
      Board) by collagenase digestion and grown (37 degrees C, 5% CO2) in medium 199
      supplemented with 20% newborn and fetal calf sera. Cells were treated with hCG
      (0.5-100IU/mL, 0-24hours and CoCl2 (150MUM, 6hours) as positive control. Total
      proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis, transferred to
      nitrocellulose membranes and incubated with monoclonal anti human HO-1 or anti
      beta-actin and respective secondary antibody conjugated with horseradish
      peroxidase. Protein bands were detected by enhanced chemiluminiscence. Total RNA
      was isolated and cDNA was obtained by reverse transcription. PCR assays were
      performed in a reaction mix containing 0.5MUM primers, dNTPs, Taq DNA polymerase,
      2 mM MgCl2. Relative abundance of HO-1, hCAT-1 and 28S were determined. l
      [(3)H]Arginine transport (100MUM, 2 MUCi ml(-1), 37 degrees C, 1min) were
      determined in HUVECs exposed (30min) to hCG (0.5-100IU/mL) and CORM-2 (CO donor).
      RESULTS: The highest level of HO-1 protein were obtained at 5IU/mL of hCG and
      declined at higher concentrations. hCG increased HO-1 protein abundance and
      maximal response was observed at 6 hours (4-fold), decreasing at 24hours
      exposure. These effects of hCG on HO-1 protein abundance are well correlated with
      changes in HO-1 mRNA regarding time of exposure and concentration of hCG. L
      arginine transport and hCAT-1 mRNA were also increased (2.8-fold and 4.5-fold,
      respectively) by hCG. CONCLUSION: Upregulation of HO-1 as well as the increase in
      l-arginine transport and hCAT-1 mRNA in HUVECs are novel effects of hCG, which
      occur at physiological plasma concentrations of the hormone, as those found in
      the first weeks of pregnancy. These changes could be relevant for the maintenance
      of the NO synthesis in fetal and maternal vasculature, ensuring the predominance
      of the vasodilator tone. These effects could be also critical for vascular
      remodelling of uterine circulation and placental vascular development in early
      stages of pregnancy, the lack of which could result in abnormal placentation as
      described in preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction.

PMID- 26105454
TI  - PP132 Comparison between Early-onset and Late-onset Preeclampsia based on
      maternal cardiac output, Total Peripheral Vascular Resistance, and Uterine Artery
      Resistance Index.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Earlier report show different maternal hemodynamic and uterine
      artery profile at early gestational ages between pregnant women that will develop
      Early-onset and Late onset Preeclampsia (PE) later. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this
      study is to compare maternal hemodynamic (Cardiac Output, Total Peripheral
      Vascular Resistance) and Uterine Perfusion (Uterine Artery Resistance Index)
      profile during onset of the disease between Early and Late-onset Preeclampsia.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional observational analytic study of 17 severe PE and 20
      matched controls. The PE group was divided into early onset PE (<34weeks) and
      late onset PE (>34weeks). We examine doppler velocimetry ultrasound and
      echocardiography in 1-2days after the patient admitted to hospital. Primary
      outcome included uterine artery resistance index (UARI), cardiac output (CO), and
      total peripheral vascular resistance value (TVR). RESULTS: We found no
      significant difference of uterine artery resistance index value between early
      onset PE (0.68+/-0.079) and control (0.67+/-0.093) (p=0.620); late-onset PE
      (0.67+/-0.142) and control (0.67+/-0.084) (p=0.959). Maternal hemodynamic profile
      show Early-onset PE CO (6.06+/-1.172L/m) was higher than control (4.67+/
      1.739L/m) (p=0.079), and TVR (1.76+/-0.434dynes.s/cm(5)) was higher than control
      (1.58+/-0.498dynes.s/cm(5)) (p=0.481). Late onset PE show similar result, CO
      (5.17+/-1.433L/m) was higher than control (4.47+/-1.649L/m) (p=0.467) and TVR
      (2.29+/-0.796dynes.s/cm(5)) was also higher than control (1.82+/
      0.947dynes.s/cm(5)) (p=0.527). CONCLUSION: Maternal hemodynamic of Early onset
      and Late onset PE seem to have a complex process that cannot be differentiate
      strictly based on gestational ages, and the view that those two disease came from
      a different etiology should be reconsidered.

PMID- 26105455
TI  - PP133. Second and third trimester placental haemodynamics and the risks of
      pregnancy complications. The generation R study.

PMID- 26105456
TI  - PP134. l-Arginine supplementation induces the expression of genes related to
      antioxidant defense in cultures of human vascular endothelial cells: Protective
      role for preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recently, it has been proposed that supplementation with l-Arginine
      reduces the incidence of preeclampsia in high risk women, but the molecular
      mechanisms involved in the protective effect need to be determined. In addition,
      a critical role of l-Arginine in endothelial cell survival during oxidative
      stress, and the participation of neutrophils in the induction of oxidative stress
      during preeclampsia have been suggested. OBJECTIVES: To address if
      supplementation with l-arginine provides antioxidant defense in human vascular
      endothelial cells. METHODS: Human vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) were
      isolated from umbilical cord veins obtained from healthy women underwent cesarean
      sections at term, with no evidence of hypertension disorders through the
      pregnancy. HUVECs were cultured in EndoGro media with LS supplement kit and 1%
      antibiotic with (n=10) or without 200uM l-Arginine (n=10). Confluent HUVECs were
      stimulated with neutrophils activated with 50umol/L arachidonic acid (1:16 ratio
      of neutrophil/cells). After incubation, cells were rinsed in PBS and harvested
      for RNA and protein extraction. Reverse transcription was performed using the
      RT(2) First Strand kit, and expression gene profiling was generated using the
      RT(2) Profiler PCR Array Human Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defense that
      includes the expression profile of 84 genes related to the oxidative pathway.
      Expression results were analyzed with the RT(2) Profiler PCR Array Data Analysis
      Template v3.0 and two different lists of fold change in gene expression were
      generated: (1) HUVEC+neutrophils vs HUVEC+l-Arginine + neutrophils and (2) HUVEC
      vs HUVEC+neutrophils. Validation of the expression assays was performed using
      western blots or ELISAS for proteins expressed by selected genes. RESULTS: Fold
      up- or down gene regulation are shown in Table 1. Forty six genes involved in
      oxidative stress defense were significantly up-regulated in HUVECs supplemented
      with l-arginine when were exposed to neutrophils. Interestingly, almost the same
      genes were down-regulated in non-supplemented HUVECs after neutrophil exposure.
      CONCLUSION: Supplementation with l-Arginine upregulates the expression of genes
      related to antioxidant defense in primary cultures of endothelial cells. This
      finding provides a novel insight about the molecular mechanisms involved in the
      protective role of l-Arginine during preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105457
TI  - PP135. Maternal serum levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and ADMA, an
      endogenous ENOS inhibitor in pregnancies complicated by severe preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and fetal mortality and
      morbidity. Preeclampsia remains amongst the biggest challenges in obstetrics, but
      its aetiopathogenesis is still unclear. Recent observations support the
      hypothesis that imbalance between maternal angiogenic/anti-angiogenic factors
      concentrations is responsible for the clinical manifestations of the
      preeclampsia. It was also suggested that clinical manifestations of preeclampsia
      caused by endothelial malfunction including insufficient production of nitric
      oxide and that abnormality in nitric oxide synthesis or NO bioavailability may
      contribute to the development of preeclampsia. But the mechanism associated with
      alteration of nitric oxide formation in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia
      is not well understood. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the
      maternal serum concentrations of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and its
      endogenous inhibitor, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in pregnancies
      complicated by severe preeclampsia in comparison with healthy normotensive
      pregnant women. METHODS: A study was conducted including 29 uncomplicated women
      (the Control group) and 29 preeclamptic women (the Pre group). Preeclampsia was
      diagnosed by the increased blood pressure of >140mmHg systolic and >90mmHg
      diastolic in women who were normotensive before 20 weeks of gestation accompanied
      by proteinuria, defined as the urinary excretion of >0.3g protein in 24h
      specimen. Severe preeclampsia was defined as blood pressure >160/110mmHg on at
      least 2 occasions 6h apart with proteinuria >5g in a 24h urinary protein
      excretion. The maternal serum eNOS and ADMA concentrations were determined using
      a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS: There were no
      statistically significant differences in gravidity, parity, maternal age and
      height in patient profiles between groups. Creatinine and urea levels were normal
      in all patients. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were higher in
      preeclamptic pregnant women than in the control group. The mean systolic blood
      pressure values were 166.39+/-15.47mmHg in the Pre group and 115.72+/-10.34mmHg
      in the control group. The mean diastolic blood pressure values were 108.89+/
      10.45mmHg in the Pre group and 75.34+/-6.22mmHg in the healthy controls. These
      differences were statistically significant (p<0.000001). Our study revealed
      increased maternal serum levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine in preeclamptic
      patients (p=0.007223). The mean values of maternal serum ADMA were 0.597+/
      0.161mmol/L in the Pre group versus0.503+/-0.081mmol/L in the healthy pregnant
      patients. The levels of serum endothelial nitric oxide synthase were lower in
      women with pregnancies complicated by severe preeclampsia than in the healthy
      women from the control group, but these differences were not statistically
      significant (p=0.118770). The mean values of serum eNOS were 134.06+/-76.73U/ml
      in the Pre group and 187.70+/-165.41U/ml in the Control group. CONCLUSION:
      Elevated levels of ADMA and the unchanged levels of eNOS in pregnancies
      complicated by severe preeclampsia allow the conclusion that the nitric oxide
      deficiency in this pregnancy disorder result not from a reduced level or activity
      of eNOS, but from elevated levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine, an endogenous
      eNOS inhibitor.

PMID- 26105458
TI  - PP136. Blood pressure patterns in pregnant women who developed pre-eclampsia or
      hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Early recognition of pregnant women at risk of pre-eclampsia (PE)
      in developing countries is essential to ensure timely transfer to the appropriate
      level of care. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to determine the predictive value of blood
      pressure (BP) measurements taken in 4 week windows to identify women who will
      develop PE or new onset hypertension (NOHPT). METHODS: A prospective
      observational study.Women with one or more risk factors for PE presenting at a
      tertiary hospital for antenatal care before 14 weeks' gestation were approached
      to participate. After obtaining informed consent, a single researcher completed a
      comprehensive structured questionnaire regarding previous medical, pregnancy and
      contraceptive history, also including information of the patient's mother,
      siblings and the father. Clinical findings and the results of routine antenatal
      tests were documented. Subsequent care was according to existing management
      policies. The primary outcome was the development of PE (ISSHP definition).
      RESULTS: We enrolled 318 women, 9 of whom had uncomplicated deliveries elsewhere.
      There were 35 cases (12.6%) of PE and 39 cases of NOHPT amongst women who
      delivered after 20 weeks' gestation. Systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), mean
      arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) did not differ between groups at
      presentation. SBP was significantly higher in women in the PE group from 12-15
      weeks' gestation (129.1+/-13.6 vs. 115.9+/-16.1mmHg) onwards, while the DBP
      became significantly higher from 24-27 weeks' gestation (84.0+/-13.3 vs.
      69.3mmHg) onwards. MAP was also higher from 12-15 weeks' gestation (94.8+/
      8.5mmHg) onwards. PP was not of value. In women with NOHPT, SBP became
      significantly higher at 16-19 weeks' gestation (124.1+/-12.1 vs. 118.4+/-14.6),
      MAP became significantly higher at 24-27 weeks' gestation (89.8+/-14.6 vs. 85.7+/
      11.3mmHg) and DBP at 32-35 weeks' gestation (78.8+/-72 vs. 72.1+/-10.9mmHg). ROC
      curve analysis revealed poor ability of all four parameters to distinguish
      between women who will develop PE or NOHPT. CONCLUSION: SBP, DBP and MAP
      increases earlier in women who will develop PE compared with those who develop
      NOHPT. In both groups SBP and MAP changed earlier than DBP. PP did not differ
      between the various groups. There is no specific cut-off value of any parameter
      which will predict disease without an accompanying high false positive rate. SBP
      and DBP are only of clinical importance if specific threshold values as
      identified in existing classification systems are exceeded.

PMID- 26105459
TI  - PP137. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a constant
      component of eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has been
      reported to occur in patients with eclampsia. In both conditions there is
      evidence to suggest disordered cerebral autoregulation. OBJECTIVES: We sought to
      investigate the concurrence of PRES with eclampsia and to describe the associated
      obstetric, radiologic and critical care correlates. METHODS: Single center 2001
      2010 retrospective cohort study of all patients with eclampsia who underwent
      neuroimaging via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT)
      with or without contrast. The medical records of all patients with eclampsia
      during the study interval were identified, evaluated and extracted for pertinent
      data; a diagnosis of PRES was made by radiologists using standard criteria.
      RESULTS: Forty-six of forty-seven (97.9%) patients with eclampsia revealed PRES
      on neuroimaging using one or more modalities: MRI without contrast=41 (87.2%),
      MRI with contrast=27 (57.4%), CT without contrast=16 (34%), CT with contrast=7
      (14.8%) and/or MRA/MRV=2 (4.3%). PRES was identified within the parietal (36,
      78.3%), occipital (35, 76.1%), frontal (29, 63%), temporal (13, 28.3%) and basal
      ganglia/ brainstem/cerebellum (12, 26.1%). Eclampsia occurred antepartum in 23
      patients, postpartum in 24 patients with 22 vaginal/25 cesarean deliveries at a
      mean maternal age of 21.8 years (range 15-39) and a mean gestational age of 33.9
      weeks (range 22.4-41.7 weeks). Ethnicity was African-American in 38 patients.
      Headache was the most common presenting symptom (87.2%) followed by altered
      mental status (51.1%), visual disturbances (34%) and nausea/vomiting (19.1%).
      Severe systolic hypertension was present in 22 (47%) of patients.Use of
      antihypertensives (87%), magnesium sulfate (100%), diuretics (66%) and
      corticosteroids (50%) facilitated maternal recovery in all cases with usually a
      brief hospitalization (mean 3.9 days, range 1-20 days). CONCLUSION: The common
      finding of PRES in patients with eclampsia suggests that PRES may be part of the
      pathogenesis of eclampsia. We speculate that therapy targeted at prevention or
      reversal of PRES pathogenesis will prevent or facilitate recovery from eclampsia.

PMID- 26105460
TI  - PP138. Human fetal malformations associated with the use of angiotensin II
      receptor antagonist.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: antagonists of angiotensin II receptor (AAR) are commonly used for
      the treatment of chronic hypertension in the general population. Some of these
      pharmacological agents are losartan, candesartan, valsartan and tasosartan.
      Despite the good response achieved with these drugs in the control of
      hypertension, all medications that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system
      should be contraindicated during pregnancy. These drugs have been associated with
      fetal and neonatal injury, including hypotension, neonatal skull hypoplasia,
      anuria, reversible or irreversible renal failure and death.Here we report a case
      of fetal malformations and death associated with the use of losartan. OBJECTIVES:
      describing the association of fetal malformations and the use of losartan during
      first and second trimester of pregnancy. METHODS: this is a case report involving
      a 37-year-old pregnant woman at 26 gestational weeks. This patient had history of
      chronic hypertension for more than five years that was being regularly treated
      with Losartan 50mg/day. After her first consultation losartan was promptly
      discontinued and substituted for methyldopa. However, scan evaluation
      demonstrated severe oligohydramnios associated with altered fetal biophysical
      profile and altered Doppler fluxometry (absent diastolic flow at umbilical
      arteries). Therefore, a cesarean-section was performed after corticoid
      administration for fetal lung maturation. At first moment some characteristic
      alterations as fetal limb contractures and craniofacial deformation were detected
      at the 1007g new-born. This baby went to death 36h after delivery due to severe
      lung hypoplasia. RESULTS: the autopsy examination revealed renal tubular
      dysgenesis associated with changes secondary to nephropathy, probably induced by
      drug (Fig. 1). Associated findings were underdevelopment of bones of the skull
      with large fontanelles, thymus atrophy and signs of perinatal hypoxia.
      CONCLUSION: the difficulty of attending basic health assistance was attributed to
      be associated with this case, as this patient did not have opportunity and
      sufficient information about the necessity of changing her medication during
      pregnancy. Apart from this situation, this case report brings good information
      about the association between antagonists of angiotensin II receptor and human
      fetal malformations.

PMID- 26105461
TI  - PP139. The elective prematurity birth and its perinatal effects of syndromes in
      hypertensive pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The hypertensive pregnancy disorders affect 7.5% of Brazilian
      women, being a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality,
      affecting 6-10% of primigravidae. They represent a significant cause of
      prematurity birth, with elective responsible for 20-30% of premature births, with
      higher incidence of neonatal morbidity due to high rates of complications in
      short and long term. OBJECTIVES: Identify the repercussions in a short time, on
      caused by elective obstetric parity decisions in women with hypertensive
      neonatals pregnancy syndromes. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of medical records
      of pregnant women admitted to Hospital Guilherme Alvaro, in the city of Santos/SP
      - Brazil, between Jan/2005 to Jan/2012. Calculations were performed for
      dichotomous variables and an epidemiological analysis with data obtained on
      pregnant women with hypertension with a single fetus, subjected to delivery
      before 37 weeks. Classification of Hypertensive Syndromes followed the criteria
      of the NHBPEP - 2000, after blood pressure measurements were calibrated following
      standard technique: Chronic hypertension (CH), Pre-eclampsia, superimposed pre
      eclampsia and late gestational hypertension and multiple births were excluded,
      premature labor and fetal malformations, totaling 102 cases. RESULTS: Throughout
      the study, it was observed that 67.6% are appropriate for gestational age, birth
      weight 1500-2500grams (43.1%). Support in the neonatal were excluded ICU was
      necessary in the vast majority (75.7%), and length of stay exceeding 28 days in
      29.3% of cases. The main indication was respiratory distress syndrome (63.6%)
      requiring intubation orotraquel and jaundice in 18.2% of premature infants was a
      common comorbidity (39.4%). Even with all the support in-hospital, the neonatal
      mortality was present in 8.1% of cases. The main indication of the resolution was
      for obstetric maternal complications (61.8%) where pre-eclampsia and preeclampsia
      superimposed were expressions which caused more frequent (42.2 and 40.2%
      respectively), showing the level of proteinuria between two -4.9g (32.1%).
      Gestational age at delivery was 32-34 weeks (43.1%), corticosteroid therapy was
      not performed (54.9%) and cesarean delivery was (94.1%). The most frequent age
      group was 20-34 years (53.9%), Caucasian (54.9%), primigravida (62.7%) and less
      than five prenatal visits (36.3%) were performed. CONCLUSION: The hypertensive
      pregnancy are risk factors for preterm elective delivery and is more frequent
      before 34 weeks, resulting in high perinatal morbidity and mortality, especially
      in cases of preeclampsia with severe clinical presentation and long hospital
      stays, with consequent costs and conducting excessive procedures in the neonate.
      Enable early referral to specialist services and consequent prenatal follow up,
      enables the adoption of early action, such as clinical support in a timely manner
      to facilitate the handling of cases which are still stable, optimizing the
      opportunity for administration of antenatal corticosteroids. It is necessary to
      review decisions about the mode of delivery in prematurity related to
      hypertension cases, with the aim of increasing the occurrence of vaginal
      deliveries.

PMID- 26105462
TI  - PP141. The lipid transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 are differentially expressed in
      preeclamptic and IUGR placentas.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter A1 (ABCA1) and ABCG1 are
      highly expressed in the placenta in various compartments, including the villous
      syncytiotrophoblast (V-STB) and foetal endothelial cells. Among other not yet
      characterized functions, they play a role in the foeto-maternal transport of
      cholesterol and other lipophilic molecules. In humans, preliminary data suggest
      expressional changes of ABCA1 and ABCG1 in pathologic gestation, particularly
      under hypoxic conditions, but a systematic expression analysis in common human
      pregnancy diseases has never been performed. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present
      study was to characterize ABCA1 and ABCG1 expression in a large series of
      pathologic placentas, in particular from preeclampsia (PE) and intrauterine
      growth restriction (IUGR) which are associated with placental hypoxia. METHODS:
      Placentas from 152 pathological pregnancies, including PE and/or HELLP (n=24) and
      IUGR (n=21), and 20 normal control placentas were assessed for their ABCA1 and
      ABCG1 mRNA and protein expression with quantitative RT-PCR and semi-quantitative
      immunohistochemical analysis, respectively. RESULTS: ABCA1 protein expression in
      the V-STB was significantly less extensive in PE compared with normal controls
      (<10% of V-STB stained for ABCA1 in 58% PE placentas vs. 25% controls; p=0.035).
      Conversely, it was significantly more wide-spread in IUGR (>75% of V-STB stained
      in 57% IUGR placentas vs. 15% controls; p=0.009). Moreover, there was an
      insignificant trend for increased ABCA1 expression in fetal endothelial cells of
      stem villi in PE (p=0.0588). ABCA1 staining levels in V-STB were significantly
      associated with placental histopathological features related with hypoxia: they
      were decreased in placentas exhibiting syncytial knotting (p=0.033) and decidual
      vasculopathy (p=0.0437) and increased in low weight placentas (p=0.015). The
      significant and specific alterations in ABCA1 protein expression found at a
      specific cellular level were not paralleled by changes in ABCA1 mRNA abundance of
      total placental tissue. ABCG1 staining was universally extensive in the V-STB of
      normal placentas, always affecting more than 90% of V-STB surface. In comparison,
      ABCG1 staining of the V-STB was generally often reduced in pregnancy diseases. In
      particular, less than 90% of V-STB exhibited ABCG1 staining in 26% of PE
      placentas (p=0.022) and 35% of IUGR placentas (p=0.003). Similarly to ABCA1,
      ABCG1 mRNA expression in total placental tissue was not significantly different
      between controls and PE or IUGR. CONCLUSION: ABCA1 and ABCG1 proteins are
      differentially expressed, with either down- or up-regulation, in the V-STB of
      placentas exhibiting features of chronic hypoxia, such as in PE and IUGR. This
      suggests that other factors in addition to hypoxia regulate the expression of
      placental lipid transporters. The specific changes on a cellular level were
      masked when only total tissue mRNA was analysed underlining the importance of
      cell specific expression analysis. The potential effects of decreased placental
      ABCA1 and ABCG1 expression on foetal nutrition and development remain to be
      elucidated.

PMID- 26105463
TI  - PP142. Independent effects of pregnancy induced hypertension on childhood
      development: A retrospective cohort study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The effect of maternal pre-eclampsia on neurological and cognitive
      development of children is not well known. A literature search of Ovid MEDLINE,
      EMBASE and CINAHL revealed differing opinions in the current literature. It would
      appear that there is uncertainty regarding the independent effects of preterm
      birth, birth weight and pre-eclampsia on early childhood development, complicated
      by the fact that most pre-eclamptic mothers are delivered preterm, and many such
      babies are growth restricted. OBJECTIVES: To assess whether maternal hypertension
      in pregnancy was independently associated with additional support needs in
      children METHODS:  STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study Setting: Grampian
      region of Scotland Main outcome measure: The primary outcome of interest was
      whether a child had developed a record in the Support Needs System (Grampian).
      Secondary outcomes included the development of a particular disorder or
      deficiency for example, autism. METHODS: Linkage of birth records of all
      singleton deliveries occurring in primigravidae between 1995 and 2008 in Aberdeen
      Maternity and Neonatal Databank with the Support Needs System (SNS) dataset in
      Grampian. The database from which the study population is derived - the Aberdeen
      Maternity and Neonatal Databank (AMND) has been in existence since 1950 The
      Support Needs System (SNS) is part of a Scottish-wide database recording
      information about children who have additional support needs for more than six
      months and has been utilised in Grampian since 1998. The first exposed cohort
      comprised children whose mothers had pre-eclampsia or eclampsia and the second,
      those whose mothers had gestational hypertension. Children with normotensive
      mothers formed the unexposed cohort. Hypertensive status in pregnancy was based
      on Davey and MacGillivray's classification of hypertensive disorders of
      pregnancy. Crude and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence Intervals of having
      a record in SNS in the presence of maternal pregnancy induced hypertension were
      calculated using logistic regression taking account of confounders such as
      preterm birth and low birth weight. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounding
      factors, neither pre-eclampsia {Adj OR 0.80 (95% CI 0.60,1.07)} nor gestational
      hypertension {Adj OR 1.16 (95% CI 0.99,1.36)} showed statistically significant
      associations with additional support needs. An association of pre-eclampsia with
      cerebral palsy seen on univariate analysis also disappeared on adjusting for
      confounders {Adj OR 1.26 (95% CI 0.43, 3.68)}. Birth before 32 weeks gestation
      and birthweight below 1500g were independently associated with additional support
      needs in children. CONCLUSION: While maternal hypertension was not found to be
      independently associated with special needs in children, very preterm birth and
      very low birthweight showed an association.

PMID- 26105464
TI  - PP143. Relationship between mid-pregnancy placenta growth factor and hemodynamics
      in the mother, fetus, and uterus.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Placental Growth Factor (PlGF) is an angiogenic and vasoregulatory
      peptide member of the vascular endothelial growth factor family. Reduction of
      free, circulating PlGF is associated with preeclampsia and fetal growth
      restriction, and precedes the clinical manifestations of disease by several
      weeks. It is not known whether aberrant PlGF is related for alterations in
      endothelial vascular function that cause or exacerbate the placental syndromes of
      pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine if mid-pregnancy PlGF was related
      to, and possibly mediating, measures of maternal, fetal, or uterine hemodynamic
      function in women at risk for placenta-mediated complications of pregnancy.
      METHODS: We measured free plasma PlGF (Triage PlGF Assay, Alere, Inc.) between 22
      and 25 weeks in high risk subjects referred for assessment of fetal growth and
      uterine artery Dopplers due to abnormalities of serum screening analytes or other
      risk factors for preeclampsia. Maternal hemodynamic parameters including mean
      arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance (SVR)
      and index of contractility (ICON) were measured in recumbent position with
      noninvasive electrical cardiography (Aesculon EC System, Cardiotronics, Inc.).
      Doppler measurements of blood flow in the uterine arteries (pulsatility index,
      PI) and umbilical artery (systolic:diastolic ratio, S/D) were obtained by
      ultrasound (Voluson E8, GE Healthcare, Inc.), along with the estimated fetal
      weight (EFW). PlGF was expressed as the log concentration, plotted against the
      hemodynamic measurements, and analyzed with Spearman's correlation coefficient,
      R. Statistical significance was set to p=0.05. RESULTS: Data from seventeen fully
      studied patients were analyzed. The median gestational age was 24.3 weeks. PlGF
      concentration ranged from 25 to 1180 with a median of 235pg/ml. PlGF was
      positively related to maternal cardiac index (R=0.56, p=0.02) and ICON (R=0.51,
      p=0.04) and negatively related to SVR (R=-0.48, p=0.05). There was a non
      significant negative correlation with MAP (R=-0.41, p=0.10). PlGF showed a
      positive correlation to EFW (R=0.52, p=0.03) and a negative relationship to
      umbilical artery S/D ratio (R=-0.42,p=0.06). There was no correlation between
      maternal PlGF and uterine artery Doppler PI (R=-0.19, p=0.46). CONCLUSION: The
      concentration of circulating free PlGF at mid-pregnancy is related to both
      maternal systemic hemodynamic function and fetal umbilical artery resistance (and
      growth) in high risk pregnancies prior to the onset of preeclampsia. It is not,
      however, related to vascular resistance in the uterine artery. PlGF may play a
      role in modulating the general vascular function of the fetus and mother after
      establishment of the uteroplacental circulation.

PMID- 26105465
TI  - PP144. Profile of lupus pregnancy in internal medecine practice.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The pregnancies in systemic erythematous lupus (SLE) disease is a
      situation of high risk and involve both the mother and the fetus. The prematurity
      and the miscarriage are there more frequent, with increase risks of eclampsia,
      acute hypertension, HELP syndrome and of worsening renal disease. So the
      morbimortality is multiplied particularly when a anti-phospholipid syndrome
      'APLS' is associated. The pregnancy remains however authorized when the SLE is in
      remission for more than 6 months with a validated treatment and successful means
      of monitoring. OBJECTIVES: To review the clinical profile of the pregnancies at
      the SLE patients with or without APLS in Internal Medicine Practice. METHODS:
      it's a retrospective study, in an internal medical centre over a period going
      from January, 2008 till December, 2011. The collection of the data is made from
      the index cards of clinical observations collecting items to interpret the data.
      All the patients are diagnosed referring to the criteria ACR (SLE/APLS) and all
      benefit from a follow-up in a obstetrics monitoring (ultrasounds to monitor
      growth and placental development). RESULTS: On a cohort of 80 SLE young patients
      hospitalized we brought together 20 patients answering eligibility criteria. The
      average age is of 26 years (21-41), SLE evolve with an average of 2.5years, the
      parity is estimated at 5 on average by patient. The pregnancies are programmed in
      only in 25% . The others cases of pregnancy remain the consequence of a not
      adapted contraception (50%). Lupus patients have history of renal damage (8)
      requiring immunosuppressive therapy (4) but renal function is preserved at all
      the patient's. The treatment is adapted to the clinical context and prophylactic
      doses of heparin and a baby aspirin are required in most situations. The
      cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors show an overweight (12), one dyslipemia
      (10), type 2 diabetes (2), and hypertension (3). The pregnancy is at the origin
      of a degradation of the renal function (4) with definitive chronic renal
      Insufficiency (1). The specific events observed are a HELLP syndrome (1), pre
      eclampsia (2), fetal losses (5), ischemic strokes (4) and post-partum
      cardiomyopathy (1). The pregnancies require caesarians (15) with ligature of
      trunks (2). We deplore fetal deaths (7) in tripled (1) and in twin (1) during the
      period of follow-up. We note a small birth weight (7), a preterm birth (5), a
      foetal distress (5) at the origin of a psychomotor disorders (1) and we observed
      a case of a transient skin lupus (1). CONCLUSION: The frequency of the maternal
      and fetal complications is partially understandable by the fact that the majority
      of the pregnancies neither are programmed, nor authorized by the treating
      physician. Indeed, between the denial of the disease and the desire of pregnancy
      in everything taken, the patients often take the risk and put the treating
      physician in front of pregnancies in top risks.

PMID- 26105466
TI  - PP145. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: A two year study (2008-2009).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of
      maternal mortality and morbidity. According to the group studies of NHPBEB 2000
      four entities are defined: Chronic Hypertension (CH) previous to pregnancy,
      Gestational Hypertension (GH), Preeclampsia/Eclampsia (PE/E) and superimposed
      Preeclampisa/Eclampsia in Chronic Hypertension (PE/E CH). All this entities have
      different outcomes and require adequate follow-up and specific attitude.
      OBJECTIVES: Review all cases of hypertensive disorders in a two-year period, its
      incidences, and related maternal and fetal complications. METHODS: In a
      retrospective study, from January 2008 to December 2009, all files related with
      hypertensive disorders, seen in our department, were reviewed. The statistic
      analysis was based on Excel 2007. RESULTS: The global incidence of hypertensive
      disorders was 3.8% (309 cases), with each entity with an incidence of: 40% in CH,
      40% GH, 25% PE/E and 7% PE/E CH. In terms of demographic characteristics the
      majority of the population were caucasian (46%) and black (40%), the mean age was
      of 31years (minimum of 12-maximum of 47), and mainly previous Chronic
      Hypertension and endocrinologic disorders as co-morbidities (Diabetes Mellitus,
      obesity and thyroid pathology). The fetal/maternal complications were mainly
      preterm delivery (26.2%), with a low percentage of Abruptio Placentae (1%).
      Maternal complications were analysed in terms of ICU admissions of 7%,
      cardiovascular/renal disorders of 1% and maternal bleeding 1%. No maternal death
      was described. Fetal outcomes were also studied, specifically in terms of birth
      weight, with an average of 2794 (500-5480g), apgar index in 1st and 5th minute
      below seven in respectively, 14% and 3.5%. CONCLUSION: The incidence of maternal
      complications in our analysis was lower than described in literature. The
      incidence of preterm delivery was similar to that reported in other studies,
      mostly due to late pre-terms (>32w).

PMID- 26105467
TI  - PP146. Psychological assessment of renal transplant recipients during pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although many centers have reported their experience on maternal
      and perinatal outcomes in renal transplant recipients. Very few information can
      be found about the psychological aspects that may rise for these patients during
      pregnancy. Considering the importance of the psychological concerns for this kind
      of patients, we have developed a protocol to better assist renal transplant
      recipients during pregnancy and here we show what we have learnt. OBJECTIVES: To
      understand how the maternal concerns are seen from renal transplant recipients in
      terms of psychological aspects. METHODS: Fifteen pregnant kidney transplanted
      women with an average age of 27.5years were included in the study. All patients
      have been investigated beyond the 20th week of pregnancy to delivery. The study
      is cross-sectional, qualitative, and participation is based on developed
      phenomenological method. Final data analysis will be done through thematic
      analysis and hermeneutics of meaning. The only exclusion criteria were the
      current presence of psychiatric disorders or use of drugs that could influence
      cognitive and emotional aspects during the psychological evaluation. RESULTS:
      During the last two years we have observed in these women that all of them are
      aware of the risks of pregnancy after transplantation. Qualitative aspects were:
      Pregnant with kidney transplantation show: in relation to pregnancy, the desire
      to be mothers, to give a son to her husband, to become a healthy person again;
      they believe that conception is God's will, they have fear of pregnancy,
      ambivalence of feelings (fear and happiness). In relation to the graft, they
      reported fear of baby malformations, fear and anguish of graft loss, still
      consider it worth the risk of having the baby, and some women name the graft, if
      it were another infant. In relation to delivery, state anxiety and anguish at the
      proximity of labor (fear of labor pain, anesthesia, cesarean section, vaginal
      delivery and the "psychic pain"). CONCLUSION: Pending the final results of this
      study, we still observed that these patients and their husbands require
      multidisciplinary monitoring since the beginning of pregnancy. Factors religious,
      cultural and psychic are involved in the desire to be mothers.

PMID- 26105468
TI  - PP147. Prevalence of hypertensive syndromes according to pregnancy age.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The decision of a woman to get pregnant at later age of her
      reproductive cycle has be a phenomenon around the world. Epidemiology data show
      frequent increase of clinical complications in direct proportion in advanced age
      motherhood, hypertensive disturbances being more prevalent. OBJECTIVES: Analyse
      the prevalence of hypertensive syndromes in pre-determined age groups at Hospital
      Guilherme Alvaro in Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil showing the different segments in
      each one. METHODS: From data collected in the outpatient department of Hospital
      Guilherme Alvaro of High Risk Pre-natal between 04/06/2008 and 30/05/2011, a
      prevalence transversal study was carried out where data were obtained from 628
      patients aged between 16 and 46years. Procedures of homogeny analysts were set
      out, always collecting data such as age and disorder for high risk gestation.
      According to age, patients were divided into groups: precocious (up to 19years
      old), middle age (between 20 and 34) and late pregnancies (over 35). RESULTS: In
      the precocious pregnancies, clinical illnesses/no hypertension (31%) were
      observed in first place, 25% (8) twin pregnancy in second place, 19% (6) showed
      hypertensive disturbances. Concerning pregnancies between 20 and 34years old, 36%
      (144 patients) showed hypertensive syndromes, 23% (92 patients) showed endocrine
      disturbances, 22% (90 patients) showed clinical illnesses/no hypertension, and 9%
      twin pregnancy. Regarding late pregnancies, the most frequent disturbance was
      isolated hypertensive syndromes: 44% (88 patients) in first place, only endocrine
      disturbances, 24% (47 patients) in second place followed by association between
      hypertensive syndromes and endocrinopathy with 13% (26 patients). CONCLUSION:
      About precocious pregnancies, greater prevalence showed clinical illnesses/no
      hypertension, whereas middle age and late pregnancies showed greater hypertensive
      syndrome prevalence, results, which are compatible with other studies, have been
      observed that due to advance of age, hypertensive syndromes are more frequent.
      For late pregnancies, the prevalence of clinical illnesses/no hypertension was a
      lower percentage regarding the other two groups: precocious pregnancies (31%=10
      women), middle age pregnancies (22%=90 women), and late pregnancies (2%=7 women).
      Considering the fact that the occurrence of pregnancy is more and more late in
      life, it can be concluded that the professionals must be prepared to attend
      pregnancies on women with hypertensive disturbances and their eventual
      complications.

PMID- 26105469
TI  - PP148. Is there podocyturia in pregnant women with chronic hypertension?
      (Preliminary results).

PMID- 26105470
TI  - PP149. Hypertensive risk factors: Do they influence pregnancy outcome in women
      affected by new onset pre-eclampsia?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a leading cause of maternal and foetal
      mortality and morbidity. Chronic Hypertension (CH) and a previous PE are well
      known risk factors for PE. If the prevalence of PE in nulliparous is about 2%, it
      raise up to 7-10% in women with CH or a previous PE. However, the role of these
      risk factors when PE occurs is still under discussion OBJECTIVES: To detect if
      maternal history of previous PE and/or Chronic Hypertension (CH) is associated
      with a worse clinical outcome in women affected by PE. METHODS: Cohort study on
      100 consecutive singleton pregnancies complicated by PE referred to our
      Department from January 2010 to December 2011. PE and CH were defined according
      to ISSHP criteria. Small for Gestational Age (SGA) was defined as Birth Weight
      under the 5th percentile per Gestational Age. Patients were divided into two
      groups depending on positive (Group A, n=25) or negative (Group B, n=75) history
      for PE and/or Chronic Hypertension (CH). Patients assessed to group A were under
      prophylactic therapy with ASA 100mg oid. Clinical and perinatal outcomes were
      reviewed. Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (APO) was defined as Apgar score less than
      seven at five minutes, pH<7.20; birth weight<5th percentile (SGA), stillbirth or
      neonatal death. RESULTS: Groups were comparable for Maternal Age (Group A:
      34years median, IQR 30-36yy; Group B: 34years, IQD 28-36yy ) and BMI (Group A:
      23.7Kg/mq median, IQR 20.8-27.1Kg/mq; Group B: 22.4Kg/mq median IQR 20.3
      26.0Kg/mq). One case of stillbirth (Group A) and four cases of neonatal death
      were observed, 1/25 in Group A (4%) and 3/75 (4%) in Group B. No differences were
      found in Gestational Age (GA) at diagnosis of PE (Group A: 32+2w median, IQR 28+0
      35+4w; Group B: 33+2w median, IQR 30+0-36+1w); GA at delivery (Group A: 34+1w
      median, IQR 31+5-36+5w; Group B: 34+2w median, IQR 32+0-36+3w) Birth Weight
      percentile (Group A: 6th percentile median, IQR 2-21th percentile; Group B: 5th
      percentile median, IQR 1-15th percentile), prevalence of Small for Gestational
      Age (14/25 and 42/75, for Group A and B respectively), prevalence of APO (13/25
      and 44/75, for Group A and B respectively). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that a
      positive history for PE and/or CH does not influence clinical outcome in women
      affected by PE. This result could be explained by the administration of
      prophylactic ASA 100mg oid in this group of patients.

PMID- 26105471
TI  - PP150. Pregnancy outcome in women with heart disease in a single tertiary care
      center.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The number of women presenting with cardiac disease during
      pregnancy is increasing because more women with repaired congenital heart disease
      are reaching childbearing age and because of more pregnancies occurring in women
      with ischemic heart disease. Cardiac disease is the leading cause of indirect
      maternal mortality in the Netherlands. OBJECTIVES: Clinical data of pregnant
      women with heart disease that received obstetric care and delivered in our center
      have been obtained with the intention to evaluate the cardiac and obstetric
      pregnancy outcomes and to provide data for local counseling and management
      guidelines. METHODS: Data were collected from all pregnant women with congenital
      or acquired heart disease who delivered between 2000 and 2010 in the VU
      University Medical Center Amsterdam. At least one consultation of a cardiologist
      during pregnancy was advised. The maternal outcomes of these pregnancies were
      evaluated. RESULTS: Data of 122 women with 160 pregnancies were obtained. In this
      study the main heart diseases in pregnancy were congenital heart disease
      (n=75.61%) and arrhythmia (n=22.18%). Rheumatic heart disease was accountable for
      6% (n=7) and ischemic heart disease for 4% (n=5) of inclusions. Based on the
      functional criteria of the New York Heart Association (NYHA), 114/122 patients
      (93.4%) were classified NYHA Class I-II. Patients in NYHA Class III-IV (n=8/122,
      6.6%), mainly had a history of myocardial infarction or pulmonary hypertension.
      Of all the women, 35 had cardiac surgery before pregnancy, mainly repair of
      congenital heart disease. In women with acquired heart disease the interventions
      before pregnancy included permanent cardiac pace-maker implantation (n=2),
      radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) (n=4) and percutaneous transluminal
      coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft (n=4). There were 156
      singleton and 4 twin pregnancies. Termination of pregnancy was performed in 3
      cases; 1 for maternal cardiac and 2 for obstetric indications. There were 156
      life-births of which 100 (64.1%) were spontaneous vaginal deliveries, 17 (10.9%)
      operative vaginal deliveries and 39 (25%) cesarean sections: 9 for maternal
      cardiac indication and 30 for obstetric reasons. 36 (36%) women received epidural
      analgesia during labor and delivery. Cesarean section under general anesthesia
      was performed in 14 cases (7 for maternal cardiac indication); 25 were performed
      under spinal/epidural anesthesia. Induction of labour occurred in 48 pregnancies:
      10 for maternal cardiac indications and 38 for other maternal and fetal
      indications. 28 (17.5%) pregnancies were complicated by hypertensive disorders.
      Cardiac complications such as heart failure developed in 15 (9.4%) pregnancies.
      There were two maternal deaths (1.6%). CONCLUSION: Congenital heart disease is
      the type of heart disease that has the highest incidence in pregnancy, while main
      types of heart disease that lead to impaired cardiac function during pregnancy
      are ischemic disease and pulmonary hypertension. Incidence of pregnancy induced
      hypertensive disorders is increased in women with preexistent cardiac disorders.
      Maternal outcome is generally favourable for women with cardiac heart in NYHA
      class I/II.

PMID- 26105472
TI  - PP151. Hypertensive complications in pregnancy - Two year study (2008-2009).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertension affects 10% of all pregnancies and accounts for
      approximately a quarter of all antenatal admissions. Hypertension in pregnancy
      includes a wide spectrum of conditions, including pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, pre
      eclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension, chronic hypertension, and
      gestational hypertension. Pregnancies complicated by hypertension are associated
      with increased risk of adverse fetal, neonatal and maternal outcomes, including
      preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, perinatal death, acute renal or hepatic
      failure, ante partum haemorrhage, postpartum haemorrhage and maternal death.
      Overall pre-eclampsia complicates 5-6% of pregnancies and eclampsia complicates 1
      2% of pre-eclamptic pregnancies. OBJECTIVES: Analysis of the maternal
      complications (incidence of ICU admissions, preeclampsia/eclampsia, renal or
      cardiovascular acute dysfunction, HELLP syndrome, placental abruption, maternal
      death) and fetal/neonatal outcome. METHODS: In a retrospective study, from
      January 2008 to December 2009, all files related with complications of
      hypertensive disorders, seen in our institution, were analysed. The statistic
      analysis was based on Excel 2007. RESULTS: Of 309 cases, 123 patients (40%) were
      found to have gestational hypertension while 121 (40%) suffer chronic
      hypertension. Ninety patients (29%) have preeclampsia or eclampsia (4 cases). 22
      patients with chronic hypertension had a superimposed preeclampsia. Fetal growth
      restriction, HELLP syndrome and placental abruption were the obstetric
      complications in 4%, 1% and 1% of the cases, respectively. Additionally, multiple
      pregnancy and gestational diabetes were noted in 2.6% and 10.7% of the patients.
      Delivery route was vaginal in 90 patients while 68.9% underwent caesarean
      section. 6.5% of the patients were admitted to ICU and no woman has died. Preterm
      delivery occurred in 26.2% of the cases and 2 interruptions of pregnancy before
      24weeks were performed due to maternal complications. Intrauterine fetal demise
      was recorded in 2 cases on admission. CONCLUSION: Women with hypertensive
      disorders of pregnancy are more likely to have received medical or obstetric
      interventions such as caesarean section operations. Pregnancies complicated by
      preeclampsia and eclampsia may be associated with life-threatening complications
      for both the mother and infant.

PMID- 26105473
TI  - PP152. Eclampsia concurrent with HELLP syndrome - A sixteen-year clinical
      experience in an academic medical center.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders represent the most common complication among
      pregnant women, affecting 6-8% of gestations in the United States [1]. In Asia,
      There are many pregnant women die of eclampsia and severe preeclampsia. And 99%
      of these deaths occur in low income countries [2]. Eclampsia is defined as the
      occurrence of seizures in a woman with preeclampsia that cannot be attributed to
      other causes. HELLP syndrome represents a severe form of preeclampsia/eclampsia
      characterized by hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets [3]. The
      reported incidence of HELLP syndrome in association with eclampsia ranges from
      10.8% to 32.1%. [4,5] And the incidence of eclampsia in association with HELLP
      syndrome ranges from 6% to 52% [6,7]. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was
      to determine the characteristics of eclampsia concurrent with HELLP syndrome and
      maternal complications during the study period. METHODS: We retrospectively
      collected the data from the log book of our birth center between January 1994 and
      December 2010. There were 22 eclampsia patients concurrent with HELLP syndrome as
      compared with 46 patients with eclampsia and without HELLP syndrome. We analyzed
      the characteristics of 22 patients concurrent with HELLP syndrome and
      investigated the maternal complications, as well as fetal prognosis of them.
      Fisher exact test and Chi-square test were used in categorized variables. The
      univariate analysis of neonatal outcome was used to calculate the odds ratio and
      95% confidence interval. RESULTS: The significant maternal outcome variables in
      patient with eclampsia concurrent with HELLP syndrome included the following:
      disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) (OR, 9.214, 95% confidence interval,
      2.19-38.86, p=0.002); hypoxic encephalopathy (OR,3.467, 95% confidence interval,
      1.03-11.68, p=0.045) multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS)( OR, 30.83, 95%
      confidence interval, 7.35-129.37, p<0.001) would associate with the contributions
      to the maternal complications. CONCLUSION: The complexity of maternal
      complications was associated with eclampsia patient concurrent with HELLP
      syndrome.

PMID- 26105474
TI  - PP153. Noninvasive assessment of maternal hemodynamic function by electrical
      impedance cardiography (EIC) and correlation with uterine and umbilical vascular
      resistance in mid-pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Maternal vascular adaptation to pregnancy involves the coordinated
      augmentation of both systemic and uteroplacental circulations, with the
      concomitant development of a new fetoplacental circuit. Disturbances of maternal
      hemodynamic adaptation in early pregnancy are often associated with compromise in
      the other circulations, although the assessment of maternal vascular function by
      conventional means is cumbersome and expensive. OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess
      maternal hemodynamic function with a noninvasive cardiographic monitor, and to
      correlate the findings to both uteroplacental and fetoplacental vascular
      resistance. METHODS: We measured cardiac output and index (CO,CI), systemic
      vascular resistance (SVR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and an index of
      contractility (ICON) with a novel electrical impedance cardiograph (Aesculon EIC
      System, Cardiotronic, USA) that provides a volume independent estimate of
      cyclical blood flow velocity. We enrolled high-risk subjects between 22 and
      25weeks who were referred for assessment of fetal growth and uterine artery
      Dopplers due to abnormalities of serum screening analytes or other risk factors
      for preeclampsia. Doppler measurements of blood flow in the uterine arteries
      (pulsatility index, PI) and umbilical artery (systolic: diastolic ratio, S/D)
      were obtained by ultrasound (Voluson E8, GE Healthcare, Inc.), along with the
      fetal weight percentile (FW%). Data were expressed as medians (+/- range), and
      analyzed with Spearman's correlation coefficient, R. Statistical significance was
      set to p=0.05. RESULTS: Electrical impedance cardiography (EIC) data was
      collected from seventeen subjects. There were no measurement failures. The median
      gestational age was 24.3weeks and the BMI was 26.4 (21-47). The median PI, S/D
      and FW% were 0.96 (0.47-2.1), 3.3 (2.6-7.1), and 53% (6-82%). EIC results and
      their relationship to uterine and umbilical Dopplers and fetal growth are shown
      in Table 1. There were no significant correlations between maternal systemic
      hemodynamic parameters and uterine artery PI. On the other hand, maternal cardiac
      function was strongly related to the umbilical artery S/D ratio, and SVR was
      uniquely related to the FW%. CONCLUSION: Maternal systemic hemodynamics can be
      conveniently acquired by EIC at the same time as routine obstetrical imaging. Our
      data suggest that maternal cardiovascular adaptation more closely reflects the
      fetoplacental circulation than the uteroplacental circulation in women at
      moderate risk of preeclampsia. EIC may be a useful adjunct in assessing risk of
      fetal compromise.

PMID- 26105475
TI  - PP154. Relationship between recorded and reported snoring during pregnancy:
      Objective measurement versus questionnaire responses.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Snoring is a common symptom of sleep disordered breathing (SDB), a
      condition that is present in 4% of the general population. SDB is identified by
      snoring and repetitive cessation of breathing during sleep accompanied by
      repetitive hypoxia and has been found to be associated with hypertension, stroke
      and heart attack. There is not depth of knowledge examining the association
      between SDB and pregnancy outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To examine the prevalence of self
      reported snoring in pregnancy and the potential association between self reported
      snoring and the development of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (HDP) within a
      larger cohort from a prevalence of SDB in pregnancy study. METHODS:
      Questionnaires were administered to pregnant women attending an outpatient's
      antenatal clinic. The self reported snoring is a component of the Epworth scale.
      Pregnancy progression and outcome data were collected on all participants and
      analyse by IBM SPSS v.20TM utilising Chi-square analysis, Student T test and
      logistic regression analysis. HDP diagnoses were in alignment with the SOMANZ
      (2009) diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: Questionnaires were administered and
      outcomes collected on 2023 pregnancies. Snoring was reported by 49.2% of women.
      HDP affected 10.1% of the cohort, 3.3% of whom were preeclamptic. Of the
      pregnancies affected by HDP self reported snoring occurred in 57.7% in comparison
      to 43.3% who do not report snoring (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This would indicate
      that there is an association between self reported snoring and the development of
      HDP. Further analysis will be undertaken to model the effect of other potential
      risk factors such as maternal age, parity, pre-pregnancy BMI and other co
      morbidities.

PMID- 26105476
TI  - PP155. Relationship between overnight blood pressure and snoring during
      pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Snoring increases during the last trimester of pregnancy and is
      linked with both gestational hypertension and gestational diabetes. Previous
      studies have used questionnaires to determine the presence and severity of
      snoring. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare self- reported and
      objectively measured snoring in pregnancy. METHODS: We studied 154 pregnant
      women. The results from the "Do you snore?" question of the Berlin questionnaire
      was compared with objectively measured snoring obtained during an at-home
      SonoMatTM study (a thin mattress overlay with sensors that measure breath sounds,
      breathing movement, heart sounds and body movement). RESULTS: Ninety eight women
      (mean gestation 28+/-7 weeks) answered "Yes" to the question "Do you snore?"; 48
      women answered "No"; and 8 women answered "I don't know". In the group who
      answered "Yes", recorded snoring average was 20+/-19% of the night; in the "No"
      group, recorded snoring was 13+/-22% and in the "I don't know" group snoring was
      recorded as 22+/-21%. There was a significant difference between the percentages
      of snoring recorded in women who answered "yes" compared to those who answered
      "no" (p=0.04) but no other differences between groups. CONCLUSION: Snoring is
      very common in pregnancy, but questionnaire results provide only an approximate
      estimate of the presence of snoring. Importantly, significant snoring was present
      in 24% of women who denied snoring, and a significant number of women who
      reported snoring had minimal objectively recorded snoring. Objective measurement
      of snoring is needed to determine whether snoring is present in pregnant women.

PMID- 26105477
TI  - PP156. High prevalence of pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity associated with
      maternal and perinatal complications.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: High prevalence of pre-pregnancy weight excess, as well as evidence
      of increased risk of maternal and perinatal complications associated with
      nutritional states have been observed lately. Considering the possible ethnic and
      environmental influences few studies have assessed this risk in pregnant
      Brazilian women. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at determining the prevalence of
      pre-pregnancy weight excess (overweight and obesity) and its association with
      maternal and perinatal complications in a Brazilian women population. METHODS: We
      conducted a prospective cross-sectional study with 3,300 women who had birth care
      at the Asa Sul Regional Hospital of Brasilia - Federal District (FD), from
      October 2009 to May 2010. Nutritional status was determined by body mass index
      (BMI), according to WHO criteria (2000): Low weight (BMI<18.5kg/m(2)), Normal
      weight (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9kg/m(2)), Weight excess (BMI?25kg/m(2)),
      Overweight (BMI between 25 and 29.9kg/m(2)) and obesity (BMI?30kg/m(2)). The
      outcome variables were: pre-clinical complications such as chronic hypertension
      and diabetes, manifestation of gestational hypertension/preeclampsia, pregnancy
      duration and resolution as well as perinatal outcomes. The association among
      these variables was assessed using chi-square (Pearson) and Fisher's exact test.
      Results were considered significant when p<0.05. RESULTS: In this population,
      weight excess before pregnancy had a prevalence of 27.2%, being 19.7% and 7.5% of
      pregnant women presenting, respectively, overweight and obesity. The prevalence
      of normal weight was 64.6% and low weight was 8.3%. Comparing the weight excess
      (BMI?25kg/m(2)) group with the normal weight group it was observed predominant
      hypertension (23% vs. 10%) and diabetes (10.1% vs. 3.6%), prolonged pregnancy
      (14.4% vs. 10.7%) and cesarean section rate (58.1% vs. 47.2%) in the weight
      excess group. Newborn weight equal to or greater than 4,000 g (9.5% vs. 4.5%) as
      well as fetal macrosomia (14.6% vs. 7.4%) also predominated in weight excess
      group. The comparison among the groups normal weight, overweight and obesity
      showed predominance of hypertension, diabetes cesarean section rate, newborns
      weight and fetal macrosomia in the obesity group. CONCLUSION: In the population
      analyzed, the prevalence of pre-pregnancy weight excess, particularly obesity,
      was high and associated with maternal and perinatal complications. Weight excess
      pre-pregnancy should be considered a risk to the pregnancy, demanding different
      obstetric care. Efforts should be made so that, in the pre-pregnancy period,
      women's weight can be as close to the normal weight as possible.

PMID- 26105478
TI  - PP157. Risk of preeclampsia in pregnant women with gestational diabetes in
      Alberta.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may increase a woman's risk of
      developing preeclampsia (PET), a hypertensive (HTN) disorder of pregnancy
      associated with increased maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality [1-4]. The
      reported magnitude of the association between GDM and PET varies from no
      association to triple the risk [1-4]. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study
      were: first, to determine the association between GDM and PET; and second, to
      assess other factors that influence PET in a large cohort of pregnant women in
      Alberta. METHODS: A retrospective population-based cohort study was performed
      using the Alberta Perinatal Health Program (APHP) database. The APHP is a
      provincial clinical registry focused on the health of infants and their mothers.
      Women between the ages of 14 and 54 without preexisting diabetes (DM) who
      delivered between 2000 and 2009, were included in the primary analysis. Women
      with preexisting DM were included in the secondary analyses. Logistic regression
      was used to examine the association between GDM and PET after adjusting for
      baseline characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 430,012 women were included. The
      mean age was 28.5 years old (SD 5.6) and 42.9% were nulliparous. GDM was reported
      in 3.7% of women. Overall, 1.3% had PET, which was significantly higher in the
      GDM group (2.7% vs 1.3%; P<0.01). The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) (with 95% CI)
      for GDM as a risk factor for PET was 2.1 (1.9, 2.4). After adjustment for
      potential confounders, the OR remained significant at 1.9 (1.7, 2.1). Other
      significant risk factors for PET were: weight>91kg (2.6; 2.4, 2.7), nulliparity
      (3.3; 3.1, 3.5), preexisting HTN (5.6; 4.9, 6.4), and chronic kidney disease
      (5.8; 4.1, 8.2). When GDM was compared with preexisting DM, the risk of PET with
      GDM of 1.9 (1.4, 2.1) was in between that associated with DM on diet (1.4; 1.0,
      2.9) and DM on insulin (3.3; 2.7, 3.9). CONCLUSION: Women with GDM in Alberta
      have a significantly higher risk of developing PET. Assessment of glycemic status
      in pregnancy may provide clinicians with a simple tool to assess risk that may
      guide PET surveillance.

PMID- 26105479
TI  - PP158. Hypertensive disorders in pregnant women affected by type I diabetes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Type I diabetes in pregnancy is associated with an increased
      incidence of hypertensive disorders. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was
      to evaluate the incidence of hypertensive disorders in pregnant women affected by
      type I diabetes and pregnancy outcome in women with and without hypertension.
      METHODS: One hundred seventy two pregnancies in 150 women affected by type I
      diabetes were assessed. Twelve pregnancies were excluded (8 because of
      spontaneous abortions, 1 for voluntary abortion and 3 twin pregnancies), and 160
      pregnancies were considered for the study. RESULTS: Twenty-five pregnancies
      (15.6%) were complicated by hypertensive disorders: 4.4% by chronic hypertension
      (CH), 5% by gestational hypertension (GH), 4.4% by preeclampsia (PE) and 1.8% by
      preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension (PE+CH); 32% of the women
      presented a vascular disease (renal or retinal disease). The diabetic women with
      hypertensive complications were compared with diabetic women without
      hypertension. The main results are shown in Table 1. Significant differences in
      mean birth weight and mean gestational age were found. The group affected by
      preeclampsia showed 14.7% of small for gestational age (SGA) neonates (birth
      weight percentile less than 10th pc), and 57.1% of large for gestational age
      (LGA) neonates (birth weight percentile greater than 90th pc), two of them were
      over 4000 g. Only one case of very preterm delivery (<32 weeks) was observed in
      the sample. CONCLUSION: As expected, the incidence of hypertensive disorders in
      population affected by type 1 diabetes is higher than in general population and a
      poor pregnancy outcome was observed in this group of women. However, the neonatal
      outcome of women affected by preeclampsia is not different from that observed in
      women without hypertensive complications (diabetic controls) in terms of mean
      birth weight despite a significantly lower mean week gestation at delivery.

PMID- 26105480
TI  - PP159. In women with previous pregnancy hypertension, cardiovascular risk
      biomarkers may be modulated by haptoglobin genotype.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia may affect the risk for future cardiovascular disease.
      Haptoglobin (Hp), an acute phase protein with genetic polymorphism (Hp1.1, 2.1
      and 2.2) synthesized in the hepatocyte and in many tissues, may modulate the risk
      through the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory differential effects of their
      genotypes. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate some parameters of cardiovascular risk in
      association with genetic polymorphism of Hp in women with previous preeclampsia
      (HBP) compared to healthy women during gestation (NBP). METHODS: We studied 352
      women aged 35+/-5.48 current year, taking these, 165 presented previous
      preeclampsia, 2-14 (+/-6.6) years ago. Genetic polymorphism of Hp was determined
      from plasma by electrophoresis. The different circulating biomarkers,
      myeloperoxidase ng/mL (MPO) and nitrates and nitrites (nmol/ml) by ELISA,
      transaminases - AST and ALT (U/L) and apolipoprotein A and B (mg/dL), uric acid
      (mg/dl) hs-CRP (mg/L) were determined by conventional methods as well as blood
      pressure (BP) and anthropometric parameters BMI and hip and waist circumference
      (WC).Statistical methods were Chi-square, ANOVA (Bonferroni) and t-Student.
      RESULTS: There were no differences in the distribution of phenotypes of Hp
      between NBP and those with previous hypertension in pregnancy. There were
      differences between NBP and HBP in the following parameters: Systolic BP (118.9+/
      13.4 vs 135.0+/-16.5, p<0.001); Diastolic BP (72.2+/-10.1 vs 85.9+/-12.0
      p<0.001); MPO (62.3+/-30.9 vs 85.7+/-39.4, p=0.020); Nitrite (10.1+/-3.8 vs
      19.1+/-7.0, p<0.001); ALT (18.0+/-8.0 vs 22.5+/-12.9, p=0.016); BMI (25.4+/-4.1
      vs 27.1+/-4.8, p=0.031); WC (82.8+/-9.9 vs 89.5+/-15.6, p=0.002); Apo B (0.6+/
      0.1 vs 0.6+/-0.1, p=0.023). Those values vary with the genotypes of Hp and were
      observed Hp 1.1 and 2.1 in NBP and HBP respectively: [Systolic BP 119.2+/-13.7 vs
      134.7+/-18.3 (p<0.001); Diastolic BP (72.8+/-11.9 vs 86.2+/-19.4 p<0.001); MPO
      (57.9+/-32.5 vs 94.2+/-42.1, p=0.008); Nitrites (9.6+/-3.2 vs 20.0+/-8.5,
      p<0.001); ALT(17.0+/-7.2 vs 20.4+/-8.0, p=0.033); WC (82.4+/-10.0 vs 90.8+/-17.6,
      p=0.004); Apo A (0.9+/-0.2 vs 1.0+/-0.2, p=0.011)] and Hp 2.2 in NBP and HBP
      respectively: [Systolic BP 118.2+/-13.1 vs 135.6+/-12.8 (p<0.001); Diastolic BP
      (70.9+/-7.2 vs 85.5+/-16.3 p<0.001); Nitrites (11.5+/-5.1 vs 18.0+/-4.4,
      p<0.001)]. CONCLUSION: Women with previous hypertension during pregnancy,
      presented significant differences in some classic cardiovascular risk biomarkers
      as well as in some others, associated with the inflammatory process, whose
      variation may be modulated by haptoglobin functional genetic polymorphism. The
      history of hypertensive disease in pregnancy may be relevant, in association with
      these biomarkers to the prevention of cardiovascular disease in particular of
      postmenopausal women.

PMID- 26105481
TI  - PP160. Endothelial dysfunction with obesity, pregnancy and preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia, a pregnancy specific syndrome diagnosed clinically by
      new onset hypertension and proteinuria after twenty weeks of gestation, is a
      leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality worldwide. The
      pathogenesis of preeclampsia is unknown but it is associated with a number of
      risk factors including past history of preeclampsia, diabetes, multiple
      pregnancies and obesity. The relationship between obesity and preeclampsia is not
      yet clear but endothelial dysfunction is implicated in both disorders. However,
      to date no studies have evaluated endothelial dysfunction in the presence of both
      obesity and preeclampsia. sE-selectin, a specific marker of endothelial
      dysfunction, has been shown to be increased in obese individuals and preeclamptic
      patients. We examined the relationship between concentrations of sE-selectin with
      respect to preeclampsia status (preeclampsia/no preeclampsia), BMI (obese/lean)
      and delivery status (preterm/term). OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that endothelial
      dysfunction, as indicated by increased concentrations of sE-selectin, would be
      increased in obese patients. This increase would help to explain obesity as a
      risk factor in preeclampsia. METHODS: This was a retrospective case-control study
      of 91 Caucasian women enrolled in an ongoing investigation of preeclampsia at
      Magee-Womens Hospital. The women were grouped as preeclampsia lean preterms
      (n=14), control lean preterms (n=14), preeclampsia lean terms (n=10), control
      lean terms (n=7), preeclampsia obese preterms (n=9), control obese preterms
      (n=8), preeclampsia obese terms (n=14) and control obese terms (n=15). Preterm
      status was defined as delivery less than 37 weeks. Obese patients were defined as
      having a BMI >30 and lean patients were defined as having a BMI?18.5 but ?24.
      Controls were matched on race, gestational age of sample +/-2 weeks and age of
      mother +/-3 years. Serum samples were collected longitudinally across pregnancy
      from as early as 4weeks gestation through to 48h postpartum, and stored at -70
      degrees  C until assayed. sE-selectin concentrations were measured using an
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, purchased from R&D Systems immunoassay.
      RESULTS: We conducted univariate comparison for subjects with and without
      preeclampsia, BMI and preterm birth, using a t-test and Wilcoxon/Krushal-Wallis
      test and linear regression to evaluate the association of sE-selectin and other
      factors. sE-selectin was higher in women with preeclampsia (p<0.05). Furthermore,
      lean preterm preeclamptics had higher sE-selectin concentrations than obese
      preterm preeclamptics (p=0.04), otherwise there was no effect of BMI. All the
      analyses were performed using SAS 9.2 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC) at a significance
      level of 0.05. CONCLUSION: sE-selectin is increased in preeclampsia but is not
      increased with obesity. Underlying endothelial dysfunction as defined by
      increased sE-selectin does not provide an explanation for obesity as a risk
      factor for preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105482
TI  - PP161. Association of maternal vitamin D and placenta growth factor with early
      onset severe preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Decreased maternal 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OH-D) and placenta
      growth factor (PlGF) have both been associated with the diagnosis of early-onset
      severe preeclampsia (EOSPE). Prior investigations have identified these
      biomarkers to be decreased at the time of diagnosis of preeclampsia and prior to
      the onset of clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: This investigation
      aimed to define the association of these biomarkers with EOSPE. This will yield
      information concerning possible potential for these biomarkers to be used in
      diagnosis of preeclampsia. METHODS: Patients with EOSPE and healthy controls were
      recruited and demographics, outcomes, and plasma were collected at matched
      gestational age. 25-OH-D was assessed by radioimmunoassay and reported in ng/mL.
      PlGF was assessed by ELISA and reported in pg/mL. Receiver operator curves were
      constructed for each regression model and sensitivity and specificity were
      reported for each biomarker. RESULTS: In EOSPE, both 25-OH-D and PlGF were
      decreased significantly compared to controls. The combination of age, race, and
      PlGF or 25-OH-D performed well in discrimination of EOSPE and controls. The
      logistic regression model using both PlGF and 25-OH-D is shown below: CONCLUSION:
      PlGF and 25-OH-D are sensitive and specific markers for diagnosis of EOSPE.
      However, PlGF provided a higher sensitivity and specificity for EOSPE diagnosis.

PMID- 26105483
TI  - PP162. sFlt-1 controlled by CPAP in a pregnant patient with chronic hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is recognised as the leading cause of perinatal
      mortality and morbidity worldwide. Interest has been increasing recently as to
      the possible impact of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) on the mechanisms of
      preeclampsia, possibly by augmenting placental hypoxia during sleep. A biomarker
      of preeclampsia, sFlt-1, has also come to prominence in recent years and is
      postulated to be a good predictor of preeclampsia as well as a strong indicator
      of the severity of the disease. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to
      investigate the effect of CPAP treatment for SDB on sFlt-1 concentrations during
      pregnancy. METHODS: Patients were recruited from the outpatients' clinic in
      Campbelltown Hospital, Campbelltown, NSW in the first half of 2011. The levels of
      sFlt-1 in four pregnant women, with or without hypertensive disorders of
      pregnancy, and with or without SDB were measured using ELISA. RESULTS: Women with
      SDB and chronic hypertension or preeclampsia had higher levels of sFlt-1 and a
      greater percentage increase of this marker, and CPAP treatment appeared to
      attenuate the rise of sFlt-1 as shown in the table below. CONCLUSION: Elevated
      sFlt-1 was associated with untreated SDB in those with chronic hypertension. This
      study provides feasibility for a larger scale study to occur, to further examine
      the validity of the hypothesis that CPAP treatment has a beneficial effect on
      sFLt-1 levels and therefore, may lower the risk and severity of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105484
TI  - PP163. Are we using magnesium sulphate excessively for preeclamptic patients?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is now evidence that magnesium sulfate can prevent and
      control eclamptic seizures. For women with pre-eclampsia, magnesium sulfate
      reduces by more than one half the risk of eclampsia. After Magpie Trial [1] our
      clinical practice has been modified in terms of more liberal use of MgSO4, but
      the evidence regarding the benefit-to-risk ratio of MgSO4 prophylaxis in mild
      preeclampsia remains uncertain [2]. Thus we consider important to evaluate
      whether there are specific characteristics between patients who received the
      medicine that might signal risk and justify our decisions. OBJECTIVES: To
      identify in a group of hypertensive patients who used magnesium sulfate, clinical
      and/or laboratory characteristics that can be defined as specific risk factors
      and be useful to base clinical decisions. METHODS: The study was conducted at the
      Maternity School of Vila Nova Cachoeirinha, a public institution located in the
      north of the city of Sao Paulo (Baazil) between 01/07 and 31/12/2011. This is a
      retrospective study of a series of 103 pregnant women with hypertensive
      disorders, defined according to NHBPEP. We excluded patients admitted in labor.
      Patients were assigned into two groups according to the use of MgSO4. We compared
      clinical and laboratory characteristics between the two groups. RESULTS: Of 103
      patients included, 31 (30.1%) received MgSO4. Among the outcomes analyzed, there
      were significant differences in the group that received MgSO4 in terms of blood
      pressure equal to or greater than 110mmHg, clinical symptoms (eg headache and
      visual disturbance) and at least some evidence of organ dysfunction (hepatic,
      renal, haematologic, or central nervous system) (Table 1). Table 1. Variables
      associated with theuse of magnesium sulfate. CONCLUSION: We can say that in our
      institution over the years was an increase in the use of magnesium sulfate. Our
      results support the hypothesis that about one in three patients treated at this
      institution receive the medication. Although our protocol admits that the
      decision may be based on subjective criteria, we identified some objective
      characteristics that supported their application, and that these criteria do not
      differ from the classic recommendations. We can also conclude that in our
      clinical experience we do not have identified a clear justification for support
      the routinely use of magnesium sulphate for all women with preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105485
TI  - PP164. Magnesium sulphate for prevention and treatment of eclampsia in low and
      middle income countries: Systematic review of tested regimens.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) is regarded as the most effective
      prophylactic and therapeutic agent for eclampsia. Although well studied and
      widely used in high income countries (HICs), MgSO4 is under utilized in low and
      middle income countries (LMICs) due to many factors including lack of adequately
      trained health care providers, supplies for administration, or the MgSO4 itself,
      in addition to fear of potential adverse effects. OBJECTIVES: To systematically
      review the dosing and effectiveness of MgSO4 regimens administered in LMICs to
      women with pre-eclampsia or eclampsia. METHODS: We searched Medline, EMBASE, IPA,
      CINAHL, CDSR and CENTRAL databases for English language randomized controlled
      trials (RCT) and observational studies of MgSO4 regimens administered in LMICs to
      women with pre-eclampsia or eclampsia. Two authors independently reviewed search
      results and extracted relevant data from eligible studies. No quality assessment
      was performed. RESULTS: Twenty two papers (7 RCT and 15 observational studies)
      from 12 LMIC met our inclusion criteria, of which 21 were conducted in hospital
      settings. Two studied MgSO4 for eclampsia prevention ,14 for eclampsia treatment
      and 6 studied MgSO4 for both. In 20 studies, both loading and maintenance MgSO4
      dosing was administered, with intravenous (IV) or combined IV and intramuscular
      (IM) loading doses of 4-15g and IV or IM maintenance doses up to 2g/h. Five
      studies used only the IV route of administration, while the remainder coupled IV
      with IM administration. All studies were effective at preventing the initiation
      and/or recurrence of eclamptic seizures. One study of 265 women with eclampsia
      found that MgSO4 loading dose administration in the community (4g IV over 20min
      plus 3g IM in each buttock) before referral and administration of maintenance
      therapy in hospital was more effective in decreasing recurrent eclampsia compared
      with the standard practice of referral to hospital where the initial dose of
      MgSO4 was administered [RR of 0.23, 95% CI 0.11, 0.49]. The two studies of 4g IV
      plus 10g IM loading dose-only regimens did not show a significant reduction in
      eclamptic seizures compared with identical loading dose plus 5g/4h IM maintenance
      dose regimens [RR of 1.38, 95% CI of 0.23, 8.45]. However the combined sample
      size was small (N=180 women). CONCLUSION: In LMICs, most studies of MgSO4 for pre
      eclampsia or eclampsia were conducted in high level health care facilities and
      administered MgSO4 by the IV route, at least in part. The one study of community
      administration of a MgSO4 loading dose showed this approach to be effective.
      There are limited data to support loading dose-only regimens.

PMID- 26105486
TI  - PP165. Treatment approaches for preeclampsia: A sample from a big city of a
      developing country.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality
      worldwide, mainly in developing countries. Here we show an example of how is the
      clinical condition of these patients when they are referred from first care units
      to a tertiary care teaching maternity in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
      OBJECTIVES: To evaluate how has been the approach for preeclamptic women in a big
      city of Brazil, an example of developing country. METHODS: This is a
      retrospective study that evaluated 41 patients that were referred to our hospital
      from August 2010 to December 2011. In most of the cases patients were referred
      due to elevations in blood pressure. The diagnosis of preeclampsia was based on
      the ISSHP recommendations. The diagnosis of severe preeclampsia was based either
      on clinical symptoms and/or laboratory parameters. Fetal distress was defined
      when Doppler velocimetry assessment demonstrated abnormal parameters
      (centralization with abnormal diastolic blood flow at umbilical arteries).
      RESULTS: Severe preeclampsia was diagnosed in 26 cases (63.4%) and 34 patients
      were treated with magnesium sulfate (82.9%). One case of eclampsia (2.4%) and
      five cases of "Abruptio Placentae" (12.1%) were registered. Fetal distress was
      diagnosed at the moment of admission in 13 cases (31.7%) and two of these fetuses
      ended in stillbirth (4.8%). Neonatal death occurred in three cases (7.3%), mainly
      due to extreme preterm delivery. Other outcomes are reported in the following
      table. ICU: Intensive Care Unit. CONCLUSION: This is a good example of how has
      been the approach of preeclamptic women in a big city of Brazil. Our results
      suggest that a special concern about the moment of referring these patients to
      tertiary care units should be taken by doctors at first care units.

PMID- 26105487
TI  - PP166. HELLP syndrome: Challenges for establishing diagnostic criteria.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is a public health problem which may manifest as pre
      eclampsia (hypertension, proteinuria and/or edema) and eclampsia (convulsive
      crises and rarely coma in pregnant women with previous pre-eclampsia). But the
      pathology of hypertensive disease of pregnancy can present different clinical
      forms. Within that spectrum is HELLP syndrome: hemolysis (H), elevated liver
      enzymes (EL) and thrombocytopenia (LP). OBJECTIVES: To assess the diagnostic
      criteria in the literature adopted for HELLP syndrome. METHODS: A literature
      review on the Virtual Health Library with the keywords "HELLP syndrome" and
      "diagnosis" found 674 citations. Six hundred and thirty-four dismissed for
      failing to engage with the proposed question, and 43 articles remained. Twenty
      seven articles were excluded because of the language, unable in Latin America,
      letters, case report and articles published prior to 1999. Sixteen original
      articles were included. Eleven reviews, one prospective study, two cohorts, one
      retrospective cohort study and a cross. Studies were classified according to
      degree of recommendation and level of evidence. RESULTS: The term clinical and
      laboratory markers were varied and their cut-off levels differ among the authors.
      The appearance of eclampsia, pain in the upper abdomen, nausea and significant
      proteinuria and other maternal morbidities were more frequent in patients with
      HELLP syndrome. The levels of lactic dehydrogenase, AST, and uric acid were
      further elevated in women with HELLP syndrome guarding correlation with the
      prognosis of the case. There is no consensus for the interpretation of laboratory
      values that may represent the most widespread occurrence of parameters: hemolytic
      anemia, elevated liver enzymes and thrombocytopenia. Other morbidities may have
      clinical signs, symptoms and laboratory abnormalities that mimic the syndrome.
      CONCLUSION: There are many questions to establish standard diagnostic criteria
      for all patients with HELLP syndrome, necessitating studies consistent with
      significant population numbers to establish the main signs and symptoms and try
      to reach consensus on the best markers for the diagnosis and its proper indexes
      cutting.

PMID- 26105488
TI  - PP167. A process evaluation of an innovative implementation strategy of the Dutch
      guidelines on hypertensive disorders in pregnancy using a computerized decision
      support system.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy remain the leading cause of
      maternal mortality in the Netherlands. The Dutch Society of Obstetrics and
      Gynecology (NVOG) has developed evidence-based guidelines on the management of
      hypertension in pregnancy. Previous studies showed a low adherence rate to other
      NVOG guidelines and a large variation in usual care in different hospitals. In
      the BIG CHANGE trial an innovative implementation strategy of the NVOG guidelines
      on hypertension using a web-based application (BOS, by Giant Soft, Leeuwarden,
      The Netherlands) was compared to a common strategy of professional audit and
      feedback. In this study a process evaluation of BOS has been done, analyzing its
      efficiency, barriers and formulate improvement points. OBJECTIVES: Gynecologists,
      residents and clinical midwives from seven hospitals using BOS were asked to fill
      in the questionnaire. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed on the following
      items: efficiency, barriers and improvement. RESULTS: Thirty four completed
      questionnaires useful for analysis. 63.6% of the respondent also consulted the
      NVOG guideline or local protocol, mainly for confirmation of information,
      background information, medication. Technical problems were found in 44.1%.
      Positive opinions on user friendliness varied from 73.5% to 100%. No significant
      difference was found between the user frequency of BOS compared to the NVOG
      guidelines or local protocol, or between the time needed to consult them.
      Improvements mentioned by the respondents were mainly regarding the lay-out. Most
      respondents (85.3%) found it useful to make a computer based support system for
      other guidelines and 79.4% would also use this. CONCLUSION: BOS is regarded
      suitable as an instrument for implementing guidelines and respondents find it
      useful to develop it for other guidelines as well. Technical problems and poor
      implementation are important areas of improvement.

PMID- 26105489
TI  - PP168. The role of calcium supplementation in prevention endothelial cell
      activation, and possible relevance to preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia remains a leading causing of maternal and perinatal
      mortality and morbidity. Preeclampsia is currently thought to be primarily a
      disease of endothelial activation and inflammation. OBJECTIVES: The deportation
      of trophoblast debris form the placenta was first linked to the pathogenesis of
      preeclampsia over a hundred years ago and it is hypothesised that deportation of
      necrotic trophoblast debris may contribute to maternal endothelial cell
      activation in preeclampsia. We have previously shown that treating placental
      explants with IL-6 results in shedding of more necrotic trophoblast debris from
      placental explants and that this debris when phagocytosed by endothelial cells
      results in activation of the endothelial cells. Although delivery remains the
      only definitive cure for preeclampsia a number of studies suggest that calcium
      supplementation may reduce the risk of developing preeclampsia by up to 50% but
      the protective mechanism of calcium supplementation is unclear. The aim of this
      work was to determine whether calcium supplementation affects either the
      production of necrotic trophoblast debris from the placenta or influences
      endothelial cell activation. METHODS: First trimester placental explants were
      cultured with IL-6 in the presence or absence of increasing concentrations of
      calcium (CaCl2) for 24h. Trophoblastic debris was collected from the explants and
      then exposed to monolayers of endothelial cell for 24h and endothelial cell
      activation measured by ICAM-1 ELISA. In other experiments, endothelial cells were
      treated with IL-6 or necrotic trophoblastic debris in the presence of increasing
      concentrations of CaCl2, ranging from 230MUg/mL to 700MUg/mL, for 24h. In some
      experiments, ebdothelial cells were treated with low concentration of CaCl2,
      ranging from 0MUg/mL to 230MUg/mL for 24h. Endothelial cell activation was
      measured by quantifying cell-surface ICAM-1 levels by ELISA. RESULTS: 
      CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that calcium levels are important to
      endothelial cell activation and supplemental calcium may reverse the activation
      of the endothelium induced by proinflammatory mediators while having no effect on
      the production of trophoblast debris. These results may in part help to explain
      the benefits of calcium supplementation in the reduction of risk for developing
      preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105490
TI  - PP169. Management of fetal and maternal prognosis during severe toxemia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Severe gravidic toxemia gives heavy maternal and fetal morbidity
      and mortality. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of our data is to identify bad maternal
      and fetal factors during severe toxemia and the outcome of pregnancy. METHODS: It
      is a retrospective and comparative study about 200 cases of severe toxemia
      reported during 8 years 2004-2011 among 25,000 deliveries (control group).
      Toxemia is considered severe when blood pressure?160/100mHg, proteinuria ?2g/l,
      bad neurosensorial signs, hemostasis disorders, kidney and liver failure, some
      fetal tests: delay intra-uterine growth acute fetal suffering, fetal death.
      RESULTS: Frequency of severe toxemia 80/00, primiparous 58% vs. 35% control,
      gestational diabetes 12% vs. 10% control, oedema 87% vs. 45% control. Maternal
      morbidity is dominated by hemostasis disorders: low platelet count<80,000 23% vs.
      8%, hypofibrinogenemia <4g/l 13% vs. 2%, HELLP syndrome eight cases vs. 0. We
      raised eight cases of eclampsia crises, 22 cases of retroplacental hematoma vs.
      10 control. Blood transfusion 15% vs. 10% control, inhibitors of VII factor
      administered in two cases vs. 0. We do not deplore any maternal mortality. Fetal
      prognosis is very compromised ,the delay intra uterine growth 44% vs. 18%
      control, prematurity 66% vs. 15% control, perinatal mortality 600/00 vs 120/00
      control CONCLUSION: More toxemia appears early during pregnancy more maternal and
      especially fetal prognosis is compromised. New drugs, predictive tests and
      preventives measurements improve maternal outcome better than fetals' one.

PMID- 26105491
TI  - PP170. Prenatal vitamin C and E supplementation is associated with a reduction in
      placental abruption and preterm birth in smokers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Maternal tobacco use increases the incidence of numerous adverse
      pregnancy outcomes including miscarriage, small for gestational age infants,
      spontaneous preterm birth and placental abruption. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the
      relationship between prenatal vitamin C/E supplementation and perinatal outcomes
      by maternal smoking status. METHODS: Secondary analysis of a multicenter trial of
      vitamin C/E starting at 9-16 weeks in low-risk nulliparous women with singletons.
      We examined the effect of vitamin supplementation by reported smoker or non
      smoker at time of randomization. The primary outcomes were preeclampsia (new
      onset hypertension and proteinuria) and a composite outcome of severe pregnancy
      associated hypertension (severe hypertension OR mild or severe hypertension with
      elevated liver enzymes, elevated serum creatinine, thrombocytopenia, eclamptic
      seizure, fetal growth restriction, medically indicated preterm birth or perinatal
      death). Perinatal outcomes included preterm birth and abruption. The Breslow-Day
      test was used to ascertain whether there was an interaction between smoking
      status and vitamin supplementation. RESULTS: Of 9969 women, 4993 received
      vitamins C/E and 4976 received placebo. The prevalence of smoking (15.6% overall;
      788 vitamin, 763 placebo) was similar in treatment groups. The analysis of
      vitamin C/E by smoking status for perinatal outcomes is given (Table 1). The
      effect of prenatal vitamin C/E on the risk preeclampsia or pregnancy associated
      hypertension composite outcome did not differ by smoking status. Vitamin C/E was
      protective for placental abruption and preterm birth among smokers. CONCLUSION:
      The effect of vitamin C/E supplementation on preeclampsia/pregnancy associated
      hypertension did not differ by smoking status. However, vitamin C/E
      supplementation was associated with a >40% reduction in placental abruption and
      >30% reduction in preterm birth among smokers warranting further study.
      ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: This project supported in part by National Institutes of Health
      Grant PO1-HD30367.

PMID- 26105492
TI  - PP171. Hospitalized preterm mild preeclamptics: Is there a difference in outcomes
      between isolated or superimposed disease?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Currently the standard of care is to admit and monitor patients
      with preterm mild preeclampsia. This is particularly important if the disease is
      superimposed in patients with chpt or with isolated disease if proteinuria is
      over 500mg in 24hours. Despite the common nature of this disease process little
      is known about the outcomes of these two groups. OBJECTIVES: The objective of
      this project is to compare the maternal and neonatal outcomes of patients
      hospitalized with isolated mild preterm preeclampsia to those with preterm
      superimposed preeclampsia. METHODS: All patients admitted between 1/2008 and
      12/2011 that were expectantly managed with either mild isolated preterm
      preeclampsia or chpt with mild superimposed preeclampsia at our tertiary center
      were evaluated for inclusion in this retrospective cohort study. This study was
      IRB approved. To be included in the study a patient must have singleton
      gestation, no overt diabetes, no major chronic medical conditions, no major
      obstetrical complications, no congenital anomaly, or planned delivery before
      37weeks. Patients with the following maternal complications were excluded: lupus,
      renal disease, and cardiac disease. Patients with the following obstetrical
      complications were excluded: multiple gestations, preterm labor, placenta previa,
      and preterm PROM. Mild preeclampsia and chpt were diagnosed using ACOG criteria.
      Patients were not included if they had severe disease being treated expectantly.
      Patients that met inclusion criteria were divided into two groups based on the
      presence of chpt. All patients were admitted to labor and delivery, treated with
      corticosteroids if indicated and were managed as inpatients until delivery. All
      patients had an ultrasound on admission, frequent laboratory evaluations, and
      daily antepartum testing. Outcomes of interest included latency period in days,
      incidence of IUGR, incidence of abruption, indication for delivery, maternal
      complications as well as neonatal morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: To date, we
      have identified 115 patients that met inclusion criteria and were included in
      this ongoing study. Fifty nine had isolated mild preeclampsia and 56 patients had
      chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia. The following table compares
      the results of the two groups. Differences between the groups included age (24
      vs. 30yrs, p<0.01), race with more whites having preeclampsia and more blacks
      having superimposed disease, days in hospital were longer in the superimposed
      group (9 vs. 13days, p<0.01) despite there being no significant difference in the
      latency period (6 vs. 9days, p=0.35). More superimposed patients developed
      pulmonary edema, (0% vs. 7%, p=0.05). A trend for increased abruptions was seen
      in the isolated group (9% vs. 0%, p=0.06). Vaginal delivery was more common in
      the preeclamptic group and repeat section more common in the superimposed group.
      No differences in neonatal outcomes were seen. CONCLUSION: Patients with
      preeclampsia were more likely younger, white and delivered vaginally when
      compared to patients with superimposed disease. While the superimposed patients
      were more likely older, black, had more pulmonary edema, were more likely treated
      with antihypertensives both antenatally and postpartum and were delivered by
      repeat section than patients with isolated disease. Neonatal outcomes were
      similar between the groups.

PMID- 26105493
TI  - PP172. Indian scenario of preeclampsia and its consequences and early
      prophylaxis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia remains one of the major obstetrical problems in less
      developed countries. The causes of this condition are still unknown, we have
      designed a prevention protocol with new concept to describe the etiology and
      cause of preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: To study the effectiveness of the Jariwala's
      therapy and etiological causes of preeclapsia. we want to establish the new
      version of efficient prophylactic management to prevent the concequences of
      preeclampsia. METHODS: We have selected 800 cases who have developed preeclampsia
      during any phase of pregnancy and tried to prevent the developing preeclampsia
      (predicted with roll over test, color doppler and weight gain and or edema) by
      Jariwala's protocol. our aim is to reduce the severity of disease process by
      early prediction and treatment. we have not included the cases who may have
      completely treated after the inclusion criteria to predict the preclampsia and
      treated. the inclusion criteris is strictly followed by a protocol designed.
      RESULTS: Jariwala's therapy is effective in mild to moderate cases of
      preeclampsia. Till date we have successfully treated 800 cases of mild to
      moderate preeclapsia with 98% neonates delivered with birth weight of 2kg and
      more, 92% neonates sent directly to home without any complication; and developed
      well at home. CONCLUSION: If we try to treat the blood pressure (during
      pregnancy) by anti hypertensive we have noticeda IUGR and rebound increase of
      blood pressure, means decrease maternal blood pressure a decrease placental
      supplya deficient nutrienta rebound increase in toxin secretion (by fetus and
      placenta) a increase in blood pressure to supply more nutrient). So that it is my
      suggestion that the antihypertensive should be avoided if possible 2: increase
      permeability of placental membranes due to toxins secreted by fetus to supply
      more nutrient leads to increase permeability of placental membranes means
      increase protein loss from kidneys (due to toxins secreted from the fetus and
      placenta) increase third space leakage of fluid as nutrient leads to serum
      protein deficiency and increase permeability of endovascularities of all organs
      multi system disorder. so instead of treating the developing preeclampsia with
      routine treatment either terminate the pregnancy if it is severe and developing
      intensely or treat with the Jariwala's protocol.

PMID- 26105494
TI  - PP173. The role of mean artery blood pressure in the prediction of pre-eclampsia
      in pregnancies complicated with chronic hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic hypertension (CH) is a common disorder occurring in
      approximately 1-5% of pregnant women. Many studies emphasize that the development
      of superimposed preeclampsia (PE) is associated with high rates of adverse
      pregnancy outcome. Accurate prediction of women at risk for PE is crucial to
      judicious allocation of monitoring resources and use of preventive treatment, in
      order to improve maternal and neonatal outcome. Recent systematic review and meta
      analysis showed that mean arterial pressure (MAP) is a better predictor for pre
      eclampsia than systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure OBJECTIVES:
      To detect the value of MAP in the first and second trimesters to predict PE in
      women with CH. To determine if MAP, assessed in the second trimester, can
      increase the predictive value for PE of II trimester UtA PI. METHODS: Cohort
      study on 100 consecutive singleton pregnancies complicated with CH referred to
      our Department from January 2008 to June 2011. Blood pressure was measured by a
      mercury sphygmomanometer at 11-14+6w and 23+0-25+6w, MAP was calculated. Doppler
      velocimetry was performed at 23+0-25+6w, mean UtA PI was calculated. PE and CH
      were defined according to ISSHP criteria. Clinical and perinatal outcomes were
      reviewed. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine
      the predictive ability of I and II trimesters MAP and II trimester mean UtA PI
      for subsequent development of PE. Logistic regression analysis was run to assess
      the additional value of II trimester MAP to II trimester UtA PI. RESULTS: Mean
      maternal age was 36 years (SD +/-5yy); mean Body mass Index was 24Kg/mq (SD +/
      5Kg/mq); GA at I Trimester evaluation was 11+4w (SD +/-1+5w); I trimester MAP was
      100.46mmHg (mean, SD +/-9.94mmHg); GA at Doppler and II trimester MAP was 24+4w
      (SD +/-4dd); II trimester MAP 97.53mmHg (mean, SD +/-10.27mmHg). Nineteen cases
      of PE were observed. Seventy patients were under prophylactic ASA 100mg oid.
      Fifty-two patients were under anti-hypertensive therapy from the first trimester.
      No differences in prevalence of PE were observed between patients in and out
      prophylactic treatment, as well as no differences in prevalence of PE were
      observed between patients under anti-hypertensive treatment or not. The
      prediction of subsequent development of PE, expressed as the area under ROC
      curve, was 0.469 (95% CI 0.34-0.59) for I trimester MAP; 0.659 (95% CI 0.55-0.76)
      for II trimester MAP; 0.748 (95% CI 0.65-0.83) for II trimester mean UtA PI; GA
      at delivery was 37+4w(mean, SD +/-3+2w); mean BW was 2958g (SD +/-735g); BW
      percentile was 38 (mean SD +/-29 percentiles); mean BW z-Score was -0.63 (SD +/
      1.6). Logistic regression analysis showed that MAP does not increase the
      predictive ability of II trimester UtA PI in women with CH. CONCLUSION: In our
      findings, MAP seems not to be a good predictor for subsequent development of PE
      in women with CH, moreover, it seems to be not useful to increase the predictive
      value for PE of II trimester UtA PI. II trimester UtA PI has been confirmed to be
      the best predictor for subsequent development of PE.

PMID- 26105495
TI  - PP174. Timely prediction of maternal complications in pre-eclampsia analysis of
      the fullPIERS model.

PMID- 26105496
TI  - PP175. Gestational hypertensive syndromes: Risk factors identification and
      complications in a primiparous population.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity
      and mortality in Brazil and worldwide. It is a heterogeneous and multifactorial
      disorder, with no clear etiology and pathophysiology. The identification of risk
      factors for its development may help in prevention and early diagnosis of disease
      clinical onset. OBJECTIVES: To identify risk factors and complications of pre
      eclampsia (PE) and gestational hypertension (GH) in a population of primiparas,
      who had birth care at the Ceilandia Regional Hospital of Brasilia - Federal
      District. METHODS: Case-control study was conducted from November 2009 to
      December 2010 in a population of primiparas. We included all primiparas diagnosed
      with PE/GH, with random choice of normotensive primiparas in a ratio of 1:3. The
      variables studied as socio-demographic, obstetric, maternal and perinatal
      complications were collected using pre-tested questionnaire, after informed
      consent of the pregnant women. Chi-square and Fisher's multiple comparison were
      used in the data analysis, considering results significant when p <0.05. RESULTS:
      Among 1264 primiparas analyzed, 972 (76.9%) were normotensive and 292 (23.1%)
      hypertensive patients, being 64 (22%) with gestational hypertension and 228 (78%)
      with PE. Risk factors such as maternal age over 35years, women whose mother
      and/or sister with chronic hypertension history or who developed hypertension
      during pregnancy, use of male condom as a contraceptive method, obesity and
      excessive weight gain during pregnancy showed statistically significant
      correlation with development of the pathology. CONCLUSION: The development of
      gestational hypertensive syndrome in primiparous women is associated with family
      history and obesity, factors that can be used as screening for early
      identification of patients at risk of PE development.

PMID- 26105497
TI  - PP176. SFLT-1: A possibility of precocious diagnosis of preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) affects 5-8% of all pregnant women and can
      trigger a severe gestational hypertension framework and eventually develop into
      eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. Anticipating the damage would be important in order
      to establish procedures that can reduce adverse outcomes. For this reason, many
      researches are undertaken to identify ways to make a diagnosis of preeclampsia as
      early as possible. It has been highlighted in literature the study: the sFlt1
      (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1) has been implicated in the precocious
      diagnosis of pre eclampsia. The sFlt1 is an anti-angiogenic factor produced in
      response to oxidative stress derived from the deleterious effects of pre
      eclampsia. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to evaluate the role of
      Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 in the diagnosis of preeclampsia. METHODS:
      This is a review conducted in the database PubMed and Lilacs. For this purpose,
      we used the following MeSH, "Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1" OR
      "FLT1 protein, human" AND "Pre-Eclampsia/diagnosis" in PubMed and "Pre-eclampsia"
      AND "SFLT1A" in Lilacs, resulting in 84 papers. After reading the abstracts of
      these studies, we selected the articles analyzed taking into consideration the
      criteria for inclusion and exclusion. We excluded publications that were not in
      the period under study (2008 to July 2011) and by study design. Including only
      case-control, cohort and prospective observational. For a critical analysis of
      the material, we used the following indicators: researcher, years, central theme,
      participants, study design and primary outcome. RESULTS: The final results of
      this study were composed of seven articles and are shown for each target outcome.
      These vary according to gestational age at which PE is installed and the marker
      studied (sFlt1 alone or its relation to PlGF - sFlt1/PIGF). Six studies showed
      greater levels of sFlt1 for the preeclampsia groups when compared to the control
      group. Significantly differences in antiangiogenic factors seric levels were not
      found among preeclamptic and eclamptic patients. When associated with another
      factor, like PIGF, a greater efficacy in the diagnosis of early preeclampsia is
      shown. Of the studies analyzed, only one (Lynch et al) showed no significant
      difference between the values of sFlt-1 in groups of early PE, late PE and
      control for gestational ages between 10 and 15 weeks. As for the relation sFlt
      1/PIGF, five studies have considered it even better for PE diagnosis when
      compared to sFlt-1 isolated. CONCLUSION: The dosage of sFlt1 may be a relevant
      resource for the early diagnosis of preeclampsia before the installation of
      target organ damage, especially if measured in the period between 12 and 28 weeks
      of gestational age. Whereas sFlt-1 manifests itself before the 20th week, that
      may be interesting clinical point of view since it is this phase that settles the
      most severe cases, when the adoption of care could prevent further risks. The
      relationship sFlt1/PIGF, was more appropriate than the measurement of sFlt1
      alone. Additional studies are needed to: amplification of the number of women
      evaluated, establishing gestational age appropriate for study, serum standard and
      need to consider the relationship between sFlt1 and other factors pro and/or anti
      angiogenic.

PMID- 26105498
TI  - PP177. The usefulness of gestation-corrected hyperuricemia as a predictor of the
      development of preeclampsia on subsequent pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hyperuricemia has been described commonly in preeclamptic
      pregnancies, often preceding the diagnosis of preeclampsia and historically was
      used as a diagnostic marker of preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study
      was to determine the usefulness of uric acid to predict the preeclampsia on
      subsequent pregnancy. METHODS: The retrospective chart review was done. The
      pregnant women who had previous preeclampia or gestational hypertension and
      checked serum uric acid were enrolled in this study. Fifty-eight women were
      collected. Hyperuricemia was defined as being one standard deviation above the
      gestation-specific mean . And we used uric acid z-scores ([serum uric acid value 
      gestation specific mean]/standard deviation of the population) to account for
      gestation-specific alterations in uric acid and tested this as a continuous
      variable. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between
      gestation-corrected hyperuricemia and development of preeclampsia on subsequent
      pregnancy. RESULTS: Of 58 women, nineteen had the development of recurrent
      preeclampsia (37.5%). Linear regression analysis showed that the absence or
      presence of gestation-corrected hyperuricemia was not associated with the
      development of preeclampsia on subsequent pregnancy (p=0.353, 95% CI 0.418
      11.520). And gestation-specific uric acid z-score as a continuous variable did
      not show any association with the prediction of preeclampsia on subsequent
      pregnancy (p=0.353, 95% CI 0.087-2.394). CONCLUSION: Gestation-corrected
      hyperuricemia does not predict the development of preeclampsia on subsequent
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26105499
TI  - PP178. Antenatal sFlt1 and PlGF levels at 20-28weeks of gestation for prediction
      of the occurrence of preeclampsia: A preliminary report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors substantially involve in the
      pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Levels of these biomarkers alter before the
      occurrence of disease. OBJECTIVES: To determine the potential of using antenatal
      serum levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFlt1) and placental growth
      factor (PlGF) at 20-28weeks of gestation for prediction of subsequent
      preeclampsia in non-selected population. METHODS: A reference range of serum
      sFlt1, PlGF level and sFlt1/PlGF ratio at 10-42weeks of gestation was determined
      from 291 healthy pregnant women using automated assays. Through antenatal visits
      at 20-28weeks of gestation, serum of 1,689 women who had singleton pregnancy were
      obtained and frozen at -80 degrees C. Serum of the mothers who subsequently
      develop preeclampsia were thawed and analyzed for sFlt1 and PlGF levels. RESULTS:
      At 48 hours postpartum, 21 of 1,689 mothers developed preeclampsia. Serum levels
      (mean+/-SEM) of sFlt1, PlGF and sFlt1/PlGF ratio obtained at 20-23(+6)weeks of
      gestation in preeclampsia (N=8) Vs. normal values were 1,845+/-697 Vs. 1807+/
      95pg/ml, 339+/-86 Vs. 542+/-26pg/ml and 33.9+/-29.5 Vs. 4.1+/-0.3 (P =
      0.304,0.051 and 0.561) respectively. Serum levels of sFlt1, PlGF and sFlt1/PlGF
      ratio obtained at 24-27(+6)weeks of gestation in preeclampsia (N=13) Vs. normal
      values were 2,732+/-637 Vs. 1576+/-82pg/ml, 449+/-57 Vs. 718+/-52pg/ml and 8.9+/
      3.4 Vs. 2.6+/-0.2 (P = 0.081,0.006 and 0.017) respectively. CONCLUSION: In non
      selected population, automated assay of sFlt1 and PlGF levels and sFlt1/PlGF
      ratio during 20-28weeks of gestation appear to have potential in prediction of
      the occurrence of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105500
TI  - PP179. The influence of prior abortion on rates of gestational hypertension/pre
      eclampsia and spontaneous preterm delivery in nulliparous women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Gestational hypertension/preeclampsia (GH) is clearly a
      heterogeneous condition of which the pathogenesis could be different in women
      with various risk factors. Nulliparity is a known risk factor for GH, however a
      previous abortion (spontaneous or induced) may be associated with a lower risk of
      GH. OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of abortion history on rates of GH and
      spontaneous preterm delivery (SPTD) and in nulliparous women. METHODS:
      Nulliparous women with an initial prenatal screening at <13 weeks' gestation and
      a current singleton gestation delivering between 6/2006 and 6/2011 that
      voluntarily enrolled for risk assessment-case management services were identified
      from a database of clinical information. Excluded were women reporting a history
      of both spontaneous (SAB) and induced (IAB) abortions, or with a priori diagnosis
      of diabetes. Rates of SPTD and GH were compared between women with SAB or IAB
      history (AB group) and a reference group of primigravid women using Pearson's chi
      square, Student's t, Kruskal-Wallis H, and Mann-Whitney U statistics. RESULTS: Of
      the 75,487 women studied, 5.7% (n=4288) reported a history of IAB and 24.3%
      (n=18,328) reported a history of SAB. Overall, 301 women (0.4%) experienced a SAB
      at <20 weeks in the index pregnancy. Of those 75,186 with delivery ?20 weeks, the
      incidence of SPTD was 6.1% in controls vs. 6.0% in the IAB/SAB group (p=0.550).
      Rates of GH were 10.2% in controls vs. 8.0% (p<0.001) in the AB group despite the
      AB group having significantly (p<0.001) higher rates of women of African-American
      race (8.5% vs. 5.5%); age >34years (23.9% vs. 10.0%); and obesity (19.6% vs.
      16.6%). For women with >2 AB's significant differences were observed in rates of
      SPTD vs. controls (8.2% vs. 6.0%, p<0.001), but rates of GH were similar (9.2%
      vs. 10.2%, p=0.188). (1)p<0.001 vs. 0 AB group. CONCLUSION: In nulliparous women,
      prior AB is associated with a reduction in risk for GH. Risk for SPTD increases
      only in those with >2 prior AB's.

PMID- 26105501
TI  - PP180. Maternal plasma endotoxin increases significantly across pregnancy with no
      association with obesity, inflammation, or insulin sensitivity.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Endotoxin activates innate immunity, decreases insulin sensitivity
      and is associated with obesity. Recent data indicates that subclinical
      endotoxemia is associated with inflammation in obese women in late pregnancy.
      OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to quantify circulating endotoxin
      across pregnancy in lean and obese women, and assess the relationship between
      endotoxin and markers of inflammation and insulin sensitivity. METHODS: Endotoxin
      was measured in sterile maternal EDTA plasma samples from 24 lean pregnant women
      (BMI=22.4+/-1.9kg/m(2)) and 45 obese pregnant women (BMI= 32.6+/-2.1kg/m(2)), and
      6 non-pregnant women. Samples were collected at 10.5+/-3.1, 21.3+/-4.6 and 35.2+/
      2.1weeks gestation. Endotoxin was quantified using the PyroGene Recombinant
      Factor C endotoxin detection assay from LONZA, inter-assay variability <10%. IL
      6, myloperoxidase, uric acid, triglycerides, insulin and glucose were also
      measured. Statistical analysis was by repeated measures ANOVA and students t-test
      as appropriate. Correlation analysis was performed using Pearson product moment
      correlation coefficient. Statistical significance was accepted at p<0.05.
      RESULTS: Endotoxin was significantly increased in both lean (10.4+/-5.3EU/ml) and
      obese (9.1+/-5.3EU/ml) pregnant women compared to non-pregnant women (4.3+/
      2.6EU/ml, p<0.05). Endotoxin increased significantly across pregnancy in both
      lean and obese pregnant women (p<0.001), but was not different between these
      groups (table). Endotoxin was not associated with adiposity, IL-6,
      myloperoxidase, uric acid, triglycerides or insulin sensitivity as assessed by
      homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA). Data are mean+/-SD. Repeated
      measures ANOVA p<0.001. CONCLUSION: Circulating endotoxin increases significantly
      during pregnancy, but endotoxin is not associated with markers of systemic
      inflammation or insulin resistance. Pregnancy may represent a condition of
      metabolic endotoxemia, however the causes and biologic activity of these
      increasing levels of endotoxin are unclear.

PMID- 26105502
TI  - PP181. The role of the JAK-STAT pathways and SOCS in preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105503
TI  - Radiology of Osteoporosis.
AB  - The radiologist has a number of roles not only in diagnosing but also in treating
      osteoporosis. Radiologists diagnose fragility fractures with all imaging
      modalities, which includes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrating
      radiologically occult insufficiency fractures, but also lateral chest radiographs
      showing asymptomatic vertebral fractures. In particular MRI fragility fractures
      may have a nonspecific appearance and the radiologists needs to be familiar with
      the typical locations and findings, to differentiate these fractures from
      neoplastic lesions. It should be noted that radiologists do not simply need to
      diagnose fractures related to osteoporosis but also to diagnose those fractures
      which are complications of osteoporosis related pharmacotherapy. In addition to
      using standard radiological techniques radiologists also use dual-energy x-ray
      absorptiometry (DXA) and quantitative computed tomography (QCT) to quantitatively
      assess bone mineral density for diagnosing osteoporosis or osteopenia as well as
      to monitor therapy. DXA measurements of the femoral neck are also used to
      calculate osteoporotic fracture risk based on the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool
      (FRAX) score, which is universally available. Some of the new technologies such
      as high-resolution peripheral computed tomography (HR-pQCT) and MR spectroscopy
      allow assessment of bone architecture and bone marrow composition to characterize
      fracture risk. Finally radiologists are also involved in the therapy of
      osteoporotic fractures by using vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, and sacroplasty.
      This review article will focus on standard techniques and new concepts in
      diagnosing and managing osteoporosis. 

PMID- 26105504
TI  - Differential Diagnosis of Colonic Strictures: Pictorial Review With Illustrations
      from Computed Tomography Colonography.
AB  - Strictures of the colon can lead to significant morbidity requiring surgical
      management. The etiology of strictures is broad and generally categorized as
      benign, malignant, or pseudostrictures. Computed tomography (CT) is a crucial
      imaging modality in the assessment and characterization of colonic pathologies
      but colonoscopy remains the diagnostic gold standard. However, in the setting of
      incomplete colonoscopy due to strictures, the imaging features of CT will be
      relied on. This review will focus on the CT features of different colon
      pathologies leading to strictures and will be illustrated with images from 10
      years of experience with CT colonography at our institutions from 2002-2012
      (Hotel Dieu Hospital, Queen's University and Mount Sinai Hospital, University of
      Toronto). 

PMID- 26105506
TI  - Epidemiology of deep cutaneous fungal infections in Korea (2006-2010).
AB  - Deep cutaneous fungal infections (DCFI) occur worldwide and their prevalence is
      influenced by personal factors of the affected patients and the geographic and
      cultural features. Surveillance studies of DCFI with respect to the various
      clinical backgrounds of affected patients can ultimately help to improve their
      outcome. Expanding on our previous study, we performed a retrospective analysis
      of patients with DCFI who were treated in a group of university teaching
      hospitals in Korea to determine the trends within a 5-year period. A
      retrospective medical record review of patients with DCFI treated between 2006
      and 2010 at 16 university teaching hospitals located throughout Korea was
      performed. Among the 51 cases of DCFI (median patient age, 47.0 years),
      opportunistic infections in immunocompromised hosts accounted for half. Patients
      in this group included 11 who were transplant recipients and 12 with
      malignancies. Overall, Candida (13/51) was the most common causative organism,
      followed by Sporothrix (12) and Aspergillus (6). Papuloplaques and nodular
      lesions were the typical presentation, with maculopatches and ulcers also
      occurring in considerable numbers. Ten patients had systemic involvement. Eight
      immunocompromised patients did not recover from the disease despite systemic
      antifungal treatment. Our results highlight the equal involvement of
      opportunistic and primary pathogens in DCFI, as determined in cases from a 5-year
      period. Especially in immunocompromised hosts with non-specific skin findings,
      clinical suspicion is important because failure to diagnose a DCFI causes
      significant morbidity and possibly even death. 

PMID- 26105507
TI  - Pleiotropic actions of the male pheromone cis-vaccenyl acetate in Drosophila
      melanogaster.
AB  - The male-specific lipid, cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA) has multiple functions in
      intra-species communication in Drosophila melanogaster. The presence of cVA in a
      male suppresses courtship motivation of other males and averts male-male
      courtship. Meanwhile, aggression behaviors between males are promoted by a high
      amount of cVA caused by increased densities of male flies. cVA also works as a
      modifier of courtship memory, which is suppressed courtship motivation driven by
      previous unsuccessful courtship experience. Conversely, cVA in the courting male
      stimulates female reproductive motivation and increases the probability of
      copulation success. It also works as an aggregation pheromone, attracting both
      males and females at the gathering spot. Thus, cVA is a unique example of a
      single molecule leading to different behaviors in response to the social context.
      However, despite recent advances in understanding the molecular and neural
      machinery for cVA sensing, it is still largely unknown how cVA triggers a
      specific behavior as the situation demands. In this review article, I discuss two
      potential machineries that might determine cVA actions for behavior selection at
      the sensory level. 

PMID- 26105508
TI  - Central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating diseases with stroke-like onset
      and their responses to thrombolysis.

PMID- 26105509
TI  - Teofilo Folengo's facial paralysis and unknown demise.

PMID- 26105510
TI  - Safety concerns related to modular/prefabricated building construction.
AB  - The US construction industry annually experiences a relatively high rate of
      fatalities and injuries; therefore, improving safety practices should be
      considered a top priority for this industry. Modular/prefabricated building
      construction is a construction strategy that involves manufacturing of the whole
      building or some of its components off-site. This research focuses on the safety
      performance of the modular/prefabricated building construction sector during both
      manufacturing and on-site processes. This safety evaluation can serve as the
      starting point for improving the safety performance of this sector. Research was
      conducted based on Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated
      accidents. The study found 125 accidents related to modular/prefabricated
      building construction. The details of each accident were closely examined to
      identify the types of injury and underlying causes. Out of 125 accidents, there
      were 48 fatalities (38.4%), 63 hospitalized injuries (50.4%), and 14 non
      hospitalized injuries (11.2%). It was found that, the most common type of injury
      in modular/prefabricated construction was 'fracture', and the most common cause
      of accidents was 'fall'. The most frequent cause of cause (underlying and root
      cause) was 'unstable structure'. In this research, the accidents were also
      examined in terms of corresponding location, occupation, equipment as well as
      activities during which the accidents occurred. For improving safety records of
      the modular/prefabricated construction sector, this study recommends that future
      research be conducted on stabilizing structures during their lifting, storing,
      and permanent installation, securing fall protection systems during on-site
      assembly of components while working from heights, and developing training
      programmes and standards focused on modular/prefabricated construction.

PMID- 26105511
TI  - Novel chemiluminescent imaging microtiter plates for high-throughput detection of
      multiple serum biomarkers related to Down's syndrome via soybean peroxidase as
      label enzyme.
AB  - Novel chemiluminescent (CL) imaging microtiter plates with high-throughput, low
      cost, and simple operation for detection of four biomarkers related to Down's
      syndrome screening were developed and evaluated. To enhance the sensitivity of CL
      immunosensing, soybean peroxidase (SBP) was used instead of horseradish peroxide
      (HRP) as a label enzyme. The microtiter plates were fabricated by simultaneously
      immobilizing four capture monoclonal antibodies, anti-inhibin-A, anti
      unconjugated oestriol (anti-uE3), anti-alpha-fetoprotein (anti-AFP), and beta
      anti-HCG (anti-beta-HCG), on nitrocellulose (NC) membrane to form immunosensing
      microtiter wells. Under a sandwiched immunoassay, the CL signals on each sensing
      site of the microtiter plates were collected by a charge-coupled device (CCD),
      presenting an array-based chemiluminescence imaging method for detection of four
      target antigens in a well at the same time. The linear response to the analyte
      concentration ranged from 0.1 to 40 ng/mL for inhibin-A, 0.075 to 40 ng/mL for
      uE3, 0.2 to 400 ng/mL for AFP, and 0.4 to 220 ng/mL for beta-HCG. The proposed
      microtiter plates possessed high-throughput, good stability, and acceptable
      accuracy for detection of four antigens in clinical serum samples and
      demonstrated potential for practical applicability of the proposed method to
      Down's syndrome screening. Graphical Abstract Schematic evaluation of the
      microtiter plater for simultaneous detection of the four biomarkers. 

PMID- 26105512
TI  - Data-independent-acquisition mass spectrometry for identification of targeted
      peptide site-specific modifications.
AB  - We present a novel strategy based on data-independent acquisition coupled to
      targeted data extraction for the detection and identification of site-specific
      modifications of targeted peptides in a completely unbiased manner. This method
      requires prior knowledge of the site of the modification along the peptide
      backbone from the protein of interest, but not the mass of the modification. The
      procedure, named multiplex adduct peptide profiling (MAPP), consists of three
      steps: 1) A fragment-ion tag is extracted from the data, consisting of the b-type
      and y-type ion series from the N and C-terminus, respectively, up to the amino
      acid position that is believed to be modified; 2) MS1 features are matched to the
      fragment-ion tag in retention-time space, using the isolation window as a pre
      filter to enable calculation of the mass of the modification; and 3) modified
      fragment ions are overlaid with the unmodified fragment ions to verify the mass
      calculated in step 2. We discuss the development, applications, and limitations
      of this new method for detection of unknown peptide modifications. We present an
      application of the method in profiling adducted peptides derived from abundant
      proteins in biological fluids with the ultimate objective of detecting biomarkers
      of exposure to reactive species. 

PMID- 26105513
TI  - Multifunctional gold nanoparticles as signal transducers for fabrication of 1:2
      molecular demultiplexer.
AB  - A label-free and enzyme-free demultiplexer system for the fabrication of 1:2
      molecular demultiplexer with luminol functionalized gold nanoparticles (Lum
      AuNPs) as signal transducers was developed for the first time. The Lum-AuNPs had
      both chemiluminescence (CL) activity and surface plasmon resonance property. It
      was found that organothiols (RSH) could easily induce the aggregation of AuNPs
      via strong Au-S covalent interactions in the absence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2),
      generating a red shift in the absorption band of AuNPs. However, the presence of
      H2O2 would readily oxidize RSH to disulfide (RS-SR), and the aggregation of Lum
      AuNPs did not occur due to lack of the sulfhydryl group. Meanwhile, H2O2 could
      react with Lum-AuNPs, producing a strong CL emission owing to the enhancement
      effect of RSH on AuNPs-luminol-H2O2 CL system. Thus, RSH, H2O2, absorbance ratio,
      and CL intensity served as the signal input, address input, and two different
      signal outputs of the 1:2 molecular demultiplexer, respectively. 

PMID- 26105514
TI  - Refined association of melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 variants with
      spontaneous hepatitis C virus clearance in Egypt.

PMID- 26105515
TI  - KPS/LDH index: a simple tool for identifying patients with metastatic melanoma
      who are unlikely to benefit from palliative whole brain radiotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Low Karnofsky performance status (KPS) and elevated lactate
      dehydrogenases (LDHs) as a surrogate marker for tumor load and cell turnover may
      depict patients with a very short life expectancy. To validate this finding and
      compare it to other indices, namely, the recursive partitioning analysis (RPA)
      and diagnosis-specific graded prognostic assessment (DS-GPA), a multicenter
      analysis was undertaken. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 234 metastatic
      melanoma patients uniformly treated with palliative whole brain radiotherapy
      (WBRT) was done. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the
      impact of patient-, tumor-, and treatment-related parameters on overall survival
      (OS). RESULTS: KPS and LDH emerged as independent factors predicting OS. By
      combining KPS and LDH values (KPS/LDH index), groups of patients with
      statistically significant differences in median OS (days; 95 % CI) after onset of
      WBRT were identified: group 1 (KPS >= 70/normal LDH) 234 (96-372), group 2 (KPS
      >= 70/elevated LDH) 112 (69-155), group 3 (KPS <70/normal LDH) 43 (12-74), and
      group 4 (KPS <70/elevated LDH) 29 (17-41). Between all four groups, statistically
      significant differences were observed. The RPA and DS-GPA indices failed to
      distinguish significantly between good and moderate prognosis and were inferior
      in predicting a very unfavorable prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: The parameters KPS and
      LDH independently impacted on OS. The combination of both (KPS/LDH index)
      identified patients with a very short life expectancy, who might be better served
      by recommending best supportive care instead of WBRT. The KPS/LDH index is simple
      and effective in terms of time and cost as compared to other prognostic indices.

PMID- 26105516
TI  - Efficacy and safety of an amino acid jelly containing coenzyme Q10 and L
      carnitine in controlling fatigue in breast cancer patients receiving
      chemotherapy: a multi-institutional, randomized, exploratory trial (JORTC-CAM01).
AB  - PURPOSE: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most common symptoms reported
      by cancer patients. This randomized trial investigated the efficacy of the amino
      acid jelly Inner Power((r)) (IP), a semi-solid, orally administrable dietary
      supplement containing coenzyme Q10 and L-carnitine, in controlling CRF in breast
      cancer patients in Japan. METHODS: Breast cancer patients with CRF undergoing
      chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive IP once daily or regular care for
      21 days. The primary endpoint was the change in the worst level of fatigue during
      the past 24 h (Brief Fatigue Inventory [BFI] item 3 score) from day 1 (baseline)
      to day 22. Secondary endpoints were change in global fatigue score (GFS; the
      average of all BFI items), anxiety and depression assessed by the Hospital
      Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), quality of life assessed by the European
      Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire
      Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and EORTC Breast Cancer-Specific QLQ (EORTC QLQ-BR23),
      and adverse events. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients were enrolled in the study, of
      whom 57 were included in the efficacy analysis. Median patient age was 50 years.
      Changes in the worst level of fatigue, GFS, and current feeling of fatigue were
      significantly different between the intervention and control groups, whereas the
      change in the average feeling of fatigue was not significantly different between
      groups. HADS, EORTC QLQ-C30, and EORTC QLQ-BR23 scores were not significantly
      different between the two groups. No severe adverse events were observed.
      CONCLUSION: IP may control moderate-severe CRF in breast cancer patients. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: The registration number of this study in the University Hospital
      Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) is UMIN000008646.

PMID- 26105517
TI  - MRI assessment of paraspinal muscles in patients with acute and chronic
      unilateral low back pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in paraspinal muscle cross-sectional area
      (CSA) and composition, using the digital data from lumbar spine MRIs of patients
      with acute and chronic low back pain (LBP). METHODS: In total, 178 patients with
      unilateral LBP who had lumbar MRI examination were recruited. The data were
      obtained by a retrospective documentation audit. The CSAs and mean signal
      intensities of the bilateral paraspinal muscles [psoas major (PM), quadratus
      lumborum, multifidus (MF) and erector spinae (ES)] were measured, and the
      percentage of fat infiltration was calculated. The data between the painful side
      and non-painful side were compared, and between-group comparisons were tested. 42
      patients with chronic unilateral LBP could indicate the problem level, and the
      CSA and mean signal intensity of the MF muscle were analysed at the problem
      level, and one vertebral above and one vertebral level below the problem level.
      RESULTS: The CSAs of the PM and ES muscles were significantly decreased in the
      acute LBP group, while in the chronic LBP group, significant reduction in CSA was
      found in the MF and ES muscles on the painful side compared with the non-painful
      side. The mean signal intensity and fat content of the ES muscle on the painful
      side in the chronic LBP group was significantly higher than that on the painful
      side in the acute LBP group. The significant decrease of CSA in the MF muscle was
      found at multiple levels on the painful side. CONCLUSION: The present findings
      show that there is selective ipsilateral atrophy of paraspinal muscles, specific
      to the symptomatic side, in patients with acute and chronic LBP. The reduction of
      the muscle CSA and increased fatty infiltration occurred synchronously, and the
      extent of change is significantly greater in chronic LBP in the ES muscle.
      Atrophy of the MF muscle appears to be at multiple levels but side specific in
      relation to symptoms in patients with chronic LBP, and the decreased muscle CSA
      may occur prior to fatty infiltration. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: There are specific
      paraspinal muscles undergoing atrophy and fatty infiltration in patients with
      acute and chronic LBP on the symptomatic side. The CSA of the MF muscle decreased
      at multiple levels on the symptomatic side in patients with chronic unilateral
      LBP, which may occur prior to fatty infiltration.

PMID- 26105518
TI  - Development of an insect metalloproteinase inhibitor drug carrier system for
      application in chronic wound infections.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The insect metalloproteinase inhibitor (IMPI) represents the first
      peptide capable of inhibiting virulence-mediating microbial M4-metalloproteinases
      and is promising as a therapeutic. The purpose of this study was to develop a
      suitable drug carrier system for the IMPI drug to enable treatment of chronic
      wound infections. Specifically, we studied on poloxamer 407 hydrogels, examining
      the influence of several additives and preservatives on the rheological
      parameters of the hydrogels, the bioactivity and release of IMPI. METHODS: The
      rheological characterisation of the hydrogel was performed by oscillatory
      measurements. The bioactivity of IMPI was evaluated in a Casein fluoresence
      quenching assay. KEY FINDINGS: In this study, a suitable application form for the
      dermal treatment of chronic wound infections with IMPI was designed. The
      influences of poloxamer 407 concentration and various additives on the
      viscoelastic properties and preservation of a thermosensitive hydrogel were
      investigated. The incorporation of the precursor drug IMPI-gluthathione-s
      transferase (GST) in the hydrogel had no influence on the rheological
      characteristics and will be released. The bioactivity of IMPI-GST is not
      influenced by the hydrogel and remains constant over 4 weeks of storage.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study reports the development of a poloxamer hydrogel as a
      suitable carrier system for the application of IMPI.

PMID- 26105519
TI  - The immunomodulating V and W proteins of Nipah virus determine disease course.
AB  - The viral determinants that contribute to Nipah virus (NiV)-mediated disease are
      poorly understood compared with other paramyxoviruses. Here we use recombinant
      NiVs (rNiVs) to examine the contributions of the NiV V and W proteins to NiV
      pathogenesis in a ferret model. We show that a V-deficient rNiV is susceptible to
      the innate immune response in vitro and behaves as a replicating non-lethal virus
      in vivo. Remarkably, rNiV lacking W expression results in a delayed and altered
      disease course with decreased respiratory disease and increased terminal
      neurological disease associated with altered in vitro inflammatory cytokine
      production. This study confirms the V protein as the major determinant of
      pathogenesis, also being the first in vivo study to show that the W protein
      modulates the inflammatory host immune response in a manner that determines the
      disease course. 

PMID- 26105520
TI  - MicroRNAs expression in normal and malignant colon tissues as biomarkers of
      colorectal cancer and in response to pomegranate extracts consumption: Critical
      issues to discern between modulatory effects and potential artefacts.
AB  - SCOPE: MicroRNAs (miRs) are proposed as colorectal cancer (CRC) biomarkers.
      Pomegranate ellagic acid and their microbiota metabolites urolithins exert
      anticancer effects in preclinical CRC models, and target normal and malignant
      colon tissues in CRC patients. Herein, we investigated whether the intake of
      pomegranate extract (PE) modified miRs expression in surgical colon tissues
      versus biopsies from CRC patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a
      randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. Thirty-five CRC patients consumed 900
      mg PE daily before surgery. Control CRC patients (no PE intake, n = 10) were
      included. Our results revealed: (1) significant differences for specific miRs
      between malignant and normal tissues modifiable by the surgical protocols; (2)
      opposed trends between -5p and -3p isomolecules; (3) general induction of miRs
      attributable to the surgery; (4) moderate modulation of various miRs following
      the PE intake, and (5) no association between tissue urolithins and the observed
      miRs changes. CONCLUSION: PE consumption appears to affect specific colon tissue
      miRs but surgery critically alters miRs levels hindering the discrimination of
      significant changes caused by dietary factors and the establishment of genuine
      differences between malignant and normal tissues as biomarkers. The components
      responsible for the PE effects and the clinical relevance of these observations
      deserve further research.

PMID- 26105521
TI  - The "pear-shaped" bladder.

PMID- 26105522
TI  - Post-treated prostate cancer: normal findings and signs of local relapse on
      multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - The use of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) for prostate
      cancer has increased over recent years, mainly for detection, staging, and active
      surveillance. However, suspicion of recurrence in the set of biochemical failure
      is becoming a significant reason for clinicians to request mp-MRI. Radiologists
      should be able to recognize the normal post-treatment MRI findings. Fibrosis and
      atrophic remnant seminal vesicles after prostatectomy are often found and must be
      differentiated from local relapse. Moreover, brachytherapy, external beam
      radiotherapy, cryosurgery, and hormonal therapy tend to diffusely decrease the
      signal intensity of the peripheral zone on T2-weighted images (T2WI) due to the
      loss of water content, consequently mimicking tumor and hemorrhage. The
      combination of T2WI and functional studies like diffusion-weighted imaging and
      dynamic contrast-enhanced improves the identification of local relapse. Tumor
      recurrence tends to restrict on diffusion images and avidly enhances after
      contrast administration either within or outside the gland. The authors provide a
      pictorial review of the normal findings and the signs of local tumor relapse
      after radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy, brachytherapy,
      cryosurgery, and hormonal therapy. 

PMID- 26105523
TI  - The target sign in colorectal liver metastases: an atypical Gd-EOB-DTPA "uptake"
      on the hepatobiliary phase of MR imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the MRI findings in colorectal cancer liver metastases using
      gadoxetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA), with special emphasis on the target feature seen on
      the hepatobiliary phase. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The medical records of 45
      colorectal cancer patients with an overall number of 150 liver metastases were
      reviewed. All patients underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI before any kind of
      treatment. We retrospectively evaluated, for each lesion, the signal intensity on
      the T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and diffusion-weighted images. Additionally, the
      enhancement pattern during the arterial-, portal-, equilibrium-, and
      hepatobiliary-phase was assessed. Fourteen lesions had a pathological
      correlation. RESULTS: Lesions size was 5-40 mm (mean 15 mm). All metastases were
      hypointense on T1-w imaging. Ninety-nine lesions (66%) had a central area of very
      high signal intensity on T2-w imaging. Fifty-one metastases (34%) were
      hyperintense on the T2-w images. In DWI, all lesions had a restricted diffusion.
      The mean ADC value was 1.31 * 10(-3) mm(2)/s (range 1.10-1.45 * 10(-3) mm(2)/s).
      During the arterial-phase imaging, 61 lesions (41%) showed a rim enhancement,
      while 89 lesions (59%) appeared as hypointense. All lesions had low signal
      intensity in the portal and equilibrium phase. Thirty-nine percent of the lesions
      also showed an enhancing rim on the portal-phase images. During the hepatobiliary
      phase, 80 lesions (53.3%) were hypointense, while 70 lesions (46.7%) had a target
      appearance. CONCLUSION: A number of metastases show an atypical contrast medium
      uptake during the hepatobiliary phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI, consisting
      in a target appearance.

PMID- 26105524
TI  - Limited utility of MRA for acute bowel ischemia after portal venous phase CT.
AB  - PURPOSE: Mesenteric ischemia and ischemic colitis are uncommon but potentially
      life-threatening causes of acute abdominal pain. Portal venous phase computed
      tomography (CT) is routinely ordered in the emergency room setting for abdominal
      pain, but subsequent MR angiography may be requested for additional evaluation of
      the mesenteric vasculature. We compare the concordance of CT and magnetic
      resonance angiography (MRA) for acute bowel ischemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Thirty-two patients who underwent contrast-enhanced MRA for bowel ischemia after
      having undergone CT evaluation within the preceding 2 weeks were identified. A
      retrospective review of imaging, treatment history, surgical, and pathology
      reports was conducted. Two radiologists each reviewed the imaging studies in a
      blinded fashion. RESULTS: Ten cases of bowel ischemia were confirmed by endoscopy
      and/or surgical pathology. CT correctly identified bowel findings in all cases.
      Intraobserver agreement between CT and MRA for all vessels was 0.68 and 0.63,
      highest for the superior mesenteric artery. Interobserver agreement was 0.74 for
      MRA and 0.78 for CT. Vascular findings were only directly mentioned in 10 of 32
      CT reports (and 7 of 10 cases with confirmed bowel ischemia). MRA only detected
      two additional or alternative diagnoses. CONCLUSION: Portal venous phase CT and
      MRA demonstrate a high degree of concordance for vascular evaluation. Reviewed CT
      examinations were sufficient to assess the patency of the mesenteric vasculature,
      but vascular findings were not reported in most cases. A direct description
      within the report may have obviated the request for further MR imaging. MRA adds
      little value after portal venous CT in assessing bowel ischemia.

PMID- 26105526
TI  - Detection of Oxygen Vacancies in Oxides by Defect-Dependent Cataluminescence.
AB  - Oxygen vacancies can control a number of distinct properties of oxides. However,
      rapid and simple detection of oxygen vacancies is a great challenge owing to
      their elusive species and highly diluted contents. In this work, we have
      discovered that cataluminescence (CTL) intensity in diethyl ether oxidation
      reaction on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles is proportional to the content of
      oxygen vacancies. The oxygen vacancy-dependent diethyl ether CTL is attributed to
      the fact that abundant chemisorbed O2 in oxygen vacancies could facilitate its
      contact reaction with chemisorbed diethyl ether molecules, resulting in an
      obvious improvement of CTL intensity. Therefore, diethyl ether CTL can be
      employed as a simple probe for oxygen vacancies in TiO2 nanoparticles. Its
      feasibility is validated by detecting the CTL intensity of diethyl ether on the
      surface of TiO2 with variable oxygen vacancies by metal ion-doped TiO2
      nanoparticles (Cu, Fe, Co, and Cr) and hydrogen-treated TiO2 nanoparticles at
      different temperatures. The content of oxygen vacancies by the present CTL probe
      is in good agreement with that obtained by conventional X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy (XPS) technique. The superior properties of the developed CTL probe
      over already-developed methods include fast response, easy operation, low cost,
      long-term stability, and simple configuration. We believe that the oxygen vacancy
      sensitive CTL probe has a great potential in distinguishing oxygen vacancies in
      oxides. 

PMID- 26105525
TI  - Dealing with Time in Health Economic Evaluation: Methodological Issues and
      Recommendations for Practice.
AB  - Time is an important aspect of health economic evaluation, as the timing and
      duration of clinical events, healthcare interventions and their consequences all
      affect estimated costs and effects. These issues should be reflected in the
      design of health economic models. This article considers three important aspects
      of time in modelling: (1) which cohorts to simulate and how far into the future
      to extend the analysis; (2) the simulation of time, including the difference
      between discrete-time and continuous-time models, cycle lengths, and converting
      rates and probabilities; and (3) discounting future costs and effects to their
      present values. We provide a methodological overview of these issues and make
      recommendations to help inform both the conduct of cost-effectiveness analyses
      and the interpretation of their results. For choosing which cohorts to simulate
      and how many, we suggest analysts carefully assess potential reasons for
      variation in cost effectiveness between cohorts and the feasibility of subgroup
      specific recommendations. For the simulation of time, we recommend using short
      cycles or continuous-time models to avoid biases and the need for half-cycle
      corrections, and provide advice on the correct conversion of transition
      probabilities in state transition models. Finally, for discounting, analysts
      should not only follow current guidance and report how discounting was conducted,
      especially in the case of differential discounting, but also seek to develop an
      understanding of its rationale. Our overall recommendations are that analysts
      explicitly state and justify their modelling choices regarding time and consider
      how alternative choices may impact on results. 

PMID- 26105527
TI  - 'Fish' (Actinopterygii and Elasmobranchii) diversification patterns through deep
      time.
AB  - Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and Elasmobranchii (sharks, skates and rays)
      represent more than half of today's vertebrate taxic diversity (approximately
      33000 species) and form the largest component of vertebrate diversity in extant
      aquatic ecosystems. Yet, patterns of 'fish' evolutionary history remain
      insufficiently understood and previous studies generally treated each group
      independently mainly because of their contrasting fossil record composition and
      corresponding sampling strategies. Because direct reading of palaeodiversity
      curves is affected by several biases affecting the fossil record, analytical
      approaches are needed to correct for these biases. In this review, we propose a
      comprehensive analysis based on comparison of large data sets related to
      competing phylogenies (including all Recent and fossil taxa) and the fossil
      record for both groups during the Mesozoic-Cainozoic interval. This approach
      provides information on the 'fish' fossil record quality and on the corrected
      'fish' deep-time phylogenetic palaeodiversity signals, with special emphasis on
      diversification events. Because taxonomic information is preserved after
      analytical treatment, identified palaeodiversity events are considered both
      quantitatively and qualitatively and put within corresponding palaeoenvironmental
      and biological settings. Results indicate a better fossil record quality for
      elasmobranchs due to their microfossil-like fossil distribution and their very
      low diversity in freshwater systems, whereas freshwater actinopterygians are
      diverse in this realm with lower preservation potential. Several important
      diversification events are identified at familial and generic levels for
      elasmobranchs, and marine and freshwater actinopterygians, namely in the Early
      Middle Jurassic (elasmobranchs), Late Jurassic (actinopterygians), Early
      Cretaceous (elasmobranchs, freshwater actinopterygians), Cenomanian (all groups)
      and the Paleocene-Eocene interval (all groups), the latter two representing the
      two most exceptional radiations among vertebrates. For each of these events along
      with the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, we provide an in-depth review of the
      taxa involved and factors that may have influenced the diversity patterns
      observed. Among these, palaeotemperatures, sea-levels, ocean circulation and
      productivity as well as continent fragmentation and environment heterogeneity
      (reef environments) are parameters that largely impacted on 'fish' evolutionary
      history, along with other biotic constraints.

PMID- 26105528
TI  - Estimating baseline toxicity of PAHs from marine chronically polluted sediments
      and bioaccumulation in target organs of fish hypothetically exposed to them: a
      new tool in risk assessment.
AB  - In soils and sediments contaminated by Hydrophobic Organic Compounds (HOCs), the
      total concentrations are less indicative of potential exposure and distribution
      than the associated freely dissolved concentrations (Cfree) or chemical activity.
      Therefore, these two parameters are increasingly used to assess sediment
      contamination with regard to their (1) partitioning into the water column, (2)
      bioaccumulation and (3) baseline toxic potential. In this work, sediments from a
      chronically polluted coastal area, with similar total PAH concentrations, were
      studied using PDMS coated glass jars (obtaining Cfree(SW) and chemical activity)
      to predict baseline toxicity and potential bioaccumulation from these sediments.
      The results indicate that, on the one hand, the chemical activity of the
      sediments differed by up to one order of magnitude and was below the level at
      which lethal baseline toxicity is expected, but is still a cause for concern due
      to the presence of other pollutants and different mechanisms of action. On the
      other hand, the combination of Cfree measurements and Biota to Sediment
      Accumulation Factors (BSAFs) allowed concentrations in different target organs of
      benthic flatfish, hypothetically exposed to these chronically polluted sediments,
      to be estimated. This new approach allows us to predict the concentration in
      biological tissues under the study of Cfree(SW) in sediments, as a useful tool in
      risk assessment.

PMID- 26105529
TI  - Ipsilateral resistance exercise prevents exercise-induced central sensitization
      in the contralateral limb: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that a repeated bout of
      eccentric exercise (ECC2) would result in smaller increase in the sensitivity of
      spinal nociceptive system, and smaller decrease in the local muscle blood
      oxygenation response in both the ipsilateral and the contralateral tibialis
      anterior muscle (TA) when compared with the initial bout (ECC1). It was
      hypothesized that the magnitude of the repeated bout effect (RBE) would be
      greater for the ipsilateral side than the contralateral side. METHODS: Twenty-six
      healthy young men performed two bouts of high-intensity eccentric exercise of TA
      separated by 2 weeks. Half of the participants used the same leg for both bouts
      (IPSI) and the other half used the contralateral leg for ECC2 (CONTRA).
      Nociceptive withdrawal reflex threshold (NWRT) and local muscle blood oxygenation
      were assessed for the exercised TA muscle before, immediately after, and one day
      after exercise. RESULTS: Significant decreases in NWRT and muscle oxygenation
      were observed after ECC1 (p < 0.05), but NWRT did not change after ECC2 in both
      groups. Smaller decreases in muscle oxygenation were observed after ECC2 than
      ECC1 in both groups with a similar magnitude of the difference between bouts, but
      an increase in muscle oxygen re-perfusion before ECC2 was only observed in the
      IPSI group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that contralateral RBE was
      associated with spinal facilitation of the neuronal pathways situated at a
      homologous innervation level, and it is unlikely that oxygen re-perfusion
      improvement plays a major role in the contralateral RBE.

PMID- 26105530
TI  - Hot water immersion induces an acute cytokine response in cervical spinal cord
      injury.
AB  - PURPOSE: The dysfunctional sympathetic nervous system in individuals with
      cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) impairs adrenergic responses and may,
      therefore, contribute to the blunted post-exercise cytokine response. The purpose
      of this study was to investigate an alternative way to exercise to induce an
      acute cytokine response by passive core temperature elevation in CSCI. METHODS:
      Seven male participants with a motor complete CSCI and 8 male able-bodied
      controls were immersed for 60 min in water set at a temperature 2  degrees C
      above the individuals' resting oesophageal temperature. Blood was collected pre,
      post, and every hour up to 4 h post-immersion. RESULTS: Hot water immersion
      resulted in an IL-6 plasma concentration mean increase of 133 +/- 144 % in both
      groups (P = 0.001). On a group level, IL-6 plasma concentrations were 68 +/- 38 %
      higher in CSCI (P = 0.06). In both groups, IL-8 increased by 14 +/- 11 % (P =
      0.02) and IL-1ra by 18 +/- 17 % (P = 0.05). Catecholamine plasma concentrations
      were significantly reduced in CSCI (P < 0.05) and did not increase following
      immersion. CONCLUSIONS: Passive elevation of core temperature acutely elevates IL
      6, IL-8 and IL-1ra in CSCI despite a blunted adrenergic response, which is in
      contrast to earlier exercise interventions in CSCI. The present study lays the
      foundation for future studies to explore water immersion as an alternative to
      exercise to induce an acute cytokine response in CSCI.

PMID- 26105531
TI  - Auditory function following post-dural puncture headache treated with epidural
      blood patch. A long-term follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidural analgesia is commonly used for pain management during labor.
      Sometimes, accidental dural puncture (ADP) occurs causing severely debilitating
      headache, which may be associated with transient hearing loss. We investigated if
      auditory function may be impaired several years after ADP treated with epidural
      blood patch (EBP). METHODS: Sixty women (ADP group) without documented hearing
      disability, who received EBP following ADP during labor between the years 2005
      2011 were investigated in 2013 for auditory function using the following tests:
      otoscopic examination, tympanometry, pure tone audiometry, and transient-evoked
      otoacoustic emissions. Additionally, they responded to a questionnaire, the
      Speech, Spatial and Qualities (SSQ) of hearing, concerning perceived hearing
      impairment. The results were compared to a control group of 20 healthy, non
      pregnant women in the same age group. RESULTS: The audiometric test battery was
      performed 5.2 (1.9) years after delivery. No significant differences were found
      between the ADP and the control groups in tympanometry or otoacoustic emissions.
      Pure tone audiometry revealed a significant but small (< 5 dB) difference between
      the ADP and control groups (P < 0.05). The ability to hear speech in noise as
      measured by SSQ was significantly reduced in the ADP group compared to the
      control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A minor hearing loss was detected in the
      ADP group compared to the control group in pure tone audiometry in some women and
      during speech-in-noise component several years after accidental dural puncture
      treated with an epidural blood patch. This small residual hearing loss has minor
      clinical significance.

PMID- 26105532
TI  - In vivo comparison of biomineralized scaffold-directed osteogenic differentiation
      of human embryonic and mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - Human pluripotent stem cells such as embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and multipotent
      stem cells like mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) hold great promise as potential
      cell sources for bone tissue regeneration. Comparing the in vivo osteogenesis of
      hESCs and hMSCs by biomaterial-based cues provides insight into the
      differentiation kinetics of these cells as well as their potential to contribute
      to bone tissue repair in vivo. Here, we compared in vivo osteogenic
      differentiation of hESCs and hMSCs within osteoinductive calcium phosphate (CaP)
      bearing biomineralized scaffolds that recapitulate a bone-specific mineral
      microenvironment. Both hESCs and hMSCs underwent osteogenic differentiation
      responding to the biomaterial-based instructive cues. Furthermore, hMSCs
      underwent earlier in vivo osteogenesis compared to hESCs, but both stem cell
      types acquired a similar osteogenic maturation by 8 weeks of implantation.

PMID- 26105533
TI  - Double dispersant-assisted ionic liquid dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction
      coupled with capillary electrophoresis for the determination of benzophenone-type
      ultraviolet filters in sunscreen cosmetic product.
AB  - In this work, double dispersant-assisted ionic liquid dispersive liquid-liquid
      microextraction coupled with micellar electrokinetic chromatography was developed
      to determine four UV filters (benzophenone, 4-hydroxybenzophenone, 2,4
      dihydroxybenzophenone, and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone). 1-Hexyl-3
      methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate was used as the extraction solvent. The
      main novelty of the present work was that acetonitrile-Triton X-114 was used as
      double disperser solvent. Parameters affected the extraction efficiency were
      investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, enrichment factors were
      in the range of 25.3-40.5. The limits of detection and quantitation, calculated
      at a S/N of three and ten, were 3.9-6.7 ng/mL and 13.0-22.3 ng/mL. The linearity
      of the method was in the range of 0.02-2 MUg/mL for 2, 4-dihydroxybenzophenone
      and 4-hydroxybenzophenone, 0.01-2 MUg/mL for benzophenone and 2-hydroxy-4
      methoxybenzophenone, with correlation coefficient (R(2)) of 0.9984-0.9991. The
      proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of four
      benzophenone-type UV filters in six kinds of sunscreen cosmetic products, with
      yielded relative recoveries ranging from 80.2 to 117.7%.

PMID- 26105534
TI  - Isolated patchy heterochromia of the  scalp hair.

PMID- 26105535
TI  - Physical fitness exercise versus cognitive behavior therapy on reducing the
      depressive symptoms among community-dwelling elderly adults: A randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression is a major health problem for community-dwelling elderly
      adults. Since limited resources are available to decrease the high prevalence of
      depressive symptoms among the elderly adults, improved support for them can be
      provided if we can determine which intervention is superior in ridding depressive
      symptoms. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of the physical fitness
      exercise program and the cognitive behavior therapy program on primary
      (depressive symptoms) and secondary outcomes (6-min walk distance, quality of
      life, and social support) for community-dwelling elderly adults with depressive
      symptoms. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: A prospective randomized control trial was
      conducted in three communities in northern Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: The elderly
      adults in the three communities were invited to participate by mail, phone calls,
      and posters. There were a total of 57 participants who had depressive symptoms
      and all without impaired cognition that participated in this trial. None of the
      participants withdrew during the 9 months of follow-up for this study. METHODS:
      Fifty-seven participants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: the
      physical fitness exercise program group, the cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)
      group, or the control group. The primary (Geriatric Depression Scale-15, GDS-15),
      and secondary outcomes (6-min walk distance, SF-36, and Inventory of Socially
      Supportive Behaviors scales, ISSB) were collected immediately (T2), at 3 months
      (T3), and at 6 months after the interventions (T4). RESULTS: After the
      interventions, the CBT group participants demonstrated significantly lower
      symptoms of depression (p=0.009) at T2 and perceived more social support from
      those around them (p<0.001, <0.001 and =0.004, respectively) at three time-point
      comparisons than the control group. Moreover, after intervention, participants in
      the physical fitness exercise program group had decreased GDS-15 scores at three
      time-point comparisons (p=0.003, 0.012 and 0.037, respectively), had a
      substantially greater 6-min walk distance (p=0.023), a better quality of life
      (p<0.001), and a better perceived social support at T2 (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Immediately after a 12-week intervention, there were significant decreases in
      depressive symptoms and more perceived social support amongst those in the CBT
      group. When considering the effectiveness in the decrease of depressive symptoms
      longer term, the increase in the 6-min walk distance and raising the patients'
      quality of life, physical fitness exercise program may be a better intervention
      for elderly adults with depressive symptoms.

PMID- 26105536
TI  - Haematological malignancies: Splicing the MDS genome.

PMID- 26105537
TI  - Forging a signature of in vivo senescence.
AB  - 'Cellular senescence', a term originally defining the characteristics of cultured
      cells that exceed their replicative limit, has been broadened to describe durable
      states of proliferative arrest induced by disparate stress factors. Proposed
      relationships between cellular senescence, tumour suppression, loss of tissue
      regenerative capacity and ageing suffer from lack of uniform definition and
      consistently applied criteria. Here, we highlight caveats in interpreting the
      importance of suboptimal senescence-associated biomarkers, expressed either alone
      or in combination. We advocate that more-specific descriptors be substituted for
      the now broadly applied umbrella term 'senescence' in defining the suite of
      diverse physiological responses to cellular stress. 

PMID- 26105540
TI  - Where are we in laser corneal refractive surgery.

PMID- 26105538
TI  - The tumour microenvironment after radiotherapy: mechanisms of resistance and
      recurrence.
AB  - Radiotherapy plays a central part in curing cancer. For decades, most research on
      improving treatment outcomes has focused on modulating radiation-induced
      biological effects on cancer cells. Recently, we have better understood that
      components within the tumour microenvironment have pivotal roles in determining
      treatment outcomes. In this Review, we describe vascular, stromal and
      immunological changes that are induced in the tumour microenvironment by
      irradiation and discuss how these changes may promote radioresistance and tumour
      recurrence. We also highlight how this knowledge is guiding the development of
      new treatment paradigms in which biologically targeted agents will be combined
      with radiotherapy. 

PMID- 26105542
TI  - Editorial Comment from Dr Beyer to Identification of a subgroup with worse
      prognosis among patients with poor-risk testicular germ cell tumor.

PMID- 26105539
TI  - Probing for a deeper understanding of rhabdomyosarcoma: insights from
      complementary model systems.
AB  - Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a mesenchymal malignancy composed of neoplastic
      primitive precursor cells that exhibit histological features of myogenic
      differentiation. Despite intensive conventional multimodal therapy, patients with
      high-risk RMS typically suffer from aggressive disease. The lack of directed
      therapies against RMS emphasizes the need to further uncover the molecular
      underpinnings of the disease. In this Review, we discuss the notable advances in
      the model systems now available to probe for new RMS-targetable pathogenetic
      mechanisms, and the possibilities for enhanced RMS therapeutics and improved
      clinical outcomes. 

PMID- 26105541
TI  - Long-term results of corneal collagen crosslinking for progressive keratoconus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate long-term keratoconus stability after corneal crosslinking
      (CXL) with riboflavin. METHODS: In this prospective study, 57 eyes of 55 patients
      with progressive keratoconus, consecutively treated with ultraviolet A (UVA) -
      riboflavin CXL, were examined with the corneal topographer Pentacam, the biometer
      IOLMaster and the analyzer of corneal biomechanics Ocular Response Analyzer
      before and during a 24 months follow-up after CXL. RESULTS: Twenty-four months
      after CXL, there was a significant improvement in best corrected visual acuity
      (BCVA) (P<0.01), a significant decrease in corneal thinnest point (CTP),
      keratometry readings at the keratoconus apex (K max), and corneal volume (CV)
      (P<0.01), and a significant increase in axial eye length (AL) (P=0.01). No
      significant changes in anterior chamber volume (ACV) and depth (ACD), (P=0.8),
      corneal hysteresis (CH) (P=0.16) and corneal resistance factor (CRF) (P=0.06)
      were found. However, in the subgroup of patients with decreased K max readings 24
      months after treatment, both CH and CRF showed a significant reduction (P<0.01).
      CONCLUSION: In the first month after the procedure, CXL induces a reduction in
      corneal volume. During the 24 months follow-up the cornea tends to recover its
      original volume with a persistence of the CXL efficacy.

PMID- 26105543
TI  - Inhibitory Effects of Lanthanum Chloride on Wear Particle-Induced Osteolysis in a
      Mouse Calvarial Model.
AB  - Osteolysis is a bone disorder associated with progressive destruction of bone
      tissues. However, the effects of lanthanum chloride (LaCl3) on osteolysis remain
      unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of LaCl3
      on osteolysis in vivo. In a mouse calvarial model, C57BL/6J mice were injected
      with wear particles with or without LaCl3. Microcomputed tomography, hematoxylin
      and eosin staining, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining were
      performed for the pathological characterization of calvariae, and eight calvariae
      per group were prepared for the assay of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and RANKL secretion
      using quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In mice treated
      with high-dose LaCl3, particle-induced osteolysis and inflammatory reaction were
      reduced compared with that in the vehicle-treated control. Moreover, treatment
      with high-dose LaCl3 suppressed the wear particle-induced decrease in bone
      mineral content, bone mineral density, and bone volume fraction. Bone destruction
      and resorption were higher in the LaCl3-treated group than in the saline-treated
      group but lower than those in the wear particle group. Finally, our results
      showed that treatment with a high dose of LaCl3 suppressed osteoclastogenesis.
      Thus, LaCl3 may represent a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment or
      prevention of wear particle-induced osteolysis and aseptic loosening. 

PMID- 26105544
TI  - Effects of Single and Joint Subacute Exposure of Copper and Cadmium on Heat Shock
      Proteins in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio).
AB  - Copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) are the most common heavy metals that are easily
      detected in aquatic environments on a global scale. In this paper, we
      investigated the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of HSPs (HSP60, HSP70,
      and HSP90) in the liver of the common carp exposed to Cu, Cd, and a combination
      of both metals by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot. The results
      indicated that in each exposure group, the mRNA levels of HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90
      were increased significantly compared to the corresponding controls after 96 h of
      exposure (P < 0.05). A significant increase was observed in the HSP70 protein
      level in the high-dose Cu group and all of the Cd groups. Significant increases
      were also observed in the protein levels of HSP60 and HSP90 in the high
      combination group and the low combination group, respectively. These results
      indicated that the dynamics of HSP expression observed in the common carp support
      the role of HSPs as biochemical markers in response to environmental pollution
      and provided valuable insights into the adaptive mechanisms used by the common
      carp to adapt to the challenges of stressful environments. 

PMID- 26105545
TI  - Proanthocyanidin Protects Human Embryo Hepatocytes from Fluoride-Induced
      Oxidative Stress by Regulating Iron Metabolism.
AB  - To investigate whether grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) antagonizes
      fluoride-induced oxidative injury by regulating iron metabolism, human embryo
      hepatic cells (L-02) were incubated with sodium fluoride (NaF, 80 mg/L) and/or
      GSPE (100 MUmol/L) for 24 h. Results showed the glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)
      content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and total antioxidant capacity (T
      AOC) level of the NaF group were significantly lower than that of the control
      group (P < 0.05), while malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased in the NaF group
      compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the indexes mentioned above
      showed opposite changes in the NaF + GSPE group. In addition, iron content
      significantly increased in the NaF group compared to the control group(P < 0.05)
      and significantly decreased in the NaF + GSPE group compared to the NaF group (P
      < 0.05). Furthermore, hepcidin (coded by HAMP) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression
      significantly increased in the NaF group compared to the control group(P < 0.05)
      and significantly decreased in the NaF + GSPE group compared to the NaF group (P
      < 0.05). Ferroportin 1 (coded by FPN1) mRNA expression significantly decreased in
      the NaF group compared to the control group (P < 0.05) and significantly
      increased in the NaF + GSPE group compared to the NaF group (P < 0.05). These
      results indicate that GSPE provides significant cellular protection against
      oxidative stress induced by excessive fluoride via the iron metabolism
      regulation. 

PMID- 26105546
TI  - The Co-Induced Effects of Molybdenum and Cadmium on the Trace Elements and the
      mRNA Expression Levels of CP and MT in Duck Testicles.
AB  - To investigate the chronic toxicity of molybdenum (Mo) and cadmium (Cd) on the
      trace elements and the mRNA expression levels of ceruloplasmin (CP) and
      metallothionein (MT) in duck testicles, 120 healthy 11-day-old male ducks were
      randomly divided into six groups with 20 ducks in each group. Ducks were treated
      with the diet containing different dosages of Mo or Cd. The source of Mo and Cd
      was hexaammonium molybdate ([(NH4)6Mo7O24.4H2O]) and cadmium sulfate
      (3CdSO4.8H2O), respectively, in this study. After being treated for 60 and 120
      days, ten male birds in each group were randomly selected and euthanized and then
      testicles were aseptically collected for determining the mRNA expression levels
      of MT and CP, antioxidant indexes, and contents of trace elements in the
      testicle. In addition, testicle tissues at 120 days were subjected to
      histopathological analysis with the optical microscope. The results showed that
      co-exposure to Mo and Cd resulted in an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level
      while decrease in xanthine oxidase (XOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. The mRNA
      expression level of MT gene was upregulated while CP was decreased in combination
      groups. Contents of Mo, copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) decreased in
      combined groups while Cd increased in Cd and combined groups at 120 days.
      Furthermore, severe congestion, low sperm count, and malformation were observed
      in low dietary of Mo combined with Cd group and high dietary of Mo combined with
      Cd group. Our results suggested that Mo and Cd might aggravate testicular
      degeneration synergistically through altering the mRNA expression levels of MT
      and CP, increasing lipid peroxidation through inhibiting related enzyme
      activities and disturbing homeostasis of trace elements in testicles. Interaction
      of Mo and Cd may have a synergistic effect on the testicular toxicity. 

PMID- 26105547
TI  - Effects of TiO2 NPs on Silkworm Growth and Feed Efficiency.
AB  - Silkworm (Bombyx mori) (B. mori) is an economically important insect and a model
      species for Lepidoptera. It has been reported that feeding of low concentrations
      of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) can improve feed efficiency and
      increase cocoon mass, cocoon shell mass, and the ratio of cocoon shell. However,
      high concentrations of TiO2 NPs are toxic. In this study, we fed B. mori with
      different concentrations of TiO2 NPs (5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 mg/L) and
      investigated B. mori growth, feed efficiency, and cocoon quality. We found that
      low concentrations of TiO2 NPs (5 and 10 mg/L) were more effective for weight
      gains, with significant weight gain being obtained at 72 h (P < 0.05). TiO2 NPs
      at 20 mg/L or higher had certain inhibitory effects, with significant inhibition
      to B. mori growth being observed at 48 h. The feed efficiency was significantly
      improved at low concentrations of 5 and 10 mg/L for 14.6 and 13.1 %, respectively
      (P < 0.05). All B. mori fed with TiO2 NPs showed increased cocoon mass and cocoon
      shell mass; at 5 and 10 mg/L TiO2 NPs, cocoon mass was significantly increased by
      8.29 and 9.39 %, respectively (P < 0.05). We also found that low concentrations
      (5 and 10 mg/L) of TiO2 NPs promoted B. mori growth and development, improved
      feed efficiency, and increased cocoon production, while high concentrations (20
      mg/L or higher) of TiO2 NPs showed inhibitory effect to the B. mori. Consecutive
      feeding of high concentrations of TiO2 NPs led to some degrees of adaptability.
      This study provides a reference for the research on TiO2 NPs toxicity and the
      basis for the development of TiO2 NPs as a feed additive for B. mori. 

PMID- 26105548
TI  - Single-layer graphene-assembled 3D porous carbon composites with PVA and Fe3O4
      nano-fillers: an interface-mediated superior dielectric and EMI shielding
      performance.
AB  - In this study, a novel composite of Fe3O4 nanofiller-decorated single-layer
      graphene-assembled porous carbon (SLGAPC) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) having
      flexibility and a density of 0.75 g cm(-3) is explored for its dielectric and
      electromagnetic interference (EMI) response properties. The composite is prepared
      by the solution casting method and its constituents are optimized as 15 wt%
      SLGAPC and 20 wt% Fe3O4 through a novel solvent relaxation nuclear magnetic
      resonance experiment. The PVA-SLGAPC-Fe3O4 composite shows high dielectric
      permittivity in the range of 1 Hz-10 MHz, enhanced by a factor of 4 as compared
      to that of the PVA-SLGAPC composite, with a reduced loss by a factor of 2. The
      temperature dependent dielectric properties reveal the activation energy
      behaviour with reference to the glass transition temperature (80  degrees C) of
      PVA. The dielectric hysteresis with the temperature cycle reveals a remnant
      polarization. The enhanced dielectric properties are suggested to be the result
      of improvement in the localized polarization of the integrated interface system
      (Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars (MWS) polarization) formed by the uniform adsorption of
      Fe3O4 on the surface of SLGAPC conjugated with PVA. The EMI shielding property of
      the composite with a low thickness of 0.3 mm in the X-band (8.2-12.4 GHz) shows a
      very impressive shielding efficiency of ~15 dB and a specific shielding
      effectiveness of 20 dB (g cm(-3))(-1), indicating the promising character of this
      material for flexible EMI shielding applications. 

PMID- 26105549
TI  - Chronic exposure to higher BP in young adults is associated with cardiac
      dysfunction in middle age.

PMID- 26105550
TI  - Erratum to: Distilled Water Lavage During Surgery Improves Long-Term Outcomes of
      Patients with Ruptured Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

PMID- 26105551
TI  - Perioperative Microbiologic Monitoring of Sputum on Postoperative Day One as a
      Predictor of Pneumonia After Hepatectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate microbial
      examination of sputum on postoperative day one (POD1) and to determine risk
      factors for postoperative pneumonia (POP) after hepatectomy. METHODS: Two hundred
      ninety-four patients who expectorated sputum on POD1 after hepatectomy between
      2003 and 2014 were investigated. Sputum samples were submitted for microbial
      examination. Risk factors for POP were identified using multivariable analysis.
      RESULTS: One hundred fifty-eight (53.7%) of 294 patients had bacteria in their
      sputum on POD1. POP was observed in 24 (8.2%) patients, with increased mortality
      in the patients with POP (0.74 vs 12.5%, p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis
      demonstrated that a Brinkman index of >400 and bacteria in sputum on POD1 were
      independent risk factors for POP. Bacterial homology in sputum obtained on POD1
      and onset day of POP was found in 13 of the 24 (54.2%) patients with POP. In
      particular, in 13 patients with POP caused by methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa, homology was confirmed in 9
      patients (69.2%). CONCLUSION: A Brinkman index >=400 and bacteria in sputum on
      POD1 increased the risk of POP. Presence of bacteria in sputum on POD1 may be
      useful in determining early treatment against POP after hepatectomy.

PMID- 26105552
TI  - Postoperative Ileus--More than Just Prolonged Length of Stay?
AB  - PURPOSE: Given that postoperative ileus is common in colectomy patients, we
      sought to examine the association of ileus with adverse events in this patient
      population. METHODS: The ACS NSQIP puf file from 2012 to 2013 was queried for non
      emergent colectomy cases. Predictors of other poor postoperative outcomes in
      patients who experienced postoperative ileus were assessed using chi-squared and
      multivariable regression analyses. Chi-squared analysis was used to assess for
      additive effects of ileus and other postoperative complications on mortality. p
      Values <0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: We identified 32,392 patients
      who underwent non-emergent colectomy. Longer length of stay, higher complication,
      reoperation, readmission, and mortality rates were identified in patients with
      ileus (p < 0.001 for all). Overall, 59% of patients with ileus had at least one
      adverse outcome, compared with 25% of patients without ileus (p < 0.001).
      Patients who developed ileus in the absence of other complications had an
      identical mortality rate to patients without ileus (1%). Additional complications
      led to incremental increases in mortality rates. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ileus
      and multiple complications are at significantly increased risk for adverse
      outcomes. Older patients with more comorbidity were found to be at risk for
      adverse outcomes in addition to ileus, begging the question of whether these
      patients may benefit from preoperative optimization.

PMID- 26105553
TI  - Differential sensitivity of lipegfilgrastim and pegfilgrastim to neutrophil
      elastase correlates with differences in clinical pharmacokinetic profile.
AB  - To assess the basis of the different half-lives of long-acting human granulocyte
      colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) drugs, the effect of neutrophil elastase on
      lipegfilgrastim and pegfilgrastim was investigated. Sensitivity to human
      neutrophil elastase (HNE) was evaluated by incubating the drugs with HNE followed
      by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Drugs
      were also incubated with isolated human neutrophils followed by Western blot
      analysis. Lipegfilgrastim was more resistant to degradation with HNE or
      neutrophils than pegfilgrastim and appeared more intact on SDS-PAGE gels and
      Western blots. Lipegfilgrastim retained more functional activity than
      pegfilgrastim after incubation with HNE (67% vs ~ 9%, respectively) or
      neutrophils (80% vs ~ 4%, respectively) as assessed in an NFS-60 cell-based [(3)
      H]-thymidine incorporation assay. The binding and affinity of untreated
      lipegfilgrastim and pegfilgrastim for G-CSF receptors were evaluated using an NFS
      60 competitive G-CSF receptor-binding assay and surface plasmon resonance.
      Untreated drugs were also evaluated in the functional NFS-60 thymidine
      incorporation assay. G-CSF receptor binding, receptor affinity, and functional
      activity were comparable between untreated drugs. The results showed a greater
      resistance to neutrophil elastase degradation and concomitant retention of
      functional activity of lipegfilgrastim compared with pegfilgrastim, which
      potentially explains the clinical observations of a longer half-life of
      lipegfilgrastim versus pegfilgrastim.

PMID- 26105554
TI  - Acute and chronic cytokine responses to resistance exercise and training in
      people with multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Exercise is a well-established part of rehabilitation for people with multiple
      sclerosis (PwMS), and it has been hypothesized to stimulate an anti-inflammatory
      environment that might be disease modifying. Yet, investigations on exercise
      induced immune responses are scarce and generally not paying attention to the
      medical treatments of the patient. At present, PwMS are routinely enrolled in
      immunosuppressive medication, but exercise-induced immunomodulatory effects have
      not been investigated under these circumstances. The objective of this study was
      to investigate the acute and chronic cytokines responses to resistance exercise
      training in medicated PwMS. Thirty-five people with relapsing-remitting multiple
      sclerosis (MS) treated with interferon (IFN)-beta, were randomized to a 24-week
      progressive resistance training (PRT) or control group. Plasma interleukin (IL)
      1beta, IL-4, IL-10, IL-17F, IL-23, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and IFN-gamma were
      measured before and after 24 weeks of PRT. The acute effect was evaluated
      following standardized single-bout resistance exercise in the untrained and the
      trained state. No changes were observed in resting cytokine levels after PRT.
      However, an indication of reduced IL-17F secretion following resistance exercise
      was observed in the trained compared with the untrained state. This study
      suggests little acute and chronic effect of PRT on cytokine levels in IFN-treated
      PwMS. 

PMID- 26105555
TI  - Effects of a Quasi-Randomized Web-Based Intervention on Risk Behaviors and
      Treatment Seeking Among HIV-Positive Men Who Have Sex With Men in Chengdu, China.
AB  - The men who have sex with men (MSM) population in China has experienced a recent
      increase in HIV incidence. Due to the dual stigma and discrimination towards
      homosexuality and HIV infection, most MSM living with HIV/AIDS are hard to reach
      by offline intervention initiatives. We recruited HIV-positive MSM participants
      in Chengdu, China and assessed whether they disclosed their HIV status to
      partners, motivated a partner to receive testing, used condoms consistently, or
      initiated antiretroviral therapy. Participants were quasi-randomized to either
      the intervention or control arm. The intervention group was given instructions
      for an online program with four modules: an information exchange website, a
      bulletin board system, individualized online counseling with trained peer
      educators, and an animation game. All participants were re-assessed at 6 months.
      The study enrolled 202 HIV-positive MSM. The intervention group had significant
      increases in disclosing their HIV status to their partners (76.0% vs 61.2%,
      P=0.0388) and motivating partners to accept HIV testing (42.3% vs 25.5%,
      P=0.0156) compared with the control group, but there were no between-group
      differences in receiving early treatment or using condoms consistently. We found
      that a web-based intervention targeting HIV-positive MSM was an effective tool in
      increasing the uptake of HIV testing within this high-risk population. 

PMID- 26105556
TI  - Study of Iron oxide nanoparticles using Mossbauer spectroscopy with a high
      velocity resolution.
AB  - Iron oxide (magnetite and maghemite) nanoparticles developed for magnetic fluids
      were studied using Mossbauer spectroscopy with a high velocity resolution at 295
      and 90K. The recorded Mossbauer spectra have demonstrated that usual physical
      models based on octahedral and tetrahedral sites were not suitable for fitting.
      Alternatively, the Mossbauer spectra were nicely fitted using a large number of
      magnetic sextets. The obtained results showed that the Mossbauer spectra and the
      assessed parameters were different for nanoparticles as-prepared and dispersed in
      the dispersing fluid at 295K. We claim that this finding is mainly due to the
      interaction of polar molecules with Iron cations at nanoparticle's surface or due
      to the surface coating using carboxylic-terminated molecules. It is assumed that
      the large number of spectral components may be related to complexity of the
      nanoparticle's characteristics and deviations from stoichiometry, including in
      the latter the influence of the oxidation of magnetite towards maghemite.

PMID- 26105557
TI  - Captive-rearing of Gunnison sage-grouse from egg collection to adulthood to
      foster proactive conservation and recovery of a conservation-reliant species.
AB  - Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) are distributed across southwestern
      Colorado and southeastern Utah, United States. Their distribution has decreased
      over the past century and the species has been listed as threatened by the U.S.
      Fish and Wildlife Service. Reduced genetic diversity, small population size, and
      isolation may affect Gunnison sage-grouse population persistence. Population
      augmentation can be used to counteract or mitigate these issues, but traditional
      translocation efforts have yielded mixed, and mostly unsuccessful, results.
      Captive-rearing is a viable, although much debated, conservation approach to
      bolster wild conservation-reliant species. Although there have been captive
      rearing efforts with greater sage-grouse (C. urophasianus), to date, no
      information exists about captive-rearing methods for Gunnison sage-grouse.
      Therefore, we investigated techniques for egg collection, artificial incubation,
      hatch, and captive-rearing of chicks, juveniles, subadults, and adults for
      Gunnison sage-grouse. In 2009 we established a captive flock that produced viable
      eggs. From 2009-2011, we collected and artificially incubated 206 Gunnison sage
      grouse eggs from 23 wild and 14 captive females. Our hatchability was 90%. Wild
      produced eggs were heavier than captive-produced eggs and lost mass similarly
      during incubation. We produced 148 chicks in captivity and fed them a variety of
      food sources (e.g. invertebrates to commercial chow). Bacterial infections were
      the primary cause of chick mortality, but we successfully reduced the overall
      mortality rate during the course of our study. Conservationists and managers
      should consider the utility in developing a captive-rearing program or creating a
      captive population as part of a proactive conservation effort for the
      conservation-reliant Gunnison sage-grouse.

PMID- 26105558
TI  - [Pediatric thorax].

PMID- 26105559
TI  - Functional expression of the human coagulation factor IX using heterologous
      signal peptide and propeptide sequences in mammalian cell line.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the functions of pre-pro leader peptides of the human and
      porcine prothrombins on the human FIX (hFIX) expression. RESULTS: In silico
      analysis predicted higher secretion efficiencies for the prothrombins-derived
      signal peptides, in comparison with the native hFIX signal peptide. Replacements
      of the hFIX pre-pro sequence with those of the two prothrombins, led to increased
      levels of transcription of the chimeric transgenes, as compared to the native
      clone. This was in consistent with the lower minimum free energies, calculated
      for the recombinant transcripts, based on their secondary structures. Evaluation
      of secretion efficiency revealed that the highest and lowest FIX secretions
      belong to signal peptides derived from porcine' prothrombin and hFIX,
      respectively. Coagulation activities of the FIX expressed from chimeric variants
      could be increased up to tenfold, relative to the native clone. CONCLUSION: The
      feasibility of a leader-peptide replacement for the improvement of both
      transcription and post-transcriptional processes is described that can be
      relevant for production the vitamin-K dependent proteins.

PMID- 26105560
TI  - Thermal transport in phononic crystals and the observation of coherent phonon
      scattering at room temperature.
AB  - Large reductions in the thermal conductivity of thin silicon membranes have been
      demonstrated in various porous structures. However, the role of coherent boundary
      scattering in such structures has become a matter of some debate. Here we report
      on the first experimental observation of coherent phonon boundary scattering at
      room temperature in 2D phononic crystals formed by the introduction of air holes
      in a silicon matrix with minimum feature sizes >100 nm. To delaminate incoherent
      from coherent boundary scattering, phononic crystals with a fixed minimum feature
      size, differing only in unit cell geometry, were fabricated. A suspended island
      technique was used to measure the thermal conductivity. We introduce a hybrid
      thermal conductivity model that accounts for partially coherent and partially
      incoherent phonon boundary scattering. We observe excellent agreement between
      this model and experimental data, and the results suggest that significant room
      temperature coherent phonon boundary scattering occurs. 

PMID- 26105561
TI  - Iatrogenic pneumothorax: What can we do?

PMID- 26105562
TI  - Iatrogenic acute cardiac tamponade during percutaneous removal of a fractured
      peripherally inserted central catheter in a premature neonate.
AB  - Acute cardiac tamponade (ACT) is a life-threatening complication associated with
      a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) in premature neonates. We present
      a case of ACT in a 4-day-old male infant. On the second admission day, a PICC was
      inserted. After 2.5 months, chest radiography showed PICC fracture, and its
      distal portion had migrated into the right pulmonary artery. Percutaneous removal
      through cardiac catheterization was attempted. However, right ventriculography
      demonstrated intrapericardial spillage of contrast agents, and iatrogenic ACT was
      confirmed. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was immediately started with open
      chest cardiac massage. Further surgical exploration revealed right atrial
      appendage perforation. After 25-min CPR, the patient restored spontaneous
      circulation, and removal of the foreign bodies was performed. The post-operative
      course was uneventful. PICC fracture is an uncommon complication, but may be life
      threatening. Precaution should be taken to avoid ACT during removal of a broken
      PICC. Once the tamponade is diagnosed, immediate interventions are mandatory. 

PMID- 26105563
TI  - In Vivo Quantification of 5-HT2A Brain Receptors in Mdr1a KO Rats with 123I
      R91150 Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography.
AB  - Our goal was to identify suitable image quantification methods to image 5
      hydroxytryptamine2A (5-HT2A) receptors in vivo in Mdr1a knockout (KO) rats (i.e.,
      P-glycoprotein KO) using 123I-R91150 single-photon emission computed tomography
      (SPECT). The 123I-R91150 binding parameters estimated with different reference
      tissue models (simplified reference tissue model [SRTM], Logan reference tissue
      model, and tissue ratio [TR] method) were compared to the estimates obtained with
      a comprehensive three-tissue/seven-parameter (3T/7k)-based model. The SRTM and
      Logan reference tissue model estimates of 5-HT2A receptor (5-HT2AR)
      nondisplaceable binding potential (BPND) correlated well with the absolute
      receptor density measured with the 3T/7k gold standard (r > .89). Quantification
      of 5-HT2AR using the Logan reference tissue model required at least 90 minutes of
      scanning, whereas the SRTM required at least 110 minutes. The TR method estimates
      were also highly correlated to the 5-HT2AR density (r > .91) and only required a
      single 20-minute scan between 100 and 120 minutes postinjection. However, a
      systematic overestimation of the BPND values was observed. The Logan reference
      tissue method is more convenient than the SRTM for the quantification of 5-HT2AR
      in Mdr1a KO rats using 123I-R91150 SPECT. The TR method is an interesting and
      simple alternative, despite its bias, as it still provides a valid index of 5
      HT2AR density.

PMID- 26105564
TI  - The Effect of Diuresis on the Paced QRS Complexes in Pacing-Dependent Patients
      with Heart Failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Augmentation of the amplitude of QRS complexes with diuretic therapy
      for patients with congestive heart failure has been well documented. However, the
      effect of diuresis on the paced QRS complexes in pacing-dependent patients with
      heart failure is scarce. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of diuresis on the
      paced QRS complexes in pacing-dependent patients with heart failure. METHOD:
      Thrity-two consecutive pacing-dependent patients with heart failure were enrolled
      in this study. Before and after diuresis, the sums of paced QRS amplitude of
      leads I+II (SigmapQRSI+II ), six limb leads (SigmapQRS6L ), leads V1 -V3
      (SigmapQRSV1-V3 ), leads V4 -V6 (SigmapQRSV4-V6 ), leads V1 -V6 (SigmapQRSV1-V6
      ), and lead aVR (pQRSaVR ), paced QRS duration (pQRSd ), paced QT intervals (pQT)
      and the body weight of each patient were measured, then the % changes (Delta%) in
      paced electrocardiogram (ECG) variables and the Delta% in body weight were
      evaluated. RESULTS: Compared with before diuresis, paced ECG variables
      significantly increased and body weight significantly decreased after diuresis,
      Delta% in paced QRS amplitude(s) in all ECG variables (SigmapQRSI+II,
      SigmapQRS6L, SigmapQRSV1-V3 , SigmapQRSV4-V6 , SigmapQRSV1-V6 , and pQRSaVR )
      correlated well with Delta% in body weight (r = 0.416, r = 0.849, r = 0.901, r =
      0.371, r = 0.837, r = 0.619, and P = 0.018, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.037, P <
      0.001, P < 0.001), while there was no correlation between Delta% in pQRSd and pQT
      and Delta% in body weight. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in amplitude of paced QRS
      complexes may be useful for the monitoring of therapy of pacing-dependent
      patients with heart failure.

PMID- 26105565
TI  - Grace under fire: aesthetic leadership in clinical nursing.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This paper reports the results of an online descriptive
      survey that sought to determine nurses' perceptions of aesthetic leadership among
      clinical leaders in nursing. BACKGROUND: Clinical leadership has been identified
      as an essential component to ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality health
      care. Leadership has been increasingly linked in the literature to aesthetics.
      However, little consideration has been given to aesthetics in relation to
      clinical leadership in nursing. DESIGN: A mixed-method, online descriptive
      survey. METHODS: Participants were recruited via e-learning platforms and social
      media. A total of 66 surveys were completed, including 31 written accounts of
      aesthetic leadership in practice. RESULTS: Aesthetic leadership characteristics
      in clinical leaders most valued are support, communication and the approach taken
      to colleagues. Taking risks and challenging processes were least likely to be
      evident among effective clinical leaders. CONCLUSION: Aesthetic leadership is
      multi-dimensional and a style of leadership to positively influence the clinical
      workplace. Support, effective communication and taking into consideration the
      feelings of colleagues are important dimensions of aesthetic leadership.
      RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Aesthetic leadership represents a way for
      clinical leaders to create and sustain a calm and positive clinical workplace.

PMID- 26105566
TI  - Distribution of histaminergic neurons and their modulatory effects on oscillatory
      activity in the olfactory center of the terrestrial slug Limax.
AB  - Terrestrial mollusks can form an odor aversion memory following the simultaneous
      presentation of a food odor and an aversive stimulus. The local field potential
      oscillation recorded on the surface of the procerebrum (PC; the higher olfactory
      center) exhibits a frequency change in response to the detection of a learned
      odor; such a change is thus considered to reflect the internal state of the brain
      during memory recall. Thus far, dopamine and serotonin have been demonstrated to
      change the oscillatory frequency. Other monoamines, however, have not yet been
      studied. In the present study, we investigated the possible involvement of
      histamine (HA). Immunohistochemical staining of HA and in situ hybridization
      against histidine decarboxylase revealed the location of the cell bodies of
      HAergic neurons in all ganglia of the brain. The majority of them were located at
      the medial aspect of the pedal ganglia, and the cerebral ganglia also contained
      numerous HAergic neurons in their posterior regions. The neuropil layers of the
      PC received HAergic innervation from the neurons in the cerebral ganglion, as
      well as from a few neurons located in the dorsomedial part of the cell mass layer
      of the PC. The HAergic fibers, however, innervated spatially limited regions of
      the PC, and seemed to affect a small fraction of the PC neurons. HA exerted
      accelerating effects on the LFP oscillation in a dose-dependent manner, and this
      effect was suppressed by an H2 blocker, cimetidine. Our results support the
      involvement of HA in the functioning of the PC.

PMID- 26105567
TI  - Impact of a Two-step Emergency Department Triage Model with START, then CTAS, on
      Patient Flow During a Simulated Mass-casualty Incident.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A high influx of patients during a mass-casualty incident (MCI) may
      disrupt patient flow in an already overcrowded emergency department (ED) that is
      functioning beyond its operating capacity. This pilot study examined the impact
      of a two-step ED triage model using Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) for
      pre-triage, followed by triage with the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS),
      on patient flow during a MCI simulation exercise. Hypothesis/Problem It was
      hypothesized that there would be no difference in time intervals nor patient
      volumes at each patient-flow milestone. METHODS: Physicians and nurses
      participated in a computer-based tabletop disaster simulation exercise.
      Physicians were randomized into the intervention group using START, then CTAS, or
      the control group using START alone. Patient-flow milestones including time
      intervals and patient volumes from ED arrival to triage, ED arrival to bed
      assignment, ED arrival to physician assessment, and ED arrival to disposition
      decision were compared. Triage accuracy was compared for secondary purposes.
      RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the time interval from ED
      arrival to triage (mean difference 108 seconds; 95% CI, -353 to 596 seconds;
      P=1.0), ED arrival to bed assignment (mean difference 362 seconds; 95% CI, -1,269
      to 545 seconds; P=1.0), ED arrival to physician assessment (mean difference 31
      seconds; 95% CI, -1,104 to 348 seconds; P=0.92), and ED arrival to disposition
      decision (mean difference 175 seconds; 95% CI, -1,650 to 1,300 seconds; P=1.0)
      between the two groups. There were no significant differences in the volume of
      patients to be triaged (32% vs 34%; 95% CI for the difference -16% to 21%;
      P=1.0), assigned a bed (16% vs 21%; 95% CI for the difference -11% to 20%;
      P=1.0), assessed by a physician (20% vs 22%; 95% CI for the difference -14% to
      19%; P=1.0), and with a disposition decision (20% vs 9%; 95% CI for the
      difference -25% to 4%; P=.34) between the two groups. The accuracy of triage was
      similar in both groups (57% vs 70%; 95% CI for the difference -15% to 41%;
      P=.46). CONCLUSION: Experienced triage nurses were able to apply CTAS effectively
      during a MCI simulation exercise. A two-step ED triage model using START, then
      CTAS, had similar patient flow and triage accuracy when compared to START alone.

PMID- 26105568
TI  - [Recent onset cases of lead poisoning among painters].

PMID- 26105569
TI  - IKr Impact on Repolarization and Its Variability Assessed by Dynamic Clamp.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Repolarization and its stability are exquisitely sensitive to IKr
      features. Information on the relative importance of specific IKr abnormalities is
      missing and would assist in the evaluation of arrhythmogenic risk. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: In single guinea-pig myocytes, endogenous IKr was replaced by modeled
      IKr (mIKr) by dynamic clamp (DC) at a cycle length of 1 s. mIKr parameters were
      systematically modified, and the resulting changes in action potential duration
      (APD) and its short term variability (SD1) were measured. We observed that (1)
      IKr blockade increased SD1 more than expected by its dependency on APD; (2) mIKr
      completely reversed APD and SD1 changes caused by IKr blockade; (3)
      repolarization was most sensitive to inactivation shifts, which affected APD and
      SD1 concordantly; (4) activation shifts of the same magnitude had marginal impact
      on APD, but only when reducing mIKr, they significantly increased SD1; (5)
      changes in maximal conductance resulted in a pattern similar to that of
      activation shifts. CONCLUSIONS: The largest effect on repolarization and its
      stability are expected from changes in IKr inactivation. APD is less sensitive to
      changes in other IKr gating parameters, which are better revealed by SD1 changes.
      SD1 may be more sensitive than APD in detecting IKr-dependent repolarization
      abnormalities.

PMID- 26105570
TI  - Transcaval puncture for access to the pulmonary venous atrium after the
      extracardiac total cavopulmonary connection operation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with surgically palliated total cavopulmonary connection are
      at risk for recurrent atrial arrhythmia requiring catheter ablation.
      Transcatheter procedures for those with extracardiac conduits (extracardiac-total
      cavopulmonary connection) are perhaps the most challenging because of exclusion
      of the venous circulation from the arrhythmia substrate. Puncture through the
      inferior vena cava to the pulmonary venous atrium may be an effective route for
      access in these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: The pediatric and adult congenital
      surgical databases were explored for patients with extracardiac-total
      cavopulmonary connection and postoperative computed tomography imaging to assess
      for the presence of clinically relevant (>3 mm) apposition between the inferior
      vena cava and pulmonary venous atrium (cavoatrial overlap). The degree of overlap
      between the structures was measured by 2 blinded reviewers. Patients were
      stratified by surgical repair in childhood versus adult congenital heart disease.
      Thirty-seven patients were identified, with cavoatrial overlap observed in 9
      (36%) of pediatric and 1 (9%) of adult congenital heart disease-repaired
      patients. Time elapsed after surgery was associated with cavoatrial overlap in
      the pediatric cohort (P=0.034) and was identified in all pediatric patients with
      computed tomography imaging >=8 years after surgery. Three patients underwent
      successful transcaval puncture during the study period without complication.
      CONCLUSIONS: Puncture through a region of overlap between the inferior vena cava
      and pulmonary venous atrium is feasible. Cavoatrial overlap is present in a
      substantial proportion of patients undergoing extracardiac-total cavopulmonary
      connection in childhood and is associated with a longer time elapsed since
      surgery.

PMID- 26105571
TI  - Capital Investment by Independent and System-Affiliated Hospitals.
AB  - Capital expenditures are a critical part of hospitals' efforts to maintain
      quality of patient care and financial stability. Over the past 20 years, finding
      capital to fund these expenditures has become increasingly challenging for
      hospitals, particularly independent hospitals. Independent hospitals struggling
      to find ways to fund necessary capital investment are often advised that their
      best strategy is to join a multi-hospital system. There is scant empirical
      evidence to support the idea that system membership improves independent
      hospitals' ability to make capital expenditures. Using data from the American
      Hospital Association and Medicare Cost Reports, we use difference-in-difference
      methods to examine changes in capital expenditures for independent hospitals that
      joined multi-hospital systems between 1997 and 2008. We find that in the first 5
      years after acquisition, capital expenditures increase by an average of almost
      $16,000 per bed annually, as compared with non-acquired hospitals. In later
      years, the difference in capital expenditure is smaller and not statistically
      significant. Our results do not suggest that increases in capital expenditures
      vary by asset age or the size of the acquiring system.

PMID- 26105572
TI  - Is the Quebec provincial administrative database a valid source for research on
      chronic non-cancer pain?
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity of diagnostic
      codes recorded in the Regie de l'assurance maladie du Quebec (RAMQ)
      administrative database for identifying patients suffering from various types of
      chronic non-cancer pain. METHODS: The validity of published International
      Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, coding algorithms for identifying
      patients with particular chronic pain syndromes in the RAMQ database was tested
      using pain specialist-established diagnostic data of 561 patients enrolled in the
      Quebec Pain Registry, which was used as the reference standard. Modified versions
      of these algorithms (i.e., adaptation of the number of healthcare encounters)
      were also tested. For each algorithm, sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative
      predictive values, and their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were
      calculated. RESULTS: In the RAMQ database, some previously published algorithms
      and modified versions of these algorithms were found to be valid for identifying
      patients suffering from chronic lumbar pain (sensitivity: 0.65, 95%CI: 0.59-0.71;
      specificity: 0.83, 95%CI: 0.79-0.87), chronic back pain (sensitivity: 0.70,
      95%CI: 0.64-0.76; specificity: 0.73, 95%CI: 0.68-0.78), and chronic neck/back
      pain (sensitivity: 0.71, 95%CI: 0.65-0.76; specificity: 0.78, 95%CI: 0.72-0.82).
      Algorithms to identify patients with other types of chronic pain showed low
      sensitivity: complex regional pain syndrome (<=0.07), fibromyalgia (<=0.42), and
      neuropathic pain (<=0.39). CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides evidence supporting
      the value of the RAMQ administrative database for conducting research on certain
      types of chronic pain disorders including back and neck pain. Users should,
      however, be cautious about the limitations of this database for studying other
      types of chronic pain syndromes such as complex regional pain syndrome,
      fibromyalgia, and neuropathic pain.

PMID- 26105573
TI  - A "cure" for preeclampsia: Improving neonatal outcomes by overcoming excess fetal
      placental vascular resistance.
AB  - From a broad perspective there are only three arterial systems that respond to
      relative hypoxia with vasoconstriction. They are the placental, the pulmonic and
      the renal vascular beds. The renal system's adaptation to hypoxia is markedly
      different from the other two circulatory beds and will not be further considered
      here. Regional vasoconstriction is adaptive in the placenta and lung because it
      redirects red blood cells from areas of relative hypoxia to more oxygenated areas
      thereby maximizing oxygen uptake for a given cardiac output. The fetal placental
      and pulmonary vascular systems are unique because their smooth muscle cells have
      a unique and possibly identical potassium channel that responds to hypoxia by
      closing, thereby depolarizing the cell membrane allowing calcium ion influx and
      muscle contraction. It may be that a variety of initial causes of temporary or
      local placental hypoxia initiate a cascade of first fetal placental then maternal
      vasoconstriction and endothelial activation leading to the clinical syndrome we
      call preeclampsia. The response cascades seen in preeclampsia, which for purposes
      of this article I will abbreviate as (PECL), after development of widespread
      vasoconstriction, will also be seen to be identical or at least parallel in
      pulmonary hypertension (PAH). This means that some or all of the
      pharmacotherapies presently used, tested or considered in early PAH may also have
      a therapeutic effect in PECL by reducing fetal placental arterial resistance
      thereby increasing fetal placental flow. This would allow increased oxygen and
      other nutrient uptake and possibly increased fetal cardiac output in the face of
      reduced fetal cardiac work. This may allow a delay in delivery in which fetuses
      grow and are better oxygenated in preterm PECL, improving neonatal outcomes. 

PMID- 26105574
TI  - A PCT algorithm for discontinuation of antibiotic therapy is a cost-effective way
      to reduce antibiotic exposure in adult intensive care patients with sepsis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a specific marker for differentiating bacterial
      from non-infective causes of inflammation. It can be used to guide initiation and
      duration of antibiotic therapy in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with
      suspected sepsis, and might reduce the duration of hospital stay. Limiting
      antibiotic treatment duration is highly important because antibiotic over-use may
      cause patient harm, prolonged hospital stay, and resistance development. Several
      systematic reviews show that a PCT algorithm for antibiotic discontinuation is
      safe, but upfront investment required for PCT remains an important barrier
      against implementation. The current study investigates to what extent this PCT
      algorithm is a cost-effective use of scarce healthcare resources in ICU patients
      with sepsis compared to current practice. METHODS: A decision tree was developed
      to estimate the health economic consequences of the PCT algorithm for antibiotic
      discontinuation from a Dutch hospital perspective. Input data were obtained from
      a systematic literature review. When necessary, additional information was
      gathered from open interviews with clinical chemists and intensivists. The
      primary effectiveness measure is defined as the number of antibiotic days, and
      cost-effectiveness is expressed as incremental costs per antibiotic day avoided.
      RESULTS: The PCT algorithm for antibiotic discontinuation is expected to reduce
      hospital spending by circa ? 3503 per patient, indicating savings of 9.2%.
      Savings are mainly due to reductions in length of hospital stay, number of blood
      cultures performed, and, importantly, days on antibiotic therapy. Probabilistic
      and one-way sensitivity analyses showed the model outcome to be robust against
      changes in model inputs. CONCLUSION: Proven safe, a PCT algorithm for antibiotic
      discontinuation is a cost-effective means of reducing antibiotic exposure in
      adult ICU patients with sepsis, compared to current practice. Additional
      resources required for PCT are more than offset by downstream cost savings. This
      finding is highly important given the aim of preventing widespread antibiotic
      resistance.

PMID- 26105575
TI  - Extracardiac Fontan fenestration using the SafeSept transseptal guidewire and
      snare-controlled diabolo-shaped covered-stent placement.
AB  - Transcatheter Fontan fenestration is a valuable option in situations of prolonged
      pleural drainage or low cardiac output in patients with failing Fontan
      circulation. This procedure relies on controlled baffle perforation without
      separation of the Fontan circuit from the pulmonary venous atrium, and placement
      of an accurately sized covered stent. We report a novel technique for
      transcatheter extracardiac Fontan fenestration using the SafeSept transseptal
      guidewire(r) and snare-controlled diabolo-shaped covered stent placement.

PMID- 26105576
TI  - The calcium-sensing receptor: one of a kind.

PMID- 26105577
TI  - Successful MitraClip(r) implantation after angioplasty of a chronic inferior vena
      cava filter thrombosis.
AB  - The MitraClip(r) has increasing use for severe, high surgical risk mitral
      regurgitation (MR). The MitraClip(r) is implanted percutaneously across the
      interatrial septum. Given the large diameter of the device delivery system, the
      femoral vein is the best option for central venous access. This is the first
      reported case of successful MitraClip(r) implantation through a chronically
      occluded IVC filter. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26105578
TI  - [Dermatomyositis in a family of Working Kelpies].
AB  - Eight members of a family of Working Kelpies were presented with signs compatible
      with dermatomyositis. Alopecia, crusts, ulcerations of the skin, depigmentation
      of nasal planum and lips, onychodystrophy and atrophy of the masticatory muscles
      were present with varying degree. Histopathology of the skin, but not from
      muscles was performed in three dogs and confirmed the clinical diagnosis.
      Different immunomodulating drugs (steroids, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil,
      pentoxifylline, doxycyline/niacinamid, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E) were
      used with variable success. Dermatomyositis is an immune-mediated disease and a
      genetic predisposition is known in humans and certain canine breeds, mainly
      Shetland Sheepdogs and Collies, but also for the Beauceron. The responsible genes
      have not been identified so far. It is assumed that the Working Kelpie derives
      from the Collie which could explain a hereditary predisposition in the Kelpie. 

PMID- 26105579
TI  - Synthesis of a Class of Chiral-Bridged Phosphoramidite Ligands and Their
      Applications in the First Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Addition of Arylboronic
      Acids to Isatins.
AB  - A series of novel chiral phosphoramidite ligands based on chiral-bridged biphenyl
      backbones have been prepared conveniently and characterized. The ligands
      complexed with [IrCodCl]2 provided the first iridium catalyst system for the
      asymmetric addition of arylboronic acids to N-protected isatins with high
      efficiency. When performed in THF/H2O at 80  degrees C with 2 equiv of the
      arylboronic acids, the transformations acquired good to excellent results (up to
      98% yield and 95% ee). 

PMID- 26105580
TI  - Scedosporium apiospermum Otitis Complicated by a Temporomandibular Arthritis: A
      Case Report and Mini-Review.
AB  - Scedosporium apiospermum is an ubiquitous fungus responsible for various
      infections in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. Ear infections are
      infrequent. We report an exceptional case of S. apiospermum external otitis
      complicated by temporomandibular joint arthritis. After 6 months of
      antibiotherapy, diagnosis was established by mycological analysis of external
      auditory canal and infratemporal fossae needle sampling. A satisfactory outcome
      was obtained after 2 months of voriconazole alone. We have reviewed 15 cases of
      S. apiospermum otitis. Seven of these patients were immunocompromised. Most
      common clinical presentation included a chronic external otitis lasting months or
      years before complication stage. Most common clinical features included recurrent
      unilateral otalgia (11/15) and purulent otorrhea (13/15). Diagnosis was often
      made at later stage (12/15) with local extension to bones and/or soft tissues
      (9/15) or cerebral lethal dissemination (3/15).The extremely low incidence of S.
      apiospermum otomycosis and its non-specific presentation results in a frequent
      diagnosis delay. A mycological investigation should be performed in case of
      persistent external otitis and/or osteolysis despite prolonged antibiotic
      treatment to prevent further extension of the disease.

PMID- 26105581
TI  - Spectral Doppler of the Hepatic Veins in Noncardiac Diseases: What the
      Echocardiographer Should Know.
AB  - In most instances, the flow profile in the hepatic veins (HVs) reflects the
      fluctuation of pressure within the right atrium. Thus, interrogation of blood
      flow in the HVs is highly useful for the evaluation of right heart hemodynamics
      and has become an integral part of any routine echocardiographic examination.
      However, flow in the HVs is also affected by the state of the liver parenchyma
      and by the fluctuation of pressure within the thoracic cavity. Therefore, liver
      and pulmonary pathologies influence the flow pattern in the HVs and may lead to
      its dissociation from right heart hemodynamics. Echocardiographers should
      familiarize themselves with the findings on HV Doppler in noncardiac diseases to
      avoid misinterpretation and incorrect diagnosis. 

PMID- 26105582
TI  - Fenofibrate reduces inflammation in obese patients with or without type 2
      diabetes mellitus via sirtuin 1/fetuin A axis.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of fenofibrate
      alone and in combination with pioglitazone on serum sirtuin 1 and fetuin A of
      obese patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: Intervention effect
      on inflammatory parameters was assessed before and after treatment. The study was
      conducted on 60 postmenopausal females of whom, only 44 patients completed the
      study. They were distributed as follows; obese patients without T2DM (n=15) who
      administered fenofibrate (160 mg/day) once for 8 weeks, obese patients with T2DM
      (n=15) who administered fenofibrate (160 mg/day) once for 8 weeks, obese patients
      with T2DM (n=14) who administered fenofibrate (160 mg/day) and pioglitazone (15
      mg/day) combination once for 8 weeks. We measured fasting plasma glucose,
      glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum lipids. Inflammatory markers (high sensitivity
      C-reactive protein "hs-CRP", interleukin-6 "IL-6", fetuin A, and sirtuin 1) of
      patients were measured in serum using enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) kits.
      RESULTS: Sirtuin 1 levels in obese patients with T2DM were significantly lower
      than its levels in obese patients while fetuin A levels were significantly higher
      (P<0.001). Fenofibrate, alone and in combination with pioglitazone, significantly
      decreased triacylglycerol, hs-CRP, IL-6, fetuin A and increased sirtuin 1 levels
      (P<0.001) which suggests that it can be used to delay the complications of
      obesity and T2DM. There is a strong correlation between fetuin A, sirtuin 1, IL-6
      and hs-CRP levels suggesting a shared common pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Fenofibrate
      was shown to increase serum sirtuin 1 and decrease serum fetuin A levels in obese
      patients. TRIAL NUMBER: PACTR201407000856135.

PMID- 26105583
TI  - Serial sampling of copeptin levels improves diagnosis and risk stratification in
      patients presenting with chest pain: results from the CHOPIN trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Copeptin has demonstrated a role in early rule out for acute
      myocardial infarction (AMI) in combination with a negative troponin. However,
      management of patients with chest pain with a positive copeptin in the setting of
      a negative troponin is unclear. METHODS: The multicentre CHOPIN trial enrolled
      2071 patients with acute chest pain. Of these, 476 subjects with an initial
      negative troponin but an elevated copeptin (>14 pmol/L) were included in this
      study. Copeptin and troponin levels were rechecked at 2 h and the final diagnosis
      of AMI was made by two independent, blinded cardiologists. Follow-up at 30 days
      was obtained for major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), including death, AMI and
      urgent revascularisation. RESULTS: Of the 476 patients analysed, 365 (76.7%) had
      a persistently elevated copeptin at 2 h and 111 patients (23.3%) had a copeptin
      that fell below the cut-off of 14 pmol/L. When the second copeptin was elevated
      there were 18 AMIs (4.9%) compared with 0 (0%) when the second copeptin was
      negative (p=0.017), yielding a negative predictive value of 100% (95% CI 96.7% to
      100%). On 30-day follow-up there were 36 MACEs (9.9%) in the positive second
      copeptin group and 2 (1.8%) MACEs in the negative second copeptin group
      (p=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with chest pain with an initial negative
      troponin but positive copeptin are common and carry an intermediate risk of AMI.
      A second copeptin drawn 2 h after presentation may help risk stratify and
      potentially rule out AMI in this cohort.

PMID- 26105584
TI  - I. Plenaries - Keynote Speakers.

PMID- 26105585
TI  - III. Finalist's Oral Communications.

PMID- 26105586
TI  - IV. Posters.

PMID- 26105587
TI  - II. Topic Sessions.

PMID- 26105589
TI  - Proton pump inhibitors are associated with lower gastrointestinal tract bleeding
      in low-dose aspirin users with ischaemic heart disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Impact of acid suppressants on lower gastrointestinal bleeding
      remains unclear in low-dose aspirin users; we aimed to investigate this
      relationship. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of low-dose aspirin users who
      underwent coronary angiography for ischaemic heart disease in our institution
      between October 2005 and December 2006; patients were evaluated for upper or
      lower gastrointestinal bleedings within 3 years post-angiography. RESULTS: 538
      patients were enrolled (males, 74.4%; mean age 67.4+/-10.6 years). Risk for upper
      gastrointestinal bleeding decreased with concomitant use of statins (HR, 0.37;
      95% CI, 0.15-0.89), calcium channel blockers (HR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10-0.85), and
      histamine-2 receptor antagonists (HR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.08-0.89). Concomitant use
      of proton pump inhibitors tended to decrease risk of upper gastrointestinal
      bleeding (HR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.06-1.18). Risk for lower gastrointestinal bleeding
      increased with both concomitant use of warfarin (HR, 15.68; 95% CI, 4.43-55.53)
      and proton pump inhibitors (HR, 6.55; 95% CI, 2.01-21.32), but not with histamine
      2 receptor antagonists. Hyperuricemia lowered risk for lower gastrointestinal
      bleeding (HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.02-0.88). CONCLUSIONS: In low-dose aspirin users,
      concomitant use of proton pump inhibitors increased lower gastrointestinal
      bleeding risk, independent from effects on upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

PMID- 26105590
TI  - Patients With Newly Diagnosed Hypertension Treated With the Renin Angiotensin
      Receptor Blocker Azilsartan Medoxomil vs Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme
      Inhibitors: The Prospective EARLY Registry.
AB  - For patients with newly diagnosed hypertension, angiotensin-converting enzyme
      (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are usually the first
      line therapies. There is, however, no real-life data regarding the relative
      clinical effectiveness and tolerability of either drug class. The prospective
      registry, Treatment With Azilsartan Compared to ACE Inhibitors in
      Antihypertensive Therapy (EARLY), was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of
      the ARB azilsartan medoxomil (AZL-M) vs ACE inhibitors in real-world patients. Of
      the 1153 patients with newly diagnosed hypertension who were included in the
      registry, 789 were prescribed AZL-M and 364 were prescribed an ACE inhibitor.
      After multivariate adjustment, AZL-M was found to provide superior blood pressure
      reduction and better target blood pressure (<140/90 mm Hg) achievement. The
      proportion of patients with adverse events was not statistically different
      between groups. The authors conclude that in newly diagnosed hypertensive
      patients, AZL-M provides superior blood pressure control with a similar safety
      profile compared with ACE inhibitors. 

PMID- 26105591
TI  - Clinical profile and recurrence rate in women with venous thromboembolism during
      combined hormonal contraceptive use: a prospective cohort study.

PMID- 26105592
TI  - A Qualitative Study of Autism Policy in Canada: Seeking Consensus on Children's
      Services.
AB  - Canadian autism policy has been unusually contentious, with parents resorting to
      litigation to secure services for their children in several provinces. To
      ascertain whether consensus was possible on improving services, we conducted an
      in-depth qualitative interview study with 39 parents, policymakers and
      researchers across the country. Parents vividly described the stresses of caring
      for their children, with considerable sympathy from researchers. Policymakers in
      turn struggled to balance the needs of all children. Yet participants agreed on
      the need for more comprehensive services across the spectrum and throughout the
      lifespan, and on the need to "do more for all" children. Our findings suggest
      that there is an emerging consensus on improving autism services in Canada-which
      should greatly benefit children. 

PMID- 26105593
TI  - Extramedullary acute myeloid leukaemia: isolated leukaemic pleural and
      pericardial effusions without marrow disease.

PMID- 26105594
TI  - Evolution of Ecdysis and Metamorphosis in Arthropods: The Rise of Regulation of
      Juvenile Hormone.
AB  - Arthropods are the most successful group of animals, and are found in diverse
      habitats; they account for more than 80% of described animal species. A rigid
      exoskeleton is a common feature that is shared across the different groups of
      arthropods. The exoskeleton offers protection and is shed between developmental
      stages via a unique evolutionarily conserved process known as molting/ecdysis.
      Molting is triggered by steroid hormones, the ecdysteroids, and the regulation of
      their biosynthesis has long been proposed as a contributor to the success of
      arthropods during evolution. Nevertheless, how novelties arose that contributed
      to the diversifications of arthropods remain unclear. Juvenile hormones (JHs) are
      sequiterpenoids that were thought to be unique to insects, modulating the timing
      of metamorphosis in conjunction with the actions of ecdysteroids. Here, we
      revisit the old question of "the role that the sesquiterpenoids play in arthropod
      evolution" with a focus on the neglected non-insect arthropods. We hypothesize
      that the sesquiterpenoid, methyl farnesoate (MF), had already established
      regulatory functions in the last common ancestor of arthropods, and the
      difference in the regulation of biosynthesis and degradation of sesquiterpenoids,
      such as MF and JH, was another major driving force in the successful radiation of
      insects. 

PMID- 26105595
TI  - Cnidarian Nerve Nets and Neuromuscular Efficiency.
AB  - Cnidarians are considered "nerve net animals" even though their nervous systems
      include various forms of condensation and centralization. Yet, their broad, two
      dimensional muscle sheets are innervated by diffuse nerve nets. Do the motor
      nerve nets represent a primitive organization of multicellular nervous systems,
      do they represent a consequence of radial symmetry, or do they offer an efficient
      way to innervate a broad, two-dimensional muscle sheet, in which excitation of
      the muscle sheet can come from multiple sites of initiation? Regarding the
      primitive nature of cnidarian nervous systems, distinct neuronal systems exhibit
      some adaptations that are well known in higher animals, such as the use of
      oversized neurons with increased speed of conduction, and condensation of
      neurites into nerve-like tracts. A comparison of neural control of two
      dimensional muscle sheets in a mollusc and jellyfish suggests that a possible
      primitive feature of cnidarian neurons may be a lack of regional specialization
      into conducting and transmitting regions. 

PMID- 26105596
TI  - Self-assembly of NiTPP on Cu(111): a transition from disordered 1D wires to 2D
      chiral domains.
AB  - The growth and self-assembling properties of nickel-tetraphenyl porphyrins
      (NiTPP) on the Cu(111) surface are analysed via scanning tunnelling microscopy
      (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and density functional theory
      (DFT). For low coverage, STM results show that NiTPP molecules diffuse on the
      terrace until they reach the step edge of the copper surface forming a 1D system
      with disordered orientation along the step edges. The nucleation process into a
      2D superstructure was observed to occur via the interaction of molecules attached
      to the already nucleated 1D structure, reorienting molecules. For monolayer range
      coverage a 2D nearly squared self-assembled array with the emergence of chiral
      domains was observed. The XPS results of the Ni 2p(3/2) core levels exhibit a 2.6
      eV chemical shift between the mono- and multilayer configuration of NiTPP. DFT
      calculations show that the observed chemical shifts of Ni 2p(3/2) occur due to
      the interaction of 3d orbitals of Ni with the Cu(111) substrate.

PMID- 26105597
TI  - Needle in a haystack: How to identify the sick febrile child.

PMID- 26105598
TI  - The additive effects of GS3 and qGL3 on rice grain length regulation revealed by
      genetic and transcriptome comparisons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Grain length, as a critical trait for rice grain size and shape, has
      a great effect on grain yield and appearance quality. Although several grain
      size/shape genes have been cloned, the genetic interaction among these genes and
      the molecular mechanisms of grain size/shape architecture have not yet to be
      explored. RESULTS: To investigate the genetic interaction between two major grain
      length loci of rice, GS3 and qGL3, we developed two near-isogenic lines (NILs),
      NIL-GS3 (GS3/qGL3) and NIL-qgl3 (gs3/qgl3), in the genetic background of 93-11
      (gs3/qGL3) by conventional backcrossing and marker-assisted selection (MAS).
      Another NIL-GS3/qgl3 (GS3/qgl3) was developed by crossing NIL-GS3 with NIL-qgl3
      and using MAS. By comparing the grain lengths of 93-11, NIL-GS3, NIL-qgl3 and NIL
      GS3/qgl3, we investigated the effects of GS3, qGL3 and GS3 * qGL3 interaction on
      grain length based on two-way ANOVA. We found that GS3 and qGL3 had additive
      effects on rice grain length regulation. Comparative analysis of primary panicle
      transcriptomes in the four NILs revealed that the genes affected by GS3 and qGL3
      partially overlapped, and both loci might be involved in brassinosteroid
      signaling. CONCLUSION: Our data provide new information to better understand the
      rice grain length regulation mechanism and help rice breeders improve rice yield
      and appearance quality by molecular design breeding.

PMID- 26105599
TI  - Results from a multicenter, open-label, pivotal phase II study of chidamide in
      relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chidamide is a novel benzamide type of subtype-selective histone
      deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor with unique mechanisms of action compared with
      marketed HDAC inhibitors. This phase II study was to evaluate the efficacy and
      safety of chidamide in relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL)
      in Chinese population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with relapsed or refractory
      PTCL of different subtypes received chidamide of 30 mg orally twice per week. The
      primary end point was overall response rate (ORR). Responding patients should be
      confirmed at least 4 weeks after the criteria of the response were first met, and
      were reviewed by an independent review committee. RESULTS: Eighty-three patients
      were enrolled and 79 patients with eligible PTCL histology were for efficacy
      assessments. Patients enrolled over 10% were with subtypes of PTCL not otherwise
      specified (34%), anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (22%), extranodal natural killer
      (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (20%), or angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma
      (AITL, 13%). The ORR was 28% (22 of 79) including 14% (11 of 79) with complete
      response/unconfirmed complete response (CR/CRu). Median progression-free survival
      and overall survival were 2.1 and 21.4 months, respectively. AITL patients tended
      to have higher ORR (50%) and CR/CRu rate (40%), as well as more durable
      responses, to chidamide treatment. Most adverse events (AEs) were grade 1 or 2,
      and AEs >=grade 3 that occurred in >=10% patients were thrombocytopenia (22%),
      leucopenia (13%) and neutropenia (11%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Chidamide
      represents a novel oral benzamide class of HDAC inhibitor with significant single
      agent activity and manageable toxicity in relapsed or refractory PTCL, and
      provides a much needed treatment option in this indication in China. Results led
      to China Food and Drug Administration approval of chidamide in this indication.

PMID- 26105601
TI  - Are antenatal weight management interventions effective in preventing pre
      eclampsia? Systematic review of randomised control trials.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia, defined as the development of hypertension and
      proteinuria after 20weeks gestation, carries significant maternal and foetal
      risk. Pre-pregnancy BMI is the most useful predictor of pre-eclampsia. As the
      prevalence of obesity increases, prevention of pre-eclampsia by weight management
      strategies needs to be trialed. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To review the randomised
      controlled trials studying clinical effectiveness of antenatal weight management
      interventions compared to routine care in decreasing the incidence of pre
      eclampsia in women with BMI 26kg/m(2) or greater. METHODS: Electronic
      bibliographic databases were searched using a systematic search strategy to
      identify relevant trials. All trials involving weight management during pregnancy
      were considered. Using pre-determined inclusion criteria, six trials were
      included in this review and were independently assessed using standardised
      evaluation criteria. RESULTS: Three studies found a significant difference in
      gestational weight gain; amongst the intervention groups, the smallest was 5.0kg,
      whereas the largest was 13.6kg. In sub-group analysis, one trial found a
      significant difference in the incidence of pre-eclampsia between adherent (2/90)
      and non-adherent participants (5/26). However, no significant difference was
      found in the overall incidence of pre-eclampsia across all intervention and
      control groups. CONCLUSION: There was no evidence to suggest that antenatal
      weight management interventions were effective in reducing the incidence of pre
      eclampsia in women with a BMI?26kg/m(2).

PMID- 26105600
TI  - First-line erlotinib versus gemcitabine/cisplatin in patients with advanced EGFR
      mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer: analyses from the phase III,
      randomized, open-label, ENSURE study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The phase III, randomized, open-label ENSURE study (NCT01342965)
      evaluated first-line erlotinib versus gemcitabine/cisplatin (GP) in patients from
      China, Malaysia and the Philippines with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
      mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Patients >=18 years old with histologically/cytologically confirmed stage IIIB/IV
      EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance
      status 0-2 were randomized 1:1 to receive erlotinib (oral; 150 mg once daily
      until progression/unacceptable toxicity) or GP [G 1250 mg/m(2) i.v. days 1 and 8
      (3-weekly cycle); P 75 mg/m(2) i.v. day 1, (3-weekly cycle) for up to four
      cycles]. Primary end point: investigator-assessed progression-free survival
      (PFS). Other end points include objective response rate (ORR), overall survival
      (OS), and safety. RESULTS: A total of 217 patients were randomized: 110 to
      erlotinib and 107 to GP. Investigator-assessed median PFS was 11.0 months versus
      5.5 months, erlotinib versus GP, respectively [hazard ratio (HR), 0.34, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.22-0.51; log-rank P < 0.0001]. Independent Review
      Committee-assessed median PFS was consistent (HR, 0.42). Median OS was 26.3
      versus 25.5 months, erlotinib versus GP, respectively (HR, 0.91, 95% CI 0.63
      1.31; log-rank P = .607). ORR was 62.7% for erlotinib and 33.6% for GP. Treatment
      related serious adverse events (AEs) occurred in 2.7% versus 10.6% of erlotinib
      and GP patients, respectively. The most common grade >=3 AEs were rash (6.4%)
      with erlotinib, and neutropenia (25.0%), leukopenia (14.4%), and anemia (12.5%)
      with GP. CONCLUSION: These analyses demonstrate that first-line erlotinib
      provides a statistically significant improvement in PFS versus GP in Asian
      patients with EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC (NCT01342965).

PMID- 26105602
TI  - Preeclampsia: No longer solely a pregnancy disease.
AB  - Preeclampsia, the leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and
      mortality, has been recently considered not only a pregnancy disease but also a
      risk factor for developing diseases later in life. Preeclampsia is becoming a
      disease of interest to internists and not just obstetricians. Women who have had
      preeclampsia seem to be at higher risk of premature death, mortality from
      ischemic heart disease, cardiovascular diseases including ischemic heart disease
      and hypertension, fatal and non-fatal stroke, venous thromboembolism, renal
      failure, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, and cognitive defects,
      although they appear surprisingly protected from cancer. Furthermore, having had
      preeclampsia is a problem not only for the mother's future health, but it also
      affects the offspring's adult health. Children born from preeclamptic pregnancies
      are more prone to hypertension, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus,
      neurological problems, stroke, and mental disorders along their life. Whether
      preeclampsia is a risk factor for disease later in life or it creates long-term
      organ damage is an intriguing question. This review analyzes recent
      epidemiological evidence of the long-term outcomes of preeclampsia and the
      background mechanisms of this phenomenon. Understanding the etiological
      background may provide guidance for the prevention and follow-up of women who
      experience preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26105603
TI  - Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 and soluble endoglin are elevated circulating
      anti-angiogenic factors in pre-eclampsia.
AB  - Pre-eclampsia, characterized by hypertension and proteinuria, affects
      approximately 3-5% of all pregnancies worldwide and is a major cause of maternal
      and fetal morbidity and mortality. Maternal endothelial dysfunction is associated
      with disease pathogenesis. Recently, reports have shown that elevated levels of
      circulating soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 [sFlt1] and soluble endoglin
      [sEng] are associated with pre-eclampsia. Flt1 is a receptor for vascular
      endothelial growth factor receptor [VEGF], whereas endoglin [Eng] is an auxiliary
      receptor for transforming growth factor-beta [TGF-beta] super-family members.
      Both signaling pathways modulate angiogenesis and are involved in vascular
      homeostasis. Increased levels of sFlt1 and sEng dysregulate VEGF and TGF-beta
      signaling respectively, resulting in endothelial dysfunction of maternal blood
      vessels. This review summarizes our current knowledge of Flt1 and endoglin and
      soluble forms in pre-eclampsia. Furthermore, it highlights the predictive and
      early-screening value of circulating levels of sFlt1 and sEng for the risk of
      developing pre-eclampsia. 

PMID- 26105604
TI  - Limited value of angiogenic factors in obese women.
AB  - We performed a case-control study assessing the predictive value of sVEGFR and
      PlGF for preeclampsia in a population with high obesity prevalence. Body mass
      index and circulating mean concentrations of sVEGFR and PlGF were significantly
      higher in preeclamptic women. However, a two variable model associating sVEGFR
      and PlGF dosages was not better than the model including only age and BMI. When
      the prevalence of obesity is high, the extra benefit of the dosages of angiogenic
      factors appears to be of limited value. 

PMID- 26105605
TI  - Flash pulmonary edema during cesarean section in a woman with preeclampsia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary edema may complicate preeclampsia. We report intraoperative
      flash pulmonary edema in a preeclamptic woman with Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome.
      CASE: The patient was admitted at 33(+6) weeks gestation with preeclampsia. After
      rapid sequence induction and endotracheal intubation for cesarean section, flash
      pulmonary edema developed without evidence of cardiac dysfunction. She was
      mechanically ventilated and treated with furosemide. Following brisk diuresis she
      was extubated the next day and discharged on postoperative day 9 in good clinical
      condition. CONCLUSION: Endotracheal intubation for general anesthesia can cause
      acutely increased blood pressure, which, with concomitant low oncotic pressure,
      we believe contributed to intraoperative flash pulmonary edema. We present this
      case to raise awareness of this complication when general anesthesia is used for
      cesarean section in preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105606
TI  - Invasive versus non-invasive monitoring of acute severe hypertension in women
      with pre-eclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the accuracy of two non-invasive methods of blood-pressure
      measurement with intra-arterial measurement in women with pre-eclampsia and acute
      severe hypertension. METHODS: This descriptive, cross-sectional study
      prospectively enrolled 23 women with pre-eclampsia and acute severe hypertension
      for continuous intra-arterial blood-pressure monitoring. Simultaneous monitoring
      was performed with a manual and an automated, non-invasive device during episodes
      of severe hypertension. The paired T-test was used to compare measured values.
      The accuracy of a MAP?125mmHg in detecting a systolic blood pressure?160mmHg was
      determined. RESULTS: There was a weak correlation between intra-arterial and
      automated as well as intra-arterial and manual systolic values (r=0.34, p<0.01;
      r=0.41, p<0.00, respectively). Better correlation was found amongst diastolic
      values. The differences between the mean intra-arterial (94+/-11mmHg) and
      automated (96+/-12mmHg) diastolic values as well as intra-arterial and manual
      diastolic measurements (94+/-14mmHg) were not significant (p=0.20, 0.65,
      respectively). A mean arterial pressure?125mmHg was not accurate in detecting a
      systolic value?160mmHg, with low sensitivities (17.2-35.9%) and specificities (0
      50%) for all three methods. CONCLUSIONS: When compared to intra-arterial
      monitoring, the automated and manual methods showed weak correlation with
      systolic but better correlation with diastolic values. A mean arterial
      pressure?125mmHg was not accurate in detecting systolic peaks. When protection
      against cerebral haemorrhage is paramount, intra-arterial measurement of systolic
      values is best.

PMID- 26105607
TI  - Capillary remodelling in normal pregnancy: Can it mediate the progressive but
      reversible rise in blood pressure? Novel insights into cardiovascular adaptation
      in pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To conduct a longitudinal study of skin capillary density changes
      throughout normal pregnancy and correlate them to changes in blood pressure.
      DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal cohort study. SETTING: London teaching
      hospital. STUDY DESIGN: Two hundred and twenty-five Caucasian, Primigravid women
      with singleton pregnancy, normotensive throughout pregnancy, and with normal
      pregnancy outcomes. We used intra-vital video microscopy to measure basal (i.e.
      functional) and maximal (i.e. structural) skin capillary density (CD) according
      to a well-validated protocol. The subjects were studied at baseline (11-16weeks
      gestation) and at four consecutive visits (20-24weeks, 27-32weeks, 34-38weeks,
      and 5-15weeks postpartum). Blood pressure measurements were taken during the same
      visits. RESULTS: We found that normal pregnancy was associated with progressive
      capillary rarefaction, with the overall trend in the fall in both functional and
      structural CD being statistically significant (p<0.001). The fall in CD was a
      remarkable mirror image to a progressive rise in systolic and diastolic blood
      pressures, there being a significant correlation between systolic blood pressure
      and structural CD. Postpartum measurements of both CD and blood pressure were
      similar to base line levels. CONCLUSIONS: Progressive capillary rarefaction is a
      normal accompaniment of human pregnancy that may mediate the progressive rise in
      systolic and diastolic pressures. Both the CD and blood pressure changes are
      reversible, returning to baseline in the puerperium.

PMID- 26105608
TI  - Macular thickness measured by optical coherence tomography correlates with
      proteinuria in pre-eclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pre-eclampsia is associated with ocular changes. The aim of this
      study was to examine the macular changes of patients with early-onset severe pre
      eclampsia using optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: This prospective
      study was performed at Tygerberg Academic Hospital, a secondary and tertiary
      referral centre in Cape Town, South Africa. Twenty women with early onset pre
      eclampsia and 20 women without hypertensive or vascular complications, matched
      for gestational age, were examined before and after delivery. RESULTS: There was
      a trend showing a positive correlation between increased central retinal
      thickness and increasing proteinuria in patients with pre-eclampsia antepartum
      (left eye r=0.52, p=0.04) and postpartum (left eye r=0.60, p=0.01). A positive
      correlation between average central 1mm and proteinuria was noted antepartum
      (left eye r=0.63, p=0.01) and postpartum (right eye r=0.52, p=0.03). There were
      no significant correlations between blood pressure and any of the retinal
      parameters. Two of the 23 patients with pre-eclampsia developed serous retinal
      detachments, both of which resolved completely postpartum. CONCLUSIONS: Macular
      thickness parameters measured using OCT correlated with the degree of proteinuria
      in pre-eclampsia. These changes reversed soon after delivery.

PMID- 26105609
TI  - Hypertension in pregnancy and endothelial activation: An emerging risk factor for
      cardiovascular disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There is emerging evidence suggesting that women who develop
      hypertensive disorders of pregnancy should be considered at risk for
      cardiovascular disease (CVD). Our objective was to determine whether persistent
      endothelial activation, which represents the earliest step in atherogenesis, is
      present after delivery in women with a history of hypertensive pregnancies
      compared to women with normal pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN: Two matched case-control
      studies were conducted. In the first study, endothelial activation was assessed
      by the measurement of soluble intercellular adhesion molecules, namely,
      intercellular adhesion molecules-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cellular adhesion molecules
      1 (V-CAM-1), E-selectin and P-selectin in 25 women with hypertensive pregnancies
      and in a matched control group with an uncomplicated pregnancy one month and
      three months after delivery. In the second study, adhesion molecules were
      measured in 20 patients with a history of HELLP syndrome several years after
      pregnancy and in 20 matched controls. RESULTS: Increased levels of soluble
      adhesion molecules were found in women with hypertensive complications compared
      to women with uncomplicated pregnancies shortly after delivery. Significant
      differences were still present, several years after delivery comparing levels of
      adhesion molecules in women with a history of HELLP syndrome with those found in
      control patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with hypertensive pregnancies showed an
      abnormal activation of the endothelium which persists after pregnancy. This
      activation was particularly marked in patients experiencing HELLP syndrome. These
      observations may represent an explanation to the increased risk of CVD later in
      life in patients experiencing hypertensive pregnancies, especially in women with
      a history of HELLP syndrome.

PMID- 26105610
TI  - Plasma levels of S100B during pregnancy in women developing pre-eclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: S100B is suggested to be a peripheral biomarker of central nervous
      system injury with increased blood-brain barrier permeability. The aim of this
      study was to investigate if there is a difference in plasma levels of S100B
      throughout pregnancy between women developing pre-eclampsia and those who did
      not. STUDY DESIGN: A nested case-control study within a longitudinal study cohort
      was performed. Healthy pregnant women were enrolled and plasma samples were
      collected at gestational weeks 10, 25, 28, 33 and 37. Levels of S100B throughout
      pregnancy were analyzed with an ELISA assay. RESULTS: The levels of S100B did not
      change between gestational weeks 10 and 37 (0.047 vs. 0.052; p=0.71) in the
      healthy controls, but the S100B levels increased between corresponding weeks in
      women who developed pre-eclampsia (0.052 vs. 0.075; p<0.05). In gestational weeks
      33 and 37 women who developed pre-eclampsia had higher levels of S100B than the
      controls (p=0.047 and p=0.010, respectively). CONCLUSION: S100B levels increase
      during pregnancy in women who develop pre-eclampsia and there is an increased
      S100B level in women who develop pre-eclampsia compared with healthy pregnancies
      several weeks before clinical symptoms of the disease. The increased amount of
      plasma S100B in women developing pre-eclampsia might be secondary to cerebral
      vascular damage and S100B is a potential peripheral biomarker reflecting cerebral
      involvement in pre-eclampsia.

PMID- 26105611
TI  - Cardiovascular risk markers in pregnancies complicated by diabetes mellitus or
      preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore biomarkers indicating cardiovascular disease in pregnant
      women with diabetes or preeclampsia, since these women are at increased risk for
      future cardiovascular disease. STUDY DESIGN: EDTA-plasma from 262 women in
      gestational week 24-42 (healthy pregnancies n=71, preeclampsia n=105, type 2
      diabetes n=17, gestational diabetes n=61, diabetes with preeclampsia n=8) was
      analyzed by immunoassay for neopterin, midregional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM)
      and C-terminal pro-arginine vasopressin (CT-proAVP). The diabetes groups were
      also analyzed for midregional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP), and
      compared to previously reported MR-proANP concentrations for healthy,
      normotensive and preeclamptic patients. RESULTS: In contrast to preeclampsia,
      median plasma MR-proANP was not increased in pregnancies complicated by diabetes,
      but in fact lower, compared to healthy pregnancies. Neopterin was increased in
      diabetic pregnancies and in late onset preeclampsia, compared to healthy
      pregnancies. Median plasma MR-proADM was increased in pregnancies complicated by
      gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, compared to healthy pregnancies. Median
      plasma MR-proANP was increased in diabetic pregnancies complicated by
      preeclampsia compared to pregnant women with diabetes only. CONCLUSION: Women
      with pregnancies complicated by diabetes mellitus or preeclampsia are at risk for
      future cardiovascular disease, but differ in circulating cardiovascular biomarker
      profile. A cardiovascular biomarker profiling during pregnancy might prove
      helpful in identifying women at risk for future cardiovascular disease, thus
      enabling targeted prophylactic interventions and follow-up.

PMID- 26105612
TI  - Clinical accuracy of inflationary oscillometry in pregnancy and pre-eclampsia:
      Omron-MIT Elite.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of the Omron MIT Elite in pregnancy and pre
      eclampsia according to the British Hypertension Society protocol (BHS). DESIGN:
      Prospective observational study. SETTING: Antenatal clinics and wards at St.
      Thomas' Hospital (London, UK). POPULATION: Forty-five pregnant women including 15
      with pre-eclampsia. METHODS: Nine sequential same arm blood pressure (BP)
      measurements were taken from each woman by trained observers, alternating between
      mercury sphygmomanometry and the test device. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Grading
      criteria of the BHS protocol (A/B grade=pass; C/D=fail). RESULTS: The Omron MIT
      Elite achieved a grade A/A in both pregnancy and pre-eclampsia. The mean
      difference (SD) between the mercury standard and the device in pregnancy was -1.1
      (5.2)mmHg and 1.5 (4.8)mmHg for systolic and diastolic BP respectively compared
      to 0.2 (5.3)mmHg and 2.2 (5.5)mmHg in pre-eclampsia. CONCLUSION: The Omron MIT
      Elite can be recommended for use in pregnancy and pre-eclampsia according to the
      BHS protocol. To date, this is the most accurate automated BP device validated in
      pre-eclampsia.

PMID- 26105613
TI  - Amino acid profile of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine patterns in amino acids (arginine, GABA, glutamate and
      glutamine) and the diamine (agmatine) in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of
      mild and severe preeclampsia compared to control patients, using capillary zone
      electrophoresis to generate methods for refining diagnosis and prognosis and shed
      light on the pathophysiological mechanisms of preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN: This is
      an observational case-control study in pregnant women that attended the emergency
      ward of the University Hospital, Merida, Venezuela, during the period April, 2009
      April 2010. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Molar concentration of amino acids and diamine
      in plasma and CSF in control, mild and severe preeclampsia patients. RESULTS: An
      increase in glutamate plasma levels was observed in mild preeclampsia and even
      higher in severe patients, while a biphasic response occurred in the CSF samples
      with a significant increment in mild preeclampsia patients and a decrease in
      severe preeclampsia patients. GABA significantly decreased both in plasma and CSF
      in mild preeclampsia with a tendency to return to normal levels in severe
      preeclampsia patients. Arginine CSF and plasma levels decreased in mild
      preeclampsia patients and even more in severe preeclampsia while agmatine
      significantly increased in plasma levels with no changes in CSF. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results are discussed in terms of molecules that could be used as biomarkers of
      the severity of the disease and the possible involvement of these substances in
      the pathophysiology of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105614
TI  - Heterojunction synergies in titania-supported gold photocatalysts: implications
      for solar hydrogen production.
AB  - The mixed-phase nature of P25 TiO2 (85 % anatase/15 % rutile) plays a key role in
      the high H2 production rates shown by Au/P25 TiO2 photocatalysts in alcohol/water
      systems. However, a full understanding of the synergistic charge transfer
      mechanisms between the TiO2 polymorphs that drive the high rates is yet to be
      realised. Here, we deconstruct P25 TiO2 into its component phases, functionalise
      the phases with Au nanoparticles and explore charge transfer in Au/TiO2 systems
      using EPR spectroscopy. EPR spectroscopy and photocatalytic data provide direct
      evidence that electrons excited across the rutile band gap move to anatase
      lattice traps through interfacial surface sites, which decreases electron-hole
      pair recombination and increases charge carrier availability for photoreactions.
      In particular, three-phase interfacial sites between Au, anatase and rutile
      appear to be H2 evolution "hot spots". The results isolate the origin of high
      photocatalytic H2 production rates seen in Au/P25 TiO2 systems. 

PMID- 26105615
TI  - Accuracy of Fluoroscopic Guided Acetabular Component Positioning During Direct
      Anterior Total Hip Arthroplasty.
AB  - Acetabular component malposition contributes to increased complications and early
      revision. Supine positioning during direct anterior approach (DAA) THA
      facilitates the use of fluoroscopy to improve component positioning. This study
      evaluated the accuracy of acetabular component orientation using intraoperative
      fluoroscopy in DAA THA. A total of 780 surgeries by two surgeons were
      retrospectively reviewed over a 3-year period. Ranges for abduction (30 degrees 
      50 degrees ) and version (5 degrees -250) were employed. Overall, 92% fell within
      the targeted abduction range, 93% fell within the targeted anteversion range, and
      88% met both criteria. The accuracy of component positioning for combined
      abduction and anteversion improved yearly (79.2%, 2011; 90.9%, 2012; and 95.6%,
      2013). Fluoroscopy in DAA THA is a useful tool to improve acetabular component
      orientation, though a learning curve exists with its interpretation. 

PMID- 26105616
TI  - Optimal Irrigation and Debridement of Infected Total Joint Implants with
      Chlorhexidine Gluconate.
AB  - Previous study at our institution demonstrated that scrubbing a methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-coated titanium disk with chlorhexidine
      gluconate (CG) solution achieved superior biofilm eradication compared to
      alternative solutions. The current study aimed to identify the minimum CG
      concentration for effective bacteria eradication of an in vitro periprosthetic
      joint infection (PJI) model. MRSA colony-forming units (CFUs) were counted
      following simulated irrigation and debridement with varying CG solutions before
      and after a 24-hour reincubation period. Significant decrease was noted on all
      disks before reincubation. Postreincubation, significant decrease in CFUs was
      found in the 4% and 2% groups. This study demonstrated that I+D of an infected
      PJI model with 4% CG solution was effective at treating MRSA biofilm at
      concentrations as low as 2%. 

PMID- 26105617
TI  - Who Should Not Undergo Short Stay Hip and Knee Arthroplasty? Risk Factors
      Associated With Major Medical Complications Following Primary Total Joint
      Arthroplasty.
AB  - We retrospectively reviewed 1012 consecutive patients undergoing elective primary
      hip and knee arthroplasties to identify risk factors associated with
      postoperative complications. A total of 70 complications (6.9%) requiring
      additional physician interventions occurred following surgery and 59 (84%)
      occurred past 24 hours postoperatively. Independent multivariate risk factors for
      developing late (>24 hours) complications included COPD (adjusted OR 4.16), CHF
      (adjusted OR 9.71), CAD (adjusted OR 2.80), and cirrhosis (adjusted OR 8.43).
      These results suggest that most major medical complications requiring additional
      physician interventions occur greater than 24 hours following primary THA/TKA.
      Patients with history of COPD, CHF, CAD, and cirrhosis should not undergo short
      stay or outpatient TJA. 

PMID- 26105618
TI  - Disseminated infection caused by Emmonsia pasteuriana in a renal transplant
      recipient.
AB  - Emmonsia pasteuriana is a thermally dimorphic fungus identified in very few human
      cases. Here, we report a case of a 43-year-old male renal transplant patient from
      China presenting with multiple painful skin eruptions on his head, nose and left
      thigh, later accompanied by respiratory failure. Histopathology of the biopsy
      collected from the left thigh upper ulcer and occipital nodule both demonstrated
      chronic inflammation with granuloma formation and yeast-like elements. Emmonsia
      pasteuriana was cultured from two biopsy specimens and their identity was
      confirmed by sequencing of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer. The patient in
      intensive care showed marked clinical improvement with antifungal treatment. 

PMID- 26105619
TI  - Erratum to: Prognostic significance of late gadolinium enhancement quantification
      in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with
      systolic dysfunction.

PMID- 26105621
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 26105622
TI  - Antibiotic susceptibility of Lactobacillus strains isolated from domestic geese.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of 93
      Lactobacillus strains isolated from domestic geese raised on Polish farms. The
      minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 13 antimicrobial substances was
      determined by the broth microdilution method. All strains were sensitive to the
      cell wall inhibitors ampicillin and amoxicillin (MIC <= 8 MUg/ml). Resistance to
      inhibitors of protein synthesis and to fluoroquinolone inhibitors of replication
      was found in 44.1% and 60.2% of isolates, respectively; 26.9% strains were
      resistant to neomycin (MIC >= 64 MUg/ml), 23.6% to tetracycline (MIC >= 32
      MUg/ml), 15% to lincomycin (MIC >= 64 MUg/ml), 18.3% to doxycycline (MIC >= 32
      MUg/ml), 9.7% to tylosin (MIC >= 32 MUg/ml), 56% to flumequine (MIC >= 256
      MUg/ml) and 22.6% to enrofloxacin (MIC >= 64 MUg/ml). Bimodal distribution of
      MICs indicative of acquired resistance and unimodal distribution of the high MIC
      values indicative of intrinsic resistance were correlated with Lactobacillus
      species. Eleven (11.8%) strains displayed multiple resistance for at least three
      classes of antibiotics. Data derived from this study can be used as a basis for
      reviewing current microbiological breakpoints for categorisation of susceptible
      and resistant strains of Lactobacillus genus and help to assess the hazards
      associated with the occurrence of drug resistance among natural intestinal
      microflora. 

PMID- 26105623
TI  - Ionic transport in hybrid lead iodide perovskite solar cells.
AB  - Solar cells based on organic-inorganic halide perovskites have recently shown
      rapidly rising power conversion efficiencies, but exhibit unusual behaviour such
      as current-voltage hysteresis and a low-frequency giant dielectric response.
      Ionic transport has been suggested to be an important factor contributing to
      these effects; however, the chemical origin of this transport and the mobile
      species are unclear. Here, the activation energies for ionic migration in
      methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) are derived from first principles, and
      are compared with kinetic data extracted from the current-voltage response of a
      perovskite-based solar cell. We identify the microscopic transport mechanisms,
      and find facile vacancy-assisted migration of iodide ions with an activation
      energy of 0.6 eV, in good agreement with the kinetic measurements. The results of
      this combined computational and experimental study suggest that hybrid halide
      perovskites are mixed ionic-electronic conductors, a finding that has major
      implications for solar cell device architectures.

PMID- 26105620
TI  - Molecular mechanisms underlying HBsAg negativity in occult HBV infection.
AB  - Although genomic detection is considered the gold standard test on HBV infection
      identification, the HBsAg investigation is still the most frequent clinical
      laboratory request to diagnose HBV infection in activity. However, the non
      detection of HBsAg in the bloodstream of chronic or acutely infected individuals
      has been a phenomenon often observed in clinical practice, despite the high
      sensitivity and specificity of screening assays standardized commercially and
      adopted in routine. The expansion of knowledge about the hepatitis B virus
      biology (replication/life cycle, genetic variability/mutability/heterogeneity),
      their biochemical and immunological properties (antigenicity and immunogenicity),
      in turn, has allowed to elucidate some mechanisms that may explain the occurrence
      of this phenomenon. Therefore, the negativity for HBsAg during the acute or
      chronic infection course may become a fragile or at least questionable result.
      This manuscript discusses some mechanisms that could explain the negativity for
      HBsAg in a serological profile of individuals with HBV infection in activity, or
      factors that could compromise its detection in the bloodstream during HBV
      infection. 

PMID- 26105624
TI  - Zinc-containing yeast extract promotes nonrapid eye movement sleep in mice.
AB  - Zinc is an essential trace element for humans and animals, being located, among
      other places, in the synaptic vesicles of cortical glutamatergic neurons and
      hippocampal mossy fibers in the brain. Extracellular zinc has the potential to
      interact with and modulate many different synaptic targets, including glutamate
      and GABA receptors. Because of the central role of these neurotransmitters in
      brain activity, we examined in this study the sleep-promoting activity of zinc by
      monitoring locomotor activity and electroencephalogram after its administration
      to mice. Zinc-containing yeast extract (40 and 80 mg/kg) dose dependently
      increased the total amount of nonrapid eye movement sleep and decreased the
      locomotor activity. However, this preparation did not change the amount of rapid
      eye movement sleep or show any adverse effects such as rebound of insomnia during
      a period of 24 h following the induction of sleep; whereas the extracts
      containing other divalent cations (manganese, iron, and copper) did not decrease
      the locomotor activity. This is the first evidence that zinc can induce sleep.
      Our data open the way to new types of food supplements designed to improve sleep.

PMID- 26105625
TI  - A phase I trial combining decitabine/dendritic cell vaccine targeting MAGE-A1,
      MAGE-A3 and NY-ESO-1 for children with relapsed or therapy-refractory
      neuroblastoma and sarcoma.
AB  - Antigen-specific immunotherapy was studied in a multi-institutional phase 1/2
      study by combining decitabine (DAC) followed by an autologous dendritic cell
      (DC)/MAGE-A1, MAGE-A3 and NY-ESO-1 peptide vaccine in children with
      relapsed/refractory solid tumors. Patients aged 2.5-15 years with relapsed
      neuroblastoma, Ewing's sarcoma, osteosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma were eligible
      to receive DAC followed by DC pulsed with overlapping peptides derived from full
      length MAGE-A1, MAGE-A3 and NY-ESO-1. The primary endpoints were to assess the
      feasibility and tolerability of this regimen. Each of four cycles consisted of
      week 1: DAC 10 mg/m(2)/day for 5 days and weeks 2 and 3: DC vaccine once weekly.
      Fifteen patients were enrolled in the study, of which 10 were evaluable.
      Generation of DC was highly feasible for all enrolled patients. The treatment
      regimen was generally well tolerated, with the major toxicity being DAC-related
      myelosuppression in 5/10 patients. Six of nine patients developed a response to
      MAGE-A1, MAGE-A3 or NY-ESO-1 peptides post-vaccine. Due to limitations in number
      of cells available for analysis, controls infected with a virus encoding relevant
      genes have not been performed. Objective responses were documented in 1/10
      patients who had a complete response. Of the two patients who had no evidence of
      disease at the time of treatment, one remains disease-free 2 years post-therapy,
      while the other experienced a relapse 10 months post-therapy. The
      chemoimmunotherapy approach using DAC/DC-CT vaccine is feasible, well tolerated
      and results in antitumor activity in some patients. Future trials to maximize the
      likelihood of T cell responses post-vaccine are warranted.

PMID- 26105626
TI  - Sunitinib pretreatment improves tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte expansion by
      reduction in intratumoral content of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in human
      renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - Targeted therapy with sunitinib, pazopanib or everolimus has improved treatment
      outcome for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients (RCC).
      However, despite considerable efforts in sequential or combined modalities,
      durable remissions are rare. Immunotherapy like cytokine therapy with interleukin
      2, T cell checkpoint blockade or adoptive T cell therapies can achieve long-term
      benefit and even cure. This raises the question of whether combining targeted
      therapy with immunotherapy could also be an effective treatment option for RCC
      patients. Sunitinib, one of the most frequently administered therapeutics in RCC
      patients has been implicated in impairing T cell activation and proliferation in
      vitro. In this work, we addressed whether this notion holds true for expansion of
      tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in sunitinib-treated patients. We compared
      resected primary RCC tumor material of patients pretreated with sunitinib with
      resection specimen from sunitinib-naive patients. We found improved TIL expansion
      from sunitinib-pretreated tumor digests. These TIL products contained more PD-1
      expressing TIL, while the regulatory T cell infiltration was not altered. The
      improved TIL expansion was associated with reduced intratumoral myeloid-derived
      suppressor cell (MDSC) content. Depletion of MDSCs from sunitinib-naive RCC
      tissue-digest improved TIL expansion, proving the functional relevance of the
      MDSC alteration by sunitinib. Our in vivo results do not support previous in
      vitro observations of sunitinib inhibiting T cell function, but do provide a
      possible rationale for the combination of sunitinib with immunotherapy. 

PMID- 26105627
TI  - Development of a bipolar disorder biobank: differential phenotyping for
      subsequent biomarker analyses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to establish a bipolar disorder biobank to serve as a
      resource for clinical and biomarker studies of disease risk and treatment
      response. Here, we describe the aims, design, infrastructure, and research uses
      of the biobank, along with demographics and clinical features of the first
      participants enrolled. METHODS: Patients were recruited for the Mayo Clinic
      Bipolar Biobank beginning in July 2009. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM
      IV was used to confirm bipolar diagnosis. The Bipolar Biobank Clinical
      Questionnaire and Participant Questionnaire were designed to collect detailed
      demographic and clinical data, including clinical course of illness measures that
      would delineate differential phenotypes for subsequent analyses. Blood specimens
      were obtained from participants, and various aliquots were stored for future
      research. RESULTS: As of September 2014, 1363 participants have been enrolled in
      the bipolar biobank. Among these first participants, 69.0 % had a diagnosis of
      bipolar disorder type I. The group was 60.2 % women and predominantly white (90.6
      %), with a mean (SD) age of 42.6 (14.9) years. Clinical phenotypes of the group
      included history of psychosis (42.3 %), suicide attempt (32.5 %), addiction to
      alcohol (39.1 %), addiction to nicotine (39.8 %), obesity (42.9 %),
      antidepressant-induced mania (31.7 %), tardive dyskinesia (3.2 %), and history of
      drug-related serious rash (5.7 %). CONCLUSIONS: Quantifying phenotypic patterns
      of illness beyond bipolar subtype can provide more detailed clinical disease
      characteristics for biomarker research, including genomic-risk studies. Future
      research can harness clinically useful biomarkers using state-of-the-art research
      technology to help stage disease burden and better individualize treatment
      selection for patients with bipolar disorder.

PMID- 26105628
TI  - Dielectrophoresis-assisted 3D nanoelectroporation for non-viral cell transfection
      in adoptive immunotherapy.
AB  - Current transfection technologies lead to significant inter-clonal variations.
      Previously we introduced a unique electrotransfection technology, Nanochannel
      Electroporation (NEP), which can precisely and benignly transfect small cell
      populations (~100-200 cells) with single-cell resolution. Here we report on the
      development of a novel 3D NEP system for large scale transfection. A properly
      engineered array of nanochannels, capable of handling/transfecting ~60 000 cells
      cm(-2), was fabricated using cleanroom technologies. Positive dielectrophoresis
      was used to selectively position cells on the nanochannels, thus allowing highly
      efficient transfection. Single-cell dosage control was demonstrated using both
      small and large molecules, and different cell types. The potential clinical
      relevance of this system was tested with difficult-to-transfect natural killer
      cell suspensions, and plasmids encoding for the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR),
      a model of high relevance for adoptive immunotherapy. Our results show
      significantly higher CAR transfection efficiencies for the DEP-NEP system (>70%
      vs. <30%), as well as enhanced cell viabilities. 

PMID- 26105632
TI  - Journal Club via social media: authors take note of the impact of #BlueJC.

PMID- 26105633
TI  - Common sense about prosecutions for female genital mutilation prevails-at least
      for now.

PMID- 26105634
TI  - Teens and young adults should be started on long-acting reversible contraceptives
      before sexual activity commences: AGAINST: Pre-emptive use without need or
      benefit may cause more harm than good.

PMID- 26105635
TI  - Teens and young adults should be started on long-acting reversible contraceptives
      before sexual activity commences: FOR: An opt-out programme would avoid teen
      pregnancy and associated costs.

PMID- 26105636
TI  - Episiotomy: navigating the evidence.

PMID- 26105637
TI  - Routine weighing of women during pregnancy is of limited value and should be
      abandoned: AGAINST: Routine weighing in pregnancy is the first step to preventing
      adverse birth outcomes.

PMID- 26105638
TI  - Routine weighing of women during pregnancy is of limited value and should be
      abandoned: FOR: Routine weighing does not solve the problem of obesity in
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26105639
TI  - Stillbirth: public/patient involvement in sensitive research and research ethics.

PMID- 26105640
TI  - The Hayman uterine compression suture.

PMID- 26105641
TI  - A new indication for trachelectomy.

PMID- 26105642
TI  - Re: Transverse vaginal septae: management and long-term outcomes.

PMID- 26105643
TI  - Re: The prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage: what do we know, and
      where do we go next?

PMID- 26105644
TI  - Re: The Blue Journal Club: Preventable prematurity and fetal loss from IVF twins
      depend on embryo transfer policies.

PMID- 26105645
TI  - Authors' reply re: The Blue Journal Club.

PMID- 26105646
TI  - Re: Does preoperative urodynamics improve outcomes for women undergoing surgery
      for stress urinary incontinence? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PMID- 26105647
TI  - Authors' reply re: Does preoperative urodynamics improve outcomes for women
      undergoing surgery for stress urinary incontinence? A systematic review and meta
      analysis.

PMID- 26105648
TI  - A report from #BlueJC: Can progestogens improve twin pregnancy outcomes?

PMID- 26105649
TI  - Multidisciplinary team training reduces the decision-to-delivery interval for
      emergency Caesarean section.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Emergency Caesarean section is performed when the life of the
      pregnant woman and/or the foetus is considered at risk. A 30-min standard for the
      decision-to-delivery interval (DDI) is a common practice and is supported by
      national organisations including The Danish Society of Obstetrics and
      Gynaecology. Danish obstetric departments report the DDI to a national database.
      A national arbitrarily set standard recommends that 95% of ECSs should be
      achieved within the 30-min DDI standard. In 2011, 34.4% of ECSs, performed at our
      hospital, were achieved within the 30-min time frame. This study aims to evaluate
      the effect of a simulation-based team training programme on the proportion of
      ECSs achieved within a 30-min time frame. METHOD: We performed an interventional
      before-and-after study. We evaluated a total of one hundred 30-min ECSs before
      and after the intervention. The primary outcome of interest was the proportion of
      30-min ECSs achieved within a 30-min time frame. RESULTS: A total of 20 team
      training courses were held during May/June 2013. These courses trained 239 of 252
      team members (comprised of: 36 obstetricians, 45 scrub nurses, 83 midwives, 38
      anaesthesiologists, 37 nurse anaesthetists) in handling of 30-min ECS. This
      corresponds to 95% of staff. The proportion of 30-min ECSs achieved within a 30
      min time frame was higher after team training (87.5%, 95% CI 79.2-93.4%) compared
      with before training (74.0%, 95% CI 64.0-82.4%) (P = 0.017). CONCLUSION: Team
      training may contribute positively to an increase in the proportion of ECSs
      achieved within a 30-min time frame.

PMID- 26105650
TI  - Seasonal variation in formation, structure, and chemical properties of phloem in
      Picea abies as studied by novel microtechniques.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: Phloem production and structural development were interlinked
      with seasonal variation in the primary and secondary metabolites of phloem. Novel
      microtechniques provided new perspectives on understanding phloem structure and
      chemistry. To gain new insights into phloem formation in Norway spruce (Picea
      abies), we monitored phloem cell production and seasonal variation in the primary
      and secondary metabolites of inner bark (non-structural carbohydrates and
      phenolic stilbene glucosides) during the 2012 growing season in southern and
      northern Finland. The structure of developing phloem was visualised in 3D by
      synchrotron X-ray microtomography. The chemical features of developing phloem
      tissues isolated by laser microdissection were analysed by chemical
      microanalysis. Within-year phloem formation was associated with seasonal changes
      in non-structural carbohydrates and phenolic extractive contents of inner bark.
      The onset of phloem cell production occurred in early and mid-May in southern and
      northern Finland, respectively. The maximal rate of phloem production and
      formation of a tangential band of axial phloem parenchyma occurred in mid-June,
      when total non-structural carbohydrates peaked (due to the high amount of
      starch). In contrast, soluble sugar content dropped during the most active growth
      period and increased in late summer and winter. The 3D visualisation showed that
      the new axial parenchyma clearly enlarged from June to August. Sub-cellular
      changes appeared to be associated with accumulation of stilbene glucosides and
      soluble sugars in the newest phloem. Stilbene glucosides also increased in inner
      bark during late summer and winter. Our findings may indicate that stilbene
      biosynthesis in older phloem predominantly occurs after the formation of the new
      band(s) of axial parenchyma. The complementary use of novel microtechniques
      provides new perspectives on the formation, structure, and chemistry of phloem.

PMID- 26105651
TI  - Durum wheat dehydrin (DHN-5) confers salinity tolerance to transgenic Arabidopsis
      plants through the regulation of proline metabolism and ROS scavenging system.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: The wheat dehydrin (DHN-5) gives birth to salinity tolerance to
      transgenic Arabidopsis plants by the regulation of proline metabolism and the ROS
      scavenging system. Dehydrins (DHNs) are involved in plant abiotic stress
      tolerance. In this study, we reported that salt tolerance of transgenic
      Arabidopsis plants overexpressing durum wheat dehydrin (DHN-5) was closely
      related to the activation of the proline metabolism enzyme (P5CS) and some
      antioxidant biocatalysts. Indeed, DHN-5 improved P5CS activity in the transgenic
      plants generating a significant proline accumulation. Moreover, salt tolerance of
      Arabidopsis transgenic plants was accompanied by an excellent activation of
      antioxidant enzymes like catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxide
      dismutase (POD) and generation of a lower level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in
      leaves compared to the wild-type plants. The enzyme activities were enhanced in
      these transgenic plants in the presence of exogenous proline. Nevertheless,
      proline accumulation was slightly reduced in transgenic plants promoting
      chlorophyll levels. All these results suggest the crucial role of DHN-5 in
      response to salt stress through the activation of enzymes implicated in proline
      metabolism and in ROS scavenging enzymes.

PMID- 26105652
TI  - The extreme Albino3 (Alb3) C terminus is required for Alb3 stability and function
      in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: The extreme Alb3 C terminus is important for Alb3 stability in a
      light dependent manner, but is dispensable for LHCP insertion or D1 synthesis.
      YidC/Oxa1/Alb3 dependent insertion of membrane proteins is evolutionary conserved
      among bacteria, mitochondria and chloroplasts. Chloroplasts are challenged by the
      need to coordinate membrane integration of nuclear encoded, post-translationally
      targeted proteins into the thylakoids as well as of proteins translated on
      plastid ribosomes. The pathway facilitating post-translational targeting of the
      light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b binding proteins involves the chloroplast signal
      recognition particle, cpSRP54 and cpSRP43, as well as its membrane receptor FtsY
      and the translocase Alb3. Interaction of cpSRP43 with Alb3 is mediated by the
      positively charged, stromal exposed C terminus of Alb3. In this study, we
      utilized an Alb3 T-DNA insertion mutant in Arabidopsis thaliana lacking the last
      75 amino acids to elucidate the function of this domain (alb3?C). However, the
      truncated Alb3 protein (Alb3?C) proved to be unstable under standard growth
      conditions, resulting in a reduction of Alb3?C to 20 % of wild-type levels. In
      contrast, accumulation of Alb3?C was comparable to wild type under low light
      growth conditions. Alb3?C mutants grown under low light conditions were only
      slightly paler than wild type, accumulated almost wild-type levels of light
      harvesting proteins and were not affected in D1 synthesis, therefore showing that
      the extreme Alb3 C terminus is dispensable for both, co- and post-translational,
      protein insertion into the thylakoid membrane. However, reduction of Alb3?C
      levels as observed under standard growth conditions resulted not only in a
      severely diminished accumulation of all thylakoid complexes but also in a strong
      defect in D1 synthesis and membrane insertion.

PMID- 26105653
TI  - DNA barcodes for the identification of Anoectochilus roxburghii and its
      adulterants.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: Chinese medicinal herbs have a similar appearance and are easily
      confused, complicating identification via traditional methods. This study
      provided a scientific approach, based on DNA barcoding, to accurately and rapidly
      identify Anoectochilus roxburghii and its adulterants. This technology
      complements traditional methods of identification of medicinal herbs. A
      comparison of the DNA barcodes matK, psbA-trnH and ITS2 was performed to verify
      that the ITS2 sequence is an effective marker for rapidly and accurately
      identifying A. roxburghii and its closely related species. Genomic DNA extracted
      from A. roxburghii and its adulterants were used as templates and the ITS2
      sequence was amplified using PCR amplification and sequencing. Species
      identification was conducted using BLAST1 and neighbor-joining trees. The 12
      samples were successfully classified into four species based on the ITS2
      sequence. The ITS2 sequence length of A. roxburghii was 253 bp. The average intra
      specific genetic distance of A. roxburghii was 0.0021, markedly lower than the
      inter-specific genetic distance between A. roxburghii and its adulterants
      (0.0380). Our findings illustrate that ITS2 sequence can accurately and
      efficiently distinguish A. roxburghii and its adulterants. In addition, the
      results provided reference for molecular identification of other Chinese herbal
      medicine.

PMID- 26105655
TI  - Foreword. Special issue on desiccation biology.

PMID- 26105654
TI  - Biochemical characterization of allene oxide synthases from the liverwort
      Marchantia polymorpha and green microalgae Klebsormidium flaccidum provides
      insight into the evolutionary divergence of the plant CYP74 family.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: Allene oxide synthases (AOSs) were isolated from liverworts and
      charophytes. These AOSs exhibited enzymatic properties similar to those of
      angiosperms but formed a distinct phylogenetic clade. Allene oxide synthase (AOS)
      and hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) mediate the formation of precursors of jasmonates
      and carbon-six volatiles, respectively. AOS and HPL utilize fatty acid
      hydroperoxides and belong to the plant cytochrome P450 74 (CYP74) family that
      mediates plant defense against herbivores, pathogens, or abiotic stresses.
      Although members of the CYP74 family have been reported in mosses and other
      species, the evolution and function of multiple CYP74 genes in plants remain
      elusive. Here, we show that the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha belongs to a
      basal group in the evolution of land plants; has two closely related proteins
      (59% identity), MpAOS1 and MpAOS2, that are similar to moss PpAOS1 (49 and 47%
      identity, respectively); and exhibits AOS activity but not HPL activity. We also
      found that the green microalgae Klebsormidium flaccidum, consist of multicellular
      and non-branching filaments, contains an enzyme, KfAOS, that is similar to PpAOS1
      (37% identity), and converts 13-hydroperoxide of linolenic acid to 12-oxo
      phytodienoic acid in a coupled reaction with allene oxide cyclase. Phylogenetic
      analysis showed two evolutionarily distinct clusters. One cluster comprised AOS
      and HPL from charophytic algae, liverworts, and mosses, including MpAOSs and
      KfAOS. The other cluster was formed by angiosperm CYP74. Our results suggest that
      plant CYP74 enzymes with AOS, HPL, and divinyl ether synthase activities have
      arisen multiple times and in the two different clades, which occurred prior to
      the divergence of the flowering plant lineage.

PMID- 26105656
TI  - Frontal extents in virtual environments are not immune to underperception.
AB  - Distance is commonly underperceived by up to 50 % in virtual environments (VEs),
      in contrast to relatively accurate real world judgments. Experiments reported by
      Geuss, Stefanucci, Creem-Regehr, and Thompson (Journal of Experimental
      Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 38, 1242-1253, 2012) indicate that
      the exocentric distance separating two objects in a VE is underperceived when the
      objects are oriented in the sagittal plane (depth extents), but veridically
      perceived when oriented in a frontoparallel plane (frontal extents). The authors
      conclude that "distance underestimation in the [VE] generalizes to intervals in
      the depth plane, but not to intervals in the frontal plane." The current
      experiment evaluated an alternative hypothesis that the accurate judgments of
      frontal extents reported by Geuss et al. were due to a fortunate balance of
      underperception caused by the VE and overperception of frontal relative to depth
      extents. Participants judged frontal and depth extents in the classroom VE used
      by Geuss et al. and in a sparser VE containing only a grass-covered ground plane.
      Judgments in the classroom VE replicated findings by Geuss et al., but judgments
      in the grass VE show underperception of both depth and frontal extents,
      indicating that frontal extents are not immune to underperception in VEs. 

PMID- 26105658
TI  - Two cases of erythroplasia of Queyrat with persistent post-treatment inflammation
      after histological remission of epithelial dysplasia.

PMID- 26105657
TI  - Modulation of spatial attention by goals, statistical learning, and monetary
      reward.
AB  - This study documented the relative strength of task goals, visual statistical
      learning, and monetary reward in guiding spatial attention. Using a difficult T
      among-L search task, we cued spatial attention to one visual quadrant by (i)
      instructing people to prioritize it (goal-driven attention), (ii) placing the
      target frequently there (location probability learning), or (iii) associating
      that quadrant with greater monetary gain (reward-based attention). Results showed
      that successful goal-driven attention exerted the strongest influence on search
      RT. Incidental location probability learning yielded a smaller though still
      robust effect. Incidental reward learning produced negligible guidance for
      spatial attention. The 95 % confidence intervals of the three effects were
      largely nonoverlapping. To understand these results, we simulated the role of
      location repetition priming in probability cuing and reward learning. Repetition
      priming underestimated the strength of location probability cuing, suggesting
      that probability cuing involved long-term statistical learning of how to shift
      attention. Repetition priming provided a reasonable account for the negligible
      effect of reward on spatial attention. We propose a multiple-systems view of
      spatial attention that includes task goals, search habit, and priming as primary
      drivers of top-down attention. 

PMID- 26105659
TI  - Measurement of scapular dyskinesis using wireless inertial and magnetic sensors:
      Importance of scapula calibration.
AB  - Measurement of 3D scapular kinematics is meaningful in patients with shoulder
      pathologies showing scapular dyskinesis. This study evaluates the effect of
      single and double anatomical calibration (0 degrees  and 120 degrees ) with a
      scapula locator compared to standard calibration (using sensor alignment with the
      spina scapulae and static upright posture, ISEO-protocol) on 3D scapular
      kinematics measured with an inertial and magnetic measurement system (IMMS). Ten
      patients with scapular dyskinesis performed humeral anteflexion and abduction
      movements while 3D scapular kinematics were measured using IMMS sensors. The
      sensor on the scapula was anatomically calibrated (i) according to the ISEO
      protocol, (ii) using single scapula locator calibration (0 degrees ) and (iii)
      double scapula locator calibration (0 degrees  and 120 degrees ). For
      calibration, the scapula locator (with IMMS) was positioned on the scapula, while
      holding the humerus at several anteflexion and abduction postures. Single and
      double calibration resulted in a significant increase of scapular anterior tilt
      (14-30 degrees ) with respect to the skin-fixed sensor (ISEO). Protraction angles
      were not significantly different. During anteflexion, double calibration did not
      show a significant increase in lateral rotation compared to single calibration.
      During abduction of >90 degrees , double calibration showed 10-14 degrees 
      increased lateral rotation with respect to single calibration, although this was
      not significant (P>0.06). Calibration with a scapula locator when applying IMMS
      is necessary, because measures of scapular anterior tilt are grossly
      underestimated with the ISEO-protocol. For shoulder movements that exceed 90
      degrees  elevation, a double calibration prevents small but relevant
      underestimation of lateral rotation angles of the scapula.

PMID- 26105660
TI  - Expedited patient-specific assessment of contact stress exposure in the ankle
      joint following definitive articular fracture reduction.
AB  - Acute injury severity, altered joint kinematics, and joint incongruity are three
      important mechanical factors linked to post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA).
      Finite element analysis (FEA) was previously used to assess the influence of
      increased contact stress due to joint incongruity on PTOA development. While
      promising agreement with PTOA development was seen, the inherent complexities of
      contact FEA limited the numbers of subjects that could be analyzed. Discrete
      element analysis (DEA) is a simplified methodology for contact stress
      computation, which idealizes contact surfaces as a bed of independent linear
      springs. In this study, DEA was explored as an expedited alternative to FEA
      contact stress exposure computation. DEA was compared to FEA using results from a
      previously completed validation study of two cadaveric human ankles, as well as a
      previous study of post-operative contact stress exposure in 11 patients with
      tibial plafond fracture. DEA-computed maximum contact stresses were within 19% of
      those experimentally measured, with 90% of the contact area having computed
      contact stress values within 1MPa of those measured. In the 11 fractured ankles,
      maximum contact stress and contact area differences between DEA and FEA were 0.85
      +/- 0.64 MPa and 22.5 +/- 11.5mm(2). As a predictive measure for PTOA
      development, both DEA and FEA had 100% concordance with presence of OA (KL grade
      >= 2) and >95% concordance with KL grade at 2 years. These results support DEA as
      a reasonable alternative to FEA for computing contact stress exposures following
      surgical reduction of a tibial plafond fracture.

PMID- 26105661
TI  - Tilted pillar array fabrication by the combination of proton beam writing and
      soft lithography for microfluidic cell capture: Part 1 Design and feasibility.
AB  - Design, fabrication, integration, and feasibility test results of a novel
      microfluidic cell capture device is presented, exploiting the advantages of
      proton beam writing to make lithographic irradiations under multiple target
      tilting angles and UV lithography to easily reproduce large area structures. A
      cell capture device is demonstrated with a unique doubly tilted micropillar array
      design for cell manipulation in microfluidic applications. Tilting the pillars
      increased their functional surface, therefore, enhanced fluidic interaction when
      special bioaffinity coating was used, and improved fluid dynamic behavior
      regarding cell culture injection. The proposed microstructures were capable to
      support adequate distribution of body fluids, such as blood, spinal fluid, etc.,
      between the inlet and outlet of the microfluidic sample reservoirs, offering
      advanced cell capture capability on the functionalized surfaces. The hydrodynamic
      characteristics of the microfluidic systems were tested with yeast cells (similar
      size as red blood cells) for efficient capture. 

PMID- 26105662
TI  - In situ imaging and proteome profiling indicate andrographolide is a highly
      promiscuous compound.
AB  - Natural products represent an enormous source of pharmacologically useful
      compounds, and are often used as the starting point in modern drug discovery.
      Many biologically interesting natural products are however not being pursued as
      potential drug candidates, partly due to a lack of well-defined mechanism-of
      action. Traditional in vitro methods for target identification of natural
      products based on affinity protein enrichment from crude cellular lysates cannot
      faithfully recapitulate protein-drug interactions in living cells. Reported
      herein are dual-purpose probes inspired by the natural product andrographolide,
      capable of both reaction-based, real-time bioimaging and in situ proteome
      profiling/target identification in live mammalian cells. Our results confirm that
      andrographolide is a highly promiscuous compound and engaged in covalent
      interactions with numerous previously unknown cellular targets in cell type
      specific manner. We caution its potential therapeutic effects should be further
      investigated in detail. 

PMID- 26105663
TI  - Influence of electronic apex locators and a gutta-percha heating device on
      implanted cardiac devices: an in vivo study.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the potential for electromagnetic interference (EMI) of
      electronic apex locators (EALs) and a gutta-percha heating device (HD) in
      patients with implantable cardiac pacemakers (ICPs) or cardioverter
      defibrillators (ICDs). METHODOLOGY: Two types of EALs (Romiapex A-15 and Novapex)
      and a HD (Touch'n Heat) were tested in patients followed in an outpatient clinic
      for cardiac arrhythmias. The heart rhythm was monitored on a computer screen
      during all experimental phases. After baseline data collection, the patient held
      each appliance (turned on) for 30 s, simulating their clinical use. If background
      noise was detected on the cardiac monitor, the sensitivity of the ICP/ICD was
      lowered by the cardiologist to evaluate the intensity of the detected EMI.
      RESULTS: Twelve patients were evaluated (5 female and 7 male), and in nine
      instances, background noise in their cardiac devices related to the use of the
      endodontic devices was detected (6 patients). After lowering the sensitivity of
      the cardiac implants, three patients had more severe EMI in six instances,
      including pauses in ICP function. The presence of a symptomatic or asymptomatic
      pause was related to the patient's underlying heart rhythm. The HD device
      produced background noise more often compared to EALs. These were associated with
      more severe types of EMI. CONCLUSION: The EALs and gutta-percha HD were capable
      of causing background noise detection or pauses in cardiac implants in vivo. The
      use of electronic dental devices nearby patients with cardiac implants should be
      carefully considered in clinical practice.

PMID- 26105664
TI  - Editorial Comment from Dr Zampieri to Varicocele is associated with varicose
      veins: A population-based case-control study.

PMID- 26105666
TI  - Inverted planar NH2CH=NH2PbI3 perovskite solar cells with 13.56% efficiency via
      low temperature processing.
AB  - In this work, NH2CH=NH2PbI3 (FAPbI3) was employed for light harvesting in
      inverted planer perovskite solar cells for the first time. Except for the silver
      cathode, all layers were solution-processed under or below 140  degrees C. The
      effect of the annealing process on device performance was investigated. The
      FAPbI3 solar cells based on a slowed-down annealing shows superior performance
      compared to the CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3)-based devices, especially for the short
      circuit current density. A power conversion efficiency of 13.56% was obtained
      with high short circuit current density of 21.48 mA cm(-2). This work paves the
      way for low-temperature fabrication of efficient inverted planer structure FAPbI3
      perovskite solar cells.

PMID- 26105665
TI  - Stem Cell Therapy for Myocardial Infarction 2001-2013 Revisited.
AB  - Stem cell therapy for ischemic heart disease was an emerging concept in the early
      2000s. First hopes were largely overshadowed by rather inconsistent results in
      human trials conducted in the middle of the decade. We aimed at investigating how
      the field of stem cell research expanded worldwide over the years using
      scientometric methods. We performed a PubMed inquiry and screened a total of 2609
      publications dealing with stem cell therapy for myocardial infarction in the
      years 2001-2013. Density equalizing maps were used to visualize important centres
      of stem cell research worldwide. This systematic bibliometric study revealed an
      increasing research interest in the field of stem cell research in the context of
      ischemic heart disease over the last decade. Though some of the large human
      trials failed to show significant effects of stem cell therapy, especially basic
      science represents an ever growing field that evolved promising new concepts over
      the last couple of years. The scientific principle of protective paracrine
      mediators released from transplanted stem cells seems to bear great potential for
      future cell-free therapeutic use. However, further mechanistic insights are
      needed before transition from bench to bedside should be attempted, taking the
      lessons learned from previous studies into account. 

PMID- 26105667
TI  - Statewide Longitudinal Hospital Use and Charges for Pediatric and Adolescent
      Patients With Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated longitudinal hospitalization outcomes (total charges,
      hospital days and admissions) among pediatric and adolescent patients with cancer
      compared with individuals from the general population without cancer using a
      novel and efficient three-step regression procedure. METHODS: The statewide Utah
      Population Database, with linkages to the Utah Cancer Registry, was used to
      identify 1,651 patients who were diagnosed with cancer from 1996 to 2009 at ages
      0 to 21 years. A comparison group of 4,953 same-sex and -age individuals was
      generated from birth certificates. Claims-based hospitalization data from 1996 to
      2012 were retrieved from the Utah Department of Health. Using the regression
      method, we estimated survival (differences due to survival) and intensity
      (differences due to resource accumulation) effects of the cancer diagnosis on
      hospitalization outcomes within 10 years after diagnosis. RESULTS: At 10 years
      after diagnosis, on average, patients with cancer incurred $51,723 (95% CI,
      $48,100 to $58,284) more in charges, spent 30 additional days (95% CI, 27.7 to
      36.1 days) in the hospital, and had 5.7 (95% CI, 5.4 to 6.4) more admissions than
      the comparison group. Our analyses showed that the highest hospitalization burden
      occurred during the first 4 years of diagnosis. Patients with leukemia incurred
      the greatest hospitalization burden throughout the 10 years from diagnosis.
      Intensity effects explained the majority of differences in hospital outcomes.
      CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that children and adolescents who were diagnosed
      with cancer in 2014 in the United States will incur over $800 million more in
      hospital charges than individuals without cancer by 2024. Interventions to reduce
      this burden should be explored in conjunction with improving health and survival
      outcomes.

PMID- 26105668
TI  - Use and Costs for Tumor Gene Expression Profiling Panels in the Management of
      Breast Cancer From 2006 to 2012: Implications for Genomic Test Adoption Among
      Private Payers.
AB  - PURPOSE: Tumor gene expression profiling (GEP) can be used to predict recurrence
      risk and the potential benefit of breast cancer treatment. Adoption of GEP among
      privately insured patients has not been well studied. Our objectives were to
      characterize trends in GEP use and to evaluate per-use patient and health plan
      payments from 2006 to 2012. METHODS: We used Truven Health Analytics MarketScan
      administrative claims database to examine GEP testing among women with breast
      cancer from 2006 to 2012 (N = 154,883). We estimated trends in the proportion of
      women who received GEP using segmented regression. We summarized average
      reimbursement for GEP, including insurer payments and patient out-of-pocket
      payments. RESULTS: Overall, 18,575 women received GEP. The average age was 53.6
      years, and most were enrolled in a preferred provider organization health plan.
      The adjusted proportion of women with breast cancer who received GEP grew from
      2.2% in 2006 to 18.8% in 2012 (adjusted risk ratio, 8.4; 95% CI, 7.6 to 9.3). Out
      of-pocket costs to the patient ranged from $0 to $4,752. Most patients paid
      nothing for GEP (median, $0; interquartile ratio, $4). Mean patient out-of-pocket
      costs were $175 (standard deviation [SD], $484). Private-insurer reimbursed
      amounts for GEP increased annually from an average of $3,125 (SD, $1,523) in 2006
      to $3,680 (SD, $835) by 2012. CONCLUSION: GEP has rapidly diffused into clinical
      practice. Reimbursements by insurers have increased slowly, and average out-of
      pocket costs to patients have decreased, seemingly driven by improved coverage
      for testing over time. As more genetic tests become available, it will be
      important to understand how these technologies will affect cancer care costs
      across the US health care system.

PMID- 26105669
TI  - Changes in Medication Management After a Diagnosis of Cancer Among Medicare
      Beneficiaries With Diabetes.
AB  - PURPOSE: A new cancer diagnosis commonly initiates a cascade of health care
      decisions that have potentially important consequences for management of other
      chronic conditions such as diabetes. We sought to determine whether a new cancer
      diagnosis is associated with changes in medication adherence among Medicare
      beneficiaries with diabetes, and whether the relationship is affected by life
      expectancy and generosity of drug coverage. METHODS: The study population was
      drawn from a 5% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes enrolled in
      Medicare Part D in 2007 and 2008. Patients had cancer newly diagnosed between
      January and December 2007 (n = 4,348) and were compared with a cancer-free
      control group (N = 28,507) assigned a pseudo-diagnosis date. Adherence
      (proportion of days covered [PDC]) with oral hypoglycemic agents, renin
      angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors, and statins was tracked for 6 months
      before and after the diagnosis date. Multivariable regression models assessed the
      independent impact of a cancer diagnosis, life expectancy (proxy measure: died 7
      to 12 months after index date), and coverage generosity (proxy measure: low
      income subsidy recipient) on PDC, controlling for individual characteristics.
      RESULTS: Relatively larger declines in medication adherence (3 to 5 percentage
      points; P < .001) were observed overall for patients with cancer versus controls.
      Short life expectancy was associated with between 8% and 11% lower PDC (P < .001)
      in the cancer subgroup relative to controls. Low-income subsidy status had no
      differential effect on changes in drug adherence. CONCLUSION: A cancer diagnosis
      among patients with diabetes reduced adherence with evidence-based medications,
      particularly if patients' life expectancy was short.

PMID- 26105670
TI  - Measuring Comprehensiveness of Primary Care: Challenges and Opportunities.
AB  - Comprehensiveness of primary care (the extent to which the clinician, as part of
      the primary care team, recognizes and meets the majority of each patient's
      physical and mental health care needs) is an important element of primary care,
      but seems to be declining in the U.S. This is concerning, because more
      comprehensive primary care is associated with greater equity and efficiency in
      health care, improved continuity, less care fragmentation and better health
      outcomes. Without measurement and support for its improvement, comprehensiveness
      may further decline as other measured aspects of primary care (e.g. access,
      coordination) improve. To track, support and improve comprehensiveness, it is
      useful to have valid and reliable ways to measure it. This paper discusses
      challenges to measuring comprehensiveness for a primary care team's patient
      panel, presents survey and claims-based measures of comprehensiveness, and
      provides suggestions for future research. 

PMID- 26105672
TI  - Methods of Observing Variations in Physicians' Decisions: The Opportunities of
      Clinical Vignettes.
AB  - To support their efforts to promote high quality and efficient care, policymakers
      need to better understand the key factors associated with variations in
      physicians' decisions, and in particular, physician deviations from evidence
      based care. Clinical vignette survey instruments hold potential for research in
      this area as an approach that both allows for practical, large-scale study and
      overcomes the data quality challenges posed by analysis of clinical data. These
      surveys present respondents with a narrative description of a hypothetical
      patient case and solicit responses to one or more questions regarding the care of
      the patient. In this review, we describe various methods for measuring variations
      in physicians' decisions and highlight a range of design features researchers
      should consider when developing a clinical vignette survey. We conclude by
      identifying areas for future research. 

PMID- 26105671
TI  - Disentangling the Linkage of Primary Care Features to Patient Outcomes: A Review
      of Current Literature, Data Sources, and Measurement Needs.
AB  - Primary care plays a central role in the provision of health care, and is an
      organizing feature for health care delivery systems in most Western
      industrialized democracies. For a variety of reasons, however, the practice of
      primary care has been in decline in the U.S. This paper reviews key primary care
      concepts and their definitions, notes the increasingly complex interplay between
      primary care and the broader health care system, and offers research priorities
      to support future measurement, delivery and understanding of the role of primary
      care features on health care costs and quality. 

PMID- 26105673
TI  - Factors Contributing to Variations in Physicians' Use of Evidence at The Point of
      Care: A Conceptual Model.
AB  - There is ample evidence that many clinical decisions made by physicians are
      inconsistent with current and generally accepted evidence. This leads to the
      underuse of some efficacious diagnostic, preventive or therapeutic services, and
      the overuse of others of marginal or no value to the patient. Evolving new
      payment and delivery models place greater emphasis on the provision of evidence
      based services at the point of care. However, changing physician clinical
      behaviors is likely to be difficult and slow. Policy makers therefore need to
      design interventions that are most effective in promoting greater evidence-based
      care. To help identify modifiable factors that can influence clinical decisions
      at the point of care, we present a conceptual model and literature review of
      physician decision making. We describe the multitude of factors--drawn from
      different disciplines--that have been shown to influence physician point-of-care
      decisions. We present a conceptual framework for organizing these factors,
      dividing them into patient, physician, practice site, physician organization,
      network, market, and public policy influences. In doing so, we review some of the
      literature that speak to these factors. We then identify areas where additional
      research is especially needed, and discuss the challenges and opportunities for
      health services and policy researchers to gain a better understanding of these
      factors, particularly those that are potentially modifiable by policymakers and
      organizational leaders.

PMID- 26105674
TI  - Measuring Changes in the Economics of Medical Practice.
AB  - For the latter third of the twentieth century, researchers have estimated
      production and cost functions for physician practices. Today, those attempting to
      measure the inputs and outputs of physician practice must account for many recent
      changes in models of care delivery. In this paper, we review practice inputs and
      outputs as typically described in research on the economics of medical practice,
      and consider the implications of the changing organization of medical practice
      and nature of physician work. This evolving environment has created conceptual
      challenges in what are the appropriate measures of output from physician work, as
      well as what inputs should be measured. Likewise, the increasing complexity of
      physician practice organizations has introduced challenges to finding the
      appropriate data sources for measuring these constructs. Both these conceptual
      and data challenges pose measurement issues that must be overcome to study the
      economics of modern medical practice. Despite these challenges, there are several
      promising initiatives involving data sharing at the organizational level that
      could provide a starting point for developing the needed new data sources and
      metrics for physician inputs and outputs. However, additional efforts will be
      required to establish data collection approaches and measurements applicable to
      smaller and single specialty practices. Overcoming these measurement and data
      challenges will be key to supporting policy-relevant research on the changing
      economics of medical practice. 

PMID- 26105676
TI  - The Results Are Only as Good as the Sample: Assessing Three National Physician
      Sampling Frames.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Databases of practicing physicians are important for studies that
      require sampling physicians or counting the physician population in a given area.
      However, little is known about how the three main sampling frames differ from
      each other. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to compare the National Provider and Plan
      Enumeration System (NPPES), the American Medical Association Masterfile and the
      SK&A physician file. METHODS: We randomly sampled 3000 physicians from the NPPES
      (500 in six specialties). We conducted two- and three-way comparisons across
      three databases to determine the extent to which they matched on address and
      specialty. In addition, we randomly selected 1200 physicians (200 per specialty)
      for telephone verification. KEY RESULTS: One thousand, six hundred and fifty-five
      physicians (55 %) were found in all three data files. The SK&A data file had the
      highest rate of missing physicians when compared to the NPPES, and varied by
      specialty (50 % in radiology vs. 28 % in cardiology). NPPES and SK&A had the
      highest rates of matching mailing address information, while the AMA Masterfile
      had low rates compared with the NPPES. We were able to confirm 65 % of
      physicians' address information by phone. The NPPES and SK&A had similar rates of
      correct address information in phone verification (72-94 % and 79-92 %,
      respectively, across specialties), while the AMA Masterfile had significantly
      lower rates of correct address information across all specialties (32-54 % across
      specialties). CONCLUSIONS: None of the data files in this study were perfect; the
      fact that we were unable to reach one-third of our telephone verification sample
      is troubling. However, the study offers some encouragement for researchers
      conducting physician surveys. The NPPES and to a lesser extent, the SK&A file,
      appear to provide reasonably accurate, up-to-date address information for
      physicians billing public and provider insurers.

PMID- 26105675
TI  - Patient Use of Email, Facebook, and Physician Websites to Communicate with
      Physicians: A National Online Survey of Retail Pharmacy Users.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient-physician communication often occurs outside the clinic
      setting; many institutions discourage electronic communication outside of
      established electronic health record systems. Little empirical data are available
      on patient interest in electronic communication and Web-based health tools that
      are technically feasible but not widely available. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: To explore
      patient behavior and interest in using the Internet to contact physicians.
      DESIGN: National cross-sectional online survey. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 4,510
      CVS customers with at least one chronic condition in the household was used to
      target patients with chronic conditions and their caregivers. Subjects were
      identified from a national panel of over 100,000 retail pharmacy customers. Of
      those sampled, 2,252 responded (50.0 % response rate). MAIN MEASURES: Survey
      measures included demographic and health information, patient use of email and
      Facebook to contact physicians, and patient interest in and use of Web-based
      tools for health. KEY RESULTS: A total of 37 % of patients reported contacting
      their physicians via email within the last six months, and 18 % via Facebook.
      Older age was negatively associated with contacting physicians using email (OR
      0.57 [95 % CI 0.41-0.78]) or Facebook (OR 0.28 [0.17-0.45]). Non-white race (OR
      1.61 [1.18-2.18] and OR 1.82 [1.24-2.67]) and caregiver status (OR 1.58 [1.27
      1.96] and OR 1.71 [1.31- 2.23]) were positively associated with using email and
      Facebook, respectively. Patients were interested in using Web-based tools to fill
      prescriptions, track their own health, and access health information (37-57 %),
      but few were currently doing so (4-8 %). CONCLUSIONS: In this population of
      retail pharmacy users, there is strong interest among patients in the use of
      email and Facebook to communicate with their physicians. The findings highlight
      the gap between patient interest for online communication and what physicians may
      currently provide. Improving and accelerating the adoption of secure Web
      messaging systems is a possible solution that addresses both institutional
      concerns and patient demand.

PMID- 26105677
TI  - Making the Case for a New National Data Collection Effort on Physicians and Their
      Practices.

PMID- 26105678
TI  - Cotton Fever: Does the Patient Know Best?
AB  - Fever and leukocytosis have many possible etiologies in injection drug users. We
      present a case of a 22-year-old woman with fever and leukocytosis that were
      presumed secondary to cotton fever, a rarely recognized complication of injection
      drug use, after an extensive workup. Cotton fever is a benign, self-limited
      febrile syndrome characterized by fevers, leukocytosis, myalgias, nausea and
      vomiting, occurring in injection drug users who filter their drug suspensions
      through cotton balls. While this syndrome is commonly recognized amongst the
      injection drug user population, there is a paucity of data in the medical
      literature. We review the case presentation and available literature related to
      cotton fever. 

PMID- 26105679
TI  - Small Talk.

PMID- 26105680
TI  - Facial Swelling and Rash Following Tooth Extraction.

PMID- 26105681
TI  - "Doctor, My Chest is on Fire".

PMID- 26105683
TI  - Risk factors of hand climbing-related injuries.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the protective mechanisms or risk factors that
      can be related to the occurrence of hand climbing-related injuries (CRIH ). CRIH
      (tendon, pulley, muscle, and joint injuries) were retrospectively screened in 528
      adult climbers. The questionnaire contained anthropometric items (e.g., body mass
      index - BMI), as well as items regarding climbing and basic training activities
      (warm-up, cool-down and session durations, number of session per week, hydration,
      practice level, climbing surface, and duration of the cardiovascular training).
      Higher skilled climbers and climbers with BMI above 21 kg/m(2) were more likely
      to have experienced CRIH (P < 0.01). Climbers with BMI above 20 kg/m(2) were more
      likely to have tendon injuries while those with a BMI above 21 kg/m(2) were more
      likely to have pulley injuries (P < 0.01). Skilled climbers, who climb more
      difficult routes, may use smaller grip size and a reduced number of fingers.
      Higher BMI will require a higher force to climb. Both high level and elevated BMI
      may increase the demands to the hands and fingers leading to CRIH . These risk
      factors are difficult to address as we cannot recommend the climbers to climb
      easier routes and decrease their BMI below 20 kg/m(2) . 

PMID- 26105684
TI  - EEG background features that predict outcome in term neonates with hypoxic
      ischaemic encephalopathy: A structured review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy is a significant cause of mortality
      and morbidity in the term infant. Electroencephalography (EEG) is a useful tool
      in the assessment of newborns with HIE. This systematic review of published
      literature identifies those background features of EEG in term neonates with HIE
      that best predict neurodevelopmental outcome. METHODS: A literature search was
      conducted using the PubMed, EMBASE and CINAHL databases from January 1960 to
      April 2014. Studies included in the review described recorded EEG background
      features, neurodevelopmental outcomes at a minimum age of 12 months and were
      published in English. Pooled sensitivities and specificities of EEG background
      features were calculated and meta-analyses were performed for each background
      feature. RESULTS: Of the 860 articles generated by the initial search strategy,
      52 studies were identified as potentially relevant. Twenty-one studies were
      excluded as they did not distinguish between different abnormal background
      features, leaving 31 studies from which data were extracted for the meta
      analysis. The most promising neonatal EEG features are: burst suppression
      (sensitivity 0.87 [95% CI (0.78-0.92)]; specificity 0.82 [95% CI (0.72-0.88)]),
      low voltage (sensitivity 0.92 [95% CI (0.72-0.97)]; specificity 0.99 [95% CI
      (0.88-1.0)]), and flat trace (sensitivity 0.78 [95% CI (0.58-0.91)]; specificity
      0.99 [95% CI (0.88-1.0)]). CONCLUSION: Burst suppression, low voltage and flat
      trace in the EEG of term neonates with HIE most accurately predict long term
      neurodevelopmental outcome. SIGNIFICANCE: This structured review and meta
      analysis provides quality evidence of the background EEG features that best
      predict neurodevelopmental outcome.

PMID- 26105685
TI  - Individual variability in perceptual switching behaviour is associated with
      reversal-related EEG modulations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: High individual variability is frequently observed in multistable
      perception, but few ERP studies have considered this factor. The present
      investigation evaluates the relation between individual perceptual switching and
      the modulation of reversal-related ERP components. METHODS: We used a bistable
      perception paradigm (Kornmeier and Bach, 2004), consisting of briefly flashed
      grid of nine Necker cubes, interspersed by a blank screen. The subject's task was
      to compare the previous stimulus with the latter one. The number of reversal
      perceptions was used as a measure of individual perceptual switching behaviour.
      RESULTS: As in previously reported findings, Reversal Negativity (RN, 180-300 ms)
      and Late Positive Component (LPC, 350-600 ms) were identified in response to
      reversal perception. In terms of individual differences, higher reversals were
      associated with reduced negativity of the RN and enhanced positivity of the LPC.
      CONCLUSION: The timing of the present results supports the hypothesis that
      individual variability in perceptual reversal is associated with different neural
      activations at later stage of processing, when the neural representation of
      ambiguous figure must be internalized to produce an appropriate
      response/behaviour. SIGNIFICANCE: Multistable perception can reveal crucial
      mechanisms underlying individual perceptual re-organization when inconsistent or
      incoherent stimuli come from the environment.

PMID- 26105686
TI  - A simple model for pollen-parent fecundity distributions in bee-pollinated forage
      legume polycrosses.
AB  - A simple Weibull distribution based empirical model that predicts pollen-parent
      fecundity distributions based on polycross size alone has been developed in
      outbred forage legume species for incorporation into quantitative genetic theory.
      Random mating or panmixis is a fundamental assumption in quantitative genetic
      theory. Random mating is sometimes thought to occur in actual fact, although a
      large body of empirical work shows that this is often not the case in nature.
      Models have been developed to explain many non-random mating phenomena. This
      paper measured pollen-parent fecundity distributions among outbred perennial
      forage legume species [autotetraploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), autohexaploid
      kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.), and diploid red clover (Trifolium
      pratense L.)] in ten polycrosses ranging in size (N) from 9 to 94 pollinated with
      bee pollinators [Bumble Bees (Bombus impatiens Cr.) and leafcutter bees
      (Megachile rotundata F.)]. A Weibull distribution best fit the observed pollen
      parent fecundity distributions. After standardizing data among the 10
      polycrosses, a single Weibull distribution-based model was obtained with an R (2)
      of 0.978. The model is able to predict pollen-parent fecundity distributions
      based on polycross size alone. The model predicts that the effective polycross
      size will be approximately 9 % smaller than under random mating (i.e., N e/N ~
      0.91). The model is simple and can easily be incorporated into other models or
      simulations requiring a pollen-parent fecundity distribution. Further work is
      needed to determine how widely applicable the model is.

PMID- 26105687
TI  - CT for occult cancer is unnecessary in people with unexpected venous
      thromboembolism, study finds.

PMID- 26105688
TI  - Inhibition of ferric ion to oxalate oxidase shed light on the substrate binding
      site.
AB  - Oxalate oxidase (OxOx), a well known enzyme catalyzes the cleavage of oxalate to
      carbon dioxide with reduction of dioxygen to hydrogen peroxide, however its
      catalytic process is not well understood. To define the substrate binding site,
      interaction of Fe(3+) ions with OxOx was systemically investigated using
      biochemical method, circular dichrosim spectroscopy, microscale thermophoresis,
      and computer modeling. We demonstrated that Fe(3+) is a non-competitive inhibitor
      with a milder binding affinity to OxOx, and the secondary structure of the OxOx
      was slightly altered upon its binding. On the basis of the structural properties
      of the OxOx and its interaction with Fe(3+) ions, two residue clusters of OxOx
      were assigned as potential Fe(3+) binding sites, the mechanism of the inhibition
      of Fe(3+) was delineated. Importantly, the residues that interact with Fe(3+)
      ions are involved in the substrate orienting based on computer docking.
      Consequently, the interaction of OxOx with Fe(3+) highlights insight into
      substrate binding site in OxOx. 

PMID- 26105689
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25597837.

PMID- 26105690
TI  - A scanning cavity microscope.
AB  - Imaging the optical properties of individual nanosystems beyond fluorescence can
      provide a wealth of information. However, the minute signals for absorption and
      dispersion are challenging to observe, and only specialized techniques requiring
      sophisticated noise rejection are available. Here we use signal enhancement in a
      high-finesse scanning optical microcavity to demonstrate ultra-sensitive imaging.
      Harnessing multiple interactions of probe light with a sample within an optical
      resonator, we achieve a 1,700-fold signal enhancement compared with diffraction
      limited microscopy. We demonstrate quantitative imaging of the extinction cross
      section of gold nanoparticles with a sensitivity less than 1 nm(2); we show a
      method to improve the spatial resolution potentially below the diffraction limit
      by using higher order cavity modes, and we present measurements of the
      birefringence and extinction contrast of gold nanorods. The demonstrated
      simultaneous enhancement of absorptive and dispersive signals promises intriguing
      potential for optical studies of nanomaterials, molecules and biological
      nanosystems. 

PMID- 26105691
TI  - Presence of Fragmented QRS May Be Due to Higher Levels of Left Ventricle Mass in
      Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis.

PMID- 26105692
TI  - Development of neuromuscular organization in the ctenophore Pleurobrachia bachei.
AB  - The phylogenetic position of the phylum Ctenophora and the nature of ctenphore
      nervous systems are highly debated topics in modern evolutionary biology.
      However, very little is known about the organization of ctenophore neural and
      muscular systems, and virtually nothing has been reported about their
      embryogenesis. Here we have characterized the neural and muscular development of
      the sea gooseberry, Pleurobrachia bachei, starting from the cleavage stages to
      posthatching larvae. Scanning electron microscopy and immunochemistry were used
      to describe the formation of the embryonic mouth, tentacles, combs, aboral organ,
      and putative sensory cells. The muscles started their specification at the end of
      the first day of Pleurobrachia development. In contrast, neurons appeared 2 days
      after myogenesis, just before the hatching of fully formed cydippid larvae. The
      first tubulin-immunoreactive neurons, a small group of four to six cells with
      neuronal processes, was initially recognized at the aboral pole during the third
      day of development. Surprisingly, this observed neurogenesis occurred after the
      emergence of distinct behavioral patterns in the embryos. Thus, the embryonic
      behavior associated with comb cilia beatings and initial muscle organization does
      not require morphologically defined neurons and their elongated neurites. This
      study provides the first description of neuromuscular development in the
      enigmatic ctenophores and establishes the foundation for future research using
      emerging genomic tools and resources.

PMID- 26105694
TI  - Therapeutic Potential of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Inhibiting
      Myofibroblastic Differentiation of Irradiated Human Lung Fibroblasts.
AB  - Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) limits the benefits of radiotherapy in
      patients with lung cancer. Radiation-induced differentiation of lung fibroblasts
      to myofibroblasts plays a key role in RILI. Recent studies have shown that
      mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can protect against lung fibrosis and that Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling is involved in fibrotic processes. In the present study, we
      explored the therapeutic potential of human umbilical cord MSCs (HUMSCs) for
      preventing radiation-induced differentiation of human lung fibroblasts (HLFs) to
      myofibroblasts. There are two advantages in the use of HUMSCs; namely, they are
      easily obtained and have low immunogenicity. Irradiated HLFs were co-cultured
      with HUMSCs. Expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), a myofibroblast
      marker, was measured by Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry.
      Irradiation (X-rays, 5 Gy) induced the differentiation of HLFs into
      myofibroblasts, which was inhibited by co-culture with HUMSCs. Irradiation also
      caused activation of the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in HLFs, as judged
      by increased phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3beta, nuclear
      accumulation of beta-catenin, and elevated levels of Wnt-inducible signaling
      protein-1 (WISP-1) in the conditioned medium. However, co-culture with HUMSCs
      attenuated the radiation-induced activation of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. We
      also measured the expression of FRAT1 that can enhance the Wnt/beta-catenin
      signaling by stabilizing beta-catenin. Co-culture with HUMSCs decreased FRAT1
      protein levels in irradiated nHLFs. Thus, co-culture with HUMSCs attenuated the
      radiation-induced activation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in HLFs, thereby
      inhibiting myofibroblastic differentiation of HLFs. Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is
      a potential therapeutic target for limiting RILI in patients receiving
      radiotherapy for lung cancer. 

PMID- 26105695
TI  - FokI Polymorphism of the Vitamin D Receptor Gene Is Associated with
      Susceptibility to Gastric Cancer: A Case-Control Study.
AB  - Vitamin D is a potential protective agent against cancer, and its activity is
      mediated mainly by vitamin D receptor (VDR). The FokI polymorphism (rs10735810)
      represents a T-to-C transition (ATG to ACG) in exon 2 of the VDR gene, and this
      ATG represents the translation-initiation codon, encoded by the f allele. The
      FokI polymorphism results in the generation of a protein shortened by three amino
      acids, translated from the downstream ATG codon (the F allele). We investigated
      the relationship between the FokI polymorphism and gastric cancer in a Chinese
      Han population. A total of 187 patients and 212 healthy controls were enrolled.
      The FokI polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction restriction
      fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. The f allele frequency was
      higher in patients than that in controls (51.6% and 43.6%, P < 0.05).
      Multivariate logistics regression analysis revealed patients with the f allele
      (Ff + ff) showed a higher risk of gastric cancer [odds ratio (95% confidence
      interval) 2.73 (1.13~4.32)]. Patients with the f allele (Ff + ff) also presented
      a poorly differentiated type of gastric cancer (P < 0.05) and higher levels of C
      reactive protein on admission than the FF group (5.5 +/- 2.4 mg/L vs. 3.4 +/- 1.3
      mg/L, P < 0.05). Here, we show an association between the VDR FokI polymorphism
      and the susceptibility to gastric cancer, which may be helpful for early
      detection of high-risk individuals with the f allele for gastric cancer.
      Conversely, the F allele may be a protective factor against gastric cancer. 

PMID- 26105693
TI  - A Comprehensive View of the Neurotoxicity Mechanisms of Cocaine and Ethanol.
AB  - Substance use disorder is an emerging problem concerning to human health, causing
      severe side effects, including neurotoxicity. The use of illegal drugs and the
      misuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs are growing in this century,
      being one of the major public health problems. Ethanol and cocaine are one of the
      most frequently used drugs and, according to the National Institute on Drug
      Abuse, their concurrent consumption is one of the major causes for emergency
      hospital room visits. These molecules act in the brain through different
      mechanisms, altering the nervous system function. Researchers have focused the
      attention not just in the mechanism of action of these drugs, but also in the
      mechanism by which they damage the nervous tissue (neurotoxicity). Therefore, the
      goal of the present review is to provide a global perspective about the
      mechanisms of the neurotoxicity of cocaine and ethanol. 

PMID- 26105696
TI  - Lower serum soluble-EGFR is a potential biomarker for metastasis of HCC
      demonstrated by N-glycoproteomic analysis.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most deadly cancers in the world due
      to its high metastatic potential. By using the isobaric tags for relative and
      absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based quantitative N-glycoproteomic analysis, 26
      differentially expressed serum glycoproteins derived from defined stages in
      orthotopic xenograft tumor model were identified. Among them, expression level of
      soluble EGFR (sEGFR) was verified in HCC cell lines. We found that non-metastasis
      HCC cell lines express significantly more sEGFR than HCC cell lines with
      metastasis potential both in cell lysates and culture media. Serum samples from
      28 non-metastatic HCC patients and 28 metastatic HCC patients were assayed.
      Compared with the non-metastatic HCC group, serum level of sEGFR in metastatic
      HCC group was statistically lower (p<0.01). All these results provide evidence
      that sEGFR is a potential candidate for metastasis-associated biomarkers of HCC.
      The related molecular mechanism deserves to be further explored. 

PMID- 26105697
TI  - Gut microbiota-derived outer membrane vesicles: under-recognized major players in
      health and disease?
AB  - The role of gut microbiota both in human health and in disease is the subject of
      intense investigation. The interactions between gut microbiota and the host
      involve a complex network of metabolic pathways and of biologically active
      molecules secreted by intestinal bacteria, some of which are packed into
      nanoparticles known as outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). OMVs can enter the
      systemic circulation and be delivered to different organs including the brain,
      eliciting a variety of immunological and metabolic responses. The resulting acute
      and chronic effects are largely unknown. However, recent studies suggest that
      OMVs could play a critical role in immune homeostasis and in acute inflammatory
      reactions. Moreover, the "leaky gut" hypothesis has recently emphasized the role
      of the brain-gut axis in the pathogenesis of major depressive disorders, pointing
      to the importance of bacteria and of bacterial products delivered into the
      circulation in eliciting the low-grade inflammatory response associated with this
      syndrome. Interestingly, experimental evidence suggests that OMVs can also affect
      the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. This review also highlights the
      importance of investigating possible influences of OMVs on the development of the
      immune system. 

PMID- 26105698
TI  - Stem cell-derived liver cells for drug testing and disease modeling.
AB  - Differences between animals and humans in liver pathways now necessitate the use
      of in vitro models of the human liver for several applications such as drug
      screening. However, isolated primary human hepatocytes (PHHs) are a limited
      resource for building such models given shortages of donor organs. In contrast,
      human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can
      be propagated nearly indefinitely and differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells
      in vitro using soluble factors inspired from liver development. Additionally,
      iPSCs can be generated from patients with specific genetic backgrounds to study
      genotype-phenotype relationships. While current protocols to differentiate hESCs
      and iPSCs into human hepatocyte-like cells (hESC-HHs and iPSC-HHs) still need
      improvement to yield cells functionally similar to the adult liver, proof-of
      concept studies have already shown utility of these cells in drug development and
      modeling liver diseases such as alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency, hepatitis B/C
      viral infections, and malaria. Here, we present an overview of hESC-HH and iPSC
      HH culture platforms that have been utilized for the aforementioned applications.
      We also discuss the use of semiconductor-driven microfabrication tools to
      precisely control the microenvironment around these cells to enable higher and
      longer-term liver functions in vitro. Finally, we discuss areas for improvement
      in creating next generation stem cell-derived liver models. In the future, stem
      cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells could provide a sustainable cell source for
      high-throughput drug screening, enabling better mechanistic understanding of
      human liver diseases for the development of more efficacious and safer
      therapeutics, and personalized cell-based therapies in the clinic. 

PMID- 26105700
TI  - Genetics of autism spectrum disorder: an update on copy number variations leading
      to autism in the next generation sequencing era.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a large group of neurodevelopmental conditions
      that share common characteristics such as social and language impairment and
      repetitive and stereotypic behaviors. It is reported that ASD is on increase in
      recent years reaching ratios up to 1 in 68 children. The disease is seen four
      times more frequently in males than females. ASD is heritable with complex
      inheritance and genetic heterogeneity, and frequently coexists with other
      diseases such as intellectual disability, seizure disorders, and fragile-x.
      Recent advances in genomic technologies have led to a greater understanding of
      genetic mechanisms in ASD, discovery of novel genetic loci and risk factors, as
      well as submicroscopic chromosomal changes also known as copy number variations
      (CNVs). Here we review recent developments in the genetics field and hereditary
      and sporadic CNVs leading to ASD. 

PMID- 26105699
TI  - Oncolytic immunotherapy through tumor-specific translation and cytotoxicity of
      poliovirus.
AB  - Achieving tumor-specific, robust, and durable effector cytotoxic immune responses
      is key to successful immunotherapy. This has been accomplished with adoptive cell
      transfer of ex vivo-expanded autologous tumor-infiltrating or engineered T cells,
      or with immune checkpoint inhibitors, enhancing inherent T cell reactivity. A
      natural ability to recruit effector responses makes tumor-targeting ('oncolytic')
      viruses attractive as immunotherapy vehicles. However, most viruses actively
      block inflammatory and immunogenic events; or, host innate immune responses may
      prevent immune initiating events in the first place. Moreover, the mechanisms of
      how virus infection can produce effector responses against host (tumor) neo
      antigens are unclear. We are pioneering oncolytic immunotherapy based on
      poliovirus, which has no specific mechanism to interfere with host immune
      activation, exhibits lytic cytotoxicity in the presence of an antiviral
      interferon response and pre-existing immunity, and engages a powerful innate
      immune sensor implicated in recruiting cytotoxic T cell responses. Central to
      this approach is a unique confluence of factors that drive tumor-specific viral
      translation and cytotoxicity. 

PMID- 26105702
TI  - Anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibodies in treating advanced
      melanoma.
AB  - The anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibodies pembrolizumab and
      nivolumab have been contingently approved for the treatment of patients with
      advanced melanoma based on their durable response, high response rate, and
      favorable safety profile. Mature survival data from randomized phase III trials
      are eagerly awaited to confirm their position as the standard-of-care frontline
      or second-line therapy in advanced melanoma management algorithm. The immune
      related adverse events associated with these novel agents are somewhat different
      than those of ipilimumab, considering the manifestation of pneumonitis and acute
      renal failure. Active research is ongoing to identify biomarkers predictive of
      clinical benefit to the anti-PD1 monoclonal antibodies, to expand their utility
      in other disease settings, and to explore their safety and efficacy in
      combination with other therapeutic agents. Unanswered questions concerning
      optimal dosing schedule, treatment duration, and therapy sequencing will also
      need to be addressed in future investigations. 

PMID- 26105701
TI  - Stroke induces a rapid adaptive autoimmune response to novel neuronal antigens.
AB  - Stroke affects millions of people worldwide every year. Despite this prevalence,
      mechanisms of long-term injury and repair within the ischemic brain are still
      understudied. Sterile inflammation occurs in the injured brain after stroke, with
      damaged tissue exposing central nervous system (CNS)-derived antigen that could
      initiate potential autoimmune responses. We used a standard immunology-based
      recall response assay for murine immune cells, isolated from the cervical lymph
      nodes and spleen after transient stroke, to determine if stroke induces
      autoreactivity to CNS target antigens. Our assays included novel neuronal
      peptides, in addition to myelin-, nuclear-, glial-, and endothelial-derived
      peptides. Autoimmune responses to an antigen were considered positive based on
      proliferation and activation over non-stimulated conditions. Stroke induced a
      significant increase in autoreactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, as well as
      autoreactive CD19+ B cells, as early as 4 days after stroke onset. Mice with
      large infarct volumes exhibited early T and B cell autoreactivity to NR2A, an
      NMDA receptor subunit, in cells isolated from lymph nodes but not spleen. Mice
      with small infarct volumes exhibited high autoreactivity to MAP2, a dendritic
      cytoskeletal protein, as well as myelin-derived peptides. This autoimmunity was
      maintained through 10 days post-stroke in both lymph nodes and spleen for all
      lymphocyte subsets. Sham surgery also induced early autoreactive B cell responses
      to MAP2 and myelin. Based on these observations, we hypothesize that stroke
      induces a secondary, complex, and dynamic autoimmune response to neuronal
      antigens with the potential to potentiate, or perhaps even ameliorate, long-term
      neuroinflammation. 

PMID- 26105703
TI  - Breast-feeding and complementary feeding practices in the first 6 months of life
      among Norwegian-Somali and Norwegian-Iraqi infants: the InnBaKost survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine breast-feeding and complementary feeding practices during
      the first 6 months of life among Norwegian infants of Somali and Iraqi family
      origin. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was performed during March 2013-February
      2014. Data were collected using a semi-quantitative FFQ adapted from the second
      Norwegian national dietary survey among infants in 2006-2007. SETTING: Somali
      born and Iraqi-born mothers living in eastern Norway were invited to participate.
      SUBJECTS: One hundred and seven mothers/infants of Somali origin and eighty
      mothers/infants of Iraqi origin participated. RESULTS: Breast-feeding was almost
      universally initiated after birth. Only 7 % of Norwegian-Somali and 10 % of
      Norwegian-Iraqi infants were exclusively breast-fed at 4 months of age. By 1
      month of age, water had been introduced to 30 % of Norwegian-Somali and 26 % of
      Norwegian-Iraqi infants, and infant formula to 44 % and 34 %, respectively. Fifty
      four per cent of Norwegian-Somali and 68 % of Norwegian-Iraqi infants had been
      introduced to solid or semi-solid foods at 4 months of age. Breast-feeding at 6
      months of age was more common among Norwegian-Somali infants (79 %) compared with
      Norwegian-Iraqi infants (58 %; P=0.001). Multivariate analyses indicated no
      significant factors associated with exclusive breast-feeding at 3.5 months of
      age. Factors positively associated with breast-feeding at 6 months were country
      of origin (Somalia) and parity (>2). CONCLUSIONS: Breast-feeding initiation was
      common among Iraqi-born and Somali-born mothers, but the exclusive breast-feeding
      period was shorter than recommended in both groups. The study suggests that there
      is a need for new culture-specific approaches to support exclusive breast-feeding
      and complementary feeding practices among foreign-born mothers living in Norway.

PMID- 26105704
TI  - Sediment size distribution and composition in a reservoir affected by severe
      water level fluctuations.
AB  - The reservoir sediments are important sinks for organic carbon (OC), the OC
      burial being dependent on two opposite processes, deposition and mineralization.
      Hence factors such as severe water level fluctuations are expected to influence
      the rate of OC accumulation as they may affect both deposition and
      mineralization. The Barasona Reservoir has been historically threatened by
      siltation, whilst the use of water for irrigation involves a drastic decrease of
      the water level. In this context, we have studied the physical and chemical
      characteristics (grain size, major and minor elemental compositions, organic and
      inorganic carbon, and nitrogen) of the recent sediments of the Barasona Reservoir
      and the relationships among them in order to: a) elucidate the main processes
      governing OC accumulation, b) evaluate the rate of OC mineralization and c)
      approach the effect of drought on the sediment characteristics in this system.
      Our results indicated that Barasona sediments were dominated by fine silts (>60%)
      and clays (>20%), the mean particle size decreasing from tail to dam. Desiccation
      increased particle sorting and size distribution became bimodal, but no effect on
      average size was observed. Attending to the composition, Barasona sediments were
      very homogeneous with low concentrations of nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (<1.2 g
      kg(-1) dw and <0.6 g kg(-1) dw, respectively) and high concentration of OC (~36 g
      kg(-1) dw). TN was negatively related to dry weight. Sediment mixing due to
      drastic changes in water level may have favoured the observed homogeneity of
      Barasona sediments affecting carbon, major ions and grain size. The high amount
      of OC deposited in Barasona sediment suggested that the adsorption of OC onto
      fine particles was more important than in boreal lakes. The rate of oxygen
      consumption by wet sediment ranged from 2.26 to 3.15 mg O2 m(-2) day(-1), values
      close to those compiled for Mediterranean running waters.

PMID- 26105705
TI  - Nutrients and contaminants in tissues of five fish species obtained from Shanghai
      markets: Risk-benefit evaluation from human health perspectives.
AB  - Shanghai is a Chinese megacity in the Yangtze River Delta area, one of the most
      polluted coastal areas in China. The inhabitants of Shanghai have very high
      aquatic product consumption rates. A risk-benefit assessment of the co-ingestion
      of fish nutrients and contaminants has not previously been performed for Shanghai
      residents. Samples of five farmed fish species (marine and freshwater) with
      different feeding habits were collected from Shanghai markets in winter and
      summer. Fatty acids, protein, mercury, cadmium, lead, copper, polychlorinated
      biphenyls, hexachlorocyclohexanes, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes were
      measured in liver, abdominal fat, and dorsal, abdominal, and tail muscles from
      fish. Tolerable daily intakes and benefit-risk quotients were calculated to allow
      the benefits and risks of co-ingesting n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids
      and contaminants to be assessed according to the cancer slope factors and
      reference doses of selected pollutants. All of the contaminant concentrations in
      the muscle tissues were much lower than the national maximum limits, but the
      livers generally contained high Hg concentrations, exceeding the regulatory
      limit. The organic pollutant and n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid
      concentrations correlated with the lipid contents of the fish tissues, and were
      higher in carnivorous marine fish than in omnivorous and herbivorous freshwater
      fish. The tolerable daily intakes, risk-benefit quotients, and current daily
      aquatic product intakes for residents of large Chinese cities indicated that the
      muscle tissues of most of the fish analyzed can be consumed regularly without
      significant contaminant-related risks to health. However, attention should be
      paid to the potential risks posed by dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in large
      yellow croaker and Hg in tilapia. Based on the results of this study, we
      encourage people to consume equal portions of marine and freshwater fish. 

PMID- 26105706
TI  - Inequality of Opportunity: Reply to Pedro Rosa Dias and Erik Schokkaert.

PMID- 26105707
TI  - Treatment strategy profiles in substance use disorder treatment programs: A
      latent class analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Modern treatment options for substance use disorder are diverse.
      While studies have analyzed the adoption of individual evidence-based practices
      in treatment centers, little is known about the specific make-up of treatment
      strategy profiles in treatment centers throughout the United States. The current
      study used latent class analysis to profile underlying treatment strategies and
      to evaluate philosophical and structural supports associated with each profile.
      METHODS: Utilizing three aggregated and secondary datasets of nationally
      representative samples of substance use disorder treatment centers (N=775), we
      employed latent class analysis to determine treatment strategy profiles. Using
      multinomial logistic regression, we then examined organizational characteristics
      associated with each profile. RESULTS: We found three distinct treatment strategy
      profiles: centers that primarily relied on motivational interviewing and
      motivational enhancement therapy, centers that utilized psychosocial and
      alternative therapies, and centers that employed comprehensive treatments
      including pharmacotherapy. The multinomial logistic regression revealed that
      philosophical and structural center characteristics were associated with
      membership in the comprehensive class. Centers with philosophical orientations
      conducive to holistic care and pharmacotherapy-acceptance, resource-rich
      infrastructures, and an entrepreneurial reliance on insured clients were more
      likely to offer diverse interventions. All associations were significant at the
      .05 level. PRINCIPLE CONCLUSION: The findings from this study help us understand
      the general strategies of treatment centers. From a practical perspective,
      practitioners and clients should be aware of the variation in treatment center
      practices where they may offer or receive treatment.

PMID- 26105708
TI  - Incidence and predictors of non-fatal drug overdose after release from prison
      among people who inject drugs in Queensland, Australia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Release from prison is a period of elevated risk for drug-related
      harms, particularly among people who inject drugs (PWID). Non-fatal overdose can
      cause serious morbidity and predicts future fatal overdose, however neither the
      incidence nor the risk factors for non-fatal overdose following release from
      prison are well understood. METHODS: Structured health-related interviews were
      conducted with 1051 adult prisoners in Queensland, Australia prior to release and
      approximately 1, 3 and 6 months post-release. Incidence of self-reported overdose
      in the community was calculated for PWID and all prisoners for three discrete
      time periods. Negative binomial regression with robust error variance was used to
      identify pre-release predictors of overdose among PWID. RESULTS: The incidence of
      reported overdose was highest between 1 and 3 months post-release (37.8 per 100
      person-years (PY) among PWID; 24.5/100 PY among all ex-prisoners). In adjusted
      analyses, the risk of post-release non-fatal overdose was higher for PWID who
      reported: being unemployed for >6 months before prison, having been removed from
      family as a child, at least weekly use of benzodiazepines and/or pharmaceutical
      opiates in the 3 months prior to prison, and ever receiving opioid substitution
      therapy (OST). Pre-release psychological distress and a lifetime history of
      mental disorder also predicted overdose, whereas risky alcohol use in the year
      before prison was protective. CONCLUSIONS: PWID have a high risk of overdose
      following release from prison. Imprisonment is an opportunity to initiate
      targeted preventive interventions such as OST, overdose prevention training and
      peer-delivered naloxone for those with a high risk profile.

PMID- 26105709
TI  - Sensitive determination of enoxacin in pharmaceutical formulations by its quench
      effect on the fluorescence of glutathione-capped CdTe quantum dots.
AB  - A sensitive and simple method for the determination of enoxacin (ENX) was
      developed based on the fluorescence quenching effect of ENX for glutathione (GSH)
      capped CdTe quantum dots (QDs). Under optimum conditions, a good linear
      relationship was obtained from 4.333 * 10(-9)  mol?L(-1) to 1.4 * 10(-5)  mol?L(
      1) with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.9987, and the detection limit
      (3sigma/K) was 1.313 * 10(-9)  mol?L(-1). The corresponding mechanism has been
      proposed on the basis of electron transfer supported by ultraviolet-visible (UV)
      light absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy, and the measurement of fluorescence
      lifetime. The method has been applied to the determination of ENX in
      pharmaceutical formulations (enoxacin gluconate injections and commercial
      tablets) with satisfactory results. The proposed method manifested several
      advantages such as high sensitivity, short analysis time, low cost and ease of
      operation.

PMID- 26105710
TI  - Reliability of new three-dimensional ultrasound technique for pelvic hiatal area
      measurement.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the reproducibility of a new technique for three-/four
      dimensional (3D/4D) ultrasound imaging of the pelvic floor: OmniViewTM volume
      contrast imaging (VCI) for measurement of the pelvic hiatal area on maximum
      contraction and Valsalva maneuver. In addition, we aimed to study the intermethod
      agreement between the new technique and the 3D/4D render method. METHODS: We
      acquired one static 3D and two dynamic 4D transperineal volumes (one obtained
      during contraction and one during Valsalva maneuver) from 35 nulliparous
      asymptomatic healthy volunteers and 35 women with symptoms of pelvic floor
      dysfunction. Each 3D dataset was analyzed using the OmniView-VCI technique to
      measure the pelvic hiatal area at rest, on maximum contraction and on maximum
      Valsalva. Analysis was performed twice by the same operator and once by another
      operator in order to assess intra- and interobserver reproducibility. All
      measurements were repeated by one operator using the 3D/4D render method to
      evaluate the intermethod agreement. Reproducibility and intermethod agreement
      were studied by means of intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and the Bland
      Altman method. RESULTS: Measurement of hiatal area using the OmniView-VCI
      technique showed excellent intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility in
      both asymptomatic and symptomatic women at rest, on contraction and on Valsalva
      maneuver. In addition, excellent agreement was demonstrated between OmniView-VCI
      and 3D/4D render in both groups (ICCs on Valsalva in asymptomatic and symptomatic
      women were 0.894 and 0.975, respectively). No systematic difference was noted in
      any of the reliability studies performed. CONCLUSIONS: OmniView-VCI is a reliable
      method for pelvic hiatal area measurement. Both rendering mode and OmniView-VCI
      can be used interchangeably for assessing pelvic hiatal area. Copyright (c) 2015
      ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PMID- 26105711
TI  - In vitro evaluation and in silico screening of synthetic acetylcholinesterase
      inhibitors bearing functionalized piperidine pharmacophores.
AB  - A series of densely functionalized piperidine (FP) scaffolds was synthesized
      following a diastereoselective one-pot multicomponent protocol under eco-friendly
      conditions. The FPs were evaluated in vitro for their acetylcholinesterase (AChE)
      inhibitory activity, and in silico studies for all the target compounds were
      carried out using pharmacophore mapping, molecular docking and quantitative
      structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis in order to understand the
      structural features required for interaction with the AChE enzyme and the key
      active site residues involved in the intermolecular interactions. Halogenation,
      nitration or 3,4-methylenedixoxy-substitution at the phenyl ring attached to the
      2- and 6-positions of 1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine nucleus in compounds 14-17, 19,
      20, 24 and 26 greatly enhanced the AChE inhibitory activity. The docking analysis
      demonstrated that the inhibitors are well-fitted in the active sites. The in
      silico studies enlighten the future course of studies in modifying the scaffolds
      for better therapeutic efficacy against the deadly Alzheimer's disease. 

PMID- 26105712
TI  - Selenorhodamine photosensitizers with the Texas-red core for photodynamic therapy
      of cancer cells.
AB  - We examined two selenorhodamines with amide and thioamide functionality at the 5
      position of a 9-(2-thienyl) substituent on the selenoxanthylium analogue of the
      Texas-red core for their potential as photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy
      (PDT) in P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-expressing Colo-26 cells. These compounds were
      examined for their photophysical properties (absorption, fluorescence, and
      ability to generate singlet oxygen), for their uptake into Colo-26 cells in the
      absence or presence of verapamil, for their dark and phototoxicity toward Colo-26
      cells, and for their co-localization with mitochondrial-specific agents in Colo
      26 cells. Both compounds were extremely effective photosensitizers with values of
      EC50 ? 4 * 10(-8)M toward Colo-26 cells with 1.0 J cm(-2) laser light delivered
      at 630 +/- 2 nm.

PMID- 26105713
TI  - [Thyroid into the focus of attention].

PMID- 26105714
TI  - [The importance of thyroid hormone transporters].
AB  - Symptoms of a newly discovered X-chromosomal severe mental retardation disease
      were published by William Allan, Nash Herndon and Florence Dudley in 1944.
      Patients suffered from muscle weakness and a developmental delay not able to sit,
      walk and speak. In addition, they showed an endocrinological phenotype with
      abnormal thyroid hormone constellations. The reason for the Allan-Herndon-Dudley
      syndrome was found in a mutation of the monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8,
      SLC16A2), a specific thyroid hormone transporter. 

PMID- 26105715
TI  - Interaction of thyroid hormone with brown adipose tissue. Lessons learned from
      PET-CT.
AB  - Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an important role in regulating core-body
      temperature in various species including man. [18F]FDG-PET/CT imaging first
      revealed the presence of metabolically active BAT depots and that decreased BAT
      function is associated with various metabolic conditions. Thyroid hormone (TH) in
      concert with sympathetic nervous system signalling (SNS) stimulates BAT
      thermogenesis and thyroid disorders result in dysfunctional BAT. Currently,
      research is focussing not only on BAT regulation but also on browning of white
      adipose tissue (WAT) to BAT beige adipose tissue (BeAT) in order to develop novel
      treatments for human obesity and related conditions. While [18F]FDG-PET/CT
      imaging is continuing to provide valuable insights into BAT and BeAT function in
      health and disease, there is a pressing need to develop alternative radiotracers
      that reliably track their activity in vivo. As a result it is expected that
      preclinical micro PET/CT investigations of BAT and BeAT will gain in prominence.
      The aim of this short review is to i) describe fundamentals in BAT biology, ii)
      highlight some of the clinical and preclinical studies performed on humans and
      rodents with a focus on TH, BAT and PET/CT, and iii) bridge these data with our
      own studies within the DFG thyroid transact priority program. 

PMID- 26105716
TI  - Systemic treatment of advanced differentiated and medullary thyroid cancer.
      Overview and practical aspects.
AB  - In the last few years, three new drugs for targeted systemic therapies have been
      approved for advanced and progressive thyroid cancer, namely vandetanib and
      cabozantinib for medullary and sorafenib for radioiodine refractory
      differentiated thyroid cancer. Patient selection by an interdisciplinary team and
      education of patients by the treating physicians play a major role when such a
      treatment is considered and initiated. Only patients with significant tumor
      burden and/or symptomatic disease or progression, which cannot be controlled by
      local therapies, should be treated. In order to preserve quality of life, the
      management of adverse effects is of utmost importance. Due to the mechanism of
      action of these tyrosine kinase inhibitors, the reliability of serum tumour
      markers, calcitonin and thyroglobulin, is limited for the assessment of response
      and follow-up, therefore morphological and metabolic imaging is of great
      importance. Minor or localized progression should not automatically trigger the
      termination of treatment or change of drug. In the near future, it is expected
      that additional drugs become available. 

PMID- 26105717
TI  - Molecular genetic markers for thyroid FNAB. Established assays and future
      perspective.
AB  - AIM: Thyroid nodules > 1 cm are observed in about 12% of unselected adult
      employees aged 18-65 years screened by ultrasound scan (40). While intensive
      ultrasound screening leads to early detection of thyroid diseases, the
      determination of benign or malignant behaviour remains uncertain and may trigger
      anxieties in many patients and their physicians. A considerable number of thyroid
      resections are consecutively performed due to suspicion of malignancy in the
      detected nodes. Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) has been recommended for the
      assessment of thyroid nodules to facilitate detection of thyroid carcinomas but
      also to rule out malignancy and thereby avoid unnecessary thyroid resections.
      However, cytology results are dependent on experience of the respective
      cytologist and unfortunately inconclusive in many cases. METHODS: Molecular
      genetic markers are already used nowadays to enhance sensitivity and specificity
      of FNAB cytology in some centers in Germany. The most clinically relevant
      molecular genetic markers as pre-operative diagnostic tools and the clinical
      implications for the intraoperative and postoperative management were reviewed.
      RESULTS: Molecular genetic markers predominantly focus on the preoperative
      detection of thyroid malignancies rather than the exclusion of thyroid
      carcinomas. While some centers routinely assess FNABs, other centers concentrate
      on FNABs with cytology results of follicular neoplasia or suspicion of thyroid
      carcinoma. Predominantly mutations of BRAF, RET/PTC, RAS, and PAX8/PPARgamma or
      expression of miRNAs are analyzed. However, only the detection of BRAF mutations
      predicts the presence of (papillary) thyroid malignancy with almost 98%
      probability, indicating necessity of oncologic thyroid resections irrespective of
      the cytology result. Other genetic alterations are associated with thyroid
      malignancy with varying frequency and achieve less impact on the clinical
      management. CONCLUSION: Molecular genetic analysis of FNABs is increasingly
      performed in Germany. Standardization, quality controls, and validation of
      various methods need to be implemented in the near future to be able to compare
      the results. With increasing knowledge about the impact of genetic alterations on
      the prognosis of thyroid carcinomas, recommendations have to be defined that may
      lead to individually optimized treatment strategies.

PMID- 26105718
TI  - Is thyroid surgery performed too often in Germany?
AB  - Thyroid surgery is one of the more common surgical procedures in Germany. This is
      in contrast with the situation in some other countries, where this procedure is
      performed comparatively rarely. In this paper the number of thyroid surgeries in
      Germany is compared with other western countries (Netherlands, USA, England). In
      contrast to e. g. the USA and England the number of thyroid surgeries in Germany
      is declining, however with approximately 109/100,000/year in 2012 is still
      elevated (Netherlands: 16/100,000/year, USA: at least 42/100,000/year, England:
      at least 27/100,000/year). Possible contributing factors to this higher number of
      thyroid surgeries in Germany are explored. These factors include iodine
      deficiency, the frequent use of advanced diagnostics such as ultrasound,
      insufficient use of preoperative diagnostic measures such as fine needle biopsy
      and the practice of "defensive medicine". How much each of these factors
      contributes is however unclear.

PMID- 26105719
TI  - Graves'-Basedow disease in pregnancy. New trends in the management and guidance
      to reduce the risk of birth defects caused by antithyroid drugs.
AB  - Thyroid hormones are essential development factors and maternal thyroid
      dysfunction may cause pregnancy complications and diseases in the fetus/child. In
      the present review we discuss new data on the incidence of Graves'-Basedow
      disease (GBD) in and around pregnancy, and how hyperthyroidism may affect the
      risk of spontaneous abortion and stillbirth. A special concern in pregnant women
      is the potential side effects from the use of antithyroid drugs (ATDs). One type
      of side effects is the allergic/toxic reactions to the drugs, which seem to be
      similar in and outside pregnancy, and another is that ATDs tend to over treat the
      fetus when the mother with GBD is made euthyroid. To avoid fetal hypothyroidism,
      the lowest possible ATD dose should be used to keep maternal thyroid function at
      the upper limit of normality with low serum TSH. Birth defects after the use of
      methimazole (MMI) (or its prodrug carbimazole) have been considered to be very
      rare, and no risk has previously been associated with the use of propylthiouracil
      (PTU). However, a recent Danish national study found that 1/30 of children
      exposed to MMI in early pregnancy had birth defects associated with this, and
      many defects were severe. PTU exposure was associated with defects in 1/40, and
      these defects were less severe. Proposals are given on how to reduce the risk of
      ATD associated birth defects. 

PMID- 26105720
TI  - Successful resection of TSH-secreting pituitary adenoma demonstrated by serial
      99mTc-scintigraphy.

PMID- 26105721
TI  - Incidence and characteristics of patients presenting with acute myocardial
      infarction and non-obstructive coronary artery disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to characterize the etiologies of patients
      presenting with myocardial infarction (MI) and found to have non-obstructive
      coronary artery disease (NOCAD) and compare risk factors and in-hospital
      mortality to those with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). BACKGROUND:
      Patients presenting with an MI are often found to have NOCAD defined as less than
      50% luminal diameter reduction by visual estimation on coronary angiography.
      METHODS: This study is a retrospective analysis of a total of 2,038 patients that
      presented to NorthShore University HealthSystem with MI and underwent coronary
      angiography from 2010 to 2013. RESULTS: 1,822 patients (89%) had CAD and 216
      (11%) had NOCAD. Of the NOCAD patients, the most common etiologies were Takotsubo
      cardiomyopathy (28%), no alternative explanation (26%), demand ischemia (21%),
      myopericarditis (7%), coronary artery vasospasm (5%), and coronary artery
      dissection (3%). NOCAD patients were more likely to be younger and female. There
      was no significant difference between NOCAD and CAD patients in terms of in
      hospital mortality (3.7% vs. 4.0% respectively, OR = 1.1, 95% CI 0.5-2.3, P =
      0.83 by univariate logistic regression, OR = 1.2, 95% CI 0.5-3.1, P = 0.74 by
      multivariable analysis). CONCLUSIONS: CAD patients were more likely to have
      traditional risk factors of diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia,
      previous MI, previous revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention
      or coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Patients presenting with MI and NOCAD
      were found to have several different etiologies on coronary angiography with the
      most common being Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26105722
TI  - Pathophysiology of diabetic ketoacidosis.

PMID- 26105723
TI  - From Light to Life.
AB  - The biogeochemical cycles of H, C, N, O and S are coupled via biologically
      catalyzed electron transfer (redox) reactions far from thermodynamic equilibrium.
      In this paper I examine the evolution of the structural motifs responsible for
      redox reactions (the biological "transistors") across the tree of life, and the
      photogeochemical reactions on minerals that ultimately came to be the driving
      force for these biological reactions. 

PMID- 26105724
TI  - R-peaks detection based on stationary wavelet transform.
AB  - Automatic detection of the QRS complexes/R-peaks in an electrocardiogram (ECG)
      signal is the most important step preceding any kind of ECG processing and
      analysis. The performance of these systems heavily relies on the accuracy of the
      QRS detector. The objective of present work is to drive a new robust method based
      on stationary wavelet transform (SWT) for R-peaks detection. The decimation of
      the coefficients at each level of the transformation algorithm is omitted, more
      samples in the coefficient sequences are available and hence a better outlier
      detection can be performed. Using the information of local maxima, minima and
      zero crossings of the fourth SWT coefficient detail, the proposed algorithm
      identifies the significant points for detection and delineation of the QRS
      complexes, as well as detection and identification of the QRS individual waves
      peaks of the pre-processed ECG signal. Various experimental results show that the
      proposed algorithm exhibits reliable QRS detection as well as accurate ECG
      delineation, achieving excellent performance on different databases, on the MIT
      BIH database (Se=99.84%, P=99.88%), on the QT Database (Se=99.94%, P=99.89%) and
      on MIT-BIH Noise Stress Test Database, (Se=95.30%, P=93.98%). Reliability and
      accuracy are close to the highest among the ones obtained in other studies.
      Experiments results being satisfactory, the SWT may represent a novel QRS
      detection tool, for a robust ECG signal analysis.

PMID- 26105725
TI  - Validation of an Organizational Management Model of Remote Implantable
      Cardioverter-Defibrillator Monitoring Alerts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are a standard means
      of sudden cardiac death prevention. Compared with ambulatory visits, remote
      monitoring (RM) of ICD recipients has improved the quality of health care and
      spared its resources. Few studies have addressed the organization of RM. We
      optimized and validated our institutional model of RM organization for ICD
      recipients. METHODS AND RESULTS: This observational study of 562 ICD recipients
      compared 2 RM periods consisting of iterative, qualitative, and quantitative (1)
      device diagnostic evaluations by nurses and cardiologists; and (2) selected
      decisional trees. The main study end points were the professional interventions
      prompted by, and times allocated to, RM alerts. During the first period, 1134
      alerts occurred in 427 patients (286 patient-year), of which 376 (33%) were
      submitted to cardiologists' reviews, compared with, 1522 alerts in 562 patients
      (458 patient-year), of which 273 (18%) were submitted to cardiologists' reviews
      during the second period (P<0.001). An intervention was prompted by 73 of 376
      (19.4%) alerts in the first versus 77 of 273 (28.2%) in the second period
      (P=0.009). The mean time to manage an alert was 4 minutes 31 s in the first
      versus 2 minutes 10 s in the second period (P<0.001). The annual numbers of alert
      related hospitalizations were 10.8 versus 8.1 per 100-patient-year (P=0.230), and
      annual numbers of alert-related visits were 9.8 and 6.1 per 100-patient-year
      (P=0.081), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: An optimized RM organization based on
      automated alerts and decisional trees enabled a focus on clinically relevant
      events and a decrease in the consumption of resources without compromising the
      quality of ICD recipients' care.

PMID- 26105726
TI  - Usability, learnability and performance evaluation of Intelligent Research and
      Intervention Software: A delivery platform for eHealth interventions.
AB  - Evaluation of an eHealth platform, Intelligent Research and Intervention Software
      was undertaken via cross-sectional survey of staff users and application
      performance monitoring. The platform is used to deliver psychosocial
      interventions across a range of clinical contexts, project scopes, and delivery
      modalities (e.g. hybrid telehealth, fully online self-managed, randomized control
      trials, and clinical service delivery). Intelligent Research and Intervention
      Software supports persuasive technology elements (e.g. tailoring, reminders, and
      personalization) as well as staff management tools. Results from the System
      Usability Scale involving 30 Staff and Administrative users across multiple
      projects were positive with overall mean score of 70 ("Acceptable"). The mean
      score for "Usability" sub-scale was 82 and for "Learnability" sub-scale 61. There
      were no significant differences in perceptions of usability across user groups or
      levels of experience. Application performance management analytics (e.g.
      Application Performance Index scores) across two test sites indicate the software
      platform is robust and reliable when compared to industry standards. Intelligent
      Research and Intervention Software is successfully operating as a flexible
      platform for creating, delivering, and evaluating eHealth interventions.

PMID- 26105727
TI  - What the neighbors say.

PMID- 26105728
TI  - Transcatheter pacemaker implantation in a patient with a bioprosthetic tricuspid
      valve.

PMID- 26105729
TI  - Not looking yourself: The cost of self-selecting photographs for identity
      verification.
AB  - Photo-identification is based on the premise that photographs are representative
      of facial appearance. However, previous studies show that ratings of likeness
      vary across different photographs of the same face, suggesting that some images
      capture identity better than others. Two experiments were designed to examine the
      relationship between likeness judgments and face matching accuracy. In Experiment
      1, we compared unfamiliar face matching accuracy for self-selected and other
      selected high-likeness images. Surprisingly, images selected by previously
      unfamiliar viewers - after very limited exposure to a target face - were more
      accurately matched than self-selected images chosen by the target identity
      themselves. Results also revealed extremely low inter-rater agreement in ratings
      of likeness across participants, suggesting that perceptions of image resemblance
      are inherently unstable. In Experiment 2, we test whether the cost of self
      selection can be explained by this general disagreement in likeness judgments
      between individual raters. We find that averaging across rankings by multiple
      raters produces image selections that provide superior identification accuracy.
      However, benefit of other-selection persisted for single raters, suggesting that
      inaccurate representations of self interfere with our ability to judge which
      images faithfully represent our current appearance. 

PMID- 26105731
TI  - Abstracts of the Medical Engineering and Bioinformatics 2015 (MEB 2015), China, 7
      June 2015.

PMID- 26105730
TI  - Mesoporous SnO2 single crystals as an effective electron collector for perovskite
      solar cells.
AB  - Mesoporous single crystals are prized for their fast electron transport and high
      surface area. Here we report the first synthesis of mesoporous SnO2 single
      crystals (SnO2 MSCs) by a simple silica-templated hydrothermal method, and its
      application in solution-processed perovskite solar cells (PSCs). A relatively low
      efficiency (3.76%) was obtained due to the strong charge recombination at the
      SnO2/perovskite interface. However, by coating a thin TiO2 barrier layer on
      SnO2via TiCl4 treatment, we were able to achieve an 8.54% power conversion
      efficiency (PCE). A dynamics study using impedance spectroscopy revealed a much
      lower transport resistance for the SnO2 MSC-based solar cells than for the TiO2
      nanocrystal PSCs, but a stronger recombination. Significantly, the thin TiO2
      coating layer on SnO2 considerably reduced the recombination while largely
      maintaining the superior electron-transport properties. 

PMID- 26105732
TI  - Antithrombotic management in patients undergoing electrophysiological procedures:
      a European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) position document endorsed by the ESC
      Working Group Thrombosis, Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), and Asia Pacific Heart
      Rhythm Society (APHRS).

PMID- 26105733
TI  - Differences in d-chiro-inositol-phosphoglycan expression between first and third
      trimester human placenta.

PMID- 26105734
TI  - Characteristics of hypertensive disorders in twin versus singleton pregnancies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the characteristics of hypertensive disorders of
      pregnancy in twin compared with singleton pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN: Analysis of
      a prospectively recorded database of 4976 hypertensive pregnancies. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Comparison of progression to pre-eclampsia and maternal and neonatal
      outcomes. RESULTS: There were 3942 singleton and 214 twin pregnancies. De novo
      hypertension in twin pregnancy was diagnosed earlier (p<0.001). In singleton
      pregnancies with de novo hypertension (n=3161), 60% had an initial diagnosis of
      gestational hypertension (GH) and 40% had pre-eclampsia (PE). In twin pregnancies
      with de novo hypertension (n=199), 35% of women were initially diagnosed with GH
      and 65% with PE (p<0.001). At delivery, 46% of the singletons had GH and 54% had
      PE, compared with twin pregnancies where 23% had GH and 77 % had PE (p<0.001).
      The progression from GH to PE for twins was twice that of singleton pregnancies
      (p<0.001). There were 781 singleton and 15 twin pregnancies with chronic
      hypertension (CH). Twin pregnancies complicated by CH were more likely to
      progress to PE than singletons (p<0.01). The gestation at delivery was earlier
      for twin pregnancies (p<0.001) and there were more twins that were smaller for
      gestational age (p<0.001). There were no differences in maternal outcomes.
      CONCLUSION: Women carrying twins with de novo hypertension are more likely to
      present earlier, have initial PE and to subsequently progress from GH to PE.
      Neonatal outcomes are worse in such pregnancies.

PMID- 26105735
TI  - Maternal hemodynamics influence fetal hemodynamics in normal and hypertensive
      pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This observational case-control study aims to test whether there is a
      relationship between maternal systemic hemodynamics, maternal renin-angiotensin
      system and fetal hemodynamics in normal and hypertensive pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN:
      Four groups of non-pregnant women (n=18), pregnant controls (n=25), women with
      gestational hypertension (n=21) and preeclampsia (n=10) were included. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Maternal echocardiography parameters, plasma renin and
      aldosterone were correlated with fetal Doppler parameters in third trimester
      pregnancy. RESULTS: Higher maternal mean arterial pressure and total peripheral
      vascular resistance were associated with lower fetal middle cerebral artery
      pulsatility index (PI) (r=-.51, p<0.01 and r=-.49, p<0.01, respectively); mean
      arterial pressure correlated negatively with ductus venosus PI (r=-.35, p=0.01);
      higher maternal plasma aldosterone levels were associated with lower maternal
      uterine artery resistance (r=-0.33, p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: It seems that maternal
      hemodynamics influence fetal hemodynamics with protective adaptation in fetal
      cerebral and ductus venosus blood flow observed as maternal blood pressure and
      vascular resistance increase.

PMID- 26105736
TI  - Higher plasma AOPP is associated with increased proteinuria excretion and
      decreased glomerular filtration rate in pre-eclamptic women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) as a novel biomarker of
      oxidative stress has been demonstrated in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.
      The research was to investigate the plasma AOPP level in pre-eclamptic pregnant
      women and its correlation with 24-h proteinuria collection, cystatin C(CC), uric
      acid(UA) and creatinine(Cr). METHODS: Fifty pre-eclamptic women, including 22
      mild and 28 severe preeclampsia were enrolled. Twentyfive healthy singleton
      pregnant women were selected as control. Blood samples were obtained from all
      groups to measure the levels of AOPP, CC, UA, Cr and other biochemical parameters
      at admission. Total protein in the 24h urine collection was measured. Pearson
      correlation was performed to evaluate the associations between plasma AOPP level
      and 24-h proteinuria collection, plasma cystatin C, uric acid and creatinine.
      RESULTS: The means of AOPP levels were significantly different among severe, mild
      pre-eclampsia and normotensive pregnant women (88.6+/-10.0MUmmol/L, 72.1+/
      11.1MUmmol/L and 48.7+/-11.3MUmmol/L). The means of cystatin C levels were
      significantly different among severe, mild pre-eclampsia and normotensive
      pregnant women (1.8+/-0.6MUmmol/L, 1.2+/-0.3MUmmol/L and 1.0+/-0.2MUmmol/L).
      Mild, severe pre-eclampsia and control groups did not differ significantly from
      each other with respect to uric acid and creatinine. Significant positive
      correlation between AOPP and 24-h proteinuria excretion in preeclamptic pregnant
      women was found in mild and severe preeclamptic pregnant women (r=0.792).
      Significant positive correlation between AOPP and cystatin C was found in normal
      and preeclamptic pregnant women (r=0.521). CONCLUSION: Plasma AOPP level had a
      significant positive correlation with 24-h proteinuria excretion and cystatin C.
      Further research about the relevance between the level of AOPP and the onset of
      preeclampsia was needed in order to have a profound prospective in oxidative
      stress and preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105737
TI  - Chlamydia trachomatis infection may increase the risk of preeclampsia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the etiology of preeclampsia is not well understood, it has
      been suggested that excessive systemic inflammation may lead to oxidative stress,
      promoting the endothelial dysfunction characteristic of preeclampsia. Few
      prospective studies have examined the role of infection, an immune system
      stimulator, as a risk factor for preeclampsia. METHODS: We conducted a
      longitudinal study of the relationships between Chlamydia trachomatis (CT),
      Chlamydophila pneumoniae (CP), cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV)
      and preeclampsia among 509 preeclamptic cases and 336 normotensive controls
      nested within the Danish National Birth Cohort study. Antibodies were analyzed at
      a first prenatal visit (mean 17.0weeks) and at a late second/third trimester
      study visit. Prenatal infections were identified as IgG/IgM seroconversion or a
      fourfold rise in IgG antibody titers. Multiple regression models were adjusted
      for maternal age, BMI, smoking status, and time between blood draws. RESULTS: CT
      infection was associated with preeclampsia (ORadj 1.6, 95% CI 0.7, 3.6), severe
      preeclampsia (ORadj 1.8, 95% CI 0.6, 5.3), and preeclampsia resulting in preterm
      birth (ORadj 1.7, 95% CI 0.6-4.9) or birth of a small for gestational age infant
      (ORadj 2.1, 95% CI 0.6, 7.5), although CT infection was uncommon (n=33, 4.0%) and
      associations were not statistically significant. CP, CMV, and HSV infection were
      not associated with preeclampsia. CONCLUSIONS: Women with serological evidence of
      prenatal CT infection were more likely to develop preeclampsia, although
      infection was infrequent and confidence intervals were wide. Studies in
      populations at higher risk for STIs are needed to corroborate this association.

PMID- 26105738
TI  - Are placental Fas and Fas ligand gene polymorphisms associated with preeclampsia?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Increased placental trophoblastic apoptosis has been reported in
      pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. Fas-Fas ligand is one of the major
      signal transduction pathways of apoptosis. The objective of this study was to
      determine if placental Fas and Fas ligand gene polymorphisms differ between
      patients with and without preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN: Forty-five singleton
      placentas were studied. Twenty-three placentas were from preeclamptic pregnancies
      and 22 were from normotensive controls. Genotyping was performed for Fas-1377,
      Fas-691, Fas-670, Fas ligand-844, Fas ligand-1174, Fas ligand-2777. Chi-square
      and Fisher's exact tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There were
      no significant differences in maternal age, parity or race between the two
      groups. There were no significant differences in genotypes or allele frequencies
      for the Fas-1377, Fas-691, Fas-670, Fas ligand-844, Fas ligand-1174 and Fas
      ligand-2777. CONCLUSION: Immune intolerance of maternal and placental interaction
      plays an important role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Our findings do not
      support the role of placental Fas and Fas ligand gene polymorphisms in the
      pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105739
TI  - Placental angiogenin inhibitor (ribonuclease inhibitor), a novel gene in pre
      eclampsia.
AB  - There is convincing evidence that imbalance between angiogenic and anti
      angiogenic factors play an important role in the pathophysiology of pre
      eclampsia. Angiogenin, a member of the RNase A super family, is a potent inducer
      of angiogenesis and serum levels are shown to be elevated in pre-eclampsia. We
      hypothesize that placental expression of angiogenin inhibitor which binds and
      blocks the activity of angiogenin is altered in pre-eclampsia and may play a role
      in its pathophysiology. Placental expression of angiogenin inhibitor was measured
      in term placentae of 15 women with preeclampsia and 16 normal pregnant controls.
      The women were matched for age, parity and gestational age. Placental tissue was
      collected immediately after delivery and stored at -80 degrees C until studied.
      Angiogenin inhibitor gene expression was measured using real-time quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction (rt-QPCR). The results were standardized using the
      glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as reference gene. The mRNA
      expression of angiogenin inhibitor gene was significantly increased in
      preeclamptic placentae compared to normal pregnant controls [0.44 (0.174-1.048)
      versus 0.091 (0.029-0.301), median and interquatile range, p=0.027 for pre
      eclampsia and normal controls respectively]. There was no correlation between
      angiogenin inhibitor gene expression and maternal age, blood pressure, platelet
      count, gestation age, birth weight of the baby in pre-eclampsia and normal
      pregnancy. This study showed that placental expression of the angiogenin
      inhibitor gene is significantly increased in pre-eclampsia and may play a role in
      its pathophysiology. 

PMID- 26105740
TI  - The definition of severe and early-onset preeclampsia. Statements from the
      International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy (ISSHP).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There is discrepancy in the literature on the definitions of severe
      and early-onset pre-eclampsia. We aimed to determine those definitions for
      clinical purposes and to introduce them in the classification of the hypertensive
      disorders of pregnancy for publication purposes. METHODS: We circulated a
      questionnaire to the International Committee of the International Society for the
      Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy focusing on the thresholds for defining severe
      preeclampsia and the gestation at which to define early-onset preeclampsia, and
      on the definition and inclusion of the HELLP syndrome or other clinical features
      in severe preeclampsia. The questions were closed, but all answers had space for
      more open detailed comments. RESULTS: There was a general agreement to define
      preeclampsia as severe if blood pressure was >160mmHg systolic or 110mmHg
      diastolic. There was scarce agreement on the amount of proteinuria to define
      severity. The HELLP syndrome was considered a feature to include in the severe
      classification. Most investigators considered early-onset preeclampsia as that
      occurring before 34weeks. CONCLUSIONS: A definition of pre-eclampsia is paramount
      for driving good clinical practice. Classifications on the other hand are useful
      to enable international comparisons of clinical data and outcomes. We used the
      results of this survey to update our previous classification for the purposes of
      providing clinical research definitions of severe and early onset pre-eclampsia
      that will hopefully be accepted in the international literature.

PMID- 26105741
TI  - Structure and function of cerebral and mesenteric resistance arteries in low-dose
      endotoxin-infused pregnant rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Since the cerebrovasculature likely plays a prominent role in the
      pathophysiology of eclampsia, we assessed the effects of low-dose endotoxin
      induced experimental preeclampsia on the function and structure of rat posterior
      cerebral arteries (PCA) and mesenteric arteries (MA). METHODS: Nonpregnant (NP)
      and pregnant (P) rats were infused with saline (NP-CTL, n=9; P-CTL, n=9) or low
      dose endotoxin (NP-endotoxin, n=9; P-endotoxin, n=10). Myogenic activity,
      pressure of forced dilatation (FD) and structural properties were evaluated in
      PCA and MA. RESULTS: PCA underwent FD between 125 and 150mmHg in P-endotoxin
      (repeated measures ANOVA vs 75mmHg; P<0.05) and between 150 and 175mmHg in P-CTL
      and NP animals (repeated measures ANOVA vs 75mmHg; P<0.05). PCA myogenic tone was
      unaffected by pregnancy or endotoxin, however, pregnancy decreased the MA
      myogenic tone (P<0.05 vs NP). Passive characteristics of PCA and MA were
      unaffected by pregnancy or endotoxin. CONCLUSION: Low-dose endotoxin-infusion
      during pregnancy, but not pregnancy alone, decreased the pressure of FD in PCA.
      This may predispose to cerebral autoregulatory breakthrough and edema formation
      during increased blood pressure as seen in eclampsia.

PMID- 26105743
TI  - Toxic epidermal necrolysis co-existing with severe onset of ulcerative colitis-
      different condition or extraintestinal feature?--case report.

PMID- 26105742
TI  - The ARGOS gene family functions in a negative feedback loop to desensitize plants
      to ethylene.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ethylene plays critical roles in plant growth and development,
      including the regulation of cell expansion, senescence, and the response to
      biotic and abiotic stresses. Elements of the initial signal transduction pathway
      have been determined, but we are still defining regulatory mechanisms by which
      the sensitivity of plants to ethylene is modulated. RESULTS: We report here that
      members of the ARGOS gene family of Arabidopsis, previously implicated in the
      regulation of plant growth and biomass, function as negative feedback regulators
      of ethylene signaling. Expression of all four members of the ARGOS family is
      induced by ethylene, but this induction is blocked in ethylene-insensitive
      mutants. The dose dependence for ethylene induction varies among the ARGOS family
      members, suggesting that they could modulate responses across a range of ethylene
      concentrations. GFP-fusions of ARGOS and ARL localize to the endoplasmic
      reticulum, the same subcellular location as the ethylene receptors and other
      initial components of the ethylene signaling pathway. Seedlings with increased
      expression of ARGOS family members exhibit reduced ethylene sensitivity based on
      physiological and molecular responses. CONCLUSIONS: These results support a model
      in which the ARGOS gene family functions as part of a negative feedback circuit
      to desensitize the plant to ethylene, thereby expanding the range of ethylene
      concentrations to which the plant can respond. These results also indicate that
      the effects of the ARGOS gene family on plant growth and biomass are mediated
      through effects on ethylene signal transduction.

PMID- 26105744
TI  - Severe metabolic acidosis: the presenting sign of an enterovesical fistula.

PMID- 26105746
TI  - Obstructive sleep apnea and acute respiratory failure due to pneumonia: Is truly
      a protective factor to mortality risk?

PMID- 26105745
TI  - Severity of inflammation as a risk factor for ileo-anal anastomotic leak after a
      pouch procedure in ulcerative colitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The pelvic pouch procedure (PPP) carries significant post-operative
      complication risks including a 4-14 % risk of ileo-anal anastomotic (IAA) leak [1
      4]. The aim of this study is to evaluate the severity of disease at the distal
      resection margin as an independent risk factor for an IAA leak following the PPP
      for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: A retrospective matched case
      control study was undertaken. The distal margin of each subject's specimen was
      reviewed by a blinded pathologist and the degree of inflammation was scored using
      a modified histological activity index (mHAI)--a 0 to 5 graded scale with HAI of
      5 representing ulcerations >25 % the depth of bowel wall. RESULTS: Forty-nine
      patients with perioperative IAA leaks (mean 11 days +/-0.92) were identified and
      matched for gender, age and year of surgery. The case cohort had 33 males (67 %)
      of mean age at time of surgery of 36.3 years (+/-1.42). The severity of distal
      inflammation did not increase the risk of IAA leak. The presence of a diverting
      ileostomy was associated with a decreased incidence of an IAA leak (p = 0.01).
      CONCLUSION: Studies with greater power will be required to evaluate the
      association (if any) between histological severity of UC at the distal margin of
      a PPP procedure and IAA leak rate. This risk factor could influence preoperative
      management and post-operative outcome in patients requiring the PPP.

PMID- 26105747
TI  - Symptom burden and health-related quality of life among intensive care unit
      survivors in Argentina: A prospective cohort study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Our goal was to describe the evolution of selected physical and
      psychologic symptoms and identify the determinants of health-related quality of
      life (HRQOL) after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge. METHODS: The study is a
      prospective cohort of consecutive adult patients admitted to a mixed ICU in a
      university-affiliated hospital, mechanically ventilated for more than 48 hours.
      During ICU stay, epidemiological data and events probably associated to worsening
      outcomes were recorded. After discharge, patients were interviewed at 1, 3, 6,
      and 12 months. Health-related quality of life was assessed with EuroQoL
      Questionnaire-5 Dimensions, which includes the EQ-index and EQ-Visual Analogue
      Scale. RESULTS: One hundred twelve patients were followed up, aged 33 [24-49]
      years, 68% male, 76% previously healthy, and cranial trauma was the main
      diagnosis. Physical and psychologic symptoms and moderate/severe problems
      according to the EQ index progressively decreased after discharge, yet were still
      highly prevalent after 1 year. EQ index improved from 0.22 [0.01-0.69] to 0.52
      [0.08-0.81], 0.66 [0.17-0.79], and 0.68 [0.26-0.86] (P < .001, for all vs month
      1). EQ-Visual Analogue Scale remained stable, within acceptable values.
      Independent determinants of EQ-index were time, duration of mechanical
      ventilation, shock, weakness, and return to study/work. CONCLUSIONS: Determinants
      of HRQOL after ICU discharge were both related to late sequelae of critical
      illness and to some events occurring in the ICU. Notwithstanding the high symptom
      burden, patients still perceived their HRQOL as good.

PMID- 26105748
TI  - AlF3 surface-coated Li[Li0.2 Ni0.17 Co0.07 Mn0.56 ]O2 nanoparticles with superior
      electrochemical performance for lithium-ion batteries.
AB  - Li-rich layered cathode materials have already drawn considerable attention owing
      to their high capacity performance for Li-ion batteries (LIBs). In this work,
      layered Li-rich Li[Li0.2 Ni0.17 Co0.07 Mn0.56 ]O2 nanoparticles are surface
      modified with AlF3 through a facile chemical deposition method. The AlF3 surface
      layers have little impact on the structure of the material and act as buffers to
      prevent the direct contact of the electrode with the electrolyte; thus, they
      enhance the electrochemical performance significantly. The 3 wt % AlF3 -coated Li
      rich electrode exhibits the best cycling capability and has a considerably
      enhanced capacity retention of 83.1 % after 50 cycles. Moreover, the rate
      performance and thermal stability of the 3 wt % AlF3 -coated electrode are also
      clearly improved. Surface analysis indicates that the AlF3 coating layer can
      largely suppress the undesirable growth of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI)
      film and, therefore, stabilizes the structure upon cycling. 

PMID- 26105750
TI  - Oro-hepatic link, endotoxemia, and systemic inflammation: The role of chronic
      periodontitis.

PMID- 26105749
TI  - Limitations on Monaural and Binaural Temporal Processing in Bilateral Cochlear
      Implant Listeners.
AB  - Monaural rate discrimination and binaural interaural time difference (ITD)
      discrimination were studied as functions of pulse rate in a group of bilaterally
      implanted cochlear implant users. Stimuli for the rate discrimination task were
      pulse trains presented to one electrode, which could be in the apical, middle, or
      basal part of the array, and in either the left or the right ear. In each two
      interval trial, the standard stimulus had a rate of 100, 200, 300, or 500 pulses
      per second and the signal stimulus had a rate 35% higher. ITD discrimination
      between pitch-matched electrode pairs was measured for the same standard rates as
      in the rate discrimination task and with an ITD of +/- 500 MUs. Sensitivity (d')
      on both tasks decreased with increasing rate, as has been reported previously.
      This study tested the hypothesis that deterioration in performance at high rates
      occurs for the two tasks due to a common neural basis, specific to the
      stimulation of each electrode. Results show that ITD scores for different pairs
      of electrodes correlated with the lower rate discrimination scores for those two
      electrodes. Statistical analysis, which partialed out overall differences between
      listeners, electrodes, and rates, supports the hypothesis that monaural and
      binaural temporal processing limitations are at least partly due to a common
      mechanism.

PMID- 26105751
TI  - Degraded expression of learned feedforward control in movements released by
      startle.
AB  - Recent work has shown that preplanned motor programs can be rapidly released via
      fast conducting pathways using a startling acoustic stimulus. Our question was
      whether the startle-elicited response might also release a recently learned
      internal model, which draws on experience to predict and compensate for expected
      perturbations in a feedforward manner. Our initial investigation using adaptation
      to robotically produced forces showed some evidence of this, but the results were
      potentially confounded by co-contraction caused by startle. In this study, we
      eliminated this confound by asking subjects to make reaching movements in the
      presence of a visual distortion. Results show that a startle stimulus (1)
      decreased performance of the recently learned task and (2) reduced after-effect
      magnitude. Since the recall of learned control was reduced, but not eliminated
      during startle trials, we suggest that multiple neural centers (cortical and
      subcortical) are involved in such learning and adaptation. These findings have
      implications for motor training in areas such as piloting, teleoperation, sports,
      and rehabilitation. 

PMID- 26105752
TI  - Gain of postural responses increases in response to real and anticipated pain.
AB  - This study tested two contrasting theories of adaptation of postural control to
      pain. One proposes alteration to the postural strategy including inhibition of
      muscles that produce painful movement; another proposes amplification of the
      postural adjustment to recruit strategies normally reserved for higher load. This
      study that aimed to determine which of these alternatives best explains pain
      related adaptation of the hip muscle activity associated with stepping down from
      steps of increasing height adaptation of postural control to increasing load was
      evaluated from hip muscle electromyography (fine-wire and surface electrodes) as
      ten males stepped from steps of increasing height (i.e. increasing load). In one
      set of trials, participants stepped from a low step (5 cm) and pain was induced
      by noxious electrical stimulation over the sacrum triggered from foot contact
      with a force plate or was anticipated. Changes in EMG amplitude and onset timing
      were compared between conditions. Hip muscle activation was earlier and larger
      when stepping from higher steps. Although ground reaction forces (one of the
      determinants of joint load) were unchanged before, during and after pain, trials
      with real or anticipated noxious stimulation were accompanied by muscle activity
      indistinguishable from that normally reserved for higher steps (EMG amplitude
      increased from 9 to 17 % of peak). These data support the notion that muscle
      activation for postural control is augmented when challenged by real/anticipated
      noxious stimulation. Muscle activation was earlier and greater than that required
      for the task and is likely to create unnecessary joint loading. This could have
      long-term consequences if maintained.

PMID- 26105753
TI  - Self-touch modulates the somatosensory evoked P100.
AB  - It has recently been shown that contact between one's own limbs (self-touch)
      reduces the perceived intensity of pain, over and above the well-known modulation
      of pain by simultaneous colocalized tactile input Kammers et al. (Curr Biol
      20:1819-1822, 2010). Here, we investigate how self-touch modulates somatosensory
      evoked potentials (SEPs) evoked by afferent somatosensory input. We show that the
      P100 SEP component, which has previously been implicated in the conscious
      perception of a tactile stimulus, is enhanced during self-touch, as compared to
      when one is touching nothing, an inanimate object, or another person. A follow-up
      experiment showed that there was no effect of self-touch on SEPs when the body
      parts in contact were not symmetric. Altogether, our findings suggest the
      interpretation that the secondary somatosensory cortex might underlie the
      specific analgesic effect of self-touch.

PMID- 26105754
TI  - Learning to predict is spared in mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's
      disease.
AB  - Learning the statistics of the environment is critical for predicting upcoming
      events. However, little is known about how we translate previous knowledge about
      scene regularities to sensory predictions. Here, we ask whether patients with
      mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (MCI-AD) that are known to
      have spared implicit but impaired explicit recognition memory are able to learn
      temporal regularities and predict upcoming events. We tested the ability of MCI
      AD patients and age-matched controls to predict the orientation of a test
      stimulus following exposure to sequences of leftwards or rightwards oriented
      gratings. Our results demonstrate that exposure to temporal sequences without
      feedback facilitates the ability to predict an upcoming stimulus in both MCI-AD
      patients and controls. Further, we show that executive cognitive control may
      account for individual variability in predictive learning. That is, we observed
      significant positive correlations of performance in attentional and working
      memory tasks with post-training performance in the prediction task. Taken
      together, these results suggest a mediating role of circuits involved in
      cognitive control (i.e. frontal circuits) that may support the ability for
      predictive learning in MCI-AD. 

PMID- 26105755
TI  - Visual-motor association learning in undergraduate students as a function of the
      autism-spectrum quotient.
AB  - We examined how performance on an associative learning task changes in a sample
      of undergraduate students as a function of their autism-spectrum quotient (AQ)
      score. The participants, without any prior knowledge of the Japanese language,
      learned to associate hiragana characters with button responses. In the novel
      condition, 50 participants learned visual-motor associations without any prior
      exposure to the stimuli's visual attributes. In the familiar condition, a
      different set of 50 participants completed a session in which they first became
      familiar with the stimuli's visual appearance prior to completing the visual
      motor association learning task. Participants with higher AQ scores had a clear
      advantage in the novel condition; the amount of training required reaching
      learning criterion correlated negatively with AQ. In contrast, participants with
      lower AQ scores had a clear advantage in the familiar condition; the amount of
      training required to reach learning criterion correlated positively with AQ. An
      examination of how each of the AQ subscales correlated with these learning
      patterns revealed that abilities in visual discrimination-which is known to
      depend on the visual ventral-stream system-may have afforded an advantage in the
      novel condition for the participants with the higher AQ scores, whereas abilities
      in attention switching-which are known to require mechanisms in the prefrontal
      cortex-may have afforded an advantage in the familiar condition for the
      participants with the lower AQ scores. 

PMID- 26105757
TI  - Unified chromatography: Fundamentals, instrumentation and applications.
AB  - The concept of unified chromatography has been in existence for 50 years after
      the work of Giddings proposing that all modes of chromatography (gas
      chromatography, liquid chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography and so
      on) may be treated together under a single unified theory. His idea was partially
      fulfilled 23 years later by Ishii, Takeuchi and colleagues, who demonstrated for
      the first time the possibility to analyze a complex sample containing substances
      with a wide range of boiling points and polarities in the same instrument and
      column, just by varying the mobile phase pressure and temperature to change from
      one chromatographic mode to another. This approach has been demonstrated through
      application to the separation of complex mixtures in several areas including
      crude oil, edible oils and polymers. Still, unified chromatography has not yet
      been fully developed. In the present work, we will review the fundamentals,
      instrumentation and several applications of the technique. Also discussed are the
      drawbacks that still hinder development, as well as the recent developments and
      trends in instrumentation and columns that suggest the most feasible ways forward
      to the full development of unified chromatography. 

PMID- 26105756
TI  - Force-stabilizing synergies in motor tasks involving two actors.
AB  - We investigated the ability of two persons to produce force-stabilizing synergies
      in accurate multi-finger force production tasks under visual feedback on the
      total force only. The subjects produced a time profile of total force (the sum of
      two hand forces in one-person tasks and the sum of two subject forces in two
      person tasks) consisting of a ramp-up, steady-state, and ramp-down segments; the
      steady-state segment was interrupted in the middle by a quick force pulse.
      Analyses of the structure of inter-trial finger force variance, motor
      equivalence, anticipatory synergy adjustments (ASAs), and the unintentional drift
      of the sharing pattern were performed. The two-person performance was
      characterized by a dramatically higher amount of inter-trial variance that did
      not affect total force, higher finger force deviations that did not affect total
      force (motor equivalent deviations), shorter ASAs, and larger drift of the
      sharing pattern. The rate of sharing pattern drift correlated with the initial
      disparity between the forces produced by the two persons (or two hands). The
      drift accelerated following the quick force pulse. Our observations show that
      sensory information on the task-specific performance variable is sufficient for
      the organization of performance-stabilizing synergies. They suggest, however,
      that two actors are less likely to follow a single optimization criterion as
      compared to a single performer. The presence of ASAs in the two-person condition
      might reflect fidgeting by one or both of the subjects. We discuss the
      characteristics of the drift in the sharing pattern as reflections of different
      characteristic times of motion within the subspaces that affect and do not affect
      salient performance variables.

PMID- 26105759
TI  - Comparison of pulsatile and static pressures within the intracranial and lumbar
      compartments in patients with Chiari malformation type 1: a prospective
      observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Chiari malformation type 1 (CMI), the obstruction of cerebrospinal
      fluid (CSF) flow through the foramen magnum is believed to cause alterations of
      intracranial pressure (ICP) pulsations. Foramen magnum decompression (FMD) is
      therefore considered a treatment of choice. However, the pathophysiology of CMI
      is poorly understood and it remains unknown how ICP alterations relate to
      symptoms and radiological findings. This study was undertaken to measure
      pulsatile pressure and its gradient between intracranial and lumbar compartments,
      and to determine its relationship to clinical and radiological findings. METHOD:
      In patients with symptomatic CMI, we simultaneously measured ICP and lumbar CSF
      pressure, with particular focus on analysis of pulsatile pressure. Ventricular
      CSF volume (VV), intracranial volume (ICV) and posterior cranial fossa volume
      (PCFV) were calculated using volumetry software. RESULTS: In 26 patients (median
      35 years), we found clearly abnormal or borderline values of pulsatile ICP in
      18/26 patients (69 %; median 4.5 mmHg) and abnormal pulsatile pressure gradient
      in 17/24 patients (71 %; median 2.6 mmHg). The correlation between pulsatile ICP
      and the pulsatile pressure gradient was significantly positive (p < 0.001). We
      found no significant correlation between pulsatile or static pressure and extent
      of tonsillar ectopy, VV, ICV or PCFV. The pulsatile pressure gradient was
      significantly higher in patients with syringomyelia (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In
      this cohort, the pulsatile ICP was elevated in 69 %. The intracranial-lumbar
      pulsatile pressure gradient was abnormal in 71 % and significantly higher in
      patients with syringomyelia. The elevated pulsatile ICP significantly correlated
      with pulsatile pressure gradient; no similar correlation was found for static
      ICP. We interpret the results as providing evidence of impaired intracranial
      compliance as an important pathophysiological mechanism in CMI.

PMID- 26105760
TI  - Trauma- and distress-associated mental illness symptoms in close relatives of
      patients with severe traumatic brain injury and high-grade subarachnoid
      hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Close relatives (CR) of patients with severe traumatic brain injury
      (TBI) and high-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) suffer extraordinary distress
      during the treatment: Distress may lead to persisting mental illness symptoms
      within the spectrum of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders,
      and depression. The primary goal of this study was to determine the prevalence
      and severity of these symptoms in CR. The secondary goal was identification of
      associated factors. METHOD: Standardized interviews were conducted with 53 CR
      (mean age of 57.7 +/- 11.4 years) of patients with TBI  degrees III (n = 27) and
      high-grade SAH H&H  degrees III-V (n = 26) between 5 and 15 months after the
      event. The interviews contained a battery of surveys to quantify symptoms of
      PTSD, anxiety disorders, and depression, i.e., Impact of Event Scale (IES-R), 36
      item Short-Form General Health Survey (SF-36), and Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression Scale (HADS). Fixed and modifiable possibly influencing factors were
      correlated. RESULTS: Twenty-eight CR (53 %) showed IES-R scores indicating a
      probable diagnosis of PTSD. Twenty-five CR (47 %) showed an increased anxiety
      score and 18 (34 %) an increased depression score using HADS. Mean physical
      component summary of SF-36 was not abnormal (49.1 +/- 9.1), whereas mean mental
      component summary was under average (41.0 +/- 13.2), indicating a decreased
      quality of life caused by mental effects. Perception of the interaction quality
      with the medical staff and involvement into medical decisions correlated
      negatively with severity of mental illness symptoms. Evasive coping strategies
      were highly significantly associated with symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      quantifies an extraordinarily high prevalence of mental illness symptoms in CR of
      patients with critical acquired brain injury due to SAH and TBI. Modifiable
      factors were associated with severity of mental illness symptoms. Prospective
      studies testing efficiency of early psychotherapeutic interventions are needed.

PMID- 26105758
TI  - A genome-wide association study identifies multiple loci for variation in human
      ear morphology.
AB  - Here we report a genome-wide association study for non-pathological pinna
      morphology in over 5,000 Latin Americans. We find genome-wide significant
      association at seven genomic regions affecting: lobe size and attachment, folding
      of antihelix, helix rolling, ear protrusion and antitragus size (linear
      regression P values 2 * 10(-8) to 3 * 10(-14)). Four traits are associated with a
      functional variant in the Ectodysplasin A receptor (EDAR) gene, a key regulator
      of embryonic skin appendage development. We confirm expression of Edar in the
      developing mouse ear and that Edar-deficient mice have an abnormally shaped
      pinna. Two traits are associated with SNPs in a region overlapping the T-Box
      Protein 15 (TBX15) gene, a major determinant of mouse skeletal development.
      Strongest association in this region is observed for SNP rs17023457 located in an
      evolutionarily conserved binding site for the transcription factor Cartilage
      paired-class homeoprotein 1 (CART1), and we confirm that rs17023457 alters in
      vitro binding of CART1. 

PMID- 26105761
TI  - Triple attack technique for non-union of femoral neck fractures.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the technique and clinical
      results following the utilization of biomechanical and biological means for
      adequate fracture healing in management of non-union of the neck of femur while
      preventing distortion of normal hip biomechanics. METHODS: Twenty-two patients
      with non-united fractures of femoral neck in adults were treated with what was
      termed the 'triple attack' procedure. This constituted iliac autogenous bone
      grafting, valgus subtrochanteric osteotomy together with static fixation across
      the non-union fracture site of the neck to avoid delayed femoral neck shortening.
      RESULTS: All patients were classified as Pauwel's type III fractures. The mean
      time interval between the last operation and the current procedure was 4.6
      months. Average operative time was 58.6 minutes. Patients were followed up for an
      average of 43.6 months. Complete union was achieved in all cases at an average of
      4.3 months. Significant improvement of all radiological parameters was noticed
      together with the Harris hip score from an average of 21.2 pre-operatively to
      89.6 at the last follow-up. CONCLUSION: The present study provides encouraging
      clinical and functional results to suggest that this newly described procedure
      ('triple attack') might be a valuable option in the management of non-united
      femoral neck fractures.

PMID- 26105762
TI  - Validation of the Charlson comorbidity index in patients undergoing revision
      total hip arthroplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was developed to quantify the
      influence of comorbidities on survival. The age-related CCI respects patients'
      age as an additional risk factor. There are several studies available based on
      administrative data regarding functional outcome, implant survival, resource use
      and length of hospital stay in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty
      (THA). To date, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the correlation of the CCI
      and the age-related CCI in case of revision total hip arthroplasty (RTHA).
      OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to validate the influence of the CCI and age-related
      CCI in patients undergoing RTHA regarding complication rate, resource use implant
      survival and mortality rate. METHODS: Between October 2007 and November 2012, 142
      consecutive patients undergoing RTHA were included in this retrospective study.
      Routine clinical data were collected and analysed as anonymized aggregated data.
      In accordance to CCI and age-related CCI the rate of complications (internal
      medical and surgical complications), the length of hospital stay and the need for
      ICU treatment and the mortality rate was evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survivorship was
      used to determine implant survival. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (15%) had a low
      risk CCI, 59 patients (41%) a moderate risk CCI and 62 patients (44%) a high risk
      CCI. The mean follow-up was 27 months (range 24-70 months). In total, we recorded
      57 complications (40%), of which 45 were surgical (79%) and 12 were internal
      medical complications (21%). Twenty-four patients (17%) had to undergo revision
      surgery. CCI and age-related CCI had no influence regarding implant survival. We
      recorded a significant influence of the age-related CCI in regard to the
      necessity of postoperative intensive care unit stay and the length of total
      hospital stay. Further we recorded a significant influence of the CCI and the age
      related CCI regarding postoperative complications and internal complications,
      postoperative dislocation and the need for surgical revision. CONCLUSION: In
      summary, we conclude that the CCI and the age-related CCI are strong predictors
      regarding complication rate in patients undergoing RTHA. In a short- to mid-term
      follow-up, no influence on implant survival is detectable.

PMID- 26105764
TI  - Daniel Molliere (1848-1890): the French anatomist-surgeon who introduced Robin's
      pioneering osteoclast for the genu valgum observed in adolescents.
AB  - Inside the pages of the French medical treatises of the 19th century a forgotten
      osteoclast apparatus for the genu valgum observed in adolescents remained hidden
      waiting to be unearthed. It was Victor Robin's osteoclast, which has been used by
      the supreme French anatomist and surgeon Daniel Molliere. With the purpose to
      share a significant heritage on orthopaedics, a thorough research of the
      literature of the era was conducted. Our study resulted in the illumination of
      both Molliere's prolific figure and osteoclast's impact on orthopaedic surgery at
      that time. Having in mind Molliere's perseverance towards surgical apparatuses,
      his antiseptic measures inside his operating theatre, his published treatises,
      his surgical skills, we may effortlessly conclude that he stands among Lyon's
      best surgeons with an important contribution to orthopaedics.

PMID- 26105763
TI  - Meta-analysis suggests that reverse shoulder arthroplasty in proximal humerus
      fractures is a better option than hemiarthroplasty in the elderly.
AB  - PURPOSE: This systematic meta-analysis and review aims to critically compare the
      outcome of reverse shoulder arthroplasty versus hemiarthroplasty for the
      treatment of complex proximal humeral fracture. METHODS: Relevant original
      studies were searched in the electronic databases of Medline, Embase, Cochrane
      central database and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) (all through
      December 2014). Studies that investigated and compared the effectiveness or
      complications in both groups and provided sufficient data of interest were
      included in this meta-analysis. Participants in both groups were significantly
      the same in the demography and injury mechanism. RESULTS: Eight studies that
      fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in this meta-analysis,
      which included 421 participants in hemiarthroplasty (HA) and 160 in reverse
      shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). Patients were followed-up for at least one year in
      each study. Compared with HA, RSA was associated with a lower rate of total
      complications, higher American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, more
      healed tuberosities and improved active forward elevation. Both treatments were
      comparable in term of revision surgeries, mortality, subjective satisfaction and
      active external rotation. CONCLUSIONS: The present evidence from this meta
      analysis suggested that RSA was a more advantaged method for the treatment of
      complex proximal humeral fractures. Clinical decision should be preferred to RSA
      on the condition that patients' medical conditions are indicated.

PMID- 26105765
TI  - Loss of offset after pertrochanteric hip fractures affects hip function one year
      after surgery with a short intramedullary nail. A prospective cohort study.
AB  - PURPOSE: We hypothesised that protruding collum screws in intramedullary nails
      used for pertrochanteric fractures cause lateral pain/discomfort and that loss of
      offset relates to poorer hip function. METHODS: Seventy-six patients with an
      acute pertrochanteric femoral fracture AO types A1 and A2 were operated upon
      using a short intramedullary nail and were included in a prospective
      observational cohort study and followed-up for one year. The main outcome
      variables were lateral pain and hip function as evaluated with the Harris Hip
      Score. The main exposure was compression along the collum screw and lateral
      protrusion measured by anteroposterior X-ray images. Perioperative images were
      compared to images at the follow-up visit. Outcome variables were adjusted in
      regression models for reduction, fracture type, body mass index, sex and age.
      RESULTS: A total of 28 (36 %) patients experienced lateral pain at one year. We
      found a correlation between lateral protrusion and lateral pain, adjusted OR 4.5
      per protruding centimetre (95 % CI, 1.1-17.5). Collum compression correlated with
      a poorer outcome with Harris Hip Score -14.2 per compressed centimetre (95 % CI, 
      21.8 to -6.7). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with type A1 and A2 pertrochanteric
      fractures operated on using intramedullary nailing, a large compression and
      lateral protrusion of the collum screw are associated with poorer hip function
      and lateral pain. New technical improvements for implants should focus on these
      factors to improve functional outcome after surgery.

PMID- 26105766
TI  - Are pre-operative anthropometric parameters helpful in predicting length and
      thickness of quadrupled hamstring graft for ACL reconstruction in adults? A
      prospective study and literature review.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cross-sectional diameter of 7 mm or more of graft in anterior cruciate
      ligament reconstruction is arguably the single most important factor determining
      the success of the operation. Pre-operative anthropometric parameters have been
      reported to correlate with diameter of quadrupled hamstring graft, which is the
      most popular graft choice today. We conducted this prospective study to determine
      the value of some anthropometric measurements to predict the length of harvested
      semitendinosus and gracilis tendons and quadrupled hamstring graft diameter. We
      also assessed the reliability of the mathematical equation in accurately
      predicting the graft diameter. METHODS: Height, weight, BMI and thigh length of
      160 patients who underwent primary ACL reconstruction was measured before
      surgery. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis length of harvested
      semitendinous and gracilis tendons along with quadrupled graft diameter were
      correlated to height, weight, BMI and thigh length. RESULTS: Ninety-six percent
      had graft diameter of 7 mm or more. Height and thigh length were found to be most
      strongly correlating to both the length of harvested tendons and the quadrupled
      graft diameter (p <= 0.001, r = 0.25-0.39). Patients with height less than 147 cm
      were found to be at highest risk for inadequate graft diameter (less than 7 mm).
      Although the anthropometric parameters were found to be significantly related to
      height and thigh length, the strength of association is moderate. The
      mathematical equation for prediction of graft diameter using height was found to
      inaccurately over-predict the graft diameter in 33.1 % of cases, assessed using
      Bland-Altman plot. CONCLUSION: Anthropometric parameters, especially height and
      thigh length, can serve as a guide to plan hamstring graft diameter and length
      before ACL reconstruction. But, it is not advisable to rely on mathematical
      equations for absolute values of graft parameters as there is risk of over
      estimating hamstring length or graft thickness.

PMID- 26105767
TI  - New fracture pattern focusing on implant fracture for periprosthetic femoral
      fractures.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Vancouver Classification System (VCS) for assessing periprosthetic
      femoral fractures has become universally accepted. The Unified Classification
      System (UCS) has expanded upon and updated the VCS and applied treatment
      principles to all periprosthetic fractures. However, periprosthetic femoral
      fractures accompanied by stem fracture after hip arthroplasty were not
      classifiable under the original VCS or the UCS. RESULTS: Our new fracture pattern
      is based on the periprosthetic femoral fracture as well as stem fracture after
      hip arthroplasty, and its treatment is dependent upon the stability of the
      proximal portion of the fractured femoral prosthesis. CONCLUSION: We believe that
      our new fracture pattern, a supplement to the VCS and UCS, is useful in the
      establishment of a therapeutic strategy for periprosthetic femoral fractures.

PMID- 26105768
TI  - Fetal cell microchimerism in papillary thyroid cancer: A role in the outcome of
      the disease.
AB  - Fetal cell microchimerism (FCM) is defined as the persistence of fetal cells in
      maternal organs and circulation without any apparent rejection and it was
      hypothesized to protect toward the onset of some neoplastic diseases. To verify
      the role of FCM in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), we enrolled 87 parous women
      with PTC and at least one male pregnancy preceding the diagnosis (PTC-P), 66
      healthy women with 1 or more male children (HC-P) and 57 nonparous women with PTC
      (PTC-NP). The presence of circulating male DNA was assessed by the amplification
      of the Y chromosome-specific gene SRY, with a sensitivity of 1 male cell/1
      million female cells. A significantly higher frequency of FCM was found in HC-P
      than PTC-P women (63.6% vs. 39.1%, p = 0.004). Among PTC-P patients, those
      positive for the presence of FCM (FMC+ve) had a lower prevalence of
      extrathyroidal extension (p = 0.027) and lymph node metastases (p = 0.044) than
      those without FCM (FMC-ve). Moreover, FMC+ve patients were more frequently in
      remission than FMC-ve cases (94.1 vs. 67.9%, p = 0.009). Interestingly, we showed
      for the first time that the positive effect on tumor presentation and outcome is
      specifically related to FCM and it is not an effect of pregnancy. In conclusion,
      circulating FCM is significantly more frequent in healthy parous women than in
      women with PTC. Moreover, the presence of circulating fetal male cells is
      associated with a significantly lower extrathyroidal extension and a good
      prognosis, suggesting a protective role of this phenomenon toward both the onset
      and the progression of thyroid cancer.

PMID- 26105769
TI  - An Elective in College Mental Health for Training Adult Psychiatry Residents in
      Young Adult Psychiatry.

PMID- 26105770
TI  - Duty Hours, Like Milestones, Were Not Studied Before Implementation.

PMID- 26105771
TI  - Clinical evaluation of quality of life: a survey among members of European
      Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Quality of life (QoL) has been recognized as an important
      postoperative outcome. Despite the growing interest in this topic, there is
      almost no information about the daily use of QoL questionnaires within European
      Society of Thoracic Surgery (ESTS). The aim of this paper is to present the
      results of a survey launched to know the current practice of collecting and using
      QoL data within the Society. METHODS: The survey was designed by the members of
      the QoL and Patient Safety ESTS committee and included 13 questions about
      different aspects of QoL assessment: time points of data collection, type and
      method of administration of questionnaires, dropouts, surgical-related symptoms
      and definition of the target population. An electronic link was sent to invite
      1250 ESTS members to complete the survey by e-mail. RESULTS: One hundred and
      fifty surgeons worldwide completed the survey. Of the total, 54.4% of the
      surgeons indicated that they never collect QoL data in their daily practice. Both
      SF-36 and EORTC C30 were the most commonly used questionnaires. They are
      considered as the most appropriate for thoracic surgery patients. Only 20% of the
      surgeons used the LC-13 module in addition. Most of the time (45.5%),
      questionnaires are completed through a face-to-face interview led by a physician.
      Only 21.2% of the responders collected data prior to surgery; 39.3% of the
      responders collect QoL data only from lung cancer patients and 16% add patients
      with oesophageal diseases. Postoperative complications, comorbidities, surgical
      and oncological baseline data and wound pain, healing disorders, arm mobility,
      oxygen dependency, return to work and postoperative medication were important
      items that responders suggested to include in future questionnaires. CONCLUSIONS:
      The obtained data showed a broad area for improvement in QoL. The ESTS has to
      lead this effort collaborating to standardize the research in this field,
      endorsing specific questionnaires, incorporating patient-reported outcomes more
      and more into guidelines and facilitating multicentre studies.

PMID- 26105772
TI  - Is it valuable and safe to perform reoperation for recurrent thymoma?
AB  - A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured
      protocol. The question addressed was whether it is valuable and safe to perform
      reoperation for recurrent thymoma. Altogether, more than 500 papers were found
      using the reported search, of which 15 represented the best evidence to answer
      the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication,
      patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers
      are tabulated. This paper includes 1 level 1a study and 15 level 2b studies. The
      operative mortality was reported in six studies, ranging from 0 to 13.3%, and the
      operative morbidity in five studies, ranging from 0 to 32.1%. Most patients
      suffering from operative mortality (5/5) and morbidity (16/19) had myasthenia
      gravis. One meta-analysis demonstrated improved rates of long-term overall
      survival in patients with recurrent thymoma who were treated surgically compared
      with those treated non-surgically. Ten studies showed better survival after
      surgical treatment than after non-surgical treatment with the difference being
      statistically significant in 4 of them. Two studies reported that the prognosis
      in patients with complete reresection was comparable with that of patients
      without recurrence. One study found that patients with a thymus-related syndrome
      improved after re-resection. Another two studies revealed that debulking surgery
      for recurrent thymoma was associated with poorer survival and worse outcomes than
      both complete resection and non-surgical therapy. From the papers identified in
      our search, we can conclude that reoperation can be performed with acceptable
      morbidity and low mortality in appropriately selected patients with locally
      and/or regionally recurrent thymoma. Both survival and thymus-related syndromes
      are improved if the recurrence is surgically resected when compared with other
      medical treatments. Debulking surgery should be limited to those few selected
      patients in whom other treatment options are not available. In addition,
      morbidity and mortality most commonly occur in association with myasthenia
      gravis, and hence medical control of this should be optimized prior to
      reoperation. 

PMID- 26105773
TI  - High-resolution manometry combined with impedance measurements discriminates the
      cause of dysphagia in children.
AB  - Pressure-flow analysis allows assessing esophageal bolus transport in relation to
      esophageal pressures. This study aimed to characterize pressure-flow metrics in
      relation to dysphagia in paediatric patients. We analysed esophageal pressure
      impedance recordings of 5 ml liquid and viscous swallows from 35 children (17 M,
      mean 10.5 +/- 0.8 years). Primary indication for referral was gastroesophageal
      reflux disease (GERD) (9), post-fundoplication dysphagia (5), idiopathic
      dysphagia (16), trachea-esophageal fistula (2) and other (3). Peristaltic
      function was assessed using the 20 mmHg iso-contour defect and the timing between
      bolus pressure and flow was assessed using the Pressure Flow Index, a metric
      elevated in relation to dysphagia. Patients were stratified in relation to
      dysphagia and to peristaltic defect size. Dysphagia was characterized by a weaker
      peristalsis for liquids and higher Pressure Flow Index for viscous. When patients
      were stratified based on weak or normal peristalsis, dysphagia with weak
      peristalsis related to a larger iso-contour defect size and dysphagia with normal
      peristalsis related to higher Pressure Flow Index. CONCLUSION: Pressure-flow
      analysis enables differentiation of patients with dysphagia due to weak
      peristalsis (poor bolus clearance) from abnormal bolus flow resistance
      (esophageal outflow obstruction). This new dichotomous categorization of
      esophageal function may help guide the selection of optimal treatment such as
      pharmacological or endoscopic therapy. WHAT IS KNOWN: * Pressure-flow analysis
      (PFA) can detect abnormalities in esophageal motility using integrated analysis
      of bolus propulsion and bolus flow during swallowing. * AIM analysis has recently
      been reported to be useful in identifying subtle pre-operative esophageal
      dysfunction in adult patients who developed post-fundoplication dysphagia as well
      as in patients with non-obstructive dysphagia. WHAT IS NEW: * Pressure-flow
      parameters can distinguish the cause of dysphagia in paediatric patients. *
      Combined high-resolution manometry and impedance measurements with pressure-flow
      analysis can differentiate paediatric patients with dysphagia symptoms in
      relation to either weak peristalsis (poor bolus clearance) or over-pressurization
      (abnormal bolus flow resistance). HOW MIGHT IT IMPACT ON CLINICAL PRACTICE IN THE
      FUTURE? * This study supports the use of a novel objective analysis method on
      recordings that are readily used in paediatric clinical practice. * The pressure
      flow approach allows discriminating esophageal dysfunction in relation to
      dysphagia symptoms in children. This has not been achieved in children with
      current analysis methods. * The new findings of this study allow a dichotomous
      categorization of esophageal function, which may help to guide the selection of
      the most optimal treatment such as pharmacological or endoscopic therapy.

PMID- 26105774
TI  - Patterning microfluidic device wettability with spatially-controlled plasma
      oxidation.
AB  - Microfluidic devices can form double emulsions with uniform properties, but
      require cumbersome fabrication steps to pattern their wettability. We demonstrate
      spatially-controlled plasma oxidation to create wettability patterns for forming
      double emulsions. Our method performs comparably to chemical techniques but is
      simpler, more reliable, and scalable to patterning large arrays of drop makers. 

PMID- 26105775
TI  - Whole blood glutathione status and ICU morbidity in critically ill children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A high reduced glutathione ratio is associated with high mortality in
      adult ICU patients. Whole blood glutathione status in critically ill children is
      less well characterized. In this study, whole blood glutathione status in
      pediatric intensive care (PICU) patients was determined and the relation between
      the redox status of whole blood glutathione and morbidity was investigated.
      METHODS: A prospective consecutive cohort of critically ill children (n = 146)
      admitted to the PICU of a tertiary university hospital, and a reference group of
      healthy children (n = 60) and healthy adults (n = 10) were included in the study.
      The concentrations of total and reduced whole blood were determined at admission
      and patient characteristics were recorded. RESULTS: A high fraction of reduced
      glutathione in the glutathione redox status was associated with longer dependency
      of mechanical ventilation and length of stay in the PICU (P = 0.02 and P = 0.03
      respectively). In patients with a prolonged stay in the PICU (> 5 days), a more
      reduced state of glutathione was seen in patients who had more than two organ
      failures as compared to patients with one or two failing organs (P < 0.01 and P <
      0.05), respectively. A positive correlation was also seen between numbers of
      organ failures and redox status of glutathione (r  = 0.45, P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: A high reduced glutathione ratio was associated with longer PICU
      stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, and multiple organ failure.

PMID- 26105777
TI  - Analysis of 17 Y-STR loci haplotype and Y-chromosome haplogroup distribution in
      five Chinese ethnic groups.
AB  - To investigate genetic diversity in Chinese populations, 706 unrelated male
      individuals from five ethnic groups (Han, Korean, Hui, Mongolian, and Tibetan,
      respectively) were analyzed with 17 Y-chromosomal STRs. The haplotype diversity
      was 0.99985 in the combined data. A total of 675 distinct haplotypes were
      observed, of which 649 were unique. Y-chromosome haplogroups in the five groups
      were also predicted with Y-STR haplotypes. Genetic distance between the five
      studied ethnic groups and other published groups was analyzed by analysis of
      molecular variance and visualized in a multidimensional scaling plot. In
      conclusion, the 17 Y-STR loci are highly polymorphic markers in the five groups
      and hence are very useful in forensic application, population genetics, and human
      evolution studies. 

PMID- 26105776
TI  - Anhedonia is associated with reduced incentive cue related activation in the
      basal ganglia.
AB  - Research has shown that reward incentives improve cognitive control in
      motivationally salient situations. Much previous work in this domain has focused
      on incentive cue-related activity in a number of brain regions, including the
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and striatum. However, the more sustained
      changes in functional brain activity during task contexts with incentives have
      been relatively less explored. Here, we examined both the cue-related and
      sustained effects of rewards (i.e., monetary incentives) on cognitive control,
      with a particular focus on the roles of the DLPFC and striatum, using a mixed
      state-item design. We investigated whether variability in a reward-related trait
      (i.e., anhedonia) would modulate the sustained and/or the cue-related transient
      aspects of motivated cognitive control. Twenty-seven healthy individuals
      performed a modified response conflict task (Padmala & Pessoa, Journal of
      Cognitive Neuroscience, 23, 3419-3432, 2011) during scanning, in which
      participants were asked to categorize images as either houses or buildings with
      either congruent or incongruent overlaid words. Participants performed a baseline
      condition without knowledge of monetary incentives, followed by reward blocks
      with monetary incentives on some cued trials (reward cues) for fast and correct
      responses. We replicated previous work by showing increases in both sustained
      activity during reward versus baseline blocks and transient. cue-related activity
      in bilateral DLPFC and the basal ganglia. Importantly, healthy individuals with
      higher anhedonia showed less of an increase in trial-by-trial activity as a
      function of reward in the lateral globus pallidus. Together, our results suggest
      that reduced hedonic experience may be related to abnormality of reward cue
      related activity in the basal ganglia. 

PMID- 26105778
TI  - Selective enzymatic cleavage and labeling for sensitive capillary electrophoresis
      laser-induced fluorescence analysis of oxidized DNA bases.
AB  - Oxidatively generated DNA damage is considered to be a significant contributing
      factor to cancer, aging, and age-related human diseases. It is important to
      detect oxidatively generated DNA damage to understand and clinically diagnosis
      diseases caused by oxidative damage. In this study, using selective enzymatic
      cleavage and quantum dot (QD) labeling, we developed a novel capillary
      electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence method for the sensitive detection of
      oxidized DNA bases. First, oxidized DNA bases are recognized and removed by one
      DNA base excision repair glycosylase, leaving apurinic and apyrimidinic sites (AP
      sites) at the oxidized positions. The AP sites are further excised by the AP
      nicking activity of the chosen glycosylase, generating a nucleotide gap with 5'-
      and 3'- phosphate groups. After dephosphorylation with one alkaline phosphatase,
      a biotinylated ddNTP is introduced into the nucleotide space within the DNA
      strand by DNA polymerase I. The biotin-tagged DNA is further labeled with a QD
      streptavidin conjugate via non-covalent interactions. The DNA-bound QD is well
      separated from excess DNA-unbound QD by highly efficient capillary
      electrophoresis and is sensitively detected by online coupled laser-induced
      fluorescence analysis. Using this method, we can assess the trace levels of
      oxidized DNA bases induced by the Fenton reaction and UV irradiation.
      Interestingly, the use of the formamidopyrimidine glycosylase (FPG) protein and
      endonuclease VIII enables the detection of oxidized purine and pyrimidine bases,
      respectively. Using the synthesized standard DNA, the approach has low limits of
      detection of 1.1*10(-19)mol in mass and 2.9pM in concentration. 

PMID- 26105779
TI  - The properties of capillary columns with sorbents based on poly-(1-trimethylsilyl
      1-propyne) modified with nitrous oxide.
AB  - In this work, we report the study of properties of capillary columns with a
      porous layer of the functionalized polymer prepared via oxidation of poly-(1
      trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) (PTMSP) by nitrous oxide. It was shown that the double
      CC bonds of polymer reacted with nitrous oxide with formation of ketone, carbonyl
      and hydroxyl groups. The increase in number of those groups in polymer changed a
      polarity of PTMSP. The change in polarity of polymer led to the selectivity of
      separations, including oxygen-containing substances. The polarity values were
      calculated for the prepared columns. It was shown that the total polarity
      according to McReynolds (DeltaI) was lower than that for known porous polymers.
      The examples of separations of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, oxygen- and
      halogen-containing substances were presented. 

PMID- 26105780
TI  - Comparison of twin-cell centrifugal partition chromatographic columns with
      different cell volume.
AB  - Two twin-cell centrifugal partition chromatographic columns (SCPC 250 and SCPE
      250-BIO, Armen Instrument, France) with the same column volume but different cell
      size and number were compared in terms of stationary phase retention and column
      efficiency. The columns were tested with two types of solvent systems: a commonly
      used organic solvent based biphasic system from the ARIZONA solvent system family
      and a polymer/salt based aqueous two phase system (ATPS). The efficiency of the
      columns was evaluated by pulse injection experiments of two benzenediols
      (pyrocatechol and hydroquinone) in the case of the ARIZONA system and a protein
      mixture (myoglobin and lysozyme) in the case of the ATPS. As result of high
      stationary phase retention, the column with the lower number of larger twin-cells
      (SCPE-250-BIO) is suitable for protein separations using ATPS. On the other hand,
      due to higher column efficiency, the column with the greater number of smaller
      cells (SCPC 250) is superior for batch elution separations performed with
      standard liquid-liquid chromatography organic solvent based biphasic systems. 

PMID- 26105781
TI  - Matrix solid phase dispersion method for determination of polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons in moss.
AB  - In this work a matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction method, followed by
      programmed temperature vaporization-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
      determination is proposed for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      (PAHs) in moss samples. A devitalized, cultivated Sphagnum palustre L. moss clone
      obtained from the "Mossclone" EU-FP7 Project was used for the optimization and
      validation of the proposed method. Good trueness (84-116%), precision
      (intermediate precision lower than 11%) and sensitivity (quantitation limits
      lower than 1.7ngg(-1)) were obtained. The proposed method was compared with other
      procedures applied for this complex matrix, achieving a considerable reduction of
      sample amount, solvent volume and time consumption. The procedure was
      successfully tested for the analysis of PAHs in exposed moss clone samples for
      the monitoring of air pollution. Finally, the method was also tested for its
      suitability in the analysis of PAHs in other moss species as well as a lichen
      species. 

PMID- 26105782
TI  - Homolog-focused profiling of ginsenosides based on the integration of step-wise
      formate anion-to-deprotonated ion transition screening and scheduled multiple
      reaction monitoring.
AB  - Homolog-focused profiling is a favored option to bridge targeted metabolomics
      toward non-targeted metabolomics. In current study, an attempt was made for the
      large-scale ginsenoside-specific analysis in ginseng (G) and American ginseng
      (AG). When formic acid (0.1%, v/v) was introduced as the mobile phase additive,
      formate anion-to-deprotonated ion transitions ([M+HCOO](-)>[M-H](-)) with an
      optimal collision energy (-32eV) could result in satisfactory responses for
      ginsenosides. Therefore, a step-wise multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-based
      method employing [M+HCOO](-)>[M-H](-) ion pairs was constructed to screen
      ginsenosides among 501-1250u (for Q1) with a step-size of 2u, and MRM also served
      as a survey experiment to trigger enhanced product ion scans for MS(2) spectrum
      acquisition on a hybrid triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometer;
      then, the identification of those observed ginsenosides was achieved on the basis
      of the well-defined mass cracking patterns for ginsenosides; afterwards,
      scheduled MRM was introduced for large-scale relatively quantitative analysis of
      all detected ginsenosides. Finally, comparative metabolomics were performed to
      differentiate G, AG, and their processed products. Method validation was carried
      out using thirteen authentic compounds. A total of 221 ginsenosides, among which
      185 ones were annotated, were observed and relatively quantitated. All crude
      materials were obviously classified into groups I-III. Above all, the MRM-based
      homolog-focused profiling of ginsenosides could be used as a reliable tool to
      gain an in-depth view for ginsenoside-enriched herbal products. 

PMID- 26105783
TI  - Methotrexate-associated lymphoproliferative disorder: Sequential development of
      angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma-like lymphoproliferation in the lymph nodes
      and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the skin in the same patient.

PMID- 26105785
TI  - Study of the reactivity of silica supported tantalum catalysts with oxygen
      followed by in situ HEROS.
AB  - We report on the reactivity of grafted tantalum organometallic catalysts with
      molecular oxygen. The changes in the local Ta electronic structure were followed
      by in situ high-energy resolution off-resonant spectroscopy (HEROS). The results
      revealed agglomeration and formation of Ta dimers, which cannot be reversed. The
      process occurs independently of starting grafted complex. 

PMID- 26105784
TI  - Heat stress induced apoptosis is triggered by transcription-independent p53,
      Ca(2+) dyshomeostasis and the subsequent Bax mitochondrial translocation.
AB  - In this study, We demonstrated that Bax mitochondrial translocation plays a vital
      role in the initiation of the mitochondrial signaling pathway upon activation by
      heat stress. In addition, both p53 mitochondrial translocation and Ca(2+) signal
      mediated MPTP opening activate Bax mitochondrial translocation. Employing
      pifithrin-alpha (a p53 mitochondrial translocation inhibitor) and CsA (a
      permeability transition pore (MPTP) inhibitor), we found that heat stress induced
      Bax mitochondrial translocation was significantly inhibited in cells pretreated
      with both PFT and CsA. Furthermore, we demonstrated that generation of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) is a critical mediator in heat stress induced apoptosis and
      that the antioxidant MnTBAP significantly decreased heat stress induced p53
      mitochondrial translocation and Ca(2+) signal mediated MPTP opening, as well as
      the subsequent Bax mitochondrial translocation and activation of the caspase
      cascade. Taken together, our results indicate that heat stress induces apoptosis
      through the mitochondrial pathway with ROS dependent mitochondrial p53
      translocation and Ca(2+) dyshomeostasis, and the ensuing intro Bax mitochondrial
      translocation as the upstream events involved in triggering the apoptotic process
      observed upon cellular exposure to heat stress. 

PMID- 26105786
TI  - Postmortem CT, gross and microscopic images of hemorrhage along the pulmonary
      artery sheath due to type A aortic dissection.

PMID- 26105787
TI  - The radiographic visibility of the root pulp of the third lower molar as an age
      marker.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this work was to determine the usefulness of the visibility
      of the dental pulp in lower third molars in forensic age estimation. METHODS:
      Dental pulp visibility on lower third molars was assessed using a sample of 487
      orthopantomograms. Intra and inter-observer agreement was determined using the
      Cohen's kappa test. A descriptive analysis of the stages according to age was
      done. The relationship between age and stage attainment was assessed using Chi
      square test and the strength and direction of the linear relationship between
      pulp visualization stage and chronological age was evaluated using Spearman rank
      order correlation (rho). Equations for predicting an age above 21 years were
      developed using logistic regression. The level of significance was defined at p <
      0.05. RESULTS: The relationship between age and stage attainment had statistical
      significance for both sexes (p < 0.001). There was a medium positive correlation
      between the two variables for both genders (Spearman rho = 0.420, p < 0.001 and
      Spearman rho = 0.454, p < 0.001, for males and females respectively). The model
      built for age estimation successfully predicted age over 21 in 96.2% of the
      females and in 96.9% of the males. However, only 19.6 and 27.0% of predictions
      were accurate for the group that was younger than 21, for females and males,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of predictions for the group younger than
      21 years of age was low, meaning that this methodology may not be suitable for
      age estimation. Still, stage 3 alone proved to be a suitable age marker for
      determining an age over 21 years.

PMID- 26105788
TI  - Dentures in dementia: the oral health management of patients in institutional
      care.

PMID- 26105789
TI  - Mediated Electron Transfer at Vertically Aligned Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube
      Electrodes During Detection of DNA Hybridization.
AB  - Vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotube (VASWCNT) assemblies are
      generated on cysteamine and 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME)-functionalized gold surfaces
      through amide bond formation between carboxylic groups generated at the end of
      acid-shortened single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and amine groups present
      on the gold surfaces. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging confirms the vertical
      alignment mode of SWCNT attachment through significant changes in surface
      roughness compared to bare gold surfaces and the lack of any horizontally aligned
      SWCNTs present. These SWCNT assemblies are further modified with an amine
      terminated single-stranded probe-DNA. Subsequent hybridization of the surface
      bound probe-DNA in the presence of complementary strands in solution is followed
      using impedance measurements in the presence of Fe(CN)6 (3-/4-) as the redox
      probe in solution, which show changes in the interfacial electrochemical
      properties, specifically the charge-transfer resistance, due to hybridization. In
      addition, hybridization of the probe-DNA is also compared when it is attached
      directly to the gold surfaces without any intermediary SWCNTs. Contrary to our
      expectations, impedance measurements show a decrease in charge-transfer
      resistance with time due to hybridization with 300 nM complementary DNA in
      solution with the probe-DNA attached to SWCNTs. In contrast, an increase in
      charge-transfer resistance is observed with time during hybridization when the
      probe-DNA is attached directly to the gold surfaces. The decrease in charge
      transfer resistance during hybridization in the presence of VASWCNTs indicates an
      enhancement in the electron transfer process of the redox probe at the VASWCNT
      modified electrode. The results suggest that VASWCNTs are acting as mediators of
      electron transfer, which facilitate the charge transfer of the redox probe at the
      electrode-solution interface. 

PMID- 26105790
TI  - Herd immunity and fatal cases of influenza among the population exposed to
      poultry and wild birds in Russian Asia in 2013-2014.
AB  - In total 1,525 blood serum samples were collected in October, 2013 in Russian
      Asia from people who reside in territories that are at high risk for emergence of
      influenza viruses with pandemic potential. Presence of antibodies to influenza
      viruses in the sera was tested in hemagglutination inhibition test. None of the
      samples produced positive results with the antigens A/H5 and A/H7. Twelve strains
      of influenza A(H1N1pdm09) virus were isolated from people who died presumably
      from influenza during 2013-2014 epidemic season. All strains were similar to
      vaccine strain A/California/07/09 according to their antigenic properties and
      sensitivity to anti-neuraminidase drugs (oseltamivir and zanamivir). Genetic
      analysis revealed that all strains belong to group 6, subgroup 6B of influenza
      A(H1N1)pdm09 virus. Substitutions in HA1: S164F add E235K as well as E47G, A86V,
      K331R, N386K, N397K in NA, and K131E, N29S in NS1, and N29S, R34Q in NEP separate
      investigated strains into two groups: 1st group-A/Chita/1114/2014,
      A/Chita/1115/2014, A/Chita/853/2014, A/Barnaul/269/2014 and 2nd group
      A/Chita/655/2014, A/Chita/656/2014, A/Chita/709/2014, A/Chita/873/2014. Mutation
      D222G in HA1, which is often associated with high morbidity of the illness, was
      present in strain A/Novosibirsk/114/2014. Substitution N386K in NA removes a
      potential N-glycosylation site in neuraminidases of A/Chita/1114/2014,
      A/Chita/1115/2014, A/Chita/853/2014, A/Barnaul/269/2014, A/Novosibirsk/114/2014,
      and A/Blagoveshensk/252/2014.

PMID- 26105791
TI  - Equilibrium and non-equilibrium dynamics simultaneously operate in the Galapagos
      islands.
AB  - Island biotas emerge from the interplay between colonisation, speciation and
      extinction and are often the scene of spectacular adaptive radiations. A common
      assumption is that insular diversity is at a dynamic equilibrium, but for remote
      islands, such as Hawaii or Galapagos, this idea remains untested. Here, we
      reconstruct the temporal accumulation of terrestrial bird species of the
      Galapagos using a novel phylogenetic method that estimates rates of biota
      assembly for an entire community. We show that species richness on the
      archipelago is in an ascending phase and does not tend towards equilibrium. The
      majority of the avifauna diversifies at a slow rate, without detectable
      ecological limits. However, Darwin's finches form an exception: they rapidly
      reach a carrying capacity and subsequently follow a coalescent-like
      diversification process. Together, these results suggest that avian diversity of
      remote islands is rising, and challenge the mutual exclusivity of the non
      equilibrium and equilibrium ecological paradigms. 

PMID- 26105793
TI  - Quantitative ROESY analysis of computational models: structural studies of
      citalopram and beta-cyclodextrin complexes by (1) H-NMR and computational
      methods.
AB  - Complexation of racemic citalopram with beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) in aqueous
      medium was investigated to determine atom-accurate structure of the inclusion
      complexes. (1) H-NMR chemical shift change data of beta-CD cavity protons in the
      presence of citalopram confirmed the formation of 1 : 1 inclusion complexes.
      ROESY spectrum confirmed the presence of aromatic ring in the beta-CD cavity but
      whether one of the two or both rings was not clear. Molecular mechanics and
      molecular dynamic calculations showed the entry of fluoro-ring from wider side of
      beta-CD cavity as the most favored mode of inclusion. Minimum energy
      computational models were analyzed for their accuracy in atomic coordinates by
      comparison of calculated and experimental intermolecular ROESY peak intensities,
      which were not found in agreement. Several least energy computational models were
      refined and analyzed till calculated and experimental intensities were
      compatible. The results demonstrate that computational models of CD complexes
      need to be analyzed for atom-accuracy and quantitative ROESY analysis is a
      promising method. Moreover, the study also validates that the quantitative use of
      ROESY is feasible even with longer mixing times if peak intensity ratios instead
      of absolute intensities are used.

PMID- 26105792
TI  - BAIBA attenuates insulin resistance and inflammation induced by palmitate or a
      high fat diet via an AMPK-PPARdelta-dependent pathway in mice.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We explored the effects of beta-aminoisobutyric acid (BAIBA) on
      hyperlipidaemic-condition-induced insulin resistance and inflammation as mediated
      through a signalling pathway involving AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARdelta). METHODS: Mouse
      skeletal muscle C2C12 cells and C57BL/6J mice were treated with palmitate or a
      high-fat diet (HFD) and BAIBA. Inflammation and the expression of genes
      associated with insulin signalling were determined by western blot and
      quantitative real-time PCR. Selected genes from candidate pathways were evaluated
      by small interfering (si)RNA knockdown and specific inhibitors. RESULTS: BAIBA
      treatment ameliorated impairment of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1/Akt
      mediated insulin signalling in palmitate-treated C2C12 myocytes and in skeletal
      muscle of HFD-fed mice. In addition, BAIBA treatment reversed HFD-induced
      increases in body weight and improved impaired glucose tolerance in mice. In
      vitro and in vivo, inhibitory kappaBalpha (IkappaBalpha) phosphorylation, nuclear
      factor kappaB (NFkappaB) nuclear translocation and downstream inflammatory
      cytokines were significantly suppressed by BAIBA. Furthermore, BAIBA treatment
      significantly induced AMPK phosphorylation and expression of PPARdelta in C2C12
      myocytes and in skeletal muscle of mice. Both compound C, an AMPK inhibitor, and
      Ppardelta (also known as Ppard) siRNA abrogated the inhibitory effects of BAIBA
      on palmitate-induced inflammation and insulin resistance. BAIBA significantly
      induced the expression of genes associated with fatty acid oxidation, such as
      carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (Cpt1), acyl-CoA oxidase (Aco; also known as
      Acox1) and fatty acid binding protein 3 (Fabp3); this effect of BAIBA was
      significantly reduced by compound C and Ppardelta siRNA.
      CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: These results are the first to demonstrate that BAIBA
      attenuates insulin resistance, suppresses inflammation and induces fatty acid
      oxidation via the AMPK-PPARdelta pathway in skeletal muscle.

PMID- 26105794
TI  - Nanofiltration concentration of extracellular glutathione produced by engineered
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - This study aimed to optimize extracellular glutathione production by a
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae engineered strain and to concentrate the extracellular
      glutathione by membrane separation processes, including ultrafiltration (UF) and
      nanofiltration (NF). Synthetic defined (SD) medium containing 20 g L(-1) glucose
      was fermented for 48 h; the fermentation liquid was passed through an UF membrane
      to remove macromolecules. Glutathione in this permeate was concentrated for 48 h
      to 545.1 +/- 33.6 mg L(-1) using the NF membrane; this was a significantly higher
      concentration than that obtained with yeast extract peptone dextrose (YPD) medium
      following 96 h NF concentration (217.9 +/- 57.4 mg L(-1)). This higher
      glutathione concentration results from lower cellular growth in SD medium (final
      OD600 = 6.9 +/- 0.1) than in YPD medium (final OD600 = 11.0 +/- 0.6) and thus
      higher production of extracellular glutathione (16.0 +/- 1.3 compared to 9.2 +/-
      2.1 mg L(-1) in YPD medium, respectively). Similar fermentation and membrane
      processing of sweet sorghum juice containing 20 g L(-1) total sugars provided
      240.3 +/- 60.6 mg L(-1) glutathione. Increased extracellular production of
      glutathione by this engineered strain in SD medium and subsequent UF permeation
      and NF concentration in shortend time may help realize industrial recovery of
      extracellular glutathione. 

PMID- 26105796
TI  - Erratum to: Quality assessment of estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor
      testing in breast cancer using a tissue microarray-based approach.

PMID- 26105795
TI  - CIB1 depletion impairs cell survival and tumor growth in triple-negative breast
      cancer.
AB  - Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast cancer subtype with
      generally poor prognosis and no available targeted therapies, highlighting a
      critical unmet need to identify and characterize novel therapeutic targets. We
      previously demonstrated that CIB1 is necessary for cancer cell survival and
      proliferation via regulation of two oncogenic signaling pathways, RAF-MEK-ERK and
      PI3K-AKT. Because these pathways are often upregulated in TNBC, we hypothesized
      that CIB1 may play a broader role in TNBC cell survival and tumor growth. Methods
      utilized include inducible RNAi depletion of CIB1 in vitro and in vivo,
      immunoblotting, clonogenic assay, flow cytometry, RNA-sequencing, bioinformatics
      analysis, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. CIB1 depletion resulted in
      significant cell death in 8 of 11 TNBC cell lines tested. Analysis of components
      related to PI3K-AKT and RAF-MEK-ERK signaling revealed that elevated AKT
      activation status and low PTEN expression were key predictors of sensitivity to
      CIB1 depletion. Furthermore, CIB1 knockdown caused dramatic shrinkage of MDA-MB
      468 xenograft tumors in vivo. RNA sequence analysis also showed that CIB1
      depletion in TNBC cells activates gene programs associated with decreased
      proliferation and increased cell death. CIB1 expression levels per se did not
      predict TNBC susceptibility to CIB1 depletion, and CIB1 mRNA expression levels
      did not associate with TNBC patient survival. Our data are consistent with the
      emerging concept of non-oncogene addiction, where a large subset of TNBCs depend
      on CIB1 for cell survival and tumor growth, independent of CIB1 expression
      levels. Our data establish CIB1 as a novel therapeutic target for TNBC. 

PMID- 26105797
TI  - The predictive and prognostic role of phosphatase phosphoinositol-3 (PI3) kinase
      (PIK3CA) mutation in HER2-positive breast cancer receiving HER2-targeted therapy:
      a meta-analysis.
AB  - The association between PIK3CA mutation and resistance to anti-HER2 therapy (AHT)
      is not precisely defined. This meta-analysis intended to explore the clinical
      utility of PIK3CA mutation in HER2-positive breast cancer treated with AHT.
      Literature search identified 19 eligible studies. There were 1720 patients with
      advanced, 828 with early and 1290 patients treated in the neoadjuvant setting. In
      metastatic breast cancer, AHT showed no differential objective response benefit
      between the wild type (WT) and the mutated type (MT) PIK3CA subgroups (odds ratio
      [OR] = 1.09; 95 % CI 0.60-2.00; P = 0.78). AHT favorable affected progression
      free survival (PFS) irrespective of PIK3CA mutation. There was no PFS difference
      between WT and MT regardless of the offered therapy. In early breast cancer,
      trastuzumab combined with the same chemotherapy conferred consistent relapse-free
      survival benefit in WT and MT subgroups (WT: HR = 0.59; 95 % CI 0.44-0.80; P <
      0.001 vs. MT: HR = 0.42; 95 % CI 0.24-0.74; P < 0.001). In the neoadjuvant
      setting, AHT-based therapy produced a 72 % higher pathologic complete response
      (pCR) rate in WT as compared with that in MT PIK3CA tumors (OR = 1.72; 95 % CI
      1.29-2.13; P < 0.001). In that setting, there was no disease-free or overall
      survival difference based on PIK3CA mutational status. In this meta-analysis, AHT
      did not achieve differential benefit according to PIK3CA mutation in HER2
      positive metastatic or early breast cancer; however, in the neoadjuvant setting,
      patients harboring WT PIK3CA tumors attained a higher pCR rate.

PMID- 26105798
TI  - Guidelines are advantageous, though not essential for improved survival among
      breast cancer patients.
AB  - The purpose of this retrospective multicenter study was to resolve the pseudo
      paradox that the clinical outcome of women affected by breast cancer has improved
      during the last 20 years irrespective of whether they were treated in accordance
      with clinical guidelines or not. This retrospective German multicenter study
      included 9061 patients with primary breast cancer recruited from 1991 to 2009. We
      formed subgroups for the time intervals 1991-2000 (TI1) and 2001-2009 (TI2). In
      these subgroups, the risk of recurrence (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were
      compared between patients whose treatment was either 100% guideline-conforming
      or, respectively, non-guideline-conforming. The clinical outcome of all patients
      significantly improved in TI2 compared to TI1 [RFS: p < 0.001, HR = 0.57, 95% CI
      (0.49-0.67); OS: p < 0.001, HR = 0.76, 95% (CI 0.66-0.87)]. OS and RFS of
      guideline non-adherent patients also improved in TI2 compared to TI. Comparing
      risk profiles, determined by Nottingham Prognostic Score reveals a significant (p
      = 0.001) enhancement in the time cohort TI2. Furthermore, the percentage of
      guideline-conforming systemic therapy (endocrine therapy and chemotherapy)
      significantly increased (p < 0.001) in the time cohort TI2 to TI for the non
      adherent group. The general improvement of clinical outcome of patients during
      the last 20 years is also valid in the subgroup of women who received treatments,
      which deviated from the guidelines. The shift in risk profiles as well as medical
      advances are major reasons for this improvement. Nevertheless, patients with 100%
      guideline-conforming therapy always had a better outcome compared to patients
      with guideline non-adherent therapy.

PMID- 26105799
TI  - A nationwide analysis of the use and outcomes of perioperative epidural analgesia
      in patients undergoing hepatic and pancreatic surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We sought to define trends in the use of epidural analgesia (EA) for
      hepatopancreatic procedures, as well as to characterize inpatient outcomes
      relative to the use of EA. METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was
      queried to identify all elective hepatopancreatic surgeries between 2000 and
      2012. In-hospital outcomes were compared among patients receiving EA vs
      conventional analgesia using propensity matching. RESULTS: EA utilization was
      7.4% (n = 3,961). The use of EA among minimally invasive procedures increased
      from 3.8% in 2000 to 9.1% in 2012. The odds of sepsis (odds ratio [OR] .72, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] .56 to .93), respiratory failure (OR .79, 95% CI .69 to
      .91), and postoperative pneumonia (OR .77, 95% CI .61 to .98), as well as overall
      in-hospital mortality (OR .72, 95% CI .56 to .93) were lower in the EA cohort
      (all P < .05). In contrast, no association was noted between EA and postoperative
      hemorrhage (OR .81, 95% CI .65 to 1.01, P = .06). CONCLUSIONS: EA use among
      patients undergoing hepatopancreatic procedures remains low. After controlling
      for confounding factors, EA remained associated with a reduction in specific
      pulmonary-related complications, as well as in-hospital mortality.

PMID- 26105800
TI  - Clinical significance of preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte vs platelet
      lymphocyte ratio in primary operable patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our aim was to determinate the prognostic value of neutrophil
      lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in primary operable
      patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Six hundred seventy
      eight NSCLC patients were enrolled in this study. The prognostic significance of
      both markers was determined by both univariate and multivariate Cox survival
      analysis. The cut-off value for NLR and PLR was selected by using receiver
      operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis showed
      that NLR was an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival (hazard
      ratio = 1.593, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.277 to 1.988, P < .001) and overall
      survival (hazard ratio = 1.624, 95% CI 1.304 to 2.022, P < .001). The area under
      the curve was .640 (95% CI .599 to .682, P < .001) for NLR and .547 (95% CI .503
      to .590, P = .036) for PLR, indicating that NLR was superior to PLR as a
      predictive factor in primary operable NSCLC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative
      NLR represents a significant independent prognostic indicator in primary operable
      NSCLC patients. Our results also demonstrate that high-risk patients based on the
      NLR do not benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

PMID- 26105801
TI  - Combined stoma reversal and liver resection: a matched case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stoma reversal can be performed during liver resection (LR) in
      patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRCLM) whose primary colorectal tumor
      has been previously resected with a diverting loop ileostomy. This combined
      procedure is reputed to be associated with an increased morbidity. This study
      investigates the impact of simultaneous loop ileostomy closure (LIC) on the
      postoperative outcome of LR for CRCLM. METHODS: From November 1996 to April 2012,
      408 patients who underwent LR for CRCLM were retrospectively studied from a
      prospective database. Patients who underwent simultaneous LR and LIC were matched
      for the type of the main liver procedure, the use of preoperative chemotherapy
      and the need for greater than or equal to 6 cycles of preoperative chemotherapy
      with LR only patients. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were
      recorded and compared. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients (6%) with simultaneous LR
      and LIC were matched with 72 patients with LR only. Both groups were comparable
      for patients' demographics and intraoperative findings. Liver related (P = .957)
      and overall postoperative morbidity (P = .643) rates did not differ between
      groups. CONCLUSION: The combined procedure appeared to be safe when strict
      surgical technique is used.

PMID- 26105802
TI  - What stress coping strategies are surgeons relying upon during surgery?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine sources of
      intraoperative stress, impact on surgical outcomes, coping strategies, and
      surgeon interest in stress management training. METHODS: An anonymous survey was
      electronically distributed to surgeons at a tertiary care hospital. Respondents
      were asked to rate the perceived impact of 9 stressors on operative performance,
      identify stress coping strategies, list witnessed stress-related complications,
      and opine on the perceived need for stress management training. RESULTS: Seventy
      two responses were received (76% relative risk). Complex or rarely performed
      cases and poor assistance were associated with the highest stress, while personal
      life distractions were associated with the least. Importantly, 40% of surgeons
      indicated that they had witnessed an intraoperative complication directly related
      to surgeon stress. Respondents (82%) believed that formal stress management
      training is needed. CONCLUSIONS: Several stressors affect surgical performance
      and contribute to complications. Surgeons use a variety of stress coping
      strategies. Formal stress management training is needed.

PMID- 26105803
TI  - Distinct clinicopathological phenotype of hepatocellular carcinoma with
      ethoxybenzyl-magnetic resonance imaging hyperintensity: association with gene
      expression signature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is mostly a lower intensity
      lesion in the hepatobiliary phase on gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine
      pentaacetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, some HCCs were shown as a
      higher intensity lesion (high HCC). This study aimed to reveal the
      clinicopathological and biological properties of high HCC. METHODS: Patients who
      underwent curative hepatectomy as the first treatment for HCC were included. HCC
      was defined as high HCC if the ratio between the signal intensity of the HCC and
      the background liver was greater than or equal to 1.0. We retrospectively
      performed clinicopathological and global gene expression analyses. RESULTS: Of
      the 77 patients, 14 had high HCC. Serum protein induced by vitamin K absence or
      antagonist II levels in high HCC were lower, and the high HCCs were well
      differentiated. The 3-year disease-free survival rates in high HCC and low HCC
      patients were 90% and 54%, respectively (P = .035). Overall survival did not
      differ significantly. Global gene expression analysis revealed that SLCO1B3 was
      upregulated in high HCC. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicopathological analysis revealed low
      grade malignancy in high HCCs compared with low HCCs. The expression of SLCO1B3
      was key to the hyperintensity in the hepatobiliary phase of ethoxybenzyl
      diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid magnetic resonance imaging.

PMID- 26105804
TI  - Imaging an aligned polyatomic molecule with laser-induced electron diffraction.
AB  - Laser-induced electron diffraction is an evolving tabletop method that aims to
      image ultrafast structural changes in gas-phase polyatomic molecules with sub
      Angstrom spatial and femtosecond temporal resolutions. Here we demonstrate the
      retrieval of multiple bond lengths from a polyatomic molecule by simultaneously
      measuring the C-C and C-H bond lengths in aligned acetylene. Our approach takes
      the method beyond the hitherto achieved imaging of simple diatomic molecules and
      is based on the combination of a 160 kHz mid-infrared few-cycle laser source with
      full three-dimensional electron-ion coincidence detection. Our technique provides
      an accessible and robust route towards imaging ultrafast processes in complex gas
      phase molecules with atto- to femto-second temporal resolution.

PMID- 26105805
TI  - Disease relevance of T11TS-induced T-cell signal transduction through the CD2
      mediated calcineurin-NFAT pathway: Perspectives in glioma immunotherapy.
AB  - Malignant glioma is the most lethal of a wide array of CNS neoplasms. Its onset
      and progression are markedly associated with profound immunosupression and
      paralysis of T-cell survival and proliferation. Myriad immunotherapeutic
      strategies are presently used to target such T-cell anomalies in glioma. Our
      recent work has highlighted use of the novel glycopeptide, the CD2 ligand, T11
      target structure (T11TS) as an immunotherapeutic agent against experimentally
      induced glioma in rats. We have shown that T11TS causes multi-target modulation
      of key components of the T-cell - antigen presenting cell (APC) immunological
      synapse. This consequently triggers T-cell activation so as to reverse glioma
      induced changes to physiological levels. T11TS administration also causes CD2
      upregulation. Earlier we also found T11TS to cause enhanced proliferation of both
      CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in glioma conditions. These findings led us to believe that
      downstream CD2-stimulated "alternative pathway" of calcineurin-NFAT could be a
      possible target for modulation by T11TS. In the present paper we thus show that
      immunotherapy with T11TS induces a multi-targeted approach towards activation of
      this "alternative pathway" of T-cell signaling providing an immunotherapeutic
      advantage against glioma. We show here that T11TS immunotherapy causes positive
      modulations of the CD2 pathway-associated proteins, viz., p59fyn, protein kinase
      C-theta (PKC-theta), calcineurin and nuclear factor for activation of T-cells
      (NFAT) and hint that this may accord greater survival and proliferation advantage
      to T-cells of the glioma-bearing animals for augmented defence against glioma.
      These findings help open a molecular immunotherapeutic door - one which is
      directed towards clinical studies for glioma-immunotherapy using T11TS. 

PMID- 26105807
TI  - LPXRFa peptide system in the European sea bass: A molecular and
      immunohistochemical approach.
AB  - Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) is a neuropeptide that suppresses
      reproduction in birds and mammals by inhibiting GnRH and gonadotropin secretion.
      GnIH orthologs with a C-terminal LPXRFamide (LPXRFa) motif have been identified
      in teleost fish. Although recent work also suggests its role in fish
      reproduction, studies are scarce and controversial, and have mainly focused on
      cyprinids. In this work we cloned a full-length cDNA encoding an LPXRFa precursor
      in the European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax. In contrast to other teleosts,
      the sea bass LPXRFa precursor contains only two putative RFamide peptides, termed
      sbLPXRFa1 and sbLPXRFa2. sblpxrfa transcripts were expressed predominantly in the
      olfactory bulbs/telencephalon, diencephalon, midbrain tegmentum, retina, and
      gonads. We also developed a specific antiserum against sbLPXRFa2, which revealed
      sbLPXRFa-immunoreactive (ir) perikarya in the olfactory bulbs-terminal nerve,
      ventral telencephalon, caudal preoptic area, dorsal mesencephalic tegmentum, and
      rostral rhombencephalon. These sbLPXRFa-ir cells profusely innervated the
      preoptic area, hypothalamus, optic tectum, semicircular torus, and caudal
      midbrain tegmentum, but conspicuous projections also reached the olfactory bulbs,
      ventral/dorsal telencephalon, habenula, ventral thalamus, pretectum, rostral
      midbrain tegmentum, posterior tuberculum, reticular formation, and viscerosensory
      lobe. The retina, pineal, vascular sac, and pituitary were also targets of
      sbLPXRFa-ir cells. In the pituitary, this innervation was observed close to
      follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and growth hormone
      (GH) cells. Tract-tracing retrograde labeling suggests that telencephalic and
      preoptic sbLPXRFa cells might represent the source of pituitary innervation. The
      immunohistochemical distribution of sbLPXRFa cells and fibers suggest that LPXRFa
      peptides might be involved in some functions as well as reproduction, such as
      feeding, growth, and behavior.

PMID- 26105806
TI  - Fatty acid-binding protein 5 limits the anti-inflammatory response in murine
      macrophages.
AB  - The beginning stages of liver damage induced by various etiologies (i.e. high fat
      diet, alcohol consumption, toxin exposure) are characterized by abnormal
      accumulation of lipid in liver. Alterations in intracellular lipid transport,
      storage, and metabolism accompanied by cellular insult within the liver play an
      important role in the pathogenesis of liver disease, often involving a sustained
      inflammatory response. The intracellular lipid transporter, fatty acid binding
      protein 5 (FABP5), is highly expressed in macrophages and may play an important
      role in the hepatic inflammatory response after endotoxin exposure in mice. This
      study tested the hypothesis that FABP5 regulates macrophage response to LPS in
      male C57bl/6 (wild type) and FABP5 knockout mice, both in vitro and in vivo.
      Treatment with LPS revealed that loss of FABP5 enhances the number of hepatic
      F4/80(+) macrophages in the liver despite limited liver injury. Conversely, FABP5
      knock out mice display higher mRNA levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10,
      arginase, YM-1, and Fizz-1 in liver compared to wild type mice. Bone marrow
      derived macrophages stimulated with inflammatory (LPS and IFN-gamma) or anti
      inflammatory (IL-4) mediators also showed significantly higher expression of anti
      inflammatory/regulatory factors. These findings reveal a regulatory role of FABP5
      in the acute inflammatory response to LPS-induced liver injury, which is
      consistent with the principle finding that FABP5 is a regulator of macrophage
      phenotype. Specifically, these findings demonstrate that loss of FABP5 promotes a
      more anti-inflammatory response. 

PMID- 26105808
TI  - Normal range and genetic analysis of coagulation factor XII in the general
      Chinese population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been reported that the average activity of coagulation factor
      XII depends on the ethnicity of the population under study but little information
      is available on Chinese. We here provide an analysis of the range of activities
      and antigenic levels of factor XII in healthy Han Chinese and correlate the
      measurements with polymorphisms and mutations in the corresponding gene. METHODS:
      Plasma samples were obtained from 549 healthy Chinese adults (264 men, 285 women;
      age 16-79years) undergoing routine check-ups. The samples were subjected to an
      activated partial thromboplastin time-based factor XII activity assay as well as
      an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Partial gene sequence analyses were
      performed in subjects with low factor XII activity and in normal controls.
      RESULTS: Ninety-five percent of the subjects had factor XII activities between
      47% and 160.25%, with no evidence for an influence of sex or age. Among 15
      subjects with activity levels <=47%, we found one novel nonsense and two missense
      mutations that may lead to dysfunctional proteins. No mutations were found in a
      selection of subjects with activities above 47%. Interestingly, however, the
      particular sequence at a known C/T polymorphism at position 46 just upstream of
      the translational start codon was correlated with factor XII activity. Subjects
      homozygous for the T allele, which has an allelic frequency of 0.69, showed
      significantly lower factor XII activities compared to subjects homozygous for the
      C allele or those heterozygous for C/T. CONCLUSIONS: The survey determined the
      normal range of factor XII activities in healthy Chinese and identified mutations
      as well as a biased representation of a polymorphic nucleotide in subjects with
      abnormally low activities. The results provide an essential basis for the
      diagnosis of FXII deficiencies in Chinese.

PMID- 26105809
TI  - Health Consequences of Rural-to-Urban Migration: Evidence from Panel Data in
      China.
AB  - This paper provides new empirical evidence on the health consequences of rural-to
      urban migration in China. We use a panel dataset from 2003 to 2006 constructed by
      the Research Center on the Rural Economy at the Ministry of Agriculture in China
      to investigate the effects of short-term and medium-term migration on health
      status. By combining propensity-score matching and the difference-in-difference
      model, we attempt to overcome the migration endogeneity issue and estimate the
      average treatment effect on the treated. We find that the effect of short-term
      migration on health in China is significantly positive mostly because of the
      income effect. However, the effect of longer-term continuous migration on health
      is insignificant and close to zero. Our results are robust to several alternative
      estimation techniques and a series of robustness checks. Copyright (c) 2015 John
      Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26105810
TI  - How medicine is broken, and how we can fix it.

PMID- 26105811
TI  - Synthesis, characterization and thermoluminescence studies of Mn-doped ZnS
      nanoparticles.
AB  - ZnS:Mn nanoparticles were prepared by a chemical precipitation method and
      characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission gun scanning electron
      microscope (FEGSEM), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy
      (HRTEM). Capping agent (mercaptoethanol) concentrations used were 0 M, 0.005 M,
      0.01 M, 0.015 M, 0.025 M, 0.040 M, and 0.060 M, and resulted in nanoparticles
      sizes of 2.98 nm, 2.9 nm, 2.8 nm, 2.7 nm, 2.61 nm, 2.2 nm and 2.1 nm,
      respectively. The thermoluminescence (TL) glow curve was recorded by heating the
      sample exposed to UV-radiation, at a fixed heating rate 1 degrees C sec(-1). The
      TL intensity initially increased with temperature, attained a peak value Im for a
      particular temperature, and then decreased with further increase in temperature.
      The peak TL intensity increased with decreasing nanoparticle size, whereas the
      temperature corresponding to the peak TL intensity decreased slightly with
      reducing nanocrystal size. As a consequence of increase in surface-to-volume
      ratio and increased carrier recombination rates, the TL intensity increased with
      decreasing nanoparticle size. It was found that, whereas activation energy
      slightly decreased with decreasing nanoparticle size, the frequency factor
      decreased significantly with reduction in nanoparticle size.

PMID- 26105812
TI  - Effect of single point mutations in a form of systemic amyloidosis.
AB  - Amyloid deposits of light-chain proteins are associated with the most common form
      of systemic amyloidosis. We have studied the effects of single point mutations on
      amyloid formation of these proteins using explicit solvent model molecular
      dynamics simulations. For this purpose, we compare the stability of the wild-type
      immunoglobulin light-chain protein REI in its native and amyloid forms with that
      of four mutants: R61N, G68D, D82I, and A84T. We argue that the experimentally
      observed differences in the propensity for amyloid formation result from two
      effects. First, the mutant dimers have a lower stability than the wild-type dimer
      due to increase exposure of certain hydrophobic residues. The second effect is a
      shift in equilibrium between monomers with amyloid-like structure and such with
      native structures. Hence, when developing drugs against light-chain associated
      systemic amyloidosis, one should look for components that either stabilize the
      dimer by binding to the dimer interface or reduce for the monomers the
      probability of the amyloid form. 

PMID- 26105813
TI  - Anaplastology in times of facial transplantation: Still a reasonable treatment
      option?
AB  - Optimum functional and aesthetic facial reconstruction is still a challenge in
      patients who suffer from inborn or acquired facial deformity. It is known that
      functional and aesthetic impairment can result in significant psychosocial
      strain, leading to the social isolation of patients who are affected by major
      facial deformities. Microvascular techniques and increasing experience in facial
      transplantation certainly contribute to better restorative outcomes. However,
      these technologies also have some drawbacks, limitations and unsolved problems.
      Extensive facial defects which include several aesthetic units and dentition can
      be restored by combining dental prostheses and anaplastology, thus providing an
      adequate functional and aesthetic outcome in selected patients without the
      drawbacks of major surgical procedures. Referring to some representative patient
      cases, it is shown how extreme facial disfigurement after oncological surgery can
      be palliated by combining intraoral dentures with extraoral facial prostheses
      using individualized treatment and without the need for major reconstructive
      surgery. 

PMID- 26105815
TI  - Noncoding RNA in Mycobacteria.
AB  - Efforts to understand the molecular basis of mycobacterial gene regulation are
      dominated by a protein-centric view. However, there is a growing appreciation
      that noncoding RNA, i.e., RNA that is not translated, plays a role in a wide
      variety of molecular mechanisms. Noncoding RNA comprises rRNA, tRNA, 4.5S RNA,
      RnpB, and transfer-messenger RNA, as well as a vast population of regulatory RNA,
      often dubbed "the dark matter of gene regulation." The regulatory RNA species
      comprise 5' and 3' untranslated regions and a rapidly expanding category of
      transcripts with the ability to base-pair with mRNAs or to interact with
      proteins. Regulatory RNA plays a central role in the bacterium's response to
      changes in the environment, and in this article we review emerging information on
      the presence and abundance of different types of noncoding RNA in mycobacteria. 

PMID- 26105814
TI  - Routine aspiration thrombectomy improves the diagnosis and management of embolic
      myocardial infarction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Assess the effect of aspiration thrombectomy on diagnosis and
      management of embolic acute myocardial infarction. BACKGROUND: Discrimination of
      embolic acute myocardial infarction from atherosclerotic plaque rupture/erosion
      prompts oral anticoagulation treatment of source of embolus, as well as avoiding
      unnecessary stenting and dual antiplatelet therapy. However, detection is
      difficult without aspiration. METHODS: We compared rates of diagnosis of embolic
      infarction for 2.5 years prior to (pre-RAT) and 2.5 years post routine aspiration
      thrombectomy (post-RAT). Baseline demographics, outcomes, and treatment
      strategies were also compared between the embolic infarction and atherosclerotic
      infarction. RESULTS: Diagnosed embolic infarction rose from 1.2% in the pre-RAT
      era to 2.8% in the post-RAT period (P < 0.05). In addition, more successful
      removal of thrombus by aspiration led to less stenting (20% vs. 55% P < 0.05) in
      the post-RAT period thus avoiding the hazards of "triple therapy." Embolic
      infarction was more frequently associated with atrial fibrillation (55% vs. 8%),
      had higher mortality (17% vs. 4%), and had higher rates of embolic stroke (13%
      vs. 0.3%) when compared with atherosclerotic MI (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      Routine aspiration thrombectomy more readily identifies embolic infarction
      allowing more specific therapy and avoidance of stenting and triple anticoagulant
      therapy.

PMID- 26105816
TI  - The Role of Complement in Antibody Therapy for Infectious Diseases.
AB  - The complement system is part of the innate immune system, eliciting central
      immunoregulatory functions. Detection of foreign surfaces is either achieved
      through complement-specific patternrecognition molecules or mediated by antigen
      recognition of antibodies. Immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgG, and IgM all have the
      potential to initiate a complement response, with the efficiency and response
      development closely related to the antibody isotype, multimeric state, and degree
      of glycosylation. A group of serum proteins constitutes the central effector
      functions of complement, thus allowing direct cell lysis, opsonization, and
      inflammation. These effector functions can be used in antibody therapies,
      especially against infectious diseases, as the target membranes lack complement
      regulatory proteins. The relative contribution of each function and the interplay
      with direct antibody-mediated clearance is not fully exploited, thus suggesting
      an option for further rational optimization of antibody therapies. 

PMID- 26105817
TI  - Humanized Mice for Studying Human Immune Responses and Generating Human
      Monoclonal Antibodies.
AB  - The new-generation humanized (Hu) mouse models permit multilineage human
      hematopoiesis and generate T cells, B cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells
      required for a coordinated human immune response. Therefore, any desired antigen
      or human-specific pathogens that can infect humanized mice can be used to
      generate human antibody responses. Two leading humanized mouse models are
      currently being used. The Hu-HSC model uses the transplantation of human
      hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), whereas the BLT mouse model is created by
      transplantation of human fetal liver, thymus, and HSC. A number of human
      pathogens such as HIV-1, dengue, Epstein-Barr virus, and hepatitis C virus have
      been studied in these systems. Responder antigen-specific B cells from these
      animals can be collected and used to generate human monoclonals by B-cell
      immortalization or by single-cell PCR methods to "rescue" antibody-producing
      genes for ectopic expression. Both models generate cellular and humoral immune
      responses. However, the antibodies generated are primarily of the IgM type
      because of the inefficient immunoglobulin class switch resulting in the
      suboptimal production of antigen-specific affinity-matured IgG. The current Hu
      mouse models thus far have permitted the analysis of human "antibodyome," and
      recent reports demonstrated their utility in generating human monoclonal
      antibodies. Ongoing efforts at further refinements are expected to make these
      systems more efficient in the near future. 

PMID- 26105818
TI  - Antibody Structure.
AB  - A brief outline of antibody structure is followed by highlights from several
      recently determined crystal structures of human, antiviral Fabs. These Fabs all
      have novel structural features that allow them to potently and broadly neutralize
      their targets. 

PMID- 26105820
TI  - Transcription Factor Binding Site Mapping Using ChIP-Seq.
AB  - Transcription factors (TFs) play a central role in regulating gene expression in
      all bacteria. Yet until recently, studies of TF binding were limited to a small
      number of factors at a few genomic locations. Chromatin immunoprecipitation
      followed by sequencing (ChIP-Seq) provides the ability to map binding sites
      globally for TFs, and the scalability of the technology enables the ability to
      map binding sites for every DNA binding protein in a prokaryotic organism. We
      have developed a protocol for ChIP-Seq tailored for use with mycobacteria and an
      analysis pipeline for processing the resulting data. The protocol and pipeline
      have been used to map over 100 TFs from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as well as
      numerous TFs from related mycobacteria and other bacteria. The resulting data
      provide evidence that the long-accepted spatial relationship between TF binding
      site, promoter motif, and the corresponding regulated gene may be too simple a
      paradigm, failing to adequately capture the variety of TF binding sites found in
      prokaryotes. In this article we describe the protocol and analysis pipeline, the
      validation of these methods, and the results of applying these methods to M.
      tuberculosis. 

PMID- 26105821
TI  - Molecular Genetics of Mycobacteriophages.
AB  - Mycobacteriophages have provided numerous essential tools for mycobacterial
      genetics, including delivery systems for transposons, reporter genes, and allelic
      exchange substrates, and components for plasmid vectors and mutagenesis. Their
      genetically diverse genomes also reveal insights into the broader nature of the
      phage population and the evolutionary mechanisms that give rise to it. The
      substantial advances in our understanding of the biology of mycobacteriophages
      including a large collection of completely sequenced genomes indicates a rich
      potential for further contributions in tuberculosis genetics and beyond. 

PMID- 26105822
TI  - Cyclic AMP Signaling in Mycobacteria.
AB  - All cells must adapt to changing conditions, and many use cyclic AMP (cAMP) as a
      second messenger to sense and respond to fluctuations in their environment. cAMP
      is made by adenylyl cyclases (ACs), and mycobacteria have an unusually large
      number of biochemically distinct ACs. cAMP is important for gene regulation in
      mycobacteria, and the ability to secrete cAMP into host macrophages during
      infection contributes to Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis. This article
      discusses the many roles of cAMP in mycobacteria and reviews what is known about
      the factors that contribute to production, destruction, and utilization of this
      important signal molecule. Special emphasis is placed on cAMP signaling in M.
      tuberculosis complex bacteria and its importance to M. tuberculosis during host
      infection. 

PMID- 26105819
TI  - Gene Transfer in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Shuttle Phasmids to Enlightenment.
AB  - Infectious diseases have plagued humankind throughout history and have posed
      serious public health problems. Yet vaccines have eradicated smallpox and
      antibiotics have drastically decreased the mortality rate of many infectious
      agents. These remarkable successes in the control of infections came from knowing
      the causative agents of the diseases, followed by serendipitous discoveries of
      attenuated viruses and antibiotics. The discovery of DNA as genetic material and
      the understanding of how this information translates into specific phenotypes
      have changed the paradigm for developing new vaccines, drugs, and diagnostic
      tests. Knowledge of the mechanisms of immunity and mechanisms of action of drugs
      has led to new vaccines and new antimicrobial agents. The key to the acquisition
      of the knowledge of these mechanisms has been identifying the elemental causes
      (i.e., genes and their products) that mediate immunity and drug resistance. The
      identification of these genes is made possible by being able to transfer the
      genes or mutated forms of the genes into causative agents or surrogate hosts.
      Such an approach was limited in Mycobacterium tuberculosis by the difficulty of
      transferring genes or alleles into M. tuberculosis or a suitable surrogate
      mycobacterial host. The construction of shuttle phasmids-chimeric molecules that
      replicate in Escherichia coli as plasmids and in mycobacteria as
      mycobacteriophages-was instrumental in developing gene transfer systems for M.
      tuberculosis. This review will discuss M. tuberculosis genetic systems and their
      impact on tuberculosis research. 

PMID- 26105823
TI  - Antibody Informatics: IMGT, the International ImMunoGeneTics Information System.
AB  - Antibody informatics, a part of immunoinformatics, refers to the concepts,
      databases, and tools developed and used to explore and to analyze the particular
      properties of the immunoglobulins (IG) or antibodies, compared with conventional
      genes and proteins. Antibody informatics is based on a unique ontology, IMGT
      ONTOLOGY, created in 1989 by IMGT, the international ImMunoGeneTics information
      system (http://www.imgt.org). IMGT-ONTOLOGY defined, for the first time, the
      concept of 'genes' for the IG and the T cell receptors (TR), which led to their
      gene and allele nomenclature and allowed their entry in databases and tools. A
      second IMGT-ONTOLOGY revolutionizing and definitive concept was the IMGT unique
      numbering that bridged the gap between sequences and structures for the variable
      (V) and constant (C) domains of the IG and TR, and for the groove (G) domains of
      the major histocompatibility (MH). These breakthroughs contributed to the
      development of IMGT databases and tools for antibody informatics and its diverse
      applications, such as repertoire analysis in infectious diseases, antibody
      engineering and humanization, and study of antibody/antigen interactions.
      Nucleotide sequences of antibody V domains from deep sequencing (Next Generation
      Sequencing or High Throughput Sequencing) are analyzed with IMGT/HighV-QUEST, the
      high-throughput version of IMGT/V-QUEST and IMGT/JunctionAnalysis. Amino acid
      sequences of V and C domains are represented with the IMGT/Collier-de-Perles tool
      and analyzed with IMGT/DomainGapAlign. Three-dimensional (3D) structures
      (including contact analysis and paratope/epitope) are described in
      IMGT/3Dstructure-DB. Based on a friendly interface, IMGT/mAb-DB contains
      therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (INN suffix-mab) that can be queried on their
      specificity, for example, in infectious diseases, on bacterial or viral targets. 

PMID- 26105824
TI  - Structural Annotation of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Proteome.
AB  - Efforts from the TB Structural Genomics Consortium together with those of
      tuberculosis structural biologists worldwide have led to the determination of
      about 350 structures, making up nearly a tenth of the pathogen's proteome. Given
      that knowledge of protein structures is essential to obtaining a high-resolution
      understanding of the underlying biology, it is desirable to have a structural
      view of the entire proteome. Indeed, structure prediction methods have advanced
      sufficiently to allow structural models of many more proteins to be built based
      on homology modeling and fold recognition strategies. By means of these
      approaches, structural models for about 2,877 proteins, making up nearly 70% of
      the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome, are available. Knowledge from
      bioinformatics has made significant inroads into an improved annotation of the M.
      tuberculosis genome and in the prediction of key protein players that interact in
      vital pathways, some of which are unique to the organism. Functional inferences
      have been made for a large number of proteins based on fold-function
      associations. More importantly, ligand-binding pockets of the proteins are
      identified and scanned against a large database, leading to binding site-based
      ligand associations and hence structure-based function annotation. Near proteome
      wide structural models provide a global perspective of the fold distribution in
      the genome. New insights about the folds that predominate in the genome, as well
      as the fold combinations that make up multidomain proteins, are also obtained.
      This chapter describes the structural proteome, functional inferences drawn from
      it, and its applications in drug discovery. 

PMID- 26105825
TI  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Proteomics Era.
AB  - The emerging field of proteomics has contributed greatly to improving our
      understanding of the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis over the last two
      decades. In this chapter we provide a comprehensive overview of mycobacterial
      proteome research and highlight key findings. First, studies employing a
      combination of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry (MS)
      provided insights into the proteomic composition, initially of the whole bacillus
      and subsequently of subfractions, such as the cell wall, cytosol, and secreted
      proteins. Comparison of results obtained under various culture conditions, i.e.,
      acidic pH, nutrient starvation, and low oxygen tension, aiming to mimic facets of
      the intracellular lifestyle of M. tuberculosis, provided initial clues to
      proteins relevant for intracellular survival and manipulation of the host cell.
      Further attempts were aimed at identifying the biological functions of the
      hypothetical M. tuberculosis proteins, which still make up a quarter of the gene
      products of M. tuberculosis, and at characterizing posttranslational
      modifications. Recent technological advances in MS have given rise to new methods
      such as selected reaction monitoring (SRM) and data-independent acquisition
      (DIA). These targeted, cutting-edge techniques combined with a public database of
      specific MS assays covering the entire proteome of M. tuberculosis allow the
      simple and reliable detection of any mycobacterial protein. Most recent studies
      attempt not only to identify but also to quantify absolute amounts of single
      proteins in the complex background of host cells without prior sample
      fractionation or enrichment. Finally, we will discuss the potential of proteomics
      to advance vaccinology, drug discovery, and biomarker identification to improve
      intervention and prevention measures for tuberculosis. 

PMID- 26105826
TI  - Bacillus subtilis Systems Biology: Applications of -Omics Techniques to the Study
      of Endospore Formation.
AB  - Endospore-forming bacteria, with Bacillus subtilis being the prevalent model
      organism, belong to the phylum Firmicutes. Although the last common ancestor of
      all Firmicutes is likely to have been an endospore-forming species, not every
      lineage in the phylum has maintained the ability to produce endospores
      (hereafter, spores). In 1997, the release of the full genome sequence for B.
      subtilis strain 168 marked the beginning of the genomic era for the study of
      spore formation (sporulation). In this original genome sequence, 139 of the 4,100
      protein-coding genes were annotated as sporulation genes. By the time a revised
      genome sequence with updated annotations was published in 2009, that number had
      increased significantly, especially since transcriptional profiling studies
      (transcriptomics) led to the identification of several genes expressed under the
      control of known sporulation transcription factors. Over the past decade, genome
      sequences for multiple spore-forming species have been released (including
      several strains in the Bacillus anthracis/Bacillus cereus group and many
      Clostridium species), and phylogenomic analyses have revealed many conserved
      sporulation genes. Parallel advances in transcriptomics led to the identification
      of small untranslated regulatory RNAs (sRNAs), including some that are expressed
      during sporulation. An extended array of -omics techniques, i.e., techniques
      designed to probe gene function on a genome-wide scale, such as proteomics,
      metabolomics, and high-throughput protein localization studies, have been
      implemented in microbiology. Combined with the use of new computational methods
      for predicting gene function and inferring regulatory relationships on a global
      scale, these -omics approaches are uncovering novel information about sporulation
      and a variety of other bacterial cell processes. 

PMID- 26105827
TI  - A purple acid phosphatase plays a role in nodule formation and nitrogen fixation
      in Astragalus sinicus.
AB  - The AsPPD1 gene from Astragalus sinicus encodes a purple acid phosphatase. To
      address the functions of AsPPD1 in legume-rhizobium symbiosis, its expression
      patterns, enzyme activity, subcellular localization, and phenotypes associated
      with its over-expression and RNA interference (RNAi) were investigated. The
      expression of AsPPD1 was up-regulated in roots and nodules after inoculation with
      rhizobia. Phosphate starvation reduced the levels of AsPPD1 transcripts in roots
      while increased those levels in nodules. We confirmed the acid phosphatase and
      phosphodiesterase activities of recombinant AsPPD1 purified from Pichia pastoris,
      and demonstrated its ability to hydrolyze ADP and ATP in vitro. Subcellular
      localization showed that AsPPD1 located on the plasma membranes in hairy roots
      and on the symbiosomes membranes in root nodules. Over-expression of AsPPD1 in
      hairy roots inhibited nodulation, while its silencing resulted in nodules early
      senescence and significantly decreased nitrogenase activity. Furthermore, HPLC
      measurement showed that AsPPD1 overexpression affects the ADP levels in the
      infected roots and nodules, AsPPD1 silencing affects the ratio of ATP/ADP and the
      energy charge in nodules, and quantitative observation demonstrated the changes
      of AsPPD1 transcripts level affected nodule primordia formation. Taken together,
      it is speculated that AsPPD1 contributes to symbiotic ADP levels and energy
      charge control, and this is required for effective nodule organogenesis and
      nitrogen fixation. 

PMID- 26105828
TI  - Membrane targeting of MnSOD is essential for oxidative stress tolerance of
      nitrogen-fixing cultures of Anabaena sp. strain PCC7120.
AB  - The nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium, Anabaena PCC7120 encodes for a membrane
      targeted 30 kDa Mn-superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and a cytosolic FeSOD. The MnSOD
      is post-translationally processed to 27 and 24 kDa forms in the cytosol and
      periplasm/thylakoid lumen. The extent of cleavage of signal and linker peptides
      at the N-terminus is dependent on the availability of combined nitrogen during
      growth. While the 24 and 27 kDa forms are present in near equal proportions under
      nitrogen-fixing conditions, the 24 kDa form is predominant under nitrogen
      supplemented conditions. Individual contribution of these forms of MnSOD to total
      oxidative stress tolerance was analysed using recombinant Anabaena strains
      overexpressing either different molecular forms of MnSOD or MnSOD defective in
      the cleavage of signal/linker peptide. Targeting of MnSOD to the membrane and
      subsequent cleavage to release both the 24 and 27 kDa forms was essential for
      oxidative stress tolerance under nitrogen-fixing conditions. On the other hand,
      the cleavage of linker peptide was absolutely essential and the release of
      cytosolic 24 kDa form of MnSOD was obligatory for developing oxidative stress
      tolerance under nitrogen-supplemented conditions. Thus, a single MnSOD caters to
      the reduction of superoxide radical in both cytosol and thylakoid lumen/periplasm
      irrespective of the N-status of growth by regulating its cleavage. This is the
      first report on the physiological advantage of membrane-targeting and processing
      of MnSOD in either bacteria or plants. The higher oxidative stress tolerance
      offered by the cytosolic form of MnSOD has possibly resulted in retention of only
      the cytosolic form in bacterial non-nitrogen-fixers during evolution. 

PMID- 26105829
TI  - Novel insights into red blood cell physiology using parasites as tools.
AB  - The mammalian red blood cell is a terminally differentiated cell that lacks a
      genetic programme and that has only a very limited metabolic capacity.
      Nonetheless, it serves as habitat for two parasites belonging to the monophyletic
      group of Apicomplexa, namely Plasmodium and Babesia. Studies of the parasitized
      red blood cell have revealed several properties that are unknown in the non
      infected cell and that are difficult to conceptualize based on our view of red
      blood cell function. Here we review the current knowledge on host cell invasion
      and nutrient acquisition by these parasites. We attempt to dissect the factors
      that are directly contributed by the parasites from those that exist but have
      remained undetected in the non-infected cell. 

PMID- 26105831
TI  - Ambient preparation and reactions of gas phase silver cluster cations and anions.
AB  - Electrospray ionization of metal salt solutions followed by ambient heating
      transforms the resulting salt clusters into new species, primarily naked ionic
      metal clusters. The experiment is done by passing the clusters through a heated
      coiled loop outside the mass spectrometer which releases the counter-anion while
      generating the anionic or cationic naked metal cluster. The nature of the anion
      in the starting salt determines the type of metal cluster observed. For example,
      silver acetate upon heating generates only positive silver clusters, Ag(n)(+),
      but silver fluoride generates both positive and negative silver clusters,
      Ag(n)(+/-) (3 < n < 20). Both unheated and heated metal salt sprays yield ions
      with characteristic geometric and electronic magic numbers. There is also a
      strong odd/even effect in the cationic and anionic silver clusters.
      Thermochemical control is suggested as the basis for favored formation of the
      observed clusters, with anhydride elimination occurring from the acetates and
      fluorine elimination from the fluorides to give cationic and anionic clusters,
      respectively. Data on the intermediates observed as the temperature is ramped
      support this. The naked metal clusters react with gaseous reagents in the open
      air, including methyl substituted pyridines, hydrocarbons, common organic
      solvents, ozone, ethylene, and propylene. Argentation of hydrocarbons, including
      saturated hydrocarbons, is shown to occur and serves as a useful analytical
      ionization method. The new cluster formation methodology allows investigation of
      ligand-metal binding including in reactions of industrial importance, such as
      olefin epoxidation. These reactions provide insight into the physicochemical
      properties of silver cluster anions and cations. The potential use of the ion
      source in ion soft landing is demonstrated by reproducing the mass spectra of
      salts heated in air using a custom surface science instrument.

PMID- 26105836
TI  - Stress responses and pre-eclampsia.
AB  - Biological stress may affect individual cells, tissues or whole organisms,
      arising from disturbed homoeostasis of any cause. Stress is rarely localised.
      Because biological systems are closely integrated, it spreads to involve other
      systems. Stress responses are highly integrated and work to restore homoeostasis.
      Different response pathways overlap and interlink. If the responses fail or
      decompensate, distress ensues, of which the end-stage is death. Pre-eclampsia
      results from a series of biological stresses, possibly from conception, which
      become established by abnormal placentation and affect the mother, her foetus and
      her placenta. The stresses involve dialogue between mother and placenta. Even a
      normal placenta imposes substantial stress on maternal systems. When placental
      growth and perfusion is abnormal (poor placentation) then the placenta,
      particularly its outer trophoblast layer, becomes stressed - loosely denoted
      hypoxic damage or oxidative stress. Signals from the placenta spread the stress
      to the mother, who develops signs of pre-eclampsia. Cellular stress sensors
      initiate stress responses. Different stresses may trigger similar responses in
      specific cell types. The first cell response is reduced protein synthesis.
      However some synthetic pathways are spared or activated to produce stress
      signals. In relation to pre-eclampsia and the placenta, an excessive release of
      sFlt-1 a soluble decoy receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is
      a trophoblast related stress signal. SFlt1 perturbs the angiogenic balance in the
      maternal circulation and is considered to cause many of the specific features of
      the maternal syndrome in pre-eclampsia. Three key points will be emphasised.
      First, multiple stressors, not simply hypoxia, stimulate the release of sFlt-1
      from trophoblast. Second, sFlt-1 is only one of the group of stress signals
      delivered by trophoblast to the mother. Third, sFlt-1 is not the only trophoblast
      derived factor to perturb the maternal circulation in pre-eclampsia. 

PMID- 26105830
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of image-able polyvinyl alcohol microspheres for
      image-guided chemoembolization.
AB  - Therapeutic embolization of blood vessels is a minimally invasive, catheter-based
      procedure performed with solid or liquid emboli to treat bleeding, vascular
      malformations, and vascular tumors. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) affects about
      half a million people per year. When unresectable, HCC is treated with
      embolization and local drug therapy by transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).
      For TACE, drug eluting beads (DC Bead((r))) may be used to occlude or reduce
      arterial blood supply and deliver chemotherapeutics locally to the tumor.
      Although this treatment has been shown to be safe and to improve patient
      survival, the procedure lacks imaging feedback regarding the location of embolic
      agent and drug coverage. To address this shortcoming, herein we report the
      synthesis and characterization of image-able drug eluting beads (iBeads) from the
      commercial DC Bead((r)) product. Two different radiopaque beads were synthesized.
      In one approach, embolic beads were conjugated with 2,3,5-triiodobenzyl alcohol
      in the presence of 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazol to give iBead I. iBead II was
      synthesized with a similar approach but instead using a trimethylenediamine
      spacer and 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid. Doxorubicin was loaded into the iBeads II
      using a previously reported method. Size and shape of iBeads were evaluated using
      an upright microscope and their conspicuity assessed using a clinical CT and
      micro-CT. Bland and Dox-loaded iBeads II visualized with both clinical CT and
      microCT. Under microCT, individual bland and Dox loaded beads had a mean
      attenuation of 7904 +/- 804 and 11,873.96 +/- 706.12 HU, respectively. These
      iBeads have the potential to enhance image-guided TACE procedures by providing
      localization of embolic-particle and drug. 

PMID- 26105837
TI  - Prediction and diagnosis of pre-eclampsia; the scientific basis.
AB  - The accurate prediction of women at risk of pre-eclampsia, and certain diagnosis
      are central to optimal management and treatment. Prediction has improved,
      particularly through measurement of angiogenic/antiangiogenic factors but
      sensitivity and specificity remains suboptimal, and the heterogeneity of
      underlying clinical risk confounds generalisability of a single early pregnancy
      test for all women. The 'omics' methodologies offer the potential for discovery
      of novel biomarkers and proteomics, metabolomics and transcriptomic approaches
      are beginning to identify multiple new candidates for evaluation. However, once
      pregnancy is established the potential for modification of established
      pathological processes, increasingly identifiable by accurate biomarkers, remains
      an unanswered and possibly unattainable challenge. The potential for more
      accurate pre-conceptional identification of risk, and subsequent modification of
      risk, presents an increasingly attractive alternative to prevention of pre
      eclampsia. Advances have certainly been made in diagnosis; the measurement of
      PlGF in women with suspected pre-eclampsia is likely to become an integral
      component of clinical care, improving detection and management of pre-eclampsia. 

PMID- 26105838
TI  - Introduction to ISSHP new classification of preeclampsia.
AB  - The classification of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy has always been a
      crucial point, especially in the scientific literature, to compare results from
      different series. Some of the classes have been reviewed during time, and some
      new ones have been added, paralleling the increased knowledge of the diseases and
      syndromes. Among the interests of a society there is the sharing of a common
      language and the guidance to give to scientific authors and editors for better
      presentation of their results and outcomes. Still leaving unchanged the
      definition of the five major classes of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
      (gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, chronic hypertension, preeclampsia
      superimposed on chronic hypertension, eclampsia) we realized that in the last
      years emerged a need to better define some forms of preeclampsia, especially in
      terms of severity and time of onset and indicated delivery. This is why the
      International Committee of the International Society for the Study of
      Hypertension in Pregnancy (ISSHP) was requested to come to a consensus, by
      responding to a questionnaire, on the thresholds to define "severe preeclampsia",
      and "early onset preeclampsia", and on which parameters to use to define the
      HELLP Syndrome and which other definitions may be added. There was an agreement
      to define "severe preeclampsia" by blood pressure values >160mmHg systolic or
      110mmHg diastolic. The amount of proteinuria was considered not useful to define
      the severity. The HELLP syndrome was considered a feature to include in the
      severe classification, and that could be identified by a reduction of platelet
      count below <100,000/dl, an elevation of ALT or AST twofold the upper limit of
      normal, and an elevated LDH (twofold the upper reference limit or greater than
      650IU/l). There was an agreement to define "early-onset preeclampsia" as that
      occurring before 34 weeks. The results of this survey can help in updating the
      previous ISSHP classification. 

PMID- 26105839
TI  - Microvesicles and pre-eclampsia.
AB  - The maternal syndrome of pre-eclampsia is characterised by an excessive
      inflammatory response associated with endothelial dysfunction, brought about by
      the release of multiple factors from the placenta into the maternal circulation.
      While some of these factors are released as soluble molecules it is now apparent
      that many of them are associated with syncytiotrophoblast microvesicles and
      exosomes (collectively termed STBM), which are present in increased amounts in
      the circulation of women with pre-eclampsia. We have shown that STBM have
      proinflammatory, anti-endothelial and procoagulant activities in vitro, all of
      which are features of the maternal syndrome. We propose that the different
      effects of STBM result from different types of vesicles within the circulation
      the smaller exosomes being immunoregulatory and the larger microvesicles being
      proinflammatory, with a shift to the latter in pre-eclampsia. In support of this,
      we have demonstrated using a novel technique, Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis,
      that pre-eclampsia STBM are indeed larger than those from normal placentas.
      Furthermore, the range and types of factors they carry (and hence their
      functions) may differ in pre-eclampsia, where the syncytiotrophoblast is
      subjected to oxidative and inflammatory stress. We have carried out proteomic
      analysis on vesicles prepared from normal and pre-eclampsia placentas by
      perfusion and have identified differences in the repertoire of molecules they
      carry. Candidates include immunoregulatory molecules (B7-H1, CD200 and Galectin
      1), complement and complement regulatory molecules (C1q, C3, CD55, CD59 and
      vitronectin), proinflammatory molecules (HSP70, HMGB1, Galectin 3 and Synctin 1),
      anti-angiogenic molecules (CD49e, CD51, CD26, Flt-1 and endoglin) and
      procoagulant molecules (tissue factor and phosphatidylserine). Characterising the
      molecular cargos of the STBM may lead to the discovery of new biomarkers for pre
      eclampsia and inform future treatments. 

PMID- 26105840
TI  - Inflammatory mechanisms in preeclampsia.
AB  - Inflammation is a host response triggered by noxious stimuli arising during
      infection and/or tissue injury, and a controlled inflammatory response is
      beneficial to fighting infections and healing wounds. Normal pregnancy is
      characterised by a mild systemic inflammation, however, the inflammation may
      become detrimental if dysregulated, as seen in preeclampsia. Women with
      preeclamptic pregnancies have up to eightfold higher risk for cardiovascular
      diseases later in life, and genetic, clinical and molecular observations support
      shared underlying inflammatory mechanisms for these diseases. The discoveries
      that pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) directly sense inflammatory stimuli and
      activate innate immune cells have greatly increased our molecular understanding
      of inflammatory diseases. It is hypothesised that some of the clinical
      manifestations are caused by common underlying inflammatory mechanisms
      instrumented by PRRs. PRRs activate inflammatory responses by recognising
      endogenous damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released from injured
      tissues and stressed or dying cells; including degraded extracellular matrix
      components, heat-shock proteins, HMGB1 proteins, nucleic acids and crystalline
      structures such as cholesterol crystals. In preeclampsia, many such DAMPs are
      known to contribute to both the local placental inflammation and to systemic
      inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, but with largely unknown molecular
      action. Defining the role of PRRs in preeclampsia by learning from similar
      mechanisms associated with cardiovascular diseases will help us in improved
      understanding of this complex inflammatory syndrome. 

PMID- 26105841
TI  - Developing potential biomarkers for preeclampsia: Why is the current strategy
      failing?
AB  - During the last decade major progress has been achieved in identifying new
      predictive biomarkers as well as setting up screening strategies for
      preeclampsia. A number of biochemical markers in combination with biophysical
      markers coupled to patients' demography and clinical history were identified and
      have been used in a number of studies. The combination of independent markers
      with various demographic and multivariate algorithms should have led to
      stratification of the risk to develop preeclampsia. However, today studies are
      still ongoing mostly focusing on a single marker and its performance for the
      early subtype of preeclampsia, which makes up only about 20% of all preeclampsia
      cases. While it is hard to forecast how medicine will progress, it has been the
      hope that a combination of risk stratification with large international
      randomised studies validating various prediction methods would enable new studies
      to identify preventive methods as well. This would have led to a significant
      revolution in the way pregnancy is managed to prevent preeclampsia. However,
      looking back on all the studies on markers such as soluble endoglin, placental
      protein 13 (PP13), placental growth factor (PlGF), vascular endothelial growth
      factor (VEGF) and soluble VEGF receptor-1 (sVEGF-R1 or sFlt-1) today pregnant
      women destined to develop preeclampsia are still suffering from the lack of any
      commonly accepted preventive therapy. Putative reasons for this failure of
      predictive biomarkers will be discussed in this talk. 

PMID- 26105842
TI  - Update on genetics of pre-eclampsia.
AB  - Over half of the familial predisposition to pre-eclampsia can be attributed to
      genetic factors in the mother and/or fetus. The search for genetic susceptibility
      variants has progressed through candidate gene studies, family-based linkage
      studies, and most recently genome-wide association studies (GWAS). It is unlikely
      that any single variant has a large effect on pre-eclampsia susceptibility;
      studies involving thousands of samples are required to detect variants with small
      effect size. These exceed the resources of most individual research groups, and
      collaborative approaches are likely to be more fruitful. Collaboration has
      included meta-analysis of existing data, and recent publications offer some
      support to a role for thrombophilic polymorphisms in pre-eclampsia. A small
      number of GWAS have been published so far; the lack of replication of positive
      GWAS results in an independent population has been frustrating. This may be due
      to false positive results in the original GWAS, or lack of statistical power in
      the replication set. A further concern is that the pre-eclampsia syndrome is a
      common end-point to multiple pathologies with differing underlying genetic
      susceptibility, requiring ever larger sample sizes for their detection. In this
      climate, researchers should make every effort to record the phenotypic
      characteristics of their cohorts, to enable meta-analysis of independent GWAS
      results. The InterPregGen consortium of groups from Europe and Central Asia is
      conducting GWAS analysis of maternal and fetal genes in 13,000 pre-eclamptic
      pregnancies. This study will provide the opportunity to analyse maternal-fetal
      gene interactions in addition to their individual effects. Developments arising
      from the ever-falling costs of DNA sequencing include deep sequencing to identify
      rare variants with large effect sizes. The era of whole genome sequencing is
      likely to supplant the GWAS approach, creating challenges for data analysis, but
      with the potential to provide greater insights into the genetic basis of pre
      eclampsia. 

PMID- 26105843
TI  - Maternal circulating PlGF concentrations and placenta-related pregnancy
      complications: First results from the CoLab AngF Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Circulating angiogenic factors are potential markers for
      preeclampsia, but heterogeneous studies have failed to identify precise
      predictive/diagnostic properties. The Global CoLaboratory is investigating how to
      merge published data of angiogenic factors for meta-analysis on an individual
      sample basis. OBJECTIVE: To amalgamate pregnancy angiogenic factor studies,
      investigate diagnostic and predictive properties of these markers in preeclampsia
      and placenta-related pregnancy complications, and to test if measures from
      disparate platforms can be standardised. This is the first report using PlGF
      measures to diagnose preeclampsia. METHODS: Data were derived from 15 cohorts,
      within and outside the CoLaboratory network. Women were classified as either case
      (confirmed diagnosis of preeclampsia at sampling) or non-case (no preeclampsia at
      sampling). Individual PlGF measurements from four different analytical platforms
      were used, along with transformations of the data (e.g. log-transformations,
      transformations to a baseline platform). Transformed measurements were
      standardised both for specific platforms and globally, stratifying on gestational
      age. Different statistical techniques were compared. RESULTS: The database
      currently contains 1442 cases and 11,512 non-cases, which were used to define an
      algorithm to merge PlGF measurements from different platforms. Non-case
      distributions were used to standardise case results. Diagnostic PlGF measurements
      in relation to preeclampsia will be presented and confirm feasibility.
      CONCLUSIONS: Future studies can extend this approach to other angiogenic factors,
      prediction as well as diagnosis and to other placenta-related disorders.

PMID- 26105844
TI  - Pitfalls in setting up genetic studies on preeclampsia.
AB  - This presentation will consider approaches to discover susceptibility genes for a
      complex genetic disorder such as preeclampsia. The clinical disease presumably
      results from the additive effects of multiple sequence variants from the mother
      and the foetus together with environmental factors. Disease heterogeneity and
      underpowered study designs are likely to be behind non-reproducible results in
      candidate gene association studies. To avoid spurious findings, sample size and
      characteristics of the study populations as well as replication studies in an
      independent study population should be an essential part of a study design. In
      family-based linkage studies relationship with genotype and phenotype may be
      modified by a variety of factors. The large number of families needed in
      discovering genetic variants with modest effect sizes is difficult to attain.
      Moreover, the identification of underlying mutations has proven difficult. When
      pooling data or performing meta-analyses from different populations, disease and
      locus heterogeneity may become a major issue. First genome-wide association
      studies (GWAS) have identified risk loci for preeclampsia. Adequately powered
      replication studies are critical in order to replicate the initial GWAS findings.
      This approach requires rigorous multiple testing correction. The expected effect
      sizes of individual sequence variants on preeclampsia are small, but this
      approach is likely to decipher new clues to the pathogenesis. The rare variants,
      gene-gene and gene-environmental interactions as well as noncoding genetic
      variations and epigenetics are expected to explain the missing heritability. Next
      generation sequencing technologies will make large amount of data on genomes and
      transcriptomes available. Complexity of the data poses a challenge. Different
      depths of coverage might be chosen depending on the design of the study, and
      validation of the results by different methods is mandatory. In order to minimize
      disease heterogeneity in genetic studies of preeclampsia, identification of
      subtypes and intermediate phenotypes would be highly desirable. 

PMID- 26105845
TI  - A multi-centre phase IIa clinical study of predictive testing for pre-eclampsia.
      IMproved PRegnancy Outcomes Via Early Detection (IMPROVED).
AB  - 1 in 20 first time pregnancies is complicated by pre-eclampsia, the leading cause
      of maternal death in Europe. No clinically useful early pregnancy screening test
      exists, consequentially clinicians are unable to offer targeted surveillance or
      preventative strategies. IMPROVED Consortium members have pioneered a
      personalised medicine approach in identifying blood-borne biomarkers through
      recent technological advancements, involving mapping of the blood metabolome and
      proteome. The Consortium recently received funding under the auspices of the 7th
      Framework Programme of the European Union under the call: HEALTH- 2012-INNOVATION
      1.2-1 (Grant Agreement no. Health-F5-2012-305169). The objective is to develop a
      sensitive, specific, high-throughput and economically viable early pregnancy
      screening test for pre-eclampsia. We report the design of a multicentre, phase
      IIa clinical study to assess and refine innovative prototype tests based on
      emerging metabolomic and proteomic technologies. Participation involves serial
      maternal phlebotomy, collection of clinical data, and pregnancy outcome data.
      Participants will attend essential visits at 15 and 20 weeks' gestation, with
      optional 11 and 34 weeks' gestation. Blood samples will undergo a combination of
      proteomic and metabolomic tests, and diagnostic performance will be assessed in
      accord with a pre-approved statistical analysis plan which will report Receiver
      Operating Curves, and Positive Predictive Values. The study is expected to refine
      proteomic and metabolomic panels, combined with clinical parameters, and evaluate
      clinical applicability as an early pregnancy predictive test for pre-eclampsia.
      If 'at risk' patients can be identified, this will allow stratified care with
      personalised fetal and maternal surveillance, early diagnosis, timely
      intervention, and significant health economic savings. The IMPROVED biobank will
      be accessible to the European scientific community for high quality research into
      the cause and prevention of adverse pregnancy outcome. 

PMID- 26105846
TI  - Long term cardiovascular outcomes for mother and child.
AB  - Preeclampsia is well established as one of the leading causes of maternal and
      fetal mortality and morbidity. Furthermore, it is now clear that women who have
      had preeclampsia have an increased risk of cardiovascular events over the next 10
      15 years. Indeed, preeclampsia is associated with a fourfold increased risk of
      hypertension and double the risk of fatal and non fatal ischaemic heart disease
      and stroke. More recently, it has been emerging that offspring born to
      preeclampsia are also more likely to have a higher blood pressure from the
      childhood and stroke in the later life. Furthermore, the risk to mother and
      offspring is greatest when preeclampsia is diagnosed at an earlier gestation,
      suggesting a more severe form of preeclampsia. As the long term cardiovascular
      risk to both mother and child is known from delivery there is increasing interest
      in key phenotypic variations that are identifiable in mothers and children during
      the years between the episode of preeclampsia and the emergence of established
      cardiovascular disease. These might help explain the link between the two
      conditions, provide a means to identify subjects at greatest risk of later
      cardiovascular disease and establish intermediate endpoints for future
      preventative interventions. A range of studies from research groups around the
      world are beginning to unravel the links between preeclampsia and long term
      variations in cardiac and vascular structure and function, as well as persistent
      biological differences in both the mother and children. This increased
      understanding allows both better characterisation of long term cardiovascular
      outcomes and better identification of optimal approaches to improve long term
      outcomes. 

PMID- 26105847
TI  - OP002. Impact of the NO-donor pentaerythrithyltetranitrate on perinatal outcome
      in high-risk pregnancies: A prospective randomized double blinded pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of the oral NO-donor PETN in secondary
      prevention of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), preterm birth and
      preeclampsia in high risk pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN: 111 women presenting with
      abnormal placental perfusion (bilateral notch or mean RI>0.7) at 19-24weeks of
      gestation were included in a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double
      blinded study. Primary endpoint was IUGR and/or perinatal death, secondary
      endpoints were preterm birth, preeclampsia and placental abruption. RESULTS: 54
      women received PETN and 57 placebo. PETN significantly decreased the risk of IUGR
      and/or perinatal death (adjusted RR 0.623 [95% - CI: 0.395-0.983]). Preterm birth
      before 32weeks was reduced (adjusted RR 0.359 [95% - CI 0.123-1.054]) and no
      placental abruption occurred in the PETN, but 5 in the placebo group. There was
      no reduction of preeclampsia. CONCLUSION: Significant reduction of adverse
      pregnancy outcome might be possible in pregnancies exhibiting abnormal
      placentation using PETN.

PMID- 26105848
TI  - OP001. A longitudinal study of maternal vascular reactivity, circulating
      endothelial progenitor cells and inflammatory response during the second half of
      pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Maternal endothelial dysfunction and inflammation are associated
      with hypertensive pregnancy disorders. OBJECTIVES: To investigate maternal
      endothelial function in normal pregnancy using two different methods and explore
      their association with markers of inflammatory response. METHODS: 53 women with
      uncomplicated pregnancies were examined at four-weekly intervals during 22
      40weeks gestation. Maternal endothelial function was assessed using flow-mediated
      vasodilatation (FMD) of brachial artery. FMD was defined as the increase of
      brachial artery diameter in percent during reactive hyperemia compared to the
      resting diameter. Circulating EPC were defined as CD45low/CD34+/VEGFR2+ and
      quantified by flow cytometry. Concentration of the two markers of inflammatory
      response, i.e. leptin (immunoassay) and highly sensitive CRP (mCRP)
      (immunoturbidimetric method) were measured in the plasma samples. RESULTS: FMD
      decreased from 16.3% to 13.4% and concentration of EPC increased from 6.5 to 12.3
      per million mononuclear cells during 22-40 weeks. Leptin increased from 18 to
      22ng/L and mCRP did not change significantly (p=0.61). Significant associations
      were observed between FMD and mCRP (p=0.0016), and between FMD and leptin
      (p=0.0029). There was no significant association between EPC and FMD or between
      EPC and mCRP. CONCLUSION: FMD decreases, whereas the concentration of circulating
      EPC increases with advancing gestation during the second half of pregnancy.
      However, FMD was associated with biomarkers of inflammation but not with EPC.
      This suggests that the reduced NO-dependent vasodilatation observed in the third
      trimester of normal pregnancy is related to maternal inflammatory response.
      Mechanisms other than effective mobilization of EPC to repair endothelial damage
      are likely to be responsible for gestational age-associated increase in
      circulating EPC during pregnancy.

PMID- 26105849
TI  - OP004. A SNP associated with susceptibility to preeclampsia near the inhibin,
      beta B gene, is also associated with cardiovascular disease risk traits.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It is well established that preeclampsia (PE) increases later life
      cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Consequently, PE has started to gain a role as
      an early screening criterion for CVD. PE and CVD share several risk factors,
      pathological features and metabolic abnormalities. These common antecedents have
      drawn attention to the likelihood of shared genetic susceptibility. OBJECTIVES:
      Results from our previous PE GWAS identified a significant association with the
      rs7579169 SNP and maternal PE susceptibility (odds ratio 1.57). This SNP resides
      near the Inhibin, beta B (INHBB) gene on chromosome 2q14. Therefore, this study
      sought to interrogate this PE susceptibility SNP against several CVD risk traits
      in an effort to highlight additional empirical evidence of likely shared PE/CVD
      genetic mechanisms. METHODS: The rs7579169 SNP was genotyped in a large
      independent Australian cohort rich in quantitative CVD risk traits; The Western
      Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. This cohort comprises of fasting blood
      samples from 1246 mothers and 1461 adolescents (14- and 17-year-old) and clinical
      parameters pertaining, but not limited, to anthropometric measures of adiposity
      and lipid-related measures. Genetic association analyses of rs7579169 against the
      Raine CVD-related risk traits were performed using the software package R. All
      statistical analyses assumed an additive model of gene action. RESULTS:
      Significant associations (p<0.05) for rs7579169 with CVD-related risk traits were
      detected, both for the mothers and the adolescents. Specifically, the minor
      rs7579169-T allele (MAF 0.400) was found to be significantly associated with
      elevated levels of triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterol, a greater average
      waist:hip circumference ratio and a greater average hip circumference.
      CONCLUSION: We have previously identified rs7579169 located near the INHBB gene
      on chromosome 2q14 to significantly associate with maternal PE susceptibility. We
      have now demonstrated that this SNP is also significantly associated with several
      CVD-related risk traits in an independent Caucasian population. We hereby present
      additional empirical evidence of possible shared genetic risk factors underlying
      both PE and CVD related traits.

PMID- 26105850
TI  - OP003. Placental perfusion in normal pregnancy and in early and late
      preeclampsia: A magnetic resonance imaging study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Placental perfusion is of key interest for the understanding of the
      pathophysiology of different types of preeclampsia (PE). With magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) perfusion can be estimated non-invasively by calculation of the
      tissue perfusion fraction from a diffusion weighted sequence (DWI). OBJECTIVES:
      Our primary aim was to investigate if women with early or late PE have different
      placental perfusion compared with normal pregnancies. A secondary aim was to
      investigate if placental perfusion changes with increased gestational length in
      normal pregnancy. METHODS: 5 women with early PE (<34weeks), 8 women with late PE
      (?34weeks), and 19 women with normal pregnancies were included. All women
      underwent an MRI examination including a DWI sequence at 1.5T. The perfusion
      fraction was calculated. RESULTS: Women with early PE had a lower placental
      perfusion fraction (p=0.002) and women with late PE had a higher placental
      perfusion fraction (p=0.012) than gestational age matched women with normal
      pregnancies. The placental perfusion fraction decreased with increased
      gestational length in normal pregnancies (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Our finding of
      reduced placental perfusion in early, but not late PE is in agreement with the
      hypothesis that early and late PE have partly different pathophysiology, where
      early PE is a mainly placental disease. The placental perfusion, as estimated by
      the perfusion fraction, decreased with increased gestational length in normal
      pregnancies.

PMID- 26105851
TI  - OP006. A preeclampsia genome-wide linkage scan in norwegian families.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Several maternal susceptibility loci for preeclampsia (PE) have
      been discovered amongst Icelandic, Australian/New Zealand, Dutch and Finnish
      family cohorts, implicating locus heterogeneity. Through candidate gene studies,
      allele-specific heterogeneity in different populations is also evident. It is
      therefore likely that numerous population specific PE susceptibility variants
      exist, differing in their effect size. Despite on-going efforts to identify
      susceptibility genes for PE, the causal genetic variants still remain obscure.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to interrogate the genetic architecture of
      PE susceptibility by performing a genome-wide linkage scan in a novel familial
      cohort from Norway. METHODS: A total of 480 DNA samples from The Norwegian PE
      Family Biobank were genotyped at Genomic Core Facility at NTNU. Genome-wide
      genotyping was performed with the Infinium HumanExome BeadChip (>240,000 markers)
      (Illumina, USA) that delivers focused coverage of exonic regions of the human
      genome. RESULTS: A total of 137 families are represented with 222 women with a
      valid PE diagnosis (SBP?140mmHg DBP?90mmHg, ?2 measurements at least 4h apart
      with documented proteinuria at ?2 occasions occurring after 20weeks of
      pregnancy), 44 with self-reported PE and 72 women with a healthy pregnancy. The
      genotyping has just recently been completed with an average call rate of 99.96%.
      Data and statistical analysis is now underway using MERLIN, R and SOLAR. A
      description of the Norwegian PE familial cohort plus preliminary results will be
      presented at the Congress. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge this is the first SNP
      based genome-wide linkage study on PE, and the first performed in a novel
      Norwegian PE family cohort. By using an approach focusing on functionally
      relevant markers we anticipate the identification of susceptibility loci that are
      of substantial importance for disease development.

PMID- 26105852
TI  - OP007. PLGF in combination with other commonly utilised tests and other
      biomarkers for predicting need for delivery for pre-eclampsia within 14days in
      women presenting prior to 35weeks' gestation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Current means of assessing women presenting with suspected pre
      eclampsia using BP and proteinuria are of limited use in predicting need for
      imminent delivery. OBJECTIVES/METHOD/DESIGN: We undertook a prospective
      multicentre study to determine diagnostic accuracy of PlGF <5th centile (Triage
      assay) and other candidate biomarkers in women presenting with suspected pre
      eclampsia at 20-35weeks' gestation, in determining need for delivery for pre
      eclampsia within 14days. We calculated ROC curves for predictive potential and
      undertook principal factor analysis to determine additional predictive ability
      for biomarker combinations. RESULTS: In 287 women enrolled prior to 35weeks, ROC
      area (0.88, SE 0.03) for PlGF <5th centile for pre-eclampsia requiring delivery
      within 14days was greater than all other commonly utilised tests (systolic and
      diastolic BP, urate, ALT), either singly (range 0.58-0.68), or in combination
      (0.69) (p<0.001 for all comparisons), and was greater than that of all other
      biomarkers; addition of 2 other biomarker panels (either procalcitonin, nephrin
      and BNP; or cystatin and PAPP-A) increased ROC area to 0.90 but these biomarkers
      had limited predictive ability on their own. CONCLUSION: In women presenting
      prior to 35weeks' gestation with suspected pre-eclampsia, low PlGF has a greater
      ROC area than other commonly utilised tests. Additional biomarkers add only a
      small increment to the predictive value of a single PlGF measurement.

PMID- 26105854
TI  - OP008. Different dysregulation of placental mirnas in early- and late-onset
      preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: miRNAs are small ~22nt RNAs, important in the fine-tuning of mRNA
      in many organs including placenta. Preeclampsia (PE) is a heterogenous disease
      which may be divided into early-onset PE, which is a more severe form with
      assumed placental origin, and late-onset PE, with assumed maternal origin.
      OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the differential expression
      of miRNAs in early and late-onset PE compared to controls using high throughput
      sequencing. METHODS: Placentas were obtained from an ongoing biobank collection
      at Oslo University Hospital. 23 normotensive controls, 23 early-onset PE
      (delivery at gestational week <34) and 26 late-onset PE (week?34) samples were
      sequenced using Illumina sequencing technology. Differential expressed miRNAs
      were identified by the EdgeR package in R and predicted targets were estimated by
      miRWalk. RESULTS: 3 placental miRNAs were differentially expressed between
      controls and late-onset PE, 4 miRNAs were differentially expressed between early-
      and late-onset PE and 51 miRNAs were differentially expressed between early-onset
      PE and controls. Combining with mRNA array data from a subgroup of the same
      patients, we identified predicted targets of some of these miRNAs with
      significant inverse correlation between the respective mRNAs/miRNAs. CONCLUSION:
      These preliminary results suggest that miRNAs in placenta could be more important
      in the dysregulation of mRNAs in early-onset PE than in late-onset of the
      disease.

PMID- 26105853
TI  - OP005. Preeclampsia is associated with the presence of transcriptionally active
      placental fragments in the maternal lung.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is associated with increased levels of the circulating
      anti-angiogenic factor sFlt-1 as well as with an excessive shedding of placenta
      derived multinucleated syncytial aggregates into the maternal circulation.
      However, it remains unclear whether these aggregates are transcriptionally active
      in the maternal organs and can therefore contribute to the systemic
      manifestations of preeclampsia. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that in preeclampsia,
      syncytial knots are the primary placental site of sFlt-1 production and that
      increased numbers of sFlt-1-containing syncytial aggregates are retained in the
      maternal lungs. METHODS: In this study, we measured placental sFlt-1 mRNA levels
      in preeclamptic- and control placentas and performed RNA in situ hybridization to
      localize the main placental expression site of sFlt-1 mRNA. Because the maternal
      lung is the first capillary bed that circulating syncytial aggregates traverse,
      we studied the presence and persistence of placental material in lungs of
      preeclamptic women and control subjects. To confirm the placental origin of
      suspected syncytial aggregates in these lungs, immunohistochemistry for the
      placenta-specific marker hCG and Y-chromosome in situ hybridization were
      performed. RESULTS: Using human placental tissue, we found that syncytial knots
      are the principal site of expression of the anti-angiogenic factor sFlt-1. In
      addition, in autopsy material obtained from women with preeclampsia (n=9), we
      observed significantly more placenta-derived syncytial aggregates in the lungs
      than in control subjects (n=26). Importantly, these placental aggregates still
      contained the anti-angiogenic factor sFlt-1 following their entrapment in the
      maternal lungs. CONCLUSION: The current study confirms the important role of
      syncytial knots in placental sFlt-1 mRNA production. Additionally, it shows a
      significant association between preeclampsia and larger quantities of sFlt-1
      containing syncytial aggregates in maternal lungs, suggesting that the transfer
      of syncytial aggregates to the maternal compartment may contribute to the
      systemic endothelial dysfunction that characterizes preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105855
TI  - OP0010. Optimizing time from diagnosis to delivery in preeclampsia based on the
      future health prospects of offspring.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Limited data exist on long-term health-consequences of maternal
      preeclampsia for offspring. OBJECTIVES: We investigated long-term offspring
      morbidity following preeclampsia and related these data to the time from
      diagnosis to delivery. METHODS: We performed a registry based retrospective
      cohort study in Denmark in the years 1977-2007. The primary exposure was
      preeclamptic days from diagnosis to delivery. We analyzed 6 gestational age
      groups separately. The outcomes were groups of later disease diagnoses in
      offspring. RESULTS: We included 758,524 singleton offspring who had accumulated
      3,537,525 medical diagnoses. Offspring delivered by severely preeclamptic women
      between 28 and 33weeks had an increased risk of endocrine disorders (HR 1.46; 95%
      CI 1.09-1.96) compared to normotensive pregnancies, independent of days between
      diagnosis and delivery (HR 1.000; 95% CI 0.993-1.006). Offspring delivered by
      mildly preeclamptic women between 37 and 38 weeks had an increased risk of
      behavioral disorders (HR 1.19; 95% CI 1.05-1.37) and this risk was dependent on
      days since diagnosis (HR 1.006; 1.001-1.011). In general, after 37-38weeks, days
      from diagnosis to delivery increased the risk of later diagnoses in most disease
      groups. CONCLUSION: Offspring from preeclamptic pregnancies have increased risks
      of various later diseases. The time between diagnosis and delivery modified these
      risks only slightly, but it seems prudent not to prolong preeclamptic pregnancies
      after 38weeks.

PMID- 26105856
TI  - OP0011. Impaired autophagy in extravillous trophoblast may induce poor
      placentation in preeclampsia.
AB  - Shallow invasion of extravillous trophoblast (EVT) and inadequate vascular
      remodeling by EVT are the major cause of poor placentation in preeclampsia. In
      early pregnancy period, trophoblast experience hypoxic and low-nutrient
      condition. Autophagy is a cellular bulk degradation system to maintain cellular
      homeostasis under stress. We examined whether autophagy sustained the EVT
      functions under the harsh condition. An enhancement of autophagy was observed in
      primary cultured EVT and EVT cell line under 2% oxygen condition or cobalt
      treatment which induce HIF1alpha. The invasion and vascular remodeling under
      hypoxic condition were significantly reduced in autophagy-deficient EVT cells
      compared with wild-type EVT cells. Treatment of ATP partially rescued the poor
      invation under hypoxic condition suggesting that getting energy using autophagy
      play important role for cell invasion under hypoxia. Soluble endoglin (sENG),
      that is increased in sera in preeclamptic cases, suppressed EVT invasion and
      vascular remodeling by EVT by inhibiting autophagy. Next we have examined the
      impaired autophagy by immunohistochemical staining for p62. p62 is selectively
      degradated in autophagosome, so if impaired autophagy is present, p62 is
      accumulated in the cytoplasma. Enhanced imunostainings for p62 in interstitial
      EVT and endovascular EVT in preeclamptic cases were observed showing impaired
      autophagy in EVT of preeclamptic cases. sENG is known to inhibit TGFbeta that is
      a essential factor for differentiation of regulatory T cells. Impaired autophagy
      and decreased regulatory T cells by increased sENG may play important roles in
      pathophysiology of preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26105857
TI  - Individual artery wall layer dimensions indicate increased cardiovascular risk in
      previous severe preeclampsia -an investigation using non-invasive high-frequency
      ultrasound.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia (PE) is associated with increased risk for
      cardiovascular disease later in life. Studies using gold standard of non-invasive
      estimation of atherosclerosis, the common carotid artery intima-media-thickness
      (CCA-IMT), have not indicated increased atherosclerosis in women with previous
      PE. That reason may be that with increasing age and degree of atherosclerosis the
      intima increases, while the media decreases. OBJECTIVES: To assess whether the
      individual thickness of the CCA intima and media layers and calculation of
      intima/media (I/M) ratio indicate an increased cardiovascular risk in women with
      previous severe PE. METHOD: Arterial intima- and media tthicknesses were obtained
      by non-invasive high-frequency ultrasound (22MHz) in 42 women with previous
      severe PE and 44 women with previous normal pregnancies. RESULTS: Women with
      previous severe PE had a thicker mean CCA intima and a higher I/M ratio, compared
      to women with previous normal pregnancies (both p<0.0001). In ROC curve analysis,
      intima thickness and I/M ratio discriminated strongly with regard to previous
      severe PE. CONCLUSION: The method using individual estimation of the CCA intima
      and media layers and calculating the I/M ratio, clearly showed an increased
      degree of atherosclerosis in women with previous severe PE. This method might
      become a clinically useful tool to stratify cardiovascular risk, enabling early
      intervention and hopefully reduce their long-term cardiovascular risk.

PMID- 26105858
TI  - PP002. Metabolomic biomarkers in serum and urine of preeclamptic women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) affects about 3% of pregnancies. The syndrome
      cannot be accurately predicted, and large variation complicates the search for
      early biomarkers. Metabolites are components of the metabolism; the chemical
      interactions in the body necessary for life. Metabolomics, the study of
      metabolism, has been used to characterize diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular
      disease (CVD). OBJECTIVES: Explore the use of magnetic resonance (MR)
      metabolomics on PE, and to elucidate potential clues to PE etiology and
      pathogenesis. METHODS: Serum and urine from non-pregnant women (n=10) and
      pregnant women with PE (n=10) or normal pregnancies (n=10), was analyzed with MR
      spectroscopy and subjected to multivariate analysis (MVA). Metabolites were
      quantified and compared between groups. RESULTS: Urine and serum samples revealed
      differences between PE and both control groups. Ten urine metabolites were
      significantly different between the three groups. Urine samples from women with
      early-onset PE clustered together in MVA. PE serum spectra had higher levels of
      low and very-low density lipoproteins, and lower high-density lipoproteins
      compared to control groups. CONCLUSION: PE and control samples were effectively
      discriminated using MR metabolomics, suggesting that MR metabolomics is a useful
      method for improved sub-phenotyping of PE in larger studies. Information relevant
      to the disease was found both for serum and urine samples, and indicated
      similarities between PE and CVD.

PMID- 26105859
TI  - PP001. The vascular tree during pregnancy and at follow-up - A longitudinal study
      of maternal vascular function.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Normal maternal vascular function and optimal cardiovascular
      adaptation to the increasing demands of pregnancy is a prerequisite for a
      successful outcome of pregnancy. How different levels of the vascular tree react
      and interact during pregnancy has not been fully investigated previously but may
      be determined by genetic as well as maternal, fetal and environmental factors.
      OBJECTIVE: To investigate how different levels of vascular function change during
      the course of pregnancy and relate these levels to each other. METHODS: Healthy
      non smoking women with singleton pregnancies and a viable embryo recorded at the
      ultrasound departments of UltraGyn Stockholm, Sweden were recruited. The
      following cardiovascular examinations were performed: examination of structural
      changes of the heart: Echocardiography of the heart with Doppler examination and
      tissue Doppler. Examination of macrocirculation, vessel structure and function
      plus endothelial function: Intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery,
      pulse wave velocity, central blood pressure and flow mediated vasodilation.
      Examination of microvascular function in the skin and endothelial function: total
      circulation of the skin and capillary flow in nails. The microcirculation before,
      during and after iontophoresis with nitroprussid and acetylcholine. The
      investigations were performed in gestational week 11-14, 22-24, 36 and 9 months
      post partum. RESULTS: In total 35 participants had a normal course of pregnancy.
      Curves of the development of the various cardiovascular variables will be
      presented according to gestational age and their place in the vascular tree.
      CONCLUSIONS: These curves will be used to investigate how various determinants
      such as blood pressure, fetal growth and body mass index, as well as fetal sex
      affects and are affected by cardiovascular function in pregnancy.

PMID- 26105860
TI  - PP003. Heat shock protein 27 expression is spatially distributed in human
      placenta and selectively regulated during preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Placental oxidative stress is a feature of the pregnancy syndrome
      preeclampsia. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) can be induced in cells as a protective
      mechanism to cope with cellular stress. We hypothesized that expression of HSP
      27, a member of the small HSP family, would change in preeclampsia and that
      expression would vary in different placental zones. METHODS: Samples were
      obtained from eight sites within each placenta: four equally spaced apart pieces
      were sampled from 0 to 2cm from the cord insertion point and also between 2 and
      4cm from the cord insertion point. Non-labor, labor preeclampsia and non-labor
      preeclampsia were studied. HSP 27 expression was investigated by Western blot
      analysis and real time PCR. RESULTS: HSP 27 was significantly increased in the
      preeclampsia labor group compared to the control labor group at the 2-4cm site
      (p=0.02). There was no change in phosphorylation at serine 82 and no changes at
      the mRNA level. CONCLUSIONS: The physiological and pathological significance of
      these remains to be elucidated but the results have important implications for
      how data obtained from studies in placental studies (and other organs) can be
      influenced by sampling methods.

PMID- 26105861
TI  - PP004. The polymorphism C677T of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), may
      increase risk for future higher blood pressure in women with previous
      hypertension in pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The MTHFR is a key enzyme in the folate cycle involved in
      homocysteine remethylation. The T allele of MTHFR C677T polymorphism is
      associated with lower activity inhibiting the DNA methylation and protecting from
      oxidative stress. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the MTHFR genotype-phenotype
      relationship during and after pregnancy comparing hypertensive with normotensive
      women. METHOD: A sample of 380 women with 32.54+/-6.478 years old, 181
      normotensive (NT) and 199 hypertensive (HBP) being 70.3% above 34 weeks of
      gestation. A subgroup 63 women with history of preeclampsia were studied 3-6
      years postpartum and compared with 59 controls. The MTHFR was evaluated by PCR
      RFLP using DNA extracted from peripheral blood. Statistical analysis evaluated
      with appropriated tests. RESULTS: The distribution of genotypes of the MTHFR was
      different according to blood pressure (BP), it was observed that the TT genotype
      had lower frequency in HBP (p<0.001). In the subgroup CC+CT the MPO levels were
      higher in HBP as well as nitrites, leucocytes, neutrophils, Apo B, BMI, waist and
      ratio waist/hip compared with NT (p<0.001, p=0.04, p=0.042, p=0.035, p=0.03,
      p=0.022, p=0.026, respectively). There were differences between levels of BP
      systolic and diastolic between women previously HBP and NT of CC+CT compared with
      TT carriers (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The MTHFR may modulate blood pressure (BP) and
      cardiovascular risk. TT genotype with increased expression of antioxidant
      enzymes, may be a protective factor for future hypertension and cardiovascular
      risk compared with women CC and CT genotypes with higher levels of circulating
      biomarkers of inflammation.

PMID- 26105862
TI  - PP006. Gene expression profiling of first trimester placentas from pregnancies at
      high risk of developing preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) is an important cause of fetal and maternal
      morbidity and mortality. It is considered a two-stage disease, the first stage
      characterized by a defect placentation and the second stage by maternal
      manifestations. Details of the patho-physiology behind the transition from stage
      one to stage two remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: Was to study first trimester
      placental gene expression in patients identified as high risk for PE by either
      Doppler ultrasound or the biochemical markers cell free fetal hemoglobin (HbF)
      and alpha-1-microglobulin (A1M). METHODS: Placental samples were obtained from
      seven women at highrisk of PE as determined by Doppler ultrasound of the uterine
      arteries and eight women with normal uterine artery resistance who for other
      reasons terminated their pregnancies surgically. Maternal serum samples were
      analyzed for HbF and A1M. The patients were risk stratified according to two risk
      classifications: (I) High vs. low uterine artery resistance and (II) High HbF and
      A1M vs. low HbF and A1M. Total RNA from the placentas was used for whole genome
      microarray. The results were analyzed by bioinformatics and genes of interest
      confirmed with qPCR. RESULTS: A total of 453 and 332 significantly altered genes
      were identified in the two study groups. Bioinformatics revealed 12 genes of
      interest in study group I and 7 genes of interest in study group II. CONCLUSIONS:
      Genes related to vascular tonus regulation and inflammatory response were
      identified in study group I suggesting that a lack of tonus regulation and
      increased inflammation might contribute to the high uterine artery resistance
      seen in this group. Genes related to regulation of hematopoiesis was found in
      group II suggesting dysfunctional hematopoiesis as a factor explaining the high
      levels of cell-free HbF seen.

PMID- 26105863
TI  - PP005. Vitamin D depletion aggravates hypertension in transgenic rats.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vitamin D may ameliorate hypertension and kidney disease through
      genomic and extra-genomic pathways. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of
      vitamin D in a transgenic rat model of angiotensin II-mediated hypertensive organ
      failure. METHODS: In 4-week-old age-matched rats overexpressing the human renin
      and angiotensinogen genes, group 1 (n=18) received vitamin D depleted chow; group
      2 (n=15) standard chow and intraperitoneal paricalcitol at 800ng/kg thrice
      weekly; and group 3 (n=15) standard chow and vehicle injections. Blood pressure
      (tail cuff) and 24-h albuminuria were determined once weekly. After three weeks,
      animals were sacrificed. Heart tissue was examined for atrial natriuretic peptide
      (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The vitamin D
      depleted group had higher blood pressure at week 1 (mean difference 23.4mmHg, 95%
      CI 9.1-37.7) and tended to have higher blood pressure in weeks 2 and 3 (mean
      difference 14.3mmHg 95% CI -0.02-28.7 and 15.2mmHg 95% CI -1.5-33). The depletion
      group had higher heart-to-body weight ratio, and a trend towards higher ANP and
      BNP levels. The group receiving paricalcitol did not perform better. No
      differences were found between groups in mortality or proteinuria. CONCLUSION:
      Short-term vitamin D depletion aggravated hypertension and end-organ damage in a
      rat model of angiotensin II-induced hypertension. Short-term interventions with
      high-dose vitamin D analogues had no protective effect.

PMID- 26105864
TI  - PP008. Placental klotho gene in preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: An aging-suppressor gene, klotho, is a candidate factor for
      vascular disease because its deficiency leads to impaired endothelium-dependent
      vasodilation and impaired angiogenesis. This protein is involved in several
      metabolic pathways such as the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), apoptosis,
      angiotensin-II-induced events in the kidney and oxidative stress. OBJECTIVES: The
      aim of this study was to determine the difference of klotho genotiping and
      expression in the placentas of women with normal and preeclamptic pregnancies.
      METHOD/DESIGN: Placental tissue was collected from normal pregnancies (n=12) and
      pregnancies complicated by Preeclampsia (n=12), matched for gestational age.
      Klotho genotyping and expression was determined using real-time quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS: A
      polymorphism for -744 G/A mutation was significantly more common in the
      pathological group, with an odds ratio (OR) of 3.00 (1.02-8.81; 95% CI). The
      expression levels of both klotho isoforms and of the short klotho isoform were
      lower (80%) in the Preeclampsia group as compared to matched controls. Results of
      Western Blot agreed with those from Real-Time PCR. CONCLUSION: In preeclamptic
      pregnancies there are a genotyping polymorphism and a reduced expression of
      klotho gene. Given its role in cardiovascular disease in aging, it may link
      preeclamptic mothers and their offsprings to long term cardiovascular outcomes.

PMID- 26105865
TI  - PP009. Hypoxia alters syncytiotrophoblastic microparticles (STBM)-related
      coagulation capacities.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Endothelial dysfunction is thought to be the cause of preeclampsia
      (PE) symptoms. Severe forms of PE are correlated to the release of
      syncytiotrophoblastic microparticles (STBM), which triggers inflammatory
      processes on the endothelium. The thrombogenic potential of STBMs is not well
      characterized. We investigated the pro-coagulant activity of STBMs. METHODS:
      STBMs were derived from placentae perfused under norm- and hypoxic conditions and
      quantified with our house-"ELISA". Surface phospholipid-dependent thrombin
      formation of microparticles was determined with a commercial ELISA. Rate and
      absolute platelet aggregation in platelet-rich plasma (PRP), while fibrin
      production in platelet free plasma, was measured in absence and presence of STBMs
      using a PAP-4 aggregometer. RESULTS: STBM concentration and STBM-induced thrombin
      formation is stable under normoxic and elevated under hypoxic conditions. STBMs
      derived from hypoxic placentae increase the rate of fibrinogenesis. Maximum
      platelet aggregation is stable under normoxic, while highly variable under
      hypoxic conditions. STBMs of hypoxic placentae cannot alter the rate of platelet
      aggregation, while normoxic STBMs adjust the rate according to need. CONCLUSION:
      Hypoxia negatively affects fibrinogenesis and the platelet aggregation-modulating
      effects of STBMs, which might be due to a phenotype alteration. All observed
      results may contribute to the impaired microcirculation seen in PE.

PMID- 26105866
TI  - PP010. Alpha-1-microglobulin protects from heme induced placenta and kidney
      damage in a pregnant ewe model for preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Previous gene expression analysis have identified fetal hemoglobin
      (HbF) as a plausible etiological factor in preeclampsia. Free hemoglobin and its
      degradation products, e.g. heme, are known to cause oxidative stress, tissue
      damage, and vaso-constriction, typical findings in preeclampsia. OBJECTIVE: To
      study alpha-1-microglobulin (A1M), an endogenous radical scavenger and heme
      binder, as a potential treatment for preeclampsia using the pregnant ewe
      preeclampsia model. Free Hb and heme are known to take part in the pathology of
      this model and therefor well suited for evaluation of recombinant A1M as a
      therapy. METHODS: 11 pregnant ewes, at gestational age 125-131 days, were
      acclimatized for 36h and then starved for another 36h to induce preeclampsia
      symptoms. At the end of starvation period, they were treated either with placebo
      (n=6) or A1M injections (n=5). After injections, food was re-introduced and ewes
      further followed for 72h. The ewes were sacrificed the 6th day after beginning of
      acclimatization. Throughout the 6 days, the animals were monitored for blood
      pressure and different blood and urine parameters. Whole blood, kidney and
      placenta tissue samples were collected from the ewes. Gene expression analysis,
      blood analysis, histology and electron microscopy were used to evaluate the
      therapeutic effects of A1M. RESULTS: Starvation increased the amount of free heme
      in the blood. The ultrastructure of the placenta and kidney were damaged in a way
      similar to what previously have been described for PE. The glomeruli and the
      tubuli were damaged which was reflected by increased Ficol clearance and
      increased plasma creatinine levels. Treatment with A1M significantly normalized
      the kidney functions. The most profound changes on gene expression level were
      found in white blood cells in the starved animals. Starvation decreases mRNA
      expression for anti-oxidants such as CAT (P=0.04), SOD1 (P=0.008), SOD2 (1.8
      fold) as well as angiogenetic factors such as VEGF (P=0.02) and HGF (1.6-fold).
      A1M treatment rescued the decreased expression of SOD2 (P=0.04) and HGF (2-fold).
      CONCLUSION: A1M is well tolerated and shows high potential as a treatment for PE
      like symptoms in the pregnant ewe model for PE.

PMID- 26105867
TI  - PP007. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits in the pre-eclamptic and
      cigarette smoke exposed human placenta.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is associated with low birth
      weight, prematurity and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Nicotine, a major
      constituent of cigarette smoke, binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
      (nAChRs). To date, 16 mammalian nAChR subunits have been identified. The effect
      of smoking on these subunits in human placenta has not yet been determined.
      Smoking is also associated with reduced pre-eclampsia (PE) risk and its
      protective effects may occur via changes in nAChRs. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed
      to determine which nAChR subunits are present in the normal human placenta, and
      whether any changes are occur from smoking or PE. METHODS: Using RT-qPCR, all 16
      nAChR subunits were investigated in normal, healthy human placentas, and mRNA
      expression compared between controls (n=8), smokers (n=8) and PE (n=7). Results
      All 16 nAChR subunits were expressed in healthy placentas. Smoke exposure
      significantly increased alpha2 (p=0.006) and alpha9 (p=0.038), and decreased
      delta (p=0.013), subunit mRNA expression. In PE placentas, beta1 (p=0.048) and
      beta2 (p=0.031) subunit mRNA expression was increased. CONCLUSION: Nicotine
      exposure in pregnancy increases nAChR subunit mRNAs that play a role in
      vasoconstriction and amino acid uptake, possibly contributing to abnormalities in
      placentas from smoking mothers. Different subunits were affected in PE placentas,
      thus the hypoxic environment may induce changes in endogenous ACh levels,
      yielding compensatory increases in beta1 and beta2 subunits.

PMID- 26105868
TI  - PP011. Placental expression of the major protein components of caveolae, eNOS and
      iNOS in pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Caveolins and Cavins are the major protein components of caveolae
      and regulate many cardiovascular functions. Caveolin-1 inhibits eNOS activity.
      The possible regulation of vascular reactivity/blood pressure by the caveolae are
      of interest in relation to pre-eclampsia (PE). We hypothesised that expression of
      Caveolin/Cavin genes would be reduced, paralleling the up-regulated eNOS in PE
      compared to normotensive controls (NC). OBJECTIVES: To analyse the placental mRNA
      expression of Caveolins1-3 and, Cavins1-4, eNOS and iNOS; and protein of caveolin
      1, cavin-1 and eNOS in NC and PE placentae from White European women. METHODS:
      Following ethical approval and informed written consent, placental biopsies were
      taken midway between the cord and periphery, avoiding infarcts, from 24 NC and 23
      PE patients. Gene expression was measured by qRT-PCR. Protein localization was
      identified by immunohistochemistry and expression semi-quantitatively assessed.
      RESULTS: Results of mRNA/proteins are shown on table below. Protein expression
      was localised to the cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast. No differences were
      found for any other gene/protein. CONCLUSION: As well as their known effects on
      eNOS expression, caveolae mediate internalisation of numerous hormone receptors,
      thus potentially changing pressor and depressor responsiveness. This is the first
      time that structural determinants of caveolae have been studied in NC and PE
      pregnancy. FUNDING: Tommy's, CAPES.

PMID- 26105869
TI  - PP012. Abnormal vascular umbilical cord morphology in vascular-related pregnancy
      complications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia (PE), foetal growth restriction (FGR) and preterm birth
      (PTB) are associated with an increased risk on the development of cardiovascular
      disease in offspring. Abnormal programming of the embryonic and extra-embryonic
      vasculature may be involved. The umbilical cord could be a good model for
      studying foetal vascular development. OBJECTIVES: We examined the morphology of
      the umbilical cord vasculature in complicated (PE, FGR, PTB) and uncomplicated
      pregnancies. METHODS: In a case-control study, we included 105 patients
      consisting of PE (n=31), FGR (n=26), PTB (n=24) and controls (n=24). Macroscopic
      measurements were performed and tissue samples were formalin-fixed within 1 hour
      after birth, for microscopic analysis of digitised paraffin sections. RESULTS:
      The macroscopic evaluation showed shorter umbilical cords in PE than in controls.
      Microscopic measurements revealed a smaller total cord area in all complicated
      pregnancies compared to controls. The artery wall area was smaller in PE and
      IUGR, and a smaller vein wall area was present in PE only, compared to controls.
      The percentage of elastic fibres in the vein was lower in PE and IUGR than in
      controls (Table 1). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates umbilical cord vascular
      abnormalities in PE, FGR and PTB, suggesting early vascular damage. Future
      studies should focus on similar structural changes in foetal vasculature and
      associations with cardiovascular disease in later life.

PMID- 26105870
TI  - PP014. A pioneer explore of PTZ-induced eclampsia in preeclampsia rats.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Eclampsia is the most serious state of hypertensive disorder in
      pregnancy, but the pathogenesis of eclampsia seizures is poorly understood.
      OBJECTIVES: An eclampsia animal model was developed by PTZ injection on
      preeclampsia rats. METHOD: Rats received endotoxin (1.0MUg/kg body weight) form
      tail vein in an hour on GD14 to build the preeclampsia (PE) model. PTZ i.p
      injection were given to PE rats on GD16, 17, 18 to induce seizures and build an
      eclampsia model. All experiment rats were divided into three groups, PE, normal,
      pregnant (P), non-pregnant (NP) group (n=18 in each group). Each group gave two
      doses of PTZ (40 or 35mg/kg) as subgroups. Blood pressure, urinary albumin,
      biochemical indexes (AST, ALT, SCr, Urea) were measured. Seizure severity was
      defined by Racine' standard and seizure time were recorded. RESULTS: PTZ-induced
      eclampsia shows a increasing blood pressure, urinary albumin, liver function
      damage and different stages of seizures. The latency of seizure in PE rats with
      40mg/kg PTZ is obviously shortened when compared with the P and NP group (p<0.05)
      and the duration is prolonged (p<0.05). The same trend is still existence at the
      low dose of PTZ injection. Rate of tonic-clonic seizures is elevated in PE and P
      group when compared with NP group, but nonsignificantly. CONCLUSION: We use
      40mg/kg PTZ to endotoxin induced preeclampsia model to build an eclampsia model,
      which mimicked the multiple organ function disorder in human eclampsia.
      Meanwhile, we found the PE status may decreases threshold for PTZ induced
      seizures.

PMID- 26105871
TI  - PP013. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the maternal cystathionine-b-synthase
      gene are associated with preeclampsia (PE).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cystathionine-b-synthase (CBS) produces the vasodilatory and anti
      inflammatory hydrogen sulfide (H2S) by conversion of homocysteine (Hcy). H2S is
      involved in placental vascular tone regulation. Previously, we showed that woman
      with PE have hyperhomocysteinemia and decreased placental CBS gene expression.
      OBJECTIVES: Aberrant CBS gene expression may play a role in hyperhomocysteinemia
      and decreased H2S and could be involved in pathogenesis of PE. We studied whether
      the presence of CBS single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is associated with the
      development of PE. METHODS: Six CBS SNPs (rs12329764, rs2851391, rs234713,
      rs234706, rs1789953, rs11203172) were genotyped in 99 controls, 60 severe, and 39
      mild PE cases. Severe and mild PE cases were additionally subdivided into late-
      (>34 weeks) and early-onset (<34 weeks) PE. The association of the alleles with
      development PE was tested with logistic regression. RESULTS: Two of the six SNPs
      are associated with PE. The minor allele for rs11203172 reduces the risk for
      developing severe PE (OR[95% CI]=0.54[0.21-0.94], p=0.023). The minor allele for
      rs234706, which is associated with low Hcy, increased the risk to develop mild,
      late-onset PE (2.10[1.15-3.85], p=0.016). CONCLUSION: SNPs in the CBS gene are
      associated with risk of developing PE. Within the CBS gene, SNPs associated with
      both a decreased and an increased risk to develop PE were found. Altered
      effectiveness of CBS may affect PE through decreased H2S production or Hcy
      accumulation.

PMID- 26105872
TI  - PP016. Relation of apoptosis, proliferation and angiogenesis in early and late
      onset of preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The placental bed plays a key role in placentation during
      gestation. Most studies investigated the expression of angiogenic factors in the
      placenta, but their expression and potential role in the placental bed have not
      been investigated adequately. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to examine the
      expression of the fact is that Apo-Cas is apoptotic marker and VEGF in placental
      bed of pregnancy with early, late-onset PE and without PE. METHODS: Placental bed
      biopsy tissues obtained during Cesarean Section from patients with early-onset
      (n=15), late-onset (n=15) and without (n=15) PE. The normotensive controls
      without PE were matched for gestational age at delivery with patients with PE.
      The expression of Apo-Cas and VEGF in placental bed tissues were evaluated using
      reverse transcriptase PCR, real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot.
      RESULTS: There was no statistical difference between the PE group and
      normotensive control group in age and body mass index. The level of apoptotic
      marker Apo-Cas was higher in early-compared to late-onset of PE (5%+/-1.4, and
      15%+/-2.7). The expression of VEGF was significantly decreased in both PE groups
      compare to control (p<0.05), but not statistically significant between groups
      with PE. We also revealed reduction of VEGF receptors in endometrial stroma and
      its absence in endothelial cells. CONCLUSION: This study showed the prevalence of
      apoptosis and decreased expression of VEGF in the placental bed of pregnancies
      complicated by PE compared with control. Further research will help to create the
      pathogenetic basis for early prediction, recognition and management of PE.

PMID- 26105873
TI  - PP017. Withdrawn.

PMID- 26105874
TI  - PP015. Plasma levels and placental expression of BNP/NT-proBNP in early and late
      onset preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women with preeclampsia (PE) have elevated plasma levels of NT
      proBNP. We hypothesized that the placenta may be a source to these elevated
      levels. OBJECTIVES: Our objectives were to study the plasma levels of NT-proBNP
      and the protein and mRNA expression of placental BNP in women with early and late
      onset PE and controls. METHODS: Plasma levels of NT-proBNP were measured in women
      with early (n=18) and late (n=20) onset PE, in two groups of healthy pregnant
      women in gestational week 24-32 (n=22) and 36-42 (n=14), and in non-pregnant
      women (n=20). Placental BNP protein and mRNA was studied with
      immunohistochemistry and qPCR. Placental release of NT-proBNP was studied with
      tissue culturing. RESULTS: Women with early (365 (14-9815) pg/ml) and late (176
      (33-2547) pg/ml) onset PE had higher levels of NT-proBNP in plasma than their
      respective controls (p<0.001). A tendency towards higher plasma levels in early
      compared to late onset PE was observed (p=0.057). 20 out of 25 placental tissue
      samples had proBNP mRNA, no differences between the study groups were found. BNP
      protein was found in maternal spiral arteries and syncytiotrophoblasts. NT-proBNP
      peptide (6-7pg/ml) was present in medium used for placenta cultures. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our results suggest that there may be a placental source of NT-proBNP. If this
      source is responsible for the elevated plasma levels of NT-proBNP in preeclamptic
      women and what role, if any, BNP/NT-proBNP play in PE pathophysiology remains to
      be elucidated.

PMID- 26105875
TI  - PP020. Evidence of a preventive role of Nrf2 in preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Smoking during pregnancy is associated with lower preeclampsia
      risk. This has been mainly explained through the effect of carbon monoxide CO.
      OBJECTIVES: Recent studies showed that the activation of heme oxygenase-1 HO-1
      and consequently its metabolite CO in cultured cells mediated an inhibition of
      sFlt-1 and sEng release, and an up-regulation of the endogenous VEGF. The
      transcriptional regulation of the HO-1 gene is majorly regulated through the
      transcription factor Nrf2. The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro the
      effect of HO-1-activation via Nrf2 on the pro- and anti-angiogenic factors.
      METHODS: BeWo cells and HUVECs endothelial cells were used to study the
      angiogenic effect of Nrf2-activation. ELISA, scratch and tube formation assay
      were mainly applied. RESULTS: The activation of HO-1 via Nrf2 lead to an increase
      in the protein levels of VEGF (control 64.75pg/ml+/-4.3; Sulforaphane-treated
      cells 128.2pg/ml+/-6.5 p<0.005) and decrease in the augmented sFlt-1 in the
      supernatant of the treated cells (control 186.3pg/ml+/-28.7; H2O2-treatment
      2026pg/ml+/-64, co-treatment with H2O2 and Sulforaphane 1200pg/ml+/-19.7 p<0.01).
      Up-regulation of HO-1/CO enhanced tube formation and migration of the endothelial
      cells. CONCLUSION: The activation of HO-1/CO via Nrf2 inducer such as
      sulforaphane inhibited in vitro the release of sFlt-1, thus the activation of
      Nrf2 during the first trimester may improve the balance of the pro- and anti
      angiogenic factors.

PMID- 26105876
TI  - PP021. The role of the transcription factor Nrf2 in the murine placental
      development.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The placenta is the key organ for successful pregnancy and fetal
      growth. Oxidative stress during early human placental development is associated
      with pregnancy-related disorders. The transcription of many antioxidative-genes
      is mediated mainly through the transcription factor Nrf2. Furthermore, a link
      between Nrf2, vascular homeostasis and extravillous trophoblast invasion has been
      discussed. OBJECTIVES: Here, we investigated the placental phenotype, placental
      and fetal weight of the Nrf2 knockout (Nrf2(-/-)) and wild type (Nrf2(+/+)) mice
      and the vascular function of these placentas around embryonic day 18.5. METHODS:
      We performed H&E, Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) and immunohistochemistry of paraffin
      embedded mouse placenta samples. RESULTS: There is no significant difference in
      both placental and fetal weight of both geno types (Nrf2(-/-) and Nrf2(+/+)).
      Phenotypic analysis of ED 18.5 placentas showed presence of trophoblast clusters
      in the labyrinth and frequent enlarged maternal blood lacunae. Furthermore, Nr2(
      /-) showed increased levels in the lipid peroxidation product 4-hydroxinonoeal (4
      HNE), which is a sensitive marker of oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation.
      CONCLUSION: This data point out the necessity of a functional Nrf2 for placental
      development, as it may interact with the differentiation of the trophoblast
      lineage from one side and to diminish the oxidative damage during pregnancy from
      the other side.

PMID- 26105877
TI  - PP018. Does altitude affect the placental renin angiotensin system (RAS) in pre
      eclampsia (PE)?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We have previously shown the activation of placental RAS in high
      altitude normotensive (NT) pregnancies [1], presumably related to hypoxia during
      placental development. PE incidence is increased at high altitude; hypoxia
      reoxygenation injury contributes to the elevated oxidative stress seen in this
      condition. Binding of Angiotensin II to its type I receptor (AT1R) increases
      generation of reactive oxygen species and we have shown an increase in AT1R in PE
      [2]. Therefore we investigated whether the RAS is further augmented in PE at high
      altitudes. METHODS: Biopsies were collected, with informed, written consent, from
      NT and PE women (ISSHP guidelines) at sea-level (UK) and high altitude, 3100m
      (Leadville, Colorado) immediately after vaginal delivery or elective non-laboured
      Caesarean section. mRNA expression of the RAS components (angiotensinogen (AGT),
      prorenin, prorenin receptor, AT1R and angiotensin type 2 receptor) was determined
      by qRT-PCR and normalised to 3 stably-expressed housekeeping genes using geNorm.
      Protein expression was semi-quantitatively assessed by immunohistochemistry (H
      score) and compared between groups (Mann Whitney U test). RESULTS: mRNA
      expression of all RAS components was unaffected by altitude in NT, but
      significantly lower for all in PE (P=0.026-<0.0001). However, in NT, protein
      expression of all components except AGT was significantly increased at altitude
      (P=0.037-<0.001). Protein expression of AGT and AT1R was also increased in
      altitude PE (P<0.004 for both). CONCLUSION: We have shown the placental RAS to be
      activated at altitude, with apparent differences in transcription/translation.
      Hypoxia-inducible transcription factors such as HIF-1 enhance transcription and
      translation of many genes encoding "rescue" proteins; this might explain the
      effects of altitude in NTs. HIF-1 is increased in PE, which might allow increased
      protein expression at altitude in spite of lower mRNA.

PMID- 26105878
TI  - PP019. A new player in preeclampsia: The NF-E2-related factor 2 (NRF2).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia PE is characterized by diminished antioxidant
      capacity. These enzymes are mainly regulated via the transcription factor Nrf2.
      OBJECTIVES: PE is associated with an increase in Nrf2 activity. Nrf2 involves
      also in the vascular homeostasis during PE. Respective hemodisturbances have been
      associated with impaired invasion of the extravillous trophoblast EVT in early
      onset IUGR associated with PE. To test this link, we studied in vitro the
      interaction between Nrf2 and VEGF, then their expression was determined in third
      trimester placental beds in cases of severe early onset IUGR/PE. METHODS: BeWo
      cells were used in the in vitro study.Western blot; ELISA and Dual Luciferase
      assay were applied. Full-thickness uterine tissues from 6 healthy and 6 women
      with severe early onset IUGR/PE were used to study the expression of VEGF, Nrf2
      and 4-HNE in the EVT. RESULTS: Nrf2-activation and its downstream target protein
      HO-1 augmented CO production, which in turn up-regulated the expression of VEGF.
      EVT in cases with IUGR/PE showed increased expression of Nrf2 and decreased VEGF
      intensity. CONCLUSION: In early onset IUGR/PE the EVT experience oxidative stress
      and try to counteract this by increased expression of Nrf2. However, since these
      cells fail to up-regulate VEGF, Nrf2-activation does not occur, leading to
      further trophoblast damage. At the same time, in vitro data show a protective
      role of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, which may have a therapeutic potential in PE.

PMID- 26105879
TI  - PP022. An animal model for eclampsia.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Eclampsia, a leading cause of maternal mortality. Little is
      known about the causes of eclampsia and there is no effective treatment.
      Development of an animal model may help to expand our understanding and may hold
      great potential for the design of effective treatment. METHODS: Experimental
      preeclampsia model was build first, rats were received a infusion of endotoxin
      (LPS) (1.0MUg/kg body weight) or saline solution through the tail vein during 1h
      on gestational day 14, blood pressure and albuminuria were measured. On
      gestational day 18 all experimental rats were received electric stimulation, the
      seizure behaviors were observed and EEG were recorded in these rats. Terminations
      of pregnancy were performed on day 21 of gestation, resorptions and pups birth
      weights were recorded. RESULTS: PE model rats develop many features of human PE
      that correlates with bad pregnancy outcomes. Both clinical behavior and EEG
      records documented seizure activity developed in 100% of pregnancy rats and 58.3%
      of non-pregnancy rats (P=0.01). The PE model rats had a 31.25% decrease of the
      latency (3.3+/-1.4min) to evoke a full motor seizure compared with normal
      pregnancy rats (4.8+/-2.2min), and had a significant decrease contrast to non
      pregnancy rats (10.6+/-7.1min), LP<0.05). EEG recordings showed seizure
      activities when rats had clinically generalized tonic-clonic convulsions.
      CONCLUSION: We described a rat model of eclampsia, were the relevant predominant
      features of human eclampsia.

PMID- 26105880
TI  - PP023. Soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 and placental growth factor expression
      in a rat model of pre-eclampsia.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase-1(sFlt-1) and placental growth
      factor (PIGF) have been used clinically to predict preeclampsia (PE). This study
      investigated these factors in a rat model of preeclampsia induced by ultra-low
      dose endotoxin. METHODS: The experimental PE rat model was generated on
      gestational day 14. Rats were anesthetized and divided into a normal pregnancy
      group (NP, n=7) (which received a normal saline infusion) and a PE model group
      (n=9) (which received an infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin
      (1.0MUg/kg body weight). Infusions were given through the tail vein for 1 hour.
      Blood pressure was monitored and albuminuria, serum ALT, AST, creatinine and BUN
      were measured. As well, concentrations of sFlt-1 and PIGF in serum and amniotic
      fluid were measured by enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS:
      Arterial pressure was increased (135+/-7 versus 116+/-3mmHg; P<0.03) in the PE
      model rats compared with the NP rats. The concentration of sFlt-1 in the PE model
      group (162.7+/-73.9pg/ml) was significantly higher than NP group (123+/-64pg/ml)
      (P<0.05). The serum level of PIGF in PE model group (9.7+/-6.2pg/ml) was
      significantly lower compared to the NP group (23.4+/-12.4) (P<0.05). The plasma
      sFlt-1/PIGF ratio in the PE model group (18.3+/-5.6) was greater than that in the
      NP group (6.7+/-2.1) (P<0.05). Similar changes were also present in the amniotic
      fluid. CONCLUSION: sFlt-1 and PIGF levels in this rat PE model induced by ultra
      low-dose endontoxin showed changes consistent with findings in preeclamptic
      patients, indicating that this animal model mimics human preeclampsia well in
      these aspects of the disorder.

PMID- 26105881
TI  - PP025. Measurement of the activity of the circulating and intrarenal renin
      angiotensin system (iRAS) in pregnant and non-pregnant subjects.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To see if urinary angiotensinogen (uAGT)/creatinine and other urinary
      components of the RAS could be used to detect renal disease in pregnancy, as
      renal disease predisposes to preeclampsia. METHODS: Plasma and urinary prorenin,
      ACE and AGT (iRAS) were measured by ELISA. Urinary active renin levels were
      measured enzymatically (9 males, 10 non pregnant, 61 Australian Indigenous
      pregnant women). RESULTS: No relationships between plasma RAS and iRAS were
      found. In non-pregnant females plasma AGT levels were inversely related to
      protein and albumin/creatinine (r=-0.72, P=0.019, n=10; r=-0.65, P=0.042, n=10).
      In pregnancy, plasma ACE levels were related to protein/creatinine (r=0.29,
      P=0.036, n=54). Urinary protein/creatinine was not related to iRAS activity
      (males and non-pregnant females) but in pregnancy was related to prorenin and
      active renin/creatinine (r=0.45, P=0.02, n=26 r=0.47, P<0.001, n=50). Urinary
      albumin/creatinine was related to uAGT and active renin/creatinine in pregnancy
      (r=0.39, P=0.005, n=51; r=0.37, P=0.008, n=51). uACE/creatinine and
      uAGT/creatinine were related (r=0.52, P<0.001, n=51). CONCLUSION: Excretion of
      components of the iRAS is independent of plasma levels. Not only is
      uAGT/creatinine related to albumin/creatinine but there are similar relationships
      with other iRAS components. Measurement of the iRAS in human pregnancy may detect
      early stage renal disease, endemic in Indigenous Australians.

PMID- 26105882
TI  - PP027. Alterations in maternal antioxidant micronutrient concentrations in women
      prior to developing pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Changes in plasma antioxidant trace elements during pregnancy are
      closely related to mortality and morbidity in the newborn. Deficiencies of
      specific micronutrient antioxidant activities, associated with copper, selenium,
      zinc and manganese have previously been associated with pre-eclampsia (PE) at
      term. The purpose of the present study was to investigate these maternal plasma
      micronutrient concentrations with associated enzyme activities, specifically the
      copper-related caeruloplasmin, in a subcohort of the international SCreening fOr
      Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) study, in early pregnancy, prior to disease onset.
      METHODS: Pre-disease plasma samples (14-16+6 weeks') collected from women who
      subsequently developed PE (n=245) and age- and BMI-matched uncomplicated
      normotensive controls (NC; n=471) were used following written informed consent.
      Micronutrient concentrations were measured by inductively-coupled mass
      spectrometry and caeruloplasmin activity by colorimetric activity assay. RESULTS:
      Plasma copper concentrations at 15 weeks' gestation were significantly elevated
      in women who subsequently developed PE; no differences were seen for all other
      micronutrients (Table). No differences were seen in caeruloplasmin activity
      between the two groups. However, a positive association between copper
      concentration and caeruloplasmin activity was observed (r=0.305; R2=0.093;
      P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Copper has a dual function in pregnancy, while it may be
      beneficial as a cofactor for numerous antioxidant enzymes, it also a redox-active
      transition metal, which catalyses the formation of free radicals and increased
      levels may contribute to oxidative stress status in PE. These data indicate that
      although women with PE show significantly higher copper, the caeruloplasmin
      activity is not significantly higher. It seems that during PE, the activity does
      not increase proportionally with the levels of copper and may indicate a
      dysfunction of the antioxidant enzyme. Work is underway to characterise copper
      dependent antioxidant superoxide dismutase activity and markers of oxidative
      stress in these women. FUNDING: British Heart Foundation (Charity No. 225971).

PMID- 26105883
TI  - PP024. Effects of intravenous magnesium sulfate on the characteristics of
      eclamptic seizures induced by electrical stimuli in a rat preeclampsia/eclampsia
      model.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Eclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy and remains a
      leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide. Magnesium sulfate is commonly used
      in the prophylaxis and treatment of eclampsia. However, uncertainty remain
      regarding its anticonvulsant mechanism(s) of action. This study examined the
      effects of intravenous magnesium sulfate on the characteristics of eclamptic
      seizures in a rat preeclampsia/eclampsia model. METHODS: All rats were implanted
      with stainless nickel-cadmium alloy bipolar electrodes one week before
      fertilization. Next, an experimental rat preeclampsia (PE) model was induced on
      gestational day 14 by anaesthetising rats and infusing over 1 hour into their
      tail veins lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (1.0MUg/kg body weight) (with control rats
      receiving normal saline). The rats were then divided into three groups: a normal
      pregnancy (NP) group (n=6) which received a continuous infusion of saline; a
      control PE model group (n=7) (which had previously received the LPS treatment)
      which also received a continuous infusion of saline; and a treated PE model group
      (n=8) (which had previously received the LPS treatment) which received a
      continuous infusion of magnesium sulfate (60mg/kg/day). The continuous infusions
      in all three groups were delivered by implanted osmotic minipumps . Measurements
      were made of blood pressure, albuminuria, serum ALT, AST, and creatinine, BUN and
      serum magnesium concentrations. On gestational day 18, all experimental rats
      received a standardized electrical stimulus. Seizure activity was assessed using
      electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. Terminations of pregnancy were performed
      on gestational day 21. Resorptions and pup birth weights were recorded. RESULTS:
      The pregnant LPS treated rats developed many features of human PE (e.g.
      hypertension, proteinuria, liver and kidney dysfunctions). The mean concentration
      of Mg(2+) in the magnesium sulfate therapy group (0.86+/-0.24mmol/L) was
      significantly higher (p<0.05) than in both the control PE model group (0.61+/
      0.12mmol/L) and the NP group (0.62+/-0.09mmol/L). The magnesium sulfate therapy
      group had a significantly (p<0.05) increased latency period (21.7+/-8.9min) to
      evoke a full motor seizure compared to both the NP group (4.8+/-2.2min)and the
      control PE model group (3.3+/-1.4min), there being no significant difference
      (p>0.05) between the latency periods of the NP group and the control PE model
      group. Overall, the magnesium sulfate therapy regimen completely prevented
      seizure activity in 3/8 (37.5%) of the treated PE model rats compared to 6/6
      (100%) of the NP rats and 7/7 (100%) of the control PE rats. The treated PE model
      group also had significantly (p<0.05) reduced seizure duration (26+/-4s) compared
      to both the NP (40+/-7s) and the control PE model (45+/-9s) groups. As well,
      there was a significantly (p<0.05) shorter EEG seizure amplitude change in the
      treated PE model group (58+/-6MUv). CONCLUSION: In this rat preeclamsia/eclampsia
      model, the anticonvulsant characteristics of magnesium sulfate have been shown to
      include significantly increasing seizure latency period, reducing seizure
      duration and decreasing seizure EEG amplitude.

PMID- 26105884
TI  - PP028. Serum cytokine profile in relation to the clinical features and laboratory
      parameters in women with preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is characterized by an excessive maternal systemic
      inflammatory response. OBJECTIVES: To determine circulating levels of cytokines,
      chemokines and adhesion molecules in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia, and to
      investigate their relationship to the clinical features and laboratory parameters
      of the patients. METHODS: Serum levels of IL-1beta, IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL
      8, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, IL-18, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta1, IP-10, MCP
      1, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were measured in 60 preeclamptic, 60 healthy pregnant and 59
      healthy non-pregnant women. RESULTS: In addition to a shift towards Th1-type
      immunity (increased IL-2/IL-4 and IFN-gamma/IL-4 ratios), levels of the pro
      inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-alpha, the chemokines IL-8, IP-10 and MCP-1,
      as well as the adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, were raised in preeclampsia,
      resulting in an overall pro-inflammatory systemic environment. Increased IP-10,
      MCP-1, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 concentrations of preeclamptic patients showed
      significant correlations with blood pressure values, renal and liver function
      parameters, as well as with CRP, malondialdehyde, von Willebrand factor antigen
      and fibronectin levels. CONCLUSION: Elevated amounts of pro-inflammatory
      cytokines, chemokines and adhesion molecules in the maternal circulation might
      play a central role in the excessive systemic inflammatory response, as well as
      in the generalized endothelial dysfunction characteristics of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105885
TI  - PP029. Genetic change of adipose tissue related to inflammation in preeclampsia:
      Findings under novel culture method.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recently, adipose tissue is suggested to contribute to the
      inflammatory action in preeclampsia(PE), from peripheral increase of cytokines.
      However, the mechanism of the action in adipose tissue was not clarified yet.
      OBJECTIVES: In this study, we performed "Gel bottom-captured" adipose tissue
      culture with PE to show that the adipose tissue is the inflammatory focus in the
      pathophysiology of PE. METHODS: Under informed consent of the patients, omentum
      from probe laparotomy for ovarian cancer was captured in Peptide Hydrogel(r).
      After 24h starvation, tissues were cultured with medium containing 10% of severe
      PE and healthy pregnant maternal serum (n=5 each). M30 (Apoptosis) and M65 (all
      cell death) were measured with ELISA. After mRNA extraction from tissue,
      quantitative PCR array (Qiagen, Inc.) was performed on all samples. RESULTS: No
      significant histological differences were found between each culture. However,
      M30/M65 ratio was increased in PE (p=0.053). In PCR array, under 2-fold decrease
      in OSM (p=0.019) was found, and over 2-fold increase in TLR (p<0.01) and other
      inflammatory genes were defined in PE. CONCLUSION: Inflammatory action in PE via
      TLR pathway was defined by adipose tissue culture. Apoptosis were shown in PE
      condition, but total tissue injury include necrosis were suggested to be stronger
      in normal pregnancy. Increase of inflammatory gene suggested that adipose tissue
      is one of a main organ of systemic inflammation in PE.

PMID- 26105886
TI  - PP033. Oxidized LDL particles in the placenta of intrauterine growth restriction
      (IUGR) subgroups.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Maternal serum LDL concentrations are lower in IUGR pregnancies as
      compared to controls (CTRL). We now hypothesized that an increased oxidative
      stress results in the formation of oxidized LDL (oxLDL) particles which than
      accumulates within the placenta. This is particularly hypothesized for the severe
      early onset subgroup of IUGR with preeclampsia (PE). METHODS: OxLDL (minimal
      modified and fully oxidized LDL) levels in placental biopsies from term IUGR (>37
      weeks, t-IUGR, n=5), preterm IUGR (<34 weeks, p-IUGR, n=5), and preterm IUGR with
      PE (PE-IUGR, n=5) were compared to a CTRL group consisted of gestational age
      matched preterm (p-CTRL, n=10) and term (t-CTRL, n=5) placentas by ELISA and
      immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: Fully oxidized LDL but not minimally
      oxidized LDL concentrations were higher in p-IUGR and tend to be increased in PE
      IUGR when compared to p-CTRL (p=0.040 and p=0.075). There was virtually no
      difference of fully oxidized LDL levels between p-CTRL, t-CTRL, and t-IUGR. We
      confirmed a higher oxLDL accumulation in trophoblasts of p-IUGR and PE-IUGR as
      compared to both CTRL groups by IHC though this was not statistically
      significant. CONCLUSION: Conformational changes of LDL during the process of
      oxidation might lead to an accumulation of oxLDL particles in placental tissue of
      IUGR. The pathogenesis of early onset IUGR might differ from those of late onset
      IUGR.

PMID- 26105887
TI  - PP032. Apolipoprotein profiling in umbilical cord blood of intrauterine growth
      restricted (IUGR) neonates.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Fetal umbilical cord HDL concentration is lower in IUGR neonates as
      compared to gestational age matched controls (CTRL). The causes by now are
      unknown. A full apolipoprotein analysis of cord blood might help in understanding
      the changes in lipid metabolism seen in IUGR. OBJECTIVE: To characterize cord
      blood apolipoprotein profile of IUGR neonates. METHODS: Serum of venous umbilical
      cord blood (15 IUGR vs. 15 CTRL) was analyzed by Multiple Reaction Monitoring
      (MRM). 15 different known apolipoproteins were profiled. HDL and LDL were
      measured by colorimetric methods in fetal cord blood and their corresponding
      mothers. RESULTS: Fetal HDL (p<0.0001), ApoC1 (p<0.0001), and ApoE (p=0.0001)
      levels were lower in IUGR as compared to CTRL. Fetal HDL levels were positive
      correlated to ApoE, ApoC1, and ApoA2 (r=0.79, r=0.74, r=0.56). Fetal LDL levels
      were positive correlated to ApoB, ApoE, ApoA2, and ApoC3 (r=0.74, r=0.67, r=0.57,
      r=0.55). Maternal LDL concentrations correlated positive to fetal ApoC1, ApoC2,
      and LCAT-concentration (r=0.54, r=0.52, r=0.52). DISCUSSION: The results
      underlines the relevance of ApoE in fetal development. Moreover, we speculate
      that maternal lipid profile has an impact on fetal lipid metabolisms as evidenced
      by the association of maternal LDL levels and fetal ApoC1, ApoC2, and LCAT
      concentrations. This observation requires further confirmation and is worth to be
      analyzed since it provides a mechanistic link for therapeutic options.

PMID- 26105888
TI  - PP031. The fetal cholesterol acceptor potential in cord sera of intrauterine
      growth restricted (IUGR) neonates.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The fetal umbilical cord blood cholesterol concentration is lower
      in IUGR neonates as compared to gestational age matched controls (CTRL). One
      possible explanation is an alteration of cholesterol acceptor concentration or
      functionality and a disturbed interaction with reverse cholesterol transport
      (RCT) mechanisms at the placentofetal interface. OBJECTIVE: To study receptor
      specific mechanisms of RCT in response to fetal sera of IUGR and CTRL neonates.
      METHODES: Different cell lines were used to determine the fractional efflux of
      (3)H-cholesterol in response to whole fetal serum (IUGR n=25; CTRL n=25) in the
      absence or presence of ABCA1 overexpression. Efflux values were correlated to
      serum concentrations of possible cholesterol acceptors like HDL, apoA1, and apoE.
      RESULTS: The main finding was a significant over all reduction of fractional
      cholesterol efflux in response to IUGR serum as compared to CTRL (p<0.001). The
      differences were abolished after overexpression of ABCA1. Cholesterol efflux over
      all was highly correlated to HDL and ApoE concentration (n~=0.777 and n~=0.60).
      CONCLUSION: The reduced cholesterol efflux acceptor capacity appears to diminish
      cholesterol availability and transplacental cholesterol transport to IUGR
      fetuses. Moreover, disturbances of RCT are involved in the pathomechanisms of
      atherosclerosis. Our results represent a link between the known association of
      being born small for gestational age and risk of developing CVD later in life.

PMID- 26105889
TI  - PP030. Transmission electron microscopy reveals leakage of laeverin into the
      villous capillaries and ectopic expression in the cytoplasm instead of cell
      membrane of the trophoblasts in preeclamptic placentas.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Laeverin, a membrane-bound aminopeptidase is specifically expressed
      in human placenta. We previously reported that mRNA levels of laeverin-gene are
      up-regulated in the placentas of severely preeclamptic women compared to healthy
      controls. Furthermore, immunofluorescence studies indicated that laeverin is
      expressed in the cytoplasm rather than the cell membrane of preeclamptic
      placentas. OBJECTIVE: To study differences in size and integrity of laeverin
      protein expressed in preeclamptic and normal placentas, and to investigate sub
      cellular localization of laeverin, in the trophoblasts. METHODS: Proteins from
      placental tissue of three severely preeclamptic women and three healthy controls
      were extracted using Magnabeads in MagNaLyser in T-PER solution. Western blot
      analysis was done by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and electro-blotting
      on PVDP membranes. Membranes were developed by Tropix CDP-Star and immuno
      reactive bands were visualised. Immuno-electronmicroscopy was performed on high
      pressure freezed (Tokyasu method) tissue samples of three placentas (from1
      healthy and 2 severely preeclamptic women). Ultrathin sections were fixed and
      labeled with primary antibody raised against laeverin, followed by antibody
      conjugated with 5nm gold particles (PAG5). Experiments were performed in
      triplicates and images were taken using a JEM-1010 transmission electron
      microscope at 50,000 and 70,000 magnifications. RESULTS: Western blot analysis
      detected laeverin-protein of normal size (approximately 100kDa) both in normal
      and preeclamptic placentas. However, laeverin was overexpressed in preeclamptic
      placentas compared to healthy controls. Immuno-electronmicroscopy revealed
      presence of laeverin within the capillaries in preeclamptic placentas which was
      not seen in healthy controls. At a sub-cellular level laeverin was localized on
      the cell membrane of trophoblasts in healthy placentas. However, in preeclamptic
      placentas, laeverin was localized in the cytoplasm and in particular in the Golgi
      apparatus. CONCLUSIONS: In preeclamptic placentas, laeverin is overexpressed and
      it appears to leak into the villous capillaries and localize in the cytoplasm
      instead of cell membrane of the trophoblasts.

PMID- 26105890
TI  - PP035. Genome-wide expression profile of first and second trimester human uterine
      natural killer cells.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Uterine Natural Killer (uNK) cells are key regulators of the
      placental bed during early placental development and account for 40% of decidual
      cells. uNK cells have been suggested to play a role in pregnancy complications
      including maternal placental syndromes, such as preeclampsia. Furthermore uNK
      cells are involved in angiogenesis, immunomodulation, trophoblast invasion and
      spiral artery remodeling. These temporal processes are essential for normal
      placentation and may suggest a time dependent role for uNK cells. OBJECTIVE: To
      determine uNK cell phenotypic changes during early human placental development.
      METHODS: uNK cells were isolated from first (7-8 wks, n=6) and second trimester
      decidual tissue (13-14wks, n=6) by enzymatic digestion and flow sorting, based on
      uNK cell specific surface marker expression (CD56(high)CD16-CD3-). Total RNA was
      isolated and subjected to genome-wide gene expression profiling. Expression
      patterns were validated by quantitative rt-PCR. RESULTS: Using purified uNK cells
      we identified 140 transcripts that are differentially expressed between the first
      and second trimester of pregnancy. Many of these transcripts cluster into
      promising novel and established NK cell functional characteristics. CONCLUSION:
      The uNK cell phenotype changes over the course of early pregnancy. We propose
      that these phenotypic changes of NK cells may be dictated by the "uterine niche"
      to promote the orderly and precisely timed process of placentation.

PMID- 26105891
TI  - PP034. Renal histology in preeclampsia: A special role for the podocyte.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In preeclampsia (PE), the kidney is one of the major target organs.
      Growing evidence suggests PE increases the risk of subsequent microalbuminuria
      and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Endotheliosis and podocyte changes due to
      anti-angiogenic factors seem to be salient features of PE. However, it is unknown
      whether chronic lesions are present in PE patients that could contribute to this
      increased risk. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that women with PE and young women
      with chronic hypertension might show similarity in renal lesions. Furthermore, we
      investigated if the number of podocytes within the kidney is decreased under
      these different circumstances. Methods We performed a search for renal autopsy
      tissues using a nationwide computerized database (PALGA) to collect a unique
      large cohort of preeclamptic patients (n=11). Three control groups were included
      consisting of young women who died during pregnancy without hypertension (n=25)
      and non-pregnant controls with (n=14) and without (n=13) chronic hypertension. WT
      1 staining was used to quantify the number of podocytes. Results Women with PE
      had MPGN-like lesions without immune-deposits. Tram tracking and podocyte changes
      were exclusively observed in these patients. Endotheliosis was significantly more
      present in PE, but sporadically seen in pregnant- and hypertensive controls.
      Chronic ischaemic lesions were predominantly found in young women with chronic
      hypertension, and not in PE and other controls. No differences were found in
      glomerular podocyte number between the study groups. CONCLUSION: All women with
      PE had MPGN-like lesions in their kidneys which was therefore regarded
      characteristic for PE. In contrast, no chronic lesions were observed in PE which
      could explain the increased risk of impaired renal function later in life.
      Interestingly, we demonstrated no difference in podocyte number between study
      groups. These results might suggest that neither persistent hypertension or
      dysbalance in angiogenic factors (i.e. preeclampsia) cause an observable change
      in podocyte number within the kidney.

PMID- 26105892
TI  - PP036. The intrarenal renin-angiotensin system and pregnancy outcome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The intrarenal renin angiotensin system (iRAS) may be activated in
      normal pregnancy. Failure of activation may predispose to preeclampsia. METHODS:
      Urinary angiotensinogen/creatinine (uAGT/creat), albumin and protein/creat were
      measured in 10 non-pregnant and 17 pregnant non-Indigenous women and 61
      Indigenous pregnant women (in whom other components of iRAS were also measured).
      RESULTS: uAGT/creat was higher in pregnancy (18.2+/-3.2MUg/mmol, n=9 vs. 1.1+/
      0.3MUg/mmol, P=0.001, n=10). Women with clinical proteinuria and/or preeclampsia
      had low uAGT/creat (n=3). Hypertensive women had normal high uAGT/creat (n=4).
      Indigenous pregnant women had higher protein/creat (P=0.01) and lower uAGT/creat
      (2.9+/-1.0MUg/mmol, P=0.010, n=51) than non-Indigenous pregnant women. Indigenous
      women were classified based on a uAGT/creat of <2MUg/mmol (n=37) or >2.0MUg/mmol
      (n=12). Only low uAGT/creat Indigenous pregnant women had correlations between
      uAGT/creat and albumin/creat (r=0.367, P=0.027), renin/creat and albumin or
      protein/creat (r=0.493, P=0.002, r=0.603, P<0.001). uAGT/creat levels fell with
      gestation (r=-0.329, P=0.047) while Cystatin C increased (r=0.592, P=0.000).
      CONCLUSION: The iRAS is activated in normal pregnancy. This is not the case in
      women with proteinuria/preeclampsia or in many Indigenous women who have higher
      urinary protein/creat. Therefore a low uAGT/creat in pregnancy may indicate
      impaired renal function and be associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105893
TI  - PP037. Relationship of serum leptin levels to circulating cytokines, chemokines,
      adhesion molecules and angiogenic factors in women with preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Serum leptin levels are known to be increased in preeclampsia.
      OBJECTIVES: To determine circulating levels of leptin along with those of several
      cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules and angiogenic factors in normal
      pregnancy and preeclampsia, and to investigate whether serum leptin levels are
      related to the clinical features and measured laboratory parameters of the
      patients. METHODS: Serum levels of leptin, IL-1beta, IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL
      8, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, IL-18, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta1, IP-10, MCP
      1, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, sFlt-1 and PlGF were determined in 60 preeclamptic, 60 healthy
      pregnant and 59 healthy non-pregnant women. RESULTS: There were significant
      differences in most of the measured laboratory parameters among the three study
      groups except for serum IL-1beta and TGF-beta1 levels. Preeclamptic patients had
      significantly higher leptin levels than healthy pregnant women. A significant
      positive correlation was observed between serum leptin and IP-10 concentrations
      of preeclamptic patients. Furthermore, elevated serum leptin level and sFlt
      1/PlGF ratio had an additive effect in the risk of preeclampsia, as shown by the
      substantially higher odds ratios of their combination than of either alone.
      CONCLUSION: Increased serum levels of leptin are related to those of IP-10 in
      preeclampsia, suggesting that circulating leptin might contribute to the
      development of endothelial dysfunction through the anti-angiogenic effect of IP
      10.

PMID- 26105894
TI  - PP038. Renal ETK/BMX activation decreased in preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF's) are essential to
      angiogenesis and play a central role in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia.
      Specifically, antagonists of VEGFR2 cause a preeclampsia-like syndrome, in humans
      and rats[1]. ETK/BMX is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) which induces VEGF
      expression and forms a complex with VEGFR2, whereby VEGF and TNF can induce a
      reciprocal activation of both kinases. OBJECTIVES: To determine the levels of
      phosphorylation, and thus activation, of VEGFR2 and ETK/BMX in renal tissue from
      women with preeclampsia and with healthy pregnancies. METHODS: Renal tissue was
      obtained with consent from six preeclamptic and six healthy pregnant women
      included in a previous renal needle biopsy study[2] and a RayBio(r)
      Phosphorylation Antibody Array was used according to instructions. RESULTS:
      Phosphorylated ETK/BMX was significantly reduced in the preeclamptic women
      compared to in the healthy pregnant women. There was no difference in
      phosphorylated VEGFR2 between groups. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that ETK/BMX
      could be an important mediator of VEGF function in healthy pregnancy, in the
      kidneys more so than VEGFR2, and that absence of the positive feedforward
      signalling that ETK/BMX and VEGF together accomplish, and/or a TNF induced
      activation of this, may play a role in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105895
TI  - PP041. The underlying mechanisms in reduced action of endothelial nitric oxide in
      resistance artery in preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In preeclampsia (PE), the action of endothelial nitric oxide (eNO) is
      reduced by in vitro investigation of characteristic changes using vascular strips
      of resistance artery. We studied underlying mechanisms in the reduced action of
      it. METHODS: The vascular strips of omental resistance arteries were obtained
      from PE and normotensive pregnant women. Informed consent was obtained from each
      patient. This study was permitted by ethical board. (1) The various isometric
      tension by NO were measured by bradykinin (BK), sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and
      the inhibition of 8-pCPT-cGMPVert@during the STA2 (a stable analogue of
      thromboxane A2)-induced contraction. (2) The [Ca(2+)]i were measured in the
      endothelium-intact strip loaded cell-permeable form of Fura 2 (Fura 2-AM). (3)
      The concentrations of cGMP and eNO synthase (eNOS) were measured in endothelial
      cell intact strips. RESULTS: (1) In PE, endothelium-dependant (by BK) and 
      independent (by SNP) relaxation of NO in the STA2-induced contractions were
      significantly smaller, while the action of c GMP was also reduced. (2) BK
      increased the concentration of [Ca(2+)]i, although the increase was not reduced
      in PE. (3) The concentrations of cGMP with BK and without BK and eNOS were not
      reduced in PE. CONCLUSION: These results revealed that the action of endothelial
      NO might be reduced not due to decrease in the production of NO in the
      endothelium but rather to reduced action of cGMP itself.

PMID- 26105896
TI  - PP040. Activation of endosomal toll-like receptors in first trimester
      trophoblasts.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A mild systemic inflammation may be beneficial to normal pregnancy,
      however exaggerated inflammation may contribute to pregnancy complications.
      Infections and cell stress or damage may evoke placental inflammation by
      activation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs). TLR3, TLR7, TLR8 and TLR9 are located
      intracellulary on endosomes and are activated by nucleic acids from microbes and
      damaged cells. Trophoblasts play a crucial role during placentation, and the role
      of TLRs in first trimester trophoblasts needs to be determined. OBJECTIVES: To
      characterize endosomal TLR gene expression and activation in first trimester
      trophoblasts, to extend knowledge of endosomal TLR involvement in placental
      inflammation. METHODS: Primary trophoblasts were isolated from six first
      trimester placentas by enzyme degradation and gradient centrifugation. Gene
      expression of TLR3, TLR7, TLR8 and TLR9 in primary first trimester trophoblasts
      and the trophoblast cell line BeWo was quantified by RT-qPCR. The trophoblasts
      were stimulated with ligands for endosomal TLRs, and release of pro-inflammatory
      cytokines was analyzed by multiplex. RESULTS: Primary first trimester
      trophoblasts showed gene expression of all endosomal TLRs, and endosomal TLR
      activation gave increased production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL
      8, and IP-10. CONCLUSION: Primary first trimester trophoblasts express functional
      endosomal TLRs, indicating TLR-mediated trophoblast involvement in early
      placental inflammation.

PMID- 26105897
TI  - PP039. ETK/BMX and renin-angiotensin system (RAS) components are differentially
      expressed in renal tissue in both normal and preeclamptic pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Renal ETK/BMX activity is reduced in preeclampsia. Systemic RAS has
      been studied in preeclampsia; the renal RAS has not. None of the proteins in
      either pathway have previously been located in renal tissue from human pregnancy.
      OBJECTIVES: To determine renal expression and distribution of proteins involved
      in the ETK/BMX and RAS pathways in normal and preeclamptic pregnancy. METHODS:
      Limited residual tissue was available from renal biopsies in eight preeclamptic
      and seven healthy pregnant women. Immunohistochemistry was performed for AT1R,
      AT2R, angiotensinogen (AGT), prorenin, unphosphorylated ETK/BMX (uBMX) and
      phosphorylated ETK/BMX (pBMX). Immunohistochemical scoring was performed
      semiquantatively by a nephropathologist blinded to the original diagnosis.
      Results All proteins were renally expressed, AT1R equally in glomeruli and
      tubules, AT2R and prorenin more strongly in the tubules. If at all, uBMX was
      weakly expressed in glomeruli, and no glomerular pBMX expression was detected.
      Both uBMX and pBMX were strongly expressed in distal tubules. The material was
      too limited to detect differences between groups. CONCLUSION: The presence of
      prorenin, and both angiotensin receptors in the proximal tubule may indicate
      activation of the intra-renal RAS. Angiotensin II promotes sodium retention at
      the proximal tubule independently of aldosterone. Activated ETK/BMX in injured
      tubular epithelial cells is associated with cell repair and regeneration,
      proliferation and motility.

PMID- 26105898
TI  - PP042. Cell surface toll-like receptors in primary first trimester trophoblasts.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The first trimester of pregnancy is characterised by a mild pro
      inflammatory environment, however excessive inflammation threatens placental
      development and function. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are crucial in initiating
      inflammation. TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, TLR5, TLR6 and TLR10 are expressed on the cell
      surface, and respond to microbial infection and cell damage and stress signals.
      Recent findings of TLRs in trophoblasts indicate a role in inflammation during
      pregnancy, but further studies are warranted. OBJECTIVES: To investigate gene
      expression and function of cell surface TLRs in first trimester trophoblasts, to
      extend knowledge on the role of trophoblast TLRs during placental development.
      METHODS: Primary trophoblasts were isolated from first trimester placentas (n=6)
      by enzyme degradation and density gradient centrifugation. Gene expression of
      TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, TLR5, TLR6 and TLR10 was quantified by RT-qPCR in primary first
      trimester trophoblasts and the trophoblast cell line BeWo. Trophoblasts were
      stimulated with cell surface TLR ligands and pro-inflammatory cytokine release
      was analysed by multiplex immunoassay. RESULTS: Primary first trimester
      trophoblasts expressed all cell surface TLR mRNAs, and activation of TLR2/1, TLR4
      and TLR5 induced IL-6 and/or IL-8. CONCLUSION: The broad expression of functional
      cell surface TLRs in primary first trimester trophoblasts suggests a central role
      for trophoblasts in placental inflammation and immune activation.

PMID- 26105899
TI  - PP044. Differential expression of trophoblast-, endothelial- and embryonic stem
      cell-associated transcription factors in 1st trimester, and in 3rd trimester
      preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Trophoblast progenitor cells express stem cells markers (SCM) to
      maintain the proliferative characteristic of stem cells. Beyond blastocyst stage
      or in preeclampsia (PE) or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) little is known
      about expression of SCMs. We examined the expression of trophoblast and other
      SCMs in 1st and 3rd trimester placenta and in preeclampsia (PE) and intrauterine
      growth restriction (IUGR) in order to discriminate if these markers might be
      involved in progenitor cell functions. METHODS: 8 samples each of 1st trimester
      placentae (elective abortions), 3rd trimester IUGR, PE and control (normal term
      pregnancy placentae) were stained by immunoperoxidase to detect the SCMs: CDX2
      (trophectoderm SCM), SOX2, NANOG and OCT4A (embryonic SCMs) and NOTCH1
      (endothelial SCM). RESULTS: In 1st trimester all SCM were detected, expressed
      homogenous in syncytio- and cytotrophoblast, and grow increasingly mosaic-like
      towards the end of 1st trimester. These signals are lost or diminished in 3rd
      trimester, whereby the syncytiotrophoblast loses these signals first. NOTCH1,
      however, remains highly expressed in all trophoblast subtypes of both IUGR and PE
      pregnancies. CONCLUSION: Both embryonic and trophoblast SCMs are expressed in 1st
      trimester trophoblast and appear most vivid among the villous trophoblast of very
      early pregnancy. Loss of stem cell transcription factor expression in term
      placentae indicates temporal regulation, and a so far unknown specific function.

PMID- 26105900
TI  - PP045. Different associations between phenotypes of preeclampsia and
      thrombophilias.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Studies on the association of preeclampsia (PE) with thrombophilias
      (TRPH) are conflicting. Clinical heterogeneity of PE may be one of the
      explanations. OBJECTIVES: The present study addresses the question whether
      different phenotypes of PE are associated with subtypes of TRPH. METHODS: In this
      retrospective cohort study between 1985 until 2010 women with PE were offered
      postpartum screening for the following TRPH: anti-phospholipid antibodies (APA),
      APC-resistance, protein C deficiency and protein S deficiency (PSD),
      hyperhomocysteinemia (HCY), factor V Leiden and Prothrombin gene mutation.
      RESULTS: 890 Women with PE were screened for TRPH. 49% Also had HELLP, 60% had
      IUGR, 71% delivered before the 34th week. One or more TRPH factors were present
      in 31% of the women. Severe PE was associated with PSD (p=0.01). IUGR (p<0.01)
      was associated with APA (p<0.01) and PSD (P=0.03). Early onset PE was associated
      with APA (P, 0.01). More than 10% of placental infarction was associated with APA
      (p<0.01). Placental weight below the 5th percentile was associated with HCY
      (p=0.03). Other phenotypes of PE and TRPH were not associated. CONCLUSION: Severe
      and early onset PE, especially if complicated by IUGR, are associated with APA
      and PSD. Other phenotypes of PE, especially HELLP syndrome, were not associated
      with TRPH. We advise to screen for APA and PSD after severe and early onset PE,
      especially if complicated by IUGR. We do not recommend screening for TRPH in
      other phenotypes of PE.

PMID- 26105901
TI  - PP043. Oxidative stress in the maternal body also affects the fetus in
      preeclamptic women with fetal growth restriction.
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to determine whether oxidative stress
      occurring in the maternal body also affects the fetus in preeclamptic women with
      FGR. We ?@consecutively recruited 17 preeclamptic women with FGR, 16 preeclamptic
      women without FGR, and 16 healthy pregnant women with uncomplicated pregnancy. We
      measured concentrations of derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) as
      a marker of oxygen free radicals in a maternal vein, umbilical artery, and
      umbilical vein. ?@Maternal d-ROM levels were higher in preeclamptic groups
      compared to the control group. Umbilical artery and vein d-ROM levels were
      elevated in preeclamptic women with FGR compared to the control group. Umbilical
      artery d-ROM levels were significantly higher than in the vein in preeclamptic
      women with FGR, but not in those without FGR. Umbilical arterial blood pH was
      significantly lower in preeclamptic women with FGR. The partial pressure of
      oxygen (PaO2) in umbilical arterial blood tended to be lower in preeclamptic
      women with FGR (p=0.08). The partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) in
      umbilical arterial blood was significantly higher in preeclamptic women with FGR.
      These results indicate that oxidative stress occurring in the maternal body also
      affects the fetus in preeclamptic women with FGR. 

PMID- 26105902
TI  - PP046. A unique urinary proteome profile at 15 weeks' gestation in low-risk women
      with subsequent pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia remains one of the leading causing of maternal and
      perinatal morbidity and mortality. Recent plasma biomarker discovery has improved
      the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia; however no factors which are quantitatively
      different remote from disease onset have been identified. Urine represents an
      ideal non-invasive fluid for analysis and potentially rich source of biomarker
      detection. Proteomics is a rapidly developing technique which allows the
      detection and identification of individual proteins. We propose that early
      glomerular changes will result in significant differences in the urinary proteome
      of women destined to develop pre-eclampsia, prior to detection of the clinical
      syndrome. OBJECTIVES: To define a urinary profile at 15 weeks' gestation,
      predictive of subsequent pre-eclampsia, in low risk nulliparous women. METHODS:
      Urine samples from twelve women at 15 weeks' gestation who subsequently developed
      pre-eclampsia (cases) and twelve gestation-, BMI- and age-matched controls were
      selected from the SCreening Of Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) cohort. A proteome
      profile was established using a validated workflow, involving selective
      immunodepletion, 1D SDS-PAGE gel fractionation, in-gel digestion of gel sections,
      LC-MS/MS analysis and normalised spectral analysis. RESULTS: More than 900
      proteins were identified using minimal stringency in Scaffold. Spectral counts
      revealed 24 proteins were significantly upregulated in cases and absent in
      controls and 3 proteins were absent in cases but present in controls. For
      protection of intellectual property protein identities are omitted. CONCLUSIONS:
      A urinary proteomic signature can be identified in the urine of women at 15
      weeks' gestation who subsequently develop pre-eclampsia. Formal quantitative
      analysis will be performed with selective reactive-monitoring analysis, followed
      by subsequent validation of this differential proteomic profile using a larger
      number samples per groups.

PMID- 26105903
TI  - PP049. The arterio-venous ratio of retinal vessels in the first trimester as a
      predictor for preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Retinal changes are known in severe preeclampsia (PE). This is the
      first study evaluating static retinal vessel analysis in pregnancy to measure
      retinal vessel diameter and in women destined to develop preeclampsia. METHODS:
      51 non-pregnant controls (29+/-4 years) and 601 pregnant women (30+/-6 years)
      arterio-venous ratio (AVR) of retinal arterioles and venules was measured with
      Dynamic Vessel Analyzer in 1. (12.1+/-2.5 weeks; T1), 2. (22.6+/-2.3 weeks; T2),
      3. (33.1+/-3.8 weeks; T3) trimester and postpartum (19.1+/-15.3 weeks; pp).
      RESULTS: 38 women developed gestational hypertension (GH), while 143 developed
      PE. AVR [mean+/-SD] in the PE-group (28+/-6 years) was lower (p<0,02) in T1, T2,
      and pp compared to 420 women who remained normotensive during pregnancy (T1:
      0.80+/-0.06 vs. 0.9+/-0.08; T2: 0.86+/-0.06 vs. 0.9+/-0.11; T3: 0.88+/-0.09 vs.
      0.89+/-0.1; pp: 0.83+/-0.08 vs. 0.87+/-0.1). Non-pregnant controls (0.86+/-0.1)
      as well as normotensive pregnancies did not show any differences in AVR-values
      when compared to those who developed GH later in pregnancy (T1: 0.42+/-0.20; T2:
      0.35+/-0.18; T3: 0.49+/-0.09; pp: 0.44+/-0.19). With a defined cut-off value of
      <0.83 AVR in the first trimester we were able to predict PE with a positive
      predictive value of 43.2% and a sensitivity of 86%. CONCLUSION: AVR is lower in
      women susceptible for PE. These data are the first to provide evidence that
      microvascular changes of retinal vessels predate PE and even persist after
      delivery.

PMID- 26105904
TI  - PP047. Fetal gender specific differences in markers of placentation and maternal
      adaptation to pregnancy - The generation R study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Evidence indicates a gender specific interaction between the
      mother, placenta and fetus in which maternal adaptation to pregnancy and outcome
      partly depends on fetal gender. OBJECTIVES: This study assesses fetal gender
      specific differences in placental biomarkers and uteroplacental vascular
      resistance. Methods Within the Generation R Study, in 1st and 2nd trimester
      (median 13.3 and 20.4 wks) blood samples were drawn to assess soluble fms-like
      tyrosine kinase (s-Flt1), placental growth factor (PLGF) and plasminogen
      activator inhibitor 2 (PAI-2). Uteroplacental resistance was assessed by mean
      pulsatility index (PI) of the uterine and umbilical arteries in the 2nd
      trimester. Mann-Whitney U and Student's t-test were performed to assess
      associations of gender on the above mentioned factors. RESULTS: In total 8631
      women were included (4274 female and 4357 male fetuses). From these women, 172
      had a pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia (1.9%). Fetal sex related
      differences in placental biomarkers, being most pronounced in non pre-eclamptic
      pregnancies (Table 1). Differences were also observed between early (<34wks) and
      late onset pre-eclamptic women (>34wks). CONCLUSION: This study shows that
      maternal adaptation to pregnancy varies by fetal gender, suggesting gender
      specific differences in placentation and placental function. The differences
      between pre-eclamptic and non pre-eclamptic women, and among pre-eclamptic women,
      suggest that different mechanisms apply to pre-eclamptic pregnancies.

PMID- 26105905
TI  - PP048. Carotid intima-media-thickness in the first trimester as a predictor of
      preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Carotid intima media thickness (IMT) is an established marker for
      endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to
      assess IMT in the first trimester and it's predictive value for preeclampsia.
      METHOD: We measured IMT on 51 non-pregnant controls (29+/-4 years) and 601
      pregnant women (30+/-6 years) in the 1. (12.1+/-2.5 wks; T1), 2. (22.6+/-2.3 wks;
      T2), 3. (33.1+/-3.8 wks; T3) trimester, and postpartum (19.1+/-15.3 wks; pp) with
      high-resolution ultrasound. RESULTS: 38 pregnant women developed gestational
      hypertension (GH) and 143 preeclampsia (PE). IMT [mean (mm)+/-SD] of women who
      later developed PE (28+/-6 years) was significantly greater (p<0,03) at all
      visits compared to 420 women who remained normotensive during pregnancy (T1:
      0.58+/-0.1 vs. 0.34+/-0.16; T2: 0,.3+/-0.1 vs. 0.34+/-0.1; T3: 0.49+/-0.09 vs.
      0.34+/-0.13; pp: 0.56+/-0.31 vs. 0.39+/-0.14) and non-pregnant controls (0.44+/
      0.08). IMT of women who later developed GH was not different compared to
      normotensive pregnant and non-pregnant controls (T1: 0.42+/-0.20; T2: 0.35+/
      0.18; T3: 0.49+/-0.09; pp: 0.44+/-0.19). Using a cut-off value of >0.5 mm we
      would be able to predict PE already in the first trimester with a positive
      predictive value of 45.5 % and a sensitivity of 76.9 %. CONCLUSION: IMT is
      increased starting from first trimester onwards in women who later developed
      preeclampsia but not in women developing gestational hypertension. In high risk
      pregnancies measurement of IMT could represent an easy to use early detection
      method to predict preeclampsia noninvasively.

PMID- 26105906
TI  - PP050. NT-Pro-BNP: Correlation with adverse outcome markers in hypertensive
      gestational syndromes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Brain-type natriuretic peptide is released by cardiomyocites in
      response to parietal stress augmentation and systemic endothelial dysfunction.
      Hypertensive Gestational Syndromes (HGS) share this mechanism, but the
      correlation between NT-Pro-BNP and maternal/fetal outcomes is not yet clear
      enough. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the correlation between NT-Pro-BNP in HGS and
      Normotensive Pregnant Women (NPW), with clinical and biological markers of
      adverse maternal/fetal outcome. METHODS: We performed a transversal case-control
      study to analyze NT-Pro-BNP and established markers in 87 patients with HGS and
      95 NPW. RESULTS: The average gestational age at delivery (GAD) was: HGS 35.5
      weeks, NPW 38.1 weeks; birth average weight (BAW): HGS 2616.2 gr, NPW 3281.6 gr;
      average maternal age (AMA): HGS 33.7 years, NPW 33.5 years; media NT-Pro-BNP
      (pg/ml): HGS 626.5, NPW 60.6. In the HGS media NT-Pro-BNP (pg/ml): HELLP 1342.3,
      Preeclampsia 686.7, Gestational hypertension 171.1, Chronic hypertension 108.5,
      the following significant correlations were found for NT-Pro-BNP relation to:
      Proteinuria p0.001, GOT p0.001, GPT p0.001, Platelets p0.001, Hematocrit
      p0.026,Uric acid p0.001, Alkaline phosphatase p0.001, LDH p0.001, GAD p0.004, BAW
      p0.010, AMA p0.042, cardiac failure p0.002, number of used anti-hypertensive
      drugs p0.004. CONCLUSIONS: NT-Pro-BNP significantly correlates with markers of
      adverse maternal/fetal outcome in HGS and identify a high risk subgroup in these
      Syndromes.

PMID- 26105907
TI  - PP052. Diagnosis of pre-eclampsia and prediction of time to delivery in women
      with suspected pre-eclampsia presenting before 36 weeks' gestation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The pro-angiogenic factor PlGF has an important role in the
      development and maintenance of the placenta. Incomplete remodelling of uterine
      spiral arteries is associated with placental oxidative stress, placental
      dysfunction, and the complications of pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction.
      Abnormally low PlGF levels identify placental dysfunction and an increased risk
      for pregnancy complication. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between
      abnormally low PlGF concentration, a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia or IUGR, and a
      short interval to delivery. METHODS: We recruited a total of 45 pregnant women
      with suspected pre-eclampsia between 23+0 to 36+0 weeks of gestation. The
      concentration of PlGF was measured in maternal EDTA plasma samples (Alere,
      Triage(r) PlGF), a rapid assay using monoclonal antibodies raised against free
      PlGF. RESULTS: Pre-eclampsia was diagnosed clinically in 25 women. PlGF was
      abnormal (<100pg/mL) in all 25 women (100% sensitivity). Eighteen women (72%) had
      a PlGF level <12pg/mL (very abnormal) and, of these, 14 (78%) had IUGR and a
      birthweight below the 10th centile. The mean time to delivery in women with a
      PlGF level <12pg/mL was 7.5 days (0-18d), compared with 23 days (0-67d) for a
      PlGF level in the range ?12<100pg/mL, in agreement with data recently reported by
      Chappell [1]. CONCLUSION: The high sensitivity of PlGF for pre-eclampsia
      with/without IUGR and its strong prediction of time-to-delivery allows PlGF to be
      a valuable diagnostic tool. PlGF has the potential to remove the uncertainty in
      clinical decision-making in women with suspected pre-eclampsia.

PMID- 26105908
TI  - PP051. Budget impact analysis of maternal plasma PIGF concentrations in women
      with suspected pre-eclampsia: The potential for improved health service usage.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Existing methods of assessing women with suspected pre-eclampsia
      are expensive and labour intensive, yet perform poorly. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS:
      The PELICAN multi-centre observational cohort study demonstrated that PlGF
      predicts need for delivery for pre-eclampsia within 14 days. We constructed a
      decision analytical model using outcome data from 100 women comparing resource
      use by final diagnosis and PlGF level. Costs were obtained from 2012-2013 NHS
      tariffs. RESULTS: Of the 100 women, 40 had a final diagnosis of pre-eclampsia and
      delivered within 14 days of the PlGF test; 10 were healthy pregnancies with
      normal PlGF levels. 82% of women with pre-eclampsia were admitted during the
      final 2 weeks of pregnancy, with a 5-day (SD=5) length of stay, compared with 30%
      of healthy pregnancies with normal PlGF (1 day; SD=0.58). Resource use for
      outpatient appointments, scans and day unit admissions was similar for the two
      groups although higher in the group with a final diagnosis of pre-eclampsia.
      Total costs, excluding delivery, were approximately a third higher in the pre
      eclampsia group. CONCLUSIONS: This interim analysis suggests pre-eclampsia is
      associated with significantly higher resource use, although there is some
      inappropriate resource use in healthy women. PlGF can assist diagnosis and
      identify women requiring increased care and could be used to direct appropriate
      resource allocation in women over 37 weeks.

PMID- 26105909
TI  - PP053. The role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator
      1-alpha in pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: PGC-1alpha is a transcriptional co-activator that drives
      mitochondrial biogenesis in many tissues, including cardiac. PGC-1alpha is a
      powerful regulator of angiogenesis, a process of fundamental importance to the
      development of a healthy placenta in normal pregnancy. While the angiogenic role
      of PGC-1alpha has previously been described in the heart, its function and
      expression in the placenta is unknown. It may be possible that PGC-1alpha plays a
      key role in the imbalance of angiogenic factors observed in the pregnancy
      specific condition of pre-eclampsia. OBJECTIVES: To determine if PGC-1alpha is
      expressed in placental tissue and its implications for pathophysiological
      disorders of pregnancy. METHODS: Human placental samples were obtained from
      normal healthy pregnant women for processing and immunohistochemical analysis
      using an anti-PGC-1alpha rabbit polyclonal antibody. In addition, PGC-1alpha
      expression was examined in placental tissue from normal pregnant and reduced
      uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) rats. RESULTS: Positive staining for PGC-1alpha
      was noted in both human and rat placental tissue with varying levels of
      expression. Staining appeared to be localised to the vascular endothelial cells,
      trophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts, with some minor staining in the maternal
      decidua and stroma. Moreover, intensity of staining for PGC-1alpha appeared
      reduced in placental tissue from RUPP rats. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that
      PGC-1alpha strongly localised to endothelial cells in both human and rat
      placental tissue. Furthermore, our data may implicate PGC-1alpha in the
      pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia, but further research is needed. Future studies
      could suggest the use of PGC-1alpha as a future drug target for treatment of
      complicated pregnancies.

PMID- 26105910
TI  - PP054. Elevated maternal plasma glycogen phosphorylase isoenzyme BB as time of
      disease biomarker of pre-eclampsia and small-for-gestational-age.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Glycogen phosphorylase isoenzyme BB (GPBB) is a marker of acute
      coronary syndromes. Pre-eclampsia (PE) and coronary syndrome share several
      aetiological and pathophysiological features. GPBB levels have previously been
      found to be elevated in pregnancy and preterm PE. OBJECTIVES: We conducted 6 case
      control studies within the SCOPE Ireland cohort to investigate whether plasma
      GPBB levels are altered at time of disease presentation and to examine if GPBB
      has any power as a predictive biomarker at earlier gestations. Methods Blood
      samples were taken at time of presentation with PE (n=25) and SGA (n=23) and also
      at 15 and 20 weeks gestation for PE with no SGA (n=33), PE and SGA (n=18), SGA no
      PE with gestational hypertension (GH) (n=25) and no GH (n=25). All were matched
      to uncomplicated pregnancy controls. GPBB plasma concentration was measured with
      GPBB-ELISA kits (Diagenics, Germany). RESULTS: The plasma GPBB concentration at
      disease presentation with PE and SGA was significantly higher than in normal
      uncomplicated pregnancies. There was no difference in plasma GPBB levels at 15 or
      20 weeks' gestation in women who subsequently developed PE or SGA compared with
      controls. CONCLUSION: Plasma GPBB is increased at time of presentation with PE
      and SGA suggesting that plasma GPBB is a biomarker of uteroplacental
      insufficiency. However, we found no evidence to support its use as an early
      pregnancy biomarker as it was not significantly elevated at 15 or 20 weeks'
      gestation.

PMID- 26105911
TI  - PP055. Uric acid correlates with uterine artery vascular resistance, but not with
      uterine artery pulsatility index.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Studies indicate that uric acid is involved in the development of
      hypertensive diseases of pregnancy, and that uric acid might influence the
      remodeling of the spiral arteries. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship
      with uric acid and utero-placental hemodynamics in the second half of pregnancy.
      METHODS: 53 women with uncomplicated pregnancies were examined longitudinally at
      4-weekly intervals from 22 to 40 weeks of gestation. Blood samples for plasma
      uric acid were analyzed (enzymatic colorimetric method. INSTRUMENT: Modular P,
      Roche Diagnostic), and blood pressure (BP) was measured. Uterine artery Doppler
      velocity waveforms were obtained, and vessel diameter was measured bilaterally.
      Uterine artery volume blood flow (Quta) was calculated as the product of mean
      velocity and cross-sectional area of the vessel. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was
      calculated as: diastolic BP+(systolic BP - diastolic BP)/3. Uterine artery
      resistance (Rquta) was calculated as: MAP/Quta. Uterine artery pulsatility index
      (UtaPI) was calculated as: (peak systolic velocity - end-diastolic velocity)/time
      averaged maximum velocity. Linear mixed models and linear regression models were
      used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: 242 blood samples were analyzed. Uric
      acid increased from 176 to 238MUmol/L. Rquta and UtaPI decreased from 0.26 to
      0.13mmHg/ml/min and 0.8-0.6 respectively. Uric acid was significantly correlated
      to Rquta (p=0.005), but not to Uta PI (p=0.178). CONCLUSION: There is a strong
      association between uric acid and uterine artery vascular resistance during the
      second half of pregnancy indicating that uric acid might play a role in
      establishing low resistance blood flow in the uteroplacental compartment.

PMID- 26105912
TI  - PP056. Cardiac adaptation in the preclinical phase of recurrent preeclampsia in
      women with a history of early preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is thought to be preceded by first trimester
      circulatory maladaptation. Early and late onset PE may exhibit two different
      cardiac and hemodynamic states. Moreover, early PE relates to postpartum impaired
      cardiac function. Incomplete resolved or impaired cardiac function may influence
      the pattern of cardiac adaptation in the next pregnancy and may relate to
      recurrent disease. We postulate that in women with a history of early PE, the
      pattern of early cardiac adaptation differs between those that do and those that
      do not develop recurrent disease. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesize that after early
      onset PE, in the subsequent gestation, the pattern of cardiac adaptation differs
      between those that do and those that do not develop recurrent disease. METHODS:
      In this cohort study, we included 84 women with a history of early-onset PE.
      Former PE patients who concomitantly experienced HELLP-syndrome, fetal growth
      restriction and/or fetal demise, were excluded. The remaining 51 women underwent
      serial cardiac ultrasound and automated blood pressure and heart rate recordings,
      once before, and again at gestational age 12, 16 and 20 weeks. Post hoc, women
      were subdivided into those who did (RECUR) or did not develop recurrent PE
      (CONTR). We analyzed data using repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS:
      14/51 (27%) women developed recurrent PE. Pre-pregnant heart rate was higher (71
      vs 64 bpm, p<0.05) and stroke volume lower (68 vs 77mL, p<0.05) in RECUR as
      compared to CONTR. Even though LVM index was consistently lower in the RECUR
      group, the two subgroups responded to the next pregnancy with a comparable
      pattern of cardiac adaptation. CONCLUSION: Despite consistently lower LVM and SV
      and higher HR, after early onset PE, the pattern of subsequent early pregnancy
      cardiac adaptation is comparable in those that do and do not develop recurrent
      disease.

PMID- 26105913
TI  - PP058. Cradle: Community blood pressure monitoring in rural Africa: Detection of
      underlying pre-eclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In many developing countries pre-eclampsia is under-detected partly
      due to inadequate training in accurate blood pressure (BP) measurements and
      insufficient, poorly functioning equipment. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the
      introduction of easy to use, low cost novel BP devices (Microlife 3AS1-2;
      designed by our research group specifically for use in developing countries and
      validated in pregnancy (B/A grade) according to BHS criteria) into rural clinics
      in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia increases referrals for suspected pre-eclampsia
      to a central referral hospital (as reflected by an increase in mean BP in
      pregnant women seen in the central referral site). METHODS: International
      prospective longitudinal pre- and post-intervention pilot study. BP measurements
      were taken from consecutive women ?20 weeks' gestation who accessed care at a
      referral site (N=694). 20 BP devices were distributed to 20 rural antenatal
      clinics in each country. Post-intervention data was collected the following year
      (N=547). RESULTS: After adjustment for confounders, there was a significant
      increase in primary outcome; post-intervention mean diastolic BP for all women
      (2.39mmHg, p<0.001, 95% CI 0.97-3.8), implying an increased proportion of
      referred hypertensive women; and a reduction in proportion of women (median
      gestation 35 weeks') who had never previously had a BP taken in pregnancy (25.1%
      to 16.9%, OR 0.58, p=0.001, CI 0.42-0.79). CONCLUSION: Equipping community
      healthcare providers with this novel validated BP device is feasible, widely
      accepted and results in increased referrals for suspected pre-eclampsia. A
      cluster RCT to evaluate the effect of these monitors equipped with a traffic
      light 'early warning system' is planned.

PMID- 26105914
TI  - PP057. ENOSI4 and EPHX1 polymorphisms affect maternal susceptibility
      topreeclampsia - Analysis of five polymorphisms predisposing tocardiovascular
      disease in 279 caucasian and 241 african women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Clinical studies have documented a familiar tendency to develop
      preeclampsia and patients with impaired endothelial health are at increased risk.
      We studied genetic polymorphisms associated to cardiovascular disease and
      impaired endothelial function in women with and without preeclampsia. METHODS:
      241 African and 279 Caucasian women were recruited for genetic testing of the
      polymorphisms epoxide hydrolase 1 (EPXH1), endothelial nitric oxide synthase
      (NOS3) on exon 7 and variable nucleotide tandem repeats in intron 4 (NOS3I4a/b),
      angiotensinogen and the estrogen receptor1 polymorphism in intron 1. RESULTS: Of
      241 African women, 95 developed preeclampsia and out of the 279 Caucasian women
      81 had preeclampsia. Carriers of the NOS3I4a/b polymorphism had a 1.7-fold
      increased risk to develop preeclampsia. There was no difference in distribution
      of the other tested polymorphism. Furthermore we could show a fourfold reduction
      to encounter severe course of preeclampsia (defined as occurrence of HELLP
      syndrome or eclampsia) in carriers of the EPHX1 polymorphism encoding histidine.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our data reveal a highly significant association of the NOS3I4a/b
      polymorphism with increased risk to develop preeclampsia in pregnancy. The shown
      association of EPXH1 polymorphism with the severity of preeclampsia strengthen
      the concept, that individual susceptibility determines the capability of the
      maternal organism to deal with the pregnancy derived agents causing preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105915
TI  - PP059. Characteristics of body inflammatory reaction during the implementation of
      differentiated therapy of preeclampsia in perioperative care.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To learn features of the electrolyte balanced starch solution of
      Tetraspan in comparison with standard starch solutions in therapy of
      preeclampsia. The advantages of Tetraspan (B Braun(r)) application were the
      composition, which is due to electrolyte composition near to blood plasma absence
      of negative influence on kidneys and on curtailing system of blood. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: 220 puerperal women with preeclampsia after cesarean section were
      investigated. They were divided into two groups: In the basic group n=110, the
      composition of infusion therapy included Tetraspan, in comparison group n=110 one
      of the well known hydroxyethylstarch solution. The control group include
      puerperal women (n=100) without preeclampsia infusion therapy of this group did
      not include starch solutions. Efficiency of therapy was estimated on a clinical
      picture, body fluid's sectors examination in dynamics and cytokine profile
      (proinflammatory IL1a, IL 6 and anti-inflammatory IL 10) immunological
      examination. Inspections were spent on 1st and 5th days after Cesarean section.
      RESULTS: The cytokines profile: the 1st day in the basic group: IL1 a-124+/-13.1,
      IL 6 - 56.2+/-19.1, IL 10 62+/-11. At 5th day: IL1 a 109+/-13.5, IL 6 - 41.6+/
      17.3, IL 10 52+/-13. At comparison group -1st day: IL1 a-123+/-10.9, IL 6 -
      51.3+/-28.2, IL1 a 10 63.4+/-14.1. At 5th day: IL1 a 112+/-24, IL 6 - 47+/-26.3,
      IL 10 61+/-18.4. CONTROL GROUP: At 1st day: IL1 a -82+/-15.2, IL 6 - 33.3+/-21.1,
      IL10 98.7+/-13.6. At 5th day: IL1 a - 114+/-12.6, IL 6 - 27.1+/-18.3, IL 10 -
      64.9+/-12.6. CONCLUSION: The cytokines dynamic profile examination from the first
      to fifth day in basic group (in comparison with the second group) shows timely
      minimization of proinflammatory cytokines level and increase of the anti
      inflammatory cytokines, which has good prognostic indication in recovery period.
      Modeling influence of Tetraspan at the inflammatory answer provides early
      decrease of proinflammatory and increase of anti-inflammatory markers level.
      Thus, on the basis of clinical and laboratory inspection results proved the
      efficiency of Tetraspan and recommends to apply this electrolyte balanced starch
      solution in perioperative therapy of average and heavy preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105916
TI  - PP063. Carotid artery stiffness and elasticity in gestational diabetes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Gestational diabetes (GMD) is gaining in importance in prenatal
      care due to it's increasing prevalence. These women do have a higher risk for
      disrupted elasticity and stiffening of the carotid artery. Aim of this study was
      to assess carotid intima media thickness (IMT) and vessel wall changes during
      pregnancy and postpartum. METHODS: IMT and vessel wall parameters of the carotid
      artery were evaluated with high resolution ultrasound during pregnancy and
      postpartum on 84 women with gestational diabetes and 106 gestational age matched
      controls. RESULTS: Carotid elasticity (mean (%)+/-SD) was significantly lower in
      women with GDM than healthy pregnant women (9.48 (103/kPa)+/-3.21 vs. 11.01+/
      3.17, p<0.047), whereas blood pressure independent beta-stiffness (mean+/-SD) was
      significantly increased in women with GDM (6.08+/-3.15 vs. 4.68+/-1.57; p=0.007).
      Pregnancies complicated by GDM had higher mean arterial pressure then matched
      controls (93+/-12 vs. 86+/-10mmHg, p<0.015). Postpartum, both groups did not show
      any significant changes. CONCLUSION: Carotid stiffening and rigidity is present
      in gestational diabetes mellitus during pregnancy and shows postpartal recovery.
      Therefore GDM dependent vessel wall changes seem to be only temporary and not pre
      existing.

PMID- 26105917
TI  - PP062. Characteristic changes of systemic blood pressure in eclampsia.
AB  - AIM: It was found that eclampsia might be caused by vasogenic edema of brain as
      the results of breaking autoregulation of cerebral blood flow due to possibly the
      systemic increase in blood pressure (BP). In the present study, we investigated
      characteristic changes of systemic BP just after the onset of eclampsia. METHOD:
      Four eclamptic women during pregnancy were participated. Two had labor pains. Two
      were given anti-hypertensive drugs due to severe hypertension. BP in both
      systolic and diastolic, and mean arterial pressure (MAP), before and after onset
      of eclampsia were evaluated. RESULT: Basal BP in systolic, diastolic and MAP
      before eclampsia were 132+/-13, 79+/-24, 90+/-20mmHg. Maximum BP in systolic,
      diastolic and MAP before eclampsia were 172+/-10, 96+/-13 and 121+/-10mmHg. BP in
      systolic, diastolic and MAP after eclampsia were 124+/-23, 74+/-14 and 91+/
      12mmHg. An increase in MAP was 24+/-11mmHg before eclampsia, while a decrease was
      31+/-2mmHg after onset of eclampsia. CONCLUSION: In eclampsia, an increase in BP
      was seen just before eclampsia, while a severe decrease in BP (more than 30mmHg
      of MAP) was seen after it.

PMID- 26105918
TI  - PP065. Assessment of total vascular resistance and total body water in
      normotensive women during the first trimester of pregnancy in order to predict
      hypertensive complications.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In pregnancy there is an increase in maternal cardiac output (CO)
      and a reduction in total vascular resistance (TVR). Abnormalities of this
      adaptive mechanisms lead to numerous disorders of pregnancy. Moreover the
      mother's body water composition undergoes important modifications in total body
      water (TBW), extracellular and intracellular body water (EBW, IBW). OBJECTIVES:
      Aim of the study is to identify a group of patients at high risk of developing
      hypertensive complications of pregnancy in frist trimester. METHOD: To
      investigate hemodynamic changes and distribution of body water during the frist
      trimester of pregnancy, we conducted an observational study. We evaluated CO, TVR
      and Time Flow Corrected (TFc) with the USCOM system, a non invasive method.
      Patients were, also, subjected to BIA (Body Impedance Assessment). RESULTS: We
      enrolled 120 healthy pregnant women. 20 patients, were excluded for bad signal.
      Absolute values of haemodynamic and body impedance measures are shown in Fig. 1.
      Patients were divided in two groups:Group A with TVR>1200 dyne and Group B with
      TVR<1200 dyne. CO values were higher in group B. There wasn't significant
      differences in TBW, haematocrit, TFc and WBI (water balance index: TBW/Hct)
      between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Our results show that at costant values of
      TBW, Hct and WBI,we can find difference in term of TVR and CO in the first
      trimester of pregnancy. These parameters may improve the accuracy of screening in
      clinical practice.

PMID- 26105919
TI  - PP064. Total vascular resistances in early pregnancy: A key to understand
      abnormal cardiovascular adaptation associated with spontaneous abortion.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: From early pregnancy, maternal hemodynamic profile begins to
      change. The absence of these changes leads to increased risk of complication
      during the gestation. OBJECTIVES: Aim of this study is to understand in early
      pregnancy the behaviour of total vascular resistances (TVR) as a sign of maternal
      cardiovascular adaptation to pregnancy. METHOD: A cross section study was
      conducted. We followed 160 healthy women with singleton pregnancy during the
      first trimester of gestation. We evaluated cardiac output (CO) and TVR at 7, 9
      and 11 weeks of gestation. We obtained the following haemodynamic measurements
      with the USCOM system, a non invasive method: heart rate (HR), systolic and
      diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), CO and TVR. RESULTS: 160 healthy pregnant
      women were selected, 8 patients, were excluded for a bad signal. Absolute values
      of the haemodynamic measures are shown in Fig. 1. 41 patients underwent
      spontaneous embryonic demise. This last group of patients showed in 54% (group A)
      TVR values within the normal limits (TVR<1200), while 46% patients (group B)
      showed TVR values well above the normal limits (TVR>1200) and CO values below the
      normal adaptation to pregnancy. Table 1 shows hemodynamic measures for the group
      A and group B; we found differences in term of CO, TVR and PAS between the two
      groups. CONCLUSION: Elevated TVR might indicate an abnormal vascular adaptation
      already in first weeks of pregnancy. Moreover, in women who undergo to abortion,
      elevated TVR could be use to distinguish genetic or environmental causes of
      miscarriage.

PMID- 26105920
TI  - PP066. Withdrawn.

PMID- 26105921
TI  - PP068. Evaluation of cardiovascular health in previously preeclamptic women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women with a history of preeclampsia have an increased risk of
      developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life. Classical risk scores are
      not suitable as risk estimates of CVD in this young population. Recent
      recommendations from the American Heart Association are aimed to improve
      cardiovascular health (CVH). OBJECTIVES: Examining CVH by Health Life Check (HLC)
      (http://mylifecheck.heart.org/) in previously severe preeclamptic women is part
      of our cardiovascular risk follow-up program. Final score is a scale from 1 to
      10, where 10 represents ideal CVH. RESULTS: Since 2011 HLC is offered to all
      women in this program. So far, 213 women were included, 148 (70%) underwent a CVH
      assessment by performing HLC between three months and one year after delivery.
      The overall HLC score was 7.4 (median; range: 0.8-10.0) at 3.6 months after the
      delivery. Only 2 out of 148 women (1.4%) had an ideal score. HLC score was 7.1
      (median; range: 0.8-10.0) for 48 women who had a HLC score within 6 months after
      delivery versus 8.2 (median; range: 2.6-9.8) in the second half of the first year
      after delivery. CONCLUSION: These are the first data on CVH in women after severe
      preeclampsia. Only 1.4% of these women had an ideal score. Active counselling of
      these women could be the reason of the improved score over time. We showed that
      CVH as assessed by HLC is an excellent tool for cardiovascular risk management in
      this specific group of women.

PMID- 26105922
TI  - PP067. Third trimester prediction of late PE.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It is well known that a multiparametric model including
      epidemiological maternal factors, uterine Doppler and biochemical parameters
      could be useful at 1st and 2nd Trimester for the prediction of early PE (<34
      weeks of gestation) but less accurate for late PE (?34 weeks of gestation).
      Different physiopathologies have been suggested for these two entities. A new
      approach based in a 3rd trimester screening has been suggested for the predicton
      of late PE. OBJECTIVES: To define the prediction capacity of maternal
      characteristics at 3rd trimester for late PE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 4724
      pregnancies followed up and delivered in our centre from July 2010 to December
      2012 were included in a cross sectional study. Out of these, 59 cases developed a
      late preeclampsia (1.2%). Controls were gestations with no diagnosis of PE nor
      gestational hypertension. All patients made a 3rd trimester visit at 31-33 weeks,
      where systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the absolute weight gain since
      the beginning of pregnancy were measured. Parity, maternal age and body mass
      index at the beginning of the pregnancy were also recorded. A multivariate
      logistic regression analysis was made to define the predictive capacity of these
      variables for late PE. RESULTS: MAP was significantly higher in those patients
      who developped PE (78.8 vs 88.8 mmHg, p<0.05). Although cases had a higher BMI at
      first visit ( BMI 25.9 vs 23, p<0.05), the total weight gain during pregnancy up
      to the 3rd trimester was similar among groups (9.3 vs 10.3kg, p>0.05). The mean
      GA at delivery of cases was 38 (range 35-41 weeks) and of controls 39.1 (range 34
      42 weeks). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, MAP and BMI were
      independent and significant predictors of late PE at 3rd Trimester. The model
      including BMI and MAP has an AUC of 0.76 (0.683-0.837). CONCLUSIONS: A 3rd
      trimester screening could be useful in the prediction of late-onset PE.

PMID- 26105923
TI  - PP069. Hypertension evaluated by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements
      in previously preeclamptic women one year postpartum.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women with a history of preeclampsia have an increased risk of
      developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life. 24-hour ambulatory blood
      pressure measurement is considered to be the gold-standard for diagnosing
      hypertension. Data on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurement in women with
      a history of preeclampsia are scarce. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate hypertension in
      previously severe preeclamptic women, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure
      measurements were performed one year after delivery as part of our cardiovascular
      risk follow-up program. RESULTS: Since 2011 213 women were included in this
      program. 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurement was performed in 90 out of
      121 women (74%) who completed follow-up one year after delivery. Systolic blood
      pressure was 121 mm Hg (median; range 96-157) and diastolic blood pressure 78mm
      Hg (median; range 62-114). Twenty-three women (26.0%) used antihypertensive
      medication one year postpartum. Blood pressure levels were not significantly
      different between women with and without medication. Five women (5/67, 7.5%) of
      those not using antihypertensives, were diagnosed as having hypertension by this
      measurement. CONCLUSION: These data show that 30% of these previously severe
      preeclamptic women have persisting hypertension one year postpartum. These data
      stress the importance of close monitoring of blood pressure in these women.

PMID- 26105924
TI  - PP070. Maternal cardiovascular profiling in the first trimester ofpregnancies
      complicated with gestation induced hypertension or fetal growth restriction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Maternal cardiovascular (CV) profiling is useful in the assessment
      of gestational hypertensive disorders (GHD)(1). The onset of GHD occurs during
      the first weeks of gestation(2). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether CV profiling can
      detect first trimester differences between women with uncomplicated pregnancies
      (UP) and those who will develop GHD or fetal growth restriction (FGR). METHODS:
      CV function was evaluated according to standardised protocols in 242 pregnant
      women around 12 weeks of gestation, using impedance cardiography (ICG) and
      combined ECG - Doppler ultrasonography. Outcome was evaluated after delivery and
      categorized as UP (n=218), GHD with or without proteinuria (n=13), and
      pregnancies complicated with FGR (n=11). Measurements were compared between
      groups using Mann-Whitney U test for continuous data or Fisher's Exact test for
      categorical variables. RESULTS: As compared to UP, women destined to develop GHD
      showed increased systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and mean
      arterial pressure; and decreased ICG aortic velocity - and acceleration index.
      Pregnancies complicated with FGR showed decreased stroke volume and cardiac
      output when compared to UP. No differences were found concerning the maternal
      veins. CONCLUSION: First trimester maternal CV function differs between women
      with uncomplicated pregnancies and those destined to develop GHD or FGR. Non
      invasive CV profiling enables the identification of these differences.

PMID- 26105925
TI  - PP071. suPAR levels in normal- and preeclamptic pregnancies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) has been considered to be a maternal inflammatory
      response to pregnancy and may be hazardous for mother and child. Soluble
      urokinase Plasminogen Activator receptor (suPAR) is a non-specific marker that
      reflects overall systemic inflammation and immune activation. OBJECTIVES: We
      examined the levels of suPAR in first and third trimesters of normal- and
      preeclamptic pregnancies. METHODS: Two clinical studies were conducted. The first
      study included 43 women who subsequently developed PE and 86 control women not
      developing PE. Blood samples were collected during the first trimester. The two
      groups were matched with respect to gestational age. In the second study, 13
      cases of PE and 8 controls were enrolled and blood samples were collected during
      the third trimester. Serum suPAR were analyzed by the commercially availably
      suPARnostic(r) assay kit (ELISA, Virogates, Copenhagen, Denmark). RESULTS: There
      were no significant differences in first trimester suPAR level between women who
      subsequently developed PE and those who completed a normal pregnancy (4.5 [3.7
      5.4] ng/mL versus 4.3 [3.8-5.0] ng/mL, p=0.49, median [interquartile range]). In
      the third trimester, suPAR levels were significantly elevated in the preeclamptic
      group compared to the control group (2.5 [2.2-3.5] ng/mL versus 1.9 [1.5-2.1]
      ng/mL, p=0.008). After adjustment for gestational age (38.6 (0.7) and 31 (3.1)
      weeks in the control- and the PE-group respectively, p<0.001, mean (SD)), the
      group difference did not remain statistically significant (p=0.064). CONCLUSION:
      suPAR is not a suitable marker for detecting the systemic maternal inflammatory
      response in women with established PE nor a useful pre-clinical marker of the
      disorder. The observation of the higher suPAR level in first trimester of
      pregnancy compared to third trimester suPAR level alludes to a possible
      physiological function that needs to be clarified.

PMID- 26105926
TI  - PP072. Development of polyphenols-containing nanoparticles for the treatment of
      vaginal inflammation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Vaginal inflammation during pregnancy is linked to miscarriage,
      preterm labour, placental dysfunction and perinatal complications. Despite the
      availability of several anti-inflammatory drugs, there is no general consensus
      regarding safe formulation especially for use in early pregnancy. On the other
      hand, polyphenols especially "curcumin" from Turmeric (powdered rhizome of
      Curcuma longa) and "catechins" from green tea have been traditionally used and
      widely discussed (>16,000 citations for curcumin and >24,000 for catechin in
      SciFinder) as pharmacologically active anti-inflammatory components and
      considered as safe. However, due to their poor solubility, low bioavailability
      and stability, their clinical application remains to be limited. OBJECTIVES: Our
      aim was to develop a non-teratogenic and non-toxic polyphenol-bearing
      nanoparticles which can be safely used in early pregnancy for the treatment of
      vaginal inflammation. METHODS: Vesicle-based liposomal formulations for
      polyphenols (curcumins and catechins) were developed and standardized. Liposomal
      curcumins and catechins were characterized in respect to their stability, size
      and entrapment efficiency. Antioxidant activities were evaluated by
      DPPH/ABTS+/O2.- and SOD activities. Anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated
      by measuring LPS-induced NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1B and TNF
      A in macrophages (J774.1) and LPG-induced cytokines IL-8 in human vaginal cells
      lines (End1/E6E7, Ect1/E6E7, VK2/E6E7). Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
      activities of curcumin/catechin and their corresponding vesicle-based formulation
      were compared. RESULTS: Phospholipid-based nanoparticles (approx. 200 nm) were
      found to be stable and incorporating high amount of curcumins or catechins.
      Liposomal curcumin was found to be 2- to 6-folds more potent than curcumin in
      inhibiting NO production and pro-inflammatory cytokines in macrophages. IL-8 was
      inhibited up to 67% by the liposomal curcumin in human vaginal cell lines
      (End1/E6E7, Ect1/E6E7, VK2/E6E7) as compared to curcumin. However, similar
      vesicle formulations of catechins were not significantly superior to non-vesicle
      formulations of catechins. CONCLUSION: Standardized liposomal curcuminoids have
      potential as an effective and safe topical formulation for the treatment of
      vaginal inflammation in early pregnancy.

PMID- 26105927
TI  - PP073. The diagnostics potential of integral rheography during the dynamic
      examination of body fluid sectors at puerperal women with preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: correction of infusion intravenous therapy to avoid body
      hyperhydration during the infusion therapy by estimating body's water sectors
      condition at puerperal women with preeclampsia, which were delivered by caesarian
      section and received infusion intravenous therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 220
      women with average and severe preeclampsia were analyzed. Due to the infusion
      therapy composition women were divided into 2 groups: 1- the basic group (n=110)
      in which the infusion solution was new hydroxyethylstarch solution (Tetraspan),
      which consist of starch at isooncotic solution, which electrolyte structure is
      similar to blood plasma and contains Na, K, Cl, Mg, Ca ions, also malats and
      lactats. At the 2-nd (n=110), the comparison group, we applied the standart
      hydrocyethylstarch solutions, starch in physiologic saline. So during the
      application of Tetraspan, our attention was focused on its isoionic structure,
      that excludes negative influence on kidneys and is the unique balanced solution
      for hypovolemia elimination. The third group of puerperal women - control group
      (n=100) includes puerperal women without preeclampsia, after Cesarean section due
      to other indications. The infusion therapy in this group did not include
      hydroxyethylstarch solution. Water sectors were investigated by integral dual
      frequency impedometry, method which integrated two-frequency impedometry defining
      volumes of liquid sectors of an organism (the general, extracellular -
      intravascular and intersitial, endocellular) and equilibration of liquids between
      sectors in time dynamic with <<Diamant - D>> rheography apparatus. Body liquid
      sectors were examined at first day and fifth day after C-section. RESULTS: At
      first day after delivery in the basic group (n=110): the evident increase of the
      extracellular liquid's volume revealed at 59 women (53.6%), tempered increase of
      the extracellular liquid at 43 women (39%) and normal values of fluid sectors
      conditions were observed at 8 women (7.3%). In second group (n=110): at 57
      (51.8%) the evident increase of the extracellular liquid's volume was revealed;
      at 46 (41.8%) - tempered increase and normal results were observed in 7 (6.4%)
      puerperal women. In control group (n=100) it was not marked the significant
      changes in water sectors. On 5 days in first group (n=110) it was revealed:
      evident at 12 (10.9%), tempered increases at 51 (46.3%), normal indicators at 47
      (42.7%). In comparison group (n=110): the evident increase of extracellular
      liquid was revealed in 20 (18%), tempered in 59 (53.6%), normal at 31 (28%)
      women. At control group (n=100) the delivered results mainly shows practically up
      to normal values of body liquid's sector was defined. CONCLUSION: The results
      analysis shows that at heavy preeclampsia the body liquids sectors normalization
      occurs gradually from evident to temper and then becomes normal and this
      adaptation depends of the infusion therapy composition. As it comes from the
      basic group, where at fifth day the amount of patients with temper and normal
      values of extracellular water appreciably increased, in comparison with the 2nd
      group where the normalization of liquid's sectors occurs but the process is more
      torpid, not as exponential as the 1st group results shows. The normalization of
      body hyper hydration in 1st group where Tetraspan was applied is going more
      optimal that is probably connected with optimal correction of hypovolemy up to
      the balanced structure and the improved bioavailability of Tetraspan. The growth
      of women with temper hyper hydration amount at 5th day in first and in second
      groups, occur due to the infusion therapy and liquidation of the evident hyper
      hydration. As the research shows the technique for diagnosis of body liquid
      sectors, being noninvasive and accessible, is either informative, gives the
      opportunity to supervise the quantity and efficiency of the infusion therapy.

PMID- 26105928
TI  - PP075. Poor renal function following hypertensive pregnancy: Older mothers and
      smaller babies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is increasing evidence that hypertensive pregnancy is a risk
      factor for renal disease [1]. OBJECTIVES: To examine the correlation between
      maternal and offspring characteristics and impaired glomerular filtration rate
      following a hypertensive pregnancy. METHOD: We calculated glomerular filtration
      rate (GFR) using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula
      corrected for body surface area in a cohort of 422 women at 6 weeks following a
      pregnancy complicated by all types of hypertension (pre-eclampsia, gestational
      hypertension, essential hypertension with and without superimposed pre
      eclampsia). We performed statistical analysis using Spearmans rho to examine for
      correlations with maternal and fetal characteristics. RESULTS: 2.1% women had
      poor renal function at 6 weeks after delivery with a GFR <60ml/min/1.73m(2).
      Older mothers were more likely to have a lower GFR (p=0.001). Women with poor
      renal function at 6 weeks were more likely to have had a low birth weight baby
      (p=0.002). The median birth weight for women with GFR<60ml/min/1.73m(2) was
      2.85kg as opposed to 3.23kg for women with a GFR >60ml/min/1.73m(2). CONCLUSIONS:
      Clinically significant renal impairment following a hypertensive pregnancy is a
      rare. Advancing maternal age represents an important risk factor for on-going
      renal disease in this population. Small babies are more likely in a hypertensive
      pregnancy [2] and may also represent a marker for poorer maternal health after
      birth in this population.

PMID- 26105929
TI  - PP074. Persistent proteinuria after a pre-eclamptic pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is increasing evidence to suggest that both preeclampsia and
      microalbuminuria are linked to long term cardiovascular and renal disease [1,2].
      OBJECTIVES: To identify the proportion and characteristics of women with
      persistent significant proteinuria at 6 weeks following delivery. METHOD: We
      examined the blood pressure, serum electrolytes and urine protein creatinine
      ratio (PCR) in a cohort of 219 women who were seen following a pre-eclamptic
      pregnancy in a postnatal clinic at a minimum of 6 weeks following delivery.
      RESULTS: A PCR>50mg/mmol (considered to be clinically significant) was seen in
      4.1% women at 6 weeks after delivery. Women with a higher antenatal PCR were more
      likely to have a PCR>50mg/mmol at 6 weeks postnatal (p=0.003). Antenatal or
      postnatal blood pressure was not correlated with persistent significant
      proteinuria. Neither estimated nor calculated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
      at 6 weeks correlated with those having persistent proteinuria, however there was
      a trend towards lower eGFR and higher serum creatinine antenatally in this group
      (p=0.138 and p=0.088). CONCLUSION: There are a small but worrying number of women
      who still have clinically significant proteinuria at 6 weeks after a pre
      eclamptic pregnancy. This represents a group of women who may have a higher risk
      of cardiovascular and renal disease.

PMID- 26105930
TI  - PP077. New prognostic marker for the risk to develop early-onset preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: ESM-1 plays a role in the regulation of angiogenesis and is
      released by activated endothelial cells. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesized that
      ESM-1 is increased in preeclampsia (PE). METHODS: Plasma samples from high risk
      pregnancies divided in 23 healthy (CON), 11 severe early-onset PE (SE) and 7
      severe late-onset PE (SL) pregnancies were collected at regular intervals between
      week 12 and birth. ESM-1 was measured by ELISA. RESULTS: (see figure) Between GA
      week 24 and birth, ESM-1 concentrations were significantly increased in both
      early and late preeclampsia compared to controls (Mann Whitney, p<0.05).
      Surprisingly, the concentration of ESM-1 also differed between the three groups
      at weeks 12 and 16. The ESM-1 concentration of healthy pregnancies (mean+/
      SEM:1857+/-861pg/ml) and those that developed severe late-onset PE (1298+/
      371pg/ml) are comparable, but in those pregnancies that develop severe early
      onset PE, the concentration (410+/-355pg/ml) is significantly lower as compared
      with healthy pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: ESM-1 concentrations are increased during
      early and late severe preeclampsia, which may be due to endothelial cell
      activation in these conditions. Interestingly, since ESM-1 is decreased at 12-16
      weeks in patients that later on develop early onset severe PE, it might be a
      prognostic marker which can determine the risk of women to develop severe early
      onset PE already as early as 12 to 16 weeks of gestation.

PMID- 26105931
TI  - PP076. Gender differences in fetal growth and fetal-placental ratio in
      preeclamptic and normal pregnancies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Boys have higher morbidity and mortality than girls,particularly
      when born prematurely, despite higher birthweight. Adaptation to poor
      intrauterine environment by reducing fetal growth is more prevalent in female
      than male fetuses. Differences in reponses between the genders might be mediated
      by placental functions, as illustrated by the fetal-placental ratio. OBJECTIVES:
      To study the fetal-placental ratio in normal and preeclamptic pregnancies and
      compare this ratio in boys and girls. METHODS: The STORK study (n=1031) is a
      prospective, longitudinal study of fetal growth. We calculated fetal-placental
      ratio for boys and girls in normal and preeclamptic pregnancies. Differences
      between groups were analysed by independent t-tests. RESULTS: Boys had a higher
      fetal-placental ratio than girls (5.26 vs 5.1 g, p=0.015) in normal pregnancies.
      39 women (3.8%) developed preeclampsia. Boys had the same ratio in both groups.
      Girls in preeclamptic pregnancies had a lower ratio than in normal pregnancies
      (4.5 vs 5.1 g, p=0.05). CONCLUSION: Boys appear to invest more in their own
      growth than in placental growth. In preeclampsia they maintain the same fetal
      placental ratio. In girls, birthweight is lower whereas placental weight is
      maintained, giving a reduced fetal-placental ratio. This pattern is more
      pronounced in preeclampsia. #Birthweight according to gestational age * corrected
      for gestational age.

PMID- 26105932
TI  - PP079. Ovarian reserve and function is preserved following severe preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is a multi-organ disorder that predominantly affects
      renal, cardiovascular, and endocrine systems with long-term consequences for the
      women's health. As advanced age and history of subfertility increase the risk of
      developing preeclampsia, reduced ovarian reserve may be associated with
      preeclampsia. However, long-term effect of preeclampsia on the ovarian function
      and reserve is not known. We hypothesized that the ovarian reserve and function
      are reduced in women with a previous history of severe preeclampsia. OBJECTIVE:
      To compare the plasma levels of markers of ovarian function (FSH, LH, SHBG,
      testosterone) and reserve (anti-Mullerian hormone, AMH) in women who previously
      had preeclampsia with their matched controls. METHOD: Twenty women who had severe
      preeclampsia (PE group) requiring delivery before 36 weeks of gestation and 20
      controls were matched for age, parity, height and weight were included in the
      study. Women were not breast-feeding, they were having regular menstrual periods
      and were not using any hormonal contraception. Fasting blood samples were taken
      during the follicular phase. Plasma was separated and frozen at -70 degrees until
      analyzed. Comparison between groups was performed using paired sample t-test for
      parametric and Wilcoxon T-test for nonparametric data. A two-tailed p-value <0.05
      was considered significant. RESULTS: The mean age was 36.4 years, height 164cm
      and weight 72kg in PE group, compared to 37.0 years, 165cm and 69kg, respectively
      in control group. The mean AMH was 1.34ng/mL in PE group compared to 1.55ng/mL in
      controls (p=NS). No significant differences were found in the levels of LH (6.72
      versus 6.53 IU/L), FSH (5.27 versus 7.16 IU/L), LH/FSH ratio (1.39 versus 1.11),
      SHBG (63.65 versus 52.90 versus 52.90nmol/L), and testosterone (0.72 versus
      1.01nmol/L) between groups. CONCLUSION: Ovarian reserve and function is not
      altered significantly in women with a previous history of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105933
TI  - PP078. The influence of maternal position on gestational hemodynamics.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular profiling is useful for gestational hemodynamic
      studies. Conflicting results of cardiac output evolution from third trimester
      pregnancy to term are frequently reported. OBJECTIVES: To stress the effect of
      maternal position in the assessment of maternal cardiac and arterial parameters
      during normal pregnancy. METHODS: Impedance cardiography measurements were
      executed during 16 normal pregnancies using a standard protocol with known
      reproducibility. Gestational evolution of stroke volume, cardiac output, cardiac
      cycle time intervals, aortic flow parameters and total peripheral vascular
      resistance was measured in supine, standing and sitting positions. SAS procedure
      MIXED for linear mixed models was used for each parameter separately. RESULTS:
      Evolution of stroke volume and cardiac output in supine position differed from
      standing (p<0.01) and sitting positions (p<0.05). Next to this, pre-ejection
      period, left ventricular ejection time index, systolic time ratio and total
      peripheral vascular resistance also showed a different evolution between supine
      and standing positions (p<0.05); no differences were observed between standing
      and sitting positions (p?0.19). CONCLUSION: Next to the frequently reported
      cardiac output, gestational evolutions of other pre-load dependent parameters are
      influenced by maternal position. This study shows the importance of a
      standardized protocol for the measurement of cardiovascular parameters in
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26105934
TI  - PP080. First trimester umbilical artery end-diastolic flow and pulsatility index:
      Comparison between preeclampsia and control.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The appearance of end-diastolic flow velocities (EDF) in the
      umbilical artery (UA), usually between 10 and 14 weeks of gestation, has been
      associated with the opening of the spiral arteries and consequently of the
      intervillous space. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to compare first
      trimester UA pulsatility index (PI) and EDF between women who developed
      preeclampsia (cases) and controls. METHODS: Our database was searched for cases
      who had UA Doppler between 10-14 weeks. UA PI and EDF were compared between cases
      and two gestational age (GA) matched controls. RESULTS: 15 cases with severe
      preeclampsia (PE) were matched to 30 controls. GA with negative EDF was lower
      than with positive EDF (12.1+/-0.79 vs. 12.8+/-0.34; p=0.001). UA PI in cases was
      higher than in controls, although not significant (cases: 2.18+/-0.6 vs.
      CONTROLS: 1.92+/-0.48; p=0.12). However, comparing groups with negative EDF, the
      difference became significant (PI cases: 2.45+/-0.57 vs. PI controls: 1.94+/
      0.56; p=0.038), while no difference was found comparing groups with positive EDF.
      CONCLUSION: First trimester UA PI is significantly higher in women which will
      develop PE than in controls. Interestingly, the timing of screening for PE by UA
      Doppler seems to play an important issue.

PMID- 26105935
TI  - PP082. Eclampsia in flanders: A comparative study between flanders, United
      Kingdom and The Netherlands.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Eclampsia fulfills the European criteria of "uncommon medical
      conditions". OBJECTIVES: To describe eclampsia in Flanders and compare the
      results with data of United Kingdom Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) and a
      similar study in the Netherlands. Methods Between January and December 2012 each
      maternity hospital in Flanders was contacted monthly to learn whether a case of
      eclampsia had occurred. For each reported case an extensive questionnaire was
      completed. The obtained data were analyzed using the IBM-SPSSvs20 and BMJ-CIA
      programs. RESULTS: Over 95% of all maternity hospitals in Flanders participated.
      In 2012, 16 eclampsia cases were reported (incidence 2.3/10,000). Data of 14/16
      cases could be used for analysis. No maternal or perinatal death occurred. In
      71.4% (10/14;95%CI:45.4-88.3%) the gestational age at time of delivery was <37
      weeks; in 28.6% (4/14;95%CI:11.7-54.6%) the insult occurred after the delivery;
      50.00% (7/14;95%CI:26.8-73.2%) of the patients was primigravida and 28.6%
      (4/14;95%CI:11.7-54.6%) was negroid. Data presented in the table below summarize
      the findings of the last medical examination preceding the insult (n=13,
      insufficient data in 1 case). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of eclampsia in Flanders
      is comparable to that of the UK (2.7/10,000) and is 2.7 times smaller than that
      of the Netherlands (6.2/10.000). Proteinuria was not tested in 9. In 5 of 14 no
      clear alert sign was seen at the last observation compared to 10.8% and 21% in
      Ndl and UK.

PMID- 26105936
TI  - PP081. Predictors of pregnancy induced hypertension in an urban low resource
      setting.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, including Pregnancy Induced
      Hypertension (PIH), are important causes of morbidity and mortality in pregnancy.
      Identifying women at high risk will allow for early management to reduce
      complications of PIH. OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to determine the incidence
      of PIH among pregnant women and develop risk prediction models for early
      detection of women at increased risk of PIH. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study
      involving 2539 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in the Greater Accra
      region of Ghana was conducted between February and May 2010. The outcome, PIH,
      was defined as systolic or diastolic blood pressure BP of 140mmHg or 90mmHg
      respectively. Logistic regression was used to derive the prediction models and
      bootstrapping technique was used to internally validate them. A score chart was
      used to classify pregnant women into low, moderate and high risk of developing
      PIH. RESULTS: The incidence of PIH was 8.0% (95% C.I: 7.98-8.02%) and 10.9% (95%
      C.I:10.89-10.91%) in nulliparous and multiparous women respectively. Systolic
      blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, history of hypertension in parents,
      family history of diabetes, proteinuria, body mass index (BMI) were among
      independent predictors in early pregnancy of subsequent PIH. The prognostic
      performance, estimated by the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic
      (ROC) curve, ranged between 0.64 and 0.84 for the models for nulliparous and
      multiparous. CONCLUSION: Using a limited set of maternal characteristics,
      pregnant women at increased risk of developing PIH can be identified.
      Categorizing women by risk of PIH and providing tailored antenatal care will
      minimize complications of PIH.

PMID- 26105937
TI  - PP084. Hypertension after preeclampsia in women with C1114G polymorphism in rgs2
      (the regulator of g protein signaling 2).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Women with preeclampsia have increased risk of developing
      hypertension later in life. We recently demonstrated an association between
      preeclampsia and the CG or GG genotype of the rs4606 in the regulator of G
      protein signaling 2 (RGS2) gene. RGS2 negatively regulates several
      vasoconstrictors. OBJECTIVES: To explore the potential association between the
      rs4606 and hypertension after pregnancy in women with previous preeclampsia or
      controls. METHODS: DNA from 933 women with a history of preeclampsia and 2010
      women without a history of preeclampsia was analyzed for the rs4606 in RGS2.
      RESULTS: Preeclampsia, but not the rs4606, was significantly associated with
      hypertension (systolic blood pressure ?140mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure
      ?90mmHg and/or taking antihypertensive drugs) in both univariate and multivariate
      analyses, including adjustment for classical cardiovascular risk factors. For
      women with hypertension defined as blood pressure above 160/100mmHg and/or taking
      antihypertensive drugs, the rs4606 was significantly associated with hypertension
      in multivariate analysis. Our data further suggested an association between the
      rs4606 and physical activity in relation to hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Women with
      the rs4606 CG or GG genotype may be at elevated risk for severe hypertension.
      However, a history of preeclampsia remained an independent predictor of
      hypertension after accounting for this polymorphism and classical cardiovascular
      risk factors.

PMID- 26105938
TI  - PP083. Maternal pre-eclampsia and bone mineral density of the adult offspring.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preterm birth at very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500g) is associated
      with cardiometabolic risk factors and reduced bone mineral density (BMD) in the
      adult offspring. Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a frequent cause of preterm birth and is
      also associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in the offspring. Whether it is
      associated with BMD is not known. OBJECTIVE: To study BMD in adult offspring of
      mothers with pre-eclampsia. METHODS: We studied participants of the Helsinki
      Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults: 144 born at VLBW and 139 born at term.
      From the VLBW and term offspring a respective 32 and 11 were born from pregnancy
      complicated by preeclampsia. We measured BMD at age 18-27 years by dual X-ray
      absorptiometry. We express BMD in Z scores which indicate the difference in SD
      units from the value expected for sex and age. RESULTS: VLBW adults exposed to
      maternal pre-eclampsia had higher lumbar spine Z score (mean -0.44 SD units,
      compared to -1.07 in unexposed VLBW adults, p=0.002) and femoral neck Z score (
      0.05 vs. -0.53, p=0.003). Corresponding Z scores for those born at term were 
      0.02 (PE) and -0.45 (no PE) for lumbar spine (p=0.2), 0.78 and 0.08 for femoral
      neck (p=0.02). The Table shows mean differences after adjustment for offspring
      current body size and potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Young adults exposed to
      maternal PE have higher BMD than those not exposed. This suggests that
      preeclampsia has a long-term protective effect on offspring bone health.

PMID- 26105939
TI  - PP085. Hypertensive complication in pregnancy - HELLP syndrome - One year study
      (2012).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: HELLP syndrome is characterized by hemolysis with a
      microangiopathic blood smear, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count. It
      develops in 10-20% of women with severe preeclampsia/eclampsia. The syndrome is
      associated with maternal morbidities - DIC, renal failure, pulmonary edema and
      hepatic hematoma/rupture. Some need transfusions and others require laparotomies
      for intraabdominal bleeding. OBJECTIVES: Study the incidence and related risk
      factors of HELLP syndrome in Pregnancy, as well as the maternal/fetal outcome.
      METHODS: A retrospective study of admissions for HELLP syndrome in 2012.The
      statistical analysis was based on Excel 2007. RESULTS: In 55 admissions for
      hypertensive complications in pregnancy, 3 women had HELLP syndrome - 2 were
      black race and 1 was caucasian. The average maternal age was 29. None had
      relevant medical history. 2 of the women developed HELLP syndrome after severe
      preeclampsia. The fetal/neonatal outcomes were prematurity in 2 cases, birth
      weight average was 1798g and none had apgar-index below 7. There was no fetal
      death. Premature delivery occurred in 2 cases and all were by cesarean. Maternal
      complications that determined Intensive Care Unit Admission was recorded in one
      case - laparotomy for internal bleeding and transfusions were needed. No maternal
      death occured. CONCLUSIONS: HELLP syndrome is associated with many morbidities
      which risk increases with severity of symptoms/lab results. We had no
      aggresive/fatal outcomes.

PMID- 26105941
TI  - PP088. The role of microRNA in pathogenesis of preeclampsia-miRNA network
      analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) is a leading cause of maternal and fetal
      mortality and morbidity, affecting least 5-8% of all pregnancies worldwide.
      Several theories (e.g., immunological, placental ischemia, and genetic) have been
      described to explain pathogenesis of PE. The analysis of different contributing
      factors (proteins, mRNA, miRNA) are in the higlight of preeclampsia research,
      leading to an increasing pool of data. Recently, microRNA-s seems to provide
      feasible biochemical mechanism playing key role in protein translation
      regulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The aim of our strudy was to collect datas
      from literature regarding to different subset of miRNA-s connected to pathways
      playing role in pathogenesis of preeclampsia. miRNA expression datas were
      analysied by biostatistical methods, connections in miRNA gene network and
      graphical representation of connections and crosspoints of supposed pathways were
      performed. CONCLUSIONS: In more than a hundered miRNA-s analysed in different
      studies most of the reserches concentrate on angiogenesis, trophoblast cell
      invasion, vascular developement, oxiadtive stress and blood presure regulation.
      This condition resulting as major crosspoints miRNA-s involved in this pathways:
      miR-29b, miR-155, miR-195, miR-16, miR-20a, miR-20b. Complex network analysis and
      graphical presentation in dynamic manner of miRNA pathways and possible
      consecquences of aletartion in miRNA expression could help in setting of major
      directions in PE research.

PMID- 26105940
TI  - PP087. Multicenter external validation and recalibration of a model for
      preconceptional prediction of recurrent early-onset preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In an earlier paper we reported on the development of a model aimed
      at the prediction of preeclampsia recurrence, based on variables obtained before
      the next pregnancy (fasting glucose, BMI, previous birth of a small-for
      gestational-age infant, duration of the previous pregnancy, and the presence of
      hypertension). OBJECTIVE: To externally validate and recalibrate the prediction
      model for the risk of recurrence of early-onset preeclampsia. METHODS: We
      collected data about course and outcome of the next ongoing pregnancy in 229
      women with a history of early-onset preeclampsia. Recurrence was defined as
      preeclampsia requiring delivery before 34 weeks. We computed risk of recurrence
      and assessed model performance. In addition, we constructed a table comparing
      sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for different suggested risk
      thresholds. RESULTS: Early-onset preeclampsia recurred in 6.6% of women. The
      model systematically underestimated recurrence risk. The model's discriminative
      ability was modest, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve
      was 58.9% (95% CI: 45.1 - 72.7). Using relevant risk-thresholds, the model
      created groups that were only moderately different in terms of their average risk
      of recurrent preeclampsia (Table 1). CONCLUSION: Compared to an AUC of 65% in the
      development cohort, the discriminate ability of the model was diminished. It had
      inadequate performance to classify women into clinically relevant risk groups.

PMID- 26105942
TI  - PP089. Analytical aspects of marinobufagenin and its applications in the
      diagnosis of preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Marinobufagenin (MBG), a bufadienolide cardiac inotrope, enjoys a
      growing interest in the early diagnosis of volume expansion-mediated hypertensive
      states such as preeclampsia (PE). This endogenous mammalian vasoconstrictive
      compound, is a selective inhibitor of the alpha1 subunit of Na+,K+-ATPase,
      leading to hypertension and natriuresis. Enhanced production of MBG has been
      described in preeclamptic patients prior the development of hypertension and
      proteinuria, leading to consider MBG as a biomarker for PE [1-3]. However, the
      role of MBG as a biomarker remains to be fully understood as well as his
      biosynthetic pathway. The need has arisen for an accuracy and sensitive
      analytical method of MBG plasma levels in order to further investigate the
      implications of MBG in PE, and to help to establish a diagnosis for this
      syndrome. OBJECTIVE: Our aim is to develop a sensitive and robust analytical MBG
      dosage method allowing quantifications as low as possible. A critical threshold
      value may be established in order to discriminate normal pregnant from
      preeclamptic women. METHODS: Nowadays, the MBG standard compound is not
      commercially available. It forced us to develop an extraction method of MBG from
      the crystallized toad Bufo Marinus venom. A pre-extraction step on rat and human
      plasma is performed in order to clean and to concentrate samples. Several liquid
      chromatography (LC) strategies coupled with different detection methods are
      considered and performed. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Pure MBG has been successfully
      extracted from the crystallized toad venom. The identity of the compound has been
      confirmed by different spectral techniques. The pre-extraction step from plasma
      samples spiked with MBG has been carried out through a solid phase extraction HLB
      cartridge with an extraction yield of 88%. Preliminary reversed-phase LC method
      allows quantifications of MBG between 6MUg/mL and 11MUg/mL.

PMID- 26105943
TI  - PP086. Severe hypertensive complications in pregnancy - Two years study (2011
      2012).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There are major hypertensive disorders related to pregnancy
      preeclampsia,eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. These women are at an increased risk
      for placental abruption,renal failure, cerebral hemorrhage,hepatic
      failure/rupture,pulmonary edema, DIC and of long-term cardiovascular disease.
      OBJECTIVES: Study the incidence, risk factors, maternal/fetal outcome of
      hypertensive complications that determined Intensive Care Unit admission.
      METHODS: A retrospective study of admissions in Intensive Care Unit for
      preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome and eclampsia in 2011-2012. RESULTS: There were 8
      admissions in Intensive Care - 88% black women, average age was 20 years and all
      were nulliparous. 1 had an hypertension induced by pregnancy, but 63% had
      increased blood pressure in hospital admission. 50% had elevated liver enzymes,
      25% proteinuria, 1 low platelet count and 1 had normal blood results. 50% of the
      admissions were due to eclampsia, 38% due to severe preeclampsia and 1 due to
      HELLP. Fetal/neonatal outcomes were prematurity in 25%, birth weight average was
      2759g and none had apgar below 7. There was no fetal death. Vaginal delivery
      occurred in 25% and caesarian in 75%. Maternal complications were elevated blood
      pressure (75%), cardiorespiratory disorders (38%), encephalopathy (25%), renal
      disorder (13%) and convulsions (13%). There was no maternal death. CONCLUSION:
      The risk of adverse outcome increases with the severity of hypertension and organ
      damage. Early detection and appropriate management are essential.

PMID- 26105944
TI  - Effects of pregnancy on endothelial function and cardiovascular disease risk in
      HIV-infected women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study assessed flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) and brachial
      artery diameter (BAD) in HIV-infected pregnant women compared to healthy pregnant
      controls, and determined their relationships to variables of interest, including
      the HIV status. METHODS: Subjects were enrolled prospectively for this
      longitudinal, observational study. Body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP),
      fasting lipoprotein profiles, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance
      (HOMA-IR), FMD, and BAD were assessed at 10-12, 20-22, and 32-35weeks gestation
      in HIV-infected women and healthy controls aged 18-45years with singleton
      pregnancies. RESULTS: Fourteen HIV-infected women and 19 controls were enrolled.
      Groups were similar at baseline except there were more Caucasians in the control
      group (P<0.01). FMD and BAD did not change during pregnancy in either group, and
      there were no differences between groups. In multivariable regression analysis,
      FMD was associated with BAD (P=0.002), but not with age, BMI, BP, TC, TG, HOMA
      IR, or HIV status. No variables were associated with BAD. CONCLUSION: No
      differences were observed in FMD or BAD between HIV-infected and healthy pregnant
      women, and neither measure changed significantly during pregnancy. HIV status did
      not affect endothelial function or brachial artery diameter. Pregnancy does not
      appear to further increase the CVD risk associated with HIV infection.

PMID- 26105945
TI  - Pre-eclampsia in swine flu.

PMID- 26105946
TI  - Random urine albumin:creatinine ratio in high-risk pregnancy - Is it clinically
      useful?
AB  - We evaluated the frequency of measurable albuminuria (?6.00mg/L) for
      albumin:creatinine ratios (ACr) among 160 consecutive women attending high-risk
      clinics. Of last urine samples before delivery, 76 had measurable albuminuria and
      41/76 (53.9%) had ACr ?2mg/mmol of which 7.3% had normal pregnancy outcome. 84
      samples had albuminuria <6.00mg/L and 43/84 (51.2%) had ACr ?2mg/mmol of which
      25.6% had normal pregnancy outcome (p=0.025). Excluding 48/160 (30.0%) dilute
      samples (urinary creatinine <3mM), no samples with unmeasurable albuminuria had
      ACr ?2mg/mmol. In pregnancy, urine is often dilute and without measurable
      albuminuria, leading to a clinically relevant proportion of false positive
      results by ACr. 

PMID- 26105947
TI  - Measurement of sST2 is comparable to PlGF in the diagnosis of early-onset pre
      eclampsia.
AB  - A diagnostic test to confirm pre-eclampsia would be beneficial for the clinical
      management of the syndrome. The Triage PlGF test is able to confirm pre-eclampsia
      with high accuracy, with the greatest efficacy at <35weeks gestation. We recently
      found that the anti-inflammatory protein sST2 is elevated in the plasma of pre
      eclamptic women compared to normal controls. Here sST2 and PlGF are compared in
      early-onset and late-onset pre-eclamptic women. sST2 was found to be an equally
      good diagnostic tool for early-onset (sST2 AUC 0.944 versus PlGF AUC 0.995; not
      significant) but not late-onset disease. 

PMID- 26105948
TI  - Early-pregnancy asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels in women prone to
      develop recurrent hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate early-pregnancy levels of ADMA (asymmetric
      dimethylarginine) in recurrent hypertensive pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: In this
      retrospective observational study, blood samples from 35 normotensive women with
      a previous hypertensive pregnancy were obtained preconceptionally and at 12, 16
      and 20weeks in their next pregnancy. We assessed ADMA, symmetric dimethylarginine
      (SDMA), l-arginine and l-citrulline. We analyzed differences in longitudinal
      patterns between normotensive (NT, n=18) and recurrent hypertensive (HT, n=17)
      pregnancies by linear mixed models, with a sub-analysis for preeclampsia (PE,
      n=6). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ADMA, SDMA, l-arginine and l-citrulline. RESULTS:
      Pre-pregnant SDMA and l-citrulline were lower in HT. At 12weeks, ADMA and
      ADMA/SDMA ratio correlated inversely with PAPP-A and beta-hCG, respectively. In
      both groups, ADMA-related compounds changed inconsistently with advancing (mid
      trimester) pregnancy, although in HT, l-arginine tended to decrease between 16
      and 20weeks, a decline consistent in PE. CONCLUSION: These data support a modest
      role for ADMA and related metabolites in the pathogenesis of hypertensive
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26105949
TI  - Determination of placental growth factor (PlGF) levels in healthy pregnant women
      without signs or symptoms of preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify a reference range for placental growth factor (PlGF) in
      normotensive women without symptoms or signs of preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN:
      Comprising the study cohort were 247 term pregnancies without preeclampsia or
      adverse neonatal outcomes from 16 sites in the US and Canada. Serial plasma
      samples were collected in 6 gestational age (GA) intervals between 20+0 and
      40+0weeks. Non-parametric percentiles of the distribution of PlGF were estimated
      in each GA interval and a parametric model was developed to describe the
      distribution of PlGF as a continuous smooth function of GA (from 20 to 40weeks)
      in normal healthy pregnancy. Demographic and clinical factors influencing PlGF
      levels were also examined. RESULTS: There were 1366 evaluable samples collected
      from 247 subjects (242, 238, 226, 223, 222, and 215 samples in each GA interval,
      20-24, 24-29, 29-32, 32-35, 35-37, and 37-40weeks, respectively). The 5th
      percentile of PlGF was 76.4, 141.1, 139.3, 65.5, 31.7, and 23.4pg/mL in each
      respective GA interval. The distribution of PlGF is approximately log normal with
      parameters that vary continuously as a function of GA. PlGF distribution is
      weakly dependent on maternal age, race/ethnicity, parity, and maximum systolic
      blood pressure (taken between weeks 20 and 24). Although statistically
      significant, these factors did not modify PlGF levels by more than +/-15%.
      CONCLUSION: These data provide a valid reference range for PlGF in normal
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26105950
TI  - The unfavorable slope from mild preeclampsia through severe preeclampsia, to
      eclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the risk factors as well as maternal and perinatal outcomes
      between women with eclampsia to those with mild and severe preeclampsia. METHODS:
      A retrospective study comparing pregnancy outcomes of women with preeclampsia
      (mild and severe) with those who were complicated with eclampsia was conducted.
      Statistical analysis included chi-square test for trend (the linear-by-linear
      association test). RESULTS: The study population consisted of 10,018 women, 0.5%
      (n=52) suffered from eclampsia, 24% (n=2,409) had severe preeclampsia and 75.4%
      (n=7,557) had mild preeclampsia. A significant linear association was noted
      between the three groups (eclampsia, severe preeclampsia and mild preeclampsia)
      and risk factors such as nulliparity, young maternal age and oligohydramnios. A
      significant linear association was also documented between the three groups and
      adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes such as post-partum hemorrhage, the need
      for blood transfusion, non reassuring fetal heart rate (NRFHR) patterns, low
      Apgar score at 5min and perinatal mortality. CONCLUSIONS: An unfavorable slope
      was noted in the rate of certain risk factors and adverse perinatal outcomes
      between women with eclampsia through patients with severe preeclampsia to those
      with mild preeclampsia.

PMID- 26105951
TI  - Health-related quality of life changes in patients undergoing repeated catheter
      ablation for atrial fibrillation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for paroxysmal or non-paroxysmal atrial
      fibrillation (AF) should increase health-related quality of life (QOL). DESIGN:
      Retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients scheduled for PVI. SETTING:
      University Medical Center. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: QOL was assessed using the
      physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary scores from the SF-12v2 in
      patients undergoing PVI (mean 50, range 0-100, with higher scores indicating
      greater QOL). SF-12v2 was obtained at initial presentation (3-months) before PVI
      and after PVI at the end of follow-up (mean 1.7 +/- 1.4 years) which included:
      (1) Clinical status, ECG, and 24-h ECG every 3 months, (2) trans-telephonic ECGs
      for 4 weeks every 3 months, or (3) continuous ECG via implanted devices. A
      recurrence was any atrial arrhythmia >30 s. RESULTS: Out of 229 patients (73%
      males; 58 +/- 11 years), 72% returned SF-12v2 regarding 187 PVI procedures: 56%
      for 1st PVI, 48% for 2nd PVI, 71% for 3rd PVI, and 44% for 4th PVI. The mean
      difference between before and after PVI was 10 for PCS and 9 for MCS. History of
      paroxysmal or non-paroxysmal AF did not influence QOL (p = 0.724). Patients with
      an estimated PCS improvement >= 10 or an estimated MCS improvement >= 9 had the
      best outcome after repeated PVI. Success rates were 72 or 82% after 1 year
      compared to 20 and 22% in patients not achieving this improvement, respectively
      (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Improvement in QOL correlates with success of AF
      ablation after single and repeated PVI. Assessment of QOL pre- and post-PVI can
      complement ECG techniques for PVI success monitoring.

PMID- 26105952
TI  - Intestinal Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 1 Inhibition Enhances Glucagon-Like
      Peptide-1 Secretion in Normal and Diabetic Rodents.
AB  - The sodium glucose cotransporter (SGLT) 1 plays a major role in glucose
      absorption and incretin hormone release in the gastrointestinal tract; however,
      the impact of SGLT1 inhibition on plasma glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels
      in vivo is controversial. We analyzed the effects of SGLT1 inhibitors on GLP-1
      secretion in normoglycemic and hyperglycemic rodents using phloridzin, CGMI [3-(4
      cyclopropylphenylmethyl)-1-(beta-d-glucopyranosyl)-4-methylindole], and
      canagliflozin. These compounds are SGLT2 inhibitors with moderate SGLT1
      inhibitory activity, and their IC50 values against rat SGLT1 and mouse SGLT1 were
      609 and 760 nM for phloridzin, 39.4 and 41.5 nM for CGMI, and 555 and 613 nM for
      canagliflozin, respectively. Oral administration of these inhibitors markedly
      enhanced and prolonged the glucose-induced plasma active GLP-1 (aGLP-1) increase
      in combination treatment with sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4)
      inhibitor, in normoglycemic mice and rats. CGMI, the most potent SGLT1 inhibitor
      among them, enhanced glucose-induced, but not fat-induced, plasma aGLP-1 increase
      at a lower dose compared with canagliflozin. Both CGMI and canagliflozin delayed
      intestinal glucose absorption after oral administration in normoglycemic rats.
      The combined treatment of canagliflozin and a DPP4 inhibitor increased plasma
      aGLP-1 levels and improved glucose tolerance compared with single treatment in
      both 8- and 13-week-old Zucker diabetic fatty rats. These results suggest that
      transient inhibition of intestinal SGLT1 promotes GLP-1 secretion by delaying
      glucose absorption and that concomitant inhibition of intestinal SGLT1 and DPP4
      is a novel therapeutic option for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. 

PMID- 26105953
TI  - AB-CHMINACA, AB-PINACA, and FUBIMINA: Affinity and Potency of Novel Synthetic
      Cannabinoids in Producing Delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-Like Effects in Mice.
AB  - Diversion of synthetic cannabinoids for abuse began in the early 2000s. Despite
      legislation banning compounds currently on the drug market, illicit manufacturers
      continue to release new compounds for recreational use. This study examined new
      synthetic cannabinoids, AB-CHMINACA (N-[1-amino-3-methyl-oxobutan-2-yl]-1
      [cyclohexylmethyl]-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide), AB-PINACA [N-(1-amino-3-methyl-1
      oxobutan-2-yl)-1-pentyl-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide], and FUBIMINA [(1-(5
      fluoropentyl)-1H-benzo[d]imadazol-2-yl)(naphthalen-1-yl)methanone], with the
      hypothesis that these compounds, like those before them, would be highly
      susceptible to abuse. Cannabinoids were examined in vitro for binding and
      activation of CB1 receptors, and in vivo for pharmacological effects in mice and
      in Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC) discrimination. AB-CHMINACA, AB
      PINACA, and FUBIMINA bound to and activated CB1 and CB2 receptors, and produced
      locomotor suppression, antinociception, hypothermia, and catalepsy. Furthermore,
      these compounds, along with JWH-018 [1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole], CP47,497
      [rel-5-(1,1-dimethylheptyl)-2-[(1R,3S)-3-hydroxycyclohexyl]-phenol], and
      WIN55,212-2 ([(3R)-2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-(4-morpholinylmethyl)pyrrolo[1,2,3-de]
      1,4-benzoxazin-6-yl]-1-naphthalenyl-methanone, monomethanesulfonate), substituted
      for Delta(9)-THC in Delta(9)-THC discrimination. Rank order of potency correlated
      with CB1 receptor-binding affinity, and all three compounds were full agonists in
      [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding, as compared with the partial agonist Delta(9)-THC.
      Indeed, AB-CHMINACA and AB-PINACA exhibited higher efficacy than most known full
      agonists of the CB1 receptor. Preliminary analysis of urinary metabolites of the
      compounds revealed the expected hydroxylation. AB-PINACA and AB-CHMINACA are of
      potential interest as research tools due to their unique chemical structures and
      high CB1 receptor efficacies. Further studies on these chemicals are likely to
      include research on understanding cannabinoid receptors and other components of
      the endocannabinoid system that underlie the abuse of synthetic cannabinoids. 

PMID- 26105954
TI  - Antitumor Activity of a Novel Sphingosine-1-Phosphate 2 Antagonist, AB1, in
      Neuroblastoma.
AB  - The bioactive lipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and its receptors (S1P1-5) play
      critical roles in many pathologic processes, including cancer. The S1P axis has
      become a bona fide therapeutic target in cancer. JTE-013 [N-(2,6-dichloro-4
      pyridinyl)-2-[1,3-dimethyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridin-6-yl]
      hydrazinecarboxamide], a known S1P2 antagonist, suffers from instability in vivo.
      Structurally modified, more potent, and stable S1P2 inhibitors would be desirable
      pharmacological tools. One of the JTE-013 derivatives, AB1 [N-(1H-4-isopropyl-1
      allyl-3-methylpyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine-6-yl)-amino-N'-(2,6-dichloropyridine-4-yl)
      urea], exhibited improved S1P2 antagonism compared with JTE-013. Intravenous
      pharmacokinetics indicated enhanced stability or slower clearance of AB1 in vivo.
      Migration assays in glioblastoma showed that AB1 was slightly more effective than
      JTE-013 in blocking S1P2-mediated inhibition of cell migration. Functional
      studies in the neuroblastoma (NB) cell line SK-N-AS showed that AB1 displayed
      potency at least equivalent to JTE-013 in affecting signaling molecules
      downstream of S1P2. Similarly, AB1 inhibition of the growth of SK-N-AS tumor
      xenografts was improved compared with JTE-013. Cell viability assays excluded
      that this enhanced AB1 effect is caused by inhibition of cancer cell survival.
      Both JTE-013 and AB1 trended to inhibit (C-C motif) ligand 2 expression and were
      able to significantly inhibit subsequent tumor-associated macrophage infiltration
      in NB xenografts. Interestingly, AB1 was more effective than JTE-013 in
      inhibiting the expression of the profibrotic mediator connective tissue growth
      factor. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated digoxigenin
      deoxyuridine nick-end labeling assay and cleaved caspase-3 detection further
      demonstrated that apoptosis was increased in AB1-treated NB xenografts compared
      with JTE-013. Overall, the modification of JTE-013 to produce the AB1 compound
      improved potency, intravenous pharmacokinetics, cellular activity, and antitumor
      activity in NB and may have enhanced clinical and experimental applicability. 

PMID- 26105955
TI  - Deciphering the Epigenetic Code of Cardiac Myocyte Transcription.
AB  - RATIONALE: Epigenetic mechanisms are crucial for cell identity and
      transcriptional control. The heart consists of different cell types, including
      cardiac myocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and others. Therefore, cell
      type-specific analysis is needed to gain mechanistic insight into the regulation
      of gene expression in cardiac myocytes. Although cytosolic mRNA represents steady
      state levels, nuclear mRNA more closely reflects transcriptional activity. To
      unravel epigenetic mechanisms of transcriptional control, cell type-specific
      analysis of nuclear mRNA and epigenetic modifications is crucial. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim was to purify cardiac myocyte nuclei from hearts of different species by
      magnetic- or fluorescent-assisted sorting and to determine the nuclear and
      cellular RNA expression profiles and epigenetic marks in a cardiac myocyte
      specific manner. METHODS AND RESULTS: Frozen cardiac tissue samples were used to
      isolate cardiac myocyte nuclei. High sorting purity was confirmed for cardiac
      myocyte nuclei isolated from mice, rats, and humans. Deep sequencing of nuclear
      RNA revealed a major fraction of nascent, unspliced RNA in contrast to results
      obtained from purified cardiac myocytes. Cardiac myocyte nuclear and cellular RNA
      expression profiles showed differences, especially for metabolic genes. Genome
      wide maps of the transcriptional elongation mark H3K36me3 were generated by
      chromatin-immunoprecipitation. Transcriptome and epigenetic data confirmed the
      high degree of cardiac myocyte-specificity of our protocol. An integrative
      analysis of nuclear mRNA and histone mark occurrence indicated a major impact of
      the chromatin state on transcriptional activity in cardiac myocytes. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study establishes cardiac myocyte-specific sorting of nuclei as a universal
      method to investigate epigenetic and transcriptional processes in cardiac
      myocytes of different origins. These data sets provide novel insight into cardiac
      myocyte transcription.

PMID- 26105956
TI  - Crossed Cerebellar Diaschisis Due to Rasmussen Encephalitis.

PMID- 26105957
TI  - Screen-Printing of ZnO Nanostructures from Sol-Gel Solutions for Their
      Application in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.
AB  - Diblock copolymers have been used in sol-gel synthesis to successfully tailor the
      nanoscale morphology of thin ZnO films. As the fabrication of several-micron
      thick mesoporous films such as those required in dye-sensitized solar cells
      (DSSCs) was difficult with this approach, we exploited the benefits of diblock
      copolymer-directed synthesis that made it compatible with screen printing. The
      simple conversion of the diblock copolymer ZnO precursor sol to a screen-printing
      paste was not possible as it resulted in poor film properties. To overcome this
      problem, an alternative route is proposed in which the diblock copolymer ZnO
      precursor sol is first blade coated and calcined, then converted to a screen
      printing paste. This allows the benefits of diblock-copolymer-directed particle
      formation to be compatible with printing methods. The morphologies of the ZnO
      nanostructures were studied by SEM and correlated with the current density
      voltage characteristics. 

PMID- 26105959
TI  - Prevalence and burden of osteoarthritis amongst older people in Ireland: findings
      from The Irish LongituDinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) in a population
      aged >=50 years in Ireland, and to determine its relationship with demographic
      and health-related variables. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from Wave 1 of The
      Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), a population-based study of 8175
      people aged >=50 years were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to determine
      associations between the presence of OA and a range of demographic and health
      related variables. RESULTS: A total of 8175 people >=50 years in Ireland were
      identified from the TILDA database of whom 45.7% (n = 2941) were male and 54.3%
      (n = 4431) were female. The overall prevalence of OA was 12.9% (women-17.3%; men
      9.4%). Prevalence increased with age, with prevalence in those aged >= 80 years
      twice that [17.7%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 13.97, 21.54] of those aged 50-60
      years (8.23, 95% CI 7.32, 9.13). On multivariable analysis, OA was significantly
      associated (P < 0.02) with female gender, older age, pain severity, higher body
      mass index (BMI), fear of falling, greater number of physical limitations and
      medication use. In particular, there was a strong association between the use of
      NSAIDS and the presence of OA [adj odd ratio (OR) = 5.88, 95% CI 4.16, 8.31]. A
      significant association was also found between OA and increasing number of
      chronic diseases (adj OR = 2.75 9, 95% CI = 2.44, 3.09). CONCLUSIONS: OA is a
      common and multifaceted condition, with comparable prevalence of self-reported OA
      in Ireland with similar populations. Assessment and management should focus on
      potentially modifiable factors such as BMI, pain, physical limitations,
      polypharmacy and fear of falling. More research is required to understand the
      complex inter-relationships between these and other risk-associated variables.

PMID- 26105958
TI  - Negative modulation of alpha5 GABAA receptors in rats may partially prevent
      memory impairment induced by MK-801, but not amphetamine- or MK-801-elicited
      hyperlocomotion.
AB  - Reportedly, negative modulation of alpha5 GABAA receptors may improve cognition
      in normal and pharmacologically-impaired animals, and such modulation has been
      proposed as an avenue for treatment of cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia. This
      study assessed the actions of PWZ-029, administered at doses (2, 5, and 10 mg/kg)
      at which it reached micromolar concentrations in brain tissue with estimated free
      concentrations adequate for selective modulation of alpha5 GABAA receptors, in
      three cognitive tasks in male Wistar rats acutely treated with the noncompetitive
      N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist, MK-801 (0.1 mg/kg), as well in tests of
      locomotor activity potentiated by MK-801 (0.2 mg/kg) or amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg).
      In a hormetic-like manner, only 5 mg/kg PWZ-029 reversed MK-801-induced deficits
      in novel object recognition test (visual recognition memory), whereas in the
      Morris water maze, the 2 mg/kg dose of PWZ-029 exerted partial beneficial effects
      on spatial learning impairment. PWZ-029 did not affect recognition memory
      deficits in social novelty discrimination procedure. Motor hyperactivity induced
      with MK-801 or amphetamine was not preventable by PWZ-029. Our results show that
      certain MK-801-induced memory deficits can be ameliorated by negative modulation
      of alpha5 GABAA receptors, and point to the need for further elucidation of their
      translational relevance to cognitive deterioration in schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26105960
TI  - Phase-field modelling of the dynamics of Z-ring formation in liposomes: Onset of
      constriction and coarsening.
AB  - We propose a model for the dynamics of the formation of rings of FtsZ on tubular
      liposomes which produce constriction on the corresponding membrane. Our phase
      field model is based on a simple bending energy that captures the dynamics of the
      interplay between the protein and the membrane. The short-time regime is analyzed
      by a linear dispersion relation, with which we are able to predict the number of
      rings per unit length on a tubular liposome. We study numerically the long-time
      dynamics of the system in the non-linear regime where we observe coarsening of Z
      rings on tubular liposomes. In particular, our numerical results show that,
      during the coarsening process, the number of Z-rings decreases as the radius of
      tubular liposome increases. This is consistent with the experimental observation
      that the separation between rings is proportional to the radius of the liposome.
      Our model predicts that the mechanism for the increased rate of coarsening in
      liposomes of larger radius is a consequence of the increased interface energy. 

PMID- 26105961
TI  - Laser-induced capillary effect in thin layers of water-alcohol mixtures.
AB  - The effect of droplet formation in thin layers of water-alcohol mixtures upon
      laser heating was studied. The droplet growth in the laser beam is governed by
      the surface tension gradient, which induces solutocapillary flows from the
      periphery to the center of the heated area. This gradient arises due to the local
      increase in surface tension caused by the evaporation of alcohol from the heated
      area of the layer. The experimental results have shown that the increase in the
      initial concentration of water in the mixture gives rise to the increase in
      droplet size. However, the increase in the power of laser irradiation leads to a
      decrease in the droplet growth rate. A simplified one-dimensional model of
      droplet growth is developed. The model involves the dependence of surface tension
      on both the temperature and concentration of components in the mixture, as well
      as the evaporation and condensation of alcohol. The experimental results are
      compared with those obtained using numerical simulations. A reasonable agreement
      between experimental and numerical results was shown. 

PMID- 26105962
TI  - Polymorphisms in melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 are not associated
      with clearance of hepatitis C virus in a European American population.

PMID- 26105963
TI  - Characteristics of medication schedules used by elderly ambulatory patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated the prevalence and quality of medication schedules of
      elderly ambulatory patients and assessed factors associated with the availability
      of a medication schedule. In particular, we evaluated whether sending out a blank
      medication schedule template would increase the chances to use such a document.
      METHODS: Data originate from the ESTHER study, a cohort study conducted in
      Saarland, Germany, in which trained study physicians performed home visits. They
      scanned all medication schedules, recorded the participants' medication, and
      performed thorough geriatric assessments. As part of the intervention, a blank
      medication schedule template along with a brochure was mailed to half of the
      participants (intervention group) 4 weeks prior to the home visits. RESULTS: In
      total, 553 of 2470 participants (22.4 %) had a medication schedule. Almost two
      thirds of the schedules were issued by health care professionals (n = 353, 63.8
      %). These schedules offered a higher quality, although important information such
      as over-the-counter (OTC) medication was regularly missing. Self-reported
      adherence was higher in participants who used self-issued medication schedules;
      however, self-reported medication adherence in patients with any medication
      schedule was poorer compared to those patients not using a schedule. Factors
      associated with the availability of a medication schedule were male sex, a higher
      number of medicines to take, and a more complex drug regimen. The intervention
      did not increase the number of patients having a medication schedule. CONCLUSION:
      Only a minority of elderly ambulatory patients had a medication schedule at home.
      Sending out a brochure along with a blank medication schedule template did not
      increase the prevalence of medication schedules.

PMID- 26105964
TI  - Influence of point estimates and study power of bioequivalence studies on
      establishing bioequivalence between generics by adjusted indirect comparisons.
AB  - PURPOSE: Adjusted indirect comparisons can be used to investigate bioequivalence
      between generic products that are bioequivalent with a common reference product.
      In previous work with generic tuberculosis medicines prequalified by the WHO, it
      was observed that although indirect comparisons are an effective approach for
      confirming the interchangeability of generics, the approach is subject to less
      precision than direct comparisons. The objective of this investigation was to
      explore this by examining the influence of point estimates and power of
      bioequivalence studies versus the reference on the ability to show equivalence in
      indirect comparisons. METHODS: Power was considered as a determining factor
      instead of variability and sample size, because sample size is calculated based
      on variability and desired power. Scenarios were computed combining a range of
      point estimate differences (0-14 %) and statistical power of the studies (50
      99.99 %). RESULTS: The indirect comparisons could conclude equivalence between
      generics only when (a) point estimate differences between generics were low (<=
      5.5 %) for any sufficiently powered study (> 80 %), or (b) the differences were
      large (but less than 14 %) and both bioequivalence studies were overpowered
      (e.g., 10 % difference and power >= 95 %). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the ability
      to demonstrate interchangeability between generics is dependent not only on the
      real differences between the products but also on the design of the original
      generic vs. reference bioequivalence studies being combined, as earmarked by
      their respective power.

PMID- 26105965
TI  - Optimizing the relationship between chromatographic efficiency and retention
      times in temperature-programmed gas chromatography.
AB  - A methodology that can maximise the chromatographic efficiency that can be
      achieved within a defined time frame in temperature-programmed gas chromatography
      is described. The efficiency can be defined as the inverse of peak widths
      measured in retention index units. This parameter can be described by a model
      similar to the van Deemter equation, which is expanded to account for the effect
      of the temperature rate in addition to the effect of carrier gas velocity. The
      model of efficiency is found by response surface methodology, where the
      temperature rates and the carrier gas velocities are systematically varied in the
      experiments. A second model that accurately explains the retention time of the
      last eluting compound can be found from the same experiments, and optimal
      conditions are found by combining the two models. The methodology has been
      evaluated with four capillary columns and three carrier gases, using fatty acid
      methyl esters as analytes. All experiments showed that there is a fairly linear
      decrease in efficiency with increasing temperature rates. At any temperature
      rate, optimal velocity is only marginally higher than the velocity that maximises
      chromatographic efficiency, since the carrier gas velocity has a limited effect
      on the retention times. 

PMID- 26105966
TI  - Linking megathrust earthquakes to brittle deformation in a fossil accretionary
      complex.
AB  - Seismological data from recent subduction earthquakes suggest that megathrust
      earthquakes induce transient stress changes in the upper plate that shift
      accretionary wedges into an unstable state. These stress changes have, however,
      never been linked to geological structures preserved in fossil accretionary
      complexes. The importance of coseismically induced wedge failure has therefore
      remained largely elusive. Here we show that brittle faulting and vein formation
      in the palaeo-accretionary complex of the European Alps record stress changes
      generated by subduction-related earthquakes. Early veins formed at shallow levels
      by bedding-parallel shear during coseismic compression of the outer wedge. In
      contrast, subsequent vein formation occurred by normal faulting and extensional
      fracturing at deeper levels in response to coseismic extension of the inner
      wedge. Our study demonstrates how mineral veins can be used to reveal the
      dynamics of outer and inner wedges, which respond in opposite ways to megathrust
      earthquakes by compressional and extensional faulting, respectively. 

PMID- 26105967
TI  - Detection of water-soluble disease-associated PrP species in blood and brain of
      scrapie-infected hamster.
AB  - The high-speed supernatant (S(HS)) of scrapie-infected hamster brain homogenate
      contains a soluble infectivity similar to that of the plasma that escapes
      leukodepletion and can transmit prion infection. This recent finding highlights
      the fact that soluble prion infectivity could be relevant for prion disease
      propagation and progression. PrP(Sc) is essential in prion disease pathogenesis,
      but little to nothing is known about the PrP(Sc) species that may be associated
      with this form of prion infectivity. Scrapie-infected hamster plasma and S(HS)
      were subjected to biochemical analysis, and the results demonstrate for the first
      time that soluble infectivity is associated with a water-soluble PrP(Sc) species
      with substantially different properties from classical PrP(Sc), the concentration
      of which seems to correlate with the magnitude and efficiency of the soluble
      infectivity. Such characteristics suggest that this species might represent the
      soluble prion agent itself or its vehicle, highlighting the need to adequately
      revise the strategies involved in prion removal, diagnosis, and therapy. 

PMID- 26105968
TI  - Planning for Production of Freshwater Fish Fry in a Variable Climate in Northern
      Thailand.
AB  - Provision of adequate numbers of quality fish fry is often a key constraint on
      aquaculture development. The management of climate-related risks in hatchery and
      nursery management operations has not received much attention, but is likely to
      be a key element of successful adaptation to climate change in the aquaculture
      sector. This study explored the sensitivities and vulnerability of freshwater
      fish fry production in 15 government hatcheries across Northern Thailand to
      climate variability and evaluated the robustness of the proposed adaptation
      measures. This study found that hatcheries have to consider several factors when
      planning production, including: taking into account farmer demand; production
      capacity of the hatchery; availability of water resources; local climate and
      other area factors; and, individual species requirements. Nile tilapia is the
      most commonly cultured species of freshwater fish. Most fry production is done in
      the wet season, as cold spells and drought conditions disrupt hatchery production
      and reduce fish farm demand in the dry season. In the wet season, some hatcheries
      are impacted by floods. Using a set of scenarios to capture major uncertainties
      and variability in climate, this study suggests a couple of strategies that
      should help make hatchery operations more climate change resilient, in
      particular: improving hatchery operations and management to deal better with
      risks under current climate variability; improving monitoring and information
      systems so that emerging climate-related risks are known sooner and understood
      better; and, research and development on alternative species, breeding programs,
      improving water management and other features of hatchery operations. 

PMID- 26105969
TI  - Reconciling Biodiversity Conservation and Timber Production in Mixed Uneven-Aged
      Mountain Forests: Identification of Ecological Intensification Pathways.
AB  - Mixed uneven-aged forests are considered favorable to the provision of multiple
      ecosystem services and to the conciliation of timber production and biodiversity
      conservation. However, some forest managers now plan to increase the intensity of
      thinning and harvesting operations in these forests. Retention measures or gap
      creation are considered to compensate potential negative impacts on biodiversity.
      Our objectives were to assess the effect of these management practices on timber
      production and biodiversity conservation and identify potential compensating
      effects between these practices, using the concept of ecological intensification
      as a framework. We performed a simulation study coupling Samsara2, a simulation
      model designed for spruce-fir uneven-aged mountain forests, an uneven-aged
      silviculture algorithm, and biodiversity models. We analyzed the effect of
      parameters related to uneven-aged management practices on timber production,
      biodiversity, and sustainability indicators. Our study confirmed that the
      indicators responded differently to management practices, leading to trade-offs
      situations. Increasing management intensity had negative impacts on several
      biodiversity indicators, which could be partly compensated by the positive effect
      of retention measures targeting large trees, non-dominant species, and deadwood.
      The impact of gap creation was more mitigated, with a positive effect on the
      diversity of tree sizes and deadwood but a negative impact on the spruce-fir
      mixing balance and on the diversity of the understory layer. Through the analysis
      of compensating effects, we finally revealed the existence of possible ecological
      intensification pathways, i.e., the possibility to increase management intensity
      while maintaining biodiversity through the promotion of nature-based management
      principles (gap creation and retention measures). 

PMID- 26105970
TI  - Bioenergy and Biodiversity: Key Lessons from the Pan American Region.
AB  - Understanding how large-scale bioenergy production can affect biodiversity and
      ecosystems is important if society is to meet current and future sustainable
      development goals. A variety of bioenergy production systems have been
      established within different contexts throughout the Pan American region, with
      wide-ranging results in terms of documented and projected effects on biodiversity
      and ecosystems. The Pan American region is home to the majority of commercial
      bioenergy production and therefore the region offers a broad set of experiences
      and insights on both conflicts and opportunities for biodiversity and bioenergy.
      This paper synthesizes lessons learned focusing on experiences in Canada, the
      United States, and Brazil regarding the conflicts that can arise between
      bioenergy production and ecological conservation, and benefits that can be
      derived when bioenergy policies promote planning and more sustainable land
      management systems. We propose a research agenda to address priority information
      gaps that are relevant to biodiversity concerns and related policy challenges in
      the Pan American region. 

PMID- 26105971
TI  - Influence of Removal of a Non-native Tree Species Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth.
      on the Regenerating Plant Communities in a Tropical Semideciduous Forest Under
      Restoration in Brazil.
AB  - Exotic species are used to trigger facilitation in restoration plantings, but
      this positive effect may not be permanent and these species may have negative
      effects later on. Since such species can provide a marketable product (firewood),
      their harvest may represent an advantageous strategy to achieve both ecological
      and economic benefits. In this study, we looked at the effect of removal of a non
      native tree species (Mimosa caesalpiniifolia) on the understory of a
      semideciduous forest undergoing restoration. We assessed two 14-year-old
      plantation systems (modified "taungya" agroforestry system; and mixed plantation
      using commercial timber and firewood tree species) established at two sites with
      contrasting soil properties in Sao Paulo state, Brazil. The experimental design
      included randomized blocks with split plots. The natural regeneration of woody
      species (height >=0.2 m) was compared between managed (all M. caesalpiniifolia
      trees removed) and unmanaged plots during the first year after the intervention.
      The removal of M. caesalpiniifolia increased species diversity but decreased
      stand basal area. Nevertheless, the basal area loss was recovered after 1 year.
      The management treatment affected tree species regeneration differently between
      species groups. The results of this study suggest that removal of M.
      caesalpiniifolia benefited the understory and possibly accelerated the succession
      process. Further monitoring studies are needed to evaluate the longer term
      effects on stand structure and composition. The lack of negative effects of tree
      removal on the natural regeneration indicates that such interventions can be
      recommended, especially considering the expectations of economic revenues from
      tree harvesting in restoration plantings. 

PMID- 26105972
TI  - EU Sanitary Regulation on Livestock Disposal: Implications for the Diet of
      Wolves.
AB  - Sanitary and environmental regulations may have indirect effects on the wildlife
      and ecosystem services beyond their regulatory scope. To illustrate such effects,
      this paper examines how EU sanitary measures, in conjunction with additional
      regulations and socio-economic changes, have caused wolf diet to shift in
      Galicia, northwestern Spain. Prior to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
      crisis in Europe in 2000, livestock carcasses used to be left on the field and
      were eaten by scavengers and carnivores. As a result of the BSE crisis, sanitary
      regulations regarding the disposal of livestock carcasses were introduced. These
      regulations affected the populations of avian scavengers. We hypothesize that
      wolf ecology has also been affected by the aforementioned regulations. We
      analysed wolf diet for the period 2003-2006 and compared the results with those
      of a previously published study (1974-1978). We found a shift in wolf feeding
      habits following the implementation of these EU regulations. A decrease in
      carrion consumption was registered, and wolves increased their feeding on the
      rising population of wild ungulates, especially on roe deer, and on wild pony.
      Future regulations should assess their potential indirect effects in the early
      stages of drafting to allow for the design of proper mitigation measures.

PMID- 26105973
TI  - Efficacy and safety of oral insulin compared to subcutaneous insulin: a
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies was
      conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of oral insulin versus subcutaneous
      (SC) insulin in diabetic patients. METHODS: Medline, Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge
      and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched. Two independent
      reviewers evaluated studies for eligibility and quality and extracted the data.
      The primary outcomes were fasting blood glucose (FBG), 1h and 2h postprandial
      blood glucose, HbA1c, AUC of insulin, C max and T max of insulin, and T max of
      glucose infusion rate. Secondary outcomes were adverse events. RESULTS: Eleven
      studies (n = 373) met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses showed that there is
      no significant difference between oral and SC insulin in controlling HbA1c, FBG,
      1 and 2 h postprandial blood glucose and producing C max of insulin (P > 0.05);
      however oral insulin had faster action as indicated by the shorter T max,
      compared to SC insulin (P < 0.05). The most included studies were varied in their
      methodological quality. CONCLUSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis
      showed that oral insulin is comparable to SC insulin with regard to glycemic
      efficacy and safety. However, is necessary to conduct additional studies in which
      oral insulin administered to large number of patients for long enough periods of
      time.

PMID- 26105974
TI  - Bisphenol A environmental exposure and the detrimental effects on human metabolic
      health: is it necessary to revise the risk assessment in vulnerable population?
AB  - In the last decades, many reports have focused the attention on deleterious
      effects of novel environmental chemical compounds, including bisphenol A (BPA),
      on human health. BPA, a common and widely chemical contaminant acting as
      endocrine disruptor, accumulates in adipose tissue and may affect adipocyte
      metabolic and inflammatory functions. BPA, at low chronic doses, is now
      considered as an obesogen compound, and might contribute to the rise of metabolic
      syndrome, visceral adiposity and diabetes epidemics. The BPA worldwide presence
      in the environment is responsible for chronic exposure during vulnerable periods,
      such as foetal and neonatal life. The BPA source of contamination can occur via
      food, beverage, wastewater, air, dust and soil. BPA, as lipophilic compound, may
      accumulate into the adipose tissue already during foetal life and may affect
      adulthood health, through adverse effects on the growth and development of organs
      and tissues. Thus, based on several studies, it would be crucial to consider
      further actions aimed to refine risk assessment at least in vulnerable
      population, such as foetuses, infants and young children, to prevent metabolic
      diseases and obesity. 

PMID- 26105975
TI  - Association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and bone mineral density: a
      systematic review and meta-analysis.

PMID- 26105976
TI  - List blocking and longer retention intervals reveal an influence of gist
      processing for lexically ambiguous critical lures.
AB  - In two experiments, we examined veridical and false memory for lists of
      associates from two meanings (e.g., stumble, trip, harvest, pumpkin, etc.) that
      converged upon a single, lexically ambiguous critical lure (e.g., fall), in order
      to compare the activation-monitoring and fuzzy-trace false memory accounts. In
      Experiment 1, we presented study lists that were blocked or alternated by meaning
      (within subjects), followed by a free recall test completed immediately or after
      a 2.5-min delay. Correct recall was greater for blocked than for alternated
      lists. Critical-lure false recall was greater for blocked lists on an immediate
      test, whereas both list types produced equivalent false recall on a delayed test.
      In Experiment 2, lists blocked and alternated by meaning were presented via a
      between-subjects design, in order to eliminate possible list-type carryover
      effects. Correct recall replicated the result from Experiment 1; however,
      blocking lists increased false recall on delayed, but not on immediate, tests.
      Across the experiments, clustering correct recall by meaning increased across the
      delay selectively for the alternated lists. Our results suggest that thematic
      (i.e., gist) processes are influential for false recall, especially following a
      delay, a pattern consistent with fuzzy-trace theory. 

PMID- 26105977
TI  - Variations of secretome profiles according to conditioned medium preparation: The
      example of human mesenchymal stem cell-derived adipocytes.
AB  - One challenging point in analyzing cellular secretome collected as conditioned
      medium is cross-contamination by cell culture media components, especially bovine
      serum proteins. A common approach for serum removal is to wash the cells, an
      alternative is to grow cells using serum-free conditions. Given that the sample
      processing may influence the phenotype of cells and thus the secretome, it is
      important to establish the optimal protocol for each cell type. In this study, we
      compared two methods for preparing conditioned medium from human adipocytes
      derived from mesenchymal stem cells. Cells were either washed twice with PBS or
      cultured the last four days of differentiation in serum-free adipogenic medium.
      Gene expression of the cells was evaluated by using real-time PCR and 1D LC-MS/MS
      was used to compare secreted proteins present in the culture supernatants.
      Surprisingly, results showed significant differences in gene expression patterns
      of the cells and in protein content of the conditioned media and suggested that
      PBS washes induced severe modifications of the phenotype of cells and thus
      changes in protein secretion profiles. These data emphasize the significant
      variations in protein species related to cell manipulations and underline the
      importance of procedure optimization prior to any proteomic investigation. 

PMID- 26105978
TI  - Young children contrast their behavior to that of out-group members.
AB  - The tendency for children to overimitate and conform to unanimous majorities is
      pervasive. Here we tested whether social factors are powerful enough to lead
      children to overcome this tendency and contrast their behavior to that of others.
      In one condition, children were shown a video of three out-group members
      performing the same action on a novel toy. In this condition, 5-year-olds, but
      not 4-year-olds, were significantly more likely to produce the contrasting action
      than the action demonstrated by the group. On the other hand, children who saw
      the same actions performed by neutral individuals typically matched their actions
      to those of the group regardless of their age. By demonstrating that 5-year-olds
      actively contrast their behavior to that of out-group members, these results
      provide an important comparison with previous research on imitation and
      conformity and demonstrate the profound influence that social motivations exert
      over children's copying behavior. 

PMID- 26105979
TI  - Achieving synchronization with active hybrid materials: Coupling self-oscillating
      gels and piezoelectric films.
AB  - Lightweight, deformable materials that can sense and respond to human touch and
      motion can be the basis of future wearable computers, where the material itself
      will be capable of performing computations. To facilitate the creation of
      "materials that compute", we draw from two emerging modalities for computation:
      chemical computing, which relies on reaction-diffusion mechanisms to perform
      operations, and oscillatory computing, which performs pattern recognition through
      synchronization of coupled oscillators. Chemical computing systems, however,
      suffer from the fact that the reacting species are coupled only locally; the
      coupling is limited by diffusion as the chemical waves propagate throughout the
      system. Additionally, oscillatory computing systems have not utilized a
      potentially wearable material. To address both these limitations, we develop the
      first model for coupling self-oscillating polymer gels to a piezoelectric (PZ)
      micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS). The resulting transduction between chemo
      mechanical and electrical energy creates signals that can be propagated quickly
      over long distances and thus, permits remote, non-diffusively coupled oscillators
      to communicate and synchronize. Moreover, the oscillators can be organized into
      arbitrary topologies because the electrical connections lift the limitations of
      diffusive coupling. Using our model, we predict the synchronization behavior that
      can be used for computational tasks, ultimately enabling "materials that
      compute". 

PMID- 26105980
TI  - Association between low serum magnesium concentration and hyperuricemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the cross-sectional associations between serum magnesium
      (Mg) and hyperuricemia (HU). METHODS: 2904 subjects were included in this study.
      HU was defined as uric acid >=416 MUmol/L for the male population and >=360
      MUmol/L for the female population. A multivariable logistic analysis model was
      applied to test the associations after adjusting for a number of potential
      confounding factors. RESULTS: The relative odds of the prevalence of HU were
      significantly decreased by 0.65 times in the third quintile of serum Mg (OR 0.65,
      95% CI 0.47-0.89), and 0.61 times in the fifth quintile (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.45
      0.83), compared with the lowest quintile: P for trend was 0.002. For males, the
      relative odds for HU were significantly decreased by 0.61 times in the third
      quintile of serum Mg (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.42-0.89), 0.68 times in the fourth
      quintile (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.47-0.97), and 0.59 times in the fifth quintile (OR
      0.59, 95% CI 0.41-0.84) compared with the lowest quintile: P for trend was 0.003.
      However, no significant association was observed between serum Mg and HU for
      females. CONCLUSION: Serum Mg is inversely associated with HU. This association
      remains valid for the male subgroup, but not for the female subgroup.

PMID- 26105981
TI  - Intrinsic half-metallicity in fractal carbon nitride honeycomb lattices.
AB  - Fractals are natural phenomena that exhibit a repeating pattern "exactly the same
      at every scale or nearly the same at different scales". Defect-free molecular
      fractals were assembled successfully in a recent work [Shang et al., Nature
      Chem., 2015, 7, 389-393]. Here, we adopted the feature of a repeating pattern in
      searching two-dimensional (2D) materials with intrinsic half-metallicity and high
      stability that are desirable for spintronics applications. Using first-principles
      calculations, we demonstrate that the electronic properties of fractal frameworks
      of carbon nitrides have stable ferromagnetism accompanied by half-metallicity,
      which are highly dependent on the fractal structure. The ferromagnetism increases
      gradually with the increase of fractal order. The Curie temperature of these
      metal-free systems estimated from Monte Carlo simulations is considerably higher
      than room temperature. The stable ferromagnetism, intrinsic half-metallicity, and
      fractal characteristics of spin distribution in the carbon nitride frameworks
      open an avenue for the design of metal-free magnetic materials with exotic
      properties. 

PMID- 26105982
TI  - Interferon-inducible Protein 6-16 (IFI-6-16, ISG16) promotes Hepatitis C virus
      replication in vitro.
AB  - Interferon-inducible protein 6-16 (IFI-6-16, ISG16) is one of the interferon
      stimulated genes (ISGs) whose expression levels can be induced by type I
      interferons. Previous studies from our group indicated that higher expression
      levels of ISG16 were detected in the pre-treatment liver tissues of patients
      chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who do not respond to
      interferon-based therapy. However, its role in HCV production is not well
      defined. This study is to test the effect of over-expression of ISG16 on HCV RNA
      replication and IFN anti-HCV activity in both HCV replicon cells and JFH-1 HCV
      culture system (HCVcc). Expression plasmid of ISG16 was constructed and
      transfected into HCV replicon cells or JFH-1 HCV culture system. After
      confirmation of the successful expression of ISG16 at mRNA (real-time PCR) and
      protein (Western Blot) levels, HCV RNA level was analyzed by real-time
      quantitative PCR in the absence or presence of interferon-alpha. Over-expression
      of ISG16 promoted HCV RNA replication in both the Con1b replicon and the HCV JFH
      1-based cell culture system and blunted the anti-HCV activity of IFN-alpha. In
      conclusion, Over-expression of ISG16 promotes HCV RNA replication and rescues the
      IFNalpha-mediated anti-HCV activity.

PMID- 26105983
TI  - Management of Excessive Weight Loss Following Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric
      Bypass: Clinical Algorithm and Surgical Techniques.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are no clinical guidelines or published studies addressing
      excessive weight loss and protein calorie malnutrition following a standard Roux
      en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) to guide nutritional management and treatment
      strategies. This study demonstrates the presentation, clinical algorithm,
      surgical technique, and outcomes of patients afflicted and successfully treated
      with excessive weight loss following a standard RYGB. METHODS: Three patients
      were successfully reversed to normal anatomy after evaluation, management, and
      treatment by multidisciplinary team. Lowest BMI (kg/m(2)) was 18.9, 17.9, and
      14.2, respectively. RESULTS: Twelve-month post-operative BMI (kg/m(2)) was 28.9,
      22.8, and 26.1, respectively. Lowest weight (lbs) was 117, 128, and 79,
      respectively. Twelve-month post-operative weight (lbs) was 179, 161, and 145,
      respectively. Pre-reversal gastrostomy tube was inserted into the remnant stomach
      to demonstrate weight gain and improve nutritional status prior to reversal to
      original anatomy. CONCLUSION: We propose a practical clinical algorithm for the
      work-up and management of patients with excessive weight loss and protein calorie
      malnutrition after standard RYGB including reversal to normal anatomy.

PMID- 26105985
TI  - The New Dimension in Aortic Measurements - Use of the Inner Edge Measurement for
      the Thoracic Aorta in Australian Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Historically, aortic measurements were established using M-mode
      echocardiography, measuring from the leading edge to leading edge. Improvements
      in echocardiographic imaging now permit accurate assessment using the blood
      tissue interface. Normal values have not been established using this technique.
      METHODS: A prospective analysis of consecutive patients without pathology was
      conducted. Measurements of aortic dimensions were made using the blood-tissue
      interface and the leading edge methods at end-diastole, and at end-systole using
      the blood-tissue interface. Data collected included BSA, and aortic measurements
      (LVOT, root, ST junction, mid ascending aorta, aortic arch). RESULTS: The
      echocardiograms of 512 patients were evaluated. The mean age was 56 years, with
      304 males (59%) and 208 females (41%). The average measurements (blood tissue
      interface) were: aortic root 31.2mm, sinotubular junction 25.9mm, mid ascending
      aorta 30.6 and aortic arch 23.4. On average, the leading edge method measurements
      were 1.5mm larger (p<0.0001), consistent with the added thickness of the anterior
      aortic wall. Ratios to BSA were also estimated. Tables have been created
      suggesting normal and abnormal values. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in
      echocardiographic imaging permit the blood-tissue interface to be readily
      visualised. Reference ranges for the estimation of aortic sizes using this method
      are provided. More accurate and anatomical estimation of the aortic dimensions
      can now be achieved.

PMID- 26105986
TI  - Acquired Large Calcified Unruptured Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm.
AB  - Acquired aneurysms of the sinus of Valsalva are rare. They are caused by
      infections such as tuberculosis, syphilis and endocarditis, as well as
      atherosclerosis and traumatic injury. They may be asymptomatic and incidentally
      discovered. We present a rare case of a large acquired calcified unruptured
      aneurysm of the right coronary sinus of Valsalva that was compressing the right
      ventricular outflow tract. 

PMID- 26105987
TI  - Slow Heart Rate Predicts New Occurrence of Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the relation between baseline heart
      rate and new occurrence of AF in patients with mild symptoms. METHODS: Patients
      without pre-existing AF or structural heart disease who underwent 24-hour
      electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring for palpitations, dizziness or syncope were
      followed up for new-onset AF. RESULTS: 428 patients (mean age 66.6+/-10.2 years,
      43.7% male) were classified according to the average heart rate into four
      quartiles (1(st) quartile: <63 beat per minute (bpm); 2(nd) quartile: 63-70 bpm;
      3(rd) quartile 70-77 bpm; and 4(th) quartile: >77 bpm). There were no significant
      differences in gender, prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, left ventricular
      ejection fraction, or medications but a higher prevalence of coronary artery
      disease was noted among patients in the lower quartiles of average heart rate.
      After a mean follow-up of 5.8+/-1.8 years, 60 patients (14.0%) developed new
      onset AF. The annual incidence of new-onset AF was highest amongst those at the
      lowest quartile of average heart rate (9.39%/year) as compared to those amongst
      other quartiles. Cox regression analysis revealed that increasing age, decreasing
      quartile of average heart rate, and the use of calcium channel blocker were
      associated with increased risk of new-onset AF. CONCLUSIONS: Average heart rate
      predicts new AF.

PMID- 26105988
TI  - Adjustment and Coping Mechanisms for Individuals with Genetic Aortic Disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Advances in diagnosis and management of Genetic Aortic (GA) Disorders
      have improved prognosis for affected individuals, yet many do not adhere to key
      management recommendations, and some may experience clinically significant levels
      of psychological distress. These issues are often not communicated to treating
      clinicians. Poor adjustment and coping may adversely impact on prognosis, but
      little is known about the processes contributing to negative outcomes. This study
      investigated adjustment to GA disorders to determine which processes facilitated
      or hindered good adherence and psychological outcomes. METHODS: Semi-structured
      interviews involving 21 individuals (12M, 9 F; age 19-62 years) with a GA
      Disorder and psychosocial measures of depression/stress/anxiety (DASS), coping
      (COPE) and involvement in treatment (CPS) were used. Qualitative data were
      analysed using grounded theory and a model of adjustment was developed. RESULTS:
      Although most participants adhered to physician management recommendations and
      experienced minimal emotional distress, a subset reported poor adherence and/or
      sub/clinical levels of depression/anxiety/stress (29%). Dysfunctional coping
      mechanisms were infrequent, however 22% participants reported 'little or no'
      acceptance and 43% avoided life planning in response to a diagnosis of GA
      disorder. Interviews revealed an overarching theme: Negotiating perception of
      self and GA disorder, supported by five sub-themes: Restrictions upon Lifestyle,
      Destabilisation, Future, Support, and Unmet Needs. Accepting restrictions and
      having support were conducive to better adherence, whilst destabilisation and
      loss of control had a negative impact. A model of adjustment is proposed to
      explain how patients reached one of four outcomes relating to psychological
      distress and adherence to physician recommendations. The central tenet of the
      model is founded on how realistically patients appraise their vulnerability to GA
      threat and whether they are able to integrate their perceptions of illness with
      their sense of self-identity. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that individuals
      with GA are at risk of experiencing psychosocial distress and coping
      difficulties, even years after diagnosis. Key factors likely to be associated
      with impaired coping among GA patients include inability to integrate the illness
      into one's identity/life, or to follow physician recommendations. Potential unmet
      needs were identified, including the provision of more relevant information and
      opportunities for peer support. These findings may also be applicable to other
      inherited cardiac disorders.

PMID- 26105989
TI  - Supplements and Cardiovascular Health.

PMID- 26105990
TI  - Analysis of Lipoprotein Subfractions in Chinese Han Patients with Stable Coronary
      Artery Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relation of lipoprotein subfractions with stable coronary artery
      disease (CAD) has not been fully investigated in the Chinese Han population.
      METHODS: Four-hundred-and-thirteen consecutive patients without any lipid
      lowering drug treatment were investigated. Patients were classified into two
      groups according to the angiographic results: CAD group (n=293) and non-CAD group
      (n=120). The high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
      subfractions were analysed using the Quantimetrix Lipoprint system. RESULTS: The
      data showed that the large HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) level, large HDL subfraction
      percentage, and mean LDL particle size were significantly lower, while the small
      HDL-C level and HDL subfraction percentage, intermediate and small LDL
      cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, and LDL subfraction percentages were higher in the
      CAD group compared with those in the non-CAD group. Interestingly, our results
      suggested that the small HDL-C level and HDL subfraction percentage as well as
      mean LDL particle size were independently associated with the presence of CAD
      assessed by logistic regression analysis (OR=1.136, 95%CI=1.018-1.268, p=0.022;
      OR=1.076, 95%CI=1.021-1.134, p=0.007; OR=0.946, 95%CI=0.898-0.997, p=0.040;
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Similar to previous Western population studies, our
      data suggested a clear association between the lipoprotein subfractions and
      stable CAD presented as higher small HDL subfraction and smaller mean LDL
      particle size in Chinese Han patients.

PMID- 26105992
TI  - Orbital reconstruction in nonpolar tetravalent transition-metal oxide layers.
AB  - A promising route to tailoring the electronic properties of quantum materials and
      devices rests on the idea of orbital engineering in multilayered oxide
      heterostructures. Here we show that the interplay of interlayer charge imbalance
      and ligand distortions provides a knob for tuning the sequence of electronic
      levels even in intrinsically stacked oxides. We resolve in this regard the d
      level structure of layered Sr2IrO4 by electron spin resonance. While canonical
      ligand-field theory predicts g||-factors less than 2 for positive tetragonal
      distortions as present in Sr2IrO4, the experiment indicates g|| is greater than
      2. This implies that the iridium d levels are inverted with respect to their
      normal ordering. State-of-the-art electronic-structure calculations confirm the
      level switching in Sr2IrO4, whereas we find them in Ba2IrO4 to be instead
      normally ordered. Given the nonpolar character of the metal-oxygen layers, our
      findings highlight the tetravalent transition-metal 214 oxides as ideal platforms
      to explore d-orbital reconstruction in the context of oxide electronics. 

PMID- 26105991
TI  - Hairy and Enhancer of Split 6 (Hes6) Deficiency in Mouse Impairs Neuroblast
      Differentiation in Dentate Gyrus Without Affecting Cell Proliferation and
      Integration into Mature Neurons.
AB  - Hes6 is a member of the hairy-enhancer of split homolog (Hes) family of
      transcription factors and interacts with other Hes family genes. During
      development, Hes genes are expressed in neural stem cells and progenitor cells.
      However, the role of Hes6 in adult hippocampal neurogenesis remains unclear. We
      therefore investigated the effects of Hes6 on adult hippocampal neurogenesis, by
      comparing Hes6 knockout and wild-type mice. To this end, we immunostained for
      markers of neural stem cells and progenitor cells (nestin), proliferating cells
      (Ki67), post-mitotic neuroblasts and immature neurons (doublecortin, DCX), mature
      neuronal cells (NeuN), and astrocyte (S100beta). We also injected 5-bromo-2'
      deoxyuridine (BrdU) to trace the fate of mitotic cells. Nestin- and Ki67-positive
      proliferating cells did now show any significant differences between wild and
      knockout groups. Hes6 knockout negatively affects neuroblast differentiation
      based on DCX immunohistochemistry. On the contrary, the ratio of the BrdU and
      NeuN double-positive cells did not show any significance, even though it was
      slightly higher in the knockout group. These results suggest that Hes6 is
      involved in the regulation of neuroblast differentiation during adult
      neurogenesis, but does not influence integration into mature neurons. 

PMID- 26105993
TI  - The Expression of Tubb2b Undergoes a Developmental Transition in Murine Cortical
      Neurons.
AB  - The development of the mammalian brain requires the generation, migration, and
      differentiation of neurons, cellular processes that are dependent on a dynamic
      microtubule cytoskeleton. Mutations in tubulin genes, which encode for the
      structural subunits of microtubules, cause detrimental neurological disorders
      known as the tubulinopathies. The disease spectra associated with different
      tubulin genes are overlapping but distinct, an observation believed to reflect
      functional specification of this multigene family. Perturbation of the beta
      tubulin TUBB2B is known to cause polymicrogyria, pachygyria, microcephaly, and
      axon guidance defects. Here we provide a detailed analysis of the expression
      pattern of its murine homolog Tubb2b. The generation and characterization of BAC
      transgenic eGFP reporter mouse lines has revealed that it is highly expressed in
      progenitors and postmitotic neurons during cortical development. This contrasts
      with the 8-week-old cortex, in which Tubb2b expression is restricted to
      macroglia, and expression is almost completely absent in mature neurons. This
      developmental transition in neurons is mirrored in the adult hippocampus and the
      cerebellum but is not a universal feature of Tubb2b; its expression persists in a
      population of postmitotic neurons in the 8-week-old retina. We propose that the
      dynamic spatial and temporal expression of Tubb2b reflects specific functional
      requirements of the microtubule cytoskeleton.

PMID- 26105994
TI  - China rejects patent on hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir.

PMID- 26105996
TI  - Beyond the meristems: similarities in the CLAVATA3 and INFLORESCENCE DEFICIENT IN
      ABSCISSION peptide mediated signalling pathways.
AB  - Plants form new organs throughout their lives; this requires a balance between
      cell proliferation and differentiation, and between the generation and loss of
      organs. To do this, plants must maintain a population of stem cells within the
      meristems, and at the same time, closely control the identity and position of
      cells at the meristem boundaries as they differentiate to new leaf or flower
      primordia. Once developed, organs may need to be shed, either as a controlled
      developmental decision-such as floral abscission after pollination, or as a
      response to disease, environmental stress, and predators. Cell wall degradation
      at specialized abscission zone (AZ) cells needs to occur for this to take place,
      but since there is little cell rearrangement in plants, cell separation events
      are also important for plant architecture. In this Opinion paper we discuss the
      role of two peptide ligand signalling systems that control stem cell homeostasis
      and cell separation, respectively. We draw parallels between the signalling
      pathways and explore on the commonalities of the downstream components activated
      and controlled by the signalling peptides. We provide evidence for AZ cells
      having a meristem identity and discuss the role of identical KNOTTED-LIKE
      HOMEOBOX (KNOX) transcription factors in meristem maintenance and abscission.
      Lastly we explore the evolutionary relationship between the pathways. 

PMID- 26105995
TI  - Developmentally regulated HEART STOPPER, a mitochondrially targeted L18 ribosomal
      protein gene, is required for cell division, differentiation, and seed
      development in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Evidence is presented for the role of a mitochondrial ribosomal (mitoribosomal)
      L18 protein in cell division, differentiation, and seed development after the
      characterization of a recessive mutant, heart stopper (hes). The hes mutant
      produced uncellularized endosperm and embryos arrested at the late globular
      stage. The mutant embryos differentiated partially on rescue medium with some
      forming callus. HES (At1g08845) encodes a mitochondrially targeted member of a
      highly diverged L18 ribosomal protein family. The substitution of a conserved
      amino residue in the hes mutant potentially perturbs mitoribosomal function via
      altered binding of 5S rRNA and/or influences the stability of the 50S ribosomal
      subunit, affecting mRNA binding and translation. Consistent with this, marker
      genes for mitochondrial dysfunction were up-regulated in the mutant. The slow
      growth of the endosperm and embryo indicates a defect in cell cycle progression,
      which is evidenced by the down-regulation of cell cycle genes. The down
      regulation of other genes such as EMBRYO DEFECTIVE genes links the mitochondria
      to the regulation of many aspects of seed development. HES expression is
      developmentally regulated, being preferentially expressed in tissues with active
      cell division and differentiation, including developing embryos and the root
      tips. The divergence of the L18 family, the tissue type restricted expression of
      HES, and the failure of other L18 members to complement the hes phenotype suggest
      that the L18 proteins are involved in modulating development. This is likely via
      heterogeneous mitoribosomes containing different L18 members, which may result in
      differential mitochondrial functions in response to different physiological
      situations during development. 

PMID- 26105997
TI  - High-resolution quantification of root dynamics in split-nutrient rhizoslides
      reveals rapid and strong proliferation of maize roots in response to local high
      nitrogen.
AB  - The plant's root system is highly plastic, and can respond to environmental
      stimuli such as high nitrogen (N) in patches. A root may respond to an N patch by
      selective placement of new lateral roots, and therewith increases root N uptake.
      This may be a desirable trait in breeding programmes, since it decreases NO3(-)
      leaching and N2O emission. Roots of maize (Zea mays L.) were grown without N in
      split-nutrient rhizoslides. One side of the slides was exposed to high N after 15
      d of root development, and root elongation was measured for another 15 d,
      described in a time course model and parameterized. The elongation rates of crown
      axile roots on the N-treated side of the plant followed a logistic increase to a
      maximum of 5.3cm d(-1); 95% of the maximum were reached within 4 d. At the same
      time, on the untreated side, axile root elongation dropped linearly to 1.2cm d(
      1) within 6.4 d and stayed constant thereafter. Twice as many lateral roots were
      formed on the crown axis on the N side compared to the untreated side. Most
      strikingly, the elongation rates of laterals of the N side increased linearly
      with most of the roots reaching an asymptote ~8 d after start of the N treatment.
      By contrast, laterals on the side without N did not show any detectable
      elongation beyond the first day after their emergence. We conclude that split
      nutrient rhizoslides have great potential to improve our knowledge about nitrogen
      responsiveness and selection for contrasting genotypes.

PMID- 26105998
TI  - Comparative glycopattern analysis of mucins in the Brunner's glands of the guinea
      pig and the house mouse (Rodentia).
AB  - The mucins secreted by the Brunner's glands and the duodenal goblet cells of the
      Guinea-pig and the house mouse were compared by conventional and FITC-conjugated
      lectin histochemistry. Methylation/saponification and sialidase digestion were
      performed prior to lectin binding to detect the residues subterminal to sulfated
      groups and sialic acid, respectively. In the Guinea-pig the Brunner's glands
      produce class-III stable sulfosialomucins. Sialic acid is mostly 2,6-linked to
      galactose or to N-acetylgalactosamine and is in part O-acetylated in C7, C8, and
      C9. Sulfated groups are probably linked to sialic acid and N-acetylgalactosamine.
      Terminal residuals of N-acetylglucosamine, galactose, N-acetylgalactosamine and
      fucose linked in alpha1,2, alpha1,3, and alpha1,4 are also present. Duodenal
      goblet cells of the Guinea-pig present a lower number of residuals in respect to
      the Brunner's glandular ones, with sialic acid and N-acetylgalactosamine
      subterminal to sulfated groups. In the house mouse the Brunner's glands produce
      class-III stable neutral mucins, binding to same lectins as in the Guinea-pig
      except for those specific to sialic acid. A diversity of fucosylated residuals
      higher than in the Guinea-pig is observed. The mouse duodenal goblet cells lack
      stable class-III mucins, have little sialic acid and present a lower number of
      residuals in respect to the correspondent Brunner's glands. Regulation of the
      acidic intestinal microenvironment, prevention of pathologies and hosting of
      microflora can explain the observed results and the differences observed between
      the two rodents. 

PMID- 26105999
TI  - Age-Dependent Decrease of DNA Hydroxymethylation in Human T Cells.
AB  - Hydroxymethylcytosine (hmC) is a natural nucleobase, which is converted from
      methylcytosine (mC) by tet methylcytosine dioxygenase (TET) family (TET1-3)
      enzymes. Decrease of genomic hmC is postulated to confer a risk for myeloid
      lineage as well as T-cell neoplasms, based on the fact that loss-of-function
      mutations in the TET2 gene were frequently identified in these diseases. The
      relationship between hmC and aging remains to be elucidated. Here, we
      demonstrated that hmC content decreased with age in the peripheral blood T cells
      of 53 human volunteers. We further identified that the mRNA expression levels of
      TET1 and TET3 decreased with age, while those of TET2 were not influenced by age.
      The genomic hmC content was correlated with the mRNA expression level of TET3,
      but not those of TET1 and TET2. Our study suggests the presence of new epigenetic
      regulatory mechanisms in aging T cells. 

PMID- 26106000
TI  - Histopathological Characteristics of Lymphomas in the Upper Aerodigestive Tract.
      A Single-Institute Study in Japan.
AB  - We analyzed the histopathological characteristics of lymphomas biopsied from the
      upper aerodigestive tract between 2000 and 2014 at the National Cancer Center
      Hospital in Japan. Of a total of 309 consecutive cases, the following incidences
      were observed: mature B-cell neoplasms, 77% (n = 239); mature T- and NK-cell
      neoplasms, 20% (n = 63); classical Hodgkin lymphomas, 0.7% (n = 2); and
      lymphoblastic lymphomas, 2% (n = 5). Lymphomas were most frequently (57%)
      detected in the oropharynx. The majority of cases (89%) were mature B-cell
      neoplasms (diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 60%; follicular lymphoma, 10%), and 10%
      of cases were mature T-cell neoplasms. Six cases of plasma cell neoplasm (4
      primary and 2 secondary involvement) and 2 cases of plasmablastic lymphoma in the
      upper aerodigestive tract were observed. Two out of 3 cases of extraosseous
      plasmacytoma with available biopsy material were positive for EBER1. All 3
      patients received irradiation and achieved complete response; 1 had not relapsed
      after 17 months and the remaining 2 relapsed as plasma cell myeloma and solitary
      plasmacytoma of the bone. Of 47 extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal-type cases
      in the upper aerodigestive tract, 38 (81%) were present in the sinonasal region
      and the remaining 9 (19%) were in the oropharynx (n = 4), nasopharynx (n = 3),
      and oral cavity (n = 2). In conclusion, since both primary lymphoma and secondary
      involvement of lymphoma are often diagnosed using biopsied materials from the
      upper aerodigestive tract, pathologists and hematologists should recognize the
      characteristics of lymphoma in this tissue. 

PMID- 26106001
TI  - Mutation Analysis for TP53 in Chronic-Type Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma.
AB  - Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a T-cell neoplasm caused by human T-cell
      leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I). ATLL is classified into four clinical subtypes
      based on the clinical manifestation: acute, lymphoma, chronic and smoldering.
      Approximately half of chronic type ATLL cases progressed to the acute type. We
      previously demonstrated that genomic alterations related to the cell cycle de
      regulation such as CDKN2A and immune escape such as CD58 alteration can serve as
      predictive biomarkers for acute transformation of the chronic type. Although
      alteration of TP53, which is known to be a major regulator of cell cycle, has
      been identified in several types of cancers including acute type ATLL, no copy
      number alteration of TP53 was found in the chronic type by array comparative
      genomic hybridization. In the present study, mutation of TP53 was further
      analyzed by sequencing for these cases as well as HTLV-I carriers with oligo
      clonality. However, no TP53 mutation was identified. These results suggested that
      TP53 mutation plays a role for the later stage of ATLL development. 

PMID- 26106002
TI  - T-Cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia, Small Cell Variant, Possibly at the Stage of
      Intracytoplasmic Expression of CD3 in T-Cell Ontogenesis.
AB  - T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia, small cell variant (T-PLL-s), is a rare lymphoid
      neoplasm associated with a poor prognosis. We encountered a case of T-PLL-s with
      a characteristic phenotype. A 67-year-old female was referred to our hospital
      because of lymphocytosis in August 2013. Hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, and
      skin lesions were absent. Hematologic examination revealed a white blood cell
      count of 17.9 * 10(9)/L with 81.2% mature lymphocytes, which were small with a
      high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio, lacking a nucleolus and cytoplasmic granules.
      Anemia and thrombocytopenia were not observed. Flow cytometric analysis showed
      that these lymphocytes were positive for CD2, cyCD3, CD4, CD5, CD7, CD21, and
      CD38 (partially), but negative for smCD3, smTCR-alphabeta and -gammadelta, cyTCR
      beta, CD1a, CD8, CD25, HLA-DR, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase.
      Polymerase-chain reaction analysis of cells from both the peripheral blood and
      the bone marrow demonstrated monoclonal rearrangement of TCR-gamma. A possible
      rearranged band of the TCR-beta gene was observed by Southern blot analysis. The
      karyotype of the marrow cells was 46, XX. A diagnosis of T-PLL-s, possibly at the
      stage of cytoplasmic CD3 expression in the ontogenesis of T-cells, was made. The
      patient has been asymptomatic, and the white blood cell count has gradually
      increased during one-year observation, being 69.0 * 10(9)/L with 89.7%
      lymphocytes in August 2014. 

PMID- 26106003
TI  - Lymphocyte-Rich Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma. A Case with Difficulty in
      Distinguishing from Nodular Lymphocyte-Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma.
AB  - A 35-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of left supraclavicular
      and cervical lymphadenopathies. Histopathological examination of the lymph nodes
      revealed reactive lymphadenopathy. He visited our hospital three years after the
      initial diagnosis because of enlarged left cervical lymph nodes.
      Histopathologically, both Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg (H/RS) and lymphocyte
      predominant (LP) cells were found in the lymph node. We first suspected nodular
      lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL), because these cells were CD15(-)
      and CD30(-). However, the diagnosis of lymphocyte-rich classical Hodgkin lymphoma
      (LRCHL) was finally confirmed, because these cells were found to be CD20(-),
      Bob.1(+), Oct.2(-), and BCL6(-) by additional immunostaining. The patient was
      treated with six cycles of ABVD chemotherapy, and a complete response was
      achieved. However, he underwent autologous stem-cell transplantation after high
      dose chemotherapy owing to a relapse 10 months after primary treatment.
      Distingushing LRCHL from NLPHL was difficult in this patient, because
      histopathological examination showed both H/RS and LP cells, and immunostaining
      revealed these cells to be triple negative (CD15(-), CD30(-) and CD20(-)).
      Accumulation of such cases are necessary to establish better criteria for the
      differential diagnosis and assessment of clinical behavior. 

PMID- 26106004
TI  - Acute Myeloid Leukemia Diagnosed 5 Years after Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma.
AB  - A case of secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was identified following adult T
      cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), for which combination chemotherapy had been
      administered, including epipodophyllotoxin, anthracycline, and alkylating agents.
      AML with maturation was diagnosed by the cytological findings, cell surface
      markers, and chromosomal abnormalities. We previously reported two cases of AML
      accompanied by ATL. In this case of AML after chemotherapy for ATL, we considered
      that the AML was probably associated with previous chemotherapy for ATL. Although
      the ATL remained in remission, the therapy-related AML with complex chromosomal
      abnormalities proved resistant to chemotherapy, and the patient died from
      complications associated with AML. 

PMID- 26106005
TI  - Complete Remission in Systemic Skin Interdigitating Dendritic Cell Sarcoma after
      ABVD Chemotherapy.
AB  - Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS) is a rare and aggressive neoplasm
      that is thought to arise from dendritic cells. This disease usually involves the
      lymph nodes and, rarely, extra-nodal sites. We report a 62-year-old man
      presenting skin nodules in the head, body, and extremities, as well as bone
      marrow involvement. Morphologic analysis of a biopsied specimen from the skin
      lesion was consistent with IDCS. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that
      the tumor cells were positive for IDCS-associated antigens such as CD4, CD45,
      CD68 (KP-1), and S-100 protein. Complete remission was achieved by treatment with
      6 cycles of ABVD (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine)
      chemotherapy. Although the optimal treatment of IDSC remains unknown, the
      experience in the current case supports the notion that ABVD chemotherapy may be
      effective for IDCS, and further extends this idea to rare patients presenting
      multiple skin lesions. 

PMID- 26106006
TI  - Intravascular Large B-Cell Lymphoma Complicated by Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic
      Antibody-Associated Vasculitis that was Successfully Treated with Rituximab
      Containing Chemotherapy.
AB  - A 64-year-old woman had suffered from painful livedo reticularis for 2 years and
      was referred to us due to fever, anasarca and paresthesia of the lower limbs.
      Serum proteinase-3-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) was positive.
      Abnormal lymphocytes were found in the cerebrospinal fluid and bone marrow. Skin
      biopsy revealed large atypical lymphoid cells with CD20 positivity lodged in the
      small vessels and neutrophilic infiltration into the arterial vascular wall with
      fibrinoid degeneration. A diagnosis of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma
      complicated by ANCA-associated vasculitis was made, and rituximab-containing
      chemotherapy followed by prednisolone was quite effective for both lymphoma and
      ANCA-associated vasculitis. 

PMID- 26106007
TI  - Histiocytic Sarcoma Originating in the Lung in a 16-Year-Old Male.
AB  - We report a 16-year-old male with histiocytic sarcoma (HS) originating in the
      lung. Partial resection of the lung was performed for a 3-cm mass with a clear
      boundary detected in the right inferior pulmonary lobe on a health checkup.
      Histologically, the tumor infiltrated into the surrounding tissue, and was
      comprised of spindle cells, mainly, and foam cells accompanied by mild nuclear
      atypia. The tumor cells were immunohistochemically positive for CD68 and CD163,
      indicating histiocytic lineage and the MIB-1-positive rate was low. Spindle cell
      morphology of HS is quite rare and only 3 cases of pulmonary HS have previously
      been reported. 

PMID- 26106008
TI  - Double-Hit Lymphoma.

PMID- 26106009
TI  - Apixaban in Comparison With Warfarin in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and
      Valvular Heart Disease: Findings From the Apixaban for Reduction in Stroke and
      Other Thromboembolic Events in Atrial Fibrillation (ARISTOTLE) Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Apixaban is approved for the prevention of stroke and systemic
      embolism in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. However, the Apixaban
      for Reduction in Stroke and Other Thromboembolic Events in Atrial Fibrillation
      (ARISTOTLE) trial included a substantial number of patients with valvular heart
      disease and only excluded patients with clinically significant mitral stenosis or
      mechanical prosthetic heart valves. METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared the effect
      of apixaban and warfarin on rates of stroke or systemic embolism, major bleeding,
      and death in patients with and without moderate or severe valvular heart disease
      using Cox proportional hazards modeling. Of the 18 201 patients enrolled in
      ARISTOTLE, 4808 (26.4%) had a history of moderate or severe valvular heart
      disease or previous valve surgery. Patients with valvular heart disease had
      higher rates of stroke or systemic embolism and bleeding than patients without
      valvular heart disease. There was no evidence of a differential effect of
      apixaban over warfarin in patients with and without valvular heart disease in
      reducing stroke and systemic embolism (hazard ratio [HR], 0.70; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 0.51-0.97 and HR, 0.84; 95%, CI 0.67-1.04; interaction P=0.38),
      causing less major bleeding (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.61-1.04 and HR, 0.65; 95% CI,
      0.55-0.77; interaction P=0.23), and reducing mortality (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.84
      1.22 and HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73-0.96; interaction P=0.10). CONCLUSIONS: More than
      a quarter of the patients in ARISTOTLE with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation had
      moderate or severe valvular heart disease. There was no evidence of a
      differential effect of apixaban over warfarin in reducing stroke or systemic
      embolism, causing less bleeding, and reducing death in patients with and without
      valvular heart disease. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL:
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00412984.

PMID- 26106011
TI  - Dyslipidemia testing: Why, for whom and when.
AB  - Dyslipidemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This review
      addresses why, who and when to test for dyslipidemia. The essence why to test
      lipids is that those individuals recognized to potentially benefit from primary
      cardiovascular risk prevention, have a complete cardiovascular risk assessment.
      Who and when to test lipids differs among the major European, English and
      American guidelines regarding the recommended age and approach. It is important
      to note that the threshold and the frequency in whom to perform risk assessment
      is not established. Most important in decisions concerning lipid testing is
      communication and to involve individual circumstances. 

PMID- 26106010
TI  - The relationship between cognitive function and high-resolution diffusion tensor
      MRI of the cingulum bundle in multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Imaging can provide noninvasive neural markers of disease progression
      in multiple sclerosis (MS) that are related to behavioral and cognitive symptoms.
      Past work suggests that diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides a measure of
      white matter pathology, including demyelination and axonal counts. OBJECTIVES: In
      the current study, the authors investigate the relationship of DTI measures in
      the cingulum bundle to common deficits in MS, including episodic memory, working
      memory, and information processing speed. METHODS: Fifty-seven patients with MS
      and 17 age- and education-matched controls underwent high-spatial resolution
      diffusion scans and cognitive testing. Probabilistic tracking was used to
      generate tracks from the posterior cingulate cortex to the entorhinal cortex.
      RESULTS: Radial and axial diffusivity values were significantly different between
      patients and controls (p < 0.031), and in patients bilateral diffusion measures
      were significantly related to measures of episodic memory and speed of processing
      (p < 0.033). CONCLUSIONS: The tractography-based measures of posterior cingulum
      integrity reported here support further development of DTI as a viable measure of
      axonal integrity and cognitive function in patients with MS.

PMID- 26106012
TI  - Palliative care: From oncology to all nursing arenas - Good practice or scaring
      the patients?
AB  - The aim of this paper is to encourage critical discussion of an individual's
      understanding of palliative care and compare this with a health care
      professional's understanding of palliative care. In doing this, the paper serves
      to illustrate the importance of words attached to services - so with palliative
      care - are we providing good care, or scaring the patients? The paper touches on
      the historical origins of palliative care as an adjunct of oncology, to a
      specialism in its own right and now as an integral part of all care - in a
      'generalist palliative care nurse'. However, it is unlikely that patients and
      their families are aware of such developments and will see palliative care
      services as immediate end of life care. It is argued that whatever your thoughts
      on the use of the term 'palliative care', it is important to understand what has
      resonance for patients. You may not agree with this paper, and I do not expect
      all of you to agree, but I hope it has made you think. For those who strongly
      disagree, take heart from a quote by Frank A. Clark (1860-1936) 'We find comfort
      among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't'. 

PMID- 26106013
TI  - Defining the minimum anatomical coverage required to protect the axilla and arm
      against penetrating ballistic projectiles.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Defining the minimum anatomical structural coverage required to
      protect from ballistic threats is necessary to enable objective comparisons
      between body armour designs. Current protection for the axilla and arm is in the
      form of brassards, but no evidence exists to justify the coverage that should be
      provided by them. METHOD: A systematic review was undertaken to ascertain which
      anatomical components within the arm or axilla would be highly likely to lead to
      either death within 60 min or would cause significant long-term morbidity.
      RESULTS: Haemorrhage from vascular damage to the axillary or brachial vessels was
      demonstrated to be the principal cause of mortality from arm trauma on combat
      operations. Peripheral nerve injuries are the primary cause of long-term
      morbidity and functional disability following upper extremity arterial trauma.
      DISCUSSION: Haemorrhage is managed through direct pressure and the application of
      a tourniquet. It is therefore recommended that the minimum coverage should be the
      most proximal extent to which a tourniquet can be applied. Superimposition of
      OSPREY brassards over these identified anatomical structures demonstrates that
      current coverage provided by the brassards could potentially be reduced.

PMID- 26106014
TI  - Hundreds are arrested for Medicare fraud totalling $712m.

PMID- 26106015
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 26106016
TI  - Creation of a 3D printed temporal bone model from clinical CT data.
AB  - PURPOSE: Generate and describe the process of creating a 3D printed, rapid
      prototype temporal bone model from clinical quality CT images. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We describe a technique to create an accurate, alterable, and
      reproducible rapid prototype temporal bone model using freely available software
      to segment clinical CT data and generate three different 3D models composed of
      ABS plastic. Each model was evaluated based on the appearance and size of
      anatomical structures and response to surgical drilling. RESULTS: Mastoid air
      cells had retained scaffolding material in the initial versions. This required
      modifying the model to allow drainage of the scaffolding material. External
      auditory canal dimensions were similar to those measured from the clinical data.
      Malleus, incus, oval window, round window, promontory, horizontal semicircular
      canal, and mastoid segment of the facial nerve canal were identified in all
      models. The stapes was only partially formed in two models and absent in the
      third. Qualitative feel of the ABS plastic was softer than bone. The pate
      produced by drilling was similar to bone dust when appropriate irrigation was
      used. CONCLUSION: We present a rapid prototype temporal bone model made based on
      clinical CT data using 3D printing technology. The model can be made quickly and
      inexpensively enough to have potential applications for educational training.

PMID- 26106017
TI  - External-beam radiation therapy for malignant paraganglioma of the head and neck.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malignant paragangliomas of the head and neck are very rare tumors of
      the neuroendocrine cells associated with the peripheral nervous system. There are
      limited data available to help guide treatment of these tumors and the role of
      radiation therapy (RT) is not well-defined. This article briefly reviews the
      pathology, clinical presentation, and treatment modalities of these tumors and
      reviews our institutional experience in treating this malignancy. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: From November 1993 through May 2005, 5 patients with 5 malignant
      paragangliomas of the jugular bulb and carotid body were treated with RT at the
      University of Florida to a median dose of 70 Gy at 1.8 Gy per fraction. Mean and
      median follow-up times are 12.8 years and 14.4 years, respectively. RESULTS: We
      were able to achieve significant disease-free intervals of >10 years for 3 of 5
      patients and >5 years for 4 of 5 patients. Of the 2 patients who failed
      treatment, 1 recurred 7.3 years after the RT salvage treatment following
      combination surgery and RT at another institution, and 1 experienced distant
      metastasis 2.8 years after treatment without obvious recurrence of local disease.
      CONCLUSION: Malignant paragangliomas are a very rare entity whose main treatment
      modality has yet to be well established. Overall, data concerning outcomes are
      sparse, but particularly data on the role of RT in the treatment of these
      difficult tumors. We recommend doses to 70 Gy at 2 Gy per once-daily fraction as
      an adjuvant treatment with surgery to both remove the source of disease and
      provide microscopic control. Patients with incompletely resectable tumors are
      treated with RT alone.

PMID- 26106018
TI  - Thermal desorption gas chromatography with mass spectrometry study of outgassing
      from polymethacrylimide foam (Rohacell(r)).
AB  - Polymethacrylimide foams are used as light structural materials in outer-space
      devices; however, the foam closed cells contain volatile compounds that are
      outgassed even at low temperatures. These compounds ignite as plasmas under outer
      space radiation and the intense radio-frequency fields used in communications.
      Since plasmas may cause spacecraft fatal events, the conditions in which they are
      ignited should be investigated. Therefore, qualitative and quantitative knowledge
      about polymethacrylimide foam outgassing should be established. Using
      thermogravimetric analysis, weight losses reached 3% at ca. 200 degrees C.
      Thermal desorption gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection was used
      to study the offgassed compounds. Using successive 4 min heating cycles at 125
      degrees C, each one corresponding to an injection, significant amounts of
      nitrogen (25.3%), water (2.6%), isobutylene (11.3%), tert-butanol (2.9%), 1
      propanol (11.9%), hexane (25.3%), propyl methacrylate (1.4%), higher hydrocarbons
      (11.3%), fatty acids (2.2%) and their esters (1.3%), and other compounds were
      outgassed. Other compounds were observed during the main stage of thermal
      destruction (220-280 degrees C). A similar study at 175 degrees C revealed the
      extreme difficulty in fully outgassing polar compounds from polymethacrylimide
      foams by baking and showed the different compositions of the offgassed atmosphere
      that can be expected in the long term. 

PMID- 26106023
TI  - GP leaders unite in calling for inspections of surgeries to be suspended.

PMID- 26106024
TI  - Recurrent cerebral ischemia after patent foramen ovale percutaneous closure in
      older patients: A two-center registry study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to describe the cerebral ischemia recurrence
      rate after percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure in patients older than
      55 years and their outcomes, compared with younger patients. BACKGROUND: The
      registries data and the recent randomized trials about PFO closure are focused on
      patients younger than 55 years. Little is known about older patients' long-term
      outcome. METHODS: In total, 458 patients underwent PFO closure for cryptogenic
      cerebral ischemia and were stratified into an "older" (>= 55 years, 151 patients)
      and a "younger" (<55 years, 307 patients) group. RESULTS: Older patients had mean
      age of 63 +/- 6 years and more atrial septum aneurysm (P = 0.05), hypertension,
      diabetes, and dyslipidemia (P = 0.001). Mean followup was 4.5 +/- 2.8 years.
      Older patients had a higher rate of ischemic recurrence (0.3 vs. 4.0%, P =
      0.002), after a mean time of 3.1 +/- 2.6 years. The Kaplan-Meier curve confirmed
      higher event-free survival in the youngers (P = 0.008). None of the patients with
      ischemic recurrence had significant residual shunt. Age and hypertension were
      correlated to ischemic recurrence, but age was the only independent predictor at
      multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Recurrent cerebral ischemia after PFO closure
      is more frequent in older patients and could most likely be associated to
      conditions related to age (atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation), than to
      paradoxical embolism. The procedure is as safe as in younger patients.

PMID- 26106025
TI  - Correlation between the different therapeutic properties of Chinese medicinal
      herbs and delayed luminescence.
AB  - In the practice and principle of Chinese medicine, herbal materials are
      classified according to their therapeutic properties. 'Cold' and 'heat' are the
      most important classes of Chinese medicinal herbs according to the theory of
      traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In this work, delayed luminescence (DL) was
      measured for different samples of Chinese medicinal herbs using a sensitive
      photon multiplier detection system. A comparison of DL parameters, including mean
      intensity and statistic entropy, was undertaken to discriminate between the
      'cold' and 'heat' properties of Chinese medicinal herbs. The results suggest that
      there are significant differences in mean intensity and statistic entropy and
      using this method combined with statistical analysis may provide novel parameters
      for the characterization of Chinese medicinal herbs in relation to their
      energetic properties.

PMID- 26106026
TI  - A clinicopathologic study of 11 rosette-forming meningiomas: a rare and
      potentially confusing pattern.

PMID- 26106027
TI  - Depleted mitochondrial DNA content in peripheral blood of women with a history of
      HELLP syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that a quantitative defect of maternal cellular
      mitochondria would play a role in the pathogenesis of HELLP syndrome. STUDY
      DESIGN: Peripheral blood mitochondrial DNA (MtDNA) was measured in 20 non
      pregnant women with a history of HELLP syndrome, 40 non-pregnant control subjects
      who had previous physiologic pregnancies, 59 subjects carrying physiologic
      pregnancies, seven pregnant women with a history of HELLP syndrome and five women
      in the active phase of the disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Peripheral blood Mt
      DNA. RESULTS: The median (interquartile range) mtDNA in women with a history of
      HELLP syndrome, in non-pregnant women who had previous physiologic pregnancies,
      in subjects carrying physiologic pregnancies, in pregnant women with a history of
      HELLP syndrome and in women in the active phase of the disease was 115 (81-194),
      229 (199-319), 174 (136-211), 101 (82-178) and 92 (39-129) copies per nuclear
      DNA, respectively. Non-pregnant women with a history of HELLP syndrome had
      significantly lower levels than non-pregnant controls (p<0.001). Moreover, blood
      mtDNA was lower in pregnant women with a history of HELLP syndrome and in those
      in the active phase of the disease when compared to pregnant controls (p=0.002
      and p=0.025, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Attenuated maternal mitochondrial
      function may favor HELLP syndrome development.

PMID- 26106028
TI  - Clinical significance of proteinuria determined with dipstick test, edema, and
      weekly weight gain ?500g at antenatal visit.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine how urine dipstick test, edema, and/or excessive weight
      gain (EWG, defined as ?500g/week) at antenatal visits predict significant
      proteinuria (defined as a protein-to-creatinine ratio [P/Cr, mg/mg] ?0.27) and
      preeclampsia. METHODS: Data from 3279 antenatal visits between 30 and 36weeks of
      gestation were studied in 783 women with singleton pregnancies. In 24
      preeclamptic pregnancies, data from 89 antenatal visits at and before diagnosis
      of preeclampsia were used. Spot P/Cr was determined in women with repeated
      positive dipstick test results in two successive antenatal visits or in those
      with a positive dipstick test result tested in the presence of hypertension.
      RESULTS: Proteinuria on dipstick test, edema, and EWG appeared often in both
      women with and without preeclampsia; 66.7% vs. 27.7%, 83.3% vs. 44.1%, and 91.7%
      vs. 81.6%, respectively. However, repeated positive dipstick test results in two
      successive antenatal visits yielded sensitivity of 45.5%, specificity of 95.2%,
      and positive and negative predictive values of 30.0% and 97.4%, respectively, for
      detection of significant proteinuria and corresponding figures of 33.3%, 94.1%,
      14.0%, and 98.0% for prediction of preeclampsia. CONCLUSION: Repeated positive
      dipstick test results in two successive antenatal visits warrant a need for a
      confirmation test of significant proteinuria.

PMID- 26106029
TI  - An assessment of predictive value of the biophysical profile in women with
      preeclampsia using data from the fullPIERS database.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia is associated with increased risk to both the mother
      and fetus. Effective monitoring of the fetal condition is essential to the
      management of women with pre-eclampsia. The biophysical profile (BPP) is one
      monitoring tool available to clinicians. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To compare the BPP
      test with cardiotocography/non-stress test (CTG/NST) alone for their ability to
      predict fetal acidemia at birth or a composite adverse perinatal outcome among
      women with preeclampsia and to estimate the effect of BPP assessment on mode of
      delivery and birth outcome. METHODS: Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort
      of women with preeclampsia. The predictive ability of the tests was assessed
      based on sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+,
      LR-). Women assessed with the BPP were compared with matched controls not
      assessed with the BPP to determine the odds of Cesarean delivery or adverse
      perinatal outcomes after adjustment for potential confounders. RESULTS: Five out
      of 89 women (5.6%) had an abnormal BPP; 18 out of 89 (20.2%) had an abnormal
      CTG/NST. Fetal acidemia was diagnosed in 13 fetuses (14.6%); composite adverse
      perinatal outcome in 68 fetuses/infants (76.4%). Both tests had relatively poor
      predictive performance for both outcomes (LR+ between 2.50 and 3.90 and LR-
      between 0.64 and 0.93). Assessment with the BPP was positively associated with
      fetal acidemia (adjusted OR 4.84; 95% CI 1.33-17.66). CONCLUSION: The BPP and
      CTG/NST alone were poor predictors of perinatal outcome in this cohort; multiple
      tests should be considered when assessing fetal risk in women with preeclampsia.

PMID- 26106030
TI  - Changes in d-dimer levels in pregnant women according to gestational week.
AB  - We performed a retrospective review of medical charts regarding blood d-dimer
      levels determined cross-sectionally by the latex agglutination assay in 1952
      samples from 1185 women to determine changes in d-dimer levels according to the
      stage of pregnancy. Three of 17 women in whom further investigations were
      performed were found to have clinical venous thromboembolism (VTE). The median
      and 95th percentile values of d-dimer (MUg/mL) in the 1182 women without clinical
      VTE, 0.54 and 2.41 at gestational week (GW) 4-13, increased gradually to 1.22 and
      5.03 at GW 14-27, 1.81 and 6.18 at GW 28-35, and 2.13 and 5.85 at GW 36-42,
      respectively. A total of nine women (0.76%), including three women with clinical
      VTE, exhibited a d-dimer level >14.0MUg/mL, which was well above the 99th
      percentile for any stage of pregnancy. Thus, 3 (33%) of the nine with a d-dimer
      level >14MUg/mL developed clinical VTE, while none of the remaining 1176 women
      with a d-dimer level ?14MUg/mL developed clinical VTE. Although further
      prospective studies are required, our results suggested that there is a certain
      cut-off d-dimer value that would allow us to differentiate between pregnant women
      with and without clinical VTE. 

PMID- 26106031
TI  - Postpartum alterations in circulating endothelial progenitor cells in women with
      a history of pre-eclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize persistent postpartum maternal endothelial dysfunction
      following pre-eclampsia (PE) through the assessment of endothelial progenitor
      cells as markers of endothelial reparative capacity. STUDY DESIGN: Maternal
      circulating endothelial progenitor cells were measured at 2months and 6months
      postpartum in women who had recently experienced PE pregnancies (n=17).
      Normotensive controls (n=13) with uncomplicated pregnancies served for comparison
      at the same time points. Progenitor cells were measured by flow cytometry and by
      colony forming units. Maternal cardiovascular risk was measured at 6months
      postpartum. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Levels of maternal circulating endothelial
      progenitor cells and cardiovascular risk in the early postpartum period of
      uncomplicated and PE pregnancies. RESULTS: CD34+VEGFR-2+ and CD133+VEGFR-2+ cells
      were elevated in PE subjects at 2months postpartum compared to healthy control
      subjects, although reduced by 6months postpartum. PE was associated with reduced
      colony forming units at 2 and 6months postpartum. Cardiovascular risk scores were
      increased in PE compared to normotensive controls. CONCLUSIONS: We have
      demonstrated that there is a physiological alteration in the number and function
      of circulating progenitor cells following PE pregnancies. Furthermore, this
      population of women exhibited elevated cardiovascular risk profiles compared to
      those with uncomplicated pregnancies. Pregnancy and the development of PE
      identify an early window for cardiovascular risk screening in women. Cellular
      markers of vascular health offer an approach to the investigation of postpartum
      endothelial dysfunction.

PMID- 26106032
TI  - Eclampsia: Maternal and neonatal outcomes.
AB  - The objective of our study is to define the maternal and neonatal outcomes
      associated with eclampsia. This retrospective cohort study was performed using
      the Consortium on Safe Labor, database from 12 clinical centers, including 19
      hospitals, from 2002-2008. All patients admitted with a diagnosis of eclampsia or
      seizure in labor and delivery or postpartum were included in the analysis.
      Patients with history of seizure disorder were excluded. Maternal and neonatal
      outcomes were compared to outcomes of women with preeclampsia and their neonates.
      Statistical analyses were performed using SAS. Chi square and t-test were used
      for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Logistic regression and
      general linear regression were used to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence
      intervals. p<0.05 was considered significant. The eclampsia prevalence was 0.08%
      (n=191) in our population; the preeclampsia cohort had 7012 women. There were
      significantly more eclamptic women (49%) delivered by cesarean section, as
      compared to preeclamptic women (36%), OR 1.7 (1.28-2.28). These women were more
      likely to have an ICU admission OR 12.9 (7.0-23.7). The mean gestational ages and
      birthweights were lower in the neonates of the eclampsia group. A multivariate
      analysis revealed that low cord arterial pH, low 5min Apgar score, respiratory
      distress syndrome OR 5.5, (1.11-27.66) and seizures OR 10.3 (3.12-33.68), p<0.05,
      were significantly elevated in the eclampsia cohort. The prevalence of eclampsia
      in our contemporary obstetrics population was 0.08%. Both mothers as well as
      neonates of eclamptics are at significant risk for complications due to their
      illness. 

PMID- 26106033
TI  - sFlt-1/PlGF ratio as a prognostic marker of adverse outcomes in women with early
      onset preeclampsia.
AB  - Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) is an anti-angiogenic factor released
      in higher amounts by preeclamptic placentas and it has been implicated in the
      endothelial dysfunction observed in the disease. In this study we evaluated if
      circulating sFlt-1/PlGF ratio is useful to predict adverse outcomes in women with
      early-onset preeclampsia. This is a cohort study of 88 preeclamptic women with
      singleton pregnancies at ?35weeks of gestation. According to definitions used,
      adverse outcomes occurred in 46.5% (N=43) of the patients. The median sFlt1/PlGF
      ratio (25th-75th centile) for all patients evaluated was of 42.26 (13.1-226.1).
      The median sFlt-1/PlGF ratio among women who had any adverse outcome (N=43)
      versus no adverse outcomes (N=45) was of 227.6 (80.3-346.1) versus 14.4 (3.35
      30.0), (P<0.0001). According to our analyses a sFlt-1/PlGF ratio cut-point of ?85
      gave a sensitivity of 74.0% and specificity of 97.0%. The positive predictive
      value and the negative predictive value were 96.0% and 80.0%, respectively. The
      median sFlt-1/PlGF ratio (25th-75th centile) for patients who delivered within
      <7days was 260.0 (127.7-404.7) as compared to 14.4 (3.35-34.97) for those
      patients who delivered within two weeks or more (P<0.0001). Our results suggest
      that sFlt-1/PlGF ratio is a promising marker for adverse outcomes in women with
      early-onset preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26106034
TI  - Correspondence related to "Flash pulmonary edema during cesarean section in a
      woman with preeclampsia." Pregnancy hypertension: 371-373.

PMID- 26106035
TI  - Evaluation and utilization of preassembled frozen commercial fast real-time qPCR
      master mixes for detection of cytomegalovirus and BK virus.
AB  - Quantitative DNA detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and BK virus (BKV) is
      critical in the management of transplant patients. Quantitative laboratory
      developed procedures for CMV and BKV have been described in which much of the
      processing is automated, resulting in rapid, reproducible, and high-throughput
      testing of transplant patients. To increase the efficiency of such assays, the
      performance and stability of four commercial preassembled frozen fast qPCR master
      mixes (Roche FastStart Universal Probe Master Mix with Rox, Bio-Rad SsoFast
      Probes Supermix with Rox, Life Technologies TaqMan FastAdvanced Master Mix, and
      Life Technologies Fast Universal PCR Master Mix), in combination with in-house
      designed primers and probes, was evaluated using controls and standards from
      standard CMV and BK assays. A subsequent parallel evaluation using patient
      samples was performed comparing the performance of freshly prepared assay mixes
      versus aliquoted frozen master mixes made with two of the fast qPCR mixes (Life
      Technologies TaqMan FastAdvanced Master Mix, and Bio-Rad SsoFast Probes Supermix
      with Rox), chosen based on their performance and compatibility with existing PCR
      cycling conditions. The data demonstrate that the frozen master mixes retain
      excellent performance over a period of at least 10 weeks. During the parallel
      testing using clinical specimens, no difference in quantitative results was
      observed between the preassembled frozen master mixes and freshly prepared master
      mixes. Preassembled fast real-time qPCR frozen master mixes perform well and
      represent an additional strategy laboratories can implement to reduce assay
      preparation times, and to minimize technical errors and effort necessary to
      perform clinical PCR.

PMID- 26106036
TI  - Haploinsufficiency for BRCA1 leads to cell-type-specific genomic instability and
      premature senescence.
AB  - Although BRCA1 function is essential for maintaining genomic integrity in all
      cell types, it is unclear why increased risk of cancer in individuals harbouring
      deleterious mutations in BRCA1 is restricted to only a select few tissues. Here
      we show that human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) from BRCA1-mutation carriers
      (BRCA1(mut/+)) exhibit increased genomic instability and rapid telomere erosion
      in the absence of tumour-suppressor loss. Furthermore, we uncover a novel form of
      haploinsufficiency-induced senescence (HIS) specific to epithelial cells, which
      is triggered by pRb pathway activation rather than p53 induction. HIS and
      telomere erosion in HMECs correlate with misregulation of SIRT1 leading to
      increased levels of acetylated pRb as well as acetylated H4K16 both globally and
      at telomeric regions. These results identify a novel form of cellular senescence
      and provide a potential molecular basis for the rapid cell- and tissue- specific
      predisposition of breast cancer development associated with BRCA1
      haploinsufficiency. 

PMID- 26106037
TI  - Computational study of the W260A activating mutant of Src tyrosine kinase.
AB  - Tyrosine kinases are enzymes playing a critical role in cellular signaling.
      Mutations causing increased in kinase activity are often associated with cancer
      and various pathologies. One example in Src tyrosine kinases is offered by the
      substitution of the highly conserved tryptophan 260 by an alanine (W260A), which
      has been shown to cause an increase in activity. Here, molecular dynamics
      simulations based on atomic models are carried out to characterize the
      conformational changes in the linker region and the catalytic (kinase) domain of
      Src kinase to elucidate the impact of the W260A mutation. Umbrella sampling
      calculations show that the conformation of the linker observed in the assembled
      down-regulated state of the kinase is most favored when the kinase domain is in
      the inactive state, whereas the conformation of the linker observed in the re
      assembled up-regulated state of the kinase is favored when the kinase domain is
      in the unphosphorylated active-like state. The calculations further indicate that
      there are only small differences between the WT and W260A mutant. In both cases,
      the intermediates states are very similar and the down-regulated inactive
      conformation is the most stable state. However, the calculations also show that
      the free energy cost to reach the unphosphorylated active-like conformation is
      slightly smaller for the W260A mutant compared with WT. A simple kinetic model is
      developed and submitted to a Bayesian Monte Carlo analysis to illustrate how such
      small differences can contribute to accelerate the trans-autophosphorylation
      reaction and yield a large increase in the activity of the mutant as observed
      experimentally.

PMID- 26106038
TI  - An appraisal of the Functional Movement ScreenTM grading criteria--Is the
      composite score sensitive to risky movement behavior?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between the composite Functional Movement
      Screen (FMS) score and performers' spine and frontal plane knee motion. DESIGN:
      Examined the spine and frontal plane knee motion exhibited by performers who
      received high (>14) and low (<14) composite FMS scores. Participants' body
      motions were quantified while they performed the FMS. SETTING: Biomechanics
      laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve men who received composite FMS scores greater
      than 14 were assigned to a high-scoring group. Twelve age-, height- and weight
      matched men with FMS scores below 14 were assigned to a low-scoring group.
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Composite FMS scores and peak lumbar spine flexion/extension,
      lateral bend and axial twist, and left and right frontal plane knee motion.
      RESULTS: Significant differences (p < 0.05) and large effect sizes (>0.8) were
      noted between the high- and low-scoring groups when performing the FMS tasks;
      high-scorers employed less spine and frontal plane knee motion. Substantial
      variation was also observed amongst participants. CONCLUSIONS: Participants with
      high composite FMS scores exhibited less spine and frontal plane knee motion
      while performing the FMS in comparison to their low-scoring counterparts.
      However, because substantial variation was observed amongst performers, the FMS
      may not provide the specificity needed for individualized injury risk assessment
      and exercise prescription.

PMID- 26106039
TI  - Mapping malaria in municipalities of the Coffee Triangle region of Colombia using
      Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
AB  - Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have been used extensively for the
      development of epidemiological maps of malaria but not in the Coffee Triangle
      region of Colombia, endemic for P. vivax, P. falciparum and P. malariae.
      Surveillance case data (2007-2011) were used to estimate annual incidence rates
      per Plasmodium spp. (cases/100,000 pop) to develop the first malaria maps in the
      53 municipalities of this region (departments Caldas, Quindio, Risaralda). The
      GIS software used was Kosmo Desktop 3.0RC1((r)). Thirty thematic maps were
      developed according to the municipalities, years, parasite etiology, and
      uncomplicated and complicated cases. A total of 6582 cases were reported (6478
      uncomplicated and 104 complicated, 77.8% Risaralda), for a cumulated rate of
      269.46 cases/100,000 pop. Among uncomplicated cases, 5722 corresponded to P.
      vivax (234.25 cases/100,000 pop), 475 to P. falciparum (19.45 cases/100,000 pop),
      8 to P. malariae (0.33 cases/100,000 pop) and 273 mixed (P. falciparum/P. vivax)
      (11.18 cases/100,000 pop). The highest rate reported was in the more undeveloped
      and rural municipality of Risaralda (Pueblo Rico, 57.7 cases/1000 pop, 2009). The
      burden of disease was concentrated in one department (>75% of the region). The
      use of GIS-based epidemiological maps helps to guide decision-making for the
      prevention and control of this public health problem that still represents a
      significant issue in the region and the country, particularly in children. 

PMID- 26106040
TI  - The epidemiology of Dengue fever in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review.
AB  - Dengue fever (DF) is the most serious mosquito-borne viral disease worldwide. DF
      is an acute febrile illness caused by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, which
      are endemic in certain cities of Saudi Arabia, such as Jeddah and Makkah (Mecca).
      An online literature search was conducted using relevant keywords to retrieve DF
      studies conducted in Saudi Arabia. Forty-five articles were identified initially.
      After screening for exclusion and retrieving full texts, a total of 10 articles
      were used for this review. Four studies were cross-sectional, and three observed
      a seroprevalence ranging from 31.7% to 56.9%, either among clinically suspected
      cases or among patients visiting the hospital for other reasons. Evidence
      extracted from risk factors and distribution studies indicated that young males
      are commonly affected. Fever, vomiting, thrombocytopenia and leukopoenia were the
      common features of the three studies related to clinical presentation of DF. One
      cross-sectional study concerning an educational program for DF demonstrated that
      a positive family history of DF, literate mothers, and age over 17 years were the
      predictors of a high DF knowledge score. However, the paucity of large
      epidemiological studies limits the generalizability of such evidence. Future
      studies in Saudi Arabia should focus upon the expansion of DF to other cities in
      the Kingdom. Larger epidemiological studies are needed for estimating the true
      burden and incidence of DF in the Saudi population, as they are limited to
      seroprevalence among clinically suspected cases and hospital-based patients.

PMID- 26106042
TI  - Magnesium intervention studies -methodological aspects.

PMID- 26106044
TI  - The Origin, Expression, Function and Future Research Focus of a G Protein-coupled
      Receptor, Mas-related Gene X2 (MrgX2).
AB  - Mas-related genes (Mrgs) belong to a large family of G protein-coupled receptor
      genes found in rodents. Human MRGX proteins are G protein-coupled 7-transmembrane
      proteins sharing 41-52% amino acid identity with each other, but have no
      orthologs in rodents. MrgX2 is a member of the MrgX family. MRGX2 is expressed in
      the small neurons of sensory ganglia and mast cells. It can interact with a
      series of factors and genes such as the peptides substance P, vasoactive
      intestinal peptide, cortistatin (CST), proadrenomedullin N-terminal peptide
      (PAMP), LL-37, PMX-53 and beta-defensins. MRGX2 is related to nociception,
      adrenal gland secretion and mast cell degranulation. Recent research on MrgX2
      provides insights into its role in nociception and anti-microbial activities.
      This article reviewed the origin, expression and function of MrgX2, and discussed
      possible future research focus. 

PMID- 26106045
TI  - Pol I-transcribed hepatitis C virus genome RNA replicates, produces an infectious
      virus and leads to severe hepatic steatosis in transgenic mice.
AB  - Patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) are at risk of
      developing end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Development of
      drugs to inhibit hepatocyte damage and a vaccine against HCV is hampered by the
      lack of a small animal model. We generated mice in which the viral genome RNA was
      always present in the hepatocytes using a special transgene. Here we show that
      the HCV genome RNA transcribed by Pol I polymerase can replicate and produce
      infectious viruses in mice. We obtained a transgenic mouse with 200 copies per
      haploid which we named the A line mouse. It produced ~ 3 * 10(6) HCV RNA
      copies/mL serum, which is at the comparable level as patients with chronic HCV
      infection. This mouse was immunotolerant to HCV and showed hepatic steatosis
      without any necroinflammation at the age of 6 months or hepatocellular carcinoma
      at the age of 15 months. Thus, the A line mouse can be used as an animal model
      for chronic HCV infection. This will enable better study of the abnormalities in
      metabolism and signal transduction in infected hepatocytes, and development of
      drugs that cure abnormalities. 

PMID- 26106046
TI  - Blood pressure, renal biochemical parameters and histopathology in an original
      rat model of essential hypertension (SHRSP/Kpo strain).
AB  - Hypertensive nephropathy, a consequence of chronic high blood pressure, is
      increasingly a cause of end-stage renal diseases and its correct management is
      very important for clinical outcome. Spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR/Kpo) and
      stroke-prone SHR (SHRSP/Kpo) strains represent models of human essential
      hypertension. However, the kidney injuries in SHR/Kpo and SHRSP/Kpo are not well
      defined. We therefore characterized the renal pathophysiology of SHR/Kpo and
      SHRSP/Kpo compared with normotensive control (WKY/Kpo) rats. The SHRSP/Kpo
      exhibited increased systolic blood pressure at 10 weeks of age, and proteinuria
      and increased blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine levels at 20 weeks.
      We simultaneously detected mononuclear cell infiltration, tubular injuries,
      accumulation of extracellular matrix and marked expression of alpha-SMA in the
      tubulointerstitium. Additionally, TGF-beta1 and CTGF were up-regulated in the
      kidney of SHRSP/Kpo. We lastly focused on changes in glomerular cells of
      SHRSP/Kpo. Nestin, a podocyte marker, was detected but decreased slightly in 20
      week-old SHRSP/Kpo. PECAM-1 expression was increased in SHRSP/Kpo glomeruli,
      indicating the thickening of glomerular endothelial cells. Moreover, we found
      that alpha-SMA, a myofibroblast marker, was also upregulated in the glomeruli of
      SHRSP/Kpo at 20 weeks. These findings suggest that SHRSP/Kpo could be a valuable
      animal model for human hypertensive nephropathy. 

PMID- 26106047
TI  - Hyaline cartilage formation and tumorigenesis of implanted tissues derived from
      human induced pluripotent stem cells.
AB  - Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a promising cell source for cartilage
      regenerative medicine. Meanwhile, the risk of tumorigenesis should be considered
      in the clinical application of human iPSCs (hiPSCs). Here, we report in vitro
      chondrogenic differentiation of hiPSCs and maturation of the differentiated
      hiPSCs through transplantation into mouse knee joints. Three hiPSC clones showed
      efficient chondrogenic differentiation using an established protocol for human
      embryonic stem cells. The differentiated hiPSCs formed hyaline cartilage tissues
      at 8 weeks after transplantation into the articular cartilage of NOD/SCID mouse
      knee joints. Although tumors were not observed during the 8 weeks after
      transplantation, an immature teratoma had developed in one mouse at 16 weeks. In
      conclusion, hiPSCs are a potent cell source for regeneration of hyaline articular
      cartilage. However, the risk of tumorigenesis should be managed for clinical
      application in the future. 

PMID- 26106048
TI  - Increased expression of 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(2B) receptors in detrusor muscle after
      partial bladder outlet obstruction in rats.
AB  - Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT)-induced bladder contraction is enhanced
      after partial bladder outlet obstruction (pBOO) in rats. We investigated time
      dependent changes in bladder contraction and expression of 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(2B)
      receptor mRNA in bladder tissue to elucidate the mechanism of this enhancement.
      On day 3 and 7 after pBOO, contractile responses of isolated rat bladder strips
      to 5-HT were increased compared with that in sham-operated rats; on day 14, the
      response had decreased to the same level as that in sham rat bladders. In
      contrast, carbacholinduced contraction was not enhanced by pBOO at any time
      point. In sham rats, 5-HT(2A) receptor mRNA was expressed in the urothelium, and
      5-HT(2B) receptor mRNA was expressed in the detrusor muscle layer. In pBOO rats,
      both receptor mRNAs were increased in the detrusor muscle and subserosal layers,
      but not in the urothelium. The increase of 5-HT(2A) receptor mRNA was maintained
      from day 3 to day 14 after pBOO, and 5-HT(2B) receptor mRNA was increased on day
      7 after pBOO. These results suggested that pBOO induced up-regulation of the 5
      HT(2A) and 5-HT(2B) receptors in the detrusor muscle and subserosal layers of the
      bladder, and such up-regulation may be related to the enhanced bladder
      contractile response to 5-HT.

PMID- 26106049
TI  - Three-dimensional reconstruction of serial sections for analysis of the
      microvasculature of the white pulp and the marginal zone in the human spleen.
AB  - Although a number of papers have given useful information on splenic
      microcirculation by light and/or scanning electron microscopy, controversies
      remain as to the vascular arrangement, especially in the human spleen. The
      present study re-examined the microvasculature of the human spleen using a three
      dimensional reconstruction of immunohistochemically stained tissue sections, and
      showed that the central artery does not directly issue follicular arteries in the
      human spleen; follicular arteries are derived from penicillar arteries outside
      the follicle and end in the white pulp. We found that the splenic follicle is
      surrounded by an elaborate system of anastomosed capillaries in both the marginal
      zone and the superficial layer of the white pulp. Most of these capillaries are
      also branches of the penicillar arterioles that are issued from the central
      artery in the same, or a different, white pulp system. Because the endothelia of
      these capillaries are widely open in the marginal zone, this vascular network may
      play a major role in supplying blood to the marginal zone. The accumulation of
      sialoadhesin-positive macrophages was also observed around the vascular network,
      suggesting an important role for this structure as the front line of immune
      response. 

PMID- 26106050
TI  - A systematic analysis for localization of predominant growth factors and their
      receptors involved in murine tooth germ differentiation using in situ
      hybridization technique.
AB  - Tooth development is regulated by various growth factors and their receptors.
      However, the overall mechanism of growth factor-mediated odontogenesis remains to
      be elucidated. The present study examined expression sites and intensities of
      major growth factors and receptors in the tooth germ of murine fetuses and
      neonates. Signals of TGF-beta and CTGF in fetuses were released from the enamel
      epithelium, while their neonatal signals arose in odontoblasts. Moreover,
      BMP/Smad signaling may affect the differentiation of ameloblasts, in contrast to
      PDGFalpha whose signals may cause odontoblast differentiation. Growth factors
      associated with the formation of the periodontium were IGF1, IGF2, IGFBP3, CTGF,
      and PDGFalpha. Concerning cusp formation, the enamel knot selectively expressed
      FGF4, BMP2, and BMP4 with an expression of PDGFalpha in the enamel-free area. It
      is concluded that many molecules play critical roles in the epithelium-mesenchyme
      interaction of tooth germ differentiation, and their expressions are precisely
      controlled. 

PMID- 26106051
TI  - Nicotianamine is a novel angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 inhibitor in soybean.
AB  - Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a carboxypeptidase which is highly
      homologous to angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). ACE2 produces vasodilator
      peptides angiotensin 1-7 from angiotensin II. In the present study, we
      synthesized various internally quenched fluorogenic (IQF) substrates (fluorophore
      Xaa-Pro-quencher) based on the cleavage site of angiotensin II introducing N
      terminal fluorophore N-methylanthranilic acid (Nma) and C-terminal quencher
      N(epsilon)-2,4- dinitrophenyl-lysine [Lys(Dnp)]. The synthesized mixed substrates
      "Nma-Xaa-Pro-Lys(Dnp)" were hydrolyzed by recombinant human (rh) ACE2. The amount
      of each product was determined by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS)
      with fluorescence detection and it was found that Nma-His-Pro-Lys(Dnp) is the
      most suitable substrate for rhACE2. The K(m), k(cat), and k(cat)/K(m) values of
      Nma-His-Pro-Lys(Dnp) on rhACE2 were determined to be 23.3 MUM, 167 s(-1), and
      7.17 MUM(-1) s(-1), respectively. Using the rhACE2 and the newly developed IQF
      substrate, we found rhACE2 inhibitory activity in soybean and isolated the active
      compound soybean ACE2 inhibitor (ACE2iSB). The physicochemical data on the
      isolated ACE2iSB were identical to those of nicotianamine. ACE2iSB strongly
      inhibited rhACE2 activity with an IC50 value of 84 nM. This is the first
      demonstration of an ACE2 inhibitor from foodstuffs.

PMID- 26106052
TI  - High levels of vitamin D in relation to reduced risk of schizophrenia with
      elevated C-reactive protein.
AB  - There is growing evidence on the novel role of vitamin D in reducing
      inflammation. This study aimed to examine the hypothesis that vitamin D is
      inversely associated with C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with
      schizophrenia, and high levels of vitamin D may be linked to reduced risk of
      schizophrenia with elevated CRP. Ninety-three patients with schizophrenia and 93
      family-matched controls were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Plasma
      concentrations of CRP and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were measured using
      commercial kits. Information about demographic characteristics and clinic data
      were obtained by interviews or medical records. Mean levels of CRP and 25(OH)D
      were 43.3% higher and 26.7% lower for patients compared to controls,
      respectively. 25(OH)D were inversely associated with CRP in the patients, but not
      in the controls. The proportions of patients significantly increased with
      increasing quartiles of CRP, while significantly decreased with increasing
      quartiles of 25(OH)D. Among individuals with high CRP, participants with high
      25(OH)D have significantly lower proportion (adjusted OR =0.217, 95% CI 0.063,
      0.751) of schizophrenia compared to those with low 25(OH)D. The evidence
      suggested that high levels of vitamin D may be linked to reduced risk of
      schizophrenia with elevated CRP. 

PMID- 26106054
TI  - Sustained reduction in health care costs after adjunctive treatment of graded
      intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy in patients with psychotic disorders.
AB  - The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the changes in symptom severity and
      long-term health care cost after intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy
      (ISTDP) individually tailored and administered to patients with psychotic
      disorders undergoing standard psychiatric care. Eleven therapists with different
      levels of expertise delivered an average of 13 one-hour sessions of graded ISTDP
      to 38 patients with psychotic disorders. Costs for health care services were
      compiled for a one-year period prior to the start of ISTDP (baseline) along with
      four one-year periods after termination. Two validated self-report scales, the
      Brief Symptom Inventory and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, were
      administered at intake and termination of ISTDP. Results revealed that health
      care cost reductions were significant for the one-year post-treatment period
      relative to baseline year, for both physician costs and hospital costs, and the
      reductions were sustained for the follow-up period of four post-treatment years.
      Furthermore, at treatment termination self-reported symptoms and interpersonal
      problems were significantly reduced. These preliminary findings suggest that this
      brief adjunctive psychotherapy may be beneficial and reduce costs in selected
      patients with psychotic disorders, and that gains are sustained in long-term
      follow-up. Future research directions are discussed. 

PMID- 26106055
TI  - Maturation in patients with borderline personality disorder.
AB  - Patients with borderline personality disorder have a characteristic and extreme
      personality associated with psychopathology. The aim was to investigate
      personality change in relation to suicidality following treatment. 21 patients
      were assessed before and after psychotherapy on personality (NEO PI-R) and
      suicidality (SUAS). At follow-up, Neuroticism and Conscientiousness normalized
      along with six lower-order facets; Depression, Impulsiveness, Competence,
      Achievement Striving, Self-Discipline and Deliberation. Thirteen patients showed
      a positive personality development paralleled by a lesser degree of suicidality. 

PMID- 26106053
TI  - Severity of eating disorder symptoms related to oxytocin receptor polymorphisms
      in anorexia nervosa.
AB  - Oxytocin is a peptide hormone important for social behavior and differences in
      psychological traits have been associated with variants of the oxytocin receptor
      gene in healthy people. We examined whether single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) correlated with clinical symptoms in
      women with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and healthy comparison (HC) women.
      Subjects completed clinical assessments and provided DNA for analysis. Subjects
      were divided into four groups: HC, subjects currently with anorexia nervosa (AN
      C), subjects with a history of anorexia nervosa but in long-term weight recovery
      (AN-WR), and subjects with bulimia nervosa (BN). Five SNPs of the oxytocin
      receptor were examined. Minor allele carriers showed greater severity in most of
      the psychiatric symptoms. Importantly, the combination of having had anorexia and
      carrying either of the A alleles for two SNPS in the OXTR gene (rs53576,
      rs2254298) was associated with increased severity specifically for ED symptoms
      including cognitions and behaviors associated both with eating and appearance. A
      review of psychosocial data related to the OXTR polymorphisms examined is
      included in the discussion. OXTR polymorphisms may be a useful intermediate
      endophenotype to consider in the treatment of patients with anorexia nervosa. 

PMID- 26106056
TI  - Relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociation, quality
      of life, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation among earthquake survivors.
AB  - Researches have demonstrated that Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of
      the most common stress reactions in the face of disasters and significantly
      associated with a broad range of trauma-induced sequelaes including anxiety,
      depression, suicidality as well as functional impairments. To date, though many
      aspects of risk factors with respect to the development and maintenance of PTSD
      have been addressed, mediating role of dissociation has received relatively less
      attention. In the present study, we examined relations of PTSD with quality of
      life, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and mediational effect of pathological
      dissociation in these connections. 583 subjects most of whom experienced a severe
      earthquake participated in the study after two years of the disaster. We found
      that being female, being single, earthquake exposure, and having greater suicidal
      ideation were significant predictors of PTSD symptom severity. Role-Physical,
      Bodily-Pain, General Health and Role-Emotional subscales of the SF-36 were
      inversely associated with PTSD symptom severity. Pathological dissociation
      significantly mediated the substantial associations between predictors and PTSD
      symptom clusters. Chronic dissociation appears to put trauma exposed individuals
      in jeopardy of prolonged posttraumatic reactions by mediating the negative
      influences of risk factors in the face of experienced earthquake. 

PMID- 26106057
TI  - Task frequency influences stimulus-driven effects on task selection during
      voluntary task switching.
AB  - Task selection during voluntary task switching involves both top-down (goal
      directed) and bottom-up (stimulus-driven) mechanisms. The factors that shift the
      balance between these two mechanisms are not well characterized. In the present
      research, we studied the role that task frequency plays in determining the extent
      of stimulus-driven task selection. In two experiments, we used the basic paradigm
      adapted from Arrington (Memory & Cognition, 38, 991-997, 2008), in which the
      effect of stimulus availability serves as a marker of stimulus-driven task
      selection. A number and letter appeared on each trial with varying stimulus onset
      asynchronies, and participants performed either a consonant/vowel or an even/odd
      judgment. In Experiment 1, participants were instructed as to the relative
      frequency with which each task was to be performed (i.e., 50/50, 60/40, or 75/25)
      and were further instructed to make their transitions between tasks
      unpredictable. In Experiment 2, participants were given no instructions about how
      to select tasks, resulting in naturally occurring variation in task frequency.
      With both instructed (Exp. 1) and naturally occurring (Exp. 2) relative task
      frequencies, the less frequently performed task showed a greater effect of
      stimulus availability on task selection, suggestive of a larger influence of
      stimulus-driven mechanisms during task performance for the less frequent task.
      When goal-directed mechanisms of task choice are engaged less frequently, the
      relative influence of the stimulus environment increases. 

PMID- 26106058
TI  - The helpfulness of category labels in semi-supervised learning depends on
      category structure.
AB  - The study of semi-supervised category learning has generally focused on how
      additional unlabeled information with given labeled information might benefit
      category learning. The literature is also somewhat contradictory, sometimes
      appearing to show a benefit to unlabeled information and sometimes not. In this
      paper, we frame the problem differently, focusing on when labels might be helpful
      to a learner who has access to lots of unlabeled information. Using an
      unconstrained free-sorting categorization experiment, we show that labels are
      useful to participants only when the category structure is ambiguous and that
      people's responses are driven by the specific set of labels they see. We present
      an extension of Anderson's Rational Model of Categorization that captures this
      effect. 

PMID- 26106059
TI  - Perceptual expertise improves category detection in natural scenes.
AB  - There is much debate about how detection, categorization, and within-category
      identification relate to one another during object recognition. Whether these
      tasks rely on partially shared perceptual mechanisms may be determined by testing
      whether training on one of these tasks facilitates performance on another. In the
      present study we asked whether expertise in discriminating objects improves the
      detection of these objects in naturalistic scenes. Self-proclaimed car experts (N
      = 34) performed a car discrimination task to establish their level of expertise,
      followed by a visual search task where they were asked to detect cars and people
      in hundreds of photographs of natural scenes. Results revealed that expertise in
      discriminating cars was strongly correlated with car detection accuracy. This
      effect was specific to objects of expertise, as there was no influence of car
      expertise on person detection. These results indicate a close link between object
      discrimination and object detection performance, which we interpret as reflecting
      partially shared perceptual mechanisms and neural representations underlying
      these tasks: the increased sensitivity of the visual system for objects of
      expertise - as a result of extensive discrimination training - may benefit both
      the discrimination and the detection of these objects. Alternative
      interpretations are also discussed. 

PMID- 26106060
TI  - Qualitative attentional changes with age in doing two tasks at once.
AB  - Does practice reduce, or even eliminate, aging effects on the attentional
      limitations responsible for dual-task interference? The studies reviewed in this
      article show that age differences reliably persist after extensive practice.
      Strikingly, dual-task interference remains larger among older adults even in
      training conditions that allow them to achieve single-task performance as fast as
      younger adults. These findings demonstrate that age deficits in attentional
      functioning are robust. Advancing age also can be accompanied by improvements in
      cognitive functioning, such as in the ability to access the lexicon without
      attention (i.e., automatically), due to lifelong experience with word reading.
      Future research needs to establish whether age deficits in central attention are
      due to structural changes that are irreversible or reversible to some extent. 

PMID- 26106061
TI  - Contrasting vertical and horizontal representations of affect in emotional visual
      search.
AB  - Independent lines of evidence suggest that the representation of emotional
      evaluation recruits both vertical and horizontal spatial mappings. These two
      spatial mappings differ in their experiential origins and their productivity, and
      available data suggest that they differ in their saliency. Yet, no study has so
      far compared their relative strength in an attentional orienting reaction time
      task that affords the simultaneous manifestation of both types of mapping. Here,
      we investigated this question using a visual search task with emotional faces. We
      presented angry and happy face targets and neutral distracter faces in top,
      bottom, left, and right locations on the computer screen. Conceptual congruency
      effects were observed along the vertical dimension supporting the 'up = good'
      metaphor, but not along the horizontal dimension. This asymmetrical processing
      pattern was observed when faces were presented in a cropped (Experiment 1) and
      whole (Experiment 2) format. These findings suggest that the 'up = good' metaphor
      is more salient and readily activated than the 'right = good' metaphor, and that
      the former outcompetes the latter when the task context affords the simultaneous
      activation of both mappings. 

PMID- 26106062
TI  - Shuffling your way out of change blindness.
AB  - Change detection is typically discussed in the literature as a 2-state
      phenomenon. Small differences between otherwise identical images are easy to
      detect when the images are superimposed in space and alternated in time
      ("shuffled"). However, change blindness results from any disruption that prevents
      the critical change from generating the sole salient transient. Here we show that
      different presentation strategies produce different degrees of change blindness
      for the same change. Specifically, shuffling the images supports faster change
      detection than viewing the same 2 images side by side, even when the images
      contain a number of distracting differences. In Experiment 1, pairs of
      photographs having a 50 % chance of containing a difference were viewed either in
      alternation, in a "Shuffle" condition, or simultaneously, in a "Side-by-Side"
      condition. Change detection was about 6 seconds faster when the images were
      viewed in the "Shuffle" mode. In Experiment 2, we presented two images that were
      slightly laterally shifted relative to each other (0-48 pixels). The RT benefit
      for the Shuffle viewing mode was very strong when the relative shift was small,
      to insignificant when there was a large difference between the two images.
      However, at large shifts, Shuffle maintained an accuracy advantage. It seems that
      changes are easier to detect when comparing images in a Shuffle condition rather
      than Side-by-Side. This has important implications for real world tasks like
      radiology where detection of change is critical. 

PMID- 26106063
TI  - Design and discovery of a novel half-Heusler transparent hole conductor made of
      all-metallic heavy elements.
AB  - Transparent conductors combine two generally contradictory physical properties,
      but there are numerous applications where both functionalities are crucial.
      Previous searches focused on doping wide-gap metal oxides. Focusing instead on
      the family of 18 valence electron ternary ABX compounds that consist of elements
      A, B and X in 1:1:1 stoichiometry, we search theoretically for electronic
      structures that simultaneously lead to optical transparency while accommodating
      intrinsic defect structures that produce uncompensated free holes. This leads to
      the prediction of a stable, never before synthesized TaIrGe compound made of all
      metal heavy atom compound. Laboratory synthesis then found it to be stable in the
      predicted crystal structure and p-type transparent conductor with a strong
      optical absorption peak at 3.36 eV and remarkably high hole mobility of 2,730
      cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) at room temperature. This methodology opens the way to future
      searches of transparent conductors in unexpected chemical groups.

PMID- 26106064
TI  - Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction for six inorganic and organic
      arsenic species in chicken tissues using response surface methodology.
AB  - Response surface methodology was applied to optimize the parameters for microwave
      assisted extraction of six major inorganic and organic arsenic species (As(III),
      As(V), dimethyl arsenic acid, monomethyl arsenic acid, p-arsanilic acid, and
      roxarsone) from chicken tissues, followed by detection using a high-performance
      liquid chromatography with inductively coupled mass spectrometry detection
      method, which allows the simultaneous analysis of both inorganic and organic
      arsenic species in the extract in a single run. Effects of extraction medium,
      solution pH, liquid-to-solid ratio, and the temperature and time of microwave
      assisted extraction on the extraction of the targeted arsenic species were
      studied. The optimum microwave-assisted extraction conditions were: 100 mg of
      chicken tissue, extracted by 5 mL of 22% v/v methanol, 90 mmol/L (NH4 )2 HPO4 ,
      and 0.07% v/v trifluoroacetic acid (with pH adjusted to 10.0 by ammonium
      hydroxide solution), ramping for 10 min to 71 degrees C, and holding for 11 min.
      The method has good extraction performance for total arsenic in the spiked and
      nonspiked chicken tissues (104.0 +/- 13.8% and 91.6 +/- 7.8%, respectively),
      except for the ones with arsenic contents close to the quantitation limits.
      Limits of quantitation (S/N = 10) for As(III), As(V), dimethyl arsenic acid,
      monomethyl arsenic acid, p-arsanilic acid, and roxarsone in chicken tissues using
      this method were 0.012, 0.058, 0.039, 0.061, 0.102, and 0.240 mg/kg (dry weight),
      respectively. 

PMID- 26106065
TI  - Early malfunction of polyvinyl alcohol membrane of septal occluder.
AB  - Percutaneous device closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) is now considered the
      choice of treatment. Numerous devices with advantages/disadvantages are currently
      available and under development. Cardia Ultrasept II ASD occluder has a nitinol
      frame covered with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membrane. Here, a well-documented case
      of early malfunction of PVA membrane detected in the first week of implantation
      in a 4-year-old male patient, who underwent an uneventful device closure with 20
      mm Cardia Ultrasept II ASD Occluder, is presented. One week after implantation
      left-to-right shunt through the device was detected and the explantation of
      device revealed PVA membrane with multiple perforations.

PMID- 26106066
TI  - Pteropine orthoreovirus infection among out-patients with acute upper respiratory
      tract infection in Malaysia.
AB  - This study aims to assess the incidence rate of Pteropine orthreovirus (PRV)
      infection in patients with acute upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in a
      suburban setting in Malaysia, where bats are known to be present in the
      neighborhood. Using molecular detection of PRVs directly from oropharyngeal
      swabs, our study demonstrates that PRV is among one of the common causative
      agents of acute URTI with cough and sore throat as the commonest presenting
      clinical features. Phylogenetic analysis on partial major outer and inner capsid
      proteins shows that these PRV strains are closely related to Melaka and Kampar
      viruses previously isolated in Malaysia. Further study is required to determine
      the public health significance of PRV infection in Southeast Asia, especially in
      cases where co-infection with other pathogens may potentially lead to different
      clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26106067
TI  - Engineering trypsin for inhibitor resistance.
AB  - The development of effective protease therapeutics requires that the proteases be
      more resistant to naturally occurring inhibitors while maintaining catalytic
      activity. A key step in developing inhibitor resistance is the identification of
      key residues in protease-inhibitor interaction. Given that majority of the
      protease therapeutics currently in use are trypsin-fold, trypsin itself serves as
      an ideal model for studying protease-inhibitor interaction. To test the
      importance of several trypsin-inhibitor interactions on the prime-side binding
      interface, we created four trypsin single variants Y39A, Y39F, K60A, and K60V and
      report biochemical sensitivity against bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI)
      and M84R ecotin. All variants retained catalytic activity against small,
      commercially available peptide substrates [kcat /KM  = (1.2 +/- 0.3) * 10(7) M(-1
      ) s(-1) . Compared with wild-type, the K60A and K60V variants showed increased
      sensitivity to BPTI but less sensitivity to ecotin. The Y39A variant was less
      sensitive to BPTI and ecotin while the Y39F variant was more sensitive to both.
      The relative binding free energies between BPTI complexes with WT, Y39F, and Y39A
      were calculated based on 3.5 us combined explicit solvent molecular dynamics
      simulations. The BPTI:Y39F complex resulted in the lowest binding energy, while
      BPTI:Y39A resulted in the highest. Simulations of Y39F revealed increased
      conformational rearrangement of F39, which allowed formation of a new hydrogen
      bond between BPTI R17 and H40 of the variant. All together, these data suggest
      that positions 39 and 60 are key for inhibitor binding to trypsin, and likely
      more trypsin-fold proteases. 

PMID- 26106068
TI  - Biological effect of food additive titanium dioxide nanoparticles on intestine:
      an in vitro study.
AB  - Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are widely found in food-related
      consumer products. Understanding the effect of TiO2 NPs on the intestinal barrier
      and absorption is essential and vital for the safety assessment of orally
      administrated TiO2 NPs. In this study, the cytotoxicity and translocation of two
      native TiO2 NPs, and these two TiO2 NPs pretreated with the digestion simulation
      fluid or bovine serum albumin were investigated in undifferentiated Caco-2 cells,
      differentiated Caco-2 cells and Caco-2 monolayer. TiO2 NPs with a concentration
      less than 200 ug ml(-1) did not induce any toxicity in differentiated cells and
      Caco-2 monolayer after 24 h exposure. However, TiO2 NPs pretreated with digestion
      simulation fluids at 200 ug ml(-1) inhibited the growth of undifferentiated Caco
      2 cells. Undifferentiated Caco-2 cells swallowed native TiO2 NPs easily, but not
      pretreated NPs, implying the protein coating on NPs impeded the cellular uptake.
      Compared with undifferentiated cells, differentiated ones possessed much lower
      uptake ability of these TiO2 NPs. Similarly, the traverse of TiO2 NPs through the
      Caco-2 monolayer was also negligible. Therefore, we infer the possibility of TiO2
      NPs traversing through the intestine of animal or human after oral intake is
      quite low. This study provides valuable information for the risk assessment of
      TiO2 NPs in food.

PMID- 26106069
TI  - Speech Range Profile (SRP) Findings Before and After Mutational Falsetto
      (Puberphonia).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mutational falsetto is a temporary adolescent voice. Voice therapy
      support in mutational falsetto helps the individual to regain a healthy voice.
      Speech Range Profile (SRP) is considered to be a method requiring less time in
      the pretherapy and posttherapy evaluations of voice patients. OBJECTIVE: The
      purpose of this study was to determine the differences between the SRP results of
      male subjects experiencing mutational falsetto before and after therapy. METHODS:
      Sixteen male participants have been included in this study. F0, MinF0, MaxF0,
      F0Range, F0Range (st), MindB SPL, and MaxdB SPL have been taken to evaluation.
      SRP recordings of all subjects have been performed. All the recordings have been
      repeated before and after therapy. RESULTS: A statistically significant
      difference has been observed between the F0 and MinF0 values before and after
      therapy (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: SRP provides important information about
      frequency and intensity. In mutational falsetto, SRP is a useful technique in
      terms of evaluating success in therapy.

PMID- 26106070
TI  - Comparison of Two Perceptual Methods for the Evaluation of Vowel Perturbation
      Produced by Jitter.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore perceptual evaluation of jitter produced by fundamental
      frequency (F0) variation in a sustained vowel /a/, using two different methods.
      One is based on listener's internal references and the other is based on external
      references provided by the experimenter. METHODS: We used two methods: one is
      magnitude estimation-converging limits (ME-CL), which is close to the standard
      approach used by speech therapists when they use numerical estimations and their
      own standards, and other is intramodal matching procedure (IMP), where each
      matched stimulus is to be compared with a fixed-set matching stimuli. Systematic
      variations were introduced in vowel /a/ by Linear Prediction Coding synthesis
      using an F0 contour function obtained from a statistical jitter model. Six jitter
      values were used for each of two reference F0 values. Three groups of listeners
      were tested: expert speech therapists, speech therapy students, and naive
      listeners. RESULTS: Perceptual functions appear to be similar and linear for both
      methods as the theory predicts. The answers of all groups of listeners tested
      with ME-CL present higher standard deviations than for IMP. When subjects were
      tested with IMP, intrareliability and interreliability measurements show a
      significant improvement for both expert and naive listeners. CONCLUSIONS: Both
      intraindividual and interindividual differences for expert speech therapists
      could be better managed when tested with an IMP than when they use numerical
      estimations and internal standards to evaluate vowel perturbation produced by
      jitter. This procedure could be the basis for the development of a clinical
      evaluation tool.

PMID- 26106071
TI  - Effect of Noise on Vocal Loudness and Pitch in Natural Environments: An
      Accelerometer (Ambulatory Phonation Monitor) Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study investigated the effects of environmental noise on the
      production of vocal intensity and fundamental frequency using an accelerometer.
      METHODS: Twenty-four vocally healthy young adults (12 men and 12 women, aged 19
      22 years) recorded a monologue passage using KayPENTAX (Montvale, NJ, USA)
      Ambulatory Phonation Monitor (model 3200) under three natural environmental
      conditions in a randomized order: a quiet room (mean noise, 35.5 dBA), room with
      moderate level of noise (mean noise, 54.5 dBA), and a room with high noise (mean
      noise, 67.5 dBA). RESULTS: Both gender groups showed significant increases in the
      mean vocal intensity, fundamental frequency, and perceived vocal effort in the
      high-noise environment than in the other two conditions. No significant
      difference was found in the vocal intensity between the quiet and moderately
      noisy environment except in the fundamental frequency in the female group.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the use of accelerometer for laryngeal signal
      recordings could be a useful tool for measuring phonation without being affected
      by the background noise. The findings also support the recommendation that noise
      levels for conversation should be kept <50-55 dB to maintain speech
      intelligibility.

PMID- 26106072
TI  - Phase II Study of the AKT Inhibitor MK-2206 plus Erlotinib in Patients with
      Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Who Previously Progressed on Erlotinib.
AB  - PURPOSE: Preclinical modeling in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) showed that
      stimulation with hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), the ligand for MET, could
      reverse the cytostatic and cytotoxic effects of the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib in
      erlotinib-sensitive cell lines. Inhibitors of AKT signaling mitigated this HGF
      mediated resistance, partially restoring erlotinib activity. We conducted a phase
      II trial of erlotinib plus MK-2206, a highly selective inhibitor of AKT, in NSCLC
      patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Eligible patients must have progressed following
      prior benefit from erlotinib, defined as response or stable disease > 12 weeks.
      Treatment consisted of erlotinib 150 mg orally every day + MK-2206 45 mg orally
      every alternate day on a 28-day cycle. Primary endpoints were RECIST response
      rate > 30% (stratum 1: EGFR mutant) and disease control rate (DCR) > 20% at 12
      weeks (stratum 2: EGFR wild-type). RESULTS: Eighty patients were enrolled, 45 and
      35 in stratum 1 and 2, respectively. Most common attributable adverse events (all
      grade 3) were rash, diarrhea, fatigue, and mucositis. Response and DCR were,
      respectively, 9% and 40% in stratum 1; 3% and 47% in stratum 2. Median
      progression-free survival was 4.4 months in stratum 1 and 4.6 months in stratum
      2. CONCLUSIONS: Combination MK-2206 and erlotinib met its primary endpoint in
      erlotinib-pretreated patients with EGFR wild-type NSCLC. Although activity was
      seen in EGFR-mutated NSCLC, this did not exceed a priori estimates. AKT pathway
      inhibition merits further clinical evaluation in EGFR wild-type NSCLC.

PMID- 26106073
TI  - Enhanced Delivery of SN-38 to Human Tumor Xenografts with an Anti-Trop-2-SN-38
      Antibody Conjugate (Sacituzumab Govitecan).
AB  - PURPOSE: This study examined the delivery of SN-38 to Trop-2-expressing tumors
      and assessed the constitutive products in the serum, liver, and small intestine
      in nude mice bearing human tumor xenografts (Capan-1 or NCI-N87) given a single
      injection of irinotecan (40 mg/kg; ~ 0.8 mg/mouse, containing ~ 460 MUg SN-38
      equivalents) or sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132), an antibody-drug conjugate
      composed of a humanized anti-Trop-2 IgG coupled site specifically with an average
      of 7.6 molecules of SN-38. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: At select times, tissues were
      extracted and concentrations of the products measured by reversed-phase high
      performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS: In serum, >98% irinotecan
      cleared within 5 minutes; peak levels of SN-38 and SN-38G (glucuronidated SN-38)
      were detected in equal amounts at this time, and no longer detected after 6 to 8
      hours. IMMU-132 was detected in the serum over 3 days, and at each interval, >=
      95% of total SN-38 was bound to the antibody. Intact IMMU-132 cleared with a half
      life of 14 hours, which closely reflected the in vitro rate of SN-38 released
      from the conjugate in mouse serum (i.e., 17.5 hours), whereas the IgG portion of
      the conjugate cleared with a half-life of 67.1 hours. In vitro and in vivo
      studies disclosed IgG-bound SN-38 was protected from glucuronidation. Area under
      the curve (AUC) analysis indicated that IMMU-132 delivers 20-fold to as much as
      136-fold more SN-38 to tumors than irinotecan, with tumor:blood ratios favoring
      IMMU-132 by 20- to 40-fold. Intestinal concentrations of SN-38/SN-38G also were 9
      fold lower with IMMU-132. CONCLUSIONS: These studies confirm a superior SN-38
      tumor delivery by IMMU-132 compared with irinotecan.

PMID- 26106074
TI  - Macitentan, a Dual Endothelin Receptor Antagonist, in Combination with
      Temozolomide Leads to Glioblastoma Regression and Long-term Survival in Mice.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of the study was to determine whether astrocytes and brain
      endothelial cells protect glioma cells from temozolomide through an endothelin
      dependent signaling mechanism and to examine the therapeutic efficacy of the dual
      endothelin receptor antagonist, macitentan, in orthotopic models of human
      glioblastoma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We evaluated several endothelin receptor
      antagonists for their ability to inhibit astrocyte- and brain endothelial cell
      induced protection of glioma cells from temozolomide in chemoprotection assays.
      We compared survival in nude mice bearing orthotopically implanted LN-229
      glioblastomas or temozolomide-resistant (LN-229(Res) and D54(Res)) glioblastomas
      that were treated with macitentan, temozolomide, or both. Tumor burden was
      monitored weekly with bioluminescence imaging. The effect of therapy on cell
      division, apoptosis, tumor-associated vasculature, and pathways associated with
      cell survival was assessed by immunofluorescent microscopy. RESULTS: Only dual
      endothelin receptor antagonism abolished astrocyte- and brain endothelial cell
      mediated protection of glioma cells from temozolomide. In five independent
      survival studies, including temozolomide-resistant glioblastomas, 46 of 48 (96%)
      mice treated with macitentan plus temozolomide had no evidence of disease (P <
      0.0001), whereas all mice in other groups died. In another analysis, macitentan
      plus temozolomide therapy was stopped in 16 mice after other groups had died.
      Only 3 of 16 mice eventually developed recurrent disease, 2 of which responded to
      additional cycles of macitentan plus temozolomide. Macitentan downregulated
      proteins associated with cell division and survival in glioma cells and
      associated endothelial cells, which enhanced their sensitivity to temozolomide.
      CONCLUSIONS: Macitentan plus temozolomide are well tolerated, produce durable
      responses, and warrant clinical evaluation in glioblastoma patients.

PMID- 26106075
TI  - siRNA Lipid Nanoparticle Potently Silences Clusterin and Delays Progression When
      Combined with Androgen Receptor Cotargeting in Enzalutamide-Resistant Prostate
      Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations facilitate tumor uptake and
      intracellular processing through an enhanced permeation and retention effect
      (EPR), and currently multiple products are undergoing clinical evaluation.
      Clusterin (CLU) is a cytoprotective chaperone induced by androgen receptor (AR)
      pathway inhibition to facilitate adaptive survival pathway signaling and
      treatment resistance. In our study, we investigated the efficacy of siRNA tumor
      delivery using LNP systems in an enzalutamide-resistant (ENZ-R) castration
      resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) model. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Gene silencing of a
      luciferase reporter gene in the PC-3M-luc stable cell line was first assessed in
      subcutaneous and metastatic PC-3 xenograft tumors. Upon validation, the effect of
      LNP siRNA targeting CLU in combination with AR antisense oligonucleotides (ASO)
      was assessed in ENZ-R CRPC LNCaP in vitro and in vivo models. RESULTS: LNP LUC
      siRNA silenced luciferase expression in PC-3M-luc subcutaneous xenograft and
      metastatic models. LNP CLU-siRNA potently suppressed CLU and AR ASO-induced CLU
      and AKT and ERK phosphorylation in ENZ-R LNCaP cells in vitro, more potently
      inhibiting ENZ-R cell growth rates and increased apoptosis when compared with AR
      ASO monotherapy. In subcutaneous ENZ-R LNCaP xenografts, combinatory treatment of
      LNP CLU-siRNA plus AR-ASO significantly suppressed tumor growth and serum PSA
      levels compared with LNP LUC-siRNA (control) and AR-ASO. CONCLUSIONS: LNP siRNA
      can silence target genes in vivo and enable inhibition of traditionally non
      druggable genes like CLU and other promising cotargeting approaches in ENZ-R CRPC
      therapeutics.

PMID- 26106077
TI  - A renin-ssance in primary aldosteronism testing: obstacles and opportunities for
      screening, diagnosis, and management.

PMID- 26106076
TI  - Nonblocking Monoclonal Antibody Targeting Soluble MIC Revamps Endogenous Innate
      and Adaptive Antitumor Responses and Eliminates Primary and Metastatic Tumors.
AB  - PURPOSE: The human tumor-derived soluble MHC I-chain-related molecule (sMIC) is
      highly immune suppressive in cancer patients and correlates with poor prognosis.
      However, the therapeutic effect of targeting sMIC has not been determined, due to
      the limitation that mice do not express homologs of human MIC. This study is to
      evaluate the therapeutic effect of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting sMIC in
      a clinically relevant transgenic animal model. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We treated
      the engineered MIC-expressing "humanized" TRAMP/MIC bitransgenic mice at advanced
      disease stages with a sMIC-neutralizing nonblocking anti-MIC mAb and assessed the
      therapeutic efficacy and associated mechanisms. RESULTS: A sMIC-neutralizing
      nonblocking anti-MIC mAb effectively induced regression of primary tumors and
      eliminated metastasis without inducing systemic toxicity. The therapeutic effect
      is conferred by revamping endogenous antitumor immune responses, exemplified by
      restoring natural killer (NK) cell homeostasis and function, enhancing
      susceptibility of MIC(+)-tumor cells to NK cell killing, reviving and sustaining
      antigen-specific CD8 T-cell responses, augmenting CD4 T cells to Th1 responses,
      priming dendritic cells for antigen presentation, and remodeling tumor
      microenvironment to be more immune reactive. CONCLUSIONS: Therapy with a sMIC
      neutralizing nonblocking anti-MIC mAb can effectuate antitumor immune responses
      against advanced MIC(+) tumors. Our study provided strong rationale for
      translating sMIC-neutralizing therapeutic mAb into clinics, either alone or in
      combination with current ongoing standard immunotherapies.

PMID- 26106078
TI  - siRNA Screening Identifies the Host Hexokinase 2 (HK2) Gene as an Important
      Hypoxia-Inducible Transcription Factor 1 (HIF-1) Target Gene in Toxoplasma gondii
      Infected Cells.
AB  - Although it is established that oxygen availability regulates cellular metabolism
      and growth, little is known regarding how intracellular pathogens use host
      factors to grow at physiological oxygen levels. Therefore, large-scale human
      small interfering RNA screening was performed to identify host genes important
      for growth of the intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii at tissue
      oxygen tensions. Among the genes identified by this screen, we focused on the
      hexokinase 2 (HK2) gene because its expression is regulated by hypoxia-inducible
      transcription factor 1 (HIF-1), which is important for Toxoplasma growth.
      Toxoplasma increases host HK2 transcript and protein levels in a HIF-1-dependent
      manner. In addition, parasite growth at 3% oxygen is restored in HIF-1-deficient
      cells transfected with HK2 expression plasmids. Both HIF-1 activation and HK2
      expression were accompanied by increases in host glycolytic flux, suggesting that
      enhanced HK2 expression in parasite-infected cells is functionally significant.
      Parasite dependence on host HK2 and HIF-1 expression is not restricted to
      transformed cell lines, as both are required for parasite growth in
      nontransformed C2C12 myoblasts and HK2 is upregulated in vivo following
      infection. While HK2 is normally associated with the cytoplasmic face of the
      outer mitochondrial membrane at physiological O2 levels, HK2 relocalizes to the
      host cytoplasm following infection, a process that is required for parasite
      growth at 3% oxygen. Taken together, our findings show that HIF-1-dependent
      expression and relocalization of HK2 represent a novel mechanism by which
      Toxoplasma establishes its replicative niche at tissue oxygen tensions.
      IMPORTANCE: Little is known regarding how the host cell contributes to the
      survival of the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii at oxygen levels that
      mimic those found in tissues. Our previous work showed that Toxoplasma activates
      the expression of an oxygen-regulated transcription factor that is required for
      growth. Here, we report that Toxoplasma regulates the abundance and activity of a
      key host metabolic enzyme, hexokinase 2, by activating HIF-1 and by promoting
      dissociation of hexokinase 2 from the mitochondrial membrane. Collectively, our
      data reveal HIF-1/hexokinase 2 as a novel target for an intracellular pathogen
      that acts by reprograming the host cell's metabolism to create an environment
      conducive for parasite replication at physiological oxygen levels.

PMID- 26106080
TI  - Treating the Host Response to Ebola Virus Disease with Generic Statins and
      Angiotensin Receptor Blockers.
AB  - Treatments targeting the Ebola virus may eventually be shown to work, but they
      will not have an impact on overall Ebola mortality in West Africa. Endothelial
      dysfunction is responsible for the fluid and electrolyte imbalances seen in Ebola
      patients. Because inexpensive generic statins and angiotensin receptor blockers
      restore endothelial barrier integrity, they can be used to treat the host
      response in these patients. In Sierra Leone, approximately 100 Ebola patients
      were treated with this combination, and reports indicate that survival was
      greatly improved. 

PMID- 26106079
TI  - Identification of a New Class of Antifungals Targeting the Synthesis of Fungal
      Sphingolipids.
AB  - Recent estimates suggest that >300 million people are afflicted by serious fungal
      infections worldwide. Current antifungal drugs are static and toxic and/or have a
      narrow spectrum of activity. Thus, there is an urgent need for the development of
      new antifungal drugs. The fungal sphingolipid glucosylceramide (GlcCer) is
      critical in promoting virulence of a variety of human-pathogenic fungi. In this
      study, we screened a synthetic drug library for compounds that target the
      synthesis of fungal, but not mammalian, GlcCer and found two compounds [N'-(3
      bromo-4-hydroxybenzylidene)-2-methylbenzohydrazide (BHBM) and its derivative, 3
      bromo-N'-(3-bromo-4-hydroxybenzylidene) benzohydrazide (D0)] that were highly
      effective in vitro and in vivo against several pathogenic fungi. BHBM and D0 were
      well tolerated in animals and are highly synergistic or additive to current
      antifungals. BHBM and D0 significantly affected fungal cell morphology and
      resulted in the accumulation of intracellular vesicles. Deep-sequencing analysis
      of drug-resistant mutants revealed that four protein products, encoded by genes
      APL5, COS111, MKK1, and STE2, which are involved in vesicular transport and cell
      cycle progression, are targeted by BHBM. IMPORTANCE: Fungal infections are a
      significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Current antifungal drugs
      suffer from various drawbacks, including toxicity, drug resistance, and narrow
      spectrum of activity. In this study, we have demonstrated that pharmaceutical
      inhibition of fungal glucosylceramide presents a new opportunity to treat
      cryptococcosis and various other fungal infections. In addition to being
      effective against pathogenic fungi, the compounds discovered in this study were
      well tolerated by animals and additive to current antifungals. These findings
      suggest that these drugs might pave the way for the development of a new class of
      antifungals.

PMID- 26106081
TI  - Accuracy of Self-Report of Sexual Activity among Adolescent Girls: Implications
      for Interpretation of Vaginal Flora Patterns.

PMID- 26106083
TI  - Reply to "Accuracy of Self-Report of Sexual Activity among Adolescent Girls:
      Implications for Interpretation of Vaginal Flora Patterns".

PMID- 26106082
TI  - Functional Analysis of the Human Antibody Response to Meningococcal Factor H
      Binding Protein.
AB  - Two licensed serogroup B meningococcal vaccines contain factor H binding protein
      (FHbp). The antigen specifically binds human FH, which downregulates complement.
      In wild-type mice whose mouse FH does not bind to FHbp vaccines, the serum anti
      FHbp antibody response inhibited binding of human FH to FHbp. The inhibition was
      important for eliciting broad anti-FHbp serum bactericidal activity. In human FH
      transgenic mice and some nonhuman primates, FHbp was able to form a complex with
      FH and FHbp vaccination elicited anti-FHbp antibodies that did not inhibit FH
      binding. To investigate the human anti-FHbp repertoire, we cloned immunoglobulin
      heavy- and light-chain-variable-region genes of individual B cells from three
      adults immunized with FHbp vaccines and generated 10 sequence-distinct native
      anti-FHbp antibody fragments (Fabs). All 10 Fabs bound to live meningococci; only
      1 slightly inhibited binding of human FH, while 4 enhanced FH binding. Affinity
      purified anti-FHbp antibody from serum of a fourth immunized adult also enhanced
      binding of human FH to live meningococcal bacteria. Despite the bound FH, the
      affinity-purified serum anti-FHbp antibodies elicited human complement-mediated
      bactericidal activity that was amplified by the alternative pathway. The lack of
      FH inhibition by the human anti-FHbp Fabs and serum antibodies suggests that
      binding of human FH to the vaccine antigen skews the anti-FHbp antibody
      repertoire to epitopes outside the FH-binding site. Mutant FHbp vaccines with
      decreased FH binding may represent a means to redirect the human antibody
      repertoire to epitopes within the FH binding site, which can inhibit FH binding
      and, potentially, increase safety and protective activity. IMPORTANCE: Two
      meningococcal vaccines contain factor H binding protein (FHbp). Immunized mice
      whose mouse factor H (FH) does not bind to FHbp develop serum anti-FHbp
      antibodies that block binding of human FH to the bacteria. With less bound FH,
      the bacteria become more susceptible to complement killing. To investigate human
      responses, we isolated 10 recombinant anti-FHbp antibody fragments (Fabs) from
      immune cells of three immunized adults. One slightly inhibited binding of FH to
      the bacteria, and four enhanced FH binding. Purified serum anti-FHbp antibodies
      from a fourth immunized adult also enhanced FH binding. Although bound FH would
      be expected to block the alternative pathway, the human anti-FHbp antibodies
      retained bactericidal activity and the ability to activate the alternative
      pathway. Mutant FHbp vaccines with decreased binding to human FH may redirect the
      human antibody repertoire to epitopes within the FH binding site that inhibit FH
      binding, which are expected to increase protective activity.

PMID- 26106084
TI  - Evaluation of Protein Profiles From Treated Xenograft Tumor Models Identifies an
      Antibody Panel for Formalin-fixed and Paraffin-embedded (FFPE) Tissue Analysis by
      Reverse Phase Protein Arrays (RPPA).
AB  - Reverse phase protein arrays (RPPA) are an established tool for measuring the
      expression and activation status of multiple proteins in parallel using only very
      small amounts of tissue. Several studies have demonstrated the value of this
      technique for signaling pathway analysis using proteins extracted from fresh
      frozen (FF) tissue in line with validated antibodies for this tissue type;
      however, formalin fixation and paraffin embedding (FFPE) is the standard method
      for tissue preservation in the clinical setting. Hence, we performed RPPA to
      measure profiles for a set of 300 protein markers using matched FF and FFPE
      tissue specimens to identify which markers performed similarly using the RPPA
      technique in fixed and unfixed tissues. Protein lysates were prepared from
      matched FF and FFPE tissue specimens of individual tumors taken from three
      different xenograft models of human cancer. Materials from both untreated mice
      and mice treated with either anti-HER3 or bispecific anti-IGF-1R/EGFR monoclonal
      antibodies were analyzed. Correlations between signals from FF and FFPE tissue
      samples were investigated. Overall, 60 markers were identified that produced
      comparable profiles between FF and FFPE tissues, demonstrating significant
      correlation between the two sample types. The top 25 markers also showed
      significance after correction for multiple testing. The panel of markers covered
      several clinically relevant tumor signaling pathways and both phosphorylated and
      nonphosphorylated proteins were represented. Biologically relevant changes in
      marker expression were noted when RPPA profiles from treated and untreated
      xenografts were compared. These data demonstrate that, using appropriately
      selected antibodies, RPPA analysis from FFPE tissue is well feasible and
      generates biologically meaningful information. The identified panel of markers
      that generate similar profiles in matched fixed and unfixed tissue samples may be
      clinically useful for pharmacodynamic studies of drug effect using FFPE tissues. 

PMID- 26106085
TI  - Identification of the Population Structure of Myzus persicae (Hemiptera:
      Aphididae) on Peach Trees in China Using Microsatellites.
AB  - In this study, we characterized the genetic structure of Myzus persicae (Sulzer)
      (Hemiptera: Aphididae) populations in China using microsatellites. We expected
      that these data will reveal the genetic relationships among various populations
      of M. persicae and will be of value in the development of better methods for pest
      control. Four hundred sixty individuals from 23 areas over 13 provinces were
      collected in the early spring of 2010, all from their primary host, Prunus
      persicae. The markers analyzed were highly polymorphic, as demonstrated by the
      expected heterozygosity value (He = 0.861) and the Polymorphism Information
      Content (PIC = 0.847), which indicated that M. persicae maintains a high level of
      genetic diversity. Analysis of molecular variance revealed an intermediate level
      of population differentiation among M. persicae populations (F(ST) = 0.1215).
      Geographic isolation existed among these populations, and, consequently, the
      genetic structure of the populations was split into a southern group and a
      northern group divided by the Yangtse River.

PMID- 26106086
TI  - Sitona lineatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Larval Feeding on Pisum sativum L.
      Affects Soil and Plant Nitrogen.
AB  - Adults of Sitona lineatus (pea leaf weevil, PLW) feed on foliage of several
      Fabaceae species but larvae prefer to feed on nodules of Pisum sativum L. and
      Vicia faba L. Indirectly, through their feeding on rhizobia, weevils can reduce
      soil and plant available nitrogen (N). However, initial soil N can reduce
      nodulation and damage by the weevil and reduce control requirements.
      Understanding these interactions is necessary to make integrated pest management
      recommendations for PLW. We conducted a greenhouse study to quantify nodulation,
      soil and plant N content, and nodule damage by weevil larvae in relation to soil
      N amendment with urea, thiamethoxam insecticide seed coating and crop stage. PLWs
      reduced the number of older tumescent (multilobed) nodules and thiamethoxam
      addition increased them regardless of other factors. Nitrogen amendment
      significantly increased soil available N (>99% nitrate) as expected and PLW
      presence was associated with significantly lower levels of soil N. PLW decreased
      plant N content at early flower and thiamethoxam increased it, particularly at
      late flower. The study illustrated the complexity of interactions that determine
      insect herbivory effects on plant and soil nutrition for invertebrates that feed
      on N-fixing root nodules. We conclude that effects of PLW on nodulation and
      subsequent effects on plant nitrogen are more pronounced during the early growth
      stages of the plant. This suggests the importance of timing of PLW infestation
      and may explain the lack of yield depression in relation to this pest observed in
      many field studies. Also, pea crops in soils with high levels of soil N are
      unlikely to be affected by this herbivore and should not require insecticide
      inputs. 

PMID- 26106087
TI  - The Insecticide Susceptibility Status of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in
      Farm and Nonfarm Sites of Lagos State, Nigeria.
AB  - Nigeria is one of the malaria-endemic countries. In Lagos State, Nigeria, various
      malaria vector control programs including the use of chemical insecticides are
      currently being implemented. This study was designed to provide information on
      the susceptibility status of some nontargeted vectors such as Aedes aegypti.
      Adult Ae. aegypti mosquitoes from two farm sites and a nonfarm site were exposed
      to World Health Organization test papers impregnated with Deltamethrin (0.05%),
      Permethrin (0.75%), and DDT (4%) insecticides. The Knockdown time (KdT50 and
      KdT95) and percentage mortality after 24 h post exposure were determined. In all
      the exposed mosquito populations to permethrin, mortality rate > 98%
      (susceptibility) was recorded, whereas mortality rates < 95.8% (resistance) and >
      98% (susceptibility) to deltamethrin were observed in the nonfarm site and farm
      sites mosquito populations, respectively. All the mosquito populations were
      resistant to DDT in 2 yr. The KdT50 of the populations to DDT increased (60.2
      69.6) in one of the farm sites and the nonfarm site (68.9-199.96), while a
      decrease (243-63.4) in another farm site in 2 yr. Significant difference (P <
      0.05) in KdT50 was recorded between the farm and nonfarm sites Ae. aegypti
      mosquitoes in the second year after exposure to deltamethrin and DDT. An increase
      in KdT95 after exposure to deltamethrin in the first year was recorded. Higher
      KdT values and lower mortality rates in Ae. aegypti populations in the nonfarm
      sites are indications there are existing factors selecting for insecticide
      resistance outside agricultural use of insecticides.

PMID- 26106088
TI  - Adult Behavior of Tirumala limniace (Lepidoptera: Danaidae).
AB  - Tirumala limniace Cramer as an ornamental butterfly is utilized in butterfly
      garden, in this article we study their adult activities include flight, foraging,
      courtship, mating, and oviposition. We found that males spent 22.1% of its time
      flying, 14.1% foraging, 63.8% in courtship and mating. And females spent 30.8% of
      its time flying, 10.1% foraging, 57.1% in courtship and mating, and 2%
      ovipositing. Adults emerged from pupae when temperatures were above 23.5 degrees
      C and eclosion took only ~1 min, typically followed by a small amount of flight
      on the first day. Flight activity peaked from the ninth to the thirteenth day
      after eclosion, and there were two daily peak flight times: 10:00-13:00 and 15:00
      18:00. The peak of flower-visiting activity was from the eighth to the thirteenth
      day after eclosion, and there were two daily peak foraging times: 11:00-12:00 and
      16:00-17:00. Flight and foraging frequency and time were positively correlated
      and both were closely related to temperature, with very little flight or foraging
      below 18 degrees C and an increase at temperatures above 22 degrees C. Courtship
      and mating took place on the sixth day after eclosion, while oviposition occurred
      the following day. Oviposition occurred over 8 d, and the shortest time of a
      single oviposition was 2 s. The average life expectancy of males was 16.5 d,
      while that of females was 15 d. 

PMID- 26106089
TI  - Reduction of Optimal Thermal Range in Aging Western Cherry Fruit Flies (Diptera:
      Tephritidae).
AB  - The western cherry fruit fly is an economically important pest of sweet cherries
      in the western United States. The potential of this pest to establish and spread
      in areas in which it is not currently present has been the focus of recent
      research. Most published information on the thermal tolerance and optimal thermal
      range of this pest has focused primarily on the diapausing pupae and predictive
      phenology models. Microrespirometry and differential calorimetry can be useful
      tools in describing the thermotolerance and optimal thermal range of insects.
      This methodology was employed to investigate the effects of western cherry fruit
      fly adult age on the optimal thermal range. Newly emerged flies exhibited the
      widest optimal thermal range spanning from 6.6 to 42.2 degrees C for a total
      range of 35.8 degrees C during heating scans of 0.4 degrees C/min from 2 to 50
      degrees C. This range diminished as the flies aged, with the shortest span
      observed with 28-d-old flies ranging from 10.5 to 37.8 degrees C, a span of 27.2
      degrees C. Measurements of heat rate and oxygen consumption at isothermal, or
      static, temperatures indicated that all flies could survive exposure to 40
      degrees C for at least 20 min, and that metabolism was greatly reduced, with a
      concomitant reduction in oxygen consumption rate at 40 to 42 degrees C. All flies
      exhibited a heat rate and oxygen consumption rate of zero when exposed to 45 and
      50 degrees C. The loss of thermotolerance in adult flies can influence its
      ability to establish and spread in climates where daily temperatures exceed the
      optimal thermal range of this species. 

PMID- 26106090
TI  - Developmental Biology and Effects of Adult Diet on Consumption, Longevity, and
      Fecundity of Colaspis crinicornis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).
AB  - The chrysomelid beetle Colaspis crinicornis Schaeffer (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
      occurs primarily in the Great Plains region of the United States. Little is known
      about the biology and ecology of this species, but over the last decade, it has
      become increasingly common in the corn, Zea mays L., and soybean, Glycine max
      (L.) Merrill, agroecosystem of southeastern Nebraska. As part of a larger
      comprehensive project to understand the natural history and pest potential of
      this species, laboratory experiments were conducted to study the developmental
      biology, morphological characters of immature stages, and the effect of adult
      diet on consumption, longevity, and fecundity. Females readily deposited egg
      clusters in the soil, and percentage egg hatch was high under laboratory
      conditions. Larvae and pupae were confirmed to be soil-dwelling stages. C.
      crinicornis has relatively short egg, pupal, and adult stages with the majority
      of its life cycle spent in the larval stage. Results of choice and no-choice
      adult feeding experiments indicate that diets of corn or soybean leaves did not
      significantly affect consumption, longevity, or fecundity of adult C.
      crinicornis, suggesting that corn and soybean leaves are similarly suitable food
      sources for adults. The ability to effectively utilize tissues from very
      different plant families as adult food sources suggests that C. crinicornis is
      polyphagous in the field. 

PMID- 26106091
TI  - Does religion deserve a place in secular medicine?
AB  - Biggar (2015) argues that "religion" deserves a place in secular medicine.
      Against this view, I argue that religion (as most people would understand the
      term) should not play a role in shaping secular health policy, and I provide some
      illustrations of the potential dangers of the contrary. However, I also suggest
      that-upon closer inspection-Biggar seems to be using the term "religion" to refer
      to obliquely to what most people would call "moral philosophy." On this less
      controversial interpretation, Biggar's proposal is inoffensive-but also
      unoriginal. 

PMID- 26106092
TI  - Brain. Editorial.

PMID- 26106093
TI  - Brain stimulation and memory.

PMID- 26106094
TI  - From Time is brain to Physiology is brain: a case for reflection in acute stroke
      treatment decisions.

PMID- 26106095
TI  - Progranulin protects against the tissue damage of acute ischaemic stroke.

PMID- 26106096
TI  - Oculomotor abnormalities in posterior cortical atrophy: are they different from
      those in Alzheimer's disease after all?

PMID- 26106097
TI  - Visual-spatial memory may be enhanced with theta burst deep brain stimulation of
      the fornix: a preliminary investigation with four cases.
AB  - Memory loss after brain injury can be a source of considerable morbidity, but
      there are presently few therapeutic options for restoring memory function. We
      have previously demonstrated that burst stimulation of the fornix is able to
      significantly improve memory in a rodent model of traumatic brain injury. The
      present study is a preliminary investigation with a small group of cases to
      explore whether theta burst stimulation of the fornix might improve memory in
      humans. Four individuals undergoing stereo-electroencephalography evaluation for
      drug-resistant epilepsy were enrolled. All participants were implanted with an
      electrode into the proximal fornix and dorsal hippocampal commissure on the
      language dominant (n = 3) or language non-dominant (n = 1) side, and stimulation
      of this electrode reliably produced a diffuse evoked potential in the head and
      body of the ipsilateral hippocampus. Each participant underwent testing of verbal
      memory (Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test), visual-spatial memory (Medical
      College of Georgia Complex Figure Test), and visual confrontational naming
      (Boston Naming Test Short Form) once per day over at least two consecutive days
      using novel test forms each day. For 50% of the trials, the fornix electrode was
      continuously stimulated using a burst pattern (200 Hz in 100 ms trains, five
      trains per second, 100 us, 7 mA) and was compared with sham stimulation.
      Participants and examiners were blinded to whether stimulation was active or not,
      and the order of stimulation was randomized. The small sample size precluded use
      of inferential statistics; therefore, data were analysed using descriptive
      statistics and graphic analysis. Burst stimulation of the fornix was not
      perceived by any of the participants but was associated with a robust reversible
      improvement in immediate and delayed performance on the Medical College of
      Georgia Complex Figure Test. There were no apparent differences on either Rey
      Auditory-Verbal Learning Test or Boston Naming Test. There was no apparent
      relationship between performance and side of stimulation (language dominant or
      non-dominant). There were no complications. Preliminary evidence in this small
      sample of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy suggests that theta burst
      stimulation of the fornix may be associated with improvement in visual-spatial
      memory. 

PMID- 26106098
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26106099
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26106102
TI  - Abortion: a disunited Europe.

PMID- 26106103
TI  - Barriers and facilitators of access to first-trimester abortion services for
      women in the developed world: a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify the barriers and facilitators to accessing first
      trimester abortion services for women in the developed world. METHODS: Systematic
      review of published literature. CINAHL, PubMed, Proquest, MEDLINE, InformIT,
      Scopus, PsycINFO and Academic Search Premier were searched for papers written in
      the English language, from the developed world, including quantitative and
      qualitative articles published between 1993 and 2014. RESULTS: The search
      initially yielded 2511 articles. After screening of title, abstract and removing
      duplicates, 38 articles were reviewed. From the provider perspective, barriers
      included moral opposition to abortion, lack of training, too few physicians,
      staff harassment, and insufficient hospital resources, particularly in rural
      areas. From the women's perspective, barriers included lack of access to services
      (including distance and lack of service availability), negative attitudes of
      staff, and the associated costs of the abortion procedure. Service access could
      be enhanced by increasing training, particularly for mid-level practitioners; by
      increasing the range of service options, including the use of telehealth; and by
      creating clear guidelines and referral procedures to alternative providers when
      staff have a moral opposition to abortion. CONCLUSION: Despite fewer legal
      barriers to accessing abortion services, the evidence from this review suggests
      that women in developed countries still face significant inequities in terms of
      the level of quality and access to services as recommended by the World Health
      Organization.

PMID- 26106104
TI  - Do women seeking termination of pregnancy need pre-abortion counselling?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pre-termination counselling is currently voluntary in the UK;
      however, there has been political debate regarding the introduction of mandatory
      pre-termination counselling as well as who should be providing the abortion
      counselling services. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the proportion of women who use pre
      termination counselling services and to evaluate their experience. METHOD: An
      anonymous self-administered questionnaire of women requesting an abortion at
      Chalmers Sexual Health Centre and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh NHS Lothian
      from 6 October to 2 December 2014. RESULTS: Only 18 (9%) of the 201 women
      surveyed reported using pre-termination counselling. The majority of women did
      not feel counselling was necessary because they were already certain of their
      decision. Nearly a quarter (22%) of women claimed to not know counselling was
      available. Women who did use counselling were satisfied with the services they
      received. The majority of counselling services were provided by the National
      Health Service and only one woman used a 'pro-life' charity. Women stated that
      they would prefer face-to-face counselling rather than telephone or Internet
      based counselling. CONCLUSIONS: Most women do not seem to want or need pre
      termination counselling therefore policies aimed at mandatory counselling, would
      be contrary to women's wishes. Counselling should be targeted at women with risk
      factors for psychological complications post-termination.

PMID- 26106105
TI  - Medical abortion: the hidden revolution.
AB  - While the medical abortion (MA) drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, have
      radically altered reproductive health practices around the world, there has been
      little field research on the sales and use of these drugs, especially in
      developing countries. This leaves the family planning community with many
      unanswered questions. While good profiles of contraceptive use are available for
      many countries and we have good technical data on the MA drugs' efficacy, dosages
      and regimens such as home dosage of misoprostol versus clinic dosage, we have
      very little information about the quantities of MA drugs sold, how they are used,
      where they are used, and, in the case of misoprostol, for what purposes. Sales
      data are available from one excellent commercial survey and from social marketing
      sales of mifepristone and misoprostol and these are presented. Acknowledging the
      sensitivity of the issue, especially in countries where abortion is severely
      restricted, the author makes a plea for careful additional research to shed light
      on an important and growing part of the international reproductive health
      picture. 

PMID- 26106106
TI  - Poisson regression.

PMID- 26106107
TI  - Female genital mutilation: three questions for us to consider.

PMID- 26106108
TI  - MEDFASH (Medical Foundation for HIV & Sexual Health).

PMID- 26106109
TI  - Incomplete removal of an intrauterine system.

PMID- 26106110
TI  - Comment on 'Continuing need for and provision of a service for non-standard
      implant removal'.

PMID- 26106111
TI  - Comment on 'Continuing need for and provision of a service for non-standard
      implant removal': author's response.

PMID- 26106112
TI  - The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Predicting Postpartum Depression.
AB  - This study examines the direct and moderating effects of emotional intelligence
      on postpartum depression (PPD), while taking into account social support and
      stressful life events. Using a prospective cohort design, 165 women were surveyed
      in their third trimester and again at 9 weeks postpartum. Results support the
      direct effects of emotional intelligence (beta = -.20, p = .01), social support
      (beta = -.17, p = .04), and stressful life events (beta = .17, p = .04) on PPD.
      Moderating effects are also supported with significant effects on PPD: stressful
      life events * emotional intelligence (beta = -.17, p = .04) and stressful life
      events * social support (beta = -.21, p = .01). 

PMID- 26106113
TI  - Effect of Intravenous Recombinant Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator in Patients
      With Mild Stroke in the Third International Stroke Trial-3: Post Hoc Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Randomized trial evidence on the risk/benefit ratio of
      thrombolysis for mild stroke is limited. We sought to determine the efficacy of
      intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (IV r-tPA) in a subset
      of patients with mild deficit in the third International Stroke Trial (IST-3).
      METHODS: IST-3 compared IV r-tPA with control within 6 hours of onset in patients
      for whom IV r-tPA was considered promising but unproven. Analysis was restricted
      to subjects randomized within 3 hours of onset with a baseline National
      Institutes of Health Stroke Scale <=5, pretreatment blood pressure <185/110, and
      no other r-tPA exclusion criteria. We compared r-tPA and control arms for primary
      (Oxfordshire Handicap Score [OHS] 0-2) and secondary (ordinal OHS and OHS 0-1)
      outcomes at 6 months. RESULTS: Among 3035 IST-3 subjects, 612 (20.2%) had an
      National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale <=5; of these 106 (17.6%) met the
      restricted criteria. Allocation to r-tPA was associated with an increase in OHS 0
      to 2 (84% r-tPA versus 65% control; adjusted odds ratio, 3.31; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.24-8.79) and a favorable shift in OHS distribution (adjusted odds
      ratio, 2.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-4.85). There was no significant effect
      of r-tPA on OHS 0 to 1 (60% versus 51%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.92; 95% confidence
      interval, 0.83-4.43). CONCLUSIONS: This post hoc analysis in a highly selected
      sample of IST-3 supports the rationale of A Study of the Efficacy and Safety of
      Activase (Alteplase) in Patients With Mild Stroke (PRISMS) trial-a randomized,
      phase IIIb study to evaluate IV r-tPA in mild ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26106114
TI  - Intensive Versus Distributed Aphasia Therapy: A Nonrandomized, Parallel-Group,
      Dosage-Controlled Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Most studies comparing different levels of aphasia
      treatment intensity have not controlled the dosage of therapy provided.
      Consequently, the true effect of treatment intensity in aphasia rehabilitation
      remains unknown. Aphasia Language Impairment and Functioning Therapy is an
      intensive, comprehensive aphasia program. We investigated the efficacy of a
      dosage-controlled trial of Aphasia Language Impairment and Functioning Therapy,
      when delivered in an intensive versus distributed therapy schedule, on
      communication outcomes in participants with chronic aphasia. METHODS: Thirty-four
      adults with chronic, poststroke aphasia were recruited to participate in an
      intensive (n=16; 16 hours per week; 3 weeks) versus distributed (n=18; 6 hours
      per week; 8 weeks) therapy program. Treatment included 48 hours of impairment,
      functional, computer, and group-based aphasia therapy. RESULTS: Distributed
      therapy resulted in significantly greater improvements on the Boston Naming Test
      when compared with intensive therapy immediately post therapy (P=0.04) and at 1
      month follow-up (P=0.002). We found comparable gains on measures of participants'
      communicative effectiveness, communication confidence, and communication-related
      quality of life for the intensive and distributed treatment conditions at post
      therapy and 1-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Aphasia Language Impairment and
      Functioning Therapy resulted in superior clinical outcomes on measures of
      language impairment when delivered in a distributed versus intensive schedule.
      The therapy progam had a positive effect on participants' functional
      communication and communication-related quality of life, regardless of treatment
      intensity. These findings contribute to our understanding of the effect of
      treatment intensity in aphasia rehabilitation and have important clinical
      implications for service delivery models.

PMID- 26106115
TI  - Short History of Confidence Intervals: Or, Don't Ask "Does the Treatment Work?"
      but "How Sure Are You That It Works?".

PMID- 26106116
TI  - Intima-Media Thickness and Cognitive Function in Stroke-Free Middle-Aged Adults:
      Findings From the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relationship between carotid artery intima-media
      thickness (IMT) and cognitive function in midlife remains relatively unexplored.
      We examined the association between IMT and cognitive function in a middle-aged
      epidemiological cohort of 2618 stroke-free participants. METHODS: At the year 20
      visit (our study baseline), participants from the Coronary Artery Risk
      Development in Young Adults study had IMT measured by ultrasound at the common
      carotid artery. Five years later, participants completed a cognitive battery
      consisting of the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test of verbal memory, the Digit
      Symbol Substitution Test of processing speed, and the Stroop test of executive
      function. We transformed cognitive scores into standardized z scores, with
      negative values indicating worse performance. RESULTS: Mean age at baseline was
      45.3 years (SD, 3.6). Greater IMT (per 1 SD difference of 0.12 mm) was
      significantly associated with worse performance on all cognitive tests (z scores)
      in unadjusted linear regression models (verbal memory, -0.16; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], -0.20 to -0.13; processing speed, -0.23; 95% CI, -0.27 to -0.19;
      and executive function, -0.17; 95% CI, -0.20 to -0.13). In models adjusted for
      sociodemographics and vascular risk factors that lie earlier in the causal
      pathway, greater IMT remained negatively associated with processing speed (-0.06;
      95% CI, -0.09 to -0.02; P, 0.003) and borderline associated with executive
      function (-0.03; 95% CI, -0.07 to 0.00; P, 0.07) but not with verbal memory.
      CONCLUSIONS: We observed an association between greater IMT and worse processing
      speed-a key component of cognitive functioning-at middle age above and beyond
      traditional vascular risk factors. Efforts targeted at preventing early stages of
      atherosclerosis may modify the course of cognitive aging.

PMID- 26106117
TI  - Futile Interhospital Transfer for Endovascular Treatment in Acute Ischemic
      Stroke: The Madrid Stroke Network Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The complexity of endovascular revascularization
      treatment (ERT) in acute ischemic stroke and the small number of patients
      eligible for treatment justify the development of stroke center networks with
      interhospital patient transfers. However, this approach might result in futile
      transfers (ie, the transfer of patients who ultimately do not undergo ERT). Our
      aim was to analyze the frequency of these futile transfers and the reasons for
      discarding ERT and to identify the possible associated factors. METHODS: We
      analyzed an observational prospective ERT registry from a stroke collaboration
      ERT network consisting of 3 hospitals. There were interhospital transfers from
      the first attending hospital to the on-call ERT center for the patients for whom
      this therapy was indicated, either primarily or after intravenous thrombolysis
      (drip and shift). RESULTS: The ERT protocol was activated for 199 patients, 129
      of whom underwent ERT (64.8%). A total of 120 (60.3%) patients required a
      hospital transfer, 50 of whom (41%) ultimately did not undergo ERT. There were no
      differences in their baseline characteristics, the times from stroke onset, or in
      the delays in interhospital transfers between the transferred patients who were
      treated and those who were not treated. The main reasons for rejecting ERT after
      the interhospital transfer were clinical improvement/arterial recanalization
      (48%) and neuroimaging criteria (32%). CONCLUSIONS: Forty-one percent of the ERT
      transfers were futile, but none of the baseline patient characteristics predicted
      this result. Futility could be reduced if repetition of unnecessary diagnostic
      tests was avoided.

PMID- 26106119
TI  - New Additions to Multimedia Manual of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.

PMID- 26106118
TI  - Stem Cell-Based Tissue Replacement After Stroke: Factual Necessity or Notorious
      Fiction?

PMID- 26106120
TI  - eComment. When and why is it reasonable to perform a pleural lavage cytology in
      non-small-cell lung cancer patients?

PMID- 26106123
TI  - Science and Culture: Charting the history of Western art with math.

PMID- 26106121
TI  - eComment. The wide spectrum of thoracic approaches on a learning curve basis.

PMID- 26106125
TI  - Alterations of oxidative phosphorylation in meningiomas and peripheral nerve
      sheath tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Changes in the mode of aerobic energy production are observed in many
      solid tumors, though the kinds of changes differ among tumor types. We
      investigated mitochondrial energy metabolism in meningiomas and peripheral nerve
      sheath tumors, taking into consideration the histologic heterogeneity of these
      tumors. METHODS: Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes and porin (a marker
      for mitochondrial mass) were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining of
      meningiomas (n = 76) and peripheral nerve sheath tumors (schwannomas: n = 10;
      neurofibromas: n = 4). The enzymatic activities of OXPHOS complexes and citrate
      synthase were determined by spectrophotometric measurement. Western blot analysis
      of OXPHOS complexes, porin, and mitochondrial transcription factor A was
      performed. Furthermore, mitochondrial DNA copy number was determined. RESULTS:
      The tumors differed with regard to mitochondrial energy metabolism. Low levels of
      a subset of OXPHOS complexes were frequently observed in World Health
      Organization grade I meningiomas (percent of cases with a reduction; complex I:
      63%; complex II: 67%; complex IV: 56%) and schwannomas (complex III: 40%, complex
      IV: 100%), whereas in neurofibromas a general reduction of all complexes was
      observed. In contrast, expression of complexes III and V was similar to that in
      normal brain tissue in the majority of tumors. Mitochondrial mass was comparable
      or higher in all tumors compared with normal brain tissue, whereas mitochondrial
      DNA copy number was reduced. CONCLUSIONS: The reduction of OXPHOS complexes in
      meningiomas and peripheral nerve sheath tumors has potential therapeutic
      implications, since respiratory chain-deficient tumor cells might be selectively
      starved by inhibitors of glycolysis or by ketogenic diet.

PMID- 26106126
TI  - Correlates of dietary behavior in adults: an umbrella review.
AB  - CONTEXT: Multiple studies have been conducted on correlates of dietary behavior
      in adults, but a clear overview is currently lacking. OBJECTIVE: An umbrella
      review, or review-of-reviews, was conducted to summarize and synthesize the
      scientific evidence on correlates and determinants of dietary behavior in adults.
      DATA SOURCES: Eligible systematic reviews were identified in four databases:
      PubMed, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Only reviews
      published between January 1990 and May 2014 were included. STUDY SELECTION:
      Systematic reviews of observable food and dietary behavior that describe
      potential behavioral determinants of dietary behavior in adults were included.
      After independent selection of potentially relevant reviews by two authors, a
      total of 14 reviews were considered eligible. DATA EXTRACTION: For data
      extraction, the importance of determinants, the strength of the evidence, and the
      methodological quality of the eligible reviews were evaluated. Multiple observers
      conducted the data extraction independently. DATA SYNTHESIS: Social-cognitive
      determinants and environmental determinants (mainly the social-cultural
      environment) were included most often in the available reviews. Sedentary
      behavior and habit strength were consistently identified as important correlates
      of dietary behavior. Other correlates and potential determinants of dietary
      behavior, such as motivational regulation, shift work, and the political
      environment, have been studied in relatively few studies, but results are
      promising. CONCLUSIONS: The multitude of studies conducted on correlates of
      dietary behavior provides mixed, but sometimes quite convincing, evidence.
      However, because of the generally weak research design of the studies covered in
      the available reviews, the evidence for true determinants is suggestive, at best.

PMID- 26106127
TI  - Workability and mental wellbeing among therapeutic prison officers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous research has examined how age and health can shape
      workability (WA). This study seeks to explore how a lack of WA (inability) may
      affect the health of the employee. AIMS: To explore the effects of work inability
      on mental wellbeing among therapeutic prison officers. METHODS: An anonymous
      cross-sectional study of prison officers conducted in a category B English prison
      using the Work Ability Index (WAI) and General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ).
      RESULTS: Fifty-seven officers (59%) participated and of those 95% achieved GHQ
      caseness. Officers with poorer WA reported significantly higher GHQ scores. Work
      inability for mental demands had significant associations with anxiety (beta = 
      0.58, 95% CI -4.21 to -1.88, particularly sleep loss; Pearson's r = -0.66).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings present clear associations between poor WA and its
      impact upon mental wellbeing. The results of this study may help to focus on
      areas for intervention such as improving WA and promoting mental wellbeing.

PMID- 26106134
TI  - Cause and Prevention of Human Cancer.

PMID- 26106136
TI  - The effect of environmental chemicals on the tumor microenvironment.
AB  - Potentially carcinogenic compounds may cause cancer through direct DNA damage or
      through indirect cellular or physiological effects. To study possible
      carcinogens, the fields of endocrinology, genetics, epigenetics, medicine,
      environmental health, toxicology, pharmacology and oncology must be considered.
      Disruptive chemicals may also contribute to multiple stages of tumor development
      through effects on the tumor microenvironment. In turn, the tumor
      microenvironment consists of a complex interaction among blood vessels that feed
      the tumor, the extracellular matrix that provides structural and biochemical
      support, signaling molecules that send messages and soluble factors such as
      cytokines. The tumor microenvironment also consists of many host cellular
      effectors including multipotent stromal cells/mesenchymal stem cells,
      fibroblasts, endothelial cell precursors, antigen-presenting cells, lymphocytes
      and innate immune cells. Carcinogens can influence the tumor microenvironment
      through effects on epithelial cells, the most common origin of cancer, as well as
      on stromal cells, extracellular matrix components and immune cells. Here, we
      review how environmental exposures can perturb the tumor microenvironment. We
      suggest a role for disrupting chemicals such as nickel chloride, Bisphenol A,
      butyltins, methylmercury and paraquat as well as more traditional carcinogens,
      such as radiation, and pharmaceuticals, such as diabetes medications, in the
      disruption of the tumor microenvironment. Further studies interrogating the role
      of chemicals and their mixtures in dose-dependent effects on the tumor
      microenvironment could have important general mechanistic implications for the
      etiology and prevention of tumorigenesis. 

PMID- 26106135
TI  - The impact of low-dose carcinogens and environmental disruptors on tissue
      invasion and metastasis.
AB  - The purpose of this review is to stimulate new ideas regarding low-dose
      environmental mixtures and carcinogens and their potential to promote invasion
      and metastasis. Whereas a number of chapters in this review are devoted to the
      role of low-dose environmental mixtures and carcinogens in the promotion of
      invasion and metastasis in specific tumors such as breast and prostate, the
      overarching theme is the role of low-dose carcinogens in the progression of
      cancer stem cells. It is becoming clearer that cancer stem cells in a tumor are
      the ones that assume invasive properties and colonize distant organs. Therefore,
      low-dose contaminants that trigger epithelial-mesenchymal transition, for
      example, in these cells are of particular interest in this review. This we hope
      will lead to the collaboration between scientists who have dedicated their
      professional life to the study of carcinogens and those whose interests are
      exclusively in the arena of tissue invasion and metastasis. 

PMID- 26106137
TI  - Assessing the carcinogenic potential of low-dose exposures to chemical mixtures
      in the environment: focus on the cancer hallmark of tumor angiogenesis.
AB  - One of the important 'hallmarks' of cancer is angiogenesis, which is the process
      of formation of new blood vessels that are necessary for tumor expansion,
      invasion and metastasis. Under normal physiological conditions, angiogenesis is
      well balanced and controlled by endogenous proangiogenic factors and
      antiangiogenic factors. However, factors produced by cancer cells, cancer stem
      cells and other cell types in the tumor stroma can disrupt the balance so that
      the tumor microenvironment favors tumor angiogenesis. These factors include
      vascular endothelial growth factor, endothelial tissue factor and other membrane
      bound receptors that mediate multiple intracellular signaling pathways that
      contribute to tumor angiogenesis. Though environmental exposures to certain
      chemicals have been found to initiate and promote tumor development, the role of
      these exposures (particularly to low doses of multiple substances), is largely
      unknown in relation to tumor angiogenesis. This review summarizes the evidence of
      the role of environmental chemical bioactivity and exposure in tumor angiogenesis
      and carcinogenesis. We identify a number of ubiquitous (prototypical) chemicals
      with disruptive potential that may warrant further investigation given their
      selectivity for high-throughput screening assay targets associated with
      proangiogenic pathways. We also consider the cross-hallmark relationships of a
      number of important angiogenic pathway targets with other cancer hallmarks and we
      make recommendations for future research. Understanding of the role of low-dose
      exposure of chemicals with disruptive potential could help us refine our approach
      to cancer risk assessment, and may ultimately aid in preventing cancer by
      reducing or eliminating exposures to synergistic mixtures of chemicals with
      carcinogenic potential. 

PMID- 26106138
TI  - Disruptive chemicals, senescence and immortality.
AB  - Carcinogenesis is thought to be a multistep process, with clonal evolution
      playing a central role in the process. Clonal evolution involves the repeated
      'selection and succession' of rare variant cells that acquire a growth advantage
      over the remaining cell population through the acquisition of 'driver mutations'
      enabling a selective advantage in a particular micro-environment. Clonal
      selection is the driving force behind tumorigenesis and possesses three basic
      requirements: (i) effective competitive proliferation of the variant clone when
      compared with its neighboring cells, (ii) acquisition of an indefinite capacity
      for self-renewal, and (iii) establishment of sufficiently high levels of genetic
      and epigenetic variability to permit the emergence of rare variants. However,
      several questions regarding the process of clonal evolution remain. Which
      cellular processes initiate carcinogenesis in the first place? To what extent are
      environmental carcinogens responsible for the initiation of clonal evolution?
      What are the roles of genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens in carcinogenesis?
      What are the underlying mechanisms responsible for chemical carcinogen-induced
      cellular immortality? Here, we explore the possible mechanisms of cellular
      immortalization, the contribution of immortalization to tumorigenesis and the
      mechanisms by which chemical carcinogens may contribute to these processes. 

PMID- 26106139
TI  - Mechanisms of environmental chemicals that enable the cancer hallmark of evasion
      of growth suppression.
AB  - As part of the Halifax Project, this review brings attention to the potential
      effects of environmental chemicals on important molecular and cellular regulators
      of the cancer hallmark of evading growth suppression. Specifically, we review the
      mechanisms by which cancer cells escape the growth-inhibitory signals of p53,
      retinoblastoma protein, transforming growth factor-beta, gap junctions and
      contact inhibition. We discuss the effects of selected environmental chemicals on
      these mechanisms of growth inhibition and cross-reference the effects of these
      chemicals in other classical cancer hallmarks. 

PMID- 26106140
TI  - Metabolic reprogramming and dysregulated metabolism: cause, consequence and/or
      enabler of environmental carcinogenesis?
AB  - Environmental contributions to cancer development are widely accepted, but only a
      fraction of all pertinent exposures have probably been identified. Traditional
      toxicological approaches to the problem have largely focused on the effects of
      individual agents at singular endpoints. As such, they have incompletely
      addressed both the pro-carcinogenic contributions of environmentally relevant low
      dose chemical mixtures and the fact that exposures can influence multiple cancer
      associated endpoints over varying timescales. Of these endpoints, dysregulated
      metabolism is one of the most common and recognizable features of cancer, but its
      specific roles in exposure-associated cancer development remain poorly
      understood. Most studies have focused on discrete aspects of cancer metabolism
      and have incompletely considered both its dynamic integrated nature and the
      complex controlling influences of substrate availability, external trophic
      signals and environmental conditions. Emerging high throughput approaches to
      environmental risk assessment also do not directly address the metabolic causes
      or consequences of changes in gene expression. As such, there is a compelling
      need to establish common or complementary frameworks for further exploration that
      experimentally and conceptually consider the gestalt of cancer metabolism and its
      causal relationships to both carcinogenesis and the development of other cancer
      hallmarks. A literature review to identify environmentally relevant exposures
      unambiguously linked to both cancer development and dysregulated metabolism
      suggests major gaps in our understanding of exposure-associated carcinogenesis
      and metabolic reprogramming. Although limited evidence exists to support primary
      causal roles for metabolism in carcinogenesis, the universality of altered cancer
      metabolism underscores its fundamental biological importance, and multiple
      pleiomorphic, even dichotomous, roles for metabolism in promoting, antagonizing
      or otherwise enabling the development and selection of cancer are suggested. 

PMID- 26106141
TI  - Environmental immune disruptors, inflammation and cancer risk.
AB  - An emerging area in environmental toxicology is the role that chemicals and
      chemical mixtures have on the cells of the human immune system. This is an
      important area of research that has been most widely pursued in relation to
      autoimmune diseases and allergy/asthma as opposed to cancer causation. This is
      despite the well-recognized role that innate and adaptive immunity play as
      essential factors in tumorigenesis. Here, we review the role that the innate
      immune cells of inflammatory responses play in tumorigenesis. Focus is placed on
      the molecules and pathways that have been mechanistically linked with tumor
      associated inflammation. Within the context of chemically induced disturbances in
      immune function as co-factors in carcinogenesis, the evidence linking
      environmental toxicant exposures with perturbation in the balance between pro-
      and anti-inflammatory responses is reviewed. Reported effects of bisphenol A,
      atrazine, phthalates and other common toxicants on molecular and cellular targets
      involved in tumor-associated inflammation (e.g. cyclooxygenase/prostaglandin E2,
      nuclear factor kappa B, nitric oxide synthesis, cytokines and chemokines) are
      presented as example chemically mediated target molecule perturbations relevant
      to cancer. Commentary on areas of additional research including the need for
      innovation and integration of systems biology approaches to the study of
      environmental exposures and cancer causation are presented. 

PMID- 26106143
TI  - The potential for chemical mixtures from the environment to enable the cancer
      hallmark of sustained proliferative signalling.
AB  - The aim of this work is to review current knowledge relating the established
      cancer hallmark, sustained cell proliferation to the existence of chemicals
      present as low dose mixtures in the environment. Normal cell proliferation is
      under tight control, i.e. cells respond to a signal to proliferate, and although
      most cells continue to proliferate into adult life, the multiplication ceases
      once the stimulatory signal disappears or if the cells are exposed to growth
      inhibitory signals. Under such circumstances, normal cells remain quiescent until
      they are stimulated to resume further proliferation. In contrast, tumour cells
      are unable to halt proliferation, either when subjected to growth inhibitory
      signals or in the absence of growth stimulatory signals. Environmental chemicals
      with carcinogenic potential may cause sustained cell proliferation by interfering
      with some cell proliferation control mechanisms committing cells to an indefinite
      proliferative span. 

PMID- 26106147
TI  - Genome-wide association studies and contribution to cardiovascular physiology.
AB  - The study of family pedigrees with rare monogenic cardiovascular disorders has
      revealed new molecular players in physiological processes. Genome-wide
      association studies of complex traits with a heritable component may afford a
      similar and potentially intellectually richer opportunity. In this review we
      focus on the interpretation of genetic associations and the issue of causality in
      relation to known and potentially new physiology. We mainly discuss
      cardiometabolic traits as it reflects our personal interests, but the issues
      pertain broadly in many other disciplines. We also describe some of the resources
      that are now available that may expedite follow up of genetic association signals
      into observations on causal mechanisms and pathophysiology.

PMID- 26106146
TI  - Dopamine's Actions in Primate Prefrontal Cortex: Challenges for Treating
      Cognitive Disorders.
AB  - The prefrontal cortex (PFC) elaborates and differentiates in primates, and there
      is a corresponding elaboration in cortical dopamine (DA). DA cells that fire to
      both aversive and rewarding stimuli likely project to the dorsolateral PFC
      (dlPFC), signaling a salient event. Since 1979, we have known that DA has an
      essential influence on dlPFC working memory functions. DA has differing effects
      via D1 (D1R) versus D2 receptor (D2R) families. D1R are concentrated on dendritic
      spines, and D1/5R stimulation produces an inverted U-shaped dose response on
      visuospatial working memory performance and Delay cell firing, the neurons that
      generate representations of visual space. Optimal levels of D1R stimulation gate
      out "noise," whereas higher levels, e.g., during stress, suppress Delay cell
      firing. These effects likely involve hyperpolarization-activated cyclic
      nucleotide-gated channel opening, activation of GABA interneurons, and reduced
      glutamate release. Dysregulation of D1R has been related to cognitive deficits in
      schizophrenia, and there is a need for new, lower-affinity D1R agonists that may
      better mimic endogenous DA to enhance mental representations and improve
      cognition. In contrast to D1R, D2R are primarily localized on layer V pyramidal
      cell dendrites, and D2/3R stimulation speeds and magnifies the firing of Response
      cells, including Response Feedback cells. Altered firing of Feedback neurons may
      relate to positive symptoms in schizophrenia. Emerging research suggests that DA
      may have similar effects in the ventrolateral PFC and frontal eye fields.
      Research on the orbital PFC in monkeys is just beginning and could be a key area
      for future discoveries. 

PMID- 26106148
TI  - SWP73 Subunits of Arabidopsis SWI/SNF Chromatin Remodeling Complexes Play
      Distinct Roles in Leaf and Flower Development.
AB  - Arabidopsis thaliana SWP73A and SWP73B are homologs of mammalian BRAHMA
      associated factors (BAF60s) that tether SWITCH/SUCROSE NONFERMENTING chromatin
      remodeling complexes to transcription factors of genes regulating various cell
      differentiation pathways. Here, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana SWP73s modulate
      several important developmental pathways. While undergoing normal vegetative
      development, swp73a mutants display reduced expression of FLOWERING LOCUS C and
      early flowering in short days. By contrast, swp73b mutants are characterized by
      retarded growth, severe defects in leaf and flower development, delayed
      flowering, and male sterility. MNase-Seq, transcript profiling, and ChIP-Seq
      studies demonstrate that SWP73B binds the promoters of ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 and 2,
      KANADI1 and 3, and YABBY2, 3, and 5 genes, which regulate leaf development and
      show coordinately altered transcription in swp73b plants. Lack of SWP73B alters
      the expression patterns of APETALA1, APETALA3, and the MADS box gene AGL24,
      whereas other floral organ identity genes show reduced expression correlating
      with defects in flower development. Consistently, SWP73B binds to the promoter
      regions of APETALA1 and 3, SEPALLATA3, LEAFY, UNUSUAL FLORAL ORGANS, TERMINAL
      FLOWER1, AGAMOUS-LIKE24, and SUPPRESSOR OF CONSTANS OVEREXPRESSION1 genes, and
      the swp73b mutation alters nucleosome occupancy on most of these loci. In
      conclusion, SWP73B acts as important modulator of major developmental pathways,
      while SWP73A functions in flowering time control. 

PMID- 26106149
TI  - Genome Sequencing of Arabidopsis abp1-5 Reveals Second-Site Mutations That May
      Affect Phenotypes.
AB  - Auxin regulates numerous aspects of plant growth and development. For many years,
      investigating roles for AUXIN BINDING PROTEIN1 (ABP1) in auxin response was
      impeded by the reported embryo lethality of mutants defective in ABP1. However,
      identification of a viable Arabidopsis thaliana TILLING mutant defective in the
      ABP1 auxin binding pocket (abp1-5) allowed inroads into understanding ABP1
      function. During our own studies with abp1-5, we observed growth phenotypes
      segregating independently of the ABP1 lesion, leading us to sequence the genome
      of the abp1-5 line described previously. We found that the abp1-5 line we
      sequenced contains over 8000 single nucleotide polymorphisms in addition to the
      ABP1 mutation and that at least some of these mutations may originate from the
      Arabidopsis Wassilewskija accession. Furthermore, a phyB null allele in the abp1
      5 background is likely causative for the long hypocotyl phenotype previously
      attributed to disrupted ABP1 function. Our findings complicate the interpretation
      of abp1-5 phenotypes for which no complementation test was conducted. Our
      findings on abp1-5 also provide a cautionary tale illustrating the need to use
      multiple alleles or complementation lines when attributing roles to a gene
      product. 

PMID- 26106142
TI  - Assessing the carcinogenic potential of low-dose exposures to chemical mixtures
      in the environment: the challenge ahead.
AB  - Lifestyle factors are responsible for a considerable portion of cancer incidence
      worldwide, but credible estimates from the World Health Organization and the
      International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) suggest that the fraction of
      cancers attributable to toxic environmental exposures is between 7% and 19%. To
      explore the hypothesis that low-dose exposures to mixtures of chemicals in the
      environment may be combining to contribute to environmental carcinogenesis, we
      reviewed 11 hallmark phenotypes of cancer, multiple priority target sites for
      disruption in each area and prototypical chemical disruptors for all targets,
      this included dose-response characterizations, evidence of low-dose effects and
      cross-hallmark effects for all targets and chemicals. In total, 85 examples of
      chemicals were reviewed for actions on key pathways/mechanisms related to
      carcinogenesis. Only 15% (13/85) were found to have evidence of a dose-response
      threshold, whereas 59% (50/85) exerted low-dose effects. No dose-response
      information was found for the remaining 26% (22/85). Our analysis suggests that
      the cumulative effects of individual (non-carcinogenic) chemicals acting on
      different pathways, and a variety of related systems, organs, tissues and cells
      could plausibly conspire to produce carcinogenic synergies. Additional basic
      research on carcinogenesis and research focused on low-dose effects of chemical
      mixtures needs to be rigorously pursued before the merits of this hypothesis can
      be further advanced. However, the structure of the World Health Organization
      International Programme on Chemical Safety 'Mode of Action' framework should be
      revisited as it has inherent weaknesses that are not fully aligned with our
      current understanding of cancer biology. 

PMID- 26106152
TI  - Correction for Gursoy-Yuzugullu et al., Histone chaperone Anp32e removes H2A.Z
      from DNA double-strand breaks and promotes nucleosome reorganization and DNA
      repair.

PMID- 26106145
TI  - Disruptive environmental chemicals and cellular mechanisms that confer resistance
      to cell death.
AB  - Cell death is a process of dying within biological cells that are ceasing to
      function. This process is essential in regulating organism development, tissue
      homeostasis, and to eliminate cells in the body that are irreparably damaged. In
      general, dysfunction in normal cellular death is tightly linked to cancer
      progression. Specifically, the up-regulation of pro-survival factors, including
      oncogenic factors and antiapoptotic signaling pathways, and the down-regulation
      of pro-apoptotic factors, including tumor suppressive factors, confers resistance
      to cell death in tumor cells, which supports the emergence of a fully
      immortalized cellular phenotype. This review considers the potential relevance of
      ubiquitous environmental chemical exposures that have been shown to disrupt key
      pathways and mechanisms associated with this sort of dysfunction. Specifically,
      bisphenol A, chlorothalonil, dibutyl phthalate, dichlorvos, lindane, linuron,
      methoxychlor and oxyfluorfen are discussed as prototypical chemical disruptors;
      as their effects relate to resistance to cell death, as constituents within
      environmental mixtures and as potential contributors to environmental
      carcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26106150
TI  - DC-SIGN activation mediates the differential effects of SAP and CRP on the innate
      immune system and inhibits fibrosis in mice.
AB  - Fibrosis is caused by scar tissue formation in internal organs and is associated
      with 45% of deaths in the United States. Two closely related human serum
      proteins, serum amyloid P (SAP) and C-reactive protein (CRP), strongly affect
      fibrosis. In multiple animal models, and in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials,
      SAP affects several aspects of the innate immune system to reduce fibrosis,
      whereas CRP appears to potentiate fibrosis. However, SAP and CRP bind the same
      Fcgamma receptors (FcgammaR) with similar affinities, and why SAP and CRP have
      opposing effects is unknown. Here, we report that SAP but not CRP binds the
      receptor DC-SIGN (SIGN-R1) to affect the innate immune system, and that FcgammaR
      are not necessary for SAP function. A polycyclic aminothiazole DC-SIGN ligand and
      anti-DC-SIGN antibodies mimic SAP effects in vitro. In mice, the aminothiazole
      reduces neutrophil accumulation in a model of acute lung inflammation and, at
      0.001 mg/kg, alleviates pulmonary fibrosis by increasing levels of the
      immunosuppressant IL-10. DC-SIGN (SIGN-R1) is present on mouse lung epithelial
      cells, and SAP and the aminothiazole potentiate IL-10 production from these
      cells. Our data suggest that SAP activates DC-SIGN to regulate the innate immune
      system differently from CRP, and that DC-SIGN is a target for antifibrotics. 

PMID- 26106151
TI  - Ocean stoichiometry, global carbon, and climate.

PMID- 26106144
TI  - Causes of genome instability: the effect of low dose chemical exposures in modern
      society.
AB  - Genome instability is a prerequisite for the development of cancer. It occurs
      when genome maintenance systems fail to safeguard the genome's integrity, whether
      as a consequence of inherited defects or induced via exposure to environmental
      agents (chemicals, biological agents and radiation). Thus, genome instability can
      be defined as an enhanced tendency for the genome to acquire mutations; ranging
      from changes to the nucleotide sequence to chromosomal gain, rearrangements or
      loss. This review raises the hypothesis that in addition to known human
      carcinogens, exposure to low dose of other chemicals present in our modern
      society could contribute to carcinogenesis by indirectly affecting genome
      stability. The selected chemicals with their mechanisms of action proposed to
      indirectly contribute to genome instability are: heavy metals (DNA repair,
      epigenetic modification, DNA damage signaling, telomere length), acrylamide (DNA
      repair, chromosome segregation), bisphenol A (epigenetic modification, DNA damage
      signaling, mitochondrial function, chromosome segregation), benomyl (chromosome
      segregation), quinones (epigenetic modification) and nano-sized particles
      (epigenetic pathways, mitochondrial function, chromosome segregation, telomere
      length). The purpose of this review is to describe the crucial aspects of genome
      instability, to outline the ways in which environmental chemicals can affect this
      cancer hallmark and to identify candidate chemicals for further study. The
      overall aim is to make scientists aware of the increasing need to unravel the
      underlying mechanisms via which chemicals at low doses can induce genome
      instability and thus promote carcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26106153
TI  - Correction to Supporting Information for Talantova et al., Abeta induces
      astrocytic glutamate release, extrasynaptic NMDA receptor activation, and
      synaptic loss.

PMID- 26106154
TI  - Tissue stiffness regulates serine/arginine-rich protein-mediated splicing of the
      extra domain B-fibronectin isoform in tumors.
AB  - Alternative splicing of proteins gives rise to different isoforms that play a
      crucial role in regulating several cellular processes. Notably, splicing profiles
      are altered in several cancer types, and these profiles are believed to be
      involved in driving the oncogenic process. Although the importance of alternative
      splicing alterations occurring during cancer is increasingly appreciated, the
      underlying regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we use
      both biochemical and physical tools coupled with engineered models, patient
      samples, and a murine model to investigate the role of the mechanical properties
      of the tumor microenvironment in regulating the production of the extra domain-B
      (EDB) splice variant of fibronectin (FN), a hallmark of tumor angiogenesis.
      Specifically, we show that the amount of EDB-FN produced by endothelial cells
      increases with matrix stiffness both in vitro and within mouse mammary tumors.
      Matrix stiffness regulates splicing through the activation of serine/arginine
      rich (SR) proteins, the splicing factors involved in the production of FN
      isoforms. Activation of the SR proteins by matrix stiffness and the subsequent
      production of EDB-FN are dependent on intracellular contractility and PI3K-AKT
      signaling. Notably, matrix stiffness-mediated splicing is not limited to EDB-FN,
      but also affects splicing in the production of PKC betaII and the VEGF 165b
      splice variant. Together, these results demonstrate that the mechanical
      properties of the microenvironment regulate alternative splicing and establish a
      previously unidentified mechanism by which cells can adapt to their
      microenvironment. 

PMID- 26106155
TI  - Trp triad-dependent rapid photoreduction is not required for the function of
      Arabidopsis CRY1.
AB  - Cryptochromes in different evolutionary lineages act as either photoreceptors or
      light-independent transcription repressors. The flavin cofactor of both types of
      cryptochromes can be photoreduced in vitro by electron transportation via three
      evolutionarily conserved tryptophan residues known as the "Trp triad." It was
      hypothesized that Trp triad-dependent photoreduction leads directly to
      photoexcitation of cryptochrome photoreceptors. We tested this hypothesis by
      analyzing mutations of Arabidopsis cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) altered in each of the
      three Trp-triad tryptophan residues (W324, W377, and W400). Surprisingly, in
      contrast to a previous report all photoreduction-deficient Trp-triad mutations of
      CRY1 remained physiologically and biochemically active in Arabidopsis plants. ATP
      did not enhance rapid photoreduction of the wild-type CRY1, nor did it rescue the
      defective photoreduction of the CRY1(W324A) and CRY1(W400F) mutants that are
      photophysiologically active in vivo. The lack of correlation between rapid flavin
      photoreduction or the effect of ATP on the rapid flavin photoreduction and the in
      vivo photophysiological activities of plant cryptochromes argues that the Trp
      triad-dependent photoreduction is not required for the function of cryptochromes
      and that further efforts are needed to elucidate the photoexcitation mechanism of
      cryptochrome photoreceptors. 

PMID- 26106156
TI  - Engineered cellular gene-replacement platform for selective and inducible
      proteolytic profiling.
AB  - Cellular demolition during apoptosis is completed by executioner caspases, that
      selectively cleave more than 1,500 proteins but whose individual roles are
      challenging to assess. Here, we used an optimized site-specific and inducible
      protease to examine the role of a classic apoptotic node, the caspase-activated
      DNase (CAD). CAD is activated when caspases cleave its endogenous inhibitor ICAD,
      resulting in the characteristic DNA laddering of apoptosis. We describe a
      posttranscriptional gene replacement (PTGR) approach where endogenous biallelic
      ICAD is knocked down and simultaneously replaced with an engineered allele that
      is susceptible to inducible cleavage by tobacco etch virus protease. Remarkably,
      selective activation of CAD alone does not induce cell death, although hallmarks
      of DNA damage are detected in human cancer cell lines. Our data strongly support
      that the highly cooperative action of CAD and inhibition of DNA repair systems
      are critical for the DNA laddering phenotype in apoptosis. Furthermore, the PTGR
      approach provides a general means for replacing wild-type protein function with a
      precisely engineered mutant at the transcriptional level that should be useful
      for cell engineering studies. 

PMID- 26106157
TI  - Platelet microparticles are internalized in neutrophils via the concerted
      activity of 12-lipoxygenase and secreted phospholipase A2-IIA.
AB  - Platelets are anucleated blood elements highly potent at generating extracellular
      vesicles (EVs) called microparticles (MPs). Whereas EVs are accepted as an
      important means of intercellular communication, the mechanisms underlying
      platelet MP internalization in recipient cells are poorly understood. Our
      lipidomic analyses identified 12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetranoic acid [12(S)-HETE] as
      the predominant eicosanoid generated by MPs. Mechanistically, 12(S)-HETE is
      produced through the concerted activity of secreted phospholipase A2 IIA (sPLA2
      IIA), present in inflammatory fluids, and platelet-type 12-lipoxygenase (12-LO),
      expressed by platelet MPs. Platelet MPs convey an elaborate set of transcription
      factors and nucleic acids, and contain mitochondria. We observed that MPs and
      their cargo are internalized by activated neutrophils in the endomembrane system
      via 12(S)-HETE. Platelet MPs are found inside neutrophils isolated from the
      joints of arthritic patients, and are found in neutrophils only in the presence
      of sPLA2-IIA and 12-LO in an in vivo model of autoimmune inflammatory arthritis.
      Using a combination of genetically modified mice, we show that the coordinated
      action of sPLA2-IIA and 12-LO promotes inflammatory arthritis. These findings
      identify 12(S)-HETE as a trigger of platelet MP internalization by neutrophils, a
      mechanism highly relevant to inflammatory processes. Because sPLA2-IIA is induced
      during inflammation, and 12-LO expression is restricted mainly to platelets,
      these observations demonstrate that platelet MPs promote their internalization in
      recipient cells through highly regulated mechanisms. 

PMID- 26106159
TI  - Backbones of evolutionary history test biodiversity theory for microbes.
AB  - Identifying the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that determine biological
      diversity is a central question in ecology. In microbial ecology, phylogenetic
      diversity is an increasingly common and relevant means of quantifying community
      diversity, particularly given the challenges in defining unambiguous species
      units from environmental sequence data. We explore patterns of phylogenetic
      diversity across multiple bacterial communities drawn from different habitats and
      compare these data to evolutionary trees generated using theoretical models of
      biodiversity. We have two central findings. First, although on finer scales the
      empirical trees are highly idiosyncratic, on coarse scales the backbone of these
      trees is simple and robust, consistent across habitats, and displays bursts of
      diversification dotted throughout. Second, we find that these data demonstrate a
      clear departure from the predictions of standard neutral theories of biodiversity
      and that an alternative family of generalized models provides a qualitatively
      better description. Together, these results lay the groundwork for a theoretical
      framework to connect ecological mechanisms to observed phylogenetic patterns in
      microbial communities. 

PMID- 26106158
TI  - CD14 dependence of TLR4 endocytosis and TRIF signaling displays ligand
      specificity and is dissociable in endotoxin tolerance.
AB  - Dimerization of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor 2
      (MD2) heterodimers is critical for both MyD88- and TIR-domain-containing adapter
      inducing IFN-beta (TRIF)-mediated signaling pathways. Recently, Zanoni et al.
      [(2011) Cell 147(4):868-880] reported that cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14)
      is required for LPS-/Escherichia coli- induced TLR4 internalization into
      endosomes and activation of TRIF-mediated signaling in macrophages. We confirmed
      their findings with LPS but report here that CD14 is not required for receptor
      endocytosis and downstream signaling mediated by TLR4/MD2 agonistic antibody
      (UT12) and synthetic small-molecule TLR4 ligands (1Z105) in murine macrophages.
      CD14 deficiency completely ablated the LPS-induced TBK1/IRF3 signaling axis that
      mediates production of IFN-beta in murine macrophages without affecting MyD88
      mediated signaling, including NF-kappaB, MAPK activation, and TNF-alpha and IL-6
      production. However, neither the MyD88- nor TRIF-signaling pathways and their
      associated cytokine profiles were altered in the absence of CD14 in UT12- or
      1Z105-treated murine macrophages. Eritoran (E5564), a lipid A antagonist that
      binds the MD2 "pocket," completely blocked LPS- and 1Z105-driven, but not UT12
      induced, TLR4 dimerization and endocytosis. Furthermore, TLR4 endocytosis is
      induced in macrophages tolerized by exposure to either LPS or UT12 and is
      independent of CD14. These data indicate that TLR4 receptor endocytosis and the
      TRIF-signaling pathway are dissociable and that TLR4 internalization in
      macrophages can be induced by UT12, 1Z105, and during endotoxin tolerance in the
      absence of CD14. 

PMID- 26106160
TI  - A retro-biosynthetic approach to the prediction of biosynthetic pathways from
      position-specific isotope analysis as shown for tramadol.
AB  - Tramadol, previously only known as a synthetic analgesic, has now been found in
      the bark and wood of roots of the African medicinal tree Nauclea latifolia. At
      present, no direct evidence is available as to the biosynthetic pathway of its
      unusual skeleton. To provide guidance as to possible biosynthetic precursors, we
      have adopted a novel approach of retro-biosynthesis based on the position
      specific distribution of isotopes in the extracted compound. Relatively recent
      developments in isotope ratio monitoring by (13)C NMR spectrometry make possible
      the measurement of the nonstatistical position-specific natural abundance
      distribution of (13)C (delta(13)Ci) within the molecule with better than 10/00
      precision. Very substantial variation in the (13)C positional distribution is
      found: between delta(13)Ci = -11 and -530/00. Distribution is not random and it
      is argued that the pattern observed can substantially be interpreted in relation
      to known causes of isotope fractionation in natural products. Thus, a plausible
      biosynthetic scheme based on sound biosynthetic principals of precursor-substrate
      relationships can be proposed. In addition, data obtained from the (18)O/(16)O
      ratios in the oxygen atoms of the compound add support to the deductions made
      from the carbon isotope analysis. This paper shows how the use of (13)C NMR at
      natural abundance can help with proposing a biosynthetic route to compounds newly
      found in nature or those difficult to tackle by conventional means. 

PMID- 26106161
TI  - Less than the sum of its parts, a leinamycin precursor has superior properties.

PMID- 26106162
TI  - Structural analysis of a class III preQ1 riboswitch reveals an aptamer distant
      from a ribosome-binding site regulated by fast dynamics.
AB  - PreQ1-III riboswitches are newly identified RNA elements that control bacterial
      genes in response to preQ1 (7-aminomethyl-7-deazaguanine), a precursor to the
      essential hypermodified tRNA base queuosine. Although numerous riboswitches fold
      as H-type or HLout-type pseudoknots that integrate ligand-binding and regulatory
      sequences within a single folded domain, the preQ1-III riboswitch aptamer forms a
      HLout-type pseudoknot that does not appear to incorporate its ribosome-binding
      site (RBS). To understand how this unusual organization confers function, we
      determined the crystal structure of the class III preQ1 riboswitch from
      Faecalibacterium prausnitzii at 2.75 A resolution. PreQ1 binds tightly (KD,app
      6.5 +/- 0.5 nM) between helices P1 and P2 of a three-way helical junction wherein
      the third helix, P4, projects orthogonally from the ligand-binding pocket,
      exposing its stem-loop to base pair with the 3' RBS. Biochemical analysis,
      computational modeling, and single-molecule FRET imaging demonstrated that preQ1
      enhances P4 reorientation toward P1-P2, promoting a partially nested, H-type
      pseudoknot in which the RBS undergoes rapid docking (kdock ~ 0.6 s(-1)) and
      undocking (kundock ~ 1.1 s(-1)). Discovery of such dynamic conformational
      switching provides insight into how a riboswitch with bipartite architecture uses
      dynamics to modulate expression platform accessibility, thus expanding the known
      repertoire of gene control strategies used by regulatory RNAs.

PMID- 26106163
TI  - Rescue of the Stargardt phenotype in Abca4 knockout mice through inhibition of
      vitamin A dimerization.
AB  - Stargardt disease, an ATP-binding cassette, subfamily A, member 4 (ABCA4)-related
      retinopathy, is a genetic condition characterized by the accelerated accumulation
      of lipofuscin in the retinal pigment epithelium, degeneration of the neuroretina,
      and loss of vision. No approved treatment exists. Here, using a murine model of
      Stargardt disease, we show that the propensity of vitamin A to dimerize is
      responsible for triggering the formation of the majority of lipofuscin and
      transcriptional dysregulation of genes associated with inflammation. Data further
      demonstrate that replacing vitamin A with vitamin A deuterated at the carbon 20
      position (C20-D3-vitamin A) impedes the dimerization rate of vitamin A--by
      approximately fivefold for the vitamin A dimer A2E--and subsequent
      lipofuscinogenesis and normalizes the aberrant transcription of complement genes
      without impairing retinal function. Phenotypic rescue by C20-D3-vitamin A was
      also observed noninvasively by quantitative autofluorescence, an imaging
      technique used clinically, in as little as 3 months after the initiation of
      treatment, whereas upon interruption of treatment, the age-related increase in
      autofluorescence resumed. Data suggest that C20-D3-vitamin A is a clinically
      amiable tool to inhibit vitamin A dimerization, which can be used to determine
      whether slowing the dimerization of vitamin A can prevent vision loss caused by
      Stargardt disease and other retinopathies associated with the accumulation of
      lipofuscin in the retina.

PMID- 26106164
TI  - Ongoing dynamics in large-scale functional connectivity predict perception.
AB  - Most brain activity occurs in an ongoing manner not directly locked to external
      events or stimuli. Regional ongoing activity fluctuates in unison with some brain
      regions but not others, and the degree of long-range coupling is called
      functional connectivity, often measured with correlation. Strength and spatial
      distributions of functional connectivity dynamically change in an ongoing manner
      over seconds to minutes, even when the external environment is held constant.
      Direct evidence for any behavioral relevance of these continuous large-scale
      dynamics has been limited. Here, we investigated whether ongoing changes in
      baseline functional connectivity correlate with perception. In a continuous
      auditory detection task, participants perceived the target sound in roughly one
      half of the trials. Very long (22-40 s) interstimulus intervals permitted
      investigation of baseline connectivity unaffected by preceding evoked responses.
      Using multivariate classification, we observed that functional connectivity
      before the target predicted whether it was heard or missed. Using graph
      theoretical measures, we characterized the difference in functional connectivity
      between states that lead to hits vs. misses. Before misses compared with hits and
      task-free rest, connectivity showed reduced modularity, a measure of integrity of
      modular network structure. This effect was strongest in the default mode and
      visual networks and caused by both reduced within-network connectivity and
      enhanced across-network connections before misses. The relation of behavior to
      prestimulus connectivity was dissociable from that of prestimulus activity
      amplitudes. In conclusion, moment to moment dynamic changes in baseline
      functional connectivity may shape subsequent behavioral performance. A highly
      modular network structure seems beneficial to perceptual efficiency. 

PMID- 26106165
TI  - Correction for Balakrishnan et al., Novel pathways for fuels and lubricants from
      biomass optimized using life-cycle greenhouse gas assessment.

PMID- 26106166
TI  - Reply to Toker and Pavlidis: Blood biomarkers for Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 26106167
TI  - Metaanalysis of flawed expression profiling data leading to erroneous Parkinson's
      biomarker identification.

PMID- 26106168
TI  - beta-lactam-associated eosinophilic colitis.
AB  - A 42-year-old man with a history of childhood asthma presented with a 2-week
      history of watery diarrhoea and marked peripheral eosinophilia in the setting of
      recent use of cephalexin. His colonoscopy revealed patchy colitis. Biopsies were
      consistent with eosinophilic colitis. Two months later he received a course of
      amoxicillin resulting in recurrence of peripheral eosinophilia. Given the time
      frame of beta-lactam administration to symptom onset and elimination of all other
      precipitating causes, he was diagnosed with beta-lactam-associated eosinophilic
      colitis. The patient's symptoms resolved and peripheral eosinophil count
      decreased with no specific treatment. Eosinophilic colitis is a rare
      heterogeneous condition, the pathogenesis of which is likely to be an interplay
      between environmental and genetic factors. It can be secondary to a helminthic
      infection or a drug reaction and has been associated with ulcerative colitis. If
      secondary causes of eosinophilic colitis have been excluded, the mainstay of
      treatment is with corticosteroids. 

PMID- 26106169
TI  - Takayasu's or tuberculous arteritis?
AB  - Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a large vessel vasculitis of unknown aetiology
      characterised by involvement of the aorta and its major branches. Tuberculous
      arteritis of the aorta is an uncommon condition usually secondary to the
      dissemination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection from the mediastinum and/or
      lung to the adjacent aorta; this may mimic TA. We report a case of a 23-year-old
      woman with cutaneous granulomatous vasculitis and saccular aneurysmal dilation of
      the aorta and large vessels, and highlight the findings shared by TA and
      tuberculous arteritis. 

PMID- 26106170
TI  - Kidney transplantation in an adult patient with VACTERL association.
AB  - The vertebral, anal, cardiac, tracheoesophageal, renal, and limb birth defects
      (VACTERL) association is a rare, non-random constellation of congenital
      abnormalities among which urinary tract anomalies can be included. In the
      presence of these anomalies, patients are suspected to have a higher rate of
      renal failure than average. We report a case of a 22-year-old woman with VACTERL
      association and consequent end stage renal failure. A live-related kidney
      transplant was carried out successfully and the postoperative course was
      uncomplicated. The patient had immediate graft function. Risk factors that may
      complicate kidney transplant surgery in this patient population as well as
      considerations relevant to peritransplant management are discussed. 

PMID- 26106171
TI  - Stroke and patent foramen ovale: intervene or wait.
AB  - A 33-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with an acute left
      partial anterior circulation ischaemic stroke. Thrombolysis was not administered
      due to a rapidly improving National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)
      score and she was thereafter given appropriate treatment for secondary
      prevention. CT and MRI demonstrated a left basal ganglia infarct with
      haemorrhagic transformation. Initial investigations revealed no evidence of
      atrial fibrillation or large vessel disease. Further investigation with
      transthoracic, bubble contrast and transoesophageal echocardiogram all indicated
      the presence of a grade 1 tunnel-shaped patent foramen ovale (PFO) with some
      aneurysmal interatrial septum. No other cause for her stroke was found. There is
      no current evidence to support the routine use of percutaneous PFO closure in
      prevention of stroke or transient ischaemic attack. National guidelines advise
      transcatheter closure of PFO should only be considered for patients with
      recurrent cryptogenic stroke on optimal medical management. 

PMID- 26106172
TI  - Broncholithiasis presenting as bronchiectasis and recurrent pneumonias.
AB  - A broncholith is defined as the presence of calcified material within a bronchus
      or within a cavity communicating with a bronchus. It is most frequently caused by
      Histoplasmosis or tuberculosis (TB) spp. Bronchial distortion, irritation and
      erosion by broncholiths can cause bronchiectasis, recurrent pneumonias and
      haemoptysis. We present a case of recurrent pneumonia due to a broncholith, which
      resolved conservatively with antibiotics. Owing to recurrent fevers and post
      obstructive pneumonias, a lobectomy or rigid bronchoscopic removal were
      considered but the patient was deemed not to be a candidate for general
      anaesthesia due to her comorbidities. Broncholiths are an uncommon cause of
      bronchiectasis and recurrent pneumonias. However, the wide range of symptoms and
      low clinical suspicion are the main reasons why a diagnosis can be delayed.
      Various treatment options are available and the choice of therapy should be made
      depending on the broncholith's size, mobility, location and local surgical
      expertise. 

PMID- 26106173
TI  - Covered stents for exclusion of iatrogenic common carotid artery-internal jugular
      vein fistula and brachiocephalic artery pseudoaneurysm.
AB  - Covered stents have rarely been used in neuroendovascular procedures. We report
      the case of a 74-year-old woman with a complex iatrogenic vascular injury from
      attempted insertion of a hemodialysis catheter: concurrent brachiocephalic artery
      pseudoaneurysm and common carotid artery to internal jugular vein fistula. Both
      lesions were excluded successfully by using two balloon-expandable covered stents
      with a satisfactory short-term clinical and angiographic outcome. 

PMID- 26106174
TI  - An 11-year-old boy with silico-tuberculosis attributable to secondary exposure to
      sandstone mining in central India.
AB  - Silicosis from secondary exposure is not often reported. This is the first such
      report of a child with possible silicosis attributable to secondary exposure to
      sandstone mining in India. Silicosis from secondary exposure has been reported in
      the gem polishing and slate pencil manufacturing industries in India; however,
      the stone-mining industry is severely under-researched. No preventive measures
      have been instituted in the stone-mining industry and children are exposed to
      respirable silica dust when their mothers take them to their work places. Poverty
      and lack of accessibility to modern medical facilities promote malnutrition and
      tuberculosis, two known co-morbid conditions. Stone mining, an export-oriented
      industry, produces billions of dollars of foreign currency every year. Although
      there is legislation to protect workers from exploitation, employers disregard
      the law and the state turns a blind eye by not implementing proper enforcement
      mechanisms. Silicosis from environmental exposure affects the entire community
      that lives in stone-mining areas. 

PMID- 26106175
TI  - Successful living donor liver transplantation of fulminant liver failure due to
      isoniazid prophylaxis.
AB  - Progressive liver failure is rarely seen in tuberculosis chemoprophylaxis with
      isoniazid. We present a case of a 32-year-old woman admitted to our clinic
      reporting abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting for 2 days. The initial diagnosis
      was fulminant toxic hepatitis due to isoniazid chemoprophylaxis, which was
      treated successfully with living donor transplantation. Tuberculosis continues to
      be a significant public health problem. Isoniazid-related hepatotoxicity is
      extremely rare in adults. The only treatment in cases of fulminant liver failure
      is orthotopic liver transplantation from a deceased or living donor. If a
      deceased donor is not available or the patient refuses this treatment, living
      donor transplantation is the only choice. Although rare, isoniazid used as
      protective therapy for pulmonary tuberculosis can lead to fulminant liver
      failure. When cadaveric liver transplantation is not available, living donor
      liver transplantation is vital.

PMID- 26106176
TI  - Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and isotretinoin in cystic acne.
AB  - We present the case of a 35-year-old man with thoracic back pain and stiffness,
      whose only medical history was cystic acne treated with repeated courses of
      retinoids. His thoracic spine was severely limited in range of movement and was
      found, on X-ray, to have unilateral hyperostosis typical of diffuse idiopathic
      skeletal hyperostosis (DISH)--an often asymptomatic condition rarely found in
      those under 50. Back stiffness in young patients with prolonged retinoid exposure
      should be investigated.

PMID- 26106177
TI  - Bony non-union in a patient receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate
      cancer.
AB  - We present a case of a 76-year-old man who underwent a corrective femoral
      osteotomy for a varus deformity and stress fractures. The patient was on androgen
      deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer and the osteotomy failed to heal.
      At 13 months, the ADT was stopped and bony union was achieved in 3 months.
      Orthopaedic surgeons treating fractures in this patient population need to aware
      of the problems associated with ADT and closely liaise with oncologists and
      urologists to stop ADT or start alternative treatment until bony union has been
      achieved.

PMID- 26106178
TI  - From a fish tank injury to hospital haemodialysis: the serious consequences of
      drug interactions.
AB  - We present the case of a 68-year-old man admitted to hospital with severe acute
      kidney injury secondary to statin-induced rhabdomyolysis. Five weeks previously,
      the patient started a course of clarithromycin for infection of a finger wound
      with Mycobacterium marinum. His current medications included simvastatin, which
      he continued along with clarithromycin. The severity of the acute kidney injury
      necessitated initial continuous venovenous haemofiltration followed by 12
      haemodialysis sessions before a spontaneous improvement in renal function
      occurred. Statins are widely prescribed and we report this case to encourage
      increased vigilance in avoiding drug interactions known to increase the risk of
      statin-induced myopathy, including macrolide antibiotics, calcium channel
      antagonists and amiodarone. The authors would also like to highlight recent
      guidance on atorvastatin as the statin of choice in patients with chronic kidney
      disease, and of the need for dose adjustment in those with an estimated
      glomerular filtration rate less than 30 mLs/min/1.73 m2.

PMID- 26106179
TI  - Incomplete peripheral facial nerve palsy and ulnar neuropathy due to leprosy
      mistaken as faciobrachial stroke.
AB  - A middle-aged woman was referred to our hospital emergency ward in view of acute
      onset left faciobrachial weakness. An urgent MRI of the brain was performed,
      which did not reveal any abnormality and hence a neurology consultation was
      arranged in order to rule out acute stroke. However, examination and
      retrospective history taking proved to be a valuable aid in this patient's
      diagnosis. The incomplete lower motor neuron facial nerve palsy and hand weakness
      due to leprosy in reaction was confused by the general practitioner as a
      faciobrachial stroke. 

PMID- 26106180
TI  - Post-transfusion breathlessness in a patient with acute myeloid leukaemia.
AB  - We present a case of a 38-year-old man with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in
      remission who developed sudden-onset chest pain and shortness of breath 30 min
      after receiving a blood transfusion. His condition deteriorated and required
      transferring him to the intensive care unit. The initial differential diagnosis
      was wide given his immunosuppression, recent chemotherapy, hospitalised status
      and receipt of blood products. Extensive work up concluded Coxsackie virus
      induced myopericarditis as the cause of his symptoms. He was treated with
      colchicine monotherapy for 3 months and remained without recurrence of
      pericarditis at 3 months of follow-up.

PMID- 26106181
TI  - Entrapment of the brachial artery following supracondylar fracture reduction.

PMID- 26106182
TI  - Postpartum onset and subsequent relapse of eosinophilic granulomatosis with
      polyangiitis.
AB  - Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) can affect women of
      childbearing age. However, reports of the disease in the postpartum period are
      limited. We present a case of postpartum-onset EGPA that went into clinical
      remission before relapsing in the subsequent postpartum period. Our patient
      presented with dyspnoea, arthralgia and rash, shown to be eosinophilic
      vasculitis, 3 days following the birth of her second child. CT of the thorax
      showed alveolar shadowing and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. She was treated
      successfully for EGPA with glucocorticoid therapy. She declined maintenance
      treatment during remission. Off treatment, she remained disease free throughout
      her next pregnancy. In the postpartum period she relapsed in an almost identical
      manner, requiring prolonged glucocorticoid therapy, cyclophosphamide and
      rituximab. This case highlights the importance of maintenance therapy around
      pregnancy in individuals with EGPA, and the need for careful monitoring of women
      with a history of EGPA in the postpartum period.

PMID- 26106183
TI  - Bowhunter's syndrome.

PMID- 26106184
TI  - PROLIFICA: a story of West African clinical and research collaborations to target
      hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma in West Africa.

PMID- 26106187
TI  - Biologic Responses to Weight Loss and Weight Regain: Report From an American
      Diabetes Association Research Symposium.

PMID- 26106188
TI  - Gut Peptides Are Novel Regulators of Intestinal Lipoprotein Secretion:
      Experimental and Pharmacological Manipulation of Lipoprotein Metabolism.
AB  - Individuals with metabolic syndrome and frank type 2 diabetes are at increased
      risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, partially due to the presence of
      lipid and lipoprotein abnormalities. In these conditions, the liver and intestine
      overproduce lipoprotein particles, exacerbating the hyperlipidemia of fasting and
      postprandial states. Incretin-based, antidiabetes therapies (i.e., glucagon-like
      peptide [GLP]-1 receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors) have
      proven efficacy for the treatment of hyperglycemia. Evidence is accumulating that
      these agents also improve fasting and postprandial lipemia, the latter more
      significantly than the former. In contrast, the gut-derived peptide GLP-2,
      cosecreted from intestinal L cells with GLP-1, has recently been demonstrated to
      enhance intestinal lipoprotein release. Understanding the roles of these emerging
      regulators of intestinal lipoprotein secretion may offer new insights into the
      regulation of intestinal lipoprotein assembly and secretion and provide new
      opportunities for devising novel strategies to attenuate hyperlipidemia, with the
      potential for cardiovascular disease reduction. 

PMID- 26106186
TI  - Cellular Senescence in Type 2 Diabetes: A Therapeutic Opportunity.
AB  - Cellular senescence is a fundamental aging mechanism that has been implicated in
      many age-related diseases and is a significant cause of tissue dysfunction.
      Accumulation of senescent cells occurs during aging and is also seen in the
      context of obesity and diabetes. Senescent cells may play a role in type 2
      diabetes pathogenesis through direct impact on pancreatic beta-cell function,
      senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP)-mediated tissue damage, and
      involvement in adipose tissue dysfunction. In turn, metabolic and signaling
      changes seen in diabetes, such as high circulating glucose, altered lipid
      metabolism, and growth hormone axis perturbations, can promote senescent cell
      formation. Thus, senescent cells might be part of a pathogenic loop in diabetes,
      as both a cause and consequence of metabolic changes and tissue damage.
      Therapeutic targeting of a basic aging mechanism such as cellular senescence may
      have a large impact on disease pathogenesis and could be more effective in
      preventing the progression of diabetes complications than currently available
      therapies that have limited impact on already existing tissue damage. Therefore,
      senescent cells and the SASP represent significant opportunities for advancement
      in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes and its complications. 

PMID- 26106189
TI  - GLP-1R Agonists and Endothelial Dysfunction: More Than Just Glucose Lowering?

PMID- 26106190
TI  - Hypoglycemia-Associated Autonomic Failure in Diabetes: Maladaptive, Adaptive, or
      Both?

PMID- 26106191
TI  - Defective Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Secretion in Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Is
      Influenced by Weight and Sex. Chicken, Egg, or None of the Above?

PMID- 26106192
TI  - Interaction of Adipogenesis and Angiogenesis in Dietary-Induced Obesity.

PMID- 26106193
TI  - An Innate Disposition for a Healthier Gut: GLP-1R Signaling in Intestinal
      Epithelial Lymphocytes.

PMID- 26106194
TI  - PET Measurements of Organ Metabolism: The Devil Is in the Details.

PMID- 26106195
TI  - Evidence for Residual and Partly Reparable Insulin Secretory Function and
      Maintained beta-Cell Gene Expression in Islets From Patients With Type 1
      Diabetes.

PMID- 26106196
TI  - Intestinal Lipoprotein Secretion: Incretin-Based Physiology and Pharmacology
      Beyond Glucose.

PMID- 26106197
TI  - New Piece in the Jigsaw Puzzle: Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cells From Obese
      Subjects Drive Th17 Polarization.

PMID- 26106198
TI  - Blood Lipids and Type 2 Diabetes Risk: Can Genetics Help Untangle the Web?

PMID- 26106199
TI  - Erratum. PD-L1-Driven Tolerance Protects Neurogenin3-Induced Islet Neogenesis to
      Reverse Established Type 1 Diabetes in NOD Mice. Diabetes 2015;64:529-540.

PMID- 26106201
TI  - Comment on Vandal et al. Insulin Reverses the High-Fat Diet-Induced Increase in
      Brain Abeta and Improves Memory in an Animal Model of Alzheimer Disease. Diabetes
      2014;63:4291-4301.

PMID- 26106202
TI  - Response to Comment on Vandal et al. Insulin Reverses the High-Fat Diet-Induced
      Increase in Brain Abeta and Improves Memory in an Animal Model of Alzheimer
      Disease. Diabetes 2014;63:4291-4301.

PMID- 26106203
TI  - An Asthma Protocol Improved Adherence to Evidence-Based Guidelines for Pediatric
      Subjects With Status Asthmaticus in the Emergency Department.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In our institution's pediatric emergency department, adherence to
      evidence-based asthma guidelines was noted to be suboptimal for patients with
      asthma exacerbations. We hypothesized that an evidence-based asthma protocol
      would improve time to treatment and adherence to National Institutes of Health
      guidelines for patients presenting to the emergency department with status
      asthmaticus. METHODS: Subjects at our institution were retrospectively identified
      through an electronic medical record search following institutional review board
      approval. The asthma protocol was initiated in February 2012. All pediatric
      subjects who received continuous albuterol in the emergency department before
      (February 26, 2009, to February 22, 2012, n = 193) and after (February 23, 2012,
      to December 31, 2012, n = 68) protocol initiation were analyzed. The post
      protocol data were collected as part of routine quality assurance monitoring with
      a target of 60 post-protocol subjects. Subjects were identified at the end of
      each month, which resulted in a total of 68 subjects being included. Primary
      outcomes measured included time to initial treatment with inhaled bronchodilator
      therapy, time to treatment with systemic corticosteroids, and total number of
      ipratropium bromide treatments delivered. RESULTS: Two-hundred sixty-one subjects
      (7.1 +/- 4.6 y of age, 66% male) were included. Demographics were similar in the
      pre- and post-protocol groups. Compared with the pre-protocol group, more
      subjects in the post-protocol group received bronchodilators within 30 min (60%
      vs 77%, P = .02), at least one dose of ipratropium bromide (55% vs 87%, P <
      .001), 3 doses of ipratropium bromide (14% vs 54%, P < .001), and corticosteroids
      within 60 min (62% vs 77%, P = .04). There were no statistically significant
      differences between the pre- and post-protocol cohorts in the mean time to first
      bronchodilator treatment (32 +/- 41 vs 26 +/- 52 min, P = .34), mean time to
      corticosteroid administration (74 +/- 68 vs 54 +/- 63 min, P = .06), or mean
      emergency department length of stay (342 +/- 143 vs 364 +/- 183 min, P = .31).
      CONCLUSIONS: An asthma protocol resulted in improved adherence to National
      Institutes of Health guidelines in children with status asthmaticus and improved
      efficiency in the administration of rescue bronchodilator and systemic
      corticosteroid therapy.

PMID- 26106204
TI  - High-Flow Nasal Cannula and Aerosolized beta Agonists for Rescue Therapy in
      Children With Bronchiolitis: A Case Series.
AB  - Asthma and bronchiolitis are episodic obstructive pulmonary diseases
      characterized by bronchoconstriction, airway wall inflammation, increased mucus
      production, and air-flow obstruction. We present the cases of 5 infants treated
      for acute bronchiolitis with respiratory distress using a combination of high
      flow nasal cannula oxygen (HFNC) and an Aerogen nebulizer to deliver aerosolized
      beta-agonist therapy. In all infants, we found that HFNC resulted in a greater
      heart rate increase than delivery via a facemask. We also found that patients
      tolerated inhaled therapy better with HFNC than a facemask.

PMID- 26106205
TI  - Diagnostic Utility of Biomarkers in COPD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: COPD will become the third leading cause of death by 2020. There are
      many situations in which spirometry, the primary tool for diagnosis of COPD,
      cannot be performed, and thus, the staging and status of these patients cannot be
      determined. To date, there is no known biochemical marker used for diagnosing
      COPD. This study aimed to explore the utility of biomarkers for diagnosis of
      COPD. METHODS: This was an observational study composed of 96 stable subjects
      with COPD and 96 subjects with normal lung function. Each group contained an
      equal number of smokers and nonsmokers. Serum levels of superoxide dismutase 3,
      glutathione peroxidase, catalase, ceruloplasmin ferroxidase activity, C-reactive
      protein, and surfactant protein D (SPD) were estimated. Ferroxidase activity was
      estimated by a kinetic method, whereas the other analytes were measured by enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay. The cutoff value, sensitivity and specificity at the
      cutoff value, and area under the curve for each analyte were determined from
      receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: Significantly decreased
      superoxide dismutase 3 and increased ferroxidase activity, SPD, glutathione
      peroxidase, and C-reactive protein levels were found in subjects with COPD. For
      all subjects and nonsmoking subjects with COPD, the area under the curve was
      highest for ferroxidase activity, followed by glutathione peroxidase, SPD, and C
      reactive protein, with a sensitivity and specificity of > 73%. For smoking
      subjects with COPD, the area under the curve was highest for SPD, followed by
      glutathione peroxidase, ferroxidase activity, and C-reactive protein, with a
      sensitivity and specificity > 67%. Some combinations of markers were found to
      give either a sensitivity or specificity of > 95%, which can be utilized to rule
      in and rule out COPD. CONCLUSIONS: Biomarkers can be reliably utilized in the
      diagnosis of COPD. Of all the markers, SPD appears to be the most promising in
      smokers, whereas ferroxidase activity shows promise in nonsmokers. To rule out
      COPD, ferroxidase activity or glutathione peroxidase can be potentially useful,
      whereas to rule in COPD, ferroxidase activity and glutathione peroxidase appear
      to be the most promising combination in both nonsmoking and smoking subjects.

PMID- 26106206
TI  - Efficacy of High-Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy in Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory
      Failure: Decreased Use of Mechanical Ventilation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We evaluated the efficacy of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy,
      a promising respiratory support method for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure
      (AHRF). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study
      comparing the periods before (June 2010 to May 2012) and after (June 2012 to May
      2014) HFNC introduction (pre- and post-HFNC periods). During these periods, we
      retrieved cases of AHRF treated with any respiratory support (invasive
      ventilation, noninvasive ventilation [NIV], and HFNC) and compared in-hospital
      mortality, ICU/intermediate care unit/hospital stay, and need for mechanical
      ventilation. RESULTS: Eighty-three subjects (65 treated with NIV, and 18 treated
      with invasive ventilation) and 89 subjects (33 treated with HFNC, 43 treated with
      NIV, and 13 treated with invasive ventilation) identified from 782 pre-HFNC and
      930 post-HFNC records of acute respiratory failure who required emergent
      admissions to the respiratory care department were analyzed. Overall, the in
      hospital mortality rate was similar, although there was a non-significant and
      slight decrease from 35 to 27% (P = .26). There was no significant difference
      among ICU, intermediate care unit (P = .80), and hospital (P = .33) stay. In the
      post-HFNC period, significantly fewer subjects required mechanical ventilation
      (NIV or invasive ventilation) (100% vs 63%, P < .01). Additionally, there were
      significantly fewer ventilator days (median [interquartile range] of 5 [2-11] vs
      2 [1-5] d, P < .05) and more ventilator-free days (median [interquartile range]
      of 18 [0-25] vs 26 [20-27] d, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: HFNC might be an alternative
      for AHRF subjects with NIV intolerance.

PMID- 26106207
TI  - Radioaerosol Pulmonary Deposition Using Mesh and Jet Nebulizers During
      Noninvasive Ventilation in Healthy Subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In vivo deposition studies of aerosol administration during
      noninvasive ventilation (NIV) are scarce in the literature. The aim of this study
      was to compare radioaerosol pulmonary index and radioaerosol mass balance in the
      different compartments (pulmonary and extrapulmonary) of radio-tagged aerosol
      administered using vibrating mesh nebulizers and conventional jet nebulizers
      during NIV. METHODS: This was a crossover clinical trial involving 10 healthy
      subjects (mean age of 33.7 +/- 10.0 y) randomly assigned to both treatment arms
      of this study: group 1 (NIV + vibrating mesh nebulizer, n = 10) and group 2 (NIV
      + jet nebulizer, n = 10). All subjects inhaled 3 mL of technetium-99m
      diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (25 mCi) and 0.9% saline solution via
      vibrating mesh and jet nebulizers during NIV through a face mask secured with
      straps while receiving positive inspiratory and expiratory pressures of 12 and 5
      cm H2O, respectively. Scintigraphy was performed to count radioaerosol particles
      deposited in the regions of interest to determine radioaerosol mass balance from
      the lungs, upper airways, stomach, nebulizer, ventilator circuit, inspiratory and
      expiratory filters, and mask as a percentage. RESULTS: Vibrating mesh nebulizers
      deposited 972,013 +/- 214,459 counts versus jet nebulizer with 386,025 +/-
      130,363 counts (P = .005). In a determination of mass balance, vibrating mesh
      nebulizers showed a higher deposition of inhaled radioaerosol compared with jet
      nebulizers (23.1 +/- 5.8% vs 6.1 +/- 2.5%, P = .005) and a higher proportion of
      radioaerosol deposited into the lungs (5.5 +/- 0.9% versus 1.5 +/- 0.6%,
      respectively, P = .005). The residual drug volume was lower with vibrating mesh
      nebulizers (5.1 +/- 1.5%) compared with jet nebulizers (41.3 +/- 4.2%, P = .005).
      CONCLUSIONS: During NIV in healthy subjects, vibrating mesh nebulizers delivered
      > 2-fold more radiolabeled drug into the respiratory tract compared with
      conventional jet nebulizers. Additional studies are recommended in subjects with
      asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, and cystic fibrosis to better understand
      differences in both aerosol delivery and response. (ClinicalTrials.gov
      registration NCT01889524.).

PMID- 26106209
TI  - Chronic periaortitis with thoracic aorta and epiaortic artery involvement: a
      systemic large vessel vasculitis?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Chronic periaortitis (CP) is a rare disease characterized by fibro
      inflammatory tissue surrounding the abdominal aorta and the iliac arteries.
      Anecdotal reports have shown that CP may also involve other vascular districts,
      particularly the thoracic aorta. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      thoracic aorta and epiaortic artery involvement in CP. METHODS: Patients were
      eligible if they had undergone imaging studies assessing inflammatory involvement
      of the thoracic aorta and its major branches (e.g. contrast CT, MRI or PET-CT).
      We explored the patterns of thoracic vessel involvement and compared the clinical
      characteristics of patients with and without thoracic disease. Where available,
      we also reviewed the thoracic vascular/perivascular tissue biopsies. RESULTS: Of
      153 CP patients seen between 1999 and 2012, 77 were eligible. Of these, 28 (36%)
      had thoracic involvement: 15 (54%) had thoracic periaortitis, with 7 also showing
      epiaortic artery involvement; 6 (21%) had periaortitis surrounding a thoracic
      aortic aneurysm, 2 of them with epiaortic artery involvement; 7 (25%) had a
      thoracic aortic aneurysm without periaortitis. Patients with thoracic disease
      were more frequently female (P = 0.01), were older (P = 0.001) and had a higher
      frequency of pain and constitutional symptoms (P = 0.02). Thoracic (peri)vascular
      biopsies revealed adventitial and peri-adventitial fibro-inflammatory patterns
      similar to those observed in abdominal CP. CONCLUSION: In about one-third of
      patients, CP also involves the thoracic aorta and the epiaortic arteries, which
      supports the hypothesis of a systemic inflammatory disease of the large arteries.

PMID- 26106208
TI  - First report of FIP1L1-PDGFRalpha-positive eosinophilic granulomatosis with
      polyangiitis.

PMID- 26106210
TI  - Ultrasonographic predictors for clinical and radiological progression in knee
      osteoarthritis after 2 years of follow-up.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between a set
      of US features and radiographic and clinical progression of knee OA after 2 years
      of follow-up. METHODS: A total of 125 patients fulfilling ACR clinical criteria
      for knee OA underwent US examination of the most symptomatic knee. The US
      protocol included assessment of synovial hypertrophy, joint effusion,
      infrapatellar bursitis, Baker's cyst, medial meniscus protrusion and cartilage
      thickness. Clinical progression was defined using the inverse Osteoarthritis
      Research Society International responder criteria or progression to total knee
      replacement. Radiological progression was defined as a >=2 point increase in
      Altman score or progression to total knee replacement. Regression analyses were
      performed with baseline ultrasonographic features as independent variables and
      progression (two separate models for clinical progression and radiographic
      progression) as the dependent variable. RESULTS: A total of 31 (25%) patients
      fulfilled the criteria of clinical progression and 60 (48%) patients fulfilled
      the criteria of radiological progression. The presence of Baker's cyst showed a
      statistically significant association with clinical [odds ratio (OR) 3.07 (95% CI
      1.21, 7.78)] as well as radiological [OR 2.84 (95% CI 1.17, 6.90)] progression.
      Synovial hypertrophy showed a weaker but consistent association with clinical as
      well as radiological progression [OR 2.11 (95% CI 0.80, 5.57)]. CONCLUSION: We
      demonstrated a longitudinal association between Baker's cyst (and to a lesser
      extent synovial hypertrophy) at baseline and radiological and clinical
      progression after 2 years.

PMID- 26106211
TI  - Tumour-associated antigens in systemic sclerosis patients with interstitial lung
      disease: association with lung involvement and cancer risk.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the serum levels of tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) in
      patients with SSc and interstitial lung disease (ILD) and to define whether their
      levels mirror the severity and the progression of lung damage. METHODS: Data from
      80 SSc patients with ILD were collected at baseline and after 2 years as well as
      from 40 SSc controls without ILD. The occurrence of any malignancy was recorded.
      RESULTS: At baseline, an increase of at least one TAA was present in 35 SSc
      patients with ILD compared with 6 SSc patients without ILD (P < 0.0001); this was
      associated with lower forced vital capacity (FVC) and higher interstitial and
      alveolar scores. Levels of carbohydrate antigen 15-3 and carcinoembryonic antigen
      inversely correlated with FVC and directly correlated with alveolar and
      interstitial scores and their levels were higher in patients who presented a
      progression of lung damage after 2 years. During 4 years of follow-up, a
      malignancy was detected in seven patients who already had an increase of at least
      one TAA. Values of TAAs increased over time in patients who developed cancer,
      while their trend remained stable in the others. At multivariate analysis, to
      have three or more TAAs emerged as a strong independent predictor of the
      development of malignancies [relative risk 24.1 (95% CI 1.8, 315.0), P = 0.02].
      CONCLUSION: TAAs can be elevated in the sera of SSc patients and correlate with
      the degree of lung damage, suggesting a role as severity biomarkers. Close follow
      up is necessary in SSc patients because of the increased cancer risk overall in
      patients with increased TAAs.

PMID- 26106212
TI  - Clinical characteristics of immunoglobulin G4-related disease: a prospective
      study of 118 Chinese patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize the clinical features of IgG4-related disease (IgG4
      RD) in China. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of IgG4-RD was carried out in
      Peking Union Medical College Hospital between 2011 and 2013. Patients with newly
      diagnosed IgG4-RD were enrolled. RESULTS: A total of 118 patients with IgG4-RD
      were enrolled, including 82 males and 36 females, aged 53.1 (s.d. 13.6) years.
      The most common symptom at onset was lacrimal gland swelling (38/32.2%). A range
      of organs were involved: 77 patients (65.3%) had lymphadenopathy, 76 (64.4%) had
      sialadenitis, 60 (50.8%) had dacryoadenitis, 45 (38.1%) had autoimmune
      pancreatitis, 32 (27.1%) had pulmonary involvement, 31 (26.3%) had
      periaortitis/retroperitoneal fibrosis, 29 (35.4% of male patients) had
      prostatitis and 29 (24.6%) had renal involvement. In addition, there were 21
      (17.8%) cases of sclerosing cholangitis, 15 (12.7%) of sinusitis and 10 (8.5%) of
      inflammatory pseudotumour. Uncommon manifestations included mediastinal fibrosis,
      skin involvement, sclerosing thyroiditis, hypophysitis, orchitis and colitis.
      Multiple organ involvement was observed in 93 patients, whereas only 4.2% had
      only a single organ involved. A history of allergy was reported in 73 (61.9%)
      patients. The serum IgG4 level was elevated in 97.5% and was correlated with the
      number of organs involved. Most patients were treated with glucocorticoids alone
      or in combination with immunosuppressive drugs, and the majority usually improved
      within 3 months. CONCLUSION: IgG4-RD is a systemic inflammatory and sclerosing
      disease. Parotid and lacrimal involvement (formerly called Mikulicz's disease),
      lymphadenopathy and pancreatitis are the most common manifestations. Patients
      with IgG4-RD showed favourable responses to treatment with glucocorticoids and
      immunosuppressive agents.

PMID- 26106213
TI  - Coronary calcification in SLE: comparison with the Multi-Ethnic Study of
      Atherosclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Accelerated atherosclerosis is a major cause of morbidity and death in
      SLE. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the prevalence and extent
      of coronary artery calcium (CAC) is higher in female SLE patients compared with a
      non-SLE sample from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). METHODS:
      CAC was measured in 80 female SLE patients and 241 female MESA controls from the
      Baltimore Field Centre, ages 45-64 years, without evidence of clinical
      cardiovascular disease. Binary regression was used to estimate the ratio of CAC
      prevalence in SLE vs MESA controls, controlling for demographic and
      cardiovascular risk factors. To compare the groups with respect to the quantity
      of CAC among those with non-zero Agatston scores, we used linear models in which
      the outcome was a log-transformed Agatston score. RESULTS: The prevalence of CAC
      was substantially higher in SLE. The differences were most pronounced and
      statistically significant in those aged 45-54 years (58% vs 20%, P < 0.0001), but
      were still observed among those aged 55-65 years (57% vs 36%, P = 0.069). After
      controlling for age, ethnicity, education, income, diabetes mellitus,
      hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, high-density lipoprotein levels, smoking,
      education and BMI, SLE patients still had a significantly higher prevalence of
      CAC than controls. Among those with CAC, the mean log Agatston score did not
      differ significantly between SLE and MESA participants. CONCLUSION: Women with
      SLE have a higher prevalence of CAC than comparable women without SLE, even after
      adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, especially among those
      aged 45-54 years.

PMID- 26106214
TI  - Inflammatory bowel diseases in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated
      vasculitides: 11 retrospective cases from the French Vasculitis Study Group.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Coexistence of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and IBD is a rare
      condition that is rarely described in the literature. The aim of the study was to
      describe the main characteristics of patients presenting with both IBD and AAV.
      METHODS: A retrospective study of AAV patients in the French Vasculitis Study
      Group cohort who also had a diagnosis of IBD was conducted. We reviewed the
      medical records and outcomes of these patients. RESULTS: We identified 11
      patients with AAV and IBD. Four patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with
      polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss) also had ulcerative colitis and seven patients with
      granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) had Crohn's disease. No Crohn's disease
      was observed in eosinophilic GPA and no ulcerative colitis in GPA. IBD started
      before AAV manifestations in six cases, simultaneously in two cases and after AAV
      manifestations in three cases. CONCLUSION: Coexistence of IBD and AAV is a rare
      condition. The therapeutic management of these patients includes corticosteroids
      in all cases and immunosuppressive drugs in some patients. Coexistence of IBD and
      AAV might be explained by common underlying inflammatory responses and cytokine
      profiles polarized towards either Th1 or Th2. Finally, in the presence of
      digestive manifestations in the context of AAV, the hypothesis of IBD should be
      assessed.

PMID- 26106215
TI  - Insights into transcription termination of Hfq-binding sRNAs of Escherichia coli
      and characterization of readthrough products.
AB  - The genes encoding Hfq-dependent sRNAs possess a typical Rho-independent
      transcription terminator. Here, we have studied the molecular events occurring at
      Rho-independent terminators of sRNA genes, focusing on two well-characterized Hfq
      binding sRNAs, SgrS and RyhB. We constructed several hybrid genes in which the
      DNA sequence corresponding to a strong Rho-independent terminator was placed just
      downstream from the Rho-independent terminators of sRNA genes. By using this
      system, we demonstrate that transcripts frequently read through the Rho
      independent terminators of sgrS and ryhB in normally growing cells. We show that
      Hfq does not affect the transcriptional readthrough event itself. We also find
      that the readthrough products no longer bind to Hfq in vivo. We have developed a
      competition assay based on a biotin-streptavidin system to analyze the
      interaction of Hfq and a particular RNA molecule in vitro. By using this method,
      we verify that the 3'-extended form of SgrS does not bind to Hfq in vitro.
      Finally, we demonstrate that transcription termination is significantly enhanced
      under stress conditions where transcription initiation of sRNA genes on the
      chromosome is induced. We conclude that the production of sRNAs is regulated not
      only at the step of transcription initiation but also at the step of
      transcription termination. The mechanism by which transcription termination is
      enhanced under stress conditions remains to be understood. 

PMID- 26106216
TI  - Increased efficiency of evolved group I intron spliceozymes by decreased side
      product formation.
AB  - The group I intron ribozyme from Tetrahymena was recently reengineered into a
      trans-splicing variant that is able to remove 100-nt introns from pre-mRNA,
      analogous to the spliceosome. These spliceozymes were improved in this study by
      10 rounds of evolution in Escherichia coli cells. One clone with increased
      activity in E. coli cells was analyzed in detail. Three of its 10 necessary
      mutations extended the substrate binding duplexes, which led to increased product
      formation and reduced cleavage at the 5'-splice site. One mutation in the
      conserved core of the spliceozyme led to a further reduction of cleavage at the
      5'-splice site but an increase in cleavage side products at the 3'-splice site.
      The latter was partially reduced by six additional mutations. Together, the
      mutations increased product formation while reducing activity at the 5'-splice
      site and increasing activity at the 3'-splice site. These results show the
      adaptation of a ribozyme that evolved in nature for cis-splicing to trans
      splicing, and they highlight the interdependent function of nucleotides within
      group I intron ribozymes. Implications for the possible use of spliceozymes as
      tools in research and therapy, and as a model for the evolution of the
      spliceosome, are discussed. 

PMID- 26106217
TI  - Spatial Variance in Resting fMRI Networks of Schizophrenia Patients: An
      Independent Vector Analysis.
AB  - Spatial variability in resting functional MRI (fMRI) brain networks has not been
      well studied in schizophrenia, a disease known for both neurodevelopmental and
      widespread anatomic changes. Motivated by abundant evidence of neuroanatomical
      variability from previous studies of schizophrenia, we draw upon a relatively new
      approach called independent vector analysis (IVA) to assess this variability in
      resting fMRI networks. IVA is a blind-source separation algorithm, which
      segregates fMRI data into temporally coherent but spatially independent networks
      and has been shown to be especially good at capturing spatial variability among
      subjects in the extracted networks. We introduce several new ways to quantify
      differences in variability of IVA-derived networks between schizophrenia patients
      (SZs = 82) and healthy controls (HCs = 89). Voxelwise amplitude analyses showed
      significant group differences in the spatial maps of auditory cortex, the basal
      ganglia, the sensorimotor network, and visual cortex. Tests for differences (HC
      SZ) in the spatial variability maps suggest, that at rest, SZs exhibit more
      activity within externally focused sensory and integrative network and less
      activity in the default mode network thought to be related to internal
      reflection. Additionally, tests for difference of variance between groups further
      emphasize that SZs exhibit greater network variability. These results, consistent
      with our prediction of increased spatial variability within SZs, enhance our
      understanding of the disease and suggest that it is not just the amplitude of
      connectivity that is different in schizophrenia, but also the consistency in
      spatial connectivity patterns across subjects. 

PMID- 26106218
TI  - Postinfarction Functional Recovery Driven by a Three-Dimensional Engineered
      Fibrin Patch Composed of Human Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Stem
      Cells.
AB  - Considerable research has been dedicated to restoring myocardial cell slippage
      and limiting ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). We examined
      the ability of a three-dimensional (3D) engineered fibrin patch filled with human
      umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCBMSCs) to induce recovery
      of cardiac function after MI. The UCBMSCs were modified to coexpress luciferase
      and fluorescent protein reporters, mixed with fibrin, and applied as an adhesive,
      viable construct (fibrin-cell patch) over the infarcted myocardium in mice (MI
      UCBMSC group). The patch adhered well to the heart. Noninvasive bioluminescence
      imaging demonstrated early proliferation and differentiation of UCBMSCs within
      the construct in the postinfarct mice in the MI-UCBMSC group. The implanted cells
      also participated in the formation of new, functional microvasculature that
      connected the fibrin-cell patch to both the subjacent myocardial tissue and the
      host circulatory system. As revealed by echocardiography, the left ventricular
      ejection fraction and fractional shortening at sacrifice were improved in MI
      UCBMSC mice and were markedly reduced in mice treated with fibrin alone and
      untreated postinfarction controls. In conclusion, a 3D engineered fibrin patch
      composed of UCBMSCs attenuated infarct-derived cardiac dysfunction when
      transplanted locally over a myocardial wound.

PMID- 26106220
TI  - IRE1 prevents endoplasmic reticulum membrane permeabilization and cell death
      under pathological conditions.
AB  - The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has emerged as a critical regulator of cell
      survival. IRE1 is a transmembrane protein with kinase and RNase activities that
      is localized to the ER and that promotes resistance to ER stress. We showed a
      mechanism by which IRE1 conferred protection against ER stress-mediated cell
      death. IRE1 signaling prevented ER membrane permeabilization mediated by Bax and
      Bak and cell death in cells experiencing ER stress. Suppression of IRE1 signaling
      triggered by its kinase activity led to the accumulation of the BH3 domain
      containing protein Bnip3, which in turn triggered the oligomerization of Bax and
      Bak in the ER membrane and ER membrane permeabilization. Consequently, in
      response to ER stress, cells deficient in IRE1 were susceptible to leakage of ER
      contents, which was associated with the accumulation of calcium in mitochondria,
      oxidative stress in the cytosol, and ultimately cell death. Our results reveal a
      role for IRE1 in preventing a cell death-initializing step that emanates from the
      ER and provide a potential target for treating diseases characterized by ER
      stress, including diabetes and Wolfram syndrome. 

PMID- 26106219
TI  - DNA methylation regulates neuronal glutamatergic synaptic scaling.
AB  - Enhanced receptiveness at all synapses on a neuron that receive glutamatergic
      input is called cell-wide synaptic upscaling. We hypothesize that this type of
      synaptic plasticity may be critical for long-term memory storage within cortical
      circuits, a process that may also depend on epigenetic mechanisms, such as
      covalent chemical modification of DNA. We found that DNA cytosine demethylation
      mediates multiplicative synaptic upscaling of glutamatergic synaptic strength in
      cultured cortical neurons. Inhibiting neuronal activity with tetrodotoxin (TTX)
      decreased the cytosine methylation of and increased the expression of genes
      encoding glutamate receptors and trafficking proteins, in turn increasing the
      amplitude but not frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents
      (mEPSCs), indicating synaptic upscaling rather than increased spontaneous
      activity. Inhibiting DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity, either by using the
      small-molecule inhibitor RG108 or by knocking down Dnmt1 and Dnmt3a, induced
      synaptic upscaling to a similar magnitude as exposure to TTX. Moreover, upscaling
      induced by DNMT inhibition required transcription; the RNA polymerase inhibitor
      actinomycin D blocked upscaling induced by DNMT inhibition. Knocking down the
      cytosine demethylase TET1 also blocked the upscaling effects of RG108. DNMT
      inhibition induced a multiplicative increase in mEPSC amplitude, indicating that
      the alterations in glutamate receptor abundance occurred in a coordinated manner
      throughout a neuron and were not limited to individual active synapses. Our data
      suggest that DNA methylation status controls transcription-dependent regulation
      of glutamatergic synaptic homeostasis. Furthermore, covalent DNA modifications
      may contribute to synaptic plasticity events that underlie the formation and
      stabilization of memories. 

PMID- 26106221
TI  - Identification of small-molecule inhibitors of calcineurin-NFATc signaling that
      mimic the PxIxIT motif of calcineurin binding partners.
AB  - Calcineurin (CN), a serine and threonine protein phosphatase that depends on
      Ca(2+) and calmodulin for its activity, is the target of the immunosuppressant
      drugs cyclosporin A (CsA) and tacrolimus (FK506). CN dephosphorylates and
      activates members of the NFATc (nuclear factor of activated T cells) family of
      transcription factors in T cells by binding to their conserved PxIxIT motif. Upon
      dephosphorylation, NFATc proteins translocate to the nucleus, where they
      stimulate the expression of genes encoding cytokines and chemokines that are
      required for T cell proliferation and the immune response. We performed a
      pharmacophore-based virtual screening of ~5.5 million commercially available,
      "drug-like" compounds to identify nonpeptidic compounds that inhibited the CN
      dependent activation of NFATc signaling and that could serve as potential drug
      candidates for immunosuppressive therapy. Of 32 compounds that mimicked the
      PxIxIT motif, 7 competed with NFATc for binding to CN in vitro without
      interfering with the phosphatase activity of CN. Furthermore, in activated human
      CD4(+) T cells, four of the seven compounds inhibited the expression of NFATc
      dependent genes, cytokine production, and cell proliferation, suggesting that
      these may have therapeutic potential as immunosuppressive agents. 

PMID- 26106224
TI  - Erratum. The Relative and Combined Ability of High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T
      and N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide to Predict Cardiovascular Events
      and Death in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 2014;37:295-303.

PMID- 26106223
TI  - Recognition and Management of Individuals With Hyperglycemia Because of a
      Heterozygous Glucokinase Mutation.
AB  - Glucokinase-maturity-onset diabetes of the young (GCK-MODY), also known as MODY2,
      is caused by heterozygous inactivating mutations in the GCK gene. GCK gene
      mutations are present in ~1 in 1,000 of the population, but most are not
      diagnosed. They are common causes of MODY (10-60%): persistent incidental
      childhood hyperglycemia (10-60%) and gestational diabetes mellitus (1-2%). GCK
      MODY has a unique pathophysiology and clinical characteristics, so it is best
      considered as a discrete genetic subgroup. People with GCK-MODY have a defect in
      glucose sensing; hence, glucose homeostasis is maintained at a higher set point
      resulting in mild, asymptomatic fasting hyperglycemia (5.4-8.3 mmol/L, HbA1c
      range 5.8-7.6% [40-60 mmol/mol]), which is present from birth and shows slight
      deterioration with age. Even after 50 years of mild hyperglycemia, people with
      GCK-MODY do not develop significant microvascular complications, and the
      prevalence of macrovascular complications is probably similar to that in the
      general population. Treatment is not recommended outside pregnancy because
      glucose-lowering therapy is ineffective in people with GCK-MODY and there is a
      lack of long-term complications. In pregnancy, fetal growth is primarily
      determined by whether the fetus inherits the GCK gene mutation from their mother.
      Insulin treatment of the mother is only appropriate when increased fetal
      abdominal growth on scanning suggests the fetus is unaffected. The impact on
      outcome of maternal insulin treatment is limited owing to the difficulty in
      altering maternal glycemia in these patients. Making the diagnosis of GCK-MODY
      through genetic testing is essential to avoid unnecessary treatment and
      investigations, especially when patients are misdiagnosed with type 1 or type 2
      diabetes. 

PMID- 26106225
TI  - Erratum. The Relationship Between Alcohol Consumption and Vascular Complications
      and Mortality in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 2014;37:1353
      1359.

PMID- 26106226
TI  - Erratum. Efficacy and Safety of Dulaglutide Added Onto Pioglitazone and Metformin
      Versus Exenatide in Type 2 Diabetes in a Randomized Controlled Trial (AWARD-1).
      Diabetes Care 2014;37:2159-2167.

PMID- 26106228
TI  - Role of Peroxynitrite in the Development of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

PMID- 26106229
TI  - Small Fiber Neuropathy in Patients With Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults.

PMID- 26106230
TI  - Gastric Bypass Surgery in Severely Obese Women With Type 1 Diabetes:
      Anthropometric and Cardiometabolic Effects at 1 and 5 Years Postsurgery.

PMID- 26106231
TI  - Comment on Thomsen et al. Incretin-Based Therapy and Risk of Acute Pancreatitis:
      A Nationwide Population-Based Case-Control Study. Diabetes Care 2015;38:1089
      1098.

PMID- 26106232
TI  - Response to Comment on Thomsen et al. Incretin-Based Therapy and Risk of Acute
      Pancreatitis: A Nationwide Population-Based Case-Control Study. Diabetes Care
      2015;38:1089-1098.

PMID- 26106233
TI  - Low Levels of Unmodified Insulin Glargine in Plasma of People With Type 2
      Diabetes Requiring High Doses of Basal Insulin.

PMID- 26106234
TI  - Food Order Has a Significant Impact on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels.

PMID- 26106235
TI  - Novel Bioactivation Pathway of Benzbromarone Mediated by Cytochrome P450.
AB  - Benzbromarone (BBR) is a hepatotoxic drug, but the detailed mechanism of its
      toxicity remains unknown. We identified 2,6-dibromohydroquinone (DBH) and mono
      debrominated catechol (2-ethyl-3-(3-bromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzoyl)benzofuran; CAT)
      as novel metabolites of BBR in rat and human liver microsomal systems by
      comparison with chemically synthesized authentic compounds, and we also
      elucidated that DBH is formed by cytochrome P450 2C9 and that CAT is formed
      mainly by CYP1A1, 2D6, 2E1, and 3A4. Furthermore, CAT, DBH, and the oxidized form
      of DBH are highly cytotoxic in HepG2 compared with BBR. Taken together, our data
      demonstrate that DBH, a novel reactive metabolite, may be relevant to BBR-induced
      hepatotoxicity. 

PMID- 26106236
TI  - PILL Series. Deliberate self-harm in adolescents.
AB  - Deliberate self-harm refers to an intentional act of causing physical injury to
      oneself without wanting to die. It is frequently encountered in adolescents who
      have mental health problems. Primary care physicians play an important role in
      the early detection and timely intervention of deliberate self-harm in
      adolescents. This article aims to outline the associated risk factors and
      possible aetiologies of deliberate self-harm in adolescents, as well as provide
      suggestions for clinical assessment and appropriate management within the primary
      care setting. 

PMID- 26106237
TI  - Ministry of Health Clinical Practice Guidelines: Anxiety Disorders.
AB  - The Ministry of Health (MOH) has developed the clinical practice guidelines on
      Anxiety Disorders to provide doctors and patients in Singapore with evidence
      based treatment for anxiety disorders. This article reproduces the introduction
      and executive summary (with recommendations from the guidelines) from the MOH
      clinical practice guidelines on anxiety disorders, for the information of SMJ
      readers. Chapters and page numbers mentioned in the reproduced extract refer to
      the full text of the guidelines, which are available from the Ministry of Health
      website:
      http://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/healthprofessionalsportal/doctors/guideline
      /cpg_medical.html. The recommendations should be used with reference to the full
      text of the guidelines. Following this article are multiple choice questions
      based on the full text of the guidelines. 

PMID- 26106238
TI  - Review of sleep studies of patients with chronic insomnia at a sleep disorder
      unit.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Chronic insomnia is associated with many physical and psychiatric
      illnesses, and its underlying aetiology needs to be identified in order to
      achieve safe and effective treatment. Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and periodic
      limb movement disorder (PLMD) are common primary sleep disorders that can lead to
      chronic insomnia. Patients with these conditions are evaluated using
      polysomnography (PSG). METHODS: The PSG records of 106 patients with chronic
      insomnia who presented to a multidisciplinary sleep clinic in Singapore over a
      five-year period were reviewed. To examine the utility of PSG in the evaluation
      of chronic insomnia, the clinical diagnoses of the patients before and after the
      sleep studies were compared. RESULTS: Among the 106 patients, 69 (65.4%) were
      suspected to have primary sleep disorders based on clinical history and
      examination alone. Following PSG evaluation, 42.5% and 4.7% of the study
      population were diagnosed with OSA and PLMD, respectively. OSA was found in 35.9%
      of the 39 patients who had underlying psychiatric conditions. CONCLUSION: This
      study illustrates that many patients with chronic insomnia have underlying
      primary sleep disorders. It also highlights the danger of attributing chronic
      insomnia in psychiatric patients to their illness, without giving due
      consideration to other possible aetiologies. Clinicians should maintain a high
      index of suspicion for the presence of other aetiologies, and make timely and
      targeted referrals for sleep studies where appropriate.

PMID- 26106239
TI  - The clinical profile of patients with anorexia nervosa in Singapore: a follow-up
      descriptive study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The prevalence rate of anorexia nervosa is lower in Asia than in
      the West, although studies have found that it is on the rise in Asia. This study
      aims to present the clinical profile of patients presenting with anorexia nervosa
      in Singapore. METHODS: The present study used archival data from the Eating
      Disorder Programme registry of the Department of Psychiatry, Singapore General
      Hospital, Singapore. Patient records from 2003 to 2010 were collected and
      analysed. Presenting characteristics of the patients were also compared with
      those of another local study conducted eight years earlier. RESULTS: From 2003 to
      2010, a total of 271 patients were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa by a
      psychiatrist in our hospital. Of these, 251 (92.6%) were female and 238 (87.8%)
      were Chinese. Our patients had a lower mean weight (36.83 kg, p < 0.001) and a
      lower mean body mass index (BMI) (14.43 kg/m(2), p < 0.001) than patients from
      the previous local study. Almost half of all our patients (n = 135, 49.8%) were
      diagnosed with at least one psychiatric comorbidity and 50 (18.5%) had a history
      of self-harm. CONCLUSION: The presenting characteristics of our study cohort were
      similar to those of the Western population. However, the lower presenting weight
      and BMI in our cohort indicates that cases seen today are more severe than those
      seen eight years ago. Therefore, it is important to put in place prevention
      programmes to help adolescents cultivate a healthy body image as well as early
      intervention programmes to improve detection rates and treatment outcomes.

PMID- 26106240
TI  - A prospective study of epidemiological risk factors for ingestion of fish bones
      in Singapore.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ingestion of fish bones is a common clinical complaint among adult
      patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological and
      behavioural risk factors for fish bone ingestion. METHODS: Between 2009 and 2010,
      a physician-administered questionnaire was administered to 112 consecutive
      patients who presented to the emergency department of an adult tertiary hospital
      with the complaint of fish bone ingestion. RESULTS: The wearing of dentures, the
      use of utensils to eat fish and the practice of deboning fish in one's mouth were
      found to be associated with an increased risk of fish bone ingestion. CONCLUSION:
      To prevent the occurrence of fish bone ingestion and its possible complications,
      at-risk populations should be advised on the precautions to take when eating
      boned fish.

PMID- 26106241
TI  - High-grade culprit lesions are a common cause of ST-segment elevation myocardial
      infarction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Conventional knowledge holds that the majority of ruptured
      atherosclerotic plaques causing ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction
      (STEMI) are found in moderate stenoses that produce < 50% loss of arterial
      diameter. This study aimed to analyse the culprit lesions in patients who
      presented with STEMI and underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention
      (PPCI) at our institution. METHODS: Patients who underwent PPCI between June 2008
      and August 2010 at our institution were included in the analysis. Quantitative
      coronary angiography was performed for the culprit lesions immediately after
      antegrade flow was restored by thrombectomy, low-profile balloon predilatation or
      guidewire crossing. RESULTS: A total of 1,021 patients were included in the
      study. The mean age was 57 +/- 12 years and 85.2% were male. Lesion measurement
      was done after coronary flow was restored by thrombectomy (73.1%), balloon
      dilatation (24.1%) and following guidewire passage across the lesion (2.8%). Mean
      minimal luminal diameter was 1.1 +/- 0.5 mm, mean reference vessel diameter was
      2.8 +/- 0.6 mm, mean diameter stenosis was 61 +/- 16% and mean lesion length was
      16 +/- 6 mm. Most (80.2%) of the culprit lesions had diameter stenoses > 50% (p <
      0.01). Although balloon angioplasty was performed in 24.1% of the patients, the
      majority (64.2%) still had diameter stenoses > 50%. High-grade stenoses (> 50%)
      were more frequently observed in male patients (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Contrary
      to the existing paradigm, we found that most of the patients with STEMI in our
      institution had culprit lesions with diameter stenosis > 50%.

PMID- 26106242
TI  - Comment on: The assessment of combined first trimester screening in women of
      advanced maternal age in an Asian cohort.

PMID- 26106243
TI  - Authors' Reply: The assessment of combined first trimester screening in women of
      advanced maternal age in an Asian cohort.

PMID- 26106244
TI  - Non-asbestos Causes of mesothelioma and translocation of asbestos fibres.

PMID- 26106245
TI  - An unusual presentation of recurrent uterine rupture during pregnancy.
AB  - We describe a case of recurrent uterine rupture at the site of a previous
      rupture. Our patient had a history of right interstitial pregnancy with
      spontaneous uterine fundal rupture at 18 weeks of pregnancy. During her
      subsequent pregnancy, she was monitored closely by a senior consultant
      obstetrician. The patient presented at 34 weeks with right hypochondriac pain.
      She was clinically stable and fetal monitoring showed no signs of fetal distress.
      Ultrasonography revealed protrusion of the intact amniotic membranes in the
      abdominal cavity at the uterine fundus. Uterine rupture is a rare but hazardous
      obstetric complication. High levels of caution should be exercised in patients
      with a history of prior uterine rupture, as they may present with atypical
      symptoms. Ultrasonography could provide valuable information in such cases where
      there is an elevated risk of uterine rupture at the previous rupture site. 

PMID- 26106246
TI  - Toxic leucoencephalopathy after 'chasing the dragon'.
AB  - Toxic leucoencephalopathy (TLE) is a rare neurological complication of heroin
      abuse. 'Chasing the dragon' is an inhalational mode of heroin abuse that
      originated in Southeast Asia. Intriguingly, no cases of TLE have been reported
      from this region, although the inhalational mode of heroin abuse is common. We
      herein report the case of a middle-aged man with a history of polysubstance abuse
      who presented with progressive neurological symptoms and progressed to an
      uncommunicative state. While the initial impression was that of iatrogenic
      parkinsonism, diffuse leucoencephalopathy with sparing of the cerebellum was
      noted on magnetic resonance imaging. In view of his history of inhalational
      heroin abuse close to the onset of the neurological symptoms, a diagnosis of TLE
      was made. No clinical improvement was noted with administration of a dopaminergic
      agent. This is the first known case of delayed TLE following heroin inhalation
      from Southeast Asia with the unusual feature of cerebellar sparing. 

PMID- 26106247
TI  - Isolated and bilateral simultaneous facial palsy disclosing early human
      immunodeficiency virus infection.
AB  - Bilateral lower motor neuron type facial palsy is an unusual neurological
      disorder. There are few reports that associate it with the human immunodeficiency
      virus (HIV) infection on initial presentation. A 51-year-old married woman, who
      was previously healthy and had no risk of HIV infection, presented solely with
      bilateral simultaneous facial palsy. A positive HIV serology test was confirmed
      by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test. Following a short course of oral
      prednisolone, the patient recovered completely from facial palsy in three months,
      even though an antiretroviral treatment was suspended. Exclusion of HIV infection
      in patients with bilateral facial palsy is essential for early diagnosis and
      management of HIV. 

PMID- 26106248
TI  - Congenital midline sinus of the upper lip.
AB  - A congenital lip sinus is a rare condition that has been reported to occur in
      both the upper and lower lips, either in isolation or in association with
      congenital deformities such as a cleft lip and palate in Van der Woude syndrome.
      The prevalence of lower lip sinuses has been estimated to be about 0.00001% of
      the white population. Upper lip sinuses are even more uncommon. To date, there
      have been several case reports of upper lip sinuses and fistulas, but no similar
      cases have been described in Singapore. We herein report a case of congenital
      upper lip sinus presenting as a recurring upper lip abscess and review the
      current literature on this condition. 

PMID- 26106249
TI  - Ellis-van Creveld syndrome in adulthood: extending the clinical spectrum.
AB  - Ellis-van Creveld (EvC) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive malformation
      disorder. Cardiac defects are observed in about 50% of EvC cases. Surgical data
      is lacking on the prognosis and life expectancy of EvC patients. Herein, we
      report the case of a 38-year-old man with EvC syndrome who underwent two surgical
      corrections for cardiac anomalies. This report supplements the available
      information on the clinical course of EvC syndrome in older patients. 

PMID- 26106250
TI  - Multimodality imaging of splenic sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation.
AB  - Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation (SANT) is an exceedingly rare,
      benign and proliferative vascular lesion that arises from the splenic red pulp.
      It is often an incidental finding on imaging. The diagnosis of SANT is confirmed
      via histopathological examination of the resected spleen. Herein, we present a
      case of SANT and describe its typical imaging characteristics. An asymptomatic 39
      year-old man was found to have a 3.1 cm * 2.7 cm * 2.3 cm hypoechoic splenic
      lesion during abdominal ultrasonography, which was performed to investigate his
      elevated gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and alanine transaminase levels. Contrast
      enhanced computed tomography suggested a vascular splenic lesion, while magnetic
      resonance imaging demonstrated features consistent with SANT. In view of the
      increasing size of the lesion on follow-up imaging, the patient elected for
      splenectomy. Histopathological examination confirmed SANT, and the lesion was
      completely resected by laparoscopic splenectomy. 

PMID- 26106251
TI  - Serum Levels of Progranulin Are Closely Associated with Microvascular
      Complication in Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Progranulin (PGRN) was recently introduced as a novel marker of
      chronic inflammatory response in obesity and type 2 diabetes capable of directly
      affecting the insulin signaling pathway. This study aimed to investigate the
      correlation between PGRN and type 2 diabetics with microvascular complications.
      METHODS: PGRN serum levels and glucose metabolism related substance were measured
      in 84 type 2 diabetic patients with or without microangiopathies and 12 health
      persons. Further analyses of serum PGRN in different stages of diabetic
      microangiopathies were conducted. RESULTS: Serum levels of PGRN were markedly
      higher in type 2 diabetic patients with microangiopathies. PGRN serum levels
      increased with the progress of diabetic microangiopathies with significantly
      highest values detectable in clinical diabetic nephropathy (CDN) and
      proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) groups. Serum PGRN concentrations in all
      individuals positively and markedly correlated with systolic blood pressure
      (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass index (BMI), triglyceride (TG),
      urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine
      (CRE), white blood cell (WBC), disease duration, IL-6, and TNF-alpha, while
      correlating negatively and significantly with eGFR. Multiple linear regression
      analysis showed that only UAER and CRE were independently associated with serum
      PGRN. CONCLUSION: PGRN might be considered as a marker for diabetic
      microangiopathy and its severity.

PMID- 26106252
TI  - Uric Acid as a Marker of Kidney Disease: Review of the Current Literature.
AB  - Uric acid has been implicated in the pathophysiology of renal disease; however
      renal clearance makes a causal relationship difficult to prove. We examine the
      current literature to support a potential role of uric acid in the development of
      kidney disease and to determine the potential to use uric acid as a marker for
      future renal decline. After review, we conclude that uric acid is definitively
      linked to the development of chronic kidney disease and can be a poor prognostic
      factor for the development of acute renal failure, as well. However, further
      human research is needed before predictive models utilizing uric acid can be
      developed and used in the clinical setting. 

PMID- 26106253
TI  - Hyperoxia-Induced Protein Alterations in Renal Rat Tissue: A Quantitative
      Proteomic Approach to Identify Hyperoxia-Induced Effects in Cellular Signaling
      Pathways.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In renal tissue as well as in other organs, supranormal oxygen
      pressure may lead to deleterious consequences on a cellular level. Additionally,
      hyperoxia-induced effect in cells and related free radicals may potentially
      contribute to renal failure. The aim of this study was to analyze time-dependent
      alterations of rat kidney protein expression after short-term normobaric
      hyperoxia using proteomics and bioinformatic approaches. MATERIAL AND METHODS: N
      = 36 Wistar rats were randomized into six different groups: three groups with
      normobaric hyperoxia (exposure to 100% oxygen for 3 h) and three groups with
      normobaric normoxia (NN; room air). After hyperoxia exposure, kidneys were
      removed immediately, after 3 days and after 7 days. Kidney lysates were analyzed
      by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by peptide mass fingerprinting
      using tandem mass spectrometry. Statistical analysis was performed with DeCyder
      2D software (p < 0.01). Biological functions of differential regulated proteins
      were studied using functional network analysis (Ingenuity Pathways Analysis and
      PathwayStudio). RESULTS: Expression of 14 proteins was significantly altered (p <
      0.01): eight proteins (MEP1A_RAT, RSSA_RAT, F16P1_RAT, STML2_RAT, BPNT1_RAT,
      LGMN_RAT, ATPA_RAT, and VDAC1_RAT) were downregulated and six proteins
      (MTUS1_RAT, F16P1_RAT, ACTG_RAT, ACTB_RAT, 2ABA_RAT, and RAB1A_RAT) were
      upregulated. Bioinformatic analyses revealed an association of regulated proteins
      with inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: Significant alterations in renal protein
      expression could be demonstrated for up to 7 days even after short-term
      hyperoxia. The identified proteins indicate an association with inflammation
      signaling cascades. MEP1A and VDAC1 could be promising candidates to identify
      hyperoxic injury in kidney cells.

PMID- 26106254
TI  - Assessment of Liver Remnant Using ICG Clearance Intraoperatively during Vascular
      Exclusion: Early Experience with the ALIIVE Technique.
AB  - Background. The most significant risk following major hepatectomy is
      postoperative liver insufficiency. Current preoperative assessment of the future
      liver remnant relies upon assumptions which may not be valid in the setting of
      advanced resection strategies. This paper reports the feasibility of the ALIIVE
      technique which assesses the liver remnant with ICG clearance intraoperatively
      during vascular exclusion. Methods. 10 patients undergoing planned major liver
      resection (hemihepatectomy or greater) were recruited. Routine preoperative
      assessment included CT and standardized volumetry. ICG clearance was measured
      noninvasively using a finger spectrophotometer at various time points including
      following parenchymal transection during inflow and outflow occlusion before
      vascular division, the ALIIVE step. Results. There were one case of mortality and
      three cases of posthepatectomy liver failure. The patient who died had the lowest
      ALIIVE ICG clearance (7.1%/min versus 14.4 +/- 4.9). Routine preoperative CT and
      standardized volumetry did not predict outcome. Discussion/Conclusion. The novel
      ALIIVE technique is feasible and assesses actual future liver remnant function
      before the point of no return during major hepatectomy. This technique may be
      useful as a check step to offer a margin of safety to prevent posthepatectomy
      liver failure and death. Further confirmatory studies are required to determine a
      safety cutoff level. 

PMID- 26106255
TI  - Detecting Migraine in Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Using Three
      Different Headache Measures.
AB  - Posttraumatic migraine may represent an important subtype of headache among the
      traumatic brain injury (TBI) population and is associated with increased recovery
      times. However, it is underdiagnosed in patients with mild traumatic brain injury
      (mTBI). This study examined the effectiveness of the self-administered Nine-Item
      Screener (Nine-Item Screener-SA), the Headache Impact Test- 6 (HIT-6), the 3-Item
      Migraine Screener, and the Rivermead Post-Concussion Questionnaire (RPQ) at
      discriminating between mTBI patients with (n = 23) and without (n = 20)
      migraines. The Nine-Item Screener demonstrated significant differences between
      migraine patients with and without migraine on nearly every question, especially
      on Question 9 (disability), sensitivity: 0.95 and specificity: 0.65 (95% CI, 0.64
      0.90). The HIT-6 demonstrated significant differences between migraine and no
      migraine patients on disability and pain severity, with disability having a
      sensitivity of 0.70 and specificity of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.54-0.83). Only Question 3
      of the 3-Item ID Migraine Screener (photosensitivity) showed significant
      differences between migraine and no-migraine patients, sensitivity: 0.84 and
      specificity: 0.55 (CI, 0.52-0.82). The RPQ did not reveal greater symptoms in
      migraine patients compared with those without. Among headache measures, the Nine
      Item Screener-SA best differentiated between mTBI patients with and without
      migraine. Disability may best identify migraine sufferers among the TBI
      population. 

PMID- 26106256
TI  - Impaired Fracture Healing after Hemorrhagic Shock.
AB  - Impaired fracture healing can occur in severely injured patients with hemorrhagic
      shock due to decreased soft tissue perfusion after trauma. We investigated the
      effects of fracture healing in a standardized pressure controlled hemorrhagic
      shock model in mice, to test the hypothesis that bleeding is relevant in the bone
      healing response. Male C57/BL6 mice were subjected to a closed femoral shaft
      fracture stabilized by intramedullary nailing. One group was additionally
      subjected to pressure controlled hemorrhagic shock (HS, mean arterial pressure
      (MAP) of 35 mmHg for 90 minutes). Serum cytokines (IL-6, KC, MCP-1, and TNF
      alpha) were analyzed 6 hours after shock. Fracture healing was assessed 21 days
      after fracture. Hemorrhagic shock is associated with a significant increase in
      serum inflammatory cytokines in the early phase. Histologic analysis demonstrated
      a significantly decreased number of osteoclasts, a decrease in bone quality, and
      more cartilage islands after hemorrhagic shock. MUCT analysis showed a trend
      towards decreased bone tissue mineral density in the HS group. Mechanical testing
      revealed no difference in tensile failure. Our results suggest a delay in
      fracture healing after hemorrhagic shock. This may be due to significantly
      diminished osteoclast recruitment. The exact mechanisms should be studied
      further, particularly during earlier stages of fracture healing. 

PMID- 26106257
TI  - iNOS Activity Modulates Inflammation, Angiogenesis, and Tissue Fibrosis in
      Polyether-Polyurethane Synthetic Implants.
AB  - There is considerable interest in implantation techniques and scaffolds for
      tissue engineering and, for safety and biocompatibility reasons, inflammation,
      angiogenesis, and fibrosis need to be determined. The contribution of inducible
      nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the regulation of the foreign body reaction
      induced by subcutaneous implantation of a synthetic matrix was never
      investigated. Here, we examined the role of iNOS in angiogenesis, inflammation,
      and collagen deposition induced by polyether-polyurethane synthetic implants,
      using mice with targeted disruption of the iNOS gene (iNOS(-/-)) and wild-type
      (WT) mice. The hemoglobin content and number of vessels were decreased in the
      implants of iNOS(-/-) mice compared to WT mice 14 days after implantation. VEGF
      levels were also reduced in the implants of iNOS(-/-) mice. In contrast, the
      iNOS(-/-) implants exhibited an increased neutrophil and macrophage infiltration.
      However, no alterations were observed in levels of CXCL1 and CCL2, chemokines
      related to neutrophil and macrophage migration, respectively. Furthermore, the
      implants of iNOS(-/-) mice showed boosted collagen deposition. These data suggest
      that iNOS activity controls inflammation, angiogenesis, and fibrogenesis in
      polyether-polyurethane synthetic implants and that lack of iNOS expression
      increases foreign body reaction to implants in mice. 

PMID- 26106258
TI  - Serum Levels of Lipopolysaccharide and 1,3-beta-D-Glucan Refer to the Severity in
      Patients with Crohn's Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Interactions between the host and gut microbial community contribute
      to the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD). In this study, we aimed to detect
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and 1,3-beta-D-glucan (BG) in the sera of CD patients
      and clarify the potential role in the diagnosis and therapeutic approaches.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum samples were collected from 46 patients with active
      CD (A-CD), 22 CD patients at remission stage (R-CD), and 20 healthy controls, and
      the levels of LPS, BG, and TNF in sera were determined by ELISA. Moreover,
      sixteen patients with A-CD received anti-TNF monoclonal antibody therapy
      (infliximab, IFX) at a dose of 5 mg/kg body weight at weeks 0, 2, and 6, and the
      levels of LPS and BG were also tested at week 12 after the first intravenous
      infusion. RESULTS: Serum levels of LPS and BG were found to be markedly increased
      in A-CD patients compared with R-CD patients and healthy controls (P < 0.05).
      They were also observed to be positively correlated with CDAI, ESR, and SES-CD,
      respectively (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the levels of TNF in sera had a significant
      correlation with LPS and BG, respectively. The concentrations of LPS and BG were
      demonstrated to be significantly downregulated in the sera of A-CD patients 12
      weeks after IFX treatment (P < 0.05), suggesting that blockade of TNF could
      inhibit bacterial endotoxin absorption, partially through improving intestinal
      mucosal barrier. CONCLUSIONS: Serum levels of LPS and BG are significantly
      increased in A-CD patients and positively correlated with the severity of the
      disease. Blockade of intestinal mucosal inflammation with IFX could reduce the
      levels of LPS and BG in sera. Therefore, this study has shed some light on
      measurement of serum LPS and BG in the diagnosis and treatment of CD patients.

PMID- 26106259
TI  - MITOSCISSOR: A Useful Tool for Auto-Assembly of Mitogenomic Datasets in the
      Evolutionary Analysis of Fishes.
AB  - As a result of the development of rapid and efficient sequencing technologies,
      complete sequences of numerous mitochondrial genomes are now available.
      Mitochondrial genomes have been widely used to evaluate relationships between
      species in several fields, including evolutionary and population genetics, as
      well as in forensic identification and in the study of mitochondrial diseases in
      humans. However, the creation of mitochondrial genomes is extremely time
      consuming. In this paper, we present a new tool, MITOSCISSOR, which is a rapid
      method for parsing and formatting dozens of complete mitochondrial genome
      sequences. With the aid of MITOSCISSOR, complete mitochondrial genome sequences
      of 103 species from Tetraodontiformes (a difficult-to-classify order of fish)
      were easily parsed and formatted. It typically takes several days to produce
      similar results when relying upon manual editing. This tool could open the .gb
      file of Genbank directly and help us to use existing mitogenomic data. In the
      present study, we established the first clear and robust molecular phylogeny of
      103 tetraodontiform fishes, a goal that has long eluded ichthyologists.
      MITOSCISSOR greatly increases the efficiency with which DNA data files can be
      parsed and annotated, and thus has the potential to greatly facilitate
      evolutionary analysis using mitogenomic data. This software is freely available
      for noncommercial users at http://www.filedropper.com/mitoscissor. 

PMID- 26106260
TI  - Synthetic Extracellular Microenvironment for Modulating Stem Cell Behaviors.
AB  - The innate ability of stem cells to self-renew and differentiate into multiple
      cell types makes them a promising source for tissue engineering and regenerative
      medicine applications. Their capacity for self-renewal and differentiation is
      largely influenced by the combination of physical, chemical, and biological
      signals found in the stem cell niche, both temporally and spatially. Embryonic
      and adult stem cells are potentially useful for cell-based approaches; however,
      regulating stem cell behavior remains a major challenge in their clinical use.
      Most of the current approaches for controlling stem cell fate do not fully
      address all of the complex signaling pathways that drive stem cell behaviors in
      their natural microenvironments. To overcome this limitation, a new generation of
      biomaterials is being developed for use as three-dimensional synthetic
      microenvironments that can mimic the regulatory characteristics of natural
      extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and ECM-bound growth factors. These synthetic
      microenvironments are currently being investigated as a substrate with surface
      immobilization and controlled release of bioactive molecules to direct the stem
      cell fate in vitro, as a tissue template to guide and improve the neo-tissue
      formation both in vitro and in vivo, and as a delivery vehicle for cell therapy
      in vivo. The continued advancement of such an intelligent biomaterial system as
      the synthetic extracellular microenvironment holds the promise of improved
      therapies for numerous debilitating medical conditions for which no satisfactory
      cure exists today. 

PMID- 26106261
TI  - Medicinal Plants: A Potential Source of Compounds for Targeting Cell Division.
AB  - Modern medicinal plant drug discovery has provided pharmacologically active
      compounds targeted against a multitude of conditions and diseases, such as
      infection, inflammation, and cancer. To date, natural products from medicinal
      plants remain a solid niche as a source from which cancer therapies can be
      derived. Among other properties, one favorable characteristic of an anticancer
      drug is its ability to block the uncontrollable process of cell division, as
      cancer cells are notorious for their abnormal cell division. There are numerous
      other documented works on the potential anticancer activity of drugs derived from
      medicinal plants, and their effects on cell division are an attractive and
      growing therapeutic target. Despite this, there remains a vast number of
      unidentified natural products that are potentially promising sources for medical
      applications. This mini review aims to revise the current knowledge of the
      effects of natural plant products on cell division. 

PMID- 26106262
TI  - Novelty Seeking as a Phenotypic Marker of Adolescent Substance Use.
AB  - Trait novelty seeking has been consistently implicated in substance use, yet the
      origins and mechanisms of novelty seeking in substance use proneness are unclear.
      We aimed to characterize novelty seeking as a phenotypic marker of substance use
      proneness in adolescence, a critical period for drug use experimentation. To this
      end, we parsed novelty seeking's two constituent subdimensions - exploratory
      excitability (drive for novel experience) and impulsiveness (careless decision
      making) - and explored the individual relations of these dimensions to: (1) the
      use of a variety of licit and illicit substances, (2) family history of substance
      use, and (3) subjective drug effects. Five hundred eighty five adolescents (mean
      age = 14.5 years) completed surveys of key variables. Results indicated that,
      when accounting for the covariation among exploratory excitability and
      impulsiveness, impulsiveness emerged as the more salient correlate of substance
      use and was independently associated with initiation of nearly all drug classes.
      Mediation analyses of the mechanisms of novelty seeking-related risk illustrated
      that impulsiveness mediated the association of family history of substance use
      with both initiation and past 30-day frequency of use. Both impulsiveness and
      exploratory excitability were associated with increased positive and negative
      subjective drug effects, and the analyses supported a significant indirect
      pathway from impulsiveness to a more frequent use via positive subjective
      effects. Although limited by a cross-sectional design, these findings suggest
      that impulsiveness-like aspects of the novelty seeking construct may represent a
      useful phenotypic marker for early substance use proneness that potentially (1)
      increases initiation risk, (2) has familial origins, and (3) promotes more
      frequent use by altering subjective drug response. 

PMID- 26106263
TI  - Accuracies and Contrasts of Models of the Diffusion-Weighted-Dependent
      Attenuation of the MRI Signal at Intermediate b-values.
AB  - The diffusion-weighted-dependent attenuation of the MRI signal E(b) is extremely
      sensitive to microstructural features. The aim of this study was to determine
      which mathematical model of the E(b) signal most accurately describes it in the
      brain. The models compared were the monoexponential model, the stretched
      exponential model, the truncated cumulant expansion (TCE) model, the
      biexponential model, and the triexponential model. Acquisition was performed with
      nine b-values up to 2500 s/mm(2) in 12 healthy volunteers. The goodness-of-fit
      was studied with F-tests and with the Akaike information criterion. Tissue
      contrasts were differentiated with a multiple comparison corrected nonparametric
      analysis of variance. F-test showed that the TCE model was better than the
      biexponential model in gray and white matter. Corrected Akaike information
      criterion showed that the TCE model has the best accuracy and produced the most
      reliable contrasts in white matter among all models studied. In conclusion, the
      TCE model was found to be the best model to infer the microstructural properties
      of brain tissue. 

PMID- 26106264
TI  - Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Alterations through Music in Patients Undergoing
      Cataract Surgery in Greece.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Music has been proposed as a safe, inexpensive, nonpharmacological
      antistress intervention. The purpose of this study was to determine whether
      patients undergoing cataract surgery while listening to meditation music
      experience lower levels of blood pressure and heart rate. METHODS: Two hundred
      individuals undergoing cataract surgery participated in the study. Hundred
      individuals listened to meditation music, through headphones, before and during
      the operation (intervention group) and 100 individuals received standard care
      (control group). Patients stress coping skills were measured by the Sense of
      Coherence Scale (SOC Scale). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate
      were defined as outcome measures. RESULTS: According to the SOC Scale, both
      groups had similar stress coping skills (mean score: 127.6 for the intervention
      group and 127.3 for the control group). Before entering the operating room (OR)
      as well as during surgery the rise in systolic and diastolic pressures was
      significantly lower in the intervention group (P < 0.001). Among patients
      receiving antihypertensive therapy, those in the intervention group presented a
      lower increase only in systolic pressure (P < 0.001) at both time recordings. For
      those patients in the intervention group who did not receive antihypertensive
      treatment, lower systolic blood pressure at both time recordings was recorded (P
      < 0.001) while lower diastolic pressure was observed only during entry to the OR
      (P = 0.021). Heart rate was not altered between the two groups in any of the
      recordings. CONCLUSIONS: Meditation music influenced patients' preoperative
      stress with regard to systolic blood pressure. This kind of music can be used as
      an alternative or complementary method for blood pressure stabilizing in patients
      undergoing cataract surgery.

PMID- 26106265
TI  - Similarity of Serum and Plasma Insulin-like Growth Factor Concentrations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are implicated in many normal
      physiological processes and pathological states, including cancer. For large
      consortia projects, it may be necessary to make comparisons among studies with
      different specimens that were not collected specifically to optimize the
      measurement of IGFs. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare IGFs in matched serum
      and plasma samples. METHODS: We measured IGF-I, IGF-II, insulin-like growth
      factor-binding protein (IGFBP)-3, C-peptide, and leptin in serum and
      ethylenediaminetetraacetic-containing-plasma samples obtained concurrently from
      30 healthy women aged 64-80 years in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian
      Cancer Screening Trial using chemiluminescent or colorimetric enzyme-linked
      immune assays. Coefficients of variation (CVs) and correlations were determined.
      RESULTS: Intraassay CVs ranged from 0.4% for IGFBP-3 to 10% for IGF-II. Mean
      concentrations of all analytes were higher in the serum, but the differences in
      mean concentrations of the analytes between serum and plasma were all <11%.
      Concordance correlation coefficients of matched serum/plasma specimens were 0.92,
      0.91, 0.82, 0.96, and 0.99 for IGF-I, IGFBP-3, IGF-II, C-peptide, and leptin,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: IGF concentrations measured in serum and plasma are
      highly correlated but are consistently slightly higher in serum, suggesting that
      IGF values should be corrected for systematic bias, particularly in consortial
      efforts when pooling data derived from different specimens.

PMID- 26106266
TI  - Combination of PAPPA, fhCGbeta, AFP, PlGF, sTNFR1, and Maternal Characteristics
      in Prediction of Early-onset Preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of first-trimester markers-pregnancy
      associated plasma protein A (PAPPA), free human chorionic gonadotropin beta
      (fhCGbeta), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), placental growth factor (PlGF), and soluble
      tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (sTNFR1) together with maternal characteristics
      (MC) for prediction of early-onset preeclampsia (EOPE). METHODS: During 2005
      2010, the abovementioned biomarkers were analyzed with logistic regression
      analysis in 64 EOPE and 752 control subjects to determine whether these
      biomarkers separately and in combination with MC would predict development of
      EOPE. RESULTS: PAPPA, fhCGbeta, and PlGF levels were lower, whereas AFP and
      sTNFR1 levels were higher in mothers with EOPE compared to controls. The
      combination of all markers with MC (age, weight, and smoking status) detected 48%
      of the mothers with EOPE, with a 10% false-positive rate (FPR). CONCLUSIONS:
      First-trimester maternal serum levels of PAPPA, fhCGbeta, AFP, PlGF, and sTNFR1,
      together with MC, are predictive of development of subsequent EOPE. These
      markers, along with MC, form a suitable panel for predicting EOPE.

PMID- 26106267
TI  - Bioinformatics Data Mining Approach Suggests Coexpression of AGTPBP1 with an ALS
      linked Gene C9orf72.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Expanded GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeats located in the noncoding
      region of the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) gene represent the
      most common genetic abnormality for familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Formation of nuclear RNA foci,
      accumulation of repeat-associated non-ATG-translated dipeptide-repeat proteins,
      and haploinsufficiency of C9orf72 are proposed for pathological mechanisms of
      C9ALS/FTD. However, at present, the physiological function of C9orf72 remains
      largely unknown. METHODS: By searching on a bioinformatics database named
      COXPRESdb composed of the comprehensive gene coexpression data, we studied
      potential C9orf72 interactors. RESULTS: We identified the ATP/GTP binding protein
      1 (AGTPBP1) gene alternatively named NNA1 encoding a cytosolic carboxypeptidase
      whose mutation is causative of the degeneration of Purkinje cells and motor
      neurons as the most significant gene coexpressed with C9orf72. We verified
      coexpression and interaction of AGTPBP1 and C9orf72 in transfected cells by
      immunoprecipitation and in neurons of the human brain by double-labeling
      immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, we found a positive correlation between
      AGTPBP1 and C9orf72 mRNA expression levels in the set of 21 human brains
      examined. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that AGTPBP1 serves as a C9orf72
      interacting partner that plays a role in the regulation of neuronal function in a
      coordinated manner within the central nervous system.

PMID- 26106268
TI  - Pharmaceutical research in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A scientometric analysis
      during 2001-2010.
AB  - Studies on the performance of Saudi Arabia in the pharmaceutical science research
      using quantitative and qualitative measures. They analyze the productivity and
      global publication share and rank of the top 15 countries. The author studies
      Saudi Arabia's publications output, growth and citation quality, international
      collaborative publication share and most important the collaborating partners,
      contribution and citation impact of its top 15 organizations and authors,
      productivity patterns of its top publishing journals and characteristics of its
      highly cited papers. 

PMID- 26106269
TI  - Alternatives to animal testing: A review.
AB  - The number of animals used in research has increased with the advancement of
      research and development in medical technology. Every year, millions of
      experimental animals are used all over the world. The pain, distress and death
      experienced by the animals during scientific experiments have been a debating
      issue for a long time. Besides the major concern of ethics, there are few more
      disadvantages of animal experimentation like requirement of skilled manpower,
      time consuming protocols and high cost. Various alternatives to animal testing
      were proposed to overcome the drawbacks associated with animal experiments and
      avoid the unethical procedures. A strategy of 3 Rs (i.e. reduction, refinement
      and replacement) is being applied for laboratory use of animals. Different
      methods and alternative organisms are applied to implement this strategy. These
      methods provide an alternative means for the drug and chemical testing, up to
      some levels. A brief account of these alternatives and advantages associated is
      discussed in this review with examples. An integrated application of these
      approaches would give an insight into minimum use of animals in scientific
      experiments. 

PMID- 26106270
TI  - Consumers' perceptions on the contribution of community pharmacists in the
      dispensing process at Dawadmi.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Community pharmacies are widely distributed and developments in this
      sector will greatly improve pharmaceutical health care delivery. OBJECTIVES: To
      provide consumer's perceptions towards the contribution of community pharmacists
      in the dispensing process. METHOD: The study was performed from mid-October to
      mid-November 2013 in Dawadmi, KSA. Data were carried out using a structured face
      to-face questionnaire with randomly selected 100 consumers at different community
      pharmacies. The questionnaire composed of nine closed questions about consumer's
      perceptions towards the pharmacist's role, counselling quality and dispensing
      errors in community pharmacies. RESULTS: Consumers perceive that pharmacists are
      not committed to dispense medications with prescription (72%), it is embarrassing
      to ask questions to the pharmacist in the current pharmacy premises (48%),
      pharmacists do not give enough counselling about their medications (48%) and they
      previously encountered a dispensing error (26%). CONCLUSION: The professional
      performance of community pharmacists in dispensing is below expectation. Majority
      of consumers perceive that community pharmacists are violating pharmacy law and
      giving them insufficient medicine information while dispensing. Authorities
      should stimulate both pharmacist's and consumer's awareness by educational
      campaign, improve standards for the profession and penalise violators. It is a
      necessity for community pharmacies to develop consultation areas to assure
      privacy, improve counselling quality, and reduce dispensing errors.

PMID- 26106271
TI  - Perception of community pharmacists toward their current professional role in the
      healthcare system of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
AB  - The new paradigm to pharmacy profession has changed the focus of pharmacists from
      product-centered to patient-oriented. This change has brought new set of beliefs
      and assumptions on the way services should be delivered to pharmacy clients. The
      main aim of this study was to explore the perception of community pharmacists on
      their current professional role in Dubai. Key findings show that community
      pharmacists are more directed toward business than patients. They almost dispense
      all categories of medicines over-the-counter without the need of prescriptions.
      However, a new trend of pharmacists in Dubai is to provide enhanced pharmacy
      services such as consultation to patients upon request. 

PMID- 26106272
TI  - Utilization of model-based meta-analysis to delineate the net efficacy of
      taspoglutide from the response of placebo in clinical trials.
AB  - The objective of this study was to develop quantitative models to delineate the
      net efficacy of taspoglutide on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycosylated
      hemoglobin (HbA1c) from the response of placebo in type 2 diabetes patients, and
      further find pharmacodynamic potency of taspoglutide and FPG for half of maximum
      reduction responses of FPG and HbA1c, respectively. Several PD data about
      taspoglutide treatments for type 2 diabetes patients were digitalized from the
      published papers related with the clinical development of taspoglutide. The model
      based meta-analysis (MBMA) studies for FPG and HbA1c were performed with Monolix
      4.2 software. The MBMA successfully described the effects of placebo and
      taspoglutide on pharmacological indexes of FPG and HbA1c through mono and
      multiple combination therapies in clinical trials. The pharmacodynamic potency
      (25.3 pmol/l) produced 50% of maximum responses of FPG (-2.39 mmol/l) from the
      responses of placebo for FPG (-0.371 mmol/l); the response change of FPG (-1.81
      mmol/l) affected 50% of maximum response change (-1.74%) for HbA1c from the
      response of placebo (-0.253%). The leveraging prior knowledge from the
      longitudinal MBMA will be utilized to guide clinical development of taspoglutide
      and further support study designs including optimization of dose and duration of
      therapy. 

PMID- 26106273
TI  - Adiponectin serum levels correlate with insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic
      patients.
AB  - The adipose tissue is not only an inert storage depot for lipids, but also it
      secretes a variety of bioactive molecules, known as adipokines, which affect
      whole-body homeostasis. Adiponectin is the most abundant of these adipocytokines
      and is known to have a regulatory effect on the metabolism of glucose and lipid.
      The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the serum levels of
      adiponectin and to establish a correlation between adiponectin serum levels and
      the degree of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients. Eighty participants
      were enrolled in this study; 61 type 2 diabetic patients and 19 apparently
      healthy subjects. Serum level of adiponectin was measured by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for each participant. Data collection sheet was
      filled with all required information for each participant. Adiponectin level in
      the diabetic patients (5.05 +/- 2.61 MUg/ml) was lower than in non-diabetic
      healthy controls (5.71 +/- 2.35 MUg/ml). When the results were compared according
      to gender, diabetic females showed significantly higher adiponectin levels (5.76
      +/- 2.64 MUg/ml) than diabetic males (4.366 +/- 2.43 MUg/ml, P = 0.035). In
      addition, female diabetic patients with abdominal obesity (waist circumference
      (WC) ? 88 cm) had lower adiponectin levels (5.58 +/- 2.58 MUg/ml) than diabetic
      females without abdominal obesity (6.96 +/- 3.12 MUg/ml). The correlation
      analysis indicated that adiponectin had a significant positive correlation with
      age (r = -0.450, P < 0.001). In conclusion, female diabetic patients had a
      statistically significant higher adiponectin level than male diabetic patients
      which could indicate a gender effect. Adiponectin levels were inversely related
      to insulin resistance; as patients with abdominal obesity had lower serum levels
      of adiponectin. 

PMID- 26106274
TI  - Hospital pharmacists' self-evaluation of their competence and confidence in
      conducting pharmacy practice research.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Research is essential to the advancement of pharmacy practice and
      healthcare. Pharmacists have a pivotal role to play in this strategy. However,
      there is a paucity of data about hospital pharmacists' competence and ability in
      conducting health-related research. This study primarily aims to determine the
      research demographics of hospital pharmacists in Qatar and to assess the
      pharmacists' perceptions of their competence and confidence to conduct research.
      METHODS: A multi-centered survey using a 70-item piloted questionnaire was
      conducted among a randomly selected sample of pharmacists practicing at seven
      Hamad Medical Corporation-managed hospitals. Both descriptive and inferential
      statistical analyses were applied using IBM-SPSS(r) version 20. KEY FINDINGS: A
      total of 120 participants responded to the survey (67% response rate). About 70%
      of the participants did not have any previous research experience. At least 20%
      of the respondents self-reported inadequate competence and/or confidence in
      developing research protocols, critically appraising the literature, undertaking
      and applying appropriate statistical techniques, and interpreting research
      findings. The level of education along with the current hospital of practice had
      significant effects on pharmacists' self-assessed competence (p < 0.05). Overall,
      85% of the participants were interested in pursuing postgraduate studies or
      research-related training. CONCLUSIONS: A large proportion of hospital
      pharmacists in Qatar self-assessed themselves as having deficiencies in several
      domains of research process or competencies, although they recognized the value
      of research in advancing pharmacy practice. These findings have important
      implications for developing informal research training programs and promoting the
      pursuit of formal postgraduate programs to bridge the knowledge gaps found among
      hospital-practicing pharmacists.

PMID- 26106275
TI  - Does self-reflection and peer-assessment improve Saudi pharmacy students'
      academic performance and metacognitive skills?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The patient-centered focus of clinical pharmacy practice which
      demands nuanced application of specialized knowledge and skills targeted to
      meeting patient-specific therapeutic needs warrant that the training strategy
      used for PharmD graduates must empower with the ability to use the higher level
      cognitive processes and critical thinking effectively in service delivery.
      However, the historical disposition to learning in the Middle East and among
      Saudi students appeared heavily focused on rote memorization and recall of
      memorized facts. OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of active pedagogic strategies
      such as self-reflection and peer assessment on pharmacy students' academic
      performance and metacognitive skills, and evaluate students' feedback on the
      impact of these active pedagogic strategies on their overall learning experience.
      METHOD: An exploratory prospective cohort study was conducted among 4th year
      students at the College of Clinical Pharmacy, King Faisal University, Saudi
      Arabia to assess the impact of self-reflection and peer-assessment in a semester
      wide assessment tasks in two compulsory first semester 4th year courses
      (Therapeutics-3 and Pharmacoeconomics). An end-of-course evaluation survey with a
      pre-tested 5-item open-ended questionnaire was also conducted to evaluate
      students' feedback on the impact of active pedagogic strategies on their overall
      learning experience. RESULT: Male students (study group) constituted 40.7% of the
      cohort while 59.3% were females (control group) with mean +/- SD age of 23.2 +/-
      5.6 and 22.1 +/- 4.9 years respectively. The mean +/- SD scores for quizzes, mid
      term and final exams, and the overall percentage pass were significantly higher
      in the study group for both courses (P < 0.001). The majority of the students in
      the study group opined that the exposure to active pedagogic strategies enabled
      them to improve their use of critical thinking, facilitated deeper engagement
      with their learning and improved their clinical decision-making and discussion
      skills. CONCLUSION: The use of active pedagogic strategies such as self
      reflection and peer-assessment appeared to significantly improve examination
      performance, facilitate deep and constructive engagement with learning and
      fostered students' confidence in the use of critical thinking and clinical
      decision-making.

PMID- 26106276
TI  - Self nanoemulsifying drug delivery system of stabilized ellagic acid-phospholipid
      complex with improved dissolution and permeability.
AB  - Ellagic acid (EA), a plant polyphenol known for its wide-range of health benefits
      has limited use due to its low oral bioavailability. In this study, a new self
      nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS), based on the phospholipid complex
      technique, was developed to improve the oral bioavailability of ellagic acid.
      Ellagic acid-phospholipid complex was prepared by an anti-solvent method and
      characterized. Enhanced lipophilicity after the formation of ellagic acid
      phospholipid complex was verified through solubility studies. Preliminary
      screening was carried out to select oil, surfactant and co-surfactant. Ternary
      phase diagrams were constructed to identify the area of nanoemulsification.
      Formulations were optimized on the basis of globule size, cloud point and
      robustness to dilution. The optimized SNEDDS of ellagic acid-phospholipid complex
      showed mean globule size of 106 +/- 0.198 nm and cloud point at 83-85  degrees C.
      The in vitro drug release from SNEDDS was found to be higher compared to EA
      suspension and complex, while ex vivo studies showed increased permeation from
      SNEDDS compared to EA suspension. Moreover, SNEDDS overcome the food effect which
      was shown by EA suspension. Thus, SNEDDS were found to be influential in
      improving the release performance of EA, indicating their potential to improve
      the oral bioavailability of EA. 

PMID- 26106277
TI  - Stealth Amphotericin B nanoparticles for oral drug delivery: In vitro
      optimization.
AB  - PURPOSE: Amphotericin B (AmB) is an effective anti-fungal and anti-leishmanial
      agent. However, AmB has low oral bioavailability (0.3%) and adverse effects
      (e.g., nephrotoxicity). The objectives of this study were to improve the oral
      bioavailability by entrapping AmB in pegylated (PEG) poly lactide co glycolide
      copolymer (PLGA-PEG) nanoparticles (NPs). The feasibility of different
      surfactants and stabilizers on the mean particle size (MPS) and entrapment
      efficiency were also investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NPs of AmB were
      prepared by a modified emulsification diffusion method employing a vitamin E
      derivative as a stabilizer. Physicochemical properties and particle size
      characterization were evaluated using Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy
      (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy and
      transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, in vitro dissolution profiles were
      performed for all formulated AmB NPs. RESULTS: MPS of the prepared spherical
      particles of AmB ranged from 26.4 +/- 2.9 to 1068 +/- 489.8 nm. An increased
      stirring rate favored AmB NPs with a smaller MPS. There was a significant
      reduction in MPS, drug content and drug release, when AmB NPs were prepared using
      the diblock polymer PLGA-PEG with 15% PEG. Addition of three emulsifying agents
      poly vinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), Vitamin E (TPGS) and pluronic F-68 to AmB
      formulations led to a significant reduction in particle size and increase in drug
      entrapment efficiency (DEE) compared to addition of PVP alone. FTIR spectroscopy
      demonstrated a successful loading of AmB to pegylated PLGA-PEG copolymers. PLGA
      PEG copolymer entrapment efficiency of AmB was increased up to 56.7%, with 92.7%
      drug yield. After a slow initial release, between 20% and 54% of AmB was released
      in vitro within 24 h phosphate buffer containing 2% sodium deoxycholate and were
      best fit Korsmeyer-Peppas model. In conclusion, PLGA-PEG diblock copolymer with
      15% PEG produced a significant reduction (>70%) in MPS with highest drug content.
      The percentage of PEG in the copolymer and the surfactant/stabilizer used had a
      direct effect on AmB release in vitro, entrapment efficiency and MPS. These
      developed formulations are feasible, effective and improved alternatives to other
      carriers for oral delivery of AmB.

PMID- 26106278
TI  - Microbiological quality of non-sterile pharmaceutical products.
AB  - In microbiological terms, pharmaceutical products can be divided into two groups:
      sterile and non-sterile. Non-sterile drugs must satisfy the appropriate
      microbiological purity criteria which are included in pharmacopoeial monographs.
      Pharmacopoeial studies are prepared specifically with a view to ensuring that the
      medicinal product is therapeutically effective and safe for the patient. The
      analysis comprised the results of microbiological purity tests performed before
      the products are marketed. Total of 1285 samples of non-sterile drugs
      manufactured by different pharmaceutical plants in Polish were taken into study.
      The microbiological quality of drugs was assessed in accordance with the criteria
      included in the European Pharmacopoeia (EP). An analysis of test results
      demonstrated that the percentage of non-compliant samples was 1.87%. The groups
      of drugs, which the most often did not satisfy EPs' requirements, were drugs
      containing raw materials of natural origin (5.7%). The samples of studied drugs
      that did not meet the criteria contained in EP, exceed the maximum allowable
      microbiological count limits and contained microbes whose presence is prohibited.
      The most common non-compliance was the excessive levels of the maximum acceptable
      fungal count (n = 12) and the excessive the maximum acceptable aerobic microbial
      count (n = 10). 

PMID- 26106279
TI  - Formulation and characterization of 5-Fluorouracil enteric coated nanoparticles
      for sustained and localized release in treating colorectal cancer.
AB  - 5-Fluorouracil is used in the treatment of colorectal cancer along with
      oxaliplatin as first line treatment, but it is having lack of site specificity
      and poor therapeutic effect. Also toxic effects to healthy cells and
      unavailability of major proportion of drug at the colon region remain as
      limitations. Toxic effects prevention and drug localization at colon area was
      achieved by preparing enteric-coated chitosan polymeric nanoparticles as it can
      be delivered directly to large bowel. Enteric coating helps in preventing the
      drug degradation at gastric pH. So the main objective was to prepare chitosan
      polymeric nanoparticles by solvent evaporation emulsification method by using
      different ratios of polymer (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4). Optimized polymer ratio was
      characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction
      (XRD), entrapment efficiency and particle size and further subjected to enteric
      coating. In vitro drug release studies were done using dialysis bag technique
      using simulated fluids at various pH (1.2, 4.5, 7.5, 7.0) to mimic the GIT tract.
      5-FU nanoparticles with drug: polymer ratio of 1:2 and 1:3 has shown better
      particle size (149 +/- 1.28 nm and 138 +/- 1.01 nm respectively), entrapment
      efficiency (48.12 +/- 0.08% and 69.18 +/- 1.89 respectively). 5-FU E1 has shown
      better drug release after 4 h and has shown 82% drug release till 24 h in a
      sustained manner comparable to the non-enteric coated tablets, which released
      more than 50% of the drug before entering the colon region. So we can conclude
      that nanoparticles prepared by this method using the same polymer with the
      optimized ratio can represent as potential drug delivery approach for effective
      delivery of the active pharmaceutical ingredient to the colorectal tumors. 

PMID- 26106280
TI  - Effect of HPMC and mannitol on drug release and bioadhesion behavior of buccal
      discs of buspirone hydrochloride: In-vitro and in-vivo pharmacokinetic studies.
AB  - Delivery of orally compromised therapeutic drug molecules to the systemic
      circulation via buccal route has gained a significant interest in recent past.
      Bioadhesive polymers play a major role in designing such buccal dosage forms, as
      they help in adhesion of designed delivery system to mucosal membrane and also
      prolong release of drug from delivery system. In the present study, HPMC (release
      retarding polymer) and mannitol (diluent and pore former) were used to prepare
      bioadhesive and controlled release buccal discs of buspirone hydrochloride (BS)
      by direct compression method. Compatibility of BS with various excipients used
      during the study was assessed using DSC and FTIR techniques. Effect of mannitol
      and HPMC on drug release and bioadhesive strength was studied using a 3(2)
      factorial design. The drug release rate from delivery system decreased with
      increasing levels of HPMC in formulations. However, bioadhesive strength of
      formulations increased with increasing proportion of HPMC in buccal discs.
      Increased levels of mannitol resulted in faster rate of drug release and rapid in
      vitro uptake of water due to the formation of channels in the matrix.
      Pharmacokinetic studies of designed bioadhesive buccal discs in rabbits
      demonstrated a 10-fold increase in bioavailability in comparison with oral
      bioavailability of buspirone reported. 

PMID- 26106281
TI  - Vancomycin therapy in critically ill patients on continuous renal replacement
      therapy; are we doing enough?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recommendations regarding vancomycin dosing and monitoring in
      critically ill patients on continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) are
      limited. This is a retrospective study to assess the adequacy of current
      vancomycin dosing and monitoring practice for patients on CRRT in a tertiary
      hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of adult
      patients admitted between 1 April 2011 and 30 March 2013 to critical care and
      received intravenous vancomycin therapy whilst on CRRT was performed. RESULTS: A
      total of 68 patients received intravenous vancomycin therapy whilst on CRRT, of
      which 32 met the inclusion criteria. Fifty-one percent were males and median
      (range) age was 62.5 (19 - 90) years. Median APACHE II score was 33.5 (22-43) and
      median Charlson Comorbidity Score was 4 (0-8). The mean (+/- standard deviation)
      dose of vancomycin was 879.9 mg (+/- 281.2 mg) for an average duration of 5.9
      days (+/- 3.7 days). All patients received continuous veno-venous haemofiltration
      (CVVH). A total of 55 vancomycin level readings were available from the study
      population, ranging from 6.6 to 41.3, with wide variations within the same
      sampling time frames. Vancomycin levels of > 15 mg/L or were achieved at least
      once in 24 patients (75.0%), but only 11 patients (34.3%) had 2 or more serum
      vancomycin level readings of 15 mg/L or more. CONCLUSION: Therapeutic vancomycin
      levels are difficult to maintain in critically ill patients who are receiving IV
      vancomycin therapy whilst on CRRT. Aggressive dosing schedules and frequent
      monitoring are required to ensure adequate vancomycin therapy in this setting.

PMID- 26106282
TI  - Shorter and sturdier bridges between traditional Chinese medicines and modern
      pharmacology.

PMID- 26106283
TI  - MicroRNA-24 inhibits growth, induces apoptosis, and reverses radioresistance in
      laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by targeting X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis
      protein.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence indicates that dysregulation of microRNAs is
      involved in tumor progression and development. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the expression of microRNA-24 (miR-24) and its function in laryngeal
      squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). METHODS: Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) was used
      to detect miR-24 expression in LSCC cell lines and tissue samples. MTT, colony
      formation, and flow cytometry was performed to analyze the effects of miR-24
      expression on growth, apoptosis, and radiosensitivity of LSCC cells. Dual
      luciferase reporter assays were performed to examine regulation of putative miR
      24 targets. Expression of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) mRNA and
      protein, cleaved or total caspase-3, and cleaved or total PARP protein were
      detected by qRT-PCR and western blotting assays, respectively. RESULTS: miR-24
      expression levels in LSCC cell lines or tissue were significantly lower than in a
      normal human keratinocyte cell line or adjacent normal tissues. Functional
      analyses indicated that re-expression of miR-24 inhibits growth, reduces colony
      formation, and enhances apoptosis in LSCC cells. In addition, miR-24 upregulation
      increases LSCC sensitivity to irradiation by enhancing irradiation-induced
      apoptosis, and luciferase activity indicated that miR-24 binds to the 3'
      untranslated region (3'-UTR) of XIAP mRNA. Upregulation of miR-24 inhibits XIAP
      protein expression in LSCC cells, and silencing of XIAP mimics the effects of miR
      24 upregulation on LSCC cells. In addition, XIAP mRNA expression significantly
      increases in LSCC tissues and is inversely correlated with miR-24 expression.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that miR-24 inhibits growth, increases apoptosis,
      and enhances radiosensitivity in LSCC cells by targeting XIAP. Therefore, miR-24
      may be a potential molecular target for the treatment of human LSCC.

PMID- 26106284
TI  - Biologic versus Synthetic Mesh Reinforcement: What are the Pros and Cons?
AB  - Preserving patients' native tissues has posed many challenges for surgeons.
      Increased life expectancy is leading to a proportionately older surgical
      population with weaker tissues. The growing population of morbidly obese patients
      in addition to those with multiple comorbidities which influence the native
      strength and perfusion of tissues compounds the surgeon's challenge. Certainly,
      there is a rising demand for materials to replace or augment a patient's native
      tissue when it has been compromised. Over time, the number of products available
      has increased substantially. The ideal substitute, however, is debatable. The
      manufacturing and processing of these materials has become more complex and this
      has resulted in a significant increase in cost. The composition of the mesh,
      clinical scenario, and operative technique all interact to impact the long-term
      results. Surgeons require a thorough understanding of these products to guide
      proper selection and use, to ensure optimal outcomes for patients, and to
      properly steward financial resources. This review will outline the properties of
      commonly used materials, highlighting the strength and weakness of each. It will
      then discuss recommendations regarding mesh selection, coding, and reimbursement.
      While general principles and trends can be highlighted, further studies of
      biologic versus synthetic meshes are clearly necessary. 

PMID- 26106285
TI  - Synthesis and Characterization of Bioactive Acylpyrazolone Sulfanilamides and
      Their Transition Metal Complexes: Single Crystal Structure of 4-Benzoyl-3-methyl
      1-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one Sulfanilamide.
AB  - Two Schiff base ligands Ampp-Sn 1 and Bmpp-Sn 2, afforded by a condensation
      reaction between sulfanilamide and the respective acylpyrazolone carbonyl
      precursors, their Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) complexes prepared by the
      reaction of ligands and corresponding metal salts in aqueous solutions, were
      synthesized and then characterized by both analytical and spectroscopic methods,
      in a view to developing new improved bioactive materials with novel properties.
      On the basis of elemental analysis, spectroscopic and TGA results, transition
      metal complexes, with octahedral geometry having two molecules of the bidentate
      keto-imine ligand each, have been proposed. The single crystal structure of Bmpp
      Sn according to X-ray crystallography showed a keto-imine tautomer type of Schiff
      base, having three intramolecular bonds, one short N2?H2?O3 hydrogen bond of 1.90
      A and two long C13?H13?O2 and C32?H32?O3 hydrogen bonds of 2.48 A. A moderate to
      low biological activities have been exhibited by synthesized compounds when
      compared with standard antimicrobial agents on screening the synthesized
      compounds against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus pumilus, Proteus vulgaris, and
      Aeromonas hydrophila for antibacterial activity and against free radical 1, 1
      diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) for antioxidant activity. 

PMID- 26106286
TI  - Regulation of hypothalamic neuropeptides gene expression in diet induced obesity
      resistant rats: possible targets for obesity prediction?
AB  - Several factors play a role in obesity (i.e., behavior, environment, and
      genetics) and epigenetic regulation of gene expression has emerged as a potential
      contributor in the susceptibility and development of obesity. To investigate the
      individual sensitivity to weight gain/resistance, we here studied gene
      transcription regulation of several hypothalamic neuropeptides involved in the
      control of energy balance in rats developing obesity (diet-induced obesity, DIO)
      or not (diet resistant, DR), when fed with a high fat diet. Rats have been
      followed up to 21 weeks of high fat diet exposure. After 5 weeks high fat diet
      exposure, the obese phenotype was developed and we observed a selective down
      regulation of the orexigenic neuropeptide Y (NPY) and peroxisome proliferator
      activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma) genes. No changes were observed in the
      expression of the agouti-related protein (AgRP), as well as for all the
      anorexigenic genes under study. After long-term high fat diet exposure (21
      weeks), NPY and PPAR-gamma, as well as most of the genes under study, resulted
      not be different between DIO and DR, whereas a lower expression of the
      anorexigenic pro-opio-melanocortin (POMC) gene was observed in DIO rats when
      compared to DR rats. Moreover we observed that changes in NPY and POMC mRNA were
      inversely correlated with gene promoters DNA methylation. Our findings suggest
      that selective alterations in hypothalamic peptide genes regulation could
      contribute to the development of overweight in rats and that environmental
      factor, as in this animal model, might be partially responsible of these changes
      via epigenetic mechanism. 

PMID- 26106287
TI  - Current conceptual challenges in the study of rhythm processing deficits.
AB  - Interest in the study of rhythm processing deficits (RPD) is currently growing in
      the cognitive neuroscience community, as this type of investigation constitutes a
      powerful tool for the understanding of normal rhythm processing. Because this
      field is in its infancy, it still lacks a common conceptual vocabulary to
      facilitate effective communication between different researchers and research
      groups. In this commentary, we provide a brief review of recent reports of RPD
      through the lens of one important empirical issue: the method by which beat
      perception is measured, and the consequences of method selection for the
      researcher's ability to specify which mechanisms are impaired in RPD. This
      critical reading advocates for the importance of matching measurement tools to
      the putative neurocognitive mechanisms under study, and reveals the need for
      effective and specific assessments of the different aspects of rhythm perception
      and synchronization. 

PMID- 26106288
TI  - Breaking the millisecond barrier on SpiNNaker: implementing asynchronous event
      based plastic models with microsecond resolution.
AB  - Spike-based neuromorphic sensors such as retinas and cochleas, change the way in
      which the world is sampled. Instead of producing data sampled at a constant rate,
      these sensors output spikes that are asynchronous and event driven. The event
      based nature of neuromorphic sensors implies a complete paradigm shift in current
      perception algorithms toward those that emphasize the importance of precise
      timing. The spikes produced by these sensors usually have a time resolution in
      the order of microseconds. This high temporal resolution is a crucial factor in
      learning tasks. It is also widely used in the field of biological neural
      networks. Sound localization for instance relies on detecting time lags between
      the two ears which, in the barn owl, reaches a temporal resolution of 5 MUs.
      Current available neuromorphic computation platforms such as SpiNNaker often
      limit their users to a time resolution in the order of milliseconds that is not
      compatible with the asynchronous outputs of neuromorphic sensors. To overcome
      these limitations and allow for the exploration of new types of neuromorphic
      computing architectures, we introduce a novel software framework on the SpiNNaker
      platform. This framework allows for simulations of spiking networks and
      plasticity mechanisms using a completely asynchronous and event-based scheme
      running with a microsecond time resolution. Results on two example networks using
      this new implementation are presented. 

PMID- 26106289
TI  - Reporter cell lines to evaluate the selectivity of chemicals for human and
      zebrafish estrogen and peroxysome proliferator activated gamma receptors.
AB  - Zebrafish is increasingly used as an animal model to study the effects of
      environmental nuclear receptors (NRs) ligands. As most of these compounds have
      only been tested on human NRs, it is necessary to measure their effects on
      zebrafish NRs. Estrogen receptors (ER) alpha and beta and peroxysome proliferator
      activated receptor (PPAR) gamma are main targets of environmental disrupting
      compounds (EDCs). In humans there are two distinct nuclear ERs (hERalpha and
      hERbeta), whereas the zebrafish genome encodes three ERs, zfERalpha, zfERbeta1,
      and zfERbeta2. Only one isoform of PPARgamma is expressed in both humans and
      zebrafish. In this review, we described reporter cell lines that we established
      to study the interaction of EDCs with human and zebrafish ERs and PPARgamma.
      Using these cell lines, we observed that zfERs are thermo-sensitive while
      zfPPARgamma is not. We also showed significant differences in the ability of
      environmental and synthetic ligands to modulate activation of zfERs and
      zfPPARgamma in comparison to hERs and hPPARgamma. Some environmental estrogens
      (bisphenol A, mycoestrogens) which are hER panagonists displayed greater potency
      for zfERalpha as compared to zfERbetas. hERbeta selective agonists (8betaVE2,
      DPN, phytoestrogens) also displayed zfERalpha selectivity. Among hERalpha
      selective synthetic agonists, 16alpha-LE2 was the most zfERalpha selective
      compound. Almost all zfPPARgamma environmental ligands (halogenated bisphenol A
      derivatives, phthalates, perfluorinated compounds) displayed similar affinity for
      human and zebrafish PPARgamma while pharmaceutical hPPARgamma agonists like
      thiazolidones are not recognized by zfPPARgamma. Altogether, our studies show
      that all hERs and hPPARgamma ligands do not control in a similar manner the
      transcriptional activity of zfERs and zfPPARgamma and point out that care has to
      be taken in transposing the results obtained using the zebrafish as a model for
      human physiopathology. 

PMID- 26106290
TI  - Therapeutic potential of mGluR5 targeting in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Decades of research dedicated toward Alzheimer's disease (AD) has culminated in
      much of the current understanding of the neurodegeneration associated with
      disease. However, delineating the pathophysiology and finding a possible cure for
      the disease is still wanting. This is in part due to the lack of knowledge
      pertaining to the connecting link between neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory
      pathways. Consequently, the inefficacy and ill-effects of the drugs currently
      available for AD encourage the need for alternative and safe therapeutic
      intervention. In this review we highlight the potential of mGluR5, a metabotropic
      glutamatergic receptor, in understanding the mechanism underlying the neuronal
      death and neuroinflammation in AD. We also discuss the role of mGlu5 receptor in
      mediating the neuron-glia interaction in the disease. Finally, we discuss the
      potential of mGluR5 as target for treating AD. 

PMID- 26106291
TI  - Divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) in the brain: implications for a role in iron
      transport at the blood-brain barrier, and neuronal and glial pathology.
AB  - Iron is required in a variety of essential processes in the body. In this review,
      we focus on iron transport in the brain and the role of the divalent metal
      transporter 1 (DMT1) vital for iron uptake in most cells. DMT1 locates to
      cellular membranes and endosomal membranes, where it is a key player in non
      transferrin bound iron uptake and transferrin-bound iron uptake, respectively.
      Four isoforms of DMT1 exist, and their respective characteristics involve a
      complex cell-specific regulatory machinery all controlling iron transport across
      these membranes. This complexity reflects the fine balance required in iron
      homeostasis, as this metal is indispensable in many cell functions but highly
      toxic when appearing in excess. DMT1 expression in the brain is prominent in
      neurons. Of serious dispute is the expression of DMT1 in non-neuronal cells.
      Recent studies imply that DMT1 does exist in endosomes of brain capillary
      endothelial cells denoting the blood-brain barrier. This supports existing
      evidence that iron uptake at the BBB occurs by means of transferrin-receptor
      mediated endocytosis followed by detachment of iron from transferrin inside the
      acidic compartment of the endosome and DMT1-mediated pumping iron into the
      cytosol. The subsequent iron transport across the abluminal membrane into the
      brain likely occurs by ferroportin. The virtual absent expression of transferrin
      receptors and DMT1 in glial cells, i.e., astrocytes, microglia and
      oligodendrocytes, suggest that the steady state uptake of iron in glia is much
      lower than in neurons and/or other mechanisms for iron uptake in these cell types
      prevail. 

PMID- 26106292
TI  - Wide-field Ca(2+) imaging reveals visually evoked activity in the retrosplenial
      area.
AB  - Due to recent advances of genetic manipulation, mouse brain has become a useful
      model for studying brain function, which demands whole brain functional mapping
      techniques in the mouse brain. In the present study, to finely map visual
      responsive areas in the mouse brain, we combined high-resolution wide-field
      optical imaging with transgenic mice containing the genetically encoded Ca(2+)
      indicator, GCaMP3. With the high signal amplitude of GCaMP3 expressing in
      excitatory neurons, this system allowed neural activity to be observed with
      relatively fine spatial resolution and cell-type specificity. To evaluate this
      system, we examined whether non-visual areas exhibited a visual response over the
      entire surface of the mouse hemisphere. We found that two association areas, the
      retrosplenial area (RS) and secondary motor/anterior cingulate area (M2/AC), were
      significantly responsive to drifting gratings. Examination using gratings with
      distinct spatiotemporal frequency parameters revealed that the RS strongly
      responded to high-spatial and low-temporal frequency gratings. The M2/AC
      exhibited a response property similar to that of the RS, though it was not
      statistically significant. Finally, we performed cellular imaging using two
      photon microscopy to examine orientation and direction selectivity of individual
      neurons, and found that a minority of neurons in the RS clearly showed visual
      responses sharply selective for orientation and direction. These results suggest
      that neurons in RS encode visual information of fine spatial details in images.
      Thus, the present study shows the usefulness of the functional mapping method
      using a combination of wide-field and two-photon Ca(2+) imaging, which allows for
      whole brain mapping with high spatiotemporal resolution and cell-type
      specificity. 

PMID- 26106293
TI  - Age-dependent increase of brain copper levels and expressions of copper
      regulatory proteins in the subventricular zone and choroid plexus.
AB  - Our recent data suggest a high accumulation of copper (Cu) in the subventricular
      zone (SVZ) along the wall of brain ventricles. Anatomically, SVZ is in direct
      contact with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is secreted by a neighboring tissue
      choroid plexus (CP). Changes in Cu regulatory gene expressions in the SVZ and CP
      as the function of aging may determine Cu levels in the CSF and SVZ. This study
      was designed to investigate the associations between age, Cu levels, and Cu
      regulatory genes in SVZ and plexus. The SVZ and CP were dissected from brains of
      3-week, 10-week, or 9-month old male rats. Analyses by atomic absorption
      spectroscopy revealed that the SVZ of adult and old animals contained the highest
      Cu level compared with other tested brain regions. Significantly positive
      correlations between age and Cu levels in SVZ and plexus were observed; the SVZ
      Cu level of old animals was 7.5- and 5.8-fold higher than those of young and
      adult rats (p < 0.01), respectively. Quantitation by qPCR of the transcriptional
      expressions of Cu regulatory proteins showed that the SVZ expressed the highest
      level of Cu storage protein metallothioneins (MTs), while the CP expressed the
      high level of Cu transporter protein Ctr1. Noticeably, Cu levels in the SVZ were
      positively associated with type B slow proliferating cell marker Gfap (p < 0.05),
      but inversely associated with type A proliferating neuroblast marker Dcx (p <
      0.05) and type C transit amplifying progenitor marker Nestin (p < 0.01). Dmt1 had
      significant positive correlations with age and Cu levels in the plexus (p <
      0.01). These findings suggest that Cu levels in all tested brain regions are
      increased as the function of age. The SVZ shows a different expression pattern of
      Cu-regulatory genes from the CP. The age-related increase of MTs and decrease of
      Ctr1 may contribute to the high Cu level in this neurogenesis active brain
      region. 

PMID- 26106295
TI  - Nitric oxide releases Cl(-) from acidic organelles in retinal amacrine cells.
AB  - Determining the factors regulating cytosolic Cl(-) in neurons is fundamental to
      our understanding of the function of GABA- and glycinergic synapses. This is
      because the Cl(-) distribution across the postsynaptic plasma membrane determines
      the sign and strength of postsynaptic voltage responses. We have previously
      demonstrated that nitric oxide (NO) releases Cl(-) into the cytosol from an
      internal compartment in both retinal amacrine cells and hippocampal neurons.
      Furthermore, we have shown that the increase in cytosolic Cl(-) is dependent upon
      a decrease in cytosolic pH. Here, our goals were to confirm the compartmental
      nature of the internal Cl(-) store and to test the hypothesis that Cl(-) is being
      released from acidic organelles (AO) such as the Golgi, endosomes or lysosomes.
      To achieve this, we made whole cell voltage clamp recordings from cultured chick
      retinal amacrine cells and used GABA-gated currents to track changes in cytosolic
      Cl(-). Our results demonstrate that intact internal proton gradients are required
      for the NO-dependent release of internal Cl(-). Furthermore, we demonstrate that
      increasing the pH of AO leads to release of Cl(-) into the cytosol. Intriguingly,
      the elevation of organellar pH results in a reversal in the effects of NO. These
      results demonstrate that cytosolic Cl(-) is closely linked to the regulation and
      maintenance of organellar pH and provide evidence that acidic compartments are
      the target of NO. 

PMID- 26106294
TI  - Reactive oxygen species trigger motoneuron death in non-cell-autonomous models of
      ALS through activation of c-Abl signaling.
AB  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in which
      pathogenesis and death of motor neurons are triggered by non-cell-autonomous
      mechanisms. We showed earlier that exposing primary rat spinal cord cultures to
      conditioned media derived from primary mouse astrocyte conditioned media (ACM)
      that express human SOD1(G93A) (ACM-hSOD1(G93A)) quickly enhances Nav channel
      mediated excitability and calcium influx, generates intracellular reactive oxygen
      species (ROS), and leads to death of motoneurons within days. Here we examined
      the role of mitochondrial structure and physiology and of the activation of c
      Abl, a tyrosine kinase that induces apoptosis. We show that ACM-hSOD1(G93A), but
      not ACM-hSOD1(WT), increases c-Abl activity in motoneurons, interneurons and
      glial cells, starting at 60 min; the c-Abl inhibitor STI571 (imatinib) prevents
      this ACM-hSOD1(G93A)-mediated motoneuron death. Interestingly, similar results
      were obtained with ACM derived from astrocytes expressing SOD1(G86R) or
      TDP43(A315T). We further find that co-application of ACM-SOD1(G93A) with blockers
      of Nav channels (spermidine, mexiletine, or riluzole) or anti-oxidants (Trolox,
      esculetin, or tiron) effectively prevent c-Abl activation and motoneuron death.
      In addition, ACM-SOD1(G93A) induces alterations in the morphology of neuronal
      mitochondria that are related with their membrane depolarization. Finally, we
      find that blocking the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore
      with cyclosporine A, or inhibiting mitochondrial calcium uptake with Ru360,
      reduces ROS production and c-Abl activation. Together, our data point to a
      sequence of events in which a toxic factor(s) released by ALS-expressing
      astrocytes rapidly induces hyper-excitability, which in turn increases calcium
      influx and affects mitochondrial structure and physiology. ROS production,
      mediated at least in part through mitochondrial alterations, trigger c-Abl
      signaling and lead to motoneuron death. 

PMID- 26106296
TI  - Facial stimulation induces long-term depression at cerebellar molecular layer
      interneuron-Purkinje cell synapses in vivo in mice.
AB  - Cerebellar long-term synaptic plasticity has been proposed to provide a cellular
      mechanism for motor learning. Numerous studies have demonstrated the induction
      and mechanisms of synaptic plasticity at parallel fiber-Purkinje cell (PF-PC),
      parallel fiber-molecular layer interneurons (PF-MLI) and mossy fiber-granule cell
      (MF-GC) synapses, but no study has investigated sensory stimulation-evoked
      synaptic plasticity at MLI-PC synapses in the cerebellar cortex of living
      animals. We studied the expression and mechanism of MLI-PC GABAergic synaptic
      plasticity induced by a train of facial stimulation in urethane-anesthetized mice
      by cell-attached recordings and pharmacological methods. We found that 1 Hz, but
      not a 2 Hz or 4 Hz, facial stimulation induced a long-term depression (LTD) of
      GABAergic transmission at MLI-PC synapses, which was accompanied with a decrease
      in the stimulation-evoked pause of spike firing in PCs, but did not induce a
      significant change in the properties of the sensory-evoked spike events of MLIs.
      The MLI-PC GABAergic LTD could be prevented by blocking cannabinoid type 1 (CB1)
      receptors, and could be pharmacologically induced by a CB1 receptor agonist.
      Additionally, 1 Hz facial stimulation delivered in the presence of a metabotropic
      glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) antagonist, JNJ16259685, still induced the MLI-PC
      GABAergic LTD, whereas blocking N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors during 1 Hz
      facial stimulation abolished the expression of MLI-PC GABAergic LTD. These
      results indicate that sensory stimulation can induce an endocannabinoid (eCB)
      dependent LTD of GABAergic transmission at MLI-PC synapses via activation of NMDA
      receptors in cerebellar cortical Crus II in vivo in mice. Our results suggest
      that the sensory stimulation-evoked MLI-PC GABAergic synaptic plasticity may play
      a critical role in motor learning in animals. 

PMID- 26106297
TI  - Emerging roles of Axin in cerebral cortical development.
AB  - Proper functioning of the cerebral cortex depends on the appropriate production
      and positioning of neurons, establishment of axon-dendrite polarity, and
      formation of proper neuronal connectivity. Deficits in any of these processes
      greatly impair neural functions and are associated with various human
      neurodevelopmental disorders including microcephaly, cortical heterotopias, and
      autism. The application of in vivo manipulation techniques such as in utero
      electroporation has resulted in significant advances in our understanding of the
      cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie neural development in vivo. Axin
      is a scaffold protein that regulates neuronal differentiation and morphogenesis
      in vitro. Recent studies provide novel insights into the emerging roles of Axin
      in gene expression and cytoskeletal regulation during neurogenesis, neuronal
      polarization, and axon formation. This review summarizes current knowledge on
      Axin as a key molecular controller of cerebral cortical development. 

PMID- 26106298
TI  - Network-timing-dependent plasticity.
AB  - Bursts of activity in networks of neurons are thought to convey salient
      information and drive synaptic plasticity. Here we report that network bursts
      also exert a profound effect on Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP). In
      acute slices of juvenile rat somatosensory cortex we paired a network burst,
      which alone induced long-term depression (LTD), with STDP-induced long-term
      potentiation (LTP) and LTD. We observed that STDP-induced LTP was either
      unaffected, blocked or flipped into LTD by the network burst, and that STDP
      induced LTD was either saturated or flipped into LTP, depending on the relative
      timing of the network burst with respect to spike coincidences of the STDP event.
      We hypothesized that network bursts flip STDP-induced LTP to LTD by depleting
      resources needed for LTP and therefore developed a resource-dependent STDP
      learning rule. In a model neural network under the influence of the proposed
      resource-dependent STDP rule, we found that excitatory synaptic coupling was
      homeostatically regulated to produce power law distributed burst amplitudes
      reflecting self-organized criticality, a state that ensures optimal information
      coding. 

PMID- 26106299
TI  - Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus preferentially alters the
      translational profile of striatopallidal neurons in an animal model of
      Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Deep brain stimulation targeting the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is an
      effective surgical treatment for the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD),
      the precise neuronal mechanisms of which both at molecular and network levels
      remain a topic of debate. Here we employ two transgenic mouse lines, combining
      translating ribosomal affinity purification (TRAP) with bacterial artificial
      chromosome expression (Bac), to selectively identify changes in translational
      gene expression in either Drd1a-expressing striatonigral or Drd2-expressing
      striatopallidal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the striatum following STN-DBS. 6
      hydroxydopamine lesioned mice received either 5 days stimulation via a DBS
      electrode implanted in the ipsilateral STN or 5 days sham treatment (no
      stimulation). Striatal polyribosomal RNA was selectively purified from either
      Drd2 or Drd1a MSNs using the TRAP method and gene expression profiling performed.
      We identified eight significantly altered genes in Drd2 MSNs (Vps33b, Ppp1r3c,
      Mapk4, Sorcs2, Neto1, Abca1, Penk1, and Gapdh) and two overlapping genes in Drd1a
      MSNs (Penk1 and Ppp1r3c) implicated in the molecular mechanisms of STN-DBS. A
      detailed functional analysis, using a further 728 probes implicated in STN-DBS,
      suggested an increased ability to receive excitation (mediated by increased
      dendritic spines, increased calcium influx and enhanced excitatory post synaptic
      potentials) accompanied by processes that would hamper the initiation of action
      potentials, transport of neurotransmitters from soma to axon terminals and
      vesicular release in Drd2-expressing MSNs. Finally, changes in expression of
      several genes involved in apoptosis as well as cholesterol and fatty acid
      metabolism were also identified. This increased understanding of the molecular
      mechanisms induced by STN-DBS may reveal novel targets for future non-surgical
      therapies for PD. 

PMID- 26106300
TI  - Response: "Commentary: Comparison of spike parameters from optically identified
      GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons in sparse cortical cultures".

PMID- 26106301
TI  - Functional response properties of VIP-expressing inhibitory neurons in mouse
      visual and auditory cortex.
AB  - Despite accounting for about 20% of all the layer 2/3 inhibitory interneurons,
      the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) expressing neurons remain the least
      thoroughly studied of the major inhibitory subtypes. In recent studies, VIP
      neurons have been shown to be activated by a variety of cortico-cortical and
      neuromodulatory inputs, but their basic sensory response properties remain poorly
      characterized. We set out to explore the functional properties of layer 2/3 VIP
      neurons in the primary visual (V1) and primary auditory cortex (A1), using two
      photon imaging guided patch recordings. We found that in the V1, VIP neurons were
      generally broadly tuned, with their sensory response properties resembling those
      of parvalbumin (PV) expressing neurons. With the exception of response latency,
      they did not exhibit a significant difference from PV neurons across any of the
      properties tested, including overlap index, response modulation, orientation
      selectivity, and direction selectivity. In the A1, on the other hand, VIP neurons
      had a strong tendency to be intensity selective, which is a property associated
      with a subset of putative pyramidal cells and virtually absent in PV neurons. VIP
      neurons had a best intensity that was significantly lower than that of PV and
      putative pyramidal neurons. Finally, sensory evoked spike responses of VIP
      neurons were delayed relative to pyramidal and PV neurons in both the V1 and A1.
      Combined, these results demonstrate that the sensory response properties of VIP
      neurons do not fit a simple model of being either PV-like broadly tuned or
      pyramidal-like narrowly tuned. Instead, the selectivity pattern varies with
      sensory area and can even be, as in the case of low sound intensity
      responsiveness, distinct from both PV and pyramidal neurons. 

PMID- 26106302
TI  - Phenotype overlap in glial cell populations: astroglia, oligodendroglia and NG
      2(+) cells.
AB  - The extent to which NG-2(+) cells form a distinct population separate from
      astrocytes is central to understanding whether this important cell class is
      wholly an oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) or has additional functions akin
      to those classically ascribed to astrocytes. Early immuno-staining studies
      indicate that NG-2(+) cells do not express the astrocyte marker GFAP, but
      orthogonal reconstructions of double-labeled confocal image stacks here reveal a
      significant degree of co-expression in individual cells within post-natal day 10
      (P10) and adult rat optic nerve (RON) and rat cortex. Extensive scanning of
      various antibody/fixation/embedding approaches identified a protocol for
      selective post-embedded immuno-gold labeling. This first ultrastructural
      characterization of identified NG-2(+) cells revealed populations of both OPCs
      and astrocytes in P10 RON. NG-2(+) astrocytes had classic features including the
      presence of glial filaments but low levels of glial filament expression were also
      found in OPCs and myelinating oligodendrocytes. P0 RONs contained few OPCs but
      positively identified astrocytes were observed to ensheath pre-myelinated axons
      in a fashion previously described as a definitive marker of the oligodendrocyte
      lineage. Astrocyte ensheathment was also apparent in P10 RONs, was absent from
      developing nodes of Ranvier and was never associated with compact myelin.
      Astrocyte processes were also shown to encapsulate some oligodendrocyte somata.
      The data indicate that common criteria for delineating astrocytes and
      oligodendroglia are insufficiently robust and that astrocyte features ascribed to
      OPCs may arise from misidentification. 

PMID- 26106303
TI  - Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 expressing
      corneal sensory neurons can be subdivided into at least three subpopulations.
AB  - The cornea is innervated by three main functional classes of sensory neurons:
      polymodal nociceptors, pure mechano-nociceptors and cold-sensing neurons. Here we
      explored transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1)
      expression in guinea pig corneal sensory neurons, a widely used molecular marker
      of polymodal nociceptors. We used retrograde tracing to identify corneal afferent
      neurons in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) and double label in situ hybridization
      and/or immunohistochemistry to determine their molecular profile. In addition, we
      used immunohistochemistry to reveal the neurochemistry and structure of TRPV1
      expressing nerve endings in the corneal epithelium. Approximately 45% of corneal
      afferent neurons expressed TRPV1, 28% expressed Piezo2 (a marker of putative pure
      mechano-nociceptors) and 8% expressed the transient receptor potential cation
      channel subfamily M member 8 (TRPM8; a marker of cold-sensing neurons). There was
      no co-expression of TRPV1 and Piezo2 in corneal afferent neurons, but 6% of TRPV1
      neurons co-expressed TRPM8. The TRPV1 expressing corneal afferent neurons could
      be divided into three subpopulations on the basis of calcitonin gene-related
      peptide (CGRP) and/or or glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family
      receptor alpha3 (GFRalpha3) co-expression. In the corneal epithelium, the TRPV1
      axons that co-expressed CGRP and GFRalpha3 ended as simple unbranched endings in
      the wing cell layer. In contrast, those that only co-expressed GFRalpha3 had
      ramifying endings that branched and terminated in the squamous cell layer,
      whereas those that only co-expressed CGRP had simple endings in the basal
      epithelium. This study shows that the majority of TRPV1 expressing corneal
      afferent neurons (>90%) are likely to be polymodal nociceptors. Furthermore,
      TRPV1 expressing corneal afferent neurons can be subdivided into specific
      subpopulations based on their molecular phenotype, nerve terminal morphology and
      distribution in the corneal epithelium. 

PMID- 26106305
TI  - Response: New neurons from old beliefs in the adult piriform cortex? A Commentary
      on: "Occurrence of new neurons in the piriform cortex".

PMID- 26106304
TI  - Unraveling the multiscale structural organization and connectivity of the human
      brain: the role of diffusion MRI.
AB  - The structural architecture and the anatomical connectivity of the human brain
      show different organizational principles at distinct spatial scales. Histological
      staining and light microscopy techniques have been widely used in classical
      neuroanatomical studies to unravel brain organization. Using such techniques is a
      laborious task performed on 2-dimensional histological sections by skilled
      anatomists possibly aided by semi-automated algorithms. With the recent advent of
      modern magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast mechanisms, cortical layers and
      columns can now be reliably identified and their structural properties quantified
      post-mortem. These developments are allowing the investigation of neuroanatomical
      features of the brain at a spatial resolution that could be interfaced with that
      of histology. Diffusion MRI and tractography techniques, in particular, have been
      used to probe the architecture of both white and gray matter in three dimensions.
      Combined with mathematical network analysis, these techniques are increasingly
      influential in the investigation of the macro-, meso-, and microscopic
      organization of brain connectivity and anatomy, both in vivo and ex vivo.
      Diffusion MRI-based techniques in combination with histology approaches can
      therefore support the endeavor of creating multimodal atlases that take into
      account the different spatial scales or levels on which the brain is organized.
      The aim of this review is to illustrate and discuss the structural architecture
      and the anatomical connectivity of the human brain at different spatial scales
      and how recently developed diffusion MRI techniques can help investigate these. 

PMID- 26106306
TI  - 7-Tesla MRI demonstrates absence of structural lesions in patients with
      vestibular paroxysmia.
AB  - Vestibular parxoysmia (VP) is a rare vestibular disorder. A neurovascular cross
      compression (NVCC) between the vestibulochochlear nerve and an artery seems to be
      responsible for short attacks of vertigo in this entity. An NVCC can be seen in
      up to every fourth subject. The significance of these findings is not clear, as
      not all subjects suffer from symptoms. The aim of the present study was to assess
      possible structural lesions of the vestibulocochlear nerve by means of high field
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and whether high field MRI may help to
      differentiate symptomatic from asymptomatic subjects. 7 Tesla MRI was performed
      in six patients with VP and confirmed NVCC seen on 1.5 and 3.0 MRI. No structural
      abnormalities were detected in any of the patients in 7 Tesla MRI. These findings
      imply that high field MRI does not help to differentiate between symptomatic and
      asymptomatic NVCC and that the symptoms of VP are not caused by structural nerve
      lesions. This supports the hypothesis that the nystagmus associated with VP has
      to be conceived pathophysiologically as an excitatory vestibular phenomenon,
      being not related to vestibular hypofunction. 7 Tesla MRI outperforms
      conventional MRI in image resolution and may be useful in vestibular disorders. 

PMID- 26106307
TI  - Cortical signature of patients with HBV-related cirrhosis without overt hepatic
      encephalopathy: a morphometric analysis.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that patients with hepatitis B virus-related
      cirrhosis (HBV-RC) without overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) are associated with
      a varying degree of cognitive dysfunction. Several resting-state functional
      magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have been conducted to explore the
      neural correlates of such cognitive deficits, whereas little effort has been made
      to investigate the cortical integrity in cirrhotic patients without OHE. Here,
      using cortical thickness, surface area and local gyrification index (lGI), this
      study performed a comprehensive analysis on the cortical morphometry of patients
      with HBV-RC without OHE (HBV-RC-NOHE) vs. matched healthy controls. Compared with
      healthy controls, we found significantly increased cortical thickness in the
      bilateral lingual and parahippocampal gyrus, right posterior cingulate cortex,
      precuneus, peri-calcarine sulcus and fusiform gyrus in patient with HBV-RC-NOHE,
      which may closely relate to be the low-grade brain edema. Cortical gyrification
      analysis showed significantly increased lGI in the left superior and inferior
      parietal cortex as well as lateral occipital cortex, which was speculated to be
      associated with disruptions in white matter connectivity and sub-optimal intra
      cortical organization. In addition, the mean cortical thickness/lGI of the
      regions with structural abnormalities was shown to be negatively correlated with
      psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) of the patients with HBV-RC
      NOHE. These morphological changes may serve as potential markers for the
      preclinical diagnosis and progression of HBV-RC-NOHE. 

PMID- 26106308
TI  - Pre-adaptation to noisy Galvanic vestibular stimulation is associated with
      enhanced sensorimotor performance in novel vestibular environments.
AB  - Performance on a visuomotor task in the presence of novel vestibular stimulation
      was assessed in nine healthy subjects. Four subjects had previously been adapted
      to 120 min exposure to noisy Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) over 12 weekly
      sessions of 10 min; the remaining five subjects had never experienced GVS.
      Subjects were seated in a flight simulator and asked to null the roll motion of a
      visual bar presented on a screen using a joystick. Both the visual bar and the
      simulator cabin were moving in roll with a pseudorandom (sum of sines) waveform
      that were uncorrelated. The cross correlation coefficient, which ranges from 1
      (identical waveforms) to 0 (unrelated waveforms), was calculated for the ideal
      (perfect nulling of bar motion) and actual joystick input waveform for each
      subject. The cross correlation coefficient for the GVS-adapted group (0.90 [SD
      0.04]) was significantly higher (t[8] = 3.162; p = 0.013) than the control group
      (0.82 [SD 0.04]), suggesting that prior adaptation to GVS was associated with an
      enhanced ability to perform the visuomotor task in the presence of novel
      vestibular noise. 

PMID- 26106309
TI  - fMRI neurofeedback facilitates anxiety regulation in females with spider phobia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spider phobics show an exaggerated fear response when encountering
      spiders. This fear response is aggravated by negative and irrational beliefs
      about the feared object. Cognitive reappraisal can target these beliefs, and
      therefore has a fear regulating effect. The presented study investigated if
      neurofeedback derived from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) would
      facilitate anxiety regulation by cognitive reappraisal, using spider phobia as a
      model of anxiety disorders. Feedback was provided based on activation in left
      dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right insula, as indicators of engagement and
      regulation success, respectively. METHODS: Eighteen female spider phobics
      participated in a randomized, controlled, single-blinded study. All participants
      completed a training session in the MRI scanner. Participants assigned to the
      neurofeedback condition were instructed to shape their regulatory strategy based
      on the provided feedback. Participants assigned to the control condition were
      asked to adapt their strategy intuitively. RESULTS: Neurofeedback participants
      exhibited lower anxiety levels than the control group at the end of the training.
      In addition, only neurofeedback participants achieved down-regulation of insula
      activation levels by cognitive reappraisal. Group differences became more
      pronounced over time, supporting learning as a mechanism behind this effect.
      Importantly, within the neurofeedback group, achieved changes in insula
      activation levels during training predicted long-term anxiety reduction.
      CONCLUSIONS: The conducted study provides first evidence that fMRI neurofeedback
      has a facilitating effect on anxiety regulation in spider phobia.

PMID- 26106310
TI  - Dscam2 affects visual perception in Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Dscam2, a cell surface protein that mediates cellular repulsion, plays a crucial
      role in the development of the Drosophila melanogaster visual system. Dscam2
      generates boundaries between neighboring modules in the fly optic lobe; in Dscam2
      mutants this visual system modularity is compromised. Although developmental
      wiring defects have been well described in the Dscam2 mutant, behavioral
      consequences have not been investigated. To address this, we examined the visual
      behavior of Dscam2 mutant flies. Using a phototaxis assay, we ascertained that
      these flies are not blind, but have a reduced phototaxic response. Through
      population-based and single fly optomotor assays, we found that Dscam2 mutant
      flies can track motion but that their response is opposite to control flies under
      defined experimental conditions. In a fixation paradigm, which allows tethered
      flies to control the angular position of a visual stimulus, mutant flies'
      responses were diametrically opposed to those seen in control flies. These data
      suggest that modest changes in the modularity of the fly visual system in the
      Dscam2 mutant can dramatically change the perception of specific visual cues and
      modify behavior. 

PMID- 26106311
TI  - Threat affects risk preferences in movement decision making.
AB  - Emotional states such as sadness, anger, and threat have been shown to play a
      critical role in decision-making processes. Here we addressed the question of
      whether risk preferences are influenced by postural threat and whether this
      influence generalizes across motor tasks. We examined risk attitudes in the
      context of arm-reaching (ARM) and whole-body (WB) leaning movements, expecting
      that increased postural threat would lead to proportionally similar changes in
      risk-sensitivity for each motor task. Healthy young adults were shown a series of
      two-alternative forced-choice lotteries, where they were asked to choose between
      a riskier lottery and a safer lottery on each trial. Our lotteries consisted of
      different monetary rewards and target sizes. Subjects performed each choice task
      at ground level and atop an elevated platform. In the presence of this postural
      threat, increased physiological arousal was correlated with decreased movement
      variability. To determine risk-sensitivity, we quantified the frequency with
      which a subject chose the riskier lottery and fit lottery responses to a choice
      model based on cumulative prospect theory (CPT). Subjects exhibited idiosyncratic
      changes in risk-sensitivity between motor tasks and between elevations. However,
      we found that overweighting of small probabilities increased with postural threat
      in the WB task, indicating a more cautious, risk-averse strategy is ascribed to
      the possibility of a fall. Subjects were also more risk-seeking in the WB
      movements than in ARM at low elevation; this behavior does not seem to derive
      from consistent distortions in utility or probability representations but may be
      explained by subjects' inaccurate estimation of their own motor variability.
      Overall, our findings suggest that implicit threat can modify risk attitudes in
      the motor domain, and the threat may induce risk-aversion in salient movement
      tasks. 

PMID- 26106312
TI  - Artworks as dichotomous objects: implications for the scientific study of
      aesthetic experience.
AB  - This paper addresses an issue that has been studied from both scientific and art
      theoretical perspectives, namely the dichotomous nature of representational
      artworks. Representational artworks are dichotomous in that they present us with
      two distinct aspects at once. In one aspect we are aware of what is represented
      while in the other we are aware of the material from which the representation is
      composed. The dichotomy arises due the incompatibility, indeed contradiction,
      between these aspects of awareness, both of which must be present if we are to
      fully appreciate the artwork. Examples from art history are given to show how
      artists have exploited this dichotomy in a way that conditions our response to
      their work. I hypothesize that the degree of manifest dichotomy in a work
      determines the strength of its aesthetic effect, and propose this could be
      experimentally tested. I conclude that scientific studies of aesthetic experience
      should take the dichotomous nature of artworks into account. 

PMID- 26106313
TI  - Differences in gaze anticipation for locomotion with and without vision.
AB  - Previous experimental studies have shown a spontaneous anticipation of locomotor
      trajectory by the head and gaze direction during human locomotion. This
      anticipatory behavior could serve several functions: an optimal selection of
      visual information, for instance through landmarks and optic flow, as well as
      trajectory planning and motor control. This would imply that anticipation remains
      in darkness but with different characteristics. We asked 10 participants to walk
      along two predefined complex trajectories (limacon and figure eight) without any
      cue on the trajectory to follow. Two visual conditions were used: (i) in light
      and (ii) in complete darkness with eyes open. The whole body kinematics were
      recorded by motion capture, along with the participant's right eye movements. We
      showed that in darkness and in light, horizontal gaze anticipates the orientation
      of the head which itself anticipates the trajectory direction. However, the
      horizontal angular anticipation decreases by a half in darkness for both gaze and
      head. In both visual conditions we observed an eye nystagmus with similar
      properties (frequency and amplitude). The main difference comes from the fact
      that in light, there is a shift of the orientations of the eye nystagmus and the
      head in the direction of the trajectory. These results suggest that a fundamental
      function of gaze is to represent self motion, stabilize the perception of space
      during locomotion, and to simulate the future trajectory, regardless of the
      vision condition. 

PMID- 26106314
TI  - Changes in task-based effective connectivity in language networks following
      rehabilitation in post-stroke patients with aphasia.
AB  - In this study, we examined regions in the left and right hemisphere language
      network that were altered in terms of the underlying neural activation and
      effective connectivity subsequent to language rehabilitation. Eight persons with
      chronic post-stroke aphasia and eight normal controls participated in the current
      study. Patients received a 10 week semantic feature-based rehabilitation program
      to improve their skills. Therapy was provided on atypical examples of one trained
      category while two control categories were monitored; the categories were
      counterbalanced across patients. In each fMRI session, two experimental tasks
      were conducted: (a) picture naming and (b) semantic feature verification of
      trained and untrained categories. Analysis of treatment effect sizes revealed
      that all patients showed greater improvements on the trained category relative to
      untrained categories. Results from this study show remarkable patterns of
      consistency despite the inherent variability in lesion size and activation
      patterns across patients. Across patients, activation that emerged as a function
      of rehabilitation on the trained category included bilateral IFG, bilateral SFG,
      LMFG, and LPCG for picture naming; and bilateral IFG, bilateral MFG, LSFG, and
      bilateral MTG for semantic feature verification. Analysis of effective
      connectivity using Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM) indicated that LIFG was the
      consistently significantly modulated region after rehabilitation across
      participants. These results indicate that language networks in patients with
      aphasia resemble normal language control networks and that this similarity is
      accentuated by rehabilitation. 

PMID- 26106315
TI  - Accurately decoding visual information from fMRI data obtained in a realistic
      virtual environment.
AB  - Three-dimensional interactive virtual environments (VEs) are a powerful tool for
      brain-imaging based cognitive neuroscience that are presently under-utilized.
      This paper presents machine-learning based methods for identifying brain states
      induced by realistic VEs with improved accuracy as well as the capability for
      mapping their spatial topography on the neocortex. VEs provide the ability to
      study the brain under conditions closer to the environment in which humans
      evolved, and thus to probe deeper into the complexities of human cognition. As a
      test case, we designed a stimulus to reflect a military combat situation in the
      Middle East, motivated by the potential of using real-time functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI) in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Each
      subject experienced moving through the virtual town where they encountered 1-6
      animated combatants at different locations, while fMRI data was collected. To
      analyze the data from what is, compared to most studies, more complex and less
      controlled stimuli, we employed statistical machine learning in the form of Multi
      Voxel Pattern Analysis (MVPA) with special attention given to artificial Neural
      Networks (NN). Extensions to NN that exploit the block structure of the stimulus
      were developed to improve the accuracy of the classification, achieving
      performances from 58 to 93% (chance was 16.7%) with six subjects. This
      demonstrates that MVPA can decode a complex cognitive state, viewing a number of
      characters, in a dynamic virtual environment. To better understand the source of
      this information in the brain, a novel form of sensitivity analysis was developed
      to use NN to quantify the degree to which each voxel contributed to
      classification. Compared with maps produced by general linear models and the
      searchlight approach, these sensitivity maps revealed a more diverse pattern of
      information relevant to the classification of cognitive state. 

PMID- 26106316
TI  - Tai Chi Training may Reduce Dual Task Gait Variability, a Potential Mediator of
      Fall Risk, in Healthy Older Adults: Cross-Sectional and Randomized Trial Studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tai Chi (TC) exercise improves balance and reduces falls in older,
      health-impaired adults. TC's impact on dual task (DT) gait parameters predictive
      of falls, especially in healthy active older adults, however, is unknown.
      PURPOSE: To compare differences in usual and DT gait between long-term TC-expert
      practitioners and age-/gender-matched TC-naive adults, and to determine the
      effects of short-term TC training on gait in healthy, non-sedentary older adults.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study compared gait in healthy TC-naive and TC-expert
      (24.5 +/- 12 years experience) older adults. TC-naive adults then completed a 6
      month, two-arm, wait-list randomized clinical trial of TC training. Gait speed
      and stride time variability (Coefficient of Variation %) were assessed during 90
      s trials of undisturbed and cognitive DT (serial subtractions) conditions.
      RESULTS: During DT, gait speed decreased (p < 0.003) and stride time variability
      increased (p < 0.004) in all groups. Cross-sectional comparisons indicated that
      stride time variability was lower in the TC-expert vs. TC-naive group,
      significantly so during DT (2.11 vs. 2.55%; p = 0.027); by contrast, gait speed
      during both undisturbed and DT conditions did not differ between groups.
      Longitudinal analyses of TC-naive adults randomized to 6 months of TC training or
      usual care identified improvement in DT gait speed in both groups. A small
      improvement in DT stride time variability (effect size = 0.2) was estimated with
      TC training, but no significant differences between groups were observed.
      Potentially important improvements after TC training could not be excluded in
      this small study. CONCLUSION: In healthy active older adults, positive effects of
      short- and long-term TC were observed only under cognitively challenging DT
      conditions and only for stride time variability. DT stride time variability
      offers a potentially sensitive metric for monitoring TC's impact on fall risk
      with healthy older adults.

PMID- 26106317
TI  - Time-based prospective memory functioning in mild cognitive impairment associated
      with Parkinson's disease: relationship with autonomous management of daily living
      commitments.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Prospective memory (PM), that is, the ability to keep in memory and
      carry out intentions in the future, is reported to be impaired in individuals
      with Parkinson's disease (PD). PM failure may be also associated with reduced
      daily living functioning in these patients. Little is known, however, about the
      relationship between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and time-based PM
      functioning in PD patients and the possible impact of PM deficits on patients'
      autonomy in daily living. Here we aimed to investigate whether MCI associated
      with PD affects time-based PM. We also wished to determine whether PM impairment
      accounts for reduced autonomous management of medication in these patients.
      METHOD: The study included 48 PD patients with MCI, 33 PD patients without
      cognitive disorders (PDN) and 20 healthy controls. The time-based PM procedure
      required that subjects perform an action after a fixed time. The PM procedure was
      incorporated in the standard neuropsychological assessment. One score was
      computed for the ability to retrieve the intention (prospective component) and
      one for remembering the action to be executed (retrospective component). The Pill
      Questionnaire was administered to assess the ability to manage medication.
      RESULTS: PD patients with MCI performed less accurately in the PM procedure than
      HC and tended to perform poorer than PDN. Moreover, in PD patients with MCI,
      accuracy on the prospective component of the PM task and performance on the
      Modified Card Sorting Test significantly predicted the ability to manage
      medication. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS document that reduced efficiency of time-based
      PM processes in PD is specifically related to the presence of MCI. The same data
      indicate that PM weakness may be associated with impaired daily living
      functioning and decreased autonomy.

PMID- 26106318
TI  - Facing Challenges in Differential Classical Conditioning Research: Benefits of a
      Hybrid Design for Simultaneous Electrodermal and Electroencephalographic
      Recording.
AB  - Several challenges make it difficult to simultaneously investigate central and
      autonomous nervous system correlates of conditioned stimulus (CS) processing in
      classical conditioning paradigms. Such challenges include, for example, the
      discrepant requirements of electroencephalography (EEG) and electrodermal
      activity (EDA) recordings with regard to multiple repetitions of conditions and
      sufficient trial duration. Here, we propose a MultiCS conditioning set-up, in
      which we increased the number of CSs, decreased the number of learning trials,
      and used trials of short and long durations for meeting requirements of
      simultaneous EEG-EDA recording in a differential aversive conditioning task.
      Forty-eight participants underwent MultiCS conditioning, in which four neutral
      faces (CS+) were paired four times each with aversive electric stimulation
      (unconditioned stimulus) during acquisition, while four different neutral faces
      (CS-) remained unpaired. When comparing after relative to before learning
      measurements, EEG revealed an enhanced centro-posterior positivity to CS+ vs. CS-
      during 368-600 ms, and subjective ratings indicated CS+ to be less pleasant and
      more arousing than CS-. Furthermore, changes in CS valence and arousal were
      strong enough to bias subjective ratings when faces of CS+/CS- identity were
      displayed with different emotional expression (happy, angry) in a post
      experimental behavioral task. In contrast to a persistent neural and evaluative
      CS+/CS- differentiation that sustained multiple unreinforced CS presentations,
      electrodermal differentiation was rapidly extinguished. Current results suggest
      that MultiCS conditioning provides a promising paradigm for investigating pre
      post-learning changes under minimal influences of extinction and overlearning of
      simple stimulus features. Our data also revealed methodological pitfalls, such as
      the possibility of occurring artifacts when combining different acquisition
      systems for central and peripheral psychophysiological measures. 

PMID- 26106319
TI  - Commentary: Viewing photos and reading nouns of natural graspable objects
      similarly modulate motor responses.

PMID- 26106321
TI  - Boundaries and potentials of traditional and alternative neuroscience research
      methods in music therapy research.

PMID- 26106320
TI  - Retinotopic patterns of background connectivity between V1 and fronto-parietal
      cortex are modulated by task demands.
AB  - Attention facilitates the processing of task-relevant visual information and
      suppresses interference from task-irrelevant information. Modulations of neural
      activity in visual cortex depend on attention, and likely result from signals
      originating in fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular regions of cortex. Here, we
      tested the hypothesis that attentional facilitation of visual processing is
      accomplished in part by changes in how brain networks involved in attentional
      control interact with sectors of V1 that represent different retinal
      eccentricities. We measured the strength of background connectivity between
      fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular regions with different eccentricity sectors
      in V1 using functional MRI data that were collected while participants performed
      tasks involving attention to either a centrally presented visual stimulus or a
      simultaneously presented auditory stimulus. We found that when the visual
      stimulus was attended, background connectivity between V1 and the left frontal
      eye fields (FEF), left intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and right IPS varied strongly
      across different eccentricity sectors in V1 so that foveal sectors were more
      strongly connected than peripheral sectors. This retinotopic gradient was weaker
      when the visual stimulus was ignored, indicating that it was driven by
      attentional effects. Greater task-driven differences between foveal and
      peripheral sectors in background connectivity to these regions were associated
      with better performance on the visual task and faster response times on correct
      trials. These findings are consistent with the notion that attention drives the
      configuration of task-specific functional pathways that enable the prioritized
      processing of task-relevant visual information, and show that the prioritization
      of visual information by attentional processes may be encoded in the retinotopic
      gradient of connectivty between V1 and fronto-parietal regions. 

PMID- 26106322
TI  - On the distinguishability of HRF models in fMRI.
AB  - Modeling the Hemodynamic Response Function (HRF) is a critical step in fMRI
      studies of brain activity, and it is often desirable to estimate HRF parameters
      with physiological interpretability. A biophysically informed model of the HRF
      can be described by a non-linear time-invariant dynamic system. However, the
      identification of this dynamic system may leave much uncertainty on the exact
      values of the parameters. Moreover, the high noise levels in the data may hinder
      the model estimation task. In this context, the estimation of the HRF may be seen
      as a problem of model falsification or invalidation, where we are interested in
      distinguishing among a set of eligible models of dynamic systems. Here, we
      propose a systematic tool to determine the distinguishability among a set of
      physiologically plausible HRF models. The concept of absolutely input
      distinguishable systems is introduced and applied to a biophysically informed HRF
      model, by exploiting the structure of the underlying non-linear dynamic system. A
      strategy to model uncertainty in the input time-delay and magnitude is developed
      and its impact on the distinguishability of two physiologically plausible HRF
      models is assessed, in terms of the maximum noise amplitude above which it is not
      possible to guarantee the falsification of one model in relation to another.
      Finally, a methodology is proposed for the choice of the input sequence, or
      experimental paradigm, that maximizes the distinguishability of the HRF models
      under investigation. The proposed approach may be used to evaluate the
      performance of HRF model estimation techniques from fMRI data. 

PMID- 26106323
TI  - Self-organizing neural integration of pose-motion features for human action
      recognition.
AB  - The visual recognition of complex, articulated human movements is fundamental for
      a wide range of artificial systems oriented toward human-robot communication,
      action classification, and action-driven perception. These challenging tasks may
      generally involve the processing of a huge amount of visual information and
      learning-based mechanisms for generalizing a set of training actions and
      classifying new samples. To operate in natural environments, a crucial property
      is the efficient and robust recognition of actions, also under noisy conditions
      caused by, for instance, systematic sensor errors and temporarily occluded
      persons. Studies of the mammalian visual system and its outperforming ability to
      process biological motion information suggest separate neural pathways for the
      distinct processing of pose and motion features at multiple levels and the
      subsequent integration of these visual cues for action perception. We present a
      neurobiologically-motivated approach to achieve noise-tolerant action recognition
      in real time. Our model consists of self-organizing Growing When Required (GWR)
      networks that obtain progressively generalized representations of sensory inputs
      and learn inherent spatio-temporal dependencies. During the training, the GWR
      networks dynamically change their topological structure to better match the input
      space. We first extract pose and motion features from video sequences and then
      cluster actions in terms of prototypical pose-motion trajectories. Multi-cue
      trajectories from matching action frames are subsequently combined to provide
      action dynamics in the joint feature space. Reported experiments show that our
      approach outperforms previous results on a dataset of full-body actions captured
      with a depth sensor, and ranks among the best results for a public benchmark of
      domestic daily actions. 

PMID- 26106324
TI  - The Role of Information and Communication Technologies in Clinical Trials with
      Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders.

PMID- 26106325
TI  - Non-monotonic reorganization of brain networks with Alzheimer's disease
      progression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identification of stage-specific changes in brain network of patients
      with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is critical for rationally designed therapeutics
      that delays the progression of the disease. However, pathological neural
      processes and their resulting changes in brain network topology with disease
      progression are not clearly known. METHODS: The current study was designed to
      investigate the alterations in network topology of resting state fMRI among
      patients in three different clinical dementia rating (CDR) groups (i.e., CDR =
      0.5, 1, 2) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and age-matched healthy
      subject groups. We constructed density networks from these 5 groups and analyzed
      their network properties using graph theoretical measures. RESULTS: The
      topological properties of AD brain networks differed in a non-monotonic, stage
      specific manner. Interestingly, local and global efficiency and betweenness of
      the network were rather higher in the aMCI and AD (CDR 1) groups than those of
      prior stage groups. The number, location, and structure of rich-clubs changed
      dynamically as the disease progressed. CONCLUSIONS: The alterations in network
      topology of the brain are quite dynamic with AD progression, and these dynamic
      changes in network patterns should be considered meticulously for efficient
      therapeutic interventions of AD.

PMID- 26106327
TI  - Age-related hearing impairment and frailty in Alzheimer's disease: interconnected
      associations and mechanisms.

PMID- 26106326
TI  - Biomarkers of postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction.
AB  - Elderly surgical patients frequently experience postoperative delirium (POD) and
      the subsequent development of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD).
      Clinical features include deterioration in cognition, disturbance in attention
      and reduced awareness of the environment and result in higher morbidity,
      mortality and greater utilization of social financial assistance. The aging
      Western societies can expect an increase in the incidence of POD and POCD. The
      underlying pathophysiological mechanisms have been studied on the molecular level
      albeit with unsatisfying small research efforts given their societal burden.
      Here, we review the known physiological and immunological changes and genetic
      risk factors, identify candidates for further studies and integrate the
      information into a draft network for exploration on a systems level. The
      pathogenesis of these postoperative cognitive impairments is multifactorial;
      application of integrated systems biology has the potential to reconstruct the
      underlying network of molecular mechanisms and help in the identification of
      prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers. 

PMID- 26106329
TI  - Modeling transportation of efavirenz: inference on possibility of mixed modes of
      transportation and kinetic solubility.
AB  - Understanding drug transportation mechanisms in the human body is of paramount
      importance in modeling Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic relationships. This work
      gives a novel general model of efavirenz transportation projections based on
      concentrations simulated from patients on a dose of 600 mg. The work puts forward
      a proposition that transportation can wholly be modeled by concentration and time
      in a uniform volumetric space. Furthermore, movement entities are used to inform
      the state of "kinetic solubility" of a solution. There is use of Ricker's model,
      and forms of the Hill's equation in modeling transportation. Characterization on
      the movement rates of solution particle are suggested in relation to advection
      rate of solution particle. At turning points on the transportation rate of
      solution particle vs. concentration curve, a suggestion of possibly change of
      dominance in the mode of transportation and saturation is made. There are four
      movement rates postulated at primary micro-level transportation, that are
      attributed to convection, diffusion [passive transportation (EI )] and energy
      dependent system transportation (ED ) in relation to advection. Furthermore, a
      new parameter is introduced which is defined as an advection rate constant of
      solution particle. It is postulated to be dependent on two rate constants of
      solution particle, that is a convection rate constant of solution particle and a
      saturable transportation rate constant of solution particle. At secondary micro
      level transportation, the results show convection as sum of advection and
      saturable transportation. The kinetics of dissolution of efavirenz in the
      solution space is postulated. Relatively, a good level of kinetics of dissolution
      is projected in the concentration region 0 - 32.82 MUg/ml. 

PMID- 26106331
TI  - Semantic processing of English sentences using statistical computation based on
      neurophysiological models.
AB  - Computer programs that can accurately interpret natural human language and carry
      out instructions would improve the lives of people with language processing
      deficits and greatly benefit society in general. von Neumann in theorized that
      the human brain utilizes its own unique statistical neuronal computation to
      decode language and that this produces specific patterns of neuronal activity.
      This paper extends von Neumann's theory to the processing of partial semantics of
      declarative sentences. I developed semantic neuronal network models that emulate
      key features of cortical language processing and accurately compute partial
      semantics of English sentences. The method of computation implements the MAYA
      Semantic Technique, a mathematical technique I previously developed to determine
      partial semantics of sentences within a natural language processing program. Here
      I further simplified the technique by grouping repeating patterns into fewer
      categories. Unlike other natural language programs, my approach computes three
      partial semantics. The results of this research show that the computation of
      partial semantics of a sentence uses both feedforward and feedback projection
      which suggest that the partial semantic presented in this research might be a
      conscious activity within the human brain. 

PMID- 26106330
TI  - Gender differences in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of methadone
      substitution therapy.
AB  - Gender-related differences in the pharmacological effects of drug are an emerging
      topic. This review examines gender differences in both pharmacokinetic and
      pharmacodynamic aspects of methadone, a long-acting opioid agonist that is
      prescribed as a treatment for opioid dependence and the management of chronic
      pain. METHOD: We performed a search in the Medline database from 1990 to 2014 in
      order to find published literature related to gender differences in
      pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of methadone. RESULTS: None of
      the studies were carried out with the primary or secondary aim to identify any
      gender differences in the pharmacokinetic profile of methadone. Importantly; high
      inter-subjects variability in PK parameters was found also intra female
      population. The reported differences in volume of distribution could be ascribed
      to the physiological differences between men and women in body weight and
      composition, taking into account that the dose of methadone was established
      irrespective of body weight of patients (Peles and Adelson, 2006). On the other
      hand, the few studies present in literature found no gender difference in some
      direct pharmacodynamic parameters. Some reports have suggested that female gender
      is associated with an increased risk for long-QT-related cardiac arrhythmias in
      methadone maintenance subjects. CONCLUSION: Even though it may be too simplistic
      to expect variability only in one parameter to explain inter-individual variation
      in methadone response, we believe that a better knowledge of gender-related
      differences might have significant implications for better outcomes in opioid
      dependence substitution therapy in women.

PMID- 26106328
TI  - Mesothelial cells in tissue repair and fibrosis.
AB  - Mesothelial cells are fundamental to the maintenance of serosal integrity and
      homeostasis and play a critical role in normal serosal repair following injury.
      However, when normal repair mechanisms breakdown, mesothelial cells take on a
      profibrotic role, secreting inflammatory, and profibrotic mediators,
      differentiating and migrating into the injured tissues where they contribute to
      fibrogenesis. The development of new molecular and cell tracking techniques has
      made it possible to examine the origin of fibrotic cells within damaged tissues
      and to elucidate the roles they play in inflammation and fibrosis. In addition to
      secreting proinflammatory mediators and contributing to both coagulation and
      fibrinolysis, mesothelial cells undergo mesothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, a
      process analogous to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and become fibrogenic
      cells. Fibrogenic mesothelial cells have now been identified in tissues where
      they have not previously been thought to occur, such as within the parenchyma of
      the fibrotic lung. These findings show a direct role for mesothelial cells in
      fibrogenesis and open therapeutic strategies to prevent or reverse the fibrotic
      process. 

PMID- 26106332
TI  - Angiotensin II inhibitor facilitates epidermal wound regeneration in diabetic
      mice.
AB  - Tissue regeneration and wound healing are severely impaired in diabetes and are
      associated with poor circulation and dysfunctional blood vessels. Angiotensin II
      inhibitors are anti-hypertensive drugs used in clinical practice to regulate
      blood pressure and could affect tissue remodeling. We hypothesize that blocking
      angiotensin II, using Losartan, could facilitate tissue regeneration in diabetic
      mice. To this end, we established an experimental model of wound healing in
      streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Our data demonstrated that Losartan
      accelerates wound repair and normalizes wound stromal responses, having a
      beneficial role in wounds of diabetic individuals. Our findings highlight a
      potential therapeutic use of Losartan in improving wound repair in diabetic
      conditions. 

PMID- 26106333
TI  - Antenatal maternal hypoxia: criterion for fetal growth restriction in rodents.
AB  - Rodents are a useful model for life science research. Accumulating evidence
      suggests that the offspring of mice and rats suffer from similar disorders as
      humans when exposed to hypoxia during pregnancy. Importantly, with antenatal
      hypoxic exposure, human neonates demonstrate low birth weight or growth
      restriction. Similarly, with antenatal hypoxic exposure rodents also demonstrate
      the fetal growth restriction (FGR). Surprisingly, there is no consensus on the
      minimum duration or degree of hypoxic exposure required to cause FGR in rodents.
      Thus, we have reviewed the available literature in an attempt to answer these
      questions. Based on studies in rats, birth weight reduction of 31% corresponded
      to 10th percentile reduction in birth weight curve. With the similar criterion
      (10th percentile), in mice 3 days or more and in rats 7 days or more of 14% or
      lower hypoxia administration was required to produce statistically significant
      FGR. 

PMID- 26106334
TI  - Inherited macular degeneration-associated mutations in CNGB3 increase the ligand
      sensitivity and spontaneous open probability of cone cyclic nucleotide-gated
      channels.
AB  - Cyclic nucleotide gated (CNG) channels are a critical component of the visual
      transduction cascade in the vertebrate retina. Mutations in the genes encoding
      these channels have been associated with a spectrum of inherited retinal
      disorders. To gain insight into their pathophysiological mechanisms, we have
      investigated the functional consequences of several CNGB3 mutations, previously
      associated with macular degeneration (Y469D and L595F) or complete achromatopsia
      (S156F, P309L, and G558C), by expressing these subunits in combination with wild
      type CNGA3 in Xenopus oocytes and characterizing them using patch-clamp
      recordings in the inside-out configuration. These mutations did not prevent the
      formation of functional heteromeric channels, as indicated by sensitivity to
      block by L-cis-diltiazem. With the exception of S156F, each of the mutant
      channels displayed electrophysiological properties reflecting enhanced channel
      activity at physiological concentrations of cGMP (i.e., a gain-of-function
      phenotype). The increased channel activity produced by these mutations resulted
      from either increased functional expression levels, or increased sensitivity to
      cyclic nucleotides. Furthermore, L595F increased the spontaneous open probability
      in the absence of activating ligand, signifying a ligand independent gain-of
      function change. In addition to the CNGB3 disease-associate mutations, we
      characterized the effects of several common CNGB3 and CNGA3 single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) on heteromeric CNGA3+CNGB3 channel function. Two of the SNPs
      examined (A3-T153M, and B3-W234C) produced decreased ligand sensitivity for
      heteromeric CNG channels. These changes may contribute to background disease
      susceptibility when combined with other genetic or non-genetic factors. Together,
      these studies help to define the underlying molecular phenotype for mutations
      relating to CNG channel disease pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26106336
TI  - A Commentary on "A New Initiative on Precision Medicine".

PMID- 26106335
TI  - The Detrimental Impact of Maladaptive Personality on Public Mental Health: A
      Challenge for Psychiatric Practice.
AB  - Experts in personality psychology and personality disorders have long emphasized
      the pervasive and persistent detrimental impact of maladaptive personality traits
      on mental health and functioning. However, in routine psychiatric practice,
      maladaptive personality is readily ignored and personality traits are seldom
      incorporated into clinical guidelines. The aim of this narrative review is to
      outline how pervasively personality influences public mental health and how
      personality thereby challenges common psychiatric practice. A comprehensive
      search and synthesis of the scientific literature demonstrates that maladaptive
      personality traits and personality disorders, in particular high neuroticism and
      negative affectivity, first, are risk factors for divorce, unemployment, and
      disability pensioning; second, relate to the prevalence, incidence, and co
      occurrence of common mental disorders; third, impair functioning, symptom
      remission, and recovery in co-occurring common mental disorders; and fourth,
      predispose to treatment resistance, non-response and poor treatment outcome. In
      conclusion, maladaptive personality is not only involved in the development and
      course of mental disorders but also predisposes to chronicity and re-occurrence
      of psychopathology and reduces the efficacy of psychiatric treatments. The
      pernicious impact of maladaptive personality on mental health and functioning
      demands that careful assessment and thorough consideration of personality should
      be compulsory in psychiatric practice. 

PMID- 26106337
TI  - Teasing apart retrieval and encoding interference in the processing of anaphors.
AB  - Two classes of account have been proposed to explain the memory processes
      subserving the processing of reflexive-antecedent dependencies. Structure-based
      accounts assume that the retrieval of the antecedent is guided by syntactic tree
      configurational information without considering other kinds of information such
      as gender marking in the case of English reflexives. By contrast, unconstrained
      cue-based retrieval assumes that all available information is used for retrieving
      the antecedent. Similarity-based interference effects from structurally illicit
      distractors which match a non-structural retrieval cue have been interpreted as
      evidence favoring the unconstrained cue-based retrieval account since cue-based
      retrieval interference from structurally illicit distractors is incompatible with
      the structure-based account. However, it has been argued that the observed
      effects do not necessarily reflect interference occurring at the moment of
      retrieval but might equally well be accounted for by interference occurring
      already at the stage of encoding or maintaining the antecedent in memory, in
      which case they cannot be taken as evidence against the structure-based account.
      We present three experiments (self-paced reading and eye-tracking) on German
      reflexives and Swedish reflexive and pronominal possessives in which we pit the
      predictions of encoding interference and cue-based retrieval interference against
      each other. We could not find any indication that encoding interference affects
      the processing ease of the reflexive-antecedent dependency formation. Thus, there
      is no evidence that encoding interference might be the explanation for the
      interference effects observed in previous work. We therefore conclude that
      invoking encoding interference may not be a plausible way to reconcile
      interference effects with a structure-based account of reflexive processing. 

PMID- 26106338
TI  - Age of second language acquisition in multilinguals has an impact on gray matter
      volume in language-associated brain areas.
AB  - Numerous structural studies have established that experience shapes and reshapes
      the brain throughout a lifetime. The impact of early development, however, is
      still a matter of debate. Further clues may come from studying multilinguals who
      acquired their second language at different ages. We investigated adult
      multilinguals who spoke three languages fluently, where the third language was
      learned in classroom settings, not before the age of 9 years. Multilinguals
      exposed to two languages simultaneously from birth (SiM) were contrasted with
      multinguals who acquired their first two languages successively (SuM). Whole
      brain voxel based morphometry revealed that, relative to SuM, SiM have
      significantly lower gray matter volume in several language-associated cortical
      areas in both hemispheres: bilaterally in medial and inferior frontal gyrus, in
      the right medial temporal gyrus and inferior posterior parietal gyrus, as well as
      in the left inferior temporal gyrus. Thus, as shown by others, successive
      language learning increases the volume of language-associated cortical areas. In
      brains exposed early on and simultaneously to more than one language, however,
      learning of additional languages seems to have less impact. We conclude that - at
      least with respect to language acquisition - early developmental influences are
      maintained and have an effect on experience-dependent plasticity well into
      adulthood. 

PMID- 26106339
TI  - Unconscious deception detection measured by finger skin temperature and indirect
      veracity judgments-results of a registered report.
AB  - A pre-registered experiment was conducted to examine psychophysiological
      responses to being lied to. Bridging research on social cognition and deception
      detection, we hypothesized that observing a liar compared to a truth-teller would
      decrease finger skin temperature of observers. Participants first watched two
      targets while not forewarned that they would later be asked to judge (direct and
      indirect) veracity, and then watched another two targets while forewarned about
      this. During both these phases finger skin temperature was measured. Findings
      pertaining to temperature partly confirmed our main hypothesis. When participants
      were observing a liar, irrespective of being forewarned, on average finger skin
      temperature declined over time. In the forewarned phase, temperature trajectories
      of truth-tellers were higher than those of liars, however, in the not forewarned
      phase, this pattern was reversed. Results confirmed our further hypotheses that
      participants judge liars as less likeable and less trustworthy than truth-tellers
      an indication of indirect deception detection. Our hypothesis that the effect
      size for trustworthiness would be bigger than that of liking was not supported by
      the data. Additionally, and also confirming our hypothesis, participants
      performed around chance level when directly judging whether the target person was
      lying. Exploratory analyses are reported with regard to truth bias and dependency
      between direct and indirect veracity judgments. Limitations and directions for
      future work related to the existence of psychophysiological indicators of
      deception detection are discussed. 

PMID- 26106340
TI  - Sensorimotor strategies for recognizing geometrical shapes: a comparative study
      with different sensory substitution devices.
AB  - The sensorimotor approach proposes that perception is constituted by the mastery
      of lawful sensorimotor regularities or sensorimotor contingencies (SMCs), which
      depend on specific bodily characteristics and on actions possibilities that the
      environment enables and constrains. Sensory substitution devices (SSDs) provide
      the user information about the world typically corresponding to one sensory
      modality through the stimulation of another modality. We investigate how
      perception emerges in novice adult participants equipped with vision-to-auditory
      SSDs while solving a simple geometrical shape recognition task. In particular, we
      examine the distinction between apparatus-related SMCs (those originating mostly
      in properties of the perceptual system) and object-related SMCs (those mostly
      connected with the perceptual task). We study the sensorimotor strategies
      employed by participants in three experiments with three different SSDs: a
      minimalist head-mounted SSD, a traditional, also head-mounted SSD (the vOICe) and
      an enhanced, hand-held echolocation device. Motor activity and fist-person data
      are registered and analyzed. Results show that participants are able to quickly
      learn the necessary skills to distinguish geometric shapes. Comparing the
      sensorimotor strategies utilized with each SSD we identify differential features
      of the sensorimotor patterns attributable mostly to the device, which account for
      the emergence of apparatus-based SMCs. These relate to differences in sweeping
      strategies between SSDs. We identify, also, components related to the emergence
      of object-related SMCs. These relate mostly to exploratory movements around the
      border of a shape. The study provides empirical support for SMC theory and
      discusses considerations about the nature of perception in sensory substitution. 

PMID- 26106341
TI  - Time series analysis for psychological research: examining and forecasting
      change.
AB  - Psychological research has increasingly recognized the importance of integrating
      temporal dynamics into its theories, and innovations in longitudinal designs and
      analyses have allowed such theories to be formalized and tested. However,
      psychological researchers may be relatively unequipped to analyze such data,
      given its many characteristics and the general complexities involved in
      longitudinal modeling. The current paper introduces time series analysis to
      psychological research, an analytic domain that has been essential for
      understanding and predicting the behavior of variables across many diverse
      fields. First, the characteristics of time series data are discussed. Second,
      different time series modeling techniques are surveyed that can address various
      topics of interest to psychological researchers, including describing the pattern
      of change in a variable, modeling seasonal effects, assessing the immediate and
      long-term impact of a salient event, and forecasting future values. To illustrate
      these methods, an illustrative example based on online job search behavior is
      used throughout the paper, and a software tutorial in R for these analyses is
      provided in the Supplementary Materials. 

PMID- 26106342
TI  - Fairness requires deliberation: the primacy of economic over social
      considerations.
AB  - While both economic and social considerations of fairness and equity play an
      important role in financial decision-making, it is not clear which of these two
      motives is more primal and immediate and which one is secondary and slow. Here we
      used variants of the ultimatum game to examine this question. Experiment 1 shows
      that acceptance rate of unfair offers increases when participants are asked to
      base their choice on their gut-feelings, as compared to when they thoroughly
      consider the available information. In line with these results, Experiments 2 and
      3 provide process evidence that individuals prefer to first examine economic
      information about their own utility rather than social information about equity
      and fairness, even at the price of foregoing such social information. Our results
      suggest that people are more economically rational at the core, but social
      considerations (e.g., inequality aversion) require deliberation, which under
      certain conditions override their self-interested impulses. 

PMID- 26106343
TI  - Accelerated forgetting? An evaluation on the use of long-term forgetting rates in
      patients with memory problems.
AB  - The main focus of this review was to evaluate whether long-term forgetting rates
      (delayed tests, days, to weeks, after initial learning) are more sensitive
      measures than standard delayed recall measures to detect memory problems in
      various patient groups. It has been suggested that accelerated forgetting might
      be characteristic for epilepsy patients, but little research has been performed
      in other populations. Here, we identified eleven studies in a wide range of brain
      injured patient groups, whose long-term forgetting patterns were compared to
      those of healthy controls. Signs of accelerated forgetting were found in three
      studies. The results of eight studies showed normal forgetting over time for the
      patient groups. However, most of the studies used only a recognition procedure,
      after optimizing initial learning. Based on these results, we recommend the use
      of a combined recall and recognition procedure to examine accelerated forgetting
      and we discuss the relevance of standard and optimized learning procedures in
      clinical practice. 

PMID- 26106344
TI  - What makes space-time interactions in human vision asymmetrical?
AB  - The interaction of space and time affects perception of extents: (1) the longer
      the exposure duration, the longer the line length is perceived and vice versa;
      (2) the shorter the line length is, the shorter the exposure duration is
      perceived. Previous studies have shown that space-time interactions in human
      vision are asymmetrical; spatial cognition has a larger effect on temporal
      cognition rather than vice versa (Merritt et al., 2010). What makes the
      interactions asymmetrical? In this study, participants were asked to judge
      exposure duration of lines that differed in length or to judge the lengths of the
      lines with different exposure time; to judge the task-relevant stimulus extents
      that also varied in the task-irrelevant stimulus extents. Paired spatial and
      temporal tasks in which the ranges of task-relevant and -irrelevant stimulus
      values were common, were conducted. In our hypothesis, the imbalance in saliency
      of spatial and temporal information would cause asymmetrical space-time
      interaction. To assess the saliency, task difficulty was rated. If saliency of
      relevant stimuli is high, the difficulty of discrimination task would be low, and
      vice versa. The saliency of irrelevant stimuli in one task would be reflected in
      the difficulty of the other task, in the pair of tasks. If saliency of irrelevant
      stimuli is high, the difficulty of paired task would be low, and vice versa. The
      result supports our hypothesis; spatial cognition asymmetrically affected on
      temporal cognition when the difficulty of temporal task was significantly higher
      than that of spatial task. 

PMID- 26106346
TI  - Cognitive functioning in socially anxious adults: insights from the NIH Toolbox
      Cognition Battery.
AB  - Theory suggests that individuals with social anxiety manifest unique patterns of
      cognition with less efficient fluid cognition and unperturbed crystallized
      cognition; however, empirical support for these ideas remains inconclusive. The
      heterogeneity of past findings may reflect unreliability in cognitive assessments
      or the influence of confounding variables. The present study examined the
      relations among social anxiety and performance on the reliable, newly established
      NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. Results indicate that high socially anxious adults
      performed as well as low anxious participants on all measures of fluid cognition.
      However, high socially anxious adults demonstrated enhanced crystallized
      cognitive abilities relative to a low socially anxious comparison group. 

PMID- 26106347
TI  - Does interpersonal behavior of psychotherapy trainees differ in private and
      professional relationships?
AB  - AIM: The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of trainees' interpersonal
      behavior on work involvement (WI) and compared their social behavior within
      professional and private relationships as well as between different
      psychotherapeutic orientations. METHODS: The interpersonal scales of the Intrex
      short-form questionnaire and the Work Involvement Scale (WIS) were used to
      evaluate two samples of German psychotherapy trainees in psychoanalytic,
      psychodynamic, and cognitive behavioral therapy training. Trainees from Sample 1
      (N = 184) were asked to describe their interpersonal behavior in relation to
      their patients when filling out the Intrex, whereas trainees from Sample 2 (N =
      135) were asked to describe the private relationship with a significant other.
      RESULTS: Interpersonal affiliation in professional relationships significantly
      predicted the level of healing involvement, while stress involvement was
      predicted by interpersonal affiliation and interdependence in trainees'
      relationships with their patients. Social behavior within professional
      relationships provided higher correlations with WI than private interpersonal
      behavior. Significant differences were found between private and professional
      relation settings in trainees' interpersonal behavior with higher levels of
      affiliation and interdependence with significant others. Differences between
      therapeutic orientation and social behavior could only be found when comparing
      trainees' level of interdependence with the particular relationship setting.
      CONCLUSION: Trainees' interpersonal level of affiliation in professional
      relationships is a predictor for a successful psychotherapeutic development. Vice
      versa, controlling behavior in professional settings can be understood as a risk
      factor against psychotherapeutic growth. Both results strengthen an evidence
      based approach for competence development during psychotherapy training.

PMID- 26106345
TI  - Interoception, contemplative practice, and health.
AB  - Interoception can be broadly defined as the sense of signals originating within
      the body. As such, interoception is critical for our sense of embodiment,
      motivation, and well-being. And yet, despite its importance, interoception
      remains poorly understood within modern science. This paper reviews
      interdisciplinary perspectives on interoception, with the goal of presenting a
      unified perspective from diverse fields such as neuroscience, clinical practice,
      and contemplative studies. It is hoped that this integrative effort will advance
      our understanding of how interoception determines well-being, and identify the
      central challenges to such understanding. To this end, we introduce an expanded
      taxonomy of interoceptive processes, arguing that many of these processes can be
      understood through an emerging predictive coding model for mind-body integration.
      The model, which describes the tension between expected and felt body sensation,
      parallels contemplative theories, and implicates interoception in a variety of
      affective and psychosomatic disorders. We conclude that maladaptive construal of
      bodily sensations may lie at the heart of many contemporary maladies, and that
      contemplative practices may attenuate these interpretative biases, restoring a
      person's sense of presence and agency in the world. 

PMID- 26106348
TI  - The independence of expression and identity in face-processing: evidence from
      neuropsychological case studies.
AB  - The processing of facial identity and facial expression have traditionally been
      seen as independent-a hypothesis that has largely been informed by a key double
      dissociation between neurological patients with a deficit in facial identity
      recognition but not facial expression recognition, and those with the reverse
      pattern of impairment. The independence hypothesis is also reflected in more
      recent anatomical models of face-processing, although these theories permit some
      interaction between the two processes. Given that much of the traditional patient
      based evidence has been criticized, a review of more recent case reports that are
      accompanied by neuroimaging data is timely. Further, the performance of
      individuals with developmental face-processing deficits has recently been
      considered with regard to the independence debate. This paper reviews evidence
      from both acquired and developmental disorders, identifying methodological and
      theoretical strengths and caveats in these reports, and highlighting pertinent
      avenues for future research. 

PMID- 26106349
TI  - A face detection bias for horizontal orientations develops in middle childhood.
AB  - Faces are complex stimuli that can be described via intuitive facial features
      like the eyes, nose, and mouth, "configural" features like the distances between
      facial landmarks, and features that correspond to computations performed in the
      early visual system (e.g., oriented edges). With regard to this latter category
      of descriptors, adult face recognition relies disproportionately on information
      in specific spatial frequency and orientation bands: many recognition tasks are
      performed more accurately when adults have access to mid-range spatial
      frequencies (8-16 cycles/face) and horizontal orientations (Dakin and Watt,
      2009). In the current study, we examined how this information bias develops in
      middle childhood. We recruited children between the ages of 5-10 years-old to
      participate in a simple categorization task that required them to label images
      according to whether they depicted a face or a house. Critically, children were
      presented with face and house images comprised either of primarily horizontal
      orientation energy, primarily vertical orientation energy, or both horizontal and
      vertical orientation energy. We predicted that any bias favoring horizontal
      information over vertical should be more evident in faces than in houses, and
      also that older children would be more likely to show such a bias than younger
      children. We designed our categorization task to be sufficiently easy that
      children would perform at near-ceiling accuracy levels, but with variation in
      response times that would reflect how they rely on different orientations as a
      function of age and object category. We found that horizontal bias for face
      detection (but not house detection) correlated significantly with age, suggesting
      an emergent category-specific bias for horizontal orientation energy that
      develops during middle childhood. These results thus suggest that the tuning of
      high-level recognition to specific low-level visual features takes place over
      several years of visual development. 

PMID- 26106350
TI  - Optic-flow selective cortical sensory regions associated with self-reported
      states of vection.
AB  - Optic flow is one of the most important visual cues to the estimation of self
      motion. It has repeatedly been demonstrated that a cortical network including
      visual, multisensory, and vestibular areas is implicated in processing optic
      flow; namely, visual areas middle temporal cortex (MT+), V6; multisensory areas
      ventral intra-parietal area (VIP), cingulate sulcus visual area, precuneus motion
      area (PcM); and vestibular areas parieto-insular vestibular cortex (PIVC) and
      putative area 2v (p2v). However, few studies have investigated the roles of and
      interaction between the optic-flow selective sensory areas within the context of
      self-motion perception. When visual information (i.e., optic flow) is the sole
      cue to computing self-motion parameters, the discrepancy amongst the sensory
      signals may induce an illusion of self-motion referred to as 'vection.' This
      study aimed to identify optic-flow selective sensory areas that are involved in
      the processing of visual cues to self-motion, by introducing vection as an index
      and assessing activation in which of those areas reflect vection, using
      functional magnetic resonance imaging. The results showed that activity in visual
      areas MT+ and V6, multisensory area VIP and vestibular area PIVC was
      significantly greater while participants were experiencing vection, as compared
      to when they were experiencing no vection, which may indicate that activation in
      MT+, V6, VIP, and PIVC reflects vection. The results also place VIP in a good
      position to integrate visual cues related to self-motion and vestibular
      information. 

PMID- 26106352
TI  - Construal level and free will beliefs shape perceptions of actors' proximal and
      distal intent.
AB  - Two components of lay observers' calculus of moral judgment are proximal intent
      (the actor's mind is focused on performing the action) and distal intent (the
      actor's mind is focused on the broader goal). What causes observers to prioritize
      one form of intent over the other? The authors observed whether construal level
      (Studies 1-2) and beliefs about free will (Studies 3-4) would influence
      participants' sensitivity to the actor's proximal vs. distal intent. In four
      studies, participants read scenarios in which the actor's proximal and distal
      intent were independently manipulated. In Study 1, when only distal intent was
      present in the actor's mind, participants rated the psychologically distant actor
      more responsible than the psychologically near actor. In Study 2, when only
      distal intent was in the actor's mind, participants with a chronic high level of
      action identification rated the actor more responsible than did those with a low
      level of action identification. In both studies, when only proximal intent was in
      the actor's mind, construal level did not predict judgments of responsibility. In
      Study 3, when only proximal intent was present in the actor's mind, the more
      participants believed in free will, the more they rated the actor responsible.
      When only distal intent was in the actor's mind, free will belief did not
      influence ratings of responsibility. In Study 4, the same pattern emerged when
      free will/determinism beliefs were manipulated and the actor performed a positive
      (life-saving) act. The authors discuss how these results shed new light on the
      literatures on moral reasoning and psycho-legal theory. 

PMID- 26106351
TI  - The default mode network as a biomarker for monitoring the therapeutic effects of
      meditation.
AB  - The default mode network (DMN) is a group of anatomically separate regions in the
      brain found to have synchronized patterns of activation in functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI). Mentation associated with the DMN includes processes
      such as mind wandering, autobiographical memory, self-reflective thought,
      envisioning the future, and considering the perspective of others. Abnormalities
      in the DMN have been linked to symptom severity in a variety of mental disorders
      indicating that the DMN could be used as a biomarker for diagnosis. These
      correlations have also led to the use of DMN modulation as a biomarker for
      assessing pharmacological treatments. Concurrent research investigating the
      neural correlates of meditation, have associated DMN modulation with practice.
      Furthermore, meditative practice is increasingly understood to have a beneficial
      role in the treatment of mental disorders. Therefore we propose the use of DMN
      measures as a biomarker for monitoring the therapeutic effects of meditation
      practices in mental disorders. Recent findings support this perspective, and
      indicate the utility of DMN monitoring in understanding and developing meditative
      treatments for these debilitating conditions. 

PMID- 26106353
TI  - Relatively effortless listening promotes understanding and recall of medical
      instructions in older adults.
AB  - Communication success under adverse conditions requires efficient and effective
      recruitment of both bottom-up (sensori-perceptual) and top-down (cognitive
      linguistic) resources to decode the intended auditory-verbal message. Employing
      these limited capacity resources has been shown to vary across the lifespan, with
      evidence indicating that younger adults out-perform older adults for both
      comprehension and memory of the message. This study examined how sources of
      interference arising from the speaker (message spoken with conversational vs.
      clear speech technique), the listener (hearing-listening and cognitive-linguistic
      factors), and the environment (in competing speech babble noise vs. quiet)
      interact and influence learning and memory performance using more ecologically
      valid methods than has been done previously. The results suggest that when older
      adults listened to complex medical prescription instructions with "clear speech,"
      (presented at audible levels through insertion earphones) their learning
      efficiency, immediate, and delayed memory performance improved relative to their
      performance when they listened with a normal conversational speech rate
      (presented at audible levels in sound field). This better learning and memory
      performance for clear speech listening was maintained even in the presence of
      speech babble noise. The finding that there was the largest learning-practice
      effect on 2nd trial performance in the conversational speech when the clear
      speech listening condition was first is suggestive of greater experience
      dependent perceptual learning or adaptation to the speaker's speech and voice
      pattern in clear speech. This suggests that experience-dependent perceptual
      learning plays a role in facilitating the language processing and comprehension
      of a message and subsequent memory encoding. 

PMID- 26106354
TI  - Gender roles and traits in stress and health.
AB  - Women have a life-expectancy advantage over men, but a marked disadvantage with
      regards to morbidity. This is known as the female-male health-survival paradox in
      disciplines such as medicine, medical sociology, and epidemiology. Individual
      differences in physical and mental health are further notably explained by the
      degree of stress individuals endure, with women being more affected by stressors
      than men. Here, we briefly examine the literature on women's disadvantage in
      health and stress. Beyond biological considerations, we follow with socio
      cognitive explanations of gender differences in health and stress. We show that
      gender roles and traits (masculinity in particular) explain part of the gender
      differences in stress, notably cognitive appraisal and coping. Stress in turn
      degrades health. Implications are discussed. In conclusion, traditional
      socialization is advantageous for men in terms of health. 

PMID- 26106355
TI  - Facial expression at retrieval affects recognition of facial identity.
AB  - It is well known that memory can be modulated by emotional stimuli at the time of
      encoding and consolidation. For example, happy faces create better identity
      recognition than faces with certain other expressions. However, the influence of
      facial expression at the time of retrieval remains unknown in the literature. To
      separate the potential influence of expression at retrieval from its effects at
      earlier stages, we had participants learn neutral faces but manipulated facial
      expression at the time of memory retrieval in a standard old/new recognition
      task. The results showed a clear effect of facial expression, where happy test
      faces were identified more successfully than angry test faces. This effect is
      unlikely due to greater image similarity between the neural training face and the
      happy test face, because image analysis showed that the happy test faces are in
      fact less similar to the neutral training faces relative to the angry test faces.
      In the second experiment, we investigated whether this emotional effect is
      affected by the expression at the time of learning. We employed angry or happy
      faces as learning stimuli, and angry, happy, and neutral faces as test stimuli.
      The results showed that the emotional effect at retrieval is robust across
      different encoding conditions with happy or angry expressions. These findings
      indicate that emotional expressions do not only affect the stages of encoding and
      consolidation, but also the retrieval process in identity recognition. 

PMID- 26106356
TI  - How are personality trait and profile agreement related?
AB  - It is argued that if we compute self-other agreement on some personality traits
      then we possess no or very little information about the individuals who are the
      targets of this judgment. This idea is largely based on two separate ways of
      computing self-other agreement: trait agreement (rT ) and profile agreement (rP
      ), which are typically associated with two different trait-centered and person
      centered approaches in personality research. Personality traits of 4115 targets
      from Czech, Belgian, Estonian, and German samples were rated by themselves and
      knowledgeable informants. We demonstrate that trait agreement can be partialled
      into individual contributions so that it is possible to show how much each
      individual pair of judges contributes to agreement on a particular trait.
      Similarly, it is possible to decompose agreement between two personality profiles
      into the individual contributions of traits from which these profiles are
      assembled. If normativeness is separated from distinctiveness of personality
      scores and individual profiles are ipsatized, then mean profile agreement rP
      becomes identical to mean trait agreement r T . The views that trait-by-trait
      analysis does not provide information regarding accuracy level of a particular
      pair of judges and profile analysis does not permit assessment of the relative
      contributions of traits to overall accuracy are not supported. 

PMID- 26106357
TI  - Automatic imitation in a rich social context with virtual characters.
AB  - It has been well established that people respond faster when they perform an
      action that is congruent with an observed action than when they respond with an
      incongruent action. Here we propose a new method of using interactive Virtual
      Characters (VCs) to test if social congruency effects can be obtained in a richer
      social context with sequential hand-arm actions. Two separate experiments were
      conducted, exploring if it is feasible to measure spatial congruency (Experiment
      1) and anatomical congruency (Experiment 2) in response to a VC, compared to the
      same action sequence indicated by three virtual balls. In Experiment 1, we found
      a robust spatial congruency effect for both VC and virtual balls, modulated by a
      social facilitation effect for participants who felt the VC was human. In
      Experiment 2 which allowed for anatomical congruency, a form by congruency
      interaction provided evidence that participants automatically imitate the actions
      of the VC but do not imitate the balls. Our method and results build a bridge
      between studies using minimal stimuli in automatic interaction and studies of
      mimicry in a rich social interaction, and open new research venue for future
      research in the area of automatic imitation with a more ecologically valid social
      interaction. 

PMID- 26106358
TI  - Commentary on: People search for meaning when they approach a new decade in
      chronological age.

PMID- 26106359
TI  - Commentary: Development of magnitude processing in children with developmental
      dyscalculia: space, time, and number.

PMID- 26106360
TI  - Corrigendum: Task-dependency and structure-dependency in number interference
      effects in sentence comprehension.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 349 in vol. 6, PMID: 25914652.]. 

PMID- 26106361
TI  - Construct labeling: public trust and scientific credibility.

PMID- 26106363
TI  - Loss of Autonoetic Awareness of Recent Autobiographical Episodes and Accelerated
      Long-Term Forgetting in a Patient with Previously Unrecognized Glutamic Acid
      Decarboxylase Antibody Related Limbic Encephalitis.
AB  - We describe a 35-year-old male patient presenting with depressed mood and
      emotional instability, who complained about severe anterograde and retrograde
      memory deficits characterized by accelerated long-term forgetting and loss of
      autonoetic awareness regarding autobiographical memories of the last 3 years.
      Months before he had experienced two breakdowns of unknown etiology giving rise
      to the differential diagnosis of epileptic seizures after various practitioners
      and clinics had suggested different etiologies such as a psychosomatic condition,
      burnout, depression, or dissociative amnesia. Neuropsychological assessment
      indicated selectively impaired figural memory performance. Extended diagnostics
      confirmed accelerated forgetting of previously learned and retrievable verbal
      material. Structural imaging showed bilateral swelling and signal alterations of
      temporomesial structures (left >right). Video-EEG monitoring revealed a left
      temporal epileptic focus and subclincal seizure, but no overt seizures. Antibody
      tests in serum and liquor were positive for glutamic acid decarboxylase
      antibodies. These findings led to the diagnosis of glutamic acid decarboxylase
      antibody related limbic encephalitis. Monthly steroid pulses over 6 months led to
      recovery of subjective memory and to intermediate improvement but subsequent
      worsening of objective memory performance. During the course of treatment, the
      patient reported de novo paroxysmal non-responsive states. Thus, antiepileptic
      treatment was started and the patient finally became seizure free. At the last
      visit, vocational reintegration was successfully in progress. In conclusion,
      amygdala swelling, retrograde biographic memory impairment, accelerated long-term
      forgetting, and emotional instability may serve as indicators of limbic
      encephalitis, even in the absence of overt epileptic seizures. The monitoring of
      such patients calls for a standardized and concerted multilevel diagnostic
      approach with repeated assessments. 

PMID- 26106362
TI  - Thalamocortical Dysrhythmia: A Theoretical Update in Tinnitus.
AB  - Tinnitus is the perception of a sound in the absence of a corresponding external
      sound source. Pathophysiologically it has been attributed to bottom-up
      deafferentation and/or top-down noise-cancelling deficit. Both mechanisms are
      proposed to alter auditory -thalamocortical signal transmission, resulting in
      thalamocortical dysrhythmia (TCD). In deafferentation, TCD is characterized by a
      slowing down of resting state alpha to theta activity associated with an increase
      in surrounding gamma activity, resulting in persisting cross-frequency coupling
      between theta and gamma activity. Theta burst-firing increases network synchrony
      and recruitment, a mechanism, which might enable long-range synchrony, which in
      turn could represent a means for finding the missing thalamocortical information
      and for gaining access to consciousness. Theta oscillations could function as a
      carrier wave to integrate the tinnitus-related focal auditory gamma activity in a
      consciousness enabling network, as envisioned by the global workspace model. This
      model suggests that focal activity in the brain does not reach consciousness,
      except if the focal activity becomes functionally coupled to a consciousness
      enabling network, aka the global workspace. In limited deafferentation, the
      missing information can be retrieved from the auditory cortical neighborhood,
      decreasing surround inhibition, resulting in TCD. When the deafferentation is too
      wide in bandwidth, it is hypothesized that the missing information is retrieved
      from theta-mediated parahippocampal auditory memory. This suggests that based on
      the amount of deafferentation TCD might change to parahippocampocortical
      persisting and thus pathological theta-gamma rhythm. From a Bayesian point of
      view, in which the brain is conceived as a prediction machine that updates its
      memory-based predictions through sensory updating, tinnitus is the result of a
      prediction error between the predicted and sensed auditory input. The decrease in
      sensory updating is reflected by decreased alpha activity and the prediction
      error results in theta-gamma and beta-gamma coupling. Thus, TCD can be considered
      as an adaptive mechanism to retrieve missing auditory input in tinnitus. 

PMID- 26106364
TI  - Insights into the Modulation of Dopamine Transporter Function by Amphetamine,
      Orphenadrine, and Cocaine Binding.
AB  - Human dopamine (DA) transporter (hDAT) regulates dopaminergic signaling in the
      central nervous system by maintaining the synaptic concentration of DA at
      physiological levels, upon reuptake of DA into presynaptic terminals. DA
      translocation involves the co-transport of two sodium ions and the channeling of
      a chloride ion, and it is achieved via alternating access between outward-facing
      (OF) and inward-facing states of DAT. hDAT is a target for addictive drugs, such
      as cocaine, amphetamine (AMPH), and therapeutic antidepressants. Our recent
      quantitative systems pharmacology study suggested that orphenadrine (ORPH), an
      anticholinergic agent and anti-Parkinson drug, might be repurposable as a DAT
      drug. Previous studies have shown that DAT-substrates like AMPH or -blockers like
      cocaine modulate the function of DAT in different ways. However, the molecular
      mechanisms of modulation remained elusive due to the lack of structural data on
      DAT. The newly resolved DAT structure from Drosophila melanogaster opens the way
      to a deeper understanding of the mechanism and time evolution of DAT-drug/ligand
      interactions. Using a combination of homology modeling, docking analysis,
      molecular dynamics simulations, and molecular biology experiments, we performed a
      comparative study of the binding properties of DA, AMPH, ORPH, and cocaine and
      their modulation of hDAT function. Simulations demonstrate that binding DA or
      AMPH drives a structural transition toward a functional form predisposed to
      translocate the ligand. In contrast, ORPH appears to inhibit DAT function by
      arresting it in the OF open conformation. The analysis shows that cocaine and
      ORPH competitively bind DAT, with the binding pose and affinity dependent on the
      conformational state of DAT. Further assays show that the effect of ORPH on DAT
      uptake and endocytosis is comparable to that of cocaine. 

PMID- 26106365
TI  - Early Trabecular Development in Human Vertebrae: Overproduction, Constructive
      Regression, and Refinement.
AB  - Early bone development may have a significant impact upon bone health in
      adulthood. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mass are important determinants of
      adult bone strength. However, several studies have shown that BMD and bone mass
      decrease after birth. If early development is important for strength, why does
      this reduction occur? To investigate this, more data characterizing gestational,
      infant, and childhood bone development are needed in order to compare with
      adults. The aim of this study is to document early vertebral trabecular bone
      development, a key fragility fracture site, and infer whether this period is
      important for adult bone mass and structure. A series of 120 vertebrae aged
      between 6 months gestation and 2.5 years were visualized using microcomputed
      tomography. Spherical volumes of interest were defined, thresholded, and measured
      using 3D bone analysis software (BoneJ, Quant3D). The findings showed that
      gestation was characterized by increasing bone volume fraction whilst infancy was
      defined by significant bone loss (~2/3rds) and the appearance of a highly
      anisotropic trabecular structure with a predominantly inferior-superior
      direction. Childhood development progressed via selective thickening of some
      trabeculae and the loss of others; maintaining bone volume whilst creating a more
      anisotropic structure. Overall, the pattern of vertebral development is one of
      gestational overproduction followed by infant "sculpting" of bone tissue during
      the first year of life (perhaps in order to regulate mineral homeostasis or to
      adapt to loading environment) and then subsequent refinement during early
      childhood. Comparison of early bone developmental data in this study with adult
      bone volume values taken from the literature shows that the loss in bone mass
      that occurs during the first year of life is never fully recovered. Early
      development could therefore be important for developing bone strength, but
      through structural changes in trabecular microarchitecture rather than bone mass.

PMID- 26106366
TI  - Crosstalk of the Insulin-Like Growth Factor Receptor with the Wnt Signaling
      Pathway in Breast Cancer.
AB  - The insulin-like growth factor system has long been considered a pathway that
      promotes cell proliferation, survival, and transformation, and is thus a promoter
      of tumorigenesis. However, recent failure of clinical trials for IGF-1R
      inhibitors reveals the need for a better understanding of how this pathway
      functions in specific tumor subtypes. Ongoing studies are designed to uncover
      biomarkers and downstream targets to enhance therapeutic strategies. Other
      approaches in specific tumor models reveal complex interactions between IGF
      signaling and other tumor initiating pathways. Here, we review relevant
      background and recent studies suggesting that inhibiting the IGF-1R can amplify
      Wnt and Notch signaling pathways in a model of triple negative breast cancer. 

PMID- 26106367
TI  - Novel Insights into the Genetics and Pathophysiology of Adrenocortical Tumors.
AB  - Adrenocortical tumors (ACTs) are typically unilateral and can be classified as
      benign adrenocortical adenomas (ACAs) or malignant adrenocortical cancers (ACCs).
      In rare cases, tumors may occur in both adrenal glands as micronodular
      hyperplasia (primary pigmented nodular adrenal dysplasia) or as macronodular
      hyperplasia (primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia, PBMAH). The
      study of certain tumor predisposition syndromes has improved our understanding of
      sporadic ACTs. Most ACAs are associated with abnormalities of the cAMP signaling
      pathway, whereas most ACCs are linked to alterations in IGF2, TP53, or the
      Wnt/betacatenin pathways. Over the past year, single-nucleotide polymorphism
      array technology and next-generation sequencing have identified novel genetic
      alterations in ACTs that shed new light on the molecular mechanisms of
      oncogenesis. Among these are somatic mutations of PKA catalytic subunit alpha
      gene (PRKACA) in ACA, germline, and somatic mutations of armadillo repeat
      containing 5 gene (ARMC5) in primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia
      and somatic alterations of the E3 ubiquitin ligase gene ZNRF3 in ACC. This review
      focuses on the recent discoveries and their diagnostic, prognostic, and
      therapeutic implications. 

PMID- 26106368
TI  - Corrigendum: "Cancer Cell Gene Expression Modulated from Plasma Membrane Integrin
      alphavbeta3 by Thyroid Hormone and Nanoparticulate Tetrac".
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 240 in vol. 5, PMID: 25628605.]. 

PMID- 26106369
TI  - S-layers at second glance? Altiarchaeal grappling hooks (hami) resemble archaeal
      S-layer proteins in structure and sequence.
AB  - The uncultivated "Candidatus Altiarchaeum hamiconexum" (formerly known as SM1
      Euryarchaeon) carries highly specialized nano-grappling hooks ("hami") on its
      cell surface. Until now little is known about the major protein forming these
      structured fibrous cell surface appendages, the genes involved or membrane
      anchoring of these filaments. These aspects were analyzed in depth in this study
      using environmental transcriptomics combined with imaging methods. Since a
      laboratory culture of this archaeon is not yet available, natural biofilm samples
      with high Ca. A. hamiconexum abundance were used for the entire analyses. The
      filamentous surface appendages spanned both membranes of the cell, which are
      composed of glycosyl-archaeol. The hami consisted of multiple copies of the same
      protein, the corresponding gene of which was identified via metagenome-mapped
      transcriptome analysis. The hamus subunit proteins, which are likely to self
      assemble due to their predicted beta sheet topology, revealed no similiarity to
      known microbial flagella-, archaella-, fimbriae- or pili-proteins, but a high
      similarity to known S-layer proteins of the archaeal domain at their N-terminal
      region (44-47% identity). Our results provide new insights into the structure of
      the unique hami and their major protein and indicate their divergent evolution
      with S-layer proteins. 

PMID- 26106370
TI  - Automated quantification of the phagocytosis of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia by
      a novel image analysis algorithm.
AB  - Studying the pathobiology of the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus has gained a lot of
      attention in recent years. This is due to the fact that this fungus is a human
      pathogen that can cause severe diseases, like invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in
      immunocompromised patients. Because alveolar macrophages belong to the first line
      of defense against the fungus, here, we conduct an image-based study on the host
      pathogen interaction between murine alveolar macrophages and A. fumigatus. This
      is achieved by an automated image analysis approach that uses a combination of
      thresholding, watershed segmentation and feature-based object classification. In
      contrast to previous approaches, our algorithm allows for the segmentation of
      individual macrophages in the images and this enables us to compute the
      distribution of phagocytosed and macrophage-adherent conidia over all
      macrophages. The novel automated image-based analysis provides access to all cell
      cell interactions in the assay and thereby represents a framework that enables
      comprehensive computation of diverse characteristic parameters and comparative
      investigation for different strains. We here apply automated image analysis to
      confocal laser scanning microscopy images of the two wild-type strains ATCC 46645
      and CEA10 of A. fumigatus and investigate the ability of macrophages to
      phagocytose the respective conidia. It is found that the CEA10 strain triggers a
      stronger response of the macrophages as revealed by a higher phagocytosis ratio
      and a larger portion of the macrophages being active in the phagocytosis process.

PMID- 26106372
TI  - Methods to identify the unexplored diversity of microbial exopolysaccharides.
AB  - Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) are a structurally very diverse class of
      molecules. A number of them have found their application in rather diverging
      fields that extend from medicine, food, and cosmetics on the one side to
      construction, drilling, and chemical industry on the other side. The analysis of
      microbial strains for their competence in polysaccharide production has therefore
      been a major issue in the past, especially in the search for new polysaccharide
      variants among natural strain isolates. Concerning the fact that nearly all
      microbes carry the genetic equipment for the production of polysaccharides under
      specific conditions, the naturally provided EPS portfolio seems to be still
      massively underexplored. Therefore, there is a need for high throughput screening
      techniques capable of identifying novel variants of bacterial EPS with properties
      superior to the already described ones, or even totally new ones. A great variety
      of different techniques has been used in screening approaches for identifying
      microorganisms that are producing EPS in substantial amounts. Mucoid growth is
      often the method of choice for visual identification of EPS producing strains.
      Depending on the thickening characteristics of the polysaccharide, observation of
      viscosity in culture broth can also be an option to evaluate EPS production.
      Precipitation with different alcohols represents a common detection, isolation,
      and purification method for many EPS. A more quantitative approach is found in
      the total carbohydrate content analysis, normally determined, e.g., by phenol
      sulfuric-acid-method. In addition, recently a new and reliable method for the
      detailed analysis of the monomeric composition and the presence of rare sugars
      and sugar substitutions has become available, which could give a first hint of
      the polymer structure of unknown EPS. This minireview will compare available
      methods and novel techniques and discuss their benefits and disadvantages. 

PMID- 26106371
TI  - Metabolic engineering of yeast to produce fatty acid-derived biofuels:
      bottlenecks and solutions.
AB  - Fatty acid-derived biofuels can be a better solution than bioethanol to replace
      petroleum fuel, since they have similar energy content and combustion properties
      as current transportation fuels. The environmentally friendly microbial
      fermentation process has been used to synthesize advanced biofuels from renewable
      feedstock. Due to their robustness as well as the high tolerance to fermentation
      inhibitors and phage contamination, yeast strains such as Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae and Yarrowia lipolytica have attracted tremendous attention in recent
      studies regarding the production of fatty acid-derived biofuels, including fatty
      acids, fatty acid ethyl esters, fatty alcohols, and fatty alkanes. However, the
      native yeast strains cannot produce fatty acids and fatty acid-derived biofuels
      in large quantities. To this end, we have summarized recent publications in this
      review on metabolic engineering of yeast strains to improve the production of
      fatty acid-derived biofuels, identified the bottlenecks that limit the
      productivity of biofuels, and categorized the appropriate approaches to overcome
      these obstacles. 

PMID- 26106373
TI  - Reflux esophagitis triggered after Helicobacter pylori eradication: a noteworthy
      demerit of eradication therapy among the Japanese?
AB  - In the February 2013 Revision of Insured Medical Treatment, bacterial eradication
      for all Helicobacter pylori-positive individuals in Japan was covered under the
      insurance scheme. However, reflux esophagitis is believed to occur in
      approximately 10% of Japanese patients who undergo eradication therapy. Hence,
      the risk of reflux esophagitis among such cases should be carefully considered,
      particularly in the treatment for H. pylori-positive patients who are otherwise
      healthy. The eradication of H. pylori in cases of H. pylori-positive gastritis
      markedly suppresses gastric inflammation, and inhibits gastric mucosal atrophy
      and its progression to intestinal metaplasia. In a long-term follow-up study (10
      20 years), eradication treatment was found to reduce the risk of subsequent
      gastric cancer. However, the fact that eradication-induced reflux esophagitis
      could increase the long-term risk of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal
      adenocarcinoma should also be considered in the Japanese population. Appropriate
      treatment with proton pump inhibitors should be taken into consideration for
      patients undergoing eradication therapy in clinical practice. 

PMID- 26106376
TI  - Revealing the unexplored fungal communities in deep groundwater of crystalline
      bedrock fracture zones in Olkiluoto, Finland.
AB  - The diversity and functional role of fungi, one of the ecologically most
      important groups of eukaryotic microorganisms, remains largely unknown in deep
      biosphere environments. In this study we investigated fungal communities in
      packer-isolated bedrock fractures in Olkiluoto, Finland at depths ranging from
      296 to 798 m below surface level. DNA- and cDNA-based high-throughput amplicon
      sequencing analysis of the fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene markers
      was used to examine the total fungal diversity and to identify the active members
      in deep fracture zones at different depths. Results showed that fungi were
      present in fracture zones at all depths and fungal diversity was higher than
      expected. Most of the observed fungal sequences belonged to the phylum
      Ascomycota. Phyla Basidiomycota and Chytridiomycota were only represented as a
      minor part of the fungal community. Dominating fungal classes in the deep bedrock
      aquifers were Sordariomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, and Dothideomycetes from the
      Ascomycota phylum and classes Microbotryomycetes and Tremellomycetes from the
      Basidiomycota phylum, which are the most frequently detected fungal taxa reported
      also from deep sea environments. In addition some fungal sequences represented
      potentially novel fungal species. Active fungi were detected in most of the
      fracture zones, which proves that fungi are able to maintain cellular activity in
      these oligotrophic conditions. Possible roles of fungi and their origin in deep
      bedrock groundwater can only be speculated in the light of current knowledge but
      some species may be specifically adapted to deep subsurface environment and may
      play important roles in the utilization and recycling of nutrients and thus
      sustaining the deep subsurface microbial community. 

PMID- 26106375
TI  - Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) Variants (Vs) a possible link between Heroin-associated
      Nephropathy (HAN) and HIV-associated Nephropathy (HIVAN).
AB  - In 1970s, Heroin-associated Nephropathy (HAN), one form of focal and segmental
      glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), was a predominant cause of End-stage Kidney Disease
      (ESKD) in African-Americans (AAs). In 1980s, with the surge of Acquired Immune
      Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in AAs, HAN more or less disappeared, and the
      incidence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus associated Nephropathy (HIVAN) markedly
      increased. Recent studies in AAs have identified APOL1 variants (Vs) as a major
      risk factor for the development and progression of non-diabetic kidney diseases
      including idiopathic FSGS and hypertension-attributed nephrosclerosis. These
      observations have also offered partial insights into the mechanisms of
      development, and higher rate of occurrence of both HAN and HIVAN in AAs. AAs with
      APOL1Vs develop idiopathic FSGS at four-fold higher rate compared to European
      Americans (EAs). Similarly, HIV infected AAs with APOL1Vs (if not on antiviral
      therapy), risk a 50% (10-fold greater) chance of developing HIVAN. It has been
      suggested that APOL1Vs expression may render podocytes more vulnerable to various
      types of injury: bacterial, viral, and others. However, in addition to genetic
      variants, additional factors such as persistence of a second hit may determine
      the nature and severity of glomerular disease. In patients with HAN, heroin or
      contaminants may have been the offending second insult(s) which caused renal
      disease in susceptible AA patients. In the 80's, since heroin-induced second hit
      was neither consistent nor sustained (depending on drug availability in the
      street), the disease was masked or replaced HIV infected patients (especially in
      untreated subjects), by an overwhelming second hit by the virus which was both
      intense as well as persistent. It appears that APOL1Vs may be one of the links
      between the disappearance of HAN and emergence of HIVAN in AA patients. 

PMID- 26106374
TI  - Diversity of the Epsilonproteobacteria Dsb (disulfide bond) systems.
AB  - The bacterial proteins of the Dsb family-important components of the post
      translational protein modification system-catalyze the formation of disulfide
      bridges, a process that is crucial for protein structure stabilization and
      activity. Dsb systems play an essential role in the assembly of many virulence
      factors. Recent rapid advances in global analysis of bacteria have thrown light
      on the enormous diversity among bacterial Dsb systems. While the Escherichia coli
      disulfide bond-forming system is quite well understood, the mechanisms of action
      of Dsb systems in other bacteria, including members of class
      Epsilonproteobacteria that contain pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria
      colonizing extremely diverse ecological niches, are poorly characterized. Here we
      present a review of current knowledge on Epsilonproteobacteria Dsb systems. We
      have focused on the Dsb systems of Campylobacter spp. and Helicobacter spp.
      because our knowledge about Dsb proteins of Wolinella and Arcobacter spp. is
      still scarce and comes mainly from bioinformatic studies. Helicobacter pylori is
      a common human pathogen that colonizes the gastric epithelium of humans with
      severe consequences. Campylobacter spp. is a leading cause of zoonotic enteric
      bacterial infections in most developed and developing nations. We focus on
      various aspects of the diversity of the Dsb systems and their influence on
      pathogenicity, particularly because Dsb proteins are considered as potential
      targets for a new class of anti-virulence drugs to treat human infections by
      Campylobacter or Helicobacter spp. 

PMID- 26106377
TI  - Characterization and evaluation of antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects of
      Streptomyces sp. HUST012 isolated from medicinal plant Dracaena cochinchinensis
      Lour.
AB  - A highly potent secondary metabolite producing endophytic strain, Streptomyces
      sp. HUST012 was isolated from the stems of the medicinal plant Dracaena
      cochinchinensis Lour. Strain HUST012 showed antimicrobial and antitumor
      activities which were significantly much higher than those of dragon's blood
      extracted from D. cochinchinensis Lour. On further analysis, the strain was found
      to produce two metabolites, SPE-B11.8 (elucidated to be a novel metabolite (Z)
      tridec-7-ene-1,2,13-tricarboxylic acid) and SPE-B5.4 (elucidated as Actinomycin
      D). The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration values of SPE-B11.8 against a set of
      test bacterial organisms (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermis ATCC
      35984, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli
      ATCC 25922, and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883) ranged between 15.63 and 62.5
      MUg/ml while that for SPE-B5.4 ranged between 0.04 and 2.24 MUg/ml. The compound
      SPE-B11.8 showed cytotoxic effect at 41.63 and 29.54 MUg/ml IC 50-values against
      Hep G2 and MCF-7, respectively, while the compound SPE-B5.4 exhibited stronger
      activities against them at 0.23 and 0.18 MUg/ml IC 50-values. 

PMID- 26106378
TI  - Integrative conjugative elements of the ICEPan family play a potential role in
      Pantoea ananatis ecological diversification and antibiosis.
AB  - Pantoea ananatis is a highly versatile enterobacterium isolated from diverse
      environmental sources. The ecological diversity of this species may be
      attributed, in part, to the acquisition of mobile genetic elements. One such
      element is an Integrative and Conjugative Element (ICE). By means of in silico
      analyses the ICE elements belonging to a novel family, ICEPan, were identified in
      the genome sequences of five P. ananatis strains and characterized. PCR screening
      showed that ICEPan is prevalent among P. ananatis strains isolated from different
      environmental sources and geographic locations. Members of the ICEPan family
      share a common origin with ICEs of other enterobacteria, as well as conjugative
      plasmids of Erwinia spp. Aside from core modules for ICEPan integration,
      maintenance and dissemination, the ICEPan contain extensive non-conserved islands
      coding for proteins that may contribute toward various phenotypes such as stress
      response and antibiosis, and the highly diverse ICEPan thus plays a major role in
      the diversification of P. ananatis. An island is furthermore integrated within an
      ICEPan DNA repair-encoding locus umuDC and we postulate its role in stress
      induced dissemination and/or expression of the genes on this island. 

PMID- 26106379
TI  - Mechanism of antibacterial action of the alcoholic extracts of Hemidesmus indicus
      (L.) R. Br. ex Schult, Leucas aspera (Wild.), Plumbago zeylanica L., and Tridax
      procumbens (L.) R. Br. ex Schult.
AB  - Herbal products derived from Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. ex Schult, Leucas
      aspera (Wild.), Plumbago zeylanica L., and Tridax procumbens (L.) R. Br. ex
      Schult. are widely used in traditional medicine. Though the extracts of these
      plants were found to be antimicrobial in nature and have the potential to be used
      in clinics, the mechanism of action of is not reported. The ethanolic extracts of
      Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. ex Schult, Hemidesmus indicus ethanolic extract
      (HIEE), Leucas aspera (Wild.), Leucas aspera ethanolic extract (LAEE), Plumbago
      zeylanica L., Plumbago zeylanica ethanolic extract (PZEE), and Tridax procumbens
      (L.) R. Br. ex Schult, Tridax procumbens ethanolic extract (TPEE) were tested for
      their antibacterial activity against E. coli. Antibacterial activity was analyzed
      by CFU assay and the effect on the bacterial membrane by fluorescence activated
      cell sorting and scanning electron microscopy. LAEE, PZEE, and HIEE displayed
      potent bacterial killing activity in a time and concentration dependent manner.
      TPEE did not display appreciable antibacterial activity. The antibacterial action
      involved disruption of membrane potential, inner membrane permeabilization,
      blebbing and leakage of cellular contents. Our results contribute to the
      understanding of the antibacterial mechanism of alcoholic extracts of the
      medicinal plants used in this study. 

PMID- 26106380
TI  - Allergies, Helicobacter pylori and the continental enigmas.
AB  - Helicobacter pylori, a gastric pathogen, is known to be associated with gastric
      and duodenal ulcers, and is also a strong risk factor for the development of
      gastric cancer and lymphoma of the mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue.
      Ordinarily, this should make a strong case for its eradication at par with any
      other infectious disease. However, the unique biology of H. pylori and the
      complexity of its interactions with humans, its only known natural host, do not
      permit the recommendation of unambiguous preventive and therapeutic measures.
      Moreover, this organism has co-evolved with humans as a practically universal
      member of the natural gastric microbiota over at least 100,000 years. H. pylori
      persists for a lifetime in mostly asymptomatic hosts, and causes clinical disease
      only in a minority of infections. Therefore, its potential contribution to the
      maintenance of human immune homeostasis, as is the case with the better-studied
      members of the intestinal microbiota, is certainly worthy of serious
      investigation. In this paper, we summarize some interesting and often anecdotal
      data drawn from recent studies, and examine their significance in the context of
      the hygiene hypothesis. We also examine whether the lower incidence of gastric
      cancer over large parts of the world in spite of a high prevalence of infection
      (the Asian and African enigmas) may be re-interpreted in terms of the hygiene
      hypothesis. Finally, it is suggested that an evolutionary-ecological approach to
      the study of H. pylori infection may help in the formulation of strategies for
      the management of this infection. This may well be an infectious disease wherein
      medical interventions may have to be personalized to ensure optimal outcomes. 

PMID- 26106382
TI  - Effect of age on the pathogenesis of duck tembusu virus in Cherry Valley ducks.
AB  - The effect of host age on the outcome of duck tembusu virus (DTMUV) infection was
      studied in ducks. Three groups of Cherry Valley ducks at 1, 3, and 7 weeks of age
      were intramuscularly infected with DTMUV to systematically observe the clinical
      symptoms, pathological changes, tissue viral loads, and immune responses. Severe
      clinical symptoms and neurological dysfunction were observed in 1-week-old ducks
      as early as 2 days post infection (dpi) and some died at 5-7 dpi. Three weeks-old
      ducks showed similar but milder symptoms and no deaths. However, 7-weeks-old
      ducks showed only transient loss of appetite. Gross lesions gradually reduced in
      severity as ducks matured. One-week-old ducks showed endocardial hemorrhage,
      splenomegaly, swelling in the lymph follicles of the ileum, liver, and kidney
      swelling with degeneration, and meningeal hyperemia. Three-weeks-old ducks showed
      only mild pathological lesions. No visible lesions were observed in 7-weeks-old
      ducks. However, pathological histology analysis demonstrated all infected ducks
      displayed viral encephalitis. DTMUV could be detected in the brains of 1-week-old
      ducks as early as 1 dpi and virus titers of most organs in 1-week-old ducks were
      significantly higher than that of 3- and 7-weeks-old ducks at 3-5 dpi. The
      patterns of IFN-gamma, IL-2, and serum neutralizing antibodies were similar, and
      there were significant difference between the youngest ducks and the older ducks
      at early infection stage (P < 0.05). More important is that although the antibody
      titers of all infected ducks were similar from 9 to 17 dpi, reduced clearance of
      virus was observed in the youngest groups comparing with the other two groups,
      indicating that immune system maturity was more important than the presence of
      neutralizing antibody. In summary, this study demonstrates that viral
      pathogenesis is strongest in 1-week-old ducks and the age-related immune response
      plays an important role in the pathogenesis of DTMUV in ducks. 

PMID- 26106381
TI  - Molecular mechanisms for the evolution of bacterial morphologies and growth
      modes.
AB  - Bacteria exhibit a rich diversity of morphologies. Within this diversity, there
      is a uniformity of shape for each species that is replicated faithfully each
      generation, suggesting that bacterial shape is as selectable as any other
      biochemical adaptation. We describe the spatiotemporal mechanisms that target
      peptidoglycan synthesis to different subcellular zones to generate the rod-shape
      of model organisms Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. We then demonstrate,
      using the related genera Caulobacter and Asticcacaulis as examples, how the
      modularity of the core components of the peptidoglycan synthesis machinery
      permits repositioning of the machinery to achieve different growth modes and
      morphologies. Finally, we highlight cases in which the mechanisms that underlie
      morphological evolution are beginning to be understood, and how they depend upon
      the expansion and diversification of the core components of the peptidoglycan
      synthesis machinery. 

PMID- 26106383
TI  - Isolation and characterization of a beta-propeller gene containing
      phosphobacterium Bacillus subtilis strain KPS-11 for growth promotion of potato
      (Solanum tuberosum L.).
AB  - Phosphate-solubilizing and phytate-mineralizing bacteria collectively termed as
      phosphobacteria provide a sustainable approach for managing P-deficiency in
      agricultural soils by supplying inexpensive phosphate to plants. A
      phosphobacterium Bacillus subtilis strain KPS-11 (Genbank accession no. KP006655)
      was isolated from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) rhizosphere and characterized for
      potato plant growth promoting potential. The strain utilized both Ca-phosphate
      and Na-phytate in vitro and produced 6.48 MUg mL(-1) indole-3-acetic acid in
      tryptophan supplemented medium. P-solubilization after 240 h was 66.4 MUg mL(-1)
      alongwith the production of 19.3 MUg mL(-1) gluconic acid and 5.3 MUg mL(-1)
      malic acid. The extracellular phytase activity was higher (4.3 * 10(-10) kat mg(
      1) protein) than the cell-associated phytase activity (1.6 * 10(-10) kat mg(-1)
      protein). B. subtilis strain KPS-11 utilized 40 carbon sources and showed
      resistance against 20 chemicals in GENIII micro-plate system demonstrating its
      metabolic potential. Phytase-encoding gene beta-propeller (BPP) showed 92% amino
      acid similarity to BPP from B. subtilis (accession no.WP_014114128.1) and 83%
      structural similarity to BPP from B. subtilis (accession no 3AMR_A). Potato
      inoculation with B. subtilis strain KPS-11 increased the root/shoot length and
      root/shoot weight of potato as compared to non-inoculated control plants.
      Moreover, rifampicin-resistant derivative of KPS-11 were able to survive in the
      rhizosphere and on the roots of potato up to 60 days showing its colonization
      potential. The study indicates that B. subtilis strain KPS-11 can be a potential
      candidate for development of potato inoculum in P-deficient soils. 

PMID- 26106384
TI  - Hyaluronan, Inflammation, and Breast Cancer Progression.
AB  - Breast cancer-induced inflammation in the tumor reactive stroma supports invasion
      and malignant progression and is contributed to by a variety of host cells
      including macrophages and fibroblasts. Inflammation appears to be initiated by
      tumor cells and surrounding host fibroblasts that secrete pro-inflammatory
      cytokines and chemokines and remodel the extracellular matrix (ECM) to create a
      pro-inflammatory "cancerized" or tumor reactive microenvironment that supports
      tumor expansion and invasion. The tissue polysaccharide hyaluronan (HA) is an
      example of an ECM component within the cancerized microenvironment that promotes
      breast cancer progression. Like many ECM molecules, the function of native high
      molecular weight HA is altered by fragmentation, which is promoted by
      oxygen/nitrogen free radicals and release of hyaluronidases within the tumor
      microenvironment. HA fragments are pro-inflammatory and activate signaling
      pathways that promote survival, migration, and invasion within both tumor and
      host cells through binding to HA receptors such as CD44 and RHAMM/HMMR. In breast
      cancer, elevated HA in the peri-tumor stroma and increased HA receptor expression
      are prognostic for poor outcome and are associated with disease recurrence. This
      review addresses the critical issues regarding tumor-induced inflammation and its
      role in breast cancer progression focusing specifically on the changes in HA
      metabolism within tumor reactive stroma as a key factor in malignant progression.

PMID- 26106385
TI  - The Role of Infection and Inflammation in Stillbirths: Parallels with SIDS?
AB  - It has been suggested that stillbirths are part of the spectrum of infant deaths
      that includes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). This paper examines the
      hypothesis that risk factors associated with stillbirths might contribute to
      dysregulation of inflammatory responses to infections that could trigger the
      physiological responses leading to fetal loss. These include genetic factors
      (ethnic group, sex), environmental (infection, cigarette smoke, obesity), and
      developmental (testosterone levels) factors. Interactions between the genetic,
      environmental, and developmental risk factors are also considered, e.g., the
      excess of male stillborn infants in relation to the effects of testosterone
      levels during development on pro-inflammatory responses. In contrast to SIDS,
      inflammatory responses of both mother and fetus need to be considered. Approaches
      for examining the hypothesis are proposed. 

PMID- 26106386
TI  - Differential Cytotoxicity but Augmented IFN-gamma Secretion by NK Cells after
      Interaction with Monocytes from Humans, and Those from Wild Type and Myeloid
      Specific COX-2 Knockout Mice.
AB  - The list of genes, which augment NK cell function when knocked out in neighboring
      cells is increasing, and may point to the fundamental function of NK cells
      targeting cells with diminished capability to differentiate optimally since NK
      cells are able to target less differentiated cells, and aid in their
      differentiation. In this paper, we aimed at understanding the effect of monocytes
      from targeted knockout of COX-2 in myeloid cells (Cox-2(flox/flox);LysM(Cre/)
      (+)) and from control littermates (Cox-2(flox/flox);LysM (+) (/) (+)) on ex vivo
      function of NK cells. Furthermore, we compared the effect of monocytes treated
      with and without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on NK cells from mice and humans. NK
      cells purified from Cox-2(flox/flox);LysM(Cre/) (+) mice had heightened cytotoxic
      activity when compared to those obtained from control littermates. In addition,
      NK cells cultured with autologous Cox-2(flox/flox);LysM(Cre/) (+) monocytes and
      DCs, mouse embryonic fibroblasts from global knockout COX-2, but not with
      knockout of COX-2 in T cells, had increased cytotoxic function as well as
      augmented IFN-gamma secretion when compared to NK cells from control littermates
      cultured with monocytes. LPS inhibited NK cell cytotoxicity while increasing IFN
      gamma secretion when cultured in the presence of monocytes from either Cox
      2(flox/flox);LysM(Cre/) (+) or control littermates. In contrast to mice, NK cells
      from humans when cultured with monocytes lost cytotoxic function and gained
      ability to secrete large amounts of IFN-gamma, a process, which we had previously
      coined as "split anergy." Similar to mice, LPS potentiated the loss of human NK
      cell cytotoxicity while increasing IFN-gamma secretion in the presence of
      monocytes. Greater loss of cytotoxicity and larger secretion of IFN-gamma in NK
      cells induced by gene knockout cells may be important for the greater need of
      these cells for differentiation. 

PMID- 26106388
TI  - AMD3100/CXCR4 Inhibitor.

PMID- 26106389
TI  - Finding Fusin/CXCR4, the First "2nd Receptor" for HIV Entry.

PMID- 26106391
TI  - CXCL8 - The First Chemokine.

PMID- 26106390
TI  - NKG2D is a Key Receptor for Recognition of Bladder Cancer Cells by IL-2-Activated
      NK Cells and BCG Promotes NK Cell Activation.
AB  - Intravesical instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is used to treat
      superficial bladder cancer, either papillary tumors (after transurethral
      resection) or high-grade flat carcinomas (carcinoma in situ), reducing recurrence
      in about 70% of patients. Initially, BCG was proposed to work through an
      inflammatory response, mediated by phagocytic uptake of mycobacterial antigens
      and cytokine release. More recently, other immune effectors such as monocytes,
      natural killer (NK), and NKT cells have been suggested to play a role in this
      immune response. Here, we provide a comprehensive study of multiple bladder
      cancer cell lines as putative targets for immune cells and evaluated their
      recognition by NK cells in the presence and absence of BCG. We describe that
      different bladder cancer cells can express multiple activating and inhibitory
      ligands for NK cells. Recognition of bladder cancer cells depended mainly on
      NKG2D, with a contribution from NKp46. Surprisingly, exposure to BCG did not
      affect the immune phenotype of bladder cells nor increased NK cell recognition of
      purified IL-2-activated cell lines. However, NK cells were activated efficiently
      when BCG was included in mixed lymphocyte cultures, suggesting that NK activation
      after mycobacteria treatment requires the collaboration of various immune cells.
      We also analyzed the percentage of NK cells in peripheral blood of a cohort of
      bladder cancer patients treated with BCG. The total numbers of NK cells did not
      vary during treatment, indicating that a more detailed study of NK cell
      activation in the tumor site will be required to evaluate the response in each
      patient. 

PMID- 26106392
TI  - TCR-Signaling Events in Cellular Metabolism and Specialization.
AB  - Engaging the T cell receptor (TCR) with peptide:MHC complexes initiates a cascade
      of signaling events that activates T cells in an antigen-specific manner. It is
      now clear that multiple inputs, including the strength of TCR signaling, co
      stimulation, and the cytokine environment, impact T cell specialization decisions
      in the context of specific pathogenic encounters. Additionally, it is now
      appreciated that these same stimuli direct cellular metabolism programs. In this
      review, we will discuss how TCR-signaling events coordinate cellular metabolism
      and specialization gene programs in T cells. 

PMID- 26106393
TI  - Chemokines and HIV: The First Close Encounter.

PMID- 26106394
TI  - CCR5 and HIV Infection, a View from Brussels.

PMID- 26106395
TI  - CXCR5, the Defining Marker for Follicular B Helper T (TFH) Cells.

PMID- 26106387
TI  - Pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis.
AB  - Systemic scleroderma (SSc) is one of the most complex systemic autoimmune
      diseases. It targets the vasculature, connective tissue-producing cells (namely
      fibroblasts/myofibroblasts), and components of the innate and adaptive immune
      systems. Clinical and pathologic manifestations of SSc are the result of: (1)
      innate/adaptive immune system abnormalities leading to production of
      autoantibodies and cell-mediated autoimmunity, (2) microvascular endothelial
      cell/small vessel fibroproliferative vasculopathy, and (3) fibroblast dysfunction
      generating excessive accumulation of collagen and other matrix components in skin
      and internal organs. All three of these processes interact and affect each other.
      The disease is heterogeneous in its clinical presentation that likely reflects
      different genetic or triggering factor (i.e., infection or environmental toxin)
      influences on the immune system, vasculature, and connective tissue cells. The
      roles played by other ubiquitous molecular entities (such as lysophospholipids,
      endocannabinoids, and their diverse receptors and vitamin D) in influencing the
      immune system, vasculature, and connective tissue cells are just beginning to be
      realized and studied and may provide insights into new therapeutic approaches to
      treat SSc. 

PMID- 26106396
TI  - In vivo TCR Signaling in CD4(+) T Cells Imprints a Cell-Intrinsic, Transient Low
      Motility Pattern Independent of Chemokine Receptor Expression Levels, or
      Microtubular Network, Integrin, and Protein Kinase C Activity.
AB  - Intravital imaging has revealed that T cells change their migratory behavior
      during physiological activation inside lymphoid tissue. Yet, it remains less well
      investigated how the intrinsic migratory capacity of activated T cells is
      regulated by chemokine receptor levels or other regulatory elements. Here, we
      used an adjuvant-driven inflammation model to examine how motility patterns
      corresponded with CCR7, CXCR4, and CXCR5 expression levels on ovalbumin-specific
      DO11.10 CD4(+) T cells in draining lymph nodes. We found that while CCR7 and
      CXCR4 surface levels remained essentially unaltered during the first 48-72 h
      after activation of CD4(+) T cells, their in vitro chemokinetic and directed
      migratory capacity to the respective ligands, CCL19, CCL21, and CXCL12, was
      substantially reduced during this time window. Activated T cells recovered from
      this temporary decrease in motility on day 6 post immunization, coinciding with
      increased migration to the CXCR5 ligand CXCL13. The transiently impaired CD4(+) T
      cell motility pattern correlated with increased LFA-1 expression and augmented
      phosphorylation of the microtubule regulator Stathmin on day 3 post immunization,
      yet neither microtubule destabilization nor integrin blocking could reverse TCR
      imprinted unresponsiveness. Furthermore, protein kinase C (PKC) inhibition did
      not restore chemotactic activity, ruling out PKC-mediated receptor
      desensitization as mechanism for reduced migration in activated T cells. Thus, we
      identify a cell-intrinsic, chemokine receptor level-uncoupled decrease in
      motility in CD4(+) T cells shortly after activation, coinciding with clonal
      expansion. The transiently reduced ability to react to chemokinetic and
      chemotactic stimuli may contribute to the sequestering of activated CD4(+) T
      cells in reactive peripheral lymph nodes, allowing for integration of
      costimulatory signals required for full activation. 

PMID- 26106398
TI  - Fructans and other water soluble carbohydrates in vegetative organs and fruits of
      different Musa spp. accessions.
AB  - The water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) glucose, fructose, and sucrose are well
      known to the great public, but fructans represent another type of WSC that
      deserves more attention given their prebiotic and immunomodulatory properties in
      the food context. Although the occurrence of inulin-type fructo-oligosaccharides
      (FOS) was proposed in the fruit of some banana accessions, little or no
      information is available neither on the exact identity of the fructan species,
      nor on the fructan content in different parts of banana plants and among a
      broader array of banana cultivars. Here, we investigated the WSC composition in
      leaves, pulp of ripe fruits and rhizomes from mature banana plants of 11
      accessions (I to XI), including both cultivated varieties and wild Musa species.
      High performance anion exchange chromatography with integrated pulsed
      amperometric detection (HPAEC-IPAD) showed the presence of 1-kestotriose [GF2],
      inulobiose [F2], inulotriose [F3], 6-kestotriose and 6G-kestotriose (neokestose)
      fructan species in the pulp of mature fruits of different accessions, but the
      absence of 1,1-nystose and 1,1,1 kestopentaose and higher degree of
      polymerization (DP) inulin-type fructans. This fructan fingerprint points at the
      presence of one or more invertases that are able to use fructose and sucrose as
      alternative acceptor substrates. Quantification of glucose, fructose, sucrose and
      1-kestotriose and principal component analysis (PCA) identified related banana
      groups, based on their specific WSC profiles. These data provide new insights in
      the biochemical diversity of wild and cultivated bananas, and shed light on
      potential roles that fructans may fulfill across species, during plant
      development and adaptation to changing environments. Furthermore, the promiscuous
      behavior of banana fruit invertases (sucrose and fructose as acceptor substrates
      besides water) provides a new avenue to boost future work on structure-function
      relationships on these enzymes, potentially leading to the development of genuine
      banana fructosyltransferases that are able to increase fructan content in banana
      fruits. 

PMID- 26106399
TI  - Emerging roles of long non-coding RNA in root developmental plasticity and
      regulation of phosphate homeostasis.
AB  - Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of gene
      expression in a variety of biological process and in multiple species. In plants,
      they are transcribed by different RNA polymerases and show diverse structural
      features. With the aid of next-generation sequencing technologies, a large number
      of lncRNA have been identified in model plants as well as in crops. This review
      focuses on the demonstration that lncRNAs control root system architecture,
      notably in response to phosphate availability, through regulation of
      transcription, alternative splicing, microRNA activity, messenger RNA stability
      and translation, illustrating remarkable diversity in their roles in regulating
      developmental plasticity. 

PMID- 26106397
TI  - Biotechnological strategies and tools for Plum pox virus resistance: trans-,
      intra-, cis-genesis, and beyond.
AB  - Plum pox virus (PPV) is the etiological agent of sharka, the most devastating and
      economically important viral disease affecting Prunus species. It is widespread
      in most stone fruits producing countries even though eradication and quarantine
      programs are in place. The development of resistant cultivars and rootstocks
      remains the most ecologically and economically suitable approach to achieve long
      term control of sharka disease. However, the few PPV resistance genetic resources
      found in Prunus germplasm along with some intrinsic biological features of stone
      fruit trees pose limits for efficient and fast breeding programs. This review
      focuses on an array of biotechnological strategies and tools, which have been
      used, or may be exploited to confer PPV resistance. A considerable number of
      scientific studies clearly indicate that robust and predictable resistance can be
      achieved by transforming plant species with constructs encoding intron-spliced
      hairpin RNAs homologous to conserved regions of the PPV genome. In addition, we
      discuss how recent advances in our understanding of PPV biology can be profitably
      exploited to develop viral interference strategies. In particular, genetic
      manipulation of host genes by which PPV accomplishes its infection cycle already
      permits the creation of intragenic resistant plants. Finally, we review the
      emerging genome editing technologies based on ZFN, TALEN and CRISPR/Cas9
      engineered nucleases and how the knockout of host susceptibility genes will open
      up next generation of PPV resistant plants. 

PMID- 26106400
TI  - AtPGL3 is an Arabidopsis BURP domain protein that is localized to the cell wall
      and promotes cell enlargement.
AB  - The BURP domain is a plant-specific domain that has been identified in secretory
      proteins, and some of these are involved in cell wall modification. The tomato
      polygalacturonase I complex involved in pectin degradation in ripening fruits has
      a non-catalytic subunit that has a BURP domain. This protein is called
      polygalacturonase 1 beta (PG1beta) and the Arabidopsis genome encodes three
      proteins that exhibit strong amino acid similarities with PG1beta? We generated
      Arabidopsis lines in which expression levels of AtPGLs are altered in order to
      investigate the biological roles of the Arabidopsis PG1beta-like proteins
      (AtPGLs). Among the three AtPGLs (AtPGL1-3), AtPGL3 exhibited the highest
      transcriptional activity throughout all developmental stages. AtPGL triple mutant
      plants have smaller rosette leaves than those of wild type plants because the
      leaf cells are smaller in the mutant plants. Interestingly, when we overexpressed
      AtPGL3 using a 35S promoter, leaf cells in transgenic plants grew larger than
      those of the wild type. A C-terminal GFP fusion protein of AtPGL3 complemented
      phenotypes of the triple mutant plants and it localized to the cell wall. A
      truncated AtPGL3-GFP fusion protein lacking the BURP domain failed to rescue the
      mutant phenotypes even though the GFP protein was targeted to the cell wall,
      indicating that the BURP domain is required for the protein's effect on cell
      expansion. Quantitative RT-PCR and immunoblot analyses indicated that the alpha
      expansin 6 gene is up-regulated in the overexpressor plants. Taken together,
      these results indicate that AtPGL3 is an apoplastic BURP domain protein playing a
      role in cell expansion. 

PMID- 26106401
TI  - Closing the loop on the GABA shunt in plants: are GABA metabolism and signaling
      entwined?
AB  - gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid that is found in
      uni- and multi-cellular organisms and is involved in many aspects of plant life
      cycle. GABA metabolism occurs by the action of evolutionary conserved enzymes
      that constitute the GABA shunt, bypassing two steps of the TCA cycle. The central
      position of GABA in the interface between plant carbon and nitrogen metabolism is
      well established. In parallel, there is evidence to support a role for GABA as a
      signaling molecule in plants. Here we cover some of the recent findings on GABA
      metabolism and signaling in plants and further suggest that the metabolic and
      signaling aspects of GABA may actually be inseparable. 

PMID- 26106402
TI  - Re-analysis of RNA-seq transcriptome data reveals new aspects of gene activity in
      Arabidopsis root hairs.
AB  - Root hairs, tubular-shaped outgrowths from root epidermal cells, play important
      roles in the acquisition of nutrients and water, interaction with microbe, and in
      plant anchorage. As a specialized cell type, root hairs, especially in
      Arabidopsis, provide a pragmatic research system for various aspects of studies.
      Here, we re-analyzed the RNA-seq transcriptome profile of Arabidopsis root hair
      cells by Tophat software and used Cufflinks program to mine the differentially
      expressed genes. Results showed that ERD14, RIN4, AT5G64401 were among the most
      abundant genes in the root hair cells; while ATGSTU2, AT5G54940, AT4G30530 were
      highly expressed in non-root hair tissues. In total, 5409 genes, with a fold
      change greater than two-fold (FDR adjusted P < 0.05), showed differential
      expression between root hair cells and non-root hair tissues. Of which, 61 were
      expressed only in root hair cells. One hundred and thirty-six out of 5409 genes
      have been reported to be "core" root epidermal genes, which could be grouped into
      nine clusters according to expression patterns. Gene ontology (GO) analysis of
      the 5409 genes showed that processes of "response to salt stress," "ribosome
      biogenesis," "protein phosphorylation," and "response to water deprivation" were
      enriched. Whereas only process of "intracellular signal transduction" was
      enriched in the subset of 61 genes expressed only in the root hair cells. One
      hundred and twenty-one unannotated transcripts were identified and 14 of which
      were shown to be differentially expressed between root hair cells and non-root
      hair tissues, with transcripts XLOC_000763, XLOC_031361, and XLOC_005665 being
      highly expressed in the root hair cells. The comprehensive transcriptomic
      analysis provides new information on root hair gene activity and sets the stage
      for follow-up experiments to certify the biological functions of the newly
      identified genes and novel transcripts in root hair cell morphogenesis. 

PMID- 26106404
TI  - Transcriptome analysis of the compatible interaction of tomato with Verticillium
      dahliae using RNA-sequencing.
AB  - Tomato Verticillium wilt is a soil-borne vascular disease caused by the
      necrotrophic fungus Verticillium dahliae. Although some understanding of plant
      defense mechanisms against V. dahliae infection has been gained for incompatible
      interactions, including identification of inducible resistant genes and defense
      signaling pathways, the genes and signaling pathways involved in the compatible
      interaction remain unclear. To investigate the molecular basis of the compatible
      interaction between tomato and V. dahliae, transcriptomes of V. dahliae infected
      tomatoes were compared to those of a control group. A total of approximately 25
      million high-quality reads were generated by means of the RNA sequencing (RNA
      seq) method. The sequence reads were aligned to the tomato reference genome and
      analyzed to measure gene expression levels, and to identify alternative splicing
      events. Comparative analysis between the two samples revealed 1,953 significantly
      differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 1,281 up-regulated and 672 down
      regulated genes. The RNA-Seq output was confirmed using RT-qPCR for 10 selected
      genes. The Nr, Swiss-Prot, Gene Ontology (GO), Clusters of Orthologous Groups
      (COG), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases were used to
      annotate DEG functions. Of the 1,953 DEGs identified, 1,953, 1,579, 1,739, 862,
      and 380 were assigned by Nr, Swiss-Prot, GO, COG, and KEGG, respectively. The
      important functional groups identified via GO and COG enrichment were those
      responsible for fundamental biological regulation, secondary metabolism, and
      signal transduction. Of DEGs assigned to 87 KEGG pathways, most were associated
      with phenylpropanoid metabolism and plant-pathogen interaction pathways. Most of
      the DEGs involved in these two pathways were up-regulated, and may be involved in
      regulating the tomato-V. dahliae compatible interaction. The results will help to
      identify key susceptible genes and contribute to a better understanding of the
      mechanisms of tomato susceptible response to V. dahliae. 

PMID- 26106403
TI  - Interactions between plant endomembrane systems and the actin cytoskeleton.
AB  - Membrane trafficking, organelle movement, and morphogenesis in plant cells are
      mainly controlled by the actin cytoskeleton. Not all proteins that regulate the
      cytoskeleton and membrane dynamics in animal systems have functional homologs in
      plants, especially for those proteins that form the bridge between the
      cytoskeleton and membrane; the membrane-actin adaptors. Their nature and function
      is only just beginning to be elucidated and this field has been greatly enhanced
      by the recent identification of the NETWORKED (NET) proteins, which act as
      membrane-actin adaptors. In this review, we will summarize the role of the actin
      cytoskeleton and its regulatory proteins in their interaction with endomembrane
      compartments and where they potentially act as platforms for cell signaling and
      the coordination of other subcellular events. 

PMID- 26106405
TI  - Construction of chromosome segment substitution lines enables QTL mapping for
      flowering and morphological traits in Brassica rapa.
AB  - Chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) represent a powerful method for
      precise quantitative trait loci (QTL) detection of complex agronomical traits in
      plants. In this study, we used a marker-assisted backcrossing strategy to develop
      a population consisting of 63 CSSLs, derived from backcrossing of the F1
      generated from a cross between two Brassica rapa subspecies: "Chiifu" (ssp.
      pekinensis), the Brassica "A" genome-represented line used as the donor, and
      "49caixin" (ssp. parachinensis), a non-heading cultivar used as the recipient.
      The 63 CSSLs covered 87.95% of the B. rapa genome. Among them, 39 lines carried a
      single segment; 15 lines, two segments; and nine lines, three or more segments of
      the donor parent chromosomes. To verify the potential advantage of these CSSL
      lines, we used them to locate QTL for six morphology-related traits. A total of
      58 QTL were located on eight chromosomes for all six traits: 17 for flowering
      time, 14 each for bolting time and plant height, six for plant diameter, two for
      leaf width, and five for flowering stalk diameter. Co-localized QTL were mainly
      distributed on eight genomic regions in A01, A02, A05, A06, A08, A09, and A10,
      present in the corresponding CSSLs. Moreover, new chromosomal fragments that
      harbored QTL were identified using the findings of previous studies. The CSSL
      population constructed in our study paves the way for fine mapping and cloning of
      candidate genes involved in late bolting, flowering, and plant architecture
      related traits in B. rapa. Furthermore, it has great potential for future marker
      aided gene/QTL pyramiding of other interesting traits in B. rapa breeding. 

PMID- 26106406
TI  - Potential for bias and low precision in molecular divergence time estimation of
      the Canopy of Life: an example from aquatic bird families.
AB  - Uncertainty in divergence time estimation is frequently studied from many angles
      but rarely from the perspective of phylogenetic node age. If appropriate
      molecular models and fossil priors are used, a multi-locus, partitioned analysis
      is expected to equally minimize error in accuracy and precision across all nodes
      of a given phylogeny. In contrast, if available models fail to completely account
      for rate heterogeneity, substitution saturation and incompleteness of the fossil
      record, uncertainty in divergence time estimation may increase with node age.
      While many studies have stressed this concern with regard to deep nodes in the
      Tree of Life, the inference that molecular divergence time estimation of shallow
      nodes is less sensitive to erroneous model choice has not been tested explicitly
      in a Bayesian framework. Because of available divergence time estimation methods
      that permit fossil priors across any phylogenetic node and the present increase
      in efficient, cheap collection of species-level genomic data, insight is needed
      into the performance of divergence time estimation of shallow (<10 MY) nodes.
      Here, we performed multiple sensitivity analyses in a multi-locus data set of
      aquatic birds with six fossil constraints. Comparison across divergence time
      analyses that varied taxon and locus sampling, number and position of fossil
      constraint and shape of prior distribution showed various insights. Deviation
      from node ages obtained from a reference analysis was generally highest for the
      shallowest nodes but determined more by temporal placement than number of fossil
      constraints. Calibration with only the shallowest nodes significantly
      underestimated the aquatic bird fossil record, indicating the presence of
      saturation. Although joint calibration with all six priors yielded ages most
      consistent with the fossil record, ages of shallow nodes were overestimated. This
      bias was found in both mtDNA and nDNA regions. Thus, divergence time estimation
      of shallow nodes may suffer from bias and low precision, even when appropriate
      fossil priors and best available substitution models are chosen. Much care must
      be taken to address the possible ramifications of substitution saturation across
      the entire Tree of Life. 

PMID- 26106407
TI  - The role of INDY in metabolism, health and longevity.
AB  - Indy (I'm Not Dead Yet) encodes the fly homolog of a mammalian SLC13A5 plasma
      membrane transporter. INDY is expressed in metabolically active tissues
      functioning as a transporter of Krebs cycle intermediates with the highest
      affinity for citrate. Decreased expression of the Indy gene extends longevity in
      Drosophila and C. elegans. Reduction of INDY or its respective homologs in C.
      elegans and mice induces metabolic and physiological changes similar to those
      observed in calorie restriction. It is thought that these physiological changes
      are due to altered levels of cytoplasmic citrate, which directly impacts Krebs
      cycle energy production as a result of shifts in substrate availability. Citrate
      cleavage is a key event during lipid and glucose metabolism; thus, reduction of
      citrate due to Indy reduction alters these processes. With regards to mammals,
      mice with reduced Indy (mIndy(-/-)) also exhibit changes in glucose metabolism,
      mitochondrial biogenesis and are protected from the negative effects of a high
      calorie diet. Together, these data support a role for Indy as a metabolic
      regulator, which suggests INDY as a therapeutic target for treatment of diet and
      age-related disorders such as Type II Diabetes and obesity. 

PMID- 26106408
TI  - PPAR-Alpha Agonist Used at the Acute Phase of Experimental Ischemic Stroke
      Reduces Occurrence of Thrombolysis-Induced Hemorrhage in Rats.
AB  - The impact of fenofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha
      (PPAR-alpha) agonist, on the risk of thrombolysis-induced hemorrhage during the
      acute phase of stroke in a rat model of stroke was studied. One-hour middle
      cerebral artery occlusion followed by thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen
      activator was made in rats receiving either fenofibrate or vehicle for 72 h after
      stroke. Evaluation of infarct, hemorrhage, middle cerebral artery vasoreactivity,
      and immunochemistry (CD11b for microglial activation, myeloperoxidase, and ICAM-1
      for neutrophil infiltration) was performed. The PPAR-alpha agonist significantly
      reduced the risk of hemorrhage after thrombolysis in parallel with a decrease in
      the infarct volume and in the stroke-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction.
      These effects are concomitant with a reduction in microglial activation and
      neutrophil infiltration in infarct area. Our results strengthen the idea that
      using drugs such as fenofibrate, with pleiotropic properties due to PPAR-alpha
      agonism, may be of value to reduce thrombolysis-induced hemorrhage during acute
      stroke. 

PMID- 26106409
TI  - A Fuzzy Computing Model for Identifying Polarity of Chinese Sentiment Words.
AB  - With the spurt of online user-generated contents on web, sentiment analysis has
      become a very active research issue in data mining and natural language
      processing. As the most important indicator of sentiment, sentiment words which
      convey positive and negative polarity are quite instrumental for sentiment
      analysis. However, most of the existing methods for identifying polarity of
      sentiment words only consider the positive and negative polarity by the Cantor
      set, and no attention is paid to the fuzziness of the polarity intensity of
      sentiment words. In order to improve the performance, we propose a fuzzy
      computing model to identify the polarity of Chinese sentiment words in this
      paper. There are three major contributions in this paper. Firstly, we propose a
      method to compute polarity intensity of sentiment morphemes and sentiment words.
      Secondly, we construct a fuzzy sentiment classifier and propose two different
      methods to compute the parameter of the fuzzy classifier. Thirdly, we conduct
      extensive experiments on four sentiment words datasets and three review datasets,
      and the experimental results indicate that our model performs better than the
      state-of-the-art methods. 

PMID- 26106410
TI  - Energy Consumption Forecasting Using Semantic-Based Genetic Programming with
      Local Search Optimizer.
AB  - Energy consumption forecasting (ECF) is an important policy issue in today's
      economies. An accurate ECF has great benefits for electric utilities and both
      negative and positive errors lead to increased operating costs. The paper
      proposes a semantic based genetic programming framework to address the ECF
      problem. In particular, we propose a system that finds (quasi-)perfect solutions
      with high probability and that generates models able to produce near optimal
      predictions also on unseen data. The framework blends a recently developed
      version of genetic programming that integrates semantic genetic operators with a
      local search method. The main idea in combining semantic genetic programming and
      a local searcher is to couple the exploration ability of the former with the
      exploitation ability of the latter. Experimental results confirm the suitability
      of the proposed method in predicting the energy consumption. In particular, the
      system produces a lower error with respect to the existing state-of-the art
      techniques used on the same dataset. More importantly, this case study has shown
      that including a local searcher in the geometric semantic genetic programming
      system can speed up the search process and can result in fitter models that are
      able to produce an accurate forecasting also on unseen data. 

PMID- 26106411
TI  - Rescue Therapy with a Proton Pump Inhibitor Plus Amoxicillin and Rifabutin for
      Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Background. To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials
      for eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) that included a treatment arm
      with a proton pump inhibitor, rifabutin, and amoxicillin. Materials and Methods.
      We selected clinical trials that examined the efficacy of H. pylori eradication
      therapies and included a study arm using the test regimen from major medical
      literature databases and abstracts from major gastroenterology meetings. We also
      did subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Results. Twenty-one studies were included
      in systematic review. The total eradication rates of the test regimen were 70.4%
      by intent-to-treat (ITT) and 72.0% by per-protocol (PP) analyses. The pooled odds
      ratio (OR) was 0.55 using fixed effects model (P = 0.283) for the test regimen
      versus other triple regimens. The total eradication rates were 68.4% for the test
      regimen and 81.9% in the control group by ITT, while the OR was 1.08 using random
      effects model (P = 0.019). The pooled eradication rate was 66.4% for the test
      regimen and 67.4% for the control group by ITT. The total adverse effects
      incidence were 25.1% for the test regimen. Conclusions. The test regimen for H.
      pylori rescue therapy may be not superior to control regimens in efficacy. 

PMID- 26106412
TI  - Short-Term Efficacy of Exclusive Enteral Nutrition in Pediatric Crohn's Disease:
      Practice in China.
AB  - Aims. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of exclusive
      enteral nutrition (EEN) and corticosteroids in inducing remission in pediatric
      Crohn's disease (CD) and the effects of the treatment on growth improvements.
      Methods. Data was retrospectively collected for children and adolescents newly
      diagnosed with CD in a referral center. Patients who were followed up for more
      than 2 months with mild to moderate disease were included. Basic demographics,
      history, physical examination, the pediatric Crohn disease activity index
      (PCDAI), laboratory findings, endoscopic findings, and adverse effects were
      recorded. Remission was defined as PCDAI < 10 points. Results. Ten subjects
      received EEN and 18 patients received corticosteroids. The median follow-up in
      EEN group and steroid group was 9.2 weeks and 9.6 weeks, respectively. The
      remission rate in EEN group was significantly higher than that in steroid group
      (90.0% versus 50.0%, resp., P < 0.05). Growth improvement, which was evaluated by
      changes in height for age z-score, was more apparent in EEN group than that in
      steroids group (P < 0.05). No adverse effects were observed in EEN group.
      Conclusions. In children with mild to moderate CD, EEN is more effective than
      corticosteroids in improving disease severity and growth deficiency, as well as
      providing less side effects. 

PMID- 26106413
TI  - Advances in the Endoscopic Management of Obesity.
AB  - Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic with significant impact on quality of
      life, morbidity, and mortality rates. Over the past two decades, bariatric
      surgery has established itself as the most effective and durable treatment for
      patients with obesity and its associated comorbidities. However, despite the use
      of minimally invasive techniques, bariatric surgery is associated with
      complications in approximately 15% of patients, has a substantial cost, and is
      used by only 1% of patients who are eligible. Therefore, there is a need for
      effective minimally invasive therapies, which will be utilized by the large
      proportion of obese patients who are in desperate need of treatment but are not
      receiving any. Endoscopic approaches to the management of obesity have been
      developed, with the aim of delivering more effective, durable, and safer methods
      of weight reduction. In this paper, we review currently available and future
      endoscopic therapies that will likely join the armamentarium used in the
      management of obesity. 

PMID- 26106414
TI  - Temozolomide Therapy for Aggressive Pituitary Tumors: Results in a Small Series
      of Patients from Argentina.
AB  - We evaluated results of temozolomide (TMZ) therapy in six patients, aged 34-78
      years, presenting aggressive pituitary tumors. In all the patients tested O(6)
      methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) immunoexpression in surgical specimens
      was absent. Patients received temozolomide 140-320 mg/day for 5 days monthly for
      at least 3 months. In two patients minimum time for evaluation could not be
      reached because of death in a 76-year-old man with a malignant prolactinoma and
      of severe neutro-thrombopenia in a 47-year-old woman with nonfunctioning
      pituitary adenoma. In two patients (a 34-year-old acromegalic woman and a 39-year
      old woman with Nelson's syndrome) no response was observed after 4 and 6 months,
      respectively, and the treatment was stopped. Conversely, two 52- and 42-year-old
      women with Cushing's disease had long-term total clinical and radiological
      remissions which persisted after stopping temozolomide. We conclude that TMZ
      therapy may be of variable efficacy depending on-until now-incompletely
      understood factors. Cooperative work on a greater number of cases of aggressive
      pituitary tumors should be crucial to establish the indications, doses, and
      duration of temozolomide administration. 

PMID- 26106415
TI  - Serum IGFBP-2 and Risk of Atypical Hyperplasia of the Breast.
AB  - Atypical hyperplasia of the breast (AH) is associated with increased risk of
      subsequent invasive breast cancer, yet little is known about the etiology of AH.
      Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2) may contribute to the
      development of AH due to its proliferative effects on mammary tissue. We
      conducted a nested case-control study of postmenopausal women enrolled in Women's
      Health Initiative-Clinical Trial. Cases were 275 women who developed incident AH
      during follow-up, individually (1 : 1) matched to controls. Levels of IGFBP-2
      were determined from fasting serum collected at baseline. Multivariable
      conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios for the
      association of IGFBP-2 with risk of AH. Serum IGFBP-2 was associated with a
      nonsignificant decrease in risk for AH, when comparing the highest quartile to
      lowest quartile (OR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.32-1.31). This decrease in risk was most
      evident when analyses were restricted to nondiabetic, nonusers of hormone therapy
      (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.13-0.86, p trend = 0.06) and nondiabetic women who were
      overweight or obese (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.18-1.03, p trend = 0.05). Results from
      this study provide some support for an inverse association between serum IGFBP2
      levels and risk of AH, particularly in nondiabetic women who are overweight or
      obese. Further studies are required to confirm these results. 

PMID- 26106416
TI  - Caries Experience Differs between Females and Males across Age Groups in Northern
      Appalachia.
AB  - Sex disparities in dental caries have been observed across many populations, with
      females typically exhibiting higher prevalence and more affected teeth. In this
      study we assessed the sex disparities in two Northern Appalachian populations
      from West Virginia (WV, N = 1997) and Pennsylvania (PA, N = 1080) by comparing
      caries indices between males and females across four phases of dental
      development: primary dentition in children aged 1-5 years, mixed dentition in
      children aged 6-11 years, permanent dentition in adolescents aged 12-17 years,
      and permanent dentition in adults aged 18-59 years. No significant sex
      differences were observed for children aged 1-5 years. Contrary to national and
      international trends, WV girls aged 6-11 years had 1.5 fewer affected teeth than
      boys (p < 0.001). However, by ages 12-17, caries indices in the WV girls matched
      those in boys. In both WV and PA adults, women and men had similar total counts
      of affected teeth (i.e., DMFT), although women had more dental restorations (p <
      0.001) and men had more current decay (p < 0.001). These results suggest that in
      some Appalachian populations, young girls benefit from protection against caries
      that is lost during adolescence and that adult women utilize dental health care
      to a greater degree than men. 

PMID- 26106417
TI  - Intermittent Compressive Stress Enhanced Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Expression
      in Human Periodontal Ligament Cells.
AB  - Mechanical force was shown to promote IGF-1 expression in periodontal ligament
      both in vitro and in vivo. Though the mechanism of this effect has not yet been
      proved, here we investigated the molecular mechanism of intermittent mechanical
      stress on IGF-1 expression. In addition, the role of hypoxia on the intermittent
      compressive stress on IGF-1 expression was also examined. In this study, human
      periodontal ligament cells (HPDLs) were stimulated with intermittent mechanical
      stress for 24 hours. IGF-1 expression was examined by real-time polymerase chain
      reaction. Chemical inhibitors were used to determine molecular mechanisms of
      these effects. For hypoxic mimic condition, the CoCl2 supplementation was
      employed. The results showed that intermittent mechanical stress dramatically
      increased IGF-1 expression at 24 h. The pretreatment with TGF-beta receptor I or
      TGF-beta1 antibody could inhibit the intermittent mechanical stress-induced IGF-1
      expression. Moreover, the upregulation of TGF-beta1 proteins was detected in
      intermittent mechanical stress treated group. Correspondingly, the IGF-1
      expression was upregulated upon being treated with recombinant human TGF-beta1.
      Further, the hypoxic mimic condition attenuated the intermittent mechanical
      stress and rhTGF-beta1-induced IGF-1 expression. In summary, this study suggests
      intermittent mechanical stress-induced IGF-1 expression in HPDLs through TGF
      beta1 and this phenomenon could be inhibited in hypoxic mimic condition. 

PMID- 26106418
TI  - Prognostic Value of Residual Disease after Interval Debulking Surgery for FIGO
      Stage IIIC and IV Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.
AB  - Although complete debulking surgery for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is more
      often achieved with interval debulking surgery (IDS) following neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy (NACT), randomized evidence shows no long-term survival benefit
      compared to complete primary debulking surgery (PDS). We performed an
      observational cohort study of patients treated with debulking surgery for
      advanced EOC to evaluate the prognostic value of residual disease after debulking
      surgery. All patients treated between 1998 and 2010 in three Dutch referral
      gynaecological oncology centres were included. The prognostic value of residual
      disease after surgery for disease specific survival was assessed using Cox
      regression analyses. In total, 462 patients underwent NACT-IDS and 227 PDS.
      Macroscopic residual disease after debulking surgery was an independent
      prognostic factor for survival in both treatment modalities. Yet, residual tumour
      less than one centimetre at IDS was associated with a survival benefit of five
      months compared to leaving residual tumour more than one centimetre, whereas this
      benefit was not seen after PDS. Leaving residual tumour at IDS is a poor
      prognostic sign as it is after PDS. The specific prognostic value of residual
      tumour seems to depend on the clinical setting, as minimal instead of gross
      residual tumour is associated with improved survival after IDS, but not after
      PDS. 

PMID- 26106419
TI  - Neural Differentiation of Human Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cells Involves
      Activation of the Wnt5a/JNK Signalling.
AB  - Stem cells are a powerful resource for cell-based transplantation therapies, but
      understanding of stem cell differentiation at the molecular level is not clear
      yet. We hypothesized that the Wnt pathway controls stem cell maintenance and
      neural differentiation. We have characterized the transcriptional expression of
      Wnt during the neural differentiation of hADSCs. After neural induction, the
      expressions of Wnt2, Wnt4, and Wnt11 were decreased, but the expression of Wnt5a
      was increased compared with primary hADSCs in RT-PCR analysis. In addition, the
      expression levels of most Fzds and LRP5/6 ligand were decreased, but not Fzd3 and
      Fzd5. Furthermore, Dvl1 and RYK expression levels were downregulated in NI
      hADSCs. There were no changes in the expression of beta-catenin and GSK3beta.
      Interestingly, Wnt5a expression was highly increased in NI-hADSCs by real time RT
      PCR analysis and western blot. Wnt5a level was upregulated after neural
      differentiation and Wnt3, Dvl2, and Naked1 levels were downregulated. Finally, we
      found that the JNK expression was increased after neural induction and ERK level
      was decreased. Thus, this study shows for the first time how a single Wnt5a
      ligand can activate the neural differentiation pathway through the activation of
      Wnt5a/JNK pathway by binding Fzd3 and Fzd5 and directing Axin/GSK-3beta in
      hADSCs. 

PMID- 26106420
TI  - In Vitro Studies of Bacterial Cellulose and Magnetic Nanoparticles Smart
      Nanocomposites for Efficient Chronic Wounds Healing.
AB  - The quality of life of patients with chronic wounds can be extremely poor and,
      therefore, over the past decades, great efforts have been made to develop
      efficient strategies to improve the healing process and the social impact
      associated with these conditions. Cell based therapy, as a modern tissue
      engineering strategy, involves the design of 3D cell-scaffold bioconstructs
      obtained by preseeding drug loaded scaffolds with undifferentiated cells in order
      to achieve in situ functional de novo tissue. This paper reports on the
      development of bionanocomposites based on bacterial cellulose and magnetic
      nanoparticles (magnetite) for efficient chronic wounds healing. Composites were
      obtained directly in the cellulose bacterial culture medium by dispersing various
      amounts of magnetite nanoparticles during the biosynthesis process. After
      purification and drying, the membranes were characterized by Raman spectroscopy
      and X-ray diffraction to reveal the presence of magnetite within the bacterial
      cellulose matrix. Morphological investigation was employed through SEM and TEM
      analyses on bionanocomposites. The biocompatibility of these innovative materials
      was studied in relation to human adipose derived stem cells in terms of cellular
      morphology, viability, and proliferation as well as scaffolds cytotoxic
      potential. 

PMID- 26106421
TI  - Osteopontin Overexpression Induced Tumor Progression and Chemoresistance to
      Oxaliplatin through Induction of Stem-Like Properties in Human Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common and fatal malignancies
      worldwide. The poor prognosis of colorectal cancer patients is due to development
      of chemoresistance and cancer metastasis. Recently osteopontin (OPN) has been
      associated with stem-like properties in colorectal cancer. This study further
      examined the clinicopathological significance of OPN in CRC and its effect on
      chemoresistance and transcription of stem cell markers. We examined the
      transcription level of OPN in 84 CRC patients and correlated the expression with
      their clinicopathological parameters. The associations of OPN overexpression with
      transcription of stem cell markers and response to chemotherapy in DLD1-OPN
      overexpressing clones and CRC patients were also investigated. Our results showed
      that OPN was significantly overexpressed in CRC, and its overexpression
      correlated with tumor stage and poor prognosis. Overexpression of CRC induced
      OCT4 and SOX2 expression in vitro and correlated with SOX2 overexpression in CRC
      patients. In addition, DLD1-OPN overexpressing cells showed enhanced ability to
      survive upon oxaliplatin treatment, and OPN expression was higher in CRC patients
      who were resistant to oxaliplatin-involved chemotherapy treatment. Thus, CRC
      cells overexpressing OPN demonstrated stem-like properties and OPN inhibition is
      a potential therapeutic approach to combat CRC progression and chemoresistance. 

PMID- 26106422
TI  - A 3D Porous Gelatin-Alginate-Based-IPN Acts as an Efficient Promoter of
      Chondrogenesis from Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells.
AB  - Cartilage has limited regeneration potential. Thus, there is an imperative need
      to develop new strategies for cartilage tissue engineering (CTE) amenable for
      clinical use. Recent CTE approaches rely on optimal cell-scaffold interactions,
      which require a great deal of optimization. In this study we attempt to build a
      novel gelatin- (G-) alginate- (A-) polyacrylamide (PAA) 3D interpenetrating
      network (IPN) with superior performance in promoting chondrogenesis from human
      adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). We show that our G-A-PAA scaffold is capable
      of supporting hADSCs proliferation and survival, with no apparent cytotoxic
      effect. Moreover, we find that after exposure to prochondrogenic conditions a key
      transcription factor known to induce chondrogenesis, namely, Sox9, is highly
      expressed in our hADSCs/G-A-PAA bioconstruct, along with cartilage specific
      markers such as collagen type II, CEP68, and COMP extracellular matrix (ECM)
      components. These data suggest that our G-A-PAA structural properties and
      formulation might enable hADSCs conversion towards functional chondrocytes. We
      conclude that our novel G-A-PAA biomatrix is a good candidate for prospective in
      vivo CTE applications. 

PMID- 26106423
TI  - Protective Effect of Neuropeptide Substance P on Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem
      Cells against Apoptosis Induced by Serum Deprivation.
AB  - Substance P (SP) contributes to bone formation by stimulating the proliferation
      and differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs); however, the possible
      involved effect of SP on apoptosis induced by serum deprivation (SD) in BMSCs is
      unclear. To explore the potential protective effect of SP and its mechanism, we
      investigated the relationships among SP, apoptosis induced by SD, and Wnt
      signaling in BMSCs. SP exhibited a protective effect, as indicated by a reduction
      in the apoptotic rate, nuclear condensation, caspase-3 and caspase-9 activation,
      and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 that was observed after 24 h of SD. This protective
      effect was blocked by the inhibition of Wnt signaling or antagonism of the NK-1
      receptor. Moreover, SP promoted the mRNA and protein expression of Wnt signaling
      molecules such as beta-catenin, p-GSK-3beta, c-myc, and cyclin D1 in addition to
      the nuclear translocation of beta-catenin, indicating that active Wnt signaling
      is involved in SP inhibition of apoptosis. Our results revealed that mediated by
      the NK-1 receptor, SP exerts an inhibitory effect on serum deprivation induced
      apoptosis in BMSCs that is related to the activation of canonical Wnt signaling. 

PMID- 26106424
TI  - Renal Stem Cells, Tissue Regeneration, and Stem Cell Therapies for Renal
      Diseases.

PMID- 26106425
TI  - Recent Advances in Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds Containing Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
AB  - Modern day tissue engineering and cellular therapies have gravitated toward using
      stem cells with scaffolds as a dynamic modality to aid in differentiation and
      tissue regeneration. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are one of the most studied
      stem cells used in combination with scaffolds. These cells differentiate along
      the osteogenic lineage when seeded on hydroxyapatite containing scaffolds and can
      be used as a therapeutic option to regenerate various tissues. In recent years,
      the combination of hydroxyapatite and natural or synthetic polymers has been
      studied extensively. Due to the interest in these scaffolds, this review will
      cover the wide range of hydroxyapatite containing scaffolds used with MSCs for in
      vitro and in vivo experiments. Further, in order to maintain a progressive scope
      of the field this review article will only focus on literature utilizing adult
      human derived MSCs (hMSCs) published in the last three years. 

PMID- 26106426
TI  - Endothelial Differentiation of Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells on Polyglycolic
      Acid/Polylactic Acid Mesh.
AB  - Adipose-derived stem cell (ADSC) is considered as a cell source potentially
      useful for angiogenesis in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This
      study investigated the growth and endothelial differentiation of human ADSCs on
      polyglycolic acid/polylactic acid (PGA/PLA) mesh compared to 2D plastic. Cell
      adhesion, viability, and distribution of hADSCs on PGA/PLA mesh were observed by
      CM-Dil labeling, live/dead staining, and SEM examination while endothelial
      differentiation was evaluated by flow cytometry, Ac-LDL/UEA-1 uptake assay,
      immunofluorescence stainings, and gene expression analysis of endothelial related
      markers. Results showed hADSCs gained a mature endothelial phenotype with a
      positive ratio of 21.4 +/- 3.7% for CD31+/CD34- when induced in 3D mesh after 21
      days, which was further verified by the expressions of a comprehensive range of
      endothelial related markers, whereas hADSCs in 2D induced and 2D/3D noninduced
      groups all failed to differentiate into endothelial cells. Moreover, compared to
      2D groups, the expression for alpha-SMA was markedly suppressed in 3D cultured
      hADSCs. This study first demonstrated the endothelial differentiation of hADSCs
      on the PGA/PLA mesh and pointed out the synergistic effect of PGA/PLA 3D culture
      and growth factors on the acquisition of mature characteristic endothelial
      phenotype. We believed this study would be the initial step towards the
      generation of prevascularized tissue engineered constructs. 

PMID- 26106427
TI  - Osteogenic Potential of Dental Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Preclinical Studies: A
      Systematic Review Using Modified ARRIVE and CONSORT Guidelines.
AB  - Background and Objective. Dental stem cell-based tissue engineered constructs are
      emerging as a promising alternative to autologous bone transfer for treating bone
      defects. The purpose of this review is to systematically assess the preclinical
      in vivo and in vitro studies which have evaluated the efficacy of dental stem
      cells on bone regeneration. Methods. A literature search was conducted in Ovid
      Medline, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science up to October 2014. Implantation of
      dental stem cells in animal models for evaluating bone regeneration and/or in
      vitro studies demonstrating osteogenic potential of dental stem cells were
      included. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses
      (PRISMA) guidelines were used to ensure the quality of the search. Modified
      ARRIVE (Animal research: reporting in invivo experiments) and CONSORT
      (Consolidated reporting of trials) were used to critically analyze the selected
      studies. Results. From 1914 citations, 207 full-text articles were screened and
      137 studies were included in this review. Because of the heterogeneity observed
      in the studies selected, meta-analysis was not possible. Conclusion. Both in vivo
      and in vitro studies indicate the potential use of dental stem cells in bone
      regeneration. However well-designed randomized animal trials are needed before
      moving into clinical trials. 

PMID- 26106428
TI  - Atherogenic Cytokines Regulate VEGF-A-Induced Differentiation of Bone Marrow
      Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Endothelial Cells.
AB  - Coronary artery stenting or angioplasty procedures frequently result in long-term
      endothelial dysfunction or loss and complications including arterial thrombosis
      and myocardial infarction. Stem cell-based therapies have been proposed to
      support endothelial regeneration. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) differentiate
      into endothelial cells (ECs) in the presence of VEGF-A in vitro. Application of
      VEGF-A and MSC-derived ECs at the interventional site is a complex clinical
      challenge. In this study, we examined the effect of atherogenic cytokines (IL-6,
      TNFalpha, and Ang II) on EC differentiation and function. MSCs (CD44(+), CD73(+),
      CD90(+), CD14(-), and CD45(-)) were isolated from the bone marrow of Yucatan
      microswine. Naive MSCs cultured in differentiation media containing VEGF-A (50
      ng/mL) demonstrated increased expression of EC-specific markers (vWF, PECAM-1,
      and VE-cadherin), VEGFR-2 and Sox18, and enhanced endothelial tube formation. IL
      6 or TNFalpha caused a dose-dependent attenuation of EC marker expression in VEGF
      A-stimulated MSCs. In contrast, Ang II enhanced EC marker expression in VEGF-A
      stimulated MSCs. Addition of Ang II to VEGF-A and IL-6 or TNFalpha was sufficient
      to rescue the EC phenotype. Thus, Ang II promotes but IL-6 and TNFalpha inhibit
      VEGF-A-induced differentiation of MSCs into ECs. These findings have important
      clinical implications for therapies intended to increase cardiac vascularity and
      reendothelialize coronary arteries following intervention. 

PMID- 26106429
TI  - Effects of Artificial Ligaments with Different Porous Structures on the Migration
      of BMSCs.
AB  - Polyethylene terephthalate- (PET-) based artificial ligaments (PET-ALs) are
      commonly used in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery. The
      effects of different porous structures on the migration of bone marrow
      mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on artificial ligaments and the underlying
      mechanisms are unclear. In this study, a cell migration model was utilized to
      observe the migration of BMSCs on PET-ALs with different porous structures. A
      rabbit extra-articular graft-to-bone healing model was applied to investigate the
      in vivo effects of four types of PET-ALs, and a mechanical test and histological
      observation were performed at 4 weeks and 12 weeks. The BMSC migration area of
      the 5A group was significantly larger than that of the other three groups. The
      migration of BMSCs in the 5A group was abolished by blocking the RhoA/ROCK
      signaling pathway with Y27632. The in vivo study demonstrated that implantation
      of 5A significantly improved osseointegration. Our study explicitly demonstrates
      that the migration ability of BMSCs can be regulated by varying the porous
      structures of the artificial ligaments and suggests that this regulation is
      related to the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway. Artificial ligaments prepared using a
      proper knitting method and line density may exhibit improved biocompatibility and
      clinical performance. 

PMID- 26106430
TI  - Exosomes Derived from Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Relieve Acute
      Myocardial Ischemic Injury.
AB  - This study is aimed at investigating whether human umbilical cord mesenchymal
      stem cell- (hucMSC-) derived exosomes (hucMSC-exosomes) have a protective effect
      on acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Exosomes were characterized under
      transmission electron microscopy and the particles of exosomes were further
      examined through nanoparticle tracking analysis. Exosomes (400 MUg protein) were
      intravenously administrated immediately following ligation of the left anterior
      descending (LAD) coronary artery in rats. Cardiac function was evaluated by
      echocardiography and apoptotic cells were counted using TUNEL staining. The
      cardiac fibrosis was assessed using Masson's trichrome staining. The Ki67
      positive cells in ischemic myocardium were determined using immunohistochemistry.
      The effect of hucMSC-exosomes on blood vessel formation was evaluated through
      tube formation and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (EA.hy926
      cells). The results indicated that ligation of the LAD coronary artery reduced
      cardiac function and induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Administration of hucMSC
      exosomes significantly improved cardiac systolic function and reduced cardiac
      fibrosis. Moreover, hucMSC-exosomes protected myocardial cells from apoptosis and
      promoted the tube formation and migration of EA.hy926 cells. It is concluded that
      hucMSC-exosomes improved cardiac systolic function by protecting myocardial cells
      from apoptosis and promoting angiogenesis. These effects of hucMSC-exosomes might
      be associated with regulating the expression of Bcl-2 family. 

PMID- 26106431
TI  - Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Cutaneous Wound Healing: Current Evidence and Future
      Potential.
AB  - Human skin is a remarkable organ that sustains insult and injury throughout life.
      The ability of skin to expeditiously repair wounds is paramount to survival. With
      an aging global population, coupled with a rise in the prevalence of conditions
      such as diabetes, chronic wounds represent a significant biomedical burden.
      Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), a progenitor cell population of the mesoderm
      lineage, have been shown to be significant mediators in inflammatory
      environments. Preclinical studies of MSC in various animal wound healing models
      point towards a putative therapy. This review examines the body of evidence
      suggesting that MSC accelerate wound healing in both clinical and preclinical
      studies and also the possible mechanisms controlling its efficacy. The delivery
      of a cellular therapy to the masses presents many challenges from a safety,
      ethical, and regulatory point of view. Some of the issues surrounding the
      introduction of MSC as a medicinal product are also delineated in this review. 

PMID- 26106432
TI  - Study on the Dynamic Biological Characteristics of Sca-1(+) Hematopoietic Stem
      and Progenitor Cell Senescence.
AB  - The researches in the dynamic changes of the progress of HSCs aging are very
      limited and necessary. In this study, male C57BL/6 mice were divided into 5
      groups by age. We found that the superoxide damage of HSPCs started to increase
      from the middle age (6 months old), with notably reduced antioxidation ability.
      In accordance with that, the senescence of HSPCs also started from the middle
      age, since the self-renewal and differentiation ability remarkably decreased, and
      senescence-associated markers SA-beta-GAL increased in the 6-month-old and the
      older groups. Interestingly, the telomere length and telomerase activity
      increased to a certain degree in the 6-month-old group. It suggested an intrinsic
      spontaneous ability of HSPCs against aging. It may provide a theoretical and
      experimental foundation for better understanding the senescence progress of
      HSPCs. And the dynamic biological characteristics of HSPCs senescence may also
      contribute to the clinical optimal time for antiaging drug intervention. 

PMID- 26106434
TI  - Shrinkage of Prostate and Improved Quality of Life: Management of BPH Patients
      with Croton membranaceus Ethanolic Root Extract.
AB  - Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an enlargement of the prostate. The study
      aimed at validating the use of freeze-dried Croton membranaceus ethanolic root
      extract for BPH management. Thirty-three patients were observed before and after
      3-month administration of 20 mg t.i.d orally. The International Prostate Symptom
      Score (IPSS), and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)
      questionnaires were used. Total/free PSA (tPSA, fPSA), renal, liver function,
      lipid tests, and ultrasonographic imaging were performed. Thirty (30) patients
      (66 +/- 11 years) completed the study. IPSS results showed 37% had severe, 40%
      moderate, and 23% mild symptoms before; 57% and 43% had moderate and mild
      symptoms, respectively, after treatment. IIED of patients' results showed 30%
      with severe, 40% moderate, 24% mild-moderate, 3% mild, and 3% no erectile
      dysfunction before treatment and 20% severe, 43% moderate, and 37% mild-moderate
      dysfunction, after treatment. Quality of life (QoL) improved (P = 0.001).
      Significant but non-pathological increases in total and indirect bilirubin as
      well as apolipoprotein A occurred. Mean tPSA reduced from 27.9 +/- 19.0 to 16.2
      +/- 11.8 ng/mL (P = 0.002); fPSA from 6.1 +/- 4.8 to 3.9 +/- 2.9 ng/mL (P =
      0.045); and prostate volume from 101.8 +/- 41.3 to 54.5 +/- 24.8 cm(3)  (P =
      0.023). C. membranaceus shrinks the prostate and improves QoL. 

PMID- 26106435
TI  - Supplementation of Citrus maxima Peel Powder Prevented Oxidative Stress,
      Fibrosis, and Hepatic Damage in Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4) Treated Rats.
AB  - Citrus maxima peel is rich in natural phenolic compounds and has a long use in
      the traditional medicine. HPLC-DAD analysis on Citrus maxima peel powder
      exhibited the presence of various phenolic compounds such as caffeic acid and (-)
      epicatechin. To determine the plausible hepatoprotective activity of Citrus
      maxima peel powder, we used carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) treated rat model. Liver
      damage in rats was confirmed by measuring the AST, ALT, and ALP enzyme
      activities. In addition, lipid peroxidation products (MDA), nitric oxide,
      advanced protein oxidation products level (APOP), and catalase activities were
      also analyzed along with the histological profiling for the inflammatory cell
      infiltration, collagen, and iron deposition in liver. Dietary supplementation of
      Citrus maxima peel powder exhibited significant reduction of serum AST, ALT, and
      ALP activities in carbon tetrachloride treated rats. Moreover, Citrus maxima peel
      powder also showed a significant reduction of the oxidative stress markers (MDA,
      NO, and APOP level) and restored the catalase activity in CCl4 treated rats.
      Histological examination of the liver section revealed reduced inflammatory cells
      infiltration, collagen, and iron deposition in CCl4 treated rats. The results
      from this study demonstrated that Citrus maxima peel powder produced significant
      hepatoprotective action in CCl4 administered rats. 

PMID- 26106433
TI  - Propolis: A Complex Natural Product with a Plethora of Biological Activities That
      Can Be Explored for Drug Development.
AB  - The health industry has always used natural products as a rich, promising, and
      alternative source of drugs that are used in the health system. Propolis, a
      natural resinous product known for centuries, is a complex product obtained by
      honey bees from substances collected from parts of different plants, buds, and
      exudates in different geographic areas. Propolis has been attracting scientific
      attention since it has many biological and pharmacological properties, which are
      related to its chemical composition. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have
      been performed to characterize and understand the diverse bioactivities of
      propolis and its isolated compounds, as well as to evaluate and validate its
      potential. Yet, there is a lack of information concerning clinical effectiveness.
      The goal of this review is to discuss the potential of propolis for the
      development of new drugs by presenting published data concerning the chemical
      composition and the biological properties of this natural compound from different
      geographic origins. 

PMID- 26106436
TI  - The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Lebanese Adults: Results
      from a National Survey.
AB  - Objective. To examine the prevalence and correlates of Complementary and
      Alternative Medicine (CAM) use in Lebanon. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was
      conducted through face to face interviews on a nationally representative sample
      of 1,475 Lebanese adults. The survey questionnaire explored the sociodemographic
      and health related characteristics as well as the types and modes of CAM use. The
      main outcome in this study was the use of CAM during the last 12 months. Results.
      Prevalence of CAM use was 29.87% with "folk herbs" being the most commonly used
      (75%). Two out of five CAM users indicated using it as alternative to
      conventional therapies and only 28.4% of users disclosed the use of CAM to their
      physician. CAM use was significantly associated with higher income, presence of a
      chronic disease, and lack of access to needed health care. Lower odds of CAM use
      were observed among older adults and those with a higher education level.
      Conclusions. This study revealed a high prevalence of CAM use in Lebanon. Health
      policy and decision makers need to facilitate proper regulation and integration
      of CAM into mainstream medicine and educate health care providers and the public
      alike on the safe and effective use of CAM therapies. 

PMID- 26106437
TI  - Fucoxanthin: A Promising Medicinal and Nutritional Ingredient.
AB  - Fucoxanthin, an allenic carotenoid, can be isolated from edible brown seaweeds.
      Recent studies have reported that fucoxanthin has many physiological functions
      and biological properties, such as antiobesity, antitumor, antidiabetes,
      antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities, as well as
      cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protective effects. Therefore, fucoxanthin can
      be used as both medicinal and nutritional ingredient to prevent and treat chronic
      diseases. Although fucoxanthin possesses many medicinal ingredient and
      nutritional qualities, studies indicated that its structure was unstable. In this
      paper, we consulted the current documents and reviewed structural properties and
      factors affecting the stability of fucoxanthin. We also reported the metabolism,
      safety, pharmacological activities, and the methods of improving the
      bioavailability of fucoxanthin. Based on these studies providing essential
      background knowledge, fucoxanthin can be developed into marine drugs and
      nutritional products. 

PMID- 26106438
TI  - Unmanned aerial platform-based multi-spectral imaging for field phenotyping of
      maize.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent developments in unmanned aerial platforms (UAP) have provided
      research opportunities in assessing land allocation and crop physiological
      traits, including response to abiotic and biotic stresses. UAP-based remote
      sensing can be used to rapidly and cost-effectively phenotype large numbers of
      plots and field trials in a dynamic way using time series. This is anticipated to
      have tremendous implications for progress in crop genetic improvement. RESULTS:
      We present the use of a UAP equipped with sensors for multispectral imaging in
      spatial field variability assessment and phenotyping for low-nitrogen (low-N)
      stress tolerance in maize. Multispectral aerial images were used to (1)
      characterize experimental fields for spatial soil-nitrogen variability and (2)
      derive indices for crop performance under low-N stress. Overall, results showed
      that the aerial platform enables to effectively characterize spatial field
      variation and assess crop performance under low-N stress. The Normalized
      Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data derived from spectral imaging presented a
      strong correlation with ground-measured NDVI, crop senescence index and grain
      yield. CONCLUSION: This work suggests that the aerial sensing platform designed
      for phenotyping studies has the potential to effectively assist in crop genetic
      improvement against abiotic stresses like low-N provided that sensors have enough
      resolution for plot level data collection. Limitations and future potential uses
      are also discussed.

PMID- 26106439
TI  - Optimization and Corroboration of the Regulatory Pathway of p42.3 Protein in the
      Pathogenesis of Gastric Carcinoma.
AB  - AIMS: To optimize and verify the regulatory pathway of p42.3 in the pathogenesis
      of gastric carcinoma (GC) by intelligent algorithm. METHODS: Bioinformatics
      methods were used to analyze the features of structural domain in p42.3 protein.
      Proteins with the same domains and similar functions to p42.3 were screened out
      for reference. The possible regulatory pathway of p42.3 was established by
      integrating the acting pathways of these proteins. Then, the similarity between
      the reference proteins and p42.3 protein was figured out by multiparameter
      weighted summation method. The calculation result was taken as the prior
      probability of the initial node in Bayesian network. Besides, the probability of
      occurrence in different pathways was calculated by conditional probability
      formula, and the one with the maximum probability was regarded as the most
      possible pathway of p42.3. Finally, molecular biological experiments were
      conducted to prove it. RESULTS: In Bayesian network of p42.3, probability of the
      acting pathway "S100A11->RAGE->P38->MAPK->Microtubule-associated protein->Spindle
      protein->Centromere protein->Cell proliferation" was the biggest, and it was also
      validated by biological experiments. CONCLUSIONS: The possibly important role of
      p42.3 in the occurrence of gastric carcinoma was verified by theoretical analysis
      and preliminary test, helping in studying the relationship between p42.3 and
      gastric carcinoma.

PMID- 26106441
TI  - A multivariate analysis on the comparison of raw notoginseng (Sanqi) and its
      granule products by thin-layer chromatography and ultra-performance liquid
      chromatography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Granule products produced from medicinal herbs are gaining
      popularity. However, there have been few studies comparing the quality or
      efficacy of granules with those of herbal formulations. This study aims to
      compare commercially available notoginseng (Sanqi in Chinese) in both raw and
      granule forms by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and ultra-performance liquid
      chromatography with photodiode array detection (UPLC-PDA) using multivariate
      analysis. METHODS: Aqueous extracts of the raw herb (collected from six different
      sources in China) and granule products (purchased in China, Taiwan and Australia)
      were re-extracted with methanol to remove water-soluble excipients. Five
      compounds (ginsenosides Rg1, Rg2, Rd and Rb1 and notoginsenoside NR1) in the
      methanolic extracts were quantified by TLC and UPLC-PDA. Multivariate statistical
      analysis using hierarchical component analysis (HCA) and principal component
      analysis (PCA) was used to determine the similarities between the granule
      products and raw herbs. A 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)
      (ABTS) assay was used to measure the antioxidant capacities of the extracts.
      RESULTS: HCA and PCA of the TLC analysis clustered the granule products into one
      group. By UPLC analysis, the raw herbs and two of the granule products (G7 and
      G12) were allocated into Group 1 and the rest of the granule products into Group
      2. The contents of the five marker compounds in Group 1 were higher than Group 2
      and also exhibited stronger ABTS activity (P = 0.005). By Pearson correlation,
      the contents of the five compounds in the samples were positively and
      significantly correlated to their antioxidant activities. CONCLUSIONS: UPLC was
      more efficient than TLC for the simultaneous determination of the five major
      compounds in Sanqi products in terms of linearity, higher sensitivity and
      repeatability. The statistical analysis of the samples by HCA and PCA revealed
      that the contents of the marker compounds were significantly higher in the raw
      herb group than the granule group.

PMID- 26106440
TI  - Statistical and Computational Methods for Genetic Diseases: An Overview.
AB  - The identification of causes of genetic diseases has been carried out by several
      approaches with increasing complexity. Innovation of genetic methodologies leads
      to the production of large amounts of data that needs the support of statistical
      and computational methods to be correctly processed. The aim of the paper is to
      provide an overview of statistical and computational methods paying attention to
      methods for the sequence analysis and complex diseases. 

PMID- 26106442
TI  - Life events, emotional responsiveness, and the functional prognosis of patients
      with rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stressors may differently affect human physiological systems
      according to the host properties relevant to psycho-behavioral processes that the
      stressors invoke. In a Japanese multicenter cohort study of patients with
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we examined if major life events differently
      contribute to the patients' functional prognosis according to their ability to
      identify emotions as manifest feelings when encountering the events (emotional
      responsiveness). METHODS: 460 patients with RA completed a self-administered
      baseline questionnaire about psychosocial factors including emotional
      responsiveness. Two years later, they checked on a list of positive/negative
      personal events that happened during the two-year study period. Rheumatologists
      evaluated their functional status at baseline and follow-up using the ACR
      classification system. RESULTS: In a multiple logistic regression model that
      included baseline demographic, disease activity/severity-related, therapeutic,
      and socioeconomic factors as covariates, none of the counts of positive,
      negative, or all life events was associated with the functional status at follow
      up. In the subgroup with poor emotional responsiveness, however, these life event
      counts were all associated with a poorer functional prognosis (odds ratio of ACR
      class 3-4 vs. 1-2 associated with one increment in the all life-event count =
      2.39, 95 % confidence interval = 1.27-4.48, p = .007), while no such relationship
      was evident for the rest of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Major life events, whether
      positive or negative in nature, may have an impact on the disease course of
      patients with RA when the patient has poor emotional responsiveness to the
      event(s).

PMID- 26106443
TI  - Assessments of health services availability in humanitarian emergencies: a review
      of assessments in Haiti and Sudan using a health systems approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Assessing the availability of health services during humanitarian
      emergencies is essential for understanding the capacities and weaknesses of
      disrupted health systems. To improve the consistency of health facilities
      assessments, the World Health Organization has proposed the use of the Health
      Resources Availability Mapping System (HeRAMS) developed in Darfur, Sudan as a
      standardized assessment tool for use in future acute and protracted crises. This
      study provides an evaluation of HeRAMS' comprehensiveness, and investigates the
      methods, quality and comprehensiveness of health facilities data and tools in
      Haiti, where HeRAMS was not used. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Tools and databases
      containing health facilities data in Haiti were collected using a snowball
      sampling technique, while HeRAMS was purposefully evaluated in Sudan. All
      collected tools were assessed for quality and comprehensiveness using a coding
      scheme based on the World Health Organization's health systems building blocks,
      the Global Health Cluster Suggested Set of Core Indicators and Benchmarks by
      Category, and the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in
      Humanitarian Response. Eight assessments and databases were located in Haiti, and
      covered a median of 3.5 of the 6 health system building blocks, 4.5 of the 14
      Sphere standards, and 2 of the 9 Health Cluster indicators. None of the
      assessments covered all of the indicators in any of the assessment criteria and
      many lacked basic data, limiting the detail of analysis possible for calculating
      standardized benchmarks and indicators. In Sudan, HeRAMS collected data on 5 of
      the 6 health system building blocks, 13 of the 14 Sphere Standards, and collected
      data to allow the calculation of 7 of the 9 Health Cluster Core Indicators and
      Benchmarks. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to agree upon essential health
      facilities data in disrupted health systems during humanitarian emergencies.
      Although the quality of the assessments in Haiti was generally poor, the large
      number of platforms and assessment tools deployed suggests that health facilities
      data can be collected even during acute emergencies. Further consensus is needed
      to establish essential criteria for data collection and to establish a core group
      of health systems assessment experts to be deployed during future emergencies.

PMID- 26106444
TI  - Structural and spectral investigations of the recently synthesized chalcone (E)-3
      mesityl-1-(naphthalen-2-yl) prop-2-en-1-one, a potential chemotherapeutic agent.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chalcones (1,3-diaryl-2-propen-1-ones, represent an important
      subgroup of the polyphenolic family, which have shown a wide spectrum of medical
      and industrial application. Due to their redundancy in plants and ease of
      preparation, this category of molecules has inspired considerable attention for
      potential therapeutic uses. They are also effective in vivo as anti-tumor
      promoting, cell proliferating inhibitors and chemo preventing agents. RESULTS:
      Synthesis and molecular structure investigation of (E)-3-mesityl-1-(naphthalen-2
      yl) prop-2-en-1-one (3) is reported. The structure of the title compound 3 is
      confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The optimized molecular structure of the
      studied compound is calculated using DFT B3LYP/6-311G (d,p) method. The
      calculated geometric parameters are in good agreement with the experimental data
      obtained from our reported X-ay structure. The calculated IR fundamental bands
      were assigned and compared with the experimental data. The electronic spectra of
      the studied compound have been calculated using the time dependant density
      functional theory (TD-DFT). The longest wavelength band is due to H -> L (79 %)
      electronic transition which belongs to pi-pi* excitation. The (1)H- and (13)C-NMR
      chemical shifts were calculated using gauge independent atomic orbitals (GIAO)
      method, which showed good correlations with the experimental data (R(2) = 0.9911
      0.9965). The natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations were performed to predict
      the natural atomic charges at different atomic sites. The molecular electrostatic
      potential (MEP) was used to visualize the charge distribution on the molecule.
      Molecular docking results suggest that the compound might exhibit inhibitory
      activity against GPb and may act as potential anti-diabetic compound.
      CONCLUSIONS: (E)-3-Mesityl-1-(naphthalen-2-yl) prop-2-en-1-one single crystal is
      grown and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, UV-vis, DFT
      and optimized geometrical parameters are close to the experimental bond lengths
      and angles. Molecular stability was successfully analyzed using NBO and electron
      delocalization is confirmed by MEP. Prediction of Activity Spectra Analysis of
      the title compound, predicts anti-diabetic activity with probability to have an
      active value of 0.348. Graphical Abstract(E)-3-Mesityl-1-(naphthalen-2-yl) prop-2
      en-1-one: a crystal structure and computational studies.

PMID- 26106445
TI  - Simultaneous extraction, optimization, and analysis of flavonoids and polyphenols
      from peach and pumpkin extracts using a TLC-densitometric method.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of medicinal plants has been reported throughout human
      history. In the fight against illnesses, medicinal plants represent the primary
      health care system for 60 % of the world's population. Flavonoids are
      polyphenolic compounds with active anti-microbial properties; they are produced
      in plants as pigments. Quercetin, myricetin, and rutin are among the most well
      known and prevalent flavonoids in plants, with an antioxidant activity capable of
      decreasing the oxidation of low density lipoproteins [LDLs]. To date, this
      research is the first of its kind to employ a coupled thin-layer chromatography
      (TLC) and a densitometric quantification method with a Box-Behnken design (BBD)
      response surface methodology (RSM) for optimization of ultrasonic-assisted
      extraction and determination of rutin and quercetin from peach and ellagic acid
      and myricetin from pumpkin fruits. RESULTS: The effect of process variables
      (extraction temperature ( degrees C), extraction power (%) and extraction time
      (min)) on ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) were examined by using BBD and
      RSM. TLC followed by Quantity-OneTM (BioRad) image analysis as a simple and rapid
      method was used for identification and quantification of the compounds in complex
      mixtures. The results were consistent under optimal conditions among the
      experimental values and their predicted values. A mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF
      MS) technique was also used to confirm the identity of the natural products in
      the TLC spots resolved. CONCLUSION: The results show that the coupled TLC
      densitometric methods & BBD can be a very powerful approach to qualitative and
      quantitative analysis of; rutin and quercetin from peach extracts; and ellagic
      acid and myricetin contents from pumpkin extracts.

PMID- 26106446
TI  - Clinical supervision for clinical psychology students in Uganda: an initial
      qualitative exploration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Burn out in clinical psychologists working in low income countries
      has been reported. Clinical supervisory structures do not yet exist in Uganda. A
      way to decrease levels of burn out and increase quality of care for people with
      mental illness is through clinical supervision. The aim of this study was to
      explore the initial experiences of supervision for clinical psychology students
      in Uganda to ascertain whether or not clinical supervision is culturally
      appropriate, and what aspects of supervision had been helpful and unhelpful.
      METHODS: A qualitative design with thematic analysis was utilized. A focus group
      was held with 12 second year clinical psychology students to ask their
      experiences of receiving supervision. RESULTS: Data analysis created five themes.
      Firstly, the negative emotions that resulted from the training processed were
      discussed, and how supervision helped and did not help the students to manage
      these. Secondly, the students voiced that supervision helped them to learn
      through observational experiences, co-therapist roles and parallel processes
      within the supervisory relationship. Thirdly, supervision had taught the clinical
      psychology students their role as a clinical psychology student, how to act
      within the Ugandan mental health system and skills to conduct therapy. Fourthly,
      suggestions for the future of supervision were given, with the students
      requesting for it to start earlier in the training, for supervisors who can meet
      with the students on a regular basis to be selected and for the training the
      students receive at university to match the skills required on their placements,
      with a request for more practical techniques rather than theory. The final theme
      related to left over miscellaneous data, such as the students agreeing with each
      other. CONCLUSIONS: The students stated that supervision was helpful overall,
      implying that clinical supervision is culturally appropriate for clinical
      psychology students in Uganda. Suggestions for future supervision were given. In
      order to decrease high levels of staff burn out in the mental health systems in
      Uganda, supervisory structures with an emphasis on self care need to be
      established.

PMID- 26106447
TI  - Engineering pH responsive fibronectin domains for biomedical applications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Engineered antibodies with pH responsive cell surface target antigen
      binding affinities that decrease at the acidic pH (5.5-5.8) within the endosomes
      have been found to have reduced susceptibility to degradation within the
      lysosomes and increased serum half-life. Such pH responsive recombinant
      antibodies have been developed for the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular
      disease. Engineered tenth type III human fibronectin (Fn3) domains are emerging
      as a class of target antigen-binding biopharmaceuticals that could complement or
      be superior to recombinant antibodies in a number of biomedical contexts. As
      such, there is strong motivation for demonstrating the feasibility of engineering
      Fn3s with pH responsive antigen binding behavior that could lead to improved Fn3
      pharmacokinetics. RESULTS: A yeast surface-displayed Fn3 histidine (His) mutant
      library screening approach yielded epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
      binding Fn3 domains with EGFR binding affinities that markedly decrease at
      endosomal pH; the first reported case of engineering Fn3s with pH responsive
      antigen binding. Yeast surface-displayed His mutant Fn3s, which contain either
      one or two His mutations, have equilibrium binding dissociation constants (KDs)
      that increase up to four-fold relative to wild type when pH is decreased from 7.4
      to 5.5. Assays in which Fn3-displaying yeast were incubated with soluble EGFR
      after ligand-free incubation in respective neutral and acidic buffers showed that
      His mutant Fn3 pH responsiveness is due to reversible changes in Fn3 conformation
      and/or EGFR binding interface properties rather than irreversible unfolding.
      CONCLUSIONS: We have established a generalizable method for efficiently
      constructing and screening Fn3 His mutant libraries that could enable both our
      laboratory and others to develop pH responsive Fn3s for use in a wide range of
      biomedical applications.

PMID- 26106448
TI  - Metabolic modeling of synthesis gas fermentation in bubble column reactors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A promising route to renewable liquid fuels and chemicals is the
      fermentation of synthesis gas (syngas) streams to synthesize desired products
      such as ethanol and 2,3-butanediol. While commercial development of syngas
      fermentation technology is underway, an unmet need is the development of
      integrated metabolic and transport models for industrially relevant syngas bubble
      column reactors. RESULTS: We developed and evaluated a spatiotemporal metabolic
      model for bubble column reactors with the syngas fermenting bacterium Clostridium
      ljungdahlii as the microbial catalyst. Our modeling approach involved combining a
      genome-scale reconstruction of C. ljungdahlii metabolism with multiphase
      transport equations that govern convective and dispersive processes within the
      spatially varying column. The reactor model was spatially discretized to yield a
      large set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) in time with embedded linear
      programs (LPs) and solved using the MATLAB based code DFBAlab. Simulations were
      performed to analyze the effects of important process and cellular parameters on
      key measures of reactor performance including ethanol titer, ethanol-to-acetate
      ratio, and CO and H2 conversions. CONCLUSIONS: Our computational study
      demonstrated that mathematical modeling provides a complementary tool to
      experimentation for understanding, predicting, and optimizing syngas fermentation
      reactors. These model predictions could guide future cellular and process
      engineering efforts aimed at alleviating bottlenecks to biochemical production in
      syngas bubble column reactors.

PMID- 26106449
TI  - Divergent evolutionary behavior of H3 histone gene and rDNA clusters in venerid
      clams.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Histone H3 gene clusters have been described as highly conserved
      chromosomal markers in invertebrates. Surprisingly, in bivalves remarkable
      interspecific differences were found among the eight mussels and between the two
      clams in which histone H3 gene clusters have already been located. Although the
      family Veneridae comprises 10 % of the species of marine bivalves, their
      chromosomes are poorly studied. The clams belonging to this family present 2n =
      38 chromosomes and similar karyotypes showing chromosome pairs gradually
      decreasing in length. In order to assess the evolutionary behavior of histone and
      rRNA multigene families in bivalves, we mapped histone H3 and ribosomal RNA
      probes to chromosomes of ten species of venerid clams. RESULTS: In contrast with
      the reported conservation of histone H3 gene clusters and their intercalary
      location in invertebrates, these loci varied in number and were mostly
      subterminal in venerid clams. On the other hand, while a single 45S rDNA cluster,
      highly variable in location, was found in these organisms, 5S rDNA clusters
      showed interspecific differences in both number and location. The distribution
      patterns of these sequences were species-specific and mapped to different
      chromosomal positions in all clams but Ruditapes decussatus, in which one of the
      minor rDNA clusters and the major rDNA cluster co-located. CONCLUSION: The
      diversity in the distribution patterns of histone H3 gene, 5S rDNA and 28S rDNA
      clusters found in venerid clams, together with their different evolutionary
      behaviors in other invertebrate taxa, strongly suggest that the control of the
      spreading of these multigene families in a group of organisms relies upon a
      combination of evolutionary forces that operate differently depending not only on
      the specific multigene family but also on the particular taxa. Our data also
      showed that H3 histone gene and rDNA clusters are useful landmarks to integrate
      nex-generation sequencing (NGS) and evolutionary genomic data in non-model
      species.

PMID- 26106450
TI  - Metrabase: a cheminformatics and bioinformatics database for small molecule
      transporter data analysis and (Q)SAR modeling.
AB  - ABSTRACT: Both metabolism and transport are key elements defining the
      bioavailability and biological activity of molecules, i.e. their adverse and
      therapeutic effects. Structured and high quality experimental data stored in a
      suitable container, such as a relational database, facilitates easy computational
      processing and thus allows for high quality information/knowledge to be
      efficiently inferred by computational analyses. Our aim was to create a freely
      accessible database that would provide easy access to data describing
      interactions between proteins involved in transport and xenobiotic metabolism and
      their small molecule substrates and modulators. We present Metrabase, an
      integrated cheminformatics and bioinformatics resource containing curated data
      related to human transport and metabolism of chemical compounds. Its primary
      content includes over 11,500 interaction records involving nearly 3,500 small
      molecule substrates and modulators of transport proteins and, currently to a much
      smaller extent, cytochrome P450 enzymes. Data was manually extracted from the
      published literature and supplemented with data integrated from other available
      resources. Metrabase version 1.0 is freely available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license
      at http://www-metrabase.ch.cam.ac.uk.

PMID- 26106451
TI  - Nasal paraganglioma: A case report and literature review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION:  Paragangliomas are neuroendocrine tumors that most commonly
      originate in the adrenal gland, a type that is called pheochromocytoma; however,
      5-10% of paragangliomas are extra-adrenal and may arise in any area between the
      neck and pelvic region along the sympathetic nervous system. Those located in the
      head and neck comprise 3% of extra-adrenal tumors, with the majority originating
      in the tympanic-jugular region and carotid body. OBJECTIVE:  To present a rare
      case of nasal paraganglioma and review the literature. CASE REPORT:  The patient
      was submitted to medial subtotal maxillectomy, and her clinical findings,
      diagnostic data, and treatment outcome were recorded. CONCLUSION:  Paragangliomas
      are considered benign tumors, but they occasionally display a malignant
      character. The most important finding in this case was the need for total
      resection of the tumor to avoid recurrence.

PMID- 26106452
TI  - Clinical and fiberoptic endoscopic assessment of swallowing in patients with
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION:  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is characterized by
      progressive and partially reversible obstruction of pulmonary airflow. AIM:  To
      characterize swallowing in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      and correlate the findings with the degree chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
      heart and respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and smoking. METHOD:  We conducted
      a prospective cohort study of 19 patients (12 men and 7 women; age range, 50-85
      years) with confirmed medical diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
      This study was performed in 2 stages (clinical evaluation and functional
      assessment using nasolaryngofibroscopy) on the same day. During both stages,
      vital signs were checked by medical personnel. RESULTS:  Clinical evaluation of
      swallowing in all patients showed the clinical signs of cough. The findings of
      nasolaryngofibroscopy highlighted subsequent intraoral escape in 5 patients
      (26.5%). No patient had tracheal aspiration. There was no association of
      subsequent intraoral escape with degree of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
      heart and respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, or smoking. CONCLUSION:  In
      patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, there was a prevalence of
      oral dysphagia upon swallowing and nasolaryngofibroscopy highlighted the finding
      of subsequent intraoral escape. There was no correlation between intraoral escape
      and the degree of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart and respiratory
      rate, oxygen saturation, or smoking.

PMID- 26106453
TI  - Augmentation in Restless Legs Syndrome: Treatment with Gradual Medication
      Modification.
AB  - Dopaminergic drugs can cause augmentation during the treatment of restless legs
      syndrome (RLS). We previously reported that sudden withdrawal of dopaminergic
      treatment was poorly tolerated. We now report our experience with gradual
      withdrawal of the dopaminergic drug during the drug substitution process using a
      retrospective chart review with comparison to previous data. Seven patients with
      RLS and dopaminergic drug-induced augmentation were treated with a gradual
      withdrawal of the offending drug and replacement with an alternative medication.
      Compared to sudden withdrawal, measured outcomes were similar but gradual
      tapering was better tolerated. We conclude that for augmentation in RLS, gradual
      tapering of the augmentation-inducing dopaminergic drug is better tolerated than
      sudden withdrawal. The optimal approach to treating augmentation has not been
      established and may differ between patients. Further study with direct comparison
      of strategies and a larger patient population is needed to confirm our
      preliminary observations. 

PMID- 26106454
TI  - Withdrawal-Emergent Dyskinesias following Varenicline Therapy.
AB  - Varenicline (Chantix[R]) is a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist
      used to aid smoking cessation. Adverse psychiatric and behavioral effects of the
      drug are recognized and national drug monitoring has included reports of tardive
      dyskinesia, but no cases have been described in the literature. We now report the
      first two cases of varenicline-related withdrawal emergent dyskinesias. 

PMID- 26106456
TI  - Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Gout at a University Hospital Emergency
      Department.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute gout attacks account for a substantial number of visits to the
      emergency department (ED). Our aim was to evaluate acute gout diagnosis and
      treatment at a University Hospital ED. METHODS: Our study was a retrospective
      chart review of consecutive patients with a diagnosis of acute gout seen in the
      ED 1/01/2004 - 12/31/2010. We documented: demographics, clinical characteristics,
      medications given, diagnostic tests, consultations and whether patients were
      hospitalized. Descriptive and summary statistics were performed on all variables.
      RESULTS: We found 541 unique ED visit records of patients whose discharge
      diagnosis was acute gout over a 7 year period. 0.13% of ED visits were due to
      acute gout. The mean patient age was 54; 79% were men. For 118 (22%) this was
      their first attack. Attack duration was <= 3 days in 75%. Lower extremity joints
      were most commonly affected. Arthrocentesis was performed in 42 (8%) of acute
      gout ED visits. During 355 (66%) of ED visits, medications were given in the ED
      and/or prescribed. An anti-inflammatory drug was given during the ED visit during
      239 (44%) visits. Medications given during the ED visit included: NSAIDs: 198
      (56%): opiates 190 (54%); colchicine 32 (9%) and prednisone 32 (9%). During 154
      (28%) visits an anti-inflammatory drug was prescribed. Thirty two (6%) were given
      no medications during the ED visit nor did they receive a prescription. Acute
      gout rarely (5%) led to hospitalizations. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of acute gout
      in the ED is commonly clinical and not crystal proven. Anti-inflammatory drugs
      are the mainstay of treatment in acute gout; yet, during more than 50% of ED
      visits, anti-inflammatory drugs were not given during the visit. Thus,
      improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of acute gout in the ED may be
      required.

PMID- 26106455
TI  - The Three A's in Asthma - Airway Smooth Muscle, Airway Remodeling & Angiogenesis.
AB  - Asthma affects more than 300 million people worldwide and its prevalence is still
      rising. Acute asthma attacks are characterized by severe symptoms such as
      breathlessness, wheezing, tightness of the chest, and coughing, which may lead to
      hospitalization or death. Besides the acute symptoms, asthma is characterized by
      persistent airway inflammation and airway wall remodeling. The term airway wall
      remodeling summarizes the structural changes in the airway wall: epithelial cell
      shedding, goblet cell hyperplasia, hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the airway
      smooth muscle (ASM) bundles, basement membrane thickening and increased vascular
      density. Airway wall remodeling starts early in the pathogenesis of asthma and
      today it is suggested that remodeling is a prerequisite for other asthma
      pathologies. The beneficial effect of bronchial thermoplasty in reducing asthma
      symptoms, together with the increased potential of ASM cells of asthmatics to
      produce inflammatory and angiogenic factors, indicate that the ASM cell is a
      major effector cell in the pathology of asthma. In the present review we discuss
      the ASM cell and its role in airway wall remodeling and angiogenesis. 

PMID- 26106457
TI  - An Unusual Mimicker of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report.
AB  - We present a case of a 47 year-old African American female with 15 pack-years of
      tobacco use and heavy alcohol use who presented with arthritis and was found to
      have a positive antinuclear antibodies (ANA), anti double stranded DNA antibodies
      (anti-dsDNA), and anti-Sjogren's syndrome-related antigen A and antigen B (anti
      SSA and anti-SSB). She was subsequently found to have a lung adenocarcinoma
      associated with hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy (HPO). This demonstrates
      a case of positive antinuclear antibodies and arthritis in a patient with lung
      adenocarcinoma, which can be falsely diagnosed as systemic lupus erythematosus. 

PMID- 26106460
TI  - BOG: R-package for Bacterium and virus analysis of Orthologous Groups.
AB  - BOG (Bacterium and virus analysis of Orthologous Groups) is a package for
      identifying groups of differentially regulated genes in the light of gene
      functions for various virus and bacteria genomes. It is designed to identify
      Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COGs) that are enriched among genes that have
      gone through significant changes under different conditions. This would
      contribute to the detection of pathogens, an important scientific research area
      of relevance in uncovering bioterrorism, among others. Particular statistical
      analyses include hypergeometric, Mann-Whitney rank sum, and gene set enrichment.
      Results from the analyses are organized and presented in tabular and graphical
      forms for ease of understanding and dissemination of results. BOG is implemented
      as an R-package, which is available from CRAN or can be downloaded from
      http://www.stat.osu.edu/~statgen/SOFTWARE/BOG/. 

PMID- 26106458
TI  - Inflammation, Iron, Energy Failure, and Oxidative Stress in the Pathogenesis of
      Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central
      nervous system. Different trigger pathologies have been suggested by the primary
      cytodegenerative "inside-out" and primary inflammation-driven "outside-in"
      hypotheses. Recent data indicate that mitochondrial injury and subsequent energy
      failure are key factors in the induction of demyelination and neurodegeneration.
      The brain weighs only a few percent of the body mass but accounts for
      approximately 20% of the total basal oxygen consumption of mitochondria.
      Oxidative stress induces mitochondrial injury in patients with multiple sclerosis
      and energy failure in the central nervous system of susceptible individuals. The
      interconnected mechanisms responsible for free radical production in patients
      with multiple sclerosis are as follows: (i) inflammation-induced production of
      free radicals by activated immune cells, (ii) liberation of iron from the myelin
      sheets during demyelination, and (iii) mitochondrial injury and thus energy
      failure-related free radical production. In the present review, the different
      sources of oxidative stress and their relationships to patients with multiple
      sclerosis considering tissue injury mechanisms and clinical aspects have been
      discussed. 

PMID- 26106459
TI  - Quercetin Affects Erythropoiesis and Heart Mitochondrial Function in Mice.
AB  - Quercetin, a dietary flavonoid used as a food supplement, showed powerful
      antioxidant effects in different cellular models. However, recent in vitro and in
      vivo studies in mammals have suggested a prooxidant effect of quercetin and
      described an interaction with mitochondria causing an increase in O2 (?-)
      production, a decrease in ATP levels, and impairment of respiratory chain in
      liver tissue. Therefore, because of its dual actions, we studied the effect of
      quercetin in vivo to analyze heart mitochondrial function and erythropoiesis.
      Mice were injected with 50 mg/kg of quercetin for 15 days. Treatment with
      quercetin decreased body weight, serum insulin, and ceruloplasmin levels as
      compared with untreated mice. Along with an impaired antioxidant capacity in
      plasma, quercetin-treated mice showed a significant delay on erythropoiesis
      progression. Heart mitochondrial function was also impaired displaying more
      protein oxidation and less activity for IV, respectively, than no-treated mice.
      In addition, a significant reduction in the protein expression levels of
      Mitofusin 2 and Voltage-Dependent Anion Carrier was observed. All these results
      suggest that quercetin affects erythropoiesis and mitochondrial function and then
      its potential use as a dietary supplement should be reexamined. 

PMID- 26106461
TI  - Comparative genomics for biodiversity conservation.
AB  - Genomic approaches are gathering momentum in biology and emerging opportunities
      lie in the creative use of comparative molecular methods for revealing the
      processes that influence diversity of wildlife. However, few comparative genomic
      studies are performed with explicit and specific objectives to aid conservation
      of wild populations. Here I provide a brief overview of comparative genomic
      approaches that offer specific benefits to biodiversity conservation. Because
      conservation examples are few, I draw on research from other areas to demonstrate
      how comparing genomic data across taxa may be used to inform the characterisation
      of conservation units and studies of hybridisation, as well as studies that
      provide conservation outcomes from a better understanding of the drivers of
      divergence. A comparative approach can also provide valuable insight into the
      threatening processes that impact rare species, such as emerging diseases and
      their management in conservation. In addition to these opportunities, I note
      areas where additional research is warranted. Overall, comparing and contrasting
      the genomic composition of threatened and other species provide several useful
      tools for helping to preserve the molecular biodiversity of the global ecosystem.

PMID- 26106462
TI  - Computational Methods for Modification of Metabolic Networks.
AB  - In metabolic engineering, modification of metabolic networks is an important
      biotechnology and a challenging computational task. In the metabolic network
      modification, we should modify metabolic networks by newly adding enzymes or/and
      knocking-out genes to maximize the biomass production with minimum side-effect.
      In this mini-review, we briefly review constraint-based formalizations for
      Minimum Reaction Cut (MRC) problem where the minimum set of reactions is deleted
      so that the target compound becomes non-producible from the view point of the
      flux balance analysis (FBA), elementary mode (EM), and Boolean models. Minimum
      Reaction Insertion (MRI) problem where the minimum set of reactions is added so
      that the target compound newly becomes producible is also explained with a
      similar formalization approach. The relation between the accuracy of the models
      and the risk of overfitting is also discussed. 

PMID- 26106463
TI  - Using Stem Cells to Model Diseases of the Outer Retina.
AB  - Retinal degeneration arises from the loss of photoreceptors or retinal pigment
      epithelium (RPE). It is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness
      worldwide with limited effective treatment options. Generation of induced
      pluripotent stem cell (IPSC)-derived retinal cells and tissues from individuals
      with retinal degeneration is a rapidly evolving technology that holds a great
      potential for its use in disease modelling. IPSCs provide an ideal platform to
      investigate normal and pathological retinogenesis, but also deliver a valuable
      source of retinal cell types for drug screening and cell therapy. In this review,
      we will provide some examples of the ways in which IPSCs have been used to model
      diseases of the outer retina including retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Usher syndrome
      (USH), Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), gyrate atrophy (GA), juvenile neuronal
      ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), Best vitelliform macular dystrophy (BVMD) and age
      related macular degeneration (AMD). 

PMID- 26106464
TI  - Repository of Human Blood Derivative Biospecimens in Biobank: Technical
      Implications.
AB  - Human biorepositories are collection of biological samples and health information
      from a large number of participants generally in the cohort studies. The main
      purpose of established biobanks is organization of biomedical research for
      upgrading the knowledge of human disorders from cancer to infectious and rare
      disease. The studies of generation relationships and understanding the
      preclinical stages of ageing are also from the solution of bitobank. This review
      overview the significance and storage condition of biospecimens including whole
      blood, red blood cells (RBC), buffy coat, plasma, serum, DNA and RNA that derived
      from blood in human biobanks. These biological samples provide valuable
      information on the prevalence of germline mutations, epigenetic modifications or
      interaction between genes and proteins in associated with the development of
      certain types of disease. The quality of biospecimen in biobanks is a powerful
      tool for valid identification of biomarkers. Therefore optimum qualities of human
      biological samples in long time storage that have been assessed in several
      studies also indicate in this review. 

PMID- 26106465
TI  - Epidemiologic Features of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Guilan Province, North of
      Iran, During 2002-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND The geographical incidence of IBD varies considerably. This study
      aimed to survey the epidemiologic features of IBD in Guilan province, North of
      Iran, during ten years duration. METHODS In this retrospective cross-sectional
      study, we assessed the documents of 868 patients with IBD referred to private and
      governmental clinics of Guilan province between 2002 and 2012. Variables such as
      demographic data, risk factors, diagnosis, extraintestinal manifestations and
      type of treatment were collected. RESULTS Among 868 patients with IBD, 756
      patients (87.1%) diagnosed as UC and 112 patients (12.9%) as CD. The mean age of
      patients with UC and CD was 46.73+/-15.79 and 40.15+/-14.27 years respectively.
      Male/female ratio in UC and CD was 0.92:1 and 0.75:1 respectively. The most
      common age of disease initiation in UC was 40-59 years and in CD 20-39 years
      (p<0.001). Extraintestinal manifestations were seen in 25.4 percent of patients
      with IBD. Most of patients were treated with combination of two drugs:
      salicylates and azathioprine (p<0.04). The incidence of IBD gradually increased
      during the past 4 years in Guilan province. CONCLUSION This study showed that CD
      were presented significantly more common in younger patients than UC and totally
      the disease was slightly more common in female. 

PMID- 26106466
TI  - Efficacy of Clarithromycin Containing Bismuth-Based Regimen as a Second-Line
      Therapy in Helicobacter Pylori Eradication.
AB  - BACKGROUND The eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection, commonly prevailing
      in the stomach, has been important since its introduction. Adequate preparations
      should be made in finding alternatives when faced with first-line treatment
      failures. Currently, ideal second-line treatments are indistinct and varied among
      countries as result of different antibiotic resistance patterns. We aimed to
      evaluate the safety and efficacy of a clarithromycin-containing bismuth-based
      quadruple regimen as a second-line treatment. METHODS Forty-eight H.pylori
      positive patients with proven gastric or duodenal ulcers and/or erosions who had
      previously failed to respond to furazolidone-containing regimens were enrolled.
      They received pantoprazole (40 mg-bid), amoxicillin (1gr-bid), bismuth subcitrate
      (240 mg-bid), and clarithromycin (500mg-bid) for 10 days. Eight weeks after
      treatment, a (14)C-urea breath test was performed for the re-evaluation of H.
      pylori eradication. RESULTS Forty-three patients completed the study. H.pylori
      eradication rates were 79.2% (95% CI=65.00-89.53) and 88.4% (95% CI=74.91-96.11)
      according to intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses, respectively. All
      patients had excellent compliance to treatment and one did not continue therapy
      because of adverse effects. CONCLUSION In developing countries such as Iran, a
      ten-day clarithromycin-containing bismuth-based quadruple regimen is encouraged
      as a second-line treatment because of the acceptable rate of eradication and low
      adverse effects. 

PMID- 26106467
TI  - Is the Prevalence of Celiac Disease Higher than the General Population in
      Inflammatory Bowel Diseaese?
AB  - BACKGROUND In some studies inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and celiac disease
      were considered to be associated and some belive that this association may
      influence the prognosis of IBD. However, there is a cosiderable controversy
      regarding this association. Therefore ,we aimed to assess the association of
      these two common digestive diseases and evaluate the complications of this
      association. METHODS In this comparative study, 200 patients with ulceritive
      colitis (UC) and 206 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) were evaluated for celiac
      disease using relevant diagnostic tests and pathologic studies. Total IgA, IgA
      tissue transgulaminase antibody and specific IgA anti endomysial antibody were
      asseyed. In cases of IgA deficiency, total IgG and IgG tissue TG and IgG anti
      endomyseal Ab were measured. Patients with increased specific IgA and IgG
      antibodies for celiac disease, underwent endoscopy and 4 standard samples were
      obtained. Our results were compared with the results of the prevalence study of
      celiac disease in the general population. Data were analyzed using analytic and
      descriptive statistics at a significance level of 5%. RESULTS Among the studied
      patients, 1 patient with UC had elevated IgA anti tTG antibody and IgA anti
      endomysial antibody who underwent endoscopy and celiac was confirmed on
      pathology. Hence, of the 200 patientswith UC, the diagnosis of celiac disease was
      confirmed in 1 patient (1:200) with no significant difference with the prevalence
      of celiac disease in the general population (1:166). However, none of our
      patients with Crohn's disease had celiac disease (0:206). CONCLUSION We found no
      significant difference in the prevalence of celiac disease between patients with
      UC and the general population. Since most of our participants had a mild level of
      Crohn's activation, none of those with Crohn's disease had celiac disease.
      Complications of IBD including sclerosing cholangitis, may be more common in
      patients with concurrent celiac disease. Therefore, it is recommended that celiac
      disease be considered in patients with severe and complicated IBD. 

PMID- 26106468
TI  - Clarithromycin vs. Gemifloxacin in Quadruple Therapy Regimens for Empiric Primary
      Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND Eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection plays a crucial role in
      the treatment of peptic ulcer. Clarithromycin resistance is a major cause of
      treatment failure. This randomized clinical trial aimed at evaluating the
      efficacy of a clarithromycin versus gemifloxacin containing quadruple therapy
      regimen in eradication of H.pylori infection. METHODS In this randomized double
      blind clinical trial (RCT 2012102011054N2), a total of 120 patients were
      randomized to two groups of 60 patients each. Patients with proven H.pylori
      infection were consecutively assigned into two groups to receive OBAG or OBAC in
      gastroenterology clinic in Rasoul-e- Akram General Hospital in Tehran, Iran. The
      patients in the OBAG group received omeprazole (20 mg) twice daily, bismuth
      subcitrate (240 mg) twice daily, amoxicillin (1 gr) twice daily, and gemifloxacin
      (320 mg) once daily, and those in the OBAC group received omeprazole (20 mg)
      twice daily, 240 mg of bismuth subcitrate twice daily, amoxicillin (1 gr) twice
      daily, and clarithromycin (500 mg) twice daily for 10 days. RESULTS Five patients
      from each group were excluded from the study because of poor compliance, so 110
      patients completed the study. The intention-to-treat eradication rate was 61.6%
      and 66.6% for the OBAC and OBAG groups, respectively. According to the per
      protocol analysis, the success rates of eradication of H.pylori infection were
      67.2% and 72.7% for OBAC and OBAG groups, respectively (p=0.568). CONCLUSION The
      results of this study suggest that gemifloxacin containing regimen is at least as
      effective as clarithromycin regimen; hence, this new treatment could be
      considered as an alternative for the patients who cannot tolerate clarithromycin.

PMID- 26106469
TI  - Incidental Diagnosis of Appendiceal Abscess by Colonoscopy; A Case Report and
      Review of the Literature.
AB  - Although complicated acute appendicitis is occasionally observed in general
      practice, the diagnosis of appendiceal abscess by colonoscopy is unusual. We
      report a case of appendiceal abscess with spontaneous drainage into the lumen of
      colon diagnosed during colonoscopy and resolved by the time of surgery. 

PMID- 26106470
TI  - Serological Evaluation of Celiac Disease in Children with Congenital Heart
      Defect; A Case Control Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND Due to the increased prevalence of celiac disease in chromosomal
      anomalies and other congenital anomalies, this study was conducted to evaluate
      the seroprevalence of celiac disease (CD) in patients with congenital heart
      defects (CHD). METHODS This case-control study was done on 1002 children in two
      groups of CHD patients (n=402) and controls (n=600). The serum tissue
      transglutamianse (TTG) levels were investigated. The two groups were compared in
      terms of TTG IgA levels and p<0.05 was considered as the significant level.
      RESULTS The means of serum TTG IgA levels in children with CHD and the control
      groups were 19.17+/-46.67 and 7.77+/-10.02 u/mL respectively (p=0.001). After
      ANOVA analysis a significant difference between two cyanotic and acyanotic
      subgroups of cases and control groups was observed (p=0.000). The follow up tukey
      test showed only non-significant difference between the cyanotic and acyanotic
      cases. The frequency of TTG IgA with the consideration of 20 u/mL as cut-off
      point showed a significant association with groups (X2=28.31 and p=0.000).
      CONCLUSION According to the results the serum TTG IgA levels were significantly
      higher in patients with CHD than normal children and screening for CD in children
      with CHD is recommended. 

PMID- 26106471
TI  - Report of a Rare Case of Nasal Mucosa Pyoderma Vegetans in a Patient with
      Ulcerative Colitis.
AB  - Some dermatologic manifestations are common in ulcerative colitis (UC). Herein,
      we present a 36-year-old woman with ulcerative colitis and uncommon nasal mucosa
      pyoderma vegetans. The patient presented to our hospital with symptoms of active
      colitis and a concomitant 3*4*5 cm dermato-mucosal lesion in her left nasal
      lumen. After surgery of the mucosal lesion, the treatment for her active colitis
      was initiated with intravenous infliximab and oral asacol. After a 1-year follow
      up, no sign of recurrence favoring mucosal lesion was noted and symptoms of
      ulcerative colitis were managed properly. 

PMID- 26106472
TI  - A Rare Cause of Recurrent Abdominal Pain.

PMID- 26106473
TI  - Furazolidone and Helicobacter pylori Treatment.

PMID- 26106474
TI  - Mesenchymal stromal cells of osteosarcoma patients do not show evidence of
      neoplastic changes during long-term culture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In vitro expanded mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are increasingly
      used as experimental cellular therapy. However, there have been concerns
      regarding the safety of their use, particularly with regard to possible oncogenic
      transformation. MSCs are the hypothesized precursor cells of high-grade
      osteosarcoma, a tumor with often complex karyotypes occurring mainly in
      adolescents and young adults. METHODS: To determine if MSCs from osteosarcoma
      patients could be predisposed to malignant transformation we cultured MSCs of
      nine osteosarcoma patients and five healthy donors for an average of 649 days
      (range 601-679 days). Also, we compared MSCs derived from osteosarcoma patients
      at diagnosis and from healthy donors using genome wide gene expression profiling.
      RESULTS: Upon increasing passage, increasing frequencies of binucleate cells were
      detected, but no increase in proliferation suggestive of malignant transformation
      occurred in MSCs from either patients or donors. Hematopoietic cell specific Lyn
      substrate 1 (HLCS1) was differentially expressed (fold change 0.25, P value
      0.0005) between MSCs of osteosarcoma patients (n = 14) and healthy donors (n =
      9). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that although HCLS1 expression was
      downregulated in MSCs of osteosarcoma patients and binucleate cells were present
      in both patient and donor derived MSCs, there was no evidence of neoplastic
      changes to occur during long-term culture.

PMID- 26106476
TI  - Risk factors for acquisition of carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae in an
      acute tertiary care hospital in Singapore.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is increasingly
      reported worldwide. A similar increase is seen in Singapore since identification
      of its first case in 2008. The aim of this study was to identify local risk
      factors for carriage of CRE in patients from an acute tertiary care hospital in
      Singapore. METHOD: A matched case-control study was conducted on inpatients
      treated from January 1, 2011 till December 31, 2013. Two hundred and three cases
      of CRE infection or colonization were matched with 203 controls. CRE types were
      identified by PCR. Statistical analysis of data including a multivariate logistic
      regression analysis was done using SPSS 21.0. RESULTS: CREs were commonly seen in
      Klebsiella pneumoniae (42.2 %), Escherichia coli (24.3 %) and Enterobacter
      cloacae complex (17.2 %) in the 268 isolates. NDM-1 was the commonest CRE type
      seen (44.4 %), followed by KPC (39.9 %) whilst OXA-48 only constituted (7.8 %).
      Univariate analysis identified key risk factors associated with CRE as history of
      previous overseas hospitalization (OR: 33.667; 95 % CI: 4.539-259.700), admission
      to ICU (OR: 11.899; 95 % CI: 4.986-28.399) and HD/ICA (OR: 6.557; 95 % CI: 4.057
      10.596); whilst a multivariate analysis revealed exposure to antibiotics
      penicillin (OR: 4.640; 95 % CI: 1.529-14.079] and glycopeptide (OR: 5.162; 95 %
      CI: 1.377-19.346) and presence of central line device (OR: 3.117; 95 % CI: 1.167
      8.330) as significant independent predictors. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of
      risk factors amongst our local population helped to refine the criteria used for
      target active surveillance screening for CRE amongst inpatients at time of
      hospital admission.

PMID- 26097685
TI  - Nelfinavir and other protease inhibitors in cancer: mechanisms involved in
      anticancer activity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the mechanisms of anti-cancer activity of nelfinavir and
      other protease inhibitors (PIs) based on evidences reported in the published
      literature. METHODS: We extensively reviewed the literature concerning nelfinavir
      (NFV) as an off target anti-cancer drug and other PIs. A classification of PIs
      based on anti-cancer mode of action was proposed. Controversies regarding
      nelfinavir mode of action were also addressed. CONCLUSIONS: The two main
      mechanisms involved in anti-cancer activity are endoplasmic reticulum stress
      unfolded protein response pathway and Akt inhibition. However there are many
      other effects, partially dependent and independent of those mentioned, that may
      be useful in cancer treatment, including MMP-9 and MMP-2 inhibition, down
      regulation of CDK-2, VEGF, bFGF, NF-kB, STAT-3, HIF-1 alfa, IGF, EGFR, survivin,
      BCRP, androgen receptor, proteasome, fatty acid synthase (FAS), decrease in
      cellular ATP concentration and upregulation of TRAIL receptor DR5, Bax, increased
      radiosensitivity, and autophagy. The end result of all these effects is slower
      growth, decreased angiogenesis, decreased invasion and increased apoptosis, which
      means reduced proliferation and increased cancer cells death. PIs may be
      classified according to their anticancer activity at clinically achievable doses,
      in AKT inhibitors, ER stressors and Akt inhibitors/ER stressors. Beyond the phase
      I trials that have been recently completed, adequately powered and well-designed
      clinical trials are needed in the various cancer type settings, and specific
      trials where NFV is tested in association with other known anti-cancer
      pharmaceuticals should be sought, in order to find an appropriate place for NFV
      in cancer treatment. The analysis of controversies on the molecular mechanisms of
      NFV hints to the possibility that NFV works in a different way in tumor cells and
      in hepatocytes and adipocytes.

PMID- 26106477
TI  - The effects of exercise and diet on olfactory capability in detection dogs.
AB  - A previous work suggests that dietary fat may influence canine olfaction. The
      present study evaluated whether olfactory performance could be influenced by
      forms of dietary fat and exercise. Seventeen certified detection dogs were fed
      three different diets (high fat, low fat or high polyunsaturated fat) for 12
      weeks. After 12 weeks, olfactory testing was performed using a scent wheel in an
      olfaction laboratory using three explosive materials. The dogs completed eight to
      twelve scent trials before and after a 30 min treadmill exercise on five
      consecutive days. A mixed-effect logistic regression model was used to examine
      how diet, pre- or post-exercise, trial number, odourant, mass of target and
      target position influenced the probability of dogs alerting on the target odour.
      There were no significant changes in the dog's ability to find a target odour at
      threshold amounts. Dogs were 1.42 (1.08, 1.87; 95 % CI) times as likely to find a
      target on the high polyunsaturated fat diet relative to the high-fat diet (P =
      0.009). The low-fat diet was not significantly different from either the high-fat
      diet or the high polyunsaturated fat diet (P = 0.12). Dogs were 1.49 (1.26, 1.76;
      95 % CI) times as likely to find a target prior to exercise relative to after
      exercise (P < 0.001). Dogs on the high PUFA diet utilising maize oil showed mild
      improvement in olfaction. The exact reasons are unknown; however, the higher
      relative amount of linoleic acid in the diet may play a role in olfactory
      sensation which warrants further examination of optimal diets for detection dogs.

PMID- 26106479
TI  - Disordered eating behavior among group fitness instructors: a health-threatening
      secret?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to examine disordered eating behavior (DE)
      and self-reported eating disorders (ED) among Norwegian group fitness
      instructors. METHODS: Group fitness instructors from Norway (n = 685 females and
      152 males, response rate: 57 %) completed an online survey. The survey included
      the instruments Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) and the Exercise Dependence
      Scale (EDS). RESULTS: A total of 22 % of the male and 59 % of the female
      respondents were classified with DE. The respondents classified with DE had
      higher BMI, more weight loss attempts, and higher total EDI score compared to the
      respondents with no DE. A correlation between EDI total score and EDS total score
      was found among both male and female group fitness instructors. No males and four
      percent of the females reported having a current ED. The instructors with self
      reported current ED had higher weekly volume of instructing classes compared to
      the other instructors. None of the respondents with self-reported ED had informed
      their center manager about it. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of DE behavior
      calls for concern. The reported secrecy regarding self-reported ED might decrease
      the possibility for early recognition and intervention. The findings reveal
      implications for the instructors' physical and mental health, for their
      reputation and impact as important healthy role models and health/fitness
      authorities, and for the importance of prevention, identification and management
      of such behavior in fitness center settings.

PMID- 26106478
TI  - Linear growth faltering in infants is associated with Acidaminococcus sp. and
      community-level changes in the gut microbiota.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic malnutrition, termed stunting, is defined as suboptimal
      linear growth, affects one third of children in developing countries, and leads
      to increased mortality and poor developmental outcomes. The causes of childhood
      stunting are unknown, and strategies to improve growth and related outcomes in
      children have only had modest impacts. Recent studies have shown that the
      ecosystem of microbes in the human gut, termed the microbiota, can induce changes
      in weight. However, the specific changes in the gut microbiota that contribute to
      growth remain unknown, and no studies have investigated the gut microbiota as a
      determinant of chronic malnutrition. RESULTS: We performed secondary analyses of
      data from two well-characterized twin cohorts of children from Malawi and
      Bangladesh to identify bacterial genera associated with linear growth. In a case
      control analysis, we used the graphical lasso to estimate covariance network
      models of gut microbial interactions from relative genus abundances and used
      network analysis methods to select genera associated with stunting severity. In
      longitudinal analyses, we determined associations between these selected microbes
      and linear growth using between-within twin regression models to adjust for
      confounding and introduce temporality. Reduced microbiota diversity and increased
      covariance network density were associated with stunting severity, while
      increased relative abundance of Acidaminococcus sp. was associated with future
      linear growth deficits. CONCLUSIONS: We show that length growth in children is
      associated with community-wide changes in the gut microbiota and with the
      abundance of the bacterial genus, Acidaminococcus. Larger cohorts are needed to
      confirm these findings and to clarify the mechanisms involved.

PMID- 26106480
TI  - Vitamin D receptor expression levels determine the severity and complexity of
      disease progression among leprosy reaction patients.
AB  - We studied the roles of vitamin D and its receptor, VDR, in the progression of
      leprosy. The majority of individuals with leprosy from Kolkata, India, with a
      type 1 or type 2 reaction have low levels of vitamin D3 in serum samples.
      Interestingly, individuals with a type 2 reaction associated with
      neuritis/erythema nodosum leprosum had very low VDR mRNA expression levels,
      ranging from 5% to 10%, compared to that of healthy control subjects; these
      patients also had a high bacilli index, ranging from 3+ to 5+. This is the first
      report to indicate that VDR expression levels may determine the complexity and
      severity of the progression of leprosy. 

PMID- 26106481
TI  - Evolution of antimicrobial resistance and serotype distribution of Streptococcus
      pneumoniae isolated from children with invasive and noninvasive pneumococcal
      diseases in Algeria from 2005 to 2012.
AB  - Pneumococcal infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in
      developing countries. The introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs)
      has dramatically reduced the incidence of pneumococcal diseases. PCVs are not
      currently being used in Algeria. We conducted a prospective study from 2005 to
      2012 in Algeria to determine antimicrobial drug resistance and serotype
      distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae from children with pneumococcal disease.
      Among 270 isolated strains from children, 97 (36%) were invasive disease; of
      these, 48% were not susceptible to penicillin and 53% not susceptible to
      erythromycin. A high rate of antimicrobial nonsusceptibility was observed in
      strains isolated from children with meningitis. The serotype distribution from
      pneumococci isolated from children with invasive infections was (by order of
      prevalence): 14, 1, 19F, 19A, 6B, 5, 3, 6A and 23F. Multidrug resistance was
      observed in serotypes 14, 19F, 19A and 6B. The vaccine coverage of serotypes
      isolated from children aged <5 years was 55.3% for PCV7, 71.1% for PCV10 and
      86.8% for PCV13. Our results highlight the burden of pneumococcal disease in
      Algeria and the increasing S. pneumoniae antibiotic resistance. The current
      pneumococcal vaccines cover a high percentage of the circulating strains.
      Therefore, vaccination would reduce the incidence of pneumococcal disease in
      Algeria. 

PMID- 26106482
TI  - Persistence of anti-chikungunya virus-specific antibodies in a cohort of patients
      followed from the acute phase of infection after the 2007 outbreak in Italy.
AB  - Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne infection of humans, and its diffusion has
      increased worldwide. In 2007 an outbreak occurred in Italy. In this study, the
      antibody response of 133 patients followed up starting from the acute phase of
      infection was investigated. Antibody titres were periodically scored up to 1 year
      since the infection: 82.7% of the IgM antibody disappeared within 12 months, and
      the IgG response lasted longer than 12 months. Nevertheless, the IgG mean titre
      was lower in 95.5% of patients at the end of follow-up, thus suggesting a
      decrease within a relatively short period. 

PMID- 26106483
TI  - Increases in intravenous magnesium use among hospitalized patients: an
      institution cross-sectional experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Among hospitalized patients, indications for the measurement of
      magnesium levels and treatment of hypomagnesemia with intravenous magnesium are
      not well defined. Recently, there have been reports of worldwide shortages of
      intravenous magnesium sulphate. OBJECTIVE: To examine secular trends in the
      administration of intravenous magnesium on hospital wards at a tertiary care
      institution. The secondary objective is to identify factors associated with
      magnesium use among admitted patients. METHODS: Retrospective cross-section
      review of hospitalized patients at a single Canadian tertiary care center.
      Utilization of non-parental nutrition intravenous magnesium from 2003 to 2013
      stratified by hospital ward was examined. In addition, patient level data from
      select wards (including medical and surgical services) was examined at early and
      more recent time period (4/2006 versus 4/2013). RESULTS: Among the 248,329
      hospitalized patients, intravenous magnesium use increased by 2.86 fold from 2003
      to 2013. Not all wards had an increase whereas some had nearly a 10 fold increase
      in use. In the sample (n = 769), (adjusting for admission magnesium level,
      presence of an indication for intravenous magnesium, ward location, comorbidity
      and demographics) intravenous magnesium administration was higher (25.8 % versus
      5.5 %) in 2013 versus 2006 (OR 13.91 (95 % CI, 6.21-31.17, p < 0.001). Despite
      this increase in intravenous magnesium administration, <3 % of patients were
      admitted on oral magnesium in 2006 and 2013. For patients receiving intravenous
      magnesium only a minority were discharged on oral therapy despite low levels.
      CONCLUSIONS: This center has witnessed a considerable increase in the use of in
      hospital intravenous magnesium over the last 6 years that cannot be explained for
      by medical indications. The risks and benefits of this therapy deserve further
      study. If this change in practice is representative of other North American
      hospitals, it may be responsible for recent drug shortages.

PMID- 26106484
TI  - Critical Appraisal of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Age-Related Macular
      Degeneration.
AB  - Purpose. To evaluate the methodological quality of age-related macular
      degeneration (AMD) clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). Methods. AMD CPGs
      published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and Royal College of
      Ophthalmologists (RCO) were appraised by independent reviewers using the
      Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument, which
      comprises six domains (Scope and Purpose, Stakeholder Involvement, Rigor of
      Development, Clarity of Presentation, Applicability, and Editorial Independence),
      and an Overall Assessment score summarizing methodological quality across all
      domains. Results. Average domain scores ranged from 35% to 83% for the AAO CPG
      and from 17% to 83% for the RCO CPG. Intraclass correlation coefficients for the
      reliability of mean scores for the AAO and RCO CPGs were 0.74 and 0.88,
      respectively. The strongest domains were Scope and Purpose and Clarity of
      Presentation. The weakest were Stakeholder Involvement (AAO) and Editorial
      Independence (RCO). Conclusions. Future AMD CPGs can be improved by involving all
      relevant stakeholders in guideline development, ensuring transparency of
      guideline development and review methodology, improving guideline applicability
      with respect to economic considerations, and addressing potential conflict of
      interests within the development group. 

PMID- 26106485
TI  - Ophthalmologic Psychophysical Tests Support OCT Findings in Mild Alzheimer's
      Disease.
AB  - Purpose. To analyze in mild Alzheimer's disease (MAD) patients, GDS-4 (Reisberg
      Scale), whether or not some psychophysical tests (PTs) support OCT macular
      findings in the same group of MAD patients reported previously. Methods. Twenty
      three MAD patients and 28 age-matched control subjects with mean Mini Mental
      State Examination of 23.3 and 28.2, respectively, with no ocular disease or
      systemic disorders affecting vision were included. Best-corrected visual acuity
      (VA), contrast sensitivity (CS) (3, 6, 12, and 18 cpds), color perception (CP),
      and perception digital test (PDT) were tested in one eye of each patient.
      Results. In comparison with the controls, MAD patients presented (i) a
      significant decrease in VA, PDT, and CS for all spatial frequencies analyzed,
      especially the higher ones, and (ii) a significant increase in unspecific errors
      on the blue axis (P < 0.05 in all instances). In MAD patients, a wide aROC curve
      was plotted in all PTs. Conclusions. In MAD, CS, VA, and the tritan axis in CP
      were impaired. The PTs with the greatest predictive value are the higher spatial
      frequencies in CS and tritan unspecific errors in CP. PT abnormalities are
      consistent with the structural findings reported in the same MAD patients using
      OCT. 

PMID- 26106486
TI  - Factors Associated with Anemia among Children Aged 6-23 Months Attending Growth
      Monitoring at Tsitsika Health Center, Wag-Himra Zone, Northeast Ethiopia.
AB  - Background. Globally, about 47.4% of children under five are suffering from
      anemia. In Ethiopia, 60.9% of children under two years are suffering from anemia.
      Anemia during infancy and young childhood period is associated with poor health
      and impaired cognitive development, leading to reduced academic achievement and
      earnings potential in their adulthood life. However, there is scarcity of
      information showing the magnitude of iron deficiency anemia among young children
      in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing prevalence and associated
      factors of iron deficiency anemia among children under two (6-23 months).
      Methods. Institution based cross-sectional study was carried out from March to
      May, 2014, at Tsitsika Health Center in Wag-Himra Zone, Northeast Ethiopia.
      Systematic random sampling technique was employed. Automated hemoglobin machine
      was used to determine the hemoglobin level. Socioeconomic and demographic data
      were collected by using a pretested and structured questionnaire. Binary logistic
      regression analysis was used to identify associated factors and odds ratio with
      95% CI was computed to assess the strength of association. Results. Total of 347
      children participated in this study. The overall prevalence of anemia was 66.6%.
      In multivariate logistic regression analysis, male sex (AOR = 3.1 (95% CI: 1.60
      5.81)), 9-11 months of age (AOR = 9.6 (95% CI: 3.61-25.47)), poor dietary
      diversity (AOR = 3.2 (95% CI: 1.35-7.38)), stunting (AOR = 2.7 (95% CI: 1.20
      6.05)), diarrhea (AOR = 4.9 (1.63-14.59)), no formal education (AOR = 2.6 (95%
      CI: 1.26-5.27)), early initiation of complementary food (AOR = 11.1 (95% CI: 4.08
      30.31)), and lowest wealth quintile (AOR = 3.0 (95% CI: 1.01-8.88)) were
      significantly associated with anemia. Conclusion. The overall prevalence of
      anemia among children who aged 6-23 months has sever public health importance in
      the study area. Integrated efforts need to be prioritized to improve health as
      well as appropriate infant and young child feeding practice among children under.

PMID- 26106487
TI  - The Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Ertapenem for the Treatment of Complicated
      Urinary Tract Infections Caused by ESBL-Producing Bacteria in Children.
AB  - Background. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common and important clinical
      problem in childhood, and extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase- (ESBL-) producing
      organisms are the leading cause of healthcare-related UTIs. In this study, we
      aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of ertapenem therapy in
      children with complicated UTIs caused by ESBL-producing organisms. Methods.
      Seventy-seven children with complicated UTIs caused by ESBL-producing organisms
      were included in this retrospective study, and all had been treated with
      ertapenem between January 2013 and June 2014. Results. Sixty-one (79%) females
      and sixteen (21%) males with a mean +/- standard deviation (SD) age of 76.6 +/-
      52 months (range 3-204, median 72 months) were enrolled in this study.
      Escherichia coli (E. coli) (n = 67; 87%) was the most common bacterial cause of
      the UTIs followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) (n = 9; 11.7%) and
      Enterobacter cloacae (E. cloacae) (n = 1; 1.3%). The mean duration of the
      ertapenem therapy was 8.9 +/- 1.6 days (range 4-11). No serious drug-related
      clinical or laboratory adverse effects were observed, and the ertapenem therapy
      was found to be safe and well tolerated in the children in our study. Conclusion.
      Ertapenem is a newer carbapenem with the advantage of once-daily dosing and is
      highly effective for treating UTIs caused by ESBL-producing microorganisms. 

PMID- 26106489
TI  - Undifferentiated Intimal Sarcoma of the Inferior Vena Cava with Extension to the
      Right Atrium and Renal Vasculature.
AB  - Primary sarcomas of the great vessels (aorta, pulmonary artery, and inferior vena
      cava (IVC)) are exceedingly rare. We report a rare case of an undifferentiated
      intimal sarcoma of the IVC with extension to the right atrium, adrenal, and renal
      veins. The patient underwent extensive resection, reconstruction of the IVC, and
      subsequent adjuvant chemotherapy. Patient has tolerated chemotherapy and, at 17
      months after resection, the patient remains free of tumor recurrence.
      Undifferentiated intimal sarcomas remain a rare entity with only five cases of
      venous undifferentiated intimal sarcomas reported in the literature, two of which
      occurred in the IVC. Intimal sarcomas tend to carry a poor prognosis with the
      limited literature available on treatment approaches. Our objective is to
      highlight this rare entity and possible treatment approach which we utilized.
      Primary sarcomas of IVC need to be included as part of a complete differential
      diagnosis in patients with atrial masses or recurrent pulmonary emboli. 

PMID- 26106488
TI  - Relationship between Zinc (Zn (2+) ) and Glutamate Receptors in the Processes
      Underlying Neurodegeneration.
AB  - The results from numerous studies have shown that an imbalance between particular
      neurotransmitters may lead to brain circuit dysfunction and development of many
      pathological states. The significance of glutamate pathways for the functioning
      of the nervous system is equivocal. On the one hand, glutamate transmission is
      necessary for neuroplasticity, synaptogenesis, or cell survival, but on the other
      hand an excessive and long-lasting increased level of glutamate in the synapse
      may lead to cell death. Under clinical conditions, hyperactivity of the glutamate
      system is associated with ischemia, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases such
      as Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and many others. The achievement of glutamate
      activity in the physiological range requires efficient control by endogenous
      regulatory factors. Due to the fact that the free pool of ion Zn(2+) is a
      cotransmitter in some glutamate neurons; the role of this element in the
      pathophysiology of a neurodegenerative diseases has been intensively studied.
      There is a lot of evidence for Zn(2+) dyshomeostasis and glutamate system
      abnormalities in ischemic and neurodegenerative disorders. However, the precise
      interaction between Zn(2+) regulative function and the glutamate system is still
      not fully understood. This review describes the relationship between Zn(2+) and
      glutamate dependent signaling pathways under selected pathological central
      nervous system (CNS) conditions. 

PMID- 26106490
TI  - Raghib Syndrome Presenting as a Cryptogenic Stroke: Role of Cardiac MRI in
      Accurate Diagnosis.
AB  - Raghib Syndrome is a rare developmental complex, which consists of persistence of
      the left superior vena cava (PLSVC) along with coronary sinus ostial atresia and
      atrial septal defect. This Raghib complex anomaly has also been associated with
      other congenital malformations including ventricular septal defects, enlargement
      of the tricuspid annulus, and pulmonary stenosis. Our case demonstrates an
      isolated PLSVC draining into the left atrium along with coronary sinus atresia in
      a young patient presenting with cryptogenic stroke without the atrial septal
      defect. Majority of the cases reported in the literature were found to have the
      lesion during the postmortem evaluation or were characterized at angiography
      and/or echocardiography. We stress the importance of modern day imaging like the
      computed tomography (CT) angiography and cardiac MRI in diagnosis and surgical
      management of such rare lesions leading to cryptogenic strokes. 

PMID- 26106491
TI  - Telescopic Overdenture and Implant Supported Fixed Partial Denture: A Pragmatic
      Treatment Approach.
AB  - This case report presents a patient who had been rehabilitated with a telescopic
      overdenture and implant supported fixed partial denture (ISFPD). The treatment
      process was as follows: (1) fabricating telescopic crowns and overdenture
      prosthesis for the lower jaw and a temporary complete denture for the upper jaw,
      (2) using the temporary denture as diagnostic and surgical guide to optimize
      dental implant placement, and (3) fabricating ISFPD for the upper jaw. Using the
      patient's existing or temporary denture not only serves as an alternative
      surgical guide to calibrate the dental implant locations but also helps to finish
      the restoration at desired dimension, size, and anatomic form. 

PMID- 26106492
TI  - A Case of Fulminant Hepatitis due to Echovirus 9 in a Patient on Maintenance
      Rituximab Therapy for Follicular Lymphoma.
AB  - Rituximab is a CD20 monoclonal antibody commonly used in the treatment of
      haematological malignancies. It causes lymphopenia with subsequent compromised
      humoral immunity resulting in an increased risk of infection. A number of
      infections and viral reactivations have been described as complicating Rituximab
      therapy. We report an apparently unique case of echovirus 9 (an enterovirus)
      infection causing an acute hepatitis and significant morbidity in an adult
      patient on maintenance treatment of Rituximab for follicular lymphoma. We also
      describe potential missed opportunities to employ more robust screening for viral
      infections which may have prevented delays in the appropriate treatment and thus
      may have altered the patient's clinical course. We also make suggestions for
      lowering the threshold of viral testing in similar patients in the future. 

PMID- 26106493
TI  - Three Cases of West Nile Encephalitis over an Eight-Day Period at a Downtown Los
      Angeles Community Hospital.
AB  - Since its introduction in New York City in 1999, the virus has spread throughout
      the entire North American continent and continues to spread into Central and
      Latin America. Our report discusses the signs and symptoms, diagnostics, and
      treatment of West Nile disease. It is important to recognize the disease quickly
      and initiate appropriate treatment. We present three cases of West Nile
      encephalitis at White Memorial Medical Center in East Los Angeles that occurred
      over the span of eight days. All three patients live within four to six miles
      from the hospital and do not live or work in an environment favorable to
      mosquitoes including shallow bodies of standing water, abandoned tires, or mud
      ruts. All the patients were Hispanic. Physicians and other health care providers
      should consider West Nile infection in the differential diagnosis of causes of
      aseptic meningitis and encephalitis, obtain appropriate laboratory studies, and
      promptly report cases to public health authorities. State governments should
      establish abatement programs that will eliminate sources that allow for mosquito
      reproduction and harboring. The public needs to be given resources that educate
      them on what entails the disease caused by the West Nile virus, what the symptoms
      are, and, most importantly, what they can do to prevent themselves from becoming
      infected. 

PMID- 26106494
TI  - Stiff Person Syndrome: A Rare Neurological Disorder, Heterogeneous in Clinical
      Presentation and Not Easy to Treat.
AB  - Background. Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neurological disorder
      characterized by progressive rigidity of axial and limb muscles associated with
      painful spasms. SPS can be classified into classic SPS, paraneoplastic SPS, and
      SPS variants. Its underlying pathogenesis is probably autoimmune, as in most
      cases antibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) are observed.
      Similarly, paraneoplastic SPS is usually linked to anti-amphiphysin antibodies.
      Treatment is based on drugs enhancing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transmission
      and immunomodulatory agents. Case Series. Patient 1 is a 45-year-old male
      affected by the classic SPS, Patient 2 is a 73-year-old male affected by
      paraneoplastic SPS, and Patient 3 is a 68-year-old male affected by the stiff
      limb syndrome, a SPS variant where symptoms are confined to the limbs. Symptoms,
      diagnostic findings, and clinical course were extremely variable in the three
      patients, and treatment was often unsatisfactory and not well tolerated, thus
      reducing patient compliance. Clinical manifestations also included some unusual
      features such as recurrent vomiting and progressive dysarthria. Conclusions. SPS
      is a rare disorder that causes significant disability. Because of its extensive
      clinical variability, a multitask and personalized treatment is indicated. A
      clearer understanding of uncommon clinical features and better-tolerated
      therapeutic strategies are still needed. 

PMID- 26106495
TI  - Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome Secondary to CSF Leak and
      Intracranial Hypotension: A Case Report and Literature Review.
AB  - Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) is a clinical
      neuroradiological condition characterized by insidious onset of neurological
      symptoms associated with radiological findings indicating posterior
      leukoencephalopathy. PRES secondary to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak leading to
      intracranial hypotension is not well recognized etiology of this condition.
      Herein, we report a case of PRES that occurred in the setting of CSF leak due to
      inadvertent dural puncture. Patient underwent suturing of the dural defect.
      Subsequently, his symptoms resolved and a repeated brain MRI showed resolution of
      brain lesions. The pathophysiology and mechanistic model for developing PRES in
      the setting of intracranial hypotension were discussed. We further highlighted
      the importance of tight blood pressure control in patients with CSF leak and
      suspected intracranial hypotension because they are more vulnerable to develop
      PRES with normal or slightly elevated bleed pressure values. 

PMID- 26106496
TI  - Synchronous Multicentric Giant Cell Tumour of Distal Radius and Sacrum with
      Pulmonary Metastases.
AB  - Giant cell tumour (GCT) is an uncommon primary bone tumour, and its multicentric
      presentation is exceedingly rare. We report a case of a 45-year-old female who
      presented to us with GCT of left distal radius. On the skeletal survey,
      osteolytic lesion was noted in her right sacral ala. Biopsy confirmed both
      lesions as GCT. Pulmonary metastasis was also present. Resection-reconstruction
      arthroplasty for distal radius and thorough curettage and bone grafting of the
      sacral lesion were done. Multicentric GCT involving distal radius and sacrum with
      primary sacral involvement is not reported so far to our knowledge. 

PMID- 26106497
TI  - Epithelial Downgrowth after Intraocular Surgery Treated with Intracameral 5
      Fluorouracil.
AB  - Purpose. To present the clinical and histopathologic correlation of two cases of
      epithelial downgrowth (EDG) after prior intraocular surgery. Methods.
      Observational case reports. Results. We present two cases of EDG occurring after
      intraocular surgery. In both cases, after two anterior chamber injections of 5
      fluorouracil (5FU), the area of EDG initially regressed. In Case 1, a limited
      area of EDG eventually recurred, and penetrating keratoplasty with cryotherapy
      was curative. In Case 2, subsequent corneal edema required Descemet-stripping
      automated endothelial keratoplasty, and the patient remained clinically free of
      EDG without further treatment. Conclusion. Intracameral 5FU may have a role in
      the treatment of EDG after intraocular surgery, though its precise utilization
      and impact remain to be defined. 

PMID- 26106498
TI  - Pleomorphic Adenoma of the External Auditory Canal: A Rare Presentation.
AB  - A 55-year-old male presented with a nine-month history of gradually enlarging,
      painless mass in the right external auditory canal associated with hearing loss
      and occasional bleeding. Examination demonstrated complete obstruction of the
      outer 1/3 of the external auditory canal by a firm, pink, rubbery mass. CT scan
      of the temporal bone showed tumor mass with no evidence of bone destruction. The
      tumor was excised and histopathology confirmed a diagnosis of ceruminous
      pleomorphic adenoma of the external auditory canal. Six months following the
      surgery, patient is free of any recurrent disease. 

PMID- 26106499
TI  - Metastasis of Malignant Melanoma to Urinary Bladder: A Case Report and Review of
      the Literature.
AB  - Aims. Metastatic malignant melanoma of the urinary bladder is a rare clinical
      entity, with only twenty-three published cases to date. We present a case of this
      rare entity, a thorough review of the literature, and differential diagnosis of
      melanoma in the bladder. Methods and Results. A 55-year-old woman with a history
      of malignant melanoma of the right thigh, excised eight years ago, presented with
      back pain, fatigue, and hematuria. She underwent computed tomography (CT) scan
      and was found to have metastases within the liver, spleen, lungs, and urinary
      bladder. She underwent cystoscopy and transurethral resection of three polypoid
      lesions. Histologic and immunohistochemical examination revealed metastatic
      malignant melanoma involving bladder mucosa. Conclusions. This case illustrates
      the importance of including malignant melanoma in the differential diagnosis of
      high grade neoplasms of bladder, especially in cases where the relevant clinical
      history is not available. 

PMID- 26106500
TI  - An Unusual Cause of Abdominal Pain: Three Lead Pellets within the Appendix
      Vermiformis.
AB  - Most ingested foreign bodies usually pass out in the feces uneventfully.
      Complications such as intestinal perforation and bleeding usually occur with
      sharp, thin, stiff, long, and pointed objects. This case describes the management
      of three lead pellets within the appendix vermiformis. A 45-year-old male visited
      our clinic complaining of a 4-month history of abdominal pain. The patient
      inquiry revealed that he had eaten hunted rabbit meat on numerous occasions and
      had unintentionally ingested three lead pellets. Plain abdominal films and a
      barium enema showed foreign bodies in the right lower abdominal quadrant. Since
      the lead pellets were thought to have migrated extraluminally, they were removed
      through laparotomy under fluoroscopic guidance. An appendectomy was performed.
      Pathologically, three lead pellets were embedded in the appendix, which showed
      signs of intramucosal inflammation. Foreign bodies causing appendicitis are rare.
      However, if stiff or pointed objects enter the appendicular lumen, there is a
      high risk of appendicitis, perforation, or abdominal pain. An appendectomy was
      required to remove the ingested lead pellets in the appendix. 

PMID- 26106501
TI  - Life-Threatening Postpneumonectomy Syndrome Complicated with Right Aortic Arch
      after Left Pneumonectomy.
AB  - A 54-year-old man with right aortic arch underwent left lower lobectomy and
      lingular segmentectomy, followed by complete pneumonectomy, for refractory
      nontuberculous mycobacterial infection. Three months after the pneumonectomy, he
      developed acute respiratory distress. Computed tomography showed an excessive
      mediastinal shift with an extremely narrowed bronchus intermedius and right lower
      bronchus compressed between the right pulmonary artery and the right descending
      aorta. Soon after the nearly obstructed bronchus intermedius was observed by
      bronchoscopy, he began to exhibit frequent hypoxic attacks, perhaps due to
      mucosal edema. Emergent surgical repositioning of the mediastinum and
      decompression of the bronchus was indicated. After complete adhesiolysis of the
      left thoracic cavity was performed, to maintain the proper mediastinal position,
      considering the emergent setting, an open wound thoracostomy was created and
      piles of gauze were inserted, mildly compressing the heart and the mediastinum to
      the right side. Thoracoplasty was performed three months later, and he was
      eventually discharged without any dressings needed. Mediastinal repositioning
      under thoracostomy should be avoided in elective cases because of its extremely
      high invasiveness. However, in the case of life-threatening postpneumonectomy
      syndrome in an emergent setting, mediastinal repositioning under thoracostomy may
      be an option to save life, which every thoracic surgeon could attempt. 

PMID- 26106502
TI  - Adenomatoid Tumor of the Tunica Albuginea in a Boy: A Case Report and Literature
      Review.
AB  - Adenomatoid tumors (AT) are the most common paratesticular neoplasms and account
      for approximately 30% of all paratesticular masses. Most of them occur in the
      third or fourth decade and present as well-defined firm and painless masses. We
      report here a case of adenomatoid tumor from tunica albuginea. This patient is a
      12-year-old boy with left testicular pain for 6 months. Scrotal ultrasonography
      revealed a solid mass of paratesticular origin. The histology and
      immunohistochemistry confirmed the final diagnosis. A right tumor resection was
      performed. Because of its rarity, the clinical and histopathologic appearance is
      seldom illustrated. Here we present a case report and a comprehensive literature
      review with the objective of providing useful information on this entity. 

PMID- 26106503
TI  - A Proposed Maneuver to Guide Transseptal Puncture Using Real-Time Three
      Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography: Pilot Study.
AB  - Aim of Study. To assess the feasibility of a new proposed maneuver "RATLe-90"
      using real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (RT-3DTEE) for
      anatomically oriented visualization of the interatrial septum (IAS) in guiding
      the transseptal puncture TSP. Methods. The study included 20 patients (mean age,
      60.2 +/- 6.7 years; 60% males) who underwent TSP for different indications. RT
      3DTEE was used to guide TSP. The proposed maneuver RATLe-90 (Rotate-Anticlockwise
      Tilt-Left-90) was applied in all cases to have the anatomically oriented en face
      view of the IAS from the right atrial (RA) aspect. Having this anatomically
      oriented view, we guided the TSP catheter towards the proper puncture site
      according to the planned procedure. Results. Using the RATLe-90 maneuver, the
      anatomically oriented en face view of the IAS from the RA was obtained in all
      patients. We were able to guide the puncture catheter to the proper puncture site
      on the IAS. The 3D images obtained were clearly understood by both
      echocardiographers and interventionists. The RATLe-90 maneuver acquisition time
      was 19.9 +/- 1.6 seconds. The time-to-tent was 64.8 +/- 16.3 seconds. Less TEE
      probe manipulations were needed while guiding the TSP. Conclusions. Application
      of RT3D-TEE during TSP using RATLe-90 maneuver is feasible with shorter
      fluoroscopy time and minimizing TEE probe manipulations. 

PMID- 26106504
TI  - Factors Associated with the Use of Drug-Eluting Stents in Patients Presenting
      with Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - Background. Drug-eluting stents (DES) have proven clinical superiority to bare
      metal stents (BMS) for the treatment of patients with ST-segment elevation
      myocardial infarction (STEMI). Decision to implant BMS or DES is dependent on the
      patient's ability to take dual antiplatelet therapy. This study investigated
      factors associated with DES placement in STEMI patients. Methods. Retrospective
      analysis was performed on 193 patients who presented with STEMI and were treated
      with percutaneous coronary intervention at an urban, tertiary care hospital.
      Independent factors associated with choice of stent type were determined using
      stepwise multivariate logistic regression. Odds ratio (OR) was used to evaluate
      factors significantly associated with DES and BMS. Results. 128 received at least
      one DES, while 65 received BMS. BMS use was more likely in the setting of illicit
      drug or alcohol abuse ([OR] 0.15, 95% CI 0.05-0.48, p <= 0.01), cardiogenic shock
      (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.10-0.73, p = 0.01), and larger stent diameter (OR 0.28, 95% CI
      0.11-0.68, p <= 0.01). Conclusions. In this analysis, BMS implantation was
      associated with illicit drug or alcohol abuse and presence of cardiogenic shock.
      This study did not confirm previous observations that non-White race, insurance,
      or income predicts BMS use. 

PMID- 26106505
TI  - An Efficient Taguchi Approach for the Performance Optimization of Health, Safety,
      Environment and Ergonomics in Generation Companies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A unique framework for performance optimization of generation
      companies (GENCOs) based on health, safety, environment, and ergonomics (HSEE)
      indicators is presented. METHODS: To rank this sector of industry, the
      combination of data envelopment analysis (DEA), principal component analysis
      (PCA), and Taguchi are used for all branches of GENCOs. These methods are applied
      in an integrated manner to measure the performance of GENCO. The preferred model
      between DEA, PCA, and Taguchi is selected based on sensitivity analysis and
      maximum correlation between rankings. To achieve the stated objectives, noise is
      introduced into input data. RESULTS: The results show that Taguchi outperforms
      other methods. Moreover, a comprehensive experiment is carried out to identify
      the most influential factor for ranking GENCOs. CONCLUSION: The approach
      developed in this study could be used for continuous assessment and improvement
      of GENCO's performance in supplying energy with respect to HSEE factors. The
      results of such studies would help managers to have better understanding of weak
      and strong points in terms of HSEE factors.

PMID- 26106506
TI  - A Comparison between the Second Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) and the
      First KWCS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The study was designed to assess the changes in working conditions
      through a comparative analysis of the characteristics of working conditions in
      2006 and 2010. METHODS: We performed a comparative analysis of the data related
      to the first Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) and the second KWCS in the
      categories of demographic characteristics, quality of labor, exposure to hazards,
      and health problems. RESULTS: From our analysis of the demographic
      characteristics, we saw an increase in labor force participation rate of women
      and elderly people. As a result of the investigation with regards to working
      hours, the ratio of employees who worked for >= 49 hours per week was decreased
      and the ratio of employees who worked for >= 40 h/wk increased. As for exposure
      to hazards, exposure to tobacco smoke notably decreased in 2010 compared with
      2006. With regards to health problems, there was a sharp increase in the number
      of people who complained of muscle pain in their arms and legs. CONCLUSION: KWCS
      data included many aspects of working conditions as a nationwide sample. In
      addition, because this is a periodic nationwide survey, the labor force, working
      hours, harmful factor exposure, and the change in health problems characteristics
      according to the flow of time could be investigated. The information comparing
      the main results of the first survey conducted in 2006 and the second survey
      conducted in 2010 obtained through this study can be used as an important base
      material for the establishment of the national policy.

PMID- 26106507
TI  - Use of Ergonomic Measures Related to Musculoskeletal Complaints among
      Construction Workers: A 2-year Follow-up Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The physical work demands of construction work can be reduced using
      ergonomic measures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of ergonomic
      measures related to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among construction workers.
      METHODS: A questionnaire was sent at baseline and 2 years later to 1,130
      construction workers. We established (1) the proportion of workers reporting an
      increase in their use of ergonomic measures, (2) the proportion of workers
      reporting a decrease in MSDs, (3) the relative risk for an increase in the use of
      ergonomic measures and a decrease in MSDs, and (4) workers' knowledge and
      opinions about the use of ergonomic measures. RESULTS: At follow-up, response
      rate was 63% (713/1,130). The proportion of workers using ergonomic measures for
      vertical transport increased (34%, 144/419, p < 0.01); for measures regarding
      horizontal transport and the positioning of materials, no change was reported.
      The proportion of workers reporting shoulder complaints decreased (28%, 176/638,
      p = 0.02). A relationship between the use of ergonomic measures and MSDs was not
      found; 83% (581/704) of the workers indicated having sufficient knowledge about
      ergonomic measures. Lightening the physical load was reported to be the main
      reason for using them. CONCLUSION: Only the use of ergonomic measures for
      vertical transport increased over a 2-year period. No relationship between the
      use of ergonomic measures and MSDs was found. Strategies aimed at improving the
      availability of ergonomic equipment complemented with individualized advice and
      training in using them might be the required next steps to increase the use of
      ergonomic measures.

PMID- 26106508
TI  - Development and Validation of a Safety Climate Scale for Manufacturing Industry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This paper describes the development of a scale for measuring safety
      climate. METHODS: This study was conducted in six manufacturing companies in
      Iran. The scale developed through conducting a literature review about the safety
      climate and constructing a question pool. The number of items was reduced to 71
      after performing a screening process. RESULTS: The result of content validity
      analysis showed that 59 items had excellent item content validity index (>= 0.78)
      and content validity ratio (> 0.38). The exploratory factor analysis resulted in
      eight safety climate dimensions. The reliability value for the final 45-item
      scale was 0.96. The result of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the safety
      climate model is satisfactory. CONCLUSION: This study produced a valid and
      reliable scale for measuring safety climate in manufacturing companies.

PMID- 26106509
TI  - Surveying the Impact of Work Hours and Schedules on Commercial Motor Vehicle
      Driver Sleep.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given the long hours on the road involving multiple and interacting
      work stressors (i.e., delivery pressures, irregular shifts, ergonomic hazards),
      commercial drivers face a plethora of health and safety risks. Researchers goal
      was to determine whether and to what extent long-haul trucker work schedules
      influence sleep duration and quality. METHODS: Survey and biometric data
      collected from male long-haul truck drivers at a major truckstop in central North
      Carolina over a six month period. RESULTS: Daily hours worked (mean = 11 hours,
      55 minutes) and frequency of working over government-mandated daily HOS
      regulations (23.8% "frequently or always") were statistically significant
      predictors of sleep duration. Miles driven per week (mean = 2,812.61), irregular
      daily hours worked (63.8%), and frequency of working over the daily hour limit
      (23.8% "frequently or always") were statistically significant predictors of sleep
      quality. CONCLUSION: Implications of findings suggest a comprehensive review of
      the regulations and operational conditions for commercial motor vehicle drivers
      be undertaken.

PMID- 26106510
TI  - The Impact of Multiple Roles on Psychological Distress among Japanese Workers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There has been considerable interest in Japanese society in the
      problem of work-related stress leading to depressive symptoms, and an increasing
      number of primary houseworkers maintain paid employment. The purpose of this
      study was to examine the differential impact of multiple roles associated with
      psychological distress among Japanese workers. METHODS: We studied 722 men and
      women aged 18-83 years in a cross-sectional study. The K10 questionnaire was used
      to examine psychological distress. RESULTS: The proportion of participants with
      psychological distress was higher in women (17.8%) compared with men (11.5%).
      Having three roles significantly decreased the risk of psychological distress
      [women: odds ratio (OR), 0.37-fold; men: OR, 0.41] compared with only one role.
      In working married women, there was significantly less psychological distress
      (OR, 0.27), and those with childrearing or caregiving responsibilities for
      elderly parents had significantly less psychological distress (OR, 0.38) than
      those with only an employment role. Similarly, working married men who had
      childrearing or caregiving responsibilities for elderly parents had significantly
      less psychological distress (OR, 0.41) than those who had only an employment
      role. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that participants who had only
      an employment role had an increased risk of psychological distress. The degree of
      psychological distress was not determined solely by the number of roles. It is
      important to have balance between work and family life to reduce role conflict
      and/or role submersion, which in turn may reduce the risk of psychological
      distress.

PMID- 26106511
TI  - Psychosocial Factors and Musculoskeletal Pain Among Rural Hand-woven Carpet
      Weavers in Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is a common and disabling problem among
      carpet weavers and is linked to physical and psychosocial factors of work. This
      study aimed to determine the prevalence of MSP, its psychosocial risk factors,
      and association of pain in each pair of anatomical sites among carpet weavers.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed among 546 hand-woven carpet
      weavers in rural small-scale workshops of Iran. Data were collected by using
      parts of a standardized CUPID (Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on
      Disability) questionnaire focused on MSP in 10 body sites, including the low
      back, neck, both right and left shoulders, elbows, wrists/hands, individual,
      physical and psychosocial risk factors. Statistical analysis was performed
      applying logistic regression models. RESULTS: Prevalence of MSP in at least one
      body site was 51.7% over the past month. The most common sites were low back and
      right shoulder pain 27.4% and 20.1%, respectively. A significant difference was
      found between the mean number of painful anatomical sites and the level of
      education, age, physical loading at work, time pressure, lack of support, and job
      dissatisfaction. In pairwise comparisons, strongest association was found between
      pain in each bilateral anatomical site (odds ratio = 11.6-35.3; p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: In home-based workshops of carpet weaving, psychosocial factors and
      physical loading were associated with MSP. This finding is consistent with
      studies conducted among other jobs. Considering the preventive programs, the same
      amount of attention should be paid to psychosocial risk factors and physical
      loading. Also, further longitudinal studies are needed to investigate the
      relationship of psychological factors.

PMID- 26106512
TI  - Relationship between Comorbid Health Problems and Musculoskeletal Disorders
      Resulting in Musculoskeletal Complaints and Musculoskeletal Sickness Absence
      among Employees in Korea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate the relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and
      comorbid health problems, including depression/anxiety disorder, insomnia/sleep
      disorder, fatigue, and injury by accident, and to determine whether certain
      physical and psychological factors reduce comorbid health problems. METHODS: In
      total, 29,711 employees were selected from respondents of the Third Korean
      Working Conditions Survey and categorized into two groups: Musculoskeletal
      Complaints or Musculoskeletal Sickness Absence. Four self-reported health
      indicators (overall fatigue, depression/anxiety, insomnia/sleep disorder, and
      injury by accident) were selected as outcomes, based on their high prevalence in
      Korea. We used multiple logistic regression analysis to determine the
      relationship between comorbid health problems, musculoskeletal complaints, and
      sickness absence. RESULTS: The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints and
      musculoskeletal sickness absence due to muscular pain was 32.26% and 0.59%,
      respectively. Compared to the reference group, depression/anxiety disorder and
      overall fatigue were 5.2-6.1 times more prevalent in the Musculoskeletal
      Complaints Group and insomnia/sleep disorder and injury by accident were 7.6-11.0
      times more prevalent in the Sickness Absence Group. When adjusted for individual
      and work-related physical factors, prevalence of all four comorbid health
      problems were slightly decreased in both groups. CONCLUSION: Increases in overall
      fatigue and depression/anxiety disorder were observed in the Musculoskeletal
      Complaints Group, while increases in insomnia/sleep disorder and injury by
      accident were observed in the Sickness Absence Group. For management of
      musculoskeletal complaints and sickness absence in the workplace, differences in
      health problems between employees with musculoskeletal complaints and those with
      sickness absence as well as the physical and psychological risk factors should be
      considered.

PMID- 26106513
TI  - Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in the Police Force.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a major preventable occupational
      health problem with 250 million people worldwide known to have disabling
      impairment of moderate to greater severity. The aims of the study are to estimate
      the prevalence of NIHL in the police force; and study its association with age,
      sex, duration of service (years), smoking and alcohol habits, use of hearing
      protective devices, as well as preexisting chronic diseases. METHODS: A cross
      sectional study was conducted on 543 police personnel who had undergone periodic
      medical examination over a 12-month period. The diagnostic criteria for NIHL were
      (1) history of occupational noise exposure, (2) bilateral hearing loss, (3)
      hearing loss of >= 25 dBA at 4,000 Hz in two consecutive audiograms, and (4) no
      significant medical history affecting hearing. Severity of NIHL was based on the
      World Health Organization grading. RESULTS: Males (74.8%) made up the majority of
      the police force. The mean age for police personnel was 35.55 +/- 9.57 years, and
      the mean duration of service was 14.75 +/- 9.39 years. Compliance with the usage
      of hearing protective devices was seen in 64.4%. The prevalence of NIHL in this
      study population was 34.2%, with a higher prevalence in males (37.7%) than in
      females (23.9%). The study also showed strong associations between NIHL and male
      sex (odds ratio, 1.9; P < 0.05), and hypertension (odds ratio, 3.3; P < 0.001).
      Overall, 93% were found to have mild NIHL, 3.5% had moderate NIHL, and 3.5% had
      severe NIHL. No police personnel were found to have profound hearing loss.
      CONCLUSION: The prevalence of NIHL in this study is high compared to other
      similar studies among police personnel. This study shows that increasing age,
      male, presence of hypertension, diabetes, and longer duration of service are
      significant associated factors for NIHL. Preventative strategies include health
      surveillance, implementation of a hearing conservation program, and legislation.

PMID- 26106514
TI  - Predictors of Hepatitis B Preventive Behavioral Intentions in Healthcare Workers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers' practices regarding hepatitis B have an important
      effect on the control of this problem in workplaces. METHODS: A questionnaire
      based cross-sectional study was used to investigate the role of knowledge, cues
      to action, and risk perceptions as predictors of preventive behavioral intentions
      for hepatitis B among healthcare works in Broujen, Iran (n = 150). History of
      hepatitis B vaccination, hepatitis B surface antigen test, and demographic
      characteristics were investigated. The psychometric properties of the
      questionnaire were established. RESULTS: Those who had a history of hepatitis B
      surface antigen test had a statistically significant higher level of risk
      perceptions (30.89 +/- 4.08 vs. 28.41 +/- 3.93, p < 0.01) and preventive
      behavioral intentions (5.05 +/- 1.43 vs. 4.45 +/- 1.29, p < 0.01). The mean score
      of cues to action was significantly correlated with age and work history (r =
      0.20, p = 0.02 and r = 0.19, p = 0.02). Preventive behavioral intentions were
      significantly correlated with cues to action and risk perceptions but not with
      knowledge level. Cognitional factors were responsible for a 17% change in
      observed variance of preventive behavioral intentions, which was statistically
      significant. CONCLUSION: Risk perceptions were the most important determinant of
      preventive behavioral intentions for hepatitis B among health personnel; thus,
      emphasizing risk perceptions is recommended in educational programs aimed at
      increasing health personnel's practices regarding hepatitis B.

PMID- 26106515
TI  - Occupational Safety and Health Activities Conducted across Countries in Asia.
AB  - Three occupational safety and health (OSH) activities, one international and two
      national workshops, were documented as part of OSH activities conducted under the
      International Labor Organization/Korea Partnership Program in the year 2011-2012.
      This study aimed to provide information on what the three OSH activities were
      implemented and how they contributed to the improvement of OSH in Asian
      countries. The international workshop was useful for the participants to
      understand a variety of information on OSH as well as participatory action
      oriented training (PAOT) approaches at the regional and global levels. The two
      national workshops were practical for participants to strengthen their knowledge
      and skills on the PAOT at the enterprise and national levels. The study shows
      that the three OSH activities contributed to the understanding of the
      participants on OSH and PAOT, and that the activities promoted the improvement of
      OSH across countries in Asia. 

PMID- 26106516
TI  - A Call for Action to Improve Occupational Health and Safety in Ghana and a
      Critical Look at the Existing Legal Requirement and Legislation.
AB  - Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a broad field of professional practice,
      which involves specialists from different disciplines including but not limited
      to engineers, occupational health physicians, physical and biological scientists,
      economists, and statisticians. The preventive systems required to ensure workers
      are protected from injuries and illnesses dwell heavily on engineers; however,
      the extent to which the engineer can go regarding planning and implementing
      preventive measures is dependent on specific legal requirements, leadership
      commitment from the company, organization, and nation. The objective of this
      paper is to identify the areas of opportunities for improvements in OHS
      management in Ghana with regard to the nation's legal requirements, commitment of
      the Ghana government, and Ghanaian leadership as well as appropriate structuring
      of Ghanaian institutions responsible for monitoring and managing OHS in Ghana.
      This paper identified Ghana's fragmented legal requirements concerning OHS, which
      are under different jurisdictions with unclear responsibilities and
      accountabilities. The paper also highlights the training needs of Ghanaian
      academic institutions regarding OHS. Among other recommendations made including
      structuring of Ghanaian institutions to manage OHS in line with the ILO-OSH 2001,
      this paper aligns the recommendations with the articles and elements of
      International Labour Organization convention number 155 and OHSAS 18001 elements.

PMID- 26106517
TI  - Aging Workers and Trade-Related Injuries in the US Construction Industry.
AB  - The study was designed to identify any trends of injury type as it relates to the
      age and trade of construction workers. The participants for this study included
      any individual who, while working on a heavy and highway construction project in
      the Midwestern United States, sustained an injury during the specified time frame
      of when the data were collected. During this period, 143 injury reports were
      collected. The four trade/occupation groups with the highest injury rates were
      laborers, carpenters, iron workers, and operators. Data pertaining to injuries
      sustained by body part in each age group showed that younger workers generally
      suffered from finger/hand/wrist injuries due to cuts/lacerations and contusion,
      whereas older workers had increased sprains/strains injuries to the
      ankle/foot/toes, knees/lower legs, and multiple body parts caused by falls from a
      higher level or overexertion. Understanding these trade-related tasks can help
      present a more accurate depiction of the incident and identify trends and
      intervention methods to meet the needs of the aging workforce in the industry. 

PMID- 26106518
TI  - Corrigendum to "Identification of Knowledge Gaps Regarding Healthcare Workers'
      Exposure to Antineoplastic Drugs: Review of Literature, North America versus
      Europe" [Saf Health Work 5 (4) (2014) 169-174].
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2014.06.001.]. 

PMID- 26106519
TI  - Erratum to "Obesity as a Possible Risk Factor For Lost-Time Injury In Registered
      Nurses: A Literature Review" [Saf Health Work 6 (1) (2015) 1-8].
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2014.12.006.]. 

PMID- 26106520
TI  - Identification of distinctive interdomain interactions among ZP-N, ZP-C and other
      domains of zona pellucida glycoproteins underlying association of chicken egg
      coat matrix.
AB  - The vertebrate egg coat, including mammalian zona pellucida, is an oocyte
      specific extracellular matrix comprising two to six zona pellucida (ZP)
      glycoproteins. The egg coat plays important roles in fertilization, especially in
      species-specific interactions with sperm to induce the sperm acrosome reaction
      and to form the block to polyspermy. It is suggested that the physiological
      functions of the egg coat are mediated and/or regulated coordinately by peptide
      and carbohydrate moieties of the ZP glycoproteins that are spatially arranged in
      the egg coat, whereas a comprehensive understanding of the architecture of
      vertebrate egg-coat matrix remains elusive. Here, we deduced the orientations
      and/or distributions of chicken ZP glycoproteins, ZP1, ZP3 and ZPD, in the egg
      coat matrix by confocal immunofluorescent microscopy, and in the ZP1-ZP3
      complexes generated in vitro by co-immunoprecipitation assays. We further
      confirmed interdomain interactions of the ZP glycoproteins by far-Western blot
      analyses of the egg-coat proteins and pull-down assays of ZP1 in the serum, using
      recombinant domains of ZP glycoproteins as probes. Our results suggest that the
      ZP1 and ZP3 bind through their ZP-C domains to form the ZP1-ZP3 complexes and
      fibrils, which are assembled into bundles through interactions between the repeat
      domains of ZP1 to form the ZP1-ZP3 matrix, and that the ZPD molecules self
      associate and bind to the ZP1-ZP3 matrix through its ZP-N and ZP-C domains to
      form the egg-coat matrix. Based on these results, we propose a tentative model
      for the architecture of the chicken egg-coat matrix that might be applicable to
      other vertebrate ones. 

PMID- 26106521
TI  - Blockage of TGFbeta-SMAD2 by demethylation-activated miR-148a is involved in
      caffeic acid-induced inhibition of cancer stem cell-like properties in vitro and
      in vivo.
AB  - Current standard practices for treatment of cancers are less than satisfactory
      because of recurrence mediated by cancer stem cells (CSCs). Caffeic acid (CaA) is
      a novel anti-tumor agent that inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion in
      human cancer cells. However, little is known about the functions of CaA in
      regulating CSCs-like properties and the potential molecular mechanisms. Here, we
      found that CaA attenuated the CSCs-like properties by the microRNA-148a (miR
      148a)-mediated inhibition of transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta)-SMAD2
      signaling pathway both in vitro and in vivo. CaA enhanced the expression of miR
      148a by inducing DNA methylation. MiR-148a, which targeted the SMAD2-3'UTR,
      decreased the expression of SMAD2. Knockdown of miR-148a abolished the CaA
      induced inhibition of TGFbeta-SMAD2 signal pathway and the CSCs-like properties.
      Our study found a novel mechanism that CaA inhibits the CSCs-like properties via
      miR-148a-mediated inhibition of TGFbeta-SMAD2 signaling pathway, which may help
      to identify a new approach for the treatment of human cancers. 

PMID- 26106522
TI  - Hyaluronic acid regulates a key redox control factor Nrf2 via phosphorylation of
      Akt in bovine articular chondrocytes.
AB  - One important pharmacological function of hyaluronic acid (HA) in chondrocytes is
      reduction of cellular superoxide generation and accumulation. Here we
      demonstrated a relationship between HA supplementation and accumulation of
      Nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which is a master
      transcription factor in cellular redox reactions, in cultured chondrocytes
      derived from bovine joint cartilage. In HA-treated chondrocytes, expression of
      Nrf2 and its downstream genes was upregulated. In HA-treated chondrocytes, Akt
      was phosphorylated, and inhibition of Akt activity or suppression of HA receptors
      CD44 and/or RHAMM with siRNAs prevented HA-mediated Nrf2 accumulation.
      Furthermore, Nrf2 siRNA inhibited the HA effect on antioxidant enzymes. These
      results show that HA might contribute to ROS reduction through Nrf2 regulation by
      activating Akt. Our study suggests a new mechanism for extracellular matrix (ECM)
      mediated redox systems in chondrocytes. 

PMID- 26106523
TI  - Enhanced oleate uptake and lipotoxicity associated with laurate.
AB  - Free fatty acids have been reported to induce cell death (lipotoxicity), but the
      effects depend on the carbon chain length and number of double bonds. Medium
      chain saturated fatty acids (MC-SFAs), such as laurate, have less lipotoxicity
      than long-chain saturated fatty acids (LC-SFAs), such as palmitate.
      Monounsaturated fatty acids, such as oleate, have also been reported not only to
      exert cytotoxic effects, but also to reduce the lipotoxicity of LC-SFA. However
      the interaction between MC-SFA and oleate with respect to cell death is unclear.
      In this report, we found that lipotoxicity was enhanced by a combination of
      laurate and oleate relative to either fatty acid alone. The possible mechanisms
      involved were examined by measuring the production of reactive oxygen species,
      mitochondrial depolarization, caspase-3 activity, and lipid droplet formation.
      Although the stress signals and cell death pathways were distinct among different
      cell types, we found a common phenomenon of enhanced lipid droplet formation in
      all cells tested. Using fluorescent- or radioisotope-labeled fatty acids, we
      found that oleate, but not laurate, increased the uptake of fluorescent-labeled
      fatty acids, and the combinatory effect was more efficient than with oleate
      alone. We also found that laurate increased oleate uptake, but the effect of
      oleate on laurate uptake varied among cell types. These results suggest that
      laurate enhances the influx rate of oleate, the increased intracellular
      concentration of which not only enhances lipid storage, but also induces cell
      death by lipotoxic stress responses, which vary according to cell type. 

PMID- 26106524
TI  - Thalamic-hippocampal-prefrontal disruption in relapsing-remitting multiple
      sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cortical, thalamic and hippocampal gray matter atrophy in relapsing
      remitting MS (RRMS) is associated cognitive deficits. However, the role of
      interconnecting white matter pathways including the fornix, cingulum, and
      uncinate fasciculus (UF) is less well studied. OBJECTIVE: To assess MS damage to
      a hippocampal-thalamic-prefrontal network and the relative contributions of its
      components to specific cognitive domains. METHODS: We calculated diffusion tensor
      fractional anisotropy (FA) in the fornix, cingulum and UF as well as thalamic and
      hippocampal volumes in 27 RRMS patients and 20 healthy controls. A
      neuropsychological battery was administered and 4 core tests known to be
      sensitive to MS changes were used to assess cognitive impairment. To determine
      the relationships between structure and cognition, all tests were grouped into 4
      domains: attention/executive function, processing speed, verbal memory, and
      spatial memory. Univariate correlations with structural measures and depressive
      symptoms identified potential contributors to cognitive performance and
      subsequent linear regression determined their relative effects on performance in
      each domain. For significant predictors, we also explored the effects of
      laterality and axial versus radial diffusivity. RESULTS: RRMS patients had worse
      performance on the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, but no significant impairment in
      the 4 cognitive domains. RRMS had reduced mean FA of all 3 pathways and reduced
      thalamic and hippocampal volumes compared to controls. In RRMS we found that
      thalamic volume and BDI predicted attention/executive function, UF FA predicted
      processing speed, thalamic volume predicted verbal memory, and UF FA and BDI
      predicted spatial memory. CONCLUSIONS: Hippocampal-thalamic-prefrontal disruption
      affects cognitive performance in early RRMS with mild to minimal cognitive
      impairment, confirming both white and gray matter involvement in MS and
      demonstrating utility in assessing functional networks to monitor cognition.

PMID- 26106525
TI  - Psychopathic traits modulate microstructural integrity of right uncinate
      fasciculus in a community population.
AB  - Individuals with psychopathy possess emotional and behavioral abnormalities. Two
      neural regions, involved in behavioral control and emotion regulation, are often
      implicated: amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). Recently, in
      studies using adult criminal populations, reductions in microstructural integrity
      of the white matter connections (i.e., uncinate fasciculus (UF)) between these
      two neural regions have been discovered in criminals with psychopathy, supporting
      the notion of neural dysfunction in the amygdala-VMPFC circuit. Here, a young
      adult, community sample is used to assess whether psychopathic traits modulate
      microstructural integrity of UF, and whether this relationship is dependent upon
      levels of trait anxiety, which is sometimes used to distinguish subtypes of
      psychopathy. Results reveal a negative association between psychopathic traits
      and microstructural integrity of UF, supporting previous findings. However, no
      moderation of the relationship by trait anxiety was discovered. Findings provide
      further support for the notion of altered amygdala-VMPFC connectivity in
      association with higher psychopathic traits. 

PMID- 26106526
TI  - Conflict anticipation in alcohol dependence - A model-based fMRI study of stop
      signal task.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our previous work characterized altered cerebral activations during
      cognitive control in individuals with alcohol dependence (AD). A hallmark of
      cognitive control is the ability to anticipate changes and adjust behavior
      accordingly. Here, we employed a Bayesian model to describe trial-by-trial
      anticipation of the stop signal and modeled fMRI signals of conflict anticipation
      in a stop signal task. Our goal is to characterize the neural correlates of
      conflict anticipation and its relationship to response inhibition and alcohol
      consumption in AD. METHODS: Twenty-four AD and 70 age and gender matched healthy
      control individuals (HC) participated in the study. fMRI data were pre-processed
      and modeled with SPM8. We modeled fMRI signals at trial onset with individual
      events parametrically modulated by estimated probability of the stop signal,
      p(Stop), and compared regional responses to conflict anticipation between AD and
      HC. To address the link to response inhibition, we regressed whole-brain
      responses to conflict anticipation against the stop signal reaction time (SSRT).
      RESULTS: Compared to HC (54/70), fewer AD (11/24) showed a significant sequential
      effect - a correlation between p(Stop) and RT during go trials - and the
      magnitude of sequential effect is diminished, suggesting a deficit in proactive
      control. Parametric analyses showed decreased learning rate and over-estimated
      prior mean of the stop signal in AD. In fMRI, both HC and AD responded to p(Stop)
      in bilateral inferior parietal cortex and anterior pre-supplementary motor area,
      although the magnitude of response increased in AD. In contrast, HC but not AD
      showed deactivation of the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC).
      Furthermore, deactivation of the pgACC to increasing p(Stop) is positively
      correlated with the SSRT in HC but not AD. Recent alcohol consumption is
      correlated with increased activation of the thalamus and cerebellum in AD during
      conflict anticipation. CONCLUSIONS: The current results highlight altered
      proactive control that may serve as an additional behavioral and neural marker of
      alcohol dependence.

PMID- 26106527
TI  - Tract shape modeling detects changes associated with preterm birth and
      neuroprotective treatment effects.
AB  - Preterm birth is associated with altered connectivity of neural circuits. We
      developed a tract segmentation method that provides measures of tract shape and
      integrity (probabilistic neighborhood tractography, PNT) from diffusion MRI
      (dMRI) data to test the hypotheses: 1) preterm birth is associated with
      alterations in tract topology (R), and tract-averaged mean diffusivity (<D>) and
      fractional anisotropy (FA); 2) neural systems are separable based on tract
      averaged dMRI parameters; and 3) PNT can detect neuroprotective treatment
      effects. dMRI data were collected from 87 preterm infants (mean gestational age
      29(+1) weeks, range 23(+2) -34(+6)) at term equivalent age and 24 controls (mean
      gestational age 39(+6) weeks). PNT was used to segment eight major fasciculi,
      characterize topology, and extract tract-averaged<D>and FA. Tract topology was
      altered by preterm birth in all tracts except the splenium (p < 0.05, false
      discovery rate [FDR] corrected). After adjustment for age at scan, tract
      averaged<D>was increased in the genu and splenium, right corticospinal tract
      (CST) and the left and right inferior longitudinal fasciculi (ILF) in preterm
      infants compared with controls (p < 0.05, FDR), while tract-averaged FA was
      decreased in the splenium and left ILF (p < 0.05, FDR). Specific fasciculi were
      separable based on tract-averaged<D>and FA values. There was a modest decrease in
      tract-averaged<D>in the splenium of preterm infants who had been exposed to
      antenatal MgSO4 for neuroprotection (p = 0.002). Tract topology is a biomarker of
      preterm brain injury. The data provide proof of concept that tract-averaged dMRI
      parameters have utility for evaluating tissue effects of perinatal
      neuroprotective strategies.

PMID- 26106528
TI  - Reward salience and risk aversion underlie differential ACC activity in substance
      dependence.
AB  - The medial prefrontal cortex, especially the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex
      (ACC), has long been implicated in cognitive control and error processing.
      Although the association between ACC and behavior has been established, it is
      less clear how ACC contributes to dysfunctional behavior such as substance
      dependence. Evidence from neuroimaging studies investigating ACC function in
      substance users is mixed, with some studies showing disengagement of ACC in
      substance dependent individuals (SDs), while others show increased ACC activity
      related to substance use. In this study, we investigate ACC function in SDs and
      healthy individuals performing a change signal task for monetary rewards. Using a
      priori predictions derived from a recent computational model of ACC, we find that
      ACC activity differs between SDs and controls in factors related to reward
      salience and risk aversion between SDs and healthy individuals. Quantitative fits
      of a computational model to fMRI data reveal significant differences in best fit
      parameters for reward salience and risk preferences. Specifically, the ACC in SDs
      shows greater risk aversion, defined as concavity in the utility function, and
      greater attention to rewards relative to reward omission. Furthermore, across
      participants risk aversion and reward salience are positively correlated. The
      results clarify the role that ACC plays in both the reduced sensitivity to
      omitted rewards and greater reward valuation in SDs. Clinical implications of
      applying computational modeling in psychiatry are also discussed. 

PMID- 26106529
TI  - Attention in spina bifida myelomeningocele: Relations with brain volume and
      integrity.
AB  - This study investigated the relations of tectal volume and superior parietal
      cortex, as well as alterations in tectocortical white matter connectivity, with
      the orienting and executive control attention networks in individuals with spina
      bifida myelomeningocele (SBM). Probabilistic diffusion tractography and
      quantification of tectal and superior parietal cortical volume were performed on
      74 individuals aged 8-29 with SBM and a history of hydrocephalus. Behavioral
      assessments measured posterior (covert orienting) and anterior (conflict
      resolution, attentional control) attention network functions. Reduced tectal
      volume was associated with slower covert orienting; reduced superior parietal
      cortical volume was associated with slower conflict resolution; and increased
      axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity along both frontal and parietal
      tectocortical pathways were associated with reduced attentional control. Results
      suggest that components of both the orienting and executive control attention
      networks are impaired in SBM. Neuroanatomical disruption to the orienting network
      appears more robust and a direct consequence of characteristic midbrain
      dysmorphology; whereas, executive control difficulties may emerge from parietal
      cortical anomalies and reduced frontal and parietal cortical-subcortical white
      matter pathways susceptible to the pathophysiological effects of congenital
      hydrocephalus. 

PMID- 26106530
TI  - The associations of depression and hypertension with brain volumes: Independent
      or interactive?
AB  - Independent studies on major depressive disorder (MDD) and hypertension, suggest
      overlapping abnormalities in brain regions associated with emotional and
      autonomic processing. However, the unique and interactive effects of MDD and
      hypertension have never been studied in a single sample. Brain volume in these
      areas may be an explanatory link in the comorbidity between MDD and hypertension.
      Voxel-based morphometry was used to test for main effects of MDD (N = 152) and
      hypertension (N = 82) and their interactions on gray and white matter volumes.
      Voxel-wise results are reported at p < .05 FWE corrected for the spatial extent
      of the whole brain and a-priori regions of interest (ROIs: hippocampus, anterior
      cingulate cortex (ACC) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)). In addition, analyses
      on the extracted total volumes of our ROIs were performed. Interactive effects in
      the mid-cingulate cortex (MCC) (p FWE = .01), cerebellum (p FWE = .01) and in the
      ACC total ROI volume (p = .02) were found. MDD in the presence, but not in the
      absence of hypertension was associated with lower volumes in the ACC and MCC, and
      with a trend towards larger gray matter volume in the cerebellum. No associations
      with white matter volumes were observed. Results suggest that the combination of
      MDD and hypertension has a unique effect on brain volumes in areas implicated in
      the regulation of emotional and autonomic functions. Brain volume in these
      regulatory areas may be an explanatory link in the comorbidity between
      hypertension and MDD. 

PMID- 26106531
TI  - Variability in blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal in patients with stroke
      induced and primary progressive aphasia.
AB  - Although fMRI is increasingly used to assess language-related brain activation in
      patients with aphasia, few studies have examined the hemodynamic response
      function (HRF) in perilesional, and contralesional areas of the brain. In
      addition, the relationship between HRF abnormalities and other variables such as
      lesion size and severity of aphasia has not been explored. The objective of this
      study was to investigate changes in HRF signal during language-related neural
      activation in patients with stroke-induced aphasia (SA). We also examined the
      status of the HRF in patients with aphasia due to nonvascular etiology, namely,
      primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Five right handed SA patients, three PPA
      patients, and five healthy individuals participated in the study. Structural
      damage was quantified with T1-weighted MR images. Functional MR imaging was
      performed with long trial event-related design and an overt naming task to
      measure BOLD signal time to peak (TTP) and percent signal change (DeltaS). In SA
      patients, the average HRF TTP was significantly delayed in the left hemisphere
      regions involved in naming compared to healthy participants and PPA patients.
      However, DeltaS was not different in SA patients compared to the other two
      groups. Delay in HRF TTP in the left hemisphere naming network of SA patients was
      correlated with lesion size and showed a negative correlation with global
      language function. There were no significant differences in the HRF TTP and
      DeltaS in the right hemisphere homologues of the naming network or in the left
      and the right occipital control regions across the three groups. In PPA patients,
      HRF had a normal pattern. Our results indicate that abnormal task-related HRF is
      primarily found in the left hemisphere language network of SA patients and raise
      the possibility that abnormal physiology superimposed on structural damage may
      contribute to the clinical deficit. Follow-up investigations in a larger sample
      of age-matched healthy individuals, SA, and PPA patients will be needed to
      further confirm and extend our findings. 

PMID- 26106532
TI  - Three dysconnectivity patterns in treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients and
      their unaffected siblings.
AB  - Among individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, approximately 20%-33% are
      recognized as treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) patients. These TRS
      patients suffer more severely from the disease but struggle to benefit from
      existing antipsychotic treatments. A few recent studies suggested that
      schizophrenia may be caused by impaired synaptic plasticity that manifests as
      functional dysconnectivity in the brain, however, few of those studies focused on
      the functional connectivity changes in the brains of TRS groups. In this study,
      we compared the whole brain connectivity variations in TRS patients, their
      unaffected siblings, and healthy controls. Connectivity network features between
      and within the 116 automated anatomical labeling (AAL) brain regions were
      calculated and compared using maps created with three contrasts: patient vs.
      control, patient vs. sibling, and sibling vs. CONTROL: To evaluate the predictive
      power of the selected features, we performed a multivariate classification
      approach. We also evaluated the influence of six important clinical measures
      (e.g. age, education level) on the connectivity features. This study identified
      abnormal significant connectivity changes of three patterns in TRS patients and
      their unaffected siblings: 1) 69 patient-specific connectivity (PCN); 2) 102
      shared connectivity (SCN); and 3) 457 unshared connectivity (UCN). While the
      first two patterns were widely reported by previous non-TRS specific studies, we
      were among the first to report widespread significant connectivity differences
      between TRS patient groups and their healthy sibling groups. Observations of this
      study may provide new insights for the understanding of the neurophysiological
      mechanisms of TRS.

PMID- 26106533
TI  - Validity of semi-quantitative scale for brain MRI in unilateral cerebral palsy
      due to periventricular white matter lesions: Relationship with hand sensorimotor
      function and structural connectivity.
AB  - AIM: To provide first evidence of construct validity of a semi-quantitative scale
      for brain structural MRI (sqMRI scale) in children with unilateral cerebral palsy
      (UCP) secondary to periventricular white matter (PWM) lesions, by examining the
      relationship with hand sensorimotor function and whole brain structural
      connectivity. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 50 children with UCP due to PWM
      lesions using 3 T (MRI), diffusion MRI and assessment of hand sensorimotor
      function. We explored the relationship of lobar, hemispheric and global scores on
      the sqMRI scale, with fractional anisotropy (FA), as a measure of brain white
      matter microstructure, and with hand sensorimotor measures (Assisting Hand
      Assessment, AHA; Jebsen-Taylor Test for Hand Function, JTTHF; Melbourne
      Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function, MUUL; stereognosis; 2-point
      discrimination). RESULTS: Lobar and hemispheric scores on the sqMRI scale
      contralateral to the clinical side of hemiplegia correlated with sensorimotor
      paretic hand function measures and FA of a number of brain structural
      connections, including connections of brain areas involved in motor control
      (postcentral, precentral and paracentral gyri in the parietal lobe). More severe
      lesions correlated with lower sensorimotor performance, with the posterior limb
      of internal capsule score being the strongest contributor to impaired hand
      function. CONCLUSION: The sqMRI scale demonstrates first evidence of construct
      validity against impaired motor and sensory function measures and brain
      structural connectivity in a cohort of children with UCP due to PWM lesions. More
      severe lesions correlated with poorer paretic hand sensorimotor function and
      impaired structural connectivity in the hemisphere contralateral to the clinical
      side of hemiplegia. The quantitative structural MRI scoring may be a useful
      clinical tool for studying brain structure-function relationships but requires
      further validation in other populations of CP.

PMID- 26106534
TI  - The impact of isolated lesions on white-matter fiber tracts in multiple sclerosis
      patients.
AB  - Infratentorial lesions have been assigned an equivalent weighting to
      supratentorial plaques in the new McDonald criteria for diagnosing multiple
      sclerosis. Moreover, their presence has been shown to have prognostic value for
      disability. However, their spatial distribution and impact on network damage is
      not well understood. As a preliminary step in this study, we mapped the overall
      infratentorial lesion pattern in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients
      (N = 317) using MRI, finding the pons (lesion density, 14.25/cm(3)) and peduncles
      (13.38/cm(3)) to be predilection sites for infratentorial lesions. Based on these
      results, 118 fiber bundles from 15 healthy controls and a subgroup of 23 patients
      showing lesions unilaterally at the predilection sites were compared using
      diffusion tensor imaging to analyze the impact of an isolated infratentorial
      lesion on the affected fiber tracts. Fractional anisotropy, mean diffusion as
      well as axial and radial diffusivity were investigated at the lesion site and
      along the entire fiber tract. Infratentorial lesions were found to have an impact
      on the fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity not only at the lesion site
      itself but also along the entire affected fiber tract. As previously found in
      animal experiments, inflammatory attack in the posterior fossa in multiple
      sclerosis impacts the whole affected fiber tract. Here, this damaging effect,
      reflected by changes in diffusivity measures, was detected in vivo in multiple
      sclerosis patients in early stages of the disease, thus demonstrating the
      influence of a focal immune attack on more distant networks, and emphasizing the
      pathophysiological role of Wallerian degeneration in multiple sclerosis. 

PMID- 26106535
TI  - Poorer frontolimbic white matter integrity is associated with chronic cannabis
      use, FAAH genotype, and increased depressive and apathy symptoms in adolescents
      and young adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The heaviest period of cannabis use coincides with ongoing white
      matter (WM) maturation. Further, cannabis-related changes may be moderated by
      FAAH genotype (rs324420). We examined the association between cannabis use and
      FAAH genotype on frontolimbic WM integrity in adolescents and emerging adults. We
      then tested whether observed WM abnormalities were linked with depressive or
      apathy symptoms. METHODS: Participants included 37 cannabis users and 37 healthy
      controls (33 female; ages 18-25). Multiple regressions examined the independent
      and interactive effects of variables on WM integrity. RESULTS: Regular cannabis
      users demonstrated reduced WM integrity in the bilateral uncinate fasciculus
      (UNC) (MD, right: p = .009 and left: p = .009; FA, right: p = .04 and left: p =
      .03) and forceps minor (fMinor) (MD, p = .03) compared to healthy controls.
      Marginally reduced WM integrity in the cannabis users was found in the left
      anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) (FA, p = .08). Cannabis group * FAAH genotype
      interaction predicted WM integrity in bilateral ATR (FA, right: p = .05 and left:
      p = .001) and fMinor (FA, p = .02). In cannabis users, poorer WM integrity was
      correlated with increased symptoms of depression and apathy in bilateral ATR and
      UNC. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with prior findings, cannabis use was associated
      with reduced frontolimbic WM integrity. WM integrity was also moderated by FAAH
      genotype, in that cannabis-using FAAH C/C carriers and A carrying controls had
      reduced WM integrity compared to control C/C carriers. Observed frontolimbic
      white matter abnormalities were linked with increased depressive and apathy
      symptoms in the cannabis users.

PMID- 26106536
TI  - Aberrant functional connectivity within the basal ganglia of patients with
      Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) has been previously shown to be a
      promising tool for the assessment of early Parkinson's disease (PD). In order to
      assess whether changes within the basal ganglia network (BGN) are disease
      specific or relate to neurodegeneration generally, BGN connectivity was assessed
      in 32 patients with early PD, 19 healthy controls and 31 patients with
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). Voxel-wise comparisons demonstrated decreased
      connectivity within the basal ganglia of patients with PD, when compared to
      patients with AD and healthy controls. No significant changes within the BGN were
      seen in AD, when compared to healthy controls. Moreover, measures of functional
      connectivity extracted from regions within the basal ganglia were significantly
      lower in the PD group. Consistent with previous radiotracer studies, the greatest
      change when compared to the healthy control group was seen in the posterior
      putamen of PD subjects. When combined into a single component score, this method
      differentiated PD from AD and healthy control subjects, with a diagnostic
      accuracy of 81%. Rs-fMRI can be used to demonstrate the aberrant functional
      connectivity within the basal ganglia of patients with early PD. These changes
      are likely to be representative of patho-physiological basal ganglia dysfunction
      and are not associated with generalised neurodegeneration seen in AD. Further
      studies are necessary to ascertain whether this method is sensitive enough to
      detect basal ganglia dysfunction in prodromal PD, and its utility as a potential
      diagnostic biomarker for premotor and early motoric disease. 

PMID- 26106537
TI  - Brain and behavior in 48, XXYY syndrome.
AB  - The phenotype of 48, XXYY syndrome (referred to as XXYY) is associated with
      characteristic but variable developmental, cognitive, behavioral and physical
      abnormalities. To discern the neuroanatomical phenotype of the syndrome, we
      conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses on MRI brain scans from 25 males
      with XXYY and 92 age and SES matched typically developing XY males.
      Quantitatively, males in the XXYY group had smaller gray and white matter volumes
      of the frontal and temporal lobes. Conversely, both gray and white matter volumes
      of the parietal lobe as well as lateral ventricular volume were larger in the
      XXYY group. Qualitatively, males in the XXYY group had a higher incidence of
      colpocephaly (84% vs. 34%, p <= 0.001), white matter lesions (25% vs. 5%, p =
      0.007), and thin posterior body of the corpus callosum (28% vs. 3%, p = 0.001).
      The specificity of these findings may shed light on the role of the X and Y
      chromosomes in typical and atypical brain development and help provide direction
      for future studies of brain-behavior relationships in males with XXYY syndrome. 

PMID- 26106538
TI  - Multiple sclerosis, cannabis, and cognition: A structural MRI study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A subset of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) smoke cannabis to
      relieve symptoms including spasticity and pain. Recent evidence suggests that
      smoking cannabis further impairs cognition in people with MS and is linked to
      impaired functional brain changes. No such association, however, has been
      reported between cannabis use and structural brain changes, hence the focus of
      the present study. METHODS: Twenty patients with MS who smoke cannabis for
      symptom relief, and 19 matched non-cannabis-smoking MS patients were given the
      Brief Repeatable Neuropsychological Battery and structural MRI scans. Images were
      segmented into gray matter and white matter, and subsequently analysed with
      Partial Least Squares, a data-driven multivariate technique that explores brain
      behaviour associations. RESULTS: In both groups, the Partial Least Squares
      analysis yielded significant correlations between cognitive scores and both gray
      matter (33% variance, p < .0001) and white matter (17% variance, p < .05) volume.
      Gray matter volume in the thalamus, basal ganglia, medial temporal, and medial
      prefrontal regions, and white matter volume in the fornix correlated with
      cognitive deficits. Crucially, the analysis indicated that brain volume
      reductions were associated with more extensive cognitive impairment in the
      cannabis versus the non-cannabis MS group. INTERPRETATION: These results suggest
      that cannabis use in MS results in more widespread cognitive deficits, which
      correlate with tissue volume in subcortical, medial temporal, and prefrontal
      regions. These are the first findings demonstrating an association between
      cannabis use, cognitive impairment and structural brain changes in MS patients.

PMID- 26106539
TI  - The nature of white matter abnormalities in blast-related mild traumatic brain
      injury.
AB  - Blast-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been a common injury among
      returning troops due to the widespread use of improvised explosive devices in the
      Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. As most of the TBIs sustained are in the mild range,
      brain changes may not be detected by standard clinical imaging techniques such as
      CT. Furthermore, the functional significance of these types of injuries is
      currently being debated. However, accumulating evidence suggests that diffusion
      tensor imaging (DTI) is sensitive to subtle white matter abnormalities and may be
      especially useful in detecting mild TBI (mTBI). The primary aim of this study was
      to use DTI to characterize the nature of white matter abnormalities following
      blast-related mTBI, and in particular, examine the extent to which mTBI-related
      white matter abnormalities are region-specific or spatially heterogeneous. In
      addition, we examined whether mTBI with loss of consciousness (LOC) was
      associated with more extensive white matter abnormality than mTBI without LOC, as
      well as the potential moderating effect of number of blast exposures. A second
      aim was to examine the relationship between white matter integrity and
      neurocognitive function. Finally, a third aim was to examine the contribution of
      PTSD symptom severity to observed white matter alterations. One hundred fourteen
      OEF/OIF veterans underwent DTI and neuropsychological examination and were
      divided into three groups including a control group, blast-related mTBI without
      LOC (mTBI - LOC) group, and blast-related mTBI with LOC (mTBI + LOC) group.
      Hierarchical regression models were used to examine the extent to which mTBI and
      PTSD predicted white matter abnormalities using two approaches: 1) a region
      specific analysis and 2) a measure of spatial heterogeneity. Neurocognitive
      composite scores were calculated for executive functions, attention, memory, and
      psychomotor speed. Results showed that blast-related mTBI + LOC was associated
      with greater odds of having spatially heterogeneous white matter abnormalities.
      Region-specific reduction in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left
      retrolenticular part of the internal capsule was observed in the mTBI + LOC group
      as the number of blast exposures increased. A mediation analysis revealed that
      mTBI + LOC indirectly influenced verbal memory performance through its effect on
      white matter integrity. PTSD was not associated with spatially heterogeneous
      white matter abnormalities. However, there was a suggestion that at higher levels
      of PTSD symptom severity, LOC was associated with reduced FA in the left
      retrolenticular part of the internal capsule. These results support postmortem
      reports of diffuse axonal injury following mTBI and suggest that injuries with
      LOC involvement may be particularly detrimental to white matter integrity.
      Furthermore, these results suggest that LOC-associated white matter abnormalities
      in turn influence neurocognitive function. 

PMID- 26106540
TI  - MEG-based detection and localization of perilesional dysfunction in chronic
      stroke.
AB  - Post-stroke impairment is associated not only with structural lesions, but also
      with dysfunction in surviving perilesional tissue. Previous studies using
      equivalent current dipole source localization of MEG/EEG signals have
      demonstrated a preponderance of slow-wave activity localized to perilesional
      areas. Recent studies have also demonstrated the utility of nonlinear analyses
      such as multiscale entropy (MSE) for quantifying neuronal dysfunction in a wide
      range of pathologies. The current study utilized beamformer-based reconstruction
      of signals in source space to compare spectral and nonlinear measures of
      electrical activity in perilesional and healthy cortices. Data were collected
      from chronic stroke patients and healthy controls, both young and elderly. We
      assessed relative power in the delta (1-4 Hz), theta (4-7 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz)
      and beta (15-30 Hz) frequency bands, and also measured the nonlinear complexity
      of electrical activity using MSE. Perilesional tissue exhibited a general slowing
      of the power spectrum (increased delta/theta, decreased beta) as well as a
      reduction in MSE. All measures tested were similarly sensitive to changes in the
      posterior perilesional regions, but anterior perilesional dysfunction was
      detected better by MSE and beta power. The findings also suggest that MSE is
      specifically sensitive to electrophysiological dysfunction in perilesional
      tissue, while spectral measures were additionally affected by an increase in
      rolandic beta power with advanced age. Furthermore, perilesional
      electrophysiological abnormalities in the left hemisphere were correlated with
      the degree of language task-induced activation in the right hemisphere. Finally,
      we demonstrate that single subject spectral and nonlinear analyses can identify
      dysfunctional perilesional regions within individual patients that may be ideal
      targets for interventions with noninvasive brain stimulation. 

PMID- 26106541
TI  - The autism puzzle: Diffuse but not pervasive neuroanatomical abnormalities in
      children with ASD.
AB  - Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a clinically diagnosed, heterogeneous,
      neurodevelopmental condition, whose underlying causes have yet to be fully
      determined. A variety of studies have investigated either cortical, subcortical,
      or cerebellar anatomy in ASD, but none have conducted a complete examination of
      all neuroanatomical parameters on a single, large cohort. The current study
      provides a comprehensive examination of brain development of children with ASD
      between the ages of 4 and 18 years who are carefully matched for age and sex with
      typically developing controls at a ratio of one-to-two. Two hundred and ten
      magnetic resonance images were examined from 138 Control (116 males and 22
      females) and 72 participants with ASD (61 males and 11 females). Cortical
      segmentation into 78 brain-regions and 81,924 vertices was conducted with CIVET
      which facilitated a region-of-interest- (ROI-) and vertex-based analysis,
      respectively. Volumes for the cerebellum, hippocampus, striatum, pallidum, and
      thalamus and many associated subregions were derived using the MAGeT Brain
      algorithm. The study reveals cortical, subcortical and cerebellar differences
      between ASD and Control group participants. Diagnosis, diagnosis-by-age, and
      diagnosis-by-sex interaction effects were found to significantly impact total
      brain volume but not total surface area or mean cortical thickness of the ASD
      participants. Localized (vertex-based) analysis of cortical thickness revealed no
      significant group differences, even when age, age-range, and sex were used as
      covariates. Nonetheless, the region-based cortical thickness analysis did reveal
      regional changes in the left orbitofrontal cortex and left posterior cingulate
      gyrus, both of which showed reduced age-related cortical thinning in ASD. Our
      finding of region-based differences without significant vertex-based results
      likely indicates non-focal effects spanning the entirety of these regions. The
      hippocampi, thalamus, and globus pallidus, were smaller in volume relative to
      total cerebrum in the ASD participants. Various sub-structures showed an
      interaction of diagnosis-by-age, diagnosis-by-sex, and diagnosis-by-age-range, in
      the case where age was divided into childhood (age < 12) and adolescence (12 <
      age < 18). This is the most comprehensive imaging-based neuro-anatomical
      pediatric and adolescent ASD study to date. These data highlight the
      neurodevelopmental differences between typically developing children and those
      with ASD, and support aspects of the hypothesis of abnormal neuro-developmental
      trajectory of the brain in ASD. 

PMID- 26106543
TI  - Cortical morphometry and IQ in VLBW children without cerebral palsy born in 2003
      2007.
AB  - Children born prematurely with very low birth weight (VLBW: bw  <= 1500 g) have
      an increased risk of preterm perinatal brain injury, which may subsequently alter
      the maturation of the brain, including the cerebral cortex. The aim of study was
      to assess cortical thickness and surface area in VLBW children compared with term
      born controls, and to investigate possible relationships between cortical
      morphology and Full IQ. In this cross-sectional study, 37 VLBW and 104 term
      children born between the years 2003-2007 were assessed cognitively at 5-10 years
      of age, using age appropriate Wechsler tests. The FreeSurfer software was used to
      obtain estimates of cortical thickness and surface area based on T1-weighted MRI
      images at 1.5 Tesla. The VLBW children had smaller cortical surface area
      bilaterally in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. A thicker cortex in the
      frontal and occipital regions and a thinner cortex in posterior parietal areas
      were observed in the VLBW group. There were significant differences in Full IQ
      between groups (VLBW M = 98, SD = 9.71; controls M = 108, SD = 13.57; p < 0.001).
      There was a positive relationship between IQ and surface area in both groups,
      albeit significant only in the larger control group. In the VLBW group, reduced
      IQ was associated with frontal cortical thickening and temporo-parietal thinning.
      We conclude that cortical deviations are evident in childhood even in VLBW
      children born in 2003-2007 who have received state of the art medical treatment
      in the perinatal period and who did not present with focal brain injuries on
      neonatal ultrasonography. The cortical deviations were associated with reduced
      cognitive functioning. 

PMID- 26106542
TI  - Increased cortico-striatal connectivity during motor practice contributes to the
      consolidation of motor memory in writer's cramp patients.
AB  - Sensorimotor representations of movements are created in the sensorimotor network
      through repeated practice to support successful and effortless performance.
      Writer's cramp (WC) is a disorder acquired through extensive practice of finger
      movements, and it is likely associated with the abnormal acquisition of
      sensorimotor representations. We investigated (i) the activation and connectivity
      changes in the brain network supporting the acquisition of sensorimotor
      representations of finger sequences in patients with WC and (ii) the link between
      these changes and consolidation of motor performance 24 h after the initial
      practice. Twenty-two patients with WC and 22 age-matched healthy volunteers
      practiced a complex sequence with the right (pathological) hand during functional
      MRI recording. Speed and accuracy were measured immediately before and after
      practice (day 1) and 24 h after practice (day 2). The two groups reached
      equivalent motor performance on day 1 and day 2. During motor practice, patients
      with WC had (i) reduced hippocampal activation and hippocampal-striatal
      functional connectivity; and (ii) overactivation of premotor-striatal areas,
      whose connectivity correlated with motor performance after consolidation. These
      results suggest that patients with WC use alternative networks to reach
      equiperformance in the acquisition of new motor memories. 

PMID- 26106544
TI  - Brain activation during self- and other-reflection in bipolar disorder with a
      history of psychosis: Comparison to schizophrenia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Reflecting on the self and on others activates specific brain areas
      and contributes to metacognition and social cognition. The aim of the current
      study is to investigate brain activation during self- and other-reflection in
      patients with bipolar disorder (BD). In addition, we examined whether potential
      abnormal brain activation in BD patients could distinguish BD from patients with
      schizophrenia (SZ). METHODS: During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI),
      17 BD patients, 17 SZ patients and 21 healthy controls (HCs) performed a self
      reflection task. The task consisted of sentences divided into three conditions:
      self-reflection, other-reflection and semantic control. RESULTS: BD patients
      showed less activation in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) extending to the
      precuneus during other-reflection compared to HCs (p = 0.028 FWE corrected on
      cluster-level within the regions of interest). In SZ patients, the level of
      activation in this area was in between BD patients and HCs, with no significant
      differences between patients with SZ and BD. There were no group differences in
      brain activation during self-reflection. Moreover, there was a positive
      correlation between the PCC/precuneus activation during other-reflection and
      cognitive insight in SZ patients, but not in BD patients. CONCLUSIONS: BD
      patients showed less activation in the PCC/precuneus during other-reflection.
      This may support an account of impaired integration of emotion and memory
      (evaluation of past and current other-related information) in BD patients.
      Correlation differences of the PCC/precuneus activation with the cognitive
      insight in patients with BD and SZ might reflect an important difference between
      these disorders, which may help to further explore potentially distinguishing
      markers.

PMID- 26106545
TI  - Filling in the gaps: Anticipatory control of eye movements in chronic mild
      traumatic brain injury.
AB  - A barrier in the diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) stems from the
      lack of measures that are adequately sensitive in detecting mild head injuries.
      MRI and CT are typically negative in mTBI patients with persistent symptoms of
      post-concussive syndrome (PCS), and characteristic difficulties in sustaining
      attention often go undetected on neuropsychological testing, which can be
      insensitive to momentary lapses in concentration. Conversely, visual tracking
      strongly depends on sustained attention over time and is impaired in chronic mTBI
      patients, especially when tracking an occluded target. This finding suggests
      deficient internal anticipatory control in mTBI, the neural underpinnings of
      which are poorly understood. The present study investigated the neuronal bases
      for deficient anticipatory control during visual tracking in 25 chronic mTBI
      patients with persistent PCS symptoms and 25 healthy control subjects. The task
      was performed while undergoing magnetoencephalography (MEG), which allowed us to
      examine whether neural dysfunction associated with anticipatory control deficits
      was due to altered alpha, beta, and/or gamma activity. Neuropsychological
      examinations characterized cognition in both groups. During MEG recordings,
      subjects tracked a predictably moving target that was either continuously visible
      or randomly occluded (gap condition). MEG source-imaging analyses tested for
      group differences in alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands. The results showed
      executive functioning, information processing speed, and verbal memory deficits
      in the mTBI group. Visual tracking was impaired in the mTBI group only in the gap
      condition. Patients showed greater error than controls before and during target
      occlusion, and were slower to resynchronize with the target when it reappeared.
      Impaired tracking concurred with abnormal beta activity, which was suppressed in
      the parietal cortex, especially the right hemisphere, and enhanced in left
      caudate and frontal-temporal areas. Regional beta-amplitude demonstrated high
      classification accuracy (92%) compared to eye-tracking (65%) and
      neuropsychological variables (80%). These findings show that deficient internal
      anticipatory control in mTBI is associated with altered beta activity, which is
      remarkably sensitive given the heterogeneity of injuries. 

PMID- 26106546
TI  - Characterizing the white matter hyperintensity penumbra with cerebral blood flow
      measures.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are common with age, grow over
      time, and are associated with cognitive and motor impairments. Mechanisms
      underlying WMH growth are unclear. We aimed to determine the presence and extent
      of decreased normal appearing white matter (NAWM) cerebral blood flow (CBF)
      surrounding WMHs to identify 'WM at risk', or the WMH CBF penumbra. We aimed to
      further validate cross-sectional finding by determining whether the baseline WMH
      penumbra CBF predicts the development of new WMHs at follow-up. METHODS: Sixty
      one cognitively intact elderly subjects received 3 T MPRAGE, FLAIR, and pulsed
      arterial spin labeling (PASL). Twenty-four subjects returned for follow-up MRI.
      The inter-scan interval was 18 months. A NAWM layer mask, comprised of fifteen
      layers, 1 mm thick each surrounding WMHs, was generated for periventricular
      (PVWMH) and deep (DWMH) WMHs. Mean CBF for each layer was computed. New WMH and
      persistent NAWM voxels for each penumbra layer were defined from follow-up MRI.
      RESULTS: CBF in the area surrounding WMHs was significantly lower than the total
      brain NAWM, extending approximately 12 mm from both the established PVWMH and
      DWMH. Voxels with new WMH at follow-up had significantly lower baseline CBF than
      voxels that maintained NAWM, suggesting that baseline CBF can predict the
      development of new WMHs over time. CONCLUSIONS: A CBF penumbra exists surrounding
      WMHs, which is associated with future WMH expansion. ASL MRI can be used to
      monitor interventions to increase white matter blood flow for the prevention of
      further WM damage and its cognitive and motor consequences.

PMID- 26106547
TI  - Diagnostic classification of intrinsic functional connectivity highlights
      somatosensory, default mode, and visual regions in autism.
AB  - Despite consensus on the neurological nature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD),
      brain biomarkers remain unknown and diagnosis continues to be based on behavioral
      criteria. Growing evidence suggests that brain abnormalities in ASD occur at the
      level of interconnected networks; however, previous attempts using functional
      connectivity data for diagnostic classification have reached only moderate
      accuracy. We selected 252 low-motion resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) scans
      from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) including typically
      developing (TD) and ASD participants (n = 126 each), matched for age, non-verbal
      IQ, and head motion. A matrix of functional connectivities between 220
      functionally defined regions of interest was used for diagnostic classification,
      implementing several machine learning tools. While support vector machines in
      combination with particle swarm optimization and recursive feature elimination
      performed modestly (with accuracies for validation datasets <70%), diagnostic
      classification reached a high accuracy of 91% with random forest (RF), a
      nonparametric ensemble learning method. Among the 100 most informative features
      (connectivities), for which this peak accuracy was achieved, participation of
      somatosensory, default mode, visual, and subcortical regions stood out. Whereas
      some of these findings were expected, given previous findings of default mode
      abnormalities and atypical visual functioning in ASD, the prominent role of
      somatosensory regions was remarkable. The finding of peak accuracy for 100
      interregional functional connectivities further suggests that brain biomarkers of
      ASD may be regionally complex and distributed, rather than localized. 

PMID- 26106548
TI  - The effects of white matter hyperintensities and amyloid deposition on Alzheimer
      dementia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Elevated levels of amyloid deposition as well as white
      matter damage are thought to be risk factors for Alzheimer Disease (AD). Here we
      examined whether qualitative ratings of white matter damage predicted cognitive
      impairment beyond measures of amyloid. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study examined
      397 cognitively normal, 51 very mildly demented, and 11 mildly demented
      individuals aged 42-90 (mean 68.5). Participants obtained a T2-weighted scan as
      well as a positron emission tomography scan using (11)[C] Pittsburgh Compound B.
      Periventricular white matter hyperintensities (PVWMHs) and deep white matter
      hyperintensities (DWMHs) were measured on each T2 scan using the Fazekas rating
      scale. The effects of amyloid deposition and white matter damage were assessed
      using logistic regressions. RESULTS: Levels of amyloid deposition (ps < 0.01), as
      well as ratings of PVWMH (p < 0.01) and DWMH (p < 0.05) discriminated between
      cognitively normal and demented individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The amount of amyloid
      deposition and white matter damage independently predicts cognitive impairment.
      This suggests a diagnostic utility of qualitative white matter scales in addition
      to measuring amyloid levels.

PMID- 26106549
TI  - Cortical thickness, surface area, and folding alterations in male youths with
      conduct disorder and varying levels of callous-unemotional traits.
AB  - PURPOSE: Previous studies have reported changes in gray matter volume in youths
      with conduct disorder (CD), although these differences are difficult to interpret
      as they may have been driven by alterations in cortical thickness, surface area
      (SA), or folding. The objective of this study was to use surface-based
      morphometry (SBM) methods to compare male youths with CD and age and sex-matched
      healthy controls (HCs) in cortical thickness, SA, and folding. We also tested for
      structural differences between the childhood-onset and adolescence-onset subtypes
      of CD and performed regression analyses to assess for relationships between CD
      symptoms and callous-unemotional (CU) traits and SBM-derived measures. METHODS:
      We acquired structural neuroimaging data from 20 HCs and 36 CD participants (18
      with childhood-onset CD and 18 with adolescence-onset CD) and analyzed the data
      using FreeSurfer. RESULTS: Relative to HCs, youths with CD showed reduced
      cortical thickness in the superior temporal gyrus, reduced SA in the
      orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and increased cortical folding in the insula. There
      were no significant differences between the childhood-onset and adolescence-onset
      CD subgroups in cortical thickness or SA, but several frontal and temporal
      regions showed increased cortical folding in childhood-onset relative to
      adolescence-onset CD participants. Both CD subgroups also showed increased
      cortical folding relative to HCs. CD symptoms were negatively correlated with OFC
      SA whereas CU traits were positively correlated with insula folding. CONCLUSIONS:
      Cortical thinning in the superior temporal gyrus may contribute to the social
      cognitive impairments displayed by youths with CD, whereas reduced OFC SA may
      lead to impairments in emotion regulation and reward processing in youths with
      CD. The increased cortical folding observed in the insula may reflect a
      maturational delay in this region and could mediate the link between CU traits
      and empathy deficits. Altered cortical folding was observed in childhood-onset
      and adolescence-onset forms of CD.

PMID- 26106550
TI  - Injury to white matter tracts in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: A
      possible therapeutic window within the first 5 years from onset using diffusion
      tensor imaging tract-based spatial statistics.
AB  - DTI studies in multiple sclerosis (MS) reveal white matter (WM) injury that
      occurs with disease progression. In the present study we aimed to elucidate the
      relationship of microstructural WM damage in patients with varying periods of
      disease duration. DTI scans were acquired from 90 MS patients and 25 healthy
      controls. Patients were grouped to short (<1 year), moderate (1 up to 6 years)
      and long (6-10 years) disease duration periods. Statistical analyses of the
      fractional anisotropy (FA) data were performed using tract-based spatial
      statistics (TBSS). Whole-brain skeletal FA measurements showed a significant
      decrease between healthy controls and the short MS disease duration group, as
      well as between moderate disease duration and long disease duration groups, but
      failed to show a significant difference between short and moderate disease
      duration groups. Voxelwise analysis revealed clusters of diffuse FA reductions in
      40 WM tracts when comparing healthy controls and MS short disease duration group,
      with the point of maximal significant difference located in the left inferior
      longitudinal fasciculus. Comparing short with long disease duration groups,
      progressive FA reduction was demonstrated across 30 WM tracts, with the point of
      maximal significant difference migrating to the body of the corpus callosum. A
      non-linear pattern of WM microstructure disruption occurs in RRMS. Alterations
      are seen early in the disease course within 1 year from onset, reach a plateau
      within the next 5 years, and only later additional WM changes are detected. An
      important period of a possible therapeutic window therefore exists within the
      early disease stage. 

PMID- 26106551
TI  - A greater involvement of posterior brain areas in interhemispheric transfer in
      autism: fMRI, DWI and behavioral evidences.
AB  - A small corpus callosum (CC) is one of the most replicated neurobiological
      findings in autism spectrum (AS). However, its effect on interhemispheric (IH)
      communication is unknown. We combined structural (CC area and DWI), functional
      (task-related fMRI activation and connectivity analyses) as well as behavioral
      (Poffenberger and Purdue tasks) measures to investigate IH integration in adult
      AS individuals of typical intelligence. Despite similar behavioral IH transfer
      time and performances in bimanual tasks, the CC sub-regions connecting frontal
      and parietal cortical areas were smaller in AS than in non-AS individuals, while
      those connecting visual regions were similar. The activation of visual areas was
      lower in AS than in non-AS individuals during the presentation of visual stimuli.
      Behavioral IH performances were related to the properties of CC subregions
      connecting motor areas in non-AS individuals, but to the properties of posterior
      CC regions in AS individuals. Furthermore, there was greater functional
      connectivity between visual areas in the AS than in the non-AS group. Levels of
      connectivity were also stronger in visual than in motor regions in the autistic
      subjects, while the opposite was true for the non-autistic group. Thus, visual IH
      transfer plays an important role in visuo-motor tasks in AS individuals. These
      findings extend the well established enhanced role of perception in autistic
      cognition to visuo-motor IH information transfer. 

PMID- 26106552
TI  - Functional connectivity underlying postural motor adaptation in people with
      multiple sclerosis.
AB  - A well-characterized neural network is associated with motor learning, involving
      several brain regions known to have functional and structural deficits in persons
      with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). However, it is not known how MS affects postural
      motor learning or the neural networks involved. The aim of this study was to gain
      a better understanding of the neural networks underlying adaptation of postural
      responses within PwMS. Participants stood on a hydraulically driven, servo
      controlled platform that translated horizontally forward and backward in a
      continuous sinusoidal pattern across multiple trials over two consecutive days.
      Our results show similar postural adaptation between PwMS and age-matched control
      participants despite overall deficits in postural motor control in PwMS.
      Moreover, PwMS demonstrated better retention the following day. PwMS had
      significantly reduced functional connectivity within both the cortico-cerebellar
      and cortico-striatal motor loops; neural networks that subserve implicit motor
      learning. In PwMS, greater connectivity strength within the cortico-cerebellar
      circuit was strongly related to better baseline postural control, but not to
      postural adaptation as it was in control participants. Further, anti-correlated
      cortico-striatal connectivity within the right hemisphere was related to improved
      postural adaptation in both groups. Taken together with previous studies showing
      a reduced reliance on cerebellar- and proprioceptive-related feedback control in
      PwMS, we suggest that PwMS may rely on cortico-striatal circuitry to a greater
      extent than cortico-cerebellar circuitry for the acquisition and retention of
      motor skills. 

PMID- 26106553
TI  - Negative symptoms in schizophrenia are associated with aberrant striato-cortical
      connectivity in a rewarded perceptual decision-making task.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Negative symptoms in schizophrenia have been associated with
      structural and functional changes in the prefrontal cortex. They often persist
      after treatment with antipsychotic medication which targets, in particular, the
      ventral striatum (VS). As schizophrenia has been suggested to arise from
      dysfunctional connectivity between neural networks, it is possible that residual
      aberrant striato-cortical connectivity in medicated patients plays a role in
      enduring negative symptomology. The present study examined the relationship
      between striato-cortical connectivity and negative symptoms in medicated
      schizophrenia patients. METHODS: We manipulated motivation in a perceptual
      decision-making task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Comparing
      healthy controls (n = 21) and medicated patients with schizophrenia (n = 18) we
      investigated how motivation-mediated changes in VS activation affected functional
      connectivity with the frontal cortex, and how changes in connectivity strength
      from the neutral to motivated condition related to negative symptom severity.
      RESULTS: A pattern of aberrant striato-cortical connectivity was observed in the
      presence of intact VS, but altered left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) motivation
      mediated activation in patients. The more severe the patient's negative symptoms,
      the less the connectivity strength between the right VS and left IFG changed from
      the neutral to the motivated condition. Despite aberrant striato-cortical
      connectivity and altered recruitment of the left IFG among patients, both
      patients and healthy controls adopted a more liberal response strategy in the
      motivated compared to the neutral condition. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings
      suggest that there is a link between dysfunctional striato-cortical connectivity
      and negative symptom severity, and offer a possible explanation as to why
      negative symptoms persist after treatment with antipsychotics.

PMID- 26106554
TI  - Quantifying motor recovery after stroke using independent vector analysis and
      graph-theoretical analysis.
AB  - The assessment of neuroplasticity after stroke through functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI) analysis is a developing field where the objective is to
      better understand the neural process of recovery and to better target
      rehabilitation interventions. The challenge in this population stems from the
      large amount of individual spatial variability and the need to summarize entire
      brain maps by generating simple, yet discriminating features to highlight
      differences in functional connectivity. Independent vector analysis (IVA) has
      been shown to provide superior performance in preserving subject variability when
      compared with widely used methods such as group independent component analysis.
      Hence, in this paper, graph-theoretical (GT) analysis is applied to IVA-generated
      components to effectively exploit the individual subjects' connectivity to
      produce discriminative features. The analysis is performed on fMRI data collected
      from individuals with chronic stroke both before and after a 6-week arm and hand
      rehabilitation intervention. Resulting GT features are shown to capture
      connectivity changes that are not evident through direct comparison of the group
      t-maps. The GT features revealed increased small worldness across components and
      greater centrality in key motor networks as a result of the intervention,
      suggesting improved efficiency in neural communication. Clinically, these results
      bring forth new possibilities as a means to observe the neural processes
      underlying improvements in motor function. 

PMID- 26106555
TI  - Altered resting brain connectivity in persistent cancer related fatigue.
AB  - There is an estimated 3 million women in the US living as breast cancer survivors
      and persistent cancer related fatigue (PCRF) disrupts the lives of an estimated
      30% of these women. PCRF is associated with decreased quality of life, decreased
      sleep quality, impaired cognition and depression. The mechanisms of cancer
      related fatigue are not well understood; however, preliminary findings indicate
      dysfunctional activity in the brain as a potential factor. Here we investigate
      the relationship between PCRF on intrinsic resting state connectivity in this
      population. Twenty-three age matched breast cancer survivors (15 fatigued and 8
      non-fatigued) who completed all cancer-related treatments at least 12 weeks prior
      to the study, were recruited to undergo functional connectivity magnetic
      resonance imaging (fcMRI). Intrinsic resting state networks were examined with
      both seed based and independent component analysis methods. Comparisons of brain
      connectivity patterns between groups as well as correlations with self-reported
      fatigue symptoms were performed. Fatigued patients displayed greater left
      inferior parietal lobule to superior frontal gyrus connectivity as compared to
      non-fatigued patients (P < 0.05 FDR corrected). This enhanced connectivity was
      associated with increased physical fatigue (P = 0.04, r = 0.52) and poor sleep
      quality (P = 0.04, r = 0.52) in the fatigued group. In contrast greater
      connectivity in the non-fatigued group was found between the right precuneus to
      the periaqueductal gray as well as the left IPL to subgenual cortex (P < 0.05 FDR
      corrected). Mental fatigue scores were associated with greater default mode
      network (DMN) connectivity to the superior frontal gyrus (P = 0.05 FDR corrected)
      among fatigued subjects (r = 0.82) and less connectivity in the non-fatigued
      group (r = -0.88). These findings indicate that there is enhanced intrinsic DMN
      connectivity to the frontal gyrus in breast cancer survivors with persistent
      fatigue. As the DMN is a network involved in self-referential thinking we
      speculate that enhanced connectivity between the DMN and the frontal gyrus may be
      related to mental fatigue and poor sleep quality. In contrast, enhanced
      connectivity between the DMN and regions in the subgenual cingulate and brainstem
      may serve a protective function in the non-fatigued group. 

PMID- 26106556
TI  - Cerebellar infarct patterns: The SMART-Medea study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous studies on cerebellar infarcts have been largely restricted
      to acute infarcts in patients with clinical symptoms, and cerebellar infarcts
      have been evaluated with the almost exclusive use of transversal MR images. We
      aimed to document the occurrence and 3D-imaging patterns of cerebellar infarcts
      presenting as an incidental finding on MRI. METHODS: We analysed the 1.5 Tesla
      MRI, including 3D T1-weighted datasets, of 636 patients (mean age 62 +/- 9 years,
      81% male) from the SMART-Medea study. Cerebellar infarct analyses included an
      assessment of size, cavitation and gliosis, of grey and white matter involvement,
      and of infarct topography. RESULTS: One or more cerebellar infarcts (mean 1.97;
      range 1-11) were detected in 70 out of 636 patients (11%), with a total amount of
      138 infarcts identified, 135 of which showed evidence of cavitation. The average
      mean axial diameter was 7 mm (range 2-54 mm), and 131 infarcts (95%) were smaller
      than 20 mm. Hundred-thirty-four infarcts (97%) involved the cortex, of which 12
      in combination with subcortical white matter. No infarcts were restricted to
      subcortical branches of white matter. Small cortical infarcts involved the apex
      of a deep (pattern 1) or shallow fissure (pattern 2), or occurred alongside one
      (pattern 3) or opposite sides (pattern 4) of a fissure. Most (87%) cerebellar
      infarcts were situated in the posterior lobe. CONCLUSIONS: Small cerebellar
      infarcts proved to be much more common than larger infarcts, and preferentially
      involved the cortex. Small cortical infarcts predominantly involved the posterior
      lobes, showed sparing of subcortical white matter and occurred in characteristic
      topographic patterns.

PMID- 26106557
TI  - Structural connectivity changes in temporal lobe epilepsy: Spatial features
      contribute more than topological measures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies reported reduced volumes of many brain regions for
      temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). It has also been suggested that there may be
      widespread changes in network features of TLE patients. It is not fully
      understood, however, how these two observations are related. METHODS: Using
      magnetic resonance imaging data, we perform parcellation of the brains of 22
      patients with left TLE and 39 non-epileptic controls. In each parcellated region
      of interest (ROI) we computed the surface area and, using diffusion tensor
      imaging and deterministic tractography, infer the number of streamlines and their
      average length between each pair of connected ROIs. For comparison to previous
      studies, we use a connectivity 'weight' and investigate how ROI surface area,
      number of streamlines & mean streamline length contribute to such weight.
      RESULTS: We find that although there are widespread significant changes in
      surface area and position of ROIs in patients compared to controls, the changes
      in connectivity are much more subtle. Significant changes in connectivity weight
      can be accounted for by decreased surface area and increased streamline count.
      CONCLUSION: Changes in the surface area of ROIs can be a reliable biomarker for
      TLE with a large influence on connectivity. However, changes in structural
      connectivity via white matter streamlines are more subtle with a relatively lower
      influence on connection weights.

PMID- 26106558
TI  - Sensory cortical re-mapping following upper-limb amputation and subsequent
      targeted reinnervation: A case report.
AB  - This case study demonstrates the change of sensory cortical representations of
      the residual parts of the arm in an individual who underwent a trans-humeral
      amputation and subsequent targeted reinnervation (TR). As a relatively new
      surgical technique, TR restores a direct neural connection from amputated
      sensorimotor nerves to specific target muscles. This method has been successfully
      applied to upper-limb and lower-limb amputees, and has shown effectiveness in
      regaining control signals via the newly re-innervated muscles. Correspondingly,
      recent study results have shown that motor representations for the missing limb
      move closer to their original locations following TR. Besides regaining motor
      control signals, TR also restores the sensation in the re-innervated skin areas.
      We therefore hypothesize that TR causes analogous cortical sensory remapping that
      may return closer to their original locations. In order to test this hypothesis,
      cortical activity in response to sensory-level electrical stimulation in
      different parts of the arm was studied longitudinally in one amputated individual
      before and up to 2 years after TR. Our results showed that 1) before TR, the
      cortical response to sensory electrical stimulation in the residual limb showed a
      diffuse bilateral pattern without a clear focus in either the time or spatial
      domain; and 2) 2 years after TR, the sensory map of the reinnervated median nerve
      reorganized, showing predominant activity over the contralateral S1 hand area as
      well as moderate activity over the ipsilateral S1. Therefore, this work provides
      new evidence for long-term sensory cortical plasticity in the human brain after
      TR. 

PMID- 26106559
TI  - A multimodal MRI approach to identify and characterize microstructural brain
      changes in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with multi-organ
      involvement and results in neurological and psychiatric (NP) symptoms in up to
      40% of the patients. To date, the diagnosis of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus
      erythematosus (NPSLE) poses a challenge due to the lack of neuroradiological gold
      standards. In this study, we aimed to better localize and characterize normal
      appearing white matter (NAWM) changes in NPSLE by combining data from two
      quantitative MRI techniques, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and magnetization
      transfer imaging (MTI). 9 active NPSLE patients (37 +/- 13 years, all females), 9
      SLE patients without NP symptoms (44 +/- 11 years, all females), and 14 healthy
      controls (HC) (40 +/- 9 years, all females) were included in the study. MTI, DTI
      and fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images were collected from all
      subjects on a 3 T MRI scanner. Magnetization transfer ratio (MTR), mean
      diffusivity (MD), fractional anisotropy (FA), radial diffusivity (RD), axial
      diffusivity (AD) maps and white matter lesion maps based on the FLAIR images were
      created for each subject. MTR and DTI data were then co-analyzed using tract
      based spatial statistics and a cumulative lesion map to exclude lesions.
      Significantly lower MTR and FA and significantly higher AD, RD and MD were found
      in NPSLE compared to HC in NAWM regions. The differences in DTI measures and in
      MTR, however, were only moderately co-localized. Additionally, significant
      differences in DTI measures, but not in MTR, were found between NPSLE and SLE
      patients, suggesting that the underlying microstructural changes detected by MD
      are linked to the onset of NPSLE. The co-analysis of the anatomical distribution
      of MTI and DTI measures can potentially improve the diagnosis of NPSLE and
      contribute to the understanding of the underlying microstructural damage. 

PMID- 26106560
TI  - Longitudinal gray matter contraction in three variants of primary progressive
      aphasia: A tenser-based morphometry study.
AB  - The present study investigated the pattern of longitudinal changes in cognition
      and anatomy in three variants of primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Eight
      patients with the non-fluent variant of PPA (nfvPPA), 13 patients with the
      semantic variant (svPPA), seven patients with the logopenic variant (lvPPA), and
      29 age-matched, neurologically healthy controls were included in the study. All
      participants underwent longitudinal MRI, neuropsychological and language testing
      at baseline and at a 1-year follow-up. Tenser-based morphometry (TBM) was applied
      to T1-weighted MRI images in order to map the progression of gray and white
      matter atrophy over a 1-year period. Results showed that each patient group was
      characterized by a specific pattern of cognitive and anatomical changes.
      Specifically, nfvPPA patients showed gray matter atrophy progression in the left
      frontal and subcortical areas as well as a decline in motor speech and executive
      functions; svPPA patients presented atrophy progression in the medial and lateral
      temporal lobe and decline in semantic memory abilities; and lvPPA patients showed
      atrophy progression in lateral/posterior temporal and medial parietal regions
      with a decline in memory, sentence repetition and calculations. In addition, in
      all three variants, the white matter fibers underlying the abovementioned
      cortical areas underwent significant volume contraction over a 1-year period.
      Overall, these results indicate that the three PPA variants present distinct
      patterns of neuroanatomical contraction, which reflect their clinical and
      cognitive progression. 

PMID- 26106561
TI  - An unbiased Bayesian approach to functional connectomics implicates social
      communication networks in autism.
AB  - Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) studies reveal a
      complex pattern of hyper- and hypo-connectivity in children with autism spectrum
      disorder (ASD). Whereas rsfMRI findings tend to implicate the default mode
      network and subcortical areas in ASD, task fMRI and behavioral experiments point
      to social dysfunction as a unifying impairment of the disorder. Here, we leverage
      a novel Bayesian framework for whole-brain functional connectomics that
      aggregates population differences in connectivity to localize a subset of foci
      that are most affected by ASD. Our approach is entirely data-driven and does not
      impose spatial constraints on the region foci or dictate the trajectory of
      altered functional pathways. We apply our method to data from the openly shared
      Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) and pinpoint two intrinsic functional
      networks that distinguish ASD patients from typically developing controls. One
      network involves foci in the right temporal pole, left posterior cingulate
      cortex, left supramarginal gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus. Automated
      decoding of this network by the Neurosynth meta-analytic database suggests high
      level concepts of "language" and "comprehension" as the likely functional
      correlates. The second network consists of the left banks of the superior
      temporal sulcus, right posterior superior temporal sulcus extending into temporo
      parietal junction, and right middle temporal gyrus. Associated functionality of
      these regions includes "social" and "person". The abnormal pathways emanating
      from the above foci indicate that ASD patients simultaneously exhibit reduced
      long-range or inter-hemispheric connectivity and increased short-range or intra
      hemispheric connectivity. Our findings reveal new insights into ASD and highlight
      possible neural mechanisms of the disorder. 

PMID- 26106562
TI  - Automatic segmentation and volumetry of multiple sclerosis brain lesions from MR
      images.
AB  - The location and extent of white matter lesions on magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) are important criteria for diagnosis, follow-up and prognosis of multiple
      sclerosis (MS). Clinical trials have shown that quantitative values, such as
      lesion volumes, are meaningful in MS prognosis. Manual lesion delineation for the
      segmentation of lesions is, however, time-consuming and suffers from observer
      variability. In this paper, we propose MSmetrix, an accurate and reliable
      automatic method for lesion segmentation based on MRI, independent of scanner or
      acquisition protocol and without requiring any training data. In MSmetrix, 3D T1
      weighted and FLAIR MR images are used in a probabilistic model to detect white
      matter (WM) lesions as an outlier to normal brain while segmenting the brain
      tissue into grey matter, WM and cerebrospinal fluid. The actual lesion
      segmentation is performed based on prior knowledge about the location (within WM)
      and the appearance (hyperintense on FLAIR) of lesions. The accuracy of MSmetrix
      is evaluated by comparing its output with expert reference segmentations of 20
      MRI datasets of MS patients. Spatial overlap (Dice) between the MSmetrix and the
      expert lesion segmentation is 0.67 +/- 0.11. The intraclass correlation
      coefficient (ICC) equals 0.8 indicating a good volumetric agreement between the
      MSmetrix and expert labelling. The reproducibility of MSmetrix' lesion volumes is
      evaluated based on 10 MS patients, scanned twice with a short interval on three
      different scanners. The agreement between the first and the second scan on each
      scanner is evaluated through the spatial overlap and absolute lesion volume
      difference between them. The spatial overlap was 0.69 +/- 0.14 and absolute total
      lesion volume difference between the two scans was 0.54 +/- 0.58 ml. Finally, the
      accuracy and reproducibility of MSmetrix compare favourably with other publicly
      available MS lesion segmentation algorithms, applied on the same data using
      default parameter settings. 

PMID- 26106563
TI  - Rotation-invariant multi-contrast non-local means for MS lesion segmentation.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) lesion segmentation is crucial for evaluating disease
      burden, determining disease progression and measuring the impact of new clinical
      treatments. MS lesions can vary in size, location and intensity, making automatic
      segmentation challenging. In this paper, we propose a new supervised method to
      segment MS lesions from 3D magnetic resonance (MR) images using non-local means
      (NLM). The method uses a multi-channel and rotation-invariant distance measure to
      account for the diversity of MS lesions. The proposed segmentation method,
      rotation-invariant multi-contrast non-local means segmentation (RMNMS), captures
      the MS lesion spatial distribution and can accurately and robustly identify
      lesions regardless of their orientation, shape or size. An internal validation on
      a large clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) dataset of MS patients
      demonstrated a good similarity measure result (Dice similarity = 60.1% and
      sensitivity = 75.4%), a strong correlation between expert and automatic lesion
      load volumes (R(2) = 0.91), and a strong ability to detect lesions of different
      sizes and in varying spatial locations (lesion detection rate = 79.8%). On the
      independent MS Grand Challenge (MSGC) dataset validation, our method provided
      competitive results with state-of-the-art supervised and unsupervised methods.
      Qualitative visual and quantitative voxel- and lesion-wise evaluations
      demonstrated the accuracy of RMNMS method. 

PMID- 26106564
TI  - Differentiating SCT and inattentive symptoms in ADHD using fMRI measures of
      cognitive control.
AB  - Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with different
      impairment profiles in the symptom domains of hyperactivity/impulsivity and/or
      inattention. An additional symptom domain of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) has
      also been proposed. Although there is a degree of correlation between the SCT
      symptom domain and inattention, it has been proposed as a distinct disorder
      independent of ADHD. The objective of this study was to examine the neural
      substrates of cue-related preparatory processes associated with SCT symptoms
      versus inattentive symptoms in a group of adolescents with ADHD. We also compared
      cue-related effects in the entire ADHD group compared with a group of typically
      developing (TD) peers. A modified cued flanker paradigm and fMRI examined brain
      activity associated with attention preparation and motor response preparation.
      Between group contrasts between the ADHD and TD group revealed significant
      hypoactivity in the ADHD group during general attention preparation in the
      supplementary motor area (SMA) and in the right superior parietal lobe (SPL)
      during response preparation. In the ADHD group, greater numbers of SCT symptoms
      were associated with hypoactivity in the left SPL to cues in general whereas
      greater numbers of inattentive symptoms were associated with greater activity in
      the SMA to cues that provided no information and less activity in the thalamus
      during response preparation. Hypoactivity in the SPL with increasing SCT symptoms
      may be associated with impaired reorienting or shifting of attention. Altered
      activity in the SMA and thalamus with increasing inattention may be associated
      with a general problem with response preparation, which may also reflect
      inefficient processing of the response preparation cue. Our results support a
      degree of differentiation between SCT and inattentive symptom profiles within
      adolescents with ADHD. 

PMID- 26106565
TI  - Functional and structural brain correlates of risk for major depression in
      children with familial depression.
AB  - Despite growing evidence for atypical amygdala function and structure in major
      depression, it remains uncertain as to whether these brain differences reflect
      the clinical state of depression or neurobiological traits that predispose
      individuals to major depression. We examined function and structure of the
      amygdala and associated areas in a group of unaffected children of depressed
      parents (at-risk group) and a group of children of parents without a history of
      major depression (control group). Compared to the control group, the at-risk
      group showed increased activation to fearful relative to neutral facial
      expressions in the amygdala and multiple cortical regions, and decreased
      activation to happy relative to neutral facial expressions in the anterior
      cingulate cortex and supramarginal gyrus. At-risk children also exhibited reduced
      amygdala volume. The extensive hyperactivation to negative facial expressions and
      hypoactivation to positive facial expressions in at-risk children are consistent
      with behavioral evidence that risk for major depression involves a bias to attend
      to negative information. These functional and structural brain differences
      between at-risk children and controls suggest that there are trait
      neurobiological underpinnings of risk for major depression. 

PMID- 26106566
TI  - Contrasting brain patterns of writing-related DTI parameters, fMRI connectivity,
      and DTI-fMRI connectivity correlations in children with and without dysgraphia or
      dyslexia.
AB  - Based on comprehensive testing and educational history, children in grades 4-9
      (on average 12 years) were diagnosed with dysgraphia (persisting handwriting
      impairment) or dyslexia (persisting word spelling/reading impairment) or as
      typical writers and readers (controls). The dysgraphia group (n = 14) and
      dyslexia group (n = 17) were each compared to the control group (n = 9) and to
      each other in separate analyses. Four brain region seed points (left occipital
      temporal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, precuneus, and inferior frontal gyrus) were
      used in these analyses which were shown in a metaanalysis to be related to
      written word production on four indicators of white matter integrity and fMRI
      functional connectivity for four tasks (self-guided mind wandering during resting
      state, writing letter that follows a visually displayed letter in alphabet,
      writing missing letter to create a correctly spelled real word, and planning for
      composing after scanning on topic specified by researcher). For those DTI
      indicators on which the dysgraphic group or dyslexic group differed from the
      control group (fractional anisotropy, relative anisotropy, axial diffusivity but
      not radial diffusivity), correlations were computed between the DTI parameter and
      fMRI functional connectivity for the two writing tasks (alphabet and spelling) by
      seed points. Analyses, controlled for multiple comparisons, showed that (a) the
      control group exhibited more white matter integrity than either the dysgraphic or
      dyslexic group; (b) the dysgraphic and dyslexic groups showed more functional
      connectivity than the control group but differed in patterns of functional
      connectivity for task and seed point; and (c) the dysgraphic and dyslexic groups
      showed different patterns of significant DTI-fMRI connectivity correlations for
      specific seed points and written language tasks. Thus, dysgraphia and dyslexia
      differ in white matter integrity, fMRI functional connectivity, and white matter
      gray matter correlations. Of clinical relevance, brain differences were observed
      in dysgraphia and dyslexia on written language tasks yoked to their defining
      behavioral impairments in handwriting and/or in word spelling and on the
      cognitive mind wandering rest condition and composition planning. 

PMID- 26106567
TI  - Postural sway and regional cerebellar volume in adults with attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Motor abnormalities, including impaired balance and increased postural
      sway, are commonly reported in children with ADHD, but have yet to be
      investigated in adults with ADHD. Furthermore, although these abnormalities are
      thought to stem from cerebellar deficits, evidence for an association between the
      cerebellum and these motor deficits has yet to be provided for either adults or
      children with ADHD. METHOD: In this study, we measured postural sway in adults
      with ADHD and controls, examining the relationship between sway and regional
      cerebellar gray matter volume. Thirty-two ADHD and 28 control participants
      completed various standing-posture tasks on a Wii balance board. RESULTS:
      Postural sway was significantly higher for the ADHD group compared to the healthy
      controls. Higher sway was positively associated with regional gray matter volume
      in the right posterior cerebellum (lobule VIII/IX). CONCLUSION: These findings
      show that sway abnormalities commonly reported in children with ADHD are also
      present in adults, and for the first time show a relationship between postural
      control atypicalities and the cerebellum in this group. Our findings extend the
      literature on motor abnormalities in ADHD and contribute to our knowledge of
      their neural substrate.

PMID- 26106568
TI  - Altered resting-state network connectivity in stroke patients with and without
      apraxia of speech.
AB  - Motor speech disorders, including apraxia of speech (AOS), account for over 50%
      of the communication disorders following stroke. Given its prevalence and impact,
      and the need to understand its neural mechanisms, we used resting state
      functional MRI to examine functional connectivity within a network of regions
      previously hypothesized as being associated with AOS (bilateral anterior insula
      (aINS), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and ventral premotor cortex (PM)) in a
      group of 32 left hemisphere stroke patients and 18 healthy, age-matched controls.
      Two expert clinicians rated severity of AOS, dysarthria and nonverbal oral
      apraxia of the patients. Fifteen individuals were categorized as AOS and 17 were
      AOS-absent. Comparison of connectivity in patients with and without AOS
      demonstrated that AOS patients had reduced connectivity between bilateral PM, and
      this reduction correlated with the severity of AOS impairment. In addition, AOS
      patients had negative connectivity between the left PM and right aINS and this
      effect decreased with increasing severity of non-verbal oral apraxia. These
      results highlight left PM involvement in AOS, begin to differentiate its neural
      mechanisms from those of other motor impairments following stroke, and help
      inform us of the neural mechanisms driving differences in speech motor planning
      and programming impairment following stroke. 

PMID- 26106569
TI  - [(18)F]-fluoro-L-thymidine PET and advanced MRI for preoperative grading of
      gliomas.
AB  - PURPOSE: Conventional MRI based on contrast enhancement is often not sufficient
      in differentiating grade II from grade III and grade III from grade IV diffuse
      gliomas. We assessed advanced MRI, MR spectroscopy and [(18)F]-fluoro-l-thymidine
      ([(18)F]-FLT) PET as tools to overcome these limitations. METHODS: In this
      prospective study, thirty-nine patients with diffuse gliomas of grades II, III or
      IV underwent conventional MRI, perfusion, diffusion, proton MR spectroscopy ((1)H
      MRS) and [(18)F]-FLT-PET imaging before surgery. Relative cerebral blood volume
      (rCBV), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), Cho/Cr, NAA/Cr, Cho/NAA and FLT-SUV
      were compared between grades. RESULTS: Cho/Cr showed significant differences
      between grade II and grade III gliomas (p = 0.03). To discriminate grade II from
      grade IV and grade III from grade IV gliomas, the most relevant parameter was the
      maximum value of [(18)F]-FLT uptake FLTmax (respectively, p < 0.001 and p <
      0.0001). The parameter showing the best correlation with the grade was the mean
      value of [(18)F]-FLT uptake FLTmean (R(2) = 0.36, p < 0.0001) and FLTmax (R(2) =
      0.5, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Whereas advanced MRI parameters give indications
      for the grading of gliomas, the addition of [(18)F]-FLT-PET could be of interest
      for the accurate preoperative classification of diffuse gliomas, particularly for
      identification of doubtful grade III and IV gliomas.

PMID- 26106570
TI  - Dysfunction of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex underlying social anxiety
      disorder: A multi-channel NIRS study.
AB  - Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by strong fear and anxiety during
      social interactions. Although ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) activity in
      response to emotional stimuli is related to pathological anxiety, little is known
      about the relationship between VLPFC activity and social anxiety. This study
      aimed to investigate whether VLPFC activity was involved in SAD and whether VLPFC
      activity was related to the level of social anxiety. Twenty-four drug-naive
      patients with SAD and 35 healthy controls underwent near-infrared spectroscopy
      (NIRS) scanning while performing a verbal fluency task (VFT). Results indicated
      that, compared to the healthy controls, the SAD patients exhibited smaller
      changes of oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentrations in the VLPFC during the
      VFT. Furthermore, the right VLPFC activation was negatively correlated with
      social avoidance. In contrast to the latter, the healthy controls exhibited a
      positive correlation between changes of oxy-Hb concentrations in the bilateral
      VLPFC and social fear. Our findings provide evidence for VLPFC dysfunction in
      SAD, and indicate that the VLPFC dysfunction may contribute to the difference
      between normal and abnormal social anxiety. 

PMID- 26106571
TI  - Developmental synergy between thalamic structure and interhemispheric
      connectivity in the visual system of preterm infants.
AB  - Thalamic structural co-variation with cortical regions has been demonstrated in
      preterm infants, but its relationship to cortical function and severity of non
      cystic white matter injury (non-cystic WMI) is unclear. The relationship between
      thalamic morphology and both cortical network synchronization and cortical
      structural connectivity has not been established. We tested the hypothesis that
      in preterm neonates, thalamic volume would correlate with primary cortical visual
      function and microstructural integrity of cortico-cortical visual association
      pathways. A total of 80 term-equivalent preterm and 44 term-born infants
      underwent high-resolution structural imaging coupled with visual functional
      magnetic resonance imaging or diffusion tensor imaging. There was a strong
      correlation between thalamic volume and primary visual cortical activation in
      preterms with non-cystic WMI (r = 0.81, p-value = 0.001). Thalamic volume also
      correlated strongly with interhemispheric cortico-cortical connectivity
      (splenium) in preterm neonates with a relatively higher severity of non-cystic
      WMI (p-value < 0.001). In contrast, there was lower correlation between thalamic
      volume and intrahemispheric cortico-cortical connectivity, including the inferior
      longitudinal fasciculus and inferior frontal orbital fasciculus. This study shows
      distinct temporal overlap in the disruption of thalamo-cortical and
      interhemispheric cortico-cortical connectivity in preterm infants suggesting
      developmental synergy between thalamic morphology and the emergence of cortical
      networks in the last trimester. 

PMID- 26106572
TI  - Brain structural, functional, and cognitive correlates of recent versus remote
      autobiographical memories in amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.
AB  - Deficits in autobiographical memory appear earlier for recent than for remote
      life periods over the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The present study aims
      to further our understanding of this graded effect by investigating the cognitive
      and neural substrates of recent versus remote autobiographical memories in
      patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) thanks to an
      autobiographical fluency task. 20 aMCI patients and 25 Healthy elderly Controls
      (HC) underwent neuropsychological tests assessing remote (20-to-30 years old) and
      recent (the ten last years) autobiographical memory as well as episodic and
      semantic memory, executive function and global cognition. All patients also had a
      structural MRI and an FDG-PET scan. Correlations were assessed between each
      autobiographical memory score and the other tests as well as grey matter volume
      and metabolism. Within the aMCI, performances for the remote period correlated
      with personal semantic memory and episodic memory retrieval whereas performances
      for the recent period only correlated with episodic memory retrieval.
      Neuroimaging analyses revealed significant correlations between performances for
      the remote period and temporal pole and temporo-parietal cortex volumes and
      anterior cingulate gyrus metabolism, while performances for the recent period
      correlated with hippocampal volume and posterior cingulate, medial prefrontal and
      hippocampus metabolism. The brain regions related with the retrieval of events
      from the recent period showed greater atrophy/hypometabolism in aMCI patients
      compared to HC than those involved in remote memories. Recall of recent memories
      essentially relies on episodic memory processes and brain network while remote
      memories also involve other processes such as semantic memory. This is consistent
      with the semanticization of memories with time and may explain the better
      resistance of remote memory in AD. 

PMID- 26106573
TI  - Abnormal structural connectivity in the brain networks of children with
      hydrocephalus.
AB  - Increased intracranial pressure and ventriculomegaly in children with
      hydrocephalus are known to have adverse effects on white matter structure. This
      study seeks to investigate the impact of hydrocephalus on topological features of
      brain networks in children. The goal was to investigate structural network
      connectivity, at both global and regional levels, in the brains in children with
      hydrocephalus using graph theory analysis and diffusion tensor tractography.
      Three groups of children were included in the study (29 normally developing
      controls, 9 preoperative hydrocephalus patients, and 17 postoperative
      hydrocephalus patients). Graph theory analysis was applied to calculate the
      global network measures including small-worldness, normalized clustering
      coefficients, normalized characteristic path length, global efficiency, and
      modularity. Abnormalities in regional network parameters, including nodal degree,
      local efficiency, clustering coefficient, and betweenness centrality, were also
      compared between the two patients groups (separately) and the controls using two
      tailed t-test at significance level of p < 0.05 (corrected for multiple
      comparison). Children with hydrocephalus in both the preoperative and
      postoperative groups were found to have significantly lower small-worldness and
      lower normalized clustering coefficient than controls. Children with
      hydrocephalus in the postoperative group were also found to have significantly
      lower normalized characteristic path length and lower modularity. At regional
      level, significant group differences (or differences at trend level) in regional
      network measures were found between hydrocephalus patients and the controls in a
      series of brain regions including the medial occipital gyrus, medial frontal
      gyrus, thalamus, cingulate gyrus, lingual gyrus, rectal gyrus, caudate, cuneus,
      and insular. Our data showed that structural connectivity analysis using graph
      theory and diffusion tensor tractography is sensitive to detect abnormalities of
      brain network connectivity associated with hydrocephalus at both global and
      regional levels, thus providing a new avenue for potential diagnosis and
      prognosis tool for children with hydrocephalus. 

PMID- 26106574
TI  - Altered resting state neuromotor connectivity in men with chronic
      prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: A MAPP: Research Network Neuroimaging
      Study.
AB  - Brain network activity associated with altered motor control in individuals with
      chronic pain is not well understood. Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain
      Syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a debilitating condition in which previous studies have
      revealed altered resting pelvic floor muscle activity in men with CP/CPPS
      compared to healthy controls. We hypothesized that the brain networks controlling
      pelvic floor muscles would also show altered resting state function in men with
      CP/CPPS. Here we describe the results of the first test of this hypothesis
      focusing on the motor cortical regions, termed pelvic-motor, that can directly
      activate pelvic floor muscles. A group of men with CP/CPPS (N = 28), as well as
      group of age-matched healthy male controls (N = 27), had resting state functional
      magnetic resonance imaging scans as part of the Multidisciplinary Approach to the
      Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP) Research Network study. Brain maps of the
      functional connectivity of pelvic-motor were compared between groups. A
      significant group difference was observed in the functional connectivity between
      pelvic-motor and the right posterior insula. The effect size of this group
      difference was among the largest effect sizes in functional connectivity between
      all pairs of 165 anatomically-defined subregions of the brain. Interestingly,
      many of the atlas region pairs with large effect sizes also involved other
      subregions of the insular cortices. We conclude that functional connectivity
      between motor cortex and the posterior insula may be among the most important
      markers of altered brain function in men with CP/CPPS, and may represent changes
      in the integration of viscerosensory and motor processing. 

PMID- 26106576
TI  - A retrospective study of Babesia macropus associated with morbidity and mortality
      in eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) and agile wallabies (Macropus
      agilis).
AB  - This is a retrospective study of 38 cases of infection by Babesia macropus,
      associated with a syndrome of anaemia and debility in hand-reared or free-ranging
      juvenile eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) from coastal New South Wales
      and south-eastern Queensland between 1995 and 2013. Infection with B. macropus is
      recorded for the first time in agile wallabies (Macropus agilis) from far north
      Queensland. Animals in which B. macropus infection was considered to be the
      primary cause of morbidity had marked anaemia, lethargy and neurological signs,
      and often died. In these cases, parasitised erythrocytes were few or undetectable
      in peripheral blood samples but were sequestered in large numbers within small
      vessels of visceral organs, particularly in the kidney and brain, associated with
      distinctive clusters of extraerythrocytic organisms. Initial identification of
      this piroplasm in peripheral blood smears and in tissue impression smears and
      histological sections was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy and
      molecular analysis. Samples of kidney, brain or blood were tested using PCR and
      DNA sequencing of the 18S ribosomal RNA and heat shock protein 70 gene using
      primers specific for piroplasms. The piroplasm detected in these samples had 100%
      sequence identity in the 18S rRNA region with the recently described Babesia
      macropus in two eastern grey kangaroos from New South Wales and Queensland, and a
      high degree of similarity to an unnamed Babesia sp. recently detected in three
      woylies (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi) in Western Australia. 

PMID- 26106575
TI  - What graph theory actually tells us about resting state interictal MEG epileptic
      activity.
AB  - Graph theory provides a useful framework to study functional brain networks from
      neuroimaging data. In epilepsy research, recent findings suggest that it offers
      unique insight into the fingerprints of this pathology on brain dynamics. Most
      studies hitherto have focused on seizure activity during focal epilepsy, but less
      is known about functional epileptic brain networks during interictal activity in
      frontal focal and generalized epilepsy. Besides, it is not clear yet which
      measures are most suitable to characterize these networks. To address these
      issues, we recorded magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data using two orthogonal
      planar gradiometers from 45 subjects from three groups (15 healthy controls (7
      males, 24 +/- 6 years), 15 frontal focal (8 male, 32 +/- 16 years) and 15
      generalized epileptic (6 male, 27 +/- 7 years) patients) during interictal
      resting state with closed eyes. Then, we estimated the total and relative
      spectral power of the largest principal component of the gradiometers, and the
      degree of phase synchronization between each sensor site in the frequency range
      [0.5-40 Hz]. We further calculated a comprehensive battery of 15 graph-theoretic
      measures and used the affinity propagation clustering algorithm to elucidate the
      minimum set of them that fully describe these functional brain networks. The
      results show that differences in spectral power between the control and the other
      two groups have a distinctive pattern: generalized epilepsy presents higher total
      power for all frequencies except the alpha band over a widespread set of sensors;
      frontal focal epilepsy shows higher relative power in the beta band bilaterally
      in the fronto-central sensors. Moreover, all network indices can be clustered
      into three groups, whose exemplars are the global network efficiency, the
      eccentricity and the synchronizability. Again, the patterns of differences were
      clear: the brain network of the generalized epilepsy patients presented greater
      efficiency and lower eccentricity than the control subjects for the high
      frequency bands, without a clear topography. Besides, the frontal focal epileptic
      patients showed only reduced eccentricity for the theta band over fronto-temporal
      and central sensors. These outcomes indicate that functional epileptic brain
      networks are different to those of healthy subjects during interictal stage at
      rest, with a unique pattern of dissimilarities for each type of epilepsy.
      Further, when properly selected, three network indices suffice to provide a
      comprehensive description of these differences. Yet, since such uniqueness in the
      pattern of differences is also evident in the power spectrum, we conclude that
      the added value of the graph theory approach in this context should not be
      overestimated. 

PMID- 26106577
TI  - A change in electrographic activity and blood flow during interictal and
      postictal psychotic states in a patient with epilepsy.
AB  - We report a patient with epilepsy who experienced interictal and postictal
      psychoses. Her psychiatric symptoms consisted of grandiose and fantastic
      delusions during both psychotic states. During remission, electroencephalography
      showed bitemporal epileptiform discharges that were predominant in the right
      temporal region. Epileptiform discharges present during the psychotic states were
      predominant in the left temporal region. Single-photon emission computed
      tomography showed hyperperfusion in the left basal ganglia during the interictal
      psychotic state and hyperperfusion in the right temporal lobe and left basal
      ganglia during the postictal psychotic state. We suggest that the occurrence of
      postictal and interictal psychotic states in this patient were associated with a
      common change in electrographic activity and blood flow. 

PMID- 26106578
TI  - Nonconvulsive status epilepticus secondary to paclitaxel administration.
AB  - Nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) can be triggered by metabolic
      disturbances and drugs in adults without previous epilepsy. We present the case
      of a 51-year-old woman without previous history of epilepsy and recently
      diagnosed with infiltrating lobular breast carcinoma. Following the
      administration of paclitaxel-cremophor, she presented a striking disinhibited
      behavior with episodic spatial disorientation, emotional indifference, and
      irritability. Urgent EEG was consistent with NCSE. Clinical improvement and
      resolution of EEG abnormalities were observed following the administration of
      intravenous levetiracetam and lacosamide. Other causes of NCSE were ruled out,
      and antiepileptic drugs were slowly tapered off without new episodes of abnormal
      behavior after three months of follow-up. We have reported the first case of NCSE
      secondary to paclitaxel-cremophor. Neurologists and oncologists should consider
      NCSE as an unusual complication of treatment with paclitaxel-cremophor in
      patients without a history of epilepsy. 

PMID- 26106579
TI  - A case study of voltage-gated potassium channel antibody-related limbic
      encephalitis with PET/MRI findings.
AB  - Preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated the significance of
      inflammation and autoantibodies in epilepsy, and the use of immunotherapies in
      certain situations has become an established practice. Temporal lobe epilepsy can
      follow paraneoplastic or nonparaneoplastic limbic encephalitis associated with
      antibodies directed against brain antigens. Here, we focus on a patient with
      worsening confusion and temporal lobe seizures despite treatment with
      antiepileptic medications. Serial brain MRIs did not conclusively reveal
      structural abnormalities, so the patient underwent brain PET/MRI to
      simultaneously evaluate brain structure and function, revealing bitemporal
      abnormalities. The patient was diagnosed with voltage-gated potassium channel
      antibody-related limbic encephalitis based on clinical presentation, imaging
      findings, and antibody testing. Treatment included the addition of a second
      antiepileptic agent and oral steroids. His seizures and cognitive deficits
      improved and stabilized. 

PMID- 26106580
TI  - Impact of polymorphisms of the GGCX gene on maintenance warfarin dose in Chinese
      populations: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - The meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the impact of gamma-glutamyl
      carboxylase (GGCX) on maintenance warfarin dose. 8 studies were included,
      focusing on the impact of GGCX single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on mean
      daily warfarin dose (MDWD). GGCX (rs699664; AA versus GG, GA versus GG, A versus
      GG) and GGCX (rs12714145; GA versus GG, AA versus GG, A versus GG) showed no
      significant differences on mean daily warfarin dose (MDWD). This meta-analysis
      was the first to report the relationship between GGCX SNPs and MDWD in Chinese
      populations. No evidence could be found in the relationship between SNPs of GGCX
      (rs699664 and rs12714145) and maintenance warfarin dose. 

PMID- 26106581
TI  - Proteomic analysis of differentially expressed protein in hemocytes of wild giant
      freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii infected with infectious hypodermal
      and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV).
AB  - Epizootic diseases cause huge mortality and economical loses at post larvae
      stages in freshwater prawn aquaculture industry. These prawns seem less
      susceptible to viral diseases except for infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic
      necrosis virus (IHHNV). During viral infection in prawns, hemocytes are the
      primary organ that shows immunological response within the early stages of
      infection. We applied proteomic approaches to understand differential expression
      of the proteins in hemocytes during the viral disease outbreak. To aid the goal,
      we collected Macrobrachium rosenbergii broodstocks from the local grow out
      hatchery which reported the first incidence of IHHNV viral outbreak during larvae
      stage. Primarily, application of the OIE primer targeting 389 bp fragments of
      IHHNV virus was used in identification of the infected and non-infected samples
      of the prawn breeding line. Analysis of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis
      showed specific down-regulation of Arginine kinase and Sarcoplasmic calcium
      binding protein and up/down-regulation of Prophenoloxidase1 and hemocyanin
      isoforms. These proteins were validated using semi quantitative RT-PCR and gene
      transcripts at mRNA level. These identified proteins can be used as biomarkers,
      providing a powerful approach to better understanding of the immunity pathway of
      viral disease with applications in analytic and observational epidemiology
      diagnosis. Proteomic profiling allows deep insight into the pathogenesis of IHHNV
      molecular regulation and mechanism of hemocyte in freshwater prawns. 

PMID- 26106582
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of Papilio glaucus and its phylogenetic
      implications.
AB  - Due to the intriguing morphology, lifecycle, and diversity of butterflies and
      moths, Lepidoptera are emerging as model organisms for the study of genetics,
      evolution and speciation. The progress of these studies relies on decoding
      Lepidoptera genomes, both nuclear and mitochondrial. Here we describe a protocol
      to obtain mitogenomes from Next Generation Sequencing reads performed for whole
      genome sequencing and report the complete mitogenome of Papilio (Pterourus)
      glaucus. The circular mitogenome is 15,306 bp in length and rich in A and T. It
      contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer-RNA-coding genes (tRNA), and
      2 ribosomal-RNA-coding genes (rRNA), with a gene order typical for mitogenomes of
      Lepidoptera. We performed phylogenetic analyses based on PCG and RNA-coding genes
      or protein sequences using Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood methods. The
      phylogenetic trees consistently show that among species with available
      mitogenomes Papilio glaucus is the closest to Papilio (Agehana) maraho from Asia.

PMID- 26106585
TI  - Single-Cell Phenotypic Characterization of Human Pituitary GHomas and Non
      Functioning Adenomas Based on Hormone Content and Calcium Responses to
      Hypothalamic Releasing Hormones.
AB  - Human pituitary tumors are generally benign adenomas causing considerable
      morbidity due to excess hormone secretion, hypopituitarism, and other tumor mass
      effects. Pituitary tumors are highly heterogeneous and difficult to type, often
      containing mixed cell phenotypes. We have used calcium imaging followed by
      multiple immunocytochemistry to type growth hormone secreting (GHomas) and non
      functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs). Individual cells were typed for stored
      hormones and calcium responses to classic hypothalamic releasing hormones (HRHs).
      We found that GHomas contained growth hormone cells either lacking responses to
      HRHs or responding to all four HRHs. However, most GHoma cells were polyhormonal
      cells responsive to both thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and GH-releasing
      hormone. NFPAs were also highly heterogeneous. Some of them contained ACTH cells
      lacking responses to HRHs or polyhormonal gonadotropes responsive to LHRH and
      TRH. However, most NFPAs were made of cells storing no hormone and responded only
      to TRH. These results may provide new insights on the ontogeny of GHomas and
      NFPAs. 

PMID- 26106584
TI  - STAT3-Mediated Metabolic Reprograming in Cellular Transformation and Implications
      for Drug Resistance.
AB  - Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 mediates the signaling
      downstream of cytokine and growth factor receptors, regulating the expression of
      target genes. It is constitutively phosphorylated on tyrosine (Y-P) in many
      tumors, where its transcriptional activity can induce a metabolic switch toward
      aerobic glycolysis and down-regulate mitochondrial activity, a prominent
      metabolic feature of most cancer cells, correlating with reduced production of
      ROS, delayed senescence, and protection from apoptosis. STAT3 can, however, also
      localize to mitochondria, where its serine-phosphorylated (S-P) form preserves
      mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and controls the opening of the
      mitochondrial permeability transition pore, also promoting survival and
      resistance to apoptosis in response to specific signals/oncogenes such as RAS.
      Thus, downstream of different signals, both nuclear, Y-P STAT3, and
      mitochondrial, S-P STAT3, can act by promoting cell survival and reducing ROS
      production. Here, we discuss these properties in the light of potential
      connections between STAT3-driven alterations of mitochondrial metabolism and the
      development of drug resistance in cancer patients. 

PMID- 26106583
TI  - 4-1BB Agonists: Multi-Potent Potentiators of Tumor Immunity.
AB  - Immunotherapy is a rapidly expanding field of oncology aimed at targeting, not
      the tumor itself, but the immune system combating the cancerous lesion. Of the
      many approaches currently under study to boost anti-tumor immune responses;
      modulation of immune co-receptors on lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment
      has thus far proven to be the most effective. Antibody blockade of the T cell co
      inhibitory receptor cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) has become the
      first FDA approved immune checkpoint blockade; however, tumor infiltrating
      lymphocytes express a diverse array of additional stimulatory and inhibitory co
      receptors, which can be targeted to boost tumor immunity. Among these, the co
      stimulatory receptor 4-1BB (CD137/TNFSF9) possesses an unequaled capacity for
      both activation and pro-inflammatory polarization of anti-tumor lymphocytes.
      While functional studies of 4-1BB have focused on its prominent role in
      augmenting cytotoxic CD8 T cells, 4-1BB can also modulate the activity of CD4 T
      cells, B cells, natural killer cells, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic
      cells. 4-1BB's expression on both T cells and antigen presenting cells, coupled
      with its capacity to promote survival, expansion, and enhanced effector function
      of activated T cells, has made it an alluring target for tumor immunotherapy. In
      contrast to immune checkpoint blocking antibodies, 4-1BB agonists can both
      potentiate anti-tumor and anti-viral immunity, while at the same time
      ameliorating autoimmune disease. Despite this, 4-1BB agonists can trigger high
      grade liver inflammation which has slowed their clinical development. In this
      review, we discuss how the underlying immunobiology of 4-1BB activation suggests
      the potential for therapeutically synergistic combination strategies in which
      immune adverse events can be minimized. 

PMID- 26106586
TI  - Hedgehog Inhibitors in Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Comparison of Four Compounds and
      Responsiveness of Four Cell Lines.
AB  - Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children and is
      divided into two major histological subgroups, i.e., embryonal (ERMS) and
      alveolar RMS (ARMS). RMS can show HEDGEHOG/SMOOTHENED (HH/SMO) signaling activity
      and several clinical trials using HH inhibitors for therapy of RMS have been
      launched. We here compared the antitumoral effects of the SMO inhibitors GDC
      0449, LDE225, HhA, and cyclopamine in two ERMS (RD, RUCH-2) and two ARMS (RMS-13,
      Rh41) cell lines. Our data show that the antitumoral effects of these SMO
      inhibitors are highly divers and do not necessarily correlate with inhibition of
      HH signaling. In addition, the responsiveness of the RMS cell lines to the drugs
      is highly heterogeneous. Whereas some SMO inhibitors (i.e., LDE225 and HhA)
      induce strong proapoptotic and antiproliferative effects in some RMS cell lines,
      others paradoxically induce cellular proliferation at certain concentrations
      (e.g., 10 MUM GDC-0449 or 5 MUM cyclopamine in RUCH-2 and Rh41 cells) or can
      increase HH signaling activity as judged by GLI1 expression (i.e., LDE225, HhA,
      and cyclopamine). Similarly, some drugs (e.g., HhA) inhibit PI3K/AKT signaling or
      induce autophagy (e.g., LDE225) in some cell lines, whereas others cannot (e.g.,
      GDC-0449). In addition, the effects of SMO inhibitors are concentration-dependent
      (e.g., 1 and 10 MUM GDC-0449 decrease GLI1 expression in RD cells whereas 30 MUM
      GDC-0449 does not). Together these data show that some SMO inhibitors can induce
      strong antitumoral effects in some, but not all, RMS cell lines. Due to the
      highly heterogeneous response, we propose to conduct thorough pretesting of SMO
      inhibitors in patient-derived short-term RMS cultures or patient-derived
      xenograft mouse models before applying these drugs to RMS patients. 

PMID- 26106588
TI  - Combined association of physical activity and diet with C-reactive protein among
      smokers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the general population, both physical activity and dietary
      behavior are independently associated with less systemic inflammation, with this
      relationship less examined among smokers. To our knowledge, no study has examined
      the combined association of both physical activity and dietary behavior on
      systemic inflammation among daily smokers, which was the purpose of this study.
      METHODS: Data from the 2003-2006 NHANES were employed. 810 adult smokers provided
      C-reactive protein data (CRP; a marker of inflammation), and sufficient physical
      activity (accelerometry) and dietary data (healthy eating index). RESULTS: The
      fully adjusted model showed that participants meeting physical activity
      guidelines and eating a healthy diet (beta = -0.34, p = 0.03) had lower CRP
      levels when compared to those not engaging in these health behaviors, but only
      having one health behavior was not a significant predictor of CRP (beta = -0.19,
      p = 0.14). CONCLUSIONS: Smokers engaging in regular physical activity while
      consuming a healthy diet demonstrate lower CRP levels than their counterparts.
      When taken together, these behaviors may mitigate inflammation associated with
      various chronic diseases, which is of particular importance as very few smokers
      successfully quit smoking.

PMID- 26106587
TI  - The role of autophagy in intracellular pathogen nutrient acquisition.
AB  - Following entry into host cells intracellular pathogens must simultaneously evade
      innate host defense mechanisms and acquire energy and anabolic substrates from
      the nutrient-limited intracellular environment. Most of the potential
      intracellular nutrient sources are stored within complex macromolecules that are
      not immediately accessible by intracellular pathogens. To obtain nutrients for
      proliferation, intracellular pathogens must compete with the host cell for newly
      imported simple nutrients or degrade host nutrient storage structures into their
      constituent components (fatty acids, carbohydrates, and amino acids). It is
      becoming increasingly evident that intracellular pathogens have evolved a wide
      variety of strategies to accomplish this task. One recurrent microbial strategy
      is to exploit host degradative processes that break down host macromolecules into
      simple nutrients that the microbe can use. Herein we focus on how a subset of
      bacterial, viral, and eukaryotic pathogens leverage the host process of autophagy
      to acquire nutrients that support their growth within infected cells. 

PMID- 26106589
TI  - Applying Biotechnology and Bioengineering to Pediatric Lung Disease: Emerging
      Paradigms and Platforms.
AB  - Pediatric lung diseases remain a costly worldwide health burden. For many
      children with end-stage lung disease, lung transplantation remains the only
      therapeutic option. Due to the limited number of lungs available for
      transplantation, alternatives to lung transplant are desperately needed.
      Recently, major improvements in tissue engineering have resulted in newer
      technology and methodology to develop viable bioengineered lungs. These include
      critical advances in lung cell biology, stem cell biology, lung extracellular
      matrix, microfabrication techniques, and orthotopic transplantation of
      bioartificial lungs. The goal of this short review is to engage the reader's
      interest with regard to these emerging concepts and to stimulate their interest
      to learn more. We review the existing state of the art of lung tissue
      engineering, and point to emerging paradigms and platforms in the field. Finally,
      we summarize the challenges and unmet needs that remain to be overcome. 

PMID- 26106590
TI  - Immune Thrombocytopenia in Two Unrelated Fanconi Anemia Patients - A Mere
      Coincidence?
AB  - Thrombocytopenia and pancytopenia, occurring in patients with Fanconi anemia
      (FA), are interpreted either as progression to bone marrow failure or as
      developing myelodysplasia. On the other hand, immune thrombocytopenia (ITP)
      represents an acquired and often self-limiting benign hematologic disorder,
      associated with peripheral, immune-mediated, platelet destruction requiring
      different management modalities than those used in congenital bone marrow failure
      syndromes, including FA. Here, we describe the clinical course of two independent
      FA patients with atypical - namely immune - thrombocytopenia. While in one
      patient belonging to complementation group FA-A, the ITP started at 17 months of
      age and showed a chronically persisting course with severe purpura, responding
      well to intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) and later also danazol, a synthetic
      androgen, the other patient (of complementation group FA-D2) had a self-limiting
      course that resolved after one administration of IVIG. No cytogenetic aberrations
      or bone marrow abnormalities other than FA-typical mild dysplasia were detected.
      Our data show that acute and chronic ITP may occur in FA patients and impose
      individual diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in this rare congenital bone
      marrow failure/tumor predisposition syndrome. The management and a potential
      context of immune pathogenesis with the underlying marrow disorder are discussed.

PMID- 26106591
TI  - Current Updates on Choanal Atresia.
AB  - Choanal atresia (CA) is a relatively uncommon but well-recognized condition
      characterized by the anatomical closure of the posterior choanae in the nasal
      cavity. Since the original description back in the early eighteenth century,
      there have been controversies regarding its exact pathogenesis, the optimal
      surgical approach, and the use of adjunct treatments such as post-surgical
      stenting and anti-neoplastic agents, despite of abundant literature available.
      The emergence and development of new technologies play a significant role in the
      management of this condition. This review provides a comprehensive clinical
      update on CA and identifies areas for future study based on the existing
      available literature. 

PMID- 26106592
TI  - Editorial: Emerging Zoonoses: Eco-Epidemiology, Involved Mechanisms, and Public
      Health Implications.

PMID- 26106593
TI  - Is it Time to Consider the "Burnout Syndrome" A Distinct Illness?
AB  - The "burnout syndrome" has been defined as a combination of emotional exhaustion,
      depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment caused by chronic
      occupational stress. Although there has been increasing medical interest in
      burnout over the last decades, it is argued in this paper that the syndrome
      cannot be elevated to the status of diagnostic category, based on (1) an analysis
      of the genesis of the burnout construct, (2) a review of the latest literature on
      burnout-depression overlap, (3) a questioning of the three-dimensional structure
      of the burnout syndrome, and (4) a critical examination of the notion that
      burnout is singularized by its job-related character. It turns out that the
      burnout construct is built on a fragile foundation, both from a clinical and a
      theoretical standpoint. The current state of science suggests that burnout is a
      form of depression rather than a differentiated type of pathology. The inclusion
      of burnout in future disorder classifications is therefore unwarranted. The focus
      of public health policies dedicated to the management of "burnout" should not be
      narrowed to the three definitional components of the syndrome but consider its
      depressive core. 

PMID- 26106595
TI  - Fast Growing Plantations for Wood Production - Integration of Ecological Effects
      and Economic Perspectives.
AB  - Biomass crops are perceived as a feasible means to substitute sizeable amounts of
      fossil fuel in the future. A prospect of CO2 reduction (resp. CO2 neutrality) is
      credited to biomass fuels, and thus a potential contribution to mitigate climate
      change. Short rotation coppices (SRCs) with fast growing poplar and willow trees
      are an option for producing high yields of woody biomass, which is suitable for
      both energetic and material use. One negative effect that comes along with the
      establishment of SRC may be a decrease in groundwater recharge, because high
      rates of transpiration and interception are anticipated. Therefore, it is
      important to measure, analyze, and model the effects of SRC-planting on landscape
      water budgets. To analyze the effects on the water budget, a poplar SRC plot was
      studied by measuring hydrological parameters to be used in the hydrological model
      WaSim. Results reveal very low or even missing ground water recharge for SRC
      compared to agricultural land use or grassland, especially succeeding dry years.
      However, this strong effect on plot level is moderated on the larger spatial
      scale of catchment level, for which the modeling was also performed. In addition
      to water, nutrient fluxes and budgets were studied. Nitrogen is still a crucial
      issue in today's agriculture. Intensive fertilization or increased applications
      of manure from concentrated livestock breeding are often leading to high loads of
      nitrate leaching, or enhanced N2O emissions to the atmosphere on arable crop
      fields. SRC or agroforestry systems on former crop land may offer an option to
      decrease such N losses, while simultaneously producing woody biomass. This is
      mainly due to the generally smaller N requirements of woody vegetation, which
      usually entail no need for any fertilization. The trees supply deep and permanent
      rooting systems, which can be regarded as a "safety net" to prevent nutrient
      leaching. Thus, SRC altogether can help to diminish N eutrophication. It is
      important to offer viable and attractive economic perspectives to farmers and
      other land managers besides of the potential ecological benefits of SRCs. For
      this reason, an integrated tool for scenario analysis was developed within the
      BEST project ("BEAST - Bio-Energy Allocation and Scenario Tool"). It combines
      ecological assessments with calculations of economic revenue as a basis for a
      participative regional dialog on sustainable land use and climate protection
      goals. Results show a substantial capacity for providing renewable energy from
      economically competitive arable SRC sites while generating ecological synergies. 

PMID- 26106594
TI  - Transposable Element Insertions in Long Intergenic Non-Coding RNA Genes.
AB  - Transposable elements (TEs) are abundant in mammalian genomes and appear to have
      contributed to the evolution of their hosts by providing novel regulatory or
      coding sequences. We analyzed different regions of long intergenic non-coding RNA
      (lincRNA) genes in human and mouse genomes to systematically assess the potential
      contribution of TEs to the evolution of the structure and regulation of
      expression of lincRNA genes. Introns of lincRNA genes contain the highest
      percentage of TE-derived sequences (TES), followed by exons and then promoter
      regions although the density of TEs is not significantly different between exons
      and promoters. Higher frequencies of ancient TEs in promoters and exons compared
      to introns implies that many lincRNA genes emerged before the split of primates
      and rodents. The content of TES in lincRNA genes is substantially higher than
      that in protein-coding genes, especially in exons and promoter regions. A
      significant positive correlation was detected between the content of TEs and
      evolutionary rate of lincRNAs indicating that inserted TEs are preferentially
      fixed in fast-evolving lincRNA genes. These results are consistent with the
      repeat insertion domains of LncRNAs hypothesis under which TEs have substantially
      contributed to the origin, evolution, and, in particular, fast functional
      diversification, of lincRNA genes. 

PMID- 26106596
TI  - 3D Printing of Octacalcium Phosphate Bone Substitutes.
AB  - Biocompatible calcium phosphate ceramic grafts are able of supporting new bone
      formation in appropriate environment. The major limitation of these materials
      usage for medical implants is the absence of accessible methods for their patient
      specific fabrication. 3D printing methodology is an excellent approach to
      overcome the limitation supporting effective and fast fabrication of individual
      complex bone substitutes. Here, we proposed a relatively simple route for 3D
      printing of octacalcium phosphates (OCP) in complexly shaped structures by the
      combination of inkjet printing with post-treatment methodology. The printed OCP
      blocks were further implanted in the developed cranial bone defect followed by
      histological evaluation. The obtained result confirmed the potential of the
      developed OCP bone substitutes, which allowed 2.5-time reducing of defect's
      diameter at 6.5 months in a region where native bone repair is extremely
      inefficient. 

PMID- 26106597
TI  - Conserved Functional Motifs and Homology Modeling to Predict Hidden Moonlighting
      Functional Sites.
AB  - Moonlighting functional centers within proteins can provide them with hitherto
      unrecognized functions. Here, we review how hidden moonlighting functional
      centers, which we define as binding sites that have catalytic activity or
      regulate protein function in a novel manner, can be identified using targeted
      bioinformatic searches. Functional motifs used in such searches include amino
      acid residues that are conserved across species and many of which have been
      assigned functional roles based on experimental evidence. Molecules that were
      identified in this manner seeking cyclic mononucleotide cyclases in plants are
      used as examples. The strength of this computational approach is enhanced when
      good homology models can be developed to test the functionality of the predicted
      centers in silico, which, in turn, increases confidence in the ability of the
      identified candidates to perform the predicted functions. Computational
      characterization of moonlighting functional centers is not diagnostic for
      catalysis but serves as a rapid screening method, and highlights testable targets
      from a potentially large pool of candidates for subsequent in vitro and in vivo
      experiments required to confirm the functionality of the predicted moonlighting
      centers. 

PMID- 26106598
TI  - Overcoming Recruitment Barriers in Urban Older Adults Residing in Congregate
      Living Facilities.
AB  - Background. Participation of minority older adults in mental health research has
      been limited by mistrust, transportation difficulties, lack of knowledge, and
      insufficient community partnership. We describe strategies utilized to overcome
      these recruitment barriers. Methods. Our target population included 553 public
      housing residents of older adult high-rise buildings in Rochester, NY. We had a
      two-stage cross-sectional study: Stage 1 was a health survey for all residents
      and Stage 2 was a psychiatric interview of English-speaking residents aged 60
      years and older. Recruitment occurred through mailings, onsite activities, and
      resident referrals. Results. Stage 1 had 358 participants (64.7% response) and
      Stage 2 had 190 (61.6% target population response), with higher participation
      among African Americans. We found some strategies effective for overcoming
      recruitment barriers. First, we partnered with a community agency and organized
      onsite educational activities to improve residents' trust. Second, the study
      occurred entirely onsite, which facilitated participation of functionally
      impaired residents. Third, onsite activities allowed the residents to learn about
      the study and complete surveys in person. Fourth, we provided immediate
      incentives that resulted in many study referrals. Conclusions. Although
      recruitment of minority older adults presents unique challenges, a multifaceted
      community-tailored approach mitigated several recruitment barriers in this mental
      health study. 

PMID- 26106600
TI  - Comparison of Malated Ringer's with Two Other Balanced Crystalloid Solutions in
      Resuscitation of Both Severe and Moderate Hemorrhagic Shock in Rats.
AB  - In preclinical treatment of polytraumatized patients crystalloids are
      preferentially used. To avoid metabolic acidosis, metabolizable anions like
      lactate or acetate are used to replace chloride in these solutions. We here
      studied the effects of malated Ringer's in resuscitation of both shock severities
      in comparison to lactated and acetated Ringer's. Male Wistar rats underwent
      severe (mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) of 25-30 mmHg) or moderate (MAP 40-45
      mmHg) hemorrhagic shock. Adjacent to the shock period animals were resuscitated
      with acetated (AR), lactated (LR), or malated Ringer's (MR) and observed for 150
      min. MR improved survival compared with LR and AR in severe hemorrhagic shock
      whereas it was equally effective to LR and superior to AR in moderate hemorrhagic
      shock. In all other parameters tested, MR was also effective similar to the other
      solutions under these conditions. We conclude that MR is preferable to AR and LR
      in resuscitation of hemorrhagic shock independent of shock depth. The positive
      effects of MR may stem from the absence of any adverse impact on energy
      metabolism under both conditions.

PMID- 26106599
TI  - Colorectal Cancer Biomarkers: Where Are We Now?
AB  - Colorectal cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related death in the
      Western world. Patient survival is highly dependent on the tumor stage at the
      time of diagnosis. Reduced sensitivity to chemotherapy is still a major obstacle
      in effective treatment of advanced disease. Due to the fact that colorectal
      cancer is mostly asymptomatic until it progresses to advanced stages, the
      implementation of screening programs aimed at early detection is essential to
      reduce incidence and mortality rates. Current screening and diagnostic methods
      range from semi-invasive procedures such as colonoscopy to noninvasive stool
      based tests. The combination of the absence of symptoms, the semi-invasive nature
      of currently used methods, and the suboptimal accuracy of fecal blood tests
      results in colorectal cancer diagnosis at advanced stages in a significant number
      of individuals. Alterations in gene expression leading to colorectal
      carcinogenesis are reflected in dysregulated levels of nucleic acids and
      proteins, which can be used for the development of novel, minimally invasive
      molecular biomarkers. The purpose of this review is to discuss the commercially
      available colorectal cancer molecular diagnostic methods as well as to highlight
      some of the new candidate predictive and prognostic molecular markers for tumor,
      stool, and blood samples. 

PMID- 26106602
TI  - Lack of Association between Membrane-Type 1 Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression
      and Clinically Relevant Molecular or Morphologic Tumor Characteristics at the
      Leading Edge of Invasive Colorectal Carcinoma.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of death from cancer in the
      western world, but tumor biology and clinical course show great interindividual
      variation. Molecular and morphologic tumor characteristics, such as KRAS/BRAF
      mutation status, mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression, tumor growth pattern,
      and tumor cell budding, have been shown to be of key therapeutic and/or
      prognostic relevance in CRC. Membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP)
      is a membrane-anchored zinc-binding endopeptidase that is expressed at the
      leading edge of various invasive carcinomas and promotes tumor cell invasion
      through degradation of the extracellular matrix. The aim of this study was to
      investigate possible associations between MT1-MMP expression and molecular tumor
      characteristics as well as morphologic features of tumor aggressiveness in a
      consecutive series of 79 CRC tissue samples. However, although MT1-MMP was
      expressed in 41/79 samples (52%), there was no significant association between
      MT1-MMP expression and KRAS/BRAF mutation status, MMR protein expression,
      presence of lymphovascular invasion, tumor growth pattern, tumor-infiltrating
      lymphocytes, or tumor cell budding in our sample cohort (P > 0.05). Thus, we
      conclude that although MT1-MMP may play a role in CRC invasion, it is not of key
      relevance to the current models of CRC invasion and aggressiveness. 

PMID- 26106603
TI  - Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Noncystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis.
AB  - During the past decades, a growing interest has been raised in evaluating
      nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in patients with noncystic fibrosis
      bronchiectasis (NCFBE). This paper reviews several aspects of the correlations
      between NTM and NCFBE, including pathogenesis, radiological features, diagnosis,
      and management. Bronchiectasis and NTM lung disease are connected, but which one
      comes first is still an unresolved question. The rate of NTM lung disease in
      NCFBE varies through the studies, from 5% to 30%. The most frequent species
      isolated is MAC. NCFBE patients affected by NTM infection frequently present
      coinfections, including both other different NTM species and microorganisms, such
      as P. aeruginosa. Once a diagnosis of NTM disease has been reached, the
      initiation of therapy is not always mandatory. NTM species isolated, patients'
      conditions, and disease severity and its evolution should be considered. Risk
      factors for disease progression in NCFBE patients with NTM are low body mass
      index, cavitary disease, consolidations, and macrolide resistance at
      presentation. 

PMID- 26106601
TI  - Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Ocular Infections: A Systematic Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Nontuberculous or atypical mycobacterial ocular infections have been increasing
      in prevalence over the past few decades. They are known to cause periocular,
      adnexal, ocular surface and intraocular infections and are often recalcitrant to
      medical therapy. These infections can potentially cause detrimental outcomes, in
      part due to a delay in diagnosis. We review 174 case reports and series on
      nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) ocular infections and discuss etiology,
      microbiology, risk factors, diagnosis, clinical presentation, and treatment of
      these infections. History of interventions, trauma, foreign bodies, implants,
      contact lenses, and steroids are linked to NTM ocular infections. Steroid use may
      prolong the duration of the infection and cause poorer visual outcomes. Early
      diagnosis and initiation of treatment with multiple antibiotics are necessary to
      achieve the best visual outcome. 

PMID- 26106604
TI  - In Pursuit of New Imprinting Syndromes by Epimutation Screening in Idiopathic
      Neurodevelopmental Disorder Patients.
AB  - Alterations of epigenetic mechanisms, and more specifically imprinting
      modifications, could be responsible of neurodevelopmental disorders such as
      intellectual disability (ID) or autism together with other associated clinical
      features in many cases. Currently only eight imprinting syndromes are defined in
      spite of the fact that more than 200 genes are known or predicted to be
      imprinted. Recent publications point out that some epimutations which cause
      imprinting disorders may affect simultaneously different imprinted loci,
      suggesting that DNA-methylation may have been altered more globally. Therefore,
      we hypothesised that the detection of altered methylation patterns in known
      imprinting loci will indirectly allow identifying new syndromes due to
      epimutations among patients with unexplained ID. In a screening for imprinting
      alterations in 412 patients with syndromic ID/autism we found five patients with
      altered methylation in the four genes studied: MEG3, H19, KCNQ1OT1, and SNRPN.
      Remarkably, the cases with partial loss of methylation in KCNQ1OT1 and SNRPN
      present clinical features different to those associated with the corresponding
      imprinting syndromes, suggesting a multilocus methylation defect in accordance
      with our initial hypothesis. Consequently, our results are a proof of concept
      that the identification of epimutations in known loci in patients with clinical
      features different from those associated with known syndromes will eventually
      lead to the definition of new imprinting disorders. 

PMID- 26106605
TI  - DNA Methylation Levels of Melanoma Risk Genes Are Associated with Clinical
      Characteristics of Melanoma Patients.
AB  - In melanoma development, oncogenic process is mediated by genetic and epigenetic
      mutations, and few studies have so far explored the role of DNA methylation
      either as predisposition factor or biomarker. We tested patient samples for
      germline CDKN2A methylation status and found no evidence of inactivation by
      promoter hypermethylation. We have also investigated the association of clinical
      characteristics of samples with the DNA methylation pattern of twelve genes
      relevant for melanomagenesis. Five genes (BAP1, MGMT, MITF, PALB2, and POT1)
      presented statistical association between blood DNA methylation levels and either
      CDKN2A-mutation status, number of lesions, or Breslow thickness. In tumors, five
      genes (KIT, MGMT, MITF, TERT, and TNF) exhibited methylation levels significantly
      different between tumor groups including acral compared to nonacral melanomas and
      matched primary lesions and metastases. Our data pinpoint that the methylation
      level of eight melanoma-associated genes could potentially represent markers for
      this disease both in peripheral blood and in tumor samples. 

PMID- 26106606
TI  - Over-the-Counter Drugs and Complementary Medications Use among Children in
      Southern Italy.
AB  - The use of nonprescription medicines (NPDs) for children illnesses without a
      doctor's suggestion can lead to unnecessary medication use and is not free of
      risks. The aim of our study was to examine attitudes and practice of parents
      towards NPDs use for their children. We also investigated the conditions that may
      predict NPDs use. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on parents of children
      attending Community Based Pediatrician (CBP) consultation and data were collected
      through structured interviews. Positive attitude on NPDs use was reported by
      71.4% of parents, and 61.5% of them had administered NPDs in the previous 6
      months. Antipyretic drugs were the most frequently used medication class without
      the supervision of the CBP. A positive attitude towards NPDs was significantly
      more frequent in parents who did not use the CBP as the sole source of
      information about drugs. The study demonstrated a widespread use of NPDs in
      children in our context, supported by a substantial positive attitude towards
      their safety. However, considering potential harms related to some NPDs and the
      finding that most parents rely on CBP advice, role of CBP on appropriate use of
      NPDs by parents should be emphasized. 

PMID- 26106607
TI  - miRNA Profiles of Tubular Cells: Diagnosis of Kidney Injury.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs of 18-23 nucleotides that regulate
      gene expression. Recently, plasma miRNAs have been investigated as biomarkers for
      various physiological and pathological conditions. The present study details the
      conserved miRNA expression profiles of tubular tissues, and discusses whether
      they could be used to distinguish between proximal tubule injury, diagnose acute
      kidney injury (AKI), and the early-stage renal tubular dysfunction. miRNA
      expression was assessed with miRNA array and real-time reverse transcription
      polymerase chain reaction using the TaqMan system. The expression profiles of miR
      200a/b/c, miR-145, miR-192, miR-194, miR-216a/b, miR-217, and miR-449a in human
      and rat tubular tissues such as the kidneys, lung, small intestine, and various
      exocrine glands were adequate for discriminating tubular tissues. In the kidney,
      miR-192 and miR-194 were highly expressed, whereas miR-145 and miR-449a were
      absent. miR-145 and miR-449a were relatively specifically expressed in small
      intestine and lung, respectively. Therefore, the combined levels of miR-200a/b/c,
      miR-192, and miR-194 in plasma were very useful in diagnosing AKI induced by
      contact freezing in mice. Moreover, urinary miR-200a levels were useful for the
      diagnosis of renal tubular dysfunction in Dahl salt-sensitive rat with high salt
      administration. Our results indicate that miRNA expression profiles are useful as
      biomarkers for identification of various kidney injuries. 

PMID- 26106608
TI  - Theranostic Imaging of Yttrium-90.
AB  - This paper overviews Yttrium-90 ((90)Y) as a theranostic and nuclear medicine
      imaging of (90)Y radioactivity with bremsstrahlung imaging and positron emission
      tomography. In addition, detection and optical imaging of (90)Y radioactivity
      using Cerenkov luminescence will also be reviewed. Methods and approaches for
      qualitative and quantitative (90)Y imaging will be briefly discussed. Although
      challenges remain for (90)Y imaging, continued clinical demand for predictive
      imaging response assessment and target/nontarget dosimetry will drive research
      and technical innovation to provide greater clinical utility of (90)Y as a
      theranostic agent. 

PMID- 26106610
TI  - HMGB1-Induced Cross Talk between PTEN and miRs 221/222 in Thyroid Cancer.
AB  - High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is an ubiquitous protein that plays different
      roles in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and extracellular space. It is an important DAMP
      molecule that allows communication between damaged or tumor cells and the immune
      system. Tumor cells exploit HMGB1's ability to activate intracellular pathways
      that lead to cell growth and migration. Papillary thyroid cancer is a well
      differentiated tumor and is often used to study relationships between cells and
      the inflammatory microenvironment as the latter is characterized by high levels
      of inflammatory cells and cytokines. Anaplastic thyroid cancer is one of the most
      lethal human cancers in which many microRNAs and tumor suppressor genes are
      deregulated. Upregulation of microRNAs 221 and 222 has been shown to induce the
      malignant phenotype in many human cancers via inhibition of PTEN expression. In
      this study we suggest that extracellular HMGB1 interaction with RAGE enhances
      expression of oncogenic cluster miR221/222 that in turn inhibits tumor suppressor
      gene PTEN in two cell lines derived from human thyroid anaplastic and papillary
      cancers. The newly identified pathway HMGB1/RAGE/miR221/222 may represent an
      effective way of tumor escape from immune surveillance that could be used to
      develop new therapeutic strategies against anaplastic tumors. 

PMID- 26106609
TI  - Molecular Mechanoneurobiology: An Emerging Angle to Explore Neural Synaptic
      Functions.
AB  - Neural synapses are intercellular asymmetrical junctions that transmit
      biochemical and biophysical information between a neuron and a target cell. They
      are very tight, dynamic, and well organized by many synaptic adhesion molecules,
      signaling receptors, ion channels, and their associated cytoskeleton that bear
      forces. Mechanical forces have been an emerging factor in regulating axon
      guidance and growth, synapse formation and plasticity in physiological and
      pathological brain activity. Therefore, mechanical forces are undoubtedly exerted
      on those synaptic molecules and modulate their functions. Here we review current
      progress on how mechanical forces regulate receptor-ligand interactions, protein
      conformations, ion channels activation, and cytoskeleton dynamics and discuss how
      these regulations potentially affect synapse formation, stabilization, and
      plasticity. 

PMID- 26106611
TI  - Transcriptomic and Immunohistochemical Profiling of SLC6A14 in Pancreatic Ductal
      Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - We used a target-centric strategy to identify transporter proteins upregulated in
      pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) as potential targets for a functional
      imaging probe to complement existing anatomical imaging approaches. We performed
      transcriptomic profiling (microarray and RNASeq) on histologically confirmed
      primary PDAC tumors and normal pancreas tissue from 33 patients, including five
      patients whose tumors were not visible on computed tomography. Target expression
      was confirmed with immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays from 94 PDAC
      patients. The best imaging target identified was SLC6A14 (a neutral and basic
      amino acid transporter). SLC6A14 was overexpressed at the transcriptional level
      in all patients and expressed at the protein level in 95% of PDAC tumors. Very
      little is known about the role of SLC6A14 in PDAC and our results demonstrate
      that this target merits further investigation as a candidate transporter for
      functional imaging of PDAC. 

PMID- 26106612
TI  - Endoscopic Raman Spectroscopy for Molecular Fingerprinting of Gastric Cancer:
      Principle to Implementation.
AB  - Currently, positive endoscopic biopsy is the standard criterion for gastric
      cancer diagnosis but is invasive, often inconsistent, and delayed although early
      detection and early treatment is the most important policy. Raman spectroscopy is
      a spectroscopic technique based on inelastic scattering of monochromatic light.
      Raman spectrum represents molecular composition of the interrogated volume
      providing a direct molecular fingerprint. Several investigations revealed that
      Raman spectroscopy can differentiate normal, dysplastic, and adenocarcinoma
      gastric tissue with high sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, this technique
      can indentify malignant ulcer and showed the capability to analyze the
      carcinogenesis process. Automated on-line Raman spectral diagnostic system raised
      possibility to use Raman spectroscopy in clinical field. Raman spectroscopy can
      be applied in many fields such as guiding a target biopsy, optical biopsy in
      bleeding prone situation, and delineating the margin of the lesion. With wide
      field technology, Raman spectroscopy is expected to have specific role in our
      future clinical field. 

PMID- 26106613
TI  - Use of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound to Study Relationship between Serum Uric Acid
      and Renal Microvascular Perfusion in Diabetic Kidney Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between uric acid and renal
      microvascular perfusion in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) using contrast-enhanced
      ultrasound (CEUS) method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 79 DKD patients and 26 healthy
      volunteers were enrolled. Renal function and urine protein markers were tested.
      DKD patients were subdivided into two groups including a normal serum uric acid
      (SUA) group and a high SUA group. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) was
      performed, and low acoustic power contrast-specific imaging was used for
      quantitative analysis. RESULTS: Normal controls (NCs) had the highest levels of
      AUC, AUC1, and AUC2. Compared to the normal SUA DKD group, high SUA DKD patients
      had significantly higher IMAX, AUC, and AUC1 (P < 0.05). DKD patients with low
      urinary uric acid (UUA) excretion had significantly higher AUC2 compared to DKD
      patients with normal UUA (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Hyperuricemia in DKD patients
      was associated with a renal ultrasound image suggestive of microvascular
      hyperperfusion. The CEUS parameter AUC1 holds promise as an indicator for renal
      microvascular hyperperfusion, while AUC2 might be a useful indicator of declining
      glomerular filtration rate in DKD patients with decreased excretion of uric acid.

PMID- 26106614
TI  - The Role of Overweight and Obesity in In Vitro Fertilization Outcomes of Poor
      Ovarian Responders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Obesity is a worldwide concern with detrimental health effects
      including decreased fecundity. However, obesity's impact on in vitro
      fertilization (IVF) is inconclusive and there is little data concerning poor
      ovarian responders (POR). This study explored the effects of overweight and
      obesity on IVF outcomes of POR. Design. We retrospectively evaluated 188 POR
      undergoing IVF cycles. METHODS: Patients were categorized into three groups.
      Group 1 was normal weight POR (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2), n = 96); Group 2 was overweight
      POR (25.0-29.9 kg/m(2), n = 52); and Group 3 was obese POR (>=30.0 kg/m(2), n =
      40). Main measured outcomes included IVF outcomes. RESULTS: The oocyte maturity,
      total gonadotropin dose-duration, and cycle cancellation rates were similar.
      Obese women had significantly decreased LH levels. LH < 4 mIU/mL had a
      sensitivity (62%) and a specificity (86%) for IVF failure (AUC: 0.71).
      Fertilization rates of obese subjects were significantly lower than normal and
      overweight subjects (p = 0.04). Obese women's clinical pregnancy rates were
      significantly lower (15%) than normal weight women (33.3%, p = 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite similar counts of recruited mature oocytes, obese POR women
      had decreased fertilization and clinical pregnancy rates. Obesity rather than
      overweight significantly decreased IVF outcomes in POR.

PMID- 26106615
TI  - The Kampo Medicine Yokukansan Decreases MicroRNA-18 Expression and Recovers
      Glucocorticoid Receptors Protein Expression in the Hypothalamus of Stressed Mice.
AB  - It is well known that glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling regulates the
      hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and GR expression level is associated
      with HPA axis activity. Recent studies revealed that microRNA- (miR-) 18 and/or
      124a are candidate negative regulators of GR in the brain. The Kampo medicine
      Yokukansan (YKS) can affect psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety
      that are associated with stress responses. In this study, we evaluated the effect
      of YKS on miR-18 and 124a and GR levels in mice exposed to stress. We found that
      YKS pretreatment normalized elevated plasma corticosterone levels in stress
      exposed mice. In addition, GR mRNA levels were downregulated in the brain
      following stress exposure. While miR-124a expression levels were not altered in
      the hypothalamus of stress-exposed mice, miR-18 levels decreased in the
      hypothalamus of YKS-pretreated mice after stress exposure. Finally, GR protein
      levels in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus after stress
      exposure recovered in YKS-pretreated mice. Collectively, these data suggest that
      YKS normalizes GR protein levels by regulating miR-18 expression in the
      hypothalamus, thus normalizing HPA axis activity following stress exposure. 

PMID- 26106616
TI  - An Open Multicenter Study of Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Urolastic, an
      Injectable Implant for the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence: One-Year
      Observation.
AB  - The prevalence of stress urinary incontinence rises and affects up to 30% of
      women after 50 years of age. Midurethral slings are currently the mainstay of
      surgical anti-incontinence therapy. Some patients experience recurrent SUI (RSUI)
      which is defined as a failure of anti-incontinence surgery after a period of time
      or persistence of SUI after the procedure aimed at correcting it. The urethral
      bulking agent application decreases invasiveness of treatment and meets patients
      requirements. The objective of this study was to assess the safety and clinical
      efficacy of Urolastic injection. One hundred and five patients with SUI
      (including 91 patients with RSUI) were treated with Urolastic in three tertiary
      gynecological clinics. The efficacy of the procedure was assessed objectively at
      each follow-up visit by means of cough test and a standard 1-hour pad test.
      Objective success rate after 12 months after primary procedure in RSUI patients
      was found in 59.3% of patients. In 14 patients with primary SUI improvement after
      1 year was found in 71.4% of patients. Although cure rates after MUS are up to
      90% there is still place for less invasive treatment option like periurethral
      injection of bulking agents, especially in patients with previous SUI surgical
      management. 

PMID- 26106617
TI  - Use of MALDI-TOF MS for Identification of Nontuberculous Mycobacterium Species
      Isolated from Clinical Specimens.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the results obtained for identification by
      MALDI-TOF of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) isolated in clinical samples with
      those obtained by GenoType Mycobacterium CM/AS (common mycobacteria/additional
      species). A total of 66 Mycobacterium isolates from various clinical specimens
      (mainly respiratory) were tested in this study. They were identified using MALDI
      TOF Bruker from strains isolated in Lowenstein, following the recommended
      protocol of heat inactivation and extraction, and were simultaneously analyzed
      through hybridization by GenoType Mycobacterium from liquid culture MGIT. Our
      results showed that identification by MALDI-TOF was correct in 98.4% (65/66) of
      NTM isolated in our clinical practice (M. avium, M. intracellulare, M. abscessus,
      M. chelonae, M. fortuitum, M. mucogenicum, M. kansasii, and M. scrofulaceum).
      MALDI-TOF was found to be an accurate, rapid, and cost-effective system for
      identification of mycobacteria species. 

PMID- 26106618
TI  - Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound.

PMID- 26106619
TI  - Identifying Highly Penetrant Disease Causal Mutations Using Next Generation
      Sequencing: Guide to Whole Process.
AB  - Recent technological advances have created challenges for geneticists and a need
      to adapt to a wide range of new bioinformatics tools and an expanding wealth of
      publicly available data (e.g., mutation databases, and software). This wide range
      of methods and a diversity of file formats used in sequence analysis is a
      significant issue, with a considerable amount of time spent before anyone can
      even attempt to analyse the genetic basis of human disorders. Another point to
      consider that is although many possess "just enough" knowledge to analyse their
      data, they do not make full use of the tools and databases that are available and
      also do not fully understand how their data was created. The primary aim of this
      review is to document some of the key approaches and provide an analysis schema
      to make the analysis process more efficient and reliable in the context of
      discovering highly penetrant causal mutations/genes. This review will also
      compare the methods used to identify highly penetrant variants when data is
      obtained from consanguineous individuals as opposed to nonconsanguineous; and
      when Mendelian disorders are analysed as opposed to common-complex disorders. 

PMID- 26106620
TI  - Improved Diagnostic Multimodal Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease and Mild
      Cognitive Impairment.
AB  - The early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment
      (MCI) is very important for treatment research and patient care purposes. Few
      biomarkers are currently considered in clinical settings, and their use is still
      optional. The objective of this work was to determine whether multimodal and
      nonpreviously AD associated features could improve the classification accuracy
      between AD, MCI, and healthy controls, which may impact future AD biomarkers. For
      this, Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database was mined for case
      control candidates. At least 652 baseline features extracted from MRI and PET
      analyses, biological samples, and clinical data up to February 2014 were used. A
      feature selection methodology that includes a genetic algorithm search coupled to
      a logistic regression classifier and forward and backward selection strategies
      was used to explore combinations of features. This generated diagnostic models
      with sizes ranging from 3 to 8, including well documented AD biomarkers, as well
      as unexplored image, biochemical, and clinical features. Accuracies of 0.85,
      0.79, and 0.80 were achieved for HC-AD, HC-MCI, and MCI-AD classifications,
      respectively, when evaluated using a blind test set. In conclusion, a set of
      features provided additional and independent information to well-established AD
      biomarkers, aiding in the classification of MCI and AD. 

PMID- 26106621
TI  - Specific Proteins in Nontuberculous Mycobacteria: New Potential Tools.
AB  - Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been isolated from water, soil, air, food,
      protozoa, plants, animals, and humans. Although most NTM are saprophytes,
      approximately one-third of NTM have been associated with human diseases. In this
      study, we did a comparative proteomic analysis among five NTM strains isolated
      from several sources. There were different numbers of protein spots from M.
      gordonae (1,264), M. nonchromogenicum type I (894), M. nonchromogenicum type II
      (935), M. peregrinum (806), and M. scrofulaceum/Mycobacterium mantenii (1,486)
      strains, respectively. We identified 141 proteins common to all strains and
      specific proteins to each NTM strain. A total of 23 proteins were selected for
      its identification. Two of the common proteins identified (short-chain
      dehydrogenase/reductase SDR and diguanylate cyclase) did not align with M.
      tuberculosis complex protein sequences, which suggest that these proteins are
      found only in the NTM strains. Some of the proteins identified as common to all
      strains can be used as markers of NTM exposure and for the development of new
      diagnostic tools. Additionally, the specific proteins to NTM strains identified
      may represent potential candidates for the diagnosis of diseases caused by these
      mycobacteria. 

PMID- 26106623
TI  - Triglyceride High-Density Lipoprotein Ratios Predict Glycemia-Lowering in
      Response to Insulin Sensitizing Drugs in Type 2 Diabetes: A Post Hoc Analysis of
      the BARI 2D.
AB  - Glycemic management is central in prevention of small vessel and cardiovascular
      complications in type 2 diabetes. With the plethora of newer medications and
      recommendations for a patient centered approach, more information is necessary to
      match the proper drug to each patient. We showed that BARI 2D, a five-year trial
      designed to compare two different glycemic treatment strategies, was suitable for
      assessing different responses according to different phenotypic characteristics.
      Treatment with insulin sensitizing medications such as thiazolidinediones and
      metformin was more effective in improving glycemic control, particularly in the
      more insulin resistant patient, when compared to the insulin provision strategy
      using insulin and or sulfonylureas. Triglyceride and high density lipoprotein
      ratio (TG/HDL-cholesterol ratio) was found to be a readily available and
      practical biomarker that helps to identify the insulin resistant patient. These
      results support the concept that not all medications for glycemic control work
      the same in all patients. Thus, tailored therapy can be done using phenotypic
      characteristics rather than a "one-size-fits-all approach." 

PMID- 26106622
TI  - Could Histoplasma capsulatum Be Related to Healthcare-Associated Infections?
AB  - Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are described in diverse settings. The
      main etiologic agents of HAI are bacteria (85%) and fungi (13%). Some factors
      increase the risk for HAI, particularly the use of medical devices; patients with
      severe cuts, wounds, and burns; stays in the intensive care unit, surgery, and
      hospital reconstruction works. Several fungal HAI are caused by Candida spp.,
      usually from an endogenous source; however, cross-transmission via the hands of
      healthcare workers or contaminated devices can occur. Although other medically
      important fungi, such as Blastomyces dermatitidis, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis,
      and Histoplasma capsulatum, have never been considered nosocomial pathogens,
      there are some factors that point out the pros and cons for this possibility.
      Among these fungi, H. capsulatum infection has been linked to different medical
      devices and surgery implants. The filamentous form of H. capsulatum may be
      present in hospital settings, as this fungus adapts to different types of
      climates and has great dispersion ability. Although conventional pathogen
      identification techniques have never identified H. capsulatum in the hospital
      environment, molecular biology procedures could be useful in this setting. More
      research on H. capsulatum as a HAI etiologic agent is needed, since it causes a
      severe and often fatal disease in immunocompromised patients. 

PMID- 26106625
TI  - Evacuation after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident Is a Cause of
      Diabetes: Results from the Fukushima Health Management Survey.
AB  - The Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011
      forced the evacuation of a large number of residents and created changes in the
      lifestyle of the evacuees. These changes may have affected the evacuees' glucose
      metabolism, thereby leading to an increase in the incidence of diabetes. This
      study included Japanese men and women who were living near the Fukushima Daiichi
      Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima prefecture before the disaster. Subjects
      subsequently underwent annual health checkups with a focus on metabolic
      syndromes, which were conducted under the Health Care Insurers. Using the
      Comprehensive Health Check survey, we analyzed changes in the glucose metabolism
      before and after the disaster. A total of 27,486 subjects underwent follow-up
      examinations after the disaster, with a mean follow-up period of 1.6 years. After
      the disaster, the prevalence of diabetes increased significantly, and we observed
      that the incidence of diabetes was significantly greater among evacuees than
      among nonevacuees. Furthermore, multivariate logistic regression analysis
      revealed that evacuation was significantly associated with the incidence of
      diabetes. In conclusion, this is the first study to demonstrate that evacuation
      is associated with the incidence of diabetes. This information may be used to
      guide follow-up recommendations for evacuees. 

PMID- 26106624
TI  - Epigenetic Changes in Endothelial Progenitors as a Possible Cellular Basis for
      Glycemic Memory in Diabetic Vascular Complications.
AB  - The vascular complications of diabetes significantly impact the quality of life
      and mortality in diabetic patients. Extensive evidence from various human
      clinical trials has clearly established that a period of poor glycemic control
      early in the disease process carries negative consequences, such as an increase
      in the development and progression of vascular complications that becomes evident
      many years later. Importantly, intensive glycemic control established later in
      the disease process cannot reverse or slow down the onset or progression of
      diabetic vasculopathy. This has been named the glycemic memory phenomenon.
      Scientists have successfully modelled glycemic memory using various in vitro and
      in vivo systems. This review emphasizes that oxidative stress and accumulation of
      advanced glycation end products are key factors driving glycemic memory in
      endothelial cells. Furthermore, various epigenetic marks have been proposed to
      closely associate with vascular glycemic memory. In addition, we comment on the
      importance of endothelial progenitors and their role as endogenous vasoreparative
      cells that are negatively impacted by the diabetic milieu and may constitute a
      "carrier" of glycemic memory. Considering the potential of endothelial progenitor
      based cytotherapies, future studies on their glycemic memory are warranted to
      develop epigenetics-based therapeutics targeting diabetic vascular complications.

PMID- 26106626
TI  - Glucose Metabolism Effects of Vitamin D in Prediabetes: The VitDmet Randomized
      Placebo-Controlled Supplementation Study.
AB  - Epidemiological evidence suggests a role for vitamin D in type 2 diabetes
      prevention. We investigated the effects of vitamin D3 supplementation on glucose
      metabolism and inflammation in subjects with prediabetes. A 5-month randomized,
      double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention with three arms (placebo, 40 MUg/d,
      or 80 MUg/d vitamin D3) was carried out among sixty-eight overweight (BMI 25-35)
      and aging (>=60 years) subjects from Finland, with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3
      [25(OH)D3] < 75 nmol/L and either impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose
      tolerance. Analyses included 66 subjects who completed the trial. Glucose
      metabolism was evaluated by fasting and 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test
      derived indices and glycated hemoglobin. Inflammation was evaluated by high
      sensitive C-reactive protein and five cytokines. Although a dose-dependent
      increase in serum 25(OH)D3 over the supplementation period was observed (P trend
      < 0.001), there were no other statistically significant differences in changes in
      the 13 glucose homeostasis indicators between the study groups other than
      increase in the 120 min glucose concentration (P trend = 0.021) and a decreasing
      trend both in 30 min plasma insulin (P trend = 0.030) and glycated hemoglobin (P
      trend = 0.024) concentrations. A borderline statistically significant decreasing
      trend in interleukin-1 receptor antagonist concentration was observed (P =
      0.070). Vitamin D3 supplementation does not improve glucose metabolism in ageing
      subjects with prediabetes but may have modest anti-inflammatory effects.

PMID- 26106628
TI  - Polyamide as a Denture Base Material: A Literature Review.
AB  - The purpose of this article was to review the biocompatibility, physical, and
      mechanical properties of the polyamide denture base materials. An electronic
      search of scientific papers from 1990-2014 was carried out using PubMed, Scopus
      and Wiley Inter Science engines using the search terms "nylon denture base" and
      "polyamide denture base". Searching the key words yielded a total of 82 articles.
      By application of inclusion criteria, the obtained results were further reduced
      to 24 citations recruited in this review. Several studies have evaluated various
      properties of polyamide (nylon) denture base materials. According to the results
      of the studies, currently, thermo-injectable, high impact, flexible or semi
      flexible polyamide is thought to be an alternative to the conventional acrylic
      resins due to its esthetic and functional characteristics and physicochemical
      qualities. It would be justifiable to use this material for denture fabrication
      in some cases such as severe soft/ hard tissue undercuts, unexplained repeated
      fracture of denture, in aesthetic-concerned patients, those who have allergy to
      other denture base materials, and in patients with microstomia.  Although
      polyamide has some attractive advantages, they require modifications to produce
      consistently better properties than the current polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)
      materials. Moreover, since there is a very limited knowledge about their clinical
      performance, strict and careful follow-up evaluation of the patients
      rehabilitated with polyamide prosthesis is recommended. 

PMID- 26106627
TI  - Regulatory T Cells in Autoimmune and Viral Chronic Hepatitis.
AB  - In both autoimmune liver disease and chronic viral hepatitis, the injury results
      from an immune-mediated cytotoxic T cell response to liver cells. As such, it is
      not surprising that CD4(+) regulatory T cells, a key regulatory population of T
      cells able to curb immune responses, could be involved in both autoimmune
      hepatitis and chronic viral hepatitis. The liver can induce the conversion of
      naive CD4(+) T cells to CD4(+) regulatory T cells and induce tolerance to locally
      expressed antigens. This tolerance mechanism is carefully regulated in
      physiological conditions but any imbalance could be pathological. An overly
      tolerant immune response can lead to chronic infections while an overreactive and
      unbridled immune response can lead to autoimmune hepatitis. With the recent
      advent of monoclonal antibodies able to target regulatory T cells (daclizumab)
      and improve immune responses and several ongoing clinical trials analysing the
      impact of regulatory T cell infusion on autoimmune liver disease or liver
      transplant tolerance, modulation of immunological tolerance through CD4(+)
      regulatory T cells could be a key element of future immunotherapies for several
      liver diseases allowing restoring the balance between proper immune responses and
      tolerance.  . 

PMID- 26106629
TI  - Immunohistochemical Expression of Mast Cell in Oral Reactive Lesions.
AB  - STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Soft tissue reactive lesions are the most common
      lesions of the oral cavity. Although many studies have shown the interaction of
      mast cells with fibroblasts and their participation in fibrosis, the role of mast
      cells in these lesions is not well understood. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was
      to evaluate the mast cells (MCs) count in oral soft-tissue reactive lesions
      including peripheral giant cell granuloma (PGCG), peripheral ossifying fibroma
      (POF), irritation fibroma (IF) and normal oral mucosa. MATERIALS AND METHOD: In
      this cross-sectional study, 50 samples including IF, PGCG, POF (14 cases for each
      group) and 8 cases of normal oral mucosa were stained with tryptase antibody
      through immunohistochemistry. The number of mast cells was counted in 5HPF
      containing maximum counts for each section stained with tryptase. Statistical
      analysis including Chi-square test and Tukey test with a significance level of
      0.05 were considered. RESULTS: The number of MCs was found to have increased in
      reactive lesions compared with normal oral mucosa. MCs count in the POF group was
      higher than the others. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a possible role of
      mast cells in the pathogenesis of reactive oral lesions and induction of fibrous
      tissues. Chemical mediators released from mast cells might influence other cells,
      especially fibroblasts, to induce fibrosis.

PMID- 26106630
TI  - Resistance to Sliding in Clear and Metallic Damon 3 and Conventional Edgewise
      Brackets: an In vitro Study.
AB  - STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Frictional forces are considered as important
      counterforce to orthodontic tooth movement. It is claimed that self-ligating
      brackets reduce the frictional forces. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to
      compare the resistance to sliding in metallic and clear Damon brackets with the
      conventional brackets in a wet condition. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The samples
      included 4 types of brackets; metallic and clear Damon brackets and metallic and
      clear conventional brackets (10 brackets in each group). In this study, stainless
      steel wires sized 0.019*0.025 were employed and the operator's saliva was used to
      simulate the conditions of oral cavity. The tidy-modified design was used for
      simulation of sliding movement. The resistance to sliding and static frictional
      forces was measured by employing Testometric machine and load cell. RESULTS: The
      mean (+/-SD) of resistance to sliding was 194.88 (+/-26.65) and 226.62 (+/-39.9)
      g in the esthetic and metallic Damon brackets, while these values were 187.81(+/
      27.84) and 191.17(+/-66.68) g for the clear and metallic conventional brackets,
      respectively. Static frictional forces were 206.4(+/-42.45) and 210.38(+/-15.89)
      g in the esthetic and metallic Damon brackets and 220.63(+/-49.29) and 215.13(+/
      62.38) g in the clear and metallic conventional brackets. According to two-way
      ANOVA, no significant difference was observed between the two bracket materials
      (clear and metal) and the two types of bracket (self-ligating versus
      conventional) regarding resistance to sliding (p= 0.17 and p= 0.23, respectively)
      and static frictional forces (p= 0.55 and p= 0.96, respectively). CONCLUSION:
      Neither the type of bracket materials nor their type of ligation made difference
      in resistance to sliding and static friction.

PMID- 26106631
TI  - Video-based Learning Versus Traditional Method for Preclinical Course of Complete
      Denture Fabrication.
AB  - STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Advances in computer science and technology allow the
      instructors to use instructional multimedia programs to enhance the process of
      learning for dental students. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine
      the effect of a new educational modality by using videotapes on the performance
      of dental students in preclinical course of complete denture fabrication.
      MATERIALS AND METHOD: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 54 junior
      dental students in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU). Twenty
      five and 29 students were evaluated in two consecutive semesters as controls and
      cases, respectively for the same course. The two groups were matched in terms of
      "knowledge about complete denture fabrication" and "basic dental skills" using a
      written test and a practical exam, respectively. After the intervention,
      performance and clinical skills of students were assessed in 8 steps. Eventually,
      a post-test was carried out to find changes in knowledge and skills of students
      in this regard. RESULTS: In the two groups with the same baseline level of
      knowledge and skills, independent T-test showed that students in the test group
      had a significantly superior performance in primary impression taking (p= 0.001)
      and primary cast fabrication (p= 0.001). In terms of anterior teeth set up,
      students in the control group had a significantly better performance (p= 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Instructional videotapes can aid in teaching fabrication of complete
      denture and are as effective as the traditional teaching system.

PMID- 26106632
TI  - The Efficacy of Two Intravenous Sedative Drugs in Management of Uncooperative
      Children for Dental Treatments.
AB  - STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Some children do not show an appropriate cooperation
      with their dentist. A number of them cannot be managed by local anesthesia and
      the usual techniques used to control behaviors, so further steps are required to
      control their pain and anxiety. Pharmaceutical control is recommended through
      sedation or general anesthesia. PURPOSE: This study was aimed to evaluate two
      groups of drugs in intravenous sedation method. MATERIALS AND METHOD: In this
      clinical trial intervention study, patients were randomly divided into two groups
      of 18 and 20 and each group received either intravenous midazolam-ketamine or
      midazolam-fentanyl. During the procedure, 0.25mg midazolam was administered to
      both groups if needed. The scores of intraoperative sedation and operation
      conditions were evaluated and recorded by dental sedation teacher groups (DSTG)
      system in the 10(th), 20(th), 30(th) and 40(th) minutes of the operation. The
      results were analyzed by SPSS (version 16) using independent T-test, Wilcoxon,
      Mann-Whitney and Pearson Chi-Square tests as appropriated. RESULTS: There was no
      significant difference between the two groups in sedation period (p= 0.55),
      recovery time (p= 0.18), Frankl score (p= 0.83(, score of intraoperative sedation
      and operating conditions (p> 0.05), and sedation complications (p= 0.612). In
      addition, no complication occurred in recovery. CONCLUSION: There was no
      significant difference between the two drug groups; both were appropriate in
      controlling children's behavior.

PMID- 26106633
TI  - The Effect of Thyroid Hormone, Prostaglandin E2, and Calcium Gluconate on
      Orthodontic Tooth Movement and Root Resorption in Rats.
AB  - STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: A major objective of investigators is to clarify the
      role of metabolites in achievement of maximum tooth movement with minimal root
      damage during orthodontic tooth movement (OTM). PURPOSE: The aim of this study
      was to determine the effect of administration of thyroid hormone, prostaglandin
      E2, and calcium on orthodontic tooth movement and root resorption in rats.
      MATERIALS AND METHOD: Sixty four male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 8
      groups of eight rats each: 1- 20ug/kg thyroxine was injected in traperitoneally
      after installation of the orthodontic appliance.  2- 0.1 ml of 1 mg/ml
      prostaglandin E2 was injected submucosally.  3- 10% (200 mg/kg) calcium gluconate
      was injected.  4- Prostaglandin E2 was injected submucosally and 10% calcium was
      injected intraperitoneally.  5- Thyroxine was injected intraperitoneally and
      prostaglandin E2 was injected submucosally.  6- 20ug/kg thyroxine with calcium
      was injected. 7- Prostaglandin E2 was injected submucosally with calcium and
      thyroxine.  8- Distilled water was used in control group. The orthodontic
      appliances comprised of a NiTi closed coil were posteriorly connected to the
      right first molar and anteriorly to the upper right incisor. OTM was measured
      with a feeler gauge. The mid-mesial root of the first molar and the adjacent
      tissues were histologically evaluated. The Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA
      and Student-Newman-Keuls test. RESULTS: The highest mean OTM was observed in the
      thyroxine and prostaglandin E2 group (Mean+/-SD = 0.7375+/-0.1359 mm) that was
      significantly different (p< 0.05). A significant difference (p< 0.05) in root
      resorption was observed between the prostaglandin E2 (0.0192+/-0.0198 mm(2)) and
      the other groups. CONCLUSION: It seems that the combination of thyroxine and
      prostaglandin E2, with a synergistic effect, would decrease the root resorption
      and increase the rate of orthodontic tooth movement in rats.

PMID- 26106634
TI  - Orthognathic Surgery Patients (Maxillary Impaction and Setback plus Mandibular
      Advancement plus Genioplasty) Need More Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Admission after
      Surgery.
AB  - STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Due to shortage of ICU beds in hospitals, knowing what
      kind of orthognathic surgery patients more need ICU care after surgery would be
      important for surgeons and hospitals to prevent unnecessary ICU bed reservation.
      PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to determine what kinds of orthognathic
      surgery patients would benefit more from ICU care after surgery. MATERIALS AND
      METHOD: 210 patients who were admitted to Chamran Hospital, Shiraz, for
      bimaxillary orthognathic surgery (2008-2013) were reviewed based on whether they
      had been admitted to ICU or maxillofacial surgery ward. Operation time, sex,
      intraoperative Estimated Blood Loss (EBL), postoperative complications, ICU
      admission, and unwanted complications resulting from staying in ICU were
      assessed. RESULTS: Of 210 patients undergoing bimaxillary orthognathic surgery,
      59 patients (28.1%) were postoperatively admitted to the ICU and 151 in the
      maxillofacial ward (71.9%). There was not statistically significant difference in
      age and sex between the two groups (p> 0.05). The groups were significantly
      different in terms of operation time (p< 0.001). Blood loss For ICU admitted
      patients was 600.00+/-293.621mL and for those who were hospitalized in the ward
      was 350.00+/-298.397 mL. Statistically significant differences were found between
      the two groups (p< 0.001). Moreover, there was a direct linear correlation
      between operation time and intraoperative estimated blood loss and this
      relationship was statistically significant (r=0.42, p< 0.001). Patients with
      maxillary impaction and setback plus mandibular advancement plus genioplasty were
      among the most ICU admitted patients (44%), while these patients were only 20% of
      all patients who were admitted to the ward. As a final point, the result
      illustrated that patients who were admitted to the ICU experienced more
      complication such as bleeding, postoperative nausea, and pain (p< 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Orthognathic surgery patients (maxillary impaction and setback plus
      mandibular advancement plus genioplasty) due to more intraoperative bleeding and
      postoperative nausea and pain would benefit from ICU admission after surgery.

PMID- 26106635
TI  - Effect of Different Instrumentation Techniques on Vertical Root Fracture
      Resistance of Endodontically Treated Teeth.
AB  - STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Vertical root fractures are catastrophic events that
      often result in tooth extraction. Many contributing factor are associated with
      increasing incidence of vertical root fracture. Root canal preparation is one of
      the predisposing factors which can increase the root susceptibility to vertical
      fracture. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of three
      different instrumentation techniques on vertical root fracture resistance of
      endodontically treated teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 120 freshly
      extracted mandibular premolar teeth of similar dimensions were decoronated and
      randomly divided into control (n=30), nickel-titanium hand K-file (HF, n=30),
      BioRaCe rotary file (BR, n=30), and WaveOne reciprocating single-file (WO, n=30)
      groups. After cleaning and shaping the root canals, AH26 was used as canal
      sealer, and obturation was completed using the continuous wave technique. The
      root canals were embedded vertically in standardised autopolymerising acrylic
      resin blocks, and subjected to a vertical load to cause vertical root fracture.
      The forces required to induce fractures were measured using a universal testing
      machine. ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc test were used to analyse the data. RESULTS:
      All experimental groups showed statistically significant reductions in fracture
      resistance as compared with the control group. There was a statistically
      significant difference between the HF and BR groups. The WO group did not differ
      significantly from the HF group or the BR group. CONCLUSION: All three
      instrumentation techniques caused weakening of the structure of the roots, and
      rendered them susceptible to fracture under lesser load than unprepared roots.
      The fracture resistance of roots prepared with the single-file reciprocating
      technique was similar to that of those prepared with NiTi hand and rotary
      instrumentation techniques.

PMID- 26106636
TI  - Management of Post-orthodontic White Spot Lesions and Subsequent Enamel
      Discoloration with Two Microabrasion Techniques.
AB  - STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Demineralization of enamel adjacent to orthodontic
      appliances frequently occurs, commonly due to insufficient oral hygiene. PURPOSE:
      The aim of this study was to compare two microabrasion techniques on improving
      the white spot lesions as well as subsequent enamel discoloration. MATERIALS AND
      METHOD: Sixty extracted premolar teeth without caries and hypoplasia were
      selected for this study. White spot lesions were artificially induced on the
      buccal surface of each tooth. Teeth were randomly assigned to three treatment
      groups, each treated with pumice powder as the control, microabrasion with 18%
      HCl, and microabrasion with 37% H3PO4. Subsequently, the three groups were daily
      immersed for five minutes in a tea-coffee solution for a period of one week.
      Colorimetric evaluation was done before and after formation of white spot
      lesions, after microabrasion, and after immersion in the colored solution; then
      the color differences (?E) were calculated. Statistical analysis was performed by
      multiple measurement analysis and the Tukey's test. RESULTS: This study showed
      that ?E between the stages of white spot formation and microabrasion for H3PO4
      was more than other groups and for the pumice powder group it was less than the
      others. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between ?E of the three
      study groups (p= 0.017). Additionally, ?E after placing the teeth in the colored
      solution and microabrasion was the highest for the HCl group and the lowest for
      the pumice powder group. There was also a significant difference between the
      three groups (p= 0.000). CONCLUSION: Pumice powder alone had similar effects as
      18% HCl on removing the white spot lesions. Nevertheless, 18% HCl makes the
      enamel susceptible for subsequent color staining more than the other
      microabrasion methods.

PMID- 26106637
TI  - The Effects of New Design of Access Hole on Porcelain Fracture Resistance of
      Implant-Supported Crowns.
AB  - STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: One disadvantage of cement-retained crowns is the lack
      of predictable irretrievability. This problem can be overcome through designing a
      screw access hole in the metal substructure of cement-retained restoration and
      using porcelain stain to define this area. PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate
      the influence of existence of screw access hole on porcelain fracture resistance
      of metal-ceramic implant-supported crowns. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Thirty six
      standardized metal-ceramic crowns were fabricated and divided into 3 groups
      (n=12); group 1 conventional cement-retained metal-ceramic crowns as control
      group, group 2 cement-retained MC crowns in which porcelain stain was used to
      define the location of screw access channel, and group 3 cement-retained metal
      ceramic crowns in the metal substructure of which a hole and ledge was designed
      in the location of screw access channel. The specimens were cemented (TempBond,
      Kerr) to their dedicated abutments. A hole was made in the location of screw
      access channel in group 2 and 3 and filled with photo-polymerized composite resin
      (3M; ESPE). All specimens were thermocycled and loaded in universal testing
      machine at crosshead speed of 2mm/min until fracture. Mean values of load at
      fracture were calculated in each group and compared with One-way ANOVA
      (alpha=0.05). RESULTS: Mean value of the load required to fracture the
      restorations was 1947+/-487 N in group 1, 1927+/-539 N in group 2, and 2170+/-738
      N in group 3. No statistically significant difference was found between the
      fracture resistance values of the three groups (p> 0.05). CONCLUSION: Presence of
      screw access channel in cement-retained implant restorations does not compromise
      fracture resistance.

PMID- 26106638
TI  - The Effects of Denture Cleansing Solutions on the Retention of Attachments of
      Implant Supported Overdentures.
AB  - STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Implant-retained overdenture can improve the stability
      of dentures and prevent bone loss. Overdenture-wearing patients need special
      hygiene care. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of
      various denture cleansers on the retention of Dio orange O-rings. METHOD AND
      MATERIALS: In this experimental study, 40 Dio orange O-rings were divided into 4
      groups (10 O-rings each) and each group was soaked for equivalent of 6 months in
      the following solutions: 5.25% NaOCl (1:10 dilution), Corega cleanser tabs,
      Professional cleanser tabs and water (as the control group). After 6 months, O
      rings were tested for 2inch/minutes of tensile force. The peak load-to
      dislodgement was recorded. Data were imported to SPSS18 and were analyzed by One
      Way ANOVA and Tukey HSD test (p<= 0.05). RESULTS: Denture cleansing solutions
      have significant effects on the reduction of retentive value of O-rings (p<=
      0.001). Corega tabs caused the reduction of 15.7% (9.91+/-0.53 N) in the
      retentive value of O-rings and Professional tabs caused 15% (10.00+/-0.86 N).
      NaOCl caused significant decrease (48%) in retentive value of O-rings (6.10+/
      0.91 N in comparison with the control group (11.76+/-1 N). CONCLUSION: This in
      vitro study demonstrated that the retention of O-rings was affected when soaked
      in cleansing solutions. NaOCl caused more reduction in retentive value compared
      to effervescent cleansers and would not be recommended for cleansing O-rings.
      These results should be interpreted clinically and the role of other factors in
      the retention of O-rings should be considered in order to recommend the best
      cleanser for O-ring overdentures.

PMID- 26106639
TI  - Elastofibroma of the Face: A Case Report.
AB  - Elastofibroma is a rare neoplasm that characteristically occurs in subscapular
      area in response to microtrauma. There are some reports of this tumor in other
      sites of the body but, up till now, there has been no report of elastofibroma in
      the face. A 20-year-old man presented with a slow growing painless mass in the
      face without any history of trauma. Histopathologic examination revealed a soft
      tissue mass composed of eosinophilic fibers admixed with aggregation of fat
      cells, capillary blood vessels, and fibroblasts. Elastic stain and Masson's
      trichrome stain confirmed the nature of elastic and collagen fibers. It was a
      case of elastofibroma in the face. 

PMID- 26106640
TI  - Multidimensional QoE of Multiview Video and Selectable Audio IP Transmission.
AB  - We evaluate QoE of multiview video and selectable audio (MVV-SA), in which users
      can switch not only video but also audio according to a viewpoint change request,
      transmitted over IP networks by a subjective experiment. The evaluation is
      performed by the semantic differential (SD) method with 13 adjective pairs. In
      the subjective experiment, we ask assessors to evaluate 40 stimuli which consist
      of two kinds of UDP load traffic, two kinds of fixed additional delay, five kinds
      of playout buffering time, and selectable or unselectable audio (i.e., MVV-SA or
      the previous MVV-A). As a result, MVV-SA gives higher presence to the user than
      MVV-A and then enhances QoE. In addition, we employ factor analysis for
      subjective assessment results to clarify the component factors of QoE. We then
      find that three major factors affect QoE in MVV-SA. 

PMID- 26106642
TI  - Effects of Organized Physical Activity on Selected Health Indices among Women
      Older than 55 Years.
AB  - The main aim of this study was to determine health benefits among women older
      than 55 years who participated in organized, group-based physical activity (OPA).
      Thirty-five women aged 65.0 +/- 7.3 years volunteered for this study. The
      classical and nonclassical cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors were measured before
      and after a 2-week OPA camp in a remote location and 3 months of OPA. Self-guided
      physical activity was analyzed 18 months after OPA. Two-week effects included
      significant decreases in body mass index, waist and hip circumferences, resting
      systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) and resting heart rate, improved
      exercise capacity (EC), improved low-density lipoprotein and high-density
      lipoprotein (HDL-C), cholesterol, and other atherogenic lipid indices (ALI), and
      a reduction in 10-year estimated risk of death from CVD. Three-month effects
      included a further decrease in systolic BP, improvements in EC and HDL-C, and
      maintenance of lower levels of ALI, as well as lower CVD risk. The implementation
      of the OPA programme had a positive impact on somatic features, exercise
      capacity, biochemical indices, and risk for death from CVD. The presented
      programme can be regarded as an effective element of primary prevention of
      cardiovascular diseases among women older than 55 years. 

PMID- 26106643
TI  - Comparison of the Anesthetic Techniques.

PMID- 26106645
TI  - Stroboscopic Surface Thermal Lensing for Fast Detection of Thermal Defects in
      Large-Scaled Coating Films.
AB  - A stroboscopic surface thermal lensing (SSTL) system for the fast detection of
      thermal-induced defects in large-scaled optical coating films was constructed.
      The SSTL signal was generated by a set of double-modulators and captured by a
      high speed matrix camera, respectively. The spot size of both pump laser and
      probe laser expanded for larger detection area was finished in a single step.
      Based on the STL technique, both the mapping of amplitude and the phase of SSTL
      signal on the whole area of the coatings can be achieved simultaneously. 

PMID- 26106641
TI  - Exhaled Breath Condensate: Technical and Diagnostic Aspects.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the 30-year progress of research
      on exhaled breath condensate in a disease-based approach. METHODS: We searched
      PubMed/Medline, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using the following keywords:
      exhaled breath condensate (EBC), biomarkers, pH, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux
      (GERD), smoking, COPD, lung cancer, NSCLC, mechanical ventilation, cystic
      fibrosis, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,
      interstitial lung diseases, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and drugs. RESULTS: We
      found 12600 related articles in total in Google Scholar, 1807 in ScienceDirect,
      and 1081 in PubMed/Medline, published from 1980 to October 2014. 228 original
      investigation and review articles were eligible. CONCLUSIONS: There is rapidly
      increasing number of innovative articles, covering all the areas of modern
      respiratory medicine and expanding EBC potential clinical applications to other
      fields of internal medicine. However, the majority of published papers represent
      the results of small-scale studies and thus current knowledge must be further
      evaluated in large cohorts. In regard to the potential clinical use of EBC
      analysis, several limitations must be pointed out, including poor reproducibility
      of biomarkers and absence of large surveys towards determination of reference
      normal values. In conclusion, contemporary EBC-analysis is an intriguing
      achievement, but still in early stage when it comes to its application in
      clinical practice.

PMID- 26106644
TI  - A Review on Pharmacological Properties of Zingerone (4-(4-Hydroxy-3
      methoxyphenyl)-2-butanone).
AB  - Humans have been using natural products for medicinal use for ages. Natural
      products of therapeutic importance are compounds derived from plants, animals, or
      any microorganism. Ginger is also one of the most commonly used condiments and a
      natural drug in vogue. It is a traditional medicine, having some active
      ingredients used for the treatment of numerous diseases. During recent research
      on ginger, various ingredients like zingerone, shogaol, and paradol have been
      obtained from it. Zingerone (4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-butanone) is a
      nontoxic and inexpensive compound with varied pharmacological activities. It is
      the least pungent component of Zingiber officinale. Zingerone is absent in fresh
      ginger but cooking or heating transforms gingerol to zingerone. Zingerone closely
      related to vanillin from vanilla and eugenol from clove. Zingerone has potent
      anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antilipolytic, antidiarrhoeic, antispasmodic,
      and so forth properties. Besides, it displays the property of enhancing growth
      and immune stimulation. It behaves as appetite stimulant, anxiolytic,
      antithrombotic, radiation protective, and antimicrobial. Also, it inhibits the
      reactive nitrogen species which are important in causing Alzheimer's disease and
      many other disorders. This review is written to shed light on the various
      pharmacological properties of zingerone and its role in alleviating numerous
      human and animal diseases. 

PMID- 26106646
TI  - Human Leucocyte Antigen Profile and Transmission of Mutans Streptococci in Mother
      Child Pairs.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate possible association between the transmission of mutans
      streptococci and sharing the immune system component Human Leucocyte Antigen
      (HLA) class II in mother-child pairs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Plaque samples from
      43 mother-child pairs were cultivated and screened for mutans streptococci. In 14
      pairs where both mother and child harboured the bacteria, the strains were
      genotyped by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA and samples were run on PAGE gels.
      Analysis of genetic identity between mother and child strains was performed with
      help of software and Dice similarity index. The distribution of HLA of serogroup
      DR4 (HLA DR4) was studied in relation to maternal transmission and mutans
      streptococci colonisation in children. The study hypothesis was that in pairs
      where both mother and child were HLA DR4 positive, transmission of mutans
      streptococci was more likely. RESULTS: No correlation between the presence of HLA
      DR4 in mother and child and maternal transmission of mutans streptococci was
      established. However, the results showed no linkage between mutans streptococci
      colonisation and HLA DR 4. Of 15 children with mutans streptococci, 12 were HLA
      DR4 positive. CONCLUSION: The result suggests that presence of HLA DR4 could be a
      predisposing factor for colonisation with mutans streptococci in children.

PMID- 26106647
TI  - Bisphosphonates: Clinical Applications and Adverse Events in Dentistry.
AB  - PURPOSE: To review the mechanisms of action and clinical applications of
      bisphosphonate drugs, which are widely used in the management of metastatic bone
      cancer and systemic metabolic bone diseases, as well as the complications related
      to bisphosphonate treatment, emphasising the occurrence and management of
      bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      A search of the medical and dental literature was conducted in Medline and Embase
      using a combination of the key words bisphosphonates, jaw, complications,
      osteonecrosis, osteoporosis and periodontal disease. A manual search of the
      references of the retrieved articles was also performed. RESULTS: BRONJ
      predominantly affects cancer patients being treated with high-dose intravenous
      bisphosphonates and is characterised by the appearance of necrotic bone in the
      oral cavity either spontaneously or following an invasive surgical procedure such
      as dental extraction. The severity of this condition warrants a thorough medical
      and dental history in every patient in order to identify high risk patients.
      CONCLUSION: It is important that dental practitioners be aware of the association
      between bisphosphonate treatment and osteonecrosis of the jaws. Clinicians should
      perform a thorough oral examination in cancer patients before they begin
      intravenous bisphosphonate treatment. Optimal oral hygiene and regular dental
      care can lower BRONJ risk. Further clinical research is necessary to unveil the
      full therapeutic potential of bisphosphonates, their mechanisms of action and the
      factors that induce unwanted side-effects.

PMID- 26106648
TI  - Caries Experience and Distribution by Tooth Surfaces in Primary Molars in the Pre
      school Child Population of Lodz, Poland.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate caries experience in primary molars as well as the
      differences in caries prevalence and caries lesion location on individual tooth
      surfaces between first and second primary molars in pre-school children.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 307 children,
      aged 3 to 5 years, from randomly chosen kindergartens in Lodz, Poland. Caries
      experience was scored according to WHO recommendations. The caries intensity
      (dmft, dmfts) for first and second primary molars was calculated. In addition,
      the percentage of particular surfaces with caries was counted for each molar
      separately. RESULTS: The mean dmft for primary molars was 1.84 (dmfts=2.47) and
      dmft>0 was seen in 53.09% of the study subjects. While in the entire examined
      population dmft and dmfts for first and second molars did not differ
      significantly, in 5-year-old children, the left mandibular first molar was
      associated with a higher caries intensity than the left mandibular second molar
      (dmfts=0.465 vs 0.344, Z=-1.98, p=0.04). However, in 5-year-olds, higher caries
      occurrence was seen for occlusal surfaces of the tooth 85 than 84 (33.62% vs
      20.68%, chi2=4.09, p=0.03). The distal surface was more frequently affected in
      first molars than in second molars in children aged 4 (85 vs 84, chi2=17.1,
      p<0.001; 75 vs 74, chi2=11.5, p=0.007, 55 vs 54; chi2=4.6, p=0.03) and 5 years
      (54 vs 55, chi2=20.09; 64 vs 65, chi2=16.75; 74 vs 75, chi2=21.6; 84 vs 85,
      chi2=31.07; all comparisons p<0.001). In contrast, the mesial surfaces of
      mandibular second molars demonstrated more caries than the homologous surfaces of
      first molars, both in 4-year-olds (85 vs 84, chi2=6.15, p=0.01) and 5-year-olds
      (75 vs 74, chi2=3.9, p=0.04). CONCLUSION: In 5-year-old children, caries of
      occlusal and mesial surfaces was more common in primary second molars. However,
      distal surfaces were affected more in first than second molars.

PMID- 26106649
TI  - Antibacterial Efficacy of a Propolis Toothpaste and Mouthrinse Against a
      Supragingival Multispecies Biofilm.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine in vitro the antibacterial properties of propolis
      toothpaste and mouthrinse against an in vitro multispecies biofilm model.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six-species biofilms grown anaerobically on pellicle
      coated hydroxyapatite disks were fed with glucose/sucrose-supplemented medium 3
      times daily for 45 min and incubated in 37 degrees C saliva between feedings for
      up to 64.5 h. At each interval, biofilms were exposed to six different slurries
      and solutions, including: 1) toothpaste without propolis, 2) toothpaste with
      propolis, 3) toothpaste with chlorhexidine, 4) mouthrinse with propolis, 5)
      mouthrinse with chlorhexidine, 6) saline solution (control). Afterwards, biofilms
      were harvested and the number of colony forming units were determined (CFU). The
      results were analysed using ANOVA, followed by the Bonferroni test at a 5%
      significance level. RESULTS: The strongest CFU reduction was shown after
      treatment with 0.12% chlorhexidine (p<0.0004). When comparing the different
      toothpastes, there was no statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in CFU
      reduction. However, they all showed a significant reduction in CFU of more than
      one log-step vs the saline control group. Nevertheless, the propolis-containing
      mouthrinse showed no significant reduction in CFU. CONCLUSION: All toothpastes
      under investigation displayed some growth inhibition in this supragingival
      biofilm model, which accounted for an approximately 80%-88% linear reduction.
      However, the propolis mouthwash had no effect.

PMID- 26106650
TI  - Fluoride Varnishes--Is There a Correlation Between Fluoride Release and
      Deposition on Enamel?
AB  - PURPOSE: Fluoride uptake of enamel after application of fluoride varnishes was
      compared with fluoride release into artificial saliva. The hypothesis was that
      fluoride uptake is higher for products exhibiting faster fluoride release.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fluoride varnishes, i.e. Fluor Protector S, Duraphat, MI
      Varnish, Clinpro White Varnish, Profluorid Varnish and Enamel Pro Varnish were
      applied on bovine enamel specimens. Subsequently, specimens were incubated in
      artificial saliva. After removal of the varnishes, surface bound fluoride was
      extracted with potassium hydroxide and measured with an ion-selective electrode.
      Structurally bound fluoride was etched from the same specimens with perchloric
      acid. Fluoride release of varnish films into artificial saliva was measured for
      comparison. RESULTS: After 4 h in artificial saliva, the highest total enamel
      fluoride uptake of 47.9 MUg F.cm-2 was found with Fluor Protector S, followed by
      Enamel Pro Varnish with 22.1 MUg F.cm-2. The other products ranged between 12-16
      MUg F.cm-2. This was several times higher than the negative control. Fluoride
      uptake did not correlate with release into artificial saliva. During the first 4
      h, Duraphat released the lowest and MI Varnish the highest amount of fluoride
      with 7.7 and 249 MUg F.cm-2, respectively. The fluoride uptake of these two
      products was not statistically different. CONCLUSION: Enamel fluoride uptake
      cannot be predicted from the fluoride release rate of a product. Hence, based on
      the results of this study, fluoride release into artificial saliva is no measure
      for the efficacy of a fluoride varnish.

PMID- 26106651
TI  - Perception of Personal Dental Appearance and Dental Aesthetic Index Score Among
      18- to 20-year-old College Students in Rural South India.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the correlation between self-perceived dental appearance and
      dental malocclusion among 18- to 20-year-old college students in Virajpet,
      Karnataka. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A stratified random sample consisting of 280 18
      to 20-year-old college students in Virajpet were recruited for the study. A
      pretested Oral Aesthetic Subjective Impact Scale (OASIS) and Visual Analogue
      Scale (VAS) were used to assess the subjects' perception of dental aesthetics.
      Malocclusion was clinically assessed using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI). The
      data were tabulated and analysed using SPSS version 16. The Spearman rankorder
      correlation coefficient was employed to determine the correlation between self
      perceived dental appearance and dental malocclusion. RESULTS: Of the 280
      students, 41.8% were females and 58.2% were males. The mean OASIS score was 23.93
      (+/-3.72), the VAS score was 69.61 (+/-15.78) and DAI 24.80 (+/-6.29).
      CONCLUSION: There was a negative correlation between perception of personal
      dental appearance and the DAI scores in this group.

PMID- 26106652
TI  - Self-reported Use of Dental Floss over 13 Years: Relationship with Family Income,
      Mother's Age and Educational Level.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether family income, age and educational level of the
      mother of the family are associated with self-reported use of dental floss over a
      13-year period in a city in southern Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comparison
      of two household surveys was carried out where mothers of the family were
      interviewed using a structured questionnaire in order to obtain demographic,
      behavioural and socioeconomic information. In total, 852 and 984 households were
      included in 1996 and 2009, respectively. Self-reported use of dental floss was
      assessed dichotomously (yes/no). Poisson regression models were fitted to study
      the association between sociodemographic variables with the use of dental floss.
      Proportion ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were reported.
      RESULTS: The proportion of dental floss use increased from 48% to 59% over 13
      years. The probability of dental floss use increased 1.23 times from 1996 to 2009
      (PR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.13-1.34). Households with mothers >=50 years old presented a
      28% lower probability of using dental floss than households with mothers <=35
      years old. In households with higher family income and higher educational level
      of the mother, probabilities of flossing were 90% and 97% higher. CONCLUSION:
      Family income, age and educational level of the mother of the family are
      associated with self-reported use of dental floss over 13 years.

PMID- 26106653
TI  - Oral Infections and Pregnancy: Knowledge of Gynecologists/Obstetricians, Midwives
      and Dentists.
AB  - PURPOSE: To establish an inventory of knowledge, attitudes and daily pratice of
      dental and medical practitioners in France regarding oral health care and its
      relationship to pregnancy, particularly to preterm delivery and low birth-weight
      infants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed to health-care
      professionals (n= 460), consisting of 100 prenatal care practitioners
      (obstetricians, midwives) and 360 dentists, about their knowledge of oral
      alterations during pregnancy, the possible association between periodontal
      disorders and preterm/low birth weight, and their conduct toward their patients.
      RESULTS: Bleeding gums and pregnancy gingivitis were the oral manifestations most
      often cited by all the practitioners. In contrast, prenatal care practitioners
      were unaware of epulis and a greater percentage of them than dentists believed
      caries risk to increase during pregnancy. The most adverse pregnancy outcomes
      cited were risk of premature delivery and chorioamniotis. Only dentists had
      received initial training on pregnancy complications. Finally, all health
      professionals point out the lack of continuing education on this topic.
      CONCLUSION: The present results underline the need for a better initial
      professional education and continuing education regarding pregnancy and oral
      health conditions and emphasise the need to update the guidelines in health care
      practices for pregnant women for a more effective prevention of risk-related
      adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as pre-term birth or pre-eclampsia.

PMID- 26106654
TI  - Oral Impacts on Quality of Life in Adult Patients with Class I, II and III
      Malocclusion.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the social impact of malocclusion on quality of life between
      adult patients with Angle Class I, II and III malocclusion. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A total of 222 adult patients (139, 42 and 41 with Angle Class I, II and
      III malocclusion, respectively) were recruited voluntarily from those attending
      the Orthodontic Clinic of Khyber College of Dentistry in Pesh awar, Pakistan.
      Participants were asked to complete the Urdu version of the short form of the
      Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), which was previously validated for this
      study. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to compare the seven
      OHIP-14 domains scores and the total score between patients with malocclusion
      Class I, II and III. RESULTS: Adults with Class III malocclusion had a
      significantly higher OHIP-14 total score than those with Class I malocclusion (a
      mean difference of 5 units between groups), but there were no differences between
      other Angle malocclusion groups. In addition, adults with Class III malocclusion
      reported greater impacts on the three OHIP-14 disability domains (physical,
      psychological and social) than those with Class I malocclusion. No significant
      interactions with sex and age were found. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that
      adult patients with Class III malocclusion had a poorer quality of life than
      those with Class I malocclusion. Differences were mainly found in the physical,
      psychological and social disability domains of the OHIP-14 instrument.

PMID- 26106655
TI  - Microheterogeneity within conformational states of ubiquitin revealed by high
      resolution trapped ion mobility spectrometry.
AB  - The present work employs trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS) for the
      analysis of ubiquitin ions known to display a multitude of previously unresolved
      interchangeable conformations upon electrospray ionization. The conformational
      distributions of ubiquitin [M + 6H](6+) through [M + 13H](13+) ions observed by
      TIMS are nearly identical to numerous drift tube ion mobility spectrometry
      studies reported in the literature. At an experimental resolving power up to
      ~300, many of the congested conformations within the well-known compact,
      partially folded, and elongated [M + 7H](7+) states are separated. Minimizing the
      voltages (RF and DC) in the entrance funnel results in exclusive observation of
      compact [M + 7H](7+) conformers. However, under these conditions, the mobility
      dependent pseudopotential coefficient may discriminate against ions having larger
      collision cross sections-a universal effect for all RF ion guides, funnels, and
      traps operating in the presence of a gas. The data presented underscore the
      complications associated with direct comparison of collision cross section values
      that represent an ensemble average of multiple underlying conformations. As
      illustrated herein, the microheterogeneity within a particular conformational
      family and the relative state-to-state abundance can be altered by solvent
      memory, energetic, and kinetic effects. 

PMID- 26106656
TI  - A one-pot domino C-H, C-C activation in coumarins: a fast track to 2,3-diaryl
      benzo[b]furans.
AB  - An approach to synthesize 2,3-diaryl benzo[b]furans using coumarins and aryl
      bromides is developed. This state-of-the-art strategy capitalizes on a palladium
      catalyzed one-pot decarbonylative diarylation of coumarins, paving the way to
      achieve biologically interesting 2,3-diaryl benzo[b]furans. 

PMID- 26106657
TI  - Behavioral Hyperventilation and Central Sleep  Apnea in Two Children.
AB  - Behavioral hyperventilation is a rarely recognized cause of central sleep apnea
      (CSA) among children. We report two pediatric patients who presented with
      prolonged central sleep apnea secondary to behavioral hyperventilation. One
      patient also had a prolonged corrected QT (QT(C)) interval resulting from
      hyperventilation

PMID- 26106658
TI  - An Alternative Cause for Long Term Changes  with Mandibular Advancement Devices.

PMID- 26106659
TI  - Obituary. Yves Gerard Illouz, MD: 1929 to 2015.

PMID- 26106660
TI  - Epilepsy-related clinical characteristics and mortality: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis.

PMID- 26106661
TI  - Epilepsy-related clinical characteristics and mortality: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis.

PMID- 26106662
TI  - Proceedings of the AAAM's 58th Annual Scientific Conference, October 12-15, 2014,
      Munich, Germany.

PMID- 26106663
TI  - Proceedings of the 17th International Carotenoid Symposium, June 29-July 4, 2014,
      Park City, Utah, USA.

PMID- 26106664
TI  - Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Biomedical Engineering and
      Biotechnology (iCBEB 2014), September 25-28, 2014, Beijing, China.

PMID- 26106665
TI  - Proceedings of he Power of Programming 2014: International Conference on
      Developmental Origins of Adiposity and Long-Term Health, March 13-15, 2014,
      Munich, Germany.

PMID- 26106666
TI  - Proceedings from the 7th Probiotics, Prebiotics and New Foods Meeting, September
      8-12, 2014, Rome, Italy.

PMID- 26106667
TI  - Special issue as a tribute to Dick Heinegard.

PMID- 26106669
TI  - Prevention, Use of Health Services, and Genes: Implications of Genetics for
      Policy Formation.
AB  - We evaluate the hypothesis that genetic factors influence the use of health
      services and prevention behaviors in a national sample of adult twins in the
      United States. The analysis compares the correlation of these outcomes between
      identical twins, who share all their genes, to the correlation between
      nonidentical twins, who share, on average, only one-half of their genes. Because
      the environmental similarities of twins are assumed to be the same for identical
      and nonidentical twin pairs, researchers can partition the variance in behavioral
      outcomes that are due to genetic and environmental factors. Using established
      methods in this field, we find evidence of significant genetic influences on
      preferences toward prevention, overall prevention effort, routine checkups, and
      prescription drug use. Use of curative services does not appear to be influenced
      by genes. Our findings offer several implications for policymakers and
      researchers and suggest that genetics could be informative for health services
      and policy research.

PMID- 26106670
TI  - Intended And Unintended Effects Of The War On Poverty: What Research Tells Us And
      Implications For Policy.
AB  - During the mid-1960s, the United States adopted a series of cash and in-kind
      transfer programs, as well as human capital investment strategies, as part of the
      War on Poverty. A number of other programs were first proposed as part of this
      "war" but were not implemented until the mid-1970s. These programs had noble
      goals: to increase incomes at the bottom of the income distribution, reduce
      poverty, and improve nutrition, heath, and human capital. However, various
      features of the programs also had the potential to produce unintended
      consequences: for example, means-tested programs can discourage work. In this
      paper, we comprehensively evaluate the main War on Poverty programs that were
      aimed at the low-income nonelderly population along with several follow-on
      programs. We focus on both intended and unintended consequences, drawing on the
      most compelling causal evidence. We conclude with a series of lessons learned and
      questions that are outstanding.

PMID- 26106668
TI  - Can Genetics Predict Response to Complex Behavioral Interventions? Evidence from
      a Genetic Analysis of the Fast Track Randomized Control Trial.
AB  - Early interventions are a preferred method for addressing behavioral problems in
      high-risk children, but often have only modest effects. Identifying sources of
      variation in intervention effects can suggest means to improve efficiency. One
      potential source of such variation is the genome. We conducted a genetic analysis
      of the Fast Track randomized control trial, a 10-year-long intervention to
      prevent high-risk kindergarteners from developing adult externalizing problems
      including substance abuse and antisocial behavior. We tested whether variants of
      the glucocorticoid receptor gene NR3C1 were associated with differences in
      response to the Fast Track intervention. We found that in European-American
      children, a variant of NR3C1 identified by the single-nucleotide polymorphism
      rs10482672 was associated with increased risk for externalizing psychopathology
      in control group children and decreased risk for externalizing psychopathology in
      intervention group children. Variation in NR3C1 measured in this study was not
      associated with differential intervention response in African-American children.
      We discuss implications for efforts to prevent externalizing problems in high
      risk children and for public policy in the genomic era.

PMID- 26106671
TI  - Checklist of the earthworm fauna of Croatia (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae).
AB  - A checklist of the Croatian earthworm fauna (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) is
      presented, including published records and authors' personal data. This is the
      first checklist for Croatia only, with comprehensive information for each
      earthworm species regarding ecological category, habitat, distribution type and
      distribution in Croatia. The currently known earthworm fauna of Croatia comprises
      68 species belonging to 17 genera, with Octodrilus being the species-richest
      genus (15 species). Chorologically these species can be allocated to 13 different
      types of distribution. Nineteen species are endemic of which 10 species are
      endemic to Croatia and 9 species are endemic to Croatia and neighbouring
      countries (Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, and Montenegro). The endemic earthworms are
      distributed in the areas of higher altitudes in the Continental and Alpine
      biogeographic region, mostly covered with forest or autochtonous vegetation.

PMID- 26106672
TI  - A new shrub frog in the genus Platymantis (Ceratobatrachidae) from the Nakanai
      Mountains of eastern New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago.
AB  - We describe a new-species of high elevation rainforest shrub frog (genus
      Platymantis) from the Nakanai Mountains of eastern New Britain (Bismarck
      Archipelago), Papua New Guinea. The distinctive new species possesses a moderate
      body size (29.5-32.2 mm in four males), widely expanded finger and toe disks,
      smooth to slightly granular dorsal skin, low but distinctly protuberant
      supraocular and tarsal tubercles, a conspicuous series of bright yellow flank
      areolations, a low but distinct intraocular sagittal crest, bronze-brown iris,
      and a unique advertisement call. We compare the new species with congeneric New
      Britain taxa and to other phenotypically similar species from the Solomon
      Bismarck-Admiralty archipelagos. The new species is phenotypically most similar
      to P macrosceles Zweifel 1975, and has been collected at only one high elevation
      site (Tompoi Camp). The available data suggest that the new species, known from
      1700 m, is elevationally segregated from P. macroscles (to date, only recorded
      from 800-900 m in the Nakanai Mountains). New Britain Island has emerged as a
      major center of endemic ceratobatrachid species diversity. Additional species are
      anticipated to result from ongoing field work, especially in the western portion
      of the island, which remains largely unexplored.

PMID- 26106673
TI  - Intraspecific variation in Typhlocharis Dieck, 1869 (Coleoptera, Carabidae,
      Anillini): the case of two new species of the baetica group.
AB  - Two new species of Typhlocharis Dieck, 1869 from the southwest of the Iberian
      Peninsula included in baetica species group are described: T acutangula n. sp.
      and T. mixa n. sp. The new species can be easily recognized by the presence of an
      anterodistal dentiform projection in metatibia (T. acutangula sp.n) and
      pseudotetramery and a medial tooth in clypeus (T mixta sp.n), features not
      observed in any other species of the group, but present in quadridentata and
      gomezi groups respectively. An updated key of baetica group is provided. The
      large series of T. mixta n. sp. allowed a good study of intraspecific variation,
      which is detailed and compared within the genus. Implications for the systematics
      and relations of the baetica group are discussed. Intraspecific variations are
      grouped in four categories: individual variations in shape, size and proportions,
      alterations in chaetotaxy, asymmetries, and teratologies or malformations.
      Finally, implications and problems of intraspecific variability for the
      systematics of the genus are discussed.

PMID- 26106674
TI  - Feather mites of the genus Zachvatkinia Dubinin, 1949 (Astigmata: Analgoidea:
      Avenzoariidae) from Saudi Arabia: A new species and two new records.
AB  - Feather mites of the family Avenzoariidae (Acari: Astigmata: Analgoidea) are
      recorded for the first time in Saudi Arabia. A new avenzoariid species,
      Zachvatkinia (Zachvatkinia) repressae sp. n. (Avenzoariidae: Bonnetellinae), is
      described from the White-cheeked Tern, Sterna repressa Hartert, 1916
      (Charadriiformes: Stemidae). The new species belongs to the sternae group and is
      closely related to Z (Z.) chlidoniae Mironov, 1989a. Two more species, Z. (Z.)
      dromae Mironov, 1992 and Z. (Z.) sternae (Canestrini & Fanzago, 1876), were
      collected from the Crab Plover Dromas ardeola Paykull, 1805 (Charadriiformes:
      Dromadidae) and the Sooty Gull Ichthyaetus hemprichii (Bruch, 1853)
      (Charadriiformes: Laridae), respectively. Among the 18 described species of
      Zachvatkinia Dubinin, 1949, including the new species, this is the fifth species
      recorded from a sternid host. The remaining 13 nominal species are associated
      with birds of the families Diomedeidae, Dromadidae, Hydrobatidae, Laridae,
      Pelecanoididae, Procellariidae and Stercorariidae. A checklist of world species
      of Zachvatkinia with data on their distribution and type hosts is also provided.

PMID- 26106675
TI  - Revision of the genus Hemitrachys Gorham, with discovery of a second species
      (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae).
AB  - The genus Hemitrachys Gorham, 1876 is revised and a new species Hemitrachys
      tubericollis n. sp. from China is described as the second species of this genus.
      Thirty-eight illustrations of habitus, genital and external characters are
      provided.

PMID- 26106676
TI  - The first Triassic dipteran (Insecta) from South America, with review of
      Hennigmatidae.
AB  - The first Triassic dipteran from South America is described based on an isolated
      wing from the lower Upper Triassic deposits of Argentina (Mendoza Province,
      Potrerillos Formation, Quebrada del Durazno locality). Trihennigma zavattierii
      gen. et sp. nov. is a member of the Mesozoic family Hennigmatidae, previously
      recorded only from Eurasia. A key for the genera and species of Hennigmatidae is
      provided and systematic position of the taxa is discussed.

PMID- 26106677
TI  - A new species of Gymnocnemia Schneider, 1845 from Morocco with additional
      diagnostic data for the genus (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae).
AB  - Gymnnocnemia editaerevayae nov. sp. is described from the High Atlas Mountains in
      Morocco and compared to Gymnocneinia variegata Schneider, 1845. Descriptions of
      male genitalia and male and female terminalia of G. variegata are provided. Both
      species are illustrated.

PMID- 26106678
TI  - Correction to "Nomenclature of African species of the genus Stenodactylus
      (Squamata: Gekkonidae)" by Metallinou and Crochet (2013).

PMID- 26106679
TI  - Systematics of interstitial encrusting bryozoans from southeastern Brazil.
AB  - This paper describes 22 species of marine bryozoans found in the sand-grain
      encrusting interstitial epifauna of the northeast coast of Sao Paulo state,
      Brazil: one new cyclostome, Disporella calcitrapa sp. nov., and 21 cheilostomes.
      Sixteen of the cheilostomes are new species, and three represent new genera. They
      are Ammatophora arenacea sp. nov., Discoporella gemmulifera sp. nov., Puellina
      caraguata sp. nov., Puellina tuba sp. nov., Rosulapelta rosetta gen. et sp. nov.,
      Collarina spicata sp. nov., Hippothoa calcicola sp. nov., Trypostega ilhabelae
      sp. nov., Reptadeonella granulosa sp. nov., Drepanophora irregularis sp. nov.,
      Allotherenia sabulosa gen. et sp. nov., Bryopesanser tilbrooki sp. nov.,
      Psammocleidochasma tridentatum gen. et sp. nov., Celleporina abstrusa sp. nov.,
      Hippoporella castellana sp. nov., and Hippoporella sabulonis sp. nov. Other
      species found in this habitat, Alderina smitti, Cymulopora uniserialis,
      Vibracellina laxibasis, Akatopora leucocypha, and Smittipora sawayai, have
      previously been described. The family Cymuloporidae fam. nov. is erected for
      Cymulopora and Crepis. The occurrence in this habitat of living colonies of
      bryozoans more characteristic of larger subtidal shell substrata indicates the
      potential importance of an interstitial refuge in maintaining and dispersing
      encrusting bryozoan populations along continental shelves where larger substrata
      are absent or rare.

PMID- 26106680
TI  - Checklist of earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) from Montenegro: Diversity and
      biogeographical review.
AB  - A checklist of the lumbricid earthworms in Montenegro is presented. Comprehensive
      information on the distribution and habitats of all earthworms is given in order
      to establish the definitive list of known taxa from Montenegro. The complete list
      of earthworm taxa of Montenegro comprises 40 species and subspecies, belonging to
      12 genera of the family Lumbricidae. The list underlines the diversity of
      earthworms and provides a general overview of their distribution and
      zoogeographical type. Our study shows that the degree of endemism is
      comparatively high, exceeding 20%. Summing up the endemics and the Balkanic
      species, 42.5% of the total lumbricid fauna shows an autochthonous character.

PMID- 26106681
TI  - A new species of Kaloula (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae) from southern Guangxi,
      China.
AB  - A new species of narrow-mouthed frog of Kaloula is described in the Nonggang
      National Nature Reserve, Sino-Vietnamese border region of southern China. Kaloula
      nonggangensis sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of
      the following characters: medium size (SVL 41.4-52.7 mm in 18 adult males, 52.2
      mm in 1 female); smooth or slightly rough olive dorsum with irregular dark-green
      marks and brown spots; tips of the fingers widely dilated and truncated; males
      with nearly fully webbed toes; males with two side protuberant osseous tubercles
      on the upper surface of the tips of fingers and chest beige with small lemon
      colored spots. K. nonggangensis sp. nov. is found in habitats ranging from
      cultivated fields adjacent to the forest to primary evergreen forest in karst
      habitats. Based upon a 16S ribosomal RNA mitochondrial gene fragment, K.
      nonggangensis sp. nov. is embedded within the K. verrucosa group (including K
      borealis, K. rugifera and K. verrucosa), and displays a low genetic distance to
      these species (< 3%). Considering the distinct morphology and karyotype we
      nevertheless suggest a status as separate species for these allopatrically
      distributed lineages.

PMID- 26106682
TI  - Description of nymphal instars of Ornithodoros mimon Kohls, Clifford & Jones,
      1969 (Acari: Argasidae).
AB  - Ornithodoros mimon is an argasid tick common on Chiroptera in the Neotropical
      region, where it also bites humans aggressively. Here we describe for the first
      time all nymphal instars (N1, N2 and N3) of O. mimon based on optical and
      scanning electron microscopy. Although the nymphal instars of O. mimon resemble
      each other closely, there are characters that differentiate them: the N3 are
      taller that N1 and N2; the genital primordium occurs in some N2 and all N3; the
      spiracular plate in N1 and N2 is cone-like, but in N3 it is semicircular; and the
      submarginal dorsal groove is less distinct in N1 but more evident in N3. Nymphs
      of 0. mimon closely resemble the bat-associated species of the genus Ornithodoros
      included in the Alectorobius group. We review prior descriptions of nymphs of the
      Alectorobius group and make comparisons with nymphs of O. minon, highlighting
      characters with diagnostic information, such as the idiosomal shape, presence of
      discs and hood and absence subapical protuberance of tarsus I. The description of
      nymphal instars of O. mimon herein presented, improves the taxonomy of the family
      Argasidae, performing a work more detailed about the immature stage of this
      species.

PMID- 26106683
TI  - The identity of Cancer thunborgii Euphras6n, 1795, a senior synonym of Cronius
      ruber (Lamarck, 1818) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Portunidae).

PMID- 26106684
TI  - Advertisement and aggressive calls of Ischnocnema oea (Heyer, 1984) (Anura,
      Brachycephalidae).

PMID- 26106685
TI  - Revision of Neotropical aphrophorine spittlebugs, part 2: tribe Orthoraphini
      (Hemiptera, Cercopoidea).
AB  - The tribe Orthoraphini is validated by diagnosis to include the new-world fauna
      of Orthorapha Westwood with 21 species from Brazil and 2 newly recorded from
      Bolivia, including 9 new species: boliviana from an unknown locality in Bolivia
      and decorata, inscripta, inflata, invidia, irregularis, oculata, sagittata and
      sphaerata from Brazil. There are also 10 new combinations from Lepyronia Amyot &
      Serville: bufo Walker; concinna Stal, frontalis Stal, fusconotata Stal, geminata
      Jacobi, obscurata Amyot & Serville, obliqua Jacobi, quadrimaculata Lallemand,
      rana Walker and subfasciata Amyot & Serville. Keys are presented to the new-world
      species and 3 subgenera, including Lepyronoxia Melichar, stat.nov. (= Balsana
      Metcalf, syn.nov.) and Balsania subg.nov. In addition, the tribe contains 15
      genera of old-world Aphrophorinae with an estimated 290 species from Pacific
      islands; of these, the previously undescribed male genitalia from 25 species in 8
      genera are illustrated and antennal characters for Orthorapha and 14 Pacific
      island genera of Orthoraphini are compared to those of Cloviini, Philaenini and
      Aphrophorini. This is the first tribe of Cercopoidea to be described as limited
      to the Southern Hemisphere.

PMID- 26106686
TI  - Copelatus cessaima sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Copelatinae): first record
      of a troglomorphic diving beetle from Brazil.
AB  - Copelatus cessaima sp. nov. is described from Brazil. The new species was
      collected in water puddles inside of caves found in an ironstone formation and
      has typical troglomorphic characters: the eyes and metathoracic wings are absent,
      the elytra are fused and the body has long setae. This is the second species of
      Copelatinae reported as troglomorphic and the first record of a troglomorphic
      Dytiscidae species in Brazil. The modified morphology of the new species and the
      lack of elytral striae make the placement of C. cessaima sp. nov. in one of the
      15 recognized Copelatus species groups difficult. Thus, we assign the new species
      to a "group unknown" as defined in Nilsson's world catalogue of the family
      Dytiscidae.

PMID- 26106687
TI  - Species of Bicellaria (Diptera: Hybotidae) from Asia.
AB  - Bicellaria amankutanensis sp. nov. (Uzbekistan), B. chimganensis sp. nov.
      (Uzbekistan), B. farkaci sp. nov. (China), B. globulicauda sp. nov. (Uzbekistan),
      B. koreana sp. nov. (North Korea, Russia), B. kovalevi sp. nov. (Georgia), B.
      setitibia sp. nov. (Georgia), B. shatalkini sp. nov. (Russia), B. thailandica sp.
      nov. (Thailand), and B. woodi sp. nov. (Japan) are described and illustrated.
      Bicellaria montana Kato is newly synonymised with B. uvens Melander. Bicellaria
      spuria ingrata Collin is considered a distinct species. A key to all known Asian
      species of Bicellaria is provided.

PMID- 26106688
TI  - Globorentonium, a new genus of rentoniine Trogossitidae (Coleoptera: Cleroidea)
      from Australia and Brazil.
AB  - A new genus of Rentoniini, Globorentonium gen. n., is described including three
      new species: G globulum sp. n. (type species) from Tasmania, Victoria, ACT and
      southern New South Wales; G lescheni sp. n. from northern New South Wales and G
      plaumanni sp. n. from southern Brazil. The new genus is compared with other known
      genera of Rentoniinae, and a key to world genera is provided.

PMID- 26106689
TI  - Four new African turriform gastropods (Mollusca: Conoidea).
AB  - Four new species, belonging to four distinct conoidean families, are described
      from east Africa and Mozambique Channel. Iredalea adenensis sp. nov. (Drilliidae
      Olsson, 1964), from Gulf of Aden, and Buchema shearmani sp. nov. (Horaiclavidae
      Bouchet et al., 2011), from off Mogadishu (Somalia), both trawled by local
      fishermen, represent the first record of their respective genera in eastern
      Africa. Crassispira somalica sp. nov. (Pseudomelatomidae Morrison, 1965), also
      collected offshore from Modagishu (Somalia), represents the first eastern Africa
      species bearing "typical" Crassispira features. Tropidoturris vizcondei sp. nov.
      (Borsoniidae Bellardi, 1875), from the Mozambique Channel, increases the
      knowledge of a genus considered endemic to southeastern Africa.

PMID- 26106690
TI  - Chondropyga insignicosta, a new species of Cetoniinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)
      from Queensland, Australia.
AB  - Chondropyga insignicosta, new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) is
      described from Queensland, Australia.

PMID- 26106691
TI  - The nursery-web spider Hygropoda tanganus (Roewer, 1955) comb. nov. (Araneae:
      Lycosoidea: Pisauridae); generic transfer, first description of the female and
      redescription of the male.

PMID- 26106692
TI  - New and little known species of the genus Orphnus MacLeay (Coleoptera:
      Scarabaeidae: Orphninae) from the East African Rift.

PMID- 26106693
TI  - The lysianassid genus Pseudambasia in Australian waters (Crustacea, Amphipoda,
      Lysianassidae, Lysianassinae).
AB  - Pseudambasia appears to be an Indo-West Pacific endemic, comprising mostly
      tropical and temperate species but also one from the New Zealand subantarctic. In
      this paper the genus Pseudambasia Stephensen is diagnosed against all other
      genera of the Lysianassinae. Six new species of Pseudambasia (P. dartnalli sp.
      nov.; P. lochi sp. nov.; P. ponderi sp. nov.; P. poorei sp. nov.; P. sheardi sp.
      nov.; and P. springthorpei sp. nov.) are described from Australian waters.

PMID- 26106694
TI  - Notes on the taxonomy of the Holarctic Corynoptera Winnertz sensu lato (Diptera,
      Sciaridae), with description of six new species.
AB  - Six new species of Corynoptera Winnertz from northern Finland, Japan and North
      America are newly described and illustrated: Corynoptera captiosa sp. n., C.
      cracentis sp. n., C. inari sp. n., C. salmelai sp. n., C. spiciforceps sp. n. and
      C. tuomikoskii sp. n.. Corynoptera subvariegata Rudzinski, 1992 is redescribed
      and C. perochaeta (Mohrig & Menzel, 1990) and C. variegata Mohrig, 1985 are
      illustrated and their characters discussed. The new species studied show unusual
      characters for the genus, and do not fit well into currently defined species
      groups.

PMID- 26106695
TI  - New species and records of Trypetinae (Diptera: Tephritidae) from China.
AB  - Eight new species of Trypetinae (Diptera: Tephritidae) from China are described
      and illustrated. The new species are Cornutrypeta chishuiensis Chen sp. nov., C.
      motuonia Chen sp. nov., Hoplandromyia hubeiensis Chen sp. nov., H. motuonica Chen
      sp. nov., Magnimyiolia disrupta Chen sp. nov., M tengchongnica Chen sp. nov., M
      tibetana Chen et Wang sp. nov. and M. yunnanica Chen et Wang sp. nov. Keys to the
      known species of the genera Cornutrypeta Han et Wang and Hoplandromyia Bezzi from
      the World, and the genera Magnimyiolia Shiraki from East Asia are updated and
      provided. C. spinifrons (Schroeder) is newly recorded from China, and the female
      of C. hunanica Chen et Wang is recorded, described and illustrated for the first
      time. Illustrations of the type of M huanana Wang and a new distribution of C.
      hunanica Chen et Wang are provided.

PMID- 26106696
TI  - Speleonectes cokei, new species of Remipedia (Crustacea: Speleonectidae) from a
      submerged ocean cave near Caye Chapel, Belize.
AB  - Speleonectes cokei n. sp. is the 15th species of Speleonectes to be described. It
      is the first remipede described from a submerged cave off the mainland of Belize.
      The species is the third found along the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan
      Peninsula. S. cokel can be distinguished from S. tulumensis Yager, 1987 and S.
      fuchscockburni Neiber et al., 2012 by the number of antenna 1 segments, number of
      antenna 2 exopod setae, spines on maxilla 1 segment 2, and caudal rami to anal
      segment length.

PMID- 26106697
TI  - Description of the octopunctata-group species of Protaphorura from China
      (Collembola: Onychiuridae).
AB  - Protaphorura species of the octopunctata-group are recorded in China for the
      first time. Two new species, Protaphorura jiamusiensis sp. nov. and Protaphorura
      maoerensis sp. nov., and one species new to China, Protaphorura nutak, are
      reported. Protaphorura jiamusiensis sp. nov. is diagnosed mainly by the formula
      of pso on the body and subcoxae 1, the psx formula, the ratio of M/sp on Abd. V
      and the number of chaetae on Th. I-III sterna between the legs. Protaphorura
      maoerensis sp. nov. is similar to P. mongolica and P. sakatoi, but it can be
      easily distinguished from them by the dorsal pso formula.

PMID- 26106698
TI  - A remarkable new Nilotonia species (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Anisitsiellidae) from
      percolating water of a cave in Cat Ba island in Halong Bay, Vietnam.
AB  - Both sexes of Nilotonia sketi sp. nov. are described from percolating water of a
      cave in Cat Ba island in Halong Bay, Vietnam. The IV-L-6 of the new species is
      characterized by a line of longer ventral setae, and presence of two longer
      distoventral setae. The systematic position of Nilotonia species attributed to
      the subgenera Dartiella K. Viets, 1929 and Dartonia K. Viets, 1929 are discussed.
      The latter subgenus is re-defined and Dartiella is proposed as its junior
      synonym. Two new subgenera, Gereckonia (type species: Nilotonia turcica Ozkan &
      Soysal, 1989 from Turkey) and Davetonia (type species: Nilotoniaperplexa Cook,
      1967 from India) are erected.

PMID- 26106699
TI  - A checklist of the species under the genus Monocystis Von Stein, 1848
      (Apicomplexa: Sporozoa: Monocystidae) described from oligochaete hosts.
AB  - A checklist of 24 species of the genus Monocystis is presented and includes the
      salient features of each species, type host and site of infection.

PMID- 26106700
TI  - Taxonomic notes on two species of bush katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae:
      Phaneropterinae) from Bukit Fraser, Malay Peninsula.
AB  - Material based on a taxonomic collection in Bukit Fraser, Pahang of Malay
      Peninsula enables the review of two genera of bush katydid (Phaneropterinae). The
      female of Elimaea (Rhaebelimaea) pseudochloris Ingrisch, 1998 is described and
      recorded for the first time outside its type locality, Thailand. One new species
      of Pseudopsyra from Bukit Fraser is described: Pseudopsyra bispina sp. n.

PMID- 26106701
TI  - Tapajos cristinae gen. n., sp. n. (Diptera: Chironomidae: Chironominae) from the
      Neotropical region.
AB  - A new genus of non-biting midges, Tapajos gen. n., is erected for T cristinae sp.
      n. from the Neotropical region, and placed in the subfamily Chironominae, tribe
      Chironomini. Adult males are characterized by the combination of bare eyes;
      antenna with 11 flagellomeres; antepronotal lobes fused medially; fore tibia with
      inner scale broad and rounded; superior volsella with a long sickle shaped, bare
      part arising from the distal lateral corner of a globose, densely trichiose base;
      inferior volsella sub-cylindrical, surpassing the anal point, distally setose and
      slightly expanded.

PMID- 26106702
TI  - Simple rules on adjectival endings in zoological nomenclature and their use in
      scale insect names (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea), with some corrections
      to combinations in common use.
AB  - We give some simple rules on Latin grammar to help scale insect systematists to
      apply the correct adjectival gender endings to species names. We list some common
      errors that have occurred when species names have either been proposed with a
      wrong gender ending or when they have been transferred from one genus to another.
      We also correct the gender endings to several species names in a few families.

PMID- 26106703
TI  - A new species of Lygodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) endemic to Mount Namuli, an
      isolated 'sky island' of northern Mozambique.
AB  - A new species of high elevation dwarf gecko (Gekkonidae: Lygodactylus) is
      described from Mount Namuli, northern Mozambique. This new species is
      distinguished from other closely related species in the genus Lygodactylus by
      body size, scalation, and color, and is genetically divergent from congeners. The
      species is most similar genetically and morphologically to Lygodactylus rex, the
      King Dwarf Gecko, which is endemic to Mount Mulanje, Malawi. Mount Mulanje and
      Mount Namuli are two of several understudied inselbergs forming the southern
      limit of the Afromontane archipelago in Malawi and Mozambique. The sister taxon
      relationship of the dwarf gecko species on Mount Mulanje and Mount Namuli
      illustrates the historical biogeographic connections between these inselbergs, a
      pattern which is emerging with continued work in this region. The discovery of
      this new species adds to a growing list of species unique to Mount Namuli, and
      further establishes this montane region as a conservation priority.

PMID- 26106704
TI  - Two new species of the coffinfish genus Chaunax (Lophiiformes: Chaunacidae) from
      the Indian Ocean.
AB  - Two new coffinfishes, Chaunax nebulosus n. sp. and Chaunax africanus n. sp., are
      described from the Indian Ocean. Both species belong to the C.fimbriatus-species
      group which is characterised by having filaments on the dorsal head and a complex
      color pattern on the dorsal surface. They are morphometrically and meristically
      conservative but differ in coloration. Chaunax nebulosus can be distinguished
      from its closest relatives by its dense covering of very small, irregular grayish
      green spots and having 5 small blackish markings on its dorsal surface. Chaunax
      africanus can be distinguished from other members in having a colour pattern of
      long narrow brown bars on the dorsal-fin base and head (forming a radiate pattern
      around the eye), and a complex white reticulate pattern (often double-lined) over
      the entire dorsal surface. Comments on species occurring in Indian Ocean and the
      status of members of C. fimbriatus-species group are also provided.

PMID- 26106705
TI  - Two new species and records of Stenochironomus Kieffer from Brazilian Amazon
      region, with description of immature stages (Diptera: Chironomidae).
AB  - Two new species of Stenochironomus Kieffer, 1919 are described in Brazil. New
      records of Stenochironomus nudipupa Borkent, 1984 and S. gladius Borkent, 1984
      from Brazil, new data on geographical distribution of S. jubatus Borkent, 1984
      and S. triannulatus Borkent, 1984 from the State of Roraima, and S. bacrionis
      Borkent, 1984 recorded from the State of Amazonas, as well as emended
      descriptions of immature stages of S. triannulatus Borkent, 1984 and S. reissi
      Borkent, 1984 are also presented.

PMID- 26106706
TI  - Rediscovery and range extension of Ciliopagurus liui Forest, 1995 and description
      of a new species of Pagurus Fabricius, 1775 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura:
      Paguroidea) from the Kerala State, southwestern India.
AB  - Two species of paguroid hermit crabs, Ciliopagurus liui Forest, 1995 (Diogenidae)
      and Pagurus spinossior n. sp. (Paguridae), are reported from the Kerala State,
      southwestern India. Ciliopagurus liui, is first recorded from the Indian Ocean.
      This species was originally described on the basis of a single male specimen from
      the Tonkin Gulf in the South China Sea, though its geographical range also
      included Japan, based on literature. Supplemental description and illustrations
      are provided for better understanding of the diagnostic features of this little
      known species. Pagurus spinossior n. sp., described on the basis of a single male
      specimen, appears closest to P. spinulentus (Henderson, 1888), known only by the
      holotype from the Philippines, but the lack of spinules on the dorsal margins of
      the dactyli of the second pereopods, the different shape of the anterior lobe of
      the thoracic stemite 6, and the more numerous spines on the terminal to posterior
      margins of the telson distinguish the new species from P. spinulentus.

PMID- 26106707
TI  - New species of the scale worm genus Pholoe (Polychaeta: Pholoidae) from southeast
      Brazil.
AB  - Exploration of poorly known regions of the Brazilian coast has resulted in the
      discovery of a new species in the scale worm family Pholoidae. Pholoe
      microantennata sp. nov. occurs at the Campos Basin (states of Espirito Santo and
      Rio de Janeiro) and along the northern coast of Sao Paulo State. It differs from
      other species in the genus because it has numerous large and conical marginal
      papillae on the elytra and two small lateral antenna attached to the distal
      portion of the prostomium. The family Pholoidae remains species-poor compared
      with most polychaete families, and it currently comprises 24 species worldwide.
      In Brazil, only three species of this family have been recorded.

PMID- 26106708
TI  - A comment on the oral dermal flaps of Elachistocleis Parker, 1927 (Anura:
      Microhylidae) larvae.

PMID- 26106709
TI  - Taxonomic study of the genus Myrmarachne of Borneo (Araneae: Salticidae).
AB  - Twenty-two species of the genus Myrmarachne are reported from Borneo in the
      present study. Among those, eight are new to science, M. acromegalis sp. nov., M.
      alticephalon sp. nov., M. brevichelicera sp. nov., M. crassembolus sp. nov., M.
      cyrtodens sp. nov., M. endoi sp. nov., M. lambirensis sp. nov. and M. sabahna sp.
      nov. The following synonymies are proposed: Myrmarachne topali Zabka, 1985 syn.
      nov. as a junior synonym of M. hanoii Zabka, 1985, M. gigantea Zabka, 1985 syn.
      nov. as a junior synonym of M. maxillosa (C. L. Koch, 1846). The females of M.
      assimilis Banks, 1930, M. biseratensis Badcock, 1918, M. gedongensis Badcock,
      1918, M. markaha Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 and M. shelfordii Peckham & Peckham,
      1907 are described for the first time.

PMID- 26106710
TI  - New species of Neuronema McLachlan, 1869 from China (Neuroptera, Hemerobiidae).
AB  - Two new species of Neuronema McLachlan are described from China: Neuronemaypsilum
      sp. nov., which was found in Beijing and Shaanxi provinces, and Neuronema
      maculosum sp. nov., which was found in Chongqing and Gansu provinces. Keys are
      given to identify the species of Neuronema in China.

PMID- 26106711
TI  - Review of the genus Allochotes (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Neorthopleurinae) from
      Taiwan.
AB  - The Taiwanese species of the genus Allochotes are reviewed with descriptions of
      two new species, A. forniculatus sp. n. and A. piceus sp. n. A new synonymy is
      proposed: A. violaceipennis Schenkling syn. n. (= A. sauteri Schenkling). The
      Taiwanese Allochotes species are divided into three species groups based on the
      male genital structures.

PMID- 26106712
TI  - Podocoryna martinicana, a new species of athecate hydroid (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa:
      Hydractiniidae) from the Caribbean.
AB  - A new species of hydroid, Podocoryna martinicana sp. nov., is described from the
      Lesser Antilles. It lives symbiotically with Iridopagurus caribbensis (A. Milne
      Edwards & Bouvier, 1893) (Decapoda: Paguridae) inhabiting various gastropod
      shells. Its colonies are highly organized and develop exclusively around the
      aperture of the host shell. A few large, columnar gastrozooids provided with
      numerous tentacles arise from a perisarc-covered stolonal mat on the inner lip of
      the shell, and appear to form a gate when the hermit is withdrawn, while
      numerous, small, highly prolific gonozooids dress a line on the edge of the outer
      lip. Slender, very contractile tentaculozooids occur variably among the colonies.
      The dispersive stage, a free-swimming medusa with four well-developed marginal
      tentacles and no ocelli, is solely described based on young, sexually immature
      specimens. The species is further characterized by the peculiar bright white
      tinge of the core of both hydroid and medusa tentacles. Rich illustrations, data
      on the nematocyst complement, as well as comparisons with related congeners are
      provided.

PMID- 26106713
TI  - New fossil mesoserphid wasps (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Proctotrupoidea) from the
      Jehol Biota, China.
AB  - A new genus with two new species, Codoserphus calophlebius gen. et sp. nov. and
      Codoserphus euneurus gen. et sp. nov., assigned to the subfamily Mesoserphinae of
      Mesoserphidae, are described from the Jehol Biota, Early Cretaceous Yixian
      Formation of Huangbanjigou Village in Liaoning, China. Codoserphus gen. nov. is
      characterized by its fore wing with all major veins present, not reduced, and l
      cu-a distal to 1-M in fore wing. An updated key is given for the genera of
      Mesoserphidae from around the world.

PMID- 26106714
TI  - First checklist of the chrysidid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) of Iran.
AB  - A first checklist of the Iranian Chrysididae is proposed. The list includes 184
      species in 20 genera. Seventy species and genera Spinolia Dahlbom, 1854,
      Spintharina Semenov, 1892, Trichrysis Lichtenstein, 1876 are newly recorded from
      Iran. New combination is proposed for Chrysura laconiae (Arens, 2001), comb. nov.
      (from Chrysis) and Chrysurapyrogaster turca (Linsenmaier, 1997), comb. nov. (from
      Chrysis). New synonymy is proposed for Chrysura barbatula (Linsenmaier, 1968) =
      Chrysura barbatica Bohart, 1991, syn. nov. The status of Chrysis transcaspica
      Mocsary, 1889 is resurrected. Historical data with the comments of current
      taxonomic position and the specific validity of some species are given.

PMID- 26106715
TI  - A new Psammogammarus (Amphipoda: Eriopisidae) from anchialine pools on the Exuma
      Cays, Bahamas.
AB  - Psammogammarus lucayensis sp. nov. is described from anchialine pools on Little
      Iguana Cay (Exuma Cays, Great Bahama Bank). It can be easily distinguished from
      the other 14 members of the genus by the combination of: 1) carpus of G2 longer
      than broad; 2) male G2 palm margin non-excavated, evenly convex and devoid of
      strong mid-palmar robust setae; 3) basis of P7 with subparallel margins; 4)
      armature arrangement of ventral margin of epimeral plates as 0-2-3; 5)
      posteroventral angle of epimeral plate III strongly produced; 6) protopod of U2
      with distomedial angle armed with comb of 3-4 robust setae; 7) U3 endopod as long
      as exp1; and 8) telson with robust setae on tip. The generic diagnosis is amended
      in order to allow the precise characterization of members of Psammogammarus
      compared to other eriopisids.

PMID- 26106716
TI  - Review of amphipods of the Melita group (Amphipoda: Melitidae) from the costal
      waters of Sakhalin Island (Far East of Russia). I. Genera Megamoera Bate, 1862
      and Armatomelita gen. nov.
AB  - A review of Melita group (fam. Melitidae) from the shelf of Sakhalin Island based
      on literature and own data is provided. Based on new material, four new species
      of the genus Megamoera are described: M. similidentata sp. nov. and M. striata
      sp. nov. from north-east shelf of Sakhalin Island; M falsomikulitschae sp. nov.
      and M. aequidentatum sp. nov. from Aniva Bay (southern Sakhalin). The new genus
      Armatomelita gen. nov. and new species A. tshayensis sp. nov. are described from
      Aniva Bay (southern Sakhalin). A key to the world species of the genus Megamoera
      is provided. Cladistic analysis of morphological relationships within the genus
      Megamoera is implemented.

PMID- 26106717
TI  - The phylogenetic position of Lepidopygopsis typus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), a
      monotypic freshwater fish endemic to the Western Ghats of India.
AB  - Lepidopygopsis, known as the peninsular-Indian hill trout, is a monotypic genus
      endemic to the Periyar stream-reservoir system, in the Western Ghats. Due to the
      morphological similarity of its only species, L. typus, with the Himalayan
      schizothoracine fishes, it was considered to be a relict species and a classic
      example of disjunct distribution. Using mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequence
      datasets, we show that L. typus is not allied to the schizothoracine fishes.
      Phylogenetic hypothesis-testing unequivocally supports a scenario in which L.
      typus and a clade comprising various genera of Asian and African barbins such as
      Tor Gonoproktopterus, Kosswigobarbus and Varicorhinus are sister groups. Based on
      our results, we suggest that the sheath of tile-like scales covering the anal-fin
      base of schizothoracine fishes and Lepidopygopsis typus could be a
      symplesiomorphy or a homoplasy.

PMID- 26106718
TI  - The genus Odontophrynus (Anura: Odontophrynidae): a larval perspective.
AB  - The genus Odontophrynus consists of 11 species of medium-sized frogs distributed
      across south and east South America. This study examines and describes the
      chondrocrania and oral cavities of O. americanus, O. maisuma, O. carvalhoi, and
      O. cultripes, and review current knowledge about the larval external morphology
      of the genus. Twenty-one tadpoles were cleared and double-stained for
      chondrocranium description and five tadpoles were dissected for analysis in a
      scanning electron microscope. The presence of a tectum parientale may be
      considered here as a putative synapomorphy of the genus. The O. americanus and O.
      cultripes species groups were partially differentiated by the length of the
      processus pseudopterigoideus, shape of divergence of the hypobranchial plates,
      number of postnarial papillae, and number of projections of the lateral ridge
      papillae. The larvae of O. occidentalis species group, in turn, differed from
      others by presenting a greater total length.

PMID- 26106719
TI  - Mantacaprella macaronensis, a new genus and species of Caprellidae (Crustacea:
      Amphipoda) from Canary Islands and Cape Verde.
AB  - Mantacaprella macaronensis new genus, new species, is described based on
      specimens collected from Canary Islands and Cape Verde. Mantacaprella is close to
      the genera Parambus, Pseudolirius, Propodalirius and Paracaprella, but can be
      distinguished by the combination of the following characteristics: pereopods 3, 4
      and 5 two-articulate; pereopods 6 and 7 six-articulate; mandibular molar present
      and palp absent; male abdomen with a pair of well-developed appendages. The new
      species has been found living in Cymodocea nodosa meadows and Caulerpa prolifera
      beds from 8.8 to 14.6 m depth in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands), and in natural
      rocky and artificial habitats (shipwrecks) at 25 m in Sal Island (Cape Verde).
      Even though the new species is one of the dominant amphipods inhabiting meadows
      of Cymodocea nodosa in Gran Canaria and in Cape Verde, it had not been described
      so far. This reflects the lack of knowledge on Macaronesian invertebrates, such
      as amphipods, and the need of further taxonomical studies to better characterise
      the whole biodiversity of this region and to design adequate programmes of
      management and conservation.

PMID- 26106720
TI  - Pethia aurea (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), a new species of barb from West Bengal,
      India, with redescription of P. gelius and P. canius.
AB  - Fishes currently assigned to Pethia gelius Hamilton from West Bengal are shown to
      belong to a closely-related group of three species: P gelius, its erstwhile
      synonym P canius Hamilton and a new species, P aurea. The three species are
      distinguished from all other species of Pethia by having the lateral line
      incomplete, with 3-4 pored scales; 20-26 scales in lateral series on body; 1/24
      5/l/2-31/2 scales in transverse line on body; 8-9 predorsal scales; barbels
      absent and by a unique colour pattern consisting of two or three black blotches
      on the body (which, however, fade on preservation), the first behind the opercle,
      the second beneath the origin of the dorsal fin, extending to the mid-lateral
      region, and the third above the origin of the anal fin. A black spot is also
      present at the base of the dorsal and anal fins. Additionally, P gelius is
      distinguished by having the last unbranched dorsal-fin ray thick, straight,
      serrated, with 20-25 serrae on its posterior margin; a snout length of 6.1-8.4%
      standard length (SL); a body depth of 32.6-37.7% SL; and a dorsal-fin height of
      19.4-22.8% SL. Pethia canius is additionally distinguished by having a snout
      length of 8.9-11.8% SL; a body depth of 28.1-32.2% SL; and dorsal-fin height of
      26.9-32.8% SL. Pethia aurea, new species, is additionally distinguished from all
      its congeners by having 1/25/1/3-31/2 scales in transverse line on body; 9 pre
      dorsal scales; and last unbranched dorsal-fin ray slender, serrated, with 19-22
      serrae on posterior margin.

PMID- 26106721
TI  - Neohydatothrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) from China: new species and records,
      with a key to species.
AB  - Three new species of Neohydatothrips (Thripidae: Sericothripinae) are described
      and illustrated from China: N. concavus sp. n., N. flavicingulus sp. n. and N.
      luteolipes sp. n.; and two species previously recorded from Taiwan are here
      reported for mainland China for the first time: N. plynopygus (Karny) and N.
      tabulifer (Priesner). A key to the 16 Neohydatothrips species recorded from China
      (including Taiwan) is provided.

PMID- 26106722
TI  - Ochthebius hivae (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae) from western Iran, a new species of
      the O. metallescens group with remarkable aedeagal variability.
AB  - Ochthebius hivae is described from western Iran (Ilam and Khuzestan Provinces).
      It belongs to the O. metallescens Rosenhauer, 1847 species group. The aedeagal
      distal lobe of this species is remarkably variable.

PMID- 26106723
TI  - Hypogean pseudoscorpions (Arachnida) from Jaen province (Andalusia, Spain), with
      descriptions of four new species and a new synonymy.
AB  - Four new hypogean species are described from the Jaen province (southern Spain):
      Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) espa- nyoli sp. nov., C. (E.) giennensis sp. nov.,
      C. (E.) villacarrillo sp. nov. and Neobisium (Ommatoblothrus) perezruizi sp. nov.
      New records are given for the species Chthonius (E.) cazorlensis, C. (E.) perezi,
      C. (E.) tetrachelatus, Neobisium (O.) perezi, Microcreagrella caeca caeca and
      Allochernes masi. Chthonius (E.) verai and C. (E.) minutus are removed from the
      list of the Andalusian fauna. A new synonymy is proposed: Neobisium (O.) gev
      Carabajal Marquez, Garcia Carrillo & Rodriguez Fernandez, 2011, is a junior
      subjective synonym of N. (O.) perezi Carabajal Marquez, Garcia Carrillo &
      Rodriguez Fernandez, 2011.

PMID- 26106724
TI  - A new species of Astyanax from headwater streams of southern Brazil
      (Characiformes: Characidae).
AB  - Astyanax pirabitira, new species, is described from the upper portion of the rio
      das Antas, laguna dos Patos system, and from the rio Pelotas, upper rio Uruguay
      drainage, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The new species belongs to the A.
      scabripinnis species complex and differs from its congeners by a combination of
      characters, viz., body depth (27.1-34.0% of standard length), narrow interorbital
      width (22.2-28.7% of head length), head depth (72.9-97.0% of HL), number of
      branched anal-fin rays (15-20), number of lateral line scales (37-40), one or two
      maxillary teeth, two humeral spots and absence of secondary sexual characters
      (bony hooks in the fins or other differences in the morphology). Comments on the
      endemic fish fauna of the region are presented.

PMID- 26106725
TI  - Telopathes magna gen. nov., spec. nov. (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Antipatharia:
      Schizopathidae) from deep waters off Atlantic Canada and the first molecular
      phylogeny of the deep-sea family Schizopathidae.
AB  - A new genus and species of deep-sea antipatharian, Telopathes magna gen. nov.,
      spec. nov., is described from the western North Atlantic off the coast of Canada.
      Five additional paratypes, consisting ofjuvenile to adult forms, are reported
      from the New England and Corner Rise Seamounts (NW Atlantic). Preliminary
      sequencing of a subsection of the nuclear ribosomal cistron confirmed the
      phylogenetic affinity of T. magna to the order Antipatharia, and in particular
      the family Schizopathidae. Subsequent sequencing of three mitochondrial DNA
      segments from nine of the 11 currently-recognized genera within the
      Schizopathidae revealed a well-supported phylogenetic relationship between T.
      magna and Stauropathes. This is the first study to use molecular techniques to
      elucidate the evolutionary relationships of the Schizopathidae, a family of black
      corals almost exclusively found in the deep sea (depths > 200 m). Telopathes is
      distinguished from other genera within the family Schizopathidae by its largely
      pinnulated stalk, sparse branching pattern to the second degree that is not
      restricted to a single plane, two anterolateral rows of long, simple primary
      pinnules, arranged alternately to sub-opposite, and colony with an adhesive base.
      This record of T. magna brings the total number of nominal species of
      Antipatharia reported to occur off eastern Canada to 12 and represents the third
      new genus added to the Schizopathidae since a critical review of the family by
      Dennis Opresko in 2002.

PMID- 26106726
TI  - New taxa and new records of oribatid mites of the family Galumnidae (Acari:
      Oribatida) from Ecuador.
AB  - The new genus Neoctenogalumna gen. nov. with Ctenogalumna moresonensis
      Engelbrecht, 1972 as a type species and the new subgenus Neoctenogalumna
      (Paractenogalumna) subgen. nov. with Neoctenogalumna (Paractenogalumna)
      longiciliata sp. nov. as a type species are proposed. Four new species
      Allogalumna ampla sp. nov., Galumna miniporosa sp. nov., Pergalumna ornamenta sp.
      nov. and Neoctenogalumna (Paractenogalumna) longiciliata sp. nov. are described
      from Ecuadorian soils. Neoctenogalumna moresonensis (Engelbrecht, 1972) comb.
      nov. and N. congoensis (Stary, 2005) comb. nov. are transferred in the genus
      Neoctenogalumna gen. nov. from Ctenogalumna. An identification key to known
      species of Neoctenogalumna gen. nov. is provided. An annotated checklist of
      identified Ecuadorian Galumnidae is presented. Four species Allogalumna borhidii
      Balogh & Mahunka, 1979, A. cubana Balogh & Mahunka, 1979, Pergalumna australis
      Perez-Inigo & Baggio, 1980, Galumna laselvae Balogh, 1997--are recorded for the
      first time from Ecuador. One genus and one species Trichogalumna Balogh, 1960 and
      Trichogalumna nipponica (Aoki, 1966) are recorded for the first time from the
      Neotropical region.

PMID- 26106727
TI  - Three new species of scale mites (Acari: Pterygosomatidae) parasitizing Agama
      sankaranica (Sauria: Agamidae).
AB  - Three new species of pterygosomatid mites Pterygosoma engai sp. nov. P. indare
      sp. nov. and P olape sp. nov. (Acari: Pterygosomatidae) are described from the
      agamid lizard Agama sankaranica (Sauria: Agamidae) from Kenya. P. engai sp. nov.
      is similar to P annectans circularis Jack, 1962 but in the new species, the
      anterior paddle-shaped setae with spicules on the apical margin of the idiosomal
      dorsum and three pairs of the postero-lateral setae are present, setae dm1 are
      paddle-shaped, peripheral setae and setae dGIV are absent, the pseudoanal setal
      series is represented by three pairs of setae ps. P indare sp. nov. is most
      closely related to P. agamae agamae Peters, 1849 but differs by the absence of
      eyes and setae dGI, the presence of the flattened hypostomal apex and 12-14 pairs
      of the peripheral setae and some of them are tapered. P olape sp. nov. is similar
      to P engai sp. nov. but differs by the presence of the hypostome with a smooth
      rounded apex and 16 pairs of the peripheral setae inserted ventrally, the genital
      series is represented by one pair of setae g situated ventrally and four pairs of
      setae ps situated ventrally and terminally.

PMID- 26106728
TI  - Biodiversity of hillstream fishes in Bangladesh.
AB  - Bangladesh is a country of 1,47,570 km2 of mostly flat topography, but about 12
      percent is hilly. The hilly areas are confined to the northeast and the
      southeastern parts of the country bordering India and Myanmar. Hill streams are
      highly variable and very important for the study and understanding of the aquatic
      biodiversity of Bangladesh. Hillstream ecosystems include a variety of habitats
      including those with sand, clay, cobble, gravel, mud, and rock substrates. In a
      recent field survey, 82 species of fishes have been identified from those
      habitats. The ichthyofauna belongs to the following families (numbers of species
      in parentheses) Notopteridae (1), Engraulidae (1), Cyprinidae (32),
      Psilorhynchidae (3), Nemacheilidae (2), Cobitidae (6), Bagridae (6), Schilbeidae
      (5), Amblycipitidae (1), Akysidae (1), Sisoridae (4), Erethistidae (1), Clariidae
      (1), Olyridae (1), Aplocheilidae (1), Ambassidae (2), Badidae (1), Mugilidae (1),
      Gobiidae (2), Osphronemidae (2), Channidae (3), Mastacembelidae (3), Belonidae
      (1) and Tetraodontidae (1). This paper provides a checklist of the hillstream
      fish species with their habitat preferences and associated fauna.

PMID- 26106729
TI  - Overview of the species of Aphelocheirus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera:
      Aphelocheiridae) of India, with description of a new species from West Bengal.
AB  - An overview and a key to the species of Aphelocheirus of India are given.
      Aphelocheirus (Aphelocheirus) thirumalaii sp. nov. from Gorumara National Park of
      Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, is described. With this new species, eight
      other species of benthic water bugs (Aphelocheiridae) are reported from India. A
      distribution map of all known Indian species is also provided.

PMID- 26106730
TI  - Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) from natural ecosystems in the State of Sao
      Paulo, Brazil.
AB  - This work describes the results of a study of the phytoseiid mites collected from
      plants in two natural ecosystems in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil-Cerrado and
      Atlantic Forest. In this study, 40 phytoseiid species are reported. Measurements
      of different structures are given for species for which measurements for the
      respective Sao Paulo populations were not previously provided. This study also
      includes the description of two new genera, Breviseius g. n. and Serraseius g.
      n., and ten new species, Amblydromalus macroatrium n. sp., Amblyseius atlanticus
      n. sp., Breviseius sennae n. sp., Cocoseius paucisetis n. sp., Proprioseiospsis
      pariquerassuensis n. sp., Serraseius caicara n. sp., Typhlodromalus ingae n. sp.,
      Typhlodromalus feresisimilis n. sp., Typhlodromips corniformis n. sp. and
      Typhlodromips robustisetus n. sp.

PMID- 26106731
TI  - A new synonymy of Graptocleptes bicolor (Burmeister), with taxonomical notes
      (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae: Harpactorini).
AB  - Hiranetis coleopteroides (Walker, 1873) is here found to be conspecific with
      Graptocleptes bicolor (Burmeister, 1838). Graptocleptes bicolor is redescribed
      and the male genitalia characters are illustrated for the first time.
      Intraspecific morphological, color and male genitalia variability are discussed.
      Furthermore, the species is recorded from Paraguay for the first time.

PMID- 26106732
TI  - Review of the Leafhopper Genus Macrosteles Fieber (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae:
      Deltocephalinae) from China.
AB  - The leafhopper genus Macrosteles Fieber in China comprises 25 species including
      ten new species: Macrosteles brochus Zhang & Lu, M. brunneus Zhang & Lu, M. choui
      Zhang & Lu, M. ehensis Zhang & Lu, M. gracilis Zhang & Lu, M. falcatus Zhang &
      Lu, M. haperatus Zhang & Lu, M. nabiae Kwon, M. parastriifrons Zhang & Lu and M.
      spinosus Kwon. Five species are newly recorded from China, including M. abludens
      Anufriev, M. albicostalis Vilbaste, M. alpinus (Zetterstedt), M. lividus
      (Edwards) and M. sordidipennis (Stal). One taxon previously treated as a
      subspecies of M fascifrons (Stal) is elevated to species rank: M. lindbergi
      Dlabola, n. stat. The following six new synonyms are proposed: M. bimaculatus
      Dai, Li & Chen, 2008 = M. lividus (Edwards, 1894), M heiseles Kuoh, 1981 = M.
      guttatus (Matsumura, 1915); M. huangxionis Kuoh, 1981 = M. heitiacus Kuoh, 1981;
      M. latiaedeagus Dai et al., 2008 = M. cristatus Ribaut, 1927; and M. serrata Dai
      et al., 2011 = M. striifrons Anufriev, 1968 and also a junior homonym of M.
      serratus Kwon, 2010; and M. symphorosus Yang, 1996 = M. viridigriseus (Edwards,
      1924). A checklist to the Macrosteles species from China is provided together
      with a key for separation of males.

PMID- 26106733
TI  - New species of Nymphites Haase (Neuroptera: Nymphidae) from the Middle Jurassic
      of China, with a redescription of the type species of the genus.
AB  - Nymphites priscus (Weyenbergh, 1869) from the Late Jurassic of Solnhofen
      (Germany), type species of the genus Nymphites Haase, 1890, is redescribed. The
      genus is assigned to the Nymphidae. The taxon Nymphitidae is not valid; it is an
      artificial aggregation of fossil genera. Two species new to science, one named,
      of Nymphites from the Middle Jurassic locality of Daohugou (Inner Mongolia,
      China) are described.

PMID- 26106734
TI  - Epiplatys atratus (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae), a new species of the E.
      multifasciatus species group from the Lulua Basin (Kasai drainage), Democratic
      Republic of Congo.
AB  - Epiplatys atratus, a new species of the E. multifasciatus group, is described
      from specimens collected from several tributaries of the middle Lulua River, a
      tributary of the Kasai River, south of Kananga (Democratic Republic of the Congo,
      Kasai Occidental Province). Epiplatys atratus is the south-eastern most
      representative of the genus. Large adult E. atratus males differ from all
      congeners in displaying a dark grey to black pigmentation of body and fins. In
      contrast to other Epiplatys species, with a fully exposed laterosensory system of
      the head, the lobes surrounding the supra-orbital part of the laterosensory
      system almost completely cover the system in large males of E. atratus. Also in
      males of E. atratus the dorsal fin is positioned on average more anteriorly than
      in other members of the E. multifasciatus group. Small males and females show a
      unique pattern of three fine oblique dark bars just behind the pectoral fin.

PMID- 26106735
TI  - Two New Species of Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) from the High Andes of
      Colombia.
AB  - The females, males, pupae, and larvae of two new species of Simulium are
      described and illustrated from a small stream 3950 m above sea level in the Lake
      Otun area of the Colombian Andes Mountains. Simulium (Pternaspatha) quimbayium n.
      sp. represents a 630-km northeastern extension of the distributional range of
      previously known members of the subgenus Pternaspatha, and Simulium (Psilopelmia)
      machetorum n. sp. represents the highest altitude recorded for a species of the
      subgenus Psilopelmia. These species illustrate the unique simuliid biodiversity
      in the paramo ecosystem of the high northern Andes.

PMID- 26106736
TI  - Pamphagidae (Orthoptera: Caelifera) of North Africa: key to genera and the
      annotated check-list of species.
AB  - At least 95 species of Pamphagidae belonging to 17 genera are known in North
      Africa. Taxonomic status is fairly known, with some exception, mainly due to
      scarcity of available specimens of some genera in museums and collections. In
      this paper, the author proposes a new key to genera and reports the annotated
      list of all the known species, based on specimens examined in different European
      museums. Concerning the subfamily Thrinchinae, he proposes to consider only the
      following species of the genus Tmethis: T. cisti, T. harterti new status, T.
      maroccanus and T. pulchripennis. He also considers Neotmethis bidentatus synonym
      of T. harterti, and the three newly described species of the genus Tuarega as
      synonyms of T. insignis. In addition, he proposes to remove Batrachotettix
      elephas from the synonyms of T. insignis, because its description consents to
      establish that it belongs to a South African Porthetinae, not to a Thrinchinae.
      With regard to the subfamily Pamphaginae, the author recognizes the presence in
      North Africa of three tribes, until now containing 90 species: Finotiini,
      Pamphagini and Euryparyphini; Amigus is definitively considered a valid genus
      within the tribe Pamphagini, with the only species A. nigroadspersus.
      Additionally, he proposes a new key to species of the genus Paracinipe. He
      considers Paracinipe theryi as a valid species; previously it has been listed as
      subspecies of P. dolichocera. He also establishes that Acinipe calabra of Italy
      is the same taxon living in North Africa. Further, he describes Euryparyphes
      rungsi new species from Middle Atlas, and Paraeumigus lopezi new species from
      West Morocco, and synonymizes Eunapiodes granosus rungsi with E. atlantis.
      Finally, he reports biometric data of the genera Tmethis, Paracinipe, Paraeumigus
      and Eunapiodes.

PMID- 26106737
TI  - Fungus-feeding thrips from Australia in the worldwide genus Hoplandrothrips
      (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae).
AB  - From Australia, 16 species of Hoplandrothrips are here recorded, of which 11 are
      newly described. An illustrated key is provided to 15 species, but Phloeothrips
      leai Karny cannot at present be recognised from its description. The generic
      relationships between Hoplandrothrips, Hoplothrips and some other Phlaeothripinae
      that live on freshly dead branches are briefly discussed.

PMID- 26106739
TI  - Crossodactylodinae Fouquet, Blotto, Maronna, Verdade, Junca, de Sa & Trefaut
      Rodrigues, 2013 is an invalid junior synonym of Paratelmatobiinae Ohler & Dubois,
      2012 (Amphibia, Anura).

PMID- 26106738
TI  - Description of a new unusual Pselaphodes Westwood, 1870 (Coleoptera:
      Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from Nepal.

PMID- 26106740
TI  - Systematic revision of the Parvoscincus decipiens (Boulenger, 1894) complex of
      Philippine forest skinks (Squamata: Scincidae: Lygosominae) with descriptions of
      seven new species.
AB  - Analysis of external morphological characters, color pattern, and DNA sequence
      data, plus consideration of biogeographical patterns, leads us to the hypothesis
      that the Parvoscincus decipiens complex of Philippine forest skinks consists of a
      minimum of eight highly divergent, phenotypically distinct, cohesive evolutionary
      lineages. We rectify this taxonomic underestimation of species diversity with
      formal descriptions of seven new species (P. abstrusus sp. nov., P. agtorum sp.
      nov., P. arvindiesmosi sp. nov., P aurorus sp. nov., P banahaoensis sp. nov., P.
      jimmymcguirei sp. nov., and P. palaliensis sp. nov.) and highlight geographical
      sampling deficiencies, which, if addressed with additional fieldwork, should lead
      to additional new species discoveries. Due to the difficulty of identifying non
      overlapping differences in scalation on similarly sized, small-bodied skinks,
      species level diversity in diminutive Philippine forest skinks is undoubtedly
      substantially underestimated.

PMID- 26106741
TI  - A new species of Macrobrachium Spence Bate, 1868 (Decapoda, Palaemonidae), M.
      pantanalense, from the Pantanal, Brazil.
AB  - The neotropical species Macrobrachium amazonicum (Heller, 1862) is considered a
      particularly successful species, showing an extremely wide range of distribution
      (ca 4.000 km across). Populations assigned to this species live in estuaries
      along the northern and northeastern coasts of South America as well as in fresh
      water habitats in the Amazon, Orinoco and Parana-Paraguay river basins. Following
      recent comparative studies that showed differential ecological, reproductive,
      developmental and physiological traits in geographically separated populations
      from the Amazon delta and the Pantanal region, Brazil, we examined the morphology
      of adult shrimps from these two regions. Based on significant differences, we
      conclude that the Pantanal population constitutes a new species, which is
      described here as Macrobrachium pantanalense. The main differences between M.
      amazonicum and the new species have been found in the morphology of the second
      pereiopod, the telson, and in the color patterns of both males and females. A
      modification on the key of American species of Macrobrachium is provided to
      accommodate the new species.

PMID- 26106742
TI  - New water mite species (Acari, Hydrachnidia) from Vietnam.
AB  - Descriptions of four new water mite species, Torrenticola vietnamica sp. nov.
      (female), Limnesia vietnamensis sp. nov. (female, deutonymph), Hygrobates
      gusakovi sp. nov. (male), Albaxona gusevi sp. nov. (female) from running waters
      of Vietnam are presented.

PMID- 26106743
TI  - Description of Schistonchus altissimus n. sp. (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae), an
      associate of Ficus altissima in China.
AB  - A new nematode species was recovered from the syconia of Ficus altissima from the
      residential area of Huajingxincheng, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China during
      a survey of nematode diversity. Schistonchus altissimus n. sp. is characterised
      by having females with a short post-uterine sac, an ovoid spermatheca and a
      conoid tail with a mucron in the female, excretory pore located near the lip; and
      males with amoeboid sperm, a conoid tail without a mucron and three pairs of
      subventral papillae, no gubernaculum, and hook-shaped spicules with a cucullus
      and a thorn-shaped rostrum. Schistonchus altissimus n. sp. is typologically
      differentiated from all other described species in this genus, except for S.
      microcarpus, by having a spicule with cucullus on the male tail tip. Schistonchus
      altissimus n. sp. is easily differentiated from other sequenced species by the
      partial small subunit rRNA gene (SSU), D3 expansion segment of the large subunit
      rRNA gene (LSU) and mitochondrial DNA subunit I (mtCOI). Phylogenetic analysis
      with partial SSU sequences suggests that S. altissimus n. sp. is in a highly
      supported monophyletic clade with two Chinese species (S. microcarpus and S.
      centerae) and two neotropical species (S. aureus and Schistonchus sp. ex Ficus
      colubrinae Standl.). Based on inferences using LSU D3 sequence data, S.
      altissimus n. sp. has a closer relationship with four Chinese species (S.
      centerae, S. fistulosus, S. guangzhouensis and S. microcarpus) than with S.
      hirtus and S. superbus, also from China.

PMID- 26106744
TI  - Four new species of Haplosclerida (Porifera, Demospongiae) from the Aleutian
      Islands, Alaska.
AB  - Four new species of Haplosclerida are described from the Aleutian Islands,
      Alaska: Callyspongia mucosa n.sp., Cladocroce infundibulum n. sp., Cladocroce
      attu n. sp. and Cladocroce kiska n. sp. The new species are described and
      compared to congeners of the region. This is the northernmost record of the genus
      Callyspongia and the first record of the subgenus Callyspongia from the North
      Pacific Ocean. To accommodate Cladocroce kiska in its genus the definition has to
      be broadened to allow sigmas.

PMID- 26106745
TI  - A new species and new records of microcaddisflies (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae)
      from northeastern Brazil.
AB  - The Hydroptilidae constitute the most diverse and widespread family of
      Trichoptera in the world. About 90 species of microcaddisflies have been recorded
      from Brazil, but the northeastern region is one of the least-sampled. In this
      work we describe a new species of Metrichia from Pernambuco State. Furthermore,
      we present the first records of Flintiella andreae Angrisano 1995 and Oxyethira
      bettyae Thomson & Holzenthal 2012 from Brazil, and four other new records from
      the northeastern region.

PMID- 26106746
TI  - Morphological and biological observations on the stick insect Tithonophasma
      tithonus (Gray, 1835) (Phasmida: Pseudophasmatidae: Pseudophasmatinae).

PMID- 26106747
TI  - On the advertisement call of Dermatonotus muelleri (Boettger, 1885) (Anura,
      Microhylidae).

PMID- 26106748
TI  - First record of Damiria Keller, 1891 from Brazil, with the description of a new
      species (Poeciloscierida; Demospongiae; Porifera).

PMID- 26106749
TI  - [Reactive (psychogenic) depressions].
AB  - In this literature review, authors analyzed the history of studies on psychogenic
      (stress-included) depressions and the current state of the problem. The status of
      these diseases in classification systems, main directions of current research,
      proposed conceptions and perspectives of future studies in the filed are
      considered.

PMID- 26106750
TI  - Farewell and thanks to Dave Sackett, Cochrane's first pilot.

PMID- 26106751
TI  - Psychosocial interventions for benzodiazepine harmful use, abuse or dependence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Benzodiazepines (BZDs) have a sedative and hypnotic effect upon
      people. Short term use can be beneficial but long term BZD use is common, with
      several risks in addition to the potential for dependence in both opiate and non
      opiate dependent patients. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of
      psychosocial interventions for treating BZD harmful use, abuse or dependence
      compared to pharmacological interventions, no intervention, placebo or a
      different psychosocial intervention on reducing the use of BZDs in opiate
      dependent and non-opiate dependent groups. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL- the Cochrane Library
      issue 12, 2014) which includes the Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group Specialized
      Register; PubMed (from 1966 to December 2014); EMBASE (from 1988 to December
      2014); CINAHL Cumulative Index to Nursing and AlliedHealth Literature (1982 to
      September 2013); PsychINFO (1872 to December 2014); ERIC (Education Resources
      Information Centre, (January 1966 to September 2013); All EBM Reviews (1991 to
      September 2013, Ovid Interface); AMED (Allied & Alternative Medicine) 1985 to
      September 2013); ASSIA (Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (1960 to
      September 2013); LILACS (January 1982 to September 2013);Web of Science (1900 to
      December 2014);Electronic Grey Literature Databases: Dissertation Abstract; Index
      to Theses. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials examining the use of
      a psychosocial intervention to treat BZDs versus pharmacological interventions,no
      intervention, placebo or a different psychosocial intervention on reducing the
      use of BZDs in opiate dependent and non-opiate dependent groups. DATA COLLECTION
      AND ANALYSIS: We used the standard methodological procedures outlined in Cochrane
      Guidelines. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-five studies including 1666 people met the
      inclusion criteria. The studies tested many different psychosocial interventions
      including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) (some studies with taper, other
      studies with no taper), motivational interviewing (MI),letters to patients
      advising them to reduce or quit BZD use, relaxation studies, counselling
      delivered electronically and advice provided by a general practitioner (GP).
      Based on the data obtained, we performed two meta-analyses in this Cochrane
      review: one assessing the effectiveness of CBT plus taper versus taper only (575
      participants), and one assessing MI versus treatment as usual (TAU) (80
      participants).There was moderate quality of evidence that CBT plus taper was more
      likely to result in successful discontinuation of BZDs within four weeks post
      treatment compared to taper only (Risk ratio (RR) 1.40, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) 1.05 to 1.86; nine trials, 423 participants) and moderate quality of
      evidence at three month follow-up (RR 1.51, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.98) in favour of CBT
      (taper)for 575 participants. The effects were less certain at 6, 11, 12, 15 and
      24 months follow-up. The effect of CBT on reducing BZDs by> 50% was uncertain for
      all time points examined due to the low quality evidence. There was very low
      quality evidence for the effect on drop-outs at any of the time intervals; post
      treatment (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.66), three month follow-up (RR 1.71, 95%
      CI0.16 to 17.98) and six month follow-up (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.17 to 2.88).Based on
      the very low quality of evidence available, the effect of MI versus TAU for all
      the time intervals is unclear; post treatment(RR 4.43, 95% CI 0.16 to 125.35; two
      trials, 34 participants), at three month follow-up (RR 3.46, 95% CI 0.53 to
      22.45; four trials,80 participants), six month follow-up (RR 0.14, 95% CI 0.01 to
      1.89) and 12 month follow-up (RR 1.25, 95% CI 0.63 to 2.47).There was very low
      quality of evidence to determine the effect of MI on reducing BZDs by > 50% at
      three month follow-up (RR 1.52,95% CI 0.60 to 3.83) and 12 month follow-up (RR
      0.87, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.47). The effects on drop-outs from treatment at any of e
      time intervals between the two groups were uncertain due to the wide CIs; post
      treatment (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.04 to 7.10), three month follow-up (RR 0.46, 95% CI
      0.06 to 3.28), six month follow-up (RR 8.75, 95% CI 0.61 to 124.53) and 12 month
      follow-up(RR 0.42, 95% CI 0.02 to 7.71).The following interventions reduced BZD
      use - tailored GP letter versus generic GP letter at 12 month follow-up (RR 1.70,
      95%CI 1.07 to 2.70; one trial, 322 participants), standardised interview versus
      TAU at six month follow-up (RR 13.11, 95% CI 3.25 to 52.83; one trial, 139
      participants) and 12 month follow-up (RR 4.97, 95% CI 2.23 to 11.11), and
      relaxation versus TAU at three month follow-up (RR 2.20, 95% CI 1.23 to
      3.94).There was insufficient supporting evidence for the remaining
      interventions.We performed a 'Risk of bias' assessment on all included studies.
      We assessed the quality of the evidence as high quality for random sequence
      generation, attrition bias and reporting bias; moderate quality for allocation
      concealment, performance bias for objective outcomes, and detection bias for
      objective outcomes; and low quality for performance bias for subjective outcomes
      and detection bias for subjective outcomes. Few studies had manualised sessions
      or independent tests of treatment fidelity; most follow-up periods were less than
      12 months.Based on decisions made during the implementation of protocol methods
      to present a manageable summary of the evidence we did not collect data on
      quality of life, self-harm or adverse events. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: CBT plus
      taper is effective in the short term (three month time period) in reducing BZD
      use. However, this is not sustained at six months and subsequently. Currently
      there is insufficient evidence to support the use of MI to reduce BZD use. There
      is emerging evidence to suggest that a tailored GP letter versus a generic GP
      letter, a standardised interview versus TAU, and relaxation versus TAU could be
      effective for BZD reduction. There is currently insufficient evidence for other
      approaches to reduce BZD use.

PMID- 26106752
TI  - Chelation for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that the severity of autism spectrum disorder
      (ASD) symptoms is positively correlated with the level of circulating or stored
      toxic metals, and that excretion of these heavy metals, brought about by the use
      of pharmaceutical chelating agents, results in improved symptoms. OBJECTIVES: To
      assess the potential benefits and adverse effects of pharmaceutical chelating
      agents (referred to as chelation therapy throughout this review) for autism
      spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the following
      databases on 6 November 2014: CENTRAL, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process,
      Embase,PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature
      (CINAHL) and 15 other databases, including three trials registers. In addition we
      checked references lists and contacted experts. SELECTION CRITERIA: All
      randomised controlled trials of pharmaceutical chelating agents compared with
      placebo in individuals with ASD. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors
      independently selected studies, assessed them for risk of bias and extracted
      relevant data. We did not conduct a meta-analysis, as only one study was
      included. MAIN RESULTS: We excluded nine studies because they were non-randomised
      trials or were withdrawn before enrolment.We included one study, which was
      conducted in two phases. During the first phase of the study, 77 children with
      ASD were randomly assigned to receive seven days of glutathione lotion or placebo
      lotion, followed by three days of oral dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). Forty-nine
      children who were found to be high excreters of heavy metals during phase one
      continued on to phase two to receive three days of oral DMSA or placebo followed
      by 11 days off, with the cycle repeated up to six times. The second phase thus
      assessed the effectiveness of multiple doses of oral DMSA compared with placebo
      in children who were high excreters of heavy metals and who received a three-day
      course of oral DMSA. Overall, no evidence suggests that multiple rounds of oral
      DMSA had an effect on ASD symptoms. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: This review included
      data from only one study, which had methodological limitations. As such, no
      clinical trial evidence was found to suggest that pharmaceutical chelation is an
      effective intervention for ASD. Given prior reports of serious adverse events,
      such as hypocalcaemia, renal impairment and reported death, the risks of using
      chelation for ASD currently outweigh proven benefits. Before further trials are
      conducted, evidence that supports a causal link between heavy metals and autism
      and methods that ensure the safety of participants are needed.

PMID- 26106753
TI  - Extrapontine Myelinolysis in a patient with Primary Adrenal Insufficiency.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the development of estrapontine myelinolysis (EPM) in a
      patient with adrenal insufficiency and review similar in the literature. CASE
      REPORT: A 49-year-old female with insufficiency presented with acute dysarthria,
      stuttering, and parkinsonism. She received isotonic saline hydration for adrenal
      crisis and hyponatremia 18 days before the onset of symtoms. The brain MRI and
      MRS showed demyelination at bilateral basal ganglia and the thalamus, which was
      compatible with EPM and resolved within 3 months after steroid treatment.
      CONCLUSION: Development of acute parkinsonism after rapid correction of
      hyponatremia may indicate the occurrence of EPM and underlying adrenal
      insufficiency should be excluded in these patients.

PMID- 26106754
TI  - Photosynthesis in variable environments.

PMID- 26106755
TI  - Huge arachnoid Cyst Presenting as Cough Headache.

PMID- 26106756
TI  - Obituary: John Michael Thresh - On lifelong war with plant viruses.

PMID- 26106757
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26106758
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26106759
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26106760
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26106761
TI  - Leaf-litter thrips of the genus Adraneothrips from Asia and Australia
      (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripinae).
AB  - The Oriental genus Stigmothrips Ananthakrishnan is synonymised with A
      draneothrips Hood, a genus in which most species have been described from the
      Neotropics. Problems with descriptions by T.N. Ananthakrishnan of species from
      India are discussed, but cannot be fully resolved without access to the
      holotypes. A key is provided to 23 species of Adraneothrips from Asia and
      Australia, including four new species: darwini sp. n. from Northern Territory,
      Australia; hani sp. n. from Taiwan, China; yunnanensis sp. n. from Yunnan, China
      as well as Java, Indonesia; and waui sp. n. from Papua New Guinea. One species
      from the Philippines, Adraneothrips makilingensis (Reyes) comb. n., is
      transferred from Apelaunothrips, and the male of Adraneothrips russatus (Haga) is
      described and illustrated for the first time, from Yunnan, China. Two species are
      newly recorded from Australia: coloratus (Mound) previously known only from the
      Solomon Islands, and russatus (Haga) previously known from southern Japan and
      southern China but with one female recorded here from Fiji. Further new records
      are, coloratus from Java, and chinensis (Zhang & Tong) from Malaysia. Colonies of
      species in this genus are commonly found living on dead leaves, as fungus
      feeders, and many species are brightly coloured or bicoloured in patterns of
      yellow and brown.

PMID- 26106762
TI  - A new species of the genus Tropiocolotes Peters, 1880 from western Iran
      (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae).
AB  - The genus Tropiocolotes comprises small, naked toed, ground dwelling and
      nocturnal desert geckos, ranging from Morocco and Mauritania in northern Africa
      to south and central Arabia as well as coastal Iran. Herein, we describe a new
      species of the genus Tropiocolotes from western Iran based on five specimens from
      Nayband region. This new taxon is described with a statistical approach based on
      34 meristic, metric and qualitative morphological characters of more than 300
      individuals of related species.

PMID- 26106763
TI  - The South American wolf spider genus Birabenia Mello-Leitao, 1941 (Araneae:
      Lycosidae: Lycosinae).
AB  - The wolf spider genus Birabenia Mello-Leitao, 1941 is revalidated, comprising B.
      birabenae Mello-Leitao (type species) and B. vittata (Mello-Leitao) comb. n. The
      monotypic genus Melloicosa Roewer is synonymised with Birabenia by the transfer
      of its type species Gnatholycosa vittata Mello-Leitao. Three species, Hogna
      taeniata (Mello-Leitao), Geolycosa sanogastensis (Mello-Leitao) and
      Paratrochosina murina (Mello-Leitao) are considered junior synonyms of B.
      birabenae. Representatives of Birabenia show affinities with Trochosa C. L. Koch
      but can be distinguished by the presence of one pair of apical spines or none on
      the ventral side of tibia I of females, the presence of four teeth on the
      cheliceral retromargin, a shorter furrow on the prolateral side of the tegulum on
      the male bulb and by having more than seven macrosetae at the tip of cymbium.
      Birabenia is distributed from north-western Argentina to southern Uruguay.

PMID- 26106764
TI  - A review of Amblypalpus and Priscapalpus (Acari: Trombidiformes: Tenuipalpidae),
      including two new species of Amblypalpus from Iran.
AB  - Two new species of Amblypalpus (Acari: Trombidiformes: Tenuipalpidae) are
      described from Iran: Amblypalpus iraniensis sp. nov., from Wild Almond, Amygdalus
      scoparia (Rosaceae), and Amblypalpus thymus sp. nov., from Common Thyme, Thymus
      vulgaris (Lamiaceae). The new species are classified tentatively in Amblypalpus.
      The species Priscapalpus thomissus Meyer, 1979 is transferred to Amblypalpus and
      the genus concept of Priscapalpus is narrowed and therefore redefined. Similarly,
      we present an expanded concept of Amblypalpus. A key to brevipalpine genera and
      Amblypalpus species is provided.

PMID- 26106765
TI  - Uirassubrillia beckeri gen. n., sp. n. (Diptera: Chironomidae, Orthocladiinae)
      from northeastern Brazil.
AB  - Uirassubrillia beckeri gen. n., sp. n. is described and illustrated based on male
      and female imagines from Bahia State in Brazil. The new genus is placed in the
      Brillia-group as the adults have a strongly setose body and setose wing membrane,
      RM is long and oblique, and the eye has a long, parallel-sided dorsomedian
      extension. The male hypopygium has a characteristic digitiform superior volsella
      and a bifurcate gonostylus. The female has three seminal capsules, two large and
      a third, smaller one.

PMID- 26106766
TI  - Two new species of Pseudonannolene Silvestri, 1895 from Brazilian iron ore caves
      (Spirostreptida: Pseudonannolenidae).
AB  - Pseudonannolene gogo sp. n. and Pseudonannolene rolamossa sp. n. are described
      from individuals collected from Brazilian iron ore caves, Minas Gerais state. The
      family Pseudonannolenidae is exclusively Neotropical and frequently found in
      caves of Brazil, from which 23 species are known. The new species are compared
      with its congeners and with other Brazilian cave-dwelling species.

PMID- 26106767
TI  - Molecular evidence of the taxonomic status of western Mexican populations of
      Pliaethornis longirostris (Aves: Trochilidae).
AB  - Species diversity is largely underestimated by current taxonomy, precluding a
      precise understanding of evolutionary processes. Genetic data have increased our
      understanding of that cryptic diversity, and multilocus studies are now
      desirable. In this study, we used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences to
      evaluate the taxonomic status of the western Mexico's populations of Phaethornis
      longirostris. We found differences of 4.2 % in mtDNA and different alleles for
      one nDNA locus between western and eastern Mexican populations. Molecular and
      morphological evidence support the separation of these populations (P. 1.
      mexicanus and P. 1. griseoventer) as the species Phaethornis mexicanus Hartert
      1897. Phaethornis mexicanus is endemic to western Mexico and sister to the
      remaining populations of P. longirostris. The speciation of P mexicanus probably
      occurred around 880,000 years ago by a vicariant event involving climatic
      vegetational changes.

PMID- 26106768
TI  - Redescription of the tadpole of Kaloula taprobanica (Anura: Microhylidae) from
      Sri Lanka.

PMID- 26106769
TI  - Australian species of the ant genus Dolichoderus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
AB  - The Australian species of the ant genus Dolichoderus are revised. The fauna
      contains 27 species belonging to four species goups, the australis group (5
      species, 2 newly described), the doriae group (6 species, 2 newly described), the
      scabridus poup (6 species, 1 newly described) and the scrobiculatus group (10
      species, 4 newly described). The former subspecies niger Crawley and rufotibialis
      Clark are raised to species-level. The following nine new species are described:
      albamaculus sp. n., canopus sp. n., etus sp. n., gordoni sp. n., inferus sp. n.,
      kathae sp. n., omicron sp. n., rutilus sp. n. and semiorbis sp. n. Four new
      synonyms are proposed: armstrongi McAreavey with reflexus Clark, glauerti Wheeler
      with parvus Clark, occidentalis Clark withformosus Clark and ruficornis Santschi
      with scabridus Roger. A neotype is designated for D. clusor Forel. The majority
      of species are found in southern forested areas with only a few species known
      from arid and tropical regions.

PMID- 26106770
TI  - Oligochaeta (Annelida) of the profundal of Lake Hazar (Turkey), with description
      of Potamothrix alatus hazaricus n. ssp..
AB  - Lake Hazar is an alkaline oligotrophic lake of tectonic origin, located in the
      Eastern Anatolia region in Turkey, 1248 a a.s.l. Its surface area is 80 km2, the
      average depth 93 m and maximum depth 205 m. The lake and its surroundings an
      under protection as a region of historical value. During the present study (2007
      2012), samples were taken from 15 stations located at a depth of 2-200 m.
      Oligochaeta comprised 69% of the total invertebrate abundance. The profundal
      olgochaete fauna was found to consist of only three tubificid taxa, all of the
      subfamily Tubificinae. Potamothrix alatus hazaricus Timm & Arslan, n. ssp. was
      dominating anywhere down to maximum depths while Psammoryctides barbatus (Grube)
      and Ilyodrilus(?) sp. occurred seldom. All three are new records for Lake Hazar.
      Potamothrix alatus hazaricus shares the "winged" body shape in its genital region
      with the nominal, brackish-water subspecies P. a. alatus Finogenova, 1972, and
      the lateral position of the spermathecal pores and the shape of the ventral
      chaetae with the freshwater subspecies P. a. paravanicus Poddubnaja & Pataridze,
      1989 known from Transcaucasian lakes. The mitochondrial COI barcoding gene
      suggests long separation between the two taxa, but the nuclear ITS region shows
      no variation. The generic position of Ilyodrilus (?) sp. remains obscure since
      its internal genitalia could not be studied.

PMID- 26106771
TI  - A revision of the Schinia volupia (Fitch) species complex (Lepidoptera:
      Noctuidae: Heliothinae).
AB  - DNA barcode analysis of cytochrome oxidase I (COI) could not differentiate
      between the species of the Schinia volupia (Fitch, 1868) complex including S.
      volupia, S. masoni Smith, S. fulleri (McElvare, 1961); S. sanrafaeli Opler, 2004;
      S. miniana (Grote, 1881); and S. biforma Smith, 1906. Genitalic characters could
      only differentiate S. biforma from the S. volupia complex. Based on forewing
      color and pattern, larval host plant utilization, and geographic distribution, S.
      volupia, S. sanrafaeli, S. fulleri, and S. miniana are recognized as valid
      species and S. masoni is considered a new synonym of S. volupia. Schinia volupia,
      S.fulleri, S. sanrafaeli, S. miniana, and S. biforma are diagnosed and described.
      A variety of adult images are presented to show the range of variation among
      these species. Male and female genitalia of all included taxa are illustrated.
      Host plant utilization is discussed and illustrated. Distribution maps for
      examined specimens are provided.

PMID- 26106772
TI  - Catalog of type specimens of invertebrates in the collection of the Instituto
      Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia, Manaus, Brazil. VI. Hexapoda: Hemiptera:
      Heteroptera.
AB  - A catalog of type specimens of Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera) deposited in the
      Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil, is presented
      and updated to May, 2012. A total of 37 holotypes and 61 lots of paratypes of 78
      species are listed in their families: Miridae and Reduviidae (infraorder:
      Cimicomorpha); Mesoveliidae and Velfidae (Gerromorpha); Belostomatidae,
      Naucoridae, and Notonectidae (Nepomorpha); and Coreidae, Geocoridae [the older
      sense of "Lygaeidae"], and Pentatomidae (Pentatomomorpha). The taxa are presented
      alphabetically by infraorders, families, and genera, followed by epithet,
      bibliographic citation, type category, collection number, method of preservation,
      and present data on the labels. When necessary, we added localities data, and
      changes in taxonomic status of some species

PMID- 26106773
TI  - New records of water mites mainly from Vogelkop, New Guinea (Acari:
      Hydrachnidia), with the description of one new genus and thirteen new species.
AB  - New records are given of water mites from Vogelkop, New Guinea. A total of 33
      species is recorded, including the descriptions of a representative of a new
      genus, i.e. Dropursides aberratus, and of twelve further species new to science,
      i.e. Hydrobaumia purpurea, Oxus manokwariensis, Limnesia multiscutata, Limnesia
      vogelkop, Australiobates elongatus, Unionicola novaeguineae, Neumania silvestris,
      Recifella jluviatilis, Koenikea sentaniensis, Albia ilikensis, Albia papuaensis
      and Axonopsella bisetosa. The female of Albia wauensis Wiles and the male of
      Axonopsella ovalis Wiles are described for the first time.

PMID- 26106774
TI  - First fossil larvae of Berothidae (Neuroptera) from Baltic amber, with notes on
      the biology and termitophily of the family.
AB  - Four fossil larvae of Berothidae (Neuroptera) from Baltic amber are described in
      detail, and the main characters of a fifth larva are discussed briefly. Two first
      instars very probably belong to the Berothinae; the subfamilial affinities of
      three othe (probably full-grown) larvae are unclear. The latter are characterized
      by features not found so far in extant taxa of Berothi dae: antennae and labial
      palps with six to seven segments; ecdysial cleavage lines consist of only frontal
      and coronal sutures (the lateral suture is absent); pronotal sclerites large and
      very close to each other along midline. However, these larvae belong with
      certainty to Berothidae as indicated by the structure of their mouthparts, and
      their general appearance. Morphological and biological data on the larvae of
      Berothidae are summarized and analyzed. It is presumed that termitophily might
      have evolved during the Cretaceous (or in the early Cenozoic), and only in
      Berothinae (or in subfamilies closely related to this group). The Baltic amber
      berothid assemblage apparently included both termitophilous and noni
      termitophilous larvae.

PMID- 26106775
TI  - On some brachypterous Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from India, with
      description of four new species.
AB  - Four new species of brachypterous Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) are
      described. These are: Cheiloneurus mandyanus Hayat, sp. nov., Encyrtus coorgensis
      Hayat & Zeya, sp. nov., Microterys atturensis Hayat, sp. nov. and Pseudectroma
      indicum Hayat & Zeya, sp. nov. The following species that exist either in
      brachypterous forms only or in both brachypterous and macropterous forms are
      recorded: Anomalicornia tenuicornis Mercet, Cheiloneurus bangalorensis (Subba
      Rao), C. quadricolor (Girault), Diversinervus cervantesi (Girault),
      Globulencyrtus politus (Hoffer), Indaphycus planus Hayat, Neodusmetia sangwani
      (Subba Rao), Prochiloneurus bolivari Mercet, Rhopus atys Noyes & Hayat and
      Sakencyrtus mirus Hayat. Globulencyrtus politus and P bolivari are newly recorded
      from India. A diagnosis of Globulencyrtus, and redescriptions of G politus, P
      bolivari based on the Indian specimens and of the brachypterous forms of R. atys
      are given. The occurrence of brachyptery in the Encyrtidae is briefly noted
      together with a list of brachypterous species recorded from India.

PMID- 26106776
TI  - Ciimaerocyon gen. nov., a morphologically aberrant myrmecophilous genus of water
      scavenger beetle (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Sphaeridiinae).
AB  - Anew hydrophilid genus Chimaerocyon gen. nov. containing two species, C. shimadai
      sp. nov. (Malaysia: Pahang) and C. sumatranus sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra), is
      described. Specimens of C. shimadai were collected from brood cells in anest of
      Pheidole singaporensis Ozdikmen, 2010. The biology of C. sumatranus remains
      unknown. A molecular phylogeny based on four genes (cox1, cox2, 18S and 28S)
      supports the placement of the genus as deeply nested within the Cercyon-group of
      the tribe Megasternini. This position is supported by the subdistal position of
      the median spur in the hind wing (unique to Megasternini) and the presence of
      sucking disc on male maxilla (unique for Megastemini+Sphaeridiini). The remaining
      external morphology differs substantially from other representatives of
      Megasternini. The hypothesis that the aberrant morphology of Chimaerocyon gen.
      nov. is a consequence of myrmecophily is discussed.

PMID- 26106777
TI  - Two new species of the batfish genus Malthopsis (Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae)
      from the Western Indian Ocean.
AB  - Two new species of the triangular batfishes, genus Malthopsis, are described from
      the western Indian Ocean. Both belong to a species group with minute prickles on
      the ventral surface. Malthopsis bradburyae n. sp. differs from its congeners by
      having the body covered by blunt, flat bucklers; subopercular buckler dull,
      without well-developed spines, its ventral surface covered by minute prickles and
      a few large bucklers anterior to the pelvic-fin base; rostrum moderately long,
      directed forward rather than upward; eye relatively small. Malthopsis
      austrafricana n. sp. differs from its congeners by having a long forward and
      horizontally directed rostrum; subopercular bucklers dull, without well-developed
      spines; ventral surface evenly covered by minute prickles and small bucklers;
      small black patches on dorsal surface; and a strong tail. Comments and a key to
      the Western Indian Ocean species of Malthopsis are provided.

PMID- 26106778
TI  - The genus Macrostemum Kolenati 1859 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) in the
      Neotropical Region: Description of two new species, taxonomic notes,
      distributional records and key to males.
AB  - The genus Macrostemum Kolenati contains 105. described species, with 15 valid
      species in the Neotropical region. The Adults are recognized principally by wing
      membranes strongly marked with dark and light colors. The Neotropical species Of
      Macrostemum were described based on the wing colors patterns and body morphology.
      In this paper we present a taxonomic study of the Neotropical species,
      descriptions of two new species from Brazil, distributional records and a key to
      males. The male of Macrostemum negrense Flint 1978 is described for the first
      time, Names of three Neotropical species, M. ramosum (Navas 1916), M. trigramma
      (Navas 1916), and M. triste (Navas 1916) are designated nomina dubia.

PMID- 26106779
TI  - A new, riparian, species of Allobates Zimmermann and Zimmermann, 1988 (Anura:
      Aromobatidae) from southwestern Amazonia.
AB  - We describe Allobatesflaviventris sp. nov., a medium-sized (SVL 16.7-19.7 mm in
      males; 19.3-21.1 mm in females) aromobatid frog with Finger III not swollen in
      adult males from eastern state of Acre, Brazil. It inhabits open forests with
      bamboo, usually along small streams and rivers. it has golden-yellow belly and a
      unique advertisement call as a distinctive character. Notes on natural history
      are also provided.

PMID- 26106780
TI  - Taxonomic revision of Drymoluber Amaral, 1930 (Serpentes: Colubridae).
AB  - The present study is a taxonomic revision of the genus Drymoluber Amaral, 1930,
      using meristic and morphometric characters, aspects of external hemipenial
      morphology and body coloration. Sexual dimorphism occurs in D. dichrous and D.
      brazili but was not detected in D. apurimacensis. Morphological variation within
      D. dichrous is related to geographic distance between populations. Furthermore,
      variation in the number of ventrals and subcaudals in D. dichrous and D. brazili
      follows latitudinal and longitudinal clinal patterns. Drymoluber dichrous is
      diagnosed by the presence of 15-15-15 smooth dorsal scale rows with two apical
      pits, and 157-180 ventrals and 86-110 subcaudals; it occurs along the eastern
      versant of the Andes, in the Amazon forest, on the Guiana Shield, in the Atlantic
      forest, and its transitional areas with the Caatinga and Cerrado. Drymoluber
      brazili has 17-17-15 smooth dorsal scale rows with two apical pits, 182-202
      ventrals and 109-127 subcaudals, and ranges throughout the Caatinga, Cerrado,
      Atlantic forest and transitional areas between these last two domains. Drymoluber
      apurimacensis has 13-13-13 smooth dorsal scale rows without apical pits, 158-182
      ventrals and 84-93 subcaudals, and occurs in the Apurimac Valley, south of the
      Apurimac and Pampas rivers in Peru.

PMID- 26106781
TI  - Paraedessa, a new genus of Edessinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae).
AB  - The new genus Paraedessa is proposed, to include four species previously placed
      in Edessa. The new genus is characterized by males with the pygophore showing a
      lateral expansion of proctiger, and females with gonocoxites 8 reduced;
      gonapophyses 8 exposed and sclerotized. The species are very similar and their
      identification is possible only by comparing genitalia. New combinations proposed
      are Paraedessa stolida (Linnaeus) from Suriname and Brazil; P. heymonsi (Breddin)
      from Peru and Bolivia; P verhoeffi (Breddin) from Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and
      Brazil and P paravinula (Barber) from Puerto Rico. New species proposed are P.
      albomaculata from Suriname; P. cyanodorsata from Costa Rica, Panama and
      Venezuela; P. ecuadoriensis from Colombia and Ecuador; P. silvicola from French
      Guiana; P. subretangulata from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and Venezuela. The
      species were illustrated and photographed. Descriptions were made using mostly
      male and female genitalia external morphological characters. A key and
      distribution map for the species are also provided.

PMID- 26106782
TI  - The genus Gelanes Horstmann (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Tersilochinae) from
      South Korea, with description of four new species.
AB  - The genus Gelanes Horstmann is recorded from South Korea for the first time.
      Eight species of the genus are found to occur in this country. Four species, G
      dentator sp. nov., G protritus sp. nov., G provectus sp. nov. and G verendus sp.
      nov., are described as new, three species, G belokobylskii, G cuspidatus and G
      simillimus, also occur in the Russian Far East, and G gubarevae was previously
      known only from Europe. A key to the South Korean species of Gelanes is provided.

PMID- 26106783
TI  - Species status of Bombus monticola Smith (Hymenoptera: Apidae) supported by DNA
      barcoding.
AB  - Certain species of bumblebees are difficult to distinguish based on morphology
      alone due to a lack of diagnostic characters and extensive intraspecific
      variation in colour patterns. The discussion concerning whether Bombus lapponicus
      and Bombus monticola are the same species or not, seems to be ongoing. We present
      a study of 16 speciemens of B. monticola/B. lapponicus from Norway, identified
      with previously published morphological characters and with DNA barcoding. The
      results showed a match with the examination of the morphological characters and
      the DNA sequence data. These results confirm that B. lapponicus and B. monticola
      appear as separate species in Norway, which supports earlier conclusions based on
      both morphological differences and differences in cephalic marking pheromones in
      males. The wide sympatric range of the two taxa in Scandinavia also strongly
      support their species status.

PMID- 26106784
TI  - Taxonomic revision of the African genus Trechosiella Jeannel (Coleoptera:
      Carabidae: Trechinae).
AB  - The genus Trechosiella Jeannel, 1960 (Carabidae: Trechinae) is revised. In
      addition to the known species T. laetula (Peringuey, 1898), T. scotti (Jeannel,
      1937), T. basilewskyi Jeannel, 1960 and T. katicola Jeannel, 1964, T.
      endroedyyoungai spec. nov., T. oligophthalma spec. nov. and T. scotti
      swartbergensis subspec. nov. are newly described. Trechosiella laetulaperingueyi
      (Jeannel, 1926) is recognized as a new synonym of T. laetula sensu stricto.
      Trechosiella macroptera Casale, 1986 is demoted to become a subspecies of T.
      scotti, as T scotti macroptera status demotus. An identification key to the known
      species and subspecies of Trechosiella and a distribution map of the southern
      African taxa are provided.

PMID- 26106785
TI  - New unidentate jumping spider genera (Araneae: Salticidae) from Australia.
AB  - The Australian fauna includes large numbers of undescribed, tiny, litter-living,
      jumping spiders. In this paper four monotypic new genera (Ananeon howardensis n.
      g. n. sp., Barraina anfracta n. g. n.sp., Frewena maculata n.g. n.s., and
      Pungalina weiri n.g, n.sp.) are described. Two species (Neon taylori n.sp. and
      Neon australis n. sp.) representing the two distinctive morphological patterns
      found in Australian species of this genus are also described. The former, similar
      in the morphology of the palp and genitalia to that found in many species from
      eastern Australia, is most similar in morphology to N. sumatranus Logunov 1998
      from Indonesia and N. kovblyuki Logunov 2004 from the Crimea. The latter, and
      other similar species from South Australia and Western Australia, has palp
      morphology and fringing on L1 very similar to that seen in N. nojimai Ikeda 1995
      from Japan.

PMID- 26106786
TI  - New species of Tenuipalpus (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from Semidecidual Forest
      remnants in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
AB  - Three new species of the genus Tenuipalpus (Acariformes: Tenuipalpidae), T tapiae
      sp. nov., T. apichai sp. nov., and T. nambii sp. nov. collected in Semidecidual
      Forest native plants in the northwest of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil are
      described and illustrated. A key of the Brazilian species of Tenuipaipus based on
      females is presented.

PMID- 26106787
TI  - The nomenclatural status of the two "spiny-wristed" fiddler crabs: Uca spinicarpa
      Rathbun, 1900, and U. hesperiae Crane, 1975 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Ocypodidae).
AB  - A secondary homonymy is documented for Gelasimus [= Uca] tetragonon var.
      spinicarpa Kossmann, 1877 (a species from the Red Sea), and Uca spinicarpa
      Rathbun, 1900 (a species from the Gulf of Mexico). Although Kossmann's usage of
      the nomen spinicarpa has chronological priority, a reversal of precedence is
      required by Article 23.9 of the Code since Kossmann's use has not been applied as
      a valid name since the original publication in 1877, while Rathbun's use of the
      name has been applied over 50 times in the last half century. The species
      Kossmann was most likely referring to is today known as Uca hesperiae Crane,
      1975, a name which may be retained in light of the reversal of precedence.

PMID- 26106788
TI  - Further contribution to the knowledge of Ityphilus calinus Chamberlin, 1957, a
      poorly known ballophilid centipede from Colombia, with description of Ityphilus
      bonatoi, a new diminutive geophilomorph species from Brazil (Myriapoda:
      Chilopoda, Geophilomorpha).
AB  - Ityphilus calinus Chamberlin, 1957 (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha, Ballophilidae), a
      poorly known centipede from Cauca Valley, Colombia, is herein redescribed and
      illustrated after the male holotype, revealing the condition of the forcipular
      tarsungulum (which is completely smooth), also giving new data on many other
      morphological features of specific value until now unknown. A new diminutive
      species named Ityphilus bonatoi sp. nov. is herein proposed after the holotype
      female from Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The new species is characterized by
      having the internal edge of the forcipular tarsungulum serrate; among the other
      Neotropical members of the genus having the same trait, it only shares with I.
      donatellae Pereira, 2012 (from Central Amazon) a very small body size and a low
      number of leg-bearing segments. The new species represents the first record of
      the genus Ityphilus from the Atlantic Rainforest biome, and the southernmost
      representative of the genus in the Continent. A key for identification of the
      Neotropical species currently included in Ityphilus is also given.

PMID- 26106789
TI  - New species of high elevation cloud forest butterflies of the genus Pedaliodes
      Butler from the northern Colombian Andes (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae).
AB  - Four new species of Pedaliodes Butler (i.e., P. adrianae, n. sp., P. haydoni, n.
      sp., P. philinae, n. sp. and P. rodriguezi, n. sp.) are described from the high
      elevation cloud forests in the Frontino massif in the Colombian Western
      Cordillera and the northern part of the Central and Eastern Cordilleras. The
      affinities of these new species with other congeners are discussed. The total
      number of described species of Colombian Pronophilina is increased to 208, with a
      particularly high total number of species (88) and proportion of endemic species
      (26%) in the Western Cordillera.

PMID- 26106790
TI  - The Hemiptera type-material housed in the "Museu de Ciencias Naturais, Fundacao
      Zoobotanica do Rio Grande do Sul" of Porto Alegre, Brazil.
AB  - We provide a commented and referenced list on the type material deposited in the
      "Museu de Ciencias Naturais, Fundacao Zoobotanica do Rio Grande do Sul", Porto
      Alegre, Brazil. Geographic coordinates are available on a digital repository for
      free access. High-resolution images of the specimens are available under request.

PMID- 26106791
TI  - Neotripyla vulgaris gen. n., sp. n. and Semitobrilus andrassyi sp. n. (Nematoda,
      Triplonchida) from freshwater bodies of Vietnam.
AB  - A new genus and two new species are described and illustrated from Vietnam.
      Neotripyla gen. n. has distinctive morphological characters of both Tripylidae
      and Tobrilidae. The presence of three lips, a narrow stoma with no sclerotized
      walls, and the arrangement of outer labial and cephalic setae are characteristic
      of nematodes of the family Tripylidae. The presence of vesiculate precloacal
      supplements in males and the absence of a muscular pouch for the spicular
      apparatus are characteristic of nematodes of the family Tobrilidae. Accordingly a
      new family, Neotripylidae fam. n., is established. Neotripyla vulgaris gen. n.,
      sp. n. is designated the type and only species of the new genus and family.
      Semitobrilus andrassyi sp. n. is closely related to S. gagarini (Ebsary, 1982),
      but differs in the longer spicules (71-80 um vs 65 um long in S. gagarini) and in
      the presence of keel-like projection and lateral ribs at distal part of spicules.
      S. gagarini (Ebsary, 1982) is considered a valid species of the genus
      Semitobrilus. A list of all valid species of the genus Semitobrilus and key for
      their determination are given.

PMID- 26106792
TI  - A new species of Atrichopleura Bezzi (Diptera, Empididae, Empidinae) from Ceara,
      Brazil.
AB  - Atrichopleura Bezzi, 1909 occurs in different regions of the Southern Hemisphere
      (24 Neotropical species, 2 Afrotropical species and 2 Australasian species). A
      new species collected in the Brazilian state of Ceara, A. acuminata sp. nov. is
      described and illustrated. This is the first record of the genus from
      northeastern Brazil. A modified key to the five Brazilian species is presented.

PMID- 26106793
TI  - A new and possibly critically endangered species of casque-headed tree frog
      Aparasphenodon Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920 (Anura, Hylidae) from southeastern Brazil.
AB  - A new species of casque-headed tree frog of the genus Aparasphenodon is described
      from the municipality of Cataguases (21 degrees 20'S, 42 degrees 45'W; 288 m
      a.s.l.) in the Atlantic Rain Forest of Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil.
      Aparasphenodon pomba sp. nov. is characterized by medium size (males, snout-vent
      length, SVL 51.6-60.5 mm; females, SVL 58.7-62.1 mm); snout almost round in
      dorsal view; dorsum and limbs with cream-colored reticulation on dark-brown
      background; spots on ventral surface cream-colored; lips white; cream-colored
      dorsolateral stripe originating on the snout, crossing the upper eyelid and
      extending posteriorly to the axilla level; and red iris.

PMID- 26106794
TI  - First record of the genus Chvalaea Papp & Fo1dvari from Northern Europe (Diptera:
      Hybotidae).

PMID- 26106795
TI  - New and interesting Peritelini of the Western Mediterranean fauna. XX. A novel
      Meira (Jacquelin du Val, 1852) species from the Ligurian Alps.
AB  - Meira diottii, nov.sp. from the Ligurian Alps is described. Relevant anatomical
      characters are detailed and illustrated with drawings and photography.
      Characteristic sensilla on the penis are identified and illustrated with scanning
      electron microscopy. Relationships with other Meira species are proposed.

PMID- 26106796
TI  - A new species of Evonima Walker, 1865 (Lepidoptera: Nolidae: Nolinae) from China.

PMID- 26106798
TI  - SERS and NMR Studies of Typical Aggregation-Induced Emission Molecules.
AB  - Over recent decades, aggregation-induced emission (AIE) molecules have attracted
      increasing attention. Restriction of intramolecular rotation (RIR) has been
      widely accepted as the cause of the emission when AIE molecules aggregate into
      clusters. The intramolecular rotation of AIE molecules can be monitored by
      molecular vibration spectra such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared,
      and Raman, especially surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) which has high
      sensitivity down to a single molecule. We employed SERS and NMR to study the AIE
      emission mechanism and compared experimental results with simulation data to
      monitor the RIR. Interestingly, we found that intramolecular rotation was also
      restricted for individual AIE molecules loaded onto SERS substrate surfaces due
      to the laid-down configuration. 

PMID- 26106797
TI  - Shrapnel nanoparticles loading docetaxel inhibit metastasis and growth of breast
      cancer.
AB  - Metastasis is one of the major obstacles for the successful therapy of breast
      cancer. To inhibit the metastasis and growth of breast cancer simultaneously, a
      new docetaxel (DTX) loaded shrapnel nano delivery system with the reduction- and
      enzyme-sensitive properties was designed and developed. Firstly, methoxy
      polyethylene glycol-peptide-vitamin E succinate (PPV), a matrix
      metalloproteinases (MMPs)-sensitive copolymer, was synthesized by conjugating
      mPEG and vitamin E succinate (VES) using an enzyme-sensitive peptide. Then, DTX
      loaded methoxy polyethylene glycol-s-s-vitamin E succinate (PSV) micelles (DPM) @
      PPV-based liposomes (DPM@PL) were prepared by the incorporation of DPM into the
      PPV-based liposomes. DPM@PL showed a shrapnel structure with average particle
      size 113.3 +/- 2.7 nm. The drug loading and encapsulation efficiency of DPM@PL
      were 1.93% and 99.02%, respectively. An obvious burst release (>90%) of drug was
      observed in the simulated tumor microenvironment with MMPs and reductive
      glutathione. The cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of DPM@PL in 4T1 cells were
      significantly enhanced after the pre-treatment of activated MMP-9. Compared with
      Taxotere((r)), DPM@PL remarkably increased the distribution of DTX in lung and
      tumor of 4T1 tumor-bearing mice, and inhibited the in situ tumor growth and
      pulmonary metastasis formation effectively through the enhanced DTX-induced
      apoptosis and the reduced metastasis-promoting proteins expression. Compared with
      saline group, the inhibitory rates of DPM@PL against tumor volume and lung
      metastasis were about 81% and 92%, respectively, and it didn't produce the
      significant systemic toxicity. As a result, DPM@PL could be a promising nano
      delivery system for the successful therapy of breast cancer.

PMID- 26106799
TI  - Chiral Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Enantioselective Cycloadditions between Indoles and
      Cyclic Carbonyl Ylides Derived from Diazodiketone or Diazoketoester Derivatives.
AB  - Asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions between N-methylindoles and
      several cyclic carbonyl ylides that were derived from diazodiketone or
      diazoketoester precursors in the presence of both achiral Rh and chiral
      lanthanoid metal catalysts are described. For the six-membered cyclic carbonyl
      ylides derived from 1-diazo-5-aryl-2,5-pentanedione precursors, the cycloaddition
      reactions were carried out using Rh2(OAc)4 (2 mol %) and the chiral Pybox-Ph2
      Lu(OTf)3 complex (10 mol %) as catalysts, resulting in high enantioselectivities
      (83% to >98% ee (exo)) along with relatively good exo-selectivities (exo:endo =
      65:35 to 94:6) and yields (63-85%). For the five-membered cyclic carbonyl ylide
      derived from 1-diazo-2,4-pentandione precursor, the cycloaddition reaction with 5
      bromo-1-methylindole was carried out in the presence of Rh2(OAc)4 (2 mol %) and
      the chiral Pybox-Ph2-Er(OTf)3 complex (30 mol %) as catalysts, resulting in
      relatively good enantioselectivity (78% ee) and endo-selectivity (endo:exo =
      81:19). 

PMID- 26106800
TI  - Evaluation of sterol transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria
      using mitochondrially targeted bacterial sterol acyltransferase in Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae.
AB  - To elucidate the mechanism of interorganelle sterol transport, a system to
      evaluate sterol transport from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the mitochondria
      was constructed. A bacterial glycerophospholipid: cholesterol acyltransferase
      fused with a mitochondria-targeting sequence and a membrane-spanning domain of
      the mitochondrial inner membrane protein Pet100 and enhanced green fluorescent
      protein was expressed in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant deleted for ARE1 and
      ARE2 encoding acyl-CoA:sterol acyltransferases. Microscopic observation and
      subcellular fractionation suggested that this fusion protein, which was named
      mito-SatA-EGFP, was localized in the mitochondria. Steryl esters were synthesized
      in the mutant expressing mito-SatA-EGFP. This system will be applicable for
      evaluations of sterol transport from the ER to the mitochondria in yeast by
      examining sterol esterification in the mitochondria. 

PMID- 26106801
TI  - Speciation Matters: Bioavailability of Silver and Silver Sulfide Nanoparticles to
      Alfalfa (Medicago sativa).
AB  - Terrestrial crops are directly exposed to silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) and their
      environmentally transformed analog silver sulfide nanoparticles (Ag2S-NPs) when
      wastewater treatment biosolids are applied as fertilizer to agricultural soils.
      This leads to a need to understand their bioavailability to plants. In the
      present study, the mechanisms of uptake and distribution of silver in alfalfa
      (Medicago sativa) were quantified and visualized upon hydroponic exposure to Ag
      NPs, Ag2S-NPs, and AgNO3 at 3 mg total Ag/L. Total silver uptake was measured in
      dried roots and shoots, and the spatial distribution of elements was investigated
      using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and synchrotron-based X-ray imaging
      techniques. Despite large differences in release of Ag(+) ions from the
      particles, Ag-NPs, Ag2S-NPs, and Ag(+) became associated with plant roots to a
      similar degree, and exhibited similarly limited (<1%) amounts of translocation of
      silver into the shoot system. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping revealed
      differences in the distribution of Ag into roots for each treatment. Silver
      nanoparticles mainly accumulated in the (columella) border cells and elongation
      zone, whereas Ag(+) accumulated more uniformly throughout the root. In contrast,
      Ag2S-NPs remained largely adhered to the root exterior, and the presence of
      cytoplasmic nano-SixOy aggregates was observed. Exclusively in roots exposed to
      particulate silver, NPs smaller than the originally dosed NPs were identified by
      TEM in the cell walls. The apparent accumulation of Ag in the root apoplast
      determined by XRF, and the presence of small NPs in root cell walls suggests
      uptake of partially dissolved NPs and translocation along the apoplast. 

PMID- 26106802
TI  - EFFECTS OF SELF-SELECTED MUSIC ON MAXIMAL BENCH PRESS STRENGTH AND STRENGTH
      ENDURANCE.
AB  - Listening to music during strength workouts has become a very common practice.
      The goal of this study was to assess the effect of listening to self-selected
      music on strength performances. Thirty-one resistance-trained men (M age = 24.7
      yr., SD = 5.9; M height = 178.7 cm, SD = 4.7; M body mass = 83.54 kg, SD = 12.0)
      were randomly assigned to either a Music group (n = 19) or to a Control group (n
      = 12). Both groups took part in two separate sessions; each session consisted in
      a maximal strength test (1-RM) and a strength-endurance test (repetitions to
      failure at 60% 1-RM) using the bench press exercise. The music group listened to
      music in the second assessment session, while the control group performed both
      tests without music. Listening to music induced a significant increase of
      strength endurance performance and no effects on maximal strength. These findings
      have implications for the use of music during strength workouts.

PMID- 26106803
TI  - RELIABILITY AND CRITERION VALIDITY OF A NOVEL CLINICAL TEST OF SIMPLE AND COMPLEX
      REACTION TIME IN ATHLETES.
AB  - Slowed reaction time (RT) represents both a risk factor for and a consequence of
      sport concussion. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability and
      criterion validity of a novel clinical test of simple and complex RT, called
      RT(clin), in contact sport athletes. Both tasks were adapted from the well-known
      ruler drop test of RT and involve manually grasping a falling vertical shaft upon
      its release, with the complex task employing a go/no-go paradigm based on a light
      cue. In 46 healthy contact sport athletes (24 men; M = 16.3 yr., SD = 5.0; 22
      women: M age = 15.0 yr., SD = 4.0) whose sports included soccer, ice hockey,
      American football, martial arts, wrestling, and lacrosse, the latency and
      accuracy of simple and complex RT(clin) had acceptable test-retest and inter
      rater reliabilities and correlated with a computerized criterion standard, the
      Axon Computerized Cognitive Assessment Tool. Medium to large effect sizes were
      found. The novel RT(clin) tests have acceptable reliability and criterion
      validity for clinical use and hold promise as concussion assessment tools.

PMID- 26106805
TI  - Ethanol-Associated Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis and Left Ventricular Dilation Are
      Unrelated to Changes in Myocardial Telomere Length in Rats.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this work was to determine whether ethanol-associated myocardial
      apoptosis and cardiac dilation are related to myocardial telomere shortening in
      rats. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats received either drinking
      water with (ethanol: n = 19) or without (control: n = 19) 5% (v/v) ethanol ad
      libitum, for 4 months. Left ventricular (LV) dimensions and function
      (echocardiography and isolated perfused heart preparations), cardiomyocyte
      apoptosis (terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling),
      and leukocyte and myocardial telomere length (real-time polymerase chain
      reaction) were determined at the end of the study. Ethanol administration
      resulted in a marked increase in cardiomyocyte apoptosis (ethanol 0.85 +/- 0.13%
      vs control 0.36 +/- 0.06%; P = .0021) and LV dilation (LV end-diastolic diameter:
      ethanol 8.20 +/- 0.14 mm vs control 7.56 +/- 0.11 mm [P = .0014]; volume
      intercept at 0 mm Hg (V0) of the LV end-diastolic pressure-volume relationship:
      ethanol 0.40 +/- 0.03 mL vs control 0.31 +/- 0.02 mL [P = .020]). However, there
      were no changes in systolic chamber function as indexed by LV endocardial
      fractional shortening or the slope of the LV systolic pressure-volume
      relationship (end systolic elastance). The percentage of myocardial apoptosis was
      correlated with the degree of LV dilation (% apoptosis vs LV EDD: r = 0.39; n =
      38; P = .021; vs V0: r = 0.44; n = 19; P = .046). No differences in leukocyte or
      cardiac telomere length were noted between the ethanol and control groups.
      Furthermore, cardiac telomere length was not associated with indexes of LV
      dilation (LVEDD and V0) or cardiomyocyte apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic ethanol
      associated myocardial apoptosis and adverse remodeling occurs independently from
      changes in cardiac telomere length. Telomere shortening may not be a critical
      mechanism responsible for cardiomyocyte apoptosis and adverse cardiac remodeling.

PMID- 26106806
TI  - Trends in Heart Failure Clinical Trials From 2001-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A systematic assessment of the temporal trends in heart failure (HF)
      clinical trials is lacking. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 154 phase II-IV HF
      trials including 162,725 patients published from 2001 to 2012 in 8 high-impact
      factor journals were reviewed. The median number of participants and sites per
      trial were 367 (interquartile range [IQR] 133-1450) and 38 (5-101), respectively.
      Median enrollment duration was 2.2 (1.5-3.3) years. The majority of studies
      investigated treatment for chronic HF (82.5%) and investigated HF with reduced
      ejection fraction (EF) (71.4%), whereas 27 trials (17.5%) enrolled patients with
      mixed EF and 9 (5.8%) enrolled HF with preserved EF patients alone. Enrollment
      rates did not significantly change over time (median 0.49 patients site(-1)
      month(-1), IQR 0.34-0.98; P = .53). Trials meeting their primary end point
      decreased over time from 73.5% in 2001-2003 to 52.5% in 2010-2012 (P = .08) and
      were more often smaller and used nonmortality end points. Industry trials were
      larger with shorter enrollment duration, more concentrated in North America, and
      more likely to be positive. Trials conducted exclusively outside North America
      and Western Europe had the highest enrollment rates (median 1.95 patients site(
      1) month(-1), IQR 1.34-4.11). CONCLUSIONS: Contemporary HF clinical trials
      display slow enrollment rates and decreased rates of positive outcomes over time.
      Positive trials tended to be smaller size with a higher proportion of surrogate
      end points.

PMID- 26106807
TI  - Timing and Duration of Traffic-related Air Pollution Exposure and the Risk for
      Childhood Wheeze and Asthma.
AB  - RATIONALE: The timing and duration of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP)
      exposure may be important for childhood wheezing and asthma development.
      OBJECTIVES: We examined the relationship between TRAP exposure and longitudinal
      wheezing phenotypes and asthma at age 7 years. METHODS: Children completed
      clinical examinations annually from age 1 year through age 4 years and age 7
      years. Parental-reported wheezing was assessed at each age, and longitudinal
      wheezing phenotypes (early-transient, late-onset, persistent) and asthma were
      defined at age 7 years. Participants' time-weighted exposure to TRAP, from birth
      through age 7 years, was estimated using a land-use regression model. The
      relationship between TRAP exposure and wheezing phenotypes and asthma was
      examined. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: High TRAP exposure at birth was
      significantly associated with both transient and persistent wheezing phenotypes
      (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-2.57 and
      aOR = 2.31; 95% CI, 1.28-4.15, respectively); exposure from birth to age 1 year
      and age 1 to 2 years was also associated with persistent wheeze. Only children
      with high average TRAP exposure from birth through age 7 years were at
      significantly increased risk for asthma (aOR = 1.71; 95% CI, 1.01-2.88).
      CONCLUSIONS: Early-life exposure to TRAP is associated with increased risk for
      persistent wheezing, but only long-term exposure to high levels of TRAP
      throughout childhood was associated with asthma development.

PMID- 26106809
TI  - Rational Re-engineering of a Transcriptional Silencing PreQ1 Riboswitch.
AB  - Re-engineered riboswitches that no longer respond to cellular metabolites, but
      that instead can be controlled by synthetic molecules, are potentially useful
      gene regulatory tools for use in synthetic biology and biotechnology fields.
      Previously, extensive genetic selection and screening approaches were employed to
      re-engineer a natural adenine riboswitch to create orthogonal ON-switches,
      enabling translational control of target gene expression in response to synthetic
      ligands. Here, we describe how a rational targeted approach was used to re
      engineer the PreQ1 riboswitch from Bacillus subtilis into an orthogonal OFF
      switch. In this case, the evaluation of just six synthetic compounds with seven
      riboswitch mutants led to the identification of an orthogonal riboswitch-ligand
      pairing that effectively repressed the transcription of selected genes in B.
      subtilis. The streamlining of the re-engineering approach, and its extension to a
      second class of riboswitches, provides a methodological platform for the creation
      of new orthogonal regulatory components for biotechnological applications
      including gene functional analysis and antimicrobial target validation and
      screening. 

PMID- 26106808
TI  - Identification of determinants for tRNA substrate recognition by Escherichia coli
      C/U34 2'-O-methyltransferase.
AB  - Post-transcriptional modifications bring chemical diversity to tRNAs, especially
      at positions 34 and 37 of the anticodon stem-loop (ASL). TrmL is the prokaryotic
      methyltransferase that catalyzes the transfer of the methyl group from S-adenosyl
      L-methionine to the wobble base of tRNA(Leu)CAA and tRNA(Leu)UAA isoacceptors.
      This Cm34/Um34 modification affects codon-anticodon interactions and is essential
      for translational fidelity. TrmL-catalyzed 2'-O-methylation requires its
      homodimerization; however, understanding of the tRNA recognition mechanism by
      TrmL remains elusive. In the current study, by measuring tRNA methylation by TrmL
      and performing kinetic analysis of tRNA mutants, we found that TrmL exhibits a
      fine-tuned tRNA substrate recognition mechanism. Anticodon stem-loop minihelices
      with an extension of 2 base pairs are the minimal substrate for EcTrmL
      methylation. A35 is a key residue for TrmL recognition, while A36-A37-A38 are
      important either via direct interaction with TrmL or due to the necessity for
      prior isopentenylation (i(6)) at A37. In addition, TrmL only methylates
      pyrimidines but not purine residues at the wobble position, and the 2'-O
      methylation relies on prior N(6)-isopentenyladenosine modification at position
      37.

PMID- 26106810
TI  - Crystallite Size Effect on Thermal Conductive Properties of Nonwoven
      Nanocellulose Sheets.
AB  - The thermal conductive properties, including the thermal diffusivity and
      resultant thermal conductivity, of nonwoven nanocellulose sheets were
      investigated by separately measuring the thermal diffusivity of the sheets in the
      in-plane and thickness directions with a periodic heating method. The cross
      sectional area (or width) of the cellulose crystallites was the main determinant
      of the thermal conductive properties. Thus, the results strongly indicate that
      there is a crystallite size effect on phonon conduction within the nanocellulose
      sheets. The results also indicated that there is a large interfacial thermal
      resistance between the nanocellulose surfaces. The phonon propagation velocity
      (i.e., the sound velocity) within the nanocellulose sheets was estimated to be
      ~800 m/s based on the relationship between the thermal diffusivities and
      crystallite widths. The resulting in-plane thermal conductivity of the tunicate
      nanocellulose sheet was calculated to be ~2.5 W/mK, markedly higher than other
      plastic films available for flexible electronic devices.

PMID- 26106811
TI  - Can Disorder Enhance Incoherent Exciton Diffusion?
AB  - Recent experiments aimed at probing the dynamics of excitons have revealed that
      semiconducting films composed of disordered molecular subunits, unlike
      expectations for their perfectly ordered counterparts, can exhibit a time
      dependent diffusivity in which the effective early time diffusion constant is
      larger than that of the steady state. This observation has led to speculation
      about what role, if any, microscopic disorder may play in enhancing exciton
      transport properties. In this article, we present the results of a model study
      aimed at addressing this point. Specifically, we introduce a general model, based
      upon Forster theory, for incoherent exciton diffusion in a material composed of
      independent molecular subunits with static energetic disorder. Energetic disorder
      leads to heterogeneity in molecule-to-molecule transition rates, which we
      demonstrate has two important consequences related to exciton transport. First,
      the distribution of local site-specific hopping rates is broadened in a manner
      that results in a decrease in average exciton diffusivity relative to that in a
      perfectly ordered film. Second, since excitons prefer to make transitions that
      are downhill in energy, the steady state distribution of exciton energies is
      biased toward low-energy molecular subunits, those that exhibit reduced
      diffusivity relative to a perfectly ordered film. These effects combine to reduce
      the net diffusivity in a manner that is time dependent and grows more pronounced
      as disorder is increased. Notably, however, we demonstrate that the presence of
      energetic disorder can give rise to a population of molecular subunits with
      exciton transfer rates exceeding those of subunits in an energetically uniform
      material. Such enhancements may play an important role in processes that are
      sensitive to molecular-scale fluctuations in exciton density field. 

PMID- 26106812
TI  - Instructional Simulation Integrates Research, Education, and Practice.
AB  - Instructional simulation is widely used in clinical education. Examples include
      the use of inanimate models meant to imitate humans, standardized patients who
      are actors portraying patients with certain conditions, and role-play where
      learners experience the disease through props and circumstances. These modalities
      are briefly described, and then case examples are provided of simulation
      curricula in use that integrate research findings and clinical practice expertise
      to guide development and implementation steps. The cases illustrate how formative
      and summative feedback from two legs of the "three-legged stool" can be potent
      integrating forces in development of simulation curricula. In these examples, the
      educational outputs benefit from purposeful inclusion of research and practice
      inputs. Costs are outlined for instructor and learner time commitments, space
      considerations, and expendables. The authors' data and experience suggest that
      instructional simulation that is supported by a solid scientific base and
      clinical expertise is appreciated by teachers and learners. 

PMID- 26106813
TI  - Adsorption of ozone and plasmonic properties of gold hydrosol: the effect of the
      nanoparticle size.
AB  - The impact of the size of gold nanoparticles on the magnitude of the bathochromic
      shift of their plasmon resonance peak upon ozone adsorption is revealed and
      analyzed. Namely, the plasmon band position of 7, 10, 14 and 32 nm nanoparticles
      shifts toward longer wavelengths by 51, 35, 23 and 9 nm respectively, i.e. the
      smaller the nanoparticles, the greater the shift of the band. Thus, the sensor
      efficiency of gold hydrosol increases with a decrease in the nanoparticle size.
      The shift of the Fermi level is a linear function of the inverse radius of
      nanoparticles. The observed alterations in the gold nanoparticle plasmonic
      properties and the Fermi level position are explained by a decrease in the
      electron density of nanoparticles caused by the electrons' partial binding by
      adsorbed O3 molecules. The insignificance of oxygen and nitrous oxide effects on
      plasmonic properties of gold hydrosol is observed. 

PMID- 26106814
TI  - Highly Regio- and Diastereoselective Formation of Tetrasubstituted (Z)-1,2
      Dihaloalkenes from the Halogenation of Trimethylsilyl Alkynes with ICl.
AB  - The stereoselective anti addition of diatomic halogens to alkynes has been well
      studied. A method is reported that utilizes the beta-silyl effect to override
      this typically observed anti selectivity and provides halogenation products that
      result from syn addition. The reaction involves the addition of iodine
      monochloride to trialkylsilyl-substituted alkynes to produce tetrasubstituted (Z)
      dihaloalkenes in good to excellent yields and with excellent regio- and
      diastereoselectivity. 

PMID- 26106815
TI  - Combined orthodontic and restorative treatment of avulsed maxillary central
      incisors.

PMID- 26106816
TI  - Modified Alt-RAMEC treatment of Class III malocclusion in young patients with
      Down syndrome.

PMID- 26106817
TI  - The Hot Seat: Clear aligners.

PMID- 26106818
TI  - A centennial for the profession.

PMID- 26106819
TI  - Creative adjuncts for clear aligners, part 1: Class II treatment.

PMID- 26106820
TI  - Orthodontic management of unerupted transposed canines.

PMID- 26106821
TI  - Functional Connectivity-Based Parcellation of the Thalamus: An Unsupervised
      Clustering Method and Its Validity Investigation.
AB  - Node definition or delineating how the brain is parcellated into individual
      functionally related regions is the first step to accurately map the human
      connectome. As a result, parcellation of the human brain has drawn considerable
      attention in the field of neuroscience. The thalamus is known as a relay in the
      human brain, with its nuclei sending fibers to the cortical and subcortical
      regions. Functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques offer a way to
      parcellate the thalamus in vivo based on its connectivity properties. However,
      the parcellations from previous studies show that both the number and the
      distribution of thalamic subdivisions vary with different cortical segmentation
      methods. In this study, we used an unsupervised clustering method that does not
      rely on a priori information of the cortical segmentation to parcellate the
      thalamus. Instead, this approach is based on the intrinsic resting-state
      functional connectivity profiles of the thalamus with the whole brain. A series
      of cluster solutions were obtained, and an optimal solution was determined.
      Furthermore, the validity of our parcellation was investigated through the
      following: (1) identifying specific resting-state connectivity patterns of
      thalamic parcels with different brain networks and (2) investigating the task
      activation and psychophysiological interactions of specific thalamic clusters
      during 8-Hz flashing checkerboard stimulation with simultaneous finger tapping.
      Together, the current study provides a reliable parcellation of the thalamus and
      enhances our understating of thalamic. Furthermore, the current study provides a
      framework for parcellation that could be potentially extended to other
      subcortical and cortical regions. 

PMID- 26106822
TI  - Detection of huntingtin exon 1 phosphorylation by Phos-Tag SDS-PAGE: Predominant
      phosphorylation on threonine 3 and regulation by IKKbeta.
AB  - Expansion of a CAG triplet repeat within the first exon of the HUNTINGTIN gene
      encoding for a polyglutamine tract is the cause of a progressive
      neurodegenerative disorder known as Huntington's disease. N-terminal fragments of
      mutant huntingtin have a strong propensity to form oligomers and aggregates that
      have been linked to the Huntington's disease pathology by different mechanisms,
      including gain of toxic functions. The biological and biophysical properties of
      the polyglutamine expansion within these huntingtin fragments are influenced by
      neighboring domains, in particular by the first 17 amino acids of huntingtin
      (N17), which precede the polyglutamine expansion. It has been suggested that N17
      phosphorylation modulate mutant huntingtin aggregation and toxicity, but the
      study of its functional and pathological relevance requires the capacity to
      detect this modification in biological samples in a simple, robust way, that
      ideally provides information on the abundance of a phosphorylated species
      relative to the total pool of the protein of interest. Using a modified SDS-PAGE
      protocol (Phos-Tag) followed by Western blotting with specific anti-HUNTINGTIN
      antibodies, we efficiently resolved huntingtin fragments expressed in cellular
      contexts based on the presence of phosphorylated residues, we defined threonine 3
      as the major site of huntingtin N17 phosphorylation and, finally, we identified
      IKK-beta as a kinase capable of phosphorylating threonine 3 in N-terminal
      hungtingtin fragments. 

PMID- 26106823
TI  - A wheat salinity-induced WRKY transcription factor TaWRKY93 confers multiple
      abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Wheat is an important crop in the world. But most of the cultivars are salt
      sensitive, and often adversely affected by salt stress. WRKY transcription
      factors play a major role in plant responses to salt stress, but the effective
      salinity regulatory WRKYs identified in bread wheat are limited and the mechanism
      of salt stress tolerance is also not well explored. Here, we identified a salt
      (NaCl) induced class II WRKY transcription factor TaWRKY93. Its transcript level
      was strongly induced by salt (NaCl) and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA). Over
      expression of TaWRKY93 in Arabidopsis thaliana enhanced salt (NaCl), drought, low
      temperature and osmotic (mannitol) stress tolerance, mainly demonstrated by
      transgenic plants forming longer primary roots or more lateral roots on MS plates
      supplemented with NaCl and mannitol individually, higher survival rate under
      drought and low temperature stress. Further, transgenic plants maintained a more
      proline content, higher relative water content and less electrolyte leakage than
      the wild type plants. The transcript abundance of a series of abiotic stress
      related genes was up-regulated in the TaWRKY93 transgenic plants. In summary,
      TaWRKY93 is a new positive regulator of abiotic stress, it may increase salinity,
      drought and low temperature stress tolerance through enhancing osmotic
      adjustment, maintaining membrane stability and increasing transcription of stress
      related genes, and contribute to the superior agricultural traits of SR3 through
      promoting root development. It can be used as a candidate gene for wheat
      transgenic engineering breeding against abiotic stress. 

PMID- 26106824
TI  - Bradykinin increased the permeability of BTB via NOS/NO/ZONAB-mediating down
      regulation of claudin-5 and occludin.
AB  - After demonstrating bradykinin (BK) could increase the permeability of blood
      tumor barrier (BTB) via opening the tight junction (TJ), and that the possible
      mechanism is unclear, we demonstrated that BK could increase the expressions of
      eNOS and nNOS and promote ZONAB translocation into nucleus. NOS inhibitors l-NAME
      and 7-NI could effectively block the effect of BK on increasing BTB permeability,
      decreasing the expressions of claudin-5 and occludin and promoting the
      translocation of ZONAB. Overexpression of ZONAB could significantly enhance BK
      mediating BTB permeability. Meanwhile, chromatin immunoprecipitation verified
      ZONAB interacted with the promoter of claudin-5 and occludin respectively. This
      study indicated NOS/NO/ZONAB pathway might be involved in BK's increasing the
      permeability of BTB. 

PMID- 26106825
TI  - Czech Republic: health system review.
AB  - This analysis of the Czech health system reviews recent developments in
      organization and governance, health financing, health-care provision, health
      reforms and health system performance. The Czech health-care system is based on
      compulsory statutory health insurance providing virtually universal coverage and
      a broad range of benefits, and doing so at 7.7 % of GDP in 2012 - well below the
      EU average - of which a comparatively high 85 % was publicly funded. Some
      important health indicators are better than the EU averages (such as mortality
      due to respiratory disease) or even among the best in the world (in terms of
      infant mortality, for example). On the other hand, mortality rates for diseases
      of the circulatory system and malignant neoplasms are well above the EU average,
      as are a range of health-care utilization rates, such as outpatient contacts and
      average length of stay in acute care hospitals. In short, there is substantial
      potential in the Czech Republic for efficiency gains and to improve health
      outcomes. Furthermore, the need for reform in order to financially sustain the
      system became evident again after the global financial crisis, but there is as
      yet no consensus about how to achieve this. 

PMID- 26106826
TI  - Buruli Ulcer Successfully Treated With Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy.

PMID- 26106827
TI  - Vitamin D and asthma: current perspectives.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the current evidence on the relationship between
      vitamin D and asthma. RECENT FINDINGS: The rising morbidity and tremendous
      socioeconomic burden of asthma have prompted efforts to seek modifiable
      environmental and nutritional factors that contribute to the asthma epidemic. The
      association between low levels of vitamin D and asthma has been supported by
      many, but not all observational and epidemiologic studies. Recently, several
      controlled clinical trials have been undertaken to explore the effect of vitamin
      D supplementation on asthma control and respiratory tract infections. While some
      trials support the beneficial role of vitamin D supplementation in reducing
      asthma severity in children, several trials have found no beneficial role in
      adults. SUMMARY: Given the high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in children
      and adults worldwide and recent randomized controlled trials of vitamin D in
      asthma, supplementation with vitamin D cannot be recommended as adjunctive
      therapy for asthma.

PMID- 26106828
TI  - Diagnostic and therapeutic management of hereditary angioedema due to C1
      inhibitor deficiency: the Italian experience.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) due to C1-inhibitor (C1-INH)
      deficiency (C1-INH-HAE) is a rare disease, with a reported prevalence of about 1
      : 50 000. C1-INH-HAE causes disabling symptoms, which may be life-threatening if
      swelling affects upper airways. Diagnostic procedures are now well established
      and the role of bradykinin as the main mediator of plasma outflow eliciting
      angioedema formation has been clearly elucidated. RECENT FINDINGS: Increased
      understanding of the pathogenesis of C1-INH-HAE allowed in recent years the
      development of new drugs targeted to inhibit bradykinin synthesis (Ecallantide)
      or activity (Icatibant). At the same time, a recombinant C1-INH concentrate
      (Ruconest) was produced from the milk of transgenic rabbits and two plasma
      derived C1-INHs (Berinert, Cinryze) underwent controlled trials to obtain
      marketing authorization. In 2012, an Italian network for C1-INH-HAE (ITACA) was
      established by physicians of 17 HAE reference centres to collect data from
      Italian patients and to homogenize and improve the diagnostic and therapeutic
      approach to the disease. SUMMARY: Although there is a widespread agreement on
      therapeutic goals and treatment of C1-INH-HAE acute attacks, different approaches
      to prophylaxis are still present among HAE experts. The clinical experience of
      ITACA on a large population of C1-INH-HAE patients followed for several years may
      help in identifying the most effective strategies for the management of the
      disease.

PMID- 26106830
TI  - Reframing Surgical Care: Understanding Complexity and Promoting Teaming.
AB  - Reframing healthcare delivery in terms of the principles of complex adaptive
      systems has practical implications for addressing the challenges in improving
      surgical care. In an Integrated Practice Unit (IPU) - such as a surgical service
      line, a surgical in-patient floor, or an acute care unit - a diverse group of
      caregivers must interact in a highly interdependent fashion in an environment
      characterized by ambiguity, uncertainty, and time constraints. Understanding of
      the concept of teaming and the tenets of relational coordination are crucial to
      the promotion of a successful patient-centric approach to surgical care. 

PMID- 26106831
TI  - Ketorolac Use and Postoperative Complications in Gastrointestinal Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the association between ketorolac use and postoperative
      complications. BACKGROUND: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may impair wound
      healing and increase the risk of anastomotic leak in colon surgery. Studies to
      date have been limited by sample size, inability to identify confounding, and a
      focus limited to colon surgery. METHODS: Ketorolac use, reinterventions,
      emergency department (ED) visits, and readmissions in adults (>= 18 years)
      undergoing gastrointestinal (GI) operations was assessed in a nationwide cohort
      using the MarketScan Database (2008-2012). RESULTS: Among 398,752 patients
      (median age 52, 45% male), 55% underwent colorectal surgery, whereas 45% had
      noncolorectal GI surgery. Five percent of patients received ketorolac. Adjusting
      for demographic characteristics, comorbidities, surgery type/indication, and
      preoperative medications, patients receiving ketorolac had higher odds of
      reintervention (odds ratio [OR] 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-1.32), ED
      visit (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.37-1.51), and readmission within 30 days (OR 1.11, 95%
      CI 1.05-1.18) compared to those who did not receive ketorolac. Ketorolac use was
      associated with readmissions related to anastomotic complications (OR 1.20, 95%
      CI 1.06-1.36). Evaluating only admissions with <= 3 days duration to exclude
      cases where ketorolac might have been used for complication-related pain relief,
      the odds of complications associated with ketorolac were even greater.
      CONCLUSIONS: Use of intravenous ketorolac was associated with greater odds of
      reintervention, ED visit, and readmission in both colorectal and noncolorectal GI
      surgery. Given this confirmatory evaluation of other reports of a negative
      association and the large size of this cohort, clinicians should exercise caution
      when using ketorolac in patients undergoing GI surgery.

PMID- 26106836
TI  - Diffusion-weighted MRI for Early Prediction of Treatment Response on Preoperative
      Chemoradiotherapy for Patients With Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: A Feasibility
      Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the predictive value of diffusion-weighted
      magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) for good pathological response at different
      time points during and after preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in locally
      advanced rectal cancer. BACKGROUND: Preoperative CRT followed by total mesorectal
      excision (TME) is the standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer. The
      use of standard radical surgery in good treatment responders after CRT is being
      questioned. METHODS: Patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma were
      treated with preoperative CRT followed by surgery. DW-MRI scans were performed
      before CRT, during the third week of CRT, 4 weeks post-CRT and presurgery. Tumor
      apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were acquired from the DW-MRI scans.
      After surgery the pathological tumor regression grade was assessed according to
      the classification by Mandard et al [Cancer. 1994;73:2680-2686]. Patients with
      pathological complete or near-complete response (tumor regression grade 1-2) were
      classified as good responders (GRs). RESULTS: Twenty-two patients participated of
      which 9 were GRs (41%). Pre-CRT ADC values were lower in good versus
      moderate/poor responders (P = 0.04). ADC values during CRT and four weeks post
      CRT were higher in GR. ADC values presurgery did not differ between response
      groups. For all time points the relative ADC increase (DeltaADC) compared to the
      ADC pre-CRT was higher in GR (P < 0.001). The DeltaADC during CRT and four weeks
      post-CRT were the best predictive parameters for pathological good response.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that DW-MRI is feasible to select good treatment
      responders during preoperative CRT for locally advanced rectal cancer.

PMID- 26106842
TI  - Live Donor Liver Transplantation With Older (>=50 Years) Versus Younger (<50
      Years) Donors: Does Age Matter?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcome of adult live donor liver transplantation
      (LDLT) with grafts from older versus younger donors. INTRODUCTION: Using older
      donor grafts for adult LDLT may help expand the donor pool. However, the risks of
      LDLT with older donors remain controversial, and many centers are reluctant to
      use live donors aged 45 years or older for adult LDLT. METHODS: Outcomes of
      patients receiving a LDLT graft from donors aged 50 years or older (n = 91) were
      compared with those receiving a live donor graft from donors younger than 50
      years (n = 378). RESULTS: Incidences of biliary (LDLT <50: 24% vs LDLT >=50: 23%;
      P = 0.89) and major complications (LDLT <50: 24% vs LDLT >=50: 24%; P = 1) were
      similar between both groups of recipients. No difference was observed in 30-day
      recipient mortality (LDLT <50: 3% vs LDLT >=50: 0%; P = 0.13). The 1- (90% vs
      90%), 5- (82% vs 73%), and 10- (71% vs 58%) year graft survival was statistically
      similar between both groups (P = 0.075). Likewise, patient survival after 1- (92%
      vs 96%), 5- (83% vs 79%), and 10- (76% vs 69%) years was also similar (P =
      0.686). Overall, donors rate of major complications (Dindo-Clavien >=3b) within
      30 days was low (n = 2.3%) and not different in older versus younger donors (P =
      1). Donor median hospital stay in both groups was identical [LDLT <50: 6 (4-17)
      vs LDLT >=50: 6 (4-14) days; P = 0.65]. No donor death occurred and all donors
      had full recovery and returned to baseline activity. CONCLUSIONS: Right lobe LDLT
      with donors aged 50 years or older results in acceptable recipient outcome
      without increased donor morbidity or mortality. Potential live donors should not
      be declined on the basis of age alone.

PMID- 26106845
TI  - Risk Factors for Marginal Ulcer After Gastric Bypass Surgery for Obesity: A
      Population-based Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess risk factors for developing marginal ulcer
      (MU) after gastric bypass (GBP) surgery for obesity. BACKGROUND: MU is a common
      and potentially serious complication of GBP surgery, little is known about its
      etiology. METHODS: This population-based cohort study of GBP in 2006-2011
      evaluated MU in relation to diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), ulcer history, use of proton pump
      inhibitors (PPIs), aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and
      selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Multivariable Cox proportional
      hazard regression models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs), adjusted for confounding. RESULTS: Among 20,294 GBP patients,
      diabetes and peptic ulcer history entailed statistically significantly increased
      risk of MU (HR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.03-1.55 and HR  =  2.70, 95% CI 1.81-4.03),
      although hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and COPD did not. PPI users had an
      increased HR of MU (HR  =  1.37, 95% CI 1.17-1.60). Aspirin and NSAID consumption
      less than or equal to median entailed decreased HRs of MU (HR  =  0.56, 95% CI
      0.37-0.86 and HR  =  0.30, 95% CI 0.24-0.38), although aspirin and NSAID users
      more than median had an increased risk and no association with MU, respectively
      (HR  =  1.90, 95% CI 1.41-2.58 and HR  =  0.90, 95% CI 0.76-1.87). The use of
      SSRI less than or equal to median had a decreased risk of MU (HR  =  0.50, 95% CI
      0.37-0.67), although use more than median entailed increased HR (HR  =  1.26, 95%
      CI 1.01-1.56). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes and peptic ulcer history seem to be risk
      factors for MU, but not hyperlipidemia, hypertension, or COPD. Limited doses of
      aspirin, NSAIDs, and SSRIs might not increase the risk, although higher doses of
      aspirin do. The association with PPI could be due to confounding by indication.

PMID- 26106846
TI  - Diet, Obesity, and Political Involvement.
AB  - This essay is an opinion article addressed to the busy practitioner. It provides
      information on nutrition, diet, nutritional science, and obesity to serve as a
      reference in teaching his patients on these issues. It is composed by a
      gastroenterologist who has been engaged in clinical gastroenterology and
      nutrition, research, and teaching in an academic medical center for 35 years. It
      also relates the information to conclusions on reasonable involvement of the
      national government in these topics. Finally, its audience might include the
      interested, well-educated, lay public. Hence, excessive scientific parlance and
      referencing have been avoided.

PMID- 26106847
TI  - Metal binding spectrum and model structure of the Bacillus anthracis virulence
      determinant MntA.
AB  - The potentially lethal human pathogen Bacillus anthracis expresses a putative
      metal import system, MntBCA, which belongs to the large family of ABC
      transporters. MntBCA is essential for virulence of Bacillus anthracis: deletion
      of MntA, the system's substrate binding protein, yields a completely non-virulent
      strain. Here we determined the metal binding spectrum of MntA. In contrast to
      what can be inferred from growth complementation studies we find no evidence that
      MntA binds Fe(2+) or Fe(3+). Rather, MntA binds a variety of other metal ions,
      including Mn(2+), Zn(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+), and Ni(2+) with affinities ranging from
      10(-6) to 10(-8) M. Binding of Zn(2+) and Co(2+) have a pronounced thermo
      stabilizing effect on MntA, with Mn(2+) having a milder effect. The thermodynamic
      stability of MntA, competition experiments, and metal binding and release
      experiments all suggest that Mn(2+) is the metal that is likely transported by
      MntBCA and is therefore the limiting factor for virulence of Bacillus anthracis.
      A homology-model of MntA shows a single, highly conserved metal binding site,
      with four residues that participate in metal coordination: two histidines, a
      glutamate, and an aspartate. The metals bind to this site in a mutually exclusive
      manner, yet surprisingly, mutational analysis shows that for proper coordination
      each metal requires a different subset of these four residues. ConSurf
      evolutionary analysis and structural comparison of MntA and its homologues
      suggest that substrate binding proteins (SBPs) of metal ions use a pair of highly
      conserved prolines to interact with their cognate ABC transporters. This proline
      pair is found exclusively in ABC import systems of metal ions. 

PMID- 26106848
TI  - Mortality Among Injured Children Treated at Different Trauma Center Types.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Trauma is the leading cause of death among US children. Whether
      pediatric trauma centers (PTCs), mixed trauma centers (MTCs), or adult trauma
      centers (ATCs) offer a survival benefit compared with one another when treating
      injured children is controversial. Ascertaining the optimal care environment will
      better inform quality improvement initiatives and accreditation standards.
      OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between type of trauma center (PTC, MTC,
      or ATC) and in-hospital mortality among young children (5 years and younger),
      older children (aged 6-11 years), and adolescents (aged 12-18 years). DESIGN,
      SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this retrospective cohort study, injured children
      aged 18 years or younger who were hospitalized in the United States from January
      1, 2010, to December 31, 2013, were observed for the duration of their admission
      until discharge or death. We included patients with an Abbreviated Injury Score
      of 2 or greater in at least 1 body region. Random-intercept multilevel regression
      was used to evaluate the association between center type and in-hospital
      mortality after adjusting for confounders. Stratified analyses in young children,
      older children, and adolescents were performed. We conducted secondary analyses
      limited to patients with severe injuries (Injury Severity Score >=25). Both
      analyses were performed between January 1 and August 31, 2014. Data were derived
      from 252 US level I and II trauma centers voluntarily participating in the
      American College of Surgeons adult or pediatric Trauma Quality Improvement
      Program. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURE: In-hospital mortality. RESULTS: We identified
      175 585 injured children. Crude mortality rates were 2.3% for children treated at
      ATCs, 1.8% for children treated at MTCs, and 0.6% for children treated at PTCs.
      After adjustment, children had higher odds of dying when treated at ATCs (odds
      ratio [OR], 1.57; 95% CI, 1.15-2.14) and MTCs (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.05-2.01)
      compared with those treated at PTCs. In stratified analyses, young children had
      higher odds of death when treated at ATCs vs PTCs (OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.05-3.40),
      but there was no association between center type and mortality among older
      children (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.65-2.11) and adolescents (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.82
      1.85). Results were similar in analyses of severely injured children: those
      treated at ATCs (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.25-2.44) and MTCs (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.15
      2.29) had higher odds of death when compared with those treated at PTCs.
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Injured children treated at ATCs and MTCs had higher
      in-hospital mortality compared with those treated at PTCs. This association was
      most evident in younger children and remained significant in severely injured
      children. Quality improvement initiatives geared toward ATCs and MTCs are
      required to provide optimal care to injured children.

PMID- 26106853
TI  - Is (18)F-FDG PET/CT an accurate tool for identifying metastases of lobular breast
      cancer?

PMID- 26106854
TI  - A 30-year experience in using oral methotrexate as initial treatment for
      gestational trophoblastic neoplasia regardless of risk group.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of postmolar gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is
      often stratified according to FIGO score using methotrexate (MTX) for low-risk
      patients and first-line multi-agent chemotherapy (e.g. EMA-CO) for high-risk
      patients. In contrast, oral MTX may be given as first-line therapy to all GTN
      patients regardless of risk group. The aim was to examine the efficacy of oral
      MTX and a response-adapted treatment policy, which has been used for three
      decades at Aarhus University Hospital (AUH). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-one
      consecutive postmolar GTN patients treated 1981-2011 were included. Data were
      obtained from medical records, using histopathology and human choriogonadotropin
      (hCG) to verify the diagnosis. All patients received oral MTX as first-line
      chemotherapy. Second- and third-line chemotherapy was given according to
      response. RESULTS: Sixty-four (90%) patients were retrospectively categorized as
      FIGO low-risk disease, whereas seven patients (10%) had high-risk disease.
      Complete response to first-line oral MTX chemotherapy was observed in 35/71 (49%)
      patients, while 62/71 (87%) had complete remission on MTX (first-line) and/or MTX
      plus dactinomycin (second-line), without the use of multi-agent therapy. Nine
      patients (13%) received third-line multi-agent chemotherapy, six low-risk (67%)
      and three high-risk (33%) patients. There were no recurrences and no patients
      died as a consequence of toxicity or disease. CONCLUSION: Fifty percent of all
      patients can be cured on oral MTX alone. By adding dactinomycin, about 90% are
      cured without use of multi-agent chemotherapy. The use of oral MTX as initial
      treatment can minimize the number of patients receiving multi-agent chemotherapy.

PMID- 26106856
TI  - Cancer: Diagnosis by extracellular vesicles.

PMID- 26106855
TI  - The architecture of the spliceosomal U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP.
AB  - U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP is a 1.5-megadalton pre-assembled spliceosomal complex
      comprising U5 small nuclear RNA (snRNA), extensively base-paired U4/U6 snRNAs and
      more than 30 proteins, including the key components Prp8, Brr2 and Snu114. The
      tri-snRNP combines with a precursor messenger RNA substrate bound to U1 and U2
      small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs), and transforms into a
      catalytically active spliceosome after extensive compositional and conformational
      changes triggered by unwinding of the U4 and U6 (U4/U6) snRNAs. Here we use cryo
      electron microscopy single-particle reconstruction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
      tri-snRNP at 5.9 A resolution to reveal the essentially complete organization of
      its RNA and protein components. The single-stranded region of U4 snRNA between
      its 3' stem-loop and the U4/U6 snRNA stem I is loaded into the Brr2 helicase
      active site ready for unwinding. Snu114 and the amino-terminal domain of Prp8
      position U5 snRNA to insert its loop I, which aligns the exons for splicing, into
      the Prp8 active site cavity. The structure provides crucial insights into the
      activation process and the active site of the spliceosome. 

PMID- 26106857
TI  - Hallucigenia's head and the pharyngeal armature of early ecdysozoans.
AB  - The molecularly defined clade Ecdysozoa comprises the panarthropods
      (Euarthropoda, Onychophora and Tardigrada) and the cycloneuralian worms
      (Nematoda, Nematomorpha, Priapulida, Loricifera and Kinorhyncha). These disparate
      phyla are united by their means of moulting, but otherwise share few
      morphological characters--none of which has a meaningful fossilization potential.
      As such, the early evolutionary history of the group as a whole is largely
      uncharted. Here we redescribe the 508-million-year-old stem-group onychophoran
      Hallucigenia sparsa from the mid-Cambrian Burgess Shale. We document an elongate
      head with a pair of simple eyes, a terminal buccal chamber containing a radial
      array of sclerotized elements, and a differentiated foregut that is lined with
      acicular teeth. The radial elements and pharyngeal teeth resemble the sclerotized
      circumoral elements and pharyngeal teeth expressed in tardigrades, stem-group
      euarthropods and cycloneuralian worms. Phylogenetic results indicate that
      equivalent structures characterized the ancestral panarthropod and, seemingly,
      the ancestral ecdysozoan, demonstrating the deep homology of panarthropod and
      cycloneuralian mouthparts, and providing an anatomical synapomorphy for the
      ecdysozoan supergroup.

PMID- 26106859
TI  - Palaeontology: Hallucigenia's head.

PMID- 26106858
TI  - Glypican-1 identifies cancer exosomes and detects early pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Exosomes are lipid-bilayer-enclosed extracellular vesicles that contain proteins
      and nucleic acids. They are secreted by all cells and circulate in the blood.
      Specific detection and isolation of cancer-cell-derived exosomes in the
      circulation is currently lacking. Using mass spectrometry analyses, we identify a
      cell surface proteoglycan, glypican-1 (GPC1), specifically enriched on cancer
      cell-derived exosomes. GPC1(+) circulating exosomes (crExos) were monitored and
      isolated using flow cytometry from the serum of patients and mice with cancer.
      GPC1(+) crExos were detected in the serum of patients with pancreatic cancer with
      absolute specificity and sensitivity, distinguishing healthy subjects and
      patients with a benign pancreatic disease from patients with early- and late
      stage pancreatic cancer. Levels of GPC1(+) crExos correlate with tumour burden
      and the survival of pre- and post-surgical patients. GPC1(+) crExos from patients
      and from mice with spontaneous pancreatic tumours carry specific KRAS mutations,
      and reliably detect pancreatic intraepithelial lesions in mice despite negative
      signals by magnetic resonance imaging. GPC1(+) crExos may serve as a potential
      non-invasive diagnostic and screening tool to detect early stages of pancreatic
      cancer to facilitate possible curative surgical therapy. 

PMID- 26106860
TI  - Erratum: A strong ultraviolet pulse from a newborn type Ia supernova.

PMID- 26106862
TI  - Erratum: No signature of ejecta interaction with a stellar companion in three
      type Ia supernovae.

PMID- 26106861
TI  - The core spliceosome as target and effector of non-canonical ATM signalling.
AB  - In response to DNA damage, tissue homoeostasis is ensured by protein networks
      promoting DNA repair, cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. DNA damage response
      signalling pathways coordinate these processes, partly by propagating gene
      expression-modulating signals. DNA damage influences not only the abundance of
      messenger RNAs, but also their coding information through alternative splicing.
      Here we show that transcription-blocking DNA lesions promote chromatin
      displacement of late-stage spliceosomes and initiate a positive feedback loop
      centred on the signalling kinase ATM. We propose that initial spliceosome
      displacement and subsequent R-loop formation is triggered by pausing of RNA
      polymerase at DNA lesions. In turn, R-loops activate ATM, which signals to impede
      spliceosome organization further and augment ultraviolet-irradiation-triggered
      alternative splicing at the genome-wide level. Our findings define R-loop
      dependent ATM activation by transcription-blocking lesions as an important event
      in the DNA damage response of non-replicating cells, and highlight a key role for
      spliceosome displacement in this process. 

PMID- 26106864
TI  - Corrigendum: In vivo engineering of oncogenic chromosomal rearrangements with the
      CRISPR/Cas9 system.

PMID- 26106863
TI  - Distinct lineages of Ebola virus in Guinea during the 2014 West African epidemic.
AB  - An epidemic of Ebola virus disease of unprecedented scale has been ongoing for
      more than a year in West Africa. As of 29 April 2015, there have been 26,277
      reported total cases (of which 14,895 have been laboratory confirmed) resulting
      in 10,899 deaths. The source of the outbreak was traced to the prefecture of
      Gueckedou in the forested region of southeastern Guinea. The virus later spread
      to the capital, Conakry, and to the neighbouring countries of Sierra Leone,
      Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Mali. In March 2014, when the first cases were
      detected in Conakry, the Institut Pasteur of Dakar, Senegal, deployed a mobile
      laboratory in Donka hospital to provide diagnostic services to the greater
      Conakry urban area and other regions of Guinea. Through this process we sampled
      85 Ebola viruses (EBOV) from patients infected from July to November 2014, and
      report their full genome sequences here. Phylogenetic analysis reveals the
      sustained transmission of three distinct viral lineages co-circulating in Guinea,
      including the urban setting of Conakry and its surroundings. One lineage is
      unique to Guinea and closely related to the earliest sampled viruses of the
      epidemic. A second lineage contains viruses probably reintroduced from
      neighbouring Sierra Leone on multiple occasions, while a third lineage later
      spread from Guinea to Mali. Each lineage is defined by multiple mutations,
      including non-synonymous changes in the virion protein 35 (VP35), glycoprotein
      (GP) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L) proteins. The viral GP is characterized
      by a glycosylation site modification and mutations in the mucin-like domain that
      could modify the outer shape of the virion. These data illustrate the ongoing
      ability of EBOV to develop lineage-specific and potentially phenotypically
      important variation. 

PMID- 26106865
TI  - A Middle Triassic stem-turtle and the evolution of the turtle body plan.
AB  - The origin and early evolution of turtles have long been major contentious issues
      in vertebrate zoology. This is due to conflicting character evidence from
      molecules and morphology and a lack of transitional fossils from the critical
      time interval. The ~220-million-year-old stem-turtle Odontochelys from China has
      a partly formed shell and many turtle-like features in its postcranial skeleton.
      Unlike the 214-million-year-old Proganochelys from Germany and Thailand, it
      retains marginal teeth and lacks a carapace. Odontochelys is separated by a large
      temporal gap from the ~260-million-year-old Eunotosaurus from South Africa, which
      has been hypothesized as the earliest stem-turtle. Here we report a new reptile,
      Pappochelys, that is structurally and chronologically intermediate between
      Eunotosaurus and Odontochelys and dates from the Middle Triassic period (~240
      million years ago). The three taxa share anteroposteriorly broad trunk ribs that
      are T-shaped in cross-section and bear sculpturing, elongate dorsal vertebrae,
      and modified limb girdles. Pappochelys closely resembles Odontochelys in various
      features of the limb girdles. Unlike Odontochelys, it has a cuirass of robust
      paired gastralia in place of a plastron. Pappochelys provides new evidence that
      the plastron partly formed through serial fusion of gastralia. Its skull has
      small upper and ventrally open lower temporal fenestrae, supporting the
      hypothesis of diapsid affinities of turtles. 

PMID- 26106866
TI  - Sub-micron lateral topography affects endothelial migration by modulation of
      focal adhesion dynamics.
AB  - Through the interaction with topographical features, endothelial cells tune their
      ability to populate target substrates, both in vivo and in vitro. Basal textures
      interfere with the establishment and maturation of focal adhesions (FAs) thus
      inducing specific cell-polarization patterns and regulating a plethora of cell
      activities that govern the overall endothelial function. In this study, we
      analyze the effect of topographical features on FAs in primary human endothelial
      cells. Reported data demonstrate a functional link between FA dynamics and cell
      polarization and spreading on structured substrates presenting variable lateral
      feature size. Our results reveal that gratings with 2 um lateral periodicity
      maximize contact guidance. The effect is linked to the dynamical state of FAs. We
      argue that these results are readily applicable to the rational design of active
      surfaces at the interface with the blood stream. 

PMID- 26106867
TI  - Label-free microRNA detection based on terbium and duplex-specific nuclease
      assisted target recycling.
AB  - In this paper, we describe a novel label-free fluorescence method for microRNA-21
      (miR-21) detection based on terbium (Tb(3+)) and duplex-specific nuclease (DSN)
      assisted target recycling. Capture probes (Cps), containing a target-binding part
      and a signal-output part, are immobilized on magnetic beads (MBs). In the
      presence of the target miR-21, it hybridizes with the target-binding part of a Cp
      to form a DNA-RNA heteroduplex. Due to the considerable cleavage preference for
      DNA in DNA-RNA hybrids, DSN hydrolyzes the target-binding part of the Cp while
      liberating the intact target miR-21 to hybridize with a new Cp and initiate the
      second cycle of hydrolysis. Eventually, through magnetic separation, only the
      signal-output part of the Cp could remain in solution and function as a
      signalling flare to increase the fluorescence intensity of Tb(3+) dramatically.
      By employing the above strategy, this approach can gain an amplified fluorescent
      signal and detect as low as 8 fM miR-21 under the optimized conditions. Moreover,
      due to the high selectivity of DSN, the method shows little cross-hybridization
      among the closely related miRNA family members even at the single-base-mismatched
      level. Successful attempts were made in applying the approach to detect miR-21 in
      human cell lysate samples of breast cancer patients. 

PMID- 26106868
TI  - The Effect of Stress and Speech Rate on Vowel Coarticulation in Catalan Vowel
      Consonant-Vowel Sequences.
AB  - PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to ascertain the effect of changes in stress
      and speech rate on vowel coarticulation in vowel-consonant-vowel sequences.
      METHOD: Data on second formant coarticulatory effects as a function of changing
      /i/ versus /a/ were collected for five Catalan speakers' productions of vowel
      consonant-vowel sequences with the fixed vowels /i/ and /a/ and consonants: the
      approximant /delta/, the alveolopalatal nasal /n/, and /l/, which in the Catalan
      language differs in darkness degree according to speaker. RESULTS: In agreement
      with predictions formulated by the degree-of-articulation-constraint model of
      coarticulation, the size of the vowel coarticulatory effects was inversely
      related to the degree of articulatory constraint for the consonant, and the
      direction of those effects was mostly carryover or anticipatory in vowel
      consonant-vowel sequences with highly constrained consonants (/n/, dark /l/) and
      more variable whenever the intervocalic consonant was less constrained (/delta/,
      clear /l/). Stress and speech-rate variations had an effect on overall vowel
      duration, second formant frequency, and coarticulation size but not on the
      consonant-specific patterns of degree and direction of vowel coarticulation.
      CONCLUSION: These results indicate that prosodically induced coarticulatory
      changes conform to the basic principles of segmental coarticulatory organization.

PMID- 26106869
TI  - Electron transport in carbon wires in contact with Ag electrodes: a detailed
      first principles investigation.
AB  - The structure and electronic properties of carbon atom chains Cn in contact with
      Ag electrodes are investigated in detail with first principles means. The ideal
      Ag(100) surface is used as a model for binding, and electron transport through
      the chains is studied as a function of their length, applied bias voltage,
      presence of capping atoms (Si, S) and adsorption site. It is found that the metal
      molecule bond largely influences electronic coupling to the leads. Without
      capping atoms the quality of the electric contact improves when increasing the
      carbon atom coordination number to the metal (1, 2 and 4 for adsorption on a top,
      bridge and hollow position, respectively) and this finding translates almost
      unchanged in more realistic tip-like contacts which present one, two or four
      metal atoms at the contact. Current-voltage characteristics show Ohmic behaviour
      over a wide range of bias voltages and the resulting conductances change only
      weakly when increasing the wire length. The effect of a capping species is
      typically drastic, and either largely reduces (S) or largely increases (Si) the
      coupling of the wire to the electrodes. Comparison of our findings with recent
      experimental results highlights the limits of the adopted approach, which can be
      traced back to the known gap problem of density-functional-theory. 

PMID- 26106870
TI  - Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for chronic wounds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic wounds are common and present a health problem with
      significant effect on quality of life. Various pathologies may cause tissue
      breakdown, including poor blood supply resulting in inadequate oxygenation of the
      wound bed. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been suggested to improve oxygen
      supply to wounds and therefore improve their healing. OBJECTIVES: To assess the
      benefits and harms of adjunctive HBOT for treating chronic ulcers of the lower
      limb. SEARCH METHODS: For this second update we searched the Cochrane Wounds
      Group Specialised Register (searched 18 February 2015); the Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2015, Issue 1);
      Ovid MEDLINE (1946 to 17 February 2015); Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non
      Indexed Citations, 17 February 2015); Ovid EMBASE (1974 to 17 February 2015); and
      EBSCO CINAHL (1982 to 17 February 2015). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised
      controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effect on chronic wound healing of
      therapeutic regimens which include HBOT with those that exclude HBOT (with or
      without sham therapy). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Three review authors
      independently evaluated the risk of bias of the relevant trials using the
      Cochrane methodology and extracted the data from the included trials. We resolved
      any disagreement by discussion. MAIN RESULTS: We included twelve trials (577
      participants). Ten trials (531 participants) enrolled people with a diabetic foot
      ulcer: pooled data of five trials with 205 participants showed an increase in the
      rate of ulcer healing (risk ratio (RR) 2.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19 to
      4.62; P = 0.01) with HBOT at six weeks but this benefit was not evident at longer
      term follow-up at one year. There was no statistically significant difference in
      major amputation rate (pooled data of five trials with 312 participants, RR 0.36,
      95% CI 0.11 to 1.18). One trial (16 participants) considered venous ulcers and
      reported data at six weeks (wound size reduction) and 18 weeks (wound size
      reduction and number of ulcers healed) and suggested a significant benefit of
      HBOT in terms of reduction in ulcer area only at six weeks (mean difference (MD)
      33.00%, 95% CI 18.97 to 47.03, P < 0.00001). We identified one trial (30
      participants) which enrolled patients with non-healing diabetic ulcers as well as
      venous ulcers ("mixed ulcers types") and patients were treated for 30 days. For
      this "mixed ulcers" there was a significant benefit of HBOT in terms of reduction
      in ulcer area at the end of treatment (30 days) (MD 61.88%, 95% CI 41.91 to
      81.85, P < 0.00001). We did not identify any trials that considered arterial and
      pressure ulcers. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: In people with foot ulcers due to
      diabetes, HBOT significantly improved the ulcers healed in the short term but not
      the long term and the trials had various flaws in design and/or reporting that
      means we are not confident in the results. More trials are needed to properly
      evaluate HBOT in people with chronic wounds; these trials must be adequately
      powered and designed to minimise all kinds of bias.

PMID- 26106875
TI  - Dual-targeting organometallic ruthenium(II) anticancer complexes bearing EGFR
      inhibiting 4-anilinoquinazoline ligands.
AB  - We have recently demonstrated that complexation with (eta(6)-arene)Ru(II)
      fragments confers 4-anilinoquinazoline pharmacophores a higher potential for
      inducing cellular apoptosis while preserving the highly inhibitory activity of 4
      anilinoquinazolines against EGFR and the reactivity of the ruthenium centre to 9
      ethylguanine (Chem. Commun., 2013, 49, 10224-10226). Reported herein are the
      synthesis, characterisation and evaluation of the biological activity of a new
      series of ruthenium(ii) complexes of the type [(eta(6)-arene)Ru(N,N-L)Cl]PF6
      (arene = p-cymene, benzene, 2-phenylethanol or indane, L = 4
      anilinoquinazolines). These organometallic ruthenium complexes undergo fast
      hydrolysis in aqueous solution. Intriguingly, the ligation of (arene)Ru(II)
      fragments with 4-anilinoquinazolines not only makes the target complexes
      excellent EGFR inhibitors, but also confers the complexes high affinity to bind
      to DNA minor grooves while maintaining their reactivity towards DNA bases,
      characterising them with dual-targeting properties. Molecular modelling studies
      reveal that the hydrolysis of these complexes is a favourable process which
      increases the affinity of the target complexes to bind to EGFR and DNA. In vitro
      biological activity assays show that most of this group of ruthenium complexes
      are selectively active inhibiting the EGF-stimulated growth of the HeLa cervical
      cancer cell line, and the most active complex [(eta(6)-arene)Ru(N,N-L13)Cl]PF6 (,
      IC50 = 1.36 MUM, = 4-(3'-chloro-4'-fluoroanilino)-6-(2-(2-aminoethyl)aminoethoxy)
      7-methoxyquinazoline) is 29-fold more active than its analogue, [(eta(6)
      arene)Ru(N,N-ethylenediamine)Cl]PF6, and 21-fold more active than gefitinib, a
      well-known EGFR inhibitor in use clinically. These results highlight the strong
      promise to develop highly active ruthenium anticancer complexes by ligation of
      cytotoxic ruthenium pharmacophores with bioactive organic molecules. 

PMID- 26106877
TI  - (Ag,Cu)-Ta-O ternaries as high-temperature solid-lubricant coatings.
AB  - Ternary oxides have gained increasing attention due to their potential use as
      solid lubricants at elevated temperatures. In this work, the tribological
      properties of three ternary oxides-AgTaO3, CuTaO3, and CuTa2O6-were studied using
      a combination of density-functional theory (DFT), molecular dynamics (MD)
      simulations with newly developed empirical potential parameters, and experimental
      measurements (AgTaO3 and CuTa2O6 only). Our results show that the MD-predicted
      friction force follows the trend AgTaO3 < CuTaO3 < CuTa2O6, which is consistent
      with the experimentally measured coefficients of friction. The wear performance
      from both MD and experiment exhibits the opposite trend, with CuTa2O6 providing
      the best resistance to wear. The sliding mechanisms are investigated using
      experimental characterization of the film composition after sliding,
      quantification of Ag or Cu cluster formation at the interface during the
      evolution of the film in MD, and DFT energy barriers for atom migration on the
      material surface. All our observations are consistent with the hypothesis that
      the formation of metal (or metal oxide) clusters on the surface are responsible
      for the friction and wear behavior of these materials. 

PMID- 26106876
TI  - The Edible Marine Alga Gracilariopsis chorda Alleviates Hypoxia/Reoxygenation
      Induced Oxidative Stress in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons.
AB  - Age-related neurological disorders are of growing concern among the elderly, and
      natural products with neuroprotective properties have been attracting increasing
      attention as candidates for the prevention or treatment of neurological disorders
      induced by oxidative stress. In an effort to explore natural resources, we
      collected some common marine seaweed from the Korean peninsula and Indonesia and
      screened them for neuroprotective activity against hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)
      induced oxidative stress. Of the 23 seaweeds examined, the ethanol extract of
      Gracilariopsis chorda (GCE) provided maximum neuroprotection at an optimum
      concentration of 15 MUg/mL, followed by Undaria pinnatifida. GCE increased cell
      viability after H/R, decreased the formation of reactive oxygen species (measured
      by 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate [DCF-DA] staining), and inhibited
      the double-stranded DNA breaks (measured by H2AX immunocytochemistry), apoptosis
      (measured by Annexin V/propidium iodide staining), internucleosomal DNA
      fragmentation (measured by DNA laddering), and dissipation of mitochondrial
      membrane potential (measured by JC-1 staining). Using reverse-phase high-pressure
      liquid chromatography, we quantitated the arachidonic acid (AA) in GCE, which
      provides neuroprotection against H/R-induced oxidative stress. This
      neuroprotective effect of AA was comparable to that of GCE. These findings
      suggest that the neuroprotective effect of GCE against H/R-induced neuronal death
      is due, at least in part, to the AA content that suppresses neuronal apoptosis.

PMID- 26106878
TI  - Fluorescent recognition of uranyl ions by a phosphorylated cyclic peptide.
AB  - Fluorescent recognition of uranyl ions was achieved using a phosphorylated cyclic
      peptide, which can be used as a fluorescent sensor for the detection of uranyl
      ions with high selectivity and sensitivity. 

PMID- 26106879
TI  - Mapping surface tension induced menisci with application to tensiometry and
      refractometry.
AB  - In this work, we discuss an optical method for measuring surface tension induced
      menisci. The principle of measurement is based upon the change in the background
      pattern produced by the curvature of the meniscus acting as a lens. We measure
      the meniscus profile over an inclined glass plate and utilize the measured
      meniscus for estimation of surface tension and refractive index. 

PMID- 26106880
TI  - Ukraine: health system review.
AB  - This analysis of the Ukrainian health system reviews recent developments in
      organization and governance, health financing, health care provision, health
      reforms and health system performance. Since the country gained independence from
      the Soviet Union in 1991, successive governments have sought to overcome funding
      shortfalls and modernize the health care system to meet the needs of the
      population's health. However, no fundamental reform of the system has yet been
      implemented and consequently it has preserved the main features characteristic of
      the Semashko model; there is a particularly high proportion of total health
      expenditure paid out of pocket (42.3 % in 2012), and incentives within the system
      do not focus on quality or outcomes. The most recent health reform programme
      began in 2010 and sought to strengthen primary and emergency care, rationalize
      hospitals and change the model of health care financing from one based on inputs
      to one based on outputs. Fundamental issues that hampered reform efforts in the
      past re-emerged, but conflict and political instability have proved the greatest
      barriers to reform implementation and the programme was abandoned in 2014. More
      recently, the focus has been on more pressing humanitarian concerns arising from
      the conflict in the east of Ukraine. It is hoped that greater political, social
      and economic stability in the future will provide a better environment for the
      introduction of deep reforms to address shortcomings in the Ukrainian health
      system. 

PMID- 26106881
TI  - CT attenuation features of individual calcified coronary plaque: differences
      among asymptomatic, stable angina pectoris, and acute coronary syndrome groups.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coronary artery calcium (CAC) assessed by non-contrast cardiac CT has
      been shown to be an independent factor from the Framingham risk factors in
      predicting cardiovascular events. However, many patients with acute coronary
      syndrome (ACS) have low CAC score. A recent study that re-analyzed the previous
      CAC CT scan of MESA cohort showed that in subjects with global lower density, CAC
      was associated with higher risk of ACS. We aimed to further evaluate the
      characteristics of CAC attenuation features in ACS subjects, in comparison to
      asymptomatic and stable angina pectoris (SAP) groups. METHODS: In a period of 18
      months, 524 consecutive subjects received standard CAC CT scans in our
      department; 278 of 524 subjects with presence of CAC (225 men, age = 60.6+/-9.5
      years; ACS = 41, SAP = 78, asymptomatic = 159) were enrolled. Agatston score,
      number of plaques (NP) per subject and mean (HMEAN) and standard deviation (HSD)
      of attenuation of each calcified plaque were measured. Three regression models to
      distinguish the groups were built: model 1, conventional risk factors only; model
      2, Agatston score plus model 1; model 3, plaque attenuation features plus model
      2. RESULTS: Agatston score in ACS group (median = 112.9) was higher than in the
      asymptomatic group (median = 54.4, P = 0.028) and similar to the SAP group
      (median = 237.8, P = 0.428). Calcified plaques in the ACS group showed lower
      (HMEAN = 180.5) and more homogenous (HSD = 31.2) attenuation than those of the
      asymptomatic group (HMEAN = 205.9, P = 0.002; HSD = 52.4, P = 0.006) and the SAP
      group (HMEAN = 204.1, P = 0.016; HSD = 54.4, P = 0.011). Model 3 significantly
      improved the distinction between ACS and asymptomatic groups (area under curve
      [AUC] = 0.93) as compared to model 2 (AUC = 0.83, P = 0.003) and model 1 (AUC =
      0.79, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Calcified plaques in the ACS group were
      characteristically of low and homogenous CT attenuation. With validation in a
      large cohort, analysis of CT attenuation features may improve risk stratification
      of ACS using CAC CT scan.

PMID- 26106882
TI  - Impacts of different grades of tropical cyclones on infectious diarrhea in
      Guangdong, 2005-2011.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Guangdong province is one of the most vulnerable provinces to tropical
      cyclones in China. Most prior studies concentrated on the relationship between
      tropical cyclones and injuries and mortality. This study aimed to explore the
      impacts of different grades of tropical cyclones on infectious diarrhea incidence
      in Guangdong province, from 2005 to 2011. METHODS: Mann-Whitney U test was
      firstly used to examine if infectious diarrhea were sensitive to tropical
      cyclone. Then unidirectional 1:1 case-crossover design was performed to
      quantitatively evaluate the relationship between daily number of infectious
      diarrhea and tropical cyclone from 2005 to 2011 in Guangdong, China. Principal
      component analysis (PCA) was applied to eliminate multicollinearity. Multivariate
      logistic regression model was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and the
      95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: There were no significant relationships
      between tropical cyclone and bacillary dysentery, amebic dysentery, typhoid, and
      paratyphoid cases. Infectious diarrhea other than cholera, dysentery, typhoid and
      paratyphoid significantly increased after tropical cyclones. The strongest effect
      were shown on lag 1 day (HRs = 1.95, 95%CI = 1.22, 3.12) and no lagged effect was
      detected for tropical depression, tropical storm, severe tropical storm and
      typhoon, with the largest HRs (95%CI) of 2.16 (95%CI = 1.69, 2.76), 2.43 (95%CI =
      1.65, 3.58) and 2.21 (95%CI = 1.65, 2.69), respectively. Among children below 5
      years old, the impacts of all grades of tropical cyclones were strongest at lag 0
      day. And HRs were 2.67 (95%CI = 1.10, 6.48), 2.49 (95%CI = 1.80, 3.44), 4.89
      (95%CI = 2.37, 7.37) and 3.18 (95%CI = 2.10, 4.81), respectively. CONCLUSION: All
      grades of tropical cyclones could increase risk of other infectious diarrhea.
      Severe tropical storm has the strongest influence on other infectious diarrhea.
      The impacts of tropical cyclones on children under 5 years old were higher than
      total population.

PMID- 26106883
TI  - Polymorphisms in Ion Transport Genes Are Associated with Eggshell Mechanical
      Property.
AB  - Eggshell mechanical property traits such as eggshell breaking strength (ESS),
      eggshell thickness (EST) and eggshell weight (ESW) are most common and important
      indexes to evaluate eggshell quality in poultry industry. Uterine ion
      transporters involve in eggshell formation and might be associated with eggshell
      mechanical property traits. In this study, 99 SNPs in 15 ion transport genes were
      selected to genotype 976 pedigreed hens of Rhode Island Red. ESS, EST and ESW
      were measured for each bird at 55 weeks of age. The association study showed that
      14 SNPs in 8 genes were significantly related (p < 0.05) with at least one trait,
      and their contributions to phenotypic variance ranged from 0.23% to 4.14%. Both
      ATP2A3 and SLC4A5 had a significant effect on all the three traits. Strong
      linkage disequilibrium (LD) was detected among SNPs in four genes: ATP2A3, ITPR1,
      SLC8A3, SCNN1a. The significant effects of those diplotypes on eggshell
      mechanical property traits were found, and their contributions to phenotypic
      variance ranged from 0.50% to 0.70%. It was concluded that the identified SNPs
      and diplotypes in this study were potential markers influencing the eggshell
      mechanical properties, which could contribute to the genetic improvement of
      eggshell quality. 

PMID- 26106884
TI  - A New Combinatorial Optimization Approach for Integrated Feature Selection Using
      Different Datasets: A Prostate Cancer Transcriptomic Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The joint study of multiple datasets has become a common technique
      for increasing statistical power in detecting biomarkers obtained from smaller
      studies. The approach generally followed is based on the fact that as the total
      number of samples increases, we expect to have greater power to detect
      associations of interest. This methodology has been applied to genome-wide
      association and transcriptomic studies due to the availability of datasets in the
      public domain. While this approach is well established in biostatistics, the
      introduction of new combinatorial optimization models to address this issue has
      not been explored in depth. In this study, we introduce a new model for the
      integration of multiple datasets and we show its application in transcriptomics.
      METHODS: We propose a new combinatorial optimization problem that addresses the
      core issue of biomarker detection in integrated datasets. Optimal solutions for
      this model deliver a feature selection from a panel of prospective biomarkers.
      The model we propose is a generalised version of the (alpha,beta)-k-Feature Set
      problem. We illustrate the performance of this new methodology via a challenging
      meta-analysis task involving six prostate cancer microarray datasets. The results
      are then compared to the popular RankProd meta-analysis tool and to what can be
      obtained by analysing the individual datasets by statistical and combinatorial
      methods alone. RESULTS: Application of the integrated method resulted in a more
      informative signature than the rank-based meta-analysis or individual dataset
      results, and overcomes problems arising from real world datasets. The set of
      genes identified is highly significant in the context of prostate cancer. The
      method used does not rely on homogenisation or transformation of values to a
      common scale, and at the same time is able to capture markers associated with
      subgroups of the disease.

PMID- 26106886
TI  - Correction: a modular analysis of the auxin signalling network.

PMID- 26106887
TI  - Testing the Role of Climate Change in Species Decline: Is the Eastern Quoll a
      Victim of a Change in the Weather?
AB  - To conserve a declining species we first need to diagnose the causes of decline.
      This is one of the most challenging tasks faced by conservation practitioners. In
      this study, we used temporally explicit species distribution models (SDMs) to
      test whether shifting weather can explain the recent decline of a marsupial
      carnivore, the eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus). We developed an SDM using
      weather variables matched to occurrence records of the eastern quoll over the
      last 60 years, and used the model to reconstruct variation through time in the
      distribution of climatically suitable range for the species. The weather model
      produced a meaningful prediction of the known distribution of the species.
      Abundance of quolls, indexed by transect counts, was positively related to the
      modelled area of suitable habitat between 1990 and 2004. In particular, a sharp
      decline in abundance from 2001 to 2003 coincided with a sustained period of
      unsuitable weather over much of the species' distribution. Since 2004, abundance
      has not recovered despite a return to suitable weather conditions, and abundance
      and area of suitable habitat have been uncorrelated. We suggest that fluctuations
      in weather account for the species' recent decline, but other unrelated factors
      have suppressed recovery. 

PMID- 26106885
TI  - Mitochondrial Morphology and Fundamental Parameters of the Mitochondrial
      Respiratory Chain Are Altered in Caenorhabditis elegans Strains Deficient in
      Mitochondrial Dynamics and Homeostasis Processes.
AB  - Mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to myriad human diseases and toxicant
      exposures, highlighting the need for assays capable of rapidly assessing
      mitochondrial health in vivo. Here, using the Seahorse XFe24 Analyzer and the
      pharmacological inhibitors dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and oligomycin (ATP-synthase
      inhibitors), carbonyl cyanide 4-(trifluoromethoxy) phenylhydrazone (mitochondrial
      uncoupler) and sodium azide (cytochrome c oxidase inhibitor), we measured the
      fundamental parameters of mitochondrial respiratory chain function: basal oxygen
      consumption, ATP-linked respiration, maximal respiratory capacity, spare
      respiratory capacity and proton leak in the model organism Caenhorhabditis
      elegans. Since mutations in mitochondrial homeostasis genes cause mitochondrial
      dysfunction and have been linked to human disease, we measured mitochondrial
      respiratory function in mitochondrial fission (drp-1)-, fusion (fzo-1)-,
      mitophagy (pdr-1, pink-1)-, and electron transport chain complex III (isp-1)
      deficient C. elegans. All showed altered function, but the nature of the
      alterations varied between the tested strains. We report increased basal oxygen
      consumption in drp-1; reduced maximal respiration in drp-1, fzo-1, and isp-1;
      reduced spare respiratory capacity in drp-1 and fzo-1; reduced proton leak in fzo
      1 and isp-1; and increased proton leak in pink-1 nematodes. As mitochondrial
      morphology can play a role in mitochondrial energetics, we also quantified the
      mitochondrial aspect ratio for each mutant strain using a novel method, and for
      the first time report increased aspect ratios in pdr-1- and pink-1-deficient
      nematodes. 

PMID- 26106888
TI  - Portlandemys gracilis n. sp., a New Coastal Marine Turtle from the Late Jurassic
      of Porrentruy (Switzerland) and a Reconsideration of Plesiochelyid Cranial
      Anatomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several groups of stem cryptodires became adapted to coastal marine
      environments as early as the Late Jurassic, 40 million years before the Pan
      Chelonioidea. The Plesiochelyidae are a major component of this first radiation
      of crown-group turtles into marine habitats. They are abundant in many European
      localities, but their systematics is still greatly confused. Only three species
      are represented by cranial material: Plesiochelys etalloni, Plesiochelys
      planiceps, and Portlandemys mcdowelli. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the
      present study, we describe a cranium and a mandible from the Kimmeridgian of
      Porrentruy (Switzerland), which we refer to a new species, Portlandemys gracilis
      n. sp. This new taxon differs from Portlandemys mcdowelli in several aspects of
      the cranium and mandible, notably in being generally more gracile, but the two
      species share a narrow skull, a more acute angle between the labial ridges on the
      mandible, and a unique configuration of the anterodorsal part of the basicranium.
      The cranial anatomy of plesiochelyid turtles is discussed in details based
      primarily on these new specimens and new cranial material of Plesiochelys
      etalloni from Solothurn, Switzerland. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Several
      characters (e.g., the contribution of the parietal to the foramen nervi
      trigemini, the configuration of the dorsum sellae and sella turcica, the presence
      of an infolding ridge on the posterior surface of the quadrate) appear as
      potential candidates to help elucidate plesiochelyid relationships. Some of these
      characters are included in a previously published phylogenetic dataset and help
      to stabilize the relationships of plesiochelyid turtles and closely related taxa.
      For the first time, our results suggest that plesiochelyids, 'Thalassemys'
      moseri, and Solnhofia parsonsi (representing the Eurysternidae) form a clade at
      the base of Eucryptodira.

PMID- 26106889
TI  - The relationship between cranial structure, biomechanical performance and
      ecological diversity in varanoid lizards.
AB  - Skull structure is intimately associated with feeding ability in vertebrates,
      both in terms of specific performance measures and general ecological
      characteristics. This study quantitatively assessed variation in the shape of the
      cranium and mandible in varanoid lizards, and its relationship to structural
      performance (von Mises strain) and interspecific differences in feeding ecology.
      Geometric morphometric and linear morphometric analyses were used to evaluate
      morphological differences, and finite element analysis was used to quantify
      variation in structural performance (strain during simulated biting, shaking and
      pulling). This data was then integrated with ecological classes compiled from
      relevant scientific literature on each species in order to establish structure
      function relationships. Finite element modelling results showed that variation in
      cranial morphology resulted in large differences in the magnitudes and locations
      of strain in biting, shaking and pulling load cases. Gracile species such as
      Varanus salvadorii displayed high strain levels during shaking, especially in the
      areas between the orbits. All models exhibit less strain during pull back loading
      compared to shake loading, even though a larger force was applied (pull =30N,
      shake = 20N). Relationships were identified between the morphology, performance,
      and ecology. Species that did not feed on hard prey clustered in the gracile
      region of cranial morphospace and exhibited significantly higher levels of strain
      during biting (P = 0.0106). Species that fed on large prey clustered in the
      elongate area of mandible morphospace. This relationship differs from those that
      have been identified in other taxonomic groups such as crocodiles and mammals.
      This difference may be due to a combination of the open 'space-frame' structure
      of the varanoid lizard skull, and the 'pull back' behaviour that some species use
      for processing large prey. 

PMID- 26106890
TI  - Transcriptome response signatures associated with the overexpression of a
      mitochondrial uncoupling protein (AtUCP1) in tobacco.
AB  - Mitochondrial inner membrane uncoupling proteins (UCP) dissipate the proton
      electrochemical gradient established by the respiratory chain, thus affecting the
      yield of ATP synthesis. UCP overexpression in plants has been correlated with
      oxidative stress tolerance, improved photosynthetic efficiency and increased
      mitochondrial biogenesis. This study reports the main transcriptomic responses
      associated with the overexpression of an UCP (AtUCP1) in tobacco seedlings.
      Compared to wild-type (WT), AtUCP1 transgenic seedlings showed unaltered ATP
      levels and higher accumulation of serine. By using RNA-sequencing, a total of 816
      differentially expressed genes between the investigated overexpressor lines and
      the untransformed WT control were identified. Among them, 239 were up-regulated
      and 577 were down-regulated. As a general response to AtUCP1 overexpression,
      noticeable changes in the expression of genes involved in energy metabolism and
      redox homeostasis were detected. A substantial set of differentially expressed
      genes code for products targeted to the chloroplast and mainly involved in
      photosynthesis. The overall results demonstrate that the alterations in
      mitochondrial function provoked by AtUCP1 overexpression require important
      transcriptomic adjustments to maintain cell homeostasis. Moreover, the occurrence
      of an important cross-talk between chloroplast and mitochondria, which culminates
      in the transcriptional regulation of several genes involved in different
      pathways, was evidenced. 

PMID- 26106892
TI  - Correction: tigers of sundarbans in India: is the population a separate
      conservation unit?

PMID- 26106891
TI  - High-Frequency Heart Rate Variability Linked to Affiliation with a New Group.
AB  - This study tests the hypothesis that high levels of high-frequency heart rate
      variability (HF-HRV) predisposes individuals to affiliate with new groups.
      Resting cardiac physiological recordings were taken before and after experimental
      sessions to measure trait high-frequency heart rate variability as an index of
      dispositional autonomic influence on heart rate. Following an experimental
      manipulation of priming of caring-related words, participants engaged in a
      minimal group paradigm, in which they imagined being a member of one of two
      arbitrary groups, allocated money to members of the two groups, and rated their
      affiliation with the groups. High levels of HF-HRV were associated with ingroup
      favouritism while allocating money, an effect largely attributable to a positive
      relationship between HF-HRV and allocation of money to the ingroup, and less due
      to a negative relationship between HF-HRV and money allocation to the outgroup.
      HF-HRV was also associated with increased self-reported affiliation feelings for
      the ingroup but was unrelated to feelings towards the outgroup. These effects
      remained substantial even after controlling for age, gender, BMI, mood, caffeine
      consumption, time of day of data collection, smoking and alcohol behaviour, and
      respiration rate. Further, the effects were observed regardless of whether
      participants were primed with caring-related words or not. This study is the
      first to bridge a long history of research on ingroup favouritism to the
      relatively recent body of research on cardiac vagal tone by uncovering a positive
      association between HF-HRV and affiliation with a novel group. 

PMID- 26106893
TI  - Evaluating the impact of abrupt changes in forest policy and management practices
      on landscape dynamics: analysis of a Landsat image time series in the Atlantic
      Northern Forest.
AB  - Sustainable forest management is based on functional relationships between
      management actions, landscape conditions, and forest values. Changes in
      management practices make it fundamentally more difficult to study these
      relationships because the impacts of current practices are difficult to
      disentangle from the persistent influences of past practices. Within the Atlantic
      Northern Forest of Maine, U.S.A., forest policy and management practices changed
      abruptly in the early 1990s. During the 1970s-1980s, a severe insect outbreak
      stimulated salvage clearcutting of large contiguous tracts of spruce-fir forest.
      Following clearcut regulation in 1991, management practices shifted abruptly to
      near complete dependence on partial harvesting. Using a time series of Landsat
      satellite imagery (1973-2010) we assessed cumulative landscape change caused by
      these very different management regimes. We modeled predominant temporal patterns
      of harvesting and segmented a large study area into groups of landscape units
      with similar harvest histories. Time series of landscape composition and
      configuration metrics averaged within groups revealed differences in landscape
      dynamics caused by differences in management history. In some groups (24% of
      landscape units), salvage caused rapid loss and subdivision of intact mature
      forest. Persistent landscape change was created by large salvage clearcuts (often
      averaging > 100 ha) and conversion of spruce-fir to deciduous and mixed forest.
      In groups that were little affected by salvage (56% of landscape units),
      contemporary partial harvesting caused loss and subdivision of intact mature
      forest at even greater rates. Patch shape complexity and edge density reached
      high levels even where cumulative harvest area was relatively low. Contemporary
      practices introduced more numerous and much smaller patches of stand-replacing
      disturbance (typically averaging <15 ha) and a correspondingly large amount of
      edge. Management regimes impacted different areas to different degrees, producing
      different trajectories of landscape change that should be recognized when
      studying the impact of policy and management practices on forest ecology. 

PMID- 26106895
TI  - Visual perception of procedural textures: identifying perceptual dimensions and
      predicting generation models.
AB  - Procedural models are widely used in computer graphics for generating realistic,
      natural-looking textures. However, these mathematical models are not perceptually
      meaningful, whereas the users, such as artists and designers, would prefer to
      make descriptions using intuitive and perceptual characteristics like
      "repetitive," "directional," "structured," and so on. To make up for this gap, we
      investigated the perceptual dimensions of textures generated by a collection of
      procedural models. Two psychophysical experiments were conducted: free-grouping
      and rating. We applied Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) and Singular Value
      Decomposition (SVD) to discover the perceptual features used by the observers in
      grouping similar textures. The results suggested that existing dimensions in
      literature cannot accommodate random textures. We therefore utilized isometric
      feature mapping (Isomap) to establish a three-dimensional perceptual texture
      space which better explains the features used by humans in texture similarity
      judgment. Finally, we proposed computational models to map perceptual features to
      the perceptual texture space, which can suggest a procedural model to produce
      textures according to user-defined perceptual scales. 

PMID- 26106894
TI  - Disgust versus Lust: Exploring the Interactions of Disgust and Fear with Sexual
      Arousal in Women.
AB  - Sexual arousal is a motivational state that moves humans toward situations that
      inherently pose a risk of disease transmission. Disgust is an emotion that
      adaptively moves humans away from such situations. Incongruent is the fact that
      sexual activity is elementary to human fitness yet involves strong disgust
      elicitors. Using an experimental paradigm, we investigated how these two states
      interact. Women (final N=76) were assigned to one of four conditions: rate
      disgust stimuli then watch a pornographic clip; watch a pornographic clip then
      rate disgust stimuli; rate fear stimuli then watch a pornographic clip; or watch
      a pornographic clip then rate fear stimuli. Women's genital sexual arousal was
      measured with vaginal photoplethysmography and their disgust and fear reactions
      were measured via self-report. We did not find that baseline disgust propensity
      predicted sexual arousal in women who were exposed to neutral stimuli before
      erotic content. In the Erotic-before-Disgust condition we did not find that
      sexual arousal straightforwardly predicted decreased image disgust ratings.
      However, we did find some evidence that sexual arousal increased self-reported
      disgust in women with high trait disgust and sexual arousal decreased self
      reported disgust in women with low trait disgust. Women who were exposed to
      disgusting images before erotic content showed significantly less sexual arousal
      than women in the control condition or women exposed to fear-inducing images
      before erotic content. In the Disgust-before-Erotic condition the degree of self
      reported disgust was negatively correlated with genital sexual arousal. Hence, in
      the conflict between the ultimate goals of reproduction and disease avoidance,
      cues of the presence of pathogens significantly reduce the motivation to engage
      in mating behaviors that, by their nature, entail a risk of pathogen
      transmission. 

PMID- 26106897
TI  - Will Passive Protection Save Congo Forests?
AB  - Central Africa's tropical forests are among the world's largest carbon reserves.
      Historically, they have experienced low rates of deforestation. Pressures to
      clear land are increasing due to development of infrastructure and livelihoods,
      foreign investment in agriculture, and shifting land use management, particularly
      in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC contains the greatest area of
      intact African forests. These store approximately 22 billion tons of carbon in
      aboveground live biomass, yet only 10% are protected. Can the status quo of
      passive protection - forest management that is low or nonexistent - ensure the
      preservation of this forest and its carbon? We have developed the SimCongo model
      to simulate changes in land cover and land use based on theorized policy
      scenarios from 2010 to 2050. Three scenarios were examined: the first (Historical
      Trends) assumes passive forest protection; the next (Conservation) posits active
      protection of forests and activation of the national REDD+ action plan, and the
      last (Agricultural Development) assumes increased agricultural activities in
      forested land with concomitant increased deforestation. SimCongo is a cellular
      automata model based on Bayesian statistical methods tailored for the DRC, built
      with the Dinamica-EGO platform. The model is parameterized and validated with
      deforestation observations from the past and runs the scenarios from 2010 through
      2050 with a yearly time step. We estimate the Historical Trends trajectory will
      result in average emissions of 139 million t CO2 year-1 by the 2040s, a 15%
      increase over current emissions. The Conservation scenario would result in 58%
      less clearing than Historical Trends and would conserve carbon-dense forest and
      woodland savanna areas. The Agricultural Development scenario leads to emissions
      of 212 million t CO2 year-1 by the 2040s. These scenarios are heuristic examples
      of policy's influence on forest conservation and carbon storage. Our results
      suggest that 1) passive protection of the DRC's forest and woodland savanna is
      insufficient to reduce deforestation; and 2): enactment of a REDD+ plan or
      similar conservation measure is needed to actively protect Congo forests, their
      unique ecology, and their important role in the global carbon cycle. 

PMID- 26106896
TI  - Dissection of a Complex Disease Susceptibility Region Using a Bayesian Stochastic
      Search Approach to Fine Mapping.
AB  - Identification of candidate causal variants in regions associated with risk of
      common diseases is complicated by linkage disequilibrium (LD) and multiple
      association signals. Nonetheless, accurate maps of these variants are needed,
      both to fully exploit detailed cell specific chromatin annotation data to
      highlight disease causal mechanisms and cells, and for design of the functional
      studies that will ultimately be required to confirm causal mechanisms. We adapted
      a Bayesian evolutionary stochastic search algorithm to the fine mapping problem,
      and demonstrated its improved performance over conventional stepwise and
      regularised regression through simulation studies. We then applied it to fine map
      the established multiple sclerosis (MS) and type 1 diabetes (T1D) associations in
      the IL-2RA (CD25) gene region. For T1D, both stepwise and stochastic search
      approaches identified four T1D association signals, with the major effect tagged
      by the single nucleotide polymorphism, rs12722496. In contrast, for MS, the
      stochastic search found two distinct competing models: a single candidate causal
      variant, tagged by rs2104286 and reported previously using stepwise analysis; and
      a more complex model with two association signals, one of which was tagged by the
      major T1D associated rs12722496 and the other by rs56382813. There is low to
      moderate LD between rs2104286 and both rs12722496 and rs56382813 (r2 ? 0:3) and
      our two SNP model could not be recovered through a forward stepwise search after
      conditioning on rs2104286. Both signals in the two variant model for MS affect
      CD25 expression on distinct subpopulations of CD4+ T cells, which are key cells
      in the autoimmune process. The results support a shared causal variant for T1D
      and MS. Our study illustrates the benefit of using a purposely designed model
      search strategy for fine mapping and the advantage of combining disease and
      protein expression data. 

PMID- 26106898
TI  - Temperature Dependence of Photodegradation of Dissolved Organic Matter to
      Dissolved Inorganic Carbon and Particulate Organic Carbon.
AB  - Photochemical transformation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) has been studied
      for more than two decades. Usually, laboratory or "in-situ" experiments are used
      to determine photodegradation variables. A common problem with these experiments
      is that the photodegradation experiments are done at higher than ambient
      temperature. Five laboratory experiments were done to determine the effect of
      temperature on photochemical degradation of DOM. Experimental results showed
      strong dependence of photodegradation on temperature. Mathematical modeling of
      processes revealed that two different pathways engaged in photochemical
      transformation of DOM to dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) strongly depend on
      temperature. Direct oxidation of DOM to DIC dominated at low temperatures while
      conversion of DOM to intermediate particulate organic carbon (POC) prior to
      oxidation to DIC dominated at high temperatures. It is necessary to consider this
      strong dependence when the results of laboratory experiments are interpreted in
      regard to natural processes. Photodegradation experiments done at higher than
      ambient temperature will necessitate correction of rate constants. 

PMID- 26106899
TI  - Childhood Learning Disabilities and Atypical Dementia: A Retrospective Chart
      Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To further our understanding of the association between self-reported
      childhood learning disabilities (LDs) and atypical dementia phenotypes (Atypical
      Dementia), including logopenic primary progressive aphasia (L-PPA), Posterior
      Cortical Atrophy (PCA), and Dysexecutive-type Alzheimer's Disease (AD). METHODS:
      This retrospective case series analysis of 678 comprehensive neuropsychological
      assessments compared rates of self-reported LD between dementia patients
      diagnosed with Typical AD and those diagnosed with Atypical Dementia. 105 cases
      with neuroimaging or CSF data available and at least one neurology follow-up were
      identified as having been diagnosed by the neuropsychologist with any form of
      neurodegenerative dementia. These cases were subject to a consensus diagnostic
      process among three dementia experts using validated clinical criteria for AD and
      PPA. LD was considered Probable if two or more statements consistent with prior
      LD were documented within the Social & Developmental History of the initial
      neuropsychological evaluation. RESULTS: 85 subjects (Typical AD n=68, Atypical AD
      n=17) were included in the final analysis. In logistic regression models adjusted
      for age, gender, handedness, education and symptom duration, patients with
      Probable LD, compared to patients without Probable LD, were significantly more
      likely to be diagnosed with Atypical Dementia vs. Typical AD (OR 13.1, 95% CI 1.3
      128.4). All three of the L-PPA cases reporting a childhood LD endorsed childhood
      difficulty with language. By contrast, both PCA cases reporting Probable
      childhood LD endorsed difficulty with attention and/or math. CONCLUSIONS: In
      people who develop dementia, childhood LD may predispose to atypical phenotypes.
      Future studies are required to confirm whether atypical neurodevelopment
      predisposes to regional-specific neuropathology in AD and other dementias.

PMID- 26106900
TI  - Toward the Identification of Two Glycoproteins Involved in the Stomatal
      Deregulation of Downy Mildew-Infected Grapevine Leaves.
AB  - Stomata remain abnormally opened and unresponsive to abscisic acid in grapevine
      leaves infected by downy mildew. This deregulation occurs from 3 days
      postinoculation and increases concomitantly with leaf colonization by the
      pathogen. Using epidermal peels, we demonstrated that the active compound
      involved in this deregulation is located in the apoplast. Biochemical assays
      showed that the active compound present in the apoplastic fluids isolated from
      Plasmopara viticola-infected grapevine leaves (IAF) is a CysCys bridge
      independent, thermostable and glycosylated protein. Fractionation guided assays
      based on chromatography coupled to stomatal response and proteomic analysis
      allowed the identification of both plant and pathogen proteins in the active
      fraction obtained from IAF. Further in silico analysis and discriminant
      filtrations based on the comparison between predictions and experimental
      indications lead to the identification of two Vitis vinifera proteins as
      candidates for the observed stomatal deregulation. 

PMID- 26106901
TI  - Bradyrhizobium BclA Is a Peptide Transporter Required for Bacterial
      Differentiation in Symbiosis with Aeschynomene Legumes.
AB  - Nodules of legume plants are highly integrated symbiotic systems shaped by
      millions of years of evolution. They harbor nitrogen-fixing rhizobium bacteria
      called bacteroids. Several legume species produce peptides called nodule-specific
      cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides in the symbiotic nodule cells which house the
      bacteroids. NCR peptides are related to antimicrobial peptides of innate
      immunity. They induce the endosymbionts into a differentiated, enlarged, and
      polyploid state. The bacterial symbionts, on their side, evolved functions for
      the response to the NCR peptides. Here, we identified the bclA gene of
      Bradyrhizobium sp. strains ORS278 and ORS285, which is required for the formation
      of differentiated and functional bacteroids in the nodules of the NCR peptide
      producing Aeschynomene legumes. The BclA ABC transporter promotes the import of
      NCR peptides and provides protection against the antimicrobial activity of these
      peptides. Moreover, BclA can complement the role of the related BacA transporter
      of Sinorhizobium meliloti, which has a similar symbiotic function in the
      interaction with Medicago legumes. 

PMID- 26106902
TI  - New Approaches to Measuring Sticky Molecules: Improvement of Instrumental
      Response Times Using Active Passivation.
AB  - A novel method has been developed to improve sampling system response times for
      nominally "sticky" molecules such as HNO3 and NH3. The method reported here makes
      use of active, continuous passivation, where the instrument interfaces are
      continuously exposed to 0.01-1 ppm of fluorinated acidic or basic surfactants. To
      reduce HNO3 response times, perfluoroheptanoic acid and perfluorobutanesulfonic
      acid vapors are evaluated as passivation species. 1H,1H-perfluorooctylamine is
      used to improve NH3 response times. The resulting time responses using the
      perfluoroalkanoic acids are on the order of 0.4-0.7 s for a 75% quantitative
      recovery of HNO3, and 1-5 s for 90% recovery. Similar response time improvements
      are seen in detection of NH3 using perfluorooctylamine (<1 s for a 75% recovery,
      ~ 2 s for 90% recovery). This generally applicable methodology significantly
      improves the capability of eddy covariance flux and real-time plume-based
      measurements of highly polar molecules that have historically been hampered by
      slow response times due to adsorption on sampling system surfaces. The utility of
      this approach is demonstrated by field measurements of HNO3 eddy covariance
      fluxes in a central U.S. prairie.

PMID- 26106903
TI  - Alternative and Legacy Perfluoroalkyl Substances: Differences between European
      and Chinese River/Estuary Systems.
AB  - The production and use of long-chain perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) must
      comply with national and international regulations. Driven by increasingly
      stringent regulations, their production has been outsourced to less regulated
      countries in Asia. In addition, the fluoropolymer industry started to use
      fluorinated alternatives, such as 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(1,1,2,2,3,3,3
      heptafluoropropoxy)propanoic acid (HFPO-DA). Between August 2013 and September
      2014, we investigated the occurrence and distribution of HFPO-DA and legacy PFASs
      in surface waters of the following river/estuary systems: the Elbe and Rhine
      Rivers in Germany, the Rhine-Meuse delta in The Netherlands, and the Xiaoqing
      River in China. Distinct differences were revealed among the study areas;
      notably, the Chinese samples were highly polluted by an industrial point source
      discharging mainly perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). This particular point source
      resulted in concentrations more than 6000 times higher than an industrial point
      source observed in the Scheur River, where HFPO-DA was the dominant compound with
      a concentration of 73.1 ng/L. Moreover, HFPO-DA was detected in all samples along
      the coastline of the North Sea, indicating that the compound may be transported
      from the Rhine-Meuse delta into the German Bight via the water current. To the
      best of our knowledge, the fluorinated alternative, HFPO-DA, was detected for the
      first time in surface waters of Germany and China. 

PMID- 26106904
TI  - Understanding the Effect of Monomeric Iridium(III/IV) Aquo Complexes on the
      Photoelectrochemistry of IrO(x).nH2O-Catalyzed Water-Splitting Systems.
AB  - Soluble, monomeric Ir(III/IV) complexes strongly affect the photoelectrochemical
      performance of IrO(x).nH2O-catalyzed photoanodes for the oxygen evolution
      reaction (OER). The synthesis of IrO(x).nH2O colloids by alkaline hydrolysis of
      Ir(III) or Ir(IV) salts proceeds through monomeric intermediates that were
      characterized using electrochemical and spectroscopic methods and modeled in
      TDDFT calculations. In air-saturated solutions, the monomers exist in a mixture
      of Ir(III) and Ir(IV) oxidation states, where the most likely formulations at pH
      13 are [Ir(OH)5(H2O)](2-) and [Ir(OH)6](2-), respectively. These monomeric anions
      strongly adsorb onto IrO(x).nH2O colloids but can be removed by precipitation of
      the colloids with isopropanol. The monomeric anions strongly adsorb onto TiO2,
      and they promote the adsorption of ligand-free IrO(x).nH2O colloids onto
      mesoporous titania photoanodes. However, the reversible adsorption/desorption of
      electroactive monomers effectively short-circuits the photoanode redox cycle and
      thus dramatically degrades the photoelectrochemical performance of the cell. The
      growth of a dense TiO2 barrier layer prevents access of soluble monomeric anions
      to the interface between the oxide semiconductor and the electrode back contact
      (a fluorinated tin oxide transparent conductor) and leads to improved photoanode
      performance. Purified IrO(x).nH2O colloids, which contain no adsorbed monomer,
      give improved performance at the same electrodes. These results explain earlier
      observations that IrO(x).nH2O catalysts can dramatically degrade the performance
      of metal oxide photoanodes for the OER reaction.

PMID- 26106905
TI  - Polysaccharide-Based Conjugates for Biomedical Applications.
AB  - Polysaccharides contain different functional groups (such as hydroxyl, amino,
      carboxylic acid, aldehydes) that make them ideal for conjugation. They are
      biodegradable, biocompatible, and hydrophilic. Polysaccharide conjugates have
      been used in drug, gene, and macromolecule delivery, tissue engineering, and
      other biomedical applications. Polysaccharide conjugates have also been used
      primarily for solubilization and controlled release of hydrophobic moieties. The
      advent of nanotechnology, gene therapy, and tissue engineering influenced the way
      these conjugates are now used. Modern day conjugates are modulated to be
      thermoresponsive, pH-responsive, photoresponsive, or target-specific (receptor
      mediated targeting). This Review briefly introduces different polysaccharides
      followed by different synthetic strategies used for conjugation; finally, recent
      applications were compiled. 

PMID- 26106906
TI  - Antioxidative Reaction of Carotenes against Peroxidation of Fatty Acids Initiated
      by Nitrogen Dioxide: A Theoretical Study.
AB  - In this study, we investigated the antioxidative functions of carotenes (CARs)
      against the peroxidation of lipids initiated by nitrogen dioxide using density
      functional theory. The hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT), radical adduct formation
      (RAF), and electron transfer (ET) mechanisms were investigated. We chose beta
      carotene (beta-CAR) and lycopene (LYC) and compared their NO2(*) initiations and
      peroxidations with those of linoleic acid (LAH), the model of the lipid. We found
      that for CARs ET is more likely to occur in the most polar (water) environment
      than are HAT and RAF. In less polar environments, CARs react more readily with
      NO2(*) via HAT and RAF than does the lipid model, LAH. Comparatively, reaction
      barriers for the RAF between CARs and NO2(*) are smaller than those for the HAT.
      The additions of O2 to the radical intermediates O2N-CAR(*) and CAR(-H)(*)
      involve sizable barriers and are endergonic. Other than HAT of LAH, we revealed
      that lipid peroxidation is likely to be initiated by -NO2 addition and the
      subsequent barrierless addition of O2. Finally, LYC is a more effective
      antioxidative agent against NO2(*)-initiated lipid peroxidation than is beta-CAR.

PMID- 26106907
TI  - Efficacy of stannous, fluoride and their their combination in dentin erosion
      prevention in vitro.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the protective effects of solutions
      containing stannous (Sn), fluoride (F) and their combination in the prevention of
      dentin erosion. Forty bovine root dentin specimens (4'4'2 mm(3)) were prepared
      and randomly assigned to 4 groups (n = 10): SnCl2 (800 ppm/6.7 mM Sn), NaF (250
      ppm/13 mM F), NaF/SnCl2 (800 ppm/6.7 mM Sn; 250 ppm/13 mM F), and deionized water
      (DIW) as a negative control. An acquired pellicle was formed on dentin samples by
      incubation in clarified, pooled, stimulated human saliva for 24 hours. The
      specimens were subjected to 5 daily cycles, each consisting of 5 of min
      demineralization (0.3%/15.6 mM citric acid, pH 2.6, 6'/day) and 60 min of re
      mineralization in clarified human saliva. Thirty minutes after the 1st, 3rd and
      5th demineralization episodes of each day, the specimens were treated with one of
      the test solutions for 2 min. Surface loss was measured via optical profilometry.
      Mixed-model ANOVA followed by Tukey's test were used for the statistical
      analysis. Sn, F, and their combination significantly reduced the dentin surface
      loss by 23%, 36%, and 60% compared with DIW, respectively. All groups were
      significantly different (p < 0.05). The combination of Sn and F significantly
      reduced the amount of dentin surface loss compared with all other groups. The F
      group also significantly reduced surface loss compared with Sn and DIW, followed
      by the Sn group, which showed significantly greater protection compared with the
      DIW control. The daily use of a combined fluoride and stannous solution is
      promising for preventing dentin erosion.

PMID- 26106908
TI  - Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells.

PMID- 26106910
TI  - Total synthesis of two potent anti-inflammatory macrolactones of the
      oxacyclododecindione type.
AB  - An esterification/Friedel-Crafts-cyclization approach permitted the first
      successful synthetic entry into the oxacyclododecindione subclass of the
      dihydroxyphenylacetic acid lactone-type natural products. This route allowed the
      preparation of two highly active anti-inflammatory fungal secondary metabolites
      14-deoxyoxacyclododecindione and 14-deoxy-4-dechlorooxacyclododecindione as well
      as their 14-desmethyl analogues. 

PMID- 26106909
TI  - Microarray Determination of the Expression of Drug Transporters in Humans and
      Animal Species Used for the Investigation of Nasal Absorption.
AB  - Mice and rats are commonly used to investigate in vivo nasal drug absorption, yet
      their small nasal cavities limit their use for in vitro investigations. Bovine
      tissue explants have been used to investigate drug transport through the nasal
      respiratory and olfactory mucosae, yet limited information is available regarding
      the similarities and differences among these animal models compared to humans.
      The aim of this study was to compare the presence of a number of important drug
      transporters in the nasal mucosa of these species. DNA microarray results for
      nasal samples from humans, rats, and mice were obtained from GenBank, while DNA
      microarray and RT-PCR were performed on bovine nasal explants. The drug
      transporters of interest include multidrug resistance, cation, anion, peptide,
      and nucleoside transporters. Each of the species (mouse, rat, cattle, and human)
      shows similar patterns of expression for most of the important drug transporters.
      Several transporters were highly expressed in all the species, including MRP1,
      OCTN2, PEPT2, and y+LAT2. While some differences in transporter mRNA and protein
      expression were observed, the transporter expression patterns were quite similar
      among the species. The differences suggest that it is important to be aware of
      any specific differences in transporter expression for a given compound being
      investigated, yet the similarities support the continued use of these animal
      models during preclinical investigation of intranasally administered
      therapeutics. 

PMID- 26106912
TI  - The Use of Conjunctival Rotational Autograft in the Management of Pterygium.

PMID- 26106911
TI  - Association of Height With Pattern Reversal Visual Evoked Potentials.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate whether pattern reversal visual
      evoked potential parameters in a large sample of healthy subjects are influenced
      by height of the subjects. DESIGN: It was an institutional, cross-sectional
      study. METHODS: Pattern reversal visual evoked potential (PRVEP) recordings from
      400 eyes from 200 normal subjects were performed in the Neurophysiology unit of
      the Department of Physiology in accordance to the standardized methodology and
      montages were kept as per 10-20 International System of electroencephalogram
      electrode placements. VEP latencies, duration and amplitude were measured in all
      subjects. The correlation of all the electrophysiological parameters with height
      was evaluated by Pearson's correlation co-efficient (r) and its statistical
      significance was evaluated. RESULTS: On correlating mean height with mean VEP
      parameters of both eyes in the subjects it was found that there is a positive
      correlation of P100 latency and N155 latency in the subjects and a highly
      significant negative correlation of P100 amplitude with height in the subjects of
      various age groups. N70 latency was found to be significantly positively
      correlated with height whereas P100 Duration showed a non-significant negative
      correlation with height of the subjects. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that
      VEP latencies, duration and amplitude are influenced by the height of the
      individual. The positive correlation between VEP latencies and increasing height
      may all reflect the increase in length between the optic nerve head and the
      visual processing areas-the striate and the extra striate cortex which are the
      main generators of the various PRVEP waveforms.

PMID- 26106913
TI  - Age-Related Macular Degeneration: From Genetics to Epigenetics.

PMID- 26106914
TI  - The Evolution of Cataract Surgery: Controversies Through the Ages.
AB  - Cataracts have been in public consciousness since ancient times. Throughout the
      ages, the comfort of established practices, at times, has obstructed the
      implementation of improved policies. The opposition to lensectomy, hygiene
      practices, intraocular lenses, and phacoemulsification (phaco) are explored. As
      femtosecond laser cataract surgery attempts to secure a foothold in cataract
      treatment, we consider whether it is destined to be a forgotten footnote or if,
      like other contributions to the history books, the difficulties of establishing a
      new technique are abstracting the benefits represented. 

PMID- 26106915
TI  - Aggressive Debridement Improves Outcome of Fungal Keratitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study surgical debridement in the management of fungal keratitis in
      44 patients. DESIGN: A prospective randomized study. METHODS: Patients with
      presumed fungal keratitis were randomized into 2 groups. The first group had
      diagnostic corneal scraping with a Kimura spatula while the second group
      underwent surgical debridement utilizing a motorized drill with attached diamond
      burr. Material obtained from both methods was plated on Sabaurauds medium, blood
      agar and stained for bacteria and fungi. Topical and systemic antifungal therapy
      was instituted, and patients were examined until resolution. RESULTS: Pathogens
      were identified to a greater degree in the aggressive debridement group than in
      the Kimura spatula group. Patients who had aggressive debridement had a
      significant reduction in time to re-epithelialization and keratitis resolution
      (9.4 days) compared with the scraping group (17.1 days, P < 0.001). Mean
      uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) in the surgical group was 1.02 logarithm of the
      minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) preoperatively and 0.43 logMAR
      postoperatively (P < 0.001). Mean UCVA in the Kimura spatula group was 1.20
      logMAR before and 0.58 logMAR after scraping (P = 0.03). A single incidence of
      perforation occurred in the scraping group with the diagnosis of Fusarium made
      from the corneal button. CONCLUSIONS: Aggressive debridement and debulking of
      fungal keratitis provides a faster clinical resolution with no reduction in
      visual potential. The acquisition of pathogens is more accurate with surgical
      debridement as compared with conventional scraping. Aggressive surgical
      debridement of keratitis not only aids in diagnosis but may also be therapeutic.

PMID- 26106916
TI  - Conjunctival Rotation Autograft for Pterygium: An Alternative to Conventional
      Conjunctival Autografting.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the safety and efficacy of conjunctival rotation autograft
      (CRA) as an alternative to conventional conjunctival autograft after pterygium
      excision and its complications and rate of recurrence. DESIGN: A prospective non
      comparative interventional case study. METHODS: Conjunctival rotation autograft
      was performed under peribulbar block in 50 eyes with primary pterygium as well as
      recurrent pterygium of grade 1, 2 and 3 according to a morphological grading
      system. Patients were followed up for 12 months for complications like graft
      retraction, injection, recurrence, etc. RESULTS: A total of 55 CRAs were done in
      50 eyes of 47 subjects in the study wherein grafts were attached by using the 10
      0 nylon sutures in primary and recurrent pterygia. Mean follow up period was
      11.67 months (Range 9-12 months). The most commonly found complications were
      graft injection in 16 (29.09%) cases and graft pigmentation in 5 (9.0%) cases.
      Injection was not associated with pterygium grade and was found to be
      statistically insignificant (P = 0.27). Recurrence was found only in 1 (1.8%)
      case in grade T3 recurrent pterygium. CONCLUSIONS: Conjunctival rotation
      autograft appears to be a successful and safe alternative to conjunctival
      autograft, with a relatively low rate of pterygium recurrence in this
      uncontrolled series. We advocate the use of CRA for cases of pterygium in which a
      conventional autograft is contraindicated or difficult. In addition, the
      procedure can be used as a primary surgical option in primary and recurrent
      pterygia.

PMID- 26106917
TI  - Twenty-Three-Gauge Pars Plana Vitrectomy With Inferior Retinectomy and
      Postoperative Perfluoro-n-Octane Retention for Retinal Detachment Repair.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this article was to study outcomes following use of
      perfluoro-n-octane (PFO) as a short-term postoperative vitreous substitute in
      patients undergoing pars plana vitrectomy for a recurrent rhegmatogenous retinal
      detachment (RRD) with advanced proliferative vitreoretinopathy requiring an
      inferior retinectomy. DESIGN: A retrospective consecutive chart review. METHODS:
      The charts of subjects who underwent RRD repair by pars plana vitrectomy with
      short-term postoperative PFO, vitreous substitution were retrospectively
      reviewed. The primary outcome was the anatomic success rate following retinectomy
      and short-term PFO retention. The secondary outcomes were change in best
      corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and occurrence of complications related to short
      term PFO retention. RESULTS: The anatomic success rate at the final follow-up was
      91.7% (11/12). A total of 7 (58.3%; confidence interval, 32%-80.7%) of 12
      patients achieved a final BCVA better than initial BCVA. There were no
      significant complications related to short-term PFO retention. CONCLUSIONS:
      Perfluoro-n-octane is efficacious and safe as a short-term vitreous substitute
      for repair of a recurrent RRD with advanced proliferative vitreoretinopathy
      requiring an inferior retinectomy.

PMID- 26106918
TI  - Corneal Debridement Update: Adjuvant Therapies and Wound Healing.
AB  - Corneal debridement techniques have seen evolution in instrumentation and
      indication. Although the techniques themselves are simple and usually effective,
      there is often the need for adjuvant topical therapies to augment healing and/or
      prevent recurrence of disease. To better understand the requirement for adjuvant
      therapies, the current theories of corneal wound healing are reviewed. 

PMID- 26106919
TI  - Recent Innovations in Medical and Surgical Retina.
AB  - PURPOSE: To highlight recent innovations in the medical and surgical treatment of
      retinal disease. DESIGN: Retrospective literature review. METHODS: The peer
      reviewed, published (during 2012) English literature was searched using the
      Medline database. Articles deemed relevant were selected and highlighted.
      RESULTS: A number of important innovations in the treatment of retinal disease
      have occurred during the past year. We review developments in regenerative
      medicine (e.g., retinal prosthesis, optogenetics, cell-based therapy),
      diagnostics (e.g., swept source optical coherence tomography [OCT],
      intraoperative OCT, multimodal imaging), surgical innovations (e.g., chemical
      vitreolysis with ocriplasmin, 27-gauge vitrectomy), and pharmacological therapy
      of retinal vascular disease (e.g., use of ranibizumab and aflibercept in the
      treatment of macular edema associated with diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein
      occlusion). CONCLUSIONS: Many important innovations in regenerative medicine,
      diagnostic and surgical instrumentation, and pharmacological therapy for retinal
      vascular disease have occurred during the past year. In view of the number of
      agents in early phase clinical trials (e.g., treatments for dry age-related
      macular degeneration) as well as technologies under development (e.g.,
      microrobots for vitreous surgery), this trend will continue.

PMID- 26106920
TI  - Retinal Prostheses Development in Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients-Progress and
      Comparison.
AB  - PURPOSE: Since 2000, several groups have initiated chronic studies, implanting
      electronic retinal prostheses into the blind eyes of patients with retinitis
      pigmentosa to produce formed vision. DESIGN: A review and comparison of their
      techniques and results. METHODS: The 4 groups reviewed comprise 2 epiretinal and
      2 subretinal groups. Visual function results reported in their publications
      during approximately the past 2 years are compared. RESULTS: Serious adverse
      effects occurred in both epiretinal groups but none in the 2 subretinal groups.
      Phosphenes with some similarity to the multielectrode stimulation pattern were
      induced by 1 group (EpiRet GmbH), and a somewhat higher phosphene pattern was
      created by another group (Second Sight). In 1 subretinal group (Retina Implant
      AG), an even higher phosphene pattern allowed recognition of letters and objects
      such as a cup or saucer. In the second subretinal group (Optobionics), besides
      perceived phosphenes, a neurotrophic rescue of visual function produced a marked
      improvement of visual acuity, color and contrast perception, visual field size,
      and improved darkness perception. In some subjects, recognition of facial
      features and household objects was restored. CONCLUSIONS: Both epiretinal and
      subretinal prostheses created phosphene-type patterned vision in some subjects.
      The phosphene resolution of Retina Implant AG's subretinal device was
      substantially greater than both epiretinal devices. Of the 4 groups, only
      Optobionic's paracentrally placed subretinal Artificial Silicon Retina implant
      induced an unexpected neurotrophic rescue and return of lost visual function
      resulting in the greatest return of visual acuity, color and contrast perception,
      visual field enlargement, and darkness perception.

PMID- 26106921
TI  - Letter to the Editor: Bacterial Species and Surgical Sites Involved in
      Contamination During Strabismus Surgery.

PMID- 26106922
TI  - Reply Regarding Bacterial Species and Surgical Sites Involved in Contamination
      During Strabismus Surgery.

PMID- 26106923
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding Scleral Buckling for Rhegmatogenous Retinal
      Detachment Using Vitrectomy-Based Visualization Systems and Chandelier
      Illumination.

PMID- 26106924
TI  - Reply to Letter Regarding Scleral Buckling for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment
      Using Vitrectomy-Based Visualization and Chandelier Illumination.

PMID- 26106925
TI  - Impact of Preexisting Mental Illnesses on Receipt of Guideline-Consistent Breast
      Cancer Treatment and Health Care Utilization.
AB  - This study determined the impact of preexisting mental illnesses on guideline
      consistent breast cancer treatment and breast cancer-related health care
      utilization. This was a retrospective, longitudinal, cohort study conducted using
      data from the 2006-2008 Medicaid Analytic Extract files. The target population
      for the study consisted of female Medicaid enrollees who were aged 18-64 years
      and were newly diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. Guideline-consistent breast
      cancer treatment was defined according to established guidelines. Breast cancer
      related health care use was reported in the form of inpatient, outpatient, and
      emergency room visits. Statistical analyses consisted of multivariable
      hierarchical regression models. A total of 2142 newly diagnosed cases of breast
      cancer were identified. Approximately 38% of these had a preexisting mental
      illness. Individuals with any preexisting mental illness were less likely to
      receive guideline-consistent breast cancer treatment compared to those without
      any preexisting mental illness (adjusted odds ratio: 0.793, 95% confidence
      interval [CI]: 0.646-0.973). A negative association was observed between
      preexisting mental illness and breast cancer-related outpatient (adjusted
      incident rate ratio (AIRR): 0.917, 95% CI: 0.892-0.942) and emergency room
      utilization (AIRR: 0.842, 95% CI: 0.709-0.999). The association between
      preexisting mental illnesses and breast cancer-related inpatient utilization was
      statistically insignificant (AIRR: 0.993, 95% CI: 0.851-1.159). The findings of
      this study indicate that breast cancer patients with preexisting mental illnesses
      experience disparities in terms of receipt of guideline-consistent breast cancer
      treatment and health care utilization. The results of this study highlight the
      need for more focused care for patients with preexisting mental illness.

PMID- 26106926
TI  - Membrane-reinforced three-dimensional electrospun silk fibroin scaffolds for bone
      tissue engineering.
AB  - Electrospun silk fibroin (SF) scaffolds have drawn much attention because of
      their resemblance to natural tissue architecture such as extracellular matrix,
      and the biocompatibility of SF as a candidate material to replace collagen.
      However, electrospun scaffolds lack the physical integrity of bone tissue
      scaffolds, which require resistance to mechanical loadings. In this work, we
      propose membrane-reinforced electrospun SF scaffolds by a serial process of
      electrospinning and freeze-drying of SF solutions in two different solvents:
      formic acid and water, respectively. After wet electrospinning followed by
      replacement of methanol with water, SF nanofibers dispersed in water were mixed
      with aqueous SF solution. Freeze-drying of the mixed solution resulted in 3D
      membrane-connected SF nanofibrous scaffolds (SF scaffolds) with a thickness of a
      few centimeters. We demonstrated that the SF concentration of aqueous SF solution
      controlled the degree of membrane reinforcement between nanofibers. It was also
      shown that both increase in degree of membrane reinforcement and inclusion of
      hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticles resulted in higher resistance to compressive
      loadings of the SF scaffolds. Culture of human osteoblasts on collagen, SF, and
      SF-HAP scaffolds showed that both SF and SF-HAP scaffolds had biocompatibility
      and cell proliferation superior to that of the collagen scaffolds. SF-HAP
      scaffolds with and without BMP-2 were used for in vivo studies for 4 and 8 weeks,
      and they showed enhanced bone tissue formation in rat calvarial defect models. 

PMID- 26106928
TI  - Dignity in Practice: Day-to-Day Life in Intensive Care Units in Western Europe.
AB  - Dignity is a key concept in contemporary health care ethics, but the practical
      meaning of dignity in care remains unclear. In this article, I show that in
      practice, different and possibly conflicting notions of what dignity means are
      engaged simultaneously in the care of critical patients. The empirical data is
      based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in three separate intensive care units
      in three European countries, Spain, Norway, and France, in the spring of 2014.
      Four weeks were spent at each site. Using participant observations and semi
      structured interviews with 24 intensive care unit staff, I illustrate how the
      ideal of patient dignity is carried out in practice in the daily life of these
      units. 

PMID- 26106927
TI  - Crystal structures of CRISPR-associated Csx3 reveal a manganese-dependent
      deadenylation exoribonuclease.
AB  - In prokaryotes, the CRISPR/Cas system is known to target and degrade invading
      phages and foreign genetic elements upon subsequent infection. However, the
      structure and function of many Cas proteins remain largely unknown, due to the
      high diversity of Cas proteins. Here we report 3 crystal structures of
      Archaeoglobus fulgidus Csx3 (AfCsx3) in free form, in complex with manganese ions
      and in complex with a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) fragment, respectively. AfCsx3
      harbors a ferredoxin-like fold and forms dimer both in the crystal and in
      solution. Our structure-based biochemical analysis demonstrates that the RNA
      binding sites and cleavage sites are located at 2 separate surfaces within the
      AfCsx3 dimer, suggesting a model to bind, tether and cleave the incoming RNA
      substrate. In addition, AfCsx3 displays robust 3'-deadenylase activity in the
      presence of manganese ions, which strongly suggests that AfCsx3 functions as a
      deadenylation exonuclease. Taken together, our results indicate that AfCsx3 is a
      Cas protein involved in RNA deadenylation and provide a framework for
      understanding the role of AfCsx3 in the Type III-B CRISPR/Cas system. 

PMID- 26106929
TI  - The Pain Reliever and Heroin Epidemic in the United States: Shifting Winds in the
      Perfect Storm.
AB  - AIMS: The abuse of prescription pain relievers and/or heroin is a significant
      public health concern. This article identifies the changes in this epidemic and
      estimates the extent of the gap between treatment availability and need. METHOD:
      This article uses the national data on opioid and heroin abuse to identify at
      risk groups. RESULT: Findings include shifting from narcotic analgesics to heroin
      and demographic changes as well as changes in supply and new medication-assisted
      therapies. CONCLUSIONS: The number of persons dependent on pain relievers or
      heroin and new initiates is more than three times greater than the current
      capacity to deliver treatment.

PMID- 26106932
TI  - Unilateral baroreceptor activation therapy: the beauty of asymmetry.
AB  - With respect to paired internal organs, we commonly think that these are
      symmetrical and have identical physiological functions. This, however, appears
      not to be the case. A particular organ where asymmetry comes to expression is the
      baroreceptor system. Clinical data in patients with resistant hypertension who
      are treated with device-based baroreceptor activation clearly show that there are
      functional differences between the left and the right baroreceptor systems. This
      has implications for our understanding of certain diseases. 

PMID- 26106933
TI  - Liraglutide for Type 2 diabetes and obesity: a 2015 update.
AB  - Subcutaneous liraglutide (Victoza((r)), Novo Nordisk) was approved for the
      treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Europe in 2009 and in the USA in
      2010. In December 2014, liraglutide 3.0 mg was approved by the Food and Drug
      Administration (FDA) and in March 2015 by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for
      the treatment of chronic weight management under the brand name Saxenda((r)) Novo
      Nordisk. Liraglutide causes a glucose-dependent increase in insulin secretion,
      decreases glucagon secretion and promotes weight loss by inhibiting appetite.
      Liraglutide probably induces satiety through activation of different areas in the
      hind brain and possibly by preserving free leptin levels. Recently, liraglutide
      has been suggested to protect against prediabetes and seems to prevent bone loss
      by increasing bone formation following diet-induced weight loss in obesity. This
      article not only covers the major clinical trials evaluating the effects of
      liraglutide in obesity and T2DM but also provides novel insights into the
      pharmacological mechanisms of liraglutide. 

PMID- 26106930
TI  - Characterizing Resting-State Brain Function Using Arterial Spin Labeling.
AB  - Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is an increasingly established magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) technique that is finding broader applications in studying the
      healthy and diseased brain. This review addresses the use of ASL to assess brain
      function in the resting state. Following a brief technical description, we
      discuss the use of ASL in the following main categories: (1) resting-state
      functional connectivity (FC) measurement: the use of ASL-based cerebral blood
      flow (CBF) measurements as an alternative to the blood oxygen level-dependent
      (BOLD) technique to assess resting-state FC; (2) the link between network CBF and
      FC measurements: the use of network CBF as a surrogate of the metabolic activity
      within corresponding networks; and (3) the study of resting-state dynamic CBF
      BOLD coupling and cerebral metabolism: the use of dynamic CBF information
      obtained using ASL to assess dynamic CBF-BOLD coupling and oxidative metabolism
      in the resting state. In addition, we summarize some future challenges and
      interesting research directions for ASL, including slice-accelerated (multiband)
      imaging as well as the effects of motion and other physiological confounds on
      perfusion-based FC measurement. In summary, this work reviews the state-of-the
      art of ASL and establishes it as an increasingly viable MRI technique with high
      translational value in studying resting-state brain function. 

PMID- 26106934
TI  - Combination decongestion therapy in hospitalized heart failure: loop diuretics,
      mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists and vasopressin antagonists.
AB  - Congestion is the most common reason for admissions and readmissions for heart
      failure (HF). The vast majority of hospitalized HF patients appear to respond
      readily to loop diuretics, but available data suggest that a significant
      proportion are being discharged with persistent evidence of congestion. Although
      novel therapies targeting congestion should continue to be developed, currently
      available agents may be utilized more optimally to facilitate complete
      decongestion. The combination of loop diuretics, natriuretic doses of
      mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists and vasopressin antagonists represents a
      regimen of currently available therapies that affects early and persistent
      decongestion, while limiting the associated risks of electrolyte disturbances,
      hemodynamic fluctuations, renal dysfunction and mortality. 

PMID- 26106935
TI  - Current applications of biomarkers in cardiomyopathies.
AB  - Cardiomyopathies are an important cause of sudden cardiac death in young people
      and are responsible for arrhythmias and premature heart failure in all age
      groups. Although many cardiomyopathies are inherited, biochemical markers are a
      fundamental part of the diagnostic work-up and are useful in the prognostic
      assessment of disease. In this article, the authors review the rationale and
      evidence for important biomarkers according to their role in patient management.
      Emerging biomarkers are briefly reviewed, alongside modern scientific approaches
      to biomarker discovery. 

PMID- 26106936
TI  - A clinical study of sudden deafness.
AB  - CONCLUSIONS: Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) was commonly seen in middle
      aged people. Tinnitus was reported by 87.2% of the patients, and dizziness or
      vertigo were reported by 48.5%. The most common concomitant disorder of SSHL was
      hyperlipidemia. OBJECTIVE: A retrospective register study with SSHL was performed
      in Xi'an, China, from 2000-2009. RESULTS: Of 617 inpatients, the right ear was
      affected in 267 cases, the left ears in 282 cases, and both ears in 68 cases. The
      most common age of patients was 41-50 years. There were 20.4% SSHL patients with
      hypertension, coronary artery disease, or diabetes, and 49.6% patients with
      hyperlipidemia. Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) were performed in 460 patients
      (504 ears) before treatment, and the ABR threshold of 56.4% ears was > 90 dB. The
      constituent ratio of patients with an ABR threshold over 90 dB was greater in the
      vertigo group than the other group. CT and/or MRI scans were available in 277
      cases, of which 40 cases (14.4%) were abnormal.

PMID- 26106937
TI  - Enhanced Molecular Recognition between Nucleobases and Guanine-5'-monophosphate
      disodium (GMP) by Surfactant Aggregates in Aqueous Solution.
AB  - Only specific base pairs on DNA can bind with each other through hydrogen bonds,
      which is called the Watson-Crick (W/C) pairing rule. However, without the
      constraint of DNA chains, the nucleobases in bulk aqueous solution usually do not
      follow the W/C pairing rule anymore because of the strong competitive effect of
      water and the multi-interaction edges of nucleobases. The present work applied
      surfactant aggregates noncovalently functionalized by nucleotide to enhance the
      recognition between nucleobases without DNA chains in aqueous solution, and it
      revealed the effects of their self-assembling ability and morphologies on the
      recognition. The cationic ammonium monomeric, dimeric, and trimeric surfactants
      DTAB, 12-3-12, and 12-3-12-3-12 were chosen. The surfactants with guanine-5'
      monophosphate-disodium (GMP) form micelles, vesicles, and fingerprint-like and
      plate-like aggregates bearing the hydrogen-bonding sites of GMP, respectively.
      The binding parameters of these aggregates with adenine (A), uracil (U), guanine
      (G), and cytosine(C) indicate that the surfactants can promote W/C recognitions
      in aqueous solution when they form vesicles (GMP/DTAB) or plate-like aggregates
      (GMP/12-3-12) with proper molecular packing compactness, which not only provide
      hydrophobic environments but also shield non-W/C recognition edges. However, the
      GMP/12-3-12 micelles with loose molecular packing, the GMP/12-3-12 fingerprint
      like aggregates where the hydrogen bond sites of GMP are occupied by itself, and
      the GMP/12-3-12-3-12 vesicles with too strong self-assembling ability cannot
      promote W/C recognition. This work provides insight into how to design self
      assemblies with the performance of enhanced molecule recognition. 

PMID- 26106940
TI  - The Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy: Development of a Model of
      Children's Capacity for a Healthy, Active Lifestyle Through a Delphi Process.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL) was
      conceptualized as a tool to monitor children's physical literacy. The original
      model (fitness, activity behavior, knowledge, motor skill) required revision and
      relative weights for calculating/interpreting scores were required. METHODS:
      Nineteen childhood physical activity/fitness experts completed a 3-round Delphi
      process. Round 1 was open-ended questions. Subsequent rounds rated statements
      using a 5-point Likert scale. Recommendations were sought regarding protocol
      inclusion, relative importance within composite scores and score interpretation.
      RESULTS: Delphi participant consensus was achieved for 64% (47/73) of statement
      topics, including a revised conceptual model, specific assessment protocols, the
      importance of longitudinal tracking, and the relative importance of individual
      protocols and composite scores. Divergent opinions remained regarding the
      inclusion of sleep time, assessment/ scoring of the obstacle course assessment of
      motor skill, and the need for an overall physical literacy classification.
      CONCLUSIONS: The revised CAPL model (overlapping domains of physical competence,
      motivation, and knowledge, encompassed by daily behavior) is appropriate for
      monitoring the physical literacy of children aged 8 to 12 years. Objectively
      measured domains (daily behavior, physical competence) have higher relative
      importance. The interpretation of CAPL results should be reevaluated as more data
      become available.

PMID- 26106941
TI  - One year in review 2015: systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus is a multiorgan autoimmune disease with a highly
      variable clinical course, typically involving women in childbearing age. At
      present, many aspects of its pathogenesis still remain unclear. Moreover,
      although a significant increase of patient survival has been observed in the last
      decades, morbidity and mortality remain high. Finally, SLE impacts negatively on
      the health-related quality-of-life of patients. Therefore, multiple aspects of
      SLE still remain challenging and it continues to be the object of both clinical
      and translational clinical research. Herewith, we provide a critical digest of
      the recent literature on this topic. 

PMID- 26106942
TI  - Comprehensive Multispectroscopic Analysis on the Interaction and Corona Formation
      of Human Serum Albumin with Gold/Silver Alloy Nanoparticles.
AB  - In the present investigation, we have systematically studied the binding
      mechanism of model protein human serum albumin (HSA) with gold/silver alloy
      nanoparticles (Au/Ag NPs) using multiple spectroscopic techniques. Absorption
      spectral studies of Au/Ag NPs in the presence of increasing concentrations of HSA
      resulted in a slight red shift of the surface plasmon resonance band (SPR) of
      Au/Ag NPs, suggesting changes in the refractive index around the nanoparticle
      surface owing to the adsorption of HSA. The results from high-resolution
      transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and
      zeta potential analysis substantiated the formation of a dense layer of HSA on
      the surface of Au/Ag NPs. The formation of a ground-state complex between HSA and
      Au/Ag NPs was evident from the outcome of the steady-state emission titration
      experiments of the HSA-Au/Ag NPs system. The binding parameters computed from
      corrected emission quenching data revealed that HSA exhibited a significant
      binding affinity toward Au/Ag NPs. The identical fluorescence lifetime values of
      HSA and HSA-Au/Ag NPs from time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopic analysis
      further authenticated the findings of steady-state emission measurements. The
      formation of HSA corona on the Au/Ag NPs surface was established on the basis of
      experimental quenching data and theoretical values. The occurrence of partial
      unfolding of HSA upon its interaction with the Au/Ag NPs surface was established
      by using an extrinsic fluorophore 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS).
      Absorption, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Raman, circular dichroism (CD),
      and excitation-emission matrix (3D) spectral studies were also carried out to
      explore Au/Ag NPs-induced tertiary and secondary conformational changes of HSA.
      The influence of Au/Ag NPs on the esterase-like activity of HSA was established
      by probing the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate. 

PMID- 26106944
TI  - Uranium Binding Mechanisms of the Acid-Tolerant Fungus Coniochaeta fodinicola.
AB  - The uptake and binding of uranium [as (UO2)(2+)] by a moderately acidophilic
      fungus, Coniochaeta fodinicola, recently isolated from a uranium mine site, is
      examined in this work in order to better understand the potential impact of
      organisms such as this on uranium sequestration in hydrometallurgical systems.
      Our results show that the viability of the fungal biomass is critical to their
      capacity to remove uranium from solution. Indeed, live biomass (viable cells
      based on vital staining) were capable of removing ~16 mg U/g dry weight in
      contrast with dead biomass (autoclaved) which removed ~45 mg U/g dry weight after
      2 h. Furthermore, the uranium binds with different strength, with a fraction
      ranging from ~20-50% being easily leached from the exposed biomass by a 10 min
      acid wash. Results from X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements show that the
      strength of uranium binding is strongly influenced by cell viability, with live
      cells showing a more well-ordered uranium bonding environment, while the distance
      to carbon or phosphorus second neighbors is similar in all samples. When coupled
      with time-resolved laser fluorescence and Fourier transformed infrared
      measurements, the importance of organic acids, phosphates, and polysaccharides,
      likely released with fungal cell death, appear to be the primary determinants of
      uranium binding in this system. These results provide an important progression to
      our understanding with regard to uranium sequestration in hydrometallurgical
      applications with implications to the unwanted retention of uranium in biofilms
      and/or its mobility in a remediation context. 

PMID- 26106943
TI  - High Aspect Ratio Carbon Nanotube Membranes Decorated with Pt Nanoparticle
      Urchins for Micro Underwater Vehicle Propulsion via H2O2 Decomposition.
AB  - The utility of unmanned micro underwater vehicles (MUVs) is paramount for
      exploring confined spaces, but their spatial agility is often impaired when
      maneuvers require burst-propulsion. Herein we develop high-aspect ratio (150:1),
      multiwalled carbon nanotube microarray membranes (CNT-MMs) for propulsive, MUV
      thrust generation by the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The CNT-MMs
      are grown via chemical vapor deposition with diamond shaped pores (nominal
      diagonal dimensions of 4.5 * 9.0 MUm) and subsequently decorated with urchin
      like, platinum (Pt) nanoparticles via a facile, electroless, chemical deposition
      process. The Pt-CNT-MMs display robust, high catalytic ability with an effective
      activation energy of 26.96 kJ mol(-1) capable of producing a thrust of 0.209 +/-
      0.049 N from 50% [w/w] H2O2 decomposition within a compact reaction chamber of
      eight Pt-CNT-MMs in series. 

PMID- 26106945
TI  - First-Principles Study on Structural, Electronic, and Spectroscopic Properties of
      gamma-Ca2SiO4:Ce(3+) Phosphors.
AB  - In the present work, geometric structures, electronic properties, and 4f -> 5d
      transitions of gamma-Ca2SiO4:Ce(3+) phosphors have been investigated by using
      first-principles calculations. Four categories of typical substitutions (i.e.,
      the doping of the Ce(3+) without the neighboring dopants/defects and with the
      neighboring VO(**), AlSi', and VCa") are taken into account to simulate local
      environments of the Ce(3+) located at two crystallographically different calcium
      sites in the gamma-Ca2SiO4. Density functional theory (DFT) geometry optimization
      calculations are first performed on the constructed supercells to obtain the
      information about the local structures and preferred sites for the Ce(3+). On the
      basis of the optimized crystal structures, the electronic properties of gamma
      Ca2SiO4:Ce(3+) phosphors are calculated with the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof screened
      hybrid functional, and the energies and relative oscillator strengths of the 4f 
      > 5d transitions of the Ce(3+) are derived from the ab initio embedded cluster
      calculations at the CASSCF/CASPT2/RASSI-SO level. A satisfactory agreement with
      the available experimental results is thus achieved. Moreover, the relationships
      between the dopants/defects and the electronic as well as spectroscopic
      properties of gamma-Ca2SiO4:Ce(3+) phosphors have been explored. Such information
      is vital, not least for the design of Ce(3+)-based phosphors for the white light
      emitting diodes (w-LEDs) with excellent performance. 

PMID- 26106947
TI  - Threading the Needle--How to Stop the HIV Outbreak in Rural Indiana.

PMID- 26106948
TI  - Rapid Macrocycle Threading by a Fluorescent Dye-Polymer Conjugate in Water with
      Nanomolar Affinity.
AB  - A macrocyclic tetralactam host is threaded by a highly fluorescent squaraine dye
      that is flanked by two polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains with nanomolar
      dissociation constants in water. Furthermore, the rates of bimolecular
      association are very fast with k(on) ~ 10(6)-10(7) M(-1) s(-1). The association
      is effective under cell culture conditions and produces large changes in dye
      optical properties including turn-on near-infrared fluorescence that can be
      imaged using cell microscopy. Association constants in water are ~1000 times
      higher than those in organic solvents and strongly enthalpically favored at 27 
      degrees C. The threading rate is hardly affected by the length of the PEG chains
      that flank the squaraine dye. For example, macrocycle threading by a dye
      conjugate with two appended PEG2000 chains is only three times slower than
      threading by a conjugate with triethylene glycol chains that are 20 times
      shorter. The results are a promising advance toward synthetic mimics of
      streptavidin/biotin.

PMID- 26106949
TI  - Development of Injectable Hyaluronic Acid/Cellulose Nanocrystals Bionanocomposite
      Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications.
AB  - Injectable hyaluronic acid (HA)-based hydrogels compose a promising class of
      materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. However,
      their limited mechanical properties restrict the potential range of application.
      In this study, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were employed as nanofillers in a
      fully biobased strategy for the production of reinforced HA nanocomposite
      hydrogels. Herein we report the development of a new class of injectable
      hydrogels composed of adipic acid dihydrazide-modified HA (ADH-HA) and aldehyde
      modified HA (a-HA) reinforced with varying contents of aldehyde-modified CNCs (a
      CNCs). The obtained hydrogels were characterized in terms of internal morphology,
      mechanical properties, swelling, and degradation behavior in the presence of
      hyaluronidase. Our findings suggest that the incorporation of a-CNCs in the
      hydrogel resulted in a more organized and compact network structure and led to
      stiffer hydrogels (maximum storage modulus, E', of 152.4 kPa for 0.25 wt % a-CNCs
      content) with improvements of E' up to 135% in comparison to unfilled hydrogels.
      In general, increased amounts of a-CNCs led to lower equilibrium swelling ratios
      and higher resistance to degradation. The biological performance of the developed
      nanocomposites was assessed toward human adipose derived stem cells (hASCs). HA
      CNCs nanocomposite hydrogels exhibited preferential cell supportive properties in
      in vitro culture conditions due to higher structural integrity and potential
      interaction of microenvironmental cues with CNC's sulfate groups. hASCs
      encapsulated in HA-CNCs hydrogels demonstrated the ability to spread within the
      volume of gels and exhibited pronounced proliferative activity. Together, these
      results demonstrate that the proposed strategy is a valuable toolbox for fine
      tuning the structural, biomechanical, and biochemical properties of injectable HA
      hydrogels, expanding their potential range of application in the biomedical
      field. 

PMID- 26106950
TI  - BSA-directed synthesis of CuS nanoparticles as a biocompatible photothermal agent
      for tumor ablation in vivo.
AB  - Photothermal therapy as a physical therapeutic approach has greatly attracted
      research interest due to its negligible systemic effects. Among the various
      photothermal agents, CuS nanoparticles have been widely used due to their easy
      preparation, low cost, high stability and strong absorption in the NIR region.
      However, the ambiguous biotoxicity of CuS nanoparticles limited their bio
      application. So it is highly desirable to develop biocompatible CuS photothermal
      agents with the potential of clinical translation. Herein, we report a novel
      method to synthesize biocompatible CuS nanoparticles for photothermal therapy
      using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a template via mimicking biomaterialization
      processes. Owing to the inherent biocompatibility of BSA, the toxicity assays in
      vitro and in vivo showed that BSA-CuS nanoparticles possessed good
      biocompatibility. In vitro and in vivo photothermal therapies were performed and
      good results were obtained. The bulk of the HeLa cells treated with BSA-CuS
      nanoparticles under laser irradiation (808 nm) were killed, and the tumor tissues
      of mice were also successfully eliminated without causing any obvious systemic
      damage. In summary, a novel strategy for the synthesis of CuS nanoparticles was
      developed using BSA as the template, and the excellent biocompatibility and
      efficient photothermal therapy effects of BSA-CuS nanoparticles show great
      potential as an ideal photothermal agent for cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26106952
TI  - Chiral Phosphine-Silver(I) Complex Catalyzed Enantioselective Interrupted Feist
      Benary Reaction with Ynones: The Aldol-Cycloisomerization Cascade.
AB  - Silver-catalyzed interrupted Feist-Benary reaction is described for the efficient
      enantioselective synthesis of dihydrofuran heterocycles. A new method has been
      developed for the silver(I)-(R)-BINAP complex mediated aldol-cycloisomerization
      cascade reaction between ynones and 1,3-diketones to provide functionalized
      dihydrofurans with moderate to good yields (up to 95%) and good to excellent
      enantiomeric excess (up to 98%). The presence of an exocyclic double bond and
      hydroxy group in the dihydrofuran products provides wide scope for further
      structural manipulation. 

PMID- 26106951
TI  - Crystallization of Probucol in Nanoparticles Revealed by AFM Analysis in Aqueous
      Solution.
AB  - The crystallization behavior of a pharmaceutical drug in nanoparticles was
      directly evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) force curve measurements in
      aqueous solution. A ternary spray-dried sample (SPD) was prepared by spray drying
      the organic solvent containing probucol (PBC), hypromellose (HPMC), and sodium
      dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The amorphization of PBC in the ternary SPD was confirmed
      by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and solid-state 13C NMR measurements. A
      nanosuspension containing quite small particles of 25 nm in size was successfully
      prepared immediately after dispersion of the ternary SPD into water. Furthermore,
      solution-state 1H NMR measurements revealed that a portion of HPMC coexisted with
      PBC as a mixed state in the freshly prepared nanosuspension particles. After
      storing the nanosuspension at 25  degrees C, a gradual increase in the size of
      the nanoparticles was observed, and the particle size changed to 93.9 nm after 7
      days. AFM enabled the direct observation of the morphology and agglomeration
      behavior of the nanoparticles in water. Moreover, AFM force-distance curves were
      changed from (I) to (IV), depending on the storage period, as follows: (I)
      complete indentation within an applied force of 1 nN, (II) complete indentation
      with an applied force of 1-5 nN, (III) partial indentation with an applied force
      of 5 nN, and (IV) nearly no indentation with an applied force of 5 nN. This
      stiffness increase of the nanoparticles was attributed to gradual changes in the
      molecular state of PBC from the amorphous to the crystal state. Solid-state 13C
      NMR measurements of the freeze-dried samples demonstrated the presence of
      metastable PBC Form II crystals in the stored nanosuspension, strongly supporting
      the AFM results.

PMID- 26106953
TI  - Visualization of polar nanoregions in lead-free relaxors via piezoresponse force
      microscopy in torsional dual AC resonance tracking mode.
AB  - Polar nanoregions (PNRs) play a key role in the functionality of relaxor
      ferroelectrics; however, visualizing them in lead-free relaxor ferroelectrics
      with high lateral resolution is still challenging. Thus, we studied herein the
      local ferroelectric domain distribution of the lead-free bismuth-based (1 
      x)(Bi1/2Na1/2TiO3-Bi1/2K1/2TiO3) -x(Bi1/2Mg1/2TiO3) piezoceramics which show a
      relaxor behavior using dual AC resonance tracking (DART) piezoresponse force
      microscopy (PFM). By using excitation frequencies at either side of the contact
      resonance peak of the torsional cantilever vibration, an enhanced contrast in the
      amplitude and phase images of the piezoresponse can be achieved. Additionally,
      this tracking technique reduces the topographical crosstalk while mapping the
      local electromechanical properties. The true drive amplitude, drive phase,
      contact resonant frequency and quality factor can be estimated from DART-PFM data
      obtained with vertically or torsionally vibrating cantilevers. This procedure
      yields a three-dimensional quantitative map of the local piezoelectric properties
      of the relaxor ferroelectric samples. With this approach, torsional DART allowed
      for the visualization of fine substructures within the monodomains, suggesting
      the existence of PNRs in relaxor ferroelectrics. The domain structures of the
      PNRs were visualized with high precision, and the local electromechanical
      characteristics of the lead-free relaxor ferroelectrics were quantitatively
      mapped. 

PMID- 26106954
TI  - Rh-catalyzed oxidizing group-directed ortho C-H vinylation of arenes by
      vinylstannanes.
AB  - An efficient method for the synthesis of functionalized vinyl arenes from the
      reaction of N-methoxybenzamides or N-phenoxyacetamides with vinylstannanes via
      rhodium(iii)-catalyzed C-H activation is described. The application of the
      methodology for the synthesis of a natural product thalactamine and a 7-membered
      ring oxepine are also demonstrated. 

PMID- 26106955
TI  - New concepts and outcomes for children with hepatoblastoma based on the
      experience of a tertiary center over the last 21 years.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to summarize the experience of a tertiary
      center in treating hepatoblastoma for the last 21 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Fifty-eight cases were included. The tumor extent and prognosis were assessed
      using the PRETEXT system. The following data were analyzed: age at diagnosis,
      comorbidities, prematurity, treatment modalities, histopathological findings,
      surgical details and complications, treatment outcomes, chemotherapy schedules,
      side effects and complications. Treatment outcomes included the occurrence of
      local or distant recurrence, the duration of survival and the cause of death. The
      investigation methods were ultrasonography, CT scan, serum alpha-fetoprotein
      level measurement and needle biopsy. Chemotherapy was then planned, and the
      resectability of the tumor was reevaluated via another CT scan. RESULTS: The mean
      numbers of neoadjuvant cycles and postoperative cycles of chemotherapy were 6+/-2
      and 1.5+/-1.7, respectively. All children except one were submitted for surgical
      resection, including 50 partial liver resections and 7 liver transplantations.
      Statistical comparisons demonstrated that long-term survival was associated with
      the absence of metastasis (p=0.04) and the type of surgery (resection resulted in
      a better outcome than transplantation) (p=0.009). No associations were found
      between vascular invasion, incomplete resection, histological subtype,
      multicentricity and survival. The overall 5-year survival rate of the operated
      cases was 87.7%. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the experience of a Brazilian
      tertiary center in the management of hepatoblastoma in children demonstrates that
      long survival is associated with the absence of metastasis and the type of
      surgery. A multidisciplinary treatment involving chemotherapy, surgical resection
      and liver transplantation (including transplantations using tissue from living
      donors) led to good outcomes and survival indexes.

PMID- 26106946
TI  - Trial of a Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon for Femoropopliteal Artery Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The treatment of peripheral artery disease with percutaneous
      transluminal angioplasty is limited by the occurrence of vessel recoil and
      restenosis. Drug-coated angioplasty balloons deliver antiproliferative agents
      directly to the artery, potentially improving vessel patency by reducing
      restenosis. METHODS: In this single-blind, randomized trial conducted at 54
      sites, we assigned, in a 2:1 ratio, 476 patients with symptomatic intermittent
      claudication or ischemic pain while at rest and angiographically significant
      atherosclerotic lesions to angioplasty with a paclitaxel-coated balloon or to
      standard angioplasty. The primary efficacy end point was primary patency of the
      target lesion at 12 months (defined as freedom from binary restenosis or from the
      need for target-lesion revascularization). The primary safety end point was a
      composite of freedom from perioperative death from any cause and freedom at 12
      months from limb-related death (i.e., death from a medical complication related
      to a limb), amputation, and reintervention. RESULTS: The two groups were well
      matched at baseline; 42.9% of the patients had diabetes, and 34.7% were current
      smokers. At 12 months, the rate of primary patency among patients who had
      undergone angioplasty with the drug-coated balloon was superior to that among
      patients who had undergone conventional angioplasty (65.2% vs. 52.6%, P=0.02).
      The proportion of patients free from primary safety events was 83.9% with the
      drug-coated balloon and 79.0% with standard angioplasty (P=0.005 for
      noninferiority). There were no significant between-group differences in
      functional outcomes or in the rates of death, amputation, thrombosis, or
      reintervention. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with symptomatic femoropopliteal
      peripheral artery disease, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with a
      paclitaxel-coated balloon resulted in a rate of primary patency at 12 months that
      was higher than the rate with angioplasty with a standard balloon. The drug
      coated balloon was noninferior to the standard balloon with respect to safety.
      (Funded by Lutonix-Bard; LEVANT 2 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01412541.).

PMID- 26106956
TI  - High-fidelity simulation versus case-based discussion for teaching medical
      students in Brazil about pediatric emergencies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare high-fidelity simulation with case-based discussion for
      teaching medical students about pediatric emergencies, as assessed by a knowledge
      post-test, a knowledge retention test and a survey of satisfaction with the
      method. METHODS: This was a non-randomized controlled study using a crossover
      design for the methods, as well as multiple-choice questionnaire tests and a
      satisfaction survey. Final-year medical students were allocated into two groups:
      group 1 participated in an anaphylaxis simulation and a discussion of a
      supraventricular tachycardia case, and conversely, group 2 participated in a
      discussion of an anaphylaxis case and a supraventricular tachycardia simulation.
      Students were tested on each theme at the end of their rotation (post-test) and 4
      6 months later (retention test). RESULTS: Most students (108, or 66.3%) completed
      all of the tests. The mean scores for simulation versus case-based discussion
      were respectively 43.6% versus 46.6% for the anaphylaxis pre-test (p=0.42), 63.5%
      versus 67.8% for the post-test (p=0.13) and 61.5% versus 65.5% for the retention
      test (p=0.19). Additionally, the mean scores were respectively 33.9% versus 31.6%
      for the supraventricular tachycardia pre-test (p=0.44), 42.5% versus 47.7% for
      the post-test (p=0.09) and 41.5% versus 39.5% for the retention test (p=0.47).
      For both themes, there was improvement between the pre-test and the post-test
      (p<0.05), and no significant difference was observed between the post-test and
      the retention test (p>0.05). Moreover, the satisfaction survey revealed a
      preference for simulation (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: As a single intervention,
      simulation is not significantly different from case-based discussion in terms of
      acquisition and retention of knowledge but is superior in terms of student
      satisfaction.

PMID- 26106957
TI  - Septic pulmonary embolism caused by a Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess:
      clinical characteristics, imaging findings, and clinical courses.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Septic pulmonary embolism caused by a Klebsiella (K.) pneumoniae
      liver abscess is rare but can cause considerable morbidity and mortality.
      However, clinical information regarding this condition is limited. This study was
      conducted to elucidate the full disease spectrum to improve its diagnosis and
      treatment. METHOD: We reviewed the clinical characteristics, imaging findings,
      and clinical courses of 14 patients diagnosed with septic pulmonary embolism
      caused by a K. pneumoniae liver abscess over a period of 9 years. RESULTS: The
      two most prevalent symptoms were fever and shortness of breath. Computed
      tomography findings included a feeding vessel sign (79%), nodules with or without
      cavities (79%), pleural effusions (71%), peripheral wedge-shaped opacities (64%),
      patchy ground-glass opacities (50%), air bronchograms within a nodule (36%),
      consolidations (21%), halo signs (14%), and lung abscesses (14%). Nine (64%) of
      the patients developed severe complications and required intensive care.
      According to follow-up chest radiography, the infiltrates and consolidations were
      resolved within two weeks, and the nodular opacities were resolved within one
      month. Two (14%) patients died of septic shock; one patient had metastatic
      meningitis, and the other had metastatic pericarditis. CONCLUSION: The clinical
      presentations ranged from insidious illness with fever and respiratory symptoms
      to respiratory failure and septic shock. A broad spectrum of imaging findings,
      ranging from nodules to multiple consolidations, was detected. Septic pulmonary
      embolism caused by a K. pneumoniae liver abscess combined with the metastatic
      infection of other vital organs confers a poor prognosis.

PMID- 26106958
TI  - The role of KIR2DL3/HLA-C*0802 in Brazilian patients with rheumatoid vasculitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Rheumatoid arthritis is a polygenically controlled systemic
      autoimmune disease. Rheumatoid vasculitis is an important extra-articular
      phenotype of rheumatoid arthritis that can result in deep cutaneous ulcers. The
      objective of this study was to establish a correlation between the frequency of
      major histocompatibility complex class I/II alleles and killer immunoglobulin
      like receptor genotypes in patients with cutaneous rheumatoid vasculitis.
      METHODS: Using the Scott & Bacon 1984 criteria to diagnose rheumatoid vasculitis
      and after excluding any other causes such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, adverse
      drug reactions, infection, and smoking, patients who met the criteria were
      selected. All of the selected rheumatoid vasculitis patients presented deep
      cutaneous ulcers. Identification of the major histocompatibility complex class
      I/II and killer immunoglobulin-like receptor genotypes was performed by
      polymerase chain reaction assays of samples collected from the 23 rheumatoid
      vasculitis patients as well as from 80 controls (40 non-rheumatoid vasculitis RA
      control patients and 40 healthy volunteers). RESULTS: An association between the
      presence of the HLA-DRB1*1402 and HLA-DRB1*0101 alleles and cutaneous lesions in
      rheumatoid vasculitis patients and a correlation between the inhibitor KIR2DL3
      and the HLA-C*0802 ligand in rheumatoid vasculitis patients were found.
      CONCLUSION: An association was found between the presence of the HLA-DRB1*1402
      and HLA-DRB1*0101 alleles and the development of cutaneous lesions in rheumatoid
      vasculitis patients. Additionally, the HLA-C*0802 ligand protects these
      individuals from developing cutaneous lesions.

PMID- 26106959
TI  - Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, Model for Liver Transplantation Survival and
      Donor Risk Index as predictive models of survival after liver transplantation in
      1,006 patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Liver transplantation has not increased with the number of patients
      requiring this treatment, increasing deaths among those on the waiting list.
      Models predicting post-transplantation survival, including the Model for Liver
      Transplantation Survival and the Donor Risk Index, have been created. Our aim was
      to compare the performance of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, the Model
      for Liver Transplantation Survival and the Donor Risk Index as prognostic models
      for survival after liver transplantation. METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed the
      data from 1,270 patients who received a liver transplant from a deceased donor in
      the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, between July 2006 and July 2009. All data
      obtained from the Health Department of the State of Sao Paulo at the 15
      registered transplant centers were analyzed. Patients younger than 13 years of
      age or with acute liver failure were excluded. RESULTS: The majority of the
      recipients had Child-Pugh class B or C cirrhosis (63.5%). Among the 1,006
      patients included, 274 (27%) died. Univariate survival analysis using a Cox
      proportional hazards model showed hazard ratios of 1.02 and 1.43 for the Model
      for End-Stage Liver Disease and the Model for Liver Transplantation Survival,
      respectively (p<0.001). The areas under the ROC curve for the Donor Risk Index
      were always less than 0.5, whereas those for the Model for End-Stage Liver
      Disease and the Model for Liver Transplantation Survival were significantly
      greater than 0.5 (p<0.001). The cutoff values for the Model for End-Stage Liver
      Disease (>=29.5; sensitivity: 39.1%; specificity: 75.4%) and the Model for Liver
      Transplantation Survival (>=1.9; sensitivity 63.9%, specificity 54.5%), which
      were calculated using data available before liver transplantation, were good
      predictors of survival after liver transplantation (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The
      Model for Liver Transplantation Survival displayed similar death prediction
      performance to that of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease. A simpler model
      involving fewer variables, such as the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, is
      preferred over a complex model involving more variables, such as the Model for
      Liver Transplantation Survival. The Donor Risk Index had no significance in post
      transplantation survival in our patients.

PMID- 26106960
TI  - Risk factors for surgical site infection of pilon fractures.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pilon fracture is a complex injury that is often associated with
      severe soft tissue damage and high rates of surgical site infection. The goal of
      this study was to analyze and identify independent risk factors for surgical site
      infection among patients undergoing surgical fixation of a pilon fracture.
      METHODS: The medical records of all pilon fracture patients who underwent
      surgical fixation from January 2010 to October 2012 were reviewed to identify
      those who developed a surgical site infection. Then, we constructed univariate
      and multivariate logistic regressions to evaluate the independent associations of
      potential risk factors with surgical site infection in patients undergoing
      surgical fixation of a pilon fracture. RESULTS: A total of 519 patients were
      enrolled in the study from January 2010 to October 2012. A total of 12 of the 519
      patients developed a surgical site infection, for an incidence of 2.3%. These
      patients were followed for 12 to 29 months, with an average follow-up period of
      19.1 months. In the final regression model, open fracture, elevated postoperative
      glucose levels (>=125 mg/dL), and a surgery duration of more than 150 minutes
      were significant risk factors for surgical site infection following surgical
      fixation of a pilon fracture. CONCLUSIONS: Open fractures, elevated postoperative
      glucose levels (>=125 mg/dL), and a surgery duration of more than 150 minutes
      were related to an increased risk for surgical site infection following surgical
      fixation of a pilon fracture. Patients exhibiting the risk factors identified in
      this study should be counseled regarding the possible surgical site infection
      that may develop after surgical fixation.

PMID- 26106961
TI  - Naming ability in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: what
      changes occur with the evolution of the disease?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Naming deficit is a linguistic symptom that appears in the initial
      phase of Alzheimer's disease, but the types of naming errors and the ways in
      which this deficit changes over the course of the disease are unclear. We
      analyzed the performance of patients with Alzheimer's disease on naming tasks
      during the mild and moderate phases and verified how this linguistic skill
      deteriorates over the course of the disease. METHODS: A reduced version of the
      Boston Naming Test was administered to 30 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease,
      30 patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease and 30 healthy controls. Errors
      were classified as verbal semantic paraphasia, verbal phonemic paraphasia, no
      response (pure anomia), circumlocution, unrelated verbal paraphasia, visual
      errors or intrusion errors. RESULTS: The patients with moderate Alzheimer's
      disease had significantly fewer correct answers than did both the control group
      and the group with mild Alzheimer's disease. With regard to the pattern of
      errors, verbal semantic paraphasia errors were the most frequent errors in all
      three groups. Additionally, as the disease severity increased, there was an
      increase in the number of no-response errors (pure anomia). The group with
      moderate Alzheimer's disease demonstrated a greater incidence of visual errors
      and unrelated verbal paraphasias compared with the other two groups and presented
      a more variable pattern of errors. CONCLUSIONS: Performance on nominative tasks
      worsened as the disease progressed in terms of both the quantity and the type of
      errors encountered. This result reflects impairment at different levels of
      linguistic processing.

PMID- 26106962
TI  - Comparison of the safety and efficacy of a fixed-dose combination regimen and
      separate formulations for pulmonary tuberculosis treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Fixed-dose combination formulations, which simplify the
      administration of drugs and prevent the development of drug resistance, have been
      recommended as a standard anti-tuberculosis treatment regimen. However, the
      composition and dosage recommendations for fixed-dose combination formulations
      differ from those for separate formulations. Thus, questions about the
      effectiveness and side effects of combination formulations remain. The aim of
      this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of these two types of anti
      tuberculosis regimens for pulmonary tuberculosis treatment. METHOD: A
      prospective, randomized controlled study was conducted using the directly
      observed treatment short-course strategy. Patients were randomly allocated to one
      of two short-course regimens. One year after completing the treatment, these
      patients' outcomes were analyzed. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00979290. RESULTS: A
      total of 161 patients were enrolled, 142 of whom were evaluable for safety
      assessment. The two regimens had a similar incidence of adverse effects. In the
      per-protocol population, serum bilirubin concentrations at the peak level, at
      week 4, and at week 8 were significantly higher for the fixed-dose combination
      formulation than for the separate formulations. All patients had negative sputum
      cultures at the end of the treatment, and no relapse occurred after one year of
      follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In this randomized study, transient higher serum
      bilirubin levels were noted for the fixed-dose combination regimen compared with
      the separate formulations during treatment. However, no significant difference in
      safety or efficacy was found between the groups when the directly observed
      treatment short-course strategy was used.

PMID- 26106963
TI  - Developing a new endograft for the treatment of juxtarenal aortic aneurysms:
      definition and experimentation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To analyze angiotomographic parameters of juxtarenal aneurysms to
      assess the applicability of an endograft model to patients and to create in vitro
      and in vivo models to assess the new endograft. METHODS: A total of 49 patients
      with juxtarenal aneurysms were submitted to angiotomographic evaluation, and
      parameters such as the aortic diameter, the length of the neck, and the
      angulations of the celiac trunk, superior mesenteric artery and renal arteries;
      the distances between them; and anatomic variations were analyzed. Based on these
      parameters, an endograft model was developed and tested in a newly created in
      vitro model of juxtarenal aneurysm. An experimental model of juxtarenal aneurysm
      was then established in six pigs weighing 50-60 kg to assess the new endograft
      model. RESULTS: The angiotomographic parameters of juxtarenal aneurysm measured
      in this study were similar to those reported in the literature and allowed the
      development of an endograft based on the hourglass concept, which was applicable
      to 85.8% of the patients. The in vitro model of juxtarenal aneurysm evidenced
      good radiopacity and functionality and permitted adjustments in the new device
      and technical improvements in the procedures for treating these aneurysms. In
      addition, the porcine model of juxtarenal aneurysm was successfully created in
      all six animals using a bovine pericardial patch, and use of the new endograft in
      three pilot procedures evidenced its feasibility. CONCLUSIONS: The Hourglass
      endograft was rendered applicable to treatment of the majority of patients with
      juxtarenal aneurysms simply by changing its diameter. Moreover, the new in vitro
      and in vivo models were shown to be effective for assessing both the presented
      endograft and experiments assessing the endovascular treatment of juxtarenal
      aneurysms.

PMID- 26106964
TI  - Assessments of the associations of thrombus localization with accompanying
      disorders, risk factors, D-dimer levels, and the red cell distribution width in
      pulmonary embolism.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary embolisms occur as a wide spectrum ranging from clinically
      asymptomatic thrombi to massive thrombi that lead to cardiogenic shock. The
      purpose of this study was to determine the associations of thrombus localization
      with risk factors, accompanying disorders, D-dimer levels and the red blood cell
      distribution width in patients with pulmonary embolism. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In
      148 patients diagnosed with pulmonary embolism, the presence and anatomical
      localization of the thrombus were assessed via computed tomographic pulmonary
      angiography. The accompanying disorders, risk factors, serum D-dimer levels, and
      red blood cell distribution width of the patients were retrospectively evaluated.
      ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02388841. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 54+/
      16.0 years, and 48 patients were >=65 years of age. The most frequent
      accompanying disorders were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (22%) and
      malignancy (10.1%), and the most frequent risk factors were recent operation
      (14.1%) and immobilization (18.2%). Thrombi were most frequently observed in the
      right pulmonary artery (37.8%). In 31% of the patients, the thrombus was
      localized to the main pulmonary arteries. Immobile patients exhibited a higher
      proportion of thrombi in the main pulmonary arteries than mobile patients. The
      mean D-dimer level and the mean red blood cell distribution width in the patients
      with thrombi in the main pulmonary arteries were higher than those in the
      patients with thrombi in more distal pulmonary arterial branches. CONCLUSION:
      Significant associations of proximally localized thrombi with immobilization, the
      D-dimer levels, and the red blood cell distribution width were observed.

PMID- 26106965
TI  - Mesenteric hypoperfusion and inflammation induced by brain death are not affected
      by inhibition of the autonomic storm in rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Brain death is typically followed by autonomic changes that lead to
      hemodynamic instability, which is likely associated with microcirculatory
      dysfunction and inflammation. We evaluated the role of the microcirculation in
      the hemodynamic and inflammatory events that occur after brain death and the
      effects of autonomic storm inhibition via thoracic epidural blockade on
      mesenteric microcirculatory changes and inflammatory responses. METHODS: Male
      Wistar rats were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. Brain death was
      induced via intracranial balloon inflation. Bupivacaine (brain death-thoracic
      epidural blockade group) or saline (brain death group) infusion via an epidural
      catheter was initiated immediately before brain death induction. Sham-operated
      animals were used as controls (SH group). The mesenteric microcirculation was
      analyzed via intravital microscopy, and the expression of adhesion molecules was
      evaluated via immunohistochemistry 180 min after brain death induction. RESULTS:
      A significant difference in mean arterial pressure behavior was observed between
      the brain death-thoracic epidural blockade group and the other groups, indicating
      that the former group experienced autonomic storm inhibition. However, the
      proportion of perfused small vessels in the brain death-thoracic epidural
      blockade group was similar to or lower than that in the brain death and SH
      groups, respectively. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 was
      similar between the brain death-thoracic epidural blockade and brain death groups
      but was significantly lower in the SH group than in the other two groups. The
      number of migrating leukocytes in the perivascular tissue followed the same trend
      for all groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although thoracic epidural blockade effectively
      inhibited the autonomic storm, it did not affect mesenteric hypoperfusion or
      inflammation induced by brain death.

PMID- 26106966
TI  - Risk of congenital anomalies associated with antithyroid treatment during
      pregnancy: a meta-analysis.
AB  - To evaluate the association of either propylthiouracil or methimazole treatment
      for hyperthyroidism during pregnancy with congenital malformations, relevant
      studies were identified by searching Medline, PubMed, the Cochrane Library and
      EMBASE. We intended to include randomized controlled trials, but no such trials
      were identified. Thus, we included cohort studies and case-control studies in
      this meta-analysis. A total of 7 studies were included in the meta-analyses. The
      results revealed an increased risk of birth defects among the group of pregnant
      women with hyperthyroidism treated with methimazole compared with the control
      group (odds ratio 1.76, 95% confidence interval 1.47-2.10) or the non-exposed
      group (odds ratio 1.71, 95% confidence interval 1.39-2.10). A maternal shift
      between methimazole and propylthiouracil was associated with an increased odds
      ratio of birth defects (odds ratio 1.88, 95% confidence interval 1.27-2.77). An
      equal risk of birth defects was observed between the group of pregnant women with
      hyperthyroidism treated with propylthiouracil and the non-exposed group (odds
      ratio 1.18, 95% confidence interval 0.97-1.42). There was only a slight trend
      towards an increased risk of congenital malformations in infants whose mothers
      were treated with propylthiouracil compared with in infants whose mothers were
      healthy controls (odds ratio 1.29, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.55). The
      children of women receiving methimazole treatment showed an increased risk of
      adverse fetal outcomes relative to those of mothers receiving propylthiouracil
      treatment. We found that propylthiouracil was a safer choice for treating
      pregnant women with hyperthyroidism according to the risk of birth defects but
      that a shift between methimazole and propylthiouracil failed to provide
      protection against birth defects. 

PMID- 26106967
TI  - High order forces and nonlocal operators in a Kohn-Sham Hamiltonian.
AB  - Real space pseudopotentials have a number of advantages in solving for the
      electronic structure of materials. These advantages include ease of
      implementation, implementation on highly parallel systems, and great flexibility
      for describing partially periodic systems. One limitation of this approach,
      shared by other electronic structure methods, is the slow convergence of
      interatomic forces when compared to total energies. For real space methods, this
      requires a fine grid to converge a solution of the Kohn-Sham problem, which is
      accompanied by concurrent increase in memory and additional matrix-vector
      multiplications. Here we introduce a method to expedite the computation of
      interatomic forces by employing a high order integration technique. We
      demonstrate the usefulness of this technique by calculating accurate bond lengths
      and vibrational frequencies for molecules and nanocrystals without using fine
      real space grids. 

PMID- 26106968
TI  - Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for DNA detection by the self-assembly of Ag
      nanoparticles onto Ag nanoparticle-graphene oxide nanocomposites.
AB  - A novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing system which operates by
      the self-assembly of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) onto the nanocomposite of AgNPs and
      graphene oxide (AgNP-GO) in the presence of two complementary DNAs has been
      developed. In this system, AgNP-GO serves as a SERS-active substrate. The AgNPs
      with the modification of non-fluorescent 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) act as
      highly efficient Raman probes for DNA hybridization. When probe DNAs on AgNP-GO
      are complementary to target DNAs on AgNPs functionalized with 4-MBA, the DNA
      hybridization occurring directs the self-assembly of AgNPs onto AgNP-GO, leading
      to the creation of SERS hot spots. Due to the fact that partial 4-MBA molecules
      are located in the region of the hot spots, their SERS signals are greatly
      enhanced, indicating successful DNA hybridization. It is noteworthy that the size
      of AgNPs contributes significantly to the enhancement of SERS activity. The
      detection limit of the target DNAs at the pM level can be achieved through the
      self-assembly of large sized AgNPs onto AgNP-GO. More importantly, the AgNP-AgNP
      GO system shows reproducible SERS signals in proportion to the logarithm of the
      target DNA concentrations spanning from 10(-6) to 10(-12) M and the excellent
      capability for multiplex DNA detection. 

PMID- 26106969
TI  - Glass-like dynamics in confined and congested ant traffic.
AB  - The collective movement of animal groups often occurs in confined spaces. As
      animal groups are challenged to move at high density, their mobility dynamics may
      resemble the flow of densely packed non-living soft materials such as colloids,
      grains, or polymers. However, unlike inert soft-materials, self-propelled
      collective living systems often display social interactions whose influence on
      collective mobility are only now being explored. In this paper, we study the
      mobility of bi-directional traffic flow in a social insect (the fire ant
      Solenopsis invicta) as we vary the diameter of confining foraging tunnels. In all
      tunnel diameters, we observe the emergence of spatially heterogeneous regions of
      fast and slow traffic that are induced through two phenomena: physical
      obstruction, arising from the inability of individual ants to interpenetrate, and
      time-delay resulting from social interaction in which ants stop to briefly
      antennate. Density correlation functions reveal that the relaxation dynamics of
      high density traffic fluctuations scale linearly with fluctuation size and are
      sensitive to tunnel diameter. We separate the roles of physical obstruction and
      social interactions in traffic flow using cellular automata based simulation.
      Social interaction between ants is modeled as a dwell time (Tint) over which
      interacting ants remain stationary in the tunnel. Investigation over a range of
      densities and Tint reveals that the slowing dynamics of collective motion in
      social living systems are consistent with dynamics near a fragile glass
      transition in inert soft-matter systems. In particular, flow is relatively
      insensitive to density until a critical density is reached. As social interaction
      affinity is increased (increasing Tint) traffic dynamics change and resemble a
      strong glass transition. Thus, social interactions play an important role in the
      mobility of collective living systems at high density. Our experiments and model
      demonstrate that the concepts of soft-matter physics aid understanding of the
      mobility of collective living systems, and motivate further inquiry into the
      dynamics of densely confined social living systems. 

PMID- 26106974
TI  - Bioengineered multilayered human corneas from discarded human corneal tissue.
AB  - Corneal transplantation has become a common procedure to improve visual acuity by
      replacing the opaque or distorted host tissue with clear healthy donor corneal
      tissue. However, globally its wide spread clinical utility is limited due to a
      lack of supply of high quality corneas. Bioengineered neo-corneas using discarded
      human corneas to isolate corneal endothelial and epithelial cells, as well as
      corneal stroma as a scaffolding material, could help address this shortage. The
      objective of this study was to fabricate multilayered corneal equivalents that
      could be suitable for full thickness cornea transplantation. To achieve this goal
      human corneal endothelial cells (hCEC) and human limbal epithelial cells (hLEC)
      were isolated from discarded human corneas and expanded in vitro, maintaining
      their phenotype for at least 3 passages. We used our previously described process
      of human cornea decellularization to create corneal scaffolds that preserve the
      native extracellular matrix of the corneal stroma. The corneal scaffolds were
      seeded with hCEC and hLEC, using a special apparatus that enabled seeding both
      sides of the scaffold. The cell-seeded corneal constructs supported hCEC and hLEC
      growth and multi-cellular organization for 2 weeks in vitro. Immunohistochemical
      analysis showed expression of typical hCEC and hLEC markers on their
      corresponding sides. Importantly, the cell-seeded corneal constructs were more
      transparent than non-seeded corneal scaffolds. Taken together, this study
      demonstrates the feasibility of creating multilayered cornea equivalents,
      exclusively from human donor-derived materials. These constructs may be suitable
      for corneal transplantation, and as a short-term application, may serve for
      ophthalmological drug testing purposes. 

PMID- 26106975
TI  - Alkaloids from the Traditional Chinese Medicine ChanSu: synthesis-enabled
      structural reassignment of bufopyramide to bufoserotonin C.
AB  - A synthesis of putative bufopyramide has shown the structure assigned to the
      natural product to be incorrect. The spectroscopic data for the natural product
      bufopyramide matches that obtained from a synthetic sample of bufoserotonin C,
      confirming that the two natural products are not distinct, but instead the same
      compound. 

PMID- 26106976
TI  - Is it the end of the nervous breakdown on avian influenza?

PMID- 26106977
TI  - Evidence for the negative impact of reward on self-regulated learning.
AB  - The undermining effect refers to the detrimental impact rewards can have on
      intrinsic motivation to engage in a behaviour. The current study tested the
      hypothesis that participants' self-regulated learning behaviours are susceptible
      to the undermining effect. Participants were assigned to learn a set of Swahili
      English word pairs. Half of the participants were offered a reward for
      performance, and half were not offered a reward. After the initial study phase,
      participants were permitted to continue studying the words during a free period.
      The results were consistent with an undermining effect: Participants who were not
      offered a reward spent more time studying the words during the free period. The
      results suggest that rewards may negatively impact self-regulated learning
      behaviours and provide support for the encouragement of intrinsic motivation. 

PMID- 26106978
TI  - Early origin and adaptive evolution of the GW182 protein family, the key
      component of RNA silencing in animals.
AB  - The GW182 proteins are a key component of the miRNA-dependent post
      transcriptional silencing pathway in animals. They function as scaffold proteins
      to mediate the interaction of Argonaute (AGO)-containing complexes with
      cytoplasmic poly(A)-binding proteins (PABP) and PAN2-PAN3 and CCR4-NOT
      deadenylases. The AGO-GW182 complexes mediate silencing of the target mRNA
      through induction of translational repression and/or mRNA degradation. Although
      the GW182 proteins are a subject of extensive experimental research in the recent
      years, very little is known about their origin and evolution. Here, based on
      complex functional annotation and phylogenetic analyses, we reveal 448 members of
      the GW182 protein family from the earliest animals to humans. Our results
      indicate that a single-copy GW182/TNRC6C progenitor gene arose with the emergence
      of multicellularity and it multiplied in the last common ancestor of vertebrates
      in 2 rounds of whole genome duplication (WGD) resulting in 3 genes. Before the
      divergence of vertebrates, both the AGO- and CCR4-NOT-binding regions of GW182s
      showed significant acceleration in the accumulation of amino acid changes,
      suggesting functional adaptation toward higher specificity to the molecules of
      the silencing complex. We conclude that the silencing ability of the GW182
      proteins improves with higher position in the taxonomic classification and
      increasing complexity of the organism. The first reconstruction of the molecular
      journey of GW182 proteins from the ancestral metazoan protein to the current
      mammalian configuration provides new insight into development of the miRNA
      dependent post-transcriptional silencing pathway in animals. 

PMID- 26106979
TI  - Lack of Transcription Factor p53 Exacerbates Elastase-Induced Emphysema in Mice.
AB  - The transcription factor p53 is overexpressed in the lung of patients with
      emphysema, but it remains unclear if it has a deleterious or protective effect in
      disease progression. We investigated the role of p53 in the elastase-induced
      emphysema model and the molecular underlining mechanisms. Wild-type (WT) and p53(
      /-) mice were instilled with pancreatic porcine elastase. We quantified emphysema
      (morphometric analysis), chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), and TNF-alpha in
      bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) (ELISA), oxidative stress markers [heme oxygenase 1
      (HO1), NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone 1 (NQO1), and quantitative RT-PCR], matrix
      metalloproteinase 12 (MMP12) expression, and macrophage apoptosis (cleaved
      caspase-3, immunofluorescence). p53 gene expression was up-regulated in the lung
      of elastase-instilled mice. p53 deletion aggravated elastase-induced emphysema
      severity, pulmonary inflammation (macrophage and neutrophil numbers and CCL2 and
      TNF-alpha levels in BAL), and lung oxidative stress. These findings, except for
      the increase in CCL2, were reproduced in WT mice transplanted with p53(-/-) bone
      marrow cells. The increased number of macrophages in p53(-/-) mice was not a
      consequence of reduced apoptosis or an excess of chemotaxis toward CCL2.
      Macrophage expression of MMP12 was higher in p53(-/-) mice compared with WT mice
      after elastase instillation. These findings provide evidence that p53(-/-) mice
      and WT mice grafted with p53(-/-) bone marrow cells are more prone to developing
      elastase-induced emphysema, supporting a protective role of p53, and more
      precisely p53 expressed in macrophages, against emphysema development. The
      pivotal role played by macrophages in this phenomenon may involve the MMP12-TNF
      alpha pathway. 

PMID- 26106981
TI  - What Does the Evidence Reveal Regarding Home- and Community-Based Nutrition
      Services for Older Adults?

PMID- 26106982
TI  - Outcomes Matter: The Need for Improved Data Collection and Measurement in Our
      Nation's Home-Delivered Meals Programs.
AB  - The nation's home-delivered meals program is an important service strategy to
      provide nutrition and socialization to hundreds of thousands of homebound older
      adults. However, data limitations have prevented the formation of an evidence
      base for these programs beyond measuring outputs. This article discusses our need
      to have a better way to measure and analyze need, unmet need, and outcomes
      associated with receipt of services in order to ensure that this valuable program
      receives the level of support required to continue to serve homebound older
      adults. In order to shape the discussion about the best ways to provide evidence
      of these programs' impact, it is important to think about what outcomes could and
      should be measured, the best possible sources of data, and how providers can
      collect this information effectively and uniformly. 

PMID- 26106980
TI  - Lavandin (Lavandula * intermedia Emeric ex Loiseleur) essential oil from Spain:
      determination of aromatic profile by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry,
      antioxidant and lipoxygenase inhibitory bioactivities.
AB  - Lavandin (Lavandula * intermedia Emeric ex Loiseleur) essential oils (EOs), from
      Abrial, Super and Grosso cultivars, cultivated and extracted in the South East of
      Spain, were analysed by using GC/MS to determine their composition, in both
      relative (peak area) and absolute (using standard curves) concentrations.
      Linalool (34-47%), linalyl acetate (17-34%), camphor (4-9%) and eucalyptol (3-7%)
      were determined as the main molecules. This characterisation was completed with
      the enantioselective gas chromatography, where ( - )-linalool, (+)-camphor and ( 
      )-linalyl acetate were determined as the main components. Antioxidant activity
      was evaluated positively by several methods: activity against free radicals,
      chelating and reducing power, probably due to linalool and linalyl acetate. Mild
      inhibitory activity on lipoxygenase was observed supporting potential anti
      inflammatory activity, mainly due to linalool and camphor. These properties
      support the potential use of L. * intermedia essential oils as natural cosmetic
      and natural pharmaceutical ingredient to fight several skin diseases. 

PMID- 26106983
TI  - Older Americans Act Nutrition Programs: A Community-Based Nutrition Program
      Helping Older Adults Remain at Home.
AB  - Nutrition interventions are important as the older population, most of whom live
      in the community, increases in size and diversity. They are key to leading a
      healthy, functional life and mitigating chronic health conditions. The Older
      Americans Act Nutrition Program served 86.3 million congregate and 137.4 million
      home-delivered meals to 1.6 million and 850,000 older adults, respectively
      (2012). Congregate and home-delivered participants were older, poorer, sicker,
      more functionally impaired, and at a greater risk of institutionalization than
      the general U.S. older population. The Nutrition Program is publically and
      privately funded. About 44% of congregate and 30% of home-delivered expenditures
      are from federal sources, which dropped from $25 per older adult in 1990 to $12
      in 2013. Despite multiple funding sources, funding is insufficient for the
      expanding older population. Health, nutrition, and social service professionals
      need to coordinate their community-based services to truly help older adults
      remain in their homes. 

PMID- 26106984
TI  - Meeting the Training Needs of Aging Network Nutrition Program Professionals:
      Past, Present, and Future.
AB  - Aging network nutrition professionals must continuously adapt knowledge and
      skills in order to maintain the provision of high quality, appropriate, and
      targeted services able to address the evolving demographic, home- and health care
      needs of the older Americans of today and tomorrow. This evolution must be
      supported by ready access to contemporary training and technical assistance.
      Since the passage of the Older Americans Act in 1972, the Administration on Aging
      has provided a diverse and contemporary array of supportive program development
      modalities for aging network nutrition professionals, ranging from the
      establishment of nutrition training centers and institutes, to the formation of
      action learning collaboratives. A sustainable and broad funding base is needed to
      support the training needs of aging network professionals and assure their
      continued acquisition of the skills, knowledge, and business acumen needed to
      integrate food and nutrition services into home and community-based social,
      health, and long-term care systems. 

PMID- 26106986
TI  - Characteristics of Older Georgians Receiving Older Americans Act Nutrition
      Program Services and Other Home- and Community-Based Services: Findings from the
      Georgia Aging Information Management System (GA AIMS).
AB  - This descriptive study examined characteristics of older Georgians receiving
      Older Americans Act Nutrition Program Services and other home- and community
      based services (HCBS) using state aging administrative data (N = 31,341, mean
      age: 76.6 +/- 9.2 y, 71.2% female, 52.3% White). Home-delivered meals (HDM) was
      used most frequently. The characteristics of older Georgian HCBS participants
      varied by the type and number of HCBS received. Those receiving HDM and other in
      home and caregiving services were more likely to show poorer sociodemographic,
      economic, and functional characteristics, and food insecurity. Those receiving
      multiple HCBS were most vulnerable, but showed lower level of food insecurity
      than those receiving single HCBS, suggesting potential combined benefits of
      receiving multiple programs. This study underscores the importance of documenting
      dynamic needs for HCBS, especially HDM, among vulnerable older adults as part of
      standard administrative process to identify those at high risk of
      institutionalization, optimize HCBS delivery and coordination, and maximize HCBS
      benefits. 

PMID- 26106985
TI  - Does Participation in Home-Delivered Meals Programs Improve Outcomes for Older
      Adults? Results of a Systematic Review.
AB  - Participation in home-delivered meals programs may contribute to the health and
      independence of older adults living in the community, especially those who are
      food insecure or those who are making transitions from acute, subacute, and
      chronic care settings to the home. The purpose of this study was to conduct a
      comprehensive and systematic review of all studies related to home-delivered
      meals in order to shed light on the state of the science. A complete review of
      articles appearing in PubMed using the keyword "Meal" was conducted; and titles,
      abstracts, and full-texts were screened for relevance. Included in this review
      are 80 articles. Most studies are descriptive and do not report on outcomes.
      Frequently reported outcomes included nutritional status based on self-reported
      dietary intake. Additionally, most studies included in this review are cross
      sectional, have a small sample size, and/or are limited to a particular setting
      or participant population. More rigorous research is needed to (1) gain insight
      into why so few eligible older adults access home-delivered meals programs, (2)
      support expansion of home-delivered meals to all eligible older adults, (3)
      better identify what home-delivered meals models alone and in combination with
      other services works best and for whom, and (4) better target home-delivered
      meals programs where and when resources are scarce. 

PMID- 26106987
TI  - Benchmarking a Home-Delivered Meal Program's Annual Satisfaction Survey: A
      Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) Initiative in
      Philadelphia.
AB  - The Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) is a community
      based organization providing home-delivered meals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
      to individuals at acute nutritional risk and experiencing a life-threatening
      illness, independent of age or income. The challenge MANNA faces, like other
      community-based organizations, is to demonstrate effective services by
      benchmarking with other organizations. This article reports how MANNA benchmarked
      results of their annual satisfaction survey against the 2013 National Survey of
      Older Americans Act Program. Overall, MANNA recipients were more often satisfied
      with the taste and variety of food, and more MANNA recipients rated the program
      as excellent. However, more MANNA recipients reported not having enough money to
      buy food, skipping meals because of money, needing to choose between food and
      medications or food and utilities. MANNA is using these findings as an impetus to
      better understand the needs of their clients, especially as they transition off
      the meal program, and to identify additional resources to support transitional
      programming. 

PMID- 26106988
TI  - A Model Home-Delivered Meals Program to Support Transitions from Hospital to
      Home.
AB  - Meals On Wheels, Inc. of Tarrant County (MOWI) collaborated with local community
      based organizations and hospitals to provide home-delivered meals and an evidence
      based medication management intervention as a care transition service. The model
      program was designed to address risk factors commonly associated with preventable
      hospital readmissions. MOWI staff provided meals to 121 patients recently
      discharged from an inpatient hospitalization or emergency department visit from
      March 2013 through March 2014. A total of 18,010 meals were delivered to the 121
      clients. On average, clients received 6.25 meals per week with meal delivery
      starting, on average, 8.95 days postdischarge. Ninety-three of the 121 clients
      also elected to receive the HomeMeds program. Client self-report of health care
      utilization (e.g., hospital readmission) at three months and six months was lower
      than expected given client characteristics. Positive changes in the Emergent Care
      Assessment and resolution of medication alerts provide additional evidence of a
      positive effect of the home-delivered meals program. More research is needed to
      document the benefits of home-based care supports following hospitalization. 

PMID- 26106989
TI  - The Impact of a Home-Delivered Meal Program on Nutritional Risk, Dietary Intake,
      Food Security, Loneliness, and Social Well-Being.
AB  - Maintaining independence and continuing to live at home is one solution to manage
      the rising health care costs of aging populations in the United States;
      furthermore, seniors are at risk of malnutrition and food insecurity. Home
      delivered meal programs are a tool to address food, nutrition, and well-being
      concerns of this population. Few studies have identified outcomes from these
      programs; this pilot study reviews the nutritional status, dietary intake, well
      being, loneliness, and food security levels of seniors participating in a Meals
      on Wheels delivery service. Clients, new to the meal program, participated in pre
      and postphone interviews, and 51 seniors completed the study. The survey was
      composed of five scales or questionnaires, and statistical analyses were
      conducted using SPSS. Improvements across all five measures were statistically
      significant after participating two months in the home-delivered meal program.
      Implications for further research, practice, and the Older Americans Act are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26106990
TI  - Factors Associated with Inpatient Hospital (Re)admissions in Medicare
      Beneficiaries in Need of Food Assistance.
AB  - Little is known about pathways underlying inpatient hospital (re)admissions in
      older adults unable to meet basic needs. This study examined the factors
      associated with (re)admissions in a sample of low-income older Medicare
      beneficiaries in need of food assistance in Georgia in 2008 (N = 892, mean age
      75.4 +/- 8.8 years, 30.3% Black, 68.5% female). About 35.3% of the sample
      experienced 1 + hospital (re)admissions. (Re)admissions were significantly more
      likely in individuals who requested Older Americans Act Nutrition Program Home
      Delivered Meals services (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.4, 3.8), had more outpatient emergency
      room visits (1 visit: OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.4, 3.1; 2+ visits: OR 3.6; 95% CI 2.4,
      5.4), and experienced greater multimorbidity (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4, 3.1). Support
      for home and community-based services may be critical in reducing potentially
      avoidable inpatient hospital (re)admissions. 

PMID- 26106992
TI  - Association of Home-Delivered Meals on Daily Energy and Nutrient Intakes:
      Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.
AB  - This study examines the impact of a home-delivered meal program on daily energy
      and nutrient intakes using nationally representative data from the National
      Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2012 waves. First-difference
      estimator addressed selection bias by using within-individual variations in diet
      and service use status between two nonconsecutive 24-hour dietary recalls among
      145 home-delivered meal service users. Service use was found to be associated
      with a net increase in daily intake of protein by 8.39 g, fiber 3.39 g, calcium
      145.94 mg, copper 0.16 mg, magnesium 45.37 mg, potassium 317.39 mg, selenium
      14.04 mcg, and sodium 327.52 mg; whereas the effects on daily intake of total
      energy, fat, and vitamin D were not statistically significant. Home-delivered
      meals improve nutrient intakes among participants, but currently the program may
      be too limited in scale and capacity to best capitalize its beneficial impact on
      healthy aging and health care cost containment at the national level.

PMID- 26106991
TI  - Food Anxiety Is Associated with Poor Health Status Among Recently Hospital
      Discharged Older Adults.
AB  - Older adults returning home from the hospital may encounter health issues that
      cause anxiety about their ability to obtain enough food. Home-delivered meal
      (HDM) programs support nutritional needs and improve food security of those who
      cannot provide for themselves. A study conducted in six states examined feelings
      of anxiety about getting enough food in older adults (aged 60 years and older),
      comparing three time points: prior to hospitalization, at hospitalization (n =
      566) and after receiving HDMs for two months posthospitalization (n = 377). Food
      anxiety during hospitalization was significantly higher among Hispanic ethnicity,
      current and former smokers, diabetics, and those who eat alone or have difficulty
      shopping. Food anxiety was significantly lower from baseline to two months follow
      up (P < 0.0001), and participants showed improvements in certain coping
      strategies they used to get their meals. Indicators of food anxiety can help the
      health care system and community nutrition programs target those at highest risk
      of negative health outcomes. 

PMID- 26106993
TI  - Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing Hydroxyapatite/Epoxide
      Acrylate Maleic Compound Construction for Craniomaxillofacial Bone Defects.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the use of computer-aided design and
      computer-aided manufacturing hydroxyapatite (HA)/epoxide acrylate maleic (EAM)
      compound construction artificial implants for craniomaxillofacial bone defects.
      Computed tomography, computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing and three
      dimensional reconstruction, as well as rapid prototyping were performed in 12
      patients between 2008 and 2013. The customized HA/EAM compound artificial
      implants were manufactured through selective laser sintering using a rapid
      prototyping machine into the exact geometric shapes of the defect. The HA/EAM
      compound artificial implants were then implanted during surgical reconstruction.
      Color-coded superimpositions demonstrated the discrepancy between the virtual
      plan and achieved results using Geomagic Studio. As a result, the HA/EAM compound
      artificial bone implants were perfectly matched with the facial areas that needed
      reconstruction. The postoperative aesthetic and functional results were
      satisfactory. The color-coded superimpositions demonstrated good consistency
      between the virtual plan and achieved results. The three-dimensional maximum
      deviation is 2.12 +/- 0.65  mm and the three-dimensional mean deviation is 0.27
      +/- 0.07  mm. No facial nerve weakness or pain was observed at the follow-up
      examinations. Only 1 implant had to be removed 2 months after the surgery owing
      to severe local infection. No other complication was noted during the follow-up
      period. In conclusion, computer-aided, individually fabricated HA/EAM compound
      construction artificial implant was a good craniomaxillofacial surgical technique
      that yielded improved aesthetic results and functional recovery after
      reconstruction.

PMID- 26106994
TI  - U-shaped Osteotomy Around the Descending Palatine Artery to Prevent Posterior
      Osseous Interference for Superior/Posterior Repositioning of the Maxilla in Le
      Fort I Osteotomy.
AB  - In maxillary orthognathic surgery, superior repositioning of the maxilla is
      sometimes difficult, and removal of bony interference, especially around the
      descending palatine artery (DPA), is very time-consuming in cases of severe
      maxillary impaction. Posterior repositioning of the maxilla for removal of bony
      interference between the posterior maxilla and the pterygoid process is also
      technically difficult. Because the most common site of hemorrhage in Le Fort I
      osteotomy is the posterior maxilla, this bone removal is a source of frustration
      for surgeons in DPA injury. When the DPA is injured during bone removal and
      ligation is performed, aseptic necrosis of the maxilla may occur. Therefore, a
      simple and safe method for maxillary superior/posterior repositioning is required
      to remove osseous interference around the DPA. The authors describe here U-shaped
      osteotomy around the DPA to prevent posterior osseous interference for
      superior/posterior repositioning of the maxilla in Le Fort I osteotomy. 

PMID- 26106996
TI  - Pediatric Facial Fractures: Interpersonal Violence as a Mechanism of Injury.
AB  - PURPOSE: Interpersonal violence is a relatively infrequent cause of injury to the
      craniofacial skeleton in the pediatric population. The presentation of fractures
      as a result of different causes varies dramatically and can have a direct impact
      on management. The current study compares facial fractures in a pediatric
      population as a result of interpersonal violence with other mechanisms of injury.
      METHODS: A retrospective review of all of the facial fractures at a level 1
      trauma center in an urban environment was performed for the years 2000 to 2012.
      Patients <=18 years were included. Patient demographics were collected, as well
      as location of fractures, concomitant injuries, services consulted, and surgical
      management strategies. Patients were placed into 2 groups, those sustaining an
      injury as a result of interpersonal violence and all others. A significance value
      of 5% was used. RESULTS: During this period, there were 3147 facial fractures
      treated at our institution, 353 of which were in pediatric patients. Upon further
      review, 68 patients were excluded because of insufficient data for analysis,
      leaving 285 patients for review. There were 124 (43.5%) patients identified as
      sustaining a fracture as a result of interpersonal violence. Those sustaining a
      fracture as a result of interpersonal violence were statistically (P < 0.05) more
      likely to be boys and to have sustained a fracture of the mandible. The most
      common services consulted for this group of patients was plastic surgery and oral
      and maxillofacial surgery. This group of patients was statistically (P < 0.05)
      more likely to be admitted specifically for management of a facial fracture and
      statistically (P < 0.05) more likely to be treated operatively with rigid
      internal fixation. Those sustaining a fracture as a result of interpersonal
      violence were significantly less likely to have other systemic injuries such as
      spinal fractures, intracranial fractures, long bone fractures, and
      pelvic/thoracic fractures. This group was also more likely to undergo treatment
      via conservative means. In addition, a significantly higher Glasgow Coma Scale
      (14.7 vs 12.8) and age (16.0 vs 12.8 years) and a significantly lower hospital
      length of stay (2.9 vs 7.9 days) was observed in the group subjected to
      interpersonal violence. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric patients experiencing facial
      facture as a result of interpersonal violence show a very distinctive pattern of
      presentation. The energy associated with the injury is likely focused directly at
      the craniofacial skeleton and therefore other organ systems are spared. This
      allows more directed fracture management resulting in a shorter hospital stay
      when necessitating admission. The findings of the current study are important in
      that such a large proportion of the patients reviewed experienced interpersonal
      violence, more so than most other similar studies.

PMID- 26106995
TI  - Extradural Ossification Following Epidural Hematoma in Children: A Rare But
      Significant Entity.
AB  - There has been a profound increase in the number of patients undergoing head
      computed tomography after minor injuries and the identification of epidural
      hematomas has risen concurrently. Although emergent craniotomy and evacuation has
      been the conventional standard for management, some epidural hematomas can be
      managed nonoperatively in carefully selected patients. Because of the difficulty
      in clinically monitoring epidural hematoma absorption and resolution because of
      the attributed risks of imaging radiation exposure in pediatric patients, the
      exact incidence of epidural hematoma ossification is unknown. Integrating
      epidural hematoma calcification into management algorithms is not clearly defined
      in the literature. The authors report a case of a 2-year-old girl with a
      calcified epidural hematoma requiring surgical treatment. With the incidence of
      epidural hematomas rising, providers should be aware of the rare but
      consequential incidence of epidural hematoma ossification. After literature
      review and discussion of the pathophysiology, the authors present an algorithmic
      approach to account for this rare entity. For conservative management of
      asymptomatic epidural hematomas, providers should consider follow-up magnetic
      resonance imaging to evaluate resolution in 2 to 3 months. If the magnetic
      resonance imaging indicates a failure to resolve, a computed tomography scan
      should then be performed to evaluate ossification and possible need for surgical
      intervention.

PMID- 26106997
TI  - The Effect of Nasal Septal Deviation on Frontal and Maxillary Sinus Volumes and
      Development of Sinusitis.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the possible role of nasal septal
      deviation on volume of maxillary and frontal sinuses. Between February 2011 and
      October 2013, paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) findings of 732 patients
      (410 males, 322 females) who were admitted to Ear Nose and Throat Department of
      Kayseri Research and Training Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. By
      excluding the other coexistent sinonasal pathologies, 83 consecutive patients
      with nasal septal deviations were included in the study. The volume of each
      maxillary and frontal sinus (ipsi- and contralateral to the deviation side) was
      also calculated using the computer program. There was no statistically
      significant difference between ipsilateral and contralateral maxillary sinus
      volumes in group 1 and group 3 (P > 0.05). There was a statistically significant
      difference between ipsilateral and contralateral maxillary sinus volumes in group
      2 (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between
      ipsilateral and contralateral frontal sinus volumes in group 1, group 2, and
      group 3 (P > 0.05). Moderate septal deviation significantly affects the volume of
      maxillary sinus. Mild and severe septal deviation does not significantly affect
      the volume of maxillary sinus. Effect of septal deviation on frontal sinus volume
      was not detected. The probability to encounter maxillary and frontal sinusitis
      ipsilateral to the all septum deviation groups was significantly increased in
      both right- and left-sided subjects. 

PMID- 26106999
TI  - Cutaneous Metastasis on Scalp of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

PMID- 26106998
TI  - Customized "In-Office" Three-Dimensional Printing for Virtual Surgical Planning
      in Craniofacial Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Virtual surgical planning using three-dimensional (3D) printing
      technology has improved surgical efficiency and precision. A limitation to this
      technology is that production of 3D surgical models requires a third-party
      source, leading to increased costs (up to $4000) and prolonged assembly times
      (averaging 2-3 weeks). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility,
      cost, and production time of customized skull models created by an "in-office" 3D
      printer for craniofacial reconstruction. METHODS: Two patients underwent
      craniofacial reconstruction with the assistance of "in-office" 3D printing
      technology. Three-dimensional skull models were created from a bioplastic
      filament with a 3D printer using computed tomography (CT) image data. The cost
      and production time for each model were measured. RESULTS: For both patients, a
      customized 3D surgical model was used preoperatively to plan split calvarial bone
      grafting and intraoperatively to more efficiently and precisely perform the
      craniofacial reconstruction. The average cost for surgical model production with
      the "in-office" 3D printer was $25 (cost of bioplastic materials used to create
      surgical model) and the average production time was 14  hours. CONCLUSIONS:
      Virtual surgical planning using "in office" 3D printing is feasible and allows
      for a more cost-effective and less time consuming method for creating surgical
      models and guides. By bringing 3D printing to the office setting, we hope to
      improve intraoperative efficiency, surgical precision, and overall cost for
      various types of craniofacial and reconstructive surgery.

PMID- 26107000
TI  - Acellular Dermal Matrix Use in Cleft Palate and Palatal Fistula Repair: A
      Potential Benefit?
AB  - BACKGROUND: In cleft palate repair, anatomically oriented, tension free,
      atraumatic total closure is the key to achieve a normal speech consecutive to a
      sufficient velopharyngeal closure and also to prevent postoperative fistula
      development. In this clinical study, we review our experience with acellular
      dermal matrix (ADM) which was used as an adjunct to facilitate difficult cleft
      palate and palatal fistula closure. METHODS: From October 2009 till December
      2013, primary cleft palate and fistula repairs in which ADM was used were culled
      from the cleft surgery files. Acellular dermal matrix was used as an extra layer
      in between palatal flaps of primary repairs and as a sandwiched sheet separating
      the flaps used to repair fistulas. In addition to patient, cleft and fistula
      demographics, records were evaluated for sizes, fistula development, fistula
      recurrence, extrusion, exposure, and infection. RESULTS: Acellular dermal matrix
      was used in 35 patients with palatal clefts of mean size 15 +/- 4  mm and in 15
      palatal fistulas. Two-flap palatoplasty technique was the dominant technique for
      the palate repair. Fistula rate for the palate repair was 8.5% and fistula
      recurrence rate was 20%. Mean follow-up for the palate and fistula repair
      patients was 29 +/- 15 months and 32 +/- 11 months, respectively. In two cases of
      palatoplasty group and in four cases of fistula repair group, ADM was exposed
      resulting in total extrusion in two fistula cases. CONCLUSIONS: In this ongoing
      experience of application, ADM has been shown to be a simple, safe, and helpful
      tool to reduce fistula rate mainly in relatively wide and high tension tenuous
      cleft palate repairs but less favorable in challenging fistula closure attempts
      particularly along with poorly vascularized surrounding tissues. However, study
      design and its results are yet far from strongly recommending routine ADM use in
      cleft palate surgery.

PMID- 26107001
TI  - Mandibular Bone Exposure and Osteonecrosis in a Patient With an Uncomplicated
      Medical History.

PMID- 26107002
TI  - Circular Excision and Purse-String Closure for Pediatric Facial Skin Lesions.
AB  - Standard resection of pediatric facial skin lesions consists of lenticular
      excision and linear closure. This one-stage procedure for circular lesions
      results in a linear scar 3 times longer than the diameter of the removed
      specimen. Circular excision and purse-string closure has been described for
      infantile hemangiomas to reduce the length of scar. The purpose of this study was
      to analyze the application of this technique for any type of circular facial skin
      lesion in the pediatric population. Records of consecutive pediatric patients
      with facial skin lesions treated with circular excision and purse-string closure
      from 2007-2014 were reviewed. Patient age, sex, type of lesion, location, and
      size were recorded. Number of stages necessary to remove the area and
      complications were analyzed. Seventy-seven children (74% female) underwent
      circular excision and purse-string closure for an infantile hemangioma (46%),
      pigmented nevus (27%), Spitz nevus (7%), pilomatrixoma (5%), pyogenic granuloma
      (5%), vascular malformation (4%), or another type of skin lesion (6%). Age at the
      time of resection was 6.0 years (range 4 months-17 years) and mean lesion area
      was 3.9  cm (range 0.2-19.6); 30% of patients underwent a second procedure and no
      infection or wound dehiscence occurred. Circular excision and purse-string
      closure is an effective technique to manage any type of circular skin lesion in
      the pediatric population. It is particularly useful for lesions on the face
      because it limits the length of a scar. A subset of patients may benefit from
      second procedure to convert the circular scar from a circle into a line.

PMID- 26107003
TI  - Attomolar Level Detection of Raman Molecules with Hierarchical Silver
      Nanostructures Including Tiny Nanoparticles between Nanosized Gaps Generated in
      Silver Petals.
AB  - We developed a route for synthesizing Ag nanostructures with tunable morphologies
      for ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Through the consecutive
      addition of three reducing agents (i.e., 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, trisodium
      citrate, and ascorbic acid) to an aqueous solution of silver nitrate,
      hierarchical flower-like Ag nanostructures were produced. The nanostructures had
      Ag petals in which nanosized gaps were generated, and small Ag nanoparticles were
      incorporated within the gaps. Theoretically, the nanostructures exhibited highly
      enhanced electric fields in the outer-shell regions where the small Ag
      nanoparticles were densely located. Combining the enhanced field effect with
      resonance effect of a Raman-active molecule (methylene blue) at a specific
      wavelength, measurable Raman signals were obtained at concentrations as low as
      100 attomolar (10(-16) M; corresponding to 10(-21) mol). Key factors were
      discussed for the synthesis of the Ag nanostructures while finely controlling the
      morphologies of hierarchical Ag nanostructures, thereby modulating the intensity
      of surface-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy (SERRS) signals. Therefore, this
      synthetic method produces highly promising nanostructures for SERRS-based
      applications. 

PMID- 26107004
TI  - Changes in Tinnitus After Middle Ear Implant Surgery: Comparisons With the
      Cochlear Implant.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Tinnitus is a very common symptom in patients with hearing loss.
      Several studies have confirmed that hearing restoration using hearing aids or
      cochlear implants (CIs) has a suppressive effect on tinnitus in users. The aim of
      this study was to analyze the effect of other hearing restoration devices,
      specifically the middle ear implant (MEI), on changes in tinnitus severity.
      DESIGN: From 2012 to October 2014, 11 adults with tinnitus and hearing loss
      underwent MEI surgery. Pure-tone audiometry, tinnitus handicap inventory (THI),
      and visual analog scale scores for loudness, awareness, and annoyance and
      psychosocial instruments were measured before, immediately after, and 6 months
      after surgery. Changes in hearing thresholds and THI scores were analyzed and
      compared with those of 16 CI recipients. RESULTS: In both MEI and CI groups,
      significant improvements in tinnitus were found after the surgery. The THI scores
      improved in 91% of patients in the MEI group and in 56% of those in the CI group.
      Visual analog scale scores and psychosocial scale scores also decreased after
      surgery, but there were no statistical differences between the groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the MEI may be as beneficial as the CI in
      relieving tinnitus in subjects with unilateral tinnitus accompanying hearing
      loss. Furthermore, this improvement may manifest as hearing restoration or
      habituation rather than a direct electrical nerve stimulation, which was
      previously considered as the main mechanism underlying tinnitus suppression by
      auditory implants.

PMID- 26107005
TI  - Quality Improvement Targets for Regional Variation in Surgical End-Stage Renal
      Disease Care.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) access improves survival in patients with
      end-stage renal disease (ESRD) compared with other modalities when used at first
      hemodialysis. Use varies between locations, but, to our knowledge, no study has
      related this finding to mortality on a national scale. OBJECTIVE: To quantify
      regional variation in AVF access at first hemodialysis, as well as the associated
      effect on mortality in the US Renal Data System. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: The US Renal Data System tracks all patients with ESRD in the
      United States. A retrospective analysis of the population from January 1, 2006,
      to December 31, 2010, was performed. Univariate analyses (chi2 test; 2-tailed,
      unpaired t test; and analysis of variance) as well as multivariable logistic
      regressions were carried out to compare patient characteristics, incident AVF
      frequencies, and corrected mortality hazards between ESRD Network Programs, which
      comprise 18 states, commonwealths, and protectorates in which residents receive
      hemodialysis. Of the patients receiving hemodialysis in these networks, the data
      on 464,547 individuals who were beginning renal replacement therapy were
      analyzed. Analysis was started April 1, 2013, and ended August 3, 2014. MAIN
      OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Mortality hazard variation between ESRD Network Programs
      in the United States and incident AVF frequency. RESULTS: Of the 464,547 patients
      beginning hemodialysis in this cohort, first hemodialysis with an AVF ranged from
      11.1% to 22.2% depending on the ESRD Network in which they maintained residency
      (P < .001). Similarly, corrected mortality hazard varied by 28% (hazard ratios
      from 0.99 [95% CI, 0.96-1.03] to 1.27 [95% CI, 1.22-1.31]; P < .001). Logistic
      regression determined nephrology care to increase the odds of a patient beginning
      hemodialysis using an AVF by 11-fold (odds ratio, 11.42 [95% CI, 10.93-11.93]; P
      < .001); congestive heart failure was a negative correlatefold (odds ratio, 0.65
      [95% CI, 0.64-0.67]; P < .001). No region achieved the 50% Fistula First
      Breakthrough Initiative (now known as Fistula First Catheter Last) target for
      incident AVF access. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Marked regional variation in
      functional incident AVF frequency and risk-adjusted ESRD mortality exists across
      the United States. Differences in access to preoperative nephrology care and
      patient comorbidities may explain some of these variations, but an opportunity to
      implement best-practice guidelines exists.

PMID- 26107006
TI  - Phenomenon of individual difference in human monocyte activation.
AB  - Macrophages play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis,
      including the early pre-clinical stages of the disease development. We have
      explored the possibility that the disease onset could be associated with altered
      monocyte/macrophage response to activating pro- and anti-inflammatory stimuli. We
      evaluated the susceptibility of circulating monocytes from healthy individuals
      and patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis to M1 and M2 activation.
      The obtained data indicated the existence of a remarkable individual difference
      in susceptibility to activation among monocytes isolated from the blood of
      different subjects, regardless of the presence or absence of atherosclerosis. The
      identified differences in susceptibility to activation between monocytes may
      explain the individual peculiarities of the immune response in different
      subjects. 

PMID- 26107007
TI  - Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) from the first
      outbreak of India shows close relationship with the highly pathogenic variant of
      China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is an
      economically important viral disease of pigs worldwide. India has reported the
      first outbreak of PRRS in the pig population of Mizoram state to the Office
      International des Epizooties on the 26 June 2013. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: The aim
      of the present study was to determine the genotype and origin of porcine
      reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) from the first outbreak in
      the pig population of Mizoram state, India, in 2013. ANIMALS AND METHODS: A total
      of 880 affected pigs from the outbreak were clinically examined, 51 animals were
      necropsied and tested by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
      to detect PRRSV and 148 serum samples were tested to detect PRRSV-specific
      antibodies. The full open reading frame 5 (ORF5) gene sequences from 12 and ORF7
      gene sequences from three clinical cases were sequenced and analysed for genomic
      characterization, respectively. RESULTS: The outbreak was confirmed by the
      detection of PRRSV-specific antibodies in 109 out of 148 serum samples (74%) and
      also by RT-PCR in 46 out of 51 necropsy samples (90%). Notably, ORF5 and ORF7
      genes of Indian strain shares the same nucleotide positions i.e. 13,698-14,300
      and 14,799-15,170, respectively, with the highly pathogenic (HP) strain of China
      and were grouped together in a phylogenetic tree. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL
      IMPORTANCE: Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of ORF5 and ORF7 confirmed that
      the Indian strain has a close link with the HP-PRRSV of China. The current study
      forms an essential step for better understanding of the epidemiology as well as
      the movement and spread of the disease in India.

PMID- 26107008
TI  - Aspire to Inspire: The Launch of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology.

PMID- 26107010
TI  - Femtosecond Laser Cataract Surgery: An Experience From Australia.
AB  - Cataract surgery remains the most widely performed intraocular procedure
      throughout the world. Safety and accuracy of the procedure are paramount and
      techniques should remain under constant review. Recently, the introduction of the
      femtosecond laser to assist cataract surgery has provided ophthalmologists with
      an exciting tool that may further improve outcomes. We review the existing
      literature, discuss the potential implications for a variety of stakeholders and
      discuss our initial experience with the femtosecond laser. 

PMID- 26107009
TI  - Femtosecond Laser: Is It the Way Forward for Cataract Surgery?

PMID- 26107011
TI  - Intravitreal Bevacizumab, Plasminogen, and Pneumatic Retinopexy for Subfoveal
      Hemorrhage in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of intravitreal bevacizumab combined
      with intravitreal plasminogen and pneumatic retinopexy as treatment of subfoveal
      hemorrhages due to exudative age-related macular degeneration. DESIGN: Clinical
      interventional case series study. METHODS: Ten patients (10 eyes) with exudative
      age-related macular degeneration, presented with a subfoveal hemorrhage larger
      than 1 disc size and smaller than 5 disc sizes. They received an intravitreal
      injection of 50 MUg of plasminogen and 0.3 mL of 100% sulfur hexafluoride gas
      combined with intravitreal 1.5 mg of bevacizumab, followed by 2 additional
      intravitreal injections of 1.5 mg of bevacizumab in an interval of 6 weeks.
      RESULTS: Mean visual acuity improved slightly, although not statistically
      significant (P = 0.24), from 1.56 +/- 0.47 to 1.48 +/- 0.60 logMAR at 1 month
      after the procedure and to 1.35 +/- 0.54 logMAR at 3 months after baseline.
      Subfoveal hemorrhage recurred in none of the patients during the follow-up. In
      all patients, the subfoveal hemorrhage had at least partially been moved to the
      infrafoveal region. Pronounced degenerative subfoveal changes were the main
      reason for a lack of a marked increase in visual acuity after the procedure.
      CONCLUSIONS: For some patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration
      and a subfoveal hemorrhage larger than 1 disc size and smaller than 5 disc sizes,
      the combined intravitreal injection of bevacizumab, plasminogen, and gas followed
      by 2 additional intravitreal bevacizumab injections can lead to a stabilization
      or slight improvement in visual acuity, unless subfoveal degenerative changes are
      not too marked to prevent a gain in vision.

PMID- 26107012
TI  - International Values of Central Pachymetry in Normal Subjects by Rotating
      Scheimpflug Camera.
AB  - PURPOSE: In corneal refractive surgery, postoperative ectasia risk assessment
      routinely includes pachymetric analysis at the apex and thinnest point. We
      examined whether these data differ worldwide and constructed preliminary country
      specific normative thresholds. DESIGN: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional
      study. METHODS: Using the Pentacam Eye Scanner (OCULUS GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany),
      we examined 1 randomly selected eye from each of 555 normal adults (8 countries,
      6 continents), measuring the thinnest point location, central pachymetry
      (thinnest point, pupillary center, and apex), and the apex-thinnest point
      difference. International differences were assessed by 1-way analysis of
      variance. Normative thresholds were defined by 2- and 3-SD gates or Tukey method.
      RESULTS: The thinnest point averaged 0.44 mm temporal and 0.29 mm inferior to the
      apex. Individual thinnest points located more than 1.0 mm inferior represented
      fewer than 0.5% of normal corneas (>0.76 mm in the US subgroup). The mean
      thinnest-point pachymetry was 536 MUm overall, and values less than 469 or 435
      MUm (-2 or -3 SD, respectively) would be expected in less than 2.5% or 0.15% of
      normal corneas, respectively. The thinnest-point pachymetry averaged 2 to 3 MUm
      thinner than apical (range, 0-32 MUm). Differences of greater than 8.5 MUm would
      be expected in less than 0.5% of normal corneas overall. CONCLUSIONS:
      International differences were largely clinically insignificant. Nevertheless, it
      remains preferable to establish racial/geographic-specific normative values. We
      defined preliminary generalized and country-specific thresholds useful to the
      corneal refractive surgeon for identifying potentially abnormal corneas based on
      common pachymetric parameters, particularly the thinnest point by tomography.

PMID- 26107013
TI  - Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Imaging with Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence
      Tomography: Impact of Signal Strength on Analysis of the RNFL Map.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of signal
      strength (SS) on retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measurement and interpretation
      of the RNFL thickness deviation map obtained with a spectral-domain optical
      coherence tomography. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Thirty-seven eyes
      from 37 normal subjects were included. Six cube scans, each with 200 * 200 RNFL
      measurement pixels covering an area of 6 * 6 mm at the optic disc region with SS
      from 5 to 10, were collected with the Cirrus HD-optical coherence tomography
      (Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc, Dublin, Calif) by varying the level of polarization. The
      differences in RNFL measurements and the number of abnormal (outside 95% of the
      centile ranges) superpixels (1 superpixel = 4 * 4 pixels) at different levels of
      SS were compared with repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: The RNFL
      thickness generally increased with the SS. There were significant differences in
      RNFL thickness between images with SS of 10 and those with SS of 5 to 7 at the
      superonasal (1-3 o'clock) and inferotemporal (7-9 o'clock) sectors. One o'clock
      was the most frequent location that showed abnormal RNFL measurement. The average
      number of abnormal superpixels ranged between 99 (SS = 5) and 34 (SS = 10). There
      was no significant difference in the number of abnormal superpixels between
      images with SS of 10 and those with SS of 8 or 9. CONCLUSIONS: Although SS
      changes induced by polarization adjustment may not be the same as those induced
      by media opacity or corneal irregularity, it is evident that the level of SS has
      a significant impact on RNFL measurement.

PMID- 26107014
TI  - New Compact Accommodometer to Measure Accommodation Amplitude as a Biomarker.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate a newly designed compact accommodometer
      (CA) and compare this with a conventional accommodometer for measuring
      accommodation as a biomarker for aging and lifestyle. DESIGN: This is an
      observational case series. METHODS: Accommodative amplitude was measured using 2
      different accommodometers in 114 patients. We obtained the data of the near-point
      accommodation amplitude. Subsequently, we used smoking habit as an example of
      lifestyle-related factor to evaluate its effect on the accommodative power.
      RESULTS: The first part of the study included 60 eyes of 60 men and 54 eyes of 54
      women, with a mean (SD) age of 43.8 (12.9) years (range, 18-58 years). There was
      a consistency within each measuring method despite a significant difference
      between the 2 devices (P < 0.01). Measuring accommodation by CA was significantly
      faster than by conventional modality (190.9 +/- 58.1 seconds for CA and 371.8 +/-
      123.6 seconds for D'ACOMO, P < 0.0001, paired t test). In the second part of the
      study, we found a significant correlation between age and accommodative amplitude
      both in smokers and in nonsmokers. The accommodative amplitude of the smoker
      group was significantly lower than that of the nonsmoker group (P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Compact accommodometer may work as an alternative and convenient
      method in place of the conventional accommodometer for measuring accommodative
      amplitude as an aging biomarker. Lifestyle factors can affect the magnitude of
      accommodation, which can be measured by this newly developed CA.

PMID- 26107015
TI  - Recent Advances and Future Challenges in Ocular Surface Reconstruction: On the
      Road to Translational Medicine.
AB  - Severe ocular surface diseases are some of the most challenging entities
      currently facing ophthalmologists. The purpose of this review was to describe the
      recent advances, current developments, and future challenges related to ocular
      surface reconstruction from both the basic science and clinical aspects. To date,
      many candidate corneal epithelial stem-cell markers for tissue-engineered culture
      transplants have been proposed worldwide. Several groups have reported the long
      term clinical results of cultivated epithelial transplantation for treating
      severe ocular surface disease. In an attempt to further develop the surgical
      procedures of ocular surface reconstruction, several groups recently reported
      using cells obtained from novel sources, surrounding cell substrates, and safer
      culture processes. As a result of the basic research and breakthroughs in the
      field of corneal regenerative medicine, great progress has been made in the basic
      understanding and development of new therapeutic tools. 

PMID- 26107016
TI  - Acute Postoperative Endophthalmitis Following Cataract Surgery: A Review.
AB  - Endophthalmitis following cataract surgery is rare but continues to be a serious
      complication following cataract surgery. Over the years, the incidence of
      endophthalmitis has declined because of various preoperative and perioperative
      measures. They include use of antiseptic and appropriate surgical draping
      techniques. In this review, we have focused on the incidence, existing risk
      factors, various clinical features, management strategies, and prophylaxis
      pertaining to postoperative endophthalmitis following cataract surgery. Outcomes
      and pitfalls of 2 landmark studies, namely, the Endophthalmitis Vitrectomy Study
      and the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Endophthalmitis
      Study, are briefly mentioned.Infectious endophthalmitis following cataract
      surgery is a dreaded complication. Preoperative identification of risk factors
      and effective prophylaxis could help in reducing its incidence. Early diagnosis
      followed by management of these patients either with vitreous tap or vitrectomy
      coupled with intravitreal antibiotics holds the key. 

PMID- 26107017
TI  - An Update on Intravitreal Injections for Macular Diseases: Friend or Foe?
AB  - The purpose of this article is to review the role of intravitreal injections of
      medications in the treatment of the two common macular diseases, macular edema
      and age related macular degeneration (AMD). We perform literature search by
      search engine Pubmed till May 2011, using keywords 'intravitreal injections',
      'age-related macular degeneration' and 'macular edema' to retrieve relevant
      review articles and original papers. To conclude, with advance in technology,
      intravitreal injections of medications may have become an integral part of our
      ability to treat a wide range of macular diseases. The use of ranibizumab,
      pegaptanib in the treatment of neovascular AMD and TA in the treatment of various
      causes of macular edema have shown promising results in a number of prospective
      randomized controlled trials, with low risk of complications reported. 

PMID- 26107018
TI  - HTRA1 in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of severe visual
      impairment and irreversible blindness in most developed countries, affecting more
      than 50 million of elderly people worldwide. Current treatments, such as
      intravitreal injection of antiangiogenic agents, mitigate the effect of advanced
      AMD but cannot completely cure the disease. Comprehensive understanding of the
      AMD pathological mechanisms is important for the development of new therapies.
      Previously, we identified a single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs11200638) in the
      promoter region of the high temperature requirement factor A1 (HTRA1) gene on
      chromosome 10q26 to be associated with exudative AMD. In further biological
      studies, we have provided evidence that HTRA1 could be a potential disease
      causing gene within the 10q26 locus. In this review, we summarize the pathology
      of AMD and the molecular function of the HtrA1 protein. Also evaluated are the
      genetic effects of HTRA1 polymorphism on AMD in different populations and
      interactions with other AMD-associated genes, especially with the complement
      factor H (CFH) gene, which was identified for nonexudative AMD. The biological
      roles of HtrA1 are exhaustively examined on its contribution to the
      multifactorial pathogenic mechanism of AMD. Although HtrA1 should play a part in
      AMD pathogenesis, a host of other genetic and environmental factors, known and
      unknown, is involved and warrants intensive future research. 

PMID- 26107020
TI  - Quantification of hearing loss in patients with posterior semicircular canal
      dehiscence.
AB  - CONCLUSION: Patients with posterior semicircular canal dehiscence (PSCD) have low
      frequency conductive hearing loss similar to patients with superior semicircular
      canal dehiscence (SSCD) secondary to a pathologic third window. OBJECTIVES: PSCD
      can result in conductive hearing loss, but the magnitude of this hearing loss
      remains to be quantified. Patients with SSCD have been shown to have low
      frequency conductive hearing loss. The underlying pathophysiology of hearing loss
      from PSCD and SSCD is similar and related to a pathologic third window. METHOD: A
      PubMed search was completed for a meta-analysis of patients with PSCD. Articles
      with quality audiograms were obtained. Air conduction thresholds for ears with
      posterior semicircular canal dehiscence were compared to the opposite ear as well
      as normal control data. RESULTS: Eight articles with 21 patients with PSCD and
      quality audiograms were included. Two patients had bilateral PSCD and one of
      those was excluded because hearing thresholds were at the limit of the
      audiometer. Patients with posterior semicircular canal dehiscence have
      statistically significant lower air conduction thresholds in frequencies at and
      below 2000 Hz.

PMID- 26107021
TI  - Trametinib in metastatic melanoma.
AB  - The treatment of metastatic melanoma is rapidly changing. In 2002, the BRAF
      mutation was described in over 50% of melanomas and led to the first BRAF
      inhibitor, vemurafenib, being approved for clinical use in 2011. Clinical
      responses are often rapid but duration of response is limited due to the
      development of resistance. MEK is the next downstream target from BRAF in the MAP
      kinase pathway. Trametinib was the first MEK inhibitor to be approved for
      clinical use in 2013. Preclinical studies demonstrated a delay in resistance and
      a reduction in cutaneous toxicity by combined BRAF and MEK inhibition. Here, we
      review the rationale for clinical development of trametinib and give an update on
      recent clinical trials of trametinib alone and in combination with braf
      inhibition in melanoma. 

PMID- 26107022
TI  - Reliability of a Single Light Source Purkinjemeter in Pseudophakic Eyes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study the reliability of Purkinje image analysis for assessment of
      intraocular lens tilt and decentration in pseudophakic eyes. METHODS: The study
      comprised 64 eyes of 39 patients. All eyes underwent phacoemulsification with
      intraocular lens implanted in the capsular bag. Lens decentration and tilt were
      measured multiple times by an infrared Purkinjemeter. A total of 396 measurements
      were performed 1 week and 1 month postoperatively. Lens tilt (Tx, Ty) and
      decentration (Dx, Dy) in horizontal and vertical directions, respectively, were
      calculated by dedicated software based on regression analysis for each
      measurement using only four images, and afterward, the data were averaged (mean
      values, MV) for repeated sequence of measurements. New software was designed by
      us for recalculating lens misalignment parameters offline, using a complete set
      of Purkinje images obtained through the repeated measurements (9 to 15 Purkinje
      images) (recalculated values, MV'). MV and MV' were compared using SPSS
      statistical software package. RESULTS: MV and MV' were found to be highly
      correlated for the Tx and Ty parameters (R2 > 0.9; p < 0.001), moderately
      correlated for the Dx parameter (R2 > 0.7; p < 0.001), and weakly correlated for
      the Dy parameter (R2 = 0.23; p < 0.05). Reliability was high (Cronbach alpha >
      0.9) for all measured parameters. Standard deviation values were 0.86 +/- 0.69
      degrees, 0.72 +/- 0.65 degrees, 0.04 +/- 0.05 mm, and 0.23 +/- 0.34 mm for Tx,
      Ty, Dx, and Dy, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Purkinjemeter demonstrated high
      reliability and reproducibility for lens misalignment parameters. To further
      improve reliability, we recommend capturing at least six Purkinje images instead
      of three.

PMID- 26107023
TI  - Comparison of Topical Cyclosporine and Diquafosol Treatment in Dry Eye.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the treatment effects of topical cyclosporine A (CsA) and
      diquafosol sodium (DQS) for the treatment of moderate to severe dry eye disease
      (DED). METHODS: This prospective, nonrandomized, comparative study involved 60
      eyes of 60 patients with moderate to severe DED who were treated with topical CsA
      0.05% (group 1, 31 patients) or DQS 3% (group 2, 29 patients) in addition to
      artificial tears for 3 months. Before treatment, and at 1 and 3 months after
      treatment, the Ocular Surface Disease Index, tear breakup time, Schirmer score,
      tear clearance rate, and corneal and conjunctival staining scores were compared.
      RESULTS: Significant improvements in Ocular Surface Disease Index score, tear
      clearance rate, and corneal staining score were observed 1 month after treatment
      in group 2 (p = 0.014, p = 0.002, and p < 0.001, respectively), when compared
      with group 1. However, no significant differences were observed between the two
      groups 3 months after treatment (p > 0.05). Tear breakup times were significantly
      higher in group 2 compared with group 1 for the duration of the study (p <
      0.001). Three months after treatment, Schirmer score was significantly higher and
      conjunctival staining score was significantly lower in group 1 compared with
      group 2 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Both topical CsA 0.05% and DQS 3% are effective
      in patients with moderate to severe DED. However, the timing and degree of
      therapeutic effects on tear film and ocular surface parameters, as well as
      symptoms, can be different between the two treatments.

PMID- 26107024
TI  - Macular Abnormalities in Chinese Patients with Uveitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of macular abnormalities in Chinese
      patients affected by uveitis. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed by
      reviewing the medical records and high-definition spectral domain optical
      coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scans in a cohort of 413 uveitis eyes to assess the
      presence of macular abnormalities. RESULTS: Macular abnormalities were observed
      in 242 (58.6%) of the 413 examined eyes with uveitis. The observed macular
      abnormalities include diffuse macular edema, cystoid macular edema (CME), and
      serous retinal detachment. In addition, vitreoretinal abnormalities in the
      patients with uveitis were evaluated through SD-OCT. The evaluated vitreoretinal
      abnormalities include epiretinal membrane, tractional CME, macular adhesions,
      macular hole, and choroidal neovascularization. The most frequent abnormality in
      the uveitis patients was CME, observed in 105 eyes (25.4%), and followed by
      epiretinal membrane, observed in 52 eyes (12.6%). Moreover, the percentage of
      uveitis patients with vitreoretinal abnormalities (23.1%) was significantly high.
      CONCLUSIONS: Macular abnormalities were more frequently observed in uveitis
      compared with those in the general population. Multiple patterns of macular
      abnormalities indicate lesions of multilayer of cells. Therefore, when following
      up uveitis patients, it is highly recommended to screen with SD-OCT to evaluate
      the macular alterations of those patients. Careful observation of the macular
      abnormalities using SD-OCT may help to identify patients who are at risk for
      visual loss secondary to foveal changes and provide preventive treatment.

PMID- 26107026
TI  - Analgesic management of acute pain in the opioid-tolerant patient.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The management of acute pain in the opioid-tolerant patient is
      an area in perioperative medicine that is growing, as the use of opioids for
      chronic noncancer pain has been tolerated in the USA. Adding to this population
      is an increase in opioid abusers, addicts and those in recovery and maintenance
      programmes. These patients will continue to present for surgery and with acute
      pain that anaesthesiologists and other members of the healthcare team must become
      more adept at managing. RECENT FINDINGS: This review covers some of the
      strategies that may be used by practitioners in the management of acute pain in
      the opioid-tolerant patient. It is important to collect a detailed history of
      opioid and drugs of abuse, including the timing of the last dose in order to
      avoid precipitation of withdrawal. The use of multimodal anaesthetic and
      analgesic strategies is important for both patient safety and satisfaction and
      can enhance recovery and discharge home. SUMMARY: There is a need for more high
      level evidence-based guidelines to help practitioners achieve the best care of
      this growing high-risk population of patients.

PMID- 26107025
TI  - Influence of Near Tasks on Posture in Myopic Chinese Schoolchildren.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate near-vision posture in Chinese myopic schoolchildren and
      compare near-vision posture during different near-vision tasks (i.e., playing
      video games, reading, and writing). METHODS: The study investigated 120 myopic
      children (grades 1 through 6 and aged 6 to 13 years). An electromagnetic motion
      tracking system was used for continuous measurements of the working distance and
      head declination of the subjects while they were playing video games or reading
      or writing at a desk. The reading and writing documents were adjusted by grade
      level (i.e., grades 1 to 2, 3 to 4, and 5 to 6). For analysis, the subjects were
      grouped in two refractive groups according to their median spherical equivalent
      refractive error (-1.50D). RESULTS: The myopic schoolchildren used close working
      distances for all tasks: 21.3 +/- 5.2 cm (video games), 27.2 +/- 6.4 cm
      (reading), and 24.9 +/- 5.8 cm (writing). The mean head declinations were 63.5 +/
      12.2 deg (video games), 37.1 +/- 12.8 deg (reading), and 44.5 +/- 14.1 deg
      (writing). Working distance decreased significantly across time for the reading
      and writing tasks (p < 0.001). Head declination increased significantly across
      time only for the reading task (p < 0.001). Grade level significantly influenced
      working distance, but the difference was not significant when working distance
      was adjusted by the subject's size. No differences were observed within the
      refractive or the accommodative lag groups in terms of the posture data (p >
      0.05). Working distance was negatively correlated with head declination (r = 
      0.53, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Close working distances were observed for Chinese
      myopic schoolchildren. The attention dedicated to each task, the task difficulty,
      and the page/screen size may affect near working distance and head declination.
      Handheld video games were associated with the closest working distance, which may
      be a risk factor for myopia progression, according to previous studies.

PMID- 26107027
TI  - The Role of Goniosynechialysis in the Management of Chronic Angle-Closure
      Glaucoma.

PMID- 26107028
TI  - What's New and Important in Refractive Surgery? A Year in Review.

PMID- 26107029
TI  - Formative Assessment of Ophthalmology Problem-Based Learning Tutorials During
      Undergraduate Medical Training.
AB  - PURPOSE: One of the major challenges lies in the use of strategies to assess
      students working in small groups. The assessment by tutors and peers, and self
      assessment by students appear to be integral parts of problem-based-learning
      (PBL) tutorials. Our study aimed to analyze the formative assessment scores by
      students themselves, their tutor and peers during undergraduate ophthalmology
      tutorials. DESIGN: A cross sectional study. METHODS: One hundred undergraduate
      students' self-assessment made during ophthalmology PBL tutorials were compared
      with that made by their tutor and student peers. At the end of every session,
      each student and student peers were given an assessment form dealing with
      criteria like responsibility, information processing, communication, critical
      analysis and self-awareness. The questionnaires were filled using the 5-point
      Likert scale. The tutor's assessment was made using the same criteria. RESULTS:
      There were significant positive correlations between self-assessment and tutor
      assessment in regard to participation in PBL session (P = 0.01), punctuality for
      each session (P <= 0.001) and bring new information (P = 0.001). There was a
      positive correlation between self-assessment and peer assessment regarding active
      participation (P = 0.02) and bringing new information (P = 0.003). However, there
      was no significant correlation between the overall scores given by selves and
      those by peers and the tutor. CONCLUSIONS: Students tended to overrate
      themselves. The self-assessment scores were generally higher than those given by
      their tutor and peers. To foster evidence-based practice of ophthalmology, the
      information acquisition skills need to be improved.

PMID- 26107030
TI  - Comparison of Combined Phacoemulsification, Intraocular Lens Implantation, and
      Goniosynechialysis With Phacotrabeculectomy in the Treatment of Primary Angle
      Closure Glaucoma and Cataract.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of combined
      phacoemulsification, intraocular lens implantation, and goniosynechialysis with
      phacotrabeculectomy in the treatment of primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) and
      cataract. DESIGN: A comparative case series. METHODS: Sixty-five patients (65
      eyes) with PACG and cataract from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen
      University were enrolled for this study between October 2009 and July 2011. Of
      these, 33 underwent combined phacoemulsification, intraocular lens implantation,
      and goniosynechialysis (treatment group), and 32 underwent phacotrabeculectomy
      (control group). The effects on intraocular pressure, best-corrected visual
      acuity, anterior chamber angle, number of antiglaucoma medications, and
      complications were evaluated. RESULTS: Both the treatment group and the control
      group had lowered intraocular pressure, reduced the use of antiglaucoma
      medications, and improved vision in patients with PACG and cataract.
      Complications were 8 (24.2%) of 33 in the treatment group and 12 (37.5%) of 32 in
      the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Combined phacoemulsification, intraocular lens
      implantation, and goniosynechialysis appears to be a preferred method for the
      treatment of PACG and cataract because it seems to have the same efficacy as
      phacotrabeculectomy and has much less surgical complications.

PMID- 26107031
TI  - Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis-Related Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis Using
      Glycerol-Preserved Corneas.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to report the surgical outcome of patch grafts using
      glycerol-preserved corneas in perforated or near-perforated rheumatoid arthritis
      related peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK). DESIGN: This is a retrospective
      chart review of a case series. METHODS: The medical records at a single
      institution were reviewed between July 2004 and July 2011. Of the 19 patients
      with PUK, 7 (36.8%) underwent glycerol-preserved cornea patch grafts for
      rheumatoid arthritis-related PUK. The clinical features, precipitating factors,
      adjuvant therapy, and therapeutic outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: The age of
      patients ranged from 49 to 82 years (mean [SD], 64.43 [13.53] years) for the 4
      women and 3 men with perforated or near-perforated PUK who were managed with
      systemic and local immunosuppressive therapy. A wound culture revealed 1
      Staphylococcus aureus and 1 filamentary fungal infection. The mean (SD) area of
      the graft was 13.28 (6.11) mm; the mean (SD) time to reepithelializaiton was 7.0
      (1.60) days. One patient had high intraocular pressure managed by topical
      medication; another had a complicated cataract formation. One graft melting was
      successfully managed by topical and systemic medication. CONCLUSIONS: Glycerol
      preserved cornea patch grafts were successful in all patients and may be a viable
      option in perforated or near-perforated PUK, particularly when fresh donor
      corneas are neither available nor indicted.

PMID- 26107032
TI  - Characteristics of Patients Who Drop Out From Ranibizumab Therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy is a first-line
      treatment for age-related macular degeneration, but frequent visits and
      injections can be a burden for patients. This study aimed to estimate the dropout
      rate and tolerability of ranibizumab therapy in a clinical setting. DESIGN: A
      retrospective case-control study. METHODS: We investigated 250 eyes with
      choroidal neovascular membranes who underwent anti-vascular endothelial growth
      factor therapy in a single practice from July 1, 2008, to June 30, 2010. Clinical
      characteristics of patients who dropped out of treatment (n = 85) were recorded
      and compared with patients who continued with follow-up (n = 165). RESULTS: The
      dropout rate from follow-up was 34.5%. The dropout rate was not significantly
      different between age groups, but there was a trend increasing dropout with
      increasing age. Dropout rate did not differ between sexes. Dropout rate was
      significantly higher (50.0%) in those living farther than 100 km from the clinic,
      compared with those who lived within 100 km (28.0%; odds ratio, 2.48). Patients
      with no other systemic diseases were also seen to drop out at a significantly
      higher rate (48.7%; P < 0.04). Financial status did not appear to affect dropout
      rate. CONCLUSIONS: Dropout of ranibizumab therapy was higher among patients who
      lived far from the clinic, those referred with a diagnosis of age-related macular
      degeneration, and patients with other health problems. The dropout rate from this
      clinic was 34.5%. These findings have implications in the planning of
      interventions to improve the follow-up of patients with blinding eye disease.

PMID- 26107033
TI  - Specialist Nurse Screening for Retinopathy of Prematurity-A Pilot Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the accuracy of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening
      between nurse specialists and an expert pediatric ophthalmologist. DESIGN: A
      comparative case series of ROP screening in a level 2 neonatal intensive care
      unit setting where there is a higher threshold for accepting very premature or
      unwell neonates. METHODS: Trained specialist ROP nurses acquired wide-field
      digital images, graded ROP, and proposed a follow-up plan. This was compared with
      the findings by an ROP expert ophthalmologist. Outcomes include sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of ROP
      grading by trained ROP nurses. RESULTS: Mean gestational age was 28.6 weeks, and
      mean birth weight was 1184 g of the 64 consecutive neonates included. A total 316
      eye screens was performed. Image acquisition, grading, and a management plan by
      the ROP nurse were possible in all screens. In right eyes, the presence of any
      ROP (stage >0) was 15%. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and
      negative predictive value of ROP grading were 91.7% (95% CI, 73%-99%), 80.6% (95%
      CI, 72.9%-86.9%), 45.8% (95% CI, 31.4%-60.80%), and 98.2% (95% CI, 93.6%-99.8%),
      respectively. Agreement on the management plan occurred in 84.8% of cases. In
      virtually all circumstances of disagreement, ROP nurses exaggerated the ROP
      grading present and/or recommended a repeat screen when discharge from service
      was more appropriate. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary findings demonstrated good
      agreement between ROP nurses and the ROP expert ophthalmologist. Further research
      in expanding the role of utilizing nonphysician health workers in ROP screening
      is suggested.

PMID- 26107034
TI  - Tapping of Macular Hole Edges: The Outcomes of a Novel Technique for Large
      Macular Holes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the novel technique of tapping macular hole edges for holes
      with low macular hole index (MHI) and assess its outcomes. DESIGN: A prospective
      interventional study. METHODS: Twenty-eight consecutive eyes with idiopathic
      large macular holes (MHI < 0.5) were enrolled. A standardized surgical protocol
      was performed using vitrectomy with brilliant blue G dye-assisted large internal
      limiting membrane peeling, intraocular gas tamponade with 18% C3F8, and strict
      postoperative prone positioning for 5 days. Tapping of macular hole edges was
      performed on all sides using 23-gauge GreenTip soft tip cannula. Hole closure was
      examined postoperatively using optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: There were
      16 females and 12 males aged 63 +/- 14.38 years. The mean MHI was 0.32. Hole
      closure was seen in 25 eyes (89.29%). MHI was less than 0.25 in the 3 eyes with
      failed macular hole surgery. Epiretinal membrance (ERM) was present in 22 eyes
      (78.57%). The presence of ERM did not correlate with hole closure (P = 1.00).
      Continuity of external limiting membrane was a better predictor of functional
      success than inner segment/outer segment continuity (P < 0.05). Type I hole
      closure was seen in 20 (80%) of 25 eyes while the remaining 5 eyes (20%) had type
      II hole closure on optical coherence tomography. Corrected distance visual acuity
      improved significantly from 0.86 +/- 0.2 logMAR preoperatively 0.43 +/- 0.22
      logMAR postoperatively (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Newer technique of tapping
      macular hole edges provides acceptable anatomical and functional success rates
      even in large macular holes (MHI< 0.5).

PMID- 26107035
TI  - Screening and Referral of Diabetic Retinopathy: A Comparative Review of the
      Practice Guidelines.
AB  - Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of preventable visual impairment in
      the working age group. The major risk factors for development and progression are
      duration of disease and the severity of hyperglycemia. The Global Diabetic
      Retinopathy Project developed a new classification system for DR and macular
      edema to enhance communication and coordination among the multidisciplinary team
      of physicians taking care of diabetic patients. Diabetic retinopathy progresses
      from nonproliferative DR to proliferative DR through a series of stages. Early
      detection and timely referral are critical for timely interventions to prevent
      further deterioration. Primary care physicians have an integral role in the
      community as they are the first point of contact for patients. Guidelines from
      various associations provide recommendations to physicians taking care of
      diabetic patients on how to screen and situations where referral to an
      ophthalmologist is needed. Dilated direct ophthalmoscopy is a convenient method
      to assess the fundus, but it does not replace retinal photography in the
      screening of DR. All patients with proliferative DR and diabetic macular edema
      should be referred to an ophthalmologist, whereas the situation for
      nonproliferative DR remains unclear as no consensus was drawn from the various
      guidelines. 

PMID- 26107036
TI  - Advances in Refractive Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to review advances in the field of
      refractive surgery as reported in the peer-reviewed literature over the previous
      year. DESIGN: This was a literature review. METHODS: We conducted a PubMed search
      for terms related to refractive surgery and reviewed prominent international
      ophthalmic journals published from May 2012 through April 2013. All pertinent
      articles were reviewed, and selected articles with the greatest relevance were
      included. RESULTS: Many studies over the previous year have highlighted progress
      in the field of refractive surgery; topics included keratoconus screening,
      photorefractive keratectomy and laser in situ keratomileusis, corneal cross
      linking, small-incision lenticule extraction, phakic intraocular lenses, corneal
      inlays, presbyopic corneal treatments, and femtosecond laser-assisted astigmatic
      keratotomy. CONCLUSIONS: The field of refractive surgery continues to provide
      exciting developments. Improvements in established procedures and promising new
      surgical options make the current climate an appealing one for refractive
      surgeons and patients.

PMID- 26107037
TI  - Recent Advances in Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery: Part 1-Eyelid.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to provide an update of the current
      literature in ophthalmic and facial plastic surgery, specifically related to
      disorders of the eyelid. DESIGN: This was a review of published literature from
      January 2012 to June 2013 METHODS: The authors conducted a PubMed literature
      search of English-language articles published between January 2012 and June 2013
      using the following search terms: eyelid, congenital, acquired, infection,
      inflammation, trauma, tumor, ptosis, entropion, ectropion, lagophthalmos,
      botulinum toxin, fillers, blepharoplasty, and miscellaneous topics related to the
      disorders of the eyelid. The authors included original articles, review articles,
      and case reports with relevant new information that is of potential clinical use
      to a comprehensive ophthalmologist as well as to the subspecialist. RESULTS:
      Current literature on the disorders of the eyelid is replete with useful clinical
      information of relevance to a practicing ophthalmologist. Major advances have
      been reported in understanding of the surgical anatomy and its applications,
      ptosis, entropion, ectropion, lagophthalmos, infection, inflammation, trauma, and
      tumors. CONCLUSIONS: There seems to be tremendous excitement in revisiting the
      anatomy and pathology and modifying the management protocols and surgical
      procedures to achieve optimal results, as the subspecialty continues to advance
      at a brisk pace.

PMID- 26107038
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding "Conjunctival Rotation Autograft: An Alternative
      to Conventional Conjunctival Autografting".

PMID- 26107039
TI  - Authors' Reply.

PMID- 26107040
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding the Article Entitled "Association of Height With
      Pattern Reversal Visual Evoked Potentials".

PMID- 26107041
TI  - Reply to the Letter to the Editor Regarding the Article Entitled "Association of
      Height With Pattern Reversal Visual Evoked Potentials".

PMID- 26107042
TI  - Impact of Varying the Parameters of Stimulation of 2 Commonly Used Waveforms on
      Muscle Force Production and Fatigue.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Laboratory-based experimental study using a repeated-measures
      design. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of varying stimulation parameters of
      burst-modulated alternating current (BMAC) and pulsed current (PC) on quadriceps
      femoris muscle force output and fatigue. BACKGROUND: The impact of altering
      stimulation parameters on muscle force and fatigue using PC has been well
      described; however, less is known regarding BMAC. METHODS: Quadriceps femoris
      muscle force was measured during a series of neuromuscular electrical stimulation
      induced muscle contractions, with varying combinations of pulse duration and
      frequency, using PC or varying duty cycles and burst frequencies using BMAC.
      Additionally, muscle fatigue tests were conducted bilaterally with different
      stimulation waveforms and parameters. RESULTS: For PC, the product of pulse
      duration and frequency was strongly predictive of muscle force output (R(2) =
      0.85, P<.05). When using BMAC, the duty cycle was a strong predictor of force
      output (R(2) = 0.91, P<.05). Altering the frequency during BMAC had no effect on
      muscle force production, as opposed to the classic force-frequency relationship
      consistently observed with PC. Waveform type significantly impacts muscle
      fatigue, the BMAC resulted in a more rapid rate of fatigue irrespective of
      stimulation frequency, and it was confirmed again that lower frequencies of PC
      result in less fatigue during repeated muscle contractions. CONCLUSION: In this
      study, altering the burst frequency of BMAC did not influence muscle force or
      fatigue, whereas the duty cycle significantly impacted muscle force production.
      Frequency of PC impacted both force and fatigue as expected, demonstrating
      increased muscle force and fatigue with increased frequency.

PMID- 26107043
TI  - Dynamic Balance Deficits 6 Months Following First-Time Acute Lateral Ankle
      Sprain: A Laboratory Analysis.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. OBJECTIVE: To utilize kinematic and
      stabilometric measures to compare dynamic balance during performance of the Star
      Excursion Balance Test between persons 6 months following first-time lateral
      ankle sprain (LAS) and a noninjured control group. BACKGROUND: Biomechanical
      evaluation of dynamic balance in persons following first-time LAS during
      performance of the Star Excursion Balance Test could provide insight into the
      mechanisms by which individuals proceed to recover fully or develop chronic ankle
      instability. METHODS: Sagittal plane kinematics of the lower extremity and the
      center-of-pressure path during the performance of the anterior, posterolateral,
      and posteromedial reach directions of the Star Excursion Balance Test were
      obtained from 69 participants 6 months following first-time acute LAS and from a
      control group of 20 noninjured participants. RESULTS: Compared to the control
      group, the LAS group displayed lower normalized reach distances in all 3 reach
      directions on the injured and noninjured limbs, with the largest observed effect
      size in the posterolateral direction (P = .001, etap(2) = 0.07). The performance
      impairment was associated with less hip and knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion
      at the point of maximum reach (P<.02), and coincided with less complexity of the
      center-of-pressure path (P<.05). CONCLUSION: Participants with a 6-month history
      of LAS exhibit a persistence of deficits previously established in the acute
      phase of injury.

PMID- 26107044
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of the Slump Test for Identifying Neuropathic Pain in the
      Lower Limb.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Diagnostic accuracy study with nonconsecutive enrollment.
      OBJECTIVES: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of the slump test for neuropathic
      pain (NeP) in those with low to moderate levels of chronic low back pain (LBP),
      and to determine whether accuracy of the slump test improves by adding anatomical
      or qualitative pain descriptors. BACKGROUND: Neuropathic pain has been linked
      with poor outcomes, likely due to inadequate diagnosis, which precludes treatment
      specific for NeP. Current diagnostic approaches are time consuming or lack
      accuracy. METHODS: A convenience sample of 21 individuals with LBP, with or
      without radiating leg pain, was recruited. A standardized neurosensory
      examination was used to determine the reference diagnosis for NeP. Afterward, the
      slump test was administered to all participants. Reports of pain location and
      quality produced during the slump test were recorded. RESULTS: The neurosensory
      examination designated 11 of the 21 participants with LBP/sciatica as having NeP.
      The slump test displayed high sensitivity (0.91), moderate specificity (0.70), a
      positive likelihood ratio of 3.03, and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.13.
      Adding the criterion of pain below the knee significantly increased specificity
      to 1.00 (positive likelihood ratio = 11.9). Pain-quality descriptors did not
      improve diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSION: The slump test was highly sensitive in
      identifying NeP within the study sample. Adding a pain-location criterion
      improved specificity. Combining the diagnostic outcomes was very effective in
      identifying all those without NeP and half of those with NeP. Limitations arising
      from the small and narrow spectrum of participants with LBP/sciatica sampled
      within the study prevent application of the findings to a wider population. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: Diagnosis, level 4-.

PMID- 26107045
TI  - Validity of Activity Monitor Step Detection Is Related to Movement Patterns.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a need to examine step-counting accuracy of activity
      monitors during different types of movements. The purpose of this study was to
      compare activity monitor and manually counted steps during treadmill and
      simulated free-living activities and to compare the activity monitor steps to the
      StepWatch (SW) in a natural setting. METHODS: Fifteen participants performed
      laboratory-based treadmill (2.4, 4.8, 7.2 and 9.7 km/h) and simulated free-living
      activities (eg, cleaning room) while wearing an activPAL, Omron HJ720-ITC, Yamax
      Digi- Walker SW-200, 2 ActiGraph GT3Xs (1 in "low-frequency extension" [AGLFE]
      and 1 in "normal-frequency" mode), an ActiGraph 7164, and a SW. Participants also
      wore monitors for 1-day in their free-living environment. Linear mixed models
      identified differences between activity monitor steps and the criterion in the
      laboratory/free-living settings. RESULTS: Most monitors performed poorly during
      treadmill walking at 2.4 km/h. Cleaning a room had the largest errors of all
      simulated free-living activities. The accuracy was highest for forward/rhythmic
      movements for all monitors. In the free-living environment, the AGLFE had the
      largest discrepancy with the SW. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the need to
      verify step-counting accuracy of activity monitors with activities that include
      different movement types/directions. This is important to understand the origin
      of errors in step-counting during free-living conditions.

PMID- 26107046
TI  - Improvement of Parameters of the AMBER Potential Force Field for Phospholipids
      for Description of Thermal Phase Transitions.
AB  - In this study, we improved parameters of the AMBER potential force field for
      phospholipids in order to describe the thermal phase transition using molecular
      dynamic (MD) simulations. To estimate the errors of the main phase transition
      temperature (Tm), first, MD simulations using the GAFFlipid and Gaff parameters
      were performed for six phospholipid bilayers, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphocholine (DPPC), 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DPPE),
      1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphocholine (DSPC), 1-palmitoyl,2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC),
      and 1-palmitoyl,2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (POPE), with increasing
      temperature. The Tm values were characterized according to the structural
      parameter, area per lipid, and gauche ratio in alkyl chains. The Tm values of the
      six lipids showed ~50 K differences from the experimentally measured values. To
      reduce these errors, the well-depth values in the Lennard-Jones potential of the
      alkyl chains were modified to fit the Tm values of the simulation to the
      experimental values in a single DPPC bilayer. After the fitting procedure, the Tm
      values of the six lipids improved, and the errors of Tm improved from ~50 to ~15
      K. We show that the simulation applying the improved parameters provides more
      accurate results than the original parameters. These modified parameters were
      also found to be useful for performing MD simulation of transmembrane proteins
      with membrane models.

PMID- 26107047
TI  - Age and Gender Effects on Wideband Absorbance in Adults With Normal Outer and
      Middle Ear Function.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of age and gender on wideband energy
      absorbance in adults with normal middle ear function. METHOD: Forty young adults
      (14 men, 26 women, aged 20-38 years), 31 middle-aged adults (16 men, 15 women,
      aged 42-64 years), and 30 older adults (20 men, 10 women, aged 65-82 years) were
      assessed. Energy absorbance (EA) data were collected at 30 frequencies using a
      prototype commercial instrument developed by Interacoustics. RESULTS: Results
      showed that the young adult group had significantly lower EA (between 400 and 560
      Hz) than the middle-aged group. However, the middle-aged group showed
      significantly lower EA (between 2240 and 5040 Hz) than the young adult group. In
      addition, the older adult group had significantly lower EA than the young adult
      group (between 2520 and 5040 Hz). No significant difference in EA was found at
      any frequency between middle-aged and older adults. Across age groups, gender
      differences were found with men having significantly higher EA values than women
      at lower frequencies, whereas women had significantly higher EA at higher
      frequencies. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of the influence of gender
      and age on EA in adults with normal outer and middle ear function. These findings
      support the importance of establishing age- and gender-specific EA norms for the
      adult population.

PMID- 26107048
TI  - Arm Ischemia and Posterior Stroke in a Patient With a Pulsatile Mass in the Right
      Upper Side of Chest. Innominate artery pseudoaneurysm.

PMID- 26107050
TI  - Comparison of Redox Activity between 2-Aminothioether and 2-Aminothiophenol:
      Redox-Induced Dimerization of 2-Aminothioether via C-C Coupling.
AB  - Three chemical reactions of two 2-aminothioethers and 2-aminothiophenol with
      CpRu(II)Cl(PPh3)2 (Cp(-) = cyclopentadienyl anion), under identical reaction
      conditions, are reported. While 2-(methylthio)aniline, H2L(1) and an analogous
      substrate, 2-(phenylthio)aniline yielded dicationic dinuclear complexes
      [(PPh3)CpRu(II)(L(3/)L(4))Ru(II)Cp(PPh3)]Cl2 (where L(3) = (4E)-4-(4-imino-3
      (methylthio)cyclohexa-2,5-dienylidene)-2-(methylthio)cyclohexa-2,5-dienimine
      ([1a]Cl2) and L(4) = (4E)-4-(4-imino-3-(phenylthio)cyclohexa-2,5-dienylidene)-2
      (phenylthio)cyclohexa-2,5-dienimine ([1b]Cl2)), the reaction with 2
      aminothiophenol (H2L(2)) produced a mononuclear complex [(PPh3)CpRu(II)(L(2))]Cl
      (where L(2) = 6-iminocyclohexa-2,4-dienethione) ([2]Cl). All these complexes are
      obtained in high yields (65%-75%). Formations of the products from the above
      reactions involve a similar level of oxidation of the respective substrate,
      although their courses are completely different. A comparison between the above
      two chemical transformations are scrutinized thoroughly. Characterizations of
      these complexes were made using a host of physical methods: X-ray
      crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), cyclic voltammetry,
      ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy,
      and density functional theory (DFT). The complexes [1a]Cl2 and [1b]Cl2 showed
      intense metal-to-ligand charge transfer transition in the long wavelength region
      of the spectrum, at 860 and 895 nm, respectively, and displayed two reversible
      electron transfer (ET) processes at [1a](2+): -0.28 and -0.52 V; [1b](2+): -0.13
      and -0.47 V, along with an irreversible ET process at 0.76 and 0.54 V,
      respectively. The ET processes at negative potentials are due to successive
      reductions of the bridging ligand, which are characterized by EPR and UV-vis
      spectroscopy. The one-electron reduced compound, [1a](+), showed a intraligand
      charge transfer transition (ILCT) at 1530 nm. The complex [2](+) showed a
      reversible ET process at -0.36 V and two irreversible ET processes at -1.04 and
      1.18 V, respectively. DFT calculations were used to support the spectral and
      redox properties of the complexes and also to throw light on the difference of
      redox behavior between thioether and thiophenol substrates. 

PMID- 26107049
TI  - Using Edge Voxel Information to Improve Motion Regression for rs-fMRI
      Connectivity Studies.
AB  - Recent fMRI studies have outlined the critical impact of in-scanner head motion,
      particularly on estimates of functional connectivity. Common strategies to reduce
      the influence of motion include realignment as well as the inclusion of nuisance
      regressors, such as the 6 realignment parameters, their first derivatives, time
      shifted versions of the realignment parameters, and the squared parameters.
      However, these regressors have limited success at noise reduction. We
      hypothesized that using nuisance regressors consisting of the principal
      components (PCs) of edge voxel time series would be better able to capture slice
      specific and nonlinear signal changes, thus explaining more variance, improving
      data quality (i.e., lower DVARS and temporal SNR), and reducing the effect of
      motion on default-mode network connectivity. Functional MRI data from 22 healthy
      adult subjects were preprocessed using typical motion regression approaches as
      well as nuisance regression derived from edge voxel time courses. Results were
      evaluated in the presence and absence of both global signal regression and motion
      censoring. Nuisance regressors derived from signal intensity time courses at the
      edge of the brain significantly improved motion correction compared to using only
      the realignment parameters and their derivatives. Of the models tested, only the
      edge voxel regression models were able to eliminate significant differences in
      default-mode network connectivity between high- and low-motion subjects
      regardless of the use of global signal regression or censoring. 

PMID- 26107051
TI  - Medical Facts versus Value Judgments--Toward Preference-Sensitive Guidelines.

PMID- 26107052
TI  - Breaking the Silence of the Switch--Increasing Transparency about Trainee
      Participation in Surgery.

PMID- 26107054
TI  - IMAGES IN CLINICAL MEDICINE. Nevus Comedonicus.

PMID- 26107053
TI  - CLINICAL PRACTICE. Advanced Dementia.

PMID- 26107055
TI  - CASE RECORDS of the MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL. Case 20-2015. A Newborn Girl
      with Hypotension, Coagulopathy, Anemia, and Hyperbilirubinemia.

PMID- 26107056
TI  - The Elusive Right to Health Care under U.S. Law.

PMID- 26107057
TI  - TREM2 and Risk of Alzheimer's Disease--Friend or Foe?

PMID- 26107058
TI  - A 9-Valent HPV Vaccine in Women.

PMID- 26107059
TI  - A 9-Valent HPV Vaccine in Women.

PMID- 26107060
TI  - A 9-Valent HPV Vaccine in Women.

PMID- 26107061
TI  - A 9-Valent HPV Vaccine in Women.

PMID- 26107062
TI  - A 9-Valent HPV Vaccine in Women.

PMID- 26107063
TI  - A 9-Valent HPV Vaccine in Women.

PMID- 26107064
TI  - Viscosupplementation for Osteoarthritis of the Knee.

PMID- 26107065
TI  - Viscosupplementation for Osteoarthritis of the Knee.

PMID- 26107066
TI  - Viscosupplementation for Osteoarthritis of the Knee.

PMID- 26107067
TI  - Viscosupplementation for Osteoarthritis of the Knee.

PMID- 26107068
TI  - IMAGES IN CLINICAL MEDICINE. Ping-Pong Gaze.

PMID- 26107069
TI  - INTERACTIVE MEDICAL CASE. A Stinging Sensation.

PMID- 26107070
TI  - Ruthenium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrohydroxyalkylation of Butadiene: The Role of
      the Formyl Hydrogen Bond in Stereochemical Control.
AB  - The catalyst generated in situ from RuH2(CO)(PPh3)3, (S)-SEGPHOS, and a chiral
      phosphoric acid promotes asymmetric hydrohydroxyalkylation of butadiene and
      affords enantioenriched alpha-methyl homoallylic alcohols. The observed diastereo
      and enantioselectivities are determined by both the chiral phosphine and chiral
      phosphate ligands. Density functional theory calculations (M06/SDD-6-311G(d,p)
      IEFPCM(acetone)//B3LYP/SDD-6-31G(d)) predict that the product distribution is
      controlled by the kinetics of carbon-carbon bond formation, and this process
      occurs via a closed-chair Zimmerman-Traxler-type transition structure (TS).
      Chiral-phosphate-dependent stereoselectivity arising from this TS is enabled
      through a hydrogen bond between the phosphoryl oxygen and the aldehyde formyl
      proton present in TADDOL-derived catalysts. This interaction is absent in the
      corresponding BINOL-derived systems, and the opposite diastereo- and
      enantioselectivity is observed. Additional factors influencing the stereochemical
      control are determined. 

PMID- 26107072
TI  - Thermodynamic parameters of cation exchange in MOF-5 and MFU-4l.
AB  - We present a method for approximating thermodynamic parameters DeltaG(P,T)
      degrees , DeltaH, and DeltaS for the cation exchange process in metal-organic
      frameworks, as exemplified by Ni(2+) exchange into Zn4O(1,4
      benzenedicarboxylate)3 (MOF-5) and Co(2+) exchange into MOF-5 and Zn5Cl4(bis(1H
      1,2,3-triazolo-[4,5-b],[4',5'-i])dibenzo-[1,4]-dioxin)3 (MFU-4l). For these
      examples, we find that the cation exchange process is endergonic and that
      parameters such as solvent and cation identity impact the thermodynamics.

PMID- 26107071
TI  - Predicting the Solubility Advantage of Amorphous Pharmaceuticals: A Novel
      Thermodynamic Approach.
AB  - For the solubility and bioavailability of poorly soluble active pharmaceutical
      ingredients (APIs) to be improved, the transformation of crystalline APIs to the
      amorphous state has often been shown to be advantageous. As it is often difficult
      to measure the solubility of amorphous APIs, the application of thermodynamic
      models is the method of choice for determining the solubility advantage. In this
      work, the temperature-dependent solubility advantage of an amorphous API versus
      its crystalline form was predicted for five poorly soluble APIs in water
      (glibenclamide, griseofulvin, hydrochlorothiazide, indomethacin, and
      itraconazole) based on modeling the API/solvent phase diagrams using the
      perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT). Evaluation of the
      performance of this approach was performed by comparing the predicted solubility
      advantage to experimental data and to the solubility advantage calculated by the
      commonly applied Gibbs-energy-difference method. For all of the systems
      considered, PC-SAFT predictions of the solubility advantage are significantly
      more accurate than the results obtained from the Gibbs-energy-difference method. 

PMID- 26107073
TI  - CoDAS. Editorial.

PMID- 26107074
TI  - Screening for oropharyngeal dysphagia.

PMID- 26107075
TI  - Comparison of students from private and public schools on the spelling
      performance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the spelling ability of schoolchildren from the fourth to
      sixth grades of the elementary schools in the private and public schools of
      Bauru, Sao Paulo, and to verify whether errors are overcome as studies progress
      and the hierarchy of errors as to how often they occur. METHODS: A dictation was
      applied to 384 schoolchildren: 206 from the private schools: 74 were at the
      fourth grade, 65 at the fifth grade, and 67 at the sixth grade; and 178 from the
      public schools; 56 at the fourth grade, 63 at the fifth grade, and 59 at the
      sixth grade of elementary school. Student's t test was used. RESULTS: In
      comparison of total spelling errors score, difference was found among the fourth
      and sixth grades of the private and public schools. Spelling errors decreased as
      education progressed, and those related to language irregularities were more
      common. CONCLUSION: Spelling ability and performance of students from the private
      and public schools are not similar in the fourth and sixth grades, but it is in
      the fifth grade. Spelling errors are gradually overcome as education progresses;
      however, this overcome rate was considerable between the fourth and fifth grades
      in the public schools. Decrease in the types of spelling errors follows a
      hierarchy of categories: phoneme/grapheme conversion, simple contextual rules,
      complex contextual rules, and language irregularities. Finally, the most common
      type of spelling error found was that related to language irregularities.

PMID- 26107076
TI  - Language evaluation protocol for children aged 2 months to 23 months: analysis of
      sensitivity and specificity.
AB  - PURPOSE: To establish cutoff points for the analysis of the Behavior Observation
      Form (BOF) of children in the ages of 2 to 23 months and evaluate the sensitivity
      and specificity by age group and domains (Emission, Reception, and Cognitive
      Aspects of Language). METHODS: The sample consisted of 752 children who underwent
      BOF. Each child was classified as having appropriate language development for the
      age or having possible risk of language impairment. Performance Indicators (PI)
      were calculated in each domain as well as the overall PI in all domains. The
      values for sensitivity and specificity were also calculated. The cutoff points
      for possible risk of language impairment for each domain and each age group were
      obtained using the receiver operating characteristics curve. RESULTS: The results
      of the study revealed that one-third of the assessed children have a risk of
      language impairment in the first two years of life. The analysis of BOF showed
      high sensitivity (>90%) in all categories and in all age groups; however, the
      chance of false-positive results was higher than 20% in the majority of aspects
      evaluated. It was possible to establish the cutoff points for all categories and
      age groups with good correlation between sensitivity and specificity, except for
      the age group of 2 to 6 months. CONCLUSION: This study provides important
      contributions to the discussion on the evaluation of the language development of
      children younger than 2 years.

PMID- 26107077
TI  - Efficacy of a perceptual and visual-motor skill intervention program for students
      with dyslexia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To verify the efficacy of a perceptual and visual-motor skill
      intervention program for students with dyslexia. METHODS: The participants were
      20 students from third to fifth grade of a public elementary school in Marilia,
      Sao Paulo, aged from 8 years to 11 years and 11 months, distributed into the
      following groups: Group I (GI; 10 students with developmental dyslexia) and Group
      II (GII; 10 students with good academic performance). A perceptual and visual
      motor intervention program was applied, which comprised exercises for visual
      motor coordination, visual discrimination, visual memory, visual-spatial
      relationship, shape constancy, sequential memory, visual figure-ground
      coordination, and visual closure. In pre- and post-testing situations, both
      groups were submitted to the Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills (TVPS-3), and the
      quality of handwriting was analyzed using the Dysgraphia Scale. RESULTS: The
      analyzed statistical results showed that both groups of students had dysgraphia
      in pretesting situation. In visual perceptual skills, GI presented a lower
      performance compared to GII, as well as in the quality of writing. After
      undergoing the intervention program, GI increased the average of correct answers
      in TVPS-3 and improved the quality of handwriting. CONCLUSION: The developed
      intervention program proved appropriate for being applied to students with
      dyslexia, and showed positive effects because it provided improved visual
      perception skills and quality of writing for students with developmental
      dyslexia.

PMID- 26107078
TI  - Communication skills in individuals with spastic diplegia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess communication skills in children with spastic diplegia.
      METHODS: The study included 20 subjects, 10 preschool children with spastic
      diplegia and 10 typical matched according to gender, mental age, and
      socioeconomic status. Assessment procedures were the following: interviews with
      parents, Stanford - Binet method, Gross Motor Function Classification System,
      Observing the Communicative Behavior, Vocabulary Test by Peabody Picture, Denver
      Developmental Screening Test II, MacArthur Development Inventory on Communicative
      Skills. Statistical analysis was performed using the values of mean, median,
      minimum and maximum value, and using Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney test, and
      Paired t-test. RESULTS: Individuals with spastic diplegia, when compared to their
      peers of the same mental age, presented no significant difference in relation to
      receptive and expressive vocabulary, fine motor skills, adaptive, personal
      social, and language. The most affected area was the gross motor skills in
      individuals with spastic cerebral palsy. The participation in intervention
      procedures and the pairing of participants according to mental age may have
      approximated the performance between groups. CONCLUSION: There was no
      statistically significant difference in the comparison between groups, showing
      appropriate communication skills, although the experimental group has not behaved
      homogeneously.

PMID- 26107079
TI  - Comparative study of the imitation ability in Specific Language Impairment and
      Autism Spectrum Impairment.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare abilities of imitating generic and sequential motion gesture
      schemes in family routines among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and
      Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and to analyze the relation between imitation
      index and verbal production in the ASD group. METHODS: The sample was constituted
      by 2:1 pairing of 36 children, according to gender and age. All of them were
      diagnosed by a multidisciplinary team as belonging to the ASD group (n=24) or SLI
      group (n=12) and were under direct and indirect intervention in a school clinic.
      We have used the stage of imitation of the Assessment of Symbolic Maturity, which
      entails the imitation of nine generic and three sequential motion gesture
      schemes. RESULTS: There was a tendency to a better performance of the SLI group
      at imitating both generic and sequential gesture schemes. As we have related the
      ability of imitation to the verbal production in the ASD group, a direct relation
      between the production of phrases and the imitation of sequential schemes was
      detected. CONCLUSION: The ability to imitate gesture and sequential schemes could
      be compared, and a more prominent impairment was identified in children with
      autism. Among them, a direct significant relationship between the ability of
      imitating sequential gesture schemes in family routine and verbal production of
      words and sentences was verified.

PMID- 26107080
TI  - Proposal for implementing the Sentence Recognition Index in individuals with
      hearing disorders.
AB  - PURPOSE: To present and describe a new strategy and protocol for obtaining the
      Sentences Recognition Indexes (SRI), using the Lists of Phrases in Portuguese
      test (LPP), considering words in the analysis of responses; to analyze and
      compare the results using the previous and the new strategies by checking their
      applicability and suitability. METHODS: To consider each word of the sentence,
      words were classified according to their importance: functional and content
      words, assigning them, respectively, two and one points. SRI were obtained in 33
      normal hearing adults, and results were compared using the two strategies.
      RESULTS: A new protocol was established. Each point corresponds to the following
      percentages in each list: 1B, 1.11%; 2B, 1.13%; 3B, 1.17%; 4B, 1.16%; 5B, 1.20%;
      and 6B, 1.11%. The median SRI obtained through usual and new strategies were,
      respectively, for the list 1B: 60 and 82.57%; 2B: 70 and 80.79%; 3B: 50 and
      76.60%; 4B: 70 and 82.60%; 5B: 50 and 77.20%; and 6B: 60 and 82.14%. A
      significant difference was found when these strategies were compared. CONCLUSION:
      New strategy and protocol for evaluating the SRI were developed using the LPP
      test, considering each word of the sentence. When comparing the responses it was
      noticed that when considering each word in the sentence it is possible to scale,
      more detailed and less variability, the actual ability to recognize speech of
      each individual, the new strategy and protocol developed confirmed its
      applicability and suitability to assess Sentence Recognition Indexes in Quiet in
      individuals with hearing disorders in a specific listening condition.

PMID- 26107081
TI  - Auditory brainstem response in gerbils submitted to ischemia and sepsis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: An ischemic stroke is a clinical condition that affects thousands
      of people worldwide. As a result of this injury, neuronal death can be observed,
      and in the natural course of recovery, the individual may develop sepsis. Sepsis
      is a systemic inflammatory response that can lead the patient to death. To assess
      the clinical condition of a patient with this condition, the Auditory Brainstem
      Response (ABR) can be useful, since it is not an invasive procedure, it is a fast
      technique and it can be done at the bedside. PURPOSE: To assess auditory
      brainstem response (ABR) latency values in gerbils subjected to ischemia and
      sepsis. METHODS: ABR values were collected from 72 adult male gerbils, which were
      divided into six groups: control, sepsis, ischemia, sham, ischemia with sepsis,
      and sham with sepsis. For the induction of sepsis, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was
      applied intraperitoneally in gerbils. The animals were anesthetized with a
      ketamine/xylazine combination before collection; their ABR were collected before
      any procedure (base collection), after ischemia, and 24 hours after the
      application of LPS. The absolute latency of wave IV was evaluated, and the values
      were compared between groups. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the
      groups submitted to sepsis in the latency value of wave IV in relation with the
      other groups. CONCLUSION: ABR was sensitive to sepsis with the increase in
      latency of wave IV during the development of the disease in the experimental
      model used.

PMID- 26107082
TI  - Executives' speech expressiveness: analysis of perceptive and acoustic aspects of
      vocal dynamics.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze speech expressiveness in a group of executives based on
      perceptive and acoustic aspects of vocal dynamics. METHODS: Four male subjects
      participated in the research study (S1, S2, S3, and S4). The assessments included
      the Kingdomality test to obtain the keywords of communicative attitudes;
      perceptive-auditory assessment to characterize vocal quality and dynamics,
      performed by three judges who are speech language pathologists;
      perceptiveauditory assessment to judge the chosen keywords; speech acoustics to
      assess prosodic elements (Praat software); and a statistical analysis. RESULTS:
      According to the perceptive-auditory analysis of vocal dynamics, S1, S2, S3, and
      S4 did not show vocal alterations and all of them were considered with lowered
      habitual pitch. S1: pointed out as insecure, nonobjective, nonempathetic, and
      unconvincing with inappropriate use of pauses that are mainly formed by
      hesitations; inadequate separation of prosodic groups with breaking of
      syntagmatic constituents. S2: regular use of pauses for respiratory reload,
      organization of sentences, and emphasis, which is considered secure, little
      objective, empathetic, and convincing. S3: pointed out as secure, objective,
      empathetic, and convincing with regular use of pauses for respiratory reload and
      organization of sentences and hesitations. S4: the most secure, objective,
      empathetic, and convincing, with proper use of pauses for respiratory reload,
      planning, and emphasis; prosodic groups agreed with the statement, without
      separating the syntagmatic constituents. CONCLUSION: The speech characteristics
      and communicative attitudes were highlighted in two subjects in a different
      manner, in such a way that the slow rate of speech and breaks of the prosodic
      groups transmitted insecurity, little objectivity, and nonpersuasion.

PMID- 26107083
TI  - Association between readiness for behavior change and complaints of vocal
      problems in teachers.
AB  - PURPOSE: To verify the association between readiness to behavioral change and
      self-reported vocal problems of teachers in schools from the municipal education
      network of Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS: The URICA-VOICE scale
      was used to measure the motivational stages of 138 teachers. Readiness to change
      was the variable outcome, whereas the independent variables referred to
      sociodemographic, economic, occupational, lifestyle, general health, and
      teacher's own voice factors. RESULTS: The majority (59.4%) of teachers were in
      the pre-contemplation stage of the URICA-VOICE scale. The variables use of
      medication, perception of voice failure, and demand for speech and language
      therapy were retained for the final model. CONCLUSION: The low readiness to
      change showed the need for increased awareness of the risks and benefits related
      to the voice and general health. The results can provide public health
      intervention strategies that deal with individuals at various stages in the
      decision-making process.

PMID- 26107084
TI  - Characteristics of voice and personality of patients with vocal fold immobility.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the voice and personality characteristics of patients
      diagnosed with organic dysphonia secondary to vocal fold immobility. METHODS: The
      study comprised patients of both genders, attending the Clinic School of Speech
      Therapy of the Federal University of Paraiba, with otorhinolaryngological
      diagnosis of vocal fold immobility and speech therapy diagnosis of dysphonia. The
      self-assessment of voice was measured through a Vocal Screening Protocol and
      Voice Symptoms Scale (VoiSS), the voice was collected for auditory-perceptive
      evaluation, and the Factorial Personality Battery (FPB) was used. Descriptive
      statistical analysis was performed to determine the frequency, mean, and standard
      deviation of the studied variables. RESULTS: Eight patients participated in the
      study, of both genders, with average age of 40.4 +/- 16.9 years. The more
      frequent risk factors were the personal ones (4.7 +/- 2.1). In the VoiSS, the
      patients presented a higher average in the limitation score (34.1 +/- 15.7). From
      the auditory-perceptive evaluation, moderate intensity of vocal deviation was
      obtained, with predominant vocal roughness (57.7 +/- 25.2). In the FPB, the
      patients had an average higher than the cutoff scores in neuroticism (3.8 +/-
      1.4) and accomplishment (5.2 +/- 1.0). CONCLUSION: The predominant vocal
      parameter was roughness. The patients referred to a few risk factors that
      compromise the vocal behavior and presented the neuroticism and realization
      factors as a highlight in their personality. Thus, individuals with vocal fold
      immobility show personality characteristics that may be a reflection of their
      voice disorder, not a factor that determines their dysphonia.

PMID- 26107085
TI  - Comparison between clinical and videofluoroscopic evaluation of swallowing in
      children with suspected dysphagia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To verify the accuracy of clinical evaluation compared with
      videofluoroscopic swallowing studies in the detection of isolated laryngeal
      penetration and laryngeal aspiration in children with suspected dysphagia; to
      identify clinical signs and symptoms associated with isolated laryngeal
      penetration and laryngeal aspiration; and to determine the sensitivity and
      specificity of the clinical signs and symptoms identified. METHODS: Retrospective
      analysis of data from clinical and videofluoroscopic evaluations carried out in
      55 children from 1 month to 7 years and 11 months old. For clinical assessment,
      the Protocol for Clinical Assessment of Pediatric Dysphagia was used. The
      sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of clinical
      evaluation were analyzed. For statistical analysis, the Fisher's exact and chi2
      tests were used. RESULTS: Clinical evaluation showed, in general, a sensitivity
      of 86% and a specificity of 32%. For isolated laryngeal penetration, clinical
      evaluation showed a sensitivity of 88%. For laryngeal aspiration, clinical
      evaluation showed a sensitivity of 86%. However, the specificity values were low
      for both alterations. There was no association between clinical evaluation and
      videofluoroscopic findings. Choking was the only clinical sign associated with
      isolated laryngeal penetration thin fluid and showed a sensitivity of 53% and a
      specificity of 77%. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical evaluation was sensible to detect
      isolated laryngeal penetration and laryngeal aspiration in children with
      suspected dysphagia. However, it showed a low specificity. Choking was the only
      clinical sign associated with isolated laryngeal penetration of thin fluid. More
      prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings in this population.

PMID- 26107086
TI  - Proposal and content validation of an orofacial myofunctional assessment protocol
      for individuals with cleft lip and palate.
AB  - PURPOSE: To create and validate the content of an orofacial myofunctional
      assessment protocol for individuals with cleft lip and palate. METHODS: The first
      version of an orofacial myofunctional assessment protocol for individuals with
      cleft lip and palate was created by two speech-language pathologists, who
      contemplated the structural and functional aspects of the stomatognathic system.
      This version was analyzed by other two speech-language pathologists experienced
      in cleft lip and palate assessment, who suggested changes that led to the second
      version of the protocol. Dynamic and static images necessary for performing the
      orofacial myofunctional examination were recorded from three individuals with
      cleft lip and palate, who represented three life stages: childhood, adolescence,
      and adulthood. Five examiners evaluated the images, applied the proposed
      protocol, and judged each item regarding its clarity to validate the content,
      from Content Validity Index. RESULTS: The assessment protocol was finalized with
      13 items, ten related to structural aspects and three related to functional
      aspects, with their corresponding sub-items. The general agreement in the
      validation of its content was 100%, so that only one stage was required.
      CONCLUSION: A protocol to evaluate the orofacial myofunctional aspects of
      individuals with cleft lip and palate was created with 13 items, as well as their
      corresponding sub-items, and its content was validated.

PMID- 26107087
TI  - Respiratory mode, nasal patency and palatine dimensions.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of breathing mode and nasal patency in the
      dimensions of the hard palate by comparing mouth breathing (MB) and nasal
      breathing (NB) adults. METHODS: Seventy-seven individuals, distributed into the
      MB group (n=38) and the NB group (n=39), of both genders and aged between 18 and
      30 years old, took part in the study. The respiratory mode diagnosis was based on
      anamnesis, physical characteristics, and otorhinolaryngological examination. The
      volunteers were evaluated in terms of nasal patency, with a peak nasal
      inspiratory flow (PNIF) meter, and obstruction symptoms, by a Nasal Obstruction
      Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale, and had their transversal and vertical hard
      palate dimensions measured with a digital caliper in plaster models. RESULTS:
      Comparing both groups, the MB group presented significantly higher values in the
      NOSE scale, lower values in the PNIF, lower values in the transversal distance of
      the palate in the intercanine region, and significantly higher values in the
      vertical distance in the regions of the first and second premolars and molars.
      There was a negative correlation between PNIF and NOSE, and a positive
      correlation between PNIF and transversal distance of the palate in the region of
      the first premolars. CONCLUSION: MB adults presented reduced nasal patency and a
      higher degree of nasal obstruction symptoms. The hard palate was morphologically
      narrower and deeper in adults with the MB mode compared to the NB mode. Moreover,
      it was concluded that the smaller the nasal patency, the greater the obstruction
      symptoms and the narrower the hard palate.

PMID- 26107088
TI  - The use of superficial heat for treatment of temporomandibular disorders: an
      integrative review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To perform an integrative review of scientific bibliographic production
      on the use of superficial heat treatment for temporomandibular disorders.
      Research strategy : Literature review was accomplished on PubMed, LiLACS, SciELO,
      Bireme, Web of Science, and BBO databases. The following descriptors were used:
      hot temperature, hyperthermia induced, heat transference, temporomandibular
      joint, temporomandibular joint disorders, temporomandibular joint dysfunction
      syndrome, and their equivalents in Portuguese and Spanish. SELECTION CRITERIA:
      Articles that addressed the superficial heat for the treatment of
      temporomandibular disorders, published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese,
      between 1980 and 2013. DATA ANALYSIS: The following data were collected:
      technique of applying superficial heat, duration of application, stimulated body
      area, temperature of the stimulus, frequency of application, and benefits.
      RESULTS: initially, 211 studies were found, but just 13 contemplated the proposed
      selection criteria. Data were tabulated and presented in chronological order.
      CONCLUSION: Several techniques for superficial heat application on treatment of
      temporomandibular disorders were found in the literature. The moist heat was the
      most widely used technique. Many studies suggested the application of heat for at
      least 20 minutes once a day. Most authors recommended the application of heat in
      facial and cervical regions. The heat treatment resulted in significant relief of
      pain, reduced muscle tension, improved function of the mandible, and increased
      mouth opening.

PMID- 26107089
TI  - A New Metabolite with a Unique 4-Pyranone-gamma-Lactam-1,4-Thiazine Moiety from a
      Hawaiian-Plant Associated Fungus.
AB  - An endophytic fungus Paraphaeosphaeria neglecta FT462 isolated from the Hawaiian
      plant Lycopodiella cernua (L.) Pic. Serm produced one unusual compound (1,
      paraphaeosphaeride A) with the 4-pyranone-gamma-lactam-1,4-thiazine moiety, along
      with two new compounds (2 and 3, paraphaeosphaerides B and C, respectively) and
      the known compound (4). Compounds 1-3 were characterized by NMR and MS
      spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configuration of the 3-position of compound
      1 was determined as S by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations.
      Compound 3 also showed STAT3 inhibition at 10 MUM. 

PMID- 26107090
TI  - Quantum Dynamics of Vinylidene Photodetachment on an Accurate Global Acetylene
      Vinylidene Potential Energy Surface.
AB  - Vinylidene is a high-energy isomer of acetylene, and the rearrangement of bonds
      in the two species serves as a prototype for isomerization reactions. Here, a
      full-dimensional quantum mechanical study of the vinylidene vibration is carried
      out on a recently developed global acetylene-vinylidene potential energy surface
      by simulating the photodetachment dynamics of the vinylidene anion. Several low
      lying vibrational levels of the anion were first determined on a new ab initio
      based potential energy surface, and their photoelectron spectra were obtained
      within the Condon approximation. The vibrational features of the vinylidene
      isomer are found to agree well with the experiment in both positions and
      intensities, validating the global acetylene-vinylidene potential energy surface.

PMID- 26107091
TI  - Solid-liquid critical behavior of a cylindrically confined Lennard-Jones fluid.
AB  - Extensive molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to study the phase
      behavior of Lennard-Jones particles confined in a quasi-one-dimensional
      hydrophobic nanopore. We provide unambiguous evidence for a solid-liquid critical
      point by investigating (i) isotherms in the pressure-volume plane, (ii) the
      spontaneous solid-liquid phase separation below a certain temperature, (iii)
      diverging heat capacity and isothermal compressibility as a certain point is
      approached, (iv) continuous change of dynamical and structural properties above
      the point, (v) the finite-size scaling analysis of the density distribution below
      and above the point. The result combined with earlier studies of confined water
      suggests that the solid-liquid critical point is not uncommon in quasi-one- and
      quasi-two-dimensional fluids. 

PMID- 26107092
TI  - Addiction.

PMID- 26107093
TI  - The hijacked brain.

PMID- 26107094
TI  - Genetics: No more addictive personality.

PMID- 26107095
TI  - Neuroscience: Rewiring the brain.

PMID- 26107096
TI  - Pharmacotherapy: Quest for the quitting pill.

PMID- 26107097
TI  - Perspective: Beyond the neural circuits.

PMID- 26107098
TI  - Contingency management: Why it pays to quit.

PMID- 26107099
TI  - Technology: Barriers to misuse.

PMID- 26107100
TI  - Perspective: Behavioural addictions matter.

PMID- 26107101
TI  - Addiction: 4 big questions.

PMID- 26107102
TI  - Toward an understanding of the thermosensitive behaviour of pH-responsive
      hydrogels based on cyclodextrins.
AB  - The molecular mechanism responsible for the thermosensitive behaviour exhibited
      by pH-responsive cyclodextrin-based hydrogels is explored here with the twofold
      aim of clarifying some basic aspects of H-bond interactions in hydrogel phases
      and contributing to a future engineering of cyclodextrin hydrogels for targeted
      delivery and release of bioactive agents. The degree of H-bond association of
      water molecules entrapped in the gel network and the extent of intermolecular
      interactions involving the hydrophobic/hydrophilic moieties of the polymer matrix
      are probed by UV Raman and IR experiments, in order to address the question of
      how these different and complementary aspects combine to determine the pH
      dependent thermal activation exhibited by these hydrogels. Complementary
      vibrational spectroscopies are conveniently employed in this study with the aim
      of safely disentangling the spectral response arising from the two main
      components of the hydrogel systems, i.e. the polymer matrix and water solvent.
      The experimental evidence suggests that the dominant effects in the mechanism of
      solvation of cyclodextrin-based hydrogels are due to the changes occurring, upon
      increasing of temperature, in the hydrophobicity character of specific chemical
      moieties of the polymer, as triggered by pH variations. The achievements of this
      work corroborate the potentiality of the UV Raman scattering technique, in
      combination with more conventional IR experiments, to provide a "molecular view"
      of complex macroscopic phenomena exhibited in hydrogel phases. 

PMID- 26107103
TI  - [(11)C]CO2 to [(11)C]CO conversion mediated by [(11)C]silanes: a novel route for
      [(11)C]carbonylation reactions.
AB  - A novel chemical methodology is described for the conversion of [(11)C]CO2 to
      [(11)C]CO. Diphenylmethyl silanes trap [(11)C]CO2 and release [(11)C]CO rapidly
      when triggered by TBAF. Released [(11)C]CO was used to produce [(11)C]N
      benzylbenzamide and AMPA receptor ligand, [(11)C], in radiochemical yields >90%
      within 6 min from [(11)C]CO2 production. 

PMID- 26107104
TI  - Thin film field-effect transistors of 2,6-diphenyl anthracene (DPA).
AB  - An anthracene derivative, 2,6-diphenyl anthracene (DPA), was successfully
      synthesized with three simple steps and a high yield. The compound was determined
      to be a durable high performing semiconductor with thin film device mobility over
      10 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). The efficient synthesis and high performance indicates its
      great potential in organic electronics. 

PMID- 26107105
TI  - Enhanced angiogenesis and osteogenesis in critical bone defects by the controlled
      release of BMP-2 and VEGF: implantation of electron beam melting-fabricated
      porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds incorporating growth factor-doped fibrin glue.
AB  - Electron beam melting (EBM)-fabricated porous titanium implants possessing low
      elastic moduli and tailored structures are promising biomaterials for orthopedic
      applications. However, the bio-inert nature of porous titanium makes
      reinforcement with growth factors (GFs) a promising method to enhance implant in
      vivo performance. Bone-morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2) and vascular endothelial
      growth factor (VEGF) are key factors of angiogenesis and osteogenesis. Therefore,
      the present study is aimed at evaluating EBM-fabricated porous titanium implants
      incorporating GF-doped fibrin glue (FG) as composite scaffolds providing GFs for
      improvement of angiogenesis and osteogenesis in rabbit femoral condyle defects.
      BMP-2 and VEGF were added into the constituent compounds of FG, and then this GF
      doped FG was subsequently injected into the porous scaffolds. In five groups of
      implants, angiogenesis and osteogenesis were evaluated at 4 weeks post
      implantation using Microfil perfusion and histological analysis: eTi (empty
      scaffolds), cTi (containing undoped FG), BMP/cTi (containing 50 MUg rhBMP-2),
      VEGF/cTi (containing 0.5 MUg VEGF) and Dual/cTi (containing 50 MUg rhBMP-2 and
      0.5 MUg VEGF). The results demonstrate that these composite implants are
      biocompatible and provide the desired gradual release of the bioactive growth
      factors. Incorporation of GF delivery, whether a single factor or dual factors,
      significantly enhanced both angiogenesis and osteogenesis inside the porous
      scaffolds. However, the synergistic effect of the dual factors combination was
      observable on angiogenesis but absent on osteogenesis. In conclusion, fibrin glue
      is a biocompatible material that could be employed as a delivery vehicle in EBM
      fabricated porous titanium for controlled release of BMP-2 and VEGF. Application
      of this method for loading a porous titanium scaffold to incorporate growth
      factors is a convenient and promising strategy for improving osteogenesis of
      critical-sized bone defects. 

PMID- 26107106
TI  - MERS - A cautionary tale.

PMID- 26107107
TI  - New PKS-NRPS tetramic acids and pyridinone from an Australian marine-derived
      fungus, Chaunopycnis sp.
AB  - Chemical analysis of a marine-derived fungus, Chaunopycnis sp. (CMB-MF028),
      isolated from the inner tissue of a pulmonate false limpet Siphonaria sp.,
      collected from rock surfaces in the intertidal zone of Moora Park, Shorncliffe,
      Queensland, yielded the tetramic acid F-14329 (1) and new analogues,
      chaunolidines A-C (2-4), together with the new pyridinone chaunolidone A (5), and
      pyridoxatin (6). Structures inclusive of absolute configurations were assigned to
      1-6 on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analysis, X-ray crystallography,
      electronic circular dichroism (ECD), biosynthetic considerations and chemical
      interconversion. Chaunolidine C (4) exhibits modest Gram-positive antibacterial
      activity (IC50 5-10 MUM), while chaunolidone A (5) is a selective and potent
      inhibitor (IC50 0.09 MUM) of human non-small cell lung carcinoma cells (NCI
      H460). Tetramic acids 1-4 form metal chelates with Fe(III), Al(III), Cu(II),
      Mg(II) and Zn(II).

PMID- 26107108
TI  - EXAMINING THE EFFECT OF SMILE INTENSITY ON AGE PERCEPTIONS.
AB  - Research has demonstrated the positive effects of smiles on interpersonal
      perceptions of attractiveness, likability, and friendliness. A possible mechanism
      underlying the effects of smiles is babyfacedness. Four studies were conducted
      with 1,235 participants. In Study 1, 646 participants were assigned to one of the
      six levels of smile intensity and responded to the measures of age perception and
      perceived babyfacedness. Compared to the neutral expression, the maximal smile
      reduced age estimations and this effect was mediated by perceived babyfacedness.
      In Study 2, 59 respondents' responses indicated that a maximal smile reduced the
      perception of age. In Study 3, 318 respondents estimated the age of models in
      different sex and levels of smile intensity. Maximal smiles reduced age
      estimations. In Study 4, 125 students and 87 non-students were randomly assigned
      to one of the three levels of smile intensity and provided age estimations.
      Replicating previous findings, maximal smiles reduced age estimations. Consistent
      results emerged from the various contexts, models, and samples, as well as in a
      pooled analysis.

PMID- 26107109
TI  - RORSCHACH SPACE RESPONSES AND ANGER.
AB  - In this study, three different subtypes of Space responses to the Rorschach test
      were hypothesized: S-fusion, S-reversal, and S-integration. The relationship
      between these subtypes and feelings of anger and aggression was investigated. The
      Rorschach test, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-2 (STAXI-2), and the Aggression
      Questionnaire (AQ) were administered to 50 university students. Scores on the
      STAXI-2 were positively associated with S-fusion and negatively associated with S
      integration. No significant associations of S subtypes with aggression were
      found. The findings support the hypothesis that different figure-ground
      relationships, shown in the subtypes of S responses, indicate different
      psychological processes.

PMID- 26107110
TI  - RABGTPases in MT1-MMP trafficking and cell invasion: Physiology versus pathology.
AB  - The matrix metalloproteinase MT1-MMP is a central regulator of cell invasion in
      both physiological and pathological settings, such as tissue surveillance by
      immune cells and cancer cell metastasis. MT1-MMP cleaves a plethora of intra- and
      extracellular proteins, including extracellular matrix proteins, matrix
      receptors, and also other MMPs, and thus enables modification of both the cell
      surface proteome and the pericellular environment. Despite its importance for
      cell invasion, the pathways regulating MT1-MMP exposure on the cell surface are
      largely unknown. Recently, our groups discovered that a specific subset of
      RABGTPases, most notably RAB5a, is critical for MT1-MMP trafficking in primary
      human macrophages and carcinoma cells. Here, we discuss and contrast our findings
      for both cell types, pointing out common features and differences in the
      RABGTPase-dependent trafficking of MT1-MMP in health and disease. 

PMID- 26107111
TI  - Novel dialkylphosphorylhydrazones: Synthesis, leishmanicidal evaluation and
      theoretical investigation of the proposed mechanism of action.
AB  - As part of a program to develop new drugs for the treatment of neglected
      diseases, new dialkylphosphorylhydrazones were synthesized and evaluated against
      the trypanosomatid parasites Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania amazonensis.
      The synthesis of these compounds proved satisfactory with yields ranging from
      moderate to good. The most active compounds against L. braziliensis presented
      IC50 values in the 10(-2) MUM range, similar to that of the reference drug
      pentamidine. Two compounds, 4m and 4n, showed a significant dose dependent
      decrease in the infection index of L. amazonensis infected macrophages and caused
      a complete healing of nodules and ulcers when tested in vivo against L.
      amazonensis-infected mice, but the control of parasite burden at the inoculation
      site was statistically significant only in the case of treatment with 4n. A
      target fishing (reverse docking) approach using molecular docking with 15 enzymes
      of L. braziliensis indicated that the probable target of the active compounds was
      hexokinase, the first enzyme of the glycolytic pathway. 

PMID- 26107112
TI  - Recent prospective of surface engineered Nanoparticles in the management of
      Neurodegenerative disorders.
AB  - Clinically, the therapeutic outcomes in neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) by drug
      treatment are very limited, and the most insurmountable obstacle in the treatment
      of NDs is the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which provides the highest level of
      protection from xenobiotics. A great deal of attention still needs to be paid to
      overcome these barriers, and surface-engineered polymeric nanoparticles are
      emerging as innovative tools that are able to interact with the biological system
      at a molecular level for the desired response. The present review covers the
      potential importance of surface-structure-engineered nanoparticles to overcome
      the BBB for good bioavailability, and the evaluation of drug therapy in NDs. 

PMID- 26107113
TI  - Treatment for disseminated intravascular coagulation in patients with acute and
      chronic leukemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is an acquired syndrome
      characterized by systemic intravascular activation of coagulation, leading to
      deposition of fibrin in the bloodstream. It may occur in patients with acute and
      chronic leukemia and is particularly associated with acute promyelocytic leukemia
      (a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia). OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical
      benefits and harms of any pharmacological intervention for treating DIC in
      patients with acute or chronic leukemia. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane
      Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (the Cochrane Library 2015, Issue
      05), MEDLINE (1946 to 7 May 2015), LILACS (1982 to 7 May 2015) and African Index
      Medicus (7 May 2015). There was no language restrictions. We sought additional
      randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the World Health Organization
      International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and the reference lists of
      primary studies identified. SELECTION CRITERIA: RCTs assessing the clinical
      benefits and harms of interventions for treating DIC in patients with acute and
      chronic leukemia. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently
      performed trial selection, 'Risk of bias' assessment and data extraction. Primary
      outcomes were overall mortality, in-hospital mortality from any cause (15-day and
      30-day) and adverse events. MAIN RESULTS: In this Cochrane Review update we did
      not include any new RCT compared with the first review version. Accordingly, four
      RCTs (388 participants) met the inclusion criteria. These trials evaluated the
      human activated protein C, recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin, tranexamic
      acid and dermatan sulphate. Included trials reported data on mortality and
      bleeding. The studies were conducted in Japan, Italy and the Netherlands. We
      classified the included trials as: 1) including patients with or without leukemia
      which did not report data for the leukemia subgroup (366 participants); and 2)
      only including patients with leukemia (22 participants). Overall, the risk of
      bias of the included trials was high, since the trial authors did not provide a
      detailed description about trial design and execution.According to the GRADE
      recommendations, we judged the overall quality of the body of evidence for all
      prefixed outcomes as 'very low', due to methodological limitations and very small
      sample size.One trial, including 10 participants with leukemia and comparing
      dermatan sulphate with heparin, reported no deaths during trial treatment.In
      terms of bleeding data, we were unable to pool results from two studies that were
      only conducted with leukemia patients due to the inconsistency in the measurement
      and reporting of this outcome. One trial, including 12 participants with
      leukemia, found very low quality evidence that tranexamic acid can reduce the
      cumulative hemorrhagic score in participants compared with those assigned to
      placebo (P = 0.0015, very low quality evidence). On the contrary, there is no
      evidence that dermatan sulphate compared with placebo reduces new events of
      hemorrhagic diathesis (1/5 (20%) versus 2/5 (40%); RR 0.50; 95% CI 0.06 to 3.91;
      P = 0.51, very low quality evidence).No thromboembolic complications were
      reported in either trial that included patients with leukemia only (very low
      quality evidence). The safety profile was inconclusive.The included trials did
      not assess overall mortality, resolution of respiratory failure, renal failure or
      shock. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Due to a lack of new RCTs, our conclusions in this
      Cochrane Review update are the same as the previous review version. We included
      four RCTs which reported mortality and bleeding data. It is not possible to
      determine whether human activated protein C, recombinant human soluble
      thrombomodulin, tranexamic acid and dermatan sulphate are effective or harmful
      for patients presenting with DIC related to acute or chronic leukemia. The
      quality of the evidence was low to very low. Therefore, prescription of these
      interventions for treating DIC in patients with acute and chronic leukemia can
      neither be supported nor rejected, unless new evidence from a large high-quality
      trial alters this conclusion.

PMID- 26107114
TI  - Successful Replacement of Artemia salina nauplii with Marine Rotifers (Brachionus
      plicatilis) in the Diet of Preadult Zebrafish (Danio rerio).
AB  - Previously established rearing protocols for zebrafish begin feeding with marine
      rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis), followed by Artemia nauplii until the fish
      reach subadult stage, the developmental time point at which they can be most
      easily transitioned onto a processed diet. However, the inclusion of Artemia is
      less than ideal, given its fluctuating availability and high costs. We tested
      whether or not we could replace Artemia with rotifers during our normal rearing
      sequence and still meet published performance standards for (i) weaning fish onto
      a processed diet by 25 days postfertilization (dpf) and (ii) successful breeding
      by 60 dpf. Here, we present the results of trials where wild-type and casper
      zebrafish were fed exclusively with rotifers (R) or rotifers followed by Artemia
      (RA) for the first 25 dpf after which point all fish were transitioned to a
      processed diet (Gemma Micro 300). We measured growth and survival at days 25 and
      60, and tested for reproductive capability at 60 dpf. While growth performance
      was significantly better in the RA groups, we were still able to meet goals for
      both weaning and generation time in the R groups without compromising survival or
      sex ratios. 

PMID- 26107116
TI  - TRH and TRH receptor system in the basolateral amygdala mediate stress-induced
      depression-like behaviors.
AB  - Chronic stress is a potent risk factor for depression, but the mechanism by which
      stress causes depression is not fully understood. To investigate the molecular
      mechanism underlying stress-induced depression, C57BL/6 inbred mice were treated
      with repeated restraint to induce lasting depressive behavioral changes.
      Behavioral states of individual animals were evaluated using the forced swim
      test, which measures psychomotor withdrawals, and the U-field test, which
      measures sociability. From these behavioral analyses, individual mice that showed
      depression-like behaviors in both psychomotor withdrawal and sociability tests,
      and individuals that showed a resiliency to stress-induced depression in both
      tests were selected. Among the neuropeptides expressed in the amygdala,
      thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) was identified as being persistently up
      regulated in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in individuals exhibiting severe
      depressive behaviors in the two behavior tests, but not in individuals displaying
      a stress resiliency. Activation of TRH receptors by local injection of TRH in the
      BLA in normal mice produced depressive behaviors, mimicking chronic stress
      effects, whereas siRNA-mediated suppression of either TRH or TRHR1 in the BLA
      completely blocked stress-induced depressive symptoms. The TRHR1 agonist,
      taltirelin, injection in the BLA increased the level of p-ERK, which mimicked the
      increased p-ERK level in the BLA that was induced by treatment with repeated
      stress. Stereotaxic injection of U0126, a potent inhibitor of the ERK pathway,
      within the BLA blocked stress-induced behavioral depression. These results
      suggest that repeated stress produces lasting depression-like behaviors via the
      up-regulation of TRH and TRH receptors in the BLA. 

PMID- 26107118
TI  - Histamine H3 receptor antagonist decreases cue-induced alcohol reinstatement in
      mice.
AB  - We have earlier found that the histamine H3 receptor (H3R) antagonism diminishes
      motivational aspects of alcohol reinforcement in mice. Here we studied the role
      of H3Rs in cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking in C57BL/6J mice using
      two different H3R antagonists. Systemic administration of H3R antagonists
      attenuated cue-induced alcohol seeking suggesting that H3R antagonists may reduce
      alcohol craving. To understand how alcohol affects dopamine and histamine
      release, a microdialysis study was performed on C57BL/6J mice and the levels of
      histamine, dopamine and dopamine metabolites were measured in the nucleus
      accumbens. Alcohol administration was combined with an H3R antagonist
      pretreatment to reveal whether modulation of H3R affects the effects of alcohol
      on neurotransmitter release. Alcohol significantly increased the release of
      dopamine in the nucleus accumbens but did not affect histamine release.
      Pretreatment with H3R antagonist ciproxifan did not modify the effect of alcohol
      on dopamine release. However, histamine release was markedly increased with
      ciproxifan. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that H3R antagonism
      attenuates cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking in mice. Alcohol alone
      does not affect histamine release in the nucleus accumbens but H3R antagonist
      instead increases histamine release significantly suggesting that the mechanism
      by which H3R antagonist inhibits alcohol seeking found in the present study and
      the decreased alcohol reinforcement, reward and consumption found earlier might
      include alterations in the histaminergic neurotransmission in the nucleus
      accumbens. These findings imply that selective antagonists of H3Rs could be a
      therapeutic strategy to prevent relapse and possibly diminish craving to alcohol
      use. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Histamine Receptors'.

PMID- 26107119
TI  - Attitudes Regarding Palliative Sedation and Death Hastening Among Swiss
      Physicians: A Contextually Sensitive Approach.
AB  - In Switzerland, where assisted suicide but not euthanasia is permitted, the
      authors sought to understand how physicians integrate palliative sedation in
      their practice and how they reflect on existential suffering and death hastening.
      They interviewed 31 physicians from different care settings. Five major attitudes
      emerged. Among specialized palliative care physicians, convinced, cautious and
      doubtful attitudes were evident. Within unspecialized settings, palliative
      sedation was more likely to be considered as death hastening: clinicians either
      avoid it with an inexperienced attitude or practice it with an ambiguous
      attitude, raising the issue of unskilled and abusive uses of sedatives at the end
      of life. 

PMID- 26107120
TI  - Significance of Diurnal Intraocular Pressure Measurement.

PMID- 26107117
TI  - Histamine receptor signaling in energy homeostasis.
AB  - Histamine modulates several aspects of energy homeostasis. By activating
      histamine receptors in the hypothalamus the bioamine influences thermoregulation,
      its circadian rhythm, energy expenditure and feeding. These actions are brought
      about by activation of different histamine receptors and/or the recruitment of
      distinct neural pathways. In this review we describe the signaling mechanisms
      activated by histamine in the hypothalamus, the evidence for its role in
      modulating energy homeostasis as well as recent advances in the understanding of
      the cellular and neural network mechanisms involved. This article is part of the
      Special Issue entitled 'Histamine Receptors'.

PMID- 26107121
TI  - Intravitreal Bevacizumab, Plasminogen, and Pneumatic Retinopexy for Subfoveal
      Hemorrhage in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

PMID- 26107122
TI  - Author Reply.

PMID- 26107123
TI  - New Compact Accommodometer to Measure Accommodation Amplitude.

PMID- 26107124
TI  - Author Reply.

PMID- 26107125
TI  - Prevention of Cataract Blindness in Rural China.
AB  - China has undergone dramatic economic and social reforms during last 30 years,
      leading to a notably higher level of living standards and health care access for
      Chinese citizens. However, China's cataract surgical rate of 780 cases/y per
      million population trails Asian neighbors with lower income levels such as India
      and Vietnam. Eye care providers and patients encounter many barriers in gaining
      access to one another.Hands-on training programs conducted by international
      nongovernmental organizations and the government have helped to increase the
      number of qualified cataract surgeons in rural area, but establishing a residency
      training system that produces ophthalmologists capable of performing independent
      surgery is the only sustainable way to meet the increasing demand for surgery
      from an aging population. The New Rural Cooperative Medical System has
      successfully reduced the financial burden of cataract surgery for the rural
      population; however, reimbursement for outpatient treatment of leading eye
      diseases is needed.Community outreach screening combined with education is
      essential in rural areas' increased demand for surgery. Methods to optimize the
      yield from such screening must still be devised and proven, however. Improvements
      in the hospital administration and management structure are also needed to
      improve the efficiency of China's rural hospitals in delivering high-quality, low
      cost cataract surgical services. 

PMID- 26107126
TI  - Prospective Randomized Comparative Study of the Effect of Pupil Dilation or
      Miosis in Intraocular Lens Pupillary Capture After Combined Phacoemulsification
      and Vitrectomy With Intraocular Tamponade.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of the study was to compare the safety and efficacy of
      postoperative pharmacological pupil dilation, miosis, and alternate-day pupil
      dilation and miosis after combined phacoemulsification (phaco), intraocular lens
      (IOL) implantation, and pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with intraocular tamponade.
      DESIGN: This was a prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial. METHODS:
      Patients who were indicated for phaco with IOL implantation, PPV, and intraocular
      tamponade were randomly assigned into 3 different groups: (1) pupil dilation
      using 4% homatropine (dilation group), (2) pupil miosis using 1% pilocarpine
      (miosis group), and (3) alternate-day pupil miosis and dilation starting with 1%
      pilocarpine on the first day postoperatively and switched to 4% homatropine
      thereafter on alternate days (alternate-day group). The main outcome measured was
      the rate of IOL capture postoperatively. The secondary measurable outcomes were
      the complication rates, visual acuity, and ease of fundal examination with
      binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy. RESULTS: Twenty-two, 21, and 20 eyes were
      allocated to the dilation, miosis, and alternate-day groups, respectively.
      Intraocular lens capture was found in 7 (11.1%) of 63 eyes. Intraocular lens was
      captured in 6 (27.3%) of 22 eyes in the dilation, 1 (4.5%) of 21 eyes in the
      miosis, and none in the alternate-day groups (P = 0.0133). The difference of the
      visual acuity among the 3 groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.650).
      Anterior chamber reaction of more than +1 cell in the first week was found in 6
      (27.3%) of 22, 13 (61.9%) of 21, and 10 (50%) of 20 eyes in the dilation, miosis,
      and alternate-day groups, respectively (P = 0.074). Although more eyes were found
      with posterior synechia in the miosis group, the difference was not statistically
      significant (P = 0.478). The number of eyes that had suboptimal binocular
      indirect ophthalmoscopy view was 3 (13.6%) of 22, 12 (57.1%) of 21, and 6 (30%)
      of 20 in the dilation, miosis, and alternate-day groups, respectively (P = 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Pupil dilation after combined phaco with IOL implantation, PPV, and
      intraocular tamponade could lead to a higher chance of IOL capture. Pupil miosis
      may lead to more anterior chamber inflammation. The regimen of alternate pupil
      dilation and miosis may cause less chance of IOL capture.

PMID- 26107127
TI  - Preoperative Antisepsis With Povidone-Iodine 5% in Cataract Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of povidone-iodine (PI) 5% as
      the only preoperative antiseptic in cataract surgery. DESIGN: Prospective
      interventional case series. METHODS: Fifty patients undergoing
      phacoemulsification under topical anesthesia in an outpatient surgery setting in
      a teaching hospital participated in the study. The preoperative antiseptic
      regimen consisted of instillation into the conjunctival sac and periorbital scrub
      with PI 5%. No topical antibiotic was given. Eyelid margin swabs were obtained
      for bacteriological culture before and after PI antisepsis and at the conclusion
      of surgery. The number of bacterial species isolated was compared with the
      Wilcoxon test. Anterior chamber aspirates were taken immediately before and after
      surgery to determine the rate of contamination. RESULTS: Bacteria were isolated
      from the eyelid margins of 48 patients (96%; 95% exact confidence interval, 86.3%
      99.5%) before surgery, from the eyelid margins of 28 patients (56%) after
      antisepsis with PI 5%, and from the eyelid margins of 26 patients (56%; 95% exact
      confidence interval, 41.3%-70.0%) at the conclusion of surgery. The reduction of
      positive eyelid margin culture was statistically significant (P < 0.0001).
      Anterior chamber aspirates were positive in 3 patients. One patient with negative
      growth from anterior chamber aspirates developed culture-negative postoperative
      endophthalmitis. CONCLUSIONS: Because 56% of eyelids still have positive culture
      after PI 5% antisepsis, it might not be relied on as the sole preoperative
      antiseptic measure. Meticulous surgical technique, together with other modalities
      of preoperative and intraoperative antisepsis, should be used to prevent
      postoperative endophthalmitis.

PMID- 26107128
TI  - Diurnal Intraocular Pressure Profiles in Chronic Open-Angle Glaucoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate day-and-night intraocular pressure (IOP) profiles in normal
      and glaucomatous eyes. DESIGN: Hospital-based clinical observational study.
      METHODS: The study included 3561 day-and-night profiles of IOP measurements
      performed by Goldmann applanation tonometry on 1408 eyes of 720 normal Caucasian
      subjects or chronic open-angle glaucoma patients. RESULTS: For all groups except
      the secondary open-angle glaucoma group, IOP was highest at 7 a.m., followed by
      noon and 5 p.m., and finally at 9 p.m. or midnight. In secondary open-angle
      glaucoma, mean measurements did not vary significantly during day and night. The
      profile amplitude (mean: 5.5 2.8 mm Hg) was significantly (P < 0.001) higher in
      the secondary open-angle glaucoma group than in the normal-pressure glaucoma
      group and the normal group. The two latter groups did not vary significantly (P =
      0.47) in profile amplitude. Expressed as percentage of the mean IOP, the IOP
      amplitude did not vary significantly between any of the study groups. The inter
      eye IOP difference for any measurement time was significantly (P < 0.001) smaller
      than the IOP profile amplitude. CONCLUSIONS: Treated secondary open-angle
      glaucoma eyes did not exhibit the normal day-and-night pressure profile which was
      usually shown in normal eyes and eyes treated for other types of chronic open
      angle glaucoma. The day-and-night IOP amplitude in absolute terms is highest in
      secondary open-angle glaucoma. In relative terms, the IOP amplitude did not vary
      significantly between the various types of chronic open-angle glaucoma. Inter-eye
      IOP differences were significantly (P < 0.001) smaller than the IOP profile
      amplitude.

PMID- 26107129
TI  - Long-Term Follow-Up Study of Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy in an Australian
      Population.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe the phenotype of Australian patients with a
      clinical diagnosis of dominant optic atrophy (DOA) and provide long-term follow
      up data on its natural history. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. METHODS: All
      patients with the clinical diagnosis of DOA observed during a 30-year period at a
      single tertiary referral center (Save Sight Institute, Sydney Eye Hospital,
      Sydney, Australia) with at least 12 months of follow-up were included in the
      study. Clinical characteristics were assessed with particular attention to change
      in visual acuity (VA). RESULTS: There were 36 patients with DOA from 26 different
      Australian families. The most common clinical presentation of DOA was insidious
      onset of visual difficulties beginning in childhood. Mean (SD) age at diagnosis
      of DOA was 16 (14) years. During a mean follow-up period of 10.6 years (median,
      10 years), 44% of study eyes had no change in VA, 35% had reduction of VA by 1
      Snellen line, 13% had a reduction of VA by 2 Snellen lines, and 8% of the study
      eyes had a VA reduction of more than 2 Snellen lines. Six of 36 patients were
      legally blind at last follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable heterogeneity
      in the presenting VA and natural history of DOA between individual patients and
      within families with DOA, with VA ranging from 6/6 to hand motion perception.
      This study provides valuable information to aid the clinician counseling the long
      term visual outcome in patients with DOA and their families.

PMID- 26107130
TI  - Comparison of Outcomes of Suprabrow Single-Stab and 3-Stab Incision Frontalis
      Sling Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare functional and cosmetic outcomes of
      suprabrow single-stab (SBSS) versus conventional 3-stab incision frontalis sling
      surgery. DESIGN: Comparative case series. METHODS: Twenty-one eyes of 17 patients
      for the study group and 21 eyes of 16 patients for the control group were
      included. All patients underwent thorough ptosis evaluation before surgery. Using
      Seiff silicone suspension set, the study group underwent SBSS, whereas the
      control group underwent suprabrow 3-stab surgery. The SBSS surgery modified
      conventional suprabrow 3-stab surgery by decreasing the number of suprabrow
      incisions to only a single one while still in the form of Fox pentagon.Functional
      outcomes were assessed in both groups using parameters like vertical fissure
      height, margin reflex distance 1, lagophthalmos, and lid closure. Vertical
      fissure height, lid crease height, lagophthalmos, symmetry of lids, and presence
      of scars were used to evaluate the cosmetic outcome of surgery. All patients were
      followed up for 15 months. RESULTS: The study group and the control group were
      comparable at all points of time in functional outcome measures. On comparing the
      cosmetic outcomes, the study group fared significantly better than the control
      group (P = 3.092 * 10 in adults and P = 4.113 * 10 in children, Mann-Whitney U
      test), predominantly as a result of reduced scarring and fewer number of
      suprabrow scars. CONCLUSIONS: The SBSS frontalis suspension technique, while
      retaining the usual advantages and functional results of standard sling
      procedures, is associated with decreased intraoperative bleeding, reduced
      postoperative edema and scarring, and a better aesthetic outcome.

PMID- 26107131
TI  - An Update in Laser and Pharmaceutical Treatment for Polypoidal Choroidal
      Vasculopathy.
AB  - Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) is a condition characterized by multiple,
      recurrent, serosanguineous pigment epithelium detachment and neurosensory retinal
      detachment due to abnormal choroidal polypoidal lesions. Polypoidal choroidal
      vasculopathy is particularly prevalent in Asians and occurs in up to 30% of
      patients presenting with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. In recent
      years, various treatment modalities have been described in the literature for the
      treatment of PCV. This review article aims to provide an overview and to
      summarize the current nonsurgical treatment for PCV. 

PMID- 26107132
TI  - Predictive Factors Within the Optic Nerve Complex for Glaucoma Progression: Disc
      Hemorrhage and Parapapillary Atrophy.
AB  - The optic nerve complex (ONC) is a new term we have created to describe the
      clinically and non-clinically visible portions of the optic nerve and surrounding
      tissues. Recent advances in imaging technologies have created a need to provide a
      unified and comprehensive view of the structure and function of the components of
      ONC to assess various risk factors for glaucoma development and progression.
      Despite a great deal remaining to elucidate their underlying pathogenesis, disc
      hemorrhages and beta-zone parapapillary atrophy have been consistently shown in
      different study designs to be significant risk factors for glaucoma progression.
      Given their easy visibility as components of the ONC, disc hemorrhage and beta
      zone parapapillary atrophy are widely underscored glaucoma features that should
      be thoroughly investigated and documented with the purpose of stratifying
      patients under risk categories along with other intraocular pressure-dependent
      and -independent factors. This review provides an update on these 2 features and
      their relationship to glaucoma progression. 

PMID- 26107133
TI  - Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery: A Review.
AB  - We aim at reviewing published peer-reviewed studies that evaluate the safety and
      efficacy of manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS). Literature searches
      of the PubMed and the Cochrane Library databases were conducted with no date
      restrictions; the searches were limited to articles published in English only.
      All publications with at least level II and III evidence were studied and
      surgical techniques were analyzed. MSICS was also compared with
      phacoemulsification and large incision extracapsular cataract surgery (ECCE) with
      respect to visual outcome, surgery time, cost, intra and postoperative
      complications and suitability for high volume surgical practices in the
      developing world.The overall safety profile of MSICS was found to be excellent
      with intra and postoperative complication rates comparable to phacoemulsification
      and ECCE. Multiple studies reported the safety and efficacy of MSICS for
      complicated cases, such as brunescent and white cataract and cataracts associated
      with phacolytic and phacomorphic glaucoma. Compared to phacoemulsification MSICS
      was associated with lower and shorter operative times. Visual outcomes were
      excellent and comparable to phacoemulsification with up to 6 months follow up.The
      literature provides outcome analysis of a variety of different MSICS techniques.
      As a whole, MSICS provides excellent outcomes with a low rate of surgical and
      postoperative complications. Particularly in the developing world, MSICS appears
      to provide outcomes that are of comparable quality to phacoemulsification at a
      much lower cost. 

PMID- 26107134
TI  - Efficacy of Topical Levofloxacin 0.5% in Treating Levofloxacin-Resistant
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa-Induced Keratitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of topical levofloxacin 0.5% in treating
      levofloxacin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced keratitis. DESIGN:
      Longitudinal study. METHODS: The study was conducted in 21 New Zealand White
      rabbits whose corneas were inoculated with 0.1 mL of 1000 colony-forming units of
      levofloxacin-resistant P. aeruginosa. After 24 hours, the rabbits were randomized
      into 3 groups: 9 were treated with levofloxacin 0.5%, 6 were treated with
      ceftazidime 50 mg/mL, and 6 were treated with a placebo. The rabbits were given a
      loading dose once every 5 minutes in the first hour and continued to receive a
      dose once an hour in the next 11 hours. Afterward, 3 rabbits treated with
      levofloxacin were killed. Their corneas were examined for levofloxacin
      concentration. The remaining rabbits continued to receive 6 regular doses for 4
      more days, each of which was administered at a 2-hour interval. Levofloxacin
      concentration was examined. Treatment efficacy was evaluated based on 4 clinical
      characteristics: corneal infiltrate, conjunctival edema, conjunctival injection,
      and discharge. RESULTS: All clinical characteristics, except conjunctival edema,
      improved significantly in rabbits treated with either levofloxacin or
      ceftazidime, compared to the placebo group. At the last follow-up (120 hours),
      all clinical characteristics improved significantly in both treatment groups.
      Mean corneal levofloxacin concentration in the treatment groups was 6.25 (0.32)
      MUg/g, which declined significantly to a mean of 2.15 (1.23) MUg/g after another
      120 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Topical levofloxacin 0.5% improved the clinical
      characteristics of keratitis induced by levofloxacin-resistant P. aeruginosa.
      Such improvement could be attributed to a high concentration of levofloxacin that
      was above the minimum inhibitory level.

PMID- 26107135
TI  - Lingual-occlusal surface position predicts retroglossal obstruction in patients
      with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome.
AB  - CONCLUSION: Lingual-occlusal surface position was significantly related to
      retroglossal obstruction, and lingual-occlusal surface position may be an
      available reference in clinical practice for the preliminary assessment of
      retroglossal obstruction. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between
      lingual-occlusal surface position and retroglossal obstruction in patients with
      obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total
      of 140 patients with OSAHS diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG) were enrolled.
      Lingual-occlusal surface position was evaluated and classified into three types.
      Airway computed tomograpy (CT) was performed to measure the retroglossal cross
      sectional area and inner diameter. The PSG was repeated after the nasopharyngeal
      tube insertion (NPT-PSG). The NPT-PSG results, CT-measured data and incidence of
      retroglossal obstruction were compared among the different lingual-occlusal
      surface positions groups. RESULTS: The demographics of OSAHS patients with
      different lingual-occlusal surface positions was similar. As lingual-occlusal
      surface position type varied from type I to type III, retroglossal cross
      sectional area and inner diameter decreased, retroglossal airway obstruction rate
      increased, apnea hypopnea index (AHI) measured by NPT-PSG increased, and lowest
      oxygen saturation (LaSO2) decreased.

PMID- 26107137
TI  - MiR-199a-5p and miR-375 affect colon cancer cell sensitivity to cetuximab by
      targeting PHLPP1.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aimed to analyze the differentially-expressed miRNAs in colon
      cancer cells in order to identify novel potential biomarkers involved in cancer
      cell resistance. DESIGN AND METHODS: We investigated the miRNA expression profile
      of GEO human colon carcinoma cells, sensitive to the EGFR inhibitor Cetuximab
      (CTX) and their CTX-resistant counterpart (GEO CR) by using a miRNA chip.
      RESULTS: We found 27 upregulated and 10 downregulated miRNAs in GEO CR compared
      with GEO cells with a fold change >= 2. Among the upregulated miRNAs, we focused
      on miR-199a-5p and miR-375. We report that their enforced expression promotes CTX
      resistance, whereas their silencing sensitizes to the same drug. The ability of
      miR-199a-5p and miR-375 to target PHLPP1 (PH domain and leucine-rich repeat
      protein phosphatase 1), a tumor suppressor that negatively regulates the AKT
      pathway, accounts, at least in part, for their drug-resistance activity. Indeed,
      restoration of PHLPP1 increases sensitivity of the GEO cells to CTX and reverts
      the resistance-promoting effect of miR-199a-5p and miR-375. CONCLUSION: This
      study proposes miR-199a-5p and miR-375 as contributors to CTX resistance in colon
      cancer and suggests a novel approach based on miRNAs as tools for the therapy of
      this tumor.

PMID- 26107138
TI  - A sole multi-analyte receptor responds with three distinct fluorescence signals:
      traffic signal like sensing of Al(3+), Zn(2+) and F(-).
AB  - A dialdehyde-based multi-analyte sensor renders distinctive emission spectra for
      Al(3+), Zn(2+) and F(-) ions. The ligand exhibited different types of
      interactions with these three different ions resulting in the enhancement of
      fluorescence intensity at three different wavelengths. All the sensing processes
      were studied in detail by absorption spectroscopy, emission spectroscopy and (1)H
      NMR titration experiment. The ligand has the working ability in a wide pH range
      including the physiological pH. The ligand is non-toxic and amicable for sensing
      intracellular Al(3+) and Zn(2+) in live HeLa cells. 

PMID- 26107139
TI  - The Vibrant Soundbridge in Children and Adolescents: Preliminary European
      Multicenter Results.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of safety and efficacy of the Vibrant Soundbridge in the
      treatment of hearing loss in children and adolescents with primary focus on
      improvement in speech discrimination. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, single-subject
      repeated-measures design in which each subject serves as his/her own control.
      SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Nineteen patients aged 5 to 17
      years. INTERVENTION: Implantation of an active middle ear implant. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURE: Improvement in word recognition scores, speech reception thresholds, and
      signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) were evaluated, in addition to air and bone
      conduction. Oldenburger Kids Satztest/Oldenburger Satztest sentences and
      Gottinger/Freiburger monosyllables at 65-dB hearing level were tested in two age
      groups. RESULTS: Significant speech discrimination improvement was seen in all
      patients after 6 months. In children 5 to 9 years old, mean monosyllable
      recognition improved from 28.9% (unaided) to 95.5% (Soundbridge-aided). Aided 50%
      sentence discrimination at 44.1 dB and SNR of -4.9 dB were measured. In patients
      10 to 17 years old, mean word recognition improved from 18.5% to 89.0%, sentence
      reception threshold improved to 40.2 dB, and SNR to -3.6 dB. Comparison between
      age groups indicated a slight trend toward quicker adaptation by older subjects.
      However, after initial adjustment, a higher level of overall benefit was seen at
      6 months in younger children. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, the only middle ear implant
      approved for pediatric patients, the Vibrant Soundbridge, provides an option in
      cases of congenital aural atresia or disease-induced defects, when surgical
      intervention and reconstruction is indicated. The 6-month results in this
      comparatively large study population validated conclusions found in previous
      trials.

PMID- 26107140
TI  - Letter to the Editor RE: Cochlear Implantation in Children with Congenital and
      Noncongenital Unilateral Deafness: A Case Series.

PMID- 26107141
TI  - Symbiotics in irritable bowel syndrome--better than probiotics alone?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal
      disorder associated with significant physical and psychological comorbidity. The
      etiology of the condition is uncertain but recent research suggests that the gut
      bacterial composition may play a role in its development. Therefore, manipulation
      of the intestinal microbiome by using probiotics and symbiotics has the potential
      to improve patient outcomes in IBS. RECENT FINDINGS: Numerous randomized
      controlled trials suggest a benefit of probiotics in the management of IBS, with
      a significant reduction in the likelihood of symptoms persisting after therapy,
      and improvements in abdominal pain, bloating and flatulence when probiotics are
      compared with placebo. Evidence for the effect of probiotics on quality of life
      is conflicting. Relatively few randomized controlled trials have examined the
      effect of symbiotics on outcomes in IBS, but results thus far are promising.
      SUMMARY: Probiotics appear to be beneficial in IBS. Data supporting the use of
      symbiotics is sparse. Whether symbiotics are superior to probiotics is unclear.

PMID- 26107142
TI  - Variety, Enjoyment, and Physical Activity Participation Among High School
      Students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Federal guidelines state that youth should participate in a variety
      of physical activity (PA) they find enjoyable. Little is known, however, about
      how variety and enjoyment are associated with PA participation among adolescents.
      METHODS: Data came from the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition
      Survey, a nationally representative survey of adolescents. Path analysis was used
      to examine the association of a variety of self-reported PA, defined as the
      number of activities and activity types (ie, team sports/weightlifting,
      individual activities, and other competitive/recreational sports), on self
      reported PA enjoyment and participation. The analysis also examined whether
      enjoyment mediates the association between a variety of PA and participation.
      Separate models were estimated for boys and girls. RESULTS: Number of activities
      was associated with increased PA enjoyment and participation. For boys and girls,
      team sports/weightlifting was associated with increased participation, and
      individual activities were indirectly associated with increased participation
      through enjoyment. For boys, team sports/weightlifting was indirectly related
      with participation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that participation in a
      variety of PA is associated with increased PA enjoyment and participation.
      Providing opportunities for adolescents to engage in a variety of activities
      might help them identify PA they enjoy and facilitate lifelong PA habits.

PMID- 26107144
TI  - Retinoblastoma: Recent Update and Management Frontiers.

PMID- 26107143
TI  - Variable Patterns of Continuous Morphine Infusions at End of Life.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Continuous morphine infusions (CMIs) treat pain and dyspnea at the
      end of life (EOL). CMIs may be initiated at an empiric rate and/or are rapidly
      escalated without proper titration. OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to
      evaluate CMI patterns at the EOL. METHODS: This single-center, retrospective
      chart review evaluated adult patients who died while receiving CMI at EOL.
      Patient demographics and opioid dosing information were extracted from an
      electronic medical record. Twenty-four hour IV morphine equivalent was calculated
      prior to CMI initiation and at the time of death. RESULTS: Of the 190 patient
      charts, 63.2% (n=120) received no bolus doses prior to CMI initiation. Mean 24
      hour IV morphine equivalent prior to CMI initiation was 49.3 mg (range: 0-1200
      mg, SD 384.9) and at time of death was 267.1 mg (12.0-5193.2 mg, SD 442.2),
      representing an increase of +442%. Mean CMI starting rate was 3.3 mg/hour (0.4
      30.0 mg/hour, SD 3.6) with titration at time of death to a mean of 7.7 mg/hour
      (0.4-70.0 mg/hour, SD 9.4), representing an increase of +130%. Mean number of CMI
      rate adjustments was 2.5 (0-5, SD 3.3); and number of bolus doses administered
      between titrations was 4.2 (0-27, SD 4.8). Mean time from CMI initiation to death
      was 15.5 hours (0.05-126.9 hours, SD 21.7). There was a negative association
      between rate of infusion increase per hour and total number of hours on CMI (r=
      0.2, p=0.0062). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalized patients at EOL had a much higher 24
      hour IV morphine equivalents and CMI rates at time of death compared to CMI
      initiation. Variability was observed in the number of CMI rate adjustments and
      the number of bolus doses administered.

PMID- 26107145
TI  - Medication Adherence in Glaucoma Patients.

PMID- 26107146
TI  - Adherence and Persistence: The Challenges for Glaucoma Medical Therapy.
AB  - Suboptimal adherence and persistence to therapy are major challenges for patients
      treated with ocular hypotensive medications. The problem affects 5% to 80% of
      glaucoma patients from all nations, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and
      education levels. Although health care providers are generally poor at detecting
      suboptimal or poor adherence in the clinical setting, several strategies to
      systematically assess adherence and persistence rates are available. One strategy
      involves electronic monitoring of patient dosing, which provides useful insights
      into specific patterns of adherence behavior among glaucoma patients. Adherence
      behavior is complex with multiple interrelated determinants; these can be broadly
      grouped into provider factors, environmental factors, medication factors, and
      patient factors. Targeted patient education strategies, counseling, electronic
      monitors, alarms, and reminders have all been used in efforts to improve
      adherence. These interventions probably work best in combination. Identifying
      tangible barriers to adherence and simple strategies to overcome these through an
      open, discursive relationship between clinician and patient is key to optimizing
      adherence. 

PMID- 26107147
TI  - The Endophthalmitis Kit.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to provide essential first-intervention material for
      treatment of bacterial and fungal endophthalmitis in a ready-to-use kit. DESIGN:
      A prospective investigational study. METHODS: We have developed the
      Endophthalmitis Kit (E-kit), which contains most essential devices and
      antibacterial and antifungal antibiotics for initial treatment of bacterial and
      fungal endophthalmitis. The easy-to-prepare antibiotics includes vancomycin,
      ceftazidime, and voriconazole. We used visual analog scale to score the health
      personnel comfort of each content of the kit in 20 consecutive patients with
      endophthalmitis where the E-Kit was used. RESULTS: The visual analog scale score
      was highest for the antibiotics and least for eye speculum. The 2-step
      preparation of antibiotics was easier than the current 4-step preparation.
      CONCLUSIONS: The E-Kit benefit included accurate and easy preparation of
      antibiotics and antifungal, safe vitreous biopsy and intravitreal injection, and
      reduced ordering time and inventory cost.

PMID- 26107148
TI  - Comparison of Type of Species and Antibacterial Susceptibility Profile of
      Staphylococci Isolated From Normal Healthy Conjunctiva and Ocular Infections.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the prevalence of various staphylococcal species in ocular
      infections [OIs (n = 105)] and in normal healthy conjunctiva [NC (n = 51)].
      Antibacterial susceptibility profile of the isolates and prevalence of mecA gene
      among the isolates were also compared. DESIGN: A prospective, comparative,
      experimental study. METHODS: Antibiotic susceptibility was determined against
      chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin, ofloxacin, cefazolin,
      vancomycin and cefoxitin by disc diffusion technique as per Clinical and
      Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Methicillin resistance was confirmed
      by detection of mecA gene by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The prevalence
      of Staphylococcus aureus was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in OIs compared
      with NC (48.6%, 9.8%), whereas the prevalence of Staphylococcus epidermidis was
      higher (P = 0.02) in NC (22.9%, 41.2%). Overall methicillin resistance was higher
      in S. epidermidis (66.7% each in OIs and NC) compared with S. aureus (OIs: 7.8%;
      NC: 0%), which was statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Methicillin resistance
      was also high among other coagulase-negative staphylococci in both groups [OIs:
      40% (12/30); NC: 28% (7/25)]. Vancomycin was effective against all the isolates
      from both groups. Cefazolin was equally effective. CONCLUSIONS: This study found
      S. aureus to be a major pathogen in OIs, although it is not common conjunctival
      flora. The data caution that prevalence of methicillin resistance in coagulase
      negative staphylococci is more than S. aureus in OIs and must be considered in
      their treatment. Despite methicillin resistance, staphylococci from OIs and NC
      remain sensitive to vancomycin and cefazolin.

PMID- 26107149
TI  - Feasibility of the New Torsional Phacoemulsification Software Phacoemulsification
      (Ozil IP) in Hard Cataracts.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility of using the new torsional intelligent
      phacoemulsification software (Ozil IP) phacoemulsification in hard cataracts of
      N3+. DESIGN: A cohort study. METHODS: Eighty patients were recruited and
      randomized into 2 groups, the study group and the control group. Each group
      consisted of 40 eyes. Routine cataract surgeries were performed using standard
      torsional software (Ozil) and Ozil IP in hard cataracts of N3+. Main outcome
      measures included cumulative dissipated energy (CDE), amount of balanced salt
      solution (BSS) used, and changes in central corneal thickness (CCT). RESULTS: The
      mean CDE was significantly less in the study group compared with the control
      group (P = 0.05). The mean time in foot pedal position 3 (FP3) for varying grades
      of cataract density ranged from 16.3 to 30.2 seconds in the study group and from
      19.1 to 39.7 seconds in the control group, which was statistically significant (P
      = 0.03). The amount of BSS used was 34.19 mL in the study group and 44.05 mL in
      the control group. On the first postoperative day, CCT was significantly
      different between the study and the control group (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: The 3
      parameters (CDE, FP3 and BSS amount) were found to be effective with no
      significant complications. The new Ozil IP required less CDE and less FP3 time
      with less postoperative corneal edema, and thus patients had a more rapid visual
      recovery.

PMID- 26107150
TI  - Review of Intermediate Uveitis.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to highlight evidence about the medical and
      surgical management of intermediate uveitis (IU). Updated understandings of the
      immunopathology of IU were reviewed in this retrospective literature review.
      Literature selection for this review was based on the PubMed database (National
      Library of Medicine) and OVID database (Wolters Kluwer). Articles deemed relevant
      were selected and highlighted. Intermediate uveitis is most often a benign form
      of uveitis. Since intermediate uveitis has been described in association with
      different systemic disorders, the initial diagnostic evaluation should serve to
      exclude masquerade syndromes and infectious diseases in which immunosuppression
      may be ineffective or contraindicated. Although the pathogenesis of intermediate
      uveitis is not fully understood, identification of proinflammatory molecules
      involved in the IU has contributed to the development and implementation of new
      therapies. Studies about the use of various immunosuppressants, biological agents
      and surgical treatment on IU have provided more evidence for managing IU.
      Nevertheless, corticosteroids remain the mainstay of treatment. The treatment
      options of intermediate uveitis are evolving, with the development of various
      immunosuppressants and biological agents. The management of intermediate uveitis
      should be tailored individually, based on specific causes of the disease and
      associated complications. 

PMID- 26107151
TI  - One Year of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Research in Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To highlight recent advances in amblyopia and strabismus. DESIGN:
      Literature review. METHODS: A literature search of articles published in the
      English language was performed in PubMed or MEDLINE between May 2012 and April
      2013 using the terms amblyopia or strabismus. Articles deemed relevant were
      selected. RESULTS: The review highlights articles that increase our understanding
      of strabismus and amblyopia as well as newer treatment strategies. CONCLUSIONS:
      The review highlights some new information and possible future advances in
      amblyopia and strabismus.

PMID- 26107152
TI  - One Year of Cornea Research in Review-2012.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to provide an update of significant cornea
      literature published in the past 1 year. DESIGN: This was a literature review.
      METHODS: The authors conducted a 1-year English-language literature search on
      PubMed, from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2012, using the following terms:
      corneal transplantation, anterior lamellar keratoplasty, penetrating
      keratoplasty, endothelial keratoplasty, Descemet stripping automated endothelial
      keratoplasty, Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty, Descemet membrane
      endothelial transfer, ocular surface epithelial transplantation, limbal
      epithelial transplantation, cultivated oral mucosal epithelial transplantation,
      keratoprosthesis, infectious keratitis, cross-linking, keratoconus, corneal
      neovascularization, corneal imaging, optical coherence tomography, Pentacam
      Scheimpflug imaging, and in vivo confocal microscopy. RESULTS: This review
      includes original articles and review articles that contain significant updates
      and novel aspects in the field of cornea from the following journals: American
      Journal of Ophthalmology, British Journal of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology,
      Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, and Cornea. Letters to the
      editor, unpublished work, manuscripts not in English, and abstracts were not
      included. CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights significant literature that is
      applicable to the practicing ophthalmologist.

PMID- 26107154
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding "Specialist Nurse Screening for Retinopathy of
      Prematurity-A Pilot Study".

PMID- 26107153
TI  - Genetic and Epigenetic Profile of Retinoblastoma in a Chinese Population:
      Analysis of 47 Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report genetic findings of retinoblastoma gene RB1 in a Chinese
      ethnic group with retinoblastoma. DESIGN: A retrospective noncomparative case
      series. METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples, and
      tumor tissue samples were collected from 47 patients (37 patients with unilateral
      retinoblastoma). The 27 known RB1 coding exons, splicing boundaries, and
      promoters were screened for point mutations or small mutations by polymerase
      chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism-DNA sequencing.
      Microsatellite analysis was applied to 30 patients with both blood samples and
      retinoblastoma tumor tissues available to examine loss of heterozygosity
      according to microsatellite markers within or adjacent to the RB1 locus.
      Methylation of the RB1 gene was investigated in retinoblastoma tissue samples of
      40 patients by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Mutations
      in the RB1 gene were identified in 10 patients (21%). A loss of heterozygosity
      was detected at locus D13S153 in 14 of 26 patients, at locus D13S262 in 13 of 28
      patients, and at locus D13S284 in 8 of 27 patients. Altogether, loss of
      heterozygosity was detected in 18 (60%) of 30 patients. Loss of heterozygosity at
      the RB1 locus was associated with a loss of pRb expression (P = 0.01).
      Hypermethylation in the promoter CpG island in the RB1 gene was found in 4 (10%)
      of 40 examined patients. CONCLUSIONS: The localization and type of mutations
      identified in Chinese patients with retinoblastoma fit well into the pattern
      observed in previous studies on other ethnic groups. No new mutations were found.
      Future studies may examine whether these results are helpful for genetic
      counseling of Chinese patients.

PMID- 26107155
TI  - Safety of Specialist Nurse Screening for Retinopathy of Prematurity-Response to
      Letter.

PMID- 26107156
TI  - Effect of Polymethylene Spacer of Cationic Gemini Surfactants on Solvation
      Dynamics and Rotational Relaxation of Coumarin 153 in Aqueous Micelles.
AB  - The present work demonstrates the solvation dynamics and rotational relaxation of
      Coumarin 153 (C-153) in the micelles of a series of cationic gemini surfactants,
      12-s-12, 2Br(-) containing a hydrophobic polymethylene spacer with s = 3, 4, 6,
      8, 12. Steady-state and time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC)
      fluorescence spectroscopic techniques have been used to carry out this study.
      Steady-state and TCSPC fluorescence data suggest that C-153 molecules are located
      at the Stern layer of micelles. While probe molecules feel more or less the same
      micropolarity in the micellar phase, the microviscosity of micelles decreases
      with spacer chain length. Solvation dynamics at the Stern layer is bimodal in
      nature with fast solvation as a major component. Counter ions and water molecules
      bonded with the polar headgroups of surfactant molecules are responsible for the
      slow component. Average solvation time increases with spacer chain length because
      of the increased degree of counter ion dissociation. Some water molecules are
      involved in the solvation of counter ions themselves, resulting in the decrease
      in "free" water molecules to be available for the solvation of C-153. The
      hydrophobic spacer chain also has an effect on increasing the solvation time with
      increasing chain length. The average rotational relaxation time for C-153
      decreases with spacer chain length with a rapid decrease at s > 4. The anisotropy
      decay of C-153 in micelles is biexponential in nature. The slow rotational
      relaxation is due to the lateral diffusion of C-153 in micelles. Lateral
      diffusion is much faster than the rotational motion of a micelle as a whole. The
      rotational motion of the micelle as a whole becomes faster with the decreasing
      size of micelles. 

PMID- 26107157
TI  - Expanding Therapy With Long-Acting Antipsychotic Medication in Patients With
      Schizophrenia.

PMID- 26107158
TI  - Pneumomediastinum Following Blunt Trauma: Are We Closer to Unlocking Its
      Significance?

PMID- 26107159
TI  - Cognitive effects of deep brain stimulation in patients with obsessive-compulsive
      disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising treatment for treatment
      refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, the effects of DBS on
      cognitive functioning remain unclear. Therefore, we aimed to assess cognitive
      safety of DBS for treatment-refractory OCD and the association between clinical
      changes and cognitive functioning. METHODS: Patients with treatment-refractory
      OCD treated with DBS targeted at the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) were compared with
      a control group of 14 patients with treatment-refractory OCD treated with care as
      usual. We assessed cognitive functioning at baseline, 3 weeks postoperatively and
      following 8 months of DBS. We compared change in clinical symptoms with cognitive
      changes. RESULTS: There were 16 patients in the DBS group and 14 patients in the
      control group. Three weeks postoperatively, the DBS group showed a significantly
      reduced performance on measures of visual organization and verbal fluency and a
      trend toward reduced performance on measures of visual memory and abstract
      reasoning. Cognitive functioning was found to be stable on all other measures.
      After 8 months of DBS, reduced performances persisted, except for a significant
      improvement in verbal fluency. Cognitive functioning in all other domains
      remained unaffected. We found no correlation between improvement of clinical
      symptoms and cognitive changes. LIMITATIONS: A limitation of this study was its
      relatively small sample size. CONCLUSION: Deep brain stimulation targeted at the
      NAcc may be considered a safe method in terms of cognition because cognitive
      functioning was unaffected on most neuropsychological measures. Nevertheless, we
      observed some minor reduced performance on specific measures of executive
      functioning that were possibly associated with surgical intervention. Our results
      suggest that severity of OCD symptoms is independent of cognitive functioning.

PMID- 26107160
TI  - Valence and agency influence striatal response to feedback in patients with major
      depressive disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reduced sensitivity to positive feedback is common in patients with
      major depressive disorder (MDD). However, findings regarding negative feedback
      are ambiguous, with both exaggerated and blunted responses being reported. The
      ventral striatum (VS) plays a major role in processing valenced feedback, and
      previous imaging studies have shown that the locus of controls (self agency v.
      external agency) over the outcome influences VS response to feedback. We
      investigated whether attributing the outcome to one's own action or to an
      external agent influences feedback processing in patients with MDD. We
      hypothesized that depressed participants would be less sensitive to the feedback
      attribution reflected by an altered VS response to self-attributed gains and
      losses. METHODS: Using functional MRI and a motion prediction task, we
      investigated the neural responses to self-attributed (SA) and externally
      attributed (EA) monetary gains and losses in unmedicated patients with MDD and
      healthy controls. RESULTS: We included 21 patients and 25 controls in our study.
      Consistent with our prediction, healthy controls showed a VS response influenced
      by feedback valence and attribution, whereas in depressed patients striatal
      activity was modulated by valence but was insensitive to attribution. This
      attribution insensitivity led to an altered ventral putamen response for SA - EA
      losses in patients with MDD compared with healthy controls. LIMITATIONS:
      Depressed patients with comorbid anxiety disorder were included. CONCLUSION:
      These results suggest an altered assignment of motivational salience to SA losses
      in patients with MDD. Altered striatal response to SA negative events may
      reinforce the belief of not being in control of negative outcomes contributing to
      a cycle of learned helplessness.

PMID- 26107161
TI  - Elevated cognitive control over reward processing in recovered female patients
      with anorexia nervosa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals with anorexia nervosa are thought to exert excessive self
      control to inhibit primary drives. METHODS: This study used functional MRI (fMRI)
      to interrogate interactions between the neural correlates of cognitive control
      and motivational processes in the brain reward system during the anticipation of
      monetary reward and reward-related feedback. In order to avoid confounding
      effects of undernutrition, we studied female participants recovered from anorexia
      nervosa and closely matched healthy female controls. The fMRI analysis (including
      node-to-node functional connectivity) followed a region of interest approach
      based on models of the brain reward system and cognitive control regions
      implicated in anorexia nervosa: the ventral striatum, medial orbitofrontal cortex
      (mOFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). RESULTS: We included 30
      recovered patients and 30 controls in our study. There were no behavioural
      differences and no differences in hemodynamic responses of the ventral striatum
      and the mOFC in the 2 phases of the task. However, relative to controls,
      recovered patients showed elevated DLPFC activity during the anticipation phase,
      failed to deactivate this region during the feedback phase and displayed greater
      functional coupling between the DLPFC and mOFC. Recovered patients also had
      stronger associations than controls between anticipation-related DLPFC responses
      and instrumental responding. LIMITATIONS: The results we obtained using monetary
      stimuli might not generalize to other forms of reward. CONCLUSION: Unaltered
      neural responses in ventral limbic reward networks but increased recruitment of
      and connectivity with lateral-frontal brain circuitry in recovered patients
      suggests an elevated degree of selfregulatory processes in response to rewarding
      stimuli. An imbalance between brain systems subserving bottom-up and top-down
      processes may be a trait marker of the disorder.

PMID- 26107162
TI  - Olfactory performance segregates effects of anhedonia and anxiety on social
      function in patients with schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Social dysfunction is common among individuals with schizophrenia.
      While often attributed to anhedonia, social dysfunction could also result from
      unrecognized anxiety. We examined the contributions of anhedonia and anxiety to
      social function using olfactory function to examine whether the domains had
      separate underpinnings. METHODS: We assessed anhedonia, anxiety and social
      function as well as olfactory function in well-characterized patients with
      schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and healthy controls. RESULTS: We
      included 56 patients and 37 controls in our study. Patients exhibited
      significantly higher levels of anhedonia and anxiety than controls, and the
      domains were highly correlated in patients. The combination of anhedonia and
      anxiety more strongly predicted social dysfunction than either measure alone.
      Smell identification was differentially related to the symptoms, with better
      performance predicting less anhedonia but more social fear in male patients.
      LIMITATIONS: The use of self-report measures precludes differentiation between
      recollected or recounted experience. Aside from smell identification and odour
      threshold, additional measures of olfaction may be considered for future studies.
      CONCLUSION: Anhedonia and anxiety were strongly correlated and both negatively
      impacted social function. The olfactory biomarker results support the conclusion
      that these domains are separate. Social function in patients with schizophrenia
      may improve with interventions for anxiety, even in the presence of marked
      negative symptoms.

PMID- 26107164
TI  - Correction: the tumor suppressor gene, RASSF1A, is essential for protection
      against inflammation -induced injury.

PMID- 26107163
TI  - Sex differences in conditioned stimulus discrimination during context-dependent
      fear learning and its retrieval in humans: the role of biological sex,
      contraceptives and menstrual cycle phases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anxiety disorders are more prevalent in women than in men. Despite
      this sexual dimorphism, most experimental studies are conducted in male
      participants and studies focusing on sex differences are sparse. In addition, the
      role of hormonal contraceptives and menstrual cycle phase in fear conditioning
      and extinction processes remain largely unknown. METHODS: We investigated sex
      differences in context-dependent fear acquisition and extinction (day 1) and
      their retrieval/expression (day 2). Skin conductance responses (SCRs), fear and
      unconditioned stimulus expectancy ratings were obtained. RESULTS: We included 377
      individuals (261 women) in our study. Robust sex differences were observed in all
      dependent measures. Women generally displayed higher subjective ratings but
      smaller SCRs than men and showed reduced excitatory/inhibitory conditioned
      stimulus (CS+/CS-) discrimination in all dependent measures. Furthermore, women
      using hormonal contraceptives showed reduced SCR CS discrimination on day 2 than
      men and free-cycling women, while menstrual cycle phase had no effect.
      LIMITATIONS: Possible limitations include the simultaneous testing of up to 4
      participants in cubicles, which might have introduced a social component, and not
      assessing postexperimental contingency awareness. CONCLUSION: The response
      pattern in women shows striking similarity to previously reported sex differences
      in patients with anxiety. Our results suggest that pronounced deficits in
      associative discrimination learning and subjective expression of safety
      information (CS- responses) might underlie higher prevalence and higher symptom
      rates seen in women with anxiety disorders. The data call for consideration of
      biological sex and hormonal contraceptive use in future studies and may suggest
      that targeting inhibitory learning during therapy might aid precision medicine.

PMID- 26107165
TI  - Social Support in Two Cultures: Everyday Transactions in the U.S. and Empathic
      Assurance in Japan.
AB  - We studied received social support using the cross-cultural method of situation
      sampling. College students from the US and Japan described and rated recent
      examples of received social support, both everyday support as well as support in
      response to stress. Middle class, European-American (EuA) students' situations
      fit a model in which support is frequent and offered freely in interactions, even
      for relatively minor issues. Even when it's unrequested, EuA support makes
      recipients feel in control, and support-givers are perceived to have acted by
      free choice. In contrast, results suggest that middle-class Japanese (Jpn)
      contexts favor support that is empathic and responsive to the recipients' degree
      of need. Japanese support was experienced positively when it was emotional
      support, when it was in more serious situations and when the support was rated as
      needed by the recipient. In Japan, although problem-based support is most common,
      it is not particularly positive, apparently because it is less likely to be
      perceived as needed. 

PMID- 26107166
TI  - Identification of miR-26a as a target gene of bile acid receptor GPBAR-1/TGR5.
AB  - GPBAR1/TGR5 is a G protein-coupled receptor of bile acids. TGR5 is known to
      regulate the BA homeostasis and energy metabolism. Recent studies highlight an
      important role of TGR5 in alleviating obesity and improving glucose regulation,
      however, the mechanism of which is still unclear. Here we report that TGR5 is
      involved in mediating the anti-obesity and anti-hyperglycemia effect of a natural
      compound, oleanolic acid. By comparing the miRNA profiles between wild type and
      TGR5-/- livers after OA treatment, we identified miR-26a as a novel downstream
      target gene of TGR5 activation. The expression of miR-26a in the liver was
      induced in a TGR5-dependent manner after feeding the mice with a bile acid diet.
      TGR5 activation strongly increased the expression of miR-26a in macrophages,
      including the Kupffer cells in the liver. We further demonstrated that JNK
      pathway was required for miR-26a induction by TGR5 activation. Interestingly, we
      located the TGR5-responsive DNA element to a proximal region of miR-26's
      promoter, which was independent of the transcription of its host genes. These
      results unravel a new mechanism by which bile acid receptor TGR5 activates a
      miRNA gene expression. 

PMID- 26107167
TI  - Hiccups Associated with Aripiprazole in an Adolescent with Bipolar Disorder.

PMID- 26107168
TI  - Correction: Genome-wide Association Study Identifies Shared Risk Loci Common to
      Two Malignancies in Golden Retrievers.

PMID- 26107170
TI  - A DPSIR model for ecological security assessment through indicator screening: a
      case study at Dianchi Lake in China.
AB  - Given the important role of lake ecosystems in social and economic development,
      and the current severe environmental degradation in China, a systematic diagnosis
      of the ecological security of lakes is essential for sustainable development. A
      Driving-force, Pressure, Status, Impact, and Risk (DPSIR) model, combined with
      data screening for lake ecological security assessment was developed to overcome
      the disadvantages of data selection in existing assessment methods. Correlation
      and principal component analysis were used to select independent and
      representative data. The DPSIR model was then applied to evaluate the ecological
      security of Dianchi Lake in China during 1988-2007 using an ecological security
      index. The results revealed a V-shaped trend. The application of the DPSIR model
      with data screening provided useful information regarding the status of the
      lake's ecosystem, while ensuring information efficiency and eliminating
      multicollinearity. The modeling approach described here is practical and
      operationally efficient, and provides an attractive alternative approach to
      assess the ecological security of lakes. 

PMID- 26107169
TI  - Effects of Different Maturation Systems on Bovine Oocyte Quality, Plasma Membrane
      Phospholipid Composition and Resistance to Vitrification and Warming.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different maturation
      systems on oocyte resistance after vitrification and on the phospholipid profile
      of the oocyte plasma membrane (PM). Four different maturation systems were
      tested: 1) in vitro maturation using immature oocytes aspirated from
      slaughterhouse ovaries (CONT; n = 136); 2) in vitro maturation using immature
      oocytes obtained by ovum pick-up (OPU) from unstimulated heifers (IMA; n = 433);
      3) in vitro maturation using immature oocytes obtained by OPU from stimulated
      heifers (FSH; n = 444); and 4) in vivo maturation using oocytes obtained from
      heifers stimulated 24 hours prior by an injection of GnRH (MII; n = 658). A
      sample of matured oocytes from each fresh group was analyzed by matrix associated
      laser desorption-ionization (MALDI-TOF) to determine their PM composition. Then,
      half of the matured oocytes from each group were vitrified/warmed (CONT VIT, IMA
      VIT, FSH VIT and MII VIT), while the other half were used as fresh controls.
      Afterwards, the eight groups underwent IVF and IVC, and blastocyst development
      was assessed at D2, D7 and D8. A chi-square test was used to compare embryo
      development between the groups. Corresponding phospholipid ion intensity was
      expressed in arbitrary units, and following principal components analyses (PCA)
      the data were distributed on a 3D graph. Oocytes obtained from superstimulated
      animals showed a greater rate of developmental (P<0.05) at D7 (MII = 62.4+/-17.5%
      and FSH = 58.8+/-16.1%) compared to those obtained from unstimulated animals
      (CONT = 37.9+/-8.5% and IMA = 50.6+/-14.4%). However, the maturation system did
      not affect the resistance of oocytes to vitrification because the blastocyst rate
      at D7 was similar (P>0.05) for all groups (CONT VIT = 2.8+/-3.5%, IMA VIT = 2.9+/
      4.0%, FSH VIT = 4.3+/-7.2% and MII VIT = 3.6+/-7.2%). MALDI-TOF revealed that
      oocytes from all maturation groups had similar phospholipid contents, except for
      760.6 ([PC (34:1) + H]+), which was more highly expressed in MII compared to FSH
      (P<0.05). The results suggest that although maturation systems improve embryonic
      development, they do not change the PM composition nor the resistance of bovine
      oocytes to vitrification. 

PMID- 26107171
TI  - Pesticides and Ostreid Herpesvirus 1 Infection in the Pacific Oyster, Crassostrea
      gigas.
AB  - Since 2008, mass mortality outbreaks have been reported in all French regions
      producing Pacific oysters, and in several Member States of the European Union.
      These mass mortality events of Pacific oysters are related to OsHV-1 infection.
      They occur during spring and summer periods leaving suspect the quality of the
      marine environment and the role of seasonal use of pesticides associated with the
      arrival of freshwater in oyster rearing areas. Pesticides have been also detected
      in French coastal waters, especially in areas of oyster production. Using PMA
      real-time PCR we showed that a mixture of 14 pesticides has no effect on the
      integrity of virus capsids from viral suspension in the conditions tested. A
      contact of oysters with this pesticide mixture was related to higher mortality
      rates among experimentally infected animals in comparison with control ones (no
      previous pesticide exposure before experimental infection). We therefore suggest
      that pesticides at realistic concentration can exert adverse effects on Pacific
      oysters and causes an increased susceptibility to the viral infection in
      experimental conditions. 

PMID- 26107172
TI  - Role of Areca Nut Induced TGF-beta and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Interaction in the
      Pathogenesis of Oral Submucous Fibrosis.
AB  - Areca nut consumption has been implicated in the progression of Oral Submucous
      fibrosis (OSF); an inflammatory precancerous fibrotic condition. Our previous
      studies have demonstrated the activation of TGF-beta signaling in epithelial
      cells by areca nut components and also propose a role for epithelial expressed
      TGF-beta in the pathogenesis of OSF. Although the importance of epithelial cells
      in the manifestation of OSF has been proposed, the actual effectors are
      fibroblast cells. However, the role of areca nut and TGF-beta in the context of
      fibroblast response has not been elucidated. Therefore, to understand their role
      in the context of fibroblast response in OSF pathogenesis, human gingival
      fibroblasts (hGF) were treated with areca nut and/or TGF-beta followed by
      transcriptome profiling. The gene expression profile obtained was compared with
      the previously published transcriptome profiles of OSF tissues and areca nut
      treated epithelial cells. The analysis revealed regulation of 4666 and 1214 genes
      by areca nut and TGF-beta treatment respectively. The expression of 413 genes in
      hGF cells was potentiated by areca nut and TGF-beta together. Further, the
      differentially expressed genes of OSF tissues compared to normal tissues
      overlapped significantly with areca nut and TGF-beta induced genes in epithelial
      and hGF cells. Several positively enriched pathways were found to be common
      between OSF tissues and areca nut +TGF-beta treated hGF cells. In concordance,
      areca nut along with TGF-beta enhanced fibroblast activation as demonstrated by
      potentiation of alphaSMA, gammaSMA and collagen gel contraction by hGF cells.
      Furthermore, TGF-beta secreted by areca nut treated epithelial cells influenced
      fibroblast activation and other genes implicated in fibrosis. These data
      establish a role for areca nut influenced epithelial cells in OSF progression by
      activation of fibroblasts and emphasizes the importance of epithelial-mesenchymal
      interaction in OSF. 

PMID- 26107174
TI  - High-Throughput 3-D Monitoring of Agricultural-Tree Plantations with Unmanned
      Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Technology.
AB  - The geometric features of agricultural trees such as canopy area, tree height and
      crown volume provide useful information about plantation status and crop
      production. However, these variables are mostly estimated after a time-consuming
      and hard field work and applying equations that treat the trees as geometric
      solids, which produce inconsistent results. As an alternative, this work presents
      an innovative procedure for computing the 3-dimensional geometric features of
      individual trees and tree-rows by applying two consecutive phases: 1) generation
      of Digital Surface Models with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology and 2)
      use of object-based image analysis techniques. Our UAV-based procedure produced
      successful results both in single-tree and in tree-row plantations, reporting up
      to 97% accuracy on area quantification and minimal deviations compared to in
      field estimations of tree heights and crown volumes. The maps generated could be
      used to understand the linkages between tree grown and field-related factors or
      to optimize crop management operations in the context of precision agriculture
      with relevant agro-environmental implications. 

PMID- 26107173
TI  - Core and Shell Song Systems Unique to the Parrot Brain.
AB  - The ability to imitate complex sounds is rare, and among birds has been found
      only in parrots, songbirds, and hummingbirds. Parrots exhibit the most advanced
      vocal mimicry among non-human animals. A few studies have noted differences in
      connectivity, brain position and shape in the vocal learning systems of parrots
      relative to songbirds and hummingbirds. However, only one parrot species, the
      budgerigar, has been examined and no differences in the presence of song system
      structures were found with other avian vocal learners. Motivated by questions of
      whether there are important differences in the vocal systems of parrots relative
      to other vocal learners, we used specialized constitutive gene expression,
      singing-driven gene expression, and neural connectivity tracing experiments to
      further characterize the song system of budgerigars and/or other parrots. We
      found that the parrot brain uniquely contains a song system within a song system.
      The parrot "core" song system is similar to the song systems of songbirds and
      hummingbirds, whereas the "shell" song system is unique to parrots. The core with
      only rudimentary shell regions were found in the New Zealand kea, representing
      one of the only living species at a basal divergence with all other parrots,
      implying that parrots evolved vocal learning systems at least 29 million years
      ago. Relative size differences in the core and shell regions occur among species,
      which we suggest could be related to species differences in vocal and cognitive
      abilities. 

PMID- 26107175
TI  - Characterizing the DNA Damage Response by Cell Tracking Algorithms and Cell
      Features Classification Using High-Content Time-Lapse Analysis.
AB  - Traditionally, the kinetics of DNA repair have been estimated using
      immunocytochemistry by labeling proteins involved in the DNA damage response
      (DDR) with fluorescent markers in a fixed cell assay. However, detailed knowledge
      of DDR dynamics across multiple cell generations cannot be obtained using a
      limited number of fixed cell time-points. Here we report on the dynamics of 53BP1
      radiation induced foci (RIF) across multiple cell generations using live cell
      imaging of non-malignant human mammary epithelial cells (MCF10A) expressing
      histone H2B-GFP and the DNA repair protein 53BP1-mCherry. Using automatic
      extraction of RIF imaging features and linear programming techniques, we were
      able to characterize detailed RIF kinetics for 24 hours before and 24 hours after
      exposure to low and high doses of ionizing radiation. High-content-analysis at
      the single cell level over hundreds of cells allows us to quantify precisely the
      dose dependence of 53BP1 protein production, RIF nuclear localization and RIF
      movement after exposure to X-ray. Using elastic registration techniques based on
      the nuclear pattern of individual cells, we could describe the motion of
      individual RIF precisely within the nucleus. We show that DNA repair occurs in a
      limited number of large domains, within which multiple small RIFs form, merge
      and/or resolve with random motion following normal diffusion law. Large foci
      formation is shown to be mainly happening through the merging of smaller RIF
      rather than through growth of an individual focus. We estimate repair domain
      sizes of 7.5 to 11 um2 with a maximum number of ~15 domains per MCF10A cell. This
      work also highlights DDR which are specific to doses larger than 1 Gy such as
      rapid 53BP1 protein increase in the nucleus and foci diffusion rates that are
      significantly faster than for spontaneous foci movement. We hypothesize that RIF
      merging reflects a "stressed" DNA repair process that has been taken outside
      physiological conditions when too many DSB occur at once. High doses of ionizing
      radiation lead to RIF merging into repair domains which in turn increases DSB
      proximity and misrepair. Such finding may therefore be critical to explain the
      supralinear dose dependence for chromosomal rearrangement and cell death measured
      after exposure to ionizing radiation. 

PMID- 26107176
TI  - Should We Stop Looking for a Better Scoring Algorithm for Handling Implicit
      Association Test Data? Test of the Role of Errors, Extreme Latencies Treatment,
      Scoring Formula, and Practice Trials on Reliability and Validity.
AB  - Since the development of D scores for the Implicit Association Test, few studies
      have examined whether there is a better scoring method. In this contribution, we
      tested the effect of four relevant parameters for IAT data that are the treatment
      of extreme latencies, the error treatment, the method for computing the IAT
      difference, and the distinction between practice and test critical trials. For
      some options of these different parameters, we included robust statistic methods
      that can provide viable alternative metrics to existing scoring algorithms,
      especially given the specificity of reaction time data. We thus elaborated 420
      algorithms that result from the combination of all the different options and test
      the main effect of the four parameters with robust statistical analyses as well
      as their interaction with the type of IAT (i.e., with or without built-in penalty
      included in the IAT procedure). From the results, we can elaborate some
      recommendations. A treatment of extreme latencies is preferable but only if it
      consists in replacing rather than eliminating them. Errors contain important
      information and should not be discarded. The D score seems to be still a good way
      to compute the difference although the G score could be a good alternative, and
      finally it seems better to not compute the IAT difference separately for practice
      and test critical trials. From this recommendation, we propose to improve the
      traditional D scores with small yet effective modifications. 

PMID- 26107177
TI  - Tantalum Nitride-Decorated Titanium with Enhanced Resistance to Microbiologically
      Induced Corrosion and Mechanical Property for Dental Application.
AB  - Microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC) of metallic devices/implants in the
      oral region is one major cause of implant failure and metal allergy in patients.
      Therefore, it is crucial to develop practical approaches which can effectively
      prevent MIC for broad clinical applications of these materials. In the present
      work, tantalum nitride (TaN)-decorated titanium with promoted bio-corrosion and
      mechanical property was firstly developed via depositing TaN layer onto pure Ti
      using magnetron sputtering. The microstructure and chemical constituent of TaN
      coatings were characterized, and were found to consist of a hard fcc-TaN outer
      layer. Besides, the addition of TaN coatings greatly increased the hardness and
      modulus of pristine Ti from 2.54 +/- 0.20 to 29.88 +/- 2.59 GPa, and from 107.19
      +/- 6.98 to 295.46 +/- 19.36 GPa, respectively. Potentiodynamic polarization and
      electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies indicated that TaN coating
      exhibited higher MIC resistance in comparison to bare Ti and TiN-coated coating
      in two bacteria-containing artificial saliva solutions. Moreover, the biofilm
      experiment showed that the TaN-decorated Ti sample possessed good antibacterial
      performance. The SEM and XPS results after biofilm removal demonstrated that TaN
      film remained its integrity and stability, while TiN layer detached from Ti
      surface in the bio-corrosion tests, demonstrating the anti-MIC behavior and the
      strong binding property of TaN coating to Ti substrate. Considering all these
      results, TaN-decorated Ti material exhibits the optimal comprehensive performance
      and holds great potential as implant material for dental applications. 

PMID- 26107178
TI  - Limitations of climatic data for inferring species boundaries: insights from
      speckled rattlesnakes.
AB  - Phenotypes, DNA, and measures of ecological differences are widely used in
      species delimitation. Although rarely defined in such studies, ecological
      divergence is almost always approximated using multivariate climatic data
      associated with sets of specimens (i.e., the "climatic niche"); the justification
      for this approach is that species-specific climatic envelopes act as surrogates
      for physiological tolerances. Using identical statistical procedures, we
      evaluated the usefulness and validity of the climate-as-proxy assumption by
      comparing performance of genetic (nDNA SNPs and mitochondrial DNA), phenotypic,
      and climatic data for objective species delimitation in the speckled rattlesnake
      (Crotalus mitchellii) complex. Ordination and clustering patterns were largely
      congruent among intrinsic (heritable) traits (nDNA, mtDNA, phenotype), and
      discordance is explained by biological processes (e.g., ontogeny, hybridization).
      In contrast, climatic data did not produce biologically meaningful clusters that
      were congruent with any intrinsic dataset, but rather corresponded to regional
      differences in atmospheric circulation and climate, indicating an absence of
      inherent taxonomic signal in these data. Surrogating climate for physiological
      tolerances adds artificial weight to evidence of species boundaries, as these
      data are irrelevant for that purpose. Based on the evidence from congruent
      clustering of intrinsic datasets, we recommend that three subspecies of C.
      mitchellii be recognized as species: C. angelensis, C. mitchellii, and C.
      Pyrrhus. 

PMID- 26107179
TI  - Matrix Intensification Affects Body and Physiological Condition of Tropical
      Forest-Dependent Passerines.
AB  - Matrix land-use intensification is a relatively recent and novel landscape change
      that can have important influences on the biota within adjacent habitat patches.
      While there are immediate local changes that it brings about, the influences on
      individual animals occupying adjacent habitats may be less evident initially.
      High-intensity land use could induce chronic stress in individuals in nearby
      remnants, leading ultimately to population declines. We investigated how
      physiological indicators and body condition measures of tropical forest-dependent
      birds differ between forest adjacent to surface mining sites and that near
      farmlands at two distances from remnant edge in southwest Ghana. We used mixed
      effects models of several condition indices including residual body mass and
      heterophil to lymphocyte (H/L) ratios (an indicator of elevated chronic stress)
      to explore the effect of matrix intensity on forest-dependent passerines classed
      as either sedentary area-sensitive habitat specialists or nomadic generalists.
      Individual birds occupying tropical forest remnants near surface mining sites
      were in poorer condition, as indicated by lower residual body mass and elevated
      chronic stress, compared to those in remnants near agricultural lands. The
      condition of the sedentary forest habitat specialists white-tailed alethe, Alethe
      diademata and western olive sunbird, Cyanomitra obscura was most negatively
      affected by high-intensity surface mining land-use adjacent to remnants, whereas
      generalist species were not affected. Land use intensification may set in train a
      new trajectory of faunal relaxation beyond that expected based on habitat loss
      alone. Patterns of individual condition may be useful in identifying habitats
      where species population declines may occur before faunal relaxation has
      concluded. 

PMID- 26107180
TI  - Evidence for a Role of the Transcriptional Regulator Maid in Tumorigenesis and
      Aging.
AB  - Maid is a helix-loop-helix protein that is involved in cell proliferation. In
      order to further elucidate its physiological functions, we studied Maid activity
      in two small fish model systems. We found that Maid expression was greatest in
      zebrafish liver and that it increased following partial hepatectomy. Maid levels
      were also high in hepatic preneoplastic foci induced by treatment of zebrafish
      with diethylnitrosamine (DEN), but low in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), mixed
      tumors, and cholangiocarcinomas developing in these animals. In DEN-treated
      transgenic medaka overexpressing Maid, hepatic BrdU uptake and proliferation were
      reduced. After successive breedings, Maid transgenic medaka exhibited decreased
      movement and a higher incidence of abnormal spine curvature, possibly due to the
      senescence of spinal cord cells. Taken together, our results suggest that Maid
      levels can influence the progression of liver cancer. In conclusion, we found
      that Maid is important regulator of hepatocarconogenesis and aging. 

PMID- 26107181
TI  - Phytohormone Involvement in the Ustilago maydis- Zea mays Pathosystem:
      Relationships between Abscisic Acid and Cytokinin Levels and Strain Virulence in
      Infected Cob Tissue.
AB  - Ustilago maydis is the causative agent of common smut of corn. Early studies
      noted its ability to synthesize phytohormones and, more recently these growth
      promoting substances were confirmed as cytokinins (CKs). Cytokinins comprise a
      group of phytohormones commonly associated with actively dividing tissues. Lab
      analyses identified variation in virulence between U. maydis dikaryon and
      solopathogen infections of corn cob tissue. Samples from infected cob tissue were
      taken at sequential time points post infection and biochemical profiling was
      performed using high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization
      tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI MS/MS). This hormone profiling revealed that
      there were altered levels of ABA and major CKs, with a marked reduction in CK
      glucosides, increases in methylthiol CKs and a particularly dramatic increase in
      cisZ CK forms, in U. maydis infected tissue. These changes were more pronounced
      in the more virulent dikaryon relative to the solopathogenic strain suggesting a
      role for cytokinins in moderating virulence during biotrophic infection. These
      findings highlight the fact that U. maydis does not simply mimic a fertilized
      seed but instead reprograms the host tissue. Results underscore the suitability
      of the Ustilago maydis- Zea mays model as a basis for investigating the control
      of phytohormone dynamics during biotrophic infection of plants. 

PMID- 26107182
TI  - Circulating Lipids Are Associated with Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis and Represent
      Potential Biomarkers for Risk Assessment.
AB  - Liver disease is the greatest cause of death related to alcohol and a major
      public health problem. While excessive alcohol intake results in hepatosteatosis
      in most individuals, this can progress in some to more severe forms of liver
      disease including fibrosis and cirrhosis. An ongoing challenge in the management
      of alcoholic liver disease is the identification of liver injury early in the
      disease process such that intervention strategies can prevent serious long term
      outcomes. Given that excessive alcohol consumption results in dysregulation of
      lipid metabolism we applied lipid profiling technology to characterise and
      compare serum lipid profiles from excessive chronic drinkers with no liver
      disease to those with advanced alcoholic cirrhosis. In a cohort of 59 excessive
      drinkers (31 with liver cirrhosis and 28 with no evidence of liver disease) we
      used electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry to measure over 300
      individual lipid species in serum, including species of the major phospholipid,
      sphingolipid, glycerolipid and sterol classes. Six of the 25 lipid classes and
      subclasses were significantly associated with alcoholic liver cirrhosis; these
      included dihexosylceramide, trihexosylceramide, alkylphosphatidylcholine,
      lysoalkylphosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol and free cholesterol.
      Multivariate classification models created with only clinical characteristics
      gave an optimal model with an AUC of 0.847 and an accuracy of 79.7%. The addition
      of lipid measurements to the clinical characteristics resulted in models of
      improved performance with an AUC of 0.892 and accuracy of 81.8%. The gain in AUC
      and accuracy of the combined models highlight the potential of serum lipids as
      markers of liver injury in alcoholic liver disease. 

PMID- 26107184
TI  - Heteroligand o-Semiquinonato-Formazanato Cobalt Complexes.
AB  - Two novel heteroligand o-semiquinonato-formazanato cobalt complexes [Co(3,6
      SQ)(Form)] (1) and [Co(3,6-SQ)2(Form)] (2) (3,6-SQ is 3,6-di-tert-butyl-o
      benzosemiquinonate radical anion; Form is 1,3,5-triphenylformazanate anion) were
      synthesized and characterized in detail. The molecular structures of [Co(3,6
      SQ)(Form)] and [Co(3,6-SQ)2(Form)] were determined by X-ray analysis. Magnetic
      susceptibility measurements and spectroscopic studies have shown that square
      planar complex 1 is diamagnetic with a residual paramagnetism due to
      antiferromagnetic exchange metal-ligand. Complex 2 includes cobalt(III) in the
      low-spin state and two anionic-radical o-semiquinonato and one formazanate
      ligand. 

PMID- 26107183
TI  - Invasive Breast Cancer Incidence in 2,305,427 Screened Asymptomatic Women:
      Estimated Long Term Outcomes during Menopause Using a Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Earlier studies of breast cancer, screening mammography, and
      mortality reduction may have inflated lifetime and long-term risk estimates for
      invasive breast cancer due to limitations in their data collection methods and
      interpretation. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the percentage of asymptomatic
      peri/postmenopausal women who will be diagnosed with a first invasive breast
      cancer over their next 25 years of life. METHODS: A systematic review identified
      peer-reviewed published studies that: 1) enrolled no study participants with a
      history of invasive breast cancer; 2) specified the number of women enrolled; 3)
      reported the number of women diagnosed with a first invasive breast cancer; 4)
      did not overcount [count a woman multiple times]; and, 5) defined the length of
      follow-up. Data sources included PubMed, Cochrane Library, and an annotated
      library of 4,409 full-text menopause-related papers collected and reviewed by the
      first author from 1974 through 2008. Linear regression predicted incidence of
      first invasive breast cancer, based on follow-up duration in all studies that met
      the our inclusion criteria, and in a subset of these studies that included only
      women who were 1) at least 50 years old and 2) either at least 50 or less than 50
      but surgically menopausal at enrollment. RESULTS: Nineteen studies met the
      inclusion criteria. They included a total of 2,305,427 peri/postmenopasual women.
      The mean cumulative incidence rate of first invasive breast cancer increased by
      0.20% for each year of age (95% CI: 0.17, 0.23; p < 0.01; R2 = 0.90). Over 25
      years of follow-up, an estimated 94.55% of women will remain breast cancer-free
      (95% CI: 93.97, 95.13). In the 12 studies (n = 1,711,178) that enrolled only
      postmenopausal women, an estimated 0.23% of women will be diagnosed with a first
      invasive breast cancer each year (95% CI: 0.18, 0.28; p < 0.01, R2 = 0.88).
      CONCLUSION: The vast majority (99.75%) of screened asymptomatic
      peri/postmenopasual women will not be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each
      year. Approximately 95% will not be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during
      25 years of follow-up. Women who receive clinical examinations, but do not have
      mammograms, will have higher cancer-free rates because innocuous positives
      (comprising 30-50% of mammography diagnoses) will remain undetected. Informed
      consent to asymptomatic women should include these results and consideration of
      the benefits of avoiding mammograms.

PMID- 26107185
TI  - VUV Photodissociation Dynamics of Nitrous Oxide: The O((1)SJ=0) and
      O((3)PJ=2,1,0) Product Channels.
AB  - Vacuum ultraviolet photodissociation dynamics of nitrous oxide was investigated
      using the time-sliced velocity ion imaging technique. Images of the O((1)SJ=0)
      and the O((3)PJ=2,1,0) products were measured at nine photolysis wavelengths from
      124.44 to 133.20 nm, respectively. Three main dissociation channels: O((1)S0) +
      N2(X(1)Sigmag(+)), O((3)PJ=2,1,0) + N2(A(3)Sigmau(+)), and O((3)PJ=2,1,0) +
      N2(B(3)Pig) were observed and identified in the product images where vibrational
      states of N2 were fully resolved. Product total kinetic energy releases and
      angular distributions were acquired. In all product channels, the branching
      ratios of vibrational states of N2 products were determined. In addition, the
      O((3)PJ=2,1,0) + N2(A(3)Sigmau(+))/O((3)PJ=2,1,0) + N2(B(3)Pig) branching ratios
      were determined. We found that in the O((3)PJ=2,1,0) channels the O((3)PJ=2,1,0)
      + N2(B(3)Pig) channel becomes dominant at long photolysis wavelength, indicating
      a strong coupling between the singlet D((1)Sigmag(+)) state and the triplet (3)Pi
      state. For both O((1)S0) and O((3)PJ=2,1,0) products, the derived angular
      anisotropy parameters (beta values) are very close to 2 at lower vibrational
      states of the correlated N2 electronic states and gradually decrease with the
      increasing vibrational quantum number. These behaviors suggest that the
      photodissociation processes are primarily governed by a fast dissociation in a
      linear geometry, while the N2 products at excited vibrational states are very
      likely produced via a more bent transition state. 

PMID- 26107187
TI  - Trypanocidal, trichomonacidal and cytotoxic components of cultivated Artemisia
      absinthium Linnaeus (Asteraceae) essential oil.
AB  - Artemisia absinthium is an aromatic and medicinal plant of ethnopharmacological
      interest and it has been widely studied. The use ofA. absinthium based on the
      collection of wild populations can result in variable compositions of the
      extracts and essential oils (EOs). The aim of this paper is the identification of
      the active components of the vapour pressure (VP) EO from a selected and
      cultivated A. absinthium Spanish population (T2-11) against two parasitic
      protozoa with different metabolic pathways: Trypanosoma cruzi and Trichomonas
      vaginalis. VP showed activity on both parasites at the highest concentrations.
      The chromatographic fractionation of the VP T2-11 resulted in nine fractions
      (VLC1-9). The chemical composition of the fractions and the antiparasitic effects
      of fractions and their main compounds suggest that the activity of the VP is
      related with the presence of trans-caryophyllene and dihydrochamazulene (main
      components of fractions VLC1 and VLC2 respectively). Additionally, the
      cytotoxicity of VP and fractions has been tested on several tumour and no tumour
      human cell lines. Fractions VLC1 and VLC2 were not cytotoxic against the
      nontumoural cell line HS5, suggesting selective antiparasitic activity for these
      two fractions. The VP and fractions inhibited the growth of human tumour cell
      lines in a dose-dependent manner.

PMID- 26107186
TI  - T-cell receptor Vbeta repertoire of CD8+ T-lymphocyte subpopulations in cutaneous
      leishmaniasis patients from the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
AB  - In human cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), the immune response is mainly mediated by
      T-cells. The role of CD8+ T-lymphocytes, which are related to healing or
      deleterious functions, in affecting clinical outcome is controversial. The aim of
      this study was to evaluate T-cell receptor diversity in late-differentiated
      effector (LDE) and memory CD8+ T-cell subsets in order to create a profile of
      specific clones engaged in deleterious or protective CL immune responses. Healthy
      subjects, patients with active disease (PAD) and clinically cured patients were
      enrolled in the study. Total CD8+ T-lymphocytes showed a disturbance in the
      expression of the Vbeta2, Vbeta9, Vbeta13.2, Vbeta18 and Vbeta23 families. The
      analyses of CD8+T-lymphocyte subsets showed high frequencies of LDE CD8+T
      lymphocytes expressing Vbeta12 and Vbeta22 in PAD, as well as effector-memory
      CD8+ T-cells expressing Vbeta22. We also observed low frequencies of effector and
      central-memory CD8+ T-cells expressing Vbeta2 in PAD, which correlated with a
      greater lesion size. Particular Vbeta expansions point to CD8+ T-cell clones that
      are selected during CL immune responses, suggesting that CD8+ T-lymphocytes
      expressing Vbeta12 or Vbeta22 are involved in a LDE response and that Vbeta2
      contractions in memory CD8+T-cells are associated with larger lesions. 

PMID- 26107188
TI  - Corynebacterium diphtheriae putative tellurite-resistance protein (CDCE8392_0813)
      contributes to the intracellular survival in human epithelial cells and lethality
      of Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the aetiologic agent of diphtheria, also represents
      a global medical challenge because of the existence of invasive strains as
      causative agents of systemic infections. Although tellurite (TeO32-) is toxic to
      most microorganisms, TeO32--resistant bacteria, including C. diphtheriae, exist
      in nature. The presence of TeO32--resistance (TeR) determinants in pathogenic
      bacteria might provide selective advantages in the natural environment. In the
      present study, we investigated the role of the putative TeR determinant
      (CDCE8392_813gene) in the virulence attributes of diphtheria bacilli. The
      disruption of CDCE8392_0813 gene expression in the LDCIC-L1 mutant increased
      susceptibility to TeO32- and reactive oxygen species (hydrogen peroxide), but not
      to other antimicrobial agents. The LDCIC-L1 mutant also showed a decrease in both
      the lethality of Caenorhabditis elegans and the survival inside of human
      epithelial cells compared to wild-type strain. Conversely, the haemagglutinating
      activity and adherence to and formation of biofilms on different abiotic surfaces
      were not regulated through the CDCE8392_0813 gene. In conclusion, the
      CDCE8392_813 gene contributes to the TeR and pathogenic potential of C.
      diphtheriae.

PMID- 26107190
TI  - 'Drawing' a Molecular Portrait of CIN and Cervical Cancer: a Review of Genome
      Wide Molecular Profiling Data.
AB  - In this review we summarize the results of studies employing high-throughput
      methods of profiling of HPV-associated cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)
      and squamous cell cervical cancers at key intracellular regulatory levels to
      demonstrate the unique identity of the landscape of molecular changes underlying
      this oncopathology, and to show how these changes are related to the 'natural
      history' of cervical cancer progression and the formation of clinically
      significant properties of tumors. A step-wise character of cervical cancer
      progression is a morphologically well-described fact and, as evidenced by genome
      wide screenings, it is indeed the consistent change of the molecular profiles of
      HPV-infected epithelial cells through which they progressively acquire the
      phenotypic hallmarks of cancerous cells. In this sense, CIN/cervical cancer is a
      unique model for studying the driving forces and mechanisms of carcinogenesis.
      Recent research has allowed definition of the whole-genome spectrum of both
      random and regular molecular alterations, as well as changes either common to
      processes of carcinogenesis or specific for cervical cancer. Despite the
      existence of questions that are still to be investigated, these findings are of
      great value for the future development of approaches for the diagnostics and
      treatment of cervical neoplasms. 

PMID- 26107189
TI  - Influence of Endosomal Escape and Degradation of alpha-Galactosylceramide Loaded
      Liposomes on CD1d Antigen Presentation.
AB  - Alpha-galactosylceramide (GC), a lipid antigen present on CD1d molecules, is a
      unique adjuvant that enables a strong antitumor effect to be induced via
      activation of natural killer T cells. We previously reported that a liposomal
      formulation of GC significantly enhanced GC presentation via CD1d and antitumor
      immunity. However, the influence of the intracellular fate of liposomes
      controlled by the lipid composition on GC presentation using GC-loaded liposomes
      (GC-Lip) remains unclear. In this study, we prepared a GC-Lip formulation by
      incorporating dioleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE)/cholesterol, egg
      phosphatidylcholine (EPC)/cholesterol, and distearoyl phosphocholine
      (DSPC)/cholesterol, and investigated the relationship between the intracellular
      trafficking of GC-Lip and GC presentation in antigen-presenting cells. When GC
      Lip was prepared using DOPE, a fusogenic lipid, the endosomal escape of liposomes
      was enhanced, resulting in a decrease in GC presentation of CD1d, compared to the
      EPC based GC-Lip (EPC/GC-Lip). The stability of liposomes in endosomes/lysosomes
      had no influence on GC presentation. The DSPC based GC-Lip (DSPC/GC-Lip) induced
      GC presentation without any detectable degradation in liposomal structure,
      although the EPC/GC-Lip induced GC presentation with degradation of liposomal
      structure. The efficiency of GC presentation between EPC/GC-Lip and DSPC/GC-Lip
      was comparable. These GC presentations that were independent of the degradation
      of liposomes were dominated by saposins, sphingolipid activator proteins. Our
      findings reveal that GC presentation on CD1d from the fluid liposomes involves
      the action of saposins, regardless of whether liposome degradation occurs. This
      insight can be of use in terms of developing GC-Lip formulation for efficient GC
      presentation. 

PMID- 26107191
TI  - Current Status and Future Perspectives of Sonodynamic Therapy and Sonosensitiers.
AB  - The precaution and treatment for cancer become inevitable with the rising of
      morbidity and mortality. In this article, a promising new methodology for cancer
      treatment, sono-dynamic therapy (SDT) was introduced. In addition, we extensively
      reviewed the molec-ular mechanisms of SDT killing cancer and summarized the
      classification of sonosensi-tizers. At the same time, research progress of SDT
      indicates that it is possible to become a developing field for cancer treatment
      in clinical application. 

PMID- 26107192
TI  - Are PIK3CA Mutation and Amplification Associated with Clinicopathological
      Characteristics of Gastric Cancer?
AB  - Alterations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been studied in various cancers.
      However, the clinical value of mtDNA copy number (mtCN) alterations in gastric
      cancer (GC) is poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated whether
      alterations in mtCNs might be associated with clinicopathological parameters in
      GC cases. mtCN was measured in 109 patients with GC by real-time PCR. Then,
      correlations with clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. mtCN was
      elevated in 64.2% of GC tissues compared with paired, adjacent, non- cancerous
      tissue. However, the observed alterations in mtCN were not associated with any
      clinicopathological characteristics, including age, gender, TN stage, Lauren
      classification, lymph node metastasis, and depth of invasion. Moreover, Kaplan
      Meier survival curves revealed that mtCN was not significantly associated with
      the survival of GC patients. In this study, we demonstrated that mtCN was not a
      significant marker for predicting clinical characteristics or prognosis in GC. 

PMID- 26107193
TI  - Comparative Study of Carcinoembryonic Antigen Tumor Marker in Stomach and Colon
      Cancer Patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Due to the increase in morbidity and mortality rate, cancer has
      become an alarming threat to the human population worldwide. Since cancer is a
      progressive disorder, timely diagnosis would be helpful to prevent/stop cancer
      from progressing to severe stage. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, most of the
      time, tumors are diagnosed with endoscopy and biopsy; therefore rare studies
      exist regarding the diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GIT) carcinomas based on tumor
      markers, especially CEA. OBJECTIVES: This study made a comparative analysis of
      CEA in admitted hospitalized stomach and colon cancer patients diagnosed as GIT
      with biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, a total of 66 cases were
      included. The level of CEA was determined in the blood of these patients using
      ELISA technique. RESULTS: Out of 66 patients, the level of CEA was high in 59.1%
      of the total, 60.7% in colon cancer patients and 57.9 % in stomach cancer
      patients. Moreover, the incidence of colorectal and stomach cancer was greater in
      males as compared to females. Patients were more of the age group of 40- 60 and
      the level of CEA was comparatively higher in patients (51.5%) with histology
      which was moderately differentiated, than patients with well differentiated and
      poorly differentiated tumor histology. CONCLUSIONS: CEA level was high in more
      than 50% of the total patients. Moreover, CEA exhibited higher sensitivity for
      colon than stomach cancer.

PMID- 26107194
TI  - Relations of Serum Visfatin and Resistin Levels with Endometrial Cancer and
      Factors Associated with its Prognosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were compare the serum visfatin and resistin
      levels between endometrial cancer (EC) patients and controls and evaluate their
      power to predict prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study was
      conducted between March 2013 to June 2014 on the Gynecologic Oncology Department
      of the University of Selcuk, Konya, Turkey. A total of 42 EC patients and 42
      controls were included and assessed for differences in serum visfatin and
      resistin levels, along with prognostic factors. RESULTS: Endometrial cancer
      patients had significantly higher visfatin levels than control s (p: 0.011),
      associated with deep myometrial invasion (p: 0.019). In contrast the serum level
      of resistin did not significantly differ between EC patients and controls (p:
      0.362). However, high resistin level in EC patients was associated with increase
      lymph node metastasis (p: 0.009). On logistic regression analysis, we found that
      serum visfatin elevation was associated with risk of myometrial invasion (OR:
      1,091; 95%CI: 1.021- 1.166; p: 0.010) and serum resistin with risk of lymph node
      metastasis (OR: 1.018; 95%CI: 1.000- 1.035; p: 0.046). For myometrial invasion
      prediction, a serum visfatin level greater than 26.8 ng/mL demonstrated a
      sensitivity and specificity of 66.6 % and 96.4%, respectively. For lymph node
      metastasis prediction, the best cut-off for serum resistin level was 599ng/mL. A
      serum resistin level greater than this demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity
      of 87.5% and 77.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that serum
      visfatin is elevated in patients with EC and serum visfatin and resistin levels
      could be used to predict the risk of advance stage lesions.

PMID- 26107195
TI  - miR-9 Modulates Osteosarcoma Cell Growth by Targeting the GCIP Tumor Suppressor.
AB  - Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone tumor in humans, especially in
      childhood. However, the genetic etiology for its pathogenesis remains elusive. It
      is known that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the development of tumor
      progression. Here we show that microRNA-9 (miR-9) is a potential oncogene
      upregulated in osteosarcoma cells. Knockdown of miR-9 in osteosarcoma resulted in
      suppressed colony formation and cell proliferation. Further study identified
      GCIP, a Grap2 and cyclin D interacting protein, as a direct target of miR- 9. In
      addition, GCIP overexpression activated retinoblastoma 1 (Rb) and suppressed E2F
      transcriptional target expression in osteosarcoma cells. Moreover, GCIP depletion
      reversed miR-9 knockdown induced colony formation and cell proliferation
      suppression. In sum, these results highlight the importance of miR-9 as an
      oncogene in regulating the proliferation of osteosarcoma by directly targeting
      GCIP and may provide new insights into the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma. 

PMID- 26107196
TI  - Ki-67 Can Predict the Response to the Gemcitabine, Oxaliplatin And L-asparaginase
      Regimen (GELOX) and Prognosis in Patients with Nasal Natural Killer/T-cell
      Lymphoma.
AB  - GELOX (gemcitabine, oxaliplatin and L-asparaginase) regimen showed an impressive
      result in our previous study, but the effect of this new regimen is still
      dissatisfying for some patients, so it is necessary to identify which patients
      will benefit from this regimen. A total of fifty-one cases with nasal natural
      killer/T-cell lymphoma receiving initial GELOX chemotherapy were enrolled in this
      study. The ki-67 expression detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the
      specimens ranged from 10% to 90%, with a median value of 70%, so cases higher
      than the median value (>=70%) were defined as high ki-67 expression, and the
      others were designated as low ki-67 expression. The response rate had no
      statistical difference between low ki-67 expression group and high ki-67
      expression group (P=0.291) though the value in the former group was relatively
      high. After a median follow-up of 18.03 months, the 3-year progression-free
      survival (PFS) for patients with low ki-67 expression was significantly higher
      than those with high ki-67 expression (83.8% vs. 47.9%, P=0.038). In the stage
      I/II subgroup, 3-year PFS and overall survival (OS) were statistically higher in
      the patients with low ki-67 expression than those with high ki- 67 expression.
      Multivariate analysis revealed high ki-67 expression was an independent
      prognostic factor for PFS. These results suggest that low ki-67 expression can
      predict a good response of GELOX in these patients, and the combination of ki-67
      expression and early stage is helpful to identify an excellent prognosis subgroup
      from patients receiving GELOX in this disease. 

PMID- 26107197
TI  - Role of exon 7 PTEN Gene in Endometrial Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endometrial carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of the
      female genital tract and the fourth most common cancer in Iranian women after
      breast, colorectal and lung cancers. Various genetic alterations appear to be
      early events in the pathogenesis of endometrial carcinoma and it seems that PTEN
      is the most commonly mutated gene in the endometrioid subtype. The aim of the
      present study was to investigate the correlation between mutations in exon 7 of
      PTEN gene and endometrial carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-five patients
      with endometrial carcinoma and 75 females whose underwent hysterectomy for non
      tumoral indication were selected for evaluation of PTEN mutations in exon 7 by
      PCR-SSCP and sequencing. Correlations between the frequency and type of mutation
      and the pathologic findings of the cancer (tumor subtype, stage and grade) were
      assessed. RESULTS: All of the samples were obtained from Iranian patients. 60 %
      (45 cases) of the tumors were endometriod and 40% (30 cases) were of serous type.
      The grade distributions of the 75 cases according to the FIGO staging system were
      as follows: low grade, 20 cases; high grade 55 cases, low stage, 41 cases; high
      stage 34 cases. For exon 7 of the PTEN gene, the analysis showed that there were
      no mutations in our cases. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings in the present study suggest
      that exon 7 of PTEN does not play any significant role in the development of
      endometrial carcinoma in Iranian cases.

PMID- 26107198
TI  - Association between MTHFR C677T Polymorphism and Risk of Prostate Cancer:
      Evidence from 22 Studies with 10,832 Cases and 11,993 Controls.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The MTHFR C677T polymorphism is a genetic alteration affecting an
      enzyme involved in folate metabolism, but its relationship to host susceptibility
      to prostate cancer remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate
      the association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and prostate cancer by
      performing a meta-analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pubmed and Web of Science
      databases were searched for case-control studies investigating the association
      between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and prostate cancer. Odds ratios (OR) and 95%
      confidence intervals (95%CI) were used to assess any link. RESULTS: A total of 22
      independent studies were identified, including 10,832 cases and 11,993 controls.
      Meta-analysis showed that there was no obvious association between MTHFR C677T
      polymorphism and risk of prostate cancer under all five genetic models. There was
      also no obvious association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and risk of prostate
      cancer in the subgroup analyses of Caucasians. In contrast, MTHFR C677T
      polymorphism was associated with increased risk for prostate cancer in Asians
      with the allele model (C vs G: OR=1.299, 95 %CI =1.121-1.506, P=0.001,
      Pheterogeneity =0.120, I2=45%), additive genetic model (CC vs TT: OR =1.925, 95 %
      CI= 1.340-2.265, P=0.00, Pheterogeneity =0.587, I2=0.00%), recessive model (CC vs
      TT+TC: OR= 1.708, 95 % CI= 1.233-2.367, P=0.001, Pheterogeneity =0.716,
      I2=0.00%), and heterozygote genetic model (CT vs TT: OR=2.193, 95 % CI =1.510
      3.186, P=0.000, Pheterogeneity =0.462, I2=0.00%). CONCLUSIONS: These results
      suggest that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism does not contribute to the risk of
      prostate cancer from currently available evidence in populations overall and
      Caucasians. However, the meta analysis indicates that it may play a role in
      prostate cancer development in Asians.

PMID- 26107199
TI  - Effects of Offspring-Related Characteristics on Depressive Disorder among Cancer
      Patients and Survivors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of offspring-related characteristics on
      the prevalence of depressive disorders among cancer patients and those who
      survived cancer for at least 45 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were obtained
      from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). To investigate the
      association between offspring and depressive disorder among cancer patients and
      survivors, we analyzed data from 292 cancer patients and survivors drawn from a
      total subject pool of 16,613 individuals at baseline. RESULTS: According to our
      results, the odds ratio (OR) for subjects with five or more offspring developing
      depressive disorder was -0.794 (p-value: 0.039, SE: 0.329) compared with that of
      those with two offspring. In addition, the adjusted effect of the number of male
      and female offspring on the presence of depressive disorder showed that the OR
      for those with three or more female offspring for developing depressive disorder
      was -0.958 lower (SE: 0.305, p-value: 0.012) than it was for those with no female
      offspring. CONCLUSIONS: This article provides evidence for an association between
      offspring-related characteristics and depressive disorders among cancer patients
      and survivors. Therefore, offspring may be important contributors to the
      emotional status of cancer patients and survivors. Further study should precisely
      need to measure depressive disorders because of self-reported data.

PMID- 26107200
TI  - OK-432 Suppresses Proliferation and Metastasis by Tumor Associated Macrophages in
      Bladder Cancer.
AB  - OK-432, a Streptococcus-derived anticancer immunotherapeutic agent, has been
      applied in clinic for many years and achieved great progress in various cancers.
      In the present study, we investigated its anticancer effect on bladder cancer
      through tumor associated macrophages (TAMs). MTS assay validated OK-432 could
      inhibit proliferation in both T24 and EJ bladder cell lines. OK-432 also induced
      apoptosis of bladder cancer cells in vitro. Consequently, we demonstrated that OK
      432 could suppress the bladder cancer cells migration and invasion by altering
      the EMT-related factors. Furthermore, using SD rat model, we revealed that OK-432
      inhibited tumor growth, suppressed PCNA expression and inhibited metastasis in
      vivo. Taken together, these findings strongly suggest that OK-432 inhibits cell
      proliferation and metastasis through inducing macrophages to secret cytokines in
      bladder cancer. 

PMID- 26107201
TI  - The Effects of ASMase Mediated Endothelial Cell Apoptosis in Multiple
      Hypofractionated Irradiations in CT26 Tumor Bearing Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate the effects of ASMase mediated endothelial cell
      apoptosis in multiple hypofractionated irradiations in CT26 tumor bearing mice.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five CT26 tumor bearing mice were subjected to
      single ionizing radiation (IR) of 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 Gy. Eight hours after
      IR, the mice were sacrificed and tumor tissues were used for CD31
      immunohistochemistry staining, TUNEL and CD31 double staining, ASMase activity
      assay. Then 6 and 12 Gy were chosen for multiple hypofractionated IR experiments
      according to the above results. Each time after IR, 5 mice were sacrificed and
      assayed as above. RESULTS: The ASMase activities were increased significantly
      after a single IR of 12 Gy or higher which was accompanied with remarkable
      increased endothelial cell apoptosis and decreased MVD. For 6 Gy which was not
      high enough to trigger ASMase activation, after 2 or more times of IR, the ASMase
      activities were significantly increased accompanied with remarkable increased
      endothelial cell apoptosis and decreased MVD. While for 12 Gy, after 2 or more
      times of IR, the ASMase activities and endothelial cell apoptosis rates were
      maintained without remarkable increase; however, the MVD was significantly
      decreased. What's more, the cancer cell apoptosis rates were significantly
      increased after multiple IR for both 6 Gy and 12 Gy. CONCLUSIONS: ASMase mediated
      endothelial cell apoptosis may play an important role in the process of multiple
      hypofractionated IR for CT26 colorectal carcinoma.

PMID- 26107202
TI  - Endothelial Cell Proliferation and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression
      in Primary Colorectal Cancer and Corresponding Liver Metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: . Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the major causes of cancer
      death worldwide. Data from the literature indicate differences between the
      proliferation rate of endothelial cells relative to the morphology growth type,
      possibly due to origin of specimens (autopsy material, surgery fragments) or
      quantification methods. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a factor
      that stimulates the proliferation of endothelial cells. It is expressed in more
      than 90% of cases of metastatic CRC. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate
      the endothelial cell proliferation and VEGF expression in primary tumors and
      corresponding liver metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study included 24
      recent biopsies of primary tumors and corresponding liver metastases of CRC
      cases. CD34/ Ki67 double immunostaining and RNA scope assay for VEGF were
      performed. RESULTS: In the primary tumors analysis of VEGFmRNA expression
      indicated no significant correlation with differentiation grade, proliferative
      and non-proliferative vessels in the intratumoral and peritumoral areas. In
      contrast, in the corresponding liver metastases, VEGFmRNA expression
      significantly correlated with the total number of non- proliferative vessels and
      total number of vessels. CD34/ Ki67 double immunostaining in the cases with
      poorly differentiated carcinoma indicated a high number of proliferating
      endothelial cells in the peritumoral area and a low number in the intratumoral
      area for the primary tumor. Moderately differentiated carcinomas of colon showed
      no proliferating endothelial cells in the intratumoral area in half of the cases
      included in the study, for both, primary tumor and liver metastasis. In well
      differentiated CRCs, in primary tumors, a high proliferation rate of endothelial
      cells in the intratumoral area and a lower proliferation rate in the peritumoral
      area were found. A low value was found in corresponding liver metastasis.
      CONCLUSIONS: The absence of proliferative endothelial cells in half of the cases
      for the primary tumors and liver metastases in moderately differentiated
      carcinoma suggest a vascular mimicry phenomenon. The mismatch between the total
      number of vessels and endothelial proliferation in primary tumors indicate that a
      functional vascular network is already formed or the existence of some mechanisms
      influenced by other angiogenic factors.

PMID- 26107203
TI  - Participation of the Women Covered by Family Physicians in Breast Cancer
      Screening Program in Kerman, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mammography screening is a method for reducing breast cancer
      mortality in women over 40 years old . A participation rate of at least 70% is a
      prerequisite for screening programs. This study aimed at determining the
      participation rate of women in breast cancer screening in Iran. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The study population in this prospective research consisted of 35 to 69
      years old women in the villages and towns Kerman District, in 2013. The data were
      collected by a well-validated risk assessment questionnaire. The questionnaires
      were completed with the help of health workers and technicians in the health
      centers, who were trained on breast cancer screening program. RESULTS: As a
      whole, 19,651 women were invited to complete the questionnaire, of whom 15,794
      women (80.37%) completed it. In the urban region, of 3150 eligible women 2728
      women (86.60%) participated in the study. The acceptance rates for mammography in
      rural and urban regions were 34.95% and 8.75%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      Finally, 3.8% and 16.34% of 35 to 69 years old women in the urban regions were
      mammographed, respectively. CONCLUSION: The low participation of eligible women
      in breast cancer screening program alerts us against including the program in the
      health insurance package.

PMID- 26107204
TI  - Smoking among Secondary School Students in Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia--Findings
      from a Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Smoking is a learnt behavior during adolescence and understanding the
      factor/s associated with smoking will assist in identifying suitable measures in
      combating the rising prevalence of smoking among adolescents. This research aimed
      to identify the factor/s associated with smoking among form four students in Kota
      Tinggi, Johor. Multistage sampling was used to select a representative sample of
      students in 2008 and data were collected using a self-administered validated
      questionnaire. This study revealed that the overall smoking prevalence was 19.0%
      with a significantly higher proportion of male smokers (35.8%) as compared to
      females (3.15%). Adolescents who were male (aOR 6.6, 95%CI 2.61-16.4), those who
      had peer/s who smoked (aOR 4.03, 95% CI 1.31-12.4), and those who studied in
      rural areas and Felda Settlements ( aOR 4.59, 95 CI 1.11-18.0; aOR 9.42, 95%CI
      3.91-29.1) were more likely to smoke in the past one week. On the other hand,
      adolescents with better knowledge on the hazards of smoking and negative
      attitudes towards smoking were less likely to smoke (aOR 0.51, 95%CI 0.37-0.72;
      aOR 0.67, 95%CI 0.46-0.99). Future promotional and interventional programmes on
      smoking should be considered and the above identified risk factors integrated to
      reduce smoking prevalence among students of school-going ages in Kota Tinggi.
      Johor.

PMID- 26107205
TI  - The Inhibition Effect of Triptolide on Human Endometrial Carcinoma Cell Line HEC
      1B: a in vitro and in vivo Studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate the inhibitory effect and the underlying mechanism of
      triptolide on cultured human endometrial carcinoma HEC-1B cells and corresponding
      xenograft. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For in vitro studies, the inhibition effect of
      proliferation on HEC-1B cell by triptolide was determined by MTT assay; cell
      cycle and apoptosis of the triptolide-treated and untreated cells were detected
      by flow cytometry. For in vivo studies, a xenograft tumor model of human
      endometrial carcinoma was established using HEC-1B cells, then the tumor-bearing
      mice were treated with high, medium, and low-dose (8 MUg, 4 MUg and 2 MUg/day)
      triptolide or cisplatin at 40 MUg/day or normal saline as control. The mice were
      treated for 10-15 days, during which body weight of the mice and volume of the
      xenograft were weighted. Then expression of Bcl-2 and vascular endothelial growth
      factor (VEGF) was analyzed by SABC immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Cell growth was
      significantly inhibited by triptolide as observed by an inverted phase contrast
      microscope; the results of MTT assay indicated that triptolide inhibits HEC-1B
      cell proliferation in a dose and time-dependent manner; flow cytometry showed
      that low concentration (5 ng/ml) of triptolide induces cell cycle arrest of HEC
      1B cells mainly at S phase, while higher concentration (40 or 80 ng/ml) induced
      cell cycle arrest of HEC-1B cells mainly at G2/M phase, and apoptosis of the
      cells was also induced. High-dose triptolide showed a similar tumor-inhibitory
      effect as cisplatin (-50%); high-dose triptolide significantly inhibited Bcl-2
      and VEGF expression in the xenograft model compared to normal saline control
      (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: triptolide inhibits HEC-1B cell growth both in vitro and
      in mouse xenograft model. Cell cycle of the tumor cells was arrested at S and
      G2/M phase, and the mechanism may involve induction of tumor cell apoptosis and
      inhibition of tumor angiogenesis.

PMID- 26107206
TI  - Breast Cancer Inpatients Undergoing Mastectomy from a Hospital in Guangzhou,
      China: A Retrospective Analysis 2004- 2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To explore the hospitalizations of breast cancer patients undergoing
      mastectomy, and to provide a basis for management, clinical prevention and
      treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an investigation by means of the
      retrospective survey and the medical records retrieval system, and made out the
      data of patients suffered from breast cancer in a hospital in Guangzhou from 2004
      to 2013, including age, medical payment methods, pathological type, treatment,
      treatment results, complications, hospitalization days, cost and so on. RESULTS:
      The average age of the inpatients was 50.14 years old. The main histologic types
      were infiltrating duct carcinoma (88.06%). The main surgery was modified radical
      mastectomy (80.41%). The cure rate was 90.80% during the 10 years. The main
      medical payment method was self-paying (57.28%). The average hospital stay was
      13.51 days, and average hospitalization cost was RMB 23,083.66 yuan, proportion
      of drug fees up to 39.70%. Postoperative complication rate was 0.79%. The self
      paying group was with the highest proportion of drug fees (P<0.05), while the
      free medical service group was with the longest hospitalization days (P<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: The payment methods significantly affected the proportion of drug
      fees and hospitalization days. The therapeutic effect was satisfactory with less
      complications and reasonable proportion of drug fees in our hospital.

PMID- 26107207
TI  - Prognostic Value of a CYP2B6 Gene Polymorphism in Patients with Acute Myeloid
      Leukemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study aimed to detect a CYP2B6 polymorphism in
      de novo cases of acute myeloid leukemia patients and identify any role in disease
      progression and outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DNA was isolated from peripheral
      blood of 82 newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia cases and the CYP2B6 G15631T
      gene polymorphism was assayed by PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism
      (PCR-RFLP). RESULTS: The frequency of the GG genotype (wild type) was 48 (58.5%)
      and that of the mutant type T allele was 34 (41.9%). GT genotype heterozygous
      variants were found in 28 (34%), and TT genotype homozygous variants in 6 (7.3%)
      cases. We found no significant association between the CYP2B6 G15631T
      polymorphism and complete response (CR) (p-value=0.768), FAB classification (p
      value=0.51), cytogenetic analysis (p-value=0.673), and overall survival (p
      value=0.325). Also, there were no significant links with early toxic death (p
      value=0.92) or progression- free survival (PFS) (p-value=0.245). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results suggest that the CYP2B6 polymorphism has no role in disease progression,
      therapeutic outcome, patient free survival, early toxic death and overall
      survival in acute myeloid leukemia patients.

PMID- 26107208
TI  - Mutation Analysis of the Dimer Forming Domain of the Caspase 8 Gene in Oral
      Submucous Fibrosis and Squamous Cell Carcinomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Missense and frame-shift mutations within the dimer forming domain of
      the caspase 8 gene have been identified in several cancers. However, the genetic
      status of this region in precancerous lesions, like oral submucous fibrosis
      (OSMF), and well differentiated oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) in patients
      from southern region of India is not known, and hence the present study was
      designed to address this issue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genomic DNA isolated from
      biopsy tissues of thirty one oral submucous fibrosis and twenty five OSCC samples
      were subjected to PCR amplification with intronic primers flanking exon 7 of the
      caspase 8 gene. The PCR amplicons were subsequently subjected to direct
      sequencing to elucidate the status of mutation. RESULTS: Sequence analysis
      identified a frame-shift and a novel missense mutation in two out of twenty five
      OSCC samples. The frame-shift mutation was due to a two base pair deletion
      (c.1225_1226delTG), while the missense mutation was due to substitution of wild
      type cysteine residue with phenylalanine at codon 426 (C426F). The missense
      mutation, however, was found to be heterozygous as the wild type C426C codon was
      also present. None of the OSMF samples carried mutations. CONCLUSIONS: The
      identification of mutations in OSCC lesions but not OSMF suggests that dimer
      forming domain mutations in caspase 8 may be limited to malignant lesions. The
      absence of mutations in OSMF also suggests that the samples analyzed in the
      present study may not have acquired transforming potential. To the best of our
      knowledge this is the first study to have explored and identified frame-shift and
      novel missense mutations in OSCC tissue samples.

PMID- 26107209
TI  - Risk factors for Opisthorchis viverrini Infection in Nong Khai Province,
      Thailand.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Opisthorchis viverrini (OV) infection is the main risk factor for
      cholangiocarcinoma and is often found in Northeastern Thailand. The prevalence of
      OV infection and the incidence of cholangiocarcinoma are major public health
      problems in this region. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to
      identify factors associated with OV infection among people in Nong Khai Province
      in order to develop a prevention programme in the community. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The data were collected in July 2013. Stool specimens were examined for
      intestinal parasites within hours after collection using a normal saline wet
      preparation and the modified Kato- Katz technique. A case-control study was
      conducted to collect information about demographic data, the habit of eating
      unsafely prepared fish, the safe disposal of waste food, and the practice of
      defaecating in fields. Structured questionnaires were used to interview 351
      participants (117 cases and 234 controls) in a random selection of 30 villages
      across Nong Khai Province. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify risk
      factors for OV infection. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, the results
      showed that the factors which had a statistically significant association with OV
      infection were the habit of consuming unsafely prepared fish (ORadj=5.17,
      95%CI=2.49- 10.74), the similar habit of family members (ORadj=3.25, 95%CI=1.63
      6.49) , a history of O. viverrini infection (ORadj=5.64, 95%CI=2.10-15.18), a
      history of taking praziquantel (ORadj=5.66, 95%CI=3.11-10.29), and the unsafe
      disposal of waste food (ORadj=2.1, 95%CI=1.10-3.80). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of
      this study highlight the features on which a community programme should focus in
      order to reduce the prevalence of opisthorchiasis and incidence of bile duct
      cancer.

PMID- 26107210
TI  - Contribution of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor -173G/C Gene Polymorphism
      to the Risk of Cancer in Chinese Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) -173G/C (rs755622) gene
      polymorphism has been associated with cancer risk. Previous studies have revealed
      that MIF -173G/C gene polymorphism may increase cancer in the Chinese population,
      while results of individual published studies remain inconsistent and
      inconclusive.We performed this meta-analysis to derive a more precise estimation
      of the relationship. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a search on PubMed,
      Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library ,Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure
      (CNKI), Wanfang, Weipu on Dec 31, 2014.Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence
      interval (95% CI) were used to assess the association. A total of eight studies
      including 2,186 cases and 2,285 controls were involved in this meta-analysis.
      RESULTS: The pooled results indicated the significant association between MIF 
      173G/C polymorphism and the risk of cancer for Chinese population (CC + CG vs GG:
      OR=1.14, 95%CI=1.02-127, pheterogeneity<0.01; P =0.023; CC vs CG+GG: OR=1.12,
      95%CI=1.02- 1.23, pheterogeneity< 001; P =0.017;CC vs GG: OR=1.18, 95%CI=1.04
      1.33, pheterogeneity<001; P =0.008; CG vs GG:OR=1.03, 95%CI=0.91-1.15,
      pheterogeneity<001; P =0.656; C vs G:OR=1.24, 95%CI=1.14-1.25,
      pheterogeneity<001; P <001). Subgroup analysis showed that in patients with
      "solid tumors", heterogeneity was very large (OR=0.94,95%CI=0.83
      1.06,pheterogeneity=0.044; p=0.297). Within "non-solid tumors", the association
      became even stronger (OR=6.62, 95 % CI=4.32-10.14, pheterogeneity<0.001; p
      <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that MIF ?173G/C gene polymorphism may
      increase increase cancer in the Chinese population.Furthermore, more larger
      sample and representative population-based casees and well-matched controls are
      needed to validate our results.

PMID- 26107211
TI  - Serum Tumor Marker Levels might have Little Significance in Evaluating
      Neoadjuvant Treatment Response in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To determine the potential value of serum tumor markers in predicting
      pCR (pathological complete response) during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We retrospectively monitored the pro-, mid-, and post- neoadjuvant
      treatment serum tumor marker concentrations in patients with locally advanced
      breast cancer (stage II-III) who accepted pre-surgical chemotherapy or
      chemotherapy in combination with targeted therapy at Fudan University Shanghai
      Cancer Center between September 2011 and January 2014 and investigated the
      association of serum tumor marker levels with therapeutic effect. Core needle
      biopsy samples were assessed using immunohistochemistry (IHC) prior to
      neoadjuvant treatment to determine hormone receptor, human epidermal growth
      factor receptor 2(HER2), and proliferation index Ki67 values. In our study,
      therapeutic response was evaluated by pCR, defined as the disappearance of all
      invasive cancer cells from excised tissue (including primary lesion and axillary
      lymph nodes) after completion of chemotherapy. Analysis of variance of repeated
      measures and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were employed for
      statistical analysis of the data. RESULTS: A total of 348 patients were recruited
      in our study after excluding patients with incomplete clinical information. Of
      these, 106 patients were observed to have acquired pCR status after treatment
      completion, accounting for approximately 30.5% of study individuals. In addition,
      147patients were determined to be Her-2 positive, among whom the pCR rate was
      45.6% (69 patients). General linear model analysis (repeated measures analysis of
      variance) showed that the concentration of cancer antigen (CA) 15-3 increased
      after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in both pCR and non-pCR groups, and that there
      were significant differences between the two groups (P=0.008). The areas under
      the ROC curves (AUCs) of pre-, mid-, and post-treatment CA15-3 concentrations
      demonstrated low-level predictive value (AUC=0.594, 0.644, 0.621, respectively).
      No significant differences in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) or CA12-5 serum
      levels were observed between the pCR and non-pCR groups (P=0.196 and 0.693,
      respectively). No efficient AUC of CEA or CA12-5 concentrations were observed to
      predict patient response toward neoadjuvant treatment (both less than 0.7), nor
      were differences between the two groups observed at different time points. We
      then analyzed the Her-2 positive subset of our cohort. Significant differences in
      CEA concentrations were identified between the pCR and non-pCR groups (P=0.039),
      but not in CA15-3 or CA12-5 levels (p=0.092 and 0.89, respectively). None of the
      ROC curves showed underlying prognostic value, as the AUCs of these three markers
      were less than 0.7. The ROC-AUCs for the CA12-5 concentrations of inter-and post
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the estrogen receptor negative HER2 positive subgroup
      were 0.735 and 0.767, respectively. However, the specificity and sensitivity
      values were at odds with each other which meant that improving either the
      sensitivity or specificity would impair the efficiency of the other. CONCLUSIONS:
      Serum tumor markers CA15-3, CA12-5, and CEA might have little clinical
      significance in predicting neoadjuvant treatment response in locally advanced
      breast cancer.

PMID- 26107212
TI  - Outcome of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treated Using the Thai National
      Protocols.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent decades, the prognosis for childhood leukemia has improved,
      especially for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In Thailand, though, the
      survival rate for ALL is unimpressive. In 2006, standard national protocols for
      childhood leukemia treatment were implemented. We herein report the outcome of
      the ALL national protocols and explanations behind discrepancies in outcomes
      between institutions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between March 2006 and February
      2008, 486 children with ALL from 12 institutions were enrolled in the Thai
      national protocols. There were 3 different protocols based on specific criteria:
      one each for standard risk, high risk and Burkitt's ALL. We classified
      participating centers into 4 groups of institutions, namely: medical schools in
      Bangkok, provincial medical schools, hospitals in Bangkok and provincial
      hospitals. We also evaluated supportive care, laboratory facilities in
      participating centers, socioeconomics, and patient compliance. Overall and event
      free survival were determined for each group using the Kaplan Meier method.
      Statistical differences were determined using the log-rank test. Previous
      outcomes of Thai childhood ALL treatment between 2003 and 2005 served as the
      historic control. RESULTS: Five-year overall survival of ALL treated using the
      Thai national protocol was 67.2%; an improvement from the 63.7% of the 12
      institute historical control (p-value=0.06). There were discrepancies in event
      free survival of ALL between centers in Bangkok and up-country provinces (69.9%
      vs 51.2%, p-value <0.01). Socioeconomics and patient compliance were key elements
      in determining the outcome (65.5% vs 47.5%, 59.4% vs 42.9%) (p-value < 0.02).
      CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of standard national protocols for childhood leukemia
      in Thailand did not significantly improve the outcome of ALL. Factors leading to
      better outcomes included (a) improvement of treatment compliance (b) prevention
      of treatment abandonment and

PMID- 26107213
TI  - Perceptions of Turkish University Students about the Effects of Water Pipe
      Smoking on Health.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The popularity of the water pipe, also referred to as hookah,
      narghile, shisha or hubble-bubble, has increased tremendously during the past few
      decades. This study was conducted to determine student water pipe smoking status
      and perceptions about the effects of water pipe smoking on health in a state
      university in Ankara. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was
      conducted between September 2014 and January 2015. The data were collected with a
      questionnaire and "The Scale of Perception about the Effects of Water Pipe
      Smoking on Health". The data obtained were evaluated in IBM SPSS (version 20.0)
      statistical package program in computer. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was
      used for the analyses by checking homogeneity of variances and Student's t-test.
      Values of p<0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The total
      mean score obtained by young people who took part in the study was determined as
      (X_=65.20+/-1.25, min=33, max=75). Upon comparison of the total mean scores
      obtained by young people from the Scale of Perception about the effects of water
      pipe smoking on health and gender variable, the scores obtained by the females
      students were higher than those of the male students with a statistically
      significant difference (t=7.525, p<0.05). A statistically significant difference
      was observed between the total mean scores obtained by young people with
      cigarette and water pipe smoking status (for each, t=-3.731, p<0.05; t=-13.987,
      p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, university students have wrong knowledge on
      the dangers of water pipe smoking. There was a high prevalence of using water
      pipes among university students. Gender significantly affected the perceptions
      about the effect of water pipe smoking on health in our sample.

PMID- 26107214
TI  - Cancer/Testis OIP5 and TAF7L Genes are Up-Regulated in Breast Cancer.
AB  - Breast cancer still remains as the most frequent cancer with second mortality
      rate in women worldwide. There are no validated biomarkers for detection of the
      disease in early stages with effective power in diagnosis and therapeutic
      approaches. Cancer/testis antigens are recently promising tumor antigens and
      suitable candidates for targeted therapies and generating cancer vaccines. We
      conducted the present study to analyze transcript changes of two cancer/testis
      antigens, OIP5 and TAF7L, in breast tumors and cell lines in comparison with
      normal breast tissues by quantitative real time RT-PCR for the first time.
      Significant over-expression of OIP5 was observed in breast tumors and three out
      of six cell lines including MDA-MB-468, T47D and SKBR3. Not significant
      expression of TAF7L was evident in breast tumors but significant increase was
      noted in three out of six cell lines including MDA-MB-231, BT474 and T47D. OIP5
      has ssignificant role in chromatin organization and cell cycle control during
      cell cycle exit and normal chromosome segregation during mitosis and TAF7L is a
      component of the transcription factor ??D, which is involved in transcription
      initiation of most protein coding genes. TAF7Lis located at X chromosome and
      belongs to the CT-X gene family of cancer/testis antigens which contains about
      50% of CT antigens, including those which have been used in cancer immunotherapy.

PMID- 26107215
TI  - A clinical Comparison of Lobaplatin or Cisplatin with Mitomycine and Vincristine
      in Treating Patients with Cervical Squamous Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The research was to compare the efficacy and side effects of
      cisplatin or lobaplatin in combination with mitomycine (MMC) and vincristine in
      treating patients with cervical squamous carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Cervical squamous carcinoma patients who were pathologically diagnosed with stage
      Ib-IIb from April 2012 to May 2013 in the general hospital of Chinese People's
      Libration Amy were enrolled. All patients were confirmed without prior treatment
      and were randomly divided into two groups, Group A and B. Efficacy and side
      effects were evaluated after one cycle of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Group A (n=42)
      were treated with Loubo(r) (Lobaplatin) 50mg/m2, MMC 16mg/m2 and Vincristine
      2mg/m2 every 21 days. Group B (n=44) were treated with Cisplatin 100mg/m2, MMC
      16mg/m2 and Vincristine 2mg/m2 every 21 days. All 86 patients completed one cycle
      of chemotherapy with cisplatin or lobaplatin in combination with MMC and
      vincristine. No difference was observed regardiing short-term effect between two
      groups. Main side effects were bone marrow suppression and gastrointestinal
      reactions including decrease of white blood cells, platelet and nausea/vomiting.
      Grade III-VI liver and kidney impairment was not reported in two groups. In group
      A the incidence of uterine artery spasm in the process of drug delivery was
      significantly lower than the group B. CONCLUSIONS: Cisplatin or lobaplatin with
      MMC and Vincristine in the interventional treatment of cervical squamous
      carcinoma were effective, especially after uterine artery perfusion chemotherapy
      at tumor reduction and tumor downstaging period. The adverse reactions of
      concurrent chemotherapy are tolerable, and low physical and mental pressure even
      more less stimulation of vascular in treatment with lobaplatin. However, the long
      term effects of this treatment need further observation.

PMID- 26107216
TI  - Meta-Analysis of the Association between H63D and C282Y Polymorphisms in HFE and
      Cancer Risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggested that the H63D and C282Y polymorphisms in
      the HFE genes were susceptible to many cancer types, nevertheless, the present
      results were inconclusive. Thus, the present study was aimed to evaluate the
      association between the HFE polymorphisms (H63D and C282Y) and cancer risk via
      meta-analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrieved PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase
      and Web of Science databases for all eligible studies up to April 1, 2015. All
      the statistical analysis was conducted by STATA 12.0. RESULTS: Finally, a total
      of 20 publications including 24 case-control studies, comprising 6,524 cases and
      31,080 controls for HFE-C282Y polymorphism and 19 publications including 21 case
      control studies, comprising 5,648 cases and 14,257 controls for HFE-H63D
      polymorphism were enrolled in our analysis. An increased risk for overall cancer
      risk was identified in HFE-H63D polymorphism under allele contrast (D vs H:
      OR=1.153; 95%CI=1.031- 1.289, Pheterogeneity=0.002), homozygotes vs wide type (DD
      vs HH: OR=1.449; 95%CI=1.182-1.777, Pheterogeneity=0.391), dominant model (DD+HD
      vs HH: OR=1.145; 95%CI=1.007-1.301, Pheterogeneity=0.002) and recessive model (DD
      vs HD+HH: OR=1.416 ; 95%CI=1.156-1.735, Pheterogeneity=0.549), as well as HFE-
      C282Y under homozygotes vs wide type (YY vs CC: OR=1.428, 95%CI=1.017-2.006,
      Pheterogeneity=0.220). In addition, in the stratified analysis by cancer type, an
      increased risk was identified in hepatocellular carcinoma and breast cancer in
      C282Y polymorphism, as well as pancreatic cancer in H63D polymorphism, whereas a
      decreased risk of colorectal cancer was identified in C282Y polymorphism.
      CONCLUSIONS: Present study suggested that H63D and C282Y polymorphisms associated
      with an increased risk of overall cancer. Nevertheless, well- designed study with
      large sample size will be continued on this issue of interest.

PMID- 26107217
TI  - Cytotoxicity Assessment of Six Different Extracts of Abelia triflora leaves on A
      549 Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells.
AB  - The present investigation was designed to assess the anticancer activity of six
      different leaf extracts (ethyl acetate, methanol, chloroform, petroleum ether, n
      butanol, and water soluble) of Abelia triflora on A-549 human lung adenocarcinoma
      epithelial cells. A-549 cells were exposed to 10-1000 MUg/ml concentrations of
      the leaf extracts of A. triflorafor 24 h and then percentage cell viability was
      assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-biphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT)
      assay. The results showed that leaf extracts of A. triflora significantly reduced
      the viability of A-549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Decrease was
      recorded as 31% with ethyl acetate, 36% with methanol, 46% with chloroform, 54%
      with petroleum ether, 62% with n-butanol, and 63% with water soluble extracts at
      1000 MUg/ml each. Among the various plant extracts, ethyl acetate extract showed
      the highest decrease in the percentage cell viability, followed by methanol,
      chloroform, petroleum ether, n-butanol, and water soluble extracts. Our results
      demonstrated preliminary screening of anticancer activity of different soluble
      extracts of A. triflora extracts against A-549 cells, which can be further used
      for the development of a potential therapeutic anticancer agents. 

PMID- 26107218
TI  - Epidemioclinical Feature of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer at-Risk for Lynch
      Syndrome in Central Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is becoming one of the most complicated
      challenges of human health, particularly in developing countries like Iran. In
      this paper, we try to characterize CRC cases diagnosed < age 50 at-risk for Lynch
      syndrome within central Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We designed a descriptive
      retrospective study to screen all registered CRC patients within 2000-2013 in
      Poursina Hakim Research Center (PHRC), a referral gastroenterology clinic in
      central Iran, based on being early-onset (age at diagnosis <=50 years) and
      Amsterdam II criteria. We calculated frequencies and percentages by SPSS 19
      software to describe clinical and family history characteristics of patients with
      early-onset CRC. RESULTS: Overall 1,659 CRC patients were included in our study
      of which 413 (24.9%) were <=50 years at diagnosis. Of 219/413 successful calls 67
      persons (30.6%) were reported deceased. Family history was positive for 72/219
      probands (32.9%) and 53 families (24.2%) were identified as familial colorectal
      cancer (FCC), with a history of at-least three affected members with any type of
      cancer in the family, of which 85% fulfilled the Amsterdam II Criteria as
      hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) families (45/219 or 20.5%).
      Finally, 14 families were excluded due to proband tumor tissues being unavailable
      or unwillingness for incorporation. The most common HNPCC-associated extracolonic
      cancer among both males and females of the families was stomach, at respectively
      31.8 and 32.7 percent. The most common tumor locations among the 31 probands were
      rectum (32.3%), sigmoid (29.0%), and ascending colon (12.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Given
      the high prevalence of FCC (~1/4 of early-onset Iranian CRC patients), it is
      necessary to establish a comprehensive cancer genetic counseling and systematic
      screening program for early detection and to improve cancer prognosis among high
      risk families.

PMID- 26107219
TI  - Evaluation of Managerial Needs for Palliative Care Centers: Perspectives of
      Medical Directors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Palliative therapies have an important role in increasing the quality
      of healthcare and in dealing with physical and psychosocial problems due to
      cancer. We here aimed to evaluate the managerial perspectives and opinions of the
      hospital managers and clinical directors about specialized palliative care
      centers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in two large-scale
      hospitals in which oncology care is given with medical directors (n:70). A
      questionnaire developed by the researchers asking about demographic
      characteristics and professional experience, opinions and suggestions of medical
      directors about providing and integrating palliative care into healthcare was
      used and responses were analyzed. RESULTS: Potential barriers in providing
      palliative care (PC) and integrating PC into health systems were perceived as
      institutional by most of the doctors (97%) and nurses (96%). Social barriers were
      reported by 54% of doctors and 82% of nurses. Barriers due to interest and
      knowledge of health professionals about PC were reported by 76% of doctors and
      75% of nurses. Among encouragement ideas to provide PC were dealing with staff
      educational needs (72%), improved working conditions (77%) and establishing a
      special PC unit (49)%. An independent PC unit was suggested by 27.7% of
      participants and there was no difference between the hospitals. To overcome the
      barriers for integration of PC into health systems, providing education for
      health professionals and patient relatives, raising awareness in society,
      financial arrangements and providing infrastructure were suggested. The necessity
      for planning and programming were emphasized. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the
      opinions and perspectives of hospital managers and clinical directors were
      similar to current approaches. Managerial needs for treating cancer in efficient
      cancer centers, increasing the capacity of health professionals to provide care
      in every stage of cancer, effective education planning and patient care
      management were emphasized.

PMID- 26107220
TI  - Quantitative Assessment of the Association between ABC Polymorphisms and
      Osteosarcoma Response: a Meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: ABC proteins are one key type of transport superfamilies which
      undertake majority of drug transport, which affect the osteosarcoma response to
      chemotherapeutics. Previous studies have suggested the association between ABC
      polymorphisms and osteosarcoma response. However, the results of previous studies
      remain controversial. Therefore, we perform a meta-analysis to get a more precise
      estimation of this association. The association between ABC polymorphisms and
      osteosarcoma response was assessed by odds ratios (ORs) together with their 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs). Three polymorphisms of ABC including ABCB1 rs1128503,
      ABCC3 rs4148416 and ABCC2 rs717620 polymorphism were investigated. Overall,
      significant association was observed between ABCC3 rs4148416 polymorphism and
      osteosarcoma response under allele contrast (T vs. C: OR=1.73, 95%CI=1.09-2.74,
      P=0.019), homozygote comparison (TT vs. CC: OR=2.00, 95%CI=1.25-3.23, P=0.004),
      recessive genetic model (TT vs. TC/CC: OR=1.80, 95%CI=1.14-2.84, P=0.011) and
      dominant genetic model (TT/TC vs. CC: OR=1.70, 95%CI=1.20-2.42, P=0.003).
      Moreover, significant association was also observed in Caucasian population
      rather than Asian population for ABCB1 rs1128503 polymorphism. We conclude that
      ABCC3 rs4148416 polymorphism was significantly associated with poor osteosarcoma
      response and ABCB1 rs1128503 polymorphism was significantly associated with good
      osteosarcoma response in Caucasian population rather than Asian population.

PMID- 26107221
TI  - Aberrant Methylation of RASSF1A gene Contribute to the Risk of Renal Cell
      Carcinoma: a Meta-Analysis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of RASSF1A methylation
      in renal cell carcinoma. Systematically search were performed using the Pubmed,
      ProQest and Web of Science for all articles on the association between RASSF1A
      methylation and renal cell carcinoma before 15 April 2015. After the filtration,
      13 studies involving 677 cases and 497 controls met our criteria. Our meta
      analysis suggested that hypermethylation of RASSF1A gene was associated with the
      increased risk of RCC(OR:4.14, 95%CI:1.06-16.1). Stratified analyses showed a
      similar risk in qualitative detection method(OR:28.4, 95%CI:10.2-79.6), body
      fluid sample(OR:12.8, 95%CI:5.35-30.8), and American(OR:10.5, 95%CI:1.97-55.9).
      Our result identified that RASSF1A methylation had a strong potential in
      prediction the risk of Renal cell carcinoma. 

PMID- 26107222
TI  - In vitro Evaluation of Cytotoxic Activities of Essential Oil from Moringa
      oleifera Seeds on HeLa, HepG2, MCF-7, CACO-2 and L929 Cell Lines.
AB  - Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moringaceae) is widely consumed in tropical and
      subtropical regions for their valuable nutritional and medicinal characteristics.
      Recently, extensive research has been conducted on leaf extracts of M. oleifera
      to evaluate their potential cytotoxic effects. However, with the exception of
      antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, little information is present on the
      cytotoxic activity of the essential oil obtained from M. oleifera seeds.
      Therefore, the present investigation was designed to investigate the potential
      cytotoxic activity of seed essential oil obtained from M. oleifera on HeLa,
      HepG2, MCF-7, CACO-2 and L929 cell lines. The different cell lines were subjected
      to increasing oil concentrations ranging from 0.15 to 1 mg/mL for 24h, and the
      cytotoxicity was assessed using MTT assay. All treated cell lines showed a
      significant reduction in cell viability in response to the increasing oil
      concentration. Moreover, the reduction depended on the cell line as well as the
      oil concentration applied. Additionally, HeLa cells were the most affected cells
      followed by HepG2, MCF-7, L929 and CACO-2, where the percentages of cell toxicity
      recorded were 76.1, 65.1, 59.5, 57.0 and 49.7%, respectively. Furthermore, the
      IC50 values obtained for MCF-7, HeLa and HepG2 cells were 226.1, 422.8 and 751.9
      MUg/mL, respectively. Conclusively, the present investigation provides
      preliminary results which suggest that seed essential oil from M. oleifera has
      potent cytotoxic activities against cancer cell lines. 

PMID- 26107223
TI  - Probability Sampling Method for a Hidden Population Using Respondent-Driven
      Sampling: Simulation for Cancer Survivors.
AB  - When there is no sampling frame within a certain group or the group is concerned
      that making its population public would bring social stigma, we say the
      population is hidden. It is difficult to approach this kind of population survey
      methodologically because the response rate is low and its members are not quite
      honest with their responses when probability sampling is used. The only
      alternative known to address the problems caused by previous methods such as
      snowball sampling is respondent-driven sampling (RDS), which was developed by
      Heckathorn and his colleagues. RDS is based on a Markov chain, and uses the
      social network information of the respondent. This characteristic allows for
      probability sampling when we survey a hidden population. We verified through
      computer simulation whether RDS can be used on a hidden population of cancer
      survivors. According to the simulation results of this thesis, the chain-referral
      sampling of RDS tends to minimize as the sample gets bigger, and it becomes
      stabilized as the wave progresses. Therefore, it shows that the final sample
      information can be completely independent from the initial seeds if a certain
      level of sample size is secured even if the initial seeds were selected through
      convenient sampling. Thus, RDS can be considered as an alternative which can
      improve upon both key informant sampling and ethnographic surveys, and it needs
      to be utilized for various cases domestically as well. 

PMID- 26107224
TI  - Cosmetic Outcomes and Quality of Life in Thai Women Post Breast Conserving
      Therapy for Breast Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the correlation between cosmetic outcome (CO), body image,
      and quality of life in post breast-conserving therapy (BCT) women. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This cross-sectional study concerned one-year post-completed BCT Thai
      women. The data included subjective and objective CO with a questionnaire
      covering demographic and clinical data, anti-hormonal treatment status, Eastern
      Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, Self-Reported Cosmetic
      Outcomes (SRCO), Self-Reported Breast Symmetry (SRBS), Body Image Scale (BIS),
      and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy with Breast Cancer subscale (FACT
      B). Participants had breast photographs taken for the evaluation of objective
      cosmetic outcome (OCO) after breast cancer conservation treatment. The
      relationship between CO and FACT-B was tested using Spearman's rank correlation
      Results: A total 127 participants volunteered for the study. The participant
      characteristics were age 52(+/-9), Buddhist 87%, married 65%, body mass index
      25.0(+/-4.6), breast cup size A-C 91%, college educated 60%, employed 66%, ECOG 0
      1 95%, tumor size less than or equal to 2 cm 55%, no lymph node metastasis 98%,
      and taking tamoxifen 57%. Two percent of the participants regretted their
      decision to undergo BCT. The SRCO was excellent in 2%, good in 68%, fair in 30%,
      and poor in 0%. For SRBS, rates were 17%, 58%, 24% and 1% for excellent, good,
      fair and poor cosmetic outcomes, respectively. The BCCT scores were excellent
      24%, good 39%, fair 32%, and poor 6%. The median total QOL score of the
      participants was 130 (93-144). There was no significant correlation between CO
      and FACT-B scores. CONCLUSIONS: The significance of CO for FACT-B in Thai women
      with breast cancer could not be assessed in detail because of a very low level of
      correlation. The results may be due to the effects of cultural background.

PMID- 26107225
TI  - Loss of Expression of PTEN is Associated with Worse Prognosis in Patients with
      Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is an
      important negative regulator of cell-survival signaling. However, available
      results for the prognostic value of PTEN expression in patients with cancer
      remain controversial. Therefore, a meta-analysis of published studies
      investigating this issue was performed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature
      search via PubMed and EMBASE databases was conducted. Statistical analysis was
      performed by using the STATA 12.0 (STATA Corp., College, TX). Data from eligible
      studies were extracted and included into the meta-analysis using a random effects
      model. RESULTS: A total of 3,810 patients from 27 studies were included in the
      meta-analysis, 22 investigating the relationship between PTEN expression and
      overall survival (OS) using univariate analysis, and nine with multivariate
      analysis. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) for OS was 1.64 (95% confidence interval
      (CI): 1.32-2.05) by univariate analysis and 1.56 (95% CI: 1.20-2.03) by
      multivariate analysis. In addition, eight papers including two disease-free
      survival analyses (DFSs), four relapse-free-survival analyses (RFSs), three
      progression-free-survival analyses (PFSs) and one metastasis-free-survival
      analysis (MFS) reported the effect of PTEN on survival. The results showed that
      loss of PTEN expression was significant correlated with poor prognosis, with a
      combined HR of 1.74 (95% CI: 1.24-2.44). Furthermore, in the stratified analysis
      by the year of publication, ethnicity, cancer type, method, cut- off value,
      median follow-up time and neoadjuvant therapy in which the study was conducted,
      we found that the ethnicity, cancer type, method, median follow-up time and
      neoadjuvant therapy are associated with prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows
      that negative or loss of expression of PTEN is associated with worse prognosis in
      patients with cancer. However, adequately designed prospective studies need to be
      performed for confirmation.

PMID- 26107226
TI  - Nested Case-control Study of Occupational Radiation Exposure and Breast and
      Esophagus Cancer Risk among Medical Diagnostic X Ray Workers in Jiangsu of China.
AB  - Medical diagnostic X-ray workers are one occupational group that expose to the
      long-term low-dose external radiation over their working lifetime, and they may
      under risk of different cancers. This study aims to determine the relationship
      between the occupational X-ray radiation exposure and cancer risk among these
      workers in Jiangsu, China. We conducted Nested case-control study to investigate
      the occupational X-ray radiation exposure and cancer risk. Data were collected
      through self-administered questionnaire, which includes but not limits to
      demographic data, personal behaviors and family history of cancer. Retrospective
      dose reconstruction was conducted to estimate the cumulative doses of the x-ray
      workers. Inferential statistics, t-test and 2 tests were used to compare the
      differences between each group. We used the logistic regression model to
      calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of cancer by
      adjusting the age, gender. All 34 breast cancer cases and 45 esophageal cancer
      cases that detected in a cohort conducted among health workers between 1950~2011
      were included in this presented study, and 158 cancer-free controls were selected
      by frequency-matched (1:2). Our study found that the occupational radiation
      exposure was associated with a significantly increased cancer risk compared with
      the control, especially in breast cancer and esophageal cancer (adjusted OR=2.90,
      95% CI: 1.19-7.04 for breast cancer; OR=4.19, 95% CI: 1.87-9.38 for esophageal
      cancer, and OR=3.43, 95% CI: 1.92-6.12 for total cancer, respectively). The
      occupational X-ray radiation exposure was associated with increasing cancer risk,
      which indicates that proper intervention and prevention strategies may be needed
      in order to bring down the occupational cancer risk. 

PMID- 26107227
TI  - Short Sleep Duration and Its Correlates among Cancer Survivors in Korea: the
      Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Though a large proportion of cancer survivors are assumed to be
      commonly affected by sleep disturbance, few studies have focused on short sleep
      problems and its correlates among Korean cancer survivors. The purpose of this
      study was to evaluate the prevalence of short sleep in adult cancer survivors
      from a nationwide population-based sample and to identify risk factors for short
      sleep duration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on the fourth and fifth Korea
      National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2007-2012), 1,045 cancer
      survivors and 33,929 non-cancer controls were analyzed. The prevalence of short
      sleep was compared between these two groups. Associations between short sleep and
      its correlates were evaluated using multiple logistic regression among cancer
      survivors: odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were estimated
      after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, lifestyle factors, psychological
      conditions, and cancer-related factors. RESULTS: About 8.1% of cancer survivors
      slept for less than 5 hours per day (6.2% men and 9.3% women), whereas this was
      the case for only 3.7% of non-cancer controls. Cancer survivors who had the
      lowest household income level showed a significantly higher likelihood for short
      sleep (adjusted OR 2.82, 95%CI 1.06-7.54). Self-reported poor health and
      depressive symptoms were found to be associated with significantly increased
      likelihood for short sleep in cancer survivors (adjusted OR 3.60, 95%CI 1.40-9.26
      and adjusted OR 2.00, 95%CI 1.17-3.42). Gastric cancer survivors had a 3.97-fold
      increased risk for short sleep (95%CI 1.60-9.90). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of
      short sleep occurs at a high rate among the Korean cancer survivors, which may
      indicate a poorer quality of life and a higher risk of future complications in
      survivorship. Targeted interventions that can assist cancer survivors to cope
      with sleep disturbances as well as ensuring psychological stability are warranted
      to reduce the latent disease burden.

PMID- 26107228
TI  - Radical Oncological Surgery and Adjuvan Therapy in Non- Small Cell Lung Cancer
      Patients over 70 years of Age.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of lung cancer increases with age. Approximately 50% of
      non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients are over 70 years old. Because of the
      increasing elderly population, treatment approaches in this age group continue to
      be studied similar to groups of young people. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the
      current study, 26 patients who underwent radical surgery and adjuvan
      chemoradiation at Ataturk Chest Diseases and Chest Surgery Training and Research
      Hospital were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: Of 21 patients (81%) were male
      and the average age was 74.4. Lobectomy was performed in 18 cases, pneumonectomy
      in 3, sleeve lobectomy in 3 and bilobectomy in 2. There was no perioperative or
      early period mortality. Overall survival was 24.5 months. CONCLUSIONS: From our
      study, lung cancer surgery and adjuvant therapy can be performed safely with low
      morbidity in the elderly.

PMID- 26107229
TI  - A Pilot Study on Factors Associated with Presentation Delay in Patients Affected
      with Head and Neck Cancers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient delay can contribute to a poor outcome in the management of
      head and neck cancers (HNC). The main objective of the present study was to
      investigate the factors associated with patient delay in our population.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with cancers of the head and neck attending a
      regional cancer center of North East India were consecutively interviewed during
      the period from June 2014 to November 2014. The participation of patients was
      voluntary. The questionnaire included information on age, gender, residential
      status, educational qualification, monthly family income, any family history of
      cancer, and history of prior awareness on cancer from television (TV) program and
      awareness program. RESULTS: Of 311 (n) patients, with an age range of 14-88 years
      (mean 55.4 years), 81.7% were males and 18.3% females (M:F=4.4). The overall
      median delay was 90 days (range=7 days-365 days), in illiterate patients the
      median delay was 90 days and 60 days in literate patients (P=0.002), the median
      delay in patients who had watched cancer awareness program on TV was 60 days and
      in patients who were unaware about cancer information from TV program had a
      median delay of 90 days (p=0.00021) and delay of <10 weeks was seen in 139
      (44.6%) patients, a delay of 10-20 weeks in 98 (31.5%) patients, and a delay of
      20-30 weeks in 63 (20.2%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Education and awareness had a
      significant impact in reduction of median patient delay in our HNC cases.

PMID- 26107230
TI  - The Level of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen and Lymph Node Metastasis in Locally
      Advanced Cervical Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the utility and a cut-off level of
      serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) to predict lymph node metastasis
      in locally advanced cervical cancer cases. We also investigated the correlation
      between SCC-Ag level and lymph node status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2009
      to June 2014, 232 patients with cervical cancer stage IB2-IVA, who were treated
      at Ramathibodi Hospital, were recruited. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC)
      curves were used to identify the best cut-off point of SCC-Ag level to predict
      lymph node metastasis. Quantile regression was performed to evaluate the
      correlation between SCC-Ag levels and pelvic lymph node metastasis, paraaortic
      lymph node metastasis, and parametrial involvement as well as tumor size.
      RESULTS: Pelvic lymph node metastasis and paraaortic lymph node metastasis were
      diagnosed in 46.6% and 20.1% of the patients, respectively. The median SCC-Ag
      level was 6 ng/mL (range, 0.5 to 464.6 ng/ mL). The areas under ROC curves
      between SCC-Ag level and pelvic lymph node metastasis, paraaotic lymph node
      metastasis, parametrial involvements were low. SCC-Ag level was significantly
      correlated with paraaortic lymph node status (p=0.045) but not with pelvic lymph
      node status and parametrial involvement. SCC-Ag level was also related to the
      tumor diameter (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SCC-Ag level is not a good predictor for
      pelvic and paraaortic lymph node metastasis. However, it is still beneficial to
      assess the tumor burden of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.

PMID- 26107231
TI  - Radiotherapy and Concurrent Chemo-Radiotherapy in Locally Advanced Hypopharyngeal
      Cancers--A Hospital Registry Based Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The survival of patients with hypopharyngeal cancer is low amongst
      head and neck cancer cases. The incidence rates of hypopharyngeal cancers in our
      population are amongst the highest in the world and there are limited data
      available on the literature on varied responses to first course of treatment with
      radiotherapy (RT) and concurrent chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) in our population.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical characteristics and initial responses to
      treatment in patients who had received radiotherapy and chemo-radiotherapy in a
      regional cancer center from January 2010 to December 2013 were evaluated. The
      data were obtained from the hospital cancer registry, and analysis was carried
      using descriptive statistics. Pearson's chi-square was used to test for
      differences in the variables and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
      RESULTS: A total of 554 patients were included in the analysis, 411 (74.2%)
      receiving RT and 143 (25.8%) being given CRT. There was significantly lower
      number of patients above 70 years with a higher proportion of patients below 50
      years who had received CRT (p<0.05). Some 79.3% and 84.6% of patients in the RT
      and CRT groups respectively presented with a favorable performance status, and in
      the RT group 240 (58.4%) showed complete response (CR), and in the CRT group 103
      (72.0%) showed CR at the first follow-up (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent chemo
      radiotherapy gives better short term response to treatment in locally advanced
      hypopharyngeal cancers.

PMID- 26107232
TI  - Mutation Screening and Association Study of the Folylpolyglutamate Synthetase
      (FPGS) Gene with Susceptibility to Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS), an important enzyme in the
      folate metabolic pathway, plays a central role in intracellular accumulation of
      folate and antifolate in several mammalian cell types. Loss of FPGS activity
      results in decreased cellular levels of antifolates and consequently to
      polyglutamatable antifolates in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: During May 1997 and December 2003, 134 children diagnosed with ALL were
      recruited from one hospital in Thailand. We performed a mutation analysis in the
      coding regions of the FPGS gene and the association between single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) within FPGS in a case-control sample of childhood ALL
      patients. Mutation screening was conducted by polymerase chain reaction-single
      strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and subsequently with direct
      sequencing (n=72). Association analysis between common FPGS variants and ALL risk
      was done in 98 childhood ALL cases and 95 healthy volunteers recruited as
      controls. RESULTS: Seven SNPs in the FPGS coding region were identified by
      mutation analysis, 3 of which (IVS13+55C>T, g.1297T>G, and g.1508C>T) were
      recognized as novel SNPs. Association analysis revealed 3 of 6 SNPs to confer
      significant increase in ALL risk these being rs7039798 (p= 0.014, OR=2.14),
      rs1544105 (p=0.010, OR= 2.24), and rs10106 (p=0.026, OR= 1.99). CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings suggested that common genetic polymorphisms in the FPGS coding
      region including rs7039789, rs1544105, and rs10106 are significantly associated
      with increased ALL risk in Thai children.

PMID- 26107233
TI  - Quantitative Review of Oral Cancer Research Output from Pakistan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral cancer is the most common cancer among men and second only to
      breast cancer among women in Pakistan. For the effective control and prevention
      of oral cancer, Pakistan needs to recognize the importance of research and
      generation of the evidence-base which can inform policy making and planning and
      implementation of intervention programs. The objective of this review was to
      quantify oral cancer research output in Pakistan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      systematic electronic search in "Medline", "ISI-Web of Science" and "Pakmedinet",
      supplemented by a Google search, was carried out in January and February, 2014,
      to identify literature from Pakistan relevant to oral cancer. The selection of
      publications for the review was carried out according to preset criteria. Data
      were recorded and analyzed using Microsoft Excel. RESULTS: A total of 166
      publications comprising 62 case series, 36 cross sectional, 31 case control, 10
      basic laboratory research, eleven reviews and two trials, were included in this
      review. Some 35 % of the publications focused on risk factors for oral cancer.
      COMSATS Institute of Information Technology was the institution with the highest
      contribution. CONCLUSIONS: There is a lack of research in the field of oral
      cancer research in Pakistan. Focused efforts should be put in place to improve
      both quality and quantity of oral cancer research in the country.

PMID- 26107234
TI  - Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice of Testicular Self- examination among Male
      University Students from Bangladesh, Madagascar, Singapore, South Africa and
      Turkey.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice of
      testicular self-examination (TSE) among male university students from low income
      (Bangladesh, Madagascar), middle income (South Africa, Turkey) and emerging
      economy (Singapore) countries. Using anonymous questionnaires, data were
      collected from 2,061 male undergraduate university students aged 16-30 (mean age
      21.4, SD=2.4) from 5 universities in 5 countries across Asia and Africa. Overall,
      17.6% of the male students indicated that they knew how to perform TSE; this
      knowledge proportion was above 20% in Bangladesh and Singapore, while it was the
      lowest (12.2%) in Madagascar. Among all men, 86.4% had never practiced TSE in the
      past 12 months, 7.1% 1-2 times, 3.5% 3-10 times, and monthly TSE was 3.1%. The
      proportion of past 12 month TSE was the highest (17.6%) among male university
      students in South Africa and the lowest (7.3%) among students in Singapore.
      Logistic regression found that TSE importance or positive attitude was highly
      associated with TSE practice. TSE practices were found to be inadequate and
      efforts should be made to develop programmes that can increase knowledge related
      to testicular cancer as well as the practice of testicular self-examination. 

PMID- 26107235
TI  - Secondary Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) but not Primary CTCs are Associated with
      the Clinico-Pathological Parameters in Chilean Patients With Colo-Rectal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess detection of circulating tumor
      cells (CTC) using anti-CEA pre and post surgery in Chilean patients with colo
      rectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The presence of CTCs was evaluated in 80
      colorectal cancer patients pre and post surgery using standard
      immunocytochemistry and the results were compared with findings for standard
      clinico-pathological parameters. RESULTS: In patients pre- surgery CEA (+) CTCs
      were frequently found, with no relation to tumor size or nodal status. After
      surgery, the presence of CTCs was associated with such clinico-pathological
      parameters. The frequency of CTC detection in node positive patients did not
      change after surgery. In patients with metastasis there was also no change in the
      frequency of CTC detection, and clusters of 3 or more CTCs were evident.
      CONCLUSIONS: Secondary CTCs are associated with clinico-pathological parameters
      only after surgical removal of the primary tumor, and might be important in
      identifying patients at high risk of relapse. Primary CTCs detected before
      surgical removal are frequently found, are not associated with the clinico
      pathological parameters and might have a role in cancer screening. These findings
      suggest the need for studies with a larger population of patients.

PMID- 26107236
TI  - Metastatic Inhibitory and Radical Scavenging Efficacies of Saponins Extracted
      from the Brittle Star (Ophiocoma erinaceus).
AB  - Echinodermata use saponins in chemical defense against pathogens and predators.
      The molecular mechanisms of antimetastatic effects of brittle star saponins are
      still unknown. The present study examined antioxidant capacity and invasive
      ability in HeLa carcinoma cells exposed to brittle star crude saponins.
      Discolorating methods with DPPH and ABTS and expression of SOD-2 with RT-PCR were
      used to estimate the antioxidant activity. The anti-invasive activity of
      extracted saponins was examined through adhesion of HeLa cells to extracellular
      matrix, wound healing and evaluation of the mRNA levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 by
      real time-PCR. The results showed that extracted saponins had cytotoxicity
      against cervical cancer cells and ABTS and DPPH scavenging properties with IC50
      values of 604.5, 1012 MUg/ml, respectively. Further, we found that, in wound
      healing assay, brittle star saponins could prevent invasion of HeLa cells in a
      concentration dependent manner. Furthermore, cell adhesion assay demonstrated
      blockage of cell attachment to extracellular matrix with an IC50 concentration of
      16.1MUg/ml. The significant dose dependent down regulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in
      treated cells demonstrated that isolated saponins can decline tumor metastasis in
      vitro. The brittle star saponins remarkably prevented cervical cancer invasion
      and migration associated with down regulation of matrix metalloproteinase
      expression. Therefore, saponins could be suggested as an anti-invasive candidate
      against cervical cancer and an antioxidant as well. 

PMID- 26107237
TI  - Predictive and Prognostic Biomarkers for Patients Treated with Anti-EGFR Agents
      in Lung Cancer: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies have investigated predictive and prognostic
      biomarkers for patients treated with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
      agents in lung cancer. However, the conclusion is controversial. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the associations of mutant K
      ras, PIK3CA and PTEN deficiency with the efficacy of anti-EGFR agents in lung
      cancer. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). The secondary
      endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).
      RESULTS: A total of 61 studies were included in the final meta-analysis. The
      result showed that K-ras mutation was a good predictor for ORR (RR=0.42, 95%CI,
      0.33-0.55, p=0.000) and an effective prognostic marker for OS (HR=1.37, 95%CI,
      1.15-1.65, p=0.001) and PFS (HR=1.33, 95%CI, 1.05-1.69, p=0.019). However, PTEN
      deficiency or PIK3CA mutation did not show any significance predictive value for
      ORR (PTEN, RR=0.82, 95%CI, 0.56-1.19, p=0.286; PIK3CA, RR=1.08, 95%CI, 0.17-6.66,
      P=0.938). And PTEN deficiency or expression of PIK3CA did not show significance
      prognostic value for OS (PTEN, HR=0.88, 95%CI, 0.31-2.46,P=0.805; PIK3CA,
      HR=0.79, 95%CI: 0.23-2.68, P=0.706). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis showed that K
      ras mutation may be an effective predictor in lung cancer patients treated with
      anti-EGFR agents. Whereas, the predictive and prognostic value of PTEN deficiency
      and PIK3CA mutation need to be further investigated.

PMID- 26107238
TI  - Roles of Combined Glypican-3 and Glutamine Synthetase in Differential Diagnosis
      of Hepatocellular Lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most prevalent cancer and
      thirdly leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The estimated risk of
      hepatocellular carcinoma is 15 to 20 times as high among persons infected with
      HCV as it is among those who are not infected, with most of the excess risk
      limited to those with advanced hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis. Glypican3 (GPC3)
      plays a key role in relation to signaling with growth factors, regulating the
      proliferative activity of cancer cells. Glutamine synthetase (GS) catalyzes the
      synthesis of glutamine from glutamate and ammonia in the mammalian liver. GS was
      suggested as a specific marker for tracing cell lineage relationships during
      hepatocarcinogenesis. In normal liver, GS expression is seen in pericentral
      hepatocytes, but not by midzonal or periportal hepatocytes. In HCC, strong and
      diffuse GS expression in seen in tumor cells. RESULTS: Glypican3 immunopositvity
      was highly specific and sensitive indicator for hepatocellular carcinoma as well
      as glutamine synthetase which was found to be a sensitive and specific indicator
      for development of hepatocellular carcinoma when compared to cirrhosis, liver
      cell dyspalsia and metastatic carcinomas. Statistical analysis revealed a
      significant association between GPC3 and GS with tumor size (P=0.003, p=0.006,
      respectively). Diffuse staining significantly associated with large tumor size
      while, focal and mixed staining was detected more with small tumor size. Studying
      the relation with tumor grade also revealed significant association between
      diffuse GPC3 and GS staining with high tumor grade. Diffuse staining was detected
      in 91.7% and 100% respectively of poorly differentiated specimens and only in
      33.3% and 22.2% of well differentiated specimens. CONCLUSIONS: While using GPC3
      and GS to screen for premalignant hepatic lesions remains controversial, our data
      suggest that GPC3 and GS may be a reliable diagnostic immunomarkers to
      distinguish HCC from benign hepatocellular lesions. However, negative
      immunostaining should not exclude the diagnosis of HCC.

PMID- 26107239
TI  - Adult Urological Soft Tissue Sarcomas: A Multicenter Study of the Anatolian
      Society of Medical Oncology (ASMO).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze clinicopathological characteristics, prognostic factors and
      survival rates of the patients with urological soft tissue sarcomas treated and
      followed up in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For overall survival analyses the
      Kaplan-Meier method was used. From medical records, nine prognostic factors on
      overall survival were analysed. RESULTS: For the 53 patients (34 males, 19
      females) whose charts were reviewed, the median age was 53 (range 22 to 83)
      years. Most frequently renal location (n=30; 56.6%) was evident and
      leiomyosarcoma (n=20, 37.7%) was the most frequently encountered histological
      type. Median survival time of all patients was 40.3 (95% CI, 14.2-66.3) months.
      In univariate analysis, male gender, advanced age (>=50 years), metastatic stage,
      unresectability, grade 3, renal location were determined as worse prognostic
      factors. In multivariate analysis, metastatic stage, unresectability and grade 3
      were determined as indicators of worse prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Urological soft
      tissue sarcomas are rarely seen tumours in adults. The most important factors in
      survival are surgical resection, stage of the tumour at onset, grade and location
      of the tumour, gender and age of the patients.

PMID- 26107240
TI  - Proliferative and Inhibitory Activity of Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus
      senticosus) Extract on Cancer Cell Lines; A-549, XWLC-05, HCT-116, CNE and Beas
      2b.
AB  - Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is used primarily as an adaptogen
      herb and also for its immune stimulant properties in Western herbal medicine.
      Another closely related species used in East Asian medicine systems i.e. Kampo,
      TCM (Manchuria, Korea, Japan and Ainu of Hokkaido) and also called Siberian
      ginseng (Acanthopanax senticosus) also displays immune-stimulant and anti-cancer
      properties. These may affect tumour growth and also provide an anti-fatigue
      effect for cancer patients, in particular for those suffering from lung cancer.
      There is some evidence that a carbohydrate in Siberian ginseng may possess not
      only immune stimulatory but also anti-tumour effects and also display other
      various anti-cancer properties. Our study aimed to determine the inhibitory and
      also proliferative effects of a methanol plant extract of Siberan ginseng (E.
      senticosus) on various cancer and normal cell lines including: A-549 (small cell
      lung cancer), XWLC-05 (Yunnan lung cancer cell line), CNE (human nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma cell line), HCT-116 (human colon cancer) and Beas-2b (human lung
      epithelial). These cell lines were treated with an extract from E. senticosus
      that was evaporated and re- constituted in DMSO. Treatment of A-549 (small cell
      lung cancer) cells with E. senticosus methanolic extract showed a concentration
      dependent inhibitory trend from 12.5 - 50MUg/mL, and then a plateau, whereas at
      12.5 and 25 MUg/mL, there is a slight growth suppression in QBC-939 cells, but
      then a steady suppression from 50, 100 and 200MUg/mL. Further, in XWLC-05 (Yunnan
      lung cancer cell line), E. senticosus methanolic extract displayed an inhibitory
      effect which plateaued with increasing dosage. Next, in CNE (human nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma cell line) there was a dose dependent proliferative response, whereas
      in Beas-2 (human lung epithelial cell line), an inhibitory effect. Finally in
      colon cancer cell line (HCT-116) we observed an initially weak inhibitory effect
      and then plateau. 

PMID- 26107241
TI  - Ovarian Cancer in Children and Adolescents: Treatment and Reproductive Outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review ovarian cancer cases in children and adolescents in Siriraj
      Hospital and assess the prognosis, recurrence of disease, and reproductive
      outcomes after treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective descriptive
      study was conducted in ovarian cancer patients 21 years and younger who had been
      treated at Siriraj Hospital between January 1990 and December 2009. Medical
      records were reviewed and relevant data were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 48
      cases met the criteria; their mean age was 16.4 years. Abdominal distension was
      the major symptom. 91.6% were germ cell tumors and the remaining cases were sex
      cord-stromal and epithelial tumors. More than half (25/48 cases) presented with
      stage I disease. The most common used chemotherapy regimen for germ cell tumors
      was BEP (bloemycin, etoposide, cisplatin). Most of patients had favorable
      outcomes; 46/48 cases had complete remission and retained their good health at
      the time of the review. We had only one recurrent case and one dead case. Ten of
      contacted patients had married and 3 of them had successful full-term
      pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: Ovarian malignancy in children and adolescents is a
      rare disease. The authors reported 48 cases in 20 year-period of work. Most of
      them have favorable outcomes. Return of ovarian function and fertility are the
      topics of interest.

PMID- 26107242
TI  - Study of Pemetrexed-based Chemotherapy for Patients with Locally Advanced or
      Metastatic Cancers.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was conducted to observe the efficacy and safety of
      pemetrexed based chemotherapy in treating patients with locally advanced or
      metastatic cancers as first-line, second-line or third-line therapy. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: From May 2011 to January 2015, we recruited 29 patients with
      advanced breast cancer, 19 patients with advanced ovary cancer, 17 patients with
      advanced esophageal cancer,5 patients with advanced gallbladder cancer,5 patients
      with advanced cervical cancer and 1 patient with advanced tongue cancer in
      Jiangsu Cancer Hospital and Research Institute.All of them were pathologically
      confirmed and treated with pemetrexed based chemotherapy. After two cycles of
      treatment,efficacy and safety can be evaluated. RESULTS: For pemetrexed based
      regimens,including 76 patients with 6 kinds of advanced cancer were considered
      eligible for inclusion. Complete remission represents CR, partial remission
      represents PR, stable disease represents SD, progressive disease represents PD.
      Among 29 patients with advanced breast cancer, 4 patients chose pemetrexed based
      regimens as second-line treatment,1 of them was PR,the other 3 got SD. The last
      25 patients made use of this chemotherapy as third-line treatment, except one
      patient could not be assessed, 2 of them got PR,6 of them got SD,the remaining 16
      of them finally were PD.19 patients with advanced ovary cancer,5 patients used
      this regimens as second-line treatment, 3 of them got PD,the remaining patients
      got SD, respectively. The last 14 patients made use of pemetrexed based regimens
      as third-line treatment,. RR (CR+PR) was 28.5%. Among 17 patients with advanced
      esophageal cancer, 2 patients made use of pemetrexed based regimens as first-line
      treatment,both of them got PR.4 of them used this chemotherapy as second-line
      regimen, except 2 patients could not be assessed,the remaining 2 was PD at last.
      The last 11 patients was third-line users, RR (CR+PR) was 18.2%. Among 5 patients
      with advanced gallbladder cancer, pemetrexed based regimens was used in 1 patient
      as first- line treatment and 1 patient as second-line treatment. The curative
      effect was SD and PD, respectively. 3 patients accepted pemetrexed based regimens
      as third-line treatment, 2 of them got PD as results and another was SD. Among 5
      patients with advanced cervical cancer, just 1 patient adopted pemetrexed based
      regimens as first-line treatment, whose curative effect was PR.2 patients chose
      this chemotherapy regimens as second-line treatment. Both of them got PD as their
      consequence. The last 2 patients made use of the regimens as third-line
      treatment, the effect of them was PD and SD, respectively. The one who with
      advanced tongue cancer, pemetrexed based regimens was used as second-line
      treatment, and the consequence was PD. About 71.1% patients experienced bone
      marrow suppression. Among them, 5 patients reached 4 grade. Other toxicity of
      pemetrexed were neurotoxicity, fatigue, diarrhea, dysphagia and vomiting. No
      treatment related death occurred with pemetrexed-based treatment. CONCLUSIONS:
      Pemetrexed based chemotherapy has considerable effect in patients with advanced
      cancers such as breast cancer,esophageal cancer and ovary cancer. More randomly
      clinical trials are needed to verify the results.

PMID- 26107243
TI  - A Pooled Analysis on Crizotinib in Treating Chinese Patients with EML4-ALK
      Positive Non-small-cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
      crizotinib based regimens in treating Chinese patients with EML4-ALK positive non
      small-cell lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical studies evaluating the
      efficacy and safety of crizotinib based regimens on response and safety for
      Chinese patients with EML4-ALK positive non-small-cell lung cancer were
      identified by using a predefined search strategy. Pooled response rate (RR) of
      treatment were calculated. RESULTS: In crizotinib based regimens, 3 clinical
      studies which including 128 Chinese patients with EML4-ALK positive non-small
      cell lung cancer and treated with crizotinib based regimen were considered
      eligible for inclusion. Pooled analysis suggested that, in all patients, the
      pooled RR was 59.3% (76/128) in crizotinib based regimens. ALT/AST mild visual
      disturbances, nausea, and vomiting were the main side effects. No treatment
      related death occurred in these crizotinib based treatments. CONCLUSIONS: This
      pooled analysis suggests that crizotinib based regimens are associated with good
      response rate and accepted toxicities in treating Chinese patients with EML4-ALK
      positive non-small-cell lung cancer.

PMID- 26107244
TI  - Are Rogerofenib and Nilotinib Effective for Advanced Gastrointestinal Stromal
      Tumor (GIST) Patients who have Already been Given Main Treatments?

PMID- 26107245
TI  - Structure-based design of potent HIV-1 protease inhibitors with modified P1
      biphenyl ligands: synthesis, biological evaluation, and enzyme-inhibitor X-ray
      structural studies.
AB  - We report the design, synthesis, X-ray structural studies, and biological
      evaluation of a novel series of HIV-1 protease inhibitors. We designed a variety
      of functionalized biphenyl derivatives to make enhanced van der Waals
      interactions in the S1 subsite of HIV-1 protease. These biphenyl derivatives were
      conveniently synthesized using a Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction as the
      key step. We examined the potential of these functionalized biphenyl-derived P1
      ligands in combination with 3-(S)-tetrahydrofuranyl urethane and bis
      tetrahydrofuranyl urethane as the P2 ligands. Inhibitor 21e, with a 2-methoxy
      1,1'-biphenyl derivative as P1 ligand and bis-THF as the P2 ligand, displayed the
      most potent enzyme inhibitory and antiviral activity. This inhibitor also
      exhibited potent activity against a panel of multidrug-resistant HIV-1 variants.
      A high resolution X-ray crystal structure of related Boc-derivative 17a-bound HIV
      1 protease provided important molecular insight into the ligand-binding site
      interactions of the biphenyl core in the S1 subsite of HIV-1 protease. 

PMID- 26107247
TI  - Improving Hospital Quality and Costs in Nonoperative Traumatic Brain Injury: The
      Role of Acute Care Surgeons.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: The role of acute care surgeons is evolving; however, no guidelines
      exist for the selective treatment of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI)
      exclusively by acute care surgeons. We implemented the Brain Injury Guidelines
      (BIG) for managing TBI at our institution on March 1, 2012. OBJECTIVE: To compare
      the outcomes in patients with TBI before and after implementation of the BIG
      protocol. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a 2-year analysis of
      our prospectively maintained database of all patients with TBI (findings of skull
      fracture and/or intracranial hemorrhage on an initial computed tomographic scan
      of the head) who presented to our level I trauma center. The pre-BIG group
      included patients with TBI from March 1, 2011, through February 29, 2012, and the
      post-BIG group included patients from July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013. MAIN
      OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome measures were patients with repeated
      computed tomography of the head and neurosurgical consultations. Secondary
      outcome measures were findings of progression of intracranial hemorrhage on
      repeated computed tomographic scans, neurosurgical intervention, hospital
      admission, intensive care unit admission, hospital and intensive care unit length
      of stay, 30-day readmission rate, and hospital costs per patient. RESULTS: A
      total of 796 patients (415 in the pre-BIG group and 381 in the post-BIG group)
      were included. There was a significant reduction (19.0%) in the rate of
      neurosurgical consultation (post-BIG group, 273 patients [71.7%]; pre-BIG group,
      376 [90.6%]; P < .001), repeated computed tomography of the head (post-BIG group,
      255 patients [66.9%]; pre-BIG group, 381 patients [91.8%]; P < .001), hospital
      (post-BIG group, 330 [86.6%]; pre-BIG group, 398 [95.9%]; P < .001) and intensive
      care unit admission (post-BIG group, 202 [53.0%]; pre-BIG group, 257 [61.9%]; P =
      .01), hospital length of stay (post-BIG group, 5.4 [4.5] days; pre-BIG group, 6.1
      [4.8] days; P = .03), and hospital costs per patient ($4772 per patient; P = .03)
      with implementation of BIG. There was no difference in the in-hospital mortality
      rate (post-BIG group, 62 patients [16.3%]; pre-BIG group, 69 patients [16.6%]; P
      = .89), progression of intracranial hemorrhage on repeated scans (post-BIG group,
      41 patients [10.8%]; pre-BIG group, 59 patients [14.2%]; P = .14), neurosurgical
      intervention (post-BIG group, 61 patients [16.0%]; pre-BIG group, 59 patients
      [14.2%]; P = .48), and 30-day readmission rate (post-BIG group, 31 patients
      [8.1%]; pre-BIG group, 37 patients [8.9%]; P = .69) after implementation of BIG.
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Implementation of BIG is safe and cost-effective. BIG
      defines the management of TBI without the need for neurosurgical consultation and
      unnecessary imaging. Establishing a national, multi-institutional study
      implementing the BIG protocol is warranted.

PMID- 26107248
TI  - Correction: Casein Kinase 1 and Phosphorylation of Cohesin Subunit Rec11 (SA3)
      Promote Meiotic Recombination through Linear Element Formation.

PMID- 26107249
TI  - Persistence, isolation and diversification of a naturally fragmented species in
      local refugia: the case of Hydromantes strinatii.
AB  - The study of the European plethodontid salamander Hydromantes strinatii using
      allozyme and mitochondrial markers showed a strong geographical genetic
      structure. This was likely the outcome of different evolutionary mechanisms
      leaving their signature despite the effects of the genetic drift due to the low
      population size typical of this species. Two highly divergent clades were
      identified in the eastern and central-western part of the range, with further
      geographic sub-structure. Nuclear and mitochondrial markers substantially
      recovered the same population groups but were conflicting in reconstructing their
      relationships. This apparent incongruence highlighted the action of different
      mechanisms such as secondary contacts and incomplete lineage sorting in
      originating the observed genetic variation. The troglophilic habit of this
      species provided the opportunity to show the importance of caves as local refugia
      in maintaining the genetic diversity through the persistence of local
      populations. Accordingly, high nucleotide and haplotype diversity, strong
      geographic genetic structuring and lack of expansion were evidenced. This
      signature was found in the populations from the Ligurian and Maritime Alps, in
      agreement with the complex orography and paleoclimatic history of this
      Mediterranean hotspot. 

PMID- 26107250
TI  - Antigen-specific tolerogenic dendritic cells ameliorate the severity of murine
      collagen-induced arthritis.
AB  - Dendritic cells (DCs) play important roles in initiation of the pathogenic
      processes of autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Tolerogenic
      dendritic cells (tolDCs) are generated from naive DCs and induce T cell
      tolerance; thus, they represent a promising strategy for specific cellular
      therapy for autoimmune diseases. In this study, we generated green fluorescent
      protein (GFP)-labeled tolDCs and confirmed their phenotypes and biological
      functions. We found that tolDCs suppressed the memory lymphocyte response and
      exhibited strong tolerogenic potential; thus, these cells show promise for the
      treatment of autoimmune diseases. Additionally, a collagen-induced arthritis
      (CIA) mouse model was used to test the role of tolDCs in vivo. The results of a
      further mechanistic experiment revealed that tolDCs suppressed inflammatory
      arthritis at least partially by up-regulating regulatory T (Treg) cells.
      Collectively, our data suggest that tolDCs may be used as a promising alternative
      therapy for inflammatory arthritis. 

PMID- 26107251
TI  - Spatial-Temporal Dynamics of High-Resolution Animal Networks: What Can We Learn
      from Domestic Animals?
AB  - Animal social network is the key to understand many ecological and
      epidemiological processes. We used real-time location system (RTLS) to accurately
      track cattle position, analyze their proximity networks, and tested the
      hypothesis of temporal stationarity and spatial homogeneity in these networks
      during different daily time periods and in different areas of the pen. The
      network structure was analyzed using global network characteristics (network
      density), subgroup clustering (modularity), triadic property (transitivity), and
      dyadic interactions (correlation coefficient from a quadratic assignment
      procedure) at hourly level. We demonstrated substantial spatial-temporal
      heterogeneity in these networks and potential link between indirect animal
      environment contact and direct animal-animal contact. But such heterogeneity
      diminished if data were collected at lower spatial (aggregated at entire pen
      level) or temporal (aggregated at daily level) resolution. The network structure
      (described by the characteristics such as density, modularity, transitivity,
      etc.) also changed substantially at different time and locations. There were
      certain time (feeding) and location (hay) that the proximity network structures
      were more consistent based on the dyadic interaction analysis. These results
      reveal new insights for animal network structure and spatial-temporal dynamics,
      provide more accurate descriptions of animal social networks, and allow more
      accurate modeling of multiple (both direct and indirect) disease transmission
      pathways. 

PMID- 26107253
TI  - Differential Survival for Men and Women with HIV/AIDS-Related Neurologic
      Diagnoses.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Neurologic complications of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
      infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) frequently lead to
      disability or death in affected patients. The aim of this study was to determine
      whether survival patterns differ between men and women with HIV/AIDS-related
      neurologic disease (neuro-AIDS). METHODS: Retrospective cohort data from a
      statewide surveillance database for HIV/AIDS were used to characterize survival
      following an HIV/AIDS-related neurologic diagnosis for men and women with one or
      more of the following conditions: cryptococcosis, toxoplasmosis, primary central
      nervous system lymphoma, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, and HIV
      associated dementia. A second, non-independent cohort was formed using university
      based cases to confirm and extend the findings from the statewide data. Kaplan
      Meier analysis was used to compare the survival experiences for men and women in
      the cohorts. Cox regression was employed to characterize survival while
      controlling for potential confounders in the study population. RESULTS: Women
      (n=27) had significantly poorer outcomes than men (n=198) in the statewide cohort
      (adjusted hazard ratio=2.31, 95% CI: 1.22 to 4.35), and a similar, non
      significant trend was observed among university-based cases (n=17 women, 154
      men). Secondary analyses suggested that this difference persisted over the course
      of the AIDS epidemic and was not attributable to differential antiretroviral
      therapy responses among men and women. CONCLUSIONS: The survival disadvantage of
      women compared to men should be confirmed and the mechanisms underlying this
      disparity elucidated. If this relationship is confirmed, targeted clinical and
      public health efforts might be directed towards screening, treatment, and support
      for women affected by neuro-AIDS.

PMID- 26107252
TI  - Inflammasome-independent role of AIM2 in suppressing colon tumorigenesis via DNA
      PK and Akt.
AB  - The inflammasome activates caspase-1 and the release of interleukin-1beta (IL
      1beta) and IL-18, and several inflammasomes protect against intestinal
      inflammation and colitis-associated colon cancer (CAC) in animal models. The
      absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) inflammasome is activated by double-stranded DNA, and
      AIM2 expression is reduced in several types of cancer, but the mechanism by which
      AIM2 restricts tumor growth remains unclear. We found that Aim2-deficient mice
      had greater tumor load than Asc-deficient mice in the azoxymethane/dextran sodium
      sulfate (AOM/DSS) model of colorectal cancer. Tumor burden was also higher in
      Aim2(-/-)/Apc(Min/+) than in APC(Min/+) mice. The effects of AIM2 on CAC were
      independent of inflammasome activation and IL-1beta and were primarily mediated
      by a non-bone marrow source of AIM2. In resting cells, AIM2 physically interacted
      with and limited activation of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), a PI3K
      related family member that promotes Akt phosphorylation, whereas loss of AIM2
      promoted DNA-PK-mediated Akt activation. AIM2 reduced Akt activation and tumor
      burden in colorectal cancer models, while an Akt inhibitor reduced tumor load in
      Aim2(-/-) mice. These findings suggest that Akt inhibitors could be used to treat
      AIM2-deficient human cancers. 

PMID- 26107254
TI  - Primed Immune Responses Triggered by Ingested Bacteria Lead to Systemic Infection
      Tolerance in Silkworms.
AB  - In the present study, we examined whether microorganisms collaterally ingested by
      insects with their food activate the innate immune system to confer systemic
      resistance against subsequent bacterial invasion. Silkworms orally administered
      heat-killed Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells showed resistance against intra
      hemolymph infection by P. aeruginosa. Oral administration of peptidoglycans, cell
      wall components of P. aeruginosa, conferred protective effects against P.
      aeruginosa infection, whereas oral administration of lipopolysaccharides,
      bacterial surface components, did not. In silkworms orally administered heat
      killed P. aeruginosa cells, P. aeruginosa growth was inhibited in the hemolymph,
      and mRNA amounts of the antimicrobial peptides cecropin A and moricin were
      increased in the hemocytes and fat body. Furthermore, the amount of paralytic
      peptide, an insect cytokine that activates innate immune reactions, was increased
      in the hemolymph of silkworms orally administered heat-killed P. aeruginosa
      cells. These findings suggest that insects sense bacteria present in their food
      by peptidoglycan recognition, which activates systemic immune reactions to defend
      the insects against a second round of infection. 

PMID- 26107255
TI  - Multivariate Analysis of Prognostic Biomarkers in Surgically Treated Endometrial
      Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify biomarkers with prognostic value
      in the setting of surgically treated endometrial cancer. METHODS: Medical data
      for 282 patients with surgically treated endometrial cancer were reviewed
      retrospectively. Preoperative concentrations of six serum biomarkers (CA125, CA15
      3, C-reactive protein [CRP], D-dimer [D-D], platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio [PLR],
      and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR]) were analysed to determine potential
      associations with clinicopathologic characteristics and to assess prognostic
      values separately via Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox regression.
      RESULTS: In univariate analyses, the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 86.5%
      for a maximum follow-up period of 75 months. High concentrations of CA125, CA15
      3, CRP, D-D, PLR, and NLR each proved significantly predictive of poor survival
      (log-rank test, P<0.01). CRP and D-D were identified as independent
      prognosticators, using a Cox regression model. Study patients were then
      stratified (based on combined independent risk factors) into three tiers
      (P<0.001), marked by 5-year OS rates of 92.1%, 78.4%, and 33.3%. CONCLUSIONS: All
      serum biomarkers assessed (CA125, CA15-3, CRP, D-D, PLR, and NLR) proved to be
      valid prognostic indices of surgically treated endometrial cancer. A novel
      prognostic grouping system, incorporating independent risk factors (CRP and D-D
      Concentrations), may have merit in assessing these patients preoperatively,
      providing a biologic basis for improved clinical staging.

PMID- 26107256
TI  - Ashtanga-Based Yoga Therapy Increases the Sensory Contribution to Postural
      Stability in Visually-Impaired Persons at Risk for Falls as Measured by the Wii
      Balance Board: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Persons with visual impairment (VI) are at greater risk for falls due
      to irreparable damage to visual sensory input contributing to balance. Targeted
      training may significantly improve postural stability by strengthening the
      remaining sensory systems. Here, we evaluate the Ashtanga-based Yoga Therapy
      (AYT) program as a multi-sensory behavioral intervention to develop postural
      stability in VI. DESIGN: A randomized, waitlist-controlled, single-blind clinical
      trial. METHODS: The trial was conducted between October 2012 and December 2013.
      Twenty-one legally blind participants were randomized to an 8-week AYT program (n
      = 11, mean (SD) age = 55(17)) or waitlist control (n=10, mean (SD) age = 55(10)).
      AYT subjects convened for one group session at a local yoga studio with an
      instructor and two individual home-based practice sessions per week for a total
      of 8 weeks. Subjects completed outcome measures at baseline and post-8 weeks of
      AYT. The primary outcome, absolute Center of Pressure (COP), was derived from the
      Wii Balance Board (WBB), a standalone posturography device, in 4 sensory
      conditions: firm surface, eyes open (EO); firm surface, eyes closed (EC); foam
      surface, EO; and foam surface, EC. Stabilization Indices (SI) were computed from
      COP measures to determine the relative visual (SIfirm, SIfoam), somatosensory
      (SIEO, SIEC) and vestibular (SIV, i.e., FoamEC vs. FirmEO) contributions to
      balance. This study was not powered to detect between group differences, so
      significance of pre-post changes was assessed by paired samples t-tests within
      each group. RESULTS: Groups were equivalent at baseline (all p > 0.05). In the
      AYT group, absolute COP significantly increased in the FoamEO (t(8) = -3.66, p =
      0.01) and FoamEC (t(8) = -3.90, p = 0.01) conditions. Relative somatosensory SIEO
      (t(8) = -2.42, p = 0.04) and SIEC (t(8) = -3.96, p = 0.01), and vestibular SIV
      (t(8) = -2.47, p = 0.04) contributions to balance increased significantly. As
      expected, no significant changes from EO to EC conditions were found indicating
      an absence of visual dependency in VI. No significant pre-post changes were
      observed in the control group (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary
      results establish the potential for AYT training to develop the remaining
      somatosensory and vestibular responses used to optimize postural stability in a
      VI population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01366677.

PMID- 26107257
TI  - Polymorphisms in CaSR and CLDN14 Genes Associated with Increased Risk of Kidney
      Stone Disease in Patients from the Eastern Part of India.
AB  - Kidney stone disease (KSD) is a major clinical problem imposing a large burden
      for both healthcare and economy globally. In India, the prevalence of kidney
      stone disease is rapidly increasing. This study aimed to evaluate the association
      between genetic defects in vitamin D receptor (VDR), calcium sensing receptor
      (CaSR) and claudin 14 (CLDN14) genes and kidney stone disease in patients from
      eastern India. We enrolled 200 consecutive kidney stone patients (age 18-60
      years) (cases) and their corresponding sex and age matched 200 normal individuals
      (controls). To identify genetic variants responsible for KSD, we performed
      sequence analysis of VDR, CaSR and CLDN14 genes. Four non-synonymous (rs1801725,
      rs1042636, rs1801726 and rs2228570), one synonymous (rs219780) and three intronic
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs731236, rs219777 and rs219778) were
      identified. Genotype and allele frequency analysis of these SNPs revealed that,
      rs1801725 (Ala986Ser), rs1042636 (Arg990Gly) of CaSR gene and rs219778, rs219780
      (Thr229Thr) of CLDN14 gene were significantly associated with KSD. Serum calcium
      levels were significantly higher in subjects carrying 986Ser allele and calcium
      excretion was higher in subjects bearing 990Gly allele. In conclusion, rs1801725,
      rs1042636, rs219778 and rs219780 SNPs were associated with kidney stone risk in
      patients from the eastern part of India. 

PMID- 26107259
TI  - Trajectories of Sensory Over-Responsivity from Early to Middle Childhood: Birth
      and Temperament Risk Factors.
AB  - Sensory over-responsivity, a subtype of sensory modulation disorder, is
      characterized by extreme negative reactions to normative sensory experiences.
      These over-reactions can interfere with daily activities and cause stress to
      children and their families. The etiology and developmental course of sensory
      over-responsivity is still largely unknown. We measured tactile and auditory over
      responsivity in a population-based, typically developing sample of twins (N=978)
      at age two years via a caregiver report temperament questionnaire and again at
      age seven years via a sensory over-responsivity symptom inventory. Participating
      twins were treated as singletons although all analyses controlled for clustering
      within families. Children were divided into four trajectory groups based on risk
      status at both ages: low symptom (N=768), remitted (N=75), late-onset (N=112),
      and chronic (N=24). A subset of children who screened positive for SOR in
      toddlerhood (N = 102) took part in a pilot study focused on sensory over
      responsivity at four years of age. Children in the chronic group had more severe
      symptoms of sensory sensitivity at age four years, including more motion
      sensitivity, than the other trajectory groups. Children in the chronic group had
      a younger gestational age and were more likely to be low birth-weight than the
      low symptom group. Differences between remitted and late-onset groups and the low
      symptoms group were inconsistent across measures. Sensory over-responsivity was
      modestly correlated across ages (r = .22 for tactile over-responsivity and r =
      .11 for auditory over-responsivity), but symptoms were more stable among children
      born prematurely or who had more fearful and less soothable temperaments. A clear
      implication is that assessment over development may be necessary for a valid
      sensory processing disorder diagnosis, and a speculative implication is that
      sensory over-responsivity symptoms may be etiologically heterogeneous, with
      different causes of transient and stable symptoms. 

PMID- 26107260
TI  - Cranial Morphology of the Brachystelechid 'Microsaur' Quasicaecilia texana
      Carroll Provides New Insights into the Diversity and Evolution of Braincase
      Morphology in Recumbirostran 'Microsaurs'.
AB  - Recumbirostran 'microsaurs,' a group of early tetrapods from the Late
      Carboniferous and Early Permian, are the earliest known example of adaptation to
      head-first burrowing in the tetrapod fossil record. However, understanding of the
      diversity of fossorial adaptation within the Recumbirostra has been hindered by
      poor anatomical knowledge of the more divergent forms within the group. Here we
      report the results of MUCT study of Quasicaecilia texana, a poorly-known
      recumbirostran with a unique, broad, shovel-like snout. The organization of the
      skull roof and braincase of Quasicaecilia is found to be more in line with that
      of other recumbirostrans than previously described, despite differences in
      overall shape. The braincase is found to be broadly comparable to Carrolla
      craddocki, with a large presphenoid that encompasses much of the interorbital
      septum and the columella ethmoidalis, and a single compound ossification
      encompassing the sphenoid, otic, and occipital regions. The recumbirostran
      braincase conserves general structure and topology of braincase regions and
      cranial nerve foramina, but it is highly variable in the number of ossifications
      and their extent, likely associated with the reliance on braincase ossifications
      to resist compression during sediment compaction and mechanical manipulation by
      epaxial and hypaxial musculature. Expansion of the deep ventral neck musculature
      in Quasicaecilia, autapomorphic among recumbirostrans, may reflect unique
      biomechanical function, and underscores the importance of future attention to the
      role of the cervical musculature in contextualizing the origin and evolution of
      fossoriality in recumbirostrans. 

PMID- 26107258
TI  - Taxonomic resolutions based on 18S rRNA genes: a case study of subclass copepoda.
AB  - Biodiversity studies are commonly conducted using 18S rRNA genes. In this study,
      we compared the inter-species divergence of variable regions (V1-9) within the
      copepod 18S rRNA gene, and tested their taxonomic resolutions at different
      taxonomic levels. Our results indicate that the 18S rRNA gene is a good molecular
      marker for the study of copepod biodiversity, and our conclusions are as follows:
      1) 18S rRNA genes are highly conserved intra-species (intra-species similarities
      are close to 100%); and could aid in species-level analyses, but with some
      limitations; 2) nearly-whole-length sequences and some partial regions (around
      V2, V4, and V9) of the 18S rRNA gene can be used to discriminate between samples
      at both the family and order levels (with a success rate of about 80%); 3)
      compared with other regions, V9 has a higher resolution at the genus level (with
      an identification success rate of about 80%); and 4) V7 is most divergent in
      length, and would be a good candidate marker for the phylogenetic study of
      Acartia species. This study also evaluated the correlation between similarity
      thresholds and the accuracy of using nuclear 18S rRNA genes for the
      classification of organisms in the subclass Copepoda. We suggest that sample
      identification accuracy should be considered when a molecular sequence divergence
      threshold is used for taxonomic identification, and that the lowest similarity
      threshold should be determined based on a pre-designated level of acceptable
      accuracy. 

PMID- 26107261
TI  - Control of Pierce's Disease by Phage.
AB  - Pierce's Disease (PD) of grapevines, caused by Xylella fastidiosa subsp.
      fastidiosa (Xf), is a limiting factor in the cultivation of grapevines in the US.
      There are presently no effective control methods to prevent or treat PD. The
      therapeutic and prophylactic efficacy of a phage cocktail composed of four
      virulent (lytic) phages was evaluated for control of PD. Xf levels in grapevines
      were significantly reduced in therapeutically or prophylactically treated
      grapevines. PD symptoms ceased to progress one week post-therapeutic treatment
      and symptoms were not observed in prophylactically treated grapevines. Cocktail
      phage levels increased in grapevines in the presence of the host. No in planta
      phage-resistant Xf isolates were obtained. Moreover, Xf mutants selected for
      phage resistance in vitro did not cause PD symptoms. Our results indicate that
      phages have great potential for biocontrol of PD and other economically important
      diseases caused by Xylella. 

PMID- 26107262
TI  - Collective waves in dense and confined microfluidic droplet arrays.
AB  - Excitation mechanisms for collective waves in confined dense one-dimensional
      microfluidic droplet arrays are investigated by experiments and computer
      simulations. We demonstrate that distinct modes can be excited by creating
      specific 'defect' patterns in flowing droplet trains. Excited longitudinal modes
      exhibit a short-lived cascade of pairs of laterally displacing droplets.
      Transversely excited modes obey the dispersion relation of microfluidic phonons
      and induce a coupling between longitudinal and transverse modes, whose origin is
      the hydrodynamic interaction of the droplets with the confining walls. Moreover,
      we investigate the long-time behaviour of the oscillations and discuss possible
      mechanisms for the onset of instabilities. Our findings demonstrate that the
      collective dynamics of microfluidic droplet ensembles can be studied particularly
      well in dense and confined systems. Experimentally, the ability to control
      microfluidic droplets may allow the modulation of the refractive index of
      optofluidic crystals, which is a promising approach for the production of
      dynamically programmable metamaterials. 

PMID- 26107263
TI  - We Should Expect More out of Our Sewage Sludge.
AB  - Sewage sludge and biosolids production and management are a central component of
      water and sanitation engineering. The culmination of previous incremental
      technologies and regulations aimed at solving a current treatment problem, rather
      than developing the practice for the higher goals of sustainability have resulted
      in sludge becoming an economic and social liability. Sludge management practice
      must shift from treatment of a liability toward recovery of the embedded energy
      and chemical assets, while continuing to protect the environment and human
      health. This shift will require new research, treatment technologies and
      infrastructure and must be guided by the application of green engineering
      principles to ensure economic, social, and environmental sustainability. 

PMID- 26107264
TI  - Peptide-MHC-I from Endogenous Antigen Outnumber Those from Exogenous Antigen,
      Irrespective of APC Phenotype or Activation.
AB  - Naive anti-viral CD8+ T cells (TCD8+) are activated by the presence of peptide
      MHC Class I complexes (pMHC-I) on the surface of professional antigen presenting
      cells (pAPC). Increasing the number of pMHC-I in vivo can increase the number of
      responding TCD8+. Antigen can be presented directly or indirectly (cross
      presentation) from virus-infected and uninfected cells, respectively. Here we
      determined the relative importance of these two antigen presenting pathways in
      mousepox, a natural disease of the mouse caused by the poxvirus, ectromelia
      (ECTV). We demonstrated that ECTV infected several pAPC types (macrophages, B
      cells, and dendritic cells (DC), including DC subsets), which directly presented
      pMHC-I to naive TCD8+ with similar efficiencies in vitro. We also provided
      evidence that these same cell-types presented antigen in vivo, as they form
      contacts with antigen-specific TCD8+. Importantly, the number of pMHC-I on
      infected pAPC (direct presentation) vastly outnumbered those on uninfected cells
      (cross presentation), where presentation only occurred in a specialized subset of
      DC. In addition, prior maturation of DC failed to enhance antigen presentation,
      but markedly inhibited ECTV infection of DC. These results suggest that direct
      antigen presentation is the dominant pathway in mice during mousepox. In a
      broader context, these findings indicate that if a virus infects a pAPC then the
      presentation by that cell is likely to dominate over cross presentation as the
      most effective mode of generating large quantities of pMHC-I is on the surface of
      pAPC that endogenously express antigens. Recent trends in vaccine design have
      focused upon the introduction of exogenous antigens into the MHC Class I
      processing pathway (cross presentation) in specific pAPC populations. However,
      use of a pantropic viral vector that targets pAPC to express antigen endogenously
      likely represents a more effective vaccine strategy than the targeting of
      exogenous antigen to a limiting pAPC subpopulation. 

PMID- 26107265
TI  - Effectiveness of a Treatment Switch to Nevirapine plus Tenofovir and
      Emtricitabine (or Lamivudine) in Adults with HIV-1 Suppressed Viremia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Switching subjects with persistently undetectable HIV-1 viremia under
      antiretroviral treatment (ART) to once-daily tenofovir/emtricitabine (or
      lamivudine) + nevirapine is a cost-effective and well-tolerated strategy.
      However, the effectiveness of this approach has not been established. METHODS: We
      performed a retrospective study evaluating the rates of treatment failure,
      virological failure (VF), and variables associated, in all subjects initiating
      this switch combination in our clinic since 2001. Analyses were performed by a
      modified intention to treat, where switch due to toxicity equalled failure. The
      main endpoint was plasma HIV-RNA < 50 copies/mL. RESULTS: 341 patients were
      treated for a median of 176 (57; 308) weeks. At week 48, 306 (89.7%) subjects had
      HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL, 10 (2.9%) experienced VF, and 25 (7.4%) discontinued the
      treatment due to toxicity. During the whole follow-up 23 (6.7%) individuals (17
      on lamivudine, 6 on emtricitabine; p = 0.034) developed VF and treatment
      modification due to toxicity occurred in 36 (10.7%). Factors independently
      associated with VF in a multivariate analysis were: intravenous drug use (HR
      1.51; 95%CI 1.12, 2.04), time with undetectable viral load before the switch (HR
      0.98; 0.97, 0.99), number of prior NRTIs (HR 1.49; 1.15, 1.93) or NNRTIs (HR
      3.22; 1.64, 6.25), and previous NVP (HR 1.54; 1.10, 2.17) or efavirenz (HR 5.76;
      1.11, 29.87) unscheduled interruptions. VF was associated with emergence of usual
      nevirapine mutations (Y181C/I/D, K103N and V106A/I), M184V (n = 16; 12 with
      lamivudine vs. 4 with emtricitabine, p = 0.04), and K65R (n = 7). CONCLUSIONS:
      The rates of treatment failure at 48 weeks, or long-term toxicity or VF with this
      switch regimen are low and no unexpected mutations or patterns of mutations were
      selected in subjects with treatment failure.

PMID- 26107266
TI  - Experienced and Perceived Risks of Mycobacterial Diseases: A Cross Sectional
      Study among Agropastoral Communities in Northern Tanzania.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The current study was conducted to assess experienced risk factors and
      perceptions of mycobacterial diseases in communities in northern Tanzania.
      METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Arusha and Manyara regions in
      Northern Tanzania. We enrolled tuberculosis (TB) patients attending Mount Meru
      Hospital, Enduleni Hospital and Haydom Lutheran Hospitals in Arusha municipality,
      Ngorongoro and Mbulu districts, respectively. Patient addresses were recorded
      during their first visit to the hospitals. Patients with confirmed diagnosis of
      TB by sputum smear microscopy and/or culture at central laboratory were followed
      up and interviewed using pre-tested questionnaires, and selected relatives and
      neighbors were also interviewed. The study was conducted between June 2011 and
      May 2013. RESULTS: The study involved 164 respondents: 41(25%) were TB patients,
      68(41.5%) were their relatives and 55(33.5%) their neighbors. Sixty four (39%)
      knew a risk factor for mycobacterial disease. Overall, 64(39%) perceived to be at
      risk of mycobacterial diseases. Exposure to potential risks of mycobacterial
      diseases were: keeping livestock, not boiling drinking water, large family,
      smoking and sharing dwelling with TB patients. Rural dwellers were more often
      livestock keepers (p<0.01), more often shared dwelling with livestock (p<0.01)
      than urban dwellers. More primary school leavers reported sharing dwelling with
      TB patients than participants with secondary and higher education (p = 0.01).
      CONCLUSION: Livestock keeping, sharing dwelling with livestock, sharing household
      with a TB patient were perceived risk factors for mycobacterial diseases and the
      participants were exposed to some of these risk factors. Improving knowledge
      about the risk factors may protect them from these serious diseases.

PMID- 26107267
TI  - Acute on/off effects and chronic blood pressure reduction after long-term
      baroreflex activation therapy in resistant hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Baroreflex activation therapy (BAT) by electrical stimulation of
      baroreceptors at the carotid sinus is a promising therapeutic approach to reduce
      elevated blood pressure (BP). To assess the efficacy of long-term BAT, we
      investigated acute BP alterations after device deactivation and reactivation
      (on/off effects) in patients on chronic BAT, as well as chronic BP reductions.
      METHOD: Resistant hypertension patients (n = 17) were enrolled in an open-label,
      single-arm evaluation of unilateral BAT after exclusion of secondary
      hypertension. Initial eligibility criteria were SBP>=  140 mmHg, despite stable
      medical therapy with at least three antihypertensive drugs including at least one
      diuretic. For on/off testing, several office cuff BP measurements were performed:
      at rest with activated device, 4-6 min after deactivation, and 4-6 min after
      reactivation. RESULTS: Before BAT, mean office cuff BP was 179 +/- 25 over 98 +/-
      18 mmHg. At the time of on/off testing (15.1 +/- 8.7 months after initial
      activation and before deactivation), BP was reduced to 147 +/- 29 over 84 +/- 20
      mmHg. On deactivation, SBP increased to 158 +/- 38 mmHg (P = 0.004) and DBP to 89
      +/- 23 mmHg (P = 0.04). After reactivation, SBP decreased to 144 +/- 34 mmHg (P =
      0.002 vs. deactivation) and DBP to 83 +/- 23 mmHg (P = 0.009). There was no
      correlation between duration of chronic BAT and systolic or diastolic acute
      on/off response. CONCLUSION: Unilateral BAT reduces BP in patients with resistant
      hypertension in the long term. There is a significant on/off effect on BP,
      supporting the efficacy of BAT. The acute on/off response to BAT does not depend
      on treatment duration. Thus, no evidence of tolerance over time to chronic BAT
      was found.

PMID- 26107268
TI  - Courage and character, leaders and legends: an interview with Giuseppe Orlando,
      MD, PhD.

PMID- 26107269
TI  - Practical protocol for management of severe hyponatremia in patients undergoing
      liver transplant surgery.

PMID- 26107270
TI  - Development and initial evaluation of the psychometric properties of self
      efficacy and adherence scales for patients with a left ventricular assist device.
AB  - CONTEXT: No tools exist to measure patients' self-efficacy for and adherence to
      the complex home-care regimen after having a left ventricular device (LVAD)
      implanted. OBJECTIVE: To develop 2 new instruments, the LVAD Patient Self
      Efficacy Scale (LPSES) and the LVAD Patient Home Management Adherence Scale
      (LPHMAS), and evaluate their psychometric properties. METHODS: This multistage
      instrumentation study recruited 102 patients (77.5% men and 22.5% women) aged 20
      to 82 years, predominantly from the Midwest (34.3%) and the Northeast (26.5%)
      regions of the United States. Main indications for LVAD were bridge-to-transplant
      (69.6%) and destination therapy (21.6%), with mean implant duration of 19.9 (SD,
      15.5) months. Study participants completed the following instruments: LPSES,
      LPHMAS, General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), Medical Outcomes Study General
      Adherence (MOSGA), and Self-Care Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) confidence and
      maintenance subscales. Item analyses, psychometric properties including factorial
      and convergent validities, and internal consistency reliability were tested.
      RESULTS: Factor analyses showed that the variances for the 20-item LPSES and 9
      item LPHMAS were 60.2% and 53.6%, respectively. Convergent validity of the newly
      developed instruments was supported by the following correlations: LPSES and GSES
      (r = 0.34); LPSES and SCHFI-confidence (r = 0.60); LPHMAS and MOSGA (r = 0.33);
      LPHMAS and SCHFI-maintenance (r = 0.40). Internal consistency reliability
      coefficients were 0.94 (LPSES) and 0.84 (LPHMAS). Based on these data, the LPSES
      and LPHMAS are valid and reliable measures of self-efficacy and adherence
      specific for LVAD patients. Confirmatory testing is needed to further support the
      validity of these instruments for use in research and clinical practice.

PMID- 26107271
TI  - Evaluation of the psychometric properties of self-efficacy and adherence scales
      for caregivers of patients with a left ventricular assist device.
AB  - CONTEXT: No published instrument has been designed to measure caregivers' self
      efficacy for and adherence to the complex home-care regimen of patients with a
      left ventricular assist device (LVAD). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometric
      properties of 2 newly developed instruments: the LVAD Caregiver Self-Efficacy
      Scale (LCSS) and the LVAD Caregiver Home Management Adherence Scale (LCAS).
      METHODS: A multistage design was employed for this instrumentation study. Of the
      125 LVAD caregivers recruited from online support groups, 98 (78.4%) provided
      complete data. Participants were predominantly female (80%), aged 18 to 79 years,
      from 4 regions of the United States. They completed the following instruments:
      LCSS, LCAS, General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), and the confidence and maintenance
      subscales of the Caregiver Contribution to Self-Care of Heart Failure Index (CC
      SCHFI). Item analyses, factorial construct validity, convergent validity, and
      internal consistency reliability of the scales were evaluated. RESULTS: The
      analysis of the LCSS (21 items) revealed a 2-factor solution, which consisted of
      a 17-item routine factor and a 4-item anticipatory factor. Convergent validity of
      the LCSS was supported by moderate correlations among LCSS, GSE, and CC-SCHFI
      confidence. The analysis of LCAS (17 items) revealed a 1-factor solution. Its
      convergent validity was supported by moderate correlation between LCAS and CC
      SCHFI-maintenance. Internal consistency reliability coefficients of the LCSS and
      LCAS were alpha = 0.93 and alpha = 0.96, respectively. These data suggest that
      the 2 instruments are adequately valid and reliable measures of self-efficacy and
      adherence in the context of LVAD patient care managed by home caregivers. Further
      research is needed to support the applicability of these instruments in other
      research and practice settings.

PMID- 26107272
TI  - Interactions between health care personnel and parents approached for organ
      and/or tissue donation: influences on parents' adjustment to loss.
AB  - CONTEXT: The effect of loss on those approached for organ and/or tissue donation,
      particularly in the years thereafter, has received little attention. OBJECTIVE:
      To assess whether adjustment of a parent to loss of a child is influenced by
      interactions with health care personnel. METHODS: A self-administered
      questionnaire was completed by the parents of 216 decedents. Interactions in the
      hospital were assessed by examining the experience in the hospital, physical
      separation from the child, and the relationship with health care professionals.
      Adjustment to loss was defined by 4 components: grief, personal growth after
      loss, meaning of life after loss, and the meaning of organ donation. RESULTS: A
      positive experience in the hospital was significantly associated with the meaning
      of donation. Increased satisfaction with the separation process was associated
      with better adjustment on all components. Finally, a better relationship with
      health care professionals was associated with less grief and with greater
      personal growth. These results were characterized after adjustment for time since
      loss, which was from 6 months to 27 years. CONCLUSIONS: Interactions in the
      hospital appear to influence adjustment to loss significantly. Appropriate
      interventions may aid parents in their adjustment to life.

PMID- 26107273
TI  - Transition to adult care in pediatric solid-organ transplant: development of a
      practice guideline.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transition to adult-centered care is becoming an increasingly
      important area of practice in pediatric organ transplant. Standardized, best
      practice guidelines are needed to assist transplant practitioners in providing
      optimal transitional care for this population of patients. OBJECTIVE: To describe
      the development and implementation of a practice guideline for the transitional
      care of pediatric transplant recipients. METHODS: A quality improvement project
      was undertaken in a pediatric multiorgan transplant program setting. Strategies
      employed included (1) creation of an interdisciplinary working group, (2) survey
      of transition-related practices and learning needs of transplant practitioners,
      (3) review of the literature and existing transition-related materials, and (4)
      creation of transition guidelines. RESULTS: An interdisciplinary survey of
      transplant practitioners at our institution identified practice strengths related
      to transitional care and learning needs. Review of relevant literature and other
      materials revealed limited but emerging research related to the transition of
      pediatric transplant recipients from pediatric to adult care. Existing transition
      tools were examined and applicable items identified. A practice guideline for use
      with pediatric transplant recipients transitioning to adult care was developed.
      Strategies to educate staff about the guideline and promote ongoing guideline use
      were implemented. CONCLUSION: Preparing pediatric transplant recipients and their
      families for transition to adult-centered care is an emerging challenge for
      transplant teams. These guidelines provide practitioners with a developmentally
      sensitive overview of important transition-related domains and strategies
      directed toward patients and their caregivers, who may experience the process of
      transition differently. Dissemination of the pediatric transplant transition
      guideline will make transition information more widely available to transplant
      practitioners.

PMID- 26107274
TI  - Vulnerability and chronic illness management in pediatric kidney and liver
      transplant recipients.
AB  - CONTEXT: Solid-organ transplant is the treatment of choice for end-stage organ
      failure and requires a transition from management of a life-threatening condition
      to a chronic illness. Despite research focusing on quality of life after
      transplant, there is a gap addressing the role of managing a chronic illness
      focusing on vulnerability and impact on family. OBJECTIVE: Identify patient and
      family patterns of adaptation among kidney and liver transplant recipients in
      regard to (1) vulnerability, (2) impact of illness on the family, (3) family
      functioning, and (4) quality of life (parent and child report). DESIGN: Cross
      sectional study enrolling children 5 to 18 years old and their parent at a single
      time point after kidney or liver transplant. Validated self-report tools were
      completed. RESULTS: In all, 47 participants (24 kidney and 23 liver) were
      recruited. Mean age at transplant was 4.0 (kidney) and 2.1 (liver) years. Mean
      age at report was 12.1 (kidney) and 7.1 (liver) years. Child vulnerability
      correlated negatively with (1) family impact in the kidney (P < .05) and liver (P
      < .05) transplant groups, (2) PedsQL subscales including Parent Emotional (P<
      .05), Parent Social (P< .01), Parent Psychosocial (P < .01), Parent Physical (P <
      .05), Parent School (P < .05), and Child Social (P < .01) in the kidney
      transplant group, (3) PedsQL Parent Emotional subscale (P< .01) in the liver
      transplant group, and (4) Functional status (P < .01) in the liver transplant
      group. CONCLUSIONS: Child vulnerability provides insight into quality of life and
      the impact of illness on the family and family functioning.

PMID- 26107275
TI  - Bortezomib-containing regimen for primary treatment of early antibody-mediated
      cardiac allograft rejection: a case report.
AB  - Evidence regarding the use of bortezomib-containing schemes in primary treatment
      of antibody-mediated rejection in heart transplant recipients is scarce. This
      case report presents the clinical experience with upstream use of bortezomib in
      primary treatment of early antibody-mediated rejection in an adult heart
      transplant recipient. Two cycles of bortezomib together with methylprednisolone,
      immunoadsorption, rituximab, and supplementary doses of intravenous
      immunoglobulin G reversed signs of heart failure, production of donor-specific
      antibodies, and findings of antibody-mediated rejection in biopsy. This treatment
      regimen was tolerated with only mild hematologic toxicity and proved to be
      successful during a 12-month follow-up. Primary treatment with a bortezomib
      containing regimen appears to be a new therapeutic option for severe antibody
      mediated rejection in heart transplant recipients. However, the efficacy and
      safety of this treatment need to be tested in prospective trials. 

PMID- 26107276
TI  - Getting used to being a patient: the postoperative experience of living liver
      transplant donors.
AB  - CONTEXT: Living donor liver transplant is a viable option for eligible persons in
      need of a liver transplant, but little is known about the hospitalization
      experience of patients undergoing hepatectomy for transplant donation. OBJECTIVE:
      To explore the hospital experience of patients recovering from donor hepatectomy.
      DESIGN: A qualitative interpretive descriptive design was used to understand the
      hospital experience of patients recovering from donor hepatectomy. Semistructured
      interviews, conducted before discharge, were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim.
      Coding was performed independently, then jointly by investigators to reach
      consensus on emerging themes. Setting-Major university hospital in the
      Northeastern United States. Sample-Adults (>18 years of age) whose primary
      language was English or Spanish and who could provide written informed consent.
      RESULTS: The sample consisted of 15 participants who had a mean age of 34.6
      years; half were women. Most were white and college educated. The relationship of
      the donors to recipients varied from immediate family to altruistic donors.
      "Getting used to being a patient" was the major theme that captured the patients'
      postoperative experience. Four subthemes explained the experience: regaining
      consciousness, all those tubes, expecting horrible pain, and feeling special and
      cared for. These were described in the context of an "amazing and impressive"
      transplant team. CONCLUSION: As healthy donors are getting used to being
      patients, these results provide clinicians with a deeper understanding of the
      transplant experience from the donor's perspective so that care can be tailored
      to meet their unique needs.

PMID- 26107277
TI  - Exploring the success of Good Samaritan organ donation in New Zealand.
AB  - The rate of living kidney donation from 2006 to 2012 was roughly the same in
      Australia and New Zealand, but the rate of Good Samaritan donation was
      significantly higher in New Zealand (1.49 donors/million) than in Australia (0.23
      donors/million). Three possible reasons for New Zealand's high rate of Good
      Samaritan donation are explored: (1) since 2005, New Zealand has offered a tax
      free financial safety net for living donors; (2) unlike Australia, New Zealand is
      not carved into jurisdictional segments with multiple policies on Good Samaritan
      donation, lending to a streamlined approach; (3) New Zealand embraces e
      technology to communicate the concept of Good Samaritan donation to the public.
      Additionally, New Zealand's recent initiatives to increase the rate of living
      donation are described. 

PMID- 26107278
TI  - African American kidney transplant patients' perspectives on challenges in the
      living donation process.
AB  - CONTEXT: The increasing shortage of deceased donor kidneys suitable for African
      Americans highlights the critical need to increase living donations among African
      Americans. Little research has addressed African American transplant recipients'
      perspectives on challenges and barriers related to the living donation process.
      OBJECTIVE: To understand the perspectives of African American recipients of
      deceased and living donor kidney transplants on challenges, barriers, and
      educational needs related to pursuing such transplants. PARTICIPANTS AND DESIGN:
      A mixed-method design involved 27 African American kidney recipients (13 male) in
      4 focus groups (2 per recipient type: 16 African American deceased donor and 11
      living donor recipients) and questionnaires. Focus group transcripts were
      evaluated with NVivo 10.0 (QSR, International) by using inductive and deductive
      qualitative methods along with crystallization to develop themes of underlying
      barriers to the living donor kidney transplant process and were compared with the
      questionnaires. RESULTS: Four main themes were identified from groups: concerns,
      knowledge and learning, expectations of support, and communication. Many concerns
      for the donor were identified (eg, process too difficult, financial burden,
      effect on relationships). A general lack of knowledge about the donor process and
      lack of behavioral skills on how to approach others was noted. The latter was
      especially evident among deceased donor recipients. Findings from the
      questionnaires on myths and perceptions supported the lack of knowledge in a
      variety of domains, including donors' surgical outcomes risks, costs of surgery,
      and impact on future health. Participants thought that an educational program led
      by an African American recipient of a living donor kidney transplant, including
      practice in approaching others, would increase the likelihood of transplant
      eligible patients pursuing living donor kidney transplant.

PMID- 26107279
TI  - Promoting organ donation through challenge campaigns.
AB  - CONTEXT: Four challenge campaigns in 2012 and 2013 were undertaken to promote
      organ donor registrations in New York State. Challenge campaigns relied on
      community advocates statewide to initiate month-long outreach efforts with top
      teams earning monetary rewards and public recognition. OBJECTIVE: To
      significantly increase the number and proportion of New York residents who have
      consented to donation through the electronic registry. DESIGN: Four month-long
      campaigns undertaken in fall and spring of 2012 and 2013. SETTING: Statewide
      recruitment efforts organized by New York Alliance for Donation and the 4 organ
      procurement organizations in New York State. PARTICIPANTS: Adult residents of New
      York State. INTERVENTION: Project staff recruited team leaders across New York
      State and used online and offline resources to recruit teams, educate team
      leaders, and bolster outreach efforts. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of completed
      registration forms within month-long campaign periods. Also investigated were
      statistics on website use (eg, page views, new visitors) and interviews with team
      leaders regarding campaign activities after the campaign. RESULTS: Across 4
      campaigns, 107 teams were recruited and 2286 persons registered their consent to
      donate through the state system. Each team recruited a mean of 21 persons; 40% of
      teams registered 0 persons.

PMID- 26107280
TI  - Immunosuppressant-driven de novo malignant neoplasms after solid-organ
      transplant.
AB  - Solid-organ transplant recipients are at a 3- to 5-fold increased risk of a de
      novo malignant neoplasm developing compared with the general population. The most
      frequently developed virus-associated malignant neoplasms are Kaposi sarcoma
      (standardized incidence ratio [SIR], 208.0), nonmelanoma skin cancer (SIR, 28.6),
      and posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder, primarily non-Hodgkin lymphoma
      (SIR, 8.1). Immunosuppressive agents such as corticosteroids, antimetabolites,
      calcineurin inhibitors, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors play
      a key role in either causing or preventing this complication. It is hypothesized
      that some of these regimens can impair cancer surveillance, facilitate the action
      of oncogenic viruses, and promote direct oncogenic activity. Evolving research
      has shown promising dual antitumor and immunosuppressive properties of the mTOR
      inhibitor class. The effective management of posttransplant neoplasms most likely
      involves the use of these medications among other preventative options. These
      measures include monitoring certain viral loads as well as immunosuppressant drug
      levels. Reducing these levels to as low as possible for healthy engraftment and
      altering regimens when appropriate are management strategies that could lessen
      this complication of solid-organ transplant. More studies examining the effects
      of therapeutic drug monitoring are needed to determine specific plasma drug
      concentrations that will ensure organ engraftment without the development of de
      novo malignant neoplasms. 

PMID- 26107281
TI  - Indolent, Potentially Inconsequential Lung Cancers in the Pittsburgh Lung
      Screening Study.
AB  - RATIONALE: The finding of indolent, potentially inconsequential cancers
      (overdiagnosis) is inherent to cancer screening in general, and there is a
      growing body of literature about this concept in lung cancer screening.
      OBJECTIVES: We report on indolent, potentially inconsequential lung cancers in
      the Pittsburgh Lung Screening Study (PLuSS) population screened for lung cancer
      with annual low-dose computed tomography. METHODS: We identified 93 subjects with
      screen-detected prevalence cancers in PLuSS. We defined indolent, potentially
      inconsequential cancers as stage I prevalence lung cancer cases that had
      volumetric doubling time >400 days (when available) and maximal standardized
      uptake value max on positron emission tomography (PET) scan <=1 (when available).
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Approximately 18.5% (n = 17) of all 93 screen
      detected prevalence lung cancers in PLuSS were indolent, potentially
      inconsequential cancers. All such cancers except for one were adenocarcinomas by
      histology. Median tumor size of such cancers at the time of final diagnosis was
      10 mm (range, 7-22 mm). Median doubling time was significantly longer in this
      group when compared with the rest of the prevalence stage 1 cancers (752 vs.
      284.5 d). CONCLUSIONS: Although the precise definitions may vary, the existence
      of indolent, potentially inconsequential cancers in low-dose computed tomography
      lung cancer screening is real. Clinicians involved in managing patients with low
      dose computed tomography-detected slow-growing nodules, especially with a
      standardized uptake value <=1 on PET scan, should consider the possibility of
      indolent, potentially inconsequential cancer in the longitudinal management of
      these nodules.

PMID- 26107282
TI  - Spectral Diversity and Regulation of Coral Fluorescence in a Mesophotic Reef
      Habitat in the Red Sea.
AB  - The phenomenon of coral fluorescence in mesophotic reefs, although well described
      for shallow waters, remains largely unstudied. We found that representatives of
      many scleractinian species are brightly fluorescent at depths of 50-60 m at the
      Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences (IUI) reef in Eilat, Israel. Some
      of these fluorescent species have distribution maxima at mesophotic depths (40
      100 m). Several individuals from these depths displayed yellow or orange-red
      fluorescence, the latter being essentially absent in corals from the shallowest
      parts of this reef. We demonstrate experimentally that in some cases the
      production of fluorescent pigments is independent of the exposure to light; while
      in others, the fluorescence signature is altered or lost when the animals are
      kept in darkness. Furthermore, we show that green-to-red photoconversion of
      fluorescent pigments mediated by short-wavelength light can occur also at depths
      where ultraviolet wavelengths are absent from the underwater light field.
      Intraspecific colour polymorphisms regarding the colour of the tissue
      fluorescence, common among shallow water corals, were also observed for
      mesophotic species. Our results suggest that fluorescent pigments in mesophotic
      reefs fulfil a distinct biological function and offer promising application
      potential for coral-reef monitoring and biomedical imaging. 

PMID- 26107283
TI  - Impact of SDS surfactant on the interactions of Cu(2+) ions with the
      amyloidogenic region of human prion protein.
AB  - Prion diseases, known as Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), are a
      group of fatal neuronal, and to some extent infectious disorders, associated with
      a pathogenic protein agent called prion protein (PrP). The human prion protein
      (hPrP) fragment encompassing the 91-127 region, also known as the amyloidogenic
      domain, comprises two copper-binding sites corresponding to His-96 and His-111
      residues that act as anchors for Cu(2+) binding. In this work, we investigated
      Cu(2+) interaction with hPrP91-127 in the presence of the anionic surfactant
      sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), which induces a partial alpha-helix folding of the
      peptide. Our data indicate that the Cu(2+) coordination ability of the
      amyloidogenic fragment in the presence of SDS micelles is significantly different
      to that observed in aqueous solution. This is mainly due to the fact that SDS
      micelles strongly stabilize the formation of the alpha-helical structure of the
      peptide backbone, which is well conserved also upon Cu(2+) binding, contrary to
      the random coil conformation mainly assumed by hPrP91-127 in aqueous solutions.
      Potentiometric and spectroscopic studies clearly indicate that in the case of SDS
      containing solutions, Cu(2+) ions coordinate simultaneously to both imidazoles,
      while in the case of water solutions, metal ion coordination involves only a
      single His side chain, which individually acts as an independent Cu(2+) anchoring
      site. 

PMID- 26107284
TI  - Quantifying the Short-Term Costs of Conservation Interventions for Fishers at
      Lake Alaotra, Madagascar.
AB  - Artisanal fisheries are a key source of food and income for millions of people,
      but if poorly managed, fishing can have declining returns as well as impacts on
      biodiversity. Management interventions such as spatial and temporal closures can
      improve fishery sustainability and reduce environmental degradation, but may
      carry substantial short-term costs for fishers. The Lake Alaotra wetland in
      Madagascar supports a commercially important artisanal fishery and provides
      habitat for a Critically Endangered primate and other endemic wildlife of
      conservation importance. Using detailed data from more than 1,600 fisher catches,
      we used linear mixed effects models to explore and quantify relationships between
      catch weight, effort, and spatial and temporal restrictions to identify drivers
      of fisher behaviour and quantify the potential effect of fishing restrictions on
      catch. We found that restricted area interventions and fishery closures would
      generate direct short-term costs through reduced catch and income, and these
      costs vary between groups of fishers using different gear. Our results show that
      conservation interventions can have uneven impacts on local people with different
      fishing strategies. This information can be used to formulate management
      strategies that minimise the adverse impacts of interventions, increase local
      support and compliance, and therefore maximise conservation effectiveness. 

PMID- 26107285
TI  - Differences in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Community Composition in Soils of
      Three Land Use Types in Subtropical Hilly Area of Southern China.
AB  - Land use type is key factor in restoring the degraded soils due to its impact on
      soil chemical properties and microbial community. In this study, the influences
      of land use type on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) community and soil
      chemical properties were assessed in a long-run experimental station in
      subtropical hilly area of southern China. Soil samples were collected from forest
      land, orchard and vegetable field. Soil chemical properties were analyzed, and
      PCR-DGGE was performed to explore the AMF community structure. Cloning and
      sequencing of DGGE bands were conducted to monitor AMF community composition.
      Results indicate that the contents of total P, available P and available K were
      the highest while the contents of soil organic matter, total N, total K and
      available N were the lowest in vegetable field soils, with forest land soils vice
      versa. According to DGGE profiling, AMF community in forest soils was more
      closely related to that in orchard soils than that in vegetable field soils.
      Sequencing indicated that 45 out of 53 excised bands were AMF and 64.4% of AMF
      belonged to Glomeraceae, including some "generalists" present in all soils and
      some "specialists" present only in soils of particular land use. Category
      principle component analysis demonstrated that total N, soil organic matter and
      available P were the most important factors affecting AMF community, and some AMF
      phylotypes were closely associated with particular soil chemical properties. Our
      data suggest that AMF communities are different with different land use types. 

PMID- 26107286
TI  - Polymorphisms in the TOLLIP Gene Influence Susceptibility to Cutaneous
      Leishmaniasis Caused by Leishmania guyanensis in the Amazonas State of Brazil.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The clinical outcome to Leishmania-infection is determined by the
      individual adaptive immune T helper cell responses and their interactions with
      parasitized host cells. An early development of a proinflammatory immune response
      (Th1 response) is necessary for Leishmania-infection resolution. The Toll
      interacting protein (TOLLIP) regulates human Toll-like receptors signaling
      pathways by down regulating the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6)
      and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and inducing the ant-inflammatory
      cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10). Polymorphisms in the TOLLIP gene are associated
      with infectious diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The polymorphisms rs5743899 and
      rs3750920 in the TOLLIP gene were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction and
      restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis in 631 patients with
      cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by L. guyanensis and 530 individuals with no
      history of leishmaniasis. RESULTS: The G and T alleles of the rs5743899 and
      rs3750920 were more common in patients with CL than in healthy individuals (P =
      2.6 x10(-8) ; odds ratio [OR], 1.7 [ 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-2.0] and P
      = 1.9 x10(-8) ; OR, 1.6 [95% CI 1.4-1.9] respectively). The r2 and D' linkage
      disequilibrium between the two polymorphisms are 0.05 and 0.473 with a confidence
      bounds of 0.37 to 0.57 respectively. CONCLUSION: The two polymorphisms are
      independently associated with an increased risk of developing CL.

PMID- 26107287
TI  - Mechanical environmental transport of actinides and 137Cs from an arid
      radioactive waste disposal site.
AB  - Aeolian and pluvial processes represent important mechanisms for the movement of
      actinides and fission products at the Earth's surface. Soil samples taken in the
      early 1970's near a Department of Energy radioactive waste disposal site (the
      Subsurface Disposal Area, SDA, located in southeastern Idaho) provide a case
      study for studying the mechanisms and characteristics of environmental actinide
      and (137)Cs transport in an arid environment. Multi-component mixing models
      suggest actinide contamination within 2.5 km of the SDA can be described by
      mixing between 2 distinct SDA end members and regional nuclear weapons fallout.
      The absence of chemical fractionation between (241)Am and (239+240)Pu with depth
      for samples beyond the northeastern corner and lack of (241)Am in-growth over
      time (due to (241)Pu decay) suggest mechanical transport and mixing of discrete
      contaminated particles under arid conditions. Occasional samples northeast of the
      SDA (the direction of the prevailing winds) contain anomalously high
      concentrations of Pu with (240)Pu/(239)Pu isotopic ratios statistically identical
      to those in the northeastern corner. Taken together, these data suggest flooding
      resulted in mechanical transport of contaminated particles into the area between
      the SDA and a flood containment dike in the northeastern corner, following which
      subsequent contamination spreading in the northeastern direction resulted from
      wind transport of discrete particles.

PMID- 26107288
TI  - Limitations of In Vivo Reprogramming to Dopaminergic Neurons via a Tricistronic
      Strategy.
AB  - Parkinson's disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders
      characterized by cell death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra.
      Recent research has focused on cellular replacement through lineage reprogramming
      as a potential therapeutic strategy. This study sought to use genetics to define
      somatic cell types in vivo amenable to reprogramming. To stimulate in vivo
      reprogramming to dopaminergic neurons, we generated a Rosa26 knock-in mouse line
      conditionally overexpressing Mash1, Lmx1a, and Nurr1. These proteins are
      characterized by their role in neuronal commitment and development of midbrain
      dopaminergic neurons and have previously been shown to convert fibroblasts to
      dopaminergic neurons in vitro. We show that a tricistronic construct containing
      these transcription factors can reprogram astrocytes and fibroblasts in vitro.
      However, cassette overexpression triggered cell death in vivo, in part through
      endoplasmic reticulum stress, while we also detected "uncleaved" forms of the
      polyprotein, suggesting poor "cleavage" efficiency of the 2A peptides. Based on
      our results, the cassette overexpression induced apoptosis and precluded
      reprogramming in our mouse model. Therefore, we suggest that alternatives must be
      explored to balance construct design with efficacious reprogramming. It is
      evident that there are still biological obstacles to overcome for in vivo
      reprogramming to dopaminergic neurons. 

PMID- 26107289
TI  - Protein value of cereals and cereal by-products for ruminants: a comparison
      between crude protein and protein-based estimates.
AB  - In situ estimates of ruminal undegraded fraction (RU) and effective intestinal
      digestibility (EID, corrected for microbial colonisation) of dry matter (DM),
      crude protein (CP) and total analysed amino acids (TAA) of rye, wheat and corn
      grains, wheat bran, wheat and barley distillers' dried grains with solubles
      (DDGS) and corn gluten feed were measured on three rumen and duodenum cannulated
      wethers using (15)N labelling techniques and considering ruminal rates of
      particle comminution (kc) and outflow. Results indicate that not considering kc
      and microbial colonisation led to considerable overestimations of RU which
      increased with feed ruminal degradation. Microbial colonisation may be also
      associated with overestimations of EID, whose estimates for DM, CP and TAA were
      predicted from parameters related with the ruminal escape of intestinally
      indigestible materials. The RU estimates were higher for TAA than for CP in
      grains, but the opposite was observed in by-products, whereas EID estimates were
      higher for TAA in all feeds. To obtain accurate protein values in these
      feedstuffs, it is required to consider both kc and ruminal microbial
      colonisation. The CP-based results underestimate the intestinally digested
      protein in grains and the opposite is evidenced in cereal by-products. Microbial
      protein synthesised in the rumen is largely the major fraction of the feedstuff
      protein value with the exception of DDGS. 

PMID- 26107290
TI  - Using in vitro/in silico data for consumer safety assessment of feed flavoring
      additives--A feasibility study using piperine.
AB  - Consumer health risk assessment for feed additives is based on the estimated
      human exposure to the additive that may occur in livestock edible tissues
      compared to its hazard. We present an approach using alternative methods for
      consumer health risk assessment. The aim was to use the fewest possible number of
      animals to estimate its hazard and human exposure without jeopardizing the safety
      upon use. As an example we selected the feed flavoring substance piperine and
      applied in silico modeling for residue estimation, results from literature
      surveys, and Read-Across to assess metabolism in different species. Results were
      compared to experimental in vitro metabolism data in rat and chicken, and to
      quantitative analysis of residues' levels from the in vivo situation in
      livestock. In silico residue modeling showed to be a worst case: the modeled
      residual levels were considerably higher than the measured residual levels. The
      in vitro evaluation of livestock versus rodent metabolism revealed no major
      differences in metabolism between the species. We successfully performed a
      consumer health risk assessment without performing additional animal experiments.
      As shown, the use and combination of different alternative methods supports
      animal welfare consideration and provides future perspective to reducing the
      number of animals.

PMID- 26107291
TI  - Quantitative risk assessment of the aggregate dermal exposure to the sensitizing
      fragrance geraniol in personal care products and household cleaning agents.
AB  - A quantitative risk assessment was performed to establish if consumers are at
      risk for being dermally sensitized by the fragrance geraniol. Aggregate dermal
      exposure to geraniol was estimated using the Probabilistic Aggregate Consumer
      Exposure Model, containing data on the use of personal care products and
      household cleaning agents. Consumer exposure to geraniol via personal care
      products appeared to be higher than via household cleaning agents. The hands were
      the body parts receiving the highest exposure to geraniol. Dermal sensitization
      studies were assessed to derive the point of departure needed for the estimation
      of the Acceptable Exposure Level (AEL). Two concentrations were derived, one
      based on human studies and the other from dose-response analysis of the available
      murine local lymph node assay data. The aggregate dermal exposure assessment
      resulted in body part specific median exposures up to 0.041 MUg/cm(2) (highest
      exposure 102 MUg/cm(2)) for hands. Comparing the exposure to the lowest AEL (55
      MUg/cm(2)), shows that a range of 0.02-0.86% of the population may have an
      aggregated exposure which exceeds the AEL. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that
      personal care products contribute more to the consumer's geraniol exposure
      compared to household cleaning agents.

PMID- 26107292
TI  - Preclinical assessment of abuse liability of biologics: In defense of current
      regulatory control policies.
AB  - Current regulatory policies of both the US Food and Drug Administration and Drug
      Enforcement Administration do not delineate automatic exceptions for biologics
      with respect to preclinical assessments for abuse liability of all new entities.
      As defined in current guidance documents and drug control policies, an exception
      may be given upon thorough review of available data, therapeutic target and in
      consultation with the Controlled Substances Staff within the Center for Drug
      Evaluation and Research of the FDA, but a blanket exception for all biological
      entities is not currently available. We review the abuse liability testing of
      four known biologics with definitive positive abuse liability signals in the
      three core abuse liability assays, self-administration, drug discrimination, and
      dependence potential described in the FDA draft guidance document. Interestingly,
      while all four examplars have positive abuse liability signals in all three
      assays, two of these biologics are controlled under the Comprehensive Drug Abuse
      and Control Act (CSA, 1970) and the other two are not currently controlled.
      Admittedly, these four biologics are small molecule entities. However, there is
      no reference to "molecular size" in the legally-binding statutory definition of
      biologics under the FD&C act or in the Controlled Substances Act. Neither of
      these drug control policy mandates have a bifurcated control status in which to
      make exceptions based solely on molecular size. With the current pharmaceutical
      focus on new technologies, such as "Trojan Horses", targeting the active
      transport of large molecule entities directly into the CNS, an argument to
      automatically exempt new molecular entities solely on molecular size is
      untenable. We argue that for the safety and health of general public the current
      regulatory control status be maintained until definitive criteria for exceptions
      can be identified and amended to both the FD&CA and CSA, if warranted. 

PMID- 26107293
TI  - The toxicological evaluation of repetitive 2- and 4-week intravenous injection of
      Activin A/BMP-2 chimera (AB204) into rats.
AB  - The subchronic (28-days) toxicity of an Activin A/BMP-2 chimera (AB204) was
      assessed in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats received repetitive intravenous injection
      of AB204 in doses of 0, 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg for two weeks and in doses of 0, 0.08,
      0.16 and 0.32 mg/kg/day for four weeks. No animal was dead and no change caused
      by the AB204 was observed in general symptoms, weight variation, and food and
      water intake as well as blood test and autopsy findings. In conclusion, the no
      observed adverse effects level (NOAEL) of the AB204 on rats was determined to be
      0.32 mg/kg/day.

PMID- 26107294
TI  - Dietary supplements: International legal framework and adulteration profiles, and
      characteristics of products on the Brazilian clandestine market.
AB  - The objectives of this work were to evaluate current legislation on dietary
      supplements in the United States, the European Union and Brazil, and the profile
      of adulterated and/or irregular products on these markets. Due to a less
      restrictive legal framework, a supplement product that is freely available in the
      US may be considered a drug or even be proscribed in the EU and Brazil, thus
      giving rise to a clandestine market based on smuggling. From 2007 to 2014, the
      United States Food and Drug Administration reported 572 cases of supplement
      adulterations in the country, mainly products for sexual enhancement (41.6%).
      Data from the European Union Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed showed 929
      adulterations during the same period, over 40% due to unauthorized ingredients or
      undeclared medicines. From 2007 to 2013, the Brazilian Federal Police Department
      seized 5470 supplement products, 92.2% with an American-declared origin.
      Qualitative chemical analyses performed on 2898 products found 180 adulterations,
      41.1% due to undeclared drugs, mainly anabolic steroids, anorectics and products
      for erectile dysfunction, all considered medicines in Brazil. Educating the
      public regarding the potential risks they are taking when consuming adulterated
      or irregular products is necessary to protect the health of consumers. 

PMID- 26107295
TI  - 3D computational mechanics elucidate the evolutionary implications of orbit
      position and size diversity of early amphibians.
AB  - For the first time in vertebrate palaeontology, the potential of joining Finite
      Element Analysis (FEA) and Parametrical Analysis (PA) is used to shed new light
      on two different cranial parameters from the orbits to evaluate their
      biomechanical role and evolutionary patterns. The early tetrapod group of
      Stereospondyls, one of the largest groups of Temnospondyls is used as a case
      study because its orbits position and size vary hugely within the members of this
      group. An adult skull of Edingerella madagascariensis was analysed using two
      different cases of boundary and loading conditions in order to quantify stress
      and deformation response under a bilateral bite and during skull raising.
      Firstly, the variation of the original geometry of its orbits was introduced in
      the models producing new FEA results, allowing the exploration of the
      ecomorphology, feeding strategy and evolutionary patterns of these top predators.
      Secondly, the quantitative results were analysed in order to check if the orbit
      size and position were correlated with different stress patterns. These results
      revealed that in most of the cases the stress distribution is not affected by
      changes in the size and position of the orbit. This finding supports the high
      mechanical plasticity of this group during the Triassic period. The absence of
      mechanical constraints regarding the orbit probably promoted the ecomorphological
      diversity acknowledged for this group, as well as its ecological niche
      differentiation in the terrestrial Triassic ecosystems in clades as
      lydekkerinids, trematosaurs, capitosaurs or metoposaurs. 

PMID- 26107296
TI  - From Research to Practice: Which Research Strategy Contributes More to Clinical
      Excellence? Comparing High-Volume versus High-Quality Biomedical Research.
AB  - The question when and to what extent academic research can benefit society is of
      great interest to policy-makers and the academic community. Physicians in
      university hospitals represent a highly relevant test-group for studying the link
      between research and practice because they engage in biomedical academic research
      while also providing medical care of measurable quality. Physicians' research
      contribution to medical practice can be driven by either high-volume or high
      quality research productivity, as often pursuing one productivity strategy
      excludes the other. To empirically examine the differential contribution to
      medical practice of the two strategies, we collected secondary data on
      departments across three specializations (Cardiology, Oncology and Orthopedics)
      in 50 U.S.-based university hospitals served by 4,330 physicians. Data on volume
      and quality of biomedical research at each department was correlated with
      publicly available ratings of departments' quality of care, demonstrating that
      high-quality research has significantly greater contribution to quality of care
      than high-volume research. 

PMID- 26107297
TI  - Reply: To PMID 24486408.

PMID- 26107299
TI  - Eye Care for the Developing World: The Next Frontier.

PMID- 26107298
TI  - Effect of chondrocyte-derived early extracellular matrix on chondrogenesis of
      placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells.
AB  - The extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding cells contains a variety of proteins
      that provide structural support and regulate cellular functions. Previous studies
      have shown that decellularized ECM isolated from tissues or cultured cells can be
      used to improve cell differentiation in tissue engineering applications. In this
      study we evaluated the effect of decellularized chondrocyte-derived ECM (CDECM)
      on the chondrogenesis of human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hPDMSCs)
      in a pellet culture system. After incubation with or without chondrocyte-derived
      ECM in chondrogenic medium for 1 or 3 weeks, the sizes and wet masses of the cell
      pellets were compared with untreated controls (hPDMSCs incubated in chondrogenic
      medium without chondrocyte-derived ECM). In addition, histologic analysis of the
      cell pellets (Safranin O and collagen type II staining) and quantitative reverse
      transcription-PCR analysis of chondrogenic markers (aggrecan, collagen type II,
      and SOX9) were carried out. Our results showed that the sizes and masses of
      hPDMSC pellets incubated with chondrocyte-derived ECM were significantly higher
      than those of untreated controls. Differentiation of hPDMSCs (both with and
      without chondrocyte-derived ECM) was confirmed by Safranin O and collagen type II
      staining. Chondrogenic marker expression and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) levels were
      significantly higher in hPDMSC pellets incubated with chondrocyte-derived ECM
      compared with untreated controls, especially in cells precultured with
      chondrocyte-derived ECM for 7 d. Taken together, these results demonstrate that
      chondrocyte-derived ECM enhances the chondrogenesis of hPDMSCs, and this effect
      is further increased by preculture with chondrocyte-derived ECM. This preculture
      method for hPDMSC chondrogenesis represents a promising approach for cartilage
      tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26107300
TI  - Addressing Glaucoma in the Developing Countries of the Asia Pacific Region: An
      Opportunity to Transition From Disease-Specific Responses to Integration of Eye
      Care.
AB  - The Asia Pacific region accounts for more than 50% of global blindness. Although
      most attention has appropriately been focused on cataract, the most prevalent and
      treatable cause of global blindness, other conditions including glaucoma
      contribute significantly to visual impairment. The population attributable risk
      percentage for glaucoma suggests that it is a significant public health problem,
      and generally, case detection rather than population-based screening is the most
      appropriate strategy to identify disease. Glaucoma management requires the full
      range of comprehensive ophthalmic examination skills and therefore allows the
      diagnosis of most other potentially blinding conditions as well: these skills
      should be part of residency training in all developing countries in the region. A
      comprehensive examination on all patients presenting to an eye clinic not only
      detects glaucoma but also provides the opportunity to expand existing cataract
      centered programs toward the larger goal of prevention of blindness from any
      cause. Local efforts to improve residency training can be supplemented by
      regional support such as assistance in curriculum development and assessment of
      trainees. Assistance in glaucoma training would involve in-country diagnostic and
      surgical training with extended stays to teach postoperative care, supplemented
      by possible fellowships in developed countries. Although these changes will not
      have a large impact on blindness from glaucoma in the short term, they have the
      potential to develop a framework and skill set that is required for long-term
      reduction in morbidity from blindness of all causes, including glaucoma. 

PMID- 26107301
TI  - Comparison of Toric Intraocular Lenses and Arcuate Corneal Relaxing Incisions to
      Correct Moderate to High Astigmatism in Cataract Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation with arcuate
      corneal relaxing incisions for moderate to high corneal astigmatism during
      cataract surgery. DESIGN: A retrospective comparison study. METHODS: This 12
      month single-surgeon study compared eyes with cataract and preexisting
      astigmatism of 1.75 diopters (D) or greater (range, 1.75-5.25 D) receiving
      corneal arcuate relaxing incisions or toric IOL implantation. Main outcome
      measures were visual acuity, refractive results, and IOL axis determination.
      RESULTS: There were 45 and 20 eyes in the toric IOL and arcuate incision groups,
      respectively. Preoperative data were not significantly different between the 2
      groups; the mean preoperative astigmatism was 2.16 +/- 0.93 D in the toric IOL
      group and 2.41 +/- 0.76 D in the incisional group. At 6 months postoperatively,
      the mean residual astigmatism was 0.75 and 1.33 D (P = 0.000), respectively;
      82.2% and 44.4% of eyes were 1.00 D or less (P = 0.000), and 35.7% and 16.7% of
      eyes were 0.50 D or less (P = 0.000), respectively. Uncorrected distance visual
      acuity improved in both groups; eyes in the toric IOL group were more likely to
      be 20/30 or better (87% vs 29%, P = 0.008). Following surgery, all eyes had best
      corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or greater, and no eye lost a line of vision.
      The mean toric IOL rotation was 2.6 +/- 1.7 degrees (range, 0-6 degrees).
      CONCLUSIONS: Both toric IOLs and arcuate corneal incisions reduce moderate to
      high preexisting corneal astigmatism during cataract surgery; however, toric IOL
      implantation was more effective and predictable.

PMID- 26107302
TI  - Near Vision Impairment Is Associated With Cognitive Impairment in Type 2
      Diabetes.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between
      vision and cognitive impairment in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM)
      who are at risk of both conditions. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study.
      METHODS: Persons with type 2 DM underwent a comprehensive clinical examination.
      Distance and near vision tests were performed, and presence and severity of
      diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema, indicators of DM control such as
      fasting plasma glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin, and anthropometric measures
      were assessed using standardized protocols. Depression status and level of
      physical activity were measured using validated questionnaires. Adjusted logistic
      regression models were used to examine the association between near and distance
      vision impairment and cognitive impairment tested with a 6-item cognitive
      impairment test. RESULTS: Participants (n = 501) were aged 66 +/- 11 (mean +/-
      SD) years, and their mean duration of DM was 14 +/- 10 years. In adjusted models,
      near (P = 0.016) but not distance (P = 0.984) vision impairment was associated
      with cognitive impairment. Persons with near vision impairment were almost 4
      times more likely to have cognitive impairment (odds ratio 3.90; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.31-12.56; P = 0.023), after adjusting for age, sex, and other
      covariables. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest common risk factors and pathways
      may exist between near vision impairment and cognitive dysfunction in patients
      with type 2 DM. Future studies need to further assess this link.

PMID- 26107303
TI  - Single-Segment Intacs Severe Keratoconus 80% Stromal Depth Insertion With a
      Femtosecond Laser for Asymmetric Keratoconus: A Case Series.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study the efficacy of inferior, single-segment, 80% stromal depth
      Intacs severe keratoconus (SK) intracorneal ring segment implantation. DESIGN: A
      prospective case series. METHODS: Eighteen eyes from 15 patients with asymmetric
      keratoconus underwent 80% stromal depth Intacs SK single inferior segment
      implantation, using an IntraLase femtosecond laser for tunnel creation.
      Parameters studied included preoperative and postoperative uncorrected and best
      corrected visual acuity (VA), manifest refraction and elevation-based
      computerized corneal topography. RESULTS: Patients' VA was tested with Early
      Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart. All the eyes demonstrated a
      significant ETDRS line improvement of 5.4 +/- 2.0 after a follow-up period of 8.9
      +/- 3.9 months. Thirteen eyes (72%) showed a line improvement of 4 or more. Best
      corrected VA remained unchanged in 8 eyes (44%) while 7 eyes (39%) showed a line
      improvement of 1 to 8. Sixteen eyes (89%) had a significant change in manifest
      cylinder [3.0 +/- 2.2 diopters (D)]. Of the 18 eyes, astigmatism reduction was
      3.44 +/- 1.98 D, from 5.6 +/- 2.2 D preoperatively to 2.5 +/- 1.5 D
      postoperatively (P < 0.05). Implant placement reduced both preexisting hyperopic
      and myopic spheres in 14 cases (78%). Although one case showed a significant
      postoperative regression of the obtained correction, Intacs SK implantation was
      safe and effective in all the other cases. CONCLUSIONS: Femtosecond laser
      assisted single-segment Intacs SK (80% depth intrastromal placement) is a safe
      and effective technique for improving uncorrected and best-corrected VA and
      correcting both spherical and cylindrical refractive errors in eyes with severe
      asymmetric keratoconus.

PMID- 26107304
TI  - Role of Lacrimal Canalicular Trephination and Mini-Monoka Stent in the Management
      of Idiopathic Distal Canalicular Obstructions: Our Experience of 23 Cases.
AB  - PURPOSE: Different techniques have been mentioned in literature for management of
      idiopathic lacrimal canalicular obstructions. The aim of this study was to report
      surgical outcomes with use of Sisler's lacrimal trephine and role of Mini-Monoka
      monocanalicular stent in patients of idiopathic distal canalicular obstructions.
      DESIGN: This was a prospective, interventional case series. METHODS: Twenty-three
      patients of idiopathic distal canalicular obstruction were managed surgically
      from August 2011 to October 2012. Lacrimal canalicular trephination was done in
      all followed by on-table syringing and Mini-Monoka stent insertion. RESULTS:
      There were 15 women and 8 men. Mean age of patients was 50.33 +/- 12.06 years.
      Average duration of complaints was 20.58 +/- 23.01 months. Twenty-four eyes were
      included in the study. Common canalicular obstruction was present in 15 eyes
      (62.5%), whereas 9 (37.5%) had distal lower canalicular obstruction. Mini-Monoka
      stent was kept in place for a minimum of 8 weeks. Twenty eyes (83.33%) reported
      absent epiphora, whereas 2 eyes (8.33%) reported improvement at average post
      stent removal follow-up of 8.66 +/- 3.17 months. No significant complication was
      observed in intraoperative and postoperative period except for 2 spontaneous tube
      extrusions, which were managed with tube reinsertion. CONCLUSIONS: Lacrimal
      canalicular trephination with Mini-Monoka stent insertion is an easy,
      monocanalicular and lesser invasive technique, which has never been reported
      earlier in literature. We conclude that this repeatable procedure has good
      anatomical and functional success rates with minimal complications as compared
      with the other available treatment modalities for lacrimal canalicular
      obstructions.

PMID- 26107305
TI  - No Evidence for Genetic Contribution of Ocular Dominance: The Guangzhou Twin Eye
      Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the heritability of ocular
      dominance in a classic twin study. DESIGN: A classical twin study. METHODS: Twins
      aged 7 to 19 years enrolled from the Guangzhou Twin Registry received
      comprehensive eye examinations. Ocular dominance was assessed by the "hole-in-the
      card test" by trained optometrists. Zygosity of the participants was confirmed by
      genotyping in all same-sex twin pairs. The pairwise concordance rate was
      calculated as the main outcome. RESULTS: After excluding 110 children with
      anisometropia of 2.0 diopters or greater and 24 children with alternating ocular
      dominance, a total of 941 twin pairs were identified in the analysis, including
      596 monozygotic and 345 dizygotic pairs. Right-eye dominance was present in 59.3%
      of twins with available data. The pairwise concordance rate was 0.529 and 0.530
      in monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs, respectively (P > 0.5). The tetrachoric
      correlation was 0.043 and 0.035, respectively. When comparing the young twins and
      their parents, no significant difference in the percentage of offspring with left
      eye dominance was found between right * right parent mating group and non-right *
      right parent mating groups. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic factors may not be involved in
      ocular dominance in Chinese teens and children.

PMID- 26107306
TI  - Urgent Vitrectomy/Phacovitrectomy for Bullous Macula-Off Retinal Detachment:
      Implications for Optimal Timing of Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recently, an increasing number of ophthalmologists are using vitrectomy
      as the first line of treatment for retinal detachment (RD). The purpose of the
      present study was to determine the cutoff time of duration of macular detachment
      (DMD) after which postoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) decreases
      sharply in eyes treated with primary vitrectomy. DESIGN: This was a
      retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. METHODS: Fifty-six
      eyes with macula-on RD and 126 eyes with bullous macula-off RD. RESULTS: Mean
      postoperative BCVA showed a statistically significant decrease when DMD exceeded
      10 days (P = 0.009) with vitrectomy/phacovitrectomy as the primary mode of
      treatment, which was comparable to previous studies using scleral buckling.
      Approximately 90% (88%-93%) of eyes achieved a postoperative 20/40 BCVA when DMD
      was 2 days or less, after which the ratio decreased (P = 0.008) but plateaued
      around 40% until DMD reached 10 days. On the other hand, only 5.6% of (7/126)
      eyes with DMD of 3 days or less achieved a postoperative 20/20 BCVA. CONCLUSIONS:
      As with scleral buckling, the mean postoperative BCVA in eyes with bullous macula
      off RD treated with primary vitrectomy/phacovitrectomy dropped significantly when
      DMD exceeded 10 days. To achieve a good postoperative visual acuity (20/40),
      urgent surgery with a DMD of 2 days or less is desired. Operative repair within
      this period, rather than outright emergency surgery, may be appropriate for most
      cases.

PMID- 26107307
TI  - Effectiveness of Topical Antifungal Drugs in the Management of Fungal Keratitis:
      A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - Fungal keratitis (FK) typically requires intensive therapy with topical
      antifungal agents. To date, evidence from clinical trials has been conflicting
      with respect to the most effective topical antifungal drug in the treatment of
      FK. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled
      trials (RCTS) using the Cochrane methodology was undertaken to evaluate the
      effectiveness of topical antifungals in management of FK. Outcomes included time
      to cure, treatment failure, complications of infection, visual acuity and adverse
      effects. A comprehensive search for studies was undertaken resulting in inclusion
      of 8 RCTs, predominantly from India, involving a total of 793 participants, the
      majority of whom were infected with filamentous fungi. Topical voriconazole was
      more likely to result in therapeutic keratoplasty compared with natamycin
      [relative risk (RR) 1.89 95% CI: 1.14, 3.12] with a number needed to treat of 13
      (95% CI: 7, 50). Final visual acuity was significantly better with natamycin
      compared with voriconazole [weighted mean difference (WMD) 0.13, 95% CI 0.00,
      0.27]. There was no difference in risk of treatment failure across all topical
      antifungal treatments studied (chlorhexidine gluconate, econazole, miconazole,
      natamycin, silver sulphadiazine and voriconazole). This study suggests treatment
      failure was comparable among antifungal treatments reviewed. However, natamycin
      resulted in better visual acuity following acute infection, compared with
      voriconazole. Voriconazole had a significantly greater risk of therapeutic
      keratoplasty compared with natamycin in the populations studied. 

PMID- 26107308
TI  - Electroporating Human Corneal Epithelial Cells With Interleukin 10 and Fas Ligand
      pDNA.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop an optimal electroporation protocol for plasmid (pDNA)
      transfection of a human corneal epithelial cell (hCEC) line and investigate the
      immunomodulatory capacity of interleukin 10 and Fas ligand (FasL) transfection on
      hCECs. DESIGN: A controlled experimental study. METHODS: Human corneal epithelial
      cells were electroporated with pDNA encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein,
      interleukin 10, or FasL. Supernatants were analyzed for cytokine secretion using
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. To test potential immunosuppression,
      electroporated hCECs were cocultured with allogeneic peripheral blood mononuclear
      cells, and the supernatants analyzed for interferon gamma production. RESULTS:
      Maximum transfection efficiencies were obtained using optimized settings, and
      transgene expression was detected up to 13 days following transfection.
      Interleukin 10 levels peaked at day 4 and FasL at day 2 following
      electroporation. Coculture supernatants showed significantly lower levels of
      interferon gamma in the modulated groups compared with control. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results demonstrate highly efficient transfection of hCECs using an optimized
      electroporation protocol. Interleukin 10 and FasL may provide a means of immune
      modulation of corneal epithelial cells.

PMID- 26107309
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding "Comparison of Combined Phacoemulsification,
      Intraocular Lens Implantation, and Goniosynechialysis With Phacotrabeculectomy in
      the Treatment of Primary Angle-Closure Glaucoma and Cataract".

PMID- 26107310
TI  - Understanding the Highly Varying pKa of Arylamines. A Perspective from the
      Average Local Ionization Condensed-to-Atom Framework.
AB  - The highly varying experimental pKa values for 36 arylamines spanning 7 orders of
      magnitude is carefully examined. Within this framework, a valence condensed-to
      atom model for the average ionization energy is introduced and tested. The
      theoretical approach is connected to orbital Fukui functions directly mapped into
      semilocal or regional site-specific responses. It is revealed that the average
      local ionization energies associated with the amino nitrogen atom is linearly
      correlated to the basicity of the substituted arylamines, properly reproducing
      the experimental ordering of basicity. The condensed-to-atom descriptor exhibits
      a high predictive power, providing a new direct reactivity evaluation of
      significant value. 

PMID- 26107311
TI  - Gender Influences Radicular Pain Perception in Patients with Lumbar Disc
      Herniation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated gender differences in pain
      perception in quantitative sensory testing. Thus, we hypothesized that there are
      differences in men and women with lumbar disc herniation awaiting lumbar
      sequestrectomy. To elucidate the differences in pain perception between men and
      women, we carried out a prospective clinical monocentric trial using quantitative
      sensory testing. METHODS: With institutional ethical approval, patients with
      radiculopathy awaiting lumbar sequestrectomy were examined the day before
      surgery. Preoperative pain was assessed using quantitative sensory testing and a
      series of questionnaires including Beck Depression Inventory and a numeric rating
      scale (NRS) for back and leg pain. Statistical analysis was performed using the
      Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for normal distribution. The unpaired Student's t-test,
      Mann-Whitney U test, and Fisher's exact test were used to analyze intergroup
      differences in the clinical and demographic characteristics and in clinical
      outcome variables. RESULTS: Fifty patients (20 women and 30 men) were included in
      the study. The groups did not differ in NRS for back and leg pain. Heat and
      pressure pain thresholds were found to be lower in women than in men (p<=0.05).
      Subgroup analyses revealed decreased wind-up ratio in male patients with prior
      periradicular steroid application (p<=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results clearly
      indicate that sex differences in pain perception not only exist in healthy
      subjects, but also in patients with lumbar disc herniation. Therefore, it is
      essential to provide different treatment modalities to women and men.

PMID- 26107312
TI  - Stem cell therapy in multiple sclerosis: a future perspective.

PMID- 26107314
TI  - UK Parkinson's Excellence Network: empowering service improvement across the UK.
AB  - Parkinson's UK, together with leading Parkinson's professionals, has set up the
      UK Parkinson's Excellence Network to bring together the passion and expertise of
      leading clinicians with the strategic leadership and resources of Parkinson's UK
      underpinned by the voice of people affected by Parkinson's. Launched in London in
      February 2015, the Excellence Network aims to drive sustainable improvements in
      health and social care services. It will provide a more strategic approach to
      clinical development so that Parkinson's services across health and social care
      can be transformed to provide the best quality care across the UK.

PMID- 26107315
TI  - UK Parkinson's Excellence Network: time for a paradigm shift in Parkinson's care.

PMID- 26107316
TI  - A spotlight on microneurotrophins: the future of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
      treatment?

PMID- 26107317
TI  - Current research in aging: a report from the 2015 Ageing Summit.
AB  - Ageing Summit, London, UK, 10-12 February 2015 The Ageing Summit 2015 held on 10
      12 February 2015 in London (UK) provided an extensive update to our knowledge of
      the 'Biology of Ageing' and a forum to discuss the participants' latest research
      progress. The meeting was subdivided into four thematic sessions: cellular level
      research including the aging brain; slowing down progression, rejuvenation and
      self-repair; genetic and epigenetic regulation; and expression and pathology of
      age-related diseases. Each session included multiple key presentations, three to
      five short research communications and ongoing poster presentations. The meeting
      provided an exciting multidisciplinary overview of the aging process from
      cellular and molecular mechanisms to medico-social aspects of human aging.

PMID- 26107318
TI  - Neuropsychological tests for predicting cognitive decline in older adults.
AB  - AIM: To determine neuropsychological tests likely to predict cognitive decline.
      METHODS: A sample of nonconverters (n = 106) was compared with those who declined
      in cognitive status (n = 24). Significant univariate logistic regression
      prediction models were used to create multivariate logistic regression models to
      predict decline based on initial neuropsychological testing. RESULTS: Rey
      Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT) Retention predicted conversion to mild
      cognitive impairment (MCI) while baseline Buschke Delay predicted conversion to
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). Due to group sample size differences, additional
      analyses were conducted using a subsample of demographically matched
      nonconverters. Analyses indicated RCFT Retention predicted conversion to MCI and
      AD, and Buschke Delay predicted conversion to AD. CONCLUSION: Results suggest
      RCFT Retention and Buschke Delay may be useful in predicting cognitive decline.

PMID- 26107320
TI  - Are we providing the best possible care for dementia patients?
AB  - Healthcare for patients with dementia is often reactive, poorly organized and
      fragmented. We discuss opportunities for improvements in the care of individuals
      living with dementia at home that can be implemented by physicians in their
      practices today. In particular, we argue that systematic identification and
      diagnosis of cognitive impairment and dementia in their early stages, coupled
      with a coherent, evidence-informed management framework, would benefit patients
      with dementia substantially and ease the burden of their caregivers. We emphasize
      that dementia influences all aspects of patient care, and each medical decision
      must be passed through the filter of knowledge that patients with dementia have
      special needs that can be identified and addressed.

PMID- 26107319
TI  - Testing family-centered, function-focused care in hospitalized persons with
      dementia.
AB  - AIM: Hospital-acquired disability causes decreased quality of life for patients
      with dementia and family caregivers, and increased societal costs. MATERIALS &
      METHODS: A comparative, repeated measures study tested the feasibility and
      preliminary efficacy of the family-centered, function-focused care intervention
      (Fam-FFC) in dyads of hospitalized, medical patients with dementia and family
      caregivers (FCGs). RESULTS: The intervention group demonstrated better activities
      of daily living and walking performance, and less severity/duration of delirium
      and hospital readmissions, but no significant differences in gait/balance. FCGs
      showed increased preparedness for caregiving and less anxiety but no significant
      differences in depression, strain and mutuality. CONCLUSION: Fam-FFC presents a
      possible pathway to meeting the Triple Aim of improved patient care, improved
      patient health and reduced costs for persons with dementia.

PMID- 26107321
TI  - Alemtuzumab in multiple sclerosis: an update.
AB  - Since the introduction of IFN-beta, disease-modifying treatments, acting through
      various immune mechanisms, have been shown to reduce disease activity and
      severity in relapsing multiple sclerosis. Nevertheless, there remain patients for
      whom these treatments are incompletely effective, poorly tolerated or
      contraindicated. Alemtuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that works by
      selectively depleting circulating lymphocytes. It is given as an intravenous
      infusion of 12 mg daily for 5 days, then a year later for 3 days. Effectiveness
      in patients with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis has been
      demonstrated in two Phase III clinical trials, where it outperformed IFN-beta-1a
      44 mcg on clinical and radiographic efficacy measures. Its side effect profile,
      including infusion-associated reactions, infections and secondary autoimmunity,
      coupled with its long-lasting biological effect, requires patients to commit to
      close monitoring while on the drug and for 4 years after the final infusion. For
      select patients with active disease, alemtuzumab offers a powerful therapeutic
      option.

PMID- 26107322
TI  - Behavioral treatments for speech in Parkinson's disease: meta-analyses and review
      of the literature.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) results from neurodegenerative processes leading to
      alteration of motor functions. Most motor symptoms respond well to
      pharmacological and neurosurgical treatments, except some axial symptoms such as
      speech impairment, so-called dysarthria. However, speech therapy is rarely
      proposed to PD patients. This review aims at evaluating previous research on the
      effects of speech behavioral therapies in patients with PD. We also performed two
      meta-analyses focusing on speech loudness and voice pitch. We showed that
      intensive therapies in PD are the most effective for hypophonia and can lead to
      some improvement of voice pitch. Although speech therapy is effective in handling
      PD dysarthria, behavioral speech rehabilitation in PD still needs further
      validation.

PMID- 26107323
TI  - Diagnosing dementia in adults with Down's syndrome.
AB  - Individuals with Down's syndrome (DS) are living longer and many will survive
      into their fifth or sixth decade of life. Among the DS population, the prevalence
      of dementia in Alzheimer's disease increases from 9.4% in age group 30-39 years
      to 54.5% age group 60-69 years. The psychopathology of dementia in Alzheimer's
      disease is similar to that seen in the general population although differences
      are apparent due to the underlying intellectual disability in DS and on the
      reliance on collateral information from informants. The diagnostic workup follows
      accepted practice although neuropsychological tests and neuroimaging will only be
      adjuncts to the clinical assessment; such investigations have limited diagnostic
      value. Presently, research is focused on identifying genetic and biological
      measures of Alzheimer's disease in DS.

PMID- 26107324
TI  - New insights into the management of chronic inflammatory demyelinating
      polyradiculoneuropathy.
AB  - Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) and its variants
      can be challenging to diagnose and treat. A combination of clinical,
      electrophysiological and laboratory features is often required to reach a
      diagnosis. New data are emerging about potential biomarkers and factors that may
      indicate treatment needs in individual patients. High-quality evidence exists for
      the efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in the treatment of CIDP,
      including quality of life (QoL) benefits. Besides pharmacological treatment,
      psychological factors must also be addressed to improve patients' QoL. Home-based
      IVIG infusion therapy is currently a well-established approach in some countries.
      A 6-month pilot study conducted in Ontario, Canada, provided proof of safety and
      patient acceptance of home-based IVIG therapy, although some logistical issues
      emerged.

PMID- 26107326
TI  - Visual Field Progression in Treated Glaucoma Patients.

PMID- 26107327
TI  - Three Generations of Eminent American Chinese: Lives Intertwined With History.
AB  - This article describes the lives of 3 generations of a remarkable American
      Chinese family, who all excelled in their achievements. Grandfather Chan Loon
      Teung was the first Chinese Harvard graduate; the father, Eugene Chan, and his
      wife, Winifred Mao, were famous ophthalmologists, working in the United States
      and in China, and their daughter, Chi-Chao Chan, is a specialist in ophthalmic
      pathology and uveitis at the National Institutes of Health in the United States.
      Although the different generations all encountered dramatic situations caused by
      political turmoil, such as the Xinhai Revolution, World War II, and the cultural
      revolution in China, this did not prevent them from making major contributions to
      their home countries and ophthalmology. The history of this family as depicted in
      this article illustrates what perseverance and passion can achieve. 

PMID- 26107328
TI  - Comparison of PROGRESSOR and Glaucoma Progression Analysis 2 to Detect Visual
      Field Progression in Treated Glaucoma Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: We compared the abilities of PROGRESSOR and Glaucoma Progression
      Analysis 2 (GPA2) to detect glaucomatous visual field (VF) progression. DESIGN:
      Retrospective cohort. METHODS: We reviewed the charts of glaucoma patients with
      repeatable VF loss and >= 8 SITA-Standard 24-2 VFs. Progression was evaluated
      using 3 methods: (1) PROGRESSOR pointwise linear regression (Medisoft, Inc), (2)
      GPA2 VF index (VFI) regression (GPA-VFI), and (3) GPA Early Manifest Glaucoma
      Trial (EMGT) criteria (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc; GPA-EMGT). For PROGRESSOR,
      progression was determined when at least 2 adjacent test points in the same
      hemifield progressed by more than 1.0 dB/y, P < 0.01. For GPA-VFI, progression
      was defined when VFI rate was more than 1.0%/y, P < 0.01. RESULTS: A total of 130
      eyes [130 patients; mean (SD) age, 63.6 (12.7) years; mean (SD) number of VF,
      11.2 (3.6); mean follow-up time, 7.3 (1.8) years] were enrolled. There was a
      significant correlation between VFI and PROGRESSOR rates of change (r = 0.81, P <
      0.01). The number of eyes progressing based on PROGRESSOR, GPA-VFI, and the GPA
      EMGT criteria was 55, 37, and 46, respectively (P = 0.06). There was a moderate
      agreement between PROGRESSOR and the GPA-EMGT (kappa = 0.43), between PROGRESSOR
      and GPA-VFI (kappa = 0.57), and between GPA-VFI and GPA-EMGT (kappa = 0.45).
      PROGRESSOR and GPA-EMGT tended to detect similar numbers of progressing points
      per eye [3.7 (5.8) vs 3.1 (4.4), P = 0.50, respectively]. CONCLUSIONS: The 3
      methods showed statistically similar sensitivities for the detection of VF
      progression. In addition, the EMGT and PROGRESSOR criteria revealed good spatial
      consistency.

PMID- 26107329
TI  - Intravitreal Bevacizumab After Intravitreal Triamcinolone for Exudative Age
      Related Macular Degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the effect of intravitreal bevacizumab on
      visual acuity after a previously unsuccessful intravitreal triamcinolone
      acetonide injection for the treatment of exudative age-related macular
      degeneration. DESIGN: This is a clinically interventional case series study.
      METHODS: This study included patients with exudative age-related macular
      degeneration who had previously received an intravitreal injection of
      approximately 25 mg of triamcinolone without an increase in visual acuity.
      Patients received 3.5 (2.3) injections [mean (SD)] of 1.5 mg of bevacizumab.
      RESULTS: The study consisted of 36 patients (38 eyes) with a mean (SD) age of
      77.9 (7.4) years. The mean (SD) visual acuity before the injection of bevacizumab
      was 0.84 (0.46) logMAR. After a mean (SD) follow-up of 10.1 (5.8) months (range,
      2-21.9 months), the mean visual acuity was 0.94 (0.47) logMAR, without a
      statistically significant difference between the baseline value and the
      posttreatment value (P = 0.06; 95% confidence interval for the difference, -0.22
      to 0.01 logMAR). CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal bevacizumab injections may not
      markedly improve vision in exudative age-related macular degeneration if previous
      intravitreal triamcinolone failed to increase visual acuity.

PMID- 26107330
TI  - Mitomycin C-Augmented Trabeculectomy Combined With Single-Site Manual Small
      Incision Cataract Surgery Through a Tunnel Flap Technique.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to analyze short-term outcomes of
      mitomycin C-augmented trabeculectomy combined with manual small-incision cataract
      surgery (MSICS/Trab). DESIGN: This was a retrospective, noncomparative single
      center case series. METHODS: Records of eyes that underwent MSICS/Trab with
      mitomycin C performed between January 2006 and May 2007 were reviewed. Manual
      small-incision cataract surgery was done through a superior scleral tunnel; a
      Kelly punch was used for the trabeculectomy through the tunnel flap, and after a
      peripheral iridectomy, the scleral tunnel was opposed with two 10-0 nylon
      sutures. RESULTS: Of the 103 patients, 64 (62.1%) had primary open-angle glaucoma
      (POAG), 23 (22.3%) had secondary open-angle glaucoma (SOAG), and 16 (15.5%) had
      chronic angle closure glaucoma (CACG). The minimum follow-up was 6 months, and
      mean follow-up was 12.6 months. Demographics and mean intraocular pressure (IOP)
      at the time of surgery (30.4 +/- 10.3 mm Hg) were comparable in all 3 groups.
      Significant visual improvement and reduction in IOP levels from baseline were
      observed at 6 months (16.64 +/- 4.75 mm Hg) irrespective of the type of glaucoma
      (P = 0.035). Subgroup analysis showed a significant difference in IOP levels of
      CACG group compared with the SOAG group (P = 0.035) at 6 months. However, no
      statistically significant difference was observed in IOP comparisons between POAG
      and CACG groups or POAG and SOAG groups. CONCLUSIONS: Mitomycin C-augmented
      MSICS/Trab appears to be safe and effective technique in tackling coexistent
      cataract and glaucoma in developing world.

PMID- 26107331
TI  - Long-Term Comparison of Endothelial Changes Between Torsional and Longitudinal
      Phacoemulsification.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate endothelial changes between
      torsional and longitudinal phacoemulsification 2 years after cataract surgery.
      DESIGN: This was a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial. METHODS:
      We enrolled 200 patients with senile cataract between August 2008 and December
      2009 for surgery using either torsional (group A, n = 100) or longitudinal (group
      B, n = 100) phacoemulsification. Outcomes were central endothelial cell density
      and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) 3 months and in this follow-up 2
      years after surgery. Statistical evaluation of endothelial cell loss (ECL) was
      performed according to statistical guidelines by creating a primary analysis
      (substitution of missing values by the median) and a secondary analysis (actual
      data). RESULTS: The mean age was 71 (SD, 7.3) years. We were able to reexamine 46
      patients in group A and 54 in group B 2 years after surgery. The median CDVA
      before surgery was 0.3 logMAR in group A and 0.35 logMAR in group B, improving to
      0 logMAR postoperatively in both groups. The median ECL in the primary analysis
      was 6.9% after 3 months and 10.3% 2 years after surgery in group A. In group B,
      we found a loss of 6.6% after 3 months and 8.6% 2 years postoperatively. In the
      secondary analysis, the loss was 10.0% in group A and 8.5% in group B after 2
      years. The difference was statistically not significant. CONCLUSIONS: There is no
      difference between the ECL between torsional and longitudinal phacoemulsification
      up to 2 years after cataract surgery.

PMID- 26107332
TI  - Anomalous Vascular Patterns of the Optic Disc in Amblyopia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the presence of anomalies of the optic disc vascular
      patterns in subjects with amblyopia. DESIGN: Case controlled study. The outcome
      measure is temporal deviation of central retinal vessels and / or vascular
      pattern asymmetry. METHODS: A total of 342 hyperopic amblyopic patients were
      evaluated. An additional 88 subjects with equal visual acuity with strabismus,
      and 108 subjects with equal visual acuity and anisometropia were evaluated.
      RESULTS: In this study, more than 50% of amblyopic patients had optic disc
      deformities. Sixty-five percent of subjects with amblyopia, orthophoria, and
      anisometropia exceeding 1.5 D had these anomalies compared with less than 7% of
      the groups without amblyopia or strabismus. CONCLUSIONS: These disc anomalies may
      be associated with disorganization of optic nerve axons. This finding indicates
      the possibility of a peripheral cause for impaired vision and could provide an
      explanation for the variability in visual defects associated with amblyopia.
      Optic nerve imaging should be incorporated into clinical protocols for amblyopia
      research.

PMID- 26107333
TI  - Simultaneous Interface Candida Keratitis in 2 Hosts Following Descemet Stripping
      Endothelial Keratoplasty With Tissue Harvested From a Single Contaminated Donor
      and Review of Clinical Literature.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to report 2 cases of interface fungal
      keratitis in 2 separate patients following Descemet stripping automated
      endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) with tissue harvested from the same donor.
      DESIGN: This was a retrospective simultaneous interinstitutional hosptial-based
      case reports. METHODS: Two patients with corneal infections following DSAEK were
      identified from 2 individual practices. Both patients had undergone DSAEK from
      the same donor. Preoperative and postoperative eye examination included visual
      acuity, anterior and posterior segment evaluations, and clinical follow-up course
      from the time of surgery. Methods of medical therapy and surgical intervention
      are additionally discussed. RESULTS: The 2 patients presented in our series
      present with interface fungal keratitis postoperatively in the face of the
      original source coming from a single donor (patient 1: 7 days postoperatively and
      patient 2: 7 weeks postoperatively). As medical treatment failed in both cases,
      surgery was undertaken in both cases (therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty). With
      prompt recognition as well as medical and surgical treatment, patient 1 achieved
      best corrected visual acuity of 20/30 at 6 months postoperatively, and patient 2
      had best corrected visual acuity of 20/80 at 10 months postoperatively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Fungal keratitis following DSAEK occurs in a sequestered space and
      therefore represents a treatment challenge with potentially devastating outcome.
      We recommend an aggressive surgical approach with early removal of the donor
      button and irrigation with intracameral antifungal agents.

PMID- 26107334
TI  - High Altitude and the Eye.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to review the available data on the effect of high
      altitude on the eyes. We carried out electronic literature search on
      www.pubmed.com for articles published through year 2011. The search terms
      included high altitude and the eye, high-altitude retinopathy, eye problems in
      the Himalayas, and eye diseases in Tibet. Other terms like visual functions,
      intraocular pressure, corneal thickness, tear function, and ocular motility, at
      high altitude, were searched separately and in combination. Data were retrieved
      from both prospective and retrospective studies published in the English
      language.High altitude has both short-term and long-term effects on the eyes. The
      short-term effects include high-altitude retinopathy, change in corneal
      thickness, and photokeratitis. Long-term effects include pterygium, cataract, and
      dry eye syndrome. High-altitude retinopathy of mild degree does not affect vision
      but has a predictive value for the development of high-altitude cerebral edema.
      Change in corneal thickness at altitude induces refractive changes in eyes with
      radial keratotomy and in eyes with LASIK. High altitude does not adversely affect
      visual acuity and contrast sensitivity; scotopic vision may be affected if
      supplemental oxygen is not used. 

PMID- 26107335
TI  - Systematic Review of Peribulbar Anesthesia Versus Sub-Tenon Anesthesia for
      Cataract Surgery.
AB  - Commonly used anesthetic techniques for cataract surgery include peribulbar and
      sub-Tenon anesthesia. This evidence-based review compares these techniques, with
      a particular focus on patient comfort, akinesia, and anesthetic complications. A
      systematic search of the literature revealed that there is a paucity of robust
      evidence comparing sub-Tenon and peribulbar anesthesia. Based on the best
      available evidence, there is no significant difference in the efficacy of
      peribulbar compared with sub-Tenon anesthesia for cataract surgery; however, the
      potential complications of peribulbar anesthesia are more serious. 

PMID- 26107336
TI  - Horner Syndrome: A Practical Approach to Investigation and Management.
AB  - Horner syndrome is typically described by the classic triad of blepharoptosis,
      miosis, and anhydrosis resulting from disruption along the oculosympathetic
      pathway. Because of the complex and extensive course of this pathway, there are a
      large number of causes of Horner syndrome ranging from benign to life-threatening
      diseases. This review article aims to provide a practical approach to
      investigation and management, including evaluation of the more recent use of
      apraclonidine for pharmacological testing. 

PMID- 26107337
TI  - Mitochondrial Changes in Aging Orbicularis Oculi Muscles: Histologic and Genetic
      Analyses in Elderly Asian Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: We aimed to determine whether there was underlying mitochondrial
      myopathy in some aging patients diagnosed with involutional ptosis. We compared
      orbicularis oculi muscle from patients with ptosis and patients with
      dermatochalasis without ptosis, using histochemical and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
      analysis. DESIGN: This was a case-control study. METHODS: We studied 10 patients
      with ptosis who underwent correction surgery, and 10 patients without ptosis, who
      had dermatochalasis surgery, all in 1 institution. Orbicularis oculi muscle was
      examined with standard muscle histochemistry; modified Gomori trichrome,
      nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), succinyl dehydrogenase (SDH),
      cytochrome c oxidase (COX), and Congo red. Genetic analysis was performed for
      deletions of mtDNA. RESULTS: The mean age of the group with ptosis was 67.6 years
      and that of the dermatochalasis group was 65.2 years. Inflammation, fibrosis, or
      amyloid was not present in the orbicularis of either ptosis or dermatochalasis
      group. There was no significant difference in ragged red fibers, NADH, SDH, or
      COX staining patterns between ptosis and dermatochalasis groups. One of 10
      specimens in the ptosis group and 1 of 10 in the dermatochalasis group showed
      deletion of mtDNA. CONCLUSIONS: Our study of orbicularis oculi muscle found no
      difference between patients with and without involutional ptosis. We conclude
      that the presence of ragged red fibers, subsarcolemmal NADH and SDH accentuation,
      and COX-negative staining patterns in orbicularis muscle could represent age
      related involutional changes. The significance of deletion of mtDNA needs further
      investigation.

PMID- 26107338
TI  - Comparison of Outcomes of Suprabrow Single-Stab and 3-Stab Incision Frontalis
      Sling Surgery.

PMID- 26107339
TI  - Author Reply.

PMID- 26107340
TI  - Predictive Factors Within the Optic Nerve Complex for Glaucoma Progression: Disc
      Hemorrhage and Parapapillary Atrophy.

PMID- 26107341
TI  - Author Reply.

PMID- 26107342
TI  - Diagnostic Tests for Childhood Tuberculosis: Past Imperfect, Present Tense and
      Future Perfect?

PMID- 26107343
TI  - Species C is Predominant in Chinese Children with Acute Respiratory Adenovirus
      Infection.

PMID- 26107344
TI  - Differences in Norovirus-Associated Hospital Visits Between Jewish and Bedouin
      Children in Southern Israel.
AB  - Population-based surveillance during 2006-2013 showed that norovirus
      hospitalization rates among Bedouin (low-middle income settings) children <5
      years old were 13.9/10,000 person-years compared with 7.1/10,000 among Jewish
      (high-income settings) children who were <5 years (rate ratio: 2.0, 95%
      confidence interval: 1.6-2.3). Differences were most prominent among infants
      (59.7 vs. 19.7/10,000, respectively; rate ratio: 3.0, 95% confidence interval:
      2.5-3.8). GII.3 and GII.4 strains dominated (67%) in both populations. 

PMID- 26107345
TI  - An Overview of Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Safety: 2006 to 2015.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV4) type 6/11/16/18 vaccine
      (GARDASIL/SILGARD(r)) has been licensed in many countries around the world for
      the prevention of cervical, vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancers and precancers, as
      well as external genital warts causally related to HPV types 6/11/16/18. Across 7
      phase 3 clinical trials involving more than 29,000 males and females ages 9-45
      years, vaccination was generally well tolerated. Because of its expected public
      health benefit in reducing cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases, the
      vaccine has been implemented in the national vaccination programs of several
      countries, with over 178 million doses distributed worldwide. METHODS: Extensive
      efforts to assess the safety of the vaccine in routine practice have been
      conducted over the past 9 years since licensure, including more than 15 studies
      in more than 1 million preadolescents, adolescents and adults from various
      countries. Most have been performed in the general population although there have
      been some in special populations (pregnant women, HIV-infected individuals and
      those with systemic lupus erythematosus). RESULTS: We present a summary of the
      published, postlicensure safety data from active and passive surveillance. Only
      syncope, and possibly skin infections were associated with vaccination in the
      postlicensure setting. Serious adverse events, such as adverse pregnancy
      outcomes, autoimmune diseases (including Guillain-Barre Syndrome and multiple
      sclerosis), anaphylaxis, venous thromboembolism and stroke, were extensively
      studied, and no increase in the incidence of these events was found compared with
      background rates. CONCLUSIONS: These results, along with the safety data from the
      prelicensure clinical trials, confirm that the HPV4 vaccine has a favorable
      safety profile. Key policy, medical and regulatory organizations around the world
      have independently reviewed these data and continue to recommend routine HPV
      vaccination.

PMID- 26107346
TI  - Acute Adrenal Failure in a Term Newborn with Congenital Cytomegalovirus
      Infection.

PMID- 26107347
TI  - Re-evaluating the New Committee on Infectious Diseases Recommendations for
      Palivizumab Use in Premature Infants.

PMID- 26107348
TI  - Why is depression more prevalent in women?

PMID- 26107349
TI  - Acute renal and neurotoxicity in older lithium users: How can we manage and
      prevent these events in patients with late-life mood disorders?

PMID- 26107350
TI  - Galleria mellonella as a host model to study Aspergillus terreus virulence and
      amphotericin B resistance.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate if the alternative in vivo model
      Galleria mellonella can be used (i) to determine differences in pathogenicity of
      amphotericin B (AMB) resistant and susceptible A. terreus isolates, (ii) to
      evaluate AMB efficacy in vivo (iii) and to correlate outcome to in vitro
      susceptibility data. Larvae were infected with 2 A. terreus AMB resistant (ATR)
      and 3 AMB susceptible (ATS) isolates and survival rates were correlated to
      physiological attributes and killing ability of larval haemocytes. Additionally,
      infected larvae were treated with different concentrations of L-AMB. Haemocyte
      density were ascertained to evaluate the influence of L-AMB on the larval immune
      cells. Larvae were sensitive to A. terreus infection in an inoculum-size and
      temperature dependent manner. In vitro susceptibility to L-AMB correlated with in
      vivo outcome of antifungal treatment, defining an AMB susceptible strain cluster
      of A. terreus. Susceptibility to L-AMB increased virulence potential in the
      larval model, but this increase was also in accordance with faster growth and
      less damage caused by larval haemocytes. L-AMB treatment primed the larval immune
      response by increasing haemocyte density. G. mellonella provides a convenient
      model for the in vivo screening of A. terreus virulence and treatment options,
      contributing to the generation of a hypothesis that can be further tested in
      refined experiments in mammalian models. 

PMID- 26107351
TI  - Annotation of the Protein Coding Regions of the Equine Genome.
AB  - Current gene annotation of the horse genome is largely derived from in silico
      predictions and cross-species alignments. Only a small number of genes are
      annotated based on equine EST and mRNA sequences. To expand the number of equine
      genes annotated from equine experimental evidence, we sequenced mRNA from a pool
      of forty-three different tissues. From these, we derived the structures of 68,594
      transcripts. In addition, we identified 301,829 positions with SNPs or small
      indels within these transcripts relative to EquCab2. Interestingly, 780 variants
      extend the open reading frame of the transcript and appear to be small errors in
      the equine reference genome, since they are also identified as homozygous
      variants by genomic DNA resequencing of the reference horse. Taken together, we
      provide a resource of equine mRNA structures and protein coding variants that
      will enhance equine and cross-species transcriptional and genomic comparisons. 

PMID- 26107352
TI  - Exercising: the more, the better?

PMID- 26107353
TI  - Article published in the U.S. News Health: "Top-Rated Diets Overall".

PMID- 26107356
TI  - Treatment of isolated lesions of the posterior cruciate ligament.

PMID- 26107357
TI  - Treatment of abdominal tumors using radiotherapy.

PMID- 26107358
TI  - Typical case: herpes zoster.
AB  - The varicella zoster virus is the causative agent of herpes zoster and varicella.
      In herpes zoster, the virus dormant within dorsal root ganglia is reactivated,
      resulting in painful vesicular lesions overlying an erythematous base. 

PMID- 26107359
TI  - Retinol, beta-carotene and oxidative stress in systemic inflammatory response
      syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: patients suffering systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)
      constitute a group susceptible to elevated levels of oxidative stress. This
      study's aim is to evaluate the state of oxidative stress and levels of serum
      retinol and beta-carotene in these patients. METHODS: forty-six patients were
      divided into 2 groups: those those without diet (G1; n=18) and those with enteral
      nutritional support (G2; n=28). Serum levels of retinol and total carotenoids
      were measured. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and Apache scores were also
      calculated. Oxidative stress was estimated by measuring thiobarbituric acid
      reactive substance (TBARS) levels. RESULTS: the patients' median age was 66.9
      (SD=19.3) years. Lower concentrations of retinol and carotenoids were found in
      68.6 and 66.7% of G1, respectively. In G2, despite average vitamin A levels being
      8078 + 4035, retinol and beta-carotene were considered insufficient (31.2 and
      33.4%, respectively). No difference was noted between the 2 groups, according to
      the variables studied, with the exception being PCR and beta-carotene (p=0.002;
      p=0.01). CONCLUSION: the data presented in this study supports the need to
      establish/revise clinical practices in treating SIRS patients, in light of this
      micronutrient's role in the immune system and antioxidant defense without it
      interfering with its toxicity.

PMID- 26107360
TI  - The effects of pre-op trainning on the anxiety levels of children in
      Corum/Turkey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: all individuals regardless of their age or level of development
      require physical, emotional and cognitive preparation before an operation. It is
      known that the attitudes of pediatric nurses towards pediatric patients are
      influential on the anxiety levels of children awaiting an operation. This study
      aims to determine the effect of pre-op trainning on the anxiety levels of
      pediatric patients hospitalized for hernioplasty surgery. METHODS: this cross
      sectional and quasi-experimental study included a total of 100 patients aged 7-12
      years admitted for inguinal hernia surgery, 50 of which were the control group
      and 50 the experiment group. The data was gathered using the patients'
      identification forms and a child steady state anxiety scale. Research data was
      evaluated with appropriate statistical methods. RESULTS: the groups showed
      similar socio-demographic features and no statistically significant difference
      was observed (p>0.05). During the pre-op period neither of the groups showed any
      statistically significant difference in terms of both state and trait anxiety
      levels (p>0.05), however the experiment group showed a statistically significant
      drop in their anxiety levels during the post-op period (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: the
      state anxiety levels of children receiving a planned pre-op trainning are lower
      compared to children who did not receive such trainning. Reducing the anxiety
      levels of sick children is possible through giving visual and tangible
      information appropriate with the age and developmental level of the sick child
      during the pre-op period.

PMID- 26107361
TI  - Quality of life of patients with rheumatoid arthritis under biological therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: assessing health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with
      rheumatoid arthritis (RA), before and after treatment with biological therapy.
      METHODS: a longitudinal study, conducted from November 2010 to September 2011,
      with implementation of the instruments HAQ II (health assessment questionnaire)
      and SF-36 (medical outcomes short-from health survey). Barlett test, Anova,
      Friedman and paired t-test were performed for multiple extracts. RESULTS: 30
      patients were evaluated, mean age of 47.6 (SD: 12.25) years and prevalence of
      females (90%). The mean score of HAQ II before treatment was 1.97, with
      significant reduction of up to 1.23 after six months of biological therapy
      (p<0.01). Most of the SF-36 domains showed significant improvement after six
      months of treatment (p<0.01), highlighting the social aspects, pain, physical
      functioning, emotional issues, vitality and physical aspects. CONCLUSION: the use
      of biologic therapy in patients with RA refractory to standard therapies proved
      to be an important pharmacological strategy for improving HRQL.

PMID- 26107362
TI  - Relationship between vitamin D and lung function, physical performance and
      balance on patients with stage I-III chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: vitamin D is important for muscle function and it affects different
      aspects of muscle metabolism. This study aim to determine whether serum 25(OH) D
      levels are related to lung functions, physical performance and balance in
      patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: in 90
      patients with COPD and 57 healthy controls lung function tests, physical
      performance tests (time up and go, gait velocity test, sit-to-stand test,
      isometric strength, isokinetic strength), static (functional reach test) and
      dynamic (time up and go) balance tests and the association of 25(OH)D levels with
      lung functions, physical performance and balance were evaluated. RESULTS: the
      COPD patients had significantly more deficit in physical function and balance
      parameters, and in dynamic balance test (p<0.005). Isokinetic knee muscle
      strength (flexor and extensor) in COPD patients was significantly lower than in
      the controls (p<0.05); FEV1 (p=0.008), FVC (p=0.02), FEV1/FVC (p=0.04), TLC
      (p=0.01) were lower in COPD patients with vitamin D deficiency [25(OH) D less
      than 15 ng/mL] than in COPD patients without vitamin D deficiency. Hand grip test
      (p=0.000) and isokinetic knee muscle strength (flexor and extensor) (p<0.05) were
      also lower in COPD patients with vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency was
      more pronounced in patients with stage III COPD (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: patients
      with COPD had worst physical functioning, poor balance and less muscle strength.
      Severe disturbed lung and peripheral muscle functions are more pronounced in COPD
      patients with vitamin D deficiency.

PMID- 26107363
TI  - Obese patients lose weight independently of nutritional follow-up after bariatric
      surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to examine the association between preoperative body weight, adherence
      to postsurgical nutritional follow-up, length of postoperative period, and weight
      loss during the first 18 months among adults who have undergone bariatric
      surgery. METHODS: a retrospective cohort study was conducted on 241 consecutive
      patients who underwent open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) from January 2006 to
      December 2008, in a teaching hospital in Sao Paulo (Brazil). Data were collected
      through hospital records review and the variables analyzed included sex, age,
      immediate preoperative weight, adherence to postsurgical nutritional visits and
      length of postoperative period. Proportional body weight reductions during the 18
      month follow-up period were examined using generalized estimating equations.
      RESULTS: 81% (n = 195) of participants were female, with overall mean age of 44.4
      +/- 11.6 years, mean preoperative weight of 123.1 +/- 21.2 kg and mean
      preoperative body mass index of 47.2 +/- 6.2 kg/m2. The overall adherence to
      postoperative follow- up schedule was 51% (95%CI: 44.5-57.5%). Preoperative body
      weight and adherence were not associated with proportional weight reduction
      (Wald's test p > 0.18). Weight loss leveled off at the end of the 18-month follow
      up period for both compliant and non-compliant patients (Wald's test p = 0.00).
      CONCLUSIONS: our study showed that weight loss occurred steadily over the first
      18 months after RYGBP, leveling off at around 40% weight reduction. It was
      associated with neither presurgical weight, nor nutritional follow-up and it may
      be primarily dependent on the surgical body alterations themselves. This finding
      may have implications for intervention strategies aimed at motivating patients to
      comply with early postsurgical and life-long follow-up.

PMID- 26107364
TI  - In-hospital mortality risk factors in community acquired pneumonia: evaluation of
      immunocompetent adult patients without comorbidities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: several scores were developed in order to improve the determination of
      community acquired pneumonia (CAP) severity and its management, mainly CURB-65
      and SACP score. However, none of them were evaluated for risk assessment of in
      hospital mortality, particularly in individuals who were non-immunosuppressed
      and/or without any comorbidity. In this regard, the present study was carried
      out. METHODS: we performed a cross-sectional study in 272 immunocompetent
      patients without comorbidities and with a diagnosis of CAP. Performance of CURB-
      65 and SCAP scores in predicting in-hospital mortality was evaluated. Also,
      variables related to death were assessed. Furthermore, in order to design a model
      of in-hospital mortality prediction, sampled individuals were randomly divided in
      two groups. The association of the variables with mortality was weighed and, by
      multiple binary regression, a model was constructed in one of the subgroups.
      Then, it was validated in the other subgroup. RESULTS: both scores yielded a fair
      strength of agreement, and CURB-65 showed a better performance in predicting in
      hospital mortality. In our casuistry, age, white blood cell counts, serum urea
      and diastolic blood pressure were related to death. The model constructed with
      these variables showed a good performance in predicting in-hospital mortality;
      moreover, only one patient with fatal outcome was not correctly classified in the
      group where the model was constructed and in the group where it was validated.
      CONCLUSION: our findings suggest that a simple model that uses only 4 variables,
      which are easily accessible and interpretable, can identify seriously ill
      patients with CAP.

PMID- 26107365
TI  - Profile of cystic fibrosis in two reference centers in southern Brazil.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to compare the characteristics of cystic fibrosis patients treated in
      two reference centers in southern Brazil in order to observe trends in the
      treatment and clinical outcomes that may produce changes in clinical conduct.
      METHODS: cross-sectional, retrospective study with 83 patients diagnosed with
      cystic fibrosis, aged one month to eighteen years. The variables analyzed were
      obtained through review of medical records, including: demographic and clinical
      characteristics, socioeconomic status, pulmonary function test, bacterial
      colonization profile, medication and physiotherapy. RESULTS: between the two
      centers there was significant difference in the variables, including admissions
      in the previous year (p<0.001), lifetime hospital admissions (p<0.001), use of
      Dornase alpha (p=0.003) and inhaled antibiotic therapy (p=0.006), which were
      higher at the Santo Antonio Children's Hospital (HCSA), while age at first
      colonization with Staphylococcus aureus (p=0.008), maternal age (p=0.030),
      clinical score (p=0.001), socioeconomic score (p=0.021) and use of hypertonic
      saline (p<0.001) were lower at HCSA compared to Sao Lucas Hospital (HSL).
      CONCLUSION: the study centers seem to receive a different population of patients,
      both in socioeconomic terms, as well as disease severity, which interferes with
      the choice of medication treatment. At the HCSA, preventive actions against
      infection due to the high incidence of Burkholderia cepacia Complex and careful
      research into early lung changes will be encouraged.

PMID- 26107366
TI  - Clinical profile of patients with myasthenia gravis followed at the University
      Hospital, Federal University of Minas Gerais.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to determine the clinical profile of patients with myasthenia gravis
      (MG); followed at the Neuromuscular Diseases Clinic of the University Hospital,
      Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and to compare it with other
      Brazilian case series. METHODS: sociodemographic and clinical data were collected
      from patients, and a systematic literature review performed, focusing on national
      studies on the clinical profile of MG patients. RESULTS: sixty nine patients were
      enrolled in the study. Fifty five (91%) subjects were female and the mean age
      (SD) was 37.6 (+/- 11.4) years. The mean disease duration was 14.1 years.
      Regarding treatment, prednisone was the most used strategy (64%), followed by the
      use of azathioprine (43%). There was no difference between thymectomized (42) and
      non-thymectomized (27) patients regarding disease severity and medication use.
      CONCLUSION: clinical and socio-demographic features of this MG sample from a
      University-based clinic resemble those reported in other Brazilian series and in
      the international literature.

PMID- 26107367
TI  - Metabolic syndrome resolution by Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in a real world: a case
      control study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Roux-en-Y
      Gastric Bypass (RYGB), compared with nonsurgical treatment (NS group), as an
      instrument for inducing remission of co-morbidities related to Metabolic Syndrome
      (MetS) in patients with Obesity, grades 2 and 3 (Ob2,3). METHODS: two hundred and
      fifty eight Ob2,3 patients were selected in a retrospective analysis and included
      in a case control study. MetS was defined as described by the International
      Diabetes Federation. One hundred and twenty-nine of these patients underwent RYGB
      (S group), and 129 were assessed as an NS group. RESULTS: at baseline, S and NS
      groups did not differ in BMI, age, female sex and prevalence of MetS (p>0.05).
      For the S group the outcomes were a reduction in BMI of 38.1% (p<0.001), waist
      circumference of 28.6% (p<0.001), fasting plasma glucose of 10.5% (p<0.001),
      serum LDL-cholesterol of 21.9% (p<0.001) and of 85% in the number of patients
      with MetS (p<0.001). For the NS group, only a decrease of 4.12%(p=0.047) in
      triglyceride levels and of 5.9%(p=0.031) in Diastolic Blood Pressure was
      observed. In the NS group, 98.6% of the patients continued to have MetS. The
      number needed to treat (NNT) with surgery to resolve one case of MetS was 1.2 (CI
      95%: 1.1 - 1.4). CONCLUSION: in the real world, in the South of Brazil, compared
      with NS treatment and after 1 year of observation, RYGB is highly effective for
      decreasing the prevalence of MetS.

PMID- 26107368
TI  - Acute appendicitis in pregnancy: literature review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: suspected appendicitis is the most common indication for surgery in
      non-obstetric conditions during pregnancy and occurs in about one in 500 to one
      in 635 pregnancies per year. This occurs more often in the second trimester of
      pregnancy. Acute appendicitis is the most common general surgical problem
      encountered during pregnancy. METHODS: a literature review on research of
      scientific articles, under the terms "acute appendicitis" and "pregnancy", in
      PubMed, Lilacs/SciELO, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Uptodate databases. RESULTS:
      the clinical manifestations of appendicitis are similar to non-pregnant women,
      however, without a classic presentation, which often occurs, diagnosis is
      difficult and must be supported by imaging. DISCUSSION: clinical diagnosis should
      be strongly suspected in pregnant women with classic findings such as abdominal
      pain that migrates to the right lower quadrant. The main purpose of imaging is to
      reduce delays in surgical intervention due to diagnostic uncertainty. A secondary
      objective is to reduce, but not eliminate, the negative appendectomy rate.
      Differential diagnosis of suspected acute appendicitis usually includes
      pathologies considered in non-pregnant people. CONCLUSION: the imaging study of
      choice is ultrasound, MRI may be used when the former is not conclusive and, as a
      last resort, a CT scan can be performed. The treatment remains appendectomy by
      laparotomy, since the feasibility of video- assisted surgery in these cases
      remains controversial.

PMID- 26107369
TI  - Quality of life in women with urinary incontinence.
AB  - The aim of this study is to examine the relationship among psychological,
      clinical and sociodemographic variables, and quality of life in women with
      urinary incontinence. The sample consisted of 80 women diagnosed with urinary
      incontinence (UI) followed in a Northern Central Hospital in Portugal.
      Participants answered the Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QOL); Satisfaction with
      Sexual Relationship Questionnaire (SSRQ); Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales
      (HADS) and the Brief Cope. The results revealed that women with higher quality of
      life considered their symptoms of urine loss as mild or moderated compared to
      those with severe urine loss. The less severe urine loss was associated with
      greater sexual satisfaction and less use of religion and self-blame as coping
      strategies. In terms of coping, women who considered the loss of urine as severe
      expressed more feelings regarding UI. Stress urinary incontinence, high sexual
      satisfaction, and less use of denial, distraction, and religion as coping
      strategies, predicted higher quality of life. According to the results, UI has an
      impact on women's sexual satisfaction and quality of life. Therefore,
      intervention programs should target these women, including their partners,
      helping them to adjust to their condition and teaching effective coping
      strategies in order to improve their sexual satisfaction and quality of life. 

PMID- 26107370
TI  - Acute pericarditis.
AB  - Acute pericarditis is a common disease caused by inflammation of the pericardium,
      usually benign and self-limited and can occur as an isolated or as a
      manifestation of a systemic disease entity. Represents 5% of all causes of chest
      pain in the emergency room. The main etiology are viral infections, although it
      can also be secondary to systemic diseases and infections. The main complication
      of acute pericarditis is pericardial effusion, triggering a cardiac tamponade.
      The first line of treatment is the use of anti-inflammatory and or
      acetylsalicylic acid. Most patients have a good initial response to an NSAID
      associated to colchicine and became asymptomatic within a few days. This review
      article seeks to contemplate the main clinical findings and armed investigation
      to optimize the diagnosis of this important disease, as well as addressing their
      therapeutic management. 

PMID- 26107371
TI  - Oral sex and risk of oral cancer: a meta-analysis of observational studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Association between oral sex and oral cancer is a highlighted topic
      all the time; however, many published epidemiological studies remain failed to
      obtain a consistent conclusion. We performed this meta-analysis to ascertain
      whether oral sex is a risk factor or a risk marker for oral cancer. METHOD: The
      PubMed database was searched up to 30 August 2013 (latest updated on 21 December
      2014) for relevant observational studies that tested the association between oral
      sex and oral cancer risk. After data extraction from eligible studies, the meta
      analysis was conducted using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. RESULTS:
      Finally we yielded six case-control studies and one cross-sectional study with
      5553 individuals. The results based on random-effects model indicated that there
      was no significant association between oral sex and risk of oral cancer (OR 1.15,
      95% CI 0.86 to 1.54; P = 0.33). Sensitivity analysis showed that the result was
      robust and subgroups analyses also revealed similar results. Publication bias was
      not detected. CONCLUSION: Current evidence suggests that oral sex is a risk
      marker rather than an independent risk factor for oral cancer. However, the
      practitioners should assure they are without sexually transmitted diseases and
      with good oral health, and at least cleaned carefully and thoroughly before oral
      sex.

PMID- 26107372
TI  - The ACTN3 R577X Polymorphism Is Associated with Cardiometabolic Fitness in
      Healthy Young Adults.
AB  - Homozygosity for a premature stop codon (X) in the ACTN3 "sprinter" gene is
      common in humans despite the fact that it reduces muscle size, strength and
      power. Because of the close relationship between skeletal muscle function and
      cardiometabolic health we examined the influence of ACTN3 R577X polymorphism over
      cardiovascular and metabolic characteristics of young adults (n = 98 males, n =
      102 females; 23 +/- 4.2 years) from our Assessing Inherent Markers for Metabolic
      syndrome in the Young (AIMMY) study. Both males and females with the RR vs XX
      genotype achieved higher mean VO2 peak scores (47.8 +/- 1.5 vs 43.2 +/-1.8
      ml/O2/min, p = 0.002) and exhibited higher resting systolic (115 +/- 2 vs 105 +/-
      mmHg, p = 0.027) and diastolic (69 +/- 3 vs 59 +/- 3 mmHg, p = 0.005) blood
      pressure suggesting a role for ACTN3 in the maintenance of vascular tone. We
      subsequently identified the expression of alpha-actinin 3 protein in pulmonary
      artery smooth muscle, which may explain the genotype-specific differences in
      cardiovascular adaptation to acute exercise. In addition, we utilized targeted
      serum metabolomics to distinguish between RR and XX genotypes, suggesting an
      additional role for the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism in human metabolism. Taken
      together, these results identify significant cardiometabolic effects associated
      with possessing one or more functional copies of the ACTN3 gene. 

PMID- 26107374
TI  - Segmentation and Classification of Bone Marrow Cells Images Using Contextual
      Information for Medical Diagnosis of Acute Leukemias.
AB  - Morphological identification of acute leukemia is a powerful tool used by
      hematologists to determine the family of such a disease. In some cases,
      experienced physicians are even able to determine the leukemia subtype of the
      sample. However, the identification process may have error rates up to 40% (when
      classifying acute leukemia subtypes) depending on the physician's experience and
      the sample quality. This problem raises the need to create automatic tools that
      provide hematologists with a second opinion during the classification process.
      Our research presents a contextual analysis methodology for the detection of
      acute leukemia subtypes from bone marrow cells images. We propose a cells
      separation algorithm to break up overlapped regions. In this phase, we achieved
      an average accuracy of 95% in the evaluation of the segmentation process. In a
      second phase, we extract descriptive features to the nucleus and cytoplasm
      obtained in the segmentation phase in order to classify leukemia families and
      subtypes. We finally created a decision algorithm that provides an automatic
      diagnosis for a patient. In our experiments, we achieved an overall accuracy of
      92% in the supervised classification of acute leukemia families, 84% for the
      lymphoblastic subtypes, and 92% for the myeloblastic subtypes. Finally, we
      achieved accuracies of 95% in the diagnosis of leukemia families and 90% in the
      diagnosis of leukemia subtypes. 

PMID- 26107373
TI  - CX3CR1 Is Expressed in Differentiated Human Ciliated Airway Cells and Co
      Localizes with Respiratory Syncytial Virus on Cilia in a G Protein-Dependent
      Manner.
AB  - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the principal cause of bronchiolitis in
      infants and a significant healthcare problem. The RSV Glycoprotein (G) mediates
      attachment of the virus to the cell membrane, which facilitates interaction of
      the RSV Fusion (F) protein with nucleolin, thereby triggering fusion of the viral
      and cellular membranes. However, a host protein ligand for G has not yet been
      identified. Here we show that CX3CR1 is expressed in the motile cilia of
      differentiated human airway epithelial (HAE) cells, and that CX3CR1 co-localizes
      with RSV particles. Upon infection, the distribution of CX3CR1 in these cells is
      significantly altered. Complete or partial deletion of RSV G results in viruses
      binding at least 72-fold less efficiently to cells, and reduces virus
      replication. Moreover, an antibody targeting an epitope near the G protein's
      CX3CR1-binding motif significantly inhibits binding of the virus to airway cells.
      Given previously published evidence of the interaction of G with CX3CR1 in human
      lymphocytes, these findings suggest a role for G in the interaction of RSV with
      ciliated lung cells. This interpretation is consistent with past studies showing
      a protective benefit in immunizing against G in animal models of RSV infection,
      and would support targeting the CX3CR1-G protein interaction for prophylaxis or
      therapy. CX3CR1 expression in lung epithelial cells may also have implications
      for other respiratory diseases such as asthma. 

PMID- 26107375
TI  - East Asian monsoon signals reflected in temperature and precipitation changes
      over the past 300 years in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
AB  - Based on observational data and Asian monsoon intensity datasets from China, the
      relationships between the East Asian winter monsoon index and winter temperature,
      the East Asian summer monsoon index and Meiyu precipitation over the middle and
      lower reaches of the Yangtze River, were analyzed. We found that the monsoon
      signals were reflected in the temperature and Meiyu precipitation variations.
      Thus, we used the reconstructed Meiyu precipitation and winter temperature series
      for the past 300 years and detected the summer/winter monsoon intensity signals
      using multi-taper spectral estimation method and wavelet analysis. The main
      periodicities of Meiyu precipitation and winter temperature, such as interannual
      cycle with 2-7-year, interdecadal-centennial cycles with 30-40-year and 50-100
      year, were found. The good relationships between the East Asian summer and winter
      monsoons suggested that they were in phase at 31-year cycle, while out of phase
      at 100-year cycle, but with 20-year phase difference. In addition, the winter
      monsoon intensity may be regulated by the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Arctic
      Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, and the summer monsoon is
      closely related to the signal intensities of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. 

PMID- 26107376
TI  - Trends in anemia management practices in patients receiving hemodialysis and
      peritoneal dialysis: a retrospective cohort analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Recent changes in clinical practice guidelines and reimbursement
      policies may have affected the use of anemia-related medications and red blood
      cell (RBC) transfusions in peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD)
      patients. We sought to compare patterns of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents
      (ESA) and intravenous (IV) iron use, achieved hemoglobin levels, and RBC
      transfusion use in PD and HD patients. METHODS: In quarterly cohorts of prevalent
      dialysis patients receiving persistent therapy (>3 months), 2007-2011, with
      Medicare Parts A and B coverage, we assessed ESA and IV iron use and dose, RBC
      transfusions, and hemoglobin levels. Quarterly transfusion rates were calculated.
      RESULTS: Observable PD and HD patients numbered 14,958 and 221,866 in Q1/2007 and
      17,842 and 256,942 in Q4/2011. Adjusted ESA use was lower in PD (71.4-80.1%) than
      in HD (86.9-92.0%) patients, decreasing from 80.1% (Q1/2010) to 71.4% (Q4/2011)
      in PD patients, and from 92.0 to 86.9% in HD patients. The mean adjusted ESA dose
      decreased by 67.5% in PD and 58.4% in HD patients. IV iron use tended to
      increase, peaking at 39.3% for PD (Q3/2011) and 80.5% for HD (Q2/2011) patients.
      Adjusted mean hemoglobin levels fell from 11.7 to 10.6 mg/dl in PD and from 12.0
      to 10.7 mg/dl in HD ESA users; adjusted transfusion rates increased from 2.4 to
      3.0 per 100 patient-months in PD and from 2.6 to 3.3 in HD patients. CONCLUSIONS:
      In patients receiving persistent dialysis, dose and frequency of ESA
      administrations decreased during the period 2007-2011. Mean hemoglobin levels
      decreased by more than 1 g/dl, while transfusion rates increased by approximately
      25%.

PMID- 26107377
TI  - Brain Injury Guidelines for Small Head Injuries.

PMID- 26107378
TI  - Safety and Efficacy of Human Wharton's Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
      Therapy for Retinal Degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of subretinal injection of human
      Wharton's Jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hWJ-MSCs) on retinal structure
      and function in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats. METHODS: RCS rats were
      divided into 2 groups: hWJ-MSCs treated group (n = 8) and placebo control group
      (n = 8). In the treatment group, hWJ-MSCs from healthy donors were injected into
      the subretinal space in one eye of each rat at day 21. Control group received
      saline injection of the same volume. Additional 3 animals were injected with
      nanogold-labelled stem cells for in vivo tracking of cells localisation using a
      micro-computed tomography (microCT). Retinal function was assessed by
      electroretinography (ERG) 3 days before the injection and repeated at days 15, 30
      and 70 after the injection. Eyes were collected at day 70 for histology, cellular
      and molecular studies. RESULTS: No retinal tumor formation was detected by
      histology during the study period. MicroCT scans showed that hWJ-MSCs stayed
      localised in the eye with no systemic migration. Transmission electron microscopy
      showed that nanogold-labelled cells were located within the subretinal space.
      Histology showed preservation of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) in the treated
      group but not in the control group. However, there were no significant
      differences in the ERG responses between the groups. Confocal microscopy showed
      evidence of hWJ-MSCs expressing markers for photoreceptor, Muller cells and
      bipolar cells. CONCLUSIONS: Subretinal injection of hWJ-MSCs delay the loss of
      the ONL in RCS rats. hWJ-MSCs appears to be safe and has potential to
      differentiate into retinal-like cells. The potential of this cell-based therapy
      for the treatment of retinal dystrophies warrants further studies.

PMID- 26107379
TI  - Intermittent Androgen Suppression: Estimating Parameters for Individual Patients
      Based on Initial PSA Data in Response to Androgen Deprivation Therapy.
AB  - When a physician decides on a treatment and its schedule for a specific patient,
      information gained from prior patients and experience in the past is taken into
      account. A more objective way to make such treatment decisions based on actual
      data would be useful to the clinician. Although there are many mathematical
      models proposed for various diseases, so far there is no mathematical method that
      accomplishes optimization of the treatment schedule using the information gained
      from past patients or "rapid learning" technology. In an attempt to use this
      approach, we integrate the information gained from patients previously treated
      with intermittent androgen suppression (IAS) with that from a current patient by
      first fitting the time courses of clinical data observed from the previously
      treated patients, then constructing the prior information of the parameter values
      of the mathematical model, and finally, maximizing the posterior probability for
      the parameters of the current patient using the prior information. Although we
      used data from prostate cancer patients, the proposed method is general, and thus
      can be applied to other diseases once an appropriate mathematical model is
      established for that disease. 

PMID- 26107381
TI  - Computed Tomographic Findings and Mortality in Patients With Pneumomediastinum
      From Blunt Trauma.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: The care of most patients with pneumomediastinum (PNM) due to trauma
      can be managed conservatively; however, owing to aerodigestive tract injury and
      other associated injuries, there is a subset of patients with PNM who are at
      higher risk of mortality but can be difficult to identify. OBJECTIVE: To
      characterize computed tomographic (CT) findings associated with mortality in
      patients with PNM due to blunt trauma. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A
      retrospective review of medical records from January 1, 2002, to December 31,
      2011, was conducted at a university-based urban trauma center. The patients
      evaluated were those injured by blunt trauma and found to have PNM on initial
      chest CT scanning. Data analysis was performed July 2, 2013, to June 18, 2014.
      MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: In-hospital mortality. RESULTS: During the study
      period, 3327 patients with blunt trauma underwent chest CT. Of these, 72 patients
      (2.2%) had PNM. Patients with PNM had higher Injury Severity Scores (P < .001)
      and chest Abbreviated Injury Scale scores (P < .001) compared with those without
      PNM. Pneumomediastinum was associated with higher mortality (9 [12.5%] vs 118
      [3.6%] patients; P < .001) and longer mean (SD) hospital stays (11.3 [14.6] vs
      5.1 [8.8] days; P < .001), intensive care unit stays (5.4 [10.2] vs 1.8 [5.7]
      days; P < .001), and ventilator days (1.7 [4.2] vs 0.6 [4.0] days; P < .03). We
      evaluated several chest CT findings that may have predictive value.
      Pneumomediastinum size was not associated with in-hospital mortality (P = .22).
      However, location of air in the posterior mediastinum was associated with
      increased mortality of 25% (7 of 28 patients; P = .007). Air in all mediastinal
      compartments was also associated with increased mortality of 40.0% (4 of 10
      patients; P = .01). Presence of hemothorax along with PNM was associated with
      mortality of 22.2% (8 of 36 patients; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:
      Pneumomediastinum is uncommon in patients with injury from blunt trauma; however,
      CT findings of posterior PNM, air in all mediastinal compartments, and concurrent
      hemothorax are associated with increased mortality. These CT findings could be
      used as a triage tool to alert the trauma surgeon to a potentially lethal injury.

PMID- 26107380
TI  - High expression levels of BLyS/BAFF by blood dendritic cells and granulocytes are
      associated with B-cell dysregulation in SIV-infected rhesus macaques.
AB  - Dendritic cells (DCs) modulate B-cell survival and differentiation, mainly
      through production of growth factors such as B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS/BAFF).
      In recent longitudinal studies involving HIV-1-infected individuals with
      different rates of disease progression, we have shown that DCs were altered in
      number and phenotype in the context of HIV-1 disease progression and B-cell
      dysregulations were associated with increased BLyS/BAFF expression in plasma and
      by blood myeloid DCs (mDCs) in rapid and classic progressors but not in HIV-1
      elite controllers (EC). Suggesting that the extent to which HIV-1 disease
      progression is controlled may be linked to BLyS/BAFF expression status and the
      capacity to orchestrate B-cell responses. Herein, longitudinal analyses of simian
      immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus macaques also revealed increased
      expression of BLyS/BAFF by blood mDCs as soon as day 8 and throughout infection.
      Strikingly, granulocytes presented the highest BLyS/BAFF expression profile in
      the blood of SIV-infected macaques. BLyS/BAFF levels were also increased in
      plasma and correlated with viral loads. Consequently, these SIV-infected animals
      had plasma hyperglobulinemia and reduced blood B-cell numbers with altered
      population frequencies. These data underscore that BLyS/BAFF is associated with
      immune dysregulation in SIV-infected rhesus macaques and suggest that BLyS/BAFF
      is a key regulator of immune activation that is highly conserved among primates.
      These findings emphasize the potential importance of this SIV-infected primate
      model to test whether blocking excess BLyS/BAFF has an effect on the overall
      inflammatory burden and immune restoration. 

PMID- 26107382
TI  - Determining a Cut-Off Point for Scores of the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale
      Short Form: Secondary Data Analysis of an Intervention Study in Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding self-efficacy can be measured with the Breastfeeding
      Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF). Mothers with low BSES-SF scores stop
      exclusive breastfeeding prematurely, but specific interventions can prevent that
      undesirable outcome. Because those interventions can be expensive, often one must
      decide which mothers will receive them. For that purpose, a cut-off BSES-SF score
      would be useful, but none is available. Therefore, we aimed to assess the overall
      accuracy of BSES-SF scores as predictors of not practicing post-discharge
      exclusive breastfeeding, and to choose an appropriate cut-off score for making
      that prediction. METHODS: This is a secondary data analysis of an intervention
      study. Data from 378 women in two non-Baby-Friendly Hospitals were analyzed.
      Participants were women in their third trimester who were 16 years of age or
      older, were able to read and write Japanese, were expected to have a singleton
      birth, and had completed the BSES-SF before discharge. BSES-SF scores were
      measured before discharge. Breastfeeding status was assessed 4 weeks and 12 weeks
      postpartum. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess
      the predictive ability of the BSES-SF and to inform the choice of a cut-off
      point. RESULTS: For both of the ROC curves (4 and 12 weeks postpartum) the area
      under the curve was 0.74. To obtain a high sensitivity, a cut-off score of 50 was
      chosen. With that cut-off score the sensitivity was 79% and the specificity was
      52% 4 weeks postpartum, and they were 77% and 52%, respectively, 12 weeks
      postpartum. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the BSES-SF has moderate overall accuracy
      to distinguish women who will not practice exclusive breastfeeding after
      discharge from those who will. At non-Baby-Friendly hospitals in Japan,
      interventions to support exclusive breastfeeding might be considered for new
      mothers who have BSES-SF scores that are less than or equal to 50.

PMID- 26107384
TI  - Dramatic vapor-phase modulation of the characteristics of graphene field-effect
      transistors.
AB  - Here we report on dramatic and favorable changes to the operating characteristics
      in monolayer graphene field-effect transistors (FETs) exposed to vapor-phase,
      polar organic molecules in ambient. These changes include significant reduction
      of the Dirac voltage, accompanied by both an increase in electron and hole
      mobility, MU, and a decrease in residual carrier density, N0, to < 3 * 10(11) cm(
      2). In contrast to graphene FET modulation with various liquid- and solid-phase
      dielectric media present in the literature, we attribute these changes to
      screening by polar vapor-phase molecules of fields induced by charged impurities
      and defects, n(imp), in or near the active layer. The magnitude of the changes
      produced in the graphene FET parameters scales remarkably well with the dipole
      moment of the delivered molecules. These effects are reversible, a unique
      advantage of working in the vapor phase. The changes observed upon polar molecule
      delivery are analogous to those produced by depositing and annealing
      fluoropolymer coatings on graphene that have been reported previously, and we
      attribute these changes to similar charge screening or neutralization phenomena.

PMID- 26107383
TI  - Deregulation of MiR-34b/Sox2 Predicts Prostate Cancer Progression.
AB  - Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer will have an indolent and curable
      disease, whereas approximately 15% of these patients will rapidly progress to a
      castrate-resistant and metastatic stage with high morbidity and mortality.
      Therefore, the identification of molecular signature(s) that detect men at risk
      of progressing disease remains a pressing and still unmet need for these
      patients. Here, we used an integrated discovery platform combining prostate
      cancer cell lines, a Transgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate (TRAMP)
      model and clinically-annotated human tissue samples to identify loss of
      expression of microRNA-34b as consistently associated with prostate cancer
      relapse. Mechanistically, this was associated with epigenetics silencing of the
      MIR34B/C locus and increased DNA copy number loss, selectively in androgen
      dependent prostate cancer. In turn, loss of miR-34b resulted in downstream
      deregulation and overexpression of the "stemness" marker, Sox2. These findings
      identify loss of miR-34b as a robust biomarker for prostate cancer progression in
      androgen-sensitive tumors, and anticipate a potential role of progenitor/stem
      cell signaling in this stage of disease. 

PMID- 26107385
TI  - Between power and powerlessness: a meta-ethnography of sources of resilience in
      young refugees.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article reviews available qualitative studies that report young
      refugees' ways of dealing with adversity to address their sources of resilience.
      DESIGN: We searched five electronic databases. Twenty-six empirical studies were
      included in the review. A meta-ethnography approach was used to synthesize these
      qualitative studies. RESULTS: Six sources of resilience emerged: (1) social
      support, (2) acculturation strategies, (3) education, (4) religion, (5)
      avoidance, and (6) hope. These sources indicated social as well as personal
      factors that confer resilience in young refugees, but most of them also had
      counterproductive aspects. CONCLUSION: The results, from an ecological
      developmental perspective, stressed the interplay between protective and risk
      processes in the mental health of young refugees who had resettled in Western
      countries, and they emphasized the variability as well as the universality of
      resilience-promoting processes. Further research is needed to explore the
      cultural shape of resilience and the long-term consequences of war and migration
      on young refugees.

PMID- 26107386
TI  - Linking Dynamic Habitat Selection with Wading Bird Foraging Distributions across
      Resource Gradients.
AB  - Species distribution models (SDM) link species occurrence with a suite of
      environmental predictors and provide an estimate of habitat quality when the
      variable set captures the biological requirements of the species. SDMs are
      inherently more complex when they include components of a species' ecology such
      as conspecific attraction and behavioral flexibility to exploit resources that
      vary across time and space. Wading birds are highly mobile, demonstrate flexible
      habitat selection, and respond quickly to changes in habitat quality; thus
      serving as important indicator species for wetland systems. We developed a spatio
      temporal, multi-SDM framework using Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis
      (Eudocimus albus), and Wood Stork (Mycteria Americana) distributions over a
      decadal gradient of environmental conditions to predict species-specific
      abundance across space and locations used on the landscape over time. In models
      of temporal dynamics, species demonstrated conditional preferences for resources
      based on resource levels linked to differing temporal scales. Wading bird
      abundance was highest when prey production from optimal periods of inundation was
      concentrated in shallow depths. Similar responses were observed in models
      predicting locations used over time, accounting for spatial autocorrelation.
      Species clustered in response to differing habitat conditions, indicating that
      social attraction can co-vary with foraging strategy, water-level changes, and
      habitat quality. This modeling framework can be applied to evaluate the multi
      annual resource pulses occurring in real-time, climate change scenarios, or
      restorative hydrological regimes by tracking changing seasonal and annual
      distribution and abundance of high quality foraging patches. 

PMID- 26107387
TI  - Correction: Antagonism of miR-328 Increases the Antimicrobial Function of
      Macrophages and Neutrophils and Rapid Clearance of Non-typeable Haemophilus
      Influenzae (NTHi) from Infected Lung.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004549.]. 

PMID- 26107388
TI  - Modeling the Origin and Possible Control of the Wealth Inequality Surge.
AB  - The rapid increase of wealth inequality in the past few decades is a most
      disturbing social and economic issue of our time. In order to control, and even
      reverse that surge, its origin and underlying mechanisms should be revealed. One
      of the challenges in studying these mechanisms is to incorporate realistic
      individual dynamics in the population level in a self-consistent manner. Our
      theoretical approach meets the challenge by using interacting multi-agent master
      equations to model the dynamics of wealth inequality. The model is solved using
      stochastic multi-agent iterated maps. Taking into account growth rate, return on
      capital, private savings and economic mobility, we were able to capture the
      historical dynamics of wealth inequality in the United States during the course
      of the 20th century. We show that the fraction of capital income in the national
      income and the fraction of private savings are the critical factors that govern
      the wealth inequality dynamics. In addition, we found that economic mobility
      plays a crucial role in wealth accumulation. Notably, we found that the major
      decrease in private savings since the 1980s could be associated primarily with
      the recent surge in wealth inequality and if nothing changes in this respect we
      predict further increase in wealth inequality in the future. However, the 2007-08
      financial crisis brought an opportunity to restrain the wealth inequality surge
      by increasing private savings. If this trend continues, it may lead to
      prevention, and even reversing, of the ongoing inequality surge. 

PMID- 26107389
TI  - Effect of Ethanol, Sulfur Dioxide and Glucose on the Growth of Wine Spoilage
      Yeasts Using Response Surface Methodology.
AB  - Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to study the effect of three factors,
      sulfur dioxide, ethanol and glucose, on the growth of wine spoilage yeast
      species, Zygosaccharomyces bailii, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Saccharomycodes
      ludwigii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Seventeen central composite rotatable
      design (CCRD) trials were designed for each test yeast using realistic
      concentrations of the factors (variables) in premium red wine. Polynomial
      regression equations were fitted to experimental data points, and the growth
      inhibitory conditions of these three variables were determined. The overall
      results showed Sa. ludwigii as the most resistant species growing under high
      ethanol/free sulfur dioxide concentrations, i.e., 15% (v/v)/20 mg L-1, 14%
      (v/v)/32 mg L-1 and 12.5% (v/v)/40 mg L-1, whereas other yeasts did not survive
      under the same levels of ethanol/free sulfur dioxide concentrations. The
      inhibitory effect of ethanol was primarily observed during longer incubation
      periods, compared with sulfur dioxide, which showed an immediate effect. In some
      CCRD trials, Sa. ludwigii and S. cerevisiae showed growth recovery after a short
      death period under the exposure of 20-32 mg L-1 sulfur dioxide in the presence of
      11% (v/v) or more ethanol. However, Sc. pombe and Z. bailii did not show such
      growth recovery under similar conditions. Up to 10 g L-1 of glucose did not
      prevent cell death under the sulfur dioxide or ethanol stress. This observation
      demonstrates that the sugar levels commonly used in wine to sweeten the mouthfeel
      do not increase wine susceptibility to spoilage yeasts, contrary to the anecdotal
      evidence. 

PMID- 26107390
TI  - Inflammation in acute and chronic pancreatitis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This report reviews recent animal model and human studies
      associated with inflammatory responses in acute and chronic pancreatitis. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Animal model and limited human acute and chronic pancreatitis studies
      unravel the dynamic nature of the inflammatory processes and the ability of the
      immune cells to sense danger and environmental signals. In acute pancreatitis,
      such molecules include pathogen-associated molecular pattern recognition
      receptors such as toll-like receptors, and the more recently appreciated damage
      associated molecular pattern molecules or 'alarmin' high mobility group box 1 and
      IL-33. In chronic pancreatitis, a recent understanding of a critical role for
      macrophage-pancreatic stellate cell interaction offers a potential targetable
      pathway that can alter fibrogenesis. Microbiome research in pancreatitis is a new
      field gaining interest but will require further investigation. SUMMARY: Immune
      cell contribution to the pathogenesis of acute and chronic pancreatitis is
      gaining more appreciation and further understanding in immune signaling presents
      potential therapeutic targets that can alter disease progression.

PMID- 26107391
TI  - Urinary kidney injury molecule-1 rapid test predicts acute kidney injury in
      extremely low-birth-weight neonates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The new urinary and serum biomarkers are discovered and are being
      investigated. With them we can diagnose acute kidney injury (AKI) faster and more
      precisely and they also have a significant role in the outcome prediction.
      METHODS: The study included 22 extremely low-birth-weight neonates who were
      hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care units. They were divided into two
      groups based on serum creatinine (SCr) level-with and without AKI. Detection and
      quantification of urinary kidney injury molecule-1 (uKIM-1) was done on the third
      day of life, using commercially available KIM-1 rapid test. Subsequently,
      measurements were repeated only in subjects who were diagnosed with AKI, at
      different values of SCr. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed that AKI is
      an independent risk factor for mortality. In a group of neonates with AKI, 50% of
      neonates administered the KIM-1 rapid test showed positive findings. KIM-1 rapid
      test was positive in patients with a wide range of SCr levels (range of 78.73-385
      umol/l), but all subjects had oliguria and died in the next 24 h. CONCLUSION: KIM
      1 is a significant predictor of death. On the other hand, our study failed to
      prove that KIM-1 rapid test has any significance for early prediction of AKI.

PMID- 26107392
TI  - Relating plaque morphology to respiratory syncytial virus subgroup, viral load,
      and disease severity in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Viral culture plaque morphology in human cell lines are markers for
      growth capability and cytopathic effect, and have been used to assess viral
      fitness and select preattenuation candidates for live viral vaccines. We
      classified respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) plaque morphology and analyzed the
      relationship between plaque morphology as compared to subgroup, viral load and
      clinical severity of infection in infants and children. METHODS: We obtained
      respiratory secretions from 149 RSV-infected children. Plaque morphology and
      viral load was assessed within the first culture passage in HEp-2 cells. Viral
      load was measured by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), as was RSV subgroup.
      Disease severity was determined by hospitalization, length of stay, intensive
      care requirement, and respiratory failure. RESULTS: Plaque morphology varied
      between individual subjects; however, similar results were observed among viruses
      collected from upper and lower respiratory tracts of the same subject.
      Significant differences in plaque morphology were observed between RSV subgroups.
      No correlations were found among plaque morphology and viral load. Plaque
      morphology did not correlate with disease severity. CONCLUSION: Plaque morphology
      measures parameters that are viral-specific and independent of the human host.
      Morphologies vary between patients and are related to RSV subgroup. In HEp-2
      cells, RSV plaque morphology appears unrelated to disease severity in RSV
      infected children.

PMID- 26107393
TI  - Surfactant protein B and A concentrations are increased in neonatal pneumonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Term newborns with pneumonia show a reduced pulmonary compliance due
      to multiple and ill-defined factors. Surfactant proteins' (SPs) changes could
      have a role in the reduced compliance but the matter is still unsettled. The aim
      of this study was to clarify the meaning of SPs changes during pneumonia in term
      newborns. METHODS: In 28 term ventilated newborns, 13 with pneumonia and 15 with
      no lung disease, we measured SP-B, SP-A, disaturated-phosphatidylcholine (DSPC),
      and total phospholipids (PL) concentrations in tracheal aspirates at intubation
      and close to extubation. We also measured DSPC kinetics using (U-(13)C
      PA)dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine. RESULTS: At baseline, SP-B, expressed as % of
      PL, was significantly different between the groups, being 3.5-fold higher in
      pneumonia than controls. Conversely, SP-A did not vary between the groups. At
      extubation, SP-B and SP-A concentrations had decreased significantly in newborns
      with pneumonia, while there was no significant change in controls. DSPC t1/2 was
      significantly shorter in the pneumonia group (11.8 (5.5-19.8) h vs. 26.6 (19.3
      63.6) h, P = 0.011). CONCLUSION: In term newborns with pneumonia, SP-B increases
      with respect to PL, and DSPC is turned over at a faster rate. Disease's
      resolution is associated with the restoration of the normal ratio between SP-B
      and PL.

PMID- 26107394
TI  - Oxidized proportion of muscle coenzyme Q10 increases with age in healthy
      children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is synthesized in most human tissues, with high
      concentration in the skeletal muscle. CoQ10 functions in the mitochondrial
      respiratory chain and serves as a potent liphophilic antioxidant in membranes.
      CoQ10 deficiency impairs mitochondrial ATP synthesis and increases oxidative
      stress. It has been suggested that plasma CoQ10 status is not a robust proxy for
      the diagnosis of CoQ10 deficiency. METHODS: We determined the concentration and
      redox-status of CoQ10 in plasma and muscle tissue from 140 healthy children (0.8
      15.3 y) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical
      detection. RESULTS: There was no correlation between CoQ10 concentration or redox
      status between plasma and muscle tissue. Lipid-related CoQ10 plasma
      concentrations showed a negative correlation with age (Spearman's, P <= 0.02),
      but there was no significant age-related correlation for muscle concentration. In
      muscle tissue, we found a distinct shift in the redox status in favor of the
      oxidized proportion with increasing age (Spearman's, P <= 0.00001). Reference
      values for muscle CoQ10 concentration (40.5 +/- 12.2 pmol/mg wet tissue) and
      CoQ10 redox status (46.8 +/- 6.8% oxidized within total) were established for
      healthy children. CONCLUSION: The age-related redox shift in muscle tissue
      suggests changes in antioxidative defense during childhood. The reference values
      established here provide a necessary prerequisite for diagnosing early CoQ10
      deficiency.

PMID- 26107395
TI  - Free reaction enthalpy profile of the Schrock cycle derived from density
      functional theory calculations on the full [Mo(HIPT)N3N] catalyst.
AB  - A series of density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the full
      [Mo(HIPT)N3N] catalyst are performed to obtain an energy profile of the Schrock
      cycle. This is a continuation of our earlier investigation of this cycle in which
      the bulky hexaisopropyterphenyl (HIPT) substituents of the ligand were replaced
      by hydrogen atoms (Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2005, 44, 5639). In an effort to
      provide a treatment that is as converged as possible from a quantum-chemical
      point of view, the present study now fully takes the HIPT moieties into account.
      Moreover, structures and energies are calculated with a near-saturated basis set,
      leading to models with 280 atoms and 4850 basis functions. Solvent and scalar
      relativistic effects have been treated using the conductor-like screening model
      and zeroth-order regular approximation, respectively. Free reaction enthalpies
      are evaluated using the PBE and B3LYP functionals. A comparison to the available
      experimental data reveals much better agreement with the experiment than
      preceding DFT treatments of the Schrock cycle. In particular, free reaction
      enthalpies of reduction steps and NH3/N2 exchange are now excellently reproduced.

PMID- 26107396
TI  - Computer-Assisted Drug Formulation Design: Novel Approach in Drug Delivery.
AB  - We hypothesize that, by using several chemo/bio informatics tools and statistical
      computational methods, we can study and then predict the behavior of several
      drugs in model nanoparticulate lipid and polymeric systems. Accordingly, two
      different matrices comprising tripalmitin, a core component of solid lipid
      nanoparticles (SLN), and PLGA were first modeled using molecular dynamics
      simulation, and then the interaction of drugs with these systems was studied by
      means of computing the free energy of binding using the molecular docking
      technique. These binding energies were hence correlated with the loadings of
      these drugs in the nanoparticles obtained experimentally from the available
      literature. The obtained relations were verified experimentally in our laboratory
      using curcumin as a model drug. Artificial neural networks were then used to
      establish the effect of the drugs' molecular descriptors on the binding energies
      and hence on the drug loading. The results showed that the used soft computing
      methods can provide an accurate method for in silico prediction of drug loading
      in tripalmitin-based and PLGA nanoparticulate systems. These results have the
      prospective of being applied to other nano drug-carrier systems, and this
      integrated statistical and chemo/bio informatics approach offers a new toolbox to
      the formulation science by proposing what we present as computer-assisted drug
      formulation design (CADFD). 

PMID- 26107397
TI  - Worthless and Nutritive Nuptial Gifts: Mating Duration, Sperm Stored and
      Potential Female Decisions in Spiders.
AB  - In nuptial gift-giving species females sometimes select their potential mates
      based on the presence and size of the gift. But in some species, such as the
      Neotropical polyandrous spider Paratrechalea ornate male gifts vary in quality,
      from nutritive to worthless, and this male strategy can be in conflict with
      female nutritional benefits. In this species, males without gifts experience a
      reduction in mating success and duration, while males that offer worthless or
      genuine nutritive gifts mate with similar frequencies and durations. The female
      apparently controls the duration of copulation. Thus, there is scope for females
      to favour males offering gifts and further if these are nutritious, via post
      copulatory processes. We first tested whether females differentially store sperm
      from males that offer the highest nutritional benefits by experimentally
      presenting females with males that offer either nutritive or worthless gifts
      (uninterrupted matings). Second, we carried out another set of experiments to
      examine whether females can select sperm based only on gift presence. This time
      we interrupted matings after the first pedipalp insertion, thus matching number
      of insertions and mating duration for males that: offered and did not offer gift.
      Our results showed that the amount of sperm stored is positive related to mating
      duration in all groups, except in matings with worthless gifts. Gift presence
      itself did not affect the sperm stored by females, while they store similar
      number of sperm in matings with males offering either nutritive or worthless
      gifts. We discuss whether females prefer males with gifts regardless, if content,
      because it represents an attractive and/or reliable signal. Or alternatively,
      they prefer nutritive nuptial gifts, as they are an important source of food
      supply and/or signal of male donor ability. 

PMID- 26107398
TI  - Addressing Depression and Suicide Among Physician Trainees.

PMID- 26107399
TI  - Correction: A Multi-country Study of the Household Willingness-to-Pay for Dengue
      Vaccines: Household Surveys in Vietnam, Thailand, and Colombia.

PMID- 26107400
TI  - Delivery of Topically Applied Calpain Inhibitory Peptide to the Posterior Segment
      of the Rat Eye.
AB  - We developed an inhibitory peptide that specifically acts against mitochondrial
      MU-calpain (Tat-MUCL, 23 amino acid, 2857.37 Da) and protects photoreceptors in
      retinal dystrophic rats. In the present study, we topically administered Tat-MUCL
      to the eyes of Sprague-Dawley rats for 7 days to determine both the delivery
      route of the peptide to the posterior segment of the eye and the kinetics after
      topical application in adult rats. Distribution of the peptide was determined by
      immunohistochemical analysis, and enzyme-linked immune-absorbent assay was used
      to quantify the accumulation in the retina. Peptides were prominently detected in
      both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye at 1 h after the final eye
      drop application. Immunohistochemically positive reactions were observed in the
      retina, optic nerve, choroid, sclera and the retrobulbar tissues, even in the
      posterior portion of the eye. Immunoactivities gradually diminished at 3 and 6 h
      after the final eye drop. Quantitative estimations of the amount of peptide in
      the retina were 15.3, 5.8 and 1.0 pg/MUg protein at 1, 3 and 6 h after the final
      instillation, respectively. Current results suggest that while the topically
      applied Tat-MUCL peptide reaches the posterior segment of the retina and the
      optic nerve, the sufficient concentration (> IC50) is maintained for at least 6 h
      in the rat retina. Our findings suggest that delivery of topically applied
      peptide to the posterior segment and optic nerve occurs through the conjunctiva,
      periocular connective tissue, sclera and optic nerve sheath. 

PMID- 26107401
TI  - Predicting the Rejection of Major Seawater Ions by Spiral-Wound Nanofiltration
      Membranes.
AB  - Seawater nanofiltration (SWNF) generates a softened permeate stream and a
      retentate stream in which the multivalent ions accumulate, offering opportunities
      for practical utilization of both streams. This study presents an approach to
      simulation of SWNF including all major seawater ions (Na(+), Cl(-), Ca(2+),
      Mg(2+), and SO4(2-)) based on the Nernst-Planck equation, and uses it for
      permeate and retentate streams composition prediction. The number of degrees of
      freedom in the system was reduced by assuming a very high ionic permeability for
      Na(+), which only weakly affected the other parameters in the system. Two
      alternatives were examined to analyze the importance of concentration dependence
      of ion permeabilities: The assumption of constant ion permeabilities resulted in
      a reasonable fit with experimental data. However, for the permeate composition
      the overall fit was significantly improved (P < 0.0001) when the permeabilities
      of Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) were allowed to depend on the ratio of their total
      concentration to Na(+). This type of dependence emphasizes the strong interaction
      of divalent ions with the membrane and its effect on the membrane fixed charge
      through screening or charge reversal. When this effect was included, model
      predictions closely matched the experimental results obtained, corroborating the
      phenomenological approach proposed in this study. 

PMID- 26107402
TI  - Medical diagnoses associated with substance dependence among inpatients at a
      large urban hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are limited data on reasons for hospital admission among
      patients dependent on substances other than alcohol. We compared primary
      discharge diagnoses for heroin- or cocaine-dependent patients to non-dependent
      patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We evaluated a cohort of patients admitted to a
      general medicine service at a public teaching hospital during July 2005-June
      2008. Through bedside interviews, we identified patients who had substance-use
      disorders. We categorized patients by substance used, route of administration,
      and dependent or non-dependent use. We grouped diagnostic codes (i.e., ICD-9)
      using Healthcare Utilization Project categories. We excluded HIV-infected
      patients. RESULTS: Of 11,397 patients, 341 (3.0%) were dependent on inhalational
      heroin, 260 (2.3%) on non-injection cocaine, and 106 (0.9%) on injection heroin.
      Compared to non-dependent patients, inhalational heroin-dependent patients were
      over three-fold more likely to have been admitted for respiratory diseases (28%
      vs. 8%, p<0.01); this association was strongest for asthma exacerbation (OR=7.0;
      95% CI, 4.7 to 70.4, p<0.01). Of the 225 admissions for an asthma exacerbation,
      44 (19.6%) had co-occurrent heroin-dependence. The most frequent diagnostic
      category among cocaine-dependent patients was circulatory, which was similar to
      non-dependent patients (22% vs. 21%, p=0.92). DISCUSSION: There is a strong
      association between heroin dependence and hospital admission for an asthma
      exacerbation. Provision of specialized substance-use treatment for inhalational
      heroin users will be necessary to reduce the frequency of exacerbations and
      repeat hospital admissions.

PMID- 26107404
TI  - The role of curvature anisotropy in the ordering of spheres on an ellipsoid.
AB  - Non-spherical emulsion droplets can be stabilized by densely packed colloidal
      particles adsorbed at their surface. In order to understand the microstructure of
      these surface packings, the ordering of hard spheres on ellipsoidal surfaces is
      determined through large scale computer simulations. Defects in the packing are
      shown generically to occur most often in regions of strong curvature; however,
      the relationship between defects and curvature is nontrivial, and the
      distribution of defects shows secondary maxima for ellipsoids of sufficiently
      high aspect ratio. As with packings on spherical surfaces, additional defects
      beyond those required by topology are observed as chains or "scars". The
      transition point, however, is found to be softened by the anisotropic curvature
      which also partially orients the scars. A rich library of symmetric commensurate
      packings are identified for low particle number. We verify experimentally that
      ellipsoidal droplets of varying aspect ratio can be arrested by surface-adsorbed
      colloids. 

PMID- 26107405
TI  - Physical Activity Level and Associated Factors Among Higher Secondary School
      Students in Banke, Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was carried out to assess physical activity level and
      identify associated factors among higher secondary school students in Banke
      district, Nepal. METHODS: A school-based, cross-sectional descriptive study was
      conducted among 405 students studying in grades 11 and 12 in 7 higher secondary
      schools selected randomly. A self-administered questionnaire based on the
      International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to measure physical
      activity level. RESULTS: Only 5% of students were found to be inactive, and
      domestic and transport-related activities were major contributors to total
      physical activity score. No significant difference existed for total physical
      activity and domain-specific and activity-specific scores across different age
      groups when males and females were tested separately. Being male (P = .046),
      lower economic status (P = .026), living at a distance of less than 30 minutes (P
      = .007), walking/cycling to school (P < .001), and studying in government school
      (P < .001) were associated with increased physical activity scores on
      multivariate logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: Routine activities such as
      transport and household chores contributed greatly to total physical activity
      among students. This study highlights the need for physical activity promotion
      interventions at school addressing the associated factors and a need for greater
      focus on leisure-time physical activities.

PMID- 26107406
TI  - Rapid Endolysosomal Escape and Controlled Intracellular Trafficking of Cell
      Surface Mimetic Quantum-Dots-Anchored Peptides and Glycopeptides.
AB  - A novel strategy for the development of a high performance nanoparticules
      platform was established by means of cell surface mimetic quantum-dots (QDs)
      anchored peptides/glycopeptides, which was developed as a model system for
      nanoparticle-based drug delivery (NDD) vehicles with defined functions helping
      the specific intracellular trafficking after initial endocytosis. In this paper,
      we proposed a standardized protocol for the preparation of multifunctional QDs
      that allows for efficient cellular uptake and rapid escaping from the
      endolysosomal system and subsequent cytoplasmic molecular delivery to the target
      cellular compartment. Chemoselective ligation of the ketone-functionalized
      hexahistidine derivative facilitated both efficient endocytic entry and rapid
      endolysosomal escape of the aminooxy/phosphorylcholine self-assembled monolayer
      coated QDs (AO/PCSAM-QDs) to the cytosol in various cell lines such as human
      normal and cancer cells, while modifications of these QDs with cell-penetrating
      arginine-rich peptides showed poor cellular uptake and induced self-aggregation
      of AO/PCSAM-QDs. Combined use of hexahistidylated AO/PCSAM-QDs with serglycine
      like glycopeptides, namely synthetic proteoglycan initiators (PGIs), elicited the
      entry and controlled intracellular trafficking, Golgi localization, and also
      excretion of these nanoparticles, which suggested that the present approach would
      provide an ideal platform for the design of high performance NDD systems. 

PMID- 26107407
TI  - White matter hyperintensities are associated with the severity of late-life
      somatoform disorders and executive functions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medically unexplained symptoms are often seen in the elderly.
      Recently, correlations between medically unexplained symptoms and somatoform
      disorders (SDs) have been reported. The existence of many interactive psychiatric
      aetiologies is known among SDs. Late-life SDs might be influenced by some
      aetiological factors caused by ageing processes, such as structural changes in
      the brain and cognitive dysfunctions. AIMS: Under such circumstances, we
      investigated the presence of subcortical white matter hyperintensities (WMHs),
      which increase with ageing, and hypothesized that subcortical WMHs are related to
      the disease severity of late-life SDs. Furthermore, we confirmed whether
      cognitive dysfunction influences this process. METHODS: To evaluate these
      hypotheses, we examined patients with medically unexplained symptoms who met the
      criteria for undifferentiated somatoform disorder and divided the patients into
      three groups according to the degree of subcortical WMHs: grade 0, grade 1, and
      grade 2. The subcortical WMHs were rated using Fazekas grading. Differences in
      symptom severity and cognitive functions were compared among the three groups.
      RESULTS: The grade 2 group had the severest symptoms. Furthermore, the grade 2
      group had lower cognitive function scores than the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: The
      present study showed that the presence of subcortical WMHs in patients with late
      life SDs was a predictor of disease severity. Moreover, cognitive dysfunction
      appeared to play a role in the advancement of disease severity.

PMID- 26107408
TI  - Assessment of co-morbidity of adult separation anxiety in patients with bipolar
      disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the co-morbidity of adult
      separation anxiety in bipolar patients and evaluate its effects on the course of
      disorder and functionality. METHOD: A total of 70 patients who have been
      regularly followed in the Bipolar Disorder Unit were included in the study. The
      Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV - Axis I and Axis II disorders and
      demographic form were used. Separation anxiety was investigated by the Structured
      Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms (SCI-SAS) and the Hamilton
      Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) was filled out by an interviewer. In addition, all
      patients completed the Bipolar Disorder Functioning Questionnaire (BDFQ),
      Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory (SASI) and Adult Separation Anxiety
      Questionnaire (ASA). RESULTS: The prevalence rate of co-morbid adult separation
      anxiety disorder (A-SepAD) was 54% (n = 38) in our sample. Age of onset was in
      adulthood among 36% of patients with a diagnosis of A-SepAD and the others (64%)
      were childhood-onset. Co-morbidity of personality disorders was more common in
      bipolar patients with childhood-onset separation anxiety disorder (C-SepAD). The
      lifetime prevalence of co-morbidity of specific phobias and number of suicide
      attempts were significantly higher in the group with A-SepAD. Functionality loss
      due to feeling of stigmatization was higher, and total functionality as measured
      by the BDFQ was found to be lower in bipolar patients with A-SepAD. CONCLUSION:
      The results of this study have shown that 54% of bipolar patients had a diagnosis
      of A-SepAD. A-SepAD seems to increase the number of suicide attempts and have
      negative effects on functionality. A-SepAD should be assessed in regular
      interviews of patients with bipolar disorder.

PMID- 26107409
TI  - Exploratory factor analysis of a 16D Health-Related Quality of Life instrument
      with adolescents seeking help for early psychiatric symptoms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a widely studied phenomenon
      in health care. This study aimed to identify which factors can be extracted from
      a generic 16-dimension (16D) HRQoL instrument in a sample of adolescents seeking
      help for early psychiatric symptoms. METHODS: Data were collected at the Helsinki
      University Central Hospital (HUCH), Finland, by an early intervention team. In
      total, 394 help-seeking adolescents (mean age 15.3 years, SD 2.14 years, 183 boys
      and 211 girls) completed a 16D HRQoL questionnaire. RESULTS: Exploratory factor
      analysis (generalized least squares method, promax rotation) identified four
      factors in the 16D instrument. The first factor of "psychophysiological health"
      included the dimensions of vitality, breathing, distress, sleeping, physical
      appearance, mental functioning and depression. The second factor, "physical and
      social health", consisted of the items discomfort and symptoms, friends and
      elimination. The items hearing, eating and speech were loaded on factor three,
      "health in somatosensory functioning". Moreover, the single item of school and
      hobbies was loaded on factor four, "health in functioning ability". However, the
      items of vision and mobility were not loaded on any factor. Since the 16D
      instrument was originally designed for 11-15-year-old adolescents, analysis was
      repeated using a subsample of this age group (n = 245). CONCLUSIONS: The results
      here suggest that the 16D instrument consists of four factors and forms its own
      latent variable structure in this specific sample of adolescents seeking help for
      early psychiatric symptoms. However, items such as vision, mobility and school
      and hobbies should be interpreted with caution as a part of the factor structure
      of a 16D instrument among this population.

PMID- 26107410
TI  - Immuno-metabolism and adipose tissue: The key role of hematopoietic stem cells.
AB  - The field of immunometabolism has come a long way in the past decade, leading to
      the emergence of a new role for white adipose tissue (WAT) that is now recognized
      to stand at the junction of immune and metabolic regulations. Interestingly, a
      crucial role of the abundant and heterogeneous immune population present in WAT
      has been proposed in the induction and development of metabolic diseases.
      Although a large body of data focused on mature immune cells, only few scattered
      studies are dedicated to leukocyte production, and the activity of hematopoietic
      stem cells (HSC) in these pathological states. Considering that blood cell
      production and the differentiation of HSCs and their progeny is orchestrated, in
      part, by complex interacting signals emanating from their microenvironment, it
      thus seems worth to better understand the relationships between metabolism and
      HSC. This review discusses the alterations of hematopoietic process described in
      metabolic diseases and focused on the emerging data concerning HSC present in
      WAT. 

PMID- 26107411
TI  - Vascular endothelial growth factor from Trimeresurus jerdonii venom specifically
      binds to VEGFR-2.
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) play important roles in angiogenesis.
      In this study, a vascular endothelial growth factor named TjsvVEGF was purified
      from the venom of Trimeresurus jerdonii by gel filtration, affinity, ion-exchange
      and high-performance liquid chromatography. TjsvVEGF was a homodimer with an
      apparent molecular mass of 29 kDa. The cDNA encoding TjsvVEGF was obtained by
      PCR. The open reading frame of the cloned TjsvVEGF was composed of 432 bp coding
      for a signal peptide of 24 amino acid residues and a mature protein of 119 amino
      acid residues. Compared with other snake venom VEGFs, the nucleotide and deduced
      protein sequences of the cloned TjsvVEGF were conserved. TjsvVEGF showed low
      heparin binding activity and strong capillary permeability increasing activity.
      The KD of TjsvVEGF to VEFGR-2 is 413 pM. However, the binding of TjsvVEGF to
      VEGFR-1 is too weak to detect. Though TjsvVEGF had high sequence identities
      (about 90%) with Crotalinae VEGFs, the receptor preference of TjsvVEGF was
      similar to Viperinae VEGFs which had lower sequence identities (about 60%) with
      it. TjsvVEGF might serve as a useful tool for the study of structure-function
      relationships of VEGFs and their receptors. 

PMID- 26107412
TI  - Camelina sativa: An ideal platform for the metabolic engineering and field
      production of industrial lipids.
AB  - Triacylglycerols (TAG) containing modified fatty acids with functionality beyond
      those found in commercially grown oil seed crops can be used as feedstocks for
      biofuels and bio-based materials. Over the years, advances have been made in
      transgenically engineering the production of various modified fatty acids in the
      model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the inability to produce large
      quantities of transgenic seed has limited the functional testing of the modified
      oil. In contrast, the emerging oil seed crop Camelina sativa possesses important
      agronomic traits that recommend it as an ideal production platform for biofuels
      and industrial feedstocks. Camelina possesses low water and fertilizer
      requirements and is capable of yields comparable to other oil seed crops,
      particularly under stress conditions. Importantly, its relatively short growing
      season enables it to be grown as part of a double cropping system. In addition to
      these valuable agronomic features, Camelina is amenable to rapid metabolic
      engineering. The development of a simple and effective transformation method,
      combined with the availability of abundant transcriptomic and genomic data, has
      allowed the generation of transgenic Camelina lines capable of synthesizing high
      levels of unusual lipids. In some cases these levels have surpassed what was
      achieved in Arabidopsis. Further, the ability to use Camelina as a crop
      production system has allowed for the large scale growth of transgenic oil seed
      crops, enabling subsequent physical property testing. The application of new
      techniques such as genome editing will further increase the suitability of
      Camelina as an ideal platform for the production of biofuels and bio-materials. 

PMID- 26107414
TI  - Prenatally Diagnosed Hemophilia in a Newborn: a Case Report.
AB  - Hemophilia is the most common inherited coagulation disorder, and approximately
      one-half of patients are diagnosed as newborns. For prenatal diagnosis of
      hemophilia A, genetic tests are performed using chorionic villi (biopsy PCR
      chorionic villi sampling [CVS]) at 10 weeks' of gestation. The result in this
      fetus demonstrated an inversion within intron 1 in part for hemophilia A. This
      male infant, who was his parents' first offspring, was born after an uneventful
      pregnancy. An uncle suffered from hemophilia A. This report describes a newborn
      who was prenatally diagnosed with hemophilia A. The timely diagnosis of
      hemophilia in a newborn enabled the provision of adequate therapy, which led to a
      favorable outcome. 

PMID- 26107413
TI  - How Lovebirds Maneuver Rapidly Using Super-Fast Head Saccades and Image Feature
      Stabilization.
AB  - Diurnal flying animals such as birds depend primarily on vision to coordinate
      their flight path during goal-directed flight tasks. To extract the spatial
      structure of the surrounding environment, birds are thought to use retinal image
      motion (optical flow) that is primarily induced by motion of their head. It is
      unclear what gaze behaviors birds perform to support visuomotor control during
      rapid maneuvering flight in which they continuously switch between flight modes.
      To analyze this, we measured the gaze behavior of rapidly turning lovebirds in a
      goal-directed task: take-off and fly away from a perch, turn on a dime, and fly
      back and land on the same perch. High-speed flight recordings revealed that
      rapidly turning lovebirds perform a remarkable stereotypical gaze behavior with
      peak saccadic head turns up to 2700 degrees per second, as fast as insects,
      enabled by fast neck muscles. In between saccades, gaze orientation is held
      constant. By comparing saccade and wingbeat phase, we find that these super-fast
      saccades are coordinated with the downstroke when the lateral visual field is
      occluded by the wings. Lovebirds thus maximize visual perception by overlying
      behaviors that impair vision, which helps coordinate maneuvers. Before the turn,
      lovebirds keep a high contrast edge in their visual midline. Similarly, before
      landing, the lovebirds stabilize the center of the perch in their visual midline.
      The perch on which the birds land swings, like a branch in the wind, and we find
      that retinal size of the perch is the most parsimonious visual cue to initiate
      landing. Our observations show that rapidly maneuvering birds use precisely timed
      stereotypic gaze behaviors consisting of rapid head turns and frontal feature
      stabilization, which facilitates optical flow based flight control. Similar gaze
      behaviors have been reported for visually navigating humans. This finding can
      inspire more effective vision-based autopilots for drones. 

PMID- 26107415
TI  - Preparation of poly(L-lactic acid) nanofiber scaffolds with a rough surface by
      phase inversion using supercritical carbon dioxide.
AB  - Phase inversion using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) has been widely used
      in the development of tissue engineering scaffolds, and particular attention has
      been given to obtaining desired morphology without additional post-treatments.
      However, the main challenge of this technique is the difficulty in generating a
      three-dimensional (3D) nanofiber structure with a rough surface in one step.
      Here, a poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) 3D nanofiber scaffold with a rough surface is
      obtained via phase inversion using SC-CO2 by carefully choosing fabrication
      conditions and porogens. It is found that this method can effectively modulate
      the structure morphology, promote the crystallization process of semicrystalline
      polymer, and induce the formation of rough structures on the surface of
      nanofibers. Meanwhile, the porogen of ammonium bicarbonate (AB) can produce a 3D
      structure with large pores, and porogen of menthol can improve the
      interconnectivity between the micropores of nanofibers. A significant increase in
      the fiber diameter is observed as the menthol content increases. Furthermore, the
      menthol may affect the mutual transition between the alpha' and alpha crystals of
      PLLA during the phase separation process. In addition, the results of protein
      adsorption, cell adhesion, and proliferation assays indicate that cells tend to
      have higher viability on the nanofiber scaffold. This process combines the
      characteristic properties of SC-CO2 and the solubility of menthol to tailor the
      morphology of polymeric scaffolds, which may have potential applications in
      tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26107416
TI  - Differential expression of id genes and their potential regulator znf238 in
      zebrafish adult neural progenitor cells and neurons suggests distinct functions
      in adult neurogenesis.
AB  - Teleost fish display a remarkable ability to generate new neurons and to repair
      brain lesions during adulthood. They are, therefore, a very popular model to
      investigate the molecular mechanisms of constitutive and induced neurogenesis in
      adult vertebrates. In this study, we investigated the expression patterns of
      inhibitor of DNA binding (id) genes and of their potential transcriptional
      repressor, znf238, in the whole brain of adult zebrafish. We show that while id1
      is exclusively expressed in ventricular cells in the whole brain, id2a, id3 and
      id4 genes are expressed in broader areas. Interestingly, znf238 was also detected
      in these regions, its expression overlapping with id2a, id3 and id4 expression.
      Further detailed characterization of the id-expressing cells demonstrated that
      (a) id1 is expressed in type 1 and type 2 neural progenitors as previously
      published, (b) id2a in type 1, 2 and 3 neural progenitors, (c) id3 in type 3
      neural progenitors and (d) id4 in postmitotic neurons. Our data provide a
      detailed map of id and znf238 expression in the brain of adult zebrafish,
      supplying a framework for studies of id genes function during adult neurogenesis
      and brain regeneration in the zebrafish. 

PMID- 26107420
TI  - Soybean oil and beef tallow in dry extruded diets for adult dogs.
AB  - The aim of the study was to determine the effects of two different fat sources
      (soybean oil (SO) and beef tallow (BT)) in dry extruded dog diets on the intake
      of food and metabolizable energy (ME), on faecal characteristics and apparent
      total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients and energy. Ten adult dogs of
      different breeds were used in a Latin square design. Five experimental diets were
      designed from a basal diet. A Control diet was coated with 1% SO and four other
      diets were obtained by coating the basal diet with 6.5% and 13% of SO or BT. The
      Control, 6.5% and 13% coated diets contained approximately 8.5%, 15% and 20% fat,
      respectively. The dogs had similar dry matter (DM) intakes and, consequently,
      higher ME intakes with an increased fat content for both sources (p < 0.05). Fat
      digestibility was highest for Diet SO13% (p < 0.05). The ATTD of DM and organic
      matter was highest (p < 0.05) for Diets SO13% and BT13%. Fat coating improved the
      faecal score, especially for Diet BT13%. The dietary ratios of
      protein:fat:carbohydrate [% of ME] were close to AAFCO's estimates. For SO a
      higher ATTD (99.1%) and ME content (38.88 MJ/kg) was estimated than for BT (ATTD
      92.9% and 36.37 MJ ME/kg). Both SO and BT can comprise up to 13% of the diet.
      However, SO was more susceptible to leaking from the kibbles with the coating
      method applied.

PMID- 26107421
TI  - Particles at Oil-Air Surfaces: Powdered Oil, Liquid Oil Marbles, and Oil Foam.
AB  - The type of material stabilized by four kinds of fluorinated particles (sericite
      and bentonite platelet clays and spherical zinc oxide) in air-oil mixtures has
      been investigated. It depends on the particle wettability and the degree of
      shear. Upon vigorous agitation, oil dispersions are formed in all the oils
      containing relatively large bentonite particles and in oils of relatively low
      surface tension (gammala < 26 mN m(-1)) like dodecane, 20 cS silicone, and
      cyclomethicone containing the other fluorinated particles. Particle-stabilized
      oil foams were obtained in oils having gammala > 26 mN m(-1) where the advancing
      air-oil-solid contact angle theta lies between ca. 90 degrees  and 120 degrees .
      Gentle shaking, however, gives oil-in-air liquid marbles with all the oil
      particle systems except for cases where theta is <60 degrees . For oils of
      tension >24 mN m(-1) with omniphobic zinc oxide and sericite particles for which
      advancing theta >= 90 degrees , dry oil powders consisting of oil drops in air
      which do not leak oil could be made upon gentle agitation up to a critical
      oil:particle ratio (COPR). Above the COPR, catastrophic phase inversion of the
      dry oil powders to air-in-oil foams was observed. When sheared on a substrate,
      the dry oil powders containing at least 60 wt % of oil release the encapsulated
      oil, making these materials attractive formulations in the cosmetic and food
      industries. 

PMID- 26107422
TI  - Dopamine-Induced Changes in Serum Erythropoietin and Creatinine Clearance Reflect
      Risk Factors for Progression of IgA Nephropathy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The infusion of low-dose dopamine is normally associated with an
      increase in creatinine clearance, thereby allowing one to assess renal functional
      reserve. Increased renal blood flow is also associated with a reduction in
      erythropoietin (EPO) levels. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the use of dopamine
      infusion in subjects with IgA nephropathy to determine if these functional
      changes correlate with risk factors for progression and compared this to the
      renal biopsy findings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Changes in creatinine clearance and
      EPO levels were determined in 46 non-nephrotic IgA patients with relative
      preserved renal function after the infusion of low dose dopamine. Control
      subjects (n = 15) were evaluated using similar protocols. RESULTS: Subjects with
      IgA nephropathy could be separated into those who showed a fall in EPO levels (n
      = 24) and those who showed no change or a rise in EPO levels (n = 22). Subjects
      showing the expected fall in EPO demonstrated a higher increase in creatinine
      clearance, similar to that observed in control subjects. Most importantly,
      subjects who showed a fall in EPO had less proteinuria, less N-acetyl-beta-D
      glucosaminidase excretion, lower serum uric acid, blood pressure, and less
      features of metabolic syndrome despite similar inflammation and fibrosis on
      biopsy as compared to the others. CONCLUSIONS: A decrease in EPO in response to
      dopamine is associated with a clinical phenotype that is less likely to develop
      progressive renal disease. These studies suggest that a fall in EPO in response
      to dopamine likely reflects preserved tubulointerstitial function that cannot be
      assessed by renal biopsy alone.

PMID- 26107424
TI  - Prediction by Low Plasma HbA1c of Mortality, Cardiac and Noncardiac Disease Risk:
      Modulation by Diabetic Status and Sex.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the predictive value of HbA(1c) for
      risk of overall mortality or a composite endpoint of death and nonfatal events.
      METHODS: Logistic regression retrospectively assessed the longitudinal
      association of measured HbA(1c) with outcome in 746 middle-aged adults, recruited
      from a tertiary health center and stratified to absence or presence of type 2
      diabetes, using the recent American Diabetes Association criteria. RESULTS: A
      total of 70 deaths and additional incident nonfatal events in 82 cases were
      recorded at a median of 3.1-year follow-up. Multivariable linear regression
      revealed among nondiabetic individuals HbA(1c) to be significantly associated-
      independent of fasted glucose--inversely with triglycerides and high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol, distinct from the diabetic sample. Sex and diabetes
      status differed in baseline HbA1c values with respect to the development of
      outcome. Nondiabetic men who subsequently died exhibited significantly lower
      HbA(1c), as did men and women with incident coronary heart disease. Similar
      difference was observed for incident hypothyroidism and nondiabetic subjects
      developing malignancy. In logistic regression analysis, adjusted for sex, age,
      and fasting glucose, each 0.7% (SD, 1) decrement of baseline HbA(1c) predicted
      the composite endpoint in the nondiabetic sample (risk estimates, 1.49%; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.07-2.04), but not in the diabetic sample, whereas overall
      mortality in the whole sample was increased (risk estimates, 1.51%; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.05-2.17). CONCLUSIONS: Inverse association of HbA(1c) with
      adverse outcomes in men and nondiabetic people indicates the involvement of
      HbA(1c) levels in autoimmune activation. The weaker inverse association with
      prevalent diabetes and in women is consistent with the operation of more
      pronounced confounding autoimmune processes.

PMID- 26107423
TI  - Red Blood Cells Store and Release Interleukin-33.
AB  - Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a member of the IL-1 cytokine superfamily that potently
      drives production of a variety of cytokines and contributes to the pathogenesis
      of inflammatory diseases. The IL-33 is a nuclear protein and is released from
      apoptotic or necrotic cells. Serum IL-33 levels are increased in various
      diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, chronic hepatitis C infection, and asthma.
      Here, we show that red blood cells (RBCs) are one of the major sources of plasma
      IL-33. The IL-33 levels are significantly increased in supernatants from lysed
      RBCs. Plasma IL-33 levels are increased in patients during hemolysis, and plasma
      IL-33 levels show a positive correlation with degree of hemolysis. The IL-33
      protein and messenger RNA levels were detected in the late stages of
      differentiation in ex vivo primary human erythroid progenitor cell cultures,
      suggesting that IL-33 is expressed during maturation of RBCs. Furthermore,
      hemoglobin depleted red cell lysates induced IL-8 expression in human epithelial
      cells. This effect was attenuated in IL-33 decoy receptor expressing cells and
      was enhanced in IL-33 receptor expressing cells. These results suggest that
      erythroid progenitor cells produce IL-33 and circulating RBCs represent a major
      source of IL-33 that is released upon hemolysis. 

PMID- 26107425
TI  - Alkoxy substituted halogenated closo-dodecaborates as anions for ionic liquids.
AB  - Halogenated and alkoxylated closo-dodecaborates [B12X11OR](2-) (X = Cl, Br; R =
      propyl, octyl, dodecyl) have been synthesized by halogenation of the known
      [B12H11OH](2-) anion followed by alkylation in the superbasic medium DMSO/KOH.
      The obtained sodium salts were transformed by simple metathesis reactions in
      aqueous solution to the tetrabutylammonium ([NBu4](+)) and 1-hexyl-3
      methylimidazolium ([C6mim](+)) salts. All compounds were fully characterized by
      heteronuclear NMR, IR and Raman spectroscopy, ESI mass spectrometry, and thermal
      analytical measurements. Selected anions were also structurally characterized as
      their [Ph4P](+) salts by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The [C6mim](+) salts
      are thermally stable up to more than 300  degrees C and show clear melting
      points. Surprisingly, the compound [C6mim]2[B12Cl11O-propyl] having the short
      propyl group bound to the boron cluster shows the lowest melting point (96 
      degrees C) of all the investigated compounds. Thus this compound is a rare member
      of the class of ionic liquids consisting of dianions. 

PMID- 26107426
TI  - Crossed and uncrossed acoustic reflex growth functions in normal-hearing adults,
      typically developing children, and children with suspected auditory processing
      disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous data suggested that children with suspected auditory
      processing disorders (APD) often show elevated or absent acoustic reflex
      thresholds, especially in crossed conditions (e.g. Allen & Allan, 2014 ). This
      study further explored these effects by measuring acoustic reflex growth
      functions (ARGF). DESIGN: Crossed and uncrossed ARGF slopes were obtained by
      linear fits between reflex amplitudes and increases in activator level from
      threshold to 15 dB above it. STUDY SAMPLE: Normal-hearing adults, typically
      developing children and children with reported listening difficulties and
      suspected of having an APD, participated. RESULTS: The ARGF slopes were shallower
      in crossed than in uncrossed conditions for all groups but the magnitude of the
      effect was significantly greater in the children with suspected APD. There were
      no differences between the typically developing children and the adults.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest shallower ARGFs in children with suspected APD.
      Given the role of the acoustic reflex in facilitating hearing speech in noise
      these findings may begin to shed light on physiologic explanations for some of
      the difficulties that are reported by children with suspected APD.

PMID- 26107427
TI  - The impact of tinnitus on cognitive performance in normal-hearing individuals.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the previously
      reported differences in cognitive performance as assessed using a Stroop paradigm
      between individuals with and without tinnitus is present in normal-hearing
      individuals. DESIGN: Participants completed audiometric evaluation, a visual
      Stroop test, as well as the Swedish version of the hospital anxiety and
      depression scale (HADS) questionnaire. In addition individuals with tinnitus
      participated in a short interview regarding tinnitus characteristics as well as a
      follow up data collection of the tinnitus questionnaire (TQ). STUDY SAMPLE: Forty
      individuals participated in this study. Twenty had tinnitus (tinnitus group) and
      20 had not (control group). The groups were age- and sex-matched and all
      participants had normal hearing thresholds (20 dB HL or better). RESULTS: No
      differences in terms of cognitive performances were found between individuals
      with tinnitus compared to individuals without tinnitus. CONCLUSION: In contrast
      to previous studies of hearing-impaired subjects with tinnitus, the results of
      the present found no signs of cognitive interference in normal-hearing subjects
      with tinnitus when assessed using intensive short duration tasks.

PMID- 26107429
TI  - Correlation Between Exposure Rate and Residual Activity in Felines Undergoing
      131I Thyroid Ablation Therapy.
AB  - Radioiodine thyroid ablation therapy is a common method for treatment of felines
      exhibiting hyperthyroidism. Due to the high gamma-ray emission rate of
      radioiodine (I), patients following treatment must be held in isolation for
      several days before release to prevent unnecessary dose to owners and members of
      the public. Dose rate measurement on the external surface of the patient of <= 20
      MUSv h is maintained as the patient release criterion without regard to residual
      activity. However, the Texas Department of State Health Services regulatory guide
      recommends a release limit of 3.7 MBq to households with non-pregnant women and
      children over the age of 18 y, and a limit of 925 kBq to households of pregnant
      women and children who can be supervised. In this paper, Monte Carlo
      computational radiation transport techniques are employed to predict and
      standardize the patient isolation time at the clinic by correlating the thyroid
      burden and surface dose rates of felines. Measurements of patient dose rate as a
      function of time are used to determine the patient-specific effective half-life
      experimentally and to validate the model results. Results show that an average
      holding time of 8 to 9 d is sufficient to reduce the residual activity to 3.7 MBq
      levels. Additionally, contact dose rate measurements of 20 MUSv h or less
      correlate to residual activity levels of approximately 925 kBq. Based on the
      model and measurements, a protocol was developed for clinical use at Texas A&M
      University Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital to allow estimation of residual
      activity following injection. This in turn confirms that the surface dose rates
      used as the release criteria follow the release limits recommended in the
      regulatory guide. 

PMID- 26107428
TI  - Evaluation of Aquaporin-3 Role in Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer: An Immunohistochemical
      Study.
AB  - Aquaporin-3 (AQP3), is an aquaglyceroporin, that plays a role in cell
      proliferation, tumorigenesis, and cell migration. This study aimed at evaluating
      the possible role of AQP3 in nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) pathogenesis through
      its immunohistochemical expression in skin biopsies of these diseases. One
      hundred and thirty cutaneous specimens were studied. These included 60 cases of
      NMSC and 40 normal skin and 30 psoriasis samples, from age- and gender-matched
      subjects, as a control group. AQP3 was expressed in 66.7% of basal cell carcinoma
      (BCC) cases and in 93.3% of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cases. Higher AQP3
      expression (p = .01), expression percentage (p = .01), and H score (p = .04) were
      significantly associated with SCC compared to BCC. Normal skin and psoriasis
      showed significantly higher AQP3 expression (p = .001, p < .001, respectively),
      expression percentage (p < .001 for both), and H score values (p < .001, p =
      .001, respectively) compared to NMSC. Higher H score values in BCC were
      significantly associated with female gender (p = .02) and with nodular lesions (p
      > .001). Higher H score values in SCC were significantly associated with grade
      III tumors (p = .04) and AQP3 percentage of expression was significantly
      correlated with grade III tumors (r = .48, p = .009). In conclusion, AQP3 may
      play a role in NMSC pathogenesis. This probably occurs through aquaporin-mediated
      glycerol transport and ATP generation. Its downregulation, observed in the
      current work, is mostly a result of excessive proliferation. Further studies are
      needed to investigate the therapeutic effect of its inhibition in NMSC treatment.

PMID- 26107430
TI  - Numerical Analysis of Organ Doses Delivered During Computed Tomography
      Examinations Using Japanese Adult Phantoms with the WAZA-ARI Dosimetry System.
AB  - A dosimetry system for computed tomography (CT) examinations, named WAZA-ARI, is
      being developed to accurately assess radiation doses to patients in Japan. For
      dose calculations in WAZA-ARI, organ doses were numerically analyzed using
      average adult Japanese male (JM) and female (JF) phantoms with the Particle and
      Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS). Experimental studies clarified the
      photon energy distribution of emitted photons and dose profiles on the table for
      some multi-detector row CT (MDCT) devices. Numerical analyses using a source
      model in PHITS could specifically take into account emissions of x rays from the
      tube to the table with attenuation of photons through a beam-shaping filter for
      each MDCT device based on the experiment results. The source model was validated
      by measuring the CT dose index (CTDI). Numerical analyses with PHITS revealed a
      concordance of organ doses with body sizes of the JM and JF phantoms. The organ
      doses in the JM phantoms were compared with data obtained using previously
      developed systems. In addition, the dose calculations in WAZA-ARI were verified
      with previously reported results by realistic NUBAS phantoms and radiation dose
      measurement using a physical Japanese model (THRA1 phantom). The results imply
      that numerical analyses using the Japanese phantoms and specified source models
      can give reasonable estimates of dose for MDCT devices for typical Japanese
      adults. 

PMID- 26107431
TI  - Determination of 226Ra Activity Using Gamma Spectrometry with 226Ra-222Rn
      Disequilibrium.
AB  - Radium-226 (Ra) activity is normally determined indirectly by gamma spectrometry,
      in particular by measuring the characteristic gamma-ray emitted from its progeny
      (Pb and Bi) when Ra-Rn secular equilibrium is reached. This article describes a
      measurement method involving the measurement of Pb ingrowth. The activity of Ra
      determined by this method agrees with that measured after Ra-Rn equilibrium. The
      method of Pb ingrowth allows rapid and sufficiently accurate determination of Ra
      activity without the need to wait for Ra-Rn equilibrium. 

PMID- 26107432
TI  - Public Exposure from Indoor Radiofrequency Radiation in the City of Hebron, West
      Bank-Palestine.
AB  - This work presents the results of measured indoor exposure levels to
      radiofrequency (RF) radiation emitting sources in one of the major cities in the
      West Bank-the city of Hebron. Investigated RF emitters include FM, TV
      broadcasting stations, mobile telephony base stations, cordless phones [Digital
      Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT)], and wireless local area networks
      (WLAN). Measurements of power density were conducted in 343 locations
      representing different site categories in the city. The maximum total power
      density found at any location was about 2.3 * 10 W m with a corresponding
      exposure quotient of about 0.01. This value is well below unity, indicating
      compliance with the guidelines of the International Commission on Non-ionizing
      Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The average total exposure from all RF sources was
      0.08 * 10 W m. The relative contributions from different sources to the total
      exposure in terms of exposure quotient were evaluated and found to be 46% from FM
      radio, 26% from GSM900, 15% from DECT phones, 9% from WLAN, 3% from unknown
      sources, and 1% from TV broadcasting. RF sources located outdoors contribute
      about 73% to the population exposure indoors. 

PMID- 26107433
TI  - Estimating Annual Individual Doses for Evacuees Returning Home to Areas Affected
      by the Fukushima Nuclear Accident.
AB  - To contribute to the reconstruction and revitalization of Fukushima Prefecture
      following the 2011 nuclear power disaster, annual individual doses were estimated
      for evacuees who will return home to Tamura City, Kawauchi Village, and Iitate
      Village in Fukushima. Ambient external dose rates and individual doses obtained
      with personal dosimeters were measured at many residential and occupational sites
      throughout the study areas to obtain fundamental data needed for the estimation.
      The measurement results indicated that the ratio of individual dose based on a
      personal dosimeter to the ambient external dose measurement was 0.7 with 10%
      uncertainty. Multiplying the ambient external dose by 0.7 may be an appropriate
      measure of the effective dose to an individual in the investigated area. Annual
      individual doses were estimated for representative lifestyles and occupations
      based on the ambient external dose rates at the measurement sites, taking into
      account the relationship between the ambient external dose and individual dose.
      The results were as follows: 0.6-2.3 mSv y in Tamura, 1.1-5.5 mSv y in Kawauchi,
      and 3.8-17 mSv y in Iitate. For all areas investigated, the estimated dose to
      outdoor workers was higher than that to indoor workers. Identifying ways to
      reduce the amount of time that an outdoor worker spends outdoors would provide an
      effective measure to reduce dose. 

PMID- 26107434
TI  - Experimental Quantification of Delayed Radiation-Induced Organ Damage in Highly
      Irradiated Rats With Bone Marrow Protection: Effect of Radiation Dose and Organ
      Sensitivity.
AB  - The evolution of organ damage following extensive high-dose irradiation remains
      largely unexplored and needs further investigation. Wistar rats [with or without
      partial bone marrow protection (~20%)] were irradiated at lethal gamma-ray doses
      (12, 14, and 16 Gy) and received antibiotic support. While total-body-irradiated
      rats did not survive, bone marrow protection (achieved by protecting hind limbs
      behind a lead wall) combined with antibiotic support allowed survival of 12-Gy
      and 14-Gy irradiated rats for more than 3 mo, with a late phase of body weight
      loss and altered clinical status. Histological analysis of radiation-induced
      damages in visceral organs (liver, kidney, and ileum), performed 64 and 104 d
      after high-dose body irradiation, indicates that the extent and the evolution of
      damage depend on both the irradiation dose and organ. A dose-related aggravation
      of lesions was observed in the liver and kidney but not in the ileum. In contrast
      to the liver, alterations in the kidney and ileum aggravate with time,
      emphasizing the need to develop new efficient countermeasures to protect both the
      gastrointestinal tract and kidney from late-occurring radiation effects.
      Specifically, the complex evolution of organ damage presented in this paper
      offers the possibility to explore and then validate specific therapeutic windows
      using candidate drugs targeted to each injured visceral organ. 

PMID- 26107435
TI  - Assessing the Effectiveness of Risk Communication for Maintenance Workers Who
      Deal With Induced Radioactivity Management of Medical Linear Accelerators.
AB  - In Japan, an amended law that mandates levels of unintended induced radioactivity
      has been in effect since 1 April 2012. According to the new regulation, if the
      concentration of induced radioactivity in affected parts is above the clearance
      level, the parts must be regarded as radioactive even if they weigh less than 1
      kg. This regulation reform raises several new issues concerning medical linear
      accelerators, including how to determine the decay period for induced
      radioactivity before maintenance can be performed and how to identify what parts
      should be considered radioactive waste. The authors performed several risk
      communication (RC) activities aimed at improving the understanding of maintenance
      workers at medical accelerator manufacturers and establishing good guidelines by
      involving stakeholders. For this purpose, a working group was established and
      conducted RC activities, such as holding opinion exchange meetings between
      medical staff and maintenance workers and creating a booklet to answer questions
      from maintenance workers. To evaluate these activities, three questionnaire
      surveys were conducted between 2011 and 2014. According to the results of this
      study, the ratio of maintenance workers who accepted "The decay period is within
      one week" was approximately 60% at the third survey and significantly increased
      (P < 0.0001) during the survey period. Approximately 25% of the maintenance
      workers felt that not enough information was provided about the decay period, and
      approximately 63% thought that the information provided on the health effects of
      radiation was sufficient. These results suggest that the present RC was
      successful. 

PMID- 26107437
TI  - Evaluating the Radiation From Accidental Exposure During a Nondestructive Testing
      Event.
AB  - Industrial radiography is a common nondestructive testing (NDT) method used in
      various industries. An investigation was conducted for a 1999 incident in Taiwan
      where two workers (Operators A and B) were accidently exposed to an unshielded Ir
      source while conducting industrial radiography. Operators A and B experienced
      acute close-range radiation exposure to a source of Ir for 3 h at a strength of
      2.33 * 10 Bq. The health of mammary glands, bone marrow, thyroid glands, eyes,
      and genital organs of these two workers after radiation exposure was examined.
      Subsequently, Operator A experienced severe radiation injury, including tissue
      necrosis and keratinization in the fingers, chromosomal abnormalities, reduced
      blood cell count, diffuse hyperplasia of the thyroid gland, opaque spots in the
      crystalline lens, and related radiation effects. The results showed that the left
      index finger and thumb, eyes, and gonads of Operator A were exposed to a
      radiation dose of about 369-1,070, 23.1-67.4, 2.4-5.3, and 4.2-11.6 Gy,
      respectively. Effective dose for Operator A was estimated to range from 6.9 to
      18.9 Sv. The left fingers, thumb, eyes, and gonads of Operator B were exposed to
      a radiation dose of 184.9-646.2, 11.8-40.7, 0.49-3.33, and 0.72-7.18 Gy,
      respectively, and his effective dose was between 2.5 and 11.5 Sv. This accident
      indicated a major flaw in the control and regulation of radiation safety for
      conducting NDT industrial radiography in 1999; however, similar problems still
      exist. Modifications of the Ionizing Radiation Protection Act in Taiwan are
      suggested in this study to regulate the management of NDT industries, continually
      educate the NDT workers in radiation safety, and enact notification provisions
      for medical care systems toward acute radiation exposure events. 

PMID- 26107436
TI  - Linking Gamma-H2AX Foci and Cancer in Rat Skin Exposed to Heavy Ions and Electron
      Radiation.
AB  - This study uses acute doses of three test radiations, [Ar ions (L = 125 keVMU),
      Ne ions (L = 25 keVMU) and electron radiation] to examine a potential
      quantitative link between rat skin cancer induction and gamma-H2AX foci in rat
      keratinocytes exposed in vitro to radiations with comparable L values. Theory
      provided a testable link between cancer yield and gamma-H2AX foci yields:
      YCa(D,L)rat = (NF)2YAX(D,L)keratinocyte (eqn 1), where YCa(D,L) is cancers(rat)
      at 1.0 y, YAX(D,L) is in vitro gamma-H2AX foci(keratinocyte) , D is radiation
      dose, L is linear energy transfer, N is irradiated keratinocytes in vivo, and F
      is the error rate of end joining. An explicit expression for cancer yield was
      derived based on cancers arising in the ion track region in proportion to D and L
      (first term) and independently in proportion to D in the delta ray region in
      between the ion tracks (second term): YCa(D,L) = CCaLD + BCaD (eqn 1a).
      Parameters quantified include: CCa = 0.000589 +/- 0.000150 cancers
      micron[rat(kev)Gy]; BCa = 0.0088 +/- 0.0035 cancers(ratGy), F = (8.18 +/- 0.91) *
      10; N = (8.8 +/- 1.2) * 10 and (NF)2 = 0.036 +/- 0.006 cancer keratinocyte(rat
      H2AX foci). Verification of eqns (1) and (1a) and the constancy of F support the
      hypothesis that end-rejoining errors play a major role in radiation
      carcinogenesis in rat skin. Cancer yields per rat were consistently predictable
      based on gamma-H2AX foci yields in keratinocytes in vitro such that 27.8
      H2AXfoci(keratinocyte) predicted 1.0 cancer(rat) at 1 y. 

PMID- 26107438
TI  - New ANSI Standard for Thyroid Phantom.

PMID- 26107443
TI  - An investigation of nitrile transforming enzymes in the chemo-enzymatic synthesis
      of the taxol sidechain.
AB  - Paclitaxel (taxol) is an antimicrotubule agent widely used in the treatment of
      cancer. Taxol is prepared in a semisynthetic route by coupling the N-benzoyl
      (2R,3S)-3-phenylisoserine sidechain to the baccatin III core structure.
      Precursors of the taxol sidechain have previously been prepared in chemoenzymatic
      approaches using acylases, lipases, and reductases, mostly featuring the
      enantioselective, enzymatic step early in the reaction pathway. Here, nitrile
      hydrolysing enzymes, namely nitrile hydratases and nitrilases, are investigated
      for the enzymatic hydrolysis of two different sidechain precursors. Both
      sidechain precursors, an openchain alpha-hydroxy-beta-amino nitrile and a
      cyanodihydrooxazole, are suitable for coupling to baccatin III directly after the
      enzymatic step. An extensive set of nitrilases and nitrile hydratases was
      screened towards their activity and selectivity in the hydrolysis of two taxol
      sidechain precursors and their epimers. A number of nitrilases and nitrile
      hydratases converted both sidechain precursors and their epimers. 

PMID- 26107442
TI  - An immunoinformatic approach for identification of Trypanosoma cruzi HLA-A2
      restricted CD8(+) T cell epitopes.
AB  - Chagas disease is a major neglected tropical disease caused by persistent chronic
      infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. An estimated 8 million
      people are infected with T. cruzi, however only 2 drugs are approved for
      treatment and no vaccines are available. Thus there is an urgent need to develop
      vaccines and new drugs to prevent and treat Chagas disease. In this work, we
      identify T cell targets relevant for human infection with T. cruzi. The trans
      sialidase (TS) gene family is a large family of homologous genes within the T.
      cruzi genome encoding over 1,400 members. There are 12 highly conserved TS gene
      family members which encode enzymatically active TS (functional TS; F-TS), while
      the remaining TS family genes are less conserved, enzymatically inactive and have
      been hypothesized to be involved in immune evasion (non-functional TS; NF-TS). We
      utilized immunoinformatic tools to identify HLA-A2-restricted CD8(+) T cell
      epitopes conserved within F-TS family members and NF-TS gene family members. We
      also utilized a whole-genome approach to identify T cell epitopes present within
      genes which have previously been shown to be expressed in life stages relevant
      for human infection (Non-TS genes). Thirty immunogenic HLA-A2-restricted CD8(+) T
      cell epitopes were identified using IFN-gamma ELISPOT assays after vaccination of
      humanized HLA-A2 transgenic mice with mature dendritic cells pulsed with F-TS, NF
      TS, and Non-TS peptide pools. The immunogenic HLA-A2-restricted T cell epitopes
      identified in this work may serve as potential components of an epitope-based T
      cell targeted vaccine for Chagas disease. 

PMID- 26107445
TI  - Stratification of complexity in congenital heart surgery: comparative study of
      the Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS-1) method, Aristotle
      basic score and Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardio-
      Thoracic Surgery (STS-EACTS) mortality score.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether stratification of complexity models in congenital
      heart surgery (RACHS-1, Aristotle basic score and STS-EACTS mortality score) fit
      to our center and determine the best method of discriminating hospital mortality.
      METHODS: Surgical procedures in congenital heart diseases in patients under 18
      years of age were allocated to the categories proposed by the stratification of
      complexity methods currently available. The outcome hospital mortality was
      calculated for each category from the three models. Statistical analysis was
      performed to verify whether the categories presented different mortalities. The
      discriminatory ability of the models was determined by calculating the area under
      the ROC curve and a comparison between the curves of the three models was
      performed. RESULTS: 360 patients were allocated according to the three methods.
      There was a statistically significant difference between the mortality
      categories: RACHS-1 (1) - 1.3%, (2) - 11.4%, (3)-27.3%, (4) - 50 %, (P<0.001);
      Aristotle basic score (1) - 1.1%, (2) - 12.2%, (3) - 34%, (4) - 64.7%, (P<0.001);
      and STS-EACTS mortality score (1) - 5.5 %, (2) - 13.6%, (3) - 18.7%, (4) - 35.8%,
      (P<0.001). The three models had similar accuracy by calculating the area under
      the ROC curve: RACHS-1- 0.738; STS-EACTS-0.739; Aristotle- 0.766. CONCLUSION: The
      three models of stratification of complexity currently available in the
      literature are useful with different mortalities between the proposed categories
      with similar discriminatory capacity for hospital mortality.

PMID- 26107444
TI  - Simplified method for esophagus protection during radiofrequency catheter
      ablation of atrial fibrillation--prospective study of 704 cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although rare, the atrioesophageal fistula is one of the most
      feared complications in radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation
      due to the high risk of mortality. OBJECTIVE: This is a prospective controlled
      study, performed during regular radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial
      fibrillation, to test whether esophageal displacement by handling the
      transesophageal echocardiography transducer could be used for esophageal
      protection. METHODS: Seven hundred and four patients (158 F/546M [22.4%/77.6%];
      52.8 +/- 14 [17-84] years old), with mean EF of 0.66 +/- 0.8 and drug-refractory
      atrial fibrillation were submitted to hybrid radiofrequency catheter ablation
      (conventional pulmonary vein isolation plus AF-Nests and background tachycardia
      ablation) with displacement of the esophagus as far as possible from the
      radiofrequency target by transesophageal echocardiography transducer handling.
      The esophageal luminal temperature was monitored without and with displacement in
      25 patients. RESULTS: The mean esophageal displacement was 4 to 9.1cm (5.9 +/-
      0.8 cm). In 680 of the 704 patients (96.6%), it was enough to allow complete and
      safe radiofrequency delivery (30W/40oC/irrigated catheter or 50W/60oC/8 mm
      catheter) without esophagus overlapping. The mean esophageal luminal temperature
      changes with versus without esophageal displacement were 0.11 +/- 0.13oC versus
      1.1 +/- 0.4oC respectively, P<0.01. The radiofrequency had to be halted in 68% of
      the patients without esophageal displacement because of esophageal luminal
      temperature increase. There was no incidence of atrioesophageal fistula suspected
      or confirmed. Only two superficial bleeding caused by transesophageal
      echocardiography transducer insertion were observed. CONCLUSION: Mechanical
      esophageal displacement by transesophageal echocardiography transducer during
      radiofrequency catheter ablation was able to prevent a rise in esophageal luminal
      temperature, helping to avoid esophageal thermal lesion. In most cases, the
      esophageal displacement was sufficient to allow safe radiofrequency application
      without esophagus overlapping, being a convenient alternative in reducing the
      risk of atrioesophageal fistula.

PMID- 26107446
TI  - Study of novel coating strategy for coronary stents: simutaneous coating of VEGF
      and anti- CD34 antibody.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intravascular coronary stenting has been used in the treatment of
      coronary artery disease (CAD), with a major limitation of in-stent restenosis
      (ISR). The 316 stainless steel has been widely used for coronary stents. In this
      study, we developed a novel coating method to reduce ISR by simultaneously
      coating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and anti-CD34 antibody on 316L
      stainless steel. METHODS: Round 316L stainless steel sheets in the D-H group were
      polymerized with compounds generated from condensation reaction of dopamine and
      heparin using N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide (EDC) and N
      hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). Sixteen sheets from the D-H group were further immersed
      into 1ug/ml VEGF165 and 3mg/ml heparin sodium one after another for 10 times, and
      named as the D-(H-V)10 group. Eight sheets from the D-(H-V)10 group were coated
      with anti-CD34 antibody and termed as the D-(H-V)10-A group. Immunofluorescence
      assay and ELISA were used to evaluate whether the 316L stainless steel disks were
      successfully coated with VEGF and anti-CD34 antibody. RESULTS: The results of
      immunofluorescence assay and ELISA showed that VEGF could be detected in the D-(H
      V)10 and D-(H-V)10-A group, suggesting the steel sheets were successfully covered
      with VEGF. Anti-CD34 antibody could only be observed in the D-(H-V)10-A group,
      which was the only group coated with CD34 antibody. Both results suggested that
      the 316L stainless steel sheets were successfully coated with VEGF and anti-CD34
      antibody. CONCLUSION: Our study developed a method to simultaneously coat VEGF
      and anti-CD34 antibody to stainless metal steel. This research serves as a
      fundamental role for a novel coating strategy.

PMID- 26107447
TI  - Atrioventricular block in coronary artery bypass surgery: perioperative
      predictors and impact on mortality.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Disturbances of the cardiac conduction system are frequent in the
      postoperative period of coronary artery bypass surgery. They are mostly
      reversible and associated with some injury of the conduction tissue, caused by
      the ischemic heart disease itself or by perioperative factors. OBJECTIVE:
      Primary: investigate the association between perioperative factors and the
      emergence of atrioventricular block in the postoperative period of coronary
      artery bypass surgery. Secondary: determine the need for temporary pacing and of
      a permanent pacemaker in the postoperative period of coronary artery bypass
      surgery and the impact on hospital stay and hospital mortality. METHODS: Analysis
      of a retrospective cohort of patients submitted to coronary artery bypass surgery
      from the database of the Postoperative Heart Surgery Unit of the Sao Lucas
      Hospital of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, using the
      logistic regression method. RESULTS: In the period from January 1996 to December
      2012, 3532 coronary artery bypass surgery were carried out. Two hundred and
      eighty-eight (8.15% of the total sample) patients had atrioventricular block
      during the postoperative period of coronary artery bypass surgery, requiring
      temporary pacing. Eight of those who had atrioventricular block progressed to
      implantation of a permanent pacemaker (0.23% of the total sample). Multivariate
      analysis revealed a significant association of atrioventricular block with age
      above 60 years (OR=2.34; CI 95% 1.75-3.12; P<0.0001), female gender (OR=1.37; CI
      95% 1.06-1.77; P=0.015), chronic kidney disease (OR=2.05; CI 95% 1.49-2.81;
      P<0.0001), atrial fibrillation (OR=2.06; CI 95% 1.16-3.66; P=0.014), functional
      class III and IV of the New York Heart Association (OR=1.43; CI 95% 1.03-1.98;
      P=0.031), perioperative acute myocardial infarction (OR=1.70; CI 95% 1.26-2.29;
      P<0.0001) and with the use of the intra-aortic balloon in the postoperative
      period of coronary artery bypass surgery (OR=1.92; CI 95% 1.21-3.05; P=0.006).
      The presence of atrioventricular block resulted in a significant increase in
      mortality (17.9% vs. 7.3% in those who did not develop atrioventricular block)
      (OR=2.09; CI 95% 1.46-2.99; P<0.0001) and a longer hospital stay (12.75 days x
      10.53 days for those who didn't develop atrioventricular block) (OR=1.01; CI 95%
      1.00-1.02; P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In most cases, atrioventricular block in the
      postoperative period of coronary artery bypass surgery is transient and
      associated with several perioperative factors: age above 60 years, female sex,
      chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, New York Heart Association
      functional class III or IV, perioperative acute myocardial infarction and use of
      an intra-aortic balloon. Its occurrence prolongs hospitalization and, above all,
      doubles the risk of mortality.

PMID- 26107448
TI  - Effect of N-acetylcysteine in hearts of rats submitted to controlled hemorrhagic
      shock.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pharmacological therapy is a strategy for the prevention of
      complications associated with ischemia and reperfusion injury that occurs after
      volume replacement in the treatment of hemorrhagic shock. OBJECTIVE: The aim of
      this study was to evaluate the effect of N-acetylcysteine associated with fluid
      resuscitation in cardiac injury in a rat hemorrhagic shock model. METHODS: Mice
      Wister male rats were randomly and subjected to controlled hemorrhagic shock for
      60 min. and then, subjected to resuscitation with Ringer lactate. In a group of
      six animals, 150 mg/kg of N-acetylcysteine were added to fluid volume
      replacement. The animals were observed for 120 min and after this period, were
      euthanized and cardiac tissue was collected for histopathological analysis and
      measurement of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and pro-and anti
      inflammatory interleukin. RESULTS: Cardiac tissue of the group treated with N
      acetylcysteine showed lower concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive
      substances (0.20 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.27 +/- 0.05, P = 0.014) and reduced
      histopathological damage and edema when compared to the group whose volume
      replacement occurred only with Ringer lactate. There was no difference in the
      expression of cytokines interleukin 6 (2,138.29 +/- 316.89 vs. 1,870.16 +/-
      303.68, P = 0.091) and interleukin 10 (1.019,83 +/- 262,50 vs. 848.60 +/- 106.5,
      P = 0.169) between the treated groups. CONCLUSION: The association of N
      acetylcysteine on volume replacement attenuates oxidative stress in the heart, as
      well myocardial damage and edema, but does not modify the expression of
      inflammatory cytokines.

PMID- 26107449
TI  - Predictors of mortality in cardiac surgery: brain natriuretic peptide type B.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated whether the preoperative serum concentration of brain
      natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a predictor of in-hospital mortality in patients
      that underwent cardiac surgery. METHODS: We continuously evaluated 488 patients
      that underwent cardiac valve surgery or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)
      between January of 2009 and July of 2012. Follow up of these patients were done
      prospectively for 30 days postoperatively. RESULTS: Data analysis showed that the
      overall mortality rate was equal to 9.6%, Receiver Operating Charactheristic
      (ROC) curve analysis found the optimal cut-off value of BNP equal to 382 pg/mL
      for overall mortality (AUC=0.73, 95% CI=0.66 to 0.81, P<0.001). Multivariate
      analysis showed that the value of BNP higher than 382 pg/mL (P=0.033, HR=2.05,
      95% CI=1.6 to 3.98) was an independent predictor of overall mortality at 30 days
      postoperatively. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the preoperative serum
      concentration of BNP is an independent predictor of mortality in patients
      undergoing valve surgery or coronary artery bypass graft.

PMID- 26107450
TI  - A propose of pulmonary dysfunction stratification after valve surgery by
      physiotherapeutic assistance level.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: a) to propose and implement an evaluation system; b) to classify the
      pulmonary involvement and determine levels of physical therapy; c) to check the
      progress postoperatively. METHODS: Patients underwent physiotherapy assessment
      preoperatively, postoperatively and after 5 days of intervention. They were
      classified into three levels of care: level 1 - low risk of complication; Level 2
      - medium risk; Level 3 - high risk. We used analysis of variance and Kruskal
      Wallis and analysis of variance for repeated measures or Friedman. Chi-square
      test or Fisher for proportions. We considered statistical significance level
      P<0.05. RESULTS: We studied 199 patients, 156 classified within level 1, 32 at
      level 2 and 11 at level 3. Thoracoabdominal motion and auscultation changed
      significantly postoperatively, persisting at levels 2 and 3 (P<0.05). Oxygenation
      and respiratory rate changed at levels 2 and 3 postoperatively (P<0.05) with
      recovery at the end. Significant decrease in lung volumes occurred in three
      levels (P<0.05) with partial recovery at level 1, lung collapse occurred at all
      levels, with recovery by 56% at level 1, 47% at level 2, 27% at level 3.
      CONCLUSION: The proposed assessment identified valve surgery patients who require
      differentiated physical therapy. Level 1 patients had rapid recovery, while the
      level 2 showed significant changes with functional gains at the end. Level 3
      patients, more committed and prolonged recovery, should receive greater
      assistance.

PMID- 26107451
TI  - Factors associated with moderate or severe left atrioventricular valve
      regurgitation within 30 days of repair of incomplete atrioventricular septal
      defect.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Left atrioventricular valve regurgitation is the most concerning
      residual lesion after surgical correction of atrioventricular septal defect.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine factors associated with moderate or greater left
      atrioventricular valve regurgitation within 30 days of surgical repair of
      incomplete atrioventricular septal defect. METHODS: We assessed the results of 51
      consecutive patients 14 years-old and younger presenting with incomplete
      atrioventricular septal defect that were operated on at our practice between 2002
      and 2010. The following variables were considered: age, weight, absence of Down
      syndrome, grade of preoperative left atrioventricular valve regurgitation,
      abnormalities on the left atrioventricular valve and the use of annuloplasty. The
      median age was 4.1 years; the median weight was 13.4 Kg; 37.2% had Down syndrome.
      At the time of preoperative evaluation, there were 23 cases with moderate or
      greater left atrioventricular valve regurgitation (45.1%). Abnormalities on the
      left atrioventricular valve were found in 17.6%; annuloplasty was performed in
      21.6%. RESULTS: At the time of postoperative evaluation, there were 12 cases with
      moderate or greater left atrioventricular valve regurgitation (23.5%). The
      variation between pre- and postoperative grades of left atrioventricular valve
      regurgitation of patients with atrioventricular valve malformation did not reach
      significance (P=0.26), unlike patients without such abnormalities (P=0.016).
      During univariate analysis, only absence of Down syndrome was statistically
      significant (P=0.02). However, after a multivariate analysis, none of the factors
      reached significance. CONCLUSION: None of the factors studied was determinant of
      a moderate or greater left atrioventricular valve regurgitation within the first
      30 days of repair of incomplete atrioventricular septal defect in the sample.
      Patients without abnormalities on the left atrioventricular valve benefit more of
      the operation.

PMID- 26107452
TI  - Surgical treatment of complex aneurysms and thoracic aortic dissections with the
      Frozen Elephant Trunk technique.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Report initial experience with the Frozen Elephant Trunk technique.
      METHODS: From July 2009 to October 2013, Frozen Elephant Trunk technique was
      performed in 21 patients (66% male, mean age 56 +/- 11 years). They had type A
      aortic dissection (acute 9.6%, chronic 57.3%), type B (14.3%, all chronic) and
      complex aneurysms (19%). It was 9.5% of reoperations and 38% of associated
      procedures (25.3% miocardial revascularization, 25.3% replacement of aortic valve
      and 49.4% aortic valved graft). Aortic remodeling was evaluated comparing
      preoperative and most recent computed tomography scans. One hundred per cent of
      complete follow-up, mean time of 28 months. RESULTS: In-hospital mortality of
      14.2%, being 50% in acute type A aortic dissection, 8.3% in chronic type A aortic
      dissection, 33.3% in chronic type B aortic dissection and 0% in complex
      aneurysms. Mean times of cardiopulmonary bypass (152 +/- 24 min), myocardial
      ischemia (115 +/- 31 min) and selective cerebral perfusion (60 +/- 15 min). Main
      complications were bleeding (14.2%), spinal cord injury (9.5%), stroke (4.7%),
      prolonged mechanical ventilation (4.7%) and acute renal failure (4.7%). The need
      for second-stage operation was 19%. False-lumen thrombosis was obtained in 80%.
      CONCLUSION: Frozen Elephant Trunk is a feasible technique and should be
      considered. The severity of the underlying disease justifies high mortality
      rates. The learning curve is a reality. This approach allows treatment of more
      than two segments at once. Nonetheless, if a second stage is made necessary, it
      is facilitated.

PMID- 26107453
TI  - Analysis of immunostaining and western blotting of endothelin 1 and its receptors
      in mitral stenosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rheumatic Fever represents a serious public health problem in
      developing countries, with thousands of new cases each year. It is an autoimmune
      disease, which occurs in response to infection by streptococcus A. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of this study was to evaluate the immunolabeling and protein expression for
      endothelin-1 and 3 (ET-1, ET-3) and its receptors (ETA, ETB) in rheumatic mitral
      valves. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to identify ET-1/ET-3 and ETA/ETB
      receptors in rheumatic and control mitral valves. Quantitative analysis of
      immunostaining for ET-1/ET-3 and ETA/ETB receptors was performed. In addition,
      western blot analysis was carried out to assess protein levels in tissue samples.
      RESULTS: ET-1 and ETA receptor immunostaining predominated in stenotic valves,
      mainly associated with fibrotic regions, inflammatory areas and
      neovascularization. Quantitative analysis showed that the average area with
      positive expression of ET-1 was 18.21 +/- 14.96%. For ETA and ETB, the mean
      expressed areas were respectively 15.06 +/- 13.13% and 9.20 +/- 11.09%. ET-3 did
      not have a significant expression. The correlation between the expression of both
      endothelin receptors were strongly positive (R = 0.74, P = 0.02), but the
      correlation between ET-1 and its receptor were negative for both ETA (R = -0.37,
      P = 0.25), and ETB (R = -0.14, P = 0.39). This data was supported by western blot
      analysis. CONCLUSION: The strong correlation between ET-1 and its receptors
      suggests that both play a role in the pathophysiology of rheumatic mitral valve
      stenosis and may potentially act as biomarkers of this disease.

PMID- 26107454
TI  - Epidemiology of congenital heart disease in Brazil.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Congenital heart disease is an abnormality in the structure or
      cardiocirculatory function, occurring from birth, even if diagnosed later. It can
      result in intrauterine death in childhood or in adulthood. Accounted for 6% of
      infant deaths in Brazil in 2007. OBJECTIVE: To estimate underreporting in the
      prevalence of congenital heart disease in Brazil and its subtypes. METHODS: The
      calculations of prevalence were performed by applying coefficients, giving them
      function rates for calculations of health problems. The study makes an approach
      between the literature and the governmental registries. It was adopted an
      estimate of 9: 1000 births and prevalence rates for subtypes applied to births of
      2010. Estimates of births with congenital heart disease were compared with the
      reports to the Ministry of Health and were studied by descriptive methods with
      the use of rates and coefficients represented in tables. RESULTS: The incidence
      in Brazil is 25,757 new cases/year, distributed in: North 2,758; Northeast 7,570;
      Southeast 10,112; South 3,329; and Midwest 1,987. In 2010, were reported to
      System of Live Birth Information of Ministry of Health 1,377 cases of babies with
      congenital heart disease, representing 5.3% of the estimated for Brazil. In the
      same period, the most common subtypes were: ventricular septal defect (7,498);
      atrial septal defect (4,693); persistent ductus arteriosus (2,490); pulmonary
      stenosis (1,431); tetralogy of Fallot (973); coarctation of the aorta (973);
      transposition of the great arteries (887); and aortic stenosis 630. The
      prevalence of congenital heart disease, for the year of 2009, was 675,495
      children and adolescents and 552,092 adults. CONCLUSION: In Brazil, there is
      underreporting in the prevalence of congenital heart disease, signaling the need
      for adjustments in the methodology of registration.

PMID- 26107456
TI  - Cardiopulmonary bypass: development of John Gibbon's heart-lung machine.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide a brief review of the development of cardiopulmonary
      bypass. METHODS: A review of the literature on the development of extracorporeal
      circulation techniques, their essential role in cardiovascular surgery, and the
      complications associated with their use, including hemolysis and inflammation.
      RESULTS: The advancement of extracorporeal circulation techniques has played an
      essential role in minimizing the complications of cardiopulmonary bypass, which
      can range from various degrees of tissue injury to multiple organ dysfunction
      syndrome. Investigators have long researched the ways in which cardiopulmonary
      bypass may insult the human body. Potential solutions arose and laid the
      groundwork for development of safer postoperative care strategies. CONCLUSION:
      Steady progress has been made in cardiopulmonary bypass in the decades since it
      was first conceived of by Gibbon. Despite the constant evolution of
      cardiopulmonary bypass techniques and attempts to minimize their complications,
      it is still essential that clinicians respect the particularities of each
      patient's physiological function.

PMID- 26107457
TI  - Endnote Web tutorial for BJCVS/RBCCV.
AB  - At present, many useful tools for reference management are available for use.
      They can be either off-line softwares or accessible Websites to all users in the
      internet. Their target is to facilitate the production of scientific text. But,
      to accomplish that, the featured bibliographic style should be effectively
      inserted, and the program has to be free. Here in this tutorial, we present
      Endnote Web(r), a bibliographic reference management program comprising these two
      requirements: it contains the Brazilian Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery
      reference format and its use is free for charge after sign-in in IP registered
      terminal in Web of Science(r). 

PMID- 26107455
TI  - Stroke of a cardiac myxoma origin.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The clinical features of cardiac myxoma stroke have not been
      sufficiently described. Debates remain concerning the options and timing of
      treatment and the clinical outcomes are unknown. This article aims to highlight
      the pertinent aspects of this rare condition. METHODS: Data source of the present
      study came from a comprehensive literature collection of cardiac myxoma stroke in
      PubMed, Google search engine and Highwire Press for the year range 2000-2014.
      RESULTS: Young adults, female predominance, single cerebral vessel (mostly the
      middle cerebral artery), multiple territory involvements and solitary left atrial
      myxoma constituted the outstanding characteristics of this patient setting. The
      most common affected cerebral vessel (the middle cerebral artery) and areas (the
      basal ganglion, cerebellum and parietal and temporal regions) corresponded well
      to the common manifestations of this patient setting, such as conscious
      alteration, ataxia, hemiparesis and hemiplegia, aphasia and dysarthria. Initial
      computed tomography scan carried a higher false negative rate for the diagnosis
      of cerebral infarction than magnetic resonance imaging did. A delayed surgical
      resection of cardiac myxoma was associated with an increased risk of potential
      consequences in particular otherwise arterial embolism. The mortality rate of
      this patient population was 15.3%. CONCLUSION: Cardiac myxoma stroke is rare.
      Often does it affect young females. For an improved diagnostic accuracy, magnetic
      resonance imaging of the brain and echocardiography are imperative for young
      stroke patients in identifying the cerebral infarct and determining the stroke of
      a cardiac origin. Immediate thrombolytic therapy may completely resolve the
      cerebral stroke and improve the neurologic function of the patients. An early
      surgical resection of cardiac myxoma is recommended in patients with not large
      territory cerebral infarct.

PMID- 26107458
TI  - Bibliometric indexes, databases and impact factors in cardiology.
AB  - Bibliometry is a quantitative statistical technique to measure levels of
      production and dissemination of knowledge, as well as a useful tool to track the
      development of an scientific area. The valuation of production required for
      recognition of researchers and magazines is accomplished through tools called
      bibliometric indexes, divided into quality indicators and scientific impact.
      Initially developed for monographs of statistical measures especially in
      libraries, today bibliometrics is mainly used to evaluate productivity of authors
      and citation repercussion. However, these tools have limitations and sometimes
      provoke controversies about indiscriminate application, leading to the
      development of newer indexes. It is important to know the most common search
      indexes and use it properly even acknowledging its limitations as it has a direct
      impact in their daily practice, reputation and funds achievement.

PMID- 26107459
TI  - Andreas Vesalius 500 years--A Renaissance that revolutionized cardiovascular
      knowledge.
AB  - The history of medicine and cardiology is marked by some geniuses who dared in
      thinking, research, teaching and transmitting scientific knowledge, and the
      Italian Andreas Vesalius one of these brilliant masters. His main scientific work
      "De Humani Corporis Fabrica" is not only a landmark study of human anatomy but
      also an artistic work of high aesthetic quality published in 1543. In the year
      2014 we celebrated 500 years since the birth of the brilliant professor of Padua
      University, who with his courage and sense of observation changed the
      understanding of cardiovascular anatomy and founded a school to date in
      innovative education and research of anatomy. By identifying "the anatomical
      errors" present in Galen's book and speech, he challenged the dogmas of the
      Catholic Church, the academic world and the doctors of his time. However, the
      accuracy of his findings and his innovative way to disseminate them among his
      students and colleagues was essential so that his contributions are considered by
      many the landmark of modern medicine. His death is still surrounded by mysteries
      having different hypotheses, but a certainty, suffered sanctions of the Catholic
      Church for the spread of their ideas. The cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons,
      interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists and cardiovascular
      imaginologists must know the legacy of genius Andreas Vesalius that changed the
      paradigm of human anatomy. 

PMID- 26107461
TI  - Prognostic prediction of troponins in cardiac myxoma: case study with literature
      review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: It was supposed that troponins in cardiac myxoma patients might be in
      a same fashion as in the conditions without myocardial injury. In order to verify
      this hypothesis, troponins in cardiac myxoma patients were discussed by
      presenting a comprehensive retrieval of the literature with incorporating the
      information of a recent patient. METHODS: Postoperative detections of troponin I,
      creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CK-MB) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic
      peptide revealed elevated troponin I and CK-MB and normal N-terminal pro-B-type
      natriuretic peptide. Postoperative troponin I and CK-MB shared a same trend,
      reaching a peak value at postoperative hour 2, gradually decreased on
      postoperative day 1, and reached a plateau on postoperative days 7 and 13. A
      significant correlation could be noted between the postoperative values of the
      two indicators (Y = 0.0714X + 0.6425, r2 = 0.9111, r=0.9545, P=0.0116). No
      significant linear correlation between troponin I and N-terminal pro-B-type
      natriuretic peptide were found. Literature review of troponins in cardiac myxoma
      patients revealed the uncomplicated patients had a normal or only slightly
      elevated troponin before open heart surgery. However, the complicated patients
      (with cerebral or cardiac events) showed a normal preoperative troponin in 3
      (23.1%) and an elevated troponin in 10 (76.9%) patients (chi2 = 7.54, P = 0.0169,
      Fisher's exact test). The overall quantitative result of troponin I was 2.45 +/-
      2.53 ug/L, and that of troponin T was 3.10 +/- 4.29 mg/L, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Troponins are not necessarily elevated in patients with a cardiac
      myxoma without coronary syndrome. By contrast, patients with a cardiac myxoma
      with an elevated troponin may herald the presence of an associated coronary
      event. An old cerebral infarct does not necessarily cause an elevation of
      troponin or B-type natriuretic peptide, or new neurological events, but might
      lead to a delayed awakening.

PMID- 26107462
TI  - Geraldo Verginelli, the search for elegance and perfectionism in cardiovascular
      surgery.

PMID- 26107460
TI  - Effects of ischemia and omeprazole preconditioning on functional recovery of
      isolated rat heart.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare protective effects of ischemic
      and potential protective effects of pharmacological preconditioning with
      omeprazole on isolated rat heart subjected to ischemia/reperfusion. METHODS: The
      hearts of male Wistar albino rats were excised and perfused on a Langendorff
      apparatus. In control group (CG) after stabilization period, hearts were
      subjected to global ischemia (perfusion was totally stopped) for 20 minutes and
      30 minutes of reperfusion. Hearts of group II (IPC) were submitted to ischemic
      preconditioning lasting 5 minutes before 20 minutes of ischemia and 30 minutes of
      reperfusion. In third group (OPC) hearts first underwent preconditioning lasting
      5 minutes with 100 MUM omeprazole, and then submitted 20 minutes of ischemia and
      30 minutes of reperfusion. RESULTS: Administration of omeprazole before ischemia
      induction had protective effect on myocardium function recovery especially
      regarding to values of systolic left ventricular pressure and dp/dt max. Also our
      findings are that values of coronary flow did not change between OPC and IPC
      groups in last point of reperfusion. CONCLUSION: Based on our results it seems
      that ischemic preconditioning could be used as first window of protection after
      ischemic injury especially because all investigated parameters showed continuous
      trend of recovery of myocardial function. On the other hand, preconditioning with
      omeprazole induced sudden trend of recovery with positive myocardium protection,
      although less effective than results obtained with ischemic preconditioning not
      withstand, we must consider that omeprazole may be used in many clinical
      circumstances where direct coronary clamping for ischemic preconditioning is not
      possible.

PMID- 26107463
TI  - ERRATUM.

PMID- 26107465
TI  - Clinical value of BNP as an independent predictor of mortality following heart
      surgery.

PMID- 26107466
TI  - Exploring Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Properties and Switching Ability of a
      Series of Dithienylethene-Containing, Cyclometalated Platinum Complexes: A
      Theoretical Investigation.
AB  - The second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of a series of
      dithienylethene- (DTE-) containing Pt(II) complexes have been investigated by
      density functional theory calculations. The first hyperpolarizabilities beta of
      studied systems can be greatly enhanced by simple ligand substitutions. Because
      of the nature of DTE units, the beta values also can be varied by the use of
      lights in the studied systems. The highest beta difference between photoisomers
      can over 1000 * 10(-30) esu, with the contrast around five times. Thus, the
      studied systems can act as effective photoswitchable second-order NLO materials.
      The time-dependent density functional theory calculations revealed that the
      charge transfer patterns of studied systems have special characters compared to
      other reported DTE-containing NLO switched chromogens, the DTE units mainly act
      as electron-donors in studied systems, and the variation of beta can be viewed as
      alternation of donor abilities of DTE units; thus, our work also proposed a new
      mechanism for designing photoswitched NLO multifunctional materials. 

PMID- 26107467
TI  - Modeling the Health and Economic Burden of Hepatitis C Virus in Switzerland.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis C virus infection is a major cause of liver disease
      in Switzerland and carries a significant cost burden. Currently, only
      conservative strategies are in place to mitigate the burden of hepatitis C in
      Switzerland. This study expands on previously described modeling efforts to
      explore the impact of: no treatment, and treatment to reduce HCC and mortality.
      Furthermore, the costs associated with untreated HCV were modeled. METHODS:
      Hepatitis C disease progression and mortality were modeled. Baseline historical
      assumptions were collected from the literature and expert interviews and
      strategies were developed to show the impact of different levels of intervention
      (improved drug cure rates, treatment and diagnosis) until 2030. RESULTS: Under
      the historical standard of care, the number of advanced stage cases was projected
      to increase until 2030, at which point the annual economic burden of untreated
      viremic infections was projected to reach ?96.8 (95% Uncertainty Interval: ?36 -
      ?232) million. Scenarios to reduce HCV liver-related mortality by 90% by 2030
      required treatment of 4,190 >=F2 or 3,200 >=F3 patients annually by 2018 using
      antivirals with a 95% efficacy rate. Delaying the implementation of these
      scenarios by 2 or 5 years reduced the impact on mortality to 75% and 57%,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: With today's treatment efficacy and uptake rates,
      hepatitis C disease burden is expected to increase through 2030. A substantial
      reduction in disease burden can be achieved by means of both higher efficacy
      drugs and increased treatment uptake. However, these efforts cannot be undertaken
      without a simultaneous effort to diagnose more infections.

PMID- 26107469
TI  - Keratoprostheses-The Challenge.

PMID- 26107468
TI  - Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites with Highly Enhanced Strength and Conductivity for
      Flexible Electric Circuits.
AB  - Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have an important role in nanotechnology due to their
      unique properties, retaining the inherent material flexibility, superior
      strength, and electrical conductivity, unless the bottleneck of CNTs persists and
      the aggregated structure is overcome. Here, we report on the highly enhanced
      mechanical and electrical properties of the CNT-chitosan nanocomposites through
      homogeneous dispersion of CNTs into chitosan solution using a high-pressure
      homogenizer. The optimal condition is a 50% (w/w) chitosan-CNT film, providing
      about 7 nm thickness of homogeneous chitosan layer on CNTs, a good tensile
      strength of 51 MPa, high electrical conductivity under 16 Omega/sq, and a stable
      bending and folding performance. This CNT-chitosan nanocomposite with highly
      enhanced properties is an amenable material to fabricate structures of various
      shapes such as films, sensors, and circuits and also enables a simple and cost
      effective approach to improve the performance of a device that presents the first
      flexible and soft electric circuits yet reported using only CNT-chitosan as the
      conductor. 

PMID- 26107470
TI  - APAO's Commitment to Ophthalmic Education.
AB  - The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) is a supranational organization
      set up in 1960 with the aims to advance the science and art of ophthalmology and
      eliminate preventable blindness in the Asia-Pacific region through teaching,
      research, and service. Being the major driving force of ophthalmologic
      development in the region, the APAO is dedicated to providing education
      opportunities to ophthalmologists and visual scientists in the region and beyond.
      Since its inception in 1960, ophthalmic education has topped the APAO's priority
      list. Accordingly, the APAO organizes an annual congress, organizes scientific
      meetings and conferences, publishes its official journal and newspaper,
      recognizes ophthalmologists' achievements, and offers training and learning
      opportunities to young and aspiring ophthalmologists. This perspective reviews
      efforts the APAO has made in advancing ophthalmic education and its future plans
      to further expand the scopes of its service to help push back the frontiers of
      knowledge. 

PMID- 26107471
TI  - Childhood Vascular Risk Factors and Retinal Vessel Caliber.
AB  - PURPOSE: Variations in retinal vessel caliber have been associated with risk of
      ocular and systemic vascular diseases in adults. In this study, we examined the
      relationships between childhood vascular risk factors and retinal vessel caliber
      in young healthy adolescents. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study of 1225
      adolescents recruited from 3 community-based schools in Singapore. METHODS: Blood
      pressure and anthropometry measurements were obtained through standardized
      examinations. Birth weight was ascertained from health records completed by
      medical personnel soon after birth. Retinal vessel caliber was measured from
      retinal photographs using a semiautomated computer-based program following a
      validated standardized protocol. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, sex, and other
      relevant factors, each SD increase in blood pressure levels (systolic or
      diastolic) was associated with narrower arteriolar caliber (1.61 MUm; P < 0.001);
      each SD increase in body mass index was associated with narrower arteriolar
      caliber (1.49 MUm; P < 0.001) and wider venular caliber (2.68 MUm; P < 0.001),
      and each SD decrease in birth weight was associated with narrower arteriolar
      caliber (1.31 MUm; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Young adolescents with elevated blood
      pressure, obesity, or low birth weight have changes in retinal vessel caliber
      that are associated with ocular and systemic vascular diseases in adulthood.
      These findings provide evidence of possible adverse effects of childhood vascular
      risk factors on the retinal microvasculature early in life.

PMID- 26107472
TI  - Eye Popping Disease: Common Characteristics and Management of Spontaneous Globe
      Subluxation.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to describe the clinical features,
      predisposing factors, and management of 8 new cases of spontaneous globe
      subluxation (SGS) and provide a review of the relevant literature. DESIGN:
      Patient demographics, clinical presentations, investigations, management,
      complications, and outcomes were measured. METHODS: This was a retrospective,
      case-note analysis of 8 patients with SGS and a major review of the English
      language literature. RESULTS: Eight new cases of spontaneous globe subluxation
      were identified with varying clinical manifestations and treatments. Literature
      review has shown less than 50 cases. Space-occupying lesions such as thyroid eye
      disease, shallow orbits, and floppy eyelids were major contributors to
      predisposition to SGS. CONCLUSIONS: Orbital congestion, shallow orbits, and
      floppy eyelids can all play a role in predisposing patients to SGS. Successful
      surgical management of SGS, when required, should be tailored to the individual
      patient profile for best results.

PMID- 26107473
TI  - Outcome of Boston Keratoprosthesis in a Developing Country-Importance of Patient
      Selection, Education, and Perioperative Care: The Indian Experience.
AB  - PURPOSE: We aim to analyze the results of Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis from the
      Indian subcontinent, with particular emphasis on patient education and
      perioperative care. DESIGN: Retrospective interventional case series. METHODS:
      This was a retrospective study of patients operated on for Boston type 1
      keratoprosthesis between January 2008 and April 2011. RESULTS: Of 20 patients who
      underwent surgery, the indications included silicone oil-induced keratopathy (8
      eyes; 40%), chemical injury (7 eyes; 35%), repeated graft failures (3 eyes, 15%),
      and 2 pediatric eyes (10%)-1 sclerocornea and 1 congenital anterior staphyloma.
      The mean follow-up was 21.8 months ranging from 6 to 45 months. Best corrected
      postoperative visual acuity was noted to be greater than 20/200 in 16 (80%) of 20
      eyes. Anatomic integrity was maintained in 18 eyes (90%). Repeated corneal melt
      necessitated removal of the prosthesis with corneal transplant in 2 eyes. There
      was no infection or endophthalmitis in any of the 20 eyes. CONCLUSIONS: The good
      anatomic and functional results, with no postoperative infection in our
      experience with Boston keratoprosthesis over a 3-year period, are encouraging.
      Strict inclusion criteria and ensuring good patient compliance are important
      factors in determining good results with a low risk of infection in a tropical
      developing country.

PMID- 26107474
TI  - The Effects of Fixed Combination of Bimatoprost-Timolol and Travoprost-Timolol on
      Intraocular Pressure in Patients With Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma or Ocular
      Hypertension, Previously on Nonfixed Combination of Latanoprost and Timolol.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the effects of fixed combination of bimatoprost-timolol and
      travoprost-timolol on intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with primary open
      angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. DESIGN: This was a prospective,
      randomized, observer-masked, crossover parallel comparison trial. METHODS: Forty
      one patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension on nonfixed
      combination of latanoprost and timolol with IOP of 21 mm Hg or less were
      randomized to either bimatoprost-timolol or travoprost-timolol fixed combinations
      for 8-week treatment period. Intraocular pressure was measured at 8 AM, 12 PM, 4
      PM, and 8 PM at the baseline and at the end point. Conjunctiva hyperemia and
      superficial punctate keratopathy after treatment with each fixed combination
      therapy were assessed and compared with the baseline. Patients were then switched
      to the opposite drug without a medication-free period for another 8-week, and
      diurnal IOP measurement was repeated. RESULTS: Bimatoprost-timolol fixed
      combination reduced the baseline mean diurnal IOP statistically significantly
      from 17.3 mm Hg [95% confidence interval (CI), 16.8-17.7 mm Hg] to 16.4 mm Hg
      (95% CI, 15.9-17.0 mm Hg) (P = 0.036). Travoprost-timolol fixed combination
      lowered the mean diurnal IOP to 17.1 mm Hg (95% CI, 16.5-17.7 mm Hg), but it was
      not significant. Direct comparison between the 2 fixed combinations showed no
      significant difference. Both fixed combinations had no significant effect on
      conjunctiva hyperemia. Interestingly, patients on travoprost-timolol fixed
      combination had significantly less superficial punctuate keratopathy (P = 0.012).
      CONCLUSIONS: Both fixed combination of bimatoprost-timolol and travoprost-timolol
      had no significantly different ocular hypotensive effect. However, bimatoprost
      timolol fixed combination produced additional IOP lowering in patients previously
      treated with nonfixed combination of latanoprost and timolol.

PMID- 26107475
TI  - Correlation Between Axial Length and Anterior Chamber Depth in Normal Eyes, Long
      Eyes, and Extremely Long Eyes.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between
      axial length (AL) and anterior chamber depth (ACD) in normal to long eyes and in
      extremely long eyes. DESIGN: This was an observational cross-sectional study in a
      single-center, private hospital. METHODS: Axial length and ACD data were
      retrieved from the intraocular lens (IOL) Master database of patients who
      presented for IOL or phakic lens implantation. Only left eyes were included. The
      correlation between AL and ACD was tested with Pearson correlation coefficient in
      all eyes, normal to long eyes (AL < 27.5 mm), and extremely long eyes (AL >= 27.5
      mm). P < 0.01 was statistically significant. RESULTS: The cohort was composed of
      1184 eyes of 1184 Chinese patients. The mean age was 65.8 +/- 13.3 years (range,
      19-98 years). The mean AL and ACD were 24.73 +/- 2.48 mm (range, 20.51-36.20 mm)
      and 3.09 +/- 0.44 mm (range, 1.95-4.68 mm), respectively. Pearson correlation
      coefficients in all eyes, normal to long eyes (1026 eyes, 87%), and extremely
      long eyes (158 eyes, 13%) were 0.56 (P < 0.001), 0.59 (P < 0.001), and -0.15 (P =
      0.67), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There was a statistically significant positive
      correlation between AL and ACD in normal and long eyes but not in extremely long
      eyes. No correlation between AL and ACD in extremely long eyes requires newer
      generation IOL formulas (ACD included) to increase the accuracy of IOL
      implantation.

PMID- 26107476
TI  - Pars Plana Vitrectomy With or Without Silicone Oil Endotamponade in Surgical
      Management of Endophthalmitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with and without
      silicone oil injection (SOI) in surgical management of endophthalmitis. DESIGN:
      This was a prospective, randomized, interventional, comparative study. METHODS:
      This is a prospective, randomized, interventional, comparative study comprising
      129 eyes with endophthalmitis (postsurgical and traumatic) that underwent PPV.
      Group 1 (n = 65) eyes, which underwent vitrectomy alone, were compared with group
      2 (n = 64) eyes, in whom complete PPV with SOI was done for visual and anatomical
      outcomes and additional subsequent interventions. RESULTS: Mean best corrected
      visual acuity improvement was 0.867 +/- 1.13 and 1.140 +/- 0.88 in groups 1 and
      2, respectively (P < 0.005). In the posttraumatic subgroup, difference between
      groups 1 and 2 in mean change in best corrected visual acuity was statistically
      significant (0.580 +/- 1.10 and 1.132 +/- 0.8 respectively, P < 0.05). Rate of
      retinal detachment was 6.2% in group 2 as compared with 25.5% in group 1. Groups
      1 and 2 required additional subsequent procedures in 27 eyes (41.54%) and 5 eyes
      (7.8%), respectively (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, complete vitrectomy with
      SOI resulted in significantly better anatomical outcomes and significantly less
      need for additional surgery as compared with PPV. In addition, in the
      posttraumatic subgroup, statistically better visual outcomes were noted in group
      2 than in group 1.

PMID- 26107477
TI  - Initial Experience With the Wavelight Refractive Suite for Myopic Laser In Situ
      Keratomileusis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to describe our initial experience with
      the newest refractive platform, the Wavelight Refractive Suite. DESIGN: This was
      a consecutive case series of first 50 eyes that underwent myopic laser in situ
      keratomileusis. METHODS: A total of 50 myopic eyes (28 patients) were included in
      this study. Uncorrected distance visual acuity, manifest refraction, and
      keratometry readings were taken preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively.
      Emmetropia was targeted with an optical zone of 6.5 mm, and flap dimensions were
      of 130-MUm thickness and 9-mm diameter with a superior hinge in all eyes. Flap
      thickness was measured with optical coherence tomography postoperatively.
      RESULTS: At 3 months postoperatively, 82% (41/50) of eyes achieved uncorrected
      distance visual acuity of 6/6 or better, 98% (49/50) achieved 6/9 or better, and
      all eyes achieved 6/12 or better. Eighty-four percent of eyes were within 0.5
      diopter (D) of target of emmetropia, and 98% of eyes were within 1 D. Mean
      postoperative flap thickness was 124 +/- 7.8 MUm. CONCLUSIONS: The Wavelight
      Refractive Suite consisting of the femtosecond laser FS200 and Excimer laser
      EX500 is the newest integrated refractive surgical platform available and can
      offer good refractive predictability as shown by the results in our initial 50
      myopic eyes.

PMID- 26107478
TI  - Encephalotrigeminal Angiomatosis (Sturge-Weber Syndrome, Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber
      Syndrome): A Review.
AB  - Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) (encephalotrigeminal angiomatosis) is a phakomatosis
      associated with port-wine stains of the face, seizures, mental retardation, and
      usually ipsilateral meningeal vascular malformations. The classic form affects
      leptomeninges, eyes, and face. Although the precise etiology and pathogenesis are
      unclear, the postulated defect is primary venous dysplasia with failure of the
      primordial embryonic venous plexus to regress. A spontaneous somatic mutation in
      fibroblast fibronectin gene expression in the vascular malformation may occur
      during embryonic development. Ocular involvement is characterized by
      conjunctival, episcleral, retinal, and choroidal vascular abnormalities. The
      vascular lesions have been inconsistently described as angiomas, hemangiomas, and
      vascular malformations. Based on the endothelial cellular activity, they can be
      considered vascular malformations (or port-wine stains), which never regress
      spontaneously. Congenital, developmental, and adult-onset glaucoma are often seen
      when the malformations involve the distribution of the first branch of the
      trigeminal nerve.Both mechanical and vascular causes have been proposed to
      account for the development of glaucoma. The mechanical theory is based on
      obstruction of aqueous outflow secondary to developmental anterior chamber angle
      abnormalities, and the vascular theory is based primarily on elevated episcleral
      venous pressure. Management of glaucoma in patients with SWS is often challenging
      and is aimed at controlling intraocular pressure and preventing progressive
      visual loss and blindness. It also carries an increased risk for surgical
      complications. This review summarizes the literature regarding the genetics,
      clinical features, and management of ocular complications of SWS with special
      focus on glaucoma. 

PMID- 26107479
TI  - Refractive Surgery in Children.
AB  - Refractive surgery in children is controversial. The main indications are
      bilateral high ametropia and anisometropia where conventional treatment with
      spectacles or contact lens is not tolerated. Other reported indications include
      accommodative strabismus and previous cataract surgery. The most commonly
      performed procedures currently are surface ablation procedures using excimer
      laser. The main disadvantage of surface ablation procedures is refractive
      regression, which is more pronounced in higher degrees of ametropia. More
      recently, there is a growing number of studies evaluating the safety and
      effectiveness of phakic intraocular lenses (IOLs) as an alternative surgical
      management for children who are noncompliant with conventional treatment and
      unsuitable for laser ablative procedures. The advantages of phakic IOLs are
      reversibility, predictability, and lack of regression. The principal concern with
      phakic IOL insertion is long-term endothelial cell loss. Clear lens extraction
      has been performed in patients with shallow anterior chambers beyond the range of
      corneal laser refractive procedures; however, major drawbacks include loss of
      accommodation and significant risk of retinal detachment. In summary, results to
      date show that refractive surgery can be successfully performed in children and
      meets an important need in a select subgroup of patients who are recalcitrant to
      traditional therapy. Issues that remain controversial are the age at which to
      perform surgery, choice of procedure, need for anesthesia, instability of
      refractive errors in children, and long-term safety considerations. 

PMID- 26107480
TI  - Retinal Vessel Analysis as a Tool to Quantify Risk of Diabetic Retinopathy.
AB  - Diabetic retinopathy remains a leading cause of visual impairment and blindness
      worldwide. Identifying high-risk asymptomatic individuals who will likely develop
      the sight-threatening forms of diabetic retinopathy is an important clinical goal
      as it allows early, targeted implementation of preventive strategies to reduce
      their risk of vision loss. However, diabetic retinopathy is not a linear disease.
      Predicting the risk of diabetic retinopathy is challenging, and the current
      approach simply based on an assessment of traditional risk factors lacks
      precision. Retinal vessel analysis may offer a novel and noninvasive tool to
      improve risk prediction for diabetic retinopathy. With the use of this
      technology, studies have shown that a spectrum of structural alterations in the
      retinal vasculature can now be reliably quantified. In particular, variations in
      retinal vessel caliber have been consistently associated with the risks of
      retinopathy development and progression and shown to have prognostic predictive
      value above and beyond the conventional risk factors. Despite the promising
      results, there remain several unresolved issues that need to be addressed before
      the research findings on retinal vessel analysis are translated into clinical
      application. Coupling with standard clinical assessment, the additional
      information obtained from this technology could potentially guide clinical
      decision making, patient prognostication, and possibly monitor therapeutic
      response. 

PMID- 26107481
TI  - Aqueous Humor Levels of TGF-beta2 and TNF-alpha in Indonesian Eyes With Acute
      Primary Angle Closure.
AB  - PURPOSE: To measure aqueous humor levels of TGF-beta2 and TNF-alpha in Indonesian
      eyes with acute primary angle closure (APAC) and to investigate their
      relationship to response to treatment. DESIGN: A prospective observational study.
      METHODS: On presentation, aqueous humor samples were taken from APAC eyes by
      paracentesis. All APAC eyes then underwent laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI). Two
      weeks following LPI, trabeculectomy was performed if the intraocular pressure
      (IOP) was still high. Alternatively, phacoemulsification was performed in cases
      of normal IOP. Aqueous humor samples were taken again at the time of both
      surgical procedures. Age-matched cataract patients were included as a control
      group. Cytokine samples were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA). RESULTS: Forty-three Indonesian APAC subjects were recruited in this
      study. The mean presenting IOP was 56.4 +/- 0.52 mmHg and 53% underwent
      trabeculectomy. Comparison of the APAC eyes to the control group showed there was
      a significant difference in the mean levels of TGF-beta2 (2007.7 +/- 827.2 pg/mL
      vs 466.1 +/- 219.3 pg/mL, p < 0.001) and TNF-alpha (0.714 +/- 0.33 pg/mL vs 0.228
      +/- 0.16 pg/mL, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the presented
      TGF-beta2 and TNF-alpha levels between the trabeculectomy and phacoemulsification
      groups (p:0.391 and p:0.494). Between presentation and surgery in the
      trabeculectomy subgroup, both cytokine levels appeared to be significantly
      different (p < 0.035 and p < 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed the aqueous
      humor levels of TGF-beta2 and TNF-alpha appeared high at presentation but
      decreased subsequently, with no difference detected between groups with
      persistently high IOP and those with normalized IOP.

PMID- 26107482
TI  - Donor Infection After Endothelial Keratoplasty: Potential Issues.

PMID- 26107483
TI  - Simultaneous Interface Candida Keratitis in 2 Hosts Following Descemet Stripping
      Endothelial Keratoplasty With Tissue Harvested From a Single Contaminated Donor.

PMID- 26107484
TI  - Comparison of PROGRESSOR Versus Glaucoma Progression Analysis 2 to Detect Visual
      Field Progression in Treated Glaucoma Patients.

PMID- 26107485
TI  - Re: Manuscript Comparison of PROGRESSOR Versus Glaucoma Progression Analysis 2 to
      Detect Visual Field Progression in Treated Glaucoma Patients.

PMID- 26107487
TI  - Keratoconus Citations: Battle of the Bulge.

PMID- 26107486
TI  - Oxime ether lipids containing hydroxylated head groups are more superior siRNA
      delivery agents than their nonhydroxylated counterparts.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the structure-activity relationship of oxime ether lipids (OELs)
      containing modifications in the hydrophobic domains (chain length, degree of
      unsaturation) and hydrophilic head groups (polar domain hydroxyl groups) toward
      complex formation with siRNA molecules and siRNA delivery efficiency of resulting
      complexes to a human breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231). MATERIALS & METHODS:
      Ability of lipoplex formation between oxime ether lipids with nucleic acids were
      examined using biophysical techniques. The potential of OELs to deliver nucleic
      acids and silence green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene was analyzed using MDA-MB
      231 and MDA-MB-231/GFP cells, respectively. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: Introduction of
      hydroxyl groups to the polar domain of the OELs and unsaturation into the
      hydrophobic domain favor higher transfection and gene silencing in a cell culture
      system.

PMID- 26107488
TI  - Citation Analysis of Keratoconus 1900-2013: The Most Influential Publications,
      Authors, Institutions, and Journals.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objectives of this study were to identify the 250 most highly cited
      publications on keratoconus and to identify trends in topics and distinguish the
      most influential authors, journals, and institutions in the field. DESIGN: This
      was a database study. METHODS: The authors searched the Web of Science database
      using the keyword "keratoconus." The results were refined to articles and reviews
      only, years 1900 to 2013, and sorted by citation count. The 250 most cited,
      relevant publications to keratoconus were identified, and citation analysis of
      the authors, topics, journals, institutions, and countries was performed.
      RESULTS: From the 3030 records identified, the most cited 250 publications were
      all published in the last 60 years. Publication numbers rose exponentially from
      the early 1960s, and citation rates have mirrored this. For the 250 most cited
      publications, the top 25 authors contributed to 60.2% (mean, 6.1 +/- 2.3
      publications per author), and the top 25 institutions contributed to 57.6%. The
      mean citation count per article was 80.7 +/- 62.4. Twelve journal titles
      contained 89.2% of the 250 most cited articles, and greater than 47.6% of
      publications originated from the United States. The major subtopics were corneal
      transplantation (31.2%), diagnostic instruments (17.6%), and structural and
      molecular analyses (17.6%). CONCLUSIONS: There has been an exponential increase
      in the body of knowledge on keratoconus in the last 60 years. This interest has
      been driven by refractive surgery related keratectasia, the emergence of better
      imaging technologies, and effective treatments.

PMID- 26107489
TI  - Status of Ophthalmic Education and the Eye Health Workforce in South Asian
      Association for Regional Cooperation Countries.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the capacity for ophthalmic education in the
      8 South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries and to
      determine the need and future projections of eye health professionals in the
      region. DESIGN: This was a retrospective study and comprised desk review and Web
      based questionnaire. METHODS: Developed in the Asia Pacific region, the Capacity
      Assessment Tool for SAARC Eye Care Education, a Web-based survey mechanism
      derived from a 12-point framework, was used to collect data on the number of
      ophthalmologists and other eye care personnel, training institutions, and
      capacity for training in each SAARC country. RESULTS: There are an estimated
      17,568 practicing ophthalmologists and 4086 ophthalmic subspecialists in the
      SAARC region. The population per ophthalmologist is approximately 92,270. Allied
      eye health professionals constitute an important element of the eye health
      workforce and have a population per allied eye health professional of
      approximately 99,852; the ophthalmologist to doctor (physician) ratio is 1:61.
      There are more than 510 centers providing ophthalmology training and more than 32
      centers providing subspecialty training; ophthalmic subspecialty training varies
      from a 3-month observership to a 12-month hands-on training. CONCLUSIONS: In the
      SAARC region, the challenge is to sustain and increase the eye health workforce
      to meet the needs of a growing and aging population. The demographic transitions,
      improved child survival and life expectancy rates, and emerging noncommunicable
      disease trends require training of ophthalmic subspecialists and supporting eye
      care teams to meet the service delivery demands of changing eye health paradigms.

PMID- 26107490
TI  - Patients' Short-term Satisfaction With Cataract Surgery and Long-Term
      Sustainability of Improved Visual-Related Quality of Life Over 3 Postoperative
      Years.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess self-reported satisfaction following cataract
      surgery, and the sustainability of improved visual function and health-related
      quality of life in a cataract surgical cohort over 3 years post
      phacoemulsification surgery. DESIGN: A clinic-based cohort study. METHODS:
      Cataract surgical patients were recruited and followed up annually after surgery.
      Logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) visual acuity, visual
      function (using the VF-14 questionnaire), and health-related quality of life
      (using the Short-Form Health Survey [SF-36] questionnaire) were assessed
      preoperatively and at 1, 2, and 3 years postoperatively. RESULTS: Of the 2029
      patients recruited, 1924 (94.8%) had at least 1 postoperative visit, and 1229
      (63.9%) had the 3-year follow-up examination performed. The mean age was 75.1 +/-
      6 years, and 54.1% were female. Of the 1229, 439 (35.7%) and 286 (23.3%) had
      completed the VF-14 and SF-36 questionnaires, respectively, at all 3 follow-up
      visits. The majority (92.1%) of patients reported being satisfied with the
      outcome of the surgery 6 months postoperatively. The overall VF-14 scores were
      significantly improved at the 12-month postoperative visits compared with
      preoperative scores (P < 0.01), independent of age and sex. The improved VF-14
      mean scores were sustained for up to 3 years postoperatively. Health-related
      quality of life (SF-36 scores) showed no significant changes between preoperative
      and 1-, 2-, and 3-year postoperative examinations. CONCLUSIONS: We documented the
      sustainability of improvement in visual function-related quality of life
      associated with cataract surgery over 3 postoperative years. Cataract surgery was
      not associated with improvement in health-related quality-of-life scores.

PMID- 26107491
TI  - Evaluation of Wound Morphology of Sclerotomy Sites of Sutureless Vitrectomy Using
      Spectralis Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate wound morphology in vivo in eyes
      undergoing sutureless vitrectomy. DESIGN: This was a prospective consecutive case
      series. METHODS: Twenty eyes undergoing sutureless vitrectomy were evaluated
      using anterior segment optical coherence tomography on days 1, 15, and 30. Ten
      eyes each belonged to 23-gauge (group A) and 25-gauge (group B). Scans were taken
      on the incision sites. Group A cases were further divided into group A1 and A2 on
      the basis of the surgical time of less than 15 minutes' and more than 15 minutes'
      duration, respectively. RESULTS: On day 1, the mean outer and inner incision
      diameters in group A were 236.6 and 146 um, and those for group B were 118.6 and
      90 um. A significant decrease (P < 0.0001) in both the port sizes was observed in
      both groups' follow-up. Group B showed significant decrease (P < 0.0001) in the
      port sizes on l follow-up as compared with group A. Group A1 had smaller incision
      size as compared with group A2 on the first postoperative day, although not
      statistically significant(P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In both groups, the sclerotomy
      incisions showed good healing at 1-month duration. The 25-gauge sclerotomies
      showed better healing characteristics of wound morphology as compared with the 23
      gauge sclerotomies.

PMID- 26107492
TI  - Management of Choroidal Neovascularization Secondary to Pathological Myopia: The
      Era of Changes.
AB  - Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathological myopia is an
      important cause of significant visual impairment in young adults. High myopia is
      particularly prevalent in Asian population. New scientific contributions have
      been made to the understanding of high myopia and myopic CNV. Treatment for
      myopic CNV has previously relied on photodynamic therapy, laser photocoagulation,
      and submacular surgery. The treatment outcomes from these modalities are,
      however, controversial. The introduction of antiangiogenic agents including
      bevacizumab and ranibizumab has brought the treatment of myopic CNV into a new
      era. The purpose of this review was to provide an overview of the natural history
      of myopic CNV, the prognostic factors, and the various treatment options
      including laser photocoagulation and photodynamic therapy, with particular
      attention on antiangiogenic agents. 

PMID- 26107493
TI  - Neuro-Ophthalmology Annual Review.
AB  - The aim of this study was to update the practicing ophthalmologist on the English
      language neuro-ophthalmology literature from the prior year. This study is a
      review of English-language literature from August 1, 2012, to August 1, 2013. The
      authors searched PubMed articles published from August 1, 2012, to August 1,
      2013, limited to English-language publications including original articles,
      review articles, and case reports and excluding letters to the editor,
      unpublished work, and abstracts. We researched the following topics: pupillary
      abnormalities, eye movement dysfunction, neuromuscular diseases, optic
      neuropathies, optic neuritis and demyelinating disease including multiple
      sclerosis, lesions of the chiasm and posterior primary visual pathways, elevated
      intracranial pressure, tumors and aneurysms affecting the visual pathways,
      vascular diseases, higher visual functions, and neuroimaging advances. We intend
      to share clinically relevant literature of the past year with the practicing
      ophthalmologist. We aimed to highlight remarkable and interesting literature
      rather than exhaustively including all new neuro-ophthalmological publications of
      the year. We reviewed literature in the past year with a focus on relevance and
      novelty. This review updates the comprehensive ophthalmologist on neuro
      ophthalmic topics. 

PMID- 26107494
TI  - Ghrelin Levels in Patients With Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was aimed to assess the levels of ghrelin in aqueous humor
      and plasma of human eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and to correlate
      their concentrations with the severity of glaucoma. DESIGN: This was a case
      control, prospective study. METHODS: Fifty patients with POAG and 35 patients
      with senile nonpathologic cataract (control group) were enrolled in the study
      prospectively. Aqueous humor samples were obtained by paracentesis from patients
      with glaucoma and cataract who underwent elective surgery. Aqueous humor and
      corresponding plasma samples were analyzed for ghrelin concentrations by
      radioimmunoassay diagnostic kits assay. RESULTS: Ghrelin levels were
      significantly lower in aqueous humor of patients with POAG with respect to the
      comparative group of patients with cataract (P < 0.001). There was no significant
      difference in the levels of ghrelin in the plasma of patients with POAG and that
      of patients with cataract. A positive correlation was found between
      plasma/aqueous humor ghrelin concentration in patients with POAG versus the
      control group (P < 0.001). No significant correlation was found between the
      levels of ghrelin and the severity of visual field loss. CONCLUSIONS: Lower
      levels of aqueous humor ghrelin may be associated with POAG and may be a
      consequence of glaucomatous damage.

PMID- 26107495
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding "The Endophthalmitis Kit".

PMID- 26107496
TI  - Species-Specific Chromosome Engineering Greatly Improves Fully Human Polyclonal
      Antibody Production Profile in Cattle.
AB  - Large-scale production of fully human IgG (hIgG) or human polyclonal antibodies
      (hpAbs) by transgenic animals could be useful for human therapy. However,
      production level of hpAbs in transgenic animals is generally very low, probably
      due to the fact that evolutionarily unique interspecies-incompatible genomic
      sequences between human and non-human host species may impede high production of
      fully hIgG in the non-human environment. To address this issue, we performed
      species-specific human artificial chromosome (HAC) engineering and tested these
      engineered HAC in cattle. Our previous study has demonstrated that site-specific
      genomic chimerization of pre-B cell receptor/B cell receptor (pre-BCR/BCR)
      components on HAC vectors significantly improves human IgG expression in cattle
      where the endogenous bovine immunoglobulin genes were knocked out. In this
      report, hIgG1 class switch regulatory elements were subjected to site-specific
      genomic chimerization on HAC vectors to further enhance hIgG expression and
      improve hIgG subclass distribution in cattle. These species-specific
      modifications in a chromosome scale resulted in much higher production levels of
      fully hIgG of up to 15 g/L in sera or plasma, the highest ever reported for a
      transgenic animal system. Transchromosomic (Tc) cattle containing engineered HAC
      vectors generated hpAbs with high titers against human-origin antigens following
      immunization. This study clearly demonstrates that species-specific sequence
      differences in pre-BCR/BCR components and IgG1 class switch regulatory elements
      between human and bovine are indeed functionally distinct across the two species,
      and therefore, are responsible for low production of fully hIgG in our early
      versions of Tc cattle. The high production levels of fully hIgG with hIgG1
      subclass dominancy in a large farm animal species achieved here is an important
      milestone towards broad therapeutic applications of hpAbs. 

PMID- 26107497
TI  - Evaluation of Copan FLOQSwab for the molecular detection of Chlamydia trachomatis
      by Abbott RealTime CT PCR.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We evaluated Copan FLOQSwabs next to Abbott swabs for the detection
      of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) by Abbott RealTime PCR. METHODS: We collected 1062
      paired swabs from female sex workers. The study was divided in two arms,
      according to the order of swab collection. RESULTS: If the Abbott swab was
      collected first, 501 couples were concordant and two discordant (Abbott negative
      and Copan positive). If the Copan swab was collected first, 537 couples were
      concordant and 10 discordant (eight Abbott negative and Copan positive and two
      Abbott positive and Copan negative). All discordant samples contained low levels
      of C. trachomatis. Technical issues lead to retesting of 64 Copan and 21 Abbott
      swabs. CONCLUSION: Our results show that Copan FLOQSwabs can be used
      interchangeably with Abbott swabs. While appearing to have an advantage in
      detecting more positive samples, the use of Copan swabs led to a higher retesting
      rate due to technical errors.

PMID- 26107499
TI  - Improving the Measurement of Cognitive Ability in Geriatric Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: No single tool is available in geriatric clinical settings to
      quantitatively measure global cognitive ability at different stages ranging from
      normal functioning to severe impairment. We developed an adaptive test to measure
      cognitive ability in geriatric populations (Geriatric Rapid Adaptive Cognitive
      Estimate, GRACE); however, the test failed to discriminate between high
      functioning individuals. This study aimed to estimate the extent to which adding
      more difficult items to the GRACE would improve measurement precision in the
      upper range of cognitive ability. METHODS: The original data used to develop the
      GRACE was merged with newly collected data of patients who presented at local
      geriatric clinics. The Rasch analysis was used to estimate the difficulty level
      of the newly added items and evaluate whether the psychometric properties of the
      GRACE were improved. RESULTS: One newly added item (Sequencing 5) had a higher
      difficulty level than all of the previous items in the GRACE. The rest of the new
      items were located in the high difficulty range. CONCLUSION: The psychometric
      properties of our adaptive screening tool were improved, and we were able to
      distinguish between individuals who had higher levels of cognitive functioning.

PMID- 26107498
TI  - An Interspecies Comparative Analysis of the Predicted Secretomes of the
      Necrotrophic Plant Pathogens Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea.
AB  - Phytopathogenic fungi form intimate associations with host plant species and
      cause disease. To be successful, fungal pathogens communicate with a susceptible
      host through the secretion of proteinaceous effectors, hydrolytic enzymes and
      metabolites. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea are economically
      important necrotrophic fungal pathogens that cause disease on numerous crop
      species. Here, a powerful bioinformatics pipeline was used to predict the refined
      S. sclerotiorum and B. cinerea secretomes, identifying 432 and 499 proteins
      respectively. Analyses focusing on S. sclerotiorum revealed that 16% of the
      secretome encoding genes resided in small, sequence heterogeneous, gene clusters
      that were distributed over 13 of the 16 predicted chromosomes. Functional
      analyses highlighted the importance of plant cell hydrolysis, oxidation-reduction
      processes and the redox state to the S. sclerotiorum and B. cinerea secretomes
      and potentially host infection. Only 8% of the predicted proteins were distinct
      between the two secretomes. In contrast to S. sclerotiorum, the B. cinerea
      secretome lacked CFEM- or LysM-containing proteins. The 115 fungal and oomycete
      genome comparison identified 30 proteins specific to S. sclerotiorum and B.
      cinerea, plus 11 proteins specific to S. sclerotiorum and 32 proteins specific to
      B. cinerea. Expressed sequence tag (EST) and proteomic analyses showed that 246
      S. sclerotiorum secretome encoding genes had EST support, including 101 which
      were only expressed in vitro and 49 which were only expressed in planta, whilst
      42 predicted proteins were experimentally proven to be secreted. These detailed
      in silico analyses of two important necrotrophic pathogens will permit informed
      choices to be made when candidate effector proteins are selected for function
      analyses in planta. 

PMID- 26107500
TI  - Establishment of plasma microRNA detection method by using taqman probe based
      quantitative reverse transcription PCR.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a kind of short non&mdash;coding RNAs that regulate gene
      expression at the post&mdash;transcriptional level. Recently, many studies have
      found that circulating miRNAs have the potential to sever as diagnostic
      biomarkers for many diseases. However, the methods for the quantification of
      circulating miRNAs still need more adjustment. In this study, we tried to
      establish a reliable method to quantify the plasma miRNAs. We used quantitative
      real&mdash;time PCR with taqman probes to detect the plasma miR&mdash;153 level.
      Three controls were used in this study, including two external miRNAs control
      from C. elegans miRNAs (cel&mdash;miR&mdash;54 and cel&mdash;miR&mdash;238) and
      one internal control (hsa&mdash;miR&mdash;486). All of these controls were stable
      in plasma and the
      cel&mdash;miR&mdash;238/cel&mdash;miR&mdash;54/hsa&mdash;miR&mdash;486
      combination could improve the normalization process. The expression level of the
      target miRNA, human plasma miR&mdash;153, could be quantified accurately with
      taqman probes .The assay has high accuracy, high sensitivity and a large dynamic
      range from 100 copies to 10(13) copies in the PCR reaction. Our study provided a
      standardized quantification method for plasma miRNAs which might be used as
      biomarker in many diseases research. 

PMID- 26107501
TI  - Effect of Lead stress on phosphatase activity and reducing power assay of
      Triticum aestivum.
AB  - Lead (Pb) is a highly toxic heavy metal for both plants and animals; the
      environment is increasingly polluted with heavy metals and reduces crop
      productivity. Plants possess homeostatic mechanisms that allow them to keep
      correct concentrations of essential metal ions in cellular compartments and to
      minimize the damaging effects of an excess of nonessential ones. One of their
      adverse effects on plants are the generation of harmful active oxygen species,
      leading to oxidative stress and the antioxidative activity seems to be of
      fundamental importance for adaptive response of plant against environmental
      stress. The present study explores the effects of lead (soil treated twice/ week)
      with (10, 30 and 60 mM) on the specific activities of phosphatases which might
      lead to reducing power assay in (Triticum aestivum PBW344) seedling. A
      significant decrease in the redox potential of shoot compared to root was
      observed at the similar concentration of lead. A similar trend on leaves was also
      noted. Acid and alkaline phosphatase activities were significantly higher in
      roots than in shoot at all the three concentration of lead i.e. 10, 30 and 60 mM,
      compared to controls. The above mentioned changes were more pronounced at 60 mM
      concentration of lead than two other concentrations. These results lead us to
      suggest that increased lead concentration in soil might lead to adverse effects
      on plant growth and phosphatase activities. 

PMID- 26107502
TI  - AIM2 inflammasome is dispensable for the host defense against Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa infection.
AB  - Respiratory tract infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major cause of
      hospital&mdash;acquired pneumonia in immune&mdash;compromised individuals. Lung
      infection with P. aeruginosa is often associated with production of various
      inflammatory cytokines including IL&mdash;1&#946;. Production of IL&mdash;1&#946;
      requires proteolytic cleavage by a multiprotein complex termed inflammasome. AIM2
      inflammasome recognizes foreign cytosolic double stranded DNA. A role of AIM2 in
      P. aeruginosa infection has not been reported previously. In this study, we found
      that P. aeruginosa infection induced degradation of AIM2 protein in macrophages
      and induction of AIM2 mRNA expression in macrophages and in the lung of mice.
      Interestingly, P. aeruginosa infection induced a similar level of
      IL&mdash;1&#946;, IL&mdash;6 and TNF production in wild&mdash;type and
      AIM2&mdash;deficient mice. Similarly, no significant differences in bacterial
      clearance, neutrophil infiltration and NF&mdash;&#954;B activation were observed
      between wild&mdash;type and AIM2&mdash;deficient mice following P. aeruginosa
      lung infection. Our data suggest that AIM2 inflammasome is dispensable for the
      host defense against P. aeruginosa infection. 

PMID- 26107503
TI  - Highly nitrogen doped carbon nanosheets as an efficient electrocatalyst for the
      oxygen reduction reaction.
AB  - In this work, highly nitrogen doped carbon nanosheets (HNCNSs) have been
      successfully prepared by annealing EDTA calcium disodium salt. They exhibited a
      direct four-electron reaction pathway and high stability as an efficient metal
      free catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction. 

PMID- 26107504
TI  - Recombinant Soluble Respiratory Syncytial Virus F Protein That Lacks Heptad
      Repeat B, Contains a GCN4 Trimerization Motif and Is Not Cleaved Displays
      Prefusion-Like Characteristics.
AB  - The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion protein F is considered an
      attractive vaccine candidate especially in its prefusion conformation. We studied
      whether recombinant soluble RSV F proteins could be stabilized in a prefusion
      like conformation by mutation of heptad repeat B (HRB). The results show that
      soluble, trimeric, non-cleaved RSV F protein, produced by expression of the furin
      cleavage site-mutated F ectodomain extended with a GCN4 trimerization sequence,
      is efficiently recognized by pre- as well as postfusion-specific antibodies. In
      contrast, a similar F protein completely lacking HRB displayed high reactivity
      with prefusion-specific antibodies recognizing antigenic site O, but did not
      expose postfusion-specific antigenic site I, in agreement with this protein
      maintaining a prefusion-like conformation. These features were dependent on the
      presence of the GCN4 trimerization domain. Absence of cleavage also contributed
      to binding of prefusion-specific antibodies. Similar antibody reactivity profiles
      were observed when the prefusion form of F was stabilized by the introduction of
      cysteine pairs in HRB. To study whether the inability to form the 6HB was
      responsible for the prefusion-like antibody reactivity profile, alanine mutations
      were introduced in HRB. Although introduction of alanine residues in HRB
      inhibited the formation of the 6HB, the exposure of postfusion-specific antigenic
      site I was not prevented. In conclusion, proteins that are not able to form the
      6HB, due to mutation of HRB, may still display postfusion-specific antigenic site
      I. Replacement of HRB by the GCN4 trimerization domain in a non-cleaved soluble F
      protein resulted, however, in a protein with prefusion-like characteristics,
      suggesting that this HRB-lacking protein may represent a potential prefusion F
      protein subunit vaccine candidate. 

PMID- 26107505
TI  - Impact of long-term exposure to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib on the
      skeleton of growing rats.
AB  - The tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitor imatinib provides a highly effective therapy
      for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) via inhibition of the oncogenic TK BCR-ABL1.
      However, off-target TKs like platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGF-R)
      and colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (c-fms), involved in bone remodeling,
      are also inhibited. Thus, pediatric patients with CML on imatinib exhibit altered
      bone metabolism, leading to linear growth failure. As TKI treatment might be
      necessary for a lifetime, long-term effects exerted on bone in children are of
      major concern. Therefore, we studied the skeletal long-term effects of continuous
      and intermittent imatinib exposure in a juvenile rat model. Four-weeks-old male
      Wistar rats were chronically exposed to imatinib via drinking water over a period
      of 10 weeks. Animals were exposed to a standard and high imatinib dosage
      continuously and to the high imatinib dose intermittently. Bone mass and strength
      were assessed using pQCT, micro-computed tomography (MUCT), and biomechanical
      testing at the prepubertal, pubertal, and postpubertal age. Bone length and
      vertebral height as well as biochemical markers of bone turnover were analyzed.
      Femoral and tibial bone length were dose-dependently reduced by up to 24%
      (p<0.0001), femoral and tibial trabecular bone mass density (BMD) were reduced by
      up to 25% (p<0.01), and femoral breaking strength was lowered by up to 20%
      (p<0.05). Intermittent exposure mitigated these skeletal effects. Long-term
      exposure resulted in reduced vertebral height by 15% and lower trabecular BMD by
      5%. Skeletal changes were associated with suppressed serum osteocalcin (p<0.01)
      and non-significantly elevated serum CTX-I and PINP levels. In conclusion,
      imatinib mainly impaired longitudinal growth of long bones rather than the
      vertebrae of growing rats. Interestingly, intermittent imatinib exposure has less
      skeletal side effects, which may be beneficial in pediatric patients taking
      imatinib. 

PMID- 26107506
TI  - Public Reporting of Patient Satisfaction vs Objective Quality Measures: Why Must
      We Choose? Can Patients Have Both?

PMID- 26107508
TI  - Diagnosis of breast tumor using thermal tomography q-r curve.
AB  - Metabolic heat, the product following the metabolism of cells, is closely related
      to the pathological information of living organisms, which means there are strong
      connections between the heat distribution and the pathological state of the
      living organism. The mathematical function delta is introduced in the classical
      Pennes bioheat transfer equation as a point heat source, and by simplifying the
      boundary condition, a bioheat transfer model is established. Based on the
      temperature distribution of the human body surface, the q-r curve of heat
      intensity q varying with depth r is acquired while combining the fitting method
      of the Lorentz curve. According to 34,977 clinical confirmed cases and the
      corresponding classified statistics, diagnostic criteria (for breast diseases)
      for judging diseases by the q-r curve are proposed. The P -value of our
      statistics is <0.05 , which means our classified statistics are reliable. Six
      typical clinical examinations are performed, and the diagnosis results are very
      consistent with those of B-ultrasonic images, molybdenum target x-ray, and
      pathological examination, which suggests that the method of diagnosing diseases
      with a q-r curve has very good prospects for application. It is radiation free
      and noninvasive to the human body.

PMID- 26107507
TI  - Correlation between Circulating Fungal Biomarkers and Clinical Outcome in
      Invasive Aspergillosis.
AB  - Objective means are needed to predict and assess clinical response in patients
      treated for invasive aspergillosis (IA). We examined whether early changes in
      serum galactomannan (GM) and/or beta-D-glucan (BDG) can predict clinical
      outcomes. Patients with proven or probable IA were prospectively enrolled, and
      serial GM and BDG levels and GM optical density indices (GMI) were calculated
      twice weekly for 6 weeks following initiation of standard-of-care antifungal
      therapy. Changes in these biomarkers during the first 2 and 6 weeks of treatment
      were analyzed for associations with clinical response and survival at weeks 6 and
      12. Among 47 patients with IA, 53.2% (25/47) and 65.9% (27/41) had clinical
      response by weeks 6 and 12, respectively. Changes in biomarkers during the first
      2 weeks were associated with clinical response at 6 weeks (GMI, P = 0.03) and 12
      weeks (GM+BDG composite, P = 0.05; GM, P = 0.04; GMI, P = 0.02). Changes in
      biomarkers during the first 6 weeks were also associated with clinical response
      at 6 weeks (GM, P = 0.05; GMI, P = 0.03) and 12 weeks (BDG+GM, P = 0.02; GM, P =
      0.02; GMI, P = 0.01). Overall survival rates at 6 weeks and 12 weeks were 87.2%
      (41/47) and 79.1% (34/43), respectively. Decreasing biomarkers in the first 2
      weeks were associated with survival at 6 weeks (BDG+GM, P = 0.03; BDG, P = 0.01;
      GM, P = 0.03) and at 12 weeks (BDG+GM, P = 0.01; BDG, P = 0.03; GM, P = 0.01;
      GMI, P = 0.007). Similar correlations occurred for biomarkers measured over 6
      weeks. Patients with negative baseline GMI and/or persistently negative GMI
      during the first 2 weeks were more likely to have CR and survival. These results
      suggest that changes of biomarkers may be informative to predict and/or assess
      response to therapy and survival in patients treated for IA. 

PMID- 26107509
TI  - Evaluation of Four Commercial Multiplex Molecular Tests for the Diagnosis of
      Acute Respiratory Infections.
AB  - Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) are responsible for considerable morbidity
      and mortality worldwide. Documentation of respiratory specimens can help for an
      appropriate clinical management with a significant effect on the disease progress
      in patient, the antimicrobial therapy used and the risk of secondary spread of
      infection. Here, we compared the performances of four commercial multiplex kits
      used in French University Hospital diagnostic microbiology laboratories for the
      detection of ARI pathogens (i.e., the xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel Fast,
      RespiFinder SMART 22, CLART PneumoVir and Fast Track Diagnostics Respiratory
      Pathogen 33 kits). We used a standardised nucleic acids extraction protocol and a
      comprehensive comparative approach that mixed reference to well established real
      time PCR detection techniques and analysis of convergent positive results. We
      tested 166 respiratory clinical samples and identified a global high degree of
      correlation for at least three of the techniques (xTAG, RespiFinder and FTD33).
      For these techniques, the highest Youden's index (YI), positive predictive (PPV)
      and specificity (Sp) values were observed for Core tests (e.g., influenza A
      [YI:0.86-1.00; PPV:78.95-100.00; Sp:97.32-100.00] & B [YI:0.44-1.00; PPV:100.00;
      Sp:100.00], hRSV [YI:0.50-0.99; PPV:85.71-100.00; Sp:99.38-100.00], hMPV [YI:0.71
      1.00; PPV:83.33-100.00; Sp:99.37-100.00], EV/hRV [YI:0.62-0.82; PPV:93.33-100.00;
      Sp:94.48-100.00], AdV [YI:1.00; PPV:100.00; Sp:100.00] and hBoV [YI:0.20-0.80;
      PPV:57.14-100.00; Sp:98.14-100.00]). The present study completed an overview of
      the multiplex techniques available for the diagnosis of acute respiratory
      infections. 

PMID- 26107510
TI  - Effect Modifying Role of Serum Calcium on Mortality-Predictability of PTH and
      Alkaline Phosphatase in Hemodialysis Patients: An Investigation Using Data from
      the Taiwan Renal Registry Data System from 2005 to 2012.
AB  - Predicting mortality in dialysis patients based on low intact parathyroid hormone
      levels is difficult, because aluminum intoxication, malnutrition, older age,
      race, diabetes, or peritoneal dialysis may influence these levels. We
      investigated the clinical implications of low parathyroid hormone levels in
      relation to the mortality of dialysis patients using sensitive, stratified, and
      adjusted models and a nationwide dialysis database. We analyzed data from 2005 to
      2012 that were held on the Taiwan Renal Registry Data System, and 94,983
      hemodialysis patients with valid data regarding their intact parathyroid levels
      were included in this study. The patient cohort was subdivided based on the
      intact parathyroid hormone and alkaline phosphatase levels. The mean hemodialysis
      duration within this cohort was 3.5 years. The mean (standard deviation) age was
      62 (14) years. After adjusting for age, sex, diabetes, the hemodialysis duration,
      serum albumin levels, hematocrit levels, calcium levels, phosphate levels, and
      the hemodialysis treatment adequacy score, the single-pool Kt/V, the crude and
      adjusted all-cause mortality rates increased when alkaline phosphatase levels
      were higher or intact parathyroid hormone levels were lower. In general, at any
      given level of serum calcium or phosphate, patients with low intact parathyroid
      hormone levels had higher mortality rates than those with normal or high iPTH
      levels. At a given alkaline phosphatase level, the hazard ratio for all-cause
      mortality was 1.33 (p < 0.01, 95% confidence interval 1.27-1.39) in the group
      with intact parathyroid hormone levels < 150 pg/mL and serum calcium levels > 9.5
      mg/dL, but in the group with intact parathyroid hormone levels > 300 pg/mL and
      serum calcium levels > 9.5 mg/dL, the hazard ratio was 0.92 (95% confidence
      interval 0.85-1.01). Hence, maintaining albumin-corrected high serum calcium
      levels at > 9.5 mg/dL may correlate with poor prognoses for patients with low
      intact parathyroid hormone levels. 

PMID- 26107511
TI  - Evidence for the dimerization-mediated catalysis of methionine sulfoxide
      reductase A from Clostridium oremlandii.
AB  - Clostridium oremlandii MsrA (CoMsrA) is a natively selenocysteine-containing
      methionine-S-sulfoxide reductase and classified into a 1-Cys type MsrA. CoMsrA
      exists as a monomer in solution. Herein, we report evidence that CoMsrA can
      undergo homodimerization during catalysis. The monomeric CoMsrA dimerizes in the
      presence of its substrate methionine sulfoxide via an intermolecular disulfide
      bond between catalytic Cys16 residues. The dimeric CoMsrA is resolved by the
      reductant glutaredoxin, suggesting the relevance of dimerization in catalysis.
      The dimerization reaction occurs in a concentration- and time-dependent manner.
      In addition, the occurrence of homodimer formation in the native selenoprotein
      CoMsrA is confirmed. We also determine the crystal structure of the dimeric
      CoMsrA, having the dimer interface around the two catalytic Cys16 residues. A
      central cone-shaped hole is present in the surface model of dimeric structure,
      and the two Cys16 residues constitute the base of the hole. Collectively, our
      biochemical and structural analyses suggest a novel dimerization-mediated
      mechanism for CoMsrA catalysis that is additionally involved in CoMsrA
      regeneration by glutaredoxin. 

PMID- 26107512
TI  - Accuracy of Lung Ultrasonography versus Chest Radiography for the Diagnosis of
      Adult Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Review of the Literature and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Lung ultrasonography (LUS) is being increasingly utilized in emergency and
      critical settings. We performed a systematic review of the current literature to
      compare the accuracy of LUS and chest radiography (CR) for the diagnosis of adult
      community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We searched in Pub Med, EMBASE dealing with
      both LUS and CR for diagnosis of adult CAP, and conducted a meta-analysis to
      evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of LUS in comparison with CR. The diagnostic
      standard that the index test compared was the hospital discharge diagnosis or the
      result of chest computed tomography scan as a "gold standard". We calculated
      pooled sensitivity and specificity using the Mantel-Haenszel method and pooled
      diagnostic odds ratio using the DerSimonian-Laird method. Five articles met our
      inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Using hospital
      discharge diagnosis as reference, LUS had a pooled sensitivity of 0.95 (0.93
      0.97) and a specificity of 0.90 (0.86 to 0.94), CR had a pooled sensitivity of
      0.77 (0.73 to 0.80) and a specificity of 0.91 (0.87 to 0.94). LUS and CR compared
      with computed tomography scan in 138 patients in total, the Z statistic of the
      two summary receiver operating characteristic was 3.093 (P = 0.002), the areas
      under the curve for LUS and CR were 0.901 and 0.590, respectively. Our study
      indicates that LUS can help to diagnosis adult CAP by clinicians and the accuracy
      was better compared with CR using chest computed tomography scan as the gold
      standard. 

PMID- 26107513
TI  - Structure-Based Design and Optimization of Multitarget-Directed 2H-Chromen-2-one
      Derivatives as Potent Inhibitors of Monoamine Oxidase B and Cholinesterases.
AB  - The multifactorial nature of Alzheimer's disease calls for the development of
      multitarget agents addressing key pathogenic processes. To this end, by following
      a docking-assisted hybridization strategy, a number of aminocoumarins were
      designed, prepared, and tested as monoamine oxidases (MAOs) and acetyl- and
      butyryl-cholinesterase (AChE and BChE) inhibitors. Highly flexible N-benzyl-N
      alkyloxy coumarins 2-12 showed good inhibitory activities at MAO-B, AChE, and
      BChE but low selectivity. More rigid inhibitors, bearing meta- and para-xylyl
      linkers, displayed good inhibitory activities and high MAO-B selectivity.
      Compounds 21, 24, 37, and 39, the last two featuring an improved
      hydrophilic/lipophilic balance, exhibited excellent activity profiles with
      nanomolar inhibitory potency toward hMAO-B, high hMAO-B over hMAO-A selectivity
      and submicromolar potency at hAChE. Cell-based assays of BBB permeation,
      neurotoxicity, and neuroprotection supported the potential of compound 37 as a
      BBB-permeant neuroprotective agent against H2O2-induced oxidative stress with
      poor interaction as P-gp substrate and very low cytotoxicity. 

PMID- 26107514
TI  - Proteasomal Degradation of Proinsulin Requires Derlin-2, HRD1 and p97.
AB  - Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) suffer from beta-cell destruction by CD8+ T
      cells that have preproinsulin as an important target autoantigen. It is of great
      importance to understand the molecular mechanism underlying the processing of
      preproinsulin into these CD8+ T-cell epitopes. We therefore studied a pathway
      that may contribute to the production of these antigenic peptides: degradation of
      proinsulin via ER associated protein degradation (ERAD). Analysis of the MHC
      class I peptide ligandome confirmed the presentation of the most relevant MHC
      class I-restricted diabetogenic epitopes in our cells: the signal peptide-derived
      sequence A15-A25 and the insulin B-chain epitopes H29-A38 and H34-V42. We
      demonstrate that specific silencing of Derlin-2, p97 and HRD1 by shRNAs increases
      steady state levels of proinsulin. This indicates that these ERAD constituents
      are critically involved in proinsulin degradation and may therefore also play a
      role in subsequent antigen generation. These ERAD proteins therefore represent
      interesting targets for novel therapies aiming at the reduction and possibly also
      prevention of beta-cell directed auto-immune reactions in T1D. 

PMID- 26107515
TI  - Noise-Induced Frequency Modifications of Tamarin Vocalizations: Implications for
      Noise Compensation in Nonhuman Primates.
AB  - Previous research suggests that nonhuman primates have limited flexibility in the
      frequency content of their vocalizations, particularly when compared to human
      speech. Consistent with this notion, several nonhuman primate species have
      demonstrated noise-induced changes in call amplitude and duration, with no
      evidence of changes to spectral content. This experiment used broad- and narrow
      band noise playbacks to investigate the vocal control of two call types produced
      by cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus Oedipus). In 'combination long calls' (CLCs),
      peak fundamental frequency and the distribution of energy between low and high
      frequency harmonics (spectral tilt) changed in response to increased noise
      amplitude and bandwidth. In chirps, peak and maximum components of the
      fundamental frequency increased with increasing noise level, with no changes to
      spectral tilt. Other modifications included the Lombard effect and increases in
      chirp duration. These results provide the first evidence for noise-induced
      frequency changes in nonhuman primate vocalizations and suggest that future
      investigations of vocal plasticity in primates should include spectral
      parameters. 

PMID- 26107517
TI  - HPV16 Down-Regulates the Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2 to Promote
      Epithelial Invasion in Organotypic Cultures.
AB  - Cervical cancer is a multi-stage disease caused by human papillomaviruses (HPV)
      infection of cervical epithelial cells, but the mechanisms regulating disease
      progression are not clearly defined. Using 3-dimensional organotypic cultures, we
      demonstrate that HPV16 E6 and E7 proteins alter the secretome of primary human
      keratinocytes resulting in local epithelial invasion. Mechanistically, absence of
      the IGF-binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) caused increases in IGFI/II signalling and
      through crosstalk with KGF/FGFR2b/AKT, cell invasion. Repression of IGFBP2 is
      mediated by histone deacetylation at the IGFBP2 promoter and was reversed by
      treatment with histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Our in vitro findings were
      confirmed in 50 invasive cancers and 79 cervical intra-epithelial neoplastic
      lesions caused by HPV16 infection, where IGFBP2 levels were reduced with
      increasing disease severity. In summary, the loss of IGFBP2 is associated with
      progression of premalignant disease, and sensitises cells to pro-invasive IGF
      signalling, and together with stromal derived factors promotes epithelial
      invasion. 

PMID- 26107516
TI  - Measuring Faecal Epi-Androsterone as an Indicator of Gonadal Activity in Spotted
      Hyenas (Crocuta crocuta).
AB  - Enzyme immunoassays (EIA) that measure faecal testosterone metabolites (fTM) are
      useful tools to monitor gonadal activity. The aim of this study was to validate
      an "in-house" epiandrosterone EIA to monitor fTM in spotted hyenas. FTM were
      characterised in a male and a female hyena that each received an injection of 3H
      testosterone. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses revealed a
      cluster of highly polar enzyme-hydrolysable hormone metabolite conjugates. We
      performed hydrolysis using beta-glucuronidase to deconjugate metabolites and
      improve sensitivity of the assay. Because beta-glucuronidase from Helix pomatia
      has been reported to bias testosterone measurements in some species, we compared
      the enzymatic activity of the commonly used beta-glucuronidase extracted from H.
      pomatia with the same enzyme from Escherichia coli. Our results showed that beta
      glucuronidases from both sources produced similar results from spotted hyena
      faeces. We therefore hydrolysed samples with H. pomatia enzymes. HPLC analyses
      also demonstrated that following hydrolysis the epiandrosterone EIA measured
      significant amounts of immunoreactive metabolites corresponding to radiolabelled
      metabolites in both sexes. Additionally, HPLC and GC-MS analyses confirmed the
      presence of epiandrosterone in faeces of spotted hyenas. The biological relevance
      of the epiandrosterone EIA was validated by demonstrating (1) a significant
      increase in fTM levels in response to a testosterone injection within 16 h, (2)
      no biological responsiveness to an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) injection
      and (3) significant differences in fTM levels between juvenile males and adult
      immigrant males in a free-ranging wild population. Our results clearly
      demonstrate that the epiandrosterone EIA is a reliable non-invasive method to
      monitor gonadal activity in spotted hyenas. 

PMID- 26107518
TI  - Antenna Mechanism of Length Control of Actin Cables.
AB  - Actin cables are linear cytoskeletal structures that serve as tracks for myosin
      based intracellular transport of vesicles and organelles in both yeast and
      mammalian cells. In a yeast cell undergoing budding, cables are in constant
      dynamic turnover yet some cables grow from the bud neck toward the back of the
      mother cell until their length roughly equals the diameter of the mother cell.
      This raises the question: how is the length of these cables controlled? Here we
      describe a novel molecular mechanism for cable length control inspired by recent
      experimental observations in cells. This "antenna mechanism" involves three key
      proteins: formins, which polymerize actin, Smy1 proteins, which bind formins and
      inhibit actin polymerization, and myosin motors, which deliver Smy1 to formins,
      leading to a length-dependent actin polymerization rate. We compute the
      probability distribution of cable lengths as a function of several experimentally
      tuneable parameters such as the formin-binding affinity of Smy1 and the
      concentration of myosin motors delivering Smy1. These results provide testable
      predictions of the antenna mechanism of actin-cable length control. 

PMID- 26107519
TI  - Development and First Phase Evaluation of a Maternity Leave Educational Tool for
      Pregnant, Working Women in California.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the provision of maternity leave offered to mothers, many
      American women fail to take leave. METHODS: We developed an evidence-based
      maternity leave educational tool for working women in California using
      participatory design. We tested its short-term efficacy with a randomized
      controlled trial of pregnant English-speakers (n=155). RESULTS: Among
      intervention participants exposed to the tool, 65% reported that they learned
      something new; 38% were motivated to seek more information; and 49% said it
      helped them plan their maternity leave. Among participants who delivered at >= 37
      weeks gestation and said the tool helped them plan their leave, 89% took more
      than one week of prenatal leave, a significantly higher proportion than among
      controls who did not receive the tool (64%, p=0.049). Other findings favored
      trial participants, but were not statistically significant in this small sample.
      More intervention participants took some prenatal leave (80%) vs. controls (74%,
      p=0.44). Among participants who had returned to work when surveyed (n=50), mean
      postnatal leave uptake was on average 1 week longer for intervention participants
      vs. controls (13.3 vs. 12.2 weeks, p=0.54). CONCLUSIONS: The first-phase
      evaluation of this tool shows that it successfully informed women about maternity
      leave options, clarified complex regulations, encouraged women to seek further
      information and helped plan maternity leave. Compared to controls, trial
      participants who used the tool to plan their leave were far more likely to take
      prenatal leave close to term. Future evaluation of the tool when mediated by a
      health provider or employer is warranted.

PMID- 26107520
TI  - Correction: Harnessing Case Isolation and Ring Vaccination to Control Ebola.

PMID- 26107521
TI  - Impaired Glucose Metabolism in Mice Lacking the Tas1r3 Taste Receptor Gene.
AB  - The G-protein-coupled sweet taste receptor dimer T1R2/T1R3 is expressed in taste
      bud cells in the oral cavity. In recent years, its involvement in membrane
      glucose sensing was discovered in endocrine cells regulating glucose homeostasis.
      We investigated importance of extraorally expressed T1R3 taste receptor protein
      in age-dependent control of blood glucose homeostasis in vivo, using nonfasted
      mice with a targeted mutation of the Tas1r3 gene that encodes the T1R3 protein.
      Glucose and insulin tolerance tests, as well as behavioral tests measuring taste
      responses to sucrose solutions, were performed with C57BL/6ByJ (Tas1r3+/+) inbred
      mice bearing the wild-type allele and C57BL/6J-Tas1r3tm1Rfm mice lacking the
      entire Tas1r3 coding region and devoid of the T1R3 protein (Tas1r3-/-). Compared
      with Tas1r3+/+ mice, Tas1r3-/- mice lacked attraction to sucrose in brief-access
      licking tests, had diminished taste preferences for sucrose solutions in the two
      bottle tests, and had reduced insulin sensitivity and tolerance to glucose
      administered intraperitoneally or intragastrically, which suggests that these
      effects are due to absence of T1R3. Impairment of glucose clearance in Tas1r3-/-
      mice was exacerbated with age after intraperitoneal but not intragastric
      administration of glucose, pointing to a compensatory role of extraoral T1R3
      dependent mechanisms in offsetting age-dependent decline in regulation of glucose
      homeostasis. Incretin effects were similar in Tas1r3+/+ and Tas1r3-/- mice, which
      suggests that control of blood glucose clearance is associated with effects of
      extraoral T1R3 in tissues other than the gastrointestinal tract. Collectively,
      the obtained data demonstrate that the T1R3 receptor protein plays an important
      role in control of glucose homeostasis not only by regulating sugar intake but
      also via its extraoral function, probably in the pancreas and brain. 

PMID- 26107522
TI  - The dose-dependent effect of nesiritide on renal function in patients with acute
      decompensated heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized
      controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Conflicting renal effects of nesiritide have been reported in
      patients with acute decompensated heart failure. To answer this controversy, we
      performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the
      influence of nesiritide on renal function in patients with acute decompensated
      heart failure. METHODS: Articles were obtained from PubMed, Medline, Cochrane
      Library and reference review. Randomized controlled studies that investigated the
      effects of continuous infusion of nesiritide on renal function in adult patients
      with acute decompensated heart failure were included and analyzed. Fixed-effect
      model was used to estimate relative risk (RR) and weight mean difference (WMD).
      The quality assessment of each study, subgroup, sensitivity, and publication bias
      analyses were performed. RESULTS: Fifteen randomized controlled trials were
      eligible for inclusion. Most of included studies had relatively high quality and
      no publication bias was found. Overall, compared to control therapies, nesiritide
      might increase the risk of worsening renal function in patients with acute
      decompensated heart failure (RR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.15, P = 0.023). In subgroup
      analysis, high-dose nesiritide strongly associated with renal dysfunction (RR
      1.54, 95% CI 1.19-2.00, P = 0.001), but no statistical differences were observed
      in standard-dose (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.98-1.12, P = 0.213), low-dose groups (RR
      1.01, 95% CI 0.74-1.37, P = 0.968) and same results were identified in the
      subgroup analysis of placebo controlled trials. Peak mean change of serum
      creatinine from baseline was no significant difference (WMD -2.54, 95% CI -5.76
      0.67, P = 0.121). CONCLUSIONS: In our meta-analysis, nesiritide may have a dose
      dependent effect on renal function in patients with acute decompensated heart
      failure. High-dose nesiritide is likely to increase the risk of worsening renal
      function, but standard-dose and low-dose nesiritide probably have no impact on
      renal function. These findings could be helpful to optimize the use of nesiritide
      in clinical practice.

PMID- 26107523
TI  - The acceptability of PEGASUS: an intervention to facilitate shared decision
      making with women contemplating breast reconstruction.
AB  - Good practice guidelines recommend that women who undergo mastectomy are offered
      reconstructive surgery. However, many who choose this option report a degree of
      decisional regret and dissatisfaction because their pre-surgical expectations
      were not met. This paper reports an acceptability study of a new intervention
      (PEGASUS) that aims to support shared decision-making by eliciting women's pre
      surgical expectations and setting patient-centred goals. Eighteen women
      contemplating breast reconstruction completed the PEGASUS intervention. Semi
      structured interviews were conducted with 12 women and 3 health professionals to
      explore their experiences of using PEGASUS. Interview transcripts were subjected
      to a thematic analysis, and a content analysis was conducted on 79 goals that the
      18 women identified. Feedback was extremely positive--women found that completing
      PEGASUS alongside a discussion with a specially trained health professional
      helped them prepare for the surgical consultation and increased their trust in
      their surgeon. Staff reported that PEGASUS facilitated patient-centred
      discussions and informed the decisions made about potential surgery. This
      preliminary study suggests that this novel intervention is acceptable to patients
      and health professionals alike. Further work is needed to evaluate its efficacy
      and then its effectiveness with a larger sample of women, and its potential use
      with other patient groups.

PMID- 26107524
TI  - Does neuroimaging help to deliver better recovery of movement after stroke?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review examines recent brain imaging studies that might
      contribute to delivering better recovery of motor function after stroke. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Most recent studies characterize differences in structural and
      functional organization of the poststroke brain in relation to impairment, or
      measure alterations in brain organization as the result of one form of therapy or
      another. These studies have not altered clinical practice. New approaches can
      test specific models of motor recovery after stroke. Firstly, anatomical
      assessment of key motor pathways, particularly corticospinal tract, may be useful
      in predicting long-term outcomes if used in combination with early clinical
      scores. Secondly, assessment of neuronal oscillations with electro or magneto
      encephalography may provide a novel way of assessing the balance between
      excitatory and inhibitory cortical processes and thereby provide biomarkers of
      the potential for experience-dependent plasticity. SUMMARY: Most recent studies
      are observational and do not test a plausible model of motor recovery after
      stroke. Brain imaging studies of stroke recovery need to consider how to provide
      tools to aid prediction of long-term outcome or response to treatment, or
      describe potential therapeutic targets for novel recovery promoting
      interventions, if they are to be clinically useful.

PMID- 26107525
TI  - Updated views of movement disorders.

PMID- 26107526
TI  - Computer-based analysis of brain images: how close are we to clinical
      applications?

PMID- 26107528
TI  - Microscopic segregation of hydrophilic ions in critical binary aqueous solvents.
AB  - Solid surfaces suspended in critical aqueous binary mixtures containing
      hydrophilic salt have recently been found to exhibit anomalous interactions, and
      a possible mechanism is provided by the asymmetric solvation preferences of
      weakly and strongly hydrophilic cations and anions, respectively. Here we address
      this mechanism by studying interfacial ion distributions in a critical binary
      mixture of water and 2,6-dimethylpyridine containing potassium chloride at
      temperatures below the lower critical point, using grazing-incidence X-ray
      fluorescence from the liquid-vapour interface. Our data provide direct and
      unambiguous experimental evidence for microscopic segregation of hydrophilic ions
      in critical aqueous binary mixtures, thereby supporting the important role of
      asymmetric ion solvation in the above mentioned anomalous force. However, the
      experimental data are only qualitatively reproduced by state-of-the-art
      theoretical calculations, demonstrating the need of a microscopic theoretical
      model including asymmetric ion solvation. 

PMID- 26107527
TI  - Erylivingstone A-C with antioxidant and antibacterial activities from Erythrina
      livingstoniana.
AB  - The chemical study of Erythrina livingstoniana has led to the isolation of three
      new flavanones namely 5,7,3'-trihydroxy-4'-methoxy-5'-formylflavanone
      (erylivingstone A) (1), 5,7,3'-trihydroxy-5'-(2-hydroxy-3-methylbut-3-enyl)-4'
      methoxyflavanone (erylivingstone B) (2) and 5,7,3'-trihydroxy-5'-(3-hydroxy-3
      methyl-trans-but-1-enyl)-4'-methoxyflavanone (erylivingstone C) (3) together with
      three known compounds (4-6). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of NMR
      data, HRMS(n) fragmentation pathway and by comparison with literature data. We
      evaluated the antibacterial efficacies and free-radical scavenging potential of
      the isolated compounds (1-6). The typical environmental strains of Gram-positive
      Bacillus subtilis, Gram-negative Escherichia coli, as well as against the
      clinically important Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and E. coli
      (risk-group 2) were used for the antibacterial assay. Compounds 5 and 6 exhibited
      the most pronounced efficacy against tested environmental bacteria as well as
      against the pathogenic strain of E. coli. Compound 3 was also quite active
      against these three bacterial strains. The isolated compounds showed weak radical
      scavenging properties with compound 6 being the most active, followed by
      compounds 2, 3 and 5. 

PMID- 26107529
TI  - Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Isiro, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2012:
      Signs and Symptoms, Management and Outcomes.
AB  - Data collected during the 2012 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic in the
      Democratic Republic of the Congo were analysed for clinical signs, symptoms and
      case fatality of EVD caused by Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), establishment of
      differential diagnoses, description of medical treatment and evaluation of the
      quality of clinical documentation. In a quantitative observational prospective
      study, global epidemiological data from 52 patients (34 patients within the
      community, 18 patients treated in the Ebola Treatment Centre) were entered
      anonymously into a database, subsequently matched and analysed. Relevant findings
      include an over-representation of females among community EVD cases (85.3%) and
      of community EVD cases in the age group of 15-54 years (82.4%). All ETC patients
      had fever (55.6% of all 18 ETC patients during their hospital stay) or self
      reported fever (88.2% upon admission) at some point of time during their illness.
      Major symptoms of ETC patients during hospital stay included asthenia (82.4%),
      anorexia (82.4%), myalgia (70.6%), sore throat/difficulty swallowing (70.6%),
      arthralgia (76.5%) and nausea (70.6%). Gastrointestinal signs and symptoms
      (nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting) (76.4%) as well as general pain (94.1%) were
      frequent in ETC patients. The median duration of EVD was 18 days, while the mean
      incubation period was 11.3 days. Differential diagnosis of EVD included malaria
      (28.3%), intestinal parasitosis (10.9%), and infectious syndrome (10.9%). There
      was also an important variation in clinical evolvement. Quality of documentation
      was adversely affected by the way patient file contents were transferred from
      inside to outside the high-risk zone, entailing a mean mismatch value of 27.3%
      between patient file contents inside vs. outside the high-risk zone. This study
      adds further description of EVD (frequently non-specific signs and symptoms, non
      frequent bleeding, a long incubation period, long duration of disease) and
      emphasizes the need for improving clinical monitoring and documentation in EVD
      outbreak settings. 

PMID- 26107530
TI  - Relaxation dynamics of liposomes in an aqueous solution.
AB  - The gel-liquid crystal phase transition has been studied by the temperature and
      frequency dependent dielectric relaxation behavior of liposomes in an aqueous
      solution (40 g L(-1) DPPC-water mixture). Four relaxation processes were observed
      in the frequency range from 40 Hz to 30 GHz which were ascribed to different
      molecular mechanisms, related to the structural units of the system. The gel
      liquid crystal phase transition was also described very accurately from the
      temperature-dependent dielectric relaxation strength, relaxation time and
      symmetric shape parameter of the relaxation functions obtained from the fitting
      procedure. Relaxation process 3, obtained from the dielectric fitting procedure,
      was confirmed by dielectric modulus analysis. A comparison of the lipid membrane
      with non-biological systems like liquid crystals was performed. It was determined
      that the lipid membrane has a ferroelectric liquid crystal like behavior. Process
      3 is comparable to the soft mode relaxation process observed in ferroelectric
      liquid crystals which was detected close to the smectic-C*-smectic-A phase
      transition. Differential scanning calorimetry was also used to confirm the gel
      liquid crystal phase transition of this mixture. 

PMID- 26107531
TI  - Selective Extraction of Rare Earth Elements from Permanent Magnet Scraps with
      Membrane Solvent Extraction.
AB  - The rare earth elements (REEs) such as neodymium, praseodymium, and dysprosium
      were successfully recovered from commercial NdFeB magnets and industrial scrap
      magnets via membrane assisted solvent extraction (MSX). A hollow fiber membrane
      system was evaluated to extract REEs in a single step with the feed and strip
      solutions circulating continuously through the MSX system. The effects of several
      experimental variables on REE extraction such as flow rate, concentration of REEs
      in the feed solution, membrane configuration, and composition of acids were
      investigated with the MSX system. A multimembrane module configuration with REEs
      dissolved in aqueous nitric acid solutions showed high selectivity for REE
      extraction with no coextraction of non-REEs, whereas the use of aqueous
      hydrochloric acid solution resulted in coextraction of non-REEs due to the
      formation of chloroanions of non-REEs. The REE oxides were recovered from the
      strip solution through precipitation, drying, and annealing steps. The resulting
      REE oxides were characterized with XRD, SEM-EDX, and ICP-OES, demonstrating that
      the membrane assisted solvent extraction is capable of selectively recovering
      pure REEs from the industrial scrap magnets.

PMID- 26107532
TI  - Findings From the EASY Minds Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial: Evaluation of a
      Physical Activity Integration Program for Mathematics in Primary Schools.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the impact of a primary school-based physical activity
      (PA) integration program delivered by teachers on objectively measured PA and key
      educational outcomes. METHODS: Ten classes from 8 Australian public schools were
      randomly allocated to treatment conditions. Teachers from the intervention group
      were taught to embed movement-based learning in their students' (n = 142) daily
      mathematics program in 3 lessons per week for 6 weeks. The control group (n = 98)
      continued its regular mathematics program. The primary outcome was accelerometer
      determined PA across the school day. Linear mixed models were used to analyze
      treatment effects. RESULTS: Significant intervention effects were found for PA
      across the school day (adjusted mean difference 103 counts per minute [CPM], 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 36.5-169.7, P = .008). Intervention effects were also
      found for PA (168 CPM, 95% CI, 90.1-247.4, P = .008) and moderate-to-vigorous PA
      (2.6%, 95% CI, 0.9-4.4, P = .009) in mathematics lessons, sedentary time across
      the school day (-3.5%, 95% CI, -7.0 to -0.13, P = .044) and during mathematics (
      8.2%, CI, -13.0 to -2.0, P = .010) and on-task behavior (13.8%, 95% CI, 4.0-23.6,
      P = .011)-but not for mathematics performance or attitude. CONCLUSION:
      Integrating movement across the primary mathematics syllabus is feasible and
      efficacious.

PMID- 26107533
TI  - The dynamic association processes leading from a silica precursor to a mesoporous
      SBA-15 material.
AB  - During the last two decades, the synthesis of silica with an ordered mesoporous
      structure has been thoroughly explored. The basis of the synthesis is to let
      silica monomers polymerize in the presence of an amphiphilic template component.
      In the first studies, cationic surfactants were used as structure inducer. Later
      it was shown that pluronic copolymers also could have the role. One advantage
      with the pluronics copolymers is that they allow for a wider variation in the
      radius of pores in the resulting silica material. Another advantage lies in the
      higher stability resulting from the thicker walls between the pores. Mesoporous
      silica has a very high area to volume ratio, and the ordered structure ensures
      surface homogeneity. There are a number of applications of this type of material.
      It can be used as support for catalysts, as templates to produces other
      mesoporous inorganic materials, or in controlled release applications. The
      synthesis of mesoporous silica is, from a practical point of view, simple, but
      there are significant possibilities to vary synthesis conditions with a
      concomitant effect on the properties of the resulting material. It is clear that
      the structural properties on the nanometer scale are determined by the self
      assembly properties of the amphiphile, and this knowledge has been used to
      optimize pore geometry and pore size. To have a practical functional material it
      is desirable to also control the structure on a micrometer scale and larger. In
      practice, one has largely taken an empirical approach in optimizing reaction
      conditions, paying less attention to underlying chemical and physicochemical
      mechanisms that lead from starting conditions to the final product. In this
      Account, we present our systematic studies of the processes involved not only in
      the formation of the mesoporous structure as such, but also of the formation of
      structures on the micrometer scale. The main point is to show how the ongoing
      silica polymerization triggers a sequence of structural changes through the
      action of colloidal interactions. Our approach is to use a multitude of
      experimental methods to characterize the time evolution of the same highly
      reproducible synthesis process. It is the silica polymerization reactions that
      set the time scale, and the block copolymer self-assembly responds to the
      progress of the polymerization through a basically hydrophobic interaction
      between silica and ethylene oxide units. The progression of the silica
      polymerization leads to an increased hydrophobicity triggering an aggregation
      process resulting in the formation of silica-copolymer composite particles of
      increasing size. The particle growth occurs in a stepwise way caused by intricate
      shifts between colloidal stability and instability. By tuning reaction conditions
      one can have an end product of hexagonal prism composite particles with single
      crystal 2D hexagonal order. 

PMID- 26107534
TI  - Probing cell-matrix interactions in RGD-decorated macroporous poly (ethylene
      glycol) hydrogels for 3D chondrocyte culture.
AB  - Macroporous hydrogels have shown great promise as scaffolds for cartilage
      engineering by facilitating nutrition transport and tissue in growth. Cell-matrix
      adhesion-a fundamental process in tissue engineering-has shown a profound effect
      on subsequent cell phenotype, extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation, and tissue
      reorganization. In this study, arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) was
      introduced to macroporous hydrogels of poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) to fabricate
      PEG-G400 (with 0.4mM RGD) and PEG-G2000 (2mM RGD) to probe the cell-matrix
      interactions within hydrogels. Primary chondrocytes demonstrated a slightly
      stretched morphology with increasing RGD concentration and PEG-G2000 hydrogels
      boosted cell viability, proliferation, and deposition of collagen II and GAG, in
      comparison to the PEG-G400 and PEG-RED groups. Results also revealed chondrocytes
      within the cell aggregates underwent dedifferentiation and hypertrophy within RGD
      incorporated hydrogels, as evidenced by the high level of gene expression of
      collagen I on day 14 and strong immunohistological staining of collagen X and
      collagen I on day 35. Evidently, a high concentration of RGD (2mM RGD) enhanced
      cell-matrix interactions through elevating the expression of integrin beta1 and
      vinculin. Thus, the integration of RGD in macroporous hydrogels with a
      concentration of 2 mM may be sufficient for improving cell functionality, with a
      slight probability of dedifferentiation and hypertrophy of chondrocytes. 

PMID- 26107537
TI  - Addressing Depression and Suicide Among Physician Trainees--Reply.

PMID- 26107538
TI  - A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effects of Isolated Lumbar Extension
      Exercise on Lumbar Kinematic Pattern Variability During Gait in Chronic Low Back
      Pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a multifactorial condition with a
      variety of symptoms, one of which is abnormal gait. The lumbar spine and its
      musculature are important in controlling gait, and in CLBP the lumbar extensors
      are often deconditioned. Because of this specific isolated lumbar extension,
      exercise often is recommended. It was therefore of interest to examine its
      effects of upon gait variability. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of isolated
      lumbar extension resistance training on lumbar kinematic variability during gait
      in participants with CLBP. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING:
      University Health, Exercise and Sport Science Laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty
      four participants with nonspecific CLBP. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were
      randomly allocated to a 12-week isolated lumbar extension exercise intervention
      (1*/week performing a single set to momentary muscular failure using a load equal
      to 80% max tested torque) or nontraining control period. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASUREMENTS: Lumbar kinematics during gait, including angular displacement,
      kinematic waveform pattern (CVp), and offset (CVo) variability, were examined via
      3-dimensional analyses. RESULTS: No significant changes in displacement or CVo
      were found as a result of the intervention; however, a small but significant
      reduction in sagittal plane CVp (-20.90 +/- 3.53%, effect size = 0.48, P = .044)
      occurred, indicating improved motor pattern replication through this movement
      plane. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the role of the lumbar extensors in gait, and
      their common deconditioning in CLBP, an isolated lumbar extension resistance
      exercise intervention may reduce gait variability. These results suggest isolated
      lumbar extension exercise may specifically reduce sagittal plane variability,
      indicating improved motor pattern replication through this movement plane,
      perhaps attributable to the plane of movement used during the exercise.

PMID- 26107539
TI  - Evidence for Intensive Aphasia Therapy: Consideration of Theories From
      Neuroscience and Cognitive Psychology.
AB  - Treatment intensity is a critical component to the delivery of speech-language
      pathology and rehabilitation services. Within aphasia rehabilitation, however,
      insufficient evidence currently exists to guide clinical decision making with
      respect to the optimal treatment intensity. This review considers perspectives
      from 2 key bodies of research, the neuroscience and cognitive psychology
      literature, with respect to the scheduling of aphasia rehabilitation services.
      Neuroscience research suggests that intensive training is a key element of
      rehabilitation and is necessary to achieve functional and neurologic changes
      after a stroke occurs. In contrast, the cognitive psychology literature suggests
      that optimal long-term learning is achieved when training is provided in a
      distributed or nonintensive schedule. These perspectives are evaluated and
      discussed with respect to the current evidence for treatment intensity in aphasia
      rehabilitation. In addition, directions for future research are identified,
      including study design, methods of defining and measuring treatment intensity,
      and selection of outcome measures in aphasia rehabilitation. 

PMID- 26107540
TI  - Physical Activity Level Among Stroke Patients Hospitalized in a Rehabilitation
      Unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current literature contains little information about the level of
      physical activity of hospitalized patients who have had a stroke. Improving
      knowledge in the area could help optimize rehabilitation. OBJECTIVES: To
      determine the level of physical activity of hospitalized patients who have had a
      stroke to discover if they achieved the recommended 30 minutes of physical
      activity per day (equivalent to 142 kcal) during sessions of 10 consecutive
      minutes. SETTING: Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Unit of the Jean Rebeyrol
      Hospital, Limoges, France. PARTICIPANTS: All patients (N = 88) who had sustained
      a stroke within the previous 6 months were included over a period of 7 months.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The duration of physical activity and related energy
      expenditure were estimated using a SenseWear armband (BodyMedia [Jawbone]).
      Subjects wore the sensor on the nonparetic arm for 2 consecutive days from 9 am
      to 4:30 pm, corresponding to the period spent daily on rehabilitation. The Fisher
      simple correlation test and Mann-Whitney nonparametric test were performed.
      RESULTS: A total of 88 patients aged 66 +/- 17 years with a mean poststroke
      period of 43 +/- 34 days and a mean Barthel Index of 61 +/- 25/100 were enrolled
      in the study. Between 9 am and 4:30 pm, patients took part in an average of 23 +/
      30 minutes of physical activity (equivalent to 91 +/- 122 kcal). Correlations
      were found between physical activity time in the hospital and physical activity
      before the stroke occurred (r = 0.345, P < .0001), the Barthel Index (r = 0.284,
      P = .0002), body mass index (r = -0.440, P < .0001), and time to hospital release
      (r = -0.183, P = .0194). CONCLUSION: It was found that 62% of patients did not
      achieve the recommended amount of physical activity. Sessions dedicated to
      physical activity could motivate patients who have had a stroke and help them
      meet recommendations before leaving the rehabilitation unit.

PMID- 26107541
TI  - Dying matters, still.

PMID- 26107542
TI  - What is the evidence for evidence?

PMID- 26107543
TI  - Prevention and management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
AB  - Nausea and vomiting are among the most frequently experienced toxic side-effects
      associated with chemotherapy. Although nausea and vomiting can result from
      surgery or radiotherapy, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is
      potentially the most severe and most distressing. Estimates regarding the
      incidence of CINV vary depending on the treatment administered and individual
      patient characteristics.The impact of CINV on quality of life (QoL) and daily
      activities is considerable. Pharmacological treatments are considered routine for
      CINV. Clinical guidelines now recommend that patients receiving moderate emetic
      chemotherapy (MEC) regimens be preferentially treated with palonosetron, the 5
      hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist, in combination with
      dexamethasone. In addition, it has shown that single-dose fosaprepitant is
      equivalent to the standard 3-day aprepitant regimen (the neurokinin 1 (NK1)
      receptor antagonist). Despite these advances in antiemetic management,
      approximately 50% of patients receiving chemotherapy still experience nausea
      and/or vomiting. Further improvements are still desirable, particularly in the
      prevention and treatment of delayed CINV. Non-pharmacological interventions can
      be possible adjuncts to standard anti-emetic therapy. Using new technologies to
      collect patient-reported outcomes may improve the accuracy of assessment, provide
      a better picture of the patient's experience of these symptoms, and provide a
      means to simultaneously monitor symptoms, educate patients, and collect
      longitudinal data. 

PMID- 26107544
TI  - Evidence-based guidelines for pressure ulcer management at the end of life.
AB  - It is important to develop an individualised plan of care for people at the end
      of life to prevent pressure ulcers, and to treat them if they do occur. This
      article discusses patient and risk assessment, prevention and care for pressure
      ulcers for the palliative care patient and the recommendations given in the
      palliative care section of the Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers:
      Clinical Practice Guideline (National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, European
      Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel and Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance, 2014).

PMID- 26107545
TI  - Why diversity matters in advance care planning.

PMID- 26107546
TI  - When dying at home is not an option: exploration of hostel staff views on
      palliative care for homeless people.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Department of Health in the UK suggest that hostel staff are the
      most appropriate key workers for their dying homeless residents and that hostel
      based palliative care may be the best way forward. However, little is known about
      the views of hostel staff with regard to this. METHODS: Semi-structured
      qualitative interviews were conducted with seven participants from hostels
      distributed across three counties. A total of 37 specific case studies were
      discussed involving homeless residents with a wide range of life-limiting or
      palliative conditions. FINDINGS: Eight main themes emerged: understanding
      palliative care; working with limited medical information; taking responsibility;
      building rapport; upholding residents' dignity; recognising physical
      deterioration; managing environmental challenges; role limitations and support
      needs of hostel staff. CONCLUSION: Discussion centred around the following four
      topics: policy, principles and practice of palliative care; professional
      boundaries as a threat to holism and a hindrance to dignity; the social
      undesirability and invisibility of homeless people; 'community living' as a
      barrier to hostel-based palliative care and a new concept of family.

PMID- 26107547
TI  - Hospice to home: a patient-centric multi professional community approach.
AB  - As people live longer with multidimensional health and end-of-life care needs,
      palliative care provision is becoming increasingly complex. Demands on hospice
      services are increasing, therefore new models of care are needed that are
      accessible to a wider range of patients. Most people prefer to die at home (Gomes
      et al, 2013a); however, evidence reports that the most common place of death is
      hospital (53%) (Marie Curie, 2013). This article describes how one hospice
      developed a model of care working in partnership with statutory services that
      provided patient-centred care, achieved preferences and prevented unnecessary
      admissions into hospital. It describes each element of the model and how they
      work seamlessly together. The evaluation of the model suggests that maximal
      impact can be gained by focusing service development on expanding and improving
      care at home. Preventing unnecessary hospital admissions, while simultaneously
      improving the quality of care, remains the fundamental driver for high-quality
      end-of-life care.

PMID- 26107548
TI  - Assisting patients with motor neurone disease to make decisions about their care.
AB  - Motor neurone disease (MND), is a progressive terminal illness affecting the
      central nervous system, causing paralysis of the muscles affecting limb movement,
      breathing and bulbar function, with an average life expectancy of 2-4 years.
      Patients are presented with repeated loss and the constant need to make
      adjustments to their lifestyle and expectations. Within palliative care there has
      been a move to formalise planning by undertaking advance care planning, giving
      the patient the opportunity to plan whether they would consider medical
      interventions and how they would like their care and death to be managed. There
      are now a multitude of forms and documents to complete if the patient is willing
      to do so. Advance care planning may not be something all patients wish to
      embrace, and this poses the question of whether there are cases where the
      repeated demand to think forward to a time when further losses are experienced is
      serving the agenda of the health professional at the expense of the patient.
      Nevertheless, health professionals might be concerned that a delay in decision
      making could impact on the patient's future care. There is potential for conflict
      between the wish of the patient--to remain focused on the positive--and the
      health professional's perception of the benefits of completing an advance care
      plan or discussing interventions which, if persued, might lead to a breakdown of
      the therapeutic relationship. A more flexible approach, focusing on the agenda
      set by the patient, underpinned by a therapeutic and trusting relationship, can
      avoid distress for the patient, while ensuring good care and the best outcome for
      the patient.

PMID- 26107550
TI  - Isolated Ileal Pancreatic Heterotopia Causing Intussusception with Gangrene.
AB  - Isolated ileal heterotopic pancreatic tissue as a lead point of intussusception
      in children is extremely rare. We report a 6-month-old female with ileoileal
      intussusception and a 4-year-old female with ileocolic intussusception both
      associated with gangrene. A review of literature suggests a higher prevalence of
      gangrene probably secondary to the pancreatic exocrine tissue. 

PMID- 26107551
TI  - Insight on Tricalcium Silicate Hydration and Dissolution Mechanism from Molecular
      Simulations.
AB  - Hydration of mineral surfaces, a critical process for many technological
      applications, encompasses multiple coupled chemical reactions and topological
      changes, challenging both experimental characterization and computational
      modeling. In this work, we used reactive force field simulations to understand
      the surface properties, hydration, and dissolution of a model mineral, tricalcium
      silicate. We show that the computed static quantities, i.e., surface energies and
      water adsorption energies, do not provide useful insight into predict mineral
      hydration because they do not account for major structural changes at the
      interface when dynamic effects are included. Upon hydration, hydrogen atoms from
      dissociated water molecules penetrate into the crystal, forming a disordered
      calcium silicate hydrate layer that is similar for most of the surfaces despite
      wide-ranging static properties. Furthermore, the dynamic picture of hydration
      reveals the hidden role of surface topology, which can lead to unexpected water
      tessellation that stabilizes the surface against dissolution. 

PMID- 26107553
TI  - Targeted Therapy for Brain Metastases in EGFR-Mutated and ALK-Rearranged Non
      Small-Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - Approximately half of all patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      develop brain metastases (BM) during the course of their disease, leading to
      significant challenges in treatment. Molecular targeted tyrosine kinase
      inhibitors have proven effective for patients with activating mutations in the
      epidermal growth factor receptor gene and chromosomal rearrangements involving
      the anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene. Despite their efficacy in systemic disease
      control, their effectiveness in patients with BM is not well established. In this
      article, we review recent data on the use of epidermal growth factor receptor and
      anaplastic lymphoma kinase tyrosine kinase inhibitors for treatment of patients
      with NSCLC and BM. These data highlight the potential for meaningful disease
      control within the central nervous system and the inherent challenges in treating
      patients with NSCLC and BM. 

PMID- 26107552
TI  - Key concepts that people need to understand to assess claims about treatment
      effects.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: People are confronted with claims about the effects of treatments and
      health policies daily. Our objective was to develop a list of concepts that may
      be important for people to understand when assessing claims about treatment
      effects. METHODS: An initial list of concepts was generated by the project team
      by identifying key concepts in literature and tools written for the general
      public, journalists, and health professionals, and consideration of concepts
      related to assessing the certainty of evidence for treatment effects. We invited
      key researchers, journalists, teachers and others with expertise in health
      literacy and teaching or communicating evidence-based health care to patients to
      act as the project's advisory group. RESULTS: Twenty-nine members of the advisory
      group provided feedback on the list of concepts and judged the list to be
      sufficiently complete and organised appropriately. The list includes 32 concepts
      divided into six groups: (i) Recognising the need for systematic reviews of fair
      tests, (ii) Judging whether a comparison of treatments is fair comparison, (iii)
      Understanding the role of chance, (iv) Considering all the relevant fair
      comparisons, (v) Understanding the results of fair comparisons of treatments,
      (vi) Judging whether fair comparisons of treatments are relevant. CONCLUSION: The
      concept list provides a starting point for developing and evaluating resources to
      improve people's ability to assess treatment effects. The concepts are considered
      to be universally relevant, and include considerations that can help people
      assess claims about the effects of treatments, including claims that are found in
      mass media reports, in advertisements and in personal communication.

PMID- 26107554
TI  - Stereoselective formation and catalytic activity of
      hydrido(acylphosphane)(chlorido)(pyrazole)rhodium(III) complexes. Experimental
      and DFT studies.
AB  - The reaction of [{RhCl(COD)}2] (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) with L = pyrazole
      (Hpz), 3(5)-methylpyrazole (Hmpz) or 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (Hdmpz) and PPh2(o
      C6H4CHO) (Rh : L : P = 1 : 2 : 1) gives hydridoacyl complexes [RhHCl{PPh2(o
      C6H4CO)}(L)2] (). Stereoselective formation of and with pyrazoles trans to
      hydrido and phosphorus and hydrogen bond formation with O-acyl and chlorido
      occur. is a mixture of two linkage isomers in a 9 : 1 ratio, with two 5
      methylpyrazole ligands or with one 3- and one 5-methylpyrazole ligand,
      respectively. Fluxional undergoes metallotropic tautomerization and is a mixture
      of equal amounts of and , with hydrido trans to pyrazole or chlorido,
      respectively. Complexes readily exchange hydrido by chlorido to afford
      [RhCl2{PPh2(o-C6H4CO)}(L)2] (, and ) as single isomers with cis chloridos and two
      N-HCl hydrogen bonds. The reaction of with PPh3 or PPh2OH affords static
      [RhHCl{PPh2(o-C6H4CO)}(PPh3)L] () or [RhHCl{PPh2(o-C6H4CO)}(PPh2OH)L] ()
      respectively with trans P-atoms and pyrazoles forming N-HCl hydrogen bonds. and
      contain single species with hydrido cis to chlorido, while is a mixture of equal
      amounts of and . Complexes , with an additional O-HO hydrogen bond, selectively
      contain only the cis-H,Cl species with all the three ligands. The reaction of
      [{RhCl(COD)}2] with L and PPh2(o-C6H4CHO) (Rh : L : P = 1 : 1 : 2) led to
      complexes with trans P-atoms, [RhHCl{PPh2(o-C6H4CO)}{PPh2(o-C6H4CHO)-kappaP}L] (,
      and ), at room temperature, and to [RhCl{PPh2(o-C6H4CO)}{PPh2(o-C6H4CHOH)}(Hmpz)]
      () or [RhCl{PPh2(o-C6H4CO)}2L] () with hydrogen evolution in refluxing benzene.
      DFT calculations were used to predict the correct isomers, their ratios and the
      particular intramolecular hydrogen bonds in these complexes. Single crystal X-ray
      diffraction analysis was performed on , and . Complexes are efficient homogeneous
      catalysts (0.5 mol% loading) in the hydrolysis of amine- or ammonia-borane (AB)
      to generate up to 3 equivalents of hydrogen in the presence of air. 

PMID- 26107555
TI  - The Ultrastructure of MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells after Vasodilator-Stimulated
      Phosphoprotein Knockdown.
AB  - Inhibition of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) expression could
      modulate the adhesion and proliferation of breast cancer cells. However, the
      underlying mechanisms are not well defined. Here, we show that knockdown of the
      VASP changes the ultrastructure of human MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Transfection
      of VASP shRNA significantly lowered the expression of VASP protein in MCF-7
      cells. In the shRNA-VASP group, immunofluorescence showed diminished presence of
      F-actin, and it was lower in the nucleus than in the cytoplasm. After VASP was
      inhibited, the MCF-7 cells were oval in shape with blunt lamellipodium,
      disappearance of the cristae of mitochondria, decreased microvilli and more
      vacuoles. Collectively, our findings elucidated the morphological mechanism that
      knockdown of the VASP changed the ultrastructure of MCF-7 cells. 

PMID- 26107557
TI  - Unfolding the story of chromatin organization in senescent cells.
AB  - Cell senescence, the permanent withdrawal of a cell from the cell cycle, is
      characterized by dramatic, cytological scale changes to DNA condensation
      throughout the genome. While prior emphasis has been placed on increases in
      heterochromatin, such as the formation of compact Senescent Associated
      Heterochromatin Foci (SAHF) structures, our recent findings showed that SAHF
      formation is preceded by the unravelling of constitutive heterochromatin into
      visibly extended structures, which we have termed Senescent Associated Distension
      of Satellites or SADS. Interestingly, neither of these marked changes in DNA
      condensation appear to be mediated by changes in canonical, heterochromatin
      associated histone modifications. Rather, several observations suggest that these
      events may be facilitated by changes in LaminB1 levels and/or other factors that
      control higher-order chromatin architecture. Here, we review what is known about
      senescence-associated chromatin reorganization and present preliminary results
      using high-resolution microscopy techniques to show that each peri/centromeric
      satellite in senescent cells is comprised of several condensed domains connected
      by thin fibrils of satellite DNA. We then discuss the potential importance of
      these striking changes in chromatin condensation for cell senescence, and also as
      a model to provide a needed window into the higher-order packaging of the genome.

PMID- 26107558
TI  - Serous Tubal Intraepithelial Carcinoma (STIC)-like Lesions Arising in Ovarian
      Serous Cystadenofibroma: Report of 2 Cases.
AB  - Recent studies have demonstrated that most so-called ovarian high-grade serous
      carcinomas are likely to arise from the epithelium of the distal fimbrial portion
      of the fallopian tube from a precursor lesion known as serous tubal
      intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC). We report 2 cases in patients aged 56 and 71 of
      lesions morphologically identical to STIC (referred to as STIC-like lesions)
      arising from the benign ciliated epithelium of ovarian serous cystadenofibromas.
      In 1 case, 2 glands within the serous cystadenofibroma exhibited high-grade
      nuclear atypia and mitotic activity and in the other similar changes were
      multifocal. No invasion of the stroma was seen. In both cases, the STIC-like
      lesion exhibited aberrant "mutation-type" staining with p53 (1 diffuse intense
      positivity, 1 null pattern). As far as we are aware, a STIC-like lesion involving
      the epithelium of a benign ovarian serous neoplasm has not been reported
      previously. Both patients were followed up without adjuvant treatment. One case
      is recent, and follow-up in the other patient is uneventful at 12 mo. 

PMID- 26107559
TI  - Pelvic Ependymoma With Clinical Response to GnRH Analog Therapy: A Case Report
      With an Overview of Primary Extraneural Ependymomas.
AB  - Extraneural ependymomas are rare tumors that occur in sacrococcygeal, pelvic and
      extra pelvic regions. While sacrococcygeal extraneural ependymomas are equally
      distributed among males and females, pelvic and extra pelvic ependymomas have
      been exclusively reported in women, mainly of child bearing age. We present a
      case of extraneural, pelvic ependymoma that showed clinical response to GnRH
      therapy with its immunohistochemical and electron microscopic analysis, and an
      overview of primary extraneural ependymomas based on a review of all such cases
      published in English literature. 

PMID- 26107560
TI  - Immunophenotypic Analysis in Early Mullerian Serous Carcinogenesis.
AB  - Studies on the immunophenotypes of early forms of serous carcinoma arising from
      female genital tract are limited. We aimed to examine p53, p16(Ink4a), estrogen
      receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), ERBB2, WT1, and Ki-67 protein
      expression in endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma (n=29), serous tubal
      intraepithelial lesion (n=4) and carcinoma (STIC, n=10), and the putative
      precursor p53 signature (n=11). Among endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma, 80%
      demonstrated p53 overexpression and 10% were consistent with a null phenotype.
      p16(Ink4a) immunostaining were observed in all endometrial intraepithelial
      carcinoma cases. ER, PR, ERBB2, and WT1 were positive in 54%, 25%, 11%, and 18%
      of cases, respectively. STIC cases demonstrated p53 overexpression and null
      phenotype in 90% and 10%, respectively. All STIC cases were p16(Ink4a) and WT1
      positive, whereas ER and PR were positive in 70% and 20%, respectively. All STICs
      were negative for ERBB2. Among serous tubal intraepithelial lesion cases, 75%
      demonstrated p53 overexpression and 25% a null phenotype. p53 was positive in all
      11 p53 signature cases, whereas p16(Ink4a) was universally negative. Finally, ER
      and PR were positive in 100% and 73% of p53 signature cases, respectively. These
      results suggest that p16(Ink4a) has a role in early Mullerian serous
      carcinogenesis but is absent in the earliest noncommitted lesion. p16(Ink4a)
      immunohistochemistry can be used as an adjunct confirmatory tool in p53-null
      cases with limited surface area.

PMID- 26107561
TI  - Collision of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ of Anogenital Mammary-like Glands and
      Vulvar Sarcomatoid Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - A spectrum of invasive adenocarcinomas presumably arising from the anogenital
      mammary-like glands of the vulva has been reported. Even rarer are the cases of
      pure ductal carcinoma in situ that originated from these unique glandular
      structures. Herein, we report an 81-yr-old woman presented with an invasive well
      differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva. Unexpectedly, the underlying
      dermis demonstrated a cystically dilated structure that displayed a layer of
      malignant squamous cells in the periphery, and a second centrally located
      population of neoplastic cells exhibiting glandular differentiation. In addition,
      a spindle and pleomorphic malignant cell population consistent with a sarcomatoid
      carcinoma was identified around the cystic structure. Scattered benign anogenital
      mammary-like glands were present in the adjacent dermis. The histologic and
      immunohistochemical findings were consistent with those of vulvar squamous cell
      carcinoma that has undergone sarcomatoid transformation after spreading in a
      pagetoid fashion into an underlying focus of ductal carcinoma in situ of
      anogenital mammary-like gland origin. 

PMID- 26107562
TI  - Pseudorosette-Like Proliferations of the Endometrium.
AB  - The endometrium displays a wide spectrum of appearances in both neoplastic and
      non-neoplastic tissue. Unusual proliferations are not infrequently encountered
      and may lead to misinterpretation. In this study, we investigated pseudorosette
      like proliferations (PLPs) found within the endometrial stroma which, to our
      knowledge, have not been previously reported. Nineteen endometrial samples with
      PLPs were identified over a period of 5 yr. Characteristics of the endometrium in
      which the PLPs were arising as well as patient information were recorded for each
      case. In addition, residual tissue from 10 of the cases was immunostained for
      cytokeratin, CD10, smooth muscle actin, S-100, and caldesmon to better
      characterize the lesions. In all cases the endometrium was in the proliferative
      phase and none of the patients reported the use of exogenous hormones. In 89% (17
      of 19) of the cases, PLPs were present as a single focus; 2 cases showed multiple
      PLPs. Of the 10 immunostained cases, 90% (9 of 10) showed strong/diffuse staining
      for smooth muscle actin. Six cases showed negative or weak (1+) staining for
      CD10, whereas 3 showed moderate (2+) and 1 showed strong (3+) staining. In all
      cases the PLPs were negative for cytokeratin AE1/AE3, S-100, and caldesmon. These
      studies suggest that PLPs are benign proliferations with smooth muscle
      differentiation. 

PMID- 26107563
TI  - Expression of Transcription Factors and Nuclear Receptors in Mixed Germ Cell-Sex
      Cord Stromal Tumor and Related Tumors of the Gonads.
AB  - In this study, we compare the expression of OCT4, SALL4, and TSPYL1 in mixed germ
      cell-sex cord stromal tumor (MGC-SCST) of either gonad to that of normal adult
      testis, classic and spermatocytic seminoma, intratubular germ cell neoplasia,
      unclassified, gonadoblastoma, and dysgerminoma to determine the entity or
      entities that most closely resemble MGC-SCST by immunohistochemistry of germ
      cells. The most useful transcription factor was OCT4. In addition, to its already
      described value in distinguishing germinoma and embryonal carcinoma from yolk sac
      tumor and in differentiating classic from spermatocytic seminoma, we found that
      OCT4 is useful in confirming or ruling out potential malignancy in MGC-SCST of
      either gonad. Expression of OCT4 in most ovarian MGC-SCSTs resembles that of
      dysgerminoma, whereas most testicular examples resemble that of spermatocytic
      seminoma and normal adult testis. Thus, most MGC-SCSTs of the ovary are
      potentially malignant, and corresponding tumors of the testis are mostly benign;
      however, exceptions likely can be detected by the use of OCT4, potentially
      leading to more appropriate clinical management in some cases. SALL4 is an
      underutilized transcription factor that is useful in distinguishing testicular
      MGC-SCST from sex cord stromal tumor, unclassified in those neoplasms where the
      germ cells are sparse or unevenly distributed. Compared with other transcription
      factors studied, TSPY and its congener TSPYL1 have little value in the assessment
      of germ cell tumors because of their relatively wide range of expression in
      normal adult testis and in germ cell tumors. 

PMID- 26107564
TI  - Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Uterus Presenting With Lung Metastases: A Case
      Report.
AB  - We describe the case of an 81-yr-old woman who presented with bilateral pulmonary
      nodules in the setting of a large uterine mass, concerning for a gynecologic
      malignancy such as leiomyosarcoma. However, fine-needle aspiration of a lung
      nodule revealed a spindle cell neoplasm consistent with solitary fibrous tumor
      (SFT), a rare mesenchymal neoplasm characterized by a patternless architecture of
      spindle cells and branching ectatic vessels. Total abdominal hysterectomy
      demonstrated a primary SFT of the uterus. Both the lung lesion and uterine mass
      were positive for STAT6, a sensitive and specific biomarker for SFT. SFT
      infrequently metastasizes and only rarely occurs in the uterus. These tumors are
      considered to have uncertain malignant potential, and the diagnosis of
      "malignant" SFT requires the presence of >4 mitoses per 10 high-power fields. The
      uterine SFT we report did not meet this criterion for malignancy, emphasizing
      that this entity can behave aggressively even without increased mitoses or
      atypical histology. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a
      uterine SFT with metastasis to the lung. We discuss the differential diagnosis
      for the finding of multiple pulmonary spindle cell lesions in the setting of a
      uterine mass. 

PMID- 26107565
TI  - Diagnosis of Ovarian Carcinoma Histotype Based on Limited Sampling: A Prospective
      Study Comparing Cytology, Frozen Section, and Core Biopsies to Full Pathologic
      Examination.
AB  - Growing insights into the biological features and molecular underpinnings of
      ovarian cancer has prompted a shift toward histotype-specific treatments and
      clinical trials. As a result, the preoperative diagnosis of ovarian carcinomas
      based on small tissue sampling is rapidly gaining importance. The data on the
      accuracy of ovarian carcinoma histotype-specific diagnosis based on small tissue
      samples, however, remains very limited in the literature. Herein, we describe a
      prospective series of 30 ovarian tumors diagnosed using cytology, frozen section,
      core needle biopsy, and immunohistochemistry (p53, p16, WT1, HNF-1beta, ARID1A,
      TFF3, vimentin, and PR). The accuracy of histotype diagnosis using each of these
      modalities was 52%, 81%, 85%, and 84% respectively, using the final pathology
      report as the reference standard. The accuracy of histotype diagnosis using the
      Calculator for Ovarian Subtype Prediction (COSP), which evaluates
      immunohistochemical stains independent of histopathologic features, was 85%.
      Diagnostic accuracy varied across histotype and was lowest for endometrioid
      carcinoma across all diagnostic modalities (54%). High-grade serous carcinomas
      were the most overdiagnosed on core needle biopsy (accounting for 45% of
      misdiagnoses) and clear cell carcinomas the most overdiagnosed on frozen section
      (accounting for 36% of misdiagnoses). On core needle biopsy, 2/30 (7%) cases had
      a higher grade lesion missed due to sampling limitations. In this study, we
      identify several challenges in the diagnosis of ovarian tumors based on limited
      tissue sampling. Recognition of these scenarios can help improve diagnostic
      accuracy as we move forward with histotype-specific therapeutic strategies. 

PMID- 26107566
TI  - Microcystic Stromal Tumor of the Ovary: A Case Report of a Newly Described
      Ovarian Neoplasm With a beta-catenin (CTNNB1) G34E Mutation.
AB  - Microcystic stromal tumor of the ovary (MSTO) is an exceedingly rare, unusual,
      and recently described entity with unique genetic alterations that assist in its
      diagnosis. We describe the case of a 50-year-old woman who presented with a
      complex right ovarian mass. A hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
      was performed and revealed an ovarian mass consistent with MSTO by
      histomorphology and immunohistochemical studies. Tumor cells were
      immunohistochemically reactive for vimentin, CD10, beta-catenin, and Wilms tumor
      1. In addition, we detected a missense mutation c.101 G>A, p.G34E in exon 3 of
      the beta-catenin (CTNNB1) gene, which leads to an amino acid substitution of
      glycine at codon 34 by glutamic acid. The utility of genetic testing of this
      tumor and additional reporting of alterations detected is needed to verify
      pathogenicity of variants detected, as well as their potential roles with
      prognosis, behavior, and therapeutic targets. The overall clinical course of MSTO
      appears to be nonaggressive, although the number of reported cases are limited
      thus far. 

PMID- 26107567
TI  - Immunohistochemical Expression and Prognostic Significance of CD97 and its Ligand
      DAF in Human Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - Accumulating evidences had demonstrated that the CD97, a member of the epidermal
      growth factor 7-transmembrane family, and its cellular ligand decay accelerating
      factor (DAF) both play important roles in tumor dedifferentiation, migration,
      invasiveness, and metastasis. However, the roles of CD97 and DAF in human
      cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) have not been investigated. The purpose
      of this study was to observe the expression profile of CD97 and DAF in CSCC and
      evaluate their clinical significance. Immunohistochemistry was used to
      investigate the expression of CD97 and DAF proteins in 97 patients with CSCC and
      53 patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, a precursor lesion of CSCC.
      CD97 and DAF were absent or only weakly expressed in the normal epithelium of the
      cervix but were present in 83.5% (81/97) and 90.7% (88/97) of CSCC samples,
      respectively. Overexpression of CD97 was significantly associated with a high
      International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage (P=0.010) and lymph
      node metastasis (P=0.026). The majority of CSCCs, irrespective of staging/grading
      classification, displayed strong DAF immunostaining. Kaplan-Meier survival
      analysis revealed that overexpression of CD97 was associated with a worse
      prognosis. Multivariate analyses showed that the International Federation of
      Gynecology and Obstetrics stage (P=0.000), lymph node metastasis (P=0.004), and
      CD97 expression (P=0.040) were independent risk factors for overall survival. The
      present study suggested that the expressions of CD97 and DAF were both
      upregulated in CSCC. The expression level of CD97 in CSCC was associated with the
      severity of the tumor. Furthermore, CD97 might be an independent poor prognostic
      factor for CSCC patients. 

PMID- 26107568
TI  - A Novel Synthesized Sulfonamido-Based Gallate-JEZ-C as Potential Therapeutic
      Agents for Osteoarthritis.
AB  - Gallic acid (GA) and its derivatives are anti-inflammatory agents reported to
      have an effect on osteoarthritis (OA). However, GA has much weaker anti-oxidant
      effects and inferior bioactivity compared with its derivatives. We modified GA
      with the introduction of sulfonamide to synthesize a novel compound named JEZ-C
      and analyzed its anti-arthritis and chondro-protective effects. Comparison of JEZ
      C with its sources i.e. GA and Sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) was also performed. Results
      showed that JEZ-C could effectively inhibit the IL-1-mediated induction of MMP-1
      and MMP-13 and could induce the expression of TIMP-1, which demonstrated its
      ability to reduce the progression of OA. JEZ-C can also exert chondro-protective
      effects by promoting cell proliferation and maintaining the phenotype of
      articular chondrocytes, as evidenced by improved cell growth, enhanced synthesis
      of cartilage specific markers such as aggrecan, collagen II and Sox9. Meanwhile,
      expression of the collagen I gene was effectively downregulated, revealing the
      inhibition of chondrocytes dedifferentiation by JEZ-C. Hypertrophy that may lead
      to chondrocyte ossification was also undetectable in JEZ-C groups. The
      recommended dose of JEZ-C ranges from 6.25*10-7 MUg/ml to 6.25*10-5 MUg/ml, among
      which the most profound response was observed with 6.25*10-6 MUg/ml. In contrast,
      its source products of GA and SMZ have a weak effect not only in the inhibition
      of OA but also in the bioactivity of chondrocytes, which indicated the
      significance of this modification. This study revealed JEZ-C as a promising novel
      agent in the treatment of chondral and osteochondral lesions. 

PMID- 26107569
TI  - [Aspects of early sexual activity].

PMID- 26107570
TI  - [Frequency of Human Papillomavirus in the placenta, in the colostrum and in the
      umbilical cord blood].
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the frequency of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in the
      placenta, in the colostrum and in the umbilical cord blood of parturient women
      and their newborns assisted at the Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the
      University Hospital of Rio Grande (RS), Brazil. METHODS: Biopsies were collected
      from 150 placentas on the maternal side, 150 on the fetal side, 138 samples of
      umbilical cord blood and 118 of the colostrum. The placenta biopsies were
      collected from the central and peripheral portions. DNA was extracted according
      to the manufacturer's protocol and to a reference found in the literature. HPV
      was detected by the nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR-Nested) using primers
      MY09/11 and GP5/GP6. Genotyping was performed by direct sequencing. The
      participants responded to a self-applied questionnaire with demographic and
      clinical data, in order to characterize the sample. RESULTS: HPV was detected in
      4% (6/150) of cases on the mother's side of the placentas, in 3.3% (5/150) on the
      fetal side, in 2.2% (3/138) in umbilical cord blood and in 0.84% (1/118) in
      colostrum samples. The vertical transmission rate was 50%. HPV-6 was the low-risk
      genotype found (60%) and the high-risk genotypes were HPV-16 and HPV-18 (20%
      each). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that HPV can infect the placenta, the
      colostrum and the umbilical cord blood.

PMID- 26107571
TI  - [Temporal evolution of anemia prevalence in pregnant adolescents of a public
      maternity of Rio de Janeiro].
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the evolution of the prevalence of anemia in pregnant
      adolescents attended at a public maternity in the city of Rio de Janeiro from
      2004 to 2013. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study with 628
      pregnant/postpartum women divided into 3 groups: Group A (2004-2006), Group B
      (2007-2010) and Group C (2013). Information about anthropometric, clinical,
      sociodemographic data and obstetric and prenatal care of adolescents was obtained
      from medical records of the pregnant women. A hemoglobin concentration n<11 g/dL
      was considered to be anemia. Data were analyzed statistically by the chi-square
      test, Student's t-test and ANOVA, and the post hoc Tukey test. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of gestational anemia over the years was 43% (GA=138), 36% (GB=80) and
      47.1% (GC=40) and the overall prevalence for the 2004-2013 period was 41.1%
      (n=258). The occurrence of anemic pregnant women increased with the progression
      of pregnancy; however, in the 3rd quarter there was a decrease in the prevalence
      of anemia in GB (29.3%) compared to GA (38.7%; p=0.04). Factors associated with
      anemia were number of prenatal visits and prenatal nutritional assistance, place
      of residence, pre-pregnancy BMI, and gestational weight gain. CONCLUSION: The
      results showed that the prevalence of anemia among pregnant adolescents seen at a
      public maternity is high. There was no reduction of anemia during the study
      period and other factors in addition to iron deficiency were involved in the
      genesis of anemia in this population.

PMID- 26107572
TI  - Do induced twin pregnancies influence the obstetric and neonatal results of
      multiple births born before 32 weeks? Comparison to spontaneous gestation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare obstetric outcomes of induced preterm twin births (under 32
      weeks gestation) with those spontaneously conceived. METHODS: Prospective study
      of twin pregnancies (25 induced and 157 spontaneously conceived) developed over a
      period of 16 years in a tertiary obstetric center. Demographic factors, obstetric
      complications, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery, birth weight and
      immediate newborn outcome were compared. RESULTS: The analysis of obstetrical
      complications concerning urinary or other infections, hypertensive disorders of
      pregnancy, gestational diabetes, fetal malformations, intrauterine fetal death,
      intrauterine growth restriction and intrauterine discordant growth reveal no
      significant statistical differences between the two groups. First trimester
      bleeding was higher in the induced group (24 versus 8.3%, p=0.029). The cesarean
      delivery rate was 52.2% in spontaneous gestations and 64% in induced gestations.
      Gestational age at delivery, birth weight, Apgar scores at first and fifth
      minutes, admissions to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and puerperal complications
      show no statistically significant differences between the two groups. These
      results were independent of chorionicity and induction method. CONCLUSION: The
      mode of conception did not influence obstetric and neonatal outcomes. Although
      induced pregnancies have higher risk of first trimester bleeding, significant
      differences were not observed regarding other obstetric and puerperal
      complications and neonatal results.

PMID- 26107573
TI  - [Abnormal vaginal secretion: sensitivity, specificity and concordance between
      clinical and cytological diagnosis].
AB  - PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (BV), candidiasis and
      trichomoniasis and compare the findings of physical examination of the vaginal
      secretion with the microbiological diagnosis obtained by cytology study of a
      vaginal smear using the Papanicolaou method. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of
      302 women aged 20 to 87 years, interviewed and submitted to a gynecology test for
      the evaluation of vaginal secretion and collection of a cytology smear, from June
      2012 to May 2013. Sensitivity analyses were carried out and specificity, positive
      predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) with their respective
      95%CI were determined to assess the accuracy of the characteristics of vaginal
      secretion in relation to the microbiological diagnosis of the cytology smear .
      The kappa index (k) was used to assess the degree of agreement between the
      clinical features of vaginal secretion and the microbiological findings obtained
      by cytology. RESULTS The prevalence of BV, candidiasis and trichomoniasis was
      25.5, 9.3 and 2.0%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of
      the clinical characteristics of vaginal secretion for the cytological diagnosis
      of BV were 74, 78.6, 54.3 and 89.9%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity,
      PPV and the NPV of the clinical characteristics of vaginal secretion for the
      cytological diagnosis of candidiasis were 46.4, 86.2, 25.5 and 94%, respectively.
      The correlation between the clinical evaluation of vaginal secretion and the
      microbiological diagnosis of BV, candidiasis and trichomoniasis, assessed by the
      kappa index, was 0.47, 0.23 and 0.28, respectively. CONCLUSION The most common
      cause of abnormal vaginal secretion was BV. The clinical evaluation of vaginal
      secretion presented amoderate to weak agreement with the microbiological
      diagnosis, indicating the need for complementary investigation of the clinical
      findings of abnormal vaginal secretion.

PMID- 26107574
TI  - [Frequency of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) for
      pregnant and non-pregnant women].
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the frequency of an ASCUS Pap Smear result in pregnant and
      non-pregnant women, stratified by age group. METHODS: We analyzed the results of
      1,336,180 cytopathologyc exams of Pap smears performed between 2000 and 2009 (ten
      years) with the purpose of screening for cervical carcinoma. Comparisons were
      made between pregnant and non-pregnant women, and the sample was stratified into
      three age groups (20-24, 25-29 and 30-34 years). The chi2 test was used and the
      magnitude of association was determined by the by Odds Ratio (OR) with the 95%
      confidence interval (95%CI). RESULTS: A Total of 447,489 samples were excluded on
      the basis of the criteria adopted, for a total final sample of 37,137 pregnant
      women and 851,554 non-pregnant women. An ASCUS result was detected in 1.2% of
      cases, with a significant difference between pregnant and non-pregnant women in
      the age groups of 20-24 years (OR=0.85; 95%CI 0.75-0.97) and 25-29 years
      (OR=0.78; 95%CI 0.63-0.96). There was no difference in the group between 30-34
      years (OR=0.76; 95%CI 0.57-1.03). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that non
      pregnant women have a higher frequency of ASCUS, most evident in the age group of
      20 to 29 years. The collection of cervical cancer screening should not be a
      compulsory part of the prenatal routine.

PMID- 26107575
TI  - [Effects of tibolone on the breast parenchyma: experimental study].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of tibolone on mammary tissue of castrated rats
      over 3 different periods of time. METHODS: Sixty virgin female Wistar rats were
      submitted to oophorectomy. Twenty-one days after surgery, with hypoestrogenism
      confirmed, the experimental rats were randomly assigned to six groups: Tibolone 1
      (n=10) received tibolone 1 mg/day for 23 days, tibolone 2 (n=10) for 59 days and
      tibolone 3 (n=10) for 118 days. The groups control 1 (n=8), control 2 (n=7) and
      control 2 (n=10) received distilled water for 23, 59 and 118 days, respectively.
      After treatment, all six pairs of mammary glands were removed and stained with
      hematoxylin and eosin (HE) for histological analysis after euthanasia. The
      histological parameters evaluated were: epithelial cell proliferation and
      secretory activity. The variables were analyzed statistically, with the level of
      significance set at 0.05. RESULTS: Histological changes were observed in 20/55
      rats, mild epithelial hyperplasia in 7/55, moderate epithelial hyperplasia in
      5/55, alveolar-nodular hyperplasia in 7/55, atypia without epithelial
      proliferation in 1/55, and no cases of severe epithelial hyperplasia were found.
      Secretory activity was observed in 31/55 rats. The secretory activity was
      significantly higher in the tibolone groups compared to control at all the time
      points assessed (p=0,001). The histological changes were did not show
      significance when the control and tibolone groups were compared. The time of
      exposure to tibolone did not show significance when the three different periods
      of evaluation were compared. CONCLUSION: No relation between histological
      modification and tibolone treatment was verified after short-, medium- and long
      term treatment.

PMID- 26107576
TI  - Medico-legal litigation in Obstetrics: a characterization analysis of a decade in
      Portugal.
AB  - PURPOSE: It was to analyse the most critical areas in Obstetrics and to suggest
      measures to reduce or avoid the situations most often involved in these disputes.
      METHODS: Obstetrics cases submitted to the Medico-legal Council since the
      creation of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences in
      2001 until 2011 were evaluated. A comprehensive characterization, determination
      of absolute/relative frequencies, hypothesis of a linear trend over the years and
      the association between each parameter was done. RESULTS: The analysis has shown
      no significantly linear trend. The most common reasons for disputes were
      perinatal asphyxia (50%), traumatic injuries of the newborn (24%), maternal
      sequelae (19%) and issues related to prenatal diagnosis and/or obstetric
      ultrasound (5.4%). Perinatal asphyxia showed no significantly linear trend
      (p=0.58) and was usually related to perinatal deaths or permanent neurologic
      sequelae in newborn children. Traumatic injuries of the newborn, mostly related
      to instrumented deliveries, shoulder dystocia or vaginal delivery in breech
      presentation, has shown a significantly increased linear trend (p<0.001),
      especially related to instrumented deliveries. The delay/absence of cesarean
      section was the clinical procedure questioned in a significantly higher number of
      cases of perinatal asphyxia (68.7%) and of traumatic lesions of the newborn due
      to instrumented deliveries (20.5%). CONCLUSION: It is important to improve and
      correct theoretical/practical daily clinical performance in these highlighted
      areas, in order to reduce or even avoid situations that could end up in medico
      legal litigations.

PMID- 26107579
TI  - Psychological and cortisol reactivity to experimentally induced stress in adults
      with ADHD.
AB  - Individuals with ADHD suffer from increased vulnerability to environmental and
      mental stressors and may be at increased risk for chronic stress in everyday
      life. The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis is a critical physiological
      system that mediates responses to stress. The present study seeks to examine test
      performance, test anxiety, self-reported psychological stress and cortisol
      reactivity to mental-cognitive stress in adults with ADHD when compared with
      healthy controls. Stress was induced by an arithmetic ability test. Psychological
      stress was assessed repeatedly throughout the experimental session. Salivary
      cortisol, an indicator of the HPA axis function, was evaluated immediately upon
      arrival, as well as 1 min and 20 min post-test completion. Results revealed
      higher levels of test anxiety and poorer performance on the test in the ADHD
      group. The ADHD and control groups showed no difference in base-line levels of
      subjective stress and in subjective stress levels 20 min after the test. In
      contrast, individuals with ADHD reported significantly higher levels of stress at
      the test anticipation phase and 1 min post-test completion. Cortisol response to
      stress differed according to group: in the ADHD group, 20 min post-test cortisol
      levels were significantly higher than base-line cortisol levels. This was not
      evident in the control group. These results suggest greater activation of the HPA
      axis in response to stress in adults with ADHD when compared with healthy
      controls. Adults with ADHD do not differ from controls in basal levels of
      subjective stress and cortisol, but do have stronger psychophysiological
      reactions in response to stressful challenges. The present findings are among the
      first to demonstrate significant alterations in cortisol reactivity to stress in
      adults with ADHD.

PMID- 26107580
TI  - The Nanotechnology Revolution.

PMID- 26107577
TI  - Obesity and Aging: Consequences for Cognition, Brain Structure, and Brain
      Function.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This review focuses on the relationship between obesity and aging and
      how these interact to affect cognitive function. The topics covered are guided by
      the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition (STAC [Park and Reuter-Lorenz. Annu
      Rev Psychol 2009;60:173-96]-a conceptual model designed to relate brain structure
      and function to one's level of cognitive ability. METHODS: The initial literature
      search was focused on normal aging and was guided by the key words, "aging,
      cognition, and obesity" in PubMed. In a second search, we added key words related
      to neuropathology including words "Alzheimer's disease," "vascular dementia," and
      "mild cognitive impairment." RESULTS: The data suggest that being overweight or
      obese in midlife may be more detrimental to subsequent age-related cognitive
      decline than being overweight or obese at later stages of the life span. These
      effects are likely mediated by the accelerated effects obesity has on the
      integrity of neural structures, including both gray and white matter. Further
      epidemiological studies have provided evidence that obesity in midlife is linked
      to an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, most likely
      via an increased accumulation of Alzheimer's disease pathology. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although it is clear that obesity negatively affects cognition, more work is
      needed to better understand how aging plays a role and how brain structure and
      brain function might mediate the relationship of obesity and age on cognition.
      Guided by the STAC and the STAC-R models, we provide a roadmap for future
      investigations of the role of obesity on cognition across the life span.

PMID- 26107578
TI  - A tug-of-war between the host and the pathogen generates strategic hotspots for
      the development of novel therapeutic interventions against infectious diseases.
AB  - Microbial pathogens are known to express an array of specific signaling molecules
      referred as Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs), which are recognized
      by Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs), present on the surface of the host
      cells. Interactions between PAMPs and PRRs on the surface of the host cells lead
      to signaling events which could culminate into either successful infection or
      clearance of the pathogens. Here, we summarize how these events may generate
      novel host based as well as pathogen based molecular targets for designing
      effective therapeutic strategies against infections. 

PMID- 26107581
TI  - Objective Sounds Better Than Subjective: Is It? Issues of Validity, Relevance,
      and Cost in Diagnostic Testing.
AB  - There has been a push in medical diagnostics and treatment to move toward
      objective testing and away from subjective testing. However, it is not certain
      that the superiority of one over the other is as clear cut as is usually
      considered to be the case. This issue is raised because there are advantages and
      disadvantages to every testing modality. The important considerations are degree
      of validity, of relevance, and of ease of obtaining the test, regardless of the
      type of testing. When a clinical diagnosis is certain or virtually certain, there
      is no need to use a test for diagnostic purposes. There still might be a
      justification for testing, however, even in such situations. In most instances,
      meaningful interpretation of a test result requires clinical information. Such
      clinical information is, of course, subjective, but still necessary. The use of
      tests in the clinic has to be directed by the "subjective" clinical examination,
      else the results make no sense. Subjective is "subjective" and as such open to
      biased interpretation. "Objective tests" also are often open to as much bias and
      misinterpretation as are subjective evaluations; they can seduce us into a false
      sense of security. It is essential to remember that the need for clinical
      evaluation will remain, and that the quality of the clinical evaluation is what
      is most critical to appropriate evaluation of any test result. 

PMID- 26107582
TI  - Scheimpflug Analysis of Centration and Bending of Posterior Chamber Phakic
      Intraocular Lenses.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to present a novel technique for the assessment
      of postoperative centration and bending in phakic intraocular lens (PIOL),
      illustrated through 4 patient examples. DESIGN: This was a prospective
      observational study. METHODS: Four patients (7 eyes) who presented with
      complaints of reduced quality of vision after implantation with a Staar Collamer
      plate haptic PIOL were recruited for assessment. Scheimpflug images were obtained
      and analyzed with respect to the apical axis and the crystalline lens by means of
      an in-house-developed algorithm. The program provides an estimate for the PIOL
      centration and bending through an analysis of the distance between the PIOL and
      the crystalline lens. RESULTS: The algorithm detected PIOL bending in 5 of the 7
      eyes and PIOL decentration in 3 eyes. The PIOL bending or decentration detected
      corresponded, in all cases, with the axis of the astigmatism-like complaints in
      the patient. In 2 eyes of the same patient, the analysis could not be performed
      because the distance between PIOL and crystalline lens was too short for reliable
      analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This algorithm is a useful tool to objectively assess the
      postoperative complaints of patients implanted with a posterior chamber PIOL.
      Bending and decentration due to anatomical variations of the sulcus lens position
      can be measured and in many cases correlated with patients' complaints.

PMID- 26107583
TI  - Quick Referral and Urgent Surgery to Preempt Foveal Detachment in Retinal
      Detachment Repair.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the consultation and referral pathway and
      benefit of urgent surgery within 24 hours of outpatient clinic presentation on
      increasing the ratio of eyes with fovea-on at surgery and visual outcomes in
      retinal detachment cases. DESIGN: This is a retrospective, interventional case
      series. METHODS: A total of 106 eyes underwent an operation for rhegmatogenous
      retinal detachment. Standard vitrectomy or explant scleral buckling was
      performed. The ratio of eyes with fovea-on at the time of operation, anatomical
      success rate, and postoperative best corrected visual acuity were measured.
      RESULTS: Of the106 eyes, 46 (43.4%) already were fovea-off at initial eye clinic
      visit, and 9 eyes became fovea-off during referral. Consequently, 55 patients
      (51.9%) were fovea-off when presenting to our outpatient clinic. Retinal
      detachment was within 1 disc diameter of the fovea in 9 of 51 eyes with fovea-on
      at outpatient clinic presentation, but surgery within 24 hours spared 6 eyes from
      foveal involvement. The anatomical success rate of primary surgery was 98.8%
      (81/82 eyes) by vitrectomy and 83.3% (20/24 eyes) by scleral buckling.
      Postoperative best corrected visual acuity of the fovea-on group was
      significantly higher (mean [SD], -0.019 [0.22] logarithm of the minimal angle of
      resolution) than that of the fovea-off group (mean [SD], 0.32 [0.45] logarithm of
      the minimal angle of resolution; P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: More than half (51.9%)
      of our cohort had already been fovea-off by outpatient presentation. Therefore,
      efforts to urge patients to visit operating facilities promptly seem to be as
      important as the urgent surgeries themselves.

PMID- 26107584
TI  - A 31/2-Year Study of Bacterial Keratitis From Odisha, India.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the clinical and microbiological characteristics and treatment
      outcome of bacterial keratitis at a tertiary eye care center in eastern India.
      DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of medical and microbiology records. METHODS: All
      patients had undergone complete clinical and microbiological evaluation for
      microbial keratitis. Patients with laboratory-proven bacterial keratitis were
      included in the study. RESULTS: Between July 2006 and December 2010, 1417
      microbial keratitis was clinically diagnosed in the patients. Whereas no
      organisms were found in 27.8% (394/1417) of cases, 21.4% (303/1417) were
      bacterial. From 303 patients, 347 bacterial isolates were cultured, 260 (74.9%)
      of which were gram-positive, 67 were gram-negative, and 20 were acid-fast.
      Streptococcus pneumoniae was the predominant isolate (86/347 [24.7%]), followed
      by Staphylococcus species [64/347 (18.4%)]. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (29/347
      [8.3%]) was the most common gram-negative bacterial isolate. High level of
      susceptibility to cefazolin (96.2%) and vancomycin (96.5%) was found in gram
      positive cocci, whereas susceptibility of Pseudomonas species to gatifloxacin was
      95.1%. Fifty-three patients (17.5%) required tissue adhesive, and 47 (15.5%)
      needed penetrating keratoplasty. Healed corneal scar was achieved in 188 patients
      (62%), whereas 34 (11.2%) were lost to follow-up. Large stromal infiltrate size,
      older age group, and poor presenting visual acuity were significant factors that
      adversely affected final outcome (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Proportion of bacterial
      keratitis was low compared with other studies from India. Gram-positive bacteria
      were a common cause of bacterial keratitis with high susceptibility to cefazolin
      and vancomycin. Gram-negative bacteria were sensitive to gatifloxacin with
      overall good treatment outcome.

PMID- 26107585
TI  - Predicted Trends in the Incidence of Retinoblastoma in the Asia-Pacific Region.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to predict the incidence trends of
      retinoblastoma in the Asia-Pacific region. DESIGN: Statistical prediction is
      based on the assumption of uniform incidence among live-born children. METHODS:
      The number of live births was projected from population sizes and birth rates,
      corrected for infant mortality, and taken from the 2012 Revision of the World
      Population Prospects by the United Nations. The uniform incidence of 1:16,642 was
      derived from an earlier birth cohort analysis. Western Asia was excluded from
      calculations. RESULTS: Six of 15 countries with over 100 retinoblastomas annually
      and responsible for 43% of 8099 retinoblastomas predicted for 2013 are Asia
      Pacific nations. The predicted incidence of retinoblastoma in the Asia-Pacific
      peaked in 1988 at 4772 children and is 4167 and 3859, respectively, in 2012 and
      2023. The 10 countries that account for 90% of retinoblastomas in the Asia
      Pacific are India (1486 and 1435 children in 2013 and 2023, respectively), China
      (1103 and 911), Indonesia (277 and 265), Pakistan (260 and 261), Bangladesh (184
      and 172), the Philippines (142 and 152), Iran (87 and 74), Vietnam (85 and 72),
      Japan (64 and 58), and Afghanistan (59 and 59). Largest relative decreases are
      predicted for China (-17%), Vietnam and Iran (-15%), and Sri Lanka (-13%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Reported retinoblastomas during the last decade in the Asia-Pacific
      account for less than half of predicted numbers, which can be used as surrogates
      for evaluating completeness of registration and for advocacy toward reducing
      deaths and blindness from retinoblastoma.

PMID- 26107586
TI  - Superior Oblique Palsy: Epidemiology and Clinical Spectrum From a Tertiary Eye
      Care Center in South India.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiologic
      characteristics and clinical spectrum of superior oblique palsy (SOP) at a
      tertiary eye care center. DESIGN: This was a retrospective case review. METHODS:
      Retrospective analysis of case records of 181 consecutive patients diagnosed with
      SOP seen from January 2001 to December 2008 was performed. RESULTS: The mean age
      of the patients was 31.78 +/- 19.28 years (range, 1-85 years). One hundred thirty
      six (75.1%) were males, and 45 (24.9%) were females. Most common presenting
      symptom was manifest vertical deviation (81.7%). Most common etiology was trauma
      (33.7%) followed by a congenital (32.6%), idiopathic (23.7%), and ischemic (8.8%)
      etiology. One patient each had multiple myeloma and central nervous system
      tuberculoma. Bilateral SOP was noted in 11 cases; 7 (63.4%) of them were
      posttraumatic, 3 (27.3%) were congenital, and 1 developed after cerebrovascular
      accident. Neuroimaging performed in 67 patients (37%) with suspected central
      nervous system pathology was positive in 10 (14.9%) of patients. The distribution
      of neuroimaging abnormalities was traumatic sequelae in 5 patients (50%),
      intracranial space-occupying lesion in 1 (10%), granuloma in dorsal midbrain in 1
      (10%), and ischemic lesions (lacunar infarcts, occipital lobe infarcts) in 3
      (30%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Superior oblique palsy etiology tends to show an age
      and sex distribution. Trauma and congenital etiologies are the most common in
      young males and females, respectively, whereas ischemic etiology is more frequent
      in middle-aged and elderly people. Detailed history, meticulous ocular and
      systemic examination, appropriate neuroimaging, and systemic investigations help
      elucidate the etiology.

PMID- 26107587
TI  - Diabetes, Diabetic Retinopathy, and Retinal Vascular Alterations: A Systematic
      Review.
AB  - The aim of this review is to summarize the available findings from previous
      research that has focused on retinal vascular caliber characteristics in diabetes
      and diabetic retinopathy and identify any gaps that exist in the current
      literature. A systematic Medline, EMBASE, and PubMed search of relevant articles
      was conducted with coverage up to the 30th of September, 2012. The search was not
      restricted by language but was limited to studies conducted in humans. The
      majority of articles conducted on children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes
      have reported that arterioles with larger caliber were present in the early
      stages of diabetic retinopathy (n = 5). Only a few studies conducted on older
      individuals with type 1 diabetes (n = 2) suggest that smaller retinal arteriolar
      caliber is associated with increased severity of diabetic retinopathy. Much
      stronger trends have been identified between venular caliber and older
      individuals with diabetes, with the vast majority of studies reporting that
      retinal venular dilation represents a later sign of severe diabetic retinopathy
      (n = 6), with only 1 study highlighting associations with incident diabetes (n =
      1). Significant developments have occurred to better understand the relationship
      between retinal vascular caliber and the onset and progression of diabetes and
      diabetic retinopathy. Recent evidence suggests that retinal arteriolar dilation
      may be a possible risk factor in the early development diabetic retinopathy and
      retinal venules are dilated in persons with severe diabetic retinopathy. Despite
      this, the clinical significance of these findings requires further evaluation. 

PMID- 26107588
TI  - Nanotechnology-Based Approaches for Ophthalmology Applications: Therapeutic and
      Diagnostic Strategies.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this article was to review recent advances in
      applications of nanotechnology in ophthalmology. DESIGN: Literature review.
      METHODS: Research articles about nanotechnology-based treatments for particular
      eye diseases and diagnostic technologies were searched through Web of Science,
      and the most recent advances were reported. RESULTS: Nanotechnology enabled to
      improve drug and gene delivery systems, medicine solubility and short half-life
      in biological systems, controlled release, targeted delivery, bioavailability,
      diffusion limitations, and biocompatibility so far. These promising achievements
      are the assurance of next-generation treatment technologies. As well as
      treatment, nanofabrications systems such as microelectromechanical manufacturing
      systems removed the limitations of nanodevice generations and led the development
      of diagnostic tools such as intraocular pressure monitors and biosensors.
      CONCLUSIONS: The pursuit of personalized medicine approaches for combating ocular
      diseases may be possible only through the development of nanotechnology platforms
      that include molecular-level engineering. Nanoparticle engineering is a common
      thread; herein, we attempt to show unmodified nanoparticles as well as
      interesting and representative biomimetic strategies can be used for specific
      diseases. Finally, through combining microelectromechanical and
      nanoelectromechanical manufacturing system strategies, interesting manufacturing
      and sensor development can be accomplished for early detection and, in some
      cases, treatment of ocular diseases.

PMID- 26107589
TI  - A Study Investigating a Possible Link Between Lens Protein in the Vitreous Fluid
      of Eyes After Uncomplicated Cataract Surgery and Chronic Cystoid Macular Edema.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine if the lens protein aquaporin 0 (AQP0) is
      present in the vitreous of pseudophakic eyes of patients presenting with chronic
      cystoid macular edema (CME). DESIGN: A case-control study was conducted. METHODS:
      Ten patients undergoing therapeutic vitrectomy for chronic CME after
      uncomplicated cataract surgery were enrolled in this study. Fourteen patients
      with pseudophakia undergoing vitrectomy surgery for indications other than CME
      acted as the comparison group.The vitreous fluid from the 2 groups was analyzed
      for the presence of the lens protein AQP0 and type II collagen (used as a
      positive control). RESULTS: Type II collagen was detected in all the vitreous
      samples, whereas AQP0 was documented in 50% of eyes with chronic CME but was not
      found in the vitreous of any eyes without a documented history of CME.
      CONCLUSIONS: Aquaporin 0 is found in some eyes with chronic CME after
      uncomplicated cataract surgery, suggesting contamination of the vitreous by lens
      protein may have a role in the pathogenesis of this disorder.

PMID- 26107590
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding the "Evaluation of Wound Morphology of Sclerotomy
      Sites of Sutureless Vitrectomy Using Spectralis Anterior Segment Optical
      Coherence Tomography".

PMID- 26107591
TI  - Evaluation of Wound Morphology of Sclerotomy Sites of Sutureless Vitrectomy Using
      Spectralis Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography.

PMID- 26107592
TI  - In-Depth Electrochemical Investigation of Surface Attachment Chemistry via
      Carbodiimide Coupling.
AB  - Aminoferrocene is used as an electroactive indicator to investigate carbodiimide
      coupling reactions on a carboxylic acid-functionalized self-assembled monolayer.
      The commonly used attachment chemistry with 1-ethyl-3-(3
      (dimethylamino)propyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide
      (NHS) is used for surface activation. A number of conditions are investigated,
      including EDC and NHS concentration, buffer solutions, incubation timing, and
      aminoferrocene concentration. Ferrocene is a well-documented electroactive
      species, and the number of surface-bound ferrocene species can be calculated
      using electrochemical methods. This capability allows determination of optimal
      conditions, as well as providing a method for comparing and investigating novel
      carboxylated surfaces. An EDC-mediated procedure with ~5 mM EDC and NHS (1:1)
      made in water, with a full acid monolayer, with 250 MUM aminoferrocene for 40 min
      was found to give the highest ferrocene attachment. An application of this is
      demonstrated for preparing a probe-DNA-coated surface for DNA sensing. By
      backfilling with aminoferrocene, a differential quantification of the amount of
      probe DNA available for sensing can be obtained. This provides an elegant method
      to monitor an important aspect, namely, probe surface characterization, which
      will be highly useful for biosensing purposes. 

PMID- 26107593
TI  - Selective Lamellar Keratoplasty: Surgical Strategy to Prevent Corneal Blindness
      in Asia Pacific Region.

PMID- 26107594
TI  - International Council of Ophthalmology: Refocusing Ophthalmic Education in the
      Asia-Pacific Region and Beyond.
AB  - The International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) is a global organization with a
      regional focus. Working in partnership with supranational and ICO member
      societies, the ICO is building a "World Alliance for Sight" to improve access to
      the highest-quality eye care worldwide. Designed to preserve and restore vision
      on an international scale, the ICO initiative, "Refocusing Ophthalmic Education,"
      enhances ophthalmic education of residents, subspecialists, medical students, and
      allied eye care personnel by redefining the most effective ways to teach and in
      creating beneficial educational opportunities. The "Teaching the Teachers"
      program helps ophthalmic educators incorporate more effective methods of training
      and continuing professional development to meet societal needs, achieved in part
      through regional courses for residency program directors; symposia, and keynote
      talks presented by ICO's World Ophthalmology Educational Colloquium, Conferences
      for Ophthalmic Educators, and ophthalmic surgical competency rubrics. Recognizing
      that standardized curricula are essential for consistent ophthalmic education,
      the ICO has developed a curricular framework whereby goals, expectations,
      knowledge base, competencies, and technical training are delineated. The ICO is
      defining worldwide models of team training and compiling best practice, which
      will include training-program accreditation to ensure improvement in the
      education of ophthalmologists. International Council of Ophthalmology Web-based
      teaching courses, a Webinar Network, and a technology blog further support
      information and communication technologies for teaching and learning. At the
      ICO's Center for Ophthalmic Educators (educators.icoph.org), trainers will find
      valuable teaching resources in multiple languages as well as ways to share ideas
      and collaborate with peers and other ophthalmic educators. 

PMID- 26107595
TI  - Comparison of the Surgical Outcomes of Various Methods of Endothelial
      Keratoplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of various
      techniques of endothelial keratoplasty (EK) including deep lamellar endothelial
      keratoplasty (DLEK), Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK), and
      Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). DESIGN: This was a
      retrospective comparative case series. METHODS: The medical records of 48
      consecutive patients who have undergone EK in a tertiary eye center between
      January 2005 and June 2011 were reviewed. Information related to demographics,
      visual acuity, corneal endothelial cell count, and postoperative complications
      was recorded. RESULTS: The series included 11 eyes with DLEK, 11 eyes with DSEK,
      and 26 eyes with DSAEK. There was no significant difference in visual outcomes,
      endothelial cell loss, and postoperative complications between the 3 groups 1
      year after surgery. The mean logMAR visual acuity at 12 months was 0.54 (SD,
      0.26) for DLEK, 0.55 (SD, 0.47) for DSEK, and 0.63 (SD, 0.48) for DSAEK,
      respectively. The 6-month endothelial cell density loss was 48.4%, 39.2%, and
      47.5% for the DLEK, DSEK, and DSAEK groups, respectively. Early postoperative
      graft dislocation occurred in 1 (9%) of the DLEK cases, 2 (18%) of the DSEK
      cases, and 1 (4%) of the DSAEK cases. All of these cases were successfully
      repositioned. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the various evolution and surgical
      modifications and development in EK in the past few years, the visual outcomes
      and postoperative complications between DLEK, DSEK, and DSAEK were comparable.

PMID- 26107596
TI  - Pediatric Orbital Blow-Out Fractures: Surgical Outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the features, timing of
      intervention, complications, and outcomes of patients who underwent surgery for
      pediatric orbital blow-out fractures. DESIGN: This was a retrospective case
      review studying all cases of pediatric orbital blow-out fractures that underwent
      surgical intervention from 2000 to 2009 in a tertiary ophthalmic center in
      Singapore. METHODS: Case notes review of all cases of pediatric orbital blow-out
      fractures repaired surgically was carried out for demographics, time to
      intervention, and outcome. How the various factors may affect the outcome was
      statistically analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 23 patients were reviewed. There were
      21 patients (91.3%) with floor fractures, 1 (4.3%) with medial wall fracture, and
      1 (4.3%) with combined medial wall and floor fracture. Of the 21 cases of floor
      fracture, 20 cases had radiological images available for review, 17 (85%) were
      linear, and 3 (15%) were open. Patients with open fractures were older with a
      mean age of 14.0 years as compared with 12.6 years in those with linear
      fractures. The mean duration from injury to intervention was 13.0 days.
      Preoperatively, 14 (60.9%) had diplopia, but only 4 cases (17.4%) had diplopia in
      extreme gaze at the last follow-up after surgery (18 months). Outcome was not
      affected by age, duration between injury and intervention, type of fracture, and
      nature of implants used. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that pediatric
      orbital blow-out fractures had good outcomes. It might also suggest the
      possibility of not having to manage all linear fractures as a surgical emergency.

PMID- 26107597
TI  - Clinical Features of Central Retinal Vein Occlusion With Inflammatory Etiology.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to characterize central retinal vein
      occlusion (CRVO) with inflammatory etiology. DESIGN: A retrospective study.
      METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 51 eyes of 48 patients with CRVO between
      2004 and 2009 and investigated whether they had inflammatory findings related to
      retinal vasculitis, that is, severe peripheral retinal vascular changes based on
      fluorescein angiography and anterior vitreous cells. The extent of vascular
      leakage was classified as "mild," "moderate," and "severe" in angiographic
      images. RESULTS: Six eyes of 5 patients (11.8%) had both inflammatory criteria.
      All patients were male and with a diagnosis of ischemic CRVO. No causative
      etiology was detected in any patient. The mean age was 46.4 (SD, 23.3) years. The
      age range was not limited to young generation. These patients received systemic
      corticosteroid therapy with a mean follow-up period of 41.8 months. The mean
      logMAR visual acuity [1.29 (SD, 0.77)] and central retinal thickness [1290.5 (SD,
      399.0) MUm)] at the initial visit were significantly (P = 0.004 and P = 0.001)
      improved at the final visit [0.94 (SD, 0.69) and 266.7 (SD, 135.4) MUm,
      respectively]. CONCLUSIONS: Central retinal vein occlusion with idiopathic
      inflammatory conditions appears to have clinical characteristics of broad age
      range and good response to systemic corticosteroid therapy.

PMID- 26107598
TI  - Epipolis-Laser In Situ Keratomileusis Discarding Epithelium Versus Laser In Situ
      Keratomileusis for Myopia and Myopic Astigmatism in Asian Eyes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare long-term safety, efficacy, predictability, and visual
      outcomes of epipolis-laser in situ keratomileusis (epi-LASIK) discarding
      epithelium versus LASIK in Asian eyes. DESIGN: This was a prospective,
      randomized, bilateral case series. METHODS: This study included 166 eyes of 83
      patients with myopia and myopic astigmatism who received epi-LASIK in 1 eye and
      LASIK in the contralateral eye. Automated separation of the epithelium was
      performed with epi-KTM, and LASIK was performed with M2 microkeratome using 90
      MUm calibrated heads. Patients were seen post-operatively at 1 and 3 days, 1
      week, and on days 1, 3, 7 at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Uncorrected visual acuity,
      best corrected visual acuity, spherical equivalent (SE), contrast sensitivity,
      total higher-order aberration, corneal sensitivity, and clarity were analyzed.
      RESULTS: Mean preoperative SE was -4.26 (SD, 1.64) diopters (D) in epi-LASIK and 
      4.27 (SD, 1.63) D in the LASIK group. Twelve months after surgery, mean SE was
      0.04 (SD, 0.40) and 0.11 (SD, 0.30) D, respectively. There was no significant
      difference in uncorrected visual acuity (P = 0.451), SE (P = 0.157) and contrast
      sensitivity between groups at the 1-year follow-up (P > 0.05). During 6 months
      after operation, corneal sensitivity values were significantly lower in the LASIK
      group (P < 0.05). No eye lost line of best corrected visual acuity in both
      groups. In epi-LASIK eyes, there was no haze in 97.5% and haze grade 1 in 2.5% at
      3 months postoperatively. From 6 months onward, alls corneas were clear.
      CONCLUSIONS: Epi-LASIK was safe, predictable, and effective and may be considered
      an alternative for LASIK.

PMID- 26107599
TI  - A Japanese Survey of Perioperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Cataract Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to identify trends in the use of
      perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in cataract surgery in Japan. DESIGN: This
      was a national survey by mail or interview. METHODS: The use of perioperative
      antibiotic prophylaxis in cataract surgery was evaluated by conducting a survey
      in 6 regions within Japan from October 1, 2011, to March 1, 2012. RESULTS:
      Responses were received from 285 (75%) of the 387 surgeons who were surveyed. The
      results revealed that 89% (255/285) administered ophthalmic antibiotic ointment.
      Forty-seven percent (133/285) used antibiotics in forms other than ophthalmic
      ointments within 6 hours after surgery, 7% (19/285) used eyedrops, 24% (67/285)
      used antibiotics via an irrigation bottle, 1% (2/285) used intracameral
      injections, and 24% (69/285) used subconjunctival injections. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although poor intraocular penetration of ophthalmic ointments has been reported,
      ophthalmic ointments are widely used. The fact that antibiotics should ideally be
      administered within 6 hours after surgery is not widely recognized. However,
      intracameral injection, which achieves much higher antibiotic concentration in
      the anterior chamber than other methods, is a technique that should be widely
      acknowledged.

PMID- 26107600
TI  - Clinical Features, Investigations, Management, and Prognosis of Serpiginous
      Choroiditis.
AB  - Serpiginous choroiditis is an inflammatory form of posterior uveitis that affects
      the choroid, retinal pigment epithelium, and choriocapillaries. Known to be
      recurrent and progressive in nature, this bilateral disease can result in severe
      visual loss both during the active and healed stages. The age at onset is 40 to
      50 years, but it can affect younger Indian population. It can be further
      classified into 3 types based on its clinical presentation, and they are, namely,
      peripapillary, macular, and ampiginous. Histological features further qualify the
      site of inflammation as evidenced by lymphocytic infiltration within the choroid
      and atrophy of choriocapillaries and retinal pigment epithelium. Despite a
      multitude of etiologies such as autoimmunity, infection, and degeneration,
      autoimmune causes remain the mainstay. Laboratory investigations can help rule
      out infections, whereas angiography can provide further insights into the
      progression of the disease. Newer investigations such as optical coherence
      tomography and fundus autofluorescence can help locate the lesion and identify
      the phase of the disease. Corticosteroids with immunosuppressives are the major
      management modality. Treatment of complications may require intravitreal
      injections, laser photocoagulation, or even vitreoretinal surgery. 

PMID- 26107601
TI  - An Update on the Diagnosis and Management of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.
AB  - Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is a complicated disease with still
      unclear causes, pathogenesis and management strategy despite active research. CSC
      has been traditionally considered as a self-limiting disease where spontaneous
      recovery occurs in 90% of the patients within a few months. This proclaimed
      "benign" nature of CSC, however, has been queried by increasing scientific
      evidence that permanent photoreceptors damage and neurosensory-cystoid
      degeneration of macula occur in the event of chronic CSC. CSC is probably not a
      benign disease. Treatments for CSC are still evolving. It is very difficult to
      define the proper timing for active treatment of CSC because it is not easy to
      define a universally accepted cut-off time point for active intervention. There
      is a recent suggestion that active CSC treatment should be considered if symptoms
      last longer than 3 months as atrophy of photoreceptors may occur as early as 4
      months after initial presentation. The CSC patients may be stratified into two
      groups based on the initial presenting visual acuity and duration of symptom: the
      good visual prognosis group and the dubious visual prognosis group. The
      management may then be tailor-made based on the visual prognosis group. "Safety
      enhanced'" photodynamic therapy (PDT) using lower doses and reduced fluence is
      still the mainstay of treatment. Newer treatment modalities like intravitreal
      anti-VEGF therapy, micropulsed diode laser treatment, and the use of
      corticosteroid antagonists do warrant further investigation. Combination
      therapies involving two or more of the above modalities of treatments may have a
      role to play in this actively researched area. 

PMID- 26107602
TI  - The Immunology of Glaucoma.
AB  - The presence of specific antibodies and T cells that are specific in patients
      with glaucoma supports the idea that the immune system may play an important role
      in the initiation and/or sustainment of glaucomatous optic neuropathy, at least
      in some patients. At present, our understanding regarding immunological
      mechanisms associated with glaucomatous optic neuropathy is far from
      satisfactory. In this review, we examined evidence suggesting involvement of
      autoimmune responses in the pathogenesis of glaucoma. These include detection of
      autoantibodies and T cells and expression of cytokines and stress proteins in
      patients with glaucoma. Although immune responses are thought to be detrimental,
      some responses may exert a protective effect against neurodegenerative damage.
      Likely, the balance between positive and negative regulators determines the
      survival or demise of cells. It is vital that research continues to elucidate the
      roles of the immune system in glaucomatous neurodegeneration and the possibility
      of alternative modalities of treatment. These studies may also provide valuable
      molecular biomarkers for the diagnosis and identification of a specific cohort of
      patients with glaucoma, that is, those with normal-tension glaucoma. 

PMID- 26107603
TI  - Genetics in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Current Research and Implications
      for Future Treatment.
AB  - Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) remains a leading cause of visual loss in
      the developed world, and genetic factors are known risks for disease development,
      as well as affecting response to therapy. Here, we review genetic factors
      associated with AMD and the influence of genetics on the understanding of AMD
      pathogenesis. The potential role of genetics in assisting in the management of
      AMD and future research avenues are also discussed. 

PMID- 26107604
TI  - Childhood Vascular Risk Factors and Retinal Vessel Caliber.

PMID- 26107605
TI  - Childhood Vascular Risk Factors and Retinal Vessel Caliber: Author Reply.

PMID- 26107606
TI  - Suprabrow Single-Stab and Three-Stab Incision Frontalis Sling Surgery.

PMID- 26107607
TI  - Author Reply.

PMID- 26107608
TI  - Femtosecond Laser Cataract Surgery: An Experience From Australia.

PMID- 26107609
TI  - Author Reply.

PMID- 26107610
TI  - Examining Ligand-Based Stabilization of Proteins in Cells with MEK1 Kinase
      Inhibitors.
AB  - In this study, we describe the evaluation of a cell-based protein stability assay
      using beta-galactosidase fragment complementation technology performed in two
      independent laboratories. The assay is based on the ability of certain ligands to
      bind to a protein leading to a ligand-protein complex that has a different
      stability than the free protein. The assay employed a prolabeled-tagged MEK1
      kinase stably expressed in A549 cells and this was used to evaluate focused sets
      of compounds containing known MEK1inhibitors as well as a random set of
      compounds. An assay using a prolabeled-tagged lysine methyltransferase known as
      G9a expressed in A549 cells was used as a counterscreen. In one study, it was
      found that the majority of MEK1 inhibitors were either found as inactive (52%) or
      showed a selective inhibitory response (18%) in the cell-based MEK1 assay;
      however, eight compounds showed a specific activation response consistent with
      stabilization of MEK1 in cells. Examination of these stabilizing compounds showed
      that three of these were analogs of hypothemycin, a known covalent allosteric
      MEK1 inhibitor, while the remaining compounds covered one structural class. Both
      laboratories were able to confirm activity in the cell-based MEK1 assay for known
      MEK1 inhibitors and found that this activity was highly selective over the G9a
      counterscreen assay. Screening of a mechanism of action library containing
      compounds with bioactivity annotations against the cell-based MEK1 assay did not
      reveal any mechanisms leading to an increase in signal other than inhibitors of
      MEK1. This study supports that the MEK1 cellular protein stability assay is
      sensitive to certain MEK1 inhibitors, often noncompetitive inhibitors with
      respect to ATP. The cellular stability assay format could be useful to rapidly
      filter kinase inhibitor hit lists for allosteric kinase inhibitors and support
      target engagement in cells. 

PMID- 26107611
TI  - Orthogonal Injection Ion Funnel Interface Providing Enhanced Performance for
      Selected Reaction Monitoring-Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - The electrodynamic ion funnel facilitates efficient focusing and transfer of
      charged particles in the higher-pressure regions (e.g., ion source interfaces) of
      mass spectrometers, thus providing increased sensitivity. An "off-axis" ion
      funnel design has been developed to reduce the source contamination and
      interferences from, e.g. ESI droplet residue and other poorly focused neutral or
      charged particles with very high mass-to-charge ratios. In this study, a dual ion
      funnel interface consisting of an orthogonal higher pressure electrodynamic ion
      funnel (HPIF) and an ion funnel trap combined with a triple quadrupole mass
      spectrometer was developed and characterized. An orthogonal ion injection inlet
      and a repeller plate electrode was used to direct ions to an ion funnel HPIF at a
      pressure of 9-10 Torr. Key factors for the HPIF performance characterized
      included the effects of RF amplitude, the DC gradient, and operating pressure.
      Compared to the triple quadrupole standard interface more than 4-fold improvement
      in the limit of detection for the direct quantitative MS analysis of low
      abundance peptides was observed. The sensitivity enhancement in liquid
      chromatography selected reaction monitoring (LC-SRM) analyses of low-abundance
      peptides spiked into a highly complex mixture was also compared with that
      obtained using both a commercial S-lens interface and an in-line dual-ion funnel
      interface. 

PMID- 26107612
TI  - The Cognitive Decline of Marshal Philippe Petain.
AB  - In 1940, at the age of 84, Marshal Petain was appointed the head of state and
      government of France. His health was excellent but he tired easily. He felt
      unable to learn and his memory was weak. During a crisis situation in 1942, he
      did not lead, plan and decide and he was replaced as head of government. From
      1943 on, he was increasingly apathetic. In 1945/1946 he had difficulty finding
      words after a short conversation. A parliamentary committee concluded in 1947
      that he was senile. His mental condition worsened in the years thereafter. In
      retrospect, it is clear that the final responsibility for the policies of the
      French government in the Second World War had rested on a man who was going
      through a predementia process of cognitive decline. 

PMID- 26107613
TI  - Rh(III)-Catalyzed C-H Amidation of Indoles with Isocyanates.
AB  - The rhodium(III)-catalyzed direct amidation of indoles and pyrroles with aryl and
      alkyl isocyanates is described. These transformations provide a facile and
      efficient construction of C2-amidated N-heterocyclic scaffolds. 

PMID- 26107614
TI  - Conformational cooperativity between helical domains of differing geometry in
      oligoamide-oligourea foldamer chimeras.
AB  - Linking together an oligourea and an oligoamide foldamer gives rise to a
      conformationally well-defined structure, despite the different hydrogen-bonding
      patterns in the two domains, provided the oligomers are ligated amide C terminus
      to urea N terminus. A powerful screw-sense preference induced at the N terminus
      of the resulting chimeric structure provides evidence for cooperative
      conformational interactions within the 'block co-foldamer'. 

PMID- 26107615
TI  - Development of a Drug-Response Modeling Framework to Identify Cell Line Derived
      Translational Biomarkers That Can Predict Treatment Outcome to Erlotinib or
      Sorafenib.
AB  - Development of drug responsive biomarkers from pre-clinical data is a critical
      step in drug discovery, as it enables patient stratification in clinical trial
      design. Such translational biomarkers can be validated in early clinical trial
      phases and utilized as a patient inclusion parameter in later stage trials. Here
      we present a study on building accurate and selective drug sensitivity models for
      Erlotinib or Sorafenib from pre-clinical in vitro data, followed by validation of
      individual models on corresponding treatment arms from patient data generated in
      the BATTLE clinical trial. A Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) based
      modeling framework was designed and implemented, using a special splitting
      strategy and canonical pathways to capture robust information for model building.
      Erlotinib and Sorafenib predictive models could be used to identify a sub-group
      of patients that respond better to the corresponding treatment, and these models
      are specific to the corresponding drugs. The model derived signature genes
      reflect each drug's known mechanism of action. Also, the models predict each
      drug's potential cancer indications consistent with clinical trial results from a
      selection of globally normalized GEO expression datasets. 

PMID- 26107616
TI  - A Canine Non-Weight-Bearing Model with Radial Neurectomy for Rotator Cuff Repair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The major concern of using a large animal model to study rotator cuff
      repair is the high rate of repair retears. The purpose of this study was to test
      a non-weight-bearing (NWB) canine model for rotator cuff repair research.
      METHODS: First, in the in vitro study, 18 shoulders were randomized to 3 groups.
      1) Full-width transections repaired with modified Mason-Allen sutures using 3-0
      polyglactin suture, 2) Group 1 repaired using number 2 (#2) polyester braid and
      long-chain polyethylene suture, and 3) Partial-width transections leaving the
      superior 2 mm infraspinatus tendon intact without repair. In the in vivo study of
      6 dogs, the infraspinatus tendon was partially transected as the same as the in
      vitro group 3. A radial neurectomy was performed to prevent weight bearing. The
      operated limb was slung in a custom-made jacket for 6 weeks. RESULTS: In the in
      vitro study, mean ultimate tensile load and stiffness in Group 2 were
      significantly higher than Group 1 and 3 (p<0.05). In the in vivo study, gross
      inspection and histology showed that the preserved superior 2-mm portion of the
      infraspinatus tendon remained intact with normal structure. CONCLUSIONS: Based on
      the biomechanical and histological findings, this canine NWB model may be an
      appropriate and useful model for studies of rotator cuff repair.

PMID- 26107618
TI  - A Comparison of Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging of Invasive Lobular Carcinomas and
      Ductal Carcinomas.

PMID- 26107617
TI  - The Disulfide Bond Cys255-Cys279 in the Immunoglobulin-Like Domain of Anthrax
      Toxin Receptor 2 Is Required for Membrane Insertion of Anthrax Protective Antigen
      Pore.
AB  - Anthrax toxin receptors act as molecular clamps or switches that control anthrax
      toxin entry, pH-dependent pore formation, and translocation of enzymatic moieties
      across the endosomal membranes. We previously reported that reduction of the
      disulfide bonds in the immunoglobulin-like (Ig) domain of the anthrax toxin
      receptor 2 (ANTXR2) inhibited the function of the protective antigen (PA) pore.
      In the present study, the disulfide linkage in the Ig domain was identified as
      Cys255-Cys279 and Cys230-Cys315. Specific disulfide bond deletion mutants were
      achieved by replacing Cys residues with Ala residues. Deletion of the disulfide
      bond C255-C279, but not C230-C315, inhibited the PA pore-induced release of the
      fluorescence dyes from the liposomes, suggesting that C255-C279 is essential for
      PA pore function. Furthermore, we found that deletion of C255-C279 did not affect
      PA prepore-to-pore conversion, but inhibited PA pore membrane insertion by
      trapping the PA membrane-inserting loops in proteinaceous hydrophobic pockets.
      Fluorescence spectra of Trp59, a residue adjacent to the PA-binding motif in von
      Willebrand factor A (VWA) domain of ANTXR2, showed that deletion of C255-C279
      resulted in a significant conformational change on the receptor ectodomain. The
      disulfide deletion-induced conformational change on the VWA domain was further
      confirmed by single-particle 3D reconstruction of the negatively stained PA
      receptor heptameric complexes. Together, the biochemical and structural data
      obtained in this study provides a mechanistic insight into the role of the
      receptor disulfide bond C255-C279 in anthrax toxin action. Manipulation of the
      redox states of the receptor, specifically targeting to C255-C279, may become a
      novel strategy to treat anthrax. 

PMID- 26107619
TI  - Phylogeography of the coastal mosquito Aedes togoi across climatic zones: testing
      an anthropogenic dispersal hypothesis.
AB  - The coastal mosquito Aedes togoi occurs more or less continuously from subarctic
      to subtropic zones along the coasts of the Japanese islands and the East Asian
      mainland. It occurs also in tropical Southeast Asia and the North American
      Pacific coast, and the populations there are thought to have been introduced from
      Japan by ship. To test this hypothesis, the genetic divergence among geographic
      populations of A. togoi was studied using one mitochondrial and three nuclear
      gene sequences. We detected 71 mitochondrial haplotypes forming four lineages,
      with high nucleotide diversity around temperate Japan and declining towards
      peripheral ranges. The major lineage (L1) comprised 57 haplotypes from temperate
      and subarctic zones in Japan and Southeast Asia including southern China and
      Taiwan. Two other lineages were found from subtropical islands (L3) and a
      subarctic area (L4) of Japan. The Canadian population showed one unique haplotype
      (L2) diverged from the other lineages. In the combined nuclear gene tree,
      individuals with mitochondrial L4 haplotypes diverged from those with the other
      mitochondrial haplotypes L1-L3; although individuals with L1-L3 haplotypes showed
      shallow divergences in the nuclear gene sequences, individuals from Southeast
      Asia and Canada each formed a monophyletic group. Overall, the genetic
      composition of the Southeast Asian populations was closely related to that of
      temperate Japanese populations, suggesting recent gene flow between these
      regions. The Canadian population might have originated from anthropogenic
      introduction from somewhere in Asia, but the possibility that it could have
      spread across the Beringian land bridge cannot be ruled out. 

PMID- 26107620
TI  - Metabolomics Analysis Reveals that AICAR Affects Glycerolipid, Ceramide and
      Nucleotide Synthesis Pathways in INS-1 Cells.
AB  - AMPK regulates many metabolic pathways including fatty acid and glucose
      metabolism, both of which are closely associated with insulin secretion in
      pancreatic beta-cells. Insulin secretion is regulated by metabolic coupling
      factors such as ATP/ADP ratio and other metabolites generated by the metabolism
      of nutrients such as glucose, fatty acid and amino acids. However, the connection
      between AMPK activation and insulin secretion in beta-cells has not yet been
      fully elucidated at a metabolic level. To study the effect of AMPK activation on
      glucose stimulated insulin secretion, we applied the pharmacological activator 5
      aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) to an INS-1 (832/13) beta
      cell line. We measured the change in 66 metabolites in the presence or absence of
      AICAR using different stable isotopic labeled nutrients to probe selected
      pathways. AMPK activation by AICAR increased basal insulin secretion and reduced
      the glucose stimulation index. Although ATP/ADP ratios were not strongly affected
      by AICAR, several other metabolites and pathways important for insulin secretion
      were affected by AICAR treatment including long-chain CoAs, malonyl-CoA, 3
      hydroxy-3 methylglutaryl CoA, diacylglycerol, and farnesyl pyrophosphate. Tracer
      studies using 13C-glucose revealed lower glucose flux in the purine and
      pyrimidine pathway and in the glycerolipid synthesis pathway. Untargeted
      metabolomics revealed reduction in ceramides caused by AICAR that may explain the
      beneficial role of AMPK in protecting beta-cells from lipotoxicity. Taken
      together, the results provide an overall picture of the metabolic changes
      associated with AICAR treatment and how it modulates insulin secretion and beta
      cell survival. 

PMID- 26107621
TI  - Paternal Factors and Inequity Associated with Access to Maternal Health Care
      Service Utilization in Nepal: A Community Based Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The threat of maternal mortality can be reduced by increasing use of
      maternal health services. Maternal death and access to maternal health care
      services are inequitable in low and middle income countries.The aim of this study
      is to assess associated paternal factors and degree of inequity in access to
      maternal health care service utilization. METHODS: Analysis illustrates on a
      cross-sectional household survey that followed multistage-cluster sampling.
      Concentration curve and indices were calculated. Binary logistic regression
      analysis was executed to account paternal factors associated with the utilization
      of maternal health services. Path model with structural equation modeling (SEM)
      examined the predictors of antenatal care (ANC) and institutional delivery.
      RESULTS: The finding of this study revealed that 39.9% and 45.5% of the
      respondents' wives made ANC visits and utilized institutional delivery services
      respectively. Men with graduate and higher level of education were more likely
      (AOR: 5.91, 95% CI; 4.02, 8.70) to have ANC of their wives than men with no
      education or primary level of education. Men with higher household income (Q5)
      were more likely (1.99, 95% CI; 1.39, 2.86) to have ANC for their wives.
      Similarly, higher household income (Q5) also determined (2.74, 95% CI; 1.81,
      4.15) for institutional delivery of their wives. Concentration curve and indices
      also favored rich than the poor. SEM revealed that ANC visit was directly
      associated to institutional delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Paternal factors like age,
      household wealth, number of children, ethnicity, education, knowledge of danger
      sign during pregnancy, and husband's decision making for seeking maternal and
      child health care are crucial factors associated to maternal health service
      utilization. Higher ANC coverage predicts higher utilization of the institutional
      delivery. Wealthier population is more concentrated to maternal health services.
      The inequities between the poor and the rich are necessary to be addressed
      through effective policy and programs.

PMID- 26107622
TI  - Characterization and Biological Activities of Ocellatin Peptides from the Skin
      Secretion of the Frog Leptodactylus pustulatus.
AB  - Eight new peptides were isolated from the skin secretion of the frog
      Leptodactylus pustulatus and their amino acid sequences determined by de novo
      sequencing and by cDNA cloning. Structural similarities between them and other
      antimicrobial peptides from the skin secretion of Leptodactylus genus frogs were
      found. Ocellatins-PT1 to -PT5 (25 amino acid residues) are amidated at the C
      terminus, while ocellatins-PT6 to -PT8 (32 amino acid residues) have free
      carboxylates. Antimicrobial activity, hemolytic tests, and cytotoxicity against a
      murine fibroblast cell line were investigated. All peptides, except for ocellatin
      PT2, have antimicrobial activity against at least one Gram-negative strain.
      Ocellatin-PT8 inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus,
      Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella choleraesuis strains with MICs in the 60
      240 MUM range. No significant effect was observed in human erythrocytes and in a
      murine fibroblast cell line after exposure to the peptides at MICs. A comparison
      between sequences obtained by both direct HPLC-MS de novo sequencing and cDNA
      cloning demonstrates the secretion of mature peptides derived from a pre-pro
      peptide structure. 

PMID- 26107623
TI  - Overweight as a Prognostic Factor for Triple-Negative Breast Cancers in Chinese
      Women.
AB  - PURPOSE: Obesity is associated with poorer outcomes in patients with hormone
      receptor-positive breast cancers, but this association is not well established
      for women with triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC). Here, we investigated the
      prognostic effects of body mass index (BMI) on clinical outcomes in patients with
      TNBC. METHODS: We identified 1106 patients with TNBC who met the inclusion
      criteria and were treated between January 2002 and June 2012. Clinical and
      biological features were collected to evaluate the relation between BMI and
      breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS) after
      controlling for other clinically significant variables. RESULTS: Of 1106
      patients, 656 (59.3%) were normal weight (BMI <=24) and 450 patients (40.7%) were
      overweight(BMI>24). Median follow-up time was 44.8 months. Breast cancer specific
      death was observed in 140 patients. After adjusting for clinicopathologic risk
      factors, overweight was associated with OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.46, 95%
      confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-2.06, P =0.028) but not BCSS (HR: 1.34, 95% CI:
      0.90-2.01, P =0.15)in all the patients with TNBC. When stratified with menopausal
      status, overweight was associated with BCSS and OS (HR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.11-4.63,
      P = 0.024 and HR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.21-3.87, P = 0.010, respectively) in
      premenopausal women. BMI was not associated with BCSS or OS in postmenopausal
      women. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight is an independent prognostic factor of OS in all
      women with TNBC, and menopause status may be a mitigating factor. Among
      premenopausal women, overweight women are at a greater risk of poor prognosis
      than normal weight women. If validated, these findings should be considered in
      developing preventive programs.

PMID- 26107624
TI  - Mixing Languages during Learning? Testing the One Subject-One Language Rule.
AB  - In bilingual communities, mixing languages is avoided in formal schooling: even
      if two languages are used on a daily basis for teaching, only one language is
      used to teach each given academic subject. This tenet known as the one subject
      one language rule avoids mixing languages in formal schooling because it may
      hinder learning. The aim of this study was to test the scientific ground of this
      assumption by investigating the consequences of acquiring new concepts using a
      method in which two languages are mixed as compared to a purely monolingual
      method. Native balanced bilingual speakers of Basque and Spanish-adults
      (Experiment 1) and children (Experiment 2)-learnt new concepts by associating two
      different features to novel objects. Half of the participants completed the
      learning process in a multilingual context (one feature was described in Basque
      and the other one in Spanish); while the other half completed the learning phase
      in a purely monolingual context (both features were described in Spanish).
      Different measures of learning were taken, as well as direct and indirect
      indicators of concept consolidation. We found no evidence in favor of the non
      mixing method when comparing the results of two groups in either experiment, and
      thus failed to give scientific support for the educational premise of the one
      subject-one language rule. 

PMID- 26107626
TI  - Analytically confirmed recreational use of Phenibut (beta-phenyl-gamma
      aminobutyric acid) bought over the internet.

PMID- 26107625
TI  - Microneutralization assay titres correlate with protection against seasonal
      influenza H1N1 and H3N2 in children.
AB  - Although the microneutralization (MN) assay has been shown to be more sensitive
      than the hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assay for the measurement of humoral
      immunity against influenza viruses, further evidence relating MN titres to
      protective efficacy against infection is needed. Serum antibodies against
      seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 influenza were measured in children and adolescents (n =
      656) by MN and hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assays. Compared to HAI, the MN
      assay is more sensitive in detecting serum antibodies and estimates of protective
      effectiveness against PCR-confirmed infection were higher for both subtypes.
      Given our findings, the MN assay warrants further consideration as a formal tool
      for the routine evaluation of vaccine-induced antibody responses. 

PMID- 26107627
TI  - Acetaminophen concentrations prior to 4 hours of ingestion: impact on diagnostic
      decision-making and treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Consensus recommendations for acute acetaminophen exposure include
      plotting an acetaminophen concentration at >= 4 h post ingestion on the Rumack
      Matthew nomogram to determine the need for acetylcysteine treatment. We studied
      the frequency of acetaminophen concentrations drawn within 4 h post ingestion and
      whether the Rumack-Matthew nomogram was properly used in making acetylcysteine
      treatment decisions. METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational case series
      at three regional poison centers of acute acetaminophen exposures between 1/1/13
      and 12/31/13. Cases were analyzed for demographics, timing of acetaminophen
      concentrations, and application of the Rumack-Matthew nomogram in acetylcysteine
      initiation or termination. RESULTS: 1,123 cases of acute acetaminophen exposure
      were reviewed. Of 520 acute acetaminophen exposure cases presenting < 4 h post
      ingestion, 323 (62%) had a pre-4-hour acetaminophen concentration measured and
      197 (38%) did not. Those with a known pre-4-hour acetaminophen concentration were
      less likely to have a 4-hour acetaminophen concentration (59% vs. 93%) or an
      acetaminophen concentration within 8 h (87% vs. 99%) and were more likely to be
      treated with acetylcysteine (29% vs. 17%) and less likely to be treated based on
      the Rumack-Matthew nomogram (72% vs. 97%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a known
      exposure time and presenting within 4 h of acetaminophen ingestion had a pre-4
      hour acetaminophen concentration obtained 62% of the time. Pre-4-hour
      acetaminophen concentrations cannot be used to determine the need for
      acetylcysteine therapy and are associated with an increased likelihood of not
      obtaining optimally timed acetaminophen concentrations and acetylcysteine
      management not based on the proper application of the Rumack-Matthew nomogram.
      Current practice results in additional cost, unnecessary treatment, potential
      adverse medication effects, and the possibility of non-treatment of patients at
      risk of hepatotoxicity.

PMID- 26107629
TI  - The Functional Significance of Chiral Genitalia: Patterns of Asymmetry,
      Functional Morphology and Mating Success in the Praying Mantis Ciulfina
      baldersoni.
AB  - Genital asymmetry is relatively common and widespread throughout the animal
      kingdom. The functional significance of genital asymmetry is however, poorly
      understood for most species. Male praying mantids of the genus Ciulfina are
      remarkable in possessing complex and directionally asymmetric genital phallomeres
      in some species, and chirally dimorphic/antisymmetric genitalia in others. Here
      we explore the chiral dimorphism in male genitalia of Ciulfina baldersoni which
      appear to exhibit genital antisymmetry. We test whether genital orientation
      influences mating success, copulation duration and the attachment duration of
      spermatophores. Additionally we investigate genital interactions between male and
      females using x-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM). Lastly we assess whether genital asymmetry is associated with
      non-genital morphological asymmetry of a range of traits. Our results highlight
      the complex functional morphology of genitalia in this praying mantis species and
      yet demonstrate no functional difference between dextral and sinistral morphs
      other than the direction of attachment with both morphs enjoying equal levels of
      mating success. Chiral morphs also did not strongly associate with any other
      forms of asymmetry. We therefore conclude that genital chirality in Ciulfina
      baldersoni is a likely case of antisymmetry with no functional significance to
      genital orientation, and is likely to be selectively neutral. 

PMID- 26107628
TI  - Characterization and Regulation of the Amino Acid Transporter SNAT2 in the Small
      Intestine of Piglets.
AB  - The sodium-dependent neutral amino acid transporter 2 (SNAT2), which has dual
      transport/receptor functions, is well documented in eukaryotes and some mammalian
      systems, but has not yet been verified in piglets. The objective of this study
      was to investigate the characteristics and regulation of SNAT2 in the small
      intestine of piglets. The 1,521-bp porcine full cDNA sequence of SNAT2 (KC769999)
      from the small intestine of piglets was cloned. The open reading frame of cDNA
      encodes 506 deduced amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 56.08
      kDa and an isoelectric point (pI) of 7.16. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic
      analysis revealed that SNAT2 is highly evolutionarily conserved in mammals. SNAT2
      mRNA can be detected in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum by real-time quantitative
      PCR. During the suckling period from days 1 to 21, the duodenum had the highest
      abundance of SNAT2 mRNA among the three segments of the small intestine. There
      was a significant decrease in the expression of SNAT2 mRNA in the duodenal and
      jejunal mucosa and in the expression of SNAT2 protein in the jejunal and ileal
      mucosa on day 1 after weaning (P < 0.05). Studies with enterocytes in vitro
      showed that amino acid starvation and supplementation with glutamate, arginine or
      leucine enhanced, while supplementation with glutamine reduced, SNAT2 mRNA
      expression (P < 0.05). These results regarding the characteristics and regulation
      of SNAT2 should help to provide some information to further clarify its roles in
      the absorption of amino acids and signal transduction in the porcine small
      intestine. 

PMID- 26107630
TI  - Incidence and Risk Factors for Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Human
      Metapneumovirus Infections among Children in the Remote Highlands of Peru.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The disease burden and risk factors for respiratory syncytial virus
      (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (MPV) infections among children living in remote,
      rural areas remain unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective,
      household-based cohort study of children aged <3 years living in remote rural
      highland communities in San Marcos, Cajamarca, Peru. Acute respiratory illnesses
      (ARI), including lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), were monitored through
      weekly household visits from March 2009 through September 2011. Nasal swabs
      collected during ARI/LRTI were tested for RSV, MPV, and other respiratory viruses
      using real-time RT-PCR. Incidence rates and rate ratios were calculated using
      mixed effects Poisson regression. RESULTS: Among 892 enrolled children, incidence
      rates of RSV and MPV ARI were 30 and 17 episodes per 100 child-years,
      respectively. The proportions of RSV and MPV ARI that presented as LRTI were
      12.5% and 8.9%, respectively. Clinic visits for ARI and hospitalizations were
      significantly more frequent (all p values <0.05) among children with RSV (clinic
      41% and hospital 5.3%) and MPV ARI (38% and 3.5%) when compared with other viral
      infections (23% and 0.7%) and infections without virus detected (24% and 0.6%).
      In multivariable analysis, risk factors for RSV detection included younger age
      (RR 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.03), the presence of a smoker in the house (RR 1.63, 95%
      CI: 1.12-2.38), residing at higher altitudes (RR 1.93, 95% CI: 1.25-3.00 for 2nd
      compared to 1st quartile residents; RR 1.98, 95% CI: 1.26-3.13 for 3rd compared
      to 1st quartile residents). Having an unemployed household head was significantly
      associated with MPV risk (RR 2.11, 95% CI: 1.12-4.01). CONCLUSION: In rural high
      altitude communities in Peru, childhood ARI due to RSV or MPV were common and
      associated with higher morbidity than ARI due to other viruses or with no viral
      detections. The risk factors identified in this study may be considered for
      interventional studies to control infections by these viruses among young
      children from developing countries.

PMID- 26107631
TI  - Inter-Seasonal Influenza is Characterized by Extended Virus Transmission and
      Persistence.
AB  - The factors that determine the characteristic seasonality of influenza remain
      enigmatic. Current models predict that occurrences of influenza outside the
      normal surveillance season within a temperate region largely reflect the
      importation of viruses from the alternate hemisphere or from equatorial regions
      in Asia. To help reveal the drivers of seasonality we investigated the origins
      and evolution of influenza viruses sampled during inter-seasonal periods in
      Australia. To this end we conducted an expansive phylogenetic analysis of 9912,
      3804, and 3941 hemagglutinnin (HA) sequences from influenza A/H1N1pdm, A/H3N2,
      and B, respectively, collected globally during the period 2009-2014. Of the 1475
      viruses sampled from Australia, 396 (26.8% of Australian, or 2.2% of global set)
      were sampled outside the monitored temperate influenza surveillance season (1 May
      - 31 October). Notably, rather than simply reflecting short-lived importations of
      virus from global localities with higher influenza prevalence, we documented a
      variety of more complex inter-seasonal transmission patterns including
      "stragglers" from the preceding season and "heralds" of the forthcoming season,
      and which included viruses sampled from clearly temperate regions within
      Australia. We also provide evidence for the persistence of influenza B virus
      between epidemic seasons, in which transmission of a viral lineage begins in one
      season and continues throughout the inter-seasonal period into the following
      season. Strikingly, a disproportionately high number of inter-seasonal influenza
      transmission events occurred in tropical and subtropical regions of Australia,
      providing further evidence that climate plays an important role in shaping
      patterns of influenza seasonality. 

PMID- 26107633
TI  - Correction: Effect of Antihelminthic Treatment on Vaccine Immunogenicity to a
      Seasonal Influenza Vaccine in Primary School Children in Gabon: A Randomized
      Placebo-Controlled Trial.

PMID- 26107632
TI  - Erythropoiesis and Blood Pressure Are Regulated via AT1 Receptor by Distinctive
      Pathways.
AB  - The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a central role in blood pressure
      regulation. Although clinical and experimental studies have suggested that
      inhibition of RAS is associated with progression of anemia, little evidence is
      available to support this claim. Here we report that knockout mice that lack
      angiotensin II, including angiotensinogen and renin knockout mice, exhibit
      anemia. The anemia of angiotensinogen knockout mice was rescued by angiotensin II
      infusion, and rescue was completely blocked by simultaneous administration of AT1
      receptor blocker. To genetically determine the responsible receptor subtype, we
      examined AT1a, AT1b, and AT2 knockout mice, but did not observe anemia in any of
      them. To investigate whether pharmacological AT1 receptor inhibition
      recapitulates the anemic phenotype, we administered AT1 receptor antagonist in
      hypotensive AT1a receptor knockout mice to inhibit the remaining AT1b receptor.
      In these animals, hematocrit levels barely decreased, but blood pressure further
      decreased to the level observed in angiotensinogen knockout mice. We then
      generated AT1a and AT1b double-knockout mice to completely ablate the AT1
      receptors; the mice finally exhibited the anemic phenotype. These results provide
      clear evidence that although erythropoiesis and blood pressure are negatively
      controlled through the AT1 receptor inhibition in vivo, the pathways involved are
      complex and distinct, because erythropoiesis is more resistant to AT1 receptor
      inhibition than blood pressure control. 

PMID- 26107634
TI  - Emerging Object Representations in the Visual System Predict Reaction Times for
      Categorization.
AB  - Recognizing an object takes just a fraction of a second, less than the blink of
      an eye. Applying multivariate pattern analysis, or "brain decoding", methods to
      magnetoencephalography (MEG) data has allowed researchers to characterize, in
      high temporal resolution, the emerging representation of object categories that
      underlie our capacity for rapid recognition. Shortly after stimulus onset, object
      exemplars cluster by category in a high-dimensional activation space in the
      brain. In this emerging activation space, the decodability of exemplar category
      varies over time, reflecting the brain's transformation of visual inputs into
      coherent category representations. How do these emerging representations relate
      to categorization behavior? Recently it has been proposed that the distance of an
      exemplar representation from a categorical boundary in an activation space is
      critical for perceptual decision-making, and that reaction times should therefore
      correlate with distance from the boundary. The predictions of this distance
      hypothesis have been born out in human inferior temporal cortex (IT), an area of
      the brain crucial for the representation of object categories. When viewed in the
      context of a time varying neural signal, the optimal time to "read out" category
      information is when category representations in the brain are most decodable.
      Here, we show that the distance from a decision boundary through activation
      space, as measured using MEG decoding methods, correlates with reaction times for
      visual categorization during the period of peak decodability. Our results suggest
      that the brain begins to read out information about exemplar category at the
      optimal time for use in choice behaviour, and support the hypothesis that the
      structure of the representation for objects in the visual system is partially
      constitutive of the decision process in recognition. 

PMID- 26107635
TI  - Orthostatic blood pressure test for risk stratification in patients with
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cause of sudden
      cardiac death (SCD) in young adults, mainly ascribed to ventricular tachycardia
      (VT). Assuming that VT is the major cause of (pre-) syncope in HCM patients, its
      occurrence is essential for SCD risk stratification and primarily preventive ICD
      implantation. However, evidence of VT during syncope is often missing. As the
      differentiation of potential lethal causes for syncope such as VT from more
      harmless reasons is crucial, HCM patients were screened for orthostatic
      dysregulation by using a simple orthostatic blood pressure test. METHODS: Over 15
      months (IQR [9;20]) 100 HCM patients (55.8+/-16.2 yrs, 61% male) were evaluated
      for (pre-)syncope and VT (24h-ECGs, device-memories) within the last five years.
      Eighty patients underwent an orthostatic blood pressure test. Logistic regression
      models were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: In older patients (>40 yrs) a
      positive orthostatic test result increased the chance of (pre-) syncope by a
      factor of 63 (95%-CI [8.8; 447.9], p<0.001; 93% sensitivity, 95%-CI [76; 99]; 74%
      specificity, 95%-CI [58; 86]). No correlation with VT was shown. A prolonged QTc
      interval also increased the chance of (pre-) syncope by a factor of 6.6 (95%-CI
      [2.0; 21.7]; p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The orthostatic blood pressure test is highly
      valuable for evaluation of syncope and presyncope especially in older HCM
      patients, suggesting that orthostatic syncope might be more relevant than
      previously assumed. Considering the high complication rates due to ICD therapies,
      this test may provide useful information for the evaluation of syncope in
      individual risk stratification and may help to prevent unnecessary device
      implantations, especially in older HCM patients.

PMID- 26107636
TI  - Joint effect of education and main lifetime occupation on late life health: a
      cross-sectional study of older adults in Xiamen, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effects of education and occupation on health have been well
      documented individually, but little is known about their joint effect, especially
      their cumulative joint effect on late life health. METHODS: We enrolled 14,292
      participants aged 60+ years by multistage sampling across 173 communities in
      Xiamen, China, in 2013. Heath status was assessed by the ability to perform six
      basic activities of daily life. Education was classified in four categories:
      'Illiterate', 'Primary', 'Junior high school' and 'Senior high school and
      beyond'. Main lifetime occupation was also four categorized: 'Employed',
      'Farmer', 'Jobless' and 'Others'. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated by random
      intercept multilevel models regressing health status on education and main
      lifetime occupation with or without their interactions, adjusting by some
      covariates. RESULTS: Totally, 13,880 participants had complete data, of whom
      12.5% suffered from disability, and 'Illiterate' and 'Farmer' took up the
      greatest proportion (33.01% and 42.72%, respectively). Participants who were
      higher educated had better health status (ORs = 0.62, 0.46, and 0.44 for the
      'Primary', 'Junior high school', and 'Senior high school and beyond',
      respectively, in comparison with 'Illiterate'). Those who were long term jobless
      in early life had poorest heath (ORs = 1.88, 95% CI 1.47 to 2.40). Unexpectedly,
      for the farmers, the risk of poor health gradually increased in relation to
      higher education level (ORs = 1.26, 1.28, 1.40 and 2.24, respectively). For the
      'Employed', similar ORs were obtained for the 'Junior high school' and 'Senior
      high school and beyond' educated (both ORs = 1.01). For the 'Farmer' and
      'Jobless', participants who were 'Illiterate' and 'Primary' educated also showed
      similar ORs. CONCLUSIONS: Both education and main lifetime occupation were
      associated with late life health. Higher education was observed to be associated
      with better health, but such educational advantage was mediated by main lifetime
      occupation.

PMID- 26107637
TI  - Targeting Medication Non-Adherence Behavior in Selected Autoimmune Diseases: A
      Systematic Approach to Digital Health Program Development.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 29 autoimmune diseases, including Rheumatoid Arthritis, gout, Crohn's
      Disease, and Systematic Lupus Erythematosus affect 7.6-9.4% of the population.
      While effective therapy is available, many patients do not follow treatment or
      use medications as directed. Digital health and Web 2.0 interventions have
      demonstrated much promise in increasing medication and treatment adherence, but
      to date many Internet tools have proven disappointing. In fact, most digital
      interventions continue to suffer from high attrition in patient populations, are
      burdensome for healthcare professionals, and have relatively short life spans.
      OBJECTIVE: Digital health tools have traditionally centered on the transformation
      of existing interventions (such as diaries, trackers, stage-based or cognitive
      behavioral therapy programs, coupons, or symptom checklists) to electronic
      format. Advanced digital interventions have also incorporated attributes of Web
      2.0 such as social networking, text messaging, and the use of video. Despite
      these efforts, there has not been little measurable impact in non-adherence for
      illnesses that require medical interventions, and research must look to other
      strategies or development methodologies. As a first step in investigating the
      feasibility of developing such a tool, the objective of the current study is to
      systematically rate factors of non-adherence that have been reported in past
      research studies. METHODS: Grounded Theory, recognized as a rigorous method that
      facilitates the emergence of new themes through systematic analysis, data
      collection and coding, was used to analyze quantitative, qualitative and mixed
      method studies addressing the following autoimmune diseases: Rheumatoid
      Arthritis, gout, Crohn's Disease, Systematic Lupus Erythematosus, and
      inflammatory bowel disease. Studies were only included if they contained primary
      data addressing the relationship with non-adherence. RESULTS: Out of the 27
      studies, four non-modifiable and 11 modifiable risk factors were discovered. Over
      one third of articles identified the following risk factors as common
      contributors to medication non-adherence (percent of studies reporting): patients
      not understanding treatment (44%), side effects (41%), age (37%), dose regimen
      (33%), and perceived medication ineffectiveness (33%). An unanticipated finding
      that emerged was the need for risk stratification tools (81%) with patient
      centric approaches (67%). CONCLUSIONS: This study systematically identifies and
      categorizes medication non-adherence risk factors in select autoimmune diseases.
      Findings indicate that patients understanding of their disease and the role of
      medication are paramount. An unexpected finding was that the majority of research
      articles called for the creation of tailored, patient-centric interventions that
      dispel personal misconceptions about disease, pharmacotherapy, and how the body
      responds to treatment. To our knowledge, these interventions do not yet exist in
      digital format. Rather than adopting a systems level approach, digital health
      programs should focus on cohorts with heterogeneous needs, and develop tailored
      interventions based on individual non-adherence patterns.

PMID- 26107638
TI  - Comparison of the Equine Reference Sequence with Its Sanger Source Data and New
      Illumina Reads.
AB  - The reference assembly for the domestic horse, EquCab2, published in 2009, was
      built using approximately 30 million Sanger reads from a Thoroughbred mare named
      Twilight. Contiguity in the assembly was facilitated using nearly 315 thousand
      BAC end sequences from Twilight's half brother Bravo. Since then, it has served
      as the foundation for many genome-wide analyses that include not only the modern
      horse, but ancient horses and other equid species as well. As data mapped to this
      reference has accumulated, consistent variation between mapped datasets and the
      reference, in terms of regions with no read coverage, single nucleotide variants,
      and small insertions/deletions have become apparent. In many cases, it is not
      clear whether these differences are the result of true sequence variation between
      the research subjects' and Twilight's genome or due to errors in the reference.
      EquCab2 is regarded as "The Twilight Assembly." The objective of this study was
      to identify inconsistencies between the EquCab2 assembly and the source Twilight
      Sanger data used to build it. To that end, the original Sanger and BAC end reads
      have been mapped back to this equine reference and assessed with the addition of
      approximately 40X coverage of new Illumina Paired-End sequence data. The
      resulting mapped datasets identify those regions with low Sanger read coverage,
      as well as variation in genomic content that is not consistent with either the
      original Twilight Sanger data or the new genomic sequence data generated from
      Twilight on the Illumina platform. As the haploid EquCab2 reference assembly was
      created using Sanger reads derived largely from a single individual, the vast
      majority of variation detected in a mapped dataset comprised of those same Sanger
      reads should be heterozygous. In contrast, homozygous variations would represent
      either errors in the reference or contributions from Bravo's BAC end sequences.
      Our analysis identifies 720,843 homozygous discrepancies between new, high
      throughput genomic sequence data generated for Twilight and the EquCab2 reference
      assembly. Most of these represent errors in the assembly, while approximately
      10,000 are demonstrated to be contributions from another horse. Other results are
      presented that include the binary alignment map file of the mapped Sanger reads,
      a list of variants identified as discrepancies between the source data and
      resulting reference, and a BED annotation file that lists the regions of the
      genome whose consensus was likely derived from low coverage alignments. 

PMID- 26107639
TI  - From Abstinence to Relapse: A Preliminary Qualitative Study of Drug Users in a
      Compulsory Drug Rehabilitation Center in Changsha, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Relapse among abstinent drug users is normal. Several factors are
      related to relapse, but it remains unclear what individuals' actual life
      circumstances are during periods of abstinence, and how these circumstances
      facilitate or prevent relapse. OBJECTIVE: To illuminate drug users' experiences
      during abstinence periods and explore the real-life catalysts and inhibitors
      contributing to drug use relapse. METHOD: Qualitative in-depth interviews were
      conducted with 20 drug users recruited from a compulsory isolated drug
      rehabilitation center in Changsha. The interviews were guided by open-ended
      questions on individuals' experiences in drug use initiation, getting addicted,
      treatment history, social environment, abstinence, and relapse. Participants were
      also encouraged to share their own stories. Interviews were digitally recorded
      and fully transcribed. The data of 18 participants who reported abstinence
      experiences before admission were included in the analyses. The data were
      analyzed using a thematic analysis with inductive hand coding to derive themes.
      RESULTS: Most drug users were able to successfully abstain from drugs. During
      abstinence, their lives were congested with challenges, such as adverse
      socioeconomic conditions, poor family/social support, interpersonal conflicts,
      and stigma and discrimination, all of which kept them excluded from mainstream
      society. Furthermore, the police's system of ID card registration, which
      identifies individuals as drug users, worsened already grave situations. Relapse
      triggers reported by the participants focused mainly on negative feelings,
      interpersonal conflicts, and stressful events. Craving was experienced but not
      perceived as a relapse trigger by most participants. CONCLUSIONS: This study of
      in-depth interview with drug users found evidence of situations and environments
      they live during abstinence appear rather disadvantaged, making it extremely
      difficult for them to remain abstinent. Comprehensive programs on relapse
      prevention that acknowledge these disadvantages are implicated.

PMID- 26107640
TI  - Spatiotemporal Distribution, Sources, and Photobleaching Imprint of Dissolved
      Organic Matter in the Yangtze Estuary and Its Adjacent Sea Using Fluorescence and
      Parallel Factor Analysis.
AB  - To investigate the seasonal and interannual dynamics of dissolved organic matter
      (DOM) in the Yangtze Estuary, surface and bottom water samples in the Yangtze
      Estuary and its adjacent sea were collected and characterized using fluorescence
      excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) in
      both dry and wet seasons in 2012 and 2013. Two protein-like components and three
      humic-like components were identified. Three humic-like components decreased
      linearly with increasing salinity (r>0.90, p<0.001), suggesting their
      distribution could primarily be controlled by physical mixing. By contrast, two
      protein-like components fell below the theoretical mixing line, largely due to
      microbial degradation and removal during mixing. Higher concentrations of humic
      like components found in 2012 could be attributed to higher freshwater discharge
      relative to 2013. There was a lack of systematic patterns for three humic-like
      components between seasons and years, probably due to variations of other factors
      such as sources and characteristics. Highest concentrations of fluorescent
      components, observed in estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) region, could be
      attributed to sediment resuspension and subsequent release of DOM, supported by
      higher concentrations of fluorescent components in bottom water than in surface
      water at two stations where sediments probably resuspended. Meanwhile,
      photobleaching could be reflected from the changes in the ratios between
      fluorescence intensity (Fmax) of humic-like components and chromophoric DOM
      (CDOM) absorption coefficient (a355) along the salinity gradient. This study
      demonstrates the abundance and composition of DOM in estuaries are controlled not
      only by hydrological conditions, but also by its sources, characteristics and
      related estuarine biogeochemical processes. 

PMID- 26107642
TI  - Harvesting light energy by iridium(III) complexes on a clay surface.
AB  - Energy transfer was investigated between two types of iridium(III) complexes,
      [Ir(dfppy)2(Cn-bpy)](+) (dfppyH = 2-(2',4'-difluorophenyl)pyridine; Cn-bpy = 4,4'
      dialkyl-2,2'-bipyridine; dialkyl = dimethyl (C1), didodecyl (C12), and
      dinonyldecyl (C19)) and [Ir(piq)2(Cn-bpy)](+) (piqH = 1-phenylisoquinoline) as a
      donor and an acceptor, respectively. The complexes were co-adsorbed by
      colloidally dispersed synthetic saponite. The efficiency of energy transfer
      (eta(ET)) was obtained from emission spectra at various donor-to-acceptor ratios
      (D/A) on the basis of the Forster-type energy transfer mechanism. For C1-bpy,
      eta(ET) was as high as 0.5 with a D/A of ca. 20. The results implied that the
      photon energy captured by several donor molecules was collected by a single
      acceptor molecule (i.e. the harvesting of light energy). Enantioselectivity was
      observed, which indicates the participation of a contact pair of donor and
      acceptor molecules. For C12-bpy and C19-bpy, eta(ET) was low and exhibited no
      enantioselectivity, because their long alkyl chains inhibited close contact
      between the donor and acceptor molecules.

PMID- 26107641
TI  - Prevalence and predictors of early cardiovascular events after kidney
      transplantation: evaluation of pre-transplant cardiovascular work-up.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality after
      renal transplantation. The purpose of this study was to analyze cardiovascular
      risk factors at transplantation, occurrence of cardiovascular events in the first
      year after transplantation and evaluate pre-transplant work-up. MATERIAL AND
      METHOD: In total, 244 renal transplant recipients older than 50 years were
      included. The results of pre-transplant work-up, including clinical evaluation,
      electrocardiogram, echocardiography, myocardial perfusion testing and coronary
      angiography were analyzed. RESULTS: Patients had multiple risk factors at
      inclusion on renal transplantation waiting list as high blood pressure (94.7%),
      dyslipidemia (81.1%), smoking (45.3%), diabetes (23.6%), past history of
      cardiovascular disease (21.3%) and obesity (12.7%). Following transplantation,
      15.5% (n = 38) of patients experienced a cardiovascular event, including 2.8% (n
      = 7) acute coronary syndrome, 5.8% (n = 14) isolated increase in troponin level
      and 5.3% (n = 13) new onset atrial fibrillation. The pre-transplant parameters
      associated with a cardiovascular event were a past medical history of
      cardiovascular disease (HR = 2.06 [1.06-4.03], p = 0.03), echocardiographic left
      ventricular hypertrophy (HR = 2.04 [1.04-3.98], p = 0.037) and abnormal
      myocardial perfusion testing (HR = 2.25 [1.09 -5.96], p = 0.03). Pre
      transplantation evaluation allowed the diagnosis of unknown coronary artery
      lesions in 8.9% of patients.

PMID- 26107643
TI  - Deriving Animal Behaviour from High-Frequency GPS: Tracking Cows in Open and
      Forested Habitat.
AB  - The increasing spatiotemporal accuracy of Global Navigation Satellite Systems
      (GNSS) tracking systems opens the possibility to infer animal behaviour from
      tracking data. We studied the relationship between high-frequency GNSS data and
      behaviour, aimed at developing an easily interpretable classification method to
      infer behaviour from location data. Behavioural observations were carried out
      during tracking of cows (Bos Taurus) fitted with high-frequency GPS (Global
      Positioning System) receivers. Data were obtained in an open field and forested
      area, and movement metrics were calculated for 1 min, 12 s and 2 s intervals. We
      observed four behaviour types (Foraging, Lying, Standing and Walking). We
      subsequently used Classification and Regression Trees to classify the
      simultaneously obtained GPS data as these behaviour types, based on distances and
      turning angles between fixes. GPS data with a 1 min interval from the open field
      was classified correctly for more than 70% of the samples. Data from the 12 s and
      2 s interval could not be classified successfully, emphasizing that the interval
      should be long enough for the behaviour to be defined by its characteristic
      movement metrics. Data obtained in the forested area were classified with a lower
      accuracy (57%) than the data from the open field, due to a larger positional
      error of GPS locations and differences in behavioural performance influenced by
      the habitat type. This demonstrates the importance of understanding the
      relationship between behaviour and movement metrics, derived from GNSS fixes at
      different frequencies and in different habitats, in order to successfully infer
      behaviour. When spatially accurate location data can be obtained, behaviour can
      be inferred from high-frequency GNSS fixes by calculating simple movement metrics
      and using easily interpretable decision trees. This allows for the combined study
      of animal behaviour and habitat use based on location data, and might make it
      possible to detect deviations in behaviour at the individual level. 

PMID- 26107644
TI  - Larval Environment Alters Amphibian Immune Defenses Differentially across Life
      Stages and Populations.
AB  - Recent global declines, extirpations and extinctions of wildlife caused by newly
      emergent diseases highlight the need to improve our knowledge of common
      environmental factors that affect the strength of immune defense traits. To
      achieve this goal, we examined the influence of acidification and shading of the
      larval environment on amphibian skin-associated innate immune defense traits, pre
      and post-metamorphosis, across two populations of American Bullfrogs (Rana
      catesbeiana), a species known for its wide-ranging environmental tolerance and
      introduced global distribution. We assessed treatment effects on 1) skin
      associated microbial communities and 2) post-metamorphic antimicrobial peptide
      (AMP) production and 3) AMP bioactivity against the fungal pathogen
      Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). While habitat acidification did not affect
      survival, time to metamorphosis or juvenile mass, we found that a change in
      average pH from 7 to 6 caused a significant shift in the larval skin microbial
      community, an effect which disappeared after metamorphosis. Additionally, we
      found shifts in skin-associated microbial communities across life stages
      suggesting they are affected by the physiological or ecological changes
      associated with amphibian metamorphosis. Moreover, we found that post-metamorphic
      AMP production and bioactivity were significantly affected by the interactions
      between pH and shade treatments and interactive effects differed across
      populations. In contrast, there were no significant interactions between
      treatments on post-metamorphic microbial community structure suggesting that
      variation in AMPs did not affect microbial community structure within our study.
      Our findings indicate that commonly encountered variation in the larval
      environment (i.e. pond pH and degree of shading) can have both immediate and long
      term effects on the amphibian innate immune defense traits. Our work suggests
      that the susceptibility of amphibians to emerging diseases could be related to
      variability in the larval environment and calls for research into the relative
      influence of potentially less benign anthropogenic environmental changes on
      innate immune defense traits. 

PMID- 26107645
TI  - Effect of CYP2B6 Gene Polymorphisms on Efavirenz Plasma Concentrations in Chinese
      Patients with HIV Infection.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of CYP2B6
      gene polymorphisms on efavirenz (EFV) plasma concentrations in Han Chinese
      patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. METHODS: In total,
      322 patients were recruited for study. EFV plasma concentrations at steady-state
      were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. Genotyping for
      seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including 171+967C>A, 171+3212C>T,
      171+4335T>C, 516G>T, 785A>G, 1295-913G>A, and *1355A>G of CYP2B6, was performed
      using ligase detection reaction (LDR). SPSS 18.0 and Haploview 4.2 were applied
      for statistical analyses. RESULTS: The average EFV concentration of patients was
      2.35+/-2.09 MUg/mL. Overall, 22% patients displayed EFV concentrations out of the
      therapeutic range of 1-4 MUg/mL (13.1% < 1 MUg/mL, 9.3% > 4 MUg/mL). We observed
      significant association of 171+967C>A, 171+4335T>C, 516G>T, 785A>G and *1355A>G
      with high plasma EFV levels (p<.01). The predictive accuracy values of
      171+4335CC, 516TT and 785GG for EFV concentrations > 4 MUg/mL were 56.7%, 56.7%
      and 60%, respectively. We observed strong linkage disequilibrium for 171+967C>A,
      171+4335T>C, 516G>T and 785A>G, resulting in five haplotypes. The frequencies of
      the five haplotypes (high to low) were as follows: CCTG (0.328), ACTG (0.280),
      ACCT (0.189), ATTG (0.186) and ACCG (0.017). The frequency of CCTG (0.524) in
      patients with EFV plasma concentrations < 1 MUg/mL was significantly higher than
      that in other patient groups, while that of ACCT (0.733) was significantly higher
      in patients with EFV concentrations > 4 MUg/mL, relative to other patient groups.
      Average EFV concentrations of patients carrying ACTG (1.78 MUg/mL), ACCT (7.50
      MUg/mL), and ATTG (1.92 MUg/mL) haplotypes were markedly higher than those of
      patients carrying the CCTG haplotype. The predictive accuracy of ACCT for EFV > 4
      MUg/mL was 81%. CONCLUSIONS: Chinese patients administered standard doses of EFV
      require therapeutic drug monitoring or personalized medication management. Based
      on the current findings, we propose that 171+4335T>C, 516G>T, 785A>G and
      haplotype ACCT may be effectively used as genomic markers for EFV, which should
      aid in improving the efficacy of EFV-containing treatments and reduce the
      incidence of adverse reactions.

PMID- 26107646
TI  - Task uncertainty can account for mixing and switch costs in task-switching.
AB  - Cognitive control is required in situations that involve uncertainty or change,
      such as when resolving conflict, selecting responses and switching tasks.
      Recently, it has been suggested that cognitive control can be conceptualised as a
      mechanism which prioritises goal-relevant information to deal with uncertainty.
      This hypothesis has been supported using a paradigm that requires conflict
      resolution. In this study, we examine whether cognitive control during task
      switching is also consistent with this notion. We used information theory to
      quantify the level of uncertainty in different trial types during a cued task
      switching paradigm. We test the hypothesis that differences in uncertainty
      between task repeat and task switch trials can account for typical behavioural
      effects in task-switching. Increasing uncertainty was associated with less
      efficient performance (i.e., slower and less accurate), particularly on switch
      trials and trials that afford little opportunity for advance preparation.
      Interestingly, both mixing and switch costs were associated with a common
      episodic control process. These results support the notion that cognitive control
      may be conceptualised as an information processor that serves to resolve
      uncertainty in the environment. 

PMID- 26107647
TI  - Identification of Prey Captures in Australian Fur Seals (Arctocephalus pusillus
      doriferus) Using Head-Mounted Accelerometers: Field Validation with Animal-Borne
      Video Cameras.
AB  - This study investigated prey captures in free-ranging adult female Australian fur
      seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) using head-mounted 3-axis accelerometers
      and animal-borne video cameras. Acceleration data was used to identify individual
      attempted prey captures (APC), and video data were used to independently verify
      APC and prey types. Results demonstrated that head-mounted accelerometers could
      detect individual APC but were unable to distinguish among prey types (fish,
      cephalopod, stingray) or between successful captures and unsuccessful capture
      attempts. Mean detection rate (true positive rate) on individual animals in the
      testing subset ranged from 67-100%, and mean detection on the testing subset
      averaged across 4 animals ranged from 82-97%. Mean False positive (FP) rate
      ranged from 15-67% individually in the testing subset, and 26-59% averaged across
      4 animals. Surge and sway had significantly greater detection rates, but also
      conversely greater FP rates compared to heave. Video data also indicated that
      some head movements recorded by the accelerometers were unrelated to APC and that
      a peak in acceleration variance did not always equate to an individual prey item.
      The results of the present study indicate that head-mounted accelerometers
      provide a complementary tool for investigating foraging behaviour in pinnipeds,
      but that detection and FP correction factors need to be applied for reliable
      field application. 

PMID- 26107648
TI  - Limitations in conduct and reporting of cochrane reviews rarely inhibit the
      determination of the validity of evidence for clinical decision-making.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine how often clinical conclusions derived from Cochrane
      Reviews have uncertain validity due to review conduct and reporting deficiencies.
      METHODS: We evaluated 5142 clinical conclusions in DynaMed (an evidence-based
      point-of-care clinical reference) based on 4743 Cochrane Reviews. Clinical
      conclusions with level 2 evidence due to shortcomings in the review's conduct or
      reporting (rather than deficiencies in the underlying evidence) were confirmed by
      a DynaMed editor and two Cochrane Review authors. RESULTS: Thirty-one Cochrane
      Reviews (0.65%) had confirmed deficiencies in conduct and reporting as the reason
      for classifying 37 assessed clinical conclusions (0.72%) as level 2 evidence. In
      all cases, it was not feasible for the assessors to specify a clear criticism of
      the studies included in the reviews. The deficiencies were specific to not
      accounting for dropouts (2) or inadequate assessment and reporting of allocation
      concealment (11), other specific trial quality criteria (14), or all trial
      quality criteria (4). CONCLUSIONS: Cochrane Reviews provide high-quality
      assessment and synthesis of evidence, with fewer than 1% of Cochrane Reviews
      having limitations which hinder the summary of best current evidence for clinical
      decision-making. We expect this will further decrease following recent Cochrane
      quality initiatives.

PMID- 26107649
TI  - A New Classification of Ficus Subsection Urostigma (Moraceae) Based on Four
      Nuclear DNA Markers (ITS, ETS, G3pdh, and ncpGS), Morphology and Leaf Anatomy.
AB  - Ficus subsection Urostigma as currently circumscribed contains 27 species,
      distributed in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific, and is of key importance
      to understand the origin and evolution of Ficus and the fig-wasp mutualism. The
      species of subsection Urostigma are very variable in morphological characters and
      exhibit a wide range of often partly overlapping distributions, which makes
      identification often difficult. The systematic classification within and between
      this subsection and others is problematic, e.g., it is still unclear where to
      classify F. amplissima and F. rumphii. To clarify the circumscription of
      subsection Urostigma, a phylogenetic reconstruction based on four nuclear DNA
      markers (ITS, ETS, G3pdh, and ncpGS) combined with morphology and leaf anatomy is
      conducted. The phylogenetic tree based on the combined datasets shows that F.
      madagascariensis, a Madagascan species, is sister to the remainder of subsect.
      Urostigma. Ficus amplissima and F. rumphii, formerly constituting sect.
      Leucogyne, appear to be imbedded in subsect. Conosycea. The result of the
      phylogenetic analysis necessitates nomenclatural adjustments. A new
      classification of Ficus subsection Urostigma is presented along with the
      morphological and leaf anatomical apomorphies typical for the clades. Two new
      species are described ? one in subsect. Urostigma, the other in Conosycea. One
      variety is raised to species level. 

PMID- 26107650
TI  - Construction of an Ultrahigh Pressure Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectral
      Library of Plant Natural Products and Comparative Spectral Analyses.
AB  - A plant natural product tandem mass spectral library has been constructed using
      authentic standards and purified compounds. Currently, the library contains 1734
      tandem mass spectra for 289 compounds, with the majority (76%) of the compounds
      being plant phenolics such as flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and phenylpropanoids.
      Tandem mass spectra and chromatographic retention data were acquired on a triple
      quadrupole mass spectrometer coupled to an ultrahigh pressure liquid
      chromatograph using six different collision energies (CEs) (10-60 eV).
      Comparative analyses of the tandem mass spectral data revealed that the loss of
      ring substituents preceded the C-ring opening during the fragmentation of
      flavonoids and isoflavonoids. At lower CE (i.e., 10 and 20 eV), the flavonoids
      and isoflavonoid central ring structures typically remained intact, and
      fragmentation was characterized by the loss of the substituents (i.e., methyl and
      glycosyl groups). At higher CE, the flavonoid and isoflavonoid core ring systems
      underwent C-ring cleavage and/or rearrangement depending on the structure,
      particularly hydroxylation patterns. In-source electrochemical oxidation was
      observed for phenolics that had ortho-diphenol moieties (i.e., vicinal hydroxyl
      groups on the aromatic rings). The ortho-diphenols were oxidized to ortho
      quinones, yielding an intensive and, in most cases, a base ion peak corresponding
      to a [(M - 2H) - H](-) ion in their mass spectra. The library also contains
      reverse-phase retention times, allowing for the construction, validation, and
      testing of an artificial neural network retention prediction of other flavonoids
      and isoflavonoids not contained within the library. The library is freely
      available for nonprofit, academic use and it can be downloaded at
      http://www.noble.org/apps/Scientific/WebDownloadManager/DownloadArea.aspx.

PMID- 26107651
TI  - T1-Weighted Hypersignal in the Deep Cerebellar Nuclei After Repeated
      Administrations of Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents in Healthy Rats: Difference
      Between Linear and Macrocyclic Agents.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To prospectively compare in healthy rats the effect of multiple
      injections of macrocyclic (gadoterate meglumine) and linear (gadodiamide)
      gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) on T1-weighted signal intensity in the
      deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN), including the dentate nucleus. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Healthy rats (n = 7/group) received 20 intravenous injections of 0.6
      mmol of gadolinium (Gd) per kilogram (4 injections per week during 5 weeks) of
      gadodiamide, gadoterate meglumine, or hyperosmolar saline (control group). Brain
      T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was performed before and once a week
      during the 5 weeks of injections and during 5 additional weeks (treatment-free
      period). Gadolinium concentrations were measured with inductively coupled plasma
      mass spectrometry in plasma and brain. Blinded qualitative and quantitative
      evaluations of the T1 signal intensity in DCN were performed, as well as a
      statistical analysis on quantitative data. RESULTS: A significant and persistent
      T1 signal hyperintensity in DCN was observed only in gadodiamide-treated rats.
      The DCN-to-cerebellar cortex signal ratio was significantly increased from the
      12th injection of gadodiamide (1.070 +/- 0.024) compared to the gadoterate
      meglumine group (1.000 +/- 0.033; P < 0.001) and control group (1.019 +/- 0.022;
      P < 0.001) and did not significantly decrease during the treatment-free period.
      Total Gd concentrations in the gadodiamide group were significantly higher in the
      cerebellum (3.66 +/- 0.91 nmol/g) compared with the gadoterate meglumine (0.26 +/
      0.12 nmol/g; P < 0.05) and control (0.06 +/- 0.10 nmol/g; P < 0.05) groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Repeated administrations of the linear GBCA gadodiamide to healthy
      rats are associated with progressive and persistent T1 signal hyperintensity in
      the DCN, with Gd deposition in the cerebellum in contrast with the macrocyclic
      GBCA gadoterate meglumine for which no effect was observed.

PMID- 26107652
TI  - Commentary on T1-Weighted Hypersignal in the Deep Cerebellar Nuclei After
      Repeated Administrations of Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents in Healthy Rats:
      Difference Between Linear and Macrocyclic Agents.

PMID- 26107653
TI  - Ion-precursor and ion-dose dependent anti-galvanic reduction.
AB  - Controlling alloy nanoparticles with atomic monodispersity is challenging, and
      the recently revealed anti-galvanic reduction (AGR) provides a unique solution to
      this challenge. Herein we demonstrate that AGR is ion-precursor and ion-dose
      dependent, which offers novel strategies to tune the composition, structure and
      properties of nanoparticles by varying the ion-precursor and ion-dose in the AGR
      reaction. 

PMID- 26107654
TI  - How Many Genes Are Expressed in a Transcriptome? Estimation and Results for RNA
      Seq.
AB  - RNA-seq experiments estimate the number of genes expressed in a transcriptome as
      well as their relative frequencies. However, an undetermined number of genes can
      remain undetected due to their low expression relative to the sample size
      (sequence depth). Estimation of the true number of genes expressed in a
      transcriptome is essential in order to determine which genes are exclusively
      expressed in specific tissues or under particular conditions. A reliable estimate
      of the true number of expressed genes is also required to accurately measure
      transcriptome changes and to predict the sequencing depth needed to increase the
      proportion of detected genes. This problem is analogous to ecological sampling
      problems such as estimating the number of species at a given site. Here we
      present a non-parametric estimator for the number of undetected genes as well as
      for the extra sample size needed to detect a given proportion of the undetected
      genes. Our estimators are superior to ones already published by having smaller
      standard errors and biases. We applied our method to a set of 32 publicly
      available RNA-seq experiments, including the evaluation of 311 individually
      sequenced libraries. We found that in the majority of the cases more than one
      thousand genes are undetected, and that on average approximately 6% of the
      expressed genes per accession remain undetected. This figure increases to
      approximately 10% if individual sequencing libraries are analyzed. Our method is
      also applicable to metagenomic experiments. Using our method, the number of
      undetected genes as well as the sample size needed to detect them can be
      calculated, leading to more accurate and complete gene expression studies. 

PMID- 26107658
TI  - Rice protein hydrolysates stimulate GLP-1 secretion, reduce GLP-1 degradation,
      and lower the glycemic response in rats.
AB  - Rice has historically been consumed in Asia as a major source of carbohydrates,
      however, little is known regarding the functional roles of rice proteins as
      dietary factors. In the present study, we investigated whether peptides derived
      from rice proteins could stimulate GLP-1 secretion, which results in reducing
      glycemia via the incretin effect in normal rats. Hydrolysates were prepared from
      the protein fraction of rice endosperm or rice bran, and the effects of these
      hydrolysates on GLP-1 secretion were examined in a murine enteroendocrine cell
      line GLUTag. Plasma was collected after oral administration of the rice protein
      hydrolysates, under anesthesia, or during glucose tolerance tests in rats. In
      anesthetized rats, plasma dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) activity was measured
      after ileal administration of the rice protein hydrolysates. GLP-1 secretion from
      GLUTag cells was potently stimulated by the rice protein hydrolysates, especially
      by the peptic digest of rice endosperm protein (REPH) and that of rice bran
      protein (RBPH). Oral administration of REPH or RBPH elevated plasma GLP-1
      concentrations, which resulted in the reduction of glycemia under the
      intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test. In addition, the plasma DPP-IV activity
      was attenuated after ileal administration of REPH or RBPH, which resulted in a
      higher ratio of intact (active) GLP-1 to total GLP-1 in the plasma. These results
      demonstrate that rice proteins exert potent stimulatory effects on GLP-1
      secretion, which could contribute to the reduction of postprandial glycemia. The
      inhibitory effect of these peptides on the plasma DPP-IV activity may potentiate
      the incretin effect of GLP-1. 

PMID- 26107655
TI  - Development and Validation of an Index to Measure the Quality of Facility-Based
      Labor and Delivery Care Processes in Sub-Saharan Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High quality care is crucial in ensuring that women and newborns
      receive interventions that may prevent and treat birth-related complications. As
      facility deliveries increase in developing countries, there are concerns about
      service quality. Observation is the gold standard for clinical quality
      assessment, but existing observation-based measures of obstetric quality of care
      are lengthy and difficult to administer. There is a lack of consensus on quality
      indicators for routine intrapartum and immediate postpartum care, including
      essential newborn care. This study identified key dimensions of the quality of
      the process of intrapartum and immediate postpartum care (QoPIIPC) in facility
      deliveries and developed a quality assessment measure representing these
      dimensions. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Global maternal and neonatal care experts
      identified key dimensions of QoPIIPC through a modified Delphi process. Experts
      also rated indicators of these dimensions from a comprehensive delivery
      observation checklist used in quality surveys in sub-Saharan African countries.
      Potential QoPIIPC indices were developed from combinations of highly-rated
      indicators. Face, content, and criterion validation of these indices was
      conducted using data from observations of 1,145 deliveries in Kenya, Madagascar,
      and Tanzania (including Zanzibar). A best-performing index was selected, composed
      of 20 indicators of intrapartum/immediate postpartum care, including essential
      newborn care. This index represented most dimensions of QoPIIPC and effectively
      discriminated between poorly and well-performed deliveries. CONCLUSIONS: As
      facility deliveries increase and the global community pays greater attention to
      the role of care quality in achieving further maternal and newborn mortality
      reduction, the QoPIIPC index may be a valuable measure. This index complements
      and addresses gaps in currently used quality assessment tools. Further evaluation
      of index usability and reliability is needed. The availability of a streamlined,
      comprehensive, and validated index may enable ongoing and efficient observation
      based assessment of care quality during labor and delivery in sub-Saharan Africa,
      facilitating targeted quality improvement.

PMID- 26107659
TI  - A new application of high-efficient silver salts-based photocatalyst under
      natural indoor weak light for wastewater cleaning.
AB  - As a high-quantum-efficiency photocatalyst, the serious photo-corrosion of silver
      phosphate (Ag3PO4), limits the practical applications in water purification and
      challenges us. Herein, Ag3PO4 is found to have a high stability under natural
      indoor weak light irradiation, suggesting that we can employ it by adopting a new
      application strategy. In our studies, rhodamine B (RhB, cationic dye), methyl
      orange (MO, anionic dye) and RhB-MO mixture aqueous solutions are used as the
      probing reaction for the degradation of organic wastewater. It is found that RhB,
      MO and RhB-MO can be completely degraded after 28 h under natural indoor weak
      light irradiation, indicating that multi-component organic contaminants can be
      efficiently degraded by Ag3PO4 under natural indoor weak light irradiation. The
      density of natural indoor weak light is measured to be 72cd, which is merely one
      thousandth of 300 W xenon lamp (68.2 * 10(3)cd). Most importantly, Ag3PO4 shows a
      high stability under natural indoor weak light irradiation, demonstrated by the
      formation of fairly rare Ag. Furthermore, we also investigate the influence of
      inorganic ions on organic dyes degradation. It shows that the Cl(-) and Cr(6+)
      ions with high concentrations in wastewater have significantly decreased the
      degradation rate. From the viewpoint of energy saving and stability, this study
      shows us that we can utilize the Ag-containing photocatalysts under natural
      indoor weak light, which could be extended to indoor air cleaning process. 

PMID- 26107660
TI  - Highly stereoselective construction of novel dispirooxindole-imidazolidines via
      self-1,3-dipolar cyclization of ketimines.
AB  - An acid-promoted self-1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of ketimines derived from isatins
      and benzylamines was successfully developed to assemble unprecedented
      dispirooxindole-imidazolidine ring systems. Generally, excellent
      diastereoselectivities (only a single stereoisomer formed) and good yields (up to
      94%) were obtained. Consequently, this self-1,3-dipolar cycloaddition protocol
      offers facile access to a novel dispiroheterocyclic skeleton. 

PMID- 26107661
TI  - Simulation as a new tool to establish benchmark outcome measures in obstetrics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are not enough clinical data from rare critical events to
      calculate statistics to decide if the management of actual events might be below
      what could reasonably be expected (i.e. was an outlier). OBJECTIVES: In this
      project we used simulation to describe the distribution of management times as an
      approach to decide if the management of a simulated obstetrical crisis scenario
      could be considered an outlier. DESIGN: Twelve obstetrical teams managed 4
      scenarios that were previously developed. Relevant outcome variables were defined
      by expert consensus. The distribution of the response times from the teams who
      performed the respective intervention was graphically displayed and median and
      quartiles calculated using rank order statistics. RESULTS: Only 7 of the 12 teams
      performed chest compressions during the arrest following the 'cannot
      intubate/cannot ventilate' scenario. All other outcome measures were performed by
      at least 11 of the 12 teams. Calculation of medians and quartiles with 95% CI was
      possible for all outcomes. Confidence intervals, given the small sample size,
      were large. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated the use of simulation to calculate
      quantiles for management times of critical event. This approach could assist in
      deciding if a given performance could be considered normal and also point to
      aspects of care that seem to pose particular challenges as evidenced by a large
      number of teams not performing the expected maneuver. However sufficiently large
      sample sizes (i.e. from a national data base) will be required to calculate
      acceptable confidence intervals and to establish actual tolerance limits.

PMID- 26107662
TI  - Plasmodium simium, a Plasmodium vivax-related malaria parasite: genetic
      variability of Duffy binding protein II and the Duffy antigen/receptor for
      chemokines.
AB  - Plasmodium simium is a parasite from New World monkeys that is most closely
      related to the human malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax; it also naturally infects
      humans. The blood-stage infection of P. vivax depends on Duffy binding protein II
      (PvDBPII) and its cognate receptor on erythrocytes, the Duffy antigen receptor
      for chemokines (hDARC), but there is no information on the P. simium erythrocytic
      invasion pathway. The genes encoding P. simium DBP (PsDBPII) and simian DARC
      (sDARC) were sequenced from Southern brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba
      clamitans) naturally infected with P. simium because P. simium may also depend on
      the DBPII/DARC interaction. The sequences of DBP binding domains from P. vivax
      and P. simium were highly similar. However, the genetic variability of PsDBPII
      was lower than that of PvDBPII. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that these
      genes were strictly related and clustered in the same clade of the evolutionary
      tree. DARC from A. clamitans was also sequenced and contained three new non
      synonymous substitutions. None of these substitutions were located in the N
      terminal domain of DARC, which interacts directly with DBPII. The interaction
      between sDARC and PvDBPII was evaluated using a cytoadherence assay of COS7 cells
      expressing PvDBPII on their surfaces. Inhibitory binding assays in vitro
      demonstrated that antibodies from monkey sera blocked the interaction between COS
      7 cells expressing PvDBPII and hDARC-positive erythrocytes. Taken together,
      phylogenetic analyses reinforced the hypothesis that the host switch from humans
      to monkeys may have occurred very recently in evolution, which sheds light on the
      evolutionary history of new world plasmodia. Further invasion studies would
      confirm whether P. simium depends on DBP/DARC to trigger internalization into red
      blood cells. 

PMID- 26107665
TI  - The Prognostic Impact of Preoperative and Postoperative Chemoradiation in
      Clinical Stage II and III Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinomas: A Population Based
      Study in Taiwan.
AB  - While preoperative chemoradiation followed by surgery (pre-OP CRT) has been
      widely applied in the treatment of patients with esophageal cancer, some studies
      have shown a survival benefit of postoperative chemoradiation (post-OP CRT). The
      optimal combination of multimodality therapy and the sequence of surgery and
      chemoradiation for esophageal cancer remain to be investigated. A total of 1385
      patients with clinical stage II and III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC)
      were included. On the basis of the sequence of surgery and chemoradiation, the
      patients were grouped as follows: preoperative chemoradiation followed by surgery
      (pre-OP CRT+S), surgery alone (S), and surgery followed by postoperative
      chemoradiation (S+post-OP CRT). Propensity score matching analysis was used to
      identify 78 well-balanced patients in each group for outcome comparison.In all,
      753, 339, and 293 patients were in the pre-OP CRT+S, S, and S+post-OP CRT groups,
      respectively. Before matching, no differences were observed in the overall
      survival among the patients in these 3 groups (P = 0.422). After matching, both
      the pre-OP CRT+S and S+post-OP CRT groups were significantly associated with a
      better survival compared with the S group (pre-OP CRT+S vs. S: P < 0.001; S+post
      OP CRT vs. S: P = 0.005). In contrast, the survival was similar between the pre
      OP CRT+S and S+post-OP CRT groups (P = 0.544). In the subgroup analysis, patients
      with clinical T3/4 stage tumors or those with a tumor size greater than 5 cm were
      more likely to demonstrate an overall survival benefit from pre-OP CRT compared
      with post-OP CRT. Both pre-OP CRT and post-OP CRT demonstrated a survival benefit
      compared with surgery alone, which indicates the importance of trimodality
      therapy in patients with clinical stage II/III ESCC. However, no survival
      difference was observed among patients in the pre-OP CRT+S and S+post-OP CRT
      groups, which suggests that the sequence of surgery and chemoradiation may be
      irrelevant to the outcome.

PMID- 26107666
TI  - Techniques of Fluorescence Cholangiography During Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
      for Better Delineation of the Bile Duct Anatomy.
AB  - To evaluate the clinical and technical factors affecting the ability of
      fluorescence cholangiography (FC) using indocyanine green (ICG) to delineate the
      bile duct anatomy during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).Application of FC
      during LC began after laparoscopic fluorescence imaging systems became
      commercially available.In 108 patients undergoing LC, FC was performed by
      preoperative intravenous injection of ICG (2.5  mg) during dissection of Calot's
      triangle, and clinical factors affecting the ability of FC to delineate the
      extrahepatic bile ducts were evaluated. Equipment-related factors associated with
      bile duct detectability were also assessed among 5 laparoscopic systems and 1
      open fluorescence imaging system in ex vivo studies.FC delineated the confluence
      between the cystic duct and common hepatic duct (CyD-CHD) before and after
      dissection of Calot's triangle in 80 patients (74%) and 99 patients (92%),
      respectively. The interval between ICG injection and FC before dissection of
      Calot's triangle was significantly longer in the 80 patients in whom the CyD-CHD
      confluence was detected by fluorescence imaging before dissection (median, 90 
      min; range, 15-165  min) than in the remaining 28 patients in whom the confluence
      was undetectable (median, 47  min; range, 21-205  min; P < 0.01). The signal
      contrast on the fluorescence images of the bile duct samples was significantly
      different among the laparoscopic imaging systems and tended to decrease more
      steeply than those of the open imaging system as the target-laparoscope distance
      increased and porcine tissues covering the samples became thicker.FC is a simple
      navigation tool for obtaining a biliary roadmap to reach the "critical view of
      safety" during LC. Key factors for better bile duct identification by FC are
      administration of ICG as far in advance as possible before surgery, sufficient
      extension of connective tissues around the bile ducts, and placement of the tip
      of laparoscope close and vertically to Calot's triangle.

PMID- 26107664
TI  - Dietary Intake of Sulforaphane-Rich Broccoli Sprout Extracts during Juvenile and
      Adolescence Can Prevent Phencyclidine-Induced Cognitive Deficits at Adulthood.
AB  - Oxidative stress and inflammation play a role in cognitive impairment, which is a
      core symptom of schizophrenia. Furthermore, a hallmark of the pathophysiology of
      this disease is the dysfunction of cortical inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid
      (GABA) neurons expressing parvalbumin (PV), which is also involved in cognitive
      impairment. Sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate derived from broccoli, is a
      potent activator of the transcription factor Nrf2, which plays a central role in
      the inducible expressions of many cytoprotective genes in response to oxidative
      stress. Keap1 is a cytoplasmic protein that is essential for the regulation of
      Nrf2 activity. Here, we found that pretreatment with SFN attenuated cognitive
      deficits, the increase in 8-oxo-dG-positive cells, and the decrease in PV
      positive cells in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus after repeated
      administration of phencyclidine (PCP). Furthermore, PCP-induced cognitive
      deficits were improved by the subsequent subchronic administration of SFN.
      Interestingly, the dietary intake of glucoraphanin (a glucosinolate precursor of
      SFN) during the juvenile and adolescence prevented the onset of PCP-induced
      cognitive deficits as well as the increase in 8-oxo-dG-positive cells and the
      decrease in PV-positive cells in the brain at adulthood. Moreover, the NRF2 gene
      and the KEAP1 gene had an epistatic effect on cognitive impairment (e.g., working
      memory and processing speed) in patients with schizophrenia. These findings
      suggest that SFN may have prophylactic and therapeutic effects on cognitive
      impairment in schizophrenia. Therefore, the dietary intake of SFN-rich broccoli
      sprouts during the juvenile and adolescence may prevent the onset of psychosis at
      adulthood. 

PMID- 26107667
TI  - Initial Metastatic Site as a Prognostic Factor in Patients With Stage IV
      Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Few studies have evaluated the presence of hepatic or peritoneal metastasis as a
      prognostic factor in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
      (PDAC). This study aimed to elucidate the prognostic value of the initial
      metastatic, extrahepatic, or hepatic site in patients with metastatic PDAC.
      Between January 2007 and December 2013, the medical records of 343 patients with
      metastatic PDAC treated at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital were
      retrospectively reviewed. Patients were classified as having extrahepatic
      metastasis alone (EH), hepatic metastasis alone (LV), and both hepatic and
      extrahepatic metastasis (BOTH). The median age was 67 years; 207 patients were
      men. Patients were classified as having EH (111 patients), LV (106), and BOTH
      (126). Totally, 212 patients underwent chemotherapy with a FOLFIRINOX (23
      patients) or gemcitabine-based regimen (189). On multivariate analysis, an ECOG
      score >=2 (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.2-4.5),
      albumin < 35  g/L (HR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.3), C-reactive protein > 10  mg/L (HR:
      2.3, 95% CI: 1.6-3.2), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio > 5 (HR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0
      2.0), no chemotherapy (HR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.0-4.1), and metastatic site (LV, HR:
      2.1, 95% CI: 1.4-3.1; BOTH, HR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.6-3.2) were significantly
      associated with shorter overall survival (OS). Considering the initial metastatic
      site, the median OS of patients with EH, LV, and BOTH were 7.5 (95% CI: 6.3-8.8),
      4.8 (95% CI: 4.1-5.5), and 2.4 (95% CI: 1.9-2.9) months, respectively. The
      initial metastatic site is significantly and independently associated with OS in
      patients with metastatic PDAC, serving as an effective prognostic factor.

PMID- 26107668
TI  - Rescue Radioguided Laparoscopy Surgery for Meckel's Diverticulum: Technical
      Notes.
AB  - The extirpation of Meckel's diverticulum (MD) via conventional or laparoscopic
      surgery is the definitive treatment. However, certain circumstances may modify or
      alter this situation and require the application of exceptional measures.We
      report a case under our observation who previously had an exploratory abdominal
      laparotomy for a suspected MD; however, the findings were negative. At that time,
      the diagnosis was established based on low-level gastrointestinal bleeding and
      isotopic tests that confirmed the existence of the diverticulum. Given the
      findings of gamma-graphic exploration and the previous negative surgical
      exploration, a decision was made to remove the lesion by laparoscopic radioguided
      surgery.The patient underwent bilateral laparoscopic radioguided surgery using a
      gamma radiation detection probe. The exploration of the abdominal cavity noted
      the existence of the diverticulum about 60 to 70  cm from the ileocecal valve. In
      this way, it was possible to proceed with the resection of the bowel loop and
      perform an intracorporeal anastomosis termino lateral. The postoperative course
      was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the fifth postoperative day.We
      believe that the combination of radioguided surgery and single photon emission
      computed tomography/computed tomography could be useful for treating lesions in
      locations that are surgically difficult because of the characteristics of the
      lesion itself or the peculiarities of an individual patient.

PMID- 26107669
TI  - No Development of Imipenem Resistance in Pneumonia Caused by Escherichia coli.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antibiotic resistance continues to rise due to the increased number
      of antibiotic prescriptions and is now a major threat to public health. In
      particular, there is an increase in antibiotic resistance to Escherichia coli
      according to the latest reports. TRIAL DESIGN: This article examines,
      retrospectively, antibiotic resistance in patients with community- and nosocomial
      acquired pneumonia caused by E coli. METHODS: The data of all patients with
      community- and nosocomial-acquired pneumonia caused by E coli were collected from
      the hospital charts at the HELIOS Clinic, Witten/Herdecke University, Wuppertal,
      Germany, within the study period 2004 to 2014. An antibiogram was performed for
      the study patients with pneumonia caused by E coli. Antimicrobial susceptibility
      testing was performed for the different antibiotics that have been consistently
      used in the treatment of patients with pneumonia caused by E coli. All
      demographic, clinical, and laboratory data of all of the patients with pneumonia
      caused by E coli were collected from the patients' records. RESULTS: During the
      study period of January 1, 2004 to August 12, 2014, 135 patients were identified
      with community- and nosocomial-acquired pneumonia affected by E coli. These
      patients had a mean age of 72.5 +/- 11.6 (92 [68.1%, 95% CI 60.2%-76.0%] males
      and 43 [31.9%, 95% CI 24.0%-39.8%] females). E coli had a high resistance rate to
      ampicillin (60.7%), piperacillin (56.3%), ampicillin-sulbactam (44.4%), and co
      trimoxazole (25.9%). No patients with pneumonia caused by E coli showed
      resistance to imipenem (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: E coli was resistant to many of
      the typically used antibiotics. No resistance was detected toward imipenem in
      patients with pneumonia caused by E coli.

PMID- 26107670
TI  - Treatment of a Simple Bone Cyst Using a Cannulated Hydroxyapatite Pin.
AB  - Simple bone cysts (SBCs) are benign bone tumors. However, the treatment of SBCs
      remains controversial because of their healing rate and the invasiveness of
      surgery. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the treatment of SBCs
      using a cannulated hydroxyapatite (HA) pin.A total of 43 patients (35 males, 8
      females; mean age 12.1 years; age range, 5-22 years) with SBCs were treated with
      continuous decompression by inserting ceramic HA pins between 1989 and 2014. The
      SBCs were located in the calcaneus in 23, the humerus in 15, the femur in 3, and
      the pelvis in 2 cases. In all patients, minimal fenestration of the cyst wall and
      curettage and multiple drilling in the cyst wall were performed, followed by
      insertion of the HA pin. The mean follow-up period was 26.6 months. Operating
      time, healing period, risk factors for recurrence, and the cure rate were
      evaluated.Healing was achieved without intervention in 38 patients after a mean
      of 6.4 months. Two patients had persistent small residual cysts, which had no
      changes after 1 year at the latest follow-up. There were 5 patients with
      recurrences (humerus 4, femur 1), who were cured by curettage and artificial bone
      grafting. The final healing rate by cannulation only using an HA pin was 88.2%.
      On Fisher exact test, age, site of SBCs, and distance from the physis were found
      to be significantly associated with SBC recurrence (P < 0.05).In the present
      study, cannulation using an HA pin for SBCs was found to be a useful technique,
      particularly for calcaneal cysts, because it is a minimally invasive procedure
      with a high cure rate. In patients <10 years, involvement of the humerus and
      contact with the growth plate were significant risk factors for SBC recurrence. 

PMID- 26107671
TI  - Intravoxel Incoherent Motion MR Imaging: Comparison of Diffusion and Perfusion
      Characteristics for Differential Diagnosis of Soft Tissue Tumors.
AB  - We used intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to
      explore the possibility of preoperative diagnosis of soft tissue tumors (STTs).
      This prospective study enrolled 23 patients. Conventional MRI and IVIM
      examinations were performed on a 3.0T MR imager. Eight (35%) hemangiomas, 11
      (47%) benign soft tissue tumors excluding hemangiomas (BSTTEHs) and 4 soft tissue
      sarcomas (STSs) were assessed. The mean tumor size was about 1652.36 +/- 233.66 
      mm(2). Ten b values (0-800  s/mm(2)) were used to evaluate diffusion and
      perfusion characteristics of IVIM. IVIM parameters (ADC(standard), ADC(slow),
      ADC(fast), and f) of STTs were measured and evaluated for differentiating
      hemangiomas, BSTTEHs, and STSs. ADC(slow) and ADC(fast) value were different for
      hemangiomas, BSTTEHs, and STSs separately (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.001).
      ADC(slow), cut-off value smaller than 0.93 * 10(-3)  mm(2)/s, was the best
      parameter to differ STSs (0.689 +/- 0.173 * 10 (-3)mm(2)/s) from hemangiomas
      (0.933 +/- 0.237 * 10 (-3)mm(2)/s) and BSTTEHs (1.156 +/- 0.120 * 10 (-3)mm(2)/s)
      (P = 0.001). ADC(slow) (0.93 * 10(-3)  mm(2)/s <cut-off value <0.96 * 10(-3) 
      mm(2)/s) was used to distinguish hemangiomas from BSTTs. There were significant
      difference among hemangiomas, BSTTEHs, and STSs (P = 0.014, P = 0.036, P <
      0.001). The ADC(standard), ADC(fast), and f value were different (P < 0.05) for
      STSs (1.009 +/- 0.177 * 10 (-3) mm(2)/s, 15.700 +/- 1.992 * 10(-3)  mm(2)/s,
      0.503 +/- 0.068), hemangiomas (1.505 +/- 0.226 * 10(-3)  mm(2)/s, 11.675 +/-
      0.456 * 10(-3)  mm(2)/s, 0.682 +/- 0.060), and BSTTEHs (1.555 +/- 0.176 * 10(-3) 
      mm(2)/s, 11.727 +/- 0.686 * 10(-3)  mm(2)/s, 0.675 +/- 0.054). And there was no
      significant difference for these 3 parameters between hemangiomas and BSTTEHs (P
      = 0.584, 0.907, and 0.798). IVIM may be of significant value for differential
      diagnosing hemangiomas, BSTTEHs, and STSs.

PMID- 26107672
TI  - Hospitalization for Hypoglycemia in Japanese Diabetic Patients: A Retrospective
      Study Using a National Inpatient Database, 2008-2012.
AB  - We aimed to elucidate the epidemiology, patient demographics, and clinical
      outcomes of hospitalization for hypoglycemia in diabetic patients using a
      Japanese large-scale database.We conducted a retrospective study using a national
      inpatient database of acute care hospitals in Japan. Diabetic patients ages >=15
      years with hypoglycemia as a main diagnosis for hospitalization were eligible. We
      estimated the annual number of hospitalizations in Japan and compared the annual
      admission rate by age and treatment groups. We also analyzed the association
      between patient characteristics and in-hospital mortality.Among 22.7 million
      discharge records from July 2008 and March 2013, a total of 25,071 patients were
      eligible. The mean age was 73.4 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was
      22.3  kg/m(2). The estimated annual hospitalization for hypoglycemia in Japan was
      ~20,000. Annual admission rates for hypoglycemia per 1000 diabetic patients and
      1000 diabetic patients receiving insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents were 2.1 and
      4.1, respectively. Patients <40 years and >70 years old were at a higher risk of
      hospitalization. In-hospital mortality was 3.8%, and risk factors associated with
      poor survival were male sex, older age, lower bed capacity, community hospital,
      low BMI, coma at admission, and higher Charlson Comorbidity Index.To prevent
      severe hypoglycemia that leads to death and complications, individualized and
      careful glycemic control are important, especially in very old or young patients
      and in those with comorbid conditions or low BMI.

PMID- 26107673
TI  - Accurate Dosing of Antiretrovirals at Home Using a Foilized, Polyethylene Pouch
      to Prevent the Transmission of HIV From Mother to Child.
AB  - Mother-to-child HIV transmission rates remain elevated in countries with high
      home birth rates. This risk can be dramatically reduced if infants receive
      antiretroviral (ARV) medication within 24 hours after birth. However, many
      barriers prevent access to these medications immediately after delivery, for
      example, there is currently no suitable mechanism to preserve predosed ARVs in
      the home during the months before birth. In response to this, students of the
      Duke University developed the Pratt pouch, a foilized polyethylene packet
      designed to preserve predosed ARVs.This cross-sectional study presents the data
      from the first clinical trials of the Pratt pouch in Guayaquil, Ecuador.Fourteen
      HIV-positive mothers and nurses were observed using the pouch to deliver a dose
      of ARVs to an infant. Weight measurements, time, and notes on spillage were taken
      at each observation period. Successful usage was quantitatively assessed through
      the calculation of dosing accuracy based on the volume of liquid medication
      emptied from the pouch. Additionally, mothers were surveyed after a month of
      using the device at home to assess their perception of the accuracy,
      acceptability, and ease of use of the pouch. Used pouches were collected for
      physical analysis of tearing.Observed users delivered accurate doses (M = 101.1%,
      standard deviation = 8.2%) in an average time of 2.6 minutes. A total of 2869
      used pouches were recovered. No seal failures or failed attempts at
      opening/delivering the pouches were observed or detected. Forty-three mothers
      were surveyed. All mothers (100%) reported that they were able to follow their
      physician's treatment plan, all pouches were received in good condition and the
      pictorial sheets provided clear instructions.We conclude that the Pratt pouch is
      a highly accurate and easy-to-use device for delivering liquid oral ARVs to
      infants and is appropriate for prepackaging ARVs for home use. 

PMID- 26107674
TI  - A Case Report of Male Occult Breast Cancer First Manifesting as Axillary Lymph
      Node Metastasis With Part of Metastatic Mucinous Carcinoma.
AB  - Occult breast cancer (OBC) is a type of breast cancer without any symptoms in the
      breast (no primary cancer lesion is found in either breast on a physical
      examination or imaging examination such as ultrasound and mammography). The
      incidence of OBC is rare in females, whereas in males, there are few cases of
      breast cancer, and the rate of OBC is very low. This is the first time report a
      case of male OBC first manifested as axillary metastasis, of which the
      pathological results showed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma with part of
      metastatic mucinous carcinoma.A 40-year-old male patient presenting palpable
      masses in his left axillary on physical and imaging examination revealed
      unremarkable despite of multiple swollen lymph nodes in the left axillary, and
      the resected sample showed metastatic adenocarcinoma with part of metastatic
      mucinous carcinoma. Based on immunohistochemical analysis, positive of estrogen
      receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal receptor 2 (Her
      2), it was identified as an OBC.This is the fourth case report of male OBC in the
      literature; 1 case was reported in China in 2008, and it was metastatic
      infiltrating ductal carcinoma, and 2 cases were reported in Korea in 2012, one of
      which was reported as metastatic carcinoma and the other was metastatic
      adenocarcinoma; however, our case was a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma
      with part of mucinous carcinoma. Our case of male OBC could metastasize to
      supraclavicular region and lung in addition to axillary lymph nodes, and the
      prognosis was relatively poor compared to the 3 cases reported before.The aim of
      this case report is to introduce the imaging, pathological features, and
      management of a rare male OBC. 

PMID- 26107675
TI  - A Cohort Study of Decompressive Craniectomy for Malignant Middle Cerebral Artery
      Infarction: A Real-World Experience in Clinical Practice.
AB  - Decompressive hemicraniectomy with malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA)
      infarction is effective but remains underutilized. The aim of this study was to
      observe the utilization of this intervention in mainland China.We included
      patients with malignant MCA infarction who admitted in West China Hospital
      between December 2007 to March 2011. The outcomes were death and favorable
      outcome (mRS < 4) at 1 month and 1 year. The multivariate logistic regression
      model was used to identify the independent predictors for outcomes.Ten percent
      (219/2174) of patients with acute ischemic stroke had malignant MCA infarction
      and 31.1% (68/219) patients meet the criteria that <=60 years of age and the
      timing to hospital <48 hours after stroke onset. Of them, 18 patients (26.5%)
      underwent to decompressive hemicraniectomy. In total, 31 patients (14.2%)
      underwent the decompressive surgery. The average age was 53 +/- 12 years; median
      NIHSS score was 21. The case fatality rate of patients in surgery group was
      significantly lower than those of in nonsurgery group at 1 month and 1 year
      follow-ups (32.3% and 38.7% vs. 51.1% and 61.2%, respectively, P < 0.05).
      Patients in surgery group had a higher proportion of good outcome at 1 year
      follow-up (32.2% vs. 13.3%, P = 0.006). After adjusting for confounders including
      age, sex, NIHSS score, and GCS score on admission, decompressive hemicraniectomy
      was an independent predictor of good outcome for 1 year (OR = 3.44, 95% CI, 1.27
      9.31).This study shows better outcomes in the surgical group, which are
      consistent with findings in previous prospective randomized trials. However, this
      beneficial intervention remains underutilized in clinical settings. 

PMID- 26107676
TI  - The Pivotal Role of a Novel Biomarker of Reactive Oxygen Species in Chronic
      Kidney Disease.
AB  - Risk stratification of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is clinically important
      because such patients are at high risk of cardiovascular events. Although
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) are reported to be closely associated with the
      pathophysiology of CKD, there are few useful ROS biomarkers known for CKD
      patients. Hence, our objectives in this study were to investigate whether serum
      derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (DROM), a novel biomarker of ROS, is
      involved in the pathophysiology of CKD (case-control study), and is a significant
      predictor of future cardiovascular events in CKD patients (follow-up
      study).Patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) were enrolled and
      underwent coronary angiography. Patients with CKD (estimated glomerular
      filtration ratio <60  mL/min/1.73 m(2)  and/or proteinuria, n = 324) were
      compared with those without CKD (non-CKD). Serum DROM was measured at stable
      conditions. A case-control study of the 324 CKD patients and 263 non-CKD patients
      was conducted after matching risk factors, and a follow-up study of the 324 CKD
      patients was performed. CKD patients were divided into low- and high-DROM groups
      using their median value (348 unit; called the Carratelli unit [U.CARR]), and
      followed until the occurrence of cardiovascular events.DROM levels were
      significantly higher in risk factors-matched CKD patients than in risk factors
      matched non-CKD patients (347.0 [301.8-391.8] U.CARR vs. 338.5 [299.8-384.3]
      U.CARR, P = 0.03). During mean 23 +/- 14 months follow-up of 324 CKD patients, 83
      cardiovascular events were recorded. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a higher
      probability of cardiovascular events in CKD patients with high DROM than in those
      with low DROM (P < 0.001, log-rank test). Multivariate Cox hazard analysis
      including significant predictors in simple Cox hazard analysis demonstrated that
      high DROM was a significant and independent predictor of cardiovascular events in
      CKD patients (hazard ratio: 1.76, 95% confidence interval: 1.10-2.82, P =
      0.02).In conclusion, serum DROM values were significant and independent
      predictors of cardiovascular events in CKD patients, indicating that the
      measurements of DROM might provide clinical benefits for risk stratification of
      CKD patients.

PMID- 26107677
TI  - A Case Report of Adrenocortical Adenoma Mimicking Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
      in a Young Girl.
AB  - Adrenal cortical tumors are rare in children. Secondary tumors associated with
      untreated congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) have also been reported in
      pediatric population. It is difficult for pediatricians to differentiate these 2
      lesions.We described a 4.5-year-old girl who presented with symptoms and signs of
      virilization. Bone age was 9.5 years. Genetic analysis of CYP21A2 and CYP11B1
      revealed a heterozygous mutation of CYP11B1 at c.1157C>T (A386V). No germline p53
      gene mutation including R337H was detected.The patient was first misdiagnosed as
      CAH and treated with hydrocortisone for 3 months. Diagnosis of an adrenal
      cortical tumor was confirmed by laboratory data and abdominal computed
      tomography. After resection of the tumor, serum steroids normalized and clinical
      signs receded. The child received no additional treatment and remains disease
      free after 12 months of close observation. Histological examination showed
      neoplasia cells with predominantly eosinophilic cytoplasm and few atypical
      mitotic figures. The proliferation-associated Ki-67 index was <1% detected by
      immunohistochemistry.Neoplasm is a rare but significant cause of precocious
      puberty (PP). The possibility of neoplasms should always be considered early to
      avoid delayed cancer diagnosis and treatment in cases of PP. 

PMID- 26107678
TI  - Insulinoma Masquerading as Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder: Case
      Series and Literature Review.
AB  - Insulinoma is a rare endocrine tumor that can cause a wide variety of symptoms,
      including abnormal nocturnal behavior. We report on 3 patients with insulinoma
      who presented with abnormal nocturnal behavior and injury during sleep, which
      simulated rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD). In case 1, the
      fasting glucose level was 15  mg/dL, and insulin levels were elevated (15 
      MUU/mL). In case 3, when the patient was transferred to the hospital because of a
      disturbance of consciousness, hypoglycemia (29  mg/dL) was detected. In contrast,
      in case 2, fasting glucose sampling did not indicate hypoglycemia, but continuous
      glucose monitoring revealed nocturnal hypoglycemia. The time from initial
      symptoms to a diagnosis of insulinoma ranged from 7 months to 2 years. All 3
      patients had previously received anticonvulsant drugs for suspected epilepsy, but
      the medications were ineffective. Polysomnography showed no evidence of REM sleep
      without atonia in any of the 3 patients. No patient remembered any events that
      occurred during sleep. When a patient manifests abnormal behavior during the
      night and early morning, glucose monitoring should be performed, especially
      during the night and early morning. Clinicians should be aware that although
      insulinomas are rare, they can mimic parasomnias, such as RBD.

PMID- 26107679
TI  - Unintentional Discontinuation of Chronic Medications for Seniors in Nursing
      Homes: Evaluation of a National Medication Reconciliation Accreditation
      Requirement Using a Population-Based Cohort Study.
AB  - Transitions of care leave patients vulnerable to the unintentional
      discontinuation of medications with proven efficacy for treating chronic
      diseases. Older adults residing in nursing homes may be especially susceptible to
      this preventable adverse event. The effect of large-scale policy changes on
      improving this practice is unknown.The objective of this study was to analyze the
      effect of a national medication reconciliation accreditation requirement for
      nursing homes on rates of unintentional medication discontinuation after hospital
      discharge.It was a population-based retrospective cohort study that used linked
      administrative records between 2003 and 2012 of all hospitalizations in Ontario,
      Canada. We identified nursing home residents aged >=66 years who had continuous
      use of >=1 of the 3 selected medications for chronic disease: levothyroxine, HMG
      CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).In 2008
      medication reconciliation became a required practice for accreditation of
      Canadian nursing homes.The main outcome measures included the proportion of
      patients who restarted the medication of interest after hospital discharge at 7
      days. We also performed a time series analysis to examine the impact of the
      accreditation requirement on rates of unintentional medication
      discontinuation.The study included 113,088 adults aged >=66 years who were
      nursing home residents, had an acute hospitalization, and were discharged alive
      to the same nursing home. Overall rates of discontinuation at 7-days after
      hospital discharge were highest in 2003-2004 for all nursing homes: 23.9% for
      thyroxine, 26.4% for statins, and 23.9% for PPIs. In most of the cases, these
      overall rates decreased annually and were lowest in 2011-2012: 4.0% for
      thyroxine, 10.6% for statins, and 8.3% for PPIs. The time series analysis found
      that nursing home accreditation did not significantly lower medication
      discontinuation rates for any of the 3 drug groups.From 2003 to 2012, there were
      marked improvements in rates of unintentional medication discontinuation among
      hospitalized older adults who were admitted from and discharged to nursing homes.
      This change was not directly associated with the new medication reconciliation
      accreditation requirement, but the overall improvements observed may have been
      reflective of multiple processes and not 1 individual intervention. 

PMID- 26107680
TI  - Prognostic Significance of Statin Use in Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review
      and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Statin intake has been reported to reduce the risk of several malignancies beyond
      its cholesterol-lowering effects. However, little is known regarding the survival
      benefit of statins for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).We conducted a
      systematic literature search of multiple databases for studies published before
      November 2014, which investigated associations between statin intake and CRC
      prognosis. Meta-analysis was performed using random-effects model. The primary
      outcomes of interest were all-cause mortality (ACM) and cancer-specific mortality
      (CSM).Ten studies involving 76,851 patients were eligible for this meta-analysis,
      with 7 studies investigating prediagnosis statin use and 5 studies reporting
      postdiagnosis statin use. Prediagnosis statin use was associated with reduced ACM
      (hazard ratio [HR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61-0.88, P = 0.001) and
      CSM (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.77-0.84, P < 0.001) for patients with CRC. This effect
      persisted when stratified by tumor site and in studies adjusted by nonsteroidal
      anti-inflammatory drug use. In addition, postdiagnosis statin use was associated
      with decreased CSM (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.60-0.82, P < 0.001). However, we did not
      note reduced ACM for postdiagnosis statin use (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.68-1.27, P =
      0.639). There appeared to be an association between postdiagnosis statin use and
      increased ACM in KRAS-mutated CRC.Our findings provide evidence that prediagnosis
      statin therapy was associated with reduced ACM and CSM in CRC patients;
      postdiagnosis statin therapy indicated decreased CSM. However, findings may not
      apply to patients with postdiagnosis statin therapy for ACM. Further studies are
      warranted to determine the relation between statin dose and duration on CRC
      survival. 

PMID- 26107681
TI  - Outcomes of Early Ligation of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Preterms, Multicenter
      Experience.
AB  - Persistent ductal patency may have serious effects in preterm infants. Analysis
      of the results of different trials were inconclusive in determining whether
      medical or surgical closure of the ductus is preferable and what is the best
      timing for surgical intervention.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect
      of timing of surgical closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) on ventilatory,
      hemodynamic, and nutritional status of preterm infants.The authors
      retrospectively looked at the outcomes of surgical ligation of PDA from January
      2010 to June 2014 at 2 Saudi neonatal intensive units at 2 tertiary care centers
      and the authors compared the results of early ligation (before 3 weeks) to the
      late ligation (after 3 weeks) regarding different hemodynamic, ventilatory, and
      nutritional parameters.A total of 120 preemies were included (75 preemies with
      early ligation and 45 with late ligation of PDA). The early ligation group had
      shorter duration of assisted ventilation of 10 (8-37) days as compared with 37
      (26-90) days in the late ligation group (P < 0.05). The median fraction of
      inspired oxygen, needed to maintain good oxygen saturation in patients, was
      higher in the late ligation group [0.29 (0.21-0.70)] than in the early group
      [0.23 (0.21-0.55)] at 24  hours postoperatively. Full oral feeding was achieved
      earlier in the early ligation group than in the late group, 29 (15-73) days of
      life versus 53 (34-118) days of life, respectively (P < 0.05). Body weight at 36
      weeks postconceptional age was higher in the early group--2100 (1350-2800) g-
      than in the late group-1790 (1270-2300) g--(P < 0.05).Our study demonstrated that
      earlier surgical ligation of the PDA in preterm infants has a more favorable
      nutritional and ventilatory outcome.

PMID- 26107682
TI  - Severity of Anemia Predicts Hospital Length of Stay but Not Readmission in
      Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of severe anemia to
      hospital readmission and length of stay (LOS) in patients with chronic kidney
      disease (CKD) stage 3-5. Compared with the general population, patients with
      moderate CKD have a higher hospital readmission rate and LOS. Anemia in patients
      with moderate CKD is associated with higher morbidity and mortality. The
      influence of anemia on hospital outcomes in patients with moderate CKD has not
      been characterized.We conducted a retrospective cohort study at Maine Medical
      Center, a 606-bed academic tertiary care hospital. Patients with CKD stages 3-5
      and not on dialysis admitted during February 2013 to January 2014 were eligible.
      Patients with end stage renal disease on hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis,
      kidney transplant, acute kidney injury, gastrointestinal bleeding, active
      malignancy, pregnancy, and surgery were excluded. The cohort was split into
      severe anemia (hemoglobin <=9  g/dL) versus a comparison group (hemoglobin >9 g
      /dL), and examined for differences in 30-day hospital readmission and LOS.In this
      study, the data of 1141 patients were included, out of which 156 (13.7%) had
      severe anemia (mean hemoglobin 8.1 g/dL, SD 0.8). Severe anemia was associated
      with increased hospital LOS (mean 6.4 (SD 6.0) days vs mean 4.5 (SD 4.0) days, P
      < 0.001). The difference was 1.7 day longer (95% CI 0.94, 2.45). There was no
      difference in readmission rate (mean 11.5% vs 10.2%, P = 0.7).Patients with
      moderate CKD and severe anemia are at risk for increased hospital LOS.
      Interventions targeting this high-risk population, including outpatient
      management of anemia, may benefit patient care and save costs through improved
      hospital outcomes.

PMID- 26107683
TI  - Prevalence of Common Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas and Subtypes of Hodgkin Lymphoma by
      Nodal Site of Involvement: A Systematic Retrospective Review of 938 Cases.
AB  - Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) represent a heterogeneous
      group of malignant lymphoid tumors, which have distinct histological and/or
      biological characteristics with preferential nodal involvement. However, none of
      the previous studies have assessed the prevalence of common NHL and HL subtypes
      at each nodal site of involvement. The aim of our study was to determine the
      prevalence of HL and NHL subtypes depending on their nodal sites of
      involvement.We conducted a single-center retrospective study of 938 lymphoma
      cases diagnosed in the Pathology Department of Toulouse Purpan Hospital in France
      between 2001 and 2008, taking into account the site that corresponded to the
      diagnostic biopsy. The most frequent sites were cervical lymph nodes (36.8% of
      all cases), inguinal lymph nodes (16.4%), axillary lymph nodes (11.9%), and
      supraclavicular lymph nodes (11%). We found an unexpected association between
      intraparotid nodes and nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL)
      and between inguinal nodes and follicular lymphoma. The risk of having classical
      Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL) was 15 times greater in patients with mediastinal lymphoma
      compared to those with other sites of involvement. Regarding HL, nodal and
      extranodal mediastinal sites and supraclavicular nodes were more likely to be
      involved by nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma (NSCHL). In addition, intra
      abdominal lymph nodes were more frequently involved by lymphocyte depleted
      Hodgkin lymphoma compared to inguinal nodes where NLPHL predominated.Our study
      shows that some lymph node sites have a disproportionate prevalence of specific
      subtypes of lymphoma. Identifying these sites may aid to diagnose and better
      elucidate the pathogenesis of these tumors.

PMID- 26107684
TI  - The Effect of the Modified Eighth Section of Eight-Section Brocade on
      Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women: A Prospective Randomized Trial.
AB  - Osteoporosis and related fragility fractures represent a serious and global
      public health problem. To evaluate whether the modified eighth section of Eight
      section Brocade (MESE) exercise could improve the symptom and indexes associated
      with osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Guangzhou and Liuzhou hospital of
      traditional Chinese medicine in China. Women (n = 198) aged 50 to 75 years were
      randomized into Control, Ca, MESE, and MESE + Ca. Subjects in Ca and MESE groups
      were separately asked to consume thrice daily Calcium Carbonate Chewable D3
      tablet and to perform thrice daily MESE exercise by 7 repetitions per time for 12
      months. Subjects in MESE + Ca group performed such the combined treatment project
      for 12 months. Body height and Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) scores of both
      knees, chronic back pain visual analogue scale scores (VAS), bone mineral density
      (BMD) at L2 to L4 and the left femoral neck, 3-feet Up and Go Test (3') and one
      leg Stance (OLS). In our study, the improvement in chronic back pain of the
      patients in Ca, MESE, and MESE + Ca group was better than that in control group.
      There was 1.9% and 1.7%, 2.3%, and 2.1% net profit in left femoral neck and
      lumbar BMD after the treatment for 12 months in MESE and MESE + Ca groups. For
      the balance capacity, the subjects in MESE and MESE + Ca groups secured much
      better performance than those in Ca and control group after the treatment for 12
      months (P < 0.001, P < 0.001). The treatment of MESE exercise is the most
      effective for the improvement of the symptom and indexes in postmenopausal women.
      Importantly, the low attrition and the high exercise compliance indicate that
      MESE exercise is safe, feasible, and well tolerated by postmenopausal women.

PMID- 26107685
TI  - Predictors and Periprocedural Myocardial Injury Rate of Small Side Branches
      Occlusion in Coronary Bifurcation Intervention.
AB  - Occlusion of small side branch (SB) may result in significant adverse clinical
      events. We aim to characterize the predictors of small SB occlusion and incidence
      of periprocedural myocardial injury (PMI) in coronary bifurcation
      intervention.Nine hundred twenty-five consecutive patients with 949 bifurcation
      lesions (SB <= 2.0  mm) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
      were studied. All clinical characteristics, coronary angiography findings, PCI
      procedural factors, and quantitative coronary angiographic analysis data were
      collected. SB occlusion after main vessel (MV) stenting was defined as no blood
      flow or any thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade decrease in
      SB after MV stenting. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to
      identify independent predictors of small SB occlusion. Creatine kinase-myocardial
      band activity was determined by using an immunoinhibition assay and confirmed by
      mass spectrometry. Incidence of PMI between no SB occlusion group and SB
      occlusion group was compared.SB occlusion occurred in 86 (9.1%) of 949
      bifurcation lesions. Of SB occlusion, total occlusion occurred in 64 (74.4%)
      lesions and a decrease in TIMI flow occurred in 22 (25.6%) lesions. True
      bifurcation lesion, irregular plaque, predilation in SB, preprocedural SB TIMI
      flow grade, preprocedural diameter stenosis of distal MV, preprocedural diameter
      stenosis of bifurcation core, bifurcation angle, diameter ratio between MV and
      SB, diameter stenosis of SB before MV stenting, and MV lesion length were
      independent risk factors of SB occlusion. We observed a significantly higher
      incidence of PMI in each cutoff level in patients with SB occlusion compared with
      those without SB occlusion.True bifurcation lesion, irregular plaque, and 8 other
      predictors were independent predictors of SB occlusion. Patients with small SB
      occlusion had significant higher incidence of PMI.

PMID- 26107686
TI  - GLI1 Transcription Factor Affects Tumor Aggressiveness in Patients With Papillary
      Thyroid Cancers.
AB  - A significant proportion of patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) present
      with extrathyroidal extension (ETE) and lymph node metastasis (LNM). However, the
      molecular mechanism of tumor invasiveness in PTC remains to be elucidated. The
      aim of this study is to understand the role of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in tumor
      aggressiveness in patients with PTC. Subjects were patients who underwent
      thyroidectomy from 2012 to 2013 in a single institution. Frozen or paraffin
      embedded tumor tissues with contralateral-matched normal thyroid tissues were
      collected. Hh signaling activity was analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR)
      and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. Datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus
      (GEO) (National Center for Biotechnology Information) were subjected to Gene Set
      Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). BRAFT1799A and telomerase reverse transcriptase
      promoter mutation C228T were analyzed by direct sequencing. Among 137 patients
      with PTC, glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 (GLI1) group III (patients in whom
      the ratio of GLI1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) level in tumor tissue to GLI1
      mRNA level in matched normal tissue was in the upper third of the subject
      population) had elevated risk for ETE (odds ratio [OR] 4.381, 95% confidence
      interval [CI] 1.414-13.569, P = 0.01) and LNM (OR 5.627, 95% CI 1.674-18.913, P =
      0.005). Glioma-associated oncogene homolog 2 (GLI2) group III also had elevated
      risk for ETE (OR 4.152, 95% CI 1.292-13.342, P = 0.017) and LNM (OR 3.924, 95% CI
      1.097-14.042, P = 0.036). GSEA suggested that higher GLI1 expression is
      associated with expression of the KEGG gene set related to axon guidance (P =
      0.031, false discovery rate < 0.05), as verified by qRT-PCR and IHC staining in
      our subjects.GLI1 and GLI2 expressions were clearly related to aggressive
      clinicopathological features and aberrant activation of GLI1 involved in the axon
      guidance pathway. These results may contribute to development of new prognostic
      markers, as well as novel therapeutic targets.

PMID- 26107688
TI  - A minimal description of morphological hierarchy in two-dimensional aggregates.
AB  - A dimensionless parameter Lambda is proposed to describe a hierarchy of
      morphologies in two-dimensional (2D) aggregates formed due to varying competition
      between short-range attraction and long-range repulsion. Structural transitions
      from finite non-compact to compact to percolated structures are observed in the
      configurations simulated by molecular dynamics at a constant temperature and
      density. Configurational randomness across the transition, measured by the two
      body excess entropy S2, exhibits data collapse with the average potential energy
      [small epsilon, Greek, macron] of the systems. Independent master curves are
      presented among S2, the reduced second virial coefficient B2* and Lambda,
      justifying this minimal description. This work lays out a coherent basis for the
      study of 2D aggregate morphologies relevant to diverse nano- and bio-processes. 

PMID- 26107687
TI  - Hope and Hopelessness: The Role of Hope in Buffering the Impact of Hopelessness
      on Suicidal Ideation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The present study investigated whether hope and hopelessness are
      better conceptualized as a single construct of bipolar spectrum or two distinct
      constructs and whether hope can moderate the relationship between hopelessness
      and suicidal ideation. METHODS: Hope, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation were
      measured in a community sample of 2106 participants through a population-based
      household survey. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses showed that a measurement
      model with separate, correlated second-order factors of hope and hopelessness
      provided a good fit to the data and was significantly better than that of the
      model collapsing hope and hopelessness into a single second-order factor.
      Negative binomial regression showed that hope and hopelessness interacted such
      that the effect of hopelessness on suicidal ideation was lower in individuals
      with higher hope than individuals with lower hope. CONCLUSIONS: Hope and
      hopelessness are two distinct but correlated constructs. Hope can act as a
      resilience factor that buffers the impact of hopelessness on suicidal ideation.
      Inducing hope in people may be a promising avenue for suicide prevention.

PMID- 26107689
TI  - Molybdenum complexes derived from the oxydianiline [(2-NH2C6H4)2O]: synthesis,
      characterization and epsilon-caprolactone ROP capability.
AB  - The reaction of Na2MoO4 with 2,2'-oxydianiline (2-aminophenylether), (2
      NH2C6H4)2O, LH4, in DME (DME = 1,2-dimethoxyethane) in the presence of Et3N and
      Me3SiCl afforded either the bis(imido) molybdenum(vi) complex {Mo(L)Cl2(DME)} (),
      where L = (2-NC6H4)2O, or the molybdenum(v) salt [Mo(L')Cl4][Et3NH] (), where L'
      = [(2-NH2C6H4)(2-NC6H4)O], depending on the work-up method employed. The same
      diamine reacted with in situ [Mo(NtBu)2Cl2(DME)] afforded a tetra-nuclear complex
      [Mo4Cl3(NtBu)3(OSiMe3)(MU4-O)(L)2(L')2].2MeCN (.2MeCN). The crystal structures of
      , and .2MeCN have been determined. The structure of the bis(imido) complex
      contains two unique molecules paired up via weak pi-stacking, whereas the
      structure of contains a chelating amine/imido ligand, and is made up of discrete
      units of two cations and two anions which are interacting via H-bonding. The
      tetra-nuclear structure contains four different types of distorted octahedral
      molybdenum centre, and a bent Me3SiO group thought to originate from the
      precursor synthesis. Complexes have been screened for their ability to ring open
      polymerize (ROP) epsilon-caprolactone. For and (not ), conversion rates were good
      (>90%) at high temperatures (100  degrees C) over 6-24 h, and the polymerization
      proceeded in a living manner. 

PMID- 26107690
TI  - Finding needles in haystacks: scanning tunneling microscopy reveals the complex
      reactivity of Si(100) surfaces.
AB  - Many chemical reactions-etching, growth, and catalytic-produce highly faceted
      surfaces. Examples range from the atomically flat silicon surfaces produced by
      anisotropic etchants to the wide variety of faceted nanoparticles, including
      cubes, wires, plates, tetrapods, and more. This faceting is a macroscopic
      manifestation of highly site-specific surface reactions. In this Account, we show
      that these site-specific reactions literally write a record of their chemical
      reactivity in the morphology of the surface-a record that can be quantified with
      scanning tunneling microscopy. Paradoxically, the sites targeted by these highly
      site-specific reactions are extremely rare. This paradox can be understood from a
      simple kinetic argument. An etchant that produces atomically flat surfaces must
      rapidly etch every surface site except the terrace atoms on the perfectly flat
      surface. As a result, the etch morphology is dominated by the least reactive
      species (here, the terrace sites), not the most reactive species. In contrast,
      the most interesting chemical species-the site where the reaction occurs most
      rapidly and most selectively-is the hardest one to find. This highly reactive
      site, the key to the reaction, is the needle in the haystack, often occurring in
      densities far below 1% of a monolayer and thus invisible to surface
      spectroscopies. This kinetic argument is quite general and applies to a wide
      variety of reactions, not just etching reactions. Understanding these highly site
      specific reactions requires a combination of experimental and computational
      techniques with both exquisite defect sensitivity and high chemical sensitivity.
      In this Account, we present examples of highly site-specific chemistry on the
      technologically important face of silicon, Si(100). In one example, we show that
      the high reactivity of one particular surface site, a silicon dihydride bound to
      a silicon monohydride, or an "alpha-dihydride", provides a fundamental
      explanation for anisotropic silicon etching, a technology widely used in
      micromachining to selectively produce flat Si{111} surfaces. Fast-etching
      surfaces, such as Si(100) and Si(110), have geometries that support autocatalytic
      etching of alpha-dihydrides. In contrast, alpha-dihydrides exist only at kink
      sites on Si(111) surfaces. As a result, the etch rate of surfaces vicinal to
      Si(111) scales with the step density, approaching zero on the atomically flat
      surface. In a second example, we explain the chemistry that underlies pyramidal
      texturing of silicon wafers, a technique that is sometimes used to decrease the
      reflectivity of silicon solar cells. We show that a subtle change in chemical
      reactivity transforms a near-perfect Si(100) etchant into one that spontaneously
      produces nanoscale pyramids. The pyramids are not static features; they are self
      propagating structures that evolve in size and location as the etching proceeds.
      The key to this texturing is the production of a very rare defect at the apex of
      each pyramid, a site that also etches autocatalytically. These experiments show
      that simple chemical reactions can enable an exquisite degree of atomic-scale
      control if only we can learn to harness them. 

PMID- 26107691
TI  - Cerebellar Liponeurocytoma, an Unusual Tumor of the Central Nervous System-
      Ultrastructural Examination.
AB  - Cerebellar liponeurocytoma is a rare tumor of the central nervous system which
      shows neuronal and variable astrocytic differentiation, along with foci of
      lipomatous differentiation. It is usually located in the cerebellum, and may be
      mistaken for medulloblastoma with lipidized cells or lipomatous ependymoma.
      Histopathological examination, supplemented by immunohistochemistry and electron
      microscopy, is required to distinguish between these entities. This 35-year-old
      male presented with vomiting and headache for three months, followed by gait
      imbalance. Neurological examination showed positive cerebellar signs with ataxic
      gait. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a lesion measuring 4.4 cm* 4.3 cm* 3.9 cm
      involving the cerebellum. The patient underwent midline suboccipital craniotomy
      to excise the tumor. Histopathological examination showed a circumscribed,
      cellular tumor composed of round to polygonal cells with moderate cytoplasm and
      minimal pleomorphism. Clear intracytoplasmic vacuoles were seen within the tumor
      cells. These tumor cells were immunopositive for synaptophysin, NSE, and MAP-2,
      confirming their neurocytic origin. On ultrastructural examination, lipid
      vacuoles as well as dense-core neurosecretory granules were identified within
      these neurocytic cells, confirming the diagnosis of liponeurocytoma. No cilia,
      microvilli, or gap junctions were identified in the tumor cells, ruling out the
      possibility of lipomatous ependymoma. The differentiation of liponeurocytoma from
      its morphological mimics is imperative, as their treatment differs drastically.
      The role of electron microscopy is extremely important in this differential
      diagnosis. 

PMID- 26107692
TI  - Analysis of Interlimb Asymmetry in Patients Undergoing Simultaneous Bilateral
      Total Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - Simultaneous bilateral TKA (SBTKA) has been a favored surgical solution due to
      reduced costs and patient suffering. The purpose of the present study was to
      investigate the risk factors of asymmetric recovery in patients who underwent
      SBTKA and whether that affected quality of life. A total of 187 patients
      undergoing SBTKA were included. During this study, patients underwent physical
      examination (knee swelling, active range of motion (ROM) of knee and quadriceps
      strength) and completed three surveys (VAS pain rating, Short Form-36 and
      requisite information lists in this study). Our results reveal interlimb
      asymmetries existed at least two years postoperatively. Between-limb differences
      in active ROM, quadriceps strength, and VAS pain scores were significantly
      detected in our study. Risk factors included being female, being older, and
      having high BMI and high levels of anxiety and depression; different diagnosis
      and different component size could be risk factors. Finally, interlimb
      differences in VAS pain scores and active ROM were negatively associated with SF
      36 scores. However, interlimb differences in swelling and quadriceps strength
      were unrelated to SF-36 scores. Risk factors of asymmetric recovery should be
      evaluated and appreciated due to their significant impact on patients' quality of
      life. Before performing SBTKA, clinicians should consider possible risk factors
      and inform patients of asymmetric recovery between limbs, which could help
      decrease the unnecessary consultations and postoperative patient dissatisfaction.

PMID- 26107693
TI  - Cerebral Lipiodol Embolism in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Treated with
      Transarterial Embolization/Chemoembolization.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer
      mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and
      characteristics of cerebral lipiodol embolism (CLE) in patients with
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) receiving transarterial
      embolization/chemoembolization (TAE/TACE). METHODS: We reviewed all HCC patients
      who received TAE/TACE during the period of 2007 and 2013 at a university medical
      center. The frequency of CLE per procedure and the clinical manifestations of
      CLE, including the review of previous reported cases (n = 24), were analyzed.
      RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 7855 TAE/TACE procedures were
      conducted on 3277 patients. There were 8 patients (mean age 59+/-11 years; 5
      males and 3 females) who developed CLE. The frequency of TAE/TACE-related CLE was
      1.02 (95% CI, 0.44-2.01) per 1000 procedures. Acute disturbance of consciousness
      and respiratory distress after TAE/TACE were the most common presentations of
      CLE. All patients had disseminated infarcts involving both the anterior and
      posterior cerebral circulations. For 3 patients with shunting between the tumor
      feeding artery and the pulmonary vein, a specific imaging pattern of coexisting
      scattered hyperdense spots was found. Furthermore, combined with our 8 cases, the
      total of 32 cases indicated that old age and female sex were the two risk factors
      for poor outcome after CLE. CONCLUSIONS: CLE is a rare but potentially serious
      complication in HCC patients receiving TAE/TACE. The clinical characteristics of
      CLE summarized in our study would help facilitate the ability of clinicians to
      provide timely diagnosis and management.

PMID- 26107694
TI  - Professor Giovanni Berlinguer: healthcare, nursing and ethics will all miss you!

PMID- 26107695
TI  - [Knowledge, attitude and practice of condom use by women of an impoverished urban
      area].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Assessing the adequacy of knowledge, attitude and practice of women
      regarding male and female condoms as STI/HIV preventive measures. METHOD: An
      evaluative Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) household survey with a
      quantitative approach, involving 300 women. Data collection took place between
      June and August 2013, in an informal urban settlement within the municipality of
      Joao Pessoa, Paraiba, Northeast Brazil. RESULTS: Regarding the male condom, most
      women showed inadequate knowledge and practice, and an adequate attitude.
      Regarding the female condom, knowledge, attitude and practice variables were
      unsatisfactory. Significant associations between knowledge/religious orientation
      and attitude/education regarding the male condom were observed. CONCLUSION: A
      multidisciplinary team should be committed to the development of educational
      practices as care promotion tools in order to improve adherence of condom use.

PMID- 26107696
TI  - [Accidental intoxication of the infant-juvenile population in households:
      profiles of emergency care].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Analyzing profiles of intoxication and accidental poisoning of infant
      juvenile population (0-24 years) in the household, treated at a reference
      facility for Emergency and Primary Care, during the year 2013. METHOD: A
      descriptive, cross-sectional study. Data were analyzed using Epi-Info, by way of
      simple and bivariate analyzes. The project was approved by the Research Ethics
      Committee (protocol 405.578). RESULTS: There were 45 intoxications, with a
      prevalence of males (60.0%), aged 1-4 years (71.1%). Among children under one,
      there was a higher frequency of pesticide poisoning (66.6%), between the ages of
      1-4 by cleaning products (34.4%), and between 5-9 years of age by pharmacological
      substances (66.6%). The primary assistance was provided only at health
      institutions, with hospital admissions in 24.4% of the cases. CONCLUSION: The
      importance of prevention through legislation is evident, in order to ensure
      greater safety in packaging of various products, and community awareness to
      eliminate risks in the household environment.

PMID- 26107697
TI  - [Instrument for assessing the quality of mobile emergency pre-hospital care:
      content validation].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To validate an instrument to assess quality of mobile emergency pre
      hospital care. METHOD: A methodological study where 20 professionals gave their
      opinions on the items of the proposed instrument. The analysis was performed
      using Kappa test (K) and Content Validity Index (CVI), considering K> 0.80 and
      CVI >= 0.80. RESULTS: Three items were excluded from the instrument: Professional
      Compensation; Job Satisfaction and Services Performed. Items that obtained
      adequate K and CVI indexes and remained in the instrument were: ambulance
      conservation status; physical structure; comfort in the ambulance; availability
      of material resources; user/staff safety; continuous learning; safety
      demonstrated by the team; access; welcoming; humanization; response time;
      costumer privacy; guidelines on care; relationship between professionals and
      costumers; opportunity for costumers to make complaints and multiprofessional
      conjunction/actuation. CONCLUSION: The instrument to assess quality of care has
      been validated and may contribute to the evaluation of pre-hospital care in
      mobile emergency services.

PMID- 26107698
TI  - [Self-Care, Sense Of Coherence And Depression In Patients Hospitalized For
      Decompensated Heart Failure].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the self-care behaviors according to gender, the symptoms
      of depression and sense of coherence and compare the measurements of depression
      and sense of coherence according to gender. METHOD: A correlational, cross
      sectional study that investigated 132 patients with decompensated heart failure
      (HF). Data were collected through interviews and consultation to medical records,
      and analyzed using the chi-square and the Student's t tests with significance
      level of 0.05. Participants were 75 men and 57 women, aged 63.2 years on average
      (SD = 13.8). RESULTS: No differences in self-care behavior by gender were found,
      except for rest after physical activity (p = 0.017). Patients who practiced
      physical activity showed fewer symptoms of depression (p<0.001). There were no
      differences in sense of coherence according to self-care behavior and gender.
      Women had more symptoms of depression than men (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Special
      attention should be given to women with HF considering self-care and depressive
      symptoms.

PMID- 26107699
TI  - [Effectiveness Of 2% And 4% Papain Gels In The Healing Of Venous Ulcers].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effectiveness of 2% and 4% papain gels in tissue repair
      of venous ulcers. METHOD: Quasi-experimental study with consecutive sample of 16
      patients with 30 venous ulcers treated at the outpatient clinic of a teaching
      hospital, from April to November in 2011, using a form for clinical assessment of
      the patient and its lesion. Variables were analyzed by Wilcoxon and McNemar test
      (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Most participants were female; aged between 51 and 59 years;
      obese; with hypertension. Regarding ulcers, there was an average decrease of 7.9
      cm2 (50% of its original size) in 90 days; 20% of the ulcers completely healed
      within 56.67 days. There was an increase in epithelialization, significant
      reduction in the slough and edema, improved depth, in the type and amount of
      exudate (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: 2% and 4% papain gels were effective in healing
      venous ulcers.

PMID- 26107700
TI  - [Cross-cultural adaptation of the Quality of Life Index Spinal Cord Injury -
      Version III].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To translate and culturally adapt to Portuguese the Ferrans and Powers
      Quality of Life Index Spinal Cord Injury - Version III and characterize the
      sample in relation to sociodemographic and clinical aspects. METHOD: A
      methodological study with view to cross-cultural adaptation, following the
      particular steps of this method: initial translation, translation synthesis, back
      translation (translation back to the original language), review by a committee of
      judges and pretest of the final version. The pretest was carried out with 30
      patients with spinal cord injury. RESULTS: An index of 74 items divided into two
      parts (satisfaction/importance) was obtained. The criteria of semantic
      equivalence were evaluated as very adequate translation, higher than 87%, and
      vocabulary and were grammar higher than 86%. Idiomatic equivalence was higher
      than 74%, experimental greater than 78% and conceptual was greater than 70%.
      CONCLUSION: After cross-cultural adaptation, the instrument proved semantic,
      idiomatic, experimental and conceptual adequacy, in addition to helping the
      evaluation of the quality of life of people with spinal cord injury.

PMID- 26107701
TI  - [Mapping Nursing language terms of Parkinson's disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Implementing cross-mapping of Nursing language terms with the
      terminology of NANDA International, contained in records of patients with
      Parkinson's disease in rehabilitation. METHOD: Descriptive study of cross
      mapping, carried out in three steps. A simple random sample of 67 files of
      patients who participated in the rehabilitation in the period between March 2009
      and April 2013. RESULTS: We identified 454 terms of Nursing language that
      resulted in 54 diagnoses after cross-mapping, present in 11 of the 13 taxonomy
      domains. The most mapped diagnosis was "Impaired urinary elimination" (59.7%),
      followed by "Urgent urinary incontinence" (55.2%), "Willingness to self-control
      improved health" (50.7%), "Constipation" (47.8%) and "Compromised physical
      mobility" (29.9%). Seven described terms were not mapped due to a corresponding
      defining characteristic being absent. CONCLUSION: It was possible to determine
      the profile of patients, as well as the complexity of nursing care in the
      rehabilitation of patients with Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 26107702
TI  - [Life experiences of elderly with cancer pain: the existential comprehensive
      approach].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Understanding the experiences of elderly with cancer pain. METHOD:
      Qualitative research based on Heidegger's phenomenology. 12 elderly cancer
      patients from a city in northwest Parana were interviewed from November 2013 to
      February 2014. RESULTS: Analysis performed by vague, median and interpretive
      understanding which resulted in two ontological themes: Cancer pain: unveiling
      the imprisonment and impositions experienced by the elderly, and Unveiling the
      anguish of living with cancer pain; it revealed not only how the elderly
      experience pain in their daily lives, but also how hard it is to live with its
      particularities. CONCLUSION: Cancer pain has biopsychosocial repercussions for
      the elderly, generating changes in their existence in the world, requiring
      holistic and authentic care.

PMID- 26107703
TI  - [Cross-cultural adaptation of the Caregiver Reaction Assessment for use in Brazil
      with informal caregivers of the elderly].
AB  - This study aimed to carry out the cross-cultural adaptation of the Caregiver
      Reaction Assessment CRA for use in Brazil with informal caregivers of dependent
      elderly METHOD: A methodological study, of five steps: initial translation,
      synthesis of translations, retro-translation, evaluation by a judge committee and
      a pre-test, with 30 informal caregivers of older persons in Fortaleza, Brazil.
      Content validity was assessed by five experts in gerontology and geriatrics. The
      cross-cultural adaptation was rigorously conducted, allowing for inferring
      credibility. RESULTS: The Brazilian version of the CRA had a simple and fast
      application (ten minutes), easily understood by the target audience. It is
      semantically, idiomatically, experimentally and conceptually equivalent to the
      original version, with valid content to assess the burden of informal caregivers
      for the elderly (Content Validity Index = 0.883). CONCLUSION: It is necessary
      that other psychometric properties of validity and reliability are tested before
      using in care practice and research.

PMID- 26107704
TI  - [Educational pamphlets on health: a reception study].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Identifying the socioeconomic and cultural profile of users/readers
      of educational pamphlets, characterizing the context of the reading material and
      people involved; describing the user/reader evaluation on language and style
      used, as well as content range or limitations, and its characterization as an
      educational material in assisting users for meeting homecare demands. METHOD: A
      reception, cross-sectional, qualitative study. 27 respondents who had received
      five educational pamphlets were interviewed on Oncology signs and symptoms during
      primary care consultations. RESULTS: Study participants were adults, with average
      schooling of more than 10 years and low income. Pamphlets were assessed as
      appropriate for consistent language, quantity and quality of content, and
      especially in relation to the capacity of helping in the homecare decision making
      process. The importance of receiving pamphlets at the initial stage of the
      disease was verified. CONCLUSION: Users acceptance was positive and the study
      revealed aspects that should be reinforced in the creation of educational
      pamphlets.

PMID- 26107705
TI  - [Prevalence of self-reported constipation in adults from the general population].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of self-reported constipation and
      associated factors in the general population of a Brazilian city. METHOD:
      Secondary analysis of an epidemiological study, population-based, cross-sectional
      study, about bowel habits of Brazilian population. A total of 2,162 individuals
      were interviewed using two instruments: sociodemographic data and the adapted and
      validated Brazilian version of the "Bowel Function in the Community" tool.
      RESULTS: There was a prevalence of 25.2% for the self-reported constipation,
      37.2% among women and 10.2% among men. Stroke and old age were associated with
      constipation in the three statistical models used. CONCLUSION: The prevalence
      found showed to be similar to the findings in the literature, although some
      associated factors obtained here have never been investigated.

PMID- 26107706
TI  - [Massage with aromatherapy: effectiveness on anxiety of users with personality
      disorders in psychiatric hospitalization].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of aromatherapy massage using the
      essential oils (0.5%) of Lavandula angustifolia and Pelargonium graveolens for
      anxiety reduction in patients with personality disorders during psychiatric
      hospitalization. METHOD: Uncontrolled clinical trial with 50 subjects submitted
      to six massages with aromatherapy, performed on alternate days, on the cervical
      and the posterior thoracic regions. Vital data (heart and respiratory rate) were
      collected before and after each session and an anxiety scale (Trait Anxiety
      Inventory-State) was applied at the beginning and end of the intervention. The
      results were statistically analyzed with the chi square test and paired t test.
      RESULTS: There was a statistically significant decrease (p < 0.001) of the heart
      and respiratory mean rates after each intervention session, as well as in the
      inventory score. CONCLUSION: Aromatherapy has demonstrated effectiveness in
      anxiety relief, considering the decrease of heart and respiratory rates in
      patients diagnosed with personality disorders during psychiatric hospitalization.

PMID- 26107707
TI  - [Violence, Burnout and Minor Psychiatric Disorders in Hospital Work].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Identifying the violence suffered by the health team workers and their
      association with Burnout and minor psychiatric disorders. METHODS: Cross
      sectional study with 269 health team professionals of a public hospital in
      southern Brazil. Data were collected through the use of the Survey Questionnaire:
      Workplace Violence in the Health Sector, Maslach Inventory Burnout and Self
      Report Questionnaire. RESULTS: Workplace violence struck 63.2% of workers,
      prevailing mostly in women (p = 0.001), among nursing auxiliaries/technicians
      (p=0.014) and was associated with minor psychiatric disorders (p<0.05), as
      exposure to different forms of violence increased the chances of these disorders
      by 60% (CI 95%: 1.2-2.1). The three Burnout dimensions were also associated to
      violence at work (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Health workers experience violence in the
      workplace and this exposure is associated with Burnout symptoms and minor
      psychiatric disorders.

PMID- 26107708
TI  - [Pleasure-suffering indicators of nursing work in a hemodialysis nursing
      service].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To measure the pleasure and suffering indicators at work and relate
      them to the socio-demographic and employment characteristics of the nursing staff
      in a hemodialysis center in southern Brazil. METHOD: Quantitative research, with
      46 workers. We used a self-completed form with demographic and labor data and the
      Pleasure and Suffering Indicators at Work Scale (PSIWS). We conducted a bivariate
      and correlation descriptive analysis with significance levels of 5% using the Epi
      Info(r) and PredictiveAnalytics Software programs. RESULTS: Freedom of Speech was
      considered critical; other factors were evaluated as satisfactory. The results
      revealed a possible association between sociodemographic characteristics and
      work, and pleasure and suffering indicators. There was a correlation between the
      factors evaluated. CONCLUSION: Despite the satisfactory evaluation, suffering is
      present in the studied context, expressed mainly by a lack of Freedom of Speech,
      with the need for interventions to prevent injury to the health of workers.

PMID- 26107709
TI  - [Factors influencing adherence to standard precautions among nursing
      professionals in psychiatric hospitals].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Evaluate and correlate individual, work-related and organizational
      factors that influence adherence to standard precautions among nursing
      professionals of psychiatric hospitals in Sao Paulo. METHOD: An exploratory cross
      sectional study conducted with 35 nursing professionals, using the assessment
      tool for adherence to standard precautions through the Likert scale, ranging from
      1 to 5. RESULTS: Knowledge of the precautions received a high score (4.69);
      adherence received (3.86) and obstacles (3.78), while intermediaries and the
      scales of organizational factors received low scores (2.61). There was a strong
      correlation between the magnitude adherence scale and the personal protective
      equipment availability (r = 0.643; p = 0.000). The training scale for prevention
      of HIV exposure (p = 0.007) was statistically different between the nurses and
      nursing assistants. CONCLUSION: The organizational factors negatively contributed
      to adherence to standard precautions, indicating that psychiatric institutions
      lack safe working conditions, ongoing training and management actions to control
      infections.

PMID- 26107710
TI  - [Nursing staff sizing in the emergency room of a university hospital].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To verify the adequacy of the professional nursing staff in the
      emergency room of a university hospital and to evaluate the association between
      categories of risk classification triage with the Fugulin Patient Classification
      System. METHOD: The classification of patients admitted into the emergency room
      was performed for 30 consecutive days through the methodology proposed by
      Gaidzinski for calculating nursing requirements. RESULTS: The calculation
      determines the need for three registered nurses and four non-registered nursing
      for each six hour shift. However, only one registered nurse and four non
      registered nurse were available per shift. There was no correlation between
      triage risk classification and classification of care by the Fugulin Patient
      Classification System. CONCLUSION: A deficit in professional staff was identified
      in the emergency room. The specificity of this unit made it difficult to measure.
      To find the best strategy to do so, further studies should be performed.

PMID- 26107711
TI  - [Direct Cost of Reprocessing Cotton-woven Surgical Drapes: a Case Study].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Identify the direct cost of reprocessing double and single cotton
      woven drapes of the surgical LAP package. METHOD: A quantitative, exploratory and
      descriptive case study, performed at a teaching hospital. The direct cost of
      reprocessing cotton-woven surgical drapes was calculated by multiplying the time
      spent by professionals involved in reprocessing the unit with the direct cost of
      labor, adding to the cost of materials. The Brazilian currency (R$) originally
      used for the calculations was converted to US currency at the rate of US$0.42/R$.
      RESULTS: The average total cost for surgical LAP package was US$9.72, with the
      predominance being in the cost of materials (US$8.70 or 89.65%). It is noteworthy
      that the average total cost of materials was mostly impacted by the cost of the
      cotton-woven drapes (US$7.99 or 91.90%). CONCLUSION: The knowledge gained will
      subsidize discussions about replacing reusable cotton-woven surgical drapes for
      disposable ones, favoring arguments regarding the advantages and disadvantages of
      this possibility considering human resources, materials, as well as structural,
      environmental and financial resources.

PMID- 26107712
TI  - [Reasons and meanings attributed by women who experienced induced abortion: an
      integrative review].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Identifying the contribution of developed research on what motivates
      women to induce an abortion and the meaning attributed to these experiences in
      their lives. METHOD: An integrative review conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS,
      BDENF, CINAHL and SciELO databases, covering the periods from 2001 to 2011.
      RESULTS: We selected and analyzed 11 studies with selection criteria being
      reasons given by women for inducing abortion and/or the meaning attributed to
      this experience in their lives, including social, religious, ethical and moral
      aspects related to this practice, as well as the suffering experienced from the
      experience. The illegality of abortion is identified as a risk factor for unsafe
      abortions, reaffirming this issue as a public health and social justice problem.
      CONCLUSION: Results evidence aspects that can contribute to improving health
      quality and ratify the importance of research to support nursing practices.

PMID- 26107713
TI  - [Prevalence of infection in kidney transplantation from living versus deceased
      donor: systematic review and meta-analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To verify if the type of donor is a risk factor for infection in
      kidney transplant recipients. METHODS: Systematic Review of Literature with Meta
      analysis with searches conducted in the databases MEDLINE, LILACS, Embase,
      Cochrane, Web of Science, SciELO and CINAHL. RESULTS: We selected 198 studies and
      included four observational studies describing infections among patients
      distinguishing the type of donor. Through meta-analysis, it was shown that in
      patients undergoing deceased donor transplant, the outcome infection was 2.65
      higher, than those who received an organ from a living donor. CONCLUSION: The
      study showed that deceased kidney donor recipients are at an increased risk for
      developing infections and so the need for establishing and enforcing protocols
      from proper management of ischemic time to the prevention and control of
      infection in this population emerges.

PMID- 26107714
TI  - [Distance education in neonatal nursing scenarios: a systematic review].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Identify resources that support learning mediated by technology in the
      field of neonatal nursing. METHOD: Systematic review with searches conducted in
      MEDLINE, LILACS and SciELO. Titles and abstracts were independently evaluated by
      two experts. RESULTS: Of the 2,051 references, 203 full-text articles were
      analyzed, resulting in the inclusion of nine studies on semiotics and semiology,
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation, general aspects of neonatal care, diagnostic
      reasoning and assessment of pain. Only two articles addressed the development of
      educational strategies and seven papers described the assessment of these
      strategies by experts and/or users. CONCLUSION: Distance education is an
      important resource for education, and its improvement and updating, and it
      particularly adds advantages for neonatal nursing by approximating teaching and
      real-life situations and by minimizing the exposure of newborns for teaching
      purposes. The lack of educational initiatives mediated by technology suggests the
      need for the development, evaluation and dissemination of educational resources
      focused on nursing care of newborns and their families.

PMID- 26107715
TI  - The Impact of Selection with Diflubenzuron, a Chitin Synthesis Inhibitor, on the
      Fitness of Two Brazilian Aedes aegypti Field Populations.
AB  - Several Aedes aegypti field populations are resistant to neurotoxic insecticides,
      mainly organophoshates and pyrethroids, which are extensively used as larvicides
      and adulticides, respectively. Diflubenzuron (DFB), a chitin synthesis inhibitor
      (CSI), was recently approved for use in drinking water, and is presently employed
      in Brazil for Ae. aegypti control, against populations resistant to the
      organophosphate temephos. However, tests of DFB efficacy against field Ae.
      aegypti populations are lacking. In addition, information regarding the dynamics
      of CSI resistance, and characterization of any potential fitness effects that may
      arise in conjunction with resistance are essential for new Ae. aegypti control
      strategies. Here, the efficacy of DFB was evaluated for two Brazilian Ae. aegypti
      populations known to be resistant to both temephos and the pyrethroid
      deltamethrin. Laboratory selection for DFB resistance was then performed over six
      or seven generations, using a fixed dose of insecticide that inhibited 80% of
      adult emergence in the first generation. The selection process was stopped when
      adult emergence in the diflubenzuron-treated groups was equivalent to that of the
      control groups, kept without insecticide. Diflubenzuron was effective against the
      two Ae. aegypti field populations evaluated, regardless of their resistance level
      to neurotoxic insecticides. However, only a few generations of DFB selection were
      sufficient to change the susceptible status of both populations to this compound.
      Several aspects of mosquito biology were affected in both selected populations,
      indicating that diflubenzuron resistance acquisition is associated with a fitness
      cost. We believe that these results can significantly contribute to the design of
      control strategies involving the use of insect growth regulators. 

PMID- 26107718
TI  - Are Cancer Survivors Physically Active? A Comparison by US States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer survivors who engage in physical activity (PA) have improved
      quality of life, reduced fatigue, and lower mortality rates. We compare the
      percentage of cancer survivors meeting PA recommendations for US states,
      stratified by age and gender, to identify the need for PA education and
      intervention among cancer survivors. METHODS: Pooled data from the 1997-2010
      National Health Interview Survey were used to determine and rank age-adjusted PA
      by state. American Cancer Society guidelines (>=150 min/wk of PA) were used to
      compare prevalence by state, stratified by age group (< 65 and >=65) and gender.
      RESULTS: Thirty-three percent of cancer survivors met PA recommendations. The
      highest age-adjusted compliance to PA recommendations was in Vermont (59.9%, 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 40.8-76.3) and the lowest was in Louisiana (14.8%, 95%
      CI, 9.6-22.1) and Mississippi (15.5%, 95% CI, 10.4-22.3). The lowest percentages
      meeting recommendations were in Arkansas for males (8.6%, 95% CI, 7.0-10.6),
      Louisiana for females (12.5%, 95% CI, 6.8-21.9), Louisiana for survivors < 65
      (15.6%, 95% CI, 10.5-22.6), and West Virginia for those >=65 years (12.7%, 95%
      CI, 7.6-20.6). CONCLUSIONS: Meeting PA recommendations by cancer survivors varies
      markedly by state of residence. Future efforts should target states with low
      percentages, tailoring interventions to the special needs of this high-risk
      population. The importance of PA should be incorporated within cancer
      survivorship care plans.

PMID- 26107717
TI  - Putative IL-10 Low Producer Genotypes Are Associated with a Favourable Etanercept
      Response in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - Outcome predictors of biologic therapeutic drugs like TNF inhibitors are of
      interest since side effects like serious infections or malignancy cannot be
      completely ruled out. Response rates are heterogeneous. The present study
      addressed the question whether in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
      interleukin-10 (IL-10) promoter genotypes with potential relevance for IL-10
      production capacity are associated with response to long-term treatment with
      etanercept. Caucasian RA patients that, according to the EULAR criteria,
      responded well (n = 25), moderately (n = 17) or not (n = 8) to etanercept therapy
      (median 36 months, range 4-52), and 160 matched controls were genotyped for the
      IL-10 promoter SNPs -2849 G>A (rs6703630), -1082 G>A (rs1800896), -819 C>T
      (rs1800871) and -592 C>A (rs1800872). Haplotypes were reconstructed via
      mathematic model and tested for associations with disease susceptibility and
      therapy response. We identified the four predominant haplotypes AGCC, GATA, GGCC,
      and GACC in almost equal distribution. Patients that responded well carried the
      putative IL-10 low producer allele -2849 A or the haplotypes AGCC and GATA (RR
      2.1 and 4.0, respectively; 95% CI 1.1-4.0 and 1.1-14.8), whereas an unfavourable
      response was associated with carriage of the putative high producer haplotype
      GGCC (RR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.3). No significant associations of alleles or
      haplotypes with disease susceptibility were observed. In RA, a low IL-10
      production which is genetically determined rather by haplotypes than by SNPs may
      favour the response to etanercept treatment. Iatrogenic blockade of TNF may
      reveal proinflammatory effects of its endogeneous antagonist IL-10. Further
      studies are needed to correlate these genetic findings to direct cytokine
      measurements. 

PMID- 26107719
TI  - A role for OVATE FAMILY PROTEIN1 (OFP1) and OFP4 in a BLH6-KNAT7 multi-protein
      complex regulating secondary cell wall formation in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Formation of secondary walls is a complex process that requires the coordinated
      and developmentally regulated expression of secondary wall biosynthetic genes. In
      Arabidopsis thaliana, a transcriptional network orchestrates the biosynthesis and
      deposition of the main SCW components in xylem and fiber cells. It was recently
      reported that interacting TALE homeodomain proteins BEL-LIKE HOMEODOMAIN6 (BLH6)
      and KNOTTED ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA7 (KNAT7) negatively regulate secondary cell wall
      formation in the interfascicular fibers of Arabidopsis inflorescence stems.
      Members of the Arabidopsis OVATE FAMILY PROTEIN (OFP) family of transcriptional
      regulators have been shown to physically interact in yeast with various KNAT and
      BLH proteins, forming a proposed TALE-OFP protein interaction network. This study
      presents molecular and genetic data indicating that OFP1 and OFP4, previously
      reported to interact with TALE homeodomain proteins, enhance the repression
      activity of BLH6, supporting a role for these OFPs as components of a putative
      multi-protein transcription regulatory complex containing BLH6 and KNAT7. 

PMID- 26107716
TI  - Recombinant Murine Gamma Herpesvirus 68 Carrying KSHV G Protein-Coupled Receptor
      Induces Angiogenic Lesions in Mice.
AB  - Human gamma herpesviruses, including Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus
      (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), are capable of inducing tumors, particularly
      in in immune-compromised individuals. Due to the stringent host tropism, rodents
      are resistant to infection by human gamma herpesviruses, creating a significant
      barrier for the in vivo study of viral genes that contribute to tumorigenesis.
      The closely-related murine gamma herpesvirus 68 (gammaHV68) efficiently infects
      laboratory mouse strains and establishes robust persistent infection without
      causing apparent disease. Here, we report that a recombinant gammaHV68 carrying
      the KSHV G protein-coupled receptor (kGPCR) in place of its murine counterpart
      induces angiogenic tumors in infected mice. Although viral GPCRs are conserved in
      all gamma herpesviruses, kGPCR potently activated downstream signaling and
      induced tumor formation in nude mouse, whereas gammaHV68 GPCR failed to do so.
      Recombinant gammaHV68 carrying kGPCR demonstrated more robust lytic replication
      ex vivo than wild-type gammaHV68, although both viruses underwent similar acute
      and latent infection in vivo. Infection of immunosuppressed mice with gammaHV68
      carrying kGPCR, but not wild-type gammaHV68, induced tumors in mice that
      exhibited angiogenic and inflammatory features shared with human Kaposi's
      sarcoma. Immunohistochemistry staining identified abundant latently-infected
      cells and a small number of cells supporting lytic replication in tumor tissue.
      Thus, mouse infection with a recombinant gammaHV68 carrying kGPCR provides a
      useful small animal model for tumorigenesis induced by a human gamma herpesvirus
      gene in the setting of a natural course of infection. 

PMID- 26107720
TI  - Ten Years of PLoS Computational Biology: A Decade of Appreciation and Innovation.

PMID- 26107721
TI  - Annual Reviews in Ophthalmology, a New Feature of the Asia-Pacific Journal of
      Ophthalmology.

PMID- 26107722
TI  - The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology's Grand Rounds Around the World-An
      Online Educational Program Freely Accessible to All.
AB  - Grand rounds are excellent learning platforms for physicians and other health
      care professionals to keep up with important evolving areas in the management and
      treatment models of various diseases. However, there are hardly any freely
      accessible grand rounds in ophthalmology to meet the need for ophthalmic
      education in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The Asia-Pacific Academy of
      Ophthalmology would like to meet the need by sponsoring a new initiative "Grand
      Rounds Around the World" so that ophthalmologists and eye care professionals in
      the Asia-Pacific region and beyond can benefit from the program, leading to
      improved patient care and the elimination of learning barriers. 

PMID- 26107723
TI  - Intracorneal Ring Segment Reimplantation in Keratectasia.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and potential for
      visual improvement of replacing INTACS with Kerarings in patients with
      keratectasia. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: A review of patients
      undergoing intracorneal segment exchange was conducted. Ten eyes of 9 patients
      that underwent INTACS explantation and Keraring re-implantation were included.
      Visual acuity, manifest refraction, keratometry, and corneal asphericity readings
      were collected. Data were analyzed preoperatively, immediately before Keraring
      insertion, and at 3, 6, and 12 months after Keraring implantation. RESULTS: The
      mean age of subjects was 44.5 +/- 11.23 years. The mean time to exchange was 13.9
      +/- 9.8 months. The initial indications for surgery were post- Laser-Assisted in
      Situ Keratomileusis ectasia (n = 6) and keratoconus (n = 4). The removal and re
      implantation procedure were successfully completed in all eyes without
      significant complications. No statistical difference was observed with respect to
      keratometry readings, manifest sphere, and manifest cylinder during follow-up.
      There was a significant improvement in mean decimal corrected distance visual
      acuity at 3, 6, and 12 months after Keraring insertion (P>0.05). The Q values
      were -0.37 +/- 0.94 after INTACS implantation and -0.18 +/- 0.62, 0.06 +/- 0.31,
      and 0.00 +/- 0.38 at 3, 6, and 12 months after insertion of Kerarings.
      CONCLUSIONS: Replacement of INTACS with Kerarings appears to be a safe procedure
      and may lead to an increase in corrected distance visual acuity in some eyes.
      This may be related to the change in corneal asphericity as experienced by our
      cohort.

PMID- 26107724
TI  - The Impact of Knowledge and Attitudes on Access to Eye-Care Services in Cambodia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate how knowledge and attitudes influence the access to eye
      care services in Takeo Province, Cambodia. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey
      (n=600). METHODS: 30 villages were randomly selected. Groups included: >50 years,
      30-49 years, and parents with children <5 years. A newly developed Knowledge,
      Attitude and Practice in Eye Health (KAP-EH) questionnaire about knowledge and
      treatment of eye diseases, practices and attitudes to accessing services was used
      to interview respondents. Descriptive analysis, including Chi square and logistic
      regression tested for associations with sub-groups of gender, age group,
      education and self-reported type of disability. RESULTS: The proportion of
      respondents who reported having knowledge of specific eye conditions ranged from
      97% for eye injury, to 8% for diabetic eye disease. While 509 (85%) people
      reported knowledge of cataract, 47% did not know how cataract was treated and
      only 19% listed surgery. The older group (66.5%) were least informed about
      cataract (p= 0.001) compared to other groups, and were least likely to believe
      that some blindness could be prevented (p < 0.001). Women (55%) were more likely
      than men (46%) (p=0 .003) to report that a child with blindness could attend
      school, as did people without a disability compared to those with a disability
      (58% vs 34%) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge about cataract and
      refractive error and what to do to resolve the problems was low among this
      population and this study suggests that poor knowledge of eye diseases might
      contribute to the occurrence of un-operated cataract and uncorrected refractive
      error.

PMID- 26107725
TI  - Pain and Its Determinants in Photorefractive Keratectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the determinants of early postoperative pain in
      photorefractive keratectomy. DESIGN: A prospective cross-sectional study.
      METHODS: One hundred and four myopic-astigmatic patients undergoing bilateral
      standard photorefractive keratectomy were evaluated for early postoperative pain
      severity. On day 1 postoperatively, the level of pain experienced was reported by
      the patient on a visual analog scale of 0 to 10. At the preoperative interview,
      data were collected on clinical, demographic, and social characteristics to find
      potential pain determinants. RESULTS: The median reported pain level was 3. About
      20% of subjects reported a pain score of 6 or higher, and 2.9% (6 eyes of 4
      patients) reported the highest pain score. The presence of external eye
      inflammatory signs was associated with higher levels of pain (P < 0.001).
      Patients with a higher body mass index reported more severe pain (P = 0.006). An
      inverse association was found between pain and harmful lifestyle choices (P =
      0.008). Demographic characteristics, history of contact lens wear, history of
      major operation, past experience of severe pain, knowledge about the operation's
      adverse effects, preoperative insomnia, preoperative anxiety, operative factors,
      and refractive indices were not related to the severity of pain experienced (all
      P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The association of pain with ocular surface inflammation
      suggests that inflammatory processes have a role in early postoperative pain,
      supporting the use of anti-inflammatory agents for pain management. Prescription
      of weight-adjusted dosages of analgesics is recommended on the basis of the
      association between severity of postoperative pain and body mass index.

PMID- 26107726
TI  - Outcome and Monitoring of Cataract Surgical Services at Takeo Province, Cambodia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate outcome and monitoring of cataract surgical services at
      Takeo Eye Hospital, Cambodia DESIGN: A prospective, hospital-based report using a
      cataract surgical record form from the International Center for Eye Health,
      London. METHODS: Data including preoperative and postoperative visual acuity
      (VA), proportion of ocular pathology, intraoperative and postoperative
      complications, type of surgery, and causes of poor outcome of all patients with
      cataract were collected. Exclusion criteria were age of patients being younger
      than 20 years, combined cataract-glaucoma surgeries, and having traumatic
      cataract. RESULTS: A total of 8211 cataract surgeries were performed from January
      2007 to December 2011. Preoperatively, the presenting VA was less than 6/60 in
      65.8%. At discharge, 51.8% had a presenting VA of 6/18 or better.Outcome was poor
      (VA < 6/60) in 10.6%. Over 5 years, the percentage of patients with poor outcome
      decreased from 12.6% to 8.5%. Total operative complications decreased from 18.2%
      in 2007 to 3.3% in 2011, with a reduction of vitreous loss from 6.5% to 1.8%. Of
      all surgeries, 21.2% were performed by resident physicians. At the first follow
      up 1 to 3 weeks postoperatively, 62.6% of the patients presented, whereas 23.9%
      presented for a second follow-up after 4 to 6 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring of
      cataract surgical services indicated an increase in quantity and quality.
      Hospital-based data collection as recommended by the World Health Organization
      action plan for the prevention of avoidable blindness is possible, but biased
      data collection has to be considered in the interpretation of the data.

PMID- 26107727
TI  - Two-Stage Correction of Blepharophimosis Syndrome: Analysis of Surgical Outcome.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcome of surgical correction of blepharophimosis
      syndrome. DESIGN: A retrospective, non-randomized, interventional case series.
      METHODS: Ten patients undergoing surgical correction of blepharophimosis syndrome
      in 2 stages were reviewed. In the first stage, correction of epicanthic fold and
      telecanthus was done by either Y-V plasty or Roveda procedure with or without
      medial canthal tendon shortening. In the second stage, ptosis correction was done
      by bilateral frontalis sling. The preoperative and postoperative ratio of
      intercanthal distance (ICD) to horizontal palpebral fissure length (HPFL) was
      compared to assess the outcome of surgical correction of blepharophimosis. The
      ratio was graded as good (ratio < 1.3), suboptimal (ratio between 1.3 and 1.5),
      and poor (ratio > 1.5). The outcome of ptosis correction was graded as good,
      moderate, and poor. RESULTS: Of 10 patients, 5 (50%) underwent Y-V plasty, and 5
      (50%) underwent Roveda procedure. Medial canthal tendon shortening was done in 5
      patients (50%) having a preoperative ICD of 35 mm or more. After surgical
      correction, mean reduction in ICD was 4.8 mm (P < 0.0001), and mean improvement
      in HPFL was 5.45 mm (P < 0.0001). The mean ICD to HPFL ratio changed from 2.02 to
      1.31 after surgery, which was statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Two
      patients (20%) had a ratio greater than 1.5. Nine patients (90%) had either good
      or moderate ptosis correction after bilateral frontalis sling with silicone rod.
      CONCLUSIONS: Functionally and cosmetically acceptable outcome can be achieved
      after surgical correction of blepharophimosis syndrome in 2 stages.

PMID- 26107728
TI  - Recurrent Corneal Erosion Syndrome.
AB  - Recurrent corneal erosion syndrome is characterized by repeated episodes of
      sudden onset of pain usually upon awakening or at night because of detachment of
      the weakly adhered corneal epithelium. Most of the cases can be attributed to
      trauma or superficial corneal dystrophies. Because of the variable clinical
      course, the disease causes much frustration to patients and to the
      ophthalmologists. Treatment options range from conservative management with
      lubricants, bandage contact lenses, and matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors to
      surgical interventions such as epithelial debridement, anterior stromal puncture,
      alcohol delamination, and excimer laser therapy. 

PMID- 26107729
TI  - Retinal Vein Occlusions.
AB  - Retinal vein occlusions (RVOs) are second to diabetic retinopathy in the
      prevalence as retinal vascular disorder and are characterized by dilatation of
      the retinal veins with retinal and subretinal hemorrhages, macular edema, hard
      retinal exudates, retinal ischemia, and consequent atrophy of the retina and
      optic nerve. They are differentiated into central RVOs and branch RVOs (BRVO),
      into ischemic versus nonischemic RVOs, and in the case of BRVOs, into
      intrapapillary BRVOs and extrapapillary BRVOs. Diagnosis is based on
      ophthalmoscopy, fluorescein angiography, and spectral-domain optical coherence
      tomography. The latter can display the presence and integrity of the retinal
      outer limiting membrane and of the inner and outer segments of the photoreceptors
      as useful information for prognosis and a guide for treatment. Risk factors for
      RVOs are glaucoma and arterial hypertension. Ischemic RVOs can develop iris
      neovascularization and secondary angle-closure glaucoma. Formerly, therapy
      consisted of laser photocoagulation in a "grid" pattern over the leaking area,
      leading to a reduction of macular edema and, as adverse effect, to focal retinal
      destruction. Intravitreal medical therapy including steroids and vascular
      endothelial growth factor inhibitors shows a marked antiedematous effect leading
      to an at least temporary reduction in foveal edema and correspondingly improves
      visual function. Intravitreal medical therapy is associated with the disadvantage
      of a limited duration of its effect and the advantage of not damaging the retina.
      A preventive therapy to avoid a recurrence of RVO or the development of an RVO in
      the contralateral eye has not been proven yet. 

PMID- 26107730
TI  - One Year of Glaucoma Research in Review: 2011 to 2012.
AB  - PURPOSE: To provide the practicing clinical ophthalmologist with an update of
      pertinent glaucoma literature published over the past 12 months. METHODS: The
      authors conducted a one year (July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012) English language
      glaucoma literature search on Pubmed using the following terms: automated
      perimetry, optic nerve imaging, optical coherence tomography, glaucoma structure
      and function, intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness, medical therapy
      and compliance in glaucoma, glaucoma laser treatment, cataract extraction and
      intraocular pressure, secondary glaucoma, glaucoma surgery, pediatric glaucoma,
      molecular biology in glaucoma, and miscellaneous topics in glaucoma. DESIGN:
      Literature review. RESULTS: This review includes original and review articles
      that reflect novel aspects and updates in the field of glaucoma, while excluding
      letters to the editor, unpublished works, and abstracts. CONCLUSIONS: This review
      is not meant to be all-inclusive-rather, it highlights literature that is most
      applicable to ophthalmologists in practice.

PMID- 26107731
TI  - Drug Screening to Treat Early-Onset Eye Diseases: Can Zebrafish Expedite the
      Discovery?
AB  - The molecular basis of many early-onset eye diseases has been uncovered, but the
      number of available drug treatments for improving deteriorated vision is still
      scarce. Consequently, there is a high demand for new drugs to treat these
      diseases. This review first provides a brief synopsis of the use of zebrafish
      model for screening drugs with vision benefits. In particular, visual-motor
      response, the activity response of larvae to a change in light stimuli, is
      proposed to serve as a simple and efficient tool for screening drugs that may
      improve vision in various zebrafish visual mutants. The second part of the review
      discusses the identification of novel drug candidates, with particular emphasis
      on naturally derived chemicals including traditional Chinese medicines and
      nutritional therapies on retinal degenerative diseases. Many of these chemicals
      have been used in neuroprotection and/or have been consumed by many populations
      for good health and vision; thus, the screening of these chemicals with various
      zebrafish visual mutants would expedite the development of novel drugs for
      treating early-onset eye diseases. 

PMID- 26107732
TI  - Pars Plana Vitrectomy With or Without Silicone Oil Endotamponade in Surgical
      Management of Endophthalmitis.

PMID- 26107733
TI  - Author Reply to "Letter to the Editor on the Article: Nagpal M, Jain P, Nagpal K.
      Pars Plana Vitrectomy With or Without Silicone Oil Endotamponade in Surgical
      Management of Endophthalmitis".

PMID- 26107734
TI  - In Response to "Epi-LASIK Discarding the Epithelial Flap Versus LASIK for Myopia
      and Myopic Astigmatism".

PMID- 26107735
TI  - Epi-LASIK Discarding the Epithelial Flap Versus LASIK for Myopia and Myopic
      Astigmatism: Author Reply.

PMID- 26107736
TI  - Correction: Correction: Proteomic Analysis of Urine Exosomes Reveals Renal Tubule
      Response to Leptospiral Colonization in Experimentally Infected Rats.

PMID- 26107740
TI  - Endogenous Price Bubbles in a Multi-Agent System of the Housing Market.
AB  - Economic history shows a large number of boom-bust cycles, with the U.S. real
      estate market as one of the latest examples. Classical economic models have not
      been able to provide a full explanation for this type of market dynamics.
      Therefore, we analyze home prices in the U.S. using an alternative approach, a
      multi-agent complex system. Instead of the classical assumptions of agent
      rationality and market efficiency, agents in the model are heterogeneous,
      adaptive, and boundedly rational. We estimate the multi-agent system with
      historical house prices for the U.S. market. The model fits the data well and a
      deterministic version of the model can endogenously produce boom-and-bust cycles
      on the basis of the estimated coefficients. This implies that trading between
      agents themselves can create major price swings in absence of fundamental news. 

PMID- 26107737
TI  - Dual fatty acid synthase and HER2 signaling blockade shows marked antitumor
      activity against breast cancer models resistant to anti-HER2 drugs.
AB  - Blocking the enzyme Fatty Acid Synthase (FASN) leads to apoptosis of HER2
      positive breast carcinoma cells. The hypothesis is that blocking FASN, in
      combination with anti-HER2 signaling agents, would be an effective antitumor
      strategy in preclinical HER2+ breast cancer models of trastuzumab and lapatinib
      resistance. We developed and molecularly characterized in vitro HER2+ models of
      resistance to trastuzumab (SKTR), lapatinib (SKLR) and both (SKLTR). The cellular
      interactions of combining anti-FASN polyphenolic compounds (EGCG and the
      synthetic G28UCM) with anti-HER2 signaling drugs (trastuzumab plus pertuzumab and
      temsirolimus) were analyzed. Tumor growth inhibition after treatment with EGCG,
      pertuzumab, temsirolimus or the combination was evaluated in two in vivo
      orthoxenopatients: one derived from a HER2+ patient and another from a patient
      who relapsed on trastuzumab and lapatinib-based therapy. SKTR, SKLR and SKLTR
      showed hyperactivation of EGFR and p-ERK1/2 and PI3KCA mutations. Dual-resistant
      cells (SKLTR) also showed hyperactivation of HER4 and recovered levels of p-AKT
      compared with mono-resistant cells. mTOR, p-mTOR and FASN expression remained
      stable in SKTR, SKLR and SKLTR. In vitro, anti-FASN compounds plus pertuzumab
      showed synergistic interactions in lapatinib- and dual- resistant cells and
      improved the results of pertuzumab plus trastuzumab co-treatment. FASN inhibitors
      combined with temsirolimus displayed the strongest synergistic interactions in
      resistant cells. In vivo, both orthoxenopatients showed strong response to the
      antitumor activity of the combination of EGCG with pertuzumab or temsirolimus,
      without signs of toxicity. We showed that the simultaneous blockade of FASN and
      HER2 pathways is effective in cells and in breast cancer models refractory to
      anti-HER2 therapies. 

PMID- 26107741
TI  - Rheumatoid Arthritis as a Therapeutic Challenge in a Patient with Lynch Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lynch syndrome (LS) is an inherited colorectal cancer (CRC) syndrome
      accounting for about 3-5% of all cases and involves significantly higher risk of
      subsequent malignancies, colonic as well as extra-colonic. Increased risk of
      malignancies, especially lymphoid malignancies, have been described in patients
      with autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus
      erythematosus, and Sjogren's syndrome. Epidemiological studies demonstrated that
      hematopoietic, lung, skin, and prostate cancers are increased in RA, while breast
      and colon cancers are decreased, with an overall slight increase in all cancers.
      CASE REPORT: Our case demonstrates the development of CRC, endometrial cancer,
      and breast cancer as a presentation of LS in a patient with RA and presents a
      therapeutic challenge for RA treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a patient with
      LS and RA presenting a therapeutic challenge because biologic agents commonly
      used to treat severe RA need to be used cautiously in patients with history of
      malignancy.

PMID- 26107738
TI  - Vitamin D regulates cytokine patterns secreted by dendritic cells to promote
      differentiation of IL-22-producing T cells.
AB  - One central mechanism, by which vitamin D regulates human immune responses, is
      the direct modulation of dendritic cells (DCs). However, the effect of vitamin D
      on several key DC functions, such as the secretion of central inflammatory
      cytokines, remains controversial. Moreover, whether vitamin D treatment of DCs
      regulates their ability to promote differentiation of IL-17-/IL-22-producing T
      cell subsets, such as Th17 and Th22 cell, is not known. Here, we report that
      vitamin D treatment during differentiation of monocytes into DCs markedly
      enhanced their ability to secrete TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-1beta and IL-23. Cytokines
      secreted by vitamin D-treated DC were significantly more potent in driving
      differentiation of IL-22-producing T cells, but not IL-17-producing T cells, as
      compared to secreted cytokines of not-vitamin D-treated DCs. Finally, we found
      that the differentiation of IL-22-producing T cells mediated by supernatants of
      vitamin D-treated DCs was dependent on TNF-alpha IL-6 and IL-23. In summary, our
      study suggests a novel role of vitamin D in regulating DC-mediated immune
      responses in humans. 

PMID- 26107742
TI  - Effects of Synchronization during Noninvasive Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation
      in Preterm Infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome Immediately after
      Extubation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Noninvasive ventilation is increasingly used in very-low-birth-weight
      infants (VLBWI) to reduce complications that occur with invasive ventilation.
      However, the physiological effects of synchronization during noninvasive nasal
      intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) have not been tested in VLBWI
      immediately after extubation. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to study the short-term effects
      of synchronized nasal IMV (S-NIMV) compared to nonsynchronized nasal IMV (NIMV)
      on breathing effort as measured by phasic esophageal pressure (Pe) deflection,
      spontaneous respiratory rate (RR), gas exchange, cerebral tissue oxygen
      saturation (StO2) and intermittent episodes of bradycardia or hypoxemia in VLBWI
      recovering from respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). METHODS: Fourteen VLBWI
      recovering from RDS were studied using a randomized cross-over design during both
      S-NIMV and NIMV (of 2 h each) immediately after extubation. RESULTS: Phasic Pe
      deflection, spontaneous RR and transcutaneous PCO2 decreased significantly while
      transcutaneous PO2 and synchrony rate (defined as peak ventilator pressure
      delivered within the first half of spontaneous inspiration) increased
      significantly during S-NIMV compared to during NIMV. There was no difference in
      blood pressure, average arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2), cerebral StO2,
      fractional tissue oxygen extraction of the brain and severe bradycardia (defined
      as time with a heart rate <100 beats/min lasting >=10 s) and in hypoxemic
      episodes (SpO2 <80%) between the two modes. CONCLUSION: Synchronization during
      nasal ventilation immediately after extubation in VLBWI recovering from RDS
      improved gas exchange and decreased the respiratory effort, and it could
      therefore be considered to provide a more efficient respiratory support and
      synchrony.

PMID- 26107743
TI  - Evaluation of Immunomodulatory Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Soluble Factors
      on miR-155 and miR-23b Expression in Mice Dendritic Cells.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can modulate dendritic cells (DCs) activation and
      induce tolerogenic characteristics in DCs. All mechanisms involved in MSCs
      induced tolerogenic DCs are not fully understood. MicroRNAs (miRs) play important
      role in maturation and function of DCs. In this study, we investigated the
      effects of MSCs culture supernatant (C.S.) on expression of miR-155 and miR-23b
      in mice DCs. BALB/c mice spleens were used for DCs isolation. MSCs were isolated
      from the mice bone marrow and cultured in DMEM media. When MSCs expanded to sixth
      passage, C.S. was collected after 12, 24 and 48 h. Quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction (QPCR) was used to determine the expression of miR-155 and miR-23b in
      DCs treated with C.S. after 6 and 12 h. Secretion of IL-23 and TGF- beta were
      detected in DCs treated with C.S. by ELISA after 24 h. miR-23b expression was
      significantly increased in DCs treated with 12 h C.S. for 12 h compared to
      negative controls. miR-155 expression did not change in DCs treated with C.S.
      after 6 and 12 h. miR-23b expression was significantly increased in DCs treated
      with 12 h C.S. for 12 h, compared to those treated with C.S. for 6 h. Similarly,
      miR-23b expression was increased in DCs treated with 24 h C.S. for 12 h when
      compared to those treated for 6 h. Production of TGF-beta and IL-23 were not
      influenced by C.S. In conclusion, miR-23b is considered to be one of the
      mechanisms involved in tolerogenic DCs induction by C.S. in a time-dependent
      manner.

PMID- 26107744
TI  - Comparison of an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay with an Immunochromatographic
      Assay for Detection of Lincomycin in Milk and Honey.
AB  - An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and an immunochromatographic assay
      were constructed for the detection of lincomycin (LIN) in both milk and honey
      samples based on the monoclonal antibody named 5F6. The half-maximum inhibition
      of ELISA was 0.3 ng/mL after optimizing pH and ionic strength conditions; the
      limit of detection was 0.07 ng/mL. The cross-reactivity with clindamycin was
      0.6%. LIN recovery in spiked milk and honey samples ranged from 84.6% to 115.6%
      with intra-assay coefficient variations of 1.7-25.4% and inter-assay coefficient
      variations of 2.7-8.9%. The detection limits were estimated as 2.1 ug/L for milk
      and 2.1 ug/kg for honey samples. The immunochromatographic assay revealed a LIN
      cut-off value of 10 ng/mL in PBS, 5 ng/mL in milk, and 120 ng/g in honey, and a
      visual lower detection limit of 2.5 ng/mL, 1 ng/mL and 30 ng/g in PBS, milk and
      honey, respectively. The immunochromatographic assay is preferred for large-scale
      practical application for its simpler pretreatment and satisfied sensitivity
      compared with ELISA assay. 

PMID- 26107745
TI  - Partial Reversal of Obesity-Induced Insulin Resistance Owing to Anti-Inflammatory
      Immunomodulatory Potential of Flaxseed Oil.
AB  - The present study was designed to assess the potential of supplementation of diet
      with Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum, L.) oil (FXO), on obesity-related
      inflammation and reversal of obesity-induced insulin resistance. Swiss Albino
      mice, C57bl/6 mice and co-culture of 3T3-L1 adipocytes - RAW 264.7 macrophages to
      mimick obese adipose tissue environment were used for the study. Oral gavage of
      FXO at concentrations of 4, 8 or 16 mg/kg body weight (bwt) for 4 weeks or high
      fat diet (HFD, 60% energy as fat) supplemented with dietary FXO (4, 8 or 16 mg/kg
      bwt) was given to the mice. FXO was characterised using gas chromatography - mass
      spectrometry. FXO supplemented HFD-fed mice (4 mg/kg bwt exhibited reduced
      adiposity index, serum glucose levels and triglycerides (8 and 16 mg/kg bwt) and
      improvement in insulin sensitisation (4, 8 and 16 mg/kg bwt) when compared with
      HFD mice. The co-culture showed a dose-dependent shift in cytokines towards anti
      inflammatory (IL-4) state, with a decrease in pro-inflammatory TNF-alpha (p <
      0.05). For immunomodulatory studies a dose-dependent increase (p < 0.05) was
      observed in antigen-specific levels of Th2 (IL-4) cytokine, serum anti-ova IgG1
      and IgE levels. Suppression in anti-ova IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgG3 and antigen
      specific Th1 cytokines like TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma significantly (p < 0.05) was
      observed at 16 mg/kg bwt dosage. The results indicate that FXO exhibits an anti
      inflammatory immunomodulatory potential and may partially relieve symptoms of
      obesity-associated insulin resistance. 

PMID- 26107746
TI  - Preventive Effect of a Novel Recombinant sTNFRII on Collagen-Induced Arthritis.
AB  - We developed a novel trimeric sTNFRII fusion protein, named sTNFRII-gAD, which
      exhibited a higher in vitro antagonistic efficacy for TNFalpha in comparison with
      sTNFRII-Fc. This study aimed to investigate the arthritic protection of sTNFRII
      gAD in a rat collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). The rats were injected
      intradermally with collagen type II at days 0 and 7. Three days after the second
      injection (day 10), the rats were intraperitoneally given sTNFRII-gAD or sTNFRII
      Fc, or PBS. Effects of treatments were examined with respect of CIA incidence,
      severity and pathological changes. Serum TNFalpha, IL-17A and regulatory T cell
      (Treg) in periphery were determined at days 10 and 16, respectively. Our results
      showed that sTNFRIIgAD significantly reduced CIA incidence and severity (p <
      0.05); meanwhile it led to a dramatic improvement in cartilage and bone damage.
      Moreover, the increase in serum anti-CII and IL-17A, and the reduction in Treg
      population were inhibited (p < 0.05) by sTNFRII-gAD or sTNFRII-Fc. Serum TNFalpha
      was found to be accumulated in the groups treated with sTNFRII-gAD or sTNFRII-Fc
      compared with the group treated with PBS (p < 0.05). It is noteworthy that
      sTNFRII-gAD displayed a better efficacy than sTNFRII-Fc in CIA incidence,
      pathological changes in cartilage and the elevation of anti-CII antibody,
      indicating that sTNFRII-gAD is potentially a more efficacious anti-TNFalpha agent
      for rheumatoid arthritis. 

PMID- 26107747
TI  - Protective Immune Responses Elicited by Fusion Protein Containing PsaA and PspA
      Fragments.
AB  - Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important pathogen accounting for a large number
      of deaths worldwide. Due to drawbacks of the current polysaccharide-based
      vaccine, the most promising way to generate an improved vaccine may be to utilize
      protection-eliciting pneumococcal proteins. Pneumococcal surface adhesin A (PsaA)
      and pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) are two vaccine candidates which have
      been evaluated against S. pneumoniae infection in animal models or human clinical
      trials with encouraging results. In this study, the efficacy of the fusion
      protein PsaA-PspA, which includes PsaA part and PspA part, in inducing
      immunoprotective effects against fatal pneumococcal challenge was evaluated in an
      animal model. PspA part of PsaA-PspA fusion protein contains both family1 N
      terminal region and family 2 N-terminal clade-defining region of PspA.
      Immunization with the PsaA-PspA fusion protein induced high levels of antibodies
      against both PsaA and PspA, which could bind to intact S. pneumoniae strains
      bearing different PspAs. Ex vivo stimulation of splenocytes from mice immunized
      with PsaA-PspA induced IL-17A secretion. Mice immunized with PsaA-PspA showed
      reduced S. pneumoniae levels in the blood and lungs compared with the PBS group
      after intranasal infection. Finally, mice immunized with PsaA-PspA fusion
      proteins were protected against fatal challenge with pneumococcal strains
      expressing different PspAs regardless of the challenge route. These results
      support the PsaA-PspA fusion protein as a promising vaccine strategy, as
      demonstrated by its ability to enhance the immune response and stimulate
      production of high titer antibodies against S. pneumoniae strains bearing
      heterologous PspAs, as well as confer protection against fatal challenge with
      PspA family 1 and family 2 strains. 

PMID- 26107748
TI  - Aberrant Low Expression of A20 in Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha-stimulated SLE
      Monocytes Mediates Sustained NF-kappaB Inflammatory Response.
AB  - The aberrantly activated monocytes and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway
      contribute to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and the
      aberrantly activated NF-kappaB is associated with defects in the anti
      inflammatory A20 in SLE. However, whether SLE monocytes express A20 and whether
      the A20 expression under sustained proinflammatory stimulation is altered to
      contribute to the uncontrolled NF-kappaB inflammatory response are unclear. In
      this study, we found that the freshly isolated monocytes from SLE patients and
      healthy controls did not differ in expression levels of IL-1beta, IkappaBalpha
      and A20. After TNF-alpha stimulation for 48 h, the monocytes from both groups
      expressed higher levels of IL-1beta and IkappaBalpha than the monocytes without
      TNF-alpha treatment. Although the increased levels of NF-kappaB were observed in
      the nucleus of both the SLE and control monocytes after 24 h of TNF-alpha
      stimulation, the enhancement in SLE monocytes was significantly more robust than
      in the control monocytes. In addition, while the p-IkappaBalpha level in healthy
      monocytes was increased, the p-IkappaBalpha level in SLE monocytes was slightly
      decreased after TNF-alpha stimulation. Interestingly, after TNF-alpha treatment,
      the A20 expression in SLE monocytes was not markedly altered compared with the
      untreated SLE monocytes; moreover, the SLE monocytes expressed significantly
      lower A20 than healthy monocytes with TNF-alpha treatment at each time point.
      Results in this study demonstrate that TNF-alpha activates a significant NF
      kappaB inflammatory response in SLE monocytes, which is at least partially
      mediated by the aberrantly low expression of A20 upon TNF-alpha stimulation,
      contributing to the prolonged inflammatory response in SLE. 

PMID- 26107749
TI  - Chemotactic and Phagocytic Activity of Blood Neutrophils in Allergic Asthma.
AB  - Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease, and has been considered
      a T helper-2-biased response. Studies suggest that neutrophils may be associated
      with exacerbation and asthma severity. We sought to evaluate the chemotactic
      activity and phagocytic capacity by peripheral blood neutrophils from individuals
      with controlled and uncontrolled allergic asthma, and compare the results with
      non-asthmatic controls groups. Blood neutrophils were isolated from 95 patients:
      24 with controlled asthma, 24 uncontrolled asthma, 24 healthy subjects and 23
      patients with IgE-mediated allergies other than asthma. The neutrophil
      chemotaxis, stimulated with LPS, autologous serum or homologous serum, was
      determined using Boyden chambers. The phagocytic capacity was assessed by
      ingestion of zimosan particles, and digestion phase was analyzed by NBT test. The
      phagocytic digestion phase and chemotaxis by neutrophils from asthmatic patients
      was higher than in non-asthmatic controls (p  < 0.05). Autologous serum-induced
      neutrophil chemotaxis in patients with uncontrolled asthma was greater (p  <
      0.05) than in other study groups. The ingestion phase of phagocytosis showed
      similar values in asthmatics and non-asthmatics. We conclude that the blood
      neutrophil from controlled and uncontrolled asthmatic patients exhibit activation
      markers, particularly phagocytic digestion and chemotactic activities. 

PMID- 26107750
TI  - The multicopper oxidase gene family in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens.
AB  - The multicopper oxidase (MCO) family of enzymes includes laccases, ascorbate
      oxidases, bilirubin oxidases and a subgroup of metal oxidases. On the basis of a
      bioinformatics investigation, we identified 7 genes encoding putative multicopper
      oxidase proteins in the genome of the brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens
      (Hemiptera: Delphacidae). MCO1 and MCO2 are conserved, while others diverse in
      insects. Analysis of developmental and tissue-specific expression patterns
      revealed the following: NlMCO2 was mainly expressed in the integument, and its
      expression peaked periodically during molting; NlMCO3 was an ovary-specific MCO
      gene with a high expression level only at the adult stage; NlMCO4 was a salivary
      gland-specific MCO gene that was expressed at all developmental stages; NlMCO5
      only had short-term expression in the middle of the fourth instar stage and was
      expressed mainly in the gut; NlMCO6 had a developmental expression pattern
      similar to that of NlMCO2 and was expressed in most N. lugens tissues; and NlMCO1
      was expressed in most N. lugens tissues except for the testis, whereas NlMCO7 was
      mainly expressed in the gut and the Malpighian tube. BPHs injected with double
      stranded RNA (dsRNA) targeting NlMCO2 failed to pigment and sclerotize, were
      colorless and soft-bodied and subsequently died in a short time. Lethal
      phenotypes were also observed in insects challenged by dsRNA targeting NlMCO6.
      However, no observable morphological or internal structural abnormality was
      obtained in the insects treated with dsRNA for NlMCO1, NlMCO3, NlMCO4, NlMCO5 or
      NlMCO7. 

PMID- 26107751
TI  - Less Surgery, Improved Survival From Stage IV Colorectal Cancer?

PMID- 26107753
TI  - Enhanced CH4 Recovery Induced via Structural Transformation in the CH4/CO2
      Replacement That Occurs in sH Hydrates.
AB  - The CH4/CO2 replacement that occurs in sH hydrates is investigated, with a
      primary focus on the enhanced CH4 recovery induced via structural transformation
      with a CO2 injection. In this study, neohexane (NH) is used as a liquid
      hydrocarbon guest in the sH hydrates. Direct thermodynamic measurements and
      spectroscopic identification are investigated to reveal the replacement process
      for recovering CH4 and simultaneously sequestering CO2 in the sH (CH4 + NH)
      hydrate. The hydrate phase behavior and the (13)C NMR and Raman spectroscopy
      results of the CH4 + CO2 + NH systems demonstrate that CO2 functions as a coguest
      of sH hydrates in CH4-rich conditions, and that the structural transition of sH
      to sI hydrates occurs in CO2-rich conditions. CO2 molecules are found to
      preferentially occupy the medium 4(3)5(6)6(3) cages of sH hydrates or the large
      5(12)6(2) cages of sI hydrates during the replacement. Due to the favorable
      structural transition and resulting re-establishment of guest distributions,
      approximately 88% of the CH4 is recoverable from sH (CH4 + NH) hydrates with a
      CO2 injection. The hydrate dissociation and subsequent reformation caused by the
      structural transformation of sH to sI is also confirmed using a high-pressure
      microdifferential scanning calorimeter through the detection of the significant
      heat flows generated during the replacement. 

PMID- 26107752
TI  - Long-Acting Injectable Risperidone for Relapse Prevention and Control of
      Breakthrough Symptoms After a Recent First Episode of Schizophrenia. A Randomized
      Clinical Trial.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Long-acting, injectable, second-generation antipsychotic medication
      has tremendous potential to bring clinical stability to persons with
      schizophrenia. However, long-acting medications are rarely used following a first
      episode of schizophrenia. OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of the long
      acting injectable formulation of risperidone with the oral formulation in the
      early course of schizophrenia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A randomized
      clinical trial performed at a university-based research clinic, between 2005 and
      2012. Eighty-six patients with recent onset of schizophrenia were randomized to
      receive long-acting injectable risperidone or oral risperidone. Half of each
      group was simultaneously randomized to receive cognitive remediation to improve
      cognitive functioning or healthy-behaviors training to improve lifestyle habits
      and well-being. An intent-to-treat analysis was performed between October 4,
      2012, and November 12, 2014. INTERVENTIONS: A 12-month trial comparing the long
      acting injectable vs oral risperidone and cognitive remediation vs healthy
      behaviors training. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Psychotic relapse and control of
      breakthrough psychotic symptoms. RESULTS: Of the 86 patients randomized, 3
      refused treatment in the long-acting injectable risperidone group. The psychotic
      exacerbation and/or relapse rate was lower for the long-acting risperidone group
      compared with the oral group (5% vs 33%; chi21 = 11.1; P < .001; relative risk
      reduction, 84.7%). Long-acting injectable risperidone better controlled mean
      levels of hallucinations and delusions throughout follow-up (beta = -0.30; t68 = 
      2.6, P = .01). The cognitive remediation and healthy-behaviors training groups
      did not differ significantly regarding psychotic relapse, psychotic symptom
      control, or hospitalization rates, and there were no significant interactions
      between the 2 medications and the 2 psychosocial treatments. Discontinuations
      owing to inadequate clinical response were more common in the oral group than in
      the long-acting risperidone group (chi21 = 6.1; P = .01). Adherence to oral
      risperidone did not appear to differ before randomization but was better for the
      long-acting risperidone group compared with the oral group (t80 = 5.3; P < .001).
      Medication adherence was associated with prevention of exacerbation and/or
      relapse (chi21 =11.1; P = .003) and control of breakthrough psychotic symptoms
      (beta = 0.2; t79 = 2.1; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The use of long
      acting injectable risperidone after a first episode of schizophrenia has notable
      advantages for clinical outcomes. The key clinical advantages are apparently
      owing to the more consistent administration of the long-acting injectable. Such
      formulations should be offered earlier in the course of illness. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00333177.

PMID- 26107754
TI  - Association of SNPs with the efficacy and safety of immunosuppressant therapy
      after heart transplantation.
AB  - AIM: Studying the possible influence of SNPs on efficacy and safety of
      calcineurin inhibitors upon heart transplantation. MATERIALS & METHODS: In 60
      heart transplant patients treated with tacrolimus or cyclosporine, we studied a
      panel of 36 SNPs correlated with a series of clinical parameters during the first
      post-transplantation year. RESULTS: The presence of serious infections was
      correlated to ABCB1 rs1128503 (p = 0.012), CC genotype reduced the probability of
      infections being also associated with lower blood cyclosporine concentrations.
      Lower renal function levels were found in patients with rs9282564 AG (p = 0.003),
      related to higher blood cyclosporine blood levels. A tendency toward increased
      graft rejection (p = 0.05) was correlated to rs2066844 CC in NOD2/CARD15, a gene
      related to lymphocyte activation. CONCLUSION: Pharmacogenetics can help identify
      patients at increased risk of clinical complications. Original submitted 30
      January 2015; revision submitted 27 March 2015.

PMID- 26107755
TI  - Metabolic side effects and pharmacogenetics of second-generation antipsychotics
      in children.
AB  - Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are increasingly being used to treat
      children for a range of mental health conditions, for example, anxiety disorder,
      attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder. SGA treatment is
      associated with weight gain and cardiometabolic side effects such as
      dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and elevated blood pressure, in some, but not
      all children. This review provides an overview of the potential role of
      pharmacogenomics in predisposing a child to unhealthy weight gain and
      cardiometabolic side effects with SGA treatment. Specifically, the review
      includes a synopsis of the evidence for cardiometabolic side effects in SGA
      treated children, illustrating the extent and depth of the problem; summarizes
      the potential long-term consequences of developing cardiometabolic risk during
      childhood and highlights genetic variants that may be useful in predicting
      cardiometabolic side effects in SGA-treated children. 

PMID- 26107756
TI  - Corneal Transplants-the Sooner the Better?

PMID- 26107757
TI  - A Prospective Study of Pterygium Excision and Conjunctival Autograft With Human
      Fibrin Tissue Adhesive: Effects on Vision, Refraction, and Corneal Topography.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate changes in visual acuity, corneal
      parameters, and topographic parameters after pterygium surgery. DESIGN: A
      prospective observational study was conducted. METHODS: Twenty eyes of 20
      participants undergoing pterygium excision with conjunctival autograft secured
      using human fibrin tissue adhesive were included in the study. All the
      participants were assessed preoperatively and 1 and 3 months postoperatively. The
      parameters included subjective refraction, visual acuity, and pterygium size
      (pterygium horizontal corneal length [PHCL]) and corneal tomography by Pentacam
      rotating Scheimpflug tomographer (OCULUS Optikgerate GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany). The
      astigmatic changes were calculated using vector analysis. RESULTS: The mean age
      of participants was 49.3 +/- 12.1 years. Mean PHCL was 2.68 +/- 0.30 mm. The mean
      best corrected visual acuity preoperatively was 6/7.5, improving significantly to
      6/6 at 1 month (P = 0.001) with this improvement remaining stable at 3 months
      postoperatively (P = 0.34). There was no significant change in subjective
      astigmatism, however, mean topographic astigmatism decreased significantly at 1
      month (4.36 diopter, P < 0.01) and remained unchanged at 3 months (P < 0.01).
      Greater PHCL was associated with greater changes in corneal astigmatism.
      CONCLUSIONS: Significant improvements and early stabilization of visual acuity
      and topographic astigmatism confirm the optical benefits of pterygium excision.
      These data also suggest a significant advantage of performing pterygium before
      rather than simultaneously with or after cataract surgery by enabling the most
      accurate biometry.

PMID- 26107758
TI  - Endothelial Keratoplasty: A Review of Indications at a Tertiary Eye Care Centre
      in South India.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to review the indications for
      endothelial keratoplasty (EK) performed at a tertiary eye care center in South
      India between January 2007 and December 2011. DESIGN: This was a hospital-based,
      cross-sectional study. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the indications of EK
      surgeries between January 2007 and December 2011 was done using the Corneal
      Tissue Utilization Register available with the Ramayamma International Eye Bank,
      L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India. Additional data such as age, sex,
      and socioeconomic status of the transplant recipients were obtained from the
      Medical Records Department, L. V. Prasad Eye Institute. RESULTS: Data were
      available for 1048 EK surgeries performed on 978 patients. The number of EK
      surgeries increased from 40 in 2007 to 232 in 2011. The median age of the
      patients was 58 years (range, 5 months to 92 years) with a male-female ratio of
      1.5:1. The clinical indications for EK were pseudophakic corneal edema (47.9%),
      failed prior penetrating keratoplasty (20.0%), Fuchs endothelial corneal
      dystrophy (10.8%), aphakic corneal edema (6.0%), failed prior EK (4.3%),
      congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy (1.8%), Descemet membrane
      detachment/tear (1.6%), iridocorneal endothelial syndrome (1.4%), and corneal
      edema due to other reasons (6.2%). CONCLUSIONS: The most common indication for EK
      was pseudophakic corneal edema, followed by post-penetrating keratoplasty graft
      failure and Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy.

PMID- 26107759
TI  - The Association of Delayed Corneal Surface and Visual Recovery After Corneal
      Transplantation With Longer Donor Storage Time-A Prospective Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the influence of donor corneal storage time
      on endothelial cell count (ECC), corneal epithelial recovery, and visual
      rehabilitation after corneal transplantation in the first postoperative year.
      DESIGN: A collaborative prospective study involving a local eye bank and a
      tertiary ophthalmic unit was conducted. METHODS: Donor cornea buttons were stored
      in Optisol-GS (Chiron Ophthalmics Inc, Irvine, Calif) storage media for a maximum
      of 14 days before transplantation. Before corneal distribution, the eye bank
      collected information on death-to-harvesting time, death-to-surgery time, donor
      central corneal thickness, and donor ECC at various time points. Subjects who
      underwent penetrating keratoplasty and endothelial keratoplasty were recruited
      and monitored for 1 year. Postoperative epithelial healing, visual acuity, ECC,
      and hospital stay were evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty-one eyes of 31 patients
      completed the study. There was a significant positive correlation between donor
      storage time and epithelial healing (Spearman rho = 0.39, P = 0.031). Faster
      epithelial healing was significantly correlated with posttransplantation visual
      improvements at months 1, 3, and 6 and shorter hospital stay (Spearman rho =
      0.74, P < 0.001). Mean ECC loss was 23.8% at 12 months posttransplantation. There
      was no significant correlation between storage time and ECC loss preoperatively
      and posttransplantation. CONCLUSIONS: The duration of graft storage in Optisol-GS
      storage media up to 14 days had no significant effects on long-term visual acuity
      and ECC postoperatively. Shorter storage time had significant correlation with
      earlier epithelial healing and faster visual rehabilitation.

PMID- 26107760
TI  - 23-Gauge Pars Plana Vitrectomy Versus Scleral Buckling Versus Combined Pars Plana
      Vitrectomy-Scleral Buckling for Medium-Complexity Retinal Detachment Repair.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the anatomic and visual outcomes of 23-gauge pars plana
      vitrectomy (PPV), scleral buckling (SB), and combined 23-gauge PPV/SB in the
      treatment of primary medium-complexity rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD).
      DESIGN: A retrospective, consecutive case series. METHODS: A consecutive chart
      review of patients with medium-complexity RRD treated with PPV, SB, and combined
      PPV/SB was conducted. The primary outcome measure was retinal reattachment at 6
      months' follow-up. The secondary outcome measure was Snellen best-corrected
      visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/40 or better at 6 months' follow-up. RESULTS: Five
      hundred sixty-five cases met inclusion criteria. The overall primary anatomic
      success rate was 83.6% (95% confidence interval, 80.3%-86.5%). Logistic
      regression analysis did not demonstrate a significant difference between the 3
      techniques in terms of likelihood of anatomic success or likelihood of achieving
      a Snellen BCVA of 20/40 or better. Patients with multiple breaks in 2 or more
      quadrants or inferior breaks were more likely to undergo SB/PPV, whereas patients
      with phakic lens status with breaks confined to 1 quadrant were more likely to
      undergo SB. Patients with macula-off detachments and those with postoperative
      proliferative vitreoretinopathy were less likely to achieve a Snellen BCVA of
      20/40 or better. CONCLUSIONS: Although there was not a statistically significant
      difference in the anatomic and visual outcomes between the repair techniques
      analyzed, SB/PPV was performed on the more complicated spectrum of medium
      complexity RRDs with the overall highest anatomic success rate and therefore may
      be the most effective repair technique for this patient population.

PMID- 26107761
TI  - Treatment Paradigm After Uncomplicated Cataract Surgery: A Prospective
      Evaluation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare 3 clinical variables, namely, visual recovery, anterior
      chamber inflammation, and macular edema, between 2 different regimens after
      uncomplicated cataract surgery. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, single-blind
      study at a single center, private, teaching practice in Las Vegas, NV. METHODS:
      Patients randomized to group I (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, n = 113)
      received besifloxacin ophthalmic suspension 0.6% and bromfenac 0.09%, whereas
      those randomized to group II (steroid, n = 109) received besifloxacin ophthalmic
      suspension 0.6% and prednisolone acetate 1%.Preoperative evaluation included a
      baseline macular optical coherence tomography. Postoperative data collected
      included visual acuity, direct visual anterior segment cell and flare counts, and
      macular optical coherence tomographies. Foveal thickness and total macular volume
      were used to assess the presence of cystoid macular edema. RESULTS: Visual
      recovery was statistically insignificant with P values at 0.7, 0.10, 0.2, and 0.7
      at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 2 months, respectively.The degree of anterior
      segment inflammation was not statistically significant (P = 0.8) between the
      studied populations.The foveal thickness (1 week, P = 0.8; 1 month, P = 0.2; 2
      months, P = 0.2) and total macular volume (1 week, P = 0.7; 1 month, P = 0.1; 2
      months, P = 0.2) were not statistically significant between the groups, and the
      observed power were 0.902 and 0.666, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      demonstrated that bromfenac was equally efficacious when compared with a potent
      topical steroid in restoring visual function, decreasing and resolving anterior
      chamber inflammation, and preventing the development of macular edema.

PMID- 26107762
TI  - Prognostic Value of Ocular Trauma Score in Evaluating Visual Outcome of Pediatric
      (4-16 Years) Open Globe Injuries.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of ocular trauma score
      (OTS) in pediatric open globe injury. DESIGN: A prospective observational study
      was conducted. METHODS: A total of 210 patients aged 4 to 16 years (mean +/- SD
      age, 9.30 +/- 3.29 years) with open globe injury were recruited by nonrandomized
      purposive sampling based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Ocular trauma
      score variables, including visual acuity (VA), rupture, endophthalmitis,
      perforating injury, retinal detachment, and afferent pupillary defect, were
      determined and converted into OTS categories. The final VA in each category was
      compared with the prognostic outcome. RESULTS: Patients were categorized into 5
      groups according to the OTS model, with 30 (14.28%) patients in category 1, 52
      (24.77%) patients in category 2, 40 (19.05%) patients in category 3, 40 (19.05%)
      patients in category 4, and 48 (22.86%) patients in category 5.Forty-three
      (20.48%) patients had a final VA of 20/40 or greater, all of whom were in
      category 5. No patients in category 1 could achieve a VA of 20/40 or greater. Of
      the 35 (16.67%) patients who had no perception of light in follow-up visits, 28
      were from category 1 and 7 were from category 2. CONCLUSIONS: Ocular trauma score
      has good prognostic significance if other interventions such as proper
      evaluation, early surgery, and proper follow-up can be ensured.

PMID- 26107763
TI  - Understanding the Neuro-ophthalmology of Head Trauma: A Review of the Current
      Literature.
AB  - Head trauma is a major medical, social, economic, national, and public health
      priority issue in the United States. In severe head trauma, the overwhelming
      clinical manifestations are so compelling that damage to the visual system is
      most likely to be ignored. Both the afferent and efferent visual systems are
      susceptible to injury after head trauma, and physicians should be aware of the
      visual system and perform a thorough neuro-ophthalmic evaluation in patients
      presenting with head trauma.Most of the data available on neuro-ophthalmic
      complications of head trauma including cortical blindness, Horner's syndrome,
      traumatic internuclear ophthalmoplegia, and ocular motor palsy, comes from case
      reports highlighting the need for future studies to better understand these
      complications.This review summarizes some of the most important neuro-ophthalmic
      complications of head trauma including cortical blindness, Horner's syndrome,
      traumatic internuclear ophthalmoplegia, and ocular motor palsy. Search of the
      peer-reviewed literature was conducted using MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing
      and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Library, Global Health, and MD Consult. 

PMID- 26107764
TI  - Posterior Capsule Opacification After Phacoemulsification: Annual Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to provide a clinical update on posterior
      capsule opacification (PCO) after phacoemulsification by reviewing the literature
      from the last 12 months. DESIGN: This article is a literature review. METHODS:
      The authors conducted a 1-year literature search in the English language on PCO
      using PubMed. The period used to conduct the literature search was from January
      1, 2013, to January 1, 2014. The following search terms were used during the
      PubMed search: phacoemulsification, microcoaxial incision, posterior capsule
      opacification, long-term evaluation of intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, IOL
      edge design and material, surgical technique, anterior capsule overlap on the IOL
      optic, diabetes mellitus, myopia, pseudoexfoliation, retinitis pigmentosa,
      uveitis, and neodymium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser capsulotomy. RESULTS: This
      review incorporates original articles that provided fresh insights and updates on
      PCO. Particular attention was paid to observational, randomized, controlled
      clinical trials, as well as analyses of larger cohorts with a prospective and
      retrospective study design. Letters to the editor, unpublished works,
      experimental trials and abstracts were not considered. CONCLUSIONS: This annual
      review provides a brief update on PCO that might be of interest to the practicing
      clinical ophthalmologist.

PMID- 26107765
TI  - Update on Ophthalmic Oncology 2013: Retinoblastoma and Uveal Melanoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to discuss the clinical and translational
      content of the literature as well as advancement in our knowledge pertaining to
      retinoblastoma and uveal melanoma that were published from January to December
      2013. DESIGN: This study is a literature review. METHODS: The search terms
      retinoblastoma and uveal melanoma were used in a MEDLINE literature search.
      Abstracts were studied, and the most relevant articles were selected for
      inclusion and further in-depth review. RESULTS: In retinoblastoma, fewer eyes are
      lost because of the expanded use of ophthalmic artery chemosurgery and
      intravitreal melphalan, and the past year marks a deepening in our understanding
      of these modalities. Knowledge on the genetic underpinnings of uveal melanoma has
      broadened to include genes associated with a favorable prognosis. This is
      accompanied by promising results in the treatment of metastatic uveal melanoma.
      CONCLUSIONS: This past year, there were important advancements in our knowledge
      of retinoblastoma and uveal melanoma.

PMID- 26107766
TI  - Virtual Screening of Natural and Synthetic Ligands Against Diabetic Retinopathy
      by Molecular Interaction With Angiopoietin-2.
AB  - PURPOSE: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common diabetic eye disease and a
      leading cause of blindness. The role of angiopoietin-2 a tyrosine kinase receptor
      is well-reported in angiogenesis during the onset of the disease. The purpose of
      this study is to screen out more potential herbal molecules which can evidently
      be used as a better, natural and safe herbal drug against this disease. DESIGN:
      In silico virtual screening and molecular interaction studies were performed.
      METHODS: The current course of work focused on molecular interactions on
      angiopoietin-2 protein with selected natural ligands, namely allicin, ajoene, D
      pinitol and salacinol, along with synthetic ones like nateglinide, biguanide,
      tolbutamide and tolazamide. There was an attempt to carry out the virtual
      comparative study between natural and synthetic ligands. Proceeding toward this
      approach, docking of all molecules was performed using the Autodock 4.2 program.
      RESULTS: Inference of this interaction study is that D-pinitol, which is the
      herbal extract of Glycine max, shows a very reliable docking pattern as compared
      with the synthetic ligand tolazamide. Although the binding energy of a synthetic
      ligand is lower compared to that of the natural ones, the binding energy of
      synthetic and natural ligands are at an approximate level. The lower the binding
      energy, the better the ligand molecular interaction. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      suggest that D-pinitol, the natural, safe ligand, can be used in the treatment of
      diabetic retinopathy with few or no side effects after estimating and calculating
      proper doses using in vitro approaches.

PMID- 26107767
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding Patients' Short-term Satisfaction With Cataract
      Surgery and Long-term Sustainability of Improved Visual-Related Quality of Life
      Over 3 Postoperative Years'.

PMID- 26107768
TI  - AUTHORS' REPLY to the Letter to the Editor Regarding "Patients' Short-term
      Satisfaction With Cataract Surgery and Long-term Sustainability of Improved
      Visual-Related Quality of Life Over 3 Postoperative Years".

PMID- 26107769
TI  - Preclinical Potency and Biodistribution Studies of an AAV 5 Vector Expressing
      Human Interferon-beta (ART-I02) for Local Treatment of Patients with Rheumatoid
      Arthritis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Proof of concept for local gene therapy for the treatment of
      arthritis with immunomodulatory cytokine interferon beta (IFN-beta) has shown
      promising results in animal models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). For the
      treatment of RA patients, we engineered a recombinant adeno-associated serotype 5
      vector (rAAV5) encoding human (h)IFN-beta under control of a nuclear factor
      kappaB promoter (ART-I02). METHODS: The potency of ART-I02 in vitro as well as
      biodistribution in vivo in arthritic animals was evaluated to characterize the
      vector prior to clinical application. ART-I02 expression and bioactivity after
      transduction was evaluated in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from different
      species. Biodistribution of the vector after local injection was assessed in a
      rat adjuvant arthritis model through qPCR analysis of vector DNA. In vivo imaging
      was used to investigate transgene expression and kinetics in a mouse collagen
      induced arthritis model. RESULTS: Transduction of RA FLS in vitro with ART-I02
      resulted in high expression levels of bioactive hIFN-beta. Transduction of FLS
      from rhesus monkeys, rodents and rabbits with ART-I02 showed high transgene
      expression, and hIFN-beta proved bioactive in FLS from rhesus monkeys. Transgene
      expression and bioactivity in RA FLS were unaltered in the presence of
      methotrexate. In vivo, vector biodistribution analysis in rats after intra
      articular injection of ART-I02 demonstrated that the majority of vector DNA
      remained in the joint (>93%). In vivo imaging in mice confirmed local expression
      of rAAV5 in the knee joint region and demonstrated rapid detectable and sustained
      expression up until 7 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that hIFN-beta produced
      by RA FLS transduced with ART-I02 is bioactive and that intra-articular delivery
      of rAAV5 drives expression of a therapeutic transgene in the joint, with only
      limited biodistribution of vector DNA to other tissues, supporting progress
      towards a phase 1 clinical trial for the local treatment of arthritis in patients
      with RA.

PMID- 26107770
TI  - Design and feasibility of "PREMATurity as predictor of children's Cardiovascular
      renal Health" (PREMATCH): A pilot study.
AB  - The microvasculature and macrovasculature undergo extensive, organ-specific
      perinatal maturation. Multiple studies show associations between low birth weight
      and subsequent cardiovascular dysfunction in adulthood, suggesting that extreme
      preterm birth interferes with this maturation process. Therefore, we designed
      PREMATCH (PREMATurity as predictor of Cardiovascular-renal Health) to phenotype
      the microcirculation and macrocirculation during childhood in former preterm
      infants. A well-characterized cohort of former extreme preterm birth survivors
      and gender- and age-matched controls (aged 8-13 years) will be investigated for
      microvascular and macrovascular structure and function. In addition to cognitive
      performance and anthropometrics, we will investigate (i) the microvascular
      structure and function by endothelial function (photoplethysmography), sublingual
      capillary glycocalyx function (sidestream dark field imaging) and retinal
      structure (diameters of arterioles and venules); and (ii) the macrovascular
      phenotype by cardiac and renal ultrasound, repeated blood pressure measurements
      and arterial pulse-wave recordings. The PREMATCH study is unique in its design,
      and ongoing recruitment demonstrates excellent feasibility. The expectation is
      that the results of this study will identify risk factors during childhood for
      subsequent cardiovascular-renal disease in the adult life of former preterm
      infants, while further analysis on mediators in neonatal life of this
      cardiovascular-renal outcome may provide new information on perinatal risk
      factors. 

PMID- 26107773
TI  - Struggling to be part of Swedish society: Strategies used by immigrants with late
      effects of polio.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore and describe strategies in daily occupations among
      immigrants with late effects of polio. METHOD: The strategies were explored by
      interviews with 12 immigrants from Eastern Africa with late effects of polio.
      Sampling and data analysis was carried out according to grounded theory. RESULTS:
      The participants struggled for occupational participation and normality in an
      effort to participate in, and be part of, society. The study identified 14
      strategies used by the immigrants in their daily occupations. The strategies can
      be presented in the following four categories: managing physical capacity;
      promoting occupational performance; strategies for gaining respect; and preparing
      the ground for one's existence. The participants struggled to find a balance
      between physical capacity and meaningful occupations, conception of their own and
      others' norms and values, and living conditions in Swedish society. The
      strategies were related to the participants' will to manage daily occupations,
      maintain social relationships, and be part of society. CONCLUSIONS: The
      strategies revealed that the participants strive to participate in occupations
      and society. This study reinforces the importance of occupation for immigrants
      with disability. The results highlight the need for adequate health care and
      rehabilitation but should also alert other social institutions.

PMID- 26107772
TI  - Changing Malaria Prevalence on the Kenyan Coast since 1974: Climate, Drugs and
      Vector Control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Progress toward reducing the malaria burden in Africa has been
      measured, or modeled, using datasets with relatively short time-windows. These
      restricted temporal analyses may miss the wider context of longer-term cycles of
      malaria risk and hence may lead to incorrect inferences regarding the impact of
      intervention. METHODS: 1147 age-corrected Plasmodium falciparum parasite
      prevalence (PfPR2-10) surveys among rural communities along the Kenyan coast were
      assembled from 1974 to 2014. A Bayesian conditional autoregressive generalized
      linear mixed model was used to interpolate to 279 small areas for each of the 41
      years since 1974. Best-fit polynomial splined curves of changing PfPR2-10 were
      compared to a sequence of plausible explanatory variables related to rainfall,
      drug resistance and insecticide-treated bed net (ITN) use. RESULTS: P. falciparum
      parasite prevalence initially rose from 1974 to 1987, dipped in 1991-92 but
      remained high until 1998. From 1998 onwards prevalence began to decline until
      2011, then began to rise through to 2014. This major decline occurred before ITNs
      were widely distributed and variation in rainfall coincided with some, but not
      all, short-term transmission cycles. Emerging resistance to chloroquine and
      introduction of sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine provided plausible explanations for the
      rise and fall of malaria transmission along the Kenyan coast. CONCLUSIONS:
      Progress towards elimination might not be as predictable as we would like, where
      natural and extrinsic cycles of transmission confound evaluations of the effect
      of interventions. Deciding where a country lies on an elimination pathway
      requires careful empiric observation of the long-term epidemiology of malaria
      transmission.

PMID- 26107774
TI  - An efficient ratiometric fluorescent probe for tracking dynamic changes in
      lysosomal pH.
AB  - Lysosomes are acidic organelles (approximately pH 4.5-5.5) and tracking the
      changes in lysosomal pH is of great biological importance. To address this issue,
      quite a few of fluorescent probes have been developed. However, few of these
      probes can realize the tracking of dynamic changes in lysosomal pH. Herein, we
      report a new lysosome-targeted ratiometric fluorescent probe (FR-Lys) by
      hybridizing morpholine with a xanthane derivative and an o-hydroxy benzoxazole
      group. In this probe, the morpholine group serves as a targeting unit for
      lysosome, the xanthane derivative exhibits a pH-modulated open/close reaction of
      the spirocycle, while the o-hydroxy benzoxazole moiety shows a pH modulated
      excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process. Such a design
      affords the probe a ratiometric fluorescence response towards pH with pH values
      ranging from 4.0 to 6.3. The response of the probe to pH was fast and reversible
      with high selectivity. Moreover, this probe possesses further advantages such as
      easy synthesis, high photostability and low cytotoxicity. These features are
      favorable for tracking dynamic pH changes in biosystems. It was then applied for
      dynamic imaging pH changes in lysosomes with satisfactory results.

PMID- 26107771
TI  - HIV Epidemic in Asia: Implications for HIV Vaccine and Other Prevention Trials.
AB  - An overall decrease of HIV prevalence is now observed in several key Asian
      countries due to effective prevention programs. The decrease in HIV prevalence
      and incidence may further improve with the scale-up of combination prevention
      interventions. The implementation of future prevention trials then faces
      important challenges. The opportunity to identify heterosexual populations at
      high risk such as female sex workers may rapidly wane. With unabating HIV
      epidemics among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender (TG) populations,
      an effective vaccine would likely be the only option to turn the epidemic. It is
      more likely that efficacy trials will occur among MSM and TG because their higher
      HIV incidence permits smaller and less costly trials. The constantly evolving
      patterns of HIV-1 diversity in the region suggest close monitoring of the
      molecular HIV epidemic in potential target populations for HIV vaccine efficacy
      trials. CRF01_AE remains predominant in southeast Asian countries and MSM
      populations in China. This relatively steady pattern is conducive to regional
      efficacy trials, and as efficacy warrants, to regional licensure. While vaccines
      inducing nonneutralizing antibodies have promise against HIV acquisition,
      vaccines designed to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies and cell-mediated
      immune responses of greater breadth and depth in the mucosal compartments should
      be considered for testing in MSM and TG. The rationale and design of efficacy
      trials of combination prevention modalities such as HIV vaccine and preexposure
      prophylaxis (PrEP) remain hypothetical, require high adherence to PrEP, are more
      costly, and present new regulatory challenges. The prioritization of prevention
      interventions should be driven by the HIV epidemic and decided by the country
      specific health and regulatory authorities. Modeling the impact and cost-benefit
      may help this decision process. 

PMID- 26107775
TI  - Genome Calligrapher: A Web Tool for Refactoring Bacterial Genome Sequences for de
      Novo DNA Synthesis.
AB  - Recent advances in synthetic biology have resulted in an increasing demand for
      the de novo synthesis of large-scale DNA constructs. Any process improvement that
      enables fast and cost-effective streamlining of digitized genetic information
      into fabricable DNA sequences holds great promise to study, mine, and engineer
      genomes. Here, we present Genome Calligrapher, a computer-aided design web tool
      intended for whole genome refactoring of bacterial chromosomes for de novo DNA
      synthesis. By applying a neutral recoding algorithm, Genome Calligrapher
      optimizes GC content and removes obstructive DNA features known to interfere with
      the synthesis of double-stranded DNA and the higher order assembly into large DNA
      constructs. Subsequent bioinformatics analysis revealed that synthesis
      constraints are prevalent among bacterial genomes. However, a low level of codon
      replacement is sufficient for refactoring bacterial genomes into easy-to
      synthesize DNA sequences. To test the algorithm, 168 kb of synthetic DNA
      comprising approximately 20 percent of the synthetic essential genome of the cell
      cycle bacterium Caulobacter crescentus was streamlined and then ordered from a
      commercial supplier of low-cost de novo DNA synthesis. The successful assembly
      into eight 20 kb segments indicates that Genome Calligrapher algorithm can be
      efficiently used to refactor difficult-to-synthesize DNA. Genome Calligrapher is
      broadly applicable to recode biosynthetic pathways, DNA sequences, and whole
      bacterial genomes, thus offering new opportunities to use synthetic biology tools
      to explore the functionality of microbial diversity. The Genome Calligrapher web
      tool can be accessed at https://christenlab.ethz.ch/GenomeCalligrapher  . 

PMID- 26107779
TI  - Variation in the X-linked EFHC2 gene is associated with social cognitive
      abilities in males.
AB  - Females outperform males on many social cognitive tasks. X-linked genes may
      contribute to this sex difference. Males possess one X chromosome, while females
      possess two X chromosomes. Functional variations in X-linked genes are therefore
      likely to impact more on males than females. Previous studies of X-monosomic
      women with Turner syndrome suggest a genetic association with facial fear
      recognition abilities at Xp11.3, specifically at a single nucleotide polymorphism
      (SNP rs7055196) within the EFHC2 gene. Based on a strong hypothesis, we
      investigated an association between variation at SNP rs7055196 and facial fear
      recognition and theory of mind abilities in males. As predicted, males possessing
      the G allele had significantly poorer facial fear detection accuracy and theory
      of mind abilities than males possessing the A allele (with SNP variant accounting
      for up to 4.6% of variance). Variation in the X-linked EFHC2 gene at SNP
      rs7055196 is therefore associated with social cognitive abilities in males. 

PMID- 26107780
TI  - Testosterone supplementation in men: a practical guide for the gynecologist and
      obstetrician.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Prescribing habits for the treatment of symptomatic
      hypogonadism have recently stirred controversy surrounding testosterone
      replacement therapy. As a result, the gynecologist will need to recognize this
      iatrogenic form of decreased sperm production in couples seeking fertility
      advice. We have compiled a review of the current literature on testosterone
      supplementation pertaining to the gynecologic practice. RECENT FINDINGS: Over the
      last decade, testosterone use has seen a recent increase including in men
      desiring to become fathers. Many physicians and hypogonadal men do not recognize
      that testosterone replacement therapy can have a detrimental effect on
      spermatogenesis. Fortunately, the cessation of treatment will yield predictable
      recovery of sperm production for most men. A growing body of evidence supports
      the use of selective estrogen receptor modulators, such as clomiphene citrate, or
      human chorionic gonadotropin for the treatment of hypogonadism in men who wish to
      maintain fertility potential. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration has
      recommended a labeling update on testosterone products to warn of possible
      increased risk of venous thromboembolism, cardiovascular events and stroke.
      SUMMARY: Clinicians should be familiar with current practices involving
      testosterone replacement therapy and the implications on male factor fertility.

PMID- 26107782
TI  - Latest developments and techniques in gynaecological oncology surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To highlight the advances and the data published in the field
      of gynaecological oncology surgery in the last few years. The review includes not
      only newly introduced surgical techniques but also data that consolidate recent
      developments. RECENT FINDINGS: Ultimate data on the use of laparoscopy in the
      treatment of gynaecologic malignancies have proven similar survival outcomes to
      the traditional surgical route and confirmed the benefits in terms of faster
      recovery and lower morbidity. Thanks to a faster learning curve, the use of
      robotic surgery has contributed to the increase in the number of surgeons who
      moved away from open surgery. A few pioneers are expanding the indications of
      laparoscopy to exenterative surgery and treatment of ovarian cancer. SUMMARY:
      Laparoscopic surgery has become the gold standard treatment for patients with
      primary endometrial or cervical cancer. The advent of robotic surgery has
      reinforced the domain of endoscopic surgery.

PMID- 26107783
TI  - The role of three-dimensional high-definition laparoscopic surgery for
      gynaecology.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article reviews the potential benefits and disadvantages
      of new three-dimensional (3D) high-definition laparoscopic surgery for
      gynaecology. RECENT FINDINGS: With the new-generation 3D high-definition
      laparoscopic vision systems (LVSs), operation time and learning period are
      reduced and procedural error margin is decreased. New-generation 3D high
      definition LVSs enable to reduce operation time both for novice and experienced
      surgeons. Headache, eye fatigue or nausea reported with first-generation systems
      are not different than two-dimensional (2D) LVSs. The system's being more
      expensive, having the obligation to wear glasses, big and heavy camera probe in
      some of the devices are accounted for negative aspects of the system that need to
      be improved. SUMMARY: Depth loss in tissues in 2D LVSs and associated adverse
      events can be eliminated with 3D high-definition LVSs. By virtue of faster
      learning curve, shorter operation time, reduced error margin and lack of side
      effects reported by surgeons with first-generation systems, 3D LVSs seem to be a
      strong competition to classical laparoscopic imaging systems. Thanks to
      technological advancements, using lighter and smaller cameras and monitors
      without glasses is in the near future.

PMID- 26107781
TI  - Endocrinology of uterine fibroids: steroid hormones, stem cells, and genetic
      contribution.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Uterine fibroids are extremely common, and can cause
      significant morbidity, yet the exact cause of these tumors remains elusive and
      there are currently no long-term treatments available. In this review, we aim to
      provide an overview of steroid hormones, genetic abnormalities, and stem cells in
      the pathogenesis of uterine fibroids. RECENT FINDINGS: A universal feature of
      fibroids is responsiveness to estrogen and progesterone, and most of the
      currently available therapies exploit this characteristic. Ulipristal acetate has
      recently shown particular promise for providing long-term relief from uterine
      fibroids. Additionally, fibroid stem cells were isolated and appear to be
      necessary for growth. The recent discovery of somatic mutations involving
      mediator subunit complex 12 (MED12) or high-mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) in
      the majority of fibroids and the links to their pathophysiology were also
      significant advances. SUMMARY: The recent shift in focus from hormones to fibroid
      stem cells and genetic aberrations should lead not only to a deeper understanding
      of the specific cause of fibroids, but also to the discovery of new therapeutic
      targets. Targeting the products of genetic mutations or fibroid stem cells has
      the potential to achieve both better control of current tumors and the prevention
      of new fibroids.

PMID- 26107784
TI  - Reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellowships: is the 'reproductive
      endocrinology' portion obsolete?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To take inventory of the past and present and project the
      future direction of our field to help train the next generation of providers.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Review the history of the subspecialty and factors contributing
      to its evolution. SUMMARY: Reproductive endocrinology and infertility's in-vitro
      fertilization future is shaping the intellectual priorities and surgical skill
      requirements of the next generation.

PMID- 26107785
TI  - The dangers of junk science in obstetrics and gynecology: lessons from the power
      morcellation controversy.

PMID- 26107786
TI  - Metabolic precursors in astrophysical ice analogs: implications for meteorites
      and comets.
AB  - We report the synthesis of complex organic compounds including nicotinic and
      quinolinic acid, two members involved in the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
      (NAD) biosynthetic pathway, in irradiated astrophysical ice analogs. If delivered
      to Earth by meteorites and comets, these compounds may have contributed to the
      origin and early evolution of life. 

PMID- 26107788
TI  - An evidence-based review of commonly used dietary supplements.
AB  - Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasing in the United
      States. Physician assistants need to know about the efficacy of CAM therapies if
      they practice integrative medicine (which combines CAM and traditional
      therapies), recommend a CAM therapy occasionally as part of their treatment plan,
      refer patients to CAM providers, or have patients who self-select CAM therapies.
      This article describes integrative medicine and reviews the most commonly used
      dietary supplements. 

PMID- 26107789
TI  - Haiti.

PMID- 26107790
TI  - A man with pruritic eruptions.

PMID- 26107791
TI  - What new therapeutic options exist for the relief of menopausal symptoms?
AB  - Two new products recently approved for the treatment of menopausal symptoms
      contain estrogen receptor agonists/antagonists, which have varying effects on
      bone, breast, endometrial, and vaginal tissues. Ospemifene improves symptoms of
      dyspareunia associated with vulvovaginal atrophy. Bazedoxifene combined with
      conjugated estrogens improves vasomotor symptoms and bone mineral density in
      postmenopausal women. Clinicians must consider the increased risk for venous and
      arterial thromboembolic disease posed by these drugs. Clinical trials are ongoing
      to fully evaluate the drugs' efficacy and safety compared with traditional
      estrogen-based regimens. 

PMID- 26107792
TI  - A framework for physician assistant intervention for overweight and obesity.
AB  - Overweight and obesity compose a chronic disease process of epidemic proportions
      that presents on a continuum, likely affecting nearly two out of every three
      patients treated by physician assistants (PAs). However, meaningful and
      actionable definitions, including but not limited to anthropometric and clinical
      descriptors, are needed. The effective treatment of overweight and obesity
      requires an efficient and timely process of screening, diagnosis, evaluation of
      complications, staging, and clear algorithmic management. PAs are trained as
      primary care providers and can diagnose and treat overweight and obese patients
      regardless of practice setting and across the spectrum of the disease and
      patient's age. 

PMID- 26107793
TI  - Managing nonteratogenic adverse reactions to isotretinoin treatment for acne
      vulgaris.
AB  - Isotretinoin is the strongest, most effective oral treatment for patients with
      severe acne vulgaris, with remission rates of 89% and higher. Because of its
      potency, isotretinoin causes many adverse reactions. This article reviews common
      and severe adverse reactions to isotretinoin and how providers can best manage
      these reactions. Because of inconclusive research on the correlation between
      isotretinoin and depression and irritable bowel syndrome, providers should ask
      patients about symptoms monthly. Prescribing micronized isotretinoin and starting
      at the lowest dose with gradual upward titration also can help reduce the
      incidence of adverse reactions. 

PMID- 26107794
TI  - Alert fatigue in electronic health records.
AB  - Electronic health records (EHRs) are changing the practice of medicine. EHRs
      offer potential benefits but also potential problems and threats to patient
      safety, especially in the area of electronic prescribing. 

PMID- 26107795
TI  - International medical graduates as physician assistants.
AB  - This study describes the MEDEX physician assistant (PA) program's experience with
      screening, educating, and graduating PA students who were international medical
      graduates (IMGs). METHODS: The study reviewed IMG-PA demographics including
      country of origin; prior primary care practice; and current practice location,
      specialty, and medically underserved designation. Descriptive statistics and chi
      square analysis or Fisher exact test summarize outcomes. RESULTS: Thirty-nine IMG
      PAs were graduated from 1991 through 2013. IMGs came from central and eastern
      Europe (48.7%), Asia (33.3%), and other regions. Most (69.2%) are women. Almost
      all (91.7%) practice in urban settings, 55.6% are in primary care, and 30.6% work
      in medically underserved areas. IMG-PAs in primary care were more likely to
      practice in underserved areas (P=0.009). CONCLUSION: MEDEX has graduated IMG-PAs
      who possess appropriate clinical and professional PA skills.

PMID- 26107796
TI  - Multiple myeloma.

PMID- 26107797
TI  - A case of dental pain.

PMID- 26107798
TI  - Understanding Middle East respiratory syndrome.
AB  - Middle East respiratory syndrome is an infection caused by a novel coronavirus.
      The primary source of the virus is infected camels in several countries in the
      Arabian peninsula. The infection is acquired by coming into contact with infected
      animals, animal products, or with patients who have the syndrome. Mortality for
      this syndrome is 30% to 40%, and treatment is supportive because no antiviral
      therapy exists. 

PMID- 26107799
TI  - New medications for treatment of chronic hepatitis C.
AB  - Treating chronic hepatitis C is crucial to preventing long-term complications
      such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. New treatments may improve response rates,
      but the high cost of therapy is a major concern. This article reviews two of
      these new treatments, sofosbuvir and simeprevir. 

PMID- 26107801
TI  - A puzzling case of arm paresthesias.

PMID- 26107802
TI  - Breathing space.

PMID- 26107803
TI  - Chemical Stability of Titania and Alumina Thin Films Formed by Atomic Layer
      Deposition.
AB  - Thin films formed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) are being examined for a
      variety of chemical protection and diffusion barrier applications, yet their
      stability in various fluid environments is not well characterized. The chemical
      stability of titania and alumina thin films in air, 18 MOmega water, 1 M KCl, 1 M
      HNO3, 1 M H2SO4, 1 M HCl, 1 M KOH, and mercury was studied. Films were deposited
      at 150  degrees C using trimethylaluminum-H2O and tetrakis(dimethylamido)titanium
      H2O chemistries for alumina and titania, respectively. A subset of samples were
      heated to 450 and 900  degrees C in inert atmosphere. Films were examined using
      spectroscopic ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy, scanning
      electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Notably, alumina samples were found
      to be unstable in pure water, acid, and basic environments in the as-synthesized
      state and after 450  degrees C thermal treatment. In pure water, a dissolution
      precipitation mechanism is hypothesized to cause surface roughening. The
      stability of alumina films was greatly enhanced after annealing at 900  degrees C
      in acidic and basic solutions. Titania films were found to be stable in acid
      after annealing at or above 450  degrees C. All films showed a composition
      independent increase in measured thickness when immersed in mercury. These
      results provide stability-processing relationships that are important for
      controlled etching and protective barrier layers. 

PMID- 26107804
TI  - Selective sensing of pyrophosphate in physiological media using
      zinc(II)dipicolylamino-functionalised peptides.
AB  - A series of linear peptide based anion receptors, in which the distance between
      the bis[zinc(II)dipicolylamine] binding sites and the peptide backbone was varied
      systematically, was prepared and their anion binding ability was investigated
      using indicator displacement assays. Shortening the distance between the binding
      site and the peptide backbone was found to enhance both the receptor affinity and
      selectivity for pyrophosphate over other organic polyphosphate anions in Krebs
      buffer with the maximum selectivity and affinity observed with a spacer length of
      two methylene units. The suitability of these receptors for the determination of
      pyrophosphate concentrations in Krebs buffer and in artificial urine was
      examined.

PMID- 26107805
TI  - Daily life with depressive symptoms: Gender differences in adolescents' everyday
      emotional experiences.
AB  - Depression is a prevalent and debilitating illness facing many adolescents,
      especially adolescent girls, whose risk for this disorder is approximately twice
      that of boys. Many studies have identified mechanisms that place girls at higher
      risk for depression during adolescence. Few, however, have examined differences
      in the everyday emotional experiences of boys and girls with varying levels of
      depressive symptoms. Using the Experience Sampling Method, this study
      investigated the roles of gender and depressive symptomatology in the emotional
      experiences of a community sample of youth (11-18 year-olds) from the Sloan 500
      Family Study. Females with higher levels of depressive symptoms were more likely
      than females with fewer depressive symptoms and all males to experience strong
      negative emotions and to attribute the cause of these emotions to other people.
      These results suggest that emotional reactivity in interpersonal contexts is
      especially important to understand gender differences in the daily experience of
      depressive symptoms. 

PMID- 26107806
TI  - Dielectric Scattering Patterns for Efficient Light Trapping in Thin-Film Solar
      Cells.
AB  - We demonstrate an effective light trapping geometry for thin-film solar cells
      that is composed of dielectric light scattering nanocavities at the interface
      between the metal back contact and the semiconductor absorber layer. The geometry
      is based on resonant Mie scattering. It avoids the Ohmic losses found in metallic
      (plasmonic) nanopatterns, and the dielectric scatterers are well compatible with
      nearly all types of thin-film solar cells, including cells produced using high
      temperature processes. The external quantum efficiency of thin-film a-Si:H solar
      cells grown on top of a nanopatterned Al-doped ZnO, made using soft imprint
      lithography, is strongly enhanced in the 550-800 nm spectral band by the
      dielectric nanoscatterers. Numerical simulations are in good agreement with
      experimental data and show that resonant light scattering from both the AZO
      nanostructures and the embedded Si nanostructures are important. The results are
      generic and can be applied on nearly all thin-film solar cells. 

PMID- 26107807
TI  - Hypoxic niche-mediated regeneration of hematopoiesis in the engraftment window is
      dominantly affected by oxygen tension in the milieu.
AB  - The bone marrow (BM) microenvironment or the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche
      is normally hypoxic, which maintains HSC quiescence. Paradoxically, transplanted
      HSCs rapidly proliferate in this niche. Pretransplant myelosuppression results in
      a substantial rise in oxygen levels in the marrow microenvironment due to reduced
      cellularity and consequent low oxygen consumption. Therefore, it may be construed
      that the rapid proliferation of the engrafted HSCs in the BM niche is facilitated
      by the transiently elevated oxygen tension in this milieu during the "engraftment
      window." To determine whether oxygen tension dominantly affects the regeneration
      of hematopoiesis in the BM niche, we created an "oxygen-independent hypoxic
      niche" by treating BM-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) with a hypoxia
      mimetic compound, cobalt chloride (CoCl2) and cocultured them with BM-derived HSC
      enriched cells under normoxic conditions (HSCs; CoCl2-cocultures). Cocultures
      with untreated BMSCs incubated under normoxia (control- cocultures) or hypoxia
      (1% O2; hypoxic-cocultures) were used as comparators. Biochemical analyses showed
      that though, both CoCl2 and hypoxia evoked comparable signals in the BMSCs, the
      regeneration of hematopoiesis in their respective cocultures was radically
      different. The CoCl2-BMSCs supported robust hematopoiesis, while the hypoxic
      BMSCs exerted strong inhibition. The hematopoiesis-supportive ability of CoCl2
      BMSCs was abrogated if the CoCl2-cocultures were incubated under hypoxia,
      demonstrating that the prevalent oxygen tension in the milieu dominantly affects
      the outcome of the HSC-BM niche interactions. Our data suggest that
      pharmacologically delaying the reestablishment of hypoxia in the BM may boost
      post-transplant regeneration of hematopoiesis. 

PMID- 26107809
TI  - Live Cell Imaging of Butterfly Pupal and Larval Wings In Vivo.
AB  - Butterfly wing color patterns are determined during the late larval and early
      pupal stages. Characterization of wing epithelial cells at these stages is thus
      critical to understand how wing structures, including color patterns, are
      determined. Previously, we successfully recorded real-time in vivo images of
      developing butterfly wings over time at the tissue level. In this study, we
      employed similar in vivo fluorescent imaging techniques to visualize developing
      wing epithelial cells in the late larval and early pupal stages 1 hour post
      pupation. Both larval and pupal epithelial cells were rich in mitochondria and
      intracellular networks of endoplasmic reticulum, suggesting high metabolic
      activities, likely in preparation for cellular division, polyploidization, and
      differentiation. Larval epithelial cells in the wing imaginal disk were
      relatively large horizontally and tightly packed, whereas pupal epithelial cells
      were smaller and relatively loosely packed. Furthermore, larval cells were flat,
      whereas pupal cells were vertically elongated as deep as 130 MUm. In pupal cells,
      many endosome-like or autophagosome-like structures were present in the cellular
      periphery down to approximately 10 MUm in depth, and extensive epidermal feet or
      filopodia-like processes were observed a few micrometers deep from the cellular
      surface. Cells were clustered or bundled from approximately 50 MUm in depth to
      deeper levels. From 60 MUm to 80 MUm in depth, horizontal connections between
      these clusters were observed. The prospective eyespot and marginal focus areas
      were resistant to fluorescent dyes, likely because of their non-flat cone-like
      structures with a relatively thick cuticle. These in vivo images provide
      important information with which to understand processes of epithelial cell
      differentiation and color pattern determination in butterfly wings. 

PMID- 26107810
TI  - Dissociable Behavioral, Physiological and Neural Effects of Acute Glucose and
      Fructose Ingestion: A Pilot Study.
AB  - Previous research has revealed that glucose and fructose ingestion differentially
      modulate release of satiation hormones. Recent studies have begun to elucidate
      brain-gut interactions with neuroimaging approaches such as magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI), but the neural mechanism underlying different behavioral and
      physiological effects of glucose and fructose are unclear. In this paper, we have
      used resting state functional MRI to explore whether acute glucose and fructose
      ingestion also induced dissociable effects in the neural system. Using a cross
      over, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, we compared resting state
      functional connectivity (rsFC) strengths within the basal ganglia/limbic network
      in 12 healthy lean males. Each subject was administered fructose, glucose and
      placebo on three separate occasions. Subsequent correlation analysis was used to
      examine relations between rsFC findings and plasma concentrations of satiation
      hormones and subjective feelings of appetite. Glucose ingestion induced
      significantly greater elevations in plasma glucose, insulin, GLP-1 and GIP, while
      feelings of fullness increased and prospective food consumption decreased
      relative to fructose. Furthermore, glucose increased rsFC of the left caudatus
      and putamen, precuneus and lingual gyrus more than fructose, whereas within the
      basal ganglia/limbic network, fructose increased rsFC of the left amygdala, left
      hippocampus, right parahippocampus, orbitofrontal cortex and precentral gyrus
      more than glucose. Moreover, compared to fructose, the increased rsFC after
      glucose positively correlated with the glucose-induced increase in insulin. Our
      findings suggest that glucose and fructose induce dissociable effects on rsFC
      within the basal ganglia/limbic network, which are probably mediated by different
      insulin levels. A larger study would be recommended in order to confirm these
      findings. 

PMID- 26107811
TI  - Biomedical Data Sharing and Reuse: Attitudes and Practices of Clinical and
      Scientific Research Staff.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Significant efforts are underway within the biomedical research
      community to encourage sharing and reuse of research data in order to enhance
      research reproducibility and enable scientific discovery. While some
      technological challenges do exist, many of the barriers to sharing and reuse are
      social in nature, arising from researchers' concerns about and attitudes toward
      sharing their data. In addition, clinical and basic science researchers face
      their own unique sets of challenges to sharing data within their communities.
      This study investigates these differences in experiences with and perceptions
      about sharing data, as well as barriers to sharing among clinical and basic
      science researchers. METHODS: Clinical and basic science researchers in the
      Intramural Research Program at the National Institutes of Health were surveyed
      about their attitudes toward and experiences with sharing and reusing research
      data. Of 190 respondents to the survey, the 135 respondents who identified
      themselves as clinical or basic science researchers were included in this
      analysis. Odds ratio and Fisher's exact tests were the primary methods to examine
      potential relationships between variables. Worst-case scenario sensitivity tests
      were conducted when necessary. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: While most respondents
      considered data sharing and reuse important to their work, they generally rated
      their expertise as low. Sharing data directly with other researchers was common,
      but most respondents did not have experience with uploading data to a repository.
      A number of significant differences exist between the attitudes and practices of
      clinical and basic science researchers, including their motivations for sharing,
      their reasons for not sharing, and the amount of work required to prepare their
      data. CONCLUSIONS: Even within the scope of biomedical research, addressing the
      unique concerns of diverse research communities is important to encouraging
      researchers to share and reuse data. Efforts at promoting data sharing and reuse
      should be aimed at solving not only technological problems, but also addressing
      researchers' concerns about sharing their data. Given the varied practices of
      individual researchers and research communities, standardizing data practices
      like data citation and repository upload could make sharing and reuse easier.

PMID- 26107812
TI  - A novel poly(polyoxometalate) built by {Cu9}/{Cu5} clusters and
      {PW9}/{PW10}/{PW11} lacunary fragments.
AB  - The hydrothermal reactions of [A-alpha-PW9O34](9-) with CuCl2.2H2O in the
      presence of ethanediamine (en) and acetate afforded a novel
      poly(polyoxotungstate) containing different lacunary fragments: monolacunary
      {alpha-PW11O39}, dilacunary {alpha-PW10O37}, trilacunary {B-alpha-PW9O34}, etc.
      In addition, a cockhorse-like nona-copper {Cu9} slab is incorporated. Magnetic
      investigation indicates overall antiferromagnetic interactions in this compound. 

PMID- 26107813
TI  - Cardiac surgery costs according to the preoperative risk in the Brazilian public
      health system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart surgery has developed with increasing patient complexity.
      OBJECTIVE: To assess the use of resources and real costs stratified by risk
      factors of patients submitted to surgical cardiac procedures and to compare them
      with the values reimbursed by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). METHOD:
      All cardiac surgery procedures performed between January and July 2013 in a
      tertiary referral center were analyzed. Demographic and clinical data allowed the
      calculation of the value reimbursed by the Brazilian SUS. Patients were
      stratified as low, intermediate and high-risk categories according to the
      EuroSCORE. Clinical outcomes, use of resources and costs (real costs versus SUS)
      were compared between established risk groups. RESULTS: Postoperative mortality
      rates of low, intermediate and high-risk EuroSCORE risk strata showed a
      significant linear positive correlation (EuroSCORE: 3.8%, 10%, and 25%; p <
      0.0001), as well as occurrence of any postoperative complication EuroSCORE:
      13.7%, 20.7%, and 30.8%, respectively; p = 0.006). Accordingly, length-of-stay
      increased from 20.9 days to 24.8 and 29.2 days (p < 0.001). The real cost was
      parallel to increased resource use according to EuroSCORE risk strata (R$
      27.116,00 +/- R$ 13.928,00 versus R$ 34.854,00 +/- R$ 27.814,00 versus R$
      43.234,00 +/- R$ 26.009,00, respectively; p < 0.001). SUS reimbursement also
      increased (R$ 14.306,00 +/- R$ 4.571,00 versus R$ 16.217,00 +/- R$ 7.298,00
      versus R$ 19.548,00 +/- R$935,00; p < 0.001). However, as the EuroSCORE
      increased, there was significant difference (p < 0.0001) between the real cost
      increasing slope and the SUS reimbursement elevation per EuroSCORE risk strata.
      CONCLUSION: Higher EuroSCORE was related to higher postoperative mortality,
      complications, length of stay, and costs. Although SUS reimbursement increased
      according to risk, it was not proportional to real costs.

PMID- 26107814
TI  - Effects of one resistance exercise session on vascular smooth muscle of
      hypertensive rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a public health problem and increases the incidence
      of cardiovascular diseases. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a resistance
      exercise session on the contractile and relaxing mechanisms of vascular smooth
      muscle in mesenteric arteries of NG-nitro L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)
      induced hypertensive rats. METHODS: Wistar rats were divided into three groups:
      control (C), hypertensive (H), and exercised hypertensive (EH). Hypertension was
      induced by administration of 20 mg/kg of L-NAME for 7 days prior to experimental
      protocols. The resistance exercise protocol consisted of 10 sets of 10
      repetitions and intensity of 40% of one repetition maximum. The reactivity of
      vascular smooth muscle was evaluated by concentration-response curves to
      phenylephrine (PHEN), potassium chloride (KCl) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP).
      RESULTS: Rats treated with L-NAME showed an increase (p < 0.001) in systolic
      blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial pressure
      (MAP) compared to the initial period of induction. No difference in PHEN
      sensitivity was observed between groups H and EH. Acute resistance exercise
      reduced (p < 0.001) the contractile response induced by KCl at concentrations of
      40 and 60 mM in group EH. Greater (p < 0.01) smooth muscle sensitivity to NPS was
      observed in group EH as compared to group H. CONCLUSION: One resistance exercise
      session reduces the contractile response induced by KCl in addition to increasing
      the sensitivity of smooth muscle to NO in mesenteric arteries of hypertensive
      rats.

PMID- 26107815
TI  - Reduced progression of cardiac allograft vasculopathy with routine use of
      induction therapy with basiliximab.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a major limitation for long
      term survival of patients undergoing heart transplantation (HT). Some
      immunosuppressants can reduce the risk of CAV. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective
      was to evaluate the variation in the volumetric growth of the intimal layer
      measured by intracoronary ultrasound (IVUS) after 1 year in patients who received
      basiliximab compared with that in a control group. METHODS: Thirteen patients
      treated at a single center between 2007 and 2009 were analyzed retrospectively.
      Evaluations were performed with IVUS, measuring the volume of a coronary segment
      within the first 30 days and 1 year after HT. Vasculopathy was characterized by
      the volume of the intima of the vessel. RESULTS: Thirteen patients included (7 in
      the basiliximab group and 6 in the control group). On IVUS assessment, the
      control group was found to have greater vessel volume (120-185.43 mm3 vs. 127.77
      131.32 mm3; p = 0.051). Intimal layer growth (i.e., CAV) was also higher in the
      control group (27.30-49.15 mm3 [?80%] vs. 20.23-26.69 mm3[?33%]; p = 0.015).
      Univariate regression analysis revealed that plaque volume and prior
      atherosclerosis of the donor were not related to intima growth (r = 0.15, p =
      0.96), whereas positive remodeling was directly proportional to the volumetric
      growth of the intima (r = 0.85, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Routine induction therapy
      with basiliximab was associated with reduced growth of the intima of the vessel
      during the first year after HT.

PMID- 26107816
TI  - Autophagy-associated atrophy and metabolic remodeling of the mouse diaphragm
      after short-term intermittent hypoxia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Short-term intermittent hypoxia (IH) is common in patients with acute
      respiratory disorders. Although prolonged exposure to hypoxia induces atrophy and
      increased fatigability of skeletal muscle, the response to short-term IH is less
      well known. We hypothesized that the diaphragm and limb muscles would adapt
      differently to short-term IH given that hypoxia stimulates ventilation and
      triggers a superimposed exercise stimulus in the diaphragm. METHODS: We
      determined the structural, metabolic, and contractile properties of the mouse
      diaphragm after 4 days of IH (8 hours per day, 30 episodes per hour to a FiO2
      nadir=6%), and compared responses in the diaphragm to a commonly studied
      reference limb muscle, the tibialis anterior. Outcome measures included muscle
      fiber size, assays of muscle proteolysis (calpain, ubiquitin-proteasome, and
      autophagy pathways), markers of oxidative stress and mitochondrial function,
      quantification of intramyocellular lipid and lipid metabolism genes, type I
      myosin heavy chain (MyHC) expression, and in vitro contractile properties.
      RESULTS: After 4 days of IH, the diaphragm alone demonstrated significant atrophy
      (30% decrease of myofiber size) together with increased LC3B-II protein (2.4
      fold) and mRNA markers of the autophagy pathway (LC3B, Gabarapl1, Bnip3), whereas
      active calpain and E3 ubiquitin ligases (MuRF1, atrogin-1) were unaffected in
      both muscles. Succinate dehydrogenase activity was significantly reduced by IH in
      both muscles. However, only the diaphragm exhibited increased intramyocellular
      lipid droplets (2.5-fold) after IH, along with upregulation of genes linked to
      activated lipid metabolism. In addition, although the diaphragm showed evidence
      for acute fatigue immediately following IH, it underwent an adaptive fiber type
      switch toward slow type I MyHC-expressing fibers, associated with greater
      intrinsic endurance of the muscle during repetitive stimulation in vitro.
      CONCLUSIONS: Short-term IH induces preferential atrophy in the mouse diaphragm
      together with increased autophagy and a rapid compensatory metabolic adaptation
      associated with enhanced fatigue resistance.

PMID- 26107817
TI  - Simultaneous inhibition of EGFR/VEGFR and cyclooxygenase-2 targets stemness
      related pathways in colorectal cancer cells.
AB  - Despite the demonstrated benefits of anti-EGFR/VEGF targeted therapies in
      metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), many patients initially respond, but then
      show evidence of disease progression. New therapeutic strategies are needed to
      make the action of available drugs more efficient. Our study aimed to explore
      whether simultaneous targeting of EGFR/VEGF and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) may aid
      the treatment and management of mCRC patients. The dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor
      AEE788 and celecoxib were used to inhibit EGFR/VEGFR and COX-2, respectively, in
      colorectal cancer cells. COX-2 inhibition with celecoxib augmented the
      antitumoral and antiangiogenic efficacy of AEE788, as indicated by the inhibition
      of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis and G1 cell cycle arrest, down
      regulation of VEGF production by cancer cells and reduction of cell migration.
      These effects were related with a blockade in the EGFR/VEGFR signaling axis.
      Notably, the combined AEE788/celecoxib treatment prevented beta-catenin nuclear
      accumulation in tumor cells. This effect was associated with a significant
      downregulation of FOXM1 protein levels and an impairment in the interaction of
      this transcription factor with beta-catenin, which is required for its nuclear
      localization. Furthermore, the combined treatment also reduced the expression of
      the stem cell markers Oct 3/4, Nanog, Sox-2 and Snail in cancer cells, and
      contributed to the diminution of the CSC subpopulation, as indicated by
      colonosphere formation assays. In conclusion, the combined treatment of AEE788
      and celecoxib not only demonstrated enhanced anti-tumoral efficacy in colorectal
      cancer cells, but also reduced colon CSCs subpopulation by targeting stemness
      related pathways. Therefore, the simultaneous targeting of EGFR/VEGF and COX-2
      may aid in blocking mCRC progression and improve the efficacy of existing
      therapies in colorectal cancer. 

PMID- 26107818
TI  - Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Opiate Use and Retention in Methadone
      Maintenance Treatment in China: A Randomised Trial.
AB  - AIMS: Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is widely available in China; but,
      high rates of illicit opiate use and dropout are problematic. The aim of this
      study was to test whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in conjunction with
      MMT can improve treatment retention and reduce opiate use. METHOD: A total of 240
      opiate-dependent patients in community-based MMT clinics were randomly assigned
      to either weekly CBT plus standard MMT (CBT group, n=120) or standard MMT
      (control group, n=120) for 26 weeks. The primary outcomes were treatment
      retention and opiate-negative urine test results at 12 weeks and 26 weeks. The
      secondary outcomes were composite scores on the Addiction Severity Index (ASI)
      and total scores on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) at 12 weeks and 26 weeks.
      RESULTS: Compared to the control group in standard MMT, the CBT group had higher
      proportion of opiate-negative urine tests at both 12 weeks (59% vs. 69%, p<0.05)
      and 26 weeks (63% vs. 73%, p<0.05); however, the retention rates at 12 weeks
      (73.3% vs. 74.2%, p=0.88) and 26 weeks were not different (55.8% vs. 64.2%,
      p=0.19) between the two groups. At both 12 and 26 weeks, all of the ASI component
      scores and PSS total scores in the CBT group and control group decreased from
      baseline; but the CBT group exhibited more decreases in ASI employment scores at
      week 26 and more decrease in the PSS total score at week 12 and week 26.
      CONCLUSIONS: CBT counselling is effective in reducing opiate use and improving
      employment function and in decreasing stress level for opiate-dependent patients
      in MMT in China. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01144390.

PMID- 26107819
TI  - Effect of Cadmium on Cellular Ultrastructure in Mouse Ovary.
AB  - This study aimed at analyzing the cytotoxicity and pathological effects of
      cadmium on the ovary. Our studies revealed that cadmium was deposited in the
      mouse ovary after 8 d cadmium injection in vivo. Also, the increase in the rate
      of body weight was slowed, while the gonadosomatic index was reduced in the CdCl2
      group, compared with the control group. Meanwhile, cadmium affected the
      maturation of follicles, the degradation of corpus luteum, the arrangement of
      follicles and corpus luteum, and increased the number of atresia follicles.
      Besides, under the electron microscope, chromatin margination, karopyknosis,
      swelling of mature cisternae of Golgi apparatus, mitochondrial cristae
      disappearance, and swelling of the rough endoplasmic reticulum can be observed in
      the CdCl2 group mice. Collectively, our findings elucidated the morphological
      mechanism that the exposure of cadmium changed the ultrastructure of cells in
      ovary tissues.

PMID- 26107820
TI  - Safety and tolerability of antipsychotic-mood stabilizer co-treatment in the
      management of acute bipolar disorder: results from a systematic review and
      exploratory meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mood stabilizer (MS) plus antipsychotic (AP) co-treatment is common
      in patients with acute bipolar disorder (BD), but adverse effects (AEs) of this
      strategy have not been systematically reviewed. AREAS COVERED: We conducted a
      systematic review searching PubMed/MEDLINE and PsycINFO on April 1, 2015 for
      randomized trials in >= 20 adults with acute manic/mixed or depressed BD
      comparing MS or AP monotherapy with their combination that reported quantitative
      AE data. Pooled together, MS+AP versus MS monotherapy (studies = 18, n = 4419)
      was associated with significantly higher burden regarding 21/53 (39.6%)
      individual AEs, particularly weight gain-related (5/5 = 100%), extrapyramidal
      (5/12 = 41.7%) and glucose/lipid-related AEs (3/8 = 37.5%). AP+MS versus AP
      monotherapy (studies = 3, n = 397) was associated with significantly higher
      burden regarding 4/21 (19.0%) individual AEs (>= 1 AE, tremor,
      sedation/somnolence, vomiting). EXPERT OPINION: Efficacy advantages of AP+MS co
      treatment versus monotherapy should be balanced with its greater AE burden. AE
      risk is higher for adding AP to MS (17 additional AEs) than adding MS to an AP,
      including the particularly concerning cardiometabolic AEs. More data are needed,
      as only one or two studies provided data for 21/21 (100%) AEs of MS augmentation
      of AP, and 13/53 (24.5%) AEs of AP augmentation of MS, and as sparse data suggest
      clinically relevant AE differences across individual AP+MS combinations.

PMID- 26107821
TI  - The Government Finance Database: A Common Resource for Quantitative Research in
      Public Financial Analysis.
AB  - Quantitative public financial management research focused on local governments is
      limited by the absence of a common database for empirical analysis. While the
      U.S. Census Bureau distributes government finance data that some scholars have
      utilized, the arduous process of collecting, interpreting, and organizing the
      data has led its adoption to be prohibitive and inconsistent. In this article we
      offer a single, coherent resource that contains all of the government financial
      data from 1967-2012, uses easy to understand natural-language variable names, and
      will be extended when new data is available. 

PMID- 26107822
TI  - Global Health.

PMID- 26107824
TI  - Cultural experiences of immigrant nurses at two hospitals in Chile.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to explore the cultural experiences of nurses who immigrated to Chile.
      The study's theoretical framework was the Purnell Model for Cultural Competence.
      METHOD: Leininger's Observation-Participation-Reflection method was developed at
      two hospitals in the city of Santiago, and ethnographic interviews were held with
      15 immigrant nurses. RESULTS: among Purnell's 12 domains, the following were
      identified: Overview/heritage, Communication, Workforce issues, Family roles and
      organization, Biocultural ecology and Health-care practices. The difficulties
      were related to the language and its semantic meaning, the new responsibilities
      and the difficult relationship with colleagues. "In search of better horizons -
      the decision to immigrate", "Gaining confidence and establishing a support
      network - employability and professional performance" and "Seeking for people's
      acceptance - professional adaptation in a new cultural scenario" are cultural
      themes that represent their experiences. CONCLUSIONS: the competence to offer
      cultural care demands the development of public policies and continuing education
      programs at health institutions, specifically focused on immigrant nurses.

PMID- 26107823
TI  - Global health competencies according to nursing faculty from Brazilian higher
      education institutions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to identify the agreement of faculty affiliated with Brazilian higher
      education institutions about the global health competencies needed for
      undergraduate nursing students' education and whether these competencies were
      covered in the curriculum offered at the institution where they were teaching.
      METHOD: exploratory-descriptive study, involving 222 faculty members who answered
      the Brazilian version of the "Questionnaire on Core Competencies in Global
      Health", made available electronically on the website Survey Monkey. RESULTS:
      participants predominantly held a Ph.D. (75.8%), were women (91.9%) and were
      between 40 and 59 years of age (69.3%). The mean and standard deviation of all
      competencies questioned ranged between 3.04 (0.61) and 3.88 (0.32), with scores
      for each competency ranging from 1 "strongly disagree" to 4 "strongly agree". The
      results demonstrated the respondents' satisfactory level of agreement with the
      global health competencies. CONCLUSIONS: the study demonstrated a high mean
      agreement level of the nursing faculty from Brazilian HEI with the global health
      competencies in the questionnaire. The curricula of the HEI where they teach
      partially address some of these. The competencies in the domain "Globalization of
      health and health care" are the least addressed.

PMID- 26107825
TI  - Translation and cultural adaptation for Brazil of the Developing Nurses' Thinking
      model.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to translate and culturally adapt to Brazilian Portuguese the
      Developing Nurses' Thinking model, used as a strategy for teaching clinical
      reasoning. METHOD: the translation and cultural adaptation were undertaken
      through initial translation, synthesis of the translations, back-translation,
      evaluation by a committee of specialists and a pre-test with 33 undergraduate
      nursing students. RESULTS: the stages of initial translation, synthesis of the
      translations and back-translation were undertaken satisfactorily, small
      adjustments being needed. In the evaluation of the translated version by the
      committee of specialists, all the items obtained agreement over 80% in the first
      round of evaluation and in the pre-test with the students, so the model was shown
      to be fit for purpose. CONCLUSION: the use of the model as a complementary
      strategy in the teaching of diagnostic reasoning is recommended, with a view to
      the training of nurses who are more aware regarding the diagnostic task and the
      importance of patient safety.

PMID- 26107826
TI  - Professional Master's degree in Nursing: knowledge production and challenges.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to analyze the production of knowledge resulting from the professional
      master's degree programs in Nursing and to reflect about their perspectives for
      the area. METHOD: descriptive and analytical study. Data collected from the
      dissertations of three educational institutions that graduated students in
      programs of professional master's degree in Nursing between 2006 and 2012 were
      included. RESULTS: most of the 127 course completion studies analyzed were
      developed within hospital contexts; there was a focus on the organizational and
      healthcare areas, in the research fields care process and management, and
      predominance of qualitative studies. There are various products resulting from
      the course completion studies: evaluation of services/healthcare programs and
      development of processes, care or educational protocols. CONCLUSION: the programs
      of professional master's degree in Nursing, which are undergoing a consolidation
      stage, have recent production under development and there is a gap in the
      creation of hard technologies and innovation. They are essential for the
      development of innovative professional practices that articulate the healthcare
      and educational areas.

PMID- 26107827
TI  - Predictive factors for renal failure and a control and treatment algorithm.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the renal function of patients in an intensive care unit,
      to identify the predisposing factors for the development of renal failure, and to
      develop an algorithm to help in the control of the disease. METHOD: exploratory,
      descriptive, prospective study with a quantitative approach. RESULTS: a total of
      30 patients (75.0%) were diagnosed with kidney failure and the main factors
      associated with this disease were: advanced age, systemic arterial hypertension,
      diabetes mellitus, lung diseases, and antibiotic use. Of these, 23 patients
      (76.6%) showed a reduction in creatinine clearance in the first 24 hours of
      hospitalization. CONCLUSION: a decline in renal function was observed in a
      significant number of subjects, therefore, an algorithm was developed with the
      aim of helping in the control of renal failure in a practical and functional way.

PMID- 26107828
TI  - Assessment and risk classification protocol for patients in emergency units.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to develop, validate the contents and verify the reliability of a risk
      classification protocol for an Emergency Unit. METHOD: the content validation was
      developed in a University Hospital in a country town located in the state of Sao
      Paulo and was carried out in two stages: the first with the individual assessment
      of specialists and the second with the meeting between the researchers and the
      specialists. The use of the protocol followed a specific guide. Concerning
      reliability, the concordance or equivalent method among observers was used.
      RESULTS: the protocol developed showed to have content validity and, after the
      suggested changes were made, there were excellent results concerning reliability.
      CONCLUSION: the assistance flow chart was shown to be easy to use, and facilitate
      the search for the complaint in each assistance priority.

PMID- 26107829
TI  - Experience of nurses in the process of donation of organs and tissues for
      transplant.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to investigate the meaning of the action of nurses in the donation
      process to maintain the viability of organs and tissues for transplantation.
      METHOD: this qualitative study with a social phenomenological approach was
      conducted through individual interviews with ten nurses of three Organ and Tissue
      Procurement Services of the city of Sao Paulo. RESULTS: the experience of the
      nurses in the donation process was represented by the categories: obstacles
      experienced in the donation process, and interventions performed. The meaning of
      the action to maintain the viability of organs and tissues for transplantation
      was described by the categories: to change paradigms, to humanize the donation
      process, to expand the donation, and to save lives. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS:
      knowledge of the experience of the nurses in this process is important for
      healthcare professionals who work in different realities, indicating strategies
      to optimize the procurement of organs and tissues for transplantation.

PMID- 26107830
TI  - Reliability of indicators of nursing care quality: testing interexaminer
      agreement and reliability.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: this study sought to test the interexaminer agreement and reliability
      of 15 indicators of nursing care quality. METHODS: this was a quantitative,
      methodological, experimental, and applied study conducted at a large, tertiary,
      public teaching hospital in the state of Parana. For data analysis, the Kappa (k)
      statistic was applied to the categorical variables - indicators 1 to 11 and 15 -
      and the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) to the continuous variables -
      indicators 12, 13, and 14, with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals. The
      categorical data were analyzed using the Lee software, elaborated by the
      Laboratory of Epidemiology and Statistics of Dante Pazzanese Institute of
      Cardiology - Brazil, and the continuous data were assessed using BioEstat 5.0.
      RESULTS: the k-statistic results indicated excellent agreement, which was
      statistically significant, and the values of the ICC denoted excellent and
      statistically significant reproducibility/agreement relative to the investigated
      indicators. CONCLUSION: the investigated indicators exhibited excellent
      reliability and reproducibility, thus showing that it is possible to formulate
      valid and reliable assessment instruments for the management of nursing care.

PMID- 26107831
TI  - Experiences of family members of patients with colostomies and expectations about
      professional intervention.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: the objective was to understand the experience of a group of family
      members of patients with colostomies, revealing their expectations regarding the
      intervention of health professionals. METHOD: qualitative research, with the
      social phenomenological approach of Alfred Schutz, conducted in Montevideo in
      2012; twelve family members of patients with colostomies participated, from an
      ostomy service of a health institution. RESULTS: the following categories were
      identified: family ties, trust in the health care team, the nurse as the
      articulator of the process, the desire to humanize care, and adaptation to new
      family life. CONCLUSIONS: knowing the experience and expectations of the families
      of colostomy patients was achieved, emphasizing the previous family relationships
      to build upon them, and the trust in the health team, emphasizing the nurse as
      articulator of the process. Expectations focused on the desire for humanized
      care, enhancing adaptation of the nuclear family to the new way of life,
      restoring and enhancing its strengths, and collaborating in overcoming its
      weaknesses.

PMID- 26107832
TI  - Hope and spirituality among patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing
      hemodialysis: a correlational study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to analyze the relationship between the hope and spirituality of
      patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis. METHOD: this is a
      cross-sectional, correlational study. The sample was composed of 127 patients of
      a Renal Replacement Unit. Data were collected through individual interviews
      guided by the following instruments: participant characterization, Herth Hope
      Index (HHI), and Pinto Pais-Ribeiro Spirituality Scale (PP-RSS). RESULTS: the
      average HHI score was 38.06 (+/-4.32) while the average PP-RSS score was 3.67 (+/
      0.62) for "beliefs" and 3.21 (+/-0.53) for "hope/optimism". Spearman's
      coefficient indicated there was a moderate positive correlation between the HHI
      and PP-RSS dimensions of "beliefs" (r=0.430; p<0.001) and "hope/optimism"
      (r=0.376; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Since a relationship between the sense of hope
      and spirituality of patients with chronic kidney disease was found, these
      constructs should be taken into account at the time health professionals deliver
      care to help patients coping with the disease and treatment.

PMID- 26107833
TI  - Nursing diagnoses of newborns with sepsis in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to elaborate the Nursing Diagnoses of newborns with sepsis in a
      neonatal intensive care unit and characterize the profile of the neonates and
      their mothers. METHOD: a cross-sectional and quantitative study, with a sample of
      41 neonates. A physical examination and consultation of the hospital records were
      undertaken, using an instrument. The elaboration of the Nursing Diagnoses
      followed a process of diagnostic inference and was based on the North American
      Nursing Diagnosis Association 2012-2014. RESULTS: the mothers were around 25
      years old, had a low average number of pre-natal consultations, and various
      complications during the pregnancy; and the newborns were predominantly premature
      and with very low birth weights. Five Nursing Diagnoses predominated, and all the
      neonates presented Risk of Shock and Risk of fluid volume imbalance. CONCLUSION:
      the Nursing Diagnoses of the neonates with sepsis can guide the formulating of
      specific assistential plans. The study contributes to the generation of new
      knowledge and found various relationships between the Nursing Diagnoses and the
      variables selected in the characterization of the neonates, which deserve to be
      elucidated in greater detail based on further research on the issue.

PMID- 26107834
TI  - Nursing Diagnosis Risk for falls: prevalence and clinical profile of hospitalized
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to identify the prevalence of the Nursing Diagnosis (ND) Risk for
      falls in the hospitalizations of adult patients in clinical and surgical units,
      to characterize the clinical profile and to identify the risk factors of the
      patients with this ND. METHOD: a cross-sectional study with 174 patients. The
      data was collected from the computerized nursing care prescriptions system and on
      line hospital records, and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: the prevalence of the
      ND Risk for falls was 4%. The patients' profile indicated older adults, males
      (57%), those hospitalized in the clinical units (63.2%), with a median length of
      hospitalization of 20 (10-24) days, with neurological illnesses (26%), cardio
      vascular illnesses (74.1%) and various co-morbidities (3+/-1.8). The prevalent
      risk factors were neurological alterations (43.1%), impaired mobility (35.6%) and
      extremes of age (10.3%). CONCLUSION: the findings contributed to evidencing the
      profile of the patients with a risk of falling hospitalized in clinical and
      surgical wards, which favors the planning of interventions for preventing this
      adverse event.

PMID- 26107835
TI  - Weaving meanings from the deliberative process of collegiate management in
      nursing.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to understand the meanings of the collegiate deliberations attributed
      by its members on an undergraduate nursing course. METHOD: Grounded Theory,
      interviews being held with 30 participants, making up 4 sample groups, between
      January and June 2012, in a public higher education institution. RESULT: 5
      categories emerged, indicating the phenomenon and weaving the paradigmatic model:
      Understanding the experience of the complex relationships and interactions in the
      deliberations of collegiate management in nursing: intertwining divergences,
      convergences, dialogs, collectivities and diversities. This deliberative process
      presents various meanings involving discussion, and divergent, convergent and
      complementary positions, through dialog, commitment and negotiation. CONCLUSION:
      the deliberations in the collegiate of nursing, intertwining dialogs,
      collectivities and diversities, mold the complex relational fabrics.

PMID- 26107836
TI  - Assessment of techniques of massage and pumping in the treatment of breast
      engorgement by thermography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to evaluate techniques of massage and pumping in the treatment of
      postpartum breast engorgement through thermography. METHOD: the study was
      conducted in the Human Milk Bank of a hospital in Curitiba, Brazil. We randomly
      selected 16 lactating women with engorgement with the classification lobar,
      ampullary and glandular, moderate and intense. We compared the differential
      patterns of temperature, before and after the treatment by means of massage and
      pumping. RESULTS: we found a negative gradient of 0.3 degrees C of temperature
      between the pre- and post-treatment in the experimental group. Breasts with
      intense engorgement were 0.7 degrees C warmer when compared with moderate
      engorgement. CONCLUSION: massage and electromechanical pumping were superior to
      manual methods when evaluated by thermography. REBEC: U1111-1136-9027.

PMID- 26107837
TI  - Maternal Eating and Physical Activity Strategies and their Relation with
      Children's Nutritional Status.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to describe the maternal eating and physical activity strategies
      (monitoring, discipline, control, limits and reinforcement) [MEES]; to determine
      the relation between MEES and the child's nutritional status [body mass index
      (BMI) and body fat percentage (BFP)]; to verify whether the MEES differ according
      to the child's nutritional status. METHOD: participants were 558 mothers and
      children (3 to 11 years of age) who studied at public schools. The Parental
      Strategies for Eating and Activity Scale (PEAS) was applied and the child's
      weight, height and BFP were measured. For analysis purposes, descriptive
      statistics were obtained, using multiple linear regression and the Kruskal-Wallis
      test. RESULTS: the highest mean score was found for reinforcement (62.72) and the
      lowest for control (50.07). Discipline, control and limits explained 12% of the
      BMI, while discipline and control explained 6% of the BFP. Greater control is
      found for obese children (chi2=38.36, p=0.001) and greater reinforcement for
      underweight children (chi2=7.19, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: the mothers exert greater
      control (pressure to eat) over obese children and greater recognition
      (congratulating due to healthy eating) in underweight children. Modifications in
      parental strategies are recommended with a view to strengthening healthy eating
      and physical activity habits.

PMID- 26107838
TI  - Post-abortion contraception: care and practices.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to analyze assistance regarding contraception methods received by
      women during hospitalization due to abortion, and contraceptive practices the
      month after this episode. METHODS: a longitudinal study of women hospitalized due
      to abortion in a public hospital in the city of Sao Paulo. Face-to-face
      interviews (n=170) followed by telephone interviews in the subsequent month
      (n=147) were conducted between May and December of 2011. RESULTS: a small number
      of women reported they received guidance on, and prescription for, contraceptive
      methods at hospital discharge. A trend of statistical significance was identified
      for prescription of contraceptive methods at discharge and its use in the
      following month, when adjusted for age. Most women reported sexual intercourse
      (69.4%) with the use of contraceptive method (82.4%), but no health professional
      guidance (63.1%). CONCLUSION: despite the fact that post-abortion contraception
      assistance was lower than the recommended guidelines by public health policies,
      women demonstrated willingness to use contraceptive methods.

PMID- 26107840
TI  - Participation of adolescents in the Family Health Strategy from the theoretical
      methodological structure of an enabler to participation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the participation of adolescents in the Family Health
      Strategy, from the theoretical-methodological structure of an enabler to
      participation. METHOD: a quantitative study, conducted from December of 2010 to
      March of 2011, with 213 professionals in the FHS in the region of Cariri-Ceara
      Brazil. Data were collected through a questionnaire and organized in SPSS 18.0.
      RESULTS: the level of normative participation becomes manifest beginning with the
      adolescent search for health services, motivated by disease (77.9%). Normative
      participation + independence appear when they seek prenatal care and family
      planning. Emancipatory participation was identified by the frequency of
      adolescents in group activities, in the schools, and a move in the direction of
      the level of transformative participation was observed. CONCLUSION: in this
      context, it is understood that there exists a need to stimulate the participatory
      process of the adolescents for a change in health promotion in this group.

PMID- 26107839
TI  - Neutropenia: occurrence and management in women with breast cancer receiving
      chemotherapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: to identify the prevalence, and describe the management of,
      neutropenia throughout the chemotherapy treatment among women with breast cancer.
      METHODS: observational study, cycles of chemotherapy. 116 neutropenic events were
      recorded, and 63.3% of the patients presented neutropenia at some point of their
      treatment, 46.5% of these presenting grade II. The management used was temporary
      suspension between the cycles and the mean number of delays was 6 days. The study
      was prospective and longitudinal, where the evaluation of the hematological
      toxicities was undertaken at each cycle of chemotherapy, whether neoadjuvant or
      adjuvant. RESULTS: 79 women were included, who received 572 cycles. However, the
      reasons for the suspensions were the lack of a space in the chemotherapy center,
      followed by neutropenia. CONCLUSION: neutropenia is one of the most common and
      serious adverse events observed during the chemotherapy. Nursing must invest in
      research regarding this adverse event and in management strategies for organizing
      the public health system, so as to offer quality care.

PMID- 26107841
TI  - Evaluation of dysphagia risk, nutritional status and caloric intake in elderly
      patients with Alzheimer's.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the risk of dysphagia and its relationship with the stage
      of Alzheimer's Disease, as well as the relationship between the risk of dysphagia
      and nutritional status and caloric intake in elderly people with Alzheimer's
      disease. METHODS: the sample consisted of 30 subjects of both genders with
      probable Alzheimer's disease. The stage of the disease, nutritional status,
      energy intake, and risk of dysphagia were assessed. RESULTS: it was found that
      increased risk of dysphagia is associated with the advance in the stages of
      Alzheimer's disease and that even patients in the early stages of disease have a
      slight risk of developing dysphagia. No association was found between nutritional
      status and the risk of dysphagia. High levels of inadequate intake of
      micronutrients were also verified in the patients. CONCLUSION: an association
      between dysphagia and the development of Alzheimer's disease was found. The
      results indicate the need to monitor the presence of dysphagia and the
      micronutrient intake in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26107842
TI  - Nursing Activities Score: nursing work load in a burns Intensive Care Unit.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the nursing work load in a Burns Intensive Care Unit
      according to the Nursing Activities Score. METHOD: an exploratory, descriptive
      cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. The Nursing Activities Score
      was used for data collection between October 2011 and May 2012, totalling 1,221
      measurements, obtained from 50 patients' hospital records. Data for qualitative
      variables was described in tables; for the quantitative variables, calculations
      using statistical measurements were used. RESULTS: the mean score for the Nursing
      Activities Score was 70.4% and the median was 70.3%, corresponding to the
      percentage of the time spent on direct care to the patient in 24 hours.
      CONCLUSION: the Nursing Activities Score provided information which involves the
      process of caring for patients hospitalized in a Burns Intensive Care Unit, and
      indicated that there is a high work load for the nursing team of the sector
      studied.

PMID- 26107843
TI  - Impact of a physical activity program on the anxiety, depression, occupational
      stress and burnout syndrome of nursing professionals.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to assess the effects of a workplace physical activity (WPA) program
      on levels of anxiety, depression, burnout, occupational stress and self
      perception of health and work-related quality of life of a nursing team in a
      palliative care unit. METHODS: the WPA was conducted five days per week, lasting
      ten minutes, during three consecutive months. Twenty-one nursing professionals
      were evaluated before and after the intervention, with the Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression Scale, the Maslch Burnout Inventory, and the Job Stress Scale. The
      changes in self-perceived health and work-related quality of life were measured
      using a semi-structured questionnaire. RESULTS: the WPA did not yield significant
      results on the levels of anxiety, depression, burnout or occupational stress.
      However, after the intervention, participants reported improved perceptions of
      bodily pain and feeling of fatigue at work. CONCLUSION: the WPA did not lead to
      beneficial effects on occupational stress and psychological variables, but it was
      well accepted by the nursing professionals, who reported improvement in
      perceptions of health and work-related quality of life.

PMID- 26107845
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26107844
TI  - Telephone follow-up of patients after radical prostatectomy: a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to assess and summarize the best scientific evidence from randomized
      controlled clinical trials about telephone follow-up of patients after radical
      prostatectomy, based on information about how the phone calls are made and the
      clinical and psychological effects for the individuals who received this
      intervention. METHOD: the search was undertaken in the electronic databases
      Medline, Web of Science, Embase, Cinahl, Lilacs and Cochrane. Among the 368
      references found, five were selected. RESULTS: two studies tested interventions
      focused on psychological support and three tested interventions focused on the
      physical effects of treatment. The psychoeducative intervention to manage the
      uncertainty about the disease and the treatment revealed statistically
      significant evidences and reduced the level of uncertainty and anguish it causes.
      CONCLUSION: the beneficial effects of telephone follow-up could be determined, as
      a useful tool for the monitoring of post-prostatectomy patients.

PMID- 26107847
TI  - Spatial and Temporal Variation in Reproduction of a Generalist Crocodilian,
      Caiman crocodilus yacare, in a Seasonally Flooded Wetland.
AB  - We monitored the number of caiman (Caiman crocodilus yacare) nests in two ranches
      in the Brazilian Pantanal that cover an area of about 50.000 ha for 28 years
      (1987-2014). The number of nests was related to combinations of rainfall, water
      level, and number of days with temperature below 20 degrees C, depending on the
      area. Most of the variation in number of nests could not be predicted by the
      environmental variables, but could be represented mathematically by a sine wave.
      We were not able to identify any external driver and suspect that the regular
      fluctuations may have resulted from an intrinsic population process. Presently,
      ranches are used as management units under the legislation for ranching Pantanal
      caimans. However, although some breeding females were recaptured in the area
      after periods of up to 21 years, most were not recaptured near nests or in
      general surveys of the area, suggesting that females are not strongly philopatric
      and that ranches do not represent isolated demographic units. 

PMID- 26107846
TI  - Pharmacological Cognitive Enhancement in Healthy Individuals: A Compensation for
      Cognitive Deficits or a Question of Personality?
AB  - The ongoing bioethical debate on pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE) in
      healthy individuals is often legitimated by the assumption that PCE will widely
      spread and become desirable for the general public in the near future. This
      assumption was questioned as PCE is not equally save and effective in everyone.
      Additionally, it was supposed that the willingness to use PCE is strongly
      personality-dependent likely preventing a broad PCE epidemic. Thus, we
      investigated whether the cognitive performance and personality of healthy
      individuals with regular nonmedical methylphenidate (MPH) use for PCE differ from
      stimulant-naive controls. Twenty-five healthy individuals using MPH for PCE were
      compared with 39 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls regarding
      cognitive performance and personality assessed by a comprehensive
      neuropsychological test battery including social cognition, prosocial behavior,
      decision-making, impulsivity, and personality questionnaires. Substance use was
      assessed through self-report in an interview and quantitative hair and urine
      analyses. Recently abstinent PCE users showed no cognitive impairment but
      superior strategic thinking and decision-making. Furthermore, PCE users displayed
      higher levels of trait impulsivity, novelty seeking, and Machiavellianism
      combined with lower levels of social reward dependence and cognitive empathy.
      Finally, PCE users reported a smaller social network and exhibited less prosocial
      behavior in social interaction tasks. In conclusion, the assumption that PCE use
      will soon become epidemic is not supported by the present findings as PCE users
      showed a highly specific personality profile that shares a number of features
      with illegal stimulant users. Lastly, regular MPH use for PCE is not necessarily
      associated with cognitive deficits. 

PMID- 26107848
TI  - Fracture risk and adjuvant therapies in young breast cancer patients: a
      population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer survivors have an increased risk of bone fracture. But
      the risk among young patients with adjuvant therapies remains unknown. This
      population-based study is aimed to assess the incidence and risk of fracture
      among young (age of 20 to 39 years) breast cancer patients who received adjuvant
      therapies. METHODS: From January 2001 to December 2007, 5,146 newly diagnosed
      breast cancer patients were enrolled from the National Health Insurance Research
      Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan. Patients were observed for a maximum of 6 years to
      determine the incidence of newly onset fracture. Kaplan Meier and Cox regression
      analyses were used to evaluate the risk of fracture in young breast cancer
      patients who received adjuvant treatments. RESULTS: Of the total 5,146 young (age
      of 20 to 39 years) breast cancer patients, the Cox multivariate proportional
      hazards analysis showed that AIs, radiotherapy, and monoclonal antibodies were
      significantly associated with a high risk of fracture. Moreover, patients who
      received AIs for more than 180 days had a high hazard ratio (HR) of 1.77 (95% CI
      = 0.68-4.57), and patients who received more than four radiotherapy visits had a
      high HR of 2.54 (95% CI = 1.07-6.06). Under the site-specific analysis, young
      breast cancer patients who received AIs had the highest risk of hip fracture (HR
      = 8.520, 95% CI = 1.711-42.432, p < 0.04), whereas patients who received
      radiotherapy had the highest risk of vertebral fracture (HR = 5.512, 95% CI =
      1.847-16.451, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Young breast cancer patients who are
      receiving AIs, radiotherapy or monoclonal antibody need to be more careful for
      preventing fracture events. Breast cancer treatment plans are suggested to
      incorporate fracture prevention interventions.

PMID- 26107849
TI  - Entropy at the right atrium as a predictor of atrial fibrillation recurrence
      outcome after pulmonary vein ablation.
AB  - Atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence rates after successful ablation procedures
      are still high and difficult to predict. This work studies the capability of
      entropy measured from intracardiac recordings as an indicator for recurrence
      outcome. Intra-atrial recordings from 31 AF patients were registered previously
      to an ablation procedure. Four electrodes were located at the right atrium (RA)
      and four more at the left atrium (LA). Sample entropy measurements were applied
      to these signals, in order to characterize different non-linear AF dynamics at
      the RA and LA independently. In a 3 months follow-up, 19 of them remained in
      sinus rhythm, whereas the other 12 turned back to AF. Entropy values can be
      associated to a proarrhythmic indicator as they were higher in patients with AF
      recurrence (1.11+/-0.15 vs. 0.91+/-0.13), in persistent patients (1.03+/-0.19 vs.
      0.96+/-0.15), and at the LA with respect to the RA (1.03+/-0.23 vs. 0.89+/-0.15
      for paroxysmal AF patients). Furthermore, entropy values at the RA arose as a
      more reliable predictor for recurrence outcome than at the LA. Results suggest
      that high entropy values, especially at the RA, are associated with high risk of
      AF recurrence. These findings show the potential of the proposed method to
      predict recurrences post-ablation, providing additional insights to the
      understanding of arrhythmia. 

PMID- 26107850
TI  - Subgroup-specific intrinsic disorder profiles of Arabidopsis NAC transcription
      factors: Identification of functional hotspots.
AB  - Protein intrinsic disorder (ID), referring to the lack of a fixed tertiary
      structure, is significant in signaling and transcription. We recently
      characterized ID in 6 phylogenetically representative Arabidopsis thaliana NAC
      transcription factors. Their transcription regulatory domains are mostly
      disordered but contain short, functionally important regions with structure
      propensities known as molecular recognition features. Here, we analyze for NAC
      subgroup-specific ID patterns. Some subgroups, such as the VND subgroup
      implicated in secondary cell wall biosynthesis, and the NAP/SHYG subgroup have
      highly conserved ID profiles. For the stress-associated ATAF1 subgroup and the
      CUC/ORE1 subgroup involved in development, only sub clades have similar ID
      patterns. For similar ID profiles, conserved molecular recognition features and
      sequence motifs represent likely functional determinants of e.g. transcriptional
      activation and interactions. Based on our analysis, we suggest that ID profiling
      of regulatory proteins in general can be used to guide identification of
      interaction partners of network proteins. 

PMID- 26107851
TI  - Responsiveness to Self-Report Interview Questions by Adults With Intellectual and
      Developmental Disability.
AB  - An important line of research involves asking people with intellectual and
      developmental disability (IDD) to self-report their experiences and opinions. We
      analyzed the responsiveness of 11,391 adult users of IDD services to interview
      questions from Section 1 of the 2008-2009 National Core Indicators-Adult Consumer
      Survey (NCI-ACS). Proxy responses were not allowed for the selected questions.
      Overall, 62.1% of participants answered the questions and were rated by
      interviewers as understanding the questions and as responding consistently. Most
      participants responded in an all-or-none fashion, answering either all or most
      questions or few to none. Individuals with milder levels of IDD and with speech
      as their primary means of expression were more likely to answer the questions and
      provide a scoreable response. Interviewer ratings of interviewees' answering
      questions, understanding of questions, and consistent responding were each
      related to responsiveness. 

PMID- 26107852
TI  - Competency-Based Training and Worker Turnover in Community Supports for People
      With IDD: Results From a Group Randomized Controlled Study.
AB  - Turnover among direct support professionals (DSPs) in community support settings
      for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has been
      regarded as a challenge since tracking of this workforce began in the 1980s. This
      study utilized a group randomized controlled design to test the effects of a
      competency-based training intervention for DSPs on site-level turnover rates over
      a one year period. Results suggested that, compared with the control group, sites
      receiving the training intervention experienced a significant decrease in annual
      turnover, when multiple factors were controlled. Implications, including the
      importance of considering quality training as a long term organizational
      investment and intervention to reduce turnover, are discussed. 

PMID- 26107853
TI  - Teaching Sight Words to Elementary Students With Intellectual Disability and
      Autism: A Comparison of Teacher-Directed Versus Computer-Assisted Simultaneous
      Prompting.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of teacher-directed
      simultaneous prompting to computer-assisted simultaneous prompting for teaching
      sight words to 3 elementary school students with intellectual disability.
      Activities in the computer-assisted condition were designed with Intellitools
      Classroom Suite software whereas traditional materials (i.e., flashcards) were
      used in the teacher-directed condition. Treatment conditions were compared using
      an adapted alternating treatments design. Acquisition of sight words occurred in
      both conditions for all 3 participants; however, each participant either clearly
      responded better in the teacher-directed condition or reported a preference for
      the teacher-directed condition when performance was similar with computer
      assisted instruction being more efficient. Practical implications and directions
      for future research are discussed. 

PMID- 26107854
TI  - Elite Repudiation of the R-Word and Public Opinion About Intellectual Disability.
AB  - Part of the motivation for encouraging elite stakeholders-like governments,
      professionals, and advocacy groups-to replace the language of "mental
      retardation" with "intellectual disability" (ID) is the belief that elite
      endorsement could undermine negative attitudes and influence the public to follow
      suit. We examine the veracity of this expectation empirically with an experiment
      that exposed individuals to information about endorsements of the terminology
      change made by the federal government, Special Olympics, or professional
      psychologists. We subsequently measured attitudes about persons with ID and the
      language used to describe ID. Results indicate that exposure to information about
      elite endorsement of the terminological shift either exacerbated negative
      attitudes or had no effect, suggesting that other factors may have primacy over
      "expert" opinion.

PMID- 26107855
TI  - Prevalence and Characteristics of Falls in Adults with Intellectual Disability
      Living in a Residential Facility: A Longitudinal Study [PreFallID].
AB  - The objective of our study was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of
      falls in adults with intellectual disability living in a residential care setting
      and to define differences between fallers and non-fallers in younger and older
      resident groups. In contrast to the general population, falls are a problem for
      both aged and younger adults with intellectual disability living in a residential
      care setting. Falls of 147 residents, aged between 21-89 years with different
      grades of ID, were recorded prospectively over a 12 months period using a digital
      fall report form. For all participants, a total of 140 falls were reported and
      high fall rates per person-year were found in the younger (0.85) as well as in
      the older aged residents (1.06). 

PMID- 26107856
TI  - Standards to Guide the Use of Clinical Judgment in the Field of Intellectual
      Disability.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to discuss 10 Clinical Judgment Standards and
      associated best practice indicators based on current literature and an
      understanding of the context of clinical judgment. Throughout the article, we
      stress the important role that clinical judgment plays in formulating valid and
      precise decisions and recommendations regarding diagnosis, classification, and
      planning supports. 

PMID- 26107859
TI  - Is There One Less Hurdle for Patients Undergoing Macular Hole Surgery?

PMID- 26107860
TI  - Ten Chairpersons of the Ophthalmology Department at Peking Union Medical College.
AB  - With the full academic and financial support of the China Medical Board of the
      Rockefeller Foundation, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) was officially
      inaugurated in 1921. Since then, PUMC has been one of the most prestigious
      medical schools in China and the only one that is connected to the Chinese
      Academy of Medical Science. From its founding, there have been 10 chairpersons at
      the PUMC Department of Ophthalmology. The first 4 chairpersons, Howard, Pillat,
      Von Sallmann, and Kronfeld, were trained in Vienna and established the program's
      Western system. The latter 6 chairpersons, Luo, Hu, Zhang, Li, Zhao, and Dong,
      who were educated mainly in China, have maintained the program's excellence and
      made significant contributions to ophthalmology and medicine in China and the
      world. Under the strong leadership still in place today, PUMC will continue to
      provide generations of leaders for academic modern medicine and health care in
      China. Accordingly, the Department of Ophthalmology, one of the oldest
      ophthalmology departments in China, will continue making significant
      contributions to the global realm of eye and vision research and health care. 

PMID- 26107861
TI  - Combined Topical-Intracameral Anesthesia in Manual Small-Incision Cataract
      Surgery: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Masked, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether intracameral lidocaine plus topical anesthesia
      could further reduce patients' pain experience during manual small-incision
      cataract surgery, compared with topical anesthesia alone. DESIGN: A prospective,
      randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted.
      METHODS: This research was approved by the institutional review board of the Eye
      Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College in China. All patients gave written, informed
      consent, and no untoward pressure or coercion was used for the written informed
      consent. A total of 300 patients were randomly assigned into the placebo group
      (topical anesthesia plus intracameral balanced salt solution) or the
      interventional group (combined topical plus intracameral anesthesia). The pains
      they experienced during the different stages of the operation were evaluated by a
      visual analog pain scale. At the end of the surgery, the surgeon was given a
      questionnaire to evaluate the cooperation of the patient. The endothelial cell
      count was collected preoperatively and 1 month postoperatively. RESULTS: The
      patient-reported pain scores were significantly lower in the interventional group
      at the following stages of the operation: nucleus rotation (P < 0.001), bisection
      of the nucleus (P < 0.001), and prolapse of the nucleus (P < 0.001). The surgeon
      assessment showed better patient cooperation in the lidocaine group (P = 0.04).
      There was no significant difference in endothelial cell loss between the 2
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although topical anesthesia alone provides acceptable
      anesthesia for manual small-incision cataract surgery, combined topical and
      intracameral anesthesia decreased patients' discomfort and increased their
      cooperation during the operation.

PMID- 26107862
TI  - Changes in Forward and Backward Light Scatter in Keratoconus Resulting From
      Corneal Cross-Linking.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study the forward and backward light scatter in keratoconic corneas
      before and after cross-linking. DESIGN: An institutional, prospective, cross
      sectional study was conducted. METHODS: This study includes 35 eyes of 25
      patients with keratoconus scheduled for either standard corneal collagen cross
      linking with riboflavin (CXL) or transepithelial corneal cross-linking (TE-CXL).
      A group of 26 healthy myopic eyes from 26 prerefractive patients was included as
      normal reference. Before and 6 months after cross-linking, forward light scatter
      was measured using the compensation comparison method, whereas backward light
      scatter was measured using Scheimpflug imaging. RESULTS: In keratoconic eyes,
      backward light scatter originating from the corneal stroma was [mean (SD)] 27.2%
      (8.2%) higher than in the normal eyes (P < 0.001). In the anterior stroma, this
      increased backscatter was significantly correlated with the maximum corneal
      curvature Kmax as a measure of keratoconus severity (Pearson rho = 0.582, P =
      0.003). For forward light scatter, no significant difference was seen between the
      normal and keratoconus groups, nor was there any correlation with keratoconus
      severity. After CXL, the backscatter increased significantly by [mean (SD)] 33.0%
      (9.5%) in the entire corneal stroma (P = 0.001), whereas for TE-CXL, no
      significant increase was seen. Forward scatter increased significantly by [mean
      (SD)] 0.10 (0.10) log units (P = 0.009) and 0.09 (0.10) log units (P = 0.003) for
      CXL and TE-CXL, respectively, which is near the detection limit for an average
      patient. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike TE-CXL, CXL increases the already-elevated stromal
      backscatter in keratoconus. Forward scatter increases equally for both
      techniques.

PMID- 26107863
TI  - Idiopathic Macular Hole Vitrectomy Without Postoperative Face-Down Positioning
      Performed by Different Surgeons.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane
      peeling and sulfur hexafluoride gas tamponade without postoperative face-down
      positioning for macular holes (MHs) when performed by 3 surgeons at 2 centers.
      DESIGN: A retrospective, consecutive, observational case series. METHODS: Fifty
      seven eyes operated on by 1 of 3 surgeons and followed for 12 months after
      surgery were studied. Exclusion criteria included cases with MH duration longer
      than 6 months, secondary MH, and clear lenses. The surgical procedure involved
      cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation in all phakic eyes before
      vitrectomy. Internal limiting membrane removal and 20% sulfur hexafluoride gas
      tamponade without postoperative face-down positioning were performed in all
      cases. Preoperative factors [age at surgery, sex, symptom duration, visual acuity
      (VA), MH size, and MH stage], initial and final hole-closure rates and VA at 1,
      3, 6, and 12 months after surgery, were evaluated. RESULTS: Mean patient age was
      65.3 years. Of the 57 eyes, 40 were in women, and 17 were in men. Macular hole
      (mean size, 0.30 disc diameter) was present for a mean of 2.37 months. Eight eyes
      had stage 2, 37 had stage 3, and 12 had stage 4 MH. Fifty-four holes (94.7%)
      initially closed. Final closure rate was 100%. Mean VA significantly improved
      from 0.65 to 0.41 at 1 month, 0.35 at 3 months, 0.28 at 6 months, and 0.21 at 12
      months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Vitrectomy without face-down positioning for
      MHs produced favorable anatomic and functional results, regardless of which
      surgeon performed the procedure.

PMID- 26107864
TI  - Depression of Late Age-Related Macular Degeneration Patients in Korea.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of study was to investigate the relationship between depression
      and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Korea treated with intravitreal
      ranibizumab. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. This study included 107
      patients diagnosed with AMD treated with intravitreal ranibizumab. All patients
      answered the Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-K), and the
      prevalence of depression was evaluated. The patients from 1 center were
      classified into groups with and without depression according to GDS-K. Visual
      acuity (VA), duration, bilaterality, history of previous treatment for AMD, and
      comorbidities were assessed and compared between groups. The correlations between
      GDS-K and other variables were investigated. RESULTS: The prevalence of
      depression was 26.2% with AMD treated with intravitreal ranibizumab in this
      study. In subanalysis, the 23 depressed patients (33.3%) were older (P = 0.022)
      than the nondepressed. Positive correlations were observed between GDS-K and age,
      VA of injected eye, VA of better eye, duration of AMD, and the number of previous
      treatments for AMD. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study evaluating the
      relationship between depression and AMD in Koreans treated with intravitreal
      ranibizumab. The prevalence of depression in AMD is substantial and similar to
      those in previous reports. Interventions to diagnose and treat depression in AMD
      patients are necessary.

PMID- 26107865
TI  - Utilization of Eye Care Services Among Staff of a Tertiary Hospital.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the level of utilization of eye care services and to
      identify the barriers to uptake of eye care services among the staff in a
      hospital. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study conducted at a university teaching
      hospital. METHODS: A total of 250 staff members were selected using a
      proportionate sampling among the segment of study population. Data were collected
      using semistructured questionnaires, including demographic data, awareness about
      eye clinic and the services rendered, facilities utilized by staff in receiving
      eye treatment, and reasons for not utilizing the hospital eye care services. Data
      analysis was done using SPSS version 15. RESULTS: The majority (66%) of the staff
      were younger than 40 years. Around 229 staff members (91.6%) were aware of the
      clinic, whereas 222 (88.8%) were aware of at least 1 of the various services
      rendered. They received treatment from chemists (30.7%), private hospitals
      (26.3%), and optical shops (16.1%). The hospital eye clinic (11.8%) was the least
      chosen place to receive eye treatment. The reasons for nonutilization of eye care
      services were lack of finance (42.1%), poor staff attitude (23.7%), fear of
      damage to the eye (15.3%), high cost of treatment (9.7%), and ignorance of its
      existence (9.2%). Visual impairment was seen in 14 of the staff (5.6%), whereas
      blindness was seen in 1 (0.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The level of utilization of eye care
      services in the hospital by the staff is poor and very low compared with other
      facilities, although the majority had previous history of eye complaints.

PMID- 26107866
TI  - Asian Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Current Concepts and Gaps in Knowledge.
AB  - Data on the epidemiology and treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
      in Asian populations have been scarce. Recently, significant advances in the
      current knowledge of AMD in Asia have been made, but deficiencies in important
      areas remain. Epidemiological data on AMD in those 80 years or older are
      lacking.There are also few incidence data on AMD or polypoidal choroidal
      vasculopathy (PCV), an important variant of AMD that seems to be more common in
      Asia. The risk factors for PCV have not been clearly defined to the extent that
      those for AMD have. No trials of nutritional supplementation for AMD prevention
      in Asia exist, and there is also a lack of long-term clinical trial data on
      combination therapy for PCV and indeed very few trial data on PCV. These
      represent opportunities for future research. With aging populations in Asia,
      increased data on the prevalence, risk factors, prevention, and treatment of AMD
      and PCV in Asian populations will be needed to formulate evidence-based public
      health and clinical guidelines. 

PMID- 26107867
TI  - Neuro-ophthalmology Annual Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: To provide a clinical update of the neuro-ophthalmology literature over
      the last twelve months. DESIGN: This is an annual review of current literature
      from August 1, 2011 to August 1, 2012. METHODS: The authors conducted a one year
      English language neuro-ophthalmology literature search using PubMed from August
      1, 2011 to August 1, 2012 using the following search terms: pupil abnormalities,
      eye movements, diseases of muscle and musculoskeletal junction, optic nerve
      disorders, optic neuritis and multiple sclerosis, chiasm and posterior primary
      visual pathway lesions, increased intracranial pressure and related entities,
      tumors (e.g., meningioma) and aneurysm affecting the visual pathways, vascular
      diseases, higher visual functions, advances in neuroimaging, and miscellaneous
      topics in neuro-ophthalmology. The authors included original articles, review
      articles, and case reports, which revealed the new aspects and updates in neuro
      ophthalmology. Letters to the editor, unpublished work, and abstracts were not
      included in this annual literature review. We propose to update the practicing
      clinical ophthalmologist on the most clinically relevant literature from the past
      year. However, this review is not meant to be all-inclusive and highlights only
      the literature most applicable to the practicing clinical ophthalmologist.
      RESULTS: We reviewed the literature over the past year in neuro-ophthalmology of
      potential interest and relevance to the comprehensive ophthalmologist.
      CONCLUSION: This annual review provides a brief update on a number of
      neuroophthalmic conditions that might be of interest to the practicing clinical
      ophthalmologist.

PMID- 26107868
TI  - Prospects of Stem Cells for Retinal Diseases.
AB  - Retinal diseases, including glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy,
      and age-related macular degeneration, are the leading causes of irreversible
      visual impairment and blindness in developed countries. Traditional and current
      treatment regimens are based on surgical or medical interventions to slow down
      the disease progression. However, the number of retinal cells would continue to
      diminish, and the diseases could not be completely cured. There is an emerging
      role of stem cells in retinal research. The stem cell therapy on retinal diseases
      is based on 2 theories: cell replacement therapy and neuroprotective effect. The
      former hypothesizes that new retinal cells could be regenerated from stem cells
      to substitute the damaged cells in the diseased retina, whereas the latter
      believes that the paracrine effects of stem cells modulate the microenvironments
      of the diseased retina so as to protect the retinal neurons. This article
      summarizes the choice of stem cells in retinal research. Moreover, the current
      progress of retinal research on stem cells and the clinical applications of stem
      cells on retinal diseases are reviewed. In addition, potential challenges and
      future prospects of retinal stem cell research are discussed. 

PMID- 26107869
TI  - Bioinformatics in Retina.
AB  - Bioinformatics, a word coined for the applications of computer science in
      biology, is now promising as a major constituent in modern biology and biomedical
      research. Bioinformatics plays an important role for the integration of broad
      disciplines of biology to understand the complex mechanisms of the cell.
      Bioinformatics also aids the way in which biomedical investigators use the
      information in their testing. Development and implementation of this novel field
      enable efficient access and management of different types of biological
      information including those at the genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic level to
      understand about disease mechanisms and identify new molecular targets for drug
      discovery. Bioinformatics has expanded its wings in exploring out different
      important contributions in relation with medical sciences such as neurology,
      parasitology, hematology, and pathology including ophthalmology. Many
      bioinformatics-oriented studies have contributed a lot in ophthalmology and given
      birth to new avenues of occuloinformatics, hence, a new coined term,
      occuloinformatics: a new approach of research and diagnostics related to ocular
      disorders with significant inputs of bioinformatics. In this current review, we
      tried to focus on current avenues and significant contributions of bioinformatics
      with special reference to retinal disorders. 

PMID- 26107870
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding "Two Stage Correction of Blepharophimosis
      Syndrome: Analysis of Surgical Outcome".

PMID- 26107871
TI  - Two-Stage Correction of Blepharophimosis Syndrome: Analysis of Surgical Outcome
      Author Reply.

PMID- 26107872
TI  - In Response to "Comparison of the Surgical Outcomes of Various Methods of
      Endothelial Keratoplasty. APJO (Volume 1, Number 5, September/October 2012 259
      64".

PMID- 26107873
TI  - Comparison of the Surgical Outcomes of Various Methods of Endothelial
      Keratoplasty- Author Reply.

PMID- 26107874
TI  - The influence of synaptic size on AMPA receptor activation: a Monte Carlo model.
AB  - Physiological and electron microscope studies have shown that synapses are
      functionally and morphologically heterogeneous and that variations in size of
      synaptic junctions are related to characteristics such as release probability and
      density of postsynaptic AMPA receptors. The present article focuses on how these
      morphological variations impact synaptic transmission. We based our study on
      Monte Carlo computational simulations of simplified model synapses whose
      morphological features have been extracted from hundreds of actual synaptic
      junctions reconstructed by three-dimensional electron microscopy. We have
      examined the effects that parameters such as synaptic size or density of AMPA
      receptors have on the number of receptors that open after release of a single
      synaptic vesicle. Our results indicate that the maximum number of receptors that
      will open after the release of a single synaptic vesicle may show a ten-fold
      variation in the whole population of synapses. When individual synapses are
      considered, there is also a stochastical variability that is maximal in small
      synapses with low numbers of receptors. The number of postsynaptic receptors and
      the size of the synaptic junction are the most influential parameters, while the
      packing density of receptors or the concentration of extrasynaptic transporters
      have little or no influence on the opening of AMPA receptors. 

PMID- 26107875
TI  - Clearance of Pneumococcal Colonization in Infants Is Delayed through Altered
      Macrophage Trafficking.
AB  - Infections are a common cause of infant mortality worldwide, especially due to
      Streptococcus pneumoniae. Colonization is the prerequisite to invasive
      pneumococcal disease, and is particularly frequent and prolonged in children,
      though the mechanisms underlying this susceptibility are unknown. We find that
      infant mice exhibit prolonged pneumococcal carriage, and are delayed in
      recruiting macrophages, the effector cells of clearance, into the nasopharyngeal
      lumen. This lack of macrophage recruitment is paralleled by a failure to
      upregulate chemokine (C-C) motif ligand 2 (Ccl2 or Mcp-1), a macrophage
      chemoattractant that is required in adult mice to promote clearance. Baseline
      expression of Ccl2 and the related chemokine Ccl7 is higher in the infant
      compared to the adult upper respiratory tract, and this effect requires the
      infant microbiota. These results demonstrate that signals governing macrophage
      recruitment are altered at baseline in infant mice, which prevents the
      development of appropriate innate cell infiltration in response to pneumococcal
      colonization, delaying clearance of pneumococcal carriage. 

PMID- 26107876
TI  - Computational Biology: Moving into the Future One Click at a Time.

PMID- 26107877
TI  - Correction: IRES-Containing VEEV Vaccine Protects Cynomolgus Macaques from IE
      Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Aerosol Challenge.

PMID- 26107878
TI  - The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014: Examining Graduate
      Medical Education Enhancement in the Department of Veterans Affairs.
AB  - From 2006 to 2011, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) introduced the
      Graduate Medical Education (GME) Enhancement initiative to increase residency
      positions at VA training sites. VA once again has an opportunity to fund new
      residency positions through the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act
      of 2014 (VACAA). Congressional requirements under VACAA give priority to
      positions in primary care, mental health, and other specialties that the
      Secretary of Veterans Affairs deems appropriate. Moreover, facilities meeting the
      following criteria will be awarded priority for expansion: no prior GME
      activities, a shortage of physicians, rural locations, areas with a "high
      concentration of veterans," or located in Health Professional Shortage Areas as
      defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration. The authors of this
      Commentary discuss the implications of the new legislation, reviewing the past VA
      GME Enhancement efforts to examine the potential impact of further expansion of
      VA GME positions. Understanding the intent of the legislation and its provisions
      will allow qualified existing and potentially new affiliates to successfully
      pursue new residency positions during the five-year period of VA GME expansion
      under VACAA.

PMID- 26107879
TI  - Community Engagement Studios: A Structured Approach to Obtaining Meaningful Input
      From Stakeholders to Inform Research.
AB  - PROBLEM: Engaging communities in research increases its relevance and may speed
      the translation of discoveries into improved health outcomes. Many researchers
      lack training to effectively engage stakeholders, whereas academic institutions
      lack infrastructure to support community engagement. APPROACH: In 2009, the
      Meharry-Vanderbilt Community-Engaged Research Core began testing new approaches
      for community engagement, which led to the development of the Community
      Engagement Studio (CE Studio). This structured program facilitates project
      specific input from community and patient stakeholders to enhance research
      design, implementation, and dissemination. Developers used a team approach to
      recruit and train stakeholders, prepare researchers to engage with stakeholders,
      and facilitate an in-person meeting with both. OUTCOMES: The research core has
      implemented 28 CE Studios that engaged 152 community stakeholders. Participating
      researchers, representing a broad range of faculty ranks and disciplines,
      reported that input from stakeholders was valuable and that the CE Studio helped
      determine project feasibility and enhanced research design and implementation.
      Stakeholders found the CE Studio to be an acceptable method of engagement and
      reported a better understanding of research in general. A tool kit was developed
      to replicate this model and to disseminate this approach. NEXT STEPS: The
      research core will collect data to better understand the impact of CE Studios on
      research proposal submissions, funding, research outcomes, patient and
      stakeholder engagement in projects, and dissemination of results. They will also
      collect data to determine whether CE Studios increase patient-centered approaches
      in research and whether stakeholders who participate have more trust and
      willingness to participate in research.

PMID- 26107880
TI  - Improving Documentation Timeliness: A "Brighter Future" for the Electronic
      Medical Record in Resident Clinics.
AB  - PROBLEM: Electronic medical records have many observed benefits but may cause
      work disruption, resulting in delayed documentation completion. The purpose of
      this project was to improve compliance with institutional standards of
      documentation of well child checks for residents and attendings without
      increasing stress. APPROACH: This project was completed at Children's Hospital
      Primary Care Clinic at Vanderbilt, which is staffed by 74 residents, supervised
      by 17 attendings. A longitudinal observational study using convenience sampling
      for the last full week of each month from October 2010-January 2012 was planned.
      Baseline documentation completion rates were assessed, then age-specific,
      structured data-entry forms were introduced beginning in March 2011. Run charts
      were created for completion data for all clinic visits in the sample. Physician
      self-report of satisfaction with and stress related to documentation was assessed
      through pre- and postintervention surveys. OUTCOMES: Data were derived for an
      average of 231 patient visits per month. The median percentage of documentation
      or attestations completed within the institutional standards increased from 54.7%
      to 78.9% for residents and from 38.2% to 83.5% for attendings. Physicians
      reporting high satisfaction with documentation increased from 20.5% to 85.7% (P <
      .01) for residents and from 11.1% to 76.9% (P < .01) for attendings. Residents
      reporting high stress with documentation decreased from 59.1% to 28.6% (P < .02).
      NEXT STEPS: Use of age-specific, structured data-entry forms achieved marked
      improvement in documentation timeliness, but there is still room for improvement.
      The authors are now teaching computer-based documentation in exam rooms and
      instituting accountability measures.

PMID- 26107881
TI  - Appraising the quality of medical education research methods: the Medical
      Education Research Study Quality Instrument and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale
      Education.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) and the
      Newcastle-Ottawa Scale-Education (NOS-E) were developed to appraise
      methodological quality in medical education research. The study objective was to
      evaluate the interrater reliability, normative scores, and between-instrument
      correlation for these two instruments. METHOD: In 2014, the authors searched
      PubMed and Google for articles using the MERSQI or NOS-E. They obtained or
      extracted data for interrater reliability-using the intraclass correlation
      coefficient (ICC)-and normative scores. They calculated between-scale correlation
      using Spearman rho. RESULTS: Each instrument contains items concerning sampling,
      controlling for confounders, and integrity of outcomes. Interrater reliability
      for overall scores ranged from 0.68 to 0.95. Interrater reliability was
      "substantial" or better (ICC > 0.60) for nearly all domain-specific items on both
      instruments. Most instances of low interrater reliability were associated with
      restriction of range, and raw agreement was usually good. Across 26 studies
      evaluating published research, the median overall MERSQI score was 11.3 (range
      8.9-15.1, of possible 18). Across six studies, the median overall NOS-E score was
      3.22 (range 2.08-3.82, of possible 6). Overall MERSQI and NOS-E scores correlated
      reasonably well (rho 0.49-0.72). CONCLUSIONS: The MERSQI and NOS-E are useful,
      reliable, complementary tools for appraising methodological quality of medical
      education research. Interpretation and use of their scores should focus on item
      specific codes rather than overall scores. Normative scores should be used for
      relative rather than absolute judgments because different research questions
      require different study designs.

PMID- 26107882
TI  - Residents' Perspectives on Rewards and Challenges of Caring for Ambulatory Care
      Patients Living With Chronic Illness: Findings From Three Academic Health
      Centers.
AB  - PURPOSE: To elicit residents' perspectives on rewards and challenges of caring
      for ambulatory patients with chronic illness and ways to improve their education
      in caring for these patients. METHOD: The authors conducted a qualitative study
      with internal medicine residents during ambulatory medicine block rotations at
      three academic health centers from October 2011 through February 2012. Focus
      group questions covered rewards and challenges of caring for patients with
      chronic illness and strengths and weaknesses of residency education therein, and
      the Chronic Care Model provided a framework for interpretation. Qualitative
      analysis was used to identify themes. RESULTS: Five focus groups were conducted
      with 28 residents. Discussions yielded 224 comments, which were categorized into
      5 domains and 36 themes. Twelve themes related to perceptions of challenges in
      providing care, and 3 themes related to perceptions of rewards in providing care.
      Eight themes focused on strategies to improve the patient experience. Strengths
      of the residency program were identified in 7 themes. Six themes related to ways
      for improving learning about caring for patients with chronic disease in the
      ambulatory setting. CONCLUSIONS: Residents perceived rewards, challenges, and
      barriers in caring for patients with chronic illness in the ambulatory setting,
      from providers' and patients' perspectives. They have developed strategies to
      provide effective patient care. Residents identified best practices in their
      residency for resident education and patient care and also made suggestions for
      improvement. Findings have significant implications for residency education and
      practice redesign in the 21st century for care of patients with chronic illness.

PMID- 26107883
TI  - Favorable alteration of tumor microenvironment by immunomodulatory cytokines for
      efficient T-cell therapy in solid tumors.
AB  - Unfavorable ratios between the number and activation status of effector and
      suppressor immune cells infiltrating the tumor contribute to resistance of solid
      tumors to T-cell based therapies. Here, we studied the capacity of FDA and EMA
      approved recombinant cytokines to manipulate this balance in favor of efficient
      anti-tumor responses in B16.OVA melanoma bearing C57BL/6 mice. Intratumoral
      administration of IFN-alpha2, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-2 significantly
      enhanced the anti-tumor effect of ovalbumin-specific CD8+ T-cell (OT-I) therapy,
      whereas GM-CSF increased tumor growth in association with an increase in
      immunosuppressive cell populations. None of the cytokines augmented tumor
      trafficking of OT-I cells significantly, but injections of IFN-alpha2, IFN-gamma
      and IL-2 increased intratumoral cytokine secretion and recruitment of endogenous
      immune cells capable of stimulating T-cells, such as natural killer and maturated
      CD11c+ antigen-presenting cells. Moreover, IFN-alpha2 and IL-2 increased the
      levels of activated tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T-cells concomitant with reduction in
      the CD8+ T-cell expression of anergy markers CTLA-4 and PD-1. In conclusion,
      intratumoral administration of IFN-alpha2, IFN-gamma and IL-2 can lead to immune
      sensitization of the established tumor, whereas GM-CSF may contribute to tumor
      associated immunosuppression. The results described here provide rationale for
      including local administration of immunostimulatory cytokines into T-cell therapy
      regimens. One appealing embodiment of this would be vectored delivery which could
      be advantageous over direct injection of recombinant molecules with regard to
      efficacy, cost, persistence and convenience. 

PMID- 26107886
TI  - Monte Carlo Simulations of HIV Capsid Protein Homodimer.
AB  - Capsid protein (CA) is the building block of virus coats. To help understand how
      the HIV CA proteins self-organize into large assemblies of various shapes, we aim
      to computationally evaluate the binding affinity and interfaces in a CA
      homodimer. We model the N- and C-terminal domains (NTD and CTD) of the CA as
      rigid bodies and treat the five-residue loop between the two domains as a
      flexible linker. We adopt a transferrable residue-level coarse-grained energy
      function to describe the interactions between the protein domains. In seven
      extensive Monte Carlo simulations with different volumes, a large number of
      binding/unbinding transitions between the two CA proteins are observed, thus
      allowing a reliable estimation of the equilibrium probabilities for the dimeric
      vs monomeric forms. The obtained dissociation constant for the CA homodimer from
      our simulations, 20-25 MUM, is in reasonable agreement with experimental
      measurement. A wide range of binding interfaces, primarily between the NTDs, are
      identified in the simulations. Although some observed bound structures here
      closely resemble the major binding interfaces in the capsid assembly, they are
      statistically insignificant in our simulation trajectories. Our results suggest
      that although the general purpose energy functions adopted here could reasonably
      reproduce the overall binding affinity for the CA homodimer, further adjustment
      would be needed to accurately represent the relative strength of individual
      binding interfaces. 

PMID- 26107884
TI  - High-Density Dielectrophoretic Microwell Array for Detection, Capture, and Single
      Cell Analysis of Rare Tumor Cells in Peripheral Blood.
AB  - Development of a reliable platform and workflow to detect and capture a small
      number of mutation-bearing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from a blood sample is
      necessary for the development of noninvasive cancer diagnosis. In this
      preclinical study, we aimed to develop a capture system for molecular
      characterization of single CTCs based on high-density dielectrophoretic microwell
      array technology. Spike-in experiments using lung cancer cell lines were
      conducted. The microwell array was used to capture spiked cancer cells, and
      captured single cells were subjected to whole genome amplification followed by
      sequencing. A high detection rate (70.2%-90.0%) and excellent linear performance
      (R2 = 0.8189-0.9999) were noted between the observed and expected numbers of
      tumor cells. The detection rate was markedly higher than that obtained using the
      CellSearch system in a blinded manner, suggesting the superior sensitivity of our
      system in detecting EpCAM- tumor cells. Isolation of single captured tumor cells,
      followed by detection of EGFR mutations, was achieved using Sanger sequencing.
      Using a microwell array, we established an efficient and convenient platform for
      the capture and characterization of single CTCs. The results of a proof-of
      principle preclinical study indicated that this platform has potential for the
      molecular characterization of captured CTCs from patients. 

PMID- 26107885
TI  - Serum Total Cholinesterase Activity on Admission Is Associated with Disease
      Severity and Outcome in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of
      neurological disability. In this retrospective study, serum total cholinesterase
      (ChE) activities were analyzed in 188 patients for diagnostic as well as
      predictive values for mortality. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Within 72 hours after
      injury, serum ChE activities including both acetylcholinesterase and
      butyrylcholinesterase were measured. Disease severity was evaluated with Acute
      Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, Glasgow Coma Score,
      length of coma, post-traumatic amnesia and injury feature. Neurocognitive and
      functional scores were assessed using clinical records. Of 188 patients, 146
      (77.7%) survived and 42 (22.3%) died within 90 days. Lower ChE activities were
      noted in the non-survivors vs. survivors (5.94+/-2.19 vs. 7.04+/-2.16 kU/L,
      p=0.023), in septic vs. non-infected patients (5.93+/-1.89 vs. 7.31+/-2.45 kU/L,
      p=0.0005) and in patients with extremely severe injury vs. mild injury (6.3+/
      1.98 vs. 7.57+/-2.48 kU/L, p=0.049). The trajectories of serum ChE levels were
      also different between non-survivors and survivors, septic and non-infected
      patients, mild and severely injured patients, respectively. Admission ChE
      activities were closely correlated with blood cell counts, neurocognitive and
      functional scores both on admission and at discharge. Receiver operating
      characteristic analysis showed that the area under the curve for ChE was inferior
      to that for either APACHE II or white blood cell (WBC) count. However, at the
      optimal cutoff value of 5 kU/L, the sensitivity of ChE for correct prediction of
      90-day mortality was 65.5% and the specificity was 86.4%. Kaplan-Meier analysis
      showed that lower ChE activity (<5 kU/L) was more closely correlated with poor
      survival than higher ChE activity (>5 kU/L) (p=0.04). After adjusting for other
      variables, ChE was identified as a borderline independent predictor for mortality
      as analyzed by Binary logistic regression (P=0.078). CONCLUSIONS: Lowered ChE
      activity measured on admission appears to be associated with disease severity and
      outcome for TBI patients.

PMID- 26107887
TI  - Successful use of tigecycline for treatment of culture-negative pyogenic
      vertebral osteomyelitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis (PVO) is a severe infection that
      requires prolonged antimicrobial therapy and/or surgical interventions. Limited
      data are available on the safety and clinical efficacy of tigecycline in PVO. The
      objective of this study was to describe the clinical outcomes of patients treated
      with tigecycline for culture-negative PVO that was unresponsive to empirical
      antibiotic therapy including intravenous ampicillin-sulbactam plus ciprofloxacin
      or ampicillin-sulbactam alone. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 15 patients
      with culture-negative PVO from 2009 through 2014. The patients received
      tigecycline as secondary empirical therapy, after not responding to the first
      empirical therapy. Clinical success was defined as recovery from symptoms and
      normalization of laboratory parameters at the end of therapy. Continued clinical
      success at 24 weeks after the end of the therapy was defined as sustained
      clinical success. RESULTS: Tigecycline treatment was completed in 14 patients and
      discontinued in 1 due to severe nausea and vomiting. The mean age of the patients
      was 67.7 years (range 58-77 years), and 57.1% (8/14) were women. In all, 78.6%
      (11/14) of patients had risk factors for probable resistant staphylococcal and
      gram-negative infections such as diabetes mellitus, presence of hemodialysis
      catheters, and prior antibiotic usage. The average duration of tigecycline
      treatment was 8.3 weeks (range 6-11 weeks). Sustained clinical success was
      obtained in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Tigecycline should be considered as an
      alternative agent for the treatment of PVO in selected patients due to
      microbiological activity against resistant gram-positive and gram-negative
      bacteria.

PMID- 26107888
TI  - Less Surgery, Improved Survival From Stage IV Colorectal Cancer?

PMID- 26107889
TI  - Modeling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in pure human iPSc-derived motor neurons
      isolated by a novel FACS double selection technique.
AB  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a severe and incurable neurodegenerative
      disease. Human motor neurons generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSc)
      offer new perspectives for disease modeling and drug testing in ALS. In standard
      iPSc-derived cultures, however, the two major phenotypic alterations of ALS-
      degeneration of motor neuron cell bodies and axons--are often obscured by cell
      body clustering, extensive axon criss-crossing and presence of unwanted cell
      types. Here, we succeeded in isolating 100% pure and standardized human motor
      neurons by a novel FACS double selection based on a p75(NTR) surface epitope and
      an HB9::RFP lentivirus reporter. The p75(NTR)/HB9::RFP motor neurons survive and
      grow well without forming clusters or entangled axons, are electrically
      excitable, contain ALS-relevant motor neuron subtypes and form functional
      connections with co-cultured myotubes. Importantly, they undergo rapid and
      massive cell death and axon degeneration in response to mutant SOD1 astrocytes.
      These data demonstrate the potential of FACS-isolated human iPSc-derived motor
      neurons for improved disease modeling and drug testing in ALS and related motor
      neuron diseases.

PMID- 26107890
TI  - [Rearrangement and inference of chromosome structures].
AB  - The chromosome structure is defined as a set of chromosomes that consist of genes
      assigned to one of the DNA strands and represented in a circular or linear
      arrangement. A widely investigated problem is to define the shortest algorithmic
      path of chromosome rearrangements that transforms one chromosome structure into
      another. When equal rearrangement costs and constant gene content are considered,
      the solution to the problem is known. In this work, a principally novel approach
      was developed that presents an exact algorithm with linear time complexity for
      both equal and unequal costs, in which chromosome structures defined on the same
      set of genes were considered. In addition, to solve the problem of the inference
      of ancestral chromosome structures containing different sets of genes when the
      original structures are fixed in leaves, exact and heuristic algorithms were
      developed. 

PMID- 26107891
TI  - [Bacteriophage lambda: electrostatic properties of the genome and its elements].
AB  - Bacteriophage lambda is a classical model object in molecular biology, but little
      is still known on the physical properties of its DNA and regulatory elements. A
      study was made of the electrostatic properties of phage lambda DNA and regulatory
      elements. A global electrostatic potential distribution along the phage genome
      was found to be nonuniform with main regulatory elements being located in a
      limited region with a high potential. The RNA polymerase binding frequency on the
      linearized phage chromosome directly correlates with its local potential. Strong
      promoters of the phage and its host Escherichia coli have distinct electrostatic
      upstream elements, which differ in nucleotide sequence. Attachment and
      recombination sites of phage lambda and its host have a higher potential, which
      possibly facilitates their recognition by integrase. Phage lambda and host Rho
      independent terminators have a symmetrical M-shaped potential profile, which only
      slightly depends on the annotated terminator palindrome length, and occur in a
      region with a substantially higher potential, which may cause polymerase
      retention, facilitating the formation of a terminator hairpin in RNA. It was
      concluded that virtually all elements of phage lambda genome have potential
      distribution specifics, which are related to their structural properties and may
      play a role in their biological function. The global potential distribution along
      the phage genome reflects the architecture of the regulation of its transcription
      and integration in the host genome. 

PMID- 26107892
TI  - [Conserved motifs in the primary and secondary ITS1 structures in bryophytes].
AB  - A study of the ITS1 nucleotide sequences of 1000 moss species of 62 families, 11
      liverwort species from five orders, and one hornwort Anthoceros agrestis
      identified five highly conserved motifs (CM1-CM5), which are presumably involved
      in pre-rRNA processing. Although the ITS1 sequences substantially differ in
      length and the extent of divergence, the conserved motifs are found in all of
      them. ITS1 secondary structures were constructed for 76 mosses, and main
      regularities at conserved motif positioning were observed. The positions of
      processing sites in the ITS1 secondary structure of the yeast Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae were found to be similar to the positions of the conserved motifs in
      the ITS1 secondary structures of mosses and liverworts. In addition, a potential
      hairpin formation in the putative secondary structure of a pre-rRNA fragment was
      considered for the region between ITS1 CM4-CM5 and a highly conserved region
      between hairpins 49 and 50 (H49 and H50) of the 18S rRNA. 

PMID- 26107893
TI  - [Repetitive DNA sequences as an indicator of the level of genetic isolation in
      fish].
AB  - Although the functional role is still unknown for most types of nuclear noncoding
      repetitive sequences, some of them proved to provide adequate phylogenetic and
      taxonomic markers for studying the genetic relationships of organisms at the
      species and within-species levels. Several markers were used in this work. First,
      microsatellite markers were used to examine populations varying in the extent of
      genetic subdivision in marine and anadromous fish, including the Chilean jack
      mackerel Trachurus murphyi, anadromous brown trout Salmo trutta, and isolated and
      anadromous char populations. Locus polymorphism was proportional to the gene flow
      between populations in all cases. Second, satellite DNA was used to study the
      phylogenetic relationships within the genera Salmo, Oncorhynchus, Salvelinus, and
      Coregonus. Genetic distances agreed well with the taxonomic relationships based
      on morphological traits and various biochemical markers and correlated with the
      evolutionary ages estimated for the groups by other markers. Third, RAPD PCR with
      a set of 20-mer primers was performed to study the genus Coregonus and anadromous
      and isolated populations and species of the genus Salvelinus. The resulting
      phylogenetic trees may help to resolve some disputable taxonomic issues for the
      groups. A comparison showed that several RAPD-detected sequences contain
      conserved fragments of coding sequences and polymorphic repeats (minisatellites)
      from intergenic regions or introns. The finding point to a nonrandom nature of
      repetitive DNA divergence and may reflect the evolution of the fish groups
      examined. Heterochromatic satellite repeats were assumed to contribute to
      generating a reproductive barrier. 

PMID- 26107894
TI  - [Characterization of retrotransposon Bov-B LINE reverse transcriptase gene
      sequences in parthenogenetic lizards Darevskia unisexualis and bisexual species
      D. nairensis and D. valentini].
AB  - Cloning and sequencing of the partial reverse transcriptase gene (750 bp) of the
      Bov-B LINE retrotransposon have been held in parthenogenetic lizards Darevskia
      unisexualis and its assumed parental bisexual species D. nairensis and
      D.valentini. It was shown that the percentage of transcriptionally active copies
      of this gene, which does not contain a stop codon, is almost the same in the
      three species and is about 75%. The intragenomic divergence level of these
      sequences is low and was found to be 2.6% in D. unisexualis, 1.9% in D.
      nairensis, and 1.6% in D. valentini. The phylogenetic analysis shows the
      distribution of copies of D. unisexualis in each of the two clusters of RT
      sequences characteristic of D. nairensis and D. valentini. This result supports
      the view of the hybrid origin of D. unisexualis and does not exclude
      intraspecific hybridization between D. nairensis and D. valentini. 

PMID- 26107895
TI  - [Molecular genetic characterization of the Far Eastern trematode Skrjabino
      lecithum spasskii Belous, 1954 (Digenea: Haploporidae)), a parasite of mullets].
AB  - Intraspecific genetic differentiation of the trematode Skrjabinolecithum spasskii
      and its phylogenetic relationships with other species of the family Haploporidae
      were studied by comparing the nucleotide sequences of a part of the 28S rRNA gene
      and the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA region. Trematodes were isolated from so-iuy mullet
      Liza haematocheila fishes collected in rivers of Primorye and flathead grey
      mullet Mugil cephalus fishes collected in water bodies of Vietnam (27 fishes in
      total). A phylogenetic analysis showed that S. spasskii is close to species of
      the genus Capitimitta of the subfamily Waretrematinae. By intraspecific variation
      of rDNA sequences, trematodes were divided into three groups with tree different
      genotypes, which had fixed nucleotide substitutions. Genotype I was found in
      trematodes from fishes collected in Primorye. Genotype II was detected in
      trematodes from M. cephalus fishes collected in the Tonkin Bay, Cat Ba Island,
      Vietnam. Genotype III was found in five trematodes from L. haematocheila
      collected in the Kievka River, Primorye. The genetic distances between genotypes
      I and III from Primorye were 0.4 and 0.65% by 28S and ITS rDNA sequences,
      respectively. The lowest genetic distances were observed between genotypes II
      (Vietnam) and III (Primorye), 0.1 and 0.33% by 28S and ITS rDNA sequences,
      respectively. Possible causes of genetic differentiation of S. spasskii from
      different geographic locations and different definitive host species are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26107896
TI  - [Regularities of the ubiquitous polyhostal microorganisms selection by the
      example of three taxa].
AB  - The investigation of the bacterial populations' heterogeneity contributes to the
      control of natural foci, causative agents of nosocomial infections, to the
      analysis of the microbial evolution. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was
      employed for the analysis of the diversity and features of the distribution of
      polyhostal ubiquitous microorganisms of the genera Burkholderia, Leptospira, and
      Listeria, which belong to three bacterial phyla: Proteobacteria, Spirochaetes,
      and Firmicutes. According to the bacterial samples analysis microbial genotypes
      prevalent and unique to Russia were identified; their occurrence in different
      Federal Regions was investigated; their similarity with global spread genotypes
      was appreciated. Obtained results allowed identifying common regularities of the
      selection of the microorganisms capable to cause the diseases of human and
      animals. The formation of genotypes that are most pathogenic for the host was
      demonstrated for all groups of bacteria. Leptospira spp. and Listeria
      monocytogenes strains with these genotypes have been circulating for a long time,
      being supported by natural foci. The formation of a wide variety of genotypes
      with different pathogenicity was demonstrated in the local geographic areas. In
      Russia, the zonal difference in all three groups of bacteria is most clearly
      traced to the Far Eastern Federal Region. The results are thought to contribute
      to analyzing the factors of selection and the phylogeny of the taxa under study. 

PMID- 26107897
TI  - [Phylogeny of genus Spermophilus and position of Alashan ground squirrel
      (Spermophilus alashanicus, Buchner, 1888) on phylogenetic tree of Paleartic short
      tailed ground squirrels].
AB  - Phylogenetic relationships within a group of Paleartic short tailed ground
      squirrels (Spermophilus), recently defined as genus, are not sufficiently clear
      and need a critical revision. Interspecies hybridization, found in Eurasian
      Spermophilus, can affect the results of reconstruction of molecular phylogeny.
      Alashan ground squirrel position on the phylogenetic tree needs clarification. We
      analyzed eight nucleotide sequences of cytb gene of S. alashanicus and 127
      sequences of other Spermophilus species form GenBank. S.alashanicus and S.
      dauricus close phylogenetic relationship, and their affinity to ancestral forms
      of the group are revealed. Monophyly of Colobotis subgenus was confirmed.
      Paraphyly of eastern and western forms of S. relictus was shown. 

PMID- 26107898
TI  - [Influence of anthropogenous factors on the genetic variety of the sable (Martes
      zibellina L.)].
AB  - The genetic variety of seven geographic populations of sable has been studied;
      its distribution area stretches from the Urals to the Far East. It was shown
      using the panel of eight nuclear microsatellite markers that the sable
      populations from different geographical regions retain their individual genetic
      characteristics, despite the influence of anthropogenous factors (overhunting and
      introduction). There is a significant genetic similarity between the three
      populations of Central Siberia (Reynolds distances are 0.170-0.200) due to the
      influence of natural migrations that weaken genetic differentiation, while
      genetic difference is maximum (0.361) between populations located at the edges of
      the sable' habitat. The population of the Kamchatka Peninsula is isolated and
      exists as an independent phylogenetic group. An analysis of the topology of the
      phylogenetic tree suggests that the populations of Kamchatka and the Sikhote-Alin
      are closest to the ancestral form. Despite the existence of interspecific hybrids
      of sable and marten, the level of interspecific genetic differentiation between
      them is maximal. 

PMID- 26107900
TI  - [The complete mitochondrial genome of peacock sole Pardachirus pavoninus
      (Pleuronectiformes: Soleidae) and comparative analysis of the control region
      among 13 soles].
AB  - The complete mitogenome of the peacock sole Pardachirus pavoninus (Lacepede,
      1802) was determined. The total length is 16 536 bp, containing 13 protein-coding
      genes, 22 tRNA genes and two rRNA genes, as well as one control region (CR). The
      L-strand replication origin (OL), which is typically located in the WANCY
      cluster, is lost in P. pavoninus. The gene arrangement is identical to that in
      most teleosts. Comparison of the CR sequences among 13 soles reveals that a 211
      bp fragment at the 5'-end of the CR is lost in the P. pavoninus mitogenome,
      responsible for its short sequence with a length of 872 bp. All typical
      conservative blocks (TAS, CSB-F, E, D, C, B, A, CSB-1, 2, 3) are identified.
      Seven out of 13 soles contain tandem repeats in the CR and the possible
      mechanisms of their formation are discussed. These results may provide the
      consensus sequences of the conserved units in the sole CR as well as molecular
      data for phylogenetic studies on Soleidae and Pleuronectiformes. 

PMID- 26107899
TI  - [The amplification of CYP9 genes as a preadaptation of the black garden ant
      Lasius niger to urban conditions].
AB  - Ants are one of the most ancient and successful groups of eusocial animals and
      they are spread all over the world. The nucleotide sequences of the genomes of
      eight ant species were determined by the year 2014. In these species, the
      mechanisms of ecological success, cast differentiation, and social communication
      were studied at genomic level. In ants, the genes of the cytochromes P450
      involved in metabolism of xenobiotics and various endogenic substances are
      amplified. Although the substrates for several cytochrome P450 families have been
      identified, the functions of the ninth family, which is one of the most
      amplified, remain unknown. The black garden ant Lasius niger is one of the spices
      that have successfully adapted to urban conditions. To study the mechanisms of
      adaptation, we have read and annotated the nucleotide sequence of the L. niger
      genome; we have predicted the functions of the CYP9 genes using virtual
      screening. The obtained data allow us to suggest that cytochromes P450 are
      involved in the metabolism of various xenobiotics such as phytotoxins,
      mycotoxins, and insecticides. We assume that the functional divergence of the new
      CYP9 duplications was initially aimed at developing resistance to various
      mycotoxins, in particular to those produced by Fusarium fungi and, subsequently,
      to other xenobiotics. 

PMID- 26107901
TI  - [Methods to study the RNA-protein interactions].
AB  - RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play an important role in regulating gene expression
      at the posttranscriptional level, including the steps of pre-mRNA splicing,
      polyadenylation, mRNA stabilization, mRNA export from the nucleus to the
      cytoplasm, mRNA localization, and translation. RBPs regulate these processes
      primarily by binding to specific sequence elements in newly synthesized or mature
      transcripts. While many RPBs are known to recognize certain nucleotide sequences
      in RNA, information is insufficient for others. In particular, RBPs often compete
      for RNA binding or interact with RNA cooperatively. Hence, it is of importance to
      study the RNA-protein interactions in vivo. Numerous methods have been developed
      to identify the target nucleotide sequences of RBPs. The methods include the
      electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), systematic evolution of ligands by
      exponential enrichment (SELEX), RNA pull-down assay, RNA footprinting, RNA
      immunoprecipitation (RIP), UV-induced crosslinking immunoprecipitation (CLIP) and
      its variants, and measurement of the level for newly synthesized transcripts.
      Each of the methods has its limitation, and several methods supplementing each
      other should be employed in order to detect the RNA sequence to which a protein
      binds. 

PMID- 26107902
TI  - [Comparative analysis of the role of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in severe asthma
      development].
AB  - The role of CD8^(+) T cells in asthma has not been fully discussed. The
      mechanisms of CD4^(+) and CD8^(+) cells in severe asthma (SA) development were
      compared. The microarray data (GSE31773) was downloaded from the Gene Expression
      Omnibus (GEO) database, including 20 samples of CD4^(+) and CD8^(+) T cells,
      which were collected from 8 health controls (HC), 4 non-severe asthma (NSA) and 8
      SA patients. DEGs of CD4^(+) and CD8^(+) T cells in the HC vs. NSA and HC vs. SA
      groups were identified using the limma package in R. GO and pathway enrichment
      analysis of the common DEGs between the two groups were analyzed using DAVID. The
      interactive network of DEGs and significant modules were further explored. In
      CD4^(+) cells, there were 168 DEGs in HC vs. NSA group and 685 DEGs in HC vs. SA
      group, while for CD8^(+) T cells there were 719 DEGs in the HC vs. NSA groups and
      1255 DEGs in the HC vs. SA groups. Besides, 80 common DEGs from CD4^(+) samples
      were enriched in the MAPKKK cascade and molecular metabolism, and 385 common DEGs
      of CD8^(+) T cells were significantly related with cell apoptosis and
      transformation. Moreover, two significant modules of DEGs in CD4^(+) were found
      to be involved with MPO and BPI. One module of CD8^(+) T cells containing PDHA1
      and MRPL42 was identified to be related with glycolysis. In conclusion, MPO and
      BPI in CD4^(+), and PDHA1 and MRPL42 in CD8^(+) T cells might be used as specific
      biomarkers of SA progression. Therapy targeting the functions of CD4^(+) and
      CD8^(+) T cells may provide a novel perspective for SA treatment. 

PMID- 26107903
TI  - [Importin-beta1 plays a key role in the nucleocytoplasmic transportation process
      of MARVELD1].
AB  - While MARVEL domain-containing protein 1 (MARVELD1) is widely expressed in normal
      tissue, its expression is decreased in tumor tissue. Importin-beta1 is a kind of
      nucleocytoplasmic transport protein, which participates in protein transportation
      between the nucleus and cytoplasm. It has been known that MARVELD1 binds importin
      beta1. To define the biological functions of the binding between MARVELD1 and
      importin-beta1, confocal laser scanning microscopy was applied to confirm the
      distribution of MARVELD1 in the cells when importin-beta1, is knocked down, and
      the results show that MARVELD1's concentration is decreased in the nucleus and
      elevated in the cytoplasm. GST-pull down and western blot were applied to test
      the binding affinity between the normal importin-beta1, and several truncations
      of MARVELD1, and the binding affinity between the normal MARVELD1 and several
      truncations of importin-beta1. These results show that there exist several
      binding points between MARVELD1 and importin-beta1. Basing on these results one
      can come to a conclusion that importin-beta1 mediates the non-classical
      nucleocytoplasmic transportation of MARVELD1. It was also found that knockdown of
      importin-beta1, leads to an increase in the total density of MARVELD1.
      Considering the abnormally reduced expression of MARVELD1 in tumor tissue, the
      results of this study will help gaining a better understanding of the roles of
      MARVELD1 in the signal network systems during tumorigenesis in cancer cells. 

PMID- 26107904
TI  - [Joint locus of a/b-globin genes in Danio rerio is segregated into structural
      subdomains active at different stages of development].
AB  - In the domain model of eukaryotic genome organization, the functional unit of the
      genome, along with the relevant regulatory elements, is considered to be a gene
      or a gene family. In hot-blooded vertebrate animals, the domains of a- and b
      globin genes are positioned at different chromosomes and are organized and
      regulated in different fashion. In cold-blooded animals, in particular in
      tropical fish Danio rerio, a- and b globin genes are located in a common gene
      cluster. However, the joint a/b-globin gene cluster is subdivided into two
      development stage-specific subdomains, the adult one and the embryonic-larval
      one. In an attempt to find out whether this functional segregation correlates
      with structural segregation of the domain we compared the DNase I sensitivity and
      profiles of histone modifications of adult and embryonic-larval segments of the
      domain in cultured D. rerio fibroblasts. We have demonstrated that, in these
      nonerythroid cells, adult and embryonic- larval subdomains possess different
      DNase I sensitivities and different profiles of H3K27me3, a histone modification
      introduced by PRC2 complex. These observations suggest that joint a/b globin gene
      domain of Danio rerio is segregated into two structural subdomain harboring adult
      and embryonic-larval globin genes. 

PMID- 26107905
TI  - [Effect of mutations and modifications of amino acid residues on zinc-induced
      interaction of the metal-binding domain of beta-amyloid with DNA].
AB  - Interaction of intranuclear beta-amyloid with DNA is considered to be a plausible
      mechanism of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. The interaction of single- and
      double-stranded DNA with synthetic peptides was analyzed using surface plasmon
      resonance. The peptides represent the metal-binding domain of beta-amyloid (amino
      acids 1-16) and its variants with chemical modifications and point substitutions
      of amino acid residues which are associated with enhanced neurotoxicity of beta
      amyloid in cell tests. It has been shown that the presence of zinc ions is
      necessary for the interaction of the peptides with DNA in solution. H6R
      substitution has remarkably reduced the ability of domain 1-16 to bind DNA. This
      is in accordance with the supposition that the coordination of a zinc ion by
      amino acid residues His6, Glu11, His13, and His14 of the beta-amyloid metal
      binding domain results in the occurrence of an anion-binding site responsible for
      the interaction of the domain with DNA. Zinc-induced dimerization and
      oligomerization of domain 1-16 associated with phosphorylation of Ser8 and the
      presence of unblocked amino- and carboxy-terminal groups have resulted in a
      decrease of peptide concentrations required for detection of the peptide-DNA
      interaction. The presence of multiple anion-binding sites on the dimers and
      oligomers is responsible for the enhancement of the peptide-DNA interaction. A
      substitution of the negatively charged residue Asp7 for the neutral residue Asn
      in close proximity to the anion-binding site of the domain 1-16 of Abeta
      facilitates the electrostatic interaction between this site and phosphates of a
      polynucleotide chain, which enhances zinc-induced binding to DNA. 

PMID- 26107906
TI  - [Strategy of probe selection for studying mRNAs that participate in receptor
      mediated apoptosis signaling].
AB  - Death receptors (DRs) and the participants of DR-mediated signaling are
      characterized by a large number of mRNA isoforms generated by alternative
      splicing. Due to their high labor intensity and high cost, conventional methods
      (RT-PCR and RT-PCR in real time) are ineffective when the simultaneous detection
      of a plurality of mRNA isoforms is needed. In this regard, the use of DNA
      biochips is has prospective applications in analyzing the expression of many
      genes simultaneously. In this paper, we suggest an optimal strategy of probes
      selection aimed at detecting the maximum number of mRNA splice variants generated
      by major participants of DR-signaling. The objects of the study were 185 genes
      that form 1134 mRNA isoforms. As a result, a biochip design was developed that
      enables the detection of 499 mRNA isoforms (44% of total mRNA splice variants).
      The proposed strategy combines a high degree of modularity, the use of modern
      high-performance computers, and broad opportunities for setting up the selection
      criteria in accordance with the objectives of the study. 

PMID- 26107907
TI  - [An intriguing model for 5S rDNA sequences dispersion in the genome of freshwater
      stingray Potamotrygon motoro (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae)].
AB  - 5S rDNA genes of the stingray Potamotrygon motoro were PCR replicated, purified,
      cloned and sequenced. Two distinct classes of segments of different sizes were
      obtained. The smallest, with 342 bp units, was classified as class I, and the
      largest, with 1900 bp units, was designated as class II. Alignment with the
      consensus sequences for both classes showed changes in a few bases in the 5S rDNA
      genes. TATA-like sequences were detected in the nontranscribed spacer (NTS)
      regions of class I and a microsatellite (GCT) 10 sequence was detected in the NTS
      region of class II. The results obtained can help to understand the molecular
      organization of ribosomal genes and the mechanism of gene dispersion. 

PMID- 26107908
TI  - Metagenomic Investigation of Viral Communities in Ballast Water.
AB  - Ballast water is one of the most important vectors for the transport of non
      native species to new aquatic environments. Due to the development of new ballast
      water quality standards for viruses, this study aimed to determine the taxonomic
      diversity and composition of viral communities (viromes) in ballast and harbor
      waters using metagenomics approaches. Ballast waters from different sources
      within the North America Great Lakes and paired harbor waters were collected
      around the Port of Duluth-Superior. Bioinformatics analysis of over 550 million
      sequences showed that a majority of the viral sequences could not be assigned to
      any taxa associated with reference sequences, indicating the lack of knowledge on
      viruses in ballast and harbor waters. However, the assigned viruses were
      dominated by double-stranded DNA phages, and sequences associated with
      potentially emerging viral pathogens of fish and shrimp were detected with low
      amino acid similarity in both ballast and harbor waters. Annotation-independent
      comparisons showed that viromes were distinct among the Great Lakes, and the
      Great Lakes viromes were closely related to viromes of other cold natural
      freshwater systems but distant from viromes of marine and human designed/managed
      freshwater systems. These results represent the most detailed characterization to
      date of viruses in ballast water, demonstrating their diversity and the potential
      significance of the ship-mediated spread of viruses. 

PMID- 26107909
TI  - Comparison of the effects of systemic sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil
      treatments on skin flap survival in rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The most important issue in flap surgery is flap viability. This study
      aimed to compare the effects of most commonly used phosphodiesterase type 5
      (PDE5) inhibitors on flap survival. METHODS: A 3 * 9 cm flap was elevated from
      the dorsum of 32 Wistar albino rats. In the control group, saline was
      administered 2 hours before the flap elevation and continued for 2 days after the
      surgery. In the sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil groups, the related drug
      was administered. Blood flow in the flaps was monitored with laser Doppler
      flowmetry. On postoperative day 7, flaps were photographed and biopsies were
      obtained. RESULTS: The ratios of flap necrosis area in the tadalafil, sildenafil,
      and vardenafil groups were lower than that in the control group, but without
      significant difference (p = 0.077). Histopathological evaluation revealed no
      significant difference among the groups. CONCLUSION: The ratio of flap necrosis
      area tended to be lower in the groups receiving oral PDE5 inhibitors than in the
      control group, although not statistically significant. The role of PDE5
      inhibitors needs to be evaluated in larger studies before a conclusion can be
      made regarding their effects on flap viability.

PMID- 26107910
TI  - Visual Field Progressive Rate in Normal Tension Glaucoma Before and After
      Trabeculectomy.

PMID- 26107911
TI  - Visual Field Progressive Rate in Normal Tension Glaucoma Before and After
      Trabeculectomy: A Subfield-Based Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare pretrabeculectomy and posttrabeculectomy progression rates in
      normal-tension glaucoma in 6 subfields of the central 30 visual field. DESIGN: A
      retrospective study. METHODS: Clinical records of 34 patients with normal-tension
      glaucoma (12 males and 22 females) with progressive visual field loss undergoing
      successful trabeculectomy were studied. The time course of the mean deviation
      (MD) and mean of total deviation in the superior/inferior arcuate, paracentral,
      and cecocentral subfields were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model.
      RESULTS: Patients' age, intraocular pressure (IOP), MD, and pretrabeculectomy and
      posttrabeculectomy follow-up averaged 57.7 +/- 9.6 years, 15.7 +/- 1.7 mm Hg, 
      12.7 +/- 5.5 dB, and 4.6 +/- 1.5 and 5.7 +/- 1.2 years, respectively. Average IOP
      was lowered by 6.1 +/- 3.3 to 10.3 +/- 2.7 mm Hg (5-14 mm Hg) over the
      postoprerative period with MD change rate of -0.25 dB/y (P < 0.003), which was
      slower (P < 0.001) than the preoperative one (-0.70 dB/y). The preoperative mean
      of total deviation change rate (-0.31 to -1.35 dB/y) improved postoperatively in
      the superior and inferior paracentral subfields (P < 0.001), whereas it remained
      unchanged in the inferior cecocentral/arcuate subfields (P > 0.10). The
      postoperative rate of progression showed no significant variation in these
      subfields. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of progression significantly varied among the 6
      subfields preoperatively. It was significantly slowed down in the superior
      subfields by surgical IOP reduction, but not in the inferior cecocentral/arcuate
      subfields.

PMID- 26107912
TI  - Increased Gait Speed After Cataract Surgery Confers Longer Predicted Survival.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cataract surgery has potential systemic health effects. Gait speed is a
      potential health index of predicted life expectancy and incidence of severe
      illness. We thus measured quality of vision and gait speed before and after
      cataract surgery. DESIGN: A prospective clinical study. METHODS: We followed up
      30 patients for 6 months following cataract surgery by implantation of a yellow
      soft acrylic lens. A 4-m gait speed was determined, and patients were evaluated
      before and after surgery using the National Eye Institute Visual Function
      Questionnaire (vision-related quality of life) as well as ophthalmological and
      systemic examinations. Life span was estimated on the basis of standard curves
      derived from a literature. RESULTS: Mean preoperative gait speed was 0.81 +/-
      0.23 m/s, with significant increases recorded at 2 and 6 months after surgery to
      0.85 +/- 0.20 and 0.91 +/- 0.22 m/s, respectively (P < 0.01, paired t test).
      According to patient survival determined by gait speed, life expectancy (years)
      before and 6 months after surgery was approximately 83.4 and 84.9, respectively,
      for men (1.5-year increase) and 88.8 and 89.8, respectively, for women (1.0-year
      increase). The mean preoperative 25-item Visual Function Questionnaire score was
      59.2 +/- 16.3, and significant improvements were observed 2 months (76.2 +/-
      13.9) and 6 months (78.6 +/- 14.4) after surgery (P < 0.001, vs preoperative
      score). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, cataract surgery improved quality of vision
      and gait speed for 6 months.

PMID- 26107913
TI  - Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy Management in East Africa: Knowledge,
      Attitudes, and Practices of Hospital Staff in Kenya.
AB  - PURPOSE: Good diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) management
      depends largely on involved medical staff, prompting us to investigate knowledge,
      attitudes, and practices about DM and DR at a tertiary referral center in Kenya.
      DESIGN: The design for this study is exploratory qualitative using semistructured
      interviews. METHODS: Data from eye and diabetes clinic staff were collected until
      thematic saturation was reached, transcribed, and iteratively analyzed for
      relevant themes based on the constant comparative method. RESULTS: Among 46
      participants (mean age, 38 years; 54% females), most were physicians (n = 25,
      54%), followed by nurses (n = 14, 30%) and clinical officers (n = 6, 13%).
      Diabetes mellitus and DR were seen as urgent health problems (n = 42, 91%), and
      regular ophthalmic screening of diabetic patients was universally recommended.
      Two thirds (n = 32, 70%) were unaware of DM and DR management guidelines at the
      hospital. Participants identified training of staff in diagnosing (n = 30, 65%),
      efficient detection and referral of diabetic patients (n = 24, 52%), and improved
      outreach services (n = 14, 30%) as most pressing areas of need. Communication
      among hospital departments was found to be suboptimal. Reported barriers to good
      DR management were lack of retinal laser treatment and costs. CONCLUSIONS:
      Management outcomes for DM and DR may be improved by implementing integrated
      service provision, direct ophthalmological involvement in diabetic clinics,
      endorsement and effective distribution of guidelines, an increase in screening
      capacity, and the introduction of ongoing medical education covering DM and DR.

PMID- 26107914
TI  - Factors Contributing to Discrepancy Between Visual Acuity Fractions Derived From
      a Snellen Chart and Letter Scores on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy
      Study Chart.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report factors influencing the relationship between visual acuity
      (VA) fractions measured on Snellen chart and letter scores on the Early Treatment
      Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart. DESIGN: This was a retrospective review
      from a single ophthalmology outpatient clinic. METHODS: All patients had routine
      consecutive VA testing in the right eye using a Snellen chart (1-6 m) and the
      ETDRS chart (4 m and/or 1 m), by the same optometrist, using a standardized
      testing protocol for each chart. Both acuity fractions and letter scores were
      converted to their equivalent logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR)
      for comparison. Multiple regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of
      237 patients with a wide range of ocular disease and VAs were enrolled. Mean age
      was 63 years (range, 18-95 years). Recorded VA (logMAR) was better on Snellen
      chart by a mean (95% limits of agreement) of -0.07 (-0.33 to +0.18, P < 0.001).
      There was a trend for subjects with VA worse than 6/36 to read 3 to 6 letters
      more and those better than 6/36 to read 4 to 5 letters less on the ETDRS chart.
      Visual acuity level and amblyopia contributed to a small portion (17%-26%) of the
      total variance in the difference between logMAR equivalents derived from the 2
      charts. CONCLUSIONS: The discrepancy in VA derived from Snellen and ETDRS charts
      was nonuniform across VA range. This has implications on interpretation of
      published studies converting Snellen fractions to logMAR for analysis and
      reporting of VA outcomes.

PMID- 26107915
TI  - The Prevalence and Determinants of Desire for and Use of Psychological Support in
      Patients With Low Vision.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and
      determinants of desire for and use of psychological support in patients with low
      vision. DESIGN: The study was cross-sectional, utilizing telephone-administered
      interviews. METHODS: Patients were recruited from Vision Australia and the Royal
      Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital with visual acuity of less than 6/12 in the better
      eye. Measures were the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, Stigma Scale for
      Receiving Psychological Help, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, and Impact
      of Vision Impairment Questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the total 161 participants (mean
      +/- SD, 69.94 +/- 15.76 years; 67% female), 63% desired psychological support,
      but only 20% reported ever receiving this. Higher levels of depressive symptoms
      and poorer coping in relation to vision impairment were significantly associated
      with desire for psychological support. Younger age, experience/s of depression,
      and beliefs about depression and its treatment were associated with use of
      professional support. CONCLUSIONS: Many patients with low vision desired
      psychological support but were not receiving this, suggesting barriers to receipt
      of care. This highlights the need for early screening of emotional difficulties,
      depression education, and easy access to psychological support within low vision
      services.

PMID- 26107916
TI  - Microbial Keratitis Due to Aeromonas Species at a Tertiary Eye Care Center in
      Southern India.
AB  - PURPOSE: To review the incidence, microbiological profile, antibiogram, clinical
      course, treatment, and outcome in patients with microbial keratitis due to
      Aeromonas species at a tertiary eye care center in Southern India. DESIGN: A
      retrospective, noncomparative study. METHODS: This study included all patients of
      corneal ulcer with a significant growth of Aeromonas species on culture of
      corneal scrapings managed at an eye institute in India between January 2005 and
      October 2011. The patients underwent standard diagnostic microbiological
      evaluation, and their treatment was guided by microbiology results and clinical
      response to therapy. Data were analyzed for the incidence, predisposing factors,
      clinical picture, microbiology, and the treatment outcome. RESULTS: Fifteen
      patients of microbial keratitis showed Aeromonas species to be the causative
      agent, constituting 0.5% of bacterial keratitis diagnosed during this period.
      Laboratory results showed that Aeromonas hydrophila was the predominant species
      isolated. Most of the isolates were susceptible to commonly used ocular
      antibiotics. Medical therapy resulted in resolution of infection in 9 (60%) of 15
      cases. Five patients required application of cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive with
      bandage contact lens for corneal perforation. Two of the 5 patients needed
      penetrating keratoplasty for uncontrolled infection. Twelve of 15 patients had
      some local predisposing host factors for the infection. CONCLUSIONS: Aeromonas
      species are uncommon but important causal agents of microbial keratitis. The
      organisms most often cause infection in individuals with local predisposing
      factors. Aeromonas hydrophila is the predominant species associated with
      keratitis. Although the organisms are susceptible to most antibiotics, a third of
      the patients required additional surgical intervention.

PMID- 26107917
TI  - Ocular Pathology: Role of Emerging Viruses in the Asia-Pacific Region-A Review.
AB  - The role of viral infections in ocular pathology varies greatly, involving all
      the components of the eye. Some viruses like herpes simplex, herpes zoster,
      adenovirus, enterovirus 70, influenza virus, human immunodeficiency virus, and
      cytomegalovirus are well-known for their role in ocular pathology. In recent
      years, emerging and resurging viral infections represent an important public
      health problem. The Asia-Pacific region has witnessed a number of pandemic and
      epidemic outbreaks caused by these viruses during the last 2 decades. The number
      of ocular complications being reported in patients of these viral infections has
      also increased significantly during this period. Ophthalmologists and physicians
      should be aware of ocular manifestations of newly emerging or resurging viral
      diseases. We conducted a review of the literature published during the last 20
      years with the objectives of finding out outbreaks of emerging and reemerging
      viruses in the Asia-Pacific region and finding out any ocular involvement in
      these viral infections. An iterative search of the MEDLINE and the Google
      databases was made using the search terms emerging virus, ocular manifestations,
      ocular complications, Chikungunya, Dengue, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile
      fever, Kyasanur forest disease, Rift valley fever, Hantavirus, Henipavirus,
      Influenza virus, Enterovirus 71, and Asia-Pacific region, separately and with
      reported ocular involvement in combination. This review article discusses the
      epidemiology and the systemic and ocular manifestations of all emerging viral
      infections with reported ocular involvement in the Asia-Pacific region. 

PMID- 26107918
TI  - Technology and Intraocular Lenses to Enhance Cataract Surgery Outcomes-Annual
      Review (January 2013 to January 2014).
AB  - PURPOSE: This article is aimed to provide a clinical update on recent
      developments in cataract surgical techniques, with specific focus on femtosecond
      laser technology. The article also focuses on recent improvements in the
      technology used in implanting intraocular lenses (IOLs). DESIGN: Literature
      review. METHODS: The authors conducted a review of literature available in the
      last 12 months in the English language using PubMed. The period used to conduct
      the literature search was from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2013. The
      following search terms were used during the PubMed search: phacoemulsification,
      femtosecond laser, toric IOLs, multifocal IOLs, multifocal toric IOLs, manual
      small-incision cataract surgery, outcomes, surgically induced astigmatism,
      rotational stability, trifocal IOLs, laser cataract surgery, safety, and
      efficacy. RESULTS: This review incorporates selected original articles that
      provide fresh insights and updates on the fields of toric and multifocal IOLs,
      femtosecond laser cataract surgery, and manual small-incision cataract surgery.
      Particular attention has been paid to observational, randomized controlled
      clinical trials, experimental trials, and analyses of larger cohorts with
      prospective and retrospective study designs. Letters to the editor, unpublished
      works, and abstracts do not fall under the purview of this review. CONCLUSIONS:
      This review is not designed to be all-inclusive. It highlights and provides
      insights on literature that is most useful and applicable to practicing
      ophthalmologists.

PMID- 26107919
TI  - Orbital Immunoglobulin G4-Related Disease: A Systematic Review.
AB  - Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a clinically distinct systemic
      condition that can involve the orbital tissue. Characterized by a triad of a mass
      forming lesion, infiltration by IgG4-positive plasma cells, and elevated serum
      IgG4 titers in many cases, IgG4-RD has clinicopathologic features that overlap
      with ocular adnexal lymphomas and orbital inflammatory conditions. Although most
      cases of orbital IgG4-RD respond well to steroids, it may become necessary to
      include supplemental immunosuppressant therapy in the management. 

PMID- 26107920
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding "Predicted Trends in the Incidence of
      Retinoblastoma in the Asia-Pacific Region".

PMID- 26107921
TI  - Authors' Reply for "Predicted Trends in the Incidence of Retinoblastoma in the
      Asia-Pacific Region".

PMID- 26107922
TI  - Association Between Obstetric Mode of Delivery and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A
      Population-Based Sibling Design Study.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Because the rates of cesarean section (CS) are increasing worldwide,
      it is becoming increasingly important to understand the long-term effects that
      mode of delivery may have on child development. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the
      association between obstetric mode of delivery and autism spectrum disorder
      (ASD). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Perinatal factors and ASD diagnoses
      based on the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9),and
      the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD
      10),were identified from the Swedish Medical Birth Register and the Swedish
      National Patient Register. We conducted stratified Cox proportional hazards
      regression analysis to examine the effect of mode of delivery on ASD. We then
      used conditional logistic regression to perform a sibling design study, which
      consisted of sibling pairs discordant on ASD status. Analyses were adjusted for
      year of birth (ie, partially adjusted) and then fully adjusted for various
      perinatal and sociodemographic factors. The population-based cohort study
      consisted of all singleton live births in Sweden from January 1, 1982, through
      December 31, 2010. Children were followed up until first diagnosis of ASD, death,
      migration, or December 31, 2011 (end of study period), whichever came first. The
      full cohort consisted of 2,697,315 children and 28,290 cases of ASD. Sibling
      control analysis consisted of 13,411 sibling pairs. EXPOSURES: Obstetric mode of
      delivery defined as unassisted vaginal delivery (VD), assisted VD, elective CS,
      and emergency CS (defined by before or after onset of labor). MAIN OUTCOMES AND
      MEASURES: The ASD status as defined using codes from the ICD-9 (code 299) and ICD
      10 (code F84). RESULTS: In adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression analysis,
      elective CS (hazard ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.15-1.27) and emergency CS (hazard
      ratio, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.10-1.20) were associated with ASD when compared with
      unassisted VD. In the sibling control analysis, elective CS was not associated
      with ASD in partially (odds ratio [OR], 0.97; 95% CI, 0.85-1.11) or fully
      adjusted (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.76-1.04) models. Emergency CS was significantly
      associated with ASD in partially adjusted analysis (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.06-1.36),
      but this effect disappeared in the fully adjusted model (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.85
      1.11). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study confirms previous findings that
      children born by CS are approximately 20% more likely to be diagnosed as having
      ASD. However, the association did not persist when using sibling controls,
      implying that this association is due to familial confounding by genetic and/or
      environmental factors.

PMID- 26107923
TI  - Rhodium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Hydroamination of Alkynes with Indolines.
AB  - The hydroamination of internal alkynes via tandem rhodium catalysis gives
      branched N-allylic indolines with high regio- and enantioselectivity. An acid
      switch provides access to the linear isomer in preference to the branched isomer
      by an isomerization mechanism. Mechanistic studies suggest formation of an allene
      intermediate, which undergoes hydroamination to generate allylic amines instead
      of the enamine or imine products typically observed in alkyne hydroaminations. 

PMID- 26107925
TI  - Scenes of fathering: The automobile as a place of occupation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: While occupations are increasingly analyzed within contexts, other
      than the home, the ordinary places that facilitate occupations have been
      overlooked. The aim of this article is to explore the automobile as a place of
      occupation using data from an ethnographic study of fathers of children with
      disabilities. METHODS: Qualitative data obtained through observations and
      interviews with the fathers and their families were analyzed using a narrative
      approach. Properties that influence interactions include opportunities to
      communicate, the vehicle itself, and electronics. RESULTS: Driving children in
      the automobile fulfills fathering responsibilities and is a time for connecting.
      For the fathers in this study, the automobile represents a place for negotiating
      complex demands of fathering. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates not only the
      importance of the automobile, but also the influence of the immediate space on
      the construction of occupations.

PMID- 26107926
TI  - A novel cascade strategy with supramolecular and chemodosimetric methods for
      designing a fluorescent ratiometric detector hypersensitive to trace water.
AB  - An intensely fluorescent zinc-salicylideneimine complex (-Zn(II)) was developed
      as a fluorescent ratiometric detector for the quantitative determination of trace
      water contents both in THF and methanol. It works based on a water-triggered
      cascade process: the dissociation reaction of the supramolecular ensemble and the
      subsequent hydrolysis reaction of its ligand.

PMID- 26107924
TI  - Using ClinicalTrials.gov to supplement information in ophthalmology conference
      abstracts about trial outcomes: a comparison study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Including results from unpublished randomized controlled trials
      (RCTs) in a systematic review may ameliorate the effect of publication bias in
      systematic review results. Unpublished RCTs are sometimes described in abstracts
      presented at conferences, included in trials registers, or both. Trial results
      may not be available in a trials register and abstracts describing RCT results
      often lack study design information. Complementary information from a trials
      register record may be sufficient to allow reliable inclusion of an unpublished
      RCT only available as an abstract in a systematic review. METHODS: We identified
      496 abstracts describing RCTs presented at the 2007 to 2009 Association for
      Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meetings; 154 RCTs were registered in
      ClinicalTrials.gov. Two persons extracted verbatim primary and non-primary
      outcomes reported in the abstract and ClinicalTrials.gov record. We compared each
      abstract outcome with all ClinicalTrials.gov outcomes and coded matches as
      complete, partial, or no match. RESULTS: We identified 800 outcomes in 152
      abstracts (95 primary [51 abstracts] and 705 [141 abstracts] non-primary
      outcomes). No outcomes were reported in 2 abstracts. Of 95 primary outcomes, 17
      (18%) agreed completely, 53 (56%) partially, and 25 (26%) had no match with a
      ClinicalTrials.gov primary or non-primary outcome. Among 705 non-primary
      outcomes, 56 (8%) agreed completely, 205 (29%) agreed partially, and 444 (63%)
      had no match with a ClinicalTrials.gov primary or non-primary outcome. Among the
      258 outcomes partially agreeing, we found additional information on the time when
      the outcome was measured more often in ClinicalTrials.gov than in the abstract
      (141/258 (55%) versus 55/258 (21%)). We found no association between the presence
      of non-matching "new" outcomes and year of registration, time to registry update,
      industry sponsorship, or multi-center status. CONCLUSION: Conference abstracts
      may be a valuable source of information about results for outcomes of unpublished
      RCTs that have been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. Complementary additional
      descriptive information may be present for outcomes reported in both sources.
      However, ARVO abstract authors also present outcomes not reported in
      ClinicalTrials.gov and these may represent analyses not originally planned.

PMID- 26107928
TI  - Anatomical landmarks of the lateral nasal wall: implications for endonasal
      lacrimal surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: An accurate understanding of the anatomy of the lateral nasal
      wall is key to achieving complete exposure of the lacrimal sac during endonasal
      dacryocystorhinostomy (EnDCR) and the avoidance of complications such as basal
      skull fracture and orbital fat prolapse. This review provides a comprehensive
      summary of the clinical and cadaveric anatomical studies of the lateral nasal
      wall to date and their application to endonasal lacrimal surgery. RECENT
      FINDINGS: The maxillary line and the axilla of the middle turbinate are the major
      landmarks commonly utilized by lacrimal surgeons to localize the lacrimal sac.
      Numerous clinical, cadaveric and radiologic studies have attempted to define the
      relationship of these and other important anatomical landmarks, closely related
      to the lacrimal sac and routinely encountered during endonasal surgery, such as
      the frontal process of the maxilla, the agger nasi air cell and the uncinate
      process. A greater understanding of the relevant endonasal anatomy over time has
      led to safer and more effective surgical techniques. SUMMARY: Greater insights
      into the precise anatomical relationship of the lacrimal sac to other structures
      on the lateral nasal wall has enabled lacrimal surgeons to perform EnDCR surgery
      in a more accurate, efficient and well tolerated manner, matching its success to
      that of the external approach.

PMID- 26107927
TI  - Beat Synchronization across the Lifespan: Intersection of Development and Musical
      Experience.
AB  - Rhythmic entrainment, or beat synchronization, provides an opportunity to
      understand how multiple systems operate together to integrate sensory-motor
      information. Also, synchronization is an essential component of musical
      performance that may be enhanced through musical training. Investigations of
      rhythmic entrainment have revealed a developmental trajectory across the
      lifespan, showing synchronization improves with age and musical experience. Here,
      we explore the development and maintenance of synchronization in childhood
      through older adulthood in a large cohort of participants (N = 145), and also ask
      how it may be altered by musical experience. We employed a uniform assessment of
      beat synchronization for all participants and compared performance
      developmentally and between individuals with and without musical experience. We
      show that the ability to consistently tap along to a beat improves with age into
      adulthood, yet in older adulthood tapping performance becomes more variable.
      Also, from childhood into young adulthood, individuals are able to tap
      increasingly close to the beat (i.e., asynchronies decline with age), however,
      this trend reverses from younger into older adulthood. There is a positive
      association between proportion of life spent playing music and tapping
      performance, which suggests a link between musical experience and auditory-motor
      integration. These results are broadly consistent with previous investigations
      into the development of beat synchronization across the lifespan, and thus
      complement existing studies and present new insights offered by a different,
      large cross-sectional sample. 

PMID- 26107929
TI  - Catalytic chemoselective [3+3] cycloadditions of azomethine ylides with quinone
      monoimides leading to the construction of a dihydrobenzoxazine scaffold.
AB  - A chemoselective [3+3] cycloaddition of in situ generated azomethine ylides with
      quinone monoimides has been established, which efficiently led to the
      construction of dihydrobenzoxazine frameworks with biological relevance, with
      excellent chemoselectivities and high yields (up to >95 : 5 cr and 98% yield). 

PMID- 26107930
TI  - Hepatitis C (chronic).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: About 60% to 85% of people infected with hepatitis C virus will go
      on to develop chronic hepatitis C, which is now believed to affect 3% of the
      world's population. METHODS AND OUTCOMES: We conducted a systematic overview and
      aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of
      interferon-free treatments in treatment-naive people with chronic hepatitis C
      infection without cirrhosis? What are the effects of interferon-free treatments
      in treatment-naive people with chronic hepatitis C infection with cirrhosis? We
      searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up
      to August 2014 (Clinical Evidence overviews are updated periodically; please
      check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). RESULTS: After
      deduplication and removal of conference abstracts, 30 records were screened for
      inclusion in the review. Appraisal of titles and abstracts led to the exclusion
      of 11 studies and the further review of 19 full publications. Of the 19 full
      articles evaluated, two systematic reviews and one RCT were added. We performed a
      GRADE evaluation for two PICO combinations. CONCLUSIONS: In this systematic
      overview, we categorised the efficacy for 12 different intervention/comparison
      combinations, based on information relating to the effectiveness and safety of
      sofosbuvir (with or without ribavirin), sofosbuvir (with or without ribavirin)
      plus ledipasvir, and sofosbuvir (with or without ribavirin) plus simeprevir, all
      in people with and without cirrhosis.

PMID- 26107931
TI  - Adhesive force measurement between HOPG and zinc oxide as an indicator for
      interfacial bonding of carbon fiber composites.
AB  - Vertically aligned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires have recently been utilized as an
      interphase to increase the interfacial strength of carbon fiber composites. It
      was shown that the interaction between the carbon fiber and the ZnO nanowires was
      a critical parameter in adhesion; however, fiber based testing techniques are
      dominated by local defects and cannot be used to effectively study the bonding
      interaction directly. Here, the strength of the interface between ZnO and
      graphitic carbon is directly measured with atomic force microscopy (AFM) using
      oxygen plasma treated highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and an AFM tip
      coated with ZnO nanoparticles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis is used
      to compare the surface chemistry of HOPG and carbon fiber and to quantify the
      presence of various oxygen functional groups. An indirect measurement of the
      interfacial strength is then performed through single fiber fragmentation testing
      (SFF) on functionalized carbon fibers coated with ZnO nanowires to validate the
      AFM measurements. The SFF and AFM methods showed the same correlation,
      demonstrating the capacity of the AFM method to study the interfacial properties
      in composite materials. Additionally, the chemical interactions between oxygen
      functional groups and the ionic structure of ZnO suggest that intermolecular
      forces at the interface are responsible for the strong interface. 

PMID- 26107932
TI  - Leaving Group Effects on the Selectivity of the Silylation of Alcohols: The
      Reactivity-Selectivity Principle Revisited.
AB  - TBS protection of primary alcohol naphthalen-1-ylmethanol (4a) and secondary
      alcohol 1-(naphthalen-1-yl)ethanol (4b) has been studied under various reaction
      conditions. The primary/secondary selectivity is largest in the comparatively
      slow Lewis base catalyzed silylation in apolar solvents and systematically lower
      in DMF. Lowest selectivities (and fastest reaction rates) are found for TBS
      triflate 1b, where only minor effects of solvent polarity or Lewis base catalysis
      can be observed. 

PMID- 26107933
TI  - Movement patterns, habitat use and site fidelity of the white croaker (Genyonemus
      lineatus) in the Palos Verdes Superfund Site, Los Angeles, California.
AB  - White croaker (Genyonemus lineatus family: Sciaenidae) are a schooling, benthic
      foraging fish historically associated with soft sediment and wastewater outfalls
      in southern California. While they are often used as an indicator species due to
      their high organochlorine contaminant loads, little is known of their movements
      in relation to contaminated habitats. A Vemco Positioning System acoustic
      telemetry array was used to collect fine-scale movement data and characterize the
      site fidelity, area use, and dispersal of 83 white croaker on the Palos Verdes
      Shelf Superfund Site, California over 27 months. White croaker generally
      demonstrated low residency and recurrence to the Palos Verdes Shelf, and were
      observed to be largely nomadic. However, individual behavior was highly variable.
      Although the entire monitored shelf was visited by tagged white croaker, habitats
      in 0-200 m proximity to wastewater outfalls and between 25 and 35 m depth were
      used most frequently. Approximately half of white croaker migrated into Los
      Angeles and Long Beach Harbors; areas where they may be targeted by subsistence
      fishers. A model framework for incorporating fish movement data into contaminant
      exposure estimates was developed to better understanding organochlorine
      contaminant exposure for planning future remediation and monitoring. 

PMID- 26107934
TI  - Correction: EGR1 functions as a potent repressor of MEF2 transcriptional
      activity.

PMID- 26107935
TI  - Risk of premotor symptoms in patients with newly diagnosed PD: a nationwide,
      population-based, case-control study in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the risk of premotor symptoms, namely rapid eye movement
      behavior disorder (RBD), constipation, and depression among patients with newly
      diagnosed Parkinson disease (PD). METHODS: A total of 705 PD patients and 2,820
      control subjects were selected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research
      Database. Patients were traced back for a maximum of 14 years to determine the
      diagnoses of RBD, depression, and constipation. Logistic regression analysis was
      used to identify risk of premotor symptoms for PD. Moreover, subgroup analyses
      were performed by dividing the patients into a middle-age onset group (<= 64
      years) and an old-age onset group (>= 65 years). The associations between these
      premotor symptoms and age of PD onset were further examined. RESULTS: An
      association was found between a history of premotor symptoms and newly diagnosed
      PD in which a high occurrence of premotor symptoms was identified in PD patients
      as compared to selected controls (4.3% vs. 1.2% for RBD, 40.4% vs. 24.0% for
      constipation, and 13.0% vs. 5.1% for depression). The strength of this
      association remained statistically significant after adjustment for potential
      confounders (3.69 fold risk for RBD, 2.36 for constipation, and 2.82 for
      depression, all p < 0.0001). The average interval between premotor symptoms and
      PD ranged from 4.5 to 6.2 years. RBD and depression carried higher risks for PD
      in the middle-age onset group than in the old-age onset group (7.20- vs. 2.24
      fold risk for RBD, 6.06 vs. 1.40 for depression). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of
      premotor symptoms was higher among the PD patients than in the controls. Premotor
      symptoms appeared to be associated with a higher risk for PD in subjects with an
      earlier age of onset.

PMID- 26107936
TI  - ErmF and ereD are responsible for erythromycin resistance in Riemerella
      anatipestifer.
AB  - To investigate the genetic basis of erythromycin resistance in Riemerella
      anatipestifer, the MIC to erythromycin of 79 R. anatipestifer isolates from China
      and one typed strain, ATCC11845, were evaluated. The results showed that 43 of 80
      (53.8%) of the tested R. anatipestifer strains showed resistance to erythromycin,
      and 30 of 43 erythromycin-resistant R. anatipestifer strains carried ermF or
      ermFU with an MIC in the range of 32-2048 MUg/ml, while the other 13 strains
      carrying the ereD gene exhibited an MIC of 4-16 MUg/ml. Of 30 ermF + R.
      anatipestifer strains, 27 (90.0%) carried the ermFU gene which may have been
      derived from the CTnDOT-like element, while three other strains carried ermF from
      transposon Tn4351. Moreover, sequence analysis revealed that ermF, ermFU, and
      ereD were located within the multiresistance region of the R. anatipestifer
      genome. 

PMID- 26107937
TI  - Prognostic Significance of the Systemic Inflammatory and Immune Balance in
      Alcoholic Liver Disease with a Focus on Gender-Related Differences.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Mechanisms of immune regulation in alcoholic liver disease (ALD) are
      still unclear. The aim of our study was to determine an impact of Th17 /
      regulatory T (Treg) cells balance and its corresponding cytokine profile on the
      ALD outcome. Possible gender-related differences in the alcohol-induced
      inflammatory response were also assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 147 patients
      with ALD were prospectively recruited, assigned to subgroups based on their
      gender, severity of liver dysfunction and presence of ALD complications at
      admission, and followed for 90 days. Peripheral blood frequencies of Th17 and
      Treg cells together with IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-17A, IL-23, and TGF-beta1 levels were
      investigated. Flow cytometry was used to identify T cell phenotype and
      immunoenzymatic ELISAs for the corresponding cytokine concentrations assessment.
      Multivariable logistic regression was applied in order to select independent
      predictors of advanced liver dysfunction and the disease complications. RESULTS:
      IL-17A, IL-1beta, IL-6 levels were significantly increased, while TGF-beta1
      decreased in ALD patients. The imbalance with significantly higher Th17 and lower
      Treg frequencies was observed in non-survivors. IL-6 and TGF-beta1 levels
      differed in relation to patient gender in ALD group. Concentrations of IL-6 were
      associated with the severity of liver dysfunction, development of ALD
      complications, and turned out to be the only independent immune predictor of 90
      day survival in the study cohort. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that IL-6 revealed the
      highest diagnostic and prognostic potential among studied biomarkers and was
      related to the fatal ALD course. Gender-related differences in immune regulation
      might influence the susceptibility to alcohol-associated liver injury.

PMID- 26107938
TI  - Early-onset atopic dermatitis in children: which are the phenotypes at risk of
      asthma? Results from the ORCA cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is known to predate asthma and other atopic
      disorders described under the term "atopic march". However, this classic sequence
      is not always present and only a few studies have addressed children at risk of
      developing asthma. The objective of this study is to define early-onset AD
      phenotypes leading to asthma. METHODS: We performed a cluster analysis with 9
      variables of 214 infants with early-onset AD prospectively enrolled in the ORCA
      cohort and followed each year on the occurrence of asthma until the age of 6.
      RESULTS: We identified 3 clusters - cluster 1 (n = 94) with low to no
      sensitization to food (27.7%) or aeroallergens (10.6%) and moderate AD severity
      (SCORAD 25.29 +/- 14.6) called "AD with low sensitization"; - cluster 2 (n = 84)
      characterized by a higher AD severity (SCORAD 32.66+/-16.6) and frequent
      sensitization to food (98.9%) or aeroallergens (26.2%), most likely multiple
      (96.4% for food allergens), called "AD with multiple sensitizations" - cluster 3
      (n = 36) with parental history, moderate AD severity (SCORAD 24.46+/-15.7),
      moderate rate of sensitization to food allergens (38.9%) (exclusively single)
      with no sensitization to aeroallergens, called "AD with familial history of
      asthma". Percentages of children suffering from asthma at the age of 6 were
      higher in clusters 2 and 3 (36.1% and 33.3% respectively versus 14.9% in cluster
      1, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Two phenotypes in infants with early-onset AD convey a
      higher risk of developing asthma during childhood: multiple sensitization and
      familial history of asthma.

PMID- 26107939
TI  - Foxg1-Cre Mediated Lrp2 Inactivation in the Developing Mouse Neural Retina,
      Ciliary and Retinal Pigment Epithelia Models Congenital High Myopia.
AB  - Myopia is a common ocular disorder generally due to increased axial length of the
      eye-globe. Its extreme form high myopia (HM) is a multifactorial disease leading
      to retinal and scleral damage, visual impairment or loss and is an important
      health issue. Mutations in the endocytic receptor LRP2 gene result in Donnai
      Barrow (DBS) and Stickler syndromes, both characterized by HM. To clearly
      establish the link between Lrp2 and congenital HM we inactivated Lrp2 in the
      mouse forebrain including the neural retina and the retinal and ciliary pigment
      epithelia. High resolution in vivo MRI imaging and ophthalmological analyses
      showed that the adult Lrp2-deficient eyes were 40% longer than the control ones
      mainly due to an excessive elongation of the vitreal chamber. They had an
      apparently normal intraocular pressure and developed chorioretinal atrophy and
      posterior scleral staphyloma features reminiscent of human myopic retinopathy.
      Immunomorphological and ultrastructural analyses showed that increased eye
      lengthening was first observed by post-natal day 5 (P5) and that it was
      accompanied by a rapid decrease of the bipolar, photoreceptor and retinal
      ganglion cells, and eventually the optic nerve axons. It was followed by scleral
      thinning and collagen fiber disorganization, essentially in the posterior pole.
      We conclude that the function of LRP2 in the ocular tissues is necessary for
      normal eye growth and that the Lrp2-deficient eyes provide a unique tool to
      further study human HM. 

PMID- 26107940
TI  - Adaptations to Hydrothermal Vent Life in Kiwa tyleri, a New Species of Yeti Crab
      from the East Scotia Ridge, Antarctica.
AB  - Hydrothermal vents in the Southern Ocean are the physiologically most isolated
      chemosynthetic environments known. Here, we describe Kiwa tyleri sp. nov., the
      first species of yeti crab known from the Southern Ocean. Kiwa tyleri belongs to
      the family Kiwaidae and is the visually dominant macrofauna of two known vent
      sites situated on the northern and southern segments of the East Scotia Ridge
      (ESR). The species is known to depend on primary productivity by chemosynthetic
      bacteria and resides at the warm-eurythermal vent environment for most of its
      life; its short-range distribution away from vents (few metres) is
      physiologically constrained by the stable, cold waters of the surrounding
      Southern Ocean. Kiwa tylerihas been shown to present differential life history
      adaptations in response to this contrasting thermal environment. Morphological
      adaptations specific to life in warm-eurythermal waters, as found on - or in
      close proximity of - vent chimneys, are discussed in comparison with adaptations
      seen in the other two known members of the family (K. hirsuta, K. puravida),
      which show a preference for low temperature chemosynthetic environments. 

PMID- 26107941
TI  - Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane Assay: A 3D Animal Model for Study of Human
      Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.
AB  - Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a highly invasive and metastatic head and neck
      cancer. However, mechanistic study of the invasion and metastasis of NPC has been
      hampered by the lack of proper in vivo models. We established an in vivo chick
      embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model to study NPC tumor biology. We found
      100% micro-tumor formation 3 days after inoculation with NPC cell lines (4/4) or
      primary tumor biopsy tissue (35/35). The transplanted NPC micro-tumors grew on
      CAMs with extracellular matrix interaction and induced angiogenesis. In addition,
      the CAM model could be used to study the growth of transplanted NPC tumors and
      also several important steps of metastasis, including tumor invasion by detecting
      the extent of basement membrane penetration, tumor angiogenesis by analyzing the
      area of neo-vessels, and tumor metastasis by quantifying tumor cells in distant
      organs. We established and described a feasible, easy-to-manipulate and reliable
      CAM model for in vivo study of NPC tumor biology. This model closely simulates
      the clinical features of NPC growth, progression and metastasis and could help
      elucidate the biological mechanisms of the growth pattern and invasion of NPC
      cells and in quantitative assessment of angiogenesis and cell intravasation. 

PMID- 26107942
TI  - Vasopressin Infusion with Small-Volume Fluid Resuscitation during Hemorrhagic
      Shock Promotes Hemodynamic Stability and Survival in Swine.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Current management of hemorrhagic shock (HS) in the battlefield and
      civilian settings favors small-volume fluid resuscitation before controlling the
      source of bleeding. We investigated in a swine model of HS the effects of
      vasopressin infusion along with small-volume fluid resuscitation; with
      erythropoietin (EPO) and HS severity as additional factors. METHODS: HS was
      induced in 24 male domestic pigs (36 to 41 kg) by blood withdrawal (BW) through a
      right atrial cannula modeling spontaneous bleeding by a mono-exponential decay
      function. The initial 12 pigs received no fluids; the last 12 pigs received
      normal saline (NS) half the BW volume. Pigs were randomized 2:1 to receive
      intraosseously vasopressin (0.04 U/kg.min-1) or vehicle control from minute 7 to
      minute 210. Pigs assigned to vasopressin were further randomized 1:1 to receive
      EPO (1,200 U/kg) or vehicle control and 1:1 to have 65% or 75% BW of their blood
      volume. Shed blood was reinfused at 210 minutes and the pigs recovered from
      anesthesia. RESULTS: Survival at 72 hours was influenced by vasopressin and NS
      but not by EPO or % BW. Vasopressin with NS promoted the highest survival (8/8)
      followed by vasopressin without NS (3/8), NS without vasopressin (1/4), and
      neither treatment (0/4) with overall statistical significance (log-rank test, p =
      0.009) and each subset different from vasopressin with NS by Holm-Sidak test.
      Vasopressin increased systemic vascular resistance whereas NS increased cardiac
      output. CONCLUSION: Vasopressin infusion with small-volume fluid resuscitation
      during severe HS was highly effective enabling critical hemodynamic stabilization
      and improved 72 hour survival.

PMID- 26107943
TI  - Measurement of Shoulder Range of Motion in Patients with Adhesive Capsulitis
      Using a Kinect.
AB  - Range of motion (ROM) measurements are essential for the evaluation for and
      diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder (AC). However, taking these
      measurements using a goniometer is inconvenient and sometimes unreliable. The
      Kinect (Microsoft, Seattle, WA, USA) is gaining attention as a new motion
      detecting device that is nonintrusive and easy to implement. This study aimed to
      apply Kinect to measure shoulder ROM in AC; we evaluated its validity by
      calculating the agreement of the measurements obtained using Kinect with those
      obtained using goniometer and assessed its utility for the diagnosis of AC. Both
      shoulders of 15 healthy volunteers and affected shoulders of 12 patients with AC
      were included in the study. The passive and active ROM of each were measured with
      a goniometer for flexion, abduction, and external rotation. Their active shoulder
      motions for each direction were again captured using Kinect and the ROM values
      were calculated. The agreement between the two measurements was tested with the
      intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Diagnostic performance using the Kinect
      ROM was evaluated with Cohen's kappa value. The cutoff values of the limited ROM
      were determined in the following ways: the same as passive ROM values, reflecting
      the mean difference, and based on receiver operating characteristic curves. The
      ICC for flexion/abduction/external rotation between goniometric passive ROM and
      the Kinect ROM were 0.906/0.942/0.911, while those between active ROMs and the
      Kinect ROMs were 0.864/0.932/0.925. Cohen's kappa values were 0.88, 0.88, and 1.0
      with the cutoff values in the order above. Measurements of the shoulder ROM using
      Kinect show excellent agreement with those taken using a goniometer. These
      results indicate that the Kinect can be used to measure shoulder ROM and to
      diagnose AC as an alternative to goniometer. 

PMID- 26107944
TI  - BASiCS: Bayesian Analysis of Single-Cell Sequencing Data.
AB  - Single-cell mRNA sequencing can uncover novel cell-to-cell heterogeneity in gene
      expression levels in seemingly homogeneous populations of cells. However, these
      experiments are prone to high levels of unexplained technical noise, creating new
      challenges for identifying genes that show genuine heterogeneous expression
      within the population of cells under study. BASiCS (Bayesian Analysis of Single
      Cell Sequencing data) is an integrated Bayesian hierarchical model where: (i)
      cell-specific normalisation constants are estimated as part of the model
      parameters, (ii) technical variability is quantified based on spike-in genes that
      are artificially introduced to each analysed cell's lysate and (iii) the total
      variability of the expression counts is decomposed into technical and biological
      components. BASiCS also provides an intuitive detection criterion for highly (or
      lowly) variable genes within the population of cells under study. This is
      formalised by means of tail posterior probabilities associated to high (or low)
      biological cell-to-cell variance contributions, quantities that can be easily
      interpreted by users. We demonstrate our method using gene expression
      measurements from mouse Embryonic Stem Cells. Cross-validation and meaningful
      enrichment of gene ontology categories within genes classified as highly (or
      lowly) variable supports the efficacy of our approach. 

PMID- 26107945
TI  - MiR-133a Is Functionally Involved in Doxorubicin-Resistance in Breast Cancer
      Cells MCF-7 via Its Regulation of the Expression of Uncoupling Protein 2.
AB  - The development of novel targeted therapies holds promise for conquering
      chemotherapy resistance, which is one of the major hurdles in current breast
      cancer treatment. Previous studies indicate that mitochondria uncoupling protein
      2 (UCP-2) is involved in the development of chemotherapy resistance in colon
      cancer and lung cancer cells. In the present study we found that lower level of
      miR133a is accompanied by increased expression of UCP-2 in Doxorubicin-resistant
      breast cancer cell cline MCF-7/Dox as compared with its parental cell line MCF-7.
      We postulated that miR133a might play a functional role in the development of
      Doxorubicin-resistant in breast cancer cells. In this study we showed that: 1)
      exogenous expression of miR133a in MCF-7/Dox cells can sensitize their reaction
      to the treatment of Doxorubicin, which is coincided with reduced expression of
      UCP-2; 2) knockdown of UCP-2 in MCF-7/Dox cells can also sensitize their reaction
      to the treatment of Doxorubicin; 3) intratumoral delivering of miR133a can
      restore Doxorubicin treatment response in Doxorubicin-resistant xenografts in
      vivo, which is concomitant with the decreased expression of UCP-2. These findings
      provided direct evidences that the miR133a/UCP-2 axis might play an essential
      role in the development of Doxorubicin-resistance in breast cancer cells,
      suggesting that the miR133a/UCP-2 signaling cohort could be served as a novel
      therapeutic target for the treatment of chemotherapy resistant in breast cancer. 

PMID- 26107946
TI  - Three-Dimensional Reconstruction, by TEM Tomography, of the Ultrastructural
      Modifications Occurring in Cucumis sativus L. Mitochondria under Fe Deficiency.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mitochondria, as recently suggested, might be involved in iron
      sensing and signalling pathways in plant cells. For a better understanding of the
      role of these organelles in mediating the Fe deficiency responses in plant cells,
      it is crucial to provide a full overview of their modifications occurring under
      Fe-limited conditions. The aim of this work is to characterize the
      ultrastructural as well as the biochemical changes occurring in leaf mitochondria
      of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plants grown under Fe deficiency.
      METHODOLOGY/RESULTS: Mitochondrial ultrastructure was investigated by
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron tomography techniques, which
      allowed a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of cellular structures. These
      analyses reveal that mitochondria isolated from cucumber leaves appear in the
      cristae junction model conformation and that Fe deficiency strongly alters both
      the number and the volume of cristae. The ultrastructural changes observed in
      mitochondria isolated from Fe-deficient leaves reflect a metabolic status
      characterized by a respiratory chain operating at a lower rate (orthodox-like
      conformation) with respect to mitochondria from control leaves. CONCLUSIONS: To
      our knowledge, this is the first report showing a 3D reconstruction of plant
      mitochondria. Furthermore, these results suggest that a detailed characterization
      of the link between changes in the ultrastructure and functionality of
      mitochondria during different nutritional conditions, can provide a successful
      approach to understand the role of these organelles in the plant response to Fe
      deficiency.

PMID- 26107947
TI  - Greater cognitive decline with aging among elders with high serum concentrations
      of organochlorine pesticides.
AB  - Although cognitive decline is very common in elders, age-related cognitive
      decline substantially differs among elders and the determinants of the
      differences in age-related cognitive decline are unclear. We investigated our
      hypothesis that the association between age and cognition was stronger in those
      with higher serum concentrations of organochlorine (OC) pesticides, common
      persistent and strongly lipophilic neurotoxic chemicals. Participants were 644
      elders aged 60-85, participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination
      Survey 1999-2002. Six OC pesticides (p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT),
      p,p'-dichlorodipenyldichloroethylene (DDE), beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, trans
      nonachlor, oxychlordane, and heptachlor epoxide) were evaluated. "Lower cognitive
      function" was defined as having a low Digit-Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) score
      (<25th percentile of DSST score, cutpoint 28 symbols substituted). Higher levels
      of beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, trans-nonachlor, oxychlordane, and heptachlor
      epoxide modified the associations between age and lower cognitive function
      (Pinteraction<0.01, 0.03, <0.01, and 0.02, respectively). Elders in the 3rd
      tertile of these chemicals demonstrated a greater risk of lower cognitive
      function with aging, compared to those in the combined 1st and 2nd tertiles.
      Among those with highest OC pesticides (3rd tertile), the odds ratio for the risk
      of lower cognitive function was about 6 to 11 for the highest quintile of age (80
      85 years) vs. the first quintile of age (60-63 years), while the association
      between age and lower cognitive function became flatter in those with lower OC
      pesticides (combined 1st and 2nd tertiles). Both DDT and DDE showed no
      interaction, with lower DSST scores for higher age irrespective of serum
      concentrations of DDT or DDE. Even though DSST score measures only one aspect of
      cognition, several OC pesticides modified aging-related prevalence of low
      cognitive score, a finding which should be evaluated in prospective studies. 

PMID- 26107948
TI  - Biogenic Mn-Oxides in Subseafloor Basalts.
AB  - The deep biosphere of the subseafloor basalts is recognized as a major scientific
      frontier in disciplines like biology, geology, and oceanography. Recently, the
      presence of fungi in these environments has involved a change of view regarding
      diversity and ecology. Here, we describe fossilized fungal communities in vugs in
      subseafloor basalts from a depth of 936.65 metres below seafloor at the Detroit
      Seamount, Pacific Ocean. These fungal communities are closely associated with
      botryoidal Mn oxides composed of todorokite. Analyses of the Mn oxides by
      Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy (EPR) indicate a biogenic signature.
      We suggest, based on mineralogical, morphological and EPR data, a biological
      origin of the botryoidal Mn oxides. Our results show that fungi are involved in
      Mn cycling at great depths in the seafloor and we introduce EPR as a means to
      easily identify biogenic Mn oxides in these environments. 

PMID- 26107950
TI  - Correction: individual topographic variability is inherent to cortical physiology
      but task-related differences may be noise.

PMID- 26107949
TI  - Whole Exome Sequencing Reveals Novel PHEX Splice Site Mutations in Patients with
      Hypophosphatemic Rickets.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hypophosphatemic rickets (HR) is a heterogeneous genetic phosphate
      wasting disorder. The disease is most commonly caused by mutations in the PHEX
      gene located on the X-chromosome or by mutations in CLCN5, DMP1, ENPP1, FGF23,
      and SLC34A3. The aims of this study were to perform molecular diagnostics for
      four patients with HR of Indian origin (two independent families) and to describe
      their clinical features. METHODS: We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) for
      the affected mother of two boys who also displayed the typical features of HR,
      including bone malformations and phosphate wasting. B-lymphoblast cell lines were
      established by EBV transformation and subsequent RT-PCR to investigate an
      uncommon splice site variant found by WES. An in silico analysis was done to
      obtain accurate nucleotide frequency occurrences of consensus splice positions
      other than the canonical sites of all human exons. Additionally, we applied
      direct Sanger sequencing for all exons and exon/intron boundaries of the PHEX
      gene for an affected girl from an independent second Indian family. RESULTS: WES
      revealed a novel PHEX splice acceptor mutation in intron 9 (c.1080-3C>A) in a
      family with 3 affected individuals with HR. The effect on splicing of this
      mutation was further investigated by RT-PCR using RNA obtained from a patient's
      EBV-transformed lymphoblast cell line. RT-PCR revealed an aberrant splice
      transcript skipping exons 10-14 which was not observed in control samples,
      confirming the diagnosis of X-linked dominant hypophosphatemia (XLH). The in
      silico analysis of all human splice sites adjacent to all 327,293 exons across
      81,814 transcripts among 20,345 human genes revealed that cytosine is, with
      64.3%, the most frequent nucleobase at the minus 3 splice acceptor position,
      followed by thymidine with 28.7%, adenine with 6.3%, and guanine with 0.8%. We
      generated frequency tables and pictograms for the extended donor and acceptor
      splice consensus regions by analyzing all human exons. Direct Sanger sequencing
      of all PHEX exons in a sporadic case with HR from the Indian subcontinent
      revealed an additional novel PHEX mutation (c.1211_1215delACAAAinsTTTACAT,
      p.Asp404Valfs*5, de novo) located in exon 11. CONCLUSIONS: Mutation analyses
      revealed two novel mutations and helped to confirm the clinical diagnoses of XLH
      in two families from India. WES helped to analyze all genes implicated in the
      underlying disease complex. Mutations at splice positions other than the
      canonical key sites need further functional investigation to support the
      assertion of pathogenicity.

PMID- 26107951
TI  - Use of Approximate Bayesian Computation to Assess and Fit Models of Mycobacterium
      leprae to Predict Outcomes of the Brazilian Control Program.
AB  - Hansen's disease (leprosy) elimination has proven difficult in several countries,
      including Brazil, and there is a need for a mathematical model that can predict
      control program efficacy. This study applied the Approximate Bayesian Computation
      algorithm to fit 6 different proposed models to each of the 5 regions of Brazil,
      then fitted hierarchical models based on the best-fit regional models to the
      entire country. The best model proposed for most regions was a simple model.
      Posterior checks found that the model results were more similar to the observed
      incidence after fitting than before, and that parameters varied slightly by
      region. Current control programs were predicted to require additional measures to
      eliminate Hansen's Disease as a public health problem in Brazil. 

PMID- 26107952
TI  - Citizen science based monitoring of Greylag goose (Anser anser) in Bavaria
      (Germany): combining count data and bag data to estimate long-term trends between
      1988/89 and 2010/11.
AB  - INTRODUCTION, MATERIAL AND METHODS: Numbers of large grazing bird (geese, swans,
      cranes) have increased all over Europe, but monitoring these species, e.g. for
      management purposes, can be time consuming and costly. In Bavaria, sedentary
      Greylag geese (Anser anser) are monitored during the winter by two different
      citizen-based monitoring schemes: the International Waterbird Census [IWC] and
      hunting bag statistics. We compared the results of both schemes for the seasons
      1988/89 to 2010/11 by analysing annual indices calculated using the software
      TRends and Indices for Monitoring Data-TRIM. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We
      identified similar, highly significant rates of increase in both data sets for
      the entire region of Bavaria (IWC 14% [13-15%], bag 13% [12-14%]). Furthermore,
      in all of the seven Bavarian regions, trends in annual indices of both data sets
      correlated significantly. The quality of both datasets as indicators of
      abundances in Greylag geese populations in Bavaria was not undermined by either
      weaknesses typically associated with citizen based monitoring or problems
      generally assumed for IWC and bag data. We also show that bag data are, under the
      German system of collecting bag statistics, a reliable indicator of species'
      distribution, especially for detecting newly colonized areas. Therefore, wildlife
      managers may want to consider bag data from citizen science led monitoring
      programmes as evidence supporting the decision making processes. We also discuss
      requirements for any bag monitoring schemes being established to monitor trends
      in species' distribution and abundance.

PMID- 26107953
TI  - Methylome Analysis in Chickens Immunized with Infectious Laryngotracheitis
      Vaccine.
AB  - In this study we investigated the methylome of chickens immunized with Infectious
      laryngotracheitis (ILT) vaccine derived from chicken embryos. Methyl-CpG binding
      domain protein-enriched genome sequencing (MBD-Seq) method was employed in the
      detection of the 1,155 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) across the entire
      genome. After validation, we ascertained the genomic DMRs distribution and
      annotated them regarding genes, transcription start sites (TSS) and CpG islands.
      We found that global DNA methylation decreased in vaccinated birds, presenting
      704 hypomethylated and 451 hypermethylated DMRs, respectively. Additionally, we
      performed an enrichment analysis detecting gene networks, in which cancer and RNA
      post-transcriptional modification appeared in the first place, followed by
      humoral immune response, immunological disease and inflammatory disease. The top
      four identified canonical pathways were EIF2 signaling, regulation of EIF4 and
      p70S6K signaling, axonal guidance signaling and mTOR signaling, providing new
      insight regarding the mechanisms of ILT etiology. Lastly, the association between
      DNA methylation and differentially expressed genes was examined, and detected
      negative correlation in seventeen of the eighteen genes. 

PMID- 26107954
TI  - Luminance, Colour, Viewpoint and Border Enhanced Disparity Energy Model.
AB  - The visual cortex is able to extract disparity information through the use of
      binocular cells. This process is reflected by the Disparity Energy Model, which
      describes the role and functioning of simple and complex binocular neuron
      populations, and how they are able to extract disparity. This model uses explicit
      cell parameters to mathematically determine preferred cell disparities, like
      spatial frequencies, orientations, binocular phases and receptive field
      positions. However, the brain cannot access such explicit cell parameters; it
      must rely on cell responses. In this article, we implemented a trained binocular
      neuronal population, which encodes disparity information implicitly. This allows
      the population to learn how to decode disparities, in a similar way to how our
      visual system could have developed this ability during evolution. At the same
      time, responses of monocular simple and complex cells can also encode line and
      edge information, which is useful for refining disparities at object borders. The
      brain should then be able, starting from a low-level disparity draft, to
      integrate all information, including colour and viewpoint perspective, in order
      to propagate better estimates to higher cortical areas. 

PMID- 26107955
TI  - Identification of a novel p.Q1772X ANK1 mutation in a Korean family with
      hereditary spherocytosis.
AB  - Hereditary spherocytosis (HS), a common form of inherited hemolytic anemia, is a
      heterogeneous group of disorders with regard to clinical severity, protein
      defects, and mode of inheritance. Causal mutations in at least five genes have
      been reported so far. Because multiple genes have been associated with HS,
      clinical genetic testing that relies on direct sequencing will be a challenge. In
      this study, we used whole exome sequencing to identify a novel nonsense mutation
      in ANK1 (p.Q1772X, NM_020476) that resulted in a truncated protein in a Korean
      patient with HS. Sanger sequencing confirmed the two affected individuals in the
      patient's family were heterozygous for the mutation. This is the first report of
      a Korean family that carries an ANK1 mutation responsible for HS. Our results
      demonstrate that next generation sequencing is a powerful approach for rapidly
      determining the genetic etiology of HS. 

PMID- 26107956
TI  - Anti-hepatitis C virus T-cell immunity in the context of multiple exposures to
      the virus.
AB  - Characterisation of Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific CD8+ T-cell responses in the
      context of multiple HCV exposures is critical to identify broadly protective
      immune responses necessary for an effective HCV vaccine against the different HCV
      genotypes. However, host and viral genetic diversity complicates vaccine
      development. To compensate for the observed variation in circulating autologous
      viruses and host molecules that restrict antigen presentation (human leucocyte
      antigens; HLA), this study used a reverse genomics approach that identified sites
      of viral adaptation to HLA-restricted T-cell immune pressure to predict genotype
      specific HCV CD8+ T-cell targets. Peptides representing these putative HCV CD8+ T
      cell targets, and their adapted form, were used in individualised IFN-gamma
      ELISpot assays to screen for HCV-specific T-cell responses in 133 HCV
      seropositive subjects with high-risk of multiple HCV exposures. The data obtained
      from this study i) confirmed that genetic studies of viral evolution is an
      effective approach to detect novel in vivo HCV T-cell targets, ii) showed that
      HCV-specific T-cell epitopes can be recognised in their adapted form and would
      not have been detected using wild-type peptides and iii) showed that HCV-specific
      T-cell (but not antibody) responses against alternate genotypes in chronic HCV
      infected subjects are readily found, implying clearance of previous alternate
      genotype infection. In summary, HCV adaptation to HLA Class I-restricted T-cell
      responses plays a central role in anti-HCV immunity and multiple HCV genotype
      exposure is highly prevalent in at-risk exposure populations, which are important
      considerations for future vaccine design. 

PMID- 26107957
TI  - In Vivo Induction of Functionally Suppressive Induced Regulatory T Cells from
      CD4+CD25- T Cells Using an Hsp70 Peptide.
AB  - Therapeutic peptides that target antigen-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs) can
      suppress experimental autoimmune diseases. The heat shock protein (Hsp) 70, with
      its expression elevated in inflamed tissue, is a suitable candidate antigen
      because administration of both bacterial and mouse Hsp70 peptides has been shown
      to induce strong immune responses and to reduce inflammation via the activation
      or induction of Hsp specific Tregs. Although two subsets of Tregs exist, little
      is known about which subset of Tregs are activated by Hsp70 epitopes. Therefore,
      we set out to determine whether natural nTregs (derived from the thymus), or
      induced iTregs (formed in the periphery from CD4+CD25- naive T cells) were
      targeted after Hsp70-peptide immunization. We immunized mice with the previously
      identified Hsp70 T cell epitope B29 and investigated the formation of functional
      iTregs by using an in vitro suppression assay and adoptive transfer therapy in
      mice with experimental arthritis. To study the in vivo induction of Tregs after
      peptide immunization, we depleted CD25+ cells prior to immunization, allowing the
      in vivo formation of Tregs from CD4+CD25- precursors. This approach allowed us to
      study in vivo B29-induced Tregs and to compare these cells with Tregs from non
      depleted immunized mice. Our results show that using this approach, immunization
      induced CD4+CD25+ T cells in the periphery, and that these cells were suppressive
      in vitro. Additionally, adoptive transfer of B29-specific iTregs suppressed
      disease in a mouse model of arthritis. This study shows that immunization of mice
      with Hsp70 epitope B29 induces functionally suppressive iTregs from CD4+CD25- T
      cells. 

PMID- 26107958
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis of outcomes after cardiopulmonary arrest in
      childhood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiopulmonary arrest in children is an uncommon event, and often
      fatal. Resuscitation is often attempted, but at what point, and under what
      circumstances do continued attempts to re-establish circulation become futile?
      The uncertainty around these questions can lead to unintended distress to the
      family and to the resuscitation team. OBJECTIVES: To define the likely outcomes
      of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in children, within different patient groups,
      related to clinical features. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, MEDLINE in-Process & Other
      non-Indexed Citations, EMBASE, Cochrane database of systematic reviews and
      Cochrane central register of trials, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects
      (DARE), the Health Technology Assessment database, along with reference lists of
      relevant systematic reviews and included articles. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
      Prospective cohort studies which derive or validate a clinical prediction model
      of outcome following cardiopulmonary arrest. PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS:
      Children or young people (aged 0 - 18 years) who had cardiopulmonary arrest and
      received an attempt at resuscitation, excluding resuscitation at birth. STUDY
      APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: Risk of bias assessment developed the Hayden
      system for non-randomised studies and QUADAS2 for decision rules. Synthesis
      undertaken by narrative, and random effects meta-analysis with the DerSimonian
      Laird estimator. RESULTS: More than 18,000 episodes in 16 data sets were
      reported. Meta-analysis was possible for survival and one neurological outcome;
      others were reported too inconsistently. In-hospital patients (average survival
      37.2% (95% CI 23.7 to 53.0%)) have a better chance of survival following
      cardiopulmonary arrest than out-of-hospital arrests (5.8% (95% CI 3.9% to 8.6%)).
      Better neurological outcome was also seen, but data were too scarce for meta
      analysis (17% to 71% 'good' outcomes, compared with 2.8% to 3.2%). LIMITATION:
      Lack of consistent outcome reporting and short-term neurological outcome measures
      limited the strength of conclusions that can be drawn from this review.
      CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS: There is a need to collaboratively,
      prospectively, collect potentially predictive data on these rare events to
      understand more clearly the predictors of survival and long-term neurological
      outcome. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO 2013:CRD42013005102.

PMID- 26107959
TI  - The identification of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans in archaeological
      human bones and teeth.
AB  - Bone tissue is mineralized dense connective tissue consisting mainly of a mineral
      component (hydroxyapatite) and an organic matrix comprised of collagens, non
      collagenous proteins and proteoglycans (PGs). Extracellular matrix proteins and
      PGs bind tightly to hydroxyapatite which would protect these molecules from the
      destructive effects of temperature and chemical agents after death. DNA and
      proteins have been successfully extracted from archaeological skeletons from
      which valuable information has been obtained; however, to date neither PGs nor
      glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains have been studied in archaeological skeletons. PGs
      and GAGs play a major role in bone morphogenesis, homeostasis and degenerative
      bone disease. The ability to isolate and characterize PG and GAG content from
      archaeological skeletons would unveil valuable paleontological information. We
      therefore optimized methods for the extraction of both PGs and GAGs from
      archaeological human skeletons. PGs and GAGs were successfully extracted from
      both archaeological human bones and teeth, and characterized by their
      electrophoretic mobility in agarose gel, degradation by specific enzymes and
      HPLC. The GAG populations isolated were chondroitin sulfate (CS) and hyaluronic
      acid (HA). In addition, a CSPG was detected. The localization of CS, HA, three
      small leucine rich PGs (biglycan, decorin and fibromodulin) and glypican was
      analyzed in archaeological human bone slices. Staining patterns were different
      for juvenile and adult bones, whilst adolescent bones had a similar staining
      pattern to adult bones. The finding that significant quantities of PGs and GAGs
      persist in archaeological bones and teeth opens novel venues for the field of
      Paleontology. 

PMID- 26107962
TI  - [Commonwealth Fund Survey 2012: Survey of Primary Care Doctors in 11 Countries:
      Use of Health Information Technology and Important Aspects of Care].
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2006 and 2009 the US-American Commonwealth Fund (CMWF) already
      conducted international surveys with primary care physicians regarding their
      daily work and important aspects of care. In 2012 a third survey took place in 11
      countries, with an emphasis on use of information technology. METHODS: There was
      a written survey and a telephone survey of primary care physicians conducted in
      eleven industrial countries. In Germany, a random sample of 4 500 primary care
      physicians out of all 16 federal states were contacted by mail between April and
      July 2012. The data acquisition in Germany was conducted by the BQS Institute for
      Quality and Patient Safety and funded by the Federal Ministry of Health. The
      results were weighted by age, sex, region and medical specialty of the
      participating doctors. RESULTS: 9 776 primary care physicians participated; 909
      of them in Germany. The response rate in Germany was 20%. 80% of the primary care
      physicians in Germany are using electronic patient records. But special IT
      functions, with the exception of electronic prescriptions and ordering of
      laboratory tests, are little used compared to other countries. Even in countries
      with a wide use of special IT functions within the practices, the possibility of
      communicating with colleagues and patients electronically is often lacking. 35%
      of the German primary care physicians think the quality of care has declined
      since the last survey in 2009. Only in France do more primary care physicians
      share that feeling (37%). In 2012 a lot more German primary care physicians
      stated to have problems with long waiting times for specialist consults (2009:
      10%; 2012: 68%).

PMID- 26107960
TI  - The Regulatory T Cell Lineage Factor Foxp3 Regulates Gene Expression through
      Several Distinct Mechanisms Mostly Independent of Direct DNA Binding.
AB  - The lineage factor Foxp3 is essential for the development and maintenance of
      regulatory T cells, but little is known about the mechanisms involved. Here, we
      demonstrate that an N-terminal proline-rich interaction region is crucial for
      Foxp3's function. Subdomains within this key region link Foxp3 to several
      independent mechanisms of transcriptional regulation. Our study suggests that
      Foxp3, even in the absence of its DNA-binding forkhead domain, acts as a bridge
      between DNA-binding interaction partners and proteins with effector function
      permitting it to regulate a large number of genes. We show that, in one such
      mechanism, Foxp3 recruits class I histone deacetylases to the promoters of target
      genes, counteracting activation-induced histone acetylation and thereby
      suppressing their expression. 

PMID- 26107963
TI  - [Stepwise Diagnostics, Federal Joint Committee Directive and Actual Care in the
      Case of Sleep-related Breathing Disorders - An Analysis Based on Claims Data of
      the Techniker Krankenkasse].
AB  - In 2004, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) published a new directive for
      examination and treatment methods with respect to sleep-related breathing
      disorders for SHI-accredited physicians. The examination procedure is classified
      in four steps: anamnesis, clinical assessment, cardiorespiratory polygraphy (PG)
      and cardiorespiratory polysomnography (PSG). Starting with the date of the first
      PSG we analysed 1. whether this examination was preceded by a polygraphy, 2.
      whether there was a gain of diagnostic information through PSG, and 3. whether a
      PSG was used for the first adjustment examinations and controls after
      prescription of a positive airway pressure device. The analysis is based on
      claims data from the Techniker Krankenkasse (2009-2012). Diagnostic services were
      identified by fee schedule codes (EBM) for outpatient services and by procedure
      codes (OPS) for inpatient services. Sleep disorders were operationalised by ICD
      10 codes and information was completed by prescriptions of a CPAP equipment.The
      study is based on data from 6.6 million persons who were permanently insured from
      01.01.2009 to 30.06.2012 by TK. A preceding PG 90 (180) days before PSG was found
      for less than 56% (73%) of the analysed insured persons. By the latter procedure,
      only about 60% of the cases with no clear diagnostic information (G47.39) in the
      preceding quarter could be specified. Prescription of a positive airway pressure
      device within 90 days after PSG was found for about 45% of the insured.
      Concerning the stepwise diagnostic procedure for sleep disorders for SHI
      accredited physicians, the directive was followed only partly. Against the
      background of an evidence-based, effective, and efficient diagnostic approach,
      the results show a clear need for action.

PMID- 26107964
TI  - [Surface Cleaning and Disinfection in the Hospital. Improvement by Objective
      Monitoring and Intervention].
AB  - Background and Objective: An assessment of cleaning and disinfection in hospitals
      by the use of objective surveillance and review of mandatory corrective measures
      was undertaken. Methods: A prospective examination of the cleaning and
      disinfection of surfaces scheduled for daily cleaning in 5 general care hospitals
      by use of an ultraviolet fluorescence targeting method (UVM) was performed,
      followed by structured educational and procedural interventions. The survey was
      conducted in hospital wards, operating theatres and intensive care units.
      Cleaning performance was measured by complete removal of UVM. Training courses
      and reinforced self-monitoring were implemented after the first evaluation. 6
      months later, we repeated the assessment for confirmation of success. Results:
      The average cleaning performance was 34% (31/90) at base-line with significant
      differences between the 5 hospitals (11-67%). The best results were achieved in
      intensive care units (61%) and operating theatres (58%), the worst results in
      hospital wards (22%). The intervention significantly improved cleaning
      performance up to an average of 69% (65/94; +34.7%; 95% confidence interval (CI):
      21.2-48.3; p<0.05), with differences between the hospitals (20-95%). The largest
      increase was achieved in hospital wards (+45%; CI 29.2-60.8; p<0.05).
      Improvements in operating theatres (+22.9%; CI 10.9-56.7) and intensive care
      units (+5.6%; CI 25.8-36.9) were statistically not significant. Conclusions: The
      monitoring of cleaning and disinfection of surfaces by fluorescence targeting is
      appropriate for evaluating hygiene regulations. An intervention can lead to a
      significant improvement of cleaning performance. As part of a strategy to improve
      infection control in hospitals, fluorescence targeting enables a simple
      inexpensive and effective surveillance of the cleaning performance and corrective
      measures.

PMID- 26107965
TI  - [Cost-Effectiveness of the 21 Gene Assay in Patients with Node-Positive Breast
      Cancer].
AB  - Aim: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer for women. Most guidelines
      recommend patients with lymph-node positive (LN+) early stage breast cancer to
      undergo adjuvant chemotherapy to prevent or delay distant recurrence. This may
      lead to frequent, general usage of chemotherapy accompanied with high costs and
      side effects. The Oncotype DX, also called 21 Gene Assay, by Genomic Health is a
      genomic test which predicts the individual risk of breast cancer recurrence as
      well as the benefits of chemotherapy. Economic analyses have indicated the cost
      effectiveness of the 21 Gene Assay for patients with LN- breast cancer. This
      paper discusses recent research on the cost-effectiveness of using this assay for
      patients with LN+ breast cancer. Methods: A systematic literature research was
      undertaken using the following databases: Pubmed, Embase, Business Source
      Complete and EconLit. Studies found were analysed for study design, parameters,
      and analysis of uncertainty. The transferability of the results to Germany was
      examined using a list of criteria. Results: 7 relevant economic analyses were
      identified. Incremental cost-utility ratios ranged from cost-savings of ? 3 548
      per patient to additional costs of ? 9 113 per QALY gained. The transferability
      of the results to Germany is limited particularly by differences in the medical
      cost approach, in absolute and relative prices in health-care, and by practice
      variation. Conclusion: There is evidence that the cost-utility of the assay when
      used for LN+ breast cancer is basically comparable to that for the use with the
      LN- type. More precise results for Germany would require valid data on the risk
      of recurrence as well as on the description and evaluation of health-related
      quality of life of patients.

PMID- 26107966
TI  - [Risk Factors for Disability Pensioning Caused by Mental Disorders - A Systematic
      Review].
AB  - Background: Meanwhile, mental disorders are the main reason for receiving a
      disability pension. The present study aimed at providing an overview of the
      German literature on characteristics and factors related to ERMD and pointing out
      the current state in this field of research. Revealing parameters that are
      accompanied by an ERMD is a precondition to prospectively prevent this trend.
      Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted from 2001 through to 2014.
      All results regarding German statutory pension insurants pensioned due to mental
      disorders after 2001 were included. Studies were considered if they reported 2 or
      more relevant results. Research design was not limited, except for excluding
      anonymous questionnaires. Results: 20 studies were found meeting eligibility
      criteria. All included studies were based on secondary analyses of data derived
      from the German statutory pension insurance. By means of gender-specific
      regression analyses the level of qualification and the geographical region were
      unveiled to be significant predictors of the ERMD. Basically, most reported
      results were descriptive or explorative. Besides various single results and
      evidence for interactions, frequently reported results are that: (i) female
      insurants get pensioned more frequently due to mental disorders than male
      insurants, (ii) affective disorders are the most frequent diagnoses, (iii)
      insurants with mental disorders are younger than insurants with somatic disorders
      when they get pensioned and (iv) insurants with schizophrenic disorders are
      younger than insurants with other mental disorders when they get pensioned. The
      utilisation of rehabilitative services before getting pensioned is limited at
      50%. Conclusion: This work demonstrates a lack of empirical evidence of how (and
      what) disability risks are associated with ERMD in Germany. Furthermore, our
      results illustrate that a major part of the insurants do not attend
      rehabilitative services before their retirement, even though rehabilitation of
      mental illness is assumed to be effective. Future studies should hence focus on
      identifying disability related risk factors and barriers to using rehabilitative
      services in order to develop starting points for preventive and individual
      strategies.

PMID- 26107967
TI  - Clinical applications of next-generation sequencing in histocompatibility and
      transplantation.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can overcome traditional
      methodological barriers to facilitate detailed studies of large genomes. Here, we
      summarize recent NGS-based developments in histocompatibility and
      transplantation, and highlight the dynamic range of clinical applications
      achievable on this platform. RECENT FINDINGS: Multiple NGS-based protocols have
      been established to achieve unambiguous human leukocyte antigen genotyping. These
      methods are presently engaged to serve the high-throughput demand of large bone
      marrow registries; however, the scalable nature of NGS makes it an equally
      attractive technology for select applications within solid organ transplantation.
      Recently, the exquisite sensitivity of NGS has been leveraged to perform
      noninvasive allograft monitoring by tracking the dynamics of donor-derived cell
      free DNA. Further, NGS-based T-cell receptor and immunoglobulin heavy chain
      repertoire profiling appear to be useful in clarifying disease-specific diagnoses
      in certain complex allograft pathology; detecting/quantifying minimal residual
      disease following allogeneic stem cell transplantation; and tracking donor
      reactive T cells to understand the mechanism of tolerance in kidney transplant
      recipients. SUMMARY: NGS is superior to classical Sanger sequencing in its
      throughput, sensitivity, and the ability to provide phase-defined sequence data.
      These unique properties allow its broad application to diverse areas in clinical
      transplantation.

PMID- 26107968
TI  - Urinary biomarkers of renal transplant outcome.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Renal allograft loss remains an important cause of morbidity
      and mortality. The objective of this review was to provide a rationale for
      noninvasive monitoring to identify patients at high risk for graft loss; discuss
      key steps in prognostic biomarker development from bench-to-bedside; and review
      promising biomarkers for late renal allograft outcomes. RECENT FINDINGS: In a
      multicentre prospective cohort, early 6-month urinary CCL2 was demonstrated to be
      associated with the development of 24-month interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy
      and inflammation (IFTA+i). These findings were extended to a single centre
      cohort, which showed that 6-month urinary CCL2 was a predictor of death-censored
      graft loss independent of donor-specific antibody and delayed graft function. In
      a large, multicentre prospective observational study (CTOT-01), 6-month urinary
      CXCL9 was significantly associated with more than 30% decline of graft function
      at 24 months. SUMMARY: Urinary chemokines may identify recipients who are at high
      risk of graft loss. The early detection of high-risk recipients may allow for
      more intensive posttransplant surveillance; avoidance of drug
      minimization/withdrawal protocols; and the identification of patients who may
      benefit from enrolment in novel interventional trials. Prospective trials are
      needed to demonstrate that urinary chemokine-guided posttransplant surveillance
      strategies improve long-term graft outcomes.

PMID- 26107969
TI  - Tolerance signatures in transplant recipients.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The intent of this review was to describe biomarkers that
      predict or identify individuals who exhibit tolerance to a transplanted organ.
      The identification of tolerance biomarkers would spare some individuals the
      toxicity of immunosuppressive agents, enhance the safety of studies to induce
      tolerance, and provide insights into mechanisms of tolerance that may aid in
      designing new regimens. RECENT FINDINGS: Studies of tolerant kidney transplant
      recipients have revealed an association with B cells. More recent studies have
      suggested that these B cells may be less mature than from those in nontolerant
      recipients, and especially suited to suppress alloimmune responses. Biomarkers in
      tolerant liver transplant patients appear to be distinct from those associated
      renal tolerance. Most reports have identified an association with natural killer
      and/or gammadelta T cells rather than B cells. Recent data indicate biomarkers
      associated with iron homeostasis within the transplanted liver more accurately
      predict the tolerant state than do biomarkers expressed in the blood, suggesting
      that the renal allograft itself, which is infrequently sampled, would be
      informative. SUMMARY: Given the encouraging progress in identifying tolerance
      biomarkers, it will be important to validate these markers in larger studies of
      transplant recipients undergoing prospective minimization or withdrawal of
      immunosuppression.

PMID- 26107970
TI  - Role of B cells in tolerance induction.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: B cells are known to play a central role in humoral immunity
      and to boost cellular immunity, however, in a variety of experimental models, B
      cell subsets ameliorate inflammation and autoimmune disease, indicating that they
      can also play a regulatory role. Here, we highlight the advances in regulatory B
      cell (Breg) biology of the past year with an emphasis on findings pertinent to
      transplantation. Several recent observations highlight the relevance to clinical
      transplantation. Data from at least three independent groups demonstrated that
      spontaneously tolerant renal transplant recipients exhibit a peripheral blood B
      cell signature although the significance of these data remains unclear. Moreover,
      new data suggest that regulatory B cells may serve as a biomarker for long-term
      allograft outcomes. Finally, recent evidence suggesting that plasma cells may be
      an essential component of Bregs raises new concerns about targeting antibody
      producing cells. RECENT FINDINGS: We describe new information on Breg mechanisms
      of action to suppress the alloresponse, signals to expand Bregs in vitro, and
      more functional evidence of Breg involvement in operationally tolerant kidney
      patients and in maintaining stable allograft function. SUMMARY: Although
      lymphocyte depletion remains central to tolerance induction therapy, the sparing
      or expansion of regulatory B cells may be an additional strategy to preempt graft
      rejection.

PMID- 26107971
TI  - Innate lymphoid cells: the new kids on the block.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this article is to review recent advances in
      our understanding of innate lymphoid cell function and to speculate on how these
      cells may become activated and influence the immune response to allogeneic
      tissues and cells following transplantation. RECENT FINDINGS: Innate lymphoid
      cells encompass several novel cell types whose wide-ranging roles in the immune
      system are only now being uncovered. Through cytokine production, cross-talk with
      both haematopoietic and nonhaematopoietic populations and antigen presentation to
      T cells, these cells have been shown to be key regulators in maintaining tissue
      integrity, as well as initiating and then sustaining immune responses. SUMMARY:
      It is now clear that innate lymphoid cells markedly contribute to immune
      responses and tissue repair in a number of disease contexts. Although
      experimental and clinical data on the behaviour of these cells following
      transplantation are scant, it is highly likely that innate lymphoid cells will
      perform similar functions in the alloimmune response following transplantation
      and therefore may be potential therapeutic targets for manipulation to prevent
      allograft rejection.

PMID- 26107972
TI  - Population Subdivision of Fusarium graminearum from Barley and Wheat in the Upper
      Midwestern United States at the Turn of the Century.
AB  - Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat and
      barley, is one of the most economically destructive pathogens of these grains
      worldwide. Recent population genetic studies of the pathogen obtained from wheat
      in North America supported population subdivision in part correlated with the
      spectrum of trichothecene mycotoxins (chemotype) produced by individuals within
      each population. In contrast, a recent study of F. graminearum obtained from
      diseased barley in the upper Midwestern United States concluded that only a
      single population was present, consisting of individuals with various chemotypes.
      To test whether strains derived from different hosts potentially have different
      population dynamics, we obtained the barley strains used in the previous study
      and compared them with wheat strains isolated at a similar time and geographic
      origin. A total of 247 F. graminearum isolates from barley were assigned firmly
      into two clusters using a Bayesian clustering method. Subdivision within the
      barley population corresponded to the previously described NA1 (correlated with
      the 15ADON chemotype) and NA2 (correlated with the 3ADON chemotype) populations
      from wheat. However, in both sampling periods the barley population exhibited a
      higher level of genetic differentiation between NA1 and NA2 populations, fewer
      admixed individuals and evidence of unidirectional gene introgression (15ADON
      strains with NA2 genetic backgrounds). These results suggest less recombination
      between NA1 and NA2 populations on barley compared with wheat. The frequency of
      3ADON chemotype strains in the most recently surveyed barley population suggests
      a latitudinal cline from the northern (49%), central (40%) to the southern (29%)
      sampling area. The potential to produce a novel trichothecene, 3alpha
      acetoxy,7alpha,15-dihydroxy-12,13-epoxytrichothe-9-ene (NX-2), was not detected
      in the barley population but occurred at a low rate (2.4%) in the wheat
      population. 

PMID- 26107973
TI  - Biocatalytic synthesis of starch esters by immobilized lipase on magnetic
      microparticles.
AB  - Enzymatic esterification is an efficient approach for modifying starch to
      functionalized biomaterials. In this study, conversion of cassava starch to fatty
      acid acyl esters using immobilized Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase on Fe3O4
      microparticles modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and covalently linked
      by 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide and N-hydroxysuccinimide
      (Fe3O4-AP-ED-lipase) in a solvent-free system was studied. An optimized reaction
      containing 5% w/v gelatinized starch, 1% v/v Triton X-100, and 1% w/v biocatalyst
      with 2.5% w/v of fatty acids (palmitic, oleic, or linoleic acid) resulted in
      esterified products with a degree of substitution (DS) of 0.12-0.14, while a
      slightly lower DS was observed using crude palm fatty acid distillate as the acyl
      donor with 42.9-59.6% recovery yield. Increasing DS led to lower glass transition
      temperature and higher viscosity of the esterified products. The enzyme showed
      high operational stability with 85% retaining in activity after recycling in
      three consecutive batches with simple separation by magnetization, leading to
      improved process economics. 

PMID- 26107974
TI  - Retrospective Comparison of 25- and 23-Gauge Microincision Vitrectomy Surgery and
      20-Gauge Vitrectomy for the Repair of Macular Hole Retinal Detachment.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the anatomical and functional outcomes of 25- and 23-gauge
      microincision vitrectomy surgery (25G and 23G MIVS) instrumentation with the
      standard 20G pars plana vitrectomy (20G PPV) system in the treatment of primary
      macular hole retinal detachment (MHRD). DESIGN: A retrospective comparative
      study. METHODS: Forty-six eyes of 45 patients with MHRD underwent pars plana
      vitrectomy from March 1, 2006 to April 31, 2011. Fourteen, 13, and 19 eyes
      underwent 20G PPV, 23G MIVS, and 25G MIVS, respectively. The analysis included
      characteristics of the patients, single operation reattachment rate, final
      reattachment rate, closure rate of the macular hole, and rate of complications.
      The median follow-up period was 273 days. RESULTS: Preoperative characteristics
      were similar in the 3 groups. The single operation success rate was 11 (79%) of
      14 for 20G PPV, 10 (77%) of 13 for 23G MIVS, and 14 (74%) of 19 for 25G MIVS (P =
      0.95). The closure rate of the macular hole was 9 (64%) of 14 for 20G PPV, 9
      (69%) of 13 for 23G MIVS, and 11 (58%) of 19 for 25G MIVS (P = 0.78). One hundred
      percent of patients achieved final reattachment after multiple surgeries,
      excluding 2 patients who dropped out during the follow-up period. Rates of visual
      recovery and complications, including hypotony, were similar for all 3
      procedures. CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of 25G and 23G MIVS for the management of
      MHRD did not differ significantly from 20G PPV. Microincision vitrectomy surgery
      may be considered an alternative treatment, even for MHRD.

PMID- 26107975
TI  - A Cross-sectional Study of Prevalence and Etiology of Childhood Visual Impairment
      in Auckland, New Zealand.
AB  - PURPOSE: Childhood visual impairment has significant individual and socioeconomic
      costs with global differences in etiology and prevalence. This study aimed to
      determine prevalence, etiology, and avoidable causes of childhood visual
      impairment in New Zealand. DESIGN: Retrospective data analysis from a national
      referral center, the Blind and Low Vision Education Network New Zealand,
      Auckland. METHODS: The World Health Organization Program for Prevention of
      Blindness eye examination records for visually impaired children, 16 years or
      younger, registered with the Auckland Visual Resource Centre, were included. Data
      analyzed included demographics, etiology, visual acuity, visual fields,
      educational setting, and rehabilitation plan. RESULTS: Charts of 340 children
      were examined, of which 267 children (144 blind, 123 low vision) were included in
      the analysis, whereas the remaining 73 charts of children with no visual
      impairment were excluded. The calculated prevalence of blindness and low vision
      was 0.05% and 0.04%, respectively, in the Auckland region. Principal causes of
      blindness affecting 91 children (63.9%) were cerebral visual impairment in 61
      children (42.4%), optic nerve atrophy in 18 children (12.5%), and retinal
      dystrophy in 13 children (9.0%). The main potentially avoidable causes of
      blindness in 27 children (19%) were neonatal trauma, asphyxia in 9 children
      (33%), and nonaccidental injury 6 children (22%). CONCLUSIONS: This first report
      of prevalence for childhood blindness and low vision in New Zealand is similar to
      data from Established Market Economy countries. The leading causes of blindness
      are also comparable to other high-income countries; however, proportions of
      avoidable causes differ significantly.

PMID- 26107976
TI  - The Malaysian Cataract Surgery Registry: Cataract Surgery Practice Pattern.
AB  - PURPOSE: To present the cataract surgery practice pattern among the ophthalmic
      surgeons in hospitals managed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Malaysia.
      DESIGN: Secondary data analysis on Malaysian Cataract Surgery Registry (CSR).
      METHODS: The Malaysian CSR collected data on cataract surgeries done at all the
      ophthalmology departments in MOH from year 2002 to 2004 (paper-based) and 2007 to
      2011 (web-based). Data collected include type of admission, surgical techniques,
      type of anesthesia, and intraocular lens (IOL). Descriptive and inferential
      analysis was performed. RESULTS: Of the 185,388 cataract surgeries done over 8
      years, 171,482 (91.5%) were captured in CSR. There was a steep rise in
      phacoemulsification cataract surgery from 39.7% in 2002 to 78.0% in 2011 with a
      corresponding fall in extracapsular cataract extraction from 54.0% to 17.3% in
      the respective years. This explained the surge in the use of foldable IOL from
      26.5% in 2002 to 88.3% in 2011. The proportion of cataract surgery with IOL
      implantation was 97.5% in 2012 and 98.2% in 2011. The proportion of day-care
      cataract surgery was low, with 39.3% in 2002 to 52.3% in 2011. Vitreoretinal
      surgery was the commonest type of combined surgery performed. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although phacoemulsification was performed in two thirds of the patients who
      presented to MOH hospitals in Malaysia, extracapsular cataract extraction was
      still being performed because of a significant proportion of cataract that were
      brunescent and limited access to phacoemulsification machines and consumables.
      There is a need to increase day-care cataract surgery as it will eventually save
      cost.

PMID- 26107977
TI  - Effect of Intraocular Pressure and Anisotropy on the Optical Properties of the
      Cornea: A Study Using Polarization Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography.
AB  - PURPOSE: We hypothesize that because of the anisotropic properties of the cornea,
      there should be a nonuniform change in birefringence with an increase in
      intraocular pressure (IOP). In this in vitro study, anisotropic properties,
      stress distribution within the cornea, and the effect of IOP on changes in stress
      level were investigated. DESIGN: Button inflation tests for deformation with
      polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography were used to demonstrate
      optical and material anisotropy on ex vivo human corneas. METHODS: Inflation
      tests were performed on human donor corneoscleral rims. Using a turntable and
      hydrostatic column, each corneoscleral rim was subjected to a hydrostatic
      pressure of 0, 10, 15, and 20 mm Hg. At each pressure step, 4 scans at 0, 45, 90,
      and 135 degrees were taken by a polarization sensitive optical coherence
      tomography system, and the birefringence images and normal intensity-based images
      were recorded; images were later compiled for analysis. RESULTS: The retardation
      changed with the axis of orientation (P [T <= t] 1-tailed = 0.025) and IOP (P [T
      <= t] 1-tailed = 0.019). Optical thickness of the cornea decreased with
      increasing IOP. CONCLUSIONS: The optical properties of the cornea are modified
      with change in IOP. This is not uniform because of distinct anisotropic
      properties. Anisotropic properties may unpredictably affect the optical quality
      of cornea during or after the surgeries. Changes in corneal birefringence can be
      also used as a tool for measuring the IOP of the eye.

PMID- 26107978
TI  - Delayed Hydrocephalus and Perianeurysmal Cyst Formation After Stent-Assisted Coil
      Embolization of a Large, Unruptured Basilar Apex Aneurysm: A Case Report and
      Literature Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: Endovascular aneurysm embolization possesses a unique set of
      infrequently seen complications distinct from those associated with microsurgical
      clipping, which may arise after an otherwise uncomplicated coil embolization
      procedure, including postembolization, hydrocephalus, and perianeurysmal cyst
      formation. DESIGN: The authors report an illustrative case of 2 rarely seen
      complications of aneurysm embolization with literature review. METHODS: We
      present a case of a basilar apex aneurysm that was treated with endovascular coil
      embolization with multiple Cerecyte (Micrus Endovascular, San Jose, Calif) coils
      and 2 Enterprise (Codman & Shurtleff, Inc, Raynham, Mass) stents. RESULTS:
      Postembolization angiography demonstrated complete aneurysm obliteration without
      distal branch occlusion or other complication. Twenty-two months after the
      embolization, however, the patient presented with progressively worsening
      headaches. Repeat magnetic resonance imaging revealed hydrocephalus and a
      perianeurysmal cyst measuring 1 * 2 cm adjacent to the previously coiled basilar
      apex aneurysm. After endoscopic third ventriculostomy, the patient experienced
      significant relief of her headaches and was discharged to rehabilitation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be aware that worsening or new neuro-ophthalmic
      findings may be the presenting sign of postembolization hydrocephalus or
      perianeurysmal cyst formation.

PMID- 26107979
TI  - Sturge-Weber Syndrome (Encephalotrigeminal Angiomatosis): Recent Advances and
      Future Challenges.
AB  - Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a congenital, sporadically occurring,
      neurocutaneous syndrome that presents classically with port-wine stain,
      leptomeningeal angiomas, and glaucoma. The systemic implications of SWS are vast
      and involve not only ophthalmic manifestations but also dermatologic, neurologic,
      and oral manifestations. Neuroimaging, in particular, plays an important role in
      the diagnosis and management of this disease. Recent discoveries have been made
      regarding the genetic pathogenesis of SWS. In addition, recent advances have been
      made in the management of the 2 most common ophthalmic manifestations of SWS:
      diffuse choroidal hemangioma and glaucoma. Despite these new contributions to the
      field, many challenges still remain. The management of diffuse choroidal
      hemangioma is wide ranging and includes photodynamic therapy, brachytherapy,
      radiotherapy, and antivascular endothelial growth factor injections, but all have
      had limited or varied success. Although there have been recent advances in
      knowledge and technique, the management of glaucoma is extremely complex, given
      the high surgical risks for complications and a poor response rate to medical
      therapy. Further studies are critical to maximize our knowledge of this difficult
      disease. 

PMID- 26107980
TI  - Intravitreal Bevacizumab in Retinopathy of Prematurity: Inject or Not?
AB  - This article is aimed to review and summarize the indications, outcomes and
      safety profiles regarding the use of intravitreal bevacizumab in patients with
      retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) as reported in previous studies with no
      intention to compare the efficacy between intravitreal bevacizumab and laser
      photocoagulation.Literature search was conducted in databases such as PubMed,
      Cochrane, Ovid, and Ophthalmology Advance using the terms "ROP,"
      "antiangiogenic," "antivascular endothelial growth factor," "intravitreal
      bevacizumab," and "Avastin."Eight prospective studies of 278 eyes of ROP infants
      and 15 retrospective studies involving 385 eyes of ROP infants treated with
      intravitreal bevacizumab were found. Bevacizumab was used as monotherapy,
      adjunctive therapy, and/or combined therapy.The varied use of intravitreal
      bevacizumab in treating ROP and he limited number of landmark studies contribute
      to the difficulties in drawing a strong conclusion in this review. Intravitreal
      bevacizumab was more commonly injected in: (1) type 1 ROP zone I and/or posterior
      zone II; (2) aggressive posterior ROP with poor retinal visualization in which
      laser photocoagulation would be difficult to perform; and (3) stage 4 ROP before
      vitrectomy. All cases demonstrated regression of neovascular activity during a
      varied follow-up period (from 1 week to 1 month) after injection. However,
      recurrence may occur. Follow-up until 80 weeks of postmenstrual age is thus
      recommended. Acceleration of fibrous traction is the most common ocular adverse
      effect after injection, whereas the systemic adverse effect remains uncertain.
      Landmark studies of the efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab injection in
      treating ROP are warranted. 

PMID- 26107981
TI  - A 1-Year Review of Amblyopia and Strabismus Research.
AB  - PURPOSE: This current review highlights some of the literature published in the
      past year from April 2013 to May 2014. DESIGN: Literature Review. METHODS: The
      present review is based on an extended search for pertinent articles on amblyopia
      and strabismus published during the specified period. RESULTS: Many articles are
      often not very comparable to one another because of a lack of randomized clinical
      trials with most of the studies being retrospective in nature. There is often
      disagreement on some terminology. Typically, the definition of binocular vision
      is rarely related to the tests used for evaluating it. CONCLUSIONS: The authors
      conclude that adult strabismus patients seem to gain benefits from corrective
      surgery not only for their ocular misalignment, but also for social anxiety
      levels that may be associated with improvements in their quality of life and
      disability levels.

PMID- 26107983
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding "Virtual Screening of Natural and Synthetic
      Ligands Against Diabetic Retinopathy by Molecular Interaction With Angiopoietin
      2".

PMID- 26107982
TI  - Riboflavin Concentration Analysis in Rabbit Corneas Before and After Corneal
      Collagen Cross-Linking Using Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate riboflavin in rabbit corneas
      before and after corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) using confocal laser
      scanning microscopy. DESIGN: A randomized controlled experimental study. METHODS:
      The study was divided into 3 parts. In part 1 of this study, 30 eyes from 15
      rabbits were used to evaluate riboflavin in de-epithelialized corneas before
      standard CXL. In part 2, 12 eyes from 6 rabbits were used to compare the
      differences of riboflavin concentration between standard CXL and transepithelial
      CXL (TE-CXL). In part 3, 12 eyes from another set of 6 rabbits were used to
      evaluate 1-day postoperative changes of riboflavin concentration between standard
      CXL and TE-CXL. Riboflavin concentrations in corneas were evaluated by
      calculating fluorescence densities with a confocal laser scanning microscope.
      RESULTS: In part 1, the riboflavin concentration after a 20-minute instillation
      was 0.036%, and did not reach the safety threshold (0.040%) for standard CXL. In
      part 2, the riboflavin concentration before TE-CXL was lower than 0.010%, which
      was significantly lower than standard CXL (P < 0.001). In part 3, corneal
      fluorescence decreased by approximately 100% (fluorescence quenching) 1 day after
      standard CXL and approximately 60% 1 day after TE-CXL. CONCLUSIONS: Application
      of 0.010% riboflavin solution for 30 minutes is essential for standard CXL. TE
      CXL is not recommended because the epithelial layers are inadequately permeable
      to riboflavin during and 1 day after surgery.

PMID- 26107984
TI  - Solid-State (17)O NMR of Oxygen-Nitrogen Singly Bonded Compounds:
      Hydroxylammonium Chloride and Sodium Trioxodinitrate (Angeli's Salt).
AB  - We report a solid-state NMR study of (17)O-labeled hydroxylammonium chloride
      ([H(17)O-NH3]Cl) and sodium trioxodinitrate monohydrate (Na2[(17)ONNO2].H2O,
      Angeli's salt). The common feature in these two compounds is that they both
      contain oxygen atoms that are singly bonded to nitrogen. For this class of oxygen
      containing functional groups, there is very limited solid-state (17)O NMR data in
      the literature. In this work, we experimentally measured the (17)O chemical shift
      and quadrupolar coupling tensors. With the aid of plane-wave DFT computation, the
      (17)O NMR tensor orientations were determined in the molecular frame of
      reference. We found that the characteristic feature of an O-N single bond is that
      the (17)O nucleus exhibits a large quadrupolar coupling constant (13-15 MHz) but
      a rather small chemical shift anisotropy (100-250 ppm), in sharp contrast with
      the nitroso (O?N) functional group for which both quantities are very large
      (e.g., 16 MHz and 3000 ppm, respectively). 

PMID- 26107985
TI  - Fabrication and characterization of toughness-enhanced scaffolds comprising beta
      TCP/POC using the freeform fabrication system with micro-droplet jetting.
AB  - A novel elastomeric material, poly(1,8-octanediol-co-citrate) (POC), has
      demonstrated tremendous versatility because of its advantageous toughness,
      tunable degradation properties, and efficient drug release capability. In this
      study, POC was used to improve the mechanical performance of beta-tricalcium
      phosphate (beta-Ca3(PO4)2, beta-TCP). (3D) beta-TCP/POC composite scaffolds were
      fabricated by a 3D printing technique based on the freeform fabrication system
      with micro-droplet jetting (FFS-MDJ). The physiochemical properties, compressive
      modulus, drug release behavior, and cell response of beta-TCP/POC composite
      scaffolds were systematically investigated. The results showed that beta-TCP/POC
      scaffolds had uniform macropores of 300-400 MUm, porosity of approximately 45%,
      biodegradability in phosphate-buffered saline, and high compressive modulus of 50
      75 MPa. With the incorporation of POC into beta-TCP, the toughness of the
      composite scaffolds was improved significantly. Moreover, beta-TCP/POC scaffolds
      exhibited sustained drug (ibuprofen (IBU)) release capability. Additionally, beta
      TCP/POC scaffolds facilitated C2C12 cell attachment and proliferation. It was
      indicated that the 3D-printed porous beta-TCP/POC scaffolds with high compressive
      modulus and good drug delivery performance might be a promising candidate for
      bone defect repair. 

PMID- 26107986
TI  - Community-based Adapted Tango Dancing for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease
      and Older Adults.
AB  - A correction to the author list has been made for the article Community-based
      Adapted Tango Dancing for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease and Older Adults.
      There was an error with the author, Madeleine Hackney's, name. The author's name
      has been updated to: Madeleine E. Hackney from: Madeleine Hackney. 

PMID- 26107987
TI  - Imaging agents.

PMID- 26107988
TI  - The rapidly evolving associations among herbivore associated elicitor-induced
      phytohormones in Nicotiana.
AB  - In response to herbivore attack, plants perceive herbivore associated elicitors
      (HAE) and rapidly accumulate jasmonic acid (JA) and other phytohormones, which
      interact in complex ways, such as the crosstalk between JA and salicylic acid
      (SA). Although recent studies have shown that HAE-induced individual
      phytohormones can be highly specific among closely related species, it remains
      unclear how conserved and specific the relationships among HAE-induced
      phytohormones are. Here we analyzed the correlations among 4 different
      phytohormones, JA, JA-isoleucine (JA-Ile), SA, and abscisic acid (ABA) in 6
      closely related Nicotiana species that were induced by 3 different HAEs. Our
      results showed that while no clear association between ABA and other
      phytohormones were found, the positive association between JA and JA-Ile is
      mostly conserved among closely related Nicotiana species. Interestingly, the
      association between JA and SA are highly variable and can be regulated by
      different HAEs. 

PMID- 26107989
TI  - Less Surgery, Improved Survival From Stage IV Colorectal Cancer?-Reply.

PMID- 26107990
TI  - Direct photocatalytic fluorination of benzylic C-H bonds with N
      fluorobenzenesulfonimide.
AB  - The late-stage fluorination of common synthetic building blocks and drug leads is
      an appealing reaction for medicinal chemistry. In particular, fluorination of
      benzylic C-H bonds provides a means to attenuate drug metabolism at this
      metabolically labile position. Here we report two complimentary strategies for
      the direct fluorination of benzylic C-H bonds using N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide
      and either a decatungstate photocatalyst or AIBN-initiation. 

PMID- 26107992
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of heart murmur in newborns with suspected congenital heart
      disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The correlation between heart murmur and congenital heart disease
      (CHD) is complex and varies with observed population. METHODS: Ninety consecutive
      newborns (41 with heart murmur and 49 controls) were routinely examined with
      auscultation and echocardiography. Intensity and characteristics of heart murmur,
      presence and type of CHD were recorded. Echocardiographic findings were
      considered as benchmark. RESULTS: Heart murmur was related to the presence of
      ostium secundum [odds ratio (OR) 4.2], patent ductus arteriosus (OR 11.9),
      tricuspidal regurgitation (OR 9.5), muscle ventricular septal defect (VSD) (OR
      12.3), membranous VSD (OR 9.7), and any CHD (OR 26.7) (P < 0.05 in all cases).
      Diagnostic accuracy of clinical examination with a finding of heart murmur was
      83%, lower if considering single CHD (58-69%), negative predictive value 90%, and
      positive predictive value 76%. Patients with any CHD, tricuspidal regurgitation
      and muscle VSD were characterized by a more intense heart murmur. In case of
      concomitant multiple CHD, intensity of heart murmur correlated with the number of
      congenital heart anomalies. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic accuracy of heart murmur at
      clinical examination (83%) declines when single CHDs are considered. Higher
      negative predictive value and lower positive predictive value suggest an
      echocardiographic second-level confirmation in the case of heart murmur at
      clinical examination suspected for CHD, probably unnecessary in the case of
      negative auscultative findings. Heart murmur intensity correlates with the number
      of concomitant congenital heart anomalies.

PMID- 26107991
TI  - Olfactomedin 1 Deficiency Leads to Defective Olfaction and Impaired Female
      Fertility.
AB  - Olfactomedin 1 (OLFM1) is a glycoprotein highly expressed in the brain. Olfm1(-/
      ) female mice were previously reported to have reduced fertility. Previous
      microarray analysis revealed Olfm1 among the most highly upregulated genes in the
      uterine luminal epithelium upon embryo implantation, which was confirmed by in
      situ hybridization. We hypothesized that Olfm1 deficiency led to defective embryo
      implantation and thus impaired fertility. Indeed, Olfm1(-/-) females had
      defective embryo implantation. However, Olfm1(-/-) females rarely mated and those
      that mated rarely became pregnant. Ovarian histology indicated the absence of
      corpora lutea in Olfm1(-/-) females, indicating defective ovulation.
      Superovulation using equine chorionic gonadotropin-human chorionic gonadotropin
      rescued mating, ovulation, and pregnancy, and equine chorionic gonadotropin alone
      rescued ovulation in Olfm1(-/-) females. Olfm1(-/-) females had a 13% reduction
      of hypothalamic GnRH neurons but comparable basal serum LH levels and GnRH
      induced LH levels compared with wild-type controls. These results indicated no
      obvious local defects in the female reproductive system and a functional
      hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Olfm1(-/-) females were unresponsive to the
      effects of male bedding stimulation on pubertal development and estrous cycle.
      There were 41% fewer cFos-positive cells in the mitral cell layer of accessory
      olfactory bulb upon male urine stimulation for 90 minutes. OLFM1 was expressed in
      the main and accessory olfactory systems including main olfactory epithelium,
      vomeronasal organ, main olfactory bulb, and accessory olfactory bulb, with the
      highest expression detected in the axon bundles of olfactory sensory neurons.
      These data demonstrate that defective fertility in Olfm1(-/-) females is most
      likely a secondary effect of defective olfaction. 

PMID- 26107993
TI  - Nanoparticle-conjugated aptamer targeting hnRNP A2/B1 can recognize multiple
      tumor cells and inhibit their proliferation.
AB  - In this study, we further investigated a previously developed aptamer targeting
      ROS 17/2.8 (rat osteosarcoma) cells. We found that this C6-8 aptamer specifically
      binds to heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) A2/B1 and that it
      specifically labeled multiple tumor-cell lines as effectively as hnRNP A2/B1
      monoclonal antibodies. When conjugated with fluorescent carbon nanodots (CDots)
      it could freely enter multiple living tumor cell lines (HepG2, MCF-7, H1299, and
      HeLa), whose growth it inhibited by targeting hnRNP A2/B1. Similar inhibitory
      effects were observed when the GFP-HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells treated with C6-8
      conjugated CDots were implanted in nude mice. Our work provides a new aptamer for
      targeting/labeling multiple tumor cell types, and its nanoparticle conjugates
      bring further advantages that increase its potential for use in cancer diagnosis
      and therapy. 

PMID- 26107994
TI  - Tofacitinib Citrate for the Treatment of Vitiligo: A Pathogenesis-Directed
      Therapy.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Vitiligo is a common condition that is often emotionally devastating
      for patients. At present, no reliably effective treatments are available.
      OBSERVATIONS: Recent advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis of
      vitiligo suggest that Janus kinase inhibitors may be a therapeutic option. We
      report a case of generalized vitiligo for which treatment with tofacitinib
      citrate, an oral Janus kinase 1/3 inhibitor, resulted in significant
      repigmentation. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The results suggest that tofacitinib
      and other Janus kinase inhibitors may be effective in the treatment of vitiligo.
      Additional studies will be needed to confirm their efficacy and to explore their
      safety.

PMID- 26107996
TI  - Parents' perspectives on care of children with autistic spectrum disorder in
      South Asia - Views from Pakistan and India.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects about 1.4% of the population in South Asia
      but very few have access to any form of health care service. The objective of
      this study was to explore the beliefs and practices related to the care of
      children with ASD to inform strategies for intervention. In Pakistan, primary
      data were collected through in-depth interviews of parents (N = 15), while in
      India a narrative review of existing studies was conducted. The results show that
      the burden of care is almost entirely on the mother, leading to high levels of
      stress. Poor awareness of the condition in both family members and front-line
      health-providers leads to delay in recognition and appropriate management. There
      is considerable stigma and discrimination affecting children with autism and
      their families. Specialist services are rare, concentrated in urban areas, and
      inaccessible to the majority. Strategies for intervention should include building
      community and family support networks to provide respite to the main carer. In
      the absence of specialists, community members such as community health workers,
      traditional practitioners and even motivated family members could be trained in
      recognizing and providing evidence-based interventions. Such task-shifting
      strategies should be accompanied by campaigns to raise awareness so greater
      inclusivity can be achieved. 

PMID- 26107995
TI  - Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes as Carriers of Ruthenium Complexes to
      Antagonize Cancer Multidrug Resistance and Radioresistance.
AB  - Multidrug resistance and radioresistance are major obstacles for successful
      cancer therapy. Due to the unique characteristics of high surface area, improved
      cellular uptake, and the possibility to be easily bound with therapeutics, carbon
      nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted increasing attention as potential nanodrug
      delivery systems. In this study, a CNT-based radiosensitive nanodrug delivery
      system was rationally designed to antagonize the multidrug resistance in
      hepatocellular carcinoma. The nanosystem was loaded with a potent anticancer
      ruthenium polypyridyl complex (RuPOP) via pi-pi interaction and formation of a
      hydrogen bond. The functionalized nanosystem (RuPOP@MWCNTs) enhanced the cellular
      uptake of RuPOP in liver cancer cells, especially drug-resistant R-HepG2 cells,
      through endocytosis. Consistently, the selective cellular uptake endowed the
      nanosystem amplified anticancer efficacy against R-HepG2 cells but not in normal
      cells. Interestingly, RuPOP@MWCNTs significantly enhanced the anticancer efficacy
      of clinically used X-ray against R-HepG2 cells through induction of apoptosis and
      G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, with the involvement of ROS overproduction, which
      activated several downstream signaling pathways, including DNA damage-mediated
      p53 phosphorylation, activation of p38, and inactivation of AKT and ERK.
      Moreover, the nanosystem also effectively reduces the toxic side effects of
      loaded drugs and prolongs the blood circulation in vivo. Taken together, the
      results demonstrate the rational design of functionalized carbon nanotubes and
      their application as effective nanomedicine to overcome cancer multidrug
      resistance. 

PMID- 26107997
TI  - Routine outcome measurement in the Netherlands - A focus on benchmarking.
AB  - Routine outcome measurement (ROM) is a 'hot' topic in the Netherlands. Over
      recent years the Netherlands have developed a centralized monitoring system for
      all reimbursed mental health interventions, in an attempt to improve the quality
      of care. The Foundation for Benchmarking Mental Health (SBG) is an independent
      knowledge centre for mental health providers and insurance companies. It was
      founded to organize and manage the countrywide ROM initiative. A Dutch
      countrywide ROM initiative is appealing, and the procedures in the Netherlands
      are described. However, the national ROM system was oversold. Arguments are
      discussed. It would have been a far better strategy if insurance companies and
      authorities had not focused on a national system but stimulated local data
      collection and requested a managerial plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle to stimulate
      service improvements from year to year. Within the same service, chances are
      higher that the same kind of clientele is served from year to year and therefore
      it will be easier to interpret the data. The ROM should regain its clinical
      focus. Mobile ROM systems using smartphones that collect sampled experiences
      could be an interesting future solution. 

PMID- 26107998
TI  - The recent arbovirus disease epidemic in Brazil.

PMID- 26107999
TI  - New delivery systems for amphotericin B applied to the improvement of
      leishmaniasis treatment.
AB  - Leishmaniasis is one of the six major tropical diseases targeted by the World
      Health Organization. It is a life-threatening disease of medical, social and
      economic importance in endemic areas. No vaccine is yet available for human use,
      and chemotherapy presents several problems. Pentavalent antimonials have been the
      drugs of choice to treat the disease for more than six decades; however, they
      exhibit high toxicity and are not indicated for children, for pregnant or
      breastfeeding women or for chronically ill patients. Amphotericin B (AmpB) is a
      second-line drug, and although it has been increasingly used to treat visceral
      leishmaniasis (VL), its clinical use has been hampered due to its high toxicity.
      This review focuses on the development and in vivo usage of new delivery systems
      for AmpB that aim to decrease its toxicity without altering its therapeutic
      efficacy. These new formulations, when adjusted with regard to their production
      costs, may be considered new drug delivery systems that promise to improve the
      treatment of leishmaniasis, by reducing the side effects and the number of doses
      while permitting a satisfactory cost-benefit ratio. 

PMID- 26108000
TI  - Influenza infection and Kawasaki disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to investigate the possible link
      between influenza (Flu) infection and Kawasaki disease (KD). METHODS: We examined
      the medical records of 1,053 KD cases and 4,669 influenza infection cases
      hospitalized at our institute from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2013. Cases of
      KD with concomitant influenza infection formed the KD + Flu group. Each KD + Flu
      case was matched with 2 KD cases and 2 influenza infection cases, and these cases
      were assigned to the KD group and Flu group, respectively. The differences in the
      principal clinical manifestations, course of disease, incomplete KD rate,
      intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance rate, and echocardiographic
      detection results between the KD + Flu group and KD group were compared. The
      fever durations and laboratory test results of these three groups were compared.
      RESULTS: 1) The seasonal variations of the KD + Flu group, KD group and Flu group
      were similar. 2) The morbidity rate of incomplete KD was higher in the KD + Flu
      group compared with the KD group. 3) Patients in the KD + Flu group exhibited a
      longer time to KD diagnosis compared with patients in the KD group. 4) The KD +
      Flu group exhibited the longest fever duration among the three groups. 5) The CRP
      and ESR values in the KD + Flu group were higher those in the Flu or KD groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant influenza infection affects the clinical manifestations
      of KD and can impact the laboratory test results and the diagnosis and treatment
      of the disease. However, it remains unclear whether influenza contributes to KD
      etiology.

PMID- 26108001
TI  - HIV-1 epidemiology and circulating subtypes in the countryside of South Brazil.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has spread worldwide,
      with several subtypes and circulating recombinant forms. Brazil has an incidence
      of 20.5 HIV-1/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients per 100,000
      inhabitants; however, the Southernmost State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) has more
      than twice the number of HIV-1-infected people (41.3/100,000 inhabitants) and a
      different pattern of subtype frequencies, as previously reported in studies
      conducted in the capital (Porto Alegre) and its metropolitan region. This study
      examined HIV-1/AIDS epidemiological and molecular aspects in the countryside of
      Rio Grande do Sul. METHODS: Socio-demographic, clinical and risk behavioral
      characteristics were obtained from HIV-1-positive adult patients using a
      structured questionnaire. HIV-1 subtypes were determined by nested-polymerase
      chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of the pol and env genes. RESULTS: The study
      sample included 149 (55% women) patients with a mean age of 41.8 +/- 11.9 years.
      Most (73.8%) patients had a low education level and reported heterosexual
      practices as the most (91.9%) probable transmission route. HIV-1 subtypes were
      detected in 26 patients: 18 (69.2%) infected with subtype C, six (23.1%) infected
      with subtype B and two (7.7%) infected with BC recombinant forms. CONCLUSIONS:
      These data highlight the increasing number of HIV-1 subtype C infections in the
      countryside of South Brazil.

PMID- 26108002
TI  - Occult HBV infection status among chronic hepatitis C and hemodialysis patients
      in Northeastern Egypt: regional and national overview.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) is considered to be one of the
      major risks for patients suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on regular
      hemodialysis (HD) and patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
      This study compared the prevalence of OBI among these two high-risk groups in the
      Suez Canal region, Northeastern Egypt, to obtain a better national overview of
      the magnitude of OBI in this region. METHODS: Serum samples were collected from
      165 HD patients and 210 chronic HCV-infected patients. Anti-HCV antibody,
      hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), total hepatitis B core (anti-HBc) antibody,
      and hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) were detected by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA). HCV RNA was detected using a quantitative real-time
      RT-PCR assay, and HBV was detected using a nested PCR. RESULTS: All patients were
      negative for HBsAg. A total of 49.1% and 25.2% of the patients in the HD and HCV
      groups, respectively, were anti-HBc-positive. In addition, more anti-HBs-positive
      patients were detected in the HD group compared to the HCV group (52.1% and
      11.4%, respectively). Three cases were positive for HBV DNA in the HD group,
      while eighteen positive cases were detected in the HCV group. Both study groups
      showed significant differences in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and
      aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level as well as anti-HBc, anti-HBs and HBV-DNA
      positivity. CONCLUSIONS: OBI was more prevalent among chronic HCV patients than
      HD patients in the Suez Canal region, Egypt, with rates of 8.5% and 1.8%,
      respectively. However, more precise assessment of this infection requires regular
      patient follow-up using HBV DNA detection methods.

PMID- 26108003
TI  - Phlebotominae sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae): potential vectors of American
      cutaneous leishmaniasis agents in the area associated with the Santo Antonio
      Hydroelectric System in Western Amazonian Brazil.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: An entomological study was conducted as part of a vector-monitoring
      program in the area associated with the Santo Antonio hydroelectric system in
      State of Rondonia, Western Amazonian Brazil. METHODS: Fourteen sampling sites
      were surveyed to obtain data on the potential vectors of Leishmania spp. in the
      area. Sand flies were collected from 2011 to 2014 during the months of
      January/February (rainy season), May/June (dry season), and September/October
      (intermediary season) using light traps arranged in three vertical strata (0.5,
      1, and 20m). RESULTS: A total of 7,575 individuals belonging to 62
      species/subspecies were collected. The five most frequently collected sand flies
      were Psychodopygus davisi (Root) (36.67%), Trichophoromyia ubiquitalis
      (Mangabeira) (8.51%), Nyssomyia umbratilis (Ward & Fraiha) (6.14%), Bichromomyia
      flaviscutellata (Mangabeira) (5.74%), and Psychodopygus complexus (Mangabeira)
      (5.25%). These species have been implicated in the transmission of American
      cutaneous leishmaniasis agents in the Brazilian Amazon region and described as
      potential vectors of this disease in the study area. CONCLUSIONS: Additional
      surveillance is needed, especially in areas where these five species of sand fly
      are found.

PMID- 26108004
TI  - Leptospirosis in animals and human contacts in Egypt: broad range surveillance.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Leptospirosis is a re-emerging zoonotic disease of humans and
      animals worldwide. The disease is caused by pathogenic species of the genus
      Leptospira. These organisms are maintained in nature via chronic renal infection
      of carrier animals, which excrete the organisms in their urine. Humans become
      infected through direct or indirect exposure to infected animals and their urine
      or through contact with contaminated water and soil. This study was conducted to
      investigate Leptospira infections as a re-emerging zoonosis that has been
      neglected in Egypt. METHODS: Samples from 1,250 animals (270 rats, 168 dogs, 625
      cows, 26 buffaloes, 99 sheep, 14 horses, 26 donkeys and 22 camels), 175 human
      contacts and 45 water sources were collected from different governorates in
      Egypt. The samples were collected from different body sites and prepared for
      culture, PCR and the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). RESULTS: The isolation
      rates of Leptospira serovars were 6.9%, 11.3% and 1.1% for rats, dogs and cows,
      respectively, whereas the PCR results revealed respective detection rates of 24%,
      11.3% and 1.1% for rats, dogs and cows. Neither the other examined animal species
      nor humans yielded positive results via these two techniques. Only six Leptospira
      serovars (Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona, Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Celledoni and
      Pyrogenes) could be isolated from rats, dogs and cows. Moreover, the
      seroprevalence of leptospiral antibodies among the examined humans determined
      using MAT was 49.7%. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results revealed that rats, dogs
      and cows were the most important animal reservoirs for leptospirosis in Egypt,
      and the high seroprevalence among human contacts highlights the public health
      implications of this neglected zoonosis.

PMID- 26108005
TI  - Antimicrobial resistance of Helicobacter pylori strains to five antibiotics,
      including levofloxacin, in Northwestern Turkey.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Antibiotic resistance is the main factor that affects the efficacy
      of current therapeutic regimens against Helicobacter pylori. This study aimed to
      determine the rates of resistance to efficacy clarithromycin, amoxicillin,
      tetracycline, levofloxacin and metronidazole among H. pylori strains isolated
      from Turkish patients with dyspepsia. METHODS: H. pylori was cultured from corpus
      and antrum biopsies that were collected from patients with dyspeptic symptoms,
      and the antimicrobial susceptibility of H. pylori was determined using the E-test
      (clarithromycin, amoxicillin, tetracycline, metronidazole and levofloxacin)
      according to the EUCAST breakpoints. Point mutations in the 23S rRNA gene of
      clarithromycin-resistant strains were investigated using real-time PCR. RESULTS:
      A total of 98 H. pylori strains were isolated, all of which were susceptible to
      amoxicillin and tetracycline. Of these strains, 36.7% (36/98) were resistant to
      clarithromycin, 35.5% (34/98) were resistant to metronidazole, and 29.5% (29/98)
      were resistant to levofloxacin. Multiple resistance was detected in 19.3% of the
      isolates. The A2143G and A2144G point mutations in the 23S rRNA-encoding gene
      were found in all 36 (100%) of the clarithromycin-resistant strains.
      Additionally, the levofloxacin MIC values increased to 32 mg/L in our H. pylori
      strains. Finally, among the clarithromycin-resistant strains, 27.2% were
      resistant to levofloxacin, and 45.4% were resistant to metronidazole.
      CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that treatment failure after clarithromycin- or
      levofloxacin-based triple therapy is not surprising and that metronidazole is not
      a reliable agent for the eradication of H. pylori infection in Turkey.

PMID- 26108006
TI  - Study of the risk factors related to acquisition of urinary tract infections in
      patients submitted to renal transplant.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Urinary tract infections (UTI) among transplant recipients are
      usually caused by gram-negative microorganisms and can provoke a high incidence
      of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk
      factors associated with the acquisition of UTIs during the first year after renal
      transplantation. METHODS: Here, we report a single-center retrospective cohort
      study of 99 renal transplant patients followed for the first year after surgery.
      The definition of a UTI episode was a urine culture showing bacterial growth and
      leucocyturia when patients presented with urinary symptoms. The absence of
      infection (asymptomatic bacteriuria) was defined as an absence of symptoms with
      negative urine culture or bacterial growth with any number of colonies. RESULTS:
      Ninety-nine patients were included in the study. During the study, 1,847 urine
      cultures were collected, and 320 (17.3%) tested positive for bacterial growth.
      Twenty-six (26.2%) patients developed a UTI. The most frequent microorganisms
      isolated from patients with UTIs were Klebsiella pneumoniae (36%), with 33% of
      the strains resistant to carbapenems, followed by Escherichia coli (20%). There
      were no deaths or graft losses associated with UTI episodes. CONCLUSIONS: Among
      the UTI risk factors studied, the only one that was associated with a higher
      incidence of infection was female sex. Moreover, the identification of drug
      resistant strains is worrisome, as these infections have become widespread
      globally and represent a challenge in the control and management of infections,
      especially in solid organ transplantation.

PMID- 26108007
TI  - Spatial analysis of visceral leishmaniasis in the municipality of Rondonopolis,
      in the Brazilian State of Mato Grosso, from 2003 to 2012: human, canine and
      vector distribution in areas of disease transmission.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonosis of great importance to
      public health and is considered a neglected disease by the World Health
      Organization. The disease has expanded and become more prevalent in urban areas
      in Brazil. METHODS: Geospatial analyses were performed and thematic maps of the
      triad of the disease were produced for the study period (2003-2012) in the urban
      area of the municipality of Rondonopolis in the midwestern State of Mato Grosso
      (MT), Brazil, TerraView 4.2.2 software was used for the analyses. RESULTS: A
      total of 87.9% of the 186 confirmed human cases of VL were cured. Children
      between the ages of 1 and 4 were the most affected. Registered deaths were
      predominant among adults aged 60 years or older. The urban area of the
      municipality consists of eight strata and 12 census districts include 237
      neighborhoods. All sectors had confirmed cases of VL. During the study period,
      human cases of the disease were recorded in 90 neighborhoods. The 23 deaths from
      the disease were distributed in 21 neighborhoods. Sandflies carrying the parasite
      were captured in 192 out of 200 neighborhoods evaluated for the presence of the
      VL vector. The presence of dogs carrying the parasite was confirmed in, 140 out
      of 154 surveyed neighborhoods. CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrated the endemic
      nature of VL, with a high percentage of infected children, a high distribution of
      canine infection, and a wide adaptation and dispersal of the vectors in the urban
      environment. These results, illustrate the process of urbanization of VL in the
      municipality of Rondonopolis, MT, Brazil.

PMID- 26108008
TI  - Epidemiological aspects of Toxoplasma gondii infection in riverside communities
      in the Southern Brazilian Amazon.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Toxoplasma gondii infection is widely prevalent in humans and other
      animals worldwide. Information on the prevalence of T. gondii infection is scarce
      in some regions of Brazil, including riverside communities along the Amazon River
      basin. M METHODS: The prevalence of T. gondii in 231 people, aged 1-85 years, who
      were living in four riverside communities along the Purus River, Labrea, State of
      Amazonas, Brazil, was determined. Antibodies against T. gondii were assayed using
      a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The hearts and brains
      of 50 chickens, which were raised free-range in the communities, were pooled
      according to the community of origin and bioassayed in mice. The isolates were
      genotyped using polymorphisms at 12 nuclear markers (SAG1, 5' and 3'-SAG2,
      alt.SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, Apico and CS3). RESULTS: The
      overall seroprevalence of T. gondii was 56.7% (131/231). IgG antibodies were
      presented by 117 (89.3%) and IgM by 14 (10.7%) of the 131 positive individuals.
      No association between age group and gender with prevalence was observed (chi
      square test, p > 0.05); however, the comparison between localities showed that
      the seroprevalence of T. gondii was significantly lower among the individuals
      living in the Boca do Ituxi (p < 0.05) community. Five isolates of T. gondii were
      obtained in the mouse bioassay, and genotyping revealed two complete genotypes
      that had not been described previously and three mixed isolates. CONCLUSIONS:
      These results support previous findings that T. gondii population genetics are
      highly diverse in Brazil and that T. gondii infection is active in these
      riverside communities.

PMID- 26108009
TI  - Prevalence and evolution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in tuberculosis
      case contacts.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The tuberculin test is a diagnostic method for detecting latent
      tuberculosis (TB) infection, especially among disease contact cases. The
      objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence and evolution of
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among TB contact cases. METHODS: A
      retrospective cohort study was performed in a reference center for TB. The study
      population consisted of 2,425 patients who underwent a tuberculin test from 2003
      to 2010 and whose results indicated contact with individuals with TB. The data
      were collected from the registry book of the tuberculin tests, patient files and
      the Information System Records of Notification Grievance. To verify the evolution
      of TB, case records through September 2014 were consulted. Data were analyzed
      using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). In all hypothesis
      tests, a significance level of 0.05 was used. RESULTS: From the studied sample,
      435 (17.9%) contacts did not return for reading. Among the 1,990 contacts that
      completed the test, the prevalence of latent TB infection was 35.4%. Of these
      positive cases, 50.6% were referred to treatment; the dropout rate was 42.5%.
      Among all of the contacts, the TB prevalence was 1.8%, from which 13.2% abandoned
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The collected data indicate the need for more effective
      public policies to improve TB control, including administering tests that do not
      require a return visit for reading, enhancing contact tracing and encouraging
      actions that reinforce full treatment adherence.

PMID- 26108010
TI  - Post-splenectomy infections in chronic schistosomiasis as a consequence of
      bacterial translocation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bacterial translocation is the invasion of indigenous intestinal
      bacteria through the gut mucosa to normally sterile tissues and internal organs.
      Schistosomiasis may cause alterations in the immune system and damage to the
      intestines, portal system and mesenteric lymph nodes. This study investigated
      bacterial translocation and alterations in the intestinal microbiota and mucosa
      in schistosomiasis and splenectomized mice. METHODS: Forty female 35-day-old
      Swiss Webster mice were divided into the following four groups with 10 animals
      each: schistosomotic (ESF), splenectomized schistosomotic (ESEF), splenectomized
      (EF) and control (CF). Infection was achieved by introduction of 50 Schistosoma
      mansoni (SLM) cercariae through the skin. At 125 days after birth, half of the
      parasitized and unparasitized mice were subjected to splenectomy. Body weights
      were recorded for one week after splenectomy; then, the mice were euthanized to
      study bacterial translocation, microbiota composition and intestinal morphometry.
      RESULTS: We observed significant reductions in the weight increases in the EF,
      ESF and ESEF groups. There were increases of at least 1,000 CFU of intestinal
      microbiota bacteria in these groups compared with the CF. The EF, ESF and ESEF
      mice showed decreases in the heights and areas of villi and the total villus
      areas (perimeter). We observed frequent co-infections with various bacterial
      genera. CONCLUSIONS: The ESEF mice showed a higher degree of sepsis. This finding
      may be associated with a reduction in the immune response associated with the
      absence of the spleen and a reduction in nutritional absorption strengthened by
      both of these factors (Schistosoma infection and splenectomy).

PMID- 26108011
TI  - Clinical conditions associated with intestinal strongyloidiasis in Rio de
      Janeiro, Brazil.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Strongyloides stercoralis is a soil-transmitted helminth that
      produces an infection that can persist for decades. The relationships between
      certain clinical conditions and strongyloidiasis remains controversial. This
      study aims to identify the clinical conditions associated with intestinal
      strongyloidiasis at a reference center for infectious diseases in Rio de Janeiro,
      Brazil. METHODS: The clinical conditions that were assessed included HIV/AIDS,
      HTLV infection, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obstructive respiratory
      diseases, viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, cancer, chronic renal disease,
      nutritional/metabolic disorders, psychiatric conditions, rheumatic diseases and
      dermatologic diseases. We compared 167 S. stercoralis-positive and 133 S.
      stercoralis-negative patients. RESULTS: After controlling for sex (male/female OR
      = 2.29; 95% (CI): (1.42 - 3.70), rheumatic diseases remained significantly
      associated with intestinal strongyloidiasis (OR: 4.96; 95% CI: 1.34-18.37) in a
      multiple logistic regression model. With respect to leukocyte counts, patients
      with strongyloidiasis presented with significantly higher relative eosinophil
      (10.32% +/- 7.2 vs. 4.23% +/- 2.92) and monocyte (8.49% +/- 7.25 vs. 5.39% +/-
      4.31) counts and lower segmented neutrophil (52.85% +/- 15.31 vs. 61.32% +/-
      11.4) and lymphocyte counts (28.11% +/- 9.72 vs. 30.90% +/- 9.51) than S.
      stercoralis-negative patients. CONCLUSIONS: Strongyloidiasis should be routinely
      investigated in hospitalized patients with complex conditions facilitate the
      treatment of patients who will undergo immunosuppressive therapy. Diagnoses
      should be determined through the use of appropriate parasitological methods, such
      as the Baermann-Moraes technique.

PMID- 26108012
TI  - Prevalence of and risk factors for late diagnosis of HIV infection in Brazilian
      infants and children.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Late human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis is an important
      cause of HIV-related morbidity and mortality in infants and children. METHODS:
      This retrospective cohort study of HIV-infected children diagnosed in Sergipe, in
      northeastern Brazil, between 2002 and 2011 aimed to determine the prevalence of
      and risk factors for late HIV diagnosis. RESULTS: Of 55 infants and children with
      confirmed infection, 42 (76.5%) were diagnosed at >= 12 months old. No
      antiretroviral prophylaxis during delivery (OR 5.48, 95% CI 1.11-32.34) was
      associated with late diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: More than 75% of cases were
      diagnosed late. Efforts are needed to improve early HIV diagnosis in infants.

PMID- 26108013
TI  - Serological diagnosis of Chagas disease in HIV-infected patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study assessed the rate of request for the serological
      diagnosis of Chagas disease among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected
      patients treated at the Specialized Care Service of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul,
      Brazil. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used secondary data obtained from the
      medical records of 252 patients aged between 18 and 75 years. RESULTS: The
      serological diagnosis of Chagas disease was requested only in 3.2% of cases.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate poor adherence to protocols on the part of
      healthcare professionals, indicating the need to reevaluate the procedures
      applied to HIV-infected patients from endemic regions for both diseases.

PMID- 26108014
TI  - Characterization of a foodborne outbreak caused by Salmonella Enteritidis in
      Aracaju, State of Sergipe, Brazil.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In December 2001, an outbreak of foodborne gastroenteritis infected
      114 of 161 people who ate at a restaurant in Aracaju, State of Sergipe, Brazil.
      METHODS: The epidemiological and microbiological aspects of the outbreak were
      characterized. RESULTS: Potato salad made with homemade mayonnaise and stored at
      unsuitable temperatures was associated with increased risk of foodborne
      infection. Salmonella Enteritidis was isolated from the diarrheal stools of the
      hospitalized patients, and genotyping of the fecal samples generated identical
      randomly amplified polymorphic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) profiles. CONCLUSIONS:
      To the best of our knowledge, this is the first and the only record of a
      gastrointestinal outbreak in Sergipe.

PMID- 26108015
TI  - Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and risk factors in pregnant women followed up
      by the Family Health Strategy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii.
      It is transmitted by the ingestion of contaminated water and foods, by soil
      contaminated with cat feces, especially while handling it, and congenitally via
      the placenta. The diagnosis of maternal infection is made by serological
      detection of either IgM or IgG antibodies. This study assessed the seropositivity
      in pregnant women followed up by the Family Health Strategy (FHS) in Lages, Santa
      Catarina, Brazil. METHODS: The study was performed in 19 FHS units and included
      148 childbearing women. The outcomes evaluated were IgM and IgG seropositivity
      and behavioral variables. RESULTS: IgG yielded positive results in 16% of the
      pregnant women, whereas IgM was positive in only 1%. CONCLUSIONS: The 1% IgM
      positivity rate for T. gondii indicates congenital toxoplasmosis is not common in
      Lages.

PMID- 26108016
TI  - Quality assessment of clinical practice guidelines for Chagas disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The development of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) has
      increased; this study aimed to assess the quality of CPGs for the management of
      Chagas disease. METHODS: Following a systematic search of the scientific
      literature, two reviewers assessed the eligible guidelines using the Appraisal of
      Guidelines Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument. RESULTS: Five CPGs were
      included. The AGREE domains of scope/purpose, stakeholder involvement, and
      clarity of presentation were rated well, and the domains of applicability and
      editorial independence received poor ratings. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of CPGs
      for Chagas disease is poor, and significant work is required to develop high
      quality guidelines.

PMID- 26108017
TI  - Report of new cases of Trypanosoma caninum in Brazil.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Trypanosoma caninum is a protozoan species recently described in
      dogs, whose occurrence has been reported in areas of overlap with visceral
      leishmaniasis. METHODS: Trypanosoma sp. were isolated from nine dogs and
      characterized by molecular methods. RESULTS: PCR and sequencing confirmed the
      presence of T. caninum in all dogs, revealing two new areas of transmission:
      Barra Mansa and Sao Joao do Piaui. CONCLUSIONS: The nine new cases described,
      when added to those already published, account for 62 cases of natural infection
      by T. caninum and show the geographical spread of this species to new areas,
      where other trypanosomatids circulate.

PMID- 26108018
TI  - Evaluation of the cytokine mannose-binding lectin as a mediator of periportal
      fibrosis progression in patients with schistosomiasis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We hypothesized higher mannose-binding lectin level and classic
      factors (i.e., age, sex, alcohol consumption, exposure, and specific treatment)
      are associated with the severity of periportal fibrosis in schistosomiasis.
      METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 79 patients infected with
      Schistosoma mansoni with severe or mild/moderate periportal fibrosis. Serum
      concentrations of mannose-binding lectin were obtained by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Higher serum level of mannose-binding
      lectin was significantly associated with advanced periportal fibrosis.
      CONCLUSIONS: Mannose-binding lectin may contribute to liver pathology in
      schistosomiasis and may represent a risk factor for advanced periportal fibrosis
      in the Brazilian population studied.

PMID- 26108019
TI  - Schistosomiasis in Southern Brazil 17 years after the confirmation of the first
      autochthonous case.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease, is an important public health
      issue in Brazil, particularly Northern Brazil. Since the first recorded
      occurrence of Biomphalaria glabrata in the States of Santa Catarina and Rio
      Grande do Sul, it has spread to South Brazil. METHODS: Using the Information
      System for Notifiable Diseases (SINAN), we assessed the disease spread in
      Southern Brazil. RESULTS: In Rio Grande do Sul, nine localities had confirmed
      cases (n = 95, 2001-2013). CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed disease expansion to
      Southern Brazil. We demonstrated the effectiveness of SINAN to monitor notifiable
      diseases. Our results are useful to develop preventive actions for
      schistosomiasis control.

PMID- 26108020
TI  - Successful treatment of lower urinary tract infections with oral fosfomycin: a
      report of three cases.
AB  - Infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms continue to increase, and
      therapeutic options remain scarce. Given this challenge, it has become necessary
      to use older antimicrobials for treatment of these pathogens. We report three
      patients with lower urinary tract infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae
      carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae who were successfully treated
      with a seven-day course of oral fosfomycin monotherapy. 

PMID- 26108021
TI  - Dirofilariasis involving the oral cavity: report of the first case from South
      America.
AB  - Oral dirofilariasis is very rare with non-specific clinical manifestations. Here,
      we report the case of a 65-year-old South American woman with a submucosal nodule
      on her right buccal mucosa. The nodule was slightly tender and painful.
      Differential diagnoses included mesenchymal (lipoma or fibrolipoma, solitary
      fibrous tumor, and neurofibroma) or glandular benign tumors (pleomorphic adenoma)
      with secondary infections. We performed excisional biopsy. A histopathological
      examination revealed a dense fibrous capsule and a single female filarial worm
      showing double uterus appearance, neural plaque, well-developed musculature and
      intestinal apparatus. Dirofilariasis was diagnosed, and the patient was followed
      up for 12 months without recurrence. 

PMID- 26108022
TI  - Brucella pneumonia with microabscess and pleural effusion.

PMID- 26108023
TI  - Cholangiocarcinoma and opisthorchiasis in Northeast Thailand: raw fish intake may
      not be the sole cause.

PMID- 26108024
TI  - Polypropylene and polypropylene/polyglecaprone (Ultrapro(r)) meshes in the repair
      of incisional hernia in rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the inflammatory response of three different meshes on
      abdominal hernia repair in an experimental model of incisional hernia. METHODS:
      Median fascial incision and skin synthesis was performed on 30 Wistar rats. After
      21 days, abdominal hernia developed was corrected as follows: 1) No mesh; 2)
      Polypropylene mesh; and, 3) Ultrapro(r) mesh. After 21 days, the mesh and
      surrounding tissue were submitted to macroscopic (presence of adhesions, mesh
      retraction), microscopic analysis to identify and quantify the inflammatory and
      fibrotic response using a score based on a predefined scale of 0-3 degrees,
      evaluating infiltration of macrophages, giant cells, neutrophils and lymphocytes.
      RESULTS: No significant difference was seen among groups in adherences, fibrosis,
      giant cells, macrophages, neutrophils or lymphocytes (p>0.05). Mesh shrinkage was
      observed in all groups, but also no difference was observed between polypropylene
      and Ultrapro mesh (7.0+/-9.9 vs. 7.4+/-10.1, respectively, p=0.967). Post
      operatory complications included fistula, abscess, dehiscence, serohematic
      collection and reherniation, but with no difference among groups (p=0.363).
      CONCLUSION: There is no difference between polypropylene (high-density) and
      Ultrapro(r) (low-density) meshes at 21 days after surgery in extraperitoneal use
      in rats, comparing inflammatory response, mesh shortening, adhesions or
      complications.

PMID- 26108025
TI  - Deleterious effects of prepubertal corticosterone treatment on rat prostate.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the structural and functional changes induced by
      corticosterone (CORT) in the ventral prostrate (VP) of rats in order to study
      chronic stress effects in the prepubertal phase. METHODS: Wistar rats received
      daily saline or CORT injections during the pubertal period from the 5th to 25th
      day of postnatal life. The animals were distributed into four groups: 1 - Control
      (n=5); 2 - Control 99mTc-P (n=5); 3 - Treated with CORT (n=14); 4 - Treated with
      CORT and 99mTc-P (n=10). All rats were sacrificed at two months of age. Technical
      tissue uptakes of 99mTc-P were used to evaluate the functional and stereological
      methods for morphological analysis. RESULTS: Acini distribution in the group
      treated with CORT differed significantly (p<0.0001) from the control. The control
      group's epithelial average height (10.01+/-0.24 microns) was statistically
      significant (p<0.0001) from rats treated with CORT (19.27+/-0.73microns). The
      collagen distribution was lower in the treated group (2.79%) when compared to
      control (3.97%). The radioactivity percentage in the groups marked with 99mTc-P
      (%Ati/g) did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference (p=0.285897).
      CONCLUSION: Chronic administration of corticosterone in prepubertal rats causes
      changes in their acinar structure and their ventral prostate stroma, indicating
      possible deleterious effects of this hormone.

PMID- 26108026
TI  - Heart and systemic effects of statin pretreatment in a rat model of abdominal
      sepsis. Assessment by Tc99m-sestamibi biodistribition.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the heart and the Tc-99m-sestamibi biodistribution after
      statin pretreatment in a rat model of abdominal sepsis. METHODS: Twenty-four
      Wistar rats were randomly distributed into four groups (n=6 per group): 1) sepsis
      with simvastatin treatment, 2) sepsis with vehicle, 3) sham control with
      simvastatin and 4) sham control with vehicle. 24 hours after cecal ligation and
      puncture rats received 1.0MBq of Tc-99m-sestamibi i.v. 30min after, animals were
      euthanized for ex-vivo tissue counting and myocardium histological analysis.
      RESULTS: Myocardial histologic alterations were not detected 24 hours post
      sepsis. There was significantly increased cardiac Tc-99m-sestamibi activity in
      the sepsis group with simvastatin treatment (1.9+/-0.3%ID/g, p<0.001) in
      comparison to the sepsis group+vehicle (1.0+/-0.2%ID/g), control sham group+
      simvastatin (1.2+/-0.3%ID/g) and control sham group (1.3+/-0.2%ID/g). Significant
      Tc-99m-sestamibi activity in liver, kidney and lungs was also detected in the
      sepsis group treated with simvastatinin comparison to the other groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Statin treatment altered the biodistribution of Tc-99m-sestamibi
      with increased cardiac and solid organ activity in rats with abdominal sepsis,
      while no impact on controls. Increased myocardial tracer activity may be a result
      of a possible protection effect due to increased tissue perfusion mediated by
      statins.

PMID- 26108027
TI  - Selenium protects cerebral cells by cisplatin induced neurotoxicity.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the central nervous system toxicity of cisplatin and
      neuroprotective effect of selenium. METHODS: Twenty-one male Wistar albino rats
      were divided into three groups: control (C), cisplatin (CS), cisplatin and
      selenium (CSE, n=7 in each group). Cisplatin (12 mg/kg/day, i.p.) was
      administered to CS and CSE groups for three days. Furthermore, CSE group received
      3mg/kg/day (twice-a-day as 1.5 mg/kg) selenium via oral gavage five days before
      cisplatin injection and continued for 11 consecutive days. The same volumes of
      saline were administered to C group intraperitoneally and orally at same time.
      RESULTS: Heterochromatic and vacuolated neurons and dilated capillary vessels in
      the brain were observed in the histochemical examinations of cisplatin treated
      group. Rats that were given a dose of 3mg/kg/day selenium decreased the cisplatin
      induced histopathological changes in the brain, indicating a protective effect.
      In addition, cytoplasmic staining of the cell for bcl-2, both cytoplasmic and
      nuclear staining for bax were determined to be positive in the all groups. Bax
      positive cells were increased in the CS group compared to C group, in contrast to
      decreased bcl-2 positivity. CONCLUSION: Selenium limited apototic activity and
      histological changes due to the cisplatin related central neurotoxicity.

PMID- 26108028
TI  - Antimicrobial activity of Melaleuca sp. oil against clinical isolates of
      antibiotics resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To extract the Melaleuca sp. oil and to assess its in vitro inhibitory
      effect against Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from lower limb wounds and
      resistant to several antibiotics. METHODS: A total of 14 test-tubes containing
      Mueller-Hinton broth were used to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration
      (MIC). The following concentrations of the Melaleuca sp. oil were added to the
      first 11 tubes: 8; 4; 2; 1; 0.5; 0.2; 0.1; 0.05; 0.025; 0,0125 and 0.00625%. The
      12th and 13th tubes, with and without oil, were used as the positive and negative
      controls, respectively. The experimental study was carried out in triplicate at
      37oC for 18 hours. The Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC), able of killing
      all the microorganisms, was also determined. Two S. aureus isolates were obtained
      from lower limb wounds of female patients and the identification of the
      microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus) and the test for susceptibility to the
      antimicrobial agents were carried out by automation using the apparatus
      MicroScan(r). After identification, the isolates were preserved in liquid
      Trypticase Soy medium, and inoculated for determination of the MIC and MBC.
      RESULTS: The MIC was 0.2% and the MBC was 0.4%. CONCLUSION: The Melaleuca sp. oil
      showed antimicrobial properties in vitro against strains isolated from lower limb
      wounds which were resistant to multiple antibiotics.

PMID- 26108029
TI  - Effect of protective solutions and hydroxyethyl starch in the attenuation of the
      injuries of ischemia and reperfusion of splanchnic organs.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vogt's antioxidant solution (red blood cells, Ringer's solution, sodium
      bicarbonate, mannitol, allopurinol and 50% glucose) or its modification including
      hydroxyethyl starch (HES) were tested for the prevention of splanchnic artery
      occlusion shock. METHODS: Seventy rats were distributed in treatment (3), control
      (1), and sham (3) groups. Ischemia and reperfusion were induced by celiac,
      superior mesenteric and inferior mesenteric arteries occlusion for 40 min,
      followed by 60 min reperfusion or sham procedures. Controls received saline, both
      treatment and sham groups received the Vogt's solution, modified Vogt's solution
      (replacing Ringer's solution by HES), or HES. Mean arterial blood pressure
      (MABP), ileal malondialdehyde (MDA) and plasmatic MDA were determined, and a
      histologic grading system was used. RESULTS: At reperfusion, MABP dropped in all
      I/R groups. Only HES treatment was able to restore final MABP to the levels of
      sham groups. Plasmatic MDA did not show differences between groups. Ileum MDA was
      significantly higher in the control and treatment groups as compared to the sham
      group. Histology ranking was higher in the only in control group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Hydroxyethyl starch was able to prevent hemodynamic shock but not intestinal
      lesions. Both treatments with Vogt's solutions did not show any improvement.

PMID- 26108030
TI  - The antioxidant effect of dexmedetomidine on testicular ischemia-reperfusion
      injury.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the protective effect of dexmedetomidine (Dex) on
      testicular damage induced by ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. METHODS: Sham
      group underwent left scrotal exploration only (group 1). The ischemia-reperfusion
      only group underwent left testicular torsion and detorsion (group 2). The
      ischemia-reperfusion plus Dex group underwent left testicular torsion, received
      50 ug/kg Dex (group 3) and 100 ug/kg Dex (group 4) intraperitoneally at minute
      180 of ischemia and then underwent detorsion. We determined histopathological
      findings and performed specific biochemical analyses. RESULTS: Increasing doses
      of Dex significantly increased TAS, and significantly decreased OSI. Analyzing
      the antioxidant effects of increasing doses of Dex in torsion and contrlateral
      testicles: Dex 100 ug/kg statistically significant increased the tissue total
      antioxidant status (TAS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) when compared with Dex
      50 ug/kg but not found significantly change on the tissue total oxidant status
      (TOS). However, Dex did not significantly improve these histological alterations.
      CONCLUSION: The antioxidant effects of dexmedetomidine on testicular ischemia
      reperfusion injury in ipsilateral and contrlateral testis, but in the
      histopathological level, there was no difference statistically according to
      Johnsen's scoring system between groups at both sides.

PMID- 26108031
TI  - Oxymatrine ameliorates renal ischemia-reperfusion injury from oxidative stress
      through Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate if oxymatrine pretreatment could ameliorate renal I/R
      injury induced in rats and explore the possible role of oxymatrine in Nrf2/HO-1
      pathway. METHODS: Unilaterally nephrectomized rats were insulted by I/R in their
      left kidney. Twenty four rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham
      group, I/R + saline-treated group, I/R + OMT-treated group. Oxymatrine or vehicle
      solution was administered intraperitoneally injected 60 min before renal
      ischemia, respectively. Renal function, histology, makers of oxidative stress,
      cell apoptosis and Nrf2/HO-1 expressions were assessed. RESULTS: Oxymatrine
      pretreatment exhibited an improved renal functional recovery, alleviated
      histological injury and oxidative stress, inhibiting tubular apoptosis, and
      accompanied by upregulated the expression of Nrf2/HO-1 proteins. CONCLUSION:
      Oxymatrine may attenuate renal ischemia/reperfusion injury, and this
      renoprotective effect may be through activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

PMID- 26108032
TI  - Oil mixes omega 9, 6 and 3, enriched with seaweed, promoted reduction of thermal
      burned modulating NF-kB and Ki-67.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the effects of the oil mixes (omega-9, omega-6 and omega-3)
      in rats subjected to thermal burn. It was also aimed to assess whether the
      sources of omega3 would interfere with the effect of such mixes on the thermal
      injury. METHODS: Thirty-six rats distributed into five groups: burned + water,
      burned + isolipid mix, burned + oil mix 1 (ALA), burned + oil mix 2 (ALA + EPA +
      DHA of fish) and burned + oil mix 3 (ALA + DHA from seaweed). The thermal injury
      was involving total thickness of skin. After the burns animals received the oil
      mixes for seven days. The lesions were evaluated by immunohistochemistry.
      RESULTS: Animals receiving mix 3 showed a smaller extension of the thermal injury
      as compared to those that were supplemented with other oils mixes. Expression of
      Ki-67 in the receiving Mix 3 increased as compared to all the other groups.
      Animals supplemented with mix 3 were able to inhibit NF-kappaB in injured tissue.
      CONCLUSION: Rats received oil mix in which the source of omega3 (ALA+DHA of
      seaweed) showed inhibition of NF-kappaB, increase in cell proliferation, and
      reduction the extension of thermal lesion.

PMID- 26108033
TI  - Post-hemorrhagic shock mesenteric lymph is an important contributor to cardiac
      dysfunction following hemorrhagic shock.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate whether post-hemorrhagic shock mesenteric lymph (PSML) is
      involved in cardiac dysfunction induced by hemorrhagic shock. METHODS: The
      hemorrhagic shock model (40+/-2 mmHg, 3h) was established in rats of the shock
      and shock+drainage groups; and PSML drainage was performed from hypotension 1-3h
      in the shock+drainage rats. Then, the isolated hearts were obtained from the rats
      for the examination of cardiac function with Langendorff system. Subsequently,
      the isolated hearts were obtained from normal rats and perfused with PSML or
      Krebs-Henseleit solution, and the changes of cardiac function were observed.
      RESULTS: The left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP) and the maximal rates of
      LV developed pressure (LVDP) rise and fall (+/-dP/dt max) in the shock and
      shock+drainage groups were lower than that of the sham group; otherwise, these
      indices in the shock+drainage group were higher compared to the shock group. In
      addition, after isolated hearts obtained from normal rats perfusing with PSML,
      these cardiac function indices were gradual decline along with the extension of
      time, such as heart rate, LVSP, +/-dP/dt max, etc. CONCLUSION: Post-hemorrhagic
      shock mesenteric lymph is an important contributor to cardiac dysfunction
      following hemorrhagic shock.

PMID- 26108034
TI  - Identification and characterization of tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR)
      associated factor 3 from humphead snapper, Lutjanus sanguineus.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR)-associated factor 3(TRAF3) is a key
      regulator in TNFR and Toll-like receptor (TLRs)/RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs)
      signal pathway. Here, a TRAF3 gene (Ls-TRAF3, GenBank Accession No: KJ789921) is
      cloned from humphead snapper (Lutjanus sanguineus). The Ls-TRAF3 cDNA contains an
      open reading frame of 1788 bp, which encodes a polypeptide of 595 amino acids.
      The deduced amino acid of Ls-TRAF3 possesses a RING finger, two TRAF-type zinc
      fingers, a coiled-coil and a MATH domain. Ls-TRAF3 protein shares high identities
      with other known TRAF3 proteins. In healthy fish, Ls-TRAF3 transcripts were
      broadly expressed in all examined tissues with highest expression levels in
      spleen, liver and head kidney. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis
      revealed that Ls-TRAF3 could be induced by bacteria or viral PAMP poly I:C
      stimulation in vivo. Here, we also showed Ls-TRAF3 that, positively regulated
      IRF3 and Mx upon poly I:C stimuli, whereas prevented production of
      proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 after LPS injection. Moreover, over-expression of
      wide type (WT) Ls-TRAF3 and truncated forms, including DeltaZinc finger 1,
      DeltaZinc finger 2 and Deltacoiled-coil suppressed NF-kappaB activity
      significantly, whereas the inhibitory effect of NF-kappaB was partially impaired
      when the RING finger or MATH domain deletion, suggesting the latter was more
      important for downstream signal transduction. Taken together, these results
      implicated that Ls-TRAF3 might play regulatory roles in immune response to
      pathogen invasion.

PMID- 26108035
TI  - Effects of dietary Bacillus licheniformis on growth performance, immunological
      parameters, intestinal morphology and resistance of juvenile Nile tilapia
      (Oreochromis niloticus) to challenge infections.
AB  - The effects of oral administration of Bacillus licheniformis on growth
      performance, immunity, intestinal morphology and disease resistance of juvenile
      tilapia were investigated. Six experimental diets supplemented with different
      concentrations of B. licheniformis (0%, 0.02%, 0.04%, 0.06%, 0.08% and 0.1% of
      AlCare((r)), containing live germ 2 * 10(10) CFU/g) were formulated, viz.
      control, T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5. Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate
      groups of 30 fishes (3.83 +/- 0.03 g). After 10 weeks of feeding trial, weight
      gain (WG), final body wet weight (FBW) and specific growth rate (SGR) increased
      significantly in groups T2, T3, T4 and T5 compared with control and T1 (p <
      0.05). However, survival rate and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were not found to
      be significantly affected (P > 0.05). Compared with control, dietary B.
      licheniformis supplementation increased the content of complement C3 in serum
      significantly (P < 0.05). The lysozyme activity was observed to be highest in T2
      (P < 0.05) without differences among other groups. However, SOD activity was not
      affected by B. licheniformis supplementation (P > 0.05). When tilapia were
      challenged against Streptococcus iniae, survival rate improved significantly when
      tilapia fed with T2, T3, T4 and T5 (P < 0.05). Although there was no significant
      differences in villi length and muscular layer thickness of anterior intestinal
      among the treatments, intestinal villi of fish fed with higher concentrations of
      B. licheniformis (T2, T3, T4, T5) tended to be regularly arranged and exhibited
      less exfoliation, twist and fusion. These results indicated that dietary
      supplementation of B. licheniformis not only increased the growth, immune
      response and disease resistance of juvenile tilapia, but also influenced anterior
      intestinal development and integrity. Furthermore, in our study, the optimal
      concentration of B. licheniformis in diets for tilapia was greater than or equal
      to 4.4 * 10(6) CFU/g.

PMID- 26108036
TI  - Comparative genomic and evolution of vertebrate NOD1 and NOD2 genes and their
      immune response in miiuy croaker.
AB  - The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain proteins NOD1 and NOD2 are
      important cytoplasmic pathogen recognition receptors which sense microbial
      infections molecules to induce innate immune response. In this study, the
      sequence analysis showed that NOD1 and NOD2 genes in miiuy croaker (miichthys
      miiuy, mmiNOD1 and mmiNOD2) share some highly conserved motifs that crucial for
      recognizing the bacterial and viral components. Quantitative expression analysis
      revealed mmiNOD1 and mmiNOD2 had the highest level of expression in liver.
      Induction experiments with Vibrio anguillarum indicated the different expression
      levels of mmiNOD1 and mmiNOD2 in liver, spleen and kidney. The expressions of
      mmiNOD1 and mmiNOD2 increased more significantly after Poly(I:C) stimulation,
      meanwhile, we carried out the expression analysis at the transcriptome level and
      the regulation of microRNAs. In addition, the evolutionary analysis showed that
      the ancestral lineages of NOD1 in bony fish detected one positively selected
      site, however, both the current lineages of NOD1 and NOD2 genes in bony fish
      underwent purifying selection indicating that NOD1 gene in the ancestor of bony
      fish experienced positive selection. To further understand the evolutionary
      pattern of NOD1 and NOD2 in vertebrates, we were the first to conduct comparative
      genomic analysis by comparing the number and synteny of NOD1 and NOD2. Combining
      the duplication of NOD1, the lost of NOD2 and the more conserved synteny of NOD2
      than NOD1, we proposed that the hypothetical evolutionary pattern is different
      between NOD1 and NOD2.

PMID- 26108037
TI  - Using reconfigurable microfluidics to study the role of HGF in autocrine and
      paracrine signaling of hepatocytes.
AB  - Cancer, developmental biology and tissue injury present multiple examples where
      groups of cells residing in close proximity communicate via paracrine factors. It
      is nearly impossible to dissect such cellular interactions in vivo and is quite
      challenging in vitro. The goal of this study is to utilize a reconfigurable
      microfluidic device in order to study paracrine signal exchange between groups of
      primary hepatocytes in vitro. Previously, we demonstrated that hepatocytes
      residing on protein spots containing collagen and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)
      spots expressed epithelial (hepatic) phenotypes and also rescued them in
      neighboring hepatocytes on collagen spots that did not receive direct HGF
      stimulus. Herein, we designed a microfluidic device with parallel fluidic
      channels separated by retractable (reconfigurable) walls and employed this device
      to investigate interactions between groups of HGF-stimulated and unstimulated
      hepatocytes. Using a novel reconfigurable microfluidic device, we demonstrate
      that cultivation of HGF-containing protein spots upregulates the production of
      endogenous HGF in hepatocytes and that these HGF molecules diffuse over, causing
      phenotype enhancement in the recipient cells. We also show that selective
      treatment of the recipient hepatocytes with a c-met inhibitor (SU11274)
      diminishes the rescue effect, as gauged by the down-regulation of albumin and HGF
      expression. Our study is one of the first to demonstrate paracrine signaling via
      HGF in primary hepatocytes. More broadly, tools and methods described here may be
      used to study paracrine signaling in other types of cells and will have relevance
      for various fields of biomedical research from cancer to immunology. 

PMID- 26108038
TI  - Normal Organ Weights in Women: Part II-The Brain, Lungs, Liver, Spleen, and
      Kidneys.
AB  - Organomegaly can be a sign of disease and pathology, although standard tables
      defining organomegaly have yet to be established and universally accepted. This
      study was designed to address the issue and to determine a normal weight for the
      major organs in adult human females. A prospective study was undertaken of
      healthy females who had sudden, traumatic deaths at age 18 to 35 years. Cases
      were excluded if there was a history of medical illness including illicit drug
      use, prolonged medical treatment was performed, there was a prolonged period
      between the time of injury and death, body length and weight could not be
      accurately assessed, or if any illness or intoxication was identified after gross
      and microscopic analysis including evidence of systemic disease. Individual
      organs were excluded if there was significant injury to the organ that could have
      affected the weight. A total of 102 cases met criteria for inclusion in the study
      during the approximately 10-year period of data collection from 2004 to 2014. The
      decedents had an average age of 24.4 years and ranged in length from 141 to 182
      cm (56.4-72.8 inches) with an average length of 160 cm (64 inches). The weight
      ranged from 35.9 to 152 kg (79-334 lb) with an average weight of 65.3 kg (143
      lb). The majority of the decedents (86%) died of either ballistic or blunt force
      (including craniocerebral) injuries. The mean brain weight was 1233 g (range,
      1000-1618 g); liver mean weight, 1288 g (range, 775-2395 g); spleen mean weight,
      115 g (range, 51-275 g); right lung mean weight, 340 g (range, 142-835 g); left
      lung mean, 299 g (range, 108-736 g); right kidney mean weight, 108 g (range, 67
      261 g); and the left kidney mean weight, 116 g (range, 55-274 g). Regression
      analysis was performed and showed that there were insufficient associations
      between organ weight and body length, body weight, and body mass index to allow
      for predictability. The authors therefore propose establishing a reference range
      for organ weights in women, much like those in use for other laboratory tests.
      Reference ranges (95% inclusion) are proposed: brain, 1033 to 1404 g; liver, 603
      to 1767 g; spleen, less than 230 g; right lung, 101 to 589 g; left lung, 105 to
      515 g; right kidney, 38 to 174 g; and left kidney, 35 to 192 g. 

PMID- 26108039
TI  - Fatal Cervical Spine Injury From Diving Accident.
AB  - Spinal cord injuries result after diving into shallow water, often after
      incautious jumps head first into water of unknown depth during recreational or
      sport activities. Mortality is generally due to upper cervical trauma. The
      authors present a case of a diving-related death in a young woman who underwent
      medicolegal investigations. The measured water depth at the supposed dive site
      was 1.40 m. Postmortem radiology and autopsy revealed fractures of the body and
      the posterior arch of the fifth cervical vertebra, a fracture of the right
      transverse process of the sixth cervical vertebra and hemorrhages involving the
      cervical paraspinal muscles. Neuropathology showed a posterior epidural hematoma
      involving the whole cervical region and a symmetric laceration of the spinal cord
      located at the fourth and fifth cervical vertebra level, surrounded by multiple
      petechial hemorrhages. Toxicology revealed the presence of ethanol in both blood
      and urine samples. The death was attributed to cervical spine fracture (C5-C6),
      spinal cord contusion, and subsequent drowning. This case highlights the
      usefulness of postmortem radiology, examination of the deep structures of the
      neck, toxicology, neuropathology, and a detailed research of signs of drowning to
      formulate appropriate hypotheses pertaining to the cause and mechanism of death. 

PMID- 26108040
TI  - Is Era of Ocular Regeneration Near?

PMID- 26108041
TI  - Management of Distal Common Canalicular Obstruction: Internal or External
      Approach?

PMID- 26108042
TI  - Tip of the Iceberg: The Need for Diabetic Retinopathy Screening in Developing
      Countries. Lessons From Vietnam.
AB  - Noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes are emerging particularly in low-income
      countries. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major complication that threatens
      vision among people with diabetes. Research has demonstrated that blindness from
      diabetes is preventable with early diagnosis, optimization of risk factors, and
      timely photocoagulation. Experiences from neighboring Southeast Asian countries
      such as Vietnam highlight the health system's challenges in managing DR in low
      resourced countries. Insight can be gained from successful interventions in India
      and Latin America. A systematic approach to manage DR is required to achieve
      Vision2020 goals. This must identify people at risk and engage with key
      stakeholders at all levels of the health system to ensure that systems for
      treatment and follow-up are available. 

PMID- 26108043
TI  - Burden of Ocular Surface Disease in Patients With Glaucoma From Australia.
AB  - PURPOSE: In the Australian general population, the economic burden of ocular
      surface disease (OSD) severity and other dry eye-related diagnosis have been
      conducted; however, the glaucoma population has not been evaluated. We assessed
      the current OSD economic burden in Australian glaucoma patients. DESIGN: A cross
      sectional, case-comparison study that quantified OSD signs and symptoms was
      conducted. METHODS: Patients with and without glaucoma from an Australian eye
      hospital participated. Patient-/physician-reported OSD assessment and literature
      based cost-of-burden estimates were used to estimate burden of illness from the
      health care system (direct costs) and societal (indirect costs) perspectives.
      Ocular surface disease prevalence and costs were estimated. RESULTS: Significant
      OSD, defined as the presence of 2 or more signs plus 1 or more symptoms reported
      "often" or "always," was experienced by 39% of patients with glaucoma and 18% of
      a control group (P < 0.001); both populations had similar prevalence of mild OSD.
      Significant OSD cost estimates were Australian dollars (AU$) 1061.25 (direct
      costs) and AU$14078.40 (indirect costs); average (direct and indirect) was
      AU$6185.79 per patient per year. Based on 39% prevalence rate for significant
      OSD, estimated total cost to Australian society was AU$330.5 million per annum.
      CONCLUSIONS: The use of standard OSD definition across research would allow for
      comparisons between studies and for improved OSD prevalence estimates. In
      Australia, 39% of patients with glaucoma were found to have significant
      (moderate/severe) OSD, and the associated economic burden was AU$330.5 million
      per annum. Additional research evaluating quality of life and assessing actual
      direct/indirect OSD costs in the Australian population is warranted.

PMID- 26108044
TI  - Clinical and Cytologic Evidence of Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency in Eyes With Long
      Standing Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: We aimed to study the impression cytology (IC) of the ocular surface in
      eyes with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) and clinical evidence of limbal stem
      cell deficiency (LSCD). DESIGN: This is a prospective comparative study. METHODS:
      This study included 78 eyes of 40 patients with VKC. Limbal stem cell deficiency
      was diagnosed clinically based on the presence of corneal findings such as dull
      irregular epithelial reflex, superficial neovascularization, conjunctivalization,
      and loss of limbal palisades of Vogt. The study group consisted of 28 eyes of 15
      patients with clinically diagnosed LSCD and control group of 50 eyes of 25
      patients without LSCD. Conjunctival and corneal IC was done in all eyes. Presence
      of goblet cells in the corneal samples on IC was considered confirmatory of LSCD.
      RESULTS: Compared with controls, patients with LSCD were older and had longer
      duration of disease. On IC, goblet cells were present on the cornea in 53.6% of
      eyes with clinically diagnosed LSCD and in none of the control eyes (P < 0.0001).
      Clinically diagnosed LSCD in study eyes correlated with cytologic findings of
      greater conjunctival squamous metaplasia, decreased conjunctival goblet cells,
      greater corneal cell metaplasia, and increased inflammation as compared with
      control eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the eyes with VKC and clinical evidence of
      LSCD have cytologic evidence of LSCD with goblet cells on the cornea.

PMID- 26108045
TI  - Long-Term Success of Modified External Dacryocystorhinostomy for the Treatment of
      Distal Common Canalicular Block.
AB  - PURPOSE: Epiphora caused by common canalicular obstruction is difficult to
      manage. Distal common canalicular block caused by membranous obstruction near its
      junction with the lacrimal sac can be managed by modified dacryocystorhinostomy
      (DCR) consisting of internal membranectomy. We report our experience with this
      technique during long-term follow-up. DESIGN: A prospective interventional case
      series was performed at a tertiary care center including 15 patients with a
      diagnosis of distal common canalicular obstruction. METHODS: External DCR was
      performed, and after lacrimal sac opening, membranous obstruction at the distal
      end of the common canaliculus was identified and managed successfully in all
      cases. Mitomycin C was applied, and silicone intubation was done for 2 months.
      The main outcome measures were anatomical success (patent syringing) and
      functional success (complete relief of epiphora) at a minimum follow-up period of
      1 year. RESULTS: Fourteen (93%) cases were completely relieved of epiphora with
      patent lacrimal syringing at a mean follow-up of 15.4 months (P = 0.0001, McNemar
      test). The postoperative complications occurred in 4 cases and included nasal
      bleeding, lateral displacement of silicone tube at medial canthus, complete
      extrusion of silicone tube (at 4 weeks), and noticeable incisional scar.
      CONCLUSIONS: Distal common canalicular obstruction can be successfully managed
      with DCR with internal membranectomy and silicone intubation with mitomycin C. It
      avoids excision of common canaliculus as compared with canaliculo-DCR. The
      procedure is safe and effective with minor complications.

PMID- 26108046
TI  - Characteristics and Ophthalmic Manifestations of the Classic Dengue Fever
      Epidemic in Singapore (2005-2006).
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to report the characteristics and ophthalmic
      manifestations associated with dengue fever (DF) in the 2005-2006 DF epidemic in
      Singapore. METHODS: A retrospective case series. RESULTS: Eleven patients (7
      males, 4 females) who were 14 to 40 years old (mean age, 27.3 years) with visual
      complaints occurring 1 to 2 weeks after the onset of DF underwent a complete
      ophthalmologic examination. The presenting visual acuity (VA) ranged from 6/6 to
      counting fingers. Five patients had bilateral eye involvement. Ophthalmic
      findings included retinal hemorrhages (15 eyes), cotton wool spots (15 eyes),
      retinal pigment epithelium alterations (5 eyes), optic disc swelling (3 eyes),
      foveolitis (3 eyes), and hyperemia (2 eyes). Impaired color vision was noted in
      12 eyes. Visual field defects were noted in 13 eyes; 4 of these eyes were
      asymptomatic. Fundus fluorescein angiography was done in 9 patients; the findings
      include choroidal hyperfluorescence (9 eyes), blocked fluorescence (8 eyes), and
      capillary nonperfusion (1 eye). In 2 eyes, it was normal. Electrophysiology
      confirmed optic neuropathy in 3 eyes and maculopathy in 1 eye. The follow-up
      ranged from 12 days to 12 months. The VA at the last follow-up ranged from no
      light perception to 6/6. Visual field abnormalities were noted in 5 eyes despite
      a normal VA. CONCLUSIONS: Dengue fever is associated with a wide spectrum of
      ophthalmic manifestations. Rarely, ophthalmic complications in DF can result in
      permanent visual impairment. Further work can be done to elucidate the
      relationship between systemic and ocular manifestations of DF.

PMID- 26108047
TI  - Central Serous Chorioretinopathy: A Review of the Literature.
AB  - Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is an incompletely understood
      multifactorial disease of those who are middle aged characterized by the
      collection of fluid between the retinal pigment epithelium and the neurosensory
      retina. The exact etiology of CSCR and the reason of its predominance in middle
      aged males are still unknown. Many pharmacologic modalities are suggested for
      CSCR with no proven efficacy. So this article was written to give a review of the
      relevant and recent literature on CSCR and to summarize the etiology, clinical
      features, and diagnostic modalities for CSCR with special emphasis on the
      treatment options available and those that are still under trial and can be of
      help in the future to fasten the recovery and reduce the recurrences. 

PMID- 26108048
TI  - Stem Cells and Ocular Tissue Regeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: Millions worldwide have visual impairments caused by dysfunctional eye
      components, including cornea, lens, retina, and optic nerve, or the visual cortex
      in the brain. Insufficient cornea donation and inherent artificial lens problems
      demand alternative treatment strategies for cornea diseases and cataracts,
      whereas retinal degenerative diseases, including glaucoma, macular degeneration,
      and retinitis pigmentosa, still lack effective treatments. Stem cells have been
      investigated for their potential in various eye-specific pathologies to replace
      lost retinal ganglion cells and photoreceptors in retinal degenerative diseases
      and toward engineering transplantable patient-specific cornea or lens. DESIGN:
      Many stem cell types, including putative resident eye stem cells, mesenchymal
      stem cells, embryonic stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells, have been
      investigated for their potential to generate specific cell types in the eye in
      culture and after transplantation and to engineer eye tissues in combination with
      structural scaffolds. METHOD: Cultured stem cells and in vitro differentiated eye
      specific cells are transplanted into different locations of the eye to test their
      ability to produce functional cells for supporting eye functions. In addition,
      stem cells have been directly tested in vitro for their capacity to engineer eye
      specific tissues. RESULTS: Different stem cell types have been shown to have
      distinct capacities to produce eye-specific cells or even the entire retina.
      CONCLUSIONS: Stem cells offer great hope for treating various eye pathologies.
      Despite recent progress, many challenges must still be overcome before the era of
      stem cell-based therapy in the eye truly arrives.

PMID- 26108049
TI  - Update on Ophthalmic Oncology 2012: Advances in Retinoblastoma and Uveal
      Melanoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this article was to review the major advances in both
      translational and clinical research in 2 diseases, retinoblastoma and uveal
      melanoma, from November 2011 through October 2012. DESIGN: Literature Review.
      METHODS: A MEDLINE search was performed using the search terms "retinoblastoma"
      and "uveal melanoma." All relevant articles were reviewed, and articles with the
      most clinical relevance were reported. RESULTS: In retinoblastoma, new clinical
      data are emerging every year regarding the safety and efficacy of intra-arterial
      chemotherapy as well as other even newer modalities such as intravitreal
      chemotherapy. Globe salvage rates for eyes without vitreous seeding approach 100%
      and are increasing to 80% for those with seeds with new methods of treatment. In
      uveal melanoma, our understanding of the genetic pathways underlying this disease
      is improving each day and leading to the initiation of clinical trials for
      adjuvant therapy and metastatic disease. CONCLUSIONS: Ocular oncology is a small
      but dynamic field in which our knowledge is increasing every day. Exciting data
      emerged in the fields of both retinoblastoma and uveal melanoma this year.

PMID- 26108050
TI  - The Pathogenesis of Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy.
AB  - Although nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is known to
      occur as a result of ischemic insult to the anterior portion of the optic nerve,
      its etiology and pathogenesis remain elusive. Because NAION is a nonfatal
      condition, acute, postmortem histopathologic analysis has never been undertaken.
      Animal models of NAION have been created with the use of an iodinated derivative
      of fluorescein, rose bengal. When rose bengal is stimulated with the use of a
      frequency-doubled neodymium-Yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) laser diode, vascular
      endothelial damage may be induced in a precise and focal manner, within the
      anterior optic nerve. Primate and nonprimate animal models of NAION differ from
      the human pattern of NAION in the duration of the disease course, as well as the
      anatomy. The rat lamina cribrosa contains a differing connective tissue
      structure, which may result in a differing pathogenesis of ischemic insult. Optic
      disk swelling resolves within 5 days in rats and 14 days in primates; in humans,
      it is known to persist for up to 6 weeks. Animal models have nonetheless enabled
      a deeper understanding of the underlying pathologic processes in NAION. 

PMID- 26108051
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding "The Ten Chairmen of the Ophthalmology Department
      at Peking Union Medical College (PUMC)".

PMID- 26108052
TI  - Responses to "Letter to the Editor Regarding 'The Ten Chairmen of the
      Ophthalmology Department at Peking Union Medical College (PUMC)'" to APJO.

PMID- 26108053
TI  - In Response to The Knowledge Gaps Between Asian and Caucasian AMD.

PMID- 26108054
TI  - The Genetics of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

PMID- 26108056
TI  - Microanatomical Location of Hyaluronic Acid Gel Following Injection of the
      Temporal Hollows.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the microanatomical location of hyaluronic acid gel injected
      within the temporal hollows of cadaver specimens. METHODS: The temporal hollows
      were injected subcutaneously with hyaluronic acid gel in 6 fresh frozen human
      cadaver hemifaces. Temporal soft tissues were dissected to a preperiosteal plane
      and fixated in 95% alcohol. A soft tissue section extending from skin to temporal
      bone was obtained for each specimen. Histologic examination was performed using
      hematoxylin and eosin stain. RESULTS: In 5 of 6 specimens, at least 95% of the
      hyaluronic acid was located within the subcutaneous fat. In 1 of 6 specimens,
      approximately 35% of the material was located within the subcutaneous fat and 60%
      was located within the superficial temporal fascia. Two specimens had 5% located
      within the temporalis muscle. In 1 specimen, hyaluronic acid was found to
      encompass a superficial muscular artery within the superficial temporal fascia.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study elucidates the location of hyaluronic acid gel after
      subcutaneous injection within the temporal hollow. Histology confirmed consistent
      placement of the gel within the subcutaneous tissues, but it also showed that
      injection in this region may produce unintended deeper location of filler, and a
      significant perivascular collection of the material. The proximity of dense
      temporal fascial and muscle arterial networks in this region may pose risk for
      perivascular injection and associated complications.

PMID- 26108057
TI  - Neuropathic Pain Following Poly-L-Lactic Acid (Sculptra) Injection.
AB  - Injectable fillers have become a prevalent means of facial rejuvenation and
      volume expansion. While typically well tolerated, serious complications have been
      reported. The authors present a case in which an otherwise healthy female with a
      history of multiple filler injections including poly-L-lactic acid, developed 3
      weeks of neuropathic pain in the left temporal fossa following injection. To the
      best of the authors knowledge, neuropathic pain has not been reported as a
      complication following poly-L-lactic acid injection. The patient was treated with
      an injection of steroid and long-acting anesthetic with resolution of symptoms.

PMID- 26108058
TI  - The Association of Demodex with Chalazia: A Histopathologic Study of the Eyelid.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the association of Demodex with chalazia and to describe
      the associated histopathologic changes in the eyelid tissue. METHODS: In a
      retrospective histopathologic case-control study, 78 ectropion/entropion repair
      eyelid wedge resections were examined. Serial sections were obtained on formalin
      fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues, stained with hematoxylin-eosin and studied by
      light microscopy. Thirty-eight patient specimens had evidence of chalazia and 40
      did not. The main outcome measures included quantification of total eyelid hair
      follicles, meibomian glands, Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis; determining
      the presence of lipogranulomatous and non-lipogranulomatous inflammation, hair
      follicle and meibomian gland duct dilatation and hyperkeratinization, and
      meibomian gland acinar dilation, keratinization, and atrophy. RESULTS: There was
      a significantly greater mean number of D. folliculorum in biopsies with chalazia,
      when compared with biopsies without chalazia (5.55 vs. 2.68, p = 0.044). The
      presence of D. folliculorum was strongly associated with hair follicle duct
      dilatation and hyperkeratinization and with perifollicular nongranulomatous
      inflammation (p = 0.00). Hair follicle duct dilatation, hyperkeratinization, and
      perifollicular inflammation were also independently associated with chalazia (p =
      0.040 and 0.031, respectively). D. brevis was observed only in meibomian glands
      with chalazia (mean = 0.342), but this finding did not reach statistical
      significance; p= 0.068. CONCLUSION: While the authors cannot establish causality
      between Demodex and chalazia, these findings suggest that D. folliculorum
      indirectly may be involved in the pathogenesis of chalazia via its effect on the
      anterior eyelid margin.

PMID- 26108059
TI  - Redesigning German Maternity Records: Results from a Pilot study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The German maternity record (GMR, "Mutterpass") is the most important
      document for pregnant women and their health care providers during antenatal
      care. While the serological and ultrasound sections have been updated regularly,
      the document's catalogue of pre-existing factors has remained unaltered since
      1986. We investigated whether a health-focused revision of the GMR would serve
      the needs of pregnant women and their care providers. METHODS: A revised version
      of the Mutterpass was developed by a multidisciplinary panel of experts, focusing
      on health and salutogenesis. The new document highlights the uncomplicated
      pregnancy, and gives pregnant women the opportunity to make their own notes and
      to choose an appropriate place of birth after consultation with the doctor or
      midwife. These changes were developed within the requirements of the latest
      version of the German maternity guidelines (GMG) mandatory during the revision
      process. To test for user-friendliness and acceptance, 23 persons--8 consultants,
      7 midwives and 8 pregnant women--were asked to evaluate the revised GMR. Comments
      could be entered in the GMR itself and in an electronic survey. Notes in the GMR
      (n=296 comments) were assigned to one of 7 categories (e. g. general comments,
      structural aspects) by 2 reviewers. After 6 weeks one of the reviewers repeated
      her evaluation. RESULTS: 20 of the 23 persons approached wrote comments in the
      document, 19 participated in the electronic survey. Consultants and midwives
      predominantly stated that they would prefer to work with the revised GMR (92%).
      Pregnant women appreciated the space for their own notes (83%). Most respondents
      (90%) had a good general impression. Inter-observer agreement was kappa=0.43,
      intra-observer agreement kappa=0.55. CONCLUSIONS: This health-focused version of
      the German maternity record is a first step towards optimising maternity records
      in Germany. Future investigations should consider revisions going beyond the
      content of the mandatory guidelines.

PMID- 26108060
TI  - CHILDREN'S AND ADULTS' JUDGMENTS OF FACIAL TRUSTWORTHINESS: THE RELATIONSHIP TO
      FACIAL ATTRACTIVENESS.
AB  - Existing research suggests that adults make effective trustworthiness judgments
      based on facial attractiveness during initial interactions. However, little is
      known about how children judge trustworthiness from faces. The present study
      examined the facial features that contributed to judgments of trustworthiness and
      attractiveness by three groups of Chinese children aged 8 years old (n=34; 17
      boys), 10 years old (n=34; 17 boys), and 12 years old (n = 34; 17 boys) and a
      comparison group of 37 undergraduates (M age=20.2 yr.; 16 men). Using FaceGen
      Modeler 3.1, a total of 400 East Asian adult faces (200 male, 200 female)
      portraying neutral emotions with direct gazes were generated. The faces were
      represented by 61 shape features and were presented for a maximum of 3,000 msec.
      in the center of the computer screen in randomized order. The participants were
      asked to judge whether each person was trustworthy and to rate the level of
      trustworthiness; 1 month later, the attractiveness of the same faces was judged
      using a similar procedure. The children and the adults used similar facial
      features to judge trustworthiness (e.g., the brow ridge, nose, and chin). Some of
      the facial features used by the different age groups as the basis for the
      trustworthiness and attractiveness judgments were similar. Facial attractiveness
      accounted for roughly 30 to 60% of the variance in the groups' trustworthiness
      judgments. Thus, facial attractiveness may serve as a heuristic property that
      signals trustworthiness and guides adaptive social decisions. More importantly,
      even children as young as 8 years old use a strategy similar to that of adults to
      make trustworthiness judgments, although some differences in the use of specific
      facial features were observed among the age groups.

PMID- 26108061
TI  - POSTURAL CONTROL MECHANISMS IN HEALTHY ADULTS IN SITTING AND STANDING POSITIONS.
AB  - This study explored differences in the center of pressure in healthy people in a
      sitting and standing position and with eyes open and closed. With this purpose,
      32 healthy participants (16 men, 16 women; M age=25.2 yr., SD=10.0, range=18-55)
      were measured with an extensiometric force plate. Using a two-way repeated
      measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), the root mean square,
      velocity, range, and sway, in both visual conditions, had higher values in the
      standing task than in the sitting task. In the frequency domain, the low
      frequency band had higher values during the standing task. For control mechanism
      variables, mean distance and time were greater when standing while mean peaks
      were greater when sitting. Thus, stability is worse in the standing position and
      more neuromuscular activity is required to maintain balance.

PMID- 26108062
TI  - ATTRIBUTES OF AESTHETIC QUALITY USED BY TEXTILE CONSERVATORS IN EVALUATING
      CONSERVATION INTERVENTIONS ON MUSEUM COSTUMES.
AB  - Aesthetic quality is central to textile conservators when evaluating a
      conservation method. However, the literature on textile conservation chiefly
      focuses on physical properties, and little is known about what factors determine
      aesthetic quality according to textile conservators. The latter was explored
      through two experiments. Experiment 1 explored the underlying attributes of
      aesthetic quality of textile conservation interventions. Experiment 2 explored
      the relationships between these attributes and how well they predicted aesthetic
      quality. Rank-order correlation analyses revealed two latent factors called
      Coherence and Completeness. Ordinal regression analysis revealed that Coherence
      was the most important predictor of aesthetic quality. This means that a
      successful conservation intervention is visually well-integrated with the textile
      item in terms of the material and method.

PMID- 26108063
TI  - Update on the immunobiology of Sjogren's syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to give an update on the
      understanding of the immune responses involved in the pathogenesis of primary
      Sjogren's syndrome (pSS), and to highlight recent findings on the underlying
      molecular and cellular mechanisms at play. RECENT FINDINGS: In recent years,
      genetic studies have confirmed the importance of aberrant type I interferon (IFN)
      and B cell responses in pSS and highlighted critical pathways involved in disease
      pathogenesis. In particular, the formation of ectopic lymphoid structures has
      emerged as an important factor in the establishment of chronic autoimmune
      responses in target organs. Interestingly, recent studies on viral infection in
      the context of pSS, as well as findings on the contribution of salivary gland
      epithelial cells in local immune responses, offer further clues to understand pSS
      etiology and its target organ specificity. Finally, new evidence brings T cells
      and natural killer cells under renewed attention as possible important
      contributors to pSS pathogenesis. SUMMARY: Progress made during the last few
      years on the pathogenesis of pSS has been mirrored by clinical trials directed at
      inhibiting cytokines, B, or T cell responses. Future efforts should focus on
      identifying additional pSS specific targets and developing methods to help choose
      optimal therapeutic strategies for the individual patient.

PMID- 26108064
TI  - The risk of chronic kidney disease in a metabolically healthy obese population.
AB  - Obesity has become an important risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). The
      metabolically healthy obese (MHO) phenotype refers to obese individuals with a
      favorable metabolic profile. However, its prognostic value remains controversial
      and may depend on the health outcome being investigated. To assess this, we
      examined the risk of MHO phenotype with incident CKD in a Korean population of
      41,194 people without CKD. Individuals were stratified by body mass index (cutoff
      value, 25.0 kg/m(2)) and metabolic health state (assessed using Adult Treatment
      Panel-III criteria). Incident CKD was defined as a glomerular filtration rate of
      <60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology
      Collaboration equation. Over the median follow-up period of 38.7 months, 356 of
      the individuals developed incident CKD. Compared with the metabolically healthy
      nonobese (MHNO) group, the MHO group showed increased risk of incident CKD with a
      multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio of 1.38 (95% CI, 1.01-1.87). Nonobese but
      metabolically unhealthy individuals were at an increased risk of incident CKD
      (multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio, 1.37 (95% CI, 1.02-1.93)) than the MHNO
      group. Metabolically unhealthy obese individuals were at the highest risk of
      incident CKD. Thus, a healthy metabolic profile does not protect obese adults
      from incident CKD. Hence, it is important to consider metabolic health along with
      obesity when evaluating CKD risk.

PMID- 26108065
TI  - Antithrombin III/SerpinC1 insufficiency exacerbates renal ischemia/reperfusion
      injury.
AB  - Antithrombin III, encoded by SerpinC1, is a major anti-coagulation molecule in
      vivo and has anti-inflammatory effects. We found that patients with low
      antithrombin III activities presented a higher risk of developing acute kidney
      injury after cardiac surgery. To study this further, we generated SerpinC1
      heterozygous knockout rats and followed the development of acute kidney injury in
      a model of modest renal ischemia/reperfusion injury. Renal injury, assessed by
      serum creatinine and renal tubular injury scores after 24 h of reperfusion, was
      significantly exacerbated in SerpinC1(+/-) rats compared to wild-type
      littermates. Concomitantly, renal oxidative stress, tubular apoptosis, and
      macrophage infiltration following this injury were significantly aggravated in
      SerpinC1(+/-) rats. However, significant thrombosis was not found in the kidneys
      of any group of rats. Antithrombin III is reported to stimulate the production of
      prostaglandin I2, a known regulator of renal cortical blood flow, in addition to
      having anti-inflammatory effects and to protect against renal failure.
      Prostaglandin F1alpha, an assayable metabolite of prostaglandin I2, was increased
      in the kidneys of the wild-type rats at 3 h after reperfusion. The increase of
      prostaglandin F1alpha was significantly blunted in SerpinC1(+/-) rats, which
      preceded increased tubular injury and oxidative stress. Thus, our study found a
      novel role of SerpinC1 insufficiency in increasing the severity of renal
      ischemia/reperfusion injury.

PMID- 26108066
TI  - Inhibition of the purinergic P2X7 receptor improves renal perfusion in
      angiotensin-II-infused rats.
AB  - Chronic activation of the renin-angiotensin system promotes hypertension, renal
      microvascular dysfunction, tissue hypoxia, and inflammation. Despite similar
      hypertension, an injurious response to excess angiotensin II is greater in F344
      than in Lewis rats; the latter displaying renoprotection. Here we studied whether
      p2rx7, encoding the P2X7 receptor (P2X7R), is a candidate gene for the
      differential susceptibility to vascular dysfunction under high angiotensin II
      tone. A 14-day infusion of angiotensin II into F344 rats increased blood pressure
      by about 15 mm Hg without inducing fibrosis or albuminuria. In vivo pressure
      natriuresis was suppressed, medullary perfusion reduced by half, and the
      corticomedullary oxygenation gradient disrupted. Selective P2X7R antagonism
      restored pressure natriuresis, promoting a significant leftward shift in the
      intercept and increasing the slope. Sodium excretion was increased sixfold and
      blood pressure normalized. The specific P2X7R antagonist AZ11657312 increased
      renal medullary perfusion, but only in angiotensin II-treated rats. Tissue
      oxygenation was improved by P2X7R blockade, particularly in poorly oxygenated
      regions of the kidney. Thus, activation of P2X7R induces microvascular
      dysfunction and regional hypoxia when angiotensin II is elevated and these
      effects may contribute to progression of renal injury induced by chronic
      angiotensin II. 

PMID- 26108067
TI  - Delayed graft function and the risk of acute rejection in the modern era of
      kidney transplantation.
AB  - Delayed graft function (DGF) is commonly considered a risk factor for acute
      rejection, although this finding has not been uniformly observed across all
      studies. The link between DGF and acute rejection may have changed over time due
      to advances in immunosuppression and medical management. Here we conducted a
      cohort study of 645 patients over 12 years to evaluate the association of DGF and
      biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) in a modern cohort of kidney transplant
      recipients. DGF was defined as the need for at least one dialysis session in the
      first week after kidney transplantation. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cumulative
      probabilities of BPAR were 16.0, 21.8, and 22.6% in the DGF group, significantly
      different from the 10.1, 12.4, and 15.7% in the non-DGF group. In multivariable
      Cox proportional hazards model, the adjusted relative hazard for BPAR in DGF (vs.
      no DGF) was 1.55 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03, 2.32). This association was
      generally robust to different definitions of DGF. The relative hazard was also
      similarly elevated for T-cell- or antibody-mediated BPAR (1.52 (0.92, 2.51) and
      1.54 (0.85, 2.77), respectively). Finally, the association was consistent across
      clinically relevant subgroups. Thus DGF remains an important risk factor for BPAR
      in a contemporary cohort of kidney transplant recipients. Interventions to reduce
      the risk of DGF and/or its aftereffects remain of paramount importance to improve
      kidney transplant outcomes.

PMID- 26108069
TI  - B7-H3 expression in children with asthma exacerbation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that B7-H3, a recently identified B7 family
      member, plays a critical role in the development of asthma. OBJECTIVE: This study
      is to explore the expression of B7-H3 in children with asthma exacerbation.
      METHODS: Twenty-one Chinese children with asthma exacerbation as well as 18
      nonasthmatic control Chinese children were enrolled. B7-H3 level and cytokines
      (interferon [IFN]-gamma, interleukin [IL]-4, and IL-10) determination were
      performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Meanwhile,
      clinical parameters including laboratory findings, forced expiratory volume in
      one second (FEV(1)) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide were obtained. RESULTS:
      Children with asthma exacerbation had significantly higher levels of B7-H3 than
      controls (4.46 +/- 1.33 versus 3.42 +/- 1.48 ng/mL; p = 0.027). Plasma IL-4 level
      was significantly higher in asthma exacerbation subjects than controls (157.98 +/
      21.57 versus 121.92 +/- 24.37 pg/mL; p < 0.0001), and IFN-gamma level was
      significantly lower in asthma exacerbation subjects (292.73 +/- 152.47 versus
      421.78 +/- 145.84 pg/mL; p = 0.0107). Level of B7-H3 in asthma exacerbation
      subjects with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) treatment recently was significantly
      lower than subjects without ICS treatment (t = 2.706; p = 0.0136). Additionally,
      levels of B7-H3 decreased remarkably after prednisone treatment. Level of sB7-H3
      in asthma exacerbation subjects was inversely correlated with level of IFN-gamma
      (r(p) = -0.605; p = 0.005) after adjustment. CONCLUSION: B7-H3 may play an
      important role in asthma exacerbation and was a useful clinical biomarker to
      evaluate asthma exacerbation.

PMID- 26108068
TI  - Renin-angiotensin blockade resets podocyte epigenome through Kruppel-like Factor
      4 and attenuates proteinuria.
AB  - Proteinuria is a central component of chronic kidney disease and an independent
      risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Kidney podocytes have an essential role
      as a filtration barrier against proteinuria. Kruppel-like Factor 4 (KLF4) is
      expressed in podocytes and decreased in glomerular diseases leading to
      methylation of the nephrin promoter, decreased nephrin expression and
      proteinuria. Treatment with an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) reduced
      methylation of the nephrin promoter in murine glomeruli of an adriamycin
      nephropathy model with recovery of KLF4 expression and a decrease in albuminuria.
      In podocyte-specific KLF4 knockout mice, the effect of ARB on albuminuria and the
      nephrin promoter methylation was attenuated. In cultured human podocytes,
      angiotensin II reduced KLF4 expression and caused methylation of the nephrin
      promoter with decreased nephrin expression. In patients, nephrin promoter
      methylation was increased in proteinuric kidney diseases with decreased KLF4 and
      nephrin expression. KLF4 expression in ARB-treated patients was higher in
      patients with than without ARB treatment. Thus, angiotensin II can modulate
      epigenetic regulation in podocytes and ARB inhibits these actions in part via
      KLF4 in proteinuric kidney diseases. This study provides a new concept that renin
      angiotensin system blockade can exert therapeutic effects through epigenetic
      modulation of the kidney gene expression.

PMID- 26108070
TI  - Effect of solar irradiation on serum specific immunoglobulin E to house-dust
      mite.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between sensitization to Dermatophagoides species
      and solar irradiation, as reflected by vitamin D, remains elusive. OBJECTIVE: We
      investigated the lag time and the cumulative and maximum effects of exposure to
      solar irradiation on sensitization to house-dust mites. METHODS: A time series
      study design was applied to solar irradiation (MJ/m(2)) and relative humidity (%)
      for specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels against Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus
      (n = 20,451) and Dermatophagoides farinae (n = 22,824). We used the distributed
      lag nonlinear model to assess the difference of log IgE to house-dust mites in
      relation to climate variables. RESULTS: Compared with specific IgE levels of
      those exposed to 18 MJ/m(2), the maximum increase in sensitization to D.
      pteronyssinus was observed at a solar irradiation of 10 MJ/m(2) at peak 0 week
      (difference of log IgE 0.368 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.209-0.529], p <
      0.001), and this increase continued for 3 weeks. The IgE level was significantly
      affected by the relative humidity of the 3rd- to 12th-lag week, and the effect
      reached its peak at 75% on the 8th week (difference of log IgE 0.394 [95% CI,
      0.221-0.566], p < 0.001). The logistic regression analysis showed that solar
      irradiation was associated with a decreased risk to sensitization to D.
      pteronyssinus (odds ratio 0.988 per 1 MJ/m(2) [95% CI, 0.979-0.997], p < 0.013)
      on the testing week after controlling for humidity and temperature. CONCLUSION:
      This study demonstrated that low solar irradiation immediately increased the risk
      of sensitization to two house-dust mite species. Further research is warranted to
      delineate the underlying mechanism of the effect of solar irradiation on
      aeroallergen sensitization.

PMID- 26108071
TI  - The association of vitamin D, cathelicidin, and vitamin D binding protein with
      acute asthma attacks in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent evidence about the various effects of vitamin D (vit D) on
      innate and adaptive immunity has led to a search for the role of vit D in asthma.
      It is postulated that a decrease in cathelicidin, a multifunctional host defense
      molecule, production due to low vit D status may predispose to infectious
      complications in children with asthma. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to
      determine the association of vit D, vit D-binding protein (VDBP) and cathelicidin
      with acute asthma attacks among children with allergic asthma. METHODS: This
      prospective study included 35 patients with acute asthma attack and 32 children
      with controlled asthma, and all were matched by sampling season, sensitization to
      mites, and previous severity of asthma. A comprehensive questionnaire about risk
      factors, blood sampling for 25-hydroxyvitamin D vit D, VDBP, and cathelicidin
      levels; spirometric indices were used. Factors that influence serum vit D and
      cathelicidin levels and the development of asthma attacks were evaluated with
      multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The mean serum vit D levels of the attack group
      was significantly lower than that of the controlled asthma group (p < 0.001). The
      mean cathelicidin level was significantly higher in the acute asthma group than
      with the controlled subjects with asthma (p = 0.002). There was no difference
      between the acute and controlled asthma groups in terms of markers of allergy and
      serum VDBP levels. Risk factors that may influence vit D levels revealed that
      body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.038), duration of sun exposure (p < 0.001), and
      amount of dietary vit D (p < 0.001) independently affected serum vit D levels.
      Risk factors that may result in acute asthma showed that low serum levels of vit
      D were significantly related to the risk of asthma attacks (p < 0.001, adjusted
      odds ratio 16.11). Cathelicidin levels showed a significant positive association
      with asthma attacks and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Vit D deficiency showed a significant
      relationship to the development of asthma attacks independent of cathelicidin
      deficiency and other factors associated with the severity of chronic asthma.

PMID- 26108072
TI  - Association of urine CC16 and lung function and asthma in Chinese children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many studies have shown the relationship between serum Club cell
      secretory protein-16 (CC16) and respiratory diseases. However, little research
      has been done to study urinary CC16 in relation to respiratory diseases. Our
      objective was to examine the association of urinary CC16 and physician-diagnosed
      asthma or lung function measurements in Chinese children. METHODS: A total of 147
      physician-diagnosed children with asthma, ages 9-15 years, were recruited from
      our cross-sectional study population in northeast China. The 390 healthy children
      who were not asthmatic and not smokers were selected at random from the
      population according to 10% proportional sampling. Lung function values,
      including forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity were
      measured with two portable spirometers. Urine CC16 was determined by using an
      enzyme-link immunoassay kit. The relationships between urine CC16 levels and
      asthma, lung function were assessed by multiple regression models. RESULTS: The
      geometric mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) creatinine-adjusted urine CC16
      level was, for creatinine, 9.77 ng/mg (95% CI, 8.12-12.02 ng/mg). After
      adjustments for sex, age, body mass index, parental education, and smoking
      status, lower urine CC16 levels were found to be associated with asthma (odds
      ratio 0.782 [95% CI, 0.617- 0.990]). A positive association was found between
      urine CC16 and forced vital capacity (beta 0.064 [95% CI, 0.008-0.119]).
      CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated lower levels of urine CC16 and lung function
      in patients with asthma than in those patients without asthma. CC16 in urine may
      be a useful tool or biomarker for investigating lung epithelium integrity among
      children with asthma or lung injury.

PMID- 26108073
TI  - Risk factors in pediatric shrimp allergy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of shellfish allergy is ~1.3% in the United States,
      with shrimp most commonly reported. Shellfish is one of the top causes of food
      induced anaphylactic reactions, yet there are no reported rates of pediatric
      shrimp anaphylaxis in the literature. In previously reported adults with shrimp
      allergy, the rate of anaphylaxis to shrimp was 42%. OBJECTIVE: To describe the
      rate of anaphylaxis among children with shrimp allergy, demographics, clinical
      presentation, and cross-reactive sensitization. METHODS: Retrospective chart
      review of children <=18 years old who presented with shrimp allergy to Texas
      Children's Hospital Allergy and Immunology Clinic over 11 years. RESULTS: Sixty
      eight patients were identified with shrimp allergy (61% male, 39% female), with a
      median age of diagnosis at 5.6 years (range, 0.96-16.6 years). The rate of
      anaphylaxis was 12%, and mucocutaneous symptoms were most common (skin symptoms,
      70%; urticaria, 58%; and angioedema, 58%). No factors were positively associated
      with anaphylaxis, whereas patients without anaphylaxis had a significantly higher
      rate of eczema compared with those with anaphylaxis (p = 0.02). African Americans
      and Asian Americans were disproportionately affected (p < 0.001). There were low
      rates of cross-sensitization for other crustaceans and for mollusks (57% and 26%,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: The rate of anaphylaxis to shrimp was significantly
      lower in children with shrimp allergy than in adults, and anaphylactic reactions
      were negatively associated with eczema. Cross-reactivity to other crustaceans and
      mollusks does not uniformly occur. Prospective studies with double blinded
      placebo-controlled food challenges are needed to further characterize patients
      with shrimp allergy.

PMID- 26108074
TI  - The effect of prenatal exposure to phthalates on food allergy and early eczema in
      inner-city children.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that maternal prenatal and children
      urine metabolite concentration of phthalates would be associated with food
      allergy and early eczema among inner-city children. The study was based on data
      from the Polish Mother and Child Cohort. METHODS: Prenatal and postnatal exposure
      to the following phthalates: diethyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, di-n-butyl
      phthalate, butyl-benzyl phthalate, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, diisononyl
      phthalate, and di-n-octyl phthalate were determined by measuring phthalate
      metabolites in the urine collected from the mothers during the third trimester of
      pregnancy and from their children at age 2 years. Pre- and postnatal observations
      limited the response rate and final sample size; data from 147 participants were
      included in the analysis. Children's health status was assessed at 24 months of
      age by using a questionnaire administered to the mothers. We studied associations
      between the urine level of phthalates and the presence of food allergy and atopic
      dermatitis in logistic regression analysis. All associations were adjusted for
      independent risk factors of dependent variables. Associations with atopic
      dermatitis were adjusted for the effect of atopy in the family, the father's
      education, frequency of house cleaning, and breastfeeding; associations with food
      allergy were adjusted for the presence of pets at home during pregnancy and
      breastfeeding. RESULTS: The prevalence of the outcomes were as follows: atopic
      dermatitis, 12.2%, and food allergy, 48.9%. We showed that higher urine
      concentrations of monobenzyl phthalate in mothers during pregnancy increased the
      risk of food allergy in children during the first 2 years of life (odds ratio
      4.17 [95% confidence interval, 1.17-17.89]). There were no associations with
      children's urine and allergic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Results of our study
      indicated awareness of environmental factors that may affect children's health
      because the phthalates were shown to be risk factors for food allergy in
      children.

PMID- 26108075
TI  - Allergic conjunctivitis: Time for a new classification.

PMID- 26108076
TI  - Addressing the challenges of severe asthma.

PMID- 26108077
TI  - Rebuttal Comments from Dr. Dunn and Dr. Wechsler.

PMID- 26108078
TI  - Rebuttal Comments from Dr. Iyer and Dr. Lim.

PMID- 26108079
TI  - Bronchial thermoplasty: Quo vadis?

PMID- 26108080
TI  - Reducing asthma attacks in patients with severe asthma: The role of bronchial
      thermoplasty.
AB  - Asthma remains one of the most common diseases worldwide and results in
      significant societal health care costs and in morbidity and mortality to those
      afflicted. Despite currently available medications, 5-10% of patients with asthma
      have severe disease with debilitating symptoms and/or life-threatening
      exacerbations. Bronchial thermoplasty is a device-based therapy with proven
      efficacy in this subgroup of patients. Thus far, bronchial thermoplasty has been
      shown to reduce exacerbations and to improve important measures of asthma
      control. The purpose of this article is to review the pathophysiology of severe
      asthma, including the role of airway smooth muscle cells and the procedural
      aspects of bronchial thermoplasty, and to review the evidence behind this
      important therapy. 

PMID- 26108081
TI  - Bronchial thermoplasty: Where there is smoke, there is fire.
AB  - Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is the first nonpharmacologic interventional therapy
      approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010 for severe asthma. This
      approval was based on randomized sham-controlled trial called Asthma Intervention
      Research (AIR) 2 published in 2010. BT involves the application of radiofrequency
      energy to airways with an aim to selectively ablate airway smooth muscle. BT is
      currently marketed for patients with "severe" asthma. Most practicing clinicians
      apply this severity category to patients with oral corticosteroid dependence,
      frequent exacerbations, or a significantly reduced forced expiratory volume in 1
      second along with a poor quality of life. Did the patients studied in the AIR-2
      trial have these clinical features? Was there a reduction in severe asthma
      exacerbation achieved in the intervention group? Did any of the primary or
      secondary end points in the AIR-2 trial show a positive signal? There continues
      to be controversy regarding patient selection and primary outcome. Its efficacy
      in the management of the patient with difficult-to-manage asthma is uncertain.
      This review covered pertinent aspects of BT, the design and results of the AIR-2
      trial, and provides the practicing allergist with a comprehensive overview of
      this therapy. 

PMID- 26108082
TI  - Asthma, stress, and depression in women.
AB  - The occurrence of depression with asthma is very common, especially in women, and
      can influence behavioral factors, such as treatment compliance, self-assessment,
      and management of environmental triggers, that can collectively result in poor
      asthma management and control. This review describes the association and major
      clinical implications of stress, anxiety, and depression, and the associated
      hormonal changes frequently seen in women with poorly controlled asthma. Several
      validated instruments have recently been developed for screening patients for
      depression that can now be used and benefit patients with asthma by earlier
      detection of these confounding risk factors. The review also highlights the need
      for further delineation and characterization of specific underlying
      pathophysiologic and immunologic mechanisms responsible for depression in women. 

PMID- 26108083
TI  - Stepping down inhaled corticosteroids from scheduled to as needed in stable
      asthma: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many patients with asthma are potentially overtreated, which results
      in unnecessary cost and unnecessary exposure to drugs that may result in adverse
      events. Step down helps reduce overtreatment, may mitigate these harms, and is
      advocated by major guidelines. Unfortunately, data that support step down are
      sparse. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aimed to examine the effect of
      stepping down from scheduled inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) to as-needed ICS in
      patients with stable asthma. METHODS: Several electronic databases were
      systematically searched in April 2014. Articles were screened independently in
      duplicate. Studies were required to have at least a 12-week follow-up duration
      and to have compared stepping down from scheduled ICS to as-needed ICS and
      maintenance of scheduled ICS. Patients were required to have stable asthma as
      evidenced by at least 4 weeks without asthma exacerbation before intervention.
      RESULTS: A total of 3025 abstracts were retrieved initially, 77 of which were
      retrieved for full-text screening. Of these, only two articles were found to be
      eligible for inclusion, both were randomized controlled trials. By using random
      effects meta-analysis, it was determined that, after a follow-up of 6-10 months,
      the relative risk of exacerbation of stepping down from scheduled to as-needed
      ICS was 1.32 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.81-2.16; p = 0.27, I(2) = 0%).
      Those who did not step down had more symptom-free days (standard mean difference
      0.26 [95% CI, 0.02-0.49; p = 0.03; I(2) = 22%]). CONCLUSION: There is currently
      insufficient evidence to associate stepping down from scheduled to as-needed ICS
      with a change in exacerbations, although it may lead to fewer symptom-free days.

PMID- 26108085
TI  - Effect of systemic corticosteroids on serum apoptotic markers and quality of life
      in patients with asthma.
AB  - Despite corticosteroids being the first line drug treatment for asthma symptom
      control, the mechanisms of action of corticosteroids in asthma are still poorly
      understood. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of systemic
      corticosteroids on serum level of apoptotic markers Survivin (for inflammatory
      cells) and M30 apoptosense (for bronchial epithelial cells) in patients of acute
      exacerbation of bronchial asthma. The study involved 60 patients with acute
      exacerbation of bronchial asthma who were prescribed systemic corticosteroids.
      Patients were evaluated for their serum levels of apoptotic markers (Survivin and
      M30 apoptosense) and their quality of life (QOL), before and after treatment with
      oral prednisolone. Paired t-test was used to compare the change in the serum
      values. The mean baseline serum Survivin and M30 apoptosense levels were 224.10
      +/- 42.76 and 123.00 +/- 18.79 U/L, respectively, which decreased significantly
      (p < 0.05) to 111.20 +/- 32.26 and 29.67 +/- 7.53 U/L after seven days of oral
      prednisolone treatment. Systemic corticosteroids also significantly improved QOL
      scores and peak expiratory flow rate % (PEFR%) in the asthma patients. This
      improvement was seen irrespective of the initial severity score. Results from the
      study suggest that systemic corticosteroids administration decreases the survival
      of inflammatory cells and increases that of bronchial epithelial cells in
      patients with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. The study has been
      registered with Clinical Trials Registry-India. Registry database number
      CTRI/2014/08/00483. 

PMID- 26108084
TI  - Risk of corticosteroid-related adverse events in asthma patients with high oral
      corticosteroid use.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral corticosteroids (OCS) are a mainstay of asthma treatment. Their
      use increases the risk of various corticosteroid-related adverse events, but the
      extent of risk is poorly characterized. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incremental
      risk of possible corticosteroid-related adverse events (AE) in asthma among
      patients with high OCS use compared with patients who do not use OCS. METHODS:
      Patients with asthma in a commercial health care claims data base who were high
      OCS users (>=30 days of OCS use annually) were matched to no-OCS users by age,
      sex, and geographic region, and the presence or absence of chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD) as a comorbidity. We examined bone-related conditions,
      pneumonia, opportunistic infections, diabetes mellitus, and other disorders as
      potential AEs by using chi(2) tests to compare potential AE prevalence between
      the cohorts, with and without stratification by a COPD diagnosis. We controlled
      for the number of inhaled steroids (ICS) canisters filled. RESULTS: A total of
      3604 patients with asthma and high OCS use were matched to 3604 patients who did
      not use OCS (mean age, 54.4; 68.1% female; 44.9% with COPD). Patients with high
      OCS use had statistically significantly higher rates of any potential AE compared
      with patients who did not use OCS (83.5% versus 78.1%), (p < 0.001). Rates of
      individual potential AEs were also higher in patients who used higher doses of
      OCS. Patterns of AEs were similar in patients with and those without COPD, with
      statistically significantly higher overall AE risk and individual risks in high
      OCS users. The number of ICS canisters filled was not a significant predictor of
      AE. CONCLUSION: Patients with asthma who were treated with OCS for >=30 days per
      year have a greater overall risk of possible corticosteroid-related AEs compared
      with those patients with no OCS use, whether or not they had COPD.

PMID- 26108086
TI  - Changes in asthma control, work productivity, and impairment with omalizumab: 5
      year EXCELS study results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma poses a significant disease burden worldwide. Current
      guidelines emphasize achieving and maintaining asthma control. OBJECTIVE: To
      describe longitudinal changes of asthma control and asthma-related work, school,
      and activity impairment for patients with moderate-to-severe asthma treated with
      omalizumab and those who did not receive omalizumab in a real-world setting.
      METHODS: This study used 5 years of data from patients ages >=12 years old with
      moderate-to-severe persistent allergic asthma who were enrolled in the Evaluating
      Clinical Effectiveness and Long-term Safety in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe
      Asthma observational study. Asthma control was assessed with the Asthma Control
      Test for 5 years, and asthma-related work, school, and activity impairment was
      measured with the Work Productivity/Activity Impairment-Asthma questionnaire for
      the first 2 years. RESULTS: The percentage of patients treated with omalizumab (n
      = 4930) and with well-controlled asthma (Asthma Control Test score, >20)
      increased from 45% at baseline to 61% at month 60, and it was 49% (baseline) and
      67% (month 60) for the non-omalizumab-treated cohort (n = 2779). For new starters
      to omalizumab (n = 576), the percentage with well-controlled asthma increased
      from 25% at baseline to 51% at month 6, and to 60% at month 60. Patients in the
      omalizumab-treated cohort and those in the non-omalizumab-treated cohort
      experienced a reduction in asthma-related work, school, and activity impairment.
      The amount of improvement in asthma control achieved and the reduction in asthma
      related work, school, and activity impairment were similar, regardless of asthma
      severity. CONCLUSION: On average, patients in the Evaluating Clinical
      Effectiveness and Long-term Safety in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Asthma
      observational study who initiated omalizumab experienced clinically significant
      improvement in asthma control, which was observed within 6 months and persisted
      for 5 years.

PMID- 26108087
TI  - Contrasting associations of body mass index and measles with asthma and rhinitis
      in young adults.
AB  - Asthma and allergic rhinitis often coexist and are increasing worldwide,
      particularly among the younger generation. Although the prevalences of adult
      asthma and allergic rhinitis and their risk factors have been reported, there
      have been few studies focusing on young adults. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the prevalences of asthma and allergic rhinitis and their associated
      factors in Japanese young adults. A questionnaire survey of new students at
      Hokkaido University about the presence of current wheeze and rhinitis and a
      history of several viral infections during childhood was conducted in 2008 and
      2010. The prevalences of wheeze and rhinitis and their associated factors were
      evaluated. Of 4076 nonsmoking subjects aged 18-25 years, 261 (6.4%) had current
      wheeze and 1373 (33.7%) had allergic rhinitis. On multivariate analyses, current
      wheeze was associated with high body mass index (BMI), atopic dermatitis,
      allergic rhinitis, food allergy, and a history of measles infection. In contrast,
      allergic rhinitis was associated with low BMI, current wheeze, atopic dermatitis,
      food allergy, and no history of measles. When subjects were classified into four
      groups by the presence or absence of wheeze and rhinitis, both high BMI and a
      history of measles were positively associated with wheeze without rhinitis but
      negatively associated with rhinitis without wheeze. High BMI and past measles
      infection showed contrasting associations with asthma and allergic rhinitis in
      nonsmoking young adults. It is important to not only recognize the common
      pathophysiological characteristics of asthma and allergic rhinitis but also to
      understand their differences. 

PMID- 26108088
TI  - A comparison of fluticasone propionate nasal spray and cetirizine in ragweed fall
      seasonal allergic rhinitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intranasal corticosteroids are generally considered the most
      effective medication class for controlling allergic rhinitis. Previous
      comparative studies with oral antihistamines have been only partially informative
      due to a variety of variables encountered during their execution. OBJECTIVE: To
      compare fluticasone propionate nasal spray (FPNS) with the second-generation
      antihistamine cetirizine (oral tablet) and with placebo in a head-to-head study
      in a 2-week treatment study during fall ragweed season. METHODS: A total of 978
      subjects were screened for this study. Six hundred and eighty-two subjects were
      randomized into the study (170 subjects, FPNS 200 mcg once daily; 170, cetirizine
      10 mg once daily; 171, FPNS placebo; 171, cetirizine placebo) and comprised the
      intent-to-treat population. A 1-week placebo run-in was followed by a 2-week
      active treatment period during which time a total nasal symptom score (TNSS),
      total ocular symptom score, and the Nocturnal Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life
      Questionnaire were collected. RESULTS: The primary efficacy end point was the
      mean change from baseline over the entire treatment period in A.M. reflective
      TNSS. The TNSS was the sum of the four individual nasal congestion, nasal
      itching, rhinorrhea, and sneezing scores, in which each symptom was scored on a
      scale of 0 to 3. Both FPNS and cetirizine improved the primary end point when
      compared with placebo during the active treatment period. Although there was a
      trend that favored FPNS with regard to the primary and secondary end points,
      there was not a statistical difference between the two treatments. CONCLUSION:
      FPNS and cetirizine were equally effective in treating fall seasonal allergic
      rhinitis during a 2-week head-to-head treatment investigation. Clinical trial
      NCT01916226, <ext-link xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link
      type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov">www.clinicaltrials.gov</ext
      link>.

PMID- 26108089
TI  - Plasma endothelin-1 levels during exacerbation of atopic dermatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endothelin (ET) -1 was found to participate in the pathogenesis of
      bronchial asthma. At present, there is no information regarding the role of ET-1
      in the pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis (AD). OBJECTIVE: We assessed blood ET
      1 levels during the exacerbation of AD and during the 4 months postexacerbation
      period, to assess the relationships between blood ET-1 levels and clinical
      severity of AD and pruritus. METHODS: Patients with AD and during exacerbation
      were recruited from the dermatology department at the Chita Medical Academy
      (Chita, Russia). Objective Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis index, itch
      intensity, plasma concentrations of ET-1, and serum total immunoglobulin E levels
      were measured at study entry and after 4 months. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients
      with AD, 35 women (45.1%) and 47 men (54.9%), mean (SD) age of 42.2 +/- 11.5
      years were included. Thirty healthy volunteers served as controls. The mean (SD)
      objective Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis index score during AD
      exacerbation was 48.8 +/- 19.4 and at the 4 months postexacerbation period was
      16.1 +/- 8.3 (p < 0.01). Mean (SD) itch score during AD exacerbation was 6.9 +/-
      1.9 and, at 4 months postexacerbation was 2.6 +/- 0.7 (p < 0.01). Mean (SD)
      plasma levels of ET-1 in patients with AD (0.74 +/- 0.45 fmol/mL) were
      significantly higher than in healthy subjects (0.43 +/- 0.24 fmol/mL) (p <
      0.001). Significant correlations were found between plasma ET-1 levels with the
      objective Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis index (r = 0.51; p < 0.001), Itch
      severity (r = 0.62; p < 0.001), and with serum immunoglobulin E levels (r = 0.63;
      p < 0.001) at the exacerbation time point in patients with AD. CONCLUSION: During
      AD exacerbation, plasma ET-1 levels were elevated and were positively correlated
      with AD clinical severity, itch intensity, and serum IgE levels.

PMID- 26108090
TI  - For the Patient.

PMID- 26108091
TI  - Relationship Between Hospital Performance on a Patient Satisfaction Survey and
      Surgical Quality.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services include patient
      experience as a core component of its Value-Based Purchasing program, which ties
      financial incentives to hospital performance on a range of quality measures.
      However, it remains unclear whether patient satisfaction is an accurate marker of
      high-quality surgical care. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether hospital performance
      on a patient satisfaction survey is associated with objective measures of
      surgical quality. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective observational
      study of participating American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality
      Improvement Project (ACS NSQIP) hospitals. We used data from a linked database of
      Medicare inpatient claims, ACS NSQIP, the American Hospital Association annual
      survey, and Hospital Compare from December 2, 2004, through December 31, 2008. A
      total of 103 866 patients older than 65 years undergoing inpatient surgery were
      included. Hospitals were grouped by quartile based on their performance on the
      Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey.
      Controlling for preoperative risk factors, we created hierarchical logistic
      regression models to predict the occurrence of adverse postoperative outcomes
      based on a hospital's patient satisfaction scores. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:
      Thirty-day postoperative mortality, major and minor complications, failure to
      rescue, and hospital readmission. RESULTS: Of the 180 hospitals, the overall mean
      patient satisfaction score was 68.0% (first quartile mean, 58.7%; fourth quartile
      mean, 76.7%). Compared with patients treated at hospitals in the lowest quartile,
      those at the highest quartile had significantly lower risk-adjusted odds of death
      (odds ratio = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73-0.99), failure to rescue (odds ratio = 0.82; 95%
      CI, 0.70-0.96), and minor complication (odds ratio = 0.87; 95% CI, 0.75-0.99).
      This translated to relative risk reductions of 11.1% (P = .04), 12.6% (P = .02),
      and 11.5% (P = .04), respectively. No significant relationship was noted between
      patient satisfaction and either major complication or hospital readmission.
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Using a national sample of hospitals, we demonstrated
      a significant association between patient satisfaction scores and several
      objective measures of surgical quality. Our findings suggest that payment
      policies that incentivize better patient experience do not require hospitals to
      sacrifice performance on other quality measures.

PMID- 26108092
TI  - Prevalence and Correlates of Indoor Tanning in Nonsalon Locations Among a
      National Sample of Young Women.

PMID- 26108094
TI  - Spinal Bone Texture Assessed by Trabecular Bone Score in Adolescent Girls With
      Anorexia Nervosa.
AB  - CONTEXT: Trabecular bone score (TBS) is a bone assessment tool that offers
      information beyond that afforded by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone
      mineral density (BMD) measurements. Adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) are
      known to exhibit compromised bone density and skeletal strength. OBJECTIVES: This
      study aimed to determine TBS among adolescents with AN and evaluate the
      correlation with anthropometric, clinical and densitometric variables. DESIGN:
      Areal BMD spinal measures were analyzed for TBS. Findings were compared with
      clinical (height, weight, body mass index [BMI], age, pubertal development, 25
      hydroxyvitamin D) and self-reported data (illness duration, amenorrhea, exercise,
      fracture, family history of osteoporosis, and antidepressant use), and BMD
      measures by DXA and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). SETTING
      AND PARTICIPANTS: This was an urban adolescent program consisting of 57 females
      with AN, age 11-18 y. INTERVENTIONS: Interventions included DXA (absolute BMD and
      Z-score), pQCT (volumetric BMD [vBMD] and stress-strain index [SSI]), laboratory
      evaluation, and questionnaire administration. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Main outcome
      measures included TBS, areal and vBMD, SSI, fracture history, disease duration.
      RESULTS: The TBS of six participants (11%) showed degraded and 19 (33%) partially
      degraded microarchitecture. Spinal TBS was correlated (P < .05) with age, height,
      weight, BMI, pubertal stage, BMD, and body composition by DXA, and BMD and SSI by
      pQCT. TBS was not correlated with disease duration, fracture, vitamin D status,
      race, or ethnicity, and self-reported health data. CONCLUSIONS: TBS showed
      evidence of degraded microarchitecture in over 40% of this study sample, and
      strongly correlated with anthropometric data and measures of BMD and skeletal
      strength. TBS is a novel tool that captures another dimension of bone health in
      adolescents with AN.

PMID- 26108093
TI  - Endogenous Opioid Mechanisms Are Implicated in Obesity and Weight Loss in Humans.
AB  - CONTEXT: Successful long-term weight loss is challenging. Brain endogenous opioid
      systems regulate associated processes; however, their role in the maintenance of
      weight loss has not been adequately explored in humans. OBJECTIVE: In a
      preliminary study, the objective was to assess central MU-opioid receptor (MOR)
      system involvement in eating behaviors and their relationship to long-term
      maintenance of weight loss. DESIGN: This was a case-control study with follow-up
      of the treatment group at 1 year after intervention. SETTING: The study was
      conducted at a tertiary care university medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Lean
      healthy (n = 7) and chronically obese (n = 7) men matched for age and ethnicity
      participated in the study. INTERVENTIONS: MOR availability measures were acquired
      with positron emission tomography and [(11)C]carfentanil. Lean healthy men were
      scanned twice under both fasted and fed conditions. Obese men were placed on a
      very low-calorie diet to achieve 15% weight loss from baseline weight and
      underwent two positron emission tomography scans before and two after weight
      loss, incorporating both fasted and fed states. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Brain MOR
      availability and activation were measured by reductions in MOR availability
      (nondisplaceable binding potential) from the fed compared with the fasted-state
      scans. RESULTS: Baseline MOR nondisplaceable binding potential was reduced in
      obese compared with the lean and partially recovered obese after weight loss in
      regions that regulate homeostatic, hedonic, and emotional responses to feeding.
      Reductions in negative affect and feeding-induced MOR system activation in the
      right temporal pole were highly correlated in leans but not in obese men. A trend
      for an association between MOR activation in the right temporal pole before
      weight loss and weight regain 1 year was found. CONCLUSIONS: Although these
      preliminary studies have a small sample size, these results suggest that obesity
      and diet-induced weight loss impact central MOR binding and endogenous opioid
      system function. MOR system activation in response to an acute meal may be
      related to the risk of weight regain.

PMID- 26108095
TI  - Methylmercury inhibits prolactin release in a cell line of pituitary origin.
AB  - Heavy metals, such as methylmercury, are key environmental pollutants that easily
      reach human beings by bioaccumulation through the food chain. Several reports
      have demonstrated that endocrine organs, and especially the pituitary gland, are
      potential targets for mercury accumulation; however, the effects on the
      regulation of hormonal release are unclear. It has been suggested that serum
      prolactin could represent a biomarker of heavy metal exposure. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate the effect of methylmercury on prolactin release and the
      role of the nitrergic system using prolactin secretory cells (the
      mammosomatotroph cell line, GH3B6). Exposure to methylmercury (0-100 MUM) was
      cytotoxic in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, with an LC50 higher than
      described for cells of neuronal origin, suggesting GH3B6 cells have a relative
      resistance. Methylmercury (at exposures as low as 1 MUM for 2 h) also decreased
      prolactin release. Interestingly, inhibition of nitric oxide synthase by N-nitro
      L-arginine completely prevented the decrease in prolactin release without acute
      neurotoxic effects of methylmercury. These data indicate that the decrease in
      prolactin production occurs via activation of the nitrergic system and is an
      early effect of methylmercury in cells of pituitary origin. 

PMID- 26108097
TI  - Comparative efficacy and safety of the left versus right radial approach for
      percutaneous coronary procedures: a meta-analysis including 6870 patients.
AB  - The radial approach is widely used in the treatment of patients with coronary
      artery disease. We conducted a meta-analysis of published results on the efficacy
      and safety of the left and right radial approaches in patients undergoing
      percutaneous coronary procedures. A systematic search of reference databases was
      conducted, and data from 14 randomized controlled trials involving 6870
      participants were analyzed. The left radial approach was associated with
      significant reductions in fluoroscopy time [standardized mean difference (SMD)=
      0.14, 95% confidence interval (CI)=-0.19 to -0.09; P<0.00001] and contrast volume
      (SMD=-0.07, 95%CI=-0.12 to -0.02; P=0.009). There were no significant differences
      in rate of procedural failure of the left and the right radial approaches [risk
      ratios (RR)=0.98; 95%CI=0.77-1.25; P=0.88] or procedural time (SMD=-0.05,
      95%CI=0.17-0.06; P=0.38). Tortuosity of the subclavian artery (RR=0.27,
      95%CI=0.14-0.50; P<0.0001) was reported more frequently with the right radial
      approach. A greater number of catheters were used with the left than with the
      right radial approach (SMD=0.25, 95%CI=0.04-0.46; P=0.02). We conclude that the
      left radial approach is as safe as the right radial approach, and that the left
      radial approach should be recommended for use in percutaneous coronary
      procedures, especially in percutaneous coronary angiograms. 

PMID- 26108096
TI  - Plasticity of neutrophils reveals modulatory capacity.
AB  - Neutrophils are widely known as proinflammatory cells associated with tissue
      damage and for their early arrival at sites of infection, where they exert their
      phagocytic activity, release their granule contents, and subsequently die.
      However, this view has been challenged by emerging evidence that neutrophils have
      other activities and are not so short-lived. Following activation, neutrophil
      effector functions include production and release of granule contents, reactive
      oxygen species (ROS), and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Neutrophils have
      also been shown to produce a wide range of cytokines that have pro- or anti
      inflammatory activity, adding a modulatory role for this cell, previously known
      as a suicide effector. The presence of cytokines almost always implies
      intercellular modulation, potentially unmasking interactions of neutrophils with
      other immune cells. In fact, neutrophils have been found to help B cells and to
      modulate dendritic cell (DC), macrophage, and T-cell activities. In this review,
      we describe some ways in which neutrophils influence the inflammatory environment
      in infection, cancer, and autoimmunity, regulating both innate and adaptive
      immune responses. These cells can switch phenotypes and exert functions beyond
      cytotoxicity against invading pathogens, extending the view of neutrophils beyond
      suicide effectors to include functions as regulatory and suppressor cells. 

PMID- 26108098
TI  - Changes in expression of BDNF and its receptors TrkB and p75NTR in the
      hippocampus of a dog model of chronic alcoholism and abstinence.
AB  - Chronic ethanol consumption can produce learning and memory deficits. Brain
      derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptors affect the pathogenesis of
      alcoholism. In this study, we examined the expression of BDNF, tropomyosin
      receptor kinase B (TrkB) and p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) in the
      hippocampus of a dog model of chronic alcoholism and abstinence. Twenty domestic
      dogs (9-10 months old, 15-20 kg; 10 males and 10 females) were obtained from
      Harbin Medical University. A stable alcoholism model was established through ad
      libitum feeding, and anti-alcohol drug treatment (Zhong Yao Jie Jiu Ling, the
      main ingredient was the stems of watermelon; developed in our laboratory), at low
      and high-doses, was carried out. The Zhong Yao Jie Jiu Ling was effective for
      the alcoholism in dogs. The morphology of hippocampal neurons was evaluated using
      hematoxylin-eosin staining. The number and morphological features of BDNF, TrkB
      and p75NTR-positive neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG), and the CA1, CA3 and CA4
      regions of the hippocampus were observed using immunohistochemistry. One-way
      ANOVA was used to determine differences in BDNF, TrkB and p75NTR expression.
      BDNF, TrkB and p75NTR-positive cells were mainly localized in the granular cell
      layer of the DG and in the pyramidal cell layer of the CA1, CA3 and CA4 regions
      (DG>CA1>CA3>CA4). Expression levels of both BDNF and TrkB were decreased in
      chronic alcoholism, and increased after abstinence. The CA4 region appeared to
      show the greatest differences. Changes in p75NTR expression were the opposite of
      those of BDNF and TrkB, with the greatest differences observed in the DG and CA4
      regions. 

PMID- 26108099
TI  - Changes in circulating endothelial progenitor cells predict responses of multiple
      myeloma patients to treatment with bortezomib and dexamethasone.
AB  - Four cycles of chemotherapy are required to assess responses of multiple myeloma
      (MM) patients. We investigated whether circulating endothelial progenitor cells
      (cEPCs) could be a biomarker for predicting patient response in the first cycle
      of chemotherapy with bortezomib and dexamethasone, so patients might avoid
      ineffective and costly treatments and reduce exposure to unwanted side effects.
      We measured cEPCs and stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha) in 46 MM
      patients in the first cycle of treatment with bortezomib and dexamethasone, and
      investigated clinical relevance based on patient response after four 21-day
      cycles. The mononuclear cell fraction was analyzed for cEPC by FACS analysis, and
      SDF-1alpha was analyzed by ELISA. The study population was divided into 3 groups
      according to the response to chemotherapy: good responders (n=16), common
      responders (n=12), and non-responders (n=18). There were no significant
      differences among these groups at baseline day 1 (P>0.05). cEPC levels decreased
      slightly at day 21 (8.2+/-3.3 cEPCs/MUL) vs day 1 (8.4+/-2.9 cEPCs/MUL) in good
      responders (P>0.05). In contrast, cEPC levels increased significantly in the
      other two groups (P<0.05). SDF-1alpha changes were closely related to changes in
      cEPCs. These findings indicate that change in cEPCs at day 21 in the first cycle
      might be considered a noninvasive biomarker for predicting a later response, and
      extent of change could help decide whether to continue this costly chemotherapy.
      cEPCs and the SDF-1alpha/CXCR4 axis are potential therapeutic targets for
      improved response and outcomes in MM patients. 

PMID- 26108100
TI  - Gender, race and socioeconomic influence on diagnosis and treatment of thyroid
      disorders in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).
AB  - Thyroid diseases are common, and use of levothyroxine is increasing worldwide. We
      investigated the influence of gender, race and socioeconomic status on the
      diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders using data from the Brazilian
      Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil), a multicenter cohort study of
      civil servants (35-74 years of age) from six Brazilian cities. Diagnosis of
      thyroid dysfunction was by thyrotropin (TSH), and free thyroxine (FT4) if TSH was
      altered, and the use of specific medications. Multivariate logistic regression
      models were constructed using overt hyperthyroidism/hypothyroidism and
      levothyroxine use as dependent variables and sociodemographic characteristics as
      independent variables. The frequencies of overt hyper- and hypothyroidism were
      0.7 and 7.4%, respectively. Using whites as the reference ethnicity, brown, and
      black race were protective for overt hypothyroidism (OR=0.76, 95%CI=0.64-0.89,
      and OR=0.53, 95%CI=0.43-0.67, respectively, and black race was associated with
      overt hyperthyroidism (OR=1.82, 95%CI=1.06-3.11). Frequency of hypothyroidism
      treatment was higher in women, browns, highly educated participants and those
      with high net family incomes. After multivariate adjustment, levothyroxine use
      was associated with female gender (OR=6.06, 95%CI=3.19-11.49) and high net family
      income (OR=3.23, 95%CI=1.02-10.23). Frequency of hyperthyroidism treatment was
      higher in older than in younger individuals. Sociodemographic factors strongly
      influenced the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders, including the use of
      levothyroxine. 

PMID- 26108101
TI  - Individual differences in common factors of emotional traits and executive
      functions predict functional connectivity of the amygdala.
AB  - Evidence suggests that individual differences in emotion control are associated
      with frontoparietal-limbic networks and linked to emotional traits and executive
      functions. In a first attempt to directly target the link between emotional
      traits and executive functions using resting-state fMRI analysis, 43 healthy
      adults completed a test battery including executive tasks and emotional trait
      self-assessments that were subjected to a principal component analysis. Of the
      three factors detected, two explained 40.4% of the variance and were further
      investigated. Both factors suggest a relation between emotional traits and
      executive functions. Specifically, the first factor consisted of measures related
      to inhibitory control and negative affect, and the second factor was related to
      reward and positive affect. To investigate whether this interplay between
      emotional traits and executive functions is reflected in neural connectivity, we
      used resting-state fMRI to explore the functional connectivity of the amygdala as
      a starting point, and progressed to other seed-based analyses based on the
      initial findings. We found that the first factor predicted the strength of
      connectivity between brain regions known to be involved in the cognitive control
      of emotion, including the amygdala and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,
      whereas the second factor predicted the strength of connectivity between brain
      regions known to be involved in reward and attention, including the amygdala, the
      caudate and the thalamus. These findings suggest that individual differences in
      the ability to inhibit negative affect are mediated by prefrontal-limbic
      pathways, while the ability to be positive and use rewarding information is
      mediated by a network that includes the amygdala and thalamostriatal regions. 

PMID- 26108103
TI  - What's New in Uveitis and Ocular Inflammation?

PMID- 26108102
TI  - Applying random forest and subtractive fuzzy c-means clustering techniques for
      the development of a novel G protein-coupled receptor discrimination method using
      pseudo amino acid compositions.
AB  - G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute the largest superfamily of
      integral membrane proteins (IMPs) and they tremendously contribute in the flow of
      information into cells. In this study, the random forest (RF) and the subtractive
      fuzzy c-means clustering (SBC) methods have been used to determine the importance
      of input variables and discriminate GPCRs from non-GPCRs using twenty amino acid
      and fifty pseudo amino acid compositions derived from GPCR sequences. The studied
      dataset was retrieved from the UniProt/SWISSPROT database and consists of 1000
      GPCR and 1000 non-GPCR reviewed sequences. The top ranked RF-SBC-based model
      discriminates GPCRs and non-GPCRs successfully with the accuracy, sensitivity,
      specificity and Matthew's coefficient correlation (MCC) rates of 99.15%, 99.60%,
      98.70% and 0.983%, respectively. These rates were obtained from averaged values
      of 5-fold cross validation using only twenty four out of fifty pseudo amino acid
      composition features. The results show that the proposed RF-SBC-based model
      outperforms other existing algorithms in terms of the evaluated performance
      criteria. The webserver for the proposed algorithm is available at
      http://brcinfo.shinyapps.io/GPCRIden.

PMID- 26108104
TI  - Eye Genetics in Post-Genome-Wide Association Studies Era.

PMID- 26108105
TI  - Development of the Department of Ophthalmology at Osaka University.
AB  - Osaka University is one of the largest national universities and the sixth oldest
      university in Japan. Its academic roots extend to Tekijuku and Kaitokudo in the
      Edo period. Osaka University has the motto, "Live Locally, Grow Globally." This
      means that they work for their own local community and also work worldwide at the
      same time.The Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine is famous for basic
      research in immunology, including research on interleukin 6 and innate immunity,
      and translational research for regenerative medicine. Osaka University Hospital
      has 31 clinical departments and 2159 staff members, including 834 physicians. It
      serves 2515 outpatients and 940 inpatients per day. Approximately 8500 surgeries
      are performed every year. The Department of Ophthalmology at Osaka University is
      one of the largest ophthalmology departments in Japan. It has 24 faculty members,
      9 graduate school students, and 9 residents. It has had 9 professors throughout
      its history. Their department has also produced active professors in the wide
      field of ophthalmology.Their department is known for a large amount of high
      clinical activity. Their advanced clinical practice performs translational
      research on the regenerative medicine of the cornea, artificial retina,
      diagnostic instruments and tools, apoptosis of photoreceptors, and drug
      discovery. Many ophthalmologists and staff members have contributed to the
      development of the Department of Ophthalmology at Osaka University. 

PMID- 26108106
TI  - Aged Drivers May Experience Decreased Visual Function While Driving.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate conventional visual acuity (VA) and changes therein over
      time in older drivers. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: One hundred
      twenty-four drivers (41 younger drivers aged 21-39 years, 40 middle-aged drivers
      aged 40-59 years, and 43 older drivers aged 60-77 years) who consented to undergo
      conventional and functional VA testing, perform the Trail Making Test B, and
      complete a questionnaire on visual performance while driving at an expressway
      rest stop in Ashigara, Japan, were studied. RESULTS: The overall proportion of
      the study subjects with a decimal bilateral VA less than 0.7, the Japanese
      threshold score for obtaining and renewing a driver's license, was 10%. The
      number of the subjects with decimal functional VA scores and minimum VA scores
      less than 0.7 was significantly higher in the older group than in the younger
      group (P < 0.05), although the conventional VA scores did not differ
      significantly between the older and younger groups (P = 0.621). The Trail Making
      Test B scores were significantly higher in the older group than in the younger
      and middle-aged groups (P < 0.05). The total score of the "visual performance
      during driving at night" category correlated significantly with the logMAR
      functional VA and logMAR minimum VA (P < 0.05) but not the logMAR VA.
      CONCLUSIONS: Older drivers might experience decreased functional VA and increased
      frequency of transient decreases in VA while driving. The functional VA test
      might capture visual impairment among older drivers that went undetected by the
      conventional VA test.

PMID- 26108107
TI  - Comparison of Goldmann Tonometry and Dynamic Contour Tonometry in Normal and
      Descemet Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty Eyes.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare intraocular pressures (IOP) measured by
      dynamic contour tonometry (DCT) with Goldmann tonometry (GAT) in Descemet
      stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) eyes. The agreeability between the 2
      established methods and their relation to central corneal thickness (CCT) was
      also studied. DESIGN: A comparative case series. METHODS: Forty-six eyes of DSEK
      were enrolled at least 3 months after the procedure. Thirty-five other eyes of
      the same patient cohort served as control. Intraocular pressures were measured by
      DCT and GAT by 2 different examiners in a randomized manner. Central corneal
      thickness was measured by ultrasonic pachymetry. Statistical analysis was used
      for the calculation of means, SD, coefficient of determination, linear
      regression, and Bland and Altman plot. Statistical significance was considered as
      P < 0.05. RESULTS: Mean CCT was 624.49 MUm and 518.41 MUm in DSEK and control
      eyes, respectively. Mean IOP by GAT and DCT, respectively, was 19.4 and 21.5 mm
      Hg in DSEK eyes and 15.12 and 17.6 mm Hg in controls. Descemet stripping
      endothelial keratoplasty eyes showed universally higher IOP by either method in
      comparison with normal controls. Dynamic contour tonometry reading was
      significantly higher than GAT in both (P < 0.05) groups. The correlation between
      IOP and CCT was not significant in DSEK eyes (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A higher
      baseline IOP is to be expected in DSEK eyes, which is independent of corneal
      thickness. Both GAT and DCT can be used as a standard method to measure IOP in
      DSEK eyes, but their readings cannot be used interchangeably.

PMID- 26108108
TI  - Scleral Buckling for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Using Vitrectomy-Based
      Visualization Systems and Chandelier Illumination.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate an alternative approach to
      scleral buckling surgery using vitrectomy-based chandelier visualization systems
      instead of the indirect ophthalmoscope. DESIGN: This was a prospective case
      series. METHODS: Ten eyes underwent scleral buckling under microscope using
      contact wide-angle lens with 25-gauge chandelier illumination and were followed
      up for 6 months. RESULTS: An encirclage was done in 8 eyes, and segmental buckle
      used in 2 eyes. Excellent intraoperative visualization was achieved, and all
      routine buckling steps were easily replicated with this approach. CONCLUSIONS:
      Using contact wide-angle lens along with chandelier illumination under microscope
      allows good visualization for scleral buckling procedure. This approach may allow
      excellent visibility with zooming capabilities for each step of the procedure as
      well as allows transmission to a monitor in the theater for teaching purposes
      apart from allowing better ergonomics for the surgeon.

PMID- 26108109
TI  - Bacterial Species and Surgical Sites Involved in Contamination During Strabismus
      Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: Residual bacterial colonization of the eye after strabismus surgery is
      common. This study aimed to identify the bacterial pathogens and contaminated
      sites involved during strabismus surgery. DESIGN: A prospective, case-control
      study of 44 patients aged 1-78 years who underwent strabismus surgery. METHODS:
      Before participation, we received clinical research board approval, and informed
      consent was obtained from each of the patients or the parents. Five percent
      povidone-iodine was used to sterilize the surgical site in all cases.
      Intraoperative swabs were taken from conjunctival incision site, plain gut
      suture, scleral surgery site, Vicryl suture, and lid specula. Bacteria isolates
      were identified by culture growth and Gram staining. Positive and negative
      control samples were collected. RESULTS: Samples from 13 (29.5%) of 44 cases were
      positive for growth of bacteria. The conjunctival incision site was involved in 9
      cases (20.5%), and the lid speculum in 7 cases (15.9%). All 13 colonized plates
      grew the coagulase-negative Staphylococcus strain. Staphylococcus aureus was
      cultured in 1 case (2.3%) and was associated with the only case of postoperative
      infection. The S. aureus cultures came from both the conjunctival incision site
      and the lid speculum. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a high contamination rate of 29.5%,
      incidence of clinically significant infection was low. Our study suggests
      involvement of the eyelids and conjunctiva in harboring bacteria even after the
      use of povidone-iodine. Regardless of the mechanism of contamination, we should
      continue to focus our efforts on reducing intraoperative conjunctival bacterial
      load. Irregular tear film can contribute to postoperative complications.

PMID- 26108110
TI  - Drug-Induced Ocular Hypertension and Angle-Closure Glaucoma.
AB  - The objective of this study was to review the available literature on the drugs
      causing ocular hypertension and glaucoma. Electronic literature search was
      carried out using the Web sites www.pubmed.gov and www.google.com published
      through the year 2011. The search words were "drug induced ocular hypertension"
      and "drug induced glaucoma" used in combination. The articles published or
      translated into English were studied. Quite a significant number of drugs
      commonly prescribed by various physicians of different specialties can induce
      ocular hypertension or glaucoma. A brief account of various drugs that can induce
      ocular hypertension has been given in this article. Those drugs are
      parasympatholytics; steroids; anticholinergics, adrenergics, and antidepressants;
      cholinomimetics; antineoplastic agents; antipsychotic and antiparkinsonism
      agents; H1 and H2 receptor blockers; botulinum toxin, cardiac agents, and
      anticoagulants; silicone oil; sulfa drugs; and anesthetic agents. Rational use of
      these drugs and knowledge of their potential adverse effects can help prevent the
      devastating complications resulting in loss of vision and compromised quality of
      life. 

PMID- 26108111
TI  - Developments in Ocular Genetics: Annual Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to summarize major developments in ocular
      genetics over the past year. DESIGN: A literature review was performed for
      articles relating to the genetics of eye diseases and morphology. The search
      focused on articles published between September 15, 2011, and September 15, 2012.
      METHODS: PubMed and Google Scholar search tools were used to search for ocular
      genetics articles in the desired date range. RESULTS: Major advances have been
      reported in numerous areas including glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration,
      and keratoconus. Numerous novel associations have been identified through large
      genome-wide association studies. In addition, numerous disease genes have been
      identified through next-generation sequencing technologies. CONCLUSIONS: Ocular
      genetics continues to advance at a rapid pace and benefit from new technologies.
      Numerous discoveries in the past year point toward areas for continued research.

PMID- 26108112
TI  - Research in Uveitis and Ocular Inflammation, 2011 to 2012.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was aimed to provide ophthalmologists with an update of
      recent research and developments in the areas of ocular immunology and uveitis.
      DESIGN: This is a literature review. METHODS: A 1-year search (July 1, 2011, to
      June 30, 2012) of the English language literature on PubMed was conducted using
      the search terms ocular immunology, ocular inflammation, uveitis, iritis,
      iridocyclitis, intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, panuveitis, pediatric
      uveitis, scleritis, choroiditis, retinitis, uveitic glaucoma, uveitic cataract,
      hypotony, immunomodulators, immunosuppressive therapy, corticosteroids, drug
      induced uveitis, sarcoidosis, toxoplasmosis, tuberculosis, syphilis, herpes
      simplex virus, herpes zoster virus, cytomegalovirus, optical coherence
      tomography, mucous membrane pemphigoid, experimental autoimmune uveitis, and
      endotoxin-induced uveitis. Approximately 10% of articles studied were included in
      this article. RESULTS: This review incorporates original articles encompassing
      new insights and updates to the field of uveitis and ocular immunology.
      Particular consideration was given to randomized, controlled clinical trials as
      well as analyses of larger cohorts; however, smaller studies and case reports
      involving new aspects of treatment/diagnosis or expanding the understanding of
      disease processes were also included. CONCLUSIONS: Review of the literature
      reflected an improved understanding of uveitic disease and treatments, especially
      in the areas of immunomodulatory therapy, uveitic cystoid macular edema,
      toxoplasmosis, and sarcoidosis. Results from the Systemic Immunosuppressive
      Therapy for Eye Diseases Study and the Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment
      trial, especially, yielded useful information in a number of areas. By its
      nature, this review cannot be all inclusive but is meant to focus on the
      literature and results most relevant to ophthalmologists in practice.

PMID- 26108114
TI  - Cultural Barriers to the Uptake of Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment.

PMID- 26108113
TI  - Efficacy of Intravitreal Levofloxacin 0.5% Ophthalmic Solution in Treating
      Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Endophthalmitis on a Rabbit Model.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal levofloxacin 0.5% ophthalmic
      solution as treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa endophthalmitis in a rabbit
      model. DESIGN: This is a parallel randomized experimental study. METHODS: Twenty
      six New Zealand white rabbits were enrolled. P. aeruginosa was inoculated
      intravitreally on the right eyes of all rabbits, which were further categorized
      into 2 groups, the treatment group (Group A) receiving 0.1 mL intravitreal
      injection levofloxacin 0.5% 24 hours after inoculation and the control group
      (Group B), which had 0.1 mL intravitreal aqua destilata (placebo). Clinical
      observation of the eyes in each group was performed on the first until the sixth
      day after the inoculation using clinical grading scale. On the sixth day, the
      eyes were examined for microbiological and histopathologic evaluations. RESULTS:
      The total clinical grading scores of each group were similar 24 hours after P.
      aeruginosa inoculation (P > 0.05). The total clinical grading scores of Group A
      on the sixth day and the difference in total clinical scores on the first and the
      sixth day were shown to be significantly lower than that of Group B (P < 0.05).
      Microbiological analysis revealed that there was a lower bacterial count in Group
      A (mean = 1.18 +/- 0.93 logCFU/0.1 mL) compared with Group B (mean = 4.09 +/-
      1.51 logCFU/0.1 mL), and the histopathologic scores of both groups were also
      significantly different (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal levofloxacin 0.5%
      ophthalmic solution at 0.1 mL dose appeared to be effective in treating P.
      aeruginosa endophthalmitis in rabbits.

PMID- 26108115
TI  - The Need for Diabetic Retinopathy Screening in Low-Resource Settings.

PMID- 26108116
TI  - Letter to the Editor in Response to "An Update on the Diagnosis and Management of
      Central Serous Chorioretinopathy".

PMID- 26108117
TI  - Reply to Letter to the Editor Regarding Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

PMID- 26108118
TI  - Ethical Issues Surrounding Body Integrity and Research.

PMID- 26108119
TI  - A Comparative Survey of Pacemaker Implantation in Trinidad and Tobago in 2005 and
      2009.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The indications for permanent pacemaker implantations in Trinidad have
      expanded from initially symptomatic bradycardia to now include complex devices. A
      retrospective review of the available data was conducted to better understand the
      evolving trends in device implantation in Trinidad and Tobago. METHODS: Data were
      collated from the two major implanting teams in Trinidad for the years 2005 and
      2009. The two implanting centres were the Advanced Cardiovascular Institute (ACI)
      at Westshore Medical Centre and the Catheterization Laboratory of the Eric
      Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC). Data were based on retrospective
      collation using the implantation records. RESULTS: The implantation rate for new
      devices increased from 39 per million to 103 per million population. The most
      common indications for new device implants in 2009 were high degree
      atrioventricular (AV) block (53%) and sick sinus syndrome (22%) with the notable
      appearance of congestive cardiomyopathy (13%) which was not present in the
      earlier cohort. Of particular note, 23 high-end devices were implanted in 2009.
      These were five cardiac-resynchronization therapy (CRT-P) devices, 14 automatic
      implantable cardio-defibrillator (AICD) devices and four combined cardiac
      resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) devices versus none in 2005.
      CONCLUSIONS: In summary, over the period 2005 to 2009, a substantial increase in
      device implantation rates has occurred which now include high-end, complex
      devices. Absolute rates, however, remain far below that of developed countries,
      indicating that the true need remains underserved. Furthermore, adjustment for
      gross domestic product suggests that the relatively buoyant economy of Trinidad
      and Tobago is capable of servicing a greater proportion of this need than is
      currently met.

PMID- 26108120
TI  - Efficacy of Vinblastine in Primary Cutaneous Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma.

PMID- 26108122
TI  - A Population-Based Care Improvement Initiative for Patients at Risk for Delirium,
      Alcohol Withdrawal, and Suicide Harm.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In a population-based approach, a hospital-wide interprofessional
      care redesign at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH; Boston), was conducted to
      provide optimal evidence-informed care for patients at risk for delirium, alcohol
      abuse, and suicide harm (DASH). The initiative involved enhanced screening and
      the introduction of new care management guidelines and order sets pertaining to
      the DASH diagnoses. METHODS: An interprofessional group from medicine, nursing,
      and psychiatry jointly led a hospitalwide effort for the improvement of care and
      outcomes of patients presenting with a DASH diagnosis (delirium, alcohol
      withdrawal, and suicide harm). The care improvement process consisted of four
      phases: (1) development of guidelines, (2) imple mentation/rollout, (3)
      integration into practice, and (4) sustainability, including ongoing practice
      development and evaluation. RESULTS: Implementation outcomes were evaluated using
      eight parameters-acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity,
      implementation cost, penetration, and sustainability. Internal billing data and
      ICD-9-CM [International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical
      Modification] diagnostic codes were used to identify the DASH population.
      Patients were compared pre- and postprogram implementation for fiscal years 2010
      through 2013. The average length of stay, reported as the number of midnights in
      the hospital, remained consistent for DASH patients-9.3-10.0 days (versus 5.3-6.0
      days for BWH over all). The DASH readmission rate decreased by 9%-from 15.1% to
      13.7%, approaching the overall BWH rate of 13.3%. CONCLUSION: Close nurse
      physician collaboration, including joint leadership and simultaneous rollout for
      nurses and physicians, contributed to the initiative's effective implementation.

PMID- 26108123
TI  - Nurse Knowledge Exchange Plus: Human-Centered Implementation for Spread and
      Sustainability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Kaiser Permanente implemented a new model of nursing communication at
      shift change-in the bedside nursing report known as the Nurse Knowledge Exchange
      (NKE) in 2004-but noted variations in its spread and sustainability across
      medical centers five years later. METHODS: The six core elements of NKEplus were
      as follows: team rounding in the last hour before shift changes, pre-shift
      patient assignments that limit the number of departing nurses at shift change,
      unit support for uninterrupted bedside reporting, standardization for report and
      safety check formats, and collaboration with patients to update in-room care
      boards. In January 2011 Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC; Pasadena)
      began implementing NKEplus in 125 nursing units across 14 hospitals, with the use
      of human-centered design principles: creating shared understanding of the need
      for change, minimum specifications, and customization by frontline staff.
      Champion teams on each nursing unit designed and pilot tested unit-specific
      versions of NKEplus for four to eight weeks. Implementation occurred in waves and
      proceeded from medical/surgical units to specialty units. Traditional performance
      improvement strategies of accountability, measurement, and management were also
      applied. RESULTS: By the end of 2012, 100% of the 64 medical/surgical units and
      47 (77.0%) of the 61 specialty units in KPSC medical centers implemented NKEplus
      as had all but 1 of the specialty units by May 2013. The mean KPSC score on the
      NKEplus nursing behavior bundle improved from 65.9% in 2010 to 71.3% in the first
      quarter of 2014. The mean KPSC Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare
      Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) score for nurse communication improved from 73.1%
      in 2010 to 76.4% in the first quarter of 2014 (p < . 001). CONCLUSION: Human
      centered implementation appeared to help spread a new model of nursing handoffs
      and change the culture of professional nursing practice related to shift change.

PMID- 26108124
TI  - Redefining Overuse to Include Costs: A Decision Analysis for Computed Tomography
      in Minor Head Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A study was conducted to (1) determine the testing threshold for head
      computed tomography (CT) in minor head injury in the emergency department using
      decision analysis with and without costs included in the analysis, (2) to
      determine which variables have significant impact on the testing threshold, and
      (3) to compare this calculated testing threshold to the pretest risk estimate
      previously reported when the Canadian CT Head Rule (CCHR) was applied. It was
      hypothesized that the CCHR might not identify all patients above the testing
      threshold. METHODS: A decision analytic model was constructed using commercially
      available software and data from published literature. Outcomes were assigned
      values on the basis of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and cost. Two testing
      thresholds were calculated, the first based only on the effectiveness of either
      strategy, the second on the overall net monetary benefit. Two-way sensitivity
      analyses were performed to determine which variables most affected the testing
      threshold. RESULTS: When only effectiveness (QALYs) was considered, the testing
      threshold for obtaining head CT was 0.039%. This threshold increased to 0.421%
      when the net monetary benefit was considered in lieu of QALYs. Age, probability
      of lesion on CT requiring neurosurgery, and cost of CT were the main drivers of
      the model. CONCLUSION: If only effectiveness is considered, current clinical
      decision rules might not provide a sufficient degree of certainty to ensure
      identification of all patients for whom the benefits of CT outweigh its risks.
      However, inclusion of cost in the analysis increases the testing threshold by an
      order of magnitude and well outside the range of uncertainty of current clinical
      decision rules. These results suggest that the term overuse should be redefined
      to include the provision of medical services with no benefits or for which harms
      including cost outweigh benefits.

PMID- 26108125
TI  - Process Performance Measures for Inpatient Glucose Management Programs.

PMID- 26108126
TI  - Modeling Inpatient Glucose Management Programs on Hospital Infection Control
      Programs: An Infrastructural Model of Excellence.

PMID- 26108127
TI  - Premature death in people with learning disabilities.

PMID- 26108128
TI  - The case for collaboration in primary care for depression.

PMID- 26108129
TI  - Musicians and Dystonia: Is Sleep Part of the Problem?

PMID- 26108130
TI  - Authors' reply.

PMID- 26108131
TI  - Authors' reply.

PMID- 26108132
TI  - Authors' reply.

PMID- 26108133
TI  - Validation of a questionnaire for asthma case identification in pre-schools in
      Latin America.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: We recently developed and validated a screening
      questionnaire for determining which school-aged children may need further
      investigation to diagnose and manage asthma. In the present study we sought to
      extend this to pre-school aged children. METHODS: Questions from the school-aged
      questionnaire and literature on pre-school asthma were used to inform a focus
      group of parents with pre-school-aged children with asthma to develop a screening
      questionnaire. Parents of children attending 6 randomly selected kindergartens in
      Trelew, Argentina (n = 639) were invited to respond to the questionnaire. A
      reliability test-retest was undertaken in 187 randomly selected parents who
      completed the same questionnaire twice within 2-5 weeks. Clinical assessment
      included a standardized history and physical examination, spirometry before and
      after a beta-agonist inhaler, and chest X-ray. Asthma was diagnosed by the
      pulmonologist. RESULTS: Completed surveys were returned for 620 children, 607 of
      whom underwent clinical evaluation. The mean age was 4.21 years (range of 3.01
      5.50) and included 82.5% white and 49.4% male children. Asthma was diagnosed in
      103 (17.0%) children); 72 (69.9%) of these children did not have a previous
      diagnosis of asthma. The specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value and
      negative predictive value of the questionnaire were 93.2%, 86.1%, 57.8% and
      98.4%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated the utility of a screening
      questionnaire for identifying pre-school-aged children who may benefit from
      further assessment for asthma.

PMID- 26108134
TI  - Proton pump inhibitors linked to hypomagnesemia: a systematic review and meta
      analysis of observational studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reported risk of hypomagnesemia in patients with proton pump
      inhibitor (PPI) use is conflicting. The objective of this meta-analysis was to
      assess the association between the use of PPIs and the risk of hypomagnesemia.
      METHODS: A literature search of observational studies was performed using
      MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception
      through September 2014. Studies that reported odd ratios or hazard ratios
      comparing the risk of hypomagnesemia in patients with PPI use were included.
      Pooled risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a
      random-effect, generic inverse variance method. RESULTS: Nine observational
      studies (three cohort studies, five cross-sectional studies and a case-control
      study) with a total of 109,798 patients were identified and included in the data
      analysis. The pooled RR of hypomagnesemia in patients with PPI use was 1.43 (95%
      CI, 1.08-1.88). The association between the use of PPIs and hypomagnesemia
      remained significant after the sensitivity analysis including only studies with
      high quality score (Newcastle-Ottawa scale score >= 8) with a pooled RR of 1.63
      (95% CI, 1.14-2.23). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates a statistically
      significant increased risk of hypomagnesemia in patients with PPI use. The
      finding of this meta-analysis of observational studies suggests that PPI use is
      associated with hypomagnesemia and may impact clinical management of patients who
      are taking PPIs and at risk for hypomagnesemia related cardiovascular events.

PMID- 26108135
TI  - The incidence of thrombocytopenia associated with continuous renal replacement
      therapy in critically ill patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Thrombocytopenia in the intensive care unit (ICU) is a commonly
      experienced complication; the pathology is not always easily understood.
      Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) provides a method to dialyze unstable
      critically ill patients. We hypothesized that CRRT may precipitate a form of
      thrombocytopenia. In trials thrombocytopenia occurred at rates as high as 70%.
      The etiology remains unknown and results in additional diagnostic workup, as well
      as possible drug therapy. The extent, duration and temporal relation of
      thrombocytopenia remain to be determined. OBJECTIVES: Identify a pattern in
      platelet fluctuations after the initiation of CRRT and its impact on health care.
      METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in patients receiving CRRT for >24 h
      with no pre-existing thrombocytopenia. Patients initiated on CRRT had daily
      platelet counts monitored, and CRRT attributes and therapeutic interventions were
      collected. Platelets were assessed for time to nadir, degree of decline and time
      to return to baseline after discontinuation of CRRT. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients
      met inclusion criteria. Thirty-seven percent of patients receiving heparinoids
      were tested for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), during CRRT, with 39% of
      these patients having therapy changed to non-heparinoid agents due to suspected
      HIT; no HIT antibodies were positive. Eleven patients (22%) receiving
      anticoagulants, prophylactically or therapeutically had them held for a drop in
      platelets. There was a mean decline in platelets of 48% with a mean of 4.6 days
      to the nadir. An average 2.48 days were observed until rebound to >150 *
      10(3)/mm(3). Statistical analysis failed to identify any patient attributes that
      correlated with the probability of thrombocytopenia. CONCLUSION: CRRT appears to
      be associated with a drop in platelets within the first 5 days of therapy with an
      average decline of 48%. However, platelets appear to return to >150 * 10(3)/mm(3)
      after cessation of CRRT. This fluctuation should be considered in the setting of
      patients developing thrombocytopenia after initiation of CRRT.

PMID- 26108136
TI  - Short-term effect of electrical nerve stimulation on spinal reciprocal inhibition
      during robot-assisted passive stepping in humans.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of electrical stimulation
      to the common peroneal nerve (CPN) on the spinal reflex and reciprocal inhibition
      (RI) during robot-assisted passive ground stepping (PGS) in healthy subjects.
      Five interventions were applied for 30 min in healthy subjects: PGS alone; strong
      CPN stimulation [50% of the maximal tibialis anterior (TA) M-wave, functional
      electrical stimulation (FES)] alone; weak CPN stimulation [just above the MT for
      the TA muscle, therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES)] alone; PGS with FES; and
      PGS with TES. FES and TES were applied intermittently to the CPN at 25 Hz. The
      soleus (Sol) H-reflex and RI, which was assessed by conditioning the Sol H-reflex
      with CPN stimulation, were investigated before (baseline), and 5, 15 and 30 min
      after each intervention. The amplitudes of the Sol H-reflex were not
      significantly different after each intervention as compared with the baseline
      values. The amounts of RI were significantly decreased 5 min after PGS with FES
      as compared with the baseline values, whereas they were significantly increased 5
      and 15 min after PGS with TES. The other interventions did not affect the amount
      of RI. These results suggest that interventions that combined PGS with CPN
      stimulation changed the spinal RI in an intensity-dependent manner.

PMID- 26108137
TI  - Sequelae of Cannabis as Medicine.

PMID- 26108139
TI  - Management of Noncardiac Comorbidities in Chronic Heart Failure.
AB  - Prevalence of heart failure is increasing, especially in the elderly population.
      Noncardiac comorbidities complicate heart failure care and are increasingly
      common in elderly patients with reduced or preserved ejection fraction heart
      failure, owing to prolongation of patient's lives by advances in chronic heart
      failure (CHF) management. Common comorbidities include respiratory disease, renal
      dysfunction, anemia, arthritis, obesity, diabetes mellitus, cognitive
      dysfunction, and depression. These conditions contribute to the progression of
      the disease and may alter the response to treatment, partly as polypharmacy is
      inevitable in these patients. Cardiologists and other physicians caring for
      patients with CHF need to be vigilant to comorbid conditions that complicate the
      care of these patients. There is now more guidance on management of noncardiac
      comorbidities in heart failure, and this article contains a comprehensive review
      of the most recent updates on management of noncardiac comorbidities in CHF. 

PMID- 26108138
TI  - Acrylamide toxic effects on mouse oocyte quality and fertility in vivo.
AB  - Acrylamide is an industrial chemical that has attracted considerable attention
      due to its presumed carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and cytotoxic effects. In this
      study we investigated possible acrylamide reproductive toxic effects in female
      mice. Mice were fed an acrylamide-containing diet for 6 weeks. Our results showed
      the following effects of an acrylamide-containing diet. (1) Ovary weights were
      reduced in acrylamide-treated mice and oocyte developmental competence was also
      reduced, as shown by reduced GVBD and polar body extrusion rates. (2) Acrylamide
      feeding resulted in aberrant oocyte cytoskeletons, as shown by an increased
      abnormal spindle rate and confirmed by disrupted gamma-tubulin and p-MAPK
      localization. (3) Acrylamide feeding resulted in oxidative stress and oocyte
      early stage apoptosis, as shown by increased ROS levels and p-MAPK expression.
      (4) Fluorescence intensity analysis showed that DNA methylation levels were
      reduced in acrylamide-treated oocytes and histone methylation levels were also
      altered, as H3K9me2, H3K9me3, H3K4me2, and H3K27me3 levels were reduced after
      acrylamide treatment. (5) After acrylamide feeding, the litter sizes of
      acrylamide-treated mice were significantly smaller compared to thus of control
      mice. Thus, our results indicated that acrylamide might affect oocyte quality
      through its effects on cytoskeletal integrity, ROS generation, apoptosis
      induction, and epigenetic modifications. 

PMID- 26108140
TI  - Comparison of early outcomes and quality of life after laparoscopic Heller's
      cardiomyotomy to peroral endoscopic myotomy for treatment of achalasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: This retrospective cohort study compared clinical outcomes
      and quality of life after peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) against laparoscopic
      Heller myotomy (LHM) for treatment of achalasia. METHODS: Patient demographics,
      operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, time to resume diet and
      analgesic requirement were recorded. Clinical outcomes including recurrence of
      dysphagia, need for reintervention, and occurrence of gastroesophageal reflux
      disease (GERD) were recorded. RESULTS: From 2001 to 2014, 33 patients underwent
      POEM whereas 23 patients received LHM. Patients LHM had with longer mean
      operative time (P = 0.02), more blood loss (P = 0.001) and higher requirement for
      analgesics (P = 0.009) than those treated by POEM. Hospital stay and time to
      resume diet were similar. Both POEM and LHM achieved similar dysphagia scores at
      postoperative 4 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. Twenty-six percent of LHM patients
      and 15.2% of POEM patients sustained gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) after
      treatment (P = 0.311). Six patients required regular proton pump inhibitor three
      after POEM and three after LHM (P = 0.639). Thirteen percent of LHM patients
      sustained recurrent dysphagia and one required reintervention. There was no
      recurrence in the POEM group. Follow-up duration (mean [SD]) for the LHM group
      was significantly longer (60 [42] months vs 6 [4] months; P = 0.001). There was
      also no difference in all four aspects of GERD-related quality of life outcomes.
      CONCLUSION: Compared to LHM, POEM achieved shorter operative time, less blood
      loss and pain. POEM is comparable to LHM for treatment of achalasia with similar
      incidence of GERD after the procedure.

PMID- 26108141
TI  - Genetic panmixia within a narrow contact zone between chromosomally and
      ecologically distinct black fly sibling species (Diptera: Simuliidae).
AB  - Hybrid zones are windows into the speciation process, and their study can give
      clues into the maintenance and breakdown of species boundaries. Using both
      genetic and ecological tools, we investigate lineage diversification across a
      contact zone characterized by chromosome rearrangements. We show that black fly
      sibling species, Simulium arcticum sensu stricto (s.s.) and Simulium saxosum,
      lack genetic differentiation at both microsatellite and mtDNA loci in allopatry
      and sympatry, as well as exhibit high levels of gene flow and continuous
      chromosome variation in sympatry. Furthermore, hybrid frequencies at the contact
      zone are similar to those seen between races, rather than species. In contrast,
      S. arcticum s.s. and S. saxosum maintain ecological differences and distinct
      habitat associations - the contact zone situated at the margin of suitable
      habitat for each sibling species. Moreover, gene flow occurs only in a narrow
      band along an ecological transition. Except for the contact zone, S. arcticum
      s.s. and S. saxosum hybrids do not occur elsewhere within the sibling species'
      ranges. Although S. arcticum s.s. and S. saxosum maintain the potential to
      interbreed freely, we conclude that habitat associations and, perhaps, chromosome
      systems prevent expansion of ranges and assimilation of lineages. 

PMID- 26108142
TI  - Japonica array: improved genotype imputation by designing a population-specific
      SNP array with 1070 Japanese individuals.
AB  - The Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization constructed the reference panel
      (referred to as the 1KJPN panel), which contains >20 million single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs), from whole-genome sequence data from 1070 Japanese
      individuals. The 1KJPN panel contains the largest number of haplotypes of
      Japanese ancestry to date. Here, from the 1KJPN panel, we designed a novel custom
      made SNP array, named the Japonica array, which is suitable for whole-genome
      imputation of Japanese individuals. The array contains 659,253 SNPs, including
      tag SNPs for imputation, SNPs of Y chromosome and mitochondria, and SNPs related
      to previously reported genome-wide association studies and pharmacogenomics. The
      Japonica array provides better imputation performance for Japanese individuals
      than the existing commercially available SNP arrays with both the 1KJPN panel and
      the International 1000 genomes project panel. For common SNPs (minor allele
      frequency (MAF)>5%), the genomic coverage of the Japonica array (r(2)>0.8) was
      96.9%, that is, almost all common SNPs were covered by this array. Nonetheless,
      the coverage of low-frequency SNPs (0.5%<MAF?5%) of the Japonica array reached
      67.2%, which is higher than those of the existing arrays. In addition, we
      confirmed the high quality genotyping performance of the Japonica array using the
      288 samples in 1KJPN; the average call rate 99.7% and the average concordance
      rate 99.7% to the genotypes obtained from high-throughput sequencer. As
      demonstrated in this study, the creation of custom-made SNP arrays based on a
      population-specific reference panel is a practical way to facilitate further
      association studies through genome-wide genotype imputations.

PMID- 26108143
TI  - Chaperone therapy for Krabbe disease: potential for late-onset GALC mutations.
AB  - Krabbe disease is an autosomal recessive leukodystrophy caused by a deficiency of
      the galactocerebrosidase (GALC) enzyme. Hematopoietic stem cells transplantation
      is the only available treatment option for pre-symptomatic patients. We have
      previously reported the chaperone effect of N-octyl-4-epi-beta-valienamine (NOEV)
      on mutant GM1 beta-galactosidase proteins, and in a murine GM1-gangliosidosis
      model. In this study, we examined its chaperone effect on mutant GALC proteins.
      We found that NOEV strongly inhibited GALC activity in cell lysates of GALC
      transfected COS1 cells. In vitro NOEV treatment stabilized GALC activity under
      heat denaturation conditions. We also examined the effect of NOEV on cultured
      COS1 cells expressing mutant GALC activity and human skin fibroblasts from Krabbe
      disease patients: NOEV significantly increased the enzyme activity of mutants of
      late-onset forms. Moreover, we confirmed that NOEV could enhance the maturation
      of GALC precursor to its mature active form. Model structural analysis showed
      NOEV binds to the active site of human GALC protein. These results, for the first
      time, provide clear evidence that NOEV is a chaperone with promising potential
      for patients with Krabbe disease resulting from the late-onset mutations. 

PMID- 26108144
TI  - PARK16 haplotypes and the importance of protective genetic factors in Parkinson's
      disease.

PMID- 26108145
TI  - Genetics of long-QT syndrome.
AB  - Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited arrhythmia syndrome
      characterized by a prolonged QT interval in the 12-lead ECG, torsades de pointes
      and not negligible prevalence of sudden cardiac death. The genetic testing plays
      an important role in the diagnosis of LQTS. A total of 15 genes have been
      reported for autosomal-dominant forms of Romano-Ward-type congenital LQTS and 2
      genes for autosomal-recessive forms of the Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome. In
      this review, we summarize the recent advances in genetics of LQTS and briefly
      describe forward perspectives of LQTS investigation. 

PMID- 26108146
TI  - Novel compound heterozygous LIAS mutations cause glycine encephalopathy.
AB  - Glycine encephalopathy (GCE) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by
      defects in the glycine cleavage complex. Here we report a patient with GCE and
      elevated level of glycine in both the serum and the cerebrospinal fluid. Trio
      based whole-exome sequencing identified novel compound heterozygous mutations
      (c.738-2A>G and c.929T>C (p.Met310Thr)) in LIAS. To date, three homozygous
      mutations have been reported in LIAS. All previously reported GCE patients also
      show elevated level of serum glycine. Our data further supports LIAS mutations as
      a genetic cause for GCE. 

PMID- 26108147
TI  - RNAi Silencing of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in the Treatment of Post-traumatic
      Arthritis in Rabbits.
AB  - Post-traumatic arthritis is a secondary complication to severe joint trauma. With
      the disease progression, it may eventually lead to osteoarthritis in patients
      whose age is considerably younger than patients with traditional bone arthritis.
      The main objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of using
      lentiviral-mediated RNA interference silencing of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha to treat
      post-traumatic arthritis in rabbits. About 48 New Zealand rabbits underwent
      bilateral knee joint surgery to stimulate traumatic arthritis. They were then
      randomly divided into four groups of 12 rabbits each. The histopathology of the
      cartilage was observed, and the changes were assessed by Mankin scoring. ELISA
      was used to detect the expression of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in the synovial
      fluid. (i) Compared with the control group, the transfection and co-transfected
      groups displayed reduced cartilage damage and speed of degeneration. The co
      transfected group showed the greatest alleviation of symptoms. The Mankin score
      was statistically different (p < 0.01). (ii) Compared with the control group, the
      expression of IL-1beta or TNF-alpha was reduced in the respective transfection
      groups (p < 0.01 in both groups) and IL-1beta and TNF-alpha were reduced in the
      co-transfected group (p < 0.01). The co-transfected group showed the lowest
      expression of the three experimental groups of both IL-1beta and TNF-alpha (p <
      0.01). Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference can knock down the expression of IL
      1beta and TNF-alpha in joint fluids and, in a synergistic effect when two siRNAs
      are co-transfected, ease cartilage degeneration. 

PMID- 26108148
TI  - The pharmacokinetics change of cefepime after Shuanghuanglian injection
      administration in subjects with the renal damage.
AB  - Shuanghuanglian injection (SHLI) has been widely used for administration with
      cephalosporin in China for long time. The objective of this study was to evaluate
      the pharmacological properties and biochemical changes of cefepime combined with
      SHLI. The SD rats included were received either an intravenous (iv. 4 mL/kg) dose
      of normal saline, or intravenous (iv. 0.74, 0.37, 0.185 g/kg, respectively) doses
      of SHLI once daily for 7 days. After last administration, cefepime (0.41 g/kg)
      was intravenous injected to the animals. The serum and urine samples were
      acquired and stored at 4  degrees C. They were used for quantitative
      determination of urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CRE), urine protein, alkaline
      phosphatase (ALP) and N-acetyl-B-d-glucosaminidase (NAG). At different time
      points, the levels of cefepime in rat plasma were estimated for pharmacokinetic
      measures by HPLC. Aspirin was selected as internal standard (IS). The results
      showed that there were positive effects by increasing the total amount of CRE,
      BUN, NAG and urine protein (p < 0.01 or <0.05) and decreasing the levels of ALP
      (especially the high dose group of SHLI with cefepime) (p < 0.01). Besides, the
      pharmacokinetic results indicated that cefepime was distributed as non
      compartment model after intravenous administration. Compared with the
      corresponding values for the compounds given alone, the area under the blood drug
      concentration time curve (AUC0-t and AUC0-infinity) was better increased in
      middle- and high-dose groups (pall < 0.01), the mean residence time (MRT) of
      cefepime was larger (pall < 0.01) and the total clearance (CL) was lower at
      different levels. The results mean that the duration and concentration of
      cefepime could be prolonged and the clearance reduced while in combination with
      SHLI. Furthermore, the cefepime in the three tested doses caused changes of renal
      tubular epithelial cells while the severity of changes mainly dependent on the
      specific doses. In conclusion, the results above-mentioned suggest a possible
      contribution of drug combination in the nephrotoxicity and biochemical
      alterations especially at high doses. Further, monitoring measures for the renal
      functions are warranted to evaluate during the combination of these two drugs.

PMID- 26108149
TI  - Sexually transmitted infections in pediatric renal transplant recipients: Time to
      take notice!
AB  - We sought to assess the prevalence of STIs, contraception use, and unintentional
      pregnancy in our pediatric renal transplant recipients. We performed a
      retrospective chart review. Forty-nine of 65 patients in our program are
      currently in the high-risk age window of 13 yr or older (34 men, 15 women; mean
      age 17 yr old, range 13-23 yr old). There was a disproportionate difference in
      sexual behavior among the men and women, such that while only 15% of the men
      reported being sexually active, 53% of the women were sexually active. Among high
      risk age-group women, 40% were on hormonal contraception. This increased to 75%
      in sexually active women. There were no cases of unintentional pregnancy. Thirty
      percent of sexually active recipients had at least one STI. This was higher among
      sexually active women (37.5%) compared to men (20%). STIs identified included
      gonococcal and chlamydial urethritis/cervicitis, Trichomonas vaginitis, HSV-2
      genital sores, pelvic inflammatory disease, and HIV. In conclusion, STIs are a
      realistic public health concern in our pediatric renal transplant recipients.
      Consensus guidelines on STI screening and reproductive health counseling are
      needed to address this understudied problem.

PMID- 26108151
TI  - Sex-specific daily spawning seaward migration of striped mullet Mugil cephalus in
      a coastal lagoon.
AB  - The sex-specific daily spawning seaward migration of striped mullet Mugil
      cephalus was analysed in Palaiopotamos Lagoon (western Greek coast, eastern
      Mediterranean Sea) in an 86 day time series. The data set included the daily
      number of M. cephalus catches in barrier traps, as well as a time series of some
      weather variables. The analysis revealed an important linkage of the daily
      migration rate as well as a sex-specific response of the species to the lunar
      cycle and the short-term fluctuation of weather variables. The daily migration
      pattern of females was more persistent than that of males, indicating a possible
      female leadership role during the spawning migration. Multiregression models
      described quite accurately the sex-specific daily migration rates of the species,
      thus providing a potentially powerful tool regarding the lagoon fishery
      management of M. cephalus, especially in the context of climate change. 

PMID- 26108150
TI  - The first crop plant genetically engineered to release an insect pheromone for
      defence.
AB  - Insect pheromones offer potential for managing pests of crop plants. Volatility
      and instability are problems for deployment in agriculture but could be solved by
      expressing genes for the biosynthesis of pheromones in the crop plants. This has
      now been achieved by genetically engineering a hexaploid variety of wheat to
      release (E)-beta-farnesene (Ebetaf), the alarm pheromone for many pest aphids,
      using a synthetic gene based on a sequence from peppermint with a plastid
      targeting amino acid sequence, with or without a gene for biosynthesis of the
      precursor farnesyl diphosphate. Pure Ebetaf was produced in stably transformed
      wheat lines with no other detectable phenotype but requiring targeting of the
      gene produced to the plastid. In laboratory behavioural assays, three species of
      cereal aphids were repelled and foraging was increased for a parasitic natural
      enemy. Although these studies show considerable potential for aphid control,
      field trials employing the single and double constructs showed no reduction in
      aphids or increase in parasitism. Insect numbers were low and climatic conditions
      erratic suggesting the need for further trials or a closer imitation, in the
      plant, of alarm pheromone release. 

PMID- 26108152
TI  - Postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) and disaster victim identification.
AB  - Radiography has been used for identification since 1927, and established a role
      in mass fatality investigations in 1949. More recently, postmortem computed
      tomography (PMCT) has been used for disaster victim identification (DVI). PMCT
      offers several advantages compared with fluoroscopy, plain film and dental X
      rays, including: speed, reducing the number of on-site personnel and imaging
      modalities required, making it potentially more efficient. However, there are
      limitations that inhibit the international adoption of PMCT into routine
      practice. One particular problem is that due to the fact that forensic radiology
      is a relatively new sub-speciality, there are no internationally established
      standards for image acquisition, image interpretation and archiving. This is
      reflected by the current INTERPOL DVI form, which does not contain a PMCT
      section. The DVI working group of the International Society of Forensic Radiology
      and Imaging supports the use of imaging in mass fatality response and has
      published positional statements in this area. This review will discuss forensic
      radiology, PMCT, and its role in disaster victim identification. 

PMID- 26108153
TI  - Errors in multidetector row computed tomography.
AB  - Multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) represents the technique of choice
      for the majority of pathologies today and is responsible for the majority of
      diagnoses. However, despite the low number of studies dedicated to errors in
      MDCT, CT reporting seems especially prone to generating errors and errors are an
      inevitable part of MDCT practice. Most of these arise during image interpretation
      but, differently from other radiological techniques, the awareness of
      radiologists regarding technical CT aspects and pathologies substantially
      contribute in generating errors, in particular because CT technology expands
      rapidly and radiologists do not routinely receive specific and appropriate
      training for its use and because CT examinations are not the same for each
      patient and each pathology and the choice of the most appropriate CT examination
      (including the dose exposure to the patient) presumes a very large awareness from
      radiologists. This review is aimed at increasing awareness regarding the type of
      errors in MDCT and in particular to also highlight technical and procedural
      errors. 

PMID- 26108154
TI  - Knowledge and attitudes towards evidence-based medicine of mentors in general
      practice can be influenced by using medical students as academic detailers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Regular use of evidence-based medicine (EBM) among general
      practitioners (GP) is insufficient. OBJECTIVE: To analyse whether knowledge and
      attitudes about EBM can be improved among mentors in general practice by
      involving sixth-year medical students as academic detailers. METHODS: An
      interventional non-randomized before-and-after study included 98 GPs (49 in the
      intervention group of mentors and 49 controls) and 174 medical students attending
      family medicine clinical rotations. A telephone survey on knowledge and attitudes
      towards EBM was conducted among participating physicians before, and six months
      after the rotation. During the rotation, each mentor chose two cases from real
      life, and the students' task was to form an answerable clinical question, find
      the evidence-based answer and to write a brief report. The mentor reviewed the
      report and discussed it with the student. RESULTS: Students' EBM detailing
      intervention led to significant improvement in knowledge and attitudes about EBM
      in the intervention group of mentors in general practice compared to control GPs
      (relative increase in knowledge was 20 +/- 46.9% vs 6 +/- 12.1%, respectively; P
      = 0.042). Among participants with Ph.D. or specialization in family medicine, the
      observed effects of the intervention were similar as in the total sample, and
      statistically significant, but not in the group of participants with neither
      scientific degree nor specialization in family medicine. CONCLUSION: Knowledge
      and attitudes of GP mentors towards EBM can be improved by involving medical
      students as academic detailers. Further studies should explore the effectiveness
      of this method among GPs that are not mentors, and who do not have a
      specialization or research degree.

PMID- 26108155
TI  - Organocatalytic asymmetric reaction of indol-2-yl carbinols with enamides:
      synthesis of chiral 2-indole-substituted 1,1-diarylalkanes.
AB  - The chiral phosphoramide-catalyzed asymmetric reaction of indol-2-yl carbinols
      with enamides is presented. The method provided an efficient and novel way for
      the synthesis of chiral 2-indole-substituted 1,1-diarylalkane derivatives. 

PMID- 26108156
TI  - Functional Capacity Evaluation Research: Report from the Second International
      Functional Capacity Evaluation Research Meeting.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Functional capacity evaluations are an important component of many
      occupational rehabilitation programs and can play a role in facilitating
      reintegration to work thus improving health and disability outcomes. The field of
      functional capacity evaluation (FCE) research has continued to develop over
      recent years, with growing evidence on the reliability, validity and clinical
      utility of FCE within different patient and healthy worker groups. The second
      International FCE Research Conference was held in Toronto, Canada on October 2nd
      2014 adjacent to the 2014 Work Disability Prevention Integration conference. This
      paper describes the outcomes of the conference. REPORT: Fifty-four participants
      from nine countries attended the conference where eleven research projects and
      three workshops were presented. The conference provided an opportunity to discuss
      FCE practice, present new research and provide a forum for discourse around the
      issues pertinent to FCE use. Conference presentations covered aspects of FCE use
      including the ICF-FCE interface, aspects of reliability and validity,
      consideration of specific injury populations, comparisons of FCE components and a
      lively debate on the merits of 'Man versus Machine' in FCE's. FUTURE DIRECTIONS:
      Researchers, clinicians, and other professionals in the FCE area have a common
      desire to improve the content and quality of FCE research and to collaborate to
      further develop research across systems, cultures and countries.

PMID- 26108158
TI  - Successful treatment of oral pemphigus vulgaris in an insulin-dependant geriatric
      patient.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To present a clinical report of a patient treated with corticosteroids
      for oral pemphigus vulgaris (PV) lesions. BACKGROUND: PV is the type of pemphigus
      that most often affects the oral mucosa and tends not to appear in elderly
      people. METHODS: Two biopsies were needed for diagnosis. She was treated with
      oral prednisone and topically with 0.05% clobetasol propionate. CONCLUSION: An
      early diagnosis and treatment is needed for a good prognosis, especially in
      elderly patients with multiple systemic pathology.

PMID- 26108157
TI  - Daptomycin in the Clinical Setting: 8-Year Experience with Gram-positive
      Bacterial Infections from the EU-CORE(SM) Registry.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes and
      safety of daptomycin therapy in patients with serious Gram-positive infections.
      METHODS: Patients were enrolled in the European Cubicin((r)) Outcomes Registry
      and Experience (EU-CORE(SM)), a non-interventional, multicenter, observational
      registry. The real-world data were collected across 18 countries (Europe, Latin
      America, and Asia) for patients who had received at least one dose of daptomycin
      between January 2006 and April 2012. Two-year follow-up data were collected until
      2014 for patients with endocarditis, intracardiac/intravascular device infection,
      osteomyelitis, or orthopedic device infection. RESULTS: A total of 6075 patients
      were enrolled. The most common primary infections were complicated skin and soft
      tissue infection (31.7%) and bacteremia (20.7%). Staphylococcus aureus was the
      most frequently reported pathogen (42.9%; methicillin-resistant S. aureus [MRSA],
      23.2%), followed by Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative
      staphylococci (CoNS, 28.5%). The most commonly prescribed dose of daptomycin was
      6 mg/kg/day (43.6%), and the median duration of therapy was 11 (range 1-300)
      days. Overall clinical success rate was 80.5%, and was similar whether daptomycin
      was used as first-line (82.9%) or second-line (79.2%) therapy. Clinical success
      rates were high in patients with S. aureus (83.9%; MRSA 83.0%) and CoNS
      (including S. epidermidis, 82.5%) infections. The majority of patients with
      endocarditis or intracardiac/intravascular device infection (86.7%) or
      osteomyelitis/orthopedic device infection (85.9%) had a sustained response during
      the 2-year follow-up period. There were no new or unexpected safety findings.
      CONCLUSION: Results from real-world clinical experience showed that daptomycin is
      a valuable therapeutic option in the management of various difficult-to-treat
      Gram-positive infections. FUNDING: This study was funded by Novartis Pharma AG.

PMID- 26108159
TI  - Improved gene amplification by cell-cycle engineering combined with the Cre-loxP
      system in Chinese hamster ovary cells.
AB  - The dihydrofolate reductase gene amplification system is widely used in Chinese
      hamster ovary (CHO) cells for the industrial production of therapeutic proteins.
      To enhance the efficiency of conventional gene amplification systems, we
      previously presented a novel method using cell-cycle checkpoint engineering.
      Here, we constructed high-producing and stable cells by the conditional
      expression of mutant cell division cycle 25 homolog B (CDC25B) using the Cre-loxP
      system. A bispecific antibody-producing CHO DG44-derived cell line was
      transfected with floxed mutant CDC25B. After inducing gene amplification in the
      presence of 250 nM methotrexate, mutant CDC25B sequence was removed by Cre
      recombinase protein expression. Overexpression of the floxed mutant CDC25B
      significantly enhanced the efficiency of transgene amplification and
      productivity. Moreover, the specific production rate of the isolated clone CHO
      Cre-1 and Cre-2 were approximately 11-fold and 15-fold higher than that of mock
      transfected clone CHO Mock-S. Chromosomal aneuploidy was increased by mutant
      CDC25B overexpression, but Cre-1 and Cre-2 did not show any changes in chromosome
      number during long-term cultivation, as is the case with CHO Mock-S. Our results
      suggest that high-producing and stable cells can be constructed by conditionally
      controlling a cell-cycle checkpoint integrated in conventional gene amplification
      systems. 

PMID- 26108160
TI  - Secretory expression of a phospholipase A2 from Lactobacillus casei DSM20011 in
      Kluyveromyces lactis.
AB  - The pla2 gene encoding a phospholipase A2 (EC 3.1.1.4) of Lactobacillus casei
      DSM20011 was cloned and expressed in the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis GG799
      successfully for the first time. The structural pla2 gene fused in frame with the
      K. lactis secretion signal alpha-mating factor was integrated into the LAC4 locus
      and expressed under the control of the LAC4 promoter. sPLA2 activity was detected
      in the culture supernatant during shake flask culture of K. lactis/pKLAC1-pla2.
      In comparison with the control strain K. lactis/pKLAC1, SDS-PAGE analysis
      revealed a 17-kDa recombinant protein band in K. lactis/pKLAC1-pla2, which was
      consistent with the predicted molecular weight of the mature protein. Real-time
      quantitative PCR analysis indicated that the copy number of the integrated pla2
      gene ranged from 2 to 6 and positively correlated with sPLA2 activity. When the
      inducer galactose was used as the carbon source, the sPLA2 activity in the
      culture supernatant of the recombinant that harbored six pla2 gene copies reached
      1.96 +/- 0.15 U/mL. The influence of the culture composition and conditions on
      the recombinant sPLA2 activity in shake flask culture were also studied. When the
      recombinant was cultured at 30 degrees C in a YPD medium culture volume of 70 mL
      in a 250-mL shake flask with an initial pH of 7.0, the sPLA2 activity reached
      2.16 +/- 0.18 U/mL.

PMID- 26108161
TI  - Direct infusion ESI-IT-MSn alkaloid profile and isolation of tetrahydroharman and
      other alkaloids from Bocageopsis pleiosperma maas (Annonaceae).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Annonaceae family is known as a promising abundant source of
      secondary metabolites, especially annonaceous acetogenins, terpenoids and
      isoquinoline-derived alkaloids. Although widely investigated from the
      phytochemical viewpoint, this family still presents some largely unexplored
      genera, e.g. the Bocageopsis. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the alkaloid content of
      Bocageopsis pleiosperma Maas using direct infusion electrospray ionisation ion
      trap tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-IT-MS(n)) analysis. METHODOLOGY:
      Dichloromethane extracts of aerial parts were subjected to acid-base partitioning
      to yield the alkaloidal fractions. These fractions were analysed by direct
      infusion into a (+)ESI-IT-MS(n) system. The alkaloidal fraction from the leaves
      was also obtained on a large scale and subjected to chromatographic separation.
      RESULTS: The tentative MS(n) -based identification of alkaloids in leaves, twigs
      and trunk bark showed that aporphine alkaloids were restricted to the leaves and
      twigs, tetrahydroprotoberberine alkaloids were only found in the twigs and trunk
      bark while benzylisoquinoline alkaloids were found in the leaves, twigs and trunk
      bark. Chromatographic separation of the leaf alkaloidal fraction yielded the
      aporphine alkaloids nornuciferine, asimilobine and isoboldine, the beta-carboline
      alkaloid tetrahydroharman and some mixtures containing benzylisoquinoline and
      aporphine alkaloids, all described for the first time in the Bocageopsis genus.
      Furthermore, tetrahydroharman has not previously been reported in the Magnoliales
      order. CONCLUSION: Direct infusion ESI-IT-MS(n) analysis of alkaloids allowed
      fast recognition of alkaloidal classes previously reported in the Annonaceae
      family, aiding the chromatographic step and allowing a selective isolation of
      compounds previously not identified in the Bocageopsis genus.

PMID- 26108162
TI  - Rheolityc thrombectomy in acute myocardial infarction: Effect on microvascular
      obstruction, infarct size, and left ventricular remodeling.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We sought to analyze whether rheolytic thrombectomy (RT) in
      comparison with manual thrombus aspiration (MTA) may reduce microvascular
      obstruction (MVO), infarct size (IS), and left ventricular (LV) remodeling in ST
      elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). BACKGROUND: Conflicting results have
      been reported as to whether MTA reduces MVO and IS. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eighty
      STEMI reperfused by primary angioplasty and abciximab were randomly allocated
      (1:1) to RT or MTA. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in 37
      patients (19 RT) and after 1 year in 19 (9 RT); baseline, 1- and 6-month 2D-echo
      was performed in all patients. MVO and IS were measured 8 min after gadolinium
      injection with late enhancement sequences and were analyzed quantitatively at a
      core laboratory blinded to randomization. At baseline TIMI thrombus grade were
      similar (RT: 4.47 +/- 0.84 vs. MTA: 4.67 +/- 0.76, P = 0.453). After
      thrombectomy, thrombus grade decreased to 1.11 +/- 1.04 in RT vs. 2.17 +/- 1.29
      in MTA arm (P = 0.009). RT compared with MTA did not reduced significantly
      myocardial IS [12.2% (6.4-22.1) vs. 19.0% (7-28.5), P = 0.224] as well as the
      extent of MVO [0.0% (0.0-0.17) vs. 0.6% (0.0-1.4), P = 0.117], but a trend toward
      a lower incidence of MVO (16% vs. 44%, P = 0.056) and a less LV remodeling rate
      were found in RT arm (11% vs. 24%, P < 0.140). CONCLUSION: RT in comparison with
      MTA was more effective in thrombus removal, but it did not reduced significantly
      the IS and the extent of MVO. However, a trend toward a lower incidence of MVO
      and a better preservation of LV volumes were found in RT arm. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26108164
TI  - A systematic review of the effect of piston diameter in stapes surgery for
      otosclerosis on hearing results.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of piston diameter in primary stapedotomy for
      otosclerosis patients measured by hearing outcome. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Embase,
      and the Cochrane Library. REVIEW METHODS: A systematic search was conducted.
      Studies reporting original data on the effect of piston diameter on pure-tone
      audiometric results in patients undergoing primary stapedotomy for otosclerosis
      were included. Relevance and risk of bias of the selected articles were assessed.
      Studies with low relevance, high risk of bias, or both were excluded. Absolute
      risks and risk differences, means and mean differences, and 95% confidence
      intervals were extracted. RESULTS: Twelve studies with moderate to high relevance
      and moderate risk of bias were included for data extraction. Air-bone gap closure
      to 10 dB or less was assessed in six studies, the majority of which did not show
      a statistically significant or clinically relevant difference between two pistons
      with a different diameter. More importantly, the differences that were found were
      not consistently in favor of smaller-diameter pistons or larger-diameter pistons.
      Mean postoperative air-bone gap ranged from 3 dB in favor of a smaller-diameter
      piston to 3 dB in favor of a larger-diameter piston across four studies.
      Permanent sensorineural hearing loss was assessed in eight studies and occurred
      in only one study. In this study, no difference was found between a 0.4-mm
      diameter piston and a 0.6-mm-diameter piston. CONCLUSION: There is not sufficient
      evidence to support the superiority of the use of a larger-diameter piston
      compared to a smaller-diameter piston for primary stapedotomy in otosclerosis
      patients.

PMID- 26108163
TI  - IL-1 receptor antagonist-deficient mice develop autoimmune arthritis due to
      intrinsic activation of IL-17-producing CCR2(+)Vgamma6(+)gammadelta T cells.
AB  - Interleukin-17 (IL-17)-producing gammadelta T (gammadelta17) cells have been
      implicated in inflammatory diseases, but the underlying pathogenic mechanisms
      remain unclear. Here, we show that both CD4(+) and gammadelta17 cells are
      required for the development of autoimmune arthritis in IL-1 receptor antagonist
      (IL-1Ra)-deficient mice. Specifically, activated CD4(+) T cells direct gammadelta
      T-cell infiltration by inducing CCL2 expression in joints. Furthermore, IL-17
      reporter mice reveal that the Vgamma6(+) subset of CCR2(+) gammadelta T cells
      preferentially produces IL-17 in inflamed joints. Importantly, because IL-1Ra
      normally suppresses IL-1R expression on gammadelta T cells, IL-1Ra-deficient mice
      exhibit elevated IL-1R expression on Vgamma6(+) cells, which play a critical role
      in inducing them to produce IL-17. Our findings demonstrate a pathogenic
      mechanism in which adaptive and innate immunity induce an autoimmune disease in a
      coordinated manner. 

PMID- 26108165
TI  - Interleaved multishot imaging by spatiotemporal encoding: A fast, self-referenced
      method for high-definition diffusion and functional MRI.
AB  - PURPOSE: Single-shot imaging by spatiotemporal encoding (SPEN) can provide higher
      immunity to artifacts than its echo planar imaging-based counterparts. Further
      improvements in resolution and signal-to-noise ratio could be made by rescinding
      the sequence's single-scan nature. To explore this option, an interleaved SPEN
      version was developed that was capable of delivering optimized images due to its
      use of a referenceless correction algorithm. METHODS: A characteristic element of
      SPEN encoding is the absence of aliasing when its signals are undersampled along
      the low-bandwidth dimension. This feature was exploited in this study to segment
      a SPEN experiment into a number of interleaved shots whose inaccuracies were
      automatically compared and corrected as part of a navigator-free image
      reconstruction analysis. This could account for normal phase noises, as well as
      for object motions during the signal collection. RESULTS: The ensuing interleaved
      SPEN method was applied to phantoms and human volunteers and delivered high
      quality images even in inhomogeneous or mobile environments. Submillimeter
      functional MRI activation maps confined to gray matter regions as well as
      submillimeter diffusion coefficient maps of human brains were obtained.
      CONCLUSION: We have developed an interleaved SPEN approach for the acquisition of
      high-definition images that promises a wider range of functional and diffusion
      MRI applications even in challenging environments.

PMID- 26108167
TI  - A cultural heuristic approach to the study of Jamaican undergraduate students'
      achievement motivation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years, there have been increasing calls to develop a more
      contextually based sociocultural perspective of achievement motivation. AIM: This
      mixed-methods study examined why Jamaican undergraduate students are motivated or
      unmotivated and how this relates to the extant literature on achievement
      motivation. SAMPLE(S): This study was conducted in two phases and consisted of
      175 and 189 Jamaican undergraduate students across phases one and two,
      respectively. METHODS: First, a qualitative investigation using open-ended
      questionnaires and semi-structured interviews explored Jamaican undergraduate
      students' conceptualization of motivation and the factors that positively or
      negatively impacted their motivation. The second phase consisted of using
      prototype theory to capture a hierarchical cognitive representation of Jamaican
      students' motivation using coded themes derived from phase one of the study.
      RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The overall results indicated that personal, cognitive,
      contextual, and sociocultural factors are important determinants of Jamaican
      undergraduate students' academic motivation and that sociocultural (e.g.,
      familial, economic, religious) factors appear to play a more critical role in
      impacting their motivation.

PMID- 26108166
TI  - Phytotoxic Mechanism of Nanoparticles: Destruction of Chloroplasts and Vascular
      Bundles and Alteration of Nutrient Absorption.
AB  - This study focused on determining the phytotoxic mechanism of CeO2 nanoparticles
      (NPs): destroying chloroplasts and vascular bundles and altering absorption of
      nutrients on conventional and Bt-transgenic cottons. Experiments were designed
      with three concentrations of CeO2 NPs including: 0, 100 and 500 mg.L(-1), and
      each treatment was three replications. Results indicate that absorbed CeO2
      nanoparticles significantly reduced the Zn, Mg, Fe, and P levels in xylem sap
      compared with the control group and decreased indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and
      abscisic acid (ABA) concentrations in the roots of conventional cotton.
      Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that CeO2 NPs were
      absorbed into the roots and subsequently transported to the stems and leaves of
      both conventional and Bt-transgenic cotton plants via xylem sap. In addition, the
      majority of aggregated CeO2 NPs were attached to the external surface of
      chloroplasts, which were swollen and ruptured, especially in Bt-transgenic
      cotton. The vascular bundles were destroyed by CeO2 nanoparticles, and more
      damage was observed in transgenic cotton than conventional cotton. 

PMID- 26108168
TI  - Illness cognitions and family adjustment: psychometric properties of the Illness
      Cognition Questionnaire for parents of a child with cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Illness cognitions are an important mediator between disease and
      psychological adjustment. This study assessed the psychometric properties of the
      Illness Cognition Questionnaire (ICQ), adjusted for the parents of an ill child.
      METHODS: Participants were recruited from two multicenter studies: sample 1
      included 128 parents of a child diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
      (response rate 82 %) and sample 2 included 114 parents of a child diagnosed with
      cancer (response rate 74 %). Parents completed an adapted version of the ICQ
      (Illness Cognition Questionnaire-Parent version (ICQ-P)), together with the
      Profile of Mood States (POMS; sample 1) or the Hospital Anxiety and Depression
      Scale (HADS; sample 2). The factor structure of the ICQ-P was examined by means
      of principal component analysis. Cronbach's alpha for each subscale and
      correlations between the ICQ-P scales and the HADS and POMS were calculated. The
      illness cognitions of parents with and without psychological distress were
      compared. RESULTS: Factor analysis confirmed the hypothesized structure of the
      ICQ-P in our sample (n = 242). The three scales Helplessness, Acceptance, and
      Perceived Benefits explained 9.8, 31.4, and 17.9 % of the variance, respectively.
      Cronbach's alpha showed adequate internal consistency (.80-.88). Concurrent and
      criterion-related validity were appropriate. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm
      that the ICQ-P reliably assesses the illness cognitions of the parents of a child
      with cancer. Psychologically distressed parents showed less acceptance and more
      helplessness. The availability of a short and valid illness cognition
      questionnaire will help clinicians gain insight into parental cognitions
      regarding the illness of their child, information that might be helpful for
      targeting interventions.

PMID- 26108169
TI  - Defining optimal control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting-based on
      patients' experience.
AB  - PURPOSE: A considerable challenge when comparing antiemetic trials for
      chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is the large number of outcome
      measures for nausea and vomiting. The objective of this study is to determine the
      optimal definition of CINV control from the patients' perspective. METHODS:
      Patients with early-stage breast cancer who had received anthracycline
      cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy were surveyed. They were asked about their
      experiences of CINV and perceptions of different CINV assessment tools. RESULTS:
      Of 201 patients approached, 168 (83 %) completed the survey. Patients
      consistently ranked nausea over vomiting as the "worst side effect from
      chemotherapy." Despite the use of multi-agent antiemetic regimens, 71 % of
      patients experienced nausea and 26 % vomiting. Only 57 % of patients with any
      nausea or vomiting took rescue medications and only then when the symptom was
      severe. Most (76 %) patients believed that the primary end point of antiemetic
      trials should include the absence of both nausea and vomiting. Patients felt that
      CINV should be evaluated for the overall period post chemotherapy (i.e., days 1
      5) and not simply the acute (the first 24 h) or delayed (days 2-5) periods.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients strongly favored a CINV end point that includes the absence
      of both nausea and vomiting. Patients' experience with CINV is underestimated
      when nausea is not included in composite end points. "Use of rescue medication,"
      a commonly used surrogate for emesis control, is inappropriate as it
      underestimates nausea. A standardized primary end point that includes nausea is
      essential if CINV control is to be improved.

PMID- 26108170
TI  - Fear of cancer recurrence in colorectal cancer survivors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although long-term colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors generally report a
      good quality of life, fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) remains an important issue.
      This study investigated whether the Cancer Worry Scale (CWS) can detect high FCR,
      the prevalence, and characteristics of FCR in CRC survivors. METHODS: Two hundred
      and eleven patients who had undergone successful CRC surgery in the period 2003
      2010 in the Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands were asked to
      participate. All patients were sent an information letter plus questionnaires for
      collecting information on demographic and medical variables, FCR, distress, and
      quality of life. RESULTS: Seventy-six patients (36 %; median age of 67.7 years
      range 41-88 years) completed the questionnaires a median of 5.1 years after
      surgery. A cut-off score of 14 or higher on the CWS was optimal to detect high
      FCR. Twenty-nine patients (38 %) experienced high levels of FCR, characterized by
      higher levels of distress, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and lower quality of
      life. These individuals particularly reacted to disease-related triggers, felt
      helpless, were worried, and experienced limitations in daily functioning. High
      FCR was not associated with demographic or medical variables. CONCLUSION: Long
      after successful CRC surgery, FCR is a serious problem that impairs the quality
      of life for a substantial proportion of patients. With the CWS, it is possible to
      detect high FCR and thereby assist survivors in receiving appropriate care.

PMID- 26108171
TI  - After initial treatment for primary breast cancer: information needs, health
      literacy, and the role of health care workers.
AB  - PURPOSE: After a short hospital stay of just some days follows long-term
      outpatient care for breast cancer patients. The aim of the study is to describe
      the information needs of breast cancer outpatients and to get in touch with
      aspects of health literacy, as well as contact various health care workers.
      METHODS: In a multicenter study, patients were asked about their information
      needs 10 weeks after surgery. The analysis on hand includes data about 1248
      female patients. In addition to descriptive analyses identifying the most
      prevalent information needs, logistic regression analyses were calculated to
      identify factors associated with these. RESULTS: The results show that
      information needs of breast cancer outpatients are mainly in "follow-up after
      acute treatment", "coping with long-term side effects", and "heredity of breast
      cancer". In addition to sociodemographic patient characteristics, perceived
      helpful contacts with various health care workers as well as a satisfactory
      patient's level of health literacy reduced the probability of unmet information
      needs. CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer outpatients have numerous information needs. In
      addition to provide information at the right time regarding a specific disease
      phase, it is important that health professionals' support affected breast cancer
      patients in coping with the new situation.

PMID- 26108172
TI  - Drug fever after cancer chemotherapy is most commonly observed on posttreatment
      days 3 and 4.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to analyze the characteristics of fever
      after cancer chemotherapy in order to reduce unnecessary medical care. METHODS:
      Retrospectively, 1016 consecutive cycles of cancer chemotherapy were analyzed.
      Fever was defined as a temperature of >= 37.5  degrees C lasting for 1 h. Age,
      sex, tumor histology, the treatment regimen, the timing of fever onset, the
      number of days for which the fever persisted, the cause of the fever, the
      presence or absence of radiotherapy, and the use of granulocyte colony
      stimulating factor (G-CSF) were examined. RESULTS: The patients included 748
      males and 268 females (median age = 68, range = 29-88), of whom 949, 52, and 15
      were suffering from lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, and other
      diseases, respectively. Fever was observed in 367 cycles (36 %), including 280
      cycles (37 %) involving males and 87 cycles (32 %) involving females. Fever
      occurred most commonly in the first cycles and was higher than later cycles (41
      vs. 30 %, p < 0.001). Fever occurred most frequently on posttreatment days 4 (8
      %), 3 (7 %), and 12 (7 %), and the distribution of fever episodes exhibited two
      peaks on posttreatment days 3 and 4 and 10-14. Fever on posttreatment days 3 and
      4 was most commonly observed in patients treated with gemcitabine (20 %) or
      docetaxel (18 %). The causes of fever included infection (47 %; including febrile
      neutropenia [24 %]), adverse drug effects (24 %), unknown causes (19 %), and
      tumors (7 %). Radiotherapy led to a significant increase in the frequency of
      fever (46 vs. 34 %, p < 0.001). Thirty-three percent of patients received G-CSF,
      and the incidence ratios of fever in patients who received G-CSF were higher than
      those who did not receive G-CSF (44 vs. 31 %, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The febrile
      episodes that occurred on posttreatment days 3 and 4 were considered to represent
      adverse drug reactions after cancer chemotherapy. Physicians should be aware of
      this feature of chemotherapy-associated fever and avoid unnecessary examination
      and treatments including prescribing antibiotics.

PMID- 26108173
TI  - Effect of egg freshness on texture and baking characteristics of batter systems
      formulated using egg, flour and sugar.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of egg freshness on
      baking properties and final qualities in batter systems. Batters were made with
      eggs of different freshness, and the properties of batter systems were studied
      through rheological analysis, rapid viscosity analysis (RVA), differential
      scanning calorimetry (DSC), batter density and expansion rate during the baking
      and cooling processes. Moreover, the qualities of final baked systems were
      investigated, including specific volume and texture profile analysis (TPA).
      RESULTS: The flow behavior of batters showed that the consistency index (K)
      decreased as the Haugh unit (HU) value decreased, while the flow behavior index
      (n) increased. Both the storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G") determined by
      mechanical spectra at 20  degrees C decreased with decreasing HU. RVA and DSC
      determinations revealed that lower-HU samples had a lower viscosity in the baking
      process and a shorter time for starch gelatinization and egg protein
      denaturation. Observation of the batter density revealed an increasing change,
      which was reflected by a decrease in the specific volume of final models. TPA
      showed significant differences in hardness and chewiness, but no significant
      differences in springiness and cohesiveness were found. CONCLUSION: The egg
      freshness affected the properties of batter systems.

PMID- 26108175
TI  - Reply to comments on Farr et al.: "Clinical experience with arthroscopically
      assisted repair of peripheral triangular fibrocartilage complex tears in
      adolescents-technique and results".

PMID- 26108174
TI  - IL-21 induces antiviral microRNA-29 in CD4 T cells to limit HIV-1 infection.
AB  - Initial events after exposure determine HIV-1 disease progression, underscoring a
      critical need to understand host mechanisms that interfere with initial viral
      replication. Although associated with chronic HIV-1 control, it is not known
      whether interleukin-21 (IL-21) contributes to early HIV-1 immunity. Here we take
      advantage of tractable primary human lymphoid organ aggregate cultures to show
      that IL-21 directly suppresses HIV-1 replication, and identify microRNA-29 (miR
      29) as an antiviral factor induced by IL-21 in CD4 T cells. IL-21 promotes
      transcription of all miR-29 species through STAT3, whose binding to putative
      regulatory regions within the MIR29 gene is enriched by IL-21 signalling.
      Notably, exogenous IL-21 limits early HIV-1 infection in humanized mice, and
      lower viremia in vivo is associated with higher miR-29 expression. Together,
      these findings reveal a novel antiviral IL-21-miR-29 axis that promotes CD4 T
      cell-intrinsic resistance to HIV-1 infection, and suggest a role for IL-21 in
      initial HIV-1 control in vivo. 

PMID- 26108176
TI  - Analysis of the autologous chondrocyte quality of matrix-based autologous
      chondrocyte implantation in the knee joint.
AB  - PURPOSE: Matrix based autologous chondrocyte implantation is an established
      method for treatment of full cartilage defects in the knee joint, but little is
      known about the influence of the implanted autologous chondrocyte quality and its
      clinical value. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of the gene
      expression of the implanted autologous chondrocytes on the clinical outcomes in
      the follow-up period of three years. METHODS: Biological parameters of the
      implanted chondrocytes were analysed histologically and immunohistologically. An
      analysis of the gene expression of the relevant chondrogenic dedifferentiation
      markers was performed as well. In order to detect the rate of apoptosis, we
      analysed specific apoptosis markers. To evaluate the clinical outcome, the
      International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score and the visual
      analogue scale (VAS) were used pre-operatively and after 0.5, one, two and three
      years. RESULTS: Significantly improved clinical scores were observed. The
      subjective IKDC score increased from 50.6 +/- 20.7 points to 69.3 +/- 26.1 points
      at three years (p = 0.001). The implanted chondrocytes showed a typical
      expression of the chondrogenic markers with a high rate of collagen type II
      expression without dedifferentiation. The analysed differentiation,
      dedifferentiation and apoptosis markers showed no influence on the clinical
      outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The implanted autologous chondrocytes have a high
      chondrogenic quality with a high rate of collagen type II expression without
      dedifferentiation. An influence of differentiation, de-differentiation and
      apoptosis marker gene expression on the clinical outcomes could not be found in a
      follow-up period of three years. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Case series; Level of
      evidence, 3.

PMID- 26108178
TI  - Erratum to: Revision surgery after third generation autologous chondrocyte
      implantation in the knee.

PMID- 26108177
TI  - Minimally invasive treatment of displaced femoral shaft fractures with a rapid
      reductor and intramedullary nail fixation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Traction table-based intrameduallary (IM) nail fixation is an accepted
      treatment method for displaced femoral shaft fractures in adults. However, some
      complications have been described. To avoid complications associated with the use
      of a traction table, a rapid reductor was invented. This study aims to assess the
      outcomes of displaced femoral shaft fractures treated by a novel minimally
      invasive technique that employs a rapid reductor to reduce fracture and
      facilitate IM nail fixation. METHODS: Between November 2012 and March 2013, 22
      cases of displaced femoral shaft fractures were enrolled into this study. The
      patients included 13 males and nine females who were between 21 and 42 years old
      (average, 31.3 years). All the fractures were unilateral and comprised four cases
      of type 32-A, 13 cases of type 32-B, and five case of type 32-C according to
      AO/OTA classification of fracture. During the operation, the displaced femoral
      shaft fractures were firstly reduced by skeletal traction with the use of a rapid
      reductor, and the residual antero-posterior or lateral displacement were then
      corrected percutaneously by using a Kirschner wire or Schantz pin with a "joy
      stick" technique. The fracture reduction was maintained with the rapid reductor
      and an IM nail was inserted to fix the fracture. The operation time, reduction
      time, fluoroscopy time, and intra-operative blood loss were recorded. Follow-up
      was conducted to assess the healing of the fractures and the functional recovery
      of the injured limbs. RESULTS: Anatomical or nearly anatomical fracture reduction
      was achieved in all 22 cases and open reduction was not required in any case. The
      average operative time, fracture reduction time, fluoroscopy time and blood loss
      were 58 minutes (range, 43-95 minutes), 9.1 min (range, 6-15 minutes), 13.2
      seconds (range, 4.5-41.0 seconds) and 87 mL (range, 60-150 mL), respectively.
      During the operation, no incident of reductor-induced neurovascular injury or
      Schantz pin-induced ilium splitting occurred. Twenty-two patients were followed
      up for an average of 20.3 months (range, 18-22 months). All fractures healed well
      on an average of six months. No limb length discrepancy was noted. CONCLUSIONS:
      The rapid reductor can be applied to effectively achieve and maintain the
      reduction of displaced femoral shaft fractures in a minimally invasive fashion,
      which is conducive for IM nailing fixation. The patients exhibited excellent
      functional recovery.

PMID- 26108179
TI  - Morphological specializations for fetal maintenance in viviparous vertebrates: An
      introduction and historical retrospective.
AB  - In many viviparous vertebrates, pregnant females sustain their developing embryos
      and provide them with nutrients by means of placentas and a diversity of other
      types of specializations. With this article, we introduce a virtual (online)
      issue of the Journal of Morphology that presents 12 recent papers on fetal
      maintenance in viviparous vertebrates. We also outline the history of research in
      this area and document the central role of morphology in helping to explain the
      function and evolution of specializations for fetal nutrition. This virtual issue
      of the Journal of Morphology is an outgrowth of a symposium held under auspices
      of the International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology. The included papers
      reflect a diversity of taxa, research methods, and biological issues. To
      celebrate the publication of this virtual issue of the Journal of Morphology, the
      publisher is making freely available to readers a number of other relevant papers
      published in the journal over the past 128 years.

PMID- 26108180
TI  - PLGA Nanoparticles Loaded Cerebrolysin: Studies on Their Preparation and
      Investigation of the Effect of Storage and Serum Stability with Reference to
      Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - Cerebrolysin is a peptide mixture able to ameliorate symptomatology and delay
      progression of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
      The administration of this drug in humans presents several criticisms due to its
      short half-life, poor stability, and high doses needed to achieve the effect.
      This paper investigates the potential of polylactic-co-glycolide (PLGA)
      nanoparticles (NPs) as sustained release systems for iv administration of
      cerebrolysin in normal and brain injured rats. NPs were prepared by water-in-oil
      in-water (w/o/w) double emulsion technique and characterized by light scattering
      for mean size and zeta potential and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for
      surface morphology. The NPs produced by double sonication under cooling at 60 W
      for 45 s, 12 mL of 1 % w:v of PVA, and 1:0.6 w:w drug/PLGA ratio (C-NPs4)
      displayed an adequate loading of drug (24 +/- 1 mg/100 mg of NPs), zeta potential
      value (-13 mV), and average diameters (ranged from 250 to 330 nm) suitable to iv
      administration. SEM images suggested that cerebrolysin was molecularly dispersed
      into matricial systems and partially adhered to the NP surface. A biphasic
      release with an initial burst effect followed by sustained release over 24 h was
      observed. Long-term stability both at room and at low temperature of freeze-dried
      NPs was investigated. To gain deeper insight into NP stability after in vivo
      administration, the stability of the best NP formulation was also tested in
      serum. These PLGA NPs loaded with cerebrolysin were able to reduce brain
      pathology following traumatic brain injury. However, the size, the
      polydispersivity, and the surface properties of sample were significantly
      affected by the incubation time and the serum concentration.

PMID- 26108181
TI  - Cardiac Arrest Alters Regional Ubiquitin Levels in Association with the Blood
      Brain Barrier Breakdown and Neuronal Damages in the Porcine Brain.
AB  - The possibility that ubiquitin expression is altered in cardiac arrest-associated
      neuropathology was examined in a porcine model using immunohistochemical and
      biochemical methods. Our observations show that cardiac arrest induces
      progressive increase in ubiquitin expression in the cortex and hippocampus in a
      selective and specific manner as compared to corresponding control brains using
      enzyme-linked immunoassay technique (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)).
      Furthermore, immunohistochemical studies showed ubiquitin expression in the
      neurons exhibiting immunoreaction in the cytoplasm and karyoplasm of distorted or
      damaged cells. Separate Nissl and ubiquitin staining showed damaged and distorted
      neurons and in the same cortical region ubiquitin expression indicating that
      ubiquitin expression after cardiac arrest represents dying neurons. The finding
      that methylene blue treatment markedly induced neuroprotection following
      identical cardiac arrest and reduced ubiquitin expression strengthens this view.
      Taken together, our observations are the first to show that cardiac arrest
      enhanced ubiquitin expression in the brain that is related to the magnitude of
      neuronal injury and the finding that methylene blue reduced ubiquitin expression
      points to its role in cell damage, not reported earlier. 

PMID- 26108182
TI  - Inhibition of Calpain Activation Protects MPTP-Induced Nigral and Spinal Cord
      Neurodegeneration, Reduces Inflammation, and Improves Gait Dynamics in Mice.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder,
      resulting in dopaminergic (DA) neuronal loss in the substantia nigra pars
      compacta (SNpc) and damage to the extranigral spinal cord neurons. Current
      therapies do not prevent the disease progression. Hence, developing efficacious
      therapeutic strategies for treatment of PD is of utmost importance. The goal of
      this study is to delineate the involvement of calpain-mediated inflammation and
      neurodegeneration in SN and spinal cord in MPTP-induced parkinsonian mice
      (C57BL/6 N), thereby elucidating potential therapeutic target(s). Increased
      calpain expression was found localized to tyrosine hydroxylase (TH(+)) neurons in
      SN with significantly increased TUNEL-positive neurons in SN and spinal cord
      neurons in MPTP mice. Inflammatory markers Cox-2, caspase-1, and NOS-2 were
      significantly upregulated in MPTP mouse spinal cord as compared to control. These
      parameters correlated with the activation of astrocytes, microglia, infiltration
      of CD4(+)/CD8(+) T cells, and macrophages. We found that subpopulations of CD4(+)
      cells (Th1 and Tregs) were differentially expanded in MPTP mice, which could be
      regulated by inhibition of calpain with the potent inhibitor calpeptin.
      Pretreatment with calpeptin (25 MUg/kg, i.p.) attenuated glial activation, T cell
      infiltration, nigral dopaminergic degeneration in SN, and neuronal death in
      spinal cord. Importantly, calpeptin ameliorated MPTP-induced altered gait
      parameters (e.g., reduced stride length and increased stride frequency) as
      demonstrated by analyses of spatiotemporal gait indices using ventral plane
      videography. These findings suggest that calpain plays a pivotal role in MPTP
      induced nigral and extranigral neurodegenerative processes and may be a valid
      therapeutic target in PD.

PMID- 26108184
TI  - NF-kappaB Upregulates Type 5 Phosphodiesterase in N9 Microglial Cells: Inhibition
      by Sildenafil and Yonkenafil.
AB  - Our previous studies showed that the phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor
      sildenafil inhibited the microglial activation induced by lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS). However, whether yonkenafil, a novel PDE5 inhibitor, also inhibits
      microglial activation and the underlying mechanism of inhibition remain elusive.
      Here we found that yonkenafil significantly suppressed the production of NO,
      interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and the
      protein expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) induced by LPS in microglial
      cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Knockdown of PDE5 inhibits NO and iNOS
      protein expression in LPS-stimulated N9 microglia. Moreover, we observed that the
      nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) transcriptionally upregulated PDE5 expression,
      which was inhibited by sildenafil and yonkenafil in LPS-stimulated N9 microglia.
      Therefore, sildenafil and yonkenafil may exert their inhibitory effects on
      microglial activation by reducing the expression of PDE5. Furthermore, sildenafil
      and yonkenafil increased the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) level in N9
      microglia, and 8-Br-cGMP, an analogue of cGMP, downregulates extracellular signal
      regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2)/the NF-kappaB pathway, suggesting that
      sildenafil and yonkenafil inhibit microglial activation by decreasing PDE5
      expression and increasing the cGMP level. Importantly, sildenafil and yonkenafil
      significantly alleviated the death of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and primary
      cortical neurons induced by the conditioned medium from activated microglia.
      Together, these findings position PDE5 as a potential therapy target for the
      treatment of neuroinflammation accompanied by microglial activation. 

PMID- 26108183
TI  - Signaling Mechanism of Cannabinoid Receptor-2 Activation-Induced beta-Endorphin
      Release.
AB  - Activation of cannabinoid receptor-2 (CB2) results in beta-endorphin release from
      keratinocytes, which then acts on primary afferent neurons to inhibit
      nociception. However, the underlying mechanism is still unknown. The CB2 receptor
      is generally thought to couple to Gi/o to inhibit cAMP production, which cannot
      explain the peripheral stimulatory effects of CB2 receptor activation. In this
      study, we found that in a keratinocyte cell line, the Gbetagamma subunits from
      Gi/o, but not Galphas, were involved in CB2 receptor activation-induced beta
      endorphin release. Inhibition of MAPK kinase, but not PLC, abolished CB2 receptor
      activation-induced beta-endorphin release. Also, CB2 receptor activation
      significantly increased intracellular Ca(2+). Treatment with BAPTA-AM or
      thapsigargin blocked CB2 receptor activation-induced beta-endorphin release.
      Using a rat model of inflammatory pain, we showed that the MAPK kinase inhibitor
      PD98059 abolished the peripheral effect of the CB2 receptor agonist on
      nociception. We thus present a novel mechanism of CB2 receptor activation-induced
      beta-endorphin release through Gi/o-Gbetagamma-MAPK-Ca(2+) signaling pathway. Our
      data also suggest that stimulation of MAPK contributes to the peripheral
      analgesic effect of CB2 receptor agonists.

PMID- 26108185
TI  - PPAR-gamma Ameliorates Neuronal Apoptosis and Ischemic Brain Injury via
      Suppressing NF-kappaB-Driven p22phox Transcription.
AB  - Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), a stress-induced
      transcription factor, protects neurons against ischemic stroke insult by reducing
      oxidative stress. NADPH oxidase (NOX) activation, a major driving force in ROS
      generation in the setting of reoxygenation/reperfusion, constitutes an important
      pathogenetic mechanism of ischemic brain damage. In the present study, both
      transient in vitro oxygen-glucose deprivation and in vivo middle cerebral artery
      (MCA) occlusion-reperfusion experimental paradigms of ischemic neuronal death
      were used to investigate the interaction between PPAR-gamma and NOX. With
      pharmacological (PPAR-gamma antagonist GW9662), loss-of-function (PPAR-gamma
      siRNA), and gain-of-function (Ad-PPAR-gamma) approaches, we first demonstrated
      that 15-deoxy-?(12,14)-PGJ2 (15d-PGJ2), via selectively attenuating p22phox
      expression, inhibited NOX activation and the subsequent ROS generation and
      neuronal death in a PPAR-gamma-dependent manner. Secondly, results of promoter
      analyses and subcellular localization studies further revealed that PPAR-gamma,
      via inhibiting hypoxia-induced NF-kappaB nuclear translocation, indirectly
      suppressed NF-kappaB-driven p22phox transcription. Noteworthily, postischemic
      p22phox siRNA treatment not only reduced infarct volumes but also improved
      functional outcome. In summary, we report a novel transrepression mechanism
      involving PPAR-gamma downregulation of p22phox expression to suppress the
      subsequent NOX activation, ischemic neuronal death, and brain infarct.
      Identification of a PPAR-gamma -> NF-kappaB -> p22phox neuroprotective signaling
      cascade opens a new avenue for protecting the brain against ischemic insult.

PMID- 26108187
TI  - Accelerated corpus callosum development in prematurity predicts improved outcome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine: (1) whether corpus callosum (CC) size and
      microstructure at 7 years of age or their change from infancy to 7 years differed
      between very preterm (VP) and full-term (FT) children; (2) perinatal predictors
      of CC size and microstructure at 7 years; and (3) associations between CC
      measures at 7 years or trajectories from infancy to 7 years and
      neurodevelopmental outcomes. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: One hundred and thirty-six VP
      (gestational age [GA] <30 weeks and/or birth weight <1,250 g) and 33 FT children
      had usable magnetic resonance images at 7 years of age, and of these, 76 VP and
      16 FT infants had usable data at term equivalent age. The CC was traced and
      divided into six sub-regions. Fractional anisotropy, mean, axial, radial
      diffusivity and volume were measured from tractography. Perinatal data were
      collected, and neurodevelopmental tests administered at 7 years' corrected age.
      PRINCIPAL OBSERVATIONS: VP children had smaller posterior CC regions, higher
      diffusivity and lower fractional anisotropy compared with FT 7-year-olds.
      Reduction in diffusivity over time occurred faster in VP than FT children (P <=
      0.002). Perinatal brain abnormality and earlier GA were associated with CC
      abnormalities. Microstructural abnormalities at 7 years or slower development of
      the CC were associated with motor dysfunction, poorer mathematics and visual
      perception. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to demonstrate an accelerated
      trajectory of CC white matter diffusion following VP birth, associated with
      improved neurodevelopmental functioning. Findings suggest there is a window of
      opportunity for neurorestorative intervention to improve outcomes. Hum Brain Mapp
      36:3733-3748, 2015. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26108188
TI  - O-GlcNAcylation of the human epidermal growth factor receptor.
AB  - The reversible O-linked attachment of single beta-D-N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)
      moieties to serine/threonine residues in target proteins is a frequently
      occurring post-translational modification affecting the functionality of many
      cellular systems. In this report we present experimental evidence suggesting that
      the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is subjected to O-GlcNAcylation in
      human carcinoma epidermoid A431 cells and human lung carcinoma A549 cells.
      However, no signal was detected in human cervix adenocarcinoma HeLa cells or in
      mouse EGFR-T17 fibroblasts ectopically expressing the human EGFR. We detected a
      positive O-GlcNAcylation signal in the immunoprecipitated EGFR by Western
      blotting using two distinct specific anti-O-GlcNAc antibodies even after N
      deglycosylation of the receptor using peptide-N-glycosidase F (PNGase F).
      Conversely, the presence of EGFR was detected by Western blotting using an anti
      EGFR antibody in the immunocomplex of O-GlcNAcylated proteins immunoprecipitated
      with an anti-O-GlcNAc antibody. These signals were enhanced when the O-linked
      beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (OGA) inhibitor Thiamet G was added to prevent the
      deglycosylation of the GlcNAc moiety(ies). Moreover, we also detected a positive
      signal in the immunoprecipitated and N-deglycosylated EGFR using PNGase F, and
      tunicamycin when the cells were metabolically labeled with azido-GlcNAc (GlcNAz),
      biotinylated and probed with a streptavidin-labeled peroxidase. Finally, EGFR and
      O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) co-immunoprecipitate, and
      incubation of the immunoprecipitated EGFR with the immunoprecipitated OGT in the
      presence of uridine 5'-diphospho-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) resulted in a
      significant enhancement of the EGFR O-GlcNAcylation signal as detected by Western
      blotting using an anti-O-GlcNAc antibody. We conclude that the human EGFR is
      subjected to O-GlcNAcylation in the A431 and A549 tumor cell lines.

PMID- 26108186
TI  - The Role of Nitric Oxide and Sympathetic Control in Cerebral Autoregulation in
      the Setting of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - Cerebral autoregulation is defined as the mechanism by which constant cerebral
      blood flow is maintained despite changes of arterial blood pressure, and arterial
      blood pressure represents the principle aspect of cerebral autoregulation. The
      impairment of cerebral autoregulation is reported to be involved in several
      diseases. However, the concept, mechanisms, and pathological dysfunction of
      cerebral autoregulation are beyond full comprehension. Nitric oxide control and
      sympathetic control are main contributors to cerebral autoregulation. Although
      impaired cerebral autoregulation after nitric oxide inhibition or sympathetic
      ganglia blockade is reported, managing the inhibition or blockade can have
      negative consequences and needs further exploration. Additionally, impaired
      cerebral autoregulation following subarachnoid hemorrhage and traumatic brain
      injury has been proven by several descriptive studies, although without
      corresponding explanations. As the most important mechanisms of cerebral
      autoregulation, the changes of nitric oxide and sympathetic stimulation play
      significant roles in these insults. Therefore, the in-depth researches of nitric
      oxide and sympathetic nerve in cerebral autoregulation may help to develop new
      therapeutic targets.

PMID- 26108189
TI  - Determining Pathways to Improvements in Fatigue in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results
      From the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register for Rheumatoid
      Arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There is debate as to the role of inflammatory disease activity in the
      etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related fatigue. We undertook this study to
      determine the relationship of fatigue to disease activity by examining pathways
      associated with change in fatigue in subjects starting anti-tumor necrosis factor
      (anti-TNF) therapy for the first time. METHODS: Participants who had been
      recruited to the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register for RA
      provided information on fatigue (Short Form 36 [SF-36] vitality scale) and other
      health status variables at the start of anti-TNF therapy and 6 months later. The
      Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) and inflammation (erythrocyte
      sedimentation rate [ESR]/C-reactive protein [CRP] level) were also reported. A
      path analysis model comprising changes in fatigue, pain, disease activity,
      disability, and mental health, along with effects of sex and a history of
      depression, was used to examine those with high levels of fatigue at baseline
      (score of <=12.5 units on the SF-36 vitality scale). The DAS28 was substituted
      for ESR/CRP to delineate the specific role of inflammation. RESULTS: With a total
      of 2,652 participants, we identified a well-fitting model (chi2  = 0.18, P =
      0.98) accounting for 40% of the variance in fatigue change. There was no direct
      pathway from change in inflammation to change in fatigue; instead, significant
      pathways to change in fatigue were observed from changes in disease activity,
      pain, mental health, and disability, along with effects of sex and a history of
      depression. A total of 82% of the effect of change in disease activity was
      indirect, of which ~50% was mediated through a change in pain. CONCLUSION:
      Improvements in fatigue do not appear to be driven by inflammatory disease
      activity; instead, they appear to result indirectly from improvements in pain.
      Additional significant pathways through disability and mental health suggest
      potentially modifiable factors that could be targeted to improve clinically
      important levels of fatigue.

PMID- 26108190
TI  - Observational study of intravenous lacosamide in patients with convulsive versus
      non-convulsive status epilepticus.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Status epilepticus (SE) is an important emergency
      situation associated with high morbidity and mortality. The goal of
      pharmacological therapy-rapid seizure termination-is only achieved in just over
      half of patients with first-line anti-epileptic drug (AED) therapy and many
      patients require second and higher lines of AEDs to achieve seizure termination;
      therefore, there is a clear need for more effective treatment options. Lacosamide
      is a relatively new AED and the intravenous formulation has shown promise for
      treatment of SE. The aim of the current study was to compare
      electroencephalographic (EEG) response and seizure termination with intravenous
      lacosamide (+/-other AEDs) in patients with convulsive versus non-convulsive SE,
      in a Spanish intensive care setting. METHODS: In this prospective, observational
      study, patients with convulsive or non-convulsive SE who received intravenous
      lacosamide 400 mg/day for 8 days were compared in terms of EEG response and
      seizure termination. Adverse events were not specifically assessed. RESULTS:
      Fifty-three patients (69.8 % male; mean age 55.2 years) were treated with
      lacosamide (mean dose 390.6 mg) as first- (20.8 %), second- (34 %), third (22.6
      %) or fourth-line (22.6 %) treatment for convulsive (n = 23, 43.4 %) or non
      convulsive (n = 30, 56.6 %) SE. The majority of patients (73.6 %) had a comorbid
      condition, predominantly hypertension (35.8 %), and most (79.2 %) received at
      least one concomitant AED, including midazolam (54.7 %), valproic acid (52.8 %),
      and levetiracetam (30.2 %). Patient characteristics and treatment received did
      not differ significantly between the convulsive and non-convulsive SE groups. EEG
      recordings following lacosamide treatment demonstrated the elimination of
      paroxysmal activity (disappearance and/or attenuation of epileptiform activity in
      >60 % of recording time) in 56.6 % of patients; 69.6 % of convulsive and 46.7 %
      of non-convulsive SE groups. Among all patients, 90.6 % showed some EEG
      improvement (disappearance of epileptiform activity in <30 % total recording time
      or disappearance and/or attenuation of epileptiform activity in 30-60 % total
      recording time); and there was no significant between-group difference for
      achievement of seizure termination (90.0 vs. 91.3 % for non-convulsive vs.
      convulsive SE). CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous lacosamide (+/-other AEDs) was similarly
      effective in patients with convulsive or non-convulsive SE. Further investigation
      into the use of lacosamide in the treatment of SE is warranted.

PMID- 26108191
TI  - Universal Approach to FRAP Analysis of Arbitrary Bleaching Patterns.
AB  - The original approach to calculating diffusion coefficients of a fluorescent
      probe from Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) measurements assumes
      bleaching with a circular laser beam of a Gaussian intensity profile. This method
      was used without imaging the bleached cell. An empirical equation for calculating
      diffusion coefficients from a rectangular bleaching geometry, created in a
      confocal image, was later published, however a single method allowing the
      calculation of diffusion coefficients for arbitrary geometry does not exist. Our
      simulation approach allows computation of diffusion coefficients regardless of
      bleaching geometry used in the FRAP experiment. It accepts a multiple-frame TIFF
      file, representing the experiment as input, and simulates the (pure) diffusion of
      the fluorescent probes (2D random walk) starting with the first post-bleach frame
      of the actual data. It then fits the simulated data to the real data and extracts
      the diffusion coefficient. We validate our approach using a well characterized
      diffusing molecule (DiIC18) against well-established analytical procedures. We
      show that the algorithm is able to calculate the absolute value of diffusion
      coefficients for arbitrary bleaching geometries, including exaggeratedly large
      ones. It is provided freely as an ImageJ plugin, and should facilitate
      quantitative FRAP measurements for users equipped with standard fluorescence
      microscopy setups. 

PMID- 26108192
TI  - Cross-sectional study on socio-demographic and clinical correlates of depression
      among human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients in Surat City, Western
      India.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Surat has the highest incidence of human immunodeficiency
      virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Gujarat, the main reason
      being its large migrant population. Mental health in HIV/AIDS has most often been
      a topic of neglect all over the world. This study attempts to assess the
      magnitude of depression and the socio-demographic and clinical variables
      associated with it in HIV-positive patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was
      conducted in 270 HIV-positive patients using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI;
      translated and validated in Gujarati and Hindi) along with a questionnaire for
      eliciting information on socio-demographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of depression among HIV-positive patients was 30% with 12.22% having
      mild depression; 14.07% with moderate depression and 3.7% with severe depression.
      Bivariate analysis showed that physical pain, physical illness, Cluster of
      Differentiation 4 (CD4)<300 cells/mm3, HIV positive spouse, discrimination at
      hospital, discrimination in society, government setup as the first place of HIV
      test and broken relationship with spouse after HIV disclosure were significantly
      associated with depression among the patients. On multiple logistic regression,
      discrimination at hospital, physical pain and CD4<300 cells/mm3 were found to be
      the significant predictors of depression among the patients. DISCUSSION: HIV
      positive patients can be screened by counselors using easy-to-administer scales
      like BDI, which can be translated and validated into any regional language. A
      trained psychiatrist should be appointed at the Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART)
      center to take care of the mental health issues of the patients.

PMID- 26108193
TI  - Distribution of toxin genes among different spa types and phage types of animal
      Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - We analyzed distribution of toxin genes (sea-seo, eta, etb, tst, lukS/lukF-PV)
      among spa types and phage types of 39 Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) isolates
      from healthy and diseased animals. All isolates turned out to be mecA negative
      (MSSA). Nine spa types were identified: t144 and t723 (dogs), t084 (dogs and
      pigs), t5447 (cat), t1491 and t008 (pigs), t002, t127 and t3478 (poultry). Seven
      phage types were detected, enclosed within four phage groups: I (cat), II (dogs),
      III (pigs) and mixed group (dogs and pigs). Three poultry spa types proved to be
      non-typeable by phages. Toxin genes were detected in 33 out of the 39 animal
      isolates. Our analysis revealed that the incidence of some toxin genes in S.
      aureus is host specific. Canine isolates t144 of phage group II harbored
      exfoliative toxin gene (eta), and porcine isolates type t1491 representing phage
      group III showed enterotoxin A gene (sea). The enterotoxin gene cluster (egc1)
      and enterotoxin gene seh were found in non-typeable isolates from chicken and in
      one feline isolate type t5447. 

PMID- 26108194
TI  - Rhodium(III)-catalyzed cyanation of vinylic C-H bonds: N-cyano-N-phenyl-p
      toluenesulfonamide as a cyanation reagent.
AB  - Rh(III)-catalyzed direct vinylic C-H cyanation reaction has been developed as a
      practical method for the synthesis of alkenyl nitriles. N-Cyano-N-phenyl-p
      methylbenzenesulfonamide (NCTS), a user-friendly cyanation reagent, was used in
      the transformation. Both acrylamides and ketoximes can be employed in the new C-H
      cyanation process.

PMID- 26108196
TI  - Oral Abstracts of the ISPD 19th International Conference on Prenatal Diagnosis
      and Therapy, Washington, DC, USA, 12-15 July 2015.

PMID- 26108195
TI  - Evaluating the bone regeneration in calvarial defect using osteoblasts
      differentiated from adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells on three different
      scaffolds: an animal study.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of three different scaffolds
      on the viability and differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells
      (ADMSCs) to osteoblast for bone regeneration of calvarial defect in rabbit model.
      Adipose was harvested from the nape of 12 rabbits by direct surgery or hollow-tip
      cannula. Two standardized circular calvarial defects (case and control), 8 mm in
      diameter each, were created in all the animals. The animals were divided into 3
      different groups. In group 1 (G1), the defect was filled with polyamide + ADMSC.
      In group 2, poly lactic-co-glycolic acid + ADMSC was used. In group 3,
      decellularized amniotic membrane + ADMSC was applied. In the control defect, the
      non-seeded scaffolds were applied for filling the defect. Decellularized
      pericardial scaffolds were used as a membrane on the scaffolds. The animals were
      euthanized 2, 4, and 8 weeks of operation and new bone formation was assessed by
      different analyses. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining with osteopontin and
      osteocalcin antibodies was also performed. After 2 weeks of wound healing,
      minimal bone regeneration was detected in all groups. Almost complete defect
      closure was observed in all experimental groups after 8 weeks of operation, with
      the greatest defect closure in the animals treated with polyamide scaffolds as
      compared to biopsies obtained from control defects and other experimental groups.
      The maximal tensile load was higher in G1, 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively,
      suggesting the usefulness of polyamide + ADMSC for bone regeneration in calvarial
      defects. Results of the IHC staining demonstrated a significant difference
      between seeded and non-seeded scaffold in both short- and long-term follow-ups (P
      < 0.05). In addition, a significant difference was observed in enhancement of IHC
      staining of both markers in polyamide group (seeded or non-seeded) 4 and 8 weeks
      postoperatively in comparison with other scaffolds. It was concluded that bone
      regeneration in critical calvarial defect was more successful in seeded
      polyamide.

PMID- 26108197
TI  - Poster Abstracts of the ISPD 19th International Conference on Prenatal Diagnosis
      and Therapy, Washington, DC, USA, 12-15 July 2015.

PMID- 26108199
TI  - Novel helical assembly of a Pt(II) phenylbipyridine complex directed by metal
      metal interaction and aggregation-induced circularly polarized emission.
AB  - Pt(ii) phenylbipyridine complexes possessing bis(phenylisoxazolyl)phenylacetylene
      ligands self-assembled to form stacked aggregates via Pt-Pt, pi-pi stacking, and
      dipole-dipole interactions. The assembled structures were influenced by the
      solvent properties. Non-helical assemblies found in chloroform displayed metal
      metal-to-ligand charge transfer absorption and emission, whereas helical
      assemblies formed in toluene showed aggregation-induced enhancement of emission
      and aggregation-induced circularly polarized luminescence. The rates of the
      association and dissociation of the assemblies were significantly reduced in
      toluene, and the non-helical structures formed in chloroform were surprisingly
      memorized. 

PMID- 26108198
TI  - The unsolved chapter of vocal fold scars and how tissue engineering could help us
      solve the problem.
AB  - Vocal fold scarring is a relatively small field in scar research with
      prerequisites found nowhere else. The deterioration of the delicate tri-layered
      micro-structure of the epithelium of the vocal folds leads to impaired vibration
      characteristics resulting in a permanent hoarse and breathy voice. Tissue
      engineering approaches could help to restore the pre-injury status. Despite a
      considerable progress in this field during the last years, routine clinical
      applications are not available so far. One reason might be that vocal fold
      fibroblasts, as the responsible cell type for fibrogenesis, have very particular
      properties that are only poorly characterized. Moreover, in vivo trials are
      costly and time consuming and a representative in vitro model does not exist so
      far. These particular circumstances lead to innovative in vitro strategies and
      concepts such as macro-molecular crowding that can also be applied in adjacent
      fields. 

PMID- 26108200
TI  - c-Met identifies a population of matrix metalloproteinase 9-producing monocytes
      in peritumoural stroma of hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Macrophages (Mphi) are prominent components of solid tumours and exhibit distinct
      phenotypes in different microenvironments. Previously, we found that tumours
      could alter the normal developmental process of Mphi to trigger transient
      activation of monocytes in the peritumoural stroma of human hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, we showed that a fraction of monocytes in
      the peritumoural stroma, but not in HCC cancer nests, expressed surface c-Met
      molecules. Monocytes exposed to tumours strongly expressed c-Met proteins with
      kinetics similar to their activation status, and significant correlations were
      found between c-Met levels and HLA-DR expression on tumour-infiltrating
      monocytes. NF-kappaB-mediated autocrine TNF-alpha stimulated the expression of c
      Met on activated monocytes, and by interacting with its ligand hepatocyte growth
      factor (HGF), c-Met increased the motility and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 9
      producing capacity of tumour-associated monocytes. The intensity of c-Met
      expression on tumour-infiltrating monocytes was associated with high mortality
      and reduced survival of patients with HCC. Therefore, the expression of c-Met on
      activated monocytes/Mphi may represent a novel mechanism by which a tumour
      actively and precisely regulates the distribution and functions of these cells to
      facilitate disease progression.

PMID- 26108201
TI  - Impact of high (131)I-activities on quantitative (124)I-PET.
AB  - Peri-therapeutic (124)I-PET/CT is of interest as guidance for radioiodine
      therapy. Unfortunately, image quality is complicated by dead time effects and
      increased random coincidence rates from high (131)I-activities. A series of
      phantom experiments with clinically relevant (124)I/(131)I-activities were
      performed on a clinical PET/CT-system. Noise equivalent count rate (NECR) curves
      and quantitation accuracy were determined from repeated scans performed over
      several weeks on a decaying NEMA NU-2 1994 cylinder phantom initially filled with
      25 MBq (124)I and 1250 MBq (131)I. Six spherical inserts with diameters 10-37 mm
      were filled with (124)I (0.45 MBq ml(-1)) and (131)I (22 MBq ml(-1)) and placed
      inside the background of the NEMA/IEC torso phantom. Contrast recovery,
      background variability and the accuracy of scatter and attenuation corrections
      were assessed at sphere-to-background activity ratios of 20, 10 and 5. Results
      were compared to pure (124)I-acquisitions. The quality of (124)I-PET images in
      the presence of high (131)I-activities was good and image quantification
      unaffected except at very high count rates. Quantitation accuracy and contrast
      recovery were uninfluenced at (131)I-activities below 1000 MBq, whereas image
      noise was slightly increased. The NECR peaked at 550 MBq of (131)I, where it was
      2.8 times lower than without (131)I in the phantom. Quantitative peri-therapeutic
      (124)I-PET is feasible.

PMID- 26108202
TI  - Shining trinkets and unkempt gardens: on the materiality of care.
AB  - The increasing use of telecare will profoundly change nursing care. How to
      understand these changes is, however, far from clear. This is because (i) studies
      on telecare seldom consider the situation it replaces, and (ii) current concepts
      and methods used to study the impact of telecare may not allow us to fully grasp
      these changes. We suggest that an analysis of the changing materiality of care
      practices is a suitable way to articulate and reflect on possible concerns. It
      allows us to compare care practices in the same terms before and after telecare
      has been introduced. To demonstrate this, we study the materiality of the
      classical care setting, the nursing house call, to map the situation before
      telecare is introduced. Building on science and technology studies, we apply four
      categories as heuristics to analyse materiality in care: signs, dis/enablers (or
      scripted things), tools and practical arrangements. We leave open the question of
      how material arrangements could or should be matters of concern in nursing care,
      and instead argue for studies that give insights into the everyday tinkering with
      the materiality of care that both nurses and patients need to engage in. 

PMID- 26108203
TI  - Neural Tissue Motion Impacts Cerebrospinal Fluid Dynamics at the Cervical
      Medullary Junction: A Patient-Specific Moving-Boundary Computational Model.
AB  - Central nervous system (CNS) tissue motion of the brain occurs over 30 million
      cardiac cycles per year due to intracranial pressure differences caused by the
      pulsatile blood flow and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) motion within the intracranial
      space. This motion has been found to be elevated in type 1 Chiari malformation.
      The impact of CNS tissue motion on CSF dynamics was assessed using a moving
      boundary computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the cervical-medullary
      junction (CMJ). The cerebellar tonsils and spinal cord were modeled as rigid
      surfaces moving in the caudocranial direction over the cardiac cycle. The CFD
      boundary conditions were based on in vivo MR imaging of a 35-year old female
      Chiari malformation patient with ~150-300 um motion of the cerebellar tonsils and
      spinal cord, respectively. Results showed that tissue motion increased CSF
      pressure dissociation across the CMJ and peak velocities up to 120 and 60%,
      respectively. Alterations in CSF dynamics were most pronounced near the CMJ and
      during peak tonsillar velocity. These results show a small CNS tissue motion at
      the CMJ can alter CSF dynamics for a portion of the cardiac cycle and demonstrate
      the utility of CFD modeling coupled with MR imaging to help understand CSF
      dynamics. 

PMID- 26108204
TI  - A Non-invasive Real-time Localization System for Enhanced Efficacy in Nasogastric
      Intubation.
AB  - Nasogastric (NG) intubation is one of the most commonly performed clinical
      procedures. Real-time localization and tracking of the NG tube passage at the
      larynx region into the esophagus is crucial for safety, but is lacking in current
      practice. In this paper, we present the design, analysis and evaluation of a non
      invasive real-time localization system using passive magnetic tracking techniques
      to improve efficacy of the clinical NG intubation process. By embedding a small
      permanent magnet at the insertion tip of the NG tube, a wearable system
      containing embedded sensors around the neck can determine the absolute position
      of the NG tube inside the body in real-time to assist in insertion. In order to
      validate the feasibility of the proposed system in detecting erroneous tube
      placement, typical reference intubation trajectories are first analyzed using
      anatomically correct models and localization accuracy of the system are evaluated
      using a precise robotic platform. It is found that the root-mean-squared tracking
      accuracy is within 5.3 mm for both the esophagus and trachea intubation pathways.
      Experiments were also designed and performed to demonstrate that the system is
      capable of tracking the NG tube accurately in biological environments even in
      presence of stationary ferromagnetic objects (such as clinical instruments). With
      minimal physical modification to the NG tube and clinical process, this system
      allows accurate and efficient localization and confirmation of correct NG tube
      placement without supplemental radiographic methods which is considered the
      current clinical standard. 

PMID- 26108205
TI  - Surgical treatment of renal carcinoma with atrial tumor thrombus avoiding
      cardiopulmonary bypass: step-by-step description.
AB  - Tumor thrombus in the inferior vena cava (IVC) occurs in 4-10% of patients with
      renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and poses a challenge for the surgical team. Because
      there is no systemic therapy available to significantly reduce tumor burden,
      surgical intervention is the only treatment. However, the surgical approach is
      associated with significant morbidity and mortality. When the thrombus extends
      above the diaphragm, the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and accompanying
      deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) has usually been advocated. However,
      complications inherent to CPB and DHCA, such as coagulopathy and central nervous
      system complications, have led us to search for an alternative surgical approach
      to these tumors. The purpose of this study is to describe the surgical technique
      used in five patients with large RCC with tumor thrombus extending into the
      supradiaphragmatic IVC and Right atrium (RA), Right atrium, who underwent
      extensive resection without CPB and DHCA. 

PMID- 26108207
TI  - Protocol for a randomised controlled trial of an outreach support program for
      family carers of older people discharged from hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Presentations to hospital of older people receiving family care at
      home incur substantial costs for patients, families, and the health care system,
      yet there can be positive carer outcomes when systematically assessing/addressing
      their support needs, and reductions in older people's returns to hospital
      attributed to appropriate discharge planning. This study will trial the Further
      Enabling Care at Home program, a 2-week telephone outreach initiative for family
      carers of older people returning home from hospital. Hypotheses are that the
      program will (a) better prepare families to sustain their caregiving role and (b)
      reduce patients' re-presentations/readmissions to hospital, and/or their length
      of stay; also that reduced health system costs attributable to the program will
      outweigh costs of its implementation. METHODS/DESIGN: In this randomised
      controlled trial, family carers of older patients aged 70+ discharged from a
      Medical Assessment Unit in a Western Australian tertiary hospital, plus the
      patients themselves, will be recruited at discharge (N = 180 dyads). Carers will
      be randomly assigned (block allocation, assessors blinded) to receive usual care
      (control) or the new program (intervention). The primary outcome is the carer's
      self-reported preparedness for caregiving (Preparedness for Caregiving Scale
      administered within 4 days of discharge, 2-3 weeks post-discharge, 6 weeks post
      discharge). To detect a clinically meaningful change of two points with 80 %
      power, 126 carers need to complete the study. Patients' returns to hospital and
      subsequent length of stay will be ascertained for a minimum of 3 months after the
      index admission. Regression analyses will be used to determine differences in
      carer and patient outcomes over time associated with the group (intervention or
      control). Data will be analysed using an Intention to Treat approach. A
      qualitative exploration will examine patients' and their family carers'
      experiences of the new program (interviews) and explore the hospital staff's
      perceptions (focus groups). Process evaluation will identify barriers to, and
      facilitators of, program implementation. A comprehensive economic evaluation will
      determine cost consequences. DISCUSSION: This study investigates a novel approach
      to identifying and addressing family carers' needs following discharge from
      hospital of the older person receiving care. If successful, the program has
      potential to be incorporated into routine post-discharge support. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry:
      ACTRN12614001174673 .

PMID- 26108208
TI  - Sampling circulating tumor cells for clinical benefits: how frequent?
AB  - Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells shed from tumors or metastatic sites and
      are a potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis, management, and prognostication.
      The majority of current studies use single or infrequent CTC sampling points.
      This strategy assumes that changes in CTC number, as well as phenotypic and
      molecular characteristics, are gradual with time. In reality, little is known
      today about the actual kinetics of CTC dissemination and phenotypic and molecular
      changes in the blood of cancer patients. Herein, we show, using clinical case
      studies and hypothetical simulation models, how sub-optimal CTC sampling may
      result in misleading observations with clinical consequences, by missing out on
      significant CTC spikes that occur in between sampling times. Initial studies
      using highly frequent CTC sampling are necessary to understand the dynamics of
      CTC dissemination and phenotypic and molecular changes in the blood of cancer
      patients. Such an improved understanding will enable an optimal, study-specific
      sampling frequency to be assigned to individual research studies and clinical
      trials and better inform practical clinical decisions on cancer management
      strategies for patient benefits. 

PMID- 26108210
TI  - Effects of rhodiola crenulata on mice hearts under severe sleep apnea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The goal of this study is to determine if Rhodiola Crenulata (RC) has
      protective effects on mice hearts with severe sleep apnea model. METHODS: Sixty
      four C57BL/6 J mice 5-6 months old were distributed into 4 groups i.e. Control
      group (21% O2, 24 h per day, 8 weeks, n=16); Hypoxia group (Hypoxia: 7% O2 60 s,
      20% O2 alternating 60 s, 8 h per day, 8 weeks, n=16); Hypoxia+90RC and
      Hypoxia+270RC group (Hypoxia for 1st 4 weeks and hypoxia pretreated 90 mg/Kg and
      270 mg/Kg Rhodiola Crenulata by oral gavage per day for 2nd 4 weeks, each n=16).
      Excised hearts from 4 groups of mice were analyzed for heart weight index changes
      using H&E staining, TUNEL-positive assays and Western Blotting protein. RESULTS:
      Cardiac widely dispersed TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells in mice hearts were less
      in Hypoxia+RC90 and Hypoxia+RC270 than those in Hypoxia. Compared with Hypoxia,
      the protein levels of Fas ligand, Fas death receptors, Fas-Associated Death
      Domain (FADD), activated caspase 8, and activated caspase 3 (Fas dependent
      apoptotic pathways) were decreased in Hypoxia+RC90, Hypoxia+RC270. The protein
      levels of Bad, Bax, t-Bid, activated caspase 9, activated caspase 3 (mitochondria
      dependent apoptotic pathway) were less in Hypoxia+RC90, Hypoxia+RC270 than those
      in hypoxia. The protein levels of Bcl2, Bcl-xL, p-Bad (Bcl2-realted anti
      apoptotic pathway) and VEGF, p-PI3k, p-AKT (VEGF-related pro-survival pathway)
      were higher in Hypoxia+RC90, Hypoxia+RC270 than those in hypoxia. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our findings suggest that Rhodiola Crenulata have protective effects on chronic
      intermittent hypoxia-induced cardiac widely dispersed apoptosis via Fas-dependent
      and mitochondria-dependent apoptotic and VEGF-related pro-survival pathway.

PMID- 26108211
TI  - Molecular analyses on host-seeking black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) reveal a
      diverse assemblage of Leucocytozoon (Apicomplexa: Haemospororida) parasites in an
      alpine ecosystem.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Molecular studies have suggested that the true diversity of
      Leucocytozoon (Apicomplexa: Haemospororida) species well exceeds the
      approximately 35 currently described taxa. Further, the degree of host
      specificity may vary substantially among lineages. Parasite distribution can be
      influenced by the ability of the parasite to infect a host, vector preferences
      for certain avian hosts, or other factors such as microhabitat requirements that
      increase the probability that vertebrate hosts and vectors are in frequent
      contact with each other. Whereas most studies of haemosporidians have focused on
      passerine hosts, sampling vectors in the same habitats may allow the detection of
      other lineages affecting other hosts. METHODS: We sampled abundant, ornithophilic
      black flies (Simuliidae) across a variety of sites and habitats in the Colorado
      Rocky Mountains throughout the summer of 2007. Black flies were screened with PCR
      using Leucocytozoon-specific primers that amplify a portion of the cytochrome b
      gene, and the sequences were compared to the haplotypes in the MalAvi database.
      Infections of Leucocytozoon from birds sampled in the same area were also
      included. RESULTS: We recovered 33 unique haplotypes from the black flies in this
      study area, which represented a large phylogenetic diversity of Leucocytozoon
      parasites. However, there were no clear patterns of avian host species or
      geography for the distribution of Leucocytozoon haplotypes in the phylogeny.
      CONCLUSIONS: Sampling host-seeking vectors is a useful way to obtain a wide
      variety of avian haemosporidian haplotypes from a given area and may prove useful
      for understanding the global patterns of host, parasite, and vector associations
      of these ubiquitous and diverse parasites.

PMID- 26108212
TI  - Non-Dipping Pattern and Subclinical Cardiac Damage in Untreated Hypertension: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Echocardiographic Studies.
AB  - AIM: The association of non-dipping (ND) pattern with cardiac damage is debated.
      We performed a meta-analysis in order to provide comprehensive information on
      subclinical cardiac alterations in untreated ND hypertensives. DESIGN: A
      computerized search was performed using PubMed, OVID, EMBASE, and Cochrane
      library databases from 1 January 1990 up to 31 October 2014. Full articles
      published in English language providing data on subclinical cardiac damage in ND
      as compared to dipper (D) hypertensives, as assessed by echocardiography, were
      considered. RESULTS: A total of 3,591 untreated adult subjects (1,291 ND and
      2,300 D hypertensives) included in 23 studies were considered. Left ventricular
      (LV) mass index (LVMI) was higher in ND than in D hypertensives (122+/-3.8 g/m2
      vs. 111+/-3.3 g/m2, standardized mean difference, SMD: 0.40+/-0.07, confidence
      interval (CI): 0.26-0.53, P < 0.001); relative wall thickness (RWT) and left
      atrium (LA) diameter were greater (SMD: 0.14+/-0.005, CI: 0.05-0.23, P = 0.002;
      0.36+/-0.10, CI: 0.16-0.56, P < 0.001, respectively), while mitral E/A ratio was
      lower in ND than in D counterparts (SMD: -0.23+/-0.08, CI: -0.39 to -0.08, P =
      0.003). After assessing data for publication bias, the difference between groups
      was still significant, with the exception of E/A ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta
      analysis supports an association between ND pattern and increased risk of LV
      structural alterations in untreated essential hypertensives. This observation
      supports the view that an effective BP control throughout the entire 24-hour
      cycle may have a key role in preventing or regressing subclinical cardiac damage
      associated to ND pattern.

PMID- 26108213
TI  - In Delft: a personal account.
AB  - The author looks back on his development in microbiology and yeast research, and
      on the establishment in Delft of the FEMS Central Office, FEMS Publications
      Office and the birth of FEMS Yeast Research. 

PMID- 26108214
TI  - Solving the mystery of health inequality.

PMID- 26108215
TI  - Implications of the concept of minimal risk in research on informed choice in
      clinical practice.
AB  - The concept of a minimal risk threshold in research, beneath which exception to
      informed consent and ethics review processes may occur, has been codified for
      over 30 years in many national research regulations and by the Council for
      International Organizations of Medical Sciences. Although minimal risk in
      research constitutes one of the criteria for allowing waiver of informed consent
      or modification to the consent process and a large body of literature exists,
      discussion of a minimal risk threshold in clinical practice has not occurred. One
      reason for lack of discussion may be that implicit consent is accepted for a wide
      range of routine clinical practices. Extending the role of minimal risk in
      research to clinical practice might assist clinicians in identifying
      circumstances for which implicit consent is indeed sufficient and circumstances
      in which it is not. Further, concepts from minimal risk in research might assist
      clinicians regarding when information provision in health promotion is required.
      We begin by reviewing concepts in both minimal risk in research and informed
      choice in clinical practice. We then explore how a clinical minimal risk concept
      may clarify recommendations for information provision in clinical practice and
      support the patient's informed choice regarding therapeutic and diagnostic
      procedures and also health promotion. Given that clinical practice involves a
      broad scope of health information, professional practice guidelines on
      information provision based on the application of the minimal risk threshold in
      research could be developed to guide clinicians in what information must be
      provided to their patients. 

PMID- 26108216
TI  - Does postoperative blood pressure influence development of aortic regurgitation
      following continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation??.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The true impact of postoperative blood pressure (BP) control on
      development of aortic regurgitation (AR) following continuous-flow left
      ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation remains uncertain. This study
      examines the influence of BP in patients with de novo AR following CF-LVAD
      implantation. METHODS: All patients with no or <mild AR who underwent CF-LVAD
      implantation from July 2006 to July 2012 at our institute and with subsequent
      device-support of >=3months (n = 90) were studied. Serial echocardiograms and BP
      readings were obtained preoperatively, postoperatively at 1, 3 and 6 months, and
      then at a minimum of 4-monthly intervals. BP readings were compared between
      patients who developed mild AR (AR group) versus those who did not (non-AR
      group). Logistic regression analysis was used to define independent predictors of
      >=mild AR following CF-LVAD implantation. RESULTS: Median duration of CF-LVAD
      support was 575 days (range: 98-2433 days). Forty-eight patients (53.3%)
      developed mild AR over a median duration of 126 days. BP readings (median values,
      mmHg) between AR and non-AR groups showed statistically significant differences:
      at 3 months-systolic 99.5 vs 92.5 (P = 0.038), diastolic 81.5 vs 66 (P < 0.001),
      mean 86.5 vs 74 (P < 0.001) and at 6 months-diastolic 73 vs 62 (P = 0.044), mean
      83 vs 74.5 (P = 0.049), respectively. Systolic BP at 3 months (P = 0.047, 95% CI
      0.453-0.994, OR 0.671), aortic valve (AoV) closure (P = 0.01, 95% CI 0.002-0.429,
      OR 0.029) and duration of support (P = 0.04, 95% CI 1.000-1.009, OR 1.004) were
      found to be independent predictors of AR following CF-LVAD implantation.
      CONCLUSIONS: BP readings at 3 months and 6 months showed a statistically
      significant association with >=mild AR following CF-LVAD implantation, with
      systolic blood pressure at 3 months, aortic valve closure and longer support
      duration being independent predictors. Clinical implications of these data may
      warrant consideration of aggressive early control of BP to protect against the
      development/progress of AR following CF-LVAD implantation.

PMID- 26108217
TI  - Prescrire: France's Choosing Wisely initiative.

PMID- 26108218
TI  - Module-based construction of plasmids for chromosomal integration of the fission
      yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
AB  - Integration of an external gene into a fission yeast chromosome is useful to
      investigate the effect of the gene product. An easy way to knock-in a gene
      construct is use of an integration plasmid, which can be targeted and inserted to
      a chromosome through homologous recombination. Despite the advantage of
      integration, construction of integration plasmids is energy- and time-consuming,
      because there is no systematic library of integration plasmids with various
      promoters, fluorescent protein tags, terminators and selection markers;
      therefore, researchers are often forced to make appropriate ones through multiple
      rounds of cloning procedures. Here, we establish materials and methods to easily
      construct integration plasmids. We introduce a convenient cloning system based on
      Golden Gate DNA shuffling, which enables the connection of multiple DNA fragments
      at once: any kind of promoters and terminators, the gene of interest, in
      combination with any fluorescent protein tag genes and any selection markers.
      Each of those DNA fragments, called a 'module', can be tandemly ligated in the
      order we desire in a single reaction, which yields a circular plasmid in a one
      step manner. The resulting plasmids can be integrated through standard methods
      for transformation. Thus, these materials and methods help easy construction of
      knock-in strains, and this will further increase the value of fission yeast as a
      model organism. 

PMID- 26108220
TI  - Youth Preferences for Roll-Your-Own Versus Factory-Made Cigarettes: Trends and
      Associations in Repeated National Surveys (2006-2013) and Implications for
      Policy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We investigated trends in roll-your-own (RYO) and factory-made (FM)
      cigarette use over time among youth in New Zealand (NZ), a high RYO use country.
      We also explored factors associated with RYO use. METHODS: We analyzed data from
      an annual survey of NZ students (14-15 years old) from 2006-2013. Smokers were
      asked whether they usually smoked RYO or FM cigarettes, and provided details of
      their source of supply. We estimated prevalences and developed a binary logistic
      regression model to explore determinants of RYO use. RESULTS: Between 6663 (2006)
      and 3143 (2013) current smokers responded. Each year, around 80% reported usually
      smoking RYO or FM cigarettes. The proportion reporting usual RYO use was 45% (95%
      confidence interval [CI] +/-3%) in 2006, reducing to 40% (95% CI +/-3%) in 2013
      (trend test: P < .001). By contrast, the proportions reporting usual FM use
      increased slightly over time from 36% (95% CI +/-3%) in 2006 to 38% (95% CI +/
      3%) in 2013 (trend test: P < .001). Usual RYO use was more common amongst regular
      smokers, those who initiated smoking younger, who belonged to low or medium
      socioeconomic status groups, and whose friends and family both smoked.
      CONCLUSIONS: RYO use is very high among NZ youth who smoke. Preference for RYO
      cigarettes amongst longer-term, regular smokers suggests RYO tobacco supports and
      maintains youth smoking. There was some initial evidence that a 2010 differential
      tax increase on RYO tobacco was associated with a shift away from usual RYO use
      amongst those who sourced tobacco from caregivers or friends. Additional measures
      such as further differential excise tax increases appear warranted.

PMID- 26108219
TI  - LMO2 at 25 years: a paradigm of chromosomal translocation proteins.
AB  - LMO2 was first discovered through proximity to frequently occurring chromosomal
      translocations in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL). Subsequent
      studies on its role in tumours and in normal settings have highlighted LMO2 as an
      archetypical chromosomal translocation oncogene, activated by association with
      antigen receptor gene loci and a paradigm for translocation gene activation in T
      ALL. The normal function of LMO2 in haematopoietic cell fate and angiogenesis
      suggests it is a master gene regulator exerting a dysfunctional control on
      differentiation following chromosomal translocations. Its importance in T cell
      neoplasia has been further emphasized by the recurrent findings of interstitial
      deletions of chromosome 11 near LMO2 and of LMO2 as a target of retroviral
      insertion gene activation during gene therapy trials for X chromosome-linked
      severe combined immuno-deficiency syndrome, both types of event leading to
      similar T cell leukaemia. The discovery of LMO2 in some B cell neoplasias and in
      some epithelial cancers suggests a more ubiquitous function as an oncogenic
      protein, and that the current development of novel inhibitors will be of great
      value in future cancer treatment. Further, the role of LMO2 in angiogenesis and
      in haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) bodes well for targeting LMO2 in angiogenic
      disorders and in generating autologous induced HSCs for application in various
      clinical indications. 

PMID- 26108221
TI  - Expression and Dendritic Trafficking of BDNF-6 Splice Variant are Impaired in
      Knock-In Mice Carrying Human BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The human Val66Met polymorphism in brain-derived neurotrophic factor
      (BDNF), a key factor in neuroplasticity, synaptic function, and cognition, has
      been implicated in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative
      disorders. BDNF is encoded by multiple transcripts with distinct regulation and
      localization, but the impact of the Val66Met polymorphism on BDNF regulation
      remains unclear. METHODS: In BDNF Val66Met knock-in mice, which recapitulate the
      phenotypic hallmarks of individuals carrying the BDNF(Met) allele, we measured
      expression levels, epigenetic changes at promoters, and dendritic trafficking of
      distinct BDNF transcripts using quantitative PCR, chromatin immunoprecipitation
      (ChIP), and in situ hybridization. RESULTS: BDNF-4 and BDNF-6 transcripts were
      reduced in BDNF(Met/Met) mice, compared with BDNF(Val/Val) mice. ChIP for acetyl
      histone H3, a marker of active gene transcription, and trimethyl-histone-H3-Lys27
      (H3K27me3), a marker of gene repression, showed higher H3K27me3 binding to exon
      5, 6, and 8 promoters in BDNF(Met/Met). The H3K27 methyltransferase enhancer of
      zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is involved in epigenetic regulation of BDNF expression,
      because in neuroblastoma cells BDNF expression was increased both by short
      interference RNA for EZH2 and incubation with 3-deazaneplanocin A, an inhibitor
      of EZH2. In situ hybridization for BDNF-2, BDNF-4, and BDNF-6 after pilocarpine
      treatment showed that BDNF-6 transcript was virtually absent from distal
      dendrites of the CA1 and CA3 regions in BDNF(Met/Met) mice, while no changes were
      found for BDNF-2 and BDNF-4. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired BDNF expression and dendritic
      targeting in BDNF(Met/Met) mice may contribute to reduced regulated secretion of
      BDNF at synapses, and may be a specific correlate of pathology in individuals
      carrying the Met allele.

PMID- 26108222
TI  - Pharmacokinetics and Concentration-Effect Relationship of Oral LSD in Humans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The pharmacokinetics of oral lysergic acid diethylamide are unknown
      despite its common recreational use and renewed interest in its use in
      psychiatric research and practice. METHODS: We characterized the pharmacokinetic
      profile, pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationship, and urine recovery of
      lysergic acid diethylamide and its main metabolite after administration of a
      single oral dose of lysergic acid diethylamide (200 MUg) in 8 male and 8 female
      healthy subjects. RESULTS: Plasma lysergic acid diethylamide concentrations were
      quantifiable (>0.1 ng/mL) in all the subjects up to 12 hours after
      administration. Maximal concentrations of lysergic acid diethylamide (mean+/-SD:
      4.5+/-1.4 ng/mL) were reached (median, range) 1.5 (0.5-4) hours after
      administration. Concentrations then decreased following first-order kinetics with
      a half-life of 3.6+/-0.9 hours up to 12 hours and slower elimination thereafter
      with a terminal half-life of 8.9+/-5.9 hours. One percent of the orally
      administered lysergic acid diethylamide was eliminated in urine as lysergic acid
      diethylamide, and 13% was eliminated as 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-lysergic acid
      diethylamide within 24 hours. No sex differences were observed in the
      pharmacokinetic profiles of lysergic acid diethylamide. The acute subjective and
      sympathomimetic responses to lysergic acid diethylamide lasted up to 12 hours and
      were closely associated with the concentrations in plasma over time and exhibited
      no acute tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: These first data on the pharmacokinetics and
      concentration-effect relationship of oral lysergic acid diethylamide are relevant
      for further clinical studies and serve as a reference for the assessment of
      intoxication with lysergic acid diethylamide.

PMID- 26108223
TI  - Structural insights into the substrate specificity of two esterases from the
      thermophilic Rhizomucor miehei.
AB  - Two hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) family esterases (RmEstA and RmEstB) from the
      thermophilic fungus Rhizomucor miehei, exhibiting distinct substrate specificity,
      have been recently reported to show great potential in industrial applications.
      In this study, the crystal structures of RmEstA and RmEstB were determined at
      2.15 A and 2.43 A resolutions, respectively. The structures of RmEstA and RmEstB
      showed two distinctive domains, a catalytic domain and a cap domain, with the
      classical alpha/beta-hydrolase fold. Catalytic triads consisting of residues
      Ser161, Asp262, and His292 in RmEstA, and Ser164, Asp261, and His291 in RmEstB
      were found in the respective canonical positions. Structural comparison of RmEstA
      and RmEstB revealed that their distinct substrate specificity might be attributed
      to their different substrate-binding pockets. The aromatic amino acids Phe222 and
      Trp92, located in the center of the substrate-binding pocket of RmEstB, blocked
      this pocket, thus narrowing its catalytic range for substrates (C2-C8). Two
      mutants (F222A and W92F in RmEstB) showing higher catalytic activity toward long
      chain substrates further confirmed the hypothesized interference. This is the
      first report of HSL family esterase structures from filamentous fungi. The
      information on structure-function relationships could open important avenues of
      exploration for further industrial applications of esterases.

PMID- 26108224
TI  - Site-1 protease-activated formation of lysosomal targeting motifs is independent
      of the lipogenic transcription control.
AB  - Site-1 protease (S1P) cleaves membrane-bound lipogenic sterol regulatory element
      binding proteins (SREBPs) and the alpha/beta-subunit precursor protein of the N
      acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase forming mannose 6-phosphate (M6P)
      targeting markers on lysosomal enzymes. The translocation of SREBPs from the
      endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi-resident S1P depends on the intracellular
      sterol content, but it is unknown whether the ER exit of the alpha/beta-subunit
      precursor is regulated. Here, we investigated the effect of cholesterol depletion
      (atorvastatin treatment) and elevation (LDL overload) on ER-Golgi transport, S1P
      mediated cleavage of the alpha/beta-subunit precursor, and the subsequent
      targeting of lysosomal enzymes along the biosynthetic and endocytic pathway to
      lysosomes. The data showed that the proteolytic cleavage of the alpha/beta
      subunit precursor into mature and enzymatically active subunits does not depend
      on the cholesterol content. In either treatment, lysosomal enzymes are normally
      decorated with M6P residues, allowing the proper sorting to lysosomes. In
      addition, we found that, in fibroblasts of mucolipidosis type II mice and Niemann
      Pick type C patients characterized by aberrant cholesterol accumulation, the
      proteolytic cleavage of the alpha/beta-subunit precursor was not impaired. We
      conclude that S1P substrate-dependent regulatory mechanisms for lipid synthesis
      and biogenesis of lysosomes are different. 

PMID- 26108226
TI  - Paclitaxel-sensitization enhanced by curcumin involves down-regulation of nuclear
      factor-kappaB and Lin28 in Hep3B cells.
AB  - Although paclitaxel is an effective chemotherapeutic drug used in the treatment
      of many tumors, hepatoma cells, in particular, are known to be highly resistant
      to it. Previously, we discovered that Lin28 was closely associated with
      resistance to paclitaxel in Hep3B cells. The nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB)
      transcription factor, which plays an important role in tumor survival, directly
      activates Lin28 expression through a binding site on the first intron. Curcumin,
      a non-toxic anti-inflammatory agent, inhibits NF-kappaB activity in vitro. In
      this study, we reported that a combination of curcumin and paclitaxel exhibited
      synergistic anti-proliferative and pro-apoptosis effects on Hep3B cells, and
      curcumin down-regulated paclitaxel-induced enhanced expression of Lin28 and NF
      kappaB activation. Furthermore, our results revealed that curcumin reduced Lin28
      levels via mechanisms directly mediated by inhibition of NF-kappaB activity.
      These mechanism-based observations evidence that curcumin enhances the
      sensitivity of hepatoma cells to paclitaxe, and strongly support the notion that
      paclitaxel in combination with curcumin may provide a superior therapeutic index
      for HCC chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26108225
TI  - A compendium of expression patterns of cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes in the
      mouse embryo.
AB  - Cholesterol and its biosynthetic pathway intermediates and derivatives are
      required for many developmental processes including membrane biogenesis,
      transmembrane receptor signaling, steroid biogenesis, nuclear receptor
      activation, and posttranslational modification of hedgehog (Hh) proteins. To
      perform such multifaceted tasks depends on stringent regulation of expression of
      cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes (CBEs). We established for a whole organism, for
      the first time, the 3D expression pattern of all genes required for cholesterol
      biosynthesis (CBS), starting from acetyl-CoA and ending with cholesterol. This
      data was produced by high-throughput in situ hybridization on serial sections
      through the mouse fetus. The textually annotated image data were seamlessly
      integrated into the METscout and GenePaint public databases. This novel
      information helps in the understanding of why CBEs are expressed at particular
      locations within the fetus. For example, strong CBE expression is detected at
      sites of cell proliferation and also where cell growth increases membrane
      surface, such as in neurons sprouting axons and forming synapses. The CBE data
      also sheds light on the spatial relationship of cells and tissue that express
      sonic Hh (Shh) and produce cholesterol, respectively. We discovered that not all
      cells expressing Shh are capable of CBS. This finding suggests novel ways by
      which cholesterylation of Shh is regulated. 

PMID- 26108227
TI  - Spontaneous lactogenesis and galactopoeisis in a virgin dairy heifer with
      evidence of a granulosa theca cell tumour.

PMID- 26108228
TI  - Systems biological approaches to the cardiac signaling network.
AB  - Recent systems biological studies of cardiac systems have greatly advanced our
      understanding of cardiac physiology with a particular focus on the excitation
      contraction coupling. With these advancements, there is a growing interest in
      systems analysis of the cardiac signaling network because its dynamical property
      is closely associated with cardiac diseases. In this article, we review recent
      attempts at computational modeling of the cardiac signaling network and provide a
      system-level perspective on the analysis of the large-scale cardiac signaling
      network. We discuss why the systems biological approach is useful and what novel
      insights it can provide for the development of personalized therapeutic
      strategies for cardiac diseases in the post-genomic era.

PMID- 26108229
TI  - Systematically evaluating interfaces for RNA-seq analysis from a life scientist
      perspective.
AB  - RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) has become an established way for measuring gene
      expression in model organisms and humans. While methods development for refining
      the corresponding data processing and analysis pipeline is ongoing, protocols for
      typical steps have been proposed and are widely used. Several user interfaces
      have been developed for making such analysis steps accessible to life scientists
      without extensive knowledge of command line tools. We performed a systematic
      search and evaluation of such interfaces to investigate to what extent these can
      indeed facilitate RNA-seq data analysis. We found a total of 29 open source
      interfaces, and six of the more widely used interfaces were evaluated in detail.
      Central criteria for evaluation were ease of configuration, documentation,
      usability, computational demand and reporting. No interface scored best in all of
      these criteria, indicating that the final choice will depend on the specific
      perspective of users and the corresponding weighting of criteria. Considerable
      technical hurdles had to be overcome in our evaluation. For many users, this will
      diminish potential benefits compared with command line tools, leaving room for
      future improvement of interfaces. 

PMID- 26108230
TI  - Statistical detection of differentially expressed genes based on RNA-seq: from
      biological to phylogenetic replicates.
AB  - RNA-seq has been an increasingly popular high-throughput platform to identify
      differentially expressed (DE) genes, which is much more reproducible and accurate
      than the previous microarray technology. Yet, a number of statistical issues
      remain to be resolved in data analysis, largely due to the high-throughput data
      volume and over-dispersion of read counts. These problems become more challenging
      for those biologists who use RNA-seq to measure genome-wide expression profiles
      in different combinations of sampling resources (species or genotypes) or
      treatments. In this paper, the author first reviews the statistical methods
      available for detecting DE genes, which have implemented negative binomial (NB)
      models and/or quasi-likelihood (QL) approaches to account for the over-dispersion
      problem in RNA-seq samples. The author then studies how to carry out the DE test
      in the context of phylogeny, i.e., RNA-seq samples are from a range of species as
      phylogenetic replicates. The author proposes a computational framework to solve
      this phylo-DE problem: While an NB model is used to account for data over
      dispersion within biological replicates, over-dispersion among phylogenetic
      replicates is taken into account by QL, plus some special treatments for
      phylogenetic bias. This work helps to design cost-effective RNA-seq experiments
      in the field of biodiversity or phenotype plasticity that may involve hundreds of
      species under a phylogenetic framework. 

PMID- 26108232
TI  - The collapsed cone algorithm for (192)Ir dosimetry using phantom-size adaptive
      multiple-scatter point kernels.
AB  - The aim of this work was to investigate how dose distributions calculated with
      the collapsed cone (CC) algorithm depend on the size of the water phantom used in
      deriving the point kernel for multiple scatter. A research version of the CC
      algorithm equipped with a set of selectable point kernels for multiple-scatter
      dose that had initially been derived in water phantoms of various dimensions was
      used. The new point kernels were generated using EGSnrc in spherical water
      phantoms of radii 5 cm, 7.5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm and 50 cm. Dose
      distributions derived with CC in water phantoms of different dimensions and in a
      CT-based clinical breast geometry were compared to Monte Carlo (MC) simulations
      using the Geant4-based brachytherapy specific MC code Algebra. Agreement with MC
      within 1% was obtained when the dimensions of the phantom used to derive the
      multiple-scatter kernel were similar to those of the calculation phantom. Doses
      are overestimated at phantom edges when kernels are derived in larger phantoms
      and underestimated when derived in smaller phantoms (by around 2% to 7% depending
      on distance from source and phantom dimensions). CC agrees well with MC in the
      high dose region of a breast implant and is superior to TG43 in determining skin
      doses for all multiple-scatter point kernel sizes. Increased agreement between CC
      and MC is achieved when the point kernel is comparable to breast dimensions. The
      investigated approximation in multiple scatter dose depends on the choice of
      point kernel in relation to phantom size and yields a significant fraction of the
      total dose only at distances of several centimeters from a source/implant which
      correspond to volumes of low doses. The current implementation of the CC
      algorithm utilizes a point kernel derived in a comparatively large (radius 20 cm)
      water phantom. A fixed point kernel leads to predictable behaviour of the
      algorithm with the worst case being a source/implant located well within a
      patient/phantom for which low doses at phantom edges can be overestimated by 2-5
      %. It would be possible to improve the situation by using a point kernel for
      multiple-scatter dose adapted to the patient/phantom dimensions at hand.

PMID- 26108231
TI  - A roadmap to multifactor dimensionality reduction methods.
AB  - Complex diseases are defined to be determined by multiple genetic and
      environmental factors alone as well as in interactions. To analyze interactions
      in genetic data, many statistical methods have been suggested, with most of them
      relying on statistical regression models. Given the known limitations of
      classical methods, approaches from the machine-learning community have also
      become attractive. From this latter family, a fast-growing collection of methods
      emerged that are based on the Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction (MDR)
      approach. Since its first introduction, MDR has enjoyed great popularity in
      applications and has been extended and modified multiple times. Based on a
      literature search, we here provide a systematic and comprehensive overview of
      these suggested methods. The methods are described in detail, and the
      availability of implementations is listed. Most recent approaches offer to deal
      with large-scale data sets and rare variants, which is why we expect these
      methods to even gain in popularity. 

PMID- 26108235
TI  - A bundled-stack discotic columnar liquid crystalline phase with inter-stack
      electronic coupling.
AB  - The first compound capable of forming a bundled-stack discotic columnar liquid
      crystalline (BSDCLC) phase was designed and synthesized. The unique perylene
      anhydride inter-stack interaction was found to be the key to the formation of the
      BSDCLC structure and inter-stack electronic coupling (ISEC). 

PMID- 26108234
TI  - A potent and selective C-11 labeled PET tracer for imaging sphingosine-1
      phosphate receptor 2 in the CNS demonstrates sexually dimorphic expression.
AB  - Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 (S1PR2) plays an essential role in regulating
      blood-brain barrier (BBB) function during demyelinating central nervous system
      (CNS) disease. Increased expression of S1PR2 occurs in disease-susceptible CNS
      regions of female versus male SJL mice and in female multiple sclerosis (MS)
      patients. Here we reported a novel sensitive and noninvasive method to
      quantitatively assess S1PR2 expression using a C-11 labeled positron emission
      tomography (PET) radioligand [(11)C]5a for in vivo imaging of S1PR2. Compound 5a
      exhibited promising binding potency with IC50 value of 9.52 +/- 0.70 nM for S1PR2
      and high selectivity over S1PR1 and S1PR3 (both IC50 > 1000 nM). [(11)C]5a was
      synthesized in ~40 min with radiochemistry yield of 20 +/- 5% (decayed to the end
      of bombardment (EOB), n > 10), specific activity of 222-370 GBq MUmol(-1)
      (decayed to EOB). The biodistribution study in female SJL mice showed the
      cerebellar uptake of radioactivity at 30 min of post-injection of [(11)C]5a was
      increased by Cyclosporin A (CsA) pretreatment (from 0.84 +/- 0.04 ID% per g to
      2.21 +/- 0.21 ID% per g, n = 4, p < 0.01). MicroPET data revealed that naive
      female SJL mice exhibited higher cerebellar uptake compared with males following
      CsA pretreatment (standardized uptake values (SUV) 0.58 +/- 0.16 vs. 0.48 +/-
      0.12 at 30 min of post-injection, n = 4, p < 0.05), which was consistent with the
      autoradiographic results. This data suggested that [(11)C]5a had the capability
      in assessing the sexual dimorphism of S1PR2 expression in the cerebellum of the
      SJL mice. The development of radioligands for S1PR2 to identify a clinical
      suitable S1PR2 PET radiotracer, may greatly contribute to investigating sex
      differences in S1PR2 expression that contribute to MS subtype and disease
      progression and it will be very useful for detecting MS in early state and
      differentiating MS with other patients with neuroinflammatory diseases, and
      monitoring the efficacy of treating diseases using S1PR2 antagonism. 

PMID- 26108236
TI  - Dosimetric verification of stereotactic body radiation therapy for lung cancer
      treatment plans using flattening filter-free beams.
AB  - AIMS: This study aimed to analyze the dose distribution using different
      dosimetric tools in conducting pretreatment quality assurance for lung cancer
      stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) plans with flattening filter free
      (FFF) beams. METHODS: Nine patients with lung cancer treated via SBRT were
      randomly selected, and their treatment plans were generated using the Eclipse
      treatment planning system (TPS) with FFF beams. For each patient, the same plan
      was applied to the Delta4 phantom and MatriXX by the TPS, which calculated the
      dose distribution. The Delta4 and MatriXX phantoms were then used to measure the
      actual dose distribution at the linear accelerator, and these measured doses were
      compared to with the calculated doses. Gamma analysis was employed in verifying
      the correspondence between the dose distributions. The absolute point doses were
      measured by a 0.016 mL Microchamber with the RW3 phantom and Thorax phantom.
      RESULTS: The absolute point doses measured by the 0.016 mL Microchamber were
      within +/-3% of the calculated results for the central point of the RW3 and
      Thorax phantoms. The Delta4 and MatriXX dose distributions agreed well with the
      measured and calculated doses, over 98%, based on the 3% maximum dose and 3 mm
      gamma criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Both measured and calculated doses for the Delta4
      and MatriXX phantoms agreed well for each patient with lung cancer. The absolute
      point dose measurements using the 0.016 mL Microchamber exhibited excellent
      agreement with the TPS calculated between the RW3 and Thorax phantoms.

PMID- 26108237
TI  - Reirradiation in head and neck recurrent or second primary tumor: efficacy,
      safety, and prognostic factors.
AB  - AIMS AND BACKGROUND: We investigated efficacy, safety, and prognostic factors of
      reirradiation in patients with recurrent or second primary head and neck cancer.
      METHODS: Records of 75 consecutive patients treated with reirradiation between
      August 2005 and December 2013 were reviewed. RESULTS: Median overall survival
      (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were 29.5 and 33.6 months. Median local
      control (LC) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 21.7 and 16.2 months.
      Univariate analysis showed that patients younger than 70 years, with a Karnofsky
      Performance Status (KPS) >90 or with 2 or less comorbidities at time of
      reirradiation, have a better OS; KPS >90 and biological equivalent dose (BED) >72
      Gy positively influenced the PFS. At multivariate analysis, KPS at reirradiation
      was an independent predictive factor for OS, while BED was an independent
      predictive factor for CSS and OS. At univariate analysis, patients with planning
      target volume (PTV) >221 mL had worse LC and PFS rates, with results confirmed at
      multivariate analysis. The rate of fatal treatment-related adverse events was
      6.7% (3 carotid blowout, 1 soft tissue necrosis, and 1 thromboembolic event).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the role and outcomes of reirradiation. A
      careful selection of patients could minimize acute and late side effects and
      influence survival: elderly patients, with significant medical comorbidities or
      poor KPS, are worse candidate for reirradiation. Total dose delivered with
      reirradiation and PTV appear to be other potential prognostic factors. Further
      studies of dose escalation are needed to establish the total dose that could
      achieve better LC rates with a safer toxicity profile.

PMID- 26108238
TI  - Cytology smears as diagnostic material for EGFR gene testing in non-small cell
      lung cancer.
AB  - AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Cytology smears can be effectively used for EGFR mutation
      testing in the qualification of NSCLC patients for EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor
      therapy. However, tissue specimens are preferred for EGFR mutation analysis. The
      aim of this study was to estimate the effectiveness of the real-time PCR method
      for EGFR testing in histology and cytology materials obtained simultaneously from
      NSCLC patients. METHODS: Fourteen adenocarcinoma patients with EGFR-mutation
      positive primary tumor tissues were included in the study. Corresponding
      cytological smears of metastatic lymph nodes obtained by EBUS-TBNA were examined.
      EGFR Mutation Analysis Kit (EntroGen, USA) and real-time PCR (m2000rt system,
      Abbott, USA) were used for EGFR mutation analysis in both types of material.
      RESULTS: In primary tumor tissues, 12 deletions in exon 19 and 2 substitutions in
      exon 21 (L858R mutation) of the EGFR gene were found. Except for 1 deletion in
      exon 19, the same EGFR gene mutations were detected in all corresponding cytology
      samples. The percentage of tumor cells, DNA concentration, percentage of mutated
      DNA as well as DeltaCt values were similar in cytology slides and histology
      material. In both types of materials, no significant correlations were found
      between the percentage of tumor cells and the percentage of mutated DNA nor
      between the DNA concentration and the percentage of mutated DNA. CONCLUSIONS: We
      demonstrated the high effectiveness of a sensitive real-time PCR method in EGFR
      gene mutation detection in cytology smears.

PMID- 26108239
TI  - Adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy in early breast cancer: what factors lead
      patients to discontinue treatment?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are standard hormone therapy (HT) for the
      adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal endocrine-sensitive early breast cancer.
      Treatment discontinuation due to toxicity is an important issue that may help
      clinicians identify effective clinical interventions to allow adequate treatment
      duration. We reviewed the main reasons for interruption of AIs at our institution
      from 2006 to 2009. METHODS: 236 patients treated with adjuvant AIs were eligible
      for analysis. Median age was 64 years (35-89), median follow-up 53 months (6-60).
      Prior adjuvant chemotherapy was taxane based in 47 patients and anthracycline
      based in 43 patients. 118 patients had received letrozole, 101 anastrozole, and
      17 exemestane. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients (10%) needed discontinuation of the
      first AI assigned as a result of toxicity. Grade 2/3 arthralgia was the main
      reason for discontinuation in 13/24 patients. No differences in the incidence of
      arthralgia were noted in patients who had received taxanes or anthracyclines.
      Headache, alopecia, itching, diffuse skin reaction, allergic reaction with
      hypertensive crisis, xerostomia and xerophthalmia, insomnia and somnolence were
      the other reasons for discontinuation. In multivariate logistic regression
      analysis, age (65 years) and HT were independent factors associated with the
      onset of arthralgia (p = 0.006 and p = 0.008, respectively; OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.32
      5.31). Alternative HT (AI or tamoxifen) was offered to patients who wanted or
      needed to permanently interrupt the ongoing drug. CONCLUSIONS: In our analysis,
      10% of patients discontinued the first AI assigned because of toxicity. Median
      time course of all adverse events leading to HT discontinuation was 155 days and
      135 days for arthralgia. A switch to alternative HT with toxicity monitoring is a
      recommended option for avoiding premature and permanent interruption of an
      effective treatment.

PMID- 26108240
TI  - Bevacizumab treatment for vestibular schwannoma in a patient with
      neurofibromatosis type 2: hearing improvement and tumor shrinkage.
AB  - PURPOSE: Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is a dominantly inherited genetic
      condition that clinically manifests through the appearance of multiple
      meningiomas, ependymomas and bilateral vestibular schwannomas (acoustic neuromas)
      which lead to progressive hearing loss. Neovascularization is necessary for tumor
      growth and is driven by tumor-produced angiogenic factors such as vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Bevacizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody
      that neutralizes the activity of VEGF. Recent data have shown that VEGF is
      produced by schwannoma tumor cells. Bevacizumab treatment in patients with NF2
      who were considered poor candidates for surgery and radiation therapy was found
      to result in clinically meaningful hearing improvement and tumor volume reduction
      in previous studies. METHODS: We report the case of a 40-year-old woman with
      sudden right-sided hearing loss. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed
      multiple meningiomas and neurinomas (C2 and L5 lesions) and a right-sided
      acoustic neurinoma, confirming the diagnosis of NF2. Bevacizumab was given as
      infusion every 2 weeks at a dose of 5.0 mg/kg body weight with MRI monitoring
      every 6 months. RESULTS: After 6 months from the start of therapy the patient
      reported progressive improvement of hearing response in audiometry, word
      recognition and face-to-face conversation. MRI evidenced reduction of the volume
      of the right vestibular schwannoma and the multiple meningiomas as well as
      attenuation of brain stem compression. CONCLUSIONS: At the time of writing the
      patient is continuing treatment with bevacizumab without adverse events. She has
      good functional status and quality of life.

PMID- 26108241
TI  - Nausea and vomiting during the first 3 intercycle periods in chemo-naive cancer
      patients receiving moderately/highly emetogenic therapy.
AB  - AIMS AND BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of data regarding the incidence,
      intensity, and treatment of nausea and vomiting during the intercycle periods of
      chemotherapy (CHT). The aims of the study were to assess the incidence and
      intensity of intercycle nausea and vomiting, to assess the use of rescue
      antiemetic medications, and to define the more uncomfortable symptom between
      nausea and vomiting. METHODS: In a prospective study, 108 chemotherapy-naive
      patients treated with highly or moderately emetogenic CHT for different primary
      cancers were enrolled. All patients filled out the Edmonton Symptom Assessment
      System tool before the first cycle of CHT (T0) and on 14-16 days thereafter for
      the first 3 cycles of CHT (i.e., T1, T2, T3). RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients
      completed the study. During CHT administration, all patients received antiemetics
      according to international guidelines. During the intercycle periods, nausea was
      reported in 6.0% of patients at T0, 10.5% at T1, and 26.9% at T2 and T3,
      respectively. The intensity of nausea was mild for 6.0%, 21%, and 18% of patients
      at T1, T2, and T3, respectively; moderate for 1.5%, 3.0%, and 6.0% at T1 to T3;
      and severe in only 3.0% of patients at any time. Vomiting was present in 1.5% and
      10.5% of patients at T2 and T3. Rescue antiemetic medication was required for
      41.8% at T1, 53% at T2, and 47.8% at T3. At the end of the study, 70.1% of
      patients described nausea as the more uncomfortable symptom compared to vomiting.
      CONCLUSIONS: Nausea has a higher burden of impact over vomiting and should be
      assessed and treated separately throughout multiple cycles of CHT.

PMID- 26108242
TI  - TOKIO rationale and protocol: a phase II study to evaluate the activity and
      safety of third-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor after 2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors
      in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - AIMS AND BACKGROUND: The introduction of agents targeting vascular endothelial
      growth factor has radically changed the approach to metastatic renal cell
      carcinoma (mRCC): sunitinib and pazopanib are now the standard first-line therapy
      in mRCC. At sunitinib failure, second-line axitinib or everolimus or sorafenib
      should be considered to improve the clinical outcome. No data are available for a
      third-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) after 2 previous lines of therapy with
      TKIs. At pazopanib failure, no prospective data are available. STUDY DESIGN: The
      TOKIO study was designed to evaluate progression-free survival, safety, and
      efficacy of third-line therapy with TKI in 44 patients already treated with 2
      previous lines of TKIs in 10 Italian centers, and relapsed from sunitinib
      axitinib (group A) or pazopanib-sorafenib (group B). Standard treatment is
      sorafenib in group A and sunitinib in group B, administered until disease
      progression or unacceptable toxicity. Secondary endpoints include the evaluation
      of overall survival, safety, and quality of life.

PMID- 26108243
TI  - Proteomic analysis of a nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line and a nasopharyngeal
      epithelial cell line.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial malignancy exhibiting
      a strong geographic preference and a close association with Epstein-Barr virus
      (EBV). The aim of this study was to investigate the precise mechanism of
      nasopharyngeal epithelial-to-NPC tumorigenesis and to identify possible
      biomarkers and targets for therapy. METHODS: Proteomic analysis was performed on
      the immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line NP69 and the NPC cell line
      C666. RESULTS: A comparative analysis of total lysates from the cell lines using
      2-D gel electrophoresis-mass spectrometry resulted in the identification of 87
      different protein spots. The different proteins were grouped into 5 main
      categories: (i) energy production and general metabolism, (ii) adaptation/stress
      tolerance, (iii) cell proliferation, (iv) cell structure and (v) epithelial
      mesenchymal transition. The detection of metabolism-related proteins indicated
      that the NPC cells relied on aerobic glycolysis, with reduced use of the citric
      acid cycle. Glucose uptake and lactate secretion increased in the medium of C666
      compared with NP69. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that glycolysis was
      up-regulated in the NPC cell lines compared with nasopharyngeal epithelial cells.
      A number of molecules involved in metabolism were identified, and further
      investigations will be needed to validate these potential biomarkers or targets.

PMID- 26108244
TI  - Patient and caregiver needs in oncology. An Italian survey.
AB  - AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Cancer is a disease that has far-reaching consequences for
      patients and their families. The present study targets unmet caregiver needs so
      that better support can be provided and planned for. METHODS: The first phase of
      the study was to conduct a survey designed to explore basic needs (medical and
      nursing information, psychological support, social welfare). The survey also
      investigated the caregiver's personal details (age, sex, degree of kinship). The
      survey was distributed to caregivers coming to the day hospitals of the 4
      oncology departments involved in the study. RESULTS: A total of 137 relatives of
      cancer patients completed the survey. Among the explored needs, the most
      recurrent was the availability of a doctor who provides full information on the
      treatment choices. A further important request was for consistency between the
      information provided by doctors and that provided by other health-care workers,
      with specific reference to a patient-centered approach that can be easily and
      fully understood, available therapeutic options especially at home, and
      prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that the need for exhaustive and simple
      information provided by a referral physician is still an unmet need in the
      Internet age.

PMID- 26108245
TI  - Sarcomatoid mesothelioma: future advances in diagnosis, biomolecular assessment,
      and therapeutic options in a poor-outcome disease.
AB  - Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is the most frequent pleural neoplasm, with
      asbestos exposure as one of the recognized carcinogen agents, causative in 80% of
      cases. The prognosis is poor; median survival of untreated cases is 6-9 months,
      with fewer than 5% of patients surviving 5 years. Sarcomatoid mesothelioma (SM)
      represents the subtype with the worst outcome and median survival ranging from
      3.5 to 8 months. In the last few years, an accurate differentiation between the
      subtypes of MPM has become a crucial issue, due to differences in
      chemosensitivity and clinical outcome, and several studies have evaluated
      different immunohistochemical markers to better define the diagnosis. The
      different and worse outcome of patients with SM and, in general, nonepithelioid
      subtypes makes it intriguing to select these cases to better study the
      biomolecular profile in order to find factors linked to prognosis and/or
      predictive of therapeutic response. Considering recent studies on miRNA and
      genetic mapping, further investigation of this rare subtype might represent a
      field for basic and clinical-translational research providing for more tailored
      therapies. 

PMID- 26108246
TI  - miRNA-214: expression, therapeutic and diagnostic potential in cancer.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that negatively regulate gene
      expression by binding to the 3' untranslated region of their target mRNAs. Recent
      work supports a role for miRNAs in the initiation and progression of human
      cancer. miRNA-214 not only mediates differentiation, senescence, angiogenesis,
      cell migration and virus replication but also acts as a tumor suppressor gene and
      oncogene. Increasing evidence indicates that miRNA-214 may serve as a biomarker
      in some cancer types. The aim of this review is to highlight and clarify the
      complexity of miRNA-214 activity, emphasizing its significant therapeutic and
      diagnostic potential. 

PMID- 26108247
TI  - Trabectedin plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin: retrospective analysis in
      heavily pretreated platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: This retrospective analysis evaluated treatment with trabectedin plus
      pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in 34 heavily pretreated patients (median
      number of previous lines, 3; range, 2-10) with platinum-sensitive relapsed
      ovarian cancer (ROC) at a single center in Italy. METHODS: Trabectedin/PLD
      treatment consisted of trabectedin administered every 3 weeks as a 3-hour
      intravenous (i.v.) infusion at a dose of 1.1 mg/m2, immediately after PLD 30
      mg/m2 i.v. infusion. Study objectives were the evaluation of the objective
      response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).
      RESULTS: Three complete responses and 8 partial responses were observed, with an
      ORR of 32.4% (95% CI, 17.4-50.5%). Median PFS was 6.1 months (95% CI, 4.4-8.9
      months). Median OS was 16.3 months (95% CI, 6.8-23.5). Most responses (9 of 11)
      were found in patients with partially platinum-sensitive disease (ORR 40.9% in
      this subset; median PFS 6.8 months and median OS 20.8 months). Grade 3 treatment
      related adverse events consisted of nausea/vomiting (n = 5; 14.7%), mucositis (n
      = 2; 5.9%), alanine aminotransferase increase, anemia and neutropenia (n = 1
      each; 2.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The overall findings appear consistent with those
      previously observed in a randomized controlled clinical trial, and support the
      use of trabectedin/PLD in heavily pretreated patients with platinum-sensitive
      ROC, especially those with partially platinum-sensitive disease.

PMID- 26108248
TI  - Reduction of risk of dying from tobacco-related diseases after quitting smoking
      in Italy.
AB  - AIMS AND BACKGROUND: The aims of this paper are to compute the risks of dying of
      ischemic heart disease (IHD), lung cancer (LC), stroke, and chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD) for Italian smokers by gender, age and daily number of
      cigarettes smoked, and to estimate the benefit of stopping smoking in terms of
      risk reduction. METHODS: Life tables by sex and smoking status were computed for
      each smoking-related disease based on Italian smoking data, and risk charts with
      10-year probabilities of death were computed for never, current and former
      smokers. RESULTS: Men aged 45-49 years, current smokers, have a 8, 10, 3 and 1 in
      1,000 chance of dying of IHD, LC, stroke and COPD, respectively, whereas women
      with the same characteristics have a 2, 6, 3 and 1 in 1,000 chance, respectively,
      for all smokers combined, i.e., independent of the smoking intensity. The risk
      reduction rates from quitting smoking are remarkable: a man who quits smoking at
      45-49 years can reduce the risk of dying of IHD, LC, stroke and COPD in the next
      10 years by 43%, 53%, 57% and 55%, respectively; a woman by 49%, 49%, 59% and
      57%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Estimates of risk reduction by quitting smoking
      are useful to provide a sounder scientific basis for public health messages and
      clinical advice.

PMID- 26108249
TI  - Giant cemento-ossifying fibroma of the maxilla.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Fibro-osseous lesions of the skull and facial bones are benign
      tumors, but they can be mistaken for malignant tumors due to their clinically
      aggressive behavior. Cemento-ossifying fibroma (COF) is a benign fibro-osseous
      lesion characterized by slow growth and fibrous and calcified tissue content.
      COFs are locally destructive lesions causing deformities in the bones. The
      recurrence risk is high if they are not completely removed. CASE REPORT: In this
      case report we describe a giant COF mimicking chondrosarcoma in the oral cavity
      of a 55-year-old woman causing significant facial deformity and feeding problems.
      CONCLUSIONS: Giant COF occurs rarely in the jaws and given that this lesion has
      similar imaging and clinical features to several other tumors, the diagnosis is
      always a challenge for clinicians, radiologists and pathologists.

PMID- 26108250
TI  - Stability of spinal bone metastases and survival analysis in renal cancer after
      radiotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: This retrospective analysis evaluated the outcome of patients with
      spinal bone metastases of renal cell cancer after radiotherapy (RT) in terms of
      stability and survival, using a validated scoring system for spinal stability
      assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survival rates of 155 patients with bone
      metastases of renal cancer treated from January 2000 to January 2012 were
      determined. The stability of irradiated osteolytic lesions of the thoracic and
      lumbar spine was evaluated retrospectively using the Taneichi score and analyzed
      for predictive factors. The effects of therapy in terms of changes in
      neurological signs and tumor-related pain were recorded. RESULTS: Follow-up with
      regular computed tomography (CT) was available for 28 patients, 14 with unstable
      metastases. One hundred thiry-two patients (85%) died during follow-up. RT could
      not improve the stability of vertebral bodies after 3 and 6 months. Consequently,
      none of the examined predictive factors such as age, number of bone metastases
      and systemic therapy showed a significant correlation with stability 6 months
      after RT. The median survival of all 155 patients after diagnosis of bone
      metastases was 12.9 months. Improvement of pain and neurological deficits
      occurred in 60%, and in 24% of the respective affected in all patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: RT was unable to improve the stability of vertebral metastases,
      probably due to the short overall survival, which resulted in an insufficient
      number of patients with evaluable follow-up. RT allowed reduction of pain and
      neurological deficits. A short fractionation schedule may be preferred in this
      situation.

PMID- 26108252
TI  - Identification of Missing Proteins Defined by Chromosome-Centric Proteome Project
      in the Cytoplasmic Detergent-Insoluble Proteins.
AB  - Finding protein evidence (PE) for protein coding genes is a primary task of the
      Phase I Chromosome-Centric Human Proteome Project (C-HPP). Currently, there are
      2948 PE level 2-4 coding genes per neXtProt, which are deemed missing proteins in
      the human proteome. As most samples prepared and analyzed in the C-HPP framework
      were focusing on detergent soluble proteins, we posit that as a natural
      composition the cytoplasmic detergent-insoluble proteins (DIPs) represent a
      source of finding missing proteins. We optimized a workflow and separated
      cytoplasmic DIPs from three human lung and three human hepatoma cell lines via
      differential speed centrifugation. We verified that the detergent-soluble
      proteins (DSPs) could be sufficiently depleted and the cytoplasmic DIP isolation
      was partially reproducible with Spearman r > 0.70 according to two independent
      SILAC MS experiments. Through label-free MS, we identified 4524 and 4156 DIPs
      from lung and liver cells, respectively. Among them, a total of 23 missing
      proteins (22 PE2 and 1 PE4) were identified by MS, and 18 of them had translation
      evidence; in addition, six PE5 proteins were identified by MS, three with
      translation evidence. We showed that cytoplasmic DIPs were not an enrichment of
      transmembrane proteins and were chromosome-, cell type-, and tissue-specific.
      Furthermore, we demonstrated that DIPs were distinct from DSPs in terms of
      structural and physical-chemical features. In conclusion, we have found 23
      missing proteins and 6 PE5 proteins from the cytoplasmic insoluble proteome that
      is biologically and physical-chemically different from the soluble proteome,
      suggesting that cytoplasmic DIPs carry comprehensive and valuable information for
      finding PE of missing proteins. The mass spectrometry proteomics data have been
      deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium with the data set identifier
      PXD001694. 

PMID- 26108251
TI  - Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma with aberrant expression of serum beta-HCG: a case
      report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) represent a heterogeneous group of
      hematologic malignancies frequently presenting at advanced stage of diagnosis.
      METHODS: We report a case of PTCL with an uncommon and aggressive onset with
      disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). RESULTS: Laboratory findings
      revealed an aberrant expression of beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin
      (beta-HCG). Other than for determination of pregnancy, beta-HCG is regularly
      found as a tumor marker in germ cell tumors with trophoblastic differentiation
      and its aberrant expression has been reported in the literature in other
      neoplastic conditions only in the context of case reports. CONCLUSIONS: In
      hematologic malignancies, beta-HCG expression has been described only in sporadic
      cases. Awareness of this feature could avoid diagnostic delay in such an
      aggressive disease.

PMID- 26108253
TI  - PLGA-Mesoporous Silicon Microspheres for the in Vivo Controlled Temporospatial
      Delivery of Proteins.
AB  - In regenerative medicine, the temporospatially controlled delivery of growth
      factors (GFs) is crucial to trigger the desired healing mechanisms in the target
      tissues. The uncontrolled release of GFs has been demonstrated to cause severe
      side effects in the surrounding tissues. The aim of this study was to optimize a
      translational approach for the fine temporal and spatial control over the release
      of proteins, in vivo. Hence, we proposed a newly developed multiscale composite
      microsphere based on a core consisting of the nanostructured silicon multistage
      vector (MSV) and a poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide) acid (PLGA) outer shell. Both of
      the two components of the resulting composite microspheres (PLGA-MSV) can be
      independently tailored to achieve multiple release kinetics contributing to the
      control of the release profile of a reporter protein in vitro. The influence of
      MSV shape (hemispherical or discoidal) and size (1, 3, or 7 MUm) on PLGA-MSV's
      morphology and size distribution was investigated. Second, the copolymer ratio of
      the PLGA used to fabricate the outer shell of PLGA-MSV was varied. The composites
      were fully characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy,
      zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric
      analysis-differential scanning calorimetry, and their release kinetics over 30
      days. PLGA-MSV's biocompatibility was assessed in vitro with J774 macrophages.
      Finally, the formulation of PLGA-MSV was selected, which concurrently provided
      the most consistent microsphere size and allowed for a zero-order release
      kinetic. The selected PLGA-MSVs were injected in a subcutaneous model in mice,
      and the in vivo release of the reporter protein was followed over 2 weeks by
      intravital microscopy, to assess if the zero-order release was preserved. PLGA
      MSV was able to retain the payload over 2 weeks, avoiding the initial burst
      release typical of most drug delivery systems. Finally, histological evaluation
      assessed the biocompatibility of the platform in vivo. 

PMID- 26108254
TI  - Room transfers and the risk of delirium incidence amongst hospitalized elderly
      medical patients: a case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Room transfers are suspected to promote the development of delirium
      in hospitalized elderly patients, but no studies have systematically examined the
      relationship between room transfers and delirium incidence. We used a case
      control study to determine if the number of room transfers per patient days is
      associated with an increased incidence of delirium amongst hospitalized elderly
      medical patients, controlling for baseline risk factors. METHODS: We included
      patients 70 years of age or older who were admitted to the internal medicine or
      geriatric medicine services at St. Michael's Hospital between October 2009 and
      September 2010 for more than 24 h. The cases consisted of patients who developed
      delirium during the first week of hospital stay. The controls consisted of
      patients who did not develop delirium during the first week of hospital stay.
      Patients with evidence of delirium at admission were excluded from the analysis.
      A multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine the relationship
      between room transfers and delirium development within the first week of hospital
      stay. RESULTS: 994 patients were included in the study, of which 126 developed
      delirium during the first week of hospital stay. Using a multivariable logistic
      regression model which controlled for age, gender, cognitive impairment, vision
      impairment, dehydration, and severe illness, room transfers per patient days were
      associated with delirium incidence (OR: 9.69, 95 % CI (6.20 to15.16), P <
      0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: An increased number of room transfers per patient days is
      associated with an increased incidence of delirium amongst hospitalized elderly
      medical patients. This is an exploratory analysis and needs confirmation with
      larger studies.

PMID- 26108255
TI  - Comparing the Effect of Tampering on the Oral Pharmacokinetic Profiles of Two
      Extended-Release Oxycodone Formulations with Abuse-Deterrent Properties.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Oxycodone DETERx(r) is an extended-release (ER), microsphere-in
      capsule abuse-deterrent-formulation designed to retain its extended-release
      properties following tampering or misuse (e.g., chewing, crushing). This study
      assessed the safety and pharmacokinetics of orally administered intact and
      crushed Oxycodone DETERx(r) capsules compared with intact and crushed
      reformulated OxyContin(r) tablets and crushed immediate-release oxycodone tablets
      (IR oxycodone). METHODS: This was a randomized, open-label, active-controlled,
      cross-over study. Healthy subjects received five oxycodone treatments (40 mg)
      with a standardized high-fat, high-calorie meal: Oxycodone DETERx(r) (intact or
      crushed), OxyContin(r) (intact or crushed), and IR oxycodone (crushed). Blood
      samples were collected for assessment of oxycodone plasma concentrations.
      RESULTS: Thirty-eight subjects completed the study. Both crushed and intact
      Oxycodone DETERx(r) resulted in lower peak plasma concentrations when compared
      with IR oxycodone. Crushed Oxycodone DETERx(r) was bioequivalent to intact
      Oxycodone DETERx(r) and exhibited a numerically lower Cmax . Also, median Tmax
      was unchanged by crushing. In contrast, mean peak plasma oxycodone concentrations
      for crushed OxyContin(r) were significantly higher compared with intact
      OxyContin(r) and were bioequivalent to IR oxycodone. Median Tmax for crushed
      OxyContin(r) was the same as IR oxycodone and 3.25 hours shorter than intact
      OxyContin(r). CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that when crushed and taken
      orally, Oxycodone DETERx(r) maintains its EXTENDED-release profile, while crushed
      OxyContin(r) shows a pharmacokinetic profile similar to an immediate-release
      product. These results suggest that Oxycodone DETERx(r) may be less attractive to
      illicit drug users compared with existing abuse-deterrent-formulations, while
      providing a safer option for patients who may unknowingly crush their medication
      such as those who have difficulty swallowing.

PMID- 26108256
TI  - Progesterone 5beta-reductase genes of the Brassicaceae family as function
      associated molecular markers.
AB  - This study aimed to define progesterone 5beta-reductases (P5betaR, EC 1.3.99.6,
      enone 1,4-reductases) as function-associated molecular markers at the plant
      family level. Therefore cDNAs were isolated from 25 Brassicaceae species,
      including two species, Erysimum crepidifolium and Draba aizoides, known to
      produce cardiac glycosides. The sequences were used in a molecular phylogeny
      study. The cladogram created is congruent to the existing molecular analyses.
      Recombinant His-tagged forms of the P5betaR cDNAs from Aethionema grandiflorum,
      Draba aizoides, Nasturtium officinale, Raphanus sativus and Sisymbrium officinale
      were expressed in E. coli. Enone 1,4-reductase activity was demonstrated in vitro
      using progesterone and 2-cyclohexen-1-one as substrates. Evidence is provided
      that functional P5betaRs are ubiquitous in the Brassicaceae. The recombinant
      P5betaR enzymes showed different substrate preferences towards progesterone and 2
      cyclohexen-1-one. Sequence comparison of the catalytic pocket of the P5betaR
      enzymes and homology modelling using Digitalis lanata P5betaR (PDB ID: 2V6G) as
      template highlighted the importance of the hydrophobicity of the binding pocket
      for substrate discrimination. It is concluded that P5betaR genes or P5betaR
      proteins can be used as valuable function-associated molecular markers to infer
      taxonomic relationship and evolutionary diversification from a
      metabolic/catalytic perspective. 

PMID- 26108257
TI  - Dorsolateral striatum is critical for the expression of surprise-induced
      enhancements in cue associability.
AB  - The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is frequently implicated in sensory-motor
      integration, including the performance of sensory orienting responses (ORs) and
      learned stimulus-response habits. Our laboratory previously identified a role for
      the DLS in rats' performance of conditioned ORs to Pavlovian cues for food
      delivery. Here, we considered whether DLS is also critical to another aspect of
      attention in associative learning, the surprise-induced enhancement of cue
      associability. A large behavioral literature shows that a cue present when an
      expected event is omitted enters into new associations more rapidly when that cue
      is subsequently paired with food. Research from our laboratory has shown that
      both cue associability enhancements and conditioned ORs depend on the function of
      a circuit that includes the amygdala central nucleus and the substantia nigra
      pars compacta. In three experiments, we explored the involvement of DLS in
      surprise-induced associability enhancements, using a three-stage serial
      prediction task that permitted separation of DLS function in registering surprise
      (prediction error) and enhancing cue associability, and in using that increased
      associability to learn more rapidly about that cue later. The results showed that
      DLS is critical to the expression, but not the establishment, of the enhanced cue
      associability normally produced by surprise in this task. They extend the role of
      DLS and the amygdalo-nigro-striatal circuit underlying learned orienting to more
      subtle aspects of attention in associative learning, but are consistent with the
      general notion that DLS is more important in the expression of previously
      acquired tendencies than in their acquisition. 

PMID- 26108258
TI  - Evaluation of blood group antibodies in ABO-incompatible living-donor kidney
      transplantation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in anti-blood type antibody titers and postoperative
      outcomes (graft survival and rejection rates) at our center with the use of the
      immunosuppressant, rituximab, in ABO-incompatible kidney transplants from living
      donors. Confirming anti-donor blood group antibodies is important for avoiding
      humoral rejection in ABO-incompatible kidney transplants. Splenectomy has been
      carried out in our hospital according to Alexandre's policy in order to suppress
      the production of anti-donor blood group antibodies. However, splenectomy has
      recently been avoided due to the administration of the immunosuppressant
      rituximab, which gives satisfactory outcomes. Thus, pre- and postoperative anti
      donor blood group antibodies were measured, and the outcomes achieved with
      rituximab were examined. METHODS: A total of 134 cases of ABO-incompatible kidney
      transplants were carried out at Toho University Omori Medical Center between
      March 1989 and February 2013. These cases were classified as follows:
      azathioprine group (n = 62 patients); mycophenolate mofetil group (n = 33
      patients); rituximab group (n = 39 patients). The anti-donor blood group
      antibodies levels (immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M) were measured in all
      groups before antibody removal, immediately before surgery, and 1, 2, 4 weeks and
      3 months after surgery, and then compared. RESULTS: Rates of antibody-mediated
      rejection, including hyperacute rejection, in the azathioprine, mycophenolate
      mofetil, and rituximab groups were 32.2%, 18.1% and 7.6%, respectively. Graft
      survival rates were higher in the mycophenolate mofetil and rituximab groups than
      in the azathioprine group, but were lower in patients with higher preoperative
      antibody titers (>=128-fold higher immunoglobulin G) than in those with lower
      titers (<128-fold higher immunoglobulin G). In addition, postoperative anti-blood
      type antibody titers were significantly suppressed in the rituximab group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Administration of rituximab results in better antibody control than
      previous protocols including splenectomy, even in the postoperative period during
      which humoral rejection often occurs. This protocol eliminates the physical
      invasiveness of pre-transplant splenectomy, and is expected to provide better
      outcomes in chronic renal failure patients who undergo kidney transplants.

PMID- 26108261
TI  - Refugia and connectivity sustain amphibian metapopulations afflicted by disease.
AB  - Metapopulation persistence in fragmented landscapes depends on habitat patches
      that can support resilient local populations and sufficient connectivity between
      patches. Yet epidemiological theory for metapopulations has largely overlooked
      the capacity of particular patches to act as refuges from disease, and has
      suggested that connectivity can undermine persistence. Here, we show that
      relatively warm and saline wetlands are environmental refuges from
      chytridiomycosis for an endangered Australian frog, and act jointly with
      connectivity to sustain frog metapopulations. We coupled models of microclimate
      and infection probability to map chytrid prevalence, and demonstrate a strong
      negative relationship between chytrid prevalence and the persistence of frog
      populations. Simulations confirm that frog metapopulations are likely to go
      extinct when they lack environmental refuges from disease and lose connectivity
      between patches. This study demonstrates that environmental heterogeneity can
      mediate host-pathogen interactions in fragmented landscapes, and provides
      evidence that connectivity principally supports host metapopulations afflicted by
      facultative pathogens. 

PMID- 26108260
TI  - Synthesis, Characterization, and Anticancer Activity of Novel Lipophilic Emodin
      Cationic Derivatives.
AB  - Seventeen novel emodin derivatives were synthesized, and the structures were
      confirmed by IR, H NMR, MS, and elemental analysis. The cytotoxic activity of the
      derivatives was evaluated against A375, BGC-823, HepG2, and HELF cells by MTT
      assay. Compound 9a with highest potency and low toxicity was selected to further
      investigate its detailed molecular mechanism. The lead compound 9a induced a loss
      of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (?Psim), an increase in reactive
      oxygen species (ROS), release of cytochrome c and activation of caspase-3 and
      caspase-9. In addition, the confocal study showed that emodin derivative 9a
      (containing asymmetric hydrocarbon tails) was mainly localized in mitochondria,
      demonstrating a key role of the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway in cancer
      cells. Taken together, the results demonstrate that embodin derivative 9a
      preferentially regulates the ROS-mediated apoptosis in A375 cells through the
      induction of cytochrome c expression and activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9
      proteins. 

PMID- 26108263
TI  - Mudi-chood: an interesting dermatological entity.

PMID- 26108262
TI  - Magnetic resonance elastography and transient elastography as non-invasive
      analyses for liver fibrosis: can they obviate the need for liver biopsy in
      psoriasis patients treated with methotrexate?
AB  - The liver biopsy has been regarded as the reference standard method of monitoring
      hepatic fibrosis in psoriasis patients treated with methotrexate. It has also
      been subject to concerns over sampling error, internal and external variability,
      and potential for morbidity and mortality. During the past two decades, two
      imaging techniques, magnetic resonance elastography and transient elastography,
      have been developed and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for
      the assessment of hepatic fibrosis. Although high-quality, psoriasis-specific
      data are lacking, both methods have been shown to have outstanding efficacy in
      the detection of hepatic fibrosis, particularly the more advanced stages which
      may warrant the choice of a therapeutic alternative to methotrexate.
      Dermatologists should be aware of the availability of these tests and understand
      their limitations. Prospective studies in psoriasis and methotrexate management
      using these techniques are needed. 

PMID- 26108259
TI  - Alcohol Differentially Alters Extracellular Matrix and Adhesion Molecule
      Expression in Skeletal Muscle and Heart.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The production of fibrosis in response to chronic alcohol abuse is
      well recognized in liver but has not been fully characterized in striated muscle
      and may contribute to functional impairment. Therefore, the purpose of this study
      was to use an unbiased discovery-based approach to determine the effect of
      chronic alcohol consumption on the expression profile of genes important for cell
      cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions in both skeletal and
      cardiac muscle. METHODS: Adult male rats were pair-fed an alcohol-containing
      liquid diet or control diet for 24 weeks, and skeletal muscle (gastrocnemius) and
      heart were collected in the freely fed state. A pathway-focused gene expression
      polymerase chain reaction array was performed on these tissues to assess mRNA
      content for 84 ECM proteins, and selected proteins were confirmed by Western blot
      analysis. RESULTS: In gastrocnemius, alcohol feeding up-regulated the expression
      of 11 genes and down-regulated the expression of 1 gene. Alcohol increased
      fibrosis as indicated by increased mRNA and/or protein for collagens alpha1(I),
      alpha2(I), alpha1(III), and alpha2(IV) as well as hydroxyproline. Alcohol also
      increased alpha-smooth muscle actin protein, an index of myofibroblast
      activation, but no concomitant change in transforming growth factor-beta was
      detected. The mRNA and protein content for other ECM components, such as integrin
      alpha5, L-selectin, PECAM, SPARC, and ADAMTS2, were also increased by alcohol.
      Only laminin-alpha3 mRNA was decreased in gastrocnemius from alcohol-fed rats,
      while 66 ECM- or cell adhesion-related mRNAs were unchanged by alcohol. For
      heart, expression of 16 genes was up-regulated, expression of 3 genes was down
      regulated, and 65 mRNAs were unchanged by alcohol; there were no common alcohol
      induced gene expression changes between heart and skeletal muscle. Finally,
      alcohol increased tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin (IL)-12 mRNA in
      both skeletal and cardiac muscle, but IL-6 mRNA was increased and IL-10 mRNA
      decreased only in skeletal muscle. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate a fibrotic
      response in striated muscle from chronic alcohol-fed rats which is tissue
      specific in nature, suggesting different regulatory mechanisms.

PMID- 26108264
TI  - Does class attendance matter? Results from a second-year medical school
      dermatology cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the impacts of class attendance and learning
      preferences on academic performance in dermatology. OBJECTIVES: This study was
      designed to examine the effects of medical student class attendance and learning
      preferences on students' academic performance in an introductory dermatology
      course. METHODS: A total of 101 second-year medical students enrolled in a
      required introductory dermatology course were surveyed regarding their learning
      preferences. Records of class attendance and scores on the final examination were
      reviewed. RESULTS: The most frequently cited reason for attending classes was
      social expectation (96%), whereas the least cited was learning well in a
      classroom-type setting (65%). The top reasons cited by students for not attending
      classes were availability of lectures online (35%), preference for individual
      study outside the classroom setting (26%), and the inconvenience of traveling to
      class (24%). Multivariate analysis found no statistically significant
      relationship between class attendance and performance on the final examination
      (estimate -0.074, standard error 0.12; P = 0.54) after adjusting for sex, age,
      Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score, having children at home, and reason
      for attending class. Those who prefer to learn by watching online videos scored
      significantly higher on the final examination (prefer online videos: 87 +/- 5.5;
      neutral: 86 +/- 5.9; do not prefer online videos: 82 +/- 2.6 [P = 0.049]).
      CONCLUSIONS: Class attendance was not associated with improved academic
      performance in a dermatology course. Those who preferred to learn by watching
      online videos demonstrated a higher level of performance than those who did not
      prefer to learn this way.

PMID- 26108265
TI  - A comparative study between the efficacy of oral cimetidine and low-dose systemic
      meglumine antimoniate (MA) with a standard dose of systemic MA in the treatment
      of cutaneous leishmaniasis.
AB  - Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major world health problem, which is increasing
      in incidence. Pentavalent antimonials have been considered as standard treatment
      for leishmaniasis. Many studies are performed to find an effective and safe
      treatment for patients with CL. The aim of this study was to compare the effect
      of oral cimetidine and low-dose systemic meglumine antimoniate (MA) with standard
      dose of systemic MA in the treatment of CL. This study was, to our knowledge, the
      first to show the effect of combination therapy oral cimetidine and MA in the
      treatment of CL all over the world. In this randomized double-blind placebo
      controlled clinical trial, 120 patients with suspected CL were referred to the
      Aleppo University Hospital Clinic; 90 of these patients with the clinical and
      parasitological diagnosis of CL were recruited and were randomly divided into
      three treatment groups of 30 subjects each. Group A was treated with MA 60
      mg/kg/d IM and oral placebo. Groups B and C received MA 30 mg/kg/d IM and oral
      cimetidine 1200 mg/d, MA 30 mg/kg/d IM and oral placebo, respectively. The
      duration of treatment was three weeks for all groups. The effectiveness of the
      treatment was classified in three levels as complete response, partial response,
      and no response. Data were analyzed by SPSS 19 using KI square, Mann-Whitney,
      Kaplan-Mayer, and ANOVA tests. At the end of the study (12 weeks), the rate of
      complete response was 91.11% in the first group, and 84.66% and 78.33% in groups
      B and C, respectively (P < 0.05). The highest response rate was for the group
      treated with a standard dose of systemic MA and placebo. Our results showed that
      although oral cimetidine and low-dose systemic MA had less efficacy in comparison
      to a standard dose of systemic MA in the treatment of CL, it still can be
      considered as a replacement therapy in high-risk patients (such as patients with
      heart, kidney, and/or liver disease) under close supervision of physicians. 

PMID- 26108266
TI  - Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection in patients with moderate to severe
      psoriasis taking biologic therapies in a dermatologic private practice in Miami,
      Florida.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reactivation of a latent tuberculosis infection is one of the
      possible major events that may occur during biologic therapies for inflammatory
      chronic diseases such as psoriasis. Although its main screening test is regularly
      used in clinical practice, there are few studies about the prevalence of this
      silent mycobacterial infection and the rate of positive convertors during
      treatment. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection
      (LTBI) in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis receiving biologic therapy
      by using tuberculin skin test as a screening method and to evaluate the rate of
      conversion of tuberculin skin test (TST) during the treatment with biologics.
      METHODS: A total of 445 patients were included in our retrospective study,
      conducted from January 2006 to September 2012. Tuberculin skin test was performed
      in all patients prior to treatment and once a year during the follow-up. PPD was
      considered positive with an induration above 5 mm, following the recommendations
      of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/ America Thoracic Society. Data
      analysis was obtained with SPSS 20.0. RESULTS: The prevalence of LTBI in our
      population before initiating the treatment was 4.5% by using TST screening
      method. During the treatment, 10 cases that were initially TST-negative became
      positive. Only one of the patients developed active tuberculosis infection. The
      other 9 TST-positive patients were detected during the regular annual screening,
      and no symptoms or findings on chest x-ray were seen. All the patients were
      treated with isoniazid (INH) for nine months, and biologic therapy was restarted
      after one month of treatment with INH without development of overt TB infection
      in any of them during the follow-up period of the study. The mean time to
      becoming TST positive from start date was 26.7 months (range from 8 months to 5
      years). As the PPD was done annually, it is unknown exactly when the patients
      became TST positive. Prior to initiating treatment, 20 patients were found to be
      TST positive. All patients had clear chest x-rays and were treated with nine
      months of INH prior to initiating biologic therapy at least month later.
      CONCLUSIONS: The use of a screening tool for LTBI is mandatory in patients taking
      biologic therapies to avoid severe infectious complications. Periodic follow-up
      is also crucial as positive results may be seen after prolonged use of these
      agents.

PMID- 26108267
TI  - The effect of dimethyl fumarate on gene expression and the level of cytokines
      related to different T helper cell subsets in peripheral blood mononuclear cells
      of patients with psoriasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fumaric acid esters such as dimethyl fumarate (DMF) have proven to be
      effective in the treatment of psoriasis. OBJECTIVES: In view of the role of Th17
      in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, the present study was conducted to investigate
      the effects of DMF on Th1, Th2, and Th17 responses in patients. METHODS:
      Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from psoriasis patients
      and healthy individuals and were cultured in the presence or absence of
      phytohemagglutinin and DMF. The cell supernatants were removed to measure
      cytokine secretion, and the lymphocytes were used for real-time polymerase chain
      reaction to establish gene expression. RESULTS: An increase in gene expression of
      interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), as a marker for Th1 activity, and interleukin-17
      (IL-17), granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and IL-22
      representing the Th17 subset in the PBMCs of patients in comparison with those of
      control subjects was observed. Culture of PBMCs from psoriasis patients and
      controls in the presence of DMF decreased IFN-gamma and increased IL-4 gene
      expression in both groups. Treatment with DMF could significantly decrease IL-17,
      GM-CSF, and IL-22 mRNA levels in the PBMCs of patients. Decreased release of IFN
      gamma and GM-CSF cytokine secretion after DMF treatment was also observed in PBMC
      cultures of patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS: These data show the effectiveness
      of DMF in modulating Th17 cells in addition to Th1/Th2 cells and reflect one of
      the underlying mechanisms of action of DMF in psoriasis. These findings may also
      support the possible benefits of using fumarate in the treatment of other
      autoimmune diseases in the pathogeneses of which Th1 and Th17 cells play major
      roles.

PMID- 26108268
TI  - Serum levels of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine can be used in the
      clinical evaluation of atopic dermatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease
      characterized by the predominant infiltration of Th2-type cells in lesional skin.
      Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) is overproduced in AD patients,
      and its serum levels are significantly higher in individuals with AD than in
      those with other inflammatory skin diseases. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this
      study was to examine whether serum levels of TARC can assess the severity of AD
      and be used in the clinical evaluation of AD. METHODS: A total of 73 AD patients,
      11 patients with generalized atopic eczema (AE), and 30 healthy control subjects
      were enrolled. SCORAD (SCORing of Atopic Dermatitis) indices were calculated
      according to skin symptom scores. The Th2 chemokines TARC kit was then used to
      obtain serum TARC values in each group. Finally, statistical analysis was used to
      identify any correlations between serum TARC level and SCORAD index in AD and AE
      patients. RESULTS: Mean serum TARC values were 159.95 in healthy controls, 146.46
      in the mild AD group, 202.71 in the moderate AD group, 1216.61 in the severe AD
      group and 1554.50 in the severe AE group. The serum TARC level was significantly
      correlated with SCORAD score in AD patients (P < 0.01). However, there was no
      significant correlation between SCORAD score and TARC in AE patients (P = 0.610).
      CONCLUSIONS: The serum TARC level can be used to assess the severity of AD and as
      a reference index for the fast clinical evaluation of AD.

PMID- 26108269
TI  - Changes in growth and maturation parameters of Pacific sardine Sardinops sagax
      collected off California during a period of stock recovery from 1994 to 2010.
AB  - Whether fluctuation in density influenced the growth and maturation variables of
      three aggregated cohorts (fish born during the 1986-1993, 1996-2003 and 2004-2008
      periods) of Pacific sardine Sardinops sagax caeruleus collected off the
      Californian coast from 2004 to 2010 was investigated. Using a von Bertalanffy
      mixed-effects model with aggregated cohorts as covariates, estimated growth rate
      significantly covaried with aggregated cohorts. Growth rate (K) was modelled as a
      fixed effect and estimated to be 0.264 +/- 0.015 (+/-s.e). Statistical contrasts
      among aggregated cohorts showed that the 1996-2003 cohorts had a significantly
      lower growth rate than the other two aggregated cohorts. The theoretical age at
      length zero (t0) and the standard length at infinity (L(Sinfinity)) were modelled
      as random effects, and were estimated to be -2.885 +/- 0.259 (+/-s.e) and 273.13
      +/- 6.533 mm (+/-s.e). The relation of ovary-free mass at length was
      significantly different among the three aggregated cohorts, with the allometric
      coefficient estimated to be 2.850 +/- 0.013 (+/-s.e) for the S. sagax population.
      The age-at-length trajectory of S. sagax born between 1986 and 2008 showed strong
      density dependence effects on somatic growth rates. In contrast to the density
      dependent nature of growth, the probability to be mature at-size or at-age was
      not significantly affected by aggregated cohort density. The size and the age-at
      50% maturity were estimated to be 150.92 mm and 0.56 years, respectively. Stock
      migration, natural fluctuations in biomass and removal of older and larger S.
      sagax by fishing might have been interplaying factors controlling growth
      parameters during 1986-2010.

PMID- 26108270
TI  - Evaluation of hGM-CSF/hTNFalpha surface-modified prostate cancer therapeutic
      vaccine in the huPBL-SCID chimeric mouse model.
AB  - To validate its efficacy in the context of the human immune system, a novel
      therapeutic vaccine of hGM-CSF/hTNFalpha surface-modified PC-3 cells against
      human prostate cancer was evaluated in the human peripheral blood lymphocytes
      severe combined immunodeficiency (huPBL-SCID) chimeric mouse model. The hGM-CSF
      or/and hTNFalpha modified vaccines inhibited prostate cancer growth effectively
      so as to prolong the mouse survival significantly. The splenocytes from the hGM
      CSF/hTNFalpha vaccine-inoculated mice showed the strongest tumor-specific
      cytotoxicity against PC-3 cells and the highest production of IFN?. These
      features indicated that type 1 protective immune response was induced efficiently
      against human prostate cancer and further enhanced through synergetic adjuvant
      effects of hGM-CSF and hTNFalpha. 

PMID- 26108271
TI  - Phthalate concentrations in house dust in relation to autism spectrum disorder
      and developmental delay in the CHildhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the
      Environment (CHARGE) study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that influence thyroid
      hormones and sex steroids, both critical for brain development. AIM: We studied
      phthalate concentrations in house dust in relation to the risks of developing
      autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or developmental delay (DD). METHODS: Participants
      were a subset of children from the CHARGE (CHildhood Autism Risks from Genetics
      and the Environment) case-control study. ASD and DD cases were identified through
      the California Department of Developmental Services system or referrals; general
      population controls were randomly sampled from state birth files and frequency
      matched on age, sex, and broad geographic region to ASD cases. All children (50
      ASD, 27 DD, 68 typically developing (TD)) were assessed with Mullen Scales of
      Early Learning, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) and Aberrant Behavior
      Checklist. We measured 5 phthalates in dust collected in the child's home using a
      high volume small surface sampler. RESULTS: None of the phthalates measured in
      dust was associated with ASD. After adjustment, we observed greater di(2
      ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and butylbenzyl phthalate (BBzP) concentrations in
      indoor dust from homes of DD children: Odds ratios (OR) were 2.10 (95% confidence
      interval (CI); 1.10; 4.09) and 1.40 (95% CI; 0.97; 2.04) for a one-unit increase
      in the ln-transformed DEHP and BBzP concentrations, respectively. Among TD
      children, VABS communication, daily living, and adaptive composite standard
      scores were lower, in association with increased diethyl phthalate (DEP)
      concentrations in dust. Participants with higher dibutyl phthalate (DBP)
      concentrations in house dust also trended toward reduced performance on these
      subscales. Among ASD and DD boys, higher indoor dust concentrations of DEP and
      DBP were associated with greater hyperactivity-impulsivity and inattention.
      DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: House dust levels of phthalates were not associated
      with ASD. The inability to distinguish past from recent exposures in house dust
      and the fact that house dust does not capture exposure from all sources, limit
      the interpretation of both positive and null findings and further work is needed.
      However, the associations observed for DEP and DBP with impairments in several
      adaptive functions and greater hyperactivity, along with evidence for increased
      risk of DD raise concerns that these chemicals may affect neurodevelopment in
      children.

PMID- 26108272
TI  - Infantile form of muscle phosphofructokinase deficiency in a premature neonate.
AB  - Muscle phosphofructokinase (PFK) deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive
      disease. We report the case of a preterm female infant who was diagnosed with the
      infantile form of phosphofructokinase deficiency due to a lack of PFK activity in
      her muscles, manifesting at a corrected age of 1 month as floppy infant syndrome,
      congenital joint contracture, cleft palate and duplication of the pelvicalyceal
      system. She died at a corrected age of 6 months due to respiratory failure. We
      further reviewed other infantile cases in the literature. Congenital hypotonia
      (78.6%), arthrogryposis (64.3%) and other systemic involvement including
      encephalopathy (35.7%) and cardiomyopathy (21.4%) are common presentations of the
      infantile form of PFK deficiency. The overall survival rate of the infantile form
      is low. The early recognition of multiple system involvement is essential to
      provide better clinical care for infants with the infantile form of PFK
      deficiency. 

PMID- 26108273
TI  - Risk factors for loss to follow-up prior to ART initiation among patients
      enrolling in HIV care with CD4+ cell count >=200 cells/MUL in the multi-country
      MTCT-Plus Initiative.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In resource-limited settings, many HIV-infected patients are lost to
      follow-up (LTF) before starting ART; risk factors among those not eligible for
      ART at enrollment into care are not well described. METHODS: We examined data
      from 4,278 adults (3,613 women, 665 men) enrolled in HIV care through March 2007
      in the MTCT-Plus Initiative with a CD4 count >=200 cells/mm(3) and WHO stage <= 2
      at enrollment. Patients were considered LTF if > 12 months elapsed since their
      last clinic visit. Gender-specific Cox regression models were used to assess LTF
      risk factors. RESULTS: The proportion LTF was 8.2 % at 12 months following
      enrollment, and was higher among women (8.4 %) than men (7.1 %). Among women, a
      higher risk of LTF was associated with younger age (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR]15
      19/30+: 2.8, 95 % CI:2.1-3.6; AHR20-24/30+:1.9, 95 % CI:1.7-2.2), higher baseline
      CD4 count (AHR350-499/200-349:1.5; 95 % CI:1.0-2.1; AHR500+/200-349:1.5; 95 %
      CI:1.0-2.0), and being pregnant at the last clinic visit (AHR:1.9, 95 % CI:1.4
      2.5). Factors associated with a lower risk of LTF included, employment outside
      the home (AHR:0.73, 95 % CI:0.59-0.90), co-enrollment of a family/household
      member (AHR:0.40, 95 % CI:0.26-0.61), and living in a household with >=4 people
      (AHR:0.74, 95 % CI:0.64-0.85). Among men, younger age (AHR15-19/30+: 2.1, 95 %
      CI:1.2-3.5 and AHR30-34/35+:1.5, 95 % CI:1.0-2.4) had a higher risk of LTF.
      Electricity in the home (AHR:0.61, 95 % CI:0.41-0.91) and living in a household
      with >=4 people (AHR:0.58, 95 % CI:0.39-0.85) had a lower risk of LTF.
      CONCLUSIONS: Socio-economic status and social support may be important
      determinants of retention in patients not yet eligible for ART. Among women of
      child-bearing age, strategies around sustaining HIV care during and after
      pregnancy require attention.

PMID- 26108274
TI  - Prevalence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium in giant panda
      (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in Sichuan province, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cryptosporidium spp. have been extensively reported to cause
      significant diarrheal disease in humans and domestic animals. On the contrary,
      little information is available on the prevalence and characterization of
      Cryptosporidium in wild animals in China, especially in giant pandas. The aim of
      the present study was to detect Cryptosporidium infections and identify
      Cryptosporidium species at the molecular level in both captive and wild giant
      pandas in Sichuan province, China. FINDINGS: Using a PCR approach, we amplified
      and sequenced the 18S rRNA gene from 322 giant pandas fecal samples (122 from 122
      captive individuals and 200 collected from four habitats) in Sichuan province,
      China. The Cryptosporidium species/genotypes were identified via a BLAST
      comparison against published Cryptosporidium sequences available in GenBank
      followed by phylogenetic analysis. The results revealed that both captive and
      wild giant pandas were infected with a single Cryptosporidium species, C.
      andersoni, at a prevalence of 15.6% (19/122) and 0.5% (1/200) in captive and wild
      giant pandas, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed the existence
      of C. andersoni in both captive and wild giant panda fecal samples for the first
      time, and also provided useful fundamental data for further research on the
      molecular epidemiology and control of Cryptosporidium infection in giant pandas.

PMID- 26108275
TI  - Ubiquitination and regulation of Smad7 in the TGF-beta1/Smad signaling of
      aristolochic acid nephropathy.
AB  - Aristolochic acid I (AAI) affects TGF-beta1/Smad signaling, which causes AA
      nephropathy (AAN), but the mechanisms are not fully understood. We aimed to
      clarify whether Arkadia and UCH37 participate in TGF-beta1/Smad signaling via
      Smad7, and the regulatory mechanisms of Smad7. One side, mice and cultured mouse
      renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) were treated with various AAI doses and
      concentrations, respectively; on the other side, RTECs were transfected with
      small interfering RNA (siRNA) expression vectors against Arkadia and UCH37 and
      then treated with 10 ug/ml AAI. And then detect the mRNA and protein levels of
      Smad7, UCH37, Arkadia and any other relative factors by RT-PCR and Western
      blotting. In kidney tissues and RTECs, the mRNA and protein levels of Smad7
      decreased with increasing AAI doses concentrations by real-time PCR and Western
      blotting, whereas those of Arkadia, UCH37, Smad2, Smad3 and TbetaRI increased.
      Cells transfected with the Arkadia siRNA expression vector showed reduced mRNA
      and protein levels of vimentin, alpha-SMA, Smad2, Smad3 and TbetaRI after AAI
      treatment, while those of CK18 and Smad7 increased compared with those of
      untransfected RTECs. Conversely, cells transfected with the UCH37 siRNA
      expression vector showed the opposite effect on analyzed signaling molecules
      after AAI treatment. Arkadia and UCH37 participate in TGF-beta1/Smad signaling
      mediated renal fibrosis, and Smad7 blocks TGF-beta1 signaling by inhibiting
      Smad2/Smad3 phosphorylation and enhancing the degradation of TbetaRI. 

PMID- 26108276
TI  - Evaluate the impact of neurogenic bladder in veterans with traumatic spinal cord
      injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This observational study aimed to determine the prevalence of
      neurogenic bladder (NGB), and its impact (frequency of urinary tract infection
      [UTI], autonomic dysreflexia (AD) pressure ulcers, spasticity, and
      hospitalization rates) on veterans with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).
      BACKGROUND: NGB (detrusor muscle and urethral sphincter dysfunction with loss of
      bladder sensation to void), secondary to SCI, is commonly encountered in daily
      practice; however, its impact on veterans' overall health has been less well
      studied. METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed the electronic charts of veterans
      with SCI enrolled in our program and regularly followed in our SCI clinic.
      Demographic data collected included: age, sex, race/ethnicity, and age, level,
      severity and cause of spinal injury. Also noted was presence of NGB, episodes of
      UTI, presence of pressure ulcers, AD, spasticity, and hospitalization rate.
      Differences between those with and without NGB were evaluated using Generalized
      Linear Models. RESULTS: Of 161 veterans with SCI, symptoms of NGB was present in
      133 (83%). Presence of NGB was associated with severe spinal cord injury.
      Veterans with NGB had more frequent UTI and presence of pressure ulcers (P <
      0.05). They also were more likely to need hospitalization and were at an
      increased risk of dying. CONCLUSION: Incidence of NGB in veterans with SCI is
      high, is mainly associated with severe spinal cord injury, and severely impacts
      veterans' health by frequently causing UTIs, increasing hospitalization rate, and
      increases risk of death.

PMID- 26108277
TI  - Quantitative proton imaging from multiple physics processes: a proof of concept.
AB  - Proton imaging is developed in order to improve the accuracy of charged particle
      therapy treatment planning. It makes it possible to directly map the relative
      stopping powers of the materials using the information on the energy loss of the
      protons. In order to reach a satisfactory spatial resolution in the reconstructed
      images, the position and direction of each particle is recorded upstream and
      downstream from the patient. As a consequence of individual proton detection,
      information on the transmission rate and scattering of the protons is available.
      Image reconstruction processes are proposed to make use of this information. A
      proton tomographic acquisition of an anthropomorphic head phantom was simulated.
      The transmission rate of the particles was used to reconstruct a map of the
      macroscopic cross section for nuclear interactions of the materials. A two-step
      iterative reconstruction process was implemented to reconstruct a map of the
      inverse scattering length of the materials using the scattering of the protons.
      Results indicate that, while the reconstruction processes should be optimized, it
      is possible to extract quantitative information from the transmission rate and
      scattering of the protons. This suggests that proton imaging could provide
      additional knowledge on the materials that may be of use to further improve
      treatment planning. 

PMID- 26108278
TI  - Long-term effects of cardiac rehabilitation in elderly individuals with stable
      coronary artery disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare exercise capacity and cardiovascular response to exercise in
      elderly individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD) who attend ongoing
      community-based maintenance cardiac rehabilitation (CR) versus age- and gender
      matched healthy "very active" (HVA; >= 2000 kcal/week) and healthy "less active"
      (HLA; <2000 kcal/week) individuals. METHOD: Sixty-three participants (age: 72.3
      +/- 5.1 years; 62% men; n = 21 per group) completed the following assessments:
      (1) symptom-limited graded exercise test with expired gas analysis and
      bioimpedance assessment of cardiovascular function during exercise; (2) walking
      tests; (3) physical function; (4) anthropometry and (5) 12-month physical
      activity recall. RESULTS: The CR group achieved 98% (range: 73-154%) of age- and
      gender-predicted peak oxygen consumption for healthy individuals. Peak oxygen
      consumption was lower in CR compared to HVA but not HLA group (VO2peak: CR: 19.0
      +/- 4.5, HVA: 23.7 +/- 2.9, HLA: 20.7 +/- 4.7 ml .kg(-1)cmin(-1), p = 0.001
      versus HVA; p = 0.390 versus HLA). Peak heart rate was lower in CR compared to
      both HVA and HLA. Walking test results and cardiovascular and physical function
      were not different between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly individuals with CAD
      participating in maintenance CR have similar exercise capacity and
      cardiorespiratory response to exercise compared to their age- and gender-matched
      less active healthy peers. The findings support referral of elderly patients to
      community-based CR. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Fitness benefits of long
      term maintenance cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs remain unknown. Elderly
      individuals with coronary artery disease participating in maintenance CR have
      exercise capacity and cardiorespiratory response to exercise similar to their
      less active healthy peers. Maintenance CR may play an important role prolonging
      independent living in elderly individuals.

PMID- 26108279
TI  - GDC 2: Compression of large collections of genomes.
AB  - The fall of prices of the high-throughput genome sequencing changes the landscape
      of modern genomics. A number of large scale projects aimed at sequencing many
      human genomes are in progress. Genome sequencing also becomes an important aid in
      the personalized medicine. One of the significant side effects of this change is
      a necessity of storage and transfer of huge amounts of genomic data. In this
      paper we deal with the problem of compression of large collections of complete
      genomic sequences. We propose an algorithm that is able to compress the
      collection of 1092 human diploid genomes about 9,500 times. This result is about
      4 times better than what is offered by the other existing compressors. Moreover,
      our algorithm is very fast as it processes the data with speed 200 MB/s on a
      modern workstation. In a consequence the proposed algorithm allows storing the
      complete genomic collections at low cost, e.g., the examined collection of 1092
      human genomes needs only about 700 MB when compressed, what can be compared to
      about 6.7 TB of uncompressed FASTA files. The source code is available at
      http://sun.aei.polsl.pl/REFRESH/index.php?page=projects&project=gdc&subpage=about

PMID- 26108280
TI  - Oculofaciocardiodental syndrome: novel BCOR mutations and expression in dental
      cells.

PMID- 26108281
TI  - Competition-cooperation relationship networks characterize the competition and
      cooperation between proteins.
AB  - By analyzing protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, one can find that a
      protein may have multiple binding partners. However, it is difficult to determine
      whether the interactions with these partners occur simultaneously from binary
      PPIs alone. Here, we construct the yeast and human competition-cooperation
      relationship networks (CCRNs) based on protein structural interactomes to clearly
      exhibit the relationship (competition or cooperation) between two partners of the
      same protein. If two partners compete for the same interaction interface, they
      would be connected by a competitive edge; otherwise, they would be connected by a
      cooperative edge. The properties of three kinds of hubs (i.e., competitive,
      modest, and cooperative hubs) are analyzed in the CCRNs. Our results show that
      competitive hubs have higher clustering coefficients and form clusters in the
      human CCRN, but these tendencies are not observed in the yeast CCRN. We find that
      the human-specific proteins contribute significantly to these differences.
      Subsequently, we conduct a series of computational experiments to investigate the
      regulatory mechanisms that avoid competition between proteins. Our comprehensive
      analyses reveal that for most yeast and human protein competitors,
      transcriptional regulation plays an important role. Moreover, the human-specific
      proteins have a particular preference for other regulatory mechanisms, such as
      alternative splicing. 

PMID- 26108282
TI  - Understanding nanocellulose chirality and structure-properties relationship at
      the single fibril level.
AB  - Nanocellulose fibrils are ubiquitous in nature and nanotechnologies but their
      mesoscopic structural assembly is not yet fully understood. Here we study the
      structural features of rod-like cellulose nanoparticles on a single particle
      level, by applying statistical polymer physics concepts on electron and atomic
      force microscopy images, and we assess their physical properties via quantitative
      nanomechanical mapping. We show evidence of right-handed chirality, observed on
      both bundles and on single fibrils. Statistical analysis of contours from
      microscopy images shows a non-Gaussian kink angle distribution. This is
      inconsistent with a structure consisting of alternating amorphous and crystalline
      domains along the contour and supports process-induced kink formation. The
      intrinsic mechanical properties of nanocellulose are extracted from
      nanoindentation and persistence length method for transversal and longitudinal
      directions, respectively. The structural analysis is pushed to the level of
      single cellulose polymer chains, and their smallest associated unit with a
      proposed 2 * 2 chain-packing arrangement. 

PMID- 26108283
TI  - Large Seebeck effect by charge-mobility engineering.
AB  - The Seebeck effect describes the generation of an electric potential in a
      conducting solid exposed to a temperature gradient. In most cases, it is
      dominated by an energy-dependent electronic density of states at the Fermi level,
      in line with the prevalent efforts towards superior thermoelectrics through the
      engineering of electronic structure. Here we demonstrate an alternative source
      for the Seebeck effect based on charge-carrier relaxation: a charge mobility that
      changes rapidly with temperature can result in a sizeable addition to the Seebeck
      coefficient. This new Seebeck source is demonstrated explicitly for Ni-doped
      CoSb3, where a marked mobility change occurs due to the crossover between two
      different charge-relaxation regimes. Our findings unveil the origin of pronounced
      features in the Seebeck coefficient of many other elusive materials characterized
      by a significant mobility mismatch. When utilized appropriately, this effect can
      also provide a novel route to the design of improved thermoelectric materials. 

PMID- 26108285
TI  - Protective Immunity and Reduced Renal Colonization Induced by Vaccines Containing
      Recombinant Leptospira interrogans Outer Membrane Proteins and Flagellin
      Adjuvant.
AB  - Leptospirosis is a global zoonotic disease caused by different Leptospira
      species, such as Leptospira interrogans, that colonize the renal tubules of wild
      and domestic animals. Thus far, attempts to develop effective leptospirosis
      vaccines, both for humans and animals, have failed to induce immune responses
      capable of conferring protection and simultaneously preventing renal
      colonization. In this study, we evaluated the protective immunity induced by
      subunit vaccines containing seven different recombinant Leptospira interrogans
      outer membrane proteins, including the carboxy-terminal portion of the
      immunoglobulinlike protein A (LigA(C)) and six novel antigens, combined with
      aluminum hydroxide (alum) or Salmonella flagellin (FliC) as adjuvants. Hamsters
      vaccinated with the different formulations elicited high antigen-specific
      antibody titers. Immunization with LigA(C), either with alum or flagellin,
      conferred protective immunity but did not prevent renal colonization. Similarly,
      animals immunized with LigA(C) or LigA(C) coadministered with six leptospiral
      proteins with alum adjuvant conferred protection but did not reduce renal
      colonization. In contrast, immunizing animals with the pool of seven antigens in
      combination with flagellin conferred protection and significantly reduced renal
      colonization by the pathogen. The present study emphasizes the relevance of
      antigen composition and added adjuvant in the efficacy of antileptospirosis
      subunit vaccines and shows the complex relationship between immune responses and
      renal colonization by the pathogen.

PMID- 26108284
TI  - Considerably Unfolded Transthyretin Monomers Preceed and Exchange with
      Dynamically Structured Amyloid Protofibrils.
AB  - Despite numerous studies, a detailed description of the transthyretin (TTR) self
      assembly mechanism and fibril structure in TTR amyloidoses remains unresolved.
      Here, using a combination of primarily small -angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and
      hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry (HXMS) analysis, we describe an unexpectedly
      dynamic TTR protofibril structure which exchanges protomers with highly unfolded
      monomers in solution. The protofibrils only grow to an approximate final size of
      2,900 kDa and a length of 70 nm and a comparative HXMS analysis of native and
      aggregated samples revealed a much higher average solvent exposure of TTR upon
      fibrillation. With SAXS, we reveal the continuous presence of a considerably
      unfolded TTR monomer throughout the fibrillation process, and show that a
      considerable fraction of the fibrillating protein remains in solution even at a
      late maturation state. Together, these data reveal that the fibrillar state
      interchanges with the solution state. Accordingly, we suggest that TTR
      fibrillation proceeds via addition of considerably unfolded monomers, and the
      continuous presence of amyloidogenic structures near the protofibril surface
      offers a plausible explanation for secondary nucleation. We argue that the
      presence of such dynamic structural equilibria must impact future therapeutic
      development strategies. 

PMID- 26108287
TI  - IP-10 Is a Sensitive Biomarker of Antigen Recognition in Whole-Blood Stimulation
      Assays Used for the Diagnosis of Mycobacterium bovis Infection in African
      Buffaloes (Syncerus caffer).
AB  - African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) are maintenance hosts of Mycobacterium bovis,
      the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis. They act as reservoirs of this
      infection for a wide range of wildlife and domestic species, and the detection of
      infected animals is important to control the geographic spread and transmission
      of the disease. Interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) release assays (IGRAs) utilizing
      pathogen-derived peptide antigens are highly specific tests of M. bovis
      infection; however, the diagnostic sensitivities of these assays are suboptimal.
      We evaluated the diagnostic utility of measuring antigen-dependent interferon
      gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10) release as an alternative to measuring IFN-gamma
      levels. M. bovis-exposed buffaloes were tested using the Bovigam PC-EC and
      Bovigam PC-HP assays and a modified QuantiFERON TB-Gold (mQFT) assay. IP-10 was
      measured in the harvested plasma and was produced in significantly greater
      abundance in response to M. bovis antigens in Bovigam-positive than in Bovigam
      negative animals. For each assay, using the Bovigam results as a reference,
      receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was done to determine
      diagnostically relevant cutoff values for IP-10. Thereafter, mQFT test results
      derived from measurement of IP-10 and IFN-gamma were compared and a larger number
      of Bovigam-positive animals were detected using IP-10 as a diagnostic marker.
      Moreover, using IP-10, agreement between the mQFT assay and the Bovigam assays
      was increased, while the excellent agreement between the Bovigam assays was
      retained. We conclude that IP-10 is a sensitive marker of antigen recognition and
      that measurement of this cytokine in antigen-stimulated whole blood might
      increase the sensitivity of conventional IGRAs in African buffaloes. 

PMID- 26108286
TI  - International Laboratory Comparison of Influenza Microneutralization Assays for
      A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2), and A(H5N1) Influenza Viruses by CONSISE.
AB  - The microneutralization assay is commonly used to detect antibodies to influenza
      virus, and multiple protocols are used worldwide. These protocols differ in the
      incubation time of the assay as well as in the order of specific steps, and even
      within protocols there are often further adjustments in individual laboratories.
      The impact these protocol variations have on influenza serology data is unclear.
      Thus, a laboratory comparison of the 2-day enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA) and 3-day hemagglutination (HA) microneutralization (MN) protocols, using
      A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2), and A(H5N1) viruses, was performed by the CONSISE
      Laboratory Working Group. Individual laboratories performed both assay protocols,
      on multiple occasions, using different serum panels. Thirteen laboratories from
      around the world participated. Within each laboratory, serum sample titers for
      the different assay protocols were compared between assays to determine the
      sensitivity of each assay and were compared between replicates to assess the
      reproducibility of each protocol for each laboratory. There was good correlation
      of the results obtained using the two assay protocols in most laboratories,
      indicating that these assays may be interchangeable for detecting antibodies to
      the influenza A viruses included in this study. Importantly, participating
      laboratories have aligned their methodologies to the CONSISE consensus 2-day
      ELISA and 3-day HA MN assay protocols to enable better correlation of these
      assays in the future. 

PMID- 26108289
TI  - Hydrophobic zeolites coated with microporous organic polymers: adsorption
      behavior of ammonia under humid conditions.
AB  - ZSM-5 nanoparticles coated with microporous organic polymers showed 88% retention
      of ammonia adsorption capacity at 43% RH. 

PMID- 26108288
TI  - Evaluation of the Immunogenicity of Mycobacterium bovis BCG Delivered by Aerosol
      to the Lungs of Macaques.
AB  - Nine million cases of tuberculosis (TB) were reported in 2013, with a further 1.5
      million deaths attributed to the disease. When delivered as an intradermal (i.d.)
      injection, the Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccine provides limited protection,
      whereas aerosol delivery has been shown to enhance efficacy in experimental
      models. In this study, we used the rhesus macaque model to characterize the
      mucosal and systemic immune response induced by aerosol-delivered BCG vaccine.
      Aerosol delivery of BCG induced both Th1 and Th17 cytokine responses.
      Polyfunctional CD4 T cells were detected in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid
      and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) 8 weeks following vaccination in a
      dose-dependent manner. A similar trend was seen in peripheral gamma interferon
      (IFN-gamma) spot-forming units measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot
      (ELISpot) assay and serum anti-purified protein derivative (PPD) IgG levels. CD8
      T cells predominantly expressed cytokines individually, with pronounced tumor
      necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) production by BAL fluid cells. T-cell memory
      phenotype analysis revealed that CD4 and CD8 populations isolated from BAL fluid
      samples were polarized toward an effector memory phenotype, whereas the
      frequencies of peripheral central memory T cells increased significantly and
      remained elevated following aerosol vaccination. Expression patterns of the
      alpha4beta1 integrin lung homing markers remained consistently high on CD4 and
      CD8 T cells isolated from BAL fluid and varied on peripheral T cells. This
      characterization of aerosol BCG vaccination highlights features of the resulting
      mycobacterium-specific immune response that may contribute to the enhanced
      protection previously reported in aerosol BCG vaccination studies and will inform
      future studies involving vaccines delivered to the mucosal surfaces of the lung. 

PMID- 26108291
TI  - Metal and base free synthesis of primary amines via ipso amination of
      organoboronic acids mediated by [bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodo]benzene (PIFA).
AB  - A metal and base free synthesis of primary amines has been developed at ambient
      temperature through ipso amination of diversely functionalized organoboronic
      acids, employing a combination of [bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodo]benzene (PIFA)-N
      bromosuccinimide (NBS) and methoxyamine hydrochloride as the aminating reagent.
      The amines were primarily obtained as their trifluoroacetate salts which on
      subsequent aqueous alkaline work up provided the corresponding free amines. The
      combination of PIFA-NBS is found to be the mildest choice compared to the
      commonly used strong bases (e.g. n-BuLi, Cs2CO3) for activating the aminating
      agent. The reaction is expected to proceed via activation of the aminating
      reagent followed by B-N 1,2-aryl migration. 

PMID- 26108292
TI  - Heterostructure of AuAg nanoparticles tipping on Ag2S quantum tubes.
AB  - We report synthesis of a novel metal-semiconductor heterostructure, in which AuAg
      alloy nanoparticles locate at Ag2S quantum tube tips. Ag2S quantum tubes have
      ultrathin walls below 1 nm thickness. The formation mechanism, UV-vis,
      luminescence and photoelectrochemical activity of the prepared heterostructure
      were further studied. 

PMID- 26108293
TI  - Robot guidance of an ultrasound probe toward a 3D region of interest detected
      through X-ray mammography.
AB  - PURPOSE: This research is situated in the context of breast cancer detection
      where the standard procedure is the succession of an initial mammography (MX)
      examination and a supplementary ultrasound (US) scan. One major difficulty of
      this procedure results from the fact that breast geometry changes between both
      examinations due to different patient's positions. The proposed system
      facilitates this combined examination by keeping the breast geometry and by
      adding a US probe guidance robot to the mammography system. METHODS: A
      comanipulation system is set up where the robot and user simultaneously
      manipulate the probe toward the target previously localized in MX images.
      Calibration procedures and robot control are detailed. RESULTS: A test protocol
      was presented to conduct two tests that are both related to the medical
      application. The first tests aim at evaluating robot guidance for localizing a
      lesion which was previously defined in the X-ray images. The second tests aim at
      quantifying robot influence when scanning a target lesion. The studied task
      consists of a pointing/scanning exercise, where the US beam intersects a breast
      lesion. CONCLUSIONS: The experiments show a significant increase in examination
      quality when using robot guidance as compared to the nonassisted examination.

PMID- 26108294
TI  - Three-dimensional modeling of an individualized functional masticatory system and
      bite force analysis with an orthodontic bite plate.
AB  - PURPOSE: Orthodontic tooth movement is affected by bite forces generated from the
      masticatory system. This study aims to study three-dimensional (3D) modeling of
      the individualized functional masticatory system and explore its application in
      orthodontics. METHODS: An individualized masticatory system model containing the
      craniomaxilla, mandible, 4 pairs of primary masticatory muscles and complete
      dentition, including roots and precise dental crowns, was developed using 3D
      images from spiral computed tomography and digital casts. By registering global
      coordinates and using data transformation, individual movement data for
      mandibular opening, lateral excursion and protrusion were recorded with an Arcus
      Digma system and applied to this model to simulate the functional movements of
      the mandible. Using the finite element method, deformations and displacement of
      the masticatory muscles were simulated along with the mandibular movements. Under
      individualized muscle loading, the bite forces of the lower incisors with the
      orthodontic bite plate were analyzed. RESULTS: Individualized mandibular
      movements were simulated, and the performance of the masticatory muscles along
      with the mandibular movements was measured. The bite force generated on the lower
      incisors with different thicknesses and the orientations of the orthodontic bite
      plate were acquired. CONCLUSION: An individualized 3D masticatory system model
      was constructed using advanced 3D data processing software that integrated 3D
      images from different sources. Individualized mandibular movement and masticatory
      muscle performance were simulated using this model. The analysis of the bite
      force generated on the lower incisors with the orthodontic bite plate suggested
      that a thickness of 3 mm may be appropriate for clinical use.

PMID- 26108295
TI  - Dynamics of Cellular Reorientation on a Substrate under Biaxial Cyclic Stretches.
AB  - It is widely known that mechanical signals such as force, geometry, and substrate
      elasticity can be utilized by cells to regulate their structures, functions, and
      behaviors. However, the exact nature of the underlying mechanisms of cellular
      mechanosensing is unclear. Recently, extensive experiments on cellular
      reorientation dynamics on a substrate under biaxial cyclic stretches were
      performed, and the measured behaviors were found to be incompatible with existing
      theories. Here, we show that a theoretical model based on both tensile and
      shearing forces on focal adhesions (FAs) is capable of reproducing the new
      experimental data. This work provides important mechanistic insights into how
      behaviors of FAs can strongly affect cellular reorientation dynamics on a
      cyclically stretched substrate. 

PMID- 26108296
TI  - Lead Iodide Thin Film Crystallization Control for High-Performance and Stable
      Solution-Processed Perovskite Solar Cells.
AB  - PbI2 thin film crystallization control is a prerequisite of high-quality
      perovskite thin film for sequentially solution-processed perovskite solar cells.
      An efficient and simple method has been developed by adding HCl to improve
      perovskite thin film quality, and an efficiency of 15.2% is obtained. This
      approach improves coverage, uniformity, and stability of pervoskite thin film. 

PMID- 26108297
TI  - Accidents and Incidents Related to Intravenous Drug Administration: A Pre-Post
      Study Following Implementation of Smart Pumps in a Teaching Hospital.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Smart pumps are expected to prevent and reduce medication errors.
      The implementation of smart pumps requires a significant effort and collaboration
      of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other stakeholders. OBJECTIVES: The main
      objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of new smart pumps on reported
      drug-related accidents and incidents (AIs). METHOD: This is a descriptive
      retrospective pre-post study conducted at a women's and pediatric hospital with
      500 beds. A strong multidisciplinary team (nurse, pharmacist, pharmacy resident,
      physician, biomedical technician, information technology technician, patient
      safety officer, manager) was involved in the planning, implementation, and
      monitoring technology implementation. A total of 1045 smart pumps were
      implemented in 2011 in our hospital. The reported number of AIs related to
      intravenous drug administration (AIIV) before and after the implementation of
      1045 smart pumps were collected. RESULTS: A total of 2911 AI events related to
      medications, devices, and equipment were self-reported by clinical staff in the
      pre-phase (Y0), 3523 in the post-phase (Y1), and 2788 in the post-phase (Y2). The
      total AIIV increased from 1432 in Y0 to 1834 in Y1 and decreased to 1389 in Y2.
      CONCLUSIONS: We observed no risk reduction associated with the implementation of
      smart pumps in a 500 bed mother-child hospital. Further studies are required to
      explore the details of the potential risk reduction associated with the use of
      smart pumps.

PMID- 26108298
TI  - Evaluating AE Reporting of Two Off-Patent Biologics to Inform Future Biosimilar
      Naming and Reporting Practices.
AB  - Historical studies of voluntary, spontaneous drug reports show poor attribution
      of adverse events to generic versions of commonly prescribed medications. As
      biosimilars enter the market place, it may be similarly difficult to accurately
      attribute adverse events to their respective reference products. At this time,
      lack of global consensus with regard to biosimilar naming conventions may result
      in drug reporting confusion, misattribution of adverse events and insufficient
      active monitoring of safety signals. Now, with the first biosimilar approval in
      the USA and many biosimilars expected to be launched globally in the near future,
      US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance on biosimilar naming conventions
      will be essential. To inform the FDA and the global drug development community,
      the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (Tufts CSDD) examined primary
      suspect reports sent to the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from US
      reporters for two biologics that have lost patent exclusivity--somatropin and
      human insulin--and extracted 4703 insulin reports and 6487 somatropin reports
      from FAERS. The results show that reporting practices are inconsistent between
      the two biologics that were evaluated and that manufacturer identifiability and
      traceability are lacking. Ways to improve biosimilar naming conventions and
      improve reporting practices are suggested.

PMID- 26108300
TI  - Emotional competencies in geriatric nursing: empirical evidence from a computer
      based large scale assessment calibration study.
AB  - The care of older people was described as involving substantial emotion-related
      affordances. Scholars in vocational training and nursing disagree whether emotion
      related skills could be conceptualized and assessed as a professional competence.
      Studies on emotion work and empathy regularly neglect the multidimensionality of
      these phenomena and their relation to the care process, and are rarely conclusive
      with respect to nursing behavior in practice. To test the status of emotion
      related skills as a facet of client-directed geriatric nursing competence, 402
      final-year nursing students from 24 German schools responded to a 62-item
      computer-based test. 14 items were developed to represent emotion-related
      affordances. Multi-dimensional IRT modeling was employed to assess a potential
      subdomain structure. Emotion-related test items did not form a separate
      subdomain, and were found to be discriminating across the whole competence
      continuum. Tasks concerning emotion work and empathy are reliable indicators for
      various levels of client-directed nursing competence. Claims for a distinct
      emotion-related competence in geriatric nursing, however, appear excessive with a
      process-oriented perspective. 

PMID- 26108299
TI  - Pharmacogenetics of Drug-Induced QT Interval Prolongation: An Update.
AB  - A prolonged QT interval is an important risk factor for ventricular arrhythmias
      and sudden cardiac death. QT prolongation can be caused by drugs. There are
      multiple risk factors for drug-induced QT prolongation, including genetic
      variation. QT prolongation is one of the most common reasons for withdrawal of
      drugs from the market, despite the fact that these drugs may be beneficial for
      certain patients and not harmful in every patient. Identifying genetic variants
      associated with drug-induced QT prolongation might add to tailored
      pharmacotherapy and prevent beneficial drugs from being withdrawn unnecessarily.
      In this review, our objective was to provide an overview of the genetic
      background of drug-induced QT prolongation, distinguishing pharmacokinetic and
      pharmacodynamic pathways. Pharmacokinetic-mediated genetic susceptibility is
      mainly characterized by variation in genes encoding drug-metabolizing cytochrome
      P450 enzymes or drug transporters. For instance, the P-glycoprotein drug
      transporter plays a role in the pharmacokinetic susceptibility of drug-induced QT
      prolongation. The pharmacodynamic component of genetic susceptibility is mainly
      characterized by genes known to be associated with QT interval duration in the
      general population and genes in which the causal mutations of congenital long QT
      syndromes are located. Ethnicity influences susceptibility to drug-induced QT
      interval prolongation, with Caucasians being more sensitive than other
      ethnicities. Research on the association between pharmacogenetic interactions and
      clinical endpoints such as sudden cardiac death is still limited. Future studies
      in this area could enable us to determine the risk of arrhythmias more adequately
      in clinical practice. 

PMID- 26108301
TI  - Animacy-Based Accessibility and Competition in Relative Clause Production in
      Hindi and Malayalam.
AB  - Two studies investigated interaction of animacy-based accessibility and
      competition processes with language specific constraints in shaping production
      preferences. Relative clause elicitation tasks (Gennari et al. in Cogn Psychol
      65:141-176, 2012) were performed by two groups with 40 participants in each.
      Significantly more passives were produced with animate question/focus and
      assigned subject function to them in Malayalam, while the difference was
      insignificant in Hindi with animacy not equating with grammatical function
      assignment. Both languages produced active objects with OSV order significantly
      more with animate question/focus. This indicates animacy effect on word order.
      Animacy also influenced the expression of the agent phase in both languages as a
      tendency was found to omit the agent by-phase or to delay its appearance, when
      the two animate nouns entering into the structure are highly similar. The results
      point to language specific constraints in relative clause production and
      variability in the role of animacy-based retrieval order across languages. 

PMID- 26108302
TI  - Artificial ascites is feasible and effective for difficult-to-ablate
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer death
      worldwide. Curative treatments for early-stage HCC include local ablation,
      hepatic resection, and liver transplant. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a
      minimally invasive treatment and can be used in patients who have an increased
      risk of hepatic resection, including a liver reserve of Child-Pugh B status and
      suboptimal general condition. However, a difficult location of HCC can interfere
      with the performance of RFA because of a conspicuous lesion, poor electrode path,
      or increased risk of thermal injury to adjacent organs. Difficult locations
      include tumors abutting the diaphragm or near vital organs such as the
      gastrointestinal tract and gallbladder. Because artificial ascites can provide an
      improved sonic view and protects adjacent vital organs from thermal injury, it
      widens the indication of RFA in the treatment of HCC. The systemic review showed
      that the technique of artificial ascites has a high success rate (>90 %) without
      the clear appearance of severe adverse events such as intraperitoneal hemorrhage
      or gastrointestinal perforation. The risk of intraperitoneal seeding is not
      increased. In addition, the therapeutic effectiveness, such as the complete
      ablation rate or local tumor progression rate, remains satisfactory for difficult
      to-ablate HCCs. In conclusion, RFA after infusion of artificial ascites is
      feasible and effective for difficult-to-ablate HCCs. However, because data on the
      local tumor progression rate, heat-sink effect, and intraperitoneal seeding are
      scarce, additional studies are required.

PMID- 26108303
TI  - IL-10 and IL-17F Promoter Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Asthma: A Case
      Control Study in South India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies have assessed the association between IL-17F and IL
      10 promoter polymorphisms and asthma, but the results were conflicting.
      Furthermore, few studies have evaluated the association of cytokine polymorphisms
      with asthma and its clinical phenotypes. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to
      evaluate the association of IL-10 (interleukin 10) and IL-17F (interleukin 17F)
      promoter polymorphisms (rs1800871, rs1800896 and rs1889570) with asthma and its
      clinical phenotypes including severity, atopic status, spirometric parameters,
      and response to treatment in south Indian population. A sub-study was conducted
      to assess cytokine levels in subjects with different gene variants. METHODS: IL
      10 and IL-17F polymorphisms were genotyped in 419 asthmatic patients and 393
      controls using Mass ARRAY. RESULTS: Our results showed an association between IL
      10 SNPs and mild asthma. No association was found with any of three SNPs in
      moderate to severe asthma. Comparison of genotype distribution of IL-17F
      rs1887570 AA variant among atopic and non-atopic patients showed significant
      difference (p = 0.024). Correlation analysis of IL-10 and IL-17F SNPs to clinical
      variables showed a positive correlation between IL-17F rs1887570 AA and number of
      allergen sensitized (rs = 0.142, p = 0.004). Significant improvement in lung
      function was observed after 2 months of ICS (Inhaled corticosteroids) and LABA
      (long acting beta2 agonist) treatment in all subjects with no statistically
      significant difference among SNPs variants. Cytokines levels were similar in
      different SNP variants. CONCLUSION: We observed an association between IL-10
      rs1800871 and rs1800896 SNPs and mild asthma, as well as IL-17F rs1887570 AA
      variant and number of allergens sensitized.

PMID- 26108304
TI  - A comprehensive review of the pharmacodynamics of the SGLT2 inhibitor
      empagliflozin in animals and humans.
AB  - Empagliflozin (formerly known as BI 10773) is a potent, competitive, and
      selective inhibitor of the sodium glucose transporter SGLT2, which mediates
      glucose reabsorption in the early proximal tubule and most of the glucose
      reabsorption by the kidney, overall. Accordingly, empagliflozin treatment
      increased urinary glucose excretion. This has been observed across multiple
      species including humans and was reported under euglycemic conditions, in obesity
      and, most importantly, in type 2 diabetic patients and multiple animal models of
      type 2 diabetes and of type 1 diabetes. This led to a reduction in blood glucose,
      smaller blood glucose excursions during oral glucose tolerance tests, and, upon
      chronic treatment, a reduction in HbA1c in animal models and patients. In
      rodents, such effects were observed in early and late phases of experimental
      diabetes and were associated with preservation of pancreatic beta-cell function.
      Combination studies in animals demonstrated that beneficial metabolic effects of
      empagliflozin may also manifest when added to other types of anti-hyperglycemic
      treatments including linagliptin and pioglitazone. While some anti-hyperglycemic
      drugs lead to weight gain, empagliflozin treatment was associated with reduced
      body weight in normoglycemic obese and non-obese animals despite an increased
      food intake, largely due to a loss of adipose tissue; on the other hand,
      empagliflozin preserved body weight in models of type 1 diabetes. Empagliflozin
      improved endothelial dysfunction in diabetic rats and arterial stiffness, reduced
      blood pressure in diabetic patients, and attenuated early signs of nephropathy in
      diabetic animal models. Taken together, the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin
      improves glucose metabolism by enhancing urinary glucose excretion; upon chronic
      administration, at least in animal models, the reductions in blood glucose levels
      are associated with beneficial effects on cardiovascular and renal complications
      of diabetes. 

PMID- 26108305
TI  - How Long Do Adolescents Wait for Psychiatry Appointments?
AB  - Appointment wait times are a neglected dimension of children's access to
      psychiatry. We systematically examined how long an adolescent waits for a new
      patient appointment with a psychiatrist for routine medication management. From
      state directories, we identified 578 providers of adolescent psychiatric care in
      Ohio. Researchers posing as parents telephoned randomly selected offices, seeking
      care for a hypothetical 14-year-old patient under different scenarios. Overall,
      we measured 498 wait times at 140 unique offices. The median wait time was 50
      days (interquartile range = 29-81 days). In adjusted models, adolescents with
      Medicaid waited longer than those with private insurance, especially during the
      spring (geometric mean = 50.9 vs. 41.9 days; p = 0.02). Wait times also varied
      markedly by region, with geometric means ranging from 22.4 to 75.1 days (p <
      0.01). This study demonstrates that adolescents often experience lengthy wait
      times for routine care. This methodology represents a useful approach to real
      time monitoring of psychiatric services.

PMID- 26108306
TI  - Rapunzel syndrome presenting as jejuno-jejunal intussusception.
AB  - The term Rapunzel syndrome is used to describe a trichobezoar of the stomach with
      a long tail of hair extending into the duodenum and small intestine. It is a rare
      clinical entity, and it is even rarer in these cases that jejuno-jejunal
      intussusception and resulting intestinal obstruction is a presenting feature. We
      report one such case, a young female who presented in the emergency department
      with abdominal pain and bilious vomiting of short duration. Contrast-enhanced CT
      of the abdomen enabled a diagnosis of a trichobezoar in the stomach extending
      into the small gut, along with jejuno-jejunal intussusception. On exploration,
      gastrotomy was performed to remove the gastric trichobezoar, and jejuno-jejunal
      intussusception was found on three segments in the proximal jejunum, which was
      resolved upon complete removal of the tail of the bezoar. This case report is
      unusual, since intussusception is a rare occurrence in Rapunzel syndrome, and
      this is the first time that it has been diagnosed preoperatively. 

PMID- 26108307
TI  - Testing of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in Patients With Chronic
      Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to develop the Arabic version of the Hospital
      Anxiety and Depression Scale (A-HADS) and test its psychometric proprieties for
      the assessment of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD). METHOD: The A-HADS and Quality of Life Index Pulmonary
      version were completed by 67 Jordanian patients with COPD. RESULTS: Cronbach's
      alpha coefficient has been found to be 0.75 for the A-HADS anxiety subscale and
      0.82 for the A-HADS depression subscale. A-HADS scores correlated significantly
      with the Quality of Life Index Pulmonary version and demonstrated construct
      validity. IMPLICATIONS: This preliminary validation study supports the A-HADS as
      a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of anxiety and depression in
      Arabic speaking patients with COPD.

PMID- 26108308
TI  - Ganglion Impar Blocks for Coccydynia: A Case Series Prerequisite for Efficacy
      Trial.

PMID- 26108309
TI  - [Febrile seizures: some issues related to the diagnosis and treatment].
AB  - Febrile seizures are the most common convulsive disorder and one of the most
      common nervous system diseases in childhood. Generally, the prognosis is good.
      Recent studies have revealed a greater understanding about many issues related to
      the diagnosis and treatment of febrile seizures, including the definition of
      febrile seizures, clinical diagnosis and evaluation, drug treatment, and
      prevention. Clinicians should note the association between febrile seizures and
      epilepsy syndromes. Excessive examination and treatment for patients should be
      avoided. Effective communication with the parents of patients and health
      education are also the key points of diagnosis and treatment. 

PMID- 26108310
TI  - [Etiology and diagnosis of intellectual disability].
AB  - Intellectual disability, occurring in 1%-3% of the general population, is a
      common disease of the nervous system in children. Since diverse genetic and
      environmental factors contribute to its pathogenesis, the etiological diagnosis
      of intellectual disability is challenging with respect to the selection of
      diagnostic tests. It is important to determine the etiology of intellectual
      disability for the assessment of prognosis, treatment and the family plan. This
      paper summarizes the research progress in etiology and diagnosis for intellectual
      disability and introduces the recommended clinical genetics diagnostic approach
      from the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

PMID- 26108311
TI  - [Progress in diagnosis and treatment of intracranial hypertension and
      hydrocephalus in children with intracranial infections].
AB  - Intracranial infections are one of the most common neurological diseases in
      children and are associated with high mortality and morbidity. Intracranial
      hypertension and hydrocephalus are the common, fatal complications of
      intracranial infections, so early diagnosis and timely treatment are the keys to
      saving patients' lives and reducing neurological sequelae. This paper introduces
      the progress in the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of intracranial
      hypertension and hydrocephalus in children with intracranial infections. 

PMID- 26108312
TI  - [MRI-DTI evaluation of punctate cerebral white matter damage in preterm infants].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate different degrees of punctate cerebral white matter damage
      (CWMD) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and to investigate the value of DTI
      for CWMD in preterm infants. METHODS: Thirty-one preterm infants who were
      hospitalized in the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University between
      November 2011 and April 2012 were enrolled and divided into focal CWMD (n=11),
      widespread CWMD (n=10), and normal groups (n=10). The apparent diffusion
      coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values were determined in the
      periventricular regions of patients in three groups, and comparison of the two
      indices between the three groups was performed using one-way analysis of
      variance. The correlation between the changes in ADC and FA values was analyzed
      using the Pearson coefficient, and the color-encoded FA maps in the three groups
      were evaluated. RESULTS: The ADC values in the focal CWMD and widespread CWMD
      groups were both significantly higher than in the normal group, while the FA
      values in the focal CWMD and widespread CWMD groups were both significantly lower
      than in the normal group. The FA value in the widespread CWMD group was
      significantly lower than in the focal CWMD group. The color-encoded FA maps after
      post-processing indicated that the normal group had the highest FA value in the
      periventricular white matter regions, followed by the focal CWMD group and the
      widespread CWMD group. CONCLUSIONS: The DTI technique can quantitatively evaluate
      the degree of punctate CWMD. The FA value may be more accurate than the ADC value
      in the evaluation of CWMD.

PMID- 26108313
TI  - [Association of mammalian target of rapamycin gene polymorphisms with the risk of
      pediatric epilepsy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the association between two single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNP), rs2295080 and rs2536, in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) gene and the
      susceptibility to pediatric epilepsy. METHODS: A case- control study was
      performed on 480 children with epilepsy (116 cases of refractory epilepsy) and
      503 healthy children. SNP rs2295080 and rs2536 in the mTOR gene were detected by
      polymerase chain reaction restriction and fragment length polymorphisms (PCR
      RFLP). Genotype and allele frequencies of SNP rs2295080 and rs2536 were compared
      between the children with epilepsy and healthy controls. RESULTS: There were no
      significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of SNP rs2295080
      between the children with epilepsy and healthy controls. There were no
      significant differences in the genotype frequencies of SNP rs2536 between the two
      groups either, but the frequency of G allele of SNP rs2536 was higher in children
      with epilepsy than that in healthy controls (P=0.042, OR=1.344, 95%CI: 1.010
      1.789). CONCLUSIONS: SNP rs2536 of mTOR gene may be associated with the risk of
      pediatric epilepsy.

PMID- 26108314
TI  - [Investigation of psychological state and its influencing factors in children
      with epilepsy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychological state of children with epilepsy and
      analyze its influencing factors. METHODS: The Mental Health Scale for Child and
      Adolescent was used to survey 113 children with epilepsy and 114 normal children
      to evaluate and compare their psychological state. Questionnaires were used to
      investigate the general status of all subjects and the disease condition and
      treatment of children with epilepsy. The possible influencing factors for the
      psychological state of children with epilepsy were analyzed. RESULTS: The mental
      health status of children with epilepsy was poorer than that of normal children
      in cognition, thinking, emotion, will-behavior, and personality traits (P<0.05).
      Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that family education, family
      relations, seizure frequency, seizure duration, EEG epileptiform discharges in
      the last six months, and number of types of antiepileptic drugs were correlated
      with the psychological state of children with epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: There is a
      wider range of psychological health problems in children with epilepsy than in
      normal children. Poor family living environment, poor seizure control, and use of
      many antiepileptic drugs are the risk factors affecting the psychological state
      of children with epilepsy. Improving family living environment, controlling
      seizures, and monotherapy help to improve the psychological state of children
      with epilepsy.

PMID- 26108315
TI  - [Relationship between Panayiotopoulos syndrome and Rolandic epilepsy].

PMID- 26108316
TI  - [Purulent meningitis caused by group B streptococcus: report of two cases].

PMID- 26108317
TI  - [Progressive motor and intellectual retardation for more than one year in a 4
      year-old boy].

PMID- 26108318
TI  - [Intermittent convulsions and progressive motor and intelligence regression for 4
      years in a 11-year-old girl].

PMID- 26108319
TI  - [Behavioral dysfunction for half a month accompanied by abnormal movements and
      sleep disorders for 5 days in a more than 2-year-old girl].

PMID- 26108320
TI  - [Association between some factors in maternal pregnancy and childhood asthma with
      an onset before 3 years of age].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the association between some factors in maternal pregnancy
      and childhood asthma with an onset before 3 years of age, and to provide a basis
      for the prevention and treatment of childhood asthma and further research on its
      pathogenesis. METHODS: A retrospective clinical epidemiological study was carried
      out in 100 children with asthma (age of onset<3 years) and 100 children without
      allergic disease who were randomly selected as controls. The related information
      of children and mothers was investigated by questionnaire survey, including
      general information, medical history, personal and family allergic history,
      perinatal data, and mothers' health and lifestyle during their pregnancy such as
      diet, disease, and environmental exposure. The main survey indices were
      preliminarily analyzed, selected, and assigned, and then the data were subjected
      to univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The
      univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the fetal
      sex, history of atopic disease before pregnancy, history of respiratory infection
      in pregnancy, and the intake of fish, shrimp, crab, meat and spicy food in
      pregnancy were significantly associated with childhood asthma with an onset
      before 3 years of age, with odds ratios of 2.868, 5.051, 4.640, 3.746, 2.971,
      3.075, and 2.225, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Many factors in maternal pregnancy
      are associated with childhood asthma with an onset before 3 years of age, and the
      risk of which can be reduced by the prevention of respiratory infection and
      appropriate diet in pregnancy.

PMID- 26108321
TI  - [Quality control for maximal expiratory flow-volume curve as a pulmonary function
      test in school-age children].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality control for the maximal expiratory flow-volume
      (MEFV) curve in school-age children. METHODS: Eight hundred and sixty-two
      children who had two or more MEFV manoeuvres were classified into >=6-year-old
      (n=379), >=8-year-old (n=210), >=10-year-old (n=64), and 12-17-year-old groups
      (n=109). The parameters of quality control and concordance with quality control
      criteria for MEFV were compared between the two groups. In addition, patients who
      were diagnosed with asthma were classified into two groups, one with normal
      pulmonary function (n=155) and the other with abnormal pulmonary function (n=62),
      based on the results of spirometry. Differences in the parameters of quality
      control for spirometry were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Eight
      hundred and sixty-two children underwent 2 367 MEFV manoeuvres, 97.8% of which
      met the start of test criterion for backward extrapolated volume (VBE) of less
      than 0.15 L, with the highest concordance in the >=6-year-old group and the
      lowest concordance in the 12-17-year-old group. Three hundred and eighty-one
      children (44.2%) met the end of test criterion for forced expiratory time (FET)
      and the concordance in children over 10 years of age was lower than that in
      children under 10 years of age (P<0.05). Differences in two best forced
      expiratory volume in first second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC)
      manoeuvres were within 150 mL in 91.9% and 84.8%, respectively, of the children.
      The parameters of quality control for spirometry were better for asthmatic
      children with abnormal pulmonary function compared with asthmatic children with
      normal pulmonary function (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Concordance with the start of
      test criteria and the manoeuvre repeatability criteria is high, whereas the
      concordance with the end of test criteria is low. It is suggested that the
      concordance with the FET criteria should be improved.

PMID- 26108322
TI  - [Epidemiological survey of Haemophilus influenzae-positive hospitalized children:
      a retrospective analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the basic clinical characteristics and drug resistance
      of Haemophilus influenzae (Hi) infection in hospitalized children in the past two
      years. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze Hi
      strains isolated from the sputum and pharyngeal swabs of children aged 0-17 years
      who were hospitalized in the Third People's Hospital of Chengdu between June 2011
      and May 2013. RESULTS: A total of 117 strains were isolated from 111 hospitalized
      children. There were 102 cases (91.9%) of respiratory infection and 9 cases
      (8.1%) of other diseases. The positive rates of Hi in children with
      bronchopneumonia or pneumonia (50.8%, 30/59) and in children with acute
      laryngotracheobronchitis (50.0%, 2/4) were relatively high, followed by in
      children with capillary bronchitis (34.6%, 9/26), in children with acute
      bronchitis (24.2%, 32/132), in children with herpangina (19.0%, 4/21), in
      children with asthmatoid bronchitis (17.9%, 5/28), in children with acute upper
      respiratory tract infection (11.8%, 9/76), in children with acute tonsillitis
      (8.2%, 7/85), and in children with neonatal pneumonia (5.6%, 3/54). There were
      significant differences in the rates of resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanate
      (15% vs 23%; P=0.010) and chloramphenicol (25% vs 8%; P=0.015) between the two
      survey years. The frequencice of beta-lactamase-nonproducing-ampicillin-resistant
      (BLNAR) strains and beta-lactamase-producing-amoxicilli/clavulanate-resistant
      (BLPACR) strains increased from 12% to 21% and from 13% to 19% respectively
      during the two survey years (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Hi plays an important role in
      the respiratory tract infection of children aged 0-17 years. The increasing trend
      of BLNAR and BLPACR rates makes it harder for antibiotic selection in clinical
      practice.

PMID- 26108323
TI  - [Clinical values and optimal cut-off points of basic vital signs in early
      identification of critical hand, foot, and mouth disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical values of basic vital signs in early
      identification of critical hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD). METHODS: The clinical
      data of 358 children with severe HFMD [212 cases in stage 2 (central nervous
      system involvement) and 146 cases in stage 3 (earlier stage of cardiopulmonary
      failure, critical type)] were reviewed. The diagnostic values of peak temperature
      and duration of fever, as well as the heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR),
      systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in different
      age groups, for critical HFMD (stage 3) were analyzed using the receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: HFMD might progress to critical
      type in case of HR>=148.5 beats/minutes, RR>=36.5 times/minutes, SBP>=95 mm Hg,
      and DBP>=59 mm Hg among children aged 0-1 year. HR>=142.5 times/minutes, RR>=31.5
      times/mintes, SBP>=103 mm Hg, and DBP>=60.5 mm Hg in children aged 1-2 years had
      a certain diagnostic value for critical HFMD. HFMD might progress to critical
      type in case of HR>=139.5 times/minutes, RR>=29.5 times/minutes, and SBP>=103 mm
      Hg among children>=3 years of age. The sensitivity and specificity of every
      indicator were higher than 0.517 and 0.769, respectively. The area under the ROC
      curve (AUC) for peak temperature was 0.507 (P=0.816, compared with AUC=0.5). When
      the duration of fever was >=5.5 days, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.589
      and 0.571, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: HR, RR, and BP are good indicators to
      identify critical HFMD (stage 3) early. The optimal cut-off points conform to the
      age characteristics of children. DBP in children>=3 years of age, peak
      temperature, and duration of fever have a low value in early identification of
      critical HFMD.

PMID- 26108324
TI  - [Relationship between heart rate variability and coronary artery lesion in
      children with Kawasaki disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation of heart rate variability (HRV) indices
      with cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT
      proBNP) in children with Kawasaki disease (KD) and their prognostic value.
      METHODS: A total of 130 children with KD were assigned into coronary artery
      lesion (CAL) group (n=47) and non-coronary artery lesion (NCAL) group (n=83).
      Meanwhile, 110 healthy children and 29 children in the recovery stage of non
      cardiovascular diseases were selected as control and non-KD groups, respectively.
      Patients in the four groups received 24-hour HRV monitoring. Levels of serum cTnI
      and NT-proBNP were measured in the KD and the non-KD group. RESULTS: Compared
      with the controls of the same sex and age, the KD patients had significantly
      reduced standard deviation of all normal sinus RR intervals (SDNN), mean of SDNN
      (SDNN index), percentage of successive normal sinus RR intervals>50 ms (pNN50),
      very low frequency (VLF), low frequency (LF), and high frequency (HF) but a
      significantly increased LF/HF ratio (P<0.05). The HRV indices including SDNN,
      standard deviation of all mean 5-minute RR intervals (SDANN), SDNN index, root
      mean squared successive difference, pNN50, VLF, LF, and HF in the CAL group all
      significantly decreased compared with those in the control and non-KD groups,
      while the LF/HF ratio was higher in the CAL group than in the control group
      (P<0.05). The serum levels of cTnI and NT-proBNP in the CAL and NCAL groups were
      significantly higher than those in the non-KD group (P<0.05). In children with
      KD, serum cTnI level was negatively correlated with SDNN and HF but positively
      correlated with the LF/HF ratio (P<0.05); serum NT-proBNP level was negatively
      correlated with SDNN, SDANN, and HF (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HRV indices have
      certain clinical significance in assessing CAL of children with KD.

PMID- 26108325
TI  - [Clinical analysis of 52 cases of 21-hydroxylase-deficient congenital adrenal
      hyperplasia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To gain more insight into congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) by
      analyzing the clinical data of children with 21-hydroxylase-deficient CAH.
      METHODS: The clinical data of 52 children with 21-hydroxylase-deficient CAH were
      collected. Based on the disease severity and the presence of salt-losing
      manifestations, the children were classified into three groups: masculine type
      (n=15), salt-losing type (n=28), and atypical type (n=9). The clinical data of
      children with different types of CAH were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: The
      male-to-female ratio of the 52 cases was 1.6:1; the age of onset was less than 1
      month after birth in 41 cases; 4 cases had a positive family history. Clitoral
      hypertrophy was the most common symptom in children with masculine CAH (87%).
      Pigmentation (89%), feeding difficulties and growth retardation (61%) were the
      most common symptoms in children with salt-losing CAH. Pigmentation (78%) was the
      most common symptom in children with atypical CAH. The three groups of children
      had different degrees of changes in the levels of adrenocorticotrophic hormone,
      cortisol, testosterone, and estradiol. Such changes were most pronounced in
      children with salt-losing CAH and were often accompanied by hyponatremia,
      hyperkalemia, and metabolic acidosis. After treatment with hydrocortisone and/or
      9-alpha fluorohydrocortisone, cortical hormone levels improved in all the
      children, and the levels of cortisol, testosterone, estradiol, and electrolytes
      improved significantly after treatment in children with salt-losing CAH (P<0.05).
      In 22 patients who were followed up, 9 were re-hospitalized due to infection, and
      8 developed sexual precocity. CONCLUSIONS: Different types of CAH have different
      clinical symptoms. It is important that hormone replacement should be initiated
      as early as possible to improve prognosis.

PMID- 26108326
TI  - [Clinical significance of determination of serum IgE in infants with milk
      allergy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical significance of milk protein-specific IgE
      (sIgE) for infants with cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA). METHODS: Ninety-six
      infants with CMPA were divided into IgE+ group (n=26) and IgE- group (n=70) and
      clinical characteristics were compared between the two groups. Infants were
      denied allergy-inducing food and fed instead extensively hydrolyzed formulas or
      amino-acid formulas for 16 weeks before the two groups were compared. RESULTS:
      Twenty-seven percent of the infants were sIgE-seropositive. The first onset age
      of CMPA was significantly younger in the IgE+ group than in the IgE- group
      (P<0.05), and the family history of allergy and respiratory symptoms were
      significantly less common in the IgE- group than in the IgE+ group (P<0.05).
      Severe CMPA, gastrointestinal symptoms, underweight, growth retardation, anemia,
      and hypoproteinemia were significantly more common in the IgE- group than in the
      IgE+ group (P<0.05). Erythema, urticaria, vomiting, nasal discharge, cough,
      wheezing, and paroxysms of crying were major clinical symptoms of the IgE+ group,
      and their incidences were significantly higher in the IgE+ group than in the IgE-
      group (P<0.05); eczema, constipation, and diarrhea were major symptoms of the IgE
      group, and their incidences were significantly higher in the IgE- group than in
      the IgE+ group (P<0.05). The remission rate of each symptom was as high as over
      80% in the two groups after 16 weeks of intervention and there was no significant
      difference in the remission rates between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      IgE seropositive rate is not high in infants with CMPA. Atypical signs instead of
      allergic symptoms are more common in the IgE seronegative infants with CMPA.
      Avoiding allergy-inducing food and eating extensively hydrolyzed formulas or
      amino-acid formulas in early age benefit infants with IgE-mediated or non-IgE
      mediated CMPA.

PMID- 26108327
TI  - [Expression of leptin and its receptor in lungs of asthmatic BALB/c mice and
      effect of budesonide on their expression].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the changes in the expression of leptin and its receptor
      in the lungs of mice with varying degrees of asthma before and after budesonide
      treatment. METHODS: Forty Balb/c mice were randomly assigned into 4 groups with
      10 animals in each. One group received no treatment (control group) and the other
      groups were challenged with either nebulized ovalbumin (OVA) for three days (3
      day group) or seven days (7-day group), or with nebulized ovalbumin followed by
      budesonide administration (treatment group). Changes in airway inflammation were
      observed using hematoxylin-eosin staining. The protein and mRNA levels of leptin
      and its receptor in lung tissues were determined using
      immunohistochemistry/Western blot and real-time PCR, respectively. RESULTS: The
      two asthmatic groups showed more significant pathological changes in the airway
      than the control and the treatment groups. Mice that were challenged by OVA for
      seven days showed more marked pathological changes in the airway compared with
      mice challenged by OVA for three days. The protein and mRNA levels of leptin in
      the lung tissues of the 3-day group were significantly higher than those of the
      control group (P<0.01), but significantly lower than those of the 7-day group
      (P<0.01). The protein levels of leptin receptor in the lung tissues of the 3-day
      group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.01). The
      treatment group showed increased protein levels of leptin receptor compared with
      the 7-day group (P<0.01). No significant difference was noted between the four
      groups with respect to the mRNA levels of leptin receptor in the lung tissues.
      CONCLUSIONS: Leptin is highly expressed whereas its receptor is lowly expressed
      in the lung tissues of asthmatic mice. Budesonide can increase the expression of
      leptin receptor, but has no significant impact on the expression of leptin.

PMID- 26108328
TI  - [Roles of histone acetyltransferase and histone deacetylase in the pathogenesis
      of bronchial asthma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the roles of various cytokines, histone acetyltransferase
      (HAT) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma.
      METHODS: BALB/C mice were randomly assigned to control, untreated asthma, hormone
      treatment and TSA treatment groups. Bronchial asthma was induced by
      intraperitoneal injections and atomization inhalation of ovalbumin (OVA) in the
      asthma, hormone treatment and trichostatin (TSA) treatment groups. The mice in
      the hormone treatment and TSA treatment groups were administered with
      dexamethasone 1.0 mg/kg and TSA 1.0 mg/kg respectively by an intraperitoneal
      injection 30 minutes before challenge of asthma. At 24 hours after the last
      challenge, IL-4, IL-8 and IFN- levels in serum were measured using ELISA, and
      activities of HAT and HDAC in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were
      determined by the enzyme linked immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: The serum
      levels of IL-4 and IL-8 in the untreated asthma group were higher than in the
      control, hormone treatment and TSA treatment groups (P<0.05). There was no
      difference in the serum levels of IL-4 and IL-8 among the control, hormone
      treatment and TSA treatment groups (P>0.05). The activity of HDAC in the
      untreated asthma group was lower than in the control, hormone treatment and TSA
      treatment groups (P<0.05). Hormone treatment significantly decreased the activity
      of HAT compared with the untreated asthma group (P<0.05). There was no difference
      in the activities of HAT and HDAC among the control, hormone treatment and TSA
      treatment groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The decreased activity of HDAC leads to
      an increased secretion of inflammatory factors and thus induces asthma.

PMID- 26108329
TI  - [Efficacy and safety of tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib plus chemotherapy in
      the treatment of childhood Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic
      leukemia].

PMID- 26108330
TI  - [Efficacy of continuous blood purification in the treatment of childhood
      fulminant myocarditis].

PMID- 26108331
TI  - [Kawasaki disease complicated by ischemic cerebral stroke: a case report].

PMID- 26108332
TI  - [Research advances in the role of JAK2 mutations in acute leukemia].
AB  - The Janus kinase -signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT)
      pathway plays pivotal roles in the regulation of cell proliferation,
      differentiation, migration and apoptosis, which is closely related with the
      development of hematopoietic cells and some hematological diseases. As an
      important signaling axis in JAK-STAT pathway, abnormally activated JAK2-STAT
      signaling is involved in the development of the hematological malignancies.
      JAK2V617F mutation is the important molecular pathogenesis of myeloproliferative
      disorders. Recent studies have demonstrated that JAK2 mutations are present in
      different acute leukemia subtypes and the frequency of mutations is different and
      that JAK2 mutations might be closely correlated with acute leukemia formation,
      treatment and prognosis. The pathogenic mechanism of JAK2 mutations has not been
      completely elucidated. JAK2 mutations might lead to JAK-STAT overactivation,
      resulting in the excessive proliferation, apoptosis resistance and
      differentiation blocking of blood cells. JAK2 inhibitors have been rapidly
      developed as targeted therapies for hematological disorders with JAK2 mutations.
      This article mainly focuses on recent studies about the role of JAK2 mutations in
      the pathogenesis, clinical characteristics and targeted therapies of acute
      leukemia.

PMID- 26108333
TI  - Importance of gene dosage in controlling dendritic arbor formation during
      development.
AB  - Proper dendrite morphology is crucial for normal nervous system functioning.
      While a number of genes have been implicated in dendrite morphogenesis in both
      invertebrates and mammals, it remains unclear how developing dendrites respond to
      changes in gene dosage and what type of patterns their responses may follow. To
      understand this, I review here evidence from the recent literature, focusing on
      the genetic studies performed in the Drosophila larval dendritic arborization
      class IV neuron, an excellent cell type to understand dendrite morphogenesis. I
      summarize how class IV arbors change morphology in response to developmental
      fluctuations in the expression levels of 47 genes, studied by means of genetic
      manipulations such as loss-of-function and gain-of-function, and for which
      sufficient information is available. I find that arbors can respond to changing
      gene dosage in several distinct ways, each characterized by a singular dose
      response curve. Interestingly, in 72% of cases arbors are sensitive, and thus
      adjust their morphology, in response to both decreases and increases in the
      expression of a given gene, indicating that dendrite morphogenesis is a process
      particularly sensitive to gene dosage. By summarizing the parallels between
      Drosophila and mammals, I show that many Drosophila dendrite morphogenesis genes
      have orthologs in mammals, and that some of these are associated with mammalian
      dendrite outgrowth and human neurodevelopmental disorders. One notable disease
      related molecule is kinase Dyrk1A, thought to be a causative factor in Down
      syndrome. Both increases and decreases in Dyrk1A gene dosage lead to impaired
      dendrite morphogenesis, which may contribute to Down syndrome pathoetiology. 

PMID- 26108335
TI  - Editorial Comment from Dr Manning to Botulinum toxin type A injection for
      refractory interstitial cystitis: A randomized comparative study and predictors
      of treatment response.

PMID- 26108334
TI  - Evidence that Melanocortin Receptor Agonist Melanotan-II Synergistically Augments
      the Ability of Naltrexone to Blunt Binge-Like Ethanol Intake in Male C57BL/6J
      Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The nonselective opioid receptor antagonist, naltrexone (NAL),
      reduces alcohol (ethanol [EtOH]) consumption in animals and humans and is an
      approved medication for treating alcohol abuse disorders. Proopiomelanocortin
      (POMC)-derived melanocortin (MC) and opioid peptides are produced in the same
      neurons in the brain, and recent preclinical evidence shows that MC receptor
      (MCR) agonists reduce excessive EtOH drinking in animal models. Interestingly,
      there is a growing body of literature revealing interactions between the MC and
      the opioid systems in the modulation of pain, drug tolerance, and food intake.
      METHODS: In the present report, a mouse model of binge EtOH drinking was employed
      to determine whether the MCR agonist, melanotan-II (MTII), would improve the
      effectiveness of NAL in reducing excessive binge-like EtOH drinking when these
      drugs were co-administered prior to EtOH access. RESULTS: Both NAL and MTII blunt
      binge-like EtOH drinking and associated blood EtOH levels, and when administered
      together, a low dose of MTII (0.26 mg/kg) produces a 7.6-fold increase in the
      effectiveness of NAL in reducing binge-like EtOH drinking. Using isobolographic
      analysis, it is demonstrated that MTII increases the effectiveness of NAL in a
      synergistic manner. CONCLUSIONS: The current observations suggest that activators
      of MC signaling may represent a new approach to treating alcohol abuse disorders
      and a way to potentially improve existing NAL-based therapies.

PMID- 26108336
TI  - Characterization of the First Fungal Glycosyl Hydrolase Family 19 Chitinase
      (NbchiA) from Nosema bombycis (Nb).
AB  - Chitinases (EC 3.2.1.14), as one kind of glycosyl hydrolase, hydrolyze the beta
      (1,4) linkages of chitin. According to the sequence similarity, chitinases can be
      divided into glycoside hydrolase family 18 and family 19. Here, a chitinase from
      Nosema bombycis (NbchiA) was cloned and purified by metal affinity chromatography
      and molecular exclusion chromatography. Sequence analysis indicated that NbchiA
      belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 19 class IV chitinase. The optimal pH and
      temperature of NbchiA are 7.0 and 40  degrees C, respectively. This purified
      chitinase showed high activity toward soluble substrates such as ethylene glycol
      chitin and soluble chitosan. The degradation of chitin oligosaccharides
      (GlcNAc)(2-5) detected by high-performance liquid chromatography showed that
      NbchiA hydrolyzed mainly the second glycosidic linkage from the reducing end of
      (GlcNAc)(3-5). On the basis of structure-based multiple-sequence alignment, Glu51
      and Glu60 are believed to be the key catalytic residues. The site-directed
      mutation analysis revealed that the enzymatic activity was decreased upon
      mutation of Glu60, whereas mutation of Glu51 totally abolished the enzymatic
      activity. This is the first report of a GH19 chitinase in fungi and in
      Microsporidia.

PMID- 26108337
TI  - TIA Caused by Contrast Echocardiography in Patient with Platypnea-Orthodeoxia.
AB  - Platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome (POS) is a rare clinical disorder characterized by
      dyspnea caused by the upright position and relieved at recumbent position. Few
      cases of POS and stroke were reported in literature, and the association between
      stroke and POS with evidence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) is rare. Stroke may
      occur in patients with cardiac shunt who undergo contrast echocardiography. We
      present a patient with POS who experienced transitory ischemic attack (TIA) most
      likely caused by injection of agitated saline microbubbles during screen for PFO.
      No case report of TIA/stroke during contrast echocardiography in patients with
      POS has previously been published. 

PMID- 26108338
TI  - Leaf economics and hydraulic traits are decoupled in five species-rich tropical
      subtropical forests.
AB  - Leaf economics and hydraulic traits are critical to leaf photosynthesis, yet it
      is debated whether these two sets of traits vary in a fully coordinated manner or
      there is room for independent variation. Here, we tested the relationship between
      leaf economics traits, including leaf nitrogen concentration and leaf dry mass
      per area, and leaf hydraulic traits including stomatal density and vein density
      in five tropical-subtropical forests. Surprisingly, these two suites of traits
      were statistically decoupled. This decoupling suggests that independent trait
      dimensions exist within a leaf, with leaf economics dimension corresponding to
      light capture and tissue longevity, and the hydraulic dimension to water-use and
      leaf temperature maintenance. Clearly, leaf economics and hydraulic traits can
      vary independently, thus allowing for more possible plant trait combinations.
      Compared with a single trait dimension, multiple trait dimensions may better
      enable species adaptations to multifarious niche dimensions, promote diverse
      plant strategies and facilitate species coexistence.

PMID- 26108339
TI  - Associations among Depression Symptoms with Alcohol and Smoking Tobacco Use in
      Adult Patients with Congenital Heart Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients have high rates of
      untreated depression and anxiety disorders. We evaluated associations among self
      reported depression symptoms and alcohol/smoking tobacco use. METHODS: From 2009
      to 2013, 202 ACHD patients (45% male) completed questionnaires on depressive
      symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and substance use as part of routine clinical care.
      Data were collected by retrospective chart review. RESULTS: Mean age was 31 +/-
      10 years, 21% reported often feeling depressed and 33% reported feeling nervous
      or anxious. Sixty-one percent of patients reported some alcohol intake; 25%
      reported current or previous smoking tobacco use. Patients with depressive
      symptoms were 3* as likely to report drinking alcohol (OR 2.89; 95% CI 1.29-6.5)
      and 5* more likely to report smoking tobacco use (OR 5.17; 95% CI 1.49-17.87).
      Fourteen percent of patients were prescribed antidepressant/antianxiety
      medications; 43% of patients on medication reported depressive symptoms. In
      patients reporting symptoms, those who consumed alcohol were less likely to be on
      antidepressant/antianxiety medications (21%) than those who did not consume
      alcohol (56%). CONCLUSION: Self-reported depressive symptoms are associated with
      increased alcohol and smoking tobacco use by ACHD patients. Alcohol use may be a
      means of self-medicating for untreated depression, but further investigation is
      needed. Risk factors, including depressive symptoms and substance use, should be
      routinely assessed and addressed in ACHD patients.

PMID- 26108340
TI  - Antibiotic use in the care home setting: a retrospective cohort study analysing
      routine data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Point prevalence studies in care homes show a high use of
      antibiotics, especially to treat urinary tract infections (UTI). There is a lack
      of large studies presenting annual antibiotic prescription data in care homes
      compared to those not in care homes. This study aimed to describe the pattern of
      antibiotic prescribing in those 75 years and over, with a focus on UTI. METHODS:
      In this retrospective longitudinal cohort study we used the Hampshire Health
      Record (HHR) containing routine data from general practices in Hampshire area, UK
      covering 1.24 million residents. Data were extracted throughout 2011 from the
      Hampshire Health Record on age, gender, care home status, antibiotic
      prescriptions, urinary catheters and comorbidity. Prescription pattern expressed
      as rate per 100 people. Nursing home residence defined by postcode. Logistic
      regression was used to assess independent risk of one or more antibiotic
      prescriptions in care home residents adjusting for age, sex and comorbidity,
      separately by catheter use. RESULTS: 102,020 of 1,244,313 residents in the
      Hampshire Health Record (8.2 %) were aged >=75 years of whom 7481 (7.3 %) were
      resident in care home settings. The annual antibiotic prescriptions increased
      from 53/100 inhabitants among those <75 years, to 142/100 among those >=75 years
      not in a care home and to 199/100 among those >=75 years in a care home. Care
      home residents with urinary catheters (4.4 %) had even higher use at 440/100
      versus 188/100 if no catheter. UTI antibiotics showed a similar but more rapidly
      increasing pattern. For those in care homes without a urinary catheter, the odds
      ratio was 2.2 (2.1-2.3) higher for prescriptions of UTI antibiotics compared to
      those not in care homes after adjusting for age, gender and comorbidity. For
      those with a urinary catheter the odds ratio was 1.4 (1.1-1.8) for UTI
      antibiotics compared to those not in care homes. For all antibiotics the odds
      ratio was 1.2 (1.2-1.3). CONCLUSIONS: Residence in a care home setting is
      associated with high antibiotic consumption; this is especially evident for UTI
      antibiotics where the odds of prescription is doubled.

PMID- 26108341
TI  - Carbonic anhydrase inhibition blocks skeletogenesis and echinochrome production
      in Paracentrotus lividus and Heliocidaris tuberculata embryos and larvae.
AB  - Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are a family of widely distributed metalloenzymes,
      involved in diverse physiological processes. These enzymes catalyse the
      reversible conversion of carbon dioxide to protons and bicarbonate. At least 19
      genes encoding for CAs have been identified in the sea urchin genome, with one of
      these localized to the skeletogenic mesoderm (primary mesenchyme cells, PMCs). We
      investigated the effects of a specific inhibitor of CA, acetazolamide (AZ), on
      development of two sea urchin species with contrasting investment in skeleton
      production, Paracentrotus lividus and Heliocidaris tuberculata, to determine the
      role of CA on PMC differentiation, skeletogenesis and on non-skeletogenic
      mesodermal (NSM) cells. Embryos were cultured in the presence of AZ from the
      blastula stage prior to skeleton formation and development to the larval stage
      was monitored. At the dose of 8 mmol/L AZ, 98% and 90% of P. lividus and H.
      tuberculata embryos lacked skeleton, respectively. Nevertheless, an almost normal
      PMC differentiation was indicated by the expression of msp130, a PMC-specific
      marker. Strikingly, the AZ-treated embryos also lacked the echinochrome pigment
      produced by the pigment cells, a subpopulation of NSM cells with immune
      activities within the larva. Conversely, all ectoderm and endoderm derivatives
      and other subpopulations of mesoderm developed normally. The inhibitory effects
      of AZ were completely reversed after removal of the inhibitor from the medium.
      Our data, together with new information concerning the involvement of CA on
      skeleton formation, provide evidence for the first time of a possible role of the
      CAs in larval immune pigment cells.

PMID- 26108342
TI  - Characterization of progenitor cells and stem cells from the periodontal ligament
      tissue derived from a single person.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Periodontal ligament progenitor cells (PDLPs) and PDL stem cells
      (PDLSCs) are progenitor and stem cells that were isolated from PDL tissues using
      the outgrowth and single cell isolation methods respectively. The differences
      between PDLPs and PDLSCs characteristics could be observed from previous studies.
      However, these cells were obtained from different patients. This study was the
      first report to compare the characterization of PDLPs and PDLSCs from the same
      person. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The characterization of PDLPs and PDLSCs includes
      flow cytometry analysis, cell proliferation assay and the assessment of the
      colony-forming unit fibroblast. The osteogenic differentiation was evaluated by
      alkaline phosphatase activity, biomineralization (alizarin red staining) and gene
      expression of osteogenic markers. The adipogenic differentiation was examined by
      Oil Red O staining and adipocyte-related gene expression. RESULTS: Mesenchymal
      stem cell marker expression and colony-forming unit fibroblast analysis of PDLPs
      and PDLSCs were similar. However, PDLSCs grew faster than PDLPs on days 3 and 5
      of the cell proliferation assay. Both PDLPs and PDLSCs could differentiate into
      osteoblast and adipocyte-like cells. However, the mineralization of PDLSCs was
      stronger than that of PDLPs. CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of undifferentiated
      PDL cells in our study were not significantly impacted by the isolation method.
      We assumed that both PDLPs and PDLSCs are valuable cell sources for periodontal
      regeneration. However, PDLSCs have a possible advantage for the regeneration of
      alveolar bone.

PMID- 26108343
TI  - High expression of endoplasmic reticulum chaperone grp94 is a novel molecular
      hallmark of malignant plasma cells in multiple myeloma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy that is
      characterized by the proliferation of abnormal bone marrow plasma cells (BMPC)
      and overproduction of immunoglobulin or light chains with evidence of end-organ
      damage such as bone damage, anemia, hypercalcemia, and renal dysfunction. The
      pathogenesis of MM is closely linked to dysregulated unfolded protein response
      (UPR) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Constitutive activation of UPR in mice,
      as demonstrated by transgenic expression of a master UPR transcription factor
      XBP1s (a UPR-specific splice variant of X-box binding protein 1), causes myeloma.
      grp94 (gp96) is a key downstream chaperone in the ER that mediates the UPR as a
      part of the protein quality control mechanism in the secretory pathway. Our
      recent study has shown that the persistence of plasma cells as well as the
      development of myeloma in XBP1s-transgenic mice is critically dependent on grp94.
      However, the role of grp94 in the initiation and progression of human MM is still
      unknown. METHODS: The expression level of grp94 in BMPCs was measured by flow
      cytometry, real-time RT-PCR, and Western blot analysis. We compared the
      expression levels of grp94 in BMPCs in a spectrum of patients including MM,
      monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), smoldering MM (SMM),
      as well as non-plasma cell disorders (NPC). RESULTS: We found that grp94 was
      highly expressed in malignant plasma cells in patients with MM, but not in BMPCs
      in patients with MGUS/SMM and NPC. The expression level of grp94 correlated
      significantly with CD138 expression level. We also found that the grp94
      expression level in BMPCs from International Staging System (ISS) stage III MM
      patients is higher than those in ISS stage I/II MM patients. CONCLUSIONS: grp94
      is highly expressed in BMPCs in MM, which correlates with the advanced stage of
      this disease. Our data demonstrated that grp94 is a novel diagnostic and
      prognostic biomarker. It also positioned grp94 as a promising therapeutic target
      for MM.

PMID- 26108344
TI  - Prevalence of tetracycline resistance genes among multi-drug resistant bacteria
      from selected water distribution systems in southwestern Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antibiotic resistance genes [ARGs] in aquatic systems have drawn
      increasing attention they could be transferred horizontally to pathogenic
      bacteria. Water treatment plants (WTPs) are intended to provide quality and
      widely available water to the local populace they serve. However, WTPs in
      developing countries may not be dependable for clean water and they could serve
      as points of dissemination for antibiotic resistant bacteria. Only a few studies
      have investigated the occurrence of ARGs among these bacteria including
      tetracycline resistance genes in water distribution systems in Nigeria.
      METHODOLOGY: Multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, including resistance to
      tetracycline, were isolated from treated and untreated water distribution systems
      in southwest Nigeria. MDR bacteria were resistant to >3 classes of antibiotics
      based on break-point assays. Isolates were characterized using partial 16S rDNA
      sequencing and PCR assays for six tetracycline-resistance genes. Plasmid
      conjugation was evaluated using E. coli strain DH5alpha as the recipient strain.
      RESULTS: Out of the 105 bacteria, 85 (81 %) and 20 (19 %) were Gram- negative or
      Gram- positive, respectively. Twenty-nine isolates carried at least one of the
      targeted tetracycline resistance genes including strains of Aeromonas,
      Alcaligenes, Bacillus, Klebsiella, Leucobacter, Morganella, Proteus and a
      sequence matching a previously uncultured bacteria. Tet(A) was the most prevalent
      (16/29) followed by tet(E) (4/29) and tet30 (2/29). Tet(O) was not detected in
      any of the isolates. Tet(A) was mostly found with Alcaligenes strains (9/10) and
      a combination of more than one resistance gene was observed only amongst
      Alcaligenes strains [tet(A) + tet30 (2/10), tet(A) + tet(E) (3/10), tet(E) +
      tet(M) (1/10), tet(E) + tet30 (1/10)]. Tet(A) was transferred by conjugation for
      five Alcaligenes and two E. coli isolates. CONCLUSIONS: This study found a high
      prevalence of plasmid-encoded tet(A) among Alcaligenes isolates, raising the
      possibility that this strain could shuttle resistance plasmids to pathogenic
      bacteria.

PMID- 26108345
TI  - Endovascular revascularization of a surgically ligated superficial femoral
      artery: A case report.
AB  - We present a case of a patient with left lower extremity ischemic rest pain who
      initially underwent surgical profundaplasty requiring ligation of his superficial
      femoral artery (SFA). The patient developed continued rest pain due to diffuse
      disease of his profunda and inadequate collaterals. Endovascular intervention was
      therefore performed to the oversewn SFA. Retrograde left SFA access was obtained
      and the origin of the SFA was recanalized with true lumen re-entry using an
      ultrasound guided re-entry catheter. Angioplasty was performed at the origin of
      the SFA and self-expanding stents were deployed in the proximal and mid left SFA.
      Hemostasis at the distal left SFA access site was obtained by balloon inflation
      at the access site and manual compression. This case illustrates the feasibility
      of endovascular repair of a ligated SFA.

PMID- 26108346
TI  - The wing and the eye: a parsimonious theory for scaling and growth control?
AB  - How a developing organ grows and patterns to its final shape is an important
      question in developmental biology. Studies of growth and patterning in the
      Drosophila wing imaginal disc have identified a key player, the morphogen
      Decapentaplegic (Dpp). These studies provided insights into our understanding of
      growth control and scaling: expansion of the Dpp gradient correlated with the
      growth of the tissue. A recent report on growth of a Drosophila organ other than
      the wing, the eye imaginal disc, prompts a reconsideration of our models of
      growth control. Despite striking differences between the two, the Dpp gradient
      scales with the target tissues of both organs and the growth of both the wing and
      the eye is controlled by Dpp. The goal of this review is to discuss whether a
      parsimonious model of scaling and growth control can explain the relationship
      between the Dpp gradient and growth in these two different developmental systems.

PMID- 26108348
TI  - Sinonasal outcomes in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common adult
      and pediatric sleep disorder, which, if left untreated, is associated with severe
      medical consequences. Otolaryngologists are often challenged by the impact of
      OSAS on sinonasal symptoms, as well as by the contribution of primary nasal
      disorders to exacerbation of OSAS. The objectives of this study are to explore
      the relationship between patients with known OSAS and quality-of-life outcomes as
      measured by 22-iem Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) questionnaire scores. STUDY
      DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. METHODS: Patients with a polysomnographic
      diagnosis of OSAS completed SNOT-22 questionnaires. SNOT-22 questionnaire items
      were subcategorized into rhinologic, nonrhinologic otolaryngic, sleep, and
      psychological symptoms. Total, individual, and subcategorized SNOT-22 scores were
      correlated with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), body mass index (BMI), lowest oxygen
      desaturation, and sleep efficiency using Spearman rank correlation. RESULTS: A
      total of 30 consecutive OSAS patients were included in the analysis. BMI was
      positively correlated with nonrhinologic otolaryngic symptoms (P=.03),
      specifically ear fullness (P=.02) and facial pain/pressure (P=.04). AHI was
      negatively correlated with postnasal drip (P=.02). Lowest oxygen saturation was
      correlated with reduced productivity (P=.03). Sleep efficiency was negatively
      correlated with difficulty falling asleep (P=.03) and feelings of frustration
      (P=.01), with a trend toward significant correlation with overall sleep symptoms
      (P=.08). CONCLUSIONS: Several sinonasal complaints appear to be correlated with
      OSAS severity. As such, otolaryngologists should utilize a comprehensive approach
      to the care of the OSAS patient, with special attention to sinonasal factors.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA.

PMID- 26108349
TI  - Stimulation of Cell Migration by Flagellin Through the p38 MAP Kinase Pathway in
      Cultured Intestinal Epithelial Cells.
AB  - Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) is a receptor for flagellin and is present on the
      basolateral surface of intestinal epithelial cells. However, the pathological
      roles of TLR5 in intestinal epithelial cells are not clear at present. In
      previous reports, we demonstrated that treatment of cultured alveolar epithelial
      cells with flagellin activated the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)
      pathway and enhanced epithelial-mesenchymal transition induced by transforming
      growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1). In translating our findings in alveolar
      epithelial cells to intestinal epithelial cells, we found that both flagellin and
      TGF-beta1 activated p38 MAPK and its downstream protein kinase, MAPK-activated
      protein kinase-2 (MAPKAPK-2) in an IEC-6 intestinal epithelial cell line. The
      phosphorylation of HSP27, one of the substrates for MAPKAPK-2, was also
      increased. TGF-beta1 increased the protein level of alpha-smooth muscle actin
      (alphaSMA), and flagellin enhanced the effect of TGF-beta1. A wound healing assay
      revealed that flagellin and TGF-beta1 stimulated the migration of cells.
      SB203580, an inhibitor of p38 MAPK, and an inhibitor of MAPKAPK-2 inhibited
      flagellin-stimulated migration. These results suggested that TLR5 is involved in
      the migration of intestinal epithelial cells through activation of the p38 MAPK
      pathway.

PMID- 26108347
TI  - Perfusion shift from white to gray matter may account for processing speed
      deficits in schizophrenia.
AB  - Reduced speed of cerebral information processing is a cognitive deficit
      associated with schizophrenia. Normal information processing speed (PS) requires
      intact white matter (WM) physiology to support information transfer. In a cohort
      of 107 subjects (47/60 patients/controls), we demonstrate that PS deficits in
      schizophrenia patients are explained by reduced WM integrity, which is measured
      using diffusion tensor imaging, mediated by the mismatch in WM/gray matter blood
      perfusion, and measured using arterial spin labeling. Our findings are specific
      to PS, and testing this hypothesis for patient-control differences in working
      memory produces no explanation. We demonstrate that PS deficits in schizophrenia
      can be explained by neurophysiological alterations in cerebral WM. Whether the
      disproportionately low WM integrity in schizophrenia is due to illness or
      secondary due to this disorder deserves further examination.

PMID- 26108350
TI  - Differences in sedentary time and physical activity between female patients with
      fibromyalgia and healthy controls: the al-Andalus project.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize the levels of objectively measured time spent in
      sedentary activities (sedentary time) and physical activities in female patients
      with fibromyalgia and compare them with the levels in age-matched healthy control
      women. METHODS: The study comprised 413 female patients with fibromyalgia (mean
      +/- SD age 51.9 +/- 7.4 years) and 188 female control subjects (age 50.9 +/- 7.5
      years). Sedentary time, the amount of time spent engaged in physical activity,
      and step counts were measured using triaxial accelerometry. The amounts of time
      (minutes/day) during which the participants were engaged in sedentary behaviors
      as well as in physical activity of different intensities (light, moderate, and
      moderate-to-vigorous) and the step counts were calculated. RESULTS: The amount of
      time spent in sedentary behavior was longer in patients with fibromyalgia
      compared with controls (estimated mean +/- SEM difference 39 +/- 8 minutes/day; P
      < 0.001). The patients with fibromyalgia spent less time than controls engaged in
      light physical activity (mean +/- SEM difference -21 +/- 7 minutes/day; P =
      0.005), moderate physical activity (mean +/- SEM difference -17 +/- 3
      minutes/day; P < 0.001), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (mean +/- SEM
      difference -19 +/- 3 minutes/day; P < 0.001). The patients with fibromyalgia took
      fewer steps/day compared with the control subjects (mean +/- SEM difference 
      1,881 +/- 262 steps/day; P < 0.001). Only 20.6% of the patients with fibromyalgia
      and 46.3% of the control subjects fulfilled the recommendation for 150
      minutes/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in bouts of at least 10
      minutes/bout (chi(2)  = 41.8, P < 0.001). Similarly, only 16.0% of the patients
      fulfilled the recommendation for >=10,000 steps/day compared with 44.7% of the
      control subjects (chi(2)  = 56.8, P < 0.001). Both the patients and the control
      subjects were more active (physical activity of all intensities and numbers of
      steps) on weekdays than on weekend days (all P <= 0.001). CONCLUSION: Female
      patients with fibromyalgia spent more time in sedentary behaviors and were less
      physically active than age-matched controls. The low proportions of female
      patients with fibromyalgia and control subjects who met the physical activity and
      step count recommendations is worrisome.

PMID- 26108351
TI  - Regulatory perspective on minimal residual disease flow cytometry testing in
      multiple myeloma.
AB  - The FDA has co-sponsored three workshops to address minimal residual disease
      (MRD) detection in acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia
      (CLL), and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as well as an FDA-NCI roundtable
      symposium on MRD detection and its use as a response biomarker in Multiple
      Myeloma (MM). As clinical outcomes in MM continue to improve with the
      introduction of new therapeutics, consideration of biomarkers and their
      development as validated surrogate endpoints that can be used in the place of
      traditional clinical trial endpoints of progression-free survival (PFS) will be
      fundamental to expeditious drug development. This article will describe the FDA
      drug approval process, the regulatory framework through which a biomarker can be
      used as a surrogate endpoint for drug approval, and how MRD detection in MM fits
      within this context. In parallel, this article will also describe the FDA current
      device clearance process with emphasis on the analytical development as it might
      apply to an in vitro diagnostic assay for the detection of MRD in MM. It is
      anticipated that this Special Issue may possibly represent how MRD might serve as
      a drug development tool in hematological malignancies.

PMID- 26108352
TI  - Impact of detector design on imaging performance of a long axial field-of-view,
      whole-body PET scanner.
AB  - Current generation of commercial time-of-flight (TOF) PET scanners utilize 20-25
      mm thick LSO or LYSO crystals and have an axial FOV (AFOV) in the range of 16-22
      mm. Longer AFOV scanners would provide increased intrinsic sensitivity and
      require fewer bed positions for whole-body imaging. Recent simulation work has
      investigated the sensitivity gains that can be achieved with these long AFOV
      scanners, and has motivated new areas of investigation such as imaging with a
      very low dose of injected activity as well as providing whole-body dynamic
      imaging capability in one bed position. In this simulation work we model a 72 cm
      long scanner and prioritize the detector design choices in terms of timing
      resolution, crystal size (spatial resolution), crystal thickness (detector
      sensitivity), and depth-of-interaction (DOI) measurement capability. The
      generated list data are reconstructed with a list-mode OSEM algorithm using a
      Gaussian TOF kernel that depends on the timing resolution and blob basis
      functions for regularization. We use lesion phantoms and clinically relevant
      metrics for lesion detectability and contrast measurement. The scan time was
      fixed at 10 min for imaging a 100 cm long object assuming a 50% overlap between
      adjacent bed positions. Results show that a 72 cm long scanner can provide a
      factor of ten reduction in injected activity compared to an identical 18 cm long
      scanner to get equivalent lesion detectability. While improved timing resolution
      leads to further gains, using 3 mm (as opposed to 4 mm) wide crystals does not
      show any significant benefits for lesion detectability. A detector providing 2
      level DOI information with equal crystal thickness also does not show significant
      gains. Finally, a 15 mm thick crystal leads to lower lesion detectability than a
      20 mm thick crystal when keeping all other detector parameters (crystal width,
      timing resolution, and DOI capability) the same. However, improved timing
      performance with 15 mm thick crystals can provide similar or better performance
      than that achieved by a detector using 20 mm thick crystals. 

PMID- 26108353
TI  - "The ABCs of AD": A prospective evaluation of the efficacy of an educational
      intervention to increase knowledge of autonomic dysreflexia management among
      emergency health care professionals.
AB  - CONTEXT/OBJECTIVE: Despite the availability of consensus-based resources, first
      responders and emergency room (ER) health care professionals (HCPs) have limited
      knowledge regarding autonomic dysreflexia (AD) recognition and treatment. The
      purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of "The ABCs of AD" educational
      seminar for improving HCPs' short- and long-term knowledge of AD recognition,
      diagnosis, and management. DESIGN: Multi-center prospective pre, post, and follow
      up questionnaire study. SETTING: Level I trauma centers with emergency
      departments in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario. METHODS: ER professionals
      completed measures immediately before and after (n = 108), as well as 3-months
      following (n = 23), attendance at "The ABCs of AD" seminar. OUTCOME MEASURES: AD
      knowledge test; seminar feedback. RESULTS: Following the seminar, participants
      had higher ratings of their AD knowledge and had significantly higher AD
      knowledge test scores (M +/- SD pre = 11.85 +/- 3.88, M +/- SD post = 18.95 +/-
      2.39, out of 22; P < 0.001, d = 2.21). Most participants believed the seminar
      changed their AD knowledge, and rated the seminar information as having the
      potential to influence and change their practice. AD knowledge test scores
      significantly decreased between post-seminar and 3-month follow-up (M +/- SD 3mo
      = 17.04 +/- 3.28; P = 0.004, d = -0.70); however, 3-month scores remained
      significantly higher than baseline. CONCLUSION: "The ABCs of AD" seminar improves
      HCPs' perceived and actual AD knowledge in the short-term. To enhance knowledge
      retention in both the short- and long-term, the inclusion of additional active
      learning strategies and follow-up activities are recommended. The seminar is
      being translated into an online training module to enhance the dissemination of
      the AD clinical practice guidelines among first responders, ER staff, and SCI
      practitioners.

PMID- 26108354
TI  - Comparison of different drying methods on the physical properties, bioactive
      compounds and antioxidant activity of raspberry powders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dehydration has been considered as one of the traditional but most
      effective techniques for perishable fruits. Raspberry powders obtained after
      dehydration can be added as ingredients into food formulations such as bakery and
      dairy products. In this study, raspberry powders obtained by hot air drying
      (HAD), infrared radiation drying (IRD), hot air and explosion puffing drying (HA
      EPD), infrared radiation and microwave vacuum drying (IR-MVD) and freeze drying
      (FD) were compared on physical properties, bioactive compounds and antioxidant
      activity. RESULTS: Drying techniques affected the physical properties, bioactive
      compounds and antioxidant activity of raspberry powders greatly. FD led to
      significantly higher (P < 0.05) values of water solubility (45.26%), soluble
      solid (63.46%), hygroscopicity (18.06%), color parameters and anthocyanin
      retention (60.70%) of raspberry powder compared with other drying methods.
      However, thermal drying techniques, especially combined drying methods, were
      superior to FD in final total polyphenol content, total flavonoid content and
      antioxidant activity. The combined drying methods, especially IR-MVD, showed the
      highest total polyphenol content (123.22 g GAE kg(-1) dw) and total flavonoid
      content (0.30 g CAE kg(-1) dw). Additionally, IR-MVD performed better in
      antioxidant activity retention. CONCLUSION: Overall, combined drying methods,
      especially IR-MVD, were found to result in better quality of raspberry powders
      among the thermal drying techniques. IR-MVD could be recommended for use in the
      drying industry because of its advantages in time saving and nutrient retention.

PMID- 26108355
TI  - AMPKalpha2 reduces renal epithelial transdifferentiation and inflammation after
      injury through interaction with CK2beta.
AB  - TGFbeta1/Smad, Wnt/beta-catenin and snail1 are preferentially activated in renal
      tubular epithelia after injury, leading to epithelial-mesenchymal transition
      (EMT). The stress response is coupled to EMT and kidney injury; however, the
      underlying mechanism of the stress response in EMT remains elusive. AMP-activated
      protein kinase (AMPK) signalling is responsive to stress and regulates cell
      energy balance and differentiation. We found that knockdown of AMPKalpha,
      especially AMPKalpha2, enhanced EMT by up-regulating beta-catenin and Smad3 in
      vitro. AMPKalpha2 deficiency enhanced EMT and fibrosis in a murine unilateral
      ureteral obstruction (UUO) model. AMPKalpha2 deficiency also increased the
      expression of chemokines KC and MCP-1, along with enhanced infiltration of
      inflammatory cells into the kidney after UUO. CK2beta interacted physically with
      AMPKalpha and enhanced AMPKalpha Thr172 phosphorylation and its catalytic
      activity. Thus, activated AMPKalpha signalling suppresses EMT and secretion of
      chemokines in renal tubular epithelia through interaction with CK2beta to
      attenuate renal injury.

PMID- 26108356
TI  - Novel drugs in clinical development for hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Sorafenib is the only systemic drug approved for the treatment of
      advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Within recent years, several
      investigational agents mainly targeting angiogenesis failed in late-phase
      clinical development either due to toxicity or lack of benefit. AREAS COVERED:
      This review covers recent clinical data on systemic agents and ongoing trials in
      patients with advanced HCC. EXPERT OPINION: In unselected patients with advanced
      HCC, disappointing results have been reported from several large trials. However,
      in two subgroups encouraging results have been achieved. Treatment with the MET
      inhibitor tivantinib resulted in a substantial survival benefit in the subgroup
      of MET overexpressing tumors in a randomized Phase II trial. Furthermore, the
      vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 antibody ramucirumab resulted in
      improved overall survival in patients with baseline alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) >=
      400 ng/ml in a Phase III trial. These two agents, and several others, will be
      further developed in HCC. Moreover, immunotherapeutics such as checkpoint
      inhibitors, programmed death receptor-1 blocking antibodies and oncolytic viruses
      are under investigation in advanced HCC.

PMID- 26108358
TI  - Evaluating the enantioselective distribution, degradation and excretion of
      epoxiconazole in mice following a single oral gavage.
AB  - 1. The enantiomeric enrichment or degradation of epoxiconazole has been reported
      in grape, soil, tubifex and mealworm beetle. But, little is known about its
      enantioselective behaviors in mammals. 2. To further understand differences in
      the distribution, degradation and excretion of epoxiconazole enantiomers in vivo,
      male CD-1 mice were selected as the test model to investigate the
      enantioselective behaviors after a single oral gavage. Mice were sacrificed after
      1 h, 3 h, 7 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h treatment, blood, tissues and excretions
      were collected for epoxiconazole analysis by LC-MS/MS. 3. On the Lux-Cellulose-1
      chiral column, an enrichment of the second eluting (+)-epoxiconazole was
      generally observed, and feces and urine showed similar EF with major tissues. 4.
      To elucidate the potential role of intestinal bacterial flora in stereospecific
      degradation of epoxiconazole, mice fecal flora were cultured in vitro and
      incubated with epoxiconazole for 48 h. Results showed that (-)-epoxiconazole was
      preferentially degraded by intestinal bacterial. 5. These results may provide
      useful information for risk assessment of epoxiconazole on non-target animals.

PMID- 26108357
TI  - Comet assay measures of DNA damage as biomarkers of irinotecan response in
      colorectal cancer in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - The use of irinotecan to treat metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) is limited by
      unpredictable response and variable toxicity; however, no reliable clinical
      biomarkers are available. Here, we report a study to ascertain whether irinotecan
      induced DNA damage measures are suitable/superior biomarkers of irinotecan
      effect. CRC-cell lines (HCT-116 and HT-29) were treated in vitro with irinotecan
      and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were isolated from patients before and
      after receiving irinotecan-based chemotherapy. Levels of in vitro-, in vivo-, and
      ex vivo-induced DNA damage were measured using the Comet assay; correlations
      between damage levels with in vitro cell survival and follow-up clinical data
      were investigated. Irinotecan-induced DNA damage was detectable in both CRC cell
      lines in vitro, with higher levels of immediate and residual damage noted for the
      more sensitive HT-29 cells. DNA damage was not detected in vivo, but was
      measurable in PBLs upon mitogenic stimulation prior to ex vivo SN-38 treatment.
      Results showed that, following corrections for experimental error, those patients
      whose PBLs demonstrated higher levels of DNA damage following 10 h of SN-38
      exposure ex vivo had significantly longer times to progression than those with
      lower damage levels (median 291 vs. 173 days, P = 0.014). To conclude, higher
      levels of irinotecan-induced initial and residual damage correlated with greater
      cell kill in vitro and a better clinical response. Consequently, DNA damage
      measures may represent superior biomarkers of irinotecan effect compared to the
      more often-studied genetic assays for differential drug metabolism.

PMID- 26108359
TI  - Hypertrophic scar contracture is mediated by the TRPC3 mechanical force
      transducer via NFkB activation.
AB  - Wound healing process is a complex and highly orchestrated process that
      ultimately results in the formation of scar tissue. Hypertrophic scar contracture
      is considered to be a pathologic and exaggerated wound healing response that is
      known to be triggered by repetitive mechanical forces. We now show that Transient
      Receptor Potential (TRP) C3 regulates the expression of fibronectin, a key
      regulatory molecule involved in the wound healing process, in response to
      mechanical strain via the NFkB pathway. TRPC3 is highly expressed in human
      hypertrophic scar tissue and mechanical stimuli are known to upregulate TRPC3
      expression in human skin fibroblasts in vitro. TRPC3 overexpressing fibroblasts
      subjected to repetitive stretching forces showed robust expression levels of
      fibronectin. Furthermore, mechanical stretching of TRPC3 overexpressing
      fibroblasts induced the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NFkappaB), a
      regulator fibronectin expression, which was able to be attenuated by
      pharmacologic blockade of either TRPC3 or NFkappaB. Finally, transplantation of
      TRPC3 overexpressing fibroblasts into mice promoted wound contraction and
      increased fibronectin levels in vivo. These observations demonstrate that
      mechanical stretching drives fibronectin expression via the TRPC3-NFkB axis,
      leading to intractable wound contracture. This model explains how mechanical
      strain on cutaneous wounds might contribute to pathologic scarring. 

PMID- 26108364
TI  - Convergence in urban-rural prevalence of hypertension in India.
AB  - Hypertension has emerged as important public health problem in India. During the
      later half of the last century, epidemiological studies in India reported that
      hypertension (diagnosed by systolic blood pressure (BP) ?160 and/or diastolic BP
      ?95 mm Hg) increased from about 1% in 1950's to 15% in 1990's in urban
      (R(2)=0.47) and from 0.5 to 7% in rural (R(2)=0.21) populations. Hypertension
      epidemiological studies from India in the last twenty years have shown that
      prevalence of hypertension (diagnosed by systolic BP ?140 mm Hg and/or diastolic
      BP ?90 mm Hg) in urban locations has stabilized to about 25-30% (R(2)=0.08) but
      it has increased in rural populations from 15 to 25% (R(2)=0.04). This urban
      rural convergence of hypertension in India is due to rapid urbanization of rural
      populations with consequent changes in lifestyles (sedentariness, high dietary
      salt, sugar and fat intake) and increase in overweight and obesity. Hypertension
      prevention, screening and control, policies and programs, need to be widely
      implemented in India, especially in rural populations. 

PMID- 26108363
TI  - Undiagnosed hypertension in a rural district in Bangladesh: The Bangladesh
      Population-based Diabetes and Eye Study (BPDES).
AB  - Hypertension is mainly asymptomatic and remains undiagnosed until the disease
      progresses. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of and
      risk factors for hypertension in rural Bangladesh. Using a population-based
      cluster random sampling strategy, 3096 adults aged ?30 years were recruited from
      a rural district in Bangladesh. Data collected included two blood pressure (BP)
      measurements, fasting blood glucose, socio-demographic and anthropometric
      measurements. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP (SBP) ?140 mm Hg or
      diastolic BP (DBP) ?90 mm Hg or self-reported diagnosed hypertension. Logistic
      regression techniques were used for data analyses. The crude prevalence of
      hypertension was 40% (95% confidence interval (CI) 38-42%) of which 82% were
      previously undiagnosed. People from lower socio-economic status (SES) had a
      significantly higher percentage of undiagnosed hypertension compared with people
      with higher SES (P<0.001). There was no significant gender difference in severity
      of hypertension. Males with higher education level compared with no education had
      a higher prevalence of hypertension (odds ratio 2.34, 95% CI 1.49-3.69). Older
      age and waist circumference in both genders, and diabetes, lack of physical
      activity in females were found to be associated with higher prevalence of
      hypertension. Our research suggests the prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension
      was higher in the rural area in Bangladesh than that reported from the rural area
      in neighbouring India and China. Lower SES was associated with a higher risk of
      undiagnosed hypertension. Public health programs at the grass-roots level must
      emphasise the provision of primary care and preventive services in managing this
      non-communicable disease. 

PMID- 26108365
TI  - Metabolic syndrome is associated with left ventricular dilatation in primary
      hypertension.
AB  - Metabolic syndrome (MS) has been shown to predict cardiovascular events in
      hypertension. Recently, a new four-group left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy
      classification based on both LV dilatation and concentricity was proposed. This
      classification has been shown to provide a more accurate prediction of
      cardiovascular events, suggesting that the presence of LV dilatation may add
      prognostic information. We investigated the relationship between MS and the new
      classification of LV geometry in patients with primary hypertension. A total of
      372 untreated hypertensive patients were studied. Four different patterns of LV
      hypertrophy (eccentric nondilated, eccentric dilated, concentric nondilated and
      concentric dilated hypertrophy) were identified by echocardiography. A modified
      National Cholesterol Education Program definition for MS was used, with body mass
      index replacing waist circumference. The overall prevalence of MS and LV
      hypertrophy (LVH) was 29% and 61%, respectively. Patients with MS showed a higher
      prevalence of LVH (P=0.0281) and dilated LV geometries, namely eccentric dilated
      and concentric dilated hypertrophy (P=0.0075). Moreover, patients with MS showed
      higher LV end-diastolic volume (P=0.0005) and prevalence of increased LV end
      diastolic volume (P=0.0068). The prevalence of LV chamber dilatation increased
      progressively with the number of components of MS (P=0.0191). Logistic regression
      analysis showed that the presence of MS entails a three times higher risk of
      having LV chamber dilatation even after adjusting for several potential
      confounding factors. MS is associated with LV dilatation in hypertension. These
      findings may, in part, explain the unfavourable prognosis observed in patients
      with MS. 

PMID- 26108366
TI  - Modification over time of pulse wave velocity parallel to changes in aortic BP,
      as well as in 24-h ambulatory brachial BP.
AB  - Arterial stiffness as assessed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) is
      a marker of preclinical organ damage and a predictor of cardiovascular outcomes,
      independently of blood pressure (BP). However, limited evidence exists on the
      association between long-term variation (Delta) on aortic BP (aoBP) and
      DeltacfPWV. We aimed to evaluate the relationship of DeltaBP with DeltacfPWV over
      time, as assessed by office and 24-h ambulatory peripheral BP, and aoBP. AoBP and
      cfPWV were evaluated in 209 hypertensive patients with either diabetes or
      metabolic syndrome by applanation tonometry (Sphygmocor) at baseline(b) and at 12
      months of follow-up(fu). Peripheral BP was also determined by using validated
      oscillometric devices (office(o)-BP) and on an outpatient basis by using a
      validated (Spacelabs-90207) device (24-h ambulatory BP). DeltacfPWV over time was
      calculated as follows: DeltacfPWV=[(cfPWVfu-cfPWVb)/cfPWVb] * 100. DeltaBP over
      time resulted from the same formula applied to BP values obtained with the three
      different measurement techniques. Correlations (Spearman 'Rho') between DeltaBP
      and DeltacfPWV were calculated. Mean age was 62 years, 39% were female and 80%
      had type 2 diabetes. Baseline office brachial BP (mm Hg) was 143+/-20/82+/-12.
      Follow-up (12 months later) office brachial BP (mm Hg) was 136+/-20/79+/-12.
      DeltacfPWV correlated with DeltaoSBP (Rho=0.212; P=0.002), Delta24-h SBP
      (Rho=0.254; P<0.001), Deltadaytime SBP (Rho=0.232; P=0.001), Deltanighttime SBP
      (Rho=0.320; P<0.001) and DeltaaoSBP (Rho=0.320; P<0.001). A multiple linear
      regression analysis included the following independent variables: DeltaoSBP,
      Delta24-h SBP, Deltadaytime SBP, Deltanighttime SBP and DeltaaoSBP. DeltacfPWV
      was independently associated with Delta24-h SBP (beta-coefficient=0.195; P=0.012)
      and DeltaaoSBP (beta-coefficient= 0.185; P=0.018). We conclude that changes in
      both 24-h SBP and aoSBP more accurately reflect changes in arterial stiffness
      than do office BP measurements. 

PMID- 26108368
TI  - The effect of land-use on the diversity and mass-abundance relationships of
      understory avian insectivores in Sri Lanka and southern India.
AB  - Understory avian insectivores are especially sensitive to deforestation, although
      regional differences in how these species respond to human disturbance may be
      linked to varying land-use histories. South Asia experienced widespread
      conversion of forest to agriculture in the nineteenth century, providing a
      comparison to tropical areas deforested more recently. In Sri Lanka and the
      Western Ghats of India, we compared understory insectivores to other guilds, and
      to insectivores with different vertical strata preferences, both inside mixed
      species flocks and for the whole bird community. Overall species richness did not
      change across the land-use gradient, although there was substantial turnover in
      species composition between land-use types. We found that the proportion of
      species represented by insectivores was ~1.14 times higher in forest compared to
      agriculture, and the proportion of insectivores represented by understory species
      was ~1.32 times higher in forests. Mass-abundance relationships were very
      different when analyzed on mixed-species flocks compared to the total community,
      perhaps indicating reduced competition in these mutualisms. We show that South
      Asia fits the worldwide pattern of understory insectivores declining with
      increased land-use intensity, and conclude that these species can be used
      globally as indicator and/or umbrella species for conservation across different
      disturbance time scales. 

PMID- 26108367
TI  - Wild type human TDP-43 potentiates ALS-linked mutant TDP-43 driven progressive
      motor and cortical neuron degeneration with pathological features of ALS.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a relentlessly progressive
      neurodegenerative disorder, and cytoplasmic inclusions containing transactive
      response (TAR) DNA binding protein (TDP-43) are present in ~90 % of cases. Here
      we report detailed pathology in human TDP-43 transgenic mice that recapitulate
      key features of TDP-43-linked ALS. RESULTS: Expression of human wild-type TDP-43
      (TDP-43(WT)) caused no clinical or pathological phenotype, while expression of
      Q331K mutant (TDP-43(Q331K)) resulted in a non-lethal age-dependent motor
      phenotype, accompanied by cytoplasmic TDP-43 aggregation, mild neuronal loss,
      with astroglial and microglial activation in the motor cortex and spinal cord at
      24 months. However, co-expression of WT and Q331K mutant (TDP-43(WTxQ331K))
      resulted in an extremely aggressive motor phenotype with tremor from 3 weeks and
      progressive hind-limb paralysis necessitating euthanasia by 8-10 weeks of age.
      Neuronal loss and reactive gliosis was observed in the spinal cord and layer V
      region of the cortex, with TDP-43, ubiquitin and p62 cytoplasmic inclusions and
      an increase in insoluble TDP-43. Nuclear clearance of TDP-43 was not observed in
      TDP-43(Q331K) mice but was seen in 65 % of aggregate containing spinal cord motor
      neurons in TDP-43(WTxQ331K) mice. CONCLUSIONS: We hypothesise that cytoplasmic
      TDP-43(Q331K) aggregates facilitate the recruitment of WT protein in compound
      animals, which dramatically accelerates neurodegeneration and disease
      progression. The exploration of disease mechanisms in slow and rapid disease
      models of TDP-43 proteinopathy will help elucidate novel drug targets and provide
      a more informative platform for preclinical trials.

PMID- 26108370
TI  - Mapping plasmonic topological states at the nanoscale.
AB  - We report on the first experimental observation of topological edge states in
      zigzag chains of plasmonic nanodisks. We demonstrate that such edge states can be
      selectively excited with the linear polarization of the incident light, and
      visualize them directly by near-field scanning optical microscopy. Our work
      provides experimental verification of a novel paradigm for manipulating light at
      the nanoscale in topologically nontrivial structures. 

PMID- 26108369
TI  - Force-induced chemical reactions on the metal centre in a single metalloprotein
      molecule.
AB  - Metalloproteins play indispensable roles in biology owing to the versatile
      chemical reactivity of metal centres. However, studying their reactivity in many
      metalloproteins is challenging, as protein three-dimensional structure encloses
      labile metal centres, thus limiting their access to reactants and impeding direct
      measurements. Here we demonstrate the use of single-molecule atomic force
      microscopy to induce partial unfolding to expose metal centres in metalloproteins
      to aqueous solution, thus allowing for studying their chemical reactivity in
      aqueous solution for the first time. As a proof-of-principle, we demonstrate two
      chemical reactions for the FeS4 centre in rubredoxin: electrophilic protonation
      and nucleophilic ligand substitution. Our results show that protonation and
      ligand substitution result in mechanical destabilization of the FeS4 centre.
      Quantum chemical calculations corroborated experimental results and revealed
      detailed reaction mechanisms. We anticipate that this novel approach will provide
      insights into chemical reactivity of metal centres in metalloproteins under
      biologically more relevant conditions. 

PMID- 26108371
TI  - A new mechanism for low and temperature-independent elastic modulus.
AB  - The first Elinvar alloy, FeNiCr, which has invariant elastic modulus over a wide
      temperature range, was discovered almost 100 years ago by Guillaume. The physical
      origin of such an anomaly has been attributed to the magnetic phase transition
      taking place in the system. However, the recent discovery of non-magnetic Elinvar
      such as multi-functional beta-type Ti alloys has imposed a new challenge to the
      existing theories. In this study we show that random field from stress-carrying
      defects could suppress the sharp first-order martensitic transformation into a
      continuous strain glass transition, leading to continued formation and confined
      growth of nano-domains of martensite in a broad temperature range. Accompanying
      such a unique transition, there is a gradual softening of the elastic modulus
      over a wide temperature range, which compensates the normal modulus hardening due
      to anharmonic atomic vibration, resulting in a low and temperature-independent
      elastic modulus. The abundance of austenite/martensite interfaces are found
      responsible for the low elastic modulus. 

PMID- 26108372
TI  - Caenorhabditis elegans is a useful model for anthelmintic discovery.
AB  - Parasitic nematodes infect one quarter of the world's population and impact all
      humans through widespread infection of crops and livestock. Resistance to current
      anthelmintics has prompted the search for new drugs. Traditional screens that
      rely on parasitic worms are costly and labour intensive and target-based
      approaches have failed to yield novel anthelmintics. Here, we present our screen
      of 67,012 compounds to identify those that kill the non-parasitic nematode
      Caenorhabditis elegans. We then rescreen our hits in two parasitic nematode
      species and two vertebrate models (HEK293 cells and zebrafish), and identify 30
      structurally distinct anthelmintic lead molecules. Genetic screens of 19 million
      C. elegans mutants reveal those nematicides for which the generation of
      resistance is and is not likely. We identify the target of one lead with nematode
      specificity and nanomolar potency as complex II of the electron transport chain.
      This work establishes C. elegans as an effective and cost-efficient model system
      for anthelmintic discovery. 

PMID- 26108373
TI  - Prolonged patients' In-Hospital Waiting Period after discharge eligibility is
      associated with increased risk of infection, morbidity and mortality: a
      retrospective cohort analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prolonged, inappropriate hospital stay after patients' eligibility
      for discharge from internal medicine departments is a world-wide health-care
      systems' problem. Nevertheless, the extent to which such surplus hospital stays
      are associated with infectious complications, their time frame of appearance and
      their long-term implications was not previously addressed. METHODS: We conducted
      a retrospective cohort analysis of patients experiencing an In-hospital Waiting
      Period (IHWP) after discharge eligibility in a single, tertiary hospital.
      RESULTS: We screened the records of 245 patients out of which 104 patients
      fulfilled our inclusion criteria. The mean length of IHWP was 15.7 +/- 4.79 day
      during which 9(8.7 %) patients died. The study primary composite end-point, in
      hospital mortality or hospital acquired infection (pneumonia, UTI or sepsis)
      occurred in 32(31 %) patients. The most hazardous time was during the first 3
      IHWP days: 63.7 % of patients experienced a complication and 44 % of the total
      complications occurred during this period. The occurrence of any complication
      during IHWP was associated, with statistical significance, with increased risk of
      mortality during the first year after IHWP initiation (HR = 6.02, p = 0.014).
      CONCLUSION: Prolongation of hospital stay after patients are deemed to be
      discharged from internal medicine departments is associated with increased
      morbidity and mortality, mainly during the first surplus days of in-hospital
      stay. Efforts should be made to shorten such hospital stays as much as possible.

PMID- 26108375
TI  - DFT studies on the directing group dependent arene-alkene cross-couplings: arene
      activation vs. alkene activation.
AB  - Due to its green-chemistry advantages, the dehydrogenative Heck reaction (DHR)
      has experienced enormous growth over the past few decades. In this work, two
      competing reaction channels were comparatively studied for the Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed
      DHRs of arenes with alkenes, referred to herein as the arene activation mechanism
      and the alkene activation mechanism, respectively, which mainly differ in the
      involvement of the reactants in the C-H activation step. Our calculations reveal
      that the commonly accepted arene activation mechanism is plausible for the
      desired arene-alkene cross-coupling; in contrast, the alternative alkene
      activation mechanism is kinetically inaccessible for the desired cross-coupling,
      but it is feasible for the homo-coupling of alkenes. The nature of directing
      groups on reactants could mainly determine the dominance of the two competing
      reaction routes, and therefore, influence the experimental yields. A wide range
      of directing groups experimentally used are examined by the density functional
      theory (DFT) method in this work, providing theoretical guidance for screening
      compatible reactants. 

PMID- 26108376
TI  - The Missing Memristor has Not been Found.
AB  - In 1971, not only the theoretical and by definition already existing 'ideal
      memristor' concept was introduced, but a real memristor device was suggested on
      grounds of the already known real inductors. The latter is a scientifically
      significant hypothesis grounded in fundamental symmetries of basic physics, here
      electro-magnetism. 2008 claimed the discovery of the "missing memristor."
      Controversy arose: The devices were not new, and the hypothesized device needs
      magnetism but has no material memory, while the available devices constitute
      analogue memory that would work in a world without magnetism. Nevertheless, even
      the originator of the prediction accepted the discovery. Defenders of the 2008
      claim emphasize that the devices are not merely 'memristive systems,' which is
      however a distinction defined in 1976, not 1971. We clarify widely confused
      concepts and maintain that the originally hypothesized real memristor device is
      missing and likely impossible. The argument is illustrated also by finding an
      ideal mechanical memristor element and purely mechanical memristive systems, and
      hypothesizing a real mechanical memristor device that requires inert mass just
      like the 1971 implied device requires magnetic induction. 

PMID- 26108377
TI  - Pharmacist Substitution of Biological Products: Issues and Considerations.
AB  - Biosimilars are biological products that are highly similar to their biological
      reference products, notwithstanding minor differences in clinically inactive
      components. However, unlike generics of small-molecule drugs, biosimilars are not
      identical to their reference products, since each manufacturer uses unique cell
      lines and processes, and these lead to slight structural differences between
      products. Because these structural variations can lead to differences in clinical
      response, clinical studies demonstrating biosimilarity are required before and
      robust pharmacovigilance after approval. Although the FDA has not yet issued
      formal guidance on interchangeable biosimilars, higher standards of similarity
      will be required in order to achieve an interchangeable designation. In this
      commentary, we review the differences between generics and biosimilars, describe
      their respective regulatory approval pathways, discuss interchangeability and
      substitution, and review substitution of interchangeable biosimilars, focusing on
      key professional considerations for pharmacists. 

PMID- 26108374
TI  - Inhibition of the endosymbiont "Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii" during 16S
      rRNA gene profiling reveals potential pathogens in Ixodes ticks from Australia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Australian paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) is of significant
      medical and veterinary importance as a cause of dermatological and neurological
      disease, yet there is currently limited information about the bacterial
      communities harboured by these ticks and the risk of infectious disease
      transmission to humans and domestic animals. Ongoing controversy about the
      presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (the aetiological agent of Lyme
      disease) in Australia increases the need to accurately identify and characterise
      bacteria harboured by I. holocyclus ticks. METHODS: Universal PCR primers were
      used to amplify the V1-2 hyper-variable region of bacterial 16S rRNA genes
      present in DNA samples from I. holocyclus and I. ricinus ticks, collected in
      Australia and Germany respectively. The 16S amplicons were purified, sequenced on
      the Ion Torrent platform, and analysed in USEARCH, QIIME, and BLAST to assign
      genus and species-level taxonomy. Initial analysis of I. holocyclus and I.
      ricinus identified that > 95 % of the 16S sequences recovered belonged to the
      tick intracellular endosymbiont "Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii" (CMM). A
      CMM-specific blocking primer was designed that decreased CMM sequences by
      approximately 96 % in both tick species and significantly increased the total
      detectable bacterial diversity, allowing identification of medically important
      bacterial pathogens that were previously masked by CMM. RESULTS: Borrelia
      burgdorferi sensu lato was identified in German I. ricinus, but not in Australian
      I. holocyclus ticks. However, bacteria of medical significance were detected in
      I. holocyclus ticks, including a Borrelia relapsing fever group sp., Bartonella
      henselae, novel "Candidatus Neoehrlichia" spp., Clostridium histolyticum,
      Rickettsia spp., and Leptospira inadai. CONCLUSIONS: Abundant bacterial
      endosymbionts, such as CMM, limit the effectiveness of next-generation 16S
      bacterial community profiling in arthropods by masking less abundant bacteria,
      including pathogens. Specific blocking primers that inhibit endosymbiont 16S
      amplification during PCR are an effective way of reducing this limitation. Here,
      this strategy provided the first evidence of a relapsing fever Borrelia sp. and
      of novel "Candidatus Neoehrlichia" spp. in Australia. Our results raise new
      questions about tick-borne pathogens in I. holocyclus ticks.

PMID- 26108378
TI  - Proceedings of the AMCP Partnership Forum: NCPDP Electronic Prior Authorization
      Standards-Building a Managed Care Implementation Plan.
AB  - Today's manual prior authorization (PA) process is often viewed by providers,
      payers, pharmacists, and patients as cumbersome, costly, and inefficient. The
      recent approval by the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs of a
      standard transaction for electronic prior authorization (e-PA) has paved the way
      for more rapid and efficient processing of PA requests. On April 23, 2014, the
      Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) convened a meeting of key stakeholders to
      explore how to support the process of implementing the new standard transactions
      for e-PA and to recommend activities and programs that AMCP can promote to speed
      the adoption of e-PA. This Partnership Forum included individuals from managed
      care organizations, the pharmaceutical industry, pharmacy benefit managers,
      electronic prescription hubs or networks, and health information technology
      vendors. The speakers and panelists recommended that AMCP should develop
      measurable goals for staged and full implementation of e-PA. To accomplish this,
      it was recommended that AMCP work to collaborate with organizations representing
      these stakeholders. Additionally, it was recommended that AMCP develop managed
      care e-PA implementation and e-PA criteria guides, as well as an e-PA scorecard. 

PMID- 26108379
TI  - Financial Analysis of CYP2C19 Genotyping in Patients Receiving Dual Antiplatelet
      Therapy Following Acute Coronary Syndrome and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dual antiplatelet therapy is an established standard of care for
      patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) to reduce thrombotic risk. Reduced
      CYP2C19 activity impairs clopidogrel bio-activation and increases risk of adverse
      clinical outcomes. Patients with poor and intermediate CYP2C19 metabolizers
      treated with clopidogrel incur higher cardiovascular event rates, including
      myocardial infarction, stroke, and stent thrombosis, following ACS than patients
      with normal CYP2C19 function. Tests are available to identify the CYP2C19
      genotype and can be used to support individualization of antiplatelet therapy. 
      OBJECTIVE: To estimate the financial impact of CYP2C19 genotyping in a
      theoretical cohort of 1,000 patients with ACS, who received percutaneous coronary
      intervention and coronary stent implantation and were treated with clopidogrel,
      prasugrel, or ticagrelor in a managed care setting.  METHODS: Differences in
      overall and average cost per patient were estimated based on the rate of CYP2C19
      genotyping in a theoretical cohort of 1,000 patients. Sensitivity analysis was
      carried out for varying costs, adherence, and the percentage of patients treated
      according to genotyping results. All clinical event costs were reported in terms
      of 2012 U.S. dollars. The budget impact analysis used published event rates from
      primary literature to estimate costs of events analysis for 3 different
      scenarios: Scenario A, no CYP2C19 genotyping; Scenario B, 50% of patients
      received CYP2C19 genotyping with appropriate treatment based on genotype; and
      Scenario C, 100% of patients received CYP2C19 genotyping with appropriate
      treatment based on genotype.  RESULTS: According to this model, there was no
      change in the market share for the 3 antiplatelet agents in Scenario A. Initial
      market share for clopidogrel, prasugrel, and ticagrelor was 93%, 5%, and 2%,
      respectively; however, use of CYP2C19 genotyping is expected to shift market
      share from clopidogrel to either prasugrel or ticagrelor. In Scenario B, where
      50% of the patients received genotyping, clopidogrel market share was reduced to
      83%, while prasugrel increased to 12.1% and ticagrelor increased to 4.9%. In
      Scenario C, where all patients received genotyping, clopidogrel market share was
      reduced to 73%, prasugrel increased to 19.3%, and ticagrelor increased to 7.7%.
      Total estimated cost differences when all possible patients were genotyped
      included annual savings of roughly $444,852. CONCLUSIONS: Important financial
      benefits may be realized through use of genotype-guided antiplatelet therapy to
      reserve prasugrel or ticagrelor use for patients with reduced CYP2C19 activity to
      avoid costs associated with adverse cardiac events.

PMID- 26108380
TI  - Intravenous Versus Subcutaneous Anti-TNF-Alpha Agents for Crohn's Disease: A
      Comparison of Effectiveness and Safety.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years, there have been a number of pharmacological
      innovations for Crohn's disease (CD), a difficult-to-treat condition, including
      new treatment philosophies (e.g., top-down therapy) and new therapeutic options
      in terms of the agent and the route of administration. Three anti-tumor necrosis
      factor (anti-TNF-alpha) agents are available for use among CD patients in the
      United States: infliximab, an intravenous agent, and adalimumab and certolizumab
      pegol, 2 newer subcutaneous products. Infliximab is considered the "gold
      standard" because it has the longest clinical experience, and adalimumab and
      certolizumab pegol have each gained significant market share. OBJECTIVE: To
      examine differences in effectiveness and safety between currently available
      intravenous and subcutaneous anti-TNF-alpha agents used to treat patients with
      CD. METHODS: Data for this retrospective, administrative claims analysis were
      obtained from pharmacy and medical claims from major U.S. health plans
      geographically dispersed across 14 states during 2007-2011. Patients had at least
      1 ICD-9-CM diagnosis for CD, 6 months pre-index eligibility, and initiated anti
      TNF-alpha therapy on the index date. Patients in each cohort were propensity
      score matched on pre-index demographics, clinical characteristics, and baseline
      health care use. During the post-index period, age-sex adjusted incidence rate
      ratios (IRRs) of CD-related symptoms, infections, cancers, and hepatic-related
      conditions were compared using Cox (PH) models. RESULTS: The matched cohorts
      included 515 patients in each group, with an average age of 39 years. Median
      follow-up was 17.5 months in the intravenous cohort and 17.7 months in the
      subcutaneous cohort. In terms of effectiveness outcomes, age-sex adjusted IRRs
      for the subcutaneous group, with the intravenous cohort as a reference, were as
      follows: 0.61 (95% CI = 0.32-1.18, P = 0.14) for anal fissures; 0.97 (95% CI =
      0.72-1.30, P = 0.85) for abscess; 1.08 (95% CI = 0.79-1.04, P = 0.64) for
      fistulas; 1.12 (95% CI = 0.83-1.54, P = 0.45) for gastrointestinal hemorrhage;
      and 1.22 (95% CI = 0.93-1.59, P = 0.14) for a combined measure of obstruction,
      occlusion, stenosis, and stricture of intestine. In terms of safety outcomes, age
      sex adjusted IRRs for the subcutaneous group were as follows: 0.85 (95% CI = 0.62
      1.16, P = 0.30) for infections; 1.16 (95% CI = 0.71-1.89, P = 0.55) for cancers;
      and 1.23 (95% CI = 0.79-1.92, P = 0.35) for hepatic-related conditions.
      CONCLUSIONS: After adjusting for baseline characteristics, effectiveness and
      safety outcomes appear to be comparable between intravenous and subcutaneous anti
      TNF-alpha agents in patients with CD. With similar outcomes, other considerations
      such as convenience of administration and patient preference may play a more
      prominent role in choice of agent. Health care providers and health payers should
      inform CD patients about the range of options available when selecting an anti
      TNF-alpha agent.

PMID- 26108381
TI  - Health Care Resource Utilization and Costs for Influenza-like Illness Among
      Midwestern Health Plan Members.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Each year, 6%-20% of U.S. residents are infected by influenza, and
      more than 200,000 people are hospitalized due to complications related to
      influenza. In 2003, it was estimated that the direct medical costs for the
      treatment of influenza were $10.4 billion in the United States.  OBJECTIVES: To
      (a) assess the current practice associated with the diagnosis and treatment of
      influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) in inpatient, ambulatory/outpatient, and
      emergency room settings and (b) evaluate how the use of rapid influenza
      diagnostic tests (RIDTs) impacts patient health care utilization and cost in
      these clinical settings. METHODS: For this retrospective cohort study, patients
      with an influenza-related health care encounter were identified using claims data
      from a midwestern commercial health insurance plan. In order to select the claims
      relevant to this study, the corresponding influenza ICD-9-CM codes, GPI codes,
      and CPT codes for the diagnosis, prescriptions, and procedures were identified
      and used to detect ILI claims. For the cost analysis of these data, the allowed
      amount in the billing claims was utilized. Using these data, the median cost,
      mean cost, minimum cost, and maximum cost were determined for each episode of
      care. The median costs were compared, and Wilcoxon two-sample tests and Kruskal
      Wallis tests with a P value of 0.05 were used as the level of significance.
      RESULTS: Over 32% of the influenza-like illness episodes identified in this study
      involved empiric antiviral therapy as either treatment (15%) or prophylaxis
      (17.1%) without an accompanying medical visit. Of patient episodes with a medical
      visit, patients with an RIDT for influenza received antiviral treatment in 27.5%
      of the episodes compared with 55% of the episodes for patients with no RIDT.
      Episodes with a medical visit and an RIDT had statistically significant (P  less
      than  0.001) lower median 30-day influenza-related health care costs ($62.46)
      than episodes with a medical visit but no RIDT ($192.83), as well as with empiric
      therapy but no accompanying medical visit ($105.64). CONCLUSIONS: The results of
      this analysis for ILI claims over a 2-year period suggest that utilization of
      RIDTs for influenza may reduce overall influenza-related health care costs and
      improve proper utilization of anti- influenza medications.

PMID- 26108382
TI  - Impact of COPD Exacerbation Frequency on Costs for a Managed Care Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is scarce information on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD) outcomes and costs for patients with differing levels of COPD
      exacerbations. OBJECTIVE: To examine COPD-related and all-cause health care
      resource use and costs in subsequent years for frequently and infrequently
      exacerbating COPD patients. METHODS: Patients with a diagnosis of COPD (ICD-9-CM
      codes 491.xx, 492.xx, and 496.xx) were identified (1 hospitalization or 1
      emergency department visit or at least 2 outpatient visits) using administrative
      claims data in 2007. Patients were classified in 2008 as frequent (at least 2
      exacerbations/year), infrequent (1 exacerbation/year) and nonexacerbators.
      Outcomes were computed during a subsequent 2-year period (2009 and 2010). Average
      per person estimates and total sample-level estimates were calculated. A logistic
      regression model estimated the predictors of having 2 or more exacerbations per
      year during the follow-up period. RESULTS: 61,750 COPD patients met the study
      criteria (mean age 67 years). Of these, 6% (n = 3,852) were frequent
      exacerbators; 14% were infrequent exacerbators (n = 8,416); and 80% were
      nonexacerbators (n = 49,482). At baseline, average all-cause health care costs
      per patient for frequent exacerbators were highest followed by infrequent and
      nonexacerbators ($12,837, $10,480, and $7,756, respectively). On average, 60% of
      frequent and 40% of infrequent exacerbators had at least 1 exacerbation per year
      in follow-up. Average annual per patient COPD-related costs for frequent
      exacerbators ($3,565 in 2009 and $3,528 in 2010) were more than 3 times (P  less
      than  0.05) and infrequent exacerbators ($2,264 in 2009 and $2,265 in 2010) were
      more than 2 times (P  less than  0.05) higher compared with nonexacerbators
      ($1,007 in 2009 and $1,027 in 2010). On a total sample-level, infrequent
      exacerbators were similar if not more burdensome compared with frequent
      exacerbators in the proportion accounted by these cohorts for total COPD-related
      costs (23% vs. 18%, respectively) and total number of COPD exacerbations per year
      (26% vs. 26%). Compared with nonexacerbators, infrequent exacerbators were 3
      times (OR = 2.8, P  less than  0.001) significantly more likely to have 2 or more
      exacerbations per year in follow-up, and frequent exacerbators were 7 times (OR =
      6.76, P  less than  0.001) significantly more likely to have 2 or more
      exacerbations per year in follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Infrequent exacerbators have an
      increased risk for future exacerbations compared with nonexacerbators and, on a
      total sample-level, incur greater costs compared with frequent exacerbators,
      demonstrating a significant economic burden.

PMID- 26108383
TI  - Risk Factors, Clinical Characteristics, and Treatment Differences Between
      Residents With and Without Nursing Home- and Non-Nursing Home-Acquired
      Clostridium difficile Infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in nursing
      home residents is believed to be high because of the prevalence of predisposing
      factors such as decreased immune response, multiple comorbidities, medications,
      increased risk of infection, close proximity of residents, and recent
      hospitalization. Yet, specific information on CDI in this population is scarce. 
      OBJECTIVES: To investigate differences in clinical and demographic
      characteristics, treatment, and underlying comorbidities in residents who
      acquired CDI preadmission (non-nursing home-acquired [NNH-Acquired]) compared
      with those who acquired CDI after admission to a nursing home (nursing home
      acquired [NH-Acquired]) and matched controls. METHODS: We conducted a
      retrospective case-control study of CDI in nursing home residents with a cross
      sectional and longitudinal aspect of linked and de-identified pharmacy claims and
      Minimum Data Set data (MDS) 2.0 records from October 1, 2009, to September 30,
      2010. The control group was frequency matched 1:1 for gender, race, and age range
      to residents with CDI.  RESULTS: Of 195,498 residents, 5,044 (2.6%) had a
      diagnosis of CDI. Compared with controls, CDI patients had less severe cognitive
      impairment (P  less than  0.01) and more severe functional impairment (P  less
      than  0.01), incontinence (P  less than  0.01), and diarrhea (P  less than 
      0.01). They were more likely to (a) have diabetes, stroke, heart failure, cancer,
      renal failure, and infections; (b) be treated with antibiotics, corticosteroids,
      megestrol, and proton pump inhibitors; and (c) be discharged to the hospital
      (29.3% vs. 14.7%, P = 0.001) than controls. NNH-Acquired CDI was 3 times more
      prevalent than NH-Acquired CDI. Most residents with NNH-Acquired CDI (85.0%) came
      from acute care hospitals and were more likely to have heart disease, cancer, and
      infections, while those with NH-Acquired CDI tended to have more cognitive
      impairment, reliance on staff for activities of daily living, incontinence, and
      stroke. Thirty-day retreatment rates for NH-Acquired CDI and NNH-Acquired CDI
      with metronidazole were 72.7% and 68.4%, and with vancomycin were 83.9% and
      69.3%, respectively. The facility (Medicare Part A) was the payer for 93.6% of
      NNH-Acquired CDI and 75% of NH-Acquired CDI treatment; Medicare Part D was the
      prevalent secondary payer for NNH-Aquired CDI (19.4%) and NH-Acquired CDI
      (37.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Residents with CDI had more comorbidities, and the NNH
      Acquired group bore a higher burden of illness, resulting in differing treatment
      patterns and outcomes than the NH-Acquired CDI group.

PMID- 26108384
TI  - Discontinuation/Interruption of Warfarin Therapy in Patients with Nonvalvular
      Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Use of warfarin is standard of care for stroke prevention in patients
      with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, AF patients experience high rates of
      warfarin discontinuation/interruption, resulting in increased health risks and
      health care costs. As such, it is important to study the rates and predictors of
      warfarin discontinuation/interruption in this population. OBJECTIVES: To
      determine (a) rates of warfarin discontinuation and interruption and (b)
      demographic, clinical, and health care-related factors associated with
      discontinuation and interruption in patients with nonvalvular AF (NVAF) in the
      usual clinical practice settings in the United States. METHODS: This
      retrospective cohort study used the MarketScan Database and included patients
      (aged >= 18 years) with NVAF who were initiated on warfarin. The study period was
      January 1, 2008, to June 30, 2012. To be included, patients were required to have
      at least 2 claims with AF diagnosis separated by >= 30 days and <= 12 months and
      at least 1 outpatient claim. Warfarin initiation had to occur within 30 days of
      the AF diagnosis. Patients also had to have continuous enrollment in prescription
      drug plans from 6 months prior to warfarin use to at least 12 months after
      warfarin initiation. Patients were followed for 1 year after warfarin initiation.
      Persistence was defined as warfarin therapy without a gap >= 45 days between the
      end date of the former prescription and the start date of the current
      prescription or with international normalized ratio (INR) monitoring at least
      every 42 days. Interruption was defined as a gap in warfarin therapy >= 45 days
      and <= 90 days between the end date of the former prescription and the start date
      of the current prescription and without INR monitoring at least every 42 days.
      Discontinuation was defined as greater than 90 days without warfarin therapy
      between the end date of the former prescription and the start date of the current
      prescription and without INR monitoring at least every 42 days. Chi-square tests
      were used to analyze categorical variables, and independent samples t-tests were
      used for continuous variables. Cox proportional hazards regression model was
      performed to determine factors associated with warfarin
      discontinuation/interruption, including demographic (e.g., age, gender); clinical
      (e.g., comorbidities, CHADS2 score); and health care-related (e.g.,
      hospitalizations or emergency room visits) characteristics. Sensitivity analyses
      were conducted by varying prescription gaps by 7, 14, and 30 days. RESULTS: A
      total of 58,593 patients with NVAF were included. The mean age was approximately
      71 years (SD = 12.00) and mean CHADS2 score was 1.66 (SD = 1.23). The majority of
      patients were male (60%). During 12 months after warfarin initiation, 45% of
      patients were persistent with warfarin; 12% had interruption without
      discontinuation; and 43% had discontinuation. The risk of warfarin interruption
      or discontinuation was significantly greater in patients who were younger than 65
      years (HR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.19-1.25), lived in the West (HR = 1.07; 95% CI =
      1.03-1.11), had history of anemia (HR = 1.10; 95% CI = 1.06-1.14), had history of
      bleeding (HR = 1.10; 95% CI = 1.06-1.14), or had history of hospitalization or
      emergency room visits (HR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.08-1.13). The significant factors
      associated with interruption and discontinuation were similar. In the sensitivity
      analyses, the significant factors associated with discontinuation/interruption
      were similar across different prescription gaps. CONCLUSIONS: In the U.S.
      clinical practice setting, more than 50% of NVAF patients discontinued or
      interrupted warfarin within 1 year after initiation. Aged less than  65 years,
      history of anemia, and history of hospitalization/emergency room visits were
      associated with increased risk of discontinuation/interruption. Given the high
      prevalence of warfarin discontinuation/interruption, health care providers should
      take a more active role in understanding and addressing the reasons behind
      patient discontinuation/interruption.

PMID- 26108386
TI  - Assessment of vascular dysfunction after transradial coronary angiography. Is a
      single catheter better?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the midterm effects of
      transradial coronary angiography (TRCAG) on the radial and brachial artery
      diameter, the vasodilator characteristics, as well as to assess the factors
      determining functional recovery. METHODS: This study included 136 consecutive
      patients who underwent TRCAG. The radial artery was evaluated with
      ultrasonography before and 1 month after the procedure. RESULTS: The basal right
      radial artery diameter (2.97 +/- 0.46 vs. 2.82 +/- 0.51, p < 0.001), after flow
      mediated dilatation (FMD; 3.18 +/- 0.45 vs. 2.99 +/- 0.54, p < 0.001) and after
      nitroglycerin-mediated dilatation (NMD; 3.32 +/- 0.45 vs. 3.11 +/- 0.54, p <
      0.001), and the percentage change in diameter after FMD (7.50 +/- 3.62 vs. 5.89
      +/- 3.04, p < 0.001) and NMD (12.42 +/- 4.96 vs. 10.54 +/- 4.47, p < 0.001) were
      significantly decreased 1 month after TRCAG. The mean basal diameter of the right
      brachial artery (4.41 +/- 0.58 vs. 4.40 +/- 0.58, p = 0.012) after FMD (4.61 +/-
      0.60 vs. 4.59 +/- 0.59, p < 0.001) and the percentage change in diameter after
      FMD (4.53 +/- 2.29 vs. 4.33 +/- 2.56, p = 0.038) were significantly decreased 1
      month after TRCAG. The number of catheters used (B = 0.372, p < 0.001, 95 % CI =
      0.006-0.013), basal radial artery diameter (B = - 0.217, p = 0.001, 95 % CI = -
      0.021- 0.006), presence of hypertension (B = - 0.151, p = 0.011, 95 % CI = -
      0.015 - 0.002), and pain score (B = 0.493, p < 0.001, 95 % CI = 0.007 - 0.012)
      were independent predictors of radial artery FMD change in multivariate
      regression analysis. The number of catheters used (B = 0.378, p < 0.001, 95 % CI
      = 0.009 - 0.020), basal radial artery diameter (B = - 0.210, p = 0.010, 95 % CI =
      - 0.034 - 0.005), and pain score (B = 0.221, p < 0.001, 95 % CI = 0.002-0.011)
      were independent predictors of radial artery NMD change in multivariate
      regression analysis. CONCLUSION: Basal radial artery diameter, the number of
      catheters used during TRCAG, and the pain perceived during the procedure seem to
      be important predictors of vascular functional changes after TRCAG.

PMID- 26108385
TI  - Inducing Stem Cell Myogenesis Using NanoScript.
AB  - Transcription factors (TFs) are multidomain proteins that play a critical role in
      orchestrating stem cell differentiation, but several limitations hinder the full
      potential of TF-based gene regulation. Here we report a unique strategy to
      emulate TFs and differentiate stem cells in a nonviral approach using an
      artificial, nanoparticle-based transcription factor called NanoScript. The
      NanoScript platform consists of a gold nanoparticle functionalized with small
      molecules that mimic the various domains of TFs. As a result, NanoScript mimics
      the function and structure of TF proteins. Specifically, NanoScript was designed
      to regulate muscle cell differentiation by targeting myogenic regulatory factors
      (MRFs), which play an important role in inducing myogenesis. This NanoScript-MRF
      is stable in physiological environments, localizes within the nucleus, induces
      differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells into mature muscle
      cells in 7 days, and is naturally excreted from induced muscle cells. As such,
      NanoScript represents a safe and powerful tool for applications requiring gene
      manipulation. 

PMID- 26108387
TI  - Antepartum surgical management of Pott's paraplegia along with maintenance of
      pregnancy during second trimester.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The existing literature is limited and inconclusive regarding
      management of spinal tuberculosis with neurological deficit during advanced
      pregnancy. None of the previously published case series concerning this problem
      during the second trimester of pregnancy have explored the option of simultaneous
      surgical intervention for it along with maintenance of pregnancy. CASE REPORT: A
      22-year-old woman with 26 weeks of pregnancy (2nd trimester) presented with upper
      back pain for the past 2 months, inability to move both lower limbs for the last
      1 week, bladder and bowel dysfunction for the past 5 days (Frankel Grade B).
      Patient subsequently underwent MRI scan dorsal spine and the image findings were
      suggestive of spinal tuberculosis T2 level. After obstetric evaluation and
      opinion of the expectant mother, in view of extensive neurological deficit which
      progressed rapidly, decision was taken for surgical intervention along with
      maintenance of pregnancy. Patient was positioned in right lateral position after
      giving general anesthesia using double lumen endotracheal tube with lung
      isolation technique. Exposure was done using transthoracic third rib excision
      approach. Decompression was achieved by radical debridement at T2 vertebrae level
      followed by multiple rib strut grafts and stabilization with screw and rod
      construct between T1 and T3 vertebrae. Intra-operative measures including type of
      anesthesia, prevention of maternal hypotension, hypoxemia and hypothermia, and
      fetal monitoring by attending obstetrician were undertaken to maintain feto
      maternal safety. Postoperative ultrasonography evaluation of the fetus revealed a
      normal study. Post-surgery histopathological evaluation of the surgical specimen
      confirmed tuberculosis infection and the patient continued anti-tubercular drug
      therapy for 9 months. She delivered a healthy girl child at 36 weeks of gestation
      by cesarean section. After about 14 months of postoperative follow-up, patient
      has completely recovered motor power with mild persistent sensory symptoms. She
      is self-voiding with mild constipation requiring occasional intermittent laxative
      use. Radiological improvements in comparison to the previous reports were also
      seen at the last follow-up. CONCLUSION: Although this is only a single case but
      being the first to our knowledge, the good results highlight the point that both
      surgical management and maintenance of pregnancy during second trimester
      complicated by Pott's paraplegia are possible, involving a multi-disciplinary
      team approach for optimal maternal and fetal outcome.

PMID- 26108388
TI  - A longitudinal study to assess the volumetric growth rate of spinal intradural
      extramedullary tumour diagnosed with schwannoma by magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: Spinal intradural extramedullary (IDEM) schwannoma diagnosed by magnetic
      resonance (MR) imaging is sometimes detected incidentally. Because the natural
      history of spinal IDEM schwannoma has not been established well, questions remain
      regarding whether small and asymptomatic tumour has to be removed. We aimed to
      assess the natural history of spinal schwannoma diagnosed by MR imaging using an
      accurate and reliable method. METHODS: All patients who were diagnosed with
      spinal IDEM schwannoma by MR imaging and did not undergo surgical resection
      immediately were recruited. A number of 56 tumours were enrolled finally. Tumour
      volume was measured using the volume quantification method from the baseline
      through the final follow-up. Receiver operating characteristics plots were used
      to define cut-off value of discrimination. RESULTS: The probable schwannoma grew
      5.45% [median value of volumetric growth rate (VGR); interquartile range 0.14
      14.19] annually with a mean surveillance interval of 43.6 months. Of the 56
      tumours, some tumours kept growing rapidly and the others did not. The median
      annual VGR of the growing and stable probable schwannomas was 13.02 and -0.09%,
      respectively (P<0.001). They can be roughly divided by 2.5% of the annual VGR and
      usually maintained each growth pattern and the cross-over rate to growth pattern
      was 15.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Spinal probable IDEM schwannoma grew 5.45% of the tumour
      volume annually and can be divided into growing and stable tumours. The tumour
      that grows>=2.5% of volume per year needs a careful inspection because it may be
      not benign schwannoma and keep growing continuously.

PMID- 26108389
TI  - L5-S1 disc degeneration and the anatomic parameters of the iliac crest: imaging
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between height ratio of the iliac crest to
      L4 (HR), width ratio of the iliac crest to L4 (WR) and L5-S1 disc degeneration.
      METHODS: On T2-weighted sagittal images of the 50 randomly selected patients, two
      observers graded L5-S1 discs and some other parameters were measured. Then,
      relative signal intensity (RSI) of the L5-S1 nucleus pulposus was calculated. On
      anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the same 50 patients' lumbar spine,
      the parameters such as the height of the iliac crest were measured and then HR
      and WR were calculated. Finally, HR, WR and the percentage of the sROM of L5-S1
      in L1-S1 segments of the other 51 randomly selected patients were calculated.
      RESULTS: Positive correlations were found between HR, WR and RSI of the L5-S1
      disc. Negative correlations were found between HR, WR and modified Pfirrmann
      scores of L5-S1 nucleus pulposus. A statistically significant negative
      correlation was found between HR and the percentage of sROM of L5-S1 in L1-S1
      segments. CONCLUSIONS: Low HR and (or) WR were the risk factors for L5-S1 disc
      degeneration. High HR could reduce the percentage of sROM of L5-S1 in L1-S1
      segments and high HR and (or) WR could reduce the incidence of L5-S1 disc
      degeneration.

PMID- 26108390
TI  - Erratum to: Trends analysis of rhBMP utilization in single-level posterior lumbar
      fusion (PLF) in the United States.

PMID- 26108391
TI  - Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Medical Students: Prevalence, Severity, and
      Correlates.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The study aims were to estimate the prevalence and correlates of
      symptoms suggestive of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among medical students
      and investigate the severity and correlates of specific obsessive-compulsive
      symptom (OCS) dimensions in this population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study
      with 471 Brazilian medical students, who were assessed using the Obsessive
      Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R). The main outcomes were "probable OCD" (OCI
      R score >27) and overall/dimensional OCI-R scores. Sociodemographic data,
      depressive symptoms, and several aspects of academic life were also investigated.
      Bivariate analyses were followed by regression models. RESULTS: Eighteen (3.8%)
      participants presented probable OCD, which was associated with depression. The
      mean OCI-R score was 8.9, and greater overall severity was independently
      associated with being a freshman, difficulty in adaptation, and depressive
      symptoms. Higher scores in the "checking" and "washing" dimensions were
      associated with being a freshman, in the "neutralization" and "ordering"
      dimensions with adaptation difficulties, and in the "hoarding" dimension with
      adaptation difficulties and depressive symptoms. The "obsession" dimension was
      associated with being a freshman, difficulty making friends, depressive symptoms,
      and psychological/psychiatric treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Probable OCD is more
      frequent in medical students than in the general population and is associated
      with depressive symptoms. Efforts are required to identify OCS in this
      population, particularly among first-year students and to provide treatment, when
      necessary. Institutional programs that properly receive freshmen, enhancing their
      integration with other colleagues and their adaptation to the city, may decrease
      the level of stress and, consequently, OCS severity.

PMID- 26108392
TI  - Meaningful Feedback in Medical Education: Challenging the "Failure to Fail" Using
      Narrative Methodology.

PMID- 26108393
TI  - Bureaucrapathologies: Galloping Regulosis, Assessment Degradosis, and Other
      Unintended Organizational Maladies in Post-Graduate Medical Education.
AB  - As decadelong observers of evolving administrative regulations governing academic
      medicine, the authors have identified several organizational disorders they
      define as "bureaucrapathologies," pathological conditions caused by dysfunctional
      bureaucratic processes that generate excesses of wasted time, effort, and other
      resources. Appearing wherever bureaucratic organizations exist, they have become
      particularly egregious in health care, research, and education. In past decades,
      graduate medical education has been beset by proliferating assessment
      requirements accompanied by corresponding documentation requirements imposed by
      academic educational regulatory agencies (specifically the Accreditation Council
      on Graduate Medical). Although originating from the best of intentions, these
      largely untested, unvalidated, and unfunded mandates generate burdensome
      personnel, time, and resource requirements. As they trickle down organizational
      levels, the intentions of the originators are inevitably degraded. As motivations
      and incentives of lower level administrators and faculty differ considerably from
      those at higher levels, we inevitably encounter debatable assessment practices
      yielding results of dubious reliability and validity. These processes invariably
      lead to proliferating reports and paperwork. All of this raises serious questions
      about the benefits vs. harms of these enterprises. In our view, these pathogenic
      processes can be recognized as diagnosable subtypes of bureaucrapathology. Here
      the authors briefly describe two, Galloping Regulosis and Assessment Degradosis,
      which reflect on their pathogenesis and offer preliminary thoughts for potential
      remedies. Several other recently identified bureaucrapathological syndromes
      awaiting future delineation are noted. 

PMID- 26108394
TI  - Factors Modifying Burnout in Osteopathic Medical Students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purposes of the current study are to examine factors modifying
      burnout and identify which of these factors place osteopathic medical students at
      risk for developing burnout. METHODS: The current study used a cross-sectional
      study design and an anonymous, web-based survey to assess burnout and depression
      in osteopathic medical students. The survey included Maslach Burnout Inventory,
      the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Stressors and their impact scale, students'
      sleeping and studying habits, and students' extracurricular involvement. RESULTS:
      In total, 1294 osteopathic medical students completed the survey. Burnout was
      present in 516 (39.9%) osteopathic medical students, and 1006 (77.0%) met
      criteria for depression. Females were 1.5 times more likely to be burned out in
      comparison to males. For the burnout subscales, males had lower emotional
      exhaustion, slightly higher depersonalization, and lower personal accomplishment.
      Lesbian/gay/bisexual/asexual students were 2.62 times more likely to be burned
      out compared with heterosexual students. Depression and academic, personal, and
      family stressors were all strongly linked to overall burnout. Finally, for
      modifiable factors, average hours of sleep, average hours spent studying, and
      club involvement appeared to be linked to burnout. CONCLUSIONS: The current study
      suggested that a variety of factors, including non-modifiable, situational, and
      modifiable, impact burnout in osteopathic medical students. Future research is
      necessary since burnout in physicians affects the quality of care provided to
      patients.

PMID- 26108395
TI  - Evaluation of a National Online Educational Program in Geriatric Psychiatry.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study provides evaluation results of an online study group (OSG)
      for geriatric psychiatry continuing professional development. METHODS: The OSG is
      an interactive, expert-facilitated, asynchronous educational experience for
      psychiatrists and residents in Canada. A retrospective web survey assessed self
      efficacy, knowledge in geriatric psychiatry, comfort with online learning, and
      perceived effectiveness of the instructional methods. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests
      and descriptive statistics were calculated. RESULTS: Twenty-nine (of 50)
      participants (58 %) completed the questionnaire. Although only 48 % of
      respondents reported improved perceived knowledge, 79 % reported improved
      efficacy beliefs, and 76 % reported improved comfort with online learning. Most
      (79 %) would consider taking OSG again, and 93 % would recommend it to others.
      CONCLUSIONS: The OSG was well-received, with greater benefits for self-efficacy
      with the material and comfort with online learning than for perceived knowledge
      itself. Further research is needed to ascertain actual knowledge change in the
      context of online learning in medical education.

PMID- 26108397
TI  - Reality Check: How Reality Television Can Affect Youth and How a Media Literacy
      Curriculum Can Help.
AB  - For the past decade, reality television programming has dominated the television
      market while inherently giving the impression that what occurs on the screen is
      in fact reality. Although mature audiences may be savvy about the differences
      between reality and reality television, for children and adolescents, these
      differences can be less clear. It is important to know what values youth are
      ascertaining from reality television, as studies have suggested that these media
      images may have a negative impact on adolescent values. Fortunately, media
      literacy education has shown promising results in counteracting the negative
      impact of some television programming. The goals of this paper are to show the
      potential benefits for the development of a media literacy curriculum for
      psychiatry residents, including critical media literacy skills, media history
      taking, and counseling concepts. Our hopes are that trained residents may learn
      to effectively teach these literacy skills to their patients, patients' families,
      educators, and other health professionals as a preventive measure against
      potential negative mental health effects of reality television. 

PMID- 26108396
TI  - A Qualitative Analysis of Medical Students' Reflection on Attending an Alcoholics
      Anonymous Meeting: Insights for Future Addiction Curricula.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper describes medical students' views of alcoholism and their
      response to attending an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting during their
      psychiatry clerkship. This may assist other educators in planning their addiction
      curricula. METHODS: Medical students were required to attend an AA meeting during
      their psychiatry clerkship and then to write a reflection piece on this
      experience. We selected a random sample of 40 pieces and performed a qualitative
      analysis to identify the prominent ideas and themes in this sample. RESULTS:
      Medical students found their experience attending an AA meeting to be
      educationally valuable. They reported their familiarity with AA prior to this
      experience was largely limited to popular media depictions. Students reported
      understanding alcoholism as a disease with both biological and psychosocial
      components. They were often concerned with the presence of religiosity and
      spirituality at the meetings. Following the experience, students felt more
      comfortable referring patients to AA and identified empathy, honesty, and
      openness as crucial contributors to the efficacy of AA. CONCLUSIONS: Students
      felt that attending an AA meeting during their psychiatry clerkship was an
      educationally valuable experience. Medical students' familiarity with addiction
      treatment is limited, and attending an AA meeting may be helpful in increasing
      their comfort with treating addicted patients in the future. In addition,
      educators may want to explicitly address the spirituality issue related to some
      treatment programs to increase the likelihood that future physicians feel
      comfortable referring their patients to recovery programs.

PMID- 26108398
TI  - Addiction Psychiatry in PGY-3: Use of the Intensive Outpatient Treatment Setting
      to Train Senior Residents.

PMID- 26108399
TI  - Massachusetts General Hospital Global Psychiatric Clinical Research Training
      Program: A New Fellowship in Global Mental Health.

PMID- 26108400
TI  - Accelerating Maternal and Child Health Gains in Papua New Guinea: Modelled
      Predictions from Closing the Equity Gap Using LiST.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many priority countries in the countdown to the millennium
      development goals deadline are lagging in progress towards maternal and child
      health (MCH) targets. Papua New Guinea (PNG) is one such country beset by
      challenges of geographical inaccessibility, inequity and health system weakness.
      Several countries, however, have made progress through focused initiatives which
      align with the burden of disease and overcome specific inequities. This study
      identifies the potential impact on maternal and child mortality through increased
      coverage of prioritised interventions within the PNG health system. METHODS: The
      burden of disease and health system environment of PNG was documented to inform
      prioritised MCH interventions at community, outreach, and clinical levels.
      Potential reductions in maternal and child mortality through increased
      intervention coverage to close the geographical equity gap were estimated with
      the lives saved tool. RESULTS: A set community-level interventions, with highest
      feasibility, would yield significant reductions in newborn and child mortality.
      Adding the outreach group delivers gains for maternal mortality, particularly
      through family planning. The clinical services group of interventions demands
      greater investment but are essential to reach MCH targets. Cumulatively, the
      increased coverage is estimated to reduce the rates of under-five mortality by 19
      %, neonatal mortality by 26 %, maternal mortality ratio by 10 % and maternal
      mortality by 33 %. CONCLUSIONS: Modest investments in health systems focused on
      disadvantaged populations can accelerate progress in maternal and child survival
      even in fragile health systems like PNG. The critical approach may be to target
      interventions and implementation appropriately to the sensitive context of
      lagging countries.

PMID- 26108401
TI  - Prevention of Nurses' Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Resulting From
      Repositioning Patients in Bed: Comprehensive Narrative Review.
AB  - Repositioning patients in bed to promote comfort and prevent impairments caused
      by continuously lying in a prone position is a task frequently performed by
      nurses and nursing assistants. Repositioning is a high-risk activity, frequently
      causing occupational injuries. These occupational injuries are attributed to
      excessive physical demands on nurses due to patients' weight and awkward nurse
      postures. During repositioning, risk of injury can be lowered by reducing
      friction between the patient and the bed. Hence, certain friction-reducing
      devices have been developed to reduce the manual force required to move patients.
      Nevertheless, further research is needed to evaluate the potential effectiveness
      of these devices. Therefore, the aim of this review was to present current
      research about the risk factors, prevention strategies, and assistive devices
      that could reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders caused by repositioning
      patients in bed. 

PMID- 26108403
TI  - Fatigue Risk Management.
AB  - The occupational and environmental health nurse can be instrumental in developing
      a fatigue risk management system. 

PMID- 26108404
TI  - Femoral Pseudoaneurysm as a Complication of Infective Endocarditis.

PMID- 26108405
TI  - Observation of Single-Protein and DNA Macromolecule Collisions on
      Ultramicroelectrodes.
AB  - Single-molecule detection is the ultimate sensitivity in analytical chemistry and
      has been largely unavailable in electrochemical analysis. Here, we demonstrate
      the feasibility of detecting electrochemically inactive single biomacromolecules,
      such as enzymes, antibodies, and DNA, by blocking a solution redox reaction when
      molecules adsorb and block electrode sites. By oxidizing a large concentration of
      potassium ferrocyanide on an ultramicroelectrode (UME, radius <=150 nm), time
      resolved, discrete adsorption events of antibodies, enzymes, DNA, and polystyrene
      nanospheres can be differentiated from the background by their "footprint".
      Further, by assuming that the mass transport of proteins to the electrode surface
      is controlled mainly by diffusion, a size estimate using the Stokes-Einstein
      relationship shows good agreement of electrochemical data with known protein
      sizes. 

PMID- 26108406
TI  - Systemic chemotherapy as a main strategy for liver metastases from gastric
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Liver metastasis is associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer.
      Surgical resection and systemic chemotherapy have been reported to be effective
      in gastric cancer with liver metastasis (GCLM). However, the best strategy for
      GCLM has not been established. METHODS: From May 2009 to July 2014, a consecutive
      series of GCLM patients in Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University were studied.
      Treatment strategies were evaluated with regard to different extents of
      metastases. RESULTS: A total of 163 patients were included. The overall survival
      was 10.1 months. Active treatment significantly prolongs the survival of GCLM
      patients. The overall survival time for patients with liver-limited metastases
      and extra-hepatic liver metastases was 11.6 mo and 8.7 mo, respectively (P =
      0.012). The median survival time for liver-limited disease of H1, H2 and H3 was
      14.2, 15.8, and 8.5 months, respectively (H3 vs H2, P = 0.001; H3 vs H1, P =
      0.000; H1 vs H2, P = 0.900). Systemic chemotherapy was chosen as the main
      strategy for the 'extensive' patients with extra-hepatic metastases and H3 type
      liver-limited metastases. Patients' survival was benefited by multi-line
      chemotherapy. No differences were shown between systemic chemotherapy and
      curative resection or palliative resection in H1 and H2 liver-limited metastases
      (16.0 mo vs 12.0 mo, P = 0.711; 16.0 vs 18.8 months, P = 0.654). CONCLUSION:
      Systemic chemotherapy was the main treatment for gastric cancer patients with
      liver metastases. Curative resection could be considered for highly selected
      patients.

PMID- 26108407
TI  - Mutual interaction between BCL6 and miRNAs contributing to the pathogenesis of
      various cancers.
AB  - MicroRNA (miRNA), a class of non-protein-coding RNAs, plays a critical role in
      many cellular processes, such as invasion, proliferation and migration, and also
      function in disease pathology. The transcription factor and proto-oncogene B cell
      CLL/lymphoma 6 (BCL6) is aberrantly expressed in various cancers. An increasing
      body of evidence has demonstrated that miRNAs and BCL6 can target one another and
      mutually adjust their expression which are of great importance in the
      pathogenesis of various cancers. In this report, we summarize the mutual
      interaction between miRNAs and BCL6, which have been studied in cancers,
      highlighting their mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets in cancers. 

PMID- 26108408
TI  - Effectiveness and toxicity of helical tomotherapy for patients with locally
      recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: We assessed therapeutic outcomes of reirradiation with helical
      tomotherapy (HT) for locoregional recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LRNPC)
      patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Treatment outcomes were evaluated
      retrospectively in 17 consecutive LRNPC patients receiving HT between 2006 and
      2012. Median age was 57 years and most patients (n = 13) were male. Simultaneous
      systemic therapy was applied in 5 patients. Initial treatment covered the gross
      tumor volume with a median dose of 70 Gy (60-81.6 Gy). Reirradiation was confined
      to the local relapse region with a median dose of 63 Gy (50-70.2 Gy), resulting
      in a median cumulative dose of 134 Gy (122-148.2 Gy). The median time interval
      between initial and subsequent treatment was 42 months (11-126). RESULTS: The
      median follow-up for the entire cohort was 23 and 35 months for survivors. Three
      patients (18 %) developed both local and distant recurrences and only one patient
      (6 %) suffered from isolated local recurrence. Two-year actuarial DFS and LC
      rates were 74 and 82 %, respectively. Two-year OS rate was 79 %. Acute and late
      grade 2 toxicities were observed in 8 patients (47 %). No patient experienced
      late grade >=3 toxicity. Late toxicity included fibrosis of skin, hypoacusia,
      dysphagia, and xerostomia. Patients with higher Karnofsky performance status
      scores associated with a lower risk of mortality (HR 0.85, p = 0.015).
      CONCLUSION: Reirradiation with HT in patients with LRNPC is feasible and yields
      encouraging results in terms of local control and overall survival with
      acceptable toxicity.

PMID- 26108409
TI  - Cancer in children and adolescents in Spain: incidence, treatment setting and
      provider specialty.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze cancer incidence, distribution of malignancy, treatment
      setting and provider specialty of cancer patients, 0-19 years old, in the
      Comunitat Valenciana, Spain. METHODS/PATIENTS: All incident childhood and
      adolescent (0-19 years) cancer cases registered in the population-based Comunitat
      Valenciana Childhood Cancer Registry (RTICV) from 2007 to 2010 were included.
      Pathological and hematological diagnoses were recoded using the International
      Classification of Childhood Cancer Third Edition (ICCC-3). Treatment setting and
      provider specialty were analyzed. RESULTS: 696 patients <20 years were diagnosed
      with cancer: 513 cases were children (0-14 years) and 183 were adolescents (15-19
      years). Overall age-adjusted incidence for 2007-2010 was 176.0 cases per million
      (95 % CI 162.8-189.2), with incidence being the highest among infants (287.4),
      followed by 1-4 years (205.5), adolescents (179.9), 10-14 years (150.2) and 5-9
      years (140.6). Among adolescents aged 14-19 years, the treatment setting differed
      by cancer type; 87 % of them were never seen at pediatric oncology units, while
      40 % were treated in up to 20 different medical oncology departments in
      institutions without pediatric oncology expertise. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first
      population-based epidemiological study carried out in Spain on children and
      adolescents with cancer. Centralization of care to a small number of specialized
      centers and thorough pediatric and oncology team collaboration are needed to
      improve care and survival for adolescents with cancer in our country. We suggest
      the creation of specific adolescent tumor boards in main tertiary care hospitals,
      in which adolescents with cancer can benefit from the shared expertise of medical
      and pediatric specialists.

PMID- 26108411
TI  - Population Growth and Its Impact on the Design Capacity and Performance of the
      Wastewater Treatment Plants in Sedibeng and Soshanguve, South Africa.
AB  - This study investigated the effects of population growth on the performance of
      the targeted wastewater treatment plants in Sedibeng District and Soshanguve peri
      urban area, South Africa. The impact of population growth was assessed in terms
      of plant design, operational capacity (flow rate) and other treatment process
      constraints. Between 2001 and 2007, the number of households connected to the
      public sewerage service increased by 15.5, 17.2 and 37.8% in Emfuleni, Lesedi and
      Midvaal Local Municipalities, respectively. Soshanguve revealed a 50% increment
      in the number of households connected to the sewerage system between 1996 and
      2001. Except for Sandspruit (-393.8%), the rate of influent flows received by
      Meyerton increased by 6.8 ML/day (67.8%) and 4.7 ML/day (46.8%) during the dry
      and wet seasons, respectively. The flow rate appeared to increase during the wet
      season by 6.8 ML/day (19.1%) in Leeuwkuil and during the dry season by 0.8 ML/day
      (3.9%) in Rietgat. Underperformance of the existing wastewater treatment plants
      suggests that the rapid population growth in urban and peri-urban areas
      (hydraulic overloading of the wastewater treatment plants) and operational
      constraints (overflow rate, retention time, oxygen supply capacity of the plants
      and chlorine contact time) resulted in the production of poor quality effluents
      in both selected areas. This investigation showed that the inefficiency of
      Meyerton Wastewater Treatment Plant was attributed to the population growth
      (higher volumes of wastewater generated) and operational constraints, while the
      cause of underperformance in the other three treatment plants was clearly
      technical (operational).

PMID- 26108410
TI  - Safety and outcomes of intravenous thrombolysis in dissection-related ischemic
      stroke: an international multicenter study and comprehensive meta-analysis of
      reported case series.
AB  - The safety and efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in dissection-related
      ischemic stroke (DRIS) has not been established. We sought to determine safety
      and recovery rates of IVT in DRIS using prospective, international, multicenter
      data and by conducting a comprehensive meta-analysis of reported case series. We
      analyzed consecutive DRIS patients treated with IVT according to national
      guidelines during a 5-year period at six tertiary-care stroke centers, and also
      conducted a comprehensive review and meta-analysis of all available case series
      reporting safety outcomes in DRIS treated with IVT according to PRISMA
      guidelines. A total of 39 DRIS patients (mean age 60 +/- 18 years; 59% men;
      median NIHSS 13 points, IQR 9-17) received IVT in our multicenter study.
      Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), in-hospital mortality, complete
      recanalization, favorable functional outcome (FFO; mRS-score of 0-1) and
      functional independence (FI; mRS-score of 0-2) were 0% (adjusted Wald 95% CI 0
      8%), 10% (3-24%), 55% (40-70%), 61% (45-74%) and 68% (52-81%). The pooled sICH
      and mortality rates in meta-analysis including 10 case series (234 IVT-DRIS
      patients) were 2% (0-5%) and 4% (0-8%). The pooled recanalization, FFO and FI
      rates were 45% (26-67%), 41% (29-54%) and 61% (48-72%), respectively. Substantial
      heterogeneity was only found for FFO (I(2) = 61%; p = 0.006). Subsequent meta
      regression analysis identified baseline NIHSS and dissection in the posterior
      circulation as independent predictors of FFO (p < 0.05), accounting for FFO
      variance across different studies. Our prospective, international data coupled
      with comprehensive meta-analysis results underscore IVT safety in DRIS, while
      further independent validation is required in larger observational registries or
      RCTs.

PMID- 26108412
TI  - Hot Spots and Hot Times: Wildlife Road Mortality in a Regional Conservation
      Corridor.
AB  - Strategies to reduce wildlife road mortality have become a significant component
      of many conservation efforts. However, their success depends on knowledge of the
      temporal and spatial patterns of mortality. We studied these patterns along the
      1000 Islands Parkway in Ontario, Canada, a 37 km road that runs adjacent to the
      St. Lawrence River and bisects the Algonquin-to-Adirondacks international
      conservation corridor. Characteristics of all vertebrate road kill were recorded
      during 209 bicycle surveys conducted from 2008 to 2011. We estimate that over
      16,700 vertebrates are killed on the road from April to October each year; most
      are amphibians, but high numbers of birds, mammals, and reptiles were also found,
      including six reptiles considered at-risk in Canada. Regression tree analysis was
      used to assess the importance of seasonality, weather, and traffic on road kill
      magnitude. All taxa except mammals exhibited distinct temporal peaks
      corresponding to phases in annual life cycles. Variations in weather and traffic
      were only important outside these peak times. Getis-Ord analysis was used to
      identify spatial clusters of mortality. Hot spots were found in all years for all
      taxa, but locations varied annually. A significant spatial association was found
      between multiyear hot spots and wetlands. The results underscore the notion that
      multi-species conservation efforts must account for differences in the
      seasonality of road mortality among species and that multiple years of data are
      necessary to identify locations where the greatest conservation good can be
      achieved. This information can be used to inform mitigation strategies with
      implications for conservation at regional scales.

PMID- 26108413
TI  - Carbon Sequestration in Tidal Salt Marshes of the Northeast United States.
AB  - Tidal salt marshes provide important ecological services, habitat, disturbance
      regulation, water quality improvement, and biodiversity, as well as accumulation
      and sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in vegetation and soil organic matter.
      Different management practices may alter their capacity to provide these
      ecosystem services. We examined soil properties (bulk density, percent organic C,
      percent N), C and N pools, C sequestration and N accumulation at four marshes
      managed with open marsh water management (OMWM) and four marshes that were not at
      U.S. Fish and Wildlife National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) on the East Coast of the
      United States. Soil properties (bulk density, percent organic C, percent N)
      exhibited no consistent differences among managed and non-OMWM marshes. Soil
      organic carbon pools (0-60-cm depth) also did not differ. Managed marshes
      contained 15.9 kg C/m(2) compared to 16.2 kg C/m(2) in non-OMWM marshes.
      Proportionately, more C (per unit volume) was stored in surface than in
      subsurface soils. The rate of C sequestration, based on (137)Cs and (210)Pb
      dating of soil cores, ranged from 41 to 152 g/m(2)/year. Because of the low
      emissions of CH4 from salt marshes relative to freshwater wetlands and the
      ability to sequester C in soil, protection and restoration of salt marshes can be
      a vital tool for delivering key ecosystem services, while at the same time,
      reducing the C footprint associated with managing these wetlands.

PMID- 26108414
TI  - The PROMISE of Nuclear Cardiology.

PMID- 26108415
TI  - CZT cameras: A technological jump for myocardial perfusion SPECT.

PMID- 26108416
TI  - Open surgical management of oesophageal diverticulum.
AB  - Epiphrenic diverticula are defined as the herniation of the mucosa and submucosa
      through the muscular layers of the oesophageal wall in its lower third. An
      increased intraluminal pressure associated with an oesophageal motility disorder
      is usually present in the pathophysiology of the disease. Surgical treatment is
      indicated mostly in symptomatic patients. The current surgical treatment consists
      in: (i) removing the diverticulum; (ii) relieving the functional distal
      obstruction with an oesophageal myotomy including the lower oesophageal
      sphincter; and (iii) preventing an associated reflux by the addition of a non
      obstructive partial fundoplication. Minimally invasive techniques have been
      reported, but traditional open procedures remain the treatment of choice of the
      disease. 

PMID- 26108417
TI  - Pharmacological stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance: feasibility and safety
      in a large multicentre prospective registry.
AB  - AIMS: To assess the feasibility and incidence of immediate complications of
      stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and to determine associated
      factors. METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a large multicentre, prospective registry
      of pharmacologic stress CMR in a referral population. We used dipyridamole when
      no contraindication was present and dobutamine in the remaining patients. Stress
      CMR was performed at 1.5 T. We recorded the clinical and demographic data,
      quality of test, CMR findings, haemodynamic data, and complications. Stress CMR
      was performed in 11 984 patients (98.2% of requested), using dipyridamole in
      95.4% and dobutamine in 4.6%. The study could not be performed due to
      claustrophobia in 0.2%. Quality was optimal in 93.4%, suboptimal in 6.2%, and
      poor in 0.4% of studies. Images were diagnostic in 97.6% of patients (98.7% with
      dipyridamole and 75.1% with dobutamine, P < 0.0001). No patient died or had acute
      myocardial infarction during the test. Ten patients (0.08%) had severe immediate
      complications, seven after dipyridamole and two after dobutamine (P = 0.062), and
      one anaphylactic shock post-gadolinium. The only factor significantly associated
      with higher incidence of serious complications was the detection of inducible
      ischaemia. Incidence of non-severe complications was low (1.5%), severe
      controlled chest pain being the most frequent. Minor symptoms occurred frequently
      (24.8%). Both were significantly more frequent when dobutamine was used.
      CONCLUSION: Performance of stress CMR is safe in a referral population. Inducible
      ischaemia was the only factor identified which was associated with serious
      complications. The incidence of non-severe complications and minor symptoms was
      greater with dobutamine.

PMID- 26108418
TI  - Interaction Between Gastric Carcinoma Cells and Neural Cells Promotes Perineural
      Invasion by a Pathway Involving VCAM1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Perineural invasion (PNI) is one of the important routes for local
      spread of gastric carcinoma associated with poor prognosis. However, the exact
      cellular characteristics and molecular mechanisms of PNI are still unclear. AIM:
      To identify the interaction between gastric carcinoma cells and neural cells, and
      whether vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM1) is involved in this process.
      METHODS: We adopted in vitro cell coculture assays to investigate the cellular
      and molecular interaction between gastric cancer cells and neural cells. RESULTS:
      We find upregulation of VCAM1 in clinical gastric cancer tissue samples. In in
      vitro tumor-neural cell coculture system, gastric cancer cells with high level of
      VCAM1 promote proliferation of neural progenitor cells and induce the process
      outgrowth and branching of neural cells. Reciprocally, neural cells enhance
      neurotropic migration and mobility of tumor cells. Repressing VCAM1 function
      through VCAM1 blocking antibody can attenuate these effects. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      study indicates that VCAM1 is significantly involved in tumor invasion via
      mediating nerve-tumor interaction, which is a mutually beneficial process. It is
      possible that interaction between neural cells and tumor cells might contribute
      to PNI of gastric carcinoma. Inhibiting the activity of VCAM1 could be a
      potential strategy targeting PNI in gastric carcinoma therapy.

PMID- 26108420
TI  - Adherence to Post-polypectomy Guidelines: Just One Piece of an Important Puzzle.

PMID- 26108421
TI  - Successful transplantation of kidneys from elderly circulatory death donors by
      using microscopic and macroscopic characteristics to guide single or dual
      implantation.
AB  - Most kidneys from potential elderly circulatory death (DCD) donors are declined.
      We report single center outcomes for kidneys transplanted from DCD donors over 70
      years old, using preimplantation biopsy Remuzzi grading to inform implantation as
      single or dual transplants. Between 2009 and 2012, 43 single transplants and 12
      dual transplants were performed from elderly DCD donors. Remuzzi scores were
      higher for dual than single implants (4.4 vs. 3.4, p < 0.001), indicating more
      severe baseline injury. Donor and recipient characteristics for both groups were
      otherwise similar. Early graft loss from renal vein thrombosis occurred in two
      singly implanted kidneys, and in one dual-implanted kidney; its pair continued to
      function satisfactorily. Death-censored graft survival at 3 years was comparable
      for the two groups (single 94%; dual 100%), as was 1 year eGFR. Delayed graft
      function occurred less frequently in the dual-implant group (25% vs. 65%, p =
      0.010). Using this approach, we performed proportionally more kidney transplants
      from elderly DCD donors (23.4%) than the rest of the United Kingdom (7.3%, p <
      0.001), with graft outcomes comparable to those achieved nationally for all
      deceased-donor kidney transplants. Preimplantation biopsy analysis is associated
      with acceptable transplant outcomes for elderly DCD kidneys and may increase
      transplant numbers from an underutilized donor pool. 

PMID- 26108419
TI  - SATB1 Promotes Pancreatic Cancer Growth and Invasion Depending on MYC Activation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: SATB1 plays an important role in human malignant progression,
      inducing cancer cell proliferation and metastasis by regulating downstream gene
      expressions. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms in which
      SATB1 promotes pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis. AIMS: To investigate SATB1
      expression levels and its biological functions in promoting pancreatic cancer
      growth and invasion. METHODS: SATB1 expression levels were detected in seven
      human pancreatic cancer cell lines and 16 pairs of normal pancreatic/pancreatic
      cancer tissues using RT-PCR and western blot. SW1990 or Capan-1 cells stably
      knockdown (shRNA) or transiently knockdown (siRNA) SATB1 cells, and PANC-1 stably
      overexpressing SATB1 cells were investigated with MTT, EdU assay, flow cytometry,
      and transwell invasion assay for cell proliferation and invasion activity. The
      binding of SATB1 to MYC promoter region was examined using reporter assay.
      Expression of SATB1 in 68 pancreatic cancer samples was studied by
      immunohistochemical staining and scoring. RESULTS: SATB1 was overexpressed in
      pancreatic cancer tissues samples, showing strong correlation with pancreatic
      cancer invasion depth and tumor staging. SATB1 induced MYC mRNA and protein
      expression; promoted pancreatic cancer cell growth; increased cell population in
      S phase; and enhanced pancreatic cancer cell invasion in vitro. On the other
      hand, SATB1 knockdown showed opposite effects. Furthermore, MYC blocking in SATB1
      overexpressing cells attenuated the promotion of pancreatic cancer cell growth
      and invasion. Our data also indicated that SATB1 bound to specific promoter
      region of MYC. CONCLUSIONS: SATB1 is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer,
      promoting cancer cell proliferation and invasion through the activation of MYC.

PMID- 26108423
TI  - Commentary to 'Putting the past behind us - Social stress induced urinary
      retention can be overcome'.

PMID- 26108422
TI  - Effects of Developmental Alcohol Exposure on Potentiation and Depression of
      Visual Cortex Responses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuronal plasticity deficits are thought to underlie abnormal
      neurodevelopment in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and in animal models of this
      condition. Previously, we found that alcohol exposure during a period that is
      similar to the last months of gestation in humans disrupts ocular dominance
      plasticity (ODP), as measured in superficial cortical layers. We hypothesize that
      exposure to alcohol can differentially affect the potentiation and depression of
      responses that are necessary for activity-dependent sprouting and pruning of
      neuronal networks. ODP is an established paradigm that allows the assessment of
      activity-dependent depression and potentiation of responses in vivo. METHODS:
      Mouse pups were exposed to 3.6 to 5 g/kg of ethanol in saline daily or every
      other day between postnatal days 4 and 9. Visual cortex plasticity was then
      assessed during the critical period for ODP using 2 techniques that separately
      record in layers 4 (visually evoked potentials [VEPs]) and 2/3 (optical imaging
      of intrinsic signals [OI]). RESULTS: We discovered a layer-specific effect of
      early alcohol exposure. Recording of VEPs from layer 4 showed that while the
      potentiation component of ODP was disrupted in animals treated with alcohol when
      compared with saline controls, the depression component of ODP (Dc-ODP) was
      unaltered. In contrast, OI from layers 2/3 showed that Dc-ODP was markedly
      disrupted in alcohol-treated animals when compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS:
      Combined with our previous work, these findings strongly suggest that
      developmental alcohol exposure has a distinct and layer-specific effect on the
      potentiation and depression of cortical responses after monocular deprivation.

PMID- 26108424
TI  - Laparoscopic pyeloplasty in infants: single-surgeon experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although laparoscopic pyeloplasty (LP) is popular in children, its
      role in infants is less well defined. It is presumed that infant LP is
      technically challenging, with a higher failure rate. OBJECTIVE: To consider the
      hypothesis that LP can be safely and successfully performed in infants. METHODS:
      The records of 111 infants that underwent LP from March 2009 to December 2013
      with at least 1 year of follow-up, were retrospectively reviewed. The results of
      pre- and postoperative imaging studies (ultrasound (US) and diuretic renogram
      (DR)), operative details and complications were noted. Pre- and postoperative
      parameters were compared using statistical software. RESULTS: The details are
      given in the Table. Laparoscopic pyleoplasty was successfully completed using
      three ports in all children without any open conversions. There were
      complications in 14 children (12%); 13 did not require a second intervention and
      the final outcome was not affected. One child (1%) had a re-obstruction with
      worsening hydronephrosis (HDN) 2 months after stent removal; she underwent
      successful redo LP. Median follow-up was 2 years; LP was successful in relieving
      the obstruction in 115 kidneys (99%); all had follow-up US, while 76 children had
      follow-up DR. The tests showed significant reduction in HDN (mean pre-operative
      anteroposterior diameter (APD) of renal pelvis, 34.4 mm (SD 13.4) versus mean
      post-operative APD 10.6 mm (SD 5.7), p < 0.001) and improved drainage in all
      kidneys. In unilateral cases, there was significant improvement in mean split
      renal function (SRF) of the operated kidneys (pre-operative 22.1% (SD 8.6) versus
      post-operative 35.6% (SD 11.4), p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: Over the past 6 years,
      all pyeloplasties at our unit have been performed by laparoscopy, irrespective of
      the age or weight of the child. In this large retrospective series, it is
      demonstrated that infant LP is a safe and successful operation; pyeloplasty in
      this age group not only resulted in significant reduction of hydronephrosis, but
      also in significant functional improvement. The results are comparable to
      published series comparing open pyeloplasty to laparoscopic and robotic-assisted
      laparoscopic pyeloplasty, which report success rates ranging from 70 to 96%, and
      complication rates ranging from 0 to 24% for open pyeloplasty.

PMID- 26108425
TI  - A novel photocrosslinkable and cytocompatible chitosan coating for Ti6Al4V
      surfaces.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this work, chitosan (CH) was used to produce a novel coating for
      Ti6Al4V, the most widely used alloy in orthopedic implants, so as to improve the
      biological tissue response at the metallic surface. METHODS: The Ti6Al4V surface
      was sandblasted with alumina particles. CH was chemically modified, via
      carbodiimide chemistry, using lactobionic and 4-azidebenzoic acid to make it
      soluble at physiological pH and photocrosslinkable, respectively. The reaction
      was verified by FTIR, NMR and UV/vis spectroscopy. Ti6Al4V surfaces were coated
      with solutions of the modified CH and exposed to UV light, causing polymer
      crosslinking and formation of a hydrogel on the surface. The crosslinking
      reaction was monitored by FTIR at different exposure times. Coating morphology
      was observed by SEM. The coating's cytocompatibility was determined in vitro
      through the culture of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, using an MTT
      assay, with their morphology assessed by SEM. RESULTS: The developed coating
      behaved as a hydrogel on the Ti6Al4V and was stable on the surface. FTIR and NMR
      confirmed the crosslinking mechanism, based on an arile ring expansion, and
      subsequent reaction with the CH amine groups. Furthermore, the coating was able
      to support cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: UV
      crosslinking of CH is easy to apply and has potential for future metallic implant
      surface modifications. Due to its nature as a hydrogel, the coating could be used
      for further studies in the encapsulation of bioactive molecules to improve
      osteogenic potential at the tissue-implant interface.

PMID- 26108426
TI  - Effects of nanofillers on mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced composites
      polymerized with light-curing and additional postcuring.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of
      nanofillers on the mechanical properties of 2 sizes (diameters 0.6 and 0.9 mm) of
      conventional and nanofilled fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs) polymerized with
      conventional light-curing and additional postcuring. METHODS: The FRCs samples
      were divided into 8 groups (10 specimens each). Conventional FRCs with glass
      fibers preimpregnated with polymethyl methacrylate (groups 1, 2, 3 and 4) and
      FRCs with impregnating solution containing 32% nanofilled resin (groups 5, 6, 7
      and 8) were tested in 2 different sections (0.6 and 0.9 mm in diameter). Two
      different polymerizations were analyzed: hand light-curing for 40 seconds with an
      halogen light, and additional postcuring for 25 minutes in a light-curing oven.
      Each sample was evaluated with a 3-point bending test on a universal testing
      machine, after 48 hours of dry storage. All of the data were statistically
      analyzed. RESULTS: After oven postcuring, nanofilled FRCs exhibited significantly
      higher load values than conventional FRCs. No significant differences were found
      when comparing conventional and nanofilled FRCs after hand light-curing.
      Moreover, 0.6-mm FRCs showed significantly lower load values than 0.9-mm FRCs,
      both for conventional and nanofilled FRCs. CONCLUSIONS: Nanofilled FRCs showed
      higher load values after additional oven postcuring.

PMID- 26108427
TI  - Mechanical and biocompatibility performance of bicomponent polyester/silk fibroin
      small-diameter arterial prostheses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this study, we fabricated prototype bicomponent polyester/silk
      fibroin small-diameter arterial prostheses using a specially designed narrow
      ribbon shuttle loom. METHODS: The 2-layered flat fabrics were then heatset on a
      mandrel to form tubes with a round cross section. RESULTS: The woven samples had
      a wall thickness between 0.23 mm and 0.29 mm and an inner diameter between 3.53
      mm and 3.95 mm, depending on the yarn type and the weave structure. CONCLUSIONS:
      The bicomponent polyester/silk fibroin samples had superior bursting strength,
      circumferential strength and suture retention strength compared with a commercial
      small-diameter arterial prosthesis made from ePTFE. In addition, these prototype
      samples had greater suture retention strengths than a dog femoral artery, which
      indicates that they have adequate biostability for clinical use. While their
      amount of radial compliance was superior to that of the ePTFE commercial graft
      control, it did not match that of a natural artery. So there is still a need for
      future improvement in compliance. All of the woven prototypes had water
      permeability values between 26 and 180 ml/(cm(2)*min), which confirms that none
      of these arterial prostheses needs to be preclotted at the time of implantation.
      The biocompatibility of the woven prototypes was evaluated using porcine
      endothelial cells and an MTT assay. Their cytocompatibility was found to be
      superior to the ePTFE commercial control, and the level of cell attachment was
      observed to increase on these prototypes woven with a higher silk fibroin
      content.

PMID- 26108428
TI  - Enhanced drug delivery of antibiotic-loaded acrylic bone cements using calcium
      phosphate spheres.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Local infection near an implant may pose a serious problem for
      patients. Antibiotic delivery from acrylic (poly(methyl methacrylate)-based)
      cements is commonly used to prevent and treat infections in the proximity of,
      e.g., hip joint implants. However, at present, the drug release properties of
      PMMA cements are not optimal. An initial burst followed by very slow release
      means that an unnecessarily large amount of antibiotic needs to be added to the
      cement, increasing the risk of bacterial resistance. The main purpose of this
      study was to enhance drug delivery from PMMA cements without influencing the
      mechanical properties. METHODS: We incorporated strontium-doped calcium phosphate
      spheres (SCPS) into PMMA cement to enhance the antibiotic release and potentially
      improve the bone-cement integration. The release of strontium and vancomycin was
      investigated using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy and UV
      spectrophotometry, respectively. RESULTS: It was found that incorporating SCPS
      into PMMA could enhance the antibiotic release and deliver strontium ions to the
      surroundings. The incorporation of SCPS also increased the radiopacity as well as
      the working time of the cement. The compressive strength and Young's modulus were
      not affected. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that SCPS/PMMA antibiotic-loaded
      cement had enhanced antibiotic release, delivered strontium ions and maintained
      mechanical properties, indicating that the SCPS additive could be a good
      alternative for controlling the drug-delivery properties of PMMA cement.

PMID- 26108429
TI  - Color and structural changes of a maxillofacial elastomer: the effects of
      accelerated photoaging, disinfection and type of pigments.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the color and structural
      changes of a maxillofacial silicone colored with 2 different pigments, after
      photoaging and immersion in disinfectants. METHODS: Ninety-six cylindrical
      specimens were fabricated and divided into 3 equal groups. The specimens of the
      first group consisted of unpigmented silicone (Multisil Epithetik), those of the
      second group consisted of unpigmented silicone, colored with red functional
      liquid pigment (Cosmesil Reactive 0.2% wt). The specimens of the third group were
      fabricated using unpigmented silicone colored with red powder pigment Cosmesil
      Dry at 0.2% wt. Specimens of each group were divided into 4 equal subgroups
      (immersed in soap solution, ethanol 95 degrees  or distilled water or placed in a
      photoaging apparatus for 174 hours). Structural changes were examined by infrared
      spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) before and after aging. Color changes (DeltaEpsilon*)
      were measured using the CIE L*a*b* system. Two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test for
      post hoc comparison were used at a = 0.05. RESULTS: Infrared spectroscopy showed
      no structural changes after immersion in solutions and photoaging, for all the
      materials tested. No statistically significant differences for DeltaEpsilon*
      among the tested groups were found. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that no
      structural changes of pigmented and unpigmented silicone elastomers were observed
      among all aging procedures. Recorded color changes for the materials tested were
      within the limits of clinical acceptability after all aging procedures. Immersion
      in distilled water presented the best color stability, whereas photoaging, the
      poorest, for all materials.

PMID- 26108430
TI  - Color match of resin composites to intact tooth structure.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The optical properties of dental restorative materials have a
      dramatic effect on patient esthetics, which may be compromised by the poor
      blending effect of composites resins at the composite-tooth interface. OBJECTIVE:
      The objective of this study was to evaluate the color-matching ability and the
      blending effects of 3 different composite resins when restoring natural teeth.
      METHODS: Three commercially available composites and 60 central incisors were
      used for this experiment. Each tooth was sectioned horizontally at the level of
      the cementum-enamel junction, and the crown was then bisected along the long axis
      of the tooth. One half of each tooth was restored individually with composite
      resin, after matching with the corresponding tooth shade. The tooth color was
      evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively using an intraoral spectrophotometer
      and a scientific spectrophotometer. Color differences were then evaluated by the
      CIEDE2000 color difference formula. RESULTS: The results showed the existence of
      color differences between the intact and the restored sections of the teeth.
      However, these differences were considered acceptable, since the DeltaEpsilon
      value ranged below 3.3. The DeltaE, Deltaa and Deltab parameters showed no
      statistically significant differences between the groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      The 3 composites tested were able to mimic natural teeth and produce acceptable
      restorations. However, the color of the resin composites needs to be evaluated
      over the long term, because it is subject to alterations in the oral environment
      over time.

PMID- 26108431
TI  - Effect of increased exposure times on amount of residual monomer released from
      single-step self-etch adhesives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of increased
      exposure times on the amount of residual Bis-GMA, TEGDMA, HEMA and UDMA released
      from single-step self-etch adhesive systems. METHODS: Two adhesive systems were
      used. The adhesives were applied to bovine dentin surface according to the
      manufacturer's instructions and were polymerized using an LED curing unit for 10,
      20 and 40 seconds (n = 5). After polymerization, the specimens were stored in 75%
      ethanol-water solution (6 mL). Residual monomers (Bis-GMA, TEGDMA, UDMA and HEMA)
      that were eluted from the adhesives (after 10 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day, 7 days and
      30 days) were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The data
      were analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance and Tukey HSD tests. RESULTS:
      Among the time periods, the highest amount of released residual monomers from
      adhesives was observed in the 10th minute. There were statistically significant
      differences regarding released Bis-GMA, UDMA, HEMA and TEGDMA between the
      adhesive systems (p<0.05). There were no significant differences among the 10, 20
      and 40 second polymerization times according to their effect on residual monomer
      release from adhesives (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Increasing the polymerization time
      did not have an effect on residual monomer release from single-step self-etch
      adhesives.

PMID- 26108432
TI  - The effect of dexmedetomidine on the firing properties of STN neurons in
      Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Dexmedetomidine (an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist) sedation is commonly used during
      subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep-brain stimulation (DBS). Its effects on the
      electrophysiological characteristics of human STN neurons are largely unknown. We
      hypothesised that dexmedetomidine modulates the firing rates and bursting of
      human STN neurons. We analysed microelectrode recording (MER) data from patients
      with Parkinson's disease who underwent STN DBS. A 'Dex bolus' group
      (dexmedetomidine bolus prior to MER; 27 cells from seven patients) was compared
      with a 'no sedation' group (29 cells from 11 patients). We also performed within
      patient comparisons with varying dexmedetomidine states. Cells were classified as
      dorsal half or ventral half based on their relative location in the STN. Neuronal
      burst and oscillation characteristics were analysed using the Kaneoke-Vitek
      methodology and local field potential (LFP) oscillatory activity was also
      investigated. Dexmedetomidine was associated with a slight increase in firing
      rate (41.1 +/- 9.9 vs. 34.5 +/- 10.6 Hz, P = 0.02) but a significant decrease in
      burstiness (number of bursts, P = 0.02; burst index, P < 0.001; percentage of
      spikes in burst, P = 0.002) of dorsal but not ventral STN neurons. This was not
      associated with modulation of beta oscillations in the spike-oscillations
      analysis(beta peak, P = 0.4; signal-to-noise ratio in the beta range for spikes
      and bursts, P = 0.3 and P = 0.5, respectively) and LFP analysis (Beta power, P =
      0.17). As bursting pattern is often used to identify STN and guide electrode
      placement, we recommend that high-dose dexmedetomidine should be avoided during
      DBS surgery.

PMID- 26108433
TI  - The use of measures of obesity in childhood for predicting obesity and the
      development of obesity-related diseases in adulthood: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is uncertain which simple measures of childhood obesity are best
      for predicting future obesity-related health problems and the persistence of
      obesity into adolescence and adulthood. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the ability of
      simple measures, such as body mass index (BMI), to predict the persistence of
      obesity from childhood into adulthood and to predict obesity-related adult
      morbidities. To investigate how accurately simple measures diagnose obesity in
      children, and how acceptable these measures are to children, carers and health
      professionals. DATA SOURCES: Multiple sources including MEDLINE, EMBASE and The
      Cochrane Library were searched from 2008 to 2013. METHODS: Systematic reviews and
      a meta-analysis were carried out of large cohort studies on the association
      between childhood obesity and adult obesity; the association between childhood
      obesity and obesity-related morbidities in adulthood; and the diagnostic accuracy
      of simple childhood obesity measures. Study quality was assessed using Quality
      Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) and a modified version of
      the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool. A systematic review and an
      elicitation exercise were conducted on the acceptability of the simple measures.
      RESULTS: Thirty-seven studies (22 cohorts) were included in the review of
      prediction of adult morbidities. Twenty-three studies (16 cohorts) were included
      in the tracking review. All studies included BMI. There were very few studies of
      other measures. There was a strong positive association between high childhood
      BMI and adult obesity [odds ratio 5.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.50 to
      6.02]. A positive association was found between high childhood BMI and adult
      coronary heart disease, diabetes and a range of cancers, but not stroke or breast
      cancer. The predictive accuracy of childhood BMI to predict any adult morbidity
      was very low, with most morbidities occurring in adults who were of healthy
      weight in childhood. Predictive accuracy of childhood obesity was moderate for
      predicting adult obesity, with a sensitivity of 30% and a specificity of 98%.
      Persistence of obesity from adolescence to adulthood was high. Thirty-four
      studies were included in the diagnostic accuracy review. Most of the studies used
      the least reliable reference standard (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry); only
      24% of studies were of high quality. The sensitivity of BMI for diagnosing
      obesity and overweight varied considerably; specificity was less variable. Pooled
      sensitivity of BMI was 74% (95% CI 64.2% to 81.8%) and pooled specificity was 95%
      (95% CI 92.2% to 96.4%). The acceptability to children and their carers of BMI or
      other common simple measures was generally good. LIMITATIONS: Little evidence was
      available regarding childhood measures other than BMI. No individual-level
      analysis could be performed. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood BMI is not a good predictor
      of adult obesity or adult disease; the majority of obese adults were not obese as
      children and most obesity-related adult morbidity occurs in adults who had a
      healthy childhood weight. However, obesity (as measured using BMI) was found to
      persist from childhood to adulthood, with most obese adolescents also being obese
      in adulthood. BMI was found to be reasonably good for diagnosing obesity during
      childhood. There is no convincing evidence suggesting that any simple measure is
      better than BMI for diagnosing obesity in childhood or predicting adult obesity
      and morbidity. Further research on obesity measures other than BMI is needed to
      determine which is the best tool for diagnosing childhood obesity, and new cohort
      studies are needed to investigate the impact of contemporary childhood obesity on
      adult obesity and obesity-related morbidities. STUDY REGISTRATION: This study is
      registered as PROSPERO CRD42013005711. FUNDING: The National Institute for Health
      Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

PMID- 26108434
TI  - New study supports MHRA advice on combined oral contraceptives.

PMID- 26108435
TI  - Oral contraceptive study omitted several confounders.

PMID- 26108436
TI  - Data Resource Profile: The Human Mortality Database (HMD).

PMID- 26108437
TI  - Multiobjective triclustering of time-series transcriptome data reveals key genes
      of biological processes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exploratory analysis of multi-dimensional high-throughput datasets,
      such as microarray gene expression time series, may be instrumental in
      understanding the genetic programs underlying numerous biological processes. In
      such datasets, variations in the gene expression profiles are usually observed
      across replicates and time points. Thus mining the temporal expression patterns
      in such multi-dimensional datasets may not only provide insights into the key
      biological processes governing organs to grow and develop but also facilitate the
      understanding of the underlying complex gene regulatory circuits. RESULTS: In
      this work we have developed an evolutionary multi-objective optimization for our
      previously introduced triclustering algorithm delta-TRIMAX. Its aim is to make
      optimal use of delta-TRIMAX in extracting groups of co-expressed genes from time
      series gene expression data, or from any 3D gene expression dataset, by adding
      the powerful capabilities of an evolutionary algorithm to retrieve overlapping
      triclusters. We have compared the performance of our newly developed algorithm,
      EMOA- delta-TRIMAX, with that of other existing triclustering approaches using
      four artificial dataset and three real-life datasets. Moreover, we have analyzed
      the results of our algorithm on one of these real-life datasets monitoring the
      differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) into mature
      cardiomyocytes. For each group of co-expressed genes belonging to one tricluster,
      we identified key genes by computing their membership values within the
      tricluster. It turned out that to a very high percentage, these key genes were
      significantly enriched in Gene Ontology categories or KEGG pathways that fitted
      very well to the biological context of cardiomyocytes differentiation.
      CONCLUSIONS: EMOA- delta-TRIMAX has proven instrumental in identifying groups of
      genes in transcriptomic data sets that represent the functional categories
      constituting the biological process under study. The executable file can be found
      at http://www.bioinf.med.uni-goettingen.de/fileadmin/download/EMOA-delta
      TRIMAX.tar.gz .

PMID- 26108438
TI  - Resistance exercise training increases lower limb speed of strength generation
      during stair ascent and descent in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
AB  - AIM: To examine the effects of a 16-week resistance exercise training
      intervention on the speed of ankle and knee strength generation during stair
      ascent and descent, in people with neuropathy. METHODS: A total of 43 people:
      nine with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, 13 with diabetes but no neuropathy and
      21 healthy control subjects ascended and descended a custom-built staircase. The
      speed at which ankle and knee strength were generated, and muscle activation
      patterns of the ankle and knee extensor muscles were analysed before and after a
      16-week intervention period. RESULTS: Ankle and knee strength generation during
      both stair ascent and descent were significantly higher after the intervention
      than before the intervention in the people with diabetes who undertook the
      resistance exercise intervention (P < 0.05). Although muscle activations were
      altered by the intervention, there were no observable patterns that underpinned
      the observed changes. CONCLUSIONS: The increased speed of ankle and knee strength
      generation observed after the intervention would be expected to improve stability
      during the crucial weight acceptance phase of stair ascent and descent, and
      ultimately contribute towards reducing the risk of falling. Improvements in
      muscle strength as a result of the resistance exercise training intervention are
      likely to be the most influential factor for increasing the speed of strength
      generation. It is recommended that these exercises could be incorporated into a
      multi-faceted exercise programme to improve safety in people with diabetes and
      neuropathy.

PMID- 26108439
TI  - A validation study of a modified Bouchard activity record that extends the
      concept of 'uptime' to Rett syndrome.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the validity of using a Bouchard
      activity record (BAR) in individuals with Rett syndrome to measure physical
      activity, as compared with pragmatic criterion standard measures of walking
      status and step counts recorded using the StepWatch activity monitor (SAM).
      METHOD: During the waking hours of 1 day, 43 females (mean age 21y, SD 9y) wore a
      SAM whilst a proxy completed a modified BAR. Responses to the BAR were compared
      among participants, who were grouped according to walking status, using the Mann
      Whitney two-sample rank-sum test. Relationships were sought between BAR responses
      and step counts using linear regression. RESULTS: According to the proxy-reported
      BAR responses, those who needed assistance with walking spent more time sitting
      (median [interquartile range] 9h 15min [8h 8min-10h 30min] vs 6h 15min [4h 15min
      8h 30min]; p<0.001) and less time standing (1h [38min-1h 30min] vs 2h 15min
      [45min-3h 45min]; p=0.04) than those who could walk independently. In those who
      could walk independently, time classified as 'uptime' (standing and walking)
      using the BAR was associated with increased step count (r(2) =0.58; p<0.001).
      INTERPRETATION: These data support the validity of proxy-reported BAR responses.
      In those who could walk independently, uptime, classified using the BAR, could be
      used to estimate daily step count. This tool offers an inexpensive method for
      clinicians to gain insights into physical activity levels in individuals with
      Rett syndrome.

PMID- 26108440
TI  - Multiplex pyrosequencing assay using AdvISER-MH-PYRO algorithm: a case for rapid
      and cost-effective genotyping analysis of prostate cancer risk-associated SNPs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in Genome Wide
      Association Studies (GWAS) have generally moderate association with related
      complex diseases. Accordingly, Multilocus Genetic Risk Scores (MGRSs) have been
      computed in previous studies in order to assess the cumulative association of
      multiple SNPs. When several SNPs have to be genotyped for each patient, using
      successive uniplex pyrosequencing reactions increases analytical reagent expenses
      and Turnaround Time (TAT). While a set of several pyrosequencing primers could
      theoretically be used to analyze multiplex amplicons, this would generate
      overlapping primer-specific pyro-signals that are visually uninterpretable.
      METHODS: In the current study, two multiplex assays were developed consisting of
      a quadruplex (n=4) and a quintuplex (n=5) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) each
      followed by multiplex pyrosequencing analysis. The aim was to reliably but
      rapidly genotype a set of prostate cancer-related SNPs (n=9). The nucleotide
      dispensation order was selected using SENATOR software. Multiplex pyro-signals
      were analyzed using the new AdvISER-MH-PYRO software based on a sparse
      representation of the signal. Using uniplex assays as gold standard, the
      concordance between multiplex and uniplex assays was assessed on DNA extracted
      from patient blood samples (n = 10). RESULTS: All genotypes (n=90) generated with
      the quadruplex and the quintuplex pyroquencing assays were perfectly (100 %)
      concordant with uniplex pyrosequencing. Using multiplex genotyping approach for
      analyzing a set of 90 patients allowed reducing TAT by approximately 75 % (i.e.,
      from 2025 to 470 min) while reducing reagent consumption and cost by
      approximately 70 % (i.e., from ~229 US$ /patient to ~64 US$ /patient).
      CONCLUSIONS: This combination of quadruplex and quintuplex pyrosequencing and PCR
      assays enabled to reduce the amount of DNA required for multi-SNP analysis, and
      to lower the global TAT and costs of SNP genotyping while providing results as
      reliable as uniplex analysis. Using this combined multiplex approach also
      substantially reduced the production of waste material. These genotyping assays
      appear therefore to be biologically, economically and ecologically highly
      relevant, being worth to be integrated in genetic-based predictive strategies for
      better selecting patients at risk for prostate cancer. In addition, the same
      approach could now equally be transposed to other clinical/research applications
      relying on the computation of MGRS based on multi-SNP genotyping.

PMID- 26108441
TI  - Salinity tolerance of crops - what is the cost?
AB  - Soil salinity reduces crop yield. The extent and severity of salt-affected
      agricultural land is predicted to worsen as a result of inadequate drainage of
      irrigated land, rising water tables and global warming. The growth and yield of
      most plant species are adversely affected by soil salinity, but varied
      adaptations can allow some crop cultivars to continue to grow and produce a
      harvestable yield under moderate soil salinity. Significant costs are associated
      with saline soils: the economic costs to the farming community and the energy
      costs of plant adaptations. We briefly consider mechanisms of adaptation and
      highlight recent research examples through a lens of their applicability to
      improving the energy efficiency of crops under saline field conditions.

PMID- 26108443
TI  - Practical guidance on immunogenicity to biologic agents used in the treatment of
      psoriasis: What can be learnt from other diseases?
AB  - The clinical efficacy of biologic agents for the treatment of moderate to severe
      psoriasis is well proven in clinical studies, but patients may lose response over
      time. Loss of response may be due to immunogenicity and the formation of anti
      drug antibodies (ADA). Although data on the immunogenicity of drugs used to treat
      psoriasis are now emerging, more information on the impact of factors, such as
      dosing regimens and concomitant immunosuppressive therapy is needed. Exploring
      research from other disease areas where immunogenicity has long been recognised
      as a significant clinical issue may help in developing future strategies for
      using drug level and ADA measurements to help tailor biologic therapy to meet
      individual needs. To this end, we analyse what is known about biologics and
      immunogenicity in psoriasis. In order to learn from other indications, we then
      address the issue of immunogenicity for three different types of biologic
      treatments. First, factor VIII-substitution in haemophilia, where the immune
      system is newly exposed to a physiologic but formerly absent protein. Second, the
      use of biologics in inflammatory bowel disease, where similar treatment
      challenges apply as observed in psoriasis. Third, immunogenicity in multiple
      sclerosis caused by therapeutic antibodies or interferons. Immunogenicity
      strategies used in other disease areas will need to be tested in psoriasis before
      they can be widely adopted in routine clinical practice. 

PMID- 26108444
TI  - Clinical features of Behcet's disease: A retrospective chart review of 26
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Behcet's disease (BD) is a multi-organ inflammatory disorder with
      mucocutaneous, ocular, neurological, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, and
      pulmonary manifestations. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical
      features of BD in a cohort of patients diagnosed at the University of California,
      Davis, United States. METHODS: The medical records of 59 patients with an ICD9
      code of BD were retrospectively reviewed. The International Criteria for BD was
      used to identify patients with a point score >=5. The clinical manifestations of
      BD were investigated over a 10-year period in this cohort. RESULTS: Twenty-six
      patients (20 women, six men; female:male ratio = 3.3:1.0) had a point score >=5
      based on the International Criteria. The average age of onset of BD was 29.25 +/-
      14.25 years. Oral ulcers (100%), genital ulcers (84.6%), articular involvement
      (69.2%), ocular involvement (65.3%), and skin lesions (50.0%) were the most
      prevalent manifestations of BD in this cohort. CONCLUSION: Oral ulcers were the
      most common presenting and lifetime sign of BD. In our cohort, oral and genital
      ulcers were hallmarks of BD, independent of patient demographics. Thus, patients
      with these signs require close surveillance for other manifestations of the
      disease.

PMID- 26108442
TI  - The complex of ASYMMETRIC LEAVES (AS) proteins plays a central role in
      antagonistic interactions of genes for leaf polarity specification in
      Arabidopsis.
AB  - Leaf primordia are born around meristem-containing stem cells at shoot apices,
      grow along three axes (proximal-distal, adaxial-abaxial, medial-lateral), and
      develop into flat symmetric leaves with adaxial-abaxial polarity. Axis
      development and polarity specification of Arabidopsis leaves require a network of
      genes for transcription factor-like proteins and small RNAs. Here, we summarize
      present understandings of adaxial-specific genes, ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 (AS1) and
      AS2. Their complex (AS1-AS2) functions in the regulation of the proximal-distal
      leaf length by directly repressing class 1 KNOX homeobox genes (BP, KNAT2) that
      are expressed in the meristem periphery below leaf primordia. Adaxial-abaxial
      polarity specification involves antagonistic interaction of adaxial and abaxial
      genes including AS1 and AS2 for the development of two respective domains. AS1
      AS2 directly represses the abaxial gene ETTIN/AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR3 (ETT/ARF3)
      and indirectly represses ETT/ARF3 and ARF4 through tasiR-ARF. Modifier mutations
      have been identified that abolish adaxialization and enhance the defect in the
      proximal-distal patterning in as1 and as2. AS1-AS2 and its modifiers
      synergistically repress both ARFs and class 1 KNOXs. Repression of ARFs is
      critical for establishing adaxial-abaxial polarity. On the other hand, abaxial
      factors KANADI1 (KAN1) and KAN2 directly repress AS2 expression. These data
      delineate a molecular framework for antagonistic gene interactions among adaxial
      factors, AS1, AS2, and their modifiers, and the abaxial factors ARFs as key
      regulators in the establishment of adaxial-abaxial polarity. Possible AS1-AS2
      epigenetic repression and activities downstream of ARFs are discussed.

PMID- 26108445
TI  - Topical combination therapy with vitamin D3 and corticosteroid ointment for
      palmoplantar pustulosis: A prospective, randomized, left-right comparison study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vitamin D3 ointment and corticosteroid ointment are both used for the
      treatment of palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP). However, to date there is no
      systematic study of the efficacy of combination therapy for the treatment of PPP.
      OBJECTIVE: We compared the efficacy of a topical combination therapy with vitamin
      D3 and a topical corticosteroid with that of topical corticosteroid alone in the
      treatment of PPP. METHOD: We evaluated left-right comparison study of the
      efficacy of a combination therapy consisting of maxacalcitol ointment and
      betamethasone butyrate propionate ointment (BBP), and monotherapy with BBP alone
      in 27 patients with PPP for 8 weeks. RESULTS: The improvement in the symptom
      (erythema, pustules/vesicles, hyperkeratosis/scales) scores was high for the
      combination therapy. In particular, the improvement rate for pustules/vesicles at
      week 8 after the combination therapy was significantly higher than for the
      monotherapy (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This combination regimen demonstrated that
      not only topical corticosteroids, but also topical vitamin D3 ointment, is useful
      for the treatment of PPP.

PMID- 26108446
TI  - Schwannoma of the parotid gland. Case report.
AB  - Schwannoma is encapsulated benign tumors arising from nerve cell. Of which
      ancient schwannoma is one of five variants. Intraparotid facial nerve schwannoma
      is been documented sporadical throught the medical literature, althought a few
      ancient schwannomas have been reported in different locations in the head and
      neck region. In this report, a 31 year old man patient with an misunderstanding
      tumor of the parotid gland is described and the histopathologic exam was
      performed to diagnosed the schwannoma.

PMID- 26108447
TI  - Azoles activate Atf1-mediated transcription through MAP kinase pathway for
      antifungal effects in fission yeast.
AB  - Azole antifungals directly inhibit enzymes for ergosterol biosynthesis, and this
      direct action is thought to underlie antifungal actions of these drugs. Recent
      studies showed that azoles alter expression of genes for various cellular
      functions. However, transcription factors regulated by azoles and their roles in
      antifungal actions remain poorly characterized. Using luciferase assay, we found
      that miconazole increased luciferase activity under the promoter containing the
      cAMP response element (CRE) motif. This azole-induced activation of CRE reporter
      was abolished in Atf1-deficient cells, suggesting that azoles induce Atf1
      activation. As Atf1 is activated by stress-activated MAP kinase Sty1 upon various
      stressors, we examined its involvement. Azoles increased phosphorylation of Sty1
      for its activation, and Sty1 deletion impaired azole-induced CRE reporter
      activation. In contrast, deletion of Pyp1, a tyrosine phosphatase which
      negatively regulates Sty1, increased CRE reporter activation. In addition, cells
      deficient in Atf1 and stress-activated MAP kinase pathway showed resistance to
      azoles, whereas cells lacking Pyp1 increased azole susceptibility, suggesting a
      critical role for azole-induced activation of MAP kinase-Atf1 pathway in
      antifungal actions of azoles. Collectively, these results suggest that azoles
      activate stress-activated MAP kinase pathway, thereby facilitating Atf1-mediated
      transcription for antifungal effects. 

PMID- 26108448
TI  - Nano forsterite biocomposites for medical applications: Mechanical properties and
      bioactivity.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to obtain and to investigate nano forsterite and
      nano forsterite biocomposites for biomedical application. New self-curing
      forsterite biocomposites were obtained by mixing nano forsterite powder (5, 15,
      30, 50, 70 wt %) with 2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxypropoxy)
      phenyl]propane (bis-GMA) and triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) monomers.
      The new nano forsterite biocomposites were investigated for mechanical
      properties: compressive strength (CS) (143-147.12 MPa), compressive modulus (CM)
      (1.67-2.75 GPa), diametral tensile strength (DTS) (27.33-31.55 MPa), flexural
      strength (FS) (59.47-83.20 MPa) and flexural modulus (FM) (2.05-8.60 GPa).
      Increases of CS, DTS, FS with increasing amount of forsterite were observed up to
      50 wt %. The highest CM and FM values were registered for 70 wt % and a direct
      correlation between the forsterite volume fraction (%) was observed. SEM
      micrographs revealed the morphology of surface of fractured biocomposites after
      CS test. XPS indicated that these biocomposites promoted the hydroxyapatite
      formation on their surface immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF). AFM images
      showed that the growth of the hydroxyapatite layer occurs with a preferred
      orientation on the surface of forsterite biocomposites after immersion in SBF.
      Incorporation of nano forsterite in the polymer matrix (bis-GMA/TEGDMA) did show
      osteoblast adhesion and proliferation was improved on nano forsterite
      biocomposites. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl
      Biomater, 104B: 1290-1301, 2016.

PMID- 26108449
TI  - Differential associations of age with volume and microstructure of hippocampal
      subfields in healthy older adults.
AB  - Hippocampal atrophy in advanced healthy aging has frequently been reported.
      However, the vulnerability of different hippocampal subfields to age-related
      atrophy is still a source of debate. Moreover, the association of age with the
      microstructural integrity of subfields is largely unknown. In this study, we
      investigated the associations between age and volume as well as microstructural
      integrity of hippocampal subfields using a three-dimensional (3D) surface mapping
      approach. Forty-three healthy older adults spanning the age range from 60 to 85
      years underwent T1-weighted and diffusion-tensor imaging. Analyses demonstrated
      an association of age with hippocampal volume predominantly in the most anterior
      part of the hippocampal head, mainly corresponding to the subiculum. In contrast,
      the association of age with hippocampal microstructural integrity was mainly
      confined to regions located in the hippocampal body and tail, corresponding to
      the subiculum and CA1. Results indicate that age-related volumetric and
      microstructural alterations within hippocampal subfields provide complementary
      information and reflect different age-related processes. Potential mechanisms
      underlying the differential associations of age with volume and microstructure of
      hippocampal subfields are discussed.

PMID- 26108450
TI  - Nephrotic-range Albuminuria as the presenting symptom of Dent-2 disease.
AB  - Dent disease is a rare X-linked tubulopathy with low molecular weight
      proteinuria, hypercalciuria, nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis and progressive
      renal failure. We describe the case of a 9-year-old boy who presented with
      nephrotic-range albuminuria at the age of 3 years. In the absence of a clear
      diagnosis, a renal biopsy was performed at 4 years, which revealed minimal change
      disease. Due to the presence of low molecular weight proteinuria, even in the
      absence of hypercalciuria, a diagnosis of Dent disease was considered. While
      there were no mutations in the CLCN5 gene, the diagnosis was confirmed by the
      presence of a missense mutation (p.Arg318Cys) in the OCRL gene. CONCLUSION: Given
      the large phenotypic variability of the disease and based on our experience, we
      believe that children with low molecular weight proteinuria, even without
      hypercalciuria, should be investigated for Dent disease.

PMID- 26108451
TI  - Evidence-based management of the thyroid gland during a total laryngectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To propose an original experience-based reference
      framework for the management of the thyroid gland during a total laryngectomy in
      our institution. The steps were based on 1) the incidence and patterns of thyroid
      gland invasion (TGI), 2) preoperative and pathologic factors associated with TGI,
      and 3) the relationship between TGI and oncologic efficacy endpoints after
      treatment. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: We reviewed the
      records of 182 patients who had undergone a total laryngectomy with a total
      thyroidectomy or loboisthmectomy in our center. RESULTS: Among 23 patients
      (12.6%), the thyroid gland was directly invaded by disease in 22 and by
      metastasis in one. Subglottic primary site was the only preoperative factor
      associated (P =.03). TGI was associated with pathological signs of anterior
      extralaryngeal invasive disease (thyroid cartilage transfixion, P = .002;
      cricothyroid membrane invasion, P < .0001; and prelaryngeal soft tissue
      infiltration, P < .0001) and ipsilateral VIb lymph node metastasis (P = .004). As
      expected, disease-free survival was significantly lower in patients with TGI (P =
      .04) and peristomal control was significantly reduced in patients with TGI (P =
      .038). CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the largest monocentric series of
      TGI specimens after a total laryngectomy for laryngeal neoplasms described to
      date. Focus must be placed on anteroinferior spread, which is likely to invade
      the cricothyroid membrane, because TGI is part of the extension of extralaryngeal
      cancer. We propose original experience-based management of thyroid management
      during a total laryngectomy to improve the level of accuracy of decision making
      during the surgical procedure whenever possible. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4

PMID- 26108452
TI  - Longitudinal cleavage of the penis in chronic spinal cord injury: two case
      reports.
AB  - CONTEXT: Penile cleavage is a rare complication of spinal cord injury (SCI) in
      patients with a chronic indwelling catheter. We report two cases of chronic SCI
      who developed penile urethral cleavage after prolonged use of an indwelling
      catheter for bladder management. FINDINGS: A 25-year-old wheelchair mobile male
      with T7 American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) grade A
      paraplegia developed a 4 * 1.5 cm ventral urethral cleavage after using an
      indwelling catheter for four months with inadequate care. He had an associated
      urinary tract infection and undiagnosed diabetes mellitus. A suprapubic catheter
      was inserted and surgical repair recommended after resolution of UTI and adequate
      control of his diabetes mellitus. After initial treatment he was lost to follow
      up. The second patient was a 15-year-old male with AIS grade B tetraplegia who
      presented with a 2.5 cm cleavage on the ventral aspect of penis for the preceding
      three months. He had been using an indwelling catheter for bladder management for
      the previous 18 months. He had modified Ashworth scale grade III spasticity in
      lower limbs resistant to conservative management. There was no history of trauma,
      infection or diabetes mellitus. The patient was advised penile urethral repair
      surgery but was lost to follow-up. CONCLUSION: Penile cleavage is a rare
      complication of neurogenic bladder in SCI patients. Patients and care givers
      should be trained in proper bladder management techniques during the hospital
      stay, counseled regarding the need for regular follow up, and be taught
      identification and prevention of common complications.

PMID- 26108454
TI  - Phospholipids in foods: prooxidants or antioxidants?
AB  - Lipid oxidation is one of the major causes of quality deterioration in natural
      and processed foods and thus a large economic concern in the food industry.
      Phospholipids, especially lecithins, are already widely used as natural
      emulsifiers and have been gaining increasing interest as natural antioxidants to
      control lipid oxidation. This review summarizes the fatty acid composition and
      content of phospholipids naturally occurring in several foods. The role of
      phospholipids as substrates for lipid oxidation is discussed, with a focus on
      meats and dairy products. Prooxidant and antioxidant mechanisms of phospholipids
      are also discussed to get a better understanding of the possible opportunities
      for using phospholipids as food antioxidants.

PMID- 26108453
TI  - Loss of keratin 19 favours the development of cholestatic liver disease through
      decreased ductular reaction.
AB  - Keratins (K) are cytoprotective proteins and keratin mutations predispose to the
      development of multiple human diseases. K19 represents the most widely used
      marker of biliary and hepatic progenitor cells as well as a marker of ductular
      reaction that constitutes the basic regenerative response to chronic liver
      injury. In the present study, we investigated the role of K19 in biliary and
      hepatic progenitor cells and its importance for ductular reaction. K19 wild-type
      (WT) and knockout (KO) mice were fed: (a) 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4
      dihydrocollidine (DDC); (b) cholic acid (CA); (c) a choline-deficient, ethionine
      supplemented (CDE) diet; or (d) were subjected to common bile duct ligation
      (CBDL). The bile composition, liver damage, bile duct proliferation, oval cell
      content and biliary fibrosis were analysed. In untreated animals, loss of K19 led
      to redistribution of the K network in biliary epithelial cells (BECs) but to no
      obvious biliary phenotype. After DDC feeding, K19 KO mice exhibited (compared to
      WTs): (a) increased cholestasis; (b) less pronounced ductular reaction with
      reduced ductular proliferation and fewer oval cells; (c) impaired Notch 2
      signalling in BECs; (d) lower biliary fibrosis score and biliary bicarbonate
      concentration. An attenuated oval cell proliferation in K19 KOs was also found
      after feeding with the CDE diet. K19 KOs subjected to CBDL displayed lower BEC
      proliferation, oval cell content and less prominent Notch 2 signal. K19
      deficiency did not change the extent of CA- or CBDL-induced liver injury and
      fibrosis. Our results demonstrate that K19 plays an important role in the
      ductular reaction and might be of importance in multiple chronic liver disorders
      that frequently display a ductular reaction.

PMID- 26108455
TI  - Emerging corticosteroid agonists for the treatment of asthma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Asthma is one of the most frequent chronic diseases worldwide. For
      decades, asthma has been treated with bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids
      (ICS). However, adverse effects of ICS and disease heterogeneity necessitate
      improvements in the existing treatment regimes. Recently approved ICS show
      improved pharmocodynamic properties. Nevertheless, emerging drugs acting on the
      same receptor as the ICS, glucocorticoid receptor agonists (GRAs), are under
      current research. These drugs exhibit selective action on the glucocorticoid
      receptor (GR), which may improve their adverse effect profile, compared to the
      currently approved ICS that act unselectively on the GR. AREAS COVERED: The
      present article reviews emerging GRAs for the treatment of asthma. Furthermore,
      the more recently approved ICS with improved safety profiles are reviewed. EXPERT
      OPINION: Compared with drugs acting on other pathological pathways, research in
      GRAs for asthma is sparse. However, a few promising agents acting selectively on
      the GR are currently under investigation and may reach approval for asthma
      treatment. These drugs exhibit improved pharmacodynamic properties due to
      selectivity in the mechanism of action, including promotion of transrepression
      and reduction of transactivation. However, competition from already approved ICS
      and other emerging treatment options may lead to cessation of development of the
      new GRAs.

PMID- 26108456
TI  - Errata: Identification and characterization of a novel salt-tolerant esterase
      from a Tibetan glacier metagenomic library.

PMID- 26108457
TI  - Ion channel and lipid scramblase activity associated with expression of
      TMEM16F/ANO6 isoforms.
AB  - TMEM16F is a membrane protein with possible dual function as an ion channel and a
      phospholipid scramblase. The properties of ion channels associated with TMEM16F
      and the link between ion channel and scramblase activity are a matter of debate.
      We studied the properties of four isoforms of TMEM16F generated by alternative
      splicing. Upregulation of three TMEM16F isoforms or silencing of endogenous
      TMEM16F increased and decreased, respectively, both scramblase and channel
      activities. Introduction of an activating mutation in TMEM16F sequence caused a
      marked increase in phosphatidylserine scrambling and in ion transport indicating
      direct involvement of the protein in both functions. TMEM16F, also known as ANO6,
      is a membrane protein that has been associated with phospholipid scramblase and
      ion channel activity. However, the characteristics of TMEM16F-dependent channels,
      particularly the ion selectivity, are a matter of debate. Furthermore, the direct
      involvement of TMEM16F in phospholipid scrambling has been questioned. We studied
      the properties of different TMEM16F variants generated by alternative splicing.
      Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, we found that V1, V2 and V5 variants
      generated membrane currents activated by very high (micromolar) intracellular
      Ca(2+) concentrations and positive membrane potentials. These variants showed
      different degrees of Ca(2+) sensitivity and kinetics of activation but similar
      ion permeability, characterized by a slight selectivity for Cl(-) over Na(+) . A
      fourth variant (V3) showing a unique carboxy-terminus was devoid of activity, in
      agreement with its intracellular localization. We also measured scramblase
      activity using the binding of annexin V to detect phosphatidylserine on the cell
      surface. V1, V2 and V5 variants were associated with calcium-dependent
      phosphatidylserine externalization. Interestingly, introduction of an activating
      mutation, D409G, produced a marked increase in the apparent Ca(2+) sensitivity of
      TMEM16F-dependent channels. In parallel, this mutation also enhanced the extent
      of phosphatidylserine externalization that occurred even under resting
      conditions. These results support the conclusion that TMEM16F proteins are
      directly involved in dual activity, as a phospholipid scramblase and as an ion
      channel.

PMID- 26108458
TI  - A new scoring system for predicting survival in patients with non-small cell lung
      cancer.
AB  - This analysis was performed to create a scoring system to estimate the survival
      of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Data from 1274 NSCLC
      patients were analyzed to create and validate a scoring system. Univariate (UV)
      and multivariate (MV) Cox models were used to evaluate the prognostic importance
      of each baseline factor. Prognostic factors that were significant on both UV and
      MV analyses were used to develop the score. These included quality of life, age,
      performance status, primary tumor diameter, nodal status, distant metastases, and
      smoking cessation. The score for each factor was determined by dividing the 5
      year survival rate (%) by 10 and summing these scores to form a total score. MV
      models and the score were validated using bootstrapping with 1000 iterations from
      the original samples. The score for each prognostic factor ranged from 1 to 7
      points with higher scores reflective of better survival. Total scores (sum of the
      scores from each independent prognostic factor) of 32-37 correlated with a 5-year
      survival of 8.3% (95% CI = 0-17.1%), 38-43 correlated with a 5-year survival of
      20% (95% CI = 13-27%), 44-47 correlated with a 5-year survival of 48.3% (95% CI =
      41.5-55.2%), 48-49 correlated to a 5-year survival of 72.1% (95% CI = 65.6
      78.6%), and 50-52 correlated to a 5-year survival of 84.7% (95% CI = 79.6-89.8%).
      The bootstrap method confirmed the reliability of the score. Prognostic factors
      significantly associated with survival on both UV and MV analyses were used to
      construct a valid scoring system that can be used to predict survival of NSCLC
      patients. Optimally, this score could be used when counseling patients, and
      designing future trials.

PMID- 26108459
TI  - Toxicity, mutagenicity and transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of three popular
      DNA intercalating fluorescent dyes.
AB  - We have compared the toxicity, mutagenicity and transport in Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae of three DNA-intercalating fluorescent dyes widely used to stain DNA
      in gels. Safety data about ethidium bromide (EtBr) are contradictory, and two
      compounds of undisclosed structure (Redsafe and Gelred) have been proposed as
      safe alternatives. Our results indicate that all three compounds inhibit yeast
      growth, with Gelred being the most inhibitory and also the only one causing cell
      death. EtBr and Gelred, but not Redsafe, induce massive formation of petite (non
      respiratory) mutants, but only EtBr induces massive loss of mitochondrial DNA.
      All three compounds increase reversion of a chromosomal point mutation (lys2
      801(amber) ), with Gelred being the most mutagenic and Redsafe the least. These
      dyes are all cationic and are probably taken by cells through non-selective
      cation channels. We could measure the glucose-energized transport of EtBr and
      Gelred inside the cells, while uptake of Redsafe was below our detection limit.
      We conclude that although all three compounds are toxic and mutagenic in the
      yeast system, Redsafe is the safest for yeast, probably because of very limited
      uptake by these cells.

PMID- 26108460
TI  - Using Immune Marker Panels to Evaluate the Role of Inflammation in Cancer:
      Summary of an NCI-sponsored Workshop.
AB  - Chronic inflammation is recognized to play a role in the development of several
      cancers. Past investigations of inflammation and cancer have typically been
      small, used varied assay platforms, and included a narrow range of analytes.
      Multiplex technologies have now been developed to measure larger numbers of
      inflammatory markers using small volumes of specimens. This has created an
      opportunity for systematic, large-scale epidemiological studies to evaluate the
      role of inflammation in cancer. However, lack of consensus on the approach to
      these studies, the technologies/assays to be used, and the most adequate
      analysis/interpretation of findings have thus far hindered progress. In June of
      2014, the National Cancer Institute convened a workshop involving
      epidemiologists, immunologists, statisticians, and laboratory biologists to share
      their experiences with new inflammation marker technologies and findings from
      association studies using such methods and technologies
      (http://epi.grants.cancer.gov/workshops/). Consensus and gaps in our
      understanding of the role of chronic inflammation in cancer were identified and
      recommendations made to improve future efforts in this area. These
      recommendations are summarized herein, along with specific suggestions for how
      they may be implemented. By facilitating discussions among various groups, and
      encouraging interdisciplinary collaborations, we anticipate that the pace of
      research in this field will be accelerated and duplication of efforts can be
      minimized.

PMID- 26108461
TI  - The HOXB13 G84E Mutation Is Associated with an Increased Risk for Prostate Cancer
      and Other Malignancies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A rare nonconservative substitution (G84E) in the HOXB13 gene has
      been shown to be associated with risk of prostate cancer. DNA samples from male
      patients included in the Mayo Clinic Biobank (MCB) were genotyped to determine
      the frequency of the G84E mutation and its association with various cancers.
      METHODS: Subjects were genotyped using a custom TaqMan (Applied Biosystems) assay
      for G84E (rs138213197). In addition to donating a blood specimen, all MCB
      participants completed a baseline questionnaire to collect information on medical
      history and family history of cancer. RESULTS: Forty-nine of 9,012 male patients
      were carriers of G84E (0.5%). Thirty-one percent (n = 2,595) of participants had
      been diagnosed with cancer, including 51.1% of G84E carriers compared with just
      30.6% of noncarriers (P = 0.004). G84E was most frequently observed among men
      with prostate cancer compared with men without cancer (P < 0.0001). However, the
      mutation was also more commonly observed in men with bladder cancer (P = 0.06)
      and leukemia (P = 0.01). G84E carriers were more likely to have a positive family
      history of prostate cancer in a first-degree relative compared to noncarriers
      (36.2% vs. 16.0%, P = 0.0003). CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms the association
      between the HOXB13 G84E variant and prostate cancer and suggests a novel
      association between G84E and leukemia and a suggestive association with bladder
      cancer. Future investigation is warranted to confirm these associations in order
      to improve our understanding of the role of germline HOXB13 mutations in human
      cancer. IMPACT: The associations between HOXB13 and prostate, leukemia, and
      bladder suggest that this gene is important in carcinogenesis.

PMID- 26108462
TI  - microRNA Biomarker Discovery and High-Throughput DNA Sequencing Are Possible
      Using Long-term Archived Serum Samples.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impacts of long-term storage and varying preanalytical factors on
      the quality and quantity of DNA and miRNA from archived serum have not been fully
      assessed. Preanalytical and analytical variations and degradation may introduce
      bias in representation of DNA and miRNA and may result in loss or corruption of
      quantitative data. METHODS: We have evaluated DNA and miRNA quantity, quality,
      and variability in samples stored up to 40 years using one of the oldest
      prospective serum collections in the world, the Janus Serumbank, a biorepository
      dedicated to cancer research. RESULTS: miRNAs are present and stable in archived
      serum samples frozen at -25 degrees C for at least 40 years. Long-time storage
      did not reduce miRNA yields; however, varying preanalytical conditions had a
      significant effect and should be taken into consideration during project design.
      Of note, 500 MUL serum yielded sufficient miRNA for qPCR and small RNA sequencing
      and on average 650 unique miRNAs were detected in samples from presumably healthy
      donors. Of note, 500 MUL serum yielded sufficient DNA for whole-genome sequencing
      and subsequent SNP calling, giving a uniform representation of the genomes.
      CONCLUSIONS: DNA and miRNA are stable during long-term storage, making large
      prospectively collected serum repositories an invaluable source for miRNA and DNA
      biomarker discovery. IMPACT: Large-scale biomarker studies with long follow-up
      time are possible utilizing biorepositories with archived serum and state-of-the
      art technology.

PMID- 26108463
TI  - Sox2-CreER mice are useful for fate mapping of mature, but not neonatal, cochlear
      supporting cells in hair cell regeneration studies.
AB  - Studies of hair cell regeneration in the postnatal cochlea rely on fate mapping
      of supporting cells. Here we characterized a Sox2-CreER knock-in mouse line with
      two independent reporter mouse strains at neonatal and mature ages. Regardless of
      induction age, reporter expression was robust, with CreER activity being readily
      detectable in >85% of supporting cells within the organ of Corti. When induced at
      postnatal day (P) 28, Sox2-CreER activity was exclusive to supporting cells
      demonstrating its utility for fate mapping studies beyond this age. However, when
      induced at P1, Sox2-CreER activity was also detected in >50% of cochlear hair
      cells, suggesting that Sox2-CreER may not be useful to fate map a supporting cell
      origin of regenerated hair cells if induced at neonatal ages. Given that this
      model is currently in use by several investigators for fate mapping purposes, and
      may be adopted by others in the future, our finding that current protocols are
      effective for restricting CreER activity to supporting cells at mature but not
      neonatal ages is both significant and timely. 

PMID- 26108465
TI  - Expanding the Psoriasis Disease Profile: Interrogation of the Skin and Serum of
      Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis.

PMID- 26108464
TI  - Expression of Protease-Activated Receptor-2 in SZ95 Sebocytes and its Role in
      Sebaceous Lipogenesis, Inflammation, and Innate Immunity.

PMID- 26108468
TI  - Strong piezoelectricity in single-layer graphene deposited on SiO2 grating
      substrates.
AB  - Electromechanical response of materials is a key property for various
      applications ranging from actuators to sophisticated nanoelectromechanical
      systems. Here electromechanical properties of the single-layer graphene
      transferred onto SiO2 calibration grating substrates is studied via piezoresponse
      force microscopy and confocal Raman spectroscopy. The correlation of mechanical
      strains in graphene layer with the substrate morphology is established via Raman
      mapping. Apparent vertical piezoresponse from the single-layer graphene supported
      by underlying SiO2 structure is observed by piezoresponse force microscopy. The
      calculated vertical piezocoefficient is about 1.4 nm V(-1), that is, much higher
      than that of the conventional piezoelectric materials such as lead zirconate
      titanate and comparable to that of relaxor single crystals. The observed
      piezoresponse and achieved strain in graphene are associated with the chemical
      interaction of graphene's carbon atoms with the oxygen from underlying SiO2. The
      results provide a basis for future applications of graphene layers for sensing,
      actuating and energy harvesting. 

PMID- 26108467
TI  - Differential gene retention as an evolutionary mechanism to generate biodiversity
      and adaptation in yeasts.
AB  - The evolutionary history of the characters underlying the adaptation of
      microorganisms to food and biotechnological uses is poorly understood. We
      undertook comparative genomics to investigate evolutionary relationships of the
      dairy yeast Geotrichum candidum within Saccharomycotina. Surprisingly, a
      remarkable proportion of genes showed discordant phylogenies, clustering with the
      filamentous fungus subphylum (Pezizomycotina), rather than the yeast subphylum
      (Saccharomycotina), of the Ascomycota. These genes appear not to be the result of
      Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT), but to have been specifically retained by G.
      candidum after the filamentous fungi-yeasts split concomitant with the yeasts'
      genome contraction. We refer to these genes as SRAGs (Specifically Retained
      Ancestral Genes), having been lost by all or nearly all other yeasts, and thus
      contributing to the phenotypic specificity of lineages. SRAG functions include
      lipases consistent with a role in cheese making and novel endoglucanases
      associated with degradation of plant material. Similar gene retention was
      observed in three other distantly related yeasts representative of this
      ecologically diverse subphylum. The phenomenon thus appears to be widespread in
      the Saccharomycotina and argues that, alongside neo-functionalization following
      gene duplication and HGT, specific gene retention must be recognized as an
      important mechanism for generation of biodiversity and adaptation in yeasts. 

PMID- 26108470
TI  - Luminescent supramolecular soft nanostructures from amphiphilic dinuclear Re(I)
      complexes.
AB  - Luminescent metallo-surfactants based on highly emissive dinuclear Re(I)
      complexes have been synthesized combining the peculiar photophysical behaviour of
      this class of neutral hydrophobic complexes with new properties imparted by
      hydrophilic chains anchored on the coordinated chromophoric ligand. In solution,
      the resulting neutral amphiphiles tend to self-assembly in soft structures. The
      aggregation properties have been thoroughly investigated in dioxane-water
      mixtures, where all the complexes assembly in globular-like supramolecular
      architectures with well-defined size (hydrodynamic diameter = 200-400 nm). The
      morphology of these nano-objects has been completely characterized with Dynamic
      Light Scattering (DLS) analysis, Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM)
      and cryo-TEM to determine the size, polydispersity, and stability of the
      nanoparticles in relationship with the structure of the metallo-surfactants. The
      photophysical properties of both the isolated metal complexes and their
      aggregates have been investigated by means of UV-Vis absorption, steady-state and
      time-resolved emission spectroscopy. Noteworthy, the self-assembly properties of
      the reported luminescent rhenium metallo-amphiphiles can be modulated by solvent
      polarity. Even more importantly, such aggregation process yielded a small
      hypsochromic shift of the emission energy accompanied by a sizeable elongation of
      the excited-state lifetime and an enhancement of the photoluminescence quantum
      yield, reaching a remarkably high value of 0.20 despite the air-equilibrated
      aqueous condition. The presented findings endorse novel possibilities for the
      efficient use of soft-nanostructures based on metallo-amphiphiles in dual
      (electron and optical microscopy) bio-imaging applications and theranostics where
      the non-covalent nature of the intermolecular interactions would offer the
      powerful and unique possibility to reversibly assemble and disassemble imaging
      agents.

PMID- 26108469
TI  - Molecular and neuronal homology between the olfactory systems of zebrafish and
      mouse.
AB  - Studies of the two major olfactory organs of rodents, the olfactory mucosa (OM)
      and the vomeronasal organ (VNO), unraveled the molecular basis of smell in
      vertebrates. However, some vertebrates lack a VNO. Here we generated and analyzed
      the olfactory transcriptome of the zebrafish and compared it to the olfactory
      transcriptomes of mouse to investigate the evolutionary and molecular
      relationship between single and dual olfactory systems. Our analyses revealed a
      high degree of molecular conservation, with orthologs of mouse olfactory cell
      specific markers and all but one of their chemosensory receptor classes expressed
      in the single zebrafish olfactory organ. Zebrafish chemosensory receptor genes
      are expressed across a large dynamic range and their RNA abundance correlates
      positively with the number of neurons expressing that RNA. Thus we estimate the
      relative proportions of neuronal sub-types expressing different chemosensory
      receptors. Receptor repertoire size drives the absolute abundance of different
      classes of neurons, but we find similar underlying patterns in both species.
      Finally, we identified novel marker genes that characterize rare neuronal
      populations in both mouse and zebrafish. In sum, we find that the molecular and
      cellular mechanisms underpinning olfaction in teleosts and mammals are similar
      despite 430 million years of evolutionary divergence. 

PMID- 26108472
TI  - Bi- and trimetallic rare-earth-palladium complexes ligated by phosphinoamides.
AB  - The synthesis of the heterometallic early-late 4d/4f bi- and trinuclear
      phosphinoamido Ln-Pd(0) complexes [(Ph2PNHPh)Pd{MU-(Ph2PNPh)}3Ln(MU-Cl)Li(THF)3]
      (Ln = Y, Lu) and [Li(THF)4][{(Ph2PNHPh)Pd}2{MU-(Ph2PNPh)}4Ln] (Ln = Y, Lu) is
      described. The latter compounds are the first early-late trimetallic
      phosphinoamido complexes. Although the metal atoms are forced into close
      proximity by the phosphinoamido ligands, quantum chemical calculations show only
      weak metal-to-metal interactions. 

PMID- 26108471
TI  - Two-dimensional isobutyl acetate production pathways to improve carbon yield.
AB  - For an economically competitive biological process, achieving high carbon yield
      of a target chemical is crucial. In biochemical production, pyruvate and acetyl
      CoA are primary building blocks. When sugar is used as the sole biosynthetic
      substrate, acetyl-CoA is commonly generated by pyruvate decarboxylation. However,
      pyruvate decarboxylation during acetyl-CoA formation limits the theoretical
      maximum carbon yield (TMCY) by releasing carbon, and in some cases also leads to
      redox imbalance. To avoid these problems, we describe here the construction of a
      metabolic pathway that simultaneously utilizes glucose and acetate. Acetate is
      utilized to produce acetyl-CoA without carbon loss or redox imbalance. We
      demonstrate the utility of this approach for isobutyl acetate (IBA) production,
      wherein IBA production with glucose and acetate achieves a higher carbon yield
      than with either sole carbon source. These results highlight the potential for
      this multiple carbon source approach to improve the TMCY and balance redox in
      biosynthetic pathways. 

PMID- 26108473
TI  - Nanotechnology in Disease Diagnostic Techniques.
AB  - Currently the major research highlights of bioengineering and medical technology
      are directed towards development of improved diagnostic techniques to screen
      complex diseases. Screening requirements are for the identification of the cause
      of illnesses, monitoring the improvement or progression of the state of diseases
      such as cancer, cardiovascular or neurodegenerative diseases. Nanotechnology
      enables the manipulation of materials at nanoscale and has shown potential to
      enhance sensitivity, selectivity and lower the cost of a diagnosis. The causative
      biomolecules (DNA, proteins) can be detected by red-shifted absorbance of gold
      nanoparticles or alteration in the conductance of a nanowire or nanotubes, and
      deflection of a micro or nano-cantilever. Several types of nanomaterials such as
      metals, metal-oxides and quantum dots have shown ample advantages over
      traditional diagnosis, intracellular labeling and visualization of target
      cells/tissues. Nanotechnology has also opened several avenues which could be
      further developed to enable enhanced visualization of tissues, cells, DNA and
      proteins over a point-of-care device. Protein or gene chips created using
      nanomaterials could be further be integrated into a convenient nano-fluidic
      device for better disease diagnosis.

PMID- 26108474
TI  - Sensitive fluorescence-based detection of magnetic field effects in
      photoreactions of flavins.
AB  - Magnetic field effect studies have been conducted on a variety of flavin-based
      radical pair systems chosen to model the magnetosensitivity of the photoinduced
      radical pairs found in cryptochrome flavoproteins. Cryptochromes are blue-light
      photoreceptor proteins which are thought to mediate avian magnetoreception, an
      hypothesis supported by recent in vitro observations of magnetic field-dependent
      reaction kinetics for a light-induced radical pair in a cryptochrome from the
      plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Many cryptochromes are difficult to express in large
      quantities or high concentrations and are easily photodegraded. Magnetic field
      effects are typically measured by spectroscopic detection of the transient
      radical (pair) concentrations. Due to its low sensitivity, single-pass transient
      absorption spectroscopy can be of limited use in such experiments and much recent
      work has involved development of other methodologies offering improved
      sensitivity. Here we explore the use of flavin fluorescence as the
      magnetosensitive probe and demonstrate the exceptional sensitivity of this
      technique which allows the detection of magnetic field effects in flavin samples
      at sub-nanomolar concentrations and in cryptochromes. 

PMID- 26108475
TI  - A platform for efficient, thiol-stable conjugation to albumin's native single
      accessible cysteine.
AB  - Herein we report the use of bromomaleimides for the construction of stable
      albumin conjugates via conjugation to its native, single accessible, cysteine
      followed by hydrolysis. Advantages over the classical maleimide approach are
      highlighted in terms of quantitative hydrolysis and absence of undesirable retro
      Michael deconjugation. 

PMID- 26108476
TI  - Influence of carbapenem resistance on mortality of patients with Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa infection: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Treatment of infectious diseases caused by the carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa (CRPA) is becoming more challenging with each passing year. We
      conducted a meta-analysis to assess the impact of carbapenem resistance on
      mortality of patients with P. aeruginosa infection. We searched PUBMED, Web of
      science, EMBASE, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library up to December 25, 2014,
      to identify published cohort or case-control studies. 17 studies, including 6660
      patients carrying P. aeruginosa, were identified. The pooling analysis indicated
      that patients infected with CRPA had significantly higher mortality than those
      infected with carbapenem-susceptible P. aeruginosa (CSPA) (crude OR = 1.64; 95%CI
      = 1.40, 1.93; adjusted OR = 2.38; 95%CI = 1.53, 3.69). The elevated risk of
      mortality in patients with CRPA infection was not lessened when stratified by
      study design, sites of infection, or type of carbapenem, except that the estimate
      effect vanished in CRPA high-incidence region, South America (crude OR = 1.12;
      95%CI = 0.64, 1.99). Begg's (z = 0.95, p = 0.34) and Egger's test (t = 1.23, p =
      0.24) showed no evidence of publication bias. Our results suggest that carbapenem
      resistance may increase the mortality of patients with P. aeruginosa infection,
      whether under univariate or multivariate analysis. 

PMID- 26108477
TI  - Impact of rurality on the oral health status of 6-year-old children from central
      Chile: the EpiMaule study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was the assessment of dental caries and the
      gingival status of 6-year-old children living in the Maule region, Chile's most
      rural region, and to determine if rurality was related to a higher prevalence of
      oral conditions. METHODS: A representative sample of 485 children aged 6 years
      was examined using WHO methods. Children were chosen from schools belonging to
      urban and rural districts of the region. Caries status was obtained by deft
      (decayed, extracted, filled teeth), DMFT (decayed, missing, filled teeth) and SiC
      (Significant Caries) indexes. To assess gingival health status, the oral hygiene
      (OHI) and the gingival index (GI) were used. Urban and rural children data were
      compared using student's t-test at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Overall caries prevalence
      was 80.62%. Rural children showed higher prevalence (p < 0.0001) than urban 6
      year-olds, with 88.3% and 69.9%, respectively. The deft (decayed, extracted,
      filled teeth) index was 4.63 for the region, with 5.74 for rural and 3.09 for
      urban districts (p < 0.05). The SiC index was 10.23 for rural and 7.13 for urban
      children (p < 0.05). Mean OHI score was 1.44, but rural children had higher OHI:
      1.49 compared with 1.37 for urban 6-year-olds (p < 0.0001). The GI of the region
      was 1.37, but no differences were detected between rural and urban children (p <
      0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Children from the Maule region in Chile have a severely
      deteriorated oral health, higher than Chile's mean. Rural are significantly more
      affected than urban children. A special focus on rural communities when designing
      oral health policies is strongly suggested.

PMID- 26108478
TI  - Distinct pathological phenotypes of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in recipients of
      prion-contaminated growth hormone.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The present study compares the clinical, pathological and molecular
      features of a United States (US) case of growth hormone (GH)-associated
      Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (GH-CJD) (index case) to those of two earlier referred
      US cases of GH-CJD and one case of dura mater (d)-associated CJD (dCJD). All
      iatrogenic CJD (iCJD) subjects were methionine (M) homozygous at codon 129
      (129MM) of the prion protein (PrP) gene and had scrapie prion protein (PrP(Sc))
      type 1 (iCJDMM1). RESULTS: The index subject presented with ataxia, weight loss
      and changes in the sleep pattern about 38 years after the midpoint of GH
      treatment. Autopsy examination revealed a neuropathological phenotype reminiscent
      of both sCJDMV2-K (a sporadic CJD subtype in subjects methionine/valine
      heterozygous at codon 129 with PrP(Sc) type 2 and the presence of kuru plaques)
      and variant CJD (vCJD). The two earlier cases of GH-CJDMM1 and the one of dCJDMM1
      were associated with neuropathological phenotypes that differed from that of the
      index case mainly because they lacked PrP plaques. The phenotype of the earlier
      GH-CJDMM1 cases shared several, but not all, characteristics with sCJDMM1,
      whereas dCJDMM1 was phenotypically indistinguishable from sCJDMM1. Two distinct
      groups of dCJDMM1 have also been described in Japan based on clinical features,
      the presence or absence of PrP plaques and distinct PK-resistant PrP(Sc)
      (resPrP(Sc)) electrophoretic mobilities. The resPrP(Sc) electrophoretic mobility
      was, however, identical in our GH-CJDMM1 and dCJDMM1 cases, and matched that of
      sCJDMM1. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that receipt of prion-contaminated GH can
      lead to a prion disease with molecular features (129MM and PrP(Sc) type 2) and
      phenotypic characteristics that differ from those of sporadic prion disease
      (sCJDMM1), a difference that may reflect adaptation of "heterologous" prion
      strains to the 129MM background.

PMID- 26108479
TI  - The discourses on induced abortion in Ugandan daily newspapers: a discourse
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ugandan law prohibits abortion under all circumstances except where
      there is a risk for the woman's life. However, it has been estimated that over
      250 000 illegal abortions are being performed in the country yearly. Many of
      these abortions are carried out under unsafe conditions, being one of the most
      common reasons behind the nearly 5000 maternal deaths per year in Uganda. Little
      research has been conducted in relation to societal views on abortion within the
      Ugandan society. This study aims to analyze the discourse on abortion as
      expressed in the two main daily Ugandan newspapers. METHOD: The conceptual
      content of 59 articles on abortion between years 2006-2012, from the two main
      daily English-speaking newspapers in Uganda, was studied using principles from
      critical discourse analysis. RESULTS: A religious discourse and a human rights
      discourse, together with medical and legal sub discourses frame the subject of
      abortion in Uganda, with consequences for who is portrayed as a victim and who is
      to blame for abortions taking place. It shows the strong presence of the Catholic
      Church within the medial debate on abortion. The results also demonstrate the
      absence of medial statements related to abortion made by political stakeholders.
      CONCLUSIONS: The Catholic Church has a strong position within the Ugandan society
      and their stance on abortion tends to have great influence on the way other
      actors and their activities are presented within the media, as well as how
      stakeholders choose to convey their message, or choose not to publicly debate the
      issue in question at all. To decrease the number of maternal deaths, we highlight
      the need for a more inclusive and varied debate that problematizes the current
      situation, especially from a gender perspective.

PMID- 26108480
TI  - Pretreatment of Nitric Acid with Hydrogen Peroxide Reduces Total Procedural Os
      Blank to Femtogram Levels.
AB  - Determining and correcting for background contributions of Re and Os from
      chemical reagents is critical for accurate and precise Re-Os dating of materials
      with parts per billion to parts per trillion Re and Os concentrations. Here we
      investigate reducing Os content in nitric acid, as it is the main contributor to
      the Os blank. Pretreating high-purity nitric acid with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
      significantly reduces nitric acid's Os contribution to femtogram levels, greatly
      reducing Os blank corrections. The improvement in background Os allows analysis
      of samples with extremely low Os concentrations (into the low ppt level). We
      present experimental data identifying key factors in reducing Os blank, including
      nitric acid to hydrogen peroxide volume ratios, wet versus dry glassware, and
      dark versus lighted reaction environments. These variables affect the reaction
      time between the two reagents, which in turn correlates inversely with the final
      Os content. The volume ratio of H2O2/HNO3 is shown to be the fundamental control
      on reaction time and final Os content, yielding a well-defined exponential
      relationship; minor variations in reaction time result from wet/dry glassware and
      light/dark reaction environment. At a H2O2/HNO3 volume ratio of ~0.24, the total
      procedural Os blank is reduced from 6.5 pg (no H2O2) to 0.043 pg. The
      (187)Os/(188)Os of the Os blank ranges from 0.18 to 0.36, consistent with the Os
      blank compositions obtained by the AIRIE Program and other Re-Os laboratories
      worldwide, and is uncorrelated with any experimental variables. In contrast to
      Os, pretreatment with hydrogen peroxide did not improve the Re blank of nitric
      acid; Re background reduction requires conventional methods such as sub-boiling
      distillation. 

PMID- 26108481
TI  - [Analysis of the internet presence of the German Society of Neuroradiology].

PMID- 26108482
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26108483
TI  - The role of juvenile hormone and insulin/TOR signaling in the growth of Manduca
      sexta.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In many insect species, fitness trade-offs exist between maximizing
      body size and developmental speed. Understanding how various species evolve
      different life history strategies requires knowledge of the physiological
      mechanisms underlying the regulation of body size and developmental timing. Here
      the roles of juvenile hormone (JH) and insulin/target of rapamycin (TOR)
      signaling in the regulation of the final body size were examined in the tobacco
      hornworm, Manduca sexta. RESULTS: Feeding rapamycin to wild-type larvae decreased
      the growth rate but did not alter the peak size of the larvae. In contrast,
      feeding rapamycin to the JH-deficient black mutant larvae caused the larvae to
      significantly increase the peak size relative to the DMSO-fed control animals by
      lengthening the terminal growth period. Furthermore, the critical weight was
      unaltered by feeding rapamycin, indicating that in Manduca, the critical weight
      is not influenced by insulin/TOR signaling. In addition, post-critical weight
      starved black mutant Manduca given rapamycin underwent metamorphosis sooner than
      those that were fed, mimicking the "bail-out mechanism". CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      demonstrates that JH masks the effects of insulin/TOR signaling in the
      determination of the final body size and that the critical weights in Drosophila
      and Manduca rely on distinct mechanisms that reflect different life history
      strategies. Our study also suggests that TOR signaling lengthens the terminal
      growth period in Manduca as it does in Drosophila, and that JH levels determine
      the relative contributions of nutrient- and body size-sensing pathways to
      metamorphic timing.

PMID- 26108484
TI  - Impact of scavenging hydrogen peroxide in the endoplasmic reticulum for beta cell
      function.
AB  - Oxidative folding of nascent proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER),
      catalysed by one or more members of the protein disulfide isomerase family and
      the sulfhydryl oxidase ER oxidoreductin 1 (ERO1), is accompanied by generation of
      hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Because of the high rate of insulin biosynthesis and
      the low expression of H2O2-inactivating enzymes in pancreatic beta cells, it has
      been proposed that the luminal H2O2 concentration might be very high. As the role
      of this H2O2 in ER stress and proinsulin processing is still unsolved, an ER
      targeted and luminal-active catalase variant, ER-Catalase N244, was expressed in
      insulin-secreting INS-1E cells. In these cells, the influence of ER-specific H2O2
      removal on cytokine-mediated cytotoxicity and ER stress, insulin gene expression,
      insulin content and secretion was analysed. The expression of ER-Catalase N244
      reduced the toxicity of exogenously added H2O2 significantly with a threefold
      increase of the EC50 value for H2O2. However, the expression of cytokine-induced
      ER stress genes and viability after incubation with beta cell toxic cytokines
      (IL1beta alone or together with TNFalpha+IFNgamma) was not affected by ER
      Catalase N244. In control and ER-Catalase N244 expressing cells, insulin
      secretion and proinsulin content was identical, while removal of luminal H2O2
      reduced insulin gene expression and insulin content in ER-Catalase N244
      expressing cells. These data show that ER-Catalase N244 reduced H2O2 toxicity but
      did not provide protection against pro-inflammatory cytokine-mediated toxicity
      and ER stress. Insulin secretion was not affected by decreasing H2O2 in the ER in
      spite of a reduced insulin transcription and processing. 

PMID- 26108485
TI  - Demethylation of the MafB promoter in a compromised beta-cell model.
AB  - Recent studies suggest that dedifferentiation of pancreatic beta-cells is
      involved in compromised beta-cell function in diabetes mellitus. We have
      previously shown that the promoter activity of MafB, which is expressed in alpha
      cells of adult islets and immature beta-cells in embryonic pancreas but not in
      mature beta-cells in mice, is increased in compromised beta-cells of diabetic
      model mice. Here, we investigated a rat beta-cell line of INS1 cells with late
      passage numbers, which showed extremely low expression of MafA and insulin, as an
      in vitro model of compromised beta-cells. In these INS1 cells, the mRNA
      expression and the promoter activity of MafB were upregulated compared with the
      early-passage ('conventional') INS1 cells. Analysis of the MafB promoter in these
      late-passage INS1 cells revealed that specific CpG sites in the MafB promoter
      were partially demethylated. The reporter assay revealed that the unmethylated
      promoter activity of the 373 bp region containing these CpG sites was higher than
      the in vitro methylated promoter activity. These results suggest that the chronic
      culture of the rat beta-cell line resulted in partial DNA demethylation of the
      MafB promoter, which may have a role in MafB promoter activation and possible
      dedifferentiation in our compromised beta-cell model. 

PMID- 26108486
TI  - CYP11A1 expression in bone is associated with aromatase inhibitor-related bone
      loss.
AB  - Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) used as adjuvant therapy in postmenopausal women with
      hormone receptor-positive breast cancer cause diverse musculoskeletal side
      effects that include bone loss and its associated fracture. About half of the 391
      patients treated with AIs in the Barcelona-Aromatase induced bone loss in early
      breast cancer cohort suffered a significant bone loss at lumbar spine (LS) and/or
      femoral neck (FN) after 2 years on AI-treatment. In contrast, up to one-third
      (19.6% LS, 38.6% FN) showed no decline or even increased bone density. The
      present study aimed to determine the genetic basis for this variability. SNPs in
      candidate genes involved in vitamin D and estrogen hormone-response pathways
      (CYP11A1, CYP17A1, HSD3B2, HSD17B3, CYP19A1, CYP2C19, CYP2C9, ESR1, DHCR7, GC,
      CYP2R1, CYP27B1, VDR and CYP24A1) were genotyped for association analysis with AI
      related bone loss (AIBL). After multiple testing correction, 3 tag-SNPs
      (rs4077581, s11632698 and rs900798) located in the CYP11A1 gene were
      significantly associated (P<0.005) with FN AIBL at 2 years of treatment. Next,
      CYP11A1 expression in human fresh bone tissue and primary osteoblasts was
      demonstrated by RT-PCR. Both common isoforms of human cholesterol side-chain
      cleavage enzyme (encoded by CYP11A1 gene) were detected in osteoblasts by western
      blot. In conclusion, the genetic association of CYP11A1 gene with AIBL and its
      expression in bone tissue reveals a potential local function of this enzyme in
      bone metabolism regulation, offering a new vision of the steroidogenic ability of
      this tissue and new understanding of AI-induced bone loss. 

PMID- 26108487
TI  - Interaction between the trout mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors in
      vitro.
AB  - The salmonid corticosteroid receptors (CRs), glucocorticoid receptors 1 and 2
      (GR1 and GR2) and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) share a high degree of
      homology with regard to structure, ligand- and DNA response element-binding, and
      cellular co-localization. Typically, these nuclear hormone receptors homodimerize
      to confer transcriptional activation of target genes, but a few studies using
      mammalian receptors suggest some degree of heterodimerization. We observed that
      the trout MR confers a several fold lower transcriptional activity compared to
      the trout GRs. This made us question the functional relevance of the MR when this
      receptor is located in the same cells as the GRs and activated by cortisol. A
      series of co-transfection experiments using different glucocorticoid response
      elements (GREs) containing promoter-reporter constructs were carried out to
      investigate any possible interaction between the piscine CRs. Co-transfection of
      the GRs with the MR significantly reduced the total transcriptional activity even
      at low MR levels, suggesting interaction between these receptors. Co-transfection
      of GR1 or GR2 with the MR did not affect the subcellular localization of the GRs,
      and the MR-mediated inhibition seemed to be independent of specific activation or
      inhibition of the MR. Site-directed mutagenesis of the DNA-binding domain and
      dimerization interface of the MR showed that the inhibition was dependent on DNA
      binding but not necessarily on dimerization ability. Thus, we suggest that the
      interaction between MR and the GRs may regulate the cortisol response in cell
      types where the receptors co-localize and propose a dominant-negative role for
      the MR in cortisol-mediated transcriptional activity. 

PMID- 26108488
TI  - Preoperative independent prognostic factors in patients with borderline
      resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma following curative resection: the
      neutrophil-lymphocyte and platelet-lymphocyte ratios.
AB  - PURPOSE: The therapeutic strategy for borderline resectable pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma (BR-PDAC) has remained unestablished because the preoperative
      prognostic factors have not been determined. METHODS: One hundred eighty-four
      consecutive PDAC patients who underwent upfront surgery with a curative resection
      between January 2000 and June 2013 at Kobe University Hospital were
      retrospectively studied. The PDAC patients were stratified into resectable (R)
      PDAC (n = 147) and BR-PDAC patients (n = 37). We evaluated the independent
      prognostic significance of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet
      lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in the BR-PDAC patients. RESULTS: BR-PDAC patient survival
      was significantly worse than R-PDAC patient survival (median survival time: 22.1
      months vs. 24.3 months; 5-year survival rate 6 vs. 21 %; P = 0.042). The median
      survival in BR-PDAC patients with a preoperative NLR of >3 (n = 12) was 10.2
      months, while that in patients with preoperative NLR of <=3 (n = 25) was 24.9
      months (P = 0.002). Moreover, the median survival in BR-PDAC patients with a
      preoperative PLR of >225 (n = 8) was 10.2 months, while that in patients with a
      preoperative PLR of <=225 (n = 29) was 24.7 months (P = 0.003). Preoperative NLR
      >3 (HR = 2.980, 95 % CI 1.251-6.920; P = 0.015) and PLR >225 (HR = 3.050, 95 % CI
      1.169-7.468; P = 0.024) were independent prognostic factors in BR-PDAC patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: Higher preoperative NLR and PLR can be independent predictive risk
      factors in BR-PDAC patients following curative resection.

PMID- 26108489
TI  - Physical Mapping and Refinement of the Painted Turtle Genome (Chrysemys picta)
      Inform Amniote Genome Evolution and Challenge Turtle-Bird Chromosomal
      Conservation.
AB  - Comparative genomics continues illuminating amniote genome evolution, but for
      many lineages our understanding remains incomplete. Here, we refine the assembly
      (CPI 3.0.3 NCBI AHGY00000000.2) and develop a cytogenetic map of the painted
      turtle (Chrysemys picta-CPI) genome, the first in turtles and in vertebrates with
      temperature-dependent sex determination. A comparison of turtle genomes with
      those of chicken, selected nonavian reptiles, and human revealed shared and novel
      genomic features, such as numerous chromosomal rearrangements. The largest
      conserved syntenic blocks between birds and turtles exist in four
      macrochromosomes, whereas rearrangements were evident in these and other
      chromosomes, disproving that turtles and birds retain fully conserved
      macrochromosomes for greater than 300 Myr. C-banding revealed large
      heterochromatic blocks in the centromeric region of only few chromosomes. The
      nucleolar-organizing region (NOR) mapped to a single CPI microchromosome, whereas
      in some turtles and lizards the NOR maps to nonhomologous sex-chromosomes, thus
      revealing independent translocations of the NOR in various reptilian lineages.
      There was no evidence for recent chromosomal fusions as interstitial telomeric
      DNA was absent. Some repeat elements (CR1-like, Gypsy) were enriched in the
      centromeres of five chromosomes, whereas others were widespread in the CPI
      genome. Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones were hybridized to 18 of the
      25 CPI chromosomes and anchored to a G-banded ideogram. Several CPI sex
      determining genes mapped to five chromosomes, and homology was detected between
      yet other CPI autosomes and the globally nonhomologous sex chromosomes of
      chicken, other turtles, and squamates, underscoring the independent evolution of
      vertebrate sex-determining mechanisms. 

PMID- 26108490
TI  - Selfish Mitochondrial DNA Proliferates and Diversifies in Small, but not Large,
      Experimental Populations of Caenorhabditis briggsae.
AB  - Evolutionary interactions across levels of biological organization contribute to
      a variety of fundamental processes including genome evolution, reproductive mode
      transitions, species diversification, and extinction. Evolutionary theory
      predicts that so-called "selfish" genetic elements will proliferate when the host
      effective population size (Ne) is small, but direct tests of this prediction
      remain few. We analyzed the evolutionary dynamics of deletion-containing
      mitochondrial DNA (DeltamtDNA) molecules, previously characterized as selfish
      elements, in six different natural strains of the nematode Caenorhabditis
      briggsae allowed to undergo experimental evolution in a range of population sizes
      (N = 1, 10, 100, and 1,000) for a maximum of 50 generations. Mitochondrial DNA
      (mtDNA) was analyzed for replicate lineages at each five-generation time point.
      Ten different DeltamtDNA molecule types were observed and characterized across
      generations in the experimental populations. Consistent with predictions from
      evolutionary theory, lab lines evolved in small-population sizes (e.g., nematode
      N = 1) were more susceptible to accumulation of high levels of preexisting
      DeltamtDNA compared with those evolved in larger populations. New DeltamtDNA
      elements were observed to increase in frequency and persist across time points,
      but almost exclusively at small population sizes. In some cases, DeltamtDNA
      levels decreased across generations when population size was large (nematode N =
      1,000). Different natural strains of C. briggsae varied in their susceptibilities
      to DeltamtDNA accumulation, owing in part to preexisting compensatory mtDNA
      alleles in some strains that prevent deletion formation. This analysis directly
      demonstrates that the evolutionary trajectories of DeltamtDNA elements depend
      upon the population-genetic environments and molecular-genetic features of their
      hosts. 

PMID- 26108491
TI  - Variation in the X:Autosome Distribution of Male-Biased Genes among Drosophila
      melanogaster Tissues and Its Relationship with Dosage Compensation.
AB  - Genes that are expressed differently between males and females (sex-biased genes)
      often show a nonrandom distribution in their genomic location, particularly with
      respect to the autosomes and the X chromosome. Previous studies of Drosophila
      melanogaster found a general paucity of male-biased genes on the X chromosome,
      although this is mainly limited to comparisons of whole flies or body segments
      containing the reproductive organs. To better understand the chromosomal
      distribution of sex-biased genes in various tissues, we used a common analysis
      framework to analyze microarray and RNA sequence data comparing male and female
      gene expression in individual tissues (brain, Malpighian tubule, and gonads),
      composite structures (head and gonadectomized carcass), and whole flies. Although
      there are relatively few sex-biased genes in the brain, there is a strong and
      highly significant enrichment of male-biased genes on the X chromosome. A weaker
      enrichment of X-linked male-biased genes is seen in the head, suggesting that
      most of this signal comes from the brain. In all other tissues, there is either
      no departure from the random expectation or a significant paucity of male-biased
      genes on the X chromosome. The brain and head also differ from other tissues in
      that their male-biased genes are significantly closer to binding sites of the
      dosage compensation complex. We propose that the interplay of dosage compensation
      and sex-specific regulation can explain the observed differences between tissues
      and reconcile disparate results reported in previous studies. 

PMID- 26108492
TI  - Phylogeographic Refinement and Large Scale Genotyping of Human Y Chromosome
      Haplogroup E Provide New Insights into the Dispersal of Early Pastoralists in the
      African Continent.
AB  - Haplogroup E, defined by mutation M40, is the most common human Y chromosome
      clade within Africa. To increase the level of resolution of haplogroup E, we
      disclosed the phylogenetic relationships among 729 mutations found in 33
      haplogroup DE Y-chromosomes sequenced at high coverage in previous studies.
      Additionally, we dissected the E-M35 subclade by genotyping 62 informative
      markers in 5,222 samples from 118 worldwide populations. The phylogeny of
      haplogroup E showed novel features compared with the previous topology, including
      a new basal dichotomy. Within haplogroup E-M35, we resolved all the previously
      known polytomies and assigned all the E-M35* chromosomes to five new different
      clades, all belonging to a newly identified subhaplogroup (E-V1515), which
      accounts for almost half of the E-M35 chromosomes from the Horn of Africa.
      Moreover, using a Bayesian phylogeographic analysis and a single nucleotide
      polymorphism-based approach we localized and dated the origin of this new lineage
      in the northern part of the Horn, about 12 ka. Time frames, phylogenetic
      structuring, and sociogeographic distribution of E-V1515 and its subclades are
      consistent with a multistep demic spread of pastoralism within north-eastern
      Africa and its subsequent diffusion to subequatorial areas. In addition, our
      results increase the discriminative power of the E-M35 haplogroup for use in
      forensic genetics through the identification of new ancestry-informative markers.

PMID- 26108494
TI  - Fermentative capabilities and volatile compounds produced by
      Kloeckera/Hanseniaspora and Saccharomyces yeast strains in pure and mixed
      cultures during Agave tequilana juice fermentation.
AB  - The fermentative and aromatic capabilities of Kloeckera africana/Hanseniaspora
      vineae K1, K. apiculata/H. uvarum K2, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae S1 and S2 were
      studied in pure and mixed culture fermentations using Agave tequila juice as the
      culture medium. In pure and mixed cultures, Kloeckera/Hanseniaspora strains
      showed limited growth and sugar consumption, as well as low ethanol yield and
      productivity, compared to S. cerevisiae, which yielded more biomass, ethanol and
      viable cell concentrations. In pure and mixed cultures, S. cerevisiae presented a
      similar behaviour reaching high biomass production, completely consuming the
      sugar, leading to high ethanol production. Furthermore, the presence of S.
      cerevisiae strains in the mixed cultures promoted the production of higher
      alcohols, acetaldehyde and ethyl esters, whereas Kloeckera/Hanseniaspora strains
      stimulated the production of ethyl acetate and 2-phenyl ethyl acetate compounds. 

PMID- 26108493
TI  - Brain microsomal fatty acid elongation is increased in abcd1-deficient mouse
      during active myelination phase.
AB  - The dysfunction of ABCD1, a peroxisomal ABC protein, leads to the perturbation of
      very long chain fatty acid (VLCFA) metabolism and is the cause of X-linked
      adrenoleukodystrophy. Abcd1-deficient mice exhibit an accumulation of saturated
      VLCFAs, such as C26:0, in all tissues, especially the brain. The present study
      sought to measure microsomal fatty acid elongation activity in the brain of wild
      type (WT) and abcd1-deficient mice during the course of development. The fatty
      acid elongation activity in the microsomal fraction was measured by the
      incorporation of [2-(14)C]malonyl-CoA into fatty acids in the presence of C16:0
      CoA or C20:0-CoA. Cytosolic fatty acid synthesis activity was completely
      inhibited by the addition of N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). The microsomal fatty acid
      elongation activity in the brain was significantly high at 3 weeks after birth
      and decreased substantially at 3 months after birth. Furthermore, we detected two
      different types of microsomal fatty acid elongation activity by using C16:0-CoA
      or C20:0-CoA as the substrate and found the activity toward C20:0-CoA in abcd1
      deficient mice was higher than the WT 3-week-old animals. These results suggest
      that during the active myelination phase the microsomal fatty acid elongation
      activity is stimulated in abcd1-deficient mice, which in turn perturbs the lipid
      composition in myelin.

PMID- 26108495
TI  - Photokinesis is magnetic field dependent in the multicellular magnetotactic
      prokaryote Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis.
AB  - Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis is a spherical, multicellular,
      magnetotactic prokaryote (MMP) composed of 10-40 genetically-identical, Gram
      negative cells. It is known that monochromatic light of low intensity influences
      its average swimming velocity, being higher for red light (628 nm) and lower for
      green light (517 nm). In this study, we determined the effect of light of
      different wavelengths and intensities on the swimming velocity of Ca.
      Magnetoglobus multicellularis under different magnetic field intensities. The
      swimming velocities of several organisms exposed to blue light (469 nm), green
      light (517 nm) and red light (628 nm) with intensities ranging from 0.36 to 3.68
      Wm(-2) were recorded under magnetic field intensities ranging from 0.26 to 1.47
      Oe. Our results showed that MMPs exposed to green light display consistently
      lower average swimming velocities compared to other wavelengths of light. We also
      show for the first time that photokinesis in Ca. Magnetoglobus multicellularis is
      dependent on the magnetic field being applied. The relationship between light
      wavelength and intensity and magnetic field strength and swimming velocity in
      this MMP is therefore complex. Although the mechanism for the observed behaviour
      is not completely understood, a flavin-containing chromophore may be involved.

PMID- 26108496
TI  - Marine Algae: a Source of Biomass for Biotechnological Applications.
AB  - Biomass derived from marine microalgae and macroalgae is globally recognized as a
      source of valuable chemical constituents with applications in the agri
      horticultural sector (including animal feeds and health and plant stimulants), as
      human food and food ingredients as well as in the nutraceutical, cosmeceutical,
      and pharmaceutical industries. Algal biomass supply of sufficient quality and
      quantity however remains a concern with increasing environmental pressures
      conflicting with the growing demand. Recent attempts in supplying consistent,
      safe and environmentally acceptable biomass through cultivation of (macro- and
      micro-) algal biomass have concentrated on characterizing natural variability in
      bioactives, and optimizing cultivated materials through strain selection and
      hybridization, as well as breeding and, more recently, genetic improvements of
      biomass. Biotechnological tools including metabolomics, transcriptomics, and
      genomics have recently been extended to algae but, in comparison to microbial or
      plant biomass, still remain underdeveloped. Current progress in algal
      biotechnology is driven by an increased demand for new sources of biomass due to
      several global challenges, new discoveries and technologies available as well as
      an increased global awareness of the many applications of algae. Algal diversity
      and complexity provides significant potential provided that shortages in suitable
      and safe biomass can be met, and consumer demands are matched by commercial
      investment in product development. 

PMID- 26108497
TI  - Structure and Function of Macroalgal Natural Products.
AB  - Since the initial discovery of marine phyco-derived secondary metabolites in the
      1950s there has been a rapid increase in the description of new algal natural
      products. These metabolites have multiple ecological roles as well as commercial
      value as potential drugs or lead compounds. With the emergence of resistance to
      our current arsenal of drugs as well as the development of new chemotherapies for
      currently untreatable diseases, new compounds must be sourced. As outlined in
      this chapter algae produce a diverse range of chemicals many of which have
      potential for the treatment of human afflictions.In this chapter we outline the
      classes of metabolites produced by this chemically rich group of organisms as
      well as their respective ecological roles in the environment. Algae are found in
      nearly every environment on earth, with many of these organisms possessing the
      ability to shape the ecosystem they inhabit. With current challenges to climate
      stability, understanding how these important organisms interact with their
      environment as well as one another might afford better insight into how they
      respond to a changing climate. 

PMID- 26108498
TI  - Spectrophotometric Assays of Major Compounds Extracted from Algae.
AB  - This chapter describes spectrophotometric assays of major compounds extracted
      from microalgae and macroalgae, i.e., proteins, carbohydrates, pigments
      (chlorophylls, carotenoids, and phycobiliproteins) and phenolic compounds. In
      contrast to other specific analytical techniques, such as high pressure liquid
      chromatography (HPLC) or mass spectrometry (MS), commonly applied to purified
      extracts to reveal more detailed composition and structure of algal compound
      families, these assays serve as a first assessment of the global contents of
      extracts. 

PMID- 26108499
TI  - Extraction and Enrichment of Protein from Red and Green Macroalgae.
AB  - Macroalgae, in particular red and green species, are gaining interest as protein
      rich foods for human consumption and sources of proteinaceous biofunctional
      peptide ingredients. During protein extraction the starting raw material, the
      cell disruption method utilized and the reagents employed have a major effect on
      the yield of protein recovered. A method is described herein for extraction and
      semi-purification of food-grade aqueous and alkaline soluble proteins from red
      and green macroalgae. Dried milled macroalgae are disrupted by osmotic shock with
      subsequent removal of aqueous soluble proteins by centrifugation. Alkaline
      soluble proteins are removed following consecutive treatment of the resultant
      pellet with an alkaline solution. Aqueous and alkaline soluble proteins are then
      enriched from the crude extracts by isoelectric precipitation. 

PMID- 26108500
TI  - Extraction and Purification of R-phycoerythrin from Marine Red Algae.
AB  - This chapter focuses on the recovery of an R-Phycoerythrin (R-PE)-enriched
      fraction from marine algae. Since R-PE is a proteinaceous pigment, we have
      developed a simple and rapid two-step method devoted to the extraction and
      purification of R-PE from marine red algae. Here we describe a phosphate buffer
      extraction followed by anion exchange chromatography carried on a DEAE Sepharose
      Fast Flow column. To ensure the quality and quantity of R-PE recovery, we also
      indicate different methods to monitor each fraction obtained, such as
      spectrophotometric indicators, gel filtration, and SDS-PAGE analysis. 

PMID- 26108501
TI  - Extraction and Analysis of Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids in Marine Algae.
AB  - Marine organisms use mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) as biological sunscreens
      for the protection from damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the prevention of
      oxidative stress. MAAs have been discovered in many different marine and
      freshwater species including cyanobacteria, fungi, and algae, but also in animals
      like cnidarian and fishes. Here, we describe a general method for the isolation
      and characterization of MAA compounds from red algae and symbiotic
      dinoflagellates isolated from coral hosts. This method is also suitable for the
      extraction and analyses of MAAs from a range of other algal and marine biota. 

PMID- 26108502
TI  - Extraction and Purification of Phlorotannins from Brown Algae.
AB  - The interest in the physiological roles and bioactivities of plant phenols has
      increased over the past decades. In seaweeds, many investigations have dealt with
      phenolic compounds of Phaeophyceae (phlorotannins), even though little is known
      so far about the ecophysiological variations of their pool or their biosynthetic
      pathways. We describe here a simple procedure based on the use of water-organic
      solvent mixtures for the extraction of phlorotannins. Crude extracts are semi
      purified and fractionated by separating methods based on both the polarity and
      the molecular size of compounds. Phenols are then quantified by the Folin
      Ciocalteu method and their radical-scavenging activity is characterized using the
      DPPH test. All along the purification process of phenolic compounds, the
      efficiency of separation is assessed by (1)H-NMR.

PMID- 26108503
TI  - Enzyme-Enhanced Extraction of Antioxidant Ingredients from Algae.
AB  - Marine algae are not only a rich source of dietary fibre, proteins, vitamins, and
      minerals, but also contain a great variety of secondary metabolites with diverse
      biological activities. Marine macroalgae are a rich source of various natural
      antioxidants such as polyphenols, especially phlorotannins (made of
      polyphloroglucinol units) derived from brown algae, which play an important role
      in preventing lipid peroxidation. In recent years, a number of potent antioxidant
      compounds have been isolated and identified from different types of edible
      seaweeds. Extraction methods commonly used for the isolation of antioxidants are
      based on conventional water or organic solvent extractions. However, recent
      advances have shown that enzymatic hydrolysis can achieve higher yield of
      bioactive compounds from algae. Here we describe a method based on enzymatic
      hydrolysis which both increases yield and decreases cost associated with organic
      solvents. This method achieves cell wall disruption and breakdown of internal
      storage components for more effective release of intracellular bioactive
      compounds. In addition, hydrolysis of proteins produces peptides which may have
      antioxidant properties, thus enhancing the bioactivity of the algal extract. The
      method described can be used for production of extracts from red and brown
      macroalgal species. 

PMID- 26108504
TI  - Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Fucoidan from Marine Algae.
AB  - Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) is a technique that can be applied to extract
      compounds from different natural resources. In this chapter, the use of this
      technique to extract fucoidan from marine algae is described. The method involves
      a closed MAE system, ultrapure water as extraction solvent, and suitable
      conditions of time, pressure, and algal biomass/water ratio. By using this
      procedure under the specified conditions, the penetration of the electromagnetic
      waves into the material structure occurs in an efficient manner, generating a
      distributed heat source that promotes the fucoidan extraction from the algal
      biomass. 

PMID- 26108505
TI  - Extraction and Analysis of Oxylipins from Macroalgae Illustrated on the Example
      Gracilaria vermiculophylla.
AB  - Oxylipins are natural products that are derived by oxidative transformations of
      unsaturated fatty acids. These metabolites are found in a wide range of organisms
      from the animal kingdom to plants and algae. They represent an important class of
      signaling molecules, mediating intra- and intercellular processes such as
      development, inflammation, and other stress responses. In addition, these
      metabolites directly function as chemical defense against grazers and pathogens.
      In the red alga Gracilaria vermiculophylla, oxylipin production is initiated by
      mechanical tissue disruption and can also be induced in intact algae in response
      to external stress signals. The defense metabolites mostly result from the lipase
      and lipoxygenase-mediated conversion of phospho- and galactolipids. Oxylipins
      can vary greatly in their size, degree of unsaturation, oxidation state, and
      functional groups. But also isomers with only subtle chemical differences are
      found. A variety of methods have been developed for separation, detection, and
      identification of oxylipins. This chapter focuses on the analysis of oxylipins in
      macroalgae and covers all aspects from sample preparation (including protocols
      for the investigation of oxylipins in wounded and intact algal tissue),
      extraction, purification, and subsequent analysis using liquid chromatography
      coupled to a UV detector or a mass spectrometer. The protocols developed for G.
      vermiculophylla can be readily adapted to the investigation of other macroalgae. 

PMID- 26108506
TI  - Lipids and Fatty Acids in Algae: Extraction, Fractionation into Lipid Classes,
      and Analysis by Gas Chromatography Coupled with Flame Ionization Detector (GC
      FID).
AB  - Despite the number of biochemical studies exploring algal lipids and fatty acid
      biosynthesis pathways and profiles, analytical methods used by phycologists for
      this purpose are often diverse and incompletely described. Potential confusion
      and potential variability of the results between studies can therefore occur due
      to change of protocols for lipid extraction and fractionation, as well as fatty
      acid methyl esters (FAME) preparation before gas chromatography (GC) analyses.
      Here, we describe a step-by-step procedure for the profiling of neutral and polar
      lipids using techniques such as solid-liquid extraction (SLE), thin-layer
      chromatography (TLC), and gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization
      detector (GC-FID). As an example, in this protocol chapter, analyses of neutral
      and polar lipids from the marine microalga Pavlova lutheri (an EPA/DHA-rich
      haptophyte) will be outlined to describe the distribution of fatty acid residues
      within its major lipid classes. This method has been proven to be a reliable
      technique to assess changes in lipid and fatty acid profiles in several other
      microalgal species and seaweeds.

PMID- 26108507
TI  - HRMAS NMR Analysis of Algae and Identification of Molecules of Interest via
      Conventional 1D and 2D NMR: Sample Preparation and Optimization of Experimental
      Conditions.
AB  - Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has become an astounding tool for molecular
      characterization. Thanks to the development of probes and the increase of
      magnetic field, NMR has entered the field of biology and facilitated the
      identification of natural compounds. Indeed, this nondestructive NMR tool makes
      possible the complete characterization of less and less quantities of material
      via 1D and 2D sequences on many nuclei (e.g., (1)H, (13)C, (31)P, (15)N). More
      recently, the development of high-resolution magic-angle spinning (HRMAS) probes
      have permitted direct analysis of living tissue (e.g., a piece of algae) without
      prior extraction providing information on both the total content and the ratio of
      different molecules within the sample; thus HRMAS facilitates a wide range of
      analyses, such as species differentiation or studies of metabolomics according to
      various environmental or experimental conditions. This chapter describes the
      specific sample preparation, based on an algal sample or extract, required for
      all NMR analyses in order to optimize the NMR response and obtain the most
      valuable information. 

PMID- 26108508
TI  - Extraction, Purification, and NMR Analysis of Terpenes from Brown Algae.
AB  - Algal terpenes constitute a wide and well-documented group of marine natural
      products with structures differing from their terrestrial plant biosynthetic
      analogues. Amongst macroalgae, brown seaweeds are considered as one of the
      richest source of biologically and ecologically relevant terpenoids. These
      metabolites, mostly encountered in algae of the class Phaeophyceae, are mainly
      diterpenes and meroditerpenes (metabolites of mixed biogenesis characterized by a
      toluquinol or a toluquinone nucleus linked to a diterpene moiety).In this
      chapter, we describe analytical processes commonly employed for the isolation and
      structural characterization of the main terpenoid constituents obtained from
      organic extracts of brown algae. The successive steps include (1) extraction of
      lipidic content from algal samples; (2) purification of terpenes by column
      chromatography and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography; and
      (3) structure elucidation of the isolated terpenes by means of 1D and 2D nuclear
      magnetic resonance (NMR). More precisely, we propose a representative methodology
      which allows the isolation and structural determination of the monocyclic
      meroditerpene methoxybifurcarenone (MBFC) from the Mediterranean brown alga
      Cystoseira amentacea var. stricta. This methodology has a large field of
      applications and can then be extended to terpenes isolated from other species of
      the family Sargassaceae.

PMID- 26108509
TI  - Extraction, Isolation, and Identification of Sesquiterpenes from Laurencia
      Species.
AB  - The knowledge about the chemical structure of the secondary metabolites and their
      relative abundances in algae is very important to several fields of basic and
      applied research in biology, chemistry, and many other disciplines. The
      attainment of such knowledge requires special attention to the origin of the
      organism in question and the methodology applied. Here, we present a protocol to
      obtain and identify some sesquiterpenes from Laurencia species based on
      traditional methodologies, such as flash and thin-layer chromatographies, nuclear
      magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Red
      algae of the genus Laurencia are known to produce structurally diverse terpenes;
      most of them are halogenated compounds with important ecological functions and
      significant potential for the discovery of new biotechnological applications. 

PMID- 26108510
TI  - The Use of HPLC for the Characterization of Phytoplankton Pigments.
AB  - HPLC is still the technique of choice for the analysis and characterization of
      phytoplankton pigments. In this chapter we describe procedures for sample
      preparation and pigment extraction, and the use of octyl silica columns and
      pyridine-containing mobile phases to separate chlorophylls and carotenoids. The
      identification of pigments on the basis of their retention times and visible
      spectra, the preparation of pigment standards, and the quantitative analysis by
      either external or internal standard procedures are also described. 

PMID- 26108511
TI  - Characterization of Phlorotannins from Brown Algae by LC-HRMS.
AB  - Phlorotannins are a class of polyphenols found in brown seaweeds that have
      significant potential for use as therapeutics, owing to their wide range of
      bioactivities. Molecular characterization of phlorotannin-enriched extracts is
      challenging due to the extreme sample complexity and the wide range of molecular
      weights observed. Herein, we describe a method for characterizing phlorotannins
      employing ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) operating in
      hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) mode combined with high
      resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS).

PMID- 26108512
TI  - Analysis of Betaines from Marine Algae Using LC-MS-MS.
AB  - Betaines are a class of quaternary ammonium compounds found in marine algae that
      can act as osmolytes and/or affect gene expression, and therefore improve plant
      tolerance to stresses such as temperature extremes, drought, and salinity when
      applied to agricultural crops. In humans, glycine betaine acts as a methyl donor
      and has been shown to protect internal organs, improve vascular risk factors, and
      enhance sport performance. Here we describe a sensitive LC-MS-MS method for the
      baseline separation and quantification of four betaines found in algae, namely,
      glycine betaine, delta-aminovaleric acid betaine, gamma-aminobutyric acid
      betaine, and laminine. 

PMID- 26108513
TI  - Analysis of Marine Biotoxins Using LC-MS/MS.
AB  - Different clinical types of algae-related poisoning have attracted scientific and
      commercial attention: paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), diarrhetic shellfish
      poisoning (DSP), and amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). Bioassays are common
      methods for the determination of marine biotoxins. However, biological tests are
      not completely satisfactory, mainly due to the low sensitivity and the absence of
      specialized variations. In this context LC-MS methods replaced HPLC methods with
      optical detectors, allowing both effective seafood control and monitoring of
      phytoplankton in terms of the different groups of marine biotoxins. This chapter
      describes state-of-the-art LC-MS/MS methods for the detection and quantitation of
      different classes of phycotoxins in shellfish matrices. These classes include the
      highly hydrophilic paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins. Hydrophilic
      interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) has been shown to be useful in the
      separation of PSP toxins and is described in detail within this chapter. Another
      important class of phycotoxins is diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) toxins.
      This group traditionally comprises okadaic acid and dinophysistoxins (DTXs),
      pectenotoxins (PTXs), and yessotoxins (YTXs). The most recently described
      shellfish poisoning syndrome, azaspiracid shellfish poisoning (AZP) is caused by
      azaspiracids, which in turn are diarrhetic, but usually are treated separately as
      AZP. The last group of regulated shellfish toxins is the amnesic shellfish
      poisoning (ASP) toxin domoic acid, produced by species of the genus Pseudo
      nitzschia.

PMID- 26108514
TI  - Fucoidan Analysis by Tandem MALDI-TOF and ESI Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - The application of mass spectrometry towards the structural analysis of the most
      interesting sulfated biopolymers of the brown algae-fucoidans only developed
      relatively recently. During method development, many problems, both chemical and
      instrumental, have to be solved. For example, mass spectrometry has a limitation
      in the analysis of anionic high molecular weight (HMW) polysaccharides because of
      the labile nature of sulfate groups which cause the polysaccharide to desulfate
      rather than ionize. Thus, decomposition methods should be developed taking into
      account the structural features of such a complex and fragile compound. The
      selection of optimal instrument settings for the electrospray ionization mass
      spectrometry (ESIMS) and of matrix media for matrix-assisted laser
      desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDIMS) is also required. When optimal
      parameters for mass spectrometric analyses are found, the application of these
      methods to the elucidation of structural features of fucoidans (by studying their
      fragments) allows researchers to rapidly obtain new and unique data, often
      impossible to achieve by other techniques. Herein, we describe tandem mass
      spectrometry of sulfated fucooligosaccharides, obtained by an autohydrolysis
      technique from structurally different fucoidans. 

PMID- 26108515
TI  - Determination of Substitution Patterns of Galactans from Green Seaweeds of the
      Bryopsidales.
AB  - Sulfated and pyruvylated galactans are the major soluble polysaccharides produced
      by seaweeds of the Bryopsidales. Their backbones have a complex and variable
      pattern of substitution which, until now, has only been elucidated for a few
      species. Methods for determination of sulfate and pyruvic acid content, and
      chemical strategies to determine their position in the galactan chain are
      outlined here. These methods can also be applied to other sulfated and/or
      pyruvylated polysaccharides.

PMID- 26108516
TI  - Structural Characterization of a Hybrid Carrageenan-Like Sulfated Galactan from a
      Marine Red Alga Furcellaria lumbricalis.
AB  - Carrageenans are sulfated galactan isolated from marine red algae with different
      disaccharide forms. There are also some hybrid carrageenan-like oligomers, which
      are reported to possess a number of bioactivities. Here, we describe a method to
      study the structural characterization of a carrageenan-like sulfated galactan FB1
      extracted from the red seaweed Furcellaria lumbricalis. We show the process of
      the general analysis of FB1, including the molecular weight, sulfate content,
      total sugar content, protein content, and 3,6-anhydrogalactose (3,6-AnG) content
      analyses. The fine structure identification methods, including desulfation and
      methylation, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and electrospray ionization
      collision induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (ES-CID-MS/MS), are also
      described in detail. 

PMID- 26108517
TI  - Characterization of Alginates by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Vibrational
      Spectroscopy (IR, NIR, Raman) in Combination with Chemometrics.
AB  - This chapter describes three different spectroscopic methods for structural
      characterization of the commercial important hydrocolloid alginate extracted from
      brown seaweed. The "golden" reference method for characterization of the alginate
      structure is (1)H liquid-state NMR of depolymerized alginate polymers using a
      stepwise hydrolysis. Having implemented this method, predictive and rapid non
      destructive methods using vibrational spectroscopy and chemometrics can be
      developed. These methods can predict the M/G-ratio of the intact alginate powder
      with at least the same precision and accuracy as the reference method in a
      fraction of the time that is required to measure the alginate using the reference
      method. The chapter also demonstrates how solid-state (13)C CP/MAS NMR can be
      used to determine the M/G ratio on the intact sample by the use of multivariate
      chemometrics and how this method shares the characteristics of the solid-state
      non-destructive IR method rather than its liquid-state counterpart. 

PMID- 26108518
TI  - Imaging and Identification of Marine Algal Bioactive Compounds by Surface
      Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS).
AB  - Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a highly selective technique that
      can be used for imaging of single algae cells. In contrast to normal Raman
      spectroscopy, SERS utilizes light interaction with colloidal gold or silver
      particles working as antennas to match the sensitivity of fluorescence
      measurements. Furthermore, SERS enables a more profound picture of not only the
      analyte of interest but also the present biological matrix without the need for
      additional fluorescence labelling. The introduction of an internal standard in
      the form of a thiol self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on the colloidal gold or
      silver particles can be used to normalize the SERS response that otherwise would
      also depend on the locations of the colloid particles in the microscope image.In
      light of the vast amounts of data that is generated in each spectrum and the
      large variance in enhancement signal, multivariate analysis is necessary for
      accurate evaluation. This can be done by the use of transposed orthogonal
      projections to latent structures (T-OPLS), where the variations of properties in
      the reference spectra, Y table, and the variation in spectra, X table, are
      correlated. 

PMID- 26108520
TI  - Disk Diffusion Assay to Assess the Antimicrobial Activity of Marine Algal
      Extracts.
AB  - Marine algae are a relatively untapped source of bioactive natural products,
      including those with antimicrobial activities. The ability to assess the
      antimicrobial activity of cell extracts derived from algal cultures is vital to
      identifying species that may produce useful novel antibiotics. One assay that is
      used widely for this purpose is the disk diffusion assay due to its simplicity,
      rapidity, and low cost. Moreover, this assay gives output data that are easy to
      interpret and can be used to screen many samples at once irrespective of the
      solvent used during preparation. In this chapter, a step-by-step protocol for
      performing a disk diffusion assay is described. The assay is particularly well
      suited to testing algal cell extracts and fractions resulting from separation
      through bioassay-guided approaches. 

PMID- 26108519
TI  - In Vitro Protocols for Measuring the Antioxidant Capacity of Algal Extracts.
AB  - In the last decade a large amount of research has been directed at targeting
      algal resources for biologically active molecules. High-throughput in vitro
      antioxidant assays are routinely used to screen for biologically active compounds
      present in algal extracts when the requirement is to identify samples for
      progression to more detailed biological scrutiny. Whilst a myriad of antioxidant
      assays have been developed, this present chapter aims to give step-by-step
      practical guidance on how to carry out some of the most popular and biologically
      relevant assays at the bench. 

PMID- 26108521
TI  - Screening of a Marine Algal Extract for Antifungal Activities.
AB  - Over the past few years algal extracts have become increasingly interesting to
      the scientific community due to their promising biological properties.
      Phlorotannin extracts are particularly attractive partly due to their reported
      antifungal activity against several yeast and dermatophyte strains.The
      micromethod used for the evaluation of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)
      and the minimum lethal concentration (MLC) represents an effective and solvent
      saving procedure to evaluate the antifungal activity of algae extracts. Here we
      describe the micromethod for determining the MIC and the MLC of algal extracts by
      using the example of a purified phlorotannin extract of brown algae. 

PMID- 26108522
TI  - Protocol for Assessing Antifouling Activities of Macroalgal Extracts.
AB  - The development of novel environmentally friendly antifouling (AF) solutions is a
      very active field in fundamental and applied research. An attractive option in
      producing such material resides in biomimetic studies: living organisms have
      evolved well-adapted structures and materials over geological times through
      natural selection. In this chapter, we explain the experimental procedure to be
      followed for the preparation of macroalgal extracts and to assess their AF
      efficiency towards key species. All bioassays described here have the advantage
      of being fast, reliable, and standardized. 

PMID- 26108523
TI  - Traditional Chinese medical comprehensive therapy for cancer-related fatigue.
AB  - Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common and one of the most severe symptom in
      the period of onset, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation process of cancer.
      But there are no confirmed measures to relieve this problem at present.
      Traditional Chinese medical comprehensive therapy has its advantages in dealing
      with this condition. Based on the research status of CRF, the following problems
      have been analyzed and solved: the term of CRF has been defined and recommended,
      and the definition has been made clear; the disease mechanism is proposed, i.e.
      healthy qi has been impaired in the long-term disease duration, in the process of
      surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and biology disturbing; it is clear that the
      clinical manifestations are related to six Chinese medicine patterns: decreased
      functioning of the Pi (Spleen) and Wei (Stomach), deficiency of the Pi with
      dampness retention, deficiency of the Xin (Heart) and Pi, disharmony between the
      Gan (Liver) and Pi, deficiency of the Pi and Shen (Kidney), and deficiency of the
      Fei (Lung) and Shen. Based on its severity, the mild patients are advised to have
      non-drug psychological intervention and sleep treatment in cooperation with
      appropriate exercise; diet therapy are recommended to moderate patients together
      with sleep treatment and acupuncture, severe patients are recommended to have
      herbal treatment based on pattern differentiation together with physiological
      sleep therapy. 

PMID- 26108524
TI  - Effect of ear-acupoint pressing and Ear Apex (HX6,7) bloodletting on
      haemorheology in chloasma patients with Gan depression pattern.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutical effect of ear-acupoint pressing combined
      with Ear Apex (HX6,7) bloodletting on haemorheology in chloasma patients with Gan
      (Liver) depression pattern. METHODS: A total of 180 chloasma patients were
      randomly assigned to three groups, 60 cases in each. Patients in the
      earacupuncture (EA) group were treated with ear-acupoint pressing combined with
      Ear Apex (HX6,7) bloodletting; vitamins C and E were put into practice in the
      Western medicine (WM) group together with 0.025% tretinoin cream for local
      external application; patients in the placebo group were treated with urea-cream
      by external use, while 30 healthy volunteers were in the control group. After a
      treatment course of 2 months, the changes of haemorheology, injury skin area,
      colour score and symptom score before and after the treatment were observed.
      RESULTS: There was no significant difference on whole blood reduced viscosity
      (high shear, medium shear, and low shear), erythrocyte aggregation index,
      hematocrit, plasma viscosity among the four groups (F =2.65, P>0.05). Compared
      with those before treatment, the whole blood viscosity (high shear) and whole
      blood reduced viscosity (high shear) after treatment in the EA group, the WM
      group and the placebo group were with no statistical significance (P>0.05). The
      injury skin area and colour score after treatment were significantly lower than
      those before treatment in the EA group and the WM group (P<0.05), while there was
      no significant difference in placebo group (P>0.05). Clinical symptoms of the EA
      group were obviously improved after the 2-month treatment, which was
      significantly different compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), there was
      significant difference compared with those of WM group and placebo group
      (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference on haemorheology index
      between healthy people and chloasma patients without angionosis, cerebrovascular
      disease, hematopathy, metabolic disease or any other organic disease. Ear
      acupoint pressing combined with Ear Apex (HX6,7) bloodletting can effectively
      improve concurrent symptoms, lighten chloasma and lower chloasma area in patients
      accompanied by Gan depression.

PMID- 26108525
TI  - Rule-Based Prediction Models of Cytochrome P450 Inhibition.
AB  - Hepatotoxicity, drug-induced liver injury, and competitive Cytochrome P-450 (CYP)
      isozyme binding are serious problems associated with drug use. It would be
      favorable to avoid or to understand potential CYP inhibition at the developmental
      stages. However, current in silico CYP prediction models or available public
      prediction servers can provide only yes/no classification results for just one or
      a few CYP enzymes. In this study, we utilized a rule-based C5.0 algorithm with
      different descriptors, including PaDEL, Mold(2), and PubChem fingerprints, to
      construct rule-based inhibition prediction models for five major CYP enzymes
      CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4-that account for 90% of drug oxidation
      or hydrolysis. We also developed a rational sampling algorithm for the selection
      of compounds in the training data set, to enhance the performance of these CYP
      prediction models. The optimized models include several improved features. First,
      the final models significantly outperformed all of the currently available
      models. Second, the final models can also be used for rapid virtual screening of
      a large set of compounds due to their ruleset-based nature. Moreover, such rule
      based prediction models can provide rulesets for structural features related to
      the five major CYP enzymes. The five most significant rules for CYP inhibition
      were identified for each CYP enzymes and discussed. An example was chosen for
      each of the five CYP enzymes to demonstrate how rule-based models can be used to
      gain insights into structural features that correspond with CYP inhibitions. A
      newer version of the freely accessible CYP prediction server, CypRules, is
      presented here as a result of the aforementioned improvements. 

PMID- 26108526
TI  - Baseline haemoglobin A1c influences retinal function after long-term insulin pump
      therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to characterize the long-term effect of
      insulin pump therapy (CSII) on electroretinography and dark adaptometry and to
      examine the influence of baseline glycaemic control on retinal function in
      patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: This prospective observational
      extension study enrolled 13 patients out of 17 who completed a primary 1-year
      study of the effect of CSII on retinal function. Twelve patients were still on
      CSII at follow-up. The extension study included a single examination 3.5 years
      (range 3.0-4.0 years) after initiation of CSII of one study eye per patient.
      Procedures included full-field electroretinography (ERG), dark adaptometry,
      optical coherence tomography, and fundus photography. RESULTS: Mean ERG
      amplitudes 3.5 years after initiation of CSII were 15-43 % lower than at baseline
      (all p < 0.05) and 21-45 % lower than after 1 year on CSII. The mean rate of dark
      adaptation had returned to baseline after a transient 13 % (p = 0.0024)
      acceleration at the 1-year visit. Reduction of ERG amplitudes between 1 and 3.5
      years was statistically associated predominantly with baseline haemoglobin A1c
      (HbA1c) >= 8.7 % and, to a smaller extent, with HbA1c reductions larger than 1.9
      % after initiation of CSII. No significant changes in ERG amplitudes were found
      in patients with baseline HbA1c < 8.7 % and HbA1c reductions smaller than 1.9 %.
      CONCLUSIONS: Deterioration of subclinical retinal function from 1 to 3.5 years
      after initiation of CSII was associated predominantly with poorer metabolic
      control before initiation of CSII. Analyses of retinal function may supplement
      structural and morphological characteristics in the study of diabetic
      complications.

PMID- 26108527
TI  - Erratum to: Determinants of patient satisfaction and function related to vision
      following cataract surgery in eyes with no visually consequential ocular co
      morbidity.

PMID- 26108528
TI  - Primary Nasopharyngeal Hodgkin Lymphoma.

PMID- 26108529
TI  - Hyperscape: visualization for complex biological networks.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Network biology has emerged as a powerful tool to uncover the
      organizational properties of living systems through the application of graph
      theoretic approaches. However, due to limitations in underlying data models and
      visualization software, knowledge relating to large molecular assemblies and
      biologically active fragments is poorly represented. RESULTS: Here, we
      demonstrate a novel hypergraph implementation that better captures hierarchical
      structures, using components of elastic fibers and chromatin modification as
      models. These reveal unprecedented views of the biology of these systems,
      demonstrating the unique capacity of hypergraphs to resolve overlaps and uncover
      new insights into the subfunctionalization of variant complexes. AVAILABILITY AND
      IMPLEMENTATION: Hyperscape is available as a web application at
      http://www.compsysbio.org/hyperscape. Source code, examples and a tutorial are
      freely available under a GNU license. CONTACTS: john.parkinson@utoronto.ca or
      graham.cromar@gmail.com SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are
      available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 26108530
TI  - Determinants of timing and amplitude in the plant general stress response.
AB  - Plants have evolved intricate signaling cascades to rapidly and effectively
      respond to biotic and abiotic challenges. The precise timing of these responses
      enables optimal resource reallocation to maintain the balance between stress
      adaptation and growth. Thus, an in-depth understanding of the immediate and long
      term mechanisms regulating resource allocation is critical in deciphering how
      plants withstand environmental challenges. To date however, understanding of this
      tradeoff has focused on the amplitude of long-term responses, rather than the
      timing of rapid stress responses. This review presents current knowledge on
      kinetics of secondary messengers involved in regulation of rapid and general
      stress responses, followed by rapid stress responsive transduction machinery, and
      finally the transcriptional response of a functional general stress responsive
      cis-element. Within this context we discuss the role of timing of initial peak
      activation and later oscillating peak responses, and explore hormonal and stress
      signaling crosstalk confounding greater understanding of these cascades. 

PMID- 26108531
TI  - Elise Dennis wins ABC Best Paper Award.

PMID- 26108532
TI  - Studies on the metabolism and toxicological detection of the new psychoactive
      designer drug 2-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-[(2
      methoxyphenyl)methyl]ethanamine (25I-NBOMe) in human and rat urine using GC-MS,
      LC-MS(n), and LC-HR-MS/MS.
AB  - 25I-NBOMe, a new psychoactive substance, is a potent 5-HT2A receptor agonist with
      strong hallucinogenic potential. Recently, it was involved in several fatal and
      non-fatal intoxication cases. The aim of the present work was to study its phase
      I and II metabolism and its detectability in urine screening approaches. After
      application of 25I-NBOMe to male Wistar rats, urine was collected over 24 h. The
      phase I and II metabolites were identified by LC-HR-MS/MS in urine after suitable
      workup. For the detectability studies, standard urine screening approaches (SUSA)
      by GC-MS, LC-MS(n), and LC-HR-MS/MS were applied to rat and also to authentic
      human urine samples submitted for toxicological analysis. Finally, an initial CYP
      activity screening was performed to identify CYP isoenzymes involved in the major
      metabolic steps. 25I-NBOMe was mainly metabolized by O-demethylation, O,O-bis
      demethylation, hydroxylation, and combinations of these reactions as well as by
      glucuronidation and sulfation of the main phase I metabolites. All in all, 68
      metabolites could be identified. Intake of 25I-NBOMe was detectable mainly via
      its metabolites by both LC-MS approaches, but not by the GC-MS SUSA. Initial CYP
      activity screening revealed the involvement of CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 in hydroxylation
      and CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 in O-demethylation. The presented study demonstrated that
      25I-NBOMe was extensively metabolized and could be detected only by the LC-MS
      screening approaches. Since CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 are involved in initial metabolic
      steps, drug-drug interactions might occur in certain constellations. 

PMID- 26108533
TI  - Retraction Note to: Nicorandil accelerates recovery of neuromuscular block caused
      by vecuronium.
AB  - Retraction Note to: Can J Anesth 2001; 1: 28-33, DOI 10.1007/BF03019810. To our
      readers: Further to the Expression of Concern
      (http://www.springer.com/medicine/anesthesiology/journal/12630) posted online, it
      is with considerable regret that the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia hereby
      retracts the above-cited article by Dr. Yoshitaka Fujii as a result of: 1)
      overwhelming evidence of fabrication relating to the fact that the distribution
      of many variables reported by Dr. Fujii in this study are exceedingly unlikely;
      and 2) the inability of Dr. Fujii's institution to attest to the integrity of the
      study and/ or the data conducted under its auspices, as set out in the Joint
      Editors-in-Chief Request for Determination of April 9, 2012.

PMID- 26108534
TI  - Perspectives of anesthesia residents training in Canada on fellowship training,
      research, and future practice location.
AB  - PURPOSE: We conducted this study to determine the preferences of anesthesia
      residents training in Canada for fellowship training, research, and future
      practice location and to identify the factors that influence those preferences.
      METHODS: Using a cross-sectional study design, a survey was sent to all
      anesthesia residents enrolled at an accredited Canadian anesthesiology residency
      program (N = 629). Data were collected on demographics and preferences for
      fellowship training, research, and future practice location. A multivariable
      logistic regression model was used to determine significant associations.
      RESULTS: Two hundred forty-four residents (39%) responded to the survey. Seventy
      percent of residents intended to pursue fellowship training. The top three
      fellowships they favoured were regional anesthesia, intensive care, and cardiac
      anesthesia. Male sex was positively associated with the decision to pursue
      fellowship training, whereas having an additional graduate degree was negatively
      associated with this choice. Among those pursuing fellowship training, the most
      influential factors were personal interest, enhancing employability, and an
      interest in an academic career. Fifty-seven percent of residents preferred to
      work at an academic hospital. Thirty-four percent of residents intended to
      incorporate research into their future practice, and personal interest,
      employability, and colleagues were most influential in their decision. Research
      activity and publishing in residency were associated with the desire to pursue
      future research initiatives. CONCLUSION: The majority of anesthesia residents
      training in Canada choose to pursue fellowship training and work at an academic
      hospital. Approximately one-third of residents have an interest in incorporating
      research into their future careers.

PMID- 26108535
TI  - Regulation of synaptic activity by snapin-mediated endolysosomal transport and
      sorting.
AB  - Recycling synaptic vesicles (SVs) transit through early endosomal sorting
      stations, which raises a fundamental question: are SVs sorted toward
      endolysosomal pathways? Here, we used snapin mutants as tools to assess how
      endolysosomal sorting and trafficking impact presynaptic activity in wild-type
      and snapin(-/-) neurons. Snapin acts as a dynein adaptor that mediates the
      retrograde transport of late endosomes (LEs) and interacts with dysbindin, a
      subunit of the endosomal sorting complex BLOC-1. Expressing dynein-binding
      defective snapin mutants induced SV accumulation at presynaptic terminals,
      mimicking the snapin(-/-) phenotype. Conversely, over-expressing snapin reduced
      SV pool size by enhancing SV trafficking to the endolysosomal pathway. Using a SV
      targeted Ca(2+) sensor, we demonstrate that snapin-dysbindin interaction
      regulates SV positional priming through BLOC-1/AP-3-dependent sorting. Our study
      reveals a bipartite regulation of presynaptic activity by endolysosomal
      trafficking and sorting: LE transport regulates SV pool size, and BLOC-1/AP-3
      dependent sorting fine-tunes the Ca(2+) sensitivity of SV release. Therefore, our
      study provides new mechanistic insights into the maintenance and regulation of SV
      pool size and synchronized SV fusion through snapin-mediated LE trafficking and
      endosomal sorting. 

PMID- 26108536
TI  - Characterization of linkage disequilibrium, consistency of gametic phase and
      admixture in Australian and Canadian goats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Basic understanding of linkage disequilibrium (LD) and population
      structure, as well as the consistency of gametic phase across breeds is crucial
      for genome-wide association studies and successful implementation of genomic
      selection. However, it is still limited in goats. Therefore, the objectives of
      this research were: (i) to estimate genome-wide levels of LD in goat breeds using
      data generated with the Illumina Goat SNP50 BeadChip; (ii) to study the
      consistency of gametic phase across breeds in order to evaluate the possible use
      of a multi-breed training population for genomic selection and (iii) develop
      insights concerning the population history of goat breeds. RESULTS: Average r(2)
      between adjacent SNP pairs ranged from 0.28 to 0.11 for Boer and Rangeland
      populations. At the average distance between adjacent SNPs in the current 50 k
      SNP panel (~0.06 Mb), the breeds LaMancha, Nubian, Toggenburg and Boer exceeded
      or approached the level of linkage disequilibrium that is useful (r(2) > 0.2) for
      genomic predictions. In all breeds LD decayed rapidly with increasing inter
      marker distance. The estimated correlations for all the breed pairs, except
      Canadian and Australian Boer populations, were lower than 0.70 for all marker
      distances greater than 0.02 Mb. These results are not high enough to encourage
      the pooling of breeds in a single training population for genomic selection. The
      admixture analysis shows that some breeds have distinct genotypes based on SNP50
      genotypes, such as the Boer, Cashmere and Nubian populations. The other groups
      share higher genome proportions with each other, indicating higher admixture and
      a more diverse genetic composition. CONCLUSIONS: This work presents results of a
      diverse collection of breeds, which are of great interest for the implementation
      of genomic selection in goats. The LD results indicate that, with a large enough
      training population, genomic selection could potentially be implemented within
      breed with the current 50 k panel, but some breeds might benefit from a denser
      panel. For multi-breed genomic evaluation, a denser SNP panel also seems to be
      required.

PMID- 26108537
TI  - Meta-analysis should not be subject to selectivity and imbalance.

PMID- 26108538
TI  - Reproductive hormone levels and differential mitochondria-related oxidative gene
      expression as potential mechanisms for gender differences in cardiosensitivity to
      Doxorubicin in tumor-bearing spontaneously hypertensive rats.
AB  - PURPOSE: Chemotherapy with doxorubicin (Dox) causes dose-limiting cardiotoxicity.
      We investigated the role that gender has on cardiosensitivity to Dox treatment by
      evaluating reproductive hormone levels in male, castrated male (c-male), female
      and ovariectomized female (o-female) adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs)
      and expression of mitochondria-related genes in male and female adult SHRs.
      METHODS: SST-2 breast tumor-bearing SHRs were treated with saline, Dox,
      dexrazoxane (Drz) or both Dox and Drz and monitored for 14 days. Tumor size was
      used to monitor anticancer activity. Heart weight, cardiac lesion score and serum
      levels of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) were used to determine cardiotoxicity. Serum
      estradiol (E2) and testosterone were evaluated using electrochemiluminescence
      immunoassays. Expression of mitochondria-related genes was profiled in heart by
      MitoChip array analyses. RESULTS: Dox significantly reduced tumor volume (+/-Drz)
      and increased heart weight in all genders (13-30% vs. control). Higher heart
      lesion scores were observed in reproductively normal animals (male 2.9, female
      2.2) than in hormone-deficient animals (c-male 1.7, o-female 1.9). Lesion score
      and cTnT inversely correlated with hormone levels. Reduced levels of both sex
      hormones were observed after Dox treatment. Gene expression analyses of Dox
      treated hearts showed significant differential expression of oxidative stress
      genes in male hearts and apoptotic genes in both male and female hearts.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that adult tumor-bearing male SHRs are more
      cardiosensitive to Dox than female or hormone-deficient animals. We provide
      evidence to suggest that reproductive hormones negatively regulate or are
      inhibited by Dox-induced cardiotoxicity and the selective cytotoxic mechanism
      likely functions through the greater activation of oxidative stress and apoptosis
      in male SHRs.

PMID- 26108539
TI  - miR-7 modulates chemoresistance of small cell lung cancer by repressing
      MRP1/ABCC1.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of small non-coding RNAs and have been shown
      to play important roles in various biological processes including cell growth,
      differentiation and apoptosis by regulating the target genes. miR-7 has been
      described not only as a tumour suppressor gene but also as an oncogene in human
      cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the functional roles of miR-7
      in chemoresistance of SCLC and its underlying mechanism. By using a bioinformatic
      assay, we found that MRP1/ABCC1 was a potential target gene of miR-7. Expression
      of miR-7 and MRP1/ABCC1 was examined in 44 SCLC samples by quantitative reverse
      transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry methods. Low
      level expression of miR-7 was associated significantly with drug responsiveness
      and overall survival rate of patients with SCLC, but not with gender, age and
      stage. There was an inverse relationship between miR-7 and MRP1/ABCC1 expression.
      Downregulation of MRP1/ABCC1 level was revealed after transfection with a miR-7
      mimic in H69 AR cells. Transfection of a miR-7 inhibitor into H69 cells restored
      MRP1/ABCC1 expression. A dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-7
      targeted predicted sites in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the MRP1/ABCC1
      gene. Our data suggested that miR-7 mediated SCLC chemoresistance by repressing
      MRP1/ABCC1 and may be a prognostic predictor and potential therapeutic target in
      human SCLC. 

PMID- 26108540
TI  - Methionyl-Methionine Promotes alpha-s1 Casein Synthesis in Bovine Mammary Gland
      Explants by Enhancing Intracellular Substrate Availability and Activating JAK2
      STAT5 and mTOR-Mediated Signaling Pathways.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interest is increasing in the role of peptide-bound amino acids (AAs)
      in milk protein synthesis because studies have found that the uptake of some
      essential AAs by the mammary gland cannot meet the requirements for milk protein
      synthesis. Although the role of dipeptides in milk protein synthesis is clearly
      established, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: The
      objective of this study was to determine whether small peptides can be taken up
      intact by the peptide transporters in mammary tissue explants and the underlying
      mechanisms of the effects of methionyl-methionine (Met-Met) supplementation on
      milk protein synthesis. METHODS: Mammary tissue explants were cultured in
      conditional medium and then treated with different concentrations of Met-Met that
      replaced 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% of free Met for another 24 h. In some
      experiments, explants were cultured with an optimal dose of Met-Met with or
      without the inhibitors of peptide transporter 2 [PepT2; diethylpyrocarbonate
      (DEPC), 0.1 mmol/L] and aminopeptidase N (APN; bestatin, 20 MUmol/L) for 24 h.
      RESULTS: The substitutions of 15% free Met with Met-Met significantly promoted
      alpha-s1 casein (alphas1-CN) expression in the mammary explants (P < 0.05). The
      inhibition of the PepT2 by DEPC or APN by bestatin significantly decreased the
      Met-Met-stimulated increase of alphas1-CN expression (P < 0.05). Compared with
      the control group (0% Met-Met), absorption of Val, Met, Leu, Phe, Lys, and His
      was improved, and mRNA abundance of the neutral and basic AA transporter was
      increased in the 15% Met-Met group (P < 0.05). In addition, the mRNA abundance of
      the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), p70 ribosomal S6 kinase 1 gene,
      eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 gene , Janus kinase 2 (JAK2),
      and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) was increased in
      the 15% Met-Met-treated group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Met-Met promoted alphas1-CN
      synthesis in cultured bovine mammary gland explants, and this stimulation may be
      mediated by enhanced intracellular substrate availability and by activating JAK2
      STAT5 and mTOR signaling pathways.

PMID- 26108542
TI  - Food Insecurity Mediates the Effect of a Poverty-Alleviation Program on
      Psychosocial Health among the Ultra-Poor in Bangladesh.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poor psychosocial health is a major global burden. A challenge to
      improving psychosocial health is that its associations with risk factors are
      complicated, inadequately understood, and difficult to modify, and/or require
      action outside the health sector. OBJECTIVE: We capitalized on the quasi
      experimental assignment of a poverty-alleviation program for the ultra-poor in
      Bangladesh to investigate how this program affected 2 aspects of psychosocial
      health; distress, (i.e., the negative cognitive appraisal of stress) and
      subjective well-being (i.e., satisfaction with domains of life), and the
      importance of food insecurity as a mediator relative to other stressors and
      economic status. METHODS: The study was conducted in 3 northern districts of
      Bangladesh where the program operated. The ultra-poor households were selected
      through a multistage selection process. The economically better-off households
      were excluded during the process and included as study controls. The program
      supported women by providing income-earning opportunities, strengthening
      sociopolitical livelihood, and building self-awareness and self-confidence. Data
      were collected in 2006 from 209 women on demography, psychosocial health, and
      stressors (i.e., domestic violence, food insecurity, economic status, perceived
      economy, and emotional social constraints). Data collected in 2002 from the same
      individuals were used to control for the baseline differences between groups. By
      using path analysis we showed the direct and indirect effects of the program on
      distress and well-being. RESULTS: The program positively affected psychosocial
      health by alleviating stressors. The indirect effect of the program contributed
      74% in reducing distress and 30% in improving well-being. Food insecurity was by
      far the most important mediator, explaining 50% of indirect effect on distress
      and 66% of the indirect effect on well-being. CONCLUSION: Food insecurity is
      modifiable and an appropriate target for poverty-alleviation and agricultural
      programs. These findings suggest programmatic and policy attention to the social
      dimensions of poor psychosocial health, particularly to food insecurity as a
      central cause.

PMID- 26108541
TI  - Diet Quality and Risk of Melanoma in an Italian Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some results from laboratory and epidemiologic studies suggest that
      diet may influence the risk of melanoma, but convincing evidence for a role of
      single nutrients or food items is lacking. Diet quality, which considers the
      combined effect of multiple food items, may be superior for examining this
      relation. OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess whether diet quality, evaluated with the
      use of 4 different dietary indexes, is associated with melanoma risk. METHODS: In
      this population-based case-control study, we analyzed the relation between 4 diet
      quality indexes, the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010), Dietary Approaches to
      Stop Hypertension (DASH) index, Greek Mediterranean Index (GMI), and Italian
      Mediterranean Index (IMI), and melanoma risk in a northern Italian community,
      with the use of data from 380 cases and 719 matched controls who completed a
      semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: In the overall sample, we
      found an inverse association between disease risk and the HEI-2010 and DASH
      index, but not the Mediterranean indexes, adjusting for potential confounders
      (skin phototype, body mass index, energy intake, sunburn history, skin sun
      reaction, and education). However, in sex stratified analyses, the association
      appeared only in women (P-trend: 0.10 and 0.04 for the HEI-2010 and DASH index,
      respectively). The inverse relations were stronger in women younger than age 50 y
      than in older women, for whom the GMI and IMI scores also showed an inverse
      association with disease risk (P-trend: 0.05 and 0.02, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that diet quality may play a role in cutaneous
      melanoma etiology among women.

PMID- 26108543
TI  - Saturated and Unsaturated Fatty Acids Differently Modulate Colonic Goblet Cells
      In Vitro and in Rat Pups.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High-fat diets induce intestinal barrier alterations and promote
      intestinal diseases. Little is known about the effects of long-chain fatty acids
      (LCFAs) on mucin 2 (MUC2) production by goblet cells, which are crucial for
      intestinal protection. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of LCFAs on the
      differentiation of colonic goblet cells, MUC2 expression, and colonic barrier
      function. METHODS: Upon reaching confluence, human colonic mucus-secreting HT29
      MTX cells were stimulated (21 d) with a saturated LCFA (palmitic or stearic
      acid), a monounsaturated LCFA (oleic acid), or a polyunsaturated LCFA (linoleic,
      gamma-linolenic, alpha-linolenic, or eicosapentaenoic acid). In addition, rat
      pups underwent oral administration of oil (palm, rapeseed, or sunflower oil) or
      water (10 MUL/g body weight, postnatal days 10-15). Subsequently, colon goblet
      cells were studied by Western blotting, reverse transcriptase-quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry and colonic transmucosal
      electrical resistance was measured by using Ussing chambers. RESULTS: In vitro,
      palmitic acid enhanced MUC2 production (140% of control) and hepatocyte nuclear
      factor 4alpha expression, whereas oleic, linoleic, gamma-linolenic, alpha
      linolenic, and eicosapentaenoic acids reduced MUC2 expression (at least -50% of
      control). All unsaturated LCFAs decreased the expression of human atonal homolog
      1, a transcription factor controlling goblet cell differentiation (at least -31%
      vs. control). In vivo, rats fed palm oil had higher palmitic acid concentrations
      (3-fold) in their colonic contents and increased mucus granule surfaces in their
      goblet cells (>2-fold) than did all other groups. Palm oil also increased colonic
      transmucosal electrical resistance (245% of control), yet had no effect on
      occludin and zonula occludens-1 expression. In contrast, sunflower and rapeseed
      oils decreased goblet cell number when compared with control (at least -10%) and
      palm oil (at least -14%) groups. CONCLUSIONS: Palm oil in rat pups and palmitic
      acid in HT29-MTX cells increase the production of MUC2 and strengthen the
      intestinal barrier. In contrast, unsaturated LCFAs decrease MUC2 expression.
      These data should be taken into account in the context of preventive or
      therapeutic nutritional programs.

PMID- 26108544
TI  - Dietary Supplementation with Raspberry Seed Oil Modulates Liver Functions,
      Inflammatory State, and Lipid Metabolism in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although raspberry seed oil (RO) is rich in essential fatty acids,
      there is a lack of experiments assessing benefits of its consumption. OBJECTIVE:
      We investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with RO on healthy rats
      and rats with low-grade systemic inflammation, liver disorders, and dyslipidemia
      induced by a high-fat/low-fiber (HF/LF) diet. METHODS: Thirty-two rats were
      allocated into 4 groups of 8 rats each and fed for 8 wk a control (C; 7% lard and
      5% cellulose) or HF/LF (21% lard and 2% cellulose) diet or modifications of these
      diets in which 7% RO replaced all (C+RO group) or a proportion of (HF/LF+RO
      group) the lard. Effects of diet and RO and their interaction on bacterial
      activity and metabolite formations in the distal intestine, liver fat and
      glutathione concentration, plasma lipid profile, transaminase activities, and
      plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor alpha
      (TNF-alpha) were tested. RESULTS: Dietary RO decreased plasma alanine and
      aspartate transaminase activities (43.4 and 157 vs. 25.6 and 115 U/L,
      respectively; P < 0.05 and P < 0.005) and plasma TNF-alpha and triglyceride
      concentrations (132 pg/mL and 2.07 mmol/L vs. 86.5 pg/mL and 0.99 mmol/L,
      respectively; P < 0.05). In livers of the C+RO group, the fat concentration was
      decreased, whereas the glutathione to glutathione disulfide ratio was increased
      compared with the C group (30.1% and 6.20 MUmol/g vs. 23.3% and 7.25 MUmol/g,
      respectively; P <= 0.05); however, those differences were not observed between
      the HF/LF groups (P-interaction < 0.05). In the HF/LF+RO group, the plasma CRP
      concentration was lower than in the HF/LF group (88.1 vs. 765 pg/mL; P <= 0.05)
      and similar to that in the C and C+RO groups (158 and 128 pg/mL, respectively).
      CONCLUSION: Dietary RO improves plasma lipid profile and liver functions and
      reduces low-grade systemic inflammation in rats; however, the extent of these
      beneficial effects is partly dependent on the diet type.

PMID- 26108545
TI  - Zinc Absorption Is Not Related to Dietary Phytate Intake in Infants and Young
      Children Based on Modeling Combined Data from Multiple Studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is widely understood that the 2 primary factors affecting dietary
      zinc absorption in adults are the quantities of zinc and phytate in the diet.
      Although a similar association of absorption to dietary zinc and phytate is
      presumed to exist in children, to our knowledge, no large-scale examination of
      the relation of zinc absorption to dietary and growth factors has been conducted.
      OBJECTIVE: The goal was to apply an adult absorption model and related models to
      data from zinc absorption studies of infants and children in order to determine
      the nature of the relation of zinc absorption to dietary zinc and phytate, age,
      body size, and zinc homeostatic variables. METHODS: Data from 236 children
      between 8 and 50 mo of age were obtained from stable-isotope studies of zinc
      absorption. Statistical and mechanistic models were fit to the data using linear
      and nonlinear regression analysis. RESULTS: The effect of dietary phytate on zinc
      absorption when controlling for dietary zinc was very small and not statistically
      discernable (P = 0.29). A 500-mg/d increase in dietary phytate reduced absorbed
      zinc by <0.04 mg/d. Absorption was observed to vary with age, weight, and height
      (P < 0.0001) when controlling for dietary zinc. For example, absorption from 6
      mg/d of dietary zinc increased by as much as 0.2 mg/d with a 12-mo increase in
      age. Absorption varied with weight and exchangeable zinc pool size (0.01 < P <
      0.05) when controlling for dietary zinc and age. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of a
      detectable phytate effect on zinc absorption raises caution about use of dietary
      phytate:zinc molar ratios to predict zinc bioavailability and does not support
      phytate reduction as a strategy to improve zinc status of young children. The
      effect of age on zinc absorption and the absence of a phytate effect should
      facilitate estimations of dietary zinc needs in young children.

PMID- 26108547
TI  - Corrigendum: Diverse chemotypes disrupt ion homeostasis in the malaria parasite.

PMID- 26108546
TI  - Reducing the price of new hepatitis C drugs in the Tuscany region of Italy.

PMID- 26108548
TI  - The unexplored relationship between urinary tract infections and the autonomic
      nervous system.
AB  - Urinary tract infections (UTIs), the majority of which are caused by
      uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), are extremely common infections that preferentially
      effect women. Additional complicating factors, such as catheterization, diabetes,
      and spinal cord injuries can increase the frequency and severity of UTIs. The
      rise of antimicrobial resistant uropathogens and the ability of this disease to
      chronically recur make the development of alternative preventative and
      therapeutic modalities a priority. The major symptoms of UTIs, urgency,
      frequency, and dysuria, are readouts of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and
      the majority of the factors that lead to complicated UTIs have been shown to
      impact ANS function. This review summarizes the decades' long efforts to
      understand the molecular mechanisms of the interactions between UPEC and the
      host, with a particular focus on the recent findings revealing the molecular,
      bacteriological, immunological and epidemiological complexity of pathogenesis.
      Additionally, we describe the progress that has been made in: i) generating
      vaccines and anti-virulence compounds that prevent and/or treat UTI by blocking
      bacterial adherence to urinary tract tissue and; and ii) elucidating the
      mechanism by which anti-inflammatories are able to alleviate symptoms and improve
      disease prognosis. Finally, the potential relationships between the ANS and UTI
      are considered throughout. While these relationships have not been experimentally
      explored, the known interactions between numerous UTI characteristics (symptoms,
      complicating factors, and inflammation) and ANS function suggest that UTIs are
      directly impacting ANS stimulation and that ANS (dys)function may alter UTI
      prognosis.

PMID- 26108549
TI  - Older patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis and dialysis dependent renal
      failure: a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) with renal involvement is not
      uncommon in older individuals. Unfortunately, this can be catastrophic requiring
      hemodialysis (HD) and may lead to end stage renal disease (ESRD). However, more
      than 50 % of patients with AAV who require HD initially have renal recovery and
      discontinue HD. The aim of this study was to describe a retrospective cohort of
      older patients with AAV and severe renal involvement which required hemodialysis.
      METHODS: Between 1995 and 2013 a total of 30 patients with histologic evidence of
      pauci-immune glomerulonephritis who required HD were evaluated at a single
      university center. The association of demographic and clinical parameters with
      age was assessed. Older age of disease onset was defined as age >= 60 years. The
      risk of developing ESRD at 3 months was examined using univariate logistic
      regression analysis. RESULTS: Among 30 patients with AAV who required HD, the
      mean age of disease onset was 59 +/- 17 years (range 22-88 years). Twelve
      patients were in the older age group, and 18 were in the younger group. Three
      months after diagnosis, 43 % of the cohort had ESRD with a statistically similar
      proportion of older (n = 9, 50 %) versus younger (n = 4, 33 %) patients (p =
      0.367). Most patients (93 %) received immunosuppressive therapy. There was not a
      statistically significant association between age and ESRD. CONCLUSIONS: These
      data suggest that age alone does not predict renal recovery among individuals on
      HD due to AAV. Renal recovery is a realistic expectation and outcome, if patients
      are treated, even among older patients with AAV who require HD initially.

PMID- 26108550
TI  - Men's Sheds function and philosophy: towards a framework for future research and
      men's health promotion.
AB  - ISSUE ADDRESSED: The Men's Shed movement supports a range of men's health
      promotion initiatives. This paper examines whether a Men's Shed typology could
      inform future research and enable more efficient and targeted health promotion
      activities through Men's Sheds. METHODS: The International Men's Shed Survey
      consisted of a cross-sectional exploration of sheds, their members, and health
      and social activities. Survey data about shed 'function' and 'philosophy' were
      analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: A framework of
      Men's Sheds based on function and philosophy demonstrated that most sheds serve a
      primary utility function, a secondary social function, but most importantly a
      primary social opportunity philosophy. Sheds with a primary health philosophy
      participated in fewer health promotion activities when compared with sheds
      without a primary health philosophy. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the uniform
      health promotion resources distributed by the Men's Shed associations, specific
      health promotion activities, such as prostate education, are being initiated from
      an individual shed level. This framework can potentially be used to enable future
      research and health promotion activities to be more efficiently and effectively
      targeted. SO WHAT? Men experience poorer health and well being outcomes than
      women. This framework offers a novel approach to providing targeted health
      promotion activities to men in an environment where it is okay to talk about
      men's health.

PMID- 26108551
TI  - Antitumor activity of a rhenium (I)-diselenoether complex in experimental models
      of human breast cancer.
AB  - Rhenium (I)-diselenother (Re-diselenoether) is a water soluble metal-based
      compound, combining one atom of rhenium and two atoms of selenium. This compound
      has been reported to exhibit marked activities against several solid tumor cell
      lines. We now disclose an improved synthesis of this complex. The Re
      diselenoether showed a potent inhibitory effect on MDA-MB231 cell division in
      vitro, which lasted when the complex was no longer present in the culture. Re
      diselenoether induced a remarkable reduction of the volume of the primitive
      breast tumors and of the pulmonary metastases without clinical signs of toxicity,
      in mice-bearing a MDA-MB231 Luc+ tumor, orthotopically transplanted, after a
      daily oral administration at the dose of 10 mg/kg/d. Interestingly, an antagonism
      was observed when cisplatin was administered as a single i.p. injection 1 week
      after the end of the Re-diselenoether administration. In an effort to gain
      insight of the mechanisms of action of Re-diselenoether complex, interaction with
      9-methylguanine as a nucleic acid base model was studied. We have shown that Re
      diselenoether gave both mono- and bis-guanine Re adducts, the species assumed to
      be responsible for the DNA intrastrand lesions.

PMID- 26108553
TI  - Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of diabetes mellitus in rural China:
      results from Shandong Province.
AB  - AIMS: To estimate the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of diabetes in
      rural areas in Shandong Province, China. METHODS: The Luxemburg-WHO-Shandong
      Project on Rural Health Personnel Training and Chronic Disease Control, a cross
      sectional study, examined 16 375 rural residents aged 25 years and over using
      multistage cluster sampling in April 2007. An overnight fasting blood specimen
      was collected to measure plasma glucose and a 2-h 75-g oral glucose tolerance
      test was conducted among people with a fasting blood glucose of >= 6.1 mmol/l.
      Information on the history of diabetes and hypoglycaemic medication was obtained
      using a standard questionnaire. Diabetes and prediabetes were defined according
      to the 1999 World Health Organization diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: Overall, the
      prevalence rates for diabetes, prediabetes and previously diagnosed diabetes in
      the rural population were estimated to be 3.5%, 6.0% and 1.2%, respectively.
      Among those with diabetes, only 34.8% were aware of their condition, 30.6% were
      currently undergoing medication treatment, and 11.5% achieved glycaemic control.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that diabetes has become a public health
      problem in poor rural areas of China and the rates of awareness, treatment and
      control of diabetes were relatively low. There is an urgent need for strategies
      aimed at the prevention and treatment of diabetes in the rural population in
      Shandong Province, China.

PMID- 26108552
TI  - The great fluid debate: saline or so-called "balanced" salt solutions?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intravenous fluids are commonly prescribed in childhood. 0.9 % saline
      is the most-used fluid in pediatrics as resuscitation or maintenance solution.
      Experimental studies and observations in adults suggest that 0.9 % saline is a
      poor candidate for fluid resuscitation. Although anesthesiologists, intensive
      care specialists, perioperative physicians and nephrologists have been the most
      active in this debate, this issue deserves some physiopathological considerations
      also among pediatricians. RESULTS: As compared with so-called "balanced" salt
      crystalloids such as lactated Ringer, administration of large volumes of 0.9 %
      saline has been associated with following deleterious effects: tendency to
      hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis (called dilution acidosis); acute kidney injury
      with reduced urine output and salt retention; damaged vascular permeability and
      stiffness, increase in proinflammatory mediators; detrimental effect on
      coagulation with tendency to blood loss; detrimental gastrointestinal perfusion
      and function; possible uneasiness at the bedside resulting in unnecessary
      administration of more fluids. Nevertheless, there is no firm evidence that these
      adverse effects are clinically relevant. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous fluid therapy
      is a medicine like insulin, chemotherapy or antibiotics. Prescribing fluids
      should fit the child's history and condition, consider the right dose at the
      right rate as well as the electrolyte levels and other laboratory variables. It
      is unlikely that a single type of fluid will be suitable for all pediatric
      patients. "Balanced" salt crystalloids, although more expensive, should be
      preferred for volume resuscitation, maintenance and perioperatively. Lactated
      Ringer appears unsuitable for patients at risk for brain edema and for those with
      overt or latent chloride-deficiency. Finally, in pediatrics there is a need for
      new fluids to be developed on the basis of a better understanding of the
      physiology and to be tested in well-designed trials.

PMID- 26108555
TI  - Typical and atypical lymphatic flows in breast carcinoma.
AB  - AIM: The study of sentinel lymph node has greatly increased the knowledge about
      lymphatic drainage in breast cancer. MATERIAL OF STUDY: The experience of 181
      patients operated for breast carcinoma in the last two years, of which 70
      undergoing SLN biopsy, allowed us to highlight some peculiarities of lymphatic
      drainage of the breast and led us to physiological and pathological
      considerations about lymphatic flow in patients for breast carcinoma. We studied
      patients undergoing lymphoscintigraphic mapping with SLN biopsy who were
      candidates for breast cancer surgery. RESULTS: Searching for SLN's location, we
      found that in 88.6% cases the SLN was at level I, in 8.6% it was at level II, in
      no case it was at level III and in 2.8% we found lymphatic drainage to the
      contralateral axilla. DISCUSSION: Thanks to this dynamic study we were able to
      highlight a preferential subcutaneous lymphatic path from the breast parenchyma
      reaching the contralateral axilla, crossing anteriorly the thorax. Literature
      review showed CAM incidence ranges from 3.6% to 6% and can be caused by occult
      primary cancer of the contralateral breast, contralateral spread of breast cancer
      and presence of another kind of tumor. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of contralateral
      axillary metastasis, although known, allowed us to scintigrafically document (for
      the first time) the pathway of an alternative lymph flow and to suppose the
      possible causes. Thanks to this observation, considerations can be drawn about
      clinical, pathophysiological and oncological implications, with an impact on post
      operative follow-up.

PMID- 26108554
TI  - Label-free NIR-SERS discrimination and detection of foodborne bacteria by in situ
      synthesis of Ag colloids.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rapid detection and discrimination of bacteria for biomedical and
      food safety applications remain a considerable challenge. We report a label-free
      near infrared surface-enhanced Raman scattering (NIR-SERS) method for the
      discrimination of pathogenic bacteria from drinking water. The approach relies on
      the in situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) within the bacterial cell
      suspensions. RESULTS: Pre-treatment of cells with Triton X-100 significantly
      improved the sensitivity of the assay. Using this method, we were able to
      discriminate several common pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli,
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and
      Listeria spp. A comparison of the SERS spectra allowed for the discrimination of
      two Listeria species, namely L. monocytogenes and L. innocua. We further report
      the application of the method to discriminate two MRSA strains from clinical
      isolates. The complete assay was completed in a span of 5 min. CONCLUSIONS: The
      proposed analytical method proves to be a rapid tool for selective and label-free
      identification of pathogenic bacterium. Pre-treatment of bacterial cells with
      Triton X-100 resulted in new features on the SERS spectra, allowing for a
      successful discrimination of common disease related bacteria including E. coli,
      P. aeruginosa, Listeria and MRSA. We also demonstrate that the spectral features
      obtained using in situ synthesis of nanoparticles could be could be used to
      differentiate two species of listeria. By using L. innocua as a model sample, we
      found the limit of detection of our assay to be 10(3) CFU/mL. The method can
      selectively discriminate different bacterial species, and has a potential to be
      used in the development of point-of-care diagnostics with biomedical and food
      safety applications.

PMID- 26108556
TI  - Genomics as the key to unlocking the polyploid potential of wheat.
AB  - Polyploidy has played a central role in plant genome evolution and in the
      formation of new species such as tetraploid pasta wheat and hexaploid bread
      wheat. Until recently, the high sequence conservation between homoeologous genes,
      together with the large genome size of polyploid wheat, had hindered genomic
      analyses in this important crop species. In the past 5 yr, however, the advent of
      next-generation sequencing has radically changed the wheat genomics landscape.
      Here, we review a series of advances in genomic resources and tools for
      functional genomics that are shifting the paradigm of what is possible in wheat
      molecular genetics and breeding. We discuss how understanding the relationship
      between homoeologues can inform approaches to modulate the response of
      quantitative traits in polyploid wheat; we also argue that functional redundancy
      has 'locked up' a wide range of phenotypic variation in wheat. We explore how
      genomics provides key tools to inform targeted manipulation of multiple
      homoeologues, thereby allowing researchers and plant breeders to unlock the full
      polyploid potential of wheat.

PMID- 26108557
TI  - Understanding central carbon metabolism of rapidly proliferating mammalian cells
      based on analysis of key enzymatic activities in GS-CHO cell lines.
AB  - The central carbon metabolism (glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway [PPP],
      and the tricarboxylic acid [TCA] cycle) plays an essential role in the supply of
      biosynthetic precursors and energy. How the central carbon metabolism changes
      with the varying growth rates in the in vitro cultivation of rapidly
      proliferating mammalian cells, such as cancer cells and continuous cell lines for
      recombinant protein production, remains elusive. Based on relationships between
      the growth rate and the activity of seven key enzymes from six cell clones, this
      work reports finding an important metabolic characteristic in rapidly
      proliferating glutamine synthetase-Chinese hamster ovary cells. The key enzymatic
      activity involved in the TCA cycle that is responsible for the supply of energy
      became elevated as the growth rate exhibited increases, while the activity of key
      enzymes in metabolic pathways (glycolysis and the PPP), responsible for the
      supply of biosynthetic precursors, tended to decrease-suggesting that rapidly
      proliferating cells still depended predominantly on the TCA cycle rather than on
      aerobic glycolysis for their energetic demands. Meanwhile, the growth-limiting
      resource was most likely biosynthetic substrates rather than energy provision. In
      addition, the multifaceted role of glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (PGI) was
      confirmed, based on a significant correlation between PGI activity and the
      percentage of G2/M-phase cells.

PMID- 26108558
TI  - The Antia-Buch flap revisited.

PMID- 26108559
TI  - Reactivity change of IgE to buckwheat protein treated with high-pressure and
      enzymatic hydrolysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Buckwheat is a popular food material in eastern Asian countries that
      can cause allergenic response. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects
      of hydrolysis with papain and high-pressure (HP) treatment of buckwheat protein
      (BWP) on reactivity of immunoglobulin E (IgE) and its secondary structure.
      RESULTS: Reactivity of IgE was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA) with serum samples from 16 patients allergic to buckwheat. Reactivity of
      IgE to hydrolysate of BWP with papain showed a maximum decrease of 79.8%. After
      HP treatment at 600 MPa for 1 min, reactivity of IgE to BWP decreased by up to
      55.1%. When extracted, BWP was hydrolyzed with papain overnight following HP
      treatment at 600 MPa which the reactivity of IgE decreased significantly by up to
      87.1%. Significant changes in secondary structure of BWP were observed by
      circular dichroism (CD) analysis after hydrolysis with papain following HP
      treatment. CONCLUSION: Reduction of reactivity of IgE showed a correlation with
      changes in secondary structure of BWP, which may cause changes in conformational
      epitopes. This suggests the possibility of decreasing the reactivity of IgE to
      BWP using combined physical and enzymatic treatments.

PMID- 26108560
TI  - Long-term functional airway assessment after open airway surgery for
      laryngotracheal stenosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate our patient
      reported and objective long-term outcomes of patients treated for laryngotracheal
      stenosis. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Sixty-five patients
      were evaluated after a median follow-up of 7 years after surgery. Follow-up
      measurements consisted of pulmonary function testing, Bruce treadmill test, and
      Child Health Questionnaires (CHQ). RESULTS: Pulmonary function tests were
      available in 43 patients, and 30/43 had abnormal forced expiratory volume in 1
      second/forced inspiratory volume in 1 second (FIV1), 25/43 had abnormal
      FIV1/maximum vital capacity, and 24/43 had abnormal peak expiratory flow. One
      third of patients had reduced exercise tolerance. CHQ revealed significant
      positive correlations with pulmonary function results and exercise tolerance.
      Multivariate analysis showed that glottic involvement of the stenosis and the
      presence of comorbidities at time of surgery are the only factors for poor long
      term functional outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients show deficits in
      pulmonary function and exercise tolerance related to lower scores of quality of
      life. Glottic involvement of the stenosis and the presence of comorbidities are
      the only significant factors for poor functional outcome. Long-term
      multidisciplinary follow up is mandatory after surgery for laryngotracheal
      stenosis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2B.

PMID- 26108561
TI  - Benefits of an exercise wellness program after spinal cord injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the initial benefits of a structured group exercise
      program on exercise frequency and intensity, perceived health, pain, mood, and
      television watching habits. DESIGN: Pre-test/post-test. PARTICIPANTS/METHODS:
      Eighty-nine persons with SCI participated voluntarily in a no-cost, twice weekly
      physical therapy group exercise class over 3 months. Forty-five persons completed
      pre- and post-participation interviews on exercise frequency and intensity,
      perceived health, pain, mood, sleep, and television watching habits. RESULTS:
      Mean participant age of the respondents was 43.82 years. 49% had AIS C or D
      injuries, 24% had AIS A,B paraplegia, 9% had AIS A,B C1-C4 and 18% had AIS A,B C5
      C8. 75.6% of participants were male and 84.4% had a traumatic etiology as the
      cause of their SCI. There was a significant improvement in days of strenuous and
      moderate exercise as well as health state. There was an average decrease in pain
      scores, depression scores, number of hours spent watching television, and
      days/week of mild exercise. CONCLUSION: Participation in structured, small group
      exercise as a component of a wellness program after SCI shows promise for
      improving regular exercise participation and health state, but benefits may also
      occur across other areas of health and function including mood, pain, and hours
      spent watching television. Further follow-up is needed to determine whether
      improvements can be maintained after program completion and across all
      neurological levels.

PMID- 26108562
TI  - The role of nitric oxide in passive leg movement-induced vasodilatation with age:
      insight from alterations in femoral perfusion pressure.
AB  - The passive leg movement (PLM) model is a novel approach to assess vascular
      function. Increasing femoral perfusion pressure (FPP) by moving from the supine
      to the upright-seated posture augments the vasodilatory response to PLM in the
      young, with no effect in the old, but whether this augmented vasodilatation is
      nitric oxide (NO) dependent is unknown. Using an intra-arterial infusion of N(G) 
      monomethyl-L -arginine (L -NMMA) to inhibit nitric oxide synthase (NOS), the
      posture-induced increases in the PLM responses in the young were nearly ablated,
      with no effect of NOS inhibition in the old. Therefore, PLM in combination with
      alterations in posture can be used to determine changes in NO-mediated
      vasodilatation with age, and thus, may be a clinically useful tool for assessing
      NO bioavailability across the human lifespan. We sought to better understand the
      contribution of nitric oxide (NO) to passive leg movement (PLM)-induced
      vasodilatation with age, with and without a posture-induced increase in femoral
      perfusion pressure (FPP). PLM was performed in eight young (24 +/- 1 years) and
      eight old (74 +/- 3 years) healthy males, with and without NO synthase inhibition
      via intra-arterial infusion of N(G) -monomethyl-L -arginine (L -NMMA) into the
      common femoral artery in both the supine and upright-seated posture. Central and
      peripheral haemodynamic responses were determined second-by-second with finger
      photoplethysmography and Doppler ultrasound, respectively. PLM-induced increases
      in heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output and reductions in mean arterial
      pressure were similar between age groups and conditions. In the young, L -NMMA
      attenuated the peak change in leg vascular conductance (DeltaLVCpeak ) in both
      the supine (control: 7.4 +/- 0.9; L -NMMA: 5.2 +/- 1.1 ml min(-1) mmHg(-1) , P <
      0.05) and upright-seated (control: 12.3 +/- 2.0; L -NMMA: 6.4 +/- 1.0 ml min(-1)
      mmHg(-1) , P < 0.05) posture, with no significant change in the old (supine
      control: 4.2 +/- 1.3; supine L -NMMA: 3.4 +/- 0.8; upright-seated control: 4.5 +/
      0.8; upright-seated L -NMMA: 3.4 +/- 0.8 ml min(-1) mmHg(-1) , P > 0.05).
      Increased FPP augmented the DeltaLVCpeak in the young control condition only (P <
      0.05). In the upright-seated posture, NOS inhibition attenuated the FPP-induced
      augmentation of rapid vasodilatation in the young (control: 1.25 +/- 0.23; L 
      NMMA: 0.74 +/- 0.11 ml min(-1) mmHg(-1) s(-1) ; P < 0.05), but not the old
      (control: 0.37 +/- 0.07; L -NMMA: 0.25 +/- 0.07 ml ml min(-1) mmHg(-1) s(-1) ; P
      > 0.05). These data reveal that greater FPP increases the role of NO in PLM
      induced vasodilatation in the young, but not the old, due to reduced NO
      bioavailability with age. Therefore, PLM involving alterations in posture may be
      useful to determine changes in NO bioavailability with age.

PMID- 26108564
TI  - A comparison of iopromide and iopamidol, two acidoCEST MRI contrast media that
      measure tumor extracellular pH.
AB  - Acidosis within tumor and kidney tissues has previously been quantitatively
      measured using a molecular imaging technique known as acidoCEST MRI. The previous
      studies used iopromide and iopamidol, two iodinated contrast agents that are
      approved for clinical CT diagnoses and have been repurposed for acidoCEST MRI
      studies. We aimed to compare the performance of the two agents for measuring pH
      by optimizing image acquisition conditions, correlating pH with a ratio of CEST
      effects from an agent, and evaluating the effects of concentration, endogenous T1
      relaxation time and temperature on the pH-CEST ratio correlation for each agent.
      These results showed that the two agents had similar performance characteristics,
      although iopromide produced a pH measurement with a higher dynamic range while
      iopamidol produced a more precise pH measurement. We then compared the
      performance of the two agents to measure in vivo extracellular pH (pHe) within
      xenograft tumor models of Raji lymphoma and MCF-7 breast cancer. Our results
      showed that the pHe values measured with each agent were not significantly
      different. Also, iopromide consistently measured a greater region of the tumor
      relative to iopamidol in both tumor models. Therefore, an iodinated contrast
      agent for acidoCEST MRI should be selected based on the measurement properties
      needed for a specific biomedical study and the pharmacokinetic properties of a
      specific tumor model.

PMID- 26108565
TI  - Initial recommendations for higher-tier risk assessment protocols for bumble
      bees, Bombus spp. (Hymenoptera: Apidae).
AB  - Global declines of bumble bees and other pollinator populations are of concern
      because of their critical role for crop production and maintenance of wild plant
      biodiversity. Although the consensus among scientists is that the interaction of
      many factors, including habitat loss, forage scarcity, diseases, parasites, and
      pesticides, potentially plays a role in causing these declines, pesticides have
      received considerable attention and scrutiny. In response, regulatory agencies
      have introduced more stringent pollinator testing requirements for registration
      and reregistration of pesticides, to ensure that the risks to pollinators are
      minimized. In this context, guidelines for testing bumble bees (Bombus spp.) in
      regulatory studies are not yet available, and a pressing need exists to develop
      suitable protocols for routine higher-tier studies with these non-Apis sp.,
      social bees. To meet this need, Bayer CropScience LP, Syngenta Crop Protection
      LLC US, and Valent USA. Corporation organized a workshop bringing together a
      group of global experts on bumble bee behavior, ecology, and ecotoxicology to
      discuss and develop draft protocols for both semi-field (Tier II) and field (Tier
      III) studies. The workshop was held May 8-9, 2014, at the Bayer Bee Care Center,
      North Carolina, USA. The participants represented academic, consulting, and
      industry scientists from Europe, Canada, the United States, and Brazil. The
      workshop identified a clear protection goal and generated proposals for basic
      experimental designs, relevant measurements, and endpoints for both semifield
      (tunnel) and field tests. These initial recommendations are intended to form the
      basis of discussions to help advance the development of appropriate protocol
      guidelines.

PMID- 26108563
TI  - Pancreatic alpha-cells from female mice undergo morphofunctional changes during
      compensatory adaptations of the endocrine pancreas to diet-induced obesity.
AB  - Obesity is frequently associated with insulin resistance. To compensate for this
      situation and maintain normoglycaemia, pancreatic beta-cells undergo several
      morphofunctional adaptations, which result in insulin hypersecretion and
      hyperinsulinaemia. However, no information exists about pancreatic alpha-cells
      during this compensatory stage of obesity. Here, we studied alpha-cells in mice
      fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. These animals exhibited hyperinsulinaemia
      and normoglycaemia compared with control animals in addition to
      hypoglucagonaemia. While the in vivo response of glucagon to hypoglycaemia was
      preserved in the obese mice, the suppression of glucagon secretion during
      hyperglycaemia was impaired. Additionally, in vitro glucagon release at low
      glucose levels and glucagon content in isolated islets were decreased, while
      alpha-cell exocytosis remained unchanged. Assessment of morphological parameters
      revealed that alpha-cell area was reduced in the pancreas of the obese mice in
      association with alpha-cell hypotrophy, increased apoptosis and decreased
      proliferation. HFD feeding for 24 weeks led to significant deterioration in beta
      cell function and glucose homeostasis. Under these conditions, the majority of
      alpha-cell changes were reversed and became comparable to controls. These
      findings indicate that pancreatic compensatory adaptations during obesity may
      also involve pancreatic alpha-cells. Additionally, defects in alpha-cell function
      during obesity may be implicated in progression to diabetes. 

PMID- 26108566
TI  - Scattering of Sculpted Light in Intact Brain Tissue, with implications for
      Optogenetics.
AB  - Optogenetics uses light to control and observe the activity of neurons, often
      using a focused laser beam. As brain tissue is a scattering medium, beams are
      distorted and spread with propagation through neural tissue, and the beam's
      degradation has important implications in optogenetic experiments. To address
      this, we present an analysis of scattering and loss of intensity of focused laser
      beams at different depths within the brains of zebrafish larvae. Our experimental
      set-up uses a 488 nm laser and a spatial light modulator to focus a diffraction
      limited spot of light within the brain. We use a combination of experimental
      measurements of back-scattered light in live larvae and computational modelling
      of the scattering to determine the spatial distribution of light. Modelling is
      performed using the Monte Carlo method, supported by generalised Lorenz-Mie
      theory in the single-scattering approximation. Scattering in areas rich in cell
      bodies is compared to that of regions of neuropil to identify the distinct and
      dramatic contributions that cell nuclei make to scattering. We demonstrate the
      feasibility of illuminating individual neurons, even in nucleus-rich areas, at
      depths beyond 100 MUm using a spatial light modulator in combination with a
      standard laser and microscope optics. 

PMID- 26108568
TI  - Dispelling cliches at the nanoscale: the true effect of polymer electrolytes on
      the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells.
AB  - In the field of dye-sensitized solar cells, polymer electrolytes are among the
      most studied materials due to their ability to ensure both high efficiency and
      stability, the latter being a critical point of these devices. Hundreds of
      polymeric matrices have been proposed over the years, and their functionalization
      with several groups, the variation of their molecular weight and the tuning of
      the crosslinking degree have been investigated. However, the true effect that
      polymeric matrices have on the cell parameters has often been addressed
      superficially, and hundreds of papers justify the obtained results with a simple
      bibliographic reference to other systems (sometimes completely different). This
      work proposes a system of nanoscale growth and crosslinking of a polymer
      electrolyte inside a nanostructured photoanode. Electrochemical and photovoltaic
      parameters are carefully monitored as a function of thickness and degree of
      penetration of the electrolyte. The results derived from this study refute many
      cliches generally accepted and taken for granted in many literature articles, and
      - for the first time - a compromise between the amount of polymer, cell
      efficiency and stability is achieved.

PMID- 26108567
TI  - Phosphorylation of Beet black scorch virus coat protein by PKA is required for
      assembly and stability of virus particles.
AB  - Plant virus coat proteins (CPs) play a fundamental role in protection of genomic
      RNAs, virion assembly, and viral movement. Although phosphorylation of several
      CPs during virus infection have been reported, little information is available
      about CP phosphorylation of the spherical RNA plant viruses. Here, we demonstrate
      that the CP of Beet black scorch virus (BBSV), a member of the genus Necrovirus,
      can be phosphorylated at threonine-41 (T41) by cAMP-dependent protein kinase
      (PKA)-like kinase in vivo and in vitro. Mutant viruses containing a T41A non
      phosphorylatable alanine substitution, and a T41E glutamic acid substitution to
      mimic threonine phosphorylation were able to replicate but were unable to move
      systemically in Nicotiana benthamiana. Interestingly, the T41A and T41E mutants
      generated unstable 17 nm virus-like particles that failed to package viral
      genomic (g) RNA, compared with wild-type BBSV with 30 nm virions during viral
      infection in N. benthamiana. Further analyses showed that the T41 mutations had
      little effect on the gRNA-binding activity of the CP. Therefore, we propose a
      model whereby CP phosphorylation plays an essential role in long-distance
      movement of BBSV that involves formation of stable virions. 

PMID- 26108569
TI  - Correlating 3D morphology with molecular pathology: fibrotic remodelling in human
      lung biopsies.
AB  - Assessing alterations of the parenchymal architecture is essential in
      understanding fibrosing interstitial lung diseases. Here, we present a novel
      method to visualise fibrotic remodelling in human lungs and correlate
      morphological three-dimensional (3D) data with gene and protein expression in the
      very same sample. The key to our approach is a novel embedding resin that clears
      samples to full optical transparency and simultaneously allows 3D laser
      tomography and preparation of sections for histology, immunohistochemistry and
      RNA isolation. Correlating 3D laser tomography with molecular diagnostic
      techniques enables new insights into lung diseases. This approach has great
      potential to become an essential tool in pulmonary research. 

PMID- 26108570
TI  - Toll-like receptor 7 governs interferon and inflammatory responses to rhinovirus
      and is suppressed by IL-5-induced lung eosinophilia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma exacerbations represent a significant disease burden and are
      commonly caused by rhinovirus (RV), which is sensed by Toll-like receptors (TLR)
      such as TLR7. Some asthmatics have impaired interferon (IFN) responses to RV, but
      the underlying mechanisms of this clinically relevant observation are poorly
      understood. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the importance of intact TLR7 signalling
      in vivo during RV exacerbation using mouse models of house dust mite (HDM)
      induced allergic airways disease exacerbated by a superimposed RV infection.
      METHODS: Wild-type and TLR7-deficient (Tlr7(-/-)) BALB/c mice were intranasally
      sensitised and challenged with HDM prior to infection with RV1B. In some
      experiments, mice were administered recombinant IFN or adoptively transferred
      with plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC). RESULTS: Allergic Tlr7(-/-) mice
      displayed impaired IFN release upon RV1B infection, increased virus replication
      and exaggerated eosinophilic inflammation and airways hyper reactivity. Treatment
      with exogenous IFN or adoptive transfer of TLR7-competent pDCs blocked these
      exaggerated inflammatory responses and boosted IFNgamma release in the absence of
      host TLR7 signalling. TLR7 expression in the lungs was suppressed by allergic
      inflammation and by interleukin (IL)-5-induced eosinophilia in the absence of
      allergy. Subjects with moderate-to-severe asthma and eosinophilic but not
      neutrophilic airways inflammation, despite inhaled steroids, showed reduced TLR7
      and IFNlambda2/3 expression in endobronchial biopsies. Furthermore, TLR7
      expression inversely correlated with percentage of sputum eosinophils.
      CONCLUSIONS: This implicates IL-5-induced airways eosinophilia as a negative
      regulator of TLR7 expression and antiviral responses, which provides a molecular
      mechanism underpinning the effect of eosinophil-targeting treatments for the
      prevention of asthma exacerbations.

PMID- 26108571
TI  - Clinical application of autologous technetium-99m-labelled eosinophils to detect
      focal eosinophilic inflammation in the lung.
AB  - The detection of focal eosinophilic inflammation by non-invasive means may aid
      the diagnosis and follow-up of a variety of pulmonary pathologies. All current
      methods of detection involve invasive sampling, which may be contraindicated or
      too high-risk to be performed safely. The use of injected autologous technetium
      99m (Tc-99m)-labelled eosinophils coupled to single-photon emission computed
      tomography (SPECT) has been demonstrated to localise eosinophilic inflammation in
      the lungs of a patient with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-positive
      vasculitis. Here, we report on the utility of this technique to detect active
      eosinophilic inflammation in a patient with focal lung inflammation where a
      biopsy was contraindicated. 

PMID- 26108572
TI  - Response to: 'CT assessment for pulmonary hypertension requires systematic
      assessment of cardiac, vascular and parenchymal signs' by Marloes et al.

PMID- 26108573
TI  - Dipeptide repeat protein inclusions are rare in the spinal cord and almost absent
      from motor neurons in C9ORF72 mutant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and are
      unlikely to cause their degeneration.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cytoplasmic TDP-43 inclusions are the pathological hallmark of
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and tau-negative frontotemporal lobar
      dementia (FTLD). The G4C2 repeat mutation in C9ORF72 is the most common cause of
      ALS and FTLD in which, in addition to TDP-43 inclusions, five different di
      peptide repeat (DPR) proteins have been identified. Di-peptide repeat proteins
      are translated in a non-canonical fashion from sense and antisense transcripts of
      the G4C2 repeat (GP, GA, GR, PA, PR). DPR inclusions are abundant in the
      cerebellum, as well as in the frontal and temporal lobes of ALS and FTLD patients
      and some are neurotoxic in a range of cellular and animal models, implying that
      DPR aggregation directly contributes to disease pathogenesis. Here we sought to
      quantify inclusions for each DPR and TDP-43 in ALS cases with and without the
      C9ORF72 mutation. We characterised the abundance of DPRs and their cellular
      location and compared this to cytoplasmic TDP-43 inclusions in order to explore
      the role of each inclusion in lower motor neuron degeneration. RESULTS: Spinal
      cord sections from ten cases positive for the C9ORF72 repeat expansion (ALS
      C9+ve) and five cases that were not were probed by double immunofluorescence
      staining for individual DPRs and TDP-43. Inclusions immunoreactive for each of
      the DPRs were present in the spinal cord but they were rare or very rare in
      abundance (in descending order of frequency: GA, GP, GR, PA and PR). TDP-43
      cytoplasmic inclusions were 45- to 750-fold more frequent than any DPR, and fewer
      than 4 % of DPR inclusions colocalized with TDP-43 inclusions. In motor neurons,
      a single cytoplasmic DPR inclusion was detected (0.1 %) in contrast to the 34 %
      of motor neurons that contained cytoplasmic TDP-43 inclusions. Furthermore, the
      number of TDP-43 inclusions in ALS cases with and without the C9ORF72 mutation
      was nearly identical. CONCLUSIONS: For all other neurodegenerative diseases, the
      neurotoxic protein aggregates are detected in the affected population of neurons.
      TDP-43 cytoplasmic aggregation is the dominant feature of ALS spinal cord
      pathology irrespective of C9ORF72 mutation status. The near absence of DPR
      inclusions in spinal cord motor neurons challenges their contribution to lower
      motor neuron degeneration in ALS-C9+ve cases.

PMID- 26108574
TI  - The PK-Eye: A Novel In Vitro Ocular Flow Model for Use in Preclinical Drug
      Development.
AB  - A 2-compartment in vitro eye flow model has been developed to estimate ocular
      drug clearance by the anterior aqueous outflow pathway. The model is designed to
      accelerate the development of longer-acting ophthalmic therapeutics. Dye studies
      show aqueous flow is necessary for a molecule injected into the vitreous cavity
      to clear from the model. The clearance times of proteins can be estimated by
      collecting the aqueous outflow, which was first conducted with bevacizumab using
      phosphate-buffered saline in the vitreous cavity. A simulated vitreous solution
      was then used and ranibizumab (0.5 mg) displayed a clearance time of 8.1 +/- 3.1
      days, which is comparable to that observed in humans. The model can estimate drug
      release from implants or the dissolution of suspensions as a first step in their
      clearance mechanism, which will be the rate-limiting step for the overall
      resident time of a candidate dosage form in the vitreous. A suspension of
      triamcinolone acetonide (Kenalog(r)) (4.0 mg) displayed clearance times spanning
      26-28 days. These results indicate that the model can be used to determine in
      vitro-in vivo correlations in preclinical studies to develop long-lasting
      therapeutics to treat blinding diseases at the back of the eye.

PMID- 26108575
TI  - Viewpoint: It is time to reconsider policy for population-based mammography
      screening.
AB  - Breast cancer in women is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Many
      countries in the Western world have widely promoted early detection through
      mammography screening and established population-based screening programs. Over
      the past 15 years, there has been growing debate about the benefits and harms of
      universal mammography screening. This article presents findings from the latest
      systematic review conducted by the Cochrane Collaboration and from the Canadian
      National Breast Screening Study 25-year follow up. The authors of both reports
      conclude there is no reliable evidence that population-based mammography
      screening reduces mortality, but there is good evidence of harm in the form of
      false positive findings, over-diagnosis and unnecessary treatment, and associated
      psychological distress. It is time for policymakers to discontinue universal
      population-based mammography screening and shift to a more selective approach to
      early detection. 

PMID- 26108576
TI  - A new resource for identifying and assessing the impacts of research.
AB  - The impact case studies submitted by UK Higher Education Institutions to the
      Research Excellence Framework (REF) in 2014 provide a rich resource of text
      describing impact beyond academia and across all disciplines. Using text mining
      techniques and qualitative assessment, the 6,679 non-redacted case studies
      submitted were analysed and the impact described was found to be
      multidisciplinary, multi-impactful, and multinational. By digging deeper into the
      data, the health gains from health research in terms of Quality Adjusted Life
      Years was also estimated. Similar analyses are possible using these case studies,
      but will require the data to be 're-purposed' from the original intention (i.e.,
      for assessment purposes) for robust analysis. 

PMID- 26108577
TI  - Next-generation biofuels: a new challenge for yeast.
AB  - Economic growth depends strongly on the availability and price of fuels. There
      are various reasons in different parts of the world for efforts to decrease the
      consumption of fossil fuels, but biofuels are one of the main solutions
      considered towards achieving this aim globally. As the major bioethanol producer,
      the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a central position among biofuel-producing
      organisms. However, unprecedented challenges for yeast biotechnology lie ahead,
      as future biofuels will have to be produced on a large scale from sustainable
      feedstocks that do not interfere with food production, and which are generally
      not the traditional carbon source for S. cerevisiae. Additionally, the current
      trend in the development of biofuels is to synthesize molecules that can be used
      as drop-in fuels for existing engines. Their properties should therefore be more
      similar to those of oil-derived fuels than those of ethanol. Recent developments
      and challenges lying ahead for cost-effective production of such designed
      biofuels, using S. cerevisiae-based cell factories, are presented in this review.

PMID- 26108579
TI  - Ab initio modelling of the anomeric and exo anomeric effects in 2
      methoxytetrahydropyran and 2-methoxythiane corrected for intramolecular BSSE.
AB  - Accurate ab initio calculations including basis set limit (BSL) extrapolations,
      removal of intramolecular basis set superposition error (BSSE), solvent effect
      corrections, and thermal effects have been carried out to compare the structure
      and the anomeric and exo-anomeric effect in 2-methoxytetrahydropyran and 2
      methoxythiane. The effect of intramolecular BSSE on the energetics was outlined
      for the first time in these types of compounds. It was found that both title
      compounds show comparable behaviour with respect to BSSE. The energy gap between
      the axial and equatorial form of 2-methoxythiane is reduced by 0.23 kcal mol(-1)
      due to the BSSE correction at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory, and in 2
      methoxytetrahydropyran it is reduced by 0.21 kcal mol(-1). The intramolecular
      BSSE influenced also the energy differences between the gauche and trans
      conformers in both compounds. Energy decomposition analysis (EDA) reveals that
      the dominant destabilising interaction is repulsion and its primary stabilizing
      counterpart is the polarization interaction. 

PMID- 26108580
TI  - Viral hepatitis in Saudi Arabia. An unfinished story.

PMID- 26108578
TI  - Mechanical overloading causes mitochondrial superoxide and SOD2 imbalance in
      chondrocytes resulting in cartilage degeneration.
AB  - Mechanical stress and aging are major risk factors of cartilage degeneration.
      Human studies have previously reported that oxidative damage increased, while
      SOD2 protein was reciprocally downregulated in osteoarthritic degenerated
      cartilage. However, it remains unclear whether mitochondrial superoxide imbalance
      in chondrocytes causes cartilage degeneration. We herein demonstrate that
      mechanical loading promoted mitochondrial superoxide generation and selective
      Sod2 downregulation in chondrocytes in vivo and that mitochondrial superoxide
      inducer also downregulated Sod2 expression in chondrocytes in vitro. A
      genetically manipulated model revealed that Sod2 deficiency in chondrocytes also
      resulted in mitochondrial superoxide overproduction and dysfunction, thus leading
      to cartilage degeneration. Intra-articular injection of a permeable antioxidant
      effectively suppressed the mechanical loading-induced mitochondrial superoxide
      generation and cartilage degeneration in mice. Our findings demonstrate that
      mitochondrial superoxide plays a pivotal role in the development and progression
      of osteoarthritis, and the mitochondrial superoxide balance may therefore be a
      promising target for the treatment of cartilage degeneration. 

PMID- 26108581
TI  - The role of microRNAs in regulating myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury.
AB  - Myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury is a pathological condition
      characterized by an initial restriction of blood supply to the heart followed by
      the subsequent restoration of perfusion and concomitant re-oxygenation. This
      condition may cause heart injury and contribute to morbidity and mortality.
      Although tremendous advances have been made in understanding the mechanisms of
      myocardial I/R injury, the translation of these findings into the clinical
      setting has been largely disappointing. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, single
      stranded, non-coding RNAs ranging from 18-24 nucleotides in length. They are
      highly conserved and ubiquitously expressed in all species, which control diverse
      cellular functions by either promoting degradation or inhibiting target mRNA
      translation. In particular, a multitude of studies demonstrated miRNAs played an
      important role in acute and chronic cardiovascular disease processes. In this
      review, we focus on miRNAs and summarize the latest insights on the role of the
      specific miRNAs in myocardial I/R injury. 

PMID- 26108582
TI  - Corticotomy-assisted orthodontic treatment. A systematic review of the biological
      basis and clinical effectiveness.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To systematically review the literature to assess the quality of
      evidence related to corticotomy-assisted orthodontic treatment (CAOT) as
      adjunctive treatment in orthodontics. METHODS: The study was conducted in the
      Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between
      2013 and 2014. Various electronic  databases were searched and abstracts were
      retrieved. Defined inclusion criteria were then applied to the obtained original
      articles for further evaluation by 2 examiners independently. The criteria of
      selection included human, or animal studies, which assessed some aspects of CAOT
      and/or the biological principles behind it. Case reports and series were
      excluded. The quality of the studies was evaluated by the methodological score
      for clinical trials developed. RESULTS: Fourteen articles were retrieved
      initially, but only 12 articles were finally selected for the study. The CAOT was
      found to accelerate tooth movement by 2-2.5 folds when compared with conventional
      orthodontic tooth movement. The CAOT was found safe on periodontal health and
      exhibits no or little risk of root resorption. A localized turnover of alveolar
      spongiosa and the absence of a hyalinized zone was the acceptable biological
      explanation of CAOT. There is no evidence to support that CAOT enhances the
      movement of ankylosed teeth, closing old extraction sites, post-orthodontic
      stability, or transverse expansion. CONCLUSIONS: Corticotomy-assisted orthodontic
      treatment should be considered with caution. Long term randomized clinical trials
      are still needed.

PMID- 26108583
TI  - Prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C virus, and hepatitis B
      virus infection among heroin injectors in the central region of Saudi Arabia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To calculate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C
      virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections among inpatient
      heroin users, and to study the relationships between these infections and patient
      demographics. METHODS: In this retrospective study, heroin users' inpatient
      records from the Alamal Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were reviewed for HIV,
      HBV, and HCV screening results, age, number of admissions, education, and marital
      and occupational status. The study took place between January 2006 and November
      2012. The prevalences of HIV, HBV, and HCV and their associations to demographics
      were evaluated. RESULTS: A sample of 357 inpatients Saudi male heroin users (all
      injectors) aged 40 (+/-8.6) years with lifetime admissions averaged 5.8 (+/-5)
      times were studied. Screening results revealed that 20.1% of subjects were
      infection-free, 56.6% had a single infection, 13.2% were infected by 2 viruses,
      and 1.1% were infected by 3 viruses. Prevalence of HBV surface antigen was 7.7%,
      antibodies for HCV 77.8%, and HIV 9.8%. A significant association was found
      between positive HCV and positive HIV tests. Furthermore, HCV was more common
      among patients aged 20-29 years, those who were unemployed, and who had primary,
      secondary, or postsecondary education. Finally, HBV was associated  in patients
      aged 30-39 years and those with secondary educations. CONCLUSION: Contracting
      serious contagious viral infections is very common among Saudi heroin injectors
      at rates similar to those seen among injectors in Western countries. Infection
      control, education, and harm reduction programs are of paramount importance.

PMID- 26108584
TI  - Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization
      among medical students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal
      carriage status among medical students during their clinical rotations. METHODS:
      This cross-sectional study detected the prevalence of MRSA among medical students
      at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, using molecular
      approaches. Nasal swabs were collected from 150 internship and sixth-year medical
      students between September 2014 and January 2015, and compared with the control
      group of 32 third-year medical students who were not exposed to clinical work.
      Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening was performed to identify
      Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) nucgene, and an additional PCR was performed on
      S. aureus positive samples to detect the presence of mecA gene. RESULTS: Out of
      150 students screened, 38 were nasal carriers of S. aureus. The prevalence of
      methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) carriers was 18.7% (n=28), whereas 10
      students (6.7%) were mecA-positive, representing MRSA carriers. Interns carry
      MRSA more than 6th year students and students who were not exposed to clinical
      work (p less than 0.05), while MSSA is found more in students who were not
      exposed to clinical work (p less than 0.01). CONCLUSION: We found MRSA carriers
      among medical students at KAU, which showed a possible contribution of this group
      to transmit infection to hospitalized patients. Medical students must receive
      sufficient knowledge regarding control measures to avoid spread of this infection
      in hospitals.

PMID- 26108586
TI  - Completeness of adverse drug reactions reports of the Saudi adverse event
      reporting system.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess completeness of reports in the Saudi Adverse Event
      Reporting System (SAERS), which is a part of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority
      pharmacovigilance system for monitoring the safety of medications. METHODS: A
      cross-sectional study was conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia using the reports
      that were received between December 2009 and June 2012 in the SAERS. The
      completeness was assessed by reviewing the components of the adverse drug
      reactions (ADRs) form, and how many fields were completed. Descriptive statistics
      are reported. RESULT: There were 14,783 reports during the study period. Eighty
      percent of these reports were spontaneous reports. Information related to the
      drug (99%) and adverse events (98%) of the reports were completed. While the
      patient's demographic data were completed only in 38% of all reports, the least
      completed item in the ADRs form was the reporter information (15%). The most
      reported drug class was tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (7%), whereas events
      involving the respiratory organ system were the most frequently reported (4.5%).
      CONCLUSION: Although the SAERS is considered new, it has a high number of
      reports. More efforts are needed to improve the completeness of the SAERS to be a
      good source to assess the signals between events and suspected drugs, especially
      when there is a high number of reports.

PMID- 26108585
TI  - Perceptions and knowledge regarding antimicrobial stewardship among clinicians in
      Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To understand the perceptions, attitude, and prescribing practices of
      clinicians regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR). METHODS: A multidisciplinary
      cross-sectional study comprising 447 clinicians of university, public, and
      private hospitals of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia was carried out from August to October
      2014 using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Interestingly, 33% of the
      general physicians yielded to patient/parent's demand for the choice of
      antimicrobials (AMs) as compared with only 13.2% of the residents, and 4.3% of
      the specialists. In addition, expensive AMs are more often prescribed by the
      general physician (70.4%) in comparison with 26.4% residents and 30.4% of the
      specialists. However, no significant differences were observed between the
      knowledge and perceptions regarding the current scope of AM agents, as well as
      their use and misuse. Furthermore, dependability of specialist and residents
      seems to be significantly higher than general physicians on pocketbooks and
      smartphone for AM education sources. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that despite
      a clear concept of AMR, general physicians lacks consistency in prescribing
      aptitude and use of effective educational resources, while all respondents lacks
      dedication to follow the guidelines of AM use. This highlights the requirement of
      AM stewardship with decisive objective of reduction in AMR.

PMID- 26108587
TI  - Efficacy of insulin analogues in diabetic patients attending primary care
      centers.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To measure the efficacy of new insulin analogues compared with the
      conventional types of insulin, and to compare their effects on patient
      satisfaction regarding their weight changes and the frequency of hypoglycemic
      episodes. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort observational study, data was
      collected from the medical records of 122 eligible diabetics on insulin therapy
      attending government primary care centers, in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
      from June 2013 to July 2014. The data collected considered the efficacy, safety,
      and patient satisfaction of the types of insulin therapy used for their
      treatment. RESULTS: After 12 weeks, there was a reduction in mean glycosylated
      hemoglobin (HbA1c) of -0.88% for the analogue type versus -0.19% for the
      conventional type, and at 24 weeks, the mean drop in HbA1c was -2.02% for the
      analogue type versus -1.12% for the conventional type, but the differences were
      not statistically significant. More patients (87% versus 38%) on analogue
      compared with conventional insulin treatment were satisfied with therapy.
      CONCLUSION: In the primary health care setting, insulin analogues showed greater
      efficacy improvements than conventional insulin therapy within 6 months. However,
      conventional insulin therapy can still be used at primary care centers with
      limited resources, and when patients refuse to be converted.

PMID- 26108588
TI  - Review of 244 cases of ovarian cysts.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To review cases of ovarian cysts managed at a University Hospital,
      and to identify the factors necessitating the use of laparotomy over laparoscopy.
      METHODS: We carried out a retrospective chart review of all cases of ovarian
      cysts diagnosed and managed at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King
      Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between January 2010 and
      August 2014. All data collected from medical record charts, patents details,
      clinical presentations, ovarian cysts description, and pathology type were
      recorded, and management by laparoscopy or laparotomy was identified. Ethical
      approval was obtained from ethical hospital committee. RESULTS: There were 244
      cases of ovarian cysts during the study period. The age ranged from 3 months to
      77 years of age. The parity from 0-6. The height range from 37-180 cm. The weight
      range from 3-161 kg, and calculated body mass index ranged from 12-47. Out of 244
      patients diagnosed, 165 were married (67.4%). Of those, only 16 patients were
      pregnant (6.6%). The most common presentation was abdominal pain in 142 patients
      (58.2%). Only 79.9% were ovarian cysts, and 17.5% were either para-ovarian or
      retroperitoneal. The right ovaries were affected in 63.1%, and only 18.9% were
      bilateral. The types of ovarian cysts included functional cysts 33.2%, benign
      cyst-adenoma 19.3%, and dermoid cysts 12.3%. CONCLUSION: Factors associated with
      laparotomy management rather than laparoscopy included older age more than 35,
      single, pregnant, or patients presenting with abdominal pain, and more than one
      cyst.

PMID- 26108589
TI  - Hyperhomocysteinemia as a metabolic disorder parameter is independently
      associated with the severity of coronary heart disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the associations between hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) and the
      severity of coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed
      metabolic parameters, anthropometric variables, and life style habits in 292 CHD
      patients of different categories, and 100 controlled non-CHD patients with chest
      pain symptoms who were hospitalized in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine,
      Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital,
      Chengdu, China between October 2013 and September 2014. RESULTS: The prevalence
      of HHcy in CHD patients was 79.1%, while only 5% of non-CHD patients had elevated
      serum homocysteine (Hcy) concentrations. The prevalence of HHcy significantly
      increased from 5% in non-CHD controls to 66% in the stable angina pectoris (SAP)
      group, to 81.9% in the unstable angina pectoris group, and to 93.15% in the acute
      myocardial infarction (AMI) group (p less than 0.001). After adjusting for
      confounding factors, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that HHcy
      was independently associated with CHD category (AMI versus SAP, odds ratio
      [6.38], 95% confidence interval; 1.18-34.46). The Hcy was negatively correlated
      with folic acid (r=-0.67, p less than 0.001) and vitamin B12 (r=-0.56, p less
      than 0.001). Of the CHD patients with HHcy, 51.1% had low folic acid and 42% had
      low vitamin B12, 7 or 5 times higher than that of CHD patients with normal-low
      Hcy concentrations (p less than 0.001). CONCLUSION: Hyperhomocysteinemia is
      independently associated with the severity of CHD, and significantly correlated
      with low status of folic acid and vitamin B12 in CHD patients.

PMID- 26108590
TI  - Effects of cigarette smoking on morphological features of platelets in healthy
      men.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of cigarette smoking on thrombocytopoiesis and
      some platelet morphological parameters in healthy male smokers. METHODS: In this
      cross-sectional study, 542 consecutive healthy men (aged 20 to 88 years),
      referred to the laboratory of Fatemieh Hospital, Semnan, Iran, between November
      2011 and November 2012 for checking up were enrolled. The subjects were divided
      into 2 groups of smokers (n=258 with frequency of 10 or more cigarette per day
      with more than 12 months duration of smoking) and non-smokers (n=284). The blood
      samples were extracted to examine values of platelet indices using an ABX Micros
      60 cell counter. RESULTS: Comparing platelet indices across smokers and non
      smokers showed that the mean platelet count was statistically significantly
      higher in adult smokers than in nonsmokers (264.1 +/- 81.2/ul versus 247.7 +/-
      83.9/ul, p=0.021), while the mean plateletcrit value was contrarily lower in the
      adult smokers (18.0 +/- 12.0% versus 25.0 +/- 10.0%, p less than 0.001). Other
      platelet indicators were not discrepant between the smokers and non-smokers.
      CONCLUSION: Cigarette smoking in healthy individuals results in significant and
      considerable effects on platelet morphological indices. The mean platelet count
      is significantly increased, and plateletcrit values are reduced, compared with
      non-smoking status.

PMID- 26108591
TI  - Epidemiological review of scorpion stings in Qatar. The need for regional
      management guidelines in emergency departments.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To review the epidemiology of scorpion sting in Qatar, to explore
      both the clinical significance, and the role of the emergency department (ED) in
      the management of such cases. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we reviewed
      the records of all scorpion sting cases presented to the ED of Hamad General
      Hospital, Doha, Qatar between October 2010 and May 2013. RESULTS: A total of 111
      cases of scorpion stings were reviewed, 81 (72.9%) were males and 30 (27.1%) were
      females, with a mean age of 38 years. Localized pain was the most frequent
      presenting complaint (89 [80.2%]), whereas localized redness (44 [39.6%]) and
      swelling (38 [34.2%]) were the most common clinical signs. Abroug's
      classification was used, and all cases  were found to be class I. All patients
      received symptomatic treatment and were sent home. CONCLUSION: Scorpion sting
      problem in Qatar has a low clinical significance. Data from such studies should
      be utilized to create more specific (local) management guidelines, which should
      be more efficient with more rational utilization of ED resources.

PMID- 26108592
TI  - Plasma and salivary total antioxidant capacity in healthy controls compared with
      aggressive and chronic periodontitis patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the plasma and salivary total antioxidant capacity (TAOC)
      in patients with generalized chronic periodontitis (CP), generalized aggressive
      periodontitis (AgP), and periodontally healthy controls. METHODS: This cross
      sectional study includes of 88 individuals seeking dental treatment at the
      Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey between January 2011
      and March 2012. Fifteen AgP patients were compared with 21 healthy controls (C1),
      while 36 CP patients were compared with 16 healthy controls (C2). Clinical
      periodontal measurements were recorded, and plasma and saliva samples were
      collected. The TAOC of the plasma and saliva samples were determined using a
      commercially available colorimetric kit. RESULTS: The plasma TAOC of both AgP and
      CP patients was significantly lower for C1 and C2. The salivary TAOC of CP
      patients was significantly lower for C2, but there was no significant difference
      between AgP patients and C1. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that severe
      periodontitis may be associated with a lower plasma antioxidant capacity. The
      reduced antioxidant capacity in patients with severe periodontitis, especially
      with aggressive forms may be an important contributing factor to severe tissue
      destruction.

PMID- 26108593
TI  - Chronic renal failure in a patient with bilateral ureterocele.
AB  - Ureterocele is a congenital anomaly, in which there is mal-development of the
      caudal segments of the ureter. There is a female preponderance with most cases
      seen in Caucasians. Among the reported complications of this condition, chronic
      renal failure occurring in the setting of ureterocele has not been well
      documented. We report a case of a young girl with bilateral ureterocele
      presenting with chronic renal failure, whose management presented a diagnostic
      failure and inadequate treatment. 

PMID- 26108594
TI  - Management of rhino-orbital mucormycosis.
AB  - Mucormycosis is an uncommon acute invasive fungal infection that affects
      immunocompromised patients. It progresses rapidly and has poor prognosis if
      diagnosed late. Early detection, control of the underlying condition with
      aggressive surgical debridement, administration of systemic and local antifungal
      therapies, hyperbaric oxygen as adjunctive treatment improves prognosis and
      survivability. 

PMID- 26108595
TI  - Outcomes of a type 2 diabetes education program adapted to the cultural contexts
      of Saudi women. A pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the outcomes of a pilot intervention of a type 2 diabetes
      (T2D) education program, based on international standards, and adapted to the
      cultural and religious contexts of Saudi women. METHODS: This study is an
      experiment of a pilot intervention carried out between August 2011 and January
      2012 at the primary health clinics in Dammam. Women at risk of or diagnosed with
      T2D (N=35 including dropouts) were assigned to one of 2 groups; an intervention
      group participated in a pilot intervention of T2D education program, based on
      international standards and tailored to their cultural and religious contexts;
      and a usual care group received the usual care for diabetes in Saudi Arabia.
      Outcomes included blood glucose, body composition, 6-minute walk distance, life
      satisfaction, quality of life, and diabetes knowledge. The intervention group
      participated in a focus group of their program experience. Data analysis was
      based on mixed methods. RESULTS: Based on 95% confidence interval comparisons,
      improvements were noted in blood sugar, 6-minute walk distance, quality of life,
      and diabetes knowledge in participants of the intervention group. They also
      reported improvements in lifestyle-related health behaviors after the education
      program. CONCLUSION: Saudi women may benefit from a T2D education program based
      on international standards and adapted to their cultural and religious contexts.

PMID- 26108596
TI  - The prevalence of thyroid cancer in patients with hyperthyroidism.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of thyroid cancer in patients with
      hyperthyroidism. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study using the
      data of 71 Omani patients with a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism due to Grave's
      disease, toxic multinodular goiter, and solitary toxic adenoma. These patients
      underwent thyroidectomy at the Royal Hospital (RH), Muscat, Oman, and were
      followed up at the National Diabetes and Endocrine Center (NDEC) between 2007 and
      2013. The details were collected from the medical records of both the RH and the
      NDEC. Patients who underwent thyroidectomy for other reasons like non-toxic
      goiter and hypothyroidism with cancer were excluded from the study. RESULTS:
      Thyroid cancer was identified in 32.8% (n=23) of patients with hyperthyroidism.
      Half of these patients 52.1% (n=12) had papillary micro-cancer (intra-thyroidal),
      and 3 patients with Grave's disease (13%) had lymph nodes metastasis (loco
      regional infiltration. The cancer preponderance was higher in young (n=21, 91.3%)
      and female patients (n=18, 73.9%). Most patients with thyroid cancer had abnormal
      ultrasound neck findings and thyroid scintigraphy (99 mTc uptake). CONCLUSION:
      Many patients with hyperthyroidism in Muscat, Oman, especially those with Grave's
      disease, show malignancy, and hence a proper initial evaluation of these patients
      is required as part of long-term management.

PMID- 26108597
TI  - Large hepatic abscess caused by fish bone.

PMID- 26108598
TI  - A young male presenting with swelling on the left lower anterior aspect of the
      neck.

PMID- 26108599
TI  - Desmoid tumor (fibromatosis) of the head and neck.

PMID- 26108600
TI  - Atomic force microscopy and tridimensional topography analysis of human enamel
      after resinous infiltration and storage in water.

PMID- 26108601
TI  - Effects of pregnancy on sexual function. Findings from a survey of Saudi women.

PMID- 26108602
TI  - The comparison of ProSeal and I-gel laryngeal mask airways in anesthetized adult
      patients under controlled ventilation.

PMID- 26108603
TI  - Effect of tactile kinesthetic stimulation on preterm infants' weight and length
      of hospital stay in Khartoum, Sudan.

PMID- 26108604
TI  - Increasing trends in kidney cancer over the last 2 decades in Saudi Arabia.

PMID- 26108606
TI  - YY super sperm lead to all male triploids and tetraploids.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Androgenesis is a unique and rarely encountered reproductive mode in
      which the offspring only inherit the paternal nuclear genome, resulting in
      relatively few viable individuals. RESULTS: In this study, a super male (YY)
      crucian carp was obtained by androgenesis with the diploid sperm of
      autotetraploid crucian carp (4n = 200). Flow cytometry assay confirmed the fish
      was diploid. The scanning electron microscopy and flow cytometry analysis results
      of sperm revealed that the YY crucian carp produced unreduced diploid sperm. To
      prove the special reproductive characteristic and homozygosity of the YY crucian
      carp, three rounds of hybridization experiments were performed. First, self
      crossing between female androgenic progenies and YY crucian carp generated all
      male tetraploids. Then, hybridization of female red crucian carp (2n = 100) and
      female autotetraploid fish (4n = 200) with YY crucian carp produced all male
      triploids and all male tetraploids, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first
      time reported producing a viable diploid homozygous YY fish with unreduced
      diploid sperm of the autotetraploid fish, which were derived from distant
      hybridization. These results will not only help explaining the sex determination
      mechanism in teleost fish, but also play a significant role in genetic breeding
      in aquaculture.

PMID- 26108607
TI  - Analysis of early resistance development at the first failure timepoint in
      elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate-treated
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The patterns of emergent HIV-1 drug resistance in patients failing a
      single-tablet regimen consisting of elvitegravir, boosted by cobicistat, plus
      emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (EVG/COBI/FTC/TDF) include
      mutations in HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) and integrase (IN). The order of
      development of mutations at early virological failure has not been described. The
      aim of this study was to determine the first resistance mutations to emerge
      during virological failure on EVG/COBI/FTC/TDF. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Population
      sequencing was conducted at the first virological failure timepoint with HIV-1
      RNA >=400 copies/mL for each of the 18 patients with emergent resistance in the
      EVG/COBI/FTC/TDF arms of two randomized, double-blind, Phase 3 studies of
      EVG/COBI/FTC/TDF through Week 144. RESULTS: At first failure compared with
      confirmed virological failure, 4 of the 18 patients had no detectable resistance
      mutation in their virus and only 51% of the RT and IN mutations were detected
      overall. M184V/I in RT was the first mutation to appear in many cases (n = 6) and
      was then followed by additional mutations in RT and IN. No case with development
      of resistance to the IN strand-transfer inhibitor prior to the development of
      M184V/I was detected. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of first failure found fewer
      patients with emergent resistance and fewer resistance mutations than the
      standard analysis at the later confirmation of virological failure. The early
      detection of resistance may preserve later treatment options.

PMID- 26108605
TI  - Lucilia cuprina genome unlocks parasitic fly biology to underpin future
      interventions.
AB  - Lucilia cuprina is a parasitic fly of major economic importance worldwide. Larvae
      of this fly invade their animal host, feed on tissues and excretions and
      progressively cause severe skin disease (myiasis). Here we report the sequence
      and annotation of the 458-megabase draft genome of Lucilia cuprina. Analyses of
      this genome and the 14,544 predicted protein-encoding genes provide unique
      insights into the fly's molecular biology, interactions with the host animal and
      insecticide resistance. These insights have broad implications for designing new
      methods for the prevention and control of myiasis. 

PMID- 26108609
TI  - Authors' reply to Lin and colleagues.

PMID- 26108610
TI  - Why the panic? South Korea's MERS response questioned.

PMID- 26108608
TI  - Validation and clinical application of a method to quantify nevirapine in dried
      blood spots and dried breast-milk spots.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The validation and clinical application of an LC-MS/MS method for the
      quantification of nevirapine in dried blood spots (DBS) and dried breast-milk
      spots (DBMS) are presented. METHODS: DBS and DBMS were prepared from 50 and 30
      MUL of nevirapine-spiked whole blood and human breast milk, respectively.
      Chromatographic separation was achieved on a reverse-phase C18 column with 0.1%
      formic acid in water/acetonitrile using a solvent gradient programme at a flow
      rate of 400 MUL/min, and detection was by a TSQ Quantum Access triple quadrupole
      mass spectrometer. The clinical application was evaluated in HIV-positive nursing
      mothers and their breastfed infants. RESULTS: The assay was validated over the
      concentration range 50-10,000 ng/mL. Accuracy ranged from 93.3% to 113.4% and
      precision ranged from 1.9% to 12.0%. The mean (percentage coefficient of
      variation) recovery of nevirapine from DBS and DBMS was >= 70.7% (<= 8.2) and the
      matrix effect was <= 1.04 (<= 6.1). Nevirapine was stable in DBS and DBMS for >=
      15 months at room temperature and -80 degrees C. Mean (SD) AUC0-12, Cmax and Cmin
      in maternal plasma versus breast milk were 57,808 ng . h/mL (24,315) versus
      55,817 ng . h/mL (22,368), 6140 ng/mL (2605) versus 5231 ng/mL (2215) and 4334
      ng/mL (1880) versus 4342 ng/mL (2245), respectively. The milk-to-plasma
      concentration ratio over the dosing interval was 0.94 (0.15). Infant plasma
      concentrations 2 and 8 h after maternal dosing were 580.6 ng/mL (464.7-1607) and
      584.1 ng/mL (381.5-1570), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These methods further extend
      opportunities for conducting clinical pharmacokinetic studies in nursing mother
      infant pairs, especially in resource-limited settings.

PMID- 26108611
TI  - Organic-free synthesis of ultrathin gold nanowires as effective SERS substrates.
AB  - We present a novel and facile fabrication of ultrathin gold nanowires in the
      absence of organic reagents. Measurements of surface-enhanced Raman scattering
      (SERS) demonstrated that the obtained organic-free ultrathin Au nanowires can
      serve as simple and effective SERS substrates. 

PMID- 26108612
TI  - Brain Network Reconfiguration and Perceptual Decoupling During an Absorptive
      State of Consciousness.
AB  - Trance is an absorptive state of consciousness characterized by narrowed
      awareness of external surroundings and has long been used-for example, by shamans
      to gain insight. Shamans across cultures often induce trance by listening to
      rhythmic drumming. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we
      examined the brain-network configuration associated with trance. Experienced
      shamanic practitioners (n = 15) listened to rhythmic drumming, and either entered
      a trance state or remained in a nontrance state during 8-min scans. We analyzed
      changes in network connectivity. Trance was associated with higher eigenvector
      centrality (i.e., stronger hubs) in 3 regions: posterior cingulate cortex (PCC),
      dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), and left insula/operculum. Seed-based
      analysis revealed increased coactivation of the PCC (a default network hub
      involved in internally oriented cognitive states) with the dACC and insula
      (control-network regions involved in maintaining relevant neural streams). This
      coactivation suggests that an internally oriented neural stream was amplified by
      the modulatory control network. Additionally, during trance, seeds within the
      auditory pathway were less connected, possibly indicating perceptual decoupling
      and suppression of the repetitive auditory stimuli. In sum, trance involved
      coactive default and control networks, and decoupled sensory processing. This
      network reconfiguration may promote an extended internal train of thought wherein
      integration and insight can occur.

PMID- 26108613
TI  - The Dorsoventral Boundary of the Germinal Zone is a Specialized Niche for the
      Generation of Cortical Oligodendrocytes during a Restricted Temporal Window.
AB  - Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) appear in the late embryonic brain, mature
      to become oligodendrocytes (OLs), and form myelin in the postnatal brain.
      Recently, it has been proposed that early-born OPCs derived from the ventral
      forebrain are eradicated postnatally and that late-born OLs predominate in the
      cortex of the adult mouse brain. However, intrinsic and extrinsic factors that
      specify the ability of self-renewing multipotent neural stem cells in the
      embryonic brain to generate cortical OL-lineage cells remain largely unknown.
      Using an inducible Cre/loxP system to permanently label Nestin- and Olig2-lineage
      cells, we identified that cortical OL-lineage cells start differentiating from
      neural stem cells within a restricted temporal window just prior to E16.5 through
      P10. We then showed, by means of electroporation of a Cre expression plasmid into
      the VZ/SVZ of E15.5 reporter mouse brains, that neural precursor cells in the
      dorsal VZ/SVZ are inhibited by Wnt signaling from contributing to cortical OLs in
      the adult brain. In contrast, neural precursor cells present in the dorsoventral
      boundary VZ/SVZ produce a significant amount of OLs in the adult cortex. Our
      results suggest that neural stem cells at this boundary are uniquely specialized
      to produce myelin-forming OLs in the cortex.

PMID- 26108614
TI  - Development of Tool Representations in the Dorsal and Ventral Visual Object
      Processing Pathways.
AB  - Tools represent a special class of objects, because they are processed across
      both the dorsal and ventral visual object processing pathways. Three core regions
      are known to be involved in tool processing: the left posterior middle temporal
      gyrus, the medial fusiform gyrus (bilaterally), and the left inferior parietal
      lobule. A critical and relatively unexplored issue concerns whether, in
      development, tool preferences emerge at the same time and to a similar degree
      across all regions of the tool-processing network. To test this issue, we used
      functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure the neural amplitude, peak
      location, and the dispersion of tool-related neural responses in the youngest
      sample of children tested to date in this domain (ages 4-8 years). We show that
      children recruit overlapping regions of the adult tool-processing network and
      also exhibit similar patterns of co-activation across the network to adults. The
      amplitude and co-activation data show that the core components of the tool
      processing network are established by age 4. Our findings on the distributions of
      peak location and dispersion of activation indicate that the tool network
      undergoes refinement between ages 4 and 8 years.

PMID- 26108615
TI  - Ectopic expression of snapdragon transcription factors facilitates the
      identification of genes encoding enzymes of anthocyanin decoration in tomato.
AB  - Given the potential health benefits of polyphenolic compounds in the diet, there
      is a growing interest in the generation of food crops enriched with health
      protective flavonoids. We undertook a series of metabolite analyses of tomatoes
      ectopically expressing the Delila and Rosea1 transcription factor genes from
      snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), paying particular attention to changes in
      phenylpropanoids compared to controls. These analyses revealed multiple changes,
      including depletion of rutin and naringenin chalcone, and enhanced levels of
      anthocyanins and phenylacylated flavonol derivatives. We isolated and
      characterized the chemical structures of the two most abundant anthocyanins,
      which were shown by NMR spectroscopy to be delphinidin-3-(4'''-O-trans-p
      coumaroyl)-rutinoside-5-O-glucoside and petunidin-3-(4'''-O-trans-p-coumaroyl)
      rutinoside-5-O-glucoside. By performing RNA sequencing on both purple fruit and
      wild-type fruit, we obtained important information concerning the relative
      expression of both structural and transcription factor genes. Integrative
      analysis of the transcript and metabolite datasets provided compelling evidence
      of the nature of all anthocyanin biosynthetic genes, including those encoding
      species-specific anthocyanin decoration enzymes. One gene, SlFdAT1
      (Solyc12g088170), predicted to encode a flavonoid-3-O-rutinoside-4'''
      phenylacyltransferase, was characterized by assays of recombinant protein and
      over-expression assays in tobacco. The combined data are discussed in the context
      of both our current understanding of phenylpropanoid metabolism in Solanaceous
      species, and evolution of flavonoid decorating enzymes and their transcriptional
      networks in various plant species. 

PMID- 26108616
TI  - Chimpanzees' Bystander Reactions to Infanticide: An Evolutionary Precursor of
      Social Norms?
AB  - Social norms-generalized expectations about how others should behave in a given
      context-implicitly guide human social life. However, their existence becomes
      explicit when they are violated because norm violations provoke negative
      reactions, even from personally uninvolved bystanders. To explore the
      evolutionary origin of human social norms, we presented chimpanzees with videos
      depicting a putative norm violation: unfamiliar conspecifics engaging in
      infanticidal attacks on an infant chimpanzee. The chimpanzees looked far longer
      at infanticide scenes than at control videos showing nut cracking, hunting a
      colobus monkey, or displays and aggression among adult males. Furthermore,
      several alternative explanations for this looking pattern could be ruled out.
      However, infanticide scenes did not generally elicit higher arousal. We propose
      that chimpanzees as uninvolved bystanders may detect norm violations but may
      restrict emotional reactions to such situations to in-group contexts. We discuss
      the implications for the evolution of human morality. 

PMID- 26108617
TI  - Lipid-mediated muscle insulin resistance: different fat, different pathways?
AB  - Increased dietary fat intake and lipolysis result in excessive lipid
      availability, which relates to impaired insulin sensitivity. Over the last years,
      several mechanisms possibly underlying lipid-mediated insulin resistance evolved.
      Lipid intermediates such as diacylglycerols (DAG) associate with changes in
      insulin sensitivity in many models. DAG activate novel protein kinase C (PKC)
      isoforms followed by inhibitory serine phosphorylation of insulin receptor
      substrate 1 (IRS1). Activation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) raises another
      lipid class, ceramides (CER), which induce pro-inflammatory pathways and lead to
      inhibition of Akt phosphorylation. Inhibition of glucosylceramide and ganglioside
      synthesis results in improved insulin sensitivity and increased activatory
      tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS1 in the muscle. Incomplete fat oxidation can
      increase acylcarnitines (ACC), which in turn stimulate pro-inflammatory pathways.
      This review analyzed the effects of lipid metabolites on insulin action in
      skeletal muscle of humans and rodents. Despite the evidence for the association
      of both DAG and CER with insulin resistance, its causal relevance may differ
      depending on the subcellular localization and the tested cohorts, e.g., athletes.
      Nevertheless, recent data indicate that individual lipid species and their degree
      of fatty acid saturation, particularly membrane and cytosolic C18:2 DAG,
      specifically activate PKCtheta and induce both acute lipid-induced and chronic
      insulin resistance in humans. 

PMID- 26108618
TI  - Effects of choline on health across the life course: a systematic review.
AB  - CONTEXT: Choline is a precursor of both betaine and acetylcholine and might,
      therefore, influence cardiovascular and cognitive outcomes. There has been
      concern, however, that it may influence blood lipid levels because it is an
      essential component of very-low-density lipoproteins. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to
      systematically review, using PRISMA guidelines, the literature pertaining to the
      effects of choline on body composition and on metabolic, cardiovascular,
      respiratory, and neurological outcomes in different life stages. DATA SOURCES:
      The MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar
      databases were searched up to July 2014. DATA EXTRACTION: Fifty relevant articles
      were identified. These comprised trials and cohort, case-control, and cross
      sectional studies that assessed blood levels of choline, dietary intake of
      choline, and supplementation with choline in a population free of diseases at
      baseline. DATA SYNTHESIS: There is some observational evidence that choline
      during pregnancy may be beneficial for the neurological health of the child. In
      adults, choline may have beneficial effects on cognition, but high-quality
      (intervention) studies are lacking. Results on the effects of choline on body
      composition, blood lipids, and cardiovascular health were inconsistent.
      CONCLUSIONS: Evidence to confirm the suggested effects of choline on health in
      different stages of life is scarce. Potential effects of choline need to be
      confirmed by intervention studies. Possible harmful effects on cardiometabolic
      health need careful evaluation.

PMID- 26108619
TI  - Unconditional and conditional standards for fetal abdominal circumference and
      estimated fetal weight in an ethnic Chinese population: a birth cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of intrauterine fetal growth restriction and prediction of
      small-for-gestation age are often based on fetal abdominal circumference or
      estimated fetal weight (EFW). The present study aims to create unconditional
      (cross-sectional) and conditional (longitudinal) standards of fetal abdominal
      circumference and EFW for use in an ethnic Chinese population. METHODS: In the
      Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcome (GUSTO) birth cohort study in
      Singapore, fetal biometric measurements were obtained at enrolment to antenatal
      care (11-12 weeks) and up to three more time points during pregnancy. Singleton
      pregnancies with a healthy profile defined by maternal, pregnancy and fetal
      characteristics and birth outcomes were selected for this analysis. The Hadlock
      algorithm was used to calculate EFW. Mixed effects model was used to establish
      unconditional and conditional standards in z-scores and percentiles for both
      genders pooled and for each gender separately. RESULTS: A total of 313 women were
      included, of whom 294 had 3 and 19 had 2 ultrasound scans other than the
      gestational age dating scan. Fetal abdominal circumference showed a roughly
      linear trajectory from 18 to 36 weeks of gestation, while EFW showed an
      accelerating trajectory. Gender differences were more pronounced in the 10(th)
      percentile than the 50(th) or 90(th) percentiles. As compared to other published
      charts, this population showed growth trajectories that started low but caught up
      at later gestations. CONCLUSIONS: Unconditional and conditional standards for
      monitoring fetal size and fetal growth in terms of abdominal circumference and
      EFW are available for this ethnic-Chinese population. Electronic spreadsheets are
      provided for their implementation.

PMID- 26108620
TI  - Mam33 promotes cytochrome c oxidase subunit I translation in Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae mitochondria.
AB  - Three mitochondrial DNA-encoded proteins, Cox1, Cox2, and Cox3, comprise the core
      of the cytochrome c oxidase complex. Gene-specific translational activators
      ensure that these respiratory chain subunits are synthesized at the correct
      location and in stoichiometric ratios to prevent unassembled protein products
      from generating free oxygen radicals. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the
      nuclear-encoded proteins Mss51 and Pet309 specifically activate mitochondrial
      translation of the largest subunit, Cox1. Here we report that Mam33 is a third
      COX1 translational activator in yeast mitochondria. Mam33 is required for cells
      to adapt efficiently from fermentation to respiration. In the absence of Mam33,
      Cox1 translation is impaired, and cells poorly adapt to respiratory conditions
      because they lack basal fermentative levels of Cox1. 

PMID- 26108621
TI  - Phosphorylation and SCF-mediated degradation regulate CREB-H transcription of
      metabolic targets.
AB  - CREB-H, an endoplasmic reticulum-anchored transcription factor, plays a key role
      in regulating secretion and in metabolic and inflammatory pathways, but how its
      activity is modulated remains unclear. We examined processing of the nuclear
      active form and identified a motif around S87-S90 with homology to DSG-type
      phosphodegrons. We show that this region is subject to multiple phosphorylations,
      which regulate CREB-H stability by targeting it to the SCF(Fbw1a) E3 ubiquitin
      ligase. Data from phosphatase treatment, use of phosophospecific antibody, and
      substitution of serine residues demonstrate phosphorylation of candidate serines
      in the region, with the core S87/S90 motif representing a critical determinant
      promoting proteasome-mediated degradation. Candidate kinases CKII and GSK-3b
      phosphorylate CREB-H in vitro with specificities for different serines. Prior
      phosphorylation with GSK-3 at one or more of the adjacent serines substantially
      increases S87/S90-dependent phosphorylation by CKII. In vivo expression of a
      dominant-negative Cul1 enhances steady-state levels of CREB-H, an effect
      augmented by Fbw1a. CREB-H directly interacts with Fbw1a in a phosphorylation
      dependent manner. Finally, mutations within the phosphodegron, when incorporated
      into the full-length protein, result in increased levels of constitutively
      cleaved nuclear protein and increased transcription and secretion of a key
      endogenous target gene, apolipoprotein A IV. 

PMID- 26108622
TI  - Nuclear-localized CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase alpha regulates
      phosphatidylcholine synthesis required for lipid droplet biogenesis.
AB  - The reversible association of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase alpha
      (CCTalpha) with membranes regulates the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) by
      the CDP-choline (Kennedy) pathway. Based on results with insect CCT homologues,
      translocation of nuclear CCTalpha onto cytoplasmic lipid droplets (LDs) is
      proposed to stimulate the synthesis of PC that is required for LD biogenesis and
      triacylglycerol (TAG) storage. We examined whether this regulatory mechanism
      applied to LD biogenesis in mammalian cells. During 3T3-L1 and human preadipocyte
      differentiation, CCTalpha expression and PC synthesis was induced. In 3T3-L1
      cells, CCTalpha translocated from the nucleoplasm to the nuclear envelope and
      cytosol but did not associate with LDs. The enzyme also remained in the nucleus
      during human adipocyte differentiation. RNAi silencing in 3T3-L1 cells showed
      that CCTalpha regulated LD size but did not affect TAG storage or adipogenesis.
      LD biogenesis in nonadipocyte cell lines treated with oleate also promoted
      CCTalpha translocation to the nuclear envelope and/or cytoplasm but not LDs. In
      rat intestinal epithelial cells, CCTalpha silencing increased LD size, but LD
      number and TAG deposition were decreased due to oleate-induced cytotoxicity. We
      conclude that CCTalpha increases PC synthesis for LD biogenesis by translocation
      to the nuclear envelope and not cytoplasmic LDs. 

PMID- 26108623
TI  - Ire1-mediated decay in mammalian cells relies on mRNA sequence, structure, and
      translational status.
AB  - Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress occurs when misfolded proteins overwhelm the
      capacity of the ER, resulting in activation of the unfolded protein response
      (UPR). Ire1, an ER transmembrane nuclease and conserved transducer of the UPR,
      cleaves the mRNA encoding the transcription factor Xbp1 at a dual stem-loop (SL)
      structure, leading to Xbp1 splicing and activation. Ire1 also cleaves other mRNAs
      localized to the ER membrane through regulated Ire1-dependent decay (RIDD). We
      find that during acute ER stress in mammalian cells, Xbp1-like SLs within the
      target mRNAs are necessary for RIDD. Furthermore, depletion of Perk, a UPR
      transducer that attenuates translation during ER stress, inhibits RIDD in a
      substrate-specific manner. Artificially blocking translation of the SL region of
      target mRNAs fully restores RIDD in cells depleted of Perk, suggesting that
      ribosomes disrupt SL formation and/or Ire1 binding. This coordination between
      Perk and Ire1 may serve to spatially and temporally regulate RIDD. 

PMID- 26108624
TI  - The disease-linked Glu-26-Lys mutant version of Coronin 1A exhibits pleiotropic
      and pathway-specific signaling defects.
AB  - Coronin 1A (Coro1A) is involved in cytoskeletal and signaling events, including
      the regulation of Rac1 GTPase- and myosin II-dependent pathways. Mutations that
      generate truncated or unstable Coro1A proteins cause immunodeficiencies in both
      humans and rodents. However, in the case of the peripheral T-cell-deficient
      (Ptcd) mouse strain, the immunodeficiency is caused by a Glu-26-Lys mutation that
      targets a surface-exposed residue unlikely to affect the intramolecular
      architecture and stability of the protein. Here we report that this mutation
      induces pleiotropic effects in Coro1A protein, including the exacerbation of
      Coro1A-dependent actin-binding and -bundling activities; the formation of large
      meshworks of Coro1A(E26K)-decorated filaments endowed with unusual
      organizational, functional, and staining properties; and the elimination of
      Coro1A functions associated with both Rac1 and myosin II signaling. By contrast,
      it does not affect the ability of Coro1A to stimulate the nuclear factor of
      activated T-cells (NF-AT). Coro1A(E26K) is not a dominant-negative mutant,
      indicating that its pathological effects are derived from the inability to rescue
      the complete loss of the wild-type counterpart in cells. These results indicate
      that Coro1A(E26K) behaves as either a recessive gain-of-function or loss-of
      function mutant protein, depending on signaling context and presence of the wild
      type counterpart in cells. 

PMID- 26108625
TI  - Meaningful health outcomes for paediatric neurodisability: Stakeholder
      prioritisation and appropriateness of patient reported outcome measures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health services are increasingly focused on measuring and monitoring
      outcomes, particularly those that reflect patients' priorities. To be meaningful,
      outcomes measured should be valued by patients and carers, be consistent with
      what health professionals seek to achieve, and be robust in terms of measurement
      properties. The aim of this study was (i) to seek a shared vision between
      families and clinicians regarding key aspects of health as outcomes, beyond
      mortality and morbidity, for children with neurodisability, and (ii) to appraise
      which multidimensional patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) could be used to
      assess salient health domains. METHODS: Relevant outcomes were identified from
      (i) qualitative research with children and young people with neurodisability and
      parent carers, (ii) Delphi survey with health professionals, and (iii) systematic
      review of PROMs. The International Classification of Functioning Disability and
      Health provided a common language to code aspects of health. A subset of
      stakeholders participated in a prioritisation meeting incorporating a Q-sorting
      task to discuss and rank aspects of health. RESULTS: A total of 33 pertinent
      aspects of health were identified. Fifteen stakeholders from the qualitative and
      Delphi studies participated in the prioritisation meeting: 3 young people, 5
      parent carers, and 7 health professionals. Aspects of health that emerged as more
      important for families and targets for health professionals were: communication,
      emotional wellbeing, pain, sleep, mobility, self-care, independence, mental
      health, community and social life, behaviour, toileting and safety. Whilst
      available PROMs measure many aspects of health in the ICF, no single PROM
      captures all the key domains prioritised as for children and young people with
      neurodisability. The paucity of scales for assessing communication was notable.
      CONCLUSIONS: We propose a core suite of key outcome domains for children with
      neurodisability that could be used in evaluative research, audit and as health
      service performance indicators. Future work could appraise domain-specific PROMs
      for these aspects of health; a single measure assessing the key aspects of health
      that could be applied across paediatric neurodisability remains to be developed.

PMID- 26108627
TI  - Requirements for plant coexistence through pollination niche partitioning.
AB  - Plant-pollinator interactions are often thought to have been a decisive factor in
      the diversification of flowering plants, but to be of little or no importance for
      the maintenance of existing plant diversity. In a recent opinion paper, Pauw
      (2013 Trends Ecol. Evol. 28, 30-37. (doi:10.1016/j.tree.2012.07.019)) challenged
      this view by proposing a mechanism of diversity maintenance based on pollination
      niche partitioning. In this article, I investigate under which conditions the
      mechanism suggested by Pauw can promote plant coexistence, using a mathematical
      model of plant and pollinator population dynamics. Numerical simulations show
      that this mechanism is most effective when the costs of searching for flowers are
      low, pollinator populations are strongly limited by resources other than pollen
      and nectar, and plant-pollinator interactions are sufficiently specialized. I
      review the empirical literature on these three requirements, discuss additional
      factors that may be important for diversity maintenance through pollination niche
      partitioning, and provide recommendations on how to detect this coexistence
      mechanism in natural plant communities. 

PMID- 26108626
TI  - Expression change in Angiopoietin-1 underlies change in relative brain size in
      fish.
AB  - Brain size varies substantially across the animal kingdom and is often associated
      with cognitive ability; however, the genetic architecture underpinning natural
      variation in these key traits is virtually unknown. In order to identify the
      genetic architecture and loci underlying variation in brain size, we analysed
      both coding sequence and expression for all the loci expressed in the
      telencephalon in replicate populations of guppies (Poecilia reticulata)
      artificially selected for large and small relative brain size. A single gene,
      Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), a regulator of angiogenesis and suspected driver of
      neural development, was differentially expressed between large- and small-brain
      populations. Zebra fish (Danio rerio) morphants showed that mild knock down of
      Ang-1 produces a small-brained phenotype that could be rescued with Ang-1 mRNA.
      Translation inhibition of Ang-1 resulted in smaller brains in larvae and
      increased expression of Notch-1, which regulates differentiation of neural stem
      cells. In situ analysis of newborn large- and small-brained guppies revealed
      matching expression patterns of Ang-1 and Notch-1 to those observed in zebrafish
      larvae. Taken together, our results suggest that the genetic architecture
      affecting brain size in our population may be surprisingly simple, and Ang-1 may
      be a potentially important locus in the evolution of vertebrate brain size and
      cognitive ability. 

PMID- 26108628
TI  - Decisions reduce sensitivity to subsequent information.
AB  - Behavioural studies over half a century indicate that making categorical choices
      alters beliefs about the state of the world. People seem biased to confirm
      previous choices, and to suppress contradicting information. These choice
      dependent biases imply a fundamental bound of human rationality. However, it
      remains unclear whether these effects extend to lower level decisions, and only
      little is known about the computational mechanisms underlying them. Building on
      the framework of sequential-sampling models of decision-making, we developed
      novel psychophysical protocols that enable us to dissect quantitatively how
      choices affect the way decision-makers accumulate additional noisy evidence. We
      find robust choice-induced biases in the accumulation of abstract numerical
      (experiment 1) and low-level perceptual (experiment 2) evidence. These biases
      deteriorate estimations of the mean value of the numerical sequence (experiment
      1) and reduce the likelihood to revise decisions (experiment 2). Computational
      modelling reveals that choices trigger a reduction of sensitivity to subsequent
      evidence via multiplicative gain modulation, rather than shifting the decision
      variable towards the chosen alternative in an additive fashion. Our results thus
      show that categorical choices alter the evidence accumulation mechanism itself,
      rather than just its outcome, rendering the decision-maker less sensitive to new
      information. 

PMID- 26108629
TI  - Ocean acidification impairs crab foraging behaviour.
AB  - Anthropogenic elevation of atmospheric CO2 is driving global-scale ocean
      acidification, which consequently influences calcification rates of many marine
      invertebrates and potentially alters their susceptibility to predation. Ocean
      acidification may also impair an organism's ability to process environmental and
      biological cues. These counteracting impacts make it challenging to predict how
      acidification will alter species interactions and community structure. To examine
      effects of acidification on consumptive and behavioural interactions between mud
      crabs (Panopeus herbstii) and oysters (Crassostrea virginica), oysters were
      reared with and without caged crabs for 71 days at three pCO2 levels. During
      subsequent predation trials, acidification reduced prey consumption, handling
      time and duration of unsuccessful predation attempt. These negative effects of
      ocean acidification on crab foraging behaviour more than offset any benefit to
      crabs resulting from a reduction in the net rate of oyster calcification. These
      findings reveal that efforts to evaluate how acidification will alter marine food
      webs should include quantifying impacts on both calcification rates and animal
      behaviour. 

PMID- 26108630
TI  - Advanced technologies for genetically manipulating the silkworm Bombyx mori, a
      model Lepidopteran insect.
AB  - Genetic technologies based on transposon-mediated transgenesis along with several
      recently developed genome-editing technologies have become the preferred methods
      of choice for genetically manipulating many organisms. The silkworm, Bombyx mori,
      is a Lepidopteran insect of great economic importance because of its use in silk
      production and because it is a valuable model insect that has greatly enhanced
      our understanding of the biology of insects, including many agricultural pests.
      In the past 10 years, great advances have been achieved in the development of
      genetic technologies in B. mori, including transposon-based technologies that
      rely on piggyBac-mediated transgenesis and genome-editing technologies that rely
      on protein- or RNA-guided modification of chromosomes. The successful development
      and application of these technologies has not only facilitated a better
      understanding of B. mori and its use as a silk production system, but also
      provided valuable experiences that have contributed to the development of similar
      technologies in non-model insects. This review summarizes the technologies
      currently available for use in B. mori, their application to the study of gene
      function and their use in genetically modifying B. mori for biotechnology
      applications. The challenges, solutions and future prospects associated with the
      development and application of genetic technologies in B. mori are also
      discussed. 

PMID- 26108631
TI  - Allometry of animal-microbe interactions and global census of animal-associated
      microbes.
AB  - Animals live in close association with microorganisms, mostly prokaryotes, living
      in or on them as commensals, mutualists or parasites, and profoundly affecting
      host fitness. Most animal-microbe studies focus on microbial community structure;
      for this project, allometry (scaling of animal attributes with animal size) was
      applied to animal-microbe relationships across a range of species spanning 12
      orders of magnitude in animal mass, from nematodes to whales. Microbial
      abundances per individual animal were gleaned from published literature and also
      microscopically counted in three species. Abundance of prokaryotes/individual
      versus animal mass scales as a nearly linear power function (exponent = 1.07,
      R(2) = 0.94). Combining this power function with allometry of animal abundance
      indicates that macrofauna have an outsized share of animal-associated
      microorganisms. The total number of animal-associated prokaryotes in Earth's land
      animals was calculated to be 1.3-1.4 * 10(25) cells and the total of marine
      animal-associated microbes was calculated to be 8.6-9.0 * 10(24) cells. Animal
      associated microbes thus total 2.1-2.3 * 10(25) of the approximately 10(30)
      prokaryotes on the Earth. Microbes associated with humans comprise 3.3-3.5% of
      Earth's animal-associated microbes, and domestic animals harbour 14-20% of all
      animal-associated microbes, adding a new dimension to the scale of human impact
      on the biosphere. This novel allometric power function may reflect underlying
      mechanisms involving the transfer of energy and materials between microorganisms
      and their animal hosts. Microbial diversity indices of animal gut communities and
      gut microbial species richness for 60 mammals did not indicate significant
      scaling relationships with animal body mass; however, further research in this
      area is warranted. 

PMID- 26108632
TI  - Neural correlates of individual differences in circadian behaviour.
AB  - Daily rhythms in mammals are controlled by the circadian system, which is a
      collection of biological clocks regulated by a central pacemaker within the
      suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the anterior hypothalamus. Changes in SCN
      function have pronounced consequences for behaviour and physiology; however, few
      studies have examined whether individual differences in circadian behaviour
      reflect changes in SCN function. Here, PERIOD2::LUCIFERASE mice were exposed to a
      behavioural assay to characterize individual differences in baseline entrainment,
      rate of re-entrainment and free-running rhythms. SCN slices were then collected
      for ex vivo bioluminescence imaging to gain insight into how the properties of
      the SCN clock influence individual differences in behavioural rhythms. First,
      individual differences in the timing of locomotor activity rhythms were
      positively correlated with the timing of SCN rhythms. Second, slower adjustment
      during simulated jetlag was associated with a larger degree of phase
      heterogeneity among SCN neurons. Collectively, these findings highlight the role
      of the SCN network in determining individual differences in circadian behaviour.
      Furthermore, these results reveal novel ways that the network organization of the
      SCN influences plasticity at the behavioural level, and lend insight into
      potential interventions designed to modulate the rate of resynchronization during
      transmeridian travel and shift work. 

PMID- 26108633
TI  - Quantitative genetic analysis of brain size variation in sticklebacks: support
      for the mosaic model of brain evolution.
AB  - The mosaic model of brain evolution postulates that different brain regions are
      relatively free to evolve independently from each other. Such independent
      evolution is possible only if genetic correlations among the different brain
      regions are less than unity. We estimated heritabilities, evolvabilities and
      genetic correlations of relative size of the brain, and its different regions in
      the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We found that
      heritabilities were low (average h(2) = 0.24), suggesting a large plastic
      component to brain architecture. However, evolvabilities of different brain parts
      were moderate, suggesting the presence of additive genetic variance to sustain a
      response to selection in the long term. Genetic correlations among different
      brain regions were low (average rG = 0.40) and significantly less than unity.
      These results, along with those from analyses of phenotypic and genetic
      integration, indicate a high degree of independence between different brain
      regions, suggesting that responses to selection are unlikely to be severely
      constrained by genetic and phenotypic correlations. Hence, the results give
      strong support for the mosaic model of brain evolution. However, the genetic
      correlation between brain and body size was high (rG = 0.89), suggesting a
      constraint for independent evolution of brain and body size in sticklebacks. 

PMID- 26108634
TI  - Treatment of textile wastewater by submerged membrane bioreactor: In vitro
      bioassays for the assessment of stress response elicited by raw and reclaimed
      wastewater.
AB  - The performance of a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) system for the
      treatment of textile wastewater was investigated. The MBR was continuously
      operated for 7 months. Very high treatment efficiencies were achieved (color,
      100%; chemical oxygen demand (COD), 98%; biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), 96%;
      suspended solids (SS), 100%). Furthermore, the MBR treatment efficiency was
      analyzed from a toxicological-risk assessment point of view, via different In
      vitro bioassays using Caco-2 cells, a widely used cell model in toxicological
      studies. Results showed that MBR treatment significantly reduced the raw textile
      wastewater (RTWW) cytotoxicity on Caco-2 cells by 53% for a hydraulic retention
      time (HRT) of 2 days. Additionally, the RTWW-induced disruption in the barrier
      function (BF) of the Caco-2 cell monolayer was also significantly reduced after
      MBR treatment under a HRT of 2 days (no disruption of BF was observed). Moreover,
      the effect of RTWW and treated wastewater on stress response was investigated
      using different stress genes: AHSA1, HSPD1, HSPA1A, HSPA5 and HSPA8. The cell
      exposure to RTWW significantly increased the expression of all used stress genes;
      interestingly, the treated wastewater (HRT 2 days) did not show any significant
      modulation of the stress genes.

PMID- 26108635
TI  - Severe brittle dyskinesias following DBS battery replacement.

PMID- 26108636
TI  - A "turn-on" silver nanocluster based fluorescent sensor for folate receptor
      detection and cancer cell imaging under visual analysis.
AB  - A novel terminal protection based label-free and "turn-on" fluorescent sensor for
      detection of folate receptors (FRs) and HeLa cells is developed by fluorescence
      resonance energy transfer (FRET) between single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)
      and silver nanoclusters (AgNCs). Multilevel visual analysis (m(2)VA) was firstly
      proposed and applied in optimizing the experimental parameters. 

PMID- 26108637
TI  - Glycopeptide Nanoconjugates Based on Multilayer Self-Assembly as an Antitumor
      Vaccine.
AB  - Antitumor vaccine, which is promising for tumor therapy, has been extensively
      studied. Some encouraging results of chemically synthetic vaccine designs based
      on the tumor-associated antigen mucin 1 have been achieved. However, some
      shortcomings such as low efficiency and difficult purification restrict their
      clinical application. To overcome these difficulties, we designed a novel
      antitumor vaccine of glycopeptide nanoconjugates based on the multilayer self
      assembly through the interaction of positive and negative charges. This vaccine
      formed the spherical structure and effectively activated the macrophage in vitro.
      Besides, it also induced high titer of antibodies against mucin 1 glycopeptide.
      The induced antibodies could highly bind to the tumor cells and effectively kill
      them by activation of the complement dependent cytotoxicity complex. This novel
      strategy provides a new way for the development of simple and effective antitumor
      vaccine. 

PMID- 26108638
TI  - Micronutrient Deficiencies in Morbidly Obese Women Prior to Bariatric Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although morbid obesity is related to excess of energy and
      macronutrient intake, it does not rule out the presence of micronutrient
      deficiencies. The aim of this study was to evaluate food intake and the
      prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in a group of morbidly obese women
      seeking bariatric surgery. METHODS: A total of 103 morbidly obese women were
      studied prior to bariatric surgery. Anthropometry and body composition (dual
      energy X-ray absorptiometry, DEXA) were performed on all subjects. Energy and
      nutrient intake was determined by food frequency questionnaire. Blood tests to
      assess micronutrients status, including plasma iron, ferritin, transferrin, zinc,
      copper, calcium, phosphorus, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume
      (MCV), and hair zinc, were performed. Folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and
      parathyroid hormone (PTH) were also assessed in 66 subjects. RESULTS: Mean energy
      intake was 2801 +/- 970 kcal/day. Carbohydrate, protein, and lipid intake
      represented 55 +/- 9.1, 13.9 +/- 3.3, and 32.5 +/- 8.2% of total energy intake,
      respectively. Iron, calcium, and vitamin D intake was below the recommended
      dietary allowance. The prevalence of nutritional deficiencies were as follows:
      plasma iron 12.6%, ferritin 8.7%, transferrin 14.6%, plasma zinc 2.9%, calcium
      3.3%, phosphorus 2.3%, hemoglobin 7.7%, hematocrit 13.6%, MCV 6.8%, and hair zinc
      15.7%. In the subsample, 10.6% had a vitamin B12 deficiency, 71.7% showed low
      concentrations of vitamin D, and 66% had high PTH levels. No folic acid or copper
      deficiencies were detected. CONCLUSIONS: Despite high daily energy intake and
      adequate macronutrient distribution, morbidly obese Chilean women seeking
      bariatric surgery present with deficient intake of some micronutrients and a high
      prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies.

PMID- 26108639
TI  - Superstatistical analysis and modelling of heterogeneous random walks.
AB  - Stochastic time series are ubiquitous in nature. In particular, random walks with
      time-varying statistical properties are found in many scientific disciplines.
      Here we present a superstatistical approach to analyse and model such
      heterogeneous random walks. The time-dependent statistical parameters can be
      extracted from measured random walk trajectories with a Bayesian method of
      sequential inference. The distributions and correlations of these parameters
      reveal subtle features of the random process that are not captured by
      conventional measures, such as the mean-squared displacement or the step width
      distribution. We apply our new approach to migration trajectories of tumour cells
      in two and three dimensions, and demonstrate the superior ability of the
      superstatistical method to discriminate cell migration strategies in different
      environments. Finally, we show how the resulting insights can be used to design
      simple and meaningful models of the underlying random processes. 

PMID- 26108640
TI  - Dynamic multidetector CT and non-contrast-enhanced MR for right adrenal vein
      imaging: comparison with catheter venography in adrenal venous sampling.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate visualization of the right adrenal vein (RAV) with
      multidetector CT and non-contrast-enhanced MR imaging in patients with primary
      aldosteronism. METHODS: A total of 125 patients (67 men) scheduled for adrenal
      venous sampling (AVS) were included. Dynamic 64-detector-row CT and balanced
      steady-state free precession-based non-contrast-enhanced 3-T MR imaging were
      performed. RAV visualization based on a four-point score was documented. Both
      anatomical location and variation on cross-sectional imaging were evaluated, and
      the findings were compared with catheter venography as the gold standard.
      RESULTS: The RAV was visualized in 93.2% by CT and 84.8% by MR imaging (p =
      0.02). Positive predictive values of RAV visualization were 100% for CT and 95.2%
      for MR imaging. Imaging score was significantly higher in CT than MR imaging (p <
      0.01). The RAV formed a common trunk with an accessory hepatic vein in 16% of
      patients. The RAV orifice level on cross-sectional imaging was concordant with
      catheter venography within the range of 1/3 vertebral height in >70% of subjects.
      Success rate of AVS was 99.2%. CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic CT is a reliable way to map
      the RAV prior to AVS. Non-contrast-enhanced MR imaging is an alternative when
      there is a risk of complication from contrast media or radiation exposure. KEY
      POINTS: Dynamic CT and non-contrast-enhanced MR imaging detect the right adrenal
      vein (RAV). Dynamic CT can visualize the RAV more than non-contrast-enhanced MR
      imaging. Mapping the RAV helps to achieve successful adrenal venous sampling.
      Sixteen per cent of RAVs share the common trunk with accessory hepatic veins.

PMID- 26108641
TI  - Clinical significance of three-dimensional measurement of tumour thickness on
      magnetic resonance imaging in patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify the clinical significance of primary tumour thickness
      (TT) and its direction in patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma
      (OTSCC), we measured TT in all axial/coronal/sagittal views on magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) and evaluated their meaning. METHODS: A total of 53 OTSCC patients
      were analysed who had undergone preoperative three-dimensional MRI and had been
      surgically treated. TT measured on axial (mediolateral direction), coronal
      (superoinferior direction), and sagittal (anteroposterior direction) views was
      compared to that in pathologic specimens. The association between TT on MRI and
      other pathologic parameters was also evaluated. RESULTS: TT on MRI in each plane
      showed relatively high concordance rates with the histological measurements. TT
      in all three planes was significantly correlated with lymph node (LN) metastasis.
      Occult LN metastasis was found in 15 of 39 (38.5%) patients, and the cutoff value
      of TT in axial/coronal/sagittal MRI predicting occult LN metastasis was 6.7 mm,
      7.2 mm, and 12.3 mm, respectively. TT on MRI did not show any significant
      association with recurrence and survival. CONCLUSIONS: TT on MRI in all three
      planes showed relatively high coincidence with TT on histopathology and presented
      a potential cut-off value as a predictive indicator for occult LN metastasis. KEY
      POINTS: Three-dimensional measurement of tumour thickness (TT) is important for
      oral cancer treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a useful diagnostic
      tool for oral cancer. TT on MRI has a high coincidence with TT on histopathology.
      TT on MRI is a predictive marker for occult lymph node metastasis.

PMID- 26108643
TI  - Characterizing the Quality Workforce in Private U.S. Child and Family Behavioral
      Health Agencies.
AB  - Behavioral health agencies have been encouraged to monitor performance and
      improve service quality. This paper characterizes the workforce charged with
      these tasks through a national survey of 238 behavioral health quality
      professionals. A latent class analysis suggests only 30 % of these workers report
      skills in both basic research and quality-specific skills. Respondents wanted to
      learn a variety of research and data analytic skills. The results call into
      question the quality of data collected in behavioral health agencies and the
      conclusions agencies are drawing from their data. Professional school and
      continuing education programs are needed to prepare this workforce.

PMID- 26108642
TI  - Post-translationally-modified structures in the autophagy machinery: an
      integrative perspective.
AB  - Autophagy is a self-cleaning process that occurs at a constitutive basal level,
      and is upregulated in response to stress. Macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy) is
      the most robust type of autophagy, where cargo (specific or nonspecific) is
      engulfed within a double-membrane structure termed an autophagosome. This process
      needs to be tightly regulated to maintain normal cellular homeostasis and prevent
      dysfunction; therefore, a fuller knowledge of the mechanisms of autophagy
      regulation is crucial for understanding the entire pathway. The autophagy-related
      proteins are the primary components that carry out autophagy. Many of these
      proteins are conserved from yeast to humans. A number of significant discoveries
      with regard to protein functional domains, protein-protein interactions or post
      translational modifications of proteins involved in autophagy have been reported
      in parallel with, or followed by, solving the NMR or crystal structures of
      autophagy proteins or their protein domains. In the present review, we summarize
      structural insights gathered to date on the proteins of the autophagy machinery
      that are modulated by a post-translational modification, specifically
      phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination and/or SUMOylation. For each
      protein, we link the reported results with information on the propensity of the
      corresponding amino acid sequence toward order/disorder. This integrative
      approach yields a comprehensive overview for each post-translationally modified
      protein, and also reveals areas for further investigation. 

PMID- 26108644
TI  - Healthcare costs and outcomes for pediatric inpatients with bronchiolitis:
      comparison of urban versus rural hospitals.

PMID- 26108645
TI  - Clinical Findings and Natural History in Ten Unrelated Families with Juvenile and
      Adult GM1 Gangliosidosis.
AB  - We describe 12 subjects of ten unrelated families from the region of Campinas and
      the southern state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, who presented with juvenile (n = 4)
      and adult (n = 8) GM1 gangliosidosis. Data includes clinical history, physical
      examination, and ancillary exam findings. Six subjects presented initially with
      skeletal deformities, while the remaining six had neurological manifestations at
      onset. Over time, all exhibited a combination of osteoarticular and neurologic
      degeneration with varying degrees of severity. Corneal clouding, angiokeratomas,
      and inguinal hernia were seen in one individual each. Other features commonly
      described in lysosomal storage disorders were not found in this series, such as
      coarse faces, gingival hypertrophy, visceromegaly, and cherry red spot. All
      subjects presented with short stature, dysostosis multiplex, dysarthria, and
      impairment of activities of daily living, 10/12 had extrapyramidal signs, 8/12
      had pyramidal signs, 8/12 had oculomotor abnormalities, 4/12 had behavioral
      alterations, and 2/12 had ataxia. None had seizures or Parkinsonism. All female
      subjects developed severe hip dysplasia and underwent arthroplasty due to chronic
      pain. A vertebral bone bar and os odontoideum, not previously described in this
      condition, were found in one patient each. There was no clear genotype-phenotype
      correlation regarding enzyme residual activity and clinical findings, since all
      subjects were compound heterozygous, but the p.T500A was the most frequent allele
      in eight families and was associated to Morquio B phenotype. Two sets of siblings
      allowed intrafamilial comparison revealing consistent features among the
      families. Interfamilial correlation among unrelated families presenting the same
      mutations was less consistent. 

PMID- 26108646
TI  - PNPO Deficiency and Cirrhosis: Expanding the Clinical Phenotype?
AB  - We report the case of a 4-year-old boy with pyridoxamine 5-phosphate oxidase
      deficiency, now the second reported case to develop hepatic cirrhosis. He
      presented with an encephalopathy in the first 1.5 h of life and received a first
      dose of PLP at 40 h of life. PNPO gene sequencing identified homozygosity for a
      novel variant in exon 7, c.637C>T (p.Pro213Ser). Persistent elevations in alanine
      transferase and aspartate transferase combined with an echogenic liver on
      ultrasound prompted performance of a liver biopsy which demonstrated hepatic
      cirrhosis. This is the second reported case of hepatic cirrhosis in PNPO
      deficiency. The pathogenesis is unclear but may be related to epigenetic
      activation of purinergic signaling in the hepatic stellate cells. PNPO deficiency
      may in time prove to be a suitable candidate for consideration of therapeutic
      orthotropic liver transplantation in select patients.

PMID- 26108647
TI  - The Spectrum of Krabbe Disease in Greece: Biochemical and Molecular Findings.
AB  - Krabbe disease is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative lysosomal storage
      disease caused by the deficiency of beta-galactocerebrosidase. This deficiency
      results in the impaired degradation of beta-galactocerebroside, a major myelin
      lipid, and of galactosylsphingosine. Based on the age of onset of neurological
      symptoms, an infantile form (90% patients) and late-onset forms (10% patients) of
      the disease are recognized. Over 130 disease-causing mutations have been
      identified in the beta-galactocerebrosidase gene. We present the biochemical and
      molecular findings in 19 cases of Krabbe disease, 17 of them unrelated, diagnosed
      in Greece over the last 30 years. beta-Galactocerebrosidase activity assayed in
      leukocyte homogenates using either the tritium-labeled or the fluorescent
      substrate was diagnostic for all. Increased plasma chitotriosidase activity was
      found in 11/15 patients.Mutational analysis, carried out in 11 unrelated cases,
      identified seven different mutations, four previously described (p.I250T,
      c.1161+6532_polyA+9kbdel, p.K139del, p.D187V) and three novel mutations (p.D610A,
      c.583-1 G>C, p.W132X), and seven distinct genotypes. The most prevalent mutation
      was mutation p.I250T, first described in a patient of Greek origin. It accounted
      for 36.4% (8/22) of the mutant alleles. The second most frequent mutation was
      c.1161+6532_polyA+9kbdel that accounted for 22.7% (5/22) of the mutant alleles.
      The observed frequency was lower than that described in Northern European
      countries and closer to that described in Italian patients.

PMID- 26108648
TI  - Exercise Intolerance and Myoglobinuria Associated with a Novel Maternally
      Inherited MT-ND1 Mutation.
AB  - The most common clinical phenotype caused by a mtDNA mutation in complex I of the
      mitochondrial respiratory chain is Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. We report a
      family with a novel maternally inherited homoplasmic mtDNA m.4087A>G mutation in
      the ND1 gene (MT-ND1) associated with isolated myopathy, recurrent episodes of
      myoglobinuria, and rhabdomyolysis. DNA from blood in seven family members and
      muscle from four family members were PCR amplified and sequenced directly and
      assessed for the m.4087A>G variation in MT-ND1. Mitochondrial enzyme activity in
      all muscle biopsies was measured. PCR and direct sequencing of the MT-ND1 genes
      from blood showed that all seven family members were homoplasmic for the
      m.4087A>G mutation (NC_012920.1:c.781A>G). The mutation predicts a threonine to
      alanine substitution at position 261 (p.T261A). The same mutation was found in
      muscle of all four family members available for muscle biopsy, and biochemical
      analyses revealed an isolated complex I defect in muscle of all family members
      (range 22-52% of normal). Muscle morphology showed severe myopathic changes with
      internal nuclei in multiple fibers of all family members. Monosymptomatic
      myopathy with recurrent myoglobinuria is a rare phenotype of mitochondrial
      myopathies. We report this phenotype in a family affected by a novel homoplasmic
      mutation in MT-ND1. It is the first time such a phenotype has been associated
      with complex I gene mutations and a homoplasmic mutation of mtDNA.

PMID- 26108649
TI  - Physical Activity, Bone Health, and Obesity in Peri-/Pre- and Postmenopausal
      Women: Results from the EPIC-Potsdam Study.
AB  - Physical activity (PA) is suggested to increase the peak bone mass and to
      minimize age-related bone loss, and thereby to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
      However, the relation between PA and bone health considering the obesity status
      is unclear so far. The present study examines the association between PA levels
      and calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA), particularly under
      consideration of obesity. Data from a population-based sample of 6776 German
      women from the EPIC-Potsdam cohort were analyzed. Calibrated PA data were used.
      Statistical analyses were stratified by menopausal and obesity status. Multiple
      linear regression was used to model the relationship between PA and BUA levels
      after adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, education,
      alcohol and calcium intake, and hormone use. Peri-/premenopausal had higher BUA
      levels (112.39 +/- 10.05 dB/MHz) compared to postmenopausal women (106.44 +/-
      9.95 dB/MHz). In both groups, BUA levels were higher in the fourth compared to
      the lowest quartile of PA (p for trend < 0.05). In women with BMI < 30, but not
      BMI >= 30 kg/m(2), PA remained positively associated with BUA levels (p for
      interaction = 0.03). However, when waist circumference higher than 88 cm or body
      fat percentage (BF%) measures above the median were used to define obesity, a
      significant positive relationship was also observed in women with BMI < 30
      kg/m(2) but with higher waist circumference or BF%. In conclusion, our results
      strengthen the hypothesis that PA has a positive influence on BUA levels, though
      dependent on weight.

PMID- 26108650
TI  - Pregnancy and Lactation-Associated Osteoporosis: Bone Histomorphometric Analysis
      and Response to Treatment with Zoledronic Acid.
AB  - Pregnancy and lactation-associated osteoporosis (PAO) is a rare condition with
      little known pathophysiology. Most cases are diagnosed in the third trimester of
      pregnancy or in the first weeks postpartum, particularly in first pregnancies.
      Vertebral fractures are most commonly observed and characterised by prolonged
      severe pain, functional limitations and a loss of height. Measurements of bone
      mineral density and biochemical markers of bone remodelling are the clinical
      methods most commonly used for the management of these patients. However, a bone
      biopsy with histomorphometric analysis has been considered to be the gold
      standard. Few studies have evaluated the histomorphometry in patients with this
      clinical condition and none of them performed the procedure at the beginning of
      the clinical assessment. In this study, we report a case of PAO in a 31-year-old
      postpartum patient who had undergone a twin pregnancy. We describe the clinical,
      laboratory tests and imaging features. Bone histomorphometry showed a high
      resorption rate and excellent evolution after 1 year of treatment with
      intravenous zoledronic acid. Our data suggest that osteoclastogenesis plays a
      central role in the pathophysiological processes of this disease.

PMID- 26108651
TI  - Serum interleukin 8 and 12 levels predict severity and mortality in patients with
      alcoholic hepatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is a common life-threatening illness
      particularly when it is severe. Alcoholic liver disease is associated with
      cytokine imbalance. There is paucity of information about the relationship of
      interleukin (IL) levels with severity and mortality of patients with AH. Our aim
      was to correlate serum IL-8 and IL-12 values with disease severity (mild vs.
      severe) and mortality. METHODS: Fifty patients and 25 healthy subjects were
      included in the study. Serum IL-8 and -12 levels were analyzed and correlated
      with disease severity and mortality. Predictive value for 6 months mortality of
      IL-8, IL-12, Maddreys discriminant function (mDF), age, bilirubin, international
      normalized ratio, and creatinine score (ABIC) and Glasgow alcoholic hepatitis
      score (GAHS) was compared by the area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC).
      RESULTS: Mean (+/-SD) serum IL-8 levels were significantly higher in patients
      with severe AH as compared to mild AH [539.04 +/- 89.77 vs. 253.66 +/- 56.66
      pg/mL (p < 0.001)] and controls [539.04 +/- 89.77 vs. 99.96 +/- 20.94 pg/mL (p <
      0.001)]. Similarly, mean (+SD) serum IL-12 levels in severe AH were also
      significantly higher as compared to mild AH [344.47 +/- 93.04 vs. 101.92 +/-
      16.70 pg/mL (p < 0.001)] and controls [344.47 +/- 93.04 vs. 47.84 +/- 11.22 pg/mL
      (p < 0.001)]. AUROCs of IL-8, IL-12, mDF, ABIC, and GAHS were 0.995, 0.998,
      0.975, 0.873, and 0.883 for predicting 6 months mortality. CONCLUSION: Serum IL-8
      and -12 levels were markedly elevated in AH with increasing levels as the
      severity increases. Serum levels of IL-8 and -12 were better predictors of short
      term mortality as compared to conventional prognostic scores.

PMID- 26108652
TI  - Serum ferritin levels predict histological severity in patients with nonalcoholic
      fatty liver disease in India.
AB  - AIM: The aims of the study were to determine the levels of serum ferritin which
      predict fibrosis in Indian patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
      and to establish correlation between Fibroscan values and serum ferritin levels.
      METHODS: The clinical, biochemical, radiologic, and histological findings of
      consecutive adult NAFLD patients accessed at a tertiary care center over a 3-year
      period were analyzed. Those with concurrent liver diseases were excluded. Fifty
      five of 250 NAFLD patients with fatty liver on ultrasound and raised enzymes (>40
      IU/L) underwent liver biopsy. Patients were stratified into two groups based on
      their histological stage steatosis (with or without inflammation) but no fibrosis
      and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with fibrosis/cirrhosis. Serum ferritin
      levels were measured at the same time as getting liver biopsy. Fibroscan was
      carried out in each of these patients. These were compared with 50 age- and sex
      matched controls with normal ultrasound, liver enzymes, and no history of
      alcohol. Student's t test was used as the test for significance. RESULTS: Fifty
      five NAFLD patients diagnosed on ultrasound and with raised enzymes underwent
      biopsy. Steatosis (with or without inflammation, but no fibrosis/ballooning) was
      seen in 35 patients, fibrosis/ballooning in 14 patients, and cirrhosis in 6
      patients. Mean ferritin levels in groups with nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and
      nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) were 39.4 and 72.7 ng/mL, respectively (p <
      0.001). The mean ferritin levels in NAFLD and controls were 51.2 and 35.2 ng/mL,
      respectively (p < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of serum ferritin at
      value 48.0 ng/mL was 0.779. The coefficient of correlation between Fibroscan and
      serum ferritin levels was 0.9864 while that with alanine transaminase and
      aspartate aminotransferase was 0.69. Serum ferritin at the cutoff of 48 ng/mL
      differentiated significantly patients with fibrosis and higher Fibroscan levels.
      CONCLUSION: Serum ferritin was low in Indian individuals, and levels even within
      apparently normal range indicated fibrosis and cirrhosis. A cutoff level of 48.0
      IU/mL distinguished fibrosis in NAFLD. Fibroscan correlated well with serum
      ferritin levels.

PMID- 26108653
TI  - Success of endoscopic ultrasound-guided ethanol ablation of pancreatic cysts: a
      meta-analysis and systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided ethanol ablation has emerged as an
      efficacious and safe alternative management option for pancreatic cysts. We
      undertook a meta-analysis and systematic review to assess the overall safety and
      efficacy of EUS-guided ethanol ablation of pancreatic cysts. METHOD STUDY
      SELECTION CRITERIA: EUS-guided ethanol ablation of pancreatic cysts. DATA
      COLLECTION EXTRACTION: Articles were searched in Medline, Pubmed, and Ovid
      journals. STATISTICAL METHOD: Fixed and random effects models were used to
      calculate the pooled proportions. RESULTS: Initial search identified 1,319
      reference articles, in which 120 relevant articles were selected and reviewed.
      Data was extracted from seven studies (n = 152) of EUS-guided ethanol ablation of
      pancreatic cysts, which met the inclusion criteria. With EUS-guided ethanol
      ablation, the pooled proportion of patients with complete cyst resolution was
      56.20 % (95 % CI = 48.16 to 64.08) and partial cyst resolution was 23.72 % (95 %
      CI = 17.24 to 30.89). Postprocedural complications after ablation were
      significant for abdominal pain in 6.51 % (95 % CI = 3.12 to 11.04) and
      pancreatitis in 3.90 % (95 % CI = 1.39 to 7.60) of the pooled percentage of
      patients. Publication bias calculated using Harbord-Egger bias indicator gave a
      value of -1.09 (95 % CI = 10.21 to 8.03, p = 0.77). The Begg-Mazumdar indicator
      gave a Kendall's tau b value of 0.05 (p >= 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: EUS-guided ethanol
      ablation may be a safe alternative treatment modality for pancreatic cysts, with
      acceptable intraprocedural and postprocedural complications. However, due to the
      limited data available, prospective randomized controlled trials with a long
      follow up period are required in this area.

PMID- 26108654
TI  - The smoking population in the USA and EU is softening not hardening.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been argued that as smoking prevalence declines in countries,
      the smokers that remain include higher proportions of those who are unwilling or
      unable to quit (a process known as 'hardening'). Smokeless tobacco and e
      cigarettes have been promoted as a strategy to deal with such smokers. If
      hardening is occurring, there would be a positive association between smoking
      prevalence and quitting, with less quitting at lower prevalence. There would also
      be a neutral or negative association between prevalence and the number of
      cigarettes smoked. METHODS: We examined US state-level associations using the
      Tobacco Use Supplement (1992/1993-2010/2011) and Eurobarometer surveys for 31
      European countries (2006-2009-2012) using regressions of quit attempts, quit
      ratios, and number of cigarettes smoked on smoking prevalence over time. RESULTS:
      For each 1% drop in smoking prevalence, quit attempts increase by 0.55%+/-.07
      (p<0.001) in the USA and remain stable in Europe (p=0.53), US quit ratios
      increase by 1.13%+/-0.06 (p<0.001), and consumption drops by 0.32 cig/day+/-0.02
      (p<0.001) in the USA and 0.22 cig/day+/-0.05 (p<0.001) in Europe. These
      associations remain stable over time (p>0.24), with significantly lower
      consumption at any given prevalence level as time passed in the USA (-0.15
      (cig/day)/year+/-0.06, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with prior research using
      different data and methods, these population-level results reject the hypothesis
      of hardening as smoking prevalence drops, instead supporting softening of the
      smoking population as prevalence declines.

PMID- 26108655
TI  - The researcher and the consultant: from testing to probability statements.
AB  - In the first instalment of this series, Stang and Poole provided an overview of
      Fisher significance testing (ST), Neyman-Pearson null hypothesis testing (NHT),
      and their unfortunate and unintended offspring, null hypothesis significance
      testing. In addition to elucidating the distinction between the first two and the
      evolution of the third, the authors alluded to alternative models of statistical
      inference; namely, Bayesian statistics. Bayesian inference has experienced a
      revival in recent decades, with many researchers advocating for its use as both a
      complement and an alternative to NHT and ST. This article will continue in the
      direction of the first instalment, providing practicing researchers with an
      introduction to Bayesian inference. Our work will draw on the examples and
      discussion of the previous dialogue. 

PMID- 26108657
TI  - Evidence-based clinical practice parameter guidelines for the treatment of adults
      with diffuse low grade glioma: introduction and methods.

PMID- 26108656
TI  - Intraarterial drug delivery for glioblastoma mutiforme: Will the phoenix rise
      again?
AB  - Intraarterial (IA) drug delivery is a physiologically appealing strategy as drugs
      are widely distributed throughout the tumor capillary network and high regional
      tissue concentrations can be achieved with low total doses. IA treatment of
      glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) has been attempted since the 1950s but success has
      been elusive. Although IA treatments have been embraced for the treatment of
      retinoblastoma and advanced liver cancers, this has not been the case for GBM.
      The development of IA drug delivery for the treatment of brain cancer over the
      last several decades reveals a number of critical oversights. For example, very
      few studies took into consideration the underlying hydrodynamic factors.
      Therapeutic failures were often blamed on an inability to penetrate the blood
      brain barrier or on the streaming of drugs. Similarly, there were few methods to
      investigate the ultra-fast pharmacokinetics of IA drugs. Despite past failures,
      clinical interest in IA drugs for the treatment of GBM persists. The advent of
      modern imaging methods along with a better understanding of hydrodynamics
      factors, better appreciation of the complex morphology of GBM, improved drug
      selection and formulations, and development of methods to minimize treatment
      related neurological injury, promise to considerably advance the application of
      IA drugs for GBM treatment. There are several clinical trials with IA treatments
      in the National Trial Registry that are actively recruiting patients. This review
      of IA drug delivery for GBM treatment is therefore timely and is intended to
      assess how this method of drug delivery could be better applied to future
      treatments. 

PMID- 26108658
TI  - VB-111: a novel anti-vascular therapeutic for glioblastoma multiforme.
AB  - Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is among the most highly vascularized of solid
      tumors, contributing to the infiltrative nature of the disease, and conferring
      poor outcome. Due to the critical dependency of GBM on growth of new endothelial
      vasculature, we evaluated the preclinical activity of a novel adenoviral gene
      therapy that targets the endothelium within newly formed blood vessels for
      apoptosis. VB-111, currently in phase II clinical trials, consists of a non
      replicating Adenovirus 5 (El deleted) carrying a proapoptotic human Fas-chimera
      (transgene) under the control of a modified murine promoter (PPE-1-3*) which
      specifically targets endothelial cells within the tumor vasculature. Here we
      report that a single intravenous dose of 2.5 * 10(11) or 1 * 10(11) VPs was
      sufficient to extend survival in nude rats bearing U87MG-luc2 or nude mice
      bearing U251-luc, respectively. Bioluminescence imaging of nude rats showed that
      VB-111 effectively inhibited tumor growth within four weeks of treatment. This
      was confirmed in a select group of animals by MRI. In our mouse model we observed
      that 3 of 10 nude mice treated with VB-111 completely lost U251 luciferase signal
      and were considered long term survivors. To assess the antiangiogenic effects of
      VB-111, we evaluated the tumor-associated microvaculature by CD31, a common
      marker of neovascularization, and found a significant decrease in the microvessel
      density by IHC. We further assessed the neovasculature by confocal microscopy and
      found that VB-111 inhibits vascular density in two separate mouse models bearing
      U251-RFP xenografts. Collectively, this study supports the clinical development
      of VB-111 as a treatment for GBM. 

PMID- 26108660
TI  - Potassium channel KCNJ15 is required for histamine-stimulated gastric acid
      secretion.
AB  - Gastric acid secretion is mediated by the K(+)-dependent proton pump (H(+),K(+)
      ATPase), which requires a continuous supply of K(+) at the luminal side of the
      apical membrane. Several K(+) channels are implicated in gastric acid secretion.
      However, the identity of the K(+) channel(s) responsible for apical K(+) supply
      is still elusive. Our previous studies have shown the translocation of KCNJ15
      from cytoplasmic vesicles to the apical membrane on stimulation, indicating its
      involvement in gastric acid secretion. In this study, the stimulation associated
      trafficking of KCNJ15 was observed in a more native context with a live cell
      imaging system. KCNJ15 molecules in resting live cells were scattered in
      cytoplasm but exhibited apical localization after stimulation. Furthermore,
      knocking down KCNJ15 expression with a short hairpin RNA adenoviral construct
      abolished histamine-stimulated acid secretion in rabbit primary parietal cells.
      Moreover, KCNJ15, like H(+),K(+)-ATPase, was detected in all of the parietal
      cells by immunofluorescence staining, whereas only about half of the parietal
      cells were positive for KCNQ1 under the same condition. Consistently, the
      endogenous protein levels of KCNJ15, analyzed by Western blotting, were higher
      than those of KCNQ1 in the gastric mucosa of human, mouse, and rabbit. These
      results provide evidence for a major role of KCNJ15 in apical K(+) supply during
      stimulated acid secretion. 

PMID- 26108659
TI  - Salvage whole brain radiotherapy or stereotactic radiosurgery after initial
      stereotactic radiosurgery for 1-4 brain metastases.
AB  - Patients with limited brain metastases are often candidates for stereotactic
      radiosurgery (SRS) or whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT). Among patients who receive
      SRS, the likelihood and timing of salvage WBRT or SRS remains unclear. We
      examined rates of salvage WBRT or SRS among 180 patients with 1-4 newly diagnosed
      brain metastases who received index SRS from 2008-2013. Competing risks
      multivariable analysis was used to examine factors associated with time to WBRT.
      Patients had non-small cell lung (53 %), melanoma (23 %), breast (10 %), renal (6
      %), or other (8 %) cancers. Median age was 62 years. Patients received index SRS
      to 1 (60 %), 2 (21 %), 3 (13 %), or 4 (7 %) brain metastases. Median survival
      after SRS was 9.7 months (range, 0.3-67.6 months). No further brain-directed
      radiotherapy was delivered after index SRS in 55 % of patients. Twenty-seven
      percent of patients ever received salvage WBRT, and 30 % ever received salvage
      SRS; 12 % of patients received both salvage WBRT and salvage SRS. Median time to
      salvage WBRT or salvage SRS were 5.6 and 6.1 months, respectively. Age <=60 years
      (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] = 2.80; 95 % CI 1.05-7.51; P = 0.04) and
      controlled/absent extracranial disease (AHR = 6.76; 95 % CI 1.60-28.7; P = 0.01)
      were associated with shorter time to salvage WBRT. Isolated brain progression
      caused death in only 11 % of decedents. In summary, most patients with 1-4 brain
      metastases receiving SRS never require salvage WBRT or SRS, and the remainder do
      not require salvage treatment for a median of 6 months. 

PMID- 26108661
TI  - Endothelial cell tumor growth is Ape/ref-1 dependent.
AB  - Tumor-forming endothelial cells have highly elevated levels of Nox-4 that release
      H2O2 into the nucleus, which is generally not compatible with cell survival. We
      sought to identify compensatory mechanisms that enable tumor-forming endothelial
      cells to survive and proliferate under these conditions. Ape-1/ref-1 (Apex-1) is
      a multifunctional protein that promotes DNA binding of redox-sensitive
      transcription factors, such as AP-1, and repairs oxidative DNA damage. A
      validated mouse endothelial cell (EOMA) tumor model was used to demonstrate that
      Nox-4-derived H2O2 causes DNA oxidation that induces Apex-1 expression. Apex-1
      functions as a chaperone to keep transcription factors in a reduced state. In
      EOMA cells Apex-1 enables AP-1 binding to the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1
      (mcp-1) promoter and expression of that protein is required for endothelial cell
      tumor formation. Intraperitoneal injection of the small molecule inhibitor E3330,
      which specifically targets Apex-1 redox-sensitive functions, resulted in a 50%
      decrease in tumor volume compared with mice injected with vehicle control (n = 6
      per group), indicating that endothelial cell tumor proliferation is dependent on
      Apex-1 expression. These are the first reported results to establish Nox-4
      induction of Apex-1 as a mechanism promoting endothelial cell tumor formation. 

PMID- 26108662
TI  - Physical and functional interactions between a glioma cation channel and integrin
      beta1 require alpha-actinin.
AB  - Major plasma membrane components of the tumor cell, ion channels, and integrins
      play crucial roles in metastasis. Glioma cells express an amiloride-sensitive
      nonselective cation channel composed of acid-sensing ion channel (ASIC)-1 and
      epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC) alpha- and gamma-subunits. Inhibition of this
      channel is associated with reduced cell migration and proliferation. Using the
      ASIC-1 subunit as a reporter for the channel complex, we found a physical and
      functional interaction between this channel and integrin-beta1. Short hairpin RNA
      knockdown of integrin-beta1 attenuated the amiloride-sensitive current, which was
      due to loss of surface expression of ASIC-1. In contrast, upregulation of
      membrane expression of integrin-beta1 increased the surface expression of ASIC-1.
      The link between the amiloride-sensitive channel and integrin-beta1 was mediated
      by alpha-actinin. Downregulation of alpha-actinin-1 or -4 attenuated the
      amiloride-sensitive current. Mutation of the putative binding site for alpha
      actinin on the COOH terminus of ASIC-1 reduced the membrane localization of ASIC
      1 and also resulted in attenuation of the amiloride-sensitive current. Our data
      suggest a novel interaction between the amiloride-sensitive glioma cation channel
      and integrin-beta1, mediated by alpha-actinin. This interaction may form a
      mechanism by which channel activity can regulate glioma cell proliferation and
      migration. 

PMID- 26108663
TI  - Expression of rat Na-K-ATPase alpha2 enables ion pumping but not ouabain-induced
      signaling in alpha1-deficient porcine renal epithelial cells.
AB  - Na-K-ATPase is a fundamental component of ion transport. Four alpha isoforms of
      the Na-K-ATPase catalytic alpha subunit are expressed in human cells. The
      ubiquitous Na-K-ATPase alpha1 was recently discovered to also mediate signal
      transduction through Src kinase. In contrast, alpha2 expression is limited to a
      few cell types including myocytes, where it is coupled to the Na(+)/Ca(2+)
      exchanger. To test whether rat Na-K-ATPase alpha2 is capable of cellular
      signaling like its alpha1 counterpart in a recipient mammalian system, we used an
      alpha1 knockdown pig renal epithelial cell (PY-17) to create an alpha2-expressing
      cell line with no detectable level of alpha1 expression. These cells exhibited
      normal ouabain-sensitive ATPase, but failed to effectively regulate Src. In
      contrast to alpha1-expressing cells, ouabain did not stimulate Src kinase or
      downstream effectors such as ERK and Akt in alpha2 cells, although their
      signaling apparatus was intact as evidenced by EGF-mediated signal transduction.
      Additionally, alpha2 cells were unable to rescue caveolin-1. Unlike the NaKtide
      sequence derived from Na-K-ATPase alpha1, which downregulates basal Src activity,
      the corresponding alpha2 NaKtide was unable to inhibit Src in vitro. Finally,
      coimmunoprecipitation of cellular Src was diminished in alpha2 cells. These
      findings indicate that Na-K-ATPase alpha2 does not regulate Src and, therefore,
      may not serve the same role in signal transduction as alpha1. This further
      implies that the signaling mechanism of Na-K-ATPase is isoform specific, thereby
      supporting a model where alpha1 and alpha2 isoforms play distinct roles in
      mediating contraction and signaling in myocytes. 

PMID- 26108664
TI  - Amelioration of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by hepatic stimulator substance
      via preservation of carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 activity.
AB  - Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty
      liver disease and so far is supposed to be related with mitochondrial impairment.
      Hepatic stimulator substance (HSS) has been defined as a liver-protective factor
      promoting hepatocyte DNA synthesis and hepatic proliferation after liver
      intoxication. We previously reported that HSS ameliorated hepatocyte death,
      probably because of its preservation of mitochondria. This study aims to explore
      whether HSS could protect carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1), an essential
      enzyme responsible for beta-oxidation of free fatty acids in mitochondria, from
      lipotoxicity, thus alleviating hepatic lipid deposition. To test this, the HSS
      gene was delivered into C57BL/6J mice and efficiently expressed in the liver.
      NASH mice were prepared with high-fat diet or methionine-choline-deficient diet.
      The results showed that hepatic inflammation and liver functions were alleviated
      in the HSS-transfected mice; meanwhile, the activity of CPT-1 was obviously
      protected. Moreover, oleic acid (OA) treatment resulted in remarkable lipid
      accumulation in HepG2 cells; this deposition was improved by HSS transfection.
      Simultaneously, the CPT-1 activity, which was impaired by OA treatment, was
      profoundly rescued in the HSS-expressing cells. CPT-1 activity was more severely
      impaired if the OA treatment was combined with S15176, a CPT-1 inhibitor.
      However, this impairment was effectively reduced by the HSS transfection, and the
      effect was enhanced by C75, a CPT-1 activator. Interestingly, if the cells were
      transfected with HSS-siRNA, the preservation of CPT-1 provided by HSS was again
      diminished. In conclusion, HSS reduces lipotoxicity to mitochondria most likely
      via preservation of CPT-1. 

PMID- 26108666
TI  - TNAP: a new player in cardiac fibrosis? Focus on "Tissue-nonspecific alkaline
      phosphatase as a target of sFRP2 in cardiac fibroblasts".

PMID- 26108665
TI  - BH3 domain-independent apolipoprotein L1 toxicity rescued by BCL2 prosurvival
      proteins.
AB  - The potent trypanolytic properties of human apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) can be
      neutralized by the trypanosome variant surface antigen gene product known as
      serum resistance-associated protein. However, two common APOL1 haplotypes present
      uniquely in individuals of West African ancestry each encode APOL1 variants
      resistant to serum resistance-associated protein, and each confers substantial
      resistance to human African sleeping sickness. In contrast to the dominantly
      inherited anti-trypanosomal activity of APOL1, recessive inheritance of these two
      trypanoprotective APOL1 alleles predisposes to kidney disease. Proposed
      mechanisms of APOL1 toxicity have included BH3 domain-dependent autophagy and/or
      ion channel activity. We probed these potential mechanisms by expressing APOL1 in
      Xenopus laevis oocytes. APOL1 expression in oocytes increased ion permeability
      and caused profound morphological deterioration (toxicity). Coexpression of BCL2
      family members rescued APOL1-associated oocyte toxicity in the order MCL1 ~ BCLW
      > BCLXL ~ BCL2A1 ? BCL2. Deletion of nine nominal core BH3 domain residues
      abolished APOL1-associated toxicity, but missense substitution of the same
      residues abolished neither oocyte toxicity nor its rescue by coexpressed MCL1.
      The APOL1 BH3 domain was similarly dispensable for the ability of APOL1 to rescue
      intact mice from lethal trypanosome challenge. Replacement of most extracellular
      Na(+) by K(+) also reduced APOL1-associated oocyte toxicity, allowing
      demonstration of APOL1-associated increases in Ca(2+) and Cl(-) fluxes and oocyte
      ion currents, which were similarly reduced by MCL1 coexpression. Thus APOL1
      toxicity in Xenopus oocytes is BH3-independent, but can nonetheless be rescued by
      some BCL2 family proteins. 

PMID- 26108667
TI  - Seeing is believing: NO therapy for glaucoma? Focus on "Role of nitric oxide in
      murine conventional outflow physiology".

PMID- 26108668
TI  - Biomechanical strain induces elastin and collagen production in human pluripotent
      stem cell-derived vascular smooth muscle cells.
AB  - Blood vessels are subjected to numerous biomechanical forces that work
      harmoniously but, when unbalanced because of vascular smooth muscle cell (vSMC)
      dysfunction, can trigger a wide range of ailments such as cerebrovascular,
      peripheral artery, and coronary artery diseases. Human pluripotent stem cells
      (hPSCs) serve as useful therapeutic tools that may help provide insight on the
      effect that such biomechanical stimuli have on vSMC function and differentiation.
      In this study, we aimed to examine the effect of biomechanical strain on vSMCs
      derived from hPSCs. The effects of two types of tensile strain on hPSC-vSMC
      derivatives at different stages of differentiation were examined. The derivatives
      included smooth muscle-like cells (SMLCs), mature SMLCs, and contractile vSMCs.
      All vSMC derivatives aligned perpendicularly to the direction of cyclic uniaxial
      strain. Serum deprivation and short-term uniaxial strain had a synergistic effect
      in enhancing collagen type I, fibronectin, and elastin gene expression.
      Furthermore, long-term uniaxial strain deterred collagen type III gene
      expression, whereas long-term circumferential strain upregulated both collagen
      type III and elastin gene expression. Finally, long-term uniaxial strain
      downregulated extracellular matrix (ECM) expression in more mature vSMC
      derivatives while upregulating elastin in less mature vSMC derivatives. Overall,
      our findings suggest that in vitro application of both cyclic uniaxial and
      circumferential tensile strain on hPSC-vSMC derivatives induces cell alignment
      and affects ECM gene expression. Therefore, mechanical stimulation of hPSC-vSMC
      derivatives using tensile strain may be important in modulating the phenotype and
      thus the function of vSMCs in tissue-engineered vessels. 

PMID- 26108670
TI  - Comparative efficacy trials with no placebo group cannot determine efficacy.

PMID- 26108669
TI  - Structural basis for Mob1-dependent activation of the core Mst-Lats kinase
      cascade in Hippo signaling.
AB  - The Mst-Lats kinase cascade is central to the Hippo tumor-suppressive pathway
      that controls organ size and tissue homeostasis. The adaptor protein Mob1
      promotes Lats activation by Mst, but the mechanism remains unknown. Here, we show
      that human Mob1 binds to autophosphorylated docking motifs in active Mst2. This
      binding enables Mob1 phosphorylation by Mst2. Phosphorylated Mob1 undergoes
      conformational activation and binds to Lats1. We determine the crystal structures
      of phospho-Mst2-Mob1 and phospho-Mob1-Lats1 complexes, revealing the structural
      basis of both phosphorylation-dependent binding events. Further biochemical and
      functional analyses demonstrate that Mob1 mediates Lats1 activation through
      dynamic scaffolding and allosteric mechanisms. Thus, Mob1 acts as a
      phosphorylation-regulated coupler of kinase activation by virtue of its ability
      to engage multiple ligands. We propose that stepwise, phosphorylation-triggered
      docking interactions of nonkinase elements enhance the specificity and robustness
      of kinase signaling cascades. 

PMID- 26108671
TI  - Hippocampal hemispheric and long-axis differentiation of stimulus content during
      episodic memory encoding and retrieval: An activation likelihood estimation meta
      analysis.
AB  - While there is ample evidence that the hippocampus is functionally heterogeneous
      along its longitudinal axis, there is still no consensus regarding its exact
      organization. Whereas spatial memory tasks frequently engage the posterior
      hippocampus, the regions engaged during episodic memory are more varying and may
      depend on the specific nature of the stimuli. Here, we investigate the effect of
      stimulus content on the location of hippocampal recruitment during episodic
      memory encoding and retrieval of pictorial and verbal material with a meta
      analysis approach, using activation likelihood estimation and restricting the
      analysis to the hippocampus. Verbal material was associated with left-lateralized
      anterior activation, compared to pictorial material that recruited a more
      posterior aspect of the hippocampus, primarily within the right hemisphere. This
      effect held for encoding of both single items and item-item associations but was
      less clear during retrieval. The findings lend further support to a functional
      subdivision of the hippocampus along its longitudinal axis and indicate that the
      content of episodic memories is one factor that determines the location of
      hippocampal recruitment.

PMID- 26108672
TI  - Quantitative proteomic analysis shows differentially expressed HSPB1 in
      glioblastoma as a discriminating short from long survival factor and NOVA1 as a
      differentiation factor between low-grade astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gliomas account for more than 60 % of all primary central nervous
      system neoplasms. Low-grade gliomas display a tendency to progress to more
      malignant phenotypes and the most frequent and malignant gliomas are
      glioblastomas (GBM). Another type of glioma, oligodendroglioma originates from
      oligodendrocytes and glial precursor cells and represents 2-5 % of gliomas. The
      discrimination between these two types of glioma is actually controversial, thus,
      a molecular distinction is necessary for better diagnosis. METHODS: iTRAQ-based
      quantitative proteomic analysis was performed on non-neoplastic brain tissue, on
      astrocytoma grade II, glioblastoma with short and long survival and
      oligodendrogliomas. RESULTS: We found that expression of nucleophosmin (NPM1),
      glucose regulated protein 78 kDa (GRP78), nucleolin (NCL) and heat shock protein
      90 kDa (HSP90B1) were increased, Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP/PEBP1) was
      decreased in glioblastoma and they were associated with a network related to
      tumor progression. Expression level of heat shock protein 27 (HSPB1/HSP27)
      discriminated glioblastoma presenting short (6 +/- 4 months, n = 4) and long
      survival (43 +/- 15 months, n = 4) (p = 0.00045). Expression level of RNA binding
      protein nova 1 (NOVA1) differentiated low-grade oligodendroglioma and astrocytoma
      grade II (p = 0.0082). Validation were done by Western blot, qRT-PCR and
      immunohistochemistry in a larger casuistry. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our
      quantitative proteomic analysis detected the molecular triad, NPM1, GRP78 and
      RKIP participating together with NCL and HSP27/HSPB1 in a network related to
      tumor progression. Additionally, two new important targets were uncovered: NOVA1
      useful for diagnostic refinement differentiating astrocytoma from
      oligodendroglioma, and HSPB1/HSP27, as a predictive factor of poor prognosis for
      GBM.

PMID- 26108673
TI  - One-year survival and resource use after critical illness: impact of organ
      failure and residual organ dysfunction in a cohort study in Brazil.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In this study, we evaluated the impacts of organ failure and
      residual dysfunction on 1-year survival and health care resource use using
      Intensive Care Unit (ICU) discharge as the starting point. METHODS: We conducted
      a historical cohort study, including all adult patients discharged alive after at
      least 72 h of ICU stay in a tertiary teaching hospital in Brazil. The starting
      point of follow-up was ICU discharge. Organ failure was defined as a value of 3
      or 4 in its corresponding component of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment
      score, and residual organ dysfunction was defined as a score of 1 or 2. We fit a
      multivariate flexible Cox model to predict 1-year survival. RESULTS: We analyzed
      690 patients. Mortality at 1 year after discharge was 27%. Using multivariate
      modeling, age, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, organ dysfunctions
      and albumin at ICU discharge were the main determinants of 1-year survival. Age
      and organ failure were non-linearly associated with survival, and the impact of
      organ failure diminished over time. We conducted a subset analysis with 561
      patients (81%) discharged without organ failure within the previous 24 h of
      discharge, and the number of residual organs in dysfunction remained strongly
      associated with reduced 1-year survival. The use of health care resources among
      hospital survivors was substantial within 1 year: 40% of the patients were
      rehospitalized, 52% visited the emergency department, 90% were seen at the
      outpatient clinic, 14% attended rehabilitation outpatient services, 11% were
      followed by the psychological or psychiatric service and 7% used the day hospital
      facility. Use of health care resources up to 30 days after hospital discharge was
      associated with the number of organs in dysfunction at ICU discharge.
      CONCLUSIONS: Organ failure was an important determinant of 1-year outcome of
      critically ill survivors. Nevertheless, the impact of organ failure tended to
      diminish over time. Resource use after critical illness was elevated among ICU
      survivors, and a targeted action is needed to deliver appropriate care and to
      reduce the late critical illness burden.

PMID- 26108674
TI  - Factors underlying the perception of effort during constant heart rate running
      above and below the critical heart rate.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study examined: (1) the sustainability of the critical heart rate
      (CHR) minus 5 b min(-1) (CHR - 5) and CHR plus 5 b min(-1) (CHR + 5); (2) the
      ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), velocity, [Formula: see text], minute
      ventilation ([Formula: see text]), breathing frequency (f b ), and
      electromyographic amplitude (EMG AMP) and EMG mean power frequency (MPF)
      responses during treadmill running at CHR - 5 and CHR + 5 to determine what
      factors underlie the perception of effort when heart rate (HR) is held constant;
      and (3) the relationships among RPE, [Formula: see text], and HR, to determine
      which variable(s) reflect exhaustion during exercise performed at a constant HR.
      METHODS: The CHR was determined in eight runners (mean +/- SD; age = 24 +/- 3
      years) from a series of four exhaustive, constant velocity runs. The RPE,
      velocity, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], f b , EMG AMP, and EMG MPF
      responses were recorded during runs at the CHR - 5 and CHR + 5. RESULTS: At CHR -
      5, RPE, f b, and EMG MPF increased, while velocity, [Formula: see text],
      [Formula: see text], and EMG AMP decreased. At CHR + 5, RPE and f b increased,
      velocity, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and EMG AMP decreased, and
      EMG MPF remained constant. CONCLUSIONS: The close association between f b and RPE
      throughout the run at CHR - 5 and during the last 50 % of the run at CHR + 5
      indicated that muscle afferents may have provided feedback from metabolic and
      mechanical stimuli that contributed to the perceptual responses. In addition,
      only RPE consistently indicated exhaustion and the current findings supported its
      use to monitor exercise performed at a constant HR.

PMID- 26108675
TI  - Confusion surrounds physical activity prescription for pregnant women.

PMID- 26108676
TI  - Folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism genes and interactions with nutritional
      factors on colorectal cancer risk: Women's Health Initiative Observational Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Investigations of folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism (FOCM) genes
      and gene-nutrient interactions with respect to colorectal cancer (CRC) risk are
      limited to candidate polymorphisms and dietary folate. This study comprehensively
      investigated associations between genetic variants in FOCM and CRC risk and
      whether the FOCM nutrient status modified these associations. METHODS: Two
      hundred eighty-eight candidate and tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
      in 30 FOCM genes were genotyped for 821 incident CRC case-control matched pairs
      in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study cohort. FOCM biomarkers (red
      blood cell [RBC] folate, plasma folate, pyridoxal-5'-phosphate [PLP], vitamin
      B12, and homocysteine) and self-reported alcohol consumption were measured at the
      baseline. Conditional logistic regression was implemented; effect modification
      was examined on the basis of known enzyme-nutrient relations. RESULTS:
      Statistically significant associations were observed between CRC risk and
      functionally defined candidate SNPs of methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 1
      (MTHFD1; K134R), 5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocysteine methyltransferase
      reductase (MTRR; P450R), and PR domain containing 2 with ZNF domain (PRDM2;
      S450N) and a literature candidate SNP of thymidylate synthase (TYMS; g.676789A>T;
      nominal P < .05). In addition, suggestive associations were noted for tagging
      SNPs in cystathionine-beta-synthase (CBS), dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), DNA
      (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase 3beta (DNMT3B), methionine adenosyltransferase I
      alpha (MAT1A), MTHFD1, and MTRR (nominal P < .05; adjusted P, not significant).
      Significant interactions between nutrient biomarkers and candidate polymorphisms
      were observed for 1) plasma/RBC folate and folate hydrolase 1 (FOLH1),
      paraoxonase 1 (PON1), transcobalamin II (TCN2), DNMT1, and DNMT3B; 2) plasma PLP
      and TYMS TS3; 3) plasma B12 and betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase 2
      (BHMT2); and 4) homocysteine and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and
      alanyl-transfer RNA synthetase (AARS). CONCLUSIONS: Genetic variants in FOCM
      genes are associated with CRC risk among postmenopausal women. FOCM nutrients
      continue to emerge as effect modifiers of genetic influences on CRC risk.

PMID- 26108677
TI  - Globular adiponectin ameliorates metabolic insulin resistance via AMPK-mediated
      restoration of microvascular insulin responses.
AB  - Adiponectin is an adipokine with anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties.
      Hypoadiponectinaemia is closely associated with endothelial dysfunction and
      insulin resistance in obesity and diabetes. Insulin resistance is present in
      muscle microvasculature and this may contribute to decreased insulin delivery to,
      and action in, muscle. In this study we examined whether adiponectin ameliorates
      metabolic insulin resistance by affecting muscle microvascular recruitment. We
      demonstrated that a high-fat diet induces vascular adiponectin and insulin
      resistance but globular adiponectin administration can restore vascular insulin
      responses and improve insulin's metabolic action via an AMPK- and nitric oxide
      dependent mechanism. This suggests that globular adiponectin might have a
      therapeutic potential for improving insulin resistance and preventing
      cardiovascular complications in patients with diabetes via modulation of
      microvascular insulin responses. Hypoadiponectinaemia is closely associated with
      endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance, and microvasculature plays a
      critical role in the regulation of insulin action in muscle. Here we tested
      whether adiponectin replenishment could improve metabolic insulin sensitivity in
      male rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD) via the modulation of microvascular insulin
      responses. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a HFD or low-fat diet (LFD)
      for 4 weeks. Small resistance artery myograph changes in tension, muscle
      microvascular recruitment and metabolic response to insulin were determined.
      Compared with rats fed a LFD, HFD feeding abolished the vasodilatory actions of
      globular adiponectin (gAd) and insulin on pre-constricted distal saphenous
      arteries. Pretreatment with gAd improved insulin responses in arterioles isolated
      from HFD rats, which was blocked by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)
      inhibition. Similarly, HFD abolished microvascular responses to either gAd or
      insulin and decreased insulin-stimulated glucose disposal by ~60%. However,
      supplementing gAd fully rescued insulin's microvascular action and significantly
      improved the metabolic responses to insulin in HFD male rats and these actions
      were abolished by inhibition of either AMPK or nitric oxide production. We
      conclude that HFD induces vascular adiponectin and insulin resistance but gAd
      administration can restore vascular insulin responses and improve insulin's
      metabolic action via an AMPK- and nitric oxide-dependent mechanism in male rats.

PMID- 26108678
TI  - Alternative Routes to Induce Naive Pluripotency in Human Embryonic Stem Cells.
AB  - Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) closely resemble mouse epiblast stem cells
      exhibiting primed pluripotency unlike mouse ESCs (mESCs), which acquire a naive
      pluripotent state. Efforts have been made to trigger naive pluripotency in hESCs
      for subsequent unbiased lineage-specific differentiation, a common conundrum
      faced by primed pluripotent hESCs due to heterogeneity in gene expression
      existing within and between hESC lines. This required either ectopic expression
      of naive genes such as NANOG and KLF2 or inclusion of multiple pluripotency
      associated factors. We report here a novel combination of small molecules and
      growth factors in culture medium (2i/LIF/basic fibroblast growth factor +
      Ascorbic Acid + Forskolin) facilitating rapid induction of transgene-free naive
      pluripotency in hESCs, as well as in mESCs, which has not been shown earlier. The
      converted naive hESCs survived long-term single-cell passaging, maintained a
      normal karyotype, upregulated naive pluripotency genes, and exhibited dependence
      on signaling pathways similar to naive mESCs. Moreover, they undergo global DNA
      demethylation and show a distinctive long noncoding RNA profile. We propose that
      in our medium, the FGF signaling pathway via PI3K/AKT/mTORC induced the
      conversion of primed hESCs toward naive pluripotency. Collectively, we
      demonstrate an alternate route to capture naive pluripotency in hESCs that is
      fast, reproducible, supports naive mESC derivation, and allows efficient
      differentiation.

PMID- 26108679
TI  - Health-related quality of life for medical rescuers one month after Ludian
      earthquake.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An earthquake struck Ludian in Yunnan province of China on August 3,
      2014, resulting in 3143 injuries, 617 deaths, and 112 missing persons. Our study
      aimed at estimating the quality of life and associated determinants among medical
      rescuers after Ludian earthquake. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed
      among personnel from three hospitals that assumed rescue tasks in Ludian
      earthquake. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA and stepwise linear regression
      analysis were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean scores on the physical
      component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) were 49.86 (SD = 6.01)
      and 35.85(SD = 6.90), respectively. Lower PCS in the aftermath of an earthquake
      was associated with non-military medical rescuers, elderly age, and being
      trapped/in danger while lower MSC in the aftermath of an earthquake was
      associated with non-military medical rescuers, young age, being female, being
      trapped/in danger and low education degree. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our study
      demonstrates that medical rescuers are at risk for a lower HRQoL after exposure
      to Ludian earthquake. The results of this study help expand our knowledge of
      health-related quality of life among medical rescuers after the Ludian
      earthquake.

PMID- 26108680
TI  - Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Reveals Partial Translational Regulation for
      Dosage Compensation in Chicken.
AB  - There is increasing evidence that dosage compensation is not a ubiquitous feature
      following sex chromosome evolution, especially not in organisms where females are
      the heterogametic sex, like in birds. Even when it occurs, compensation can be
      incomplete and limited to dosage-sensitive genes. However, previous work has
      mainly studied transcriptional regulation of sex-linked genes, which may not
      reflect expression at the protein level. Here, we used liquid chromatography
      tandem mass spectrometry to detect and quantify expressed levels of more than
      2,400 proteins in ten different tissues of male and female chicken embryos. For
      comparison, transcriptome sequencing was performed in the same individuals, five
      of each sex. The proteomic analysis revealed that dosage compensation was
      incomplete, with a mean male-to-female (M:F) expression ratio of Z-linked genes
      of 1.32 across tissues, similar to that at the RNA level (1.29). The mean Z
      chromosome-to-autosome expression ratio was close to 1 in males and lower than 1
      in females, consistent with partly reduced Z chromosome expression in females.
      Although our results exclude a general mechanism for chromosome-wide dosage
      compensation at translation, 30% of all proteins encoded from Z-linked genes
      showed a significant change in the M:F ratio compared with the corresponding
      ratio at the RNA level. This resulted in a pattern where some genes showed
      balanced expression between sexes and some close to 2-fold higher expression in
      males. This suggests that proteomic analyses will be necessary to reveal a more
      complete picture of gene regulation and sex chromosome evolution. 

PMID- 26108681
TI  - Downregulation of RND3/RhoE in glioblastoma patients promotes tumorigenesis
      through augmentation of notch transcriptional complex activity.
AB  - Activation of Notch signaling contributes to glioblastoma multiform (GBM)
      tumorigenesis. However, the molecular mechanism that promotes the Notch signaling
      augmentation during GBM genesis remains largely unknown. Identification of new
      factors that regulate Notch signaling is critical for tumor treatment. The
      expression levels of RND3 and its clinical implication were analyzed in GBM
      patients. Identification of RND3 as a novel factor in GBM genesis was
      demonstrated in vitro by cell experiments and in vivo by a GBM xenograft model.
      We found that RND3 expression was significantly decreased in human glioblastoma.
      The levels of RND3 expression were inversely correlated with Notch activity,
      tumor size, and tumor cell proliferation, and positively correlated with patient
      survival time. We demonstrated that RND3 functioned as an endogenous repressor of
      the Notch transcriptional complex. RND3 physically interacted with NICD, CSL, and
      MAML1, the Notch transcriptional complex factors, promoted NICD ubiquitination,
      and facilitated the degradation of these cofactor proteins. We further revealed
      that RND3 facilitated the binding of NICD to FBW7, a ubiquitin ligase, and
      consequently enhanced NICD protein degradation. Therefore, Notch transcriptional
      activity was inhibited. Forced expression of RND3 repressed Notch signaling,
      which led to the inhibition of glioblastoma cell proliferation in vitro and tumor
      growth in the xenograft mice in vivo. Downregulation of RND3, however, enhanced
      Notch signaling activity, and subsequently promoted glioma cell proliferation.
      Inhibition of Notch activity abolished RND3 deficiency-mediated GBM cell
      proliferation. We conclude that downregulation of RND3 is responsible for the
      enhancement of Notch activity that promotes glioblastoma genesis.

PMID- 26108682
TI  - Technical tip: high-resolution isolation of nanoparticle-protein corona complexes
      from physiological fluids.
AB  - Nanoparticles (NPs) in contact with biological fluids are generally coated with
      environmental proteins, forming a stronger layer of proteins around the NP
      surface called the hard corona. Protein corona complexes provide the biological
      identity of the NPs and their isolation and characterization are essential to
      understand their in vitro and in vivo behaviour. Here we present a one-step
      methodology to recover NPs from complex biological media in a stable non
      aggregated form without affecting the structure or composition of the corona.
      This method allows NPs to be separated from complex fluids containing biological
      particulates and in a form suitable for use in further experiments. The study has
      been performed systematically comparing the new proposed methodology to standard
      approaches for a wide panel of NPs. NPs were first incubated in the biological
      fluid and successively recovered by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation in order
      to separate the NPs and their protein corona from the loosely bound proteins. The
      isolated NP-protein complexes were characterized by size and protein composition
      through Dynamic Light Scattering, Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, SDS-PAGE and LC
      MS. The protocol described is versatile and can be applied to diverse
      nanomaterials and complex fluids. It is shown to have higher resolution in
      separating the multiple protein corona complexes from a biological environment
      with a much lower impact on their in situ structure compared to conventional
      centrifugal approaches. 

PMID- 26108683
TI  - Improving the NHS demands more than just extra money.

PMID- 26108684
TI  - Calebin-A inhibits adipogenesis and hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet-induced
      obesity via activation of AMPK signaling.
AB  - SCOPE: Diet-induced obesity and associated nonalcoholic fatty liver disease have
      increased and become a major health problem worldwide. This study was conducted
      to investigate the chemopreventive effects of dietary Calebin-A, a curcuminoid,
      on differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes and high-fat diet (HFD) induced obesity
      and hepatic steatosis. Potential mechanisms contributing to these effects were
      also elucidated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Calebin-A effectively and dose dependently
      suppressed accumulation of lipid droplets in adipocytes through the suppression
      of adipogenic specific factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)
      gamma and fatty acid synthase and activated acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Dietary
      Calebin-A effectively decreased weight gain and relative perigonadal,
      retroperitoneal, and mesenteric fat weight in HFD-fed mice. Furthermore, Calebin
      A markedly reduced hepatic steatosis and the serum levels of glutamate
      oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate pyruvate transaminase, total cholesterol,
      and triacylglycerol. These effects were associated with the downregulation of
      PPARgamma, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1, and particularly the
      activation of AMP-activated protein kinase alpha signaling found in both
      adipocytes and liver tissues. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results
      demonstrated for the first time that Calebin-A suppressed adipocyte
      differentiation, prevented HFD-induced obesity, and improved hepatic steatosis,
      suggesting a novel application for the prevention and treatment of obesity and
      associated nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

PMID- 26108685
TI  - An electrochemical biosensor based on cobalt nanoparticles synthesized in iron
      storage protein molecules to determine ascorbic acid.
AB  - The electrochemical detection of ascorbic acid (AA) was investigated using a
      cobalt(III)-ferritin immobilized on a self-assembled monolayer modified gold
      electrode in phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.5). The modified electrode showed
      excellent electrochemical activity for oxidation of AA. The response to AA on the
      modified electrode was examined using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry
      techniques. The resulting biosensor showed a linear response to AA in a
      concentration range from 6.25*10-6 to 2.31*10-5 M with sensitivity of 86,437 MUAM
      1 and detection limit of 4.65 * 10-6 M based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3.
      Electrochemical parameters including the charge transfer coefficient (alpha) and
      the apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (ks ) for AA were
      found to be 0.52 and 1.054 Sec-1 , respectively. It has been shown that, using
      this modified electrode, AA can be determined with high sensitivity, low
      detection limit, and high selectivity.

PMID- 26108686
TI  - Longitudinal trends in all healthcare-associated infections through comprehensive
      hospital-wide surveillance and infection control measures over the past 12 years:
      substantial burden of healthcare-associated infections outside of intensive care
      units and "other" types of infection.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Targeted surveillance has focused on device-associated infections and
      surgical site infections (SSIs) and is often limited to healthcare-associated
      infections (HAIs) in high-risk areas. Longitudinal trends in all HAIs, including
      other types of HAIs, and HAIs outside of intensive care units (ICUs) remain
      unclear. We examined the incidences of all HAIs using comprehensive hospital-wide
      surveillance over a 12-year period (2001-2012). METHODS: This retrospective
      observational study was conducted at the University of North Carolina (UNC)
      Hospitals, a tertiary care academic facility. All HAIs, including 5 major
      infections with 14 specific infection sites as defined using CDC criteria, were
      ascertained through comprehensive hospital-wide surveillance. Generalized linear
      models were used to examine the incidence rate difference by infection type over
      time. RESULTS: A total of 16,579 HAIs included 6,397 cases in ICUs and 10,182
      cases outside ICUs. The incidence of overall HAIs decreased significantly
      hospital-wide (-3.4 infections per 1,000 patient days), in ICUs (-8.4 infections
      per 1,000 patient days), and in non-ICU settings (-1.9 infections per 1,000
      patient days). The incidences of bloodstream infection, urinary tract infection,
      and pneumonia in hospital-wide settings decreased significantly, but the
      incidences of SSI and lower respiratory tract infection remained unchanged. The
      incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) increased remarkably. The
      outcomes were estimated to include 700 overall HAIs prevented, 40 lives saved,
      and cost savings in excess of $10 million. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated success
      in reducing overall HAIs over a 12-year period. Our data underscore the necessity
      for surveillance and infection prevention interventions outside of the ICUs, for
      non-device-associated HAIs, and for CDI.

PMID- 26108687
TI  - Endoscopic endonasal surgery for benign fibro-osseous lesions of the pediatric
      skull base.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To describe the presentation, treatment, and outcomes of
      benign fibro-osseous tumors involving the skull base in a pediatric population.
      METHODS: Retrospective chart review from January 2002 to September 2013 of
      pediatric patients (ages 0-18 years) who underwent endoscopic endonasal surgery
      (EES) for benign fibro-osseous tumors involving the skull base. RESULTS: Fourteen
      patients were identified with an age range of 2.7 to 17.9 years (mean, 12.5
      years). Six juvenile ossifying fibromas, five benign fibro-osseous lesions, two
      osteomas, and one fibrous dysplasia were treated. Ocular symptoms and nasal
      obstruction were the most common presenting symptoms in nine (64%) and six (43%)
      of patients, respectively; five (36%) presented with proptosis and four (29%)
      with diplopia. Two (14%) patients had cranial nerve VI palsy. Transsellar and
      transclival approaches were used in five (36%) of patients. Orbital and optic
      nerve decompressions were the most common components of the approaches performed
      in nine (64%) of the surgeries. Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved with
      single-stage surgery in 10 (71%) patients; two additional patients underwent
      staged GTR. Two intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks occurred and were
      repaired endoscopically. There were no postoperative CSF leaks or infectious
      complications. Two patients had transient diplopia, and two had transient
      diabetes insipidus, all of which resolved. The mean follow-up was 13.8 months.
      Two patients had a recurrence, and both required additional EES achieving GTR.
      CONCLUSIONS: EES for benign fibro-osseous tumors of the skull base is a safe and
      effective treatment for excision of these lesions in the pediatric population.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 26108688
TI  - Production of farnesene and santalene by Saccharomyces cerevisiae using fed-batch
      cultivations with RQ-controlled feed.
AB  - Terpenes have various applications as fragrances, cosmetics and fuels. One of the
      most prominent examples is the sesquiterpene farnesene, which can be used as
      diesel substitute in its hydrogenated form farnesane. Recent metabolic
      engineering efforts have enabled efficient production of several terpenes in
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli. Plant terpene synthases take on an
      essential function for sesquiterpene production as they catalyze the specific
      conversion of the universal precursor farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) to the
      sesquiterpene of interest and thereby impose limitations on the overall
      productivity. Using farnesene as a case study, we chose three terpene synthases
      with distinct plant origins and compared their applicability for farnesene
      production in the yeast S. cerevisiae. Differences regarding the efficiency of
      these enzymes were observed in shake flask cultivation with maximal final titers
      of 4 mg/L using alpha-farnesene synthase from Malus domestica. By employing two
      existing platform strains optimized for sesquiterpene production, final titers
      could be raised up 170 mg/L in fed-batch fermentations with RQ-controlled
      exponential feeding. Based on these experiments, the difference between the
      selected synthases was not significant. Lastly, the same fermentation setup was
      used to compare these results to production of the fragrance sesquiterpene
      santalene, and almost equivalent titers were obtained with 163 mg/L, using the
      highest producing strain expressing a santalene synthase from Clausena lansium.
      However, a reduction of the product yield on biomass by 50% could indicate a
      higher catalytic efficiency of the farnesene synthase.

PMID- 26108690
TI  - MicroRNA-551b is highly expressed in hematopoietic stem cells and a biomarker for
      relapse and poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia.

PMID- 26108689
TI  - Coordinate regulation of residual bone marrow function by paracrine trafficking
      of AML exosomes.
AB  - We recently demonstrated that acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines and patient
      derived blasts release exosomes that carry RNA and protein; following an in vitro
      transfer, AML exosomes produce proangiogenic changes in bystander cells. We
      reasoned that paracrine exosome trafficking may have a broader role in shaping
      the leukemic niche. In a series of in vitro studies and murine xenografts, we
      demonstrate that AML exosomes downregulate critical retention factors (Scf,
      Cxcl12) in stromal cells, leading to hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell
      (HSPC) mobilization from the bone marrow. Exosome trafficking also regulates HSPC
      directly, and we demonstrate declining clonogenicity, loss of CXCR4 and c-Kit
      expression, and the consistent repression of several hematopoietic transcription
      factors, including c-Myb, Cebp-beta and Hoxa-9. Additional experiments using a
      model of extramedullary AML or direct intrafemoral injection of purified exosomes
      reveal that the erosion of HSPC function can occur independent of direct cell
      cell contact with leukemia cells. Finally, using a novel multiplex proteomics
      technique, we identified candidate pathways involved in the direct exosome
      mediated modulation of HSPC function. In aggregate, this work suggests that AML
      exosomes participate in the suppression of residual hematopoietic function that
      precedes widespread leukemic invasion of the bone marrow directly and indirectly
      via stromal components. 

PMID- 26108691
TI  - Characterization of the genome-wide TLX1 binding profile in T-cell acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - The TLX1 transcription factor is critically involved in the multi-step
      pathogenesis of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and often cooperates
      with NOTCH1 activation during malignant T-cell transformation. However, the exact
      molecular mechanism by which these T-cell specific oncogenes cooperate during
      transformation remains to be established. Here, we used chromatin
      immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing to establish the genome-wide binding
      pattern of TLX1 in human T-ALL. This integrative genomics approach showed that
      ectopic TLX1 expression drives repression of T cell-specific enhancers and
      mediates an unexpected transcriptional antagonism with NOTCH1 at critical target
      genes, including IL7R and NOTCH3. These phenomena coordinately trigger a TLX1
      driven pre-leukemic phenotype in human thymic precursor cells, reminiscent of the
      thymus regression observed in murine TLX1 tumor models, and create a strong
      genetic pressure for acquiring activating NOTCH1 mutations as a prerequisite for
      full leukemic transformation. In conclusion, our results uncover a functional
      antagonism between cooperative oncogenes during the earliest phases of tumor
      development and provide novel insights in the multi-step pathogenesis of TLX1
      driven human leukemia. 

PMID- 26108693
TI  - FoxO1-dependent induction of acute myeloid leukemia by osteoblasts in mice.
AB  - Osteoblasts, the bone forming cells, affect self-renewal and expansion of
      hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), as well as homing of healthy hematopoietic cells
      and tumor cells into the bone marrow. Constitutive activation of beta-catenin in
      osteoblasts is sufficient to alter the differentiation potential of myeloid and
      lymphoid progenitors and to initiate the development of acute myeloid leukemia
      (AML) in mice. We show here that Notch1 is the receptor mediating the
      leukemogenic properties of osteoblast-activated beta-catenin in HSCs. Moreover,
      using cell-specific gene inactivation mouse models, we show that FoxO1 expression
      in osteoblasts is required for and mediates the leukemogenic properties of beta
      catenin. At the molecular level, FoxO1 interacts with beta-catenin in osteoblasts
      to induce expression of the Notch ligand, Jagged-1. Subsequent activation of
      Notch signaling in long-term repopulating HSC progenitors induces the
      leukemogenic transformation of HSCs and ultimately leads to the development of
      AML. These findings identify FoxO1 expressed in osteoblasts as a factor affecting
      hematopoiesis and provide a molecular mechanism whereby the FoxO1/activated beta
      catenin interaction results in AML. These observations support the notion that
      the bone marrow niche is an instigator of leukemia and raise the prospect that
      FoxO1 oncogenic properties may occur in other tissues. 

PMID- 26108692
TI  - Lithium chloride antileukemic activity in acute promyelocytic leukemia is GSK-3
      and MEK/ERK dependent.
AB  - We recently identified that the MEK/ERK1/2 pathway synergized with retinoic acid
      (RA) to restore both transcriptional activity and RA-induced differentiation in
      RA-resistant acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cells. To target the MEK/ERK
      pathway, we identified glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) inhibitors
      including lithium chloride (LiCl) as activators of this pathway in APL cells.
      Using NB4 (RA-sensitive) and UF-1 (RA-resistant) APL cell lines, we observed that
      LiCl as well as synthetic GSK-3beta inhibitors decreased proliferation, induced
      apoptosis and restored, in RA-resistant cells, the expression of RA target genes
      and the RA-induced differentiation. Inhibition of the MEK/ERK1/2 pathway
      abolished these effects. These results were corroborated in primary APL patient
      cells and translated in vivo using an APL preclinical mouse model in which LiCl
      given alone was as efficient as RA in increasing survival of leukemic mice
      compared with untreated mice. When LiCl was combined with RA, we observed a
      significant survival advantage compared with mice treated by RA alone. In this
      work, we demonstrate that LiCl, a well-tolerated agent in humans, has
      antileukemic activity in APL and that it has the potential to restore RA-induced
      transcriptional activation and differentiation in RA-resistant APL cells in an
      MEK/ERK-dependent manner. 

PMID- 26108694
TI  - FLT3 D835 mutations confer differential resistance to type II FLT3 inhibitors.
AB  - Activating mutations in FLT3 occur in ~30% of adult acute myeloid leukemia,
      primarily consisting of internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations (~25%) and
      point mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain (~5%), commonly at the activation
      loop residue D835. Secondary kinase domain mutations in FLT3-ITD, particularly at
      the D835 residue are frequently associated with acquired clinical resistance to
      effective FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Molecular docking studies have
      suggested that D835 mutations primarily confer resistance by stabilizing an
      active Asp-Phe-Gly in ('DFG-in') kinase conformation unfavorable to the binding
      of type II FLT3 TKIs, which target a 'DFG-out' inactive conformation. We profiled
      the activity of active type II FLT3 TKIs against D835 kinase domain mutants that
      have been clinically detected to date. We found that type II inhibitors
      (quizartinib, sorafenib, ponatinib and PLX3397) retain activity against specific
      D835 substitutions. Modeling studies suggest that bulky hydrophobic substitutions
      (D835Y/V/I/F) at this residue are particularly resistant, whereas mutations that
      preserve interactions between D835 and S838 are relatively sensitive (D835E/N).
      All mutants retain sensitivity to the type I inhibitor crenolanib. These results
      suggest that patients with relatively sensitive D835 mutations should be included
      in clinical trials of type II FLT3 TKIs. 

PMID- 26108697
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26108695
TI  - Pharmacologic screens reveal metformin that suppresses GRP78-dependent autophagy
      to enhance the anti-myeloma effect of bortezomib.
AB  - Although the therapeutic benefit of proteasome inhibition in multiple myeloma
      remains unchallenged, drug resistance inevitably emerges through mechanisms that
      remain elusive. Bortezomib provokes unwanted protein accumulation and the
      endoplasmic reticulum stress to activate the unfolded protein response (UPR) and
      autophagy as compensatory mechanisms that restore protein homeostasis. High
      throughput screens to detect pharmacologics that modulated autophagy to enhance
      the anti-myeloma effect of bortezomib revealed metformin, a widely used
      antidiabetic agent with proven efficacy and limited adverse effects. Metformin co
      treatment with bortezomib suppressed induction of the critical UPR effector
      glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) to impair autophagosome formation and
      enhance apoptosis. Gene expression profiling of newly diagnosed myeloma patient
      tumors further correlated the hyperexpression of GRP78-encoding HSPA5 with
      reduced clinical response to bortezomib. The effect of bortezomib was enhanced
      with metformin co-treatment using myeloma patient tumor cells and the
      chemoresistant, stem cell-like side population that may contribute to disease
      recurrence. The relevance of the findings was confirmed in vivo as shown by
      metformin co-treatment with bortezomib that delayed the growth of myeloma
      xenotransplants. Taken together, our results suggest that metformin suppresses
      GRP78, a key driver of bortezomib-induced autophagy, and support the
      pharmacologic repositioning of metformin to enhance the anti-myeloma benefit of
      bortezomib. 

PMID- 26108696
TI  - Impact of Substituents in Tumor Uptake and Fluorescence Imaging Ability of Near
      Infrared Cyanine-like Dyes.
AB  - This report presents a simple strategy to introduce various functionalities in a
      cyanine dye (bis-indole-N-butylsulfonate-polymethine bearing a fused cyclic
      chloro-cyclohexene ring structure), and assess the impact of these substitutions
      in tumor uptake, retention and imaging. The results obtained from the structural
      activity relationship (SAR) study demonstrate that certain structural features
      introduced in the cyanine dye moiety make a remarkable difference in tumor
      avidity. Among the compounds investigated, the symmetrical CDs containing an
      amino-phenyl thioether group attached to a cyclohexene ring system and the two N
      butyl linkers with terminal sulfonate groups in benzoindole moieties exhibited
      excellent tumor imaging ability in BALB/c mice bearing Colon26 tumors. Compared
      to indocyanine green (ICG), approved by FDA as a blood pooling agent, which has
      also been investigated for the use in tumor imaging, the modified CD selected on
      the basis of SAR study produced enhanced uptake and longer retention in tumor(s).
      A facile approach reported herein for introducing a variety of functionalities in
      tumor-avid CD provides an opportunity to create multi-imaging modality agent(s).
      Using a combination of mass spectrometry and absorbance techniques, the
      photobleaching of one of the CDs was analyzed and significant regioselective
      photooxidation was observed. 

PMID- 26108698
TI  - Internal Quality Control Practices in Coagulation Laboratories: recommendations
      based on a patterns-of-practice survey.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Internal quality control (IQC) procedures are crucial for ensuring
      accurate patient test results. The IQMH Centre for Proficiency Testing conducted
      a web-based survey to gather information on the current IQC practices in
      coagulation testing. METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed to 174 Ontario
      laboratories licensed to perform prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial
      thromboplastin time (APTT). RESULTS: All laboratories reported using two levels
      of commercial QC (CQC); 12% incorporate pooled patient plasma into their IQC
      program; >68% run CQC at the beginning of each shift; 56% following maintenance,
      with reagent changes, during a shift, or with every repeat sample; 6% only run
      CQC at the beginning of the day and 25% when the instruments have been idle for a
      defined period of time. IQC run frequency was determined by manufacturer
      recommendations (71%) but also influenced by the stability of test (27%),
      clinical impact of an incorrect test result (25%), and sample's batch number
      (10%). IQC was monitored using preset limits based on standard deviation (66%),
      precision goals (46%), or allowable performance limits (36%). 95% use multirules.
      Failure actions include repeating the IQC (90%) and reporting patient results; if
      repeat passes, 42% perform repeat analysis of all patient samples from last
      acceptable IQC. CONCLUSION: Variability exists in coagulation IQC practices among
      Ontario clinical laboratories. The recommendations presented here would be useful
      in encouraging standardized IQC practices.

PMID- 26108699
TI  - Effect of environmental factors on Internet searches related to sinusitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Sinusitis significantly affects the population of the
      United States, exacting direct cost and lost productivity. Patients are likely to
      search the Internet for information related to their health before seeking care
      by a healthcare professional. Utilizing data generated from these searches may
      serve as an epidemiologic surrogate. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective time series
      analysis was performed. METHODS: Google search trend data from the Dallas-Fort
      Worth metro region for the years 2012 and 2013 were collected from
      www.google.com/trends for terms related to sinusitis based on literature
      outlining the most important symptoms for diagnosis. Additional terms were
      selected based on common English language terms used to describe the disease.
      Twelve months of data from the same time period and location for common
      pollutants (nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and particulates), pollen
      and mold counts, and influenza-like illness were also collected. Statistical
      analysis was performed using Pearson correlation coefficients, and potential
      search activity predictors were assessed using autoregressive integrated moving
      average. RESULTS: Pearson correlation was strongest between the terms congestion
      and influenza-like illness (r=0.615), and sinus and influenza-like illness
      (r=0.534) and nitrogen dioxide (r=0.487). Autoregressive integrated moving
      average analysis revealed ozone, influenza-like illness, and nitrogen dioxide
      levels to be potential predictors for sinus pressure searches, with estimates of
      0.118, 0.349, and 0.438, respectively. Nitrogen dioxide was also a potential
      predictor for the terms congestion and sinus, with estimates of 0.191 and 0.272,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Google search activity for related terms follow the
      pattern of seasonal influenza-like illness and nitrogen dioxide. These data
      highlight the epidemiologic potential of this novel surveillance method. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: NA.

PMID- 26108701
TI  - Journal editors impasse with outcome reporting bias.
AB  - Several requirements and regulations have been issued to promote clinical trial
      transparency through prospective registration of trials, disclosure of results,
      access to trial reports submitted to regulatory agencies and access to anonymized
      patient-level data. Clinical trial results are disseminated through articles.
      Yet, many present outcome reporting bias. Open access to trial data will help to
      deter outcome reporting bias. However, this is not enough to clinicians. Access
      to trial protocols by journal staff has proven rather inefficacious in preventing
      outcome reporting bias. Two proposals have been suggested or implemented to
      tackle outcome reporting bias that are discussed in this article. Editors should
      implement quality-control processes aiming at preventing outcome reporting bias.
      Readers should be informed as to the efficiency of the implemented process. 

PMID- 26108700
TI  - High metabolic tumor volume and total lesion glycolysis are associated with
      lateral lymph node metastasis in patients with incidentally detected thyroid
      carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate whether total lesion
      glycolysis (TLG) and metabolic tumor volume (MTV) measured by 18F
      fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography
      (PET/CT) could predict the aggressiveness and lymph node metastasis (LNM) in
      patients with incidentally detected differentiated thyroid carcinoma. METHODS: A
      total 358 patients with focal FDG-avid thyroid incidentaloma during cancer
      evaluation were enrolled. Among 235 patients in whom fine-needle aspiration
      biopsy was performed, 51 patients underwent total thyroidectomy with LN
      dissection. We analyzed the relationship between volume-based parameters and
      clinicopathologic characteristics. RESULTS: The mean age and tumor size were 57.1
      +/- 11.3 years and 1.15 +/- 0.81 cm, respectively. The prevalence of malignancy
      was 21.7 % (51/235). When SUV(max) > 5.91, MTV2.5 > 2.05 cm3, and TLG2.5 > 9.09
      were used as cutoff points, sensitivity, specificity, and area under curve (AUC)
      for prediction of lateral LNM were 77.9, 69.1 %, 0.716 (P = 0.047), 77.8, 88.1 %,
      0.839 (P < 0.001), 77.8, 85.1 %, and 0.815 (P = 0.002), respectively. However,
      MTV and TLG had no value in prediction of central LNM, extrathyroidal extension,
      and multifocality. On comparison ROC curve analysis, the MTV and TLG showed the
      statistical differences for the prediction of lateral LNM compared with SUV(max)
      (all P's < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown for the first time that
      volume-based PET functional parameters had a significant value for the prediction
      of lateral LNM in incidentally detected PTC. These results suggest that higher
      MTV and TLG can be potential new risk factors for preoperative risk
      stratification. The usefulness of TLG and MTV in preoperative risk stratification
      in patients with PTC needs to be confirmed in further large studies.

PMID- 26108702
TI  - A 3-year-old girl with Trisomy 18 and intussusception with Meckel's diverticulum.

PMID- 26108703
TI  - Bis(phenothiazine)arene diradicaloids: isolation, characterization and crystal
      structures.
AB  - A class of bis(phenothiazine)arene dications were isolated and structurally
      characterized by using weakly coordinating anions. Their electronic structures
      were investigated by various experiments in tandem with DFT calculations. They
      all feature singlet ground states with a considerable diradical character and may
      be regarded as nearly pure diradicals. Our work demonstrates the important role
      of orthogonal alignment of spin-carrying pi-systems in tuning the electronic
      structures of bis(triarylamine) dications. 

PMID- 26108704
TI  - Beyond Gisin's Theorem and its Applications: Violation of Local Realism by Two
      Party Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering.
AB  - We demonstrate here that for a given mixed multi-qubit state if there are at
      least two observers for whom mutual Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering is possible,
      i.e. each observer is able to steer the other qubits into two different pure
      states by spontaneous collapses due to von Neumann type measurements on his/her
      qubit, then nonexistence of local realistic models is fully equivalent to quantum
      entanglement (this is not so without this condition). This result leads to an
      enhanced version of Gisin's theorem (originally: all pure entangled states
      violate local realism). Local realism is violated by all mixed states with the
      above steering property. The new class of states allows one e.g. to perform three
      party secret sharing with just pairs of entangled qubits, instead of three qubit
      entanglements (which are currently available with low fidelity). This
      significantly increases the feasibility of having high performance versions of
      such protocols. Finally, we discuss some possible applications. 

PMID- 26108706
TI  - Determination of the linear coefficient of thermal expansion in polymer films at
      the nanoscale: influence of the composition of EVA copolymers and the molecular
      weight of PMMA.
AB  - Nanothermal-expansion of poly(ethylene-co-vinylacetate), EVA, and poly(methyl
      methacrylate), PMMA, in the form of films was measured to finally obtain linear
      coefficients of thermal expansion, CTEs. The simple deflection of a cantilever in
      an atomic force microscope, AFM, was used to monitor thermal expansions at the
      nanoscale. The influences of: (a) the structure of EVA in terms of its
      composition (vinylacetate content) and (b) the size of PMMA chains in terms of
      the molecular weight were studied. To carry out this, several polymer samples
      were used, EVA copolymers with different weight percents of the vinylacetate
      comonomer (12, 18, 25 and 40%) and PMMA polymers with different weight average
      molecular weights (33.9, 64.8, 75.600 and 360.0 kg mol(-1)). The dependencies of
      the vinyl acetate weight fraction of EVA and the molecular weight of PMMA on
      their corresponding CTEs were analyzed to finally explain them using new,
      intuitive and very simple models based on the rule of mixtures. In the case of
      EVA copolymers a simple equation considering the weighted contributions of each
      comonomer was enough to estimate the final CTE above the glass transition
      temperature. On the other hand, when the molecular weight dependence is
      considered the free volume concept was used as novelty. The expansion of PMMA, at
      least at the nanoscale, was well and easily described by the sum of the weighted
      contributions of the occupied and free volumes, respectively. 

PMID- 26108705
TI  - Photon Devil's staircase: photon long-range repulsive interaction in lattices of
      coupled resonators with Rydberg atoms.
AB  - The realization of strong coherent interactions between individual photons is a
      long-standing goal in science and engineering. In this report, based on recent
      experimental setups, we derive a strong photon long-range repulsive interaction,
      by controlling the van der Waals repulsive force between Cesium Rydberg atoms
      located inside different cavities in extended Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard lattices.
      We also find novel quantum phases induced by this photon long-range repulsive
      interaction. For example, without photon hopping, a photon Devil's staircase,
      induced by the breaking of long-range translation symmetry, can emerge. If photon
      hopping occurs, we predict a photon-floating solid phase, due to the motion of
      particle- and hole-like defects. More importantly, for a large chemical potential
      in the resonant case, the photon hopping can be frozen even if the hopping term
      exists. We call this new phase the photon-frozen solid phase. In experiments,
      these predicted phases could be detected by measuring the number of polaritons
      via resonance fluorescence. 

PMID- 26108707
TI  - Analysis of Clinical Cohort Data Using Nested Case-control and Case-cohort
      Sampling Designs. A Powerful and Economical Tool.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sampling from a large cohort in order to derive a subsample that
      would be sufficient for statistical analysis is a frequently used method for
      handling large data sets in epidemiological studies with limited resources for
      exposure measurement. For clinical studies however, when interest is in the
      influence of a potential risk factor, cohort studies are often the first choice
      with all individuals entering the analysis. OBJECTIVES: Our aim is to close the
      gap between epidemiological and clinical studies with respect to design and power
      considerations. Schoenfeld's formula for the number of events required for a Cox'
      proportional hazards model is fundamental. Our objective is to compare the power
      of analyzing the full cohort and the power of a nested case-control and a case
      cohort design. METHODS: We compare formulas for power for sampling designs and
      cohort studies. In our data example we simultaneously apply a nested case-control
      design with a varying number of controls matched to each case, a case cohort
      design with varying subcohort size, a random subsample and a full cohort
      analysis. For each design we calculate the standard error for estimated
      regression coefficients and the mean number of distinct persons, for whom
      covariate information is required. RESULTS: The formula for the power of a nested
      case-control design and the power of a case-cohort design is directly connected
      to the power of a cohort study using the well known Schoenfeld formula. The loss
      in precision of parameter estimates is relatively small compared to the saving in
      resources. CONCLUSIONS: Nested case-control and case-cohort studies, but not
      random subsamples yield an attractive alternative for analyzing clinical studies
      in the situation of a low event rate. Power calculations can be conducted
      straightforwardly to quantify the loss of power compared to the savings in the
      num-ber of patients using a sampling design instead of analyzing the full cohort.

PMID- 26108708
TI  - RAD51 135G>C substitution increases breast cancer risk in an ethnic-specific
      manner: a meta-analysis on 21,236 cases and 19,407 controls.
AB  - RAD51 is a homolog of bacterial RecA protein, which plays an important role in
      preserving stability of the genome. RAD51 interacts with BRCA1 and BRCA2 for
      homologous recombination repair. A functional polymorphism (135G > C) in the
      RAD51 gene has been a subject of great interest, which is evidenced by at least
      28 case-control studies and eight meta-analyses undertaken on this polymorphism
      till now. We undertook a meta-analysis on RAD51 135G > C data for 21,236 cases
      and 19,407 controls pooled from 28 studies on breast cancer in women. Pooled data
      analysis suggested a significant association of the substitution with breast
      cancer in the recessive model (GG + GC versus CC) and in the co-dominant models
      comparing GG versus CC and GC versus CC. Analysis of the results suggested that
      'CC' genotype is a significant breast cancer risk factor in comparison to 'GG'
      and 'GC' genotypes. We also undertook pooled analyses on different ethnic groups
      and found that 'CC' was a strong risk factor in Caucasians, but not in East
      Asians and populations of mixed ethnicity. In conclusion, the RAD51 135G > C
      substitution in the homozygous form (CC) increases the risk of breast cancer in
      an ethnic-specific manner.

PMID- 26108710
TI  - "Hit-and-Run" leaves its mark: catalyst transcription factors and chromatin
      modification.
AB  - Understanding how transcription factor (TF) binding is related to gene regulation
      is a moving target. We recently uncovered genome-wide evidence for a "Hit-and
      Run" model of transcription. In this model, a master TF "hits" a target promoter
      to initiate a rapid response to a signal. As the "hit" is transient, the model
      invokes recruitment of partner TFs to sustain transcription over time. Following
      the "run", the master TF "hits" other targets to propagate the response genome
      wide. As such, a TF may act as a "catalyst" to mount a broad and acute response
      in cells that first sense the signal, while the recruited TF partners promote
      long-term adaptive behavior in the whole organism. This "Hit-and-Run" model
      likely has broad relevance, as TF perturbation studies across eukaryotes show
      small overlaps between TF-regulated and TF-bound genes, implicating transient TF
      target binding. Here, we explore this "Hit-and-Run" model to suggest molecular
      mechanisms and its biological relevance. 

PMID- 26108709
TI  - A Review of the Toxicologic Implications of Obesity.
AB  - The increasing prevalence of obesity in developed nations has far-reaching
      implications for medical toxicology. The management of obese patients is
      complicated by comorbid illnesses, changes in cardiovascular and respiratory
      physiology, alterations in pharmacokinetics, and a lack of studies to identify
      appropriate dosing for current therapeutics and antidotes. In this review
      article, we examine obesity-associated physiologic and pharmacokinetic changes
      that may increase the vulnerability of obese patients to overdose. Further
      research is needed to characterize the relationship between drug toxicity and
      obesity. 

PMID- 26108711
TI  - A Systematic Study on Manufacturing of Prilled Microgels into Lipids for Oral
      Protein Delivery.
AB  - The development of novel systems with oral protein delivery as ultimate goal
      represents an important field of pharmaceutics. Prilling of protein-loaded
      polymeric solutions into lipid-based hardening baths could provide here an
      attractive formulating technology. As the obtained microgel dispersion can be
      directly capsule-filled, no drying step is required and thermal drug degradation
      is avoided. This study aims to find excipient combinations for the novel prilling
      process and investigate systematically diverse material and process factors.
      Bovine serum albumin and mono-N-carboxymethyl chitosan were selected as model
      protein and prilling polymer, respectively. The prilling suitability of 880
      formulations was screened with 60 ternary phase diagrams comprising two co
      solvents, 10 different glycerides, and three so-called complementary excipients.
      Preliminary capsule compatibility was tested for one month on 245 formulations in
      hard and soft capsules with different shell materials. Ternary phase diagrams'
      center points were used to evaluate morphology, encapsulation efficiency, and
      protein stability of the prilled microgels. As result, several formulations
      proved suitable for prilling and compatible for capsule filling. Statistical
      analysis using partial least square regression revealed significant factors
      regarding different quality attributes of microgel dispersions. Therefore, an
      improved understanding was obtained for this promising drug delivery approach.

PMID- 26108712
TI  - Changes in Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1) and Regulatory Prolyl Hydroxylase
      (PHD) Enzymes Following Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury in the Neonatal Rat.
AB  - Hypoxia leads to activation of many cellular adaptive processes which are
      regulated by the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1). HIF-1
      consists of HIF-1alpha and HIF-1beta subunits and levels of HIF-1alpha protein
      are regulated by HIF prolyl-hydroxylase enzymes (PHD1, 2, 3). The aim of the
      current study was to investigate the expression of HIF-1alpha and PHDs at various
      time points after hypoxia-ischemia (HI), using a neonatal rat model of HI brain
      injury. Sprague-Dawley rat pups (postnatal day 7) were anaesthetized and
      underwent right carotid artery occlusion and were then exposed to 6 % oxygen for
      2.5 h at 37  degrees C. HI injured animals demonstrated a significant reduction
      in the size of the ipsilateral hemisphere, compared to sham controls. Protein
      analysis using western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that
      24 h after HI, there was a significant increase in PHD3 protein and an increase
      of HIF-1alpha compared to controls. At the 72 h time point, there was a reduction
      in PHD3 protein, which appeared to relate to cellular loss. There were no changes
      in PHD1 or PHD2 protein levels after HI when compared to age-matched controls.
      Further studies are necessary to establish roles for the HIF-1 regulatory enzyme
      PHD3 in brain injury processes. 

PMID- 26108714
TI  - Iridium-catalyzed allyl-allyl cross-coupling of allylic carbonates with (E)-1,3
      diarylpropenes.
AB  - An efficient Ir-catalyzed allyl-allyl cross-coupling reaction of allylic
      carbonates with (E)-1,3-diarylpropenes was developed to form linear allylated
      products, 1,5-dienes, regioselectively in excellent yields and with high turnover
      numbers (up to 2000 S/Ir). 

PMID- 26108713
TI  - Maternal Oxytocin Administration Before Birth Influences the Effects of Birth
      Anoxia on the Neonatal Rat Brain.
AB  - Ineffective contractions and prolonged labor are common birth complications in
      primiparous women, and oxytocin is the most common agent given for induction or
      augmentation of labor. Clinical studies in humans suggest oxytocin might
      adversely affect the CNS response to hypoxia at birth. In this study, we used a
      rat model of global anoxia during Cesarean section birth to test if administering
      oxytocin to pregnant dams prior to birth affects the acute neonatal CNS response
      to birth anoxia. Anoxic pups born from dams pre-treated with intravenous
      injections or infusions of oxytocin before birth showed significantly increased
      brain lactate, a metabolic indicator of CNS hypoxia, compared to anoxic pups from
      dams pre-treated with saline. Anoxic pups born from dams given oxytocin before
      birth also showed decreased brain ATP compared to anoxic pups from saline dams.
      Direct injection of oxytocin to postnatal day 2 rat pups followed by exposure to
      anoxia also resulted in increased brain lactate and decreased brain ATP, compared
      to anoxia exposure alone. Oxytocin pre-treatment of the dam decreased brain
      malondialdehyde, a marker of lipid peroxidation, as well as protein kinase C
      activity, both in anoxic pups and controls, suggesting oxytocin may reduce
      aspects of oxidative stress. Finally, when dams were pretreated with
      indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor, maternal oxytocin no longer
      potentiated effects of anoxia on neonatal brain lactate, suggesting this effect
      of oxytocin may be mediated via prostaglandin production or other COX-derived
      products. The results indicate that maternal oxytocin administration may have
      multiple acute effects on CNS metabolic responses to anoxia at birth.

PMID- 26108715
TI  - Androgen Receptor Targeted Conjugate for Bimodal Photodynamic Therapy of Prostate
      Cancer in Vitro.
AB  - Prostate cancer (PC) represents the most common type of cancer among males and is
      the second leading cause of cancer death in men in Western society. Current
      options for PC therapy remain unsatisfactory, since they often produce
      uncomfortable long-term side effects, such as impotence (70%) and incontinence (5
      20%) even in the first stages of the disease. Light-triggered therapies, such as
      photodynamic therapy, have the potential to provide important advances in the
      treatment of localized and partially metastasized prostate cancer. We have
      designed a novel molecular conjugate (DR2) constituted of a photosensitizer
      (pheophorbide a, Pba), connected to a nonsteroidal anti-androgen molecule through
      a small pegylated linker. This study aims at investigating whether DR2 represents
      a valuable approach for PC treatment based on light-induced production of single
      oxygen and nitric oxide (NO) in vitro. Besides being able to efficiently bind the
      androgen receptor (AR), the 2-trifluoromethylnitrobenzene ring on the DR2
      backbone is able to release cytotoxic NO under the exclusive control of light,
      thus augmenting the general photodynamic effect. Although DR2 is similarly
      internalized in cells expressing different levels of androgen receptor, the AR
      ligand prevents its efflux through the ABCG2-pump. In vitro phototoxicity
      experiments demonstrated the ability of DR2 to kill cancer cells more efficiently
      than Pba, while no dark toxicity was observed. Overall, the presented approach is
      very promising for further development of AR-photosensitizer conjugates in the
      multimodal photodynamic treatment of prostate cancer. 

PMID- 26108716
TI  - Welcome aboard!

PMID- 26108717
TI  - Genetic variation links creativity to psychiatric disorders.

PMID- 26108718
TI  - Go with your gut: microbiota meet microglia.

PMID- 26108719
TI  - MIR137: big impacts from small changes.

PMID- 26108720
TI  - How amyloid, sleep and memory connect.

PMID- 26108721
TI  - Molecular mechanisms governing Ca(2+) regulation of evoked and spontaneous
      release.
AB  - The relationship between transmitter release evoked by action potentials and
      spontaneous release has fascinated neuroscientists for half a century, and
      separate biological roles for spontaneous release are emerging. Nevertheless,
      separate functions for spontaneous and Ca(2+)-evoked release do not necessarily
      indicate different origins of these two manifestations of vesicular fusion. Here
      we review how Ca(2+) regulates evoked and spontaneous release, emphasizing that
      Ca(2+) can briefly increase vesicle fusion rates one-millionfold above
      spontaneous rates. This high dynamic range suggests that docked and readily
      releasable pool (RRP) vesicles might be protected against spontaneous release
      while also being immediately available for ultrafast Ca(2+)-evoked release.
      Molecular mechanisms for such release clamping of highly fusogenic RRP vesicles
      are increasingly investigated. Thus, we view spontaneous release as a consequence
      of the highly release-competent state of a standing pool of RRP vesicles, which
      is molecularly fine-tuned to control spontaneous release. 

PMID- 26108723
TI  - [Combination of a universal antidote and temporary skin substitute for chemical
      burns: Extended case report].
AB  - In this article we describe our experiences in the treatment of chemical burns
      with Diphoterine((r)) solution and Suprathel((r)) as a temporary skin substitute
      material, a treatment which in the past was not commonly used for this pattern of
      injuries. In the study period from October 2012 to December 2013 we treated five
      patients (four male and one female including two children and three adults) with
      chemical burns by decontamination with Diphoterine((r)) and wound covering with
      Suprathel((r)). The control group included five patients with similar injury
      patterns who were treated with Diphoterine((r)) and occlusive wound dressings. No
      wound infections occurred in any of the five cases and no interactions were
      observed between Suprathel((r)) and the chemical substance involved. In four
      cases the skin areas with IIa-IIb degree damage showed good wound healing and
      only slight scarring in the follow-up after 3 months and one of the five patients
      had to be treated surgically. Suprathel((r)) can be used as a temporary skin
      substitute for the treatment of skin burns and is also available for the
      treatment of chemical burns. 

PMID- 26108724
TI  - [P.A.R.T.Y. An initiative for more risk awareness among young road users].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Accident prevention strategies aim to inform young
      people about risk-taking behavior and the consequences of trauma. The Prevent
      Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth (P.A.R.T.Y.) program is an accident
      prevention program that focuses on the prevention of road traffic accidents among
      young road users. Initial results of the program were evaluated to find out if
      the implementation of this prevention program is feasible in Germany. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: During a 1-day interactive course young road users were introduced
      to the work carried out in an accident trauma unit and were informed about injury
      mechanisms and about the consequences of trauma. A systematic evaluation was made
      by all participants. The results were analyzed to find out whether it is possible
      to implement the program and the impressions gained by the participants of the
      program in order to be able to make further adjustments. RESULTS: A total of 219
      young road users participated in the P.A.R.T.Y. program between 2011 and 2013.
      All participants reviewed the structure of the program with the help of school
      grades. Of the participants 59 % (n = 129) rated the program as "very good" and
      41 % gave the rating of "good". Overall, 70 % of all participants advocated that
      all people of the same age should participate in the program. The structure was
      described as being well-balanced with respect to the theoretical and practical
      stations. CONCLUSION: The P.A.R.T.Y. program is a standardized and well
      established concept that can also contribute to accident prevention in Germany.
      It provides the possibility to implement an accident awareness program throughout
      Germany. Initial results show that the program can be implemented in German
      hospitals and that the program appeals to the target group of young road users.

PMID- 26108722
TI  - Diversity of astrocyte functions and phenotypes in neural circuits.
AB  - Astrocytes tile the entire CNS. They are vital for neural circuit function, but
      have traditionally been viewed as simple, homogenous cells that serve the same
      essential supportive roles everywhere. Here, we summarize breakthroughs that
      instead indicate that astrocytes represent a population of complex and
      functionally diverse cells. Physiological diversity of astrocytes is apparent
      between different brain circuits and microcircuits, and individual astrocytes
      display diverse signaling in subcellular compartments. With respect to injury and
      disease, astrocytes undergo diverse phenotypic changes that may be protective or
      causative with regard to pathology in a context-dependent manner. These new
      insights herald the concept that astrocytes represent a diverse population of
      genetically tractable cells that mediate neural circuit-specific roles in health
      and disease. 

PMID- 26108727
TI  - [Gunshot and stabbing injuries: Look beyond the horizon].

PMID- 26108726
TI  - [Posttraumatic arthritis of the glenohumeral joint. Joint-preserving therapy
      options].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The management of glenohumeral osteoarthritis in younger patients
      with high activity levels remains a challenge to orthopedic surgeons. The
      clinical results of joint replacement surgery are commonly unsatisfactory in this
      particular cohort with the associated problem of limited longevity of the
      implant. OBJECTIVES: This paper reviews the indications, techniques and outcomes
      of joint-preserving arthroscopic surgery for the treatment of osteoarthritis of
      the shoulder. METHODS: A selective literature search was performed and personal
      surgical experiences are reported. RESULTS: Besides significant pain reduction,
      improved range of motion and increased patient satisfaction, arthroscopic surgery
      can delay the need for total shoulder arthroplasty. A comprehensive approach that
      addresses all concomitant pathologies of the shoulder joint is of particular
      importance. Recent studies have shown that a glenohumeral joint space of less
      than 2 mm predicts significantly poorer results with arthroscopic therapy.
      CONCLUSION: Arthroscopic procedures are a good option to treat young, active
      patients with osteoarthritis of the shoulder. Patient selection and setting a
      consensus for appropriate preoperative expectations are of particular relevance.

PMID- 26108725
TI  - [Posttraumatic nonunions and malunions of the proximal humerus. Possibilities and
      limitations of corrective osteotomy].
AB  - BACKGROUND: According to the future demographic trends the incidence of proximal
      humeral fractures and subsequent posttraumatic malunions and nonunions of the
      proximal humerus are expected to substantially increase. OBJECTIVES: This article
      reviews the indications, techniques and outcomes of corrective osteotomy for the
      treatment of posttraumatic nounions and malunions of the proximal humerus.
      METHODS: A selective literature search was performed and personal surgical
      experiences are reported. RESULTS: Malunions of the proximal humerus can occur
      after both surgical and conservative management of fractures. Due to the complex
      anatomy of the proximal humerus, malunions have to be systematically assessed
      regarding epiphyseal and metaphyseal malpositioning. Furthermore, the objective
      anatomical disorder has to be completely correlated with the subjective patient
      complaints. The associated soft tissue structures, such as the glenohumeral joint
      capsule and ligaments, long head of the biceps tendon, rotator cuff and muscles
      inserting in the metaphysis, can independently cause discomfort to the patient
      and need to be meticulously identified as such. CONCLUSION: A variety of
      corrective surgical strategies are available, which are indicated depending on
      the location and extent of the malunion. The depicted single-cut osteotomy
      technique represents an elegant therapeutic option for multidimensional
      deformities of the proximal humerus. Nonunions of the proximal humerus can
      usually be successfully managed with autologous cancellous bone grafting and
      locking plate osteosynthesis.

PMID- 26108728
TI  - Autophagy protects meniscal cells from glucocorticoids-induced apoptosis via
      inositol trisphosphate receptor signaling.
AB  - Intra-articular injection of glucocorticoids (GCs) has been widely used in the
      management of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Nevertheless, several
      studies showed that GCs had toxic effects on chondrocytes as well as synovial
      cells. Previously we reported the protective role of autophagy in the
      degeneration of meniscal tissues. However, the effects of GCs on autophagy in the
      meniscal cells have not been fully elucidated. To investigate whether GCs can
      regulate autophagy in human meniscal cells, the meniscal cells were cultured in
      vitro and exposed in the presence of dexamethasone. The levels of apoptosis and
      autophagy were investigated via flow cytometry as well as western blotting
      analysis. The changes of the aggrecanases were measured using real-time PCR. The
      role of autophagy in dexamethasone-induced apoptosis was investigated using
      pharmacological agents and RNA interference technique. An agonist of inositol
      1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) was used to investigate the mechanism of
      dexamethasone-induced autophagy. The results showed that dexamethasone induced
      autophagy as well as apoptosis in normal human meniscal cells. Using RNA
      interference technique and pharmacological agents, our results showed that
      autophagy protected the meniscal cells from dexamethasone-induced apoptosis. Our
      results also indicated that dexamethasone increased the mRNA levels of
      aggrecanases. This catabolic effect of dexamethasone was enhanced by 3-MA, the
      autophagy inhibitor. Furthermore, our results showed that dexamethasone induced
      autophagy via suppressing the phosphorylation of IP3R. In summary, our results
      indicated that autophagy protected meniscal cells from GCs-induced apoptosis via
      inositol trisphosphate receptor signaling. 

PMID- 26108730
TI  - Disturbances in Bone Largely Predict Aortic Calcification in an Alternative Rat
      Model Developed to Study Both Vascular and Bone Pathology in Chronic Kidney
      Disease.
AB  - Because current rat models used to study chronic kidney disease (CKD)-related
      vascular calcification show consistent but excessive vascular calcification and
      chaotic, immeasurable, bone mineralization due to excessive bone turnover, they
      are not suited to study the bone-vascular axis in one and the same animal.
      Because vascular calcification and bone mineralization are closely related to
      each other, an animal model in which both pathologies can be studied
      concomitantly is highly needed. CKD-related vascular calcification in rats was
      induced by a 0.25% adenine/low vitamin K diet. To follow vascular calcification
      and bone pathology over time, rats were killed at weeks 4, 8, 10, 11, and 12.
      Both static and dynamic bone parameters were measured. Vascular calcification was
      quantified by histomorphometry and measurement of the arterial calcium content.
      Stable, severe CKD was induced along with hyperphosphatemia, hypocalcemia as well
      as increased serum PTH and FGF23. Calcification in the aorta and peripheral
      arteries was present from week 8 of CKD onward. Four and 8 weeks after CKD,
      static and dynamic bone parameters were measurable in all animals, thereby
      presenting typical features of hyperparathyroid bone disease. Multiple regression
      analysis showed that the eroded perimeter and mineral apposition rate in the bone
      were strong predictors for aortic calcification. This rat model presents a stable
      CKD, moderate vascular calcification, and quantifiable bone pathology after 8
      weeks of CKD and is the first model that lends itself to study these main
      complications simultaneously in CKD in mechanistic and intervention studies.

PMID- 26108729
TI  - The sorting protein PACS-2 promotes ErbB signalling by regulating recycling of
      the metalloproteinase ADAM17.
AB  - The metalloproteinase ADAM17 activates ErbB signalling by releasing ligands from
      the cell surface, a key step underlying epithelial development, growth and tumour
      progression. However, mechanisms acutely controlling ADAM17 cell-surface
      availability to modulate the extent of ErbB ligand release are poorly understood.
      Here, through a functional genome-wide siRNA screen, we identify the sorting
      protein PACS-2 as a regulator of ADAM17 trafficking and ErbB signalling. PACS-2
      loss reduces ADAM17 cell-surface levels and ADAM17-dependent ErbB ligand
      shedding, without apparent effects on related proteases. PACS-2 co-localizes with
      ADAM17 on early endosomes and PACS-2 knockdown decreases the recycling and
      stability of internalized ADAM17. Hence, PACS-2 sustains ADAM17 cell-surface
      activity by diverting ADAM17 away from degradative pathways. Interestingly, Pacs2
      deficient mice display significantly reduced levels of phosphorylated EGFR and
      intestinal proliferation. We suggest that this mechanism controlling ADAM17 cell
      surface availability and EGFR signalling may play a role in intestinal
      homeostasis, with potential implications for cancer biology. 

PMID- 26108731
TI  - Classification of stress urinary incontinence.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The relevant terminology for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is
      affected by the context, namely the clinical assessment (the symptom of SUI
      elicited on history taking and the sign of SUI observed during examination) or
      diagnostic investigations (urodynamic stress incontinence). In some cases, SUI
      may only be observed after the reduction in coexistent prolapse (occult SUI).
      Classifying SUI often relies on distinguishing between intrinsic sphincter
      deficiency (ISD), and urethral malposition or hypermobility, although this
      potentially an over-simplification. REVIEW: Classification systems have been
      derived based on clinical assessment and diagnostic testing, notably
      videourodynamics. Modern developments in imaging technology may allow other
      techniques such as ultrasound to offer additional basis for future developments
      in classification. Other urodynamic approaches include urethral pressure
      profilometry and Valsalva leak point pressure; these may offer indicators of
      thresholds below which ISD is more likely to explain SUI, but they are not
      generally accepted in routine practice. CONCLUSIONS: While SUI classification is
      potentially relevant to treatment selection, evidence for influence on management
      outcome is limited. Generating a high-quality evidence base for treatment
      selection on these criteria is problematic, particularly due to the range of
      confounding factors. In practice, the modern practitioner relies on various tools
      to form an opinion on some key aspects, using the findings to derive a treatment
      strategy. Accordingly, there remains a need to confirm how a classification of
      SUI translates into treatment selection and better outcomes.

PMID- 26108733
TI  - Translational value of liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass
      spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics for in vitro-in vivo extrapolation of
      drug metabolism and transport and considerations in selecting appropriate
      techniques.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters play an important role
      in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion and, consequently,
      they influence drug efficacy and toxicity. Quantification of drug-metabolizing
      enzymes and transporters in various tissues is therefore essential for
      comprehensive elucidation of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and
      excretion. Recent advances in liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) have improved the quantification of pharmacologically
      relevant proteins. AREAS COVERED: This report presents an overview of mass
      spectrometry-based methods currently used for the quantification of drug
      metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters, mainly focusing on applications and
      cost associated with various quantitative strategies based on stable isotope
      labeled standards (absolute quantification peptide standards, quantification
      concatemers, protein standards for absolute quantification) and label-free
      analysis. EXPERT OPINION: In mass spectrometry, there is no simple relationship
      between signal intensity and analyte concentration. Proteomic strategies are
      therefore complex and several factors need to be considered when selecting the
      most appropriate method for an intended application, including the number of
      proteins and samples. Quantitative strategies require appropriate mass
      spectrometry platforms, yet choice is often limited by the availability of
      appropriate instrumentation. Quantitative proteomics research requires specialist
      practical skills and there is a pressing need to dedicate more effort and
      investment to training personnel in this area. Large-scale multicenter
      collaborations are also needed to standardize quantitative strategies in order to
      improve physiologically based pharmacokinetic models.

PMID- 26108732
TI  - Prostatitis, other genitourinary infections and prostate cancer: results from a
      population-based case-control study.
AB  - PURPOSE: We relied on a population-based case-control study (PROtEuS) to examine
      a potential association between the presence of histologically confirmed prostate
      cancer (PCa) and history of genitourinary infections, e.g., prostatitis,
      urethritis, orchitis and epididymitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cases were 1933 men
      with incident PCa, diagnosed across Montreal hospitals between 2005 and 2009.
      Population controls were 1994 men from the same residential area and age
      distribution. In-person interviews collected information about socio-demographic
      characteristics, lifestyle and medical history, e.g., self-reported history of
      several genitourinary infections, as well as on PCa screening. Logistic
      regression analyses tested overall and grade-specific associations, including
      subgroup analyses with frequent PSA testing. RESULTS: After multivariable
      adjustment, prostatitis was associated with an increased risk of any PCa (OR 1.81
      [1.44-2.27]), but not urethritis (OR 1.05 [0.84-1.30]), orchitis (OR 1.28 [0.92
      1.78]) or epididymitis (OR 0.98 [0.57-1.68]). The association between prostatitis
      and PCa was more pronounced for low-grade PCa (Gleason <= 6: OR 2.11 [1.61-2.77];
      Gleason >= 7: OR 1.59 [1.22-2.07]). Adjusting for frequency of physician visits,
      PSA testing frequency or restricting analyses to frequently screened subjects did
      not affect these results. CONCLUSION: Prostatitis was associated with an
      increased probability for detecting PCa even after adjustment for frequency of
      PSA testing and physician visits, but not urethritis, orchitis or epididymitis.
      These considerations may be helpful in clinical risk stratification of
      individuals in whom the risk of PCa is pertinent.

PMID- 26108735
TI  - Remaining cancer cells within the fibrosis after neo-adjuvant treatment for
      locally advanced rectal cancer.
AB  - AIM: To analyse the incidence and distribution of remaining cancer cells within
      the fibrosis induced by preoperative chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) for locally
      advanced rectal cancer. METHODS: The histopathological specimens from 46 patients
      operated on with extensive surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer after CRT
      were examined. The extension of fibrosis in relation to the mesorectal fascia
      (MRF) and the distribution of cancer cells within the fibrosis was examined using
      routine haematoxylin-eosin staining. In addition, immunohistochemical staining
      with CK20 was done to examine if cancer cells were missed by routine pathological
      work up. RESULTS: All specimens showed CRT induced fibrosis. Two specimens showed
      complete response without viable cancer cells (ypT0). The fibrosis was limited
      inside the MRF in three cases, adherent to or involved the MRF in ten cases and
      in 33 cases the fibrosis was obvious outside as well as inside the fascia. Twenty
      one cases showed fibrosis on the surgical resection margin, and in 9 of these
      cancer cells were found on the surgical margin (R1, R2-resection). 37 patients
      had R0 resections and among those 24 showed fibrosis beyond the MFR and 13 had
      scattered cancer cells in the fibrosis along or outside the MRF. CONCLUSIONS: The
      rate of remaining cancer cells within the fibrosis was high in patients with
      locally advanced rectal cancer treated with CRT. Frequently cancer cells were
      detected near the border of the fibrosis. A complete resection of the fibrosis is
      therefore recommended to achieve an R0 resection after neo-adjuvant treatment.

PMID- 26108734
TI  - Healthcare professionals' preferences for surgery or primary endocrine therapy to
      treat older women with operable breast cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Primary endocrine therapy (PET) is an alternative treatment to
      surgery for oestrogen receptor (ER) positive operable breast cancer in older
      women. However, there is variable use of PET in the UK, with up to 40% of
      patients aged over 70 receiving PET instead of surgery in some regions. Treatment
      options offered to patients rely heavily on healthcare professional (HCP)
      assessment and opinion on which treatments are appropriate. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This was a mixed methods study combining semi-structured interviews with
      HCPs working in high and low PET regions in the UK, followed by a postal
      questionnaire survey distributed via the Association of Breast Surgery (ABS).
      RESULTS: Thirty-four HCPs (20 breast surgeons; 13 nurse specialists; 1
      geriatrician) were interviewed from 14 sites across the UK and 252/641
      questionnaires returned (39%). There was an overriding view that PET is not
      suitable for patients under the age of 80 unless there are significant
      comorbidities. Opinion was split regarding the best way to treat patients with
      dementia. Patient preference was generally stated to be the most important factor
      when considering treatment, however only around a quarter 65/244 (26.6%) felt
      that all patients over the age of 70 should be offered PET as an alternative
      treatment option. CONCLUSIONS: Opinions differ on the best way to treat women
      over 70 with operable breast cancer, especially if they have co-existing
      dementia, as well as whether they should be offered PET as a treatment option.
      This may be a significant cause of treatment variation in the UK.

PMID- 26108736
TI  - Simple criteria to predict margin involvement after chemoradiotherapy and
      sphincter-sparing for low rectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low rectal cancers carry a high risk of circumferential margin
      involvement (CRM+). The anatomy of the lower part of the rectum and a long course
      of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) limit the accuracy of imaging to predict the CRM+.
      Additional criteria are required. METHODS: Eighty six patients undergoing rectal
      resection with a sphincter-sparing procedure after CRT for low rectal cancer
      between 2000 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Risk factors of CRM+ and the
      cut-off number of risk factors required to accurately predict the CRM+ were
      analyzed. RESULTS: The CRM+ rate was 9.3% and in the multivariate analysis, the
      significant risk factors were a tumor size exceeding 3 cm, poor response to CRT
      and a fixed tumor. The best cut-off to predict CRM+ was the presence of 2 risk
      factors. Patients with 0-1 and 2-3 risk factors had a CRM+ respectively in 1.3%
      and 50% of cases and a 3-year recurrence rate of 7% and 35% after a median follow
      up of 50 months. CONCLUSIONS: Poor response, a residual tumor greater than 3 cm
      and a fixed tumor are predictive of CRM+. Sphincter sparing is an oncological
      safety procedure for patients with 0-1 criteria but not for patients with 2-3
      criteria.

PMID- 26108737
TI  - Contralateral lymph node recurrence in breast cancer: Regional event rather than
      distant metastatic disease. A systematic review of the literature.
AB  - AIMS: After treatment for breast cancer, some patients experience a contralateral
      lymph node recurrence (CLNR). Traditionally, contralateral nodes are considered a
      distant site. However, aberrant lymph drainage after previous surgery is common.
      This might indicate that CLNR is a regional event. This study aimed to review the
      literature to determine prognosis after CLNR. METHODS: PubMed was searched up
      until July 2014. Articles on CLNR with or without ipsilateral breast tumour
      recurrence (IBTR), and repeat sentinel node (SN) studies reporting on positive
      contralateral nodes were included. Exclusion criteria were synchronous
      contralateral breast cancer and synchronous distant events. RESULTS: 24 articles
      were included, describing 48 patients. Of these 48, 26 patients had an isolated
      CLNR, 7 IBTR and clinically detected CLNR, and 15 IBTR with a positive
      contralateral repeat SN. Isolated CLNR occurred earlier (45.9 months) than IBTR
      with CLNR (126.6 months, p < 0.001) or with a positive contralateral repeat SN
      (217.2, p = 0.02). Surgical treatment was described for 38 patients, and
      consisted of axillary lymph node dissection for 34 (89.5%). Information on
      adjuvant therapy was available for 27 patients, 21 (77.8%) received chemotherapy.
      Follow-up information after CLNR was available for 23 patients (47.9%). Mean
      follow-up was 50.3 months. Overall survival and disease-free survival were 82.6%
      [95% CI 67.1-98.1] and 65.2% [45.7-84.7] respectively at last follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although observed in a small population, the survival of CLNR is not
      comparable to distant disease. Most patients received locoregional and systemic
      treatment suggesting a curative approach. This indicates that CLNR should be
      regarded as a regional event.

PMID- 26108738
TI  - PDCD1 single nucleotide genes polymorphisms confer susceptibility to juvenile
      onset systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - Juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) is a multisystem autoimmune
      disease in which both the genetic and environmental factors seem to be involved
      in the etiopathogenesis of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      association of programmed cell death 1 (PDCD1, also called PD-1) gene
      polymorphisms with JSLE susceptibility in Iranian population. In this case
      control association study, three PDCD1 SNPs, including PD-1.1 G/A, PD-1.3 G/A and
      PD-1.9 C/T were genotyped in 50 Iranian patients with JSLE and 202 healthy
      unrelated controls, using PCR-RFLP method. The PD-1.1 A allele was found to be
      more frequent in the case group compared with controls (6% vs. 1.5%, p = 0.024).
      Moreover, the GG genotype was less frequent in cases than in controls (88% vs.
      97%, p = 0.021). The other PDCD1 SNPs did not show association. At the haplotypic
      level, no significant differences was recognized between the two groups of case
      and control neither for the GAC (PD-1.1 G, PD-1.3 A, PD-1.9 C) nor for the GGC
      haplotype (PD-1.1 G, PD-1.3 G, PD-1.9 C). Our findings support the influence of
      the PD1.1 A SNP on the development of JSLE in Iranian population.

PMID- 26108739
TI  - Comprehensive analysis of patient and caregiver predictors for caregiver burden,
      anxiety and depression in Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this study was to examine the
      correlations between patient and caregiver characteristics with caregiver burden,
      anxiety and depression in Alzheimer's Disease. Secondary aim was to determine
      which behavioural and psychological symptoms had the greatest impact on caregiver
      burden, anxiety and depression in Alzheimer's Disease. BACKGROUND: Caregivers of
      individuals with Alzheimer's Disease experience high levels of burden, both
      psychologically and physically. Previous studies have examined caregiver burden,
      anxiety and depression separately. However, no paper has examined these three
      psychological conditions simultaneously. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design.
      METHODS: A total of 310 patients with probable Alzheimer's Disease and their
      primary caregivers were assessed. Cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric
      symptoms were assessed with the Mini Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive
      Assessment, Clock Drawing Test and Neuropsychiatric Inventory, respectively.
      Caregiver burden, anxiety and depression were assessed with the ZBI, Generalised
      Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, respectively.
      RESULTS: All 12 neuropsychiatric symptoms in the Neuropsychiatric Inventory were
      significantly correlated with caregiver burden, anxiety and depression, with the
      top three neuropsychiatric predictors being depression, apathy and anxiety.
      Furthermore, higher levels of caregiver anxiety were associated with a longer
      duration of being a caregiver. Within caregivers, higher levels of depression
      were independently associated with higher numbers of additional caregivers, lower
      educational background and being the spouse of the patient. Higher levels of
      burden were associated with a longer duration of being a caregiver and being the
      spouse of the patient. Caregiver burden, anxiety or depression were not
      significantly correlated with hours/day of caring for the patient. CONCLUSIONS:
      Caregiver burden, anxiety and depression were significantly correlated with
      different neuropsychiatric symptoms in the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. RELEVANCE
      TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Practitioners are able to identify caregivers at risk for
      burden, anxiety and depression. Understanding which Neuropsychiatric Inventory
      symptom is more closely associated with distress in caregivers will help
      practitioners to be more specific and effective in detecting caregiver distress.

PMID- 26108740
TI  - Effects of ankle-foot braces on medial gastrocnemius morphometrics and gait in
      children with cerebral palsy.
AB  - PURPOSE: In children with cerebral palsy (CP), braces are used to counteract
      progressive joint and muscle contracture and improve function. We examined the
      effects of positional ankle-foot braces on contracture of the medial
      gastrocnemius (MG) and gait in children with CP while referencing to typically
      developing children. METHODS: Seventeen independently ambulant children with CP
      and calf muscle contracture (age 10.4 +/- 3.0y) and 17 untreated typically
      developing peers (age 9.5 +/- 2.6y) participated. Children with CP were analysed
      before and 16 +/- 4 weeks after ankle-foot bracing. MG muscle belly length and
      thickness, tendon and fascicle length, as well as their extensibility were
      captured by 2D ultrasound and 3D motion capturing during passive, manually
      applied stretches. In addition, 3D gait analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Prior to
      bracing, the MG muscle-tendon unit in children with CP was 22 % less extensible.
      At matched amounts of muscle-tendon unit stretch, the muscle belly and fascicles
      in CP were 7 % and 14 % shorter while the tendon was 11 % longer. Spastic
      fascicles displayed 32 % less extensibility than controls. Brace wear increased
      passive dorsiflexion primarily with the knees flexed. During gait, children
      walked faster and foot lift in swing improved. MG muscle belly and tendon length
      showed little change, but fascicles further shortened (-11 %) and muscle
      thickness (-8 %) decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Use of ankle-foot braces improves
      function but may lead to a loss of sarcomeres in series, which could explain the
      shortened fascicles. To potentially induce gastrocnemius muscle growth, braces
      may also need to extend the knee or complementary training may be necessary to
      offset the immobilizing effects of braces.

PMID- 26108741
TI  - A quantitative transcriptome reference map of the normal human hippocampus.
AB  - We performed an innovative systematic meta-analysis of 41 gene expression
      profiles of normal human hippocampus to provide a quantitative transcriptome
      reference map of it, i.e. a reference typical value of expression for each of the
      30,739 known mapped and the 16,258 uncharacterized (unmapped) transcripts. For
      this aim, we used the software called TRAM (Transcriptome Mapper), which is able
      to generate transcriptome maps based on gene expression data from multiple
      sources. We also analyzed differential expression by comparing the hippocampus
      with the whole brain transcriptome map to identify a typical expression pattern
      of this subregion compared with the whole organ. Finally, due to the fact that
      the hippocampus is one of the main brain region to be severely affected in
      trisomy 21 (the best known genetic cause of intellectual disability), a
      particular attention was paid to the expression of chromosome 21 (chr21) genes.
      Data were downloaded from microarray databases, processed, and analyzed using
      TRAM software. Among the main findings, the most over-expressed loci in the
      hippocampus are the expressed sequence tag cluster Hs.732685 and the member of
      the calmodulin gene family CALM2. The tubulin folding cofactor B (TBCB) gene is
      the best gene at behaving like a housekeeping gene. The hippocampus vs. the whole
      brain differential transcriptome map shows the over-expression of LINC00114, a
      long non-coding RNA mapped on chr21. The hippocampus transcriptome map was
      validated in vitro by assaying gene expression through several magnitude orders
      by "Real-Time" reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The
      highly significant agreement between in silico and experimental data suggested
      that our transcriptome map may be a useful quantitative reference benchmark for
      gene expression studies related to human hippocampus. Furthermore, our analysis
      yielded biological insights about those genes that have an intrinsic over-/under
      expression in the hippocampus.

PMID- 26108742
TI  - Erratum to: Ammonia Toxicity to the Freshwater Planarian Polycelis felina:
      Contrasting Effects of Continuous Versus Discontinuous Exposures.

PMID- 26108743
TI  - Calpeptin, not calpain, directly inhibits an ion channel of the inner
      mitochondrial membrane.
AB  - The permeability transition pore (PTP) of inner mitochondrial membranes is a
      large conductance pathway for ions up to 1500 Da which opening is responsible for
      ion equilibration and loss of membrane potential in apoptosis and thus in several
      neurodegenerative diseases. The PTP can be regulated by the Ca(2+)-activated
      mitochondrial K channel (BK). Calpains are Ca(2+)-activated cystein proteases;
      calpeptin is an inhibitor of calpains. We wondered whether calpain or calpeptin
      can modulate activity of PTP or BK. Patch clamp experiments were performed on
      mitoplasts of rat liver (PTP) and of an astrocytoma cell line (BK). Channel
      independent open probability (P(o)) was determined (PTP) and, taking into account
      the number of open levels, NP(o) by single channel analysis (BK). We find that
      PTP in the presence of Ca(2+) (200 MUM) is uninfluenced by calpain (13 nM) and
      shows insignificant decrease by the calpain inhibitor calpeptin (1 MUM). The
      NP(o) of the BK is insensitive to calpain (54 nM), too. However, it is
      significantly and reversibly inhibited by the calpain inhibitor calpeptin (IC50 =
      42 MUM). The results agree with calpeptin-induced activation of the PTP via
      inhibition of the BK. Screening experiments with respirometry show calpeptin
      effects, fitting to inhibition of the BK by calpeptin, and strong inhibition of
      state 3 respiration.

PMID- 26108745
TI  - A new framework to evaluate ecosystem health: a case study in the Wei River
      basin, China.
AB  - Due to the rapid growth of the population and the development of economies in the
      Guanzhong district, central China, the river ecosystem is gradually
      deteriorating, which makes it important to assess the aquatic ecosystem health
      and take measures to restore the damaged ecosystem. An index of catchment
      ecosystem health has been developed to assist large-scale management of
      watersheds by providing an integrated measure of ecosystem health, including
      aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem. Most researches focus on aquatic ecosystem or
      terrestrial ecosystem, but little research integrates both of them to assess the
      catchment ecosystem health. In this paper, we combine these two aspects into
      catchment ecosystem health. Ecosystem indicators derived from field samples and
      modeling are identified to integrate into ecosystem health. These included
      indicators of ecological landscape pattern (based on normalized difference
      vegetation index (NDVI), vegetation cover, dominance index, Shannon's diversity
      index, Shannon's evenness index, and fragmentation index), hydrology regime
      (based on 33 hydrological parameters), physical form condition (based on
      substrate, habitat complexity, velocity/depth regimes, bank stability, channel
      alteration), water quality (based on electrical conductivity (Cond), dissolved
      oxygen (DO), NH3_N, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), chemical oxygen
      demand-permanganate (CODMn)), and biological quality (based on fish abundance).
      The index of ecosystem health is applied in the Guanzhong district, and the
      ecosystem health was fair. The ecosystem health in the upstream to Linjiacun (U
      L) and Linjiacun to Weijiabao (L-W) reaches was in good situation, while that in
      Weijiabao to Xianyang (W-X), Xianyang-Weijiabao (X-W), and Weijiabao to Tongguan
      (W-T) reaches was in fair situation. There is a trend that the ecosystem health
      in the upstream was better than that in the downstream. The ecosystem health
      assessment is expected to play a key role in future water and watershed
      management of the Wei River basin, or even the Yellow River basin. 

PMID- 26108744
TI  - Comparative analysis of transcription factor gene families from Papaver
      somniferum: identification of regulatory factors involved in benzylisoquinoline
      alkaloid biosynthesis.
AB  - Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.), known for biosynthesis of several
      therapeutically important benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs), has emerged as the
      premier organism to study plant alkaloid metabolism. The most prominent molecules
      produced in opium poppy include narcotic analgesic morphine, the cough
      suppressant codeine, the muscle relaxant papaverine and the anti-microbial agent
      sanguinarine and berberine. Despite several health benefits, biosynthesis of some
      of these molecules is very low due to tight temporal and spatial regulation of
      the genes committed to their biosynthesis. Transcription factors, one of the
      prime regulators of secondary plant product biosynthesis, might be involved in
      controlled biosynthesis of BIAs in P. somniferum. In this study, identification
      of members of different transcription factor gene families using transcriptome
      datasets of 10 cultivars of P. somniferum with distinct chemoprofile has been
      carried out. Analysis suggests that most represented transcription factor gene
      family in all the poppy cultivars is WRKY. Comparative transcriptome analysis
      revealed differential expression pattern of the members of a set of transcription
      factor gene families among 10 cultivars. Through analysis, two members of WRKY
      and one member of C3H gene family were identified as potential candidates which
      might regulate thebaine and papaverine biosynthesis, respectively, in poppy. 

PMID- 26108746
TI  - A modeling approach for agricultural water management in citrus orchards: cost
      effective irrigation scheduling and agrochemical transport simulation.
AB  - The water flow and the mass transport of agrochemicals in the unsaturated and
      saturated zone were simulated in the extended alluvial basin of Keritis river in
      Crete, Greece (a predominantly flat and most productive citrus growing area)
      using the hydrological model MIKE SHE. This model was set up based on information
      on land use, geology, soil structure, meteorological data, as well as groundwater
      level data from pumping wells. Additionally, field measurements of the soil
      moisture at six different locations from three soil depths (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 m)
      were used as targets to calibrate and validate the unsaturated flow model while
      for saturated condition, groundwater level data from three well locations were
      used. Following the modeling approach, the agrochemical mass transport simulation
      was performed as well, based on different application doses. After the successful
      calibration processes, the obtained 1D modeling results of soil moisture-pressure
      related to soil depth at different locations were used to design a proper and
      cost-effective irrigation programme (irrigation timing, frequency, application
      rates, etc.) for citrus orchards. The results of the present simulation showed a
      very good correlation with the field measurements. Based on these results, a
      proper irrigation plan can be designed at every site of the model domain reducing
      the water consumption up to 38% with respect to the common irrigation practices
      and ensuring the citrus water productivity. In addition, the effect of the
      proposed irrigation scheduling on citrus yield was investigated. Regarding the
      agrochemical concentration in the groundwater for all dose cases was below the
      maximum permissible limit. The only exception was for the highest dose in areas
      where the water table is high. Thus, this modeling approach could be used as a
      tool for appropriate water management in an agricultural area estimating at each
      time and location the availability of soil water, contributing to a cost
      effective irrigation plan.

PMID- 26108747
TI  - Decadal changes in the land use/land cover and shoreline along the coastal
      districts of southern Gujarat, India.
AB  - The coastal zone along the districts of Surat, Navsari, and Valsad in southern
      Gujarat, India, is reported to be facing serious environmental challenges in the
      form of shoreline erosion, wetland loss, and man-made encroachments. This study
      assesses the decadal land use/ land cover (LULC) changes in these three districts
      for the years 1990, 2001, and 2014 using satellite datasets of Landsat TM, ETM,
      and OLI. The LULC changes are identified by using band ratios as a pre
      classification step, followed by implementation of hybrid classification (a
      combination of supervised and unsupervised classification). An accuracy
      assessment is carried out for each dataset, and the overall accuracy ranges from
      90 to 95%. It is observed that the spatial extents of aquaculture, urban built
      up, and barren classes have appreciated over time, whereas the coverage of
      mudflats has depreciated due to rapid urbanization. The changes in the shoreline
      of these districts have also been analyzed for the same years, and significant
      changes are found in the form of shoreline erosion. The LULC maps prepared as
      well as the shoreline change analysis done for this study area will enable the
      local decision makers to adopt better land-use planning and shoreline protection
      measures, which will further aid in sustainable future developments in this
      region.

PMID- 26108749
TI  - [BASIC ASPECTS OF IMMUNOTHERAPY].

PMID- 26108750
TI  - [ALLERGEN IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR ALLERGIC RHINITIS].

PMID- 26108748
TI  - Long-term evolution of highly alkaline steel slag drainage waters.
AB  - The disposal of slag generated by the steel industry can have negative
      consequences upon the surrounding aquatic environment by the generation of high
      pH waters, leaching of potentially problematic trace metals, and rapid rates of
      calcite precipitation which smother benthic habitats. A 36-year dataset was
      collated from the long-term ambient monitoring of physicochemical parameters and
      elemental concentrations of samples from two steel slag leachate-affected
      watercourses in northern England. Waters were typified by elevated pH (>10), high
      alkalinity, and were rich in dissolved metals (e.g. calcium (Ca), aluminium (Al),
      and zinc (Zn)). Long-term trend analysis was performed upon pH, alkalinity, and
      Ca concentration which, in addition to Ca flux calculations, were used to
      highlight the longevity of pollution arising as a result of the dumping and
      subsequent leaching of steel slags. Declines in calcium and alkalinity have been
      modest over the monitoring period and not accompanied by significant declines in
      water pH. If the monotonic trends of decline in alkalinity and calcium continue
      in the largest of the receiving streams, it will be in the region of 50-80 years
      before calcite precipitation would be expected to be close to baseline levels,
      where ecological impacts would be negligible. 

PMID- 26108751
TI  - [LATEX ALLERGY SAFETY-MEASURES GUIDELINE 2013].

PMID- 26108752
TI  - [PATHOGENESIS AND TREATMENT OF ALLERGIC SKIN DISEASE -ATOPIC DERMATITIS].

PMID- 26108753
TI  - [CLINICAL EFFICACY OF SUSTAINED HIGH-EFFICACY DAILY DIAFILTRATION USING A
      MEDIATOR-ADSORBING MEMBRANE AND DIRECT HEMOPERFUSION WITH A POLYMYXIN B
      IMMOBILIZED FIBER COLUMN IN TREATING ACUTE EXACERBATION OF IDIOPATHIC
      INTERSTITIAL PNEUMONIAS].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical outcomes of
      patients with steroid-resistant acute exacerbation of idiopathic interstitial
      pneumonias treated with blood purification therapy comprising direct
      hemoperfusion using a polymyxin B-immobilized fiber column (PMX-DHP) and
      sustained high-efficacy daily diafiltration using a mediator-adsorbing membrane
      (SHEDD-fA). METHODS: The clinical outcomes and respiratory function were
      retrospectively compared between 6 patients who underwent blood purification
      therapy (blood purification group) and 15 patients (control group) who blood
      purification therapy. RESULTS: The patients in the blood purification group
      showed a higher PaO2/FiO2 ratio than those in the control group. Twenty-eight
      days (83%; 5/6 vs. 20%; 3/15) and ninety days (67%; 4/6 vs. 6.7%; 1/15) survival
      rates were also higher in the blood purification group. The blood purification
      group also showed a better 90-day survival curve (Hazard ratio=0.260) compared to
      the control group. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, combination blood purification
      therapy comprising PMX-DHP and SHEDD-fA may be used to treat acute exacerbation
      of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias.

PMID- 26108754
TI  - [RATIONALE FOR ELIMINATING CERTAIN FOODS IN CHILDREN WITH FOOD ALLERGY].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some caregivers of children with food allergy may eliminate specific
      foods from the diet of these children without first consulting doctors. The aim
      of this study was to investigate the prevalence of such practice and the
      sensitization of the offending foods. METHODS: All participants were patients
      aged one year or over who visited our outpatients unit with complaints of food
      allergy. Caregivers of the patients were asked to fill out a questionnaire to
      state the eliminated food items and the grounds for avoidance ("doctor's
      instructions", "family's judgment", and "not consumed in daily diet") of nine
      food items including chicken egg, cow's milk, wheat, soy bean, rice, buckwheat,
      peanut, sesame and shrimp. Data on food-specific IgE titers were extracted from
      the patients' electronic medical charts. RESULTS: A total of 463 subjects were
      included in the analyses. Prevalence of patients with specific food avoidance of
      each of the food item was higher in the lower age group than the higher age
      group. More than 83% of the patients who avoided chicken egg, cow's milk or wheat
      were advised by their doctors to do so, while less than 49% of patients who
      avoided buckwheat did so for the same reason. The percentage of the patients who
      showed positive sensitization to buckwheat, peanut or shrimp, and avoided it
      without doctor's instructions, was 46%, 48%, and 34%, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      While the majority of caregivers of the children who visited our outpatient unit
      eliminated specific foods according to doctor's instructions, a considerable
      proportion of them do so inappropriately without first consulting a doctor.

PMID- 26108755
TI  - [DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR PEDIATRICIANS TO IMPROVE THEIR
      BEHAVIOR IN THE MANAGEMENT OF FOOD ALLERGY].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many children are suffering from food allergy, however, not all of
      them are treated properly by pediatricians based on the latest practice
      guideline. The guideline does not recommend excessive elimination diet, but
      suggests initial appropriate skincare treatment before examining candidate
      allergens for food-allergy-patients with atopic dermatitis. We developed and
      evaluated a curriculum for continuing medical education for pediatrician about
      food allergy. METHODS: We provided a medical educational program for
      pediatricians at the Division of Allergy in National Center for Child Health and
      Development, from January 2013 to January 2014. The program was aimed to improve
      their behavior in the management of food allergy, if they excessively eliminated
      diet from the patients and did not treat atopic dermatitis appropriately. The
      program was constituted of SBOs and educational strategy. Participant's self
      evaluation of learning and that of behavior were carried out before and after the
      training, and their scores were analyzed for the program evaluation. RESULTS:
      Thirty-five participants completed the program. All the scores rating 22 items
      for evaluation of learning were increased. Five items out of 7 about evaluation
      of behavior were significantly improved. CONCLUSION: We developed a medical
      educational program about food allergy for pediatricians. After training based on
      this program, the participants' knowledge and skills were improved and their
      behavior was desirably modified.

PMID- 26108756
TI  - Exposure to concentrated ambient particulate matter induces reversible increase
      of heart weight in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exposure to ambient PM2.5 increases cardiovascular mortality and
      morbidity. To delineate the underlying biological mechanism, we investigated the
      time dependence of cardiovascular response to chronic exposure to concentrated
      ambient PM2.5 (CAP). METHODS: Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were exposed
      to CAP for 15 weeks, and blood pressure (BP), cardiac function and structure, and
      inflammations of lung, hypothalamus, and heart were measured at different time
      points. RESULTS: Chronic exposure to CAP significantly increased BP, and
      withdrawal from CAP exposure restored BP. Consistent with its BP effect, chronic
      exposure to CAP significantly decreased cardiac stroke volume and output in SHR,
      accompanied by increased heart weight and increased cardiac expression of
      hypertrophic markers ACTA1 and MYH7. Withdrawal from CAP exposure restored
      cardiac function, weight, and expression of hypertrophic markers, supporting the
      notion that cardiac dysfunction and hypertrophy is subsequent to hypertension. In
      agreement with the role of systemic inflammation in mediating the cardiovascular
      effects of CAP exposure, chronic exposure to CAP markedly increased expression of
      pro-inflammatory cytokines in lung, heart, and hypothalamus. However, withdrawal
      from exposure resolves inflammation in the heart and hypothalamus, but not in the
      lung, suggesting that CAP exposure-induced systemic inflammation may be
      independent of pulmonary inflammation. CONCLUSION: Chronic exposure to CAP
      induces reversible cardiac dysfunction and hypertrophy, which is likely to be
      subsequent to the elevation in BP and induction of systemic inflammation as
      evidenced by increased mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in diverse
      tissues.

PMID- 26108758
TI  - [Laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer with liver metastasis].
AB  - For the patients who have colorectal cancer with liver metastasis, synchronous
      resection or staged surgery for primary colorectal tumor and liver metastasis is
      usually needed which is associated with significant trauma. The role of
      laparoscopic colorectal surgery has been established and its application in
      colorectal cancer with liver metastasis increases gradually. Laparoscopic surgery
      for colorectal liver metastasis as a minimally invasive approach should also
      follow the oncological principles of colorectal liver metastasis, and the
      appropriate timing for laparoscopic surgery should be individualized. With the
      development of the laparoscopic surgery, more patients will benefit from
      minimally invasive surgery for colorectal liver metastasis. 

PMID- 26108757
TI  - Grand mal seizure induced by low-dose fentanyl and lidocaine in a young child.
AB  - Surgical procedures require general anesthesia using combinations of drugs
      including fentanyl and/or lidocaine. Because many of these drugs have bimodal
      anticonvulsant/proconvulsant effects, they must be administered carefully. We
      herein report a case of seizure attack during anesthesia induction with low-dose
      fentanyl and lidocaine in a young child with no history of seizures. A 10-year
      old girl was scheduled to receive an elective tenectomy. After a few seconds of
      fentanyl and lidocaine administration for anesthesia induction, she developed
      generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Seizures subsided spontaneously after 3
      minutes. The patient's blood sugar, serum electrolytes, and arterial blood gas
      analysis were normal immediately after the event. She remained hemodynamically
      stable; however, the surgery was postponed after communication and discussion
      with the surgeon. Postoperatively, there was no evidence of postictal phase, and
      serum electrolytes and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain were normal. The
      patient had an uneventful recovery. However, electroencephalogram showed that
      hyperventilation stimulation test induced isolated epileptiform spikes over O1,
      suggesting a potential paroxysmal disorder over the left occipital area. This
      report is on a rare complication likely caused by fentanyl or lidocaine, which
      suggests that these drugs should be used cautiously in children whose clinical
      epileptic activities have been verified or are strongly suspected. 

PMID- 26108759
TI  - [Applied anatomy of laparoscopic-assisted right hemicolectomy for colon cancer].
AB  - Laparoscopic-assisted colon surgery is an alternative to open surgery.
      Furthermore, complete mesocolic excision (CME) as a new concept in colon cancer
      surgery was first proposed by Hohenberger from Germany, which follows the
      oncological principle of the tumor and is based on the embryology and anatomy.
      Some researches about CME showed that this procedure could improve the prognosis,
      decrease the local recurrence of the tumor without increased complications.
      Although a laparoscopic approach for right colon cancer is performed frequently,
      identifying an adequate dissection plane is not always easy. The surgeons need to
      know well about local anatomy of laparoscopic-assisted radical right
      hemicolectomy, and to master the right surgical plane in operation process, then
      to reduce the incidence of conversion to laparotomy and side injury. The superior
      mesenteric vein (SMV) is the key landmark. The fusion fascia space is the right
      surgical plane, as well as a series of peripheral peritoneal attachments are
      important fixations in laparoscopic right hemicolectomy by medial access.
      Identifying the anatomical location of the SMV and performing meticulous
      dissection along the SMV is an essential procedure to dissect all potential
      lymphatic drainage during laparoscopic CME for right colon cancer. 

PMID- 26108760
TI  - [Techniques of autonomic nerve preservation in laparoscopic radical resection for
      rectal cancer].
AB  - Pelvic autonomic nerve is a three-dimensional structure surrounding the rectum.
      There are several key points related to nerve injury during laparoscopic radical
      resection for rectal cancer. Hypogastric nerve has close relation with the upper
      and middle part of the rectum. Combined with S2-S4 pelvic splanchnic nerve,
      hypogastric nerve forms pelvic plexus. Incorrect operation in pelvic parietal
      peritoneum during dissection of upper rectum will lead to nerve injury. When
      performing dissection of inferior mesenteric artery, bilateral nerve tracts
      should be pushed to posterior abdominal wall and anterior fascia of the abdominal
      aorta should be well protected to avoid nerve injury. Pelvic plexus fibers
      located lateral to the rectum of pelvic floor, as well as neurovascular bundle
      closed to Denonvillier's fascia, also have close relations with nerve injury.
      Dissection of either lateral or anterior wall of rectum should be performed
      behind the Denonvillier's fascia and in front of the proper fascia of rectum.
      Sharp dissection should be performed closed to the mesorectum to protect branches
      of pelvic plexus. 

PMID- 26108761
TI  - [Prevention and management of complications after laparoscopic colorectal
      surgery].
AB  - Laparoscopic colorectal operation is one of the most reliable procedures and
      widely used in the treatment of gastrointestinal tumor. Its advantages, including
      minimed invasiveness and rapid postoperative recovery have been widely accepted,
      but the complications are still chanllenging for surgeons. Intraoperative
      complications mainly include vascular injury, bowel injury and ureteral damage.
      Postoperative complications include anastomotic leak, bleeding and stenosis.
      Understanding of anatomy and precise operation are critical to prevent
      complications. Diagnosis of postoperative complications in time and proper
      treatment can achieve maximal improvement of outcomes. 

PMID- 26108762
TI  - [Application of endoscopic resection for colorectal neoplasms].
AB  - With the development and maturation of endoscopic management, endoscopic mucosal
      resection (EMR), endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), submucosal tunneling
      endoscopic resection (STER) and laparoscopic-endoscopic cooperative surgery
      (LECS) show absolute advantages in minimal invasion and functional preservation
      in the treatment of colorectal neoplasms. More and more endoscopic managements
      are carried out to treat colorectal neoplasms. The aim of this article is to
      summarize the application of endoscopic management for colorectal neoplasms. 

PMID- 26108763
TI  - [Application of combined laparoscopic endoscopic procedures in the treatment of
      colorectal neoplasms].
AB  - Combined laparoscopic endoscopic procedures (CLEP) is a technical advance in
      minimally invasive approaches, combining the advantages of both laparoscopy and
      endoscopy. CLEP expands the use of minimally invasive surgery, and improves the
      safety, precision and efficacy in the treatment of colorectal neoplasms.Endoscopy
      assisted laparoscopic surgery (EALS), laparoscopy- assisted endoscopic surgery
      (LAES), and laparoscopy endoscopy cooperative surgery (LECS) are being used. The
      combined application of laparoscopy and colonoscopy or transanal endoscopic
      microsurgery (TEM) provides a new minimally invasive approach for the treatment
      of colorectal benign and malignant tumors, especially suitable for the patients
      undergoing single laparoscopic or endoscopic surgery with greater difficulty and
      higher risk, or those who would have undergone open operation in the past. CLEP
      enhances the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive surgery, and achieves the
      minimal invasiveness and maximal preservation of physiological function at the
      same time. To a large extent, the integrated operating room and multidisciplinary
      team help to promote the development of these new minimally invasive procedures. 

PMID- 26108764
TI  - [Robotic surgery in colorectal cancer: present and future].
AB  - After more than a decade of development, the role of robotic rectal cancer
      surgery has been established. However robotic right hemicolectomy has just
      commenced. For rectal cancer surgery, the Da Vinci system is more flexible,
      accurate, and stable than traditional laparoscopy. The robotic surgery is safe
      and efficient, and protects the pelvic autonomic nerve function better. At the
      same time, robotic surgery is easy to learn, promoting its popularization. In
      robotic right hemicolectomy, the surgery suitable for Da Vinci system is also
      improved. Da Vinci system is not perfect. High cost is a major obstacle to the
      wide applications. Lack of tactile feedback and limited mobility of robotic arms
      also should not be ignored. The next generation of robotic system may make up for
      these deficiencies through a number of new technologies. The combination of
      robotics with single port laparoscopic techniques and multi-organ resections is
      expected to expand the advantages of robotic surgery in colorectal cancer and
      promote its development. 

PMID- 26108765
TI  - [Practice and investigation of clinical teaching mode of standardized treatment
      in colorectal cancer for fellows in training].
AB  - A new clinical teaching mode of standardized treatment in colorectal cancer for
      fellows in training is reported here with good results. This one-year program
      included medical ethics education, humanistic management, pre job training,
      clinical thinking mode, surgery teaching, and computerized teaching. This new
      clinical teaching mode with distinct features is effective and introduced in this
      article. 

PMID- 26108766
TI  - [Application of carbon nanoparticles labeled lymph node staining in curative
      laparoscopic resection for colorectal carcinoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical application of carbon nanoparticles labeled
      lymph node staining in curative laparoscopic resection for colorectal carcinoma.
      METHODS: Sixty-five patients undergoing curative laparoscopic resection for
      colorectal carcinoma in the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital between September 2011
      and June 2013 were prospectively enrolled and randomly divided into label group
      (with carbon nanoparticles, n=34) and control group (without carbon
      nanoparticles, n=31). Association between labeled lymph nodes and metastasis was
      analyzed. The total number of retrieved lymph nodes and lymph nodes metastatic
      ratio were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Mean number of retrieved
      lymph node of the label group was higher as compared to the control group (22.3+/
      4.2 vs. 15.4+/-3.5, P<0.05). The total number of retrieved lymph node was 725 in
      the label group and 478 in the control group. Among them, lymph node < 5 mm
      accounted for 4.6% (33/725) in the label group, which was higher than 2.0%
      (10/478) (P=0.025) in the control group. The number of black stain label lymph
      node was 412, with black stain ratio 56.8% (412/725) in the label group.
      Metastatic ratio of black stain nodes was significantly higher than that of non
      stain nodes [28.6% (118/412) vs. 19.5% (61/313), P=0.005]. CONCLUSIONS: The
      technique of carbon nanoparticles labeled lymph node staining in curative
      laparoscopic resection for colorectal carcinoma is easy and effective, which can
      increase the retrieved number of lymph nodes, especially for nodes < 5 mm. The
      black stain lymph nodes indicate higher risk of metastasis.

PMID- 26108767
TI  - [Prognostic value of lymph node ratio and N stage in stage III colorectal
      cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the prognostic value of lymph node ratio and N staging in
      stage III colorectal cancer. METHODS: The clinicopathologic factors and follow-up
      data of 304 cases with stage III colorectal cancer from January 1998 to December
      2011 were analyzed retrospectively. Multivariate analysis was performed using Cox
      proportional hazard regression model in forward stepwise regression. Patients
      were divided into different subgroups according to the number of lymph nodes
      sample. RESULTS: LNR and N stage were independent risk factors for stage III
      colorectal cancer, the prognostic value of LNR was better than that of N stage
      [Odds ratio were 1.838(95% CI:1.563~2.161) vs. 1.625 (95% CI:1.392~1.898)].
      Subgroup analysis showed that, when the number of lymph nodes sample was less
      than 13, the prognostic value of LNR was better than that of N stage (Odds ratio
      were 1.836 vs. 1.639). But when the number of lymph nodes sample was more than
      13, they were comparable (Odds ratio were 1.876 vs. 1.853). CONCLUSIONS: The
      prognostic value of LNR and N stage were comparable for stage III colorectal
      cancer, but when the number of lymph nodes sample was less than 13, LNR was more
      valuable.

PMID- 26108768
TI  - [Impact of macroscopic enlarged lymph node on stage II colorectal cancer
      prognosis and its potential mechanism].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of macroscopic enlarged lymph node on the
      clinicopathological characteristics of stage II colorectal cancer, and to explore
      the potential mechanism. METHODS: Clinicopathological data of 116 consecutive
      patients with stage II colorectal cancer, who underwent colorectal radical
      resection and were identified as stage II colorectal cancer without mesenteric
      metastasis by postoperative pathology, in our department between December 2001
      and December 2002 were analyzed retrospectively. All the patients were examined
      by the surgeons with gross appearance to decide the enlarged lymph nodes as
      metastasis during operation. There were 43 patients with macroscopic enlarged
      lymph nodes and 73 without such lymph nodes. Survival rate was compared between
      the two groups. Impact of macroscopic enlarged lymph node on the prognosis of
      stage II colorectal cancer was analyzed. Structure of macroscopic enlarged lymph
      node was observed. CK expression in 107 macroscopic enlarged lymph nodes from 43
      cases was examined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The 10-year disease-free
      survival (DFS) of the whole group was 83.5%. The 10-year DFS of patients with
      macroscopic enlarged lymph nodes was 75.9%, which was significantly lower than
      89.3% (P=0.038) of patients without macroscopic enlarged lymph nodes. Univariate
      analysis showed that macroscopical enlarged lymph node (P=0.038), perioperative
      blood transfusion (P=0.004), number of retrieved lymph nodes (P=0.016),
      concomitant disease (P=0.003), and preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen
      (CEA) level (P=0.050) were related to the prognosis of all the 116 patients.
      Multivariate analysis showed that macroscopical enlarged lymph node (P=0.044),
      number of retrieved lymph nodes (P=0.021), and perioperative blood transfusion
      (P=0.032) were independent prognostic factors. Haematoxylin and eosin (HE)
      staining indicated that enlarged lymph nodes had hyperplasia reaction.
      Immunohistochemistry showed that among 107 enlarged lymph nodes, 1 had
      macrometastases, 1 micrometastasis, 4 isolated tumor cell (ITC), and the rest 101
      had no positive CK expression. CONCLUSION: Macroscopic enlarged lymph node
      indicates a poor prognosis in patients with stage II colorectal cancer.

PMID- 26108769
TI  - [Risk factor analysis on postoperative complications after laparoscopic total
      mesorectal excision with preventive terminal ileostomy and timing of stoma
      closure in rectal cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To summarize the application of protective terminal ileostomy in
      laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer patients, and explore
      the risk factors associated with postoperative complications and timing of stoma
      closure. METHODS: Clinical data of 77 patients with middle or low rectal cancer
      undergoing laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (TME) with preventive terminal
      ileostomy in our department from January 2007 to December 2013 were
      retrospectively analyzed. Independent risk factors associated to postoperative
      complications of terminal ileostomy were examined by logistic regression and
      timing of stoma closure was investigated. RESULT: The total postoperative
      complication morbidity was 57.1% (44/77). Electrolyte disturbance was found in 39
      cases (50.6%, 39/77), including 1 case of hypovolemic syncope. Parastomal hernia
      occurred in 9 cases (11.7%, 9/77). Peristomal dermatitis and subcutaneous abscess
      was observed in 1 case (1.3%, 1/77). The result of the single factor analysis of
      the water electrolyte disturbance after operation, the risk factors of P<0.2 were
      new adjuvant chemotherapy (P=0.094), tumor antigen (P=0.086) and TNM staging
      (P=0.026); Postoperative parastomal hernia of the single factor analysis results,
      the risk factors of P<0.2 included uses of antidiabetic drugs (P=0.172), ASA
      anesthesia (P=0.168) grading and TNM stage(P=0.161); But multivariate analysis
      revealed no risk factors associated with the above complications (all P>0.05).
      Sixty-five patients underwent stoma closure during follow-up, including 2 cases
      (3.1%) within 90 days, 20 cases (30.8%) from 90 to 180 days, and 43 cases (66.2%)
      more than 180 days. CONCLUSIONS: No risk factors were found to be associated with
      main postoperative complications of protective terminal ileostomy after
      laparoscopic TME for rectal cancer patients, such as electrolytes imbalance and
      parastomal hernia. The timing of stoma closure should be longer than 180 days.

PMID- 26108770
TI  - [Oncologic safety of laparoscopic surgery in radical resection for different
      stage rectal cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the oncologic safety and short-term outcomes of
      laparoscopic surgery in early and advanced rectal cancers. METHODS: Clinical and
      follow-up data of 186 cases with rectal cancer undergoing laparoscopic radical
      resection from June 2009 to December 2013 were analyzed retrospectively,
      including 48 early rectal cancer (stage 0-I) and 138 advanced cancer (stage II
      III). Thirty-seven cases with early rectal cancer and 275 with advanced cancer
      undergoing open radical surgery were selected as control group. Surgical safety,
      oncologic safety and short-term outcomes were compared between two groups.
      RESULTS: As for either early or advanced rectal cancer, there were no significant
      differences in the number of harvested lymph nodes, length of distal resection
      margin, complication morbidity, rate of local recurrence, distant metastasis, and
      3-year survival rate between the two groups (all P>0.05). Although the operation
      time was longer in laparoscopic group, the laparoscopic group presented less
      intra-operative blood loss, faster recovery of bowel function, and shorter
      postoperative hospital stay (all P<0.05). As for advanced rectal cancer,
      laparoscopic radical surgery tended to achieve less lymph nodes dissected (mean,
      13.5 vs. 15.0) and develop more anastomotic leakage (8.0% vs. 5.5%) compared to
      open surgery, although neither reached statistical significance (P=0.112,
      P=0.221). Moreover, the conversion rate in patients with advanced rectal cancer
      was significantly higher than that in those with early cancer (10.9% vs 2.1%,
      P=0.048). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic surgery can obtain the same oncologic and
      surgical safety for early rectal cancer as compared to open surgery. However, due
      to higher conversion rate, potential risk of decreased number of harvested lymph
      nodes and increased anastomotic leakage, laparoscopic surgery for advanced rectal
      cancer should be carried out prudently, especially in some hospitals with less
      laparoscopic experience.

PMID- 26108771
TI  - [Application of protective appendicostomy after sphicter-preserving surgery for
      patients with low rectal carcinoma who are at high-risk of anastomotic leakage].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the application of protective appendicostomy after sphicter
      preserving surgery for patients with low rectal carcinoma who are at high-risk of
      anastomotic leakage. METHODS: Clinical data of 74 low rectal cancer cases with
      high-risk anastomotic leakage undergoing laparoscope-assisted total mesorectal
      excision(TME) sphincter-preserving operation in our department from September
      2013 to September 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were randomly
      divided into two groups: 36 patients received appendicostomy and catheter was
      removed 4 to 6 weeks after operation when sinus tract formation in abdominal wall
      was identified; 38 patients received traditional ileostomy and stoma closure was
      performed 3 to 6 months after operation. RESULTS: The operation time was (149.2+/
      9.4) min vs. (146.7+/-12.7) min, postoperative complication morbidity was
      8.3%(3/36) vs. 13.2%(5/38), anastomotic leakage rate was 2.8%(1/38) vs.
      2.6%(1/36), mean drainage volume of 1-week stoma was (203.2+/-76.9) ml vs.
      (195.8+/-76.5) ml, intestinal function recovery time was (25.5+/-5.6) h vs.
      (24.0+/-5.8) h in intubation colostomy group and ileostomy group respectively,
      and these differences were not significant (all P>0.05). While total hospital
      stay was shorter and cost was less in intubation colostomy group as compared to
      ileostomy group [(8.8+/-1.7) d vs. (18.0+/-1.7) d, (32 000+/-3000) yuan vs. (51
      000+/-4000) yuan], and these differences were significant (all P<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: For low rectal cancer patients who are at high-risk of developing
      anastomotic leakage undergoing sphincter-preserving anterior resection,
      protective appendicostomy can decrease anastomotic leakage rate, avoid second
      stoma closure, shorten hospital stay and reduce hospital cost.

PMID- 26108772
TI  - [Laparoscopic-assisted natural orifice specimen extraction radical left
      colectomy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of laparoscopic-assisted natural orifice
      specimen extraction radical left colectomy. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was
      performed on clinicopathological dada of 15 colorectal patients who were treated
      by laparoscopic-assisted anal specimen extraction radical left colectomy with
      self-developed surgical instrument Cai tube between January and September in
      2014. Tumor location included descending colon (n=3), the junction of descending
      colon and sigmoid colon (n=2), the sigmoid colon (n=6) and upper rectum (n=4).
      Clinical efficacy of patients was observed. RESULTS: There were no perioperative
      deaths or postoperative complications, such as anastomotic bleeding or leakage.
      The median operation time was 257 (range 103-337) min, median blood loss was
      50(range 20-200) ml, median time to first flatus was 3 (range 1-5) d and median
      hospital stay was 14 (range 11-21) d. All the patients had good quality of life
      and normal defecation function without tumor recurrence or metastasis after 1-8
      months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic-assisted anal specimen extraction
      radical left colectomy is safe and feasible.

PMID- 26108773
TI  - [Transanal laparoscopic radical resection with telescopic anastomosis for low
      rectal cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety, feasibility and clinical outcome of laparoscopic
      radical resection for low rectal cancer with telescopic anastomosis or with
      colostomy by stapler through transanal resection without abdominal incisions.
      METHODS: From January 2010 to September 2014, 37 patients underwent laparoscopic
      radical resection for low rectal cancer through transanal resection without
      abdominal incisions. The tumors were 4-7 cm above the anal verge. On preoperative
      assessment, 26 cases were T1N0M0 and 11 were T2N0M0. RESULTS: For all cases,
      successful surgery was performed. In telescopic anastomosis group, the mean
      operative time was (178+/-21) min, with average blood loss of (76+/-11) ml and
      (13+/-7) lymph nodes harvested. Return of bowel function was (3.0+/-1.2) d and
      the hospital stay was (12.0+/-4.2) d without postoperative complications.
      Patients were followed up for 3-45 months. Twelve months after surgery,
      94.6%(35/37) patients achieved anal function Kirwan grade 1, indicating that
      their anal function returned to normal. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic radical
      resection for low rectal cancer with telescopic anastomosis or colostomy by
      stapler through transanal resection without abdominal incisions is safe and
      feasible. Satisfactory clinical outcome can be achieved mini-invasively.

PMID- 26108774
TI  - [Clinical efficacy observation of cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in the
      treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of cetuximab plus chemotherapy in the
      treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinoma. METHODS: Clinicopathological data
      of 128 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer admitted in the Department of
      Oncology, Chinese PLA General Hospital from 2008 to June 2012 were analyzed
      retrospectively. Among them, 91 patients received cetuximab as the first-line
      therapy and 37 in the second-line or more-line therapy. The chemotherapy regimens
      included oxaliplatin-based therapy (FOLFOX/XELOX), irinotecan-based therapy
      (FOLFIRI/XELIRI) and fluorouracil-based therapy (Xeloda). The efficacy was
      evaluated according to RECIST 1.0 criteria. The remission rate, control rate and
      time to disease progression were compared among patients receiving cetuximab
      combined with different chemotherapy regimens in different periods. RESULTS: The
      disease control rate of cetuximab applied in the first-line treatment was higher
      than that of the second-line or more-line [85.9% (61/71) vs. 59.3% (16/27),
      P=0.004]. The disease control rate of the group treated with cetuximab plus
      oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy was much higher compared to the other two groups
      [91.1% (41/45) vs. 68.1% (32/47), 4/6, P=0.021]. But there were no significant
      differences among three regimens in the terms of overall response rate (all
      P>0.05). The median time to progression of groups with cetuximab plus irinotecan,
      oxaliplatin or capecitabine was 7.8 months, 8.5 months and 5.2 months
      respectively. The median time to progression of cetuximab combined with
      chemotherapy in the first-line treatment and the second-line or more-line was 8.2
      and 7.7 months respectively. However, the differences were not statistically
      significant (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cetuximab in combination with oxaliplatin
      based chemotherapy is recommended as the first-line application in the treatment
      of metastatic colorectal carcinoma patients, because it is helpful to improve the
      rate of disease control.

PMID- 26108775
TI  - [Association of long-term oral low-dose aspirin and survival in colorectal
      cancer: a meta-analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between long-term oral low-dose aspirin and
      overall survival in colorectal cancer patients after diagnosis. METHODS: The
      literature databases, such as PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science,
      CBM, CNKI, and Wanfang database, were extensively searched to retrieve the
      comparative studies about the association between low-dose aspirin use after
      colorectal cancer diagnosis and overall survival published before June 2014. The
      state 12.0 version software was used for meta-analysis. The quality of these
      studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. RESULTS: There were eight
      studies meeting the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. The total sample size
      of these studies included 28 103 cases and the score of all the studies was more
      than 6 points. Meta-analysis of the data using I(2) test showed significant
      heterogeneity (I(2)=78.2%, P<0.01), therefore, a random effect model was
      performed. Aspirin use after diagnosis was associated with longer overall
      survival (HR=0.732, 95% CI:0.613-0.875, P<0.01). There were seven studies with
      the same design or tumor stage in I-IIII period respectively for sensitivity
      analysis. The results of studies showed that the sensitivity was low and accurate
      (HR=0.687, 95% CI: 0.557-0.849, P<0.01; HR=0.682, 95% CI: 0.539-0.864, P<0.01).
      CONCLUSION: Meta-analysis shows that long-term oral low-dose aspirin after
      diagnosis of colorectal cancer is identified as a significant prognostic factor.

PMID- 26108776
TI  - [Impact of spasmolytic on polyp and adenoma detection during colonoscopy: a meta
      analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of intestinal spasmolytic on colon polyps
      and adenoma detection rate during colonoscopy. METHODS: Literatures related to
      the effect of intestinal spasmolytic on colon polyp or adenoma detection rate
      were retrieved from PubMed, Medline, EBSCO, High Wire Press, OVID, EMBASE, and
      the China National Knowledge Articles, etc. published before July 2014. Unified
      data were extracted by two researchers independently and organized using Jadad
      scale to evaluate the quality of the enrolled studies through Review manager 5.2
      Meta-analysis software. RESULTS: Six articles were enrolled with total 47,509
      cases, including 16,867 cases in the scopolamine group and 30,642 cases in the
      placebo group. Meta analysis showed spasmolytic could increase the detective rate
      of polyps (OR=1.24, 95% CI:1.19-1.30), adenoma (OR=1.25, 95% CI:1.19-1.30) and
      high-risk adenoma (OR=1.22, 95% CI:1.16-1.29). CONCLUSION: Using colonoscopy
      spasmolytic scopolamine can increase the detection rate of colonic polyp and
      adenoma.

PMID- 26108777
TI  - [Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression in rectal cancer and its
      clinical implication].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the consistence of human epidermal growth factor
      receptor 2 (HER-2) expression in resection samples and biopsy samples from rectal
      cancer and its clinical implication. METHODS: Clinical data and tissue samples of
      544 rectal cancer patients who received surgical resection at Peking University
      Cancer Hospital from September 2009 to March 2012 were collected and analyzed
      retrospectively. Immunohistochemical method was used to test HER-2 expression in
      both surgical resection samples and preoperative biopsy samples. Suspect positive
      samples with HER-2 (++) were further examined by FISH. Consistence of HER-2
      expression between resection samples and biopsy samples, and between resection
      samples from those patients undergoing neoadjuvant radiotherapy or
      radiochemotherapy and biopsy samples was analyzed. Association between HER-2
      expression and clinicopathological characteristics was examined as well. RESULTS:
      Among 544 surgical resection samples, positive HER-2 samples of 20 cases (3.7%)
      were identified either by immunohistochemistry (HER-2, +++) or by FISH
      amplification. Among 235 paired biopsy samples, positive HER-2 samples of 5 cases
      (2.1%) were identified. Consistence of HER-2 expression between these two samples
      was 99.6% (234/235). The kappa value of consistence test was 0.907 (P<0.01).
      Consistence between resection samples from patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy
      and biopsy samples was 98.6% (73/74). There was no association of HER-2 over
      expression or amplification with gender, age, tumor differentiation grade, lymph
      node metastasis, distant metastasis, TNM stage and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS:
      Positive rate of HER-2 expression is quite low in rectal cancer and has no
      relation to clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. HER-2 status in
      biopsy samples of rectal cancer is highly consistent with paired surgical
      resection samples, which is not affected by neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy.

PMID- 26108778
TI  - [Mechanism of radiotherapy sensitization of curcumin on rectal cancer cells].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the mechanism of curcumin in radiotherapy sensitization
      for colorectal cancer cells. METHODS: Colorectal cancer HT-29 cells were cultured
      and treated with radiation and curcumin. MTT method was used to detect the cell
      growth inhibition. Then the high-throughput microarray was used to detect the
      differences in gene expression levels for each test group to identify
      differentially expressed genes, and each differential gene was validated by
      Western blotting. RESULTS: Cell growth inhibition rates at 48-hour and 72-hour in
      curcumin combined with radiotherapy group were significantly higher than those in
      simple radiotherapy group (P<0.05). Expression of 95 genes associated with gene
      injury repair was detected by microarray. Compared to simple radiotherapy group,
      LIG4 and PNKP expression was down-regulated, and XRCC5 and CCNH expression was up
      regulated in the curcumin combined with radiotherapy group (all P<0.05). Western
      blotting revealed LIG4 and PNKP protein expression decreased, and XRCC5 and CCNH
      protein expression increased in the curcumin combined with radiotherapy group as
      compared to the simple radiotherapy group (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Radiation
      sensitization effect of curcumin on colorectal cancer cells HT-29 may be
      associated with the regulation of genes of CCNH, LIG4, XRCC5, PNKP.

PMID- 26108779
TI  - [Impact of lysosome-associated protein transmembrane-4 beta on proliferation and
      invasion of colorectal cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether lysosome-associated protein transmembrane-4 beta
      (LAPTM4B) over-expression is associated with the proliferation and invasion in
      colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: Thirty pairs of CRC tissues, containing
      carcinoma and adjacent tissues, were used for the examination of LAPTM4B mRNA
      expression by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays. Then immunohistochemistry
      was performed to examine LAPTM4B protein expression in 6 pairs of CRC tissues.
      Over-expression LAPTM4B and low-expression LAPTM4B cell models were constructed
      with HCT116 CRC cell lines. CCK8 assay was used to detect the proliferation and
      Transwell assay was used to detect the invasion of the model cells. RESULTS: qPCR
      and immunohistochemistry results showed that LAPTM4B expression levels in CRC
      were higher compared to adjacent tissues (all P<0.01). CCK8 and Transwell assays
      results showed that LAPTM4B promoted proliferation and invasion of HCT116 cell
      lines model cells (all P<0.01). CONCLUSION: LAPTM4B promotes the proliferation
      and invasion in CRC patients, and may be used as an important potential marker.

PMID- 26108780
TI  - [Association of gankyrin protein expression in human colorectal cancer with
      postoperative prognosis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of gankyrin protein expression in
      colorectal cancer (CRC) with its prognosis. METHODS: Clinical data and resection
      samples of 100 colorectal cancer patients identified by pathology undergoing
      resection in our department from June 2008 to June 2009 were collected. The
      gankyrin expression in CRC tissues and matched adjacent noncancerous tissues
      collected during the operation of 100 CRC cases was detected by
      immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting. The associations of gankyrin
      expression level with overall survival, clinicopathologic features were analyzed
      by Chi square test, Cox regression analysis, Kaplan-Meier analysis and log rank
      test. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining showed that the positive brown
      granules were mainly distributed in the cytoplasm, and nuclear immunostaining was
      observed in tissue samples of 29 cases, of whom 16 cases had distal metastasis
      [55.2% (16/29)]. The positive rate of gankyrin and the relative gray value of
      Western blotting in CRC tissues were 67% (67/100) and 0.69+/-0.23, respectively,
      which were significantly higher than those of 2 cm adjacent noncancerous tissues
      [6% (6/100) and 0.31+/-0.16] and 10 cm adjacent noncancerous tissues [1%(1/100)
      and 0.16+/-0.11] (all P<0.001). Patients with positive expression of gankyrin had
      worse survival than those with negative ones (41.8% vs. 72.7%, P=0.008). The
      gankyrin expression was associated to lymph node metastasis (P=0.005), tumor
      stage (P=0.001) and distal metastasis (P=0.002). Cox regression analysis showed
      that distal metastasis (P=0.004) and high expression of gankyrin (P=0.038) were
      independent risk factors for poor prognosis of patients with CRC. CONCLUSION: Up
      regulated expression of gankyrin is related to invasion and metastasis of human
      CRC, and gankyrin may be valuable in predicting prognosis.

PMID- 26108781
TI  - [Expression of high mobility group box-1 in colorectal cancer and its clinical
      significance].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression level of high mobility group box-1
      (HMGB1) in human colorectal cancer and its relation with different
      clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of colorectal cancer patients.
      METHODS: Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the HMGB1 expression in
      tissue samples of 86 colorectal cancer patients and 32 normal colorectal tissue
      samples. Positive rates of HMGB1 expression were compared among different
      clinicopathological characteristics. Relation of HMGB1 expression with survival
      was analyzed. RESULTS: HMGB1 expression was mainly in colorectal cancer cell
      nucleus, with a few appearance of co-expression in nucleus and cytoplasm.
      Positive rate of HMGB1 expression in normal tissues was significantly lower than
      that in colorectal cancers [9.4% (3/32) vs. 66.3% (57/86), P=0.000], and it was
      much higher in large cancers, lower differentiation, invasion to outside serosa,
      advanced clinical stage and lymph node metastasis (all P<0.05), but was similar
      in terms of age and gender (P>0.05). Survival analysis showed that 3-year
      survival rate of patients with positive HMGB1 expression was significantly lower
      as compared to those with negative HMGB1 expression (56.1% vs. 85.7%, P=0.021),
      meanwhile it was significantly lower in patients with co-expression in nucleus
      and cytoplasm as compared to those with simple nuclear expression (41.4% vs.
      75.0%, P=0.013). CONCLUSIONS: HMGB1 expression in colorectal cancer is high, and
      its positive rate increases with the low differentiation, invasion and
      metastasis. HMGB1 co-expression in nucleus and cytoplasm indicates poor prognosis
      of colorectal cancer patients.

PMID- 26108782
TI  - [Research progression on preoperative mechanical bowel preparation for elective
      colorectal surgery].
AB  - Preoperative mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) has been established as a
      standard procedure for elective colorectal surgery in most surgical centers since
      1950s. However, the routine use of MBP for elective colorectal surgery is still
      in debate, as the researches on the evaluation of MBP have been carried out in
      recent 20 years. By searching and analyzing the existing evidence, we conclude
      that MBP should be routinely abandoned for elective open colorectal surgery, but
      should be routinely used for elective laparoscopic rectal surgery, and it still
      awaits large-scale RCTs for further evaluation of MBP for elective laparoscopic
      colonic surgery. 

PMID- 26108783
TI  - Coniferyl alcohol hinders the growth of tobacco BY-2 cells and Nicotiana
      benthamiana seedlings.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: Externally added coniferyl alcohol at high concentrations
      reduces the growth of Nicotiana cells and seedlings. Coniferyl alcohol is
      metabolized by BY-2 cells to several compounds. Coniferyl alcohol (CA) is a
      common monolignol and a building block of lignin. The toxicity of monolignol
      alcohols has been stated in the literature, but there are only few studies
      suggesting that this is true. We investigated the physiological effects of CA on
      living plant cells in more detail. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Bright yellow-2
      cells (BY-2) and Nicotiana benthamiana seedlings both showed concentration
      dependent growth retardation in response to 0.5-5 mM CA treatment. In some cases,
      CA addition caused cell death in BY-2 cultures, but this response was dependent
      on the growth stage of the cells. Based on LC-MS/MS analysis, BY-2 cells did not
      accumulate the externally supplemented CA, but metabolized it to ferulic acid,
      ferulic acid glycoside, coniferin, and to some other phenolic compounds. In
      addition to growth inhibition, CA caused the formation of a lignin-like compound
      detected by phloroglucinol staining in N. benthamiana roots and occasionally in
      BY-2 cells. To prevent this, we added potassium iodide (KI, at 5 mM) to overcome
      the peroxidase-mediated CA polymerization to lignin. KI had, however, toxic
      effects on its own: in N. benthamiana seedlings, it caused reduction in growth;
      in BY-2 cells, reduction in growth and cell viability. Surprisingly, CA restored
      the growth of KI-treated BY-2 cells and N. benthamiana seedlings. Our results
      suggest that CA at high concentrations is toxic to plant cells.

PMID- 26108784
TI  - Reproductive hormones affect follicular cells and ooplasm of Stage I and II
      oocytes in zebrafish.
AB  - The basic pathway of oocyte development and its regulation is evolutionarily
      conserved among vertebrates; however, little is known about the role of hormones
      at the first stages (Stages I and II) of follicle development in fish. In the
      present study, zebrafish follicles at Stages I and II were exposed in vitro to
      the reproductive hormones 17beta-oestradiol (E2), 11-ketotestosterone (11KT),
      17,20beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (DHP) and to the secondary messenger
      dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (db-cAMP) at a concentration of 1uM for
      a 48-h period. Morphological alterations of the ooplasm were assessed by
      transmission electron microscopy and of the granulosa cell layer by quantitative
      stereology. Expression of mRNA was analysed for cell-cycle genes (cyclin B and E)
      and resident proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum (calnexin and 78-kDa glucose
      regulated protein (grp78/bip)). E2 and db-cAMP stimulated the presence of
      endoplasmic reticulum in the ooplasm and calnexin mRNA increased in the db-cAMP
      treatment, but also in response to 11KT and DHP. 11KT, DHP and db-cAMP inhibited
      the progression of the cell cycle in the granulosa-theca cell layer, indicated by
      a reduction of the nucleus volume-weighted size of granulosa cells and of
      increased cyclin E mRNA expression. Reproductive hormones had different effects
      on the ooplasm and the granulosa-theca cell layer of zebrafish follicles,
      predominantly at Stage II.

PMID- 26108785
TI  - Toxicity of a novel therapeutic agent targeting mitochondrial complex I.
AB  - R118 is an experimental compound that completed preclinical development as a
      potential medical therapy for the exercise limitation in peripheral artery
      disease. Animal studies established that R118 provided partial and reversible
      mitochondrial complex I inhibition with consequent increases in adenosine
      monophosphate (AMP) kinase activation in liver and skeletal muscle. After
      demonstration of improved exercise performance in a mouse model and safety in
      rodent and primate models, a phase I trial was performed in 24 subjects
      randomized to R118 vs. placebo (5:1) in escalating doses. Plasma lactic acid
      levels were transiently elevated in 20% of subjects at the lowest dose and in
      100% of subjects using a different formulation at the highest dose, which was
      associated with hospitalization in all subjects and severe metabolic acidosis
      requiring prolonged intubation in two subjects. Thus, inhibition of mitochondrial
      complex I with R118 resulted in severe lactic acidosis, representing unacceptable
      toxicity from this mechanism of action. 

PMID- 26108787
TI  - Baseline characteristics in stroke patients with atrial fibrillation: clinical
      trials versus clinical practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: When applying information gathered from medical research to the
      clinical setting, it is imperative that the sample of the investigated patients
      be representative of the clinical population. Because of this fact, it is
      necessary to closely examine the sample's baseline characteristics in clinical
      trials. METHODS: We analysed baseline data of relevant trials investigating
      considerable proportions of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in the
      secondary stroke prevention: EAFT, SIFA, Active-W, BAFTA, RE-LY, AVERROES,
      ARISTOTLE and ROCKET AF. For comparing baseline data stroke patients with AF
      documented in a statutory stroke registry were considered. In a subgroup of
      patients (members of a large insurance) data on subsequent prescription for oral
      anticoagulants (oAK) were available. RESULTS: In the stroke registry (n = 15,886)
      the mean age was higher than in the selected clinical trials (mean 77.7 versus 70
      72 years). Among insurance members (n = 1,828), those with a prescription for oAK
      (n = 827) were older than patients recruited in clinical trials (mean 75.1 versus
      70-72 years). Results also showed that the male sex was overrepresented in
      clinical trials (59-63% versus 46%). The distribution of vascular risk factors in
      recent clinical trials was comparable to proportions in the registry
      (hypertension: 77-85% versus 80%; diabetes mellitus: 20-26% versus 27%).
      CONCLUSIONS: The majority of stroke patients with AF in the clinical setting are
      considerably older than those included in clinical trials. While the distribution
      of vascular risk factors in clinical trials corresponds to proportions observed
      in clinical practice, an overrepresentation of the male sex in clinical trials is
      evident.

PMID- 26108786
TI  - Osmosensation in TRPV2 dominant negative expressing skeletal muscle fibres.
AB  - Increased plasma osmolarity induces intracellular water depletion and cell
      shrinkage (CS) followed by activation of a regulatory volume increase (RVI). In
      skeletal muscle, the hyperosmotic shock-induced CS is accompanied by a small
      membrane depolarization responsible for a release of Ca(2+) from intracellular
      pools. Hyperosmotic shock also induces phosphorylation of STE20/SPS1-related
      proline/alanine-rich kinase (SPAK). TRPV2 dominant negative expressing fibres
      challenged with hyperosmotic shock present a slower membrane depolarization, a
      diminished Ca(2+) response, a smaller RVI response, a decrease in SPAK
      phosphorylation and defective muscle function. We suggest that hyperosmotic shock
      induces TRPV2 activation, which accelerates muscle cell depolarization and allows
      the subsequent Ca(2+) release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, activation of the
      Na(+) -K(+) -Cl(-) cotransporter by SPAK, and the RVI response. Increased plasma
      osmolarity induces intracellular water depletion and cell shrinkage followed by
      activation of a regulatory volume increase (RVI). In skeletal muscle, this is
      accompanied by transverse tubule (TT) dilatation and by a membrane depolarization
      responsible for a release of Ca(2+) from intracellular pools. We observed that
      both hyperosmotic shock-induced Ca(2+) transients and RVI were inhibited by
      Gd(3+) , ruthenium red and GsMTx4 toxin, three inhibitors of mechanosensitive ion
      channels. The response was also completely absent in muscle fibres overexpressing
      a non-permeant, dominant negative (DN) mutant of the transient receptor
      potential, V2 isoform (TRPV2) ion channel, suggesting the involvement of TRPV2 or
      of a TRP isoform susceptible to heterotetramerization with TRPV2. The release of
      Ca(2+) induced by hyperosmotic shock was increased by cannabidiol, an activator
      of TRPV2, and decreased by tranilast, an inhibitor of TRPV2, suggesting a role
      for the TRPV2 channel itself. Hyperosmotic shock-induced membrane depolarization
      was impaired in TRPV2-DN fibres, suggesting that TRPV2 activation triggers the
      release of Ca(2+) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum by depolarizing TTs. RVI
      requires the sequential activation of STE20/SPS1-related proline/alanine-rich
      kinase (SPAK) and NKCC1, a Na(+) -K(+) -Cl(-) cotransporter, allowing ion entry
      and driving osmotic water flow. In fibres overexpressing TRPV2-DN as well as in
      fibres in which Ca(2+) transients were abolished by the Ca(2+) chelator BAPTA,
      the level of P-SPAK(Ser373) in response to hyperosmotic shock was reduced,
      suggesting a modulation of SPAK phosphorylation by intracellular Ca(2+) . We
      conclude that TRPV2 is involved in osmosensation in skeletal muscle fibres,
      acting in concert with P-SPAK-activated NKCC1.

PMID- 26108788
TI  - Insight into a Physiological Role for the EC Night-Time Repressor in the
      Arabidopsis Circadian Clock.
AB  - Life cycle adaptation to seasonal variation in photoperiod and temperature is a
      major determinant of ecological success of widespread domestication of
      Arabidopsis thaliana. The circadian clock plays a role in the underlying
      mechanism for adaptation. Nevertheless, the mechanism by which the circadian
      clock tracks seasonal changes in photoperiod and temperature is a longstanding
      subject of research in the field. We previously showed that a set of the target
      genes (i.e. GI, LNK1. PRR9 and PRR7) of the Evening Complex (EC) consisting of
      LUX-ELF3-ELF4 is synergistically induced in response to both warm-night and night
      light signals. Here, we further show that the responses occur within a wide range
      of growth-compatible temperatures (16-28 degrees C) in response to a small change
      in temperature (Delta4 degrees C). A dim light pulse (<1 umol m(-2) s(-1)) causes
      the enhanced effect on the transcription of EC targets. The night-light pulse
      antagonizes against a positive effect of the cool-night signal on the EC
      activity. The mechanism of double-checking external temperature and light signals
      through the EC nighttime repressor might enable plants to ignore (or tolerate)
      daily fluctuation of ambient temperature within a short time interval in their
      natural habitats. Taken together, the EC night-time repressor might play a
      physiological role in tracking seasonal variation in photoperiod and temperature
      by conservatively double-checking both the light and temperature conditions.
      Another EC target output gene PIF4 regulating plant morphologies is also
      regulated by both the temperature and light stimuli during the night. Hence, the
      EC night-time repressor is also implicated in a physiological output of the PIF4
      mediated regulation of morphologies in response to seasonal variation in
      photoperiod and ambient temperature. 

PMID- 26108789
TI  - Involvement of NRF2 in Perfluorooctanoic Acid-Induced Testicular Damage in Male
      Mice.
AB  - Perfluorooctane acid (PFOA) is a hazardous environmental pollutant that has been
      reported to exert adverse effects on animal and human health. In this study, male
      mice were orally administered different concentrations of PFOA (2.5, 5, or 10
      mg/kg/day) to evaluate the reproductive toxicity. Exposure to PFOA for 14
      consecutive days obviously disrupted seminiferous tubules and reduced sperm
      count. The highest concentration of PFOA (10 mg/kg/day) caused growth retardation
      and diminished absolute testis weight. Furthermore, PFOA treatment significantly
      increased the generation of oxidative stress indicators malondialdehyde and
      hydrogen peroxide, decreased the expression of transcription factor NRF2, and
      inhibited the activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase
      in the testis. Moreover, PFOA exposure up-regulated p-p53 and BAX expression and
      down-regulated BCL-2 expression in the testis. These results indicated that PFOA
      induced male reproductive disorders might be involved in developmental impairment
      and inhibition of NRF2-mediated antioxidant response in the testis of mice. 

PMID- 26108790
TI  - Applying SWATH Mass Spectrometry to Investigate Human Cervicovaginal Fluid During
      the Menstrual Cycle.
AB  - Inherent interindividual and intraindividual variation in the length of the
      menstrual cycle limits the accuracy of predicting days of peak fertility. To
      improve detection of days of peak fertility, a more detailed understanding of
      longitudinal changes in cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) biomarkers during the normal
      menstrual cycle is needed. The aim of this study, therefore, was to characterize
      longitudinal changes in CVF proteins during the menstrual cycle using a
      quantitative, data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry approach. Six serial
      samples were collected from women (n = 10) during the menstrual cycle. Samples
      were obtained at two time points for each phase of the cycle: early and late
      preovulatory, ovulatory, and postovulatory. Information-dependent acquisition
      (IDA) of mass spectra from all individual CVF samples was initially performed and
      identified 278 total proteins. Samples were then pooled by time of collection (n
      = 6 pools) and analyzed using IDA and information-independent acquisition
      (Sequential Windowed Acquisition of All Theoretical Mass Spectra [SWATH]). The
      IDA library generated contained 176 statistically significant protein
      identifications (P < 0.000158). The variation in the relative abundance of CVF
      proteins across the menstrual cycle was established by comparison with the SWATH
      profile against the IDA library. Using time-series, pooled samples obtained from
      10 women, quantitative data were obtained by SWATH analysis for 43 CVF proteins.
      Of these proteins, 28 displayed significant variation in relative abundance
      during the menstrual cycle (assessed by ANOVA). Statistical significant changes
      in the relative expression of CVF proteins during preovulatory, ovulatory, and
      postovulatory phases of menstrual cycle were identified. The data obtained may be
      of utility not only in elucidating underlying physiological mechanisms but also
      as clinically useful biomarkers of fertility status. 

PMID- 26108791
TI  - CD34 and CD49f Double-Positive and Lineage Marker-Negative Cells Isolated from
      Human Myometrium Exhibit Stem Cell-Like Properties Involved in Pregnancy-Induced
      Uterine Remodeling.
AB  - Repeated and dramatic pregnancy-induced uterine enlargement and remodeling
      throughout reproductive life suggests the existence of uterine smooth muscle
      stem/progenitor cells. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize
      stem/progenitor-like cells from human myometrium through identification of
      specific surface markers. We here identify CD49f and CD34 as markers to permit
      selection of the stem/progenitor cell-like population from human myometrium and
      show that human CD45(-) CD31(-) glycophorin A(-) and CD49f(+) CD34(+) myometrial
      cells exhibit stem cell-like properties. These include side population
      phenotypes, an undifferentiated status, high colony-forming ability, multilineage
      differentiation into smooth muscle cells, osteoblasts, adipocytes, and
      chondrocytes, and in vivo myometrial tissue reconstitution following
      xenotransplantation. Furthermore, CD45(-) CD31(-) glycophorin A(-) and CD49f(+)
      CD34(+) myometrial cells proliferate under hypoxic conditions in vitro and,
      compared with the untreated nonpregnant myometrium, show greater expansion in the
      estrogen-treated nonpregnant myometrium and further in the pregnant myometrium in
      mice upon xenotransplantation. These results suggest that the newly identified
      myometrial stem/progenitor-like cells influenced by hypoxia and sex steroids may
      participate in pregnancy-induced uterine enlargement and remodeling, providing
      novel insights into human myometrial physiology. 

PMID- 26108792
TI  - Gonadal Identity in the Absence of Pro-Testis Factor SOX9 and Pro-Ovary Factor
      Beta-Catenin in Mice.
AB  - Sex-reversal cases in humans and genetic models in mice have revealed that the
      fate of the bipotential gonad hinges upon the balance between pro-testis SOX9 and
      pro-ovary beta-catenin pathways. Our central query was: if SOX9 and beta-catenin
      define the gonad's identity, then what do the gonads become when both factors are
      absent? To answer this question, we developed mouse models that lack either Sox9,
      beta-catenin, or both in the somatic cells of the fetal gonads and examined the
      morphological outcomes and transcriptome profiles. In the absence of Sox9 and
      beta-catenin, both XX and XY gonads progressively lean toward the testis fate,
      indicating that expression of certain pro-testis genes requires the repression of
      the beta-catenin pathway, rather than a direct activation by SOX9. We also
      observed that XY double knockout gonads were more masculinized than their XX
      counterpart. To identify the genes responsible for the initial events of
      masculinization and to determine how the genetic context (XX vs. XY) affects this
      process, we compared the transcriptomes of Sox9/beta-catenin mutant gonads and
      found that early molecular changes underlying the XY-specific masculinization
      involve the expression of Sry and 21 SRY direct target genes, such as Sox8 and
      Cyp26b1. These results imply that when both Sox9 and beta-catenin are absent, Sry
      is capable of activating other pro-testis genes and drive testis differentiation.
      Our findings not only provide insight into the mechanism of sex determination,
      but also identify candidate genes that are potentially involved in disorders of
      sex development. 

PMID- 26108794
TI  - Environmental behavior and analysis of agricultural sulfur.
AB  - Sulfur has been widely used for centuries as a staple for pest and disease
      management in agriculture. Presently, it is the largest-volume pesticide in use
      worldwide. This review describes the sources and recovery methods for sulfur, its
      allotropic forms and properties and its agricultural uses, including development
      and potential advantages of nanosulfur as a fungicide. Chemical and microbial
      reactivity, interactions in soil and water and analytical methods for
      determination in environmental samples and foodstuffs, including inexpensive
      analytical methods for sulfur residues in wine, beer and other food/beverage
      substrates, will be reviewed. The toxicology of sulfur towards humans and
      agriculturally important fungi is included, with some restrictions on use to
      promote safety. The review concludes with areas for which more research is
      warranted.

PMID- 26108793
TI  - Nucleolar Translocation of Histone Deacetylase 2 Is Involved in Regulation of
      Transcriptional Silencing in the Cat Germinal Vesicle.
AB  - Histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) is a key transcriptional coregulator that is
      suspected to play a role during oogenesis. It is known that RNA transcription in
      the cat germinal vesicle (GV) stops during folliculogenesis at the late antral
      follicle stage and is unrelated to histone deacetylation or chromatin
      condensation. The objective of the present study was to determine if and how
      HDAC2 participates in transcription regulation in the cat GV. Spatiotemporal
      HDAC2 protein expression was examined by immunostaining oocytes from primary to
      large antral follicles. HDAC2 was detected in the majority of GVs within oocytes
      from early, small, and large antral follicles. At early and small antral stages,
      HDAC2 was found primarily in the GV's nucleoplasm. There then was a significant
      shift in HDAC2 localization into the nucleolus, mostly in oocytes from large
      antral follicles. Assessments revealed that transcription was active in oocytes
      that contained nucleoplasm-localized HDAC2, whereas nucleolar-bound HDAC2 was
      associated with loss of both global transcription and ribosomal RNA presence at
      all antral stages. When oocytes were exposed to the HDAC inhibitor valproic acid,
      results indicated that HDAC regulated transcriptional activity in the
      nucleoplasm, but not in the nucleolus. Collective results suggest that nucleolar
      translocation of HDAC2 is associated with transcriptional silencing in the GV,
      thereby likely contributing to an oocyte's acquisition of competence. 

PMID- 26108795
TI  - Time-dependent evolution of the Bi(3.64)Mo(0.36)O(6.55)/Bi2MoO6 heterostructure
      for enhanced photocatalytic activity via the interfacial hole migration.
AB  - Hierarchical Bi(3.64)Mo(0.36)O(6.55)/Bi2MoO6 isotype heterostructures were
      successfully prepared via a one-pot hydrothermal route by using Bi2O3 porous
      nanospheres as a sacrificial template. By tuning the reaction time, the formation
      process of the Bi(3.64)Mo(0.36)O(6.55)/Bi2MoO6 heterostructure involving Mo
      etching, phase transition and anisotropic growth was clearly identified. More
      importantly, the Bi(3.64)Mo(0.36)O(6.55)/Bi2MoO6 heterostructure displayed
      remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity for dye photodegradation than pure
      phase bismuth molybdate due to the efficient electron-hole separation and the
      interfacial photogenerated hole migration from inside the Bi(3.64)Mo(0.36)O(6.55)
      layer to outside the Bi2MoO6 layer. The opposite hole migration from the outer
      layer to the inner layer was also detected in Bi2O3/Bi2WO6 heterostructures,
      which resulted in the decrease of photocatalytic activity, further verifying the
      importance of hole migration direction. This work provides a novel route to
      fabricate heterostructured photocatalysts, as well as gives a strategy for
      mediating the charge migration to improve photocatalytic performance.

PMID- 26108797
TI  - Erratum to: Elafin is downregulated during breast and ovarian tumorigenesis but
      its residual expression predicts recurrence.

PMID- 26108796
TI  - LTA + 252A > G polymorphism is associated with risk of nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma
      in a Chinese population: a case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma is a rare type of lymphoma in Caucasian
      individuals, but is relatively common in Asian populations. Genetic variants in
      immune and inflammatory response genes may thus be associated with the risk of
      developing lymphoma. Here, we investigated the association between immuno
      modulatory gene polymorphisms and risk for nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma in a Chinese
      population. METHODS: Analysis of 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL
      10, TNF-alpha, lymphotoxin-alpha (LTA), and CTLA-4 genes was performed for 125
      patients with NK/T-cell lymphoma and 300 healthy controls by PCR-ligase detection
      reactions. RESULTS: The LTA +252 GA + AA genotypes were associated with increased
      risk for NK/T-cell lymphoma (OR = 2.96, 95 % CI = 1.42-6.19, P = 0.004 for GA +
      AA genotype). Haplotype C-G-G-A (TNF-alpha -857, -308, -238 and LTA +252) also
      conferred an increased risk (OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.14-2.06, P = 0.005).
      Additionally, the LTA +252 GA + AA genotype was associated with an even higher
      risk in populations positive for Epstein-Barr virus (OR = 5.20, 95% CI = 1.22
      23.41, P = 0.03 for the GA + AA genotype). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the
      LTA +252 A > G polymorphism is associated with the risk of developing NK/T-cell
      lymphoma, especially for Epstein-Barr virus-positive NK/T-cell lymphoma in the
      Chinese population.

PMID- 26108798
TI  - US Supreme Court throws out law that forced doctors in North Carolina to deliver
      antiabortion message.

PMID- 26108799
TI  - Sirolimus effects on cancer incidence after kidney transplantation: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - Sirolimus, an immunosuppressant option for kidney transplant recipients, may
      reduce cancer risk by interrupting the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway.
      However, studies of sirolimus and cancer incidence in kidney recipients have not
      been definitive, and have had limited ability to examine specific cancer types.
      The literature was systematically reviewed to identify randomized controlled
      trials (RCTs) and observational studies of kidney recipients that compared
      sirolimus users to sirolimus nonusers. Meta-analytic methods were used to obtain
      pooled estimates of the association between sirolimus use and incidence of total
      cancer and specific cancer types. Estimates were stratified by study type (RCT
      vs. observational) and use of cyclosporine (an immunosuppressant that affects DNA
      repair). Twenty RCTs and two observational studies were eligible for meta
      analysis, including 39,039 kidney recipients overall. Sirolimus use was
      associated with lower overall cancer incidence (incidence rate ratio [IRR] =
      0.71, 95% CI = 0.56-0.90), driven by a reduction in incidence of nonmelanoma skin
      cancer (NMSC, IRR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.32-0.76). The protective effect of sirolimus
      on NMSC risk was most notable in studies comparing sirolimus against cyclosporine
      (IRR = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.04-0.84). After excluding NMSCs, there was no overall
      association between sirolimus and incidence of other cancers (IRR = 1.06, 95% CI
      = 0.69-1.63). However, sirolimus use had associations with lower kidney cancer
      incidence (IRR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.20-0.81), and higher prostate cancer incidence
      (IRR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.17-2.91). Among kidney recipients, sirolimus users have
      lower NMSC risk, which may be partly due to removal of cyclosporine. Sirolimus
      may also reduce kidney cancer risk but did not appear protective for other
      cancers, and it may actually increase prostate cancer risk.

PMID- 26108800
TI  - Systematic Asymmetric Synthesis of All Diastereomers of (-)-Talaumidin and Their
      Neurotrophic Activity.
AB  - (-)-Talaumidin (1), a 2,5-biaryl-3,4-dimethyltetrahydrofuran lignan isolated from
      Aristolochia arcuata Masters, shows significant neurite-outgrowth promotion and
      neuroprotection in primary cultured rat cortical neurons and in NGF
      differentiated PC12 cells. The four stereogenic centers on the tetrahydrofuran
      moiety in 1 result in the presence of seven diastereomers except for their
      enantiomers. In order to investigate the stereochemistry-activity relationships
      of the stereoisomers, the systematic synthesis of all stereoisomers of 1 was
      accomplished by employing Evans aldol, diastereoselective hydroboration,
      reductive deoxygenation, and Mitsunobu reactions as key steps. The ability of all
      of the synthesized stereoisomers to promote neurite-outgrowth in PC12 and
      neuronal cells was evaluated. All stereoisomers exhibited moderate to potent
      neurotrophic activities in NGF-differentiated PC12 cells at 30 MUM and in primary
      cultured rat cortical neuronal cells at 0.01 MUM. In particular, 1e bearing all
      cis substituents resulted in the most potent neurite-outgrowth promotion. 

PMID- 26108801
TI  - Analysis of autophagic flux in response to sulforaphane in metastatic prostate
      cancer cells.
AB  - SCOPE: The phytochemical sulforaphane (SF) has been shown to decrease prostate
      cancer metastases in a genetic mouse model of prostate carcinogenesis, though the
      mechanism of action is not fully known. SF has been reported to stimulate
      autophagy, and modulation of autophagy has been proposed to influence SF
      cytotoxicity; however, no conclusions about autophagy can be drawn without
      assessing autophagic flux, which has not been characterized in prostate cancer
      cells following SF treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted an investigation
      to assess the impact of SF on autophagic flux in two metastatic prostate cancer
      cell lines at a concentration shown to decrease metastasis in vivo. Autophagic
      flux was assessed by multiple autophagy related proteins and substrates. We found
      that SF can stimulate autophagic flux and cell death only at high concentrations,
      above what has been observed in vivo. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that SF
      does not directly stimulate autophagy or cell death in metastatic prostate cancer
      cells under physiologically relevant conditions, but instead supports the
      involvement of in vivo factors as important effectors of SF-mediated prostate
      cancer suppression.

PMID- 26108803
TI  - In-silico analysis of Sirt2 from Schistosoma mansoni: structures, conformations,
      and interactions with inhibitors.
AB  - Sirtuins are NAD+-dependent lysine deacetylases member of the class III HDAC
      family. These are demonstrated to be therapeutic targets in parasitic diseases
      like schistosomiasis. Observations suggested that sirtuin enzyme is necessary for
      the functionality of fe/male reproductive system, due to which SmSirt2 is treated
      as a potential therapeutic target. There are no structural and molecular features
      of SmSirt2 have been reported yet. In this study, homology modeling has been used
      to determine the three-dimensional features of the SmSITRT2. Further, structure
      validation has been performed by energy minimization and Ramachandran plot.
      Validated structures are further subjected to molecular docking and virtual
      screening to find the best lead molecules for downstream analysis. Ten lead
      molecules were selected while comparing virtual screening of hSirt2 and SmSirt2
      both. These leads are further compared with AKG2 which is known inhibitor of
      hSirt2 (-8.8 kcal/mol). Out of selected 10 leads, four of them (ZINC23995485 (
      9.5 kcal/mol), ZINC53298162 (-9.4 kcal/mol), ZINC70927268 (-10.0 kcal/mol),
      ZINC89878705 (-11.2 kcal/mol)) have shown better interaction with SmSirt2, in
      which ZINC89878705 (-11.2 kcal/mol) shows a more compact packing as compared to
      AKG2 and rest of ligands. These molecules could be further subject to in vitro
      study and model of SmSirt2 has been proposed for further structure-based drug
      design projects concerning sirtuins from Schistosoma mansoni. 

PMID- 26108802
TI  - Prognostic role of hormone receptors in endometrial cancer: a systematic review
      and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to summarize the global predicting role of
      hormone receptors for survival in endometrial cancer. METHODS: Eligible studies
      were identified and assessed for quality through multiple search strategies. Data
      were collected from studies comparing overall survival (OS), cancer-specific
      survival (CSS), or progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with elevated
      levels of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), or human epidermal
      growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) with those in patients with lower levels. The
      combined hazard ratios of ER, PR, and HER2 for survival were calculated. RESULTS:
      A total of 98 studies were included for meta-analysis (44 for ER, 38 for PR, and
      16 for HER2). Higher levels of either ER or PR could significantly indicate
      better survival. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) of ER for OS, CSS, and PFS were
      0.75 (95% CI, 0.68-0.83), 0.45 (95% CI, 0.33-0.62), and 0.66 (95% CI, 0.52-0.85),
      respectively. The combined HRs of PR for OS, CSS, and PFS reached 0.63 (95% CI,
      0.56-0.71), 0.62 (95% CI, 0.42-0.93), and 0.45 (95% CI, 0.30-0.68), respectively.
      In contrast, elevated levels of HER2 could predict worse outcome with a HR of
      1.98 (95% CI, 1.49-2.62) for OS, and a HR of 2.26 (95% CI, 1.57-3.25) for PFS.
      CONCLUSIONS: In patients with endometrial cancer, higher level of ER and PR
      predicted favorable survival, and increased level of HER2 was associated with
      poorer survival. All of the three hormone receptors had prognostic value for
      survival.

PMID- 26108804
TI  - Acute kidney injury following surgical aortic valve replacement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a significant complication of surgical
      aortic valve replacement (SAVR). This study sought to describe AKI following
      SAVR, its risk factors, predictors and effect on long-term survival. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed 2169 patients who underwent isolated SAVR between 2000
      and 2012. The main end-points were occurrence of AKI, postoperative
      complications, and short- and long-term survival rates following SAVR. Patients
      were divided into two groups: AKI+ (n = 181) and AKI- (n = 1945). RESULTS: AKI
      occurred in 8.5% of patients, of which 3.9% (n = 7) needed dialysis. Predictors
      of AKI after SAVR were body mass index (BMI) and intraoperative packed red blood
      cells (PRBC) transfusion. AKI+ patients had a more complicated postoperative
      course and higher cumulative mortality (25% vs. 17%, p = 0.012) with a median
      follow-up of 4.1 years. AKI was not found to be an independent predictor of
      mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Predictors of AKI after SAVR are increased BMI and
      intraoperative PRBC transfusion. AKI conferred an increase in hospital length of
      stay and cumulative mortality while the need for postoperative dialysis was
      associated with the most complicated hospital stays and the highest in-hospital
      and cumulative mortalities; therefore careful recognition of patients at risk of
      AKI is warranted for a better preoperative renal optimization. However, incidence
      of AKI was lower than what is reported after both on-CPB cardiac surgeries and
      transcatheter aortic valve replacement, moreover AKI was not found to be an
      independent predictor of mortality.

PMID- 26108805
TI  - WNT3 and membrane-associated beta-catenin regulate trophectoderm lineage
      differentiation in human blastocysts.
AB  - WNT/beta-catenin signaling has been described as a crucial regulator of embryonic
      stem cells and embryogenesis. However, little is known on its role during human
      preimplantation embryo development, besides the RNA expression of its multiple
      players. In this study, we performed beta-catenin loss- and gain-of-function
      studies on human preimplantation embryos by adding either Cardamonin or GSK3
      inhibitor, 1-Azakenpaullone, to the embryo culture medium from the cleavage until
      blastocyst stages (Days 3-5/6). beta-Catenin was displayed in the cortical region
      underneath the membrane during all stages, but it only showed nuclear
      localization at cleavage stages after stabilization with 1-Azakenpaullone. We did
      not observe any effects on the inner cell mass markers NANOG, POU5F1, SOX2 and
      SALL4 in these functional experiments. However, both beta-catenin degradation and
      stabilization caused inhibition of the trophectoderm (TE) fate, illustrated by
      KRT18 and GATA3 RNA, and CDX2 protein expression. Based on the TE-specific WNT3
      protein expression in blastocysts, we postulated that this protein may be an
      upstream regulator for the observed membrane beta-catenin function. The addition
      of either WNT3 or 1-Azakenpaullone to the culture medium promoted EOMES
      expression specific for trophoblast development. In both studies, the canonical
      WNT pathway target gene, TCF1, was not affected. Therefore, we conclude that WNT3
      and membrane-associated beta-catenin promote progenitor trophoblast development
      in human blastocysts. These results have important implications in assisted
      reproduction and stem cell biology. 

PMID- 26108806
TI  - In response to Treatment of epilepsy by stimulation of the vagus nerve from head
      and-neck surgical point of view.

PMID- 26108807
TI  - Cardiac tachyarrhythmias and patient values and preferences for their management:
      the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) consensus document endorsed by the
      Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS), and
      Sociedad Latinoamericana de Estimulacion Cardiaca y Electrofisiologia (SOLEACE).

PMID- 26108809
TI  - Syncope Unit: rationale and requirement--the European Heart Rhythm Association
      position statement endorsed by the Heart Rhythm Society.

PMID- 26108808
TI  - Chronic kidney disease in patients with cardiac rhythm disturbances or
      implantable electrical devices: clinical significance and implications for
      decision making-a position paper of the European Heart Rhythm Association
      endorsed by the Heart Rhythm Society and the Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society.

PMID- 26108810
TI  - Advanced process monitoring and feedback control to enhance cell culture process
      production and robustness.
AB  - It is a common practice in biotherapeutic manufacturing to define a fixed-volume
      feed strategy for nutrient feeds, based on historical cell demand. However, once
      the feed volumes are defined, they are inflexible to batch-to-batch variations in
      cell growth and physiology and can lead to inconsistent productivity and product
      quality. In an effort to control critical quality attributes and to apply process
      analytical technology (PAT), a fully automated cell culture feedback control
      system has been explored in three different applications. The first study
      illustrates that frequent monitoring and automatically controlling the complex
      feed based on a surrogate (glutamate) level improved protein production. More
      importantly, the resulting feed strategy was translated into a manufacturing
      friendly manual feed strategy without impact on product quality. The second study
      demonstrates the improved process robustness of an automated feed strategy based
      on online bio-capacitance measurements for cell growth. In the third study,
      glucose and lactate concentrations were measured online and were used to
      automatically control the glucose feed, which in turn changed lactate metabolism.
      These studies suggest that the auto-feedback control system has the potential to
      significantly increase productivity and improve robustness in manufacturing, with
      the goal of ensuring process performance and product quality consistency.

PMID- 26108812
TI  - Data overprotection.

PMID- 26108813
TI  - Hope from the Pope.

PMID- 26108811
TI  - Photodynamic Action Mechanism Mediated by Zinc(II) 2,9,16,23-Tetrakis[4-(N
      methylpyridyloxy)]phthalocyanine in Candida albicans Cells.
AB  - The photoreaction type I/type II pathways mediated by zinc(II) 2,9,16,23
      tetrakis[4-(N-methylpyridyloxy)]phthalocyanine (ZnPPc(4+) ) was studied in
      Candida albicans cells. This photosensitizer was strongly bound to C. albicans
      cells at short times. After 30 min irradiation, 5 MUM ZnPPc(4+) produced ~5 log
      decrease in cell viability. Different probes were used to detect reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) in cell suspensions (~10(6) CFU mL(-1) ). Singlet molecular oxygen,
      O2 ((1) Deltag ), was observed by the reaction with 9,10-dimethylanthracene (DMA)
      and tetrasodium 2,2-(anthracene-9,10-diyl)bis(methylmalonate) (ABMM), whereas the
      nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) method was used to sense superoxide anion radical
      (O2.-). Moreover, the effects produced by an anoxic atmosphere and cell
      suspensions in D2 O, as well as the addition of sodium azide and mannitol as ROS
      trapping were evaluated in the PDI of C. albicans. These investigation indicates
      that O2 ((1) Deltag ) is generated in the cells, although a minor extension other
      radical species can also be involved in the PDI of C. albicans mediated by
      ZnPPc(4+) . 

PMID- 26108814
TI  - Life under the ice.

PMID- 26108815
TI  - Judge by actions, not words.

PMID- 26108827
TI  - Urban microbes come out of the shadows.

PMID- 26108828
TI  - Bacteria may help bats to fight deadly fungus.

PMID- 26108829
TI  - Astronomers claim first glimpse of primordial stars.

PMID- 26108830
TI  - Private asteroid hunt lacks cash to spy threats in orbit.

PMID- 26108831
TI  - Earth science wrestles with conflict-of-interest policies.

PMID- 26108832
TI  - Ancient American genome rekindles legal row.

PMID- 26108833
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26108834
TI  - Europe's superlab: Sir Paul's cathedral.

PMID- 26108835
TI  - Neuroscience: The hard science of oxytocin.

PMID- 26108836
TI  - CRISPR: Science can't solve it.

PMID- 26108837
TI  - CRISPR: Move beyond differences.

PMID- 26108841
TI  - India: Assess social impact of technology.

PMID- 26108842
TI  - Research misconduct: Speed translation of misconduct reports.

PMID- 26108843
TI  - India: Multi-author papers skew ranking.

PMID- 26108844
TI  - Dynasty Foundation: Russian science loses to politics.

PMID- 26108845
TI  - North America: US sanctions alarm physicians from Iran.

PMID- 26108846
TI  - John Forbes Nash (1928-2015).

PMID- 26108847
TI  - Astrophysics: Dust-poor galaxies at early times.

PMID- 26108848
TI  - Climate science: The dynamics of temperature extremes.

PMID- 26108850
TI  - Cell metabolism: Sugar for sight.

PMID- 26108852
TI  - The changing form of Antarctic biodiversity.
AB  - Antarctic biodiversity is much more extensive, ecologically diverse and
      biogeographically structured than previously thought. Understanding of how this
      diversity is distributed in marine and terrestrial systems, the mechanisms
      underlying its spatial variation, and the significance of the microbiota is
      growing rapidly. Broadly recognizable drivers of diversity variation include
      energy availability and historical refugia. The impacts of local human activities
      and global environmental change nonetheless pose challenges to the current and
      future understanding of Antarctic biodiversity. Life in the Antarctic and the
      Southern Ocean is surprisingly rich, and as much at risk from environmental
      change as it is elsewhere. 

PMID- 26108853
TI  - Galaxies at redshifts 5 to 6 with systematically low dust content and high [C II]
      emission.
AB  - The rest-frame ultraviolet properties of galaxies during the first three billion
      years of cosmic time (redshift z > 4) indicate a rapid evolution in the dust
      obscuration of such galaxies. This evolution implies a change in the average
      properties of the interstellar medium, but the measurements are systematically
      uncertain owing to untested assumptions and the inability to detect heavily
      obscured regions of the galaxies. Previous attempts to measure the interstellar
      medium directly in normal galaxies at these redshifts have failed for a number of
      reasons, with two notable exceptions. Here we report measurements of the
      forbidden C ii emission (that is, [C II]) from gas, and the far-infrared emission
      from dust, in nine typical star-forming galaxies about one billion years after
      the Big Bang (z ~ 5-6). We find that these galaxies have thermal emission that is
      less than 1/12 that of similar systems about two billion years later, and
      enhanced [C II] emission relative to the far-infrared continuum, confirming a
      strong evolution in the properties of the interstellar medium in the early
      Universe. The gas is distributed over scales of one to eight kiloparsecs, and
      shows diverse dynamics within the sample. These results are consistent with early
      galaxies having significantly less dust than typical galaxies seen at z < 3 and
      being comparable in dust content to local low-metallicity systems.

PMID- 26108854
TI  - A giant comet-like cloud of hydrogen escaping the warm Neptune-mass exoplanet GJ
      436b.
AB  - Exoplanets orbiting close to their parent stars may lose some fraction of their
      atmospheres because of the extreme irradiation. Atmospheric mass loss primarily
      affects low-mass exoplanets, leading to the suggestion that hot rocky planets
      might have begun as Neptune-like, but subsequently lost all of their atmospheres;
      however, no confident measurements have hitherto been available. The signature of
      this loss could be observed in the ultraviolet spectrum, when the planet and its
      escaping atmosphere transit the star, giving rise to deeper and longer transit
      signatures than in the optical spectrum. Here we report that in the ultraviolet
      the Neptune-mass exoplanet GJ 436b (also known as Gliese 436b) has transit depths
      of 56.3 +/- 3.5% (1sigma), far beyond the 0.69% optical transit depth. The
      ultraviolet transits repeatedly start about two hours before, and end more than
      three hours after the approximately one hour optical transit, which is
      substantially different from one previous claim (based on an inaccurate
      ephemeris). We infer from this that the planet is surrounded and trailed by a
      large exospheric cloud composed mainly of hydrogen atoms. We estimate a mass-loss
      rate in the range of about 10(8)-10(9) grams per second, which is far too small
      to deplete the atmosphere of a Neptune-like planet in the lifetime of the parent
      star, but would have been much greater in the past. 

PMID- 26108855
TI  - Linking high harmonics from gases and solids.
AB  - When intense light interacts with an atomic gas, recollision between an ionizing
      electron and its parent ion creates high-order harmonics of the fundamental laser
      frequency. This sub-cycle effect generates coherent soft X-rays and attosecond
      pulses, and provides a means to image molecular orbitals. Recently, high
      harmonics have been generated from bulk crystals, but what mechanism dominates
      the emission remains uncertain. To resolve this issue, we adapt measurement
      methods from gas-phase research to solid zinc oxide driven by mid-infrared laser
      fields of 0.25 volts per angstrom. We find that when we alter the generation
      process with a second-harmonic beam, the modified harmonic spectrum bears the
      signature of a generalized recollision between an electron and its associated
      hole. In addition, we find that solid-state high harmonics are perturbed by
      fields so weak that they are present in conventional electronic circuits, thus
      opening a route to integrate electronics with attosecond and high-harmonic
      technology. Future experiments will permit the band structure of a solid to be
      tomographically reconstructed. 

PMID- 26108856
TI  - Contribution of changes in atmospheric circulation patterns to extreme
      temperature trends.
AB  - Surface weather conditions are closely governed by the large-scale circulation of
      the Earth's atmosphere. Recent increases in the occurrence of some extreme
      weather phenomena have led to multiple mechanistic hypotheses linking changes in
      atmospheric circulation to increasing probability of extreme events. However,
      observed evidence of long-term change in atmospheric circulation remains
      inconclusive. Here we identify statistically significant trends in the occurrence
      of atmospheric circulation patterns, which partially explain observed trends in
      surface temperature extremes over seven mid-latitude regions of the Northern
      Hemisphere. Using self-organizing map cluster analysis, we detect robust
      circulation pattern trends in a subset of these regions during both the satellite
      observation era (1979-2013) and the recent period of rapid Arctic sea-ice decline
      (1990-2013). Particularly substantial influences include the contribution of
      increasing trends in anticyclonic circulations to summer and autumn hot extremes
      over portions of Eurasia and North America, and the contribution of increasing
      trends in northerly flow to winter cold extremes over central Asia. Our results
      indicate that although a substantial portion of the observed change in extreme
      temperature occurrence has resulted from regional- and global-scale thermodynamic
      changes, the risk of extreme temperatures over some regions has also been altered
      by recent changes in the frequency, persistence and maximum duration of regional
      circulation patterns. 

PMID- 26108857
TI  - Cell death during crisis is mediated by mitotic telomere deprotection.
AB  - Tumour formation is blocked by two barriers: replicative senescence and crisis.
      Senescence is triggered by short telomeres and is bypassed by disruption of
      tumour-suppressive pathways. After senescence bypass, cells undergo crisis,
      during which almost all of the cells in the population die. Cells that escape
      crisis harbour unstable genomes and other parameters of transformation. The
      mechanism of cell death during crisis remains unexplained. Here we show that
      human cells in crisis undergo spontaneous mitotic arrest, resulting in death
      during mitosis or in the following cell cycle. This phenotype is induced by loss
      of p53 function, and is suppressed by telomerase overexpression. Telomere fusions
      triggered mitotic arrest in p53-compromised non-crisis cells, indicating that
      such fusions are the underlying cause of cell death. Exacerbation of mitotic
      telomere deprotection by partial TRF2 (also known as TERF2) knockdown increased
      the ratio of cells that died during mitotic arrest and sensitized cancer cells to
      mitotic poisons. We propose a crisis pathway wherein chromosome fusions induce
      mitotic arrest, resulting in mitotic telomere deprotection and cell death,
      thereby eliminating precancerous cells from the population. 

PMID- 26108859
TI  - Delivery of HIV test results, post-test discussion and referral in health care
      settings: a review of guidance for European countries.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: HIV testing and counselling (HTC) guidelines support and promote best
      practice among service providers. Few European countries have national HTC
      guidelines and most rely on guidance from regional and international bodies. This
      study examines recommendations in current pan-European and global guidelines
      regarding test result delivery, post-test discussion and referral pathways in
      health care settings, and reviews the types of evidence upon which
      recommendations are based. METHODS: A systematic review and comparative content
      analysis of relevant guidelines identified through a literature search and review
      of targeted organization websites were carried out. RESULTS: One global and three
      pan-European guidelines were reviewed. There was general consensus that any test
      result should be confidential and delivered privately to a patient; positive
      results should be delivered in person by a health care professional; negative
      test results could also be delivered by telephone, text message or post. Analyses
      show conflicting guidance relating to the provision of post-test counselling, and
      inconsistencies in referral pathways to specialist treatment for positive test
      results. There is limited reference to published evidence in support of
      recommendations. Instead there is heavy reliance on expert opinion/consultation
      and other previous/existing guidelines when developing guidelines. Scientific
      evidence, where stated, is often more than ten years old, and based predominantly
      on US/UK research. CONCLUSIONS: While largely in agreement, current pan-European
      and global HTC guidelines have inconsistencies, particularly regarding post-test
      counselling and referral pathways to specialized services. Our findings highlight
      the need for an up-to-date review of more current evidence from wider European
      settings to support the process of expert consultation.

PMID- 26108860
TI  - Radiographer technique: Does it contribute to the question of clip migration?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Marker clips are commonly deployed at the site of a percutaneous
      breast biopsy. Studies have shown that displacement of the clip from the site of
      deployment is not uncommon. The objective of this study was to determine how much
      'migration' could be seen with fixed structures within the breast tissue across
      three consecutive annual screening examinations, and therefore attempt to
      quantify how much of the reported clip migration could be due to radiographer
      technique. METHODS: Large, easily identified benign calcifications were measured
      by two investigators across three consecutive cycles of screening mammography.
      The position of the calcifications on the two standard mammographic views was
      measured in two planes. Other variables recorded included breast size and
      density, compression force used, and location of the benign calcifications within
      the breast. RESULTS: In 38% of cases, benign breast calcifications showed a
      mimicked movement of >15 mm in at least one plane. This was greatest in large
      breasts, those where fibroglandular tissue occupied less than 50% of the breast
      volume, and in the upper outer quadrant of the breast where mimicked movement >10
      mm was noted in up to 90% of the larger breasts. CONCLUSION: Fixed immobile
      objects in the breast can appear to move a distance of >15 mm in up to 30% of
      cases. Clinically, some of what has previously been called marker 'migration' may
      be spurious and accounted for by differences in radiographic positioning
      techniques.

PMID- 26108861
TI  - Chemo-port insertion: A cause of vocal cord palsy.
AB  - We describe extremely rare cases of vocal cord palsy following surgical insertion
      of a chemo port. Our cohort consisted of patients with cancer who developed
      hoarseness immediately after central venous line placement for the administration
      of chemotherapy, with vocal cord palsy confirmed with flexible laryngoscopy.
      Given the timing, central venous line placement appears to be the most likely
      cause.

PMID- 26108862
TI  - High velocity gunshot injuries to the extremities: management on and off the
      battlefield.
AB  - The gunshot wounds sustained on the battlefield caused by military ammunition can
      be different in nature to those usually encountered in the civilian setting. The
      main difference is that military ammunition has typically higher velocity with
      therefore greater kinetic energy and consequently potential to destroy tissue.
      The surgical priorities in the management of gunshot wounds are hemorrhage
      control, preventing infection, and reconstruction. The extent to which a gunshot
      wound needs to be surgically explored can be difficult to determine and depends
      on the likely amount of tissue destruction and the delay between wounding and
      initial surgical treatment. Factors associated with greater energy transfer,
      e.g., bullet fragmentation and bony fractures, are predictors of increased wound
      severity and therefore a requirement for more surgical exploration and likely
      debridement. Gunshot wounds should never be closed primarily; the full range of
      reconstruction from secondary intention to free tissue transfer may be required. 

PMID- 26108864
TI  - When folic acid fails: Insights from 20 years of neural tube defect surveillance
      in South Carolina.
AB  - Neural tube defects (NTDs) are the most common of the severe malformations of the
      brain and spinal cord. Increased maternal intake of folic acid (FA) during the
      periconceptional period is known to reduce NTD risk. Data from 1046 NTD cases in
      South Carolina were gathered over 20 years of surveillance. It was possible to
      determine maternal periconceptional FA use in 615 NTD-affected pregnancies. In
      163 occurrent (26.9%) and two recurrent (22%) NTD cases, the mothers reported
      periconceptional FA use. These women were older and more likely to be white.
      Maternal periconceptional FA usage was reported in 40.4% of cases of spina bifida
      with other anomalies but in only 25.2% of isolated spina bifida cases (P = 0.02).
      This enrichment for associated anomalies was not noted among cases of anencephaly
      or of encephalocele. Among the 563 subsequent pregnancies to mothers with
      previous NTD-affected pregnancies, those taking FA had a 0.4% NTD recurrence
      rate, but the recurrence without FA was 8.5%. NTDs with other associated findings
      were less likely to be prevented by FA, suggesting there is a background NTD rate
      that cannot be further reduced by FA. Nonetheless, the majority (73.9%) of NTDs
      in pregnancies in which the mothers reported periconceptional FA use were
      isolated NTDs of usual types. Cases in which FA failed in prevention of NTDs
      provide potential areas for further study into the causation of NTDs. The
      measures and techniques implemented in South Carolina can serve as an effective
      and successful model for prevention of NTD occurrence and recurrence.

PMID- 26108863
TI  - Monocytes of Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Harbour Enterovirus RNA.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intracellular enterovirus (EV) RNA was detected in blood of patients
      with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The presence of EV RNA in subsets of peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients, and the in vitro infection of these cells
      with an EV, was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood was collected from 42
      patients with T1D, PBMCs were isolated and monocytes were purified. Interferon
      alpha (IFNalpha) mRNA and EV RNA were investigated using RT-PCR. Levels of
      IFNalpha in plasma were measured using an immunoassay. Cells were inoculated with
      Coxsackievirus B4 (CBV4) in vitro, and infection was assessed by indirect
      immunofluorescence (IFI). RESULTS: Interferon alpha mRNA was detected in blood
      and in monocytes of 12 of 42 patients with T1D, but not in monocyte-depleted
      PBMCs of the same individuals. Significant plasma levels of IFNalpha (>= 5 IU/mL)
      were found in six patients. EV RNA was detected in whole blood and in monocytes
      of seven patients and negative-strand EV RNA was found in monocytes of 6 of them.
      When monocytes of patients with IFNalpha and/or EV RNA in their blood were
      inoculated with CVB4, the proportion of cells stained by an anti-VP1 antibody was
      8.8 +/- 1%, whereas no VP1 was detected in the monocytes of IFNalpha, EV RNA
      negative patients. Nevertheless, when CBV4 was mixed with plasma, VP1 was
      detected in monocytes of all patients with T1D (staining ranging from 12 to 36%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that monocytes of patients with T1D can harbor EV
      RNA and IFNalpha mRNA and can be infected with an EV in vitro.

PMID- 26108865
TI  - Protective immune response against newly emerging goose tembusu virus infection
      induced by immunization with a recombinant envelope protein.
AB  - Flavivirus envelope protein locates at the outermost surface of viral particle
      and mediates virus entry and fusion infection, and plays an important role in
      eliciting neutralizing antibody. In this study, goose tembusu virus (GTV) E
      protein was expressed and purified from Escherichia coli. The immunological
      changes and protection efficiency of this protein serving as recombinant subunit
      vaccine were then tested. In ducks, recombinant E protein markedly elicited
      specific neutralizing antibody, stimulated the secretion of IL-2, TNF-alpha and
      IFN-gamma cytokines and promoted the proliferation of lymphocytes. Additionally,
      population of soluble CD4 and soluble CD8 molecules in sera significantly
      increased in response to this antigen. Moreover, virus challenge revealed that
      recombinant E protein contributed to protection against GTV challenge. Taken
      together, the data indicate that recombinant GTV E protein could induce
      significant humoral and cell-mediated responses and that recombinant E protein
      can serve as a potential subunit vaccine candidate against GTV. SIGNIFICANCE AND
      IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The sudden outbreak and quick spread of newly emerging goose
      tembusu virus (GTV) have resulted in serious economic loss. There is no effective
      commercial vaccine or reasonably available control measure so far. In this study,
      GTV E protein was expressed and purified from Escherichia coli, and it was found
      that recombinant E protein could induce significant humoral and cell-mediated
      responses. It indicated that recombinant E protein can serve as a potential
      subunit vaccine candidate against GTV.

PMID- 26108866
TI  - Gd(III)-Gd(III) EPR distance measurements--the range of accessible distances and
      the impact of zero field splitting.
AB  - Gd(III) complexes have emerged as spin labels for distance determination in
      biomolecules through double-electron-electron resonance (DEER) measurements at
      high fields. For data analysis, the standard approach developed for a pair of
      weakly coupled spins with S = 1/2 was applied, ignoring the actual properties of
      Gd(III) ions, i.e. S = 7/2 and ZFS (zero field splitting) ? 0. The present study
      reports on a careful investigation on the consequences of this approach, together
      with the range of distances accessible by DEER with Gd(III) complexes as spin
      labels. The experiments were performed on a series of specifically designed and
      synthesized Gd-rulers (Gd-PyMTA-spacer-Gd-PyMTA) covering Gd-Gd distances of 2-8
      nm. These were dissolved in D2O-glycerol-d8 (0.03-0.10 mM solutions) which is the
      solvent used for the corresponding experiments on biomolecules. Q- and W-band
      DEER measurements, followed by data analysis using the standard data analysis
      approach, used for S = 1/2 pairs gave the distance-distribution curves, of which
      the absolute maxima agreed very well with the expected distances. However, in the
      case of the short distances of 2.1 and 2.9 nm, the distance distributions
      revealed additional peaks. These are a consequence of neglecting the pseudo
      secular term in the dipolar Hamiltonian during the data analysis, as is outlined
      in a theoretical treatment. At distances of 3.4 nm and above, disregarding the
      pseudo-secular term leads to a broadening of a maximum of 0.4 nm of the distance
      distribution curves at half height. Overall, the distances of up to 8.3 nm were
      determined, and the long evolution time of 16 MUs at 10 K indicates that a
      distance of up to 9.4 nm can be accessed. A large distribution of the ZFS
      parameter, D, as is found for most Gd(III) complexes in a frozen solution, is
      crucial for the application of Gd(III) complexes as spin labels for distance
      determination via Gd(III)-Gd(III) DEER, especially for short distances. The
      larger ZFS of Gd-PyMTA, in comparison to that of Gd-DOTA, makes Gd-PyMTA a better
      label for short distances.

PMID- 26108867
TI  - 2015 Wayne Fenton Award for Exceptional Clinical Care.

PMID- 26108868
TI  - Effort-Based Decision Making in Schizophrenia: Evaluation of Paradigms to Measure
      Motivational Deficits.
AB  - Effort-based decision making requires one to decide how much effort to expend for
      a certain amount of reward. As the amount of reward goes up most people are
      willing to exert more effort. This relationship between reward level and effort
      expenditure can be measured in specialized performance-based tasks that have only
      recently been applied to schizophrenia. Such tasks provide a way to measure
      objectively motivational deficits in schizophrenia, which now are only assessed
      with clinical interviews of negative symptoms. The articles in this theme provide
      reviews of the relevant animal and human literatures (first 2 articles), and then
      a psychometric evaluation of 5 effort-based decision making paradigms (last 2
      articles). This theme section is intended to stimulate interest in this emerging
      area among basic scientists developing paradigms for preclinical studies, human
      experimentalists trying to disentangle factors that contribute to performance on
      effort-based tasks, and investigators looking for objective endpoints for
      clinical trials of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26108869
TI  - Fuel metabolism in Canada geese: effects of glucagon on glucose kinetics.
AB  - During prolonged fasting, birds must rely on glucose mobilization to maintain
      normoglycemia. Glucagon is known to modulate avian energy metabolism during
      prolonged fasting, but the metabolic effects of this hormone on long-distance
      migrant birds have never been investigated. Our goal was to determine whether
      glucagon regulates the mobilization of the main lipid and carbohydrate fuels in
      migrant birds. Using the Canada goose (Branta canadensis) as a model species, we
      looked for evidence of fuel mobilization via changes in metabolite
      concentrations. No changes could be found for any lipid fraction, but glucagon
      elicited a strong increase in glucose concentration. Therefore, we aimed to
      quantify the effects of this hormone on glucose kinetics using continuous
      infusion of 6-[(3)H]-d-glucose. Glucagon was found to cause a 50% increase in
      glucose mobilization (from 22.2 +/- 2.4 MUmol.kg(-1).min(-1) to 33.5 +/- 3.3
      MUmol.kg(-1).min(-1)) and, together with an unchanged rate of carbohydrate
      oxidation, led to a 90% increase in plasma glucose concentration. This hormone
      also led to a twofold increase in plasma lactate concentration. No changes in
      plasma lipid concentration or composition were observed. This study is the first
      to demonstrate how glucagon modulates glucose kinetics in a long-distance migrant
      bird and to quantify its rates of glucose mobilization. 

PMID- 26108870
TI  - Viral transduction of renin rapidly establishes persistent hypertension in
      diverse murine strains.
AB  - Mice provide a unique platform to dissect disease pathogenesis, with the
      availability of recombinant inbred strains and diverse genetically modified
      strains. Leveraging these reagents to elucidate the mechanisms of hypertensive
      tissue injury has been hindered by difficulty establishing persistent
      hypertension in these inbred lines. ANG II infusion provides relatively short
      term activation of the renin-angiotensinogen system (RAS) with concomitant
      elevated arterial pressure. Longer-duration studies using renin transgenic mice
      are powerful models of chronic hypertension, yet are limited by the genetic
      background on which the transgene exists and the exposure throughout development.
      The present studies characterized hypertension produced by transduction with a
      renin-coding adeno-associated virus (ReninAAV). ReninAAV mice experienced
      elevated circulating renin with concurrent elevations in arterial pressure.
      Following a single injection of ReninAAV, arterial pressure increased on average
      +56 mmHg, an increase that persisted for at least 12 wk in three distinct and
      widely used strains of adult mice: 129/S6, C56BL/6, and DBA/2J. This was
      accomplished without surgical implantation of pumps or complex breeding and
      backcrossing. In addition, ReninAAV mice developed pathophysiological changes
      associated with chronic hypertension, including increased heart weight and
      albuminuria. Thus ReninAAV provides a unique tool to study the onset of and
      effects of persistent hypertension in diverse murine models. This model should
      facilitate our understanding of the pathogenesis of hypertensive injury. 

PMID- 26108871
TI  - A high-throughput assay for quantifying appetite and digestive dynamics.
AB  - Food intake and digestion are vital functions, and their dysregulation is
      fundamental for many human diseases. Current methods do not support their dynamic
      quantification on large scales in unrestrained vertebrates. Here, we combine an
      infrared macroscope with fluorescently labeled food to quantify feeding behavior
      and intestinal nutrient metabolism with high temporal resolution, sensitivity,
      and throughput in naturally behaving zebrafish larvae. Using this method and rate
      based modeling, we demonstrate that zebrafish larvae match nutrient intake to
      their bodily demand and that larvae adjust their digestion rate, according to the
      ingested meal size. Such adaptive feedback mechanisms make this model system
      amenable to identify potential chemical modulators. As proof of concept, we
      demonstrate that nicotine, l-lysine, ghrelin, and insulin have analogous impact
      on food intake as in mammals. Consequently, the method presented here will
      promote large-scale translational research of food intake and digestive function
      in a naturally behaving vertebrate. 

PMID- 26108873
TI  - Using an Automatic Tool to Identify Potential Readability Issues in a Large
      Sample of Medicinal Package Inserts.

PMID- 26108872
TI  - Synthesis, characterization and apoptotic activity of quinazolinone Schiff base
      derivatives toward MCF-7 cells via intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis pathways.
AB  - The current study investigated the cytotoxic effect of 3-(5-chloro-2
      hydroxybenzylideneamino)-2-(5-chloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-41(H)
      one (A) and 3-(5-nitro-2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)-2-(5-nitro-2-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3
      dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one (B) on MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MCF-10A and WRL-68 cells.
      The mechanism involved in apoptosis was assessed to evaluate the possible
      pathways induced by compound A and B. MTT assay results using A and B showed
      significant inhibition of MCF-7 cell viability, with IC50 values of 3. 27 +/-
      0.171 and 4.36 +/- 0.219 MUg/mL, respectively, after a 72 hour treatment period.
      Compound A and B did not demonstrate significant cytotoxic effects towards MDA-MB
      231, WRL-68 and MCF-10A cells. Acute toxicity tests also revealed an absence of
      toxic effects on mice. Fluorescent microscopic studies confirmed distinct
      morphological changes (membrane blebbing and chromosome condensation)
      corresponding to typical apoptotic features in treated MCF-7 cells. Using
      Cellomics High Content Screening (HCS), we found that compound A and B could
      trigger the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytosol. The release
      of cytochrome c activated the expression of caspases-9 and then stimulated
      downstream executioner caspase-3/7. In addition, caspase-8 showed remarkable
      activity, followed by inhibition of NF-kappaB activation in A-and B-treated MCF-7
      cells. The results indicated that A and B could induce apoptosis via a mechanism
      that involves either extrinsic or intrinsic pathways. 

PMID- 26108875
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26108876
TI  - [Genetics of dementia].
AB  - Most psychiatric diseases in adulthood have a multifactorial origin. This also
      applies for most cases of dementia; however, rare familial forms of Alzheimer's
      disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration follow an autosomal dominant
      (Mendelian) inheritance pattern. Alzheimer's disease that is caused by mutations
      in the genes for presenilin 1, presenilin 2 and amyloid precursor protein has an
      onset under the age of 65 years in most cases. Approximately 10 % of
      frontotemporal lobar degeneration cases display an autosomal dominant inheritance
      pattern. According to the current S3 guidelines on dementia of the German
      Association for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics and the German
      Society of Neurology, genetic counseling should be offered if an autosomal
      dominant disease pattern is suspected. Genetic counseling must conform to the
      German Genetic Diagnostics Act (Gendiagnostikgesetz). 

PMID- 26108877
TI  - [Intensive care therapy of space-occupying large hemispheric infarction. Summary
      of the NCS/DGNI guidelines].
AB  - Large hemispheric infarction (LHI), synonymously called malignant middle cerebral
      artery (MCA) infarction, is a severe neurological disease with a high mortality
      and morbidity. Treating physicians as well as relatives are often faced with few
      and low quality data when attempting to apply optimal treatment to these patients
      and make decisions. While current stroke treatment guidelines focus on risk
      factors, prevention and acute management, they include only limited
      recommendations concerning intensive care management of LHI. The Neurocritical
      Care Society (NCS) and the German Society for Neurocritical and Emergency
      Medicine (DGNI) organized an interdisciplinary consensus conference on intensive
      care management of LHI to meet this demand. European and American experts in
      neurology, neurocritical care, neurosurgery, neuroradiology and
      neuroanesthesiology were selected based on their expertise and research focus.
      Subgroups for several main topics elaborated a number of central clinical
      questions concerning this topic and evaluated the quality of the currently
      available data according to the grading of recommendation assessment, development
      and evaluation (GRADE) guideline system. Subsequently, evidence-based
      recommendations were compiled after weighing the advantages against the
      disadvantages of certain management options. This is a commented abridged version
      of the results of the consensus conference. 

PMID- 26108878
TI  - Internalization, Trafficking, Intracellular Processing and Actions of Antibody
      Drug Conjugates.
AB  - PURPOSE: This review discusses the molecular mechanism involved in the targeting
      and delivery of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), the new class of
      biopharmaceuticals mainly designed for targeted cancer therapy. METHODS: this
      review goes over major progress in preclinical and clinical studies of ADCs, in
      the past 5 years. RESULTS: The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ADCs
      involve multiple mechanisms, including internalization of ADCs by target cells,
      intracellular trafficking, release of conjugated drugs, and payload. CONCLUSION:
      These mechanisms actually jointly determine the efficacy of ADCs. Therefore, the
      optimization of ADCs should take them as necessary rationales.

PMID- 26108879
TI  - An Introduction to the Regulatory and Nonclinical Aspects of the Nonclinical
      Development of Antibody Drug Conjugates.
AB  - Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are promising therapies currently in development
      for oncology with unique and challenging regulatory and scientific
      considerations. While there are currently no regulatory guidelines specific for
      the nonclinical development of ADCs, there are harmonized international
      guidelines (e.g., ICHS6(R1), ICHM3(R2), ICHS9) that apply to ADCs and provide a
      framework for their complex development with issues that apply to both small and
      large molecules. The regulatory and scientific perspectives on ADCs are evolving
      due to both the advances in ADC technology and a better understanding of the
      safety and efficacy of ADCs in clinical development. This paper introduces the
      key scientific and regulatory aspects of the nonclinical development of ADCs,
      discusses important regulatory and scientific issues in the nonclinical to
      clinical dose translation of ADCs, and introduces new concepts in the areas of
      pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modeling and simulation. 

PMID- 26108880
TI  - Identification of cytokine-induced modulation of microRNA expression and
      secretion as measured by a novel microRNA specific qPCR assay.
AB  - microRNAs are an abundant class of small non-coding RNAs that control gene
      expression post-transcriptionally. Importantly, microRNA activity participates in
      the regulation of cellular processes and is a potentially valuable source of
      biomarkers in the diagnosis and prognosis of human diseases. Here we introduce
      miQPCR, an innovative method to quantify microRNAs expression by using Real-Time
      PCR. miQPCR exploits T4 RNA ligase activities to extend uniformly microRNAs' 3'
      ends by addition of a linker-adapter. The adapter is then used as 'anchor' to
      prime cDNA synthesis and throughout qPCR to amplify specifically target
      amplicons. miQPCR is an open, adaptable and cost-effective procedure, which
      offers the following advantages; i) universal elongation and reverse
      transcription of all microRNAs; ii) Tm-adjustment of microRNA-specific primers;
      iii) high sensitivity and specificity in discriminating among closely related
      sequences and; iv) suitable for the analysis of cellular and cell-free
      circulating microRNAs. Analysis of cellular and cell-free circulating microRNAs
      secreted by rat primary hepatocytes stimulated with cytokines and growth factors
      identifies for the first time a widespread modulation of both microRNAs
      expression and secretion. Altogether, our findings suggest that the pleiotropic
      activity of humoral factors on microRNAs may extensively affect liver function in
      response to injury and regeneration. 

PMID- 26108881
TI  - Amphiphilic Residues 29-44 of DREAM N-Termini Mediate Calmodulin:DREAM Complex
      Formation.
AB  - DREAM (downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator) is a neuronal calcium
      sensor that has been shown to modulate gene expression as well as to be involved
      in numerous neuronal processes. In this report, we show that association of
      calcium-bound calmodulin (CaM) with DREAM is mediated by a short amphipathic
      amino acid sequence located between residues 29 and 44 on DREAM. The association
      of CaM with a peptide analogous to DREAM(29-44) or to full-length DREAM protein
      is calcium-dependent with a dissociation constant of 136 nM or 3.4 MUM,
      respectively. Thermodynamic and kinetic studies show that the observed decrease
      in affinity for the native protein is due to electrostatic interactions between
      the basic N-terminus and an electronegative surface on DREAM. These results are
      further supported by circular dichroism, binding studies, and molecular dynamics
      simulations. Additionally, fluorescence anisotropy decay measurements show a
      rotational correlation time of 10.8 ns for a complex of CaM with a DREAM(29-44)
      peptide, supporting a wraparound semispherical model with 1:1 stoichiometry.
      Furthermore, the interaction between an IEDANS-labeled CaM construct with DREAM
      is best modeled as a heterotetramer that adopts an elongated conformation with a
      correlation time of 45 ns in the presence of Ca(2+). We also demonstrate that
      association of CaM with DREAM eliminates the nonspecific interaction of DREAM
      with the DRE double-stranded DNA sequence of the human prodynorphin gene. This
      work provides molecular insight into the CaM:DREAM complex and its potential role
      in modulation of gene expression. 

PMID- 26108882
TI  - The history and rationale of using carbonic anhydrase inhibitors in the treatment
      of peptic ulcers. In memoriam Ioan Puscas (1932-2015).
AB  - Carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) inhibitors (CAIs) started to be used in the
      treatment of peptic ulcers in the 1970s, and for more than two decades, a group
      led by Ioan Puscas used them for this purpose, assuming that by inhibiting the
      gastric mucosa CA isoforms, hydrochloric acid secretion is decreased. Although
      acetazolamide and other sulfonamide CAIs are indeed effective in healing ulcers,
      the inhibition of CA isoforms in other organs than the stomach led to a number of
      serious side effects which made this treatment obsolete when the histamine H2
      receptor antagonists and the proton pump inhibitors became available. Decades
      later, in 2002, it has been discovered that Helicobacter pylori, the bacterial
      pathogen responsible for gastric ulcers and cancers, encodes for two CAs, one
      belonging to the alpha-class and the other one to the beta-class of these
      enzymes. These enzymes are crucial for the life cycle of the bacterium and its
      acclimation within the highly acidic environment of the stomach. Inhibition of
      the two bacterial CAs with sulfonamides such as acetazolamide, a low-nanomolar H.
      pylori CAI, is lethal for the pathogen, which explains why these compounds were
      clinically efficient as anti-ulcer drugs. Thus, the approach promoted by Ioan
      Puscas for treating this disease was a good one although the rationale behind it
      was wrong. In this review, we present a historical overview of the sulfonamide
      CAIs as anti-ulcer agents, in memoriam of the scientist who was in the first line
      of this research trend. 

PMID- 26108883
TI  - Balancing Risks in Developing a Personalised Approach to the Treatment of Early
      Hodgkin Lymphoma: Have We Got the Balance Right?

PMID- 26108884
TI  - Where Do We Look for Markers of Radiotherapy Fraction Size Sensitivity?
AB  - The response of human normal tissues to radiotherapy fraction size is often
      described in terms of cellular recovery, but the causal links between cellular
      and tissue responses to ionising radiation are not necessarily straightforward.
      This article reviews the evidence for a cellular basis to clinical fractionation
      sensitivity in normal tissues and discusses the significance of a long
      established inverse association between fractionation sensitivity and
      proliferative indices. Molecular mechanisms of fractionation sensitivity
      involving DNA damage repair and cell cycle control are proposed that will
      probably require modification before being applicable to human cancer. The
      article concludes by discussing the kind of correlative research needed to test
      for and validate predictive biomarkers of tumour fractionation sensitivity. 

PMID- 26108885
TI  - An Alternative Phosphorylation Switch in Integrin beta2 (CD18) Tail for Dok1
      Binding.
AB  - Integrins are involved in cell migration and adhesion. A large number of proteins
      interact with the cytoplasmic tails of integrins. Dok1 is a negative regulator of
      integrin activation and it binds to the phosphorylated membrane proximal NxxY
      motif in a number of integrin beta tails. The beta tail of the beta2 integrins
      contains a non-phosphorylatable NxxF motif. Hence it is unclear how Dok1
      associates with the beta2 integrins. We showed in this study using NMR and cell
      based analyses that residues Ser745 and Ser756 in the integrin beta2 tail, which
      are adjacent to the NxxF motif, are required for Dok1 interaction. NMR analyses
      detected significant chemical shift changes and higher affinity interactions
      between Dok1 phospho-tyrosine binding (PTB) domain and integrin beta2 tail
      peptide containing pSer756 compared to pSer745. The phosphorylated beta2 peptide
      occupies the canonical ligand binding pocket of Dok1 based on the docked
      structure of the beta2 tail-Dok1 PTB complex. Taken together, our data suggest an
      alternate phosphorylation switch in beta2 integrins that regulates Dok1 binding.
      This could be important for cells of the immune system and their functions. 

PMID- 26108886
TI  - Potentiation of M1 Muscarinic Receptor Reverses Plasticity Deficits and Negative
      and Cognitive Symptoms in a Schizophrenia Mouse Model.
AB  - Schizophrenia patients exhibit deficits in signaling of the M1 subtype of
      muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and also
      display impaired cortical long-term depression (LTD). We report that selective
      activation of the M1 mAChR subtype induces LTD in PFC and that this response is
      completely lost after repeated administration of phencyclidine (PCP), a mouse
      model of schizophrenia. Furthermore, discovery of a novel, systemically active M1
      positive allosteric modulator (PAM), VU0453595, allowed us to evaluate the impact
      of selective potentiation of M1 on induction of LTD and behavioral deficits in
      PCP-treated mice. Interestingly, VU0453595 fully restored impaired LTD as well as
      deficits in cognitive function and social interaction in these mice. These
      results provide critical new insights into synaptic changes that may contribute
      to behavioral deficits in this mouse model and support a role for selective M1
      PAMs as a novel approach for the treatment of schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26108887
TI  - Amblyomma americanum tick saliva insulin-like growth factor binding protein
      related protein 1 binds insulin but not insulin-like growth factors.
AB  - Silencing Amblyomma americanum insulin-like growth factor binding protein-related
      protein 1 (AamIGFBP-rP1) mRNA prevented ticks from feeding to repletion. In this
      study, we used recombinant (r)AamIGFBP-rP1 in a series of assays to obtain
      further insight into the role(s) of this protein in tick feeding regulation. Our
      results suggest that AamIGFBP-1 is an antigenic protein that is apparently
      exclusively expressed in salivary glands. We found that both males and females
      secrete AamIGFBP-rP1 into the host during feeding and confirmed that female ticks
      secrete this protein from within 24-48 h after attachment. Our data suggest that
      native AamIGFBP-rP1 is a functional insulin binding protein in that both yeast-
      and insect cell-expressed rAamIGFBP-rP1 bound insulin, but not insulin-like
      growth factors. When subjected to anti-blood clotting and platelet aggregation
      assays, rAamIGFBP-rP1 did not have any effect. Unlike human IGFBP-rP1, which is
      controlled by trypsinization, rAamIGFBP-rP1 is resistant to digestion, suggesting
      that the tick protein may not be under mammalian host control at the tick feeding
      site. The majority of tick-borne pathogens are transmitted 48 h after the tick
      has attached. Thus, the demonstrated antigenicity and secretion into the host
      within 24-48 h of the tick starting to feed makes AamIGFBP-rP1 an attractive
      target for antitick vaccine development.

PMID- 26108888
TI  - Impact of neonatal intensive care bed configuration on rates of late-onset
      bacterial sepsis and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infections cause morbidity and mortality in neonatal intensive care
      units (NICUs). The association between nursery design and nosocomial infections
      is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether rates of colonization by methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), late-onset sepsis, and mortality are
      reduced in single-patient rooms. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: NICU
      in a tertiary referral center. METHODS: Our NICU is organized into single-patient
      and open-unit rooms. Clinical data sets including bed location and microbiology
      results were examined over 29 months. Differences in outcomes between bed
      configurations were determined by chi2 and Cox regression. PATIENTS: All NICU
      patients. RESULTS: Among 1,823 patients representing 55,166 patient-days, single
      patient and open-unit models had similar incidences of MRSA colonization and MRSA
      colonization-free survival times. Average daily census was associated with MRSA
      colonization rates only in single-patient rooms (hazard ratio, 1.31; P=.039),
      whereas hand hygiene compliance on room entry and exit was associated with lower
      colonization rates independent of bed configuration (hazard ratios, 0.834 and
      0.719 per 1% higher compliance, respectively). Late-onset sepsis rates were
      similar in single-patient and open-unit models as were sepsis-free survival and
      the combined outcome of sepsis or death. After controlling for demographic,
      clinical, and unit-based variables, multivariate Cox regression demonstrated that
      bed configuration had no effect on MRSA colonization, late-onset sepsis, or
      mortality. CONCLUSIONS: MRSA colonization rate was impacted by hand hygiene
      compliance, regardless of room configuration, whereas average daily census
      affected only infants in single-patient rooms. Single-patient rooms did not
      reduce the rates of MRSA colonization, late-onset sepsis, or death.

PMID- 26108889
TI  - Development and In Vitro Evaluation of Vitamin E-Enriched Nanoemulsion Vehicles
      Loaded with Genistein for Chemoprevention Against UVB-Induced Skin Damage.
AB  - There is a great need for effective protection against cutaneous pathologies
      arising from chronic exposure to harmful solar UVB radiations. A promising
      pharmaceutical strategy to improve the efficacy of chemotherapeutic/preventative
      natural compounds (e.g., soy isoflavone Genistein, Gen) is to enhance their
      dermal delivery using nanoemulsion (NE) formulations. This report investigates
      the development of nanoemulsified tocotrienol(T3)-rich fraction of red palm oil
      (Tocomin(r)), to yield an optimal NE delivery system for dermal photoprotection
      (z-average size <150 nm, zeta-potential ~ -30 mV, polydispersity index < 0.25).
      Physicochemical characterization and photostability studies indicate NE
      formulations utilizing surfactant mixture (Smix) of Solutol(r) HS-15 (SHS15)
      blended with vitamin E TPGS (TPGS) as cosurfactant was significantly superior to
      formulations that utilized Lutrol(r) F68 (LF68) as the cosurfactant. A ratio of
      60:40 of SHS15-TPGS-NE was further identified as lead Tocomin(r) NE topical
      platform using in vitro pharmaceutical skin reactivity studies that assess
      cutaneous irritancy and cytotoxicity. Prototype Tocomin(r) NE loaded with the
      antiphotocarcinogenic molecule Gen (Gen-Tocomin(r) NE) showed slow-release
      profile in both liquid and cream forms. Gen-Tocomin(r) NE also showed excellent
      biocompatibility, and provided substantial UVB protection to cultured
      subcutaneous L929 fibroblasts, indicating the great potential of our Tocomin(r)
      NE warranting further prototype development as topical pharmaceutical platform
      for skin photoprotection applications.

PMID- 26108890
TI  - Nanoscale memristive radiofrequency switches.
AB  - Radiofrequency switches are critical components in wireless communication systems
      and consumer electronics. Emerging devices include switches based on
      microelectromechanical systems and phase-change materials. However, these devices
      suffer from disadvantages such as large physical dimensions and high actuation
      voltages. Here we propose and demonstrate a nanoscale radiofrequency switch based
      on a memristive device. The device can be programmed with a voltage as low as 0.4
      V and has an ON/OFF conductance ratio up to 10(12) with long state retention. We
      measure the radiofrequency performance of the switch up to 110 GHz and
      demonstrate low insertion loss (0.3 dB at 40 GHz), high isolation (30 dB at 40
      GHz), an average cutoff frequency of 35 THz and competitive linearity and power
      handling capability. Our results suggest that, in addition to their application
      in memory and computing, memristive devices are also a leading contender for
      radiofrequency switch applications. 

PMID- 26108891
TI  - A feasibility study for using ABS plastic and a low-cost 3D printer for patient
      specific brachytherapy mould design.
AB  - This feasibility study aims to determine if a low-cost 3D printer (BitsFromBytes
      3D Touch) with ABS plastic can print custom mould structures and catheter
      channels defined in a brachytherapy treatment planning system (Nucletron
      Oncentra) for patient-specific treatment. Printer accuracy was evaluated through
      physical measurement, and print quality was investigated by adjusting print
      parameters (print speed, layer thickness, percentage infill). Catheter
      positioning and reproducibility were measured over repeated insertions. ABS
      plastic water equivalency was investigated by comparing Ir-192 HDR source dose
      distributions, measured with radiochromic film, in ABS plastic and in water.
      Structures and catheter channels were printed accurately to within 0.5 mm
      laterally and 1 mm in the vertical print direction. Adjusting print parameters
      could reduce print time, albeit with reduced print quality. 3.5 mm channel
      diameters allowed for easy catheter insertion. Catheter positioning was
      reproducible to within 0.5 mm but, because of catheter flex within the channel,
      was on average 1 mm offset from defined TPS positions. This offset could be
      accounted for by repeating the treatment planning CT scan with the printed mould
      positioned on the patient. Dose attenuation in ABS plastic and in water was
      equivalent to within the measurement limitations. While clinical uses for this
      particular low-cost printer and ABS plastic are limited by print size
      restrictions and non-certification for biocompatibility, it has been demonstrated
      that a low-cost 3D printer set-up can accurately create custom moulds and
      catheter channels potentially acceptable for clinical use. 

PMID- 26108892
TI  - Left Ventricular Non-compaction: Is It Genetic?
AB  - Left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) is reported to affect 0.14 % of the
      pediatric population. The etiology is heterogeneous and includes a wide number of
      genetic causes. As an illustration, we report two patients with LVNC who were
      diagnosed with a genetic syndrome. We then review the literature and suggest a
      diagnostic algorithm to evaluate individuals with LVNC. Case 1 is a 15-month-old
      girl who presented with hypotonia, global developmental delay, congenital heart
      defect (including LVNC) and facial dysmorphism. Case 2 is a 7-month-old girl with
      hypotonia, seizures, laryngomalacia and LVNC. We performed chromosomal microarray
      for both our patients and detected chromosome 1p36 microdeletion. We reviewed the
      literature for other genetic causes of LVNC and formulated a diagnostic
      algorithm, which includes assessment for syndromic disorders, inborn error of
      metabolism, copy number variants and non-syndromic monogenic disorder associated
      with LVNC. LVNC is a relatively newly recognized entity, with heterogeneity in
      underlying etiology. For a systematic approach of evaluating the underlying cause
      to improve clinical care of these patients, a diagnostic algorithm for genetic
      evaluation of patients with LVNC is proposed. 

PMID- 26108893
TI  - Osteoclast TGF-beta Receptor Signaling Induces Wnt1 Secretion and Couples Bone
      Resorption to Bone Formation.
AB  - Osteoblast-mediated bone formation is coupled to osteoclast-mediated bone
      resorption. These processes become uncoupled with age, leading to increased risk
      for debilitating fractures. Therefore, understanding how osteoblasts are
      recruited to sites of resorption is vital to treating age-related bone loss.
      Osteoclasts release and activate TGF-beta from the bone matrix. Here we show that
      osteoclast-specific inhibition of TGF-beta receptor signaling in mice results in
      osteopenia due to reduced osteoblast numbers with no significant impact on
      osteoclast numbers or activity. TGF-beta induced osteoclast expression of Wnt1, a
      protein crucial to normal bone formation, and this response was blocked by
      impaired TGF-beta receptor signaling. Osteoclasts in aged murine bones had lower
      TGF-beta signaling and Wnt1 expression in vivo. Ex vivo stimulation of
      osteoclasts derived from young or old mouse bone marrow macrophages showed no
      difference in TGF-beta-induced Wnt1 expression. However, young osteoclasts
      expressed reduced Wnt1 when cultured on aged mouse bone chips compared to young
      mouse bone chips, consistent with decreased skeletal TGF-beta availability with
      age. Therefore, osteoclast responses to TGF-beta are essential for coupling bone
      resorption to bone formation, and modulating this pathway may provide
      opportunities to treat age-related bone loss.

PMID- 26108894
TI  - Sex-Specific Disparities in Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease.
AB  - In the past two decades, focused research on women at risk for cardiovascular
      disease (CVD) has helped to clarify our understanding of some of the sex-specific
      factors that are important in the prevention and early detection of coronary
      atherosclerosis with a resultant 30 % decrease in the number of women dying from
      CVD. In spite of these advances, CVD, specifically, ischemic heart disease due to
      coronary atherosclerosis is the leading cause of cardiovascular death of women in
      the USA. The 2010 landmark Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, "Women's Health
      Research--Progress, Pitfalls and Promise," highlighted the fact that although
      major progress had been made in reducing cardiovascular mortality in women, there
      were disparities in disease burden among subgroups of women, particularly those
      women who are socially disadvantaged because of race, ethnicity, income level,
      and educational attainment [1]. The IOM recommended targeted research on these
      subpopulations of women with the highest risk and burden of disease. Causes of
      disparities are multifactorial and are related to differences in risk factor
      prevalence, access to care, use of evidence-based guidelines, and social and
      environmental factors. In this article, we review a few of the contributing
      factors to the disparities in ischemic heart disease in women with a focus on the
      subgroups of women of Black, Latino, and South Asian descent who are at high risk
      for morbidity and mortality from CVD.

PMID- 26108896
TI  - Development of a comprehensive clinical performance assessment system for nursing
      students: A programmatic approach.
AB  - AIM: Evaluation of achievement of learning objectives needs an accurate
      assessment program. Hence, nursing educators should move away from the use of
      individual assessment methods to apply a programmatic approach. The aim of this
      study was to develop a comprehensive assessment system for nursing students in
      their critical care rotation based on a programmatic approach. METHODS: The
      population of this study was nursing students in their critical care course. The
      learning objectives of the course were determined using an expert panel and
      classified into three categories. Suitable assessment methods were identified for
      each category according to the consensus of experts. Then, the assessment tools
      were designed and the content validity was established using content validity
      ratio (CVR) and index (CVI). The reliability was determined by Cronbach's alpha
      coefficient. The satisfaction of the participants was investigated using a
      questionnaire. RESULTS: According to the findings, all items of the assessment
      system had a high CVR (P < 0.05) and CVI ranged 0.93-0.97. The alpha coefficient
      of the whole system was more than 0.90 and for subsystems ranged 0.72-0.96. The
      findings showed that 87.5% of the instructors and 89.47% of students believed
      that the new assessment system had a positive impact on learning. In addition,
      the majority of them were satisfied with the new assessment system. CONCLUSION: A
      programmatic approach should be used for effective evaluation of clinical
      performance of nursing students in critical care settings because of high
      validity and reliability, multidimensionality, positive educational impact, and
      acceptability.

PMID- 26108895
TI  - Mechanical Properties and Failure of Biopolymers: Atomistic Reactions to
      Macroscale Response.
AB  - The behavior of chemical bonding under various mechanical loadings is an
      intriguing mechanochemical property of biological materials, and the property
      plays a critical role in determining their deformation and failure mechanisms.
      Because of their astonishing mechanical properties and roles in constituting the
      basis of a variety of physiologically relevant materials, biological protein
      materials have been intensively studied. Understanding the relation between
      chemical bond networks (structures) and their mechanical properties offers great
      possibilities to enable new materials design in nanotechnology and new medical
      treatments for human diseases. Here we focus on how the chemical bonds in
      biological systems affect mechanical properties and how they change during
      mechanical deformation and failure. Three representative cases of biomaterials
      related to the human diseases are discussed in case studies, including: amyloids,
      intermediate filaments, and collagen, each describing mechanochemical features
      and how they relate to the pathological conditions at multiple scales. 

PMID- 26108897
TI  - Challenges to clinical utilization of hereditary cancer gene panel testing:
      perspectives from the front lines.
AB  - Next generation sequencing (NGS) technology is rapidly being implemented into
      clinical practice. Qualitative research was performed to gain an improved
      understanding of the landscape surrounding the use of NGS in cancer genetics. A
      focus group was conducted at the Wisconsin Cancer Risk Programs Network biannual
      meeting. Free flowing discussion with occasional open-ended questions provided
      insights into the use of NGS. 19 genetic counselors and medical professionals
      participated. Three major themes were identified with respect to NGS and its use
      in cancer genetics: knowledge gaps, the evolving clinician role, and uncertain
      utility. Several corresponding subthemes were identified. With respect to
      knowledge gaps, participants expressed concern regarding unexpected results and
      variants of unknown significance, lack of data about NGS findings, absence of
      standardization regarding use of NGS and guidelines for interpretation, and
      discomfort with new technology. Regarding the evolving clinician role, necessary
      changes to the roles of genetic counselors and physicians were noted, as was the
      resultant impact on care received by patients and their families. Finally, the
      clinical and economic utility of NGS was questioned. While a shift from
      traditional Sanger sequencing to NGS is occurring in molecular genetic testing
      for disease susceptibility, there are several obstacles that need to be overcome
      before widespread adoption of this technology can occur. Furthermore, key aspects
      of NGS and it utility remain unexplored. Continued investigation into these
      subjects is necessary before this technology will consistently be of benefit to
      patients and their families. 

PMID- 26108898
TI  - A longitudinal study of interpersonal relationships among lesbian, gay, and
      bisexual adolescents and young adults: mediational pathways from attachment to
      romantic relationship quality.
AB  - The current study examined the potential for mental health to mediate
      associations between earlier attachment to parents and peers and later
      relationship adjustment during adolescence and young adulthood in a sample of
      sexual minority youth. Secondarily, the study examined associations between peer
      and parental attachment and relationship/dating milestones. Participants included
      219 lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth who participated in six waves of data
      collection over 3.5 years. Parental attachment was associated with an older age
      of dating initiation, while peer attachment was associated with longer
      relationship length. Both peer and parental attachment were significantly
      associated with mental health in later adolescence and young adulthood. Mental
      health mediated the association between peer attachment and main partner
      relationship quality. While the total indirect effect of parental attachment on
      main partner relationship quality was statistically significant, specific
      indirect effects were not. Implications for the application of attachment theory
      and integration of interpersonal factors into mental health intervention with
      sexual minority youth are discussed. 

PMID- 26108899
TI  - A Pilot Study on Tamoxifen Sexual Side Effects and Hand Preference in Male Breast
      Cancer.
AB  - Recent clinical and imaging studies suggest that sex hormones modulate sexuality
      according to a psychophysiologic process of lateralization of the brain, with
      androgens playing a greater role in sexual functioning of left hemibrain/right
      handedness and estrogens possibly for right hemibrain/left handedness. Based on
      this perspective, the current study attempted to specify the relationship between
      hand preference, estrogens, and sexual function in subjects with male breast
      cancer, taking into account the sexual side effects of tamoxifen as the agent for
      inhibiting estrogen action. Twenty-eight Romanian men-17 right-handed and 11 left
      handed-undergoing treatment with tamoxifen for male breast cancer participated in
      this study. These men were assessed both prior to and during tamoxifen treatment
      using the International Index of Erectile Function, a standardized instrument
      used for the evaluation of various aspects of sexual functioning, including
      erectile function (EF), orgasmic function (OF), sexual desire (SD), and overall
      functioning (OF). A main effect for handedness was found on EF, OF, SD, and OS
      scales, with right-handed men showing higher functioning than left-handed men.
      Regarding interaction effects, the left-handed group of men showed greater
      decreased sexual functioning during tamoxifen (on three subscales: OF, SD, OS)
      compared to right-handed men. Further research should be conducted in order to
      support and refine this potential lateralized process of sexual neuromodulation
      within the brain. 

PMID- 26108900
TI  - Effects of Addition of Early Enteral Nutritional Support During the Postoperative
      Phase in Patients after Living-Donor Liver Transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early initiation of enteral nutrition is recommended after some
      surgical procedures. This study retrospectively analyzed the effects of addition
      of early enteral nutrition (EEN) support during the postoperative phase in
      patients after living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT). MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      The subjects were adult patients who underwent LDLT in our department and
      received either total parenteral nutrition (TPN) or EEN for postoperative
      nutritional support. We retrospectively compared clinical parameters between the
      TPN group (n=50) and the EEN group (n=45). RESULTS: There were no significant
      differences in preoperative demographic data between the EEN and TPN groups with
      the exception of the follow-up period after surgery. In the EEN group, EEN was
      provided uneventfully; the daily amount of enteral nutrition was 996+/-465 kcal
      on postoperative day 7. Central venous catheters were removed significantly
      earlier in the EEN group than in the TPN group (postoperative day 11+/-7 vs. 28+/
      18). The postoperative C-reactive protein level and the incidence of bacterial
      infection were significantly lower in the EEN group than in the TPN group. The
      postoperative length of hospital stay was significantly shorter and 6-month
      survival was significantly higher in the EEN group than in the TPN group. A
      multivariate analysis indicated that EEN was a significant factor for both
      shorter hospital stay and 6-month survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our retrospective
      analyses suggest that introduction of EEN had a great impact on postoperative
      short-term outcomes of LDLT.

PMID- 26108901
TI  - Treatment of latent tuberculosis infection induces changes in multifunctional
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific CD4+ T cells.
AB  - To ascertain whether multiparametric flow cytometry assessment of multifunctional
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells can
      distinguish between untreated and treated patients with latent tuberculosis
      infection (LTBI), we enrolled 14 LTBI subjects treated with isoniazid (INH)
      therapy, 16 untreated LTBI patients, and 25 healthy controls. The analysis of
      mono-functional CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells producing single cytokines showed
      significant differences only between uninfected and infected LTBI subjects (both
      treated and untreated). Conversely, the analysis of multifunctional CD4(+) T
      cells revealed a significant reduction in the frequency of two CD4(+) T cells
      subsets, those producing IFN-gamma, IL-2, and TNF-alpha simultaneously (triple
      positive; p = 0.005) and those producing IL-2 alone (p = 0.0359), as well as a
      shift towards T cells producing only one cytokine in treated as compared to
      untreated LTBI subjects. Assigning a triple-positive CD4(+) T cells a cut-off
      >0.082 %, 94 % of untreated LTBI patients were scored as positive, as compared to
      only 28 % of treated LTBI patients and none of the healthy controls. No
      significant differences between untreated and treated LTBI subjects in terms of
      Mtb-specific CD8(+) T cell cytokine profiles (p > 0.05) were identified. The
      significant changes in the cytokine profiles of Mtb-specific T cells after INH
      therapy suggest that analysis of multifunctional T cells may be a promising means
      for the monitoring of LTBI treatment success.

PMID- 26108902
TI  - [Diagnostic validity of ultrasonography in carpal tunnel syndrome].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Ultrasonography has emerged as an alternative tool for diagnosing
      peripheral neuropathies, such as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Yet, data are
      still lacking as regards the diagnostic validity of the different ultrasonography
      measurements for detecting CTS in clinical settings. AIMS: To determine the
      diagnostic validity of ultrasound measurements of the cross-sectional area of the
      median nerve in the wrist (CSA-M) and of the ratio of the area of the median
      nerve between the wrist and the forearm (R-WF) in the diagnosis of CTS, using
      electroneuromyography (ENG) as the reference technique. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Ultrasound measurements were performed on 59 subjects (100 wrists) who were
      referred to have an ENG due to suspected CTS. The examiners that performed the
      ultrasonography scan did not know the results of the ENG. The cut-off points were
      later calculated by means of ROC curves for each of the measurements (CSA-M and R
      WF) and their diagnostic validity was analysed. RESULTS: With a cut-off point of
      9.15 mm2, CSA-M measurement obtained a sensitivity of 75.81%, a specificity of
      74.29%, a positive likelihood ratio of 2.95 and a negative likelihood ratio of
      0.33. For the R-WF measurement and a cut-off point of 1.56, the values for
      sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios were
      70.97%, 71.43%, 2.48 and 0.4, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Both the CSA-M and R-WF
      appear to be useful measures in the diagnosis of CTS, taking the ENG as a
      reference test.

PMID- 26108903
TI  - [Etiology, clinical presentation and outcome of severe viral acute childhood
      encephalitis (ECOVE study)].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Viral encephalitis are rare and potentially serious conditions with
      different etiologist, and not always identifiable. Our aim is to describe the
      etiological, clinical presentation and neurological outcome of viral encephalitis
      admitted in Paediatrics Intensive Care Units (PICUs) in Spain. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Observational prospective multicenter study. Children with viral
      encephalitis admitted to 14 PICUs, for a period of 3 years (2010-2013) were
      included. Polymerase chain reaction for the etiological diagnosis and neurotropic
      virus serology in blood and cerebrospinal fluid were used. Personal history,
      clinical presentation, evolution and neurological status at discharge were
      recorded. RESULTS: 80 patients were included with a mean age of 5 years, 70%
      male. The most relevant clinical symptoms were decreased consciousness (86%),
      fever (82.4%), seizures (67%), vomiting (42%), headache (27%), agitation (25%)
      and dis-orientation (23%). The etiologic diagnosis was established in 35%, being
      more frequent herpes simplex virus and enterovirus. The outcome was discharge
      without sequelae in 55 patients (69%), mild to moderate sequelae in 19 (23.5%)
      and severe in 6 (7.5%). Two patients died. CONCLUSIONS: In the Spanish PICU
      etiological diagnosis was established only in a third of cases of children with
      suspected acute viral encephalitis. Despite the clinical severity we observed a
      low mortality and morbidity rate. At discharge from the PICU, most children had
      no neurological sequelae or were mild.

PMID- 26108904
TI  - [Subtypes of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease and factors
      predicting its becoming dementia].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cognitive impairment may appear at the earliest stages in
      Parkinson's disease (PD). To assess the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment
      (MCI) and its different subtypes, as transitional stage, is complicated by the
      lack of consensus diagnostic criteria. AIM: To review MCI in PD (MCI-PD),
      diagnostic criteria and predictive factors of conversion to dementia. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: Systematic review of articles published in Medline (PubMed) using
      the combination of keywords 'mild cognitive impairment' and 'Parkinson's
      disease'. RESULTS: MCI-PD diagnostic criteria published by the Movement Disorders
      Society are an interesting tool for the diagnosis, in spite they are not
      validated. Its implementation has the following limitations: 1) the heterogeneity
      of cognitive deficits described in PD; 2) a variable evolution of cognitive
      symptoms in PD which difficult the identification of dementia predictors; 3)
      selection of the more appropriate neuropsychological tests and cut-off points; 4)
      patient characteristics, disease stage and type of antiparkinsonian treatment.
      CONCLUSIONS: Neuropsychological subtypes, neuroimaging, biomarkers or limitation
      in some instrumental activities seem to be very sensitive for detecting patients
      with MCI-PD and increased risk of conversion to dementia.

PMID- 26108905
TI  - [Neuropsychological deficits in alternating hemiplegia of childhood: a case
      study].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Alternating hemiplegic of childhood is a predominantly sporadic
      neurodevelopmental syndrome of uncertain etiology, characterized by alternating
      transient attacks of hemiplegia. Additional features include tonic fits, dystonic
      posturing, ocular motor abnormalities and deficits in cognitive functioning. CASE
      REPORT: A girl of 7 years-old with alternating hemiplegic of childhood. The first
      symptoms debut at 17 months of age in the form of lower limb weakness, migraine,
      nystagmus and hemiplegic crisis alternating both hemibodies. We administrate the
      Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children IV (WISC-IV), the Conners Continuous
      Performance Test II (CPT-II), the Conners scales for parents (CPRS-48) and
      teachers (CTRS-28) and the Behavior Rating Inventory Executive Function (BRIEF).
      CONCLUSIONS: In our study we found deficits in sustained attention, reduced speed
      of information processing, and difficulties in understanding, speaking and
      working memory. In addition, parents and teachers reported behavioral
      disturbances, difficulties inhibition capability, in self-control and in
      regulating emotions.

PMID- 26108906
TI  - [Association between periodontal disease and cerebrovascular disease. A review of
      the literature].
AB  - Periodontal disease and cerebrovascular disease are two of the most prevalent
      processes in elderly people. Various studies have shown an association between
      them, although some methodological differences exist and this difficult the data
      interpretation. The aim of this paper is to conduct a critical review of the
      studies published about this association. Eleven prospective studies and 11
      retrospective studies are included in this review. We analyse the different
      methodological outcomes (study population, periodontal diagnosis, cerebrovascular
      disease definition, adjusted outcomes and odds ratio/relative risk). Furthermore,
      we review several pathogenic mechanisms implicated in the progression and the
      relationship between both processes.

PMID- 26108908
TI  - [Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy. The usefulness of muscular magnetic
      resonance imaging in its diagnosis].

PMID- 26108909
TI  - [Internal carotid artery dissection following cocaine use].

PMID- 26108910
TI  - [Experience with eslicarbazepine in patients with hiponatremia due to
      carbamazepine and oxcarbacepine].

PMID- 26108911
TI  - [Colloid cyst and Bruns syndrome].

PMID- 26108912
TI  - Effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor on oocyte maturation and embryonic
      development in a rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome.
AB  - Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is expressed extensively in the
      mammalian female reproductive system and has been implicated in the development
      of follicles and oocytes. However, BDNF expression patterns in the ovary and its
      effects on oocyte maturation and embryonic development in polycystic ovary
      syndrome (PCOS) have not been established. In the present study, we established a
      PCOS model by treating the rats with insulin and human chorionic gonadotropin
      (hCG). Rats treated with insulin + hCG had heavier bodyweight and ovarian weight,
      higher circulating concentrations of luteinising hormone (LH) and testosterone
      (T), and greater homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)
      values compared with control rats (P<0.05). BDNF and its receptor tyrosine kinase
      type B (TrkB) were located in cyst walls, granulosa and theca cells, and BDNF
      protein levels were lower in ovaries of insulin + hCG-treated rats (P<0.05). The
      rate of oocyte maturation and formation of blastocysts and morulae was greatest
      in rats treated with 5ngmL-1 BDNF (P<0.05) compared to other BDNF groups (1 and
      10ngmL-1) and the control. The control rats were also PCOS rats and were treated
      without BDNF. There were no significant differences in the rate of germinal
      vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and fertilisation among the various treatment groups (1,
      5 and 10ngmL-1) and the control group (P>0.05). The results indicate that in
      vitro treatment with an appropriate concentration of BDNF not only promotes
      oocyte maturation, but also rescues embryonic development in rats treated with
      insulin + hCG as a model of PCOS.

PMID- 26108913
TI  - Oseltamivir for the treatment of H1N1 influenza during pregnancy.
AB  - Pregnancy heightens the risk of adverse outcomes from influenza infections. This
      is true for both seasonal epidemics as well as occasional pandemics. Seasonal
      influenza vaccines are the focus of disease prevention and are recommended for
      all pregnant women in any trimester of pregnancy and postpartum. Oseltamivir
      (Tamiflu) is currently the recommended and most commonly used pharmaceutical
      agent for influenza prophylaxis and treatment. Oseltamivir has been demonstrated
      to prevent disease after exposure, treat infected individuals, as well as lessen
      the likelihood of complications. The physiologic adaptations of pregnancy alter
      the pharmacokinetics of this important drug. Evidence of these alterations,
      knowledge gaps, and future investigative directions to fill these knowledge gaps
      are highlighted. 

PMID- 26108916
TI  - Cinnamic Acid and Cinnamaldehyde Ameliorate Cisplatin-Induced Splenotoxicity in
      Rats.
AB  - Cinnamic acid (CA) and cinnamaldehyde (CD) are major constituents of cinnamon
      species. They possess various pharmacological properties of which their
      antioxidant activity is a prime one. This study aims to investigate potential
      protective effects against cisplatin (CP)-induced splenotoxicity in rats. A
      single dose of CP (5 mg/kg) injected i.p. caused a significant decrease in
      hemoglobin content (18%), total leucocytic count (46%), neutrophils (78%), and
      catalase (CAT) splenic activity (64%) with a marked increase in lymphocytes (26%)
      and splenic content of malondialdehyde (68%) and TNF-alpha (69%) as compared with
      the control group. Contrarily, CA (50 mg/kg, p.o.) or CD (40 mg/kg, p.o.)
      administration for 7 days before CP ameliorated CP-induced splenotoxicity as
      indicated by mitigation of the biochemical parameters and histopathological
      changes. These results revealed the promising protective effects of CA and CD on
      CP-induced splenotoxicity in rats; an effect that might be attributed to
      antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

PMID- 26108917
TI  - Liver transplantation in patients with end-stage liver disease requiring
      intensive care unit admission and intubation.

PMID- 26108915
TI  - Increased gravitational force reveals the mechanical, resonant nature of
      physiological tremor.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Physiological hand tremor has a clear peak between 6 and 12 Hz, which
      has been attributed to both neural and resonant causes. A reduction in tremor
      frequency produced by adding an inertial mass to the limb has usually been taken
      as a method to identify the resonant component. However, adding mass to a limb
      also inevitably increases the muscular force required to maintain the limb's
      position against gravity, so ambiguous results have been reported. Here we
      measure hand tremor at different levels of gravitational field strength using a
      human centrifuge, thereby increasing the required muscular force to preserve limb
      position without changing the limb's inertia. By comparing the effect of added
      mass (inertia + force) versus solely added force upon hand acceleration, we
      conclude that tremor frequency can be almost completely explained by a resonant
      mechanical system. ABSTRACT: Human physiological hand tremor has a resonant
      component. Proof of this is that its frequency can be modified by adding mass.
      However, adding mass also increases the load which must be supported. The
      necessary force requires muscular contraction which will change motor output and
      is likely to increase limb stiffness. The increased stiffness will partly offset
      the effect of the increased mass and this can lead to the erroneous conclusion
      that factors other than resonance are involved in determining tremor frequency.
      Using a human centrifuge to increase head-to-foot gravitational field strength,
      we were able to control for the increased effort by increasing force without
      changing mass. This revealed that the peak frequency of human hand tremor is 99%
      predictable on the basis of a resonant mechanism. We ask what, if anything, the
      peak frequency of physiological tremor can reveal about the operation of the
      nervous system.

PMID- 26108914
TI  - Clinicopathologic features of plasmablastic lymphoma: Single-center series of 8
      cases from Saudi Arabia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare subtype of non-Hodgkin's
      lymphoma. Characterized by its aggressive nature and plasmacytic differentiation,
      PBL remains a therapeutic and diagnostic challenge; it generally has a poor
      prognosis with very few long-term survivors and most patients dying within 2
      years from initial presentation. PBL has been reported in several other
      countries; however, there have been no reported cases from Saudi Arabia. Here, we
      report 8 cases of PBL depicting the clinical presentation, immunocompetency,
      immunphenotypic characterization, diagnostic challenges and treatment outcome.
      METHODS: The medical records were reviewed for clinical presentation, staging,
      laboratory data, radiological studies, treatments, and outcomes. A broad
      immunohistochemical panel consisting of CD45, CD3, CD20, CD79a, Pax5, CD38,
      CD138, MUM1, EMA, Kappa, Lambda, CD 56, CD30, Bcl-2, Bcl-6, Alk-1, Ki-67, EBV-LMP
      1, and HHV8 was performed. RESULTS: The tumors predominantly exhibited
      immunoblastic/plasmablastic or plasmacytic morphologic features and had a plasma
      cell-like immunophenotype. All cases were immunoreactive for CD38, CD138 and MUM1
      confirming plasma cell differentiation of the tumor cells. CD20 was negative for
      all cases; whereas CD79a and Pax5 were weakly positive in 2cases. All 8 cases
      were EBV-LMP-1/EBER-1 negative, and 1 case was HHV8 positive. Similar to
      previously published studies, PBL in Saudi Arabia is characterized by male
      predominance (6/8), median age 51.5 years (mean age 46 years), associated with
      early dissemination, poor response to therapy, and limited survival (average
      survival time, 6.4 months, median overall survival 5.5 months). However, it does
      have some unique features. It occurs more commonly in immunocompetent persons
      (6/8, 75%), is not associated with EBV infection (0/8), and nodal involvement
      (either primary or secondary) is common among patients (6/8). In addition, extra
      oral sites are more common than oral/nasal cavities (7/8) and the c-myc gene is
      not common (1/8, 12.5%). CONCLUSION: It appears that PBL is heterogeneous in
      terms of clinical presentation and morphology. PBL is a therapeutic challenge
      with a clinical course that is characterized by its high rate of relapse and
      death. To date, treatment responses are usually partial and temporary. Therapies
      that are more intensive than CHOP do not seem to prolong survival. Further
      research is needed to understand the biology and molecular pathogenesis of PBL in
      order to improve therapies. VIRTUAL SLIDES: The virtual slides for this article
      can be found here:
      http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1465801416161912.

PMID- 26108918
TI  - A clinically based protein discovery strategy to identify potential biomarkers of
      response to anti-TNF-alpha treatment of psoriatic arthritis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) can be treated using biologic therapies
      targeting biomolecules such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukins (IL)-17
      and IL-23. Although 70% PsA patients respond well to therapy, 30% patients show
      no or limited clinical improvement. Biomarkers that predict response to therapy
      would help to avoid unnecessary use of expensive biologics in nonresponding
      patients and enable alternative treatments to be explored. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
      Patient synovial tissue samples from two clinical studies were analysed using
      difference in-gel electrophoresis-based proteomics to identify protein expression
      differences in response to anti-TNF-alpha treatment. Subsequent multiplexed MRM
      measurements were used to verify potential biomarkers. RESULTS: A total of 119
      proteins were differentially expressed (p<0.05) in response to anti-TNF-alpha
      treatment and 25 proteins were differentially expressed (p<0.05) between "good
      responders" and "poor responders". From these differentially expressed proteins,
      MRM assays were developed for four proteins to explore their potential as
      treatment predictive biomarkers. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Gel-based
      proteomics strategy has demonstrated differential protein expression in synovial
      tissue of PsA patients, in response to anti-TNF-alpha treatment. Development of
      multiplex MRM assays to these differentially expressed proteins has the potential
      to predict response to therapy and allow alternative, more effective treatments
      to be explored sooner.

PMID- 26108919
TI  - SnO2 quantum dots decorated on RGO: a superior sensitive, selective and
      reproducible performance for a H2 and LPG sensor.
AB  - We report the H2 and LPG gas sensing behavior of RGO/SnO2 QDs synthesized by a
      surfactant assisted hydrothermal method. The RGO/SnO2 QD based sensor shows a
      high response of ~89.3% to H2 and ~92.4% to LPG for 500 ppm test gas
      concentration at operating temperatures of 200  degrees C and 250  degrees C,
      respectively. Further, the RGO/SnO2 QD based sensor shows good selectivity for H2
      and LPG in the presence of other interfering gases such as ammonia, chloroform,
      toluene, benzene, acetone, n-butylacetate, acetic acid and formic acid. We
      observed that the gas response to H2 is 29.8 times higher than that to acetic
      acid whereas the gas response to LPG is 17.8 times higher than that to formic
      acid. Long-term analyses have also been performed to demonstrate the reproducible
      nature of the RGO/SnO2 QD based sensor over passing time which shows excellent
      reproducibility. 

PMID- 26108920
TI  - Prevalence of respiratory virus in symptomatic children in private physician
      office settings in five communities of the state of Veracruz, Mexico.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory tract infections are the leading cause of morbidity
      and mortality in children worldwide. Many studies have described the frequency of
      viruses in hospitalized patients, but studies describing the prevalence of
      viruses in the community setting are limited, particularly in developing
      countries, where most of the deaths from serious respiratory diseases occur. The
      aim of this study was to evaluate the diversity of respiratory viruses in the
      community setting using molecular diagnostic tools, as well as the clinical
      characteristics of respiratory viral infections in the general pediatric practice
      in Mexico. METHODS: Children with respiratory tract infections attending private
      pediatric practices during a 10-month period in five cities of the state of
      Veracruz were included. Nasal swabs were taken and processed by a multiplex
      detection kit for 15 respiratory viruses. RESULTS: 525 children were included
      from July 2011 to May 2012; 44% were female, mean age was 45 months. The 3 most
      frequent clinical diagnosis were: rhinopharyngitis 68%, pharyngitis 18%, and 3.3%
      influenza-like illness. 71.5% of the samples were positive for virus. The five
      most frequent pathogens were respiratory syncycitial virus in 18.3% of the
      children, rhinovirus in 17.5%, influenza A 9.1%, adenovirus 7.2%, and enterovirus
      3.4%, although all 15 viruses were detected; there were viral coinfections in
      14.1%, and 28.5% of the samples were negative. CONCLUSIONS: A large proportion of
      respiratory infections in the community setting in Mexico was associated to
      viruses. Although testing for common respiratory pathogens in children with acute
      respiratory tract infections may lead to a better understanding of the role of
      viral pathogens in, and eventually to improvement in the management of,
      individual patients, additional prospective studies are required to study the
      need of routinely using such tests in general pediatric practices in resource
      limited countries.

PMID- 26108922
TI  - Considering Critical Factors of Li-rich Cathode and Si Anode Materials for
      Practical Li-ion Cell Applications.
AB  - In order to keep pace with increasing energy demands for advanced electronic
      devices and to achieve commercialization of electric vehicles and energy-storage
      systems, improvements in high-energy battery technologies are required. Among the
      various types of batteries, lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are among the most well
      developed and commercialized of energy-storage systems. LIBs with Si anodes and
      Li-rich cathodes are one of the most promising alternative electrode materials
      for next-generation, high-energy batteries. Si and Li-rich materials exhibit high
      reversible capacities of <2000 mAh g(-1) and >240 mAh g(-1) , respectively.
      However, both materials have intrinsic drawbacks and practical limitations that
      prevent them from being utilized directly as active materials in high-energy
      LIBs. Examples for Li-rich materials include phase distortion during cycling and
      side reactions caused by the electrolyte at the surface, and for Si, large volume
      changes during cycling and low conductivity are observed. Recent progress and
      important approaches adopted for overcoming and alleviating these drawbacks are
      described in this article. A perspective on these matters is suggested and the
      requirements for each material are delineated, in addition to introducing a full
      cell prototype utilizing a Li-rich cathode and Si anode. 

PMID- 26108921
TI  - Discrepancy of target sites between clinician and cytopathological reports in
      head neck fine needle aspiration: Did I miss the target or did the clinician
      mistake the organ site?
AB  - The diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of head and
      neck lesions is relatively high, but cytologic interpretation might be confusing
      if the sample is lacking typical cytologic features according to labeled site by
      physician. These errors may have an impact on pathology search engines,
      healthcare costs or even adverse outcomes. The cytology archive database of
      multiple institutions in southern Iran and Australia covering the period 2001
      2011, were searched using keywords: salivary gland, head, neck, FNAC, and
      cytology. All the extracted reports were reviewed. The reports which showed
      discordance between the clinician's impression of the organ involved and
      subsequent fine needle biopsy request, and the eventual cytological diagnosis
      were selected. The cytological diagnosis was confirmed by histology or cell
      block, with assistance from imaging, clinical outcome, physical examination,
      molecular studies, or microbiological culture. The total number of 10,200 head
      and neck superficial FNAC were included in the study, from which 48 cases showed
      discordance between the clinicians request and the actual site of pathology.
      Apart from the histopathology, the imaging, clinical history, physical
      examination, immunohistochemical study, microbiologic culture and molecular
      testing helped to finalize the target organ of pathology in 23, 6, 7, 8, 2, and 1
      cases respectively. The commonest discrepancies were for FNAC of "salivary gland"
      [total: 20 with actual final pathology in: bone (7), soft tissue (5), lymph node
      (3), odontogenic (3) and skin (2)], "lymph node" [total: 12 with final pathology
      in: soft tissue (3), skin (3), bone (1) and brain (1)], "soft tissue" [total: 11
      with final pathology in: bone (5), skin (2), salivary gland (1), and ocular
      region (1)] and "skin" [total: 5 with final pathology in: lymph node (2), bone
      (1), soft tissue (1) and salivary gland (1)]. The primary physician requesting
      FNAC of head and neck lesions are incorrect in their clinical impression of the
      actual site in nearly 0.5 percent of cases, due to the overlapping clinical and
      imaging findings or possibly due to inadequate history taking or physical
      examination.

PMID- 26108923
TI  - Vision, direction and inspiration.

PMID- 26108925
TI  - Adult social care in crisis as 'efficiencies' exhausted.

PMID- 26108926
TI  - Scanner that detects early signs of tissue damage to be trialled.

PMID- 26108928
TI  - Study finds home care focused on household activities.

PMID- 26108929
TI  - Isolation project secures funds to build more sheds for men.

PMID- 26108930
TI  - Initiative boosts cleanliness and safety for residents.

PMID- 26108931
TI  - Worldwide research finds dementia affects women more than men.

PMID- 26108935
TI  - Reading between the lines.

PMID- 26108936
TI  - Holistic solutions.

PMID- 26108942
TI  - Practice question. Medication management.

PMID- 26108943
TI  - Introduction to the transforming dementia care in hospitals series.
AB  - A short series of articles in Nursing Older People, starting in September,
      presents case study examples of the positive work achieved by trusts that
      participated in the RCN's development programme to improve dementia care in acute
      hospitals. This introductory article reports on the independent evaluation of the
      programme. The programme included a launch event, development days, site visits,
      ongoing support by the RCN lead and carer representatives and a conference to
      showcase service improvements. The evaluation drew on data from a survey, the
      site visits, trust action plans and a range of self-assessment tools for dementia
      care. The findings highlight substantial progress towards programme objectives
      and learning outcomes and suggest that the programme provided the focus, impetus
      and structure for trusts to make sustainable changes. It also equipped
      participants with the strategies and confidence to change practice.
      Recommendations are made for taking the programme forward. 

PMID- 26108944
TI  - Incontinence and sexuality in later life.
AB  - This article explores the interrelated aspects of incontinence and sexuality in
      older age. It describes the physiological changes that may have an effect on
      sexual function and the genitourinary system as people age. The enduring
      importance of sexual intimacy is discussed. Treatments for incontinence and to
      improve sexual function are explored. The authors conclude that nurses,
      particularly those involved in continence management, have a role in ensuring
      sensitive assessment and access to treatment, which can support many older people
      to maintain fulfilling sexual activity. 

PMID- 26108945
TI  - Reflection, return to practice and revalidation.
AB  - This article explores the use of reflection and critical thinking during a return
      to-practice programme, demonstrating both concepts and their value in developing
      insight. The aim of the article is to provide insight into a learner's reflection
      about nursing older people and encourage nurses to reflect and think critically
      about their own practice, which is a requirement of forthcoming revalidation.
      Lessons learned as a result of reflection must be demonstrated in order for
      registered nurses to revalidate. Reflection and insight gained from critical
      thinking can have a positive effect on individual nurses and the quality of
      patient care they provide. 

PMID- 26108946
TI  - The power of art.

PMID- 26108947
TI  - Evaluation of potential flavonoid inhibitors of glyoxalase-I based on virtual
      screening and in vitro studies.
AB  - Glyoxalase-I (GLO-I) is a component of the ubiquitous detoxification system
      involved in the conversion of methylglyoxal (MG) to d-lactate in the glycolytic
      pathway. MG toxicity arises from its ability to form advanced glycation end
      products. GLO-I has been reported to be frequently overexpressed in various types
      of cancer cells. In this study, we performed structure-based virtual screening of
      focused flavonoids commercial library to identify potential and specific
      inhibitors of GLO-I. The compounds were ranked based on Glide extra precision
      docking score and five hits (curcumin, quercetin, morin, naringin and silibinin)
      were selected on the basis of their interaction with active site amino acid
      residues of GLO-I. Mixed mode QM/MM calculation was performed on the top-scoring
      hit to ascertain the role of zinc ion in ligand binding. In addition, the
      identified hits were subjected to MM/GBSA binding energy prediction, ADME
      prediction and similarity studies. The hits were tested in vitro for cell
      viability, and GLO-I inhibition. Naringin (ST072162) was found to be most potent
      inhibitor of GLO-I among the identified hits with highest glide XP dock score of 
      14.906. These findings suggest that naringin could be a new scaffold for
      designing inhibitors against GLO-I with potential application as anticancer
      agents. 

PMID- 26108948
TI  - Assessing the impact of the U.S. Endangered Species Act recovery planning
      guidelines on managing threats for listed species.
AB  - The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of the United States was enacted in 1973 to
      prevent the extinction of species. Recovery plans, required by 1988 amendments to
      the ESA, play an important role in organizing these efforts to protect and
      recover species. To improve the use of science in the recovery planning process,
      the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) commissioned an independent review of
      endangered species recovery planning in 1999. From these findings, the SCB made
      key recommendations for how management agencies could improve the recovery
      planning process, after which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National
      Marine Fisheries Service redrafted their recovery planning guidelines. One
      important recommendation called for recovery plans to make threats a primary
      focus, including organizing and prioritizing recovery tasks for threat abatement.
      We sought to determine the extent to which results from the SCB study were
      incorporated into these new guidelines and whether the SCB recommendations
      regarding threats manifested in recovery plans written under the new guidelines.
      Recovery planning guidelines generally incorporated the SCB recommendations,
      including those for managing threats. However, although recent recovery plans
      have improved in their treatment of threats, many fail to adequately incorporate
      threat monitoring. This failure suggests that developing clear guidelines for
      monitoring should be an important priority in improving ESA recovery planning. 

PMID- 26108949
TI  - Erratum: neurobehavioral consequences of chronic intrauterine opioid exposure in
      infants and preschool children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PMID- 26108950
TI  - Hour-long adaptation in the awake early visual system.
AB  - Sensory adaptation serves to adjust awake brains to changing environments on
      different time scales. However, adaptation has been studied traditionally under
      anesthesia and for short time periods. Here, we demonstrate in awake rabbits a
      novel type of sensory adaptation that persists for >1 h and acts on visual
      thalamocortical neurons and their synapses in the input layers of the visual
      cortex. Following prolonged visual stimulation (10-30 min), cells in the dorsal
      lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) show a severe and prolonged reduction in
      spontaneous firing rate. This effect is bidirectional, and prolonged visually
      induced response suppression is followed by a prolonged increase in spontaneous
      activity. The reduction in thalamic spontaneous activity following prolonged
      visual activation is accompanied by increases in 1) response reliability, 2)
      signal detectability, and 3) the ratio of visual signal/spontaneous activity. In
      addition, following such prolonged activation of an LGN neuron, the monosynaptic
      currents generated by thalamic impulses in layer 4 of the primary visual cortex
      are enhanced. These results demonstrate that in awake brains, prolonged sensory
      stimulation can have a profound, long-lasting effect on the information conveyed
      by thalamocortical inputs to the visual cortex. 

PMID- 26108951
TI  - Failure to use corollary discharge to remap visual target locations is associated
      with psychotic symptom severity in schizophrenia.
AB  - Corollary discharge (CD) refers to "copies" of motor signals sent to sensory
      areas, allowing prediction of future sensory states. They enable the putative
      mechanisms supporting the distinction between self-generated and externally
      generated sensations. Accordingly, many authors have suggested that disturbed CD
      engenders psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia, which are characterized by agency
      distortions. CD also supports perceived visual stability across saccadic eye
      movements and is used to predict the postsaccadic retinal coordinates of visual
      stimuli, a process called remapping. We tested whether schizophrenia patients
      (SZP) show remapping disturbances as evidenced by systematic transsaccadic
      mislocalizations of visual targets. SZP and healthy controls (HC) performed a
      task in which a saccadic target disappeared upon saccade initiation and, after a
      brief delay, reappeared at a horizontally displaced position. HC judged the
      direction of this displacement accurately, despite spatial errors in saccade
      landing site, indicating that their comparison of the actual to predicted
      postsaccadic target location relied on accurate CD. SZP performed worse and
      relied more on saccade landing site as a proxy for the presaccadic target,
      consistent with disturbed CD. This remapping failure was strongest in patients
      with more severe psychotic symptoms, consistent with the theoretical link between
      disturbed CD and phenomenological experiences in schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26108952
TI  - Long-lasting facilitation of respiratory rhythm by treatment with TRPA1 agonist,
      cinnamaldehyde.
AB  - The transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are widely distributed in the
      central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system. We examined the
      effects of TRP ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) agonists (cinnamaldehyde and allyl
      isothiocyanate) on respiratory rhythm generation in brainstem-spinal cord
      preparations from newborn rats [postnatal days 0-3 (P0-P3)] and in in situ
      perfused preparations from juvenile rats (P11-P13). Preparations were superfused
      with modified Krebs solution at 25-26 degrees C, and activity of inspiratory C4
      ventral root (or phrenic nerve) was monitored. In the newborn rat, an in vitro
      preparation of cinnamaldehyde (0.5 mM) induced typically biphasic responses in C4
      rate: an initial short increase and subsequent decrease, then a gradual recovery
      of rhythm during 15 min of bath application. After washout, the respiratory
      rhythm rate further increased, remaining 200% of control for >120 min, indicating
      long-lasting facilitation. Allyl isothiocyanate induced effects similar to those
      of cinnamaldehyde. The long-lasting facilitation of respiratory rhythm was
      partially antagonized by the TRPA1 antagonist HC-030031 (10 MUM). We obtained
      similar long-lasting facilitation in an in situ-perfused reparation from P11-P13
      rats. On the basis of results from transection experiments of the rostral medulla
      and whole-cell recordings from preinspiratory neurons in the parafacial
      respiratory group (pFRG), we suggest that the rostral medulla, including the
      pFRG, is important to the induction of long-lasting facilitation. A histochemical
      analysis demonstrated a wide distribution of TRPA1 channel-positive cells in the
      reticular formation of the medulla, including the pFRG. Our findings suggest that
      TRPA1 channel activation could induce long-lasting facilitation of respiratory
      rhythm and provide grounds for future study on the roles of TRPA1 channels in the
      CNS. 

PMID- 26108953
TI  - Mechanics of mouse ocular motor plant quantified by optogenetic techniques.
AB  - Rigorous descriptions of ocular motor mechanics are often needed for models of
      ocular motor circuits. The mouse has become an important tool for ocular motor
      studies, yet most mechanical data come from larger species. Recordings of mouse
      abducens neurons indicate the mouse mechanics share basic viscoelastic properties
      with larger species but have considerably longer time constants. Time constants
      can also be extracted from the rate at which the eye re-centers when released
      from an eccentric position. The displacement can be accomplished by electrically
      stimulating ocular motor nuclei, but electrical stimulation may also activate
      nearby ocular motor circuitry. We achieved specific activation of abducens
      motoneurons through photostimulation in transgenic mice expressing
      channelrhodopsin in cholinergic neurons. Histology confirmed strong
      channelrhodopsin expression in the abducens nucleus with relatively little
      expression in nearby ocular motor structures. Stimulation was delivered as 20- to
      1,000-ms pulses and 40-Hz trains. Relaxations were modeled best by a two-element
      viscoelastic system. Time constants were sensitive to stimulus duration. Analysis
      of isometric relaxation of isolated mouse extraocular muscles suggest the
      dependence is attributable to noninstantaneous decay of active forces in non
      twitch fibers following stimulus offset. Time constants were several times longer
      than those obtained in primates, confirming that the mouse ocular motor mechanics
      are relatively sluggish. Finally, we explored the effects of 0.1- to 20-Hz
      sinusoidal photostimuli and demonstrated their potential usefulness in
      characterizing ocular motor mechanics, although this application will require
      further data on the temporal relationship between photostimulation and neuronal
      firing in extraocular motoneurons. 

PMID- 26108954
TI  - Stimulus-dependent spiking relationships with the EEG.
AB  - The development and refinement of noninvasive techniques for imaging neural
      activity is of paramount importance for human neuroscience. Currently, the most
      accessible and popular technique is electroencephalography (EEG). However, nearly
      all of what we know about the neural events that underlie EEG signals is based on
      inference, because of the dearth of studies that have simultaneously paired EEG
      recordings with direct recordings of single neurons. From the perspective of
      electrophysiologists there is growing interest in understanding how spiking
      activity coordinates with large-scale cortical networks. Evidence from recordings
      at both scales highlights that sensory neurons operate in very distinct states
      during spontaneous and visually evoked activity, which appear to form extremes in
      a continuum of coordination in neural networks. We hypothesized that individual
      neurons have idiosyncratic relationships to large-scale network activity indexed
      by EEG signals, owing to the neurons' distinct computational roles within the
      local circuitry. We tested this by recording neuronal populations in visual area
      V4 of rhesus macaques while we simultaneously recorded EEG. We found substantial
      heterogeneity in the timing and strength of spike-EEG relationships and that
      these relationships became more diverse during visual stimulation compared with
      the spontaneous state. The visual stimulus apparently shifts V4 neurons from a
      state in which they are relatively uniformly embedded in large-scale network
      activity to a state in which their distinct roles within the local population are
      more prominent, suggesting that the specific way in which individual neurons
      relate to EEG signals may hold clues regarding their computational roles. 

PMID- 26108955
TI  - Transspinal constant-current long-lasting stimulation: a new method to induce
      cortical and corticospinal plasticity.
AB  - Functional neuroplasticity in response to stimulation and motor training is a
      well-established phenomenon. Transcutaneous stimulation of the spine is used
      mostly to alleviate pain, but it may also induce functional neuroplasticity,
      because the spinal cord serves as an integration center for descending and
      ascending neuronal signals. In this work, we examined whether long-lasting
      noninvasive cathodal (c-tsCCS) and anodal (a-tsCCS) transspinal constant-current
      stimulation over the thoracolumbar enlargement can induce cortical,
      corticospinal, and spinal neuroplasticity. Twelve healthy human subjects, blind
      to the stimulation protocol, were randomly assigned to 40 min of c-tsCCS or a
      tsCCS. Before and after transspinal stimulation, we established the afferent
      mediated motor evoked potential (MEP) facilitation and the subthreshold
      transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-mediated flexor reflex facilitation.
      Recruitment input-output curves of MEPs and transspinal evoked potentials (TEPs)
      and postactivation depression of the soleus H reflex and TEPs was also
      established. We demonstrate that both c-tsCCS and a-tsCCS decrease the afferent
      mediated MEP facilitation and alter the subthreshold TMS-mediated flexor reflex
      facilitation in a polarity-dependent manner. Both c-tsCCS and a-tsCCS increased
      the tibialis anterior MEPs recorded at 1.2 MEP resting threshold, intermediate,
      and maximal intensities and altered the recruitment input-output curve of TEPs in
      a muscle- and polarity-dependent manner. Soleus H-reflex postactivation
      depression was reduced after a-tsCCS and remained unaltered after c-tsCCS. No
      changes were found in the postactivation depression of TEPs after c-tsCCS or a
      tsCCS. Our findings reveal that c-tsCCS and a-tsCCS have distinct effects on
      cortical and corticospinal excitability. This method can be utilized to induce
      targeted neuroplasticity in humans. 

PMID- 26108956
TI  - Degradation of extracellular chondroitin sulfate delays recovery of network
      activity after perturbation.
AB  - Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) are widely studied in vertebrate
      systems and are known to play a key role in development, plasticity, and
      regulation of cortical circuitry. The mechanistic details of this role are still
      elusive, but increasingly central to the investigation is the homeostatic balance
      between network excitation and inhibition. Studying a simpler neuronal circuit
      may prove advantageous for discovering the mechanistic details of the cellular
      effects of CSPGs. In this study we used a well-established model of homeostatic
      change after injury in the crab Cancer borealis to show first evidence that CSPGs
      are necessary for network activity homeostasis. We degraded CSPGs in the pyloric
      circuit of the stomatogastric ganglion with the enzyme chondroitinase ABC (chABC)
      and found that removal of CSPGs does not influence the ongoing rhythm of the
      pyloric circuit but does limit its capacity for recovery after a networkwide
      perturbation. Without CSPGs, the postperturbation rhythm is slower than in
      controls and rhythm recovery is delayed. In addition to providing a new model
      system for the study of CSPGs, this study suggests a wider role for CSPGs, and
      perhaps the extracellular matrix in general, beyond simply plastic reorganization
      (as observed in mammals) and into a foundational regulatory role of neural
      circuitry. 

PMID- 26108957
TI  - Offline reactivation of experience-dependent neuronal firing patterns in the rat
      ventral tegmental area.
AB  - In a rest period immediately after a task, neurons in the hippocampus, neocortex,
      and striatum exhibit spatiotemporal correlation patterns resembling those
      observed during the task. This reactivation has been proposed as a
      neurophysiological substrate for memory consolidation. We provide new evidence
      that rodent ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons are selective for different
      types of food stimuli and that stimulus-sensitive neurons strongly reactivate
      during the rest period following a task that involved those stimuli. Reactivation
      occurred primarily during slow wave sleep and during quiet awakeness. In these
      experiments, VTA reactivation patterns were uncompressed and occurred at the
      firing rate level, rather than on a spike-to-spike basis. Mildly aversive stimuli
      were reactivated more often than positive ones. The VTA is a pivotal structure
      involved in the perception and prediction of reward and stimulus salience and is
      a key neuromodulatory system involved in synaptic plasticity. These results
      suggest new ways in which dopaminergic signals could contribute to the
      biophysical mechanisms of selective, system-wide, memory consolidation, and
      reconsolidation during sleep. 

PMID- 26108958
TI  - A model for attentional information routing through coherence predicts biased
      competition and multistable perception.
AB  - Selective attention allows to focus on relevant information and to ignore
      distracting features of a visual scene. These principles of information
      processing are reflected in response properties of neurons in visual area V4: if
      a neuron is presented with two stimuli in its receptive field, and one is
      attended, it responds as if the nonattended stimulus was absent (biased
      competition). In addition, when the luminance of the two stimuli is temporally
      and independently varied, local field potentials are correlated with the
      modulation of the attended stimulus and not, or much less, correlated with the
      nonattended stimulus (information routing). To explain these results in one
      coherent framework, we present a two-layer spiking cortical network model with
      distance-dependent lateral connectivity and converging feed-forward connections.
      With oscillations arising inherently from the network structure, our model
      reproduces both experimental observations. Hereby, lateral interactions and
      shifts of relative phases between sending and receiving layers (communication
      through coherence) are identified as the main mechanisms underlying both biased
      competition as well as selective routing. Exploring the parameter space, we show
      that the effects are robust and prevalent over a broad range of parameters. In
      addition, we identify the strength of lateral inhibition in the first model layer
      as crucial for determining the working regime of the system: increasing lateral
      inhibition allows a transition from a network configuration with mixed
      representations to one with bistable representations of the competing stimuli.
      The latter is discussed as a possible neural correlate of multistable perception
      phenomena such as binocular rivalry. 

PMID- 26108961
TI  - Handgrip strength and dysphagia assessment following cardiac surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Prolonged intubation has been recognized as a risk factor
      for dysphagia following cardiac surgery. We conducted a study to determine
      whether those patients intubated longer than 12 hours following cardiac surgery
      exhibit low handgrip strength and if dysphagia is prevalent in those with low
      handgrip strength. STUDY DESIGN: Feasibility study. METHODS: Patients intubated
      more than 12 hours after cardiac surgery were enrolled. Handgrip strength was
      measured. If subjects were found to have low grip strength they underwent
      clinical swallowing exam by a speech-language pathologist followed by modified
      barium swallow (MBS) to assess for dysphagia. Severity of dysphagia was assessed
      with the Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) and need for diet modification.
      RESULTS: Eighty-six percent (12/14) of patients tested had low handgrip strength.
      Eight patients with low grip strength completed the bedside swallowing exam and
      MBS. Four of the eight patients (50%) had deep laryngeal penetration (PAS scores
      4-5) on MBS and three (38%) patients were found to have silent aspiration (PAS
      8). The findings on MBS resulted in the recommendation of a swallowing strategy
      and/or modified diet for six of the eight (80%) patients. Nonoral feedings were
      recommended for two patients (25%) based on MBS results. CONCLUSIONS: A majority
      of patients intubated >12 hours after cardiac surgery exhibit low handgrip
      strength. Dysphagia is prevalent among those with low handgrip strength. The role
      of frailty measures in screening for dysphagia deserves further investigation.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 26108960
TI  - Compensatory stepping in Parkinson's disease is still a problem after deep brain
      stimulation randomized to STN or GPi.
AB  - The effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on balance in people with Parkinson's
      disease (PD) are not well established. This study examined whether DBS randomized
      to the subthalamic nucleus (STN; n = 11) or globus pallidus interna (GPi; n = 10)
      improved compensatory stepping to recover balance after a perturbation. The
      standing surface translated backward, forcing subjects to take compensatory steps
      forward. Kinematic and kinetic responses were recorded. PD-DBS subjects were
      tested off and on their levodopa medication before bilateral DBS surgery and
      retested 6 mo later off and on DBS, combined with off and on levodopa medication.
      Responses were compared with PD-control subjects (n = 8) tested over the same
      timescale and 17 healthy control subjects. Neither DBS nor levodopa improved the
      stepping response. Compensatory stepping in the best-treated state after surgery
      (DBS+DOPA) was similar to the best-treated state before surgery (DOPA) for the PD
      GPi group and the PD-control group. For the PD-STN group, there were more lateral
      weight shifts, a delayed foot-off, and a greater number of steps required to
      recover balance in DBS+DOPA after surgery compared with DOPA before surgery.
      Within the STN group five subjects who did not fall during the experiment before
      surgery fell at least once after surgery, whereas the number of falls in the GPi
      and PD-control groups were unchanged. DBS did not improve the compensatory step
      response needed to recover from balance perturbations in the GPi group and caused
      delays in the preparation phase of the step in the STN group. 

PMID- 26108959
TI  - An arterially perfused nose-olfactory bulb preparation of the rat.
AB  - A main feature of the mammalian olfactory bulb network is the presence of various
      rhythmic activities, in particular, gamma, beta, and theta oscillations, with the
      latter coupled to the respiratory rhythm. Interactions between those oscillations
      as well as the spatial distribution of network activation are likely to determine
      olfactory coding. Here, we describe a novel semi-intact perfused nose-olfactory
      bulb-brain stem preparation in rats with both a preserved olfactory epithelium
      and brain stem, which could be particularly suitable for the study of oscillatory
      activity and spatial odor mapping within the olfactory bulb, in particular, in
      hitherto inaccessible locations. In the perfused olfactory bulb, we observed
      robust spontaneous oscillations, mostly in the theta range. Odor application
      resulted in an increase in oscillatory power in higher frequency ranges, stimulus
      locked local field potentials, and excitation or inhibition of individual bulbar
      neurons, similar to odor responses reported from in vivo recordings. Thus our
      method constitutes the first viable in situ preparation of a mammalian system
      that uses airborne odor stimuli and preserves these characteristic features of
      odor processing. This preparation will allow the use of highly invasive
      experimental procedures and the application of techniques such as patch-clamp
      recording, high-resolution imaging, and optogenetics within the entire olfactory
      bulb. 

PMID- 26108963
TI  - What is the most effective treatment for severe gastro-oesophageal reflux
      disease?

PMID- 26108964
TI  - In vitro incorporation of a cell-binding protein to a lentiviral vector using an
      engineered split intein enables targeted delivery of genetic cargo.
AB  - Gene therapy represents a promising therapeutic paradigm for addressing many
      disorders, but the absence of a vector that can be robustly and reproducibly
      functionalized with cell-homing functionality to mediate the delivery of genetic
      cargo specifically to target cells following systemic administration has stood as
      a major impediment. In this study, a high-affinity protein-protein pair
      comprising a splicing-deficient naturally split intein was used as molecular
      Velcro to append a HER2/neu-binding protein (DARPin) onto the surface of a
      binding-deficient, fusion-competent lentivirus. HER2/neu-specific lentiviruses
      created using this in vitro pseudotyping approach were able to deliver their
      genetic reporter cargo specifically to cells that express the target receptor at
      high levels in a co-culture. We envision that the described technology could
      provide a powerful, broadly applicable platform for the incorporation of cell
      targeting functionality onto viral vectors.

PMID- 26108965
TI  - Surgical resection of massive liposarcomas at the extremities: a 10-year
      experience in a referral musculoskeletal sarcoma unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is still no consensus regarding the management of patients with
      massive liposarcomas located in the extremities. Several discrepancies related to
      the aggressiveness of the surgery and the application of concomitant radiotherapy
      and chemotherapy treatments remain controversial. The purpose of this study was
      to analyse the clinicopathological characteristics, prognostic factors and
      outcomes of a series of patients with massive liposarcomas of the extremities who
      were treated at a referral hospital specializing in musculoskeletal oncology.
      METHODS: This was an observational, descriptive and retrospective case series
      covering 10 years of clinical practice. The records of 26 adults, 14 men and 12
      women, with localized massive liposarcomas in the extremities were studied. The
      average age was 53 years. The patients were treated from January 2003 until
      January 2012. Wide surgical resections with limb-sparing surgeries were performed
      for most patients (96.2 %). RESULTS: The average tumour size was 15.1 +/- 6.8 cm
      in the greatest dimension. Regarding the histological subtypes, there were 11
      well-differentiated or atypical lipomatous tumours (42.3 %), 10 myxoid (38.5 %)
      and 5 (19.2 %) round cell and pleomorphic liposarcomas. Regarding the malignancy
      grades, 19 cases (73 %) were classified as low grade. Among these low-grade
      tumours predominated the well-differentiated subtype (57.9 %). Within high-grade
      tumours, the round cell and pleomorphic subtype was most frequent (57.1 %; p =
      0.011). Radiotherapy was additionally applied to 12 patients (46.2 %) and
      adjuvant chemotherapy to 5 (19.3 %). Tumour recurrence was observed in only 2
      cases (7.7 %). Only 1 of these cases developed lung metastatic dissemination.
      CONCLUSIONS: Across the entire series, these massive tumours did not compromise
      the survival of the patients. The histologic subtype and the malignancy degree
      were closely related. Proper and early diagnosis and therapeutic management of
      these patients via the application of wide-margin surgical excision are essential
      to ensure long-term survival.

PMID- 26108966
TI  - Melanopsins: Localization and Phototransduction in Xenopus laevis Melanophores.
AB  - Xenopus laevis melanophores express two melanopsins, Opn4x and Opn4m. We
      identified Opn4x immunoreactivity throughout the melanophore cytoplasm and in the
      cell membrane. The strongest immunopositivity for Opn4m was observed in the
      nuclear region, and no labeling was seen in the cell membrane. This
      immunodistribution suggests Opn4x as the functional photopigment. In X. laevis
      melanophores, light triggers pigment dispersion and clock gene induction at blue
      wavelength, which maximally activates melanopsins. Although light stimulation
      activates phospholipase C and increases intracellular calcium and cGMP, this
      nucleotide does not participate in photo-induced melanin dispersion.
      Nevertheless, the guanylyl cyclase activator YC-1 stimulates Per1 expression,
      similar to blue light pulse, and the use of pharmacological inhibitors indicates
      the participation of the phosphoinositide cascade. Since cAMP levels does not
      change after blue light stimulation, the cAMP/PKA pathway most probably is not
      involved in blue light induction of Per in X. laevis melanophores. Given the
      localization of melanopsins and our pharmacological data, the light-induced clock
      gene expression seems to be mediated by Opn4x through phosphoinositide cascade
      and rise in cGMP, thus leading to the reset of the biological clock in our model.

PMID- 26108967
TI  - Lead iodide perovskite light-emitting field-effect transistor.
AB  - Despite the widespread use of solution-processable hybrid organic-inorganic
      perovskites in photovoltaic and light-emitting applications, determination of
      their intrinsic charge transport parameters has been elusive due to the
      variability of film preparation and history-dependent device performance. Here we
      show that screening effects associated to ionic transport can be effectively
      eliminated by lowering the operating temperature of methylammonium lead iodide
      perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3) field-effect transistors. Field-effect carrier mobility
      is found to increase by almost two orders of magnitude below 200 K, consistent
      with phonon scattering-limited transport. Under balanced ambipolar carrier
      injection, gate-dependent electroluminescence is also observed from the
      transistor channel, with spectra revealing the tetragonal to orthorhombic phase
      transition. This demonstration of CH3NH3PbI3 light-emitting field-effect
      transistors provides intrinsic transport parameters to guide materials and solar
      cell optimization, and will drive the development of new electro-optic device
      concepts, such as gated light-emitting diodes and lasers operating at room
      temperature. 

PMID- 26108968
TI  - Gene expression analysis of skin grafts and cultured keratinocytes using
      synthetic RNA normalization reveals insights into differentiation and growth
      control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Keratinocytes (KCs) are the most frequent cells in the epidermis, and
      they are often isolated and cultured in vitro to study the molecular biology of
      the skin. Cultured primary cells and various immortalized cells have been
      frequently used as skin models but their comparability to intact skin has been
      questioned. Moreover, when analyzing KC transcriptomes, fluctuation of polyA+ RNA
      content during the KCs' lifecycle has been omitted. RESULTS: We performed STRT
      RNA sequencing on 10 ng samples of total RNA from three different sample types:
      i) epidermal tissue (split-thickness skin grafts), ii) cultured primary KCs, and
      iii) HaCaT cell line. We observed significant variation in cellular polyA+ RNA
      content between tissue and cell culture samples of KCs. The use of synthetic RNAs
      and SAMstrt in normalization enabled comparison of gene expression levels in the
      highly heterogenous samples and facilitated discovery of differences between the
      tissue samples and cultured cells. The transcriptome analysis sensitively
      revealed genes involved in KC differentiation in skin grafts and cell cycle
      regulation related genes in cultured KCs and emphasized the fluctuation of
      transcription factors and non-coding RNAs associated to sample types.
      CONCLUSIONS: The epidermal keratinocytes derived from tissue and cell culture
      samples showed highly different polyA+ RNA contents. The use of SAMstrt and
      synthetic RNA based normalization allowed the comparison between tissue and cell
      culture samples and thus proved to be valuable tools for RNA-seq analysis with
      translational approach. Transciptomics revealed clear difference both between
      tissue and cell culture samples and between primary KCs and immortalized HaCaT
      cells.

PMID- 26108969
TI  - Population-based trends in prenatal screening and diagnosis for aneuploidy: a
      retrospective analysis of 38 years of state-wide data.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyse population-based trends over the entire history of prenatal
      testing for aneuploidy. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of state-wide data sets.
      SETTING: Australian state of Victoria with ~70 000 annual births. POPULATION: All
      pregnant women undergoing invasive prenatal testing at <25 weeks' gestation from
      1976 to 2013. METHODS: Analysis of three state-wide data sets: (1) Prenatal
      diagnosis data set of 119 404 amniocenteses and chorionic villus samplings from
      1976 to 2013; (2) central serum screening laboratory data set from 1996 to 2013;
      (3) government birth statistics from 1976 to 2013. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Annual
      numbers and uptake rates of invasive prenatal tests and serum screening,
      indications for invasive prenatal testing, prenatal diagnoses of aneuploidy,
      diagnostic yield of invasive tests. RESULTS: Annual numbers of invasive prenatal
      tests climbed steadily from 1976, then declined from 2000. In 2013, the number of
      invasive prenatal tests was the lowest in 25 years, while the number of trisomy
      21 diagnoses was the highest ever recorded. Annual uptake of serum screening
      climbed from 1.6 to 83% over 1996-2013. Results from 2013 showed a high
      diagnostic yield (15.8%) for a low rate of invasive testing (3.4% of births).
      Over four decades, the number of invasive procedures performed for each diagnosis
      of major chromosome abnormality declined from 100 to six. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      demonstrates historic reductions in the proportion of women undergoing invasive
      testing and dramatic improvements in diagnostic yield. Monitoring the impact of
      new prenatal technologies on this progress remains an important research
      priority. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Invasive prenatal testing has reached historic lows
      due to dramatic improvements in Down syndrome screening.

PMID- 26108970
TI  - Imaging evaluation of treated benign bone tumours.
AB  - A number of benign bone tumours can be treated with curettage and packing with
      either bone cement or graft. It is essential that the radiologist be familiar
      with both the normal and abnormal post-operative imaging appearance of these
      treated tumours. Through the use of numerous imaging examples, we aim to provide
      a pictorial review of the expected post-operative appearance of benign bone
      tumours treated with curettage and packing, as well as the imaging features of
      recurrence, the most common potential complication. 

PMID- 26108971
TI  - Whole-exome sequencing reveals genetic variants associated with chronic kidney
      disease characterized by tubulointerstitial damages in North Central Region, Sri
      Lanka.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The familial clustering observed in chronic kidney disease of
      uncertain etiology (CKDu) characterized by tubulointerstitial damages in the
      North Central Region of Sri Lanka strongly suggests the involvement of genetic
      factors in its pathogenesis. The objective of the present study is to use whole
      exome sequencing to identify the genetic variants associated with CKDu. METHODS:
      Whole-exome sequencing of eight CKDu cases and eight controls was performed,
      followed by direct sequencing of candidate loci in 301 CKDu cases and 276
      controls. RESULTS: Association study revealed rs34970857 (c.658G > A/p.V220M)
      located in the KCNA10 gene encoding a voltage-gated K channel as the most
      promising SNP with the highest odds ratio of 1.74. Four rare variants were
      identified in gene encoding Laminin beta2 (LAMB2) which is known to cause
      congenital nephrotic syndrome. Three out of four variants in LAMB2 were novel
      variants found exclusively in cases. CONCLUSION: Genetic investigations provide
      strong evidence on the presence of genetic susceptibility for CKDu. Possibility
      of presence of several rare variants associated with CKDu in this population is
      also suggested.

PMID- 26108972
TI  - Lysosomal Sequestration Determines Intracellular Imatinib Levels.
AB  - The intracellular uptake and retention (IUR) of imatinib is reported to be
      controlled by the influx transporter SLC22A1 (organic cation transporter 1). We
      recently hypothesized that alternative uptake and/or retention mechanisms exist
      that determine intracellular imatinib levels. Here, we systematically investigate
      the nature of these mechanisms. Imatinib uptake in cells was quantitatively
      determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Fluorescent
      microscopy was used to establish subcellular localization of imatinib.
      Immunoblotting, cell cycle analyses, and apoptosis assays were performed to
      evaluate functional consequences of imatinib sequestration. Uptake experiments
      revealed high intracellular imatinib concentrations in HEK293, the leukemic cell
      lines K562 and SD-1, and a gastrointestinal stromal tumor cell line GIST-T1. We
      demonstrated that imatinib IUR is time-, dose-, temperature-, and energy
      dependent and provide evidence that SLC22A1 and other potential imatinib
      transporters do not substantially contribute to the IUR of imatinib. Prazosin,
      amantadine, NH4Cl, and the vacuolar ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin A1 significantly
      decreased the IUR of imatinib and likely interfere with lysosomal retention and
      accumulation of imatinib. Costaining experiments with LysoTracker Red confirmed
      lysosomal sequestration of imatinib. Inhibition of the lysosomal sequestration
      had no effect on the inhibition of c-Kit signaling and imatinib-mediated cell
      cycle arrest but significantly increased apoptosis in imatinib-sensitive GIST-T1
      cells. We conclude that intracellular imatinib levels are primarily determined by
      lysosomal sequestration and do not depend on SLC22A1 expression. 

PMID- 26108974
TI  - Biologic variability in NT-proBNP and cardiac troponin-I in healthy dogs and dogs
      with mitral valve degeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The N-terminal fragment of the prohormone B-type natriuretic peptide
      (NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponin-I are candidate biomarkers for cardiac disease
      in dogs. The degree of biologic variation in these biomarkers has not previously
      been reported in healthy dogs or dogs with mitral regurgitation. OBJECTIVES: The
      purpose of the study was to derive estimates of intrinsic biologic variability
      and reference change values for NT-proBNP and cardiac troponin-I in healthy dogs
      and dogs with mitral regurgitation grade IB and II according to the International
      Small Animal Cardiac Health Council (ISACHC) grading system. METHODS: Plasma and
      sera were collected weekly for up to 7 weeks from 12 control dogs and 9 dogs with
      mitral regurgitation. NT-proBNP and troponin-I (C-TnI) concentrations were
      determined. Indices of biologic variation such as reciprocal index of
      individuality (r-IoI) and reference change values (RCV) were calculated in both
      the groups. RESULTS: Individuality was high in control dogs and dogs with grade
      IB and II mitral valve regurgitation for both C-TnI (r-IoI 1.6 and 2) and NT
      proBNP (1.5 and 2.7), while the 2-sided RCV for NT-proBNP was significantly lower
      in dogs with mitral regurgitation (52.5% vs 99.4%, P<0.01.). CONCLUSIONS: High
      individuality of these cardiac biomarkers suggests that, following diagnosis,
      these assays are best interpreted by serial determination in individual canine
      patients rather than by comparison to a population-based reference interval. The
      smaller RCV values for dogs with mitral regurgitation suggest that smaller
      relative changes in NT-proBNP are clinically meaningful in these patients.

PMID- 26108975
TI  - Structures, stability and hydrogen bonding in inositol conformers.
AB  - Various ab initio calculations using the density-functional (DFT), the second
      order Moller-Plesset perturbation (MP2) and self-consistent reaction field (SCRF)
      theories were performed on thirteen theoretically possible inositol
      stereoisomers. Gas phase calculations reveal that the myo- and neo-isomers of
      inositol (bearing one and two axial hydroxyl groups, respectively) are marginally
      more stable (by 0.5 kcal mol(-1)) than the all equatorially substituted scyllo
      inositol. The calculations when done in different polar solvents show that the
      scyllo-inositol becomes the most stable inositol isomer, a fact attributed to
      weaker intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The individual hydrogen bond energy in all
      the isomers of inositol was also estimated using the molecular tailoring approach
      (MTA). The calculated hydrogen bond energies in these isomers are in excellent
      agreement with reported O-H...O hydrogen bond distances and nu(O-H) stretching
      frequencies. The estimated H-bond energy values suggest that the order of the
      intramolecular hydrogen bond strength follows: axial-axial > equatorial-axial >
      axial-equatorial > equatorial-equatorial hydrogen bonds. The intramolecular
      hydrogen bonds in the scyllo isomer are much weaker than those in other
      conformers, thus making this isomer more stable in polar solvents.

PMID- 26108973
TI  - Ursodeoxycholyl Lysophosphatidylethanolamide modifies aberrant lipid profiles in
      NAFLD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatic fat accumulation with disturbed lipid homoeostasis is a
      hallmark of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The bile acid phospholipid
      conjugate Ursodeoxycholyl lysophosphatidylethanolamide (UDCA-LPE) is a novel anti
      inflammatory agent with hepatoprotective effects in murine high-fat-diet (HFD)
      induced NAFLD. The aim of this work was to study changes in the hepatic lipidome
      due to UDCA-LPE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: High fat diet mouse model, mass
      spectometry, RT-PCR. RESULTS: Hepatic lipid extracts of HFD mice were analysed by
      mass spectrometry. The results determined higher levels of total, saturated, mono
      and diunsaturated fatty acids (FA) in HFD mice, which were decreased by UDCA-LPE
      predominantly by the reducing the most abundant FA species palmitic acid and
      oleic acid. Unlike other FA species, levels of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty
      acids (LCPUFA), which are composed of arachidonic acid (ARA), eicosapentaenoic
      acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), were increased in HFD mice upon UDCA
      LPE treatment, mainly due to elevated hepatic ARA pools. Analysis of hepatic
      phospholipids species showed a decrease in total phosphatidylcholine (PC),
      especially monounsaturated PC (PUFA-PC) levels in HFD mice. Loss of total PC was
      reversed due to UDCA-LPE by increasing hepatic PUFA-PC pools. Gene expression
      analysis showed that UDCA-LPE upregulated PPARalpha, a key transcriptional
      regulator of fatty acid oxidation, as well as downstream target genes CPT1alpha
      and AOX, which are crucially involved in mitochondrial and peroxisomal fatty acid
      oxidation. CONCLUSION: UDCA-LPE modulates defective fatty acid metabolism during
      experimental NAFLD thereby restoring altered lipid profiles in addition to its
      pronounced anti-inflammatory effects. Thus, UDCA-LPE may be a promising drug
      candidate for the management of NAFLD.

PMID- 26108976
TI  - Tuberous sclerosis, polycystic kidney disease and mucolipidosis III gamma caused
      by a microdeletion unmasking a recessive mutation.

PMID- 26108977
TI  - Age-dependent impairment of glucose tolerance in the 3xTg-AD mouse model of
      Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been associated with type II diabetes (T2D) and
      obesity in several epidemiologic studies. To determine whether AD neuropathology
      can cause peripheral metabolic impairments, we investigated metabolic parameters
      in the triple-transgenic (3xTg)-AD mouse model of AD, compared with those in
      nontransgenic (non-Tg) controls, at 6, 8, and 14 mo of age. We found a more
      pronounced cortical Abeta accumulation (2- and 3.5-fold increase in Abeta42 in
      the soluble and insoluble protein fractions, respectively) in female 3xTg-AD mice
      than in the males. Furthermore, female 3xTg-AD mice displayed a significant
      deterioration in glucose tolerance (AUC, +118% vs. non-Tg mice at 14 mo). Fasting
      plasma insulin levels rose 2.5-fold from 6 to 14 mo of age in female 3xTg-AD
      mice. Glucose intolerance and cortical amyloid pathology worsened with age, and
      both were more pronounced in the females. Pancreatic amyloidopathy was revealed
      and could underlie the observed deficit in glycemic response in 3xTg-AD mice. The
      present results suggest that AD-like neuropathology extends to the pancreas in
      the 3xTg-AD mouse, leading to glucose intolerance and contributing to a
      pathologic self-amplifying loop between AD and T2D.

PMID- 26108978
TI  - Portuguese Man-of-War (Physalia physalis) in the Mediterranean: A permanent
      invasion or a casual appearance?
AB  - In 2010, the Mediterranean basin experienced Portuguese Man-of-War (Physalia
      physalis) swarms that had dramatic consequences, including the region's first
      recorded human fatality attributed to a jellyfish sting. Despite the impact of
      jellyfish on coastal economic activity and the importance of the tourism industry
      for the Mediterranean region (accounting for 15% of global tourism), no
      scientific consensus has been achieved regarding the causes of this episode.
      Here, we analyse the meteorological and oceanographic conditions of the North
      East Atlantic Ocean during the months previous to the appearance of P. physalis
      in the Mediterranean. We simulate the probable drift of Atlantic populations into
      the Mediterranean basin with a numerical model and compare model results with
      available observations. We conclude that the summer 2010 P. Physalis swarm was
      the result of an unusual combination of meteorological and oceanographic
      conditions during the previous winter and not a permanent invasion favoured by
      climatic changes. 

PMID- 26108979
TI  - Memorandum "Open Metadata". Open Access to Documentation Forms and Item Catalogs
      in Healthcare.
AB  - At present, most documentation forms and item catalogs in healthcare are not
      accessible to the public. This applies to assessment forms of routine patient
      care as well as case report forms (CRFs) of clinical and epidemiological studies.
      On behalf of the German chairs for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology
      six recommendations to developers and users of documentation forms in healthcare
      were developed. Open access to medical documentation forms could substantially
      improve information systems in healthcare and medical research networks.
      Therefore these forms should be made available to the scientific community, their
      use should not be unduly restricted, they should be published in a sustainable
      way using international standards and sources of documentation forms should be
      referenced in scientific publications. 

PMID- 26108980
TI  - A lactam building block for efficient polymer solar cells.
AB  - A new lactam acceptor unit, [7,7'-bidithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyridine]-5,5'(4H,4'H)
      dione (BDTP), was developed. A D-A copolymer PThBDTP using BDTP as the acceptor
      unit and thiophene as the donor unit was synthesized. PThBDTP:PC71BM solar cells
      gave a decent PCE of 9.13% with a V(oc) of 0.96 V. PThBDTP is one of the few D-A
      copolymers with PCEs of over 9%.

PMID- 26108981
TI  - Relatively strong intramolecular antiferromagnetic coupling in a neutral
      Cr(III)2Nb(V)2 heterobimetallic molecular square.
AB  - A relatively large antiferromagnetic interaction between the two chromium(III)
      ions from the molecular square [{Cr(dmso)4}2{Nb(MU-O)2(C2O4)2}2] () (J = -12.0
      cm(-1)) is mediated by the diamagnetic oxo-Nb(V)-oxo pathway, its nature and
      magnitude being substantiated by DFT type theoretical calculations.

PMID- 26108982
TI  - Recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia during the second month of the blanking
      period is associated with more extensive pulmonary vein reconnection at repeat
      electrophysiology study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend a 3-month blanking period after
      pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) as early recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia
      (ERAT) may be due to transient proarrhythmic factors. However, studies have
      suggested that these factors resolve by 1 month. PV reconnection (PVrc) is
      strongly associated with postblanking AT recurrence in paroxysmal atrial
      fibrillation. We hypothesized that ERAT occurring beyond 4 weeks after PVI is
      associated with PVrc at repeat electrophysiology study. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Forty patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation underwent mandatory repeat
      electrophysiology study 2 months after PVI, regardless of symptoms, to document
      the number of reconnected PVs. Antiarrhythmic drugs, including beta-blockers,
      were discontinued 4 weeks after PVI. Patients were instructed to record a 30
      second ECG everyday between the 2 procedures using a portable monitor, with
      additional recordings for symptoms. ERAT was defined as >=30 seconds of AT.
      Patients recorded a total of 3293 ECGs. Four (10%) patients had ERAT in the first
      4 weeks (M1) only, 2 (5%) in month 2 (M2) only, and 11 (28%) in both. PVrc of 1
      PV was identified in 12 (30%) patients and of >1 PV in 13 (32%) patients. ERAT in
      M2 was associated with PVrc, whereas M1 was not (11/13 [85%] versus 0/4 [0%];
      P=0.006). M2 ERAT was strongly associated with PVrc of >1 PV (10/13 [77%] versus
      3/27 [11%] without M2 ERAT; P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: ERAT occurring beyond 4 weeks
      after PVI is associated with PVrc and particularly of PVrc of >1 PV. ERAT
      confined to M1 is unrelated to underlying PVrc. The relationship between ERAT
      beyond 4 weeks after PVI and postblanking AT recurrence merits further
      investigation.

PMID- 26108983
TI  - Adenosine accelerates the healing of diabetic ischemic ulcers by improving
      autophagy of endothelial progenitor cells grown on a biomaterial.
AB  - Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) seeded on biomaterials can effectively
      promote diabetic ischemic wound healing. However, the function of transplanted
      EPCs is negatively affected by a high-glucose and ischemic microenvironment. Our
      experiments showed that EPC autophagy was inhibited and mitochondrial membrane
      potential (MMP) was increased in diabetic patients, while adenosine treatment
      decreased the energy requirements and increased the autophagy levels of EPCs. In
      animal experiments, we transplanted a biomaterial seeded with EPCs onto the
      surface of diabetic wounds and found that adenosine-stimulated EPCs effectively
      promoted wound healing. Increased microvascular genesis and survival of the
      transplanted cells were also observed in the adenosine-stimulated groups.
      Interestingly, our study showed that adenosine increased the autophagy of the
      transplanted EPCs seeded onto the biomaterial and maintained EPC survival at 48
      and 96 hours. Moreover, we observed that adenosine induced EPC differentiation
      through increasing the level of autophagy. In conclusion, our study indicated
      that adenosine-stimulated EPCs seeded onto a biomaterial significantly improved
      wound healing in diabetic mice; mechanistically, adenosine might maintain EPC
      survival and differentiation by increasing high glucose-inhibited EPC autophagy
      and maintaining cellular energy metabolism. 

PMID- 26108984
TI  - Na(+) /H(+) exchanger regulatory factor 1 knockout mice have an attenuated
      hepatic inflammatory response and are protected from cholestatic liver injury.
AB  - The intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) is induced in mouse liver after
      bile duct ligation (BDL) and plays a key role in neutrophil-mediated liver injury
      in BDL mice. ICAM-1 has been shown to interact with cytoskeletal ezrin-radixin
      moesin (ERM) proteins that also interact with the PDZ protein, Na(+) /H(+)
      exchanger regulatory factor 1 (NHERF-1/EBP50). In NHERF-1(-/-) mice, ERM proteins
      are significantly reduced in brush-border membranes from kidney and small
      intestine. ERM knockdown reduces ICAM-1 expression in response to tumor necrosis
      factor alpha. Here we show that NHERF-1 assembles ERM proteins, ICAM-1 and F
      actin into a macromolecule complex that is increased in mouse liver after BDL.
      Compared to wild-type (WT) mice, both sham-operated and BDL NHERF-1(-/-) mice
      have lower levels of activated ERM and ICAM-1 protein in the liver accompanied by
      significantly reduced hepatic neutrophil accumulation, serum alanine
      aminotransferase, and attenuated liver injury after BDL. However, total bile acid
      concentrations in serum and liver of sham and BDL NHERF-1(-/-) mice were not
      significantly different from WT controls, although hepatic tetrahydroxylated bile
      acids and Cyp3a11 messenger RNA levels were higher in NHERF-1(-/-) BDL mice.
      CONCLUSION: NHERF-1 participates in the inflammatory response that is associated
      with BDL-induced liver injury. Deletion of NHERF-1 in mice leads to disruption of
      the formation of ICAM-1/ERM/NHERF-1 complex and reduction of hepatic ERM proteins
      and ICAM-1, molecules that are up-regulated and are essential for neutrophil
      mediated liver injury in cholestasis. Further study of the role of NHERF-1 in the
      inflammatory response in cholestasis and other forms of liver injury should lead
      to discovery of new therapeutic targets in hepatic inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 26108985
TI  - [Cardiac and vascular malformations].
AB  - Malformations of the heart and great vessels show a high degree of variation.
      There are numerous variants and defects with only few clinical manifestations and
      are only detected by chance, such as a persistent left superior vena cava or a
      partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection. Other cardiovascular malformations
      are manifested directly after birth and need prompt mostly surgical
      interventions. At this point in time echocardiography is the diagnostic modality
      of choice for morphological and functional characterization of malformations.
      Additional imaging using computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) is only required in a minority of cases. If so, the small anatomical
      structures, the physiological tachycardia and tachypnea are a challenge for
      imaging modalities and strategies. This review article presents the most frequent
      vascular, cardiac and complex cardiovascular malformations independent of the
      first line diagnostic imaging modality. 

PMID- 26108986
TI  - [Secreting and destroying infection of the foot].

PMID- 26108987
TI  - Computational Evidence for the Catalytic Mechanism of Tyrosylprotein
      Sulfotransferases: A Density Functional Theory Investigation.
AB  - In this paper we have examined the mechanism of tyrosine O-sulfonation catalyzed
      by human TPST-2. Our computations, in agreement with Teramoto's hypothesis,
      indicate a concerted SN2-like reaction (with an activation barrier of 18.2 kcal
      mol(-1)) where the tyrosine oxygen is deprotonated by Glu(99) (base catalyst) and
      simultaneously attacks as a nucleophile the sulfuryl group. For the first time,
      using a quantum mechanics protocol of alanine scanning, we identified
      unequivocally the role of the amino acids involved in the catalysis. Arg(78) acts
      as a shuttle that "assists" the sulfuryl group moving from the 3'
      phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate molecule to threonine and stabilizes the
      transition state (TS) by electrostatic interactions. The residue Lys(158) keeps
      close the residues participating in the overall H-bond network, while Ser(285),
      Thr(81), and Thr(82) stabilize the TS via strong hydrogen interactions and
      contribute to lower the activation barrier. 

PMID- 26108988
TI  - From standard to new genome-based therapy of gastric cancer.
AB  - Randomized trials and meta-analyses have established surgery, radiotherapy,
      chemotherapy and targeted therapy in the multidisciplinary treatment of gastric
      cancer. However, personalized prediction of both therapeutic resistance and
      recurrence or metastatic disease progression still remains a researcher's dream.
      In this editorial, we summarize standard treatment approaches as well as their
      limitations, with an effort to highlight novel, next-generation sequencing
      technology-based clinical approaches for gastric cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26108989
TI  - Development of trastuzumab-resistant human gastric carcinoma cell lines and
      mechanisms of drug resistance.
AB  - Trastuzumab has been successfully employed for the treatment of Her-2-positive
      gastric cancer. However, there are problems with both primary and secondary
      resistance to trastuzumab. In this study, we employed the human gastric carcinoma
      cell line NCI-N87 with high Her-2 expression to create trastuzumab-resistant NCI
      N87/TR cells by stepwise exposure to increasing doses of trastuzumab. Western
      blotting and Real-time PCR were conducted to detect protein and gene levels.
      Compared with NCI-N87 cells, the expression of P-IGF-1R and P-AKT proteins was
      significantly increased in NCI-N87/TR cells (both P = 0.000), while PTEN gene and
      protein expression showed a significant decrease (both P = 0.000). In addition,
      mutations of the PTEN gene were detected at exons 5, 7, and 8. The sensitivity of
      NCI-N87/TR cells to trastuzumab was increased by transfection with the PTEN gene,
      or by incubation with a PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) or an IGF-IR inhibitor
      (AG1024), as well as siRNA targeting PI3K p110 or IGF-1R. Taken together, our
      findings showed that activation of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway was one of the
      major mechanisms leading to resistance of NCI-N87/TR gastric cancer cells to
      trastuzumab, which was probably associated with PTEN gene down-regulation and
      mutation, as well as with over-activity of the IGF-1R signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26108990
TI  - Association between all-cause and cause-specific mortality and the GOLD stages 1
      4: A 30-year follow-up among Finnish adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mortality correlates with the Global Initiative for Chronic
      Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria of airway obstruction. Yet, little data
      exist concerning the long-term survival of patients presenting with different
      levels of obstruction. METHODS: We studied the association between all-cause and
      cause-specific mortality and GOLD stages 1-4 in a 30-year follow-up among 6636
      Finnish men and women aged 30 or older participating in the Mini-Finland Health
      Study between 1978 and 1980. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, sex, and smoking
      history, the GOLD stage of the subject showed a strong direct relationship with
      all-cause mortality, mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and
      cancer. The adjusted hazard ratios of death were 1.27 (95% confidence interval
      (CI) 1.06-1.51), 1.40 (1.21-1.63), 1.55 (1.21-1.97) and 2.85 (1.65-4.94) for GOLD
      stages 1-4, respectively, with FEV1/FVC >=70% as the reference. The association
      between GOLD stages 2-4 and mortality was strongest among subjects under 50 years
      of age at the baseline measurement. Cardiovascular mortality increased
      consistently for all GOLD stages. CONCLUSIONS: Airway obstruction indicates an
      increased risk for all-cause mortality according to the severity of the GOLD
      stage. We found that even stage 1 carries a risk for cardiovascular death
      independently of smoking history and other known risk factors.

PMID- 26108991
TI  - Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Challenge Dose of Hepatitis B Vaccine in
      Individuals With and Without Residual Anti-HBs.

PMID- 26108992
TI  - Signatures of positive selection: from selective sweeps at individual loci to
      subtle allele frequency changes in polygenic adaptation.
AB  - In the past 15 years, numerous methods have been developed to detect selective
      sweeps underlying adaptations. These methods are based on relatively simple
      population genetic models, including one or two loci at which positive
      directional selection occurs, and one or two marker loci at which the impact of
      selection on linked neutral variation is quantified. Information about the
      phenotype under selection is not included in these models (except for fitness).
      In contrast, in the quantitative genetic models of adaptation, selection acts on
      one or more phenotypic traits, such that a genotype-phenotype map is required to
      bridge the gap to population genetics theory. Here I describe the range of
      population genetic models from selective sweeps in a panmictic population of
      constant size to evolutionary traffic when simultaneous sweeps at multiple loci
      interfere, and I also consider the case of polygenic selection characterized by
      subtle allele frequency shifts at many loci. Furthermore, I present an overview
      of the statistical tests that have been proposed based on these population
      genetics models to detect evidence for positive selection in the genome.

PMID- 26108993
TI  - Associative memory realized by a reconfigurable memristive Hopfield neural
      network.
AB  - Although synaptic behaviours of memristors have been widely demonstrated,
      implementation of an even simple artificial neural network is still a great
      challenge. In this work, we demonstrate the associative memory on the basis of a
      memristive Hopfield network. Different patterns can be stored into the memristive
      Hopfield network by tuning the resistance of the memristors, and the pre-stored
      patterns can be successfully retrieved directly or through some associative
      intermediate states, being analogous to the associative memory behaviour. Both
      single-associative memory and multi-associative memories can be realized with the
      memristive Hopfield network. 

PMID- 26108994
TI  - [Cancer screening in the elderly: Explorative mixed methods study].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The benefits of cancer screening in the elderly are uncertain. While
      the risk of cancer increases with age the participation in cancer screening
      decreases. AIM: The study investigated the attitudes of older adults towards
      cancer screening as well as their motives for or against participation. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: This population-based explorative mixed methods study was based on a
      survey of residents aged 69-89 years from the district of Western Pomerania
      Greifswald (northeast Germany). Criteria for exclusion were cognitive deficits
      and/or cancer. Attitudes towards different statements regarding cancer screening
      were assessed by a questionnaire using 5-point Likert scales. Semi-structured
      interviews were used to explore the motivations. RESULTS: Out of 630 contacted
      residents, 120 (19%) with an average age of 77 years (SD +/- 6 years)
      participated in the face-to-face survey. The majority were in favor of lifelong
      cancer screening, 14% stated other health problems to be more important than
      cancer screening and 7% assumed that they would not live long enough to benefit
      from screening. Motives for participation in cancer screening were habit,
      regularity, sense of obligation, fear and belief in benefits. Motives for
      discontinuing screening included a lack of interest, no assumed necessity and
      fear. Disadvantages were not feared. CONCLUSION: Elderly people show great trust
      in cancer screening. They overestimated the benefits of cancer screening and
      their risk to die of cancer. The elderly should be better informed about the
      benefits and risks of cancer screening. Shared decision-making should be based on
      life expectancy and personal preferences.

PMID- 26108996
TI  - Glucose-regulated protein 94 is a novel glioma biomarker and promotes the
      aggressiveness of glioma via Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.
AB  - Malignant glioma is the most common type of primary brain tumor and represents
      one of the most aggressive and lethal human cancer types. Glioma recurrence is a
      common event; however, the relevant molecular mechanisms in this setting are not
      well-understood. In this study, we investigated glucose-regulated protein 94
      (GRP94) expressions in human glioma and aimed to determine the roles of GRP94
      expression affects cell proliferation, invasion, and regulatory signaling in
      human glioma U87 cells. Our results showed that GRP94 was overexpressed at both
      mRNA and protein levels in high-grade glioblastoma as compared with normal brain
      tissues. High GRP94 levels also predict shorter overall survival of glioma
      patients. RNAi-mediated silencing of GRP94 suppressed cellular proliferation,
      colony formation ability in glioma cells. Depletion of GRP94 also inhibited cell
      migration and invasion ability in glioma cell. Furthermore, gene microarray
      analysis revealed that GRP94 depletion caused the dysregulation of critical
      pathway, Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. We next demonstrated GRP94 regulates
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway to promote the proliferation of glioblastoma
      cells. Conclusion, our findings establish GRP94 as progression markers and
      druggable targets in glioblastoma, relating their oncogenic effects to activation
      of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.

PMID- 26108995
TI  - Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid enhances chemosensitivity to 5-fluorouracil in
      hepatocellular carcinoma via inhibition of thymidylate synthase.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with a high rate of mortality
      worldwide. Here, we investigated the effect of combination treatment with
      suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on HCC cells.
      HepG2, SMMC7721, and BEL7402 cells were treated with SAHA and/or 5-FU and
      subjected to cell viability, colony formation, and soft agarose assays; cell
      cycle, apoptosis, and reverse transcription-PCR analyses; western blotting;
      immunohistochemistry; and xenograft tumorigenicity assay. SAHA and 5-FU inhibited
      the proliferation of the three cell lines, and combination treatment with SAHA
      and 5-FU resulted in a combination index <1 and a dose-reduction index value >1,
      indicating a synergistic effect. Co-treatment with SAHA and 5-FU caused G0/G1
      phase arrest and induced caspase-dependent apoptosis, inhibiting tumorigenicity
      in vitro and in vivo. 5-FU upregulated thymidylate synthase, whereas SAHA
      downregulated its expression. Our results indicate that SAHA and 5-FU act
      synergistically to inhibit cell growth and tumorigenicity in HCC via the
      induction of cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis through a mechanism involving the
      inhibition of thymidylate synthase, suggesting that combination treatment with 5
      FU and SAHA may be beneficial for the treatment of inoperable HCC.

PMID- 26108997
TI  - Targeting DNA-PKcs increased anticancer drug sensitivity by suppressing DNA
      damage repair in osteosarcoma cell line MG63.
AB  - Many chemotherapy drugs exert anticancer effects through causing DNA damage, such
      as DNA topoisomerase inhibitor and platinum-containing drugs. DNA damage repair
      is an important mechanism of drug resistance which is responsible for metastasis
      and recurrence after chemotherapy. DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) plays an
      important role in non-homology end joining (NHEJ) pathway. In this study, we
      aimed to determine whether DNA-PK catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) is expressed in
      osteosarcoma MG63 cell line and involved in drug resistance induced by DNA
      repair. We found that DNA-PKcs was expressed in osteosarcoma cell line MG63. The
      pDNA-PKcs(T2609) was more expressed in cells treated with cisplatin (DDP) and
      etoposide (VP16). Down-regulation of DNA-PKcs produced higher sensitivity of MG63
      cells to DDP or VP16 through increasing apoptosis and causing cell cycle arrest
      in the G1 phase. Our study supported that DNA-PKcs was involved in drug-induced
      DNA damage repair and related to chemosensitivity of osteosarcoma MG63 cells.

PMID- 26108998
TI  - The comparison between dual inhibition of mTOR with MAPK and PI3K signaling
      pathways in KRAS mutant NSCLC cell lines.
AB  - KRAS mutations are found in 15-25 % of patients with lung adenocarcinoma, and
      they lead to constitutive activation of KRAS signaling pathway that results in
      sustained cell proliferation. Currently, there are no direct anti-KRAS therapies
      available. Therefore, it is rational to target the downstream molecules of KRAS
      signaling pathway, which are mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling
      pathway (RAF-MEK-ERK) and PI3K pathway (PI3K-AKT-mTOR). Here, we examined the
      inhibition of both these pathways alone and in combination and analyzed the anti
      proliferative and apoptotic events in KRAS mutant NSCLC cell lines, A549 and Calu
      1. Cytotoxicity was determined by MTT assay after the cells were treated with
      LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor), U0126 (MEK inhibitor), and RAD001 (mTOR inhibitor) for
      24 and 48 h. The expression levels of p-ERK, ERK, AKT, p-AKT, p53, cyclinD1, c
      myc, p27(kip1), BAX, BIM, and GAPDH were detected by western blot after 6 and 24
      h treatment. Although PI3K/mTOR inhibition is more effective in cytotoxicity in
      A549 and Calu-1 cells, MEK/mTOR inhibition markedly decreases cell proliferation
      protein marker expressions. Our data show that combined targeting of MEK and PI3K
      AKT with mTOR is a better option than single agents alone for KRAS mutant NSCLC,
      thus opening the possibility of a beneficial treatment strategy in the future.

PMID- 26108999
TI  - Multifaceted roles of HSF1 in cancer.
AB  - Heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) is the master regulator of the heat
      shock response. Accumulating evidence shows that HSF1 is overexpressed in a
      variety of human cancers, is associated with cancer aggressiveness, and could
      serve as an independent diagnostic or prognostic biomarker. In this review, we
      will provide an overview of the multifaceted roles of HSF1 in cancer, with a
      special focus on the four underlying molecular mechanisms involved. First, HSF1
      regulates the expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) including HSP90, HSP70,
      and HSP27. Second, HSF1 regulates cellular metabolism, including glycolysis and
      lipid metabolism. Third, HSF1 serves as a regulator of different signaling
      pathways, such as HuR-HIF-1, Slug, protein kinase C (PKC), nuclear factor-kappaB
      (NF-kappaB), PI3K-AKT-mTOR, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways.
      Finally, HSF1 regulates microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs).
      Overall, HSF1 plays many important roles in cancer via regulating cell
      proliferation, anti-apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT),
      migration, invasion, and metastasis and may be a potential therapeutic target for
      human cancers. 

PMID- 26109001
TI  - RETRACTED ARTICLE: The value of U-NGAL expression as a potential prognostic
      biomarker in patients with renal cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with
      cisplatin.

PMID- 26109000
TI  - Up-regulation of annexin A2 expression predicates advanced clinicopathological
      features and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Hepatic annexin A2 (ANXA2) orchestrates multiple biologic processes and clinical
      symptoms and plays a key role in development, metastasis, and drug resistance of
      lethal hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the prognostic significance of
      ANXA2 for HCC has not been elucidated up to now. In this study, ANXA2 was
      frequently found to be up-regulated in HCC tissues compared with benign liver
      disease (BLD) tissues, which was consistent with the results in serum samples and
      tissue specimens of patients with HCC. Furthermore, ANXA2 expression was
      significantly correlated with differentiated degree, intrahepatic metastasis,
      portal vein thrombus, and tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging. More importantly,
      increased ANXA2 level was first confirmed to be closely associated with shortened
      overall survival of HCC (chi (2) = 12.872, P = 0.005) and identified as an
      independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio 1.338, 95 % confidence interval (CI)
      1.013 ~ 1.766, P = 0.040), suggesting that ANXA2 up-regulation might represent an
      acquired metastasis phenotype of HCC, help to screen out high-risk population for
      HCC, or more effectively treat a subset of postsurgical HCC patients positive for
      ANXA2.

PMID- 26109002
TI  - Quercetin 3-O-glucoside suppresses epidermal growth factor-induced migration by
      inhibiting EGFR signaling in pancreatic cancer cells.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer is one of the most dangerous cancers and is associated with a
      grave prognosis. Despite increased knowledge of the complex signaling networks
      responsible for progression of pancreatic cancer, many challenging therapies have
      fallen short of expectations. In this study, we examined the anti-migratory
      effect of quercetin 3-O-glucoside in epidermal growth factor-induced cell
      migration by inhibiting EGF receptor (EGFR) signaling in several human pancreatic
      cancer cell lines. Treatment with quercetin, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, and
      quercetin 7-O-glucoside differentially suppressed epidermal growth factor-induced
      migration activity of human pancreatic cancer cells. In particular, quercetin 3-O
      glucoside strongly inhibited the infiltration activity of pancreatic cancer cells
      in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, quercetin 3-O-glucoside exerted the anti
      migratory effect even at a relatively low dose compared with other forms of
      quercetin. The anti-tumor effects of quercetin 3-O-glucoside were mediated by
      selectively inhibiting the EGFR-mediated FAK, AKT, MEK1/2, and ERK1/2 signaling
      pathway. Combinatorial treatment with quercetin 3-O-glucoside plus gemcitabine
      showed the synergistic anti-migratory effect on epidermal growth factor-induced
      cell migration in human pancreatic cancer cell lines. These results suggest that
      quercetin 3-O-glucoside has potential for anti-metastatic therapy in human
      pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 26109003
TI  - Molecular weight-dependent degradation of D-lactate-containing polyesters by
      polyhydroxyalkanoate depolymerases from Variovorax sp. C34 and Alcaligenes
      faecalis T1.
AB  - Polyhydroxyalkanoate depolymerase derived from Variovorax sp. C34 (PhaZVs) was
      identified as the first enzyme that is capable of degrading isotactic P[67 mol%
      (R)-lactate(LA)-co-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate(3HB)] [P(D-LA-co-D-3HB)]. This study
      aimed at analyzing the monomer sequence specificity of PhaZVs for hydrolyzing
      P(LA-co-3HB) in comparison with a P(3HB) depolymerase from Alcaligenes faecalis
      T1 (PhaZAf) that did not degrade the same copolymer. Degradation of P(LA-co-3HB)
      by action of PhaZVs generated dimers, 3HB-3HB, 3HB-LA, LA-3HB, and LA-LA, and the
      monomers, suggesting that PhaZVs cleaved the linkages between LA and 3HB units
      and between LA units. To provide a direct evidence for the hydrolysis of these
      sequences, the synthetic methyl trimers, 3HB-3HB-3HB, LA-LA-3HB, LA-3HB-LA, and
      3HB-LA-LA, were treated with the PhaZs. Unexpectedly, not only PhaZVs but also
      PhaZAf hydrolyzed all of these substrates, namely PhaZAf also cleaved LA-LA
      linkage. Considering the fact that both PhaZs did not degrade P[(R)-LA] (PDLA)
      homopolymer, the cleavage capability of LA-LA linkage by PhaZs was supposed to
      depend on the length of the LA-clustering region in the polymer chain. To test
      this hypothesis, PDLA oligomers (6 to 40 mer) were subjected to the PhaZ assay,
      revealing that there was an inverse relationship between molecular weight of the
      substrates and their hydrolysis efficiency. Moreover, PhaZVs exhibited the
      degrading activity toward significantly longer PDLA oligomers compared to PhaZAf.
      Therefore, the cleaving capability of PhaZs used here toward the D-LA-based
      polymers containing the LA-clustering region was strongly associated with the
      substrate length, rather than the monomer sequence specificity of the enzyme.

PMID- 26109004
TI  - Production of phenylpyruvic acid from L-phenylalanine using an L-amino acid
      deaminase from Proteus mirabilis: comparison of enzymatic and whole-cell
      biotransformation approaches.
AB  - Phenylpyruvic acid (PPA) is an important organic acid that has a wide range of
      applications. In this study, the membrane-bound L-amino acid deaminase (L-AAD)
      gene from Proteus mirabilis KCTC 2566 was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)
      and then the L-AAD was purified. After that, we used the purified enzyme and the
      recombinant E. coli whole-cell biocatalyst to produce PPA via a one-step
      biotransformation from L-phenylalanine. L-AAD was solubilized from the membrane
      and purified 52-fold with an overall yield of 13 %, which corresponded to a
      specific activity of 0.94 +/- 0.01 MUmol PPA min(-1).mg(-1). Then, the
      biotransformation conditions for the pure enzyme and the whole-cell biocatalyst
      were optimized. The maximal production was 2.6 +/- 0.1 g.L(-1) (specific activity
      of 1.02 +/- 0.02 MUmol PPA min(-1).mg(-1) protein, 86.7 +/- 5 % mass conversion
      rate, and 1.04 g.L(-1).h(-1) productivity) and 3.3 +/- 0.2 g L(-1) (specific
      activity of 0.013 +/- 0.003 MUmol PPA min(-1).mg(-1) protein, 82.5 +/- 4 % mass
      conversion rate, and 0.55 g.L(-1).h(-1) productivity) for the pure enzyme and
      whole-cell biocatalyst, respectively. Comparative studies of the enzymatic and
      whole-cell biotransformation were performed in terms of specific activity,
      production, conversion, productivity, stability, need of external cofactors, and
      recycling. We have developed two eco-friendly and efficient approaches for PPA
      production. The strategy described herein may aid the biotransformational
      synthesis of other alpha-keto acids from their corresponding amino acids.

PMID- 26109005
TI  - The lifestyle of prokaryotic organisms influences the repertoire of promiscuous
      enzymes.
AB  - The metabolism of microbial organisms and its diversity are partly the result of
      an adaptation process to the characteristics of the environments that they
      inhabit. In this work, we analyze the influence of lifestyle on the content of
      promiscuous enzymes in 761 nonredundant bacterial and archaeal genomes.
      Promiscuous enzymes were defined as those proteins whose catalytic activities are
      defined by two or more different Enzyme Commission (E.C.) numbers. The genomes
      analyzed were categorized into four lifestyles for their exhaustive comparisons:
      free-living, extremophiles, pathogens, and intracellular. From these analyses we
      found that free-living organisms have larger genomes and an enrichment of
      promiscuous enzymes. In contrast, intracellular organisms showed smaller genomes
      and the lesser proportion of promiscuous enzymes. On the basis of our data, we
      show that the proportion of promiscuous enzymes in an organism is mainly
      influenced by the lifestyle, where fluctuating environments promote its
      emergence. Finally, we evidenced that duplication processes occur preferentially
      in metabolism of free-living and extremophiles species.

PMID- 26109006
TI  - Protective Factors of the Gastric and Duodenal Mucosa: An Overview.
AB  - The structural and functional integrity of the gastric and duodenal mucosa
      represents equilibrium between aggressive factors and protective mechanisms.
      Mucus-buffers-phospholipid layer as pre-epithelial barrier, enhanced by
      prostaglandins and epidermal growth factor, remains a vanguard of mucosal
      protection. It maintains a neutral pH at the surface epithelial luminal
      interface, facing luminal pH dropping to 1.0, i.e., hydrogen ion concentration
      gradient equal 1,000,000. The surface epithelial cells, elaborating mucins,
      buffers, phospholipids, prostaglandins, trefoil peptides, peptide growth factor
      and their receptors, heat shock proteins, cathelicidins, and beta-defensins form
      the second line of defense. Endothelium exerts mucosal protection through
      production of potent vasodilators like nitric oxide and prostacyclins and through
      release of angiogenic growth factors, securing adequate blood flow and
      representing the third and an ultimate line of mucosal protection. This
      microcirculation is instrumental for supply of oxygen, nitric oxide, hydrogen
      sulfide and removal of ad hoc generated toxic substances as well as for
      continuous mucosal cell renewal from progenitor cells, secured by growth factors
      accompanied by survivin preventing early apoptosis. 

PMID- 26109008
TI  - A peer-led teaching initiative for foundation doctors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peer teaching has been used informally throughout the history of
      medical education. Formal studies within the medical student and allied health
      care professional communities have found it to be a popular, and highly
      effective, method of teaching. CONTEXT: Newly qualified doctors are currently an
      underused resource in terms of teaching one another. INNOVATION: A committee,
      made up of newly qualified doctors and postgraduate education staff, was
      established. Using only a few resources, this committee organised regular, peer
      led tutorials and used educational needs assessment tools, such as
      questionnaires, to make improvements to early postgraduate training. IMPLICATION:
      A realistic and well-received intervention to improve the teaching of newly
      qualified doctors, which is feasible in the modern, busy health care setting.
      Other institutions may find this method and its resources valuable. Newly
      qualified doctors are currently an underused resource in terms of teaching one
      another.

PMID- 26109007
TI  - Balo's concentric sclerosis: still to be considered as a variant of multiple
      sclerosis?
AB  - Balo's concentric sclerosis (BCS) is considered a rare demyelinating disease and
      regarded as an aggressive variant of multiple sclerosis (MS). We describe three
      cases (one male and two females) with neuroimaging features suggestive of BCS and
      heterogeneous symptoms, with benign long-term clinical course upon treatment with
      natalizumab and fingolimod. Neurological examination, blood and cerebrospinal
      fluid analyses, brain and spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and brain
      proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy were performed. At onset, patient #1
      showed predominant cognitive impairment with consciousness disturbances; patient
      #2 presented with left hemiparesis; patient #3 demonstrated hesitance in speech
      and in written word production, along with right central facial palsy. All
      patients showed the typical MRI changes associated with BCS, such as concentric
      rings or a whorled appearance on T2-weighted and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted
      images. They were treated with high dosage i.v. steroid with clinical improvement
      and followed-up for 3 years with different clinical course. Two patients
      fulfilled the revised McDonald criteria for MS and received preventive therapy,
      natalizumab and fingolimod, respectively, whereas the third patient is still
      stable without clinical and radiological evolution. All of them did not have new
      exacerbations or MRI lesions over 2-4 year follow-up. Our descriptions
      demonstrate the heterogeneity of clinical presentation of BCS. Moreover, these
      case reports suggest that BCS may neither be rapidly progressive nor fatal and
      may be considered part of the MS spectrum. In line with this hypothesis, current
      treatments for MS were effective in our patients.

PMID- 26109010
TI  - The Impact of Maternal-Fetal Genetic Conflict Situations on the Pathogenesis of
      Preeclampsia.
AB  - Preeclampsia leads to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The
      literature in English was reviewed to summarize recent advances in understanding
      the global gene expression changes in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. We
      identified at least eight consistently enriched categories, relating to pregnancy
      maintenance, metabolism, oxidative stress, cell cycle regulation, implantation,
      decidualization, immune modulation, and vascular function. Expression profiling
      in preeclampsia placenta and normal placenta revealed 140 transcripts that were
      significantly differentially expressed, 30 (21.4%) of which were evolved for the
      protection of the mother, approximately three times less than the number of genes
      evolved for the benefit of the fetus [110 genes (78.6%)] in preeclampsia placenta
      versus normal placenta. The genome-wide analysis emphasizes the dysfunctional
      decidualization as the main mechanism involved in the development of
      preeclampsia. These genetic signaling events may occur from an imbalance in the
      maternal-fetal genetic response in the affected placenta. This is to our
      knowledge the first report on the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, in which
      preeclampsia may occur as a genetic consequence of maternal-fetal conflict
      situations during the early decidualization process. 

PMID- 26109009
TI  - Dietary Aloe vera improves plasma lipid profile, antioxidant, and
      hepatoprotective enzyme activities in GIFT-tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) after
      Streptococcus iniae challenge.
AB  - The current study investigated the effects of dietary Aloe vera on plasma lipid
      profile status, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective enzyme activities of GIFT
      tilapia juveniles under Streptococcus iniae challenge. Five dietary groups were
      designed including a control and 100 % Aloe powder incorporated into a tilapia
      feed at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 %/kg feed, which were administered for 8 weeks. Fish fed
      dietary Aloe at 4 %/kg feed significantly reduced in total cholesterol, while
      triacylglycerol reduced (P < 0.05) in those fed 0.5, 2, and 4 % Aloe/kg feed
      compared to unsupplemented ones. High-density lipoprotein was significantly
      elevated in fish fed 0.5 and 1 % Aloe/kg feed compared to unsupplemented ones,
      and no significant changes (P > 0.05) were noted in low-density lipoprotein among
      test groups. Furthermore, high activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and
      glutathione peroxide in liver tissues were observed in Aloe-supplemented fish
      compared to unsupplemented ones, before and after S. iniae challenge (7.7 * 10(6)
      CFU cells/mL). Variations were also noted in malondialdehyde activity throughout
      the trial, but no significant difference (P > 0.05) was observed between groups.
      Meanwhile, Aloe-supplemented fish reduced serum aspartate and alanine
      aminotransferase (AST and ALT) activities before and after challenge. Based on
      the second-order polynomial regression analysis, dietary Aloe inclusion levels
      less than or equal to 1.88, 1.86, and 2.79 %/kg feed were determined to be
      suitable in improving plasma lipid profile status, antioxidant, and
      hepatoprotective enzyme activities in GIFT-tilapia in this study, respectively.
      Thus, A. vera extracts may be recommended as a tilapia feed supplement to enhance
      fish antioxidant and hepatoprotective capacities, especially during disease
      outbreaks. 

PMID- 26109011
TI  - Cocaine-Induced Acute Fatal Basilar Artery Thrombosis: Report of a Case and
      Review of the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cocaine use is a well-known contributing factor for both ischemic and
      hemorrhagic stroke; however, basilar artery thrombosis due to cocaine use is a
      rare entity with few cases reported in the literature. CASE REPORT: A 75-year-old
      African-American man with history of hypertension and cocaine use presented to
      the emergency room with coma. Neurological examination revealed asymmetrical
      dilated pupils and preserved oculocephalic and gag reflexes. The patient was
      noted to have semi-rhythmic jerking movement of the right arm and extensor
      posturing in response to noxious stimuli. Non-contrast computed tomography (CT)
      of the brain showed hyperdense basilar sign consistent with acute thrombosis. On
      brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), he was found to have bilateral pons acute
      ischemic stroke with early petechial hemorrhagic conversion. His laboratory work
      up was unremarkable except for positive cocaine in the urine toxicology screen
      test. CONCLUSIONS: Cocaine is a common global illicit drug that may trigger acute
      basilar artery thrombosis leading to a catastrophic neurological outcome.

PMID- 26109012
TI  - Intracranial hemorrhage and other symptoms in infants associated with human
      parechovirus in Vienna, Austria.
AB  - The human parechovirus (HPeV), mainly genotype 3, may cause severe illness in
      young infants and neonates, including sepsis-like illness and central nervous
      system (CNS) infection. We lack data concerning the impact and symptoms of HPeV
      infection in infants in Austria. The aim of the study is to evaluate the spectrum
      of symptoms and findings in infants with the parechovirus in Vienna and its
      environs. Patients younger than 3 months of age, with clinically suspected sepsis
      like illness or CNS infection and a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for
      HPeV, were included in the study. Medical records were analyzed retrospectively.
      Twenty patients were included in the study from 2009 to 2013. The most frequent
      manifestations were fever and neurological symptoms (89 and 80 %, respectively).
      Fifty percent of the infants had white blood cell counts out of range. The most
      notable aspect was cerebral hemorrhage in three neonates, which has not been
      reported earlier in association with HPeV infection. CONCLUSION: In Austria, HPeV
      is a relevant pathogen in sepsis-like disease in infants. The clinical
      presentation is similar to that described in other studies; cerebral hemorrhage
      is a new aspect. WHAT IS KNOWN: * Parechovirus infection can cause severe illness
      in infants. * Symptoms have been described to involve all organs; sepsis-like
      signs, fever, and irritability are most frequent. WHAT IS NEW: * Also in Austria,
      HPeV plays an important role in severe illnesses in infants. * Severe
      intracranial hemorrhage is described as a new finding.

PMID- 26109013
TI  - Femoroacetabular impingement: what is its link with osteoarthritis?

PMID- 26109014
TI  - African cycling: dormant to dominant?

PMID- 26109015
TI  - Large lamellar corneoscleral grafts: tectonic role in initial management of
      severe ocular chemical injuries.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the outcome of large tectonic lamellar grafts in cases of
      severe chemical injury associated with corneal melt/perforation and scleral
      ischemia, with or without retinal detachment. METHODS: This was a retrospective
      interventional analysis of 7 eyes of 6 patients within 3 months of injury with
      simultaneous/subsequent surgical procedures to salvage globe integrity. RESULTS:
      Of 7 included eyes, both eyes of one patient underwent phthisical changes. In one
      eye, the retinal detachment was inoperable; in another, the retina was reattached
      with silicone oil tamponade, and underwent subsequent Boston type 1
      keratoprosthesis with a final best-corrected visual acuity of 20/80 at 3-year
      follow-up. One eye underwent Lucia type 2 keratoprosthesis, one eye the modified
      osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis procedure, with visual recovery of 20/120 and
      20/80, respectively, and one maintained vision of 20/200 for 2 years following a
      penetrating keratoplasty. The final best-corrected visual acuity was better than
      20/200 in 4 out of these 7 eyes (57.14%). CONCLUSIONS: In acute severe chemical
      injuries, corneal perforation with scleral ischemia can threaten globe integrity
      as well as preclude routine tectonic penetrating procedure. Presence of a
      concurrent retinal detachment in this setting further complicates the approach as
      well as the outcome. The use of a large tectonic corneoscleral lamellar graft
      provides a viable option in the achievement of tectonic stability in these eyes,
      facilitating future visual rehabilitative procedures.

PMID- 26109016
TI  - Endophthalmitis today: a multispecialty ophthalmology department perspective.
AB  - PURPOSE: To portray the current scene of endophthalmitis in a multispecialty
      ophthalmology department regarding etiologies and treatment guidelines. METHODS:
      Retrospective chart review of all patients diagnosed with endophthalmitis or
      suspected endophthalmitis from 2009 to 2012. RESULTS: A total of 24 eyes were
      diagnosed with endophthalmitis or suspected endophthalmitis during a 4-year
      period. The etiologies included endogenous endophthalmitis (6), blebitis (3),
      Ahmed valve implantation (3, 2 of them with late infection), postcataract surgery
      (3), intravitreal injections (4), penetrating injury (2), and other surgical
      procedures (3). Of the postcataract surgery cases, 1 was a congenital cataract
      surgery, and 2 were referrals. There were no endophthalmitis cases in 4603 adults
      undergoing cataract surgery in our department during this period. There were 14
      positive cultures: 1 was candida and the rest bacteria. Ten of the bacteria cases
      were Gram-positive cocci (predominantly strep species), 3 were Gram-negative, and
      coagulase negative staphylococci were detected in 2 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      indicates a significant change in the case mix of endophthalmitis. The past
      leading cause, cataract surgery, was dramatically reduced, and intravitreal
      injections became a major cause. The change in etiologies, and possibly in the
      microbial flora, warrants reconsideration of the rules that guided the management
      of endophthalmitis since the Endophthalmitis Vitrectomy Study.

PMID- 26109017
TI  - DMEK lenticule preparation using an air dissection technique: central versus
      peripheral injection.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare 2 sites of air injection to prepare donor lenticules for
      Descemet membrane (DM) endothelial keratoplasty. METHODS: Fifty-one human
      corneoscleral buttons from donors aged 4 to 57 years were used. Corneoscleral
      buttons were placed endothelial side up and a 27-G needle was inserted just
      outside Schwalbe line and advanced immediately beneath the endothelium. Air was
      injected centrally inside the 8-mm zone (group 1) or peripherally approximately 1
      mm in front of the limbus (group 2). Air injection was continued to extend the DM
      detachment as far as possible into the corneal periphery. Comparisons of central
      versus peripheral air injection were performed for reproducibility, the rate of
      usable tissue, and the type and diameter of the acquired bubble. RESULTS: The
      mean donor age was 30.0 +/- 12.9 years. A big bubble was achieved following
      central or peripheral air injection in all cases. A usable donor lenticule (>=
      8.0 mm) was achieved in 95.7% of cases in group 1 and 89.3% of cases in group 2
      (p>0.99). Both injection sites were comparable with regard to the diameter of the
      achieved bubbles (9.57 +/- 2.11 mm versus 10.22 +/- 2.34 mm, respectively, p =
      0.32), the chance of complete DM detachment (39.1% versus 53.6%, respectively, p
      = 0.25), and the risk of bubble bursting (4.4% versus 7.1%, respectively, p =
      0.41). The odds of a type 2 bubble increased by 11.86 for peripheral air
      injections compared to central injections (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Both injection
      sites exhibited comparable rates of usable donor lenticules. However, peripheral
      air injection was more likely to yield stroma-free grafts.

PMID- 26109018
TI  - Quantitative evaluation of visual function 12 months after bilateral implantation
      of a diffractive trifocal IOL.
AB  - PURPOSE: To quantitatively evaluate visual function 12 months after bilateral
      implantation of the Physiol FineVision(r) trifocal intraocular lens (IOL) and to
      compare these results with those obtained in the first postoperative month.
      METHODS: In this prospective case series, 20 eyes of 10 consecutive patients were
      included. Monocular and binocular, uncorrected and corrected visual acuities
      (distance, near, and intermediate) were measured. Metrovision(r) was used to test
      contrast sensitivity under static and dynamic conditions, both in photopic and
      low-mesopic settings. The same software was used for pupillometry and glare
      evaluation. Motion, achromatic, and chromatic contrast discrimination were tested
      using 2 innovative psychophysical tests. A complete ophthalmologic examination
      was performed preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively.
      Psychophysical tests were performed 1 month after surgery and repeated 12 months
      postoperatively. RESULTS: Final distance uncorrected visual acuity (VA) was 0.00
      +/- 0.08 and distance corrected VA was 0.00 +/- 0.05 logMAR. Distance corrected
      near VA was 0.00 +/- 0.09 and distance corrected intermediate VA was 0.00 +/-
      0.06 logMAR. Glare testing, pupillometry, contrast sensitivity, motion, and
      chromatic and achromatic contrast discrimination did not differ significantly
      between the first and last visit (p>0.05) or when compared to an age-matched
      control group (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The Physiol FineVision(r) trifocal IOL
      provided satisfactory full range of vision and quality of vision parameters 12
      months after surgery. Visual acuity and psychophysical tests did not vary
      significantly between the first and last visit.

PMID- 26109019
TI  - Modified injector for optimal insertion of standard CTRs in lax zonules.
AB  - PURPOSE: Capsular tension rings (CTRs) are commonly used for stabilizing the
      capsule in lax zonules. Blind and uncontrolled maneuvering of the ring free end
      may cause intraoperative incidents during CTR insertion. We improved the design
      of a standard CTR typical injector that eliminates the risks associated with the
      lack of control during its insertion. METHODS: We present a modification of a
      typical injector used for insertion of standard CTR as well as the insertion
      technique. The modification consists of a metal anchoring element attached to the
      free end of the tube, on which the second eyelet of a standard CTR is fixed. The
      device was used in the surgical treatment of 50 adult patients with cataract
      associated with lax zonule. RESULTS: The improved injector led to a reduced
      injection duration and complexity, and there were no intraoperative incidents or
      postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: The fixation of the second eyelet
      allows a controlled insertion of the standard CTRs, which facilitates the
      intraocular implantation technique, reduces surgical complications associated
      with the blind maneuvering of the free end of the ring inserted by traditional
      methods, and has a less disruptive action on the integrity of the remaining
      undamaged zonular fibers in the lax zonules. The accessory attached to the
      typical injector tube reduces the risk of surgical incidents caused by the
      uncontrolled progression of the ring's free end inside the capsular bag.

PMID- 26109020
TI  - Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and fundus autofluorescence features
      in a case of typical retinocytoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fundus
      autofluorescence (FAF) features observed in a case of typical retinocytoma.
      METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 17-year-old girl on routine ophthalmologic
      evaluation for headache had an elevated translucent lesion with peripheral
      pigmentation and adjacent chorioretinal atrophy close to the disc in the nasal
      retinal quadrant of the left eye. The lesion was confirmed to be retinocytoma on
      fluorescein angiography. Optical coherence tomography revealed a hyperreflective
      layer akin to preserved nerve fiber layer overlying the lesion in most of the
      scans. Symmetrical hyporeflective spaces in the underlying choroid and at places
      sudden disruption of choroid was also observed in the area of choroidal atrophy.
      Fundus autofluorescence revealed areas of hyperfluorescence, isofluorescence, and
      hypofluorescence in the different regions of the lesion. These features on FAF
      were consistent with posttreatment regressed retinoblastoma. Scleral
      hyperreflectivity on OCT as well as unmasked hyperfluorescence on FAF was
      observed in areas of chorioretinal atrophy. CONCLUSIONS: We report novel findings
      of superficial hyperreflective layer presumed to be preserved nerve fiber layer
      in a case of typical retinocytoma as well as FAF features consistent with
      regressed retinoblastoma.

PMID- 26109021
TI  - Early results of dexamethasone implant, ranibizumab, and triamcinolone in macular
      edema due to branch retinal vein occlusion.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the short-term results of the efficacy and safety of
      dexamethasone intravitreal implant (DEX), ranibizumab (RAN), and intravitreal
      triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) in macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein
      occlusion (BRVO). METHODS: One eye each of 32 patients who were treated with
      intravitreal injections for macular edema secondary to BRVO was studied. This
      retrospective study included 3 groups. The patients received DEX in group 1 (n =
      11), RAN in group 2 (n = 11), and IVTA in group 3 (n = 10). Data were collected
      before and after the injections at the first and third months. Best-corrected
      visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), and intraocular pressure
      (IOP) were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: The median duration of the follow-up
      was 3.0 months in overall groups. The BCVA increased significantly in all groups
      (p = 0.018, p = 0.034, p = 0.014, respectively). The CMT increased significantly
      in groups 1 and 3 (p = 0.02, p<0.001, respectively), but not in group 2 (p =
      0.14). The IOP increased significantly in groups 1 and 3 (p = 0.05, p<0.001,
      respectively). Antiglaucomatous treatment was required only in group 3. Cataract
      developed in 2 patients (20%) in group 3 and surgery was required. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although RAN was the safest among the 3 agents, DEX and IVTA reduced CMT more
      than RAN, while significant improvement was achieved in BCVA in all groups. All 3
      agents can be effectively used in the treatment of macular edema due to BRVO.

PMID- 26109022
TI  - Association of autosomal dominant familial exudative vitreoretinopathy and spinal
      muscular atrophy.
AB  - We present an 8-month-old boy with severe retinal detachment from familial
      exudative vitreoretinopathy (FZD4 exon 1 deletion). He was subsequently diagnosed
      with spinal muscular atrophy with SMN1 deletion. beta-catenin signaling is
      dysregulated in both disorders, so we hypothesize that the co-occurrence may have
      exacerbated the vitreoretinal phenotype. 

PMID- 26109023
TI  - Correlation of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with fundus
      fluorescein angiography in an infant with retinal hamartomas.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the correlation between the surface morphology on spectral
      domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and leakage pattern on fundus
      fluorescein angiography (FFA) in an infant with multiple retinal hamartomas.
      METHODS: An Asian Indian female infant was found to have 2 retinal lesions in the
      right eye and 1 in the left eye during Retcam (Clarity MSI, CA, USA) screening
      for retinopathy of prematurity at 45 weeks postmenstrual age. Spectral-domain
      optical coherence tomography on the hand-held OCT (Envisu 2300, Bioptigen, NC,
      USA) and FFA on the Retcam 3 were performed under monitoring in the office.
      RESULTS: Spectral-domain OCT detected all 3 lesions but only 1 lesion was
      detected on FFA. While this lesion had an irregular surface with overlying
      vitreoretinal (VR) traction on SD-OCT, the other 2 lesions not detected on FFA
      were smooth and had no VR traction. After a follow-up to 18 months corrected age,
      there was no change in the morphology of any of the lesions. CONCLUSIONS: It is
      possible to characterize retinal hamartomas in infants using SD-OCT and correlate
      them with FFA. Spectral-domain OCT examination can be used to diagnose and
      monitor lesions even if they are not detectable on angiography.

PMID- 26109025
TI  - Which biochemical assay is best for measuring diabetes prevalence?

PMID- 26109026
TI  - Findings from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study: Interpretation and
      translation for the clinician.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) is a large U.S.
      multi-site case-control study first established in 1996 to identify potentially
      preventable environmental causes and genetic risk factors for more than 30
      selected categories of major birth defects. METHODS: Numerous reports with both
      positive and negative findings have been produced by the NBDPS, and many have
      influenced clinical practice. Many NBDPS reports have included novel findings,
      and in some cases these findings could only be considered hypothesis-generating.
      Other reports have met criteria for causality such as replication of findings in
      other studies, biological plausibility, and coherence. RESULTS: However,
      translation of even strongly supported associations, in some cases, has required
      clinicians to learn to communicate information to patients about small and
      uncertain absolute risks in the context of the potential effects of under- or
      poorly treated maternal conditions. CONCLUSION: The NBDPS has continued to play
      an important role as a rich U.S. data source that can advance the understanding
      of maternal conditions and their treatments in relation to birth defects.

PMID- 26109029
TI  - Corrigendum: Conformation-Specific Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy of Cold,
      Isolated Chiral Molecules.

PMID- 26109033
TI  - Characterization of the structural defects in CVD-grown monolayered MoS2 using
      near-field photoluminescence imaging.
AB  - Structural defects can critically influence the electrical and optical properties
      of monolayered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) grown by chemical vapor deposition
      (CVD); thus, convenient optical methods that can visualize grain boundaries (GBs)
      and other structural defects are in great demand. Although photoluminescence (PL)
      imaging can identify the presence of relatively large defects, the limited
      spatial resolution of PL imaging prevents the identification of nanosized
      structural defects in the monolayered MoS2. Additionally, the origin of the PL
      signal contrast observed at certain types of structural defects, such as GBs, is
      not yet understood. Here, we present near-field PL images of CVD-grown
      monolayered MoS2, collected to identify nanosized line defects and adlayer
      defects in the monolayered MoS2. Our results of correlated scanning electron
      microscopy imaging and the inspection of near-field PL profiles of line defects
      and GBs suggest that decreased PL on GBs is due to the local physical damage of
      the MoS2 film rather than due to the presence of localized states. 

PMID- 26109032
TI  - Alteration of the Helicobacter pylori membrane proteome in response to changes in
      environmental salt concentration.
AB  - PURPOSE: Helicobacter pylori infection and a high dietary salt intake are each
      risk factors for the development of gastric cancer. We hypothesize that changes
      in environmental salt concentrations lead to alterations in the H. pylori
      membrane proteome. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Label-free and iTRAQ methods were used to
      identify H. pylori proteins that change in abundance in response to alterations
      in environmental salt concentrations. In addition, we biotinylated intact
      bacteria that were grown under high- or low-salt conditions, and thereby analyzed
      salt-induced changes in the abundance of surface-exposed proteins. RESULTS:
      Proteins with increased abundance in response to high salt conditions included
      CagA, the outer membrane protein HopQ, and fibronectin domain-containing protein
      HP0746. Proteins with increased abundance in response to low salt conditions
      included VacA, two VacA-like proteins (ImaA and FaaA), outer-membrane iron
      transporter FecA3, and several proteins involved in flagellar activity.
      Consistent with the proteomic data, bacteria grown in high salt conditions
      exhibited decreased motility compared to bacteria grown in lower salt conditions.
      CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Alterations in the H. pylori membrane proteome
      in response to high salt conditions may contribute to the increased risk of
      gastric cancer associated with a high salt diet.

PMID- 26109040
TI  - Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on amine-functionalized Fe3O4
      nanoparticles for the determination of phenolic acids in vegetable oils by high
      performance liquid chromatography with UV detection.
AB  - A novel dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method based on amine
      functionalized Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles was developed for the determination
      of six phenolic acids in vegetable oils by high-performance liquid
      chromatography. Amine-functionalized Fe3O4 was synthesized by a one-pot
      solvothermal reaction between Fe3O4 and 1,6-hexanediamine and characterized by
      transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared
      spectrophotometry. A trace amount of phosphate buffer solution (extractant) was
      adsorbed on bare Fe3O4-NH2 nanoparticles by hydrophilic interaction to form the
      "magnetic extractant". Rapid extraction could be achieved while the "magnetic
      extractant" on amine-functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles was dispersed in the
      sample solution by vortexing. After extraction, the "magnetic extractant" was
      collected by application of an external magnet. Some important parameters, such
      as pH and volume of extraction and desorption solvents, the extraction and
      desorption time needed were carefully investigated and optimized to achieve the
      best extraction efficiency. Under the optimal conditions, satisfactory extraction
      recoveries were obtained for the six phenolic acids in the range of 84.2-106.3%.
      Relative standard deviations for intra- and inter-day precisions were less than
      6.3 and 10.0%, respectively. Finally, the established method was successfully
      applied for the determination of six phenolic acids in eight kinds of vegetable
      oils.

PMID- 26109041
TI  - Understanding unmet contraceptive needs among rural Khasi men and women in
      Meghalaya.
AB  - There is a global push for increased access to contraception to respond to unmet
      contraceptive needs. Meghalaya state, with a majority of Indigenous people, has
      one of the highest unmet contraceptive needs and the lowest contraceptive
      prevalence rates in India. This qualitative study explores the reasons for the
      low uptake of contraceptives among Khasi people in a rural district. While policy
      makers assume that individuals may not be practising family planning because of
      religion and lack of education, couples actually do use a variety of 'natural' or
      'traditional' contraceptive methods to obtain their desired family composition
      and size. Health providers focus on the provision of hormonal contraceptives,
      such as the pill, and on technologies such as IUDs and tubectomies that require
      regular follow-ups by trained medical staff. Health concerns, distrust of
      contraceptive technologies, the inadequate local health system and a desire to
      have more than two children are important factors in the low uptake of available
      contraceptive technologies. Contraceptive choices in rural areas are shaped by
      the historically problematic political engagement of Indigenous people with the
      central state, with policy implementation taking place on the basis of widespread
      assumptions rather than on evidence from contextually relevant behavioural
      sciences research. 

PMID- 26109042
TI  - Targeting and limiting surgery for patients with node-positive breast cancer.
AB  - The presence of axillary nodal metastases has a significant impact on
      locoregional and systemic treatment decisions. Historically, all node-positive
      patients underwent complete axillary lymph node dissection; however, this
      paradigm has changed over the last 10 years. The use of sentinel lymph node
      dissection has expanded from its initial role as a surgical staging procedure in
      clinically node-negative patients. Clinically node-negative patients with small
      volume disease found on sentinel lymph node dissection now commonly avoid more
      extensive axillary surgery. There is interest in expanding this role to node
      positive patients who receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy as a way to restage the
      axilla in hopes of sparing women who convert to node-negative status from the
      morbidity of complete nodal clearance. While sentinel lymph node dissection alone
      may not accomplish this goal, there are novel techniques, such as targeted
      axillary dissection, that may now allow for reliable nodal staging after
      chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26109043
TI  - Differences in survival outcome between stage I and stage II glottic cancer: A
      SEER-based analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the cause
      specific survival (CSS) of stage I (tumor [T]1 node [N]0 metastasis [M]0) versus
      stage II (T2N0M0) glottic cancer in a large population cohort. STUDY DESIGN: We
      analyzed data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 18 database
      from 1973 to 2009, comprising patients diagnosed with T1N0M0 or T2N0M0 squamous
      cell glottic cancer. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, multivariable Cox
      proportional hazards regression analysis, and competing-risks survival regression
      were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There were 4,422 patients who met
      all inclusion criteria. The 36-month CSS was 93.9% for stage I verus 86.5% for
      stage II, with P < 0.0001. Stage II status conferred a 2.494 hazard ratio for
      increased risk of cause-specific death compared to stage I. CONCLUSIONS: Stage II
      glottic cancers have a significantly worse prognosis and may need a different
      approach to management than stage I tumors. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 26109044
TI  - Association of serum vitamin B12 levels with stage of liver fibrosis and
      treatment outcome in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1
      infection: a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a global health challenge. New
      therapeutic agents with excellent sustained virological response (SVR) rates are
      available mainly in developed countries, while the majority of CHC patients live
      in countries with low health budget. Predictors of therapeutic response are
      therefore necessary. Vitamin B12 appears to be involved in hepatitis C virus
      replication. METHODS: We therefore studied retrospectively the relationship
      between baseline serum vitamin B12 levels and clinical features in 116 CHC
      genotype 1 infected patients. Logistic regression models with univariate and
      multivariate analysis were used in the statistical analysis. RESULTS: Baseline
      serum vitamin B12 levels were found to be positively associated with serum
      transaminase activities (AST, p = 0.002, ALT, p = 0.04), baseline viral load (p <
      0.0001), stage of fibrosis (p = 0.0001) and favorable interferon-lambda3/4
      (IFNL3/IFNL4) rs12979860 genotypes (p = 0.04), and inversely with SVR (p < 0.001)
      as well as with rapid virological response (p = 0.001). Patients with baseline
      serum vitamin B12 levels below a cut-off value of 570 ng/L achieved a SVR rate of
      59% with an odds ratio (OR) of 13.4 [confidence interval (CI) 4.3-41.9, p <
      0.0001] compared to patients above the cut-off value. By combining serum vitamin
      B12 levels and IFNL3/IFNL4 rs12979860 genotypes, patients with baseline serum
      vitamin B12 levels below the cut-off value of 570 ng/L and IFNL3/IFNL4 rs12979860
      CC genotype achieved a SVR rate of even 80% with an OR of 54 (CI 9.9-293, p <
      0.0001) compared to patients above the cut-off value and non-CC-genotypes.
      CONCLUSION: Our data suggest baseline serum vitamin B12 levels as useful
      noninvasive marker for characterizing CHC patients. They might further help to
      identify responders to a standard treatment.

PMID- 26109024
TI  - Effects of diabetes definition on global surveillance of diabetes prevalence and
      diagnosis: a pooled analysis of 96 population-based studies with 331,288
      participants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes has been defined on the basis of different biomarkers,
      including fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h plasma glucose in an oral glucose
      tolerance test (2hOGTT), and HbA1c. We assessed the effect of different
      diagnostic definitions on both the population prevalence of diabetes and the
      classification of previously undiagnosed individuals as having diabetes versus
      not having diabetes in a pooled analysis of data from population-based health
      examination surveys in different regions. METHODS: We used data from 96
      population-based health examination surveys that had measured at least two of the
      biomarkers used for defining diabetes. Diabetes was defined using HbA1c (HbA1c
      >=6.5% or history of diabetes diagnosis or using insulin or oral hypoglycaemic
      drugs) compared with either FPG only or FPG-or-2hOGTT definitions (FPG >=7.0
      mmol/L or 2hOGTT >=11.1 mmol/L or history of diabetes or using insulin or oral
      hypoglycaemic drugs). We calculated diabetes prevalence, taking into account
      complex survey design and survey sample weights. We compared the prevalences of
      diabetes using different definitions graphically and by regression analyses. We
      calculated sensitivity and specificity of diabetes diagnosis based on HbA1c
      compared with diagnosis based on glucose among previously undiagnosed individuals
      (ie, excluding those with history of diabetes or using insulin or oral
      hypoglycaemic drugs). We calculated sensitivity and specificity in each survey,
      and then pooled results using a random-effects model. We assessed the sources of
      heterogeneity of sensitivity by meta-regressions for study characteristics
      selected a priori. FINDINGS: Population prevalence of diabetes based on FPG-or
      2hOGTT was correlated with prevalence based on FPG alone (r=0.98), but was higher
      by 2-6 percentage points at different prevalence levels. Prevalence based on
      HbA1c was lower than prevalence based on FPG in 42.8% of age-sex-survey groups
      and higher in another 41.6%; in the other 15.6%, the two definitions provided
      similar prevalence estimates. The variation across studies in the relation
      between glucose-based and HbA1c-based prevalences was partly related to
      participants' age, followed by natural logarithm of per person gross domestic
      product, the year of survey, mean BMI, and whether the survey population was
      national, subnational, or from specific communities. Diabetes defined as HbA1c
      6.5% or more had a pooled sensitivity of 52.8% (95% CI 51.3-54.3%) and a pooled
      specificity of 99.74% (99.71-99.78%) compared with FPG 7.0 mmol/L or more for
      diagnosing previously undiagnosed participants; sensitivity compared with
      diabetes defined based on FPG-or-2hOGTT was 30.5% (28.7-32.3%). None of the
      preselected study-level characteristics explained the heterogeneity in the
      sensitivity of HbA1c versus FPG. INTERPRETATION: Different biomarkers and
      definitions for diabetes can provide different estimates of population prevalence
      of diabetes, and differentially identify people without previous diagnosis as
      having diabetes. Using an HbA1c-based definition alone in health surveys will not
      identify a substantial proportion of previously undiagnosed people who would be
      considered as having diabetes using a glucose-based test. FUNDING: Wellcome
      Trust, US National Institutes of Health.

PMID- 26109045
TI  - Antimicrobial mechanism of resveratrol-trans-dihydrodimer produced from
      peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of resveratrol.
AB  - Plant polyphenols are known to have varying antimicrobial potencies, including
      direct antibacterial activity, synergism with antibiotics and suppression of
      bacterial virulence. We performed the in vitro oligomerization of resveratrol
      catalyzed by soybean peroxidase, and the two isomers (resveratrol-trans
      dihydrodimer and pallidol) produced were tested for antimicrobial activity. The
      resveratrol-trans-dihydrodimer displayed antimicrobial activity against the Gram
      positive bacteria Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus
      aureus (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 15.0, 125, and 62.0 MUM,
      respectively) and against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (MIC = 123 MUM, upon
      addition of the efflux pump inhibitor Phe-Arg-beta-naphthylamide). In contrast,
      pallidol had no observable antimicrobial activity against all tested strains.
      Transcriptomic analysis implied downregulation of ABC transporters, genes
      involved in cell division and DNA binding proteins. Flow cytometric analysis of
      treated cells revealed a rapid collapse in membrane potential and a substantial
      decrease in total DNA content. The active dimer showed >90% inhibition of DNA
      gyrase activity, in vitro, by blocking the ATP binding site of the enzyme. We
      thus propose that the resveratrol-trans-dihydrodimer acts to: (1) disrupt
      membrane potential; and (2) inhibit DNA synthesis. In summary, we introduce the
      mechanisms of action and the initial evaluation of an active bactericide, and a
      platform for the development of polyphenolic antimicrobials.

PMID- 26109047
TI  - Intestinal apical polarity mediates regulation of TORC1 by glucosylceramide in C.
      elegans.
AB  - TORC1 (target of rapamycin complex 1) plays a central role in regulating growth,
      development, and behavior in response to nutrient cues. We previously showed that
      leucine-derived monomethyl branched-chain fatty acids (mmBCFAs) and derived
      glucosylceramide promote intestinal TORC1 activity for post-embryonic development
      and foraging behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here we show that
      clathrin/adaptor protein 1 (AP-1)-dependent intestinal apical membrane polarity
      and polarity-dependent localization of the vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase)
      mediate the impact of the lipid pathway on intestinal TORC1 activation. Moreover,
      NPRL-3 represses mmBCFA-dependent intestinal TORC1 activity at least partly by
      regulating apical membrane polarity. Our results provide new insights into TORC1
      regulation by lipids and membrane polarity in a specific tissue. 

PMID- 26109046
TI  - Cancer stem cells in glioblastoma.
AB  - Tissues with defined cellular hierarchies in development and homeostasis give
      rise to tumors with cellular hierarchies, suggesting that tumors recapitulate
      specific tissues and mimic their origins. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most
      prevalent and malignant primary brain tumor and contains self-renewing,
      tumorigenic cancer stem cells (CSCs) that contribute to tumor initiation and
      therapeutic resistance. As normal stem and progenitor cells participate in tissue
      development and repair, these developmental programs re-emerge in CSCs to support
      the development and progressive growth of tumors. Elucidation of the molecular
      mechanisms that govern CSCs has informed the development of novel targeted
      therapeutics for GBM and other brain cancers. CSCs are not self-autonomous units;
      rather, they function within an ecological system, both actively remodeling the
      microenvironment and receiving critical maintenance cues from their niches. To
      fulfill the future goal of developing novel therapies to collapse CSC dynamics,
      drawing parallels to other normal and pathological states that are highly
      interactive with their microenvironments and that use developmental signaling
      pathways will be beneficial. 

PMID- 26109048
TI  - Gata6 potently initiates reprograming of pluripotent and differentiated cells to
      extraembryonic endoderm stem cells.
AB  - Transcription factor-mediated reprograming is a powerful method to study cell
      fate changes. In this study, we demonstrate that the transcription factor Gata6
      can initiate reprograming of multiple cell types to induced extraembryonic
      endoderm stem (iXEN) cells. Intriguingly, Gata6 is sufficient to drive iXEN cells
      from mouse pluripotent cells and differentiated neural cells. Furthermore, GATA6
      induction in human embryonic stem (hES) cells also down-regulates pluripotency
      gene expression and up-regulates extraembryonic endoderm (ExEn) genes, revealing
      a conserved function in mediating this cell fate switch. Profiling
      transcriptional changes following Gata6 induction in mES cells reveals step-wise
      pluripotency factor disengagement, with initial repression of Nanog and Esrrb,
      then Sox2, and finally Oct4, alongside step-wise activation of ExEn genes.
      Chromatin immunoprecipitation and subsequent high-throughput sequencing analysis
      shows Gata6 enrichment near pluripotency and endoderm genes, suggesting that
      Gata6 functions as both a direct repressor and activator. Together, this
      demonstrates that Gata6 is a versatile and potent reprograming factor that can
      act alone to drive a cell fate switch from diverse cell types. 

PMID- 26109049
TI  - DNA methylation restrains transposons from adopting a chromatin signature
      permissive for meiotic recombination.
AB  - DNA methylation is essential for protecting the mammalian germline against
      transposons. When DNA methylation-based transposon control is defective, meiotic
      chromosome pairing is consistently impaired during spermatogenesis: How and why
      meiosis is vulnerable to transposon activity is unknown. Using two DNA
      methylation-deficient backgrounds, the Dnmt3L and Miwi2 mutant mice, we reveal
      that DNA methylation is largely dispensable for silencing transposons before
      meiosis onset. After this, it becomes crucial to back up to a developmentally
      programmed H3K9me2 loss. Massive retrotransposition does not occur following
      transposon derepression, but the meiotic chromatin landscape is profoundly
      affected. Indeed, H3K4me3 marks gained over transcriptionally active transposons
      correlate with formation of SPO11-dependent double-strand breaks and recruitment
      of the DMC1 repair enzyme in Dnmt3L(-/-) meiotic cells, whereas these features
      are normally exclusive to meiotic recombination hot spots. Here, we demonstrate
      that DNA methylation restrains transposons from adopting chromatin
      characteristics amenable to meiotic recombination, which we propose prevents the
      occurrence of erratic chromosomal events. 

PMID- 26109051
TI  - Homeostatic control of Hippo signaling activity revealed by an endogenous
      activating mutation in YAP.
AB  - The Hippo signaling pathway converges on YAP to regulate growth, differentiation,
      and regeneration. Previous studies with overexpressed proteins have shown that
      YAP is phosphorylated by its upstream kinase, Lats1/2, on multiple sites,
      including an evolutionarily conserved 14-3-3-binding site whose phosphorylation
      is believed to inhibit YAP by excluding it from the nucleus. Indeed, nuclear
      localization of YAP or decreased YAP phosphorylation at this site (S168 in
      Drosophila, S127 in humans, and S112 in mice) is widely used in current
      literature as a surrogate of YAP activation even though the physiological
      importance of this phosphorylation event in regulating endogenous YAP activity
      has not been defined. Here we address this question by introducing a Yap(S112A)
      knock-in mutation in the endogenous Yap locus. The Yap(S112A) mice are
      surprisingly normal despite nuclear localization of the mutant YAP protein in
      vivo and profound defects in cytoplasmic translocation in vitro. Interestingly,
      the mutant Yap(S112A) mice show a compensatory decrease in YAP protein levels due
      to increased phosphorylation at a mammalian-specific phosphodegron site on YAP.
      These findings reveal a robust homeostatic mechanism that maintains physiological
      levels of YAP activity and caution against the assumptive use of YAP localization
      alone as a surrogate of YAP activity. 

PMID- 26109050
TI  - A YAP/TAZ-induced feedback mechanism regulates Hippo pathway homeostasis.
AB  - YAP (Yes-associated protein) and TAZ (transcriptional coactivator with PDZ
      binding motif) are major downstream effectors of the Hippo pathway that
      influences tissue homeostasis, organ size, and cancer development. Aberrant
      hyperactivation of YAP/TAZ causes tissue overgrowth and tumorigenesis, whereas
      their inactivation impairs tissue development and regeneration. Dynamic and
      precise control of YAP/TAZ activity is thus important to ensure proper
      physiological regulation and homeostasis of the cells. Here, we show that YAP/TAZ
      activation results in activation of their negative regulators, LATS1/2 (large
      tumor suppressor 1/2) kinases, to constitute a negative feedback loop of the
      Hippo pathway in both cultured cells and mouse tissues. YAP/TAZ in complex with
      the transcription factor TEAD (TEA domain family member) directly induce LATS2
      expression. Furthermore, YAP/TAZ also stimulate the kinase activity of LATS1/2
      through inducing NF2 (neurofibromin 2). This feedback regulation is responsible
      for the transient activation of YAP upon lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) stimulation
      and the inhibition of YAP-induced cell migration. Thus, this LATS-mediated
      feedback loop provides an efficient mechanism to establish the robustness and
      homeostasis of YAP/TAZ regulation. 

PMID- 26109052
TI  - Structural basis for allosteric, substrate-dependent stimulation of SIRT1
      activity by resveratrol.
AB  - Sirtuins with an extended N-terminal domain (NTD), represented by yeast Sir2 and
      human SIRT1, harbor intrinsic mechanisms for regulation of their NAD-dependent
      deacetylase activities. Elucidation of the regulatory mechanisms is crucial for
      understanding the biological functions of sirtuins and development of potential
      therapeutics. In particular, SIRT1 has emerged as an attractive therapeutic
      target, and the search for SIRT1-activating compounds (STACs) has been actively
      pursued. However, the effectiveness of a class of reported STACs (represented by
      resveratrol) as direct SIRT1 activators is under debate due to the complication
      involving the use of fluorogenic substrates in in vitro assays. Future efforts of
      SIRT1-based therapeutics necessitate the dissection of the molecular mechanism of
      SIRT1 stimulation. We solved the structure of SIRT1 in complex with resveratrol
      and a 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (AMC)-containing peptide. The structure reveals
      the presence of three resveratrol molecules, two of which mediate the interaction
      between the AMC peptide and the NTD of SIRT1. The two NTD-bound resveratrol
      molecules are principally responsible for promoting tighter binding between SIRT1
      and the peptide and the stimulation of SIRT1 activity. The structural information
      provides valuable insights into regulation of SIRT1 activity and should benefit
      the development of authentic SIRT1 activators. 

PMID- 26109054
TI  - Corrigendum: Myc and SAGA rewire an alternative splicing network during early
      somatic cell reprogramming.

PMID- 26109053
TI  - Structure-function studies of histone H3/H4 tetramer maintenance during
      transcription by chaperone Spt2.
AB  - Cells use specific mechanisms such as histone chaperones to abrogate the inherent
      barrier that the nucleosome poses to transcribing polymerases. The current model
      postulates that nucleosomes can be transiently disrupted to accommodate passage
      of RNA polymerases and that histones H3 and H4 possess their own chaperones
      dedicated to the recovery of nucleosomes. Here, we determined the crystal
      structure of the conserved C terminus of human Suppressors of Ty insertions 2
      (hSpt2C) chaperone bound to an H3/H4 tetramer. The structural studies demonstrate
      that hSpt2C is bound to the periphery of the H3/H4 tetramer, mimicking the
      trajectory of nucleosomal-bound DNA. These structural studies have been
      complemented with in vitro binding and in vivo functional studies on mutants that
      disrupt key intermolecular contacts involving two acidic patches and hydrophobic
      residues on Spt2C. We show that contacts between both human and yeast Spt2C with
      the H3/H4 tetramer are required for the suppression of H3/H4 exchange as measured
      by H3K56ac and new H3 deposition. These interactions are also crucial for the
      inhibition of spurious transcription from within coding regions. Together, our
      data indicate that Spt2 interacts with the periphery of the H3/H4 tetramer and
      promotes its recycling in the wake of RNA polymerase. 

PMID- 26109055
TI  - Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a heterogeneous disorder: evidence from
      diffusion tensor imaging and magnetization transfer imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current models of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) propose
      abnormalities of cortico-striatal circuits that involve the orbitofrontal cortex,
      anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus and the striatum. Nevertheless, during the
      last years, results of morphometric studies were contradictory. Since fully
      automated whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and diffusion tensor imaging
      (DTI) are used to assess structural changes in OCD patients, increased consistent
      evidence has been reported that brain abnormalities are not limited exclusively
      to the "affective" orbitofronto-striatal circuit. Moreover, several studies
      conducted using a symptom dimensional approach demonstrated that different
      symptoms are mediated by distinct neural systems. METHOD: We investigated
      structural brain abnormalities in 14 carefully selected adult (>=18 years), male
      and unmedicated patients with OCD - separately for obsession and compulsion
      scores (Y-BOCS) - compared to 20 healthy controls as reflected according to white
      matter changes by fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient.
      Moreover, this is the first study in OCD patients, using magnetization transfer
      imaging (MTI). This method is said to be more sensitive to subtle structural
      brain changes than conventional volumetric imaging. RESULTS: In our study, we
      show a positive correlation between MTR and Y-BOCS obsession scores with an
      increased integrity of tissue structure in the parietal cortex, including
      myelination and axonal density reflected by the magnetization transfer ratio
      (MTR) which was used for the first time in our study. Furthermore, Y-BOCS scores
      for compulsions correlated negatively with ADC-maps in the left nucleus
      lentiformis and the cingulum. CONCLUSION: The results support the hypothesis that
      OCD is a heterogeneous disorder with distinct neural correlates across symptom
      dimensions and call for a substantial revision of such a model that takes into
      account the heterogeneity of the disorder.

PMID- 26109057
TI  - Silicon carbide-free graphene growth on silicon for lithium-ion battery with high
      volumetric energy density.
AB  - Silicon is receiving discernable attention as an active material for next
      generation lithium-ion battery anodes because of its unparalleled gravimetric
      capacity. However, the large volume change of silicon over charge-discharge
      cycles weakens its competitiveness in the volumetric energy density and cycle
      life. Here we report direct graphene growth over silicon nanoparticles without
      silicon carbide formation. The graphene layers anchored onto the silicon surface
      accommodate the volume expansion of silicon via a sliding process between
      adjacent graphene layers. When paired with a commercial lithium cobalt oxide
      cathode, the silicon carbide-free graphene coating allows the full cell to reach
      volumetric energy densities of 972 and 700 Wh l(-1) at first and 200th cycle,
      respectively, 1.8 and 1.5 times higher than those of current commercial lithium
      ion batteries. This observation suggests that two-dimensional layered structure
      of graphene and its silicon carbide-free integration with silicon can serve as a
      prototype in advancing silicon anodes to commercially viable technology. 

PMID- 26109059
TI  - Peter Hindley: Warm, energetic, positive.

PMID- 26109058
TI  - Nuclear respiratory factor 2 induces SIRT3 expression.
AB  - The mitochondrial deacetylase SIRT3 regulates several important metabolic
      processes. SIRT3 is transcriptionally upregulated in multiple tissues during
      nutrient stresses such as dietary restriction and fasting, but the molecular
      mechanism of this induction is unclear. We conducted a bioinformatic study to
      identify transcription factor(s) involved in SIRT3 induction. Our analysis
      identified an enrichment of binding sites for nuclear respiratory factor 2 (NRF
      2), a transcription factor known to play a role in the expression of
      mitochondrial genes, in the DNA sequences of SIRT3 and genes with closely
      correlated expression patterns. In vitro, knockdown or overexpression of NRF-2
      modulated SIRT3 levels, and the NRF-2alpha subunit directly bound to the SIRT3
      promoter. Our results suggest that NRF-2 is a regulator of SIRT3 expression and
      may shed light on how SIRT3 is upregulated during nutrient stress. 

PMID- 26109056
TI  - Comparison of RNA-seq and microarray-based models for clinical endpoint
      prediction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gene expression profiling is being widely applied in cancer research
      to identify biomarkers for clinical endpoint prediction. Since RNA-seq provides a
      powerful tool for transcriptome-based applications beyond the limitations of
      microarrays, we sought to systematically evaluate the performance of RNA-seq
      based and microarray-based classifiers in this MAQC-III/SEQC study for clinical
      endpoint prediction using neuroblastoma as a model. RESULTS: We generate gene
      expression profiles from 498 primary neuroblastomas using both RNA-seq and 44 k
      microarrays. Characterization of the neuroblastoma transcriptome by RNA-seq
      reveals that more than 48,000 genes and 200,000 transcripts are being expressed
      in this malignancy. We also find that RNA-seq provides much more detailed
      information on specific transcript expression patterns in clinico-genetic
      neuroblastoma subgroups than microarrays. To systematically compare the power of
      RNA-seq and microarray-based models in predicting clinical endpoints, we divide
      the cohort randomly into training and validation sets and develop 360 predictive
      models on six clinical endpoints of varying predictability. Evaluation of factors
      potentially affecting model performances reveals that prediction accuracies are
      most strongly influenced by the nature of the clinical endpoint, whereas
      technological platforms (RNA-seq vs. microarrays), RNA-seq data analysis
      pipelines, and feature levels (gene vs. transcript vs. exon-junction level) do
      not significantly affect performances of the models. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate
      that RNA-seq outperforms microarrays in determining the transcriptomic
      characteristics of cancer, while RNA-seq and microarray-based models perform
      similarly in clinical endpoint prediction. Our findings may be valuable to guide
      future studies on the development of gene expression-based predictive models and
      their implementation in clinical practice.

PMID- 26109060
TI  - Prognostic and clinical significance of claudin-4 in gastric cancer: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current reports on the association of claudin-4 expression with
      gastric cancer outcome were inconsistent. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to
      assess the association of claudin-4 expression with the prognosis and clinical
      parameters more precisely. METHODS: Systematic searches on PubMed, Embase, and
      Cochrane Library prior to December 2014 were performed. The pooled hazard ratio
      (HR) with its 95 % confidence interval (95 %CI) was used to assess the prognostic
      value of claudin-4 expression with gastric cancer patients, and the pooled odds
      ratio (OR) with its 95 %CI was used to assess the association with clinical
      parameters. RESULTS: Nine studies with a total of 1265 gastric cancer patients
      were included. Overall, the pooled results showed that over-expression of claudin
      4 was associated with a poor survival in gastric cancer patients (HR: 2.01, 95 %
      CI: 1.62-2.50). Over-expression of claudin-4 was also associated with advanced
      stage (OR: 1.96, 95 % CI: 1.08-3.56) and lymphoid node metastasis (OR: 1.72, 95 %
      CI: 1.05-2.81) of gastric cancer patients. No significant publication bias was
      found among the studies (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis shows that
      over-expression of claudin-4 is associated with progress of gastric cancer and
      poor prognosis of gastric cancer patients.

PMID- 26109061
TI  - The human cardiac and skeletal muscle proteomes defined by transcriptomics and
      antibody-based profiling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To understand cardiac and skeletal muscle function, it is important
      to define and explore their molecular constituents and also to identify
      similarities and differences in the gene expression in these two different
      striated muscle tissues. Here, we have investigated the genes and proteins with
      elevated expression in cardiac and skeletal muscle in relation to all other major
      human tissues and organs using a global transcriptomics analysis complemented
      with antibody-based profiling to localize the corresponding proteins on a single
      cell level. RESULTS: Our study identified a comprehensive list of genes expressed
      in cardiac and skeletal muscle. The genes with elevated expression were further
      stratified according to their global expression pattern across the human body as
      well as their precise localization in the muscle tissues. The functions of the
      proteins encoded by the elevated genes are well in line with the physiological
      functions of cardiac and skeletal muscle, such as contraction, ion transport,
      regulation of membrane potential and actomyosin structure organization. A large
      fraction of the transcripts in both cardiac and skeletal muscle correspond to
      mitochondrial proteins involved in energy metabolism, which demonstrates the
      extreme specialization of these muscle tissues to provide energy for contraction.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide a comprehensive list of genes and proteins
      elevated in striated muscles. A number of proteins not previously characterized
      in cardiac and skeletal muscle were identified and localized to specific cellular
      subcompartments. These proteins represent an interesting starting point for
      further functional analysis of their role in muscle biology and disease.

PMID- 26109062
TI  - Differentially Expressed MicroRNA-483 Confers Distinct Functions in Pancreatic
      beta- and alpha-Cells.
AB  - Insulin secreted from pancreatic beta-cells and glucagon secreted from pancreatic
      alpha-cells are the two major hormones working in the pancreas in an opposing
      manner to regulate and maintain a normal glucose homeostasis. How microRNAs
      (miRNAs), a population of non-coding RNAs so far demonstrated to be
      differentially expressed in various types of cells, regulate gene expression in
      pancreatic beta-cells and its closely associated alpha-cells is not completely
      clear. In this study, miRNA profiling was performed and compared between
      pancreatic beta-cells and their partner alpha-cells. One novel miRNA, miR-483,
      was identified for its highly differential expression in pancreatic beta-cells
      when compared to its expression in alpha-cells. Overexpression of miR-483 in beta
      cells increased insulin transcription and secretion by targeting SOCS3, a member
      of suppressor of cytokine signaling family. In contrast, overexpression of miR
      483 decreased glucagon transcription and secretion in alpha-cells. Moreover,
      overexpressed miR-483 protected against proinflammatory cytokine-induced
      apoptosis in beta-cells. This correlates with a higher expression level of miR
      483 and the expanded beta-cell mass observed in the islets of prediabetic db/db
      mice. Together, our data suggest that miR-483 has opposite effects in alpha- and
      beta-cells by targeting SOCS3, and the imbalance of miR-483 and its targets may
      play a crucial role in diabetes pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26109063
TI  - Distribution and Function of Cardiac Ryanodine Receptor Clusters in Live
      Ventricular Myocytes.
AB  - The cardiac Ca(2+) release channel (ryanodine receptor, RyR2) plays an essential
      role in excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac muscle cells. Effective and
      stable excitation-contraction coupling critically depends not only on the
      expression of RyR2, but also on its distribution. Despite its importance, little
      is known about the distribution and organization of RyR2 in living cells. To
      study the distribution of RyR2 in living cardiomyocytes, we generated a knock-in
      mouse model expressing a GFP-tagged RyR2 (GFP-RyR2). Confocal imaging of live
      ventricular myocytes isolated from the GFP-RyR2 mouse heart revealed clusters of
      GFP-RyR2 organized in rows with a striated pattern. Similar organization of GFP
      RyR2 clusters was observed in fixed ventricular myocytes. Immunofluorescence
      staining with the anti-alpha-actinin antibody (a z-line marker) showed that
      nearly all GFP-RyR2 clusters were localized in the z-line zone. There were small
      regions with dislocated GFP-RyR2 clusters. Interestingly, these same regions also
      displayed dislocated z-lines. Staining with di-8-ANEPPS revealed that nearly all
      GFP-RyR2 clusters were co-localized with transverse but not longitudinal tubules,
      whereas staining with MitoTracker Red showed that GFP-RyR2 clusters were not co
      localized with mitochondria in live ventricular myocytes. We also found GFP-RyR2
      clusters interspersed between z-lines only at the periphery of live ventricular
      myocytes. Simultaneous detection of GFP-RyR2 clusters and Ca(2+) sparks showed
      that Ca(2+) sparks originated exclusively from RyR2 clusters. Ca(2+) sparks from
      RyR2 clusters induced no detectable changes in mitochondrial Ca(2+) level. These
      results reveal, for the first time, the distribution of RyR2 clusters and its
      functional correlation in living ventricular myocytes. 

PMID- 26109064
TI  - Identification of the Docking Site for CD3 on the T Cell Receptor beta Chain by
      Solution NMR.
AB  - The T cell receptor (TCR)-CD3 complex is composed of a genetically diverse
      alphabeta TCR heterodimer associated noncovalently with the invariant CD3 dimers
      CD3epsilongamma, CD3epsilondelta, and CD3zetazeta. The TCR mediates peptide-MHC
      recognition, whereas the CD3 molecules transduce activation signals to the T
      cell. Although much is known about downstream T cell signaling pathways, the
      mechanism whereby TCR engagement by peptide-MHC initiates signaling is poorly
      understood. A key to solving this problem is defining the spatial organization of
      the TCR-CD3 complex and the interactions between its subunits. We have applied
      solution NMR methods to identify the docking site for CD3 on the beta chain of a
      human autoimmune TCR. We demonstrate a low affinity but highly specific
      interaction between the extracellular domains of CD3 and the TCR constant beta
      (Cbeta) domain that requires both CD3epsilongamma and CD3epsilondelta subunits.
      The mainly hydrophilic docking site, comprising 9-11 solvent-accessible Cbeta
      residues, is relatively small (~400 A(2)), consistent with the weak interaction
      between TCR and CD3 extracellular domains, and devoid of glycosylation sites. The
      docking site is centered on the alphaA and alphaB helices of Cbeta, which are
      located at the base of the TCR. This positions CD3epsilongamma and
      CD3epsilondelta between the TCR and the T cell membrane, permitting us to
      distinguish among several possible models of TCR-CD3 association. We further
      correlate structural results from NMR with mutational data on TCR-CD3
      interactions from cell-based assays. 

PMID- 26109065
TI  - The Tubular Sheaths Encasing Methanosaeta thermophila Filaments Are Functional
      Amyloids.
AB  - Archaea are renowned for their ability to thrive in extreme environments,
      although they can be found in virtually all habitats. Their adaptive success is
      linked to their unique cell envelopes that are extremely resistant to chemical
      and thermal denaturation and that resist proteolysis by common proteases. Here we
      employ amyloid-specific conformation antibodies and biophysical techniques to
      show that the extracellular cell wall sheaths encasing the methanogenic archaea
      Methanosaeta thermophila PT are functional amyloids. Depolymerization of sheaths
      and subsequent MS/MS analyses revealed that the sheaths are composed of a single
      major sheath protein (MspA). The amyloidogenic nature of MspA was confirmed by in
      vitro amyloid formation of recombinant MspA under a wide range of environmental
      conditions. This is the first report of a functional amyloid from the archaeal
      domain of life. The amyloid nature explains the extreme resistance of the sheath,
      the elastic properties that allow diffusible substrates to penetrate through
      expandable hoop boundaries, and how the sheaths are able to split and elongate
      outside the cell. The archaeal sheath amyloids do not share homology with any of
      the currently known functional amyloids and clearly represent a new function of
      the amyloid protein fold. 

PMID- 26109066
TI  - Role of Deacetylase Activity of N-Deacetylase/N-Sulfotransferase 1 in Forming N
      Sulfated Domain in Heparan Sulfate.
AB  - Heparan sulfate (HS) is a highly sulfated polysaccharide that plays important
      physiological roles. The biosynthesis of HS involves a series of enzymes,
      including glycosyltransferases (or HS polymerase), epimerase, and
      sulfotransferases. N-Deacetylase/N-Sulfotransferase isoform 1 (NDST-1) is a
      critical enzyme in this pathway. NDST-1, a bifunctional enzyme, displays N
      deacetylase and N-sulfotransferase activities to convert an N-acetylated
      glucosamine residue to an N-sulfo glucosamine residue. Here, we report the
      cooperative effects between N-deacetylase and N-sulfotransferase activities.
      Using baculovirus expression in insect cells, we obtained three recombinant
      proteins: full-length NDST-1 and the individual N-deacetylase and N
      sulfotransferase domains. Structurally defined oligosaccharide substrates were
      synthesized to test the substrate specificities of the enzymes. We discovered
      that N-deacetylation is the limiting step and that interplay between the N
      sulfotransferase and N-deacetylase accelerates the reaction. Furthermore,
      combining the individually expressed N-deacetylase and N-sulfotransferase domains
      produced different sulfation patterns when compared with that made by the NDST-1
      enzyme. Our data demonstrate the essential role of domain cooperation within NDST
      1 in producing HS with specific domain structures. 

PMID- 26109067
TI  - Wnt/beta-Catenin Mediates AICAR Effect to Increase GATA3 Expression and Inhibit
      Adipogenesis.
AB  - A better understanding of the mechanism and manipulation of the tightly regulated
      cellular differentiation process of adipogenesis may contribute to a reduction in
      obesity and diabetes. Multiple transcription factors and signaling pathways are
      involved in the regulation of adipogenesis. Here, we report that the AMP
      activated protein kinase activator, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside
      (AICAR) can activate AMPK in preadipocytes and thus increase the expression of
      GATA3, an anti-adipogenic factor. However, AICAR-increased GATA3 is mediated by
      the stimulation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in preadipocytes. Mechanistically,
      AICAR-activated AMPK inhibits GSK3beta through a phosphorylation process that
      stabilizes beta-catenin. This stabilized beta-catenin then translocates into
      nucleus where it interacts with T-cell factors (TCF), leading to the increased
      beta-catenin/TCF transcriptional activity that induces GATA3 expression. In
      addition, AICAR also relieves the repressing effect of the C-terminal-binding
      protein (CtBP) co-repressor by diverting CtBP away from the beta-catenin.TCF
      complex at the GATA3 promoter. The anti-adipogenic effect of GATA3 and AICAR is
      consistently attenuated by the disruption of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling.
      Furthermore, GATA3 suppresses key adipogenic regulators by binding to the
      promoters of these regulators, such as the peroxisome proliferator-activated
      receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) gene, and the disruption of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling
      reduces the GATA3 binding at the PPARgamma promoter. In differentiated
      adipocytes, GATA3 expression inhibition is facilitated by the down-regulation of
      beta-catenin levels, the reduction in beta-catenin binding, and the increase in
      CtBP binding at the GATA3 promoter. Our findings shed light on the molecular
      mechanism of adipogenesis by suggesting that different regulation pathways and
      adipogenic regulators collectively modulate adipocyte differentiation through
      cross-talk. 

PMID- 26109068
TI  - Gene-Environment Interactions Target Mitogen-activated Protein 3 Kinase 1
      (MAP3K1) Signaling in Eyelid Morphogenesis.
AB  - Gene-environment interactions determine the biological outcomes through
      mechanisms that are poorly understood. Mouse embryonic eyelid closure is a well
      defined model to study the genetic control of developmental programs. Using this
      model, we investigated how exposure to dioxin-like environmental pollutants
      modifies the genetic risk of developmental abnormalities. Our studies reveal that
      mitogen-activated protein 3 kinase 1 (MAP3K1) signaling is a focal point of gene
      environment cross-talk. Dioxin exposure, acting through the aryl hydrocarbon
      receptor (AHR), blocked eyelid closure in genetic mutants in which MAP3K1
      signaling was attenuated but did not disturb this developmental program in either
      wild type or mutant mice with attenuated epidermal growth factor receptor or WNT
      signaling. Exposure also markedly inhibited c-Jun phosphorylation in Map3k1(+/-)
      embryonic eyelid epithelium, suggesting that dioxin-induced AHR pathways can
      synergize with gene mutations to inhibit MAP3K1 signaling. Our studies uncover a
      novel mechanism through which the dioxin-AHR axis interacts with the MAP3K1
      signaling pathways during fetal development and provide strong empirical evidence
      that specific gene alterations can increase the risk of developmental
      abnormalities driven by environmental pollutant exposure. 

PMID- 26109069
TI  - Factor B Is the Second Lipopolysaccharide-binding Protease Zymogen in the
      Horseshoe Crab Coagulation Cascade.
AB  - Factor B is a serine-protease zymogen in the horseshoe crab coagulation cascade,
      and it is the primary substrate for activated factor C, the LPS-responsive
      initiator of the cascade. Factor C is autocatalytically activated to alpha-factor
      C on LPS and is artificially converted to beta-factor C, another activated form,
      by chymotrypsin. It is not known, however, whether LPS is required for the
      activation of factor B. Here we found that wild-type factor B expressed in
      HEK293S cells is activated by alpha-factor C, but not by beta-factor C, in an LPS
      dependent manner and that beta-factor C loses the LPS binding activity of factor
      C through additional cleavage by chymotrypsin within the N-terminal LPS-binding
      region. Surface plasmon resonance and quartz crystal microbalance analyses
      revealed that wild-type factor B binds to LPS with high affinity comparable with
      that of factor C, demonstrating that factor B is the second LPS-binding zymogen
      in the cascade. An LPS-binding site of wild-type factor B was found in the N
      terminal clip domain, and the activation rate of a clip domain deletion mutant
      was considerably slower than that of wild-type factor B. Moreover, in the
      presence of LPS, Triton X-100 inhibited the activation of wild-type factor B by
      alpha-factor C. We conclude that the clip domain of factor B has an important
      role in localizing factor B to the surface of Gram-negative bacteria or LPS
      released from bacteria to initiate effective proteolytic activation by alpha
      factor C. 

PMID- 26109070
TI  - Generating a Metal-responsive Transcriptional Regulator to Test What Confers
      Metal Sensing in Cells.
AB  - FrmR from Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium (a CsoR/RcnR-like
      transcriptional de-repressor) is shown to repress the frmRA operator-promoter,
      and repression is alleviated by formaldehyde but not manganese, iron, cobalt,
      nickel, copper, or Zn(II) within cells. In contrast, repression by a mutant
      FrmRE64H (which gains an RcnR metal ligand) is alleviated by cobalt and Zn(II).
      Unexpectedly, FrmR was found to already bind Co(II), Zn(II), and Cu(I), and
      moreover metals, as well as formaldehyde, trigger an allosteric response that
      weakens DNA affinity. However, the sensory metal sites of the cells' endogenous
      metal sensors (RcnR, ZntR, Zur, and CueR) are all tighter than FrmR for their
      cognate metals. Furthermore, the endogenous metal sensors are shown to out
      compete FrmR. The metal-sensing FrmRE64H mutant has tighter metal affinities than
      FrmR by approximately 1 order of magnitude. Gain of cobalt sensing by FrmRE64H
      remains enigmatic because the cobalt affinity of FrmRE64H is substantially weaker
      than that of the endogenous cobalt sensor. Cobalt sensing requires glutathione,
      which may assist cobalt access, conferring a kinetic advantage. For Zn(II), the
      metal affinity of FrmRE64H approaches the metal affinities of cognate Zn(II)
      sensors. Counter-intuitively, the allosteric coupling free energy for Zn(II) is
      smaller in metal-sensing FrmRE64H compared with nonsensing FrmR. By determining
      the copies of FrmR and FrmRE64H tetramers per cell, then estimating promoter
      occupancy as a function of intracellular Zn(II) concentration, we show how a
      modest tightening of Zn(II) affinity, plus weakened DNA affinity of the
      apoprotein, conspires to make the relative properties of FrmRE64H (compared with
      ZntR and Zur) sufficient to sense Zn(II) inside cells. 

PMID- 26109071
TI  - RasGAP Shields Akt from Deactivating Phosphatases in Fibroblast Growth Factor
      Signaling but Loses This Ability Once Cleaved by Caspase-3.
AB  - Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are involved in proliferative and
      differentiation physiological responses. Deregulation of FGFR-mediated signaling
      involving the Ras/PI3K/Akt and the Ras/Raf/ERK MAPK pathways is causally involved
      in the development of several cancers. The caspase-3/p120 RasGAP module is a
      stress sensor switch. Under mild stress conditions, RasGAP is cleaved by caspase
      3 at position 455. The resulting N-terminal fragment, called fragment N,
      stimulates anti-death signaling. When caspase-3 activity further increases,
      fragment N is cleaved at position 157. This generates a fragment, called N2, that
      no longer protects cells. Here, we investigated in Xenopus oocytes the impact of
      RasGAP and its fragments on FGF1-mediated signaling during G2/M cell cycle
      transition. RasGAP used its N-terminal Src homology 2 domain to bind FGFR once
      stimulated by FGF1, and this was necessary for the recruitment of Akt to the FGFR
      complex. Fragment N, which did not associate with the FGFR complex, favored FGF1
      induced ERK stimulation, leading to accelerated G2/M transition. In contrast,
      fragment N2 bound the FGFR, and this inhibited mTORC2-dependent Akt Ser-473
      phosphorylation and ERK2 phosphorylation but not phosphorylation of Akt on Thr
      308. This also blocked cell cycle progression. Inhibition of Akt Ser-473
      phosphorylation and entry into G2/M was relieved by PHLPP phosphatase inhibition.
      Hence, full-length RasGAP favors Akt activity by shielding it from deactivating
      phosphatases. This shielding was abrogated by fragment N2. These results
      highlight the role played by RasGAP in FGFR signaling and how graded stress
      intensities, by generating different RasGAP fragments, can positively or
      negatively impact this signaling. 

PMID- 26109073
TI  - Resveratrol nanoformulation for cancer prevention and therapy.
AB  - Chemoprevention of human cancer(s) is a viable option for cancer control,
      especially when chemopreventive intervention is involved during the early stages
      of the carcinogenesis process. Naturally occurring bioactive food components,
      such as dietary polyphenols, have shown good antioxidant activity and other
      beneficial activities. In addition, compounds belonging to the polyphenolic
      chemical class may play promising roles in cancer prevention. Among them, the
      phytoalexin resveratrol has demonstrated antiproliferative effects, as well as
      the ability to inhibit initiation and promotion of induced cancer progression in
      a wide variety of tumor models. However, resveratrol, like other natural
      polyphenols, is an extremely photosensitive compound with low chemical stability
      and limited bioavailibility, which limit the therapeutic application of its
      beneficial effects. In this context, the development of innovative formulation
      strategies able to overcome physicochemical and pharmacokinetic limitations of
      this compound could be beneficial. This may be achieved via nanotechnology
      approaches utilizing suitable carriers that allow slow, sustained, and controlled
      release of the encapsulated agent. This review focuses on the recent developments
      of novel nanoformulations used to deliver sustained levels of resveratrol. 

PMID- 26109074
TI  - Where does the carbon go?--Plant carbon allocation under climate change.

PMID- 26109072
TI  - A Vaccine Approach for the Prevention of Infections by Multidrug-resistant
      Enterococcus faecium.
AB  - The incidence of multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecium hospital infections has
      been steadily increasing. With the goal of discovering new vaccine antigens, we
      systematically fractionated and purified four distinct surface carbohydrates from
      E. faecium endocarditis isolate Tx16, shown previously to be resistant to
      phagocytosis in the presence of human serum. The two most abundant
      polysaccharides consist of novel branched heteroglycan repeating units that
      include signature sugars altruronic acid and legionaminic acid, respectively. A
      minor high molecular weight polysaccharide component was recognized as the
      fructose homopolymer levan, and a glucosylated lipoteichoic acid (LTA) was
      identified in a micellar fraction. The polysaccharides were conjugated to the
      CRM197 carrier protein, and the resulting glycoconjugates were used to immunize
      rabbits. Rabbit immune sera were evaluated for their ability to kill Tx16 in
      opsonophagocytic assays and in a mouse passive protection infection model.
      Although antibodies raised against levan failed to mediate opsonophagocytic
      killing, the other glycoconjugates induced effective opsonic antibodies, with the
      altruronic acid-containing polysaccharide antisera showing the greatest
      opsonophagocytic assay activity. Antibodies directed against either novel
      heteroglycan or the LTA reduced bacterial load in mouse liver or kidney tissue.
      To assess antigen prevalence, we screened a diverse collection of blood isolates
      (n = 101) with antibodies to the polysaccharides. LTA was detected on the surface
      of 80% of the strains, and antigens recognized by antibodies to the two major
      heteroglycans were co-expressed on 63% of these clinical isolates. Collectively,
      these results represent the first steps toward identifying components of a
      glycoconjugate vaccine to prevent E. faecium infection. 

PMID- 26109075
TI  - Molecular typing of clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans/Cryptococcus
      gattii species complex from Northeast Mexico.
AB  - Cryptococcosis is caused by members of the Cryptococcus neoformans/Cryptococcus
      gattii species complex. Based on molecular identification, these two species have
      been further differentiated into molecular types. The aim of this work was to
      characterize clinical cryptococcal isolates recovered from six hospitals in
      Northeast Mexico from 1995 to 2011. One hundred and sixty-six isolates, which
      were characterized by biochemical tests and in vitro susceptibility to
      amphotericin B, fluconazole, and voriconazole, and M13 PCR fingerprinting, were
      included in this study. Utilizing phenotypic tests, 153 isolates (92.16 %) were
      identified as C. neoformans and 13 (7.83 %) as C. gattii. All isolates were
      susceptible to all antifungals tested. Employing M13 PCR fingerprinting, eight
      molecular types were detected. VNI was the most common genotype (124 cases; 74.6
      %), followed by VNII (15 cases; 9 %), VNIII (8 cases; 4.8 %), VNIV (6 cases; 3.6
      %), VGI (6 cases; 3.6 %), VGII (3 cases; 1.8 %), and VGIII and VGIV (2 cases, 1.2
      % each). We confirm the presence of C. gattii in clinical isolates in Northeast
      Mexico, and a high clonal diversity in the studied strains of C. neoformans/C.
      gattii species complex.

PMID- 26109076
TI  - A proposal for scientific framework enabling specific population drug dosing
      recommendations.
AB  - Over the last 3 decades, there has been little change in the paradigm to derive
      dosing recommendations for specific populations (e.g., renal failure, elderly, or
      obese patients) despite better understanding of clearance pathways in these
      groups and availability of modeling and simulation tools. Dosing recommendations
      for specific populations are often incomplete or unavailable at the time of drug
      approval. Currently, there is no regulatory framework to incorporate model-based
      dosing recommendations for specific populations. This paper proposes a scientific
      framework for using modeling and simulation to support specific population dosing
      recommendations. This framework creates a knowledgebase of drug and population
      attributes where model-based approaches can be developed to inform dosing
      recommendations. The framework may benefit patients by having reliable dosing
      information at the time of drug approval. Patients with conditions where studies
      are difficult to perform would benefit from dosing based on state-of-the-art
      knowledge. Industry and regulators would benefit from a scientific and efficient
      approach to improve specific population prediction. A research approach to
      determine specific population dose prediction is discussed along with challenges
      and risks. We hope to initiate a dialogue to explore the role of modeling based
      on data for drugs with similar clearance mechanisms to predict drug dosing. 

PMID- 26109077
TI  - Border control: Anatomical origins of the thymus medulla.
AB  - The thymus is an anatomically compartmentalized primary lymphoid organ that
      fosters the production of self-tolerant T cells. The thymic cortex provides a
      specialized microenvironment in which cortical thymic epithelial cells (cTECs)
      support the positive selection and further differentiation of self-MHC-restricted
      thymocytes. Following their migration into the medulla, positively selected
      thymocytes are further screened for self-reactivity, which involves both negative
      selection and Foxp3(+) regulatory T cell generation via interactions with
      medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). Given the importance of both cortical
      and medullary microenvironments for T cell development, studies that address the
      developmental origins of cTECs and mTECs are important in understanding the
      processes that shape the developing T cell receptor repertoire, and reduce the
      frequency of self-reactive T cells that initiate autoimmune disease. In this
      issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Onder et al. [Eur. J. Immunol. 2015.
      45: 2218-2231] identified a subset of podoplanin(+) mTECs in mice that reside at
      the corticomedullary junction (CMJ), show that their development is important to
      establish self-tolerance, and require the presence of self-reactive T cells.
      Collectively, their findings highlight the CMJ as a potential repository for
      precursors of the mTEC lineage, and provide a better understanding of thymus
      medulla formation. 

PMID- 26109078
TI  - Identification of snake arenaviruses in live boas and pythons in a zoo in
      Germany.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have described the detection and characterisation of
      new, snake specific arenaviruses in boas and pythons with inclusion body disease
      (IBD). The objective of this study was to detect arenaviral RNA in live snakes
      and to determine if these were associated with IBD in all cases. Samples for
      arenavirus detection in live animals were compared. Detected viruses were
      compared in order to understand their genetic variability. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Esophageal swabs and whole blood was collected from a total of 28 boas and
      pythons. Samples were tested for arenaviral RNA by RT-PCR. Blood smears from all
      animals were examined for the presence of inclusion bodies. Internal tissues from
      animals that died or were euthanized during the study were examined for
      inclusions and via RT-PCR for arenaviral RNA. All PCR products were sequenced and
      the genomic sequences phylogenetically analysed. RESULTS: Nine live animals were
      found to be arenavirus-positive. Two additional snakes tested positive following
      necropsy. Five new arenaviruses were detected and identified. The detected
      viruses were named "Boa Arenavirus Deutschland (Boa Av DE) numbers 1-4" and one
      virus detected in a python (Morelia viridis) was named "Python Av DE1". Results
      from sequence analyses revealed considerable similarities to a portion of the
      glycoprotein genes of recently identified boid snake arenaviruses. CONCLUSIONS:
      Both oral swabs and whole blood can be used for the detection of arenaviruses in
      snakes. In most cases, but not in all, the presence of arenaviral RNA correlated
      with the presence of inclusions in the tissues of infected animals. There was
      evidence that some animals may be able to clear arenavirus infection without
      development of IBD. This is the first detection of arenaviruses in live snakes.
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The detection of arenaviruses in live snakes is of importance
      for both disease detection and prevention and for use in quarantine situations.
      The findings in this study support the theory that arenaviruses are the cause of
      IBD, but indicate that in some cases it may be possible for animals to clear
      arenavirus infections without developing IBD.

PMID- 26109079
TI  - A single-dose of oral nattokinase potentiates thrombolysis and anti-coagulation
      profiles.
AB  - Our aim was to determine the quantitative effects of a single-dose of Nattokinase
      (NK) administration on coagulation/fibrinolysis parameters comprehensively in
      healthy male subjects. A double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over NK
      intervention study was carried out in 12 healthy young males. Following the
      baseline blood draw, each subject was randomized to receive either a single-dose
      of 2,000 FU NK (NSK-SD, Japan Bio Science Laboratory Co., Ltd) or placebo with
      subsequent cross-over of the groups. Subjects donated blood samples at 2, 4, 6
      and 8 hours following administration for analysis of coagulation/fibrinolysis
      parameters. As a result, D-dimer concentrations at 6, and 8 hours, and blood
      fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products at 4 hours after NK administration
      elevated significantly (p < 0.05, respectively). Factor VIII activity declined at
      4 and 6 hours (p < 0.05, respectively), blood antithrombin concentration was
      higher at 2 and 4 hours (p < 0.05, respectively), and the activated partial
      thromboplastin time prolonged significantly at 2 and 4 hours following NK
      administration (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). All the changes, however,
      were within the normal range. In conclusion, thus, a single-dose of NK
      administration appears enhancing fibrinolysis and anti-coagulation via several
      different pathways simultaneously. 

PMID- 26109080
TI  - Experimental Realization of Extreme Heat Flux Concentration with Easy-to-Make
      Thermal Metamaterials.
AB  - The ability to harvest thermal energy and manipulate heat fluxes has recently
      attracted a great deal of research interest because this is critical to achieve
      efficient solar-to-thermal energy conversion in the technology of concentrated
      solar thermal collectors. Thermal metamaterials with engineered thermal
      conduction are often utilized to control the diffusive heat flow in ways
      otherwise not possible with naturally occurring materials. In this work, we adopt
      the transformation thermodynamics approach to design an annular fan-shaped
      thermal metamaterial which is capable of guiding heat fluxes and concentrating
      thermal energy to the central region of the metamaterial device without
      disturbing the temperature profile outside the structure--a fascinating and
      unique feature impossibly achieved with homogeneous materials. In experiment,
      this rationally-designed metamaterial structure demonstrates extreme heat flux
      compression from both line-shaped and point thermal sources with measured
      concentration efficiency up to 83.1%, providing the first experimental
      realization of our recent theoretical prediction (T. Han et al., Energy Environ.
      Sci., 2013, 6, 3537-3541). These unprecedented results may open up new
      possibilities for engineering thermal materials with desired properties that can
      be used for dramatically enhancing the efficiency of the existing solar thermal
      collectors.

PMID- 26109081
TI  - From lime to silica and alumina: systematic modeling of cement clinkers using a
      general force-field.
AB  - Thirteen different cement-clinker crystalline phases present in the lime-silica
      alumina system have been systematically modeled using a simple and general force
      field. This constitutes a new type of approach towards the study of lime-silica
      alumina systems, where the simpler and more transferable Lennard-Jones potential
      was used instead of the more traditional Buckingham potential. The results were
      validated using experimental density and structural data. The elastic properties
      were also considered. Six amorphous phases (corresponding to calcium/silicon
      ratios corresponding to belite, rankinite, wollastonite and alumina-doped
      amorphous wollastonite with 5%, 10% and 15% alumina content) were also studied
      using molecular dynamics simulations. The obtained MD trajectories were used to
      characterize the different crystalline and amorphous phases in terms of the
      corresponding radial distribution functions, aggregate analyses and connectivity
      among silica groups. These studies allowed a direct comparison between the
      crystalline and amorphous phases and revealed how the structure of the silica
      network was modified in the amorphous materials or by the inclusion of other
      structural units such as alumina. The knowledge at an atomistic level of such
      modifications is paramount for the formulation of new cement-clinker phases. 

PMID- 26109082
TI  - Participation in college laboratory research apprenticeships among students
      considering careers in medicine.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the prevalence of college laboratory research
      apprenticeship (CLRA) participation among students considering medical careers
      and to examine the relationship between CLRA participation and medical-school
      acceptance among students who applied to medical school. METHODS: We used
      multivariate logistic regression to identify predictors of: 1) CLRA participation
      in a national cohort of 2001-2006 Pre-Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
      Questionnaire (PMQ) respondents and 2) among those PMQ respondents who
      subsequently applied to medical school, medical-school acceptance by June 2013,
      reporting adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).
      RESULTS: Of 213,497 PMQ respondents in the study sample (81.2% of all 262,813 PMQ
      respondents in 2001-2006), 72,797 (34.1%) reported CLRA participation. Each of
      under-represented minorities in medicine (URM) race/ethnicity (vs. white, aOR:
      1.04; 95% CI: 1.01-1.06), Asian/Pacific Islander race/ethnicity (vs. white, aOR:
      1.20; 95% CI: 1.17-1.22), and high school summer laboratory research
      apprenticeship (HSLRA) participation (aOR: 3.95; 95% CI: 3.84-4.07) predicted a
      greater likelihood of CLRA participation. Of the 213,497 PMQ respondents in the
      study sample, 144,473 (67.7%) had applied to medical school and 87,368 (60.5% of
      144,473 medical-school applicants) had been accepted to medical school. Each of
      female gender (vs. male, aOR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.16-1.22), URM race/ethnicity (vs.
      white, aOR: 3.91; 95% CI: 3.75-4.08), HSLRA participation (aOR: 1.11; 95% CI:
      1.03-1.19), CLRA participation (aOR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.09-1.15), college summer
      academic enrichment program participation (aOR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.21-1.31), and
      higher MCAT score (per point increase, aOR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.30-1.31) predicted a
      greater likelihood of medical-school acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: About one-third of
      all PMQ respondents had participated in CLRAs prior to taking the MCAT, and such
      participation was one of the several variables identified that were independently
      associated with medical-school acceptance.

PMID- 26109084
TI  - Acantholytic squamous cell carcinoma of the lung showing significant signet ring
      cell component.

PMID- 26109083
TI  - Evaluating the accuracy of the XVI dual registration tool compared with manual
      soft tissue matching to localise tumour volumes for post-prostatectomy patients
      receiving radiotherapy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cone beam computerised tomography (CBCT) enables soft tissue
      visualisation to optimise matching in the post-prostatectomy setting, but is
      associated with inter-observer variability. This study assessed the accuracy and
      consistency of automated soft tissue localisation using XVI's dual registration
      tool (DRT). METHODS: Sixty CBCT images from ten post-prostatectomy patients were
      matched using: (i) the DRT and (ii) manual soft tissue registration by six
      radiation therapists (RTs). Shifts in the three Cartesian planes were recorded.
      The accuracy of the match was determined by comparing shifts to matches performed
      by two genitourinary radiation oncologists (ROs). A Bland-Altman method was used
      to assess the 95% levels of agreement (LoA). A clinical threshold of 3 mm was
      used to define equivalence between methods of matching. RESULTS: The 95% LoA
      between DRT-ROs in the superior/inferior, left/right and anterior/posterior
      directions were -2.21 to +3.18 mm, -0.77 to +0.84 mm, and -1.52 to +4.12 mm,
      respectively. The 95% LoA between RTs-ROs in the superior/inferior, left/right
      and anterior/posterior directions were -1.89 to +1.86 mm, -0.71 to +0.62 mm and 
      2.8 to +3.43 mm, respectively. Five DRT CBCT matches (8.33%) were outside the 3
      mm threshold, all in the setting of bladder underfilling or rectal gas. The mean
      time for manual matching was 82 versus 65 s for DRT. CONCLUSIONS: XVI's DRT is
      comparable with RTs manually matching soft tissue on CBCT. The DRT can minimise
      RT inter-observer variability; however, involuntary bladder and rectal filling
      can influence the tools accuracy, highlighting the need for RT evaluation of the
      DRT match.

PMID- 26109085
TI  - Improving stability of elastic stable intramedullary nailing in a transverse
      midshaft femur fracture model: biomechanical analysis of using end caps or a
      third nail.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) is accepted widely for
      treatment of diaphyseal femur fractures in children. However, complication rates
      of 10 to 50 % are described due to shortening or axial deviation, especially in
      older or heavier children. Biomechanical in vitro testing was performed to
      determine whether two modified osteosyntheses with end caps or a third nail could
      significantly improve the stability in comparison to classical elastic stable
      intramedullary nailing in a transverse femur fracture model. METHODS: We
      performed biomechanical testing in 24 synthetic adolescent femoral bone models
      (Sawbones(r)) with a transverse midshaft (diaphyseal) fracture. First, in all
      models, two nails were inserted in a C-shaped manner (2 * 3.5 mm steel nails,
      prebent), then eight osteosyntheses were modified by using end caps and another
      eight by adding a third nail from the antero-lateral (2.5-mm steel, not prebent).
      Testing was performed in four-point bending, torsion, and shifting under
      physiological 9 degrees  compression. RESULTS: The third nail from the lateral
      showed a significant positive influence on the stiffness in all four-point
      bendings as well as in internal rotation comparing to the classical 2C
      configuration: mean values were significantly higher anterior-posterior (1.04 vs.
      0.52 Nm/mm, p < 0.001), posterior-anterior (0.85 vs. 0.43 Nm/mm, p < 0.001),
      lateral-medial (1.26 vs. 0.70 Nm/mm, p < 0.001), and medial-lateral (1.16 vs.
      0.76 Nm/mm, p < 0.001) and during internal rotation (0.16 vs. 0.11 Nm/ degrees ,
      p < 0.001). The modification with end caps did not improve the stiffness in any
      direction. CONCLUSIONS: The configuration with a third nail provided a
      significantly higher stiffness than the classical 2C configuration as well as the
      modification with end caps in this biomechanical model. This supports the ongoing
      transfer of the additional third nail into clinical practice to reduce the axial
      deviation occurring in clinical practice.

PMID- 26109086
TI  - MicroRNA-150 deletion in mice protects kidney from myocardial infarction-induced
      acute kidney injury.
AB  - Despite greater understanding of acute kidney injury (AKI) in animal models, many
      of the preclinical studies are not translatable. Most of the data were derived
      from a bilateral renal pedicle clamping model with warm ischemia. However,
      ischemic injury of the kidney in humans is distinctly different and does not
      involve clamping of renal vessel. Permanent ligation of the left anterior
      descending coronary artery model was used to test the role of microRNA (miR)-150
      in AKI. Myocardial infarction in this model causes AKI which is similar to human
      cardiac bypass surgery. Moreover, the time course of serum creatinine and
      biomarker elevation were also similar to human ischemic injury. Deletion of miR
      150 suppressed AKI which was associated with suppression of inflammation and
      interstitial cell apoptosis. Immunofluorescence staining with endothelial marker
      and marker of apoptosis suggested that dying cells are mostly endothelial cells
      with minimal epithelial cell apoptosis in this model. Interestingly, deletion of
      miR-150 also suppressed interstitial fibrosis. Consistent with protection, miR
      150 deletion causes induction of its target gene insulin-like growth factor-1
      receptor (IGF-1R) and overexpression of miR-150 in endothelial cells
      downregulated IGF-1R, suggesting miR-150 may mediate its detrimental effects
      through suppression of IGF-1R pathways. 

PMID- 26109087
TI  - Deficient acid handling with distal RTA in the NBCe2 knockout mouse.
AB  - In many circumstances, the pathogenesis of distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA)
      is not understood. In the present study, we report that a mouse model lacking the
      electrogenic Na(+)-HCO3 (-) cotransporter [NBCe2/Slc4a5; NBCe2 knockout (KO)
      mice] developed dRTA after an oral acid challenge. NBCe2 expression was
      identified in the connecting tubule (CNT) of wild-type mice, and its expression
      was significantly increased after acid loading. NBCe2 KO mice did not have dRTA
      when on a standard mouse diet. However, after acid loading, NBCe2 KO mice
      exhibited complete features of dRTA, characterized by insufficient urinary
      acidification, hyperchloremic hypokalemic metabolic acidosis, and hypercalciuria.
      Additional experiments showed that NBCe2 KO mice had decreased luminal
      transepithelial potential in the CNT, as revealed by micropuncture. Further
      immunofluorescence and Western blot experiments found that NBCe2 KO mice had
      increased expression of H(+)-ATPase B1 in the plasma membrane. These results
      showed that NBCe2 KO mice with acid loading developed increased urinary K(+) and
      Ca(2+) wasting due to decreased luminal transepithelial potential in the CNT.
      NBCe2 KO mice compensated to maintain systemic pH by increasing H(+)-ATPase in
      the plasma membrane. Therefore, defects in NBCe2 can cause dRTA, and NBCe2 has an
      important role to regulate urinary acidification and the transport of K(+) and
      Ca(2+) in the distal nephron. 

PMID- 26109089
TI  - Cyclophosphamide-induced vasopressin-independent activation of aquaporin-2 in the
      rat kidney.
AB  - Because cyclophosphamide-induced hyponatremia was reported to occur without
      changes in plasma vasopressin in a patient with central diabetes insipidus, we
      hypothesized that cyclophosphamide or its active metabolite, 4
      hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC), may directly dysregulate the expression of
      water channels or sodium transporters in the kidney. To investigate whether
      intrarenal mechanisms for urinary concentration are activated in vivo and in
      vitro by treatment with cyclophosphamide and 4-HC, respectively, we used water
      loaded male Sprague-Dawley rats, primary cultured inner medullary collecting duct
      (IMCD) cells, and IMCD suspensions prepared from male Sprague-Dawley rats. In
      cyclophosphamide-treated rats, significant increases in renal expression of
      aquaporin-2 (AQP2) and Na-K-2Cl cotransporter type 2 (NKCC2) were shown by
      immunoblot analysis and immunohistochemistry. Apical translocation of AQP2 was
      also demonstrated by quantitative immunocytochemistry. In both rat kidney and
      primary cultured IMCD cells, significant increases in AQP2 and vasopressin
      receptor type 2 (V2R) mRNA expression were demonstrated by real-time quantitative
      PCR analysis. Confocal laser-scanning microscopy revealed that apical
      translocation of AQP2 was remarkably increased when primary cultured IMCD cells
      were treated with 4-HC in the absence of vasopressin stimulation. Moreover, AQP2
      upregulation and cAMP accumulation in response to 4-HC were significantly reduced
      by tolvaptan cotreatment in primary cultured IMCD cells and IMCD suspensions,
      respectively. We demonstrated that, in the rat kidney, cyclophosphamide may
      activate V2R and induce upregulation of AQP2 in the absence of vasopressin
      stimulation, suggesting the possibility of drug-induced nephrogenic syndrome of
      inappropriate antidiuresis (NSIAD). 

PMID- 26109088
TI  - Glomerulosclerosis in the diet-induced obesity model correlates with sensitivity
      to nitric oxide inhibition but not glomerular hyperfiltration or hypertrophy.
AB  - The diet-induced obesity (DIO) model is frequently used to examine the
      pathogenesis of obesity-related pathologies; however, only minimal
      glomerulosclerosis (GS) has been reported after 3 mo. We investigated if GS
      develops over longer periods of DIO and examined the potential role of
      hemodynamic mechanisms in its pathogenesis. Eight-week-old male obesity-prone
      (OP) and obesity-resistant (OR) rats (Charles River) were administered a
      moderately high-fat diet for 5 mo. Radiotelemetrically measured blood pressure,
      proteinuria, and GS were assessed. OP (n=10) rats developed modest hypertension
      (142+/-3 vs. 128+/-2 mmHg, P<0.05) and substantial levels of proteinuria (63+/-12
      vs. 12+/-1 mg/day, P<0.05) and GS (7.7+/-1.4% vs. 0.4+/-0.2%) compared with OR
      rats (n=8). Potential hemodynamic mechanisms of renal injury were assessed in
      additional groups of OP and OR rats fed a moderately high-fat diet for 3 mo.
      Kidney weight (4.3+/-0.2 vs. 4.3+/-0.1 g), glomerular filtration rate (3.3+/-0.3
      vs. 3.1+/-0.1 ml/min), and glomerular volume (1.9+/-0.1 vs. 2.0+/-0.1 MUm3*10(
      6)) were similar between OP (n=6) and OR (n=9) rats. Renal blood flow
      autoregulation was preserved in both OP (n=7) and OR (n=7) rats. In contrast,
      Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) administration in conscious,
      chronically instrumented OP (n=11) rats resulted in 15% and 39% increases in
      blood pressure and renal vascular resistance, respectively, and a 16% decrease in
      renal blood flow. Minimal effects of L-NAME were seen in OR (n=9) rats. In
      summary, DIO-associated GS is preceded by an increased hemodynamic sensitivity to
      L-NAME but not renal hypertrophy or hyperfiltration.

PMID- 26109090
TI  - Parameter estimation for mathematical models of a nongastric H+(Na+)-K(+)(NH4+)
      ATPase.
AB  - The role of nongastric H(+)-K(+)-ATPase (HKA) in ion homeostasis of macula densa
      (MD) cells is an open question. To begin to explore this issue, we developed two
      mathematical models that describe ion fluxes through a nongastric HKA. One model
      assumes a 1H(+):1K(+)-per-ATP stoichiometry; the other assumes a 2H(+):2K(+)-per
      ATP stoichiometry. Both models include Na+ and NH4+ competitive binding with H+
      and K+, respectively, a characteristic observed in vitro and in situ. Model rate
      constants were obtained by minimizing the distance between model and experimental
      outcomes. Both 1H(+)(1Na(+)):1K(+)(1NH4 (+))-per-ATP and 2H(+)(2Na(+)):2K(+)(2NH4
      (+))-per-ATP models fit the experimental data well. Using both models, we
      simulated ion net fluxes as a function of cytosolic or luminal ion concentrations
      typical for the cortical thick ascending limb and MD region. We observed that (1)
      K+ and NH4+ flowed in the lumen-to-cytosol direction, (2) there was competitive
      behavior between luminal K+ and NH4+ and between cytosolic Na+ and H+, 3) ion
      fluxes were highly sensitive to changes in cytosolic Na+ or H+ concentrations,
      and 4) the transporter does mostly Na+ / K+ exchange under physiological
      conditions. These results support the concept that nongastric HKA may contribute
      to Na+ and pH homeostasis in MD cells. Furthermore, in both models, H+ flux
      reversed at a luminal pH that was <5.6. Such reversal led to Na+ / H+ exchange
      for a luminal pH of <2 and 4 in the 1:1-per-ATP and 2:2-per-ATP models,
      respectively. This suggests a novel role of nongastric HKA in cell Na+
      homeostasis in the more acidic regions of the renal tubules.

PMID- 26109091
TI  - Ketamine-induced ulcerative cystitis and bladder apoptosis involve oxidative
      stress mediated by mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum.
AB  - Ketamine abusers develop severe lower urinary tract symptoms. The major aims of
      the present study were to elucidate ketamine-induced ulcerative cystitis and
      bladder apoptosis in association with oxidative stress mediated by mitochondria
      and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Sprague-Dawley rats were distributed into
      three different groups, which received normal saline or ketamine for a period of
      14 or 28 days, respectively. Double-labeled immunofluorescence experiments were
      performed to investigate tight junction proteins for urothelial barrier
      functions. A TUNEL assay was performed to evaluate the distribution of apoptotic
      cells. Western blot analysis was carried out to examine the expressions of
      urothelial tight junction proteins, ER stress markers, and apoptosis-associated
      proteins. Antioxidant enzymes, including SOD and catalase, were investigated by
      real-time PCR and immunofluorescence experiments. Ketamine-treated rats were
      found to display bladder hyperactivity. This bladder dysfunction was accompanied
      by disruptions of epithelial cadherin- and tight junction-associated proteins as
      well as increases in the expressions of apoptosis-associated proteins, which
      displayed features of mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signals and ER stress
      markers. Meanwhile, expressions of mitochondria respiratory subunit enzymes were
      significantly increased in ketamine-treated bladders. Conversely, mRNA
      expressions of the antioxidant enzymes Mn-SOD (SOD2), Cu/Zn-SOD (SOD1), and
      catalase were decreased after 28 days of ketamine treatment. These results
      demonstrate that ketamine enhanced the generation of oxidative stress mediated by
      mitochondria- and ER-dependent pathways and consequently contributed to bladder
      apoptosis and urothelial lining defects. Such oxidative stress-enhanced bladder
      cell apoptosis and urothelial barrier defects are potential factors that may play
      a crucial role in bladder overactivity and ulceration. 

PMID- 26109092
TI  - A girl with incomplete Prader-Willi syndrome and negative MS-PCR, found to have
      mosaic maternal UPD-15 at SNP array.
AB  - The Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is caused by lack of expression of paternal
      allele of the 15q11.2-q13 region, due to deletions at paternal 15q11.2-q13
      (<70%), maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 15 (mat-UPD 15) (30%) or
      imprinting defects (1%). Hyperphagia, intellectual disabilities/behavioral
      disorders, neonatal hypotonia, and hypogonadism are cardinal features for PWS.
      Methylation sensitive PCR (MS-PCR) of the SNRPN locus, which assesses the
      presence of both the unmethylated (paternal) and the methylated (maternal) allele
      of 15q11.2-q13, is considered a sensitive reference technique for PWS diagnosis
      regardless of genetic subtype. We describe a 17-year-old girl with severe
      obesity, short stature, and intellectual disability, without hypogonadism and
      history of neonatal hypotonia, who was suspected to have an incomplete PWS. The
      MS-PCR showed a normal pattern with similar maternal and paternal electrophoretic
      bands. Afterwards, a SNP array showed the presence of iso-UPD 15, that is, UPD15
      with two copies of the same chromosome 15, in about 50% of cells, suggesting a
      diagnosis of partial PWS due to mosaic maternal iso-UPD15 arisen as rescue of a
      post-fertilization error. A quantitative methylation analysis confirmed the
      presence of mosaic UPD15 in about 50% of cells. We propose that complete clinical
      criteria for PWS and MS-PCR should not be considered sensitive in suspecting and
      diagnosing partial PWS due to mosaic UPD15. In contrast, clinical suspicion based
      on less restrictive criteria followed by SNP array is a more powerful approach to
      diagnose atypical PWS due to UPD15 mosaicism.

PMID- 26109093
TI  - Tobacco seeds as efficient production platform for a biologically active anti
      HBsAg monoclonal antibody.
AB  - The use of plants as heterologous hosts is one of the most promising technologies
      for manufacturing valuable recombinant proteins. Plant seeds, in particular,
      constitute ideal production platforms for long-term applications requiring a
      steady supply of starting material, as they combine the general advantages of
      plants as bioreactors with the possibility of biomass storage for long periods in
      a relatively small volume, thus allowing manufacturers to decouple upstream and
      downstream processing. In the present work we have used transgenic tobacco seeds
      to produce large amounts of a functionally active mouse monoclonal antibody
      against the Hepatitis B Virus surface antigen, fused to a KDEL endoplasmic
      reticulum retrieval motif, under control of regulatory sequences from common bean
      (Phaseolus vulgaris) seed storage proteins. The antibody accumulated to levels of
      6.5 mg/g of seed in the T3 generation, and was purified by Protein A affinity
      chromatography combined with SEC-HPLC. N-glycan analysis indicated that, despite
      the KDEL signal, the seed-derived plantibody bore both high-mannose and complex
      type sugars that indicate partial passage through the Golgi compartment, although
      its performance in the immunoaffinity purification of HBsAg was unaffected. An
      analysis discussing the industrial feasibility of replacing the currently used
      tobacco leaf-derived plantibody with this seed-derived variant is also presented.

PMID- 26109094
TI  - Fluorescence imaging preparation methods for tissue scaffolds implanted into a
      green fluorescent protein porcine model.
AB  - Green fluorescent protein (GFP) animal models have become increasingly popular
      due to their potential to enhance in vivo imaging and their application to many
      fields of study. We have developed a technique to observe host tissue integration
      into scaffolds using GFP expressing swine and fluorescence imaging. Current
      fluorescence imaging preparation methods cannot be translated to a full GFP
      animal model due to several challenges and limitations that are investigated
      here. We have implanted tissue scaffolds into GFP expressing swine and have
      prepared explanted scaffolds for fluorescence imaging using four different
      methods including formalin fixation and paraffin embedding, vapor fixation,
      freshly prepared paraformaldehyde fixation, and fresh frozen tissue. Explanted
      scaffolds and tissue were imaged using confocal microscopy with spectral
      separation to evaluate the GFP animal model for visualization of host tissue
      integration into explanted scaffolds. All methods except fresh frozen tissue
      induced autofluorescence of the scaffold, preventing visualization of detail
      between host tissue and scaffold fibers. Fresh frozen tissue preparation allowed
      for the most reliable visualization of fluorescent host tissue integration into
      non-fluorescent scaffolds. It was concluded that fresh frozen tissue preparation
      is the best method for fluorescence imaging preparation when using scaffolds
      implanted into GFP whole animal models. 

PMID- 26109095
TI  - The effect of sulfate on selenate bioaccumulation in two freshwater primary
      producers: A duckweed (Lemna minor) and a green alga (Pseudokirchneriella
      subcapitata).
AB  - Predicting selenium bioaccumulation is complicated because site-specific
      conditions, including the ionic composition of water, affect the bioconcentration
      of inorganic selenium into the food web. Selenium tissue concentrations were
      measured in Lemna minor and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata following exposure to
      selenate and sulfate. Selenium accumulation differed between species, and sulfate
      reduced selenium uptake in both species, indicating that ionic constituents, in
      particular sulfate, are important in modifying selenium uptake by primary
      producers.

PMID- 26109096
TI  - Review of select causes of drug-induced AKI.

PMID- 26109097
TI  - Pharmacological treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: assessing
      outcomes.
AB  - A substantial body of evidence has supported the efficacy and safety of
      pharmacological treatment available for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
      (ADHD). There is increasing agreement that the important treatment outcomes for
      ADHD extend beyond improvement in core symptoms and that a more generic (or
      global) concept of remission is the overarching goal of treatment. However, there
      is no consensus on the best definition of remission or on how best to
      conceptualize and measure broader treatment outcomes. In this article, we provide
      an overview of the various methods and approaches to measuring treatment outcomes
      for ADHD with respect to symptoms, impairment, quality of life, adverse events
      and safety as well as cognition. We will describe the ways that they may be used
      within routine clinical practice and think ahead about the kinds of studies that
      are required to move the field forward. 

PMID- 26109098
TI  - Long-acting muscarinic antagonists.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of death and
      disability worldwide. Inhaled bronchodilators are the mainstay of COPD
      pharmacological treatment. Long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs) are a major
      class of inhaled bronchodilators. Some LAMA/device systems with different
      characteristics and dosing schedules are currently approved for maintenance
      therapy of COPD and a range of other products are being developed. They improve
      lung function and patient-reported outcomes and reduce acute bronchial
      exacerbations with good safety. LAMAs are used either alone or associated with
      long-acting beta2-agonists, eventually in fixed dose combinations. Long-acting
      beta2-agonist/LAMA combinations assure additional benefits over the individual
      components alone. The reader will obtain a view of the safety and efficacy of the
      different LAMA/device systems in COPD patients.

PMID- 26109100
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 26109099
TI  - Mevalonate Pathway Antagonist Suppresses Formation of Serous Tubal
      Intraepithelial Carcinoma and Ovarian Carcinoma in Mouse Models.
AB  - PURPOSE: Statins are among the most frequently prescribed drugs because of their
      efficacy and low toxicity in treating hypercholesterolemia. Recently, statins
      have been reported to inhibit the proliferative activity of cancer cells,
      especially those with TP53 mutations. Because TP53 mutations occur in almost all
      ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), we determined whether statins
      suppressed tumor growth in animal models of ovarian cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
      Two ovarian cancer mouse models were used. The first one was a genetically
      engineered model, mogp-TAg, in which the promoter of oviduct glycoprotein-1 was
      used to drive the expression of SV40 T-antigen in gynecologic tissues. These mice
      spontaneously developed serous tubal intraepithelial carcinomas (STICs), which
      are known as ovarian cancer precursor lesions. The second model was a xenograft
      tumor model in which human ovarian cancer cells were inoculated into
      immunocompromised mice. Mice in both models were treated with lovastatin, and
      effects on tumor growth were monitored. The molecular mechanisms underlying the
      antitumor effects of lovastatin were also investigated. RESULTS: Lovastatin
      significantly reduced the development of STICs in mogp-TAg mice and inhibited
      ovarian tumor growth in the mouse xenograft model. Knockdown of prenylation
      enzymes in the mevalonate pathway recapitulated the lovastatin-induced
      antiproliferative phenotype. Transcriptome analysis indicated that lovastatin
      affected the expression of genes associated with DNA replication, Rho/PLC
      signaling, glycolysis, and cholesterol biosynthesis pathways, suggesting that
      statins have pleiotropic effects on tumor cells. CONCLUSIONS: The above results
      suggest that repurposing statin drugs for ovarian cancer may provide a promising
      strategy to prevent and manage this devastating disease.

PMID- 26109101
TI  - Developing predictive assays: the phenotypic screening "rule of 3".
AB  - Phenotypic drug discovery approaches can positively affect the translation of
      preclinical findings to patients. However, not all phenotypic assays are created
      equal. A critical question then follows: What are the characteristics of the
      optimal assays? We analyze this question and propose three specific criteria
      related to the disease relevance of the assay-system, stimulus, and end point-to
      help design the most predictive phenotypic assays. 

PMID- 26109102
TI  - Epigenetic therapy overcomes treatment resistance in T cell prolymphocytic
      leukemia.
AB  - T cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is a rare, mature T cell neoplasm with
      distinct features and an aggressive clinical course. Early relapse and short
      overall survival are commonplace. Use of the monoclonal anti-CD52 antibody
      alemtuzumab has improved the rate of complete remission and duration of response
      to more than 50% and between 6 and 12 months, respectively. Despite this advance,
      without an allogeneic transplant, resistant relapse is inevitable. We report
      seven complete and one partial remission in eight patients receiving alemtuzumab
      and cladribine with or without a histone deacetylase inhibitor. These data show
      that administration of epigenetic agents can overcome alemtuzumab resistance. We
      also report epigenetically induced expression of the surface receptor protein
      CD30 in T-PLL. Subsequent treatment with the anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate
      brentuximab vedotin overcame organ-specific (skin) resistance to alemtuzumab. Our
      findings demonstrate activity of combination epigenetic and immunotherapy in the
      incurable illness T-PLL, particularly in the setting of previous alemtuzumab
      therapy. 

PMID- 26109103
TI  - Vitamin B12 modulates the transcriptome of the skin microbiota in acne
      pathogenesis.
AB  - Various diseases have been linked to the human microbiota, but the underlying
      molecular mechanisms of the microbiota in disease pathogenesis are often poorly
      understood. Using acne as a disease model, we aimed to understand the molecular
      response of the skin microbiota to host metabolite signaling in disease
      pathogenesis. Metatranscriptomic analysis revealed that the transcriptional
      profiles of the skin microbiota separated acne patients from healthy individuals.
      The vitamin B12 biosynthesis pathway in the skin bacterium Propionibacterium
      acnes was significantly down-regulated in acne patients. We hypothesized that
      host vitamin B12 modulates the activities of the skin microbiota and contributes
      to acne pathogenesis. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the skin microbiota in
      healthy subjects supplemented with vitamin B12. We found that the supplementation
      repressed the expression of vitamin B12 biosynthesis genes in P. acnes and
      altered the transcriptome of the skin microbiota. One of the 10 subjects studied
      developed acne 1 week after vitamin B12 supplementation. To further understand
      the molecular mechanism, we revealed that vitamin B12 supplementation in P. acnes
      cultures promoted the production of porphyrins, which have been shown to induce
      inflammation in acne. Our findings suggest a new bacterial pathogenesis pathway
      in acne and provide one molecular explanation for the long-standing clinical
      observation that vitamin B12 supplementation leads to acne development in a
      subset of individuals. Our study discovered that vitamin B12, an essential
      nutrient in humans, modulates the transcriptional activities of skin bacteria,
      and provided evidence that metabolite-mediated interactions between the host and
      the skin microbiota play essential roles in disease development. 

PMID- 26109105
TI  - Sensitivity, Specificity, PPV, and NPV for Predictive Biomarkers.
AB  - Molecularly targeted cancer drugs are often developed with companion diagnostics
      that attempt to identify which patients will have better outcome on the new drug
      than the control regimen. Such predictive biomarkers are playing an increasingly
      important role in precision oncology. For diagnostic tests, sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive are usually used
      as performance measures. This paper discusses these indices for predictive
      biomarkers, provides methods for their calculation with survival or response
      endpoints, and describes assumptions involved in their use. 

PMID- 26109104
TI  - Detection of somatic mutations and HPV in the saliva and plasma of patients with
      head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
AB  - To explore the potential of tumor-specific DNA as a biomarker for head and neck
      squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), we queried DNA from saliva or plasma of 93
      HNSCC patients. We searched for somatic mutations or human papillomavirus genes,
      collectively referred to as tumor DNA. When both plasma and saliva were tested,
      tumor DNA was detected in 96% of 47 patients. The fractions of patients with
      detectable tumor DNA in early- and late-stage disease were 100% (n = 10) and 95%
      (n = 37), respectively. When segregated by site, tumor DNA was detected in 100%
      (n = 15), 91% (n = 22), 100% (n = 7), and 100% (n = 3) of patients with tumors of
      the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx, respectively. In saliva,
      tumor DNA was found in 100% of patients with oral cavity cancers and in 47 to 70%
      of patients with cancers of the other sites. In plasma, tumor DNA was found in
      80% of patients with oral cavity cancers, and in 86 to 100% of patients with
      cancers of the other sites. Thus, saliva is preferentially enriched for tumor DNA
      from the oral cavity, whereas plasma is preferentially enriched for tumor DNA
      from the other sites. Tumor DNA in saliva was found postsurgically in three
      patients before clinical diagnosis of recurrence, but in none of the five
      patients without recurrence. Tumor DNA in the saliva and plasma appears to be a
      potentially valuable biomarker for detection of HNSCC. 

PMID- 26109106
TI  - The Fundamental Difficulty With Evaluating the Accuracy of Biomarkers for Guiding
      Treatment.
AB  - Developing biomarkers that can predict whether patients are likely to benefit
      from an intervention is a pressing objective in many areas of medicine. Recent
      guidance documents have recommended that the accuracy of predictive biomarkers,
      ie, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values, should
      be assessed. We clarify the meanings of these entities for predictive markers and
      demonstrate that generally they cannot be estimated from data without making
      strong untestable assumptions. Language suggesting that predictive biomarkers can
      identify patients who benefit from an intervention is also widespread. We show
      that in general one cannot estimate the chance that a patient will benefit from
      treatment. We recommend instead that predictive biomarkers be evaluated with
      respect to their ability to predict clinical outcomes among patients treated and
      among patients receiving standard of care, and the population impact of treatment
      rules based on those predictions. Ideally these entities are estimated from a
      randomized trial comparing the experimental intervention with standard of care. 

PMID- 26109107
TI  - On the quantitative assessment of predictive biomarkers.

PMID- 26109108
TI  - Near-normoglycaemia and development of neuropathy: a 24-year prospective study
      from diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Complete prevention of diabetic neuropathies has not been previously
      demonstrated. We sought to determine whether long-term near-normoglycaemia
      maintained from the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes is associated with
      polyneuropathy and cardiac autonomic dysfunction. DESIGN: Prospective
      observational study over 24 years. SETTING: Ambulatory care. PARTICIPANTS: 32
      newly diagnosed patients with type 1 diabetes aged 20.3 +/- 1.0 years, duration
      of diabetes 2.7 +/- 0.3 weeks. INTERVENTION: Insulin therapy according to
      standards of care. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Motor and sensory
      nerve conduction velocity (MNCV and SNCV), heart rate variability (HRV), and
      confirmed clinical polyneuropathy measured at 15 time points over 24 years and
      quantitative sensory testing (QST) determined over 20-22 years. RESULTS: 11
      patients were well controlled over 24 years with mean glycated haemoglobin
      (HbA1c) <7.0% (6.5 +/- 0.1%; group 1), whereas 21 patients were poorly controlled
      (mean HbA1c >= 7.0%: 8.3 +/- 0.2%; group 2). After 24 years, MNCV was faster in
      group 1 versus group 2 in the median (55.5 +/- 1.6 vs 48.9 +/- 1.6 m/s), ulnar
      (56.5 +/- 1.5 vs 49.3 +/- 1.7 m/s) and peroneal nerve (44.7 +/- 1.6 vs 36.8 +/-
      2.5 m/s), while SNCV was faster in the median (53.6 +/- 1.6 vs 45.5 +/- 2.8 m/s),
      ulnar (54.7 +/- 1.8 vs 43.0 +/- 3.9 m/s), and sural nerve (44.5 +/- 1.8 vs 35.5
      +/- 2.6 m/s; all p<0.05). The annual decline in peroneal MNCV and sural SNCV in
      group 1 was sixfold and threefold faster in group 2 than in group 1,
      respectively. Likewise, impairment in QST and HRV developed at faster rates in
      group 2. After 24 years, 64% of patients in group 2, but none in group 1,
      developed confirmed clinical polyneuropathy. CONCLUSIONS: Near-normoglycaemia
      maintained from the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes over 24 years was associated
      with a complete prevention of the decline in hyperglycaemia-related peripheral
      and autonomic nerve function, and development of confirmed clinical
      polyneuropathy.

PMID- 26109109
TI  - Traumatic episodes and mental health effects in young men and women in Rwanda, 17
      years after the genocide.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate mental health effects associated with exposure to
      trauma in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide period, and over the lifetime, in
      Rwandan men and women aged 20-35 years. SETTING: This was a cross-sectional
      population-based study conducted in the southern province of Rwanda. Data was
      collected during December 2011 to January 2012. PARTICIPANTS: A total population
      of 917 individuals were included, 440 (48%) men and 477 (52%) women aged 20-35
      years. Number of households for inclusion in each village was selected
      proportional to the total number of households in each selected village. The
      response rate was 99.8%. Face-to-face interviewing was done by experienced and
      trained clinical psychologists, following a structured questionnaire. RESULTS:
      Women were slightly less exposed during the genocide period (women 35.4% and men
      37.5%; p=0.537), but more women than men were exposed to traumatic episodes over
      their lifetime (women 83.6%, n=399; men 73.4%, n=323; p<0.001). Current major
      depressive episodes (MDE) were twice as prevalent in women as in men. Traumatic
      episodes experienced in the genocide period severely affected men's current
      mental health status with relative risk (RR) 3.02 (95% CI 1.59 to 5.37) for MDE
      past and with RR 2.15 (95% CI 1.21 to 3.64) for suicidality. Women's mental
      health was also affected by trauma experienced in the genocide period but to an
      even higher extent, by similar trauma experienced in the lifetime with RR 1.91
      (95% CI 1.03 to 3.22) for suicidality and RR 1.90 (95% CI 1.34 to 2.42) for
      generalised anxiety disorder, taking spousal physical/sexual violence into
      consideration. CONCLUSIONS: Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety
      and suicidal attempts are prevalent in Rwanda, with rates twice as high in women
      compared with men. For women, exposure to physical and sexual abuse was
      independently associated with all these disorders. Early detection of gender
      based violence through homes and community interventions is important.

PMID- 26109110
TI  - Retention in care prior to antiretroviral treatment eligibility in sub-Saharan
      Africa: a systematic review of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed at summarising rates and factors associated with retention in
      HIV care prior to antiretroviral treatment (ART) eligibility in sub-Saharan
      Africa. DESIGN: We conducted a systematic literature review (2002-2014). We
      searched Medline/Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science, as well as proceedings of
      conferences. We included all original research studies published in peer-reviewed
      journals, which used quantitative indicators of retention in care prior to ART
      eligibility. PARTICIPANTS: People not yet eligible for ART. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
      OUTCOMES: Rate of retention in HIV care prior to ART eligibility and associated
      factors. RESULTS: 10 papers and 2 abstracts were included. Most studies were
      conducted in Southern and Eastern Africa between 2004 and 2011 and reported
      retention rates in pre-ART care up to the second CD4 measurement. Definition of
      retention in HIV care prior to ART eligibility differed substantially across
      studies. Retention rates ranged between 23% and 88% based on series ranging from
      112 to 10,314 individuals; retention was higher in women, individuals aged >25
      years, those with low CD4 count, high body mass index or co-infected with
      tuberculosis, and in settings with free cotrimoxazole use. CONCLUSIONS: Retention
      in HIV care prior to ART eligibility in sub-Saharan Africa has been
      insufficiently described so far leaving major research gaps, especially regarding
      long-term retention rates and sociodemographic, economic, clinical and
      programmatic logistic determinants. The prospective follow-up of newly diagnosed
      individuals is required to better evaluate attrition prior to ART eligibility
      among HIV-infected people.

PMID- 26109111
TI  - CAFE: a multicomponent audit and feedback intervention to improve implementation
      of healthy food policy in primary school canteens: protocol of a randomised
      controlled trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A number of jurisdictions internationally have policies requiring
      schools to implement healthy canteens. However, many schools have not implemented
      such policies. One reason for this is that current support interventions cannot
      feasibly be delivered to large numbers of schools. A promising solution to
      support population-wide implementation of healthy canteen practices is audit and
      feedback. The effectiveness of this strategy has, however, not previously been
      assessed in school canteens. This study aims to assess the effectiveness and cost
      effectiveness of an audit and feedback intervention, delivered by telephone and
      email, in increasing the number of school canteens that have menus complying with
      a government healthy-canteen policy. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Seventy-two schools,
      across the Hunter New England Local Health District in New South Wales Australia,
      will be randomised to receive the multicomponent audit and feedback
      implementation intervention or usual support. The intervention will consist of
      between two and four canteen menu audits over 12 months. Each menu audit will be
      followed by two modes of feedback: a written feedback report and a verbal
      feedback/support via telephone. Primary outcomes, assessed by dieticians blind to
      group status and as recommended by the Fresh Tastes @ School policy, are: (1) the
      proportion of schools with a canteen menu containing foods or beverages
      restricted for sale, and; (2) the proportion of schools that have a menu which
      contains more than 50% of foods classified as healthy canteen items. Secondary
      outcomes are: the proportion of menu items in each category ('red', 'amber' and
      'green'), canteen profitability and cost-effectiveness. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:
      Ethical approval has been obtained by from the Hunter New England Human Research
      Ethics Committee and the University of Newcastle Human Research Ethics Committee.
      The findings will be disseminated in usual forums, including peer-reviewed
      publication and conference presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:
      ACTRN12613000543785.

PMID- 26109112
TI  - Effectiveness, safety and costs of orphan drugs: an evidence-based review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Several orphan drugs have been approved by the European Medicines
      Agency (EMA) over the past two decades. However, the drugs are expensive, and in
      some instances, the evidence for effectiveness is not convincing at the time of
      regulatory approval. Our objective was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of
      orphan drugs that have been granted marketing licenses in Europe, determine the
      annual costs of each drug, compare the costs of branded orphan drugs against
      their generic equivalents, and explore any relationships between orphan drug
      disease prevalence and annual costs. METHODS: We searched the EMA database to
      identify orphan drugs granted marketing authorisation up to April 2014.
      Electronic searches were also conducted in PubMed, EMBASE and Google Scholar, to
      assess data on effectiveness, safety and annual costs. 2 reviewers independently
      evaluated the levels and quality of evidence, and extracted data. RESULTS: We
      identified 74 orphan drugs, with 54 (73%) demonstrating moderate quality of
      evidence. 85% showed significant clinical effects, but serious adverse events
      were reported in 86.5%. Their annual costs were between L726 and L378,000. There
      was a significant inverse relationship between disease prevalence and annual
      costs (p = 0.01); this was largely due to the influence of the ultra-orphan
      diseases. We could not determine whether the balance between effectiveness and
      safety influenced annual costs. For 10 drugs where generic alternatives were
      available, the branded drugs were 1.4 to 82,000 times more expensive.
      CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence suggests that there is inconsistency in the
      quality of evidence of approved orphan drugs, and there is no clear mechanism for
      determining their prices. In some cases, far cheaper generic agents appear to be
      available. A more robust, transparent and standard mechanism for determining
      annual costs is imperative.

PMID- 26109113
TI  - Flare frequency, healthcare resource utilisation and costs among patients with
      gout in a managed care setting: a retrospective medical claims-based analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: For most gout patients, excruciatingly painful gout attacks are the
      major clinical burden of the disease. The goal of this study was to assess the
      association of frequent gout flares with healthcare burden, and to quantify how
      much lower gout-related costs and resource use are for those with infrequent
      flares compared to frequent gout flares. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.
      SETTING: Administrative claims data from a large US health plan. PARTICIPANTS:
      Patients aged 18 years or above, and with evidence of gout based on medical and
      pharmacy claims between January 2009 and April 2012 were eligible for inclusion.
      Patient characteristics were assessed during a 12-month baseline period. OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Frequency of gout flares, healthcare costs and resource utilisation
      were assessed in the 12 months following the first qualifying gout claim.
      Generalised linear models were employed to assess the impact of flare frequency
      on cost outcomes after adjusting for covariates. RESULTS: 102,703 patients with
      gout met study inclusion criteria; 89,201 had 0-1 gout flares, 9714 had 2 flares,
      and 3788 had 3+ flares. Average counts of gout-related inpatient stays, emergency
      room visits and ambulatory visits were higher among patients with 2 or 3+ flares,
      compared to those with 0-1 flares (all p<0.001). Adjusted annual gout-related
      costs were $1804, $3014 and $4363 in those with 0-1, 2 and 3+ gout flares,
      respectively (p<0.001 comparing 0-1 flares to 2 or 3+ flares). CONCLUSIONS: Gout
      related costs and resource use were lower for those with infrequent flares,
      suggesting significant cost benefit to a gout management plan that has a goal of
      reducing flare frequency.

PMID- 26109114
TI  - Enduring health effects of asbestos use in Belgian industries: a record-linked
      cohort study of cause-specific mortality (2001-2009).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate cause-specific mortality among asbestos workers and
      potentially exposed workers in Belgium and evaluate potential excess in mortality
      due to established and suspected asbestos-related diseases. DESIGN: This cohort
      study is based on an individual record linkage between the 1991 Belgian census
      and cause-specific mortality information for Flanders and Brussels (2001-2009).
      SETTING: Belgium (Flanders and Brussels region). PARTICIPANTS: The study
      population consists of 1,397,699 male workers (18-65,years) with 72,074 deaths
      between 1 October 2001 and 31 December 2009. Using a classification of high-risk
      industries, mortality patterns between 2056 asbestos workers, 385,046 potentially
      exposed workers and the working population have been compared. OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% CIs are calculated for manual and
      non-manual workers. RESULTS: Our findings show clear excess in asbestos-related
      mortality in the asbestos industry with SMRs for mesothelioma of 4071 (CI 2327 to
      6611) among manual workers and of 4489 (CI 1458 to 10,476) among non-manual
      workers. Excess risks in asbestos-related mortality are also found in the
      chemical industry, the construction industry, the electrical generation and
      distribution industry, the basic metals manufacturing industry, the metal
      products manufacturing industry, the railroad industry, and the shipping
      industry. Oral cancer mortality is significantly higher for asbestos workers (SMR
      383; CI 124 to 894), railroad workers (SMR 192; CI 112 to 308), shipping workers
      (SMR 172; CI 102 to 271) and construction workers (SMR 125; CI 100 to 153),
      indicating a possible association with occupational asbestos exposure. Workers in
      all four industries have elevated mortality rates for cancer of the mouth. Only
      construction workers experience significantly higher pharyngeal cancer mortality
      (SMR 151; CI 104 to 212). CONCLUSIONS: The study identifies vulnerable groups of
      Belgian asbestos workers, demonstrating the current-day health repercussions of
      historical asbestos use. Results support the hypothesis of a possible association
      between the development of oral cancer and occupational asbestos exposure.

PMID- 26109115
TI  - Video decision aids to assist with advance care planning: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Advance care planning (ACP) can result in end-of-life care that is
      more congruent with patients' values and preferences. There is increasing
      interest in video decision aids to assist with ACP. The objective of this study
      was to evaluate the impact of video decision aids on patients' preferences
      regarding life-sustaining treatments (primary outcome). DESIGN: Systematic review
      and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE,
      PsycInfo, CINAHL, AMED and CENTRAL, between 1980 and February 2014, and
      correspondence with authors. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES:
      Randomised controlled trials of adult patients that compared a video decision aid
      to a non-video-based intervention to assist with choices about use of life
      sustaining treatments and reported at least one ACP-related outcome. DATA
      EXTRACTION: Reviewers worked independently and in pairs to screen potentially
      eligible articles, and to extract data regarding risk of bias, population,
      intervention, comparator and outcomes. Reviewers assessed quality of evidence
      (confidence in effect estimates) for each outcome using the Grading of
      Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework. RESULTS: 10
      trials enrolling 2220 patients were included. Low-quality evidence suggests that
      patients who use a video decision aid are less likely to indicate a preference
      for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (pooled risk ratio, 0.50 (95% CI 0.27 to 0.95);
      I(2)=65%). Moderate-quality evidence suggests that video decision aids result in
      greater knowledge related to ACP (standardised mean difference, 0.58 (95% CI 0.38
      to 0.77); I(2)=0%). No study reported on the congruence of end-of-life treatments
      with patients' wishes. No study evaluated the effect of video decision aids when
      integrated into clinical care. CONCLUSIONS: Video decision aids may improve some
      ACP-related outcomes. Before recommending their use in clinical practice, more
      evidence is needed to confirm these findings and to evaluate the impact of video
      decision aids when integrated into patient care.

PMID- 26109116
TI  - Exposure to traffic and lung function in adults: a general population cohort
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between living near dense traffic and
      lung function in a cohort of adults from a single urban region. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional results from a cohort study. SETTING: The adult-onset asthma and
      exhaled nitric oxide (ADONIX) cohort, sampled during 2001-2008 in Gothenburg,
      Sweden. Exposure was expressed as the distance from participants' residential
      address to the nearest road with dense traffic (>10,000 vehicles per day) or very
      dense traffic (>30,000 vehicles per day). The exposure categories were: low (>500
      m; reference), medium (75-500 m) or high (<75 m). PARTICIPANTS: The source
      population was a population-based cohort of adults (n=6153). The study population
      included 5441 participants of European descent with good quality spirometry and
      information about all outcomes and covariates. OUTCOME MEASURES: Forced vital
      capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) were measured at a
      clinical examination. The association with exposure was examined using linear
      regression adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, smoking status and
      education in all participants and stratified by sex, smoking status and
      respiratory health status. RESULTS: We identified a significant dose-response
      trend between exposure category and FEV1 (p=0.03) and borderline significant
      trend for FVC (p=0.06) after adjusting for covariates. High exposure was
      associated with lower FEV1 (-1.0%, 95% CI -2.5% to 0.5%) and lower FVC (-0.9%,
      95% CI -2.2% to 0.4%). The effect appeared to be stronger in women. In highly
      exposed individuals with current asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
      FVC was lower (-4.5%, 95% CI -8.8% to -0.1%). CONCLUSIONS: High traffic exposure
      at the residential address was associated with lower than predicted FEV1 and FVC
      lung function compared with living further away in a large general population
      cohort. There were particular effects on women and individuals with obstructive
      disease.

PMID- 26109117
TI  - Randomised controlled trial of topical kanuka honey for the treatment of rosacea.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of topical 90% medical-grade kanuka honey
      and 10% glycerine (Honevo) as a treatment for rosacea. DESIGN: Randomised
      controlled trial with blinded assessment of primary outcome variable. SETTING:
      Outpatient primary healthcare population from 5 New Zealand sites. PARTICIPANTS:
      138 adults aged >= 16, with a diagnosis of rosacea, and a baseline blinded
      Investigator Global Assessment of Rosacea Severity Score (IGA-RSS) of >= 2. 69
      participants were randomised to each treatment arm. 1 participant was excluded
      from the Honevo group, and 7 and 15 participants withdrew from the Honevo and
      control groups, respectively. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomly allocated
      1:1 to Honevo or control cream (Cetomacrogol), applied twice daily for 8 weeks.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was the proportion of
      participants who had a >= 2 improvement in the 7-point IGA-RSS at week 8 compared
      to baseline. Secondary outcomes included change in IGA-RSS and subject-rated
      visual analogue score of change in severity (VAS-CS) on a 100 mm scale (0 mm
      'much worse', 100 mm 'much improved') at weeks 2 and 8. RESULTS: 24/68 (34.3%) in
      the Honevo group and 12/69 (17.4%) in the control group had a >= 2 improvement in
      IGA-RSS at week 8 compared to baseline (relative risk 2.03; 95% CI 1.11 to 3.72,
      p=0.020). The change in IGA-RSS for Honevo compared to control at week 2 minus
      baseline was -1 (Hodges-Lehman estimate, 95% CI -1 to 0, p=0.03), and at week 8
      minus baseline was -1 (Hodges-Lehman estimate, 95% CI -1 to 0, p=0.005). The VAS
      CS at week 2 was 9.1 (95% CI 3.5 to 14.7), p=0.002, and at week 8 was 12.3 (95%
      CI 5.7 to 18.9)  p<0.001 for Honevo compared to control. CONCLUSIONS: Honevo is
      an effective treatment for rosacea. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This trial was
      registered in the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry
      ACTRN12614000004662.

PMID- 26109118
TI  - Comparison of methodological quality of positive versus negative comparative
      studies published in Indian medical journals: a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Published negative studies should have the same rigour of
      methodological quality as studies with positive findings. However, the
      methodological quality of negative versus positive studies is not known. The
      objective was to assess the reported methodological quality of positive versus
      negative studies published in Indian medical journals. DESIGN: A systematic
      review (SR) was performed of all comparative studies published in Indian medical
      journals with a clinical science focus and impact factor >1 between 2011 and
      2013. The methodological quality of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was
      assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for
      observational studies. The results were considered positive if the primary
      outcome was statistically significant and negative otherwise. When the primary
      outcome was not specified, we used data on the first outcome reported in the
      history followed by the results section. Differences in various methodological
      quality domains between positive versus negative studies were assessed by
      Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Seven journals with 259 comparative studies were
      included in this SR. 24% (63/259) were RCTs, 24% (63/259) cohort studies, and 49%
      (128/259) case-control studies. 53% (137/259) of studies explicitly reported the
      primary outcome. Five studies did not report sufficient data to enable us to
      determine if results were positive or negative. Statistical significance was
      determined by p value in 78.3% (199/254), CI in 2.8% (7/254), both p value and CI
      in 11.8% (30/254), and only descriptive in 6.3% (16/254) of studies. The overall
      methodological quality was poor and no statistically significant differences
      between reporting of methodological quality were detected between studies with
      positive versus negative findings. CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in the
      reported methodological quality of positive versus negative studies. However, the
      uneven reporting of positive versus negative studies (72% vs 28%) indicates a
      publication bias in Indian medical journals with an impact factor of >1.

PMID- 26109119
TI  - Socioeconomic status and self-reported health among middle-aged Japanese men:
      results from a nationwide longitudinal study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine potential associations between socioeconomic factors and
      self-rated health among a national sample of Japanese men aged 50-59 years
      between 2005 and 2010, including the 2008 global financial crisis. DESIGN:
      Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Randomly selected 2515 census areas from a
      total of 1.8 million census areas in Japan. PARTICIPANTS: This study utilised
      data from a national, longitudinal survey conducted by the Ministry of Health,
      Labour and Welfare. Starting in 2005, 16,738 Japanese men aged 50-59 years were
      recruited and sent a questionnaire each year. We analysed data for the 6-year
      period (2005-2010) from participants who had worked for over 20 years in the same
      industry (n=9727). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We focused on worsening self-rated
      health status by occupation, education and employment contract. RESULTS: Working
      in the manufacturing industry was associated with worsening self-rated health
      scores when compared to those working in management (HR=1.19; 95% CI 1.04 to
      1.37). A relationship between education level and worsening self-rated health was
      also identified as follows: junior high school (HR=1.49; 95% CI 1.31 to 1.69),
      high school (HR=1.29; 95% CI 1.17 to 1.42), and vocational college (HR=1.25; 95%
      CI 1.07 to 1.46), when compared with those holding university-level
      qualifications. Precarious employment (HR=1.17; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.37) was also
      associated with worsening self-rated health status in the current study.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that working in manufacturing for more than 20
      years and having lower education levels may have a significant impact on the self
      rated health of middle-aged Japanese men. This may reflect a progressive decline
      in Japanese working conditions following the global financial crisis and/or the
      impact of lower socioeconomic status.

PMID- 26109120
TI  - A multicentre, randomised controlled, non-inferiority trial, comparing high flow
      therapy with nasal continuous positive airway pressure as primary support for
      preterm infants with respiratory distress (the HIPSTER trial): study protocol.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: High flow (HF) therapy is an increasingly popular mode of non
      invasive respiratory support for preterm infants. While there is now evidence to
      support the use of HF to reduce extubation failure, there have been no
      appropriately designed and powered studies to assess the use of HF as primary
      respiratory support soon after birth. Our hypothesis is that HF is non-inferior
      to the standard treatment--nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP)--as
      primary respiratory support for preterm infants. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The
      HIPSTER trial is an unblinded, international, multicentre, randomised, non
      inferiority trial. Eligible infants are preterm infants of 28-36(+6) weeks'
      gestational age (GA) who require primary non-invasive respiratory support for
      respiratory distress in the first 24 h of life. Infants are randomised to
      treatment with either HF or NCPAP. The primary outcome is treatment failure
      within 72 h after randomisation, as determined by objective oxygenation, blood
      gas, and apnoea criteria, or the need for urgent intubation and mechanical
      ventilation. Secondary outcomes include the incidence of intubation,
      pneumothorax, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, nasal trauma, costs associated with
      hospital care and parental stress. With a specified non-inferiority margin of
      10%, using a two-sided 95% CI and 90% power, the study requires 375 infants per
      group (total 750 infants). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been
      granted by the relevant human research ethics committees at The Royal Women's
      Hospital (13/12), The Royal Children's Hospital (33144A), The Mercy Hospital for
      Women (R13/34), and the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority
      (2013/1657). The trial is currently recruiting at 9 centres in Australia and
      Norway. The trial results will be published in peer-reviewed international
      journals, and presented at national and international conferences. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ID:
      ACTRN12613000303741.

PMID- 26109121
TI  - [Diagnostic imaging of urolithiais. Current recommendations and new
      developments].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND METHOD: Prevalence of urolithiasis is increasing in industrialized
      countries--in both adults and children, representing a unique diagnostic and
      therapeutic challenge. Risk-adapted diagnostic imaging currently means assessment
      with maximized sensitivity and specificity together with minimal radiation
      exposure. In clinical routine, imaging is performed by sonography, unenhanced
      computed tomography (NCCT) or intravenous urography (IVU) as well as plain kidney
      ureter-bladder (KUB) radiographs. AIM: The aim of the present review is a
      critical guideline-based and therapy-aligned presentation of diagnostic imaging
      procedures for optimized treatment of urolithiasis considering the specifics in
      children and pregnant women.

PMID- 26109122
TI  - [Positron-emission tomography in urooncology].
AB  - The use of positron emission tomography (PET) is an established method for the
      diagnosis of urological malignancies. Several tracers are currently available to
      obtain metabolic information or directly detect molecular targets. While (18)F
      FDG-PET is recognized in current guidelines for the staging of seminoma, PET is
      not used in clinical routine in renal malignancies due to the lack of specific
      tracers. Despite initial promising results in bladder cancer, no relevant
      additional diagnostic value with PET using (18)F-FDG or choline-based tracers
      could be obtained in most patients and therefore should be used with caution or
      only within clinical trials. In prostate cancer, however, after development of
      new tracers that, for example, target prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA),
      a paradigm shift in imaging can be recognized. Here, (68)Ga-PSMA-PET might be
      included in the future as part of standard imaging work-up. 

PMID- 26109123
TI  - Altered regional activity and inter-regional functional connectivity in
      psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.
AB  - Although various imaging studies have focused on detecting the cerebral function
      underlying psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), the nature of PNES remains
      poorly understood. In this study, we combined the resting state fMRI with
      fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and functional
      connectivity based on the seed voxel linear correlation approach to examine the
      alterations of regional and inter-regional network cerebral functions in PNES. A
      total of 20 healthy controls and 18 patients were enrolled. The PNES patients
      showed significantly increased fALFF mainly in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
      (DLPFC), parietal cortices, and motor areas, as well as decreased fALFF in the
      triangular inferior frontal gyrus. Thus, our results add to literature suggesting
      abnormalities of neural synchrony in PNES. Moreover, PNES exhibited widespread
      inter-regional neural network deficits, including increased (DLPFC, sensorimotor,
      and limbic system) and decreased (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex) connectivity,
      indicating that changes in the regional cerebral function are related to remote
      inter-regional network deficits. Correlation analysis results revealed that the
      connectivity between supplementary motor area and anterior cingulate cortex
      correlated with the PNES frequency, further suggesting the skewed integration of
      synchronous activity could predispose to the occurrence of PNES. Our findings
      provided novel evidence to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms of PNES.

PMID- 26109124
TI  - High patient satisfaction in 445 patients who underwent fast-track hip or knee
      replacement.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patient satisfaction is important in fast-track total hip
      and knee replacement (THR, TKR). We assessed: (1) how satisfied patients were
      with the treatment; (2) factors related to overall satisfaction; and (3) whether
      there was a difference between THR and TKR regarding length of stay (LOS) and
      patient satisfaction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this follow-up study, a
      consecutive series of 445 patients undergoing THR and TKR completed a
      questionnaire 2 weeks after discharge. LOS and short-term patient satisfaction
      with the fast-track management were measured. Patient satisfaction was measured
      using a numerical rating scale (NRS; 0-10). RESULTS: For THR, the median
      satisfaction score was 9-10 and for TKR it was 8.5-10 in all parameters. Older
      THR patients had higher overall satisfaction. No association was found between
      overall satisfaction following THR or TKR and sex comorbidity, or LOS. THR
      patients had shorter mean LOS than TKR patients, even though the median LOS was 2
      days for both groups. THR patients were more satisfied than TKR patients in the
      first weeks after discharge. INTERPRETATION: Patient satisfaction is high
      following fast-track THR and TKR, with scores ranging from 8.5 to 10 on the NRS.
      A qualitative investigation of the first weeks after discharge is required to
      learn more about how to improve the experience of recovery.

PMID- 26109125
TI  - A plastic relationship between vinculin-mediated tension and adhesion complex
      area defines adhesion size and lifetime.
AB  - Cell-matrix adhesions are central mediators of mechanotransduction, yet the
      interplay between force and adhesion regulation remains unclear. Here we use live
      cell imaging to map time-dependent cross-correlations between vinculin-mediated
      tension and adhesion complex area, revealing a plastic, context-dependent
      relationship. Interestingly, while an expected positive cross-correlation
      dominated in mid-sized adhesions, small and large adhesions display negative
      cross-correlation. Furthermore, although large changes in adhesion complex area
      follow vinculin-mediated tension alterations, small increases in area precede
      vinculin-mediated tension dynamics. Modelling based on this mapping of the
      vinculin-mediated tension-adhesion complex area relationship confirms its
      biological validity, and indicates that this relationship explains adhesion size
      and lifetime limits, keeping adhesions focal and transient. We also identify a
      subpopulation of steady-state adhesions whose size and vinculin-mediated tension
      become stabilized, and whose disassembly may be selectively microtubule-mediated.
      In conclusion, we define a plastic relationship between vinculin-mediated tension
      and adhesion complex area that controls fundamental cell-matrix adhesion
      properties. 

PMID- 26109126
TI  - Patient Factors that Impact upon Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Psychosis:
      Therapists' Perspectives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Randomized controlled trials have established that cognitive
      behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective in helping people with psychosis, though
      there is enormous variability in outcome. It is not clear what patient factors
      contribute to good outcomes. In fact, most studies considering client factors
      have excluded people with psychosis. It is clinicians who are deciding who is
      likely to benefit from CBT for psychosis (CBTp), though little is understood in
      terms of their views on who benefits from CBTp. AIMS: This study investigated
      clinicians' views on client characteristics that influence outcome in CBTp.
      METHOD: A Q-set of 61 client characteristics was developed from a literature
      search and interviews with clinicians experienced in working with CBT and/or
      psychosis. Twenty-one participants (familiar with psychosis and CBT through
      education, profession, practice or knowledge) rated the items based on their
      importance in effecting a positive outcome, on a forced normal distribution.
      RESULTS: 21 completed Q-sorts yielded four factors, named as: acceptance and
      application of the cognitive model; attending to the present; secure base;
      meaningful active collaboration. CONCLUSIONS: Items regarding therapeutic
      alliance were highly endorsed throughout all factors. Some empirically-based
      items were not endorsed, although overall, clinician responses were consistent
      with prior research.

PMID- 26109127
TI  - Innate immunity: New PAMP discovered.

PMID- 26109131
TI  - B cells: Mediators of central tolerance.

PMID- 26109133
TI  - Cellulose production in Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae: a compromise between
      epiphytic and pathogenic lifestyles.
AB  - Genome sequencing and annotation have revealed a putative cellulose biosynthetic
      operon in the strain Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae UMAF0158, the causal agent
      of bacterial apical necrosis. Bioinformatics analyses and experimental methods
      were used to confirm the functionality of the cellulose biosynthetic operon. In
      addition, the results showed the contribution of the cellulose operon to
      important aspects of P. syringae pv. syringae biology, such as the formation of
      biofilms and adhesion to the leaf surface of mango, suggesting that this operon
      increases epiphytic fitness. However, based on the incidence and severity of the
      symptoms observed in tomato leaflets, cellulose expression reduces virulence, as
      cellulose-deficient mutants increased the area of necrosis, whereas the cellulose
      overproducing strain decreased the area of necrosis compared with the wild type.
      In conclusion, the results of this study show that the epiphytic and pathogenic
      stages of the P. syringae pv. syringae UMAF0158 lifestyle are intimately affected
      by cellulose production.

PMID- 26109132
TI  - Genetic susceptibility to invasive Salmonella disease.
AB  - Invasive Salmonella disease, in the form of enteric fever and invasive non
      typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) disease, causes substantial morbidity and mortality
      in children and adults in the developing world. The study of genetic variations
      in humans and mice that influence susceptibility of the host to Salmonella
      infection provides important insights into immunity to Salmonella. In this
      Review, we discuss data that have helped to elucidate the host genetic
      determinants of human enteric fever and iNTS disease, alongside data from the
      mouse model of Salmonella infection. Considered together, these studies provide a
      detailed picture of the immunobiology of human invasive Salmonella disease. 

PMID- 26109134
TI  - Metagenomic analyses reveal no differences in genes involved in cellulose
      degradation under different tillage treatments.
AB  - Incorporation of plant litter is a frequent agricultural practice to increase
      nutrient availability in soil, and relies heavily on the activity of cellulose
      degrading microorganisms. Here we address the question of how different tillage
      treatments affect soil microbial communities and their cellulose-degrading
      potential in a long-term agricultural experiment. To identify potential
      differences in microbial taxonomy and functionality, we generated six soil
      metagenomes of conventional (CT) and reduced (RT) tillage-treated topsoil
      samples, which differed in their potential extracellular cellulolytic activity as
      well as their microbial biomass. Taxonomic analysis of metagenomic data revealed
      few differences between RT and CT, and a dominance of Proteobacteria and
      Actinobacteria, whereas eukaryotic phyla were not prevalent. Prediction of
      cellulolytic enzymes revealed glycoside hydrolase families 1, 3 and 94, auxiliary
      activity family 8 and carbohydrate-binding module 2 as the most abundant in soil.
      These were annotated mainly to the phyla of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and
      Bacteroidetes. These results suggest that the observed higher cellulolytic
      activity in RT soils can be explained by a higher microbial biomass or changed
      expression levels but not by shifts in the soil microbiome. Overall, this study
      reveals the stability of soil microbial communities and cellulolytic gene
      composition under the investigated tillage treatments.

PMID- 26109135
TI  - Distribution patterns of bacterioplankton in the oligotrophic south-eastern
      Mediterranean Sea.
AB  - The spatial variability in the composition of bacterioplankton communities from
      the Levantine basin off the Israeli coast (south-eastern Mediterranean Sea) was
      studied using water samples from nine stations down to 1880 m depth. An nMDS (non
      metric multidimensional scaling) ordination plot of ARISA (automated rRNA
      intergenic spacer analyses) fingerprints performed on 39 water samples revealed
      three groups of communities based on depth (epi, meso and bathypelagial waters),
      while the stations' geographical location did not seem to have an effect on the
      distribution of bacterioplankton assemblages. Interestingly, communities from the
      two deep pelagic zones were further grouped depending on the three prevailing
      water masses in the Levantine basin, and depth, salinity, temperature and silicic
      acid were significantly related to the variations of the bacterial community
      compositions. Cloning of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of dominant
      ARISA peaks showed that abundant bacteria in all depths were ubiquitous
      uncultured Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria. The results further indicate that
      distinct microbial community profiles in the Levantine basin are associated with
      prevailing water masses that have formed due to different physico-chemical
      parameters and thus might act as physical barriers rather than physiological
      discriminators, as has been suggested in studies from other ocean regions. 

PMID- 26109136
TI  - Beta-blocker, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor
      blocker, nitrate-hydralazine, diuretics, aldosterone antagonist, ivabradine,
      devices and digoxin (BANDAID(2) ): an evidence-based mnemonic for the treatment
      of systolic heart failure.
AB  - Heart failure causes significant morbidity and mortality, with recognised
      underutilisation rates of guideline-based therapies. Our aim was to review
      current evidence for heart failure treatments and derive a mnemonic summarising
      best practice, which might assist physicians in patient care. Treatments were
      identified for review from multinational society guidelines and recent randomised
      trials, with a primary aim of examining their effects in systolic heart failure
      patients on mortality, hospitalisation rates and symptoms. Secondary aims were to
      consider other clinical benefits. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched using a
      structured keyword strategy and the retrieved articles were evaluated
      methodically to produce an optimised reference list for each treatment. We
      devised the mnemonic BANDAID (2) , standing for beta-blocker, angiotensin
      converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker, nitrate-hydralazine (or
      potentially neprilysin inhibitor), diuretics, aldosterone antagonist, ivabradine,
      devices (automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator, cardiac
      resynchronisation therapy or both) and digoxin as a representation of treatments
      with strong evidence for their use in systolic heart failure. Treatment with
      omega-3 fatty acids, statins or anti-thrombotic therapies has limited benefits in
      a general heart failure population. Adoption of this mnemonic for current
      evidence-based treatments for heart failure may help improve prescribing rates
      and patient outcomes in this debilitating, high mortality condition. 

PMID- 26109137
TI  - Interventions to prevent tenant evictions: a systematic review.
AB  - Tenant evictions are a significant cause of homelessness. As evictions are a
      traumatic experience for those being evicted and involve high costs, preventing
      evictions is vital and should be part of local and national policy. In order to
      develop and implement preventive practices and policies, it is essential to know
      which interventions are effective in preventing evictions. However, little is
      known about these interventions. Therefore, a systematic search of the
      international literature, providing an overview of interventions to prevent
      evictions published in scientific journals and reporting on their (cost
      )effectiveness, was conducted. Nine electronic databases and Google Scholar were
      searched for peer-reviewed and non-reviewed publications describing research into
      interventions to prevent tenant evictions published in English between January
      1985 and May 2012. Two researchers reviewed titles, abstracts and full-text
      articles and eventually seven publications describing eight interventions to
      prevent tenant evictions were analysed. The eight interventions vary widely in
      terms of their target population, focus, type of support and duration, which
      makes comparison of results difficult. Only three effect studies on preventive
      interventions regarding tenant evictions were found; two researchers assessed
      their quality. One of these studies was of insufficient quality to assess the
      effectiveness of the intervention described. Legal assistance and debt advice are
      promising interventions that seem to be effective in decreasing the risk of
      eviction. The effectiveness of the other five interventions cannot be determined.
      More methodologically sound research into the prevention of tenant evictions is
      needed and future research will have to clarify what works for whom, in which
      context.

PMID- 26109138
TI  - Photodynamic therapy using talaporfin sodium induces concentration-dependent
      programmed necroptosis in human glioblastoma T98G cells.
AB  - Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using photosensitizer induces several types of cell
      death, such as apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy, depending on the PDT
      procedure, photosensitizer type, and cell type. We previously demonstrated that
      PDT using the photosensitizer talaporfin sodium (mono-L-aspartyl chlorine e6,
      NPe6; NPe6-PDT) induces both mitochondrial apoptotic and necrotic cell death in
      human glioblastoma T98G cells. However, details regarding the mechanism of
      necrosis caused by NPe6-PDT are unclear. Here, we investigated whether or not
      necroptosis, a recently suggested form of programmed necrosis, is involved in the
      necrotic cell death of NPe6-PDT-treated T98G cells. Leakage of lactate
      dehydrogenase (LDH) from the cell layer into conditioned medium was significantly
      increased by NPe6 (25 and 50 MUg/ml)-PDT, indicating that NPe6-PDT induces
      necrosis in these cells. NPe6 (25 MUg/ml)-PDT treatment also induced conversion
      of microtubule-associated protein 1 light-chain 3 (LC3)-I into
      phosphatidylethanolamine-conjugated LC3-II accompanying autophagosome formation,
      indicators of autophagy; however, of note, NPe6 (50 MUg/ml)-PDT did not induce
      such autophagic changes. In addition, both necrostatin-1 (a necroptosis
      inhibitor) and knockdown of necroptotic pathway-related proteins [e.g., receptor
      interacting serine-threonine kinase (RIP)-1, RIP-3, and mixed lineage kinase
      domain-like protein (MLKL)] inhibited leakage of LDH caused by NPe6 (25 MUg/ml)
      PDT. Taken together, the present findings revealed that NPe6-PDT-induced necrotic
      cell death is mediated in part by the necroptosis pathway in glioblastoma T98G
      cells. 

PMID- 26109139
TI  - The new approach to the rectal cancer: 'down-to-up' double endolaparoscopic
      pelvic access. Preliminary evaluation of outcomes.
AB  - Laparoscopic access in low anterior rectal resection is widely adopted,
      performing an 'up-to-down' dissection. The aim of this study is to present and
      analyze the outcomes of a novel surgical 'down-to-up' total mesorectal excision
      technique that could obviate to the well-known issues of the standard treatment.
      18 suitable patients underwent double endolaparoscopic pelvic access (DEPA) 'down
      to-up' technique. DEPA TME was completed in all patients, with intact mesorectum.
      Mean operative time was 365 min (range 280-510 min). The morbidity rate was 22%,
      including three radiologically detected leakage (grade A) and one pelvic abscess,
      requiring only a conservative management. Mortality rate at 30 and 90 days was
      0%. Resection margins were negative in all patients. A median of 11 nodes (range
      5-19) was retrieved per specimen. Mean length of hospital stay was 9 days (range
      7-19 days). Patients were followed for an average of 14 months (range 0-42
      months), with no recurrence. Despite exiguous patient's sample in this pilot
      study, transanal endoscopic TME with laparoscopic assistance seems to be feasible
      and safe, and is a promising alternative to open and laparoscopic TME. However, a
      conspicuous functional and oncologic long-term evaluation is required, before the
      widespread adoption could be recommended.

PMID- 26109140
TI  - Oncological outcomes of laparoscopic surgery of liver metastases: a single-centre
      experience.
AB  - In the era of multimodal management of liver metastases, surgical resection
      remains the only curative option, with open approach still being referred to as
      the standard of care. Currently, the feasibility and benefits of the laparoscopic
      approach for liver resection have been largely demonstrated. However, its
      oncologic adequacy remains to be confirmed. The aim of this study is to report
      the oncological results of laparoscopic liver resection for metastatic disease in
      a single-centre experience. A single-centre database of 413 laparoscopic liver
      resections was reviewed and procedures for liver metastases were selected. The
      assessment of oncologic outcomes included analysis of minimal tumour-free margin,
      R1 resection rate and 3-year survival. The feasibility and safety of the
      procedures were also evaluated through analysis of perioperative outcomes. The
      study comprised 209 patients (294 procedures). Colorectal liver metastases were
      the commonest indication (67.9%). Fourteen patients had conversion (6.7%) and
      oncological concern was the commonest reason for conversion (42.8%). Median
      tumour-free margin was 10 mm and complete radical resections were achieved in 211
      of 218 curative-intent procedures (96.7%). For patients affected by colorectal
      liver metastases, 1- and 3-year OS resulted 85.9 and 66.7%. For patients affected
      by neuroendocrine liver metastases, 1- and 3-year OS resulted 93 and 77.8%. Among
      the patients with metastases from other primaries, 1- and 3-year OS were 83.3 and
      70.5%. The laparoscopic approach is a safe and valid option in the treatment of
      patients with metastatic liver disease undergoing curative resection. It does
      offer significant perioperative benefits without compromise of oncologic
      outcomes.

PMID- 26109141
TI  - Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase CpG Islands: Epigenotyping.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Determination of the differential DNA methylation patterns of
      methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) that are associated with differential
      MTHFR activity is important to understand the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke.
      However, to date, no data are available on the differential DNA methylation
      profiles of Kelantanese Malays. Therefore, we developed a rapid and efficient
      serial pyrosequencing assay to determine differential DNA methylation profiles of
      MTHFR, which help to further our understanding of the pathogenesis of ischemic
      stroke. The developed assay also served as the validation platform for our
      previous computational epigenetic research on MTHFR. METHODS: Polymerase chain
      reaction primers were designed and validated to specifically amplify the cytosine
      that is followed by guanine residues (CpGs) A and B regions. Prior epigenotyping
      on 110 Kelantanese Malays, the serial pyrosequencing assays for the CpGs A and B
      regions were validated using five validation controls. The mean values of the DNA
      methylation profiles of CpGs A and B were calculated. RESULTS: The mean DNA
      methylation levels for CpGs A and B were 0.984 +/- 0.582 and 2.456 +/- 1.406,
      respectively. The CpGs 8 and 20 showed the highest (5.581 +/- 4.497) and the
      lowest (0.414 +/- 2.814) levels of DNA methylation at a single-base resolution.
      CONCLUSION: We have successfully developed and validated a pyrosequencing assay
      that is fast and can yield high-quality pyrograms for DNA methylation analysis
      and is therefore applicable to high throughput study. Using this newly developed
      pyrosequencing assay, the MTHFR DNA methylation profiles of 110 Kelantanese
      Malays were successfully determined. It also validated our computational
      epigenetic research on MTHFR.

PMID- 26109142
TI  - Choroidal metastasis from primary bone leiomyosarcoma.
AB  - Choroidal metastases, the most common form of intraocular malignancies, are
      principally caused by primary tumors from breast, lung, and gastrointestinal
      tract. These lesions are mostly symptomatic and rarely detected incidentally in
      the extension study of a previously diagnosed tumor. Leiomyosarcoma is a neoplasm
      of mesenchymal cells with smooth muscle differentiation and represents the most
      prevalent soft-tissue sarcoma. Leiomyosarcoma is a notably rare tumor in
      ophthalmic region. We report a case of primary bone leiomyosarcoma metastatic to
      the choroid that was treated with chemotherapy and surgery. Although three cases
      of choroidal metastasis from leiomyosarcomas have been already reported, to our
      knowledge this is the first case of choroidal metastasis from primary bone
      leiomyosarcoma. 

PMID- 26109143
TI  - A Clinical Investigation of Contralateral Neurological Symptom after
      Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze treatment outcomes and morbidity
      of contralateral neurological symptom in patients after TLIF surgery and to
      explore its possible causes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study was
      conducted involving a total of 476 patients who underwent TILF from 2009 to 2012
      in our hospital. These cases were divided into a symptomatic group (Group S) and
      a non-symptomatic group. The differences in contralateral foramen area and disc
      height index(DHI) before and after surgery were compared between Group S and a
      random sample of 40 cases of non-symptomatic group patients (group N). In
      addition, according to whether the patient underwent second surgery, Group S
      patients were further divided into a transient neurologic symptoms group (Group
      T) and an operations exploration group (Group O). The time of symptom appearance,
      duration, and symptomatic severity (JOA VAS score) were compared between Group T
      and O. RESULTS: Among the 476 patients, 18 had postoperative contralateral
      neurological symptoms; thus, the morbidity was 3.7815%. The indicators in Group S
      were lower than in Group N in the differences in contralateral foramen area and
      disc-height index(DHI) before and after surgery (p<0.05). Five patients (Group O)
      in Group S had second surgery because of invalid conservative treatment. The
      surgical exploration rate was 1.0504%. Compared with Group T, the symptoms of
      Group O patients appeared earlier, persisted longer, and were more serious
      (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Contralateral neurological symptom is a potential
      complication after TLIF, and its causes are diverse. Surgical explorations should
      be conducted early for those patients with the complication who present with
      obvious nerve damage.

PMID- 26109144
TI  - Using a nano-flare probe to detect RNA in live donor cells prior to somatic cell
      nuclear transfer.
AB  - Many transgenes are silenced in mammalian cells (donor cells used for somatic
      cell nuclear transfer [SCNT]). Silencing correlated with a repressed chromatin
      structure or suppressed promoter, and it impeded the production of transgenic
      animals. Gene transcription studies in live cells are challenging because of the
      drawbacks of reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in
      situ hybridization. Nano-flare probes provide an effective approach to detect RNA
      in living cells. We used 18S RNA, a housekeeping gene, as a reference gene. This
      study aimed to establish a platform to detect RNA in single living donor cells
      using a Nano-flare probe prior to SCNT and to verify the safety and validity of
      the Nano-flare probe in order to provide a technical foundation for rescuing
      silenced transgenes in transgenic cloned embryos. We investigated cytotoxic
      effect of the 18S RNA-Nano-flare probe on porcine fetal fibroblasts,
      characterized the distribution of the 18S RNA-Nano-flare probe in living cells
      and investigated the effect of the 18S RNA-Nano-flare probe on the development of
      cloned embryos after SCNT. The cytotoxic effect of the 18S RNA-Nano-flare probe
      on porcine fetal fibroblasts was dose-dependent, and 18S RNA was detected using
      the 18S RNA-Nano-flare probe. In addition, treating donor cells with 500 pM 18S
      RNA-Nano-flare probe did not have adverse effects on the development of SCNT
      embryos at the pre-implantation stage. In conclusion, we established a
      preliminary platform to detect RNA in live donor cells using a Nano-flare probe
      prior to SCNT.

PMID- 26109145
TI  - Epidemiologic and Mechanistic Associations Between Smoking and Pancreatitis.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Alcohol has long been associated with pancreatitis. Although
      first described more than three decades ago, smoking has been widely accepted as
      an important risk factor for all forms of pancreatitis only in the past few
      years. Empiric data has confirmed smoking as an independent and dose-dependent
      risk for both acute and chronic pancreatitis. Smoking also increases the risk of
      recurrences and progression of established chronic pancreatitis. The effects of
      smoking are enhanced in the presence of alcohol consumption. Indirect evidence
      suggests that smoking cessation may be beneficial in preventing disease
      progression. Smoking cessation can therefore be an important strategy for primary
      as well as secondary prevention of pancreatitis. Therefore, in addition to
      alcohol, physicians should routinely counsel patients for the benefits of smoking
      cessation. The mechanisms through which cigarette smoke triggers pathological
      cellular events, resulting in pancreatitis, are unresolved. Although cigarette
      smoke contains greater than 4000 compounds, principally nicotine and the tobacco
      specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) have
      been broadly studied with regard to pancreatic diseases. Both nicotine and NNK
      have been shown to induce morphological changes in the pancreas consistent with
      those seen in pancreatitis. Furthermore, nicotine affects pancreatic secretion
      and NNK induces premature zymogen activation, two well-known features of
      pancreatitis. These cigarette toxins may mediate both pro- and anti-inflammatory
      pathways and can induce changes in pancreatic acinar cell function at the level
      of transcription, leading to conditions such as thiamin deficiency and
      mitochondrial dysfunction. Such circumstances could leave the pancreas prone to
      the development of pancreatitis. This review summarizes relevant research
      findings and focuses on the epidemiologic links between smoking and pancreatitis,
      and the cellular pathways that may be significant in induction and evolution of
      smoking-related pancreatitis.

PMID- 26109146
TI  - Production of conjugated linoleic acid by heterologous expression of linoleic
      acid isomerase in oleaginous fungus Mortierella alpina.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To increase the commercial value of oleaginous fungus Mortierella
      alpina by incorporation of trans-10,cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) into
      the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) of M. alpina via Propionibacterium acnes
      isomerase (PAI) conversion. RESULTS: The PAI gene and the codon optimization
      version were heterologously expressed in M. alpina via Agrobacterium tumefaciens
      mediated transformation (ATMT). Coding usage modification significantly improved
      the translation of PAI transcripts and trans-10,cis-12 CLA was produced up to 1.2
      mg l(-1), which corresponds to approx. 0.05% of the total fatty acid (TFA). Since
      PAI prefers free linoleic acid as a substrate rather than any other forms, 5 MUM
      long-chain acyl CoA synthetase inhibitor was added and the trans-10,cis-12 CLA
      content increased approx. 24-fold to 29 mg l(-1), reaching up to 1.2% (w/w) of
      the TFA in M. alpina. CONCLUSION: Heterologous expression of PAI in M. alpina by
      ATMT methods is a practicable way in biosynthesis of CLA and this system may be a
      feasible platform for industrial production of CLA.

PMID- 26109149
TI  - What do pregnant women think of student training?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical experience is fundamental for medical and midwifery student
      education. Patient willingness for student participation is perceived as low in
      obstetrics and gynaecology. We explored the views of pregnant women on medical
      and midwifery student training. METHODS: Pregnant women were invited to
      participate in a cross-sectional survey at antenatal out-patient clinics at a
      maternity hospital serving a regional population during June and July 2012.
      RESULTS: Only 53 per cent (110/206) of women reported that they would allow a
      medical student to assist with the delivery of their baby, and 61 per cent
      (127/206) would allow a midwifery student to assist; however, 84 per cent
      (174/206) of women were willing to undergo an obstetric abdominal examination by
      a medical student, and similarly 87 per cent (180/206) agreed to an examination
      by a midwifery student. Primigravid women were significantly less likely to agree
      to student assistance at delivery compared with parous women for medical (p <
      0.01) and midwifery students (p = 0.02). Women appear generally more willing to
      accept midwifery students compared with medical students (p < 0.01). Women who
      would decline student participation expressed concerns over lack of student
      supervision, desire for privacy, student training level, need for 'experienced'
      staff and concerns regarding first or previous complicated pregnancies. Patient
      willingness for student participation is perceived as low in obstetrics and
      gynaecology DISCUSSION: Negative attitudes remain towards students in the labour
      ward. Women have concerns over student supervision and competence. Research is
      needed to address women's reluctance to student participation during labour and
      delivery to determine if particular fears exist related to birth. The development
      of innovative educational tools could address specific modifiable concerns that
      pregnant women have with student training in the labour ward.

PMID- 26109147
TI  - PLCepsilon signaling in cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: As one of the members of the PLC family, the phosphoinositide-specific
      phospholipase Cepsilon (PLCepsilon) has been shown to play pivotal roles in
      multiple signal pathways and control a variety of cellular functions. A number of
      studies have shown that aberrant regulation of PLCepsilon was involved in various
      types of animal and human cancer. However, the role of PLCepsilon in cancer
      remains elusive. In this review, we provide an overview of the PLCepsilon,
      especially its roles in multiple signal pathways, and summarize the recent
      findings that highlight the roles of PLCepsilon in carcinogenesis and cancer
      progression, making an avenue to provide a novel therapeutic strategy for the
      treatment of cancer. METHODS: A literature search mainly paying attention to the
      network of PLCepsilon involved in tumorigenesis and development was performed in
      electronic databases. RESULTS: PLCepsilon plays a key role in medicating the
      development and progression of human cancers with highest potency to be a target
      of cancer prevention and treatment.

PMID- 26109150
TI  - Surfactants have multi-fold effects on skin barrier function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The stratum corneum (SC) is responsible for the barrier properties of
      the skin and the role of intercorneocyte skin lipids, particularly their
      structural organization, in controlling SC permeability is acknowledged. Upon
      contacting the skin, surfactants interact with the SC components leading to
      barrier damage. OBJECTIVE: To improve knowledge of the effect of several classes
      of surfactant on skin barrier function at three different levels. METHODS: The
      influence of treatments of human skin explants with six non-ionic and four ionic
      surfactant solutions on the physicochemical properties of skin was investigated.
      Skin surface wettability and polarity were assessed through contact angle
      measurements. Infrared spectroscopy allowed monitoring the SC lipid organization.
      The lipid extraction potency of surfactants was evaluated thanks to HPLC-ELSD
      assays. RESULTS: One anionic and one cationic surfactant increased the skin
      polarity by removing the sebaceous and epidermal lipids and by disturbing the
      organization of the lipid matrix. Another cationic surfactant displayed a
      detergency effect without disturbing the skin barrier. Several non-ionic
      surfactants disturbed the lipid matrix organization and modified the skin
      wettability without any extraction of the skin lipids. Finally two non-ionic
      surfactants did not show any effect on the investigated parameters or on the skin
      barrier. CONCLUSIONS: The polarity, the organization of the lipid matrix and the
      lipid composition of the skin allowed describing finely how surfactants can
      interact with the skin and disturb the skin barrier function.

PMID- 26109151
TI  - Do hip prosthesis related infection codes in administrative discharge registers
      correctly classify periprosthetic hip joint infection?
AB  - PURPOSE: Administrative discharge registers could be a valuable and easily
      accessible single-sources for research data on periprosthetic hip joint
      infection. The aim of this study was to estimate the positive predictive value of
      the International Classification of Disease 10th revision (ICD-10) periprosthetic
      hip joint infection diagnosis code in the Danish National Patient Register.
      METHODS: Patients were identified with an ICD-10 discharge diagnosis code of
      T84.5 ("Infection and inflammatory reaction due to internal joint prosthesis") in
      association with hip-joint associated surgical procedure codes in The Danish
      National Patient Register. Medical records of the identified patients (n = 283)
      were verified for the existence of a periprosthetic hip joint infection. Positive
      predictive values with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated.
      RESULTS: A T84.5 diagnosis code irrespective of the associated surgical procedure
      code had a positive predictive value of 85% (95% CI: 80-89). Stratified to T84.5
      in combination with an infection-specific surgical procedure code the positive
      predictive value increased to 86% (95% CI: 80-91), and in combination with a
      noninfection-specific surgical procedure code decreased to 82% (95% CI: 72-89).
      CONCLUSIONS: Misclassification must be expected and taken into consideration when
      using administrative discharge registers for epidemiological research on
      periprosthetic hip joint infection. We believe that the periprosthetic hip joint
      infection diagnosis code can be of use in future single-source register based
      studies, but preferably should be used in combination with alternate data sources
      to ensure higher validity.

PMID- 26109148
TI  - Loss of fatty acid synthase suppresses the malignant phenotype of colorectal
      cancer cells by down-regulating energy metabolism and mTOR signaling pathway.
AB  - PURPOSE: Altered cellular metabolism has received increased attention as an
      important hallmark of cancer. Activation of FASN has been found to be involved in
      many human tumors. Despite extensive research in FASN function on cancer, the
      underlying mechanism is not entirely understood yet. METHODS: Cerulenin was used
      to suppress the FASN expression in human colorectal cancer cell lines (HT29 and
      LoVo). Expression of PI3K, Akt, p-Akt, mTOR, p-mTOR, FASN, and AZGP1 was measured
      using western blotting and qPCR. ATP and lactic acid were assessed to investigate
      the activation of energy metabolism. Cell cytotoxicity assay was studied by cell
      counting kit-8 assay. The capacity of cell proliferation and migration was
      investigated by clonogenic and invasion assay. Analysis of apoptosis and the cell
      cycle was detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: We found that the expression of
      FASN was down-regulated, while the expression of PI3K, p-Akt, p-mTOR, and AZGP1
      was down-regulated in HT29 and LoVo cells treated with FASN inhibitor.
      Proliferation was reduced in FASN inhibitor-treated cells, which is consistent
      with an increased apoptosis rate. Furthermore, the migration of FASN inhibitor
      treated cells was decreased and the content of ATP and lactic acid was also
      dropped. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that inhibited FASN suppresses the
      malignant phenotype of colorectal cancer cells by down-regulating energy
      metabolism and mTOR signaling pathway. The results have paved the way to
      understand the relations of FASN, mTOR signaling pathway, and energy metabolism
      in colorectal cancer cells.

PMID- 26109152
TI  - Prognostic factors for mid-term symptom relief after open surgical correction for
      femoroacetabular impingement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We sought to identify, which patient and radiographic factors at
      preoperative and 1-year follow up will predict patient symptom relief at mid
      term. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 50 hips in 47 patients with symptomatic
      FAI were included in this retrospective study. We stratified the hips into
      "success" and "failure" groups based on the change from baseline to mid-term
      follow up WOMAC pain score (mean follow up of 5.8 years). An attempt was made to
      identify factors that are predictive of mid-term outcome among preoperative
      radiographic measures, dGEMRIC index, range of motion and WOMAC score as well as
      1-year follow-up range of motion, radiographic measures, and WOMAC pain scores.
      RESULTS: At 1-year follow up, the success rate was 72% (36/50) and at mid-term
      follow the success rate increased to 82% (41/50). There were no significant
      associations between mid-term pain scores and baseline factors (all p-values
      >=0.10). One-year pain score and hip internal rotation was associated with poor
      mid-term pain scores but only the 1-year pain score was associated with the mid
      term success/failure outcome. CONCLUSIONS: We did not identify clear preoperative
      predictors of mid-term results but patients with poor pain scores and limited hip
      internal rotation at 1-year follow-up are less likely to do well at mid-term.

PMID- 26109153
TI  - Predicting high blood metal ion concentrations following hip resurfacing.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether gender, femoral head size, acetabular inclination,
      and time since surgery predicted high blood metal ion concentrations following
      Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR). METHODS: BHR patients with unilateral bearings
      at one specialist centre with blood cobalt and chromium concentrations measured
      up to May 2013 were included. This comprised a mixed (at-risk) group including
      symptomatic patients and asymptomatic individuals with specific clinical and/or
      radiological findings. Blood sampling was at a mean of 7.5 years (range 1-15.4
      years) postoperatively. RESULTS: Of 319 patients (mean age 49.3 years; 53% male),
      blood metal ions greater than 7 ug/l were observed in 9% (n = 28). Blood metal
      ions were significantly higher in females (p<0.001), femoral head sizes <=48 mm
      (p<0.01), and cup inclinations >55 degrees  (p<0.001). Linear regression
      demonstrated femoral head size was responsible for the highest proportion of
      variance in blood metal ions (cobalt p<0.001, R2 = 8%; chromium p<0.001, R2 =
      11%). Analysis of femoral head size and inclination together demonstrated 36% of
      BHRs with head sizes of 38-44 mm and inclination >55 degrees  had blood metal
      ions >7 ug/l. BHR 10-year survival for this at-risk group was 91% (95% confidence
      intervals 86.0%-95.0%) with 30 hips revised. CONCLUSIONS: If blood metal ions are
      used to screen hip resurfacing patients for adverse reactions to metal debris it
      is recommended those with small femoral head sizes (38-44 mm) and high acetabular
      inclinations (>55 degrees ) are targeted. These findings require validation in
      other cohorts as they may not be applicable to all hip resurfacing devices given
      the differences in radial clearance, coverage arc, and metallurgy.

PMID- 26109154
TI  - Outcome of the Stryker(r) Trident 'All-Poly' constraint acetabular insert: a
      district general hospital experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Constrained acetabular inserts are designed as revision solutions
      for unstable total hip arthroplasties to prevent dislocation and as a possible
      primary option for elderly patients at risk of recurrent dislocation. PURPOSE:
      Our aim was to establish clinical and radiological outcomes of an 'all-poly'
      constrained acetabular device and to highlight reasons for component failure.
      METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our use of the Stryker(r) Trident 'all-poly'
      constrained acetabular insert between 2008 and 2013. All inserts were cemented
      directly into the acetabulum. Demographic data was collated. The indication for
      use of a constrained insert and postoperative complications were determined.
      Patients were reviewed clinically and underwent radiographic follow-up. RESULTS:
      A total of 56 constrained inserts were utilised during the study period. Follow
      up was for a minimum of 2 years (mean 4.0 years and range 2.0-6.8 years). The
      mean latest follow-up Oxford hip score was 34.6 (11-48). One postoperative
      superficial wound infection, 1 breakage of the constraining ring without clinical
      consequence and 1 recognised complication of liner failure at the bipolar
      interface were noted. CONCLUSIONS: In the short to medium term, acetabular
      constraint offers a useful primary or revision option in patients at risk or with
      recurrent dislocation.

PMID- 26109155
TI  - Late onset imminent femoral fatigue fracture associated with intraoperative
      cement extrusion as a rare cause of thigh pain after total hip replacement.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cement extrusions on the femoral side after total hip replacement
      can occur in approximately 0.3% of cemented primary total hip replacements. Not
      recognised until a postoperative x-ray is performed, the willingness to dismiss
      and treat these extrusions conservatively is high. METHODS: We report on 3
      patients presenting with sudden onset of thigh pain associated with an inability
      to weight-bear after a 2 to 15 month period of uneventful healthy recovery from
      cemented total hip replacement. On immediate postoperative x-rays occult cement
      extrusion in the posterolateral circumference of the femoral component tip were
      present. X-rays and CT scans showed no fracture signs. Scintigraphy revealed late
      increased uptake at the extrusion height. With the hypothesis of imminent femoral
      fatigue fracture, all patients underwent revision surgery. The defect sites were
      surgically exposed, thoroughly cleaned of cement, filled with iliac crest bone
      graft and stabilised with tension band plating. RESULTS: This procedure resulted
      in fully recovered asymptomatic patients at 6 weeks and after a mean follow-up
      period of 48 months, as demonstrated by their pain level and tolerance of full
      weight bearing. CONCLUSIONS: These cases lead us to adopt a low threshold for
      immediate revision when occult cement extrusion is recognised near the tip of a
      cemented stem on postoperative films, and to adopt a low threshold for surgical
      revision when, in the presence of cement extrusion, thigh pain is a complaint. We
      favour tension band plating and bone grafting over more complex implant revisions
      since a fast recovery was achieved in these patients.

PMID- 26109156
TI  - Hip resurfacing: history, current status, and future.
AB  - Hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) presents several advantages over conventional
      total hip arthroplasty (THA), including conservation and preservation of bone,
      reduced risk of dislocation, easy replication of hip biomechanics and easy
      revision if needed. It is a particularly appealing procedure for young patients.
      HRA has been performed for over 40 years following the same technological
      advances as THA. The bearing material used by most designs is metal-on-metal
      (MoM), which has the best compromise between strength and wear properties.
      However, MoM HRA has a specific set of possible complications. Aseptic femoral
      failures were initially the most prevalent cause for revision but progress in
      patient selection and surgical technique seem to have resolved this problem. Wear
      related failures (high metal ion levels and adverse local tissue reactions) are
      now the main concern, and are essentially associated with poor acetabular
      component design and orientation, to which MoM is more sensitive than other
      bearing materials. The concept of functional coverage is key to understanding how
      MoM bearings are affected by edge wear. Only a 3-D assessment of cup position
      (e.g., the contact patch to rim distance) provides the necessary information to
      determine the role of cup positioning in relationship with abnormal bearing
      wear.The concept of hip resurfacing is more valid today than ever as the age of
      the patients in need of hip arthroplasty keeps getting lower. The recent
      publication of several excellent long-term survivorship results suggests that
      selection of a well-designed resurfacing system and accuracy in the placement of
      the cup can achieve long-term durability.

PMID- 26109157
TI  - Two-stage management of the infected total hip arthroplasty.
AB  - There is currently no consensus on the optimal management of the infected total
      hip arthroplasty. Multiple management techniques have been described in
      contemporary literature.This paper focuses on 2-stage revision for the infected
      total hip arthroplasty. We discuss the rationale and examine the current evidence
      for the use of this technique. 

PMID- 26109158
TI  - Effect of angular deformities of the proximal femur on impingement-free hip range
      of motion in a three-dimensional rigid body model.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Abnormalities in hip morphology can reduce range of motion (ROM)
      through femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Structural issues, such as
      asphericity of the head-neck junction and regional or global acetabular over
      coverage, have been extensively discussed in the literature. The effect of
      varying femoral neck-shaft angle or torsion on native hip range of motion,
      however, has been poorly studied. Our hypothesis was that varying neck-shaft
      angles or femoral torsion affect the impingement-free ROM of the hip and can be
      treated by femoral osteochondroplasty or acetabular rim resection. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: A computer-aided design tool and a 3-D model of the hip were used to
      simulate incremental deformation of the proximal femur. Neck-shaft angles ranging
      from 90-160 degrees , and femoral torsions ranging from -15-50 degrees , were
      created. Femoroacetabular impingement was defined as bone-to-bone contact within
      physiological hip ROM, as described in the literature. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:
      With decreasing neck-shaft angles (<=110 degrees ) or femoral torsion (<=10
      degrees ), impingement occurred at the anterosuperior rim area. With increasing
      neck-shaft angles (>=135 degrees ) and femoral torsion (>=25 degrees )
      posteroinferior or ischiofemoral impingement occurred. Acetabular rim trimming
      could compensate for neck-shaft angles >=90 degrees  and femoral torsion >=-5
      degrees , without creating acetabular dysplasia. Femoral impingement zones in low
      neck-shaft and low femoral torsion angles were found to be distal to the head
      neck junction at the mid-cervical region. The cross-sectional area at this neck
      region was the smallest, and thus osteochondroplasty at this location may prove
      potentially dangerous.

PMID- 26109159
TI  - Pelvic reference selection in patients with unilateral Crowe type IV DDH for
      measuring leg length inequality.
AB  - We identified the presence of deformities in the affected pelvis of unilateral
      Crowe type IV DDH patients, and if present, whether the teardrop and ischial
      lines were parallel with the sacral base line. We also verified whether the
      sacral base line provided a better pelvic landmark than the teardrop line for
      determining leg length inequality (LLI). After leveling the pelvis by using a
      block to lift the short leg, standard anterior-posterior full-length radiography
      was performed on 10 patients and 10 healthy volunteers as controls. The ratio of
      pelvic heights on each side of the pelvis, the angles formed by the sacral base
      line and the other 2 lines between 2 groups were measured. LLI were measured by
      sacral base line and teardrop line respectively. The ratio between the pelvic
      heights was lower in the patient group than in the control group (0.95 versus
      0.99). The angles between the teardrop and ischial lines and the sacral base line
      in the patient group were both greater than in the control group (6.08 degrees 
      versus 0.92 degrees  and 7.13 degrees  versus 0.97 degrees ). LLI measured from
      the sacral base line was larger than from the teardrop line in the patient group
      (5.55 cm versus 4.36 cm). There was pelvic asymmetry and the sacral base line was
      not parallel with the other 2 lines in unilateral Crowe type IV DDH. The leveled
      sacral base line was perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body, and may
      be a better choice for accurate LLI measurement in this situation. 

PMID- 26109160
TI  - One-stage exchange for prosthetic joint infection of the hip.
AB  - Exchange arthroplasty remains the gold standard of treatment of established
      prosthetic joint infection. This can be achieved using a one or two stage
      approach. The ENDO-Klinik, in Hamburg, has pioneered the one-stage technique
      since 1970 utilising antibiotic loaded acrylic cement (ALAC). This editorial
      discusses the relevant literature and describes the indications and surgical
      technique employed by the ENDO-Klinik Hamburg. 

PMID- 26109161
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26109162
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26109164
TI  - Mutagenesis of an Asn156 Residue in a Surface Region of S-Selective
      Hydroxynitrile Lyase from Baliospermum montanum Enhances Catalytic Efficiency and
      Enantioselectivity.
AB  - The S-selective hydroxynitrile lyase from Baliospermum montanum (BmHNL) has broad
      substrate specificity toward aromatic substrates as well as high temperature
      stability, although with low enantioselectivity and specific activity. To expand
      the industrial application of this enzyme, we improved its enantioselectivity and
      specific activity toward (S)-mandelonitrile by mutagenesis. The specific activity
      of the BmHNL H103C/N156G mutant for (S)-mandelonitrile production was raised to
      154 U mg-1 (WT BmHNL: 52 U mg-1 ). The enantiomeric excess was increased to 93 %
      (WT BmHNL: 55 %). The kinetic analysis revealed Km for (R)-mandelonitrile and
      kcat for (S)-mandelonitrile increased by the mutation at Asn156, thus
      contributing to the increase in enantiomeric excess. This is the first report on
      an improvement in catalytic efficiency and enantiomeric excess of BmHNL for (S)
      mandelonitrile synthesis by random and site-directed mutagenesis.

PMID- 26109165
TI  - Dynamically configurable hybridization of plasmon modes in nanoring dimer arrays.
AB  - We present a novel strategy capable of dynamically configuring the plasmon
      induced transparency (PIT) effect with a polarization-dependent controllability
      based on a nanoring dimer array. The controllable coupling strength between the
      superradiant and subradiant modes is due to the polarization-dependent field
      distributions. It is shown that this dynamically controlled PIT is realized with
      a modulation depth as high as 95%, and a linear dependence of the coupling
      strength on polarization angle is deduced using a coupled-oscillator model. We
      believe that our results will inspire further exciting achievements that utilize
      various polarization states of the electromagnetic wave and pave a way towards
      applications using PIT with dynamic controllability such as slow light, optical
      nonlinearities and chemical/bio-sensing. 

PMID- 26109166
TI  - Skeletal muscle interleukin-6 regulates metabolic factors in iWAT during HFD and
      exercise training.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of skeletal muscle (SkM) interleukin (IL)-6 in
      the regulation of adipose tissue metabolism. METHODS: Muscle-specific IL-6
      knockout (IL-6 MKO) and IL-6(loxP/loxP) (Floxed) mice were subjected to standard
      rodent diet (Chow), high-fat diet (HFD), or HFD in combination with exercise
      training (HFD ExTr) for 16 weeks. RESULTS: Total fat mass increased (P < 0.05) in
      both genotypes with HFD. However, HFD IL-6 MKO mice had lower (P < 0.05) inguinal
      adipose tissue (iWAT) mass than HFD Floxed mice. Accordingly, iWAT glucose
      transporter 4 (GLUT4) protein content, 5'AMP activated protein kinase
      (AMPK)(Thr172) phosphorylation, and fatty acid synthase (FAS) mRNA content were
      lower (P < 0.05) in IL-6 MKO than Floxed mice on Chow. In addition, iWAT
      AMPK(Thr172) and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL)(Ser565) phosphorylation as well
      as perilipin protein content was higher (P < 0.05) in HFD IL-6 MKO than HFD
      Floxed mice, and pyruvate dehydrogenase E1alpha (PDH-E1alpha) protein content was
      higher (P < 0.05) in HFD ExTr IL-6 MKO than HFD ExTr Floxed mice. CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings indicate that SkM IL-6 affects iWAT mass through regulation of
      glucose uptake capacity as well as lipogenic and lipolytic factors.

PMID- 26109167
TI  - EGFP-Based Protein Nanoparticles with Cell-Penetrating Peptide for Efficient
      siRNA Delivery.
AB  - Development of an innovative nucleic acid nanocarriers still represents a
      challenge. In this study, we develop a protein nanoparticle (H6-TatEGFP) and
      examine its siRNA condensing activity. Gel retardation assay show that protein
      nanoparticle can condense siRNA into stable nanoparticle/siRNA complexes.
      UsingCy3-labelled siRNA, we also evaluate siRNA transport characteristic of
      protein nanoparticles in tumor cells, the results indicate that H6-TatEGFP
      nanoparticle may be a potential nanocarrier for siRNA in tumor cells. 

PMID- 26109168
TI  - Self-Immolative Linkers Literally Bridge Disulfide Chemistry and the Realm of
      Thiol-Free Drugs.
AB  - The ultimate goal of controlled, intracellulardrug delivery is to get the drug to
      the target cell without spilling the contents in transit and then release the
      entire payload upon cell entry. One of the most powerful platforms to achieve
      this relies on the intracellular disulfide reshuffling as a trigger for drug
      release form the engineered prodrugs. However, utility of disulfide reshuffling
      for drug release is naturally applicable only to the thiol containing molecules
      ultimately leaving nearly all commercialized drugs beyond the scope of this
      platform. This is a drastic limitation. A cunning new tool of organic chemistry
      is fast entering the mainstream of prodrug design: the self-immolative linkers.
      This platform allows overcoming the natural chemical barrier and makes it
      possible to link virtually any drug to its carrier via a disulfide bond and
      engineer a specific intracellular release. It is a game-changing accomplishment
      of modern organic chemistry. The scope and limitations of this novel opportunity
      for medicinal chemistry and nanomedicine are outlined. 

PMID- 26109169
TI  - Spatial and Orientational Structure of the Hydration Shell of Benzene in Sub- and
      Supercritical Water.
AB  - The spatial and orientational structure of the solvation shell of benzene in sub-
      and supercritical water are investigated by means of molecular dynamics
      simulations. The present study reveals different local organization of water
      molecules at different parts of the solute. The pi-hydrogen-bonding between
      benzene and water along the axial direction is found to exist even at
      supercritical conditions although to a reduced extent. The coordination number of
      benzene decreases substantially on increase of temperature and decrease of
      density. While the pi-hydrogen-bonded part in the axial region shows a slight
      expansion, the hydrophobically solvated part in the equatorial plane shows an
      opposite behavior as the temperature is increased from normal to the
      supercritical temperature. Two other distribution functions, namely the
      radial/angular and spatial orientational functions (SOFs) are calculated to
      explore the spatially resolved angular preferences of water molecules around the
      benzene solute. Water molecules located axial to the benzene are found to have
      strong inward orientation toward the solute, however an opposite behavior is
      found in the equatorial region. Although at supercritical conditions, the
      orientational distributions of water molecules are broadened, the preferential
      orientations in the axial and equatorial regions remain similar to that under
      ambient condition on average. 

PMID- 26109170
TI  - Imagining parenthood: the possibilities and experiences of parenthood among
      transgender people.
AB  - This paper reports on a qualitative study exploring the ways in which transgender
      adults imagine a place for parenthood in their lives, and/or the ways they have
      negotiated parenthood with their transgender identity. A total of 13 transgender
      adults (including parents and non-parents) were interviewed with respect to their
      thoughts and experiences about family, relationships and parenting. The study
      sought to understand the possibilities for parenthood that transgender people
      create, despite barriers imposed by restrictive laws, medical practices and
      cultural attitudes. Interview data showed how normative assumptions about gender
      and parenthood shape the way people imagined and desired parenthood. It also
      showed how participants re-appropriated and resisted normative cultural scripts
      by either re-imagining parenthood in different terms (such as step-parenthood) or
      by creating different family forms, such as co-parented families. Participants
      reported a variety of experiences with healthcare providers when it came to
      conversations about fertility preservation and family building. 

PMID- 26109172
TI  - Eosinophilic esophagitis associated with celiac disease in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Celiac disease (CD) and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) are distinct
      diseases of the gastrointestinal tract with specific clinico-pathological
      characteristics. Recent studies have found higher rates of EoE in patients with
      CD than in the general population. Our aim was to estimate the incidence of EoE
      among children who were diagnosed with CD over a 42-month period. METHODS: The
      study included patients diagnosed with CD based on endoscopy and
      histopathological findings between January 2010 and June 2013. Histopathology
      reports of esophageal biopsies were reviewed to identify all cases of EoE. The
      patients' presenting symptoms, laboratory evaluations, endoscopic and
      histopathological findings, treatments, and follow-ups were analysed. RESULTS:
      Fifty-six patients with CD were identified, of whom six (10.7%) were diagnosed
      with both CD and EoE. Four of these patients presented with abdominal pain and
      diarrhea, two presented with failure to thrive, and three presented with food
      allergies. Endoscopic and histopathological changes typical of EoE were observed
      in all six patients. During follow-up, two patients showed significant
      improvement with the gluten-free diet and a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI). Two
      patients improved with the elimination diet and two patients were treated with
      topical corticosteroid therapy. Endoscopic appearance was normal in all children
      on follow-up endoscopy after treatment. Biopsy samples also showed resolution of
      the histologic features of EoE in all of the children. CONCLUSION: The incidence
      of EoE in our cohort of children with CD was 10.7%, which is higher than what has
      been reported for the general population. In all children undergoing upper
      gastrointestinal endoscopy for suspected CD, coexistence of EoE should be
      considered.

PMID- 26109171
TI  - Integrated genomics has identified a new AT/RT-like yet INI1-positive brain tumor
      subtype among primary pediatric embryonal tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pediatric embryonal brain tumors (PEBTs), which encompass
      medulloblastoma (MB), primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) and atypical
      teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT), are the second most prevalent pediatric brain
      tumor type. AT/RT is highly malignant and is often misdiagnosed as MB or PNET.
      The distinction of AT/RT from PNET/MB is of clinical significance because the
      survival rate of patients with AT/RT is substantially lower. The diagnosis of
      AT/RT relies primarily on morphologic assessment and immunohistochemical (IHC)
      staining for a few known markers such as the lack of INI1 protein expression.
      However, in our clinical practice we have observed several AT/RT-like tumors,
      that fulfilled histopathological and all other biomarker criteria for a diagnosis
      of AT/RT, yet retained INI1 immunoreactivity. Recent studies have also reported
      preserved INI1 immunoreactivity among certain diagnosed AT/RTs. It is therefore
      necessary to re-evaluate INI1(+), AT/RT-like cases. METHOD: Sanger sequencing,
      array CGH and mRNA microarray analyses were performed on PEBT samples to
      investigate their genomic landscapes. RESULTS: Patients with AT/RT and those with
      INI(+) AT/RT-like tumors showed a similar survival rate, and global array CGH
      analysis and INI1 gene sequencing showed no differential chromosomal aberration
      markers between INI1(-) AT/RT and INI(+) AT/RT-like cases. We did not misdiagnose
      MBs or PNETs as AT/RT-like tumors because transcriptome profiling revealed that
      not only did AT/RT and INI(+) AT/RT-like cases express distinct mRNA and microRNA
      profiles, their gene expression patterns were different from those of MBs and
      PNETs. The most similar transcriptome profile to that of AT/RTs was the profile
      of embryonic stem cells. However; the transcriptome profile of INI1(+) AT/RT-like
      tumors was more similar to that of somatic neural stem cells, while the profile
      of MBs was closer to that of fetal brain tissue. Novel biomarkers were identified
      that can be used to distinguish INI1(-) AT/RTs, INI1(+) AT/RT-like cases and MBs.
      CONCLUSION: Our studies revealed a novel INI1(+) ATRT-like subtype among
      Taiwanese pediatric patients. New diagnostic biomarkers, as well as new
      therapeutic tactics, can be developed according to the transcriptome data that
      were unveiled in this work.

PMID- 26109174
TI  - Management of intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism: uncertainties and challenges.
AB  - Current guidelines on the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) recommend
      stratification of hemodynamically stable patients in 'low risk' and 'intermediate
      risk'. Validated risk scores, cardiac biomarkers, and imaging of the right
      ventricle all help in distinguishing both patient categories. The relevance of
      this risk stratification lies in the determination of the most optimal treatment
      for the individual patient. In this clinical review, we will discuss how patients
      with 'intermediate-risk' PE can be identified as well as recent advances in their
      therapeutic management. Based on a clinical case, we will highlight the
      indications for reperfusion therapy and the current experience with non-vitamin K
      dependent oral anticoagulant (NOACs) in this specific patient's category. 

PMID- 26109173
TI  - Implementation of a stepped-wedge cluster randomized design in routine public
      health practice: design and application for a tuberculosis (TB) household contact
      study in a high burden area of Lima, Peru.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We designed a pragmatic stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled
      trial in order to evaluate provider-initiated evaluation of household contacts
      (HCs) of smear positive tuberculosis (TB) cases within a routine TB program in
      Lima, Peru. METHODS/DESIGN: National TB program (NTP) officers of San Juan de
      Lurigancho District (Lima, Peru) and university-based researchers jointly
      designed a pragmatic stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial design in order to
      evaluate a planned active case finding (ACF) program for all HCs of smear
      positive TB cases in 34 district healthcare centres. Randomization of time to
      intervention initiation was stratified by health centre TB case rate. The ACF
      intervention included provider-initiated home visits of all new sputum smear
      positive TB patients in order to evaluate household contacts for active TB.
      Active TB was diagnosed using symptom screening, sputum screening, chest x-ray
      and clinical evaluation. Once initiated, ACF was provided by NTP staff and
      integrated into the routine DOTS TB program activities. DISCUSSION: This study
      protocol describes the pragmatic stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial of active
      household contact evaluations within an NTP. The stepped-wedge design met
      overlapping needs of local TB programmers and researchers to adequately evaluate
      the large-scale roll out of a new control program in a TB endemic setting.
      Multiple planning meetings were required to develop the necessary networks and in
      order to understand the operations, needs and goals of the NTP staff and
      researchers collaborating on this project. The advantages and challenges of using
      this study design in practice and within existing routine TB programs in a middle
      income country context are discussed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov
      NCT02174380. Registered 24 Jun 2014.

PMID- 26109175
TI  - Nucleated erythrocytes in blood smears of dogs undergoing chemotherapy.
AB  - The frequency of normoblastemia in dogs receiving chemotherapy is unknown. To
      provide this information, we calculated the percentage and number of nucleated
      erythrocytes (nRBCs) in blood of dogs treated for lymphoma (n = 284), mast cell
      tumour (n = 40) or carcinoma (n = 46). Relative normoblastemia (>1 or >5%) and
      absolute normoblastemia (>0.1 or >0.4 * 103  uL-1 ) were found after
      administration of vincristine (49.3, 20.5, 42.5, 19.2%, respectively),
      carboplatin (37.0, 2.2, 34.8, 13.0%), cyclophosphamide (30.8, 7.7, 23.1, 7.7%),
      doxorubicin (25.0, 8.3, 21.7, 6.7%), vinblastine and prednisone (25.0; 5.0; 22.5;
      7.5%). Absolute normoblastemia was very severe (>1.0 * 103 nRBC uL-1 ) after
      administration of vincristine (9.6%), doxorubicin (3.3%), vinblastine and
      prednisone (2.5%). Absolute normoblastemia negatively correlated with RBC counts
      (P < 0.001) and positively (P < 0.001) with reticulocyte and WBC counts, but
      correlation coefficients were low (-0.19, 0.37, 0.15). Vincristine, doxorubicin
      or vinblastine and prednisone may induce severe normoblastemia. This may increase
      WBC counts and mask neutropenia associated with chemotherapy.

PMID- 26109176
TI  - The catheter hub disinfection cap as esophageal foreign body.
AB  - Disinfection caps are increasingly being used to prevent catheter-associated
      bloodstream infections. These devices, designed for continuous passive
      disinfection of catheter hubs, are typically small and often brightly colored. As
      such, they have the potential to become pediatric airway and esophageal foreign
      bodies. We report two patients who developed esophageal foreign body following
      ingestion of disinfection caps. Given the increasing use of these devices, it is
      imperative that health care providers be aware of this potential iatrogenic
      problem. We propose that the use of disinfection caps may not be appropriate in
      pediatric patients with risk factors for foreign body ingestion.

PMID- 26109177
TI  - Piezoelectric effect in chemical vapour deposition-grown atomic-monolayer
      triangular molybdenum disulfide piezotronics.
AB  - High-performance piezoelectricity in monolayer semiconducting transition metal
      dichalcogenides is highly desirable for the development of nanosensors,
      piezotronics and photo-piezotransistors. Here we report the experimental study of
      the theoretically predicted piezoelectric effect in triangle monolayer MoS2
      devices under isotropic mechanical deformation. The experimental observation
      indicates that the conductivity of MoS2 devices can be actively modulated by the
      piezoelectric charge polarization-induced built-in electric field under strain
      variation. These polarization charges alter the Schottky barrier height on both
      contacts, resulting in a barrier height increase with increasing compressive
      strain and decrease with increasing tensile strain. The underlying mechanism of
      strain-induced in-plane charge polarization is proposed and discussed using
      energy band diagrams. In addition, a new type of MoS2 strain/force sensor built
      using a monolayer MoS2 triangle is also demonstrated. Our results provide
      evidence for strain-gating monolayer MoS2 piezotronics, a promising avenue for
      achieving augmented functionalities in next-generation electronic and mechanical
      electronic nanodevices. 

PMID- 26109178
TI  - Coexistence of Andersen-Tawil Syndrome with Polymorphisms in hERG1 Gene (K897T)
      and SCN5A Gene (H558R) in One Family.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Andersen-Tawil Syndrome (ATS) is a channelopathy caused by mutations
      in KCNJ2 gene. It is characterized by symptoms of ventricular arrhythmias,
      periodic paralysis or muscle weakness, and dysmorphic features. ATS can present
      with the triad of symptoms, any combination or none of them. Risk factors for
      dangerous arrhythmias are unknown. The study assessed the impact of K897T
      polymorphism in hERG1 gene and H558R polymorphism in SCN5A gene coexisting with
      R218Q mutation in KCNJ2 in one family on clinical manifestation. METHODS: Family
      members underwent clinical assessment, ECG and genotyping. Holter monitoring was
      performed in mutation carriers and additionally in one family member with no
      mutation, but with K897T polymorphism. RESULTS: Proband with ATS mutation, K897T
      and H558R polymorphisms and proband's sister with ATS mutation and K897T
      polymorphism presented following symptoms: loss of consciousness, bidirectional
      and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and about 5000 ventricular extrasystoles.
      Symptoms presented by the member with only the ATS mutation and by member with
      ATS mutation and H558R polymorphism were not as severe. U wave appeared in all
      examined family members regardless of the mutation presence. Studied individuals
      with ATS mutation had the T-peak-U-peak interval longer than 200 ms. In all ATS
      mutation carriers it was longer than in family members with no mutation. T-peak-T
      end interval was the longest (>120 ms) in members with coexisting mutation and
      K897T polymorphism. CONCLUSION: ATS severity possibly depends on other genes'
      polymorphisms. In the presented family, it could depend on the presence of K897T
      polymorphism in hERG1.

PMID- 26109179
TI  - Vitrification of human ovarian tissue: a practical and relevant alternative to
      slow freezing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue can be used to preserve the
      fertility of patients who are about to receive treatment(s) that could compromise
      their future ovarian function. Here we evaluate the effectiveness of a
      vitrification protocol by carrying out a systematic comparison with a
      conventional slow-freezing method on human ovarian tissue. METHODS: Human ovarian
      samples (mean age 28.0 +/- 1.1 years) were processed in parallel for each
      cryopreservation procedure: vitrification and slow-freezing. Following
      warming/thawing, histological observations and a TUNEL assay in ovarian follicles
      were performed and compared to unfrozen control. RESULTS: Both cryopreservation
      protocols gave comparable histological outcomes. Percentage of intact follicles
      was 83.6 % following vitrification in a 1.5 M 1,2-propanediol (PrOH), 1.5 M
      ethylene glycol (EG) and 0.5 M raffinose solution, 80.7 % after slow-freezing in
      1.5 M PrOH and 0.025 M raffinose, and 99.6 % in fresh tissue. Follicle density
      was unchanged by vitrification (0.6 follicles/mm2) or slow-freezing (0.5
      follicles/mm2) compared to fresh tissue (0.7 follicles/mm2). Percentage of
      follicles with DNA fragmentation was not statistically different in vitrified
      (20.8 %) or slow-frozen (31.3 %) tissues compared to the unfrozen control (35.0
      %). There was no difference in proportion of stroma cells with DNA fragmentation
      in vitrified (6.4 %) and slow-frozen (3.7 %) tissues compared to unfrozen tissue
      (4.2 %). CONCLUSIONS: This vitrification protocol enables good preservation of
      ovarian quality post-warming. The evaluation of endocrine function after
      vitrification need to be perform in a higher cohort to evaluate if this protocol
      may offer a relevant alternative to conventional slow-freezing for the
      cryopreservation of human ovarian tissue.

PMID- 26109180
TI  - The effects of resveratrol and SIRT1 activation on dystrophic cardiomyopathy.
AB  - The muscular dystrophies, which cause progressive weakening of the skeletal
      muscles, are frequently associated with cardiomyopathy. In fact, the leading
      cause of mortality in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common
      and most severe type of muscular dystrophy, is heart failure due to
      cardiomyopathy. Therefore, more effective methods for treating cardiomyopathy are
      expected to improve long-term outcomes for patients with Duchenne muscular
      dystrophy. Our recent preclinical data show that treatment with the SIRT1
      activator resveratrol is beneficial for dystrophic cardiomyopathy. We examined
      the effects of resveratrol treatment in two different models of muscular
      dystrophy: dystrophin-deficient mdx mice and delta-sarcoglycan-deficient TO-2
      hamsters. In both models, resveratrol suppressed cardiac hypertrophy, preserved
      cardiac function, and reduced tissue fibrosis in the diseased heart. Importantly,
      resveratrol significantly improved survival in TO-2 hamsters. Resveratrol also
      attenuated skeletal muscle pathology in mdx mice. These promising results
      indicate resveratrol's potential for clinical translation to treat cardiomyopathy
      in patients with muscular dystrophies. 

PMID- 26109182
TI  - Experts disagree over necessity of hepatitis E vaccine in Nepal.

PMID- 26109181
TI  - Tc-MYBPA an Arabidopsis TT2-like transcription factor and functions in the
      regulation of proanthocyanidin synthesis in Theobroma cacao.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The flavan-3-ols catechin and epicatechin, and their polymerized
      oligomers, the proanthocyanidins (PAs, also called condensed tannins), accumulate
      to levels of up to 15 % of the total weight of dry seeds of Theobroma cacao L.
      These compounds have been associated with several health benefits in humans. They
      also play important roles in pest and disease defense throughout the plant. In
      Arabidopsis, the R2R3 type MYB transcription factor TT2 regulates the major genes
      leading to the synthesis of PA. RESULTS: To explore the transcriptional
      regulation of the PA synthesis pathway in cacao, we isolated and characterized an
      R2R3 type MYB transcription factor MYBPA from cacao. We examined the spatial and
      temporal gene expression patterns of the Tc-MYBPA gene and found it to be
      developmentally expressed in a manner consistent with its involvement in PAs and
      anthocyanin synthesis. Functional complementation of an Arabidopsis tt2 mutant
      with Tc-MYBPA suggested that it can functionally substitute the Arabidopsis TT2
      gene. Interestingly, in addition to PA accumulation in seeds of the Tc-MYBPA
      expressing plants, we also observed an obvious increase of anthocyanidin
      accumulation in hypocotyls. We observed that overexpression of the Tc-MYBPA gene
      resulted in increased expression of several key genes encoding the major
      structural enzymes of the PA and anthocyanidin pathway, including DFR
      (dihydroflavanol reductase), LDOX (leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase) and BAN (ANR,
      anthocyanidin reductase). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the Tc-MYBPA gene that
      encodes an R2R3 type MYB transcription factor is an Arabidopsis TT2 like
      transcription factor, and may be involved in the regulation of both anthocyanin
      and PA synthesis in cacao. This research may provide molecular tools for breeding
      of cacao varieties with improved disease resistance and enhanced flavonoid
      profiles for nutritional and pharmaceutical applications.

PMID- 26109184
TI  - The reactions of TiCl3, and of UF4 with TiCl3 in liquid ammonia: unusual
      coordination spheres in [Ti(NH3)8]Cl3.6NH3 and [UF(NH3)8]Cl3.3.5NH3.
AB  - TiCl3 and NH3 form octaammine titanium(III) chloride ammonia (1/6),
      [Ti(NH3)8]Cl3.6NH3, which is the first structurally characterized octaammine
      complex of a transition metal. An excess of TiCl3 reacts with UF4 in liquid NH3
      and forms octaammine fluorido uranium(IV) chloride ammonia (1/3.5),
      [UF(NH3)8]Cl3.3.5NH3. It shows a distorted threefold-capped trigonal-prismatic
      coordination sphere around U(IV).

PMID- 26109183
TI  - Estrogen and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation have a synergistic
      hypotriglyceridemic effect in ovariectomized rats.
AB  - The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), EPA and DHA, as well as estrogen
      have been shown to decrease circulating levels of triglyceride (TG), but their
      underlying mode of action is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine
      the effects of n-3 PUFA consumption and estrogen injection on TG metabolism. Rats
      (n = 48) were fed a modified AIN-93G diet with 0, 1, or 2 % EPA + DHA relative to
      the total energy intake during 12 weeks. At 8 weeks, rats were ovariectomized
      (OVX), and after a 1-week recovery, rats were injected with either 17beta
      estradiol-3-benzoate (E2) or corn oil for the last 3 weeks. The n-3 PUFA
      consumption and E2 injection independently decreased the hepatic expressions of
      sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1, acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1, fatty acid
      synthase (FAS), and diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) (P < 0.05). There
      were interactions between n-3 PUFA consumption and E2 injection on hepatic
      expression of FAS and DGAT2. In addition, n-3 PUFA consumption and E2 injection
      up-regulated the expression of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK),
      phosphorylated AMPK, peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor alpha, and
      carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 in liver and skeletal muscle. E2 injection
      increased the expression of estrogen receptor alpha and beta in skeletal muscle
      and liver, but n-3 PUFA consumption increased the expression of both receptors
      only in skeletal muscle. The present study suggests that the hypotriglyceridemic
      effects of n-3 PUFA consumption and E2 injection could be due to the down
      regulation of hepatic TG synthesis and up-regulation of TG oxidation in liver and
      skeletal muscle in OVX rats. 

PMID- 26109185
TI  - Expression of calcium-buffering proteins in rat intrinsic laryngeal muscles.
AB  - Intrinsic laryngeal muscles (ILM) are highly specialized muscles involved in
      phonation and airway protection, with unique properties that allow them to
      perform extremely rapid contractions and to escape from damage in muscle
      dystrophy. Due to that, they may differ from limb muscles in several
      physiological aspects. Because a better ability to handle intracellular calcium
      has been suggested to explain ILM unique properties, we hypothesized that the
      profile of the proteins that regulate calcium levels in ILM is different from
      that in a limb muscle. Calcium-related proteins were analyzed in the ILM,
      cricothyroid (CT), and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles from male Sprague-Dawley
      rats (8 weeks of age) using quantitative PCR and western blotting. Higher
      expression of key Ca(2+) regulatory proteins was detected in ILM compared to TA,
      such as the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-reuptake proteins (Sercas 1 and
      2), the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger, phospholamban, and the Ca(2+)-binding protein
      calsequestrin. Parvalbumin, calmodulin and the ATPase, Ca(2+)-transporting, and
      plasma membrane 1 were also expressed at higher levels in ILM compared to TA. The
      store-operated calcium entry channel molecule was decreased in ILM compared to
      the limb muscle and the voltage-dependent L-type and ryanodine receptor were
      expressed at similar levels in ILM and TA. These results show that ILM have a
      calcium regulation system profile suggestive of a better ability to handle
      calcium changes in comparison to limb muscles, and this may provide a mechanistic
      insight for their unique pathophysiological properties. 

PMID- 26109186
TI  - Sex comparisons in muscle sympathetic nerve activity and arterial pressure
      oscillations during progressive central hypovolemia.
AB  - Increased tolerance to central hypovolemia is generally associated with greater
      sympathoexcitation, high-frequency oscillatory patterns of mean arterial pressure
      (MAP), and tachycardia. On average, women are less tolerant to central
      hypovolemia than men; however, the autonomic mechanisms governing these
      comparisons are not fully understood. We tested the hypothesis that women with
      relatively high tolerance (HT) to central hypovolemia would display similar
      physiological reserve capacity for sympathoexcitation and oscillations in MAP at
      presyncope compared to HT men. About 10 men and five women were exposed to
      progressive lower body negative pressure (LBNP) until the presence of presyncopal
      symptoms. Based on our previous classification system, all subjects were
      classified as HT because they completed at least -60 mmHg LBNP. Muscle
      sympathetic serve activity (MSNA) was measured directly from the peroneal nerve
      via microneurography and arterial pressure (AP) was measured at the finger by
      photoplethysmography. LBNP time to presyncope was less (P < 0.01) in women (1727
      +/- 70 sec) than in men (2022 +/- 201 sec). At presyncope, average MSNA in men
      (50 +/- 12 bursts/min) and women (51 +/- 7 bursts/min) was similar (P = 0.87).
      Coincident with similar stroke volume (SV) at presyncope, women had similar MAP
      and heart rates. However, women had less physiological reserve capacity for SV,
      AP-MSNA coherence, and oscillations in the high-frequency (HF) components of
      arterial pressure compared to men. Contrary to our hypothesis, lower tolerance to
      central hypovolemia in women was not associated with sympathoexcitation, but can
      be explained, in part by lower physiological reserve to elicit oscillatory
      patterns in AP, maintenance of AP-MSNA coherence and SV when compared to men. 

PMID- 26109187
TI  - The urothelium of a hibernator: the American black bear.
AB  - The American black bear undergoes a 3-5 month winter hibernation during which
      time bears do not eat, drink, defecate, or urinate. During hibernation renal
      function (GFR) is 16-50% of normal but urine is reabsorbed across the urinary
      bladder (UB) urothelium thus enabling metabolic recycling of all urinary
      constituents. To elucidate the mechanism(s) whereby urine is reabsorbed, we
      examined the UBs of five nonhibernating wild bears using light, electron (EM),
      and confocal immunofluorescent (IF) microscopy-concentrating on two components of
      the urothelial permeability barrier - the umbrella cell apical membranes and
      tight junctions (TJ). Bear UB has the same tissue layers (serosa, muscularis,
      lamina propria, urothelia) and its urothelia has the same cell layers (basal,
      intermediate, umbrella cells) as other mammalians. By EM, the bear apical
      membrane demonstrated a typical mammalian scalloped appearance with hinge and
      plaque regions - the latter containing an asymmetric trilaminar membrane and, on
      IF, uroplakins Ia, IIIa, and IIIb. The umbrella cell TJs appeared similar to
      those in other mammals and also contained TJ proteins occludin and claudin - 4,
      and not claudin -2. Thus, we were unable to demonstrate urothelial apical
      membrane or TJ differences between active black bears and other mammals.
      Expression and localization of UT-B, AQP-1 and -3, and Na(+), K(+)-ATPase on bear
      urothelial membranes was similar to that of other mammals. Similar studies of
      urothelia of hibernating bears, including evaluation of the apical membrane lipid
      bilayer and GAGs layer are warranted to elucidate the mechanism(s) whereby
      hibernating bears reabsorb their daily urine output and thus ensure successful
      hibernation. 

PMID- 26109188
TI  - Impaired cerebral blood flow and oxygenation during exercise in type 2 diabetic
      patients.
AB  - Endothelial vascular function and capacity to increase cardiac output during
      exercise are impaired in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). We tested the
      hypothesis that the increase in cerebral blood flow (CBF) during exercise is also
      blunted and, therefore, that cerebral oxygenation becomes affected and perceived
      exertion increased in T2DM patients. We quantified cerebrovascular besides
      systemic hemodynamic responses to incremental ergometer cycling exercise in eight
      male T2DM and seven control subjects. CBF was assessed from the Fick equation and
      by transcranial Doppler-determined middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity.
      Cerebral oxygenation and metabolism were evaluated from the arterial-to-venous
      differences for oxygen, glucose, and lactate. Blood pressure was comparable
      during exercise between the two groups. However, the partial pressure of arterial
      carbon dioxide was lower at higher workloads in T2DM patients and their work
      capacity and increase in cardiac output were only ~80% of that established in the
      control subjects. CBF and cerebral oxygenation were reduced during exercise in
      T2DM patients (P < 0.05), and they expressed a higher rating of perceived
      exertion (P < 0.05). In contrast, CBF increased ~20% during exercise in the
      control group while the brain uptake of lactate and glucose was similar in the
      two groups. In conclusion, these results suggest that impaired CBF and
      oxygenation responses to exercise in T2DM patients may relate to limited ability
      to increase cardiac output and to reduced vasodilatory capacity and could
      contribute to their high perceived exertion. 

PMID- 26109189
TI  - High-threshold Ca2+ channels behind gamma band activity in the pedunculopontine
      nucleus (PPN).
AB  - The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) is part of the Reticular Activating System,
      and active during waking and REM sleep. Previous results showed that all PPN
      cells plateau at gamma frequencies and intrinsic membrane oscillations in PPN
      neurons are mediated by high-threshold N- and P/Q-type Ca(2+) channels. The
      present study was designed to determine whether some PPN cells have only N-, only
      P/Q-, or both N- and P/Q-type Ca(2+) channels. We used patch-clamp recordings in
      PPN cells in slices from anesthetized rat pups in the presence of synaptic
      receptor blockers (SB) and Tetrodotoxin (TTX), and applied ramps to induce
      intrinsic membrane oscillations. We found that all PPN cell types showed gamma
      oscillations in the presence of SB+TTX when using current ramps. In 50% of cells,
      the N-type Ca(2+) channel blocker omega-Conotoxin-GVIA (omega-CgTx) reduced gamma
      oscillation amplitude, while subsequent addition of the P/Q-type blocker omega
      Agatoxin-IVA (omega-Aga) blocked the remaining oscillations. Another 20%
      manifested gamma oscillations that were not significantly affected by the
      addition of omega-CgTx, however, omega-Aga blocked the remaining oscillations. In
      30% of cells, omega-Aga had no effect on gamma oscillations, while omega-CgTx
      blocked them. These novel results confirm the segregation of populations of PPN
      cells as a function of the calcium channels expressed, that is, the presence of
      cells in the PPN that manifest gamma band oscillations through only N-type, only
      P/Q-type, and both N-type and P/Q-type Ca(2+) channels. 

PMID- 26109190
TI  - Reduction of VO2 slow component by priming exercise: novel mechanistic insights
      from time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy.
AB  - Novel time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy (TR-NIRS), with adipose tissue
      thickness correction, was used to test the hypotheses that heavy priming exercise
      reduces the VO2 slow component (VO2SC) (1) by elevating microvascular [Hb] volume
      at multiple sites within the quadriceps femoris (2) rather than reducing the
      heterogeneity of muscle deoxygenation kinetics. Twelve subjects completed two 6
      min bouts of heavy work rate exercise, separated by 6 min of unloaded cycling.
      Priming exercise induced faster overall VO2 kinetics consequent to a substantial
      reduction in the VO2SC (0.27 +/- 0.12 vs. 0.11 +/- 0.09 L.min(-1), P < 0.05) with
      an unchanged primary VO2 time constant. An increased baseline for the primed bout
      [total (Hb + Mb)] (197.5 +/- 21.6 vs. 210.7 +/- 22.5 MUmol L(-1), P < 0.01),
      reflecting increased microvascular [Hb] volume, correlated significantly with the
      VO2SC reduction. At multiple sites within the quadriceps femoris, priming
      exercise reduced the baseline and slowed the increase in [deoxy (Hb + Mb)].
      Changes in the intersite coefficient of variation in the time delay and time
      constant of [deoxy (Hb + Mb)] during the second bout were not correlated with the
      VO2SC reduction. These results support a mechanistic link between priming
      exercise-induced increase in muscle [Hb] volume and the reduced VO2SC that serves
      to speed overall VO2 kinetics. However, reduction in the heterogeneity of muscle
      deoxygenation kinetics does not appear to be an obligatory feature of the priming
      response. 

PMID- 26109191
TI  - Evaluating PAI-1 as a biomarker for stress in diving: human serum total PAI-1 is
      unaltered after 2 h dry exposures to 280 kPa hyperbaric air.
AB  - Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) is induced in the vasculature and
      secreted into the vascular lumen in response to inflammation and oxidative
      stress. We have previously reported a fivefold increase in plasma PAI-1 from rats
      exposed to 708 kPa hyperbaric air. In the current study we assess the potential
      of human serum total PAI-1 as a biomarker for stress in compressed air diving.
      Eleven recreational divers, nine males and two females, completed four 2 h
      hyperbaric air exposures to 280 kPa in a pressure chamber over a period of 2
      weeks. The air pressure corresponds to a diving depth of 18 m in water. Serum was
      collected before the study and again 3 h 30 min after completion of each
      hyperbaric exposure. All samples were taken in the afternoon to minimize the
      contribution of circadian variation. The analysis revealed no change in serum
      total PAI-1 after hyperbaric exposures within the group of divers (P = 0.064),
      but significant interindividual differences persisted throughout the study (P <
      0.0005). A case of decompression sickness after the third round of hyperbaric
      exposure did not affect PAI-1. In conclusion, compressed air exposure to 280 kPa
      does not affect serum total PAI-1, and significant interindividual variation in
      PAI-1 levels may limit its usefulness as a biomarker. This does, however, not
      give a complete answer regarding PAI-1 in physiologically stressful dives.
      Further studies with different exposures and timing are needed for that. 

PMID- 26109192
TI  - Effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on central arterial
      stiffness and arterial wave reflections in young and older healthy adults.
AB  - Increased central arterial stiffness and enhanced arterial wave reflections may
      contribute to increased risk of cardiovascular disease development with advancing
      age. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3) ingestion may reduce cardiovascular
      risk via favorable effects exerted on arterial structure and function. We
      determined the effects of n-3 supplementation (4 g/day for 12 weeks) on important
      measures of central arterial stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity; PWV)
      and arterial wave reflection (central augmentation index) in young (n = 12; 25 +/
      1-year-old, mean +/- SE) and older (n = 12; 66 +/- 2) healthy adults. We
      hypothesized that n-3 supplementation would decrease carotid-femoral PWV and
      central augmentation index in older adults. Our results indicate that carotid
      femoral PWV and central augmentation index were greater in older (988 +/- 65
      cm/sec and 33 +/- 2%) than in young adults (656 +/- 16 cm/sec and 3 +/- 4%: both
      P < 0.05 compared to older) before the intervention (Pre). N-3 supplementation
      decreased carotid-femoral PWV in older (?-9 +/- 2% Precompared to Post; P <
      0.05), but not young adults (?2 +/- 3%). Central augmentation index was unchanged
      by n-3 supplementation in young (3 +/- 4 vs. 0 +/- 4% for Pre and Post,
      respectively) and older adults (33 +/- 2 vs. 35 +/- 3%). Arterial blood pressure
      at rest, although increased with age, was not altered by n-3 supplementation in
      young or older adults. Collectively, these data indicate that 12 weeks of daily n
      3 supplementation decreases an important measure of central arterial stiffness
      (carotid-femoral PWV) in older, but not young healthy adults. The mechanism
      underlying decreased central arterial stiffness with n-3 supplementation is
      unknown, but appears to be independent of effects on arterial blood pressure or
      arterial wave reflections. 

PMID- 26109193
TI  - Chlorine inhalation-induced myocardial depression and failure.
AB  - Victims of chlorine (Cl2) inhalation that die demonstrate significant cardiac
      pathology. However, a gap exists in the understanding of Cl2-induced cardiac
      dysfunction. This study was performed to characterize cardiac dysfunction
      occurring after Cl2 exposure in rats at concentrations mimicking accidental human
      exposures (in the range of 500 or 600 ppm for 30 min). Inhalation of 500 ppm Cl2
      for 30 min resulted in increased lactate in the coronary sinus of the rats
      suggesting an increase in anaerobic metabolism by the heart. There was also an
      attenuation of myocardial contractile force in an ex vivo (Langendorff technique)
      retrograde perfused heart preparation. After 20 h of return to room air, Cl2
      exposure at 500 ppm was associated with a reduction in systolic and diastolic
      blood pressure as well echocardiographic/Doppler evidence of significant left
      ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Cl2 exposure at 600 ppm (30 min)
      was associated with biventricular failure (observed at 2 h after exposure) and
      death. Cardiac mechanical dysfunction persisted despite increasing the inspired
      oxygen fraction concentration in Cl2-exposed rats (500 ppm) to ameliorate hypoxia
      that occurs after Cl2 inhalation. Similarly ex vivo cardiac mechanical
      dysfunction was reproduced by sole exposure to chloramine (a potential
      circulating Cl2 reactant product). These results suggest an independent and
      distinctive role of Cl2 (and its reactants) in inducing cardiac toxicity and
      potentially contributing to mortality. 

PMID- 26109195
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26109194
TI  - Ventilatory oscillations at exercise: effects of hyperoxia, hypercapnia, and
      acetazolamide.
AB  - Periodic breathing has been found in patients with heart failure and sleep
      apneas, and in healthy subjects in hypoxia, during sleep and wakefulness, at rest
      and, recently, at exercise. To unravel the cardiorespiratory parameters liable to
      modulate the amplitude and period of ventilatory oscillations, 26 healthy
      subjects were tested under physiological (exercise) and environmental (hypoxia,
      hyperoxia, hyperoxic hypercapnia) stresses, and under acetazolamide (ACZ)
      treatment. A fast Fourier transform spectral analysis of breath-by-breath
      ventilation (VE) evidenced an increase in VE peak power under hypercapnia (vs.
      normoxia and hyperoxia, P < 0.001) and a decrease under ACZ (vs. placebo, P <
      0.001), whereas it was not modified in hyperoxia. VE period was shortened by
      exercise in all conditions (vs. rest, P < 0.01) and by hypercapnia (vs. normoxia,
      P < 0.05) but remained unchanged under ACZ (vs. placebo). VE peak power was
      positively related to cardiac output (Qc) and VE in hyperoxia (P < 0.01), in
      hypercapnia (P < 0.001) and under ACZ (P < 0.001). VE period was negatively
      related to Qc and VE in hyperoxia (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively), in
      hypercapnia (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively) and under ACZ (P < 0.05 and P <
      0.01, respectively). Total respiratory cycle time was the main factor responsible
      for changes in VE period. In conclusion, exercise, hypoxia, and hypercapnia
      increase ventilatory oscillations by increasing Qc and VE, whereas ACZ decreases
      ventilatory instability in part by a contrasting action on O2 and CO2 sensing. An
      intrinsic oscillator might modulate ventilation through a complex system where
      peripheral chemoreflex would play a key role. 

PMID- 26109196
TI  - Two cases of successful pregnancy in patients with Gitelman's syndrome.
AB  - Gitelman's syndrome (GS) is a distal convoluted tubule (DCT) defect clinically
      characterized by hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis. Pregnancy in women with GS
      often results in severe hypomagnesemia and hypokalemia. We report two cases of
      successful pregnancies, after previous fetal loss, in patients with GS managed
      with aggressive oral and intravenous electrolyte repletion. These cases
      illustrate increased potassium and magnesium requirements over the course of the
      pregnancies and are notable due to the high doses of electrolytes required. They
      also demonstrate the possibility of successful pregnancy outcomes with frequent
      laboratory monitoring and aggressive titration of electrolyte replacement either
      orally or intravenously to maintain appropriate serum levels necessary to provide
      a suitable environment for fetal development. 

PMID- 26109197
TI  - Mucinous micropapillary pattern in lung adenocarcinomas: a unique histology with
      genetic correlates.
AB  - AIMS: In lung adenocarcinoma (ADC), micropapillary carcinomas (MPCs) are
      associated with poor prognosis because these tumours exhibit higher metastatic
      potential. Despite this, there are no studies investigating the differences
      between mucinous and non-mucinous MPC. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated the
      proportion of micropapillary components in lung ADCs, and compared the
      differences with respect to the presence or absence of associated mucin. Tumour
      specimens from 694 patients with consecutively resected primary lung ADC were
      reviewed, and 37 cases of invasive mucinous ADCs were excluded. A significant
      (>=5%) micropapillary component was noted in 320 (48.7%) of 657 evaluable cases.
      When the cases with micropapillary component were divided into 67 (20.9%)
      mucinous and 253 (79.1%) non-mucinous subtypes, tumours with mucinous
      micropapillary component exhibited significantly more aggressive pathological
      features, a higher proportion of HER2 mutations (P = 0.002) and ALK
      rearrangements (P < 0.001), and a lower proportion of EGFR mutations (P = 0.038)
      compared to those with a non-mucinous micropapillary component. In survival
      analyses, mucinous MPC tended to be more aggressive compared with non-mucinous
      MPC, but its prognostic value was not statistically significant (P = 0.076).
      CONCLUSIONS: Mucinous micropapillary pattern is an under-recognized unique growth
      associated significantly with HER2 mutation and ALK rearrangement.

PMID- 26109198
TI  - Right intra lobar pulmonary sequestration with feeding artery arising from
      abdominal aorta: a case report.
AB  - Pulmonary sequestration (PS) is a rare congenital malformation. Right intra lobar
      PS with a feeding artery arising from the abdominal aorta is extremely rare. This
      case report describes a 30-year-old man with a history of mental deficiency and
      repeated pneumonia who was referred to our hospital for further work-up of PS.
      Three-dimensional enhanced computed tomography of the chest and aorta revealed
      right intra lobar PS with an aberrant systemic artery from the abdominal aorta.
      We resected the PS using lower lobectomy by video-assisted thoracic surgery
      (VATS). The patient was discharged 10 days later without complications.

PMID- 26109199
TI  - Identification and disposition of novel mono-hydroxyl mefenamic acid and their
      potentially toxic 1-O-acyl-glucuronides in vivo.
AB  - Mefenamic acid (MEF) is a widely prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
      that has been found associated with rare but severe cases of hepatotoxicity,
      nephrotoxicity and gastrointestinal toxicity. The formation of protein-reactive
      acylating metabolites such as 1-O-acyl-MEF glucuronide (MEFG) and 3'
      hydroxymethyl-MEF 1-O-acyl-glucuronide is one proposed cause. In addition to the
      well-reported 3'-hydroxymethyl-MEF, two mono-hydroxyl-MEF (OH-MEFs) were recently
      identified in vitro. However, in vivo evidence is lacking and whether these OH
      MEFs would be further glucuronidated to the potentially reactive 1-O-acyl
      glucuronides (OH-MEFGs) is unknown. Utilizing UPLC-Q-TOF/MS and LC-MS/MS, the
      current study identified, for the first time, four OH-MEFs and their
      corresponding OH-MEFGs from plasma after a single oral administration of MEF (40
      mg/kg) to rats, including an OH-MEF that has not been reported previously. The
      systemic exposure of these identified metabolites was high, with metabolic to
      parent AUC0 -> 24 h ratios reaching 23-52% (OH-MEFs) and 8-29% (OH-MEFGs). These
      metabolites also had a long systemic exposure time in both single and 5 day
      multiple oral MEF-treated rats, with elimination half-lives between 9 h and > 24
      h. In addition to these novel metabolites, the previously reported MEFG was also
      identified and its systemic exposure was found to be doubled after multiple MEF
      administrations. These pharmacokinetic results suggest that systemic toxicities
      caused by the potentially reactive MEFG and OH-MEFGs could be considerable,
      especially after repeated MEF treatment. Nevertheless, MEFG and OH-MEFGs had
      negligible uptake in the brain, indicating a minimal risk of brain toxicities.
      Furthermore, an in situ intestinal perfusion study revealed that during MEF
      absorption, it was extensively metabolized to MEFG while < 5% was metabolized to
      OH-MEFs and OH-MEFGs.

PMID- 26109201
TI  - Technical and clinical accuracy of five blood glucose meters: clinical impact
      assessment using error grid analysis and insulin sliding scales.

PMID- 26109200
TI  - The chemokine receptor CXCR7 influences prognosis in human glioma in an IDH1
      dependent manner.
AB  - AIMS: The chemokine receptor CXCR7 is found on glioma cells and glioma-associated
      vessels and dependent upon its localisation on tumour or endothelial cells the
      CXCR7 receptor can mediate glioma cell invasion and tumour angiogenesis. Its
      expression predicts survival in several types of cancers. METHODS: We
      immunohistochemically studied the expression of CXCR7 and its ligand SDF1alpha in
      a cohort of 354 human patients with glioma. In an in vivo glioma model, we
      studied the effect of selective CXCR7 inhibition on mean vascular density.
      RESULTS: Here we show that expression of either mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase
      (IDH) 1 or podoplanin (PDPN), two proteins present in basically non-overlapping
      glioma populations, predicts the prognostic significance of CXCR7. Specifically,
      expression of CXCR7 on endothelial cells in IDH1 mutant cases predicted poor
      outcome. Surprisingly, in PDPN expressing gliomas, one of the marker genes for
      the recently identified mesenchymal subgroup, expression of CXCR7 predicts
      diminished prognosis on tumour cells and better prognosis on endothelial cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: Since CXCR7 is expressed on migrating cells our data suggest that,
      although ubiquitously present, angiogenesis and invasion are outcome-relevant
      events in specific glioma subgroups, providing a potentially important tool for
      targeted therapy assignment.

PMID- 26109202
TI  - Salvage chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation for transformed
      indolent lymphoma: a subset analysis of NCIC CTG LY12.
AB  - The treatment of transformed indolent lymphoma (TRIL) often includes salvage
      chemotherapy (SC) and autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). NCIC CTG LY12 is a
      randomized phase 3 trial comparing gemcitabine, dexamethasone, and cisplatin
      (GDP) with dexamethasone, cytarabine, and cisplatin (DHAP) before ASCT. This
      analysis compares the results of SC and ASCT for TRIL with de novo diffuse large
      B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Six-hundred nineteen patients with relapsed/refractory
      aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma were randomized to GDP or DHAP; 87 patients (14%)
      had TRIL and 429 (69%) had DLBCL. The response rate to SC was 47% in TRIL and 45%
      in DL (P = .81). Transplantation rates were similar: TRIL 53% and DL 52% (P =
      1.0). With a median follow-up of 53 months, 4 year overall survival was 39% for
      TRIL and 41% for DL (P = .78); 4 year event-free survival (EFS) was 27% for TRIL
      and 27% for DL (P = .83). Post-ASCT, 4-year EFS was 45% for TRIL and 46% for DL.
      Histology (TRIL or DL) was not a predictor of any outcome in multivariate models.
      Patients with relapsed or refractory TRIL and DLBCL have similar outcomes with SC
      and ASCT; this therapy should be considered the standard of care for patients
      with TRIL who have received prior systemic chemotherapy. NCIC CTG LY12 is
      registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as #NCT00078949. 

PMID- 26109203
TI  - RAP-011 improves erythropoiesis in zebrafish model of Diamond-Blackfan anemia
      through antagonizing lefty1.
AB  - Diamond-Blackfan Anemia (DBA) is a bone marrow failure disorder characterized by
      low red blood cell count. Mutations in ribosomal protein genes have been
      identified in approximately half of all DBA cases. Corticosteriod therapy and
      bone marrow transplantation are common treatment options for patients; however,
      significant risks and complications are associated with these treatment options.
      Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches are needed for treating DBA. Sotatercept
      (ACE-011, and its murine ortholog RAP-011) acts as an activin receptor type IIA
      ligand trap, increasing hemoglobin and hematocrit in pharmacologic models, in
      healthy volunteers, and in patients with beta-thalassemia, by expanding late
      stage erythroblasts through a mechanism distinct from erythropoietin. Here, we
      evaluated the effects of RAP-011 in zebrafish models of RPL11 ribosome
      deficiency. Treatment with RAP-011 dramatically restored hemoglobin levels caused
      by ribosome stress. In zebrafish embryos, RAP-011 likely stimulates
      erythropoietic activity by sequestering lefty1 from erythroid cells. These
      findings identify lefty1 as a signaling component in the development of erythroid
      cells and rationalize the use of sotatercept in DBA patients. 

PMID- 26109204
TI  - Essential role of class II PI3K-C2alpha in platelet membrane morphology.
AB  - The physiologic roles of the class II phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) and
      their contributions to phosphatidylinositol 3-monophosphate (PI3P) and PI(3,4)P2
      production remain elusive. Here we report that mice heterozygous for a
      constitutively kinase-dead PI3K-C2alpha display aberrant platelet morphology with
      an elevated number of barbell-shaped proplatelets, a recently discovered
      intermediate stage in the final process of platelet production. Platelets with
      heterozygous PI3K-C2alpha inactivation have critical defects in alpha-granules
      and membrane structure that are associated with modifications in megakaryocytes.
      These platelets are more rigid and unable to form filopodia after stimulation.
      Heterozygous PI3K-C2alpha inactivation in platelets led to a significant
      reduction in the basal pool of PI3P and a mislocalization of several membrane
      skeleton proteins known to control the interactions between the plasma membrane
      and cytoskeleton. These alterations had repercussions on the performance of
      platelet responses with delay in the time of arterial occlusion in an in vivo
      model of thrombosis and defect in thrombus formation in an ex vivo blood flow
      system. These data uncover a key role for PI3K-C2alpha activity in the generation
      of a basal housekeeping PI3P pool and in the control of membrane remodeling,
      critical for megakaryocytopoiesis and normal platelet production and function. 

PMID- 26109205
TI  - Platelets at the interface of thrombosis, inflammation, and cancer.
AB  - Although once primarily recognized for its roles in hemostasis and thrombosis,
      the platelet has been increasingly recognized as a multipurpose cell. Indeed,
      circulating platelets have the ability to influence a wide range of seemingly
      unrelated pathophysiologic events. Here, we highlight some of the notable
      observations that link platelets to inflammation, reinforcing the platelet's
      origin from a lower vertebrate cell type with both hemostatic and immunologic
      roles. In addition, we consider the relevance of platelets in cancer biology by
      focusing on the hallmarks of cancer and the ways platelets can influence
      multistep development of tumors. Beyond its traditional role in hemostasis and
      thrombosis, the platelet's involvement in the interplay between hemostasis,
      thrombosis, inflammation, and cancer is likely complex, yet extremely important
      in each disease process. The existence of animal models of platelet dysfunction
      and currently used antiplatelet therapies provide a framework for understanding
      mechanistic insights into a wide range of pathophysiologic events. Thus, the
      basic scientist studying platelet function can think beyond the traditional
      hemostasis and thrombosis paradigms, while the practicing hematologist must
      appreciate platelet relevance in a wide range of disease processes. 

PMID- 26109206
TI  - Risk-adapted therapy for early-stage extranodal nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma:
      analysis from a multicenter study.
AB  - The optimal combination and sequence of radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT)
      for extranodal nasal-type natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) are not well
      defined. The aim of this study was to create a risk-adapted therapeutic strategy
      for early-stage NKTCL. A total of 1273 early-stage patients from 10 institutions
      were reviewed. Patients received CT alone (n = 170), RT alone (n = 253), RT
      followed by CT (n = 209), or CT followed by RT (n = 641). A comprehensive
      comparative study was performed using multivariable and propensity score-matched
      analyses. Early-stage NKTCL was classified as low risk or high risk based on 5
      independent prognostic factors (stage, age, performance status, lactate
      dehydrogenase, primary tumor invasion). RT alone and RT with or without CT were
      more effective than CT alone (5-year overall survival [OS], 69.6% and 67.7% vs
      33.9%, P < .001). For low-risk patients, RT alone achieved a favorable OS
      (88.8%); incorporation of induction or consolidation CT did not provide
      additional benefit (86.9% and 86.3%). For high-risk patients, RT followed by CT
      resulted in superior OS (72.2%) compared with induction CT and RT (58.3%, P =
      .004) or RT alone (59.6%, P = .017). After adjustment, similar significant
      differences in OS were still observed between treatment groups. New CT regimens
      provided limited benefit in early-stage NKTCL. Risk-adapted therapy involving RT
      alone for low-risk patients and RT consolidated by CT for high-risk patients is a
      viable, effective strategy for early-stage NKTCL. 

PMID- 26109208
TI  - Ultrathin Carbon with Interspersed Graphene/Fullerene-like Nanostructures: A
      Durable Protective Overcoat for High Density Magnetic Storage.
AB  - One of the key issues for future hard disk drive technology is to design and
      develop ultrathin (<2 nm) overcoats with excellent wear- and corrosion protection
      and high thermal stability. Forming carbon overcoats (COCs) having interspersed
      nanostructures by the filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) process can be an
      effective approach to achieve the desired target. In this work, by employing a
      novel bi-level surface modification approach using FCVA, the formation of a high
      sp(3) bonded ultrathin (~1.7 nm) amorphous carbon overcoat with interspersed
      graphene/fullerene-like nanostructures, grown on magnetic hard disk media, is
      reported. The in-depth spectroscopic and microscopic analyses by high resolution
      transmission electron microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, time-of-flight
      secondary ion mass spectrometry, and Raman spectroscopy support the observed
      findings. Despite a reduction of ~37% in COC thickness, the FCVA-processed
      thinner COC (~1.7 nm) shows promising functional performance in terms of lower
      coefficient of friction (~0.25), higher wear resistance, lower surface energy,
      excellent hydrophobicity and similar/better oxidation corrosion resistance than
      current commercial COCs of thickness ~2.7 nm. The surface and tribological
      properties of FCVA-deposited COC was further improved after deposition of
      lubricant layer.

PMID- 26109207
TI  - Mild Chronic Hyponatremia in the Ambulatory Setting: Significance and Management.
AB  - Mild chronic hyponatremia, as defined by a persistent (>72 hours) plasma sodium
      concentration between 125 and 135 mEq/L without apparent symptoms, is common in
      ambulatory patients and generally perceived as being inconsequential. The
      association between increased mortality and hyponatremia in hospitalized patients
      in various settings and etiologies is widely recognized. This review analyzes the
      significance of mild chronic hyponatremia in ambulatory subjects and its effects
      on mortality and morbidity. It addresses whether this disorder should even be
      treated and if so, which patients are likely to benefit from treatment. The
      available approaches to correct hyponatremia in such patients in the context of
      recently published panel-generated recommendations and guidelines are described. 

PMID- 26109209
TI  - Anti-VEGF treatment in branch retinal vein occlusion: a real-world experience
      over 4 years.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine long-term outcome of intraocular antagonism of vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in macular oedema (ME) secondary to branch
      retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). METHODS: A total of 28 consecutive patients were
      treated with either intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) or intravitreal ranibizumab
      (IVR) in the first series and were evaluated after a mean follow-up of 5 years
      for their functional and anatomical outcome. RESULTS: Time between onset of
      macular oedema and initial treatment was 5.2 +/- 0.4/0.1 +/- 0.1 (IVB/IVR)
      months. A mean of 4 intravitreal injections were given per patients in the first
      6 months. In months 7-12 intravitreal injections decreased to 2 and further
      decreased in the second year (months 13-18: 1.14; months 19-24: 0.5) and third
      year (months 25-30: 0.4; months 31-36: 0.2). After the fourth year, only two of
      the 28 patients received further treatment. Average visual acuity (VA) increased
      by 16 letters after 1 year (p < 0.01) and although not statistically
      significantly, by a mean of 5 letters (p = 0.3) at long-term evaluation (IVB
      group). However, after mean of 5 years, central retinal sensitivity (CRS)
      improved by 3.6 dB (p = 0.01) and central retinal thickness (CRT) decreased by
      161 MUm (p = 0.02). In the IVR-group, VA and CRS increased significantly (31
      letters and respectively 4.4 dB, p < 0.001) and CRT decreased by 229 MUm (p <
      0.001) after long-term follow-up. Final functional results were significantly
      better in patients with treatment initiation <3 months (79 versus 55 letters, p =
      0.01). Microvascular abnormalities were detected in 88% (21 of 24 patients),
      hyperfluorescence in 42% (10 of 24 patients) on wide-field fluorescein
      angiography in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of VEGF provides substantial
      long-term benefits for patients with ME secondary to BRVO. Early treatment with
      anti-VEGF agents and extended therapeutic surveillance was associated with
      improved visual recovery.

PMID- 26109210
TI  - Impact of metabolic syndrome in surgical patients: should we bother?
AB  - Clinicians inevitably encounter patients who meet the diagnostic criteria for the
      metabolic syndrome (MetS); these criteria include central obesity, hypertension,
      atherogenic dyslipidaemia, and hyperglycaemia. Regardless of the variations in
      its definition, MetS may be associated with adverse outcomes in patients
      undergoing both cardiac and non-cardiac surgery. There is a paucity of data
      concerning the anaesthetic management of patients with MetS, and only a few
      observational (mainly retrospective) studies have investigated the association of
      MetS with perioperative outcomes. In this narrative review, we consider the
      impact of MetS on the occurrence of perioperative adverse events after cardiac
      and non-cardiac surgery. Metabolic syndrome has been associated with higher rates
      of cardiovascular, pulmonary, and renal perioperative events and wound infections
      compared with patients with a non-MetS profile. Metabolic syndrome has also been
      related to increased health service costs, prolonged hospital stay, and a greater
      need for posthospitalization care. Therefore, physicians should be able to
      recognize the MetS in the perioperative period in order to formulate management
      strategies that may modify any perianaesthetic and surgical risk. However,
      further research is needed in this field. 

PMID- 26109211
TI  - From crystal to glass-like thermal conductivity in crystalline minerals.
AB  - The ability of some materials with a perfectly ordered crystal structure to mimic
      the heat conduction of amorphous solids is a remarkable physical property that
      finds applications in numerous areas of materials science, for example, in the
      search for more efficient thermoelectric materials that enable to directly
      convert heat into electricity. Here, we unveil the mechanism in which glass-like
      thermal conductivity emerges in tetrahedrites, a family of natural minerals
      extensively studied in geology and, more recently, in thermoelectricity. By
      investigating the lattice dynamics of two tetrahedrites of very close
      compositions (Cu12Sb2Te2S13 and Cu10Te4S13) but with opposite glasslike and
      crystal thermal transport by means of powder and single-crystal inelastic neutron
      scattering, we demonstrate that the former originates from the peculiar chemical
      environment of the copper atoms giving rise to a strongly anharmonic excess of
      vibrational states. 

PMID- 26109212
TI  - [Bilateral renal sclerotherapy as a treatment option in a mixed breed male dog
      with idiopathic renal haematuria].
AB  - A 2-year-old male castrated German Shepherd dog mix was presented with chronic
      macroscopic haematuria. Further diagnostics included abdominal ultrasound and
      urethrocystoscopy and led to a diagnosis of severe bilateral idiopathic renal
      haematuria (IRH). Medical treatment with Yunnan Baiyao was unsuccessful.
      Bilateral renal-sparing sclerotherapy was performed and, despite distal migration
      of both ureteral stents within 12 days, permanently resolved the macroscopic
      haematuria. 

PMID- 26109213
TI  - The effect of thiazolidinediones on bone mineral density and bone turnover:
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are associated with an increased risk
      of fracture but the mechanism is unclear. We sought to determine the effect of
      TZDs on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers. METHODS: PubMed,
      EMBASE and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched from inception until January
      2015 for randomised controlled trials comparing TZDs with metformin,
      sulfonylureas or placebo, and those reporting changes in BMD and/or bone turnover
      markers. The primary outcome was percentage change in BMD from baseline and
      results were pooled with random effects meta-analyses. RESULTS: In all, 18 trials
      were included in the primary analyses and another two were included in the
      sensitivity analyses (n = 3,743, 50% women, mean age 56 years, median trial
      duration 48 weeks). TZDs decreased BMD at the lumbar spine (difference -1.1% [95%
      CI -1.6, -0.7]; p < 0.0001), total hip (-1.0% [-1.4, -0.6]; p < 0.0001) and
      forearm (-0.9% [-1.6, -0.3]; p = 0.007). There were statistically non-significant
      decreases in BMD at the femoral neck (-0.7% [-1.4, 0.0]; p = 0.06) and total body
      (-0.3% [-0.5, 0.0]; p = 0.08). Five trials (n = 450) showed no statistically
      significant difference in percentage change in BMD between the TZD group and
      controls up to 1 year following TZD withdrawal. In 14 trials, the effect of TZD
      treatment on turnover markers varied considerably between individual studies.
      CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Treatment with TZDs results in modest bone loss that
      may not be reversed 1 year after cessation of treatment.

PMID- 26109214
TI  - The hitchhiker's guide to PGC-1alpha isoform structure and biological functions.
AB  - Proteins of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma)
      coactivator 1 (PGC-1) family of transcriptional coactivators coordinate
      physiological adaptations in many tissues, usually in response to demands for
      higher nutrient and energy supply. Of the founding members of the family, PGC
      1alpha (also known as PPARGC1A) is the most highly regulated gene, using multiple
      promoters and alternative splicing to produce a growing number of coactivator
      variants. PGC-1alpha promoters are selectively active in distinct tissues in
      response to specific stimuli. To date, more than ten novel PGC-1alpha isoforms
      have been reported to be expressed from a novel promoter (PGC-1alpha-b, PGC
      1alpha-c), to undergo alternative splicing (NT-PGC-1alpha) or both (PGC-1alpha2,
      PGC-1alpha3, PGC-1alpha4). The resulting proteins display differential regulation
      and tissue distribution and, most importantly, exert specific biological
      functions. In this review we discuss the structural and functional
      characteristics of the novel PGC-1alpha isoforms, aiming to provide an
      integrative view of this constantly expanding system of transcriptional
      coactivators. 

PMID- 26109215
TI  - Variable effects of statins on glucose homeostasis parameters and their
      diabetogenic role. Reply to Kostapanos MS, Agouridis AP and Elisaf MS [letter].

PMID- 26109218
TI  - Aryl hydrocarbon receptor-fibroblast growth factor 21 dissociation of fatty liver
      from insulin resistance: A timely matter?

PMID- 26109216
TI  - Maternal VDR variants rather than 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration during early
      pregnancy are associated with type 1 diabetes in the offspring.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
      associated with 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in the metabolic pathway of
      vitamin D show different genotype distributions between Finnish families with an
      offspring with type 1 diabetes (cases) and families with a healthy offspring
      (controls). METHODS: A total of 31 SNPs in eight genes were studied in case and
      control mothers and family members (offspring with type 1 diabetes and healthy
      siblings, healthy control children and fathers) (n = 2,854). The 25
      hydroxyvitamin D concentration was studied in 474 case and 348 matched control
      mothers during pregnancy. RESULTS: The genotype distributions of 13 SNPs (in the
      following genes: 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase NADSYN1/DHCR7, vitamin D receptor
      VDR, group-specific component GC and CYP27A1) that showed a nominal association
      with 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration (p < 0.05) were compared between case and
      control families. SNPs in VDR had different genotype distributions between the
      case and control mothers (rs1544410, p = 0.007; rs731236, p = 0.003; rs4516035, p
      = 0.015), two SNPs (rs1544410 and rs731236) remaining significant after
      correction for multiple testing using a false discovery rate. The mean 25
      hydroxyvitamin D concentrations during pregnancy did not differ between the case
      and control mothers. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Our preliminary results suggest
      that the maternal genotypes of SNPs in VDR may influence the in utero environment
      and thus contribute to the early programming of type 1 diabetes in the fetus. It
      is possible that the effects are only relevant in the presence of vitamin D
      insufficiency.

PMID- 26109217
TI  - Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Lynch Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inheritance of a germline mutation in one of the DNA mismatch repair
      (MMR) genes MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 causes a high risk of colorectal and other
      cancers (Lynch Syndrome). Use of aspirin has been shown to be associated with a
      reduced risk of colorectal cancer for the general population as well as for MMR
      gene mutation carriers. The aim of this study was to determine whether use of
      aspirin and ibuprofen in a nontrial setting is associated with the risk of
      colorectal cancer risk for MMR gene mutation carriers. METHODS: We included 1858
      participants in the Colon Cancer Family Registry who had been found to have a
      pathogenic germline mutation in a MMR gene (carriers). We used weighted Cox
      proportional hazards regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs). All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: A
      total of 714 carriers (38%) were diagnosed with colorectal cancer at a mean age
      of 42.4 (standard deviation 10.6) years. A reduced risk of colorectal cancer was
      associated with aspirin use (for 1 month to 4.9 years: HR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.27
      to 0.90, P = .02; for >=5 years: HR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.10 to 0.62, P = .003) and
      ibuprofen use (for 1 month to 4.9 years: HR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.18 to 0.79, P =
      .009; for >=5 years: HR = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.10 to 0.69, P = .007), compared with
      less than one month of use. CONCLUSION: Our results provide additional evidence
      that, for MMR gene mutation carriers, use of aspirin and ibuprofen might be
      effective in reducing their high risk of colorectal cancer.

PMID- 26109219
TI  - Characterization of the molecular degradation mechanism of diphenyl ethers by
      Cupriavidus sp. WS.
AB  - Commonly used flame retardants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are
      extremely persistent in the environment, causing serious environmental risks.
      Certain strains of bacteria are able to degrade several low brominated congeners
      of PBDEs aerobically. However, the aerobic degradation pathway is not yet well
      understood, particularly at the genetic level. In this study, we isolated
      Cupriavidus sp. WS from the environment that could degrade diphenyl ether (DE), 4
      bromodiphenyl ether, and 4,4'-bromodiphenyl ether. DE was completely degraded in
      6 days without any detectable end-product. Using transposon mutagenesis, several
      DE degradation-deficient mutants were obtained. Knocking out bphA1, bphA2, and
      bphA3 eliminated the ability of the Cupriavidus sp. WS bacterium to degrade DE,
      indicating that the bph genes play a crucial role in DE degradation by this
      strain. The specific roles of bphA, bphB, and bphC were identified by
      systematically expressing these genes in Escherichia coli. The dihydrodiol
      product of BphA was dehydrogenated into 2,3-dihydroxydiphenyl ether by BphB. 2,3
      Dihydroxydiphenyl ether was then decomposed into phenol and 2-pyrone-6-carboxylic
      acid by BphC. Thus, BphA, BphB, and BphC act sequentially in the aerobic
      degradation of DE, 4-bromodiphenyl ether, and 4,4'-dibromodiphenyl ether by the
      Cupriavidus sp. WS bacterium.

PMID- 26109220
TI  - Effect of inorganic amendments for in situ stabilization of cadmium in
      contaminated soils and its phyto-availability to wheat and rice under rotation.
AB  - Cadmium (Cd) toxicity is a widespread problem in crops grown on contaminated
      soils, and little information is available on the role of inorganic amendments in
      Cd immobilization, uptake, and tolerance in crops especially under filed
      conditions. The effect of three amendments, monoammonium phosphate (MAP), gypsum,
      and elemental sulfur (S), on Cd immobilization in soil and uptake in wheat and
      rice plants, under rotation, were investigated under field conditions receiving
      raw city effluent since >20 years and contaminated with Cd. Three levels of each
      treatment, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8% by weight, were applied at the start of the
      experiment, and wheat was sown in the field. After wheat harvesting, rice was
      sown in the same field without application of amendments. Both crops were
      harvested at physiological maturity, and data regarding grain yield, straw
      biomass, Cd concentrations, and uptake in grain and straw, and bioavailable Cd in
      soil and soil pH were recorded. Both MAP and gypsum application increased grain
      yield and biomass of wheat and rice, while S application did not increase the
      yield of both crops. MAP and gypsum amendments decreased gain and straw Cd
      concentrations and uptake in both crops, while S application increased Cd
      concentrations in these parts which were correlated with soil bioavailable Cd. We
      conclude that MAP and gypsum amendments could be used to decrease Cd uptake by
      plants receiving raw city effluents, and gypsum might be a better amendment for
      in situ immobilization of Cd due to its low cost and frequent availability.

PMID- 26109221
TI  - Biochar increased water holding capacity but accelerated organic carbon leaching
      from a sloping farmland soil in China.
AB  - A hydrologically contained field study, to assess biochar (produced from mixed
      crop straws) influence upon soil hydraulic properties and dissolved organic
      carbon (DOC) leaching, was conducted on a loamy soil (entisol). The soil, noted
      for its low plant-available water and low soil organic matter, is the most
      important arable soil type in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River catchment,
      China. Pore size distribution characterization (by N2 adsorption, mercury
      intrusion, and water retention) showed that the biochar had a tri-modal pore size
      distribution. This included pores with diameters in the range of 0.1-10 MUm that
      can retain plant-available water. Comparison of soil water retention curves
      between the control (0) and the biochar plots (16 t ha(-1) on dry weight basis)
      demonstrated biochar amendment to increase soil water holding capacity. However,
      significant increases in DOC concentration of soil pore water in both the plough
      layer and the undisturbed subsoil layer were observed in the biochar-amended
      plots. An increased loss of DOC relative to the control was observed upon
      rainfall events. Measurements of excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence
      indicated the DOC increment originated primarily from the organic carbon pool in
      the soil that became more soluble following biochar incorporation. 

PMID- 26109222
TI  - Study of photodegradation and photooxidation of p-arsanilic acid in water
      solutions at pH = 7: kinetics and by-products.
AB  - The paper presents the kinetics and proposed pathways photodegradation and
      photooxidation of p-arsanilic acid, in a neutral environment by ozone and
      hydrogen peroxide. The results showed that in a neutral environment,
      photoozonation process was characterized by the highest decomposition rate
      constant (k) (k = 31.8 * 10(-3) min(-1)). The rate constants decreased in the
      order UV/O3 > O3 > UV/H2O2 > H2O2 > UV. It was also found that under pH = 7,
      decomposition of p-arsanilic acid leads mainly to the formation of aniline, which
      undergoes secondary reactions. Intermediate products of oxidation and
      photooxidation by hydrogen peroxide like nitrobenzene, nitrophenol, azobenzenes,
      and phenylazophenol were identified depending on processes. However, in the
      photodegradation process, formation of nitrasone as a reaction product of p
      arsanilic acid with oxygen in the singlet state was observed. In the case of
      ozonation and photoozonation, in addition, aniline formation of carboxylic acids
      was observed. 

PMID- 26109223
TI  - Extraction and application of starch-based coagulants from sago trunk for semi
      aerobic landfill leachate treatment.
AB  - Malaysia is one of the highest starch producers. In this study, sago starch was
      utilized as a natural coagulant aid to reduce the dosage of aluminum-based
      coagulant in leachate treatment. The potential of native sago trunk starch (NSTS)
      and commercial sago starch (CSS) was evaluated as sole coagulant and coagulant
      aid in the presence of polyaluminum chloride (PACl) in the removal of color,
      suspended solids (SS), NH3-N, turbidity, chemical oxygen demand, organic UV254,
      Cd, and Ni. Leachate was sampled from Pulau Burung Landfill Site, one of the semi
      aerobic landfills in Malaysia. The optimum dosage for PACl in the presence of
      NSTS or CSS as coagulant aid was reduced from 3100 to 2000 mg/L. In the presence
      of 2000 mg/L PACl with 6000 mg/L NSTS and 2000 mg/L PACl with 5000 mg/L CSS, the
      removal performance for color, SS, and turbidity are 94.7, 99.2, and 98.9%,
      respectively. Similar results were obtained with the use of 3100 mg/L PACl alone.
      Therefore, CSS and NSTS can be used as coagulant aid.

PMID- 26109224
TI  - Low level impurities in imported wheat are a likely source of feral transgenic
      oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) in Switzerland.
AB  - In Switzerland, the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) oilseed rape
      (Brassica napus L.) and the use of its seeds for food and feed are not permitted.
      Nevertheless, the GM oilseed rape events GT73, MS8*RF3, MS8 and RF3 have recently
      been found in the Rhine port of Basel, Switzerland. The sources of GM oilseed
      rape seeds have been unknown. The main agricultural good being imported at the
      Rhine port of Basel is wheat and from 2010 to 2013, 19% of all Swiss wheat
      imports originated from Canada. As over 90% of all oilseed rape grown in Canada
      is GM, we hypothesised that imports of Canadian wheat may contain low level
      impurities of GM oilseed rape. Therefore, waste fraction samples gathered during
      the mechanical cleaning of Canadian wheat from two Swiss grain mills were
      analysed by separating oilseed rape seeds from waste fraction samples and testing
      DNA of pooled seeds for the presence of transgenes by real-time PCR. Furthermore,
      oilseed rape seeds from each grain mill were sown in a germination experiment,
      and seedling DNA was tested for the presence of transgenes by real-time PCR.
      GT73, MS8*RF3, MS8 and RF3 oilseed rape was detected among seed samples and
      seedlings of both grain mills. Based on this data, we projected a mean proportion
      of 0.005% of oilseed rape in wheat imported from Canada. Besides Canadian wheat,
      the Rhine port of Basel does not import any other significant amounts of
      agricultural products from GM oilseed rape producing countries. We therefore
      conclude that Canadian wheat is the major source of unintended introduction of GM
      oilseed rape seeds into Switzerland.

PMID- 26109225
TI  - Electrokinetic remediation of fluorine-contaminated soil and its impact on soil
      fertility.
AB  - Compared to soil pollution by heavy metals and organic pollutants, soil pollution
      by fluorides is usually ignored in China. Actually, fluorine-contaminated soil
      has an unfavorable influence on human, animals, plants, and surrounding
      environment. This study reports on electrokinetic remediation of fluorine
      contaminated soil and the effects of this remediation technology on soil
      fertility. Experimental results showed that electrokinetic remediation using NaOH
      as the anolyte was a considerable choice to eliminate fluorine in contaminated
      soils. Under the experimental conditions, the removal efficiency of fluorine by
      the electrokinetic remediation method was 70.35%. However, the electrokinetic
      remediation had a significant impact on the distribution and concentrations of
      soil native compounds. After the electrokinetic experiment, in the treated soil,
      the average value of available nitrogen was raised from 69.53 to 74.23 mg/kg, the
      average value of available phosphorus and potassium were reduced from 20.05 to
      10.39 mg/kg and from 61.31 to 51.58 mg/kg, respectively. Meanwhile, the contents
      of soil available nitrogen and phosphorus in the anode regions were higher than
      those in the cathode regions, but the distribution of soil available potassium
      was just the opposite. In soil organic matter, there was no significant change.
      These experiment results suggested that some steps should be taken to offset the
      impacts, after electrokinetic treatment.

PMID- 26109226
TI  - Erratum to: Characterization of carbonaceous aerosols at Mount Lu in South China:
      implication for secondary organic carbon formation and long-range transport.

PMID- 26109227
TI  - Clonazepam in the treatment of status epilepticus.
AB  - Status epilepticus (SE) is a common and serious neurological disorder. The
      prognosis of SE may be improved by effectively treating the disorder as early as
      possible. Clonazepam (CZP) has rarely been included in treatment guidelines for
      SE; however, this drug has been widely used in the treatment of SE patients and
      has unique advantages. Here, we elaborate on the clinical application of CZP in
      the treatment of SE and provide an effective and alternative treatment method for
      this disorder. We review selected literature, summarize action mechanisms,
      pharmacokinetics and clinical applications of CZP in the treatment of SE. We
      found that the effects of CZP are rapid and reliable and that adverse reactions
      are mild and transient. We conclude that CZP may be safely used to treat SE. 

PMID- 26109228
TI  - Prehospital stroke care: telemedicine, thrombolysis and neuroprotection.
AB  - Over the last 15 years, new approaches regarding neuroprotective and thrombolytic
      strategies in stroke management have been evaluated in the prehospital setting.
      These efforts have provided exciting new potentials of hyperacute stroke care.
      Trials have shown that the use of specialized stroke ambulances increases the
      proportion of patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis and shortens alarm-to
      treatment time by approximately half an hour compared to standard care.
      Intravenous thrombolysis within the ultra-early time window of the 'golden hour'
      has become a realistic scenario. However, direct effects of prehospital stroke
      care on functional outcome have yet to be shown and other approaches such as
      neuroprotective treatments could not demonstrate clinical benefit so far. There
      is a clear need for systematic research in the prehospital field to test the
      clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of new therapeutic strategies. It
      will be necessary to test various components of prehospital stroke care alone and
      in combination. 

PMID- 26109229
TI  - Combining TMS-EEG with transcranial direct current stimulation language treatment
      in aphasia.
AB  - Despite the fact that different studies have been performed using transcranial
      direct current stimulation (tDCS) in aphasia, so far, to what extent the
      stimulation of a cerebral region may affect the activity of anatomically
      connected regions remains unclear. The authors used a combination of transcranial
      magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) to explore brain
      areas' excitability modulation before and after active and sham tDCS. Six chronic
      aphasics underwent 3 weeks of language training coupled with tDCS over the right
      inferior frontal gyrus. To measure the changes induced by tDCS, TMS-EEG closed to
      the area stimulated with tDCS were calculated. A significant improvement after
      tDCS stimulation was found which was accompained by a modification of the EEG
      over the stimulated region. 

PMID- 26109230
TI  - Diversity of gut microflora is required for the generation of B cell with
      regulatory properties in a skin graft model.
AB  - B cells have been reported to promote graft rejection through alloantibody
      production. However, there is growing evidence that B cells can contribute to the
      maintenance of tolerance. Here, we used a mouse model of MHC-class I mismatched
      skin transplantation to investigate the contribution of B cells to graft
      survival. We demonstrate that adoptive transfer of B cells prolongs skin graft
      survival but only when the B cells were isolated from mice housed in low
      sterility "conventional" (CV) facilities and not from mice housed in pathogen
      free facilities (SPF). However, prolongation of skin graft survival was lost when
      B cells were isolated from IL-10 deficient mice housed in CV facilities. The
      suppressive function of B cells isolated from mice housed in CV facilities
      correlated with an anti-inflammatory environment and with the presence of a
      different gut microflora compared to mice maintained in SPF facilities. Treatment
      of mice in the CV facility with antibiotics abrogated the regulatory capacity of
      B cells. Finally, we identified transitional B cells isolated from CV facilities
      as possessing the regulatory function. These findings demonstrate that B cells,
      and in particular transitional B cells, can promote prolongation of graft
      survival, a function dependent on licensing by gut microflora. 

PMID- 26109231
TI  - Overexpression of succinyl-CoA synthase for poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3
      hydroxyvalerate) production in engineered Escherichia coli BL21(DE3).
AB  - AIM: This study aims to increase the 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) fraction in poly(3
      hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [P(HB-co-HV)] using succinyl-CoA synthase.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Escherichia coli YH090, a polyhydroxyalkonate (PHA)
      producing strain, was further engineered for overexpression of succinyl-CoA
      synthase genes (sucCD), and examined for P(HB-co-HV) copolymer production in the
      presence of various precursor molecules using mixture analysis. Glycerol,
      succinate and propionate were screened as important factors for controlling
      intracellular PHA accumulation and monomer composition. Glycerol concentrations
      exerted the greatest influence on the overall biomass concentration and the
      intracellular PHA content, while propionate concentrations in the presence of
      succinate influenced the 3HV content of the copolymer. Mixture analysis also
      demonstrated that the engineered strain has the capacity to accumulate up to 80%
      of its cell dry weight (CDW) as PHA with a variable fraction of 3HV monomer
      (maximum of 72 wt %) depending on the controlled conditions. CONCLUSIONS:
      Propionate is the principal precursor for 3HV monomer in P(HB-co-HV) biopolymer
      and its utilization requires conversion to propionyl-CoA. Engineered E. coli
      YHY99, overexpressing sucCD genes, leads to an increase of the succinyl-CoA pool,
      which enhances the conversion rate of propionate by providing a CoA supply to
      other acyltransferase enzymes that have a role in propionate utilization.
      SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Engineered E. coli YHY99 was able to
      utilize propionate with a 4.5-fold increase in rate, as compared to the control
      strain, and resulted in the synthesis of a copolymer with high 3HV monomer
      content.

PMID- 26109232
TI  - Dandy-Walker malformation, genitourinary abnormalities, and intellectual
      disability in two families.
AB  - We report on two families, each with documented consanguinity and two affected
      with overlapping features of Dandy-Walker malformation, genitourinary
      abnormalities, intellectual disability, and hearing deficit. This phenotype
      shares similar findings with many well-known syndromes. However, the clinical
      findings of this syndrome categorize this as a new syndrome as compared with the
      phenotype of already established syndromes. Due to parental consanguinity,
      occurrence in siblings of both genders and the absence of manifestations in
      obligate carrier parents, an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance is more
      likely. The authors believe that these families suggest a novel autosomal
      recessive cerebello-genital syndrome. Array CGH analyses of an affected did not
      show pathological deletions or duplications.

PMID- 26109234
TI  - Method of visualisation influences accuracy of measurements in cone-beam computed
      tomography.
AB  - This study evaluated the potential impact of different visualisation methods of
      cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) on the accuracy of linear measurements of
      calcified structures, and assessed their interchangeability. High resolution
      (0.125 mm voxel) CBCT scans were obtained from eight cadaveric heads. The
      distance between the alveolar bone ridge and the incisal edge was determined for
      all mandibular incisors and canines, both anatomically and with measurements
      based on the following five CBCT visualisation methods: isosurface, direct volume
      rendering, multiplanar reformatting (MPR), maximum intensity projection of the
      volume of interest (VOIMIP), and average intensity projection of the volume of
      interest (VOIAvIP). All radiological methods were tested for repeatability and
      compared with anatomical results for accuracy, and limits of agreement were
      established. Interchangeability was evaluated by reviewing disparities between
      the methods and disclosing deterministic differences. Fine intra- and inter
      observer repeatability was asserted for all visualisation methods (intraclass
      correlation coefficient <=0.81). Measurements were most accurate when performed
      on MPR images and performed most disappointingly on isosurface-based images.
      Direct volume rendering, VOIMIP and VOIAvIP achieved acceptable results. It can
      be concluded that visualisation methods influence the accuracy of CBCT
      measurements. The isosurface viewing method is not recommended, and multiplanar
      reformatted images should be favoured for linear measurements of calcified
      structures.

PMID- 26109233
TI  - Adaptive rheology and ordering of cell cytoskeleton govern matrix rigidity
      sensing.
AB  - Matrix rigidity sensing regulates a large variety of cellular processes and has
      important implications for tissue development and disease. However, how cells
      probe matrix rigidity, and hence respond to it, remains unclear. Here, we show
      that rigidity sensing and adaptation emerge naturally from actin cytoskeleton
      remodelling. Our in vitro experiments and theoretical modelling demonstrate a
      biphasic rheology of the actin cytoskeleton, which transitions from fluid on soft
      substrates to solid on stiffer ones. Furthermore, we find that increasing
      substrate stiffness correlates with the emergence of an orientational order in
      actin stress fibres, which exhibit an isotropic to nematic transition that we
      characterize quantitatively in the framework of active matter theory. These
      findings imply mechanisms mediated by a large-scale reinforcement of actin
      structures under stress, which could be the mechanical drivers of substrate
      stiffness-dependent cell shape changes and cell polarity. 

PMID- 26109235
TI  - Role of the stromal vascular fraction from adipose tissue in association with a
      phosphocalcic scaffold in bone regeneration in an irradiated area.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteoradionecrosis of the jaw is a major side-effect of radiotherapy
      used in the treatment of squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive
      tract. The standard reconstruction procedure is a free flap transfer of
      autogenous bone. A new approach using a tissue engineering strategy has shown
      that total bone marrow (TBM) associated with biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) is
      the best combination for bone regeneration in an irradiated area. Recently, the
      stromal vascular fraction from adipose tissue (SVF) was described as an
      alternative to TBM for promoting new bone formation. The aim of this study was to
      identify the capacity of a freshly isolated SVF to induce new bone formation in
      an irradiated area. METHODS: Four weeks after irradiation of the hind limbs of 15
      rats, bone defects were created and filled with either SVF or TBM with and
      without BCP. RESULTS: Three weeks after the implantations, analysis showed that
      the BCP-TBM mixture improved new bone formation after radiation (p < 0.05). The
      BCP-SVF association induced significant neoangiogenesis but failed to enhance new
      bone formation. CONCLUSION: The BCP-SVF mixture was insufficient to enhance new
      bone formation in the irradiated area, suggesting that the role of the
      environment might be crucial for ossification.

PMID- 26109236
TI  - Surgical management of cross-bites in orthognathic surgery: Surgically assisted
      rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) versus two-piece maxilla.
AB  - PURPOSE: The surgical treatment of cross-bites includes surgically-assisted
      maxillary expansion (SARME) or maxillary-bipartition during bimaxillary surgery.
      This study evaluates and compares the changes in the teeth and lower nasal
      passage, as well as the stability of the expansion. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The
      measurements were performed on the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of
      32 patients with transverse (width) deficiencies of the maxilla. To expand the
      maxilla, 12 patients underwent the two-piece maxilla method, while 20 patients
      received SARME. RESULTS: The mean distraction width for SARME was 6.8 mm (SD
      3.7), while that for the two-piece maxilla was 4.1 mm (SD 1.6). The expansion
      with SARME was over the entire length of the maxilla, from anterior to posterior,
      whereas the expansion of the two-piece patient group was only in the posterior
      part of the maxilla. The segments of the maxilla opened nearly parallel in SARME,
      while they were reverse V-shaped in the two-piece maxilla, from anterior to
      posterior. CONCLUSION: A key point in the planning of combined orthodontic
      orthognathic therapy with surgical correction of a cross-bite is the precise
      determination of the area where the width needs to be increased, and the amount
      of correction needed to treat the patient using minimal surgical procedures.

PMID- 26109237
TI  - Nitrogen limitation as a driver of genome size evolution in a group of karst
      plants.
AB  - Genome size is of fundamental biological importance with significance in
      predicting structural and functional attributes of organisms. Although abundant
      evidence has shown that the genome size can be largely explained by differential
      proliferation and removal of non-coding DNA of the genome, the evolutionary and
      ecological basis of genome size variation remains poorly understood. Nitrogen (N)
      and phosphorus (P) are essential elements of DNA and protein building blocks, yet
      often subject to environmental limitation in natural ecosystems. Using
      phylogenetic comparative methods, we test this hypothesis by determining whether
      leaf N and P availability affects genome sizes in 99 species of Primulina
      (Gesneriaceae), a group of soil specialists adapted to limestone karst
      environment in south China. We find that genome sizes in Primulina are strongly
      positively correlated with plant N content, but the correlation with plant P
      content is not significant when phylogeny history was taken into account. This
      study shows for the first time that N limitation might have been a plausible
      driver of genome size variation in a group of plants. We propose that competition
      for nitrogen nutrient between DNA synthesis and cellular functions is a possible
      mechanism for genome size evolution in Primulina under N-limitation. 

PMID- 26109238
TI  - Modeling the transport of organic chemicals between polyethylene passive samplers
      and water in finite and infinite bath conditions.
AB  - Understanding the transfer of chemicals between passive samplers and water is
      essential for their use as monitoring devices of organic contaminants in surface
      waters. By applying Fick's second law to diffusion through the polymer and an
      aqueous boundary layer, the authors derived a mathematical model for the uptake
      of chemicals into a passive sampler from water, in finite and infinite bath
      conditions. The finite bath model performed well when applied to laboratory
      observations of sorption into polyethylene (PE) sheets for various chemicals
      (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], and
      dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [DDT]) and at varying turbulence levels. The
      authors used the infinite bath model to infer fractional equilibration of PCB and
      DDT analytes in field-deployed PE, and the results were nearly identical to those
      obtained using the sampling rate model. However, further comparison of the model
      and the sampling rate model revealed that the exchange of chemicals was
      inconsistent with the sampling rate model for partially or fully membrane
      controlled transfer, which would be expected in turbulent conditions or when
      targeting compounds with small polymer diffusivities and small partition
      coefficients (e.g., phenols, some pesticides, and others). The model can be
      applied to other polymers besides PE as well as other chemicals and in any
      transfer regime (membrane, mixed, or water boundary layer-controlled). Lastly,
      the authors illustrate practical applications of this model such as improving
      passive sampler design and understanding the kinetics of passive dosing
      experiments.

PMID- 26109239
TI  - Suicide ideation among oncologic patients in a Spanish ward.
AB  - Oncologic patients are exposed to a higher risk of suicidal behaviors than the
      general population. In this study, we aim to examine the severity of suicidal
      ideation in a sample of oncologic patients considering different psychological
      and clinical features. We interviewed 202 inpatients receiving curative or
      palliative treatment in a medical oncology ward of a Spanish hospital during the
      period 2012-2014. A complete assessment of psychosocial factors, cancer diagnoses
      (lung, colon rectum, and genitourinary system), and suicidal behaviors were made
      during admission, including validated questionnaires about depression, anxiety,
      personality, quality of life, body image, life threatening events, hopelessness,
      and suicidal ideation. The characteristics of inpatients with high and low
      suicidal ideation were retrospectively compared. A logistic regression model was
      constructed to examine the relationship between the significant factors retained
      after the univariate analyses. One of every four patients (n = 51; 25.24%)
      presented high scores of suicidal ideation. Logistic regression analyses retained
      depression (OR = 3.55; 95% CI = 1.25-11.68; p = .016), hopelessness (OR = 8.78;
      95% CI = 3.44-25.88; p <= .001), personality (OR = .44; 95% CI = .2-.96; p =
      .038), and advanced age (OR = 2.60; 95% CI = 1.18-5.98; p = .016) as the main
      risk factors for high suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was frequent among
      oncologic patients. These patients should receive closer monitoring, especially,
      when old, retired, or severely depressed. 

PMID- 26109240
TI  - Implications of radiologic-pathologic correlation for gallbladder disease in
      children and young adults with sickle cell disease.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to describe gallbladder imaging findings in patients
      with sickle cell disease, and to determine how they correspond with occurrence of
      complications, need for cholecystectomy, and surgical pathology. This study is
      IRB approved and HIPAA compliant. Informed consent requirements were waived. We
      reviewed records of 77 children with sickle cell disease ages 0-18 years at the
      time of their first gallbladder imaging study. Demographics, hospital courses,
      and radiologic and pathologic reports were collected. Two pediatric radiologists
      independently and retrospectively reviewed the imaging studies. Statistical
      analysis was performed using kappa statistic, chi-squared test, and ANOVA F-test.
      Continuous variables were described with mean, median, variance, and range.
      Patients who underwent cholecystectomy (N = 25) were more likely than the
      patients who did not undergo cholecystectomy (N = 52) to have gallstones or
      sludge (100 versus 36.5 %, p = <0.0001) or other gallbladder or biliary
      abnormality (70.8 versus 1.9 %, p = <0.0001). Patients who did not undergo
      cholecystectomy more frequently had normal-appearing gallbladders and biliary
      tracts (63.5 versus 0 %, p = <0.0001). Ninety-two percent of patients with
      cholecystectomy had chronic cholecystitis on pathology, and 96 % had a
      complication, including chronic cholecystitis and sequelae of biliary
      obstruction. Young patients with sickle cell disease, cholelithiasis, and any
      other biliary imaging abnormality will almost certainly require cholecystectomy,
      and many will experience complications. The most common surgical pathologic
      diagnosis in this group is chronic cholecystitis, which has a variable radiologic
      appearance. Our findings support recommendations to perform elective
      cholecystectomy for children and young adults with sickle cell disease and
      cholelithiasis or gallbladder sludge. 

PMID- 26109241
TI  - Epidemiology and risk factors for chronic kidney disease in Chinese patients with
      biopsy-proven lupus nephritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most serious complications of
      systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It is the most common secondary
      glomerulonephritis leading to end-stage renal disease. AIM: The purpose of this
      study is to evaluate the epidemiology and risk factors of chronic kidney disease
      (CKD) in Chinese patients with LN. METHODS: Clinical, laboratory, renal
      histopathology, treatment and outcome data were collected and retrospectively
      analysed in LN patients with or without CKD. RESULTS: At the end of the study, 94
      (45.63%) patients were identified as having CKD among 206 individuals with renal
      biopsy-proven LN. Renal function, represented by serum creatinine and estimated
      glomerular filtration rate, was significantly decreased in the CKD patients (P =
      0.008 and P < 0.001, respectively) at the time of the kidney biopsy. Compared
      with the non-CKD group, significantly increased proportions of hypertension (P <
      0.001), serositis (P = 0.042) and anti-histone antibody positivity (P = 0.004)
      were detected in the CKD patients. Renal pathological activity and chronicity
      index scores were significantly increased in the CKD group (P < 0.001 for all).
      Finally, hypertension (hazard ratio (HR) 2.432, 95% confidence interval (CI)
      1.575-3.754, P < 0.001), anti-histone antibody (HR 2.907, 95% CI 1.837-4.600, P <
      0.001), and tubular atrophy (HR 1.248, 95% CI 1.007-1.547, P = 0.043) were
      independent risk factors for CKD. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension, anti-histone
      antibody and tubular atrophy are independent risk factors for CKD in Chinese LN
      patients.

PMID- 26109242
TI  - Reliability and concurrent validity of instrumented balance error scoring system
      using a portable force plate system.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) is a commonly used test in
      adolescents and young adults. Affordability and portability of newer force plates
      has led to instrumentation of many clinical balance tests including the BESS.
      Despite the higher precision of force plate measures compared with clinical
      scoring, it is unclear if the instrumented BESS demonstrate concurrent validity
      and reliability when compared with the original BESS. The purpose of this study
      was to examine the reliability and concurrent validity of instrumented BESS
      testing using a commercially available force plate system. METHODS: Thirty-six
      participants participated in the initial testing day (17 male/19 female, M = 15.9
      years, SD = 1.5 years). The test-retest sample consisted of 26 participants who
      completed the same testing procedure after 1 week. For all testing sessions,
      participants performed the BESS while standing on a portable force plate system.
      Number of errors and sway velocity were obtained. Concurrent validity was
      established through correlation analysis examining the relationship between the
      original and the instrumented BESS scores. Reliability was established using
      Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC3,1) computed for the instrumented and the
      original BESS. RESULTS: A significant moderate relationship exists between the
      total scores of the original and the instrumented BESS (rs = 0.54, p = 0.001).
      Despite a range of reliability scores for the different conditions in the
      instrumented BESS (ICC3,1 = 0.19-0.61) and the clinically scored BESS (ICC3,1 =
      0.13-0.71), the reliability score for the total test score was the same for the
      instrumented and the clinical test (ICC3,1 = 0.74). CONCLUSION: Although the
      instrumented BESS may appear to demonstrate concurrent validity against the
      original BESS, instrumentation did not improve its reliability. Future research
      should examine if the instrumented BESS demonstrates validity against laboratory
      level force plates and if it is able to overcome the ceiling effect reported for
      the clinical BESS test.

PMID- 26109243
TI  - Data analysis and review of radiology services at Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth
      Games.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical services at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (CWG) were
      provided though a purpose-built medical polyclinic, which had a fully equipped
      radiology department along with other services, set up within the main Games
      Village. Data analysis of radiology services offered at CWG has not been
      published before. SETTING: Imaging services within the polyclinic, Athletes
      Village, Glasgow 2014 CWG. AIM: The aim of the paper is to analyse data on
      radiological investigations and assess the demand and distribution of workload on
      imaging services at CWG 2014. METHODOLOGY: Data on radiology investigations at
      the CWG 2014 was retrieved from the Carestream picture archiving and
      communication system (PACS) and Pharmasys (CWG official centralised electronic
      database system) and analysed. RESULTS: Six hundred ninety-seven diagnostic and
      interventional procedures were performed. Of these 37.9% were magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) scans, 22% were diagnostic ultrasound (US) examinations, 33.1% were
      radiographs, 4.3% were computed tomography (CT) scans and 2.7% were imaging
      guided interventional procedures. 88% of imaging was performed on athletes and
      the remainder were performed on team officials and workforce. Demand on radiology
      services gradually picked up through the pre-competition period and peaked half
      way through the CWG. CONCLUSIONS: Radiology played a vital role in the successful
      provision of medical services at the Glasgow 2014 CWG. High demand on imaging
      services can be expected at major international sporting events and therefore pre
      event planning is vital. Having back-up facilities in case of technical failure
      should be given due importance when planning radiology services at future CWG
      events.

PMID- 26109245
TI  - Systemic inflammation activates satellite glial cells in the mouse nodose
      ganglion and alters their functions.
AB  - Satellite glial cell (SGCs) in trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia are altered
      structurally and functionally under pathological conditions associated with
      chronic pain. These changes include reactive gliosis, augmented coupling by gap
      junctions, and increased responses to ATP via purinergic P2 receptors. Similar
      information for nodose ganglia (NG), which receive sensory inputs from internal
      organs via the vagus nerves, is missing. Here, we investigated changes in SGCs in
      mouse NG after the intraperitoneal administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS),
      which induces systemic inflammation. Using calcium imaging we found that SGCs in
      intact, freshly isolated NG are sensitive to ATP, acting largely via purinergic
      P2 receptors (mixed P2X and P2Y), with threshold at 0.1 MUM. A single systemic
      injection of LPS (2.5 mg/kg) induced a 6-fold increase in the responses to ATP,
      largely by augmenting the sensitivity of P2X receptors. Immunohistochemical
      analysis revealed that at 1-14 days post-LPS injection the expression of glial
      fibrillary acidic protein in SGCs was 2-3-fold greater than controls. The
      expression of pannexin 1 channels increased 2-fold at day 7 after LPS injection.
      Using intracellular labeling we examined dye coupling among SGCs around different
      neurons, and observed an over 2-fold higher incidence of dye coupling after the
      induction of inflammation. Incubating the ganglia with ATP increased dye coupling
      by acting on neuronal P2X receptors, suggesting a role for ATP in the LPS-induced
      changes. We conclude that inflammation induces prominent changes in SGCs of NG,
      which might have a role in vagal afferent functions, such as the inflammatory
      reflex. GLIA 2015;63:2121-2132.

PMID- 26109246
TI  - Eye-tracking measurements of language processing: developmental differences in
      children at high risk for ASD.
AB  - To explore how being at high risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), based on
      having an older sibling diagnosed with ASD, affects word comprehension and
      language processing speed, 18-, 24- and 36-month-old children, at high and low
      risk for ASD were tested in a cross- sectional study, on an eye gaze measure of
      receptive language that measured how accurately and rapidly the children looked
      at named target images. There were no significant differences between the high
      risk ASD group and the low risk control group of 18- and 24-month-olds. However,
      36-month-olds in the high risk for ASD group performed significantly worse on the
      accuracy measure, but not on the speed measure. We propose that the language
      processing efficiency of the high risk group is not compromised, but other
      vocabulary acquisition factors might have lead to the high risk 36-month-olds to
      comprehend significantly fewer nouns on our measure. 

PMID- 26109247
TI  - A Randomized Controlled Trial to Improve Social Skills in Young Adults with
      Autism Spectrum Disorder: The UCLA PEERS((r)) Program.
AB  - Research suggests that impaired social skills are often the most significant
      challenge for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet few evidence-based
      social skills interventions exist for adults on the spectrum. This replication
      trial tested the effectiveness of PEERS, a caregiver-assisted social skills
      program for high-functioning young adults with ASD. Using a randomized controlled
      design, 22 young adults 18-24 years of age were randomly assigned to a treatment
      (n = 12) or delayed treatment control (n = 10) group. Results revealed that the
      treatment group improved significantly in overall social skills, frequency of
      social engagement, and social skills knowledge, and significantly reduced ASD
      symptoms related to social responsiveness following PEERS. Most treatment gains
      were maintained at a 16-week follow-up assessment with new improvements observed.

PMID- 26109248
TI  - Functional regulation of the apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 by
      nucleophosmin: impact on tumor biology.

PMID- 26109249
TI  - The Antimicrobial Activity of an Acidic Phospholipase A2 (NN-XIa-PLA2) from the
      Venom of Naja naja naja (Indian Cobra).
AB  - Microbial resistance against antibiotics is considered as a potentially serious
      threat to public health. Therefore, there is much interest in developing new
      molecules with novel modes of action. In this study, when antimicrobial potential
      of an acidic protein-NN-XIa-PLA2 (Naja naja venom phospholipase A2 fraction-XIa)
      of N. naja venom was evaluated, it demonstrated potent bactericidal action
      against the human pathogenic strains. It inhibited more significantly, the gram
      positive bacteria, when compared to gram-negative bacteria. The minimum
      inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranged from 17 to 20 MUg/ml. It was
      interesting to observe that the NN-XIa-PLA2 showed comparable antibacterial
      activity to the standard antibiotics used. It was found that there was a strong
      correlation between phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activities, hemolytic, and
      antimicrobial activity. Further, it is found that in the presence of p
      bromophenacyl bromide (p-BPB), there is a significant decrease in enzymatic
      activity and associated antimicrobial activities, suggesting that a strong
      correlation exists between catalytic activity and antimicrobial effects, which
      thereby destabilize the membrane bilayer. However, other mechanisms cannot be
      completely ruled out. Thus, these studies encourage further in-depth study on
      molecular mechanisms of antibacterial properties and thereby help in development
      of this protein into a possible therapeutic lead molecule for treating bacterial
      infections.

PMID- 26109250
TI  - Hepcidin and its potential clinical utility.
AB  - A number of pathophysiological conditions are related to iron metabolism
      disturbances. Some of them are well known, others are newly discovered or
      special. Hepcidin is a newly identified iron metabolism regulating hormone, which
      could be a promising biomarker for many disorders. In this review, we provide
      background information about mammalian iron metabolism, cellular iron
      trafficking, and the regulation of expression of hepcidin. Beside these molecular
      biological processes, we summarize the methods that have been used to determine
      blood and urine hepcidin levels and present those pathological conditions
      (cancer, inflammation, neurological disorders) when hepcidin measurement may have
      clinical relevance. 

PMID- 26109251
TI  - Rationale and design of the RE-LATED AF--AFNET 7 trial: REsolution of Left atrial
      Appendage Thrombus--Effects of Dabigatran in patients with Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dabigatran etexilate, a direct thrombin inhibitor and non-vitamin K
      antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), has been shown to effectively prevent
      thromboembolic events in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF).
      However, there is a paucity of data on the antithrombotic efficacy and safety of
      dabigatran in the resolution of left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombi in AF
      patients. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of the RE-LATED AF trial is to assess
      whether dabigatran results in a faster complete LAA thrombus resolution as
      compared to vitamin K antagonist phenprocoumon. Secondary objectives are to
      assess the impact of dabigatran on complete LAA thrombus resolution rate within 6
      weeks of treatment and change in LAA thrombus volume under treatment.
      Furthermore, this study aims to assess and compare safety and tolerability of
      dabigatran vs. phenprocoumon. METHODS: The study is designed as a prospective,
      randomized, open-label, controlled, explorative, blinded endpoint (PROBE) trial.
      Patients with AF and left atrial appendage thrombus confirmed by transoesophageal
      echocardiography (TEE) will be randomized to receive either dabigatran (150 mg
      bid) or phenprocoumon (INR 2-3) for the resolution of LAA thrombus formation for
      at least 21 days. Thrombus resolution will be determined by TEE 3 weeks after
      treatment initiation and subsequently at weeks 4 and 6, if the LAA thrombus has
      not been resolved before. A total of 110 patients are planned to be randomized.
      CONCLUSION: This is the first prospective, multicentre, randomized controlled
      clinical trial investigating safety and efficacy of a NOAC for the resolution of
      LAA thrombi in patients with non-valvular AF.

PMID- 26109252
TI  - Molecular characterization and sequence diversity of genes encoding the large
      subunit of the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).
AB  - The large subunit of ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), the rate limiting
      enzyme in starch biosynthesis in Triticum aestivum L., is encoded by the ADP
      glucose pyrophosphorylase large subunit (AGP-L) gene. This was the first report
      on the development of three genome-specific primer sets for isolating the
      complete genomic sequence of all three homoeologous AGP-L genes on group 1
      chromosomes. All three AGP-L genes consisted of 15 introns and 15 exons. The
      lengths of the structural genes from start to stop codon were 3334 bp for AGP-L
      A1, 3351 bp for AGP-L-B1, and 3340 bp for AGP-L-D1. The coding region was 1569
      bases long in all three genomes. All three AGP-L genes encoded 522 amino acid
      residues including the transit peptide sequences with 62 amino acid residues and
      the mature protein with 460 amino acid residues. The mature protein of three AGP
      L genes was highly conserved. Three AGP-L genes were sequenced in 47 diverse
      spring and winter wheat genotypes. One and two haplotypes were found for AGP-L-D1
      and AGP-L-A1, respectively. In total, 67 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms)
      and 13 indels (insertions or deletions) forming five haplotypes were identified
      for AGP-L-B1. All 13 indels and 58 of the 67 SNPs among the 47 genotypes were
      located in the non-coding regions, while the remaining nine SNPs were synonymous
      substitutions in the coding region. Significant LD was found among the 45 SNPs
      and ten indels located from intron 2 to intron 3. Association analysis indicated
      that four SNPs were strongly associated with seed number per spike and thousand
      kernel weight.

PMID- 26109253
TI  - The Metacognitive Anger Processing (MAP) Scale: Preliminary Testing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have explored the metacognitive components of anger, and
      at present there is no metacognitive framework on anger incorporating both
      positive and negative beliefs about anger and distinct maladaptive processing
      routines, such as rumination. AIMS: The aim of the present preliminary studies
      was to apply a metacognitive framework to anger and put forward a new anger self
      report scale, the Metacognitive Anger Processing (MAP) scale, intended as a
      supplement to existing measures of anger disposition and to enhance anger
      treatment targets. METHOD: The new measure was tested in a nonclinical and a
      clinical sample together with measures of anger and metacognition to establish
      factor structure, reliability, concurrent, and convergent validity. RESULTS: The
      MAP showed a reliable factor structure with three factors - Positive Beliefs
      about anger, Negative Beliefs about anger, and Rumination; good internal
      reliability, and test-retest reliability. The subscales showed positive
      correlations with anger and the pattern of correlation with the general
      metacognitive measure supported the idea that the MAP represents dimensions of
      metacognition as it relates to anger. CONCLUSIONS: The present data indicate that
      positive as well as negative beliefs are involved in the tendency to ruminate
      about angry emotions. Clinical interventions may benefit from an exploration of
      the patient's experience of anger, as structured by the MAP's factors and their
      interrelationships. The psychometric properties of the MAP should be further
      investigated in clinical samples using larger test batteries and objective
      measures of aggression.

PMID- 26109254
TI  - Gene transfer engineering for astrocyte-specific silencing in the CNS.
AB  - Cell-type-specific gene silencing is critical to understand cell functions in
      normal and pathological conditions, in particular in the brain where strong
      cellular heterogeneity exists. Molecular engineering of lentiviral vectors has
      been widely used to express genes of interest specifically in neurons or
      astrocytes. However, we show that these strategies are not suitable for astrocyte
      specific gene silencing due to the processing of small hairpin RNA (shRNA) in a
      cell. Here we develop an indirect method based on a tetracycline-regulated system
      to fully restrict shRNA expression to astrocytes. The combination of Mokola-G
      envelope pseudotyping, glutamine synthetase promoter and two distinct microRNA
      target sequences provides a powerful tool for efficient and cell-type-specific
      gene silencing in the central nervous system. We anticipate our vector will be a
      potent and versatile system to improve the targeting of cell populations for
      fundamental as well as therapeutic applications. 

PMID- 26109255
TI  - Antimalarial and antioxidant activities of Indigofera oblongifolia on Plasmodium
      chabaudi-induced spleen tissue injury in mice.
AB  - Malaria is still one of the most common infectious diseases and leads to various
      public health problems worldwide. Medicinal plants are promising sources for
      identifying novel agents with potential antimalarial activity. This study aimed
      to investigate the antimalarial and the antioxidant activities of Indigofera
      oblongifolia on Plasmodium chabaudi-induced spleen tissue injury in mice. Mice
      were divided into five groups. The first group served as a vehicle control; the
      second, third, fourth, and fifth groups were infected with 1 * 10(6) P. chabaudi
      parasitized erythrocytes. Mice of the last three groups were gavaged with 100 MUl
      of I. oblongifolia leave extract (IOLE) at a dose of 100, 200, and 300 mg
      IOLE/kg, respectively, once daily for 7 days. IOLE was significantly able to
      lower the percentage of parasitemia. The most effective dose was the 100 mg
      IOLE/kg, which could reduce the parasitemia from about 38 to 12 %. The infection
      induced spleen injury. This was evidenced by disorganization of spleen white and
      red pulps, appearance of hemozoin granules and parasitized erythrocytes. These
      changes in spleen led to the increased histological score. Also, the infection
      increased the spleen oxidative damage where the levels of nitrite/nitrate,
      malondialdehyde, and catalase were significantly altered. All these infection
      induced parameters were significantly improved during IOLE treatment. In
      addition, the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1beta,
      interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were upregulated after infection
      with P. chabaudi, whereas IOLE significantly reduced the expression of these
      genes. Our results indicate that I. oblongifolia leaves extract exhibits a
      significant antimalarial and antioxidant effects, and protects host spleen tissue
      from injuries induced by P. chabaudi.

PMID- 26109256
TI  - Detection of Dirofilaria immitis DNA in host serum by nested PCR.
AB  - The heartworm Dirofilaria immitis is the causative agent of dirofilariasis in
      dogs. Studies have shown that parasite-derived cell-free DNA (cfDNA) can be
      detected in host blood and may be a promising diagnostic marker for parasitic
      infections. Thus, our aim was to detect D. immitis-derived cfDNA in host serum by
      nested PCR. Sera were collected from 12 dogs with natural D. immitis infections;
      eight were microfilaria (mf)-positive, and the remaining four were mf-negative.
      Culture fluids derived from single-sex adult D. immitis worms (mf-producing
      females and males) were also tested for cfDNA. All mf-positive sera were positive
      by nested PCR, whereas no amplification products were detected in mf-negative
      sera. The culture fluid of mf-producing females was positive by nested PCR but
      that of males was negative. All products amplified by nested PCR were sequenced
      to confirm that the amplicons were those of D. immitis. These results indicate
      that D. immitis DNA circulates freely in dog serum, except in mf-negative dogs.
      Additionally, D. immitis cfDNA may primarily be derived from the mf, and adult
      worms appeared to be minor contributors of cfDNA concentrations in serum;
      however, the contribution of D. immitis cfDNA derived from larvae of other
      developmental stages is unclear. An evaluation of the kinetics of D. immitis
      cfDNA in host serum throughout the parasite life cycle could facilitate the
      development of early molecular diagnostic techniques. To the best of our
      knowledge, this is the first report of the detection of mitochondrial DNA from a
      filarial parasite in host serum. 

PMID- 26109257
TI  - Alternative nighttime nutrition regimens in glycogen storage disease type I: a
      controlled crossover study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traditional approaches for nighttime glycemic control in glycogen
      storage disease type I (GSDI) include continuous tube feeding, or ingestion of
      uncooked corn starch (CS) at bedtime. A modified corn starch (MCS) has been shown
      to prolong euglycemia in some patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate
      whether stable nighttime glucose control can be achieved with other types of
      slowly digested carbohydrates in adult GSDI patients. METHODS: In this cross-over
      study, nocturnal glucose control and fasting times were assessed with three
      different nocturnal nutrition regimens in five patients, using continuous glucose
      monitoring (CGMS) in an outpatient everyday life setting. For each patient,
      continuous glucose profiles were measured after ingestion of (1) CS, (2) MCS or
      (3) a pasta meal at bedtime, during 5 to 6 consecutive nights for each regimen.
      RESULTS: Stable nocturnal glucose control was achieved for all patients with a
      pasta meal, with a mean duration of glycemia >3.5 mmol/l of 7.6 h (range 5.7
      10.8), and >4 mmol/l of 7 h (5.2-9.2), similar to CS and MCS. Fasting glucose
      before breakfast on workdays (after 7.1 +/- 0.8 h) was not significantly
      different between the three interventions (CS 4.1 +/- 0.5 mmol/l, MCS 4.6 +/- 0.7
      mmol/l, pasta 4.3 +/- 0.9 mmol/l). During prolonged fasting on weekends, longer
      duration of normoglycemia was achieved with CS or MCS than with pasta.
      CONCLUSION: Consumption of cooked pasta is a suitable and more palatable
      alternative to uncooked corn starch to achieve nighttime glucose control in adult
      patients with GSDI.

PMID- 26109258
TI  - Mitochondrial trifunctional protein deficiency in human cultured fibroblasts:
      effects of bezafibrate.
AB  - Mitochondrial trifunctional protein (MTP) deficiency caused by HADHA or HADHB
      gene mutations exhibits substantial molecular, biochemical, and clinical
      heterogeneity and ranks among the more severe fatty acid oxidation (FAO)
      disorders, without pharmacological treatment. Since bezafibrate has been shown to
      potentially correct other FAO disorders in patient cells, we analyzed its effects
      in 26 MTP-deficient patient fibroblasts representing 16 genotypes. Overall, the
      patient cell lines exhibited variable, complex, biochemical profiles and
      pharmacological responses. HADHA-deficient fibroblasts showed markedly reduced
      alpha subunit protein levels together with decreased beta-subunit abundance,
      exhibited a -86 to -96% defect in LCHAD activity, and produced large amounts of
      C14 and C16 hydroxyacylcarnitines. In control fibroblasts, exposure to
      bezafibrate (400 MUM for 48 h) increased the abundance of HADHA and HADHB mRNAs,
      immune-detectable alpha and beta subunit proteins, activities of LCHAD and LCKAT,
      and stimulated FAO capacities, clearly indicating that MTP is pharmacologically
      up-regulated by bezafibrate in human fibroblasts. In MTP-deficient patient
      fibroblasts, which were found markedly FAO-deficient, bezafibrate improved FAO
      capacities in six of 26 (23%) cases, including three cell lines heterozygous for
      the common c1528G > C mutation. Altogether, our results strongly suggest that,
      due to variable effects of HADHA and HADHB mutations on MTP abundance and
      residual activity, improvement of MTP deficiency in response to bezafibrate was
      achieved in a subset of responsive genotypes.

PMID- 26109260
TI  - Improving education: just-in-time splinting video.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Just-in-time training (JITT) is an emerging concept in medical
      procedural education, but with few studies to support its routine use. Providing
      a brief educational intervention in the form of a digital video immediately prior
      to patient care may be an effective method to reteach knowledge for procedural
      techniques learned previously. METHODS: Paediatric resident physicians were
      taught to perform a volar splint in a small workshop setting. Subsequently, they
      were asked to demonstrate their splinting proficiency by performing a splint on
      another doctor. Proficiency was scored on a five-point assessment tool. After 2
      12 months, participants were asked to demonstrate their splinting proficiency on
      one of the investigators, and were divided into the control group (no further
      instruction) and the intervention group, which viewed a 3-minute JITT digital
      video demonstrating the splinting technique prior to performing the procedure.
      RESULTS: Thirty subjects were enrolled between August 2012 and July 2013, and 29
      of 30 completed the study. The retest splinting time was not significantly
      different, but if the JITT group included watching the video, the total time
      difference was statistically significant: 3.86 minutes (control) versus 7.07
      minutes (JITT) (95% confidence interval: 2.20-3.90 minutes). The average
      assessment score difference was 1.87 points higher for the JITT group, which was
      a statistically significant difference (95% confidence interval: 1.00-3.00). Just
      in-time training is an emerging concept in medical procedural education
      DISCUSSION: JITT seems to be an effective tool in medical education for
      reinforcing previously learned skills. JITT may offer other possibilities for
      enhancing medical education.

PMID- 26109259
TI  - Ketogenic diets in patients with inherited metabolic disorders.
AB  - Ketogenic diets (KDs) are diets that bring on a metabolic condition comparable to
      fasting, usually without catabolism. Since the mid-1990s such diets have been
      widely used in patients with seizures/epilepsies, mostly children. This review
      focuses on the use of KDs in patients with various inherited metabolic disorders
      (IMD). In glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1-DS) and pyruvate
      dehydrogenase complex (PDHc) deficiency, KDs are deemed the therapy of choice and
      directly target the underlying metabolic disorder. Moreover, in other IMD, mainly
      of intermediary metabolism such as glycogen storage diseases and disorders of
      mitochondrial energy supply, KDs may ameliorate clinical symptoms and laboratory
      parameters. KDs have also been used successfully to treat symptoms such as
      seizures/epilepsy in IMD, e.g. in urea cycle disorders and non-ketotic
      hyperglycinemia. As a note of caution, catabolism may cause the condition of
      patients with IMD to deteriorate and should thus be avoided during KDs. For this
      reason, careful monitoring (clinical, laboratory and apparatus-supported) is
      warranted. In some IMDs specific macronutrient supply is critical. Therefore, in
      cases of PDHc deficiency the carbohydrate intake tolerated without lactate
      increase and in urea cycle disorders the protein tolerance should be determined.
      Considering this, it is particularly important in patients with IMD that the use
      of KDs be individualized and well documented. 

PMID- 26109262
TI  - Analysis of Price Changes in Washington Following the 2012 Liquor Privatization.
AB  - AIMS: In June, 2012 the state of Washington ended a wholesale and retail monopoly
      on liquor sales resulting in about five times as many stores selling liquor.
      Three-tier restrictions were also removed on liquor, while beer and wine
      availability did not increase. Substantial taxes at both the wholesale and retail
      levels were implemented and it was expected that prices would rise. METHODS: To
      evaluate price changes after privatization we developed an index of about 68
      brands that were popular in Washington during early 2012. Data on final liquor
      prices (including all taxes) in Washington were obtained through store visits and
      on-line sources between November 2013 and March of 2014. Primary analyses were
      conducted on five or six brand indexes to allow the inclusion of most stores.
      RESULTS: Washington liquor prices rose by an average of 15.5% for the 750 ml size
      and by 4.7% for the 1.75 l size, while only small changes were seen in the
      bordering states of Oregon and Idaho. Prices were found to vary greatly by store
      type. Liquor Superstores had generally the lowest prices while drugstore, grocery
      and especially smaller Liquor Store prices were found to be substantially higher.
      CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that liquor prices in Washington increased
      substantially after privatization and as compared to price changes in bordering
      states, with a much larger increase seen for the 750 ml size and with wide
      variation across store types. However, persistent drinkers looking for low prices
      will be able to find them in certain stores.

PMID- 26109261
TI  - Comparing Patients' Opinions on the Hospital Discharge Process Collected With a
      Self-Reported Questionnaire Completed Via the Internet or Through a Telephone
      Survey: An Ancillary Study of the SENTIPAT Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hospital discharge, a critical stage in the hospital-to-home
      transition of patient care, is a complex process with potential dysfunctions
      having an impact on patients' health on their return home. No study has yet
      reported the feasibility and usefulness of an information system that would
      directly collect and transmit, via the Internet, volunteer patients' opinions on
      their satisfaction concerning the organization of hospital discharge. OBJECTIVE:
      Our primary objective was to compare patients' opinions on the discharge process
      collected with 2 different methods: self-questionnaire completed on a dedicated
      website versus a telephone interview. The secondary goal was to estimate patient
      satisfaction. METHODS: We created a questionnaire to examine hospital discharge
      according to 3 dimensions: discharge logistics organization, preplanned
      posthospital continuity-of-care organization, and patients' impressions at the
      time of discharge. A satisfaction score (between 0 and 1) for each of those
      dimensions and an associated total score were calculated. Taking advantage of the
      randomized SENTIPAT trial that questioned patients recruited at hospital
      discharge about the evolution of their health after returning home and randomly
      assigned them to complete a self-questionnaire directly online or during a
      telephone interview, we conducted an ancillary study comparing satisfaction with
      the organization of hospital discharge for these 2 patient groups. The
      questionnaire was proposed to 1141 patients included in the trial who were
      hospitalized for >=2 days, among whom 867 eligible patients had access to the
      Internet at home and were randomized to the Internet or telephone group. RESULTS:
      Of the 1141 patients included, 755 (66.17%) completed the questionnaire. The
      response rates for the Internet (39.1%, 168/430) and telephone groups (87.2%,
      381/437) differed significantly (P<.001), but their total satisfaction scores did
      not (P=.08) nor did the satisfaction subscores (P=.58 for discharge logistics
      organization, P=.12 for preplanned posthospital continuity-of-care organization,
      and P=.35 for patients' impressions at the time of discharge). The total
      satisfaction score (median 0.83, IQR 0.72-0.92) indicated the patients' high
      satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: The direct transmission of personal health data via
      the Internet requires patients' active participation and those planning surveys
      in the domain explored in this study should anticipate a lower response rate than
      that issued from a similar survey conducted by telephone interviews.
      Nevertheless, collecting patients' opinions on their hospital discharge via the
      Internet proved operational; study results indicate that conducting such surveys
      via the Internet yields similar estimates to those obtained via a telephone
      survey. The results support the establishment of a permanent dedicated website
      that could also be used to obtain users' opinions on other aspects of their
      hospital stay and follow-up. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01769261;
      http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01769261 (Archived by WebCite at
      http://www.webcitation.org/6ZDF5bdQb).

PMID- 26109263
TI  - Who Purchases Low-Cost Alcohol in Australia?
AB  - AIMS: Debates surrounding potential price-based polices aimed at reducing alcohol
      related harms tend to focus on the debate concerning who would be most affected
      harmful or low-income drinkers. This study will investigate the characteristics
      of people who purchase low-cost alcohol using data from the Australian arm of the
      International Alcohol Control study. METHODS: 1681 Australians aged 16 and over
      who had consumed alcohol and purchased it in off-licence premises were asked
      detailed questions about both practices. Low-cost alcohol was defined using cut
      points of 80c, $1.00 or $1.25 per Australian standard drink. RESULTS: With a
      $1.00 cut-off low income (OR = 2.1) and heavy drinkers (OR = 1.7) were more
      likely to purchase any low-cost alcohol. Harmful drinkers purchased more, and low
      income drinkers less, alcohol priced at less than $1.00 per drink than high
      income and moderate drinkers respectively. The relationship between the
      proportion of units purchased at low cost and both drinker category and income is
      less clear, with hazardous, but not harmful, drinkers purchasing a lower
      proportion of units at low cost than moderate drinkers. CONCLUSIONS: The impact
      of minimum pricing on low income and harmful drinkers will depend on whether the
      proportion or total quantity of all alcohol purchased at low cost is considered.
      Based on absolute units of alcohol, minimum unit pricing could be differentially
      effective for heavier drinkers compared to other drinkers, particularly for young
      males.

PMID- 26109264
TI  - Lean body mass assessment based on UV absorbance in spent dialysate and dual
      energy x-ray absorptiometry.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to explore the possibility of assessing lean
      body mass (LBM) based on UV absorbance measurements in spent dialysate. METHODS:
      9 patients on chronic three-times-a-week HD (4 female, 5 male, mean age 58.8 +/-
      8.6 years) were studied. Blood and spent dialysate samples were collected for 3
      consecutive hemodialysis (HD) sessions from every patient. A double-beam
      spectrophotometer was used for the determination of UV absorbance in the
      collected spent dialysate samples. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans
      were performed on an interdialytic day. LBM was calculated based on creatinine
      concentration in blood (LBMblood) and UV absorbance in spent dialysate (LBMa) and
      assessed by DXA (LBMDXA). Also, in vitro experiments were carried out to
      investigate the effect of tissue hydration on DXA measurements. RESULTS: Although
      LBMa was slightly lower compared to LBMblood, the estimates based on UV
      absorbance in spent dialysate presented greater accuracy and precision compared
      to LBMDXA. The significant difference between LBMblood and LBMDXA was with high
      probability caused by the altered tissue hydration of HD patents. CONCLUSIONS: In
      summary, the results show that it is possible to asses LBM based on UV absorbance
      in spent dialysate.

PMID- 26109265
TI  - Detection and role of minimal disseminated disease in children with lymphoblastic
      lymphoma: The AIEOP experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of intensive chemotherapy regimens in children with
      lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) has significantly improved outcome, but the salvage
      rate for these patients is still poor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      prognostic value of minimal disseminated disease (MDD), studied by
      multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC), in pediatric patients with T- and B-lineage
      LBL. PROCEDURE: We examined bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) samples
      from a series of 65 children affected by T- (52) and B-lineage (13) LBL using an
      MFC method; 10 of them were also analyzed for clonality of T-cell receptor gene
      rearrangements. RESULTS: MDD was detected in 49% (32/65) of BM samples, whereas
      only 21% (14/65) were positive at standard morphological evaluation. Findings
      from MFC analyses of paired BM and PB samples were highly concordant. We analyzed
      the prognostic significance of MDD results detected at diagnosis in
      morphologically negative patients, as almost all relapsed cases (10/11) did not
      have any morphological involvement of BM at diagnosis. Using an MDD cut-off level
      of 3% by FCM (75th percentile), 5-year event-free survival (EFS) was 60% (SE +/-
      22) for patients with MDD >3% LBL cells versus 83% (SE +/- 6) for the remaining
      patients (P = 0.04). No statistically significant difference in EFS was observed
      between LBL patients considering all the other clinical characteristics.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated that MDD studied at diagnosis by MFC could
      represent a useful prognostic tool in childhood LBL and further application for
      better stratification is warranted.

PMID- 26109266
TI  - Mechanistic Analysis of an Engineered Enzyme that Catalyzes the Formose Reaction.
AB  - An enzyme that catalyzes the formose reaction, termed "formolase", was recently
      engineered through a combination of computational protein design and directed
      evolution. We have investigated the kinetic role of the computationally designed
      residues and further characterized the enzyme's product profile. Kinetic studies
      illustrated that the computationally designed mutations were synergistic in their
      contributions towards enhancing activity. Mass spectrometry revealed that the
      engineered enzyme produces two products of the formose reaction-dihydroxyacetone
      and glycolaldehyde-with the product profile dependent on the formaldehyde
      concentration. We further explored the effects of this product profile on the
      thermodynamics and yield of the overall carbon assimilation from the formolase
      pathway to help guide future efforts to engineer this pathway.

PMID- 26109267
TI  - Visible diffraction from quasi-crystalline arrays of carbon nanotubes.
AB  - Large area arrays of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) are patterned
      in a quasi-crystalline Penrose tile arrangement through electron beam lithography
      definition of Ni catalyst dots and subsequent nanotube growth by plasma-enhanced
      chemical vapour deposition. When illuminated with a 532 nm laser beam high
      quality and remarkable diffraction patterns are seen. The diffraction is well
      matched to theoretical calculations which assume apertures to be present at the
      location of the VACNTs for transmitted light. The results show that VACNTs act as
      diffractive elements in reflection and can be used as spatially phased arrays for
      producing tailored diffraction patterns. 

PMID- 26109268
TI  - Fabrication and assessment of 3D printed anatomical models of the lower limb for
      anatomical teaching and femoral vessel access training in medicine.
AB  - For centuries, cadaveric dissection has been the touchstone of anatomy education.
      It offers a medical student intimate access to his or her first patient. In
      contrast to idealized artisan anatomical models, it presents the natural
      variation of anatomy in fine detail. However, a new teaching construct has
      appeared recently in which artificial cadavers are manufactured through three
      dimensional (3D) printing of patient specific radiological data sets. In this
      article, a simple powder based printer is made more versatile to manufacture hard
      bones, silicone muscles and perfusable blood vessels. The approach involves
      blending modern approaches (3D printing) with more ancient ones (casting and lost
      wax techniques). These anatomically accurate models can augment the approach to
      anatomy teaching from dissection to synthesis of 3D-printed parts held together
      with embedded rare earth magnets. Vascular simulation is possible through
      application of pumps and artificial blood. The resulting arteries and veins can
      be cannulated and imaged with Doppler ultrasound. In some respects, 3D-printed
      anatomy is superior to older teaching methods because the parts are cheap,
      scalable, they can cover the entire age span, they can be both dissected and
      reassembled and the data files can be printed anywhere in the world and mass
      produced. Anatomical diversity can be collated as a digital repository and
      reprinted rather than waiting for the rare variant to appear in the dissection
      room. It is predicted that 3D printing will revolutionize anatomy when poly
      material printing is perfected in the early 21st century.

PMID- 26109269
TI  - Identification of polyamine-responsive bacterioplankton taxa in South Atlantic
      Bight.
AB  - Putrescine and spermidine are short-chained aliphatic polyamines (PAs) that are
      ubiquitously distributed in seawater. These compounds may be important sources of
      dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen for marine bacterioplankton. Here, we used
      pyrotag sequencing to quantify the response of bacterioplankton to putrescine and
      spermidine amendments in microcosms established using surface waters collected at
      various stations in the South Atlantic Bight in October 2011. Our analysis showed
      that PA-responsive bacterioplankton consisted of bacterial taxa that are
      typically dominant in marine systems. Rhodobacteraceae (Alphaproteobacteria) was
      the taxon most responsive to PA additions at the nearshore site.
      Gammaproteobacteria of the families Piscirickettsiaceae; Vibrionaceae; and
      Vibrionaceae and Pseudoalteromonadaceae, were the dominant PA-responsive taxa in
      samples from the river-influenced coastal station, offshore station and open
      ocean station, respectively. The spatial variability of PA-responsive taxa may be
      attributed to differences in composition of the initial bacterial community and
      variations of in situ physiochemical conditions among sites. Our results also
      provided the first empirical evidence that Gammaproteobacteria might play an
      important role in PA transformation in marine systems. 

PMID- 26109270
TI  - Polymer Supported Directed Differentiation Reveals a Unique Gene Signature
      Predicting Stable Hepatocyte Performance.
AB  - In theory, pluripotent stem cells can give rise to all somatic cell types found
      in the human body. The ability to generate renewable sources of human cells has
      enormous potential to improve human health and wealth. One major obstacle to the
      routine deployment of stem cell-derived cells is their instability in culture. To
      tackle this issue a synthetic polymer surface is used. 

PMID- 26109271
TI  - Characterization of wastewater treatment by two microbial fuel cells in
      continuous flow operation.
AB  - A two serially connected single-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) was applied to
      the treatment of diluted molasses wastewater in a continuous operation mode. In
      addition, the effect of series and parallel connection between the anodes and the
      cathode on power generation was investigated experimentally. The two serially
      connected MFC process achieved 79.8% of chemical oxygen demand removal and 11.6%
      of Coulombic efficiency when the hydraulic retention time of the whole process
      was 26 h. The power densities were 0.54, 0.34 and 0.40 W m(-3) when electrodes
      were in individual connection, serial connection and parallel connection modes,
      respectively. A high open circuit voltage was obtained in the serial connection.
      Power density decreased at low organic loading rates (OLR) due to the shortage of
      organic matter. Power generation efficiency tended to decrease as a result of
      enhancement of methane fermentation at high OLRs. Therefore, high power density
      and efficiency can be achieved by using a suitable OLR range. 

PMID- 26109272
TI  - Fast food consumption in pregnancy and subsequent asthma symptoms in young
      children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent cross-sectional studies suggested children's current fast food
      consumption to be related to frequency of asthma and allergies. Maternal prenatal
      diet has been suspected to contribute to children's asthma and atopic disease
      risks. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that maternal fast food intake during
      pregnancy increases offspring's risk for asthmatic symptoms. METHODS: We
      conducted a population-based study of 1201 mother/child pairs in Los Angeles,
      California. Detailed information about prenatal fast food intake and other
      dietary, lifestyle/environmental factors, and pregnancy was collected shortly
      after birth; further data were retrieved from birth certificates. Using the
      International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood core questions, asthma
      and rhinitis symptoms were assessed, and doctor's diagnoses were recorded in
      offspring 3.5 years after birth. Poisson regression with robust error variance
      using a log link function was used to estimate relative risks (RRs). Models were
      adjusted using covariates or propensity scores. RESULTS: Maternal prenatal fast
      food consumption related to increased relative risks of their children for
      severe, and current asthma symptoms (wheeze last 12 months combined with doctor's
      diagnosis) in a dose-dependent manner: 'once a month': RR: 0.99 (95% CI: 0.36,
      2.75), 'once a week': 1.26 (0.47, 3.34); '3-4 days a week': 2.17 (0.77, 6.12);
      and 'every day' 4.46 (1.36 14.6) compared to 'never', adjusting for potential
      confounders (p for trend = 0.0025). There was also suggestion of increased risks
      for rhinitis symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that in utero exposure
      to frequent fast food through maternal diet may be a risk factor for asthmatic
      symptoms in young children.

PMID- 26109273
TI  - Migraine features in patients with Meniere's disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To better understand the features of migraine in Meniere's
      disease (MD). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of prospectively obtained
      surveys in an outpatient clinic of a tertiary medical center. METHODS: Detailed
      questionnaires on headaches and dizziness were given to consecutive patients
      presenting with dizziness. The responses were verified by the clinician with the
      patient. The data, in addition to the clinical history and audiogram, were used
      to diagnose patients with migraine headaches and MD using criteria set by the
      International Headache Society (IHS) and the American Academy of Otolaryngology
      Head and Neck Surgery, respectively. The prevalence of migraine-like symptoms in
      those patients with MD, who did not fit the diagnostic criteria for migraine, was
      evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients with definite MD were included. There
      was a predominance of females (female/male:26/11). Mean age of patients was 52 +/
      14 years. Nineteen patients (51%) had migraine headaches. Fifteen patients
      fulfilled the criteria for definite vestibular migraine. Of those who did not
      fulfill the IHS migraine criteria, a majority had characteristics such as a
      family history of migraine, visual motion sensitivity, or lifelong motion
      sickness that were highly suggestive of a migraine disorder. CONCLUSIONS: A
      majority of patients with MD have migraine headaches as defined by the IHS.
      Sensitivity to visual motion, light and sound, head motion, smells, weather
      changes, or medication was present in 95% of all patients with definite MD and
      82% of non-IHS migraine MD patients. This may suggest that MD may be an atypical
      variant of migraine.

PMID- 26109274
TI  - Antibiotic consumption among a Swedish cohort of children born in 2006.
AB  - AIM: It is important to measure antibiotic consumption because it contributes to
      antimicrobial resistance. Our objective was to follow all children born in 2006
      in Sweden and to analyse antibiotic consumption during each month of life for the
      first two years and thereafter for every year during their third to fifth years
      of life. METHODS: This was a register-based, open-cohort study where we used the
      Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, which covers the whole population, to identify
      the type and date of purchase of antibiotics for the children in the cohort.
      RESULTS: During the first one-year follow-up period, 101 555 children up to one
      year of age were living in Sweden, of which 50 135 were boys and 49 420 were
      girls. Children consumed the largest amount of antibiotics during their second
      year of life. In our cohort, 51% received antibiotics at some point during the
      second year and 24% received multiple treatments. The consumption then dropped
      with every year of life during the follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study suggests
      that actions against overprescribing of antibiotics to children should be
      targeted towards the second year of life in order to have the greatest effect on
      consumption.

PMID- 26109275
TI  - Treatment of feline intermediate- to high-grade lymphoma with a modified
      university of Wisconsin-Madison protocol: 119 cases (2004-2012).
AB  - CHOP-based (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vinca alkaloid, prednisolone)
      chemotherapy protocols are often recommended for treatment of feline lymphoma.
      While maintenance-free CHOP-based protocols have been published and readily used
      in dogs, there is limited literature regarding similar maintenance-free protocols
      in cats. The purpose of this study was to describe the outcome of cats with
      intermediate- to high-grade lymphoma that were prescribed a modified 25-week
      University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-25) chemotherapy protocol. A secondary
      objective was examination of potential prognostic factors. One hundred and
      nineteen cats from five institutions treated with a UW-25-based protocol were
      included. The Kaplan-Meier median progression-free interval (PFI) and survival
      time (MST) were 56 and 97 (range 2-2019) days, respectively. Cats assessed as
      having a complete response (CR) to therapy had significantly longer PFI and MST
      than those with partial or no response (PFI 205 versus 54 versus 21 days,
      respectively, P < 0.0001 and MST 318 versus 85 versus 27 days, respectively, P <
      0.0001). 

PMID- 26109277
TI  - Systematic review and critical appraisal of the impact of acellular dermal matrix
      use on the outcomes of implant-based breast reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) may improve outcomes in implant-based
      breast reconstruction (IBBR). The aim of this study was critically to appraise
      and evaluate the current evidence for ADM-assisted IBBR. METHODS: Comprehensive
      electronic searches identified complete papers published in English between
      January 2000 and August 2013, reporting any outcome of ADM-assisted IBBR. All
      systematic reviews, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies
      (NRSs) with more than 20 ADM recipients were included. Studies were critically
      appraised using AMSTAR for systematic reviews, the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for
      RCTs and its adaptation for NRSs. Characteristics and results of identified
      studies were summarized. RESULTS: A total of 69 papers (8 systematic reviews, 1
      RCT, 40 comparative studies and 20 case series) were identified, all of which
      were considered at high risk of bias, mostly due to patient selection and
      selective outcome reporting. The median ADM group sample size was 51.0 (i.q.r.
      33.0-127.0). Most studies were single-centre (54), and they were often single
      surgeon (16). ADM was most commonly used for immediate (40) two-stage IBBR (36)
      using human ADM (47), with few studies evaluating ADM-assisted single-stage
      procedures (10). All reported clinical outcomes (for example implant loss) and
      more than half of the papers (33) assessed process outcomes, but few evaluated
      cosmesis (16) or patient-reported outcomes (10). Heterogeneity between study
      design and, especially, outcome measurement precluded meaningful data synthesis.
      CONCLUSION: Current evidence for the value of ADMs in IBBR is limited. Use in
      practice should therefore be considered experimental, and evaluation within
      registries or well designed and conducted studies, ideally RCTs, is recommended
      to prevent widespread adoption of a potentially inferior intervention.

PMID- 26109276
TI  - A random forest approach to capture genetic effects in the presence of population
      structure.
AB  - The accurate mapping of causal variants in genome-wide association studies
      requires the consideration of both, confounding factors (for example, population
      structure) and nonlinear interactions between individual genetic variants. Here,
      we propose a method termed 'mixed random forest' that simultaneously accounts for
      population structure and captures nonlinear genetic effects. We test the model in
      simulation experiments and show that the mixed random forest approach improves
      detection power compared with established approaches. In an application to data
      from an outbred mouse population, we find that mixed random forest identifies
      associations that are more consistent with prior knowledge than competing
      methods. Further, our approach allows predicting phenotypes from genotypes with
      greater accuracy than any of the other methods that we tested. Our results show
      that approaches that simultaneously account for both, confounding due to
      population structure and epistatic interactions, are important to fully explain
      the heritable component of complex quantitative traits. 

PMID- 26109278
TI  - Social science and linguistic text analysis of nurses' records: a systematic
      review and critique.
AB  - The two aims of the paper were to systematically review and critique social
      science and linguistic text analyses of nursing records in order to inform future
      research in this emerging area of research. Systematic searches in reference
      databases and in citation indexes identified 12 articles that included analyses
      of the social and linguistic features of records and recording. Two reviewers
      extracted data using established criteria for the evaluation of qualitative
      research papers. A common characteristic of nursing records was the economical
      use of language with local meanings that conveyed little information to the
      uninitiated reader. Records were dominated by technocratic-medical discourse
      focused on patients' bodies, and they depicted only very limited aspects of
      nursing practice. Nurses made moral evaluations in their categorisation of
      patients, which reflected detailed surveillance of patients' disturbing
      behaviour. The text analysis methods were rarely transparent in the articles,
      which could suggest research quality problems. For most articles, the
      significance of the findings was substantiated more by theoretical readings of
      the institutional settings than by the analysis of textual data. More probing
      empirical research of nurses' records and a wider range of theoretical
      perspectives has the potential to expose the situated meanings of nursing work in
      healthcare organisations. 

PMID- 26109279
TI  - Intrinsic properties of germinal center-derived B cells promote their enhanced
      class switching to IgE.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research on the origins and development of human IgE-expressing
      (IgE(+) ) cells is required for understanding the pathogenesis of allergy and
      asthma. These studies have been thwarted by the rarity of IgE(+) cells in vivo
      and the low frequency of class switch recombination (CSR) to IgE ex vivo. To
      determine the main source of IgE(+) cells, we investigated the relation between
      the phenotypic composition of tonsil B cells and the CSR to IgE ex vivo. METHODS:
      Human tonsil B cells were analyzed by flow cytometry (FACS) and cultured with IL
      4 and anti-CD40 to induce CSR to IgE. Naive, germinal center (GC), early GC
      (eGC), and memory tonsil B cells were isolated by FACS, and their capacities for
      IL-4 and anti-CD40 signaling, cell proliferation, and de novo class switching to
      IgE were analyzed by RT-PCR and FACS. RESULTS: B cells from different tonsils
      exhibited varying capacities for CSR to IgE ex vivo. This was correlated with the
      percentage of eGC B cells in the tonsil at the outset of the culture. Despite
      relatively poor cell viability, eGC and GC B-cell cultures produced the highest
      yields of IgE(+) cells compared to naive and memory B-cell cultures. The main
      factors accounting for this result were the strength of IL-4R and CD40 signaling
      and relative rates of cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the
      maturation state of tonsil B cells determines their capacity to undergo class
      switching to IgE ex vivo, with the GC-derived B cells yielding the highest
      percentage of IgE(+) cells.

PMID- 26109282
TI  - Absence of Encephalitozoon cuniculi antibodies in wild rabbits in England.

PMID- 26109280
TI  - Experimental models of neuromyelitis optica: current status, challenges and
      future directions.
AB  - Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a recurrent inflammatory disease that predominantly
      attacks the opticnerves and spinal cord. NMO-IgG, the specific autoantibody
      present in the vast majority of NMO patients, targets the astrocytic water
      channel protein aquaporin 4 (AQP4), and differentiates NMO from multiple
      sclerosis. The growing clinical and research interest in NMO makes it urgent to
      produce an animal model of NMO. The pathogenic effect of anti-AQP4 antibodies
      derived from the serum of patients paves the way to generating an experimental
      model based on the anti-AQP4-mediated astrocyte damage. In this review, we
      discuss the contribution of experimental models to the understanding of the
      pathogenesis of the disease and drug development. Key questions raised by the
      existing models are also discussed. 

PMID- 26109283
TI  - Minimal interleukin expression in canine intracranial meningiomas.

PMID- 26109284
TI  - Prevalence and clinical features of exertional rhabdomyolysis in Andalusian
      horses.

PMID- 26109285
TI  - A preliminary investigation into the moral reasoning abilities of UK
      veterinarians.
AB  - Veterinary medicine is an ethically challenging profession, but the ethical
      reasoning abilities of practising veterinarians in the UK have never been
      formally assessed. This study investigated moral reasoning ability in 65
      qualified veterinarians (38 practising and 27 academic) and 33 members of the
      public in the UK using the Defining Issues Test. Academic veterinarians had
      higher scores than members of the public but practising veterinarians did not.
      There was large variation in moral reasoning abilities among qualified
      veterinarians. Moral reasoning score in veterinarians did not improve with years
      of experience. These results show that despite having a professional degree moral
      reasoning skills of practising veterinarians may be insufficient to deal with the
      demands of their profession. This could have implications for animal welfare,
      client services and veterinarian wellbeing. The results highlight the need for
      more training in this area. 

PMID- 26109286
TI  - Effective vaccination against rabies in puppies in rabies endemic regions.
AB  - In rabies endemic regions, a proportionally higher incidence of rabies is often
      reported in dogs younger than 12 months of age, which includes puppies less than
      3 months of age; this presents a serious risk to public health. The higher
      incidence of rabies in young dogs may be the effect of low vaccination coverage
      in this age class, partly as a result of the perception that immature immune
      systems and maternal antibodies inhibit seroconversion to rabies vaccine in
      puppies less than three months of age. Therefore, to test this perception, the
      authors report the virus neutralising antibody titres from 27 dogs that were
      vaccinated with high quality, inactivated rabies vaccine aged three months of age
      and under as part of larger serological studies undertaken in Gauteng Province,
      South Africa, and the Serengeti District, Tanzania. All of these dogs
      seroconverted to a single dose of vaccine with no adverse reactions reported and
      with postvaccinal peak titres ranging from 2.0 IU/ml to 90.5 IU/ml. In light of
      these results, and the risk of human beings contracting rabies from close contact
      with puppies, the authors recommend that all dogs in rabies endemic regions,
      including those less than three months of age, are vaccinated with high quality,
      inactivated vaccine. 

PMID- 26109287
TI  - A cross-sectional observational study of the nutritional intake of UK primary
      school children from deprived and non-deprived backgrounds: implications for
      school breakfast schemes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study examined the nutritional intake of 9-11 year old children
      in Wales, UK, to assess the rationale for, and potential of, school breakfast
      initiatives. It also examined the possible unintended consequence of over
      consumption. METHODS: The study employed a cross-sectional observational design
      within a randomized controlled trial of a free school breakfast programme. A
      total of 111 primary schools were randomly assigned to an intervention condition
      (in which a free school breakfast programme was implemented) or a control
      condition (in which implementation of the scheme was delayed). Sub-samples of
      children completed multiple-pass 24-hr dietary recall interviews at baseline (n =
      581), and 12 months later (n = 582). Deprivation was assessed for each child in
      terms of whether or not they were entitled to free school meals. RESULTS: Prior
      to the introduction of the programme, rates of breakfast skipping were low and
      there was little evidence of widespread nutritional deficiency. However, there
      was a subset of children who consumed inadequate levels of a range of vitamins
      and minerals and 29 % of children ate very little for breakfast (less than 100
      kcal). Children that ate larger breakfasts, had higher daily intakes of all
      nutrients that were examined. Children from deprived backgrounds consumed
      significantly lower levels of several vitamins and minerals at breakfast.
      Following the introduction of the breakfast scheme in intervention schools, there
      was little difference in the nutritional quality of school versus home breakfasts
      (n = 35 and 211 respectively). Where children ate breakfast at both school and
      home (n = 33), their overall energy intake was higher, but not significantly so.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although the overall diet of this group of children was generally
      good prior to the breakfast scheme, the results suggest that such schemes could
      be beneficial for a subset of children who are poorly nourished and for those
      children who consume very little for breakfast. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current
      Controlled Trials ISRCTN18336527.

PMID- 26109288
TI  - Identification of novel viral infections of human concern provides continued
      opportunity for strengthening systemic public health capacity in Southeast Asia.

PMID- 26109290
TI  - Mutational analysis of MED12 exon 2 in a spectrum of fibroepithelial tumours of
      the breast: implications for pathogenesis and histogenesis.
AB  - AIMS: Fibroadenomas (FAs) and phyllodes tumours (PTs) are fibroepithelial
      tumours. Mutations in MED12 exon 2 have been reported in FAs. This study
      investigated the MED12 mutations in a spectrum of fibroepithelial tumours.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Using direct sequencing, we analysed MED12 exon 2 mutations
      on 121 samples, including PTs and FAs and variants. We found MED12 mutations in
      71.4% of PTs. No significant difference in the mutation frequency was observed
      between benign, borderline and malignant PTs, and a general lack of correlation
      existed between mutations and pathological factors associated with PT grading.
      The mutation patterns were similar between PTs and FAs, with codon 44 being
      involved most frequently. MED12 mutations were identified in 47.1, 52.6 and 50.0%
      of complex FAs, juvenile FAs and tubular adenomas (TAs), respectively, and the
      frequency and mutation patterns were similar between these FA variants and usual
      FAs. CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency and similar patterns of MED12 mutations in
      FAs and various grades of PTs implies that the MED12 mutation is a common and
      early pathological event in these fibroepithelial tumours. The similar frequency
      and patterns of the MED12 mutation between FAs and variants suggests that FA
      variants are bona fide FAs, with identical pathogenesis involving MED12
      mutations.

PMID- 26109291
TI  - [Pharmacological Basis for Therapeutics. Pharmacological Analysis of Summary of
      Product Characteristics (SPC) for Physicians].
AB  - The summary of product characteristics, the SPC, is the major annex document of
      Marketing Authorisation (MA) dossier for a medicine. This document is the
      reference document for health care professionnals since it contains all necessary
      and opposable information for its therapeutic use. The SPC is initially submitted
      by the MA applicant and deeply revised in details by regulatory authorities, the
      national agencies for national MA, and the European Medicine Agency (EMA) for the
      european centralized procedures. The SPC presents with 12 sections each one being
      divided into several paragraphs. Sections 1-3 present the name, dosage,
      qualitative and quantitative composition, the pharmaceutical form of the
      medicine. Section 4 contains all the clinical particulars: Therapeutic
      indications, posology and methods of administration, contra-indications, special
      warnings and precautions for use, interactions, impact on fertility,
      contraception, pregnancy, lactation, effects on ability to drive and use
      machines, undesirable effects and risk associated with overdose. Section 5
      describes pharmacological properties (pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics) and
      preclinical safety data. Section 6 describes the pharmaceutical particulars:
      excipients, incompatibilities, shelf live, nature and content of container,
      special precautions for disposal. Sections 7-10 are administrative ones (date of
      MA, MA holder), sections 11 and 12 are specific to radiopharmaceuticals
      (dosimetry and modalities of preparation). SPC is available free of charge on
      national regulatory agency websites and on EMA website. Sections of SPC finally
      have to be considered as the pharmacological basis of therapeutic use for each
      medicine.

PMID- 26109289
TI  - Characterization of the cork oak transcriptome dynamics during acorn development.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) has a natural distribution across western
      Mediterranean regions and is a keystone forest tree species in these ecosystems.
      The fruiting phase is especially critical for its regeneration but the molecular
      mechanisms underlying the biochemical and physiological changes during cork oak
      acorn development are poorly understood. In this study, the transcriptome of the
      cork oak acorn, including the seed, was characterized in five stages of
      development, from early development to acorn maturation, to identify the dominant
      processes in each stage and reveal transcripts with important functions in gene
      expression regulation and response to water. RESULTS: A total of 80,357 expressed
      sequence tags (ESTs) were de novo assembled from RNA-Seq libraries representative
      of the several acorn developmental stages. Approximately 7.6 % of the total
      number of transcripts present in Q. suber transcriptome was identified as acorn
      specific. The analysis of expression profiles during development returned 2,285
      differentially expressed (DE) transcripts, which were clustered into six groups.
      The stage of development corresponding to the mature acorn exhibited an
      expression profile markedly different from other stages. Approximately 22 % of
      the DE transcripts putatively code for transcription factors (TF) or
      transcriptional regulators, and were found almost equally distributed among the
      several expression profile clusters, highlighting their major roles in
      controlling the whole developmental process. On the other hand, carbohydrate
      metabolism, the biological pathway most represented during acorn development, was
      especially prevalent in mid to late stages as evidenced by enrichment analysis.
      We further show that genes related to response to water, water deprivation and
      transport were mostly represented during the early (S2) and the last stage (S8)
      of acorn development, when tolerance to water desiccation is possibly critical
      for acorn viability. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge this work represents the first
      report of acorn development transcriptomics in oaks. The obtained results provide
      novel insights into the developmental biology of cork oak acorns, highlighting
      transcripts putatively involved in the regulation of the gene expression program
      and in specific processes likely essential for adaptation. It is expected that
      this knowledge can be transferred to other oak species of great ecological value.

PMID- 26109292
TI  - Authors' reply to: High naevus counts confer a favourable prognosis in patients
      with melanoma.

PMID- 26109293
TI  - Half of public think weekend access to GPs should be NHS priority.

PMID- 26109294
TI  - Relationship of ocular and systemic factors to the visibility of choroidal
      scleral interface using spectral domain optical coherence tomography.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the visibility of the choroidal-scleral interface (CSI) from
      spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and evaluate the ocular and
      systemic factors influencing the visibility of CSI in healthy eyes from
      population-based Malay sample. METHODS: Participants were consecutively recruited
      from the population-based Singapore Malay Eye Study-2 (SiMES-2). SD-OCT images
      were obtained by Spectralis OCT with enhanced depth imaging (EDI) mode.
      Visibility of CSI was assessed by a grading system ranging from 0 to 2 scores.
      The reliability of choroidal thickness measurement in different grades of CSI
      visibility was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient. Ordinal
      regression analyses were performed to evaluate a range of ocular and systemic
      factors influencing the visibility of CSI. RESULTS: A total of 176 healthy eyes
      were analysed, and 59.1% of our subjects had well-defined CSI (score 2), 8.5% had
      poorly defined CSI (score 0), and 32.4% had CSI between well and poorly defined
      (score 1). The reliability of subfoveal choroidal thickness measurement decreased
      with each grade of CSI visibility score. Decreased axial length (AL) (estimate of
      ordinal regression [OR] = 0.465, p = 0.003), thicker retinal thickness (estimate
      of OR = -0.030, p = 0.004), younger age (estimate of OR = 0.045, p = 0.030) and
      diabetes (estimate of OR = -0.746, p = 0.004) were associated with lower CSI
      visibility score. CONCLUSIONS: Only 60% of normal healthy eyes had well-defined
      CSI from SD-OCT images. Our data suggest that choroidal thickness measurements
      can be substantially affected by the visibility of CSI. The visibility of CSI
      varies with AL, retinal thickness, age and diabetes.

PMID- 26109295
TI  - Hierarchical Assembly of SnO2/ZnO Nanostructures for Enhanced Photocatalytic
      Performance.
AB  - SnO2/ZnO hierarchical heterostructures have been successfully synthesized by
      combining electrospinning technique and hydrothermal method. Various morphologies
      of the secondary ZnO nanostructures including nanorods (NRs) and nanosheets (NSs)
      can be tailored by adding surfactants. Photocatalytic performance of the
      heterostructures was investigated and obvious enhancement was demonstrated in
      degradation of the organic pollutant, compared to the primary SnO2-based
      nanofibers (NFs) and bare ZnO. Furthermore, it was found that the H2 evolution
      from water splitting was achieved by photocatalysis of heterostructured
      nanocomposites after sulfurization treatment. This synthetic methodology
      described herein promises to be an effective approach for fabricating variety of
      nanostructures for enhanced catalytic applications. The heterostructured
      nanomaterials have considerable potential to address the environmental and energy
      issues via degradation of pollutant and generation of clean H2 fuel. 

PMID- 26109296
TI  - Origin of neurotoxins from defensins.
AB  - There are at least three conserved protein folds shared by ion channel-targeted
      neurotoxins and antimicrobial defensins, including cysteine-stabilized alpha
      helix and beta-sheet fold (CSalphabeta), inhibitor cystine knot fold (ICK) and
      beta-defensin fold (BDF). Based on a combined data of sequences, structures and
      functions, it has been proposed that these neurotoxins could originate from
      related ancient antimicrobial defensins by neofunctionalization. This provides an
      ideal system to study how a novel function emerged from a conserved structural
      scaffold during evolution. The elucidation of functional novelty of proteins not
      only has great significance in evolutionary biology but also will be helpful in
      guiding rational molecular design. This review describes recent progresses in
      origin of neurotoxins, focusing on the three conserved protein scaffolds. 

PMID- 26109297
TI  - Shal-type (Kv4.x) potassium channel pore blockers from scorpion venoms.
AB  - Voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv4.1, Kv4.2 and Kv4.3) encoded by the members
      of the KCND/Kv4 (Shal) channel family mediate the native, fast inactivating (A
      type) K(+) current (IA) described both in heart and neurons. This IA current is
      specifically blocked by short scorpion toxins that belong to the alpha-KTx15
      subfamily and which act as pore blockers, a different mode of action by
      comparison to spider toxins known as gating modifiers. This review summarizes our
      present chemical and pharmacological knowledge on the alpha-KTx15 toxins. 

PMID- 26109298
TI  - Unique interactions between scorpion toxins and small conductance Ca(2+)
      activated potassium channels.
AB  - Small conductance Ca(2+)-activated potassium channels (SK channels) distributing
      in the nervous system play an important role in learning, memory and synaptic
      plasticity. Most pharmacological properties of them are determined by short-chain
      scorpion toxins. Different from most voltage-gated potassium channels and large
      conductance Ca(2+)-activated potassium channels, SK channels are only inhibited
      by a small quantity of scorpion toxins. Recently, a novel peptide screener in the
      extracellular pore entryway of SK channels was considered as the structural basis
      of toxin selective recognition. In this review, we summarized the unique
      interactions between scorpion toxins and SK channels, which is crucial not only
      in deep-researching for physiological function of SK channels, but also in
      developing drugs for SK channel-related diseases. 

PMID- 26109299
TI  - Venoms, toxins and derivatives from the Brazilian fauna: valuable sources for
      drug discovery.
AB  - Animal venoms have been widely investigated throughout the world. The great
      number of biotechnological articles as well as patent applications in the field
      of drug discovery based on these compounds indicates how important the source is.
      This review presents a list of the most studied Brazilian venomous animal species
      and shows the most recent patent applications filed from 2000 to 2013, which
      comprise Brazilian venoms, toxins and derivatives. We analyze the data according
      to the species, the type of products claimed and the nationality of the
      inventors. Fifty-five patent applications were found, involving 8 genera.
      Crotalus, Lachesis, Bothrops and Loxosceles represented 78% of the patent
      applications. The other 22% were represented by Phoneutria, Tityus,
      Acanthoscurria and Phyllomedusa. Most of the inventions (42%) involved
      anticancer, immunomodulator or antimicrobial drugs, while 13% involved anti
      venoms and vaccines, 11% involved hypotensive compositions, 9% involved
      antinociceptive and/or anti-inflammatory compositions, and the other 25% involved
      methods, kits or compositions for various purposes. Brazilian inventors filed 49%
      of the patent applications, but other countries, mainly the United States of
      America, Germany, Russia and France, also filed patent applications claiming
      products comprising venoms, toxins and/or derivatives from the Brazilian fauna.
      Brazil holds an important number of patent applications which mostly belong to
      universities and research institutes, but the pharmaceutical industry in this
      field is still weak in Brazil. Although, Brazilian venomous animal species have
      been reported in drug discovery throughout the world, many species remain to be
      explored as valuable and promising tools for drug discovery and development. 

PMID- 26109300
TI  - Lipid bilayer modification alters the gating properties and pharmacological
      sensitivity of voltage-gated sodium channel.
AB  - Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are widely distributed in most cells and
      tissues, performing many physiological functions. As one kind of membrane
      proteins in the lipid bilayer, whether lipid composition plays a role in the
      gating and pharmacological sensitivity of VGSCs still remains unknown. Through
      the application of sphingomyelinase D (SMaseD), the gating and pharmacological
      sensitivity of the endogenous VGSCs in neuroblastoma ND7-23 cell line to BmK I
      and BmK AS, two sodium channel-specific modulators from the venom of Buthus
      martensi Karsch (BmK), were assessed before and after lipid modification. The
      results showed that, in ND7-23 cells, SMaseD did not change the gating properties
      of VGSCs. However, SMaseD application altered the slope factor of activation with
      the treatment of 30 nmol/L BmK I, but caused no significant effects at 100 and
      500 nmol/L BmK I. With low concentration of BmK I (30 and 100 nmol/L) treatment,
      the application of SMaseD exerted hyperpolarizing effects on both slow
      inactivation and steady-state inactivation, and increased the recovery time
      constant, whereas total inactivation and recovery remained unaltered at 500
      nmol/L BmK I. Meanwhile, SMaseD modulation hyperpolarized the voltage dependence
      of slow-inactivation at 0.1 nmol/L BmK AS and altered the slope factor of slow
      inactivation at 10 nmol/L BmK AS, whereas other parameters remained unchanged.
      These results indicated a possibility that the lipid bilayer would disturb the
      pharmacological sensitivity of VGSCs for the first time, which might open a new
      way of developing new drugs for treating sodium channelopathies. 

PMID- 26109301
TI  - Spinal 5-HT3AR contributes to BmK I-induced inflammatory pain in rats.
AB  - Subcutaneous injection of BmK I could be adopted to well establish a novel pain
      model. Moreover, 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin, 5-HT) receptor is involved in
      regulating animal pain-related behaviors. However, the underlying mechanism of 5
      HT3R on BmK I-induced pain remains unclear. Animal behavioral testing, RT-PCR and
      Western blotting were used to yield the following results: first, intraplantar
      (i.pl.) injection of BmK I (10 MUg) induced elevated mRNA and protein levels of 5
      HT3AR in bilateral L4-L5 spinal cord; Second, intrathecal (i.t.) injection of
      ondansetron (a specific antagonist of 5-HT3AR) reduced spontaneous pain
      responses, attenuated unilateral thermal and bilateral mechanical
      hypersensitivity elicited by BmK I; Microglia could be activated by BmK I (i.pl.)
      in both sides of L4-L5 spinal cord, and this effect was reversed by intrathecal
      pre-treatment with 5-HT3AR antagonist. Meanwhile, the 5-HT3AR in L4-L5 spinal
      cord was almost co-localized with NeuN (a marker of nerve cell), but not co
      expressed with Iba-1 (a marker of microglia). Finally, the expression level of
      CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 was reduced by intrathecal pre-treatment with ondansetron. Our
      results indicate that both 5-HT3AR signaling pathway and microglia are activated
      in the process of induction and maintenance of BmK I-induced pain nociception.
      Meanwhile, our results suggest that the neuronal 5-HT3AR may communicate with
      microglia indirectly via CX3CL1 which is involved in regulating the BmK I-induced
      hyperalgesia and sensitization. 

PMID- 26109302
TI  - Characterization of Am IT, an anti-insect beta-toxin isolated from the venom of
      scorpion Androctonus mauretanicus.
AB  - In the present study, a 'novel' toxin, called Am IT from the venom of scorpion
      Androctonus mauretanicus is isolated and characterized. A detailed analysis of
      the action of Am IT on insect axonal sodium currents is reported. Am IT was
      purified through gel filtration followed by C18 reversed-phase HPLC. Toxicity of
      Am IT in vivo was assessed on male German cockroach (Blattella germanica) larvae
      and C57/BL6 mice. Cross-reactivity of Am IT with two beta-toxins was evidenced
      using (125)I-iodinated toxin-based radioimmunoassays with synaptosomal
      preparations from rat brain. The complete amino acid sequence of Am IT was
      finally determined by Edman sequencing. Am IT was observed to compete with AaH
      IT4 purified from the venom of scorpion Androctonus australis in binding assays.
      It was recognized by an antibody raised against a beta-type toxin, which
      indicated some structural similarity with beta-toxins (or related toxin family).
      The 'novel' toxin exhibited dual activity since it competed with anti-mammal
      toxins in binding assays as well as showed contracting activity to insect. The
      toxin competed with radio-labeled beta-toxin Css IV by binding to Na(+) channels
      of rat brain synaptosomes. Analysis of toxin amino acid sequences showed that Am
      IT shares high structural identity (92%) with AaH IT4. In conclusion, Am IT not
      only reveals an anti-insect compound properties secreted by 'Old World'
      scorpions, paralyzing insect larvae by binding to Na(+) channels on larvae's
      nerve-cell membranes, but also exerts toxic activity in mice, which is similar to
      anti-mammal toxins from 'New World' scorpions (North and South Americas).
      Therefore, Am IT appears to be structurally and functionally similar to AaH IT4. 

PMID- 26109303
TI  - AcMNPV-mediated expression of BmK IT promotes the apoptosis of Sf9 cells and
      replication of AcMNPV.
AB  - Chinese scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch (BmK) venom is a rich source of
      neurotoxins which bind to various ion channels with high affinity and specificity
      and thus widely used as compounds to modulate channel gating or channel currents.
      To promote the insecticidal effects of Autographa californica multicapsid
      nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV), the gene encoding an excitatory insect toxin, BmK
      IT, was inserted into the genome of AcMNPV to construct a recombinant
      baculovirus, AcMNPV-BmK IT. Spodopter frugiperda 9 (Sf9) cells were infected with
      AcMNPV and AcMNPV-BmK IT respectively for 24 h. Results from the MTT assay, TUNEL
      assay, analysis of the expression level of apoptosis-related proteins (c-Myc,
      cleaved-Caspase3, Bcl-2 and Bax) of Sf9 cells, the transcription level of key
      genes (38K, C42, P78, F) of AcMNPV, and viral propagation assay demonstrated that
      AcMNPV-mediated expression of BmK IT promoted the apoptosis of Sf9 cells and
      replication of AcMNPV. The results laid a foundation for further structural and
      functional analysis of BmK IT. 

PMID- 26109304
TI  - [The expression of the sperm-specific lactate dehydrogenase gene Ldh-c in plateau
      pika (Ochotona curzoniae) cardiac muscle and its effect on the anaerobic
      glycolysis].
AB  - The plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) has a strong adaptability to hypoxic
      plateau environment. We found that the sperm-specific lactate dehydrogenase (LDH
      C4) gene Ldh-c expressed in plateau pika cardiac muscle. In order to shed light
      on the effect of LDH-C4 on the anaerobic glycolysis in plateau pika cardiac
      muscle, 20 pikas were randomly divided into the inhibitor group and the control
      group, and the sample size of each group was 10. The pikas of inhibitor group
      were injected with 1 mL 1 mol/L N-isopropyl oxamate, a specific LDH-C4 inhibitor,
      in biceps femoris muscle of hind legs, each leg with 500 MUL. The pikas of
      control group were injected with the same volume of normal saline (0.9% NaCl).
      The mRNA and protein expression levels of Ldh-c gene in plateau pika cardiac
      muscle were determined by real-time PCR and Western blot. The activities of LDH,
      and the contents of lactate (LD) and ATP in cardiac muscle were compared between
      the inhibitor group and the control group. The results showed that 1) the
      expression levels of Ldh-c mRNA and protein were 0.47 +/- 0.06 and 0.68 +/- 0.08,
      respectively; 2) 30 min after injection of 1 mL 1 mol/L N-isopropyl oxamate in
      biceps femoris muscle, the concentration of N-isopropyl oxamate in blood was 0.08
      mmol/L; 3) in cardiac muscle of the inhibitor group and the control group, the
      LDH activities were (6.18 +/- 0.48) U/mg and (9.08 +/- 0.58) U/mg, the contents
      of LD were (0.21 +/- 0.03) mmol/g and (0.26 +/- 0.04) mmol/g, and the contents of
      ATP were (4.40 +/- 0.69) nmol/mg and (6.18 +/- 0.73) nmol/mg (P < 0.01); 5) the
      inhibition rates of N-isopropyl oxamate to LDH, LD and ATP were 31.98%, 20.90%
      and 28.70%, respectively. The results suggest that Ldh-c expresses in cardiac
      muscle of plateau pika, and the pika cardiac muscle may get at least 28% ATP for
      its activities by LDH-C4 catalyzed anaerobic glycolysis, which reduces the
      dependence on oxygen and enhances the adaptation to the hypoxic environments.

PMID- 26109305
TI  - The role of the TLR4/NF-kappaB signaling pathway in Abeta accumulation in primary
      hippocampal neurons.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate the role of the Toll-like receptor 4
      (TLR4)/nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway in the accumulation of
      amyloid beta protein (Abeta) in primary hippocampal neurons of rats. The purity
      of these cultured neurons was determined by using immunofluorescence techniques.
      Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, a TLR4 ligand) or CLI-095 (a TLR4 inhibitor) was used to
      activate or inhibit TLR4 signaling, respectively. Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate
      (PDTC), on the other hand, was used to inhibit NF-kappaB, a downstream effector
      of the TLR4 signaling pathway. The contents of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF
      alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and Abeta1-42 in the supernatant were
      assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mRNA levels of TNF
      alpha, IL-1beta, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10
      (ADAM10), beta-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE-1), Presenilin-1 (PS-1), and beta
      amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP) were examined by real-time quantitative PCR
      (RT-qPCR). The protein levels of ADAM10, BACE-1, PS-1 and beta-APP were examined
      by Western blotting. Meanwhile, the levels of TLR4 mRNA and protein in
      hippocampal neurons were tested by RT-qPCR and Western blotting, respectively,
      after stimulation with Abeta1-42 at different concentrations. We observed that
      the purity of cultured hippocampal neurons after being cultured for 7 days was
      above 95%. Compared with untreated neurons, LPS-treated neurons showed higher
      expression levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, BACE-1, PS-1, beta-APP, and Abeta1-42,
      but a lower expression level of ADAM10. These effects were reversed upon pre
      treatment with CLI-095 or PDTC. Furthermore, TLR4 expression was upregulated in
      the presence of Abeta1-42. Taken together, these results provide evidence that
      elevation in the level of inflammatory cytokines accompanies the activation of
      TLR4 signaling, and that the consequent downregulation of ADAM10 and upregulation
      of BACE-1/PS-1 are likely responsible for the accumulation of beta-APP and Abeta,
      which in turn increases TLR4 level to create a positive feedback loop that may
      constitute the basis for the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26109306
TI  - [Isoliquiritigenin relaxes the cerebral basilar artery by enhancing BKCa current
      in spontaneously hypertensive rat: role of sGC/cGMP].
AB  - The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of
      isoliquiritigenin (ISL) on the cerebral basilar artery in spontaneously
      hypertensive rats (SHR). The change of SHR systolic pressure was measured by tail
      artery pressure measurement instrument before and after ISL intervention. After
      perfusion with 1 * 10(-5) mol/L phenylephrine (PE), 1 * 10(-5) mol/L PE + 1 * 10(
      4) mol/L ISL and 1 * 10(-5) mol/L PE, the diameter of the cerebral basilar artery
      separated from SHR was measured by pressure myograph. The current of large
      conductance calcium-activated potassium (BKCa) channel of SHR single vascular
      smooth muscle cell (VSMC) was recorded by whole-cell patch-clamp technique and
      the cGMP levels of basilar artery was evaluated by ELISA. The results showed that
      1) after intervention with ISL for 14 days, the systolic pressure of SHR was
      decreased from (218.3 +/- 1.6) mmHg to (119.2 +/- 1.9) mmHg (P < 0.01), but there
      was no difference in systolic pressure between ISL-treated SHR and Wistar-Kyoto
      (WKY) rat; 2) 1 * 10(-4) mol/L ISL relaxed the SHR cerebral basilar artery (P <
      0.01); 3) ISL significantly increased the outward current density of VSMC from
      SHR cerebral basilar artery (P < 0.01, n = 6), and the effect could be reversed
      by 1 * 10(-3) mol/L TEA (a BKCa channel inhibitor), but 3 * 10(-4) mol/L 4-AP (a
      Kv channel inhibitor) had no effect on the enhanced current density induced by
      ISL in VSMC; 4) 1 * 10(-5) mol/L Methylene blue (a sGC inhibitor) significantly
      inhibited the ISL-enhanced current density in VSMC (P < 0.05, n = 6); 5) ISL
      significantly increased the cGMP level of SHR basilar artery (P < 0.05, n = 6).
      The results suggest that the role of the ISL in relaxing the SHR cerebral basilar
      artery may be related to its effect in enhancing BKCa current by increasing the
      levels of cGMP in the VSMC. 

PMID- 26109307
TI  - [Role of renal sympathetic nerve and oxidative stress in foot shock-induced
      hypertension in rats].
AB  - The present study was aimed to investigate the roles of renal sympathetic nerve
      and oxidative stress in the development of foot shock-induced hypertension.
      Ninety rats were divided into 6 groups (the number of each group was 15): control
      group, foot shock group, denervation of renal sympathetic nerve group,
      denervation of renal sympathetic nerve + foot shock group, Tempol treatment +
      foot shock group, denervation of renal sympathetic nerve + Tempol treatment +
      foot shock group. Rats were received electrical foot shock for 14 days (2-4 mA,
      75 V, shocks of 50-100 ms every 30 s, for 4 h each session through an electrified
      grid floor every day). Renal sympathetic ablation was used to remove bilateral
      renal sympathetic nerve in rats (rats were allowed to recover for one week before
      the beginning of the foot shock procedure). The antioxidant Tempol was injected
      intraperitoneally at 1 h before foot shock. Systolic blood pressure was measured
      at 1 h after foot shock on day 0, 3, 7, 10 and 14. Contents of thiobarbituric
      acid reactive substance (TBARS), renin, angiotensin II (AngII) and glutathione
      peroxidase (GSH-Px) in plasma were measured by ELISA after 14-day foot shock. The
      results showed that systolic blood pressure of foot shock group was significantly
      increased (P < 0.05) compared with that of control group from day 7 to day 14 of
      foot shock. Denervation of renal sympathetic nerve and/or Tempol treatment
      significantly reduced the increase of systolic blood pressure induced by foot
      shock. Levels of TBARS, renin and AngII in plasma were increased significantly in
      foot shock group compared with that of control group (P < 0.05). Plasma GSH-Px
      concentration was decreased in foot shock group rats compared with that of
      control group (P < 0.05). Denervation of renal sympathetic nerve and/or tempol
      treatment significantly reduced the increase in TBARS, renin, AngII levels
      induced by foot shock in comparison with that of foot shock group (P < 0.05), but
      had no effects on the reduction of GSH-Px concentration. The results suggest that
      renal sympathetic nerve may play an important role in the development of foot
      shock-induced hypertension, and renal sympathetic nerve may influence oxidative
      stress and directly or indirectly activate renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system,
      so the foot shock-induced high blood pressure may be maintained and hypertension
      may therefore be produced. 

PMID- 26109308
TI  - [Anti-metastasis of celastrol on esophageal cancer cells and its mechanism].
AB  - Celastrol is a quinone methyl terpene extracted from the traditional Chinese
      medicine Tripterygium wilfordii, which has anti-inflammatory, immune suppression
      and pharmacological activities, as well as anti-tumor activity. The effects of
      celastrol on adhesion, migration and invasion of esophageal cancer cells were
      investigated in this experiment. Human esophageal cancer cell line ECA-109 was
      used. The inhibition of ECA-109 cells' adhesion induced by celastrol was measured
      by MTT test. The inhibition of ECA-109 cells' migration induced by celastrol was
      measured by scratch test. The invasion inhibition of ECA-109 cells induced by
      celastrol was measured by Transwell experiment. Quantitative real-time PCR and
      Western blot were used to determine the effects of different concentrations of
      celastrol on integrin family and Wnt signaling pathway in ECA-109 cells. The
      results showed that celastrol inhibited adhesion, migration and invasion of ECA
      109 cells and expressions of integrins beta1, beta4, alphav and beta-Catenin,
      LRP6 in Wnt signal pathway in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore the study
      suggests that celastrol could inhibit the cell metastasis of esophageal cancer by
      inhibiting the Wnt signaling pathway and the expressions of integrins. 

PMID- 26109309
TI  - Potential Health Hazard Assessment in Terms of Some Heavy Metals Determined in
      Demersal Fishes Caught in Eastern Aegean Sea.
AB  - A heavy metal risk assessment based on estimated daily intake (EDI) and target
      hazard quotient was made for children and adults. Five fish species captured from
      the eastern Aegean Sea were analyzed for Cr, Cu, Cd, Hg and Pb by inductively
      coupled plasma spectroscopy in muscle tissue of red mullet (Mullus barbatus),
      surmullet (Mullus surmuletus), sand steenbras (Lithognathus mormyrus), common two
      banded seabream (Diplodus vulgaris) and common pandora (Pagellus erythinus). The
      ranges for mean metal concentration (mg/kg wet wt) in the five species were 0.27
      0.39 Cr, 0.12-0.22 Cu, 0.09-0.10 Hg and 0.10-0.12 Pb. All means were identical
      for Cd at 0.03 mg/kg wet wt. The EDI values for each metal were ascertained not
      to exceed the tolerable daily intake amount. Fish did not contain sufficiently
      high levels of these metals to pose a carcinogenic risk. 

PMID- 26109310
TI  - PAH Metabolites in Bile of European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) from Morocco.
AB  - Environmental pollution of fish with organic contaminants is a topic of rising
      attention in Morocco. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are prominent
      organic contaminants which are rapidly metabolized in fish. Their metabolites are
      accumulated in the bile fluid and can be used to assess PAH exposure. The two PAH
      metabolites 1-hydroxypyrene and 1-hydroxyphenanthrene were quantified in European
      eels (Anguilla anguilla) from two Moroccan river systems by high-performance
      liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Mean values ranged from 52 to
      210 ng/mL 1-hydroxypyrene and from 61 to 73 ng/mL 1-hydroxyphenanthrene. The
      overall concentrations of PAH metabolites in eel from Morocco appeared moderate
      compared to eel from European rivers and coastal sites. The present study
      provides first information on concentrations of PAH metabolites in fish from
      Morocco. 

PMID- 26109311
TI  - Resection of thoracic malignancies infiltrating cardiac structures with use of
      cardiopulmonary bypass.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Only few reports exist on malignant thoracic neoplasms that require
      cardiopulmonary bypass during resection. We aimed to investigate the early and
      late clinical outcome of these patients. METHODS: Patients with thoracic
      malignancies that underwent surgery between 2002 and 2014 were analyzed. All
      patients had cardiopulomonary bypass support during resection. Clinical and
      perioperative data was retrospectively reviewed for outcome and overall survival.
      RESULTS: Fifteen patients (12 female, mean age of 55 +/- 15 years, range 24 to 80
      years) were identified. Eleven (8 female) were diagnosed with primary thoracic
      malignomas and four with metastases. Three patients died early postoperatively.
      Patients diagnosed with sarcoma had a significantly worse outcome than non
      sarcoma patients (83.3 +/- 15.2 % after 1 year, 31.3 +/- 24.5 % after 5 years vs.
      83.3 +/- 5.2 % after 1 year, 0 +/- 0 % after 5 years, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS:
      Malignancies with extension into cardiac structures or infiltration of great
      vessels can be resected with cardiopulmonary bypass support and tolerable risk.
      Carefully selected patients can undergo advanced operative procedures with an
      acceptable 1-year-survival, but only few patients achieved good long-term
      outcome.

PMID- 26109312
TI  - Histone deacetylase 4 promotes cholestatic liver injury in the absence of
      prohibitin-1.
AB  - Prohibitin-1 (PHB1) is an evolutionarily conserved pleiotropic protein that
      participates in diverse processes depending on its subcellular localization and
      interactome. Recent data have indicated a diverse role for PHB1 in the
      pathogenesis of obesity, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease, among others.
      Data presented here suggest that PHB1 is also linked to cholestatic liver
      disease. Expression of PHB1 is markedly reduced in patients with primary biliary
      cirrhosis and biliary atresia or with Alagille syndrome, two major pediatric
      cholestatic conditions. In the experimental model of bile duct ligation,
      silencing of PHB1 induced liver fibrosis, reduced animal survival, and induced
      bile duct proliferation. Importantly, the modulatory effect of PHB1 is not
      dependent on its known mitochondrial function. Also, PHB1 interacts with histone
      deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) in the presence of bile acids. Hence, PHB1 depletion leads
      to increased nuclear HDAC4 content and its associated epigenetic changes.
      Remarkably, HDAC4 silencing and the administration of the HDAC inhibitor
      parthenolide during obstructive cholestasis in vivo promote genomic
      reprogramming, leading to regression of the fibrotic phenotype in liver-specific
      Phb1 knockout mice. CONCLUSION: PHB1 is an important mediator of cholestatic
      liver injury that regulates the activity of HDAC4, which controls specific
      epigenetic markers; these results identify potential novel strategies to treat
      liver injury and fibrosis, particularly as a consequence of chronic cholestasis.

PMID- 26109313
TI  - Differential effects of relaxin deficiency on vascular aging in arteries of male
      mice.
AB  - Exogenous treatment with the naturally occurring peptide relaxin increases
      arterial compliance and reduces vascular stiffness. In contrast, relaxin
      deficiency reduces the passive compliance of small renal arteries through
      geometric and compositional vascular remodeling. The role of endogenous relaxin
      on passive mechanical wall properties in other vascular beds is unknown.
      Importantly, no studies have investigated the effects of aging in arteries of
      relaxin-deficient mice. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that mesenteric and
      femoral arteries stiffen with aging, and this is exacerbated with relaxin
      deficiency. Male wild-type (Rln (+/+)) and relaxin knockout (Rln (-/-)) mice were
      aged to 3, 6, 12, 18, and 23 months. Passive mechanical wall properties were
      assessed by pressure myography. In both genotypes, there was a significant
      increase in circumferential stiffening in mesenteric arteries with aging, whereas
      in the femoral artery, aging reduced volume compliance. This was associated with
      a reduced ability of the artery to lengthen with aging. The predominant phenotype
      observed in Rln (-/-) mice was reduced volume compliance in young mice in both
      mesenteric and femoral arteries. In summary, aging induces circumferential
      stiffening in mesenteric arteries and axial stiffening in femoral arteries.
      Passive mechanical wall properties of Rln (-/-) mouse arteries predominantly
      differ at younger ages compared with Rln (+/+) mice, suggesting that a lack of
      endogenous relaxin only has a minor effect on vascular aging.

PMID- 26109314
TI  - Why e-cigarettes are dividing the public health community.

PMID- 26109315
TI  - Current status and future prospects of point-of-care testing around the globe.
AB  - In the past half-century, routine central laboratory testing has become
      increasingly automated and efficient. The majority of clinical chemistry,
      immunochemistry and hematology testing are performed using high throughput
      instrumentation, with sophisticated automation. Microbiology, immunohematology
      and molecular diagnostic testing are also becoming increasingly automated. Recent
      challenges in healthcare demand new diagnostic solutions worldwide. Point-of-care
      testing (POCT) offers considerable advantages over central laboratory testing,
      such as fast and simple specimen handling, and simpler sample requirement (no
      additives and mostly blood from finger stick; and urine). No transportation is
      required, and POCT delivers short turnaround time of approximately 5-15 min. In
      recent years, POCT has gained ground worldwide. In advanced healthcare systems,
      POCT may be beneficial if health or cost-benefits can be established. In resource
      poor countries, POCT may be the only means of delivering advanced testing for
      epidemiologically important diseases, such as tuberculosis of HIV infection. 

PMID- 26109316
TI  - Companion diagnostics: a regulatory perspective from the last 5 years of
      molecular companion diagnostic approvals.
AB  - Companion diagnostics are essential for the safe and effective use of the
      corresponding therapeutic products. The US FDA has approved a number of companion
      diagnostics used to select cancer patients for treatment with contemporaneously
      approved novel therapeutics. The processes of co-development and co-approval of a
      therapeutic product and its companion diagnostic have been a learning experience
      that continues to evolve. Using several companion diagnostics as examples, this
      article describes the challenges associated with the scientific, clinical and
      regulatory hurdles faced by FDA and industry alike. Taken together, this
      discussion is intended to assist manufacturers toward a successful companion
      diagnostics development plan. 

PMID- 26109317
TI  - Evaluating the Structure of Early English Literacy Skills in Deaf and Hard-of
      Hearing Children.
AB  - Better understanding the mechanisms underlying developing literacy has promoted
      the development of more effective reading interventions for typically developing
      children. Such knowledge may facilitate effective instruction of deaf and hard-of
      hearing (DHH) children. Hence, the current study examined the multivariate
      associations among phonological awareness, alphabetic knowledge, word reading,
      and vocabulary skills in DHH children who have auditory access to speech. One
      hundred and sixty-seven DHH children (M age = 60.43 months) were assessed with a
      battery of early literacy measures. Forty-six percent used at least 1 cochlear
      implant; 54% were fitted with hearing aids. About a fourth of the sample was
      acquiring both spoken English and sign. Scores on standardized tests of
      phonological awareness and vocabulary averaged at least 1 standard deviation (SD)
      below the mean of the hearing norming sample. Confirmatory factor analyses showed
      that DHH children's early literacy skills were best characterized by a complex 3
      factor model in which phonological awareness, alphabetic knowledge, and
      vocabulary formed 3 separate, but highly correlated constructs, with letter-sound
      knowledge and word reading skills relating to both phonological awareness and
      alphabetic knowledge. This supports the hypothesis that early reading of DHH
      children with functional hearing is qualitatively similar to that of hearing
      children. 

PMID- 26109318
TI  - Endoplasmic reticulum stress impairment in the spinal dorsal horn of a
      neuropathic pain model.
AB  - Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been implicated in neurodegenerative
      diseases, but its role in neuropathic pain remains unclear. In this study, we
      examined the ER stress and the unfolded protein response (UPR) activation in a L5
      spinal nerve ligation (SNL)-induced rat neuropathic pain model. SNL-induced
      neuropathic pain was assessed behaviorally using the CatWalk system, and
      histologically with microglial activation in the dorsal spinal horn. L5 SNL
      induced BIP upregulation in the neuron of superficial laminae of dorsal spinal
      horn. It also increased the level of ATF6 and intracellular localization into the
      nuclei in the neurons. Moreover, spliced XBP1 was also markedly elevated in the
      ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn. The PERK-elF2 pathway was activated in astrocytes
      of the spinal dorsal horn in the SNL model. In addition, electron microscopy
      revealed the presence of swollen cisternae in the dorsal spinal cord after SNL.
      Additionally, inhibition of the ATF6 pathway by intrathecal treatment with ATF6
      siRNA reduced pain behaviors and BIP expression in the dorsal horn. The results
      suggest that ER stress might be involved in the induction and maintenance of
      neuropathic pain. Furthermore, a disturbance in UPR signaling may render the
      spinal neurons vulnerable to peripheral nerve injury or neuropathic pain stimuli.

PMID- 26109321
TI  - Familial 7q11.23 duplication with variable phenotype.
AB  - Chromosomal microdeletions and microduplications are known to cause variable
      clinical features ranging from apparently normal phenotype to intellectual
      disability, multiple congenital anomalies, and/or other variable clinical
      features. 7q11.23 region deletion is the cause for Williams-Beuren syndrome and
      duplication of same region 7q11.23 causes distinguishable clinical phenotype.
      Familial inheritance is known for both microdeletion and microduplication of
      7q11.23 region. Here, we report a patient of paternally inherited 7q11.23
      microduplication with developmental delay, macrocephaly, and structural brain
      malformations.

PMID- 26109320
TI  - Bacteriophages and bacteriophage-derived endolysins as potential therapeutics to
      combat Gram-positive spore forming bacteria.
AB  - Since their discovery in 1915, bacteriophages have been routinely used within
      Eastern Europe to treat a variety of bacterial infections. Although initially
      ignored by the West due to the success of antibiotics, increasing levels and
      diversity of antibiotic resistance is driving a renaissance for bacteriophage
      derived therapy, which is in part due to the highly specific nature of
      bacteriophages as well as their relative abundance. This review focuses on the
      bacteriophages and derived lysins of relevant Gram-positive spore formers within
      the Bacillus cereus group and Clostridium genus that could have applications
      within the medical, food and environmental sectors. 

PMID- 26109319
TI  - Retinoic Acid Signaling Coordinates Macrophage-Dependent Injury and Repair after
      AKI.
AB  - Retinoic acid (RA) has been used therapeutically to reduce injury and fibrosis in
      models of AKI, but little is known about the regulation of this pathway and what
      role it has in regulating injury and repair after AKI. In these studies, we show
      that RA signaling is activated in mouse and zebrafish models of AKI, and that
      these responses limit the extent of injury and promote normal repair. These
      effects were mediated through a novel mechanism by which RA signaling coordinated
      the dynamic equilibrium of inflammatory M1 spectrum versus alternatively
      activated M2 spectrum macrophages. Our data suggest that locally synthesized RA
      represses proinflammatory macrophages, thereby reducing macrophage-dependent
      injury post-AKI, and activates RA signaling in injured tubular epithelium, which
      in turn promotes alternatively activated M2 spectrum macrophages. Because RA
      signaling has an essential role in kidney development but is repressed in the
      adult, these findings provide evidence of an embryonic signaling pathway that is
      reactivated after AKI and involved in reducing injury and enhancing repair. 

PMID- 26109322
TI  - Telomere dynamics in parasitic great spotted cuckoos and their magpie hosts.
AB  - Although little is known on the impact of environment on telomere length
      dynamics, it has been suggested to be affected by stress, lifestyle and/or life
      history strategies of animals. We here compared telomere dynamics in erythrocytes
      of hatchlings and fledglings of the brood parasite great spotted cuckoos
      (Clamator glandarius) and of magpies (Pica pica), their main host in Europe. In
      magpie chicks, telomere length decreased from hatching to fledging, whereas no
      significant change in telomere length of great spotted cuckoo chicks was found.
      Moreover, we found interspecific differences in the association between laying
      date and telomere shortening. Interspecific differences in telomere shortening
      were interpreted as a consequence of differences in lifestyle and life-history
      characteristics of magpies and great spotted cuckoos. In comparison with magpies,
      cuckoos experience reduced sibling competition and higher access to resources
      and, consequently, lower stressful environmental conditions during the nestling
      phase. These characteristics also explain the associations between telomere
      attrition and environmental conditions (i.e. laying date) for magpies and the
      absence of association for great spotted cuckoos. These results therefore fit
      expectations on telomere dynamics derived from interspecific differences in
      lifestyle and life history of brood parasites and their bird hosts.

PMID- 26109324
TI  - Coverage of supraumbilical abdominal wall defects: The tunnelled-pedicled ALT
      technique.
AB  - Abdominal wall defects are a challenge for reconstructive surgeons. Although the
      utility of anterolateral thigh perforator (ALT) flap has been well established
      for lower abdominal wall reconstruction, pedicled ALT flap is usually not
      considered for supraumbilical defects in the most recent algorithms. The purpose
      of this paper is to report the results of a tunneled pedicled ALT flap for
      reconstruction of supraumbilical defect from a series of patients. From July 2009
      to September2014, six patients underwent delayed abdominal wall coverage using
      pedicled ALT flaps and reinforcement with polypropylene meshes. Defects occurred
      after surgical complications and abdominal trauma. Flaps were tunneled beneath
      the rectus femoris and sartorius muscles to increase the pedicle length. The size
      of the skin islands ranged from 22-29 * 10-14 cm. All flaps survived and the
      healing of the wounds was successful. Partial dehiscence of donor site occurred
      in one patient, and small wound dehiscence due to minimal distal necrosis was
      observed in another patient. No functional problems were reported in donor site,
      and no complications occurred in 6-68 months of follow-up. The tunneled pedicled
      ALT flap may provide a reliable alternative method for abdominal wall
      reconstruction, including supraumbilical defects. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc. Microsurgery 37:119-127, 2017.

PMID- 26109323
TI  - Cell migration and antigen capture are antagonistic processes coupled by myosin
      II in dendritic cells.
AB  - The immune response relies on the migration of leukocytes and on their ability to
      stop in precise anatomical locations to fulfil their task. How leukocyte
      migration and function are coordinated is unknown. Here we show that in immature
      dendritic cells, which patrol their environment by engulfing extracellular
      material, cell migration and antigen capture are antagonistic. This antagonism
      results from transient enrichment of myosin IIA at the cell front, which disrupts
      the back-to-front gradient of the motor protein, slowing down locomotion but
      promoting antigen capture. We further highlight that myosin IIA enrichment at the
      cell front requires the MHC class II-associated invariant chain (Ii). Thus, by
      controlling myosin IIA localization, Ii imposes on dendritic cells an
      intermittent antigen capture behaviour that might facilitate environment
      patrolling. We propose that the requirement for myosin II in both cell migration
      and specific cell functions may provide a general mechanism for their
      coordination in time and space. 

PMID- 26109325
TI  - Demonstrating quantum contextuality of indistinguishable particles by a single
      family of noncontextuality inequalities.
AB  - Quantum theory has the intriguing feature that is inconsistent with noncontextual
      hidden variable models, for which the outcome of a measurement does not depend on
      which other compatible measurements are being performed concurrently. While
      various proofs of such contextual behavior of quantum systems have been
      established, relatively little is known concerning the possibility to demonstrate
      this intriguing feature for indistinguishable particles. Here, we show in a
      simple and systematic manner that with projective measurements alone, it is
      possible to demonstrate quantum contextuality for such systems of arbitrary
      Hilbert space dimensions, including those corresponding to a qubit. Our
      demonstration is applicable to a single fermion as well as multiple fermions, and
      thus also a composite boson formed from an even number of fermions. In addition,
      our approach gives a clear demonstration of the intimate connection between
      complementarity and contextuality, two seemingly unrelated aspects of quantum
      theory. 

PMID- 26109326
TI  - Fomepizole versus ethanol in the treatment of acute methanol poisoning:
      Comparison of clinical effectiveness in a mass poisoning outbreak.
AB  - CONTEXT: Mass or cluster methanol poisonings are frequently reported from around
      the world. The comparative effectiveness of ethanol and fomepizole as antidotes
      for methanol poisoning is unknown due to the difficulty of performing a
      randomized controlled trial. OBJECTIVE: During an outbreak of mass poisonings in
      the Czech Republic in 2012-2014, we compared the effects of antidotes on the
      frequency of health sequelae and mortality. METHODS: The study was designed as a
      cross-sectional case series and quasi-case-control study. Patients with a
      diagnosis of methanol poisoning on admission to hospitals were identified for the
      study. Diagnosis was established when (i) a history of recent ingestion of
      illicit spirits was available and serum methanol was higher than 6.2 mmol/L (20
      mg/dL), or (ii) there was a history/clinical suspicion of methanol poisoning, and
      serum methanol was above the limit of detection with at least two of the
      following: pH < 7.3, serum bicarbonate < 20 mmol/L, and anion gap or AG >= 20
      mmol/L. Fomepizole was given as a bolus dose of 15 mg/kg i.v. diluted in isotonic
      saline, followed by 10 mg/kg every 12 h (every 4 h during hemodialysis); ethanol
      was administered both intravenously as a 10% solution in 5% glucose, and per os
      in boluses of 20% solution. Multivariate regression was applied to determine the
      effect of antidote on outcome. Additionally, for a retrospective quasi-case
      control study, a control group of patients treated with ethanol, matched
      carefully on severity of poisoning and other key parameters, was selected.
      RESULTS: Data were obtained from 100 hospitalized patients with confirmed
      poisoning: 25 patients treated with fomepizole were compared with 68 patients
      receiving ethanol (seven patients did not receive any antidote). More severely
      acidotic (p < 0.001) and late-presenting (>12 h; p = 0.028) patients received
      fomepizole more often than ethanol, as reflected in the higher number of
      fomepizole-treated patients being intubated (p = 0.009). No association was found
      between the type of antidote and the survival in either the case series (p =
      0.205) or the quasi-control groups (p = 0.705) in which patients were very
      closely matched to minimize confounding by allocation. In the multivariate
      analysis, positive serum ethanol (odds ratio [OR], 10.8; 95% confidence interval
      [CI], 2.9-39.9) and arterial blood pH (OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.3-10.5) on admission
      were the only independent variables for the survival. The median intensive care
      unit length of stay was 6 (range, 2-22) days in the fomepizole group and 4
      (range, 1-33) days in the ethanol group (p = 0.131). There were no differences in
      the use of elimination techniques between the two groups (neither in the full
      material (n = 100), nor the case-control groups (n = 50)). CONCLUSIONS: This
      study on antidotes for methanol poisoning did not show any evidence of different
      clinical effectiveness. Although ethanol is generally associated with a higher
      incidence of complications, this study suggests that both antidotes are similarly
      effective and that ethanol should not be avoided on grounds of effectiveness.

PMID- 26109327
TI  - Robotics and transanal minimal invasive surgery (TAMIS): The "sweet spot" for
      robotics in colorectal surgery?

PMID- 26109328
TI  - Admission blood glucose predicts mortality and length of stay in patients
      admitted through the emergency department.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperglycaemia has been associated with adverse outcomes in several
      different hospital populations. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the
      relationship between admission blood glucose level (BGL) and outcomes in all
      patients admitted through the emergency department. METHODS: This study was a
      retrospective observational cohort study from an Australian tertiary referral
      hospital. Patients admitted in the first week of each month from April to October
      2012 had demographic data, co-morbidities, BGL, intensive care unit admission,
      length of stay and dates of death recorded. Factors associated with outcomes were
      assessed by multi-level mixed-effects linear regression. RESULTS: Admission BGL
      was recorded for 601 admissions with no diagnosis of diabetes and for 219
      admissions diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In patients with no diagnosis
      of diabetes, admission BGL was associated with in-hospital and 90-day mortality
      (P < 0.001). After multivariate analysis, BGL greater than 11.5 mmol/L was
      significantly associated with increased mortality at 90 days (P < 0.05). In
      patients with T2DM increased BGL on admission was not associated with in-hospital
      or 90-day mortality but was associated with length of hospital stay (beta: 0.22
      days/mmol/L; 95% confidence interval 0.09-0.35; P < 0.001), although this
      association was lost on multivariable analysis. In patients with T2DM, increased
      coefficient of variation of BGL was also positively associated with length of
      hospital stay in an almost dose-dependent fashion (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION:
      Admission BGL was independently associated with increased mortality in patients
      with no diagnosis of diabetes. Glycaemic variability was associated with
      increased length of hospital stay in patients with T2DM.

PMID- 26109329
TI  - First-in-human evaluation of a hybrid modality that allows combined radio- and
      (near-infrared) fluorescence tracing during surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: The clinical introduction of the hybrid tracer indocyanine green (ICG)
      (99m)Tc-nanocolloid, composed of a radioactive and a near-infrared (NIR)
      fluorescence component, has created the need for surgical (imaging) modalities
      that allow for simultaneous detection of both signals. This study describes the
      first-in-human use of a prototype opto-nuclear probe during sentinel node (SN)
      biopsy using ICG-(99m)Tc-nanocolloid. METHODS: To allow for fluorescence tracing,
      a derivative of the conventional gamma probe technology was generated in which
      two optical fibers were integrated to allow for excitation (785 nm) and emission
      signal collection (> 810 nm). The ability of this opto-nuclear probe to detect
      the fluorescence signal of the hybrid tracer ICG-(99m)Tc-nanocolloid was firstly
      determined ex vivo in (non)SNs samples obtained from 41 patients who underwent
      hybrid tracer-based SN biopsy in the head and neck or urogenital area. In an in
      vivo proof-of-concept study in nine of these 41 patients, SNs were localized
      using combined gamma and fluorescence tracing with the opto-nuclear probe.
      Fluorescence tracing was performed in a similar manner as gamma tracing and under
      ambient light conditions. RESULTS: Ex vivo, the gamma tracing option of the opto
      nuclear probe correctly identified the SN in all 150 evaluated (non)SN samples.
      Ex vivo fluorescence tracing in the low-sensitivity mode correctly identified
      71.7% of the samples. This increased to 98.9% when fluorescence tracing was
      performed in the high-sensitivity mode. In vivo fluorescence tracing (high
      sensitivity mode) accurately identified the SNs in all nine patients (20 SNs
      evaluated; 100%). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the first-in-human
      evaluation of a hybrid modality capable of detecting both gamma and fluorescence
      signals during a surgical procedure. Fluorescence tracing could be performed in
      ambient light.

PMID- 26109330
TI  - Conformational and Chiral Properties of Cyclic-tri(N-methyl-meta-benzamide)
      Bearing Amidino Groups.
AB  - Cyclic triamides bearing amidino groups at the meta position of the phenyl rings
      were synthesized, and their conformational properties in the crystal and in
      solution were examined. Compound exists as a capsule-type dimer of the
      enantiomers with a bowl-shaped syn conformation in the crystal state. Compound
      exists mainly in the syn form in solution, and chiral induction was observed upon
      addition of a chiral acid to a solution of.

PMID- 26109331
TI  - Increased body mass index negatively impacts blastocyst formation rate in normal
      responders undergoing in vitro fertilization.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of female BMI and
      metabolic dysfunction on blastocyst formation rate. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective cohort study that was performed in an academic center for
      reproductive medicine. Patients who were normal weight, overweight with metabolic
      dysfunction, or obese who had >=6 oocytes retrieved in a fresh IVF cycle were
      included in the study. The blastocyst formation rate was calculated from the
      number of >=5 cell embryos on day 3 observed in culture until day 5 or day 6.
      Only good quality blastocysts were included in the calculation as defined by a
      morphologic grade of 3BB or better. RESULTS: The blastocyst formation rate was
      significantly better in the normal-weight controls versus overweight/obese
      patients (57.2 versus 43.6 %, p < 0.007). There was no difference in blastocyst
      formation between the patients with a BMI 25-29.9 kg/m(2) with metabolic
      dysfunction and those with a BMI >=30 kg/m(2). CONCLUSION: The maternal metabolic
      environment has a significant impact on embryo quality as measured by blastocyst
      formation. A decreased blastocyst formation rate is likely a significant
      contributor to poorer reproductive outcomes in overweight and obese women with
      infertility.

PMID- 26109332
TI  - Does sperm origin affect embryo morphokinetic parameters?
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of our study was to use time-lapse in order to evaluate the
      impact of sperm origin (fresh ejaculate or surgically retrieved) on embryo
      morphokinetic parameters and clinical outcome in intracytoplasmic sperm injection
      (ICSI) cycles. METHODS: This retrospective monocentric study was conducted in 485
      unselected couples undergoing 604 ICSI cycles with embryo culture in the
      Embryoscope(r). Among them, 445 couples underwent ICSI cycle with fresh
      ejaculated sperm and 40 with surgically retrieved sperm (26 with testicular sperm
      and 14 with epididymal sperm). Embryo morphokinetic parameters and clinical cycle
      outcome were compared between fresh ejaculated sperm and surgically retrieved
      sperm. A subgroup analysis was also conducted between testicular and epididymal
      sperm ICSI cycles. RESULTS: Clinical outcome was comparable between groups
      according to sperm origin. Although most early morphokinetic parameters were
      comparable between ejaculated and surgical sperm groups, a few parameters were
      significantly different between both groups, but with a considerable overlap in
      their distribution. Late cellular events occurred significantly later in the
      surgical sperm group than in the ejaculated sperm group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Morphokinetic analysis did not allow us to identify clinically relevant
      differences between fresh ejaculate and surgically retrieved sperm groups.
      Further studies are needed, especially concerning the relationship between sperm
      origin and late morphokinetic parameters, such as blastocyst development.

PMID- 26109333
TI  - Cell-Free DNA Next-Generation Sequencing in Pancreatobiliary Carcinomas.
AB  - Patients with pancreatic and biliary carcinomas lack personalized treatment
      options, in part because biopsies are often inadequate for molecular
      characterization. Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) sequencing may enable a precision
      oncology approach in this setting. We attempted to prospectively analyze 54 genes
      in tumor and cfDNA for 26 patients. Tumor sequencing failed in 9 patients (35%).
      In the remaining 17, 90.3% (95% confidence interval, 73.1%-97.5%) of mutations
      detected in tumor biopsies were also detected in cfDNA. The diagnostic accuracy
      of cfDNA sequencing was 97.7%, with 92.3% average sensitivity and 100%
      specificity across five informative genes. Changes in cfDNA correlated well with
      tumor marker dynamics in serial sampling (r = 0.93). We demonstrate that cfDNA
      sequencing is feasible, accurate, and sensitive in identifying tumor-derived
      mutations without prior knowledge of tumor genotype or the abundance of
      circulating tumor DNA. cfDNA sequencing should be considered in pancreatobiliary
      cancer trials where tissue sampling is unsafe, infeasible, or otherwise
      unsuccessful. SIGNIFICANCE: Precision medicine efforts in biliary and pancreatic
      cancers have been frustrated by difficulties in obtaining adequate tumor tissue
      for next-generation sequencing. cfDNA sequencing reliably and accurately detects
      tumor-derived mutations, paving the way for precision oncology approaches in
      these deadly diseases.

PMID- 26109334
TI  - Gender differences in brain structure and resting-state functional connectivity
      related to narcissistic personality.
AB  - Although cognitive and personality studies have observed gender differences in
      narcissism, the neural bases of these differences remain unknown. The current
      study combined the voxel-based morphometry and resting state functional
      connectivity (rsFC) analyses to explore the sex-specific neural basis of
      narcissistic personality. The VBM results showed that the relationship between
      narcissistic personality and regional gray matter volume (rGMV) differed between
      sexes. Narcissistic scores had a significant positive correlation with the rGMV
      of the right SPL in females, but not in males. Further analyses were conducted to
      investigate the sex-specific relationship between rsFC and narcissism, using
      right SPL/frontal eye fields (FEF) as the seed regions (key nodes of the dorsal
      attention network, DAN). Interestingly, decreased anticorrelations between the
      right SPL/FEF and areas of the precuneus and middle frontal gyrus (key nodes of
      the the default mode network, DMN) were associated with higher narcissistic
      personality scores in males, whereas females showed the opposite tendency. The
      findings indicate that gender differences in narcissism may be associated with
      differences in the intrinsic and dynamic interplay between the internally
      directed DMN and the externally-directed TPN. Morphometry and functional
      connectivity analyses can enhance our understanding of the neural basis of sex
      specific narcissism. 

PMID- 26109335
TI  - Effects of a Tripeptide Iron on Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Rats.
AB  - This study aims to investigate the effects of a tripeptide iron (REE-Fe) on iron
      deficiency anemia rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into seven
      groups: a normal control group, an iron-deficiency control group, and iron
      deficiency groups treated with ferrous sulfate (FeSO4), ferrous glycinate (Fe
      Gly), or REE-Fe at low-, medium-, or high-dose groups. The rats in the iron
      deficiency groups were fed on an iron-deficient diet to establish iron-deficiency
      anemia (IDA) model. After the model established, different iron supplements were
      given to the rats once a day by intragastric administration for 21 days. The
      results showed that REE-Fe had effective restorative action returning body
      weight, organ coefficients, and hematological parameters in IDA rats to normal
      level. In addition, comparing with FeSO4 or Fe-Gly, high-dose REE-Fe was more
      effective on improving the levels of renal coefficient, total iron-binding
      capacity, and transferrin. Furthermore, the liver hepcidin messenger RNA (mRNA)
      expression in the high-dose group was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that
      in the FeSO4 or Fe-Gly group and showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) with
      the normal control group. The findings suggest that REE-Fe is an effective source
      of iron supplement for IDA rats and might be exploited as a new iron fortifier. 

PMID- 26109336
TI  - Erratum to: Alternative Surfactants for Improved Efficiency of In Situ Tryptic
      Proteolysis of Fingermarks.

PMID- 26109337
TI  - Solid State Reaction Mechanism and Microstructure Evolution of Ni-Al Powders
      during High Energy Ball Milling Revisited by TEM.
AB  - Microstructure evolution during the formation of B2-NiAl by high energy ball
      milling of equiatomic elemental mixtures was studied by X-ray diffractometer,
      scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The
      crystallite size, lattice defects and ordering of the B2-NiAl were monitored via
      TEM as function of milling time. The diffusion reaction, Ni+Al->NiAl3 or/and
      Ni2Al3, occurred during high energy ball milling, and to a certain extent offered
      the stored energy for the explosive exothermic reaction, Ni+Al->B2-NiAl. The fine
      microstructure of newly formed B2-NiAl after 5 h milling involved high density
      defects, e.g. antiphase boundary, long range ordering domains, vacancies, and
      dislocations. 

PMID- 26109338
TI  - Retracted: MicroRNA-217 overexpression induces drug resistance and invasion of
      breast cancer cells by targeting PTEN signaling.
AB  - The above article, published online on 24 June 2015 in Wiley Online Library
      (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cbin.10506), has been retracted
      by agreement with the journal Editor, Sergio Schenkman, and John Wiley & Sons
      Ltd. The retraction has been agreed because the authors have not provided a
      signed Copyright Transfer Agreement. Reference Zhang, A., Lu, F., Yang, Y., Ren,
      X., Li, Z. and Zhang, W. (2015), MicroRNA-217 overexpression induces drug
      resistance and invasion of breast cancer cells by targeting PTEN signaling. Cell
      Biol Int. Accepted Author Manuscript. doi:10.1002/cbin.10506.

PMID- 26109340
TI  - Mechanisms Regulating Neuromuscular Junction Development and Function and Causes
      of Muscle Wasting.
AB  - The neuromuscular junction is the chemical synapse between motor neurons and
      skeletal muscle fibers. It is designed to reliably convert the action potential
      from the presynaptic motor neuron into the contraction of the postsynaptic muscle
      fiber. Diseases that affect the neuromuscular junction may cause failure of this
      conversion and result in loss of ambulation and respiration. The loss of motor
      input also causes muscle wasting as muscle mass is constantly adapted to
      contractile needs by the balancing of protein synthesis and protein degradation.
      Finally, neuromuscular activity and muscle mass have a major impact on metabolic
      properties of the organisms. This review discusses the mechanisms involved in the
      development and maintenance of the neuromuscular junction, the consequences of
      and the mechanisms involved in its dysfunction, and its role in maintaining
      muscle mass during aging. As life expectancy is increasing, loss of muscle mass
      during aging, called sarcopenia, has emerged as a field of high medical need.
      Interestingly, aging is also accompanied by structural changes at the
      neuromuscular junction, suggesting that the mechanisms involved in neuromuscular
      junction maintenance might be disturbed during aging. In addition, there is now
      evidence that behavioral paradigms and signaling pathways that are involved in
      longevity also affect neuromuscular junction stability and sarcopenia. 

PMID- 26109339
TI  - Estrogen Effects on Cognitive and Synaptic Health Over the Lifecourse.
AB  - Estrogen facilitates higher cognitive functions by exerting effects on brain
      regions such as the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Estrogen induces
      spinogenesis and synaptogenesis in these two brain regions and also initiates a
      complex set of signal transduction pathways via estrogen receptors (ERs). Along
      with the classical genomic effects mediated by activation of ER alpha and ER
      beta, there are membrane-bound ER alpha, ER beta, and G protein-coupled estrogen
      receptor 1 (GPER1) that can mediate rapid nongenomic effects. All key ERs present
      throughout the body are also present in synapses of the hippocampus and
      prefrontal cortex. This review summarizes estrogen actions in the brain from the
      standpoint of their effects on synapse structure and function, noting also the
      synergistic role of progesterone. We first begin with a review of ER subtypes in
      the brain and how their abundance and distributions are altered with aging and
      estrogen loss (e.g., ovariectomy or menopause) in the rodent, monkey, and human
      brain. As there is much evidence that estrogen loss induced by menopause can
      exacerbate the effects of aging on cognitive functions, we then review the
      clinical trials of hormone replacement therapies and their effectiveness on
      cognitive symptoms experienced by women. Finally, we summarize studies carried
      out in nonhuman primate models of age- and menopause-related cognitive decline
      that are highly relevant for developing effective interventions for menopausal
      women. Together, we highlight a new understanding of how estrogen affects higher
      cognitive functions and synaptic health that go well beyond its effects on
      reproduction. 

PMID- 26109342
TI  - Evaluation of sexual function and quality of life in Iranian women with tubal
      ligation: a historical cohort study.
AB  - Tubal ligation (TL) is an option for contraception for women who have completed
      their family. The existence of sexual dysfunction and impaired quality of life
      (QOL) following this procedure has been the subject of debate for decades. The
      aim of this study was to evaluate the sexual function, QOL and other factors
      affecting Iranian women who underwent TL. A historical cohort study was carried
      out on 150 women who had undergone TL and on 150 women who had used a condom (as
      the control group). The sexual function of participants was evaluated and
      compared using Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. They were also
      asked to fill out the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) for evaluating their QOL.
      Furthermore, the effects of educational level and poststerilization regret in the
      women of TL group were evaluated. With regard to FSFI, all mean values were found
      to be lower in the TL women and the differences between the two groups were
      statistically significant in all domains. A significant difference was found in
      sexual dysfunction in orgasm (P = 0.02), satisfaction (P = 0.01), pain (P =
      0.006) and total FSFI scores (P = 0.006) between the women regretting vs those
      not regretting their sterilization. In evaluating the relationship between FSFI
      and educational level, with the increase of educational level all domain scores
      increased significantly only in the TL group. There was a significant difference
      between the two groups in SF-12 scores (69.18 +/- 14.05 vs 78.41 +/- 12.50; P <
      0.0001). Our findings reveal the adverse effects of TL on the sexual life and QOL
      of women. It is recommended that the awareness and knowledge of health-care
      professionals regarding the sexual function and QOL in women undergoing TL should
      be increased.

PMID- 26109343
TI  - Effective inactivation of Candida albicans biofilms by using supercritical carbon
      dioxide.
AB  - Present sterilization methods for biofilms in medical devices have limitations.
      Therefore, an alternative sterilization method using supercritical carbon dioxide
      (SC-CO2) was tested on Candida albicans biofilms. The effect of varying pressure,
      temperature, and treatment time on the inactivation of C. albicans spores in
      suspensions and in biofilms was examined. The parameters such as treatment time,
      pressure, and temperature that led to the complete inactivation of C. albicans
      biofilms ranged 5-20 min, 100-200 bar, and 35-45  degrees C, respectively.
      Notably, treatment of SC-CO2 at either 100 bar and 40  degrees C or 200 bar and
      30  degrees C induced complete inactivation of spores within 5 min. Furthermore,
      it was found that wet biofilms (0.4 %, w/w) had higher sensitivity to SC-CO2 than
      dried biofilms. Finally, spore inactivation was confirmed by confocal laser
      scanning microscopy. In this study, the use of a low-temperature SC-CO2
      sterilization method was proven to be effective in fungal biofilm inactivation,
      and the moisture content of biofilms was revealed to be the key factor for
      biofilm inactivation. 

PMID- 26109345
TI  - Optimizing HER2 assessment in breast cancer: application of automated image
      analysis.
AB  - In breast cancer, analysis of HER2 expression is pivotal for treatment decision.
      This study aimed at comparing digital, automated image analysis with manual
      reading using the HER2-CONNECT algorithm (Visiopharm) in order to minimize the
      number of equivocal 2+ scores and the need for reflex fluorescence in situ
      hybridization (FISH) analysis. Consecutive samples from 462 patients were
      included. Tissue micro arrays (TMAs) were routinely manufactured including two 2
      mm cores from each patient, and each core was assessed in order to ensure the
      presence of invasive carcinoma. Immunohistochemical staining (IHC) was performed
      with Roche/Ventana's HER2 ready-to-use kit. TMAs were scanned in a Zeiss Axio Z1
      scanner, and one batch analysis of the HER2-CONNECT algorithm including all core
      samples was run using Visiopharm's cloud-based software. The automated reading
      was compared to conventional manual assessment of HER2 protein expression,
      together with FISH analysis of HER2 gene amplification for borderline (2+)
      protein expression samples. Compared to FISH analysis, manual assessment of the
      HER2 protein expression demonstrated a sensitivity of 85.8% and a specificity of
      86.0% with 14.0% equivocal samples. With HER2-CONNECT, sensitivity increased to
      100 % and specificity to 95.5% with less than 4.5% equivocal. Total agreement
      when comparing HER2-CONNECT with manual IHC assessment supplemented by FISH for
      borderline (2+) cases was 93.6%. Application of automated image analysis for HER2
      protein expression instead of manual assessment decreases the need for
      supplementary FISH testing by 68%. In the routine diagnostic setting, this would
      have significant impact on cost reduction and turn-around time.

PMID- 26109344
TI  - Race-associated biological differences among Luminal A breast tumors.
AB  - African-American (AA) women have higher breast cancer-specific mortality rates. A
      higher prevalence of the worse outcome Basal-like breast cancer subtype
      contributes to this, but AA women also have higher mortality even within the more
      favorable outcome Luminal A breast cancers. These differences may reflect
      treatment or health care access issues, inherent biological differences, or both.
      To identify potential biological differences by race among Luminal A breast
      cancers, gene expression data from 108 CAU and 57 AA breast tumors were analyzed.
      Race-associated genes were evaluated for associations with survival. Finally,
      expression of race- and survival-associated genes was evaluated in normal tissue
      of AA and CAU women. Six genes (ACOX2, MUC1, CRYBB2, PSPH, SQLE, TYMS) were
      differentially expressed by race among Luminal A breast cancers and were
      associated with survival (HR <0.8, HR >1.25). For all six genes, tumors in AA had
      higher expression of poor prognosis genes (CRYBB2, PSPH, SQLE, TYMS) and lower
      expression of good prognosis genes (ACOX2, MUC1). A score based on all six genes
      predicted survival in a large independent dataset (HR = 1.9 top vs. bottom
      quartile, 95% CI: 1.4-2.5). For four genes, normal tissue of AA and CAU women
      showed similar expression (ACOX2, MUC1, SQLE, TYMS); however, the poor outcome
      associated genes CRYBB2 and PSPH were more highly expressed in AA versus CAU
      women's normal tissue. This analysis identified gene expression differences that
      may contribute to mortality disparities and suggests that among Luminal A breast
      tumors there are biological differences between AA and CAU patients. Some of
      these differences (CRYBB2 and PSPH) may exist from the earliest stages of tumor
      development, or may even precede malignancy.

PMID- 26109348
TI  - A higher incidence rate of acute coronary syndrome following radiation therapy in
      patients with breast cancer and a history of coronary artery diseases.
AB  - This study aims to investigate whether patients with breast cancer and a history
      of cardiovascular diseases (CADs) are at an increased incidence of acute coronary
      syndrome (ACS) after receiving radiation therapy (RT). In Taiwan, 5828 patients
      who had a history of CAD were newly diagnosed of breast cancer and received
      mastectomy between 1999 and 2009. Among these patients, 1851 also received RT.
      The study cohort was prospectively followed to the end of 2010 for estimating the
      incidence of ACS in association with exposure to RT. A Cox proportional hazard
      model that was adjusted for covariates was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR)
      of ACS. Over the study period, the incident rates of ACS for RT and control
      patients were estimated at 1.51 and 1.77 per 100 person-years, respectively.
      Covariate-adjusted regression analysis indicated that the hazard of ACS
      significantly increased in RT patients at an adjusted HR of 1.48 [95% confidence
      interval (CI) 1.18-1.87]. Both hypertension and diabetes significantly increased
      the hazard of ACS in this patient cohort, with adjusted HRs of 3.31 (95% CI 1.94
      5.66) and 1.50 (95% CI 1.19-1.89), respectively. This 12-year follow-up study
      suggested excess of ACS events in association with RT exposure in patients with
      breast cancer who had a higher cardiovascular risk. In consideration of the
      benefit associated with RT, intensive cardiac care should be given to patients
      with breast cancer and high cardiovascular risk.

PMID- 26109347
TI  - Outcome after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in young breast cancer patients: a pooled
      analysis of individual patient data from eight prospectively randomized
      controlled trials.
AB  - Young women with breast cancer (BC) have a worse survival partly due to more
      aggressive tumor characteristics; however, their response to chemotherapy seems
      better. We investigated to what extent the prognostic factor pathological
      complete remission (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is applicable to young
      women. 8949 patients with primary BC and follow-up from eight German neoadjuvant
      trials were included. A subgroup of 1453 patients <40 years was compared with
      women aged 40-49 and >=50 years regarding pCR (ypT0 ypN0), as well as disease
      free survival (DFS), local recurrence free survival (LRFS), distant disease free
      survival (DDFS), and overall survival (OS) overall, according to pCR status and
      subtypes defined by hormone-receptor (HR) status and HER2. pCR was strongly
      associated with age without a clear age cut-off. The pCR rate was significantly
      higher in the young compared with other age groups (20.9 vs. 17.7 vs. 13.7 %; p <
      0.001). This difference was confined to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and
      HR +/HER2-. DFS, DDFS, LRFS, and OS were significantly worse for young women. Age
      was independently prognostic for survival in HR +/HER2-, with women <40 years
      without pCR having a worse DFS compared to their counterparts with pCR. Young
      women are more likely to achieve pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, especially
      in HR +/HER2- and TNBC. Age is not an important prognostic factor in TNBC and HR
      /HER2 + but is in HR +/HER2-. Young women with a luminal-like BC seem to benefit
      more from neoadjuvant chemotherapy than older women, which needs to be taken into
      account.

PMID- 26109349
TI  - A culinary laboratory for nutrition education.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Proficiency in medical nutrition requires an understanding of food
      related biochemistry and the application of this knowledge in the context of
      culinary, cultural, psychosocial and interprofessional components. CONTEXT: Our
      aim was to develop a teaching format where medical students could learn the
      biochemistry of nutrition in the context of patient narratives, interactive
      cooking and dialogues with nutrition professionals. INNOVATION: We designed and
      implemented a day-long culinary laboratory intervention (lab), which is taught to
      first-year medical students at the University of Rochester with the help of
      dietetic interns from Cornell University. Here, we present the details of the
      intervention, the resources used and the preliminary outcomes on student
      attitudes. We designed and implemented a day-long culinary lab, which is taught
      to first-year medical students METHODS AND RESULTS: A questionnaire with
      quantitative rating scales and open-ended questions was used to probe student
      attitudes regarding the educational approach used in the lab. Our preliminary
      findings suggest that the lab was well received and that the dietetic interns
      were viewed as effective teachers in this context. IMPLICATIONS: A culinary lab
      is a feasible educational environment for integrating the breadth of topics
      within the discipline of nutrition. The experiential, food-based format appears
      to stimulate questions central to current nutritional controversies, particularly
      challenges related to translating biochemical mechanism into practical nutrition
      interventions. Close involvement with basic science faculty members, clinical
      faculty members and allied health professions are essential for this type of
      endeavour.

PMID- 26109346
TI  - Cross-species DNA copy number analyses identifies multiple 1q21-q23 subtype
      specific driver genes for breast cancer.
AB  - A large number of DNA copy number alterations (CNAs) exist in human breast
      cancers, and thus characterizing the most frequent CNAs is key to advancing
      therapeutics because it is likely that these regions contain breast tumor
      'drivers' (i.e., cancer causal genes). This study aims to characterize the
      genomic landscape of breast cancer CNAs and identify potential subtype-specific
      drivers using a large set of human breast tumors and genetically engineered mouse
      (GEM) mammary tumors. Using a novel method called SWITCHplus, we identified
      subtype-specific DNA CNAs occurring at a 15% or greater frequency, which excluded
      many well-known breast cancer-related drivers such as amplification of ERBB2, and
      deletions of TP53 and RB1. A comparison of CNAs between mouse and human breast
      tumors identified regions with shared subtype-specific CNAs. Additional criteria
      that included gene expression-to-copy number correlation, a DawnRank network
      analysis, and RNA interference functional studies highlighted candidate driver
      genes that fulfilled these multiple criteria. Numerous regions of shared CNAs
      were observed between human breast tumors and GEM mammary tumor models that
      shared similar gene expression features. Specifically, we identified chromosome
      1q21-23 as a Basal-like subtype-enriched region with multiple potential driver
      genes including PI4KB, SHC1, and NCSTN. This step-wise computational approach
      based on a cross-species comparison is applicable to any tumor type for which
      sufficient human and model system DNA copy number data exist, and in this
      instance, highlights that a single region of amplification may in fact harbor
      multiple driver genes.

PMID- 26109350
TI  - MRPrimer: a MapReduce-based method for the thorough design of valid and ranked
      primers for PCR.
AB  - Primer design is a fundamental technique that is widely used for polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR). Although many methods have been proposed for primer design, they
      require a great deal of manual effort to generate feasible and valid primers,
      including homology tests on off-target sequences using BLAST-like tools. That
      approach is inconvenient for many target sequences of quantitative PCR (qPCR) due
      to considering the same stringent and allele-invariant constraints. To address
      this issue, we propose an entirely new method called MRPrimer that can design all
      feasible and valid primer pairs existing in a DNA database at once, while
      simultaneously checking a multitude of filtering constraints and validating
      primer specificity. Furthermore, MRPrimer suggests the best primer pair for each
      target sequence, based on a ranking method. Through qPCR analysis using 343
      primer pairs and the corresponding sequencing and comparative analyses, we showed
      that the primer pairs designed by MRPrimer are very stable and effective for
      qPCR. In addition, MRPrimer is computationally efficient and scalable and
      therefore useful for quickly constructing an entire collection of feasible and
      valid primers for frequently updated databases like RefSeq. Furthermore, we
      suggest that MRPrimer can be utilized conveniently for experiments requiring
      primer design, especially real-time qPCR. 

PMID- 26109341
TI  - Neuronal Reward and Decision Signals: From Theories to Data.
AB  - Rewards are crucial objects that induce learning, approach behavior, choices, and
      emotions. Whereas emotions are difficult to investigate in animals, the learning
      function is mediated by neuronal reward prediction error signals which implement
      basic constructs of reinforcement learning theory. These signals are found in
      dopamine neurons, which emit a global reward signal to striatum and frontal
      cortex, and in specific neurons in striatum, amygdala, and frontal cortex
      projecting to select neuronal populations. The approach and choice functions
      involve subjective value, which is objectively assessed by behavioral choices
      eliciting internal, subjective reward preferences. Utility is the formal
      mathematical characterization of subjective value and a prime decision variable
      in economic choice theory. It is coded as utility prediction error by phasic
      dopamine responses. Utility can incorporate various influences, including risk,
      delay, effort, and social interaction. Appropriate for formal decision
      mechanisms, rewards are coded as object value, action value, difference value,
      and chosen value by specific neurons. Although all reward, reinforcement, and
      decision variables are theoretical constructs, their neuronal signals constitute
      measurable physical implementations and as such confirm the validity of these
      concepts. The neuronal reward signals provide guidance for behavior while
      constraining the free will to act. 

PMID- 26109351
TI  - Primase-polymerases are a functionally diverse superfamily of replication and
      repair enzymes.
AB  - Until relatively recently, DNA primases were viewed simply as a class of proteins
      that synthesize short RNA primers requisite for the initiation of DNA
      replication. However, recent studies have shown that this perception of the
      limited activities associated with these diverse enzymes can no longer be
      justified. Numerous examples can now be cited demonstrating how the term 'DNA
      primase' only describes a very narrow subset of these nucleotidyltransferases,
      with the vast majority fulfilling multifunctional roles from DNA replication to
      damage tolerance and repair. This article focuses on the archaeo-eukaryotic
      primase (AEP) superfamily, drawing on recently characterized examples from all
      domains of life to highlight the functionally diverse pathways in which these
      enzymes are employed. The broad origins, functionalities and enzymatic
      capabilities of AEPs emphasizes their previous functional misannotation and
      supports the necessity for a reclassification of these enzymes under a category
      called primase-polymerases within the wider functional grouping of polymerases.
      Importantly, the repositioning of AEPs in this way better recognizes their
      broader roles in DNA metabolism and encourages the discovery of additional
      functions for these enzymes, aside from those highlighted here. 

PMID- 26109352
TI  - High-throughput prediction of RNA, DNA and protein binding regions mediated by
      intrinsic disorder.
AB  - Intrinsically disordered proteins and regions (IDPs and IDRs) lack stable 3D
      structure under physiological conditions in-vitro, are common in eukaryotes, and
      facilitate interactions with RNA, DNA and proteins. Current methods for
      prediction of IDPs and IDRs do not provide insights into their functions, except
      for a handful of methods that address predictions of protein-binding regions. We
      report first-of-its-kind computational method DisoRDPbind for high-throughput
      prediction of RNA, DNA and protein binding residues located in IDRs from protein
      sequences. DisoRDPbind is implemented using a runtime-efficient multi-layered
      design that utilizes information extracted from physiochemical properties of
      amino acids, sequence complexity, putative secondary structure and disorder and
      sequence alignment. Empirical tests demonstrate that it provides accurate
      predictions that are competitive with other predictors of disorder-mediated
      protein binding regions and complementary to the methods that predict RNA- and
      DNA-binding residues annotated based on crystal structures. Application in Homo
      sapiens, Mus musculus, Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster
      proteomes reveals that RNA- and DNA-binding proteins predicted by DisoRDPbind
      complement and overlap with the corresponding known binding proteins collected
      from several sources. Also, the number of the putative protein-binding regions
      predicted with DisoRDPbind correlates with the promiscuity of proteins in the
      corresponding protein-protein interaction networks. Webserver:
      http://biomine.ece.ualberta.ca/DisoRDPbind/. 

PMID- 26109353
TI  - Dynamic contact network between ribosomal subunits enables rapid large-scale
      rotation during spontaneous translocation.
AB  - During ribosomal translation, the two ribosomal subunits remain associated
      through intersubunit bridges, despite rapid large-scale intersubunit rotation.
      The absence of large barriers hindering rotation is a prerequisite for rapid
      rotation. Here, we investigate how such a flat free-energy landscape is achieved,
      in particular considering the large shifts the bridges undergo at the periphery.
      The dynamics and energetics of the intersubunit contact network are studied using
      molecular dynamics simulations of the prokaryotic ribosome in intermediate states
      of spontaneous translocation. Based on observed occupancies of intersubunit
      contacts, residues were grouped into clusters. In addition to the central contact
      clusters, peripheral clusters were found to maintain strong steady interactions
      by changing contacts in the course of rotation. The peripheral B1 bridges are
      stabilized by a changing contact pattern of charged residues that adapts to the
      rotational state. In contrast, steady strong interactions of the B4 bridge are
      ensured by the flexible helix H34 following the movement of protein S15. The
      tRNAs which span the subunits contribute to the intersubunit binding enthalpy to
      an almost constant degree, despite their different positions in the ribosome.
      These mechanisms keep the intersubunit interaction strong and steady during
      rotation, thereby preventing dissociation and enabling rapid rotation. 

PMID- 26109354
TI  - Evidence that avian reovirus sigmaNS is an RNA chaperone: implications for genome
      segment assortment.
AB  - Reoviruses are important human, animal and plant pathogens having 10-12 segments
      of double-stranded genomic RNA. The mechanisms controlling the assortment and
      packaging of genomic segments in these viruses, remain poorly understood. RNA
      protein and RNA-RNA interactions between viral genomic segment precursors have
      been implicated in the process. While non-structural viral RNA-binding proteins,
      such as avian reovirus sigmaNS, are essential for virus replication, the
      mechanism by which they assist packaging is unclear. Here we demonstrate that
      sigmaNS assembles into stable elongated hexamers in vitro, which bind single
      stranded nucleic acids with high affinity, but little sequence specificity. Using
      ensemble and single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy, we show that sigmaNS also
      binds to a partially double-stranded RNA, resulting in gradual helix unwinding.
      The hexamer can bind multiple RNA molecules and exhibits strand-annealing
      activity, thus mediating conversion of metastable, intramolecular stem-loops into
      more stable heteroduplexes. We demonstrate that the ARV sigmaNS acts as an RNA
      chaperone facilitating specific RNA-RNA interactions between genomic precursors
      during segment assortment and packaging. 

PMID- 26109355
TI  - Endogenous Small RNA Mediates Meiotic Silencing of a Novel DNA Transposon.
AB  - Genome defense likely evolved to curtail the spread of transposable elements and
      invading viruses. A combination of effective defense mechanisms has been shown to
      limit colonization of the Neurospora crassa genome by transposable elements. A
      novel DNA transposon named Sly1-1 was discovered in the genome of the most widely
      used laboratory "wild-type" strain FGSC 2489 (OR74A). Meiotic silencing by
      unpaired DNA, also simply called meiotic silencing, prevents the expression of
      regions of the genome that are unpaired during karyogamy. This mechanism is
      posttranscriptional and is proposed to involve the production of small RNA, so
      called masiRNAs, by proteins homologous to those involved in RNA interference
      silencing pathways in animals, fungi, and plants. Here, we demonstrate production
      of small RNAs when Sly1-1 was unpaired in a cross between two wild-type strains.
      These small RNAs are dependent on SAD-1, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase
      necessary for meiotic silencing. We present the first case of endogenously
      produced masiRNA from a novel N. crassa DNA transposable element.

PMID- 26109356
TI  - Gene Model Annotations for Drosophila melanogaster: The Rule-Benders.
AB  - In the context of the FlyBase annotated gene models in Drosophila melanogaster,
      we describe the many exceptional cases we have curated from the literature or
      identified in the course of FlyBase analysis. These range from atypical but
      common examples such as dicistronic and polycistronic transcripts, noncanonical
      splices, trans-spliced transcripts, noncanonical translation starts, and stop
      codon readthroughs, to single exceptional cases such as ribosomal frameshifting
      and HAC1-type intron processing. In FlyBase, exceptional genes and transcripts
      are flagged with Sequence Ontology terms and/or standardized comments. Because
      some of the rule-benders create problems for handlers of high-throughput data, we
      discuss plans for flagging these cases in bulk data downloads. 

PMID- 26109357
TI  - Gene Model Annotations for Drosophila melanogaster: Impact of High-Throughput
      Data.
AB  - We report the current status of the FlyBase annotated gene set for Drosophila
      melanogaster and highlight improvements based on high-throughput data. The
      FlyBase annotated gene set consists entirely of manually annotated gene models,
      with the exception of some classes of small non-coding RNAs. All gene models have
      been reviewed using evidence from high-throughput datasets, primarily from the
      modENCODE project. These datasets include RNA-Seq coverage data, RNA-Seq junction
      data, transcription start site profiles, and translation stop-codon read-through
      predictions. New annotation guidelines were developed to take into account the
      use of the high-throughput data. We describe how this flood of new data was
      incorporated into thousands of new and revised annotations. FlyBase has adopted a
      philosophy of excluding low-confidence and low-frequency data from gene model
      annotations; we also do not attempt to represent all possible permutations for
      complex and modularly organized genes. This has allowed us to produce a high
      confidence, manageable gene annotation dataset that is available at FlyBase
      (http://flybase.org). Interesting aspects of new annotations include new genes
      (coding, non-coding, and antisense), many genes with alternative transcripts with
      very long 3' UTRs (up to 15-18 kb), and a stunning mismatch in the number of male
      specific genes (approximately 13% of all annotated gene models) vs. female
      specific genes (less than 1%). The number of identified pseudogenes and mutations
      in the sequenced strain also increased significantly. We discuss remaining
      challenges, for instance, identification of functional small polypeptides and
      detection of alternative translation starts. 

PMID- 26109359
TI  - The effect of prolonged storage on the virulence of isolates of Bacillus
      anthracis obtained from environmental and animal sources in the Kars Region of
      Turkey.
AB  - The stability of the plasmid-mediated virulence factors of Bacillus anthracis, a
      tripartite toxin located on pXO1 and an antiphagocytic capsule encoded by genes
      located on pXO2, following long-term storage was investigated. A collection of
      159 isolates of B. anthracis were collected from the Kars region of Turkey
      between 2000 and 2013 and stored at -20 degrees C in Brucella broth supplemented
      with 20% glycerine. A total of 142 isolates were recovered of which one failed to
      express a capsule upon primary culture. A further 35 isolates yielded a mixture
      of mucoid and non-mucoid colonies; the majority of which had lost the pXO2
      plasmid as determined by PCR analysis. Results would suggest that pXO2 is more
      unstable than pXO1 and that this instability increases with the length of
      storage. It is possible that the pXO2-deficient isolates of B. anthracis
      described here could be developed into a vaccine to treat at risk animals in the
      Kars region as many animal vaccines are based upon pXO2 deficiency. 

PMID- 26109358
TI  - Comparative Evolution of Duplicated Ddx3 Genes in Teleosts: Insights from
      Japanese Flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus.
AB  - Following the two rounds of whole-genome duplication that occurred during
      deuterostome evolution, a third genome duplication event occurred in the stem
      lineage of ray-finned fishes. This teleost-specific genome duplication is thought
      to be responsible for the biological diversification of ray-finned fishes. DEAD
      box polypeptide 3 (DDX3) belongs to the DEAD-box RNA helicase family. Although
      their functions in humans have been well studied, limited information is
      available regarding their function in teleosts. In this study, two teleost Ddx3
      genes were first identified in the transcriptome of Japanese flounder
      (Paralichthys olivaceus). We confirmed that the two genes originated from teleost
      specific genome duplication through synteny and phylogenetic analysis.
      Additionally, comparative analysis of genome structure, molecular evolution rate,
      and expression pattern of the two genes in Japanese flounder revealed evidence of
      subfunctionalization of the duplicated Ddx3 genes in teleosts. Thus, the results
      of this study reveal novel insights into the evolution of the teleost Ddx3 genes
      and constitute important groundwork for further research on this gene family. 

PMID- 26109360
TI  - Hydrogenotrophic culture enrichment reveals rumen Lachnospiraceae and
      Ruminococcaceae acetogens and hydrogen-responsive Bacteroidetes from pasture-fed
      cattle.
AB  - Molecular information suggests that there is a broad diversity of acetogens in
      the rumen, distinct from any currently isolated acetogens. We combined molecular
      analysis with enrichment culture techniques to investigate this diversity
      further. Methane-inhibited, hydrogenotrophic enrichment cultures produced acetate
      as the dominant end product. Acetyl-CoA synthase gene analysis revealed putative
      acetogens in the cultures affiliated with the Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae
      as has been found in other rumen studies. No formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase
      genes affiliating with acetogens or with 'homoacetogen similarity' scores >90%
      were identified. To further investigate the hydrogenotrophic populations in these
      cultures and link functional gene information with 16S rRNA gene identity,
      cultures were subcultured quickly, twice, through medium without exogenous
      hydrogen, followed by incubation without exogenous hydrogen. Comparison of
      cultures lacking hydrogen and their parent cultures revealed novel
      Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae that diminished in the absence of hydrogen,
      supporting the hypothesis that they were likely the predominant acetogens in the
      enrichments. Interestingly, a range of Bacteroidetes rrs sequences that
      demonstrated <86% identity to any named isolate also diminished in cultures
      lacking hydrogen. Acetogens or sulphate reducers from the Bacteroidetes have not
      been reported previously; therefore this observation requires further
      investigation.

PMID- 26109361
TI  - Cell-to-cell contact and antimicrobial peptides play a combined role in the death
      of Lachanchea thermotolerans during mixed-culture alcoholic fermentation with
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - The roles of cell-to-cell contact and antimicrobial peptides in the early death
      of Lachanchea thermotolerans CBS2803 during anaerobic, mixed-culture
      fermentations with Saccharomyces cerevisiae S101 were investigated using a
      commercially available, double-compartment fermentation system separated by
      cellulose membranes with different pore sizes, i.e. 1000 kDa for mixed- and
      single-culture fermentations, and 1000 and 3.5-5 kDa for compartmentalized
      culture fermentations. SDS-PAGE and gel filtration chromatography were used to
      determine an antimicrobial peptidic fraction in the fermentations. Our results
      showed comparable amounts of the antimicrobial peptidic fraction in the inner
      compartments of the mixed-culture and 1000 kDa compartmentalized-culture
      fermentations containing L. thermotolerans after 4 days of fermentation, but a
      lower death rate of L. thermotolerans in the 1000 kDa compartmentalized-culture
      fermentation than in the mixed-culture fermentation. Furthermore, L.
      thermotolerans died off even more slowly in the 3.5-5 kDa than in the 1000 kDa
      compartmentalized-culture fermentation, which coincided with the presence of less
      of the antimicrobial peptidic fraction in the inner compartment of that
      fermentation than of the 1000 kDa compartmentalized-culture fermentation. Taken
      together, these results indicate that the death of L. thermotolerans in mixed
      cultures with S. cerevisiae is caused by a combination of cell-to-cell contact
      and antimicrobial peptides.

PMID- 26109362
TI  - Meta-analysis of microarrays: diagnostic value of microRNA-21 as a biomarker for
      lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) has previously been demonstrated as a potential
      biomarker in diagnosis of various human tumors. This meta-analysis was performed
      to evaluate the possibility of miR-21 as a biomarker for early detection of lung
      cancer. METHODS: Relevant lung cancer-related miRNA microarray datasets were
      collected from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and EBI
      ArrayExpress database up to February 2014. Quality control of the output data was
      estimated using Limma package and ExiMiR package in R. Standardized mean
      difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from selected datasets was
      pooled. Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q test and the I2 statistic,
      and a p value <0.0.05 or I2 >50% was defined as significant heterogeneity.
      Furthermore, sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the stability of the
      pooled results. Four miRNA datasets (GSE24704, GSE17681, GSE27486 and GSE40738)
      from blood samples were selected, including 153 lung cancer patients and 109
      healthy people. RESULTS: The pooled results generated by random-effects model
      revealed that no significant difference was observed between case and control
      groups (SMD = 0.58; 95% CI, -0.04 to 1.19; p = 0.07) with significant
      heterogeneity (p = 0.0032, I2 = 78.2%; p = 0.06). Sensitivity analysis indicated
      that the results of the meta-analysis were stable. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-21 expression
      levels in whole blood and peripheral blood cells did not show significant
      differences between lung cancer patients and healthy controls, and it might be
      ineffective to measure miR-21 expression to achieve an early diagnosis of lung
      cancer.

PMID- 26109363
TI  - Circulating endothelial cells for evaluation of tumor response in non-small cell
      lung cancer patients receiving first-line chemotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Circulating endothelial cells (CECs) reflect the neovascularization
      in the tumor mass. We therefore investigated the potential role of CEC kinetics
      after first-line chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      patients. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 45 healthy
      subjects and 51 naive patients with advanced NSCLC. Quantification of CD146+ CECs
      was performed using immunomagnetic separation (IMS). RESULTS: Pretreatment and
      posttreatment CEC levels in NSCLC patients were significantly higher than in
      healthy subjects (p<0.0001). An objective response was achieved after
      chemotherapy with partial response (PR) or stable disease (SD) in 26 patients,
      whereas the remaining 25 patients had progressive disease (PD). Baseline CEC
      levels were significantly higher in PR/SD patients than in PD patients (p =
      0.039). After chemotherapy, CEC count significantly decreased in PR/SD patients
      (p = 0.014) and increased in patients with PD (p = 0.019). Moreover, there was a
      significant difference in the percentage change of CEC counts between the 2
      groups (p = 0.0016). No significant difference in the median progression-free
      survival and overall survival (OS) was observed between patients with high
      baseline CEC counts and those with low baseline CEC levels. However, patients
      with high percentage change in CEC count had longer OS than those with low
      percentage change after chemotherapy (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Changes in CEC
      counts after chemotherapy reflect tumor response in advanced NSCLC patients.
      Moreover, high percentage changes in CEC counts after chemotherapy may predict
      longer OS in advanced NSCLC. High baseline CEC levels might be an indicator of
      tumor response in advanced NSCLC patients after first-line chemotherapy.

PMID- 26109364
TI  - HER family receptor expression and prognosis in pancreatic cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HER family receptors play a key role in tumor progression in several
      malignancies, such as colorectal, lung or breast cancer. The aims of this study
      were to investigate expression of HER-1, HER-2 and HER-3 in pancreatic cancer
      (PC) samples and evaluate the association between HER-family receptor expression
      and patients' clinical outcomes. METHODS: Tissue samples from 91 PC patients were
      subjected to immunohistochemical staining to assess the expression of HER-1, HER
      2 and HER-3. Semiquantitative scores of zero (no staining or staining in less
      than 10% of cancer cells), 1+, 2+ or 3+ were assigned to each sample based on the
      intensity of staining for HER receptors. Scores of 2+ or 3+ were defined as
      positive staining. RESULTS: HER-1 overexpression was observed in 41 out of 91
      samples (45.1%), while HER-2 was not overexpressed in any of the analyzed
      samples. HER-3 was overexpressed in 37 samples (40.7%) and was found to be
      associated with advanced TNM stage. In particular, HER-3 was overexpressed in 12
      out of 16 stage IV patients (75%) compared with only 33.3% of stage I-III
      patients (p = 0.02). Among 79 patients with available survival data, the 6
      patients with strong HER-3 expression (score 3+) had a shorter survival compared
      with remaining patients (median overall survival 6.9 months vs. 12.3 months,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: HER-1 and HER-3 were found to be expressed in a
      significant proportion of PC patients. Strong HER-3 expression represents an
      indicator of poor prognosis in PC patients, being associated with advanced stage
      and shorter survival.

PMID- 26109365
TI  - Absolute circulating pericyte progenitor cell counts in mice by flow cytometry:
      comparison of 2 single-platform technologies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence indicates that circulating pericyte progenitor
      cells (CPPCs) may be angiogenic biomarkers in cancer and diabetes. Their validity
      as biomarkers depends on the accuracy of techniques used for enumeration. In this
      report, absolute CPPC counts were performed by 2 single-platform technologies.
      The reliability of the 2 methods, including retest reliability and intraobserver
      and interobserver variability, was assessed according to the intraclass
      correlation coefficient (ICC). The linear correlation and agreement among both
      methods were assessed, and the stability of CPPC numbers in blood samples was
      analyzed. METHODS: The blood samples were obtained from ICR mice. The samples
      were processed through a no-lyse, 1-wash procedure, and Syto16+CD45-CD31-CD140b+
      CPPCs were analyzed by exclusion of dead cells and by fluorescence-minus-one
      control. CPPCs were enumerated by 2 methods: bead-based 123count eBeads count
      (eBioscience) and direct volume-based Accuri C6 Flow Cytometer count (BD). The
      cells were measured immediately and after storage of blood samples for 24 and 48
      hours. RESULTS: There were excellent retest correlations and intraobserver and
      interobserver agreement in both methods. The 2 methods showed a high linear
      correlation (R2 = 0.923) and with a high level of agreement (0.986). It was
      demonstrated that CPPCs are unstable in blood samples. CONCLUSIONS: In this
      study, 2 reproducible protocols for CPPC quantification were established. These
      protocols should facilitate future studies to further define the role of CPPCs as
      cellular biomarkers.

PMID- 26109366
TI  - Serum cripto-1 as a clinical marker for lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cripto-1 (CR-1) plays an important role in angiogenesis related to
      tumor growth, in concert with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and
      enhanced expression of CR-1 has been reported in lung cancer tissue. METHODS:
      Patients with lung cancer (n = 156) and healthy volunteers (n = 60) were enrolled
      in the study. Serum CR-1 and VEGF concentrations were measured using enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Patients with lung cancer had higher serum
      CR-1 (4.03 +/- 1.49 ng/mL vs. 1.13 +/- 0.43 ng/mL, p<0.05) and VEGF (503.62 +/-
      112.74 pg/mL vs. 398.62 +/- 117.84 pg/mL, p<0.05) levels than the control group.
      With stage progression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), serum CR-1 levels
      increased, and patients with distant metastasis had higher levels than those
      without metastasis (p<0.05). In NSCLC, the low CR-1 group (<1.54 ng/mL) had a
      better overall survival rate compared with the high CR-1 group (>1.54 ng/mL,
      p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that serum CR-1 is a useful diagnostic
      and prognostic marker for NSCLC patients.

PMID- 26109367
TI  - CEA in evaluation of adnexal mass: retrospective cohort analysis and review of
      the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of
      serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in conjunction with Ca125 in the
      triage of adnexal masses. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was carried
      out in 495 patients referred to the Gynecology Department at Carmel Medical
      Center due to adnexal mass, between 2005 and 2012. All patients underwent surgery
      with histopathologically confirmed diagnosis and preoperative measurements of
      serum Ca125 and CEA. For each marker, sensitivity, specificity, positive
      predictive value, negative predictive value and risk ratio were calculated.
      RESULTS: Combination of CEA with Ca125, compared with Ca125 levels alone, yielded
      a nonsignificant effect on sensitivity (87.4% vs. 88.9%, respectively, p = 0.64)
      and specificity (79.3% vs. 74.3%, p = 0.18) in differentiating malignant from
      benign adnexal masses. CEA levels were higher in mucinous histological types, but
      were not helpful in detection of borderline tumors. Significantly higher CEA
      (21.4 +/- 53.6 vs. 3.2 +/- 11.9 ng/mL, p = 0.0002) and lower Ca125 values (103.9
      +/- 84.9 vs. 796 +/- 1,331.5 U/mL, p = 0.0338) were demonstrated in the 17
      metastatic cases compared with 181 primary ovarian malignancies. CONCLUSIONS: The
      combination of the tumor markers CEA and Ca125 did not contribute significantly
      to the detection of malignant adnexal masses compared with Ca125 alone. As our
      results suggest that higher CEA levels could be useful in differentiating
      metastatic tumors from primary ovarian malignancy and in diagnosis of mucinous
      histology, this issue should be investigated in large, well-designed, prospective
      cohort trials.

PMID- 26109368
TI  - Successful Radiofrequency Ablation for Recurrent Pulmonary Hepatoblastoma.

PMID- 26109369
TI  - Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Study Tobacco Behavior in Urban India:
      There's an App for That.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) uses real-time data collection
      to assess participants' behaviors and environments. This paper explores the
      strengths and limitations of using EMA to examine social and environmental
      exposure to tobacco in urban India among older adolescents and adults. OBJECTIVE:
      Objectives of this study were (1) to describe the methods used in an EMA study of
      tobacco use in urban India using a mobile phone app for data collection, (2) to
      determine the feasibility of using EMA in the chosen setting by drawing on
      participant completion and compliance rates with the study protocol, and (3) to
      provide recommendations on implementing mobile phone EMA research in India and
      other low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: Via mobile phones and the
      Internet, this study used two EMA surveys: (1) a momentary survey, sent multiple
      times per day at random to participants, which asked about their real-time
      tobacco use (smoked and smokeless) and exposure to pro- and antitobacco messaging
      in their location, and 2) an end-of-day survey sent at the end of each study day.
      Trained participants, from Hyderabad and Kolkata, India, reported on their social
      and environmental exposure to tobacco over 10 consecutive days. This feasibility
      study examined participant compliance, exploring factors related to the
      successful completion of surveys and the validity of EMA data. RESULTS: The
      sample included 205 participants, the majority of whom were male (135/205,
      65.9%). Almost half smoked less than daily (56/205, 27.3%) or daily (43/205,
      21.0%), and 4.4% (9/205) used smokeless tobacco products. Participants completed
      and returned 46.87% and 73.02% of momentary and end-of-day surveys, respectively.
      Significant predictors of momentary survey completion included employment and
      completion of end-of-day surveys. End-of-day survey completion was only
      significantly predicted by momentary survey completion. CONCLUSIONS: This first
      study of EMA in India offers promising results, although more research is needed
      on how to increase compliance. End-of-day survey completion, which has a lower
      research burden, may be the more appropriate approach to understanding behaviors
      such as tobacco use within vulnerable populations in challenging locations.
      Compliance may also be improved by increasing the number of study visits,
      compliance checks, or opportunities for retraining participants before and during
      data collection.

PMID- 26109370
TI  - STD-NMR-Based Protein Engineering of the Unique Arylpropionate-Racemase AMDase
      G74C.
AB  - Structure-guided protein engineering achieved a variant of the unique racemase
      AMDase G74C, with 40-fold increased activity in the racemisation of several
      arylaliphatic carboxylic acids. Substrate binding during catalysis was
      investigated by saturation-transfer-difference NMR (STD-NMR) spectroscopy. All
      atoms of the substrate showed interactions with the enzyme. STD-NMR measurements
      revealed distinct nuclear Overhauser effects in experiments with and without
      molecular conversion. The spectroscopic analysis led to the identification of
      several amino acid residues whose substitutions increased the activity of G74C.
      Single amino acid exchanges increased the activity moderately; structure-guided
      saturation mutagenesis yielded a quadruple mutant with a 40 times higher reaction
      rate. This study presents STD-NMR as versatile tool for the analysis of enzyme
      substrate interactions in catalytically competent systems and for the guidance of
      protein engineering.

PMID- 26109371
TI  - VARK learning preferences and mobile anatomy software application use in pre
      clinical chiropractic students.
AB  - Ubiquitous smartphone ownership and reduced face-to-face teaching time may lead
      to students making greater use of mobile technologies in their learning. This is
      the first study to report on the prevalence of mobile gross anatomy software
      applications (apps) usage in pre-clinical chiropractic students and to ascertain
      if a relationship exists between preferred learning styles as determined by the
      validated VARK((c)) questionnaire and use of mobile anatomy apps. The majority of
      the students who completed the VARK questionnaire were multimodal learners with
      kinesthetic and visual preferences. Sixty-seven percent (73/109) of students
      owned one or more mobile anatomy apps which were used by 57 students. Most of
      these students owned one to five apps and spent less than 30 minutes per week
      using them. Six of the top eight mobile anatomy apps owned and recommended by the
      students were developed by 3D4Medical. Visual learning preferences were not
      associated with time spent using mobile anatomy apps (OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.12
      1.40). Similarly, kinesthetic learning preferences (OR = 1.88, 95% CI 0.18-20.2),
      quadmodal preferences (OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.06-9.25), or gender (OR = 1.51, 95% CI
      0.48-4.81) did not affect the time students' spent using mobile anatomy apps.
      Learning preferences do not appear to influence students' time spent using mobile
      anatomy apps. Anat Sci Educ 9: 247-254. (c) 2015 American Association of
      Anatomists. 

PMID- 26109372
TI  - Comprehensive sampling of an isolated dune system demonstrates clear patterns in
      soil fungal communities across a successional gradient.
AB  - Coastal sand dunes are extremely dynamic ecosystems, characterized by stark
      ecological succession gradients. Dune stabilization is mainly attributed to plant
      growth, but the establishment and survival of dune-inhabiting vegetation is
      closely linked to soil microorganisms and to the ecological functions they
      fulfill. Fungi are particularly important in this context, as some interact
      intimately with plant roots, while others are critical to soil structure and
      nutrient availability. Our study aimed to describe wholly fungal diversity and
      community composition in a secluded coastal dune ecosystem at eight different
      stages of succession. We comprehensively sampled a relic foredune plain, which is
      part of an archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (Quebec, Canada), by
      collecting soils from 80 sites and measuring soil characteristics. Soil fungal
      communities were characterized by pyrosequencing, followed by taxonomic
      classification and assignment of putative roles. Even though we did not observe
      clear patterns in diversity, we were able to detect distinct taxonomic and
      community composition signatures across succession stages, which seemed to
      translate into variations in fungal life strategies. Our results show that a
      taxonomically and functionally diverse fungal community exists at each dune
      succession stage, even in the barren foredunes. 

PMID- 26109373
TI  - Exclusive olive oil consumption and 10-year (2004-2014) acute coronary syndrome
      incidence among cardiac patients: the GREECS observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present study evaluated the association between long-term,
      exclusive olive oil consumption, in cooking preparation or as a dressing, and the
      10-year (2004-2014) incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) among cardiac
      patients. METHODS: From October 2003 to September 2004, a sample of 2172 ACS
      consecutive patients from six major Greek hospitals were enrolled. During 2013
      2014, the 10-year follow-up was performed in 1918 patients (88% participation
      rate). The development of fatal or nonfatal ACS was recorded through medical
      records or hospital registries. Among other dietary components, added fats (i.e.
      olive oil, butter, margarine and seed oils) consumption at baseline examination
      was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: Non
      exclusive olive oil consumption on a daily basis was associated with an adverse
      effect on the ACS incidence after taking into account various potential
      confounders [odds ratio (OR) = 1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05-1.86, P
      = 0.024]. However, significant interactions between olive oil consumption and
      body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.082) and educational level (P = 0.054) led to
      further stratified analysis. Using BMI as strata (i.e. <=29.9 versus >29.9 kg m(
      2)), the above association remained significant only in obese patients (OR =
      1.80, 95% CI = 1.03-3.12, P = 0.038), whereas, on examining the education status
      (i.e. <=9 versus >9 years of school), a significant association was observed only
      among the higher educated patients (OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.01-3.32, P = 0.047).
      CONCLUSIONS: Exclusive use of olive oil, either as a salad dressing or in
      cooking, should be promoted through the dietary management of ACS patients, with
      the aim of reducing the likelihood of recurrent cardiac episodes.

PMID- 26109374
TI  - Sewage-sludge-derived carbonaceous materials for catalytic wet hydrogen peroxide
      oxidation of m-cresol in batch and continuous reactors.
AB  - In this study, four sewage-sludge-derived carbonaceous materials (SWs) were
      evaluated for their catalytic wet hydrogen peroxide oxidation (CWPO) performance
      of m-cresol in batch reactor and continuous reactor, respectively. The SWs were
      produced by carbonization (SW); carbonization with the addition of CaO (CaO-SW);
      HNO3 pretreatment (HNO3-SW) and steam activation (Activated-SW). The properties
      of SW catalysts were assessed by thermogravimetric analysis, Brunauer-Emmett
      Teller, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Fluorescence, Scanning
      electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and zeta potential. The
      results showed that SW treated by HNO3 (HNO3-SW) had a high conversion of m
      cresol in batch reactor and continuous reactor, respectively. Under the
      conditions of batch reaction (Cm-cresol = 100 mg L(-1), CH2O2 = 15.7 mmol L(-1),
      initial pH=7.0, 0.5 g L(-1) catalyst, 80 degrees C, 180 min adsorption and 210
      min oxidation), the conversion of m-cresol reached 100% and total organic carbon
      removal was 67.1%. It had a high catalytic activity and stability on the
      treatment of m-cresol in CWPO for more than 1100 h. Furthermore, a possible
      reaction mechanism for the oxidation of m-cresol to 2-methyl-p-benzoquinone by
      CWPO was proposed.

PMID- 26109375
TI  - Modeling Electronic Polarizability Changes in the Course of a Magnesium Ion Water
      Ligand Exchange Process.
AB  - This paper introduces explicit dependence of atomic polarizabilities on
      intermolecular interactions within the framework of a polarizable force field
      AMOEBA. Polarizable models used in biomolecular simulations often poorly describe
      molecular electrostatic induction in condensed phase, in part, due to neglect of
      a strong dependency of molecular electronic polarizability on intermolecular
      interactions at short distances. Our variable polarizability model parameters are
      derived from quantum chemical calculations of small clusters of atoms and
      molecules, and can be applied in simulations in condensed phase without
      additional scaling factors. The variable polarizability model is applied to
      simulate a ligand exchange reaction for a Mg(2+) ion solvated in water. Explicit
      dependence of water polarizability on a distance between a water oxygen and
      Mg(2+) is derived from in vacuum MP2 calculations of Mg(2+)-water dimer. The
      simulations yield a consistent description of the energetics of the Mg(2+)-water
      clusters of different size. Simulations also reproduce thermodynamics of ion
      solvation as well as kinetics of a water ligand exchange reaction. In contrast,
      simulations that used the additive force field or that used the constant
      polarizability models were not able to consistently and quantitatively describe
      the properties of the solvated Mg(2+) ion. 

PMID- 26109376
TI  - Emergent Awake tracheostomy--The five-year experience at an urban tertiary care
      center.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: There are few studies that discuss the issues surrounding
      emergent awake tracheostomy. We aim to review the indications, anesthesia used,
      complications, and outcomes of patients undergoing urgent awake tracheostomy.
      STUDY DESIGN: Chart review. METHODS: Medical charts of patients who underwent an
      emergent awake tracheostomy at our institution-affiliated tertiary care center
      over a 5-year period from 2009 to 2014 were reviewed. Data were collected from
      inpatient, outpatient, and operative records. RESULTS: Sixty-eight patients
      underwent emergent awake tracheostomy. Over half presented with hoarseness (n=37,
      54.4%) and/or stridor (n=37, 54.4%). Acute upper airway obstruction secondary to
      malignancy was the most common indication and accounted for 58 cases (85.3%).
      Thirty-nine (70.1%) of the 55 patients with squamous cell carcinoma presented
      with advanced disease (stage III or IV). Other indications included glottic or
      subglottic stenosis (4.4%), failure to intubate (2.9%), and other (7.4%). Local
      anesthesia was used alone in 35.3% of cases and in combination with conscious
      sedation in 64.7% of cases. Mild bleeding occurred postoperatively in five
      patients (7.4%). There were no other postoperative complications. Nineteen
      patients were lost to follow-up. The mean follow-up of 49 patients was 7.2 weeks,
      ranging from 2 to 261 weeks. Long-term complications occurred in three patients
      and included tracheitis 7.4% and suprastomal granuloma 2.9%. Eleven patients
      (22%) were decannulated at a mean of 11.8 months following tracheostomy.
      CONCLUSIONS: Emergent awake tracheostomy should be considered in patients with
      impeding airway obstruction and is a safe and effective method to secure an
      airway in these patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 26109377
TI  - Layered approach with autogenous bone and bone substitute for ridge augmentation
      on implant dehiscence defects in dogs.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study compared the efficacies of different layered approaches
      using autogenous bone and synthetic bone substitute for ridge augmentation on
      implant dehiscence defects in dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Right mandibular
      second, third, and fourth premolars and the first molar were extracted, followed
      by standardized one-wall defect preparation in five dogs. After a healing period
      of 12 weeks, three implants (Implantium((r)) ) were installed. Each of the three
      implant dehiscence defects was grafted with a different material as follows: (i)
      synthetic bone substitute combined with collagen (SBC; SBC group), (ii) inner
      autogenous bone layer and outer SBC layer (IAB group), and (iii) inner SBC layer
      and outer autogenous bone layer (OAB group). The grafted sites were covered with
      a resorbable collagen membrane. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the
      subsequent bone regeneration were performed at 12 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS:
      The dome-like augmented shape was relatively well maintained in the IAB and OAB
      groups, while the graft particles in the SBC group were dispersed. The bone-to
      implant contact values tended to be significantly higher in the OAB group
      (49.51%) than in the SBC (36.58%) group. The amounts of newly formed bone within
      an area designated as 1 * 3 mm (width * height) from the implant platform in the
      IAB, OAB, and SBC groups were 35.59%, 28.10%, and 16.71%, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Application of the layered approach using autogenous bone and
      synthetic biomaterial resulted in substantial new bone formation and volume
      maintenance on implant dehiscence defects, irrespective of the position of the
      autogenous bone layer.

PMID- 26109378
TI  - Macrolides do not affect the incidence of moderate and severe bronchopulmonary
      dysplasia in symptomatic ureaplasma-positive infants.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of bronchopulmonary
      dysplasia (BPD) in symptomatic ureaplasma-positive treated preterm infants and
      asymptomatic preterm infants not tested or treated for ureaplasma. METHODS: A
      retrospective matched cohort study was conducted in a tertiary, neonatal unit
      between January 2007 and December 2012. Infants <=29 completed weeks with signs
      and symptoms suggesting ureaplasma pneumonia who received macrolides comprised
      the study group. Infants <=29 weeks without signs and symptoms not tested or
      treated with macrolides were the controls. Infants were mandatorily matched for
      gestational age +/- one week or birthweight +/- 100 grams. RESULTS: There were 31
      infants in the study group and 62 in the control group. The baseline demographic
      data of both groups were similar on the whole. The incidence of moderate and
      severe BPD, defined by oxygen dependency or the need for continuous positive
      airway pressure at 36 weeks of postconceptual age, was 45.2% in the study group
      and 40.3% in the controls (p = 0.65). There was no significant difference in
      morbidities or mortality between the groups. CONCLUSION: A selective approach of
      treating symptomatic ureaplasma-positive preterm infants with macrolides did not
      affect the incidence of moderate and severe BPD.

PMID- 26109380
TI  - Risk of pancreatic fistula after enucleation of pancreatic tumours.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enucleation is used increasingly for small pancreatic tumours. Data
      on perioperative outcome after pancreatic enucleation, especially regarding the
      significance and risk factors associated with postoperative pancreatic fistula
      (POPF), are limited. This study aimed to assess risk-dependent perioperative
      outcome after pancreatic enucleation, with a focus on POPF. METHODS: Patients
      undergoing enucleation for pancreatic lesions between October 2001 and February
      2014 were identified from a prospective database. A detailed analysis of
      morbidity was performed. Risk factors for POPF were assessed by univariable and
      multivariable analyses. RESULTS: Of 166 enucleations, 94 (56.6 per cent) were
      performed for cystic and 72 (43.4 per cent) for solid lesions. Morbidity was
      observed in 91 patients (54.8 per cent). Severe complications occurred in 30
      patients (18.1 per cent), and one patient (0.6 per cent) died. Reoperation was
      necessary in nine patients (5.4 per cent). POPF was the main determinant of
      outcome and occurred in 68 patients (41.0 per cent): grade A POPF, 34 (20.5 per
      cent); grade B, ten (6.0 per cent); and grade C, 24 (14.5 per cent). Risk factors
      independently associated with POPF were: cystic tumour, localization in the
      pancreatic tail, history of pancreatitis and cardiac co-morbidity. Only cystic
      morphology was independently associated with clinically relevant POPF (grade B or
      C), occurring after enucleation in 25 (27 per cent) of 94 patients with cystic
      tumours versus nine (13 per cent) of 72 patients with solid tumours. Tumour size
      and distance to the main duct were not associated with risk of POPF. CONCLUSION:
      Enucleation is a safe procedure in appropriately selected patients with a low
      rate of severe complications. POPF is the main determinant of outcome and is more
      frequent after the enucleation of cystic lesions.

PMID- 26109381
TI  - Adverse events in nursing: A retrospective study of reports of patient and
      relative experiences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient safety is an important global issue. While it is well known
      that patients can suffer from adverse events in nursing care, there is a lack of
      knowledge as to how they experience them. AIM: To examine adverse events in
      nursing care as they are experienced by patients and relatives. METHODS: This was
      a retrospective study taking both a qualitative and a quantitative approach. It
      was based on data regarding 242 adverse events in nursing care, as reported by
      patients and relatives to Sweden's Medical Responsibility Board, content analysis
      was used to analyse the reports. RESULTS: Patients' and relatives' experiences
      were analysed into four categories of adverse events, as concerning
      participation, clinical judgement, nursing intervention and the essentials of
      care. LIMITATIONS: The reports were classified by the Medical Responsibility
      Board, without a standardized system. The adverse events reported were few in
      number and were reported by patients and relatives only. CONCLUSION: Lack of
      participation has negative consequences and contributes to adverse events.
      Adverse events occur through missed care as well as through carer errors.
      IMPLICATIONS ON NURSING AND HEALTH PRACTICE: Nurses need to improve their skills
      that support patient participation. Patient participation needs to be
      incorporated into nurses' duties. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY:
      Resources for patients to participate in their own care needs to be a priority
      underpinning policy-making in health systems. Nursing education systems need to
      teach students about the value and benefits of involving patients in their care.

PMID- 26109379
TI  - Non-redundant requirement for CXCR3 signalling during tumoricidal T-cell
      trafficking across tumour vascular checkpoints.
AB  - T-cell trafficking at vascular sites has emerged as a key step in antitumour
      immunity. Chemokines are credited with guiding the multistep recruitment of
      CD8(+) T cells across tumour vessels. However, the multiplicity of chemokines
      within tumours has obscured the contributions of individual chemokine
      receptor/chemokine pairs to this process. Moreover, recent studies have
      challenged whether T cells require chemokine receptor signalling at effector
      sites. Here we investigate the hierarchy of chemokine receptor requirements
      during T-cell trafficking to murine and human melanoma. These studies reveal a
      non-redundant role for Galphai-coupled CXCR3 in stabilizing intravascular
      adhesion and extravasation of adoptively transferred CD8(+) effectors that is
      indispensable for therapeutic efficacy. In contrast, functional CCR2 and CCR5 on
      CD8(+) effectors fail to support trafficking despite the presence of intratumoral
      cognate chemokines. Taken together, these studies identify CXCR3-mediated
      trafficking at the tumour vascular interface as a critical checkpoint to
      effective T-cell-based cancer immunotherapy. 

PMID- 26109382
TI  - A consistent course of events or a series of coincidences: nursing in Poland from
      the 19(th) to the 21(st) century.
AB  - The development of nursing began in Poland much later than it did elsewhere, for
      instance in the United Kingdom, the United States, or Germany, and it came up
      against difficult conditions. After a brief twenty-year period of development
      between 1918 and 1939, it almost stalled during the war (1939-45), only to be
      followed by nearly twenty years of chaos. Nursing started to come out of this
      difficult period at the beginning of the 1960s. The turn of the 21st century saw
      the emergence of extensive professional development and training opportunities
      for nurses. This change was brought about as much by political, social and
      economic issues, health care requirements, and the advancement of science,
      medicine, the birth of humanitarism, the growth of the feminist movement, the
      European Agreement on the Instruction and Education of Nurses, the WHO European
      Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery Education, the Bologna declaration, as well as
      the activities undertaken by the European Union, the International Council of
      Nurses, the American and Polish Red Cross, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Polish
      Association of Nurses, and the professional self-governing body. The
      transformation of nursing into an independent profession was further boosted by
      physicians deeply involved in the issue and female pioneers of nursing. 

PMID- 26109383
TI  - Using non-invasive bi-level positive airway pressure ventilator via tracheostomy
      in children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome: two case reports.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Due to the economic downturn in Thailand, two baby girls with
      congenital central hypoventilation syndrome had to wait for several months to
      obtain definite diagnosis and long-term mechanical ventilation. Genetic
      investigation later revealed 20/25 polyalanine expansion of PHOX2B gene in both
      girls. In this report we highlight the use of non-invasive bi-level positive
      airway pressure ventilators via tracheostomy, overnight end-tidal carbon dioxide
      trend graphs and outcomes of the patients whose diagnosis and treatment were
      delayed. CASE PRESENTATION: Case 1: A Thai baby girl showed symptoms of apnea and
      cyanosis from birth and required invasive mechanical ventilation via tracheostomy
      during sleep. At 5 months, she unfortunately was discharged from the hospital
      without any ventilatory support due to financial problems. She subsequently
      developed cor pulmonale, respiratory failure and generalized edema and was
      referred to us when she was 9-months old. An overnight polysomnogram was
      consistent with a central hypoventilation disorder, in which the severity of
      oxygen desaturation and hypercapnia was worsening during non-rapid eye movement
      compared to rapid eye movement sleep. At 12 months she was allowed to go home
      with a conventional home ventilator. The ventilator was changed to bi-level
      positive airway pressure when she was 4-years old. After she received adequate
      home ventilation, she thrived with normal growth and development. Case 2: A Thai
      baby girl developed apnea and cyanosis from the age of 5 weeks, requiring
      ventilatory support (on and off) for 5 months. After being extubated, she had
      been put on supplemental oxygen via nasal cannula for 2 months. She was then
      referred to us when she was 7-months old. An overnight end-tidal carbon dioxide
      trend graph revealed marked hypercapnia without increase in respiratory rate. An
      overnight polysomnogram was consistent with a central hypoventilation disorder.
      Since 9 months of age she has been on home bi-level positive airway pressure via
      tracheostomy without any complications. Genetic testing confirmed 20/25
      polyalanine expansions of PHOX2B gene in both girls. CONCLUSIONS: Bi-level
      positive airway pressure, originally designed as a non-invasive ventilator, was
      found to work effectively and safely, and may be used as an invasive ventilator
      via tracheostomy in young children with congenital central hypoventilation
      syndrome.

PMID- 26109386
TI  - Developing Peripheral Blood Gene Expression-Based Diagnostic Tests for Coronary
      Artery Disease: a Review.
AB  - The past 20 years has witnessed the development of technologies designed to
      measure changes in the expressed human genome, including the levels of RNA
      transcripts, proteins, and metabolites. Gene expression profiling, or the
      measurement of RNA transcripts, allows investigators to obtain a snapshot of a
      subject's current physiological state and may be used to assess disease
      likelihood. In this review, we provide an overview of recent work using
      peripheral blood gene expression to assess coronary artery disease (CAD) and
      discuss the best approaches for developing and validating tests utilizing such
      gene expression signatures.

PMID- 26109384
TI  - 'A bite before bed': exposure to malaria vectors outside the times of net use in
      the highlands of western Kenya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The human population in the highlands of Nyanza Province, western
      Kenya, is subject to sporadic epidemics of Plasmodium falciparum. Indoor residual
      spraying (IRS) and long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) are used widely
      in this area. These interventions are most effective when Anopheles rest and feed
      indoors and when biting occurs at times when individuals use LLINs. It is
      therefore important to test the current assumption of vector feeding preferences,
      and late night feeding times, in order to estimate the extent to which LLINs
      protect the inhabitants from vector bites. METHODS: Mosquito collections were
      made for six consecutive nights each month between June 2011 and May 2012. CDC
      light-traps were set next to occupied LLINs inside and outside randomly selected
      houses and emptied hourly. The net usage of residents, their hours of house entry
      and exit and times of sleeping were recorded and the individual hourly exposure
      to vectors indoors and outdoors was calculated. Using these data, the true
      protective efficacy of nets (P*), for this population was estimated, and compared
      between genders, age groups and from month to month. RESULTS: Primary vector
      species (Anopheles funestus s.l. and Anopheles arabiensis) were more likely to
      feed indoors but the secondary vector Anopheles coustani demonstrated exophagic
      behaviour (p < 0.05). A rise in vector biting activity was recorded at 19:30
      outdoors and 18:30 indoors. Individuals using LLINs experienced a moderate
      reduction in their overall exposure to malaria vectors from 1.3 to 0.47 bites per
      night. The P* for the population over the study period was calculated as 51% and
      varied significantly with age and season (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In the present
      study, LLINs offered the local population partial protection against malaria
      vector bites. It is likely that P* would be estimated to be greater if the
      overall suppression of the local vector population due to widespread community
      net use could be taken into account. However, the overlap of early biting habit
      of vectors and human activity in this region indicates that additional methods of
      vector control are required to limit transmission. Regular surveillance of both
      vector behaviour and domestic human-behaviour patterns would assist the planning
      of future control interventions in this region.

PMID- 26109387
TI  - Repetitive nerve stimulation and single-fiber electromyography in the evaluation
      of patients with suspected myasthenia gravis or Lambert-Eaton myasthenic
      syndrome: Review of recent literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Our aim in this study was to provide an updated literature review
      of electrodiagnostic testing in myasthenia gravis and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic
      syndrome. METHODS: A systematic review of the recent literature was performed
      using the following key words: myasthenia gravis (MG); Lambert-Eaton myasthenic
      syndrome (LEMS); electromyography (EMG); repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS);
      single-fiber electromyography (SFEMG); nerve conduction study; and normative
      values. RESULTS: Several articles supported testing of facial, bulbar, and
      respiratory muscles in the diagnosis of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) disorders,
      including muscle-specific kinase antibody (MuSK)-seropositive MG. Several
      articles supported use of concentric needle EMG as an alternative to SFEMG jitter
      in disorders of neuromuscular transmission. A limited number of articles
      addressed measurement of area (vs. amplitude) decrement in RNS and decreasing the
      threshold of post-exercise facilitation. CONCLUSIONS: Electrodiagnostic testing
      continues to be useful for diagnosis of MG and LEMS, although the quality of the
      evidence is not great. This literature review summarizes RNS and jitter
      measurement of facial and respiratory muscles and use of concentric needle EMG
      for SFEMG.

PMID- 26109388
TI  - Identification and functional characterization of a novel arginine/ornithine
      transporter, a member of a cationic amino acid transporter subfamily in the
      Trypanosoma cruzi genome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, is
      auxotrophic for arginine. It obtains this amino acid from the host through
      transporters expressed on the plasma membrane and on the membranes of
      intracellular compartments. A few cationic amino acid transporters have been
      characterized at the molecular level, such as the novel intracellular
      arginine/ornithine transporter, TcCAT1.1, a member of the TcCAT subfamily that is
      composed of four almost identical open reading frames in the T. cruzi genome.
      METHODS: The functional characterization of the TcCAT1.1 isoform was performed in
      two heterologous expression systems. TcCAT subfamily expression was evaluated by
      real-time PCR in polysomal RNA fractions, and the cellular localization of
      TcCAT1.1 fused to EGFP was performed by confocal and immunoelectron microscopy.
      RESULTS: In the S. cerevisiae expression system, TcCAT1.1 showed high affinity
      for arginine (K m  = 0.085 +/- 0.04 mM) and low affinity for ornithine (K m  =
      1.7 +/- 0.2 mM). Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing TcCAT1.1 showed a 7-fold
      increase in arginine uptake when they were pre-loaded with arginine, indicating
      that transport is enhanced by substrates on the trans side of the membrane (trans
      stimulation). Oocytes that were pre-loaded with [(3)H]-arginine displayed a 16
      fold higher efflux of [(3)H]-arginine compared with that of the control. Analysis
      of polysomal RNA fractions demonstrated that the expression of members of the
      arginine transporter TcCAT subfamily is upregulated under nutritional stress and
      that this upregulation precedes metacyclogenesis. To investigate the cellular
      localization of the transporter, EGFP was fused to TcCAT1.1, and fluorescence
      microscopy and immunocytochemistry revealed the intracellular labeling of
      vesicles in the anterior region, in a network of tubules and vesicles.
      CONCLUSIONS: TcCAT1.1 is a novel arginine/ornithine transporter, an exchanger
      expressed in intracellular compartments that is physiologically involved in
      arginine homeostasis throughout the T. cruzi life cycle. The properties and
      estimated kinetic parameters of TcCAT1.1 can be extended to other members of the
      TcCAT subfamily.

PMID- 26109389
TI  - The relationship between microvascular complications and vitamin D deficiency in
      type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency is reported as a possible risk factor for the
      development of diabetes in several epidemiologic studies. In this study, we
      investigated the frequency of 25-OH vitamin D deficiency in type 2 diabetes
      mellitus and the relationship between 25-OH vitamin D deficiency and the
      prevalence of microvascular complications. METHODS: In this retrospective study,
      we evaluated the medical records of 557 patients with type 2 diabetes admitted to
      the Endocrinology Outpatient Clinic from January to March 2010 and 112 healthy
      controls randomly selected from individuals admitted to the hospital for a check
      up and who had a laboratory result for serum 25-OH vitamin D concentrations at
      screening. The levels of 25-OH vitamin D in patients with type 2 diabetes and the
      relationship between 25-OH vitamin D deficiency and microvascular complications
      were investigated. RESULTS: No significant difference in serum 25-OH vitamin D
      concentrations was observed between the diabetic and control groups. No
      correlation was observed between HbA1C and serum 25-OH vitamin D levels. Serum 25
      OH vitamin D levels were lower in diabetic patients with nephropathy, and
      patients not using any medication, i.e., those treated with dietary changes
      alone, had a higher prevalence of nephropathy. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency
      is more common in diabetic patients with nephropathy. When microvascular
      complications were evaluated, vitamin D levels were found to be lower in patients
      in whom these complications were more severe. Vitamin D deficiency is therefore
      associated with microvascular complications in diabetic patients.

PMID- 26109390
TI  - Offering within-category food swaps to reduce energy density of food purchases: a
      study using an experimental online supermarket.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Swaps are often used to encourage healthier food choices, but there
      is little evidence of their effectiveness. The current study assessed the impact
      of offering swaps on groceries purchased within a bespoke online supermarket;
      specifically the objective was to measure the impact on energy density (ED) of
      food purchases following the offer of lower ED alternatives (a) at point of
      selection or at checkout, and (b) with or without explicit consent to receive
      swap prompts. METHOD: Participants were asked to complete a 12-item shopping task
      within an online shopping platform, developed for studying food purchasing. 1610
      adults were randomly assigned to a no swap control condition or to one of four
      interventions: consented swaps at selection; consented swaps at checkout; imposed
      swaps at selection; or imposed swaps at checkout. Each swap presented two lower
      ED options from the same category as the participant's chosen food. Swap
      acceptance rate and purchased food ED were the primary outcomes. RESULTS: Of the
      mean 12.36 (SD 1.26) foods purchased, intervention participants were offered a
      mean of 4.1 (SD 1.68) swaps, with the potential to reduce the ED of purchased
      food (effect (95% CI): -83 kJ/100 g (-110 - -56), p = <0.0001). A median of one
      swap (IQR 0 to 2) was accepted, not significantly reducing the purchased food ED
      (effect (95% CI): -24 kJ/100 g (4 - -52), p = 0.094). More swaps were accepted
      when offered at selection than at checkout (OR (95% CI) = 1.224 (1.11 - 1.35), p
      < 0.0001), but no differences were seen with consent. Purchased food ED was
      unaffected by point of swap or consent, but reduced with number of swaps accepted
      (effect per swap (95% CI) = -24 kJ/100 g (-35 - -14), p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION:
      Within category swaps did not reduce the ED of food purchases reflecting the
      observation that the use of swaps within an on-line shopping platform offered
      small potential gains in ED and a minority was accepted.

PMID- 26109391
TI  - Allelic variation at the rpv1 locus controls partial resistance to Plum pox virus
      infection in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sharka is caused by Plum pox virus (PPV) in stone fruit trees. In
      orchards, the virus is transmitted by aphids and by grafting. In Arabidopsis, PPV
      is transferred by mechanical inoculation, by biolistics and by agroinoculation
      with infectious cDNA clones. Partial resistance to PPV has been observed in the
      Cvi-1 and Col-0 Arabidopsis accessions and is characterized by a tendency to
      escape systemic infection. Indeed, only one third of the plants are infected
      following inoculation, in comparison with the susceptible Ler accession. RESULTS:
      Genetic analysis showed this partial resistance to be monogenic or digenic
      depending on the allelic configuration and recessive. It is detected when
      inoculating mechanically but is overcome when using biolistic or agroinoculation.
      A genome-wide association analysis was performed using multiparental lines and
      147 Arabidopsis accessions. It identified a major genomic region, rpv1. Fine
      mapping led to the positioning of rpv1 to a 200 kb interval on the long arm of
      chromosome 1. A candidate gene approach identified the chloroplast
      phosphoglycerate kinase (cPGK2) as a potential gene underlying the resistance. A
      virus-induced gene silencing strategy was used to knock-down cPGK2 expression,
      resulting in drastically reduced PPV accumulation. CONCLUSION: These results
      indicate that rpv1 resistance to PPV carried by the Cvi-1 and Col-0 accessions is
      linked to allelic variations at the Arabidopsis cPGK2 locus, leading to
      incomplete, compatible interaction with the virus.

PMID- 26109392
TI  - Investigating rehabilitation needs of visually impaired young adults according to
      the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.
AB  - PURPOSE: To gain qualitative insight into the rehabilitation needs of visually
      impaired young adults (18-25 years) and how these needs relate to the
      International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and
      patient characteristics. METHODS: Rehabilitation needs and patient
      characteristics of young adults (N = 392) who applied for multidisciplinary
      services in 2012 and 2013 were obtained from structured and semi-structured
      intake records. Linking rules were used to assess how the needs related to
      Environmental Factors, Body Functions, Body Structures, and Activity and
      Participation (A&P) ICF components. The relationship between the type of
      rehabilitation goal and patient characteristics was assessed using multivariate
      logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Most rehabilitation needs (67.6%; N = 510)
      were found on the A&P component of the ICF. Most prevalent needs were related to
      'major life areas' (e.g. finding internship or job), followed by the chapters:
      'mobility' (e.g. self-reliance in travelling), 'communication' (e.g. using
      communication devices and techniques), 'general tasks and demands' (e.g.
      psychological aspects of vision loss) and 'domestic life' (e.g. household tasks).
      Patients in one of the multidisciplinary rehabilitation centres (odds ratio (OR)
      = 7.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) [2.97-16.83]) and patients with comorbidity
      (OR = 3.82; 95% CI [1.62-9.02]) were more likely to report rehabilitation needs
      related to chapter E3 'support and relationships'. CONCLUSION: 'Major life areas'
      prevail in the content of rehabilitation needs, but tend to overshadow topics
      regarding peer interaction and social, community and civic life. A suitable
      survey method for young adults with visual impairments is required that contains
      rehabilitation domains and goals relevant to their lives and development.

PMID- 26109394
TI  - BMA annual meeting: BMA condemns detention of children in police cells overnight.

PMID- 26109393
TI  - High mobility group box 1 gene polymorphism is associated with the risk of
      postoperative atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The inflammatory response triggered by cardiac surgery with
      cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a primary cause of postoperative atrial
      fibrillation (POAF). The objective of this study was to determine the
      relationships between rs2249825 (C/G) polymorphism in high-mobility group box
      protein 1 (HMGB1) and POAF in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass
      grafting (CABG) under CPB. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was carried out
      between February 2011 and January 2014. Patients who had no history of atrial
      fibrillation undergoing CABG with CPB were recruited in this study, and were
      matched based on preoperative characteristics. Blood samples were obtained
      before, and at 4, and 24 h after CPB. HMGB1 level was measured by enzyme
      immunoassay. Patients were genotyped for single nucleotide polymorphisms of HMGB1
      (rs2249825). Patients were genotyped for single nucleotide polymorphisms of HMGB1
      (rs2249825) using pyrosequencing method. The primary clinical end point was the
      incidence of POAF after surgery. RESULTS: After matching, a total of 128 patients
      undergoing elective CABG with CPB were eligible for analysis. Plasma HMGB1
      concentrations were increased 4 h after CPB (p <0.0001) and were still increased
      at 24 h (p <0.0001). The frequencies of CC, CG, GG genotypes were 21 (56.8 %), 29
      (37.8 %), and 2 (5.4 %) in patients with POAF and 81.3, 16.5, and 2.2 % in
      patients without POAF (p = 0.016). CG + GG genotype was associated with high
      HMGB1 levels compared with the genotype CC at 4 h (p = 0.023), and 24 h (p =
      0.015) after CPB. Multivariate analysis showed that age older than 60 years (OR =
      1.40; 95 % CI: 1.03 to 1.89; p = 0.021) and allele G of polymorphisms (OR = 1.61;
      95 % CI: 1.08 to 2.04; p = 0.034) were independent risk factors for POAF.
      CONCLUSIONS: The HMGB1 rs2249825 was associated with the susceptibility to POAF
      after CABG with CPB in a Chinese Han population.

PMID- 26109395
TI  - Sense About Science charity joins fight against bid to prevent transparency of
      trials.

PMID- 26109396
TI  - The Surviving Sepsis Campaign bundles and outcome: results from the International
      Multicentre Prevalence Study on Sepsis (the IMPreSS study).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Despite evidence demonstrating the value of performance
      initiatives, marked differences remain between hospitals in the delivery of care
      for patients with sepsis. The aims of this study were to improve our
      understanding of how compliance with the 3-h and 6-h Surviving Sepsis Campaign
      (SSC) bundles are used in different geographic areas, and how this relates to
      outcome. METHODS: This was a global, prospective, observational, quality
      improvement study of compliance with the SSC bundles in patients with either
      severe sepsis or septic shock. RESULTS: A total of 1794 patients from 62
      countries were enrolled in the study with either severe sepsis or septic shock.
      Overall compliance with all the 3-h bundle metrics was 19%. This was associated
      with lower hospital mortality than non-compliance (20 vs. 31%, p < 0.001).
      Overall compliance with all the 6-h bundle metrics was 36%. This was associated
      with lower hospital mortality than non-compliance (22 vs. 32%, p < 0.001). After
      adjusting the crude mortality differences for ICU admission, sepsis status
      (severe sepsis or septic shock), location of diagnosis, APACHE II score and
      country, compliance remained independently associated with improvements in
      hospital mortality for both the 3-h bundle (OR = 0.64 (95% CI 0.47-0.87), p =
      0.004)) and 6-h bundle (OR = 0.71 (95% CI 0.56-0.90), p = 0.005)). DISCUSSION:
      Compliance with all of the evidence-based bundle metrics was not high. Patients
      whose care included compliance with all of these metrics had a 40% reduction in
      the odds of dying in hospital with the 3-h bundle and 36% for the 6-h bundle.

PMID- 26109397
TI  - Early goal-directed therapy versus "early", "goal-directed" therapy.

PMID- 26109398
TI  - Physical activity, muscle strength, and exercise capacity 3 months after severe
      sepsis and septic shock.
AB  - PURPOSE: To quantify the physical activity in daily life (PADL), muscle strength,
      and exercise capacity in the short and medium term in survivors of severe sepsis
      and septic shock. METHODS: Prospective cohort study with a follow-up from
      hospital admission to 3 months after hospital discharge. Seventy-two patients
      admitted to the ICU for severe sepsis or septic shock and a control group of
      healthy sedentary subjects (n = 50) were enrolled. All patients had their PADL
      quantified by an accelerometer during their hospital stay and 3 months after.
      Exercise capacity and handgrip and quadriceps muscle strength were also
      evaluated. RESULTS: During hospitalization, patients spent the majority of their
      time inactive in a lying or sitting position (90 +/- 34% of daily time). Physical
      inactivity was partially reduced 3 months after (58 +/- 20% of daily time).
      However, the time patients spent walking was only 63% of the time reported for
      healthy subjects. Patients also showed lower movement intensity when compared
      with controls (2.1 +/- 0.3 vs 2.5 +/- 0.4 m/s(2)). At hospital discharge, muscle
      strength and exercise capacity were approximately 54% of the predicted value, and
      these parameters showed significant increase in patients 3 months after (70% of
      predicted value). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that the use of systemic
      corticosteroids and hospitalization time negatively influenced quadriceps
      strength and exercise capacity at the time of hospital discharge. CONCLUSION: Our
      results suggest that survivors of sepsis admitted to the ICU have a substantial
      reduction in physical activity, exercise capacity, and muscle strength compared
      to healthy subjects that persist even 3 months after hospital discharge.

PMID- 26109399
TI  - Management of necrotizing soft tissue infections in the intensive care unit:
      results of an international survey.

PMID- 26109400
TI  - Extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal in patients with chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease: a systematic review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCO2R) has been proposed
      for hypercapnic respiratory failure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      (COPD) exacerbations, to avoid intubation or reduce length of invasive
      ventilation. Balance of risks, efficacy, and benefits of ECCO2R in patients with
      COPD is unclear. METHODS: We systematically searched MEDLINE and EMBASE to
      identify all publications reporting use of ECCO2R in COPD. We looked at
      physiological and clinical efficacy. A favorable outcome was defined as
      prevention of intubation or successful extubation. Major and minor complications
      were compiled. RESULTS: We identified 3123 citations. Ten studies (87 patients),
      primarily case series, met inclusion criteria. ECCO2R prevented intubation in
      65/70 (93%) patients and assisted in the successful extubation of 9/17 (53%)
      mechanically ventilated subjects. One case-control study matching to
      noninvasively ventilated controls reported lower intubation rates and hospital
      mortality with ECCO2R that trended toward significance. Physiological data
      comparing pre- to post-ECCO2R changes suggest improvements for pH (0.07-0.15
      higher), PaCO2 (25 mmHg lower), and respiratory rate (7 breaths/min lower), but
      not PaO2/FiO2. Studies reported 11 major (eight bleeds requiring blood
      transfusion of 2 units, and three line-related complications, including one death
      related to retroperitoneal bleeding) and 30 minor complications (13 bleeds, five
      related to anticoagulation, and nine clotting-related device malfunctions
      resulting in two emergent intubations). CONCLUSION: The technique is still
      experimental and no randomized trial is available. Recognizing selection bias
      associated with case series, there still appears to be potential for benefit of
      ECCO2R in patients with COPD exacerbations. However, it is associated with
      frequent and potentially severe complications. Higher-quality studies are
      required to better elucidate this risk-benefit balance.

PMID- 26109401
TI  - Comments on Kagan et al.: Preemptive enteral nutrition enriched with
      eicosapentaenoic acid, gamma-linolenic acid and antioxidants in severe multiple
      trauma: a prospective, randomized, double-blind study.

PMID- 26109402
TI  - Early goal-directed therapy versus "early", "goal-directed" therapy: response to
      comments by Saleh.

PMID- 26109403
TI  - Cutaneous toxicities associated with vemurafenib therapy in 107 patients with
      BRAF V600E mutation-positive metastatic melanoma, including recognition and
      management of rare presentations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vemurafenib significantly improved overall survival compared with
      dacarbazine in patients with metastatic or unresectable BRAF V600E-positive
      melanoma in the BRIM-3 trial. However, vemurafenib was associated with a number
      of skin-related adverse events (AEs). OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence
      and management of vemurafenib-associated skin AEs. METHODS: This retrospective,
      observational study included adult patients with stage IIIC or IV melanoma who
      received vemurafenib between March 2010 and August 2013. Patients received oral
      vemurafenib 960 mg twice daily, with dose interruptions and reductions allowed
      for AE management. RESULTS: In total 107 patients were treated with vemurafenib
      during the study period. The most frequent clinically important skin-related AEs
      were rash (64%), squamoproliferative growths (41%), photosensitivity (40%) and
      squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or keratoacanthoma (KA; 20%). Rare cases of
      granulomatous dermatitis and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma were also found. Rash was
      manageable with corticosteroids and dose modifications; squamoproliferative
      growths and SCCs/KAs were treated with cryotherapy and surgical excision,
      respectively. Patients were counselled regarding phototoxicity. The uncontrolled
      nature and retrospective design of the study, and the small patient numbers are
      limitations. CONCLUSIONS: Vemurafenib appears to have a predictable and
      manageable AE profile. Proactive management can limit the impact of AEs on
      patients, allowing treatment to continue despite toxicities.

PMID- 26109404
TI  - Squamous cell carcinoma arising on plantar verrucous lesion.

PMID- 26109406
TI  - Model building with wind and water: Friedrich Ahlborn's photo-optical flow
      analysis.
AB  - Around 1900, several experimenters investigated turbulences in wind tunnels or
      water basins by creating visualizations. One of them, the German zoologist
      Friedrich Ahlborn (1858-1937), was familiar with the works by his contemporaries
      but he struck a new path. He combined three different kinds of photographs taken
      at the same time and showed the same situation in his water trough-but each in a
      different way. With this first basic operation, Ahlborn heuristically opened up a
      previously non-existent space for experimentation, analysis, and recombination.
      He generated an astonishing diversity of information by adopting the tactics of
      'inversions' in which he interpreted one part of the experimental setup, or its
      results, in different ways. Between the variants of the 'autographs' which he
      developed, he defined areas of intersection to be able to translate results from
      individual records into each other. To this end, Ahlborn created other sets of
      visual artifacts such as drawn diagrams, three-dimensional wire frame
      constructions, and clay reliefs. His working method can be described as a
      cascading array of successive modeling steps, as elaborated by Eric Winsberg
      (1999), or of inscriptions in Bruno Latour's words (Latour, 1986). By examining
      Ahlborn's procedures closely we propose conceptualizations for the experimenter's
      various operations. 

PMID- 26109407
TI  - The irreducibility of value-freedom to theory assessment.
AB  - The current ideal of value-freedom holds non-cognitive values to be illegitimate
      in theory appraisal but legitimate in earlier stages of the research process, for
      example, when affecting the selection of topics or the generation of hypotheses.
      Respective decisions are often considered as part of a context of discovery and
      as irrelevant for the justification and assessment of theories. I will argue that
      this premise of an epistemic independence of theory appraisal, though often taken
      for granted, is false. Due to the possibility of value-laden blind spots,
      decisions in discovery can have an indirect impact on theory assessment that the
      value-free ideal cannot deal with. This argument is illustrated by a case study
      from women's health research, namely the assessment of hormone replacement
      therapy as a prevention of coronary heart diseases. In consequence, the epistemic
      trustworthiness of science is promoted more by a pluralism of non-cognitive
      values than by their exclusion; and a normative philosophy of science needs to
      enlarge its focus to include the context of discovery as well as the social
      conditions of science. 

PMID- 26109405
TI  - iRhom1 regulates proteasome activity via PAC1/2 under ER stress.
AB  - Proteasome is a protein degradation complex that plays a major role in
      maintaining cellular homeostasis. Despite extensive efforts to identify protein
      substrates that are degraded through ubiquitination, the regulation of proteasome
      activity itself under diverse signals is poorly understood. In this study, we
      have isolated iRhom1 as a stimulator of proteasome activity from genome-wide
      functional screening using cDNA expression and an unstable GFP-degron.
      Downregulation of iRhom1 reduced enzymatic activity of proteasome complexes and
      overexpression of iRhom1 enhanced it. Native-gel and fractionation analyses
      revealed that knockdown of iRhom1 expression impaired the assembly of the
      proteasome complexes. The expression of iRhom1 was increased by endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) stressors, such as thapsigargin and tunicamycin, leading to the
      enhancement of proteasome activity, especially in ER-containing microsomes.
      iRhom1 interacted with the 20S proteasome assembly chaperones PAC1 and PAC2,
      affecting their protein stability. Moreover, knockdown of iRhom1 expression
      impaired the dimerization of PAC1 and PAC2 under ER stress. In addition, iRhom1
      deficiency in D. melanogaster accelerated the rough-eye phenotype of mutant
      Huntingtin, while transgenic flies expressing either human iRhom1 or Drosophila
      iRhom showed rescue of the rough-eye phenotype. Together, these results identify
      a novel regulator of proteasome activity, iRhom1, which functions via PAC1/2
      under ER stress. 

PMID- 26109408
TI  - On the borderline between Science and Philosophy: A debate on determinism in
      France around 1880.
AB  - In the second half of the nineteenth century, a new interest in explosive
      chemical reactions, sudden release of energy in living beings, physical
      instabilities, and bifurcations in the solutions of differential equations drew
      the attention of some scholars. New concepts like triggering actions and guiding
      principles also emerged. Mathematicians, physicists, physiologists, and
      philosophers were attracted by this kind of phenomena since they raised a
      question about the actual existence of a strict determinism in science. In 1878
      the mathematical physicist Joseph Boussinesq pointed out a structural analogy
      among physical instabilities, some essential features of living beings, and
      singular solutions of differential equations. These developments revived long
      lasting philosophical debates on the problematic link between deterministic
      physical laws and free will. We find in Boussinesq an original and almost
      isolated attempt to merge mathematical, physical, biological, and philosophical
      issues into a complex intellectual framework. In the last decades, some
      philosophers of science rediscovered the connection between physical
      instabilities and determinism, both in the context of chaos theory, and in the
      debates on the Norton dome. I put forward a consistent historical reconstruction
      of the main issues and characters involved. 

PMID- 26109410
TI  - Narrative and evidence. How can case studies from the history of science support
      claims in the philosophy of science?
AB  - A common method for warranting the historical adequacy of philosophical claims is
      that of relying on historical case studies. This paper addresses the question as
      to what evidential support historical case studies can provide to philosophical
      claims and doctrines. It argues that in order to assess the evidential functions
      of historical case studies, we first need to understand the methodology involved
      in producing them. To this end, an account of historical reconstruction that
      emphasizes the narrative character of historical accounts and the theory-laden
      character of historical facts is introduced. The main conclusion of this paper is
      that historical case studies are able to provide philosophical claims with some
      evidential support, but that, due to theory-ladenness, their evidential import is
      restricted. 

PMID- 26109411
TI  - Model robustness as a confirmatory virtue: The case of climate science.
AB  - I propose a distinct type of robustness, which I suggest can support a
      confirmatory role in scientific reasoning, contrary to the usual philosophical
      claims. In model robustness, repeated production of the empirically successful
      model prediction or retrodiction against a background of independently-supported
      and varying model constructions, within a group of models containing a shared
      causal factor, may suggest how confident we can be in the causal factor and
      predictions/retrodictions, especially once supported by a variety of evidence
      framework. I present climate models of greenhouse gas global warming of the 20th
      Century as an example, and emphasize climate scientists' discussions of robust
      models and causal aspects. The account is intended as applicable to a broad array
      of sciences that use complex modeling techniques. 

PMID- 26109412
TI  - Scientific pluralism and the Chemical Revolution.
AB  - In a number of papers and in his recent book, Is Water H2O? Evidence, Realism,
      Pluralism (2012), Hasok Chang has argued that the correct interpretation of the
      Chemical Revolution provides a strong case for the view that progress in science
      is served by maintaining several incommensurable "systems of practice" in the
      same discipline, and concerning the same region of nature. This paper is a
      critical discussion of Chang's reading of the Chemical Revolution. It seeks to
      establish, first, that Chang's assessment of Lavoisier's and Priestley's work and
      character follows the phlogistonists' "actors' sociology"; second, that Chang
      simplifies late-eighteenth-century chemical debates by reducing them to an
      alleged conflict between two systems of practice; third, that Chang's evidence
      for a slow transition from phlogistonist theory to oxygen theory is not strong;
      and fourth, that he is wrong to assume that chemists at the time did not have
      overwhelming good reasons to favour Lavoisier's over the phlogistonists' views. 

PMID- 26109413
TI  - A Revolution that never happened.
AB  - If we define scientific revolutions as changes of scientists' ontologies, types
      of causal explanation, and paradigmatic types of methods and instruments, Antoine
      Laurent Lavoisier's contribution to chemistry did not amount to a scientific
      revolution. Contrary to the received view that Lavoisier initiated a "chemical
      revolution," which is accepted by Chang and Kusch, I argue that Lavoisier shared
      with the phlogistonists their "flat ontology" of chemical substance, established
      decades before the 1770s, their types of explaining chemical transformation, and
      their quantitative methods. Based on my historical reconstruction, I criticize
      Chang's argument that the late eighteenth-century phlogistic systems and
      Lavoisier's system belonged to two different theoretical traditions. As a
      consequence, I also question Chang's argument that the acceptance of Lavoisier's
      system can be explained in terms of dominance of "compositionism" over
      "principlism." 

PMID- 26109414
TI  - The Chemical Revolution revisited.
AB  - I respond to the critical comments by Martin Kusch and Ursula Klein on my account
      of the Chemical Revolution. I comment along three different lines: descriptive,
      explanatory, and normative. (1) I agree with Klein that Lavoisier did not
      introduce drastic changes in chemical ontology, but maintain that there was
      methodological incommensurability in the Chemical Revolution; in response to
      Kusch's view, I maintain that Lavoisier's victory was slow and incomplete. (2)
      Admitting that there were many causes shaping the outcome of the Chemical
      Revolution, including the convenience of Lavoisier's theoretical scheme and
      various complicated social factors, I still think that the general rise of
      compositionism was an important factor. (3) I defend my normative pluralist view
      on the Chemical Revolution, denying Kusch's argument that chemists had
      overwhelmingly good reasons to trust Lavoisier and his allies over the
      phlogistonists. Overall, I agree with Kusch that it would be desirable to have a
      good descriptive-normative sociological account of the Chemical Revolution, but I
      also think that it should be an account that allows for divergence in
      individuals' and sub-communities' self-determination. 

PMID- 26109415
TI  - Bringing tacit knowledge back to contributory and interactional expertise: A
      reply to Goddiksen.
AB  - We analyse a recent paper by Goddiksen (2014) where the author raises questions
      about the relationship between authorship, attribution and Collins & Evans'
      concept of contributory and interactional expertise. We then highlight recent
      empirical work in the sociology of climate change science that has made similar
      points in order to clarify how authorship, division of labour and contribution
      are handled in real scientific settings. Despite this, Goddiksen's critique of
      both contributory and interactional expertise is ultimately ineffective because
      it rests on a misguided attempt to de-socialise these concepts. We conclude by
      stressing the importance of collective tacit knowledge acquisition through
      immersion as a critical step in becoming a full-blown contributory or
      interactional expert. 

PMID- 26109416
TI  - Putting a spin on circulating reference, or how to rediscover the scientific
      subject.
AB  - Bruno Latour claims to have shown that a Kantian model of knowledge, which he
      describes as seeking to unite a disembodied transcendental subject with an
      inaccessible thing-in-itself, is dramatically falsified by empirical studies of
      science in action. Instead, Latour puts central emphasis on scientific practice,
      and replaces this Kantian model with a model of "circulating reference."
      Unfortunately, Latour's alternative schematic leaves out the scientific subject.
      I repair this oversight through a simple mechanical procedure. By putting a
      slight spin on Latour's diagrammatic representation of his theory, I discover a
      new space for a post-Kantian scientific subject, a subject brilliantly described
      by Ludwik Fleck. The neglected subjectivities and ceaseless practices of science
      are thus re-united. 

PMID- 26109418
TI  - Monozygotic twins with a de novo 0.32 Mb 16q24.3 deletion, including TUBB3
      presenting with developmental delay and mild facial dysmorphism but without overt
      brain malformation.
AB  - Nervous system development is highly dependent on the function of microtubules,
      which are assembled from tubulin heterodimers containing several alpha- and beta
      tubulin isotypes encoded by separate genes. A spectrum of neurological disorders
      with malformations of the central nervous system has recently been associated
      with missense mutations in this group of genes. Here, we report two patients,
      monozygotic twins, carrying a de novo 0.32 Mb deletion of chromosome 16q24.3
      including the TUBB3 gene. The patients presented with global developmental delay,
      mild facial dysmorphism, secondary microcephaly, and mild spastic diplegia.
      Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging of the patients did not reveal cortical
      malformations, malformations of the corticospinal tracts, basal ganglia, corpus
      callosum, or optic nerves. This observation is in contrast to the group of
      neurological disorders that are associated with heterozygous missense mutations
      in genes encoding different neuronal alpha- and beta-tubulin isotypes, termed
      tubulinopathies. On the background of current knowledge regarding the function
      and genotype-phenotype correlations of mutations in the neuronal tubulin
      isotypes, the clinical and diagnostic findings in these patients are discussed.
      To our knowledge, this is the first report of patients with a de novo deletion of
      the TUBB3 gene. The lack of cortical or other cerebral malformations supports the
      current hypothesis that TUBB3-related tubulinopathies are caused by altered
      protein function.

PMID- 26109417
TI  - Removal of Abnormal Myofilament O-GlcNAcylation Restores Ca2+ Sensitivity in
      Diabetic Cardiac Muscle.
AB  - Contractile dysfunction and increased deposition of O-linked beta-N-acetyl-d
      glucosamine (O-GlcNAc) in cardiac proteins are a hallmark of the diabetic heart.
      However, whether and how this posttranslational alteration contributes to lower
      cardiac function remains unclear. Using a refined beta-elimination/Michael
      addition with tandem mass tags (TMT)-labeling proteomic technique, we show that
      CpOGA, a bacterial analog of O-GlcNAcase (OGA) that cleaves O-GlcNAc in vivo,
      removes site-specific O-GlcNAcylation from myofilaments, restoring Ca(2+)
      sensitivity in streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic cardiac muscles. We report that in
      control rat hearts, O-GlcNAc and O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) are mainly localized
      at the Z-line, whereas OGA is at the A-band. Conversely, in diabetic hearts O
      GlcNAc levels are increased and OGT and OGA delocalized. Consistent changes were
      found in human diabetic hearts. STZ diabetic hearts display increased physical
      interactions of OGA with alpha-actin, tropomyosin, and myosin light chain 1,
      along with reduced OGT and increased OGA activities. Our study is the first to
      reveal that specific removal of O-GlcNAcylation restores myofilament response to
      Ca(2+) in diabetic hearts and that altered O-GlcNAcylation is due to the
      subcellular redistribution of OGT and OGA rather than to changes in their overall
      activities. Thus, preventing sarcomeric OGT and OGA displacement represents a new
      possible strategy for treating diabetic cardiomyopathy. 

PMID- 26109419
TI  - Polymorphisms in ATP-binding cassette transporter genes and interaction with diet
      and life style factors in relation to colorectal cancer in a Danish prospective
      case-cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family transports
      various molecules across the enterocytes in the gut protecting the intestine
      against potentially harmful substances. Moreover, ABC transporters are involved
      in mucosal immune defence through interaction with cytokines. The study aimed to
      assess whether polymorphisms in ABCB1, ABCC2 and ABCG2 were associated with risk
      of colorectal cancer (CRC) and to investigate gene-environment (dietary factors,
      smoking and use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and gene-gene
      interactions between previously studied polymorphisms in IL1B and IL10 and ABC
      transporter genes in relation to CRC risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used a
      Danish prospective case-cohort study of 1010 CRC cases and 1829 randomly selected
      participants from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort. Incidence rate
      ratios were calculated based on Cox' proportional hazards model. RESULTS: None of
      the polymorphisms were associated with CRC, but ABCB1 and ABCG2 haplotypes were
      associated with risk of CRC. ABCB1/rs1045642 interacted with intake of cereals
      and fiber (p-Value for interaction (P(int)) = 0.001 and 0.01, respectively). In a
      three-way analysis, both ABCB1/rs1045642 and ABCG2/rs2231137 in combination with
      IL10/rs3024505 interacted with fiber intake in relation to risk of CRC (P(int) =
      0.0007 and 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the ABC transporters P
      glycoprotein/multidrug resistance 1 and BRCP, in cooperation with IL-10, are
      involved in the biological mechanism underlying the protective effect of fiber
      intake in relation to CRC. These results should be replicated in other cohorts to
      rule out chance findings.

PMID- 26109420
TI  - Childhood and adolescent obesity and long-term cognitive consequences during
      aging.

PMID- 26109421
TI  - Spine morphogenesis in newborn granule cells is differentially regulated in the
      outer and middle molecular layers.

PMID- 26109423
TI  - Oxycodone/naloxone preparation can cause acute withdrawal symptoms when misused
      parenterally or taken orally.
AB  - CONTEXT: Oral oxycodone/naloxone preparations are designed to reduce the
      incidence of constipation associated with oxycodone use. The low oral
      bioavailability (< 2%) of naloxone makes the precipitation of the acute opioid
      withdrawal symptoms unlikely following oral oxycodone/naloxone exposure. The
      incidence of acute opioid withdrawal symptoms following both oral and intravenous
      administration of oxycodone/naloxone preparations has not been described.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence and
      circumstances associated with oxycodone/naloxone-induced acute opioid withdrawal.
      METHODS: An observational case series of acute opioid withdrawal following
      oxycodone/naloxone administration were selected from all calls received by the
      Victoria Poisons Information Centre from January 2012 to December 2014. Data
      collected included patient demographics, reported symptoms, type of caller,
      intentional or accidental exposure and advice given. RESULTS: There were 107
      reported exposures to oxycodone/naloxone preparations. Route of exposure was oral
      in 92 (86%) and intravenous injection of crushed tablets in 14 (14%) of cases,
      respectively. Nine callers had a history of long-standing opioid treatment and
      developed withdrawal symptoms with oral oxycodone/naloxone. Temporal relationship
      between first dose, increased dose and chewing tablets was described. There were
      14 exposures to crushed oxycodone/naloxone tablets injected intravenously; all
      precipitated an acute withdrawal state. DISCUSSION: The development of opioid
      withdrawal symptoms with intravenous injection of oxycodone/naloxone is likely a
      result of bypassing first-pass metabolism. Withdrawal symptoms after ingesting
      increased dose, first dose or chewing oxycodone/naloxone suggests that there is a
      systemic absorption of naloxone in opioid-dependent callers. CONCLUSION:
      Oxycodone with naloxone tablets can lead to acute opioid withdrawal symptoms if
      crushed and injected parentally. First dose, increased dose and chewing of these
      opioid-naloxone combination tablets in opioid-dependent people can also result in
      acute opioid withdrawal symptoms or diminished pain relief.

PMID- 26109424
TI  - Erratum: Novel structural phases and superconductivity of iridium telluride under
      high pressures.

PMID- 26109426
TI  - Selective cell targeting and lineage tracing of human induced pluripotent stem
      cells using recombinant avian retroviruses.
AB  - Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) differentiate into multiple cell
      types. Selective cell targeting is often needed for analyzing gene function by
      overexpressing proteins in a distinct population of hiPSC-derived cell types and
      for monitoring cell fate in response to stimuli. However, to date, this has not
      been possible, as commonly used viruses enter the hiPSC via ubiquitously
      expressed receptors. Here, we report for the first time the application of a
      heterologous avian receptor, the tumor virus receptor A (TVA), to selectively
      transduce TVA(+) cells in a mixed cell population. Expression of the TVA surface
      receptor via genetic engineering renders cells susceptible for infection by avian
      leucosis virus (ALV). We generated hiPSC lines with this stably integrated,
      ectopic TVA receptor gene that expressed the receptor while retaining
      pluripotency. The undifferentiated hiPSC(TVA+) as well as their differentiating
      progeny could be infected by recombinant ALV (so-called RCAS virus) with high
      efficiency. Due to incomplete receptor blocking, even sequential infection of
      differentiating or undifferentiated TVA(+) cells was possible. In conclusion, the
      TVA/RCAS system provides an efficient and gentle gene transfer system for hiPSC
      and extends our possibilities for selective cell targeting and lineage tracing
      studies.

PMID- 26109425
TI  - Ethylene Inhibits Root Elongation during Alkaline Stress through AUXIN1 and
      Associated Changes in Auxin Accumulation.
AB  - Soil alkalinity causes major reductions in yield and quality of crops worldwide.
      The plant root is the first organ sensing soil alkalinity, which results in
      shorter primary roots. However, the mechanism underlying alkaline stress-mediated
      inhibition of root elongation remains to be further elucidated. Here, we report
      that alkaline conditions inhibit primary root elongation of Arabidopsis
      (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings by reducing cell division potential in the
      meristem zones and that ethylene signaling affects this process. The ethylene
      perception antagonist silver (Ag(+)) alleviated the inhibition of root elongation
      by alkaline stress. Moreover, the ethylene signaling mutants ethylene response1-3
      (etr1-3), ethylene insensitive2 (ein2), and ein3-1 showed less reduction in root
      length under alkaline conditions, indicating a reduced sensitivity to alkalinity.
      Ethylene biosynthesis also was found to play a role in alkaline stress-mediated
      root inhibition; the ethylene overproducer1-1 mutant, which overproduces ethylene
      because of increased stability of 1-AMINOCYCLOPROPANE-1-CARBOXYLIC ACID
      SYNTHASE5, was hypersensitive to alkaline stress. In addition, the ethylene
      biosynthesis inhibitor cobalt (Co(2+)) suppressed alkaline stress-mediated
      inhibition of root elongation. We further found that alkaline stress caused an
      increase in auxin levels by promoting expression of auxin biosynthesis-related
      genes, but the increase in auxin levels was reduced in the roots of the etr1-3
      and ein3-1 mutants and in Ag(+)/Co(2+)-treated wild-type plants. Additional
      genetic and physiological data showed that AUXIN1 (AUX1) was involved in alkaline
      stress-mediated inhibition of root elongation. Taken together, our results reveal
      that ethylene modulates alkaline stress-mediated inhibition of root growth by
      increasing auxin accumulation by stimulating the expression of AUX1 and auxin
      biosynthesis-related genes. 

PMID- 26109427
TI  - Protease nexin-1 regulates retinal vascular development.
AB  - We recently identified protease nexin-1 (PN-1) or serpinE2, as a possibly
      underestimated player in maintaining angiogenic balance. Here, we used the well
      characterized postnatal vascular development of newborn mouse retina to further
      investigate the role and the mechanism of action of PN-1 in physiological
      angiogenesis. The development of retinal vasculature was analysed by endothelial
      cell staining with isolectin B4. PN-1-deficient (PN-1(-/-)) retina displayed
      increased vascularization in the postnatal period, with elevated capillary
      thickness and density, compared to their wild-type littermate (WT). Moreover, PN
      1(-/-) retina presented more veins/arteries than WT retina. The kinetics of
      retinal vasculature development, retinal VEGF expression and overall retinal
      structure were similar in WT and PN-1(-/-) mice, but we observed a
      hyperproliferation of vascular cells in PN-1(-/-) retina. Expression of PN-1 was
      analysed by immunoblotting and X-Gal staining of retinas from mice expressing
      beta-galactosidase under a PN-1 promoter. PN-1 was highly expressed in the first
      week following birth and then progressively decreased to a low level in adult
      retina where it localized on the retinal arteries. PCR arrays performed on mouse
      retinal RNA identified two angiogenesis-related factors, midkine and Smad5, that
      were overexpressed in PN-1(-/-) newborn mice and this was confirmed by RT-PCR.
      Both the higher vascularization and the overexpression of midkine and Smad5 mRNA
      were also observed in gastrocnemius muscle of PN-1(-/-) mice, suggesting that PN
      1 interferes with these pathways. Together, our results demonstrate that PN-1
      strongly limits physiological angiogenesis and suggest that modulation of PN-1
      expression could represent a new way to regulate angiogenesis. 

PMID- 26109428
TI  - Antithrombotic treatment for acute extracranial carotid artery dissections: a
      meta-analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Carotid artery dissection is a leading cause of stroke in younger
      patients, with an associated prevalence of 2.6-3.0 per 100,000 population. This
      meta-analysis aims to determine whether in patients managed medically, treatment
      with anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents was associated with a better outcome
      with respect to mortality, ischaemic stroke, and major bleeding episodes.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: A comprehensive search strategy was employed of the
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (January 1966
      to March 2015), and EMBASE (January 1980 to March 2015) databases. Primary
      outcomes were death (all causes) or disability. Secondary outcomes were ischaemic
      stroke, symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage, and major extracranial haemorrhage
      during the reported follow-up period. RESULTS: No completed randomized trials
      were found. Comparing antiplatelets with anticoagulants across 38 studies (1,398
      patients), there were no significant differences in the odds of death (effects
      size, ES, -0.007, p = .871), nor in the death and disability comparison or across
      any secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: There were no randomised trials comparing
      either anticoagulants or antiplatelets with control, thus there is no level 1
      evidence to support their routine use for the treatment of carotid artery
      dissection. Also, there were no randomised trials that directly compared
      anticoagulants with antiplatelet drugs, and the reported non-randomised studies
      did not show any evidence of a significant difference between the two.

PMID- 26109429
TI  - Genome-wide mutation profiles of colorectal tumors and associated liver
      metastases at the exome and transcriptome levels.
AB  - To characterize the mutation profiles of colorectal cancer (CRC) primary tumors
      (PTs) and liver metastases (CLMs), we performed both whole-exome and RNA
      sequencing. Ten significantly mutated genes, including BMI1, CARD11, and NRG1,
      were found in 34 CRCs with CLMs. We defined three mutation classes (Class 1 to 3)
      based on the absence or presence of mutations during liver metastasis. Most
      mutations were classified into Class 1 (shared between PTs and CLMs), suggesting
      the common clonal origin of PTs and CLMs. Class 1 was more strongly associated
      with the clinical characteristics of advanced cancer and was more frequently
      superimposed with chromosomal deletions in CLMs than Class 2 (PT-specific). The
      integration of exome and RNA sequencing revealed that variant-allele frequencies
      (VAFs) of mutations in the transcriptome tended to have stronger functional
      implications than those in the exome. For instance, VAFs of the TP53 and APC
      mutations in the transcriptome significantly correlated with the expression level
      of their target genes. Additionally, mutations with high functional impact were
      enriched with high VAFs in the CLM transcriptomes. We identified 11 mutation
      associated splicing events in the CRC transcriptomes. Thus, the integration of
      the exome and the transcriptome may elucidate the underlying molecular events
      responsible for CLMs. 

PMID- 26109430
TI  - Detecting cell-in-cell structures in human tumor samples by E-cadherin/CD68/CD45
      triple staining.
AB  - Although Cell-in-cell structures (CICs) had been documented in human tumors for
      decades, it is unclear what types of CICs were formed largely due to low
      resolution of traditional way such as H&E staining. In this work, we employed
      immunofluorescent method to stain a panel of human tumor samples simultaneously
      with antibodies against E-cadherin for Epithelium, CD68 for Macrophage and CD45
      for Leukocytes, which we termed as "EML method" based on the cells detected.
      Detail analysis revealed four types of CICs, with tumor cells or macrophage
      engulfing tumor cells or leukocytes respectively. Interestingly, tumor cells seem
      to be dominant over macrophage (93% vs 7%) as the engulfer cells in all CICs
      detected, whereas the overall amount of internalized tumor cells is comparable to
      that of internalized CD45+ leukocytes (57% vs 43%). The CICs profiles vary from
      tumor to tumor, which may indicate different malignant stages and/or inflammatory
      conditions. Given the potential impacts different types of CICs might have on
      tumor growth, we therefore recommend EML analysis of tumor samples to clarify the
      correlation of CICs subtypes with clinical prognosis in future researches.

PMID- 26109431
TI  - The MUTYH base excision repair gene protects against inflammation-associated
      colorectal carcinogenesis.
AB  - MUTYH DNA glycosylase removes mismatched adenine opposite 7, 8-dihydro-8
      oxoguanine (8-oxoG), which is the major mutagenic lesion induced by oxidative
      stress. Biallelic mutations in MUTYH are associated with MUTYH-Associated
      polyposis (MAP) and increased risk in colorectal cancer (CRC). We investigated
      cancer susceptibility associated with MUTYH inactivation in a mouse model of
      inflammation-dependent carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran
      sulphate (DSS). Mutyh-/- mice were more sensitive than wild-type (WT) animals to
      AOM/DSS toxicity and accumulated DNA 8-oxoG in their gastrointestinal tract.
      AOM/DSS-induced colonic adenomas were significantly more numerous in Mutyh-/-
      than in WT animals, and frequently showed a tubulo-villous feature along with
      high-grade dysplasia and larger size lesions. This condition resulted in a
      greater propensity to develop adenocarcinomas. The colon of untreated Mutyh-/-
      mice expressed higher basal levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines GM-CSF and
      IFNgamma, and treatment with AOM/DSS induced an early decrease in circulating
      CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes and an increase in myeloid-derived suppressor cells
      (MDSCs). Adenomas from Mutyh-/- mice had a greater infiltrate of Foxp3+ T
      regulatory cells, granulocytes, macrophages, MDSCs and strong expression of TGF
      beta-latency-associated peptide and IL6. Our findings indicate that MUTYH loss is
      associated with an increase in CRC risk, which involves immunosuppression and
      altered inflammatory response. We propose that the AOM/DSS initiation/promotion
      protocol in Mutyh-/- mice provides a good model for MAP. 

PMID- 26109432
TI  - Optimal drug regimens for primary biliary cirrhosis: a systematic review and
      network meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Most comprehensive treatments for PBC include UDCA, combination of
      methotrexate (MTX), corticosteroids (COT), colchicine (COC) or bezafibrate (BEF),
      cyclosporin A (CYP), D-penicillamine (DPM), methotrexate (MTX), or azathioprine
      (AZP). Since the optimum treatment regimen remains inconclusive, we aimed to
      compare these therapies in terms of patient mortality or liver transplantation
      (MOLT) and adverse event (AE). METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus and
      the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials until August 2014. We
      estimated HRs for MOLT and ORs for AE. The sensitivity analysis based on dose of
      UDCA was also performed. RESULTS: The search identified 49 studies involving 12
      different treatment regimens and 4182 patients. Although no statistical
      significance can be found in MOLT, COT plus UDCA was ranked highest for efficacy
      outcome amongst all the treatment regimes. While for AEs, compared with OBS or
      UDCA, monotherapy with COC (OR 5.6, P < 0.001; OR 5.89, P < 0.001), CYP (OR 3.24,
      P < 0.001; OR 3.42, P < 0.001), DPM (OR 8.00, P < 0.001; OR 8.45, P < 0.001) and
      MTX (OR 5.31, P < 0.001; OR 5.61, P < 0.001) were associated with statistically
      significant increased risk of AEs. No significant differences were found for
      other combination regimes. Effect estimates from indirect comparisons matched
      closely to estimates derived from pairwise comparisons. Consistently, in the
      sensitivity analysis, results closely resembled our primary analysis.
      CONCLUSIONS: COT plus UDCA was the most efficacious among treatment regimens both
      for MOLT and AEs.

PMID- 26109434
TI  - Impact of Education on Memory Deficits in Subclinical Depression.
AB  - Elevated depressive symptoms are associated with cognitive deficits, while higher
      education protects against cognitive decline. This study was conducted to test if
      education level moderates the relationship between depressive symptoms and
      cognitive function. Seventy-three healthy, dementia-free adults aged 18-81
      completed neuropsychological tests, as well as depression and anxiety
      questionnaires. Controlling for age, sex, and state anxiety, we found a
      significant interaction of depressive symptoms and education for immediate and
      delayed verbal memory, such that those with a higher education level performed
      well regardless of depressive symptomatology, whereas those with lower education
      and high depressive symptoms had worse performance. No effects were found for
      executive functioning or processing speed. Results suggest that education
      protects against verbal memory deficits in individuals with elevated depressive
      symptoms. Further research on cognitive reserve in depression-related cognitive
      deficits and decline is needed to understand the mechanisms behind this
      phenomenon. 

PMID- 26109435
TI  - Polymer-Polymer Forster Resonance Energy Transfer Significantly Boosts the Power
      Conversion Efficiency of Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells.
AB  - Optically resonant donor polymers can exploit a wider range of the solar spectrum
      effectively without a complicated tandem design in an organic solar cell.
      Ultrafast Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) in a polymer-polymer system
      that significantly improves the power conversion efficiency in bulk
      heterojunction polymer solar cells from 6.8% to 8.9% is demonstrated, thus paving
      the way to achieving 15% efficient solar cells.

PMID- 26109433
TI  - KLF4-SQSTM1/p62-associated prosurvival autophagy contributes to carfilzomib
      resistance in multiple myeloma models.
AB  - Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable clonal plasma cell malignancy. Because of a
      high rate of immunoglobulin synthesis, the endoplasmic reticulum of MM cells is
      subjected to elevated basal levels of stress. Consequently, proteasome
      inhibitors, which exacerbate this stress by inhibiting ubiquitin-proteasome
      mediated protein degradation, are an important new class of chemotherapeutic
      agents being used to combat this disease. However, MM cells still develop
      resistance to proteasome inhibitors such as carfilzomib. Toward this end, we have
      established carfilzomib-resistant derivatives of MM cell lines. We found that
      resistance to carfilzomib was associated with elevated levels of prosurvival
      autophagy, and Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) was identified as a contributing
      factor. Expression levels as well as nuclear localization of KLF4 protein were
      elevated in MM cells with acquired carfilzomib resistance. Chromatin
      immunoprecipitations indicated that endogenous KLF4 bound to the promoter regions
      of the SQSTM1 gene encoding the ubiquitin-binding adaptor protein
      sequestosome/p62 that links the proteasomal and autophagic protein degradation
      pathways. Ectopic expression of KLF4 induced upregulation of SQSTM1. On the other
      hand, inhibitors of autophagy sensitized MM cells to carfilzomib, even in
      carfilzomib-resistant derivatives having increased expression of the multidrug
      resistance protein P-glycoprotein. Thus, we report here a novel function for
      KLF4, one of the Yamanaka reprogramming factors, as being a contributor to
      autophagy gene expression which moderates preclinical proteasome inhibitor
      efficacy in MM. 

PMID- 26109437
TI  - Headache disorders are third cause of disability worldwide.

PMID- 26109436
TI  - Two TRPV1 receptor antagonists are effective in two different experimental models
      of migraine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The capsaicin and heat responsive ion channel TRPV1 is expressed on
      trigeminal nociceptive neurons and has been implicated in the pathophysiology of
      migraine attacks. Here we investigate the efficacy of two TRPV1 channel
      antagonists in blocking trigeminal activation using two in vivo models of
      migraine. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to study the effects of the
      TRPV1 antagonists JNJ-38893777 and JNJ-17203212 on trigeminal activation.
      Expression of the immediate early gene c-fos was measured following
      intracisternal application of inflammatory soup. In a second model, CGRP release
      into the external jugular vein was determined following injection of capsaicin
      into the carotid artery. RESULTS: Inflammatory up-regulation of c-fos in the
      trigeminal brain stem complex was dose-dependently and significantly reduced by
      both TRPV1 antagonists. Capsaicin-induced CGRP release was attenuated by JNJ
      38893777 only in higher dosage. JNJ-17203212 was effective in all doses and fully
      abolished CGRP release in a time and dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Our
      results describe two TRPV1 antagonists that are effective in two in vivo models
      of migraine. These results suggest that TRPV1 may play a role in the
      pathophysiological mechanisms, which are relevant to migraine.

PMID- 26109438
TI  - Keeping the band together: evidence for false boundary disruptive coloration in a
      butterfly.
AB  - There is a recent surge of evidence supporting disruptive coloration, in which
      patterns break up the animal's outline through false edges or boundaries,
      increasing survival in animals by reducing predator detection and/or preventing
      recognition. Although research has demonstrated that false edges are successful
      for reducing predation of prey, research into the role of internal false
      boundaries (i.e. stripes and bands) in reducing predation remains warranted. Many
      animals have stripes and bands that may function disruptively. Here, we test the
      possible disruptive function of wing band patterning in a butterfly, Anartia
      fatima, using artificial paper and plasticine models in Panama. We manipulated
      the band so that one model type had the band shifted to the wing margin
      (nondisruptive treatment) and another model had a discontinuous band located on
      the wing margin (discontinuous edge treatment). We kept the natural wing pattern
      to represent the false boundary treatment. Across all treatment groups, we
      standardized the area of colour and used avian visual models to confirm a match
      between manipulated and natural wing colours. False boundary models had higher
      survival than either the discontinuous edge model or the nondisruptive model.
      There was no survival difference between the discontinuous edge model and the
      nondisruptive model. Our results demonstrate the importance of wing bands in
      reducing predation on butterflies and show that markings set in from the wing
      margin can reduce predation more effectively than marginal bands and
      discontinuous marginal patterns. This study demonstrates an adaptive benefit of
      having stripes and bands.

PMID- 26109440
TI  - Acute neck pain caused by atlanto-axial instability secondary to pathologic
      fracture involving odontoid process and C2 vertebral body: treatment with
      radiofrequency thermoablation, cement augmentation and odontoid screw fixation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cervical spine metastases are relatively rare entities. Only about
      10 % of all spinal metastases can be found in this localization. Magnetic
      resonance imaging and computed tomography are routinely used for early detection.
      The initial, clinical examination and patients' complaints may not always be very
      prominent. Treatment of such lesions is very challenging and needs to consider
      patient's comorbidities, quality of life and life expectation. Surgery for these
      lesions should always be performed in specialized spine units. CASE PRESENTATION:
      We present here a clinical history of a 67-year-old male with acutely occurring
      neck pain and some neck discomfort for last 2 weeks. No previous neck pain
      history or trauma. There were no neurological symptoms, only a slight tremor in
      the left upper extremity. The detailed past medical history of the patient
      revealed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes mellitus (DM type
      II), and smoking 30-pack-year. The first cervical spine X-ray did not demonstrate
      any pathological findings. We performed a CT scan, which demonstrated a lytic
      lesion involving the vertebral body of C2 with collapse of odontoid process and
      subsequent C1-C2 instability. In the next step, because of no medical history of
      cancer, we performed CT scan of the chest and abdomen, and found a suspicious
      mass in the right main bronchus and liver. We suggested a bronchial biopsy of the
      mass but the patient refused this procedure and requested only surgery for the C2
      lesion. The patient underwent the described surgical procedure through high
      anterior cervical approach. We collected the tissue for histology, and performed
      radiofrequency thermoablation, cement augmentation, and odontoid screw fixation.
      The patient made an uneventful recovery and 2 weeks after surgery he was able to
      start his palliative chemotherapy for bronchial carcinoma, which was diagnosed
      based on biopsy acquired during this procedure. DISCUSSION: There are no specific
      guidelines regarding treatment of secondary lesions of C2 with instability at C1
      C2 level. We describe here an interesting approach for the management of lytic
      lesions of C2 which may be used also at other levels of cervical spine. We did
      not observe any leakage of cement into the spinal canal. This procedure allows
      for fast recovery of patients, with early unrestricted range of motion, and
      beginning of early chemotherapy.

PMID- 26109439
TI  - Function and evolution of Magnaporthe oryzae avirulence gene AvrPib responding to
      the rice blast resistance gene Pib.
AB  - Magnaporthe oryzae (Mo) is the causative pathogen of the damaging disease rice
      blast. The effector gene AvrPib, which confers avirulence to host carrying
      resistance gene Pib, was isolated via map-based cloning. The gene encodes a 75
      residue protein, which includes a signal peptide. Phenotyping and genotyping of
      60 isolates from each of five geographically distinct Mo populations revealed
      that the frequency of virulent isolates, as well as the sequence diversity within
      the AvrPib gene increased from a low level in the far northeastern region of
      China to a much higher one in the southern region, indicating a process of host
      driven selection. Resequencing of the AvrPiballele harbored by a set of 108
      diverse isolates revealed that there were four pathoways, transposable element
      (TE) insertion (frequency 81.7%), segmental deletion (11.1%), complete absence
      (6.7%), and point mutation (0.6%), leading to loss of the avirulence function.
      The lack of any TE insertion in a sample of non-rice infecting Moisolates
      suggested that it occurred after the host specialization of Mo. Both the
      deletions and the functional point mutation were confined to the signal peptide.
      The reconstruction of 16 alleles confirmed seven functional nucleotide
      polymorphisms for the AvrPiballeles, which generated three distinct expression
      profiles. 

PMID- 26109441
TI  - Evaluation of a Novel Plasma (1,3)-beta-d-Glucan Detection Assay for Diagnosis of
      Candidemia in Pediatric Patients.
AB  - We evaluated a novel plasma (1,3)-beta-d-glucan (BDG) detection assay for the
      diagnosis of candidemia in children. The median BDG levels were 73.4 pg/ml in
      patients with candidemia and <10 pg/ml in patients without candidemia (P <
      0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed a cutoff point of 14
      pg/ml and an area under the curve of 0.802. At these values, the assay
      demonstrated 68% sensitivity, 91% specificity, 66% positive predictive value, and
      91% negative predictive value. Plasma BDG levels were undetectable in 18
      candidemia cases. 

PMID- 26109442
TI  - Genomic Epidemiology of Clostridium botulinum Isolates from Temporally Related
      Cases of Infant Botulism in New South Wales, Australia.
AB  - Infant botulism is a potentially life-threatening paralytic disease that can be
      associated with prolonged morbidity if not rapidly diagnosed and treated. Four
      infants were diagnosed and treated for infant botulism in NSW, Australia, between
      May 2011 and August 2013. Despite the temporal relationship between the cases,
      there was no close geographical clustering or other epidemiological links.
      Clostridium botulinum isolates, three of which produced botulism neurotoxin
      serotype A (BoNT/A) and one BoNT serotype B (BoNT/B), were characterized using
      whole-genome sequencing (WGS). In silico multilocus sequence typing (MLST) found
      that two of the BoNT/A-producing isolates shared an identical novel sequence
      type, ST84. The other two isolates were single-locus variants of this sequence
      type (ST85 and ST86). All BoNT/A-producing isolates contained the same
      chromosomally integrated BoNT/A2 neurotoxin gene cluster. The BoNT/B-producing
      isolate carried a single plasmid-borne bont/B gene cluster, encoding BoNT subtype
      B6. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based typing results corresponded well
      with MLST; however, the extra resolution provided by the whole-genome SNP
      comparisons showed that the isolates differed from each other by >3,500 SNPs. WGS
      analyses indicated that the four infant botulism cases were caused by genomically
      distinct strains of C. botulinum that were unlikely to have originated from a
      common environmental source. The isolates did, however, cluster together,
      compared with international isolates, suggesting that C. botulinum from
      environmental reservoirs throughout NSW have descended from a common ancestor.
      Analyses showed that the high resolution of WGS provided important phylogenetic
      information that would not be captured by standard seven-loci MLST. 

PMID- 26109443
TI  - Comparison of Established Diagnostic Methodologies and a Novel Bacterial smpB
      Real-Time PCR Assay for Specific Detection of Haemophilus influenzae Isolates
      Associated with Respiratory Tract Infections.
AB  - Haemophilus influenzae is a significant causative agent of respiratory tract
      infections (RTI) worldwide. The development of a rapid H. influenzae diagnostic
      assay that would allow for the implementation of infection control measures and
      also improve antimicrobial stewardship for patients is required. A number of
      nucleic acid diagnostics approaches that detect H. influenzae in RTIs have been
      described in the literature; however, there are reported specificity and
      sensitivity limitations for these assays. In this study, a novel real-time PCR
      diagnostic assay targeting the smpB gene was designed to detect all serogroups of
      H. influenzae. The assay was validated using a panel of well-characterized
      Haemophilus spp. Subsequently, 44 Haemophilus clinical isolates were collected,
      and 36 isolates were identified as H. influenzae using a gold standard
      methodology that combined the results of matrix-assisted laser desorption
      ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and a fucK diagnostic
      assay. Using the novel smpB diagnostic assay, 100% concordance was observed with
      the gold standard, demonstrating a sensitivity of 100% (95% confidence interval
      [CI], 90.26% to 100.00%) and a specificity of 100% (95% CI, 63.06% to 100.00%)
      when used on clinical isolates. To demonstrate the clinical utility of the
      diagnostic assay presented, a panel of lower RTI samples (n = 98) were blindly
      tested with the gold standard and smpB diagnostic assays. The results generated
      were concordant for 94/98 samples tested, demonstrating a sensitivity of 90.91%
      (95% CI, 78.33% to 97.47%) and a specificity of 100% (95% CI, 93.40% to 100.00%)
      for the novel smpB assay when used directly on respiratory specimens. 

PMID- 26109444
TI  - Management of Microbiological Samples in a Confirmed Case of Ebola Virus Disease:
      Constraints and Limitations.
AB  - In light of the recent Ebola virus outbreak, it has to be realized that besides
      medical treatment, precise algorithms for the management of complicating
      microbial infections are mandatory for Ebola virus disease (EVD) patients. While
      the necessity of such diagnostics is apparent, practical details are much less
      clear. Our approach, established during the treatment of an EVD patient at the
      University Hospital in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, provides a roadmap for
      reliable and safe on-site microbiological testing. 

PMID- 26109446
TI  - Prospective Two-Center Comparison of Three Chromogenic Agars for Methicillin
      Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Screening in Hospitalized Patients.
AB  - Three chromogenic media, chromID MRSA SMART (SMART), chromID MRSA first
      generation (chromID), and Brilliance MRSA (OX2), were evaluated for methicillin
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) screening using 1,220 samples. The
      sensitivity at 24 h was significantly better with the SMART agar (66.4%) than
      that with chromID agar (50.5%). Enrichment and incubation until 48 h are still
      needed for an optimal yield. 

PMID- 26109445
TI  - First Human Case of Fungal Keratitis Caused by a Putatively Novel Species of
      Lophotrichus.
AB  - We report an aggressive fungal keratitis caused by a putatively novel species of
      Lophotrichus in a patient with traumatic injury to the cornea from a dog paw. The
      organism was isolated from the patient's necrotic cornea, which perforated
      despite coverage with hourly fortified broad-spectrum topical antibiotic therapy.
      This report represents the first case of human infection caused by this species. 

PMID- 26109447
TI  - Novel Molecular Assay for Simultaneous Identification of Neglected Lungworms and
      Heartworms Affecting Cats.
AB  - Feline lungworms and heartworms are stimulating the interest of the scientific
      community due to their clinical impact and apparent geographical expansion.
      Diagnosis of the infections caused by these nematodes is indeed challenging. This
      report describes a novel multiplex PCR able to identify simultaneously three
      species of lungworms (Aelurostrongylus abstrusus and Troglostrongylus brevior)
      and heartworms (Angiostrongylus chabaudi) affecting felids. Epidemiological and
      clinical perspectives are discussed. 

PMID- 26109448
TI  - Vertebral Osteomyelitis Caused by Helicobacter cinaedi.
AB  - Helicobacter cinaedi causes bacteremia, cellulitis, and gastroenteritis. We
      report the first case of vertebral osteomyelitis caused by H. cinaedi in an
      elderly man with low back pain and fever. The pathogen was detected in blood and
      lumbar disc, and the infection was successfully treated with oral doxycycline for
      11 weeks. 

PMID- 26109449
TI  - Water-soluble Moringa oleifera lectin interferes with growth, survival and cell
      permeability of corrosive and pathogenic bacteria.
AB  - AIMS: This work evaluated the antibacterial activity of a water-soluble Moringa
      oleifera seed lectin (WSMoL) by evaluating its effect on growth, survival and
      cell permeability of Bacillus sp., Bacillus cereus, Bacillus pumillus, Bacillus
      megaterium, Micrococcus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Pseudomonas fluorescens,
      Pseudomonas stutzeri and Serratia marcescens. In addition, the effect of lectin
      on membrane integrity of most sensitive species was also evaluated. All the
      tested bacteria are able to cause biocorrosion and some are also responsible for
      human infections. METHODS AND RESULTS: WSMoL inhibited the bacterial growth,
      induced agglutination and promoted the leakage of proteins from cells of all
      strains. Bactericidal effect was detected against Bacillus sp., B. pumillus, B.
      megaterium, Ps. fluorescens and Ser. marcescens. The bacteriostatic effect of
      lectin was evident with only 6 h of incubation. Fluorescence microscopy of Ser.
      marcescens showed that WSMoL caused loss of cell integrity and indicated an anti
      biofilm activity of the lectin. CONCLUSIONS: WSMoL was active against the
      bacteria by inhibiting growth and affecting cell permeability. The lectin also
      interfered with membrane integrity of Ser. marcescens, the most sensitive
      species. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The study indicates that WSMoL was
      active against bacteria that cause serious problems in both industrial and health
      sectors. Also, the study contributes for the 'state-of-art' on antibacterial
      mechanisms of lectins.

PMID- 26109450
TI  - Assessing personal talent determinants in young racquet sport players: a
      systematic review.
AB  - Since junior performances have little predictive value for future success, other
      solutions are sought to assess a young player's potential. The objectives of this
      systematic review are (1) to provide an overview of instruments measuring
      personal talent determinants of young players in racquet sports, and (2) to
      evaluate these instruments regarding their validity for talent development.
      Electronic searches were conducted in PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Knowledge,
      ScienceDirect and SPORTDiscus (1990 to 31 March 2014). Search terms represented
      tennis, table tennis, badminton and squash, the concept of talent, methods of
      testing and children. Thirty articles with information regarding over 100
      instruments were included. Validity evaluation showed that instruments focusing
      on intellectual and perceptual abilities, and coordinative skills discriminate
      elite from non-elite players and/or are related to current performance, but their
      predictive validity is not confirmed. There is moderate evidence that the
      assessments of mental and goal management skills predict future performance. Data
      on instruments measuring physical characteristics prohibit a conclusion due to
      conflicting findings. This systematic review yielded an ambiguous end point. The
      lack of longitudinal studies precludes verification of the instrument's capacity
      to forecast future performance. Future research should focus on instruments
      assessing multidimensional talent determinants and their predictive value in
      longitudinal designs. 

PMID- 26109451
TI  - A bibenzyl from Dendrobium ellipsophyllum inhibits migration in lung cancer
      cells.
AB  - Metastatic cancer cells have been shown to have aggressive behaviors accounting
      for the high incidence of chemotherapeutic failure and mortality. Because
      migration and invasion are crucial behaviors for cancer cell dissemination,
      promising compounds exhibiting potential antimigration effects are of interest
      for metastasis-based therapeutic approaches. This study aimed to evaluate the
      activity of a bibenzyl, 4,5,4'-trihydroxy-3,3'-dimethoxybibenzyl (TDB), isolated
      from Dendrobium ellipsophyllum Tang and Wang, in the suppression of migration in
      human lung cancer cells. TDB at nontoxic concentrations (1 and 5 uM)
      significantly inhibited the motility of lung cancer cells in scratch-wound assay.
      Chemotaxis-induced migration and invasion assays also revealed that the cell
      motility dramatically diminished in the cells treated with 1-5 uM TDB. Western
      blot analysis provided the underlying molecular mechanism, showing that TDB
      reduced such cell migration and invasion by decreasing migration-regulating
      proteins, including integrins alphav, alpha4, beta1, beta3 and beta5, as well as
      downstream signaling proteins, such as activated focal adhesion kinase (pFAK),
      activated Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1-GTP) and cell division
      control protein 42 (Cdc42). As the presence of cellular protrusion, called
      filopodia, has been indicated as a hallmark of migrating cells, we showed that
      the reduction of the mentioned proteins correlated well with the disappearance of
      filopodia. In summary, this study demonstrates the promising activity of TDB and
      its mechanism in the inhibition of lung cancer cell migration, which might be
      useful for encouraging the development of this compound for antimetastatic
      approaches. 

PMID- 26109452
TI  - 45S5 Bioglass((r))-MWCNT composite: processing and bioactivity.
AB  - Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-Bioglass (BG) matrix composite was
      fabricated using a facile and scalable aqueous colloidal processing method
      without using any surfactants followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS)
      consolidation. The individual MWCNTs were initially uniformly dispersed in water
      and then entirely immobilized on the BG particles during the colloidal
      processing, avoiding their common re-agglomeration during the water-removal and
      drying step, which guaranteed their uniform dispersion within the dense BG matrix
      after the consolidation process. SPS was used as a fast sintering technique to
      minimise any damage to the MWCNT structure during the high-temperature
      consolidation process. The electrical conductivity of BG increased by 8 orders of
      magnitude with the addition of 6.35 wt% of MWCNTs compared to pure BG. Short
      duration tests were used in the present study as a preliminary evaluation to
      understand the effect of incorporating MWCNTs on osteoblast-like cells. The
      analysed cell proliferation, viability and phenotype expression of MG-63 cells
      showed inhibition on 45S5 Bioglass((r))-MWCNT composite surfaces. 

PMID- 26109453
TI  - Printable elastic conductors with a high conductivity for electronic textile
      applications.
AB  - The development of advanced flexible large-area electronics such as flexible
      displays and sensors will thrive on engineered functional ink formulations for
      printed electronics where the spontaneous arrangement of molecules aids the
      printing processes. Here we report a printable elastic conductor with a high
      initial conductivity of 738 S cm(-1) and a record high conductivity of 182 S cm(
      1) when stretched to 215% strain. The elastic conductor ink is comprised of Ag
      flakes, a fluorine rubber and a fluorine surfactant. The fluorine surfactant
      constitutes a key component which directs the formation of surface-localized
      conductive networks in the printed elastic conductor, leading to a high
      conductivity and stretchability. We demonstrate the feasibility of our inks by
      fabricating a stretchable organic transistor active matrix on a rubbery
      stretchability-gradient substrate with unimpaired functionality when stretched to
      110%, and a wearable electromyogram sensor printed onto a textile garment. 

PMID- 26109454
TI  - Nanoscale control of phonon excitations in graphene.
AB  - Phonons, which are collective excitations in a lattice of atoms or molecules,
      play a major role in determining various physical properties of condensed matter,
      such as thermal and electrical conductivities. In particular, phonons in graphene
      interact strongly with electrons; however, unlike in usual metals, these
      interactions between phonons and massless Dirac fermions appear to mirror the
      rather complicated physics of those between light and relativistic electrons.
      Therefore, a fundamental understanding of the underlying physics through
      systematic studies of phonon interactions and excitations in graphene is crucial
      for realising graphene-based devices. In this study, we demonstrate that the
      local phonon properties of graphene can be controlled at the nanoscale by tuning
      the interaction strength between graphene and an underlying Pt substrate. Using
      scanning probe methods, we determine that the reduced interaction due to embedded
      Ar atoms facilitates electron-phonon excitations, further influencing phonon
      assisted inelastic electron tunnelling. 

PMID- 26109455
TI  - Editorial.

PMID- 26109456
TI  - Does the passage of seeds through frugivore gut affect their storage: A case
      study on the endangered plant Euryodendron excelsum.
AB  - Plant-frugivore mutualism serves an important function in multiple ecological
      processes. Although previous studies have highlighted the effect of frugivore gut
      passage on fresh seed germinability, no study has investigated the effect on seed
      storage after frugivore gut passage. We used the endangered plant, Euryodendron
      excelsum, to determine the combined effects of frugivore gut passage and storage
      conditions on the germination percentage and rate of seeds. In particular, three
      treatments that included storage periods, storage methods, and seed types were
      designed in the experiment. We hypothesized that seeds that passed through the
      gut will exhibit enhanced germination capacity and rate during storage. Results
      showed that the final germination percentage decreased in seeds that passed
      through the gut, whereas the germination rate increased during seed storage.
      Germination decreased in most types of seeds under both dry and wet storage after
      6 months compared with storage after 1 and 3 months. The results suggest that
      after frugivore gut passage, E. excelsum seeds cannot form persistent soil seed
      bank in the field, and were not suitable for species germplasm storage. These
      finding underscore that seeds that passed through frugivore gut have long-term
      impact on their viability and germination performance. 

PMID- 26109457
TI  - Advance directives and suicide attempts-ethical considerations in light of Carter
      v. Canada, SCC 5.

PMID- 26109458
TI  - Reconstruction of post-traumatic drop foot deformity by the chimeric deep
      inferior epigastric artery perforator free flap associated with a composite
      quadriceps osteotendinous graft.
AB  - Dorsiflexor tendons are particularly exposed in crush injury of the foot.
      Anterior tibialis tendon defects may be responsible for a steppage gait and a
      drop foot deformity. Drop foot reconstruction is challenging because of the high
      risk of postoperative adhesions and functional sequelae. In this report, we
      present the results of the reconstruction of post-injury anterior tibialis tendon
      defects with chimeric deep inferior epigatric artery perforator (DIEP) free flap
      associated with a quadriceps osteotendinous graft in two patients. Two men (32
      year-old and 19-year-old) presented drop foot deformity with defect of the
      anterior tibialis tendon secondary to a crush injury. The sizes of the soft
      tissues defects at the foot dorsum were 24 cm * 8 cm and 20 cm * 8 cm,
      respectively. The quadriceps osteotendinous grafts were used to reconstruct the
      anterior tibialis tendon in both patients. The chimeric DIEP free flaps with skin
      paddles (24 cm * 8 cm and 20 cm * 8 cm) and rectus abdominis fascia (24 cm * 4 cm
      and 20 cm * 4 cm) were used for reconstruction. The skin component based on a
      musculocutaneous perforator was used for soft tissue reconstruction of the foot
      dorsum. The fascial component based on a second perforator was used to create a
      sliding surface around the osteotendinous graft. Postoperative course was
      uneventful. Rehabilitation lasted 3 months. The range of ankle movement was
      measured during 12 months. The first patient recovered 10 degree of dorsiflexion.
      The second patient recovered 25 degree of dorsiflexion. Walk recovery was
      satisfying in both patients. The single-stage procedure using the chimeric DIEP
      free flap may be an option for post-injury drop foot reanimation. Creating a
      sliding surface around a composite osteotendinous quadriceps graft with a
      vascularized fascial component avoid postoperative peritendinous adhesions. This
      technique may improve foot dorsiflexion and walk recovery. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 36:334-338, 2016.

PMID- 26109459
TI  - Threat modulates neural responses to looming visual stimuli.
AB  - Objects on a collision course with an observer produce a specific pattern of
      optical expansion on the retina known as looming, which in theory exactly
      specifies the time-to-collision (TTC) of approaching objects. It was recently
      demonstrated that the affective content of looming stimuli influences perceived
      TTC, with threatening objects judged as approaching sooner than non-threatening
      objects. Here, the neural mechanisms by which perceived threat modulates
      spatiotemporal perception were investigated. Participants judged the TTC of
      threatening (snakes, spiders) or non-threatening (butterflies, rabbits) stimuli,
      which expanded in size at a rate indicating one of five TTCs. Visual-evoked
      potentials (VEPs) and oscillatory neural responses measured with
      electroencephalography were analysed. The arrival time of threatening stimuli was
      underestimated compared with non-threatening stimuli, though an interaction
      suggested that this underestimation was not constant across TTCs. Further, both
      speed of approach and threat modulated both VEPs and oscillatory responses. Speed
      of approach modulated the N1 parietal and oscillations in the beta band. Threat
      modulated several VEP components (P1, N1 frontal, N1 occipital, early posterior
      negativity and late positive potential) and oscillations in the alpha and high
      gamma band. The results for the high gamma band suggest an interaction between
      these two factors. Previous evidence suggests that looming stimuli activate
      sensorimotor areas, even in the absence of an intended action. The current
      results show that threat disrupts the synchronization over the sensorimotor areas
      that are likely activated by the presentation of a looming stimulus. 

PMID- 26109460
TI  - Salt intake and mental distress among rural community-dwelling Japanese men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Activated mineralocorticoid receptors influence the association
      between daily salt intake and blood pressure. A relatively low mineralocorticoid
      receptor function is reported to be a risk for mental distress such as
      depression. Since mental distress is also a known risk for hypertension and
      cardiovascular disease, understanding of the association between estimated daily
      salt intake and mental distress contributing to hypertension is important for
      risk estimation for cardiovascular disease. However, no single study has reported
      this association. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1014 Japanese
      men undergoing general health check-ups. Mental distress was diagnosed as a
      Kessler 6 scale score >=5. We also classified mental distress by levels of
      hypertension. Estimated daily salt intake was calculated from a causal urine
      specimen. RESULTS: Independent from classical cardiovascular risk factors and
      thyroid disease, we found a significant inverse association between estimated
      daily salt intake and mental distress. When we analyzed for mental distress and
      hypertension, we also found a significant association. With the reference group
      being the lowest tertiles of estimated daily salt intake, the multivariable odds
      ratios (ORs) of mental distress and mental distress with hypertension for the
      highest tertiles were 0.50 (0.29-0.88) and 0.46 (0.22-0.96). CONCLUSIONS: Lower
      estimated daily salt intake is a significant risk of mental distress for rural
      community-dwelling Japanese men. Since depression is reported to be associated
      with cardiovascular disease, risk estimation for the lower intake of salt on
      mental distress, especially for mental distress with hypertension, may become an
      important tool to prevent cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 26109461
TI  - Prevalence of malaria parasitaemia in school children from two districts of Ghana
      earmarked for indoor residual spraying: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is considered a valuable transmission
      control measure against malaria but exact efficacy data are not available for
      many epidemiological settings. This study was conducted to determine indicators
      for malaria epidemiology and transmission among school children as baseline
      assessment before IRS implementation in Ghana. METHODS: A cross-sectional study
      was conducted in Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region and Wa West District
      of the Upper West Region of Ghana. Malarial parasitaemia and anaemia were
      determined in pupils between the ages of 2 and 14 years from Early Childhood
      Development Centres and primary schools. Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia was
      detected by light microscopy. RESULTS: Out of 1,649 pupils who were enrolled at
      participating schools, 684 were positive for plasmodia resulting in a baseline
      parasitaemia prevalence of 41.5%. Parasite rate was similar in the two districts
      (42.0% in Adansi South and 40.7% in Wa West), but differed across the nine
      sentinel schools ranging from 21 to 63% (p < 0.001). The mean haemoglobin
      concentration was 11.3 g/dl [standard deviation (SD) +/-2.1]. Pupils who had
      moderate to mild anaemia (7.0-10.9 g/dl) constituted 41.7% of the study sample.
      CONCLUSION: The burden of parasitaemia, malaria and anaemia is a major public
      health problem among school children in rural Ghana with extensive heterogeneity
      between schools and warrants further investment in intervention measures.

PMID- 26109462
TI  - Patient navigation to increase colorectal cancer screening among Latino Medicare
      enrollees: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: Latino Medicare enrollees report suboptimal rates of colorectal cancer
      screening (CRCS) despite Medicare policies designed to improve CRCS access for
      older persons. Patient navigation (PN) may address many underlying barriers to
      CRCS, yet little is known about the effectiveness of PN to increase CRCS
      adherence among Latino Medicare enrollees. METHODS: Using a randomized controlled
      trial study design, we evaluated tailored PN delivered outside of primary care
      settings as an intervention to increase CRCS adherence in this population.
      Intervention participants (n = 135) received tailored PN services which included
      education, counseling, and logistical support administered in their language of
      choice. Comparison participants (n = 168) received mailed cancer education
      materials. We compared CRCS rates between interventions and used multivariable
      logistic regression to assess the odds of CRCS adherence for PN versus comparison
      groups after adjusting for covariates of interest. RESULTS: More navigated than
      non-navigated participants became CRCS adherent during the study period (43.7 vs.
      32.1%, p = 0.04). The odds of CRCS adherence were significantly higher for PN
      relative to comparison participants before and after adjusting for covariates
      (unadjusted OR 1.64, p = 0.04; adjusted OR 1.82, p = 0.02). Higher CRCS adherence
      rates were observed primarily in the uptake of endoscopic screening methods.
      CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that PN delivered outside of the primary care
      environment is modestly effective in increasing CRCS adherence among Latino
      Medicare enrollees. This intervention strategy should be further evaluated as a
      complement to primary care-based PN and other care coordination strategies to
      increase adherence with CRCS and other evidence-based screenings among older
      Latinos.

PMID- 26109463
TI  - Association of total cancer and lung cancer with environmental exposure to
      cadmium: the meta-analytical evidence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies are indicative of substantial progress in
      understanding the dose-response relation between the incidence of total and lung
      cancer and environmental cadmium exposure. We conducted a meta-analysis of
      population studies that examined the risk of cancer in relation to lifetime
      exposure to cadmium. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Web of Science, and relevant
      reviews until August 2014 for studies on the association between cancer risk and
      cadmium exposure. Eligible studies had to include an estimate of lifetime
      exposure to cadmium as reflected by the urinary cadmium concentration and
      adjustment of the cancer risk at least for age and smoking. We pooled relative
      risk across the studies estimates for cancer and lung cancer using variance
      weighted random-effect models and expressed association sizes for a twofold
      increase in urinary cadmium, thereby respecting the continuous nature of the
      association. RESULTS: The meta-analysis included 20,459 participants from three
      prospective population studies. The average urinary cadmium concentration across
      populations ranged from 0.25 to 0.93 ug/g creatinine. The relative risk of total
      cancer, associated with a doubling of the urinary cadmium concentration, ranged
      across the different studies from 1.18 to 1.31, and the pooled relative risk was
      1.22 (95% CI 1.13-1.31; p < 0.0001). For lung cancer, the relative risk ranged
      from 1.21 to 1.70 for a doubling of the urinary cadmium concentration, while the
      pooled relative risk amounted to 1.68 (1.47-1.92; p < 0.0001). Excluding one
      study at the time did not move the pooled estimates outside the confidence
      interval of the overall estimate for all studies combined. CONCLUSION: The
      epidemiological evidence of the last decade consistently identifies low-level
      environmental exposure to cadmium as a risk factor for total cancer and lung
      cancer.

PMID- 26109464
TI  - 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and risk of male
      breast cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARI) have been suggested to increase the
      risk of male breast cancer. The aim of this study was to study the risk of breast
      cancer in men on 5-ARI, in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) not on 5
      ARI, and in men without BPH. METHODS: We performed a population-based cohort
      study in Sweden with data from The Prescribed Drug Register, The Patient
      Register, and The Cancer Register. Men on 5-ARI, men on alpha-blockers, or men
      who had undergone a transurethral resection of the prostate (TUR-P) prior to or
      during 2006-2008 were included as exposed to BPH and a specific treatment
      thereof. For each exposed man, five unexposed men were selected. Risk of breast
      cancer was calculated in Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: There were
      124,183 exposed men and 545,293 unexposed men, and during follow-up (median 6
      years), 99 men with breast cancer were diagnosed. Compared to unexposed men, men
      on 5-ARI had a hazard ratio (HR) of breast cancer of 0.74 (95% confidence
      interval (CI) 0.27-2.03), men on alpha-blockers had HR 1.47 (95% CI 0.73-2.95),
      and men with a TUR-P had HR 1.99 (95% CI 1.05-3.75). CONCLUSION: No increased
      risk of breast cancer was observed for men on 5-ARI. However, the increased risk
      of breast cancer among men who had undergone a TUR-P, a strong indicator of BPH,
      suggests that the endocrine milieu conducive to BPH is associated with male
      breast cancer.

PMID- 26109465
TI  - Using isopropyl alcohol impregnated disinfection caps in the neonatal intensive
      care unit can cause isopropyl alcohol toxicity.
AB  - AIM: The safety of SwabCap alcohol impregnated disinfection caps was questioned
      in our unit because of malfunctions in luer access valves. We examined whether
      SwabCaps affected the integrity of two luer access valves and were associated
      with alcohol injected into the lines. METHODS: Our bench test study included
      seven circuits using SmartSite or CARESITE valves exposed to two environmental
      temperatures. Passive circuits consisted of a 96-hour contact system using
      SwabCap without other interventions. Active circuits consisted of nine sham
      injections during a 24-hour period, with the SwabCap replaced after each
      injection. The active control circuit used isopropyl alcohol impregnated pads to
      disinfect valves. Isopropyl alcohol was measured at the extremity of all active
      circuits by gas chromatography. RESULTS: The visual appearance of all SmartSite
      valves and 67% of the CARESITE valves was changed by SwabCap use. The mean
      isopropyl alcohol dosages were 52 mmol/L in the SmartSite and 8 mmol/L in the
      CARESITE at room temperature and 73 and 7 mmol/L, respectively, at 35 degrees C.
      No alcohol was found in the control circuit. CONCLUSION: The SwabCap altered the
      valves' appearance and allowed significant amounts of isopropyl alcohol to be
      injected. It should not be used for neonates without further research.

PMID- 26109466
TI  - Molecular classification of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: personalized medicine,
      genetics and biomarkers.
AB  - Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive fibrotic lung
      disease associated with high morbidity and poor survival. Characterized by
      substantial disease heterogeneity, the diagnostic considerations, clinical course
      and treatment response in individual patients can be variable. In the past
      decade, with the advent of high-throughput proteomic and genomic technologies,
      our understanding of the pathogenesis of IPF has greatly improved and has led to
      the recognition of novel treatment targets and numerous putative biomarkers.
      Molecular biomarkers with mechanistic plausibility are highly desired in IPF,
      where they have the potential to accelerate drug development, facilitate early
      detection in susceptible individuals, improve prognostic accuracy and inform
      treatment recommendations. Although the search for candidate biomarkers remains
      in its infancy, attractive targets such as MUC5B and MPP7 have already been
      validated in large cohorts and have demonstrated their potential to improve
      clinical predictors beyond that of routine clinical practices. The discovery and
      implementation of future biomarkers will face many challenges, but with strong
      collaborative efforts among scientists, clinicians and the industry the ultimate
      goal of personalized medicine may be realized.

PMID- 26109467
TI  - Bioprotective carnitinoids: lipoic acid, butyrate, and mitochondria-targeting to
      treat radiation injury: mitochondrial drugs come of age.
AB  - Preclinical Research Given nuclear-power-plant incidents such as the 2011
      Japanese Fukushima-Daiichi disaster, an urgent need for effective medicines to
      protect against and treat the harmful biological effects of radiation is evident.
      To address such a challenge, we describe potential strategies herein including
      mitochondrial and epigenetic-driven methods using lipoic and butyric acid ester
      conjugates of carnitine. The antioxidant and other therapeutically beneficial
      properties of this class of agents may protect against ionizing radiation and
      resultant mitochondrial dysfunction. Recent studies of the compounds described
      herein reveal the potential-although further research and development is required
      to prove the effectiveness of this approach-to provide field-ready radiation
      protective drugs.

PMID- 26109468
TI  - Effects of kramecyne on LPS induced chronic inflammation and gastric ulcers.
AB  - Preclinical Research Krameria cytisoides is used for the treatment of
      inflammation, stomach pain, and gastric ulcers. The active ingredient from this
      plant is a peroxide, kramecyne (KACY) which has anti-inflammatory effects. The
      aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities of KACY
      in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced systemic chronic inflammation in mice for 60
      days, using dexamethasone (DEX) as the positive control, vehicle (the LPS group)
      as the negative control and the control group (mice without inflammation). KACY
      did not affect survival, body weight or relative organ weight in mice but it:
      decreased nitric oxide (NO) production by 68%; prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ) by 67%;
      increased release of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (2.0-fold), and reduced
      production of the proinflammatory cytokines, IL-6 (2.0-fold), IL-1beta (2.4
      fold), and TNF-alpha (2.0-fold). Furthermore, the gastroprotective effects of
      KACY in mice were evaluated in an ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model. The
      results showed that KACY at 50 and 100 mg/kg exerted gastroprotective effects
      with similar activity to 50 mg/kg ranitidine. In gastric tissues, KACY decreased
      the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) but increased the catalase (CAT) activity.
      KACY have potential for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases due its
      similar activity to that of DEX. It also has gastroprotective effects.

PMID- 26109469
TI  - Carvedilol attenuates inflammatory biomarkers and oxidative stress in a rat model
      of ulcerative colitis.
AB  - Preclinical Research This study evaluated the effects of the carvedilol, a
      nonselective beta-adrenoceptor anatgonist with alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist
      activity, in a rat model of experimentally induced ulcerative colitis (UC). UC
      was produced using acetic acid (AA) in animals previously treated with carvedilol
      (30 mg/kg po, qd) for seven days. Mucus content, lipid peroxidation (LPO)
      products, sulfhydryl groups, antioxidant enzyme activities, proinflammatory
      cytokines, prostaglandin E2 and nitric oxide levels were measured in colonic
      tissues and histopathological changes were assessed. LPO and proinflammatory
      biomarkers were markedly increased, while mucus content, sulfhydryl groups and
      enzymatic activities were inhibited in animals administered AA. Pretreatment with
      carvedilol attenuated LPO elevation, mucus content and sulfhydryl group
      inhibitions. Antioxidant enzymatic activity and proinflammatory biomarker levels
      were also restored in carvedilol-pretreated animals. Colonic protection
      associated with carvedilol pretreatment was further confirmed by
      histopathological assessment and found to be similar to the standard therapy of
      mesalazine (100 mg/kg po qd), suggesting that the effects of carvedilol action
      may be attributable to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

PMID- 26109470
TI  - Effect of six years intensified multifactorial treatment on levels of hs-CRP and
      adiponectin in patients with screen detected type 2 diabetes: the ADDITION
      Netherlands randomized trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and
      adiponectin, reflecting chronic inflammation, are associated with cardiovascular
      disease in type 2 diabetes. The long-term effects of multifactorial therapy in
      type 2 diabetes patients on CRP and adiponectin are unknown. METHODS: The
      ADDITION-NL study is a randomized clinical trial among screen-detected type 2
      diabetes patients, randomized to intensive treatment (HbA1c <7.0% (53 mmol/mol),
      blood pressure <=135/85 mmHg, total cholesterol <=3.5 mmol/L) or routine care. Hs
      CRP and adiponectin were measured before and 1, 2 and 6 years after inclusion. We
      analysed the effectiveness of the intervention on hs-CRP and adiponectin levels
      using a mixed effects model, taking into account practice, baseline levels and
      different medications. RESULTS: A total of 424 patients were included (intensive
      care n = 235; routine care n = 189). Both groups were well matched. Body mass
      index, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and HbA1c improved
      significantly more in the intensive care group compared to routine care group.
      Levels of hs-CRP decreased significantly in both treatment groups over time. Mean
      hs-CRP in the routine care group was 24% higher (p = 0.0027) than in the
      intensive treatment group during follow-up. After an initial increase the
      adiponectin values levelled off to nearly baseline values in both groups. The
      difference between the two groups after 6 years was 0.44 ug/mL (p = 0.27).
      CONCLUSIONS: Intensified multifactorial treatment in type 2 diabetes results in
      an enhanced decrease in hs-CRP. Whether this is clinically meaningful remains
      uncertain. The link to adiponectin seems to be more complex.

PMID- 26109471
TI  - The bone-preserving effects of exendin-4 in ovariectomized rats.
AB  - Exendin-4 was found to be beneficial to the skeleton in diabetic rodents. In this
      study, we assessed the changes of bone mineral densities (BMDs) and quality in
      non-diabetic ovariectomized (OVX) rats after treatment with exendin-4. The
      regulatory role of exendin-4 on osteoblastogenesis and adipogenesis in rat bone
      marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) was also explored. Three months after sham surgery
      or OVX, 18 5-month-old female Wistar rats were divided into three groups and
      received the following treatment for 8 weeks: (1) Sham + vehicle; (2) OVX +
      vehicle; and (3) OVX + exendin-4 20 ug/kg/day. Micro-CT and three-point bending
      test were used to evaluate the BMDs, bone morphometric parameters, and
      biomechanical properties. Real-time PCR and Western blot were performed to
      measure gene and protein expression after exendin-4 treatment in adipogenesis and
      osteoblastogenesis of rat BMSCs. Exendin-4 could improve trabecular volume,
      thickness, and number, increase BMD, and reduce trabecular spacing in the lumbar
      spine and femur of OVX rats. Exendin-4 had little impact on the mechanical
      resistance of femurs to fracture. When rat BMSCs were treated with exendin-4, the
      mRNA expression levels of runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), alkaline
      phosphatase (ALP), and collagen alpha1 (Coll-1) were increased, while those of
      peroxisome proliferators activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) and CCAAT/enhancer
      binding protein (C/EBPalpha) decreased. Exendin-4 treatment also resulted in
      increased expression levels of p38, p42/44, and beta-catenin proteins. Exendin-4
      was anabolic to bone in OVX rats possibly by facilitating osteoblastogenesis
      while repressing adipogenesis during BMSC lineage differentiation.

PMID- 26109473
TI  - Is mitomycin C useful as an adjuvant therapy in endoscopic treatment of
      laryngotracheal stenosis?

PMID- 26109472
TI  - Radioiodine-remnant ablation in low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer: pros.
AB  - Differentiated thyroid carcinomas are typically treated with total thyroidectomy
      as initial therapy. Subsequent radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation destroys post
      surgical thyroid remnants, can additionally provide adjuvant therapy of residual
      and metastatic thyroid cancers, and enhances the sensitivity and specificity of
      further diagnostic studies. There is current controversy regarding whether a
      large number of patients, broadly considered to have "low-risk" disease, should
      be provided RAI ablation. This is consequent to over-reliance on short-term
      studies, under-appreciation of the value of RAI remnant ablation, and inflation
      of the side effects of RAI therapy. A balanced assessment of all of these issues
      provides justification to utilize post-surgical radioiodine ablation, even in
      cases that are considered low risk on the basis of surgical findings. 

PMID- 26109474
TI  - Wild bird-associated Campylobacter jejuni isolates are a consistent source of
      human disease, in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
AB  - The contribution of wild birds as a source of human campylobacteriosis was
      investigated in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK) over a 10 year period. The
      probable origin of human Campylobacter jejuni genotypes, as described by
      multilocus sequence typing, was estimated by comparison with reference
      populations of isolates from farm animals and five wild bird families, using the
      STRUCTURE algorithm. Wild bird-attributed isolates accounted for between 476
      (2.1%) and 543 (3.5%) cases annually. This proportion did not vary significantly
      by study year (P = 0.934) but varied seasonally, with wild bird-attributed
      genotypes comprising a greater proportion of isolates during warmer compared with
      cooler months (P = 0.003). The highest proportion of wild bird-attributed illness
      occurred in August (P < 0.001), with a significantly lower proportion in November
      (P = 0.018). Among genotypes attributed to specific groups of wild birds,
      seasonality was most apparent for Turdidae-attributed isolates, which were absent
      during cooler, winter months. This study is consistent with some wild bird
      species representing a persistent source of campylobacteriosis, and contributing
      a distinctive seasonal pattern to disease burden. If Oxfordshire is
      representative of the UK as a whole in this respect, these data suggest that the
      national burden of wild bird-attributed isolates could be in the order of 10,000
      annually.

PMID- 26109475
TI  - Treatment of EBV-associated nodular sclerosing Hodgkin lymphoma in a patient with
      ataxia telangiectasia with brentuximab vedotin and reduced COPP plus rituximab.
AB  - Patients with ataxia telangiectasia (AT) with malignancies face poor prognosis
      due to increased treatment-related toxicity. Here, we report a 14-year-old male
      with AT and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) who received brentuximab vedotin and reduced
      COPP plus rituximab courses. This treatment resulted in complete remission and
      showed no severe toxicity.

PMID- 26109477
TI  - Managerial practices and factors influencing reproductive performance of dairy
      cows in urban/peri-urban areas of Kampala and Gulu, Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urban/peri-urban dairy production and sales has evolved as an
      adjustment to cope with food security and economic needs for urban dwellers in
      low-income countries and created an opportunity to transform from subsistence
      rural lifestyles of dairy farming to commercial engagement in towns. However,
      urban/peri-urban dairy farms differ in challenges from rural dairy farms and
      reproduction is important and critical for assuring sustainable economic output
      in both environments. Here we recorded for the first time differences between two
      geographically and economically different cities corresponding to different
      settings within the same country in managerial factors influencing reproductive
      performance in urban/peri-urban dairy cowherds. RESULTS: The urban/peri-urban
      dairy farmers in the capital Kampala were more often male (P = 0.002) and
      commercialized (P = 0.0025), more experienced (P = 0.0001) and practiced zero
      grazing more often (P = 0.05) than in the regional municipality Gulu. Also, the
      milk production per herd and cow (P = 0.0005) and calving rate were (P = 0.0001)
      higher in Kampala and artificial insemination was more commonly (P = 0.002) used
      than in Gulu. There was no difference in abortion nor neonatal mortality rate
      between the two locations. Overall, calving rates were higher (P = 0.0003) in
      smaller (<=3 dairy cows) and open grazing (P = 0.003) herds. Abortion rates were
      higher among dairy herds practicing late (>=5 months) (P = 0.003) calf weaning
      and in herds with commercial purposes (P = 0.0001). Neonatal calf mortality was
      lower (P = 0.01) in small herds. CONCLUSION: The study showed significant
      differences between Kampala and Gulu in reproductive performance and related
      husbandry factors for cows in the urban/peri-urban dairy farming systems. For
      several reproductive performance traits we found associations with husbandry and
      production traits, which should be taken into account when providing advice to
      the urban and peri-urban dairy farmers in the tropics.

PMID- 26109476
TI  - Disrupted functional connectivity of cerebellar default network areas in
      attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
AB  - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is increasingly understood as a
      disorder of spontaneous brain-network interactions. The default mode network
      (DMN), implicated in ADHD-linked behaviors including mind-wandering and
      attentional fluctuations, has been shown to exhibit abnormal spontaneous
      functional connectivity (FC) within-network and with other networks (salience,
      dorsal attention and frontoparietal) in ADHD. Although the cerebellum has been
      implicated in the pathophysiology of ADHD, it remains unknown whether cerebellar
      areas of the DMN (CerDMN) exhibit altered FC with cortical networks in ADHD.
      Here, 23 adults with ADHD and 23 age-, IQ-, and sex-matched controls underwent
      resting state fMRI. The mean time series of CerDMN areas was extracted, and FC
      with the whole brain was calculated. Whole-brain between-group differences in FC
      were assessed. Additionally, relationships between inattention and individual
      differences in FC were assessed for between-group interactions. In ADHD, CerDMN
      areas showed positive FC (in contrast to average FC in the negative direction in
      controls) with widespread regions of salience, dorsal attention and sensorimotor
      networks. ADHD individuals also exhibited higher FC (more positive correlation)
      of CerDMN areas with frontoparietal and visual network regions. Within the
      control group, but not in ADHD, participants with higher inattention had higher
      FC between CerDMN and regions in the visual and dorsal attention networks. This
      work provides novel evidence of impaired CerDMN coupling with cortical networks
      in ADHD and highlights a role of cerebro-cerebellar interactions in cognitive
      function. These data provide support for the potential targeting of CerDMN areas
      for therapeutic interventions in ADHD.

PMID- 26109478
TI  - Safety of intravenous metoprolol use in unmonitored wards: a single-centre
      observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: This study aims to examine and quantify the risks associated
      with the use of intravenous metoprolol on unmonitored wards. METHOD: This study
      was a retrospective single-centre observational study from 1 January 2009 to 31
      December 2013. The study hospital was a 415-bed, private hospital in Melbourne,
      Victoria. The study population was all patients who received intravenous
      metoprolol on an unmonitored ward. The primary outcome measure was the rate of
      serious adverse events (SAE), defined as a complication of intravenous metoprolol
      resulting in transfer to a critical-care environment, a medical emergency team
      call or death. RESULTS: Six hundred and nine patients received a total of 8260
      doses of intravenous metoprolol. Seven cases were identified with a SAE deemed
      possibly related to beta-blocker use and there was one death. All SAE were
      hypotension, giving an overall rate of hypotension of 7/609 or 1.1% (95%
      confidence interval (CI), 0.5 to 2.4%) with a rate per dose delivered of 0.8/1000
      doses (95% CI 0.3 to 1.7). The death occurred in a 94-year-old woman with
      abdominal sepsis. After case file review, consensus opinion deemed this to be
      unrelated to intravenous metoprolol. CONCLUSION: The use of intravenous
      metoprolol on unmonitored wards appears to be safe. The complication rate was
      low, suggesting that this may be a sensible approach to the management of in
      hospital populations at risk of beta-blocker withdrawal.

PMID- 26109479
TI  - Molecular Simulation of the DPPE Lipid Bilayer Gel Phase: Coupling between
      Molecular Packing Order and Tail Tilt Angle.
AB  - The structural properties and thermal stability of
      dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE) in the ordered gel phase have been
      studied by molecular dynamics simulation using two force fields: the Berger
      united-atom model and the CHARMM C36 atomistic model. As is widely known,
      structural features are sensitive to the initial preparation of the gel phase
      structure, as some degrees of freedom are slow to equilibrate on the simulation
      time scale of hundreds of nanoseconds. In particular, we find that the degree of
      alignment of the lipids' glycerol backbones, which join the two hydrocarbon tails
      of each molecule, strongly affects the tilt angle of the tails in the resulting
      structures. Disorder in the backbone correlates with lower tilt angles: bilayer
      configurations initiated with aligned backbones produced tilt angles near 21
      degrees  and 29 degrees  for the Berger and C36 force fields, respectively, while
      structures initiated with randomized backbone orientations showed average tilt
      angles of 7 degrees  and 18 degrees , in closer agreement with the untilted
      structure observed experimentally. The transition temperature for the Berger
      force field gel bilayer has been determined by monitoring changes in width of gel
      phase stripe domains as a function of temperature and is 12 +/- 5 K lower than
      the experimental value. 

PMID- 26109481
TI  - Site-specific Substitutions Eliminate Aggregation Properties of Hemopressin.
AB  - Hemopressin is a naturally occurring and therapeutically relevant peptide with
      applications in hypertension, pain, addiction, and obesity. We had previously
      demonstrated that hemopressin converts into amyloid-like fibrils under aqueous
      conditions. However, the amino acid residues that modulate the aggregation
      propensity of hemopressin were not identified. In this study, we designed and
      synthesized 25 different analogs of hemopressin and analyzed their aggregation
      properties using the principle of dynamic light scattering. As a result, we were
      able to identify four conservative changes in the peptide sequence (Val(2) 
      >DVal(2), Asn(3) ->Gln(3) Leu(7) ->Npg(7) and C-OH->C-NH2) that minimize
      aggregation propensity of hemopressin. The results indicate that hemopressin
      aggregation is cooperative in nature and involves contribution from multiple
      amino acids within the peptide chain. The analogs and the corresponding
      aggregation propensity data reported in this study would be useful for
      researchers investigating therapeutic properties of hemopressin, which have been
      hampered due to the tendency of hemopressin to aggregate in aqueous solutions.

PMID- 26109480
TI  - Metabolic network modeling of microbial communities.
AB  - Genome-scale metabolic network reconstructions and constraint-based analyses are
      powerful methods that have the potential to make functional predictions about
      microbial communities. Genome-scale metabolic networks are used to characterize
      the metabolic functions of microbial communities via several techniques including
      species compartmentalization, separating species-level and community-level
      objectives, dynamic analysis, the 'enzyme-soup' approach, multiscale modeling,
      and others. There are many challenges in the field, including a need for tools
      that accurately assign high-level omics signals to individual community members,
      the need for improved automated network reconstruction methods, and novel
      algorithms for integrating omics data and engineering communities. As
      technologies and modeling frameworks improve, we expect that there will be
      corresponding advances in the fields of ecology, health science, and microbial
      community engineering.

PMID- 26109482
TI  - How Hong Kong helped Vietnamese refugees in 1979.

PMID- 26109483
TI  - Improved cognitive performance after a single dialysis session: where do we go
      from here?

PMID- 26109484
TI  - Novel lectin-independent approach to detect galactose-deficient IgA1 in IgA
      nephropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) is a critical effector molecule in
      the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Although many researchers have
      measured serum levels of Gd-IgA1 using snail helix aspersa agglutinin (HAA)
      lectin-based assay, the lectin-dependent assay has some serious problems in
      robustness. In this study, we aimed to establish a more robust and stable enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method that uses a specific monoclonal
      antibody to recognize a hinge region in human Gd-IgA1 (Gd-IgA1 ELISA). METHODS:
      Rats were immunized with human Gd-IgA1 hinge region peptide to obtain Gd-IgA1
      specific monoclonal antibody KM55. Gd-IgA1 ELISA for specifically detecting serum
      Gd-IgA1 was consequently constructed. Serum Gd-IgA1 concentrations in human
      subjects were measured using KM55 ELISA assay. To further confirm specificity of
      the Gd-IgA1-specific antibody, KM55 was also applied for immunofluorescence
      staining of glomerular Gd-IgA1 in paraffin-embedded sections of renal biopsy
      specimens. RESULTS: Measurement of serum levels of Gd-IgA1 in human subjects by
      Gd-IgA1 ELISA revealed increased serum Gd-IgA1 level in patients with IgAN
      compared with patients with other renal diseases or non-renal diseases.
      Importantly, the results obtained from Gd-IgA1 ELISA positively correlated with
      those from the HAA lectin-based assay (R = 0.75). Immunofluorescence staining of
      renal biopsy specimens with KM55 detected glomerular co-localization of Gd-IgA1
      and IgA. CONCLUSION: This novel lectin-independent method with KM55 for measuring
      serum levels of Gd-IgA1 can pave the way for more convincing diagnosis and
      activity assessment of IgAN, and can expedite clinical research to better
      understand this difficult disease.

PMID- 26109485
TI  - Cost of renal replacement: how to help as many as possible while keeping expenses
      reasonable?
AB  - The treatment of kidney diseases consumes a substantial amount of the health
      budget for a relatively small fraction of the overall population. If the
      nephrological community and society do not develop mechanisms to contain those
      costs, it will become impossible to continue assuring optimal outcomes and
      quality of life while treating all patients who need it. In this article, we
      describe several mechanisms to maintain sustainability of renal replacement
      therapy. These include (i) encouragement of transplantation after both living and
      deceased donation; (ii) stimulation of alternative dialysis strategies besides
      classical hospital haemodialysis, such as home haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis
      or self-care and necessitating less reimbursement; (iii) promotion of educational
      activities guiding the patients towards therapies that are most suited for them;
      (iv) consideration of one or more of cost containment incentives such as bundling
      of reimbursement (if not affecting quality of the treatment), timely patient
      referral, green dialysis, start of dialysis based on clinical necessity rather
      than renal function parameters and/or prevention of CKD or its progression; (v)
      strategically planned adaptations to the expected growth of the ageing population
      in need of renal replacement; (vi) the necessity for support of research in the
      direction of helping as large as possible patient populations for acceptable
      costs; and (vii) the need for more patient-centred approaches. We also extend the
      discussion to the specific situation of kidney diseases in low- and middle-income
      countries. Finally, we point to the dramatic differences in accessibility and
      reimbursement of different modalities throughout Europe. We hope that this text
      will offer a framework for the nephrological community, including patients and
      nurses, and the concerned policy makers and caregivers on how to continue
      reaching all patients in need of renal replacement for affordable expenses.

PMID- 26109486
TI  - Prospective assessment of consensus criteria for evaluation of patients with
      suspected choledocholithiasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE)
      guidelines have proposed criteria to stratify patients into low, intermediate and
      high risk of choledocholithiasis. The criteria include variables that are readily
      available in clinical practice. The objective of the present study was to
      prospectively assess the accuracy of these criteria. METHODS: A prospective
      observational cohort study was conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
      All adult patients referred for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
      (ERCP) with suspected choledocholithiasis were considered for inclusion. ASGE
      criteria were applied, and each patient was categorized as high, intermediate or
      low risk for choledocholithiasis. Presence of stone at ERCP served as criteria
      standard. RESULTS: During the study period, 402 patients met study inclusion
      criteria and 336 were reported in the final analysis. Of the 244 patients in the
      high risk for choledocholithiasis group, 185 were found to have stones at ERCP
      (75.8%, 95% CI 70.2-80.1%). Of the 92 patients in the intermediate risk for
      choledocholithiasis group, 45 had stones at ERCP (48.9%, 95% CI 38.8-59.1%); P
      value for difference between groups = 0.001. Diagnostic accuracy for
      choledocholithiasis in the high-risk group was 69.05%, and for the intermediate
      group was 39.95%. Presence of choledocholithiasis on pre-ERCP imaging (OR: 3.6;
      95% CI 2.2-6.0; P < 0.01), and bilirubin >1.8 but <4 mg/dL (OR: 1.69; 95% CI 1.0
      2.8; P < 0.04) were the strongest predictors of choledocholithiasis. No
      additional variable that improved accuracy of ASGE criteria was identified.
      CONCLUSION: ASGE criteria stratify patients by risk for choledocholithiasis and
      can be used in routine clinical practice.

PMID- 26109487
TI  - Portal vein embolization and its effect on tumour progression for colorectal
      cancer liver metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of
      patients with colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRCLM) exhibiting disease
      progression after portal vein embolization (PVE). METHODS: Patients with CRCLM
      requiring PVE before hepatectomy between 2003 and 2014 were included. Clinical
      variables, and liver and tumour volumes determined by three-dimensional CT
      volumetry were assessed before and after PVE. Overall and disease-free survival
      data were obtained. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses
      were performed to identify predictors of tumour progression after PVE. RESULTS:
      Of 141 patients who underwent PVE, 93 (66.0 per cent) had tumour progression and
      17 (12.1 per cent) developed new contralateral lesions. Significantly fewer
      patients had resectable disease in the group with disease progression than among
      those with stable disease: 43 (46 per cent) of 93 versus 36 (75 per cent) of 48
      respectively (P = 0.001). Median survival was similar in patients with and
      without tumour growth after PVE: 22.5 versus 26.0 months for patients with
      unresectable tumours (P = 0.706) and 46.2 versus 52.2 months for those with
      resectable disease (P = 0.953). However, disease-free survival for patients with
      tumour progression after PVE was shorter than that for patients with stable
      disease (6.0 versus 20.2 months; P = 0.045). Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy
      was the only significant factor associated with tumour progression in
      multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: Tumour progression after PVE did not affect
      overall survival, but patients with resected tumours who had tumour growth after
      embolization experienced earlier recurrence. A borderline response to neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy seemed to be associated with tumour progression after PVE.

PMID- 26109488
TI  - Arrangement and Applying of Movement Patterns in the Cerebellum Based on Semi
      supervised Learning.
AB  - Biological control systems have long been studied as a possible inspiration for
      the construction of robotic controllers. The cerebellum is known to be involved
      in the production and learning of smooth, coordinated movements. Therefore,
      highly regular structure of the cerebellum has been in the core of attention in
      theoretical and computational modeling. However, most of these models reflect
      some special features of the cerebellum without regarding the whole motor command
      computational process. In this paper, we try to make a logical relation between
      the most significant models of the cerebellum and introduce a new learning
      strategy to arrange the movement patterns: cerebellar modular arrangement and
      applying of movement patterns based on semi-supervised learning (CMAPS). We
      assume here the cerebellum like a big archive of patterns that has an efficient
      organization to classify and recall them. The main idea is to achieve an optimal
      use of memory locations by more than just a supervised learning and
      classification algorithm. Surely, more experimental and physiological researches
      are needed to confirm our hypothesis. 

PMID- 26109490
TI  - Effect of premedication and other factors on the occurrence of acute transfusion
      reactions in dogs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of premedication on transfusion reactions (TRs)
      within 24 hours after blood product transfusions in dogs. DESIGN: Retrospective
      study between 2008 and 2011. SETTING: Private veterinary referral hospital.
      ANIMALS: Nine hundred and thirty-five transfusion events in 558 dogs.
      INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Medical records of dogs
      receiving blood product transfusions were reviewed. Information collected
      included signalment, weight, transfusion product type, reason for transfusion,
      first or subsequent transfusion, whether an acute reaction occurred, type of
      reaction, whether the reaction was treated, premedication prior to the
      transfusion and the premedication used, other medications the animal was given,
      whether the animal had an immune-mediated process, and whether the transfusion
      was administered in the perioperative period. A total of 144 (15%) acute TRs were
      documented in 136 dogs. The most common TRs were fever alone (77/144 [53%]) and
      vomiting alone (26/144 [18%]). Six dogs died due to the TR (4%). TR was not
      associated with age (P = 0.257), sex (P = 0.754), weight (P = 0.829), or
      premedication (P = 0.312). The type of blood product transfused (P < 0.001) was
      significantly associated with TRs, with packed RBCs most likely associated with a
      TR, and plasma least likely. Immune disease (P = 0.015) was significantly
      associated with occurrence of a TR. Significantly fewer reactions were documented
      following transfusions given in the perioperative period (P = 0.023).
      CONCLUSIONS: While most TRs were mild, there were some serious reactions observed
      including hemolysis, dyspnea, and 6 deaths. Immune-mediated disease was
      associated with development of a TR, while transfusion during the perioperative
      period was associated with lower likelihood of reaction. Packed RBC transfusions
      were associated with development of acute TRs. Overall occurrence of TR was not
      significantly altered with premedication; however, when evaluated alone,
      antihistamines decreased the incidence of acute allergic reactions.

PMID- 26109491
TI  - Clinical application of 3D display device in ophthalmology: measurement of
      metamorphopsia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop a new tool for detecting metamorphopsia. METHOD: Evaluation
      of diagnostic test. Novel tool for measuring metamorphopsia was developed using
      commercial 3D display. Fifty-eight patients diagnosed with macular disease, which
      included epiretinal membrane, age-related macular degeneration, central serous
      chorioretinopathy and macular hole, as confirmed by macular optical coherence
      tomography were tested with Amsler grid and novel method. The subjective
      perception of metamorphopsia and its effect on the lives of the participants with
      macular disease was also evaluated using a brief questionnaire. The sensitivity
      and specificity to subjective perception of metamorphopsia were compared.
      RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity were 66.7% and 97.7%, respectively,
      using the Amsler grid test, and 100% and 90.7%, respectively, using the 3D novel
      metamorphopsia test developed for this study. CONCLUSIONS: The detection rate of
      metamorphopsia in macular disease using novel metamorphopsia test was
      significantly higher than that using the Amsler grid test. This novel approach to
      detecting for metamorphopsia can also be used at home for self-assessment.

PMID- 26109492
TI  - Adalimumab markedly improves enthesitis in patients with psoriatic arthritis:
      Evaluation with a magnetic resonance imaging scoring system.
AB  - Psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a seronegative arthropathy, may often result in
      progressive joint damage without treatment, leading to disability and impaired
      quality of life. Early therapeutic intervention of PsA is therefore crucial
      before the development of irreversible joint damage. Because psoriatic skin
      lesions generally precede the onset of PsA, dermatologists occupy an important
      position in treating patients with early PsA. This study aimed to evaluate the
      efficacy of adalimumab in treating joint disease in patients with PsA, using the
      PsA magnetic resonance imaging scoring system (PsAMRIS). Five adult Japanese male
      patients with active PsA were treated with adalimumab. Magnetic resonance imaging
      was obtained at baseline and 8-32 weeks with 2-3 time points following adalimumab
      treatment and assessed using PsAMRIS. Adalimumab treatment markedly improved
      clinical symptoms and disease activities of joint disease, which was confirmed by
      the reduction of PsAMRIS scores in all patients. Bone marrow edema and
      periarticular inflammation, reflecting the presence of enthesitis, were
      dramatically improved at week 8, while improvement of synovitis and flexor
      tenosynovitis was observed later, at week 24 or 32. However, bone erosion was not
      improved by adalimumab treatment during the follow-up period. These results
      indicate that adalimumab treatment is associated with dramatic improvement of
      enthesitis in patients with PsA, whereas bone erosion may be resistant to such
      treatment. PsAMRIS appears to be useful for the evaluation of treatment efficacy
      in PsA. 

PMID- 26109493
TI  - Multidrug resistant TB is less transmissible than drug susceptible strains, study
      shows.

PMID- 26109495
TI  - Revealing patterns of local species richness along environmental gradients with a
      novel network tool.
AB  - How species richness relates to environmental gradients at large extents is
      commonly investigated aggregating local site data to coarser grains. However,
      such relationships often change with the grain of analysis, potentially hiding
      the local signal. Here we show that a novel network technique, the "method of
      reflections", could unveil the relationships between species richness and climate
      without such drawbacks. We introduced a new index related to potential species
      richness, which revealed large scale patterns by including at the local community
      level information about species distribution throughout the dataset (i.e., the
      network). The method effectively removed noise, identifying how far site richness
      was from potential. When applying it to study woody species richness patterns in
      Spain, we observed that annual precipitation and mean annual temperature
      explained large parts of the variance of the newly defined species richness,
      highlighting that, at the local scale, communities in drier and warmer areas were
      potentially the species richest. Our method went far beyond what geographical
      upscaling of the data could unfold, and the insights obtained strongly suggested
      that it is a powerful instrument to detect key factors underlying species
      richness patterns, and that it could have numerous applications in ecology and
      other fields. 

PMID- 26109489
TI  - Clinical utility of random anti-tumor necrosis factor drug-level testing and
      measurement of antidrug antibodies on the long-term treatment response in
      rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether antidrug antibodies and/or drug non-trough
      levels predict the long-term treatment response in a large cohort of patients
      with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with adalimumab or etanercept and to
      identify factors influencing antidrug antibody and drug levels to optimize future
      treatment decisions. METHODS: A total of 331 patients from an observational
      prospective cohort were selected (160 patients treated with adalimumab and 171
      treated with etanercept). Antidrug antibody levels were measured by
      radioimmunoassay, and drug levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay in 835 serial serum samples obtained 3, 6, and 12 months after initiation
      of therapy. The association between antidrug antibodies and drug non-trough
      levels and the treatment response (change in the Disease Activity Score in 28
      joints) was evaluated. RESULTS: Among patients who completed 12 months of
      followup, antidrug antibodies were detected in 24.8% of those receiving
      adalimumab (31 of 125) and in none of those receiving etanercept. At 3 months,
      antidrug antibody formation and low adalimumab levels were significant predictors
      of no response according to the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)
      criteria at 12 months (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve
      0.71 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.57, 0.85]). Antidrug antibody-positive
      patients received lower median dosages of methotrexate compared with antidrug
      antibody-negative patients (15 mg/week versus 20 mg/week; P = 0.01) and had a
      longer disease duration (14.0 versus 7.7 years; P = 0.03). The adalimumab level
      was the best predictor of change in the DAS28 at 12 months, after adjustment for
      confounders (regression coefficient 0.060 [95% CI 0.015, 0.10], P = 0.009).
      Etanercept levels were associated with the EULAR response at 12 months
      (regression coefficient 0.088 [95% CI 0.019, 0.16], P = 0.012); however, this
      difference was not significant after adjustment. A body mass index of >=30
      kg/m(2) and poor adherence were associated with lower drug levels. CONCLUSION:
      Pharmacologic testing in anti-tumor necrosis factor-treated patients is
      clinically useful even in the absence of trough levels. At 3 months, antidrug
      antibodies and low adalimumab levels are significant predictors of no response
      according to the EULAR criteria at 12 months.

PMID- 26109496
TI  - Oxytocin and bone status in men: analysis of the MINOS cohort.
AB  - Oxytocin, a neurohypophysial hormone, regulates bone metabolism in animal studies
      and postmenopausal women. In men, oxytocin is not associated with bone mineral
      density, bone turnover markers, or prevalent fractures, but weakly negatively
      with incident fragility fracture requiring further studies. INTRODUCTION: We
      previously showed that serum oxytocin (OT) level is associated with bone mineral
      density (BMD) and bone turnover rate in postmenopausal women. The aim of our
      study was to assess the relationship between circulating OT levels and bone
      status in men. METHODS: In 552 men aged 50 and older from the MINOS cohort, we
      measured serum levels of OT. We assessed the association of serum OT levels with
      BMD (lumbar, femoral neck, total hip), bone turnover markers (BTM) (serum N
      terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP), bone-specific alkaline
      phosphatase (bone ALP), and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I))
      and fracture risk. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, serum OT level was not
      associated with BMD at any site, BTM levels, or with prevalent or incident
      fracture. OT was significantly correlated with body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.17, p
      < 0.001), total or bioavalaible 17beta-estradiol (r = 0.09, p = 0.04 and r =
      0.20, p < 0.001, respectively), free testosterone (r = 0.17, p < 0.001), and
      leptin (r = 0.16, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis did not show significant
      relationship between serum OT and BMD. After adjustment for age, BMI, interaction
      BMI/age, history of fall in the last year, and BMD, OT and prevalent fracture
      were not associated. By contrast, the same analysis with additional adjustment
      for prevalent fracture showed a weakly significant negative association between
      OT and incident fracture, e.g., after adjustment for femoral neck BMD, HR = 0.73,
      95 %CI 0.55-0.99, p = 0.04. CONCLUSION: In men, serum OT levels are not
      associated with BMD, bone turnover rate, or prevalent fractures. The weak
      negative relationship with fracture risk requires further studies.

PMID- 26109497
TI  - A far-red fluorescent probe for flow cytometry and image-based functional studies
      of xenobiotic sequestering macrophages.
AB  - Clofazimine (CFZ) is an optically active, red-colored chemotherapeutic agent that
      is FDA approved for the treatment of leprosy and is on the World Health
      Organization's list of essential medications. Interestingly, CFZ massively
      accumulates in macrophages where it forms crystal-like drug inclusions (CLDIs)
      after oral administration of the drug in animals and humans. The analysis of the
      fluorescence spectra of CLDIs formed by resident tissue macrophages revealed that
      CFZ, when accumulated as CLDIs, undergoes a red shift in fluorescence excitation
      (from Ex: 540-570 to 560-600 nm) and emission (Em: 560-580 to 640-700 nm) signal
      relative to the soluble and free-base crystal forms of CFZ. Using epifluorescence
      microscopy, CLDI(+) cells could be identified, relative to CLDI(-) cells, based
      on a >3-fold increment in mean fluorescence signal at excitation 640 nm and
      emission at 670 nm. Similarly, CLDI(+) cells could be identified by flow
      cytometry, based on a >100-fold increment in mean fluorescence signal using
      excitation lasers at 640 nm and emission detectors >600 nm. CLDI's fluorescence
      excitation and emission was orthogonal to that of cell viability dyes such as
      propidium iodide and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride (DAPI),
      cellular staining dyes such as Hoechst 33342 (nucleus) and FM 1-43 (plasma
      membrane), as well as many other fluorescently tagged antibodies used for
      immunophenotyping analyses. In vivo, >85% of CLDI(+) cells in the peritoneal
      exudate were F4/80(+) macrophages and >97% of CLDI(+) cells in the alveolar
      exudate were CD11c(+). Most importantly, the viability of cells was minimally
      affected by the presence of CLDIs. Accordingly, these results establish that CFZ
      fluorescence in CLDIs is suitable for quantitative flow cytometric phenotyping
      analysis and functional studies of xenobiotic sequestering macrophages.

PMID- 26109498
TI  - Heat-related illness in China, summer of 2013.
AB  - Extreme heat events have occurred more frequently in China in recent years,
      leading to serious impacts on human life and the health care system. To identify
      the characteristics of individuals with heat-related illnesses in China during
      the summer of 2013, we collected the data from the Heat-related Illness
      Surveillance System in Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China
      CDC). A total of 5758 cases were reported in the summer of 2013, mostly
      concentrated in urban areas around the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze
      River. We found a difference in age distribution of percentage of deaths from
      heat-related illness between males and females. Severe cases in males mostly
      occurred in the age group 45-74 years but in females mostly in the age group over
      75. A distributed lag non-linear model had been used to identify population
      vulnerabilities in Ningbo and Chongqing. The results show that there was a clear
      positive relationship between maximum temperature and heat-related illness, and
      the heat effect was nonlinear and could last for 3 days. The elderly and males in
      the range of 45-64 years old might be the most vulnerable people of heat-related
      illness in China. We also highlighted some deficiencies of the surveillance
      system, such that the reported data were not accurate, comprehensive, or timely
      enough at this stage. 

PMID- 26109499
TI  - 20(S)-protopanaxatriol inhibits liver X receptor alpha-mediated expression of
      lipogenic genes in hepatocytes.
AB  - 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT) is an aglycone of ginsenosides isolated from Panax
      ginseng and has several interesting activities, including anti-inflammatory and
      anti-oxidative stress effects. Herein, PPT was identified as an inhibitor against
      the ligand-dependent transactivation of liver X receptor alpha (LXRalpha) using a
      Gal4-TK-luciferase reporter system. LXRalpha is a transcription factor of nuclear
      hormone receptor family and stimulates the transcription of many metabolic genes,
      such as lipogenesis- or reverse cholesterol transport (RCT)-related genes.
      Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that PPT inhibited the LXRalpha-dependent
      transcription of lipogenic genes, such as sterol regulatory element binding
      protein-1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid synthase, and stearoyl CoA desaturase 1. These
      inhibitory effects of PPT are, at least in part, a consequence of the reduced
      recruitment of RNA polymerase II to the LXR response element (LXRE) of the SREBP
      1c promoter. Furthermore, LXRalpha-dependent triglyceride accumulation in primary
      mouse hepatocytes was significantly reduced by PPT. Interestingly, PPT did not
      inhibit the LXRalpha-dependent transcription of ABCA1, a crucial LXRalpha target
      gene involved in RCT. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that PPT
      repressed recruitment of the lipogenic coactivator TRAP80 to the SREBP-1c LXRE,
      but not the ABCA1 LXRE. Overall, these data suggest that PPT has selective
      inhibitory activity against LXRalpha-mediated lipogenesis, but not LXRalpha
      stimulated RCT. 

PMID- 26109500
TI  - Lifetime Reduction and Enhanced Emission of Single Photon Color Centers in
      Nanodiamond via Surrounding Refractive Index Modification.
AB  - The negatively-charged nitrogen vacancy (NV(-)) center in diamond is of great
      interest for quantum information processing and quantum key distribution
      applications due to its highly desirable long coherence times at room
      temperature. One of the challenges for their use in these applications involves
      the requirement to further optimize the lifetime and emission properties of the
      centers. Our results demonstrate the reduction of the lifetime of NV(-) centers,
      and hence an increase in the emission rate, achieved by modifying the refractive
      index of the environment surrounding the nanodiamond (ND). By coating the NDs in
      a polymer film, experimental results and numerical calculations show an average
      of 63% reduction in the lifetime and an average enhancement in the emission rate
      by a factor of 1.6. This strategy is also applicable for emitters other than
      diamond color centers where the particle refractive index is greater than the
      refractive index of the surrounding media. 

PMID- 26109501
TI  - Cardiomyocyte-Driven Actuation in Biohybrid Microcylinders.
AB  - Biohybrid microcylinders are fabricated using electrohydrodynamic cojetting
      followed by a surface chemistry approach to maximize cell-adhesive
      characteristics. As proper cell alignment and mechanical stiffness are important
      components of bioactuator design, spatial cell selectivity and stress/strain
      properties of microcylinders are characterized to demonstrate their capability of
      response to rat cardio-myocyte contraction. These microcylinders can find
      applications in a host of micromechanical systems.

PMID- 26109502
TI  - Mismatch of Sleep and Work Timing and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether a mismatch between chronotype (i.e., preferred
      sleep timing) and work schedule is associated with type 2 diabetes risk. RESEARCH
      DESIGN AND METHODS: In the Nurses' Health Study 2, we followed 64,615 women from
      2005 to 2011. Newly developed type 2 diabetes was the outcome measure (n =
      1,452). A question on diurnal preference ascertained chronotype in 2009; rotating
      night shift work exposure was assessed regularly since 1989. RESULTS: Compared
      with intermediate chronotypes, early chronotypes had a slightly decreased
      diabetes risk after multivariable adjustment (odds ratio 0.87 [95% CI 0.77
      0.98]), whereas no significant association was observed for late chronotypes
      (1.04 [0.89-1.21]). Among early chronotypes, risk of type 2 diabetes was modestly
      reduced when working daytime schedules (0.81 [0.63-1.04]) and remained similarly
      reduced in women working <10 years of rotating night shifts (0.84 [0.72-0.98]).
      After >=10 years of shift work exposure, early chronotypes had a nonsignificant
      elevated diabetes risk (1.15 [0.81-1.63], Ptrend = 0.014). By contrast, among
      late chronotypes, the significantly increased diabetes risk observed among day
      workers (1.51 [1.13-2.02]) appeared largely attenuated if their work schedules
      included night shifts (<10 years: 0.93 [0.76-1.13]; >=10 years: 0.87 [0.56-1.34];
      Ptrend = 0.14). The interaction between chronotype and shift work exposure was
      significant (Pinteraction = 0.0004). Analyses restricting to incident cases
      revealed similar patterns. CONCLUSIONS: In early chronotypes, type 2 diabetes
      risk increased with increasing duration of shift work exposure, whereas late
      types had the highest diabetes risk working daytime schedules. These data add to
      the growing body of evidence that workers could benefit from shift schedules
      minimizing interference with chronotype-dependent sleep timing.

PMID- 26109503
TI  - Identifying Glucokinase Monogenic Diabetes in a Multiethnic Gestational Diabetes
      Mellitus Cohort: New Pregnancy Screening Criteria and Utility of HbA1c.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Glucokinase monogenic diabetes (GCK-maturity-onset diabetes of the
      young [MODY]) should be differentiated from gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)
      because management differs. New pregnancy-specific screening criteria (NSC) have
      been proposed to identify women who warrant GCK genetic testing. We tested NSC
      and HbA1c in a multiethnic GDM cohort and examined projected referrals for GCK
      testing. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Using a GDM database, 63 of 776 women had a
      postpartum oral glucose tolerance test suggestive of GCK-MODY. Of these 63 women,
      31 agreed to undergo GCK testing. NSC accuracy and HbA1c were examined. Projected
      referrals were calculated by applying the NSC to a larger GDM database (n =
      4,415). RESULTS: Four of 31 women were confirmed as having GCK-MODY (prevalence
      ~0.5-1/100 with GDM). The NSC identified all Anglo-Celtic women but did not
      identify one Indian woman. The NSC will refer 6.1% of GDM cases for GCK testing,
      with more Asian/Indian women referred despite lower disease prevalence.
      Antepartum HbA1c was not higher in those with GCK-MODY. CONCLUSIONS: The NSC
      performed well in Anglo-Celtic women. Ethnic-specific criteria should be
      explored.

PMID- 26109504
TI  - Apocynin Attenuates Cardiac Injury in Type 4 Cardiorenal Syndrome via Suppressing
      Cardiac Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 With Oxidative Stress Inhibition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 4 cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) refers to the cardiac injury
      induced by chronic kidney disease. We aimed to assess oxidative stress and
      cardiac injury in patients with type 4 CRS, determine whether the antioxidant
      apocynin attenuated cardiac injury in rats with type 4 CRS, and explore potential
      mechanisms. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among
      patients with type 4 CRS (n=17) and controls (n=16). Compared with controls,
      patients with type 4 CRS showed elevated oxidative stress, which was
      significantly correlated with cardiac hypertrophy and decreased ejection
      fraction. In vivo study, male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 5/6 subtotal
      nephrectomy and sham surgery, followed with apocynin or vehicle treatment for 8
      weeks. Eight weeks after surgery, the 5/6 subtotal nephrectomy rats mimicked type
      4 CRS, showing increased serum creatinine, cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, and
      decreased ejection fraction compared with sham-operated animals. Cardiac
      malondialdehyde, NADPH oxidase activity, fibroblast growth factor-2, and
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation increased
      significantly in the 5/6 subtotal nephrectomy rats. These changes were
      significantly attenuated by apocynin. In vitro study showed that apocynin reduced
      angiotensin II-induced NADPH oxidase-dependent oxidative stress, upregulation of
      fibroblast growth factor-2 and fibrosis biomarkers, and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in
      cardiac fibroblasts. Importantly, the ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126 reduced the
      upregulation of fibroblast growth factor-2 and fibrosis biomarkers in angiotensin
      II-treated fibroblasts. CONCLUSIONS: Oxidative stress is a candidate mediator for
      type 4 CRS. Apocynin attenuated cardiac injury in type 4 CRS rats via inhibiting
      NADPH oxidase-dependent oxidative stress-activated ERK1/2 pathway and subsequent
      fibroblast growth factor-2 upregulation. Our study added evidence to the
      beneficial effect of apocynin in type 4 CRS.

PMID- 26109506
TI  - Effects of fetal cardiac anomalies on ductus venosus and aortic isthmus doppler
      profiles.
AB  - PURPOSE: To demonstrate the blood flow profiles of fetuses with cardiac anomalies
      at the level of Ductus venosus (DV) and Aortic isthmus (AI) to evaluate the
      effects of fetal cardiac anomalies on these profiles, and how these profile
      changes contribute to cardiac anomaly screening studies as a marker. METHODS: DV
      and AI doppler studies were applied to 64 singleton pregnant women with fetal
      cardiac anomalies and 74 pregnant women with healthy fetuses. DV-PVIV (peak
      velocity index for veins) for DV and IFI (isthmic flow index) for AI were used.
      RESULTS: DV doppler studies in fetuses with cardiac anomalies and healthy fetuses
      did not show statistically significant difference. But the results of the AI
      doppler studies had statistically significant difference in the fetal cardiac
      anomaly group with the exception of cases with dilatation and regurgitation. When
      right-sided heart anomaly and the remaining cases were compared with the control
      groups, AI doppler results also showed lower IFI values. CONCLUSIONS: DV doppler
      studies in the second or third trimester may not be suitable as a screening test
      for congenital heart disease, but AI doppler studies might be considered as a
      supporting parameter. But further studies are needed for routine clinical use.

PMID- 26109505
TI  - High Cholesterol Awareness, Treatment, and Control Among Hispanic/Latinos:
      Results From the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We assessed high cholesterol (HC) awareness, treatment, and control
      rates among US Hispanic/Latino adults and describe factors associated with HC
      awareness and management. METHODS AND RESULTS: Baseline data (collected 2008
      2011) from a multisite probability sample of Hispanic/Latino adults in the
      Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (18 to 74 years old; N=16 207)
      were analyzed. HC was defined as low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol >=130 mg/dL
      and/or total cholesterol >=240 mg/dL or use of cholesterol-lowering medication.
      Among Hispanic/Latino adults with HC, almost half (49.3%) were not aware of their
      condition and only 29.5% were receiving treatment. Men had a higher HC prevalence
      than women (44.0% versus 40.5%) but a lower rate of treatment (28.1% versus
      30.6%). Younger adults were significantly less likely to be HC aware compared to
      those who were older. Those with hypertension, diabetes, and high socioeconomic
      position were more likely to be HC aware. US-born Hispanic/Latino were more
      likely to be HC unaware than foreign-born Hispanics/Latinos, but longer US
      residency was significantly associated with being HC aware, treated, and
      controlled. Cholesterol control was achieved among 64.3% of those who were HC
      treated. However, younger adults, women, those with lower income, those
      uninsured, and more recent immigrants were less likely to be HC controlled.
      Individuals of Puerto Rican or Dominican background were most likely to be HC
      aware and treated, whereas those of Mexican or Central American background were
      least likely to be HC treated. Individuals of Cuban and South American background
      had the lowest rates of HC control, whereas Puerto Ricans had the highest.
      CONCLUSIONS: Understanding gaps in HC awareness, treatment, and control among US
      Hispanic/Latino adults can help inform physicians and policymakers to improve
      disease management and patient education programs.

PMID- 26109507
TI  - Single-site trinuclear copper oxygen clusters in mordenite for selective
      conversion of methane to methanol.
AB  - Copper-exchanged zeolites with mordenite structure mimic the nuclearity and
      reactivity of active sites in particulate methane monooxygenase, which are
      enzymes able to selectively oxidize methane to methanol. Here we show that the
      mordenite micropores provide a perfect confined environment for the highly
      selective stabilization of trinuclear copper-oxo clusters that exhibit a high
      reactivity towards activation of carbon-hydrogen bonds in methane and its
      subsequent transformation to methanol. The similarity with the enzymatic systems
      is also implied from the similarity of the reversible rearrangements of the
      trinuclear clusters occurring during the selective transformations of methane
      along the reaction path towards methanol, in both the enzyme system and copper
      exchanged mordenite. 

PMID- 26109508
TI  - Efficient production of indigoidine in Escherichia coli.
AB  - Indigoidine is a bacterial natural product with antioxidant and antimicrobial
      activities. Its bright blue color resembles the industrial dye indigo, thus
      representing a new natural blue dye that may find uses in industry. In our
      previous study, an indigoidine synthetase Sc-IndC and an associated helper
      protein Sc-IndB were identified from Streptomyces chromofuscus ATCC 49982 and
      successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BAP1 to produce the blue pigment at
      3.93 g/l. To further improve the production of indigoidine, in this work, the
      direct biosynthetic precursor L-glutamine was fed into the fermentation broth of
      the engineered E. coli strain harboring Sc-IndC and Sc-IndB. The highest titer of
      indigoidine reached 8.81 +/- 0.21 g/l at 1.46 g/l L-glutamine. Given the
      relatively high price of L-glutamine, a metabolic engineering technique was used
      to directly enhance the in situ supply of this precursor. A glutamine synthetase
      gene (glnA) was amplified from E. coli and co-expressed with Sc-indC and Sc-indB
      in E. coli BAP1, leading to the production of indigoidine at 5.75 +/- 0.09 g/l.
      Because a nitrogen source is required for amino acid biosynthesis, we then tested
      the effect of different nitrogen-containing salts on the supply of L-glutamine
      and subsequent indigoidine production. Among the four tested salts including
      (NH4)2SO4, NH4Cl, (NH4)2HPO4 and KNO3, (NH4)2HPO4 showed the best effect on
      improving the titer of indigoidine. Different concentrations of (NH4)2HPO4 were
      added to the fermentation broths of E. coli BAP1/Sc-IndC+Sc-IndB+GlnA, and the
      titer reached the highest (7.08 +/- 0.11 g/l) at 2.5 mM (NH4)2HPO4. This work
      provides two efficient methods for the production of this promising blue pigment
      in E. coli. 

PMID- 26109509
TI  - Nanopore sensing of individual transcription factors bound to DNA.
AB  - Transcription factor (TF)-DNA interactions are the primary control point in
      regulation of gene expression. Characterization of these interactions is
      essential for understanding genetic regulation of biological systems and
      developing novel therapies to treat cellular malfunctions. Solid-state nanopores
      are a highly versatile class of single-molecule sensors that can provide rich
      information about local properties of long charged biopolymers using the current
      blockage patterns generated during analyte translocation, and provide a novel
      platform for characterization of TF-DNA interactions. The DNA-binding domain of
      the TF Early Growth Response Protein 1 (EGR1), a prototypical zinc finger protein
      known as zif268, is used as a model system for this study. zif268 adopts two
      distinct bound conformations corresponding to specific and nonspecific binding,
      according to the local DNA sequence. Here we implement a solid-state nanopore
      platform for direct, label- and tether-free single-molecule detection of zif268
      bound to DNA. We demonstrate detection of single zif268 TFs bound to DNA
      according to current blockage sublevels and duration of translocation through the
      nanopore. We further show that the nanopore can detect and discriminate both
      specific and nonspecific binding conformations of zif268 on DNA via the distinct
      current blockage patterns corresponding to each of these two known binding modes.

PMID- 26109510
TI  - Interaction of Anthracycline 3'-azido-epirubicin with Calf Thymus DNA via
      Spectral and Molecular Modeling Techniques.
AB  - Anthracycline antibiotics are extensively applied to clinical antitumor therapy.
      The binding mode and mechanism of a new anthracycline 3'-azido-epirubicin (AEPI)
      with calf thymus deoxyribonucleic acid (ctDNA) were investigated employing
      multiple spectroscopy techniques in Tris-HCl buffer solution (pH 7.4). Effect of
      pH on the interaction was provided to determine the proper environment for whole
      research. Iodide quenching studies and fluorescence polarization measurement
      indicated that ctDNA quenched the fluorescence of AEPI significantly via
      intercalation binding mode. The binding constants and binding sites for the
      interaction were calculated. From binding constant dependence on the temperature,
      static quenching mechanism of AEPI by ctDNA was confirmed based on the Stern
      Volmer equation. Additionally, the thermodynamic parameters for the reaction
      revealed that the van der Waals force and hydrogen bonding were the main acting
      forces in the binding process. Molecular modeling result indicated that the
      hydrogen bonding played a major role in the binding of AEPI to ctDNA.

PMID- 26109511
TI  - Non-oncologic applications of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the
      genitourinary system.
AB  - Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has become an increasingly used tool in
      abdominal and pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), primarily in the oncologic
      setting. DWI sequences are being added to routine MRI protocols at many
      institutions, and as its use has spread, more non-oncologic applications have
      been explored. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of DWI
      applications in inflammatory, infectious, autoimmune-mediated, and ischemic
      processes affecting the genitourinary system. 

PMID- 26109512
TI  - Warmer temperature accelerates methane emissions from the Zoige wetland on the
      Tibetan Plateau without changing methanogenic community composition.
AB  - Zoige wetland, locating on the Tibet Plateau, accounts for 6.2% of organic carbon
      storage in China. However, the fate of the organic carbon storage in the Zoige
      wetland remains poorly understood despite the Tibetan Plateau is very sensitive
      to global climate change. As methane is an important greenhouse gas and
      methanogenesis is the terminal step in the decomposition of organic matter,
      understanding how methane emissions from the Zoige wetland is fundamental to
      elucidate the carbon cycle in alpine wetlands responding to global warming. In
      this study, microcosms were performed to investigate the effects of temperature
      and vegetation on methane emissions and microbial processes in the Zoige wetland
      soil. A positive correlation was observed between temperature and methane
      emissions. However, temperature had no effect on the main methanogenic pathway-
      acetotrophic methanogenesis. Moreover, methanogenic community composition was not
      related to temperature, but was associated with vegetation, which was also
      involved in methane emissions. Taken together, these results indicate temperature
      increases methane emissions in alpine wetlands, while vegetation contributes
      significantly to methanogenic community composition and is associated with
      methane emissions. These findings suggest that in alpine wetlands temperature and
      vegetation act together to affect methane emissions, which furthers a global
      warming feedback loop.

PMID- 26109513
TI  - Alternative treatment of vaginal infections - in vitro antimicrobial and toxic
      effects of Coriandrum sativum L. and Thymus vulgaris L. essential oils.
AB  - AIMS: The aims of study were to examine the antibacterial potential of two
      commercial essential oils (EOs) from coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) and thyme
      (Thymus vulgaris L.) against vaginal clinical strains of bacteria and yeast and
      their chemical composition. METHODS AND RESULTS: Antimicrobial activities of
      commercial essential oils were determined using macro-diffusion (disc, well) and
      micro-dilution method in 96-well micro plates against twelve clinical strains of
      bacteria: Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus aureus and
      Enterococcus sp., Staph. aureus ATCC 25923, ATCC 6538 and E. coli 25922 and two
      clinical Candida albicans strains, including ATTC 10231. Spectrophotometric
      method was used for determination on C. albicans growth. An antimicrobial effect
      of EOs was strain specific. Bactericidal activity was higher for coriander EO
      (minimal inhibitory concentration (MICs) 0.4-45.4 MUl ml(-1)) against almost all
      tested bacteria, except multiple resistant strains of Eneterococcus sp. and
      Proteus sp. Thyme EO showed slightly better fungicidal activity reaching MIC at
      0.11 mg ml(-1) for all C. albicans strains. The effect of EOs on biofilm-forming
      ability was tested for two strains of Staph. aureus and E. coli, as well as on C.
      albicans filamentation ability. Brine shrimp lethality bioassay revealed thymus
      oil total toxicity and coriander oil intoxicity (LC50 = 2.25 mg ml(-1)). The
      chemical composition of oils was analysed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry
      showing oxygenated monoterepenes as dominant constituents. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results provide in-vitro scientific support for the safety possible use of
      Coriander EO against E. coli, Staph. aureus and C. albicans vaginal infections in
      alternative gynaecological treatment. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY: To
      examine EOs as possible constituent of naturally based antimicrobial agents in
      vaginaletes for safety gynaecological application.

PMID- 26109514
TI  - Viral activities and life cycles in deep subseafloor sediments.
AB  - Viruses are highly abundant in marine subsurface sediments and can even exceed
      the number of prokaryotes. However, their activity and quantitative impact on
      microbial populations are still poorly understood. Here, we use gene expression
      data from published continental margin subseafloor metatranscriptomes to
      qualitatively assess viral diversity and activity in sediments up to 159 metres
      below seafloor (mbsf). Mining of the metatranscriptomic data revealed 4651
      representative viral homologues (RVHs), representing 2.2% of all
      metatranscriptome sequence reads, which have close translated homology (average
      77%, range 60-97% amino acid identity) to viral proteins. Archaea-infecting RVHs
      are exclusively detected in the upper 30 mbsf, whereas RVHs for filamentous
      inoviruses predominate in the deepest sediment layers. RVHs indicative of
      lysogenic phage-host interactions and lytic activity, notably cell lysis, are
      detected at all analysed depths and suggest a dynamic virus-host association in
      the marine deep biosphere studied here. Ongoing lytic viral activity is further
      indicated by the expression of clustered, regularly interspaced, short
      palindromic repeat-associated cascade genes involved in cellular defence against
      viral attacks. The data indicate the activity of viruses in subsurface sediment
      of the Peruvian margin and suggest that viruses indeed cause cell mortality and
      may play an important role in the turnover of subseafloor microbial biomass.

PMID- 26109515
TI  - Impact of Lean on surgical instrument reduction: Less is more.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To determine whether instrument sets that are frequently
      used by multiple surgeons can be substantially reduced in size with consensus.
      STUDY DESIGN: Prospective quality improvement study using Lean Six Sigma for
      purposeful and consensual reduction of non-value-added instruments in
      adenotonsillectomy instrument sets. METHODS: Value stream mapping was utilized to
      determine instrumentation usage and reprocessing workflow. Preintervention
      instrument utilization surveys allowed consensual and intelligent set reduction.
      Non-value-added instruments were targeted for waste elimination by placement in a
      supplemental set. Times for pre- and postintervention instrument assembly, Mayo
      setup, and surgery were collected for adenotonsillectomies. Postintervention
      satisfaction surveys of surgeons and staff were conducted. RESULTS:
      Adenotonsillectomy sets were reduced from 52 to 24 instruments. Median assembly
      times were significantly reduced from 8.4 to 4.7 minutes (P < .0001) with a set
      assembly cost reduction of 44%. Following natural log transformations, mean Mayo
      setup times were significantly reduced from 97.6 to 76.1 seconds (P < .0001), and
      mean operative times were not significantly affected (1,773 vs. 1,631 seconds, P
      > .05). The supplemental set was opened in only 3.6% of cases. Satisfaction was
      >90% regarding the intervention. Set build cost was reduced by $1,468.99 per set.
      CONCLUSIONS: Lean Six Sigma improves efficiency and reduces waste by empowering
      team members to improve their environment. Instrument set reduction is ideal for
      waste elimination because of tool accumulation over time and instrument
      obsolescence as newer technologies are adopted. Similar interventions could
      easily be applied to larger sinus, mastoidectomy, and spine sets. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: NA.

PMID- 26109516
TI  - Reconstruction of maxillary defect with musculo-adipose rectus free flap.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rectus myocutaneous free flap (RMFF) is used for medium to large
      maxillectomy defects. However, in patients with central obesity the inset could
      be difficult due to the bulk from excessive layer of adipose tissue. We describe
      a modification of the RMFF for patients with excessive central obesity with a
      flap consisting of adipose tissue with minimal rectus muscle; the musculo-adipose
      rectus free flap (MARF). METHODS: Five cases of MARF reconstruction were
      performed between 2003 and 2013, with patients' body mass indexes ranging from
      29.0 to 41.2 kg/m2 . All patients had sinonasal tumor, of which three were
      adenoid cystic carcinoma, one squamous cell carcinoma, and one melanoma. Four
      patients had Codeiro IIIb defects and one had Codeiro II defect. Using the MARF
      technique, the maxillectomy defect was obliterated with vascularized adipose
      tissue overlying the rectus muscle and was trimmed to fit the maxillectomy
      defect. The adipose tissue was allowed to granulate and mucosalize. RESULTS: The
      volume of adipose tissue harvested was between 120 and 160 mL. All flaps survived
      with no requirement for re-exploration. Complete oro-nasal separation was
      achieved in all patients. The time to commencement of oral intake ranges from 5
      to 15 days. One patient developed seroma and one developed wound breakdown on the
      donor site. The length of stay at the hospital ranges from 9 to 22 days. On
      follow-up ranging 7.5-32.8 months, two patients died from their malignancies. The
      other three patients were able to tolerate oral soft diet. CONCLUSION: The MARF
      may be considered as an alternative to myocutaneous rectus free flap particularly
      for the reconstruction of maxillary defects in patients with central obesity. (c)
      2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 37:137-141, 2017.

PMID- 26109517
TI  - The Role of 17beta-Estradiol in Myocardial Hypertrophy in Females in the Presence
      and Absence of Hypertension.
AB  - PURPOSE: There are gender-differences in the development of cardiac hypertrophy,
      which appear to be related, in part, to sex hormones. This report gives an
      overview of this relationship and reports on original data assessing how varying
      levels of plasma 17beta-estradiol determine relative heart size, in vivo
      function, in hypertensive versus normotensive rats. METHODS: Female spontaneously
      hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were either
      surgically neutered or sham operated at 21 days of age. A subgroup of neutered
      females received 17beta-estradiol replacement. At 6 months, in vivo heart
      function was measured, the heart/body weight ratio (mg/g) was assessed as a
      measure of hypertrophy and correlated with plasma 17beta-estradiol. RESULTS:
      There was a significant positive relationship between plasma 17beta-estradiol and
      heart/body weight ratio in both WKY (R = 0.509, P = 0.011) and SHR females (R =
      0.359, P = 0.032). Interestingly, the slope of this relationship was 2-fold
      steeper in the WKY females, suggesting a blunted effect in the SHR, whose hearts
      also had 35 % lower ERbeta content. With increasing plasma estradiol levels, WKY
      females showed improved LV function while SHR females showed impaired LV
      relaxation. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma estradiol modulates relative heart mass in both
      normotensive and hypertensive female rats. With any increase in plasma 17beta
      estradiol, hypertensive females show a blunted response compared with the
      normotensive females, which may be related to a reduced estrogen receptor
      expression in the presence of hypertension. In contrast to normotensive females,
      hypertensive females showed impaired function with increases in plasma 17beta
      estradiol.

PMID- 26109518
TI  - Prestimulus oscillatory alpha power and connectivity patterns predispose
      perceptual integration of an audio and a tactile stimulus.
AB  - To efficiently perceive and respond to the external environment, our brain has to
      perceptually integrate or segregate stimuli of different modalities. The temporal
      relationship between the different sensory modalities is therefore essential for
      the formation of different multisensory percepts. In this magnetoencephalography
      study, we created a paradigm where an audio and a tactile stimulus were presented
      by an ambiguous temporal relationship so that perception of physically identical
      audiotactile stimuli could vary between integrated (emanating from the same
      source) and segregated. This bistable paradigm allowed us to compare identical
      bimodal stimuli that elicited different percepts, providing a possibility to
      directly infer multisensory interaction effects. Local differences in alpha power
      over bilateral inferior parietal lobules (IPLs) and superior parietal lobules
      (SPLs) preceded integrated versus segregated percepts of the two stimuli (audio
      and tactile). Furthermore, differences in long-range cortical functional
      connectivity seeded in rIPL (region of maximum difference) revealed differential
      patterns that predisposed integrated or segregated percepts encompassing
      secondary areas of all different modalities and prefrontal cortex. We showed that
      the prestimulus brain states predispose the perception of the audiotactile
      stimulus both in a global and a local manner. Our findings are in line with a
      recent consistent body of findings on the importance of prestimulus brain states
      for perception of an upcoming stimulus. This new perspective on how stimuli
      originating from different modalities are integrated suggests a non-modality
      specific network predisposing multisensory perception.

PMID- 26109519
TI  - Classification of diabetes maculopathy images using data-adaptive neuro-fuzzy
      inference classifier.
AB  - Prolonged diabetes retinopathy leads to diabetes maculopathy, which causes
      gradual and irreversible loss of vision. It is important for physicians to have a
      decision system that detects the early symptoms of the disease. This can be
      achieved by building a classification model using machine learning algorithms.
      Fuzzy logic classifiers group data elements with a degree of membership in
      multiple classes by defining membership functions for each attribute. Various
      methods have been proposed to determine the partitioning of membership functions
      in a fuzzy logic inference system. A clustering method partitions the membership
      functions by grouping data that have high similarity into clusters, while an
      equalized universe method partitions data into predefined equal clusters. The
      distribution of each attribute determines its partitioning as fine or coarse. A
      simple grid partitioning partitions each attribute equally and is therefore not
      effective in handling varying distribution amongst the attributes. A data
      adaptive method uses a data frequency-driven approach to partition each attribute
      based on the distribution of data in that attribute. A data-adaptive neuro-fuzzy
      inference system creates corresponding rules for both finely distributed and
      coarsely distributed attributes. This method produced more useful rules and a
      more effective classification system. We obtained an overall accuracy of 98.55%.

PMID- 26109520
TI  - Quantitative measurement of Parkinsonian gait from walking in monocular image
      sequences using a centroid tracking algorithm.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous
      system that results from the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the
      substantia nigra. Abnormal gait begins in the early stage and becomes severe as
      the disease progresses; therefore, the assessment of gait becomes an important
      issue in evaluating the progression of PD and the effectiveness of treatment. To
      provide a clinically useful gait assessment in environments with budget and space
      limitations, such as a small clinic or home, we propose and develop a portable
      method utilizing the monocular image sequences of walking to track and analyze a
      Parkinsonian gait pattern. In addition, a centroid tracking algorithm is
      developed and used here to enhance the method of quantifying kinematic gait
      parameters of PD in different states. Twelve healthy subjects and twelve mild
      patients with PD participate in this study. This method requires one digital
      video camera and subjects with two joint markers attached on the fibula head and
      the lateral malleolus of the leg. All subjects walk with a natural pace in front
      of a video camera during the trials. Results of our study demonstrate the stride
      length and walking velocity significantly decrease in PD without drug compared to
      PD with drug in both proposed method and simultaneous gait assessment performed
      by GAITRite((r)) system. In gait initiation, step length and swing velocity also
      decrease in PD without drug compared to both PD with drug and controls. Our
      results showed high correlation in gait parameters between the two methods and
      prove the reliability of the proposed method. With the proposed method,
      quantitative measurement and analysis of Parkinsonian gait could be inexpensive
      to implement, portable within a small clinic or home, easy to administer, and
      simple to interpret. Although this study is assessed Parkinsonian gait, the
      proposed method has the potential to help clinicians and researchers assess the
      gait of patients with other neuromuscular diseases, such as traumatic brain
      injury and stroke patients. 

PMID- 26109521
TI  - Quantitative analysis of vascular parameters for micro-CT imaging of vascular
      networks with multi-resolution.
AB  - Previous studies showed that all the vascular parameters from both the
      morphological and topological parameters were affected with the altering of
      imaging resolutions. However, neither the sensitivity analysis of the vascular
      parameters at multiple resolutions nor the distinguishability estimation of
      vascular parameters from different data groups has been discussed. In this paper,
      we proposed a quantitative analysis method of vascular parameters for vascular
      networks of multi-resolution, by analyzing the sensitivity of vascular parameters
      at multiple resolutions and estimating the distinguishability of vascular
      parameters from different data groups. Combining the sensitivity and
      distinguishability, we designed a hybrid formulation to estimate the integrated
      performance of vascular parameters in a multi-resolution framework. Among the
      vascular parameters, degree of anisotropy and junction degree were two
      insensitive parameters that were nearly irrelevant with resolution degradation;
      vascular area, connectivity density, vascular length, vascular junction and
      segment number were five parameters that could better distinguish the vascular
      networks from different groups and abide by the ground truth. Vascular area,
      connectivity density, vascular length and segment number not only were
      insensitive to multi-resolution but could also better distinguish vascular
      networks from different groups, which provided guidance for the quantification of
      the vascular networks in multi-resolution frameworks. 

PMID- 26109522
TI  - Two Sources of Error in Data on Migration From Mexico to the United States in
      Mexican Household-Based Surveys.
AB  - We examine the nature and degree of two sources of error in data on migration
      from Mexico to the United States in Mexican household-based surveys: (1) sampling
      error that results when whole households migrate and no one is left behind to
      report their migration; and (2) reporting errors that result when migrants are
      not identified by survey respondents. Using data from the first two waves of the
      Mexican Family Life Survey, which tracked Mexican migrants to the United States
      from 2002 to 2005, we find that one-half of migrants from Mexico to the United
      States are not counted as a result of these two sources of error. Misreporting is
      the larger source of error, accounting for more than one-third of all migrants.
      Those who are not counted, especially whole-household migrants, are a unique
      group. Their omission results in an underestimate of female migrants, child
      migrants, and migrants from the Mexican border region, and an overestimate of
      migrants from the periphery region. 

PMID- 26109523
TI  - Dose finding with longitudinal data: simpler models, richer outcomes.
AB  - Phase I oncology clinical trials are designed to identify the optimal dose that
      will be recommended for phase II trials. This dose is typically defined as the
      dose associated with a certain probability of severe toxicity at cycle 1,
      although toxicity is repeatedly measured over cycles on an ordinal scale.
      Recently, a proportional odds mixed-effect model for ordinal outcomes has been
      proposed to (i) identify the optimal dose accounting for repeated events and (ii)
      to provide some framework to explore time trend. We compare this approach to a
      method based on repeated binary variables and to a method based on an under
      parameterized model of the dose-time toxicity relationship. We show that repeated
      binary and ordinal outcomes both improve the accuracy of dose-finding trials in
      the same proportion; ordinal outcomes are, however, superior to detect time trend
      even in the presence of nonproportional odds models. Moreover, less parameterized
      models led to the best operating characteristics. These approaches are
      illustrated on two dose-finding phase I trials. Integration of repeated
      measurements is appealing in phase I dose-finding trials.

PMID- 26109524
TI  - Role of high-risk variants in the development of impaired glucose metabolism was
      modified by birth weight in Han Chinese.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of common variants
      in the genes SLC30A8, KCNQ1, and TCF7L2 in the association between birth weight
      and increased risk of type 2 diabetes in Han Chinese. METHODS: Seven variants
      (SLC30A8-rs13266634 and rs2466293; KCNQ1-rs2237895 and rs2074196; and TCF7L2
      rs11196218, rs7903146, and rs290487) were genotyped in 1181 individuals born in
      Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 1921 to 1954 by Taqman allelic
      discrimination assay. All the subjects were stratified by birth weight into
      groups of >=3000 g and <3000 g. Associations of genetic variants with birth
      weight and with risk of type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (together
      as impaired glucose metabolism) were analysed. RESULTS: After adjustment for sex,
      gestational weeks, parity, and maternal age, the G allele of KCNQ1-rs2074196 was
      associated with higher birth weight (p = 0.032). KCNQ1-rs2074196, rs2234895, and
      TCF7L2-rs290487 were associated with increased risk of impaired glucose
      metabolism. However, the associations were modified by size at birth. The
      associations above were only found in subjects with birth weights greater than
      (or equal to) 3000 g. In subjects with birth weights less than 3000 g, impaired
      glucose metabolism was associated with variants SLC30A8-rs2466293 and TCF7L2
      rs11196218. CONCLUSIONS: The role of common variants in susceptible genes in the
      development of impaired glucose metabolism was modified by birth weight in Han
      Chinese. This provides evidence that genetic variants influence birth weight and
      are involved in development of type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 26109525
TI  - Tamoxifen-Induced Cell Death of Malignant Glioma Cells Is Brought About by
      Oxidative-Stress-Mediated Alterations in the Expression of BCL2 Family Members
      and Is Enhanced on miR-21 Inhibition.
AB  - High-grade gliomas are refractory to the current mode of treatment primarily due
      to their inherent resistance to cell death. Tamoxifen has been reported to
      inhibit growth and induce cell death of glioma cells in vitro, in an estrogen
      receptor-independent manner. Delineating the molecular mechanism underlying
      tamoxifen-induced cell death of human glioma cells would help in identifying
      pathways/genes that could be targeted to induce tumor-cell-specific cell death.
      In the present study, tamoxifen was found to bring about autophagic cell death of
      human glioma cells that was accompanied by oxidative stress induction, JNK
      activation, downregulation of anti-autophagic BCL2 family members, viz. BCL2 and
      BCL-XL, and increased expression of the pro-autophagic members BCL-Xs and BAK.
      Oxidative stress induction appears to be primarily responsible for the tamoxifen
      induced cell death since the cell death, JNK activation, and the alterations in
      the expression levels of BCL2 family members were abrogated on pretreatment with
      antioxidant vitamin E. MiR-21, an oncogenic miRNA, is known to be highly
      upregulated in malignant glioma. Inhibition of miR-21 activity was found to
      enhance tamoxifen-induced cell death of U87 MG malignant glioma cells. Tamoxifen
      treatment coupled with miR-21 inhibition could therefore be an effective strategy
      for the treatment of malignant gliomas. 

PMID- 26109526
TI  - DNA Methylation of the EphA5 Promoter Is Associated with Rat Congenital
      Hypothyroidism.
AB  - Thyroid hormones (THs) are essential for normal development of the mammalian
      central nervous system through regulation of TH-responsive genes. EphA5, an
      important TH-responsive gene encoding the tyrosine kinase receptor EphA5,
      regulates synaptogenesis initiation and synaptic remodeling during brain
      development. Abnormal EphA5 expression is involved in the development of
      congenital hypothyroidism (CH). To show the regulatory mechanism of EphA5
      expression in CH rats, we analyzed the correlation between methylation of the
      EphA5 promoter and its expression in the hypothyroid hippocampus and hippocampal
      neurons. Demethylation treatment using 5'-azadeoxycytidine upregulated EphA5
      expression and rescued the effects of hypermethylation, suggesting a novel
      regulatory mechanism of EphA5 expression in CH rats. Our results suggest a
      potentially new approach for the development of drugs to restore neurocognitive
      impairments associated with CH. 

PMID- 26109527
TI  - A simple and compact fluorescence detection system for capillary electrophoresis
      and its application to food analysis.
AB  - A novel fluorescence detection system for CE was described and evaluated. Two
      miniature laser pointers were used as the excitation source. A Y-style optical
      fiber was used to transmit the excitation light and a four-branch optical fiber
      was used to collect the fluorescence. The optical fiber and optical filter were
      imported into a photomultiplier tube without any extra fixing device. A
      simplified PDMS detection cell was designed with guide channels through which the
      optical fibers were easily aligned to the detection window of separation
      capillary. According to different requirements, laser pointers and different
      filters were selected by simple switching and replacement. The fluorescence from
      four different directions was collected at the same detecting point. Thus, the
      sensitivity was enhanced without peak broadening. The fluorescence detection
      system was simple, compact, low-cost, and highly sensitive, with its
      functionality demonstrated by the separation and determination of red dyes and
      fluorescent whitening agents. The detection limit of rhodamine 6G was 7.7 nM (S/N
      = 3). The system was further applied to determine illegal food dyes. The CE
      system is potentially eligible for food safety analysis. 

PMID- 26109528
TI  - Nanoparticle-motivated gene delivery for ophthalmic application.
AB  - Ophthalmic gene therapy is an intellectual and intentional manipulation of
      desired gene expression into the specific cells of an eye for the treatment of
      ophthalmic (ocular) genetic dystrophies and pathological conditions. Exogenous
      nucleic acids such as DNA, small interfering RNA, micro RNA, and so on, are used
      for the purpose of managing expression of the desired therapeutic proteins in
      ocular tissues. The delivery of unprotected nucleic acids into the cells is
      limited because of exogenous and endogenous degradation modalities.
      Nanotechnology, a promising and sophisticated cutting edge tool, works as a
      protective shelter for these therapeutic nucleic acids. They can be safely
      delivered to the required cells in order to modulate anticipated protein
      expression. To this end, nanotechnology is seen as a potential and promising
      strategy in the field of ocular gene delivery. This review focused on current
      nanotechnology modalities and other promising nonviral strategies being used to
      deliver therapeutic genes in order to treat various devastating ocular diseases.

PMID- 26109529
TI  - Protecting families from recurrent stillbirth.

PMID- 26109531
TI  - Functional annotation of high-quality SNP biomarkers of gastric cancer
      susceptibility: the Yin Yang of PSCA rs2294008.

PMID- 26109530
TI  - The gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase to platelet ratio (GPR) predicts significant
      liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with chronic HBV infection in West
      Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Simple and inexpensive non-invasive fibrosis tests are highly needed
      but have been poorly studied in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: Using liver
      histology as a gold standard, we developed a novel index using routine laboratory
      tests to predict significant fibrosis in patients with chronic HBV infection in
      The Gambia, West Africa. We prospectively assessed the diagnostic accuracy of the
      novel index, Fibroscan, aspartate transaminase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI),
      and Fib-4 in Gambian patients with CHB (training set) and also in French and
      Senegalese CHB cohorts (validation sets). RESULTS: Of 135 consecutive treatment
      naive patients with CHB who had liver biopsy, 39% had significant fibrosis
      (Metavir fibrosis stage >=F2) and 15% had cirrhosis (F4). In multivariable
      analysis, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and platelet count were independent
      predictors of significant fibrosis. Consequently, GGT-to-platelet ratio (GPR) was
      developed. In The Gambia, the area under the receiver operating characteristic
      curve (AUROC) of the GPR was significantly higher than that of APRI and Fib-4 to
      predict >=F2, >=F3 and F4. In Senegal, the AUROC of GPR was significantly better
      than Fib-4 and APRI for >=F2 (0.73, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.86) and better than Fib-4
      and Fibroscan for >=F3 (0.93, 0.87 to 0.99). In France, the AUROC of GPR to
      diagnose >=F2 (0.72, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.85) and F4 (0.87, 0.76 to 0.98) was
      equivalent to that of APRI and Fib-4. CONCLUSIONS: The GPR is a more accurate
      routine laboratory marker than APRI and Fib-4 to stage liver fibrosis in patients
      with CHB in West Africa. The GPR represents a simple and inexpensive alternative
      to liver biopsy and Fibroscan in sub-Saharan Africa.

PMID- 26109532
TI  - Brief Report: Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drug-Sparing Effect of Tumor Necrosis
      Factor Inhibitors in Early Axial Spondyloarthritis: Results From the DESIR
      Cohort.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors on
      nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) intake in a cohort of patients with
      early axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) over the first 2 years of followup. METHODS:
      The Devenir des Spondylarthropathies Indifferenciees Recentes (DESIR) cohort is a
      prospective, multicenter, observational study cohort of patients with early
      inflammatory back pain. The management and treatment of these patients were
      decided by their treating rheumatologists. Data regarding NSAID intake (yes/no)
      and the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society NSAID score were
      collected at each visit over 2 years of followup. Patients receiving a TNF
      inhibitor were matched with those receiving usual care, based on a propensity
      score. The NSAID-sparing effect of TNF inhibitors was estimated by comparing the
      percentage of patients reaching several end points (e.g., a decrease in the NSAID
      score to <10 over 2 years) and by modeling NSAID intake using mixed models.
      RESULTS: Among the 627 patients who were followed up, 181 (28.9%) received a TNF
      inhibitor, and these patients were matched to 181 patients who received usual
      care. The baseline characteristics of the patients in the 2 groups were
      comparable (~40% of the patients were male, and the mean age was 34 years).
      Initially, 90.2% of patients receiving TNF inhibitors and 90.0% of those
      receiving usual care had been treated with NSAIDs during the previous 6 months.
      The number of patients who received an NSAID decreased over time in both groups,
      but the decrease was greater in the group receiving TNF inhibitors (P = 0.04).
      The decrease in the median NSAID score was significantly greater in the TNF
      inhibitor group (54.9 versus 41.9), and the percentage of patients in whom the
      NSAID score decreased by >50% or to <10 or in whom NSAID treatment was
      discontinued was greater in the TNF inhibitor group (67.6% versus 46.2%).
      CONCLUSION: Treatment with TNF inhibitors was associated with a decrease in the
      proportion of patients taking NSAIDs and with a rapid and sustained decrease in
      NSAID intake. This study is the first to confirm the NSAID-sparing effect of TNF
      inhibitors in patients with early axial SpA in a real-life clinical setting.

PMID- 26109533
TI  - Transumbilical retrieval of broken umbilical artery catheter in a 1000 gm
      premature newborn.

PMID- 26109534
TI  - Cephalic vein and radial artery diameter in formation of radiocephalic
      arteriovenous fistula: a systematic review.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to determine the optimal range of cephalic vein
      and radial artery diameter following preoperative duplex imaging to enhance
      maturation and primary patency of Brescia-Cimino radiocephalic arteriovenous
      fistula. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-aggregation of literature from
      1966 to January 2015 in English language and adult subjects in Pubmed, OVID,
      CINHAL and Cochrane database was conducted. RESULTS: This search produced a total
      of thirty-six (n = 36) articles. Following the application of recruitment
      criteria, only twelve articles (n = 12) were found eligible. Their quality was
      assessed by Oxford Critical Appraisal skills Programme (CASP) and their
      recommendation for practice was examined through National Institute for Health
      and Care Excellence (NICE). CONCLUSIONS: The current literature suggests that the
      optimal range of radial artery for maximum performance (maturation and primary
      patency) of RCAVF is at least 2 mm (level 2, grade a). The cephalic vein diameter
      of at least 2 mm (non-augmented) can result in best maturation and primary
      patency outcomes (level 2, grade a) and threshold below 1.5 mm is not advocated
      (level 2, grade b).

PMID- 26109535
TI  - Comment on: What is the best training for vascular access surgery?

PMID- 26109536
TI  - Optimizing outcomes in the elderly with end-stage renal disease--live long and
      prosper.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The elderly form an expanding proportion of patients with chronic
      kidney disease and end-stage renal disease worldwide. The increased physiological
      frailty and functional morbidity associated with the aging process pose unique
      challenges when planning optimal management of an older patient needing renal
      replacement therapy (RRT). AIMS: This position paper discusses current evidence
      regarding the optimal management of end-stage renal disease in the elderly with
      an emphasis on hemodialysis since it is the most common modality used in older
      patients. Further research is needed to define relevant patient-reported outcome
      measures for end-stage renal disease including functional assessments and
      psychological impacts of various forms of RRT. For those older patients who have
      opted for dialysis treatment, it is important to study the strategies that
      encourage greater uptake of home-based dialysis therapies and optimal vascular
      access. CONCLUSIONS: The management of advanced chronic kidney disease in the
      elderly can be challenging but also extremely rewarding. The key issue is
      adopting a patient-focused and individualized approach that seeks to achieve the
      best outcomes based on a comprehensive holistic assessment of what is important
      to the patient.

PMID- 26109537
TI  - Spontaneous migration of a peripherally inserted central catheter into the azygos
      vein in esophageal cancer patients during surgery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) is widely used for
      long chemotherapy regimens or total parenteral nutrition. However, spontaneous
      migration of the catheter into the azygos vein after satisfactory initial
      placement has occurred in rare cases. METHODS: We discuss three such cases in
      esophageal cancer patients. RESULTS: In two patients, the migrated catheters were
      found during surgery and were repositioned without complications. However, in the
      third case, the migrated catheter had to be removed to avoid severe
      complications, as the catheter and the azygos vein were ligatured during
      operation without notice. CONCLUSIONS: Migrations might be related to the
      material properties of silicone PICCs, the short insertion length, the left-sided
      placement, the changes of thoracic pressure and the intraoperative traction by
      thoracic surgeons. In conclusion, we recommend routine checks before cutting off
      the azygos vein during the operations for esophageal cancer patients with left
      sided PICCs.

PMID- 26109538
TI  - Arcanobacterium pyogenes bacteremia in a man on hemodialysis with central venous
      catheter.

PMID- 26109539
TI  - Conservative management of brachial artery pseudoaneurysms as a complication of
      fistula needling.

PMID- 26109540
TI  - Focused simulation training: emergency department nurses' confidence and comfort
      level in performing ultrasound-guided vascular access.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to assess Emergency Department
      (ED) nurses' confidence, comfort level, and competency in performing ultrasound
      guided vascular access after a focused ultrasound simulation training session.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study at an academic medical center. A simulation
      based ultrasound training module was used to train ED nurses in ultrasound-guided
      intravenous (IV) access. The training module consisted of didactics followed by
      hands-on practice on human models and Blue Phantom ultrasound training block
      model. All subjects completed a questionnaire after completing the training
      module. RESULTS: A total of 40 nurses were enrolled. All subjects successfully
      demonstrated competency during the training session by identifying upper
      extremity sonographic vascular anatomy on a human model and performing real-time
      ultrasound-guided IV access on Blue Phantom ultrasound training block model. On a
      scale of 1-10, the average confidence level in performing the ultrasound-guided
      vascular access was 6.9 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 6.3-7.46], with 98%
      (95% CI, 92-102%) reporting no difficulty in recognizing upper limb vascular
      anatomy on ultrasound. Ninety-two percent (95% CI, 84-100%) agreed that focused
      training in ultrasound-guided IV access was adequate to learn the procedure.
      CONCLUSIONS: After a focused simulation training session, ED nurses had a high
      level of comfort using ultrasound for vascular access. Despite having a moderate
      degree of confidence, ED nurses were accurate in identifying vascular anatomy and
      performing ultrasound-guided vascular access.

PMID- 26109541
TI  - Vascular access for incident hemodialysis patients in Catalonia: analysis of data
      from the Catalan Renal Registry (2000-2011).
AB  - PURPOSE: Arteriovenous fistula is the best vascular access (VA) for hemodialysis.
      We analyzed the VA used at first session and the factors associated with the
      likelihood to start hemodialysis by fistula in 2000-2011. METHODS: Data of VA
      type were obtained in 9,956 incident hemodialysis patients from the Catalan
      Registry. RESULTS: Overall, 47.9% of patients initiated hemodialysis with a
      fistula, 1.2% with a graft, 15.9% with a tunneled catheter and 35% with an
      untunneled catheter. The percentage of incident patients with fistula and
      catheter has remained stable at around 50% over the years. The likelihood to
      start hemodialysis with fistula was significantly lower in females [adjusted odds
      ratio: 0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.61-0.75], patients aged 18-44 years
      (0.78, 95% CI: 0.64-0.94), patients with comorbidity (0.67, 95% CI: 0.60-0.75)
      and tended to be lower in patients aged over 74 years (0.89, 95% CI: 0.78-1.01).
      The probability to use fistula was significantly higher in patients with
      polycystic kidney disease (2.08, 95% CI: 1.63-2.67), predialysis nephrology care
      longer than 2 years (4.14, 95% CI: 3.63-4.73) and steady chronic kidney disease
      (CKD) progression (10.97, 95% CI: 8.41-14.32). During 1 year of follow-up, 67.2%
      and 59.6% of patients using untunneled and tunneled catheter changed to fistula,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Starting hemodialysis by fistula was related with
      nonmodifiable patient characteristics and modifiable CKD practice processes, such
      as predialysis care duration. Half of the incident patients were exposed annually
      in Catalonia to potential catheter complications. This scenario can be improved
      by optimizing the processes of CKD care.

PMID- 26109542
TI  - Predictors of difficult pediatric intravenous access in a community Emergency
      Department.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Successful intravenous (IV) placement is important in the care of the
      acutely ill and injured pediatric patient. There are little data that exist
      regarding predicators of difficult IV access in pediatric Emergency Department
      (ED) patients who present to community EDs. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed
      all pediatric charts for the calendar year 2012 from a single community teaching
      hospital. We identified all cases with patients less than 18 years of age in whom
      an IV or IV medications were ordered. We defined difficult IV access as those
      requiring more than one attempt, or those where the IV team was required to place
      the IV. We identified patient, provider, and procedural characteristics. Data
      were analyzed using descriptive statistics and univariate logistic regression to
      determine the odds ratio (OR) for predictors of difficult IV access. RESULTS: We
      identified 652 patients, 607 (93%) without difficult access and 45 with difficult
      access. Increasing age [OR 0.94 (0.89-0.99) p = 0.017] was associated with
      decreased odds of difficult IV access. IVs attempted in the hand [OR 3.02 (1.06
      8.58) p = 0.039] and lower extremity [OR 7.82 (2.27-26.91) p = 0.001)]) were
      associated with greater odds of difficult access than the antecubital fossa. Non
      black/non-white race [2.37 (1.1-5.12) p = 0.028] was also associated with
      difficult IV access. Other factors (sex, IV catheter size, and so on) were not
      associated. CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective study of pediatric patients in a
      community ED, decreasing age, non-black/non-white race, and IV attempt location
      (hand and lower extremity vs. antecubital fossa) were associated with greater
      odds of difficult IV access.

PMID- 26109543
TI  - Retained embolized fragment of totally implantable central venous catheter in
      right ventricle: it is really necessary to remove?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Central venous catheters are often required in oncologic patients
      for long-term safe administration of chemotherapeutic agents, antibiotics, and
      parenteral nutrition. Rupture of these devices and intracardiac migration is a
      rare complication. METHODS: We report one spontaneous rupture and embolization of
      a totally implantable vascular access device (TIVAD) in an asymptomatic patient.
      RESULTS: A 50-year-old woman received a TIVAD silicone catheter 8 FR for adjuvant
      chemotherapy. After 3 years of port time in situ, during a follow-up control, a
      catheter malfunction was found and radiologic investigations showed a rupture and
      migration of the catheter to the right ventricle. The attempt to remove the
      fragment under fluoroscopic control using the femoral route was unsuccessful. We
      did not try a surgical approach because of the complete absence of symptomatology
      and hemodynamic impairment. CONCLUSIONS: The catheter rupture and intracardiac
      embolization is a rare complication associated with totally implantable or
      tunneled central venous catheters. When such an event happens, the patient should
      be managed by expert hemodynamists or interventional radiologists making an
      effort to remove the fragment without surgical measures. When the intravascular
      percutaneous route fails, the possibility to leave the fragmented catheter in
      heart chambers should be evaluated, being surgery questionable in asymptomatic
      patients.

PMID- 26109544
TI  - Evaluation of the correct position of peripherally inserted central catheters:
      anatomical landmark vs. electrocardiographic technique.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to verify as early as possible the correct
      positioning of the peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) tip in order to
      reduce complications due to possible malpositioning. The ECG-guided technique
      proved to be reliable, easy to carry out, straightforward, low-cost and allows us
      to recognize an incorrect or a suboptimal positioning throughout the procedure.
      The purpose of this study is to compare two methods used during the PICC
      insertion so as to prevent catheter malpositioning; the first study estimates the
      catheter length by the landmark method (based on cutaneous anatomical landmarks,
      CALs) with the addition of the postprocedural verification of tip location by
      chest X-Ray (CxR), whereas the second method of intraprocedural tip location is
      based on the observation of the morphological variations of the P wave (ECG
      guided technique) with the addition of the postprocedural verification by CxR.
      METHODS: From 2010 to 2012, 90 PICCs were positioned, 48 using the anatomical
      landmarks and 42 using the ECG technique. RESULTS: Twenty-five percent of the
      catheters positioned with the anatomical landmark technique did not reach the
      correct position of the tip in SVC; of these, 6.25% were placed in an aberrant
      position and others in a sub-optimal position.Of the 42 PICCs positioned with the
      ECG technique, only in three cases (equal to 7.14%), a suboptimal position of the
      tip was observed, whereas there was no case of aberrant positioning. CONCLUSIONS:
      The ECG technique represents an accurate, low-cost and safe technique to verify
      the correct positioning of the tip. The use of the ECG allowed a more correct
      positioning in terms of catheter tip-carina distance and catheter tip
      tracheobronchial angle, and in no patient was it necessary to place a catheter
      again.

PMID- 26109545
TI  - Thoracoscopic-guided azygos vein catheterization and port implantation in a child
      with end-stage central venous access.

PMID- 26109546
TI  - Patterns of superficial veins of the middle upper extremity in Caucasian
      population.
AB  - PURPOSE: Superficial veins of the middle upper extremity are frequently variable
      in existence and arrangement. The superficial veins are clinically important in
      many revascularization procedures, particularly reconstructive microsurgery and
      arterial bypass surgery as well as intravenous injection or therapy. The aim of
      this study was to assess the patterns of superficial veins of middle upper
      extremity in healthy volunteers. METHODS: We examined both arms of 169 people. A
      tourniquet was applied at the mid-arm and a drawing made of the pattern of veins.
      It took about 1-3 min for each arm. We then examined the 338 drawings looking for
      similar patterns. The study took place in Department of Anatomy, Faculty of
      Medicine in Novi Sad, Serbia. RESULTS: We found nine patterns of middle upper
      extremity veins. The most common was an 'M'-shaped pattern (115/338, 34%)
      followed by an 'N'-shaped pattern (97/338, 29%). CONCLUSIONS: There are only nine
      basic patterns of middle upper extremity venous anatomy. Some are more common
      than others. This knowledge should help those needing venous access for medical
      procedures (venepuncture, transfusion, infusion, cardiac catheterization,
      placement of dialysis access).

PMID- 26109547
TI  - Higher patency of transposed brachio-basilic arteriovenous fistulas compared to
      brachio-axillary grafts for hemodialysis patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: We compared outcomes of transposed brachio-basilic arteriovenous
      fistulas (BBAVF) with brachio-axillary prosthetic grafts (BAPG) for hemodialysis.
      METHODS: All consecutive patients who underwent creation of a BBAVF or a BAPG, in
      one of the two institutions, between January 2008 and December 2013 were
      retrospectively identified. We assessed functional patency and compared
      complication rates. Patency was also compared between one-stage and two-stage
      creation procedures for the BBAVF group. RESULTS: Two hundred and thirty-eight
      patients underwent the creation of a BBAVF (N = 136) or a BAPG (N = 102). Median
      follow-up was 17 months (range, 1-79). At 6, 12 and 24 months, patients in the
      BBAVF group had significantly higher primary patency (80%, 69%, 56% vs. 77%, 56%,
      37%, respectively; p = 0.005), assisted primary patency (90%, 80%, 71% vs. 80%,
      66%, 48%; p<0.0001) and secondary patency (93%, 84%, 72% vs. 94%, 87%, 62%; p =
      0.006). Two-stage BBAVF had a significantly higher secondary patency (98%, 92%,
      78% vs. 90%, 80%, 68%; p = 0.04) than one-stage BBAVF. The rate of infectious
      complications was significantly lower in the BBAVF group than in the BAPG group
      (0.8% vs. 6.9%; p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In this large cohort, BBAVF had a higher
      functional patency and lower rate of infectious complications than BAPG. After
      exhaustion of cephalic veins, we suggest creation of a BBAVF instead of BAPG,
      whenever anatomically feasible. The superiority of one-stage or two-stage BBAVF
      creation procedure must be further investigated.

PMID- 26109548
TI  - IFNL3 genotype is associated with differential induction of IFNL3 in primary
      human hepatocytes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lambda interferons (IFNLs) have potent antiviral activity against
      HCV, and polymorphisms within the IFNL gene cluster near the IFNL3 gene strongly
      predict spontaneous- and treatment-related HCV infection outcomes. The
      mechanism(s) linking IFNL polymorphisms and HCV control is currently elusive.
      METHODS: IFNL induction was studied in primary human hepatocytes (PHH) from 18
      human donors, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 18 human donors,
      multiple cell lines and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like
      cells (iPSC-hepatocytes) from 7 human donors. After stimulation with
      intracellular RNA and infectious HCV, quantitative PCR (qPCR) primers and probes
      were designed to distinguish and quantify closely related IFNL messenger (m)RNAs
      from IFNL1, IFNL2 and IFNL3. RESULTS: PHH demonstrated the most potent induction
      of IFNLs, although had lower pre-stimulation levels compared to PBMCs, monocytes
      and cell lines. PHH stimulation with cytoplasmic poly I:C induced >1,000-fold
      expression of IFNL1, IFNL2 and IFNL3. PHH from donors who were homozygous for the
      favourable IFNL3 allele (IFNL3-CC) had higher IFNL3 induction compared to PHH
      from IFNL3-TT donors (P=0.03). Baseline IFNL mRNA expression and induction was
      also tested in iPSC-hepatocytes: iPSC-hepatocytes had significantly higher
      baseline expression of IFNLs compared to PHH (P<0.0001), and IFNL3 induction was
      marginally different in iPSC-hepatocytes by IFNL genotype (P=0.07). CONCLUSIONS:
      Hepatocytes express IFNLs when stimulated by a synthetic viral RNA that signals
      the cell through the cytoplasm. IFNL induction may be greater in persons with the
      favourable IFNL3 allele. These data provide insight into the strong linkage
      between IFNL3 genetics and control of HCV infection.

PMID- 26109549
TI  - Cognitive deficits at age 22 years associated with prenatal exposure to
      methylmercury.
AB  - Prenatal exposure to mercury has been associated with adverse effects on child
      neurodevelopment. The present study aims to determine the extent to which
      methylmercury-associated cognitive deficits persist into adult age. In a Faroese
      birth cohort originally formed in 1986-1987 (N = 1,022), prenatal methylmercury
      exposure was assessed in terms of the mercury concentration in cord blood and
      maternal hair. Clinical examinations of 847 cohort members at age 22 years were
      carried out in 2008-2009 using a panel of neuropsychological tests that reflected
      major functional domains. Subjects with neurological and psychiatric diagnoses
      were excluded from the data analysis, thus leaving 814 subjects. Multiple
      regression analysis included covariates previously identified for adjustment.
      Deficits in Boston Naming Test (BNT) and other tests of verbal performance were
      significantly associated with the cord-blood mercury concentration. Deficits were
      also present in all other tests applied, although most were not statistically
      significant. Structural equation models were developed to ascertain the possible
      differences in vulnerability of specific functional domains and the overall
      association with general intelligence. In models for individual domains, all of
      them showed negative associations, with crystallized intelligence being highly
      significant. A hierarchical model for general intelligence based on all domains
      again showed a highly significant negative association with the exposure, with an
      approximate deficit that corresponds to about 2.2 IQ points at a 10-fold
      increased prenatal methylmercury exposure. Thus, although the cognitive deficits
      observed were smaller than at examinations at younger ages, maternal diets with
      contaminated seafood were associated with adverse effects in this birth cohort at
      age 22 years. The deficits affected major domains of brain functions as well as
      general intelligence. Thus, prenatal exposure to this marine contaminant appears
      to cause permanent adverse effects on cognition.

PMID- 26109550
TI  - Chlamydia trachomatis virulence factor CT135 is stable in vivo but highly
      polymorphic in vitro.
AB  - Chlamydia trachomatis is an important human pathogen causing both ocular and
      sexually transmitted disease. Recently, we identified CT135 as an important
      virulence determinant in a mouse infection model. Results from CEL 1 digestion
      assays and sequencing analyses indicated that CT135 was much more polymorphic in
      high in vitro passage reference serovars than it was in clinical strains that had
      undergone limited passaging. Herein, we used targeted next-generation sequencing
      of the CT134-135 locus, from reference strains and clinical isolates, enabling
      accurate discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms and other population
      genetic variations. Our results indicate that CT134 is stable in all C.
      trachomatis serovars examined. In contrast, CT135 is highly polymorphic in high
      passaged reference ocular and non-LGV genital serovars, with the majority of the
      mutations resulting in gene disruption. In low-passaged ocular clinical isolates,
      CT135 was frequently disrupted, whereas in genital clinical isolates CT135 was
      intact in almost all instances. When a serovar K isolate, with an intact CT134
      and CT135, was subjected to serial passage in vitro CT134 remained invariable,
      while numerous gene interrupting mutations rapidly accumulated in CT135.
      Collectively, our data indicate that, for genital serovars, CT135 is under strong
      positive selection in vivo, and negative selection in vitro. 

PMID- 26109551
TI  - Risk of recurrent stillbirth: systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk of recurrent stillbirth. DESIGN: Systematic
      review and meta-analysis of cohort and case-control studies. DATA SOURCES:
      Embase, Medline, Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus searched
      systematically with no restrictions on date, publication, or language to identify
      relevant studies. Supplementary efforts included searching relevant internet
      resources as well as hand searching the reference lists of included studies.
      Where published information was unclear or inadequate, corresponding authors were
      contacted for more information. STUDY SELECTION: Cohort and case-control studies
      from high income countries were potentially eligible if they investigated the
      association between stillbirth in an initial pregnancy and risk of stillbirth in
      a subsequent pregnancy. Stillbirth was defined as fetal death occurring at more
      than 20 weeks' gestation or a birth weight of at least 400 g. Two reviewers
      independently screened titles to identify eligible studies based on inclusion and
      exclusion criteria agreed a priori, extracted data, and assessed the
      methodological quality using scoring criteria from the critical appraisal skills
      programme. Random effects meta-analyses were used to combine the results of the
      included studies. Subgroup analysis was performed on studies that examined
      unexplained stillbirth. RESULTS: 13 cohort studies and three case-control studies
      met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Data were
      available on 3,412,079 women with pregnancies beyond 20 weeks duration, of who
      3,387,538 (99.3%) had had a previous live birth and 24,541 (0.7%) a stillbirth. A
      total of 14,283 stillbirths occurred in subsequent pregnancies, 606/24,541 (2.5%)
      in women with a history of stillbirth and 13,677/3,387,538 (0.4%) among women
      with no such history (pooled odds ratio 4.83, 95% confidence interval 3.77 to
      6.18). 12 studies specifically assessed the risk of stillbirth in second
      pregnancies. Compared with women who had a live birth in their first pregnancy,
      those who experienced a stillbirth were almost five times more likely to
      experience a stillbirth in their second pregnancy (odds ratio 4.77, 95%
      confidence interval 3.70 to 6.15). The pooled odds ratio using the adjusted
      effect measures from the primary studies was 3.38 (95% confidence interval 2.61
      to 4.38). Four studies examined the risk of recurrent unexplained stillbirth.
      Methodological differences between these studies precluded pooling the results.
      CONCLUSIONS: The risk of stillbirth in subsequent pregnancies is higher in women
      who experience a stillbirth in their first pregnancy. This increased risk
      remained after adjusted analysis. Evidence surrounding the recurrence risk of
      unexplained stillbirth remains controversial.

PMID- 26109552
TI  - Novel approach to measure the size of plasma-membrane nanodomains in single
      molecule localization microscopy.
AB  - Many membrane proteins are not evenly distributed over the plasma membrane, but
      gathered in domains assumed to have a particular lipid composition. Using single
      molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) we have immunolocalized a
      glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor protein that labels nanodomains in a
      specialized plant cell type, and compared the suitability of three methods to
      estimate their size. As conventional methods full width at half maximum (FWHM)
      and the full diameter (FWMin) of domains were used. A boundary detection method
      of the domain area (DA) was performed in order to take irregular shapes into
      account. In order to compare the influence of the chosen measurement methods, we
      have developed a MatLab program that allows for automated analysis of domain
      sizes from multiple SMLM images and provides the statistics of three key features
      of domains: FWHM and FWMin along their long and short axes as well as the DA,
      derived from the molecular density. Domains formed by the GPI-anchor protein are
      approximating elliptical shapes. Direct and indirect immunolabeling resulted in a
      statistically significant difference in apparent domain size, reflecting the fact
      that the secondary antibody molecules extend the uncertainty along the nanodomain
      border. FWMin values along the long and short axis give good estimates of
      regular, geometrically centred domain shapes, while the DA value matches regular
      as well as irregular shapes best, as derived from computer-generated, irregular
      point clusters.

PMID- 26109553
TI  - Structural and functional imaging study in dementia with Lewy bodies and
      Parkinson's disease dementia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease with
      Dementia (PDD) are neurodegenerative disorders with complex clinical picture
      (parkinsonism, cognitive decline and neuropsychiatric disturbances). The
      conundrum of whether DLB and PDD represent the same or different entities is
      still under debate. Advanced neuroimaging techniques may represent a point of
      view to assess brain correlates in DLB and PDD. The study aimed at evaluating
      whether DLB and PDD may be labelled under the same disease entity or be
      considered distinctive pathologies. We compared DLB and PDD patients by assessing
      structural and functional brain imaging and including PD patients. METHODS:
      Patients with diagnosis of PD, PDD, DLB and a group of healthy controls for
      neuroimaging comparisons were recruited and changes in structural and resting
      state functional MR (Regional Homogeneity, ReHo) were studied. RESULTS: No
      significant atrophy in VBM analysis was evident in PD. Conversely, PDD showed a
      significant bilateral frontal atrophy, whereas DLB was characterized by a
      predominant parietal, occipital atrophy; a similar involvement of subcortical
      regions in PDD and DLB was observed. ReHo demonstrated reduced local coherence of
      frontal regions in PD and in PDD, whereas DLB patients presented a reduced local
      connectivity in posterior regions. CONCLUSION: Different brain areas are
      specifically involved in PDD and DLB. In the former group, greater atrophy of
      frontal regions with concomitant functional connectivity impairment was evident;
      conversely, structural and functional damage in the posterior regions
      characterized DLB. Despite an overlapping clinical spectrum, DLB and PDD have
      different networks involved and different underlying pathogenic pathways.

PMID- 26109554
TI  - Detection of Epstein-Barr virus in inflammatory pseudotumour of the spleen: a
      case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Various types of benign and malignant splenic tumours including
      hemangiomas, lymphagiomas, hamartomas, hemangiosarcomas, malignant lymphomas and
      metastatic carcinomas share radiological characteristics making it impossible for
      a physician to determine the definite aetiology of splenic masses noninvasively
      without histopathological evaluation. It is important that physicians recognize
      the importance of a careful and continuous follow-up since inflammatory
      pseudotumours (IPT) are considered to be tumours with an intermediate malignant
      potential based on their behaviour when they arise in other locations. METHODS:
      Our patient, a 60-year-old woman was evaluated using laboratory, gastroscopy,
      computed tomography and surgical methods. The resected tumour was evaluated using
      immunohistochemical methods. RESULTS: The patient presented with weight loss,
      nausea and vomiting, symptoms lasting over a course of a few months. The splenic
      mass was found incidentally at the time of work up for gastritis and
      cholelithiasis. Histologically, the tumour differed from typical splenic
      architecture being composed of atypical spindle cells with inflammatory elements;
      numerous plasma cells, macrophages, eosinophils and lymphocytes. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although very difficult to diagnose at initial presentation, it is very important
      for the physician to be aware of the importance of a careful diagnosis since IPT
      of the spleen are rare and considered to be tumours with an intermediate
      malignant potential.

PMID- 26109555
TI  - Gender-related differences in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A decade ago women with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)
      were significantly older than men, with more comorbidities, less likely treated
      by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and their prognosis was
      worse. The progress in treatment led to increased survival after STEMI. Our aim
      was to evaluate the possible current differences between the genders in
      treatments, mortality and the changes in women over time in STEMI population.
      METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 307 STEMI patients (224 men, 83 women),
      admitted between October 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012 and a historic group of
      523 STEMI patients from 2008 to 2009 (361 men, 162 women). Reperfusion strategy
      was PPCI, combined with aspirin and clopidogrel or prasugrel or ticagrelor and a
      heparin with glycoprotein receptor IIb/IIIa antagonist or bivalirudin. Between
      the genders and in women over time we compared clinical data, the use and time to
      PPCI, in-hospital complications, 30-day and 6-month mortality. RESULTS: STEMI
      patients in recent years were treated by PPCI in 94.5 %. Their 30-day mortality
      was 10.4 % and 6-month mortality 14.7 %. Between the genders we observed mostly
      nonsignificant differences (age, comorbidities, treatments, in-hospital
      complications, 30-day and 6-month mortality). Over the last years in women mean
      age significantly decreased, the use of PPCI significantly increased, the
      incidence of heart failure and bleedings decreased significantly, but mortalities
      nonsignificantly. CONCLUSION: Women still account for 1/4 of STEMI population,
      but the gap between the genders in presentation, treatments and outcome in STEMI
      population is decreasing.

PMID- 26109556
TI  - Needle fragment embolism into the right ventricle: a rare cause of chest pain
      case report and literature review.
AB  - Chest pain in young adults is usually self-limited and of benign etiology.
      However, rare causes of chest pain must be considered in patients for whom
      initial diagnostic tests are negative, particularly if unusual risk factors are
      identified. The authors present a rare case describing a 27-year-old male
      intravenous drug user who developed transient chest pain most likely secondary to
      pericardial irritation caused by a needle fragment that embolized from a
      peripheral vein to his right ventricle. The current literature on intracardiac
      needles and similar foreign bodies is discussed, providing insight to the
      epidemiology, complications, and treatment of such patients. 

PMID- 26109557
TI  - AGO Austria recommendations for genetic testing of patients with ovarian cancer.
AB  - In Austria, 700 women are diagnosed every year with ovarian carcinoma.
      Approximately 15% of the patients with epithelial ovarian cancer have a germline
      mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. The increased incidence of breast and/or
      ovarian cancer in genetically related family members has given rise to the term
      "hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome" (HBOC). Some 25-55% of these in
      family diseases are attributed to germline mutations of BRCA1 or BRCA2, and
      approximately 5-10% to other known tumor predisposition syndromes. The remaining
      persons may carry mutations in as yet unidentified genes. HBOC caused by BRCA1
      and BRCA2 mutations is an autosomal dominant disorder with high penetrance. BRCA1
      and BRCA2 encode for so-called tumor suppressor proteins. Inherited functional
      mutations of these genes cause loss of function of the respective allele. Loss of
      function of the second allele causes complete loss of the corresponding protein
      and facilitates the development of a malignancy.The Association of Gynecologic
      Oncology recommends that testing for a germline mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 should
      be offered to all patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. When mutations in
      BRCA1, BRCA2, or other cancer-susceptibility genes have been identified, patients
      with ovarian carcinoma can be treated with new, innovative therapies. This
      recommendation is intended as a standard guideline for genetic testing of
      patients with an ovarian carcinoma.

PMID- 26109558
TI  - Paris Saponin VII Inhibits the Migration and Invasion in Human A549 Lung Cancer
      Cells.
AB  - Metastasis is the main cause of death in lung cancer. Targeting the process of
      metastasis is a strategy to lung cancer treatment. Trillium tschonoskii Maxim., a
      traditional Chinese medicine, has been used for treatment of many diseases,
      including cancer. This study aims to determine the anti-metastatic effect of
      paris saponin VII (PS VII) which was extracted from T. tschonoskii Maxim. by
      using human lung cancer cell line A549 cells. Our results showed that PS VII
      could significantly suppress the viability as well as cell migration and invasion
      abilities of A549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. PS VII reduced the
      activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 by elevating the
      expression of TIMP1/2. These data indicated that PS VII could reduce the
      metastatic capability of A549 cells, probably through up-regulating the
      expression of TIMP1/2. These findings demonstrated a new therapeutic potential
      for PS VII in anti-metastatic therapy of lung cancer. Copyright (c) 2015 John
      Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26109559
TI  - Keratin-17 Promotes p27KIP1 Nuclear Export and Degradation and Offers Potential
      Prognostic Utility.
AB  - Keratins that are overexpressed selectively in human carcinomas may offer
      diagnostic and prognostic utility. In this study, we show that high expression of
      keratin-17 (K17) predicts poor outcome in patients with cervical cancer, at early
      or late stages of disease, surpassing in accuracy either tumor staging or loss of
      p27(KIP1) as a negative prognostic marker in this setting. We investigated the
      mechanistic basis for the biologic impact of K17 through loss- and gain-of
      function experiments in human cervix, breast, and pancreatic cancer cells.
      Specifically, we determined that K17 functions as an oncoprotein by regulating
      the subcellular localization and degradation of p27(KIP1). We found that K17 was
      released from intermediate filaments and translocated into the nucleus via a
      nuclear localization signal (NLS), specific among keratins, where it bound
      p27(KIP1) during G1 phase of the cell cycle. p27(KIP1) lacks a nuclear export
      signal (NES) and requires an adaptor for CRM1 binding for nuclear export. In K17,
      we defined and validated a leucine-rich NES that mediated CRM1 binding for
      export. Cervical cancer cells expressing K17 mutations in its NLS or NES signals
      exhibited an increase in levels of nuclear p27(KIP1), whereas cells expressing
      wild-type K17 exhibited a depletion in total endogenous p27(KIP1). In clinical
      specimens of cervical cancer, we confirmed that the expressions of K17 and
      p27(KIP1) were inversely correlated, both across tumors and within individual
      tumors. Overall, our findings establish that K17 functions specially among
      keratins as an oncoprotein by controlling the ability of p27(KIP1) to influence
      cervical cancer pathogenesis.

PMID- 26109560
TI  - Gestational age and newborn size according to parental social mobility: an
      intergenerational cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We examined the associations between socioeconomic trajectories from
      birth to adulthood and gestational age and birth size in the next generation,
      using linked data from two population-based birth cohorts carried out in a
      Brazilian city. By comparing socioeconomic trajectories of mothers and fathers,
      we attempted to identify-specific effects of maternal and paternal socioeconomic
      trajectory on offspring birth weight, birth length, head circumference and
      gestational age at birth. METHODS: 2 population-based birth cohort studies were
      carried out in 1982 and 2004 in Pelotas (Brazil); 156 mothers and 110 fathers
      from the earlier cohort had children in 2004. Gestational age and birth length,
      weight and head circumference were measured. Analyses were carried out separately
      for mothers and fathers. Mediation analyses assessed the role of birth weight and
      adult body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: Among mothers, but not for fathers,
      childhood poverty was strongly associated with smaller size in the next
      generation (about 400 g in weight and 1.5 cm in height) and shorter gestations
      (about 2 weeks). Adult poverty did not play a role. For mothers, the associations
      with gestational age, birth length and weight-but not with head circumference
      persisted after adjusting for maternal birth weight and for the height and weight
      of the grandmother. Maternal birth weight did not mediate the observed
      associations, but high maternal BMI in adulthood was partly responsible for the
      association with gestational age. CONCLUSIONS: Strong effects of early poverty on
      gestational age and birth size in the next generation were observed among
      mothers, but not among fathers. These findings suggest a specific maternal effect
      of socioeconomic trajectory, and in particular of early poverty on offspring size
      and duration of pregnancy.

PMID- 26109561
TI  - Reconstruction of posterior compartment of lower extremity using a functional
      latissimus dorsi free flap: A case report.
AB  - We present an unusual case in an 8-year-old male that presented with a severe
      crushing injury to the right lower extremity with grade IIIB open tibia/fibula
      fracture and composite loss of the majority of the posterior muscle compartments
      and overlying skin and segmental loss of the tibial nerve. Composite
      reconstruction was performed with internal fixation, cable autografting of the
      tibial nerve, and a functional latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap. A motor
      branch of the tibial nerve to the soleus was used as the donor motor nerve. The
      patient achieved a bony union and began ambulating at 8 weeks postoperatively. At
      24 months, the patient was running and jumping with plantar push-off. Recovery of
      plantar flexion was to the M5 level. Static and moving 2-point discrimination of
      the plantar foot was 8 mm and 6 mm, respectively. Functioning muscle transfer in
      a child with a severe lower extremity injury with composite tissue loss may
      provide soft tissue and motor-unit defect reconstruction with an acceptable
      functional restoration.

PMID- 26109562
TI  - Opioid Analgesia in P450 Gene Cluster Knockout Mice: A Search for Analgesia
      Relevant Isoforms.
AB  - Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), which are well-known drug-metabolizing
      enzymes, are thought to play a signal transduction role in u opioid analgesia and
      may serve as high-affinity (3)H-cimetidine ((3)HCIM) binding sites in the brain.
      (3)HCIM binding sites may also be related to opioid or nonopioid analgesia.
      However, of the more than 100 murine P450 enzymes, the specific isoform(s)
      responsible for either function have not been identified. Presently, three lines
      of constitutive P450 gene cluster knockout (KO) mice with full-length deletions
      of 14 Cyp2c, 9 Cyp2d, and 7 Cyp3a genes were studied for deficiencies in (3)HCIM
      binding and for opioid analgesia. Liver and brain homogenates from all three
      genotypes showed normal (3)HCIM binding values, indicating that gene products of
      Cyp2d, Cyp3a, and Cyp2c are not (3)HCIM-binding proteins. Cyp2d KO and Cyp3a KO
      mice showed normal antinociceptive responses to a moderate systemic dose of
      morphine (20 mg/kg, s.c.), thereby excluding 16 P450 isoforms as mediators of
      opioid analgesia. In contrast, Cyp2c KO mice showed a 41% reduction in analgesic
      responses following systemically (s.c.) administered morphine. However, the
      significance of brain Cyp2c gene products in opioid analgesia is uncertain
      because little or no analgesic deficits were noted in Cyp2c KO mice following
      intracerebroventricular or intrathecalmorphine administration, respectively.
      These results show that the gene products of Cyp2d and Cyp3a do not contribute to
      u opioid analgesia in the central nervous system. A possible role for Cyp2c gene
      products in opioid analgesia requires further consideration. 

PMID- 26109563
TI  - Prediction of Sjogren's Syndrome Years Before Diagnosis and Identification of
      Patients With Early Onset and Severe Disease Course by Autoantibody Profiling.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Autoantibodies are highly characteristic of primary Sjogren's syndrome
      (SS) and represent important tools for studying its pathogenesis. Nonetheless,
      thus far, no systematic investigations have assessed the presence of
      autoantibodies before diagnosis. This study was undertaken to analyze how early
      and in what order autoantibodies appear, how predictive they are of primary SS,
      and whether they identify disease subsets. METHODS: A nested case-control design
      linking data from the Malmo primary SS registry and 3 Swedish healthcare biobanks
      was applied. In all, 175 serum samples obtained from 117 individuals before
      diagnosis of primary SS and 1 serum sample from each of 117 matched controls were
      analyzed for antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), rheumatoid factor (RF), and
      antibodies against Ro 60/SSA, Ro 52/SSA, and La/SSB. RESULTS: Considering all
      patients with primary SS who were autoantibody positive after diagnosis, at least
      one autoantibody specificity was detected in 81% up to 20 years (median 4.3-5.1
      years) before diagnosis. Those found most often were ANAs, followed by RF, anti
      Ro 60/SSA, anti-Ro 52/SSA, and anti-La/SSB. Anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB
      antibodies were strongly associated with the risk of developing primary SS,
      especially early-onset disease and a severe disease course. When Bayesian prior
      prevalence estimates for primary SS were included in the calculation,
      prediagnostic anti-Ro 60/SSA and anti-Ro 52/SSA had the highest positive
      predictive values (25% and 100%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate
      that autoantibodies are present for up to 18-20 years before the diagnosis of
      primary SS, but we cannot exclude even earlier seropositivity, since for most
      patients, the earliest sample analyzed was positive. In families with multiple
      cases of autoimmune disease, autoantibody profiling, along with assessment of
      genetic risk, enables identification of susceptible individuals in a predisease
      state.

PMID- 26109564
TI  - Transcriptome response to infraorbital nerve transection in the gonadally intact
      male rat barrel cortex: RNA-seq.
AB  - The effects of infraorbital nerve (ION) transection on gene expression in the
      adult male rat barrel cortex were investigated using RNA sequencing. After a 24
      hour survival duration, 98 genes were differentially regulated by ION
      transection. Differentially expressed genes suggest changes in neuronal activity,
      excitability, and morphology. The production of mRNA for neurotrophins, including
      brain-derived neurotrophin factor (BNDF), was decreased following ION
      transection. Several potassium channels showed decreased mRNA production, whereas
      a sodium channel (Na(V)beta4) associated with burst firing showed increased mRNA
      production. The results may have important implications for phantom-limb pain and
      complex regional pain syndrome. Future experiments should determine the extent to
      which changes in RNA result in changes in protein expression, in addition to
      utilizing laser capture microdissection techniques to differentiate between
      neuronal and glial cells.

PMID- 26109565
TI  - Controlled preparation of wet granular media reveals limits to lizard burial
      ability.
AB  - Many animals move within ground composed of granular media (GM); the resistive
      properties of such substrates can depend on water content and compaction, but
      little is known about how such parameters affect locomotion or the physics of
      drag and penetration. Using apparatus to control compaction of GM, our recent
      studies of movement in dry GM have revealed locomotion strategies of specialized
      dry-sand-swimming reptiles. However, these animals represent a small fraction of
      the diversity and presumed burial strategies of fossorial reptilian fauna. Here
      we develop a system to create states of wet GM of varying moisture content and
      compaction in quantities sufficient to study the burial and subsurface locomotion
      of the Ocellated skink (C. ocellatus), a generalist lizard. X-ray imaging
      revealed that in wet and dry GM the lizard slowly buried (~30 s) propagating a
      wave from head to tail, while moving in a start-stop motion. During forward
      movement, the head oscillated, and the forelimb on the convex side of the body
      propelled the animal. Although body kinematics and 'slip' were similar in both
      substrates, the burial depth was smaller in wet GM. Penetration and drag force
      experiments on smooth cylinders revealed that wet GM was ~4* more resistive than
      dry GM. In total, our measurements indicate that while the rheology of the dry
      and wet GM differ substantially, the lizard's burial motor pattern is conserved
      across substrates, while its burial depth is largely constrained by environmental
      resistance.

PMID- 26109566
TI  - Evidence for primary care services at A&E.

PMID- 26109567
TI  - Correction for Bartolome et al., Hydrological change in Southern Europe
      responding to increasing North Atlantic overturning during Greenland Stadial 1.

PMID- 26109568
TI  - Sulindac metabolites decrease cerebrovascular malformations in CCM3-knockout
      mice.
AB  - Cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) is a disease of the central nervous system
      causing hemorrhage-prone multiple lumen vascular malformations and very severe
      neurological consequences. At present, the only recommended treatment of CCM is
      surgical. Because surgery is often not applicable, pharmacological treatment
      would be highly desirable. We describe here a murine model of the disease that
      develops after endothelial-cell-selective ablation of the CCM3 gene. We report an
      early, cell-autonomous, Wnt-receptor-independent stimulation of beta-catenin
      transcription activity in CCM3-deficient endothelial cells both in vitro and in
      vivo and a triggering of a beta-catenin-driven transcription program that leads
      to endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition. TGF-beta/BMP signaling is then required
      for the progression of the disease. We also found that the anti-inflammatory
      drugs sulindac sulfide and sulindac sulfone, which attenuate beta-catenin
      transcription activity, reduce vascular malformations in endothelial CCM3
      deficient mice. This study opens previously unidentified perspectives for an
      effective pharmacological therapy of intracranial vascular cavernomas. 

PMID- 26109569
TI  - Vimentin filament precursors exchange subunits in an ATP-dependent manner.
AB  - Intermediate filaments (IFs) are a component of the cytoskeleton capable of
      profound reorganization in response to specific physiological situations, such as
      differentiation, cell division, and motility. Various mechanisms were proposed to
      be responsible for this plasticity depending on the type of IF polymer and the
      biological context. For example, recent studies suggest that mature vimentin IFs
      (VIFs) undergo rearrangement by severing and reannealing, but direct subunit
      exchange within the filament plays little role in filament dynamics at steady
      state. Here, we studied the dynamics of subunit exchange in VIF precursors,
      called unit-length filaments (ULFs), formed by the lateral association of eight
      vimentin tetramers. To block vimentin assembly at the ULF stage, we used the
      Y117L vimentin mutant (vimentin(Y117L)). By tagging vimentin(Y117L) with a
      photoconvertible protein mEos3.2 and photoconverting ULFs in a limited area of
      the cytoplasm, we found that ULFs, unlike mature filaments, were highly dynamic.
      Subunit exchange among ULFs occurred within seconds and was limited by the
      diffusion of soluble subunits in the cytoplasm rather than by the association and
      dissociation of subunits from ULFs. Our data demonstrate that cells expressing
      vimentin(Y117L) contained a large pool of soluble vimentin tetramers that was in
      rapid equilibrium with ULFs. Furthermore, vimentin exchange in ULFs required ATP,
      and ATP depletion caused a dramatic reduction of the soluble tetramer pool. We
      believe that the dynamic exchange of subunits plays a role in the regulation of
      ULF assembly and the maintenance of a soluble vimentin pool during the
      reorganization of filament networks. 

PMID- 26109570
TI  - Biologically recycled continental iron is a major component in banded iron
      formations.
AB  - Banded iron formations (BIFs) record a time of extensive Fe deposition in the
      Precambrian oceans, but the sources and pathways for metals in BIFs remain
      controversial. Here, we present Fe- and Nd-isotope data that indicate two sources
      of Fe for the large BIF units deposited 2.5 billion y ago. High-epsilonNd and 
      delta(56)Fe signatures in some BIF samples record a hydrothermal component, but
      correlated decreases in epsilonNd- and delta(56)Fe values reflect contributions
      from a continental component. The continental Fe source is best explained by Fe
      mobilization on the continental margin by microbial dissimilatory iron reduction
      (DIR) and confirms for the first time, to our knowledge, a microbially driven Fe
      shuttle for the largest BIFs on Earth. Detailed sampling at various scales shows
      that the proportions of hydrothermal and continental Fe sources were invariant
      over periods of 10(0)-10(3) y, indicating that there was no seasonal control,
      although Fe sources varied on longer timescales of 10(5)-10(6) y, suggesting a
      control by marine basin circulation. These results show that Fe sources and
      pathways for BIFs reflect the interplay between abiologic (hydrothermal) and
      biologic processes, where the latter reflects DIR that operated on a basin-wide
      scale in the Archean. 

PMID- 26109571
TI  - Activity-dependent synaptic GRIP1 accumulation drives synaptic scaling up in
      response to action potential blockade.
AB  - Synaptic scaling is a form of homeostatic plasticity that stabilizes neuronal
      firing in response to changes in synapse number and strength. Scaling up in
      response to action-potential blockade is accomplished through increased synaptic
      accumulation of GluA2-containing AMPA receptors (AMPAR), but the receptor
      trafficking steps that drive this process remain largely obscure. Here, we show
      that the AMPAR-binding protein glutamate receptor-interacting protein-1 (GRIP1)
      is essential for regulated synaptic AMPAR accumulation during scaling up.
      Synaptic abundance of GRIP1 was enhanced by activity deprivation, directly
      increasing synaptic GRIP1 abundance through overexpression increased the
      amplitude of AMPA miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs), and shRNA
      mediated GRIP1 knockdown prevented scaling up of AMPA mEPSCs. Furthermore,
      knockdown and replace experiments targeting either GRIP1 or GluA2 revealed that
      scaling up requires the interaction between GRIP1 and GluA2. Finally, GRIP1
      synaptic accumulation during scaling up did not require GluA2 binding. Taken
      together, our data support a model in which activity-dependent trafficking of
      GRIP1 to synaptic sites drives the forward trafficking and enhanced synaptic
      accumulation of GluA2-containing AMPAR during synaptic scaling up. 

PMID- 26109572
TI  - Phosphorylation is an on/off switch for 5-hydroxyconiferaldehyde O
      methyltransferase activity in poplar monolignol biosynthesis.
AB  - Although phosphorylation has long been known to be an important regulatory
      modification of proteins, no unequivocal evidence has been presented to show
      functional control by phosphorylation for the plant monolignol biosynthetic
      pathway. Here, we present the discovery of phosphorylation-mediated on/off
      regulation of enzyme activity for 5-hydroxyconiferaldehyde O-methyltransferase 2
      (PtrAldOMT2), an enzyme central to monolignol biosynthesis for lignification in
      stem-differentiating xylem (SDX) of Populus trichocarpa. Phosphorylation turned
      off the PtrAldOMT2 activity, as demonstrated in vitro by using purified
      phosphorylated and unphosphorylated recombinant PtrAldOMT2. Protein extracts of
      P. trichocarpa SDX, which contains endogenous kinases, also phosphorylated
      recombinant PtrAldOMT2 and turned off the recombinant protein activity.
      Similarly, ATP/Mn(2+)-activated phosphorylation of SDX protein extracts reduced
      the endogenous SDX PtrAldOMT2 activity by ~ 60%, and dephosphorylation fully
      restored the activity. Global shotgun proteomic analysis of phosphopeptide
      enriched P. trichocarpa SDX protein fractions identified PtrAldOMT2
      monophosphorylation at Ser(123) or Ser(125) in vivo. Phosphorylation-site
      mutagenesis verified the PtrAldOMT2 phosphorylation at Ser(123) or Ser(125) and
      confirmed the functional importance of these phosphorylation sites for O
      methyltransferase activity. The PtrAldOMT2 Ser(123) phosphorylation site is
      conserved across 93% of AldOMTs from 46 diverse plant species, and 98% of the
      AldOMTs have either Ser(123) or Ser(125). PtrAldOMT2 is a homodimeric cytosolic
      enzyme expressed more abundantly in syringyl lignin-rich fiber cells than in
      guaiacyl lignin-rich vessel cells. The reversible phosphorylation of PtrAldOMT2
      is likely to have an important role in regulating syringyl monolignol
      biosynthesis of P. trichocarpa.

PMID- 26109574
TI  - Porcine Islet-Specific Tolerance Induced by the Combination of Anti-LFA-1 and
      Anti-CD154 mAbs Is Dependent on PD-1.
AB  - We previously demonstrated that short-term administration of a combination of
      anti-LFA-1 and anti-CD154 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) induces tolerance to
      neonatal porcine islet (NPI) xenografts that is mediated by regulatory T cells
      (Tregs) in B6 mice. In this study, we examined whether the coinhibitory molecule
      PD-1 is required for the induction and maintenance of tolerance to NPI
      xenografts. We also determined whether tolerance to NPI xenografts could be
      extended to allogeneic mouse or xenogeneic rat islet grafts since we previously
      demonstrated that tolerance to NPI xenografts could be extended to second-party
      NPI xenografts. Finally, we determined whether tolerance to NPI xenografts could
      be extended to allogeneic mouse or second-party porcine skin grafts. Diabetic B6
      mice were transplanted with 2,000 NPIs under the kidney capsule and treated with
      short-term administration of a combination of anti-LFA-1 and anti-CD154 mAbs.
      Some of these mice were also treated simultaneously with anti-PD-1 mAb at >150
      days posttransplantation. Spleen cells from some of the tolerant B6 mice were
      used for proliferation assays or were injected into B6 rag(-/-) mice with
      established islet grafts from allogeneic or xenogeneic donors. All B6 mice
      treated with anti-LFA-1 and anti-CD154 mAbs achieved and maintained normoglycemia
      until the end of the study; however, some mice that were treated with anti-PD-1
      mAb became diabetic. All B6 rag(-/-) mouse recipients of first- and second-party
      NPIs maintained normoglycemia after reconstitution with spleen cells from
      tolerant B6 mice, while all B6 rag(-/-) mouse recipients of allogeneic mouse or
      xenogeneic rat islets rejected their grafts after cell reconstitution. Tolerant
      B6 mice rejected their allogeneic mouse or xenogeneic second-party porcine skin
      grafts while remaining normoglycemic until the end of the study. These results
      show that porcine islet-specific tolerance is dependent on PD-1, which could not
      be extended to skin grafts. 

PMID- 26109573
TI  - Protein misfolding occurs by slow diffusion across multiple barriers in a rough
      energy landscape.
AB  - The timescale for the microscopic dynamics of proteins during conformational
      transitions is set by the intrachain diffusion coefficient, D. Despite the
      central role of protein misfolding and aggregation in many diseases, it has
      proven challenging to measure D for these processes because of their
      heterogeneity. We used single-molecule force spectroscopy to overcome these
      challenges and determine D for misfolding of the prion protein PrP. Observing
      directly the misfolding of individual dimers into minimal aggregates, we
      reconstructed the energy landscape governing nonnative structure formation.
      Remarkably, rather than displaying multiple pathways, as typically expected for
      aggregation, PrP dimers were funneled into a thermodynamically stable misfolded
      state along a single pathway containing several intermediates, one of which
      blocked native folding. Using Kramers' rate theory, D was found to be 1,000-fold
      slower for misfolding than for native folding, reflecting local roughening of the
      misfolding landscape, likely due to increased internal friction. The slow
      diffusion also led to much longer transit times for barrier crossing, allowing
      transition paths to be observed directly for the first time to our knowledge.
      These results open a new window onto the microscopic mechanisms governing protein
      misfolding. 

PMID- 26109575
TI  - The nexus between growth and defence signalling: auxin and cytokinin modulate
      plant immune response pathways.
AB  - Plants deploy a finely tuned balance between growth and defence responses for
      better fitness. Crosstalk between defence signalling hormones such as salicylic
      acid (SA) and jasmonates (JAs) as well as growth regulators plays a significant
      role in mediating the trade-off between growth and defence in plants. Here, we
      specifically discuss how the mutual antagonism between the signalling of auxin
      and SA impacts on plant growth and defence. Furthermore, the synergism between
      auxin and JA benefits a class of plant pathogens. JA signalling also poses growth
      cuts through auxin. We discuss how the effect of cytokinins (CKs) is multifaceted
      and is effective against a broad range of pathogens in mediating immunity. The
      synergism between CKs and SA promotes defence against biotrophs. Reciprocally, SA
      inhibits CK-mediated growth responses. Recent reports show that CKs promote JA
      responses; however, in a feedback loop, JA suppresses CK responses. We also
      highlight crosstalk between auxin and CKs and discuss their antagonistic effects
      on plant immunity. Efforts to minimize the negative effects of auxin on immunity
      and a reduction in SA- and JA-mediated growth losses should lead to better
      sustainable plant protection strategies. 

PMID- 26109576
TI  - Factors Affecting the Understanding and Use of Psychoanalysis in Hong Kong,
      Mainland China, and Taiwan.
AB  - The majority of Western psychotherapies are known and practiced in Hong Kong,
      while psychoanalysis still has little resonance. A recent study finds that
      psychoanalysis is perceived neither as ineffective nor as necessarily in conflict
      with Hong Kong Chinese values. Nevertheless, Hong Kong Chinese culture influences
      how psychoanalysis is received and understood, when compared to Mainland China
      and Taiwan. It is argued that a better reception in the latter two was possible
      because of different social and historical backgrounds, different clinical
      backgrounds of those who receive training, and the more active role of Western
      psychoanalysts. 

PMID- 26109577
TI  - Anatomic and functional testing for coronary artery disease in symptomatic
      patients yield similar cardiovascular outcomes.

PMID- 26109578
TI  - Dietary cholesterol and cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dietary cholesterol has been suggested to increase the risk of
      cardiovascular disease (CVD), which has led to US recommendations to reduce
      cholesterol intake. OBJECTIVE: The authors examine the effects of dietary
      cholesterol on CVD risk in healthy adults by using systematic review and meta
      analysis. DESIGN: MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, and Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau
      Abstracts databases were searched through December 2013 for prospective studies
      that quantified dietary cholesterol. Investigators independently screened
      citations and verified extracted data on study and participant characteristics,
      outcomes, and quality. Random-effect models meta-analysis was used when at least
      3 studies reported the same CVD outcome. RESULTS: Forty studies (17 cohorts in 19
      publications with 361,923 subjects and 19 trials in 21 publications with 632
      subjects) published between 1979 and 2013 were eligible for review. Dietary
      cholesterol was not statistically significantly associated with any coronary
      artery disease (4 cohorts; no summary RR), ischemic stroke (4 cohorts; summary
      RR: 1.13; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.28), or hemorrhagic stroke (3 cohorts; summary RR:
      1.09; 95% CI: 0.79, 1.50). Dietary cholesterol statistically significantly
      increased both serum total cholesterol (17 trials; net change: 11.2 mg/dL; 95%
      CI: 6.4, 15.9) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (14 trials; net
      change: 6.7 mg/dL; 95% CI: 1.7, 11.7 mg/dL). Increases in LDL cholesterol were no
      longer statistically significant when intervention doses exceeded 900 mg/d.
      Dietary cholesterol also statistically significantly increased serum high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (13 trials; net change: 3.2 mg/dL; 95% CI: 0.9, 9.7
      mg/dL) and the LDL to high-density lipoprotein ratio (5 trials; net change: 0.2;
      95% CI: 0.0, 0.3). Dietary cholesterol did not statistically significantly change
      serum triglycerides or very-low-density lipoprotein concentrations. CONCLUSION:
      Reviewed studies were heterogeneous and lacked the methodologic rigor to draw any
      conclusions regarding the effects of dietary cholesterol on CVD risk. Carefully
      adjusted and well-conducted cohort studies would be useful to identify the
      relative effects of dietary cholesterol on CVD risk.

PMID- 26109580
TI  - Harnessing the power of disgust: a randomized trial to reduce high-calorie food
      appeal through implicit priming.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In our increasingly obesogenic environment, in which high-calorie
      convenience foods are readily available, food choices can drastically affect
      weight and overall health. Learned food preferences, which are developed through
      repeated pairings with positively and negatively valenced stimuli, can contribute
      to obesity susceptibility if positive attitudes toward high-calorie foods are
      developed. Thus, the modification of automatic associations with food may be a
      viable strategy to promote healthier eating behaviors. OBJECTIVE: In this study,
      we investigated the ability of an implicit priming (IP) intervention to alter
      responses to visual food cues by using an evaluative conditioning approach. The
      main objective was to implicitly (i.e., below conscious perception) associate
      disgust with high-calorie foods with the aim of reducing liking of these foods.
      DESIGN: Participants were randomly assigned to active or control IP. In active IP
      (n = 22), high-calorie food images were implicitly primed with negatively
      valenced images, and low-calorie food images were implicitly primed with
      positively valenced images. In control IP (n = 20), all food images were primed
      with neutral images of fixation crosses. Food images were rated on the desire to
      eat immediately before and after IP. RESULTS: A significant main effect of
      calorie (high compared with low; P < 0.001) and a significant calorie-by-group
      (active compared with control) interaction (P = 0.025) were observed. Post hoc
      tests identified a significantly greater high-calorie rating decline after active
      IP than after control IP (P = 0.036). Furthermore, there was significantly
      greater change in high-calorie ratings than in low-calorie ratings in the active
      group (P = 0.001). Active IP effects extended to high-calorie foods not
      specifically included in the intervention, which suggested an effect
      generalization. Moreover, a greater change in high-calorie ratings than in low
      calorie ratings persisted 3-5 d after active IP (P < 0.007), which suggested
      lasting effects. CONCLUSION: This study provides initial evidence that IP can be
      used to alter high-calorie food preferences, which could promote healthier eating
      habits.

PMID- 26109579
TI  - High glycemic index diet as a risk factor for depression: analyses from the
      Women's Health Initiative.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The consumption of sweetened beverages, refined foods, and pastries
      has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of depression in
      longitudinal studies. However, any influence that refined carbohydrates has on
      mood could be commensurate with their proportion in the overall diet; studies are
      therefore needed that measure overall intakes of carbohydrate and sugar, glycemic
      index (GI), and glycemic load. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that higher dietary GI
      and glycemic load would be associated with greater odds of the prevalence and
      incidence of depression. DESIGN: This was a prospective cohort study to
      investigate the relations between dietary GI, glycemic load, and other
      carbohydrate measures (added sugars, total sugars, glucose, sucrose, lactose,
      fructose, starch, carbohydrate) and depression in postmenopausal women who
      participated in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study at baseline
      between 1994 and 1998 (n = 87,618) and at the 3-y follow-up (n = 69,954).
      RESULTS: We found a progressively higher dietary GI to be associated with
      increasing odds of incident depression in fully adjusted models (OR for the fifth
      compared with first quintile: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.37), with the trend being
      statistically significant (P = 0.0032). Progressively higher consumption of
      dietary added sugars was also associated with increasing odds of incident
      depression (OR for the fifth compared with first quintile: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.07,
      1.41; P-trend = 0.0029). Higher consumption of lactose, fiber, nonjuice fruit,
      and vegetables was significantly associated with lower odds of incident
      depression, and nonwhole/refined grain consumption was associated with increased
      odds of depression. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study suggest that high-GI
      diets could be a risk factor for depression in postmenopausal women. Randomized
      trials should be undertaken to examine the question of whether diets rich in low
      GI foods could serve as treatments and primary preventive measures for depression
      in postmenopausal women.

PMID- 26109581
TI  - Enteral delivery of proteins enhances the expression of proteins involved in the
      cytoskeleton and protein biosynthesis in human duodenal mucosa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Amino acids are well known to be key effectors of gut protein
      turnover. We recently reported that enteral delivery of proteins markedly
      stimulated global duodenal protein synthesis in carbohydrate-fed healthy humans,
      but specifically affected proteins remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess
      the influence of an enteral protein supply on the duodenal mucosal proteome in
      carbohydrate-fed humans. DESIGN: Six healthy volunteers received for 5 h, on 2
      occasions and in random order, either an enteral infusion of maltodextrins alone
      (0.25 g . kg-1 . h-1) mimicking the fed state or maltodextrins with a protein
      powder (0.14 g proteins . kg-1 . h-1). Endoscopic duodenal biopsy specimens were
      then collected and frozen until analysis. A 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gel
      electrophoresis-based comparative proteomics analysis was then performed, and
      differentially expressed proteins (at least +/-1.5-fold change; Student's t test,
      P < 0.05) were identified by mass spectrometry. Protein expression changes were
      confirmed by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-two protein spots were
      differentially expressed after protein delivery compared with maltodextrins
      alone: 28 and 4 spots were up- or downregulated, respectively. Among the 22
      identified proteins, 11 upregulated proteins were involved either in the
      cytoskeleton (ezrin, moesin, plastin 1, lamin B1, vimentin, and beta-actin) or in
      protein biosynthesis (glutamyl-prolyl-transfer RNA synthetase, glutaminyl
      transfer RNA synthetase, elongation factor 2, elongation factor 1delta, and
      eukaryotic translation and initiation factor 3 subunit f). CONCLUSIONS: Enteral
      delivery of proteins altered the duodenal mucosal proteome and mainly stimulated
      the expression of proteins involved in cytoskeleton and protein biosynthesis.
      These results suggest that protein supply may affect intestinal morphology by
      stimulating actin cytoskeleton remodeling.

PMID- 26109582
TI  - Simultaneous identification of elastic properties, thickness, and diameter of
      arteries excited with ultrasound radiation force.
AB  - The elastic and geometric properties of arteries have been long recognized as
      important predictors of cardiovascular disease. This work presents a robust
      technique for the noninvasive characterization of anisotropic elastic properties
      as well as thickness and diameter in arterial vessels. In our approach, guided
      waves are excited along arteries using the radiation force of ultrasound. Group
      velocity is used as the quantity of interest to reconstruct elastic and geometric
      features of the vessels. One of the main contributions of this work is a
      systematic approach based on sparse-grid collocation interpolation to construct
      surrogate models of arteries. These surrogate models are in turn used with direct
      search optimization techniques to produce fast and accurate estimates of elastic
      properties, diameter, and thickness. One of the attractive features of the
      proposed approach is that once a surrogate model is built, it can be used for
      near real-time identification across many different types of arteries. We
      demonstrate the feasibility of the method using simulated and in vitro laboratory
      experiments on a silicon rubber tube and a porcine carotid artery. Our results
      show that using our proposed method, we can reliably identify the longitudinal
      modulus, thickness, and diameter of arteries. The circumferential modulus was
      found to have little influence in the group velocity, which renders the former
      quantity unidentifiable using the current experimental setting. Future work will
      consider the measurement of circumferential waves with the objective of improving
      the identifiability of the circumferential modulus. 

PMID- 26109583
TI  - Uncoupling of myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity from troponin I phosphorylation by
      mutations can be reversed by epigallocatechin-3-gallate.
AB  - AIMS: Heart muscle contraction is regulated via the beta-adrenergic response that
      leads to phosphorylation of Troponin I (TnI) at Ser22/23, which changes the
      Ca(2+) sensitivity of the cardiac myofilament. Mutations in thin filament
      proteins that cause dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and some mutations that cause
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) abolish the relationship between TnI
      phosphorylation and Ca(2+) sensitivity (uncoupling). Small molecule Ca(2+)
      sensitizers and Ca(2+) desensitizers that act upon troponin alter the Ca(2+)
      sensitivity of the thin filament, but their relationship with TnI phosphorylation
      has never been studied before. METHODS AND RESULTS: Quantitative in vitro
      motility assay showed that 30 uM EMD57033 and 100 uM Bepridil increase Ca(2+)
      sensitivity of phosphorylated cardiac thin filaments by 3.1- and 2.8-fold,
      respectively. Additionally they uncoupled Ca(2+) sensitivity from TnI
      phosphorylation, mimicking the effect of HCM mutations. Epigallocatechin-3
      gallate (EGCG) decreased Ca(2+) sensitivity of phosphorylated and
      unphosphorylated wild-type thin filaments equally (by 2.15 +/- 0.45- and 2.80 +/-
      0.48-fold, respectively), retaining the coupling. Moreover, EGCG also reduced
      Ca(2+) sensitivity of phosphorylated but not unphosphorylated thin filaments
      containing DCM and HCM-causing mutations; thus, the dependence of Ca(2+)
      sensitivity upon TnI phosphorylation of uncoupled mutant thin filaments was
      restored in every case. In single mouse heart myofibrils, EGCG reduced Ca(2+)
      sensitivity of force and kACT and also preserved coupling. Myofibrils from the
      ACTC E361G (DCM) mouse were uncoupled; EGCG reduced Ca(2+) sensitivity more for
      phosphorylated than for unphosphorylated myofibrils, thus restoring coupling.
      CONCLUSION: We conclude that it is possible to both mimic and reverse the
      pathological defects in troponin caused by cardiomyopathy mutations
      pharmacologically. Re-coupling by EGCG may be of potential therapeutic
      significance for treating cardiomyopathies.

PMID- 26109585
TI  - Authors' reply to Zagarella.

PMID- 26109584
TI  - Identification and characterization of two ankyrin-B isoforms in mammalian heart.
AB  - AIMS: Excitation-contraction coupling in cardiomyocytes requires the proper
      targeting and retention of membrane proteins to unique domains by adaptor
      proteins like ankyrin-B. While ankyrin-B has been shown to interact with a
      variety of membrane and structural proteins located at different subcellular
      domains in cardiomyocytes, what regulates the specificity of ankyrin-B for
      particular interacting proteins remains elusive. METHODS AND RESULTS: Here, we
      report the identification of two novel ankyrin-B isoforms AnkB-188 and AnkB-212
      in human, rat, and mouse hearts. Novel cDNAs for both isoforms were isolated by
      long-range PCR of reverse-transcribed mRNA isolated from human ventricular
      tissue. The isoforms can be discriminated based on their function and subcellular
      distribution in cardiomyocytes. Heterologous overexpression of AnkB-188 increases
      sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX) membrane expression and current, while selective
      knockdown of AnkB-188 in cardiomyocytes reduces NCX expression and localization
      in addition to causing irregular contraction rhythms. Using an isoform-specific
      antibody, we demonstrate that the expression of AnkB-212 is restricted to
      striated muscles and is localized to the M-line of cardiomyocytes by interacting
      with obscurin. Selective knockdown of AnkB-212 significantly attenuates the
      expression of endogenous ankyrin-B at the M-line but does not disrupt NCX
      expression at transverse tubules in cardiomyocytes. CONCLUSION: The
      identification and characterization of two functionally distinct ankyrin-B
      isoforms in heart provide compelling evidence that alternative splicing of the
      ANK2 gene regulates the fidelity of ankyrin-B interactions with proteins.

PMID- 26109586
TI  - Autonomic function testing: an important diagnostic test for patients with
      syncope.
AB  - Syncope is a common problem with a large differential diagnosis. The initial
      history and physical examination often provide initial clues; however, some cases
      warrant further testing to determine the underlying cause. Autonomic function
      testing is a safe way to evaluate patients with syncope further, and to assess
      their parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. Autonomic testing can help
      to diagnose several conditions, including orthostatic hypotension, delayed
      orthostatic hypotension, postural tachycardia syndrome and neutrally mediated
      syncope. Thus, when the cause of syncope is unclear, autonomic testing can help
      to assess the autonomic nervous system, stratify the risk of future episodes and
      to guide treatment decisions.

PMID- 26109587
TI  - Clinical presentation and diagnosis of myocarditis.

PMID- 26109588
TI  - Utilization of modified diagnostic ultrasound and microbubbles to reduce
      myocardial infarct size.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether guided high mechanical index (MI)
      impulses from a diagnostic ultrasound transducer during an intravenous
      microbubble infusion could augment low-dose fibrinolytic therapy in treating
      acute myocardial infarction (ST segment elevation myocardial infarction, STEMI).
      METHODS: Acute thrombotic occlusions of the left anterior descending were created
      in 32 atherosclerotic pigs. Fourteen historical control pigs received half dose
      of tissue plasminogen activator alone (half tPA), while the subsequent 18 were
      randomised to (a) 1.0 mg/kg tPA (full-dose tPA); (b) low-dose tPA (0.5 mg/kg) and
      an intravenous microbubble infusion where guided transthoracic high MI impulses
      were applied intermittently to the risk area (guided high MI/half tPA) or (c)
      guided high MI impulses and microbubbles alone (guided high MI alone).
      Angiographic recanalisation, ST segment resolution and wall thickening (WT) at 60
      min were compared between all pigs, while indexed infarct size at 48 h was
      compared in the 18 randomised pigs. RESULTS: Recanalisation rates improved from
      36% for half dose tPA alone to 83% with the addition of guided high MI impulses,
      while it was 50% for full-dose tPA and guided high MI alone. WT recovery within
      the risk area following treatment was highest for guided high MI/half tPA
      (p=0.007 compared with full-dose tPA; ANOVA), and indexed infarct size was lowest
      (p<0.05 compared to full-dose tPA). CONCLUSIONS: Guided high MI-induced
      microbubble cavitation from a diagnostic transducer added to low-dose tPA can
      immediately improve regional function and reduce infarct size in acute STEMI.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Clinical Trials.gov NCT02170103.

PMID- 26109589
TI  - Characterising and predicting bleeding in high-risk patients with an acute
      coronary syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In the Apixaban for Prevention of Acute Ischemic Events (APPRAISE-2)
      trial, the use of apixaban, when compared with placebo, in high-risk patients
      with a recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) resulted in a significant increase in
      bleeding without a reduction in ischaemic events. The aim of this analysis was to
      provide further description of these bleeding events and to determine the
      baseline characteristics associated with bleeding in high-risk post-ACS patients.
      METHODS: APPRAISE-2 was a multinational clinical trial including 7392 high-risk
      patients with a recent ACS randomised to apixaban (5 mg twice daily) or placebo.
      Bleeding including Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) major or minor
      bleeding, International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) major or
      clinically relevant non-major (CRNM) bleeding, and any bleeding were analysed
      using an on-treatment analysis. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to describe the
      timing of bleeding, and a Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify
      predictors of ISTH major or CRNM bleeding and any bleeding. Median follow-up was
      241 days. RESULTS: The proportion of patients who experienced TIMI major or
      minor, ISTH major or CRNM, and any bleeding was 1.5%, 2.2% and 13.3%,
      respectively. The incidence of bleeding was highest in the immediate post-ACS
      period (0.11 in the first 30 days vs 0.03 after 30 days events per 1 patient
      year); however, >60% of major bleeding events occurred >30 days after the end of
      the index hospitalisation. Gastrointestinal bleeding was the most common cause of
      major bleeding, accounting for 45.9% of TIMI major or minor and 39.5% of ISTH
      major or CRNM bleeding events. Independent predictors of ISTH major or CRNM
      bleeding events included older age, renal dysfunction, dual oral antiplatelet
      therapy, smoking history, increased white cell count and coronary
      revascularisation. CONCLUSIONS: When compared with placebo, the use of apixaban
      is associated with an important short-term and long-term risk of bleeding in high
      risk post-ACS patients, with gastrointestinal bleeding being the most common
      source of major bleeding. The baseline predictors of major bleeding appear to be
      consistent with those identified in lower-risk ACS populations with shorter-term
      follow-up. CLINICAL TRIAL NO: NCT00831441.

PMID- 26109590
TI  - Evaluation of Timed Up and Go Test as a tool to measure postoperative function
      and prediction of one year walking ability for patients with hip fracture.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if the Timed Up and Go Test is a useful tool to measure
      postoperative function and to predict one-year results of rehabilitation in
      patients operated owing to hip fracture. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.
      SETTING: The department of orthopaedic surgery at five hospitals in Norway.
      Patients were assessed five days postoperatively and after one year. SUBJECTS: A
      total of 684 patients over 60 years with trochanteric or subtrochanteric hip
      fractures were included. A total of 171 (25%) patients died within a year and 373
      (73% of patients still alive) attended follow-up one year after surgery. MAIN
      MEASURES: Timed Up and Go Test and walking ability. RESULTS: A total of 258 (38%)
      patients passed the postoperative Timed Up and Go Test. A total of 217 (56%)
      patients with a prefracture independent outdoor walking ability, passed the test.
      The average Timed Up and Go Test score was 71 seconds. A total of 171 (25%)
      patients could not rise from a chair without assistance; 8% of the patients with
      cognitive impairment, and 8% of those admitted from nursing homes, were able to
      pass the postoperative Timed Up and Go Test. The sensitivity and specificity of
      the Timed Up and Go Test in predicting walking ability one year after the
      operation were low. At one year follow-up, 38% of the patients not able to
      perform the postoperative Timed Up and Go Test, passed the test. A total of 81
      (21%) patients did not use any walking-aid, 17 of them did not pass the
      postoperative Timed Up and Go Test. CONCLUSION: The Timed Up and Go Test
      performed the fifth postoperative day was not a suitable tool to assess
      functional mobility for the majority of the patients with hip fractures in our
      study. Neither was the postoperative Timed Up and Go Test a suitable tool to
      predict the walking ability one year after the operation.

PMID- 26109591
TI  - Silence of advanced nations on the refugee crisis is shameful.

PMID- 26109592
TI  - Cognitive therapy plus medication management is better than antidepressants alone
      for patients with severe depression.

PMID- 26109593
TI  - Efficacy of complicated grief therapy in older adults.

PMID- 26109594
TI  - Do traditional risk stratification models for cerebrovascular events apply in
      irradiated head and neck cancer patients?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary radical radiotherapy (RT) for head and neck cancer (HNC)
      often results in significant radiation dose to the carotid arteries. AIM: We
      assessed whether HNC patients are at increased risk of a cerebrovascular event
      primarily due to RT or other risk factors for atherosclerosis by (i) risk
      stratifying patients according to validated QRISK-2 and QSTROKE scores and (ii)
      comparing the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis (CAS) in irradiated and
      unirradiated carotid arteries. DESIGN: HNC patients treated with an RT dose >50
      Gy to one side of the neck >=2 years previously were included. METHODS: QRISK-2
      (2014) and Q-STROKE (2014) scores were calculated. We compared the prevalence of
      CAS in segments of the common carotid artery on the irradiated and unirradiated
      sides of the neck. RESULTS: Fifty patients (median age of 58 years (interquartile
      range (IQR) 50-62)) were included. The median QRISK-2 score was 10% (IQR 4.4-15%)
      and the median QSTROKE score was 3.4% (IQR 1.4-5.3%). For both scores, no patient
      was classified as high risk. Thirty-eight patients (76%) had CAS in one or both
      arteries. There was a significant difference in the number of irradiated arteries
      with stenosis (N = 37) compared with unirradiated arteries (N = 16) (P < 0.0001).
      There were more plaques on the irradiated artery compared with the unirradiated
      side - 64/87 (73.6%) versus 23/87 (26.4%), respectively (P < 0.001). 
      CONCLUSIONS: Traditional vascular risk factors do not play a role in radiation
      induced carotid atherosclerosis. Clinicians should be aware that traditional risk
      prediction models may under-estimate stroke risk in these patients.

PMID- 26109595
TI  - Recurrent lower limb venous thrombosis associated with a congenitally absent
      infrarenal inferior vena cava.

PMID- 26109596
TI  - Excluding the bifid uvula in children with speech impairment.

PMID- 26109597
TI  - Pantoea: insights into a highly versatile and diverse genus within the
      Enterobacteriaceae.
AB  - The bacterial genus Pantoea comprises many versatile species that have been
      isolated from a multitude of environments. Pantoea was delineated as a genus
      approximately 25 years ago, but since then, approximately 20 species have been
      identified having a diversity of characteristics. Isolates from water and soil
      have been harnessed for industrial purposes including bioremediation, and the
      degradation of herbicides and other toxic products. Other isolates possess
      nitrogen fixation and plant growth-promoting capabilities, which are currently
      being explored for agricultural applications. Some isolates are antibiotic
      producers, and have been developed into biocontrol agents for the management of
      plant diseases. Pantoea is also known to form host associations with a variety of
      hosts, including plants, insects and humans. Although often thought of as a plant
      pathogen, recent evidence suggests that Pantoea is being frequently isolated from
      the nosocomial environment, with considerable debate as to its role in human
      disease. This review will explore this highly versatile group and its
      capabilities, its known associations, and the underlying genetic and genomic
      determinants that drive its diversity and adaptability. 

PMID- 26109599
TI  - Targeted imaging of bacterial infections: advances, hurdles and hopes.
AB  - Bacterial infections represent an increasing problem in modern health care, in
      particular due to ageing populations and accumulating bacterial resistance to
      antibiotics. Diagnosis is rarely straightforward and consequently treatment is
      often delayed or indefinite. Therefore, novel tools that can be clinically
      implemented are urgently needed to accurately and swiftly diagnose infections.
      Especially, the direct imaging of infections is an attractive option. The
      challenge of specifically imaging bacterial infections in vivo can be met by
      targeting bacteria with an imaging agent. Here we review the current status of
      targeted imaging of bacterial infections, and we discuss advantages and
      disadvantages of the different approaches. Indeed, significant progress has been
      made in this field and the clinical implementation of targeted imaging of
      bacterial infections seems highly feasible. This was recently highlighted by the
      use of so-called smart activatable probes and a fluorescently labelled derivative
      of the antibiotic vancomycin. A major challenge remains the selection of the best
      imaging probes, and we therefore present a set of target selection criteria for
      clinical implementation of targeted bacterial imaging. Altogether, we conclude
      that the spectrum of potential applications for targeted bacterial imaging is
      enormous, ranging from fundamental research on infectious diseases to diagnostic
      and therapeutic applications. 

PMID- 26109604
TI  - Increasing incidence of immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy: single-centre
      experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) is characterized by the
      predominant presence of necrotic muscle fibres in muscle biopsy and variable
      response to immunosuppressive treatment. The aims of this study were to analyse
      the temporal trend of IMNM incidence in our centre over the past 10 years and to
      explore the role of statins as possible causative agents. METHODS: A
      retrospective evaluation of muscle biopsy results, clinical and laboratory data,
      including antibody associations of all patients with idiopathic inflammatory
      myopathy newly diagnosed between 2004 and June 2014, was performed. Available
      sera were tested for the presence of anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A
      reductase (anti-HMGCR) autoantibodies. RESULTS: Of 357 biopsied patients, 233
      fulfilled criteria for inflammatory/immune-mediated myopathy, including 27
      (11.6%) classified as IMNM. There were no patients with IMNM diagnosed between
      2004 and 2007; subsequently, two to three cases of IMNM per year were seen during
      the period 2008-11, with a substantial increase to 18 cases (66.6% of all IMNM
      biopsies) in 2012-14. Thirteen of 27 patients (48%) had a history of statin use,
      11 (85%) of whom had positive anti-HMGCR antibodies. There was no IMNM patient
      without a history of statin use who was anti-HMGCR antibody positive. CONCLUSION:
      Our data show an increasing incidence of IMNM, which is mainly accounted for by
      anti-HMGCR-positive IMNM associated with the use of statins.

PMID- 26109605
TI  - Complications After Popliteal Block for Foot and Ankle Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A popliteal nerve block is a common analgesic procedure for patients
      undergoing surgery on their knee, foot, or ankle. This procedure carries less
      risk in a surgical setting compared with other forms of anesthesia such as a
      spinal block. Previous reports demonstrated few to no complications with the use
      of this nerve block, but it is unclear whether these data are consistent with the
      recent increase in use of this analgesic procedure for lower extremity surgery.
      METHODS: Retrospectively, a busy orthopedic foot and ankle practice performed a
      chart review examining for postoperative neuropathic complications possibly
      related to the popliteal nerve block. The 1014 patients who had undergone a
      popliteal block for foot and/or ankle orthopedic surgery were analyzed for short
      and long-term neuropathic complications. The collected data consisted of
      tourniquet time, pressure, and location as well as the method of finding the
      fossa nerve, adjuncts used, and patient medical history. Data were analyzed using
      chi-square, Fisher's exact, and t tests for analysis with a significance value of
      P < .05. RESULT: Of these 1014 patients, 52 patients (5%) developed deleterious
      symptoms likely resulting from their popliteal block, and 7 (0.7%) of these were
      unresolved after their last follow-up. No immediately apparent underlying causes
      were determined for these complications. CONCLUSION: The frequency of a
      neuropathic complication following a popliteal nerve block was notably higher in
      the early postoperative period than indicated in the past. The proportion of
      patients with unresolved neuropathic symptoms at last follow-up is comparable to
      that previously reported in the literature. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV,
      retrospective case series.

PMID- 26109606
TI  - Posterior Facet Settling and Changes in Bohler's Angle in Operatively and
      Nonoperatively Treated Calcaneus Fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with calcaneus fractures often exhibit settling of the
      posterior facet with a corresponding decrease in Bohler's angle (BA) following
      either operative or nonoperative treatment. Both injury BA and postoperative BA
      have been shown to be prognostic for outcomes; however, the demographic and
      surgeon-specific factors that may contribute to settling have not been critically
      examined in the literature. The purpose of this study was to identify these
      causative factors. METHODS: 234 patients with intra-articular calcaneus fractures
      were analyzed. All patients had preoperative plain radiographs, at least 5 months
      of orthopedic follow-up, and computed tomography scanning performed. BA was
      measured on the injury radiographs for all patients. For operatively treated
      patients, BA was measured on the immediate postoperative radiographs and compared
      with the last available radiograph. For nonoperatively treated patients, BA was
      measured on the last available radiograph. All patients were fully weightbearing
      at the time of final follow-up but not on initial radiographs due to their recent
      injury. Demographic data including age, gender, energy of injury mechanism,
      tobacco use, diabetes, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and substance/alcohol
      abuse were retrospectively collected. Fractures were classified using the Essex
      Lopresti and Sanders classifications. Time to full weightbearing was documented,
      as were any reports of noncompliance with weightbearing restrictions. For
      patients treated operatively, type of fixation (calcaneal-specific perimeter
      plate, nonperimeter plate, screw fixation), use of locking screws, use of bone
      graft or graft substitutes, and the number of screws supporting the posterior
      facet were documented. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant amount of
      settling within the operative and nonoperative groups, but there was no
      statistically significant difference in settling of BA between the groups. The
      average settling of BA for the operative and nonoperative group was 8 degrees.
      Age greater than 50 years, diabetes, and alcohol abuse were all statistically
      significant and independent predictors of BA settling irrespective of treatment.
      CONCLUSION: The amount of BA settling between the operative and nonoperative
      group was not significant and showed an average decrease of 8 degrees in each
      group. However, the amount of settling that we found, irrespective of treatment,
      increased with patient age, alcohol abuse, and diabetes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level
      III, retrospective comparative study.

PMID- 26109607
TI  - Efficacy of Bilateral Simultaneous Hallux Valgus Correction Compared to
      Unilateral.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hallux valgus affects up to 29% of adults and can be bilateral in 84%
      of cases. Contemporary surgical techniques provide the possibility of
      simultaneous bilateral correction, but still there is no consensus on whether
      staged or simultaneous correction should be performed if both feet are involved.
      The aim of the present study was to report our experience of treatment of
      patients with hallux valgus and to perform comparative analysis of results
      obtained from unilateral and simultaneous bilateral surgical correction. METHODS:
      Data on 60 feet (40 patients) with hallux valgus that underwent surgery between
      2010 and 2013 using scarf osteotomy and lateral soft tissue release were
      analyzed. Unilateral correction was performed in 30 feet (25 patients) and
      bilateral correction in 30 feet (15 patients). The patients from both groups were
      admitted to hospital for 7 days. Functional assessment (American Orthopaedic Foot
      & Ankle Society [AOFAS] score) and radiographic examination (intermetatarsal and
      hallux valgus angles) were performed preoperatively and at 6, 12, and 24 months
      after the procedure. Comparative analysis between groups with bilateral and
      unilateral correction was carried out. RESULTS: At 24 months after surgery in the
      bilateral and unilateral groups, the mean AOFAS score was 86 +/- 6.2 and 86 +/-
      6.9 (P > .05), the mean intermetatarsal angle was 8.4 +/- 0.5 and 8.8 +/- 0.8
      degrees (P > .05), and the mean metatarsophalangeal angle was 13.0 +/- 1.2 and
      13.0 +/- 0.9 degrees (P > .05), respectively. CONCLUSION: According to the data
      obtained, simultaneous bilateral correction had the same functional and
      radiographic results as unilateral surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, case
      series.

PMID- 26109608
TI  - Double First Metatarsal and Akin Osteotomy for Severe Hallux Valgus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The technique of double first metatarsal osteotomies was first
      developed in response to the high frequency of recurrence noted in the treatment
      of severe adolescent congruent hallux valgus deformities. The concept behind the
      use of this technique is that it allows the individual correction of each
      component of the deformity. We have modified the technique for use in adult
      hallux valgus where the majority of deformities are incongruent deformities and
      the distal chevron osteotomy is used primarily for its additional translational
      properties rather than purely to correct the distal metatarsal articular angle
      (DMAA). We report on a series of double first metatarsal osteotomies (basal
      opening wedge and distal chevron osteotomy) with Akin osteotomy in the treatment
      of moderate to severe adult hallux valgus deformity. METHODS: All patients
      presenting to our institution with a hallux valgus deformity and treated with
      this procedure between 2008 and 2013 with a minimum of 1 year of follow-up were
      identified. Data were obtained through review of case notes, electronic charts,
      and digital imaging. A total of 50 feet in 48 patients underwent double first
      metatarsal osteotomy with Akin osteotomy. Three patients were excluded due to
      loss to follow-up, leaving 47 feet in 45 patients with a mean follow-up of 45
      months (range, 14-60 months). Of these 43 (96%) were female and the mean age was
      56 years (range, 35-70 years). RESULTS: The mean preoperative hallux valgus angle
      (HVA), intermetatarsal angle (IMA), DMAA, sesamoid position, and lateral first
      metatarsotalar angle were 42 degrees (range, 32-52 degrees), 18 degrees (range, 6
      26 degrees), 12 degrees (range, 4-26 degrees), stage 6 (range, 4-7), and 2
      degrees of dorsiflexion (range, 20 degrees of dorsiflexion to 4 degrees of
      plantar flexion), respectively. The mean postoperative HVA, IMA, DMAA, sesamoid
      position, and lateral first metatarsotalar angle were 7 degrees (range, 2 to 24
      degrees), 4 degrees (range, 4-14 degrees), 6 degrees (range, 10-22 degrees),
      stage 2 (range, 1-5) and 6 degrees of plantar flexion (range, 8 degrees of
      dorsiflexion to 18 degrees of plantar flexion), respectively. The osteotomies
      consolidated at a mean of 7 weeks (range, 5-9 weeks). There were no cases of
      delayed union or nonunion. Of the cohort, 45 (96%) stated that they were
      satisfied overall with the results of their surgery and would have it again. The
      mean postoperative summary index Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOXFQ)
      score was 12.9 (range, 0-60.9) out of 100 at a mean follow-up of 45 months
      (range, 14-60 months). For the minority of cases, 8 (17%), that had preoperative
      scoring, the summary index MOXFQ score was 73.7 (range, 29.7-100). CONCLUSIONS:
      The double first metatarsal osteotomy (basal opening wedge and distal chevron
      osteotomy) with Akin osteotomy provides powerful correction and facilitates
      correction of the individual components of the hallux valgus deformity. The
      individual osteotomies that make up this procedure are familiar to the majority
      of foot and ankle surgeons, thus limiting the associated learning curve. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level IV, retrospective case series.

PMID- 26109610
TI  - Performance Demands in Softball Pitching: A Comprehensive Muscle Fatigue Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Monitoring pitch count is standard practice in minor league baseball
      but not in softball because of the perception that fast-pitch softball pitching
      is a less stressful motion. PURPOSE: To examine muscle fatigue after fast-pitch
      softball performances to provide an assessment of performance demand. STUDY
      DESIGN: Descriptive laboratory study. METHODS: Bilateral strength measurements
      (handheld dynamometer) were made on 19 female softball pitchers (mean age [+/
      SD], 15.2 +/- 1.2 years) before and after pitching a game (mean number of
      pitches, 99 +/- 21; mean innings pitched, 5 +/- 1). A total of 20 tests were
      performed on the dominant and nondominant sides: forearm (grip, wrist
      flexion/extension, pronation/supination, elbow flexion/extension), shoulder
      (flexion, abduction/adduction, external/internal rotation, empty can test),
      scapula (middle/lower trapezius, rhomboid), and hip (hip flexion/extension,
      abduction/adduction). Fatigue (percentage strength loss) was categorized based on
      bilateral versus unilateral presentation using paired t tests: bilateral
      symmetric (significant on dominant and nondominant and not different between
      sides), bilateral asymmetric (significant on dominant and nondominant but
      significantly greater on dominant), unilateral asymmetric (significant on
      dominant only and significantly greater than nondominant), or unilateral
      equivocal (significant on dominant only but not different from nondominant).
      RESULTS: Bilateral symmetric fatigue was evident for all hip (dominant, 19.3%;
      nondominant, 15.2%) and scapular tests (dominant, 19.2%; nondominant, 19.3%). In
      general, shoulder tests exhibited bilateral asymmetric fatigue (dominant, 16.9%;
      nondominant, 11.6%). Forearm tests were more variable, with bilateral symmetric
      fatigue in the elbow flexors (dominant, 22.5%; nondominant, 19.2%), and wrist
      flexors (dominant, 21.6%; nondominant, 19.0%), bilateral asymmetric fatigue in
      the supinators (dominant, 21.8%; nondominant, 15.5%), unilateral asymmetric
      fatigue in the elbow extensors (dominant, 22.1%; nondominant, 11.3%), and
      unilateral equivocal fatigue in the pronators (dominant, 18.8%; nondominant,
      15.2%) and grip (dominant, 11.4%; nondominant, 6.6%). The mean (+/-SD) pitch
      velocity was 49 +/- 4 mph, with a small loss of velocity from the first to last
      inning pitched (3.4% +/- 5.0%, P < .01). CONCLUSION: Fast-pitch softball pitching
      resulted in profound bilateral fatigue in the hip and scapular muscles, with more
      selective fatigue in the shoulder and arm muscles. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These
      findings emphasize the importance of strength in the proximal musculature to
      provide a stable platform for the arm to propel the ball.

PMID- 26109609
TI  - A Cell-Based High-Throughput Screening for Inducers of Myeloid Differentiation.
AB  - Recent progress of genetic studies has dramatically unveiled pathogenesis of
      acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, overall survival of AML still remains
      unsatisfactory, and development of novel therapeutics is required. CCAAT/enhancer
      binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha) is one of the crucial transcription factors
      that induce granulocytic differentiation, and its activity is perturbed in human
      myeloid leukemias. As its reexpression can induce differentiation and subsequent
      apoptosis of leukemic cells in vitro, we hypothesized that chemical compounds
      that restore C/EBPalpha expression and/or activity would lead to myeloid
      differentiation of leukemic cells. Using a cell-based high-throughput screening,
      we identified 2-[(E)-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)vinyl]-3-(2-methoxyphenyl)-4(3H)
      quinazolinone as a potent inducer of C/EBPalpha and myeloid differentiation.
      Leukemia cell lines and primary blast cells isolated from human patients with AML
      treated with ICCB280 demonstrated evidence of morphological and functional
      differentiation, as well as massive apoptosis. We performed conformational
      analyses of the high-throughput screening hit compounds to postulate the spatial
      requirements for high potency. Our results warrant a development of novel
      differentiation therapies and significantly affect care of patients with AML with
      unfavorable prognosis in the near future. 

PMID- 26109611
TI  - Bioabsorbable Versus Titanium Screws in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
      Using Hamstring Autograft: A Prospective, Blinded, Randomized Controlled Trial
      With 5-Year Follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Longer-term results of bioabsorbable screws for anterior cruciate
      ligament reconstruction (ACLR) have been reported, but results are specific to
      the exact screw material and design. Titanium and poly-L-lactic acid with
      hydroxyapatite (PLLA-HA) screw outcomes have been compared only to 2 years.
      PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and
      radiologic outcomes of the PLLA-HA screw versus titanium screw for hamstring
      tendon ACLR over a 5-year follow-up period. The hypothesis was that there are no
      differences in clinical scores or tunnel widening between the PLLA-HA and the
      titanium screws and that the PLLA-HA screw as seen on magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) should show high-grade resorption and ossification response over 5 years.
      STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. METHODS: A total
      of 40 patients undergoing ACLR were randomized to receive either a PLLA-HA screw
      (PLLA-HA group) or a titanium screw (titanium group) for ACL fixation. Blinded
      evaluation was performed at 2 and 5 years with the International Knee
      Documentation Committee and Lysholm knee score, KT-1000 arthrometer, single
      legged hop test, and MRI to evaluate tunnel and screw volumes, periscrew
      ossification, graft integration, and cyst formation. RESULTS: There was no
      difference in any clinical outcome measure at 2- or 5-year follow-up between the
      2 groups. At 2 years, the femoral tunnel in the PLLA-HA group was smaller than
      that in the titanium group (P = .02); at 5 years, there was no difference. At 2
      years, the femoral PLLA-HA screw was a mean 76% of its original volume, and by 5
      years, it was 36%. At 2 years, the tibial PLLA-HA screw mean volume was 68% of
      its original volume, and by 5 years, it was 46%. At 5 years in the PLLA-HA group,
      88% of femoral tunnels and 56% of tibial tunnels demonstrated a significant
      ossification response. There was no increase in cyst formation in the PLLA-HA
      group and no screw breakages. CONCLUSION: There were equivalent clinical results
      between the PLLA-HA and titanium groups at 2- and 5-year follow-ups. The PLLA-HA
      screw was not associated with increased tunnel widening or cyst formation when
      compared with the titanium screw. The PLLA-HA screw demonstrated progressive
      screw resorption and gradual but incomplete ossification over 5 years.

PMID- 26109612
TI  - Potential Mechanisms Leading to Overuse Injuries of the Back in Alpine Ski
      Racing: A Descriptive Biomechanical Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Overuse injuries of the back are a common complaint among top
      athletes and of competitive alpine skiers in particular. However, there is
      limited understanding about the sport-specific causes of these injuries that is
      essential for their prevention. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: This study was undertaken to
      describe the sport-specific, overall trunk kinematics and skiers' loading during
      giant slalom turns and to assess the plausibility of the hypothesis that a
      combination of frontal bending, lateral bending, and/or torsion in the loaded
      trunk might be a potential mechanism leading to overuse injuries of the back in
      alpine ski racing. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive laboratory study. METHODS: Eight
      European Cup-level athletes performed giant slalom runs with 2 different pairs of
      skis (varying in length, width, and sidecut). They were analyzed with respect to
      selected kinematic variables related to spinal disc loading. The overall trunk
      movement components (frontal bending, lateral bending, and torsion) were measured
      using 2 inertial measurement units fixed on the sacrum and sternum. Total ground
      reaction forces were measured by pressure insoles. RESULTS: During the turn phase
      in which the total ground-reaction forces were the greatest (up to 2.89 times the
      body weight), the highest average values of frontal bending (38.7 degrees ),
      lateral bending (14.7 degrees ), and torsion (7.7 degrees ) in the trunk
      occurred. Similar magnitudes were observed when skiing on longer, giant slalom
      skis with less width and sidecut. CONCLUSION: The typical loading patterns of the
      back in alpine ski racing include a combined occurrence of frontal bending,
      lateral bending, and torsion in the loaded trunk. Because these factors are known
      to be related to high spinal disc loading, they may be considered important
      components of mechanisms leading to overuse injuries of the back in alpine ski
      racing. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Prevention measures should aim to control and/or
      reduce the magnitude of frontal bending, lateral bending, and torsion in the
      trunk, as well as the peak loads, while skiing.

PMID- 26109598
TI  - Genetic instability in budding and fission yeast-sources and mechanisms.
AB  - Cells are constantly confronted with endogenous and exogenous factors that affect
      their genomes. Eons of evolution have allowed the cellular mechanisms responsible
      for preserving the genome to adjust for achieving contradictory objectives: to
      maintain the genome unchanged and to acquire mutations that allow adaptation to
      environmental changes. One evolutionary mechanism that has been refined for
      survival is genetic variation. In this review, we describe the mechanisms
      responsible for two biological processes: genome maintenance and mutation
      tolerance involved in generations of genetic variations in mitotic cells of both
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. These processes encompass
      mechanisms that ensure the fidelity of replication, DNA lesion sensing and DNA
      damage response pathways, as well as mechanisms that ensure precision in
      chromosome segregation during cell division. We discuss various factors that may
      influence genome stability, such as cellular ploidy, the phase of the cell cycle,
      transcriptional activity of a particular region of DNA, the proficiency of DNA
      quality control systems, the metabolic stage of the cell and its respiratory
      potential, and finally potential exposure to endogenous or environmental stress. 

PMID- 26109613
TI  - Sexual signalling by females: do unmated females increase their signalling
      effort?
AB  - Theory predicts that females should invest least in mate searching when young,
      but increase their effort with age if they remain unmated. Few studies have
      examined variation in female sexual signalling. Female Dawson's burrowing bees
      (Amegilla dawsoni) search for males by signalling their receptivity on emergence,
      but many leave the emergence site unmated and must attract males at feeding
      sites. Female bees prevented from mating on emergence had more extreme versions
      of cuticular hydrocarbon profiles that make them attractive to males, lending
      empirical evidence of adaptive shifts in female mating effort. 

PMID- 26109614
TI  - Racehorses are getting faster.
AB  - Previous studies have concluded that thoroughbred racehorse speed is improving
      very slowly, if at all, despite heritable variation for performance and
      putatively intensive selective breeding. This has led to the suggestion that
      racehorses have reached a selection limit. However, previous studies have been
      limited, focusing only on the winning times of a few elite races run over middle
      and long distances, and failing to account for potentially confounding factors.
      Using a much larger dataset covering the full range of race distances and
      accounting for variation in factors such as ground softness, we show that
      improvement is, in fact, ongoing for the population as a whole, but driven
      largely by increasing speed in sprint races. In contrast, speed over middle and
      long distances, at least at the elite level, appears to be reaching an asymptote.
      Whether this reflects a selection limit to speed over middle and long distances
      or a shift in breeding practices to target sprint performances remains to be
      determined. 

PMID- 26109615
TI  - Romundina and the evolutionary origin of teeth.
AB  - Theories on the origin of vertebrate teeth have long focused on chondrichthyans
      as reflecting a primitive condition-but this is better informed by the extinct
      placoderms, which constitute a sister clade or grade to the living gnathostomes.
      Here, we show that 'supragnathal' toothplates from the acanthothoracid placoderm
      Romundina stellina comprise multi-cuspid teeth, each composed of an enameloid cap
      and core of dentine. These were added sequentially, approximately
      circumferentially, about a pioneer tooth. Teeth are bound to a bony plate that
      grew with the addition of marginal teeth. Homologous toothplates in arthrodire
      placoderms exhibit a more ordered arrangement of teeth that lack enameloid, but
      their organization into a gnathal, bound by layers of cellular bone associated
      with the addition of each successional tooth, is the same. The presence of
      enameloid in the teeth of Romundina suggests that it has been lost in other
      placoderms. Its covariation in the teeth and dermal skeleton of placoderms
      suggests a lack of independence early in the evolution of jawed vertebrates. It
      also appears that the dentition-manifest as discrete gnathal ossifications-was
      developmentally discrete from the jaws during this formative episode of
      vertebrate evolution. 

PMID- 26109616
TI  - Altered beta1,6-GlcNAc and bisecting GlcNAc-branched N-glycan on integrin beta1
      are associated with early spontaneous miscarriage in humans.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Do N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GnT-V) and N
      acetylglucosaminyltransferase III (GnT-III) play an important role in early
      spontaneous miscarriage (ESM) in humans. SUMMARY ANSWER: The dynamic balance
      between GnT-V and GnT-III expression in chorionic villi differed between early
      normal pregnancy and ESM and was associated with altered beta1,6-N
      acetylglucosamine (beta1,6-GlcNAc) and bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (bis-GlcNAc)
      branched N-glycans on integrin beta1. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: GnT-V contributes to
      metastasis, while GnT-III is recognized as a metastasis suppressor. It has been
      reported that GnT-V contributes to placentation in the early phase of pregnancy,
      possibly regulating trophoblast invasion. However, the expressions of GnT-V and
      GnT-III in ESM have not been reported. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Villous
      samples from 6 to 9 weeks of gestation were collected in the First Affiliated
      Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from May 2013 to September 2014 from 60
      normal pregnant women undergoing elective termination of pregnancy and from 40
      patients with a clinical diagnosis of ESM. PARTICIPANTS, MATERIALS, SETTING,
      METHODS: Quantitative PCR and western blots were used to examine the GnT-V and
      GnT-III mRNA (Mgat5 and Mgat3) and protein expression, respectively, of chorionic
      villi in both the ESM group and the normal group from week 6 to week 9. We used
      immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry to detect the location of GnT-V and
      GnT-III. Lectin fluorescence and histochemistry were used to test the location of
      beta1,6-GlcNAc and bis-GlcNAc branching in the normal and ESM groups. To assess
      the functional capacity of GnT-V and GnT-III in the chorionic villi between the
      two groups, we used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit to measure the
      activity of these enzymes. Using co-precipitated integrin alpha5beta1 followed by
      phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-L and PHA-E blotting, we investigated whether GnT-V and
      GnT-III could modify the N-glycosylation profile in terms of the beta1,6-GlcNAc
      and bis-GlcNAc structures in integrin alpha5beta1 during the first trimester in
      both groups. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: In the normal group expression
      and activity of GnT-V and the concentration of its product, beta1,6-GlcNAc were
      higher at week 9 than at weeks 6, 7 and 8 (P < 0.05). In contrast, the expression
      and activity of GnT-III and the concentration of its product, bis-GlcNAc were
      higher at week 6 than at weeks 7, 8 and 9 (P < 0.05). Compared with the normal
      group, the ESM group exhibited a lower expression of GnT-V and beta1,6-GlcNAc (P
      < 0.05) and a higher expression of GnT-III and bis-GlcNAc (P < 0.05) with
      consistent changes in enzymatic activity. Immunofluorescence showed that GnT-V
      was located mainly in the cytoplasm of syncytiotrophoblasts (STBs) and chorionic
      villous cytotrophoblasts (CTBs), in both the ESM group and the normal group.
      beta1,6-GlcNAc N-glycan was mainly located outside of the STB and CTB layer in
      normal villi and was expressed only rarely in the ESM villi. GnT-III was
      expressed primarily in the cytoplasm of STBs and expressed only very weakly in
      the CTBs of normal villi, whereas it was highly expressed in both the STBs and
      CTBs in the ESM group. bis-GlcNAc was primarily located outside of the STBs in
      the normal villi, whereas it was expressed much more abundantly outside of both
      the STBs and CTBs in the ESM group at each week of gestation. Moreover, decreased
      beta1,6-GlcNAc-branched N-glycans and increased bis-GlcNAc-branched N-glycans on
      integrin beta1 (P < 0.05) were observed in the ESM group. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF
      THE FINDINGS: Our findings provide a new insight for studying the mechanism of
      clinical ESM in humans and it might be valuable for the clinical diagnosis and
      treatment of ESM. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The study lacks experiments
      in vitro to disclose the precise mechanism by which GnT-V and GnT-III regulate
      ESM. In some cases, degradation of the tissues after the miscarriage event cannot
      be ruled out. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This study was supported by
      grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31271546). The
      authors have no competing interests.

PMID- 26109617
TI  - Progesterone levels in letrozole associated controlled ovarian stimulation for
      fertility preservation in breast cancer patients.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Are progesterone levels after letrozole-associated controlled
      ovarian stimulation (COS) for fertility preservation in breast cancer patients,
      lower than after standard in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles? SUMMARY ANSWER:
      During the luteal phase of letrozole-associated COS cycles (triggered with human
      chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG)) progesterone levels are similarly elevated to
      those obtained after standard COS without letrozole. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY:
      Current fertility preservation strategies for breast cancer patients include
      association of COS with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole to harvest several
      mature oocytes while maintaining low estradiol levels. Data on progesterone
      levels are however lacking despite growing evidence of the role of progesterone
      in breast tumorigenesis. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This is a prospective
      observational study comparing estradiol and progesterone levels of 21 breast
      cancer patients undergoing letrozole-associated COS with 21 infertile patients
      undergoing standard COS for IVF and/or intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
      PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: All patients underwent COS with a GnRH
      antagonist protocol. In the fertility preservation group, ovulation induction was
      started in the follicular or luteal phase depending on the chemotherapy schedule
      and in 10 cases a GnRH antagonist was administered during luteal phase to induce
      luteolysis. Final oocyte maturation was induced by hCG in all patients. Estradiol
      and progesterone levels were measured on the day of hCG, at oocyte retrieval, and
      on days 3 and 8 after oocyte retrieval. Hormone levels in fertility preservation
      patients were compared with those observed in infertility patients. MAIN RESULTS
      AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: While estradiol levels were significantly lower in the
      fertility preservation group compared with the control group (P < 0.001),
      progesterone levels were similar at all times, including patients receiving a
      GnRH antagonist during the luteal phase. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The
      studied populations (breast cancer and infertile patients) are different, which
      may induce selection bias. The small sample size limits the study's statistical
      power and the possibility to perform multivariate analysis. Recruitment of the
      study and control patients was completed at the same time; however, enrollment of
      controls started at a later time. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: While the
      use of letrozole in fertility preservation patients has a favorable effect on
      estrogen levels, no benefit is seen for progesterone levels which are high and
      comparable with progesterone levels after standard COS in IVF patients. As
      progesterone has been associated with tumor cell proliferation, caution is
      mandatory. Modified protocols including GnRH agonist triggering should be
      investigated.

PMID- 26109618
TI  - Fibronectin stimulates human sperm capacitation through the cyclic AMP/protein
      kinase A pathway.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Does fibronectin (Fn) stimulate the sperm capacitation process in
      humans? SUMMARY ANSWER: Fibronectin stimulates human sperm capacitation. WHAT IS
      KNOWN ALREADY: Capacitation is a process that occurs in the oviduct. It has been
      suggested that some molecules present in the oviductal fluid and cells as well as
      proteins present in the cumulus oophorus could be involved in the modulation of
      sperm function and their acquisition of fertilizing capacity. Fibronectin is a
      glycoprotein that is present in the fluid and the oviduct epithelium, and its
      receptor (alpha 5 beta 1 integrin) is present in human sperm. When alpha 5 beta 1
      (alpha5beta1) integrin binds to fibronectin, intracellular signals similar to the
      process of sperm capacitation are activated. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Human
      sperm were selected via a percoll gradient and were then incubated in non
      capacitated medium (NCM) or reconstituted capacitated medium (RCM), in the
      presence or absence of fibronectin for different time periods. A total of 39
      donors were used during the study, which lasted 3 years. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS,
      SETTING, METHODS: Freshly ejaculated sperm from healthy volunteers were obtained
      by masturbation. All semen samples were normal according to the World Health
      Organization parameters. Six approaches were used to determine the effects of
      fibronectin on sperm capacitation: chlortetracycline (CTC) assay, heterologous co
      culture of human sperm with bovine oviductal epithelial cells (BOEC), measurement
      of cyclic (c) AMP levels, activity of protein kinase A (PKA), phosphorylation of
      proteins in tyrosine (Tyr) residues, and induction of acrosome reaction with
      progesterone. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: When sperm were incubated in
      RCM in the presence of Fn, we observed differences with respect to sperm
      incubated in RCM without Fn (control): (i) a 10% increase in the percentage of
      sperm with the B pattern (capacitated sperm) of CTC fluorescence from the
      beginning of capacitation (P < 0.001); (ii) an effect on both the concentration
      of cAMP (P < 0.05) and PKA activity (P < 0.05) during early capacitation; (iii)
      an increase in the degree of phosphorylation of proteins on tyrosine residues
      after 60 min of capacitation (P < 0.01); (iv) an increase in the percentage of
      acrosome-reacted sperm in response to progesterone (P < 0.05); and (v) a decrease
      in the percentage of sperm attached to BOEC (P < 0.05). Moreover, we noted that
      the effect of Fn was specific and mediated by alpha 5 beta 1 integrin (P <
      0.001). Fn by itself had no effect on sperm capacitation. LIMITATIONS, REASONS
      FOR CAUTION: This study was carried out with sperm from young adult men. Men with
      abnormal semen samples were excluded. The results cannot be directly extrapolated
      to other mammalian species. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Currently, male
      subfertility has become a huge public health problem, which makes it imperative
      to develop new treatments. This is a novel discovery that extends our current
      knowledge concerning normal and pathological sperm physiology as well as events
      that regulate the process of fertilization. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS:
      This study was supported by grants from FONDECYT (1130341, E.S.D. and 1120056,
      P.M.) and FONCYT (PIP 2011-0496, S.P.-M). The authors have no conflicts of
      interest.

PMID- 26109619
TI  - Multiple parasitic infections in a cardiac transplant recipient.
AB  - Infectious complications represent an important cause of morbidity and death in
      patients with transplant. Parasitic infections are less frequent than viral and
      bacterial agents, and are often overlooked. We describe the case of a 13-year-old
      adolescent, born in Sao Tome Island, who was under immunosuppressive therapy
      after a cardiac transplant. The patient had an intermittent course of diarrhoea,
      abdominal pain and vomiting. She was admitted dehydrated, and Strongyloides
      stercoralis, Schistosoma intercalatum and Cystoisospora belli were isolated in
      her stools. The patient was treated with ivermectin, albendazole, praziquantel
      and ciprofloxacin with clinical and microbiological resolution. Her
      immunosuppressive therapy was reduced during hospitalisation. We believe that the
      parasitic infection was a result of a recrudescence of dormant infections
      acquired in her homeland. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports of
      cystoisosporiasis or schistosomiasis in heart transplant recipients. 

PMID- 26109620
TI  - Burst abdomen: an unusual complication of silicosis in pregnancy.
AB  - We present a case of silicosis in a 37-year-old pregnant woman, a second gravida
      with previous caesarean section. She was referred to our hospital at 42 weeks of
      gestation with breathlessness and oligohydramnios. She had worked in a glass and
      talc powder factory for 11 years and was diagnosed as having silicosis 2 years
      prior; she was on treatment. Following admission, she was evaluated for dyspnoea
      and underwent emergency Caesarean section for poor cervical dilation. She
      developed a burst abdomen on the third postoperative day with loops of gangrenous
      bowel protruding outside the abdomen. Emergency laparotomy with ileal resection
      and ileostomy was carried out. She was discharged on day 14 and is on follow-up.
      To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of silicosis in pregnancy
      presenting with an unusual complication.

PMID- 26109621
TI  - A rapidly growing vulvar condyloma acuminatum in a young patient.
AB  - A young woman presented to the outpatient gynaecology clinic with a rapidly
      growing bulky tumour located at the external genitalia, which she first noticed
      10 days prior to her visit. Examination revealed a 6 * 3 cm cauliflower-like mass
      located on the left genitofemoral fold. The initial biopsy had several features
      suggestive of a human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. A broad excision of the
      mass was subsequently performed. The biopsy confirmed the presence of a large
      condyloma acuminatum. Condyloma acuminatum is a slow-growing benign exophytic
      tumour that is associated with HPV infection. In cases where the tumour has
      aggressive features, as in our patient, the differential diagnosis has to include
      carcinoma or Buschke-Lowenstein tumour. The initial biopsy of the tumour in our
      patient, however, excluded malignancy.

PMID- 26109622
TI  - Cerebral vascular findings in PAPA syndrome: cerebral arterial vasculopathy or
      vasculitis and a posterior cerebral artery dissecting aneurysm.
AB  - A young patient with PAPA (pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and acne)
      syndrome developed an unusual cerebral arterial vasculopathy/vasculitis (CAV)
      that resulted in subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured dissecting posterior
      cerebral artery (PCA) aneurysm. This aneurysm was successfully treated by
      endovascular coil sacrifice of the affected segment of the PCA. The patient made
      an excellent recovery with no significant residual neurologic deficit. 

PMID- 26109623
TI  - Transvenous sclerotherapy of a large symptomatic orbital venous varix using a
      microcatheter balloon and bleomycin.
AB  - An orbital venous varix is rare and can present with diplopia, proptosis, or
      hemorrhage. Treatment can be challenging, especially if the varix is in a
      posterior location within the orbit, since surgical exposure becomes difficult. A
      few case reports have been published describing transcatheter embolization of an
      orbital varix with coils, direct percutaneous injection of n-butyl cyanoacrylate
      glue, and the percutaneous injection of bleomycin. We present a case of a
      symptomatic orbital venous varix of the left inferior ophthalmic vein
      successfully treated with transvenous endovascular sclerotherapy using a
      microcatheter balloon and bleomycin. 

PMID- 26109624
TI  - A 37-year-old woman with refractory coeliac disease type II disease treated by
      stem cell transplantation.
AB  - This case study describes the disease course and treatment of a rare disorder,
      refractory coeliac disease. This disorder is associated with a marked increase in
      the risk of development of enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma. The patient in
      question developed coeliac symptoms despite strict adherence to a gluten-free
      diet, having been symptom-free for over 7 years. She presented with marked oedema
      of the legs and a distended abdomen. Investigations--laboratory, radiological and
      enteroscopy findings--were consistent with the development of refractory coeliac
      disease. This case illustrates the background and course of this disease, and the
      treatment options.

PMID- 26109625
TI  - Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the bladder with intravesical cervical invasion.
AB  - A 26-year-old woman with a complicated urological and gynecological history with
      uterine didelphys with bilaterally inserting intravesical cervical oses presented
      with cyclical haematuria. Work up revealed a mass in the ectopic cervical os and
      adjacent bladder wall. Subsequent resection confirmed a clear cell adenocarcinoma
      of urological origin with invasion into neighbouring os. 

PMID- 26109626
TI  - A case of lower leg skin rash and severe arthralgia.

PMID- 26109627
TI  - Two Blades-Up Runs Using the JetStream Navitus Atherectomy Device Achieve Optimal
      Tissue Debulking of Nonocclusive In-Stent Restenosis: Observations From a Porcine
      Stent/Balloon Injury Model.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the number of runs with blades up (BU) using the JetStream
      Navitus to achieving optimal debulking in a porcine model of femoropopliteal
      artery in-stent restenosis (ISR). METHODS: In this porcine model, 8 limbs were
      implanted with overlapping nitinol self-expanding stents. ISR was treated
      initially with 2 blades-down (BD) runs followed by 4 BU runs (BU1 to BU4).
      Quantitative vascular angiography (QVA) was performed at baseline, after 2 BD
      runs, and after each BU run. Plaque surface area and percent stenosis within the
      treated stented segment were measured. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was used
      to measure minimum lumen area (MLA) and determine IVUS-derived plaque surface
      area. RESULTS: QVA showed that plaque surface area was significantly reduced
      between baseline (83.9%+/-14.8%) and 2 BD (67.7%+/-17.0%, p=0.005) and BU1
      (55.4%+/-9.0%, p=0.005) runs, and between BU1 and BU2 runs (50.7%+/-9.7%,
      p<0.05). Percent stenosis behaved similarly with no further reduction after BU2.
      There were no further reductions in plaque surface area or percent stenosis with
      BU 3 and 4 runs (p=0.10). Similarly, IVUS (24 lesions) confirmed optimal results
      with BU2 runs and no additional gain in MLA or reduction in plaque surface area
      with BU3 and 4. IVUS confirmed no orbital cutting with JetStream Navitus. There
      were no stent strut discontinuities on high-resolution radiographs following
      atherectomy. CONCLUSION: JetStream Navitus achieved optimal tissue debulking
      after 2 BD and 2 BU runs with no further statistical gain in debulking after the
      BU2 run. Operators treating ISR with JetStream Navitus may be advised to limit
      their debulking to 2 BD and 2 BU runs to achieve optimal debulking.

PMID- 26109628
TI  - Rheolytic Pharmacomechanical Thrombectomy for the Management of Acute Limb
      Ischemia: Results From the PEARL Registry.
AB  - PURPOSE: To present the results of rheolytic pharmacomechanical thrombectomy
      (PMT) for the management of acute limb ischemia (ALI) as reported in the PEARL
      Registry (PEripheral Use of AngioJet Rheolytic Thrombectomy with a variety of
      catheter Lengths). METHODS: A total of 283 patients (mean age 65+/-13 years; 170
      men) presenting with ALI undergoing treatment with the AngioJet System at
      participating institutions were enrolled in the registry. Rutherford ALI
      categories included 26% with viable limbs, 38% with marginally threatened limbs,
      35% with immediately threatened limbs, and <1% with irreversible damage.
      Procedure and follow-up data were collected for the calculation of outcomes. To
      control for patient selection bias, propensity score matching was used to compare
      outcomes for patients undergoing PMT with or without catheter-directed
      thrombolysis (CDT). RESULTS: Procedure success was achieved in 235 (83%) of 283
      patients. Half of the procedures (147, 52%) were completed without the need for
      adjunctive CDT. At 12-month follow-up, amputation-free survival and freedom from
      mortality were 81% and 91%, respectively; 12-month freedom from bleeding
      requiring transfusion was 91%, and freedom from renal failure was 95%. Subgroup
      analysis revealed significantly better outcomes in patients without
      infrapopliteal involvement and those who underwent PMT without CDT. In the
      matched cohorts, higher rates of procedure success, 12-month amputation-free
      survival, and 12-month freedom from amputation were observed in the PMT without
      CDT group (88% vs 74%, p=0.021; 87% vs 72%, p=0.028; 96% vs 81%, p=0.01,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results support the use of PMT as a first-line
      treatment for ALI, providing a rapid reperfusion to the extremity, reduced
      procedure time, and an acceptable risk profile without compromising limb salvage.

PMID- 26109629
TI  - Temporary biventricular pacing improves bypass graft flows in coronary artery
      bypass graft patients with permanent atrial fibrillation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We have previously demonstrated the impact of univentricular pacing
      modalities on bypass graft flow (BGF) in the coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
      patient with permanent atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of the present study was
      to determine the mechanism of this improved coronary conduit and, in addition, to
      explore the possible benefits with biventricular pacing in patients with and
      without severe left ventricular dysfunction. METHODS: In 43 CABG patients [mean
      age 69.5 +/- 1.3 years; ejection fraction (EF) 49 +/- 2%] with AF, we analysed
      coronary vascular resistances (CVRs) and the contemporary changes in the BGF
      obtained during right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT), right- (RV), left- (LV)
      and right-left ventricular pacing (biventricular pacing, BiVP) using the
      ultrasonic transit-time methodology. RESULTS: BiVP resulted in the highest
      percentage decrease of CVR in the overall study group by 17.5 +/- 3.0% (P <
      0.001), followed by RVOT pacing with 13.9 +/- 3.9%. Accordingly, the highest mean
      BGF was achieved during BiVP, resulting in a 21.6 +/- 2.6% increase when compared
      with no pacing and 16 +/- 3.7% when compared with RV pacing. Analysis of patients
      according to their preoperative LV function (EF >=50%, n = 26; EF <50%, n = 17)
      showed significantly lower CVR (P < 0.037) and higher BGF during BiVP in patients
      with lower EF. CONCLUSIONS: Placement of an additional LV pacing wire offered a
      significant improvement in BGF by minimizing CVR in patients with AF and poor EF.

PMID- 26109630
TI  - Phase II/III study of second-line chemotherapy comparing irinotecan-alone with S
      1 plus irinotecan in advanced gastric cancer refractory to first-line treatment
      with S-1 (JACCRO GC-05).
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Japan, S-1 plus cisplatin has been used as first-line therapy for
      advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Patients with no response to first-line treatment
      with S-1 often receive a taxane-alone or irinotecan-alone as second-line
      treatment. However, second-line treatment with S-1 plus irinotecan is widely used
      in patients with AGC resistant to first-line S-1-based chemotherapy. The goal of
      this trial was to determine whether the consecutive use of S-1 plus irinotecan
      improves survival when compared with irinotecan-alone as second-line treatment
      for AGC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who had disease progression during first
      line S-1-based chemotherapy were randomly assigned to receive S-1 plus irinotecan
      or irinotecan-alone. The S-1 plus irinotecan group received oral S-1 (40-60
      mg/m(2)) on days 1-14 and intravenous irinotecan (150 mg/m(2)) on day 1 of a 21
      day cycle. The irinotecan-alone group received the same dose of irinotecan
      intravenously on day 1 of a 14-day cycle. The primary end point was overall
      survival (OS). RESULTS: From February 2008 to May 2011, a total of 304 patients
      were enrolled. The median OS was 8.8 months in the S-1 plus irinotecan group and
      9.5 months in the irinotecan-alone group. This difference was not significant
      (hazard ratio for death, 0.99; 95% confidence interval 0.78-1.25; P = 0.92).
      Grade 3 or higher toxicities were more common in the S-1 plus irinotecan group
      than in the irinotecan-alone group. CONCLUSION: The consecutive use of S-1 plus
      irinotecan is not recommended as second-line treatment in patients who are
      refractory to S-1-based first-line chemotherapy. ClinicalTrials.gov ID:
      NCT00639327.

PMID- 26109631
TI  - Cetuximab, docetaxel, and cisplatin as first-line treatment in patients with
      recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a multicenter,
      phase II GORTEC study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cetuximab in combination with platinum and 5-fluorouracil is the
      standard of care in the first-line treatment of patients with
      recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Cetuximab and
      taxane combinations have shown promising activity. This study evaluated the
      efficacy and safety of four cycles of docetaxel associated with cisplatin and
      cetuximab (TPEx), followed by maintenance with cetuximab every 2 weeks. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: Patients with a histologically confirmed HNSCC with metastasis or
      recurrence unsuitable for locoregional curative treatment received docetaxel and
      cisplatin (75 mg/m(2) both) at day 1 and weekly cetuximab 250 mg/m(2) (loading
      dose of 400 mg/m(2)), repeated every 21 days for four cycles, followed by
      maintenance cetuximab 500 mg/m(2) every 2 weeks until progression or unacceptable
      toxicity. Prophylactic administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor
      was done systematically after each chemotherapy cycle. Patients had a good
      general status (performance status <=1) and were under 71 years. Prior total
      doses of cisplatin exceeding 300 mg/m(2) were not allowed. The primary end point
      was objective response rate (ORR) after four cycles. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients
      were enrolled. The primary end point was met with an ORR of 44.4% (95% CI 30.9
      58.6). Median overall and progression-free survivals were, respectively, 14
      months (95% CI 11.3-17.3) and 6.2 months (95% CI 5.4-7.2). The most common grade
      3/4 adverse events were skin rash (16.6%) and non-febrile neutropenia (20.4%).
      There were one pulmonary embolism and two infectious events leading to death.
      CONCLUSIONS: The TPEx regimen showed promising activity as first-line treatment
      in fit patients with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC. Further studies are needed to
      compare the TPEx versus EXTREME regimen in this population. CLINICALTRIALGOV:
      NCT01289522.

PMID- 26109632
TI  - The study of glioma by xenotransplantation in zebrafish early life stages.
AB  - Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and their transparent embryos are becoming an
      increasingly popular tool for studying processes involved in tumor progression
      and in the search for novel tumor treatment approaches. The xenotransplantation
      of fluorescently labeled mammalian cancer cells into zebrafish embryos is an
      approach enabling relatively high-throughput in vivo analyses. The small size of
      the embryos as well as the relative simplicity of their manipulation and
      maintenance allow for large numbers of embryos to be processed efficiently in a
      short time and at low cost. Furthermore, the possibility of fluorescence
      microscopic imaging of tumor progression within zebrafish embryos and larvae
      holds unprecedented potential for the real-time visualization of these processes
      in vivo. This review presents the methodologies of xenotransplantation studies on
      zebrafish involving research on tumor invasion, proliferation, tumor-induced
      angiogenesis and screening for antitumor therapeutics. We further focus on the
      application of these zebrafish to the study of glioma; in particular, its most
      common and malignant form, glioblastoma.

PMID- 26109633
TI  - An analytical approach to bistable biological circuit discrimination using real
      algebraic geometry.
AB  - Biomolecular circuits with two distinct and stable steady states have been
      identified as essential components in a wide range of biological networks, with a
      variety of mechanisms and topologies giving rise to their important bistable
      property. Understanding the differences between circuit implementations is an
      important question, particularly for the synthetic biologist faced with
      determining which bistable circuit design out of many is best for their specific
      application. In this work we explore the applicability of Sturm's theorem--a tool
      from nineteenth-century real algebraic geometry--to comparing 'functionally
      equivalent' bistable circuits without the need for numerical simulation. We first
      consider two genetic toggle variants and two different positive feedback
      circuits, and show how specific topological properties present in each type of
      circuit can serve to increase the size of the regions of parameter space in which
      they function as switches. We then demonstrate that a single competitive
      monomeric activator added to a purely monomeric (and otherwise monostable) mutual
      repressor circuit is sufficient for bistability. Finally, we compare our approach
      with the Routh-Hurwitz method and derive consistent, yet more powerful,
      parametric conditions. The predictive power and ease of use of Sturm's theorem
      demonstrated in this work suggest that algebraic geometric techniques may be
      underused in biomolecular circuit analysis.

PMID- 26109635
TI  - Adhesive interactions of geckos with wet and dry fluoropolymer substrates.
AB  - Fluorinated substrates like Teflon(r) (poly(tetrafluoroethylene); PTFE) are well
      known for their role in creating non-stick surfaces. We showed previously that
      even geckos, which can stick to most surfaces under a wide variety of conditions,
      slip on PTFE. Surprisingly, however, geckos can stick reasonably well to PTFE if
      it is wet. In an effort to explain this effect, we have turned our attention to
      the role of substrate surface energy and roughness when shear adhesion occurs in
      media other than air. In this study, we removed the roughness component inherent
      to commercially available PTFE and tested geckos on relatively smooth wet and dry
      fluoropolymer substrates. We found that roughness had very little effect on shear
      adhesion in air or in water and that the level of fluorination was most important
      for shear adhesion, particularly in air. Surface energy calculations of the two
      fluorinated substrates and one control substrate using the Tabor-Winterton
      approximation and the Young-Dupre equation were used to determine the interfacial
      energy of the substrates. Using these interfacial energies we estimated the ratio
      of wet and dry normal adhesion for geckos clinging to the three substrates.
      Consistent with the results for rough PTFE, our predictions show a qualitative
      trend in shear adhesion based on fluorination, and the quantitative experimental
      differences highlight the unusually low shear adhesion of geckos on dry smooth
      fluorinated substrates, which is not captured by surface energy calculations. Our
      work has implications for bioinspired design of synthetics that can
      preferentially stick in water but not in air.

PMID- 26109636
TI  - Giant Brunner's gland hamartoma!

PMID- 26109637
TI  - Reporting a novel variant of type VI dual left anterior descending artery: a rare
      coronary anomaly.
AB  - A dual left anterior descending artery (LAD) is a rare congenital coronary
      anomaly and is classified into six types based on the origin and course of the
      long LAD. In type VI dual LAD, the short LAD arises from the left main coronary
      artery, and the long anomalous LAD, from the proximal right coronary artery
      (RCA), coursing between the right ventricular outflow tract and aortic root to
      reach its normal course in the mid interventricular groove. We present a novel
      variant of type VI dual LAD where the course of the long LAD is the same but the
      origin is not from the RCA but, instead, separately, from the right coronary
      sinus. 

PMID- 26109634
TI  - Strategies for the chemical and biological functionalization of scaffolds for
      cardiac tissue engineering: a review.
AB  - The development of biomaterials for cardiac tissue engineering (CTE) is
      challenging, primarily owing to the requirement of achieving a surface with
      favourable characteristics that enhances cell attachment and maturation. The
      biomaterial surface plays a crucial role as it forms the interface between the
      scaffold (or cardiac patch) and the cells. In the field of CTE, synthetic
      polymers (polyglycerol sebacate, polyethylene glycol, polyglycolic acid, poly-l
      lactide, polyvinyl alcohol, polycaprolactone, polyurethanes and poly(N
      isopropylacrylamide)) have been proven to exhibit suitable biodegradable and
      mechanical properties. Despite the fact that they show the required biocompatible
      behaviour, most synthetic polymers exhibit poor cell attachment capability. These
      synthetic polymers are mostly hydrophobic and lack cell recognition sites,
      limiting their application. Therefore, biofunctionalization of these biomaterials
      to enhance cell attachment and cell material interaction is being widely
      investigated. There are numerous approaches for functionalizing a material, which
      can be classified as mechanical, physical, chemical and biological. In this
      review, recent studies reported in the literature to functionalize scaffolds in
      the context of CTE, are discussed. Surface, morphological, chemical and
      biological modifications are introduced and the results of novel promising
      strategies and techniques are discussed.

PMID- 26109638
TI  - TGF-beta-Dependent Dendritic Cell Chemokinesis in Murine Models of Airway
      Disease.
AB  - Small airway chronic inflammation is a major pathologic feature of chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is refractory to current treatments.
      Dendritic cells (DCs) accumulate around small airways in COPD. DCs are critical
      mediators of Ag surveillance and Ag presentation and amplify adaptive immune
      responses. How DCs accumulate around airways remains largely unknown. We use 2
      photon DC imaging of living murine lung sections to directly visualize the
      dynamic movement of living DCs around airways in response to either soluble
      mediators (IL-1beta) or environmental stimuli (cigarette smoke or TLR3 ligands)
      implicated in COPD pathogenesis. We find that DCs accumulate around murine
      airways primarily by increasing velocity (chemokinesis) rather than directional
      migration (chemotaxis) in response to all three stimuli. DC accumulation
      maximally occurs in a specific zone located 26-50 MUm from small airways, which
      overlaps with zones of maximal DC velocity. Our data suggest that increased
      accumulation of DCs around airways results from increased numbers of highly
      chemokinetic DCs entering the lung from the circulation with balanced rates of
      immigration and emigration. Increases in DC accumulation and chemokinesis are
      partially dependent on ccr6, a crucial DC chemokine receptor, and fibroblast
      expression of the integrin alphavbeta8, a critical activator of TGF-beta.
      alphavbeta8-Mediated TGF-beta activation is known to enhance IL-1beta-dependent
      fibroblast expression of the only known endogenous ccr6 chemokine ligand, ccl20.
      Taken together, these data suggest a mechanism by which alphavbeta8, ccl20, and
      ccr6 interact to lead to DC accumulation around airways in response to COPD
      relevant stimuli. 

PMID- 26109639
TI  - Cutting Edge: Synchronization of IRF1, JunB, and C/EBPbeta Activities during TLR3
      TLR7 Cross-Talk Orchestrates Timely Cytokine Synergy in the Proinflammatory
      Response.
AB  - Multiple pathogen-associated molecular pattern-induced TLR pathway cross-talk
      provokes proinflammatory cytokine synergy in macrophages, which is important for
      pathogen resistance and immune homeostasis. However, the detailed mechanisms are
      unclear. In this article, we demonstrate viral RNA analog-induced transcription
      synergy of Il6 and Il12b via IFN regulatory factor (IRF)1 (TLR3-TIR domain
      containing adaptor inducing IFN-beta [TRIF] responsive), C/EBPbeta (TLR7-MyD88
      responsive), and JunB (all responsive). Coactivation of the TLR3 and TLR7
      pathways synchronizes the interaction of IRF1, JunB, and C/EBPbeta with the Il6
      and Il12b promoters, facilitating maximal gene expression. MyD88 pathway
      activation suppresses TRIF-induced IRF1 in a delayed manner, controlling the
      magnitude and timing of cytokine expression. Our findings provide novel
      mechanisms of cooperation of different TLR pathways to achieve optimal immune
      responses, with the potential for immunomodulatory strategies. 

PMID- 26109640
TI  - KIR3DS1-Specific D0 Domain Polymorphisms Disrupt KIR3DL1 Surface Expression and
      HLA Binding.
AB  - KIR3DL1 is a polymorphic inhibitory receptor that modulates NK cell activity
      through interacting with HLA-A and HLA-B alleles that carry the Bw4 epitope.
      Amino acid polymorphisms throughout KIR3DL1 impact receptor surface expression
      and affinity for HLA. KIR3DL1/S1 encodes inhibitory and activating alleles, but
      despite high homology with KIR3DL1, the activating receptor KIR3DS1 does not bind
      the same ligand. Allele KIR3DL1*009 resulted from a gene recombination event
      between the inhibitory receptor allele KIR3DL1*001 and the activating receptor
      allele KIR3DS1*013. This study analyzed the functional impact of KIR3DS1-specific
      polymorphisms on KIR3DL1*009 surface expression, binding to HLA, and functional
      capacity. Flow-cytometric analysis of primary human NK cells as well as
      transfected HEK293T cells shows that KIR3DL1*009 is expressed at a significantly
      lower surface density compared with KIR3DL1*001. Using recombinant proteins of
      KIR3DL1*001, KIR3DL1*009, and KIR3DS1*013 to analyze binding to HLA, we found
      that although KIR3DL1*009 displayed some evidence of binding to HLA compared with
      KIR3DS1*013, the binding was minimal compared with KIR3DL1*001 and KIR3DL1*005.
      Mutagenesis of polymorphic sites revealed that the surface phenotype and reduced
      binding of KIR3DL1*009 are caused by the combined amino acid polymorphisms at
      positions 58 and 92 within the D0 extracellular domain. Resulting from these
      effects, KIR3DL1*009(+) NK cells exhibited significantly less inhibition by HLA
      Bw4(+) target cells compared with KIR3DL1*001(+) NK cells. The data from this
      study contribute novel insight into how KIR3DS1-specific polymorphisms in the
      extracellular region impact KIR3DL1 surface expression, ligand binding, and
      inhibitory function. 

PMID- 26109641
TI  - Cutting Edge: Regulation of Exosome Secretion by the Integral MAL Protein in T
      Cells.
AB  - Exosomes secreted by T cells play an important role in coordinating the immune
      response. HIV-1 Nef hijacks the route of exosome secretion of T cells to modulate
      the functioning of uninfected cells. Despite the importance of the process, the
      protein machinery involved in exosome biogenesis is yet to be identified. In this
      study, we show that MAL, a tetraspanning membrane protein expressed in human T
      cells, is present in endosomes that travel toward the plasma membrane for exosome
      secretion. In the absence of MAL, the release of exosome particles and markers
      was greatly impaired. This effect was accompanied by protein sorting defects at
      multivesicular endosomes that divert the exosomal marker CD63 to autophagic
      vacuoles. Exosome release induced by HIV-1 Nef was also dependent on MAL
      expression. Therefore, MAL is a critical element of the machinery for exosome
      secretion and may constitute a target for modulating exosome secretion by human T
      cells. 

PMID- 26109642
TI  - Increased CD226 Expression on CD8+ T Cells Is Associated with Upregulated
      Cytokine Production and Endothelial Cell Injury in Patients with Systemic
      Sclerosis.
AB  - Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by vascular
      damage and fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Because activated and
      oligoclonally expanded CD8(+) T cells can be detected in peripheral blood and
      lungs of SSc patients, effector memory CD8(+) T cells may play a critical role
      for organ involvement in SSc; however, the pathogenic functions of effector
      memory CD8(+) T cells remain incompletely understood. In this study, we performed
      DNA microarray analysis of the sort-purified effector memory CD8(+) T cells from
      SSc patients and healthy controls, and showed that the expression of genes
      related to immune response and cell adhesion, including CD226 (also known as DNAX
      accessory molecule-1 [DNAM-1]), was significantly altered. Moreover, detailed
      analysis of CD226 revealed that CD226(high)CD8(+) T cells were increased in SSc
      patients (mean, 50.7%) compared with healthy controls (32.9%) and were
      appreciably associated with the severity of skin sclerosis and interstitial lung
      disease. Furthermore, CD226(+)CD8(+) T cells produced higher amount of various
      cytokines than CD226(-) ones, and CD226(high)CD8(+) T cells from SSc patients
      showed upregulated IL-13 production and positive correlation with the cytotoxic
      capacity of CD8(+) T cells against HUVECs. Finally, the neutralization of CD226
      in CD8(+) T cells impaired costimulation, cytokine productions, and cytolysis
      against HUVECs. These findings indicate that upregulated CD226 expression on
      CD8(+) T cells reflects disease severity and is involved in SSc pathogenesis via
      the production of various cytokines, including profibrotic IL-13 and endothelial
      cell injury, and that CD226 may be a useful target in the treatment of SSc. 

PMID- 26109643
TI  - Bacterial Membrane Vesicles Mediate the Release of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      Lipoglycans and Lipoproteins from Infected Macrophages.
AB  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an intracellular pathogen that infects lung
      macrophages and releases microbial factors that regulate host defense. M.
      tuberculosis lipoproteins and lipoglycans block phagosome maturation, inhibit
      class II MHC Ag presentation, and modulate TLR2-dependent cytokine production,
      but the mechanisms for their release during infection are poorly defined.
      Furthermore, these molecules are thought to be incorporated into host membranes
      and released from infected macrophages within exosomes, 40-150-nm extracellular
      vesicles that derive from multivesicular endosomes. However, our studies revealed
      that extracellular vesicles released from infected macrophages include two
      distinct, largely nonoverlapping populations: one containing host cell markers of
      exosomes (CD9, CD63) and the other containing M. tuberculosis molecules
      (lipoglycans, lipoproteins). These vesicle populations are similar in size but
      have distinct densities, as determined by separation on sucrose gradients.
      Release of lipoglycans and lipoproteins from infected macrophages was dependent
      on bacterial viability, implicating active bacterial mechanisms in their
      secretion. Consistent with recent reports of extracellular vesicle production by
      bacteria (including M. tuberculosis), we propose that bacterial membrane vesicles
      are secreted by M. tuberculosis within infected macrophages and subsequently are
      released into the extracellular environment. Furthermore, extracellular vesicles
      released from M. tuberculosis-infected cells activate TLR2 and induce cytokine
      responses by uninfected macrophages. We demonstrate that these activities derive
      from the bacterial membrane vesicles rather than exosomes. Our findings suggest
      that bacterial membrane vesicles are the primary means by which M. tuberculosis
      exports lipoglycans and lipoproteins to impair effector functions of infected
      macrophages and circulate bacterial components beyond the site of infection to
      regulate immune responses by uninfected cells. 

PMID- 26109644
TI  - Reversing Tolerance in Isotype Switch-Competent Anti-Insulin B Lymphocytes.
AB  - Autoreactive B lymphocytes that escape central tolerance and mature in the
      periphery are a liability for developing autoimmunity. IgG insulin autoantibodies
      that predict type 1 diabetes and complicate insulin therapies indicate that
      mechanisms for tolerance to insulin are flawed. To examine peripheral tolerance
      in anti-insulin B cells, we generated C57BL/6 mice that harbor anti-insulin VDJH
      125 site directed to the native IgH locus (VH125(SD)). Class switch-competent
      anti-insulin B cells fail to produce IgG Abs following T cell-dependent
      immunization of VH125(SD) mice with heterologous insulin, and they exhibit
      markedly impaired proliferation to anti-CD40 plus insulin in vitro. In contrast,
      costimulation with LPS plus insulin drives robust anti-insulin B cell
      proliferation. Furthermore, VH125(SD) mice produce both IgM and IgG2a anti
      insulin Abs following immunization with insulin conjugated to type 1 T cell
      independent Brucella abortus ring test Ag (BRT). Anti-insulin B cells undergo
      clonal expansion in vivo and emerge as IgM(+) and IgM(-) GL7(+)Fas(+) germinal
      center (GC) B cells following immunization with insulin-BRT, but not BRT alone.
      Analysis of Igkappa genes in VH125(SD) mice immunized with insulin-BRT reveals
      that anti-insulin Vkappa from the preimmune repertoire is selected into GCs.
      These data demonstrate that class switch-competent anti-insulin B cells remain
      functionally silent in T cell-dependent immune responses, yet these B cells are
      vulnerable to reversal of anergy following combined BCR/TLR engagement that
      promotes Ag-specific GC responses and Ab production. Environmental factors that
      lead to infection and inflammation could play a critical yet underappreciated
      role in driving loss of tolerance and promoting autoimmune disease. 

PMID- 26109646
TI  - Cutting Edge: Induction of Inflammatory Disease by Adoptive Transfer of an
      Atypical NK Cell Subset.
AB  - Several mouse models of systemic lupus erythematosus, including FcgammaRIIB-KO
      and TLR7tg mice, develop an expansion of an atypical NK cell subset with
      functional similarity to cells referred as IFN-producing killer DCs or pre-mature
      NKs in other systems. In this study, we show that atypical NKs purified from
      spleens of systemic lupus erythematosus-prone mice, and identified as
      NK1.1(+)CD11c(+)CD122(+)MHC-II(+), induce persistent autoimmune disease in an IFN
      I- and CD40L-dependent manner when transferred to wild-type mice. A single
      transfer of 4 * 10(6) NK1.1(+) cells from TLR7tg into wild-type induces a 2-wk
      long wave of inflammatory cytokines in the serum; a sustained increase in T cell
      activation and follicular helper cells for the following months; and a
      progressive expansion of dendritic cells, monocytes, and granulocytes.
      Furthermore, IL-15 deficiency, which impedes development of NK cells, ameliorates
      the autoimmune pathology of TLR7tg mice. These results suggest that cells of the
      NK lineage can develop into cytokine-producing/APCs that affect the priming and
      progression of systemic autoimmune disease. 

PMID- 26109645
TI  - IL-6 and ICOS Antagonize Bim and Promote Regulatory T Cell Accrual with Age.
AB  - Regulatory T cells (Tregs), a subset of CD4(+) T cells, dramatically accumulate
      with age in humans and mice and contribute to age-related immune suppression.
      Recently, we showed that a majority of accumulating Tregs in aged mice expressed
      low levels of CD25, and their accrual is associated with declining levels of IL-2
      in aged mice. In this study, we further investigated the origin of CD25(lo) Tregs
      in aged mice. First, aged Tregs had high expression of neuropilin-1 and Helios,
      and had a broad Vbeta repertoire. Next, we analyzed the gene expression profile
      of Tregs, naive T cells, and memory T cells in aged mice. We found that the gene
      expression profile of aged CD25(lo) Tregs were more related to young CD25(lo)
      Tregs than to either naive or memory T cells. Further, the gene expression
      profile of aged Tregs was consistent with recently described "effector" Tregs
      (eTregs). Additional analysis revealed that nearly all Tregs in aged mice were of
      an effector phenotype (CD44(hi)CD62L(lo)) and could be further characterized by
      high levels of ICOS and CD69. ICOS contributed to Treg maintenance in aged mice,
      because in vivo Ab blockade of ICOSL led to a loss of eTregs, and this loss was
      rescued in Bim-deficient mice. Further, serum levels of IL-6 increased with age
      and contributed to elevated expression of ICOS on aged Tregs. Finally, Treg
      accrual was significantly blunted in aged IL-6-deficient mice. Together, our data
      show a role for IL-6 in promoting eTreg accrual with age likely through
      maintenance of ICOS expression. 

PMID- 26109648
TI  - Cutting Edge: Inflammasome Activation in Primary Human Macrophages Is Dependent
      on Flagellin.
AB  - Murine NLR family, apoptosis inhibitory protein (Naip)1, Naip2, and Naip5/6 are
      host sensors that detect the cytosolic presence of needle and rod proteins from
      bacterial type III secretion systems and flagellin, respectively. Previous
      studies using human-derived macrophage-like cell lines indicate that human
      macrophages sense the cytosolic needle protein, but not bacterial flagellin. In
      this study, we show that primary human macrophages readily sense cytosolic
      flagellin. Infection of primary human macrophages with Salmonella elicits robust
      cell death and IL-1beta secretion that is dependent on flagellin. We show that
      flagellin detection requires a full-length isoform of human Naip. This full
      length Naip isoform is robustly expressed in primary macrophages from healthy
      human donors, but it is drastically reduced in monocytic tumor cells, THP-1, and
      U937, rendering them insensitive to cytosolic flagellin. However, ectopic
      expression of full-length Naip rescues the ability of U937 cells to sense
      flagellin. In conclusion, human Naip functions to activate the inflammasome in
      response to flagellin, similar to murine Naip5/6. 

PMID- 26109647
TI  - Ca2+ Signaling but Not Store-Operated Ca2+ Entry Is Required for the Function of
      Macrophages and Dendritic Cells.
AB  - Store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE) through Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC)
      channels is essential for immunity to infection. CRAC channels are formed by
      ORAI1 proteins in the plasma membrane and activated by stromal interaction
      molecule (STIM)1 and STIM2 in the endoplasmic reticulum. Mutations in ORAI1 and
      STIM1 genes that abolish SOCE cause severe immunodeficiency with recurrent
      infections due to impaired T cell function. SOCE has also been observed in cells
      of the innate immune system such as macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) and may
      provide Ca(2+) signals required for their function. The specific role of SOCE in
      macrophage and DC function, as well as its contribution to innate immunity,
      however, is not well defined. We found that nonselective inhibition of Ca(2+)
      signaling strongly impairs many effector functions of bone marrow-derived
      macrophages and bone marrow-derived DCs, including phagocytosis, inflammasome
      activation, and priming of T cells. Surprisingly, however, macrophages and DCs
      from mice with conditional deletion of Stim1 and Stim2 genes, and therefore
      complete inhibition of SOCE, showed no major functional defects. Their
      differentiation, FcR-dependent and -independent phagocytosis, phagolysosome
      fusion, cytokine production, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and their ability to
      present Ags to activate T cells were preserved. Our findings demonstrate that
      STIM1, STIM2, and SOCE are dispensable for many critical effector functions of
      macrophages and DCs, which has important implications for CRAC channel inhibition
      as a therapeutic strategy to suppress pathogenic T cells while not interfering
      with myeloid cell functions required for innate immunity. 

PMID- 26109649
TI  - A Prophylactic Role for Creatine in Hypoxia?

PMID- 26109650
TI  - Decoding Face Exemplars from fMRI Responses: What Works, What Doesn't?

PMID- 26109651
TI  - Hierarchical Organization of Frontotemporal Networks for the Prediction of
      Stimuli across Multiple Dimensions.
AB  - Brain function can be conceived as a hierarchy of generative models that
      optimizes predictions of sensory inputs and minimizes "surprise." Each level of
      the hierarchy makes predictions of neural events at a lower level in the
      hierarchy, which returns a prediction error when these expectations are violated.
      We tested the generalization of this hypothesis to multiple sequential
      deviations, and we identified the most likely organization of the network that
      accommodates deviations in temporal structure of stimuli. Magnetoencephalography
      of healthy human participants during an auditory paradigm identified prediction
      error responses in bilateral primary auditory cortex, superior temporal gyrus,
      and lateral prefrontal cortex for deviation by frequency, intensity, location,
      duration, and silent gap. We examined the connectivity between cortical sources
      using a set of 21 generative models that embedded alternate hypotheses of
      frontotemporal network dynamics. Bayesian model selection provided evidence for
      two new features of functional network organization. First, an expectancy signal
      provided input to the prefrontal cortex bilaterally, related to the temporal
      structure of stimuli. Second, there are functionally significant lateral
      connections between superior temporal and/or prefrontal cortex. The results
      support a predictive coding hypothesis but go beyond previous work in
      demonstrating the generalization to multiple concurrent stimulus dimensions and
      the evidence for a temporal expectancy input at the higher level of the
      frontotemporal hierarchy. We propose that this framework for studying the brain's
      response to unexpected events is not limited to simple sensory tasks but may also
      apply to the neurocognitive mechanisms of higher cognitive functions and their
      disorders. 

PMID- 26109652
TI  - Complex Effects on In Vivo Visual Responses by Specific Projections from Mouse
      Cortical Layer 6 to Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus.
AB  - Understanding the role of corticothalamic projections in shaping visual response
      properties in the thalamus has been a longstanding challenge in visual
      neuroscience. Here, we take advantage of the cell-type specificity of a
      transgenic mouse line, the GN220-Ntsr1 Cre line, to manipulate selectively the
      activity of a layer 6 (L6) corticogeniculate population while recording visual
      responses in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN). Although driving Ntsr1
      projection input resulted in reliable reduction in evoked spike count of dLGN
      neurons, removing these same projections resulted in both increases and decreases
      in visually evoked spike count. Both increases and decreases are contrast
      dependent and the sign is consistent over the full range of contrasts. Tuning
      properties suggest wide convergence of Ntsr1 cells with similar spatial and
      temporal frequency tuning onto single dLGN cells and we did not find evidence
      that Ntsr1 cells sharpen spatiotemporal filtering. These nonspecific changes
      occur independently of changes in burst frequency, indicating that Ntsr1
      corticogeniculate activity can result in both net excitation and net inhibition.

PMID- 26109653
TI  - An Asymmetric Increase in Inhibitory Synapse Number Underlies the Development of
      a Direction Selective Circuit in the Retina.
AB  - Neural circuits rely upon a precise wiring of their component neurons to perform
      meaningful computations. To compute the direction of motion in the visual scene,
      the direction selective circuit in the mouse retina depends on an asymmetry in
      the inhibitory neurotransmission from starburst amacrine cells (SACs) to
      direction selective ganglion cells (DSGCs). Specifically, depolarization of a SAC
      on the null side of a DSGC causes a threefold greater unitary inhibitory
      conductance than depolarization of a SAC on the preferred side. This asymmetry
      emerges during the second postnatal week of development, but its basis remains
      unknown. To determine the source of this asymmetry in inhibitory conductance, we
      conducted paired recordings between SACs and DSGCs at the beginning and end of
      the second postnatal week. We replaced calcium with strontium to promote
      asynchronous neurotransmitter release and produce quantal events. During the
      second postnatal week the quantal frequency but not the quantal amplitude of
      synaptic events increased more than threefold for null-side SAC-DSGC pairs but
      remained constant for preferred-side pairs. In addition, paired-pulse depression
      did not differ between SACs located on the null and preferred sides of DSGCs,
      indicating that all inhibitory SAC synapses onto a DSGC exhibit the same
      probability of release. Thus, the higher quantal frequency seen in null-side
      pairs results from a greater number of inhibitory synapses, revealing that an
      asymmetry in synapse number between SACs and DSGCs underlies the development of
      an essential component in the retina's direction selective circuit. 

PMID- 26109654
TI  - Regulation of Bcl-xL-ATP Synthase Interaction by Mitochondrial Cyclin B1-Cyclin
      Dependent Kinase-1 Determines Neuronal Survival.
AB  - The survival of postmitotic neurons needs continuous degradation of cyclin B1, a
      mitotic protein accumulated aberrantly in the damaged brain areas of Alzheimer's
      disease and stroked patients. Degradation of cyclin B1 takes place in the
      proteasome after ubiquitylation by the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome
      (APC/C)-cadherin 1 (Cdh1), an E3 ubiquitin ligase that is highly active in
      neurons. However, during excitotoxic damage-a hallmark of neurological disorders
      APC/C-Cdh1 is inactivated, causing cyclin B1 stabilization and neuronal death
      through an unknown mechanism. Here, we show that an excitotoxic stimulus in rat
      cortical neurons in primary culture promotes cyclin B1 accumulation in the
      mitochondria, in which it binds to, and activates, cyclin-dependent kinase-1
      (Cdk1). The cyclin B1-Cdk1 complex in the mitochondria phosphorylates the anti
      apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma extra-large (Bcl-xL), leading to its
      dissociation from the beta subunit of F1Fo-ATP synthase. The subsequent
      inhibition of ATP synthase activity causes complex I oxidative damage,
      mitochondrial inner membrane depolarization, and apoptotic neuronal death. These
      results unveil a previously unrecognized role for mitochondrial cyclin B1 in the
      oxidative damage associated with neurological disorders. 

PMID- 26109655
TI  - Unbalanced Peptidergic Inhibition in Superficial Neocortex Underlies Spike and
      Wave Seizure Activity.
AB  - Slow spike and wave discharges (0.5-4 Hz) are a feature of many epilepsies. They
      are linked to pathology of the thalamocortical axis and a thalamic mechanism has
      been elegantly described. Here we present evidence for a separate generator in
      local circuits of associational areas of neocortex manifest from a background,
      sleep-associated delta rhythm in rat. Loss of tonic neuromodulatory excitation,
      mediated by nicotinic acetylcholine or serotonin (5HT3A) receptors, of 5HT3
      immunopositive interneurons caused an increase in amplitude and slowing of the
      delta rhythm until each period became the "wave" component of the spike and wave
      discharge. As with the normal delta rhythm, the wave of a spike and wave
      discharge originated in cortical layer 5. In contrast, the "spike" component of
      the spike and wave discharge originated from a relative failure of fast
      inhibition in layers 2/3-switching pyramidal cell action potential outputs from
      single, sparse spiking during delta rhythms to brief, intense burst spiking,
      phase-locked to the field spike. The mechanisms underlying this loss of
      superficial layer fast inhibition, and a concomitant increase in slow inhibition,
      appeared to be precipitated by a loss of neuropeptide Y (NPY)-mediated local
      circuit inhibition and a subsequent increase in vasoactive intestinal peptide
      (VIP)-mediated disinhibition. Blockade of NPY Y1 receptors was sufficient to
      generate spike and wave discharges, whereas blockade of VIP receptors almost
      completely abolished this form of epileptiform activity. These data suggest that
      aberrant, activity-dependent neuropeptide corelease can have catastrophic effects
      on neocortical dynamics. 

PMID- 26109657
TI  - Words Jump-Start Vision: A Label Advantage in Object Recognition.
AB  - People use language to shape each other's behavior in highly flexible ways.
      Effects of language are often assumed to be "high-level" in that, whereas
      language clearly influences reasoning, decision making, and memory, it does not
      influence low-level visual processes. Here, we test the prediction that words are
      able to provide top-down guidance at the very earliest stages of visual
      processing by acting as powerful categorical cues. We investigated whether visual
      processing of images of familiar animals and artifacts was enhanced after hearing
      their name (e.g., "dog") compared with hearing an equally familiar and
      unambiguous nonverbal sound (e.g., a dog bark) in 14 English monolingual
      speakers. Because the relationship between words and their referents is
      categorical, we expected words to deploy more effective categorical templates,
      allowing for more rapid visual recognition. By recording EEGs, we were able to
      determine whether this label advantage stemmed from changes to early visual
      processing or later semantic decision processes. The results showed that hearing
      a word affected early visual processes and that this modulation was specific to
      the named category. An analysis of ERPs showed that the P1 was larger when people
      were cued by labels compared with equally informative nonverbal cues-an
      enhancement occurring within 100 ms of image onset, which also predicted
      behavioral responses occurring almost 500 ms later. Hearing labels modulated the
      P1 such that it distinguished between target and nontarget images, showing that
      words rapidly guide early visual processing. 

PMID- 26109656
TI  - The Progranulin Cleavage Products, Granulins, Exacerbate TDP-43 Toxicity and
      Increase TDP-43 Levels.
AB  - Mutations in the human progranulin gene resulting in protein haploinsufficiency
      cause frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 inclusions. Although progress
      has been made in understanding the normal functions of progranulin and TDP-43,
      the molecular interactions between these proteins remain unclear. Progranulin is
      proteolytically processed into granulins, but the role of granulins in the
      pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease is unknown. We used a Caenorhabditis
      elegans model of neuronal TDP-43 proteinopathy to specifically interrogate the
      contribution of granulins to the neurodegenerative process. Complete loss of the
      progranulin gene did not worsen TDP-43 toxicity, whereas progranulin
      heterozygosity did. Interestingly, expression of individual granulins alone had
      little effect on behavior. In contrast, when granulins were coexpressed with TDP
      43, they exacerbated its toxicity in a variety of behaviors including motor
      coordination. These same granulins increased TDP-43 levels via a post
      translational mechanism. We further found that in human neurodegenerative disease
      subjects, granulin fragments accumulated specifically in diseased regions of
      brain. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a toxic role for
      granulin fragments in a neurodegenerative disease model. These studies suggest
      that presence of cleaved granulins, rather than or in addition to loss of full
      length progranulin, may contribute to disease in TDP-43 proteinopathies. 

PMID- 26109658
TI  - Ascl1 Converts Dorsal Midbrain Astrocytes into Functional Neurons In Vivo.
AB  - In vivo induction of non-neuronal cells into neurons by transcription factors
      offers potential therapeutic approaches for neural regeneration. Although
      generation of induced neuronal (iN) cells in vitro and in vivo has been reported,
      whether iN cells can be fully integrated into existing circuits remains unclear.
      Here we show that expression of achaete-scute complex homolog-like 1 (Ascl1)
      alone is sufficient to convert dorsal midbrain astrocytes of mice into functional
      iN cells in vitro and in vivo. Specific expression of Ascl1 in astrocytes by
      infection with GFAP-adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector converts astrocytes in
      dorsal midbrain, striatum, and somatosensory cortex of postnatal and adult mice
      into functional neurons in vivo. These iN cells mature progressively, exhibiting
      neuronal morphology and markers, action potentials, and synaptic inputs from and
      output to existing neurons. Thus, a single transcription factor, Ascl1, is
      sufficient to convert brain astrocytes into functional neurons, and GFAP-AAV is
      an efficient vector for generating iN cells from astrocytes in vivo. 

PMID- 26109659
TI  - Norepinephrine Modulates Coding of Complex Vocalizations in the Songbird Auditory
      Cortex Independent of Local Neuroestrogen Synthesis.
AB  - The catecholamine norepinephrine plays a significant role in auditory processing.
      Most studies to date have examined the effects of norepinephrine on the neuronal
      response to relatively simple stimuli, such as tones and calls. It is less clear
      how norepinephrine shapes the detection of complex syntactical sounds, as well as
      the coding properties of sensory neurons. Songbirds provide an opportunity to
      understand how auditory neurons encode complex, learned vocalizations, and the
      potential role of norepinephrine in modulating the neuronal computations for
      acoustic communication. Here, we infused norepinephrine into the zebra finch
      auditory cortex and performed extracellular recordings to study the modulation of
      song representations in single neurons. Consistent with its proposed role in
      enhancing signal detection, norepinephrine decreased spontaneous activity and
      firing during stimuli, yet it significantly enhanced the auditory signal-to-noise
      ratio. These effects were all mimicked by clonidine, an alpha-2 receptor agonist.
      Moreover, a pattern classifier analysis indicated that norepinephrine enhanced
      the ability of single neurons to accurately encode complex auditory stimuli.
      Because neuroestrogens are also known to enhance auditory processing in the
      songbird brain, we tested the hypothesis that norepinephrine actions depend on
      local estrogen synthesis. Neither norepinephrine nor adrenergic receptor
      antagonist infusion into the auditory cortex had detectable effects on local
      estradiol levels. Moreover, pretreatment with fadrozole, a specific aromatase
      inhibitor, did not block norepinephrine's neuromodulatory effects. Together,
      these findings indicate that norepinephrine enhances signal detection and
      information encoding for complex auditory stimuli by suppressing spontaneous
      "noise" activity and that these actions are independent of local neuroestrogen
      synthesis. 

PMID- 26109661
TI  - Signal Integration in Human Visual Speed Perception.
AB  - Object motion in natural scenes results in visual stimuli with a rich and broad
      spatiotemporal frequency spectrum. While the question of how the visual system
      detects and senses motion energies at different spatial and temporal frequencies
      has been fairly well studied, it is unclear how the visual system integrates this
      information to form coherent percepts of object motion. We applied a combination
      of tailored psychophysical experiments and predictive modeling to address this
      question with regard to perceived motion in a given direction (i.e., stimulus
      speed). We tested human subjects in a discrimination experiment using stimuli
      that selectively targeted four distinct spatiotemporally tuned channels with
      center frequencies consistent with a common speed. We first characterized
      subjects' responses to stimuli that targeted only individual channels. Based on
      these measurements, we then predicted subjects' psychometric functions for
      stimuli that targeted multiple channels simultaneously. Specifically, we compared
      predictions of three Bayesian observer models that either optimally integrated
      the information across all spatiotemporal channels, or only used information from
      the most reliable channel, or formed an average percept across channels. Only the
      model with optimal integration was successful in accounting for the data.
      Furthermore, the proposed channel model provides an intuitive explanation for the
      previously reported spatial frequency dependence of perceived speed of coherent
      object motion. Finally, our findings indicate that a prior expectation for slow
      speeds is added to the inference process only after the sensory information is
      combined and integrated. 

PMID- 26109660
TI  - Enhanced GABAA-Mediated Tonic Inhibition in Auditory Thalamus of Rats with
      Behavioral Evidence of Tinnitus.
AB  - Accumulating evidence suggests a role for inhibitory neurotransmitter dysfunction
      in the pathology of tinnitus. Opposing hypotheses proposed either a pathologic
      decrease or increase of GABAergic inhibition in medial geniculate body (MGB). In
      thalamus, GABA mediates fast synaptic inhibition via synaptic GABAA receptors
      (GABAARs) and persistent tonic inhibition via high-affinity extrasynaptic
      GABAARs. Given that extrasynaptic GABAARs control the firing mode of
      thalamocortical neurons, we examined tonic GABAAR currents in MGB neurons in
      vitro, using the following three groups of adult rats: unexposed control (Ctrl);
      sound exposed with behavioral evidence of tinnitus (Tin); and sound exposed with
      no behavioral evidence of tinnitus (Non-T). Tonic GABAAR currents were evoked
      using the selective agonist gaboxadol. Months after a tinnitus-inducing sound
      exposure, gaboxadol-evoked tonic GABAAR currents showed significant tinnitus
      related increases contralateral to the sound exposure. In situ hybridization
      studies found increased mRNA levels for GABAAR delta-subunits contralateral to
      the sound exposure. Tin rats showed significant increases in the number of spikes
      per burst evoked using suprathreshold-injected current steps. In summary, we
      found little evidence of tinnitus-related decreases in GABAergic
      neurotransmission. Tinnitus and chronic pain may reflect thalamocortical
      dysrhythmia, which results from abnormal theta-range resonant interactions
      between thalamus and cortex, due to neuronal hyperpolarization and the initiation
      of low-threshold calcium spike bursts (Walton and Llinas, 2010). In agreement
      with this hypothesis, we found tinnitus-related increases in tonic extrasynaptic
      GABAAR currents, in action potentials/evoked bursts, and in GABAAR delta-subunit
      gene expression. These tinnitus-related changes in GABAergic function may be
      markers for tinnitus pathology in the MGB. 

PMID- 26109662
TI  - The Organization of Mitochondrial Quality Control and Life Cycle in the Nervous
      System In Vivo in the Absence of PINK1.
AB  - Maintenance of healthy mitochondria is crucial in cells, such as neurons, with
      high metabolic demands, and dysfunctional mitochondria are thought to be
      selectively degraded. Studies of chemically uncoupled cells have implicated PINK1
      mitochondrial kinase, and Parkin E3 ubiquitin ligase in targeting depolarized
      mitochondria for degradation. However, the role of the PINK1/Parkin pathway in
      mitochondrial turnover is unclear in the nervous system under normal
      physiological conditions, and we understand little about the changes that occur
      in the mitochondrial life cycle when turnover is disrupted. Here, we evaluated
      the nature, location, and regulation of quality control in vivo using
      quantitative measurements of mitochondria in Drosophila nervous system, with
      deletion and overexpression of genes in the PINK1/Parkin pathway. We tested the
      hypotheses that impairment of mitochondrial quality control via suppression of
      PINK1 function should produce failures of turnover, accumulation of senescent
      mitochondria in the axon, defects in mitochondrial traffic, and a significant
      shift in the mitochondrial fission-fusion steady state. Although mitochondrial
      membrane potential was diminished by PINK1 deletion, we did not observe the
      predicted increases in mitochondrial density or length in axons. Loss of PINK1
      also produced specific, directionally balanced defects in mitochondrial
      transport, without altering the balance between stationary and moving
      mitochondria. Somatic mitochondrial morphology was also compromised. These
      results strongly circumscribe the possible mechanisms of PINK1 action in the
      mitochondrial life cycle and also raise the possibility that mitochondrial
      turnover events that occur in cultured embryonic axons might be restricted to the
      cell body in vivo, in the intact nervous system. 

PMID- 26109663
TI  - FXR2P Exerts a Positive Translational Control and Is Required for the Activity
      Dependent Increase of PSD95 Expression.
AB  - In brain, specific RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) associate with localized mRNAs and
      function as regulators of protein synthesis at synapses exerting an indirect
      control on neuronal activity. Thus, the Fragile X Mental Retardation protein
      (FMRP) regulates expression of the scaffolding postsynaptic density protein
      PSD95, but the mode of control appears to be different from other FMRP target
      mRNAs. Here, we show that the fragile X mental retardation-related protein 2
      (FXR2P) cooperates with FMRP in binding to the 3'-UTR of mouse PSD95/Dlg4 mRNA.
      Absence of FXR2P leads to decreased translation of PSD95/Dlg4 mRNA in the
      hippocampus, implying a role for FXR2P as translation activator. Remarkably,
      mGluR-dependent increase of PSD95 synthesis is abolished in neurons lacking Fxr2.
      Together, these findings show a coordinated regulation of PSD95/Dlg4 mRNA by FMRP
      and FXR2P that ultimately affects its fine-tuning during synaptic activity. 

PMID- 26109665
TI  - Role of Striatal Cholinergic Interneurons in Set-Shifting in the Rat.
AB  - The ability to change strategies in different contexts is a form of behavioral
      flexibility that is crucial for adaptive behavior. The striatum has been shown to
      contribute to certain forms of behavioral flexibility such as reversal learning.
      Here we report on the contribution of striatal cholinergic interneurons-a key
      element in the striatal neuronal circuit-to strategy set-shifting in which an
      attentional shift from one stimulus dimension to another is required. We made
      lesions of rat cholinergic interneurons in dorsomedial or ventral striatum using
      a specific immunotoxin and investigated the effects on set-shifting paradigms and
      on reversal learning. In shifting to a set that required attention to a
      previously irrelevant cue, lesions of dorsomedial striatum significantly
      increased the number of perseverative errors. In this condition, the number of
      never-reinforced errors was significantly decreased in both types of lesions.
      When shifting to a set that required attention to a novel cue, rats with ventral
      striatum lesions made more perseverative errors. Neither lesion impaired learning
      of the initial response strategy nor a subsequent switch to a new strategy when
      response choice was indicated by a previously relevant cue. Reversal learning was
      not affected. These results suggest that in set-shifting the striatal cholinergic
      interneurons play a fundamental role, which is dissociable between dorsomedial
      and ventral striatum depending on behavioral context. We propose a common
      mechanism in which cholinergic interneurons inhibit neurons representing the old
      strategy and enhance plasticity underlying exploration of a new rule. 

PMID- 26109666
TI  - Neural Processes in the Human Temporoparietal Cortex Separated by Localized
      Independent Component Analysis.
AB  - The human temporoparietal junction (TPJ) is a topic of intense research. Imaging
      studies have identified TPJ activation in association with many higher-order
      functions such as theory-of-mind, episodic memory, and attention, causing debate
      about the distribution of different processes. One major challenge is the lack of
      consensus about the anatomical location and extent of the TPJ. Here, we address
      this problem using data-driven analysis to test the hypothesis that the bilateral
      TPJ can be parcellated into subregions. We applied independent component analysis
      (ICA) to task-free fMRI data within a local region around the bilateral TPJ,
      iterating the ICA at multiple model orders and in several datasets. The localized
      analysis allowed finer separation of processes and the use of multiple
      dimensionalities provided qualitative information about lateralization. We
      identified four subdivisions that were bilaterally symmetrical and one that was
      right biased. To test whether the independent components (ICs) reflected true
      subdivisions, we performed functional connectivity analysis using the IC
      coordinates as seeds. This confirmed that the subdivisions belonged to distinct
      networks. The right-biased IC was connected with a network often associated with
      attentional processing. One bilateral subdivision was connected to sensorimotor
      regions and another was connected to auditory regions. One subdivision that
      presented as distinct left- and right-biased ICs was connected to frontoparietal
      regions. Another subdivision that also had left- and right-biased ICs was
      connected to social or default mode networks. Our results show that the TPJ in
      both hemispheres hosts multiple neural processes with connectivity patterns
      consistent with well developed specialization and lateralization. 

PMID- 26109664
TI  - Glial Expression of the Caenorhabditis elegans Gene swip-10 Supports Glutamate
      Dependent Control of Extrasynaptic Dopamine Signaling.
AB  - Glial cells play a critical role in shaping neuronal development, structure, and
      function. In a screen for Caenorhabditis elegans mutants that display dopamine
      (DA)-dependent, Swimming-Induced Paralysis (Swip), we identified a novel gene,
      swip-10, the expression of which in glia is required to support normal swimming
      behavior. swip-10 mutants display reduced locomotion rates on plates, consistent
      with our findings of elevated rates of presynaptic DA vesicle fusion using
      fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. In addition, swip-10 mutants exhibit
      elevated DA neuron excitability upon contact with food, as detected by in vivo
      Ca(2+) monitoring, that can be rescued by glial expression of swip-10. Mammalian
      glia exert powerful control of neuronal excitability via transporter-dependent
      buffering of extracellular glutamate (Glu). Consistent with this idea, swip-10
      paralysis was blunted in mutants deficient in either vesicular Glu release or Glu
      receptor expression and could be phenocopied by mutations that disrupt the
      function of plasma membrane Glu transporters, most noticeably glt-1, the ortholog
      of mammalian astrocytic GLT1 (EAAT2). swip-10 encodes a protein containing a
      highly conserved metallo-beta-lactamase domain, within which our swip-10
      mutations are located and where engineered mutations disrupt Swip rescue.
      Sequence alignments identify the CNS-expressed gene MBLAC1 as a putative
      mammalian ortholog. Together, our studies provide evidence of a novel pathway in
      glial cells regulated by swip-10 that limits DA neuron excitability, DA
      secretion, and DA-dependent behaviors through modulation of Glu signaling. 

PMID- 26109667
TI  - Plastic Changes in Lumbar Locomotor Networks after a Partial Spinal Cord Injury
      in Cats.
AB  - After an incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), we know that plastic reorganization
      occurs in supraspinal structures with residual descending tracts. However, our
      knowledge about spinal plasticity is rather limited. Our recent studies point to
      changes within the spinal cord below the lesion. After a lateral left hemisection
      (T10), cats recovered stepping with both hindlimbs within 3 weeks. After a
      complete section (T13) in these cats, bilateral stepping was seen on the next
      day, a skill usually acquired after several weeks of treadmill training. This
      indicates that durable plastic changes occurred below the lesion. However,
      because sensory feedback entrains the stepping rhythm, it is difficult to reveal
      central pattern generator (CPG) adaptation. Here, we investigated whether lumbar
      segments of cats with a chronic hemisection were able to generate fictive
      locomotion-that is, without phasic sensory feedback as monitored by five muscle
      nerves in each hindlimb. With a chronic left hemisection, the number of muscle
      nerves displaying locomotor bursts was larger on the left than on the right. In
      addition, transmission of cutaneous reflexes was relatively facilitated on the
      left. Later during the acute experiment, a complete spinalization (T13) was
      performed and clonidine was injected to induce rhythmic activities. There were
      still more muscle nerves displaying locomotor bursts on the left. The results
      demonstrate that spinal networks were indeed modified after a hemisection with a
      clear asymmetry between left and right in the capacity to generate locomotion.
      Plastic changes in CPG and reflex transmission below the lesion are thus involved
      in the stepping recovery after an incomplete SCI. 

PMID- 26109668
TI  - Amplified Mechanically Gated Currents in Distinct Subsets of Myelinated Sensory
      Neurons following In Vivo Inflammation of Skin and Muscle.
AB  - Primary afferents are sensitized to mechanical stimuli following in vivo
      inflammation, but whether sensitization of mechanically gated ion channels
      contributes to this phenomenon is unknown. Here we identified two populations of
      murine A fiber-type sensory neurons that display markedly different responses to
      focal mechanical stimuli of the membrane based on their expression of calcitonin
      gene-related peptide (CGRP). Following inflammation of the hindpaw, myelinated,
      CGRP-positive neurons projecting to the paw skin displayed elevated mechanical
      currents in response to mechanical stimuli. Conversely, muscle inflammation
      markedly amplified mechanical currents in myelinated, CGRP-negative neurons
      projecting to muscle. These data show, for the first time, that mechanically
      gated currents are amplified following in vivo tissue inflammation, and also
      suggest that mechanical sensitization can occur in myelinated neurons after
      inflammation. 

PMID- 26109669
TI  - The Zona Incerta Regulates Communication between the Superior Colliculus and the
      Posteromedial Thalamus: Implications for Thalamic Interactions with the
      Dorsolateral Striatum.
AB  - There is uncertainty concerning the circuit connections by which the superior
      colliculus interacts with the basal ganglia. To address this issue, anterograde
      and retrograde tracers were placed, respectively, into the superior colliculus
      and globus pallidus of Sprague-Dawley rats. In this two-tracer experiment, the
      projections from the superior colliculus terminated densely in the ventral zona
      incerta (ZIv), but did not overlap the labeled neurons observed in the
      subthalamic nucleus. In cases in which anterograde and retrograde tracers were
      placed, respectively, in sensory-responsive sites in the superior colliculus and
      posteromedial (POm) thalamus, the labeled projections from superior colliculus
      innervated the ZIv regions that contained the labeled neurons that project to
      POm. We also confirmed this colliculo-incertal-POm pathway by depositing a
      mixture of retrograde and anterograde tracers at focal sites in ZIv to reveal
      retrogradely labeled neurons in superior colliculus and anterogradely labeled
      terminals in POm. When combined with retrograde tracer injections in POm,
      immunohistochemical processing proved that most ZIv projections to POm are
      GABAergic. Consistent with these findings, direct stimulation of superior
      colliculus evoked neuronal excitation in ZIv and caused inhibition of spontaneous
      activity in POm. Collectively, these results indicate that superior colliculus
      can activate the inhibitory projections from ZIv to the POm. This is significant
      because it suggests that the superior colliculus could suppress the interactions
      between POm and the dorsolateral striatum, presumably to halt ongoing behaviors
      so that more adaptive motor actions are selected in response to unexpected
      sensory events. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: By demonstrating that the zona incerta
      regulates communication between the superior colliculus and the posteromedial
      thalamus, we have uncovered a circuit that partly explains the behavioral changes
      that occur in response to unexpected sensory stimuli. Furthermore, this circuit
      could explain why deep brain stimulation of the zona incerta is beneficial to
      patients who suffer from Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 26109670
TI  - Slow Spatial Recruitment of Neocortex during Secondarily Generalized Seizures and
      Its Relation to Surgical Outcome.
AB  - Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of brain activity is crucial for
      inferring the underlying synaptic and nonsynaptic mechanisms of brain
      dysfunction. Focal seizures with secondary generalization are traditionally
      considered to begin in a limited spatial region and spread to connected areas,
      which can include both pathological and normal brain tissue. The mechanisms
      underlying this spread are important to our understanding of seizures and to
      improve therapies for surgical intervention. Here we study the properties of
      seizure recruitment-how electrical brain activity transitions to large voltage
      fluctuations characteristic of spike-and-wave seizures. We do so using invasive
      subdural electrode arrays from a population of 16 patients with pharmacoresistant
      epilepsy. We find an average delay of ~30 s for a broad area of cortex (8 * 8 cm)
      to be recruited into the seizure, at an estimated speed of ~4 mm/s. The
      spatiotemporal characteristics of recruitment reveal two categories of patients:
      one in which seizure recruitment of neighboring cortical regions follows a
      spatially organized pattern consistent from seizure to seizure, and a second
      group without consistent spatial organization of activity during recruitment. The
      consistent, organized recruitment correlates with a more regular, compared with
      small-world, connectivity pattern in simulation and successful surgical treatment
      of epilepsy. We propose that an improved understanding of how the seizure
      recruits brain regions into large amplitude voltage fluctuations provides novel
      information to improve surgical treatment of epilepsy and highlights the slow
      spread of massive local activity across a vast extent of cortex during seizure. 

PMID- 26109672
TI  - PMv Neuronal Firing May Be Driven by a Movement Command Trajectory within
      Multidimensional Gaussian Fields.
AB  - The premotor cortex (PM) is known to be a site of visuo-somatosensory integration
      for the production of movement. We sought to better understand the ventral PM
      (PMv) by modeling its signal encoding in greater detail. Neuronal firing data was
      obtained from 110 PMv neurons in two male rhesus macaques executing four reach
      grasp-manipulate tasks. We found that in the large majority of neurons (~90%) the
      firing patterns across the four tasks could be explained by assuming that a high
      dimensional position/configuration trajectory-like signal evolving ~250 ms before
      movement was encoded within a multidimensional Gaussian field (MGF). Our findings
      are consistent with the possibility that PMv neurons process a visually specified
      reference command for the intended arm/hand position trajectory with respect to a
      proprioceptively or visually sensed initial configuration. The estimated MGF were
      (hyper) disc-like, such that each neuron's firing modulated strongly only with
      commands that evolved along a single direction within position/configuration
      space. Thus, many neurons appeared to be tuned to slices of this input signal
      space that as a collection appeared to well cover the space. The MGF encoding
      models appear to be consistent with the arm-referent, bell-shaped, visual target
      tuning curves and target selectivity patterns observed in PMV visual-motor
      neurons. These findings suggest that PMv may implement a lookup table-like
      mechanism that helps translate intended movement trajectory into time-varying
      patterns of activation in motor cortex and spinal cord. MGFs provide an improved
      nonlinear framework for potentially decoding visually specified, intended
      multijoint arm/hand trajectories well in advance of movement. 

PMID- 26109673
TI  - Hemichannels Are Required for Amyloid beta-Peptide-Induced Degranulation and Are
      Activated in Brain Mast Cells of APPswe/PS1dE9 Mice.
AB  - Mast cells (MCs) store an array of proinflammatory mediators in secretory
      granules that are rapidly released upon activation by diverse conditions
      including amyloid beta (Abeta) peptides. In the present work, we found a rapid
      degranulation of cultured MCs through a pannexin1 hemichannel (Panx1 HC)
      dependent mechanism induced by Abeta25-35 peptide. Accordingly, Abeta25-35
      peptide also increased membrane current and permeability, as well as
      intracellular Ca(2+) signal, mainly via Panx1 HCs because all of these responses
      were drastically inhibited by Panx1 HC blockers and absent in the MCs of Panx1(-/
      ) mice. Moreover, in acute coronal brain slices of control mice, Abeta25-35
      peptide promoted both connexin 43 (Cx43)- and Panx1 HC-dependent MC dye uptake
      and histamine release, responses that were only Cx43 HC dependent in Panx1(-/-)
      mice. Because MCs have been found close to amyloid plaques of patients with
      Alzheimer's disease (AD), their distribution in brain slices of APPswe/PS1dE9
      mice, a murine model of AD, was also investigated. The number of MCs in
      hippocampal and cortical areas increased drastically even before amyloid plaque
      deposits became evident. Therefore, MCs might act as early sensors of amyloid
      peptide and recruit other cells to the neuroinflammatory response, thus playing a
      critical role in the onset and progression of AD. 

PMID- 26109671
TI  - ERK2 Alone Drives Inflammatory Pain But Cooperates with ERK1 in Sensory Neuron
      Survival.
AB  - Extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) are highly homologous yet
      distinct components of signal transduction pathways known to regulate cell
      survival and function. Recent evidence indicates an isoform-specific role for
      ERK2 in pain processing and peripheral sensitization. However, the function of
      ERK2 in primary sensory neurons has not been directly tested. To dissect the
      isoform-specific function of ERK2 in sensory neurons, we used mice with Cre-loxP
      mediated deletion of ERK2 in Nav1.8(+) sensory neurons that are predominantly
      nociceptors. We find that ERK2, unlike ERK1, is required for peripheral
      sensitization and cold sensation. We also demonstrate that ERK2, but not ERK1, is
      required to preserve epidermal innervation in a subset of peptidergic neurons.
      Additionally, deletion of both ERK isoforms in Nav1.8(+) sensory neurons leads to
      neuron loss not observed with deletion of either isoform alone, demonstrating
      functional redundancy in the maintenance of sensory neuron survival. Thus, ERK1
      and ERK2 exhibit both functionally distinct and redundant roles in sensory
      neurons. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: ERK1/2 signaling affects sensory neuron function
      and survival. However, it was not clear whether ERK isoform-specific roles exist
      in these processes postnatally. Previous work from our laboratory suggested
      either functional redundancy of ERK isoforms or a predominant role for ERK2 in
      pain; however, the tools to discriminate between these possibilities were not
      available at the time. In the present study, we use new genetic knock-out lines
      to demonstrate that ERK2 in sensory neurons is necessary for development of
      inflammatory pain and for postnatal maintenance of peptidergic epidermal
      innervation. Interestingly, postnatal loss of both ERK isoforms leads to a
      profound loss of sensory neurons. Therefore, ERK1 and ERK2 display both
      functionally distinct and redundant roles in sensory neurons.

PMID- 26109674
TI  - Subcutaneous immunoglobulin in CIDP and MMN: a different long-term clinical
      response?

PMID- 26109675
TI  - Vaccination With a Highly Attenuated Recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus
      Vector Protects Against Challenge With a Lethal Dose of Ebola Virus.
AB  - Previously, recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) pseudotypes expressing
      Ebolavirus glycoproteins (GPs) in place of the VSV G protein demonstrated
      protection of nonhuman primates from lethal homologous Ebolavirus challenge.
      Those pseudotype vectors contained no additional attenuating mutations in the
      rVSV genome. Here we describe rVSV vectors containing a full complement of VSV
      genes and expressing the Ebola virus (EBOV) GP from an additional transcription
      unit. These rVSV vectors contain the same combination of attenuating mutations
      used previously in the clinical development pathway of an rVSV/human
      immunodeficiency virus type 1 vaccine. One of these rVSV vectors (N4CT1-EBOVGP1),
      which expresses membrane-anchored EBOV GP from the first position in the genome
      (GP1), elicited a balanced cellular and humoral GP-specific immune response in
      mice. Guinea pigs immunized with a single dose of this vector were protected from
      any signs of disease following lethal EBOV challenge, while control animals died
      in 7-9 days. Subsequently, N4CT1-EBOVGP1 demonstrated complete, single-dose
      protection of 2 macaques following lethal EBOV challenge. A single sham
      vaccinated macaque died from disease due to EBOV infection. These results
      demonstrate that highly attenuated rVSV vectors expressing EBOV GP may provide
      safer alternatives to current EBOV vaccines. 

PMID- 26109676
TI  - No Benefit to Delaying Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccination in HIV-Positive
      Adults.

PMID- 26109677
TI  - Prospective mapping of lymph node metastasis in Japanese patients undergoing
      radical cystectomy for bladder cancer: characteristics of micrometastasis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate node-disease prevalence including micrometastases and
      its survival impact on bladder cancer patients. METHODS: A total of 60 patients
      participated in this study, in which extended lymph node dissection was carried
      out according to the prospective rule (below aortic bifurcation). Radical
      cystectomy and extended lymph node dissection were performed by open surgery (n =
      23) or laparoscopically (n = 37). Perioperative, pathological and follow-up data
      were collected. Micrometastasis in lymph nodes was investigated by pan
      cytokeratin immunohistochemistry. Recurrence-free survival was estimated with the
      Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The median number of lymph nodes removed was 29
      (range: 10-103) and there was no significant difference between the two groups
      (open group: median 30, laparoscopic group: median 29). Routine pathological
      examination revealed that 10 patients had lymph node metastases.
      Immunohistochemistry revealed micrometastases in four additional patients
      (pNmicro+), who had been diagnosed with pN0 on routine pathological examination.
      After excluding the three patients with pure nonurothelial carcinoma on the final
      pathology (small cell carcinoma: n = 2, adenocarcinoma: n = 1), 10 out of the 57
      urothelial carcinoma patients (17.5%) had node metastasis, and an additional 4
      out of the 47 pN0 patients (4/47, 8.5%) had micrometastasis. The 2-year
      recurrence-free survival rates divided by pN stage were 82.4% for pN0, 66.7% for
      pNmicro+ and 12.5% for pN+ (three-sample log-rank test, P < 0.0001). Three out of
      the four patients with pNmicro+ were disease free at the last follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed under extended lymph node dissection that a substantial
      proportion of the patients had node metastasis (pN+: n = 10 and pNmicro+: n = 4),
      and the pN stage influenced patient survival. Our observations of micrometastasis
      yielded additional evidence for the potential survival benefit of extended
      lymphadenectomy by eliminating microdisease.

PMID- 26109678
TI  - Discovery of D1 Dopamine Receptor Positive Allosteric Modulators:
      Characterization of Pharmacology and Identification of Residues that Regulate
      Species Selectivity.
AB  - The present studies represent the first published report of a dopamine D1
      positive allosteric modulator (PAM). D1 receptors have been proposed as a
      therapeutic target for the treatment of cognitive deficits associated with
      schizophrenia. However, the clinical utility of orthosteric agonist compounds is
      limited by cardiovascular side effects, poor pharmacokinetics, lack of D1
      selectivity, and an inverted dose response. A number of these challenges may be
      overcome by utilization of a selective D1 PAM. The current studies describe two
      chemically distinct D1 PAMs: Compound A [1-((rel-1S,3R,6R)-6-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol
      5-yl)bicyclo[4.1.0]heptan-3-yl)-4-(2-bromo-5-chlorobenzyl)piperazine] and
      Compound B [rel-(9R,10R,12S)-N-(2,6-dichloro-3-methylphenyl)-12-methyl-9,10
      dihydro-9,10-ethanoanthracene-12-carboxamide]. Compound A shows pure PAM
      activity, with an EC50 of 230 nM and agonist activity at the D2 receptor in D2
      expressing human embryonic kidney cells. Compound B shows superior potency (EC50
      of 43 nM) and selectivity for D1 versus D2 dopamine receptors. Unlike Compound A,
      Compound B is selective for human and nonhuman primate D1 receptors, but lacks
      activity at the rodent (rat and mouse) D1 receptors. Using molecular biology
      techniques, a single amino acid was identified at position 130, which mediates
      the species selectivity of Compound B. These data represent the first described
      D1-selective PAMs and define critical amino acids that regulate species
      selectivity. 

PMID- 26109681
TI  - The use of a biological graft for the closure of large abdominal wall defects
      following excision of soft tissue tumours.
AB  - Primary soft tissue tumours arising from the abdominal wall are uncommon and
      surgical excision of such tumours can result in large abdominal wall defects.
      There are many techniques available for abdominal wall repair following tumour
      excision, each having its own advantages and disadvantages. The options range
      from direct closure to the use of tissue flap reconstructions and/or prosthetic
      meshes. Currently, synthetic material such as polypropylene mesh is a common
      choice for closure of abdominal wall defects after tumour excision. Biological
      meshes are an alternative option for repair, and this report outlines two cases
      of abdominal wall repair using the porcine intestinal submucosa biological graft
      following excision of abdominal wall tumours. There was no evidence of infection,
      recurrence, seroma or hernias at 2-year follow-up. Following excision of soft
      tissue tumours of the abdominal wall, biological reconstructions can be
      successfully used to bridge the defect with minimal morbidity. 

PMID- 26109682
TI  - Opponent's comments.

PMID- 26109680
TI  - Treatment outcomes of patients with FIGO Stage I/II uterine cervical cancer
      treated with definitive radiotherapy: a multi-institutional retrospective
      research study.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to analyze the patterns of care and outcomes of
      patients with FIGO Stage I/II cervical cancer who underwent definitive
      radiotherapy (RT) at multiple Japanese institutions. The Japanese Radiation
      Oncology Study Group (JROSG) performed a questionnaire-based survey of their
      cervical cancer patients who were treated with definitive RT between January 2000
      and December 2005. A total of 667 patients were entered in this study. Although
      half of the patients were considered suitable for definitive RT based on the
      clinical features of the tumor, about one-third of the patients were prescribed
      RT instead of surgery because of poor medical status. The RT schedule most
      frequently utilized was whole-pelvic field irradiation (WP) of 30 Gy/15 fractions
      followed by WP with midline block of 20 Gy/10 fractions, and high-dose-rate
      intracavitary brachytherapy (HDR-ICBT) of 24 Gy/4 fractions prescribed at point
      A. Chemotherapy was administered to 306 patients (46%). The most frequent regimen
      contained cisplatin (CDDP). The median follow-up time for all patients was 65
      months (range, 2-135 months). The 5-year overall survival (OS), pelvic control
      (PC) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates for all patients were 78%, 90% and
      69%, respectively. Tumor diameter and nodal status were significant prognostic
      indicators for OS, PC and DFS. Chemotherapy has potential for improving the OS
      and DFS of patients with bulky tumors, but not for non-bulky tumors. This study
      found that definitive RT for patients with Stage I/II cervical cancer achieved
      good survival outcomes. 

PMID- 26109679
TI  - Adipose triglyceride lipase acts on neutrophil lipid droplets to regulate
      substrate availability for lipid mediator synthesis.
AB  - In humans, mutations in ATGL lead to TG accumulation in LDs of most tissues and
      cells, including peripheral blood leukocytes. This pathologic condition is called
      Jordans' anomaly, in which functional consequences have not been investigated. In
      the present study, we tested the hypothesis that ATGL plays a role in leukocyte
      LD metabolism and immune cell function. Similar to humans with loss-of-function
      mutations in ATGL, we found that global and myeloid-specific Atgl(-/-) mice
      exhibit Jordans' anomaly with increased abundance of intracellular TG-rich LDs in
      neutrophil granulocytes. In a model of inflammatory peritonitis, lipid
      accumulation was also observed in monocytes and macrophages but not in
      eosinophils or lymphocytes. Neutrophils from Atgl(-/-) mice showed enhanced
      immune responses in vitro, which were more prominent in cells from global
      compared with myeloid-specific Atgl(-/-) mice. Mechanistically, ATGL(-/-) as well
      as pharmacological inhibition of ATGL led to an impaired release of lipid
      mediators from neutrophils. These findings demonstrate that the release of lipid
      mediators is dependent on the liberation of precursor molecules from the TG-rich
      pool of LDs by ATGL. Our data provide mechanistic insights into Jordans' anomaly
      in neutrophils and suggest that ATGL is a potent regulator of immune cell
      function and inflammatory diseases. 

PMID- 26109683
TI  - Opponent's comments.

PMID- 26109684
TI  - Bortezomib-induced acute interstitial nephritis.
AB  - Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) is one of the important causes of acute kidney
      injury (AKI) resulting from inflammatory tubulointerstitial injury induced by
      medications, infections and systemic diseases. Bortezomib has been increasingly
      used especially in renal related indications such as multiple myeloma and
      monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance. Severe allergic reactions from
      bortezomib treatment including AIN have not been described in the literature. We
      report a 47-year-old white man who developed biopsy-proven allergic AIN after
      treatment with bortezomib for his C3 glomerulonephritis. The patient's kidney
      function improved after treatment with glucocorticoid therapy and discontinuation
      of bortezomib, but worsened with recurrent AKI episode after re-initiation of
      bortezomib. His renal function improved after glucocorticoid therapy and
      discontinuation of bortezomib. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a
      biopsy-proven AIN from bortezomib. 

PMID- 26109686
TI  - Hope and mood changes throughout the primary brain tumor illness trajectory.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ambiguity of defining hope impacts the level of readiness faced
      by health care professionals treating patients with glioma, a disease with
      unpredictable outcomes. This study describes the report of hope and the
      relationship between hope and mood in adult brain tumor patients at various
      points in the illness trajectory. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study with
      data collection including use of the Herth Hope Index (HHI), the Profile of Mood
      States-Short Form (POMS-SF), and clinical information. Descriptive statistics
      were used to report sample characteristics. Spearman's rho and Mann-Whitney tests
      were used to compare and differentiate scores. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients
      ranging in age from 22 to 78 years (median, 44.5 y) participated in the study.
      Patients were primarily male (57.3%), married (76.8%), and had a high-grade
      glioma (35.4%). Nearly half had recurrence, and more than 20% were on active
      treatment. The overall HHI total score for the sample was 41.32 (range: 13-48).
      Patients with recurrence had a lower HHI interconnectedness (median = 14.00)
      score and higher total mood disturbance (median = 14.00) compared with patients
      without recurrence (median = 15.00 and median = 0.00, respectively; P < .05). All
      negative mood states on the POMS-SF were negatively correlated with HHI
      subscales. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, patients reporting more hope also reported less
      overall mood disturbance As expected, patients with tumor recurrence reported
      lower hope and higher mood disturbance than those who were newly diagnosed or
      without recurrence. Targeting interventions specifically tailored to an
      individual's needs for improvement in quality of life throughout the disease
      course may include measures to address hope in order to facilitate positive
      coping strategies.

PMID- 26109687
TI  - Randomized controlled trial of vertebroplasty versus kyphoplasty in the treatment
      of vertebral compression fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We present the results of a randomized controlled trial evaluating
      the efficacy of vertebroplasty versus kyphoplasty in treating vertebral body
      compression fractures. METHODS: Patients with vertebral body compression
      fractures were randomly assigned to treatment with kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty.
      Primary endpoints were pain (0-10 scale) and disability assessed using the Roland
      Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). Outcomes were assessed at 3 days, 1
      month, 6 months, and 1 year following the procedure. RESULTS: 115 subjects were
      enrolled in the trial with 59 (51.3%) randomly assigned to kyphoplasty and 56
      (48.7%) assigned to vertebroplasty. Mean (SD) pain scores at baseline, 3 days, 30
      days, and 1 year for kyphoplasty versus vertebroplasty were 7.4 (1.9) vs 7.9
      (2.0), 4.1 (2.8) vs 3.7 (3.0), 3.4 (2.5) vs 3.6 (2.9), and 3.0 (2.8) vs 2.3
      (2.6), respectively (p>0.05 at all time points). Mean (SD) RMDQ scores at
      baseline, 3 days, 30 days, 180 days, and 1 year were 17.3 (6.6) vs 16.3 (7.4),
      11.8 (7.9) vs 10.9 (8.2), 8.6 (7.2) vs 8.8 (8.5), 7.9 (7.4) vs 7.3 (7.7), 7.5
      (7.2) vs 6.7 (8.0), respectively (p>0.05 at all time points). For baseline to 12
      month assessment in average pain and RMDQ scores, the standardized effect size
      between kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty was small at -0.36 (95% CI -1.02 to 0.31)
      and -0.04 (95% CI -1.68 to 1.60), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates
      that vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty appear to be equally effective in
      substantially reducing pain and disability in patients with vertebral body
      compression fractures. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00279877.

PMID- 26109689
TI  - Nursing: A Basic or Applied Science.

PMID- 26109688
TI  - Relationship between low response to clopidogrel and periprocedural ischemic
      events with coil embolization for intracranial aneurysms.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Low response to antiplatelet drugs is one of the risk factors for
      ischemic events. We examined the influence of low response to clopidogrel on
      symptomatic ischemic events and new ischemic MRI lesions with endovascular
      intracranial aneurysmal coil embolization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between August
      2010 and July 2013, 189 procedures in 181 consecutive patients who underwent
      endovascular coiling and received clopidogrel before treatment were investigated
      retrospectively. Platelet aggregation activity was examined by VerifyNow
      analysis. Low response to clopidogrel was defined as P2Y12 reaction units >=230
      in this study. Symptomatic ischemic complications within 30 days and
      postoperative new ischemic lesions on MRI-diffusion weighted imaging were
      evaluated. RESULTS: 66 of 189 (34.9%) cases were low responders to clopidogrel.
      Ischemic complications occurred in 2 of 66 (3.0%) low responders compared with 6
      of 123 (4.9%) responders (p=0.72). A new high intensity spot larger than 5 mm was
      significantly more frequent in low responders (26 of 66; 39.4%) than in
      responders (26 of 121; 21.2%; p=0.01). On multivariate analysis, independent risk
      factors for larger new ischemic lesions were low response to clopidogrel,
      smokers, posterior location, and aneurysms with a larger neck. CONCLUSIONS: Low
      response to clopidogrel had little effect on clinical outcome although it
      increased asymptomatic large ischemic lesions in this cohort.

PMID- 26109690
TI  - Awakening to Becoming.
AB  - This column explores the question: How do you want to be known? Three awakening
      stories are presented to provide a framework for discussing the humanbecoming
      processes of creative imagining, affirming personal becoming, and glimpsing the
      paradoxical. These processes are important in changing living quality and
      developing personal pattern preferences by which to be known. 

PMID- 26109691
TI  - Freedom in Research: The Situation.
AB  - To illuminate the idea of freedom in research, the author considers the nature of
      being a professional, which includes the dimensions as elaborated by Flexner
      (1915) and Taylor (1968). The dimension of autonomy, one characteristic of being
      a professional, is explored by utilizing the work of Hall (1968). Then the idea
      of situated freedom will be presented as a means to explain the professional
      autonomy of nurse researchers. 

PMID- 26109692
TI  - The Ethics of Human Freedom and Healthcare Policy: A Nursing Theoretical
      Perspective.
AB  - Global healthcare and healthcare policies are evolving with change at a swift
      pace. Inherent in the discussions of a person's right to choose health is the
      notion of freedom. The author in this column compares and contrasts bioethical
      views of freedom and autonomy with alternative views and possibilities by
      examining an ethic of freedom grounded from a different paradigm, the
      humanbecoming nursing theoretical perspective. 

PMID- 26109693
TI  - The Art of Service Learning.
AB  - Service learning has become a buzz term in higher academic settings. However, it
      may be difficult to identify activities that have both a service component and a
      learning component that logically flows from course objectives. The authors
      introduce four service learning options that may be utilized by colleges and
      universities nationwide. They offer support for Parse's theory of humanbecoming
      as a natural underpinning to service learning and they discuss where specific
      aspects of Parse's teaching-learning model may surface within service learning
      activities. 

PMID- 26109694
TI  - Hostility in Nursing.

PMID- 26109695
TI  - Hostility Patterns: Implications for Nursing Practice.
AB  - In order to present the state of the science of hostility among and across
      disciplines, a review of the literature was completed. The knowledge gained may
      influence nursing practice. Scholarly works from nursing, medical and basic
      sciences, psychology, sociology, education, philosophy, business, communication,
      and criminology were reviewed. Similar patterns in the use of the concept were
      discovered. The patterns revealed five themes: hostility as a health-risk factor,
      hostility as a factor in family relationships, hostility as a factor in perceived
      challenge, hostility as a factor in criminal behavior, and hostility as a factor
      in the workplace. Based on the knowledge gained about hostility, implications for
      nursing practice related to changing the hostile working environment for nurses
      were suggested using modeling and role-modeling nursing theory. 

PMID- 26109696
TI  - Who Owns Nursing's Great Ideas?

PMID- 26109697
TI  - Intellectual Property in the Connected Age.
AB  - Concerns about intellectual property for nursing are becoming increasingly acute
      as information becomes highly accessible in the digital age. Nurse faculty
      members need to check policies of the agencies that they work for to evaluate
      explicit written policies for their protection and full understanding of the
      agency's rights. 

PMID- 26109698
TI  - Neuman Systems Model as a Conceptual Framework for Nurse Resilience.
AB  - Due to the stressors involved in the field of nursing, resilience has been
      identified as an essential trait for those working in the profession. Nurses must
      deal with many issues that can lead to exhaustion and burnout. The Neuman Systems
      Model focuses on types of stressors that may cause harm to a person's health and
      well-being. The purposes of this article are to offer the Neuman Systems Model as
      a conceptual framework for exploring nurse resilience, and to describe strategies
      that promote resilience-building in nurses. 

PMID- 26109699
TI  - A Globally-Conscious Nonlocal Nursing Community: From Caritas to Communitas.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to describe the creative process and nursing
      implications of the website, Holding Heartspace: A Nonphysical Ashram for the
      Like-hearted to Honor Story, Process, and Sacred Intentions of Caring-Healing
      Loving in the World. Holding Heartspace is an example of a virtual community that
      links the experiences of nurses from around the world to a centralized forum.
      This site is the culminating project of the author's participation in and
      graduation from the Caritas Coach Education Program (CCEP). Human caring science
      is a theory of nursing maintaining several relevant components and definitions
      that have fostered the creation of Holding Heartspace. It is within the
      contextual realm of caring science that facilitation from caritas (compassionate,
      generous love) to the more universal communitas (recognition of our collective
      humanity) is realized and experienced (Watson, 2008). 

PMID- 26109700
TI  - Toward a Theory of Intuitive Decision-Making in Nursing.
AB  - The author in this article presents a theory of decision-making in nursing,
      specifically a middle-range theory of intuitive decision-making in nursing
      created through the synthesis of Patricia Benner's model of skill acquisition in
      nursing and Damasio's somatic marker hypothesis. The author proposes that
      Damasio's somatic state is equivalent to what Benner has identified as intuition.
      When a nurse is faced with a decision, intuition, if developed, is a somatic
      state that creates a measurable physiological biasing signal (skin conductive
      response) that helps in making an advantageous decision. Research, educational,
      clinical and theoretical implications are discussed. 

PMID- 26109701
TI  - Being One with the Universe: Finding a Silver Lining in Dying.
AB  - Woody Allen once quoted, "I don't mind dying so much, I just don't want to be
      there when it happens" (as cited in Ingram, 2002, p. 1). Oftentimes, death is not
      a happy subject, a reality that most of us fear, yet something we all must face.
      In this paper, three articles were reviewed that explored the living-dying
      (Phillips, 1992) process of the terminally ill and the material was
      conceptualized in light of Rogers (1994) science of unitary human beings. To
      further understand and explore the living-dying process, creative examples (movie
      screenplay, novel, song and others) were cited. During the living-dying process
      exploration, three common themes were expressed by the subjects (dying persons),
      namely: valuing own perspective of quality of life; choosing personal meanings
      with ways of moving beyond with the possibles (Lee & Pilkington, 1999), while
      focusing on life's meaning rather than life's details (Dobratz, 2002); and
      connecting to the world-as-unknown while self-separating to the world-as-known in
      actively seeking the union with death (Kubler-Ross, 1981; Callanan & Kelly, 1992;
      Dobratz, 2002). It is important for healthcare providers to recognize and
      acknowledge all three themes to be able to understand dying persons, to focus on
      their wholeness rather than their disease, and to help families discern symbolic
      messages conveyed by them. Moreover, knowing these themes also enables healthcare
      providers to help all parties to transition and be able to accept and embrace the
      most difficult process-the living-dying (Phillips, 1992) process.

PMID- 26109702
TI  - The Financial Case for Patient-Centered Interdisciplinary Teams in the United
      Kingdom.
AB  - This column is about the financial and human benefits of effective
      interdisciplinary healthcare teams approach and the use of the humanbecoming
      school of thought in head and neck oncology in the United Kingdom. Included is a
      brief comparison with oncology treatment in the United States. 

PMID- 26109703
TI  - Economic Soundness and Interdisciplinary Teamwork in the UK: Is It Financially
      Sound?
AB  - This article is chiefly concerned with the question is nursing, particularly
      oncology nursing, both improved and more affordable when persons are honored in
      the manner suggested by Rosemarie Rizzo Parse's humanbecoming school of thought
      and when nurses are respected members of multidisciplinary teams? The authors
      offer a theoretical article on the evolution of cancer multidisciplinary teams
      and examine current thinking on teamwork in the hospital setting. 

PMID- 26109704
TI  - Epistemic Injustice and Nurse Moral Distress: Perspective for Policy Development.
AB  - The focus of this article is epistemic injustice as an underlying explanation for
      the lack of communication associated with moral distress in frontline nurses who
      provide end-of-life care. Improvements in interprofessional collaboration and
      communication in this challenging area of practice are needed, as supported by
      research on moral distress and related studies. Policy development that addresses
      interprofessional practice inclusive of all healthcare providers, particularly
      frontline nurses, in deliberations about end-of-life treatment deliberations and
      decisions is proposed. 

PMID- 26109705
TI  - Thoughts About Theories and Statistics.
AB  - The purpose of this essay is to share my ideas about the connection between
      theories and statistics. The essay content reflects my concerns about some
      researchers' and readers' apparent lack of clarity about what constitutes
      appropriate statistical testing and conclusions about the empirical adequacy of
      theories. The reciprocal relation between theories and statistics is emphasized
      and the conclusion is that statistics without direction from theory is no more
      than a hobby. 

PMID- 26109709
TI  - Comment: Does brain DTI MRI aid diagnosis of battlefield concussion?

PMID- 26109710
TI  - Ocular fundus photography of patients with focal neurologic deficits in an
      emergency department.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the frequency and predictive value of ocular fundus
      abnormalities among patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) with
      focal neurologic deficits to determine the utility of these findings in the
      evaluation of patients with suspected TIA and stroke. METHODS: In this cross
      sectional pilot study, ocular fundus photographs were obtained using a
      nonmydriatic fundus camera. Demographic, neuroimaging, and ABCD(2) score
      components were collected. Photographs were reviewed for retinal microvascular
      abnormalities. The results were analyzed using univariate statistics and logistic
      regression modeling. RESULTS: Two hundred fifty-seven patients presented to the
      ED with focal neurologic deficits, of whom 81 patients (32%) had cerebrovascular
      disease (CVD) and 144 (56%; 95% confidence interval: 50%-62%) had retinal
      microvascular abnormalities. Focal and general arteriolar narrowing increased the
      odds of clinically diagnosed CVD by 5.5 and 2.6 times, respectively, after
      controlling for the ABCD(2) score and diffusion-weighted imaging. These fundus
      findings also significantly differentiated TIA from non-CVD, even after
      controlling for the ABCD(2) score. CONCLUSIONS: Focal and general arteriolar
      narrowing were independent predictors of CVD overall, and TIA alone, even after
      controlling for the ABCD(2) score and diffusion-weighted imaging lesions. The
      inclusion of nonmydriatic ocular fundus photographs in the evaluation of patients
      presenting to the ED with focal neurologic deficits may assist in the
      differentiation of stroke and TIA from other causes of focal neurologic deficits.

PMID- 26109711
TI  - Essentially all models are wrong, but some are useful.

PMID- 26109712
TI  - Improving early clinical trial phase identification of promising therapeutics.
AB  - This review addresses decision-making underlying the frequent failure to confirm
      early-phase positive trial results and how to prioritize which early agents to
      transition to late phase. While unexpected toxicity is sometimes responsible for
      late-phase failures, lack of efficacy is also frequently found. In stroke as in
      other conditions, early trials often demonstrate imbalances in factors
      influencing outcome. Other issues complicate early trial analysis, including
      unequally distributed noise inherent in outcome measures and variations in
      natural history among studies. We contend that statistical approaches to correct
      for imbalances and noise, while likely valid for homogeneous conditions, appear
      unable to accommodate disease complexity and have failed to correctly identify
      effective agents. While blinding and randomization are important to reduce
      selection bias, these methods appear insufficient to insure valid conclusions. We
      found potential sources of analytical errors in nearly 90% of a sample of early
      stroke trials. To address these issues, we recommend changes in early-phase
      analysis and reporting: (1) restrict use of statistical correction to studies
      where the underlying assumptions are validated, (2) select dichotomous over
      continuous outcomes for small samples, (3) consider pooled samples to model
      natural history to detect early therapeutic signals and increase the likelihood
      of replication in larger samples, (4) report subgroup baseline conditions, (5)
      consider post hoc methods to restrict analysis to subjects with an appropriate
      match, and (6) increase the strength of effect threshold given these cumulative
      sources of noise and potential errors. More attention to these issues should lead
      to better decision-making regarding selection of agents to proceed to pivotal
      trials. 

PMID- 26109713
TI  - Cognitive impairment 18 years before clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer disease
      dementia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation of performance on brief cognitive tests to
      development of clinically diagnosed Alzheimer disease (AD) dementia over the
      following 18 years in a sample of African Americans and European Americans.
      METHODS: A composite cognitive test score based on tests of episodic memory,
      executive function, and global cognition was constructed in a prospective
      population-based sample of 2,125 participants (55% African American and 61%
      female) aged 65 years and older residing in 4 Chicago neighborhoods. Time before
      AD dementia diagnosis was categorized into 6 groups corresponding to data
      collection periods: 0.1-0.9, 1.0-3.9, 4.0-6.9, 7.0-9.9, 10.0-12.9, and 13.0-17.9
      years. RESULTS: Of 2,125 participants without clinical AD dementia, 442 (21%)
      developed clinical AD dementia over 18 years of follow-up. Lower composite
      cognitive test scores were associated with the development of AD dementia over
      the duration of the study. The magnitude of association between composite
      cognitive test score and development of AD dementia increased from an odds ratio
      of 3.39 (95% confidence interval 1.72, 6.67; p < 0.001) at 13.0-17.9 years to
      9.84 (95% confidence interval 7.41, 13.06; p < 0.001) at 0.1-0.9 years, per SD
      increment. These associations were consistently larger among European Americans
      than among African Americans. Performance on individual cognitive tests of
      episodic memory, executive function, and global cognition also significantly
      predicted the development of AD dementia, with associations exhibiting a similar
      trend over 18 years. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that cognitive impairment
      may manifest in the preclinical phase of AD dementia substantially earlier than
      previously established.

PMID- 26109716
TI  - Estrogen actions in the nervous system: Complexity and clinical implications.

PMID- 26109714
TI  - Paraneoplastic neurologic disorders in small cell lung carcinoma: A prospective
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency and range of paraneoplastic neurologic
      disorders (PNDs) and neuronal antibodies in small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC).
      METHODS: Two hundred sixty-four consecutive patients with biopsy-proven SCLC were
      recruited at the time of tumor diagnosis. All patients underwent full neurologic
      examination. Serum samples were taken prior to chemotherapy and analyzed for 15
      neuronal antibodies. Thirty-eight healthy controls were analyzed in parallel.
      RESULTS: PNDs were quite prevalent (n = 24, 9.4%), most frequently Lambert-Eaton
      myasthenic syndrome (3.8%), sensory neuronopathy (1.9%), and limbic encephalitis
      (1.5%). Eighty-seven percent of all patients with PNDs had antibodies to SOX2
      (62.5%), HuD (41.7%), or P/Q VGCC (50%), irrespective of their syndrome. Other
      neuronal antibodies were found at lower frequencies (GABAb receptor [12.5%] and N
      type VGCC [20.8%]) or very rarely (GAD65, amphiphysin, Ri, CRMP5, Ma2, Yo, VGKC
      complex, CASPR2, LGI1, and NMDA receptor [all <5%]). CONCLUSIONS: The spectrum of
      PNDs is broader and the frequency is higher than previously appreciated, and
      selected antibody tests (SOX2, HuD, VGCC) can help determine the presence of an
      SCLC.

PMID- 26109715
TI  - Clinical and imaging assessment of acute combat mild traumatic brain injury in
      Afghanistan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) will noninvasively
      reveal white matter changes not present on conventional MRI in acute blast
      related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and to determine correlations with
      clinical measures and recovery. METHODS: Prospective observational study of 95 US
      military service members with mTBI enrolled within 7 days from injury in
      Afghanistan and 101 healthy controls. Assessments included Rivermead Post
      Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPCSQ), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
      Checklist Military (PCLM), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Balance Error Scoring
      System (BESS), Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM),
      conventional MRI, and DTI. RESULTS: Significantly greater impairment was observed
      in participants with mTBI vs controls: RPCSQ (19.7 +/- 12.9 vs 3.6 +/- 7.1, p <
      0.001), PCLM (32 +/- 13.2 vs 20.9 +/- 7.1, p < 0.001), BDI (7.4 +/- 6.8 vs 2.5 +/
      4.9, p < 0.001), and BESS (18.2 +/- 8.4 vs 15.1 +/- 8.3, p = 0.01). The largest
      effect size in ANAM performance decline was in simple reaction time (mTBI 74.5 +/
      148.4 vs control -11 +/- 46.6 milliseconds, p < 0.001). Fractional anisotropy
      was significantly reduced in mTBI compared with controls in the right superior
      longitudinal fasciculus (0.393 +/- 0.022 vs 0.405 +/- 0.023, p < 0.001). No
      abnormalities were detected with conventional MRI. Time to return to duty
      correlated with RPCSQ (r = 0.53, p < 0.001), ANAM simple reaction time decline (r
      = 0.49, p < 0.0001), PCLM (r = 0.47, p < 0.0001), and BDI (r = 0.36 p = 0.0005).
      CONCLUSIONS: Somatic, behavioral, and cognitive symptoms and performance deficits
      are substantially elevated in acute blast-related mTBI. Postconcussive symptoms
      and performance on measures of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and
      neurocognitive performance at initial presentation correlate with return-to-duty
      time. Although changes in fractional anisotropy are uncommon and subtle, DTI is
      more sensitive than conventional MRI in imaging white matter integrity in blast
      related mTBI acutely.

PMID- 26109717
TI  - Reduced neurofilament expression in cutaneous nerve fibers of patients with
      CMT2E.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of NEFL Glu396Lys mutation on the
      expression and assembly of neurofilaments (NFs) in cutaneous nerve fibers of
      patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2E (CMT2E). METHODS: A large
      family with CMT2E underwent clinical, electrophysiologic, and skin biopsy
      studies. Biopsies were processed by indirect immunofluorescence (IF), electron
      microscopy (EM), and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: The clinical features
      demonstrated intrafamilial phenotypic variability, and the electrophysiologic
      findings revealed nerve conductions that were either slow or in the intermediate
      range. All patients had reduced or absent compound muscular action potential
      amplitudes. Skin biopsies showed axons labeled with the axonal markers protein
      gene product 9.5 and alpha-tubulin, but not with NFs. The results of Western blot
      analysis were consistent with those of IF, showing reduced or absent NFs and
      normal expression of alpha-tubulin. EM revealed clusters of regenerated fibers,
      in absence of myelin sheath abnormalities. Both IF and EM failed to show NF
      aggregates in dermal axons. The morphometric analysis showed a smaller axonal
      caliber in patients than in controls. The study of the nodal/paranodal
      architecture demonstrated that sodium channels and Caspr were correctly localized
      in patients with CMT2E. CONCLUSIONS: Decrease in NF abundance may be a pathologic
      marker of CMT2E. The lack of NF aggregates, consistent with prior studies,
      suggests that they occur proximally leading to subsequent alterations in the
      axonal cytoskeleton. The small axonal caliber, along with the normal molecular
      architecture of nodes and paranodes, explain the reduced velocities detected in
      patients with CMT2E. Our results also demonstrate that skin biopsy can provide
      evidence of pathologic and pathogenic abnormalities in patients with CMT2E.

PMID- 26109718
TI  - A Dual Role for the Nonreceptor Tyrosine Kinase Pyk2 during the Intracellular
      Trafficking of Human Papillomavirus 16.
AB  - The infectious process of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) has been studied
      considerably, and many cellular components required for viral entry and
      trafficking continue to be revealed. In this study, we investigated the role of
      the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase Pyk2 during HPV16 pseudovirion infection of human
      keratinocytes. We found that Pyk2 is necessary for infection and appears to be
      involved in the intracellular trafficking of the virus. Small interfering RNA
      mediated reduction of Pyk2 resulted in a significant decrease in infection but
      did not prevent viral entry at the plasma membrane. Pyk2 depletion resulted in
      altered endolysosomal trafficking of HPV16 and accelerated unfolding of the viral
      capsid. Furthermore, we observed retention of the HPV16 pseudogenome in the trans
      Golgi network (TGN) in Pyk2-depleted cells, suggesting that the kinase could be
      required for the viral DNA to exit the TGN. While Pyk2 has previously been shown
      to function during the entry of enveloped viruses at the plasma membrane, the
      kinase has not yet been implicated in the intracellular trafficking of a
      nonenveloped virus such as HPV. Additionally, these data enrich the current
      literature on Pyk2's function in human keratinocytes. IMPORTANCE: In this study,
      we investigated the role of the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase Pyk2 during human
      papillomavirus (HPV) infection of human skin cells. Infections with high-risk
      types of HPV such as HPV16 are the leading cause of cervical cancer and a major
      cause of genital and oropharyngeal cancer. As a nonenveloped virus, HPV enters
      cells by interacting with cellular receptors and established cellular trafficking
      routes to ensure that the viral DNA reaches the nucleus for productive infection.
      This study identified Pyk2 as a cellular component required for the intracellular
      trafficking of HPV16 during infection. Understanding the infectious pathways of
      HPVs is critical for developing additional preventive therapies. Furthermore,
      this study advances our knowledge of intracellular trafficking processes in
      keratinocytes.

PMID- 26109719
TI  - Dualtropic CXCR6/CCR5 Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) Infection of Sooty
      Mangabey Primary Lymphocytes: Distinct Coreceptor Use in Natural versus
      Pathogenic Hosts of SIV.
AB  - Natural-host sooty mangabeys (SM) infected with simian immunodeficiency virus
      (SIV) exhibit high viral loads but do not develop disease, whereas infection of
      rhesus macaques (RM) causes CD4(+) T cell loss and AIDS. Several mechanisms have
      been proposed to explain these divergent outcomes, including differences in cell
      targeting, which have been linked to low expression of the canonical SIV entry
      receptor CCR5 on CD4(+) T cells of SM and other natural hosts. We previously
      showed that infection and high-level viremia occur even in a subset of SM that
      genetically lack functional CCR5, which indicates that alternative entry
      coreceptors are used by SIV in vivo in these animals. We also showed that SM
      CXCR6 is a robust coreceptor for SIVsmm in vitro. Here we identify CXCR6 as a
      principal entry pathway for SIV in SM primary lymphocytes. We show that ex vivo
      SIV infection of lymphocytes from CCR5 wild-type SM is mediated by both CXCR6 and
      CCR5. In contrast, infection of RM lymphocytes is fully dependent on CCR5. These
      data raise the possibility that CXCR6-directed tropism in CCR5-low natural hosts
      may alter CD4(+) T cell subset targeting compared with that in nonnatural hosts,
      enabling SIV to maintain high-level replication without leading to widespread
      CD4(+) T cell loss. IMPORTANCE: Natural hosts of SIV, such as sooty mangabeys,
      sustain high viral loads but do not develop disease, while nonnatural hosts, like
      rhesus macaques, develop AIDS. Understanding this difference may help elucidate
      mechanisms of pathogenesis. Natural hosts have very low levels of the SIV entry
      coreceptor CCR5, suggesting that restricted entry may limit infection of certain
      target cells, although it is unclear how the virus replicates so robustly. Here
      we show that in sooty mangabey lymphocytes, infection is mediated by the
      alternative entry coreceptor CXCR6, as well as CCR5. In rhesus macaque
      lymphocytes, however, infection occurs entirely through CCR5. The use of CXCR6
      for entry, combined with very low CCR5 levels, may redirect the virus to
      different cell targets in natural hosts. It is possible that differential
      targeting may favor infection of nonessential cells and limit infection of
      critical cells in natural hosts, thus contributing to benign outcome of
      infection.

PMID- 26109720
TI  - Alfalfa Leaf Curl Virus: an Aphid-Transmitted Geminivirus.
AB  - The family Geminiviridae comprises seven genera differentiated by genome
      organization, sequence similarity, and insect vector. Capulavirus, an eighth
      genus, has been proposed to accommodate two newly discovered highly divergent
      geminiviruses that presently have no known vector. Alfalfa leaf curl virus,
      identified here as a third capulavirus, is shown to be transmitted by Aphis
      craccivora. This is the first report of an aphid-transmitted geminivirus. 

PMID- 26109721
TI  - Screening of the Human Kinome Identifies MSK1/2-CREB1 as an Essential Pathway
      Mediating Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Lytic Replication during
      Primary Infection.
AB  - Viruses often hijack cellular pathways to facilitate infection and replication.
      Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is an oncogenic gammaherpesvirus
      etiologically associated with Kaposi's sarcoma, a vascular tumor of endothelial
      cells. Despite intensive studies, cellular pathways mediating KSHV infection and
      replication are still not well defined. Using an antibody array approach, we
      examined cellular proteins phosphorylated during primary KSHV infection of
      primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Enrichment analysis identified
      integrin/mitogen-activated protein kinase (integrin/MAPK), insulin/epidermal
      growth factor receptor (insulin/EGFR), and JAK/STAT as the activated networks
      during primary KSHV infection. The transcriptional factor CREB1 (cyclic AMP
      [cAMP]-responsive element-binding protein 1) had the strongest increase in
      phosphorylation. While knockdown of CREB1 had no effect on KSHV entry and
      trafficking, it drastically reduced the expression of lytic transcripts and
      proteins and the production of infectious virions. Chemical activation of CREB1
      significantly enhanced viral lytic replication. In contrast, CREB1 neither
      influenced the expression of the latent gene LANA nor affected KSHV infectivity.
      Mechanistically, CREB1 was not activated through the classic cAMP/protein kinase
      A (cAMP/PKA) pathway or via the AKT, MK2, and RSK pathways. Rather, CREB1 was
      activated by the mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinases 1 and 2 (MSK1/2).
      Consequently, chemical inhibition or knockdown of MSKs significantly inhibited
      the KSHV lytic replication program; however, it had a minimal effect on LANA
      expression and KSHV infectivity. Together, these results identify the MSK1/2
      CREB1 proteins as novel essential effectors of KSHV lytic replication during
      primary infection. The differential effect of the MSK1/2-CREB1 pathway on the
      expression of viral latent and lytic genes might control the robustness of viral
      lytic replication, and therefore the KSHV replication program, during primary
      infection. IMPORTANCE: Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a human
      tumor virus associated with several cancers. Through genome-wide kinase
      screening, we found that KSHV activates the MSK1/2-CREB1 pathway during primary
      infection and that it depends on this pathway for viral lytic replication.
      Inhibition of this pathway blocks KSHV lytic replication. These results
      illustrate a mechanism by which KSHV hijacks a cellular pathway for its
      replication, and they identify a potential therapeutic target.

PMID- 26109722
TI  - Cataloguing of Potential HIV Susceptibility Factors during the Menstrual Cycle of
      Pig-Tailed Macaques by Using a Systems Biology Approach.
AB  - Our earlier studies with pig-tailed macaques demonstrated various simian-human
      immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) susceptibilities during the menstrual cycle, likely
      caused by cyclic variations in immune responses in the female genital tract.
      There is concern that high-dose, long-lasting, injectable progestin-based
      contraception could mimic the high-progesterone luteal phase and predispose women
      to human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1) acquisition and transmission. In this
      study, we adopted a systems biology approach employing proteomics (tandem mass
      spectrometry), transcriptomics (RNA microarray hybridization), and other specific
      protein assays (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and multiplex chemokine and
      cytokine measurements) to characterize the effects of hormonal changes on the
      expression of innate factors and secreted proteins in the macaque vagina. Several
      antiviral factors and pathways (including acute-phase response signaling and
      complement system) were overexpressed in the follicular phase. Conversely, during
      the luteal phase there were factors overexpressed (including moesins, syndecans,
      and integrins, among others) that could play direct or indirect roles in
      enhancing HIV-1 infection. Thus, our study showed that specific pathways and
      proteins or genes might work in tandem to regulate innate immunity, thus
      fostering further investigation and future design of approaches to help counter
      HIV-1 acquisition in the female genital tract. IMPORTANCE: HIV infection in women
      is poorly understood. High levels of the hormone progesterone may make women more
      vulnerable to infection. This could be the case during the menstrual cycle, when
      using hormone-based birth control, or during pregnancy. The biological basis for
      increased HIV vulnerability is not known. We used an animal model with high risk
      for infection during periods of high progesterone. Genital secretions and tissues
      during the menstrual cycle were studied. Our goal was to identify biological
      factors upregulated at high progesterone levels, and we indeed show an
      upregulation of genes and proteins which enhance the ability of HIV to infect
      when progesterone is high. In contrast, during low-progesterone periods, we found
      more HIV inhibitory factors. This study contributes to our understanding of
      mechanisms that may regulate HIV infection in females under hormonal influences.
      Such knowledge is needed for the development of novel prevention strategies.

PMID- 26109723
TI  - A Screen for Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase-Primed Glycogen Synthase
      Kinase 3 Substrates Identifies the p53 Inhibitor iASPP.
AB  - The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) LANA protein is essential for
      the replication and maintenance of virus genomes in latently KSHV-infected cells.
      LANA also drives dysregulated cell growth through a multiplicity of mechanisms
      that include altering the activity of the cellular kinases extracellular signal
      regulated kinase (ERK) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3). To investigate the
      potential impact of these changes in enzyme activity, we used protein microarrays
      to identify cell proteins that were phosphorylated by the combination of ERK and
      GSK-3. The assays identified 58 potential ERK-primed GSK-3 substrates, of which
      23 had evidence for in vivo phosphorylation in mass spectrometry databases. Two
      of these, SMAD4 and iASPP, were selected for further analysis and were confirmed
      as ERK-primed GSK-3 substrates. Cotransfection experiments revealed that iASPP,
      but not SMAD4, was targeted for degradation in the presence of GSK-3. iASPP
      interferes with apoptosis induced by p53 family members. To determine the
      importance of iASPP to KSHV-infected-cell growth, primary effusion lymphoma (PEL)
      cells were treated with an iASPP inhibitor in the presence or absence of the MDM2
      inhibitor Nutlin-3. Drug inhibition of iASPP activity induced apoptosis in BC3
      and BCBL1 PEL cells but did not induce poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)
      cleavage in virus-negative BJAB cells. The effect of iASPP inhibition was
      additive with that of Nutlin-3. Interfering with iASPP function is therefore
      another mechanism that can sensitize KSHV-positive PEL cells to cell death.
      IMPORTANCE: KSHV is associated with several malignancies, including primary
      effusion lymphoma (PEL). The KSHV-encoded LANA protein is multifunctional and
      promotes both cell growth and resistance to cell death. LANA is known to activate
      ERK and limit the activity of another kinase, GSK-3. To discover ways in which
      LANA manipulation of these two kinases might impact PEL cell survival, we
      screened a human protein microarray for ERK-primed GSK-3 substrates. One of the
      proteins identified, iASPP, showed reduced levels in the presence of GSK-3.
      Further, blocking iASPP activity increased cell death, particularly in p53 wild
      type BC3 PEL cells.

PMID- 26109725
TI  - The Great (Nuclear) Escape: New Insights into the Role of the Nuclear Egress
      Complex of Herpesviruses.
AB  - Herpesviruses are unusual among enveloped viruses because they bud twice yet
      acquire a single envelope. They are also the only known viruses that bud into the
      nuclear envelope. We discovered that the herpesvirus nuclear egress complex could
      bud membranes without the help of other proteins by forming a coat-like hexagonal
      scaffold inside the budding membrane. This finding raises the possibility that a
      phenotypically similar nuclear export of large RNAs is cargo driven. 

PMID- 26109724
TI  - Expected Effect of Deleterious Mutations on Within-Host Adaptation of Pathogens.
AB  - Adaptation is a common theme in both pathogen emergence, for example, in zoonotic
      cross-species transmission, and pathogen control, where adaptation might limit
      the effect of the immune response and antiviral treatment. When such evolution
      requires deleterious intermediate mutations, fitness ridges and valleys arise in
      the pathogen's fitness landscape. The effect of deleterious intermediate
      mutations on within-host pathogen adaptation is examined with deterministic
      calculations, appropriate for pathogens replicating in large populations with
      high error rates. The effect of deleterious intermediate mutations on pathogen
      adaptation is smaller than their name might suggest: when two mutations are
      required and each individual single mutation is fully deleterious, the pathogen
      can jump across the fitness valley by obtaining two mutations at once, leading to
      a proportion of adapted mutants that is 20-fold lower than that in the situation
      where the fitness of all mutants is neutral. The negative effects of deleterious
      intermediates are typically substantially smaller and outweighed by the fitness
      advantages of the adapted mutant. Moreover, requiring a specific mutation order
      has a substantially smaller effect on pathogen adaptation than the effect of all
      intermediates being deleterious. These results can be rationalized when the
      number of routes of mutation available to the pathogen is calculated, providing a
      simple approach to estimate the effect of deleterious mutations. The calculations
      discussed here are applicable when the effect of deleterious mutations on the
      within-host adaptation of pathogens is assessed, for example, in the context of
      zoonotic emergence, antigenic escape, and drug resistance. IMPORTANCE: Adaptation
      is critical for pathogens after zoonotic transmission into a new host species or
      to achieve antigenic immune escape and drug resistance. Using a deterministic
      approach, the effects of deleterious intermediate mutations on pathogen
      adaptation were calculated while avoiding commonly made simplifications that do
      not apply to large pathogen populations replicating with high mutation rates.
      Perhaps unexpectedly, pathogen adaptation does not halt when the intermediate
      mutations are fully deleterious. The negative effects of deleterious mutations
      are substantially outweighed by the fitness gains of adaptation. To gain an
      understanding of the effect of deleterious mutations on pathogen adaptation, a
      simple approach that counts the number of routes available to the pathogen with
      and without deleterious intermediate mutations is introduced. This methodology
      enables a straightforward calculation of the proportion of the pathogen
      population that will cross a fitness valley or traverse a fitness ridge, without
      reverting to more complicated mathematical models.

PMID- 26109726
TI  - Superoxide-Generating Nox5alpha Is Functionally Required for the Human T-Cell
      Leukemia Virus Type 1-Induced Cell Transformation Phenotype.
AB  - Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is associated with adult T-cell
      leukemia (ATL) and transforms T cells in vitro. To our knowledge, the functional
      role of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating NADPH oxidase 5 (Nox5) in HTLV-1
      transformation remains undefined. Here, we found that Nox5alpha expression was
      upregulated in 88% of 17 ATL patient samples but not in normal peripheral blood T
      cells. Upregulation of the Nox5alpha variant was transcriptionally sustained by
      the constitutive Janus family tyrosine kinase (Jak)-STAT5 signaling pathway in
      interleukin-2 (IL-2)-independent HTLV-1-transformed cell lines, including MT1 and
      MT2, whereas it was transiently induced by the IL-2-triggered Jak-STAT5 axis in
      uninfected T cells. A Nox inhibitor, diphenylene iodonium, and antioxidants such
      as N-acetyl cysteine blocked proliferation of MT1 and MT2 cells. Ablation of
      Nox5alpha by small interfering RNAs abrogated ROS production, inhibited cellular
      activities, including proliferation, migration, and survival, and suppressed
      tumorigenicity in immunodeficient NOG mice. The findings suggest that Nox5alpha
      is a key molecule for redox-signal-mediated maintenance of the HTLV-1
      transformation phenotype and could be a potential molecular target for
      therapeutic intervention in cancer development. IMPORTANCE: HTLV-1 is the first
      human oncogenic retrovirus shown to be associated with ATL. Despite the extensive
      study over the years, the mechanism underlying HTLV-1-induced cell transformation
      is not fully understood. In this study, we addressed the expression and function
      of ROS-generating Nox family genes in HTLV-1-transformed cells. Our report
      provides the first evidence that the upregulated expression of Nox5alpha is
      associated with the pathological state of ATL peripheral blood mononuclear cells
      and that Nox5alpha is an integral component of the Jak-STAT5 signaling pathway in
      HTLV-1-transformed T cells. Nox5alpha-derived ROS are critically involved in the
      regulation of cellular activities, including proliferation, migration, survival,
      and tumorigenicity, in HTLV-1-transformed cells. These results indicate that
      Nox5alpha-derived ROS are functionally required for maintenance of the HTLV-1
      transformation phenotype. The finding provides new insight into the redox
      dependent mechanism of HTLV-1 transformation and raises an intriguing possibility
      that Nox5alpha serves as a potential molecular target to treat HTLV-1-related
      leukemia.

PMID- 26109727
TI  - HIV-1 Reservoir Dynamics after Vaccination and Antiretroviral Therapy
      Interruption Are Associated with Dendritic Cell Vaccine-Induced T Cell Responses.
AB  - HIV-1-specific immune responses induced by a dendritic cell (DC)-based
      therapeutic vaccine might have some effect on the viral reservoir. Patients on
      combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) were randomized to receive DCs pulsed
      with autologous HIV-1 (n = 24) (DC-HIV-1) or nonpulsed DCs (n = 12) (DC-control).
      We measured the levels of total and integrated HIV-1 DNA in CD4 T cells isolated
      from these patients at 6 time points: before any cART; before the first cART
      interruption, which was at 56 weeks before the first immunization to isolate
      virus for pulsing DCs; before and after vaccinations (VAC1 and VAC2); and at
      weeks 12 and 48 after the second cART interruption. The vaccinations did not
      influence HIV-1 DNA levels in vaccinated subjects. After the cART interruption at
      week 12 postvaccination, while total HIV-1 DNA increased significantly in both
      arms, integrated HIV-1 DNA did not change in vaccinees (mean of 1.8 log10 to 1.9
      copies/10(6) CD4 T cells, P = 0.22) and did increase in controls (mean of 1.8
      log10 to 2.1 copies/10(6) CD4 T cells, P = 0.02) (P = 0.03 for the difference
      between groups). However, this lack of increase of integrated HIV-1 DNA observed
      in the DC-HIV-1 group was transient, and at week 48 after cART interruption, no
      differences were observed between the groups. The HIV-1-specific T cell responses
      at the VAC2 time point were inversely correlated with the total and integrated
      HIV-1 DNA levels after cART interruption in vaccinees (r [Pearson's correlation
      coefficient] = -0.69, P = 0.002, and r = -0.82, P < 0.0001, respectively). No
      correlations were found in controls. HIV-1-specific T cell immune responses
      elicited by DC therapeutic vaccines drive changes in HIV-1 DNA after vaccination
      and cART interruption. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov
      under registration no. NCT00402142.) IMPORTANCE: There is an intense interest in
      developing strategies to target HIV-1 reservoirs as they create barriers to
      curing the disease. The development of therapeutic vaccines aimed at enhancing
      immune-mediated clearance of virus-producing cells is of high priority. Few
      therapeutic vaccine clinical trials have investigated the role of therapeutic
      vaccines as a strategy to safely eliminate or control viral reservoirs. We
      recently reported that a dendritic cell-based therapeutic vaccine was able to
      significantly decrease the viral set point in vaccinated patients, with a
      concomitant increase in HIV-1-specific T cell responses. The HIV-1-specific T
      cell immune responses elicited by this therapeutic dendritic cell vaccine drove
      changes in the viral reservoir after vaccinations and significantly delayed the
      replenishment of integrated HIV-1 DNA after cART interruption. These data help in
      understanding how an immunization could shift the virus-host balance and are
      instrumental for better design of strategies to reach a functional cure of HIV-1
      infection.

PMID- 26109728
TI  - Functional and Structural Characterization of Human V3-Specific Monoclonal
      Antibody 2424 with Neutralizing Activity against HIV-1 JRFL.
AB  - The V3 region of HIV-1 gp120 is important for virus-coreceptor interaction and
      highly immunogenic. Although most anti-V3 antibodies neutralize only the
      sensitive tier 1 viruses, anti-V3 antibodies effective against the more resistant
      viruses exist, and a better understanding of these antibodies and their epitopes
      would be beneficial for the development of novel vaccine immunogens against HIV.
      The HIV-1 isolate JRFL with its cryptic V3 is resistant to most V3-specific
      monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). However, the V3 MAb 2424 achieves 100%
      neutralization against JRFL. 2424 is encoded by IGHV3-53 and IGLV2-28 genes, a
      pairing rarely used by the other V3 MAbs. 2424 also has distinct binding and
      neutralization profiles. Studies of 2424-mediated neutralization of JRFL produced
      with a mannosidase inhibitor further revealed that its neutralizing activity is
      unaffected by the glycan composition of the virus envelope. To understand the
      distinct activity of 2424, we determined the crystal structure of 2424 Fab in
      complex with a JRFL V3 peptide and showed that the 2424 epitope is located at the
      tip of the V3 crown ((307)IHIGPGRAFYT(319)), dominated by interactions with
      His(P308), Pro(P313), and Arg(P315). The binding mode of 2424 is similar to that
      of the well-characterized MAb 447-52D, although 2424 is more side chain
      dependent. The 2424 epitope is focused on the very apex of V3, away from nearby
      glycans, facilitating antibody access. This feature distinguishes the 2424
      epitope from the other V3 crown epitopes and indicates that the tip of V3 is a
      potential site to target and incorporate into HIV vaccine immunogens. IMPORTANCE:
      HIV/AIDS vaccines are crucial for controlling the HIV epidemics that continue to
      afflict millions of people worldwide. However, HIV vaccine development has been
      hampered by significant scientific challenges, one of which is the inability of
      HIV vaccine candidates evaluated thus far to elicit production of potent and
      broadly neutralizing antibodies. The V3 loop is one of the few immunogenic
      targets on the virus envelope glycoprotein that can induce neutralizing
      antibodies, but in many viruses, parts of V3 are inaccessible for antibody
      recognition. This study examined a V3-specific monoclonal antibody that can
      completely neutralize HIV-1 JRFL, a virus isolate resistant to most V3
      antibodies. Our data reveal that this antibody recognizes the most distal tip of
      V3, which is not as occluded as other parts of V3. Hence, the epitope of 2424 is
      in one of the vulnerable sites on the virus that may be exploited in designing
      HIV vaccine immunogens.

PMID- 26109729
TI  - Patient-Specific Neutralizing Antibody Responses to Herpes Simplex Virus Are
      Attributed to Epitopes on gD, gB, or Both and Can Be Type Specific.
AB  - Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 infect many humans and establish a
      latent infection in sensory ganglia. Although some infected people suffer
      periodic recurrences, others do not. Infected people mount both cell-mediated and
      humoral responses, including the production of virus-neutralizing antibodies
      (Abs) directed at viral entry glycoproteins. Previously, we examined IgGs from 10
      HSV-seropositive individuals; all neutralized virus and were directed primarily
      against gD or gD+gB. Here, we expand our studies and examine 32 additional sera
      from HSV-infected individuals, 23 of whom had no recurrent disease. Using an
      Octet RED96 system, we screened all 32 serum samples directly for both
      glycoprotein binding and competition with known neutralizing anti-gD and -gB
      monoclonal Abs (MAbs). On average, the recurrent cohort exhibited higher binding
      to gD and gB and had higher neutralization titers. There were similar trends in
      the blocking of MAbs to critical gD and gB epitopes. When we depleted six sera of
      Abs to specific glycoproteins, we found different types of responses, but always
      directed primarily at gD and/or gB. Interestingly, in one dual-infected person,
      the neutralizing response to HSV-2 was due to gD2 and gB2, whereas HSV-1
      neutralization was due to gD1 and gB1. In another case, virus neutralization was
      HSV-1 specific, with the Ab response directed entirely at gB1, despite this serum
      blocking type-common anti-gD and -gB neutralizing MAbs. These data are pertinent
      in the design of future HSV vaccines since they demonstrate the importance of
      both serotypes of gD and gB as immunogens. IMPORTANCE: We previously showed that
      people infected with HSV produce neutralizing Abs directed against gD or a
      combination of gD+gB (and in one case, gD+gB+gC, which was HSV-1 specific). In
      this more extensive study, we again found that gD or gD+gB can account for the
      virus neutralizing response and critical epitopes of one or both of these
      proteins are represented in sera of naturally infected humans. However, we also
      found that some individuals produced a strong response against gB alone. In
      addition, we identified type-specific contributions to HSV neutralization from
      both gD and gB. Contributions from the other entry glycoproteins, gC and gH/gL,
      were minimal and limited to HSV-1 neutralization. Knowing the variations in how
      humans see and mount a response to HSV will be important to vaccine development.

PMID- 26109730
TI  - Tetherin Sensitivity of Influenza A Viruses Is Strain Specific: Role of
      Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase.
AB  - The expression of the antiviral host cell factor tetherin is induced by
      interferon and can inhibit the release of enveloped viruses from infected cells.
      The Vpu protein of HIV-1 antagonizes the antiviral activity of tetherin, and
      tetherin antagonists with Vpu-like activity have been identified in other
      viruses. In contrast, it is incompletely understood whether tetherin inhibits
      influenza A virus (FLUAV) release and whether FLUAV encodes tetherin antagonists.
      Here, we show that release of several laboratory-adapted FLUAV strains and a
      seasonal FLUAV strain is inhibited by tetherin, while pandemic FLUAV
      A/Hamburg/4/2009 is resistant. Studies with a virus-like particle system and
      analysis of reassortant viruses provided evidence that the viral hemagglutinin
      (HA) is an important determinant of tetherin antagonism but requires the presence
      of its cognate neuraminidase (NA) to inhibit tetherin. Finally, tetherin
      antagonism by FLUAV was dependent on the virion context, since retrovirus release
      from tetherin-positive cells was not rescued, and correlated with an HA- and NA
      dependent reduction in tetherin expression. In sum, our study identifies HA and
      NA proteins of certain pandemic FLUAV as tetherin antagonists, which has
      important implications for understanding FLUAV pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE:
      Influenza A virus (FLUAV) infection is responsible for substantial global
      morbidity and mortality, and understanding how the virus evades the immune
      defenses of the host may uncover novel targets for antiviral intervention.
      Tetherin is an antiviral effector molecule of the innate immune system which can
      contribute to control of viral invasion. However, it has been unclear whether
      FLUAV is inhibited by tetherin and whether these viruses encode tetherin
      antagonizing proteins. Our observation that several pandemic FLUAV strains can
      counteract tetherin via their HA and NA proteins identifies these proteins as
      novel tetherin antagonists and indicates that HA/NA-dependent inactivation of
      innate defenses may contribute to the efficient spread of pandemic FLUAV.

PMID- 26109731
TI  - HIV-1 Resistance to the Capsid-Targeting Inhibitor PF74 Results in Altered
      Dependence on Host Factors Required for Virus Nuclear Entry.
AB  - During HIV-1 infection of cells, the viral capsid plays critical roles in reverse
      transcription and nuclear entry of the virus. The capsid-targeting small molecule
      PF74 inhibits HIV-1 at early stages of infection. HIV-1 resistance to PF74 is
      complex, requiring multiple amino acid substitutions in the viral CA protein.
      Here we report the identification and analysis of a novel PF74-resistant mutant
      encoding amino acid changes in both domains of CA, three of which are near the
      pocket where PF74 binds. Interestingly, the mutant virus retained partial PF74
      binding, and its replication was stimulated by the compound. The mutant capsid
      structure was not significantly perturbed by binding of PF74; rather, the
      mutations inhibited capsid interactions with CPSF6 and Nup153 and altered HIV-1
      dependence on these host factors and on TNPO3. Moreover, the replication of the
      mutant virus was markedly impaired in activated primary CD4(+) T cells and
      macrophages. Our results suggest that HIV-1 escapes a capsid-targeting small
      molecule inhibitor by altering the virus's dependence on host factors normally
      required for entry into the nucleus. They further imply that clinical resistance
      to inhibitors targeting the PF74 binding pocket is likely to be strongly limited
      by functional constraints on HIV-1 evolution. IMPORTANCE: The HIV-1 capsid plays
      critical roles in early steps of infection and is an attractive target for
      therapy. Here we show that selection for resistance to a capsid-targeting small
      molecule inhibitor can result in viral dependence on the compound. The mutant
      virus was debilitated in primary T cells and macrophages--cellular targets of
      infection in vivo. The mutations also altered the virus's dependence on cellular
      factors that are normally required for HIV-1 entry into the nucleus. This work
      provides new information regarding mechanisms of HIV-1 resistance that should be
      useful in efforts to develop clinically useful drugs targeting the HIV-1 capsid.

PMID- 26109732
TI  - The Interferon-Inducible Protein Tetherin Inhibits Hepatitis B Virus Virion
      Secretion.
AB  - Interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) is an approved medication for chronic hepatitis B
      therapy. Besides acting as an immunomodulator, IFN-alpha elicits a pleiotropic
      antiviral state in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected hepatocytes, but whether or
      not IFN-alpha impedes the late steps of the HBV life cycle, such as HBV
      secretion, remains elusive. Here we report that IFN-alpha treatment of HepAD38
      cells with established HBV replication selectively reduced HBV virion release
      without altering intracellular viral replication or the secretion of HBV subviral
      particles and nonenveloped capsids. In search of the interferon-stimulated
      gene(s) that is responsible for the reduction of HBV virion release, we found
      that tetherin, a broad-spectrum antiviral transmembrane protein that inhibits the
      egress of a variety of enveloped viruses, was highly induced by IFN-alpha in
      HepAD38 cells and in primary human hepatocytes. We further demonstrated that the
      expression of full-length tetherin, but not the C-terminal
      glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor-truncated form, inhibited HBV virion
      egress from HepAD38 cells. In addition, GPI anchor-truncated tetherin exhibited a
      dominant-negative effect and was incorporated into the liberated virions. We also
      found colocalization of tetherin and HBV L protein at the intracellular
      multivesicular body, where the budding of HBV virions takes place. In line with
      this, electron microscopy demonstrated that HBV virions were tethered in the
      lumen of the cisterna membrane under tetherin expression. Finally, knockdown of
      tetherin or overexpression of dominant negative tetherin attenuated the IFN-alpha
      mediated reduction of HBV virion release. Taken together, our study suggests that
      IFN-alpha inhibits HBV virion egress from hepatocytes through the induction of
      tetherin. IMPORTANCE: Tetherin is a host restriction factor that blocks the
      egress of a variety of enveloped viruses through tethering the budding virions on
      the cell surface with its membrane anchor domains. Here we report that interferon
      directly and selectively inhibits the secretion of HBV virions, but not subviral
      particles or nonenveloped capsids, through the induction of tetherin in
      hepatocyte-derived cells. The antiviral function of tetherin requires the
      carboxyl-terminal GPI anchor, while the GPI anchor deletion mutant exhibits
      dominant negative activity and attaches to liberated HBV virions. Consistent with
      the fact that HBV is an intracellular budding virus, microscopy analyses
      demonstrated that the tethering of HBV virions occurs in the intracellular
      cisterna and that tetherin colocalizes with HBV virions on the multivesicular
      body, which is the HBV virion budding site. Our study not only expands the
      antiviral spectrum of tetherin but also sheds light on the mechanisms of
      interferon-elicited anti-HBV responses.

PMID- 26109734
TI  - Impaired Epstein-Barr Virus-Specific Neutralizing Antibody Response during Acute
      Infectious Mononucleosis Is Coincident with Global B-Cell Dysfunction.
AB  - Here we present evidence for previously unappreciated B-cell immune dysregulation
      during acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated infectious mononucleosis (IM).
      Longitudinal analyses revealed that patients with acute IM have undetectable EBV
      specific neutralizing antibodies and gp350-specific B-cell responses, which were
      associated with a significant reduction in memory B cells and no evidence of
      circulating antibody-secreting cells. These observations correlate with
      dysregulation of tumor necrosis factor family members BAFF and APRIL and
      increased expression of FAS on circulating B cells. 

PMID- 26109735
TI  - Prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes on residual disease after
      primary chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer: a retrospective
      multicenter study.

PMID- 26109733
TI  - Serotonin Receptor Agonist 5-Nonyloxytryptamine Alters the Kinetics of Reovirus
      Cell Entry.
AB  - Mammalian orthoreoviruses (reoviruses) are nonenveloped double-stranded RNA
      viruses that infect most mammalian species, including humans. Reovirus binds to
      cell surface glycans, junctional adhesion molecule A (JAM-A), and the Nogo-1
      receptor (depending on the cell type) and enters cells by receptor-mediated
      endocytosis. Within the endocytic compartment, reovirus undergoes stepwise
      disassembly, which is followed by release of the transcriptionally active viral
      core into the cytoplasm. In a small-molecule screen to identify host mediators of
      reovirus infection, we found that treatment of cells with 5-nonyloxytryptamine (5
      NT), a prototype serotonin receptor agonist, diminished reovirus cytotoxicity. 5
      NT also blocked reovirus infection. In contrast, treatment of cells with
      methiothepin mesylate, a serotonin antagonist, enhanced infection by reovirus. 5
      NT did not alter cell surface expression of JAM-A or attachment of reovirus to
      cells. However, 5-NT altered the distribution of early endosomes with a
      concomitant impairment of reovirus transit to late endosomes and a delay in
      reovirus disassembly. Consistent with an inhibition of viral disassembly, 5-NT
      treatment did not alter infection by in vitro-generated infectious subvirion
      particles, which bind to JAM-A but bypass a requirement for proteolytic uncoating
      in endosomes to infect cells. We also found that treatment of cells with 5-NT
      decreased the infectivity of alphavirus chikungunya virus and coronavirus mouse
      hepatitis virus. These data suggest that serotonin receptor signaling influences
      cellular activities that regulate entry of diverse virus families and provides a
      new, potentially broad-spectrum target for antiviral drug development.
      IMPORTANCE: Identification of well-characterized small molecules that modulate
      viral infection can accelerate development of antiviral therapeutics while also
      providing new tools to increase our understanding of the cellular processes that
      underlie virus-mediated cell injury. We conducted a small-molecule screen to
      identify compounds capable of inhibiting cytotoxicity caused by reovirus, a
      prototype double-stranded RNA virus. We found that 5-nonyloxytryptamine (5-NT)
      impairs reovirus infection by altering viral transport during cell entry.
      Remarkably, 5-NT also inhibits infection by an alphavirus and a coronavirus. The
      antiviral properties of 5-NT suggest that serotonin receptor signaling is an
      important regulator of infection by diverse virus families and illuminate a
      potential new drug target.

PMID- 26109736
TI  - Recommendations for the management of autoinflammatory diseases.
AB  - : Autoinflammatory diseases are characterised by fever and systemic inflammation,
      with potentially serious complications. Owing to the rarity of these diseases,
      evidence-based guidelines are lacking. In 2012, the European project Single Hub
      and Access point for paediatric Rheumatology in Europe (SHARE) was launched to
      optimise and disseminate regimens for the management of children and young adults
      with rheumatic diseases, facilitating the clinical practice of paediatricians and
      (paediatric) rheumatologists. One of the aims of SHARE was to provide evidence
      based recommendations for the management of the autoinflammatory diseases
      cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS), tumour necrosis factor (TNF)
      receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) and mevalonate kinase deficiency
      (MKD). These recommendations were developed using the European League Against
      Rheumatism standard operating procedure. An expert committee of paediatric and
      adult rheumatologists was convened. Recommendations derived from the systematic
      literature review were evaluated by an online survey and subsequently discussed
      at a consensus meeting using Nominal Group Technique. Recommendations were
      accepted if more than 80% agreement was reached. In total, four overarching
      principles, 20 recommendations on therapy and 14 recommendations on monitoring
      were accepted with >=80% agreement among the experts. Topics included (but were
      not limited to) validated disease activity scores, therapy and items to assess in
      monitoring of a patient. By developing these recommendations, we aim to optimise
      the management of patients with CAPS, TRAPS and MKD. 

PMID- 26109737
TI  - ABCA1 and Inflammation: From Animal Models to Humans.

PMID- 26109738
TI  - Making "Waves" With a Murine Model of Aortic Insufficiency.

PMID- 26109739
TI  - Increased Systemic and Plaque Inflammation in ABCA1 Mutation Carriers With
      Attenuation by Statins.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We previously demonstrated that subjects with functional ATP-binding
      cassette (ABC) A1 mutations have increased atherosclerosis, which has been
      attributed to the role of ABCA1 in reverse cholesterol transport. More recently,
      a proinflammatory effect of Abca1 deficiency was shown in mice, potentially
      contributing to atherogenesis. In this study, we investigated whether ABCA1
      deficiency was associated with proinflammatory changes in humans. APPROACH AND
      RESULTS: Thirty-one heterozygous, 5 homozygous ABCA1 mutation carriers, and 21
      matched controls were studied. (18)Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission
      tomography with computed tomographic scanning was performed in a subset of
      carriers and controls to assess arterial wall inflammation (target:background
      ratio). Heterozygous ABCA1 mutation carriers had a 20% higher target:background
      ratio than in controls (target:background ratio; P=0.008). In carriers using
      statins (n=7), target:background ratio was 21% reduced than in nonstatin users
      (n=7; P=0.03). We then measured plasma cytokine levels. Tumor necrosis factor
      alpha, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and interleukin-6 levels were
      increased in heterozygous and homozygous ABCA1 mutation carriers. We isolated
      monocytes from carriers and controls and measured inflammatory gene expression.
      Only TNFalpha mRNA was increased in monocytes from heterozygous ABCA1 mutation
      carriers. Additional studies in THP-1 macrophages showed that both ABCA1
      deficiency and lipoprotein-deficient plasma from ABCA1 mutation carriers
      increased inflammatory gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest a
      proinflammatory state in ABCA1 mutation carriers as reflected by an increased
      positron emission tomography-MRI signal in nonstatin using subjects, and
      increased circulating cytokines. The increased inflammation in ABCA1 mutation
      carriers seems to be attenuated by statins.

PMID- 26109741
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26109740
TI  - Platelets: Context-Dependent Vascular Protectors or Mediators of Disease.

PMID- 26109743
TI  - Hydrogen-Bonding Interactions Trigger a Spin-Flip in Iron(III) Porphyrin
      Complexes.
AB  - A key step in cytochrome P450 catalysis includes the spin-state crossing from low
      spin to high spin upon substrate binding and subsequent reduction of the heme.
      Clearly, a weak perturbation in P450 enzymes triggers a spin-state crossing.
      However, the origin of the process whereby enzymes reorganize their active site
      through external perturbations, such as hydrogen bonding, is still poorly
      understood. We have thus studied the impact of hydrogen-bonding interactions on
      the electronic structure of a five-coordinate iron(III)
      octaethyltetraarylporphyrin chloride. The spin state of the metal was found to
      switch reversibly between high (S=5/2) and intermediate spin (S=3/2) with
      hydrogen bonding. Our study highlights the possible effects and importance of
      hydrogen-bonding interactions in heme proteins. This is the first example of a
      synthetic iron(III) complex that can reversibly change its spin state between a
      high and an intermediate state through weak external perturbations.

PMID- 26109744
TI  - Tree Growth and Climate Relationship: Dynamics of Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvestris
      L.) Growing in the Near-Source Region of the Combined Heat and Power Plant During
      the Development of the Pro-Ecological Strategy in Poland.
AB  - Since the 1990s, the emission of pollutants was reduced in a majority of Polish
      and developing country factories whereas the level of energy production was
      similar to that prior to the 1990s. The conifer investigated in this study has
      grown for many years under the stress of industrial pollution. Despite this, the
      trees are preserved, to a large extent, sensitive to the natural climatic
      factors. We present a complex analysis of the climatic (sunshine, temperature,
      precipitation, humidity, and wind circulation) and anthropogenic factors
      influencing the radial increment dynamics of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)
      growing in the vicinity of the combined heat and power station in Laziska
      (Poland). We analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of growth reductions, the
      depth of reduction with respect to the distance from the emitter, the
      relationship between tree growth and climate during the industry development
      period and during proecological strategy application . Samples of carbon isotopic
      composition in pine needles from 2012 to 2013 were additionally determined. Pines
      series of 3 positions indicate that they have a similar sensitivity to most
      climatic elements of the previous and given year, but there is also a different
      rhythm between the studied populations of incremental growth of pines. The causes
      of diversity are due to the different types of habitat (site types) and
      industrial pollution. The variation in carbon stable isotopic composition in pine
      needles was connected with an increase of CO2.

PMID- 26109742
TI  - Photodynamic therapy-induced angiogenic signaling: consequences and solutions to
      improve therapeutic response.
AB  - Photodynamic therapy (PDT) can be a highly effective treatment for diseases
      ranging from actinic keratosis to cancer. While use of this therapy shows great
      promise in preclinical and clinical studies, understanding the molecular
      consequences of PDT is critical to designing better treatment protocols. A number
      of publications have documented alteration in angiogenic factors and growth
      factor receptors following PDT, which could abrogate treatment effect by inducing
      angiogenesis and re-establishment of the tumor vasculature. In response to these
      findings, work over the past decade has examined the efficacy of combining PDT
      with molecular targeting drugs, such as anti-angiogenic compounds, in an effort
      to combat these PDT-induced molecular changes. These combinatorial approaches
      increase rates of apoptosis, impair pro-tumorigenic signaling, and enhance tumor
      response. This report will examine the current understanding of PDT-induced
      angiogenic signaling and address molecular-based approaches to abrogate this
      signaling or its consequences thereby enhancing PDT efficacy.

PMID- 26109745
TI  - Size and Shape Analysis of Error-Prone Shape Data.
AB  - We consider the problem of comparing sizes and shapes of objects when landmark
      data are prone to measurement error. We show that naive implementation of
      ordinary Procrustes analysis that ignores measurement error can compromise
      inference. To account for measurement error, we propose the conditional score
      method for matching configurations, which guarantees consistent inference under
      mild model assumptions. The effects of measurement error on inference from naive
      Procrustes analysis and the performance of the proposed method are illustrated
      via simulation and application in three real data examples. Supplementary
      materials for this article are available online.

PMID- 26109746
TI  - Efficient Adaptive Randomization and Stopping Rules in Multi-arm Clinical Trials
      for Testing a New Treatment.
AB  - Motivated by applications to confirmatory clinical trials for testing a new
      treatment against a placebo or active control when the new treatment has k
      possible treatment strategies (arms)-for example, k possible doses for a new drug
      we develop an asymptotic theory for efficient outcome-adaptive randomization
      schemes and optimal stopping rules. Our approach consists of developing
      asymptotic lower bounds for the expected sample sizes from the k treatment arms
      and the control arm and using generalized sequential likelihood ratio procedures
      to achieve these bounds. Implementation details of our design and analysis and
      comparative simulation studies are also provided.

PMID- 26109748
TI  - Circular test structure for the determination of piezoelectric constants of Sc x
      Al1-x N thin films applying Laser Doppler Vibrometry and FEM simulations.
AB  - Piezoelectric scandium aluminium nitride (Sc x Al1-x N) thin films offer a large
      potential for the application in micro electromechanical systems, as advantageous
      properties of pure AlN thin films are maintained, but combined with an increased
      piezoelectric actuation and sensing potential. Sc x Al1-x N thin films with x =
      27% have been prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering to find optimized
      deposition parameters to maximize the piezoelectric constants d33 and d31. For
      the accurate and simultaneous measurement of these constants Laser Doppler
      Vibrometry has been applied and compared to finite element (FEM) simulations. The
      electrode design has been optimized to rotational symmetric structures enabling a
      180 degrees  phase shifted excitation, so that a straight-forward comparison of
      experimental displacement curves with those obtained from FEM is feasible.

PMID- 26109747
TI  - Biogenic nano-magnetite and nano-zero valent iron treatment of alkaline Cr(VI)
      leachate and chromite ore processing residue.
AB  - Highly reactive nano-scale biogenic magnetite (BnM), synthesized by the Fe(III)
      reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens, was tested for the potential to
      remediate alkaline Cr(VI) contaminated waters associated with chromite ore
      processing residue (COPR). The performance of this biomaterial, targeting aqueous
      Cr(VI) removal, was compared to a synthetic alternative, nano-scale zero valent
      iron (nZVI). Samples of highly contaminated alkaline groundwater and COPR solid
      waste were obtained from a contaminated site in Glasgow, UK. During batch
      reactivity tests, Cr(VI) removal from groundwater was inhibited by ~25% (BnM) and
      ~50% (nZVI) when compared to the treatment of less chemically complex model pH 12
      Cr(VI) solutions. In both the model Cr(VI) solutions and contaminated groundwater
      experiments the surface of the nanoparticles became passivated, preventing
      complete coupling of their available electrons to Cr(VI) reduction. To
      investigate this process, the surfaces of the reacted samples were analyzed by
      TEM-EDX, XAS and XPS, confirming Cr(VI) reduction to the less soluble Cr(III) on
      the nanoparticle surface. In groundwater reacted samples the presence of Ca, Si
      and S was also noted on the surface of the nanoparticles, and is likely
      responsible for earlier onset of passivation. Treatment of the solid COPR
      material in contact with water, by addition of increasing weight % of the
      nanoparticles, resulted in a decrease in aqueous Cr(VI) concentrations to below
      detection limits, via the addition of ?5% w/w BnM or ?1% w/w nZVI. XANES analysis
      of the Cr K edge, showed that the % Cr(VI) in the COPR dropped from 26% to a
      minimum of 4-7% by the addition of 5% w/w BnM or 2% w/w nZVI, with higher
      additions unable to reduce the remaining Cr(VI). The treated materials exhibited
      minimal re-mobilization of soluble Cr(VI) by re-equilibration with atmospheric
      oxygen, with the bulk of the Cr remaining in the solid fraction. Both
      nanoparticles exhibited a considerable capacity for the remediation of COPR
      related Cr(VI) contamination, with the synthetic nZVI demonstrating greater
      reactivity than the BnM. However, the biosynthesized BnM was also capable of
      significant Cr(VI) reduction and demonstrated a greater efficiency for the
      coupling of its electrons towards Cr(VI) reduction than the nZVI.

PMID- 26109749
TI  - Impact of biotic and a-biotic parameters on structure and function of microbial
      communities living on sclerotia of the soil-borne pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia
      solani.
AB  - The plant pathogen Rhizoctonia solani is very difficult to control due to its
      persistent, long-living sclerotial structures in soil. Sclerotia are the main
      source of infection for Rhizoctonia diseases, which cause high yield losses on a
      broad host range world-wide. Little is known about micro-organisms associated
      with sclerotia in soil. Therefore, microbial communities of greenhouse and field
      incubated Rhizoctonia sclerotia were analysed by a multiphasic approach. Using
      microbial fingerprints performed by PCR-SSCP, sclerotia-associated bacterial
      communities showed a high diversity, whereas only a few fungi could be detected.
      Statistical analysis of fingerprints revealed the influence of soil types,
      incubation conditions (greenhouse, field), and incubation time (5 and 12 weeks)
      on the bacterial as well as fungal community. No significant differences were
      found for the microbial community associated with different Rhizoctonia
      anastomosis sub-groups (AG 1-IB and AG 1-IC). Rhizoctonia sclerotia are an
      interesting bio-resource: high proportions of fungal cell-wall degrading isolates
      as well as those with antagonistic activity towards R. solani were found. While a
      fraction of 28.4% of sclerotia-associated bacteria (=40 isolates) with
      antagonistic properties was determined, only 4.4% (=6 isolates) of the fungal
      isolates were antagonistic. We identified strong antagonists of the genera
      Bacillus, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, and Stenotrophomonas, which can be used as
      biological control agents incorporated in soil or applied to Rhizoctonia host
      plants.

PMID- 26109750
TI  - Potential of genetically modified oilseed rape for biofuels in Austria: Land use
      patterns and coexistence constraints could decrease domestic feedstock
      production.
AB  - Like other EU Member States, Austria will meet the substitution target of the EU
      European Renewable Energy Directive for transportation almost exclusively by
      first generation biofuels, primarily biodiesel from oilseed rape (OSR).
      Genetically modified (GM) plants have been promoted as a new option for biofuel
      production as they promise higher yield or higher quality feedstock. We tested
      implications of GM OSR application for biodiesel production in Austria by means
      of high resolution spatially explicit simulation of 140 different coexistence
      scenarios within six main OSR cropping regions in Austria (2400 km2). We
      identified structural land use characteristics such as field size, land use
      diversity, land holding patterns and the proportion of the target crop as the
      predominant factors which influence overall production of OSR in a coexistence
      scenario. Assuming isolation distances of 800 m and non-GM-OSR proportions of at
      least 10% resulted in a loss of area for cultivation of OSR in all study areas
      ranging from -4.5% to more than -25%, depending on the percentage of GM farmers
      and on the region. We could show that particularly the current primary OSR
      cropping regions are largely unsuitable for coexistence and would suffer from a
      net loss of OSR area even at isolation distances of 400 or 800 m. Coexistence
      constraints associated with application of GM OSR are likely to offset possible
      GM gains by substantially reducing farmland for OSR cultivation, thus
      contradicting the political aim to increase domestic OSR area to meet the
      combined demands of food, feed and biofuel production.

PMID- 26109751
TI  - 'Energy landscapes': Meeting energy demands and human aspirations.
AB  - Renewable energy will play a crucial role in the future society of the 21st
      century. The various renewable energy sources need to be balanced and their use
      carefully planned since they are characterized by high temporal and spatial
      variability that will pose challenges to maintaining a well balanced supply and
      to the stability of the grid. This article examines the ways that future 'energy
      landscapes' can be modelled in time and space. Biomass needs a great deal of
      space per unit of energy produced but it is an energy carrier that may be
      strategically useful in circumstances where other renewable energy carriers are
      likely to deliver less. A critical question considered in this article is whether
      a massive expansion in the use of biomass will allow us to construct future
      scenarios while repositioning the 'energy landscape' as an object of study. A
      second important issue is the utilization of heat from biomass energy plants.
      Biomass energy also has a larger spatial footprint than other carriers such as,
      for example, solar energy. This article seeks to provide a bridge between energy
      modelling and spatial planning while integrating research and techniques in
      energy modelling with Geographic Information Science. This encompasses GIS,
      remote sensing, spatial disaggregation techniques and geovisualization. Several
      case studies in Austria and Germany demonstrate a top-down methodology and some
      results while stepwise calculating potentials from theoretical to technically
      feasible potentials and setting the scene for the definition of economic
      potentials based on scenarios and assumptions.

PMID- 26109752
TI  - Development of an estimation model for the evaluation of the energy requirement
      of dilute acid pretreatments of biomass.
AB  - This study aims to develop a mathematical model to evaluate the energy required
      by pretreatment processes used in the production of second generation ethanol. A
      dilute acid pretreatment process reported by National Renewable Energy Laboratory
      (NREL) was selected as an example for the model's development. The energy demand
      of the pretreatment process was evaluated by considering the change of internal
      energy of the substances, the reaction energy, the heat lost and the work done
      to/by the system based on a number of simplifying assumptions. Sensitivity
      analyses were performed on the solid loading rate, temperature, acid
      concentration and water evaporation rate. The results from the sensitivity
      analyses established that the solids loading rate had the most significant impact
      on the energy demand. The model was then verified with data from the NREL
      benchmark process. Application of this model on other dilute acid pretreatment
      processes reported in the literature illustrated that although similar sugar
      yields were reported by several studies, the energy required by the different
      pretreatments varied significantly.

PMID- 26109753
TI  - Cytotoxic glucosphingolipid from Celtis Africana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Literature survey proved the use of the powdered sun-dried bark and
      roots of Celtis africana for the treatment of cancer in South Africa. OBJECTIVE:
      The aim of this study was to do further isolation work on the ethyl acetate
      fraction and to investigate the cytotoxic activities of the various fractions and
      isolated compound. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cytotoxicity of petroleum ether,
      chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol fractions and compound 1 were tested on
      mouse lymphoma cell line L5178Y using the microculture tetrazolium assay.
      RESULTS: One new glucosphingolipid 1 was isolated from the aerial parts of C.
      africana. The structure of the new compound was determined by extensive analysis
      by one-dimensional and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
      and mass spectrometry. The ethyl acetate fraction and compound 1 showed strong
      cytotoxic activity with an EC50 value of 8.3 MUg/mL and 7.8 MUg/mL, respectively,
      compared with Kahalalide F positive control (6.3 MUg/mL). CONCLUSION: This is the
      first report of the occurrence of a cytotoxic glucosphingolipid in family
      Ulmaceae.

PMID- 26109754
TI  - Flavonoid profile, antioxidant and cytotoxic activity of different extracts from
      Algerian Rhamnus alaternus L. bark.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rhamnus alaternus (Rhamnaceae) L. has been traditionally used for
      treatment of many diseases. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we determined the
      antioxidant/free radical scavenger properties, the flavonoid profile and the
      cytotoxicity of aqueous and methanolic extracts obtained by maceration from
      Algerian R. alaternus bark, like also of aqueous extract prepared by decoction
      according to the traditional method. This to estimate the usefulness of the drug
      traditional preparation and compare it with those made in the laboratory.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated
      using five different redox-based assays, all involving one redox reaction with
      the oxidant. High-performance liquid chromatography/diode array
      detection/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis was used to identify
      and quantify the flavonoids content. Cytotoxicity on human monocytic leukemia
      cells (U937) was also carried out. RESULTS: All the extracts tested showed a good
      antioxidant/free radical scavenger activity and a similar flavonoid fingerprint.
      However, the methanolic one presented the best antioxidant activity that can be
      due to the highest flavonoid amount and significantly reduced the proliferation
      of leukemia cells. The results confirm that the extract prepared by decoction
      contains efficient antioxidant compounds and this justifies in part the
      therapeutic and preventive usefulness. Moreover, the methanolic extract exerted
      excellent cytotoxicity on U937 that could be attributed to kaempferol and
      rhamnocitrin glycosides.

PMID- 26109755
TI  - Inhibitory potential of some Romanian medicinal plants against enzymes linked to
      neurodegenerative diseases and their antioxidant activity.
AB  - CONTEXT: Eryngium planum, Geum urbanum and Cnicus benedictus plants are an
      endemic botanical from the Romanian used in folk medicine. OBJECTIVE: The
      extracts from three Romanian medicinal plants were investigated for their
      possible neuroprotective potential. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Within this study, in
      vitro neuroprotective activity of the extracts of E. planum, G. urbanum, and C.
      benedictus plants were investigated via inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE)
      and tyrosinase (TYR). Total content of phenolics, flavonoids, and
      proanthocyanidins, high-performance liquid chromatography profile of the main
      phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity were also determined. RESULTS: Among
      the tested extracts, the best inhibition of AChE (88.76 +/- 5.2%) and TYR (88.5
      +/- 5.2%) was caused by C. benedictus ethanol (EtOH) extract. The G. urbanum
      extracts exerted remarkable scavenging effect against 2, 2-diphenyl-1
      picrylhydrazyl (IC50, 7.8 +/- 0.5 MUg/mL aqueous extract, and IC50, 1.3 +/- 0.1
      MUg/mL EtOH extract, respectively) and reducing power, whereas the EtOH extract
      of C. benedictus showed high scavenging activity (IC50, 0.609 +/- 0.04 mg/mL),
      also. CONCLUSION: According to our knowledge, this is the first study that
      demonstrates in vitro neuroprotective effects of E. planum, G. urbanum and C.
      benedictus.

PMID- 26109756
TI  - Experimental treatment of breast cancer-bearing BALB/c mice by artemisinin and
      transferrin-loaded magnetic nanoliposomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The combination of artemisinin and transferrin exhibits versatile
      anticancer activities. In previous, we successfully prepared artemisinin and
      transferrin-loaded magnetic nanoliposomes and evaluated their anti-proliferative
      activity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines in vitro. In this study, we
      investigate the in vivo anti-breast cancer activity of artemisinin and
      transferrin-loaded magnetic nanoliposome against breast transplanted tumors in
      BALB/c mice model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Artemisinin and transferrin-loaded
      magnetic nanoliposomes were prepared and characterized for some physiochemical
      properties. Pieces of tumor tissue from the breast cancer-bearing BALB/c mice
      were transplanted subcutaneously to the syngeneic female BALB/c mice. In the
      presence of the external magnet that placed at the breast tumor site, the tissue
      distribution and tumor-suppressing effects of prepared nanoliposomes on tumor
      growth was evaluated. RESULTS: The prepared nanoliposomes have fine spherical
      shape, rough surface, nano-sized diameter and magnetic properties. At 2 h after
      treatment, the intravenous administration of artemisinin and transferrin-loaded
      magnetic nanoliposomes followed using the magnetic field approximately produced
      10- and 5.5-fold higher levels of artemisinin and transferrin in the tumors,
      respectively, compared with free artemisinin and transferrin. Moreover, in the
      presence of an external magnetic field, the prepared nanoliposomes could
      significantly induce apoptosis in the mice breast cancer cells as well as could
      reduce tumor volume in tumorized mice at 15 days after treatment. CONCLUSION: The
      data suggested that the artemisinin and transferrin-loaded magnetic nanoliposomes
      would be a good choice for the breast tumor-targeted therapy, due to its high
      targeting efficiency.

PMID- 26109757
TI  - In silico analysis and molecular docking studies of potential angiotensin
      converting enzyme inhibitor using quercetin glycosides.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to analyze the inhibitory action of quercetin
      glycosides by computational docking studies. For this, natural metabolite
      quercetin glycosides isolated from buckwheat and onions were used as ligand for
      molecular interaction. The crystallographic structure of molecular target
      angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) (peptidyl-dipeptidase A) was obtained from
      PDB database (PDB ID: 1O86). Enalapril, a well-known brand of ACE inhibitor was
      taken as the standard for comparative analysis. Computational docking analysis
      was performed using PyRx, AutoDock Vina option based on scoring functions. The
      quercetin showed optimum binding affinity with a molecular target (angiotensin
      converting-enzyme) with the binding energy of -8.5 kcal/mol as compared to the
      standard (-7.0 kcal/mol). These results indicated that quercetin glycosides could
      be one of the potential ligands to treat hypertension, myocardial infarction, and
      congestive heart failure. 

PMID- 26109758
TI  - Development and extraction optimization of baicalein and pinostrobin from
      Scutellaria violacea through response surface methodology.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop a process that involves optimization of the amount of
      baicalein and pinostrobin from the hydro-methanolic extract of the leaves of
      Scutellaria violacea by response surface methodology (RSM). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The combinatorial influence of various extraction parameters on the
      extraction yield was investigated by adopting Box-Behnken experimental design.
      Preliminary experiments carried out based on the traditional one variable at a
      time optimization revealed four such operational parameters to play a crucial
      role by influencing the yield. These four process parameters at three levels were
      considered to obtain the Box-Behnken experimental design. RESULTS: RSM based
      model fitted to the resulting experimental data suggested that 52.3%
      methanol/water, 12.46:1 solvent-solid ratio, 285 rpm agitation and 6.07 h of
      extraction time are the optimal conditions which yielded a maximized amount of
      baicalein and pinostrobin of 2.9 and 4.05 mg/g DM. Analysis of variance revealed
      a high correlation coefficient (R (2) = 0.999 for baicalein and 0.994 for
      pinostrobin), signifying a good fit between the regression model (second order)
      and the experimental observations. CONCLUSION: The present study signifies that
      both the metabolites have been extracted from S. violacea for the first time.
      Further, this study developed an optimized extraction procedure to obtain maximum
      yield of the metabolites, which is unique and better than conventional extraction
      methodology. The operational parameters under optimized conditions accounts for
      the lowest cost in extraction process thus, providing an efficient, rapid and
      cost-effective method for isolation and scale up of these commercially vital
      flavonoids.

PMID- 26109759
TI  - Methanol extract of wheatgrass induces G1 cell cycle arrest in a p53-dependent
      manner and down regulates the expression of cyclin D1 in human laryngeal cancer
      cells-an in vitro and in silico approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deregs been implicated in the malignancy of cancer. Since many years
      investigation on the traditional herbs has been the focus to develop novel and
      effective drug for cancer remedies. Wheatgrass is a medicinal plant, used in folk
      medicine to cure various diseases. The present study was undertaken to gain
      insights into antiproliferative effect of methanol extract of wheatgrass.
      MATERIALS METHODS: Cell viability was assessed via 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)
      2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and Lactate Dehydrogenase assays. Cell cycle was
      analyzed by flow cytometry. Western blot was performed to determine the p53 and
      cyclin D1 levels. In silico docking interaction of the 14 active components
      (identified by high-performance liquid chromatography/gas chromatography-mass
      spectroscopy) of the methanol extract was tested with cyclin D1 (Protein Data
      Bank ID: 2W96) and compared with the reference cyclin D1/Cdk4 inhibitor. RESULTS:
      Methanol extract of wheatgrass effectively reduced the cell viability. The cell
      cycle analysis showed that the extract treatment caused G1 arrest. The level of
      cyclin D1 was decreased, whereas p53 level was increased. Molecular docking
      studies revealed interaction of seven active compounds of the extract with the
      vital residues (Lys112/Glu141) of cyclin D1. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate
      that the methanol extract of wheatgrass inhibits human laryngeal cancer cell
      proliferation via cell cycle G1 arrest and p53 induction. The seven active
      compounds of the extract were also found to be directly involved in the
      inhibition of cyclin D1/Cdk4 binding, thus inhibiting the cell proliferation.

PMID- 26109760
TI  - The dose dependent in vitro responses of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines to
      extracts of Vatica diospyroides symington type SS fruit include effects on mode
      of cell death.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vatica diospyroides type LS is a known source of valuable compounds
      for cancer treatment, however, in contrast little is known about therapeutic
      efficacy of type SS. OBJECTIVE: This study focused on in vitro cytotoxicity of
      these fruit extracts, and the cell death mode they induce in breast cancer cells.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Acetone extracts of fruit were tested for cytotoxicity
      against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. The apoptosis and necrosis of these
      cells were quantified by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) and western
      blot analyses. RESULTS: After 72 h of treatment, the 50% growth inhibition
      concentrations (IC50) levels were 16.21 +/- 0.13 ug/mL against MCF-7 and 30.0 +/-
      4.30 ug/mL against MDA-MB-231, indicating high and moderate cytotoxicity,
      respectively. From the FACS results, we estimate that the cotyledon extract at
      half IC50 produced 11.7% dead MCF-7 cells via apoptosis, whereas another
      concentrations both apoptosis and necrosis modes co-existed in a dose-dependent
      manner. In MDA-MB-231 cell line, only the apoptosis was induced by the pericarp
      extract in a dose-dependent manner. With the extracts at half IC50 concentration,
      in both cells, the expression of p21 decreased while that of Bax increased within
      12-48 h of dosing, confirming apoptosis induced by time-dependent responses.
      Apoptosis dependent on p53 was found in MCF-7, whereas the mutant p53 of MDA-MB
      231 cells was expressed. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that fruit extracts of
      V. diospyroides have cytotoxic effects against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells via
      apoptosis pathway in a dose-dependent manner. This suggests that the extracts
      could provide active ingredients for the development, targeting breast cancer
      therapy.

PMID- 26109761
TI  - Cytotoxic activity of Macrosolen parasiticus (L.) Danser on the growth of breast
      cancer cell line (MCF-7).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Macrosolen parasiticus (L.) Danser belonging to Loranthaceaea
      (mistletoe family) is a parasitic plant that grows on different host plants such
      as mango, jack fruit, peepal, neem tree, etc., This study was aimed to
      investigate the anti-cancer activity of methanolic and aqueous extract of stem of
      M. parasiticus. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the in vitro cytotoxic potential of
      the methanolic and aqueous extracts from stems of M. parasiticus against MCF-7
      breast cancer cells by brine shrimp lethality (BSL) bioassay, MTT assay and
      sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The extracts were tested in
      human breast cancer cell lines in vitro for percentage cytotoxicity, apoptosis by
      acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, LD50 and IC50 values after treatment
      with M. parasiticus extracts. RESULTS: In BSL bioassay, aqueous extract showed
      more significant (P < 0.01) cytotoxicity with LD50 82.79 +/- 2.67 MUg/mL as
      compared to methanolic extract with LD50 125 +/- 3.04 MUg/mL. The methanolic
      extract of M. parasiticus showed IC50 97.33 +/- 3.75 MUg/mL (MTT) (P < 0.05) and
      94.58 +/- 3.84 MUg/mL (SRB) (P < 0.01) assays against MCF-7. The aqueous extract
      of M. parasiticus demonstrated higher activity with IC50 59.33 +/- 3.3 MUg/mL
      (MTT) (P < 0.01) and 51.9 +/- 1.87 MUg/mL (SRB)(P < 0.01) assays, after 48 h of
      exposure and thus showed significant dose-dependent cytotoxic activity.
      CONCLUSION: The finding demonstrated that both extracts of M. parasiticus showed
      significant cytotoxic activity, however aqueous extract demonstrated higher
      activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

PMID- 26109762
TI  - Effects of the extract and glycoalkaloids of Solanum lycocarpum St. Hill on
      Giardia lamblia trophozoites.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Solanum lycocarpum has great importance for food and medicinal
      traditional use. Recently, it was also evidenced that extracts of S. lycocarpum
      St. Hill (Solanaceae) and its glycoalkaloids, solamargine (Sg) and solasonine
      (Sn), are active against flagellated protozoa. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to assess
      the effects of the extract of S. lycocarpum and its glycoalkaloids, Sn, and Sg,
      on Giardia lamblia trophozoites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A crude extract
      (96%ethanol) (EB) of fruits of S. lycocarpum was prepared and fractionated by
      partition with 40%ethanol and n-hexane: Ethyl acetate. Glycoalkaloids, Sn, and Sg
      were recognized in the ethanol fraction (EF) and further isolated by column
      chromatography. EB, EF, the isolated Sn and Sg and a mixture (1:1) of both
      glycoalkaloids were tested on cultures of G. lamblia trophozoites and
      macrophages. RESULTS: EB, EF and glycoalkaloids of S. lycocarpum showed activity
      against Giardia (95.0 < Inhibitory concentration 50 [IC50] <=120.3 MUg/mL). The
      mixture of glycoalkaloids (1:1) was more active (IC50 = 13.23 MUg/mL) than each
      one individually, suggesting a synergic effect. Moreover, the mixture is nontoxic
      to macrophage cells. CONCLUSION: Results are optimistic concerning the anti
      Giardia potential of the mixture Sn + Sg. Further studies, in vitro and in vivo,
      will be required to consolidate the usefulness of the mixture of Sn + Sg in view
      of a new therapeutic strategy for giardiasis.

PMID- 26109763
TI  - Development of response surface methodology for optimization of extraction
      parameters and quantitative estimation of embelin from Embelia ribes Burm by high
      performance liquid chromatography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Embelia ribes Burm is widely used medicinal plant for the treatment
      of different types of disorders in the Indian traditional systems of medicine.
      OBJECTIVE: The present work was aimed to optimize the extraction parameters of
      embelin from E. ribes fruits and also to quantify embelin content in different
      extracts of the plant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Optimization of extraction
      parameters such as solvent: drug ratio, temperature and time were carried out by
      response surface methodology (RSM). Quantitative estimation of embelin in
      different extracts of E. ribes fruits was done through high performance liquid
      chromatography. RESULTS: The optimal conditions determined for extraction of
      embelin through RSM were; extraction time (27.50 min), extraction temperature 45
      degrees C and solvent: drug ratio (8:1). Under the optimized conditions, the
      embelin yield (32.71%) was equitable to the expected yield (31.07%, P > 0.05).
      These results showed that the developed model is satisfactory and suitable for
      the extraction process of embelin. The analysis of variance showed a high
      goodness of model fit and the accomplishment of the RSM method for improving
      embelin extraction from the fruits of E. ribes. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that
      this may be a useful method for the extraction and quantitative estimation of
      embelin from the fruits of E. ribes.

PMID- 26109764
TI  - Hepatorenal protective effect of Antistax((r)) against chemically-induced
      toxicity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antioxidant natural products and chemoprevention are considered
      nowadays as an effective approach against health various disorders and diseases
      induced by oxidative stress or free radicals. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study
      was to assess the hepato- and nephroprotective activity of a standardized red
      vine leaf aqueous extract AS195 (Antistax((r))). METHODS: The protective activity
      of AS195 (100 mg/kg) was investigated on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-intoxicated
      rats in comparison with silymarin. The flavonoid/proanthocyanidin nature of AS195
      was identified by phytochemical and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses,
      while its total phenol/proanthocyanidin/flavonoid content and antioxidant
      activity were determined by Folin-Ciocalteau, vanillin-sulfuric acid, AlCl3, and
      2, 2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assays, respectively. RESULTS:
      Relative to the control CCl4 -intoxicated group, pretreatment with AS195 could
      significantly suppressed the elevated serum levels of alanine aminotransferase,
      alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, total cholesterol, low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides,
      bilirubin, creatinine, uric acid, and calcium, whereas it significantly increased
      the diminished serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, albumin and
      total protein. Moreover, AS195 significantly decreased malondialdehyde formation
      in the tissues of liver and kidney, whereas it significantly elevated and
      nonprotein sulfhydryl groups, compared with the intoxicated control. The
      improvement in biochemical parameters by AS195 was obviously observed and further
      confirmed by restoration of normal histological features in the two organs.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study revealed the capacity of AS195 to
      enhance the recovery from xenobiotic-induced hepatorenal toxicity initiated by
      free radicals.

PMID- 26109765
TI  - Neuroprotective effects of Nigella sativa extracts during germination on central
      nervous system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nigella sativa Linn. which has many acclaimed medicinal properties is
      an indigenous herbaceous plant and belongs to the Ranunculaceae family, which
      grows in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, Pakistan and India.
      OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the effects of N. sativa seed
      extracts of different germination phases on the central nervous system (CNS)
      responses in experimental animals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anxiolytic, locomotor
      activity of extracts (1 g/kg of body weight) was evaluated in both stressed and
      unstressed animal models and antiepileptic effect was evaluated by maximal
      electroshock seizure model keeping diazepam (20 mg/kg) as a positive control.
      Antidepressant effect was evaluated by forced swim test and tail suspension test
      keeping imipramine (15 mg/kg) as a positive control. RESULTS: All tested extracts
      of N. sativa during different phases of germination (especially 5(th) day
      germination phase) showed significant (P < 0.001) anxiolytic effect in comparison
      to control. Diazepam reduced locomotor activity in control (unstressed) rats but
      did not show affect in stressed rats while N. sativa extracts from germination
      phases significantly (P < 0.001) reduced locomotor activity in unstressed as well
      as stressed animals. All the extracts of N. sativa from different germination
      phases exhibited significant (P < 0.001) reduction in various phases of epileptic
      seizure on comparison with the reference standard (diazepam). During
      antidepressant test, N. sativa extracts exhibited a slight reduction in the
      immobility of rats. CONCLUSION: During germination, especially in 5(th) day
      germination extract, N. sativa showed significant CNS depressant activity as
      compared to whole seeds that possibly may be due higher content of secondary
      metabolites produced during germination.

PMID- 26109766
TI  - Pharmacophore modeling, in silico screening, molecular docking and molecular
      dynamics approaches for potential alpha-delta bungarotoxin-4 inhibitors
      discovery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The alpha-delta bungartoxin-4 (alpha-delta-Bgt-4) is a potent
      neurotoxin produced by highly venomous snake species, Bungarus caeruleus, mainly
      targeting neuronal acetylcholine receptors (nAchRs) and producing adverse
      biological malfunctions leading to respiratory paralysis and mortality.
      OBJECTIVE: In this study, we predicted the three-dimensional structure of alpha
      delta-Bgt-4 using homology modeling and investigated the conformational changes
      and the key residues responsible for nAchRs inhibiting activity. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: From the selected plants, which are traditionally used for snake bites,
      the active compounds are taken and performed molecular interaction studies and
      also used for modern techniques like pharmacophore modeling and mapping and
      absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination and toxicity analysis which may
      increase the possibility of success. RESULTS: Moreover, 100's of drug-like
      compounds were retrieved and analyzed through computational virtual screening and
      allowed for pharmacokinetic profiling, molecular docking and dynamics simulation.
      CONCLUSION: Finally the top five drug-like compounds having competing level of
      inhibition toward alpha-delta-Bgt-4 toxin were suggested based on their
      interaction with alpha-delta-Bgt-4 toxin.

PMID- 26109767
TI  - The potential of selected Australian medicinal plants with anti-Proteus activity
      for the treatment and prevention of rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A wide variety of herbal medicines are used in indigenous Australian
      traditional medicinal systems to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and
      inflammation. The current study was undertaken to test the ability of a panel of
      Australian plants with a history of the ethnobotanical usage in the treatment of
      inflammation for the ability to block the microbial trigger of RA. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: One hundred and six extracts from 40 plant species were investigated for
      the ability to inhibit the growth of the bacterial trigger of RA (Proteus
      mirabilis). The extracts were tested for toxicity in the Artemia nauplii
      bioassay. The most potent inhibitor of P. mirabilis growth was further analyzed
      by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) coupled to
      high accuracy time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectroscopy. RESULTS: Sixty-five of the
      106 extracts tested (61.3%) inhibited the growth of P. The Aleurites moluccanus,
      Datura leichardtii, Eucalyptus major, Leptospermum bracteata, L. juniperium,
      Macadamia integriflora nut, Melaleuca alternifolia, Melaleuca quinquenervia,
      Petalostigma pubescens, P. triloculorae, P. augustifolium, Scaevola spinescens,
      Syzygium australe, and Tasmannia lanceolata extracts were determined to be the
      most effective inhibitors of P. mirabilis growth, with minimum inhibitory
      concentration (MIC) values generally significantly below 1000 MUg/ml. T.
      lanceolata fruit extracts were the most effective P. mirabilis growth inhibitors,
      with a MIC values of 11 and 126 MUg/ml for the methanolic and aqueous extracts,
      respectively. Subsequent analysis of the T. lanceolata fruit extracts by RP-HPLC
      coupled to high-resolution TOF mass spectroscopy failed to detect resveratrol in
      either T. lanceolata fruit extract. However, the resveratrol glycoside piceid and
      2 combretastatin stilbenes (A-1 and A-4) were detected in both T. lanceolata
      fruit extracts. With the exception of the Eucalyptus and Syzygium extracts, all
      extracts exhibiting Proteus inhibitory activity were also shown to be nontoxic,
      or of low toxicity in the Artemia nauplii bioassay. CONCLUSIONS: The low toxicity
      of these extracts and their inhibitory bioactivity against Proteus spp. indicate
      their potential in blocking the onset of rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 26109768
TI  - Protective role of Kalpaamruthaa in type II diabetes mellitus-induced
      cardiovascular disease through the modulation of protease-activated receptor-1.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Kalpaamruthaa (KA) is a formulatory herbal preparation has beneficial
      antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory properties against
      cardiovascular damage (CVD). OBJECTIVE: The present study was undertaken to
      investigate the protective role of KA in type II diabetes mellitus-induced CVD
      through the modulation of protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR1). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: CVD was developed in 8 weeks after type II diabetes mellitus induction
      with high fat diet (2 weeks) and low dose of streptozotocin (2 * 35 mg/kg b.w.
      i.p. in 24 h interval). CVD-induced rats treated with KA (200 mg/kg b.w. in 0.5
      ml of olive oil) orally for 4 weeks. RESULTS: KA increased the activities of
      enzymatic antioxidants and the levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants in pancreas
      of CVD-induced rats. KA effectively reduced the lipid peroxides and carbonyl
      content in the pancreas of CVD-induced rats. KA reduced cellular damage by
      ameliorating the activities of marker enzymes in plasma, heart and liver. The
      protective nature of KA was further evidenced by histological observation in
      pancreas. Further, KA reduced CVD by decreasing the expression of PAR1 in heart.
      CONCLUSION: This study exhibits the defending role of KA in type II diabetes
      mellitus-induced CVD through altering PAR1.

PMID- 26109769
TI  - Pharmacological and phytochemical evaluation of Ocimum sanctum root extracts for
      its antiinflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
      increases risk of having a range of gastrointestinal problems. Therefore, new
      anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic drugs having lesser side effects are
      being searched all overthe world as alternatives to NSAIDs. AIMS: To evaluate the
      anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic profile of Ocimum sanctum root
      extracts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anti-inflammatory profile of hexane (STH),
      chloroform (STC), ethyl acetate (STE), butanol (STB) and water (STW) extracts of
      OS was carried out by using carrageenan induced paw edema. STE a most active
      extract was further validated in dose dependent manner for anti-inflammatory,
      analgesic and antipyretic activity as well as oral toxicity profile in small
      laboratory animals. Identification of bioactives flux and chemical signature of
      most active fraction STE was developed by using the high-performance liquid
      chromatography fingerprinting. RESULTS: An ethyl acetate fraction (STE) exhibit
      most potent anti-inflammatory activity followed by STB, STW, STC and STH. Dose
      response study of STE showed anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-pyretic
      potential in dose-dependent manner without any toxic effect at dose 2000 mg/kg.
      Chemical fingerprint revealed the presence of flavanoids. CONCLUSIONS: The
      present research revealed that STE possess anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti
      pyretic properties. However, future research is advocated to evaluate the
      pharmacological properties of isolated bioactive compounds.

PMID- 26109770
TI  - Phytoecdysteroids of the East Asian Caryophyllaceae.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occurrence of integristerone A (1), 20-hydroxyecdysone (2), ecdysone
      (3), 2-deoxy-20-hydroxyecdysone (4) has been analyzed in 64 species of the East
      Asian Caryophyllaceae. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ecdysteroid content was determinate
      by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). HPLC with a high-resolution
      mass spectrometry was performed on Shimadzu LCMS-IT-TOF (Japan) system equipped
      with a LC-20A Prominence liquid chromatograph, a photodiode array detector SPD
      M20A and ion-trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometer. RESULTS: New sources of
      phytoecdysteroids: Melandrium sachalinense and Melandrium firmum have been
      revealed. It is the 1(st) time that two has been identified in M. sachalinense
      and M. firmum; 1 in the species: Lychnis fulgens, Silene repens, Silene foliosa,
      Silene stenophylla, Silene jenisseensis and M. sachalinense; 3 in Lychnis
      cognata; 4 in L. fulgens, S. stenophylla and S. jenisseensis (the tribe
      Lychnideae, the subfamily Caryophylloideae). Ecdysteroid-negative taxa are
      Spergularia rubra of the tribe Sperguleae; species of the genera Minuartia,
      Honckenya, Eremogone, Arenaria, Moehringia, Pseudostellaria, Fimbripetalum,
      Stellaria and Cerastium of the tribe Alsineae; Scleranthus annuus of the tribe
      Sclerantheae, as well as the East Asian representatives of the genera Gypsophila,
      Psammophiliela, Dianthus and Saponaria of the tribe Diantheae; Oberna and
      Agrostemma of the tribe Lychnideae. CONCLUSION: This investigation shows the most
      promising sources of ecdysteriods are species of genera Silene and Lychnis.

PMID- 26109771
TI  - Antimutagenic potential of harpagoside and Harpagophytum procumbens against 1
      nitropyrene.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 1-nitropyrene (1-NPy) is one of the most abundant nitro-polycyclic
      aromatic hydrocarbons particularly in diesel exhausts. It is a mutagenic and
      carcinogenic pollutant very widespread in the environment. So the discovery of
      antimutagenic agents is essential. Harpagophytum procumbens (HP) is traditionally
      used as anti-inflammatory and analgesic particularly against painful
      osteoarthritis. Harpagoside (HS), its major iridoid glycoside, is considered as
      the main active component. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to
      evaluate the antimutagenic activity of HS and HP extracts against mutagenic
      activity of 1-NPy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The antimutagenic activity was
      investigated using the in vitro cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay in cultured
      human lymphocytes. Cells were exposed to HS or HP extracts before (pretreatment),
      during (co-treatment), and after (posttreatment) treatment with 1-NPy. RESULTS:
      Results showed that HS significantly reduced the mutagenicity of 1-NPy in
      pretreatment and particularly in co-treatment, whereas all HP extracts
      significantly reduced the genotoxicity in the three protocols. CONCLUSION: These
      results suggested that HS was strongly involved in antimutagenic activity of HP
      extracts in co-treatment, but other components in HP extracts participated in
      this activity in pre- and post-treatment.

PMID- 26109772
TI  - Cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of Ebenus boissieri Barbey on human lung cancer
      cell line A549.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fabaceae family members are known to possess preventive and
      therapeutic potentials against various types of cancers. OBJECTIVE: The aim of
      this study was to investigate the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of
      hydroalcoholic extracts from the aerial parts and roots of an endemic Ebenus
      species; Ebenus boissieri Barbey in human lung cancer cell line. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: After treatment with hydroalcoholic extracts cytotoxic activities of
      both extracts were measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, whereas caspase-3 activity, tumor necrosis
      factor-a lpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) releasewere measured
      by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: According to in vitro assay
      results, the increase in all caspases activity suggested that extracts induce
      cells to undergo apoptosis. Especially, induction in caspase-3 activity was the
      most remarkable result of this study. Both aerial part and root extracts induced
      apoptosis by increasing caspase-3 activity, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma release. When
      compared to their relative controls, the concentrations of both TNF-alpha and IFN
      gamma in extract-treated groups were significantly and dose dependently exalted.
      CONCLUSION: Taken together, our results indicate that the hydroalcoholic extracts
      of E. boissieri can be considered as a source of new anti-apoptotic and therefore
      anti-carcinogenic agent.

PMID- 26109773
TI  - Antiproliferative efficacy of Tabernaemontana divaricata against HEP2 cell line
      and Vero cell line.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laryngeal cancer may also be called cancer of the larynx or laryngeal
      carcinoma. Conventional plants are a precious source of novel anticancer agents
      and are still in performance better role in health concern. The study was
      intended to estimation of the anticancer activity of the chloroformic extract of
      Tabernaemontana divaricata on the human epidermoid larynx carcinoma cell line
      (Hep 2). MATERIALS AND METHOD: The aerial parts (leaves, stem, and flowers) of T.
      divaricata were tested for its inhibitory effect in 96 microplate formats against
      Hep 2 cell line. The anticancer activity of samples on Hep 2 and Vero was
      determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide
      assay and various enzymatic parameters like catalase, reduced glutathione (GSH),
      GSH peroxidase, and superoxide anion scavenging activity. Viable cells were
      determined by the absorbance at 540 nm. Measurements were performed, and the
      concentration required for a 50% inhibition of viability (IC50) was determined
      graphically. The effect of the samples on the proliferation of Hep 2 and Vero
      cells was expressed as the % cell viability. RESULTS: The extract on Hep 2 cell
      line up to 7.8 MUg/ml and that IC50 value on Hep 2 cell line was 112 MUg whereas
      94 MUg for Vero cell line. Hence, T. divaricata has lesser significant action on
      Vero cell line. CONCLUSION: Medicinal plant drug discovery continues to provide
      new and important leads against various pharmacological targets including cancer.
      Our results clearly indicate the anticancer property of the medicinal plant T.
      divaricata against the human laryngeal carcinoma cell lines (Hep 2 cell line).

PMID- 26109774
TI  - Assay method for quality control and stability studies of a new anti-diabetic and
      anti-dyslipidemic flavone (S002-853).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Flavonoid-rich extract of the plant is long known for its anti
      diabetic activities in traditional medicine. S002-853, a new flavone derivative
      synthesized by Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) has been used for the
      present study. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed at development of an assay
      method for quality control (QC) and stability studies of a new anti-diabetic and
      anti-dyslipidemic agent CDRI compound S002-853. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      validated high-performance liquid chromatography analysis method for S002-853 was
      developed for in process QC and stability studies. The separation was achieved on
      a RP-C18 (25 cm * 0.4 cm, 5 MUm, Phenomenex) at 240 nm with flow rate of 1.0
      ml/min. This method was applied successfully in establishing forced degradation
      and drug-excipient testing protocols as per International Conference on
      Harmonization guidelines. RESULTS: The result of estimation and stress testing
      studies indicated a high degree of selectivity of this method. S002-853 was most
      stable at pH 7 and under photolytic conditions. The temperature degradation
      pattern of S002-853 was found to follow the zero order degradation. CONCLUSION:
      The method described is easy and simple hence can be easily reproduced. This
      method can be very useful for bulk manufacture QC, and drug development process.

PMID- 26109775
TI  - Cytotoxicity of some edible mushrooms extracts over liver hepatocellular
      carcinoma cells in conjunction with their antioxidant and antibacterial
      properties.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mushrooms have been valued for their nutritive content and as
      traditional medicines; several important medicinal properties of mushrooms have
      been recognized worldwide. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to elucidate
      the cell growth inhibitory potential of four edible mushrooms; Coprinus comatus
      (O.F. Mull.) Pers. (Agaricaceae), Tricholoma fracticum (Britzelm.) Kreisel
      (Tricholomataceae), Rhizopogon luteolus Fr. and Nordholm (Rhizopogonaceae),
      Lentinus tigrinus (Bull.) Fr. (Polyporaceae) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2)
      cells in conjunction with their antioxidant and antibacterial capacities.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five different extracts of edible mushrooms were obtained
      using water, methanol, acetone, n-hexane and chloroform as solvent systems for
      cytotoxic, antioxidant and antibacterial properties. RESULTS: C. comatus showed
      substantial in vitro cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cell lines with all
      extracts especially with chloroform 50% inhibition (IC50 value of 0.086 mg/ml)
      and acetone (IC50 value of 0.420 mg/ml). Chloroform extract of C. comatus had
      maximum amount of beta-carotene (25.94 MUg/mg), total phenolic content (76.32
      MUg/mg) and lycopene (12.00 MUg/mg), and n-hexane extract of L. tigrinus had
      maximum amount of flavonoid (3.67 MUg/mg). While chloroform extract of C. comatus
      showed the highest 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) capturing activity
      (1.579 mg/ml), the best result for metal chelating activity was obtained from
      methanolic extract (0.842 mg/ml). Moreover, all tested mushrooms demonstrated
      antibacterial activity and n-hexane extract of L. tigrinus and acetone extracts
      of T. fracticum were the most active against tested microorganism. CONCLUSION:
      These results indicate that different extracts of investigated mushroom have
      considerable cytotoxic, antioxidant and antibacterial properties and may be
      utilized as a promising source of therapeutics.

PMID- 26109776
TI  - Use of bergenin as an analytical marker for standardization of the polyherbal
      formulation containing Saxifraga ligulata.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bergenin is the principle constituent of the well-known medicinal
      plant Saxifraga ligulata. Bergenin has anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antiviral,
      immunostimulant, antihyperglycemic, and antioxidant properties. In this study,
      the presence of bergenin in Saxifraga ligulata and the formulations was
      identified using high performance thin layer chromatograpy fingerprinting
      technique. OBJECTIVE: To develop a novel quantitative method for the estimation
      of bergenin using high performance liquid chromatography. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The compound was separated, characterised and quantified using authentic
      reference standard. The method was validated per ICH guidelines for the
      parameters of accuracy, precision, linearity, limit of detection, limit of
      quantification and robustness. RESULTS: The method was found to be accurate,
      linear (r2 = 0.998) and precise (%RSD <2%). The limits of detection (0.001%) and
      quantification (0.002%) were found to be suitable for detection and
      quantification of bergenin in commercial formulations. CONCLUSION: The developed
      methods are suitable for the quality control applications of Saxifraga ligulata
      containing formulations.

PMID- 26109777
TI  - A novel high-performance liquid chromatography-electron spray ionization-mass
      spectrometry method for simultaneous determination of guggulsterones, piperine
      and gallic acid in Triphala guggulu.
AB  - "Triphalaguggulu" is an important Ayurvedic formulation comprising of Guggulu,
      that is, Commiphora wightii (Arn.) Bhandari as a base wherein powdered fruits of
      triphala, that is, Phyllanthus emblica L., Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb
      and Terminalia chebula Retz, along with powdered fruit of Piper longum L. are
      compounded. This polyherbal preparation has been strongly recommended in chronic
      inflammation, piles, and fistula. However, due to the complexity of compound
      formulation standardization of commercial products is challenging. In the present
      communication marker-based standardization of "Triphalaguggulu" preparation using
      gallic acid (for triphala), piperine (for P. longum L.) and guggulsterones (for
      guggulu) is reported. These compounds of diverse chemistry were successfully
      separated on a Waters HR-C18 column by isocratic elution with methanol and water
      (80:20 v/v) as mobile phase at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min coupled with
      photodiode array detector. These optimal chromatographic conditions were used for
      simultaneous quantification of gallic acid, guggulsterones (E and Z) and piperine
      in commercial samples by high-performance liquid chromatography-electron spray
      ionization-mass spectrometry and method was validated as per ICH guidelines. 

PMID- 26109778
TI  - Anti-lung cancer potential of pure esteric-glycoside condurangogenin A against
      nonsmall-cell lung cancer cells in vitro via p21/p53 mediated cell cycle
      modulation and DNA damage-induced apoptosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Marsdenia condurango (condurango) is a tropical woody vine native to
      South America. Our earlier study was limited to evaluation of anti-cancer
      potentials of crude condurango extract and its glycoside-rich components in vitro
      on lung cancer. OBJECTIVE: This study aims at evaluating the effect of the single
      isolated active ingredient condurangogenin A (ConA; C32H42O7) on A549, H522 and
      H460-nonsmall-cell lung cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ConA was isolated by
      column chromatography and analyzed by mass spectroscopy, Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy and proton-nuclear magnetic resonance. diphenyltetrazolium
      bromide assays were conducted on three cell-types using 6%-alcohol as control.
      Critical studies on cellular morphology, cell-cycle regulation, reactive oxygen
      species, mitochondrial membrane potential, and DNA-damage were made, and
      expressions of related signaling markers studied. RESULTS: As IC50 doses of ConA
      proved to be too high and toxic to both A549 and H522 cells, all experimental
      studies were carried out on H460 cells with the IC50 dose (32 MUg/ml - 24 h).
      Cellular morphology revealed typical apoptotic features after ConA treatment. At
      early treatment hours (2 h-12 h), maximum cells were arrested at G0/G1 phase that
      could be correlated with reduced level of cyclin D1-CDK with p21 up-regulation.
      At 18 h - 24 h, sub G0/G1 cell population was increased gradually, as revealed
      from cytochrome-c release and caspase-3 activation, further confirming the
      apoptosis-inducing ability of ConA at later phases. Gradual increase of TUNEL
      positive cells with significant modulation of mitochondria-dependent apoptotic
      markers at longer time-points would establish apoptosis-induction property of
      ConA, indicating its potential as a strong candidate for anti-cancer drug
      formulation. CONCLUSION: Further studies are warranted against other types of
      cancer cells and animal models before its possible human use.

PMID- 26109779
TI  - Protective effect of young green barley leaf (Hordeum vulgare L.) on restraint
      stress-induced decrease in hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many health experts support the hypothesis that stressful lifestyles
      are the leading cause of illness, like depression. Therefore, from the standpoint
      of preventive medicine, it is important to reduce stress. Young green barley
      leaves are a good natural source of vitamins and minerals, and their juice is
      widely consumed as a functional food for health reasons in Japan. This study
      investigated the protective effect of young green barley leaves for stress
      control. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ICR outbred mice were exposed to 3-h sessions of
      restraint stress. Young green barley leaves (400 and 1,000 mg/kg) were
      administered orally 1 h before the sessions for 5 days. To analyze voluntary
      behavior, wheel-running activity was monitored during the dark period. Brain
      derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the whole
      hippocampus was measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
      RESULTS: Restraint stress resulted in a significant decrease in voluntary wheel
      running behavior, but this decrease was ameliorated by the administration of
      young green barley leaves. The leaves also enhanced the decreased levels of BDNF
      mRNA induced by restraint stress; in particular, a significant protective effect
      was shown in the exon IV variant as compared to vehicle control mice. CONCLUSION:
      The findings suggest that young green barley leaves have potent anti-stress
      properties, as evidenced by preventing decreases in the levels of voluntary wheel
      running activity and hippocampal BDNF mRNA in response to restraint stress. Our
      findings support the possibility that supplementation with young green barley
      leaves might be beneficial for preventing stress-related psychiatric disorders
      like depression.

PMID- 26109780
TI  - Toxicological and biochemical studies on Schinus terebinthifolius concerning its
      curative and hepatoprotective effects against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver
      injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, many efforts have been made to discover new products of
      natural origin which can limit the xenobiotic-induced hepatic injury. Carbon
      tetrachloride (CCl4) is a highly toxic chemical that is widely used to study
      hepatotoxicity in animal models. OBJECTIVE: The present study was conducted to
      investigate the curative and protective effects of Schinus terbenthifolius
      ethanolic extract against CCl4 -induced acute hepatotoxicity in rats. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: S. terbenthifolius extract was orally administered in a dose of 350
      mg dried extract/kg b.wt. before and after intoxication with CCl4 for curative
      and protective experiments, respectively. A group of hepatotoxicity indicative
      enzymes, oxidant-antioxidant capacity, DNA oxidation, and apoptosis markers were
      measured. RESULTS: CCl4 increased liver enzyme leakage, oxidative stress, hepatic
      apoptosis, DNA oxidation, and inflammatory markers. Administration of S.
      terebinthifolius, either before or after CCl4 intoxication, significantly
      decreased elevated serum liver enzymes and reinstated the antioxidant capacity.
      Interestingly, S. terebinthifolius extract inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis as
      revealed by approximately 20 times down-regulation in caspase-3 expression when
      compared to CCl4 untreated group. On the other hand, there was neither protective
      nor curative effect of S. terebinthifolius against DNA damage caused by CCl4.
      CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that S. terebinthifolius extract could be
      a substantially promising hepatoprotective agent against CCl4 toxic effects and
      may be against other hepatotoxic chemical or drugs.

PMID- 26109781
TI  - Cinnamon: Mystic powers of a minute ingredient.
AB  - Cinnamon, due to its exotic flavor and aroma, is a key ingredient in the kitchen
      of every household. From the beginning of its use in 2800 BC by our ancestors for
      various purposes such as anointment, embalming and various ailments, it has
      instigated the interest of many researchers. Recently many trials have explored
      the beneficial effects of cinnamon in Parkinsons, diabetes, blood, and brain.
      After extensive research on PubMed and Google scholar, data were collected
      regarding its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antilipemic, antidiabetic,
      antimicrobial, and anticancer effect. This systematic review underlines the
      surplus health benefits of this clandestine ingredient and the scope of further
      research in these clinical scenarios. 

PMID- 26109782
TI  - Antioxidant and Antiacetylcholinesterase Activity of Teucrium hyrcanicum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Teucrium hyrcanicum belonging to the Lamiaceae family is a native
      plant in Iran; it is called Maryam nokhodi-e-jangali in Farsi. OBJECTIVE: The aim
      of this study is to evaluate acetylcholinesterase inhibition (AChEI), antioxidant
      activity and flavonoids content of T. hyrcanicum methanol extract. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The air-dried and the ground aerial parts of T. hyrcanicum were
      extracted by percolation method with methanol. Antioxidant activity of the
      extract was investigated by using 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and
      ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) methods. In addition, AChEI and
      flavonoid content of T. hyrcanicum methanol extract were measured. RESULTS: The
      results showed that total flavonoid content of T. hyrcanicum in reference to the
      standard curve for quercetin was 20.70 +/- 0.05 mg quercetin equivalents/g of
      extract. In the FRAP method, the antioxidant activity of T. hyrcanicum extract
      and butyl hydroxyanisole (BHA) (as a positive control) were 657.5 +/- 0.04 and
      880 +/- 0.06 mmol Fe II/1 g dried extract. According to results of DPPH assay,
      half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value for DPPH radical-scavenging
      activities of T. hyrcanicum methanol extract, vitamin E and BHA were 74.6, 14.12
      and 7.8 MUg/mL, respectively. IC50 value for AChEI of T. hyrcanicum and donepezil
      as a positive control were 2.12 mg/mL and 0.013 mg/mL. CONCLUSION: The results of
      the present study showed T. hyrcanicum is a natural antioxidant that the
      flavonoid content can be responsible for extract effects.

PMID- 26109783
TI  - Antidermatophytic Activity of Mikania micrantha Kunth: An Invasive Weed.
AB  - CONTEXT: The incidence of dermatophytosis has risen dramatically in recent years.
      Limited availability of side-effect free drugs has led to a search for new
      antidermatophytic agents. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate
      antidermatophytic activity and in vitro anti-inflammatory activity (protease
      inhibition assay) of whole plant (aerial parts only) of Mikania micrantha.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The dried and powdered aerial parts of M. micrantha were
      extracted separately with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanol.
      Antidermatophytic activity was determined by agar tube dilution method against
      Epidermophyton floccosum var. nigricans, Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum
      and Trichophyton rubrum. The activities of various parts of the plant - flowers,
      leaves and stem were separately analyzed using their ethyl acetate extract.
      Fungicidal efficacy and trypsin inhibiting activity of the whole plant, flowers
      and leaves were also analyzed using the ethyl acetate extracts. STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS USED: For trypsin inhibition assay results are expressed as mean +/-
      standard division. For antidermatophytic assay, the significance of the
      difference between control and test was analyzed statistically using Fisher's
      exact test. RESULTS: Ethyl acetate extract of M. micrantha exhibited excellent
      antidermatophytic activity, followed by petroleum ether and methanolic extracts.
      Ethyl acetate extracts of whole plant, flowers, leaves and stem completely
      inhibited the growth of dermatophytes at the tested concentration of 2 mg/mL.
      Furthermore, ethyl acetate extracts of whole plant, leaves and flowers were
      fungicidal, and the percentages of trypsin inhibition exhibited were 33.73 +/-
      0.306, 39.0 +/- 0.505 and 35.53 +/- 0.503, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Since M.
      micrantha possesses antidermatophytic as well as anti-inflammatory activities,
      the plant is an excellent candidate for the development of new medicaments
      against dermatophytoses in traditional as well as modern medicine.

PMID- 26109784
TI  - Toxicological and phytoprotective effect of Keayodendron bridelioides and
      Monodora myristica extracts in Wister rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The potential toxicity of Keayodendron bridelioides (KB), Monodora
      myristica (MM) were examined, and phytoprotection of MM and KB stemming from
      their phytochemical contents against sodium arsenite (SA) induced clastogenicity
      in Wister's rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dose range studies of KB in rats,
      genotoxicity of MM and KB by SOS-inductive respomse were investigated using E.
      coli PQ37. Male rats were exposed to varying concentrations of MM, KB over a five
      week period to evaluate MM and KB phytoprotectives properties were also evaluated
      against sodium arsenite induced micronucleated erythrocytes, hepatotoxicity and
      sperm quality and morphology. RESULTS: In contrast to KB, MM induced micronuclei
      formation in rat erythrocytes, MM and KB were however not genotoxic. MM, SA alone
      and in combination were hepatotoxic, characterized by elevated hepatic
      transaminases. Hepatoxicity were ameliorated by co-administration of KB (P <
      0.05). MM and KB did not induce changes in semen morphology (P > 0.05); but
      decreased sperm count and motility (P < 0.05). Extracts exhibited anti
      clastogenic (KB > MM), hepatoprotective (KB > MM) activities and maintained semen
      viability against SA treatment. CONCLUSION: Finding applications as herbal
      medicinal and food components KB and MM may be useful in mitigating the effect of
      toxicants in biological systems susceptible to oxidative damage.

PMID- 26109785
TI  - Hematological effects of repeated graded doses of the methanol extract of
      Paullinia pinnata (Linn.) leaves in Wistar albino rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Paullinia pinnata is a medicinal plant used for the treatment of
      various diseases, including anemia in West Africa. AIM: This study was carried
      out to investigate the effect of increasing doses of the methanolic leaves
      extract of P. pinnata on hematological parameters in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Thirty-six male Wistar albino rats were grouped into six groups of six animals
      each. Five doses; 50,100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg body weight of the P. pinnata
      extract were administered separately to five groups. The sixth group served as a
      control and received only the vehicle (70% physiological saline: 30% Tween 80
      [v/v]). Administration was done orally daily for 28 days at 24 h interval. On day
      29, the animals were made inactive, blood was then collected from the heart and
      various hematological parameters were evaluated. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Analysis
      of variance was employed. RESULTS: The packed cell volume and red blood cell
      count increased significantly (P < 0.05) in the treatment groups except at 200
      mg/kg dose. The hemoglobin concentration increased in all the treatment groups.
      The values for the neutrophils at 50, 100, 200 and 800 mg/kg doses were higher
      than that of the control. The white blood cell count increased significantly (P <
      0.05) at 50 and 400 mg/kg doses compared to the control and exceeded the normal
      physiological range. CONCLUSION: The maximum tolerable dose is 200 mg/kg body
      weight of the methanolic leaves extract of P. pinnata and the extract has anti
      anemic property with the ability to increase neutrophils count.

PMID- 26109786
TI  - Analgesic and anti-Inflammatory effect of UP3005, a botanical composition
      Containing two standardized extracts of Uncaria gambir and Morus alba.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic debilitating degenerative joint
      disease characterized by cartilage degradation and synovial inflammation
      exhibited by clinical symptoms such as joint swelling, synovitis, and
      inflammatory pain. Present day pain relief therapeutics heavily relies on the use
      of prescription and over the counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as the
      first line of defense where their long-term usage causes detrimental
      gastrointestinal and cardiovascular-related side-effects. As a result, the need
      for evidence based safer and efficacious alternatives from natural sources to
      overcome the most prominent and disabling symptoms of arthritis is a necessity.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Describe the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect of
      UP3005, a composition that contains a standardized blend of two extracts from the
      leaf of Uncaria gambir and the root bark of Morus alba in carrageenan-induced rat
      paw edema, abdominal constriction (writhing's) and ear swelling assays in mouse
      with oral dose ranges of 100-400 mg/kg. RESULTS: In vivo, statistically
      significant improvement in pain resistance, and suppression of paw edema and ear
      thickness in animals treated with UP3005 were observed compared with vehicle
      treated diseased rats and mice. Ibuprofen was used a reference compound in all
      the studies. In vitro, enzymatic inhibition activities of UP3005 were determined
      with IC50 values of 12.4 MUg/ml, 39.8 MUg/ml and 13.6 MUg/ml in cyclooxygenase-2
      (COX-1), COX-2 and lipoxygenase (5-LOX) enzyme activity assay, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that UP3005, analgesic and anti-inflammatory
      agent of botanical origin with balanced dual COX-LOX inhibition activity, could
      potentially be used for symptom management of OA.

PMID- 26109787
TI  - Evaluation of anxiolytic activity of aqueous extract of Coriandrum sativum Linn.
      in mice: A preliminary experimental study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the anxiolytic effect of Coriandrum sativum (CS) aqueous
      extract in mice. To compare the antianxiety activity of CS against standard drug
      diazepam (3 mg/kg). MATERIALS AND METHODS: After obtaining Institutional Animal
      Ethics Committee approval, Swiss albino mice (18-25 g) of either sex were
      randomly divided into five groups of six animals each. Dried powder of CS leaves
      was boiled with distilled water, cooled, filtered, placed on a hotplate for
      complete evaporation, finally weighed and stored. The control group, test group,
      and standard drugs group received saline, CS extract (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg),
      diazepam (3 mg/kg), respectively, by oral feeding. The antianxiety effect was
      assessed by elevated plus maze (EPM) in mice. RESULTS: In EPM, it implied that CS
      50 mg/kg (Group III), 100 mg/kg (Group IV), and 200 mg/kg (Group V) significantly
      (P < 0.001) increases the number of entries in open arms compared to control. The
      time spent in open arms also increased in all the doses of CS extract
      significantly. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrates statistically
      significant dose-dependent antianxiety activity of CS leaves.

PMID- 26109788
TI  - Chemical composition analysis, antioxidant and antibacterial activity evaluation
      of essential oil of Atalantia monophylla Correa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atalantia monophylla Correa. a small tree belongs to the family
      Rutaceae. It is distributed throughout India and in Tamil Nadu the species is
      commonly seen in foothills of dry vegetation. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to
      hydrodistillate and analyze the chemical composition of essential oil from the
      fresh leaves of A. monophylla Correa. collected in two different seasons
      (December, 2013 and May, 2014) and to evaluate antioxidant and antibacterial
      activities of isolated essential oil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chemical composition
      of isolated essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography, gas chromatography
      coupled with mass spectrometry. Antioxidant activity of oil was assessed using
      five different antioxidant test systems. Antibacterial activity of oil was tested
      against six pathogenic bacteria by broth dilution method. RESULTS: Essential oil
      obtained from the leaves collected during May, 2014 had shown more compounds.
      Antioxidant activity of oil was moderate when compared with positive control.
      Minimum inhibitory concentration value of oil was ranges between 139.32 +/- 0.001
      and 541.11 +/- 0.003 ug/mL against all the tested bacteria. CONCLUSION: Result
      clearly indicates essential oil collected during May, 2014 showed more bioactive
      compounds.

PMID- 26109789
TI  - Evaluation of antioxidant, antibacterial, and antidiabetic potential of two
      traditional medicinal plants of India: Swertia cordata and Swertia chirayita.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Swertia cordata and Swertia chirayita are temperate Himalayan
      medicinal plants used as potent herbal drugs in Indian traditional systems of
      medicine (Ayurvedic, Unani and Siddha). OBJECTIVE: Assessment of Antioxidant,
      antibacterial, and antidiabetic potential of Swertia cordata and Swertia
      chirayita. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Phytochemicals of methanolic and aqueous
      extracts of the two Swertia species were analyzed. The antioxidant potential of
      all the extracts was assessed by measuring total phenolic content, total
      flavonoid content and free radical scavenging potential was assessed by 1,1
      diphenyl-2-picrilhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, antibacterial activity was assessed
      against various pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria in vitro by Kirby-Bauer
      agar well diffusion method and antidiabetic activity was assessed by alpha
      amylase inhibition. RESULTS: Methanolic leaf extracts of both the species of
      Swertia contain significant antibacterial as well as anti-diabetic potential,
      whereas methanolic root extracts of both species were found to have potential
      antioxidant activity. However, Swertia chirayita showed better activities than
      Swertia cordata although both species have good reputation in traditional Indian
      medicine. CONCLUSION: Both the species are having high medicinal potential in
      terms of their antioxidant, antibacterial and antidiabetic activities. Studies
      are required to further elucidate antioxidant, anti-diabetic and antibacterial
      potentials using various in-vitro, in-vivo biochemical and molecular biology
      techniques.

PMID- 26109790
TI  - Induction of rat hepatic mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore
      opening by leaf extract of Olax subscorpioidea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The induction of the mitochondrial membrane permeability transition
      (MMPT) pore has been implicated in the cascade of events involved in apoptosis
      (programmed cell death). Olax subscorpioidea is traditionally used for the
      treatment of several diseases and infection. However, its role on MMPT is not yet
      established. This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of varying
      concentrations of the methanol leaf extract of O. subscorpioidea (MEOS) on MMPT
      pore opening, mitochondrial adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), and mitochondrial
      lipid peroxidation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Opening of the pore was
      spectrophotometrically assayed under succinate-energized conditions. RESULTS: In
      the absence of triggering agent (calcium), MEOS induced MMPT pore opening by 350,
      612, 827, 845% at 36, 60, 86 and 112 MUg/ml, respectively. MEOS further induced
      MMPT pore opening in the presence of a triggering agent by 866, 905, 831, 840,
      949% at 12, 36, 60, 86 and 112 MUg/ml, respectively. The extract significantly
      induced mitochondrial membrane lipid peroxidation in all the concentration used.
      MEOS also significantly increased mitochondrial ATP hydrolysis by mitochondrial
      ATPase in all concentration of the extract used. CONCLUSION: It may be deduced
      from this results, that MEOS contains certain bioactive components that may find
      use in pathological conditions that require an enhanced rate of apoptosis.

PMID- 26109791
TI  - Performance of chromogenic media for Candida in rapid presumptive identification
      of Candida species from clinical materials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In perspective of the worldwide increase in a number of
      immunocompromised patients, the need for identification of Candida species has
      become a major concern. The development of chromogenic differential media,
      introduced recently, facilitate rapid speciation. However, it can be employed for
      routine mycology workup only after an exhaustive evaluation of its benefit and
      cost effectiveness. This study was undertaken to evaluate the benefit and cost
      effectiveness of chromogenic media for speciation of Candida clinical isolates.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sputum samples of 382 patients were screened for the
      presence of Candida spp. by Gram stain and culture on sabouraud dextrose agar.
      Candida species were identified using Gram stain morphology, germ tube formation,
      cornmeal agar with Tween-80, sugar fermentation tests and morphology on HiCrome
      Candida differential agar. All the Candida isolates were inoculated on HiCrome
      Candida agar (HiMedia, Mumbai, India). RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity
      of HiCrome agar for identification of Candida albicans were 90% and 96.42%,
      respectively whereas sensitivity and specificity of carbohydrate fermentation
      test were 86.67% and 74.07%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity values of
      HiCrome agar for detection of C. albicans, Candida parapsilosis and Candida
      glabrata were above 90%. CONCLUSIONS: We found HiCrome agar has high sensitivity
      and specificity comparable to that of the conventional method. In addition, use
      of this differential media could significantly cut down the turnaround time as
      well as cost of sample processing.

PMID- 26109792
TI  - Quantification of total polyphenols, catechin, caffeine, L-theanine,
      determination of antioxidant activity and effect on antileishmanial drugs of
      ethiopian tea leaves extracts.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study four tea samples Gumero black, Wushwush black and
      Wushwush green from Agri- Ceft Plc and East Africa black tea leaves from East
      African Agribusiness Plc were investigated for total polyphenols, caffeine,
      catechin and L-theanine content. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The aqueous extracts were
      investigated for their antioxidant and antileishmanial property and effect on
      amphotericin B, miltefocine and sodium stibogluconate, the commonly used
      antileishmanial drugs. Antileishmanial studies were conducted on L. aethiopica.
      RESULTS: Wushwush green tea had the highest content of polyphenol (19.98 +/- 1.15
      mg gallic acid equivalent /100 g dry leaf weight), catechin (37.06 mg/g) and L
      theanine (48.54 mg/g but the lowest caffeine content). It exhibited the highest
      antioxidant activity. The highest antioxidant effect of Wushwush green tea may be
      attributed to the highest polyphenol content. East African black tea had the
      lowest L-theanine (20.72 mg/g) and antioxidant activity but the highest caffeine
      (16.60 mg/g) content. CONCLUSION: Wushwush green tea showed slight inhibitory
      effect on L. aethiopica while the lack tea extracts (Gumero, East Africa and
      Wushwush) exhibited no antileishmanial activity. Wushwush green tea did not show
      any synergistic or antagonistic effect on the antileishmanial drugs used in this
      study while Gumero, East Africa and Wushwush black tea extracts exhibited dose
      dependant inhibitory activity to the commonly used antileishmanial drugs included
      in this study.

PMID- 26109793
TI  - Neuropilins and liver.
AB  - Neuropilins (NRPs) are highly conserved transmembrane glycoproteins that possess
      pleiotropic functions. Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) and its homologue neuropilin-2
      interact as coreceptors with both class 3 semaphorins and vascular endothelial
      growth factor and are involved in neuronal guidance and angiogenesis,
      respectively. The contribution of NRPs to tumor angiogenesis has been highlighted
      in previous studies, leading to the development of NRP antagonists as novel anti
      angiogenesis therapies. However, more recent studies have demonstrated that NRPs
      have a much broader spectrum of activity in the integration of different pathways
      in physiological and pathological conditions. A few studies investigated the role
      of NRPs in both malignant and non-neoplastic liver diseases. In normal liver,
      NRP1 is expressed in hepatic stellate cells and liver sinusoidal endothelial
      cells. NRP1 expression in hepatocytes has been associated with malignant
      transformation and may play an important role in tumor behavior. A contribution
      of NRPs in sinusoidal remodeling during liver regeneration has been also noted.
      Studies in chronic liver diseases have indicated that, besides its influence on
      angiogenesis, NRP1 might contribute to the progression of liver fibrosis owing to
      its effects on other growth factors, including transforming growth factor beta1.
      As a result, NRP1 has been identified as a promising therapeutic target for
      future antifibrotic therapies based on the simultaneous blockade of multiple
      growth factor signaling pathways. In this review, the structure of NRPs and their
      interactions with various ligands and associated cell surface receptors are
      described briefly. The current understanding of the roles of the NRPs in liver
      diseases including tumors, regeneration and fibrogenesis, are also summarized. 

PMID- 26109794
TI  - Unsolved problems and future perspectives of hepatitis B virus vaccination.
AB  - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is still a serious worldwide problem, and
      vaccination is the most effective strategy for primary prevention of the
      infection. Although universal vaccination may be required for total eradication,
      several countries, including Japan, have not yet adopted universal vaccination
      programs. Some individuals are non-responders to HBV vaccine and several
      mechanisms responsible for their poor response have been proposed. To overcome
      non-response, third generation vaccines with pre-S proteins have been developed.
      These vaccines have shown better anti-HBs responses and may also be effective in
      preventing infection by HBV with S mutant. Improvement of vaccine efficacy by
      intradermal administration, or co-administration with cytokines or adjuvants, may
      also be effective in non-responders. The necessity, timing and method of booster
      vaccination in responders with decreased anti-HBs responses, and effective
      vaccination against S-mutant HBV, are issues requiring resolution in the global
      prevention of HBV infection. 

PMID- 26109795
TI  - Novel therapeutic approaches for hepatitis B virus covalently closed circular
      DNA.
AB  - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major global health problem. Although
      current therapies, such as the use of nucleos(t)ide analogs, inhibit HBV
      replication efficiently, they do not eliminate covalently closed circular DNA
      (cccDNA), which persists in hepatocyte nuclei. As HBV cccDNA is a viral
      transcription template, novel therapeutic approaches to directly target HBV
      cccDNA are necessary to completely eradicate persistent HBV infections. HBV
      cccDNA levels in HBV-infected human liver cells are extremely low; thus, more
      reliable and simple measurement methods are needed to correctly monitor their
      levels during therapeutic treatment. Although reverse transcription-polymerase
      chain reaction or Southern blot procedures are currently used in research
      studies, these methods are not completely reliable and are also time-consuming
      and labor-intensive. Genome editing technologies, such as zinc finger nucleases,
      transcription activator-like effector nucleases, and the clustered regularly
      interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system, which are
      designed to target specific DNA sequences, represent highly promising potential
      therapeutic tools. In particular, the CRISPR/Cas9 system is an easily
      customizable sequence-specific nuclease with high flexibility and may be the most
      feasible approach to target HBV cccDNA. Further research to develop easier,
      safer, and more effective protocols should be pursued. 

PMID- 26109797
TI  - Diagnosis of gluten related disorders: Celiac disease, wheat allergy and non
      celiac gluten sensitivity.
AB  - Cereal crops and cereal consumption have had a vital role in Mankind's history.
      In the recent years gluten ingestion has been linked with a range of clinical
      disorders. Gluten-related disorders have gradually emerged as an
      epidemiologically relevant phenomenon with an estimated global prevalence around
      5%. Celiac disease, wheat allergy and non-celiac gluten sensitivity represent
      different gluten-related disorders. Similar clinical manifestations can be
      observed in these disorders, yet there are peculiar pathogenetic pathways
      involved in their development. Celiac disease and wheat allergy have been
      extensively studied, while non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a relatively novel
      clinical entity, believed to be closely related to other gastrointestinal
      functional syndromes. The diagnosis of celiac disease and wheat allergy is based
      on a combination of findings from the patient's clinical history and specific
      tests, including serology and duodenal biopsies in case of celiac disease, or
      laboratory and functional assays for wheat allergy. On the other hand, non-celiac
      gluten sensitivity is still mainly a diagnosis of exclusion, in the absence of
      clear-cut diagnostic criteria. A multimodal pragmatic approach combining findings
      from the clinical history, symptoms, serological and histological tests is
      required in order to reach an accurate diagnosis. A thorough knowledge of the
      differences and overlap in clinical presentation among gluten-related disorders,
      and between them and other gastrointestinal disorders, will help clinicians in
      the process of differential diagnosis. 

PMID- 26109796
TI  - Food allergy in irritable bowel syndrome: The case of non-celiac wheat
      sensitivity.
AB  - Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal
      disorders, having a prevalence of 12%-30% in the general population. Most
      patients with IBS attribute their symptoms to adverse food reactions. We review
      the role of diet in the pathogenesis of IBS and the importance of dietary factors
      in the management of these patients. The MEDLINE electronic database (1966 to Jan
      2015) was searched using the following keywords: "food", "diet", "food allergy",
      "food hypersensitivity", "food intolerance", "IBS", "epidemiology",
      "pathogenesis", "pathophysiology", "diagnosis", "treatment". We found 153
      eligible papers; 80 were excluded because: not written in English, exclusive
      biochemical and experimental research, case reports, reviews, and research
      otherwise not relevant to our specific interest. We selected 73 papers: 43
      original papers, 26 reviews and 4 letters to the editor. These papers focused on
      IBS pathogenesis, the association between IBS and atopy, and between IBS and food
      allergy, the relationship between IBS and non-celiac wheat sensitivity, the role
      of diet in IBS. Pending further scientific evidence, a cautious approach is
      advisable but the concept of food allergy should be included as a possible cause
      of IBS, and a dietary approach may have a place in the routine clinical
      management of IBS. 

PMID- 26109798
TI  - Useful strategies to prevent severe stricture after endoscopic submucosal
      dissection for superficial esophageal neoplasm.
AB  - The minimal invasiveness of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) prompted us to
      apply this technique to large-size early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and
      Barrett's adenocarcinoma, despite the limitations in the study population and
      surveillance duration. A post-ESD ulceration of greater than three-fourths of
      esophageal circumference was advocated as an important risk factor for refractory
      strictures that require several sessions of dilation therapy. Most of the
      preoperative conditions are asymptomatic, but dilatation treatment for dysphagia
      associated with the stricture has potential risks of severe complications and a
      worsening of quality of life. Possible mechanisms of dysphasia were demonstrated
      based on dysmotility and pathological abnormalities at the site: (1) delayed
      mucosal healing; (2) severe inflammation and disorganized fibrosis with abundant
      extracellular matrices in the submucosa; and (3) atrophy in the muscularis
      proper. However, reports on the administration of anti-scarring agents,
      preventive dilation therapies, and regenerative medicine demonstrated limited
      success in stricture prevention, and there were discrepancies in the study
      designs and protocols of these reports. The development and consequent long-term
      assessments of new prophylactic technologies on the promotion of wound healing
      and control of the inflammatory/tumor microenvironment will require collaboration
      among various research fields because of the limited accuracy of preoperative
      staging and high-risk of local recurrence. 

PMID- 26109799
TI  - Review of a challenging clinical issue: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.
AB  - Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a reversible pregnancy-specific
      cholestatic condition characterized by pruritus, elevated liver enzymes, and
      increased serum bile acids. It commences usually in the late second or third
      trimester, and quickly resolves after delivery. The incidence is higher in South
      American and Scandinavian countries (9.2%-15.6% and 1.5%, respectively) than in
      Europe (0.1%-0.2%). The etiology is multifactorial where genetic, endocrine, and
      environmental factors interact. Maternal outcome is usually benign, whereas fetal
      complications such as preterm labor, meconium staining, fetal distress, and
      sudden intrauterine fetal demise not infrequently lead to considerable perinatal
      morbidity and mortality. Ursodeoxycholic acid is shown to be the most efficient
      therapeutic agent with proven safety and efficacy. Management of ICP consists of
      careful monitoring of maternal hepatic function tests and serum bile acid levels
      in addition to the assessment of fetal well-being and timely delivery after
      completion of fetal pulmonary maturity. This review focuses on the current
      concepts about ICP based on recent literature data and presents an update
      regarding the diagnosis and management of this challenging issue. 

PMID- 26109801
TI  - Protective effect of bicyclol against bile duct ligation-induced hepatic fibrosis
      in rats.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the protective effect of bicyclol against bile duct ligation
      (BDL)-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley male rats
      underwent BDL and sham-operated animals were used as healthy controls. The BDL
      rats were divided into two groups which received sterilized PBS or bicyclol (100
      mg/kg per day) orally for two consecutive weeks. Serum, urine and bile were
      collected for biochemical determinations. Liver tissues were collected for
      histological analysis and a whole genome oligonucleotide microarray assay.
      Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to
      verify the expression of liver fibrosis-related genes. RESULTS: Treatment with
      bicyclol significantly reduced liver fibrosis and bile duct proliferation after
      BDL. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (127.7 +/- 72.3 vs 230.4 +/- 69.6, P
      < 0.05) and aspartate aminotransferase (696.8 +/- 232.6 vs 1032.6 +/- 165.8, P <
      0.05) were also decreased by treatment with bicyclol in comparison to PBS. The
      expression changes of 45 fibrogenic genes and several fibrogenesis-related
      pathways were reversed by bicyclol in the microarray assay. Bicyclol
      significantly reduced liver mRNA and/or protein expression levels of collagen
      1a1, matrix metalloproteinase 2, tumor necrosis factor, tissue inhibitors of
      metalloproteinases 2, transforming growth factor-beta1 and alpha-smooth muscle
      actin. CONCLUSION: Bicyclol significantly attenuates BDL-induced liver fibrosis
      by reversing fibrogenic gene expression. These findings suggest that bicyclol
      might be an effective anti-fibrotic drug for the treatment of cholestatic liver
      disease.

PMID- 26109802
TI  - Activated rat hepatic stellate cells influence Th1/Th2 profile in vitro.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the effects of activated rat hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) on
      rat Th1/Th2 profile in vitro. METHODS: Growth and survival of activated HSCs and
      CD4(+) T lymphocytes cultured alone or together was assessed after 24 or 48 h.
      CD4(+) T lymphocytes were then cultured with or without activated HSCs for 24 or
      48 h and the proportion of Th1 [interferon (IFN)-gamma(+)] and Th2 [interleukin
      (IL)-4(+)] cells was assessed by flow cytometry. Th1 and Th2 cell apoptosis was
      assessed after 24 h of co-culture using a caspase-3 staining procedure.
      Differentiation rates of Th1 and Th2 cells from CD4(+) T lymphocytes that were
      positive for CD25 but did not express IFN-gamma or IL-4 were also assessed after
      48 h of co-culture with activated HSCs. Galectin-9 expression in HSCs was
      determined by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. ELISA was performed to
      assess galectin-9 secretion from activated HSCs. RESULTS: Co-culture of CD4(+) T
      lymphocytes with activated rat HSCs for 48 h significantly reduced the proportion
      of Th1 cells compared to culture-alone conditions (-1.73% +/- 0.71%; P < 0.05),
      whereas the proportion of Th2 cells was not altered; the Th1/Th2 ratio was
      significantly decreased (-0.44 +/- 0.13; P < 0.05). In addition, the level of IFN
      gamma in Th1 cells was decreased (-65.71 +/- 9.67; P < 0.01), whereas the level
      of IL-4 in Th2 cells was increased (82.79 +/- 25.12; P < 0.05) by co-culturing,
      as measured by mean fluorescence intensity by flow cytometry. Apoptosis rates in
      Th1 (12.27% +/- 0.99%; P < 0.01) and Th2 (1.71% +/- 0.185%; P < 0.01) cells were
      increased 24 h after co-culturing with activated HSCs; the Th1 cell apoptosis
      rate was significantly higher than in Th2 cells (P < 0.01). Galectin-9 protein
      expression was significantly decreased in HSCs only 24 h after co-culturing (P <
      0.05) but not after 48 h. Co-culture for 48 h significantly increased the
      differentiation of Th1 and Th2 cells; however, the increase in the proportion of
      Th2 cells was significantly higher than that of Th1 cells (1.85% +/- 0.48%; P <
      0.05). CONCLUSION: Activated rat HSCs lower the Th1/Th2 profile, inhibiting the
      Th1 response and enhancing the Th2 response, and this may be a novel pathway for
      liver fibrogenesis.

PMID- 26109800
TI  - Molecular aspects of intestinal calcium absorption.
AB  - Intestinal Ca(2+) absorption is a crucial physiological process for maintaining
      bone mineralization and Ca(2+) homeostasis. It occurs through the transcellular
      and paracellular pathways. The first route comprises 3 steps: the entrance of
      Ca(2+) across the brush border membranes (BBM) of enterocytes through epithelial
      Ca(2+) channels TRPV6, TRPV5, and Cav1.3; Ca(2+) movement from the BBM to the
      basolateral membranes by binding proteins with high Ca(2+) affinity (such as
      CB9k); and Ca(2+) extrusion into the blood. Plasma membrane Ca(2+) ATPase
      (PMCA1b) and sodium calcium exchanger (NCX1) are mainly involved in the exit of
      Ca(2+) from enterocytes. A novel molecule, the 4.1R protein, seems to be a
      partner of PMCA1b, since both molecules co-localize and interact. The
      paracellular pathway consists of Ca(2+) transport through transmembrane proteins
      of tight junction structures, such as claudins 2, 12, and 15. There is evidence
      of crosstalk between the transcellular and paracellular pathways in intestinal
      Ca(2+) transport. When intestinal oxidative stress is triggered, there is a
      decrease in the expression of several molecules of both pathways that inhibit
      intestinal Ca(2+) absorption. Normalization of redox status in the intestine with
      drugs such as quercetin, ursodeoxycholic acid, or melatonin return intestinal
      Ca(2+) transport to control values. Calcitriol [1,25(OH)2D3] is the major
      controlling hormone of intestinal Ca(2+) transport. It increases the gene and
      protein expression of most of the molecules involved in both pathways. PTH,
      thyroid hormones, estrogens, prolactin, growth hormone, and glucocorticoids
      apparently also regulate Ca(2+) transport by direct action, indirect mechanism
      mediated by the increase of renal 1,25(OH)2D3 production, or both. Different
      physiological conditions, such as growth, pregnancy, lactation, and aging, adjust
      intestinal Ca(2+) absorption according to Ca(2+) demands. Better knowledge of the
      molecular details of intestinal Ca(2+) absorption could lead to the development
      of nutritional and medical strategies for optimizing the efficiency of intestinal
      Ca(2+) absorption and preventing osteoporosis and other pathologies related to
      Ca(2+) metabolism.

PMID- 26109803
TI  - Abundance and significance of neuroligin-1 and glutamate in Hirschsprung's
      disease.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the abundance and potential diagnostic significance of
      neuroligin-1 and glutamate (Glu) in Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR). METHODS:
      Ninety children with HSCR and 50 children without HSCR matched for similar
      nutritional status, age and basal metabolic index were studied. The expression
      and localization of neuroligin-1 and Glu were assessed using double-labeling
      immunofluorescence staining of longitudinal muscles with adherent myenteric
      plexus from the surgically excised colon of children with HSCR. Western blot
      analysis, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were
      performed to evaluate the abundance of neuroligin-1 and Glu in different HSCR
      affected segments (ganglionic, transitional, and aganglionic segments). Enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect and compare serum Glu
      levels in the long-segment HSCR, short-segment HSCR and non-HSCR samples.
      RESULTS: Neuroligin-1 and Glu were co-expressed highest to lowest in the
      ganglionic, transitional and aganglionic segments based on Western blot
      (neuroligin-1: 0.177 +/- 0.008 vs 0.101 +/- 0.006, 0.177 +/- 0.008 vs 0.035 +/-
      0.005, and 0.101 +/- 0.006 vs 0.035 +/- 0.005, P < 0.005; Glu: 0.198 +/- 0.006 vs
      0.115 +/- 0.008, 0.198 +/- 0.006 vs 0.040 +/- 0.003, and 0.115 +/- 0.008 vs 0.040
      +/- 0.003, P < 0.005) and qRT-PCR (neuroligin-1: 9.58 * 10(-5) +/- 9.94 * 10(-6)
      vs 2.49 * 10(-5) +/- 1.38 * 10(-6), 9.58 * 10(-5) +/- 9.94 * 10(-6) vs 7.17 * 10(
      6 +/-) 1.12 * 10(-6), and 2.49 * 10(-5) +/- 1.38 * 10(-6) vs 7.17 * 10(-6) +/-
      1.12 * 10(-6), P < 0.005). Serum Glu level was the highest to lowest in the non
      HSCR, short-type HSCR and long-type HSCR samples based on ELISA (in nmol/MUL,
      0.93 +/- 0.31 vs 0.57 +/- 0.25, 0.93 +/- 0.31 vs 0.23 +/- 0.16, and 0.57 +/- 0.25
      vs 0.23 +/- 0.16, P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: Neuroligin-1 and Glu may represent new
      markers of ganglion cells, whose expression may correlate with the pathogenesis,
      diagnosis, differential diagnosis or classification of HSCR.

PMID- 26109804
TI  - Effects of electroacupuncture on corticotropin-releasing hormone in rats with
      chronic visceral hypersensitivity.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture on corticotropin-releasing
      hormone (CRH) in the colon, spinal cord, and hypothalamus of rats with chronic
      visceral hypersensitivity. METHODS: A rat model of chronic visceral
      hypersensitivity was generated according to the internationally accepted method
      of colorectal balloon dilatation. In the 7(th) week after the procedure, rats
      were randomly divided into a model group (MG), electroacupuncture group (EA), and
      sham electroacupuncture group (S-EA). After treatment, the abdominal withdrawal
      reflex (AWR) score was used to assess the behavioral response of visceral
      hyperalgesia. Immunohistochemistry (EnVision method), ELISA, and fluorescence
      quantitative PCR methods were applied to detect the expression of CRH protein and
      mRNA in the colon, spinal cord, and hypothalamus. RESULTS: The sensitivity of the
      rats to the colorectal distension stimulus applied at different strengths (20-80
      mmHg) increased with increasing stimulus strength, resulting in increasing AWR
      scores in each group. Compared with NG, the AWR score of MG was significantly
      increased (P < 0.01). After conducting EA, the AWR scores of the rats were
      decreased compared with MG rats. The relative expression of CRH mRNA in the
      colon, spinal cord, and hypothalamus of MG rats was significantly increased
      compared with NG rats (P < 0.01). CRH mRNA in the colon and spinal cord of EA and
      S-EA rats was decreased to varying degrees (P > 0.05) compared with normal rats
      (NG). However, the decrease in EA compared with MG rats was statistically
      significant (P < 0.01). The average optical density of CRH expression in the
      colon of the MG rats was significantly enhanced compared with NG (P < 0.05),
      while the average optical density of CRH expression in the EA and S-EA rats was
      significantly decreased compared with MG rats (P < 0.01, P < 0.05, respectively).
      Compared with MG rats, the CRH concentration in the spinal cord of EA rats was
      significantly reduced (P < 0.01), but there was no significant change in S-EA
      rats (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture at the Shangjuxu acupoint was
      able to significantly reduce the visceral hypersensitivity in rats, and regulated
      the expression of CRH protein and mRNA in the colon, spinal cord and hypothalamus
      at different levels, playing a therapeutic role in this model of irritable bowel
      syndrome.

PMID- 26109805
TI  - beta-2 Adrenergic receptor gene polymorphism and response to propranolol in
      cirrhosis.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the association of beta-2 adrenergic receptor (beta2-AR) gene
      polymorphism with response of variceal pressure to propranolol in cirrhosis.
      METHODS: Sixty-four non-related cirrhotic patients participated in this study and
      accepted variceal pressure measurement before and after propranolol
      administration. Polymorphism of the beta2-AR gene was determined by directly
      sequencing of the polymerase chain reaction products from the DNA samples that
      were prepared from the patients. RESULTS: The prevalence of Gly16-Glu/Gln27 and
      Arg16-Gln27 homozygotes, and compound heterozygotes was 29.7%, 10.9%, and 59.4%,
      respectively. Patients with cirrhosis with Gly16-Glu/Gln27 homozygotes had a
      greater decrease of variceal pressure after propranolol administration than those
      with Arg16-Gln27 homozygotes or with compound heterozygotes (22.4% +/- 2.1%,
      13.1% +/- 2.7% and 12.5% +/- 3.1%, respectively, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The
      variceal pressure response to propranolol was associated with polymorphism of
      beta2-AR gene. Patients with the Gly(16)-Glu/Gln(27) homozygotes probably benefit
      from propranolol therapy.

PMID- 26109806
TI  - Paeoniflorin inhibits human gastric carcinoma cell proliferation through up
      regulation of microRNA-124 and suppression of PI3K/Akt and STAT3 signaling.
AB  - AIM: To examine the potential anti-tumor activity of paeoniflorin in the human
      gastric carcinoma cell line MGC-803. METHODS: Cell viability and cytotoxic
      effects in MGC-803 cells were analyzed using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide and lactate dehydrogenase assay, respectively. Cell
      apoptosis of MGC-803 cells was measured using flow cytometry, DAPI staining assay
      and caspase-3 activity assay. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain
      reaction (RT-PCR) was used to measure the expression of microRNA-124 (miR-124) in
      response to paeoniflorin. The expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K),
      protein kinase B (Akt), phospho-Akt (p-Akt) and phospho-signal transducer and
      activator of transcription 3 (p-STAT3) were also measured by quantitative RT-PCR
      and Western blot analysis in normal, miR-124 and anti-miR-124 over-expressing MGC
      803 cells, treated with paeoniflorin. RESULTS: Paeoniflorin was found to inhibit
      MGC-803 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Paeoniflorin treatment was
      associated with the induction of apoptosis and caspase-3 activity in MGC-803
      cells. Paeoniflorin treatment significantly increased miR-124 levels and
      inhibited the expression of PI3K, Akt, p-Akt and p-STAT3 in MGC-803 cells.
      Interestingly, the over-expression of miR-124 inhibits PI3K/Akt and phospho-STAT3
      expressions in MGC-803 cells. PI3K agonist (IGF-1, 1 MUg/10 MUL) or over
      expression of STAT3 reversed the effect of paeoniflorin on the proliferation of
      MGC-803 cells. Over-expression of anti-miR-124 in MGC-803 cells reversed
      paeoniflorin-induced up-regulation. CONCLUSION: In summary, the in vitro data
      suggest that paeoniflorin is a potential novel therapeutic agent against gastric
      carcinoma, which inhibits cell viability and induces apoptosis through the up
      regulation of miR-124 and suppression of PI3K/Akt and STAT3 signaling.

PMID- 26109807
TI  - Long noncoding RNAs in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - AIM: To study the expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in hepatitis B
      virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: The lncRNA profiles
      between HBV-related HCC tissues and corresponding normal liver tissues were
      generated using microarray analysis. Datasets were analyzed using multiple
      algorithms to depict alterations in gene expression on the basis of gene ontology
      (GO), pathway analysis, and lncRNA levels. RESULTS: The microarray revealed that
      1772 lncRNAs and 2508 mRNAs were differently expressed. The pathway analysis
      demonstrated that the cell cycle, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction,
      chemokine signaling pathway, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B
      signaling pathway may play important roles in HCC. Several GO terms, such as cell
      cycle, DNA replication, immune response, and signal transduction, were enriched
      in gene lists, suggesting a potential correlation with HBV-related HCC. The
      upregulated large intergenic noncoding RNA ULK4P2 was physically combined with
      enhancer of zeste homolog 2. Therefore, the lncRNAs may participate in regulating
      HBV-related HCC. CONCLUSION: lncRNAs play important roles in HCC, future studies
      should verify whether large intergenic noncoding ULK4P2 functions by combining
      with enhancer of zeste homolog 2 in HCC.

PMID- 26109808
TI  - Impact of body mass index on complications following pancreatectomy: Ten-year
      experience at National Cancer Center in China.
AB  - AIM: To examine the impact of body mass index (BMI) on outcomes following
      pancreatic resection in the Chinese population. METHODS: A retrospective cohort
      study using prospectively collected data was conducted at the Cancer Hospital of
      the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, China National Cancer Center.
      Individuals who underwent pancreatic resection between January 2004 and December
      2013 were identified and included in the study. Persons were classified as having
      a normal weight if their BMI was < 24 kg/m(2) and overweight/obese if their BMI
      was >= 24 kg/m(2) as defined by the International Life Sciences Institute Focal
      Point in China. A chi(2) test (for categorical variables) or a t test (for
      continuous variables) was used to examine the differences in patients'
      characteristics between normal weight and overweight/obese groups. Multiple
      logistic regression models were used to assess the associations of postoperative
      complications, operative difficulty, length of hospital stay, and cost with BMI,
      adjusting for age, sex, and type of surgery procedures. RESULTS: A total of 362
      consecutive patients with data available for BMI calculation underwent pancreatic
      resection for benign or malignant disease from January 1, 2004 to December 31,
      2013. Of the 362 patients, 156 were overweight or obese and 206 were of normal
      weight. One or more postoperative complications occurred in 35.4% of the patients
      following pancreatic resection. Among patients who were overweight or obese,
      42.9% experienced one or more complications, significantly higher than normal
      weight (29.6%) individuals (P = 0.0086). Compared with individuals who had normal
      weight, those with a BMI >= 24.0 kg/m(2) had higher delayed gastric emptying
      (19.9% vs 5.8%, P < 0.0001) and bile leak (7.7% vs 1.9%, P = 0.0068). There were
      no significant differences seen in pancreatic fistula, gastrointestinal
      hemorrhage, reoperation, readmission, or other complications. BMI did not show a
      significant association with intraoperative blood loss, operative time, length of
      hospital stay, or cost. CONCLUSION: Higher BMI increases the risk for
      postoperative complications after pancreatectomy in the Chinese population. The
      findings require replication in future studies with larger sample sizes.

PMID- 26109809
TI  - Comparison of non-schistosomal rectosigmoid cancer and schistosomal rectosigmoid
      cancer.
AB  - AIM: To compare the clinicopathological features of patients with non
      schistosomal rectosigmoid cancer and schistosomal rectosigmoid cancer. METHODS:
      All the patients with rectosigmoid carcinoma who underwent laparoscopic radical
      surgical resection in the Shanghai Minimally Invasive Surgical Center at Ruijin
      Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao-Tong University between October 2009 and
      October 2013 were included in this study. Twenty-six cases of colonic
      schistosomiasis diagnosed through colonoscopy and pathological examinations were
      collected. Symptoms, endoscopic findings and clinicopathological characteristics
      were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: There were no significant differences
      between patients with and without schistosomiasis in gender, age, CEA, CA19-9,
      preoperative biopsy findings or postoperative pathology. Patients with
      rectosigmoid schistosomiasis had a significantly higher CA-125 level and a larger
      proportion of these patients were at an early tumor stage (P = 0.003). Various
      morphological characteristics of schistosomiasis combined with rectosigmoid
      cancer could be found by colonoscopic examination: 46% were fungating mass
      polyps, 23% were congestive and ulcerative polyps, 23% were cauliflower-like
      masses, 8% were annular masses. Only 27% of the patients were diagnosed with
      rectal carcinoma preoperatively after the biopsy. Computed tomography (CT) scans
      showed thickened intestinal walls combined with linear and tram-track
      calcifications in 26 patients. CONCLUSION: Rectosigmoid carcinoma combined with
      schistosomiasis is associated with higher CA-125 values and early tumor stages.
      CA-125 and CT scans have a reasonable sensitivity for the accurate diagnosis.

PMID- 26109810
TI  - PillCam COLON 2 in Crohn's disease: A new concept of pan-enteric mucosal healing
      assessment.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate mucosal healing in patients with small bowel plus colonic
      Crohn's disease (CD) with a single non-invasive examination, by using PillCam
      COLON 2 (PCC2). METHODS: Patients with non-stricturing nonpenetrating small bowel
      plus colonic CD in sustained corticosteroid-free remission were included. At
      diagnosis, patients had undergone ileocolonoscopy to identify active CD lesions,
      such as ulcers and erosions, and small bowel capsule endoscopy to assess the
      Lewis Score (LS). After >= 1 year of follow-up, patients underwent entire
      gastrointestinal tract evaluation with PCC2. The primary endpoint was assessment
      of CD mucosal healing, defined as no active colonic CD lesions and LS < 135.
      RESULTS: Twelve patients were included (7 male; mean age: 32 years), and mean
      follow-up was 38 mo. The majority of patients (83.3%) received immunosuppressive
      therapy. Three patients (25%) achieved mucosal healing in both the small bowel
      and the colon, while disease activity was limited to either the small bowel or
      the colon in 5 patients (42%). It was possible to observe the entire
      gastrointestinal tract in 10 of the 12 patients (83%) who underwent PCC2.
      CONCLUSION: Only three patients in sustained corticosteroid-free clinical
      remission achieved mucosal healing in both the small bowel and the colon,
      highlighting the limitations of clinical assessment when stratifying disease
      activity, and the need for pan-enteric endoscopy to guide therapeutic
      modification.

PMID- 26109811
TI  - Risk factors for small bowel angioectasia: The impact of visceral fat
      accumulation.
AB  - AIM: To investigate visceral fat accumulation in association with the risk of
      small bowel angioectasia. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated 198
      consecutive patients who underwent both capsule endoscopy and CT for
      investigation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) from January 2009 to
      September 2013. The visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area were
      measured by CT, and information on comorbidities, body mass index, and
      medications was obtained from their medical records. Logistic regression analysis
      was used to evaluate associations. RESULTS: Capsule endoscopy revealed small
      bowel angioectasia in 18/198 (9.1%) patients with OGIB. Compared to patients
      without small bowel angioectasia, those with small bowel angioectasia had a
      significantly higher VFA (96 +/- 76.0 cm(2) vs 63.4 +/- 51.5 cm(2), P = 0.016)
      and a higher prevalence of liver cirrhosis (61% vs 22%, P < 0.001). The
      proportion of patients with chronic renal failure was higher in patients with
      small bowel angioectasia (22% vs 9%, P = 0.11). There were no significant
      differences in subcutaneous fat area or waist circumference. The prevalence of
      small bowel angioectasia progressively increased according to the VFA.
      Multivariate analysis showed that the VFA [odd ratio (OR) for each 10-cm(2)
      increment = 1.1; [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.19; P = 0.021] and liver
      cirrhosis (OR = 6.1, 95%CI: 2.2-18.5; P < 0.001) were significant risk factors
      for small bowel angioectasia. CONCLUSION: VFA is positively associated with the
      prevalence of small bowel angioectasia, for which VFA and liver cirrhosis are
      independent risk factors in patients with OGIB.

PMID- 26109813
TI  - High level of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 affects prognosis of patients
      with hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - AIM: To determine the cut-off value of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)
      and assess the correlation of ICAM-1 with clinicopathological features and the
      prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent surgical
      resection. METHODS: We prospectively collected clinicopathological data from 236
      HCC patients who had undergone successful hepatectomy. Receiver operating
      characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal cut-off
      value of ICAM-1. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the
      concentration of ICAM-1 in 236 serum samples isolated from HCC patients and the
      stratified analysis was used to compare the serum level of ICAM-1 in different
      HCC subgroups. Immunohistochemistry was performed to test the expression level of
      the ICAM-1 protein in 76 cases of HCC tissues and their adjacent normal liver
      tissues (ANLT). The survival probability of HCC patients was estimated using
      Kaplan-Meier plots and differences between the groups were obtained using the log
      rank test. Furthermore, independent indicators of the prognosis were acquired
      using a stepwise Cox proportional hazard model to analyze a series of predictors
      that were associated with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS)
      in HCC patients. RESULTS: Our findings suggested that ICAM-1 promotes HCC
      metastasis and high serum ICAM-1 is significantly associated with alpha
      fetoprotein (AFP) (P = 0.022), clinical tumor-node-metastasis stage (P < 0.001),
      portal vein tumor thrombus (P = 0.005), distant metastasis (P = 0.016) and
      recurrence (P = 0.034). We further detected the ICAM-1 protein in HCC specimens
      and found that 56 of 76 (73.7%) HCC tissues had ICAM-1 positive staining while
      only 23 of 76 (30.3%) ANLT were positively stained (P < 0.0001). Survival
      analysis indicated that HCC patients with increased ICAM-1 concentrations had
      significantly shorter DFS and OS after resection. A multivariate analysis showed
      that ICAM-1 > 684 ng/mL was an independent factor for DFS (HR = 1.643; 95%CI:
      1.125-2.401; P = 0.010) and OS (HR = 1.692; 95%CI: 1.152-2.486; P = 0.007).
      CONCLUSION: ICAM-1 may be a promising serological biomarker for HCC diagnosis and
      an independent predictor of DFS and OS after surgical resection and may provide a
      useful reference for the prediction of intra- and extrahepatic metastasis.

PMID- 26109812
TI  - Living donor liver transplantation with body-weight more or less than 10
      kilograms.
AB  - AIM: To compare the outcomes of pediatric patients weighing less than or more
      than 10 kg who underwent liver transplantation. METHODS: Data for 196 pediatric
      patients who underwent living donor liver transplantation between June 1994 and
      February 2011 were reviewed retrospectively. The information for each patient was
      anonymized and de-identified before analysis. The data included information
      regarding the pre-transplant conditions, intraoperative fluid replacement and
      outcomes for each patient. The 196 patients were divided into two groups: those
      with body weights of less than 10 kg were included in group 1 (G1; n = 101),
      while those with body weights of more than 10 kg were included in group 2 (G2; n
      = 95). For each group, the patients' ages, body weights, heights, pediatric end
      stage liver disease scores, anesthesia times, and warm and cold ischemic times
      were analyzed. In addition, between-group comparisons were also made. Mann
      Whitney U tests were used to compare all the variables except for complications
      and survival rates, which were analyzed using chi(2) tests and Kaplan-Meier
      tests, respectively. RESULTS: The general medical conditions of the G1 patients
      were worse than those of the G2 patients, as shown by the higher pediatric end
      stage liver disease scores and poorer Z-scores. In addition, the pre-operative Hb
      and serum albumin levels were all lower for the G1 patients than for the G2
      patients. The G1 patients also had significantly more intraoperative blood loss
      than the G2 patients. In addition, the intraoperative fluid requirements for the
      G1 patients, including leukocyte poor red blood cell transfusions, 5% albumin
      infusions and crystalloid infusions, were significantly higher than those for the
      G2 patients. The risk of intraoperative portal vein thrombosis was higher for the
      patients in G1 than for those in G2. However, the one-year survival rates (95.9%
      and 96.8% for G1 and G2, respectively) and three-year survival rates (94.9% and
      94.6% for G1 and G2, respectively) for both groups were similar. CONCLUSION:
      Patients weighing less than 10 kg typically have poorer conditions, but their
      survival rates are comparable to those of children weighing more than 10 kg.

PMID- 26109814
TI  - Autologous mobilized peripheral blood CD34(+) cell infusion in non-viral
      decompensated liver cirrhosis.
AB  - AIM: To study the effect of mobilized peripheral blood autologous CD34 positive
      (CD34(+)) cell infusion in patients with non-viral decompensated cirrhosis.
      METHODS: Cirrhotic patients of non-viral etiology were divided into 2 groups
      based on their willingness to be listed for deceased donor liver transplant
      (DDLT) (control, n = 23) or to receive autologous CD34(+) cell infusion through
      the hepatic artery (study group, n = 22). Patients in the study group were
      admitted to hospital and received granulocyte colony stimulating factor
      injections 520 MUg/d for 3 consecutive days to mobilize CD34(+) cells from the
      bone marrow. On day 4, leukapheresis was done and CD34(+) cells were isolated
      using CliniMAC magnetic cell sorter. The isolated CD34(+) cells were infused into
      the hepatic artery under radiological guidance. The patients were discharged
      within 48 h. The control group received standard of care treatment for liver
      cirrhosis and were worked up for DDLT as per protocol of the institute. Both
      groups were followed up every week for 4 wk and then every month for 3 mo.
      RESULTS: In the control and the study group, the cause of cirrhosis was
      cryptogenic in 18 (78.2%) and 16 (72.72%) and alcohol related in 5 (21.7%) and 6
      (27.27%), respectively. The mean day 3 cell count (cells/MUL) was 27.00 +/- 20.43
      with a viability of 81.84 +/- 11.99%. and purity of 80%-90%. Primary end point
      analysis revealed that at 4 wk, the mean serum albumin in the study group
      increased significantly (2.83 +/- 0.36 vs 2.43 +/- 0.42, P = 0.001) when compared
      with controls. This improvement in albumin was, however, not sustained at 3 mo.
      However, at the end of 3 mo there was a statistically significant improvement in
      serum creatinine in the study group (0.96 +/- 0.33 vs 1.42 +/- 0.70, P = 0.01)
      which translated into a significant improvement in the Model for End-Stage Liver
      Disease score (15.75 +/- 5.13 vs 19.94 +/- 6.68, P = 0.04). On statistical
      analysis of secondary end points, the transplant free survival at the end of 1 mo
      and 3 mo did not show any significant difference (P = 0.60) when compared to the
      control group. There was no improvement in aspartate transaminase, alanine
      transaminase, and bilirubin at any point in the study population. There was no
      mortality benefit in the study group. The procedure was safe with no procedural
      or treatment related complications. CONCLUSION: Autologous CD 34(+) cell infusion
      is safe and effectively improves liver function in the short term and may serve
      as a bridge to liver transplantation.

PMID- 26109815
TI  - Prevalence and predictors of hospitalization in Crohn's disease in a prospective
      population-based inception cohort from 2000-2012.
AB  - AIM: To analyze the prevalence, length and predictors of hospitalization in the
      biological era in the population-based inception cohort from Veszprem province.
      METHODS: Data of 331 incident Crohn's disease (CD) patients diagnosed between
      January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2010 were analyzed (median age at diagnosis: 28;
      IQR: 21-40 years). Both in- and outpatient records were collected and
      comprehensively reviewed. RESULTS: Probabilities of first CD-related
      hospitalization and re-hospitalization were 32.3%, 45.5%, 53.7% and 13.6%, 23.9%,
      29.8%, respectively after one, three and five years of follow-up in Kaplan-Meier
      analysis. First-year hospitalizations were related to diagnostic procedures
      (37%), surgery or disease activity (27% and 21%). Non-inflammatory disease
      behavior at diagnosis (HR = 1.32, P = 0.001) and perianal disease (HR = 1.47, P =
      0.04) were associated with time to first CD-related hospitalization, while
      disease behavior change (HR = 2.38, P = 0.002) and need for steroids (HR = 3.14,
      P = 0.003) were associated with time to first re-hospitalization in multivariate
      analyses. Early CD-related hospitalization (within the year of diagnosis) was
      independently associated with need for immunosuppressives (OR = 2.08, P = 0.001)
      and need for surgeries (OR = 7.25, P < 0.001) during the disease course.
      CONCLUSION: Hospitalization and re-hospitalization rates are still high in this
      cohort, especially during the first-year after the diagnosis. Non-inflammatory
      disease behavior at diagnosis was identified as the pivotal predictive factor of
      both hospitalization and re-hospitalization.

PMID- 26109816
TI  - Bevacizumab plus XELOX as first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer:
      The OBELIX study.
AB  - AIM: To confirm the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab/XELOX combination for the
      treatment of locally advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) in Italy.
      METHODS: This multicentric, prospective, open-label study included patients with
      CRC previously untreated with chemotherapy. Patients were administered
      bevacizumab in combination with XELOX. The primary efficacy end-point was
      progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary end-points included time to overall
      response (TOR), duration of response (DOR), time to treatment failure (TTF) and
      overall survival (OS). The incidence and type of adverse events AEs and severe
      AEs were evaluated. Also, the mutational status of BRAF and KRAS was assessed by
      high resolution melting and direct sequencing, and quality of life (QoL) was
      measured by the EuroQoL EQ-5D questionnaire at baseline and at the last visit.
      RESULTS: The intention-to-treat population included 197 patients (mean age: 62.3
      +/- 9.9 years, 56.4% males). At baseline, 16/34 evaluable subjects (47.1%)
      harbored a KRAS and/or a BRAF mutation; the mean QoL index was 80.2 +/- 14.3.
      First-line therapy was given for 223.7 +/- 175.9 d, and after a mean follow-up of
      387.7 +/- 238.8 d all patients discontinued from the study mainly for disease
      progression (PD, 45.4%) and AEs (25.4%). Median PFS was 9.7 mo (95%CI: 8.4-10.5)
      and the median values for secondary end-points were: TOR = 3.9 mo (95%CI: 2.6
      4.7), DOR = 8.5 mo (95%CI: 7.3-10.3), TTF = 6.7 mo (95%CI: 6.0-7.7) and OS = 23.2
      mo (95%CI: 20.1-27.2). Patients carrying at least one lesion had a lower overall
      response rate (66.7% vs 88.9%) and a lower probability of achieving complete or
      partial response than those without mutations, but the difference in relative
      risk was not statistically significant (P = 0.2). Mean EQ-5D-3L raw index score
      significantly decreased to 74.9 +/- 19.1 at the last visit (signed-rank test, P =
      0.0076), but in general the evaluation on QoL perceived by patients was good.
      CONCLUSION: The efficacy of bevacizumab in combination with XELOX in terms of PFS
      in patients with aCRC or mCRC in Italy was confirmed, with acceptable toxicity.

PMID- 26109817
TI  - Is endoscopic papillary large balloon dilatation without endoscopic
      sphincterotomy effective?
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic papillary large balloon
      dilatation (EPLBD) without endoscopic sphincterotomy in a prospective study.
      METHODS: From July 2011 to August 2013, we performed EPLBD on 41 patients with
      naive papillae prospectively. For sphincteroplasty of EPLBD, endoscopic
      sphincterotomy (EST) was not performed, and balloon diameter selection was based
      on the distal common bile duct diameter. The balloon was inflated to the desired
      pressure. If the balloon waist did not disappear, and the desired pressure was
      satisfied, we judged the dilatation as complete. We used a retrieval balloon
      catheter or mechanical lithotripter (ML) to remove stones and assessed the rates
      of complete stone removal, number of sessions, use of ML and adverse events.
      Furthermore, we compared the presence or absence of balloon waist disappearance
      with clinical characteristics and endoscopic outcome. RESULTS: The mean diameters
      of the distal and maximum common bile duct were 13.5 +/- 2.4 mm and 16.4 +/- 3.1
      mm, respectively. The mean maximum transverse-diameter of the stones was 13.4 +/-
      3.4 mm, and the mean number of stones was 3.0 +/- 2.4. Complete stone removal was
      achieved in 97.5% (40/41) of cases, and ML was used in 12.2% (5/41) of cases. The
      mean number of sessions required was 1.2 +/- 0.62. Pancreatitis developed in two
      patients and perforation in one. The rate of balloon waist disappearance was
      73.1% (30/41). No significant differences were noted in procedure time, rate of
      complete stone removal (100% vs 100%), number of sessions (1.1 vs 1.3, P = 0.22),
      application of ML (13% vs 9%, P = 0.71), or occurrence of pancreatitis (3.3% vs
      9.1%, P = 0.45) between cases with and without balloon waist disappearance.
      CONCLUSION: EST before sphincteroplasty may be unnecessary in EPLBD. Further
      investigations are needed to verify the relationship between the presence or
      absence of balloon waist disappearance.

PMID- 26109818
TI  - Different roles of capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy in obscure
      small intestinal diseases.
AB  - AIM: To compare the roles of capsule endoscopy (CE) and double-balloon
      enteroscopy (DBE) in the diagnosis of obscure small bowel diseases. METHODS: From
      June 2009 to December 2014, 88 patients were included in this study; the patients
      had undergone gastroscopy, colonoscopy, radiological small intestinal barium
      meal, abdominal computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scan and
      mesenteric angiography, but their diagnoses were still unclear. The patients with
      gastrointestinal obstructions, fistulas, strictures, or cardiac pacemakers, as
      well as pregnant women, and individuals who could not accept the capsule
      retention or capsule-removal surgery were excluded. Patients with heart, lung and
      other vital organ failure diseases were also excluded. Everyone involved in this
      study had undergone CE and DBE. The results were divided into: (1) the definite
      diagnosis (the diagnosis was confirmed at least by one of the biopsy, surgery,
      pathology or the drug treatment effects with follow-up for at least 3 mo); (2)
      the possible diagnosis (a possible diagnosis was suggested by CE or DBE, but not
      confirmed by the biopsy, surgery or follow-up drug treatment effects); and (3)
      the unclear diagnosis (no exact causes were provided by CE and DBE for the
      disease). The detection rate and the diagnostic yield of the two methods were
      compared. The difference in the etiologies between CE and DBE was estimated, and
      the different possible etiologies caused by the age groups were also
      investigated. RESULTS: CE exhibited a better trend than DBE for diagnosing
      scattered small ulcers (P = 0.242, Fisher's test), and small vascular
      malformations (chi(2) = 1.810, P = 0.179, Pearson chi(2) test), but with no
      significant differences, possible due to few cases. However, DBE was better than
      CE for larger tumors (P = 0.018, Fisher's test) and for diverticular lesions with
      bleeding ulcers (P = 0.005, Fisher's test). All three hemangioma cases diagnosed
      by DBE in this study (including sponge hemangioma, venous hemangioma, and
      hemangioma with hamartoma lesions) were all confirmed by biopsy. Two parasite
      cases were found by CE, but were negative by DBE. This study revealed no obvious
      differences in the detection rates (DR) of CE (60.0%, 53/88) and DBE (59.1%,
      52/88). However, the etiological diagnostic yield (DY) difference was apparent.
      The CE diagnostic yield was 42.0% (37/88), and the DBE diagnostic yield was 51.1%
      (45/88). Furthermore, there were differences among the age groups (chi(2) =
      22.146, P = 0.008, Kruskal Wallis Test). Small intestinal cancer (5/6 cases),
      vascular malformations (22/29 cases), and active bleeding (3/4 cases) appeared
      more commonly in the patients over 50 years old, but diverticula with bleeding
      ulcers were usually found in the 15-25-year group (4/7cases). The over-25-year
      group accounted for the stromal tumors (10/12 cases). CONCLUSION: CE and DBE each
      have their own advantages and disadvantages. The appropriate choice depends on
      the patient's age, tolerance, and clinical manifestations. Sometimes CE followed
      by DBE is necessary.

PMID- 26109819
TI  - Recombinant streptokinase vs hydrocortisone suppositories in acute hemorrhoids: A
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - AIM: To compare the efficacy and safety of recombinant streptokinase (rSK) vs
      hydrocortisone acetate-based suppositories in acute hemorrhoidal disease.
      METHODS: A multicenter (11 sites), randomized (1:1:1), open, controlled trial
      with parallel groups was performed. All participating patients gave their
      written, informed consent. After inclusion, patients with acute symptoms of
      hemorrhoids were centrally randomized to receive, as outpatients, by the rectal
      route, suppositories of rSK 200000 IU of one unit every 8 h (first 3 units) and
      afterwards every 12 h until 8 administrations were completed (schedule A), one
      unit every 8 h until 6 units were completed (schedule B), or 25 mg hydrocortisone
      acetate once every 8 h up to a maximum of 24 administrations. Evaluations were
      performed at 3, 5, and 10 d post-inclusion. The main end-point was the 5(th)-day
      response (disappearance of pain and bleeding, and >= 70% reduction of the lesion
      size). Time to response and need for thrombectomy were secondary efficacy
      variables. Adverse events were also evaluated. RESULTS: Groups were homogeneous
      with regards to demographic and baseline characteristics. Fifth day complete
      response rates were 156/170 (91.8%; 95%CI: 87.3-96.2), 155/170 (91.2%; 95%CI:
      86.6%-95.7%), and 46/170 (27.1%; 95%CI: 20.1%-34.0%) with rSK (schedule A and B)
      and hydrocortisone acetate suppositories, respectively. These 64.6% and 63.9%
      differences (95%CI: 56.7%-72.2% and 55.7%-72.0%) were highly significant (P <
      0.001). This advantage was detected since the early 3(rd) day evaluation (68.8%
      and 64.1% vs 7.1% for the rSK and active control groups, respectively; P < 0.001)
      and was maintained even at the late 10(th) day assessment (97.1% and 93.5% vs
      67.1% for rSK and hydrocortisone acetate, respectively; P < 0.001). Time to
      response was 3 d (95%CI: 2.9-3.1) for both rSK groups and 10 d (95%CI: 9.3-10.7)
      in the hydrocortisone acetate group. This difference was highly significant (P <
      0.001). All subgroup stratified analyses (with or without thrombosis and
      hemorrhoid classification) showed a statistically significant advantage for the
      rSK groups. Thrombectomy was necessary in 4/251 and 14/133 patients with baseline
      thrombosis in the rSK and hydrocortisone acetate groups, respectively (P <
      0.001). There were no adverse events attributable to the experimental treatment.
      CONCLUSION: rSK suppositories showed a significant advantage over a widely-used
      over-the-counter hydrocortisone acetate preparation for the treatment of acute
      hemorrhoidal illness, as well as having an adequate safety profile.

PMID- 26109821
TI  - How to treat an extensive form of primary intestinal lymphangiectasia?
AB  - We report a case of a 42-year-old man with a rare disorder known as primary
      intestinal lymphangiectasia, which is characterized by dilated intestinal
      lymphatics that lead to the development of protein-losing enteropathy. The
      patient presented with a grand mal seizure caused by malabsorption-derived
      electrolytes and a protein disorder. Signs of the disease, including chronic
      diarrhea and peripheral edema, manifested 10 years ago, but a diagnosis was never
      made. The diagnosis was suspected because of the clinical manifestations,
      laboratory tests, imaging and endoscopic findings. Hyperemic and edematous mucosa
      of the small intestine corresponded to scattered white spots with dilated
      intestinal lymphatics and whitish villi in the histological specimen of the
      biopsied jejunal mucosa. Although numerous therapeutic strategies are available,
      only octreotide therapy proved to be an effective means of therapeutic resolution
      in this patient. Although the patient had a partial remission following the use
      of a slow release formula of octreotide, his prognosis, clinical course, and
      future treatment challenges are yet to be determined. 

PMID- 26109820
TI  - Increased risk of second malignancy in pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous
      tumors: Review of the literature.
AB  - AIM: To analyze the available evidence about the risk of extrapancreatic
      malignancies and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma associated to pancreatic
      intraductal papillary mucinous tumors (IPMNs). METHODS: A systematic search of
      literature was undertaken using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane and Web-of-Science
      libraries. No limitations for year of publication were considered; preference was
      given to English papers. All references in selected articles were further
      screened for additional publications. Both clinical series and Literature reviews
      were selected. For all eligible studies, a standard data extraction form was
      filled in and the following data were extracted: study design, number of
      patients, prevalence of pancreatic cancer and extrapancreatic malignancies in
      IPMN patients and control groups, if available. RESULTS: A total of 805 abstracts
      were selected and read; 25 articles were considered pertinent and 17 were chosen
      for the present systematic review. Eleven monocentric series, 1 multicentric
      series, 1 case-control study, 1 population-based study and 3 case report were
      included. A total of 2881 patients were globally analyzed as study group, and the
      incidence of pancreatic cancer and/or extrapancreatic malignancies ranged from 5%
      to 52%, with a mean of 28.71%. When a control group was analyzed (6 papers), the
      same incidence was as low as 9.4%. CONCLUSION: The available Literature is
      unanimous in claiming IPMNs to be strongly associated with pancreatic and
      extrapancreatic malignancies. The consequences in IPMNs management are herein
      discussed.

PMID- 26109822
TI  - Hemorrhagic hemangioma in the liver: A case report.
AB  - Hemangioma is the most common type of benign tumor that arises in the liver.
      Although rupture and hemorrhage of hepatic hemangioma are rare complications,
      they can be the cause of mortality. The authors report a case of hemorrhagic
      hepatic hemangioma: in a 54-year-old woman who was admitted with epigastric pain.
      She had taken oral contraceptives several weeks prior. The results of a blood
      examination were normal. An abdominal computed tomography scan revealed a tumor
      in hepatic segment 4, and a hemorrhage inside the cystic mass was suspected. The
      mass was removed laparoscopically to confirm the tumor properties and control the
      hemorrhage. The pathologic findings of the resected mass were consistent with
      hepatic hemangioma with intratumoral hemorrhage. The patient was discharged 8 d
      after the surgery, without further complications or complaints, and the patient's
      condition was found to have improved during follow-up. 

PMID- 26109823
TI  - Citrin deficiency presenting as acute liver failure in an eight-month-old infant.
AB  - Citrin deficiency typically presents as neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis and
      resolves in late infancy. Here we report a case of citrin deficiency that
      presented as acute liver failure in late infancy in an apparently healthy child.
      The full-term male infant weighed 3400 g at birth, and exhibited normal
      development for eight months, at which time he contracted bronchial pneumonia.
      The infant developed jaundice and laboratory tests indicated elevated bilirubin
      and ammonia levels and an abnormal coagulation profile. Plasma amino acid
      analysis showed elevated levels of tyrosine, methionine, citrulline, and
      arginine. Citrin deficiency was suspected, and genomic DNA analysis revealed a
      mutation (IVS16ins3kb) in SLC25A13, which encodes a mitochondrial aspartate
      glutamate carrier protein. The infant was immediately put on a lactose-free,
      medium-chain-triglyceride-enriched formula with ursodeoxycholic acid and lipid
      soluble vitamins. However, cholestasis and abnormal laboratory indices persisted,
      and the infant died at the age of 11.5 mo, two days before a scheduled liver
      transplantation. This case demonstrates that citrin deficiency can present in
      late infancy as acute liver failure triggered by infection, and may require liver
      transplantation. 

PMID- 26109825
TI  - Instructions to Authors modifications.

PMID- 26109824
TI  - Primary combined hepatocellular-cholangiocellular sarcoma: An unusual case.
AB  - Primary liver carcinosarcoma is rare. Here we report an unusual case of liver
      carcinosarcoma containing combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma. A mass in
      the right liver lobe of a 45-year-old man was accidentally discovered by
      ultrasonic inspection and computed tomography (CT) scan. Surgical resection was
      performed following a diagnosis of primary liver cancer. Micropathologically,
      both carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements were present, and diagnosis of liver
      carcinosarcoma was confirmed. The carcinomatous element consisted of
      hepatocellular carcinoma and foci of cholangiocellular carcinoma. The sarcomatous
      element was composed of spindle cells and bizarre cells, as well as foci of
      osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma. Hepatocellular carcinoma cells diffusely
      expressed both hepatocyte specific markers cytokeratin (CK) 8/18 and
      cholangiocyte specific markers CK19, and sarcoma cells were positive for
      vimentin. Interestingly, both carcinomatous and sarcomatous cells expressed
      epithelial membrane antigen. CD117-positive ductular reactions and small
      undifferentiated cells were observed. A liver progenitor cell origin of the liver
      carcinosarcoma was proposed. 

PMID- 26109826
TI  - The flexion-rotation test performed actively and passively: a comparison of range
      of motion in patients with cervicogenic headache.
AB  - Limitation in cervical spine range of motion (ROM) is one criterion for diagnosis
      of cervicogenic headaches (CHs). The flexion-rotation test, when performed
      passively (FRT-P), has been shown to be a useful test in diagnosis of CH. Few
      investigations have examined the flexion-rotation test when performed actively
      (FRT-A) by the individual, and no studies have examined the FRT-A in a
      symptomatic population. The purpose of this study was to compare ROM during the
      FRT-A and FRT-P in patients with CH and asymptomatic individuals and to compare
      ROM between sides for these two versions of the test. Twelve patients with CH and
      10 asymptomatic participants were included in the study. An eight-camera Motion
      Analysis system was used to measure head motion relative to the trunk during the
      FRT-P and the FRT-A. Cervical rotation ROM was measured in a position of full
      cervical flexion for both tests. No significant difference was observed between
      right and left sides for cervical rotation ROM during the FRT-P nor the FRT-A
      when performed by asymptomatic participants. In patients with CH, a significant
      difference was observed between sides for the FRT-P (P = 0.014); however, the FRT
      A failed to reveal bilateral descrepancy in rotation ROM. 

PMID- 26109827
TI  - Knowledge translation from continuing education to physiotherapy practice in
      classifying patients with low back pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Physical therapists have used continuing education as a method of
      improving their skills in conducting clinical examination of patients with low
      back pain (LBP). The purpose of this study was to evaluate how well the
      pathoanatomical classification of patients in acute or subacute LBP can be
      learned and applied through a continuing education format. The patients were seen
      in a direct access setting. METHODS: The study was carried out in a large health
      care center in Finland. The analysis included a total of 57 patient evaluations
      generated by six physical therapists on patients with LBP. We analyzed the
      consistency and level of agreement of the six physiotherapists' (PTs) diagnostic
      decisions, who participated in a 5-day, intensive continuing education session
      and also compared those with the diagnostic opinions of two expert physical
      therapists, who were blind to the original diagnostic decisions. Evaluation of
      the physical therapists' clinical examination of the patients was conducted by
      the two experts, in order to determine the accuracy and percentage agreement of
      the pathoanatomical diagnoses. RESULTS: The percentage of agreement between the
      experts and PTs was 72-77%. The overall inter-examiner reliability (kappa
      coefficient) for the subgroup classification between the six PTs and two experts
      was 0.63 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.47-0.77], indicating good agreement
      between the PTs and the two experts. The overall inter-examiner reliability
      between the two experts was 0.63 (0.49-0.77) indicating good level of agreement.
      DISCUSSION: Our results indicate that PTs' were able to apply their continuing
      education training to clinical reasoning and make consistently accurate
      pathoanatomic based diagnostic decisions for patients with LBP. This would
      suggest that continuing education short-courses provide a reasonable format for
      knowledge translation (KT) by which physical therapists can learn and apply new
      information related to the examination and differential diagnosis of patients in
      acute or subacute LBP.

PMID- 26109828
TI  - A preliminary study comparing the use of cervical/upper thoracic mobilization and
      manipulation for individuals with mechanical neck pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Neck pain is routinely managed using manual therapy (MT) to the
      cervical and thoracic spines. While both mobilizations and manipulations to these
      areas have been shown to reduce neck pain, increase cervical range of motion, and
      reduce disability, the most effective option remains elusive. The purpose of this
      preliminary trial was to compare the pragmatic use of cervical and thoracic
      mobilizations vs. manipulation for mechanical neck pain. METHODS: This trial
      included 20 patients with mechanical neck pain. Each patient was randomized to
      receive either mobilization or manipulation to both the cervical and thoracic
      spines during their plan of care. Within-group analyses were made with Wilcoxon
      signed-rank tests and between-group analyses were made with Mann-Whitney U.
      RESULTS: There were no between-group differences for any of the dependent
      variables including cervical active range of motion (CAROM) (P = 0.18), deep
      cervical flexion (DCF) endurance (P = 0.06), numerical pain rating scale (NPRS)
      (P = 0.26), the neck disability index (NDI, P = 0.33), patient-specific
      functional scale (PSFS, P = 0.20), or the global rating of change (GROC) scale (P
      = 0.94). Within-group results were significant for all outcome variables
      (P<0.001) from initial evaluation to discharge for both groups. DISCUSSION: These
      findings were consistent with other trials previously conducted that applied the
      MT techniques in a pragmatic fashion, but varied from previous trials where the
      treatment was standardized. A larger experimental study is necessary to further
      examine the differences between mobilization and manipulation for neck pain.

PMID- 26109829
TI  - Risk factors associated with sacral stress fractures: a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine and identify risk factors
      associated with the development of sacral stress fractures in order to improve
      diagnosis in clinical practice. METHODS: Electronic search strategies in PubMed,
      CINAHL, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus were combined with a hand search to identify
      articles for inclusion. Studies were considered if they described patient cases
      in which imaging confirmed diagnosis of a sacral stress fracture, and the
      diagnosis included whether the fracture was a sacral insufficiency or sacral
      fatigue stress fracture. RESULTS: In those that developed sacral insufficiency
      fractures, the risk factors that were most prevalent included osteoporosis,
      pelvic radiation therapy, rheumatoid arthritis, long-term corticosteroid therapy,
      and postmenopausal, each with a prevalence of 100%. Risk factors with 100%
      prevalence in those diagnosed with sacral fatigue fractures included recent
      increase in training intensity and deficient diet. DISCUSSION: A pattern of signs
      and symptoms are consistent among subjects with sacral stress fractures. Patients
      being unsuccessfully treated for low-back and buttock pain who fit the risk
      factor profiles for sacral stress fractures should be referred to a physician for
      further diagnostic workup.

PMID- 26109830
TI  - Congenital 'butterfly vertebra' associated with low back pain: a case report.
AB  - The butterfly vertebral defect is a rare congenital anomaly of the spine, which
      is generally considered benign. In this report we present the case of an active
      young man who presented with recurrent low back pain (LBP), and was found to have
      a butterfly vertebral defect at the symptomatic L4 lumbar spinal level. We
      describe the genesis of the butterfly vertebral defect, in the context of normal
      embryological development of the human vertebra and intervertebral disk. We
      report the clinical examination findings and therapeutic interventions undertaken
      prior to the radiographic discovery of the vertebral defect, and discuss the
      impact that the presence of a butterfly vertebral defect presented to therapeutic
      decision-making. 

PMID- 26109831
TI  - Comparable effect of simulated side bending and side gliding positions on the
      direction and magnitude of lumbar disc hydration shift: in vivo MRI mechanistic
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the direction and magnitude of mechanical influence to
      the lumbar disc in side bending and side gliding positions by considering shift
      of disc hydration. METHODS: Twenty asymptomatic subjects completed this study.
      Direction of the hydration shift (theta), magnitude of the shift, and segmental
      lateral flexion and rotation angles from L1/L2 to L5/S1 during left side bend and
      side glide in lying were measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and
      compared using paired t-tests. RESULTS: A significant difference (P<0.001) was
      detected in the segmental lateral flexion angle at L1/L2 between the side bending
      position (mean [SD], 5.1 degrees  [2.2 degrees ] left lateral flexion) and the
      side gliding position (mean [SD], 2.1 degrees  [2.7 degrees ] left lateral
      flexion). However, there was neither significant difference (P>0.05) in the
      lateral flexion angle at other segments nor rotation angles at each segment
      between the two lumbar positions. There was also no significant difference
      (P>0.05) in the theta value and magnitude of the hydration shift between the two
      lumbar positions. The disc hydration generally shifted to the right in the left
      side bending and side gliding positions at all disc levels. DISCUSSION: This is
      the first study to investigate mechanical influence to each lumbar disc in the
      side gliding position using the shift of disc hydration on axial MRI. The
      comparability in the direction and magnitude of the hydration shift in the side
      bending and side gliding positions indicates that the maneuver of side gliding
      can produce comparable ipsilateral mechanical influence to each lumbar disc in
      comparison to side bending.

PMID- 26109832
TI  - Physical therapists' treatment choices for non-specific low back pain in Florida:
      an electronic survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: No study has described low back pain (LBP) treatment choices among
      physical therapists (PTs) in the United States (US) in the new millennium.
      Intervention for LBP in the new millennium is largely based on evidence-based
      practice (EBP) recommendations. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to
      describe PTs' preferences for treating acute and subacute non-specific LBP in
      Florida and to compare these preferences to EBP guideline recommendations and (b)
      to compare outpatient musculoskeletal therapist (MSPT) choices for management of
      acute and subacute LBP to non-outpatient musculoskeletal therapist (NMSPT)
      choices. METHODS: The data were collected with an electronic survey. Study
      participants selected treatment choices for acute and subacute LBP clinical
      vignettes. RESULTS: A total of 327 PTs participated in the study, of which 128
      worked in outpatient musculoskeletal settings. The most common treatment choices
      for acute and subacute LBP were home exercise program, exercise in the clinic,
      back care education, joint mobilization, ice/heat, and interferential current.
      The EBP adherence rate for acute LBP was 30% for MSPTs and 15% for NMSPTs. Thirty
      seven percent (37%) of MSPTs and 30% of NMSPTs adhered to EBP guidelines for
      subacute LBP. DISCUSSION: The EBP adherence rate for management of acute and
      subacute LBP was low. Spinal manipulation was underutilized for management of
      acute LBP, and passive therapeutic procedures were overutilized for subacute LBP.
      Physical Therapy schools and professional associations should reemphasize the
      benefits of spinal manipulation to manage non-specific acute LBP and active
      interventional procedures to manage subacute LBP.

PMID- 26109833
TI  - In pursuit of rigour and accountability in participatory design.
AB  - The field of Participatory Design (PD) has greatly diversified and we see a broad
      spectrum of approaches and methodologies emerging. However, to foster its role in
      designing future interactive technologies, a discussion about accountability and
      rigour across this spectrum is needed. Rejecting the traditional, positivistic
      framework, we take inspiration from related fields such as Design Research and
      Action Research to develop interpretations of these concepts that are rooted in
      PD's own belief system. We argue that unlike in other fields, accountability and
      rigour are nuanced concepts that are delivered through debate, critique and
      reflection. A key prerequisite for having such debates is the availability of a
      language that allows designers, researchers and practitioners to construct solid
      arguments about the appropriateness of their stances, choices and judgements. To
      this end, we propose a "tool-to-think-with" that provides such a language by
      guiding designers, researchers and practitioners through a process of systematic
      reflection and critical analysis. The tool proposes four lenses to critically
      reflect on the nature of a PD effort: epistemology, values, stakeholders and
      outcomes. In a subsequent step, the coherence between the revealed features is
      analysed and shows whether they pull the project in the same direction or work
      against each other. Regardless of the flavour of PD, we argue that this coherence
      of features indicates the level of internal rigour of PD work and that the
      process of reflection and analysis provides the language to argue for it. We
      envision our tool to be useful at all stages of PD work: in the planning phase,
      as part of a reflective practice during the work, and as a means to construct
      knowledge and advance the field after the fact. We ground our theoretical
      discussions in a specific PD experience, the ECHOES project, to motivate the tool
      and to illustrate its workings.

PMID- 26109835
TI  - A simple program to measure and analyse tree rings using Excel, R and SigmaScan.
AB  - I present a new software that links a program for image analysis (SigmaScan), one
      for spreadsheets (Excel) and one for statistical analysis (R) for applications of
      tree-ring analysis. The first macro measures ring width marked by the user on
      scanned images, stores raw and detrended data in Excel and calculates the
      distance to the pith and inter-series correlations. A second macro measures
      darkness along a defined path to identify latewood-earlywood transition in
      conifers, and a third shows the potential for automatic detection of boundaries.
      Written in Visual Basic for Applications, the code makes use of the advantages of
      existing programs and is consequently very economic and relatively simple to
      adjust to the requirements of specific projects or to expand making use of
      already available code.

PMID- 26109834
TI  - The roles of signaling pathways in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of PVR.
AB  - Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is the major cause of failure in patients
      undergoing surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Characterized by
      the formation of an abnormal contractile membrane within the eye, PVR can cause
      tractional retinal redetachment. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), in
      which epithelial cells morphologically and phenotypically transdifferentiate into
      mesenchymal cells, is the major pathological process implicated in PVR. Among the
      various cell types involved in the process, retinal pigment epithelium cells are
      primary contributors although, after decades of research, the mechanisms
      underlying EMT have remained elusive. Recently, signaling pathways, some
      involving growth factors, have been demonstrated to contribute to EMT. In this
      article, we review research to date about the roles of such signaling, including
      including transforming growth factor-beta-, hepatocyte growth factor-, platelet
      derived growth factor-, and Notch-, Wnt/beta-catenin-, and Hippo-signaling
      pathways, in the EMT of PVR. 

PMID- 26109836
TI  - Multi-century long density chronology of living and sub-fossil trees from Lake
      Schwarzensee, Austria.
AB  - This paper presents a multi-century, maximum latewood density (MXD) chronology
      developed from living and sub-fossil spruce trees from the Eastern Alps. The
      chronology is continuous from 88AD to 2008AD. This time series has been analysed
      with respect to its possible use for climate reconstruction. Correlations with
      climatic data showed strong dependence between MXD of growth rings and
      temperature of April, May, June, July, August and September and a weaker,
      negative dependence with precipitation of May and September. For solar radiation
      a positive relationship was noted for April, July, August and September. Light
      rings were frequently observed within the analysed samples and the climate of
      years with light rings was examined. Mean monthly temperatures in January, June,
      August, September and October, averaged during light ring years, were cooler than
      during years without light rings. Precipitation was also significantly reduced in
      March during light ring years. In turn, solar radiation during light ring years
      has significantly lowered values in February and August. The occurrence of light
      rings was often positively related to strong volcanic events.

PMID- 26109837
TI  - Soil sand content can alter effects of different taxa of mycorrhizal fungi on
      plant biomass production of grassland species.
AB  - In this greenhouse experiment we tested whether (i) ubiquitous arbuscular
      mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) taxa (Glomus claroideum, Glomus geosporum, Glomus
      intraradices, Glomus mosseae) singly and in a mixture differently affect growth
      and biomass production of four co-occurring grassland species (grass:
      Arrhenatherum elatius, non-leguminous forbs: Plantago lanceolata, Salvia
      pratensis and leguminous forb Trifolium pratense), and (ii) different soil sand
      contents alter AMF influence. We hypothesized that AMF effects on plants will
      increase with an increased AMF diversity and with increasing sand content.
      Percent AMF colonization of roots differed between plant species and AMF taxa and
      was higher with higher sand content. Plant growth responses to AMF were species
      specific both regarding plants and AMF. Generally, biomass production of the non
      leguminous forbs was the most responsive, the grass species the least and the
      legume intermediate both for AMF treatments and sand content. Across species, AMF
      influence on plant biomass increased with increasing soil sand content. Plant
      species growing in soil containing a mix of four AMF taxa showed similar growth
      responses than species in soil containing only one AMF taxon. These results
      suggest that both interference among AMF taxa and soil sand content can trigger
      the influence of AMF on plant production in grassland species.

PMID- 26109838
TI  - Storage and shipping of tissue samples for DNA analyses: A case study on
      earthworms.
AB  - Nowadays, molecular analyses play an important role in studies of soil dwelling
      animals, for example in taxonomy, phylogeography or food web analyses. The
      quality of the DNA, used for later molecular analyses, is an important factor and
      depends on collection and preservation of samples prior to DNA extraction.
      Ideally, DNA samples are frozen immediately upon collection, but if samples are
      collected in the field, suitable preservation methods might be limited due to
      unavailability of resources or remote field sites. Moreover, shipping samples
      over long distances can cause loss of DNA quality e.g. by thawing or leaking of
      preservation liquid. In this study we use earthworms, a key organism in soil
      research, to compare three different DNA preservation methods - freezing at -20 
      degrees C, storing in 75% ethanol, and freeze drying. Samples were shipped from
      the United States of America to Austria. The DNA of the samples was extracted
      using two different extraction methods, peqGOLDTM and Chelex(r) 100. The DNA
      amplification success was determined by amplifying four DNA fragments of
      different length. The PCR amplification success is significantly influenced by
      preservation method and extraction method and differed significantly depending on
      the length of the DNA fragment. Freeze drying samples was the best preservation
      method when samples were extracted using the silica based extraction method
      peqGOLDTM. For samples that were extracted with Chelex(r) 100, storage in ethanol
      was the best preservation method. However, the overall amplification success was
      significantly lower for the extraction procedure based on Chelex(r) 100. The
      detection of the small DNA fragments was higher and independent from the
      extraction method, while the amplification success was significantly reduced for
      the longer DNA fragments. We recommend freeze drying of DNA samples, especially
      when they have to be shipped for longer distances. No special packaging or
      declaration is needed for freeze dried samples, and the risk of thawing is
      excluded. Storage of freeze dried samples also reduces costs because samples can
      be kept at room temperature in a desiccator. It should be noted, that the
      extraction methods showed significant differences in DNA amplification success.
      Thus, the extraction method should be taken into account when choosing the
      preservation method.

PMID- 26109839
TI  - Oribatida (Acari) in grassy arable fallows are more affected by soil properties
      than habitat age and plant species.
AB  - Oribatid mites are one of the numerically dominant arthropod groups in soils.
      They play an important role in soil food webs via regulating the decomposition of
      organic matter and propagating microorganisms within the soil. To our knowledge,
      the influence of different plant functional groups on oribatid mites has not been
      studied in abandoned farmland with undisturbed succession before. The density and
      assemblage structure of oribatid mites in nine grassy arable fallows relative to
      three habitat age classes (2-3, 6-8, 12-15 years) and three selected plant
      species (legume: Medicago sativa, forb: Taraxacum officinale, grass: Bromus
      sterilis) were investigated in soil associated with single plants. Mite density
      declined marginally not significant with habitat age because of high abundances
      of the ubiquitous species Tectocepheus velatus sarekensis and Punctoribates
      punctum in young and mid-aged fallows and their subsequent decline in old
      fallows. Oribatid mite density and species assemblage were not affected by plant
      species. Only P. punctum had significantly higher densities in B. sterilis
      samples than in T. officinale samples due to a higher amount of fine roots.
      Distance-based linear models revealed that 65% of the variation in mite
      assemblage was explained by soil properties, soil type, exposition and geographic
      position, while habitat age was of minor importance. Canonical correspondence
      analysis revealed that the mite assemblage was best explained by soil organic and
      microbial carbon, water content and pH.

PMID- 26109840
TI  - Comparison of central corneal thickness: ultrasound pachymetry versus slit-lamp
      optical coherence tomography, specular microscopy, and Orbscan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Central corneal thickness (CCT) can be measured by using contact and
      non-contact methods. Ultrasound pachymetry (US pachymetry) is a contact method
      for measuring CCT and is perhaps the most commonly used method. However, non
      contact methods like scanning slit topography (Orbscan II), slit-lamp optical
      coherence tomography (SL-OCT), and specular microscopy are also used. Not many
      studies have correlated the measurement of CCT with all four modalities. The
      purpose of this study was to compare and correlate the CCT measurements obtained
      by US pachymetry with SL-OCT, specular microscopy, and Orbscan. METHOD: This is a
      prospective, comparative study done in an institutional setting. Thirty-two eyes
      of 32 subjects with no known ocular disease and best-corrected visual acuity of
      20/20 were enrolled. CCT measurements were obtained using SL-OCT, specular
      microscopy, scanning slit topography (Orbscan), and US pachymetry. Three
      measurements were made with each instrument by the same operator. Mean, standard
      deviation, and coefficient of variation were calculated for CCT measurements
      acquired by the four measurement devices. Bland-Altman plot was constructed to
      determine the agreements between the CCT measurements obtained by different
      equipment. RESULTS: The mean CCT was 548.16+/-48.68 MUm by US pachymetry. In
      comparison, CCT averaged 546.36+/-44.17 MUm by SL-OCT, 557.61+/-49.92 MUm by
      specular microscopy, and 551.03+/-48.96 MUm by Orbscan for all subjects.
      Measurements by the various modalities were strongly correlated. Correlations (r
      (2)) of CCT, as measured by US pachymetry compared with other modalities, were:
      SL-OCT (r (2)=0.98, P<0.0001), specular microscopy (r (2)=0.98, P<0.0001), and
      Orbscan (r (2)=0.96, P<0.0001). All modalities had a linear correlation with US
      pachymetry measurements. CONCLUSION: In subjects with healthy corneas, SL-OCT,
      specular microscopy, and Orbscan (with correction factor) can be used
      interchangeably with US pachymetry in certain clinical settings. The four
      modalities showed significant linear correlations with one another.

PMID- 26109841
TI  - Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy due to biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis in
      Thai patients.
AB  - Giant cell arteritis is a systemic granulomatous vasculitis affecting medium to
      large arteries. An arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is the most
      common cause of permanent visual loss. Giant cell arteritis is very rare among
      Asians. We report six patients with biopsy-proven arteritic anterior ischemic
      optic neuropathy. Demographic data, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings,
      treatment, and visual outcome are described in detail and compared with Caucasian
      patients. We found no differences in any clinical features except for sex
      preference. Moreover, perioptic nerve sheath enhancement was observed in half of
      our patients. 

PMID- 26109842
TI  - A case of WAGR syndrome in association with developmental glaucoma requiring
      bilateral Baerveldt glaucoma implants and subsequent tube repositioning.
AB  - Glaucoma drainage device implantation is efficacious for the treatment of
      pediatric glaucoma patients when multiple angle surgeries fail. However, tube
      touching of the corneal endothelium is one of the major postoperative
      complications to deal with. A 15-month-old male patient with Wilms' tumor,
      aniridia, genitourinary anomalies, and mental retardation (WAGR) syndrome was
      diagnosed with bilateral developmental glaucoma. He underwent Baerveldt glaucoma
      implant (BGI) surgeries in both eyes after multiple failed trabeculotomies. The
      tube in his right eye was touching the cornea 15 months after BGI surgery. To
      avoid corneal endothelium damage, BGI tube repositioning with scleral fixation
      was performed without serious complications. The bilateral BGI surgeries achieved
      successful intraocular pressure reduction for over 2 years and tube repositioning
      with scleral fixation of BGI tube was successful for BGI tube malposition.
      Although careful attention to intraocular pressure and tube malposition is
      essential after glaucoma drainage device implantation, especially in pediatric
      cases, BGI surgery is effective in the management of developmental glaucoma
      following unsuccessful angle surgeries. 

PMID- 26109843
TI  - Virological and epidemiological analysis of coxsackievirus A24 variant epidemic
      of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis in Okinawa, Japan, in 2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) is a highly contagious
      enterovirus infection of the conjunctiva and cornea. Coxsackievirus A24 variant
      (CA24v) is one of its etiological agents. We report a clinical, epidemiological,
      and virological analysis of a large epidemic of AHC that occurred from May to
      September, 2011, in Okinawa, Japan. METHODS: Clinical and epidemic aspects were
      evaluated for 435 AHC patients (348 bilateral and 87 unilateral, 783 eyes).
      Virological studies were carried out on nine isolates from ten patients. Virus
      isolation and direct detection of the enterovirus genome by the reverse
      transcription polymerase chain reaction method and complete nucleotide sequencing
      of the VP1 gene and phylogeny-based classification using the VP4 sequences were
      carried out. RESULTS: The 11-15-year age group comprised the highest (62.0%)
      proportion of cases among all age groups. Conjunctival hyperemia was present in
      all patients, and subconjunctival hemorrhage, superficial punctate keratitis, and
      preauricular lymphadenopathy were present in 25.4%, 10.3%, and 7.8% of eyes,
      respectively. CA24v was isolated from the epidemic strain, and phylogenetic
      analysis based on a fragment of the VP1 gene showed 96%-97% identity between the
      current strain and the recent China/GD01/2010 strain. CONCLUSION: These findings
      demonstrate that the clinical and epidemiological features of AHC observed in
      this study were similar to those of the past epidemic in the same region. It
      should be noted that sequential outbreaks of AHC due to CA24v might occur in the
      same location after a considerable period of time, and public health precautions
      are necessary to control this explosive epidemic.

PMID- 26109844
TI  - Osteopontin promotes dendritic cell maturation and function in response to HBV
      antigens.
AB  - PURPOSE: Dendritic cells (DCs) play critical roles in promoting innate and
      adaptive immunity in microbial infection. Functional impairment of DCs may
      mediate the suppression of viral-specific T-cell immune response in chronic
      hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Osteopontin (OPN) is involved in several liver
      diseases and infectious diseases. However, whether OPN affects DC function in
      hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is unknown. METHODS: Twenty CHB patients and 20
      healthy volunteers were recruited. OPN secreted by DCs was compared. Peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells cultured with OPN antibody were examined to study the
      costimulatory molecular expression and interleukin (IL)-12 production of DCs
      after HBV antigenic stimulation. OPN-deficient mice were used to investigate the
      influence of OPN on DC maturation and function after HBV antigenic stimulation in
      vitro and in vivo. Exogenous OPN was administrated to further verify the
      functioning of DCs from CHB patients upon HBV antigenic stimulation. RESULTS: We
      found that OPN production of DCs from CHB patients was significantly lower than
      those from healthy volunteers. The absence of OPN impaired IL-12 production and
      costimulatory molecular expression of DCs upon stimulation with HBV antigens.
      Defective DC function led to reduced activation of Th1 response to HBV antigens.
      In addition, OPN deficiency in DCs reduced the HBV antigen-induced inflammatory
      response in the liver of mice. Importantly, OPN administration significantly
      promoted the maturation of DCs from CHB patients in vitro. CONCLUSION: These
      findings suggested that OPN could improve the maturation and functioning of DCs
      in the immune response to HBV antigens, which might be useful to further improve
      the effect of DC vaccine.

PMID- 26109846
TI  - Effect of database profile variation on drug safety assessment: an analysis of
      spontaneous adverse event reports of Japanese cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of a statistical approach to analyze cumulative adverse event
      (AE) reports has been encouraged by regulatory authorities. However, data
      variations affect statistical analyses (eg, signal detection). Further,
      differences in regulations, social issues, and health care systems can cause
      variations in AE data. The present study examined similarities and differences
      between two publicly available databases, ie, the Japanese Adverse Drug Event
      Report (JADER) database and the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event
      Reporting System (FAERS), and how they affect signal detection. METHODS: Two AE
      data sources from 2010 were examined, ie, JADER cases (JP) and Japanese cases
      extracted from the FAERS (FAERS-JP). Three methods for signals of
      disproportionate reporting, ie, the reporting odds ratio, Bayesian confidence
      propagation neural network, and Gamma Poisson Shrinker (GPS), were used on drug
      event combinations for three substances frequently recorded in both systems.
      RESULTS: The two databases showed similar elements of AE reports, but no option
      was provided for a shareable case identifier. The average number of AEs per case
      was 1.6+/-1.3 (maximum 37) in the JP and 3.3+/-3.5 (maximum 62) in the FAERS-JP.
      Between 5% and 57% of all AEs were signaled by three quantitative methods for
      etanercept, infliximab, and paroxetine. Signals identified by GPS for the JP and
      FAERS-JP, as referenced by Japanese labeling, showed higher positive sensitivity
      than was expected. CONCLUSION: The FAERS-JP was different from the JADER. Signals
      derived from both datasets identified different results, but shared certain
      signals. Discrepancies in type of AEs, drugs reported, and average number of AEs
      per case were potential contributing factors. This study will help those
      concerned with pharmacovigilance better understand the use and pitfalls of using
      spontaneous AE data.

PMID- 26109845
TI  - Oleanolic acid induces mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis and G0/G1 phase arrest
      in gallbladder cancer cells.
AB  - Oleanolic acid (OA), a naturally occurring triterpenoid, exhibits potential
      antitumor activity in many tumor cell lines. Gallbladder carcinoma is the most
      common malignancy of the biliary tract, and is a highly aggressive tumor with an
      extremely poor prognosis. Unfortunately, the effects of OA on gallbladder
      carcinoma are unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of OA on
      gallbladder cancer cells and the underlying mechanism. The results showed that OA
      inhibits proliferation of gallbladder cancer cells in a dose-dependent and time
      dependent manner on MTT and colony formation assay. A flow cytometry assay
      revealed apoptosis and G0/G1 phase arrest in GBC-SD and NOZ cells. Western blot
      analysis and a mitochondrial membrane potential assay demonstrated that OA
      functions through the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Moreover, this drug
      inhibited tumor growth in nude mice carrying subcutaneous NOZ tumor xenografts.
      These data suggest that OA inhibits proliferation of gallbladder cancer cells by
      regulating apoptosis and the cell cycle process. Thus, OA may be a promising drug
      for adjuvant chemotherapy in gallbladder carcinoma. 

PMID- 26109847
TI  - Efficiency and safety of subconjunctival injection of anti-VEGF agent -
      bevacizumab - in treating dry eye.
AB  - PURPOSE: Dry eye is a chronic inflammatory ocular surface disease with high
      prevalence. The current therapies for dry eye remain to be unspecific and
      notcomprehensive. This study aims to explore safety and efficacy of a novel
      treatment - subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab - in dry eye patients.
      METHODS: Sixty-four eyes of 32 dry eye patients received subconjunctival
      injection of 100 MUL 25 mg/mL bevacizumab. Dry eye symptoms, signs (corrected
      visual acuity, intraocular pressure, conjunctival vascularity, corneal staining,
      tear break-up time, Marx line score, and blood pressure), and conjunctival
      impression cytology were evaluated 3 days before and 1 week, 1 month, and 3
      months after injection. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed in dry
      eye symptoms, tear break-up time, and conjunctival vascularization area at all
      the visits after injection compared to the baseline (P<0.05). The density of the
      goblet cell increased significantly at 1 month and 3 months after injection
      (P<0.05). There was no visual and systemic threat observed in any patient.
      CONCLUSION: Subconjunctival injection of 100 MUL 25 mg/mL bevacizumab is a safe
      and efficient treatment for ocular surface inflammation of dry eye disease.

PMID- 26109848
TI  - Cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion injury by QiShenYiQi Pill(r) via
      ameliorate of multiple mitochondrial dysfunctions.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the potential cardioprotective effects of QiShenYiQi
      Pill((r)) (QSYQ) on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury through
      antioxidative stress and mitochondrial protection. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sprague
      Dawley rats were pretreated with QSYQ or saline for 7 days and subjected to
      ischemia (30 minutes occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery)
      and reperfusion (120 minutes). Cardiac functions were evaluated by echocardiogram
      and hemodynamics. Myocardial mitochondria were obtained to evaluate changes in
      mitochondrial structure and function, immediately after 120 minutes reperfusion.
      Pretreatment with QSYQ protected against I/R-induced myocardial structural injury
      and improved cardiac hemodynamics, as demonstrated by normalized serum creatine
      kinase and suppressed oxidative stress. Moreover, the impaired myocardial
      mitochondrial structure and function decreased level of ATP (accompanied by
      reduction of ATP5D and increase in the expression of cytochrome C). Myocardial
      fiber rupture, interstitial edema, and infiltrated leukocytes were all
      significantly ameliorated by pretreatment with QSYQ. CONCLUSION: Pretreatment of
      QSYQ in Sprague Dawley rats improves ventricular function and energy metabolism
      and reduces oxidative stress via ameliorating multiple mitochondrial dysfunctions
      during I/R injury.

PMID- 26109849
TI  - Antibiotic-modifying activity of riachin, a non-cyanogenic cyanoglycoside
      extracted from Bauhinia pentandra.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The search for new active compounds from the Brazilian flora has
      intensified in recent years, especially for new drugs with antibiotic potential.
      Accordingly, the aim of this study was to determine whether riachin has
      antibiotic activity in itself or is able to modulate the activity of conventional
      antibiotics. METHODS: A non-cyanogenic cyanoglycoside known as riachin was
      isolated from Bauhinia pentandra, and was tested alone and in combination with
      three antibiotics (clindamycin, amikacin, and gentamicin) against multiresistant
      bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus
      aureus). RESULTS: Riachin did not show significant antibiotic activity when
      tested alone against any strain (P>0.05). However, when combined with
      conventional antibiotics, it showed drug-modifying activity against strains of S.
      aureus exposed to clindamycin (P<0.001) as well as against P. aeruginosa exposed
      to amikacin (P<0.001). Although riachin did not show direct antibiotic activity,
      it had synergistic activity when combined with amikacin or clindamycin. The
      mechanism of action of this synergism is under investigation. CONCLUSION: The
      results of this work demonstrate that some substances of natural origin can
      enhance the effectiveness of certain antibiotics, which means a substantial
      reduction in the drug dose required and possibly in consequent adverse events for
      patients.

PMID- 26109850
TI  - Profile of evolocumab and its potential in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.
AB  - Despite the proven efficacy of statins, they often fail to achieve low-density
      lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol goals, especially in high-risk patients. Moreover,
      a large number of subjects cannot tolerate statins or full doses of these drugs,
      in particular patients with familial hypercholesterolemia. Thus, there is a need
      for additional effective LDL cholesterol-reducing agents. Evolocumab (AMG145) is
      a monoclonal antibody inhibiting proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9
      that binds to the liver LDL receptor and prevents it from normal recycling by
      targeting it for degradation. Phase I, II, and III trials revealed that, on
      subcutaneous injection, either alone or in combination with statins, evolocumab
      is able to reduce high LDL cholesterol levels from 54% to 80%, apolipoprotein
      B100 from 31% to 61%, and lipoprotein(a) from 12% to 36%, in a dose-dependent
      manner. The incidence of side effects seems to be low and mainly limited to
      nasopharyngitis, injection site pain, arthralgia, and back pain. Evolocumab is an
      innovative powerful lipid-lowering drug, additive to statins and/or ezetimibe,
      with a large therapeutic range associated with a low rate of mild adverse events.
      If the available data are confirmed in long-term trials with strong outcome
      measures, evolocumab will become an essential tool in the treatment of a large
      number of high-risk patients, such as those affected by familial
      hypercholesterolemia, those who are unable to tolerate an efficacious statin
      dosage, and those at very high cardiovascular risk and unable to achieve their
      target LDL cholesterol levels with currently available lipid-lowering therapies. 

PMID- 26109851
TI  - Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 prevents intra-abdominal adhesions by decreasing
      activity of peritoneal fibroblasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions are common complications
      after abdominal surgery. The exact molecular mechanisms that are responsible for
      these complications remain unclear, and there are no effective methods for
      preventing adhesion formation or reformation. The aim of the study reported here
      was to investigate the preventive effects and underlying potential molecular
      mechanisms of selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors in a rodent model of
      postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of
      COX-2 in postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions and normal peritoneal tissue was
      examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Assays were performed
      to elucidate the effect of COX-2 inhibition on hypoxia-induced fibroblast
      activity in vitro and on intra-abdominal adhesion formation in vivo. RESULTS:
      Hypoxia-induced COX-2 expression in peritoneal fibroblasts was increased in
      postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions. Inhibition of COX-2 attenuated the
      activating effect of hypoxia on normal peritoneal fibroblasts in vitro. Data
      indicate that selective COX-2 inhibitor prevents in vivo intra-abdominal adhesion
      by inhibition of basic fibroblast growth factor and transforming growth factor
      beta expression, but not through an antiangiogenic mechanism. Furthermore, using
      selective COX-2 inhibitors to prevent intra-abdominal adhesions did not adversely
      affect the weight, bowel motility, or healing of intestinal anastomoses in a rat
      model. CONCLUSION: These results show that hypoxia-induced COX-2 expression in
      peritoneal fibroblasts is involved in the formation of intra-abdominal adhesions.
      Inhibition of COX-2 prevents postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions through
      suppression of inflammatory cytokines.

PMID- 26109852
TI  - Obinutuzumab treatment in the elderly patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
AB  - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in adults in
      Western countries. Fludarabine-based regimens demonstrate higher response rates
      in younger patients but have a significant risk of infection and are thus poorly
      tolerated by older, frail patients. Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies have added to
      the efficacy of chemotherapy in CLL. Obinutuzumab is a potent Type II anti-CD20
      monoclonal antibody with enhanced antibody-dependent cellular toxicity and direct
      cell death compared with rituximab. In Phase I studies, infusion reactions and
      neutropenia were the predominant toxicities. Phase II studies demonstrated
      efficacy both as a single agent and in combination with chemotherapy in patients
      with CLL. The CLL11 trial was a Phase III randomized trial of chlorambucil alone
      or with either obinutuzumab or rituximab in elderly, unfit patients. Progression
      free survival (the primary end point) was 26.7 months for patients receiving
      obinutuzumab plus chlorambucil versus 16.3 months for those receiving rituximab
      plus chlorambucil and 11.1 months for those receiving chlorambucil alone
      (P<0.001). Overall survival was improved for patients receiving obinutuzumab plus
      chlorambucil versus chlorambucil alone (P=0.002). This trial led to the US Food
      and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of obinutuzumab in this patient
      population. 

PMID- 26109853
TI  - Roflumilast, a phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, induces phagocytic activity in
      Greek COPD patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A new approach to the treatment of COPD includes controlling
      inflammation because of its important role in exacerbation of the disease.
      Recently, roflumilast has been added as a therapeutic option for COPD.
      Roflumilast is an oral phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor that targets inflammatory
      cells involved in triggering exacerbations of COPD. The objective of the current
      study was to evaluate roflumilast for its contribution to phagocytic activity in
      COPD patients. METHODS: Twenty-one patients diagnosed with COPD received
      roflumilast once daily for 6 months in combination with fluticasone (an inhaled
      corticosteroid), salmeterol (a long-acting beta2-agonist), and tiotropium (a long
      acting muscarinic antagonist) or combinations of these agents. The main inclusion
      criterion was stable disease for at least the previous 30 days. Neutrophils and
      spirometric changes, ie, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced
      vital capacity (FVC), were measured in the COPD patients at indicated time
      points. The first sample was taken before receiving roflumilast, the second 3
      months later, and the third after 6 months. Examination of defective phagocytosis
      was done by flow cytometry using a FagoFlowEx((r)) kit. The statistical analysis
      was performed using Statistica software. RESULTS: Our results indicate that
      phagocytic activity was increased after 3 and 6 months of treatment when compared
      with baseline (P<0.001). Similarly, FVC and FEV1 were also increased during the 6
      month period, but only FVC differed significantly from baseline (P<0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Although the number of patients in this study was limited, our
      results indicate that roflumilast induces phagocytic activity, which improves
      lung function.

PMID- 26109854
TI  - Predicting energy requirement with pedometer-determined physical-activity level
      in women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In clinical practice, in the absence of objective measures, simple
      methods to predict energy requirement in patients with chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD) needs to be evaluated. The aim of the present study was
      to evaluate predicted energy requirement in females with COPD using pedometer
      determined physical activity level (PAL) multiplied by resting metabolic rate
      (RMR) equations. METHODS: Energy requirement was predicted in 18 women with COPD
      using pedometer-determined PAL multiplied by six different RMR equations (Harris
      Benedict; Schofield; World Health Organization; Moore; Nordic Nutrition
      Recommendations; Nordenson). Total energy expenditure (TEE) was measured by the
      criterion method: doubly labeled water. The predicted energy requirement was
      compared with measured TEE using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and
      Bland-Altman analyses. RESULTS: The energy requirement predicted by pedometer
      determined PAL multiplied by six different RMR equations was within a reasonable
      accuracy (+/-10%) of the measured TEE for all equations except one (Nordenson
      equation). The ICC values between the criterion method (TEE) and predicted energy
      requirement were: Harris-Benedict, ICC =0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23
      0.89; Schofield, ICC =0.71, 95% CI 0.21-0.89; World Health Organization, ICC
      =0.74, 95% CI 0.33-0.90; Moore, ICC =0.69, 95% CI 0.21-0.88; Nordic Nutrition
      Recommendations, ICC =0.70, 95% CI 0.17-0.89; and Nordenson, ICC =0.40, 95% CI 
      0.19 to 0.77. Bland-Altman plots revealed no systematic bias for predicted energy
      requirement except for Nordenson estimates. CONCLUSION: For clinical purposes, in
      absence of objective methods such as doubly labeled water method and motion
      sensors, energy requirement can be predicted using pedometer-determined PAL and
      common RMR equations. However, for assessment of nutritional status and for the
      purpose of giving nutritional treatment, a clinical judgment is important
      regarding when to accept a predicted energy requirement both at individual and
      group levels.

PMID- 26109857
TI  - Erratum: Cellular entry of nanoparticles via serum sensitive clathrin-mediated
      endocytosis, and plasma membrane permeabilization [corrigendum].

PMID- 26109856
TI  - Utilization of nanotechnology to enhance percutaneous absorption of acyclovir in
      the treatment of herpes simplex viral infections.
AB  - This study aimed to formulate an optimized acyclovir (ACV) nanoemulsion hydrogel
      in order to provide a solution for the slow, variable, and incomplete oral drug
      absorption in patient suffering from herpes simplex viral infection. Solubility
      of ACV in different oils, surfactants, and cosurfactants was explored utilizing a
      cubic model mixture design to obtain a nanoemulsion with minimum globule size.
      Preparation of an optimized ACV nanoemulsion hydrogel using a three-factor, three
      level Box-Behnken statistical design was conducted. The molecular weight of
      chitosan (X1), percentage of chitosan (X2), and percentage of Eugenol as a skin
      permeation enhancer (X3) were selected to study their effects on hydrogel
      spreadability (Y1) and percent ACV permeated through rat skin after 2.5 hours
      (Y2). A pharmacokinetic study of the optimized ACV nanoemulsion hydrogel was
      conducted in rats. Mixtures of clove oil and castor oil (3:1 ratio), Tween 80 and
      Span 80 (3:1 ratio), and propylene glycol and Myo-6V (3:1 ratio) were selected as
      the oil, surfactant, and cosurfactant phases, respectively. Statistical analysis
      indicated that the molecular weight of chitosan has a significant antagonistic
      effect on spreadability, but has no significant effect on the percent ACV
      permeated. The percentage of chitosan also has a significant antagonistic effect
      on the spreadability and percent ACV permeated. On the other hand, the percentage
      of Eugenol has a significant synergistic effect on percent ACV permeated, with no
      effect on spreadability. The ex vivo study demonstrated that the optimized ACV
      nanoemulsion hydrogel showed a twofold and 1.5-fold higher permeation percentage
      than the control gel and marketed cream, respectively. The relative
      bioavailability of the optimized ACV nanoemulsion hydrogel improved to 535.2% and
      244.6% with respect to the raw ACV hydrogel and marketed cream, respectively,
      confirming improvement of the relative bioavailability of ACV in the formulated
      nanoemulsion hydrogel. 

PMID- 26109855
TI  - Multifaceted applications of bile salts in pharmacy: an emphasis on nanomedicine.
AB  - The human body has long provided pharmaceutical science with biomaterials of
      interesting applications. Bile salts (BSs) are biomaterials reminiscent of
      traditional surfactants with peculiar structure and self-assembled topologies. In
      the pharmaceutical field, BSs were employed on the basis of two different
      concepts. The first concept exploited BSs' metabolic and homeostatic functions in
      disease modulation, whereas the second one utilized BSs' potential to modify drug
      delivery characteristics, which recently involved nanotechnology. This review is
      the first to gather major pharmaceutical applications of BSs from endogenous
      organotropism up to integration into nanomedicine, with a greater focus on the
      latter domain. Endogenous applications highlighted the role of BS in modulating
      hypercholesterolemia and cancer therapy in view of enterohepatic circulation. In
      addition, recent BS-integrated nanomedicines have been surveyed, chiefly size
      tunable cholate nanoparticles, BS-lecithin mixed micelles, bilosomes,
      probilosomes, and surface-engineered bilosomes. A greater emphasis has been laid
      on nanosystems for vaccine and cancer therapy. The comparative advantages of BS
      integrated nanomedicines over conventional nanocarriers have been noted.
      Paradoxical effects, current pitfalls, future perspectives, and opinions have
      also been outlined. 

PMID- 26109858
TI  - An exploratory study of the association between SORL1 polymorphisms and sporadic
      Alzheimer's disease in the Han Chinese population.
AB  - In previous studies, we reported that the sortilin-related receptor, L (DLR
      class) A repeats containing (SORL1) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
      are associated with the risk of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (SAD) in the Han
      Chinese population. To further explore the relationships between SORL1 genetic
      variants and SAD, we conducted a two-step study. Sequencing analysis in 50 case
      samples identified 14 SNPs within the promoter and untranslated region of the
      SORL1 gene. Subsequent genotyping analysis in 106 patients with SAD and 179
      healthy controls detected a significant association between the "G" allele of SNP
      rs1133174 in the 3' untranslated region of the SORL1 gene and SAD risk (odds
      ratio =1.92, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] =1.28-2.90, adjusted P=0.028). In
      addition, "G" allele carriers of rs1133174 (GA + GG) have a 2.15-fold increased
      risk of SAD compared to noncarriers (AA) (adjusted P=0.042). However, no
      significant positive associations were observed in the other 13 SNPs within the
      SORL1 gene. These preliminary findings suggest that the SORL1 SNP rs1133174 may
      be a potential risk locus for SAD in the Han Chinese population. 

PMID- 26109859
TI  - Effect of music intervention on the cognitive and depression status of senior
      apartment residents in Taiwan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the effect of music intervention on cognitive function and
      depression status of residents in senior citizen apartments based on the existing
      evidence regarding music therapy. METHODS: An experimental study was conducted
      from November 2008 to December 2009. Sixty healthy senior apartment residents
      over 65 years of age were recruited and separated into two groups. According to
      their opinion, 41 took part in the music intervention group and 19 in the
      comparison group. The music intervention involved Buddhist hymns. The short-term
      effects were evaluated based on the measurement of cognitive function and
      depression level using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Geriatric
      Depression Scale-short form (GDS-SF) at the baseline, 1 month, and 4 months.
      RESULTS: The means of the initial and the 1-month MMSE and GDS-SF scores did not
      differ between the two groups. The 4-month MMSE score significantly declined
      compared with the initial level in the comparison group, whereas no significant
      change was observed in the experimental group. Moreover, the 4-month GDS-SF score
      significantly improved in both groups compared with the initial level.
      CONCLUSION: Music intervention may postpone cognitive decline in healthy
      residents preferring Buddhist hymns in the senior citizen apartments in 4 months
      follow-up, and intense contact with participants may improve their mood status.

PMID- 26109860
TI  - Focus group reflections on the current and future state of cognitive assessment
      tools in geriatric health care.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study provides insight into the thoughts and opinions of
      geriatric health-care professionals toward cognitive assessments and the use of
      emerging technologies, such as eye-tracking, to supplement current tools.
      METHODS: Two focus group sessions were conducted with nurses and physicians who
      routinely administer neurocognitive assessments to geriatric populations. Video
      recordings of the focus group sessions were transcribed and a thematic analysis
      was performed. RESULTS: Participants reported the need for assessment and
      diagnostic tools that are accessible and efficient, and that are capable of
      accommodating the rapid growth in the aging population. The prevalence of more
      complex ailments experienced by older adults has had repercussions in the quality
      of care that the clients receive, and has contributed to lengthy wait times and
      resource shortages. Health-care professionals stated that they are hampered by
      the disjointed structure of the health-care system and that they would benefit
      from a more efficient allocation of responsibilities made possible through tools
      that did not require extensive training or certification. Eyetracking-based
      cognitive assessments were thought to strongly complement this system, yet it was
      thought that difficulty would be faced in gaining the support and increased
      uptake by health-care professionals due to the nonintuitive relationship between
      eyetracking and cognition. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that health-care
      professionals are receptive to the use of eyetracking technology to assess for
      cognitive health as it would conserve resources by allowing frontline staff to
      administer assessments with minimal training.

PMID- 26109861
TI  - Systematic review of the prevalence and incidence of Parkinson's disease in the
      People's Republic of China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease, and
      obtaining accurate epidemiological data for this disease is very important for
      policy-making in public health. The purpose of this study was to determine the
      prevalence and incidence of PD in the People's Republic of China and explore
      possible future research directions. METHODS: We systematically retrieved studies
      of the prevalence and incidence of PD in the People's Republic of China, Taiwan,
      and Hong Kong, and standardized the data according to the world's population in
      2000. RESULTS: Fifteen eligible studies were retrieved. Most were cross-sectional
      studies, and two thirds of the research was from the People's Republic of China.
      The prevalence of PD was reported in all the studies, but only two studies
      reported incidence data. The prevalence of PD in the People's Republic of China
      ranged from 16 to 440.3/100,000, and the annual incidence ranged from 1.5 to
      8.7/100,000. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of PD in the People's Republic of China
      has been widely investigated in the studies published to date. However, due to
      methodological heterogeneity, the data reported by the different studies are not
      comparable. There is still a lack of information on the incidence of PD in the
      People's Republic of China. Therefore, future research is required to answer this
      question.

PMID- 26109862
TI  - Quetiapine mitigates the ethanol-induced oxidative stress in brain tissue, but
      not in the liver, of the rat.
AB  - Quetiapine, an atypical antipsychotic, has been employed to treat alcoholic
      patients with comorbid psychopathology. It was shown to scavenge hydroxyl
      radicals and to protect cultured cells from noxious effects of oxidative stress,
      a pathophysiological mechanism involved in the toxicity of alcohol. This study
      compared the redox status of the liver and the brain regions of prefrontal
      cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum of rats treated with or without ethanol and
      quetiapine. Ethanol administration for 1 week induced oxidative stress in the
      liver and decreased the activity of glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidant
      capacity (TAC) there. Coadministration of quetiapine did not protect glutathione
      peroxidase and TAC in the liver against the noxious effect of ethanol, thus was
      unable to mitigate the ethanol-induced oxidative stress there. The ethanol
      induced alteration in the redox status in the prefrontal cortex is mild, whereas
      the hippocampus and cerebellum are more susceptible to ethanol intoxication. For
      all the examined brain regions, coadministration of quetiapine exerted effective
      protection on the antioxidants catalase and total superoxide dismutase and on the
      TAC, thus completely blocking the ethanol-induced oxidative stress in these brain
      regions. These protective effects may explain the clinical observations that
      quetiapine reduced psychiatric symptoms intensity and maintained a good level of
      tolerability in chronic alcoholism with comorbid psychopathology. 

PMID- 26109863
TI  - Staphylococcus aureus bacteremias following liver transplantation: a clinical
      analysis of 20 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To describe the incidence, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of
      Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia after liver transplantation and investigate the
      drug resistance of S. aureus to frequently used antibiotics to provide evidence
      for clinical prevention and therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a double-center
      retrospective study, blood cultures positive for S. aureus were obtained from
      January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2014. The BACTEC 9120 blood culture system and
      the Vitek-2 system were used to process blood samples and identify species,
      respectively. We also collected these patients' data to confirm clinical and
      laboratory characteristics. RESULTS: Twenty of 275 (7.3%) liver recipients
      developed S. aureus bacteremia during the study period. The median time to the
      onset of S. aureus bacteremias was 6 days after liver transplantation and all
      episodes of bacteremias were early onset. The lung was the most common source of
      primary infection, followed by the intra-abdominal/biliary tract. A total of nine
      (45%) liver recipients died due to S. aureus bacteremias. Of these 20 S. aureus
      cases, 80% were methicillin-resistant. S. aureus was highly resistant to
      erythromycin and penicillin (resistance rate >90%). No S. aureus resistant to
      glycopeptides and oxazolidone antibiotics was observed. There were seven (35%)
      liver recipients with an inappropriate antibiotic therapy. Between the periods of
      2001-2007 and 2008-2014, the distribution of methicillin-resistant S. aureus was
      not significantly different (P=1.000). Pneumonia as a predominant primary source,
      a high body temperature, abnormal blood pressure, and decreased platelets, which
      occurred in the early period after liver transplantation, as well as high
      morbidity and mortality, were the main characteristics of S. aureus bacteremias.
      CONCLUSION: S. aureus led to severe bacteremias in liver recipients, with high
      morbidity and mortality, and the majority of them comprised methicillin-resistant
      S. aureus.

PMID- 26109864
TI  - Optimal management of digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis.
AB  - Raynaud's phenomenon and digital ulcerations are two common clinical features
      seen in patients with systemic sclerosis. They are painful and lead to
      significant morbidity and altered hand function within this patient population.
      While currently there are no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved
      medications for the treatment of digital ulcerations in the United States,
      clinical trials have supported the use of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic
      modalities in facilitating healing of existing digital ulcers and preventing
      formation of new ulcers. This article reviews the published data on these
      therapeutic options. 

PMID- 26109866
TI  - Analysis of clinical efficacy of CyberKnife((r)) treatment for locally advanced
      pancreatic cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of CyberKnife((r)) treatment for
      locally-advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). METHODS: The efficacy of
      CyberKnife((r)) treatment was analyzed in 59 LAPC patients treated between
      October 2006 and September 2014. The median tumor volume was 27.1 mL (13.0
      125.145 mL). The median prescribed dose was 45 Gy (35-50 Gy), delivered in 5
      fractions (3-8 fractions). The overall survival (OS) rates and freedom from local
      progression (FFLP) rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier survival curve.
      RESULTS: The median follow-up for all patients was 10.9 months (3.2-48.7 months)
      and 15.6 months (3.9-37.6 months) among surviving patients. The median OS was
      12.5 months, and the 1-year and 2-year survival rates were 53.9% and 35.1%,
      respectively. The 1-year FFLP rate was 90.8% based on the computed tomography
      (CT) evaluation. Grade 1-2 acute and late-stage gastrointestinal (GI) reactions
      were observed in 61% of the patients. One patient experienced grade 3 toxicity.
      CONCLUSION: Excellent clinical efficacy was obtained after treatment of LAPC
      using CyberKnife((r)), with minimal toxicity.

PMID- 26109865
TI  - Lipidomics in vascular health: current perspectives.
AB  - Identifying the mechanisms that convert a healthy vascular wall to an
      atherosclerotic wall is of major importance since the consequences may lead to a
      shortened lifespan. Classical risk factors (age, smoking, obesity, diabetes
      mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia) may result in the progression of
      atherosclerotic lesions by processes including inflammation and lipid
      accumulation. Thus, the evaluation of blood lipids and the full lipid complement
      produced by cells, organisms, or tissues (lipidomics) is an issue of importance.
      In this review, we shall describe the recent progress in vascular health research
      using lipidomic advances. We will begin with an overview of vascular wall biology
      and lipids, followed by a short analysis of lipidomics. Finally, we shall focus
      on the clinical implications of lipidomics and studies that have examined
      lipidomic approaches and vascular health. 

PMID- 26109867
TI  - Tamoxifen with ovarian function suppression versus tamoxifen alone as an adjuvant
      treatment for premenopausal breast cancer: a meta-analysis of published
      randomized controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ovarian function suppression (OFS) significantly downregulates the
      concentration of plasma estrogens. However, it is unclear whether it offers any
      survival benefits if combined with adjuvant tamoxifen treatment in premenopausal
      women. This meta-analysis was designed to assess data from previous studies
      involving adjuvant tamoxifen treatment plus OFS in premenopausal breast cancer.
      METHODS: Electronic literature databases (PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science, and
      the Cochrane Library) were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials
      published prior to February 1, 2015. Only randomized controlled trials that
      compared tamoxifen alone with tamoxifen plus OFS for premenopausal women with
      breast cancer were selected. The evaluated endpoints were disease-free survival
      and overall survival. RESULTS: Four randomized controlled trials comprising 6,279
      patients (OFS combination, n=3,133; tamoxifen alone, n=3,146) were included in
      the meta-analysis. There was no significant improvement in disease-free survival
      or overall survival with addition of OFS in either the whole population or the
      hormone receptor-positive subgroup. The risk of distant recurrence was not
      reduced with the addition of OFS in the whole population. A subgroup analysis
      showed that addition of OFS significantly improved overall survival in patients
      who were administered chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Based on the available studies,
      concurrent administration of OFS and adjuvant tamoxifen treatment for
      premenopausal women with breast cancer has no effect on prolonging disease-free
      survival and overall survival, excluding patients who were administered
      chemotherapy. It should not be widely recommended, except perhaps for women who
      were hormone-receptor positive and who were also administered adjuvant
      chemotherapy.

PMID- 26109868
TI  - CpG oligodeoxyribonucleotide 7909 enhances radiosensitivity via downregulating
      Oct-4 expression in radioresistant lung cancer cells.
AB  - Radiotherapy is a powerful cure for local advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
      However, radioresistance and tumor relapse still occur in a high proportion of
      patients. Octamer-4 (Oct-4), a transcription factor of the POU family, plays a
      key role in maintaining chemoradioresistant properties and regulating cancer
      progression. In this study, we demonstrated that Oct-4 expression was
      significantly increased in radioresistant H460 (H460R) cell line. CpG
      oligodeoxyribonucleotide (CpG-ODN) 7909 sensitized H460R cells when combined with
      irradiation treatment. The clonogenic capacity was significantly decreased, and
      the values of D0 and Dq were lower than those of irradiation alone group. The
      sensitive enhancement ratio (SER) of D0 was 1.224. This combined treatment led to
      a dramatic reduction in Oct-4 expression in a dose-dependent manner and also
      showed increased percentage of cells in the radiosensitive G2/M phase relative to
      either treatment alone. These results identified that Oct-4 was involved in
      radioresistance. CpG-ODN 7909 could enhance radiosensitivity partly through
      downregulating Oct-4 expression in radioresistant lung cancer cells. 

PMID- 26109869
TI  - Positive expression of programmed death ligand-1 correlates with superior
      outcomes and might be a therapeutic target in primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma
      like carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) is a rare
      subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and no effective treatments have
      been defined for advanced disease. Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is
      expressed in a group of cancers that may be suitable targets for specific
      immunotherapy. METHODS: This study investigated the expression and clinical value
      of PD-L1 in pulmonary LELC. Seventy-nine patients with pulmonary LELC were
      investigated. Paraffin-embedded tumor sections were stained with PD-L1 antibody.
      Correlations of PD-L1 expression with clinicopathologic parameters and outcomes
      were analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty patients (63.3%) were PD-L1 positive. The 3-year
      and 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 76.0% and 68.0%,
      respectively, and the 3-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 88.0% and
      79.0%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with positive
      PD-L1 expression had longer PFS and OS than those with negative PD-L1 expression
      (P=0.019 and P=0.042, respectively). In a multivariate Cox regression model
      including age, tumor size, stage, and PD-L1 expression status, the latter three
      factors were found to be independent predictors of PFS (P=0.023, P=0.000, and
      P=0.009, respectively), but only stage was found to be an independent factor for
      OS (P=0.007), and PD-L1 expression status showed a trend to be independently
      correlated with OS (P=0.080). CONCLUSION: Our results showed that a large
      proportion of patients with pulmonary LELC had positive expression of PD-L1,
      supporting the potential use of anti-PD-1/PD-L1-targeted therapies in this
      distinct type of NSCLC.

PMID- 26109870
TI  - Bortezomib-based vs non-bortezomib-based post-transplantation treatment in
      multiple myeloma patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Phase III
      randomized controlled trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of bortezomib-based vs non
      bortezomib-based post-transplantation therapy in patients with multiple myeloma.
      METHODS: Data of relevant randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of
      bortezomib as post-transplantation consolidation or maintenance therapy was
      obtained through a comprehensive search. The outcome measures included response
      rate, progression-free survival, overall survival, and adverse events (AEs). The
      hazard ratio (HR), Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio (OR), and 95% confidence
      interval (95% CI) were applied to evaluate the effect of bortezomib in relation
      to the end points such as progression-free survival, overall survival, response
      rate, and AEs. RESULTS: Three randomized controlled trials comprising 1,518
      participants were included in this study. Pooled ORs for the rates of overall
      response, and complete response and near complete response, were 1.85 and 1.75,
      respectively. Pooled HR for progression-free survival favored bortezomib-based
      therapy over non-bortezomib-based therapy (0.73, 95% CI: 0.67-0.81), while no
      statistically significant difference could be found between the two groups
      regarding the pooled HR for 3-year overall survival. Moreover, incidence rates of
      overall adverse events and grade 3 and 4 peripheral neuropathy were similar in
      the bortezomib-based groups and the non-bortezomib-based groups (P=0.12 and
      P=0.41, respectively). The corresponding cumulative meta-analyses of the rates of
      overall response rate, complete response and near complete response, and grades 3
      and 4 peripheral neuropathy supported the superiority of bortezomib-based
      maintenance therapy over consolidation therapy. CONCLUSION: Bortezomib-based
      therapy after autologous stem cell transplantation, with tolerable AEs, could
      obviously improve the response as well as the outcome of multiple myeloma
      patients, particularly when bortezomib was administered as maintenance therapy.

PMID- 26109871
TI  - Prognostic role of HOTAIR in four estrogen-dependent malignant tumors: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), a long non-coding
      RNA transcribed from the antisense strand of the HOXC gene locus, has been shown
      to be overexpressed in various carcinomas and is thought to be an indicator of
      poor prognosis. Recently, HOTAIR was found to be an estrogen-responsive gene. We
      therefore conducted a meta-analysis to systematically summarize and clarify the
      association between HOTAIR expression and prognosis in the four main estrogen
      dependent tumors. METHODS: A systematic search of studies that examined the
      association and prognostic impact of HOTAIR in four of the main estrogen
      dependent tumors was conducted in PubMed and Embase. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95%
      confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to pool the effect size. RESULTS:
      A total of 1,200 patients from eight eligible studies were included. The current
      study found an association between HOTAIR expression and overall survival (OS) in
      four estrogen-dependent tumor types (HR, 1.99; 95% CI: 1.02-3.90; P
      Heterogeneity=0.001). Subgroup analyses indicated that high HOTAIR expression
      appeared to be a potential prognostic biomarker in non-breast cancer patients
      (HR, 2.72; 95% CI: 1.65-4.48). There was also an increased risk in Asian
      populations (HR, 2.55; 95% CI: 1.62-4.00) compared with Caucasian populations
      (HR, 1.19; 95% CI: 0.16-8.83) and in patients without preoperative treatment (HR,
      2.55; 95% CI: 1.62-4.00) compared with patients with preoperative treatment (HR,
      1.19; 95% CI: 0.16-8.83). In addition, the HRs of patients with high HOTAIR
      expression for metastasis-free survival (MFS), relapse-free survival (RFS), and
      disease-free survival (DFS) were 2.30 (P=0.120), 1.39 (P=0.000), and 2.53
      (P=0.714), respectively, but there were insufficient data to fully confirm these
      associations. CONCLUSION: HOTAIR may be a predictor of poor prognosis in four of
      the main estrogen-dependent tumors, especially in cervical, ovarian, and
      endometrial cancer patients without preoperative treatment in Asian populations.
      It is important to note that the prognostic value of HOTAIR in MFS, RFS, and DFS
      should be interpreted with caution due to the limited sample size and sample
      heterogeneity. Well-designed and larger-scale studies are needed to validate our
      findings.

PMID- 26109872
TI  - Exploration of peptide T7 and its derivative as integrin alphavbeta3-targeted
      imaging agents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to develop potential candidates of
      integrin alphavbeta3-targeted imaging agent, which can facilitate the diagnosis
      and treatment of malignant solid tumors. METHODS: Peptides derived from
      tumstatin, named T7 and T7-6H, were derivatized to contain histidine in the C
      terminus of their sequence and were labeled with (99m)Tc via nitrido and carbonyl
      precursors. The radiochemical purity and stability of (99m)Tc-labeled T7 and T7
      6H were characterized by thin-layer chromatography. The whole body
      biodistribution was studied in NCI-H157-bearing BALB/c nude mice. RESULTS: The
      (99m)Tc-labeled T7 and T7-6H showed adequate in vitro stability, with a high
      radiochemical purity of over 90%. The dissociation constant (Kd) value of the
      (99m)Tc-labeled T7 and T7-6H ranged from 68.5 nM to 140.8 nM in U251 and NCI-H157
      cell lines. (99m)Tc-labeled T7 and T7-6H showed no significant difference of
      biodistribution in mice. Furthermore, both T7 and T7-6H exhibited a poor blood
      brain barrier penetration and a transient accumulation in lung; the uptake in
      tumor tissues was significantly higher than in muscle tissue, with a ratio of
      5.8. CONCLUSION: (99m)Tc-labeled T7 and T7-6H can be regarded as promising single
      photon emission computed tomography probes for imaging integrin alphavbeta3, and
      need to be further studied for noninvasive detection of tumors.

PMID- 26109873
TI  - Economic value of in vitro fertilization in Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An economic value calculation was performed to estimate the lifetime
      net present value of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Ukraine, Belarus, and
      Kazakhstan. METHODS: Net lifetime tax revenues were used to represent
      governmental benefits accruing from a hypothetical cohort of an IVF population
      born in 2009 using the methodology of generational accounting. Governmental
      expenses related to this population included social benefits, education and
      health care, unemployment support, and pensions. Where available, country
      specific data referencing official sources were applied. RESULTS: The average
      health care cost needed to achieve one additional birth from the governmental
      perspective varied from $2,599 in Ukraine to $5,509 in Belarus. The net present
      value from the population born using IVF was positive in all countries: for
      Ukraine ($9,839), Belarus ($21,702), and Kazakhstan ($2,295). The break-even
      costs of drugs and supplies per IVF procedure is expected to be $3,870, $8,530,
      and $1,780, respectively. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses based on 5,000
      simulations show that the average net present value per person remains positive:
      $1,894+/-$7,619, $27,925+/-$12,407, and $17,229+/-$24,637 in Ukraine, Belarus,
      and Kazakhstan, respectively. CONCLUSION: Financing IVF may represent a good
      investment in terms of governmental financial returns, even in lower-income
      countries with state-financed health care systems such as Ukraine, Belarus, and
      Kazakhstan.

PMID- 26109874
TI  - The frequency of CYP2C19 genetic polymorphisms in Russian patients with peptic
      ulcers treated with proton pump inhibitors.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Proton pump inhibitors, which are widely used as acid-inhibitory
      agents for the treatment of peptic ulcers, are mainly metabolized by 2C19
      isoenzyme of cytochrome P450 (CYP2C19). CYP2C19 has genetic polymorphisms,
      associated with extensive, poor, intermediate or ultra-rapid metabolism of proton
      pump inhibitors. Genetic polymorphisms of CYP2C19 could be of clinical concern in
      the treatment of peptic ulcers with proton pump inhibitors. AIM: To investigate
      the frequencies of CYP2C19*2, CYP2C19*3, and CYP2C19*17 alleles and genotypes in
      Russian patients with peptic ulcers. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the
      cases of 971 patients of Caucasian origin with Russian nationality from Moscow
      region with endoscopically and histologically proven ulcers, 428 males (44%) and
      543 females (56%). The mean age was 44.6+/-11.9 years (range: 15-88 years). DNA
      was extracted from ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid whole blood samples (10 mL).
      The polymorphisms CYP2C19 681G.A (CYP2C19*2, rs4244285), CYP2C19 636 G.A
      (CYP2C19*3, rs4986893) and CYP2C19 -806 C.T (CYP2C19*17, rs12248560) were
      evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Regarding CYP2C19
      genotype, 317 patients (32.65%) out of 971 were CYP2C19*1/*1 carriers classified
      as extensive metabolizers. Three hundred and eighty-six (39.75%) with
      CYP2C19*1/*17 or CYP2C19*17/*17 genotype were ultra-rapid metabolizers. Two
      hundred and fifty-one people (25.85%) were intermediate metabolizers with
      CYP2C19*1/*2, CYP2C19*2/*17, CYP2C19*1/*3, CYP2C19*3/*17 genotypes. Seventeen
      patients (1.75%) with CYP2C19*2/*2, CYP2C19*3/*3, CYP2C19*2/*3 genotypes were
      poor metabolizers. The allele frequencies were the following: CYP2C19*2 - 0.140,
      CYP2C19*3 - 0.006, CYP2C19*17 - 0.274. CONCLUSION: There is a high frequency of
      CYP2C19 genotypes associated with modified response to proton pump inhibitors in
      Russian patients with peptic ulcers. Genotyping for CYP2C19 polymorphisms is
      suggested to be a useful tool for personalized dosing of proton pump inhibitors.

PMID- 26109875
TI  - Treatment of refractory/relapsed adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia with
      bortezomib-based chemotherapy.
AB  - Nine pretreated patients aged >19 years with relapsed/refractory acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were treated with a combination of bortezomib plus
      chemotherapy before allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo
      HSCT). Eight (88.9%) patients, including two Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL
      patients, achieved a complete remission. Furthermore, the evaluable patients have
      benefited from allo-HSCT after response to this reinduction treatment. We
      conclude that bortezomib-based chemotherapy was highly effective for adults with
      refractory/relapsed ALL before allo-HSCT. Therefore, this regimen deserves a
      larger series within prospective trials to confirm these results. 

PMID- 26109876
TI  - Clinical utility of naloxegol in the treatment of opioid-induced constipation.
AB  - Opioids are a class of medications frequently used for the treatment of acute and
      chronic pain, exerting their desired effects at central opioid receptors. Agonism
      at peripherally located opioid receptors, however, leads to opioid-induced
      constipation (OIC), one of the most frequent and debilitating side effects of
      prolonged opioid use. Insufficient relief of OIC with lifestyle modification and
      traditional laxative treatments may lead to decreased compliance with opioid
      regimens and undertreated pain. Peripherally acting mu-opioid receptor
      antagonists (PAMORAs) offer the reversal of OIC without loss of central pain
      relief. Until recently, PAMORAs were restricted to subcutaneous route or to
      narrow patient populations. Naloxegol is the first orally dosed PAMORA indicated
      for the treatment of OIC in noncancer patients. Studies have suggested its
      efficacy in patients failing traditional constipation treatments; however,
      insufficient evidence exists to establish its role in primary prevention of OIC
      at this time. 

PMID- 26109877
TI  - A profile of enzalutamide for the treatment of advanced castration resistant
      prostate cancer.
AB  - Recent advances in understanding the mechanisms underlying the development and
      progression of castration resistant prostate cancer from androgen-sensitive
      prostate cancer have provided new avenues exploring efficacious therapies in a
      disease which is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the
      western world. In the evolution of second generation anti-androgens,
      enzalutamide, a novel androgen-receptor signaling inhibitor, has emerged
      targeting multiple steps within the androgenic stimulation pathway. This review
      discusses what is currently known of the mechanisms surrounding castration
      resistant prostate cancer development and the current human clinical trials to
      determine whether enzalutamide presents a new hope for men with advanced prostate
      cancer. The issues of therapy resistance, withdrawal effects and cross-resistance
      are briefly touched upon. 

PMID- 26109879
TI  - Student assistantships: bridging the gap between student and doctor.
AB  - In 2009, the General Medical Council UK (GMC) published its updated guidance on
      medical education for the UK medical schools - Tomorrow's Doctors 2009. The
      Council recommended that the UK medical schools introduce, for the first time, a
      clinical placement in which a senior medical student, "assisting a junior doctor
      and under supervision, undertakes most of the duties of an F1 doctor". In the UK,
      an F1 doctor is a postgraduation year 1 (PGY1) doctor. This new kind of placement
      was called a student assistantship. The recommendation was considered necessary
      because conventional UK clinical placements rarely provided medical students with
      opportunities to take responsibility for patients - even under supervision. This
      is in spite of good evidence that higher levels of learning, and the acquisition
      of essential clinical and nontechnical skills, depend on students participating
      in health care delivery and gradually assuming responsibility under supervision.
      This review discusses the gap between student and doctor, and the impact of the
      student assistantship policy. Early evaluation indicates substantial variation in
      the clarity of purpose, setting, length, and scope of existing assistantships. In
      particular, few models are explicit on the most critical issue: exactly how the
      student participates in care and how supervision is deployed to optimize learning
      and patient safety. Surveys indicate that these issues are central to students'
      perceptions of the assistantship. They know when they have experienced real
      responsibility and when they have not. This lack of clarity and variation has
      limited the impact of student assistantships. We also consider other important
      approaches to bridging the gap between student and doctor. These include
      supporting the development of the student as a whole person, commissioning and
      developing the right supervision, student-aligned curricula, and challenging the
      risk assumptions of health care providers. 

PMID- 26109878
TI  - 5-Fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX6) plus sunitinib or
      bevacizumab as first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer: a
      randomized Phase IIb study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sunitinib is an oral inhibitor of tyrosine kinase receptors
      implicated in tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. In this
      randomized, multicenter, open-label Phase IIb study, sunitinib plus mFOLFOX6
      (oxaliplatin plus leucovorin plus 5-fluorouracil) was compared with bevacizumab
      plus mFOLFOX6 as first-line therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal
      cancer. METHODS: Patients were stratified by performance status, baseline lactate
      dehydrogenase level, and prior adjuvant treatment, and randomized 1:1 to receive
      sunitinib 37.5 mg/day for 4 weeks on and 2 weeks off plus mFOLFOX6 every 2 weeks
      or bevacizumab 5 mg/kg every 2 weeks plus mFOLFOX6 every 2 weeks. The primary
      endpoint was progression-free survival. Secondary endpoints included objective
      response rate, overall survival, safety, and quality of life. RESULTS: Enrollment
      was closed early following accrual of 191 patients, based on an interim analysis
      showing an inferior trend in the primary progression-free survival efficacy
      endpoint for sunitinib. Ninety-six patients were randomized to sunitinib plus
      mFOLFOX6 and 95 to bevacizumab plus mFOLFOX6. Median progression-free survival
      was 9.3 months and 15.4 months, respectively, but the objective response rate was
      similar between the study arms. Median overall survival was 23.7 months and 34.1
      months, respectively. Dose reductions and interruptions were more common with
      sunitinib. Hematologic toxicity was more common in the sunitinib arm. CONCLUSION:
      While the results of the sunitinib arm are comparable with those of previously
      reported FOLFOX combinations, the sunitinib-based combination was associated with
      more toxicity than that observed with bevacizumab and mFOLFOX6. The bevacizumab
      arm had an unexpectedly good outcome, and was much better than that seen in the
      Phase III trials. Combination therapy with sunitinib plus mFOLFOX6 is not
      recommended for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

PMID- 26109880
TI  - Ozone decomposition.
AB  - Catalytic ozone decomposition is of great significance because ozone is a toxic
      substance commonly found or generated in human environments (aircraft cabins,
      offices with photocopiers, laser printers, sterilizers). Considerable work has
      been done on ozone decomposition reported in the literature. This review provides
      a comprehensive summary of the literature, concentrating on analysis of the
      physico-chemical properties, synthesis and catalytic decomposition of ozone. This
      is supplemented by a review on kinetics and catalyst characterization which ties
      together the previously reported results. Noble metals and oxides of transition
      metals have been found to be the most active substances for ozone decomposition.
      The high price of precious metals stimulated the use of metal oxide catalysts and
      particularly the catalysts based on manganese oxide. It has been determined that
      the kinetics of ozone decomposition is of first order importance. A mechanism of
      the reaction of catalytic ozone decomposition is discussed, based on detailed
      spectroscopic investigations of the catalytic surface, showing the existence of
      peroxide and superoxide surface intermediates. 

PMID- 26109881
TI  - Toxicity, mechanism and health effects of some heavy metals.
AB  - Heavy metal toxicity has proven to be a major threat and there are several health
      risks associated with it. The toxic effects of these metals, even though they do
      not have any biological role, remain present in some or the other form harmful
      for the human body and its proper functioning. They sometimes act as a pseudo
      element of the body while at certain times they may even interfere with metabolic
      processes. Few metals, such as aluminium, can be removed through elimination
      activities, while some metals get accumulated in the body and food chain,
      exhibiting a chronic nature. Various public health measures have been undertaken
      to control, prevent and treat metal toxicity occurring at various levels, such as
      occupational exposure, accidents and environmental factors. Metal toxicity
      depends upon the absorbed dose, the route of exposure and duration of exposure,
      i.e. acute or chronic. This can lead to various disorders and can also result in
      excessive damage due to oxidative stress induced by free radical formation. This
      review gives details about some heavy metals and their toxicity mechanisms, along
      with their health effects. 

PMID- 26109882
TI  - Systems toxicology approaches enable mechanistic comparison of spontaneous and
      cigarette smoke-related lung tumor development in the A/J mouse model.
AB  - The A/J mouse is highly susceptible to lung tumor induction and has been widely
      used as a screening model in carcinogenicity testing and chemoprevention studies.
      However, the A/J mouse model has several disadvantages. Most notably, it develops
      lung tumors spontaneously. Moreover, there is a considerable gap in our
      understanding of the underlying mechanisms of pulmonary chemical carcinogenesis
      in the A/J mouse. Therefore, we examined the differences between spontaneous and
      cigarette smoke-related lung tumors in the A/J mouse model using mRNA and
      microRNA (miRNA) profiling. Male A/J mice were exposed whole-body to mainstream
      cigarette smoke (MS) for 18 months. Gene expression interaction term analysis of
      lung tumors and surrounding non-tumorous parenchyma samples from animals that
      were exposed to either 300 mg/m(3) MS or sham-exposed to fresh air indicated
      significant differential expression of 296 genes. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis((r))
      (IPA((r))) indicated an overall suppression of the humoral immune response, which
      was accompanied by a disruption of sphingolipid and glycosaminoglycan metabolism
      and a deregulation of potentially oncogenic miRNA in tumors of MS-exposed A/J
      mice. Thus, we propose that MS exposure leads to severe perturbations in pathways
      essential for tumor recognition by the immune system, thereby potentiating the
      ability of tumor cells to escape from immune surveillance. Further, exposure to
      MS appeared to affect expression of miRNA, which have previously been implicated
      in carcinogenesis and are thought to contribute to tumor progression. Finally, we
      identified a 50-gene expression signature and show its utility in distinguishing
      between cigarette smoke-related and spontaneous lung tumors. 

PMID- 26109883
TI  - Radiosensitive effect of curcumin on thyroid cancer cell death induced by
      radioiodine-131.
AB  - Curcumin is a natural product widely consumed by humans. It has many biological
      properties. In this study, we investigated the radiosensitive effect of curcumin
      on thyroid cancer cells against cellular toxicity induced by 131-I. Human thyroid
      cancer and human non-malignant fibroblast cells (HFFF2) were treated with 131-I
      and/or curcumin at different concentrations (5, 10 and 25 ug/ml) for 48 h. The
      cell proliferation was measured by determination of the surviving cells by using
      MTT assay. Our results showed that curcumin increased the killing effect of 131-I
      on thyroid cancer cells, while it exerted no toxicity on HFFF2 cells. This result
      shows a promising effect of curcumin on the enhancement of therapeutic effects of
      131-I in patients. 

PMID- 26109884
TI  - Melanogenesis inhibitory activity of Korean Undaria pinnatifida in mouse B16
      melanoma cells.
AB  - A number of seaweed species are used as traditional foods and medicine in
      different parts of the world, including Asian countries. However, very few data
      on the anti-melanogenic effect of seaweed have been published. Undaria
      pinnatifida (Dolmiyeok), a brown alga, is a traditional food in Jeju Island, the
      southern regions of the Korea peninsula. In this study, ethylacetate extracts of
      U. pinnatifida (UPE) were examined for their anti-melanogenic potentials. Our
      results supports the finding that UPE down-regulated melanin content in a dose
      dependent pattern. To clarify the target of UPE action in melanogenesis, we
      performed Western blotting for tyrosinase and microphthalmia-associated
      transcription factor (MITF), which are key melanogenic enzymes. UPE inhibited
      tyrosinase and MITF expressions in a dose-dependent manner. These results
      indicate that treatment with UPE significantly inhibits the melanogenesis in B16
      cells, and may be effective in the whitening agent for the skin. 

PMID- 26109885
TI  - Synthesis and biological evaluation of some novel 1-substituted fentanyl analogs
      in Swiss albino mice.
AB  - Fentanyl [N-(1-phenethyl-4-piperidinyl)propionanilide] is a potent opioid
      analgesic agent, but a has narrow therapeutic index. We reported earlier on the
      synthesis and bioefficacy of fentanyl and its 1-substituted analogs (1-4) in
      mice. Here we report the synthesis and biological evaluation of four additional
      analogs, viz. N-isopropyl-3-(4-(N-phenylpropionamido)piperidin-1-yl)propanamide
      (5), N-t-butyl-3-(4-(N-phenylpropionamido)piperidin-1-yl)propanamide (6),
      isopropyl 2-[4-(N-phenylpropionamido)piperidin-1-yl]propionate (7) and t-butyl 2
      [4-(N-phenylpropionamido)piperidin-1-yl]propionate (8). The median lethal dose
      (LD50) determined by intravenous, intraperitoneal and oral routes suggests these
      analogs to be comparatively less toxic than fentanyl. On the basis of
      observational assessment on spontaneous activities of the central, peripheral,
      and autonomic nervous systems, all the analogs were found to be similar to
      fentanyl. Naloxone hydrochloride abolished the neurotoxic effects of these
      analogs, thereby ascertaining their opioid receptor-mediated effects. All the
      analogs displayed significant analgesic effects, measured by formalin-induced
      hind paw licking and tail immersion tests at their respective median effective
      dose (ED50). They also exhibited 8-12 fold increase in therapeutic index over
      fentanyl. However, 5 and 6 alone produced lower ED50 (20.5 and 21.0 ug/kg,
      respectively) and higher potency ratio (1.37 and 1.33, respectively) compared to
      fentanyl. They could thus be considered for further studies on pain management. 

PMID- 26109886
TI  - Antidotal activity of Averrhoa carambola (Star fruit) on fluoride induced
      toxicity in rats.
AB  - Consumption of fluoride leads to several physiological disturbances in
      carbohydrate, lipid and antioxidant metabolisms. Averrhoa carambola L. fruit
      (Star fruit) is a commonly consumed fruit in tropical countries and is an
      ingredient in folklore medicines. As the fruits have high polyphenolic and
      antioxidant contents, the present study was undertaken to investigate the
      potential of star fruit as a dietary supplement in attenuating the fluoride
      induced hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia and oxidative stress in laboratory
      rats. A four-week exposure to fluoride caused sustained hyperglycemia,
      hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress and, when the diet was supplemented with star
      fruit powder, carbohydrate, lipid and antioxidant profiles were restored
      significantly. It is surmised that the antihyperglycemic,
      antihypercholesterolemic and antioxidant activities of star fruit in fluoride
      exposed rats could be due to the presence of polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins,
      phytosterols, ascorbic acid and fibers in the fruit, which are all well known
      regulators of carbohydrate, lipid and antioxidant metabolisms. These findings
      suggest that star fruit can be used as a dietary supplement in fluoride endemic
      regions to contain fluoride induced hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and oxidative
      stress. 

PMID- 26109887
TI  - Effects of cadmium and monensin on renal and cardiac functions of mice subjected
      to subacute cadmium intoxication.
AB  - Cadmium (Cd) is a well-known nephrotoxic agent. Cd-induced renal dysfunction has
      been considered as one of the causes leading to the development of hypertension.
      The correlation between Cd concentration in blood and urine and cardiovascular
      diseases has been discussed in many epidemiological studies. A therapy with
      chelating agents is utilized for the treatment of toxic metal intoxication.
      Herein we present novel information indicating that monensin (applied as
      tetraethylammonium salt) is a promising chelating agent for the treatment of Cd
      induced renal and cardiac dysfunction. The study was performed using the ICR
      mouse model. Adult ICR male mice were divided into three groups with six animals
      in each group: control (received distilled water and food ad libitum for 28
      days); Cd-intoxicated (treated orally with 20 mg/kg b.w. Cd(II) acetate from day
      1 to day 14 of the experimental protocol), and monensin treated group
      (intoxicated with Cd(II) acetate as described for the Cd-intoxicated group
      followed by oral treatment with 16 mg/kg b.w. tetraethylammonium salt of monensic
      acid for 2 weeks). Cd intoxication of the animals resulted in an increase of the
      organ weight/body weight indexes. Cd elevated significantly creatinine and
      glucose level in serum. Monensin treatment improved the organ weight/body weight
      ratios. The therapy of the Cd-intoxicated animals with monensin ameliorated the
      creatinine and glucose level in serum and decreased the concentration of the
      toxic metal ions in the heart and kidneys by 54% and 64%, respectively. 

PMID- 26109888
TI  - Co-morditities of environmental diseases: A common cause.
AB  - The global pandemic of non-vector borne environmental diseases may, in large
      part, be attributed to chronic exposures to ever increasing levels of exogenous
      lipophilic chemicals. These chemicals include persistent organic pollutants, semi
      volatile compounds and low molecular weight hydrocarbons. Such chemicals
      facilitate the sequential absorption of otherwise not absorbed more toxic
      hydrophilic species that attack numerous body organs and systems, leading to
      environmental disease. Co-morbidities of non-communicable environmental diseases
      are alarmingly high, with as many as half of all individuals chronically ill with
      two or more diseases. Co-morbidity is to be anticipated, since all of the
      causative chemicals identified have independently been shown to trigger the
      individual diseases. 

PMID- 26109889
TI  - Younger age at onset of sporadic Parkinson's disease among subjects
      occupationally exposed to metals and pesticides.
AB  - An earlier age at onset of Parkinson's disease (PD) has been reported to be
      associated with occupational exposures to manganese and hydrocarbon solvents
      suggesting that exposure to neurotoxic chemicals may hasten the progression of
      idiopathic PD. In this study the role of occupational exposure to metals and
      pesticides in the progression of idiopathic PD was assessed by looking at age at
      disease onset. The effects of heritable genetic risk factors, which may also
      influence age at onset, was minimized by including only sporadic cases of PD with
      no family history of the disease (n=58). Independent samples Student t-test
      revealed that subjects with occupational exposure to metals and/or pesticides
      (n=36) were significantly (p=0.013) younger than unexposed controls (n=22). These
      subjects were then divided into three groups [high (n=18), low (n=18), and
      unexposed (n=22)] to ascertain if duration of exposure further influenced age at
      onset of PD. One-way ANOVA revealed that subjects in the high exposure group were
      significantly (p=0.0121) younger (mean age: 50.33 years) than unexposed subjects
      (mean age: 60.45 years). Subjects were also stratified by exposure type (metals
      vs. pesticides). These results suggest that chronic exposure to metals and
      pesticides is associated with a younger age at onset of PD among patients with no
      family history of the disease and that duration of exposure is a factor in the
      magnitude of this effect. 

PMID- 26109890
TI  - Postponed effect of neostigmine on oxidative homeostasis.
AB  - Cholinesterases are enzymes able to hydrolyze the neurotransmitter acetylcholine
      and thus to terminate transmission. Once the enzymes are inhibited,
      excitotoxicity can appear in the adjacent cells. It is well known that oxidative
      stress is involved in the toxicity of cholinesterase inhibitors. Commonly, stress
      follows inhibition of cholinesterases and disappears shortly afterwards. In the
      present experiment, it was decided to test the impact of an inhibitor,
      neostigmine, on oxidative stress in BALB/c mice after a longer interval. The
      animals were sacrificed three days after onset of the experiment and spleens and
      livers were collected. Reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR),
      glutathione S-transferase (GST), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS),
      ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), caspase-3 and activity of
      acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were assayed. The tested markers were not altered
      with exceptions of FRAP. The FRAP values indicate accumulation of low molecular
      weight antioxidants in the examined organs. The role of low molecular weight
      antioxidants in the toxicity of AChE inhibitors is discussed. 

PMID- 26109891
TI  - Pd(II) complexes of acetylcholinesterase reactivator obidoxime.
AB  - The ability of the acetylcholinesterase reactivator obidoxime (H2L(2+)) to bind
      palladium(II) cations was evaluated spectrophotometrically at different reaction
      conditions (pH, reaction time, metal-to-ligand molar ratio). The results showed
      that immediately after mixing the reagents, pH 7.4, complex species of
      composition [PdHL](3+) existed predominantly with a value of conditional
      stability constant lgbeta'=6.52. The reaction was completed within 24 hours
      affording the formation of species [Pd2L](4+) with significantly increased
      stability (lgbeta'=9.34). The spectral data suggest that obidoxime coordinates
      metal(II) ions through the oximate functional groups. The in vitro reactivation
      assay of paraoxon-inhibited rat brain acetylcholinesterase revealed that the new
      complex species were much less active than the non-coordinated obidoxime. The
      lack of reactivation ability could be explained by the considerable stability of
      complexes in solution as well as by the deprotonation of oxime groups essential
      for recovery of the enzymatic activity. 

PMID- 26109892
TI  - Salvia officinalis L. extract and its new food antioxidant formulations induce
      apoptosis through mitochondrial/caspase pathway in leukemia L1210 cells.
AB  - Salvia officinalis, L. (Lamiaceae) is one of the most widespread herbal species
      used in the area of human health and in the food-processing industry. Salvia and
      its extracts are known to be a rich source of antioxidants. As shown previously,
      the crude ethanolic extract of salvia (SE) exerts lower anti-oxidative properties
      in lard compared to the new salvia food formulations No. 1 (SF1; 32% of SE + 68%
      of the emulsifier Dimodan S-T) and No. 2 (SF2; 32% of SE + 68% of the emulsifier
      Topcithin 50). The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the
      effects of the SE and its food formulations SF1 and SF2 on the toxicity and/or
      proliferation of L1210 leukemia cells. We found that SE and both SF1 and SF2
      demonstrated different concentration- and time-dependent
      cytotoxic/antiproliferative cellular effects already within the first 24 h of the
      treatment. However, SE was nearly 10 times more effective than the new salvia
      food formulations SF1 and SF2. We investigated partially also the molecular
      mechanisms lying behind the action of SE, SF1 and SF2 induced apoptosis in our
      cell model. We found an apparent involvement of the mitochondrial/caspase
      dependent pathway in the described processes. Nevertheless, further investigation
      is needed before salvia extract and its new antioxidant formulations can be
      included among the potential food antioxidants with protective properties against
      cancer. 

PMID- 26109893
TI  - Iron induced genotoxicity: attenuation by vitamin C and its optimization.
AB  - Vitamin C (VC) is a well-known antioxidant and strong free radical scavenger. Its
      antioxidant activity is useful for protection of cellular macromolecules,
      particularly DNA, from oxidative damage induced by different agents. This study
      was undertaken to evaluate the optimum level of VC in attenuating the chromosome
      aberrations (CAs) and DNA damage after iron sulfate (FeSO4) acute administration
      in Wistar rats. The results exhibited that the increase of CAs and DNA damage
      induced by FeSO4, 200 mg Fe/kg, could be reduced significantly by VC pretreatment
      at the dose of 500 mg/kg (p<0.001), but not in the 100 mg/kg group. The findings
      provide evidence that VC at the dose of 500 mg/kg exerted a possible protective
      effect against FeSO4 induced CAs and DNA damage. The possible mechanisms of VC
      may be attributed to its property as a free radical scavenger or to its indirect
      action in reducing the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). 

PMID- 26109894
TI  - Cardiovascular effects of high-fructose intake in rats with nitric oxide
      deficiency.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the involvement of nitric oxide (NO) system
      damage in the deleterious effects of high-fructose intake in rats. Fructose was
      administered as 10% solution in drinking water to twelve-week-old male Wistar
      rats for the period of 8 weeks. Blood pressure was measured by tail-cuff
      plethysmography. After sacrificing the rats at the end of the treatment, relative
      weights of heart and liver and biochemical parameters in blood plasma were
      determined. Reactivity of isolated conduit arteries was measured using a force
      displacement transducer for recording isometric tension. Fructose drinking rats
      had increased blood pressure and impaired acetylcholine-induced relaxation of the
      thoracic aorta in comparison with control rats drinking just tap water. Relative
      liver weight and plasma concentrations of glucose and triglycerides were also
      elevated after fructose administration. In a further group of Wistar rats,
      inhibition of NO production by administration of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl
      ester (L-NAME; 40 mg/kg/day) was performed throughout fructose intake. L-NAME
      treatment itself induces increase in blood pressure and relative heart weight as
      well as impairment in arterial relaxation and contractility. However, in these
      rats, fructose administration did not cause further elevation of blood pressure
      and other abnormalities observed in rats receiving fructose without L-NAME. Our
      results showed that in the state of NO deficiency (induced by L-NAME
      administration) fructose does not induce cardiovascular and metabolic alterations
      which develop in rats with a functional NO system. This indicates that impairment
      of the NO system may participate in many of the adverse effects induced by high
      fructose intake. 

PMID- 26109895
TI  - Chronic alcoholism-mediated metabolic disorders in albino rat testes.
AB  - There is good evidence for impairment of spermatogenesis and reductions in sperm
      counts and testosterone levels in chronic alcoholics. The mechanisms for these
      effects have not yet been studied in detail. The consequences of chronic alcohol
      consumption on the structure and/or metabolism of testis cell macromolecules
      require to be intensively investigated. The present work reports the effects of
      chronic alcoholism on contents of free amino acids, levels of cytochrome P450 3A2
      (CYP3A2) mRNA expression and DNA fragmentation, as well as on contents of
      different cholesterol fractions and protein thiol groups in rat testes. Wistar
      albino male rats were divided into two groups: I - control (intact animals), II -
      chronic alcoholism (15% ethanol self-administration during 150 days). Following
      150 days of alcohol consumption, testicular free amino acid content was found to
      be significantly changed as compared with control. The most profound changes were
      registered for contents of lysine (-53%) and methionine (+133%). The intensity of
      DNA fragmentation in alcohol-treated rat testes was considerably increased, on
      the contrary CYP3A2 mRNA expression in testis cells was inhibited, testicular
      contents of total and etherified cholesterol increased by 25% and 45%
      respectively, and protein SH-groups decreased by 13%. Multidirectional changes of
      the activities of testicular dehydrogenases were detected. We thus obtained
      complex assessment of chronic alcoholism effects in male gonads, affecting
      especially amino acid, protein, ATP and NADPH metabolism. Our results
      demonstrated profound changes in testes on the level of proteome and genome. We
      suggest that the revealed metabolic disorders can have negative implication on
      cellular regulation of spermatogenesis under long-term ethanol exposure. 

PMID- 26109896
TI  - High mortality due to accidental salinomycin intoxication in sheep.
AB  - In February 2012, 100% mortality was reported in a herd with 79 local sheep that
      were kept around of Abhar, Northwest of Iran. The ration for adult sheep was
      daily mixed (40 kg straw, 25 kg wheat and 2 kg Vit-C premix) and accidentally 1
      500 g of salinomycin (Salinomycin 12% Premix; Aras Bazar Laboratories, Iran) had
      been added to the ration (22388 mg/kg = 22388 ppm) and overnight was fed to herd.
      At the morning, 78 sheep were founded dead and one of them showed convulsive
      seizures. Postmortem examination revealed pulmonary congestion and edema,
      hemorrhages in abomasum, large pale kidney and white streak lines in myocardium.
      Main histopathologic lesions were extensive subepicardial and
      intercardiomyofibers hemorrhages, extensive cardiomyolysis and myocarditis in
      heart, severe hyperemia and extensive acute tubular necrosis (ATN) in kidneys and
      focal necrosis and retention of bile cholangitis in the liver. In this study, on
      the basis of the history, observation of the ionophore remnant in the ration,
      clinical signs, gross and histopathological findings, acute salinomycin
      intoxication is definitely diagnosed. 

PMID- 26109897
TI  - Sorption ability of the soil and its impact on environmental contamination.
AB  - From the physical point of view, soil is a heterogenic polydisperse system. It
      often becomes a place of a secondary contamination during extinguishing
      uncontrolled areal fires in nature. Foam extinguishing agents (FEAs), used at
      these events, basically contain surface active substances and perfluorinated
      compounds. These tend to be captured in the soil matrix due to their specific
      properties. Contaminants could be partly flushed out with rainwater, which causes
      several times dilution of contamination and lower ecotoxic activity. However in
      the dry season, foam solution infiltrates into the bed soil without any dilution.
      This study deals with the direct influence of soil the sorption complex on
      ecotoxicity of five selected FEAs, i.e. Expyrol F 15, Finiflam F 15, Moussol APS
      F 15, Pyrocool B and Sthamex F 15. The substances tested were prepared in
      concentration of work solution and then applied on standard soil matrix LUFA 2.3.
      For experimental purposes, a column infiltration apparatus was designed and
      compiled. Filtrates were collected and then tested using the plant organisms
      Sinapis alba and Allium cepa L. The study compared ecotoxicologic effects of
      filtrates with an original work solution. Moussol APS F 15 seems to be the least
      ecotoxic of the FEAs tested. A direct influence of soil sorption complex onto
      ecotoxicity reduction was also established. This finding demonstrates the
      sorption ability of soil particles and ion exchange activity of the soil matrix.
      It is a positive finding for biota of aquatic environment, yet at the expense of
      those in soil. 

PMID- 26109898
TI  - Diquat-induced cytotoxicity on Vero and HeLa cell lines: effect of melatonin and
      dihydromelatonin.
AB  - Diquat dibromide is a moderately toxic contact herbicide belonging to the
      bipyridyl group of redox-active compounds that induce a strong oxidative damage.
      Melatonin (MEL) can protect against oxidative damage under in vivo conditions,
      probably through its anti-oxidative capacity and ability to induce expression of
      anti-oxidative enzymes. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of
      diquat on viability of Vero and HeLa cells and possible protective effects of MEL
      and its analogue 2,3-dihydromelatonin (DMEL). Cell viability was evaluated with
      the MTT test. First, we analyzed dose-dependent effects of diquat on cell
      viability using the concentration range of 0.1-100 MUM. Second, we used the
      diquat dose which reduced cell viability by 50% and treated cells with either MEL
      or DMEL (both in the concentration range of 1-100 MUM) in the presence or absence
      of diquat. In addition, effects of both diquat and MEL on oxidative stress in
      HeLa cells were measured by flow cytometry using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin
      diacetate. We confirmed the expected negative effects of diquat on viability of
      Vero and HeLa cells. Melatonin and DMEL were able to prevent diquat reduced
      viability of Vero cells in rather low concentrations (1 MUM) and DMEL exerted
      substantially stronger protective effects than MEL. However in HeLa cells, we did
      not find the same effects and MEL even reduced their viability. Moreover,
      treatment of HeLa cells with high concentrations of MEL (100 MUM) exaggerated the
      pro-oxidative effects of diquat. The results suggest that in addition to the
      expected anti-oxidative effects, MEL exerts a pro-oxidative action which is cell
      type and dose dependent. 

PMID- 26109899
TI  - Carvacrol and rosemary oil at higher concentrations induce apoptosis in human
      hepatoma HepG2 cells.
AB  - Natural essential oils are volatile herbal complex compounds which manifest
      cytotoxic effects on living cells depending on their type and concentration but
      usually they are not genotoxic. Our previous studies showed that carvacrol (CA)
      and rosemary essential oil (RO) induced growth inhibition of both human cell
      lines HepG2 and BHNF-1, with hepatoma HepG2 cells being more sensitive to either
      compound tested. Cytotoxic concentrations of CA and RO induced the formation of
      DNA strand breaks. Further ex vivo studies showed that extracts prepared from
      hepatocytes of CA- and RO-supplemented rats did not increase incision repair
      activity compared to extracts from liver cells of control animals. Therefore, the
      aim of this work was to determine the effect of cytotoxic concentrations of CA
      and RO on the cell cycle and the ability of both natural volatiles to induce DNA
      fragmentation and apoptotic death of human hepatoma HepG2 cells. These effects
      were measured after 24 h incubation of HepG2 cells with CA and RO using three
      independent methods - flow cytometry, internucleosomal DNA fragmentation
      (electrophoresis) and micronucleus assay. Evaluation of morphological changes and
      formation of micronuclei in HepG2 cells showed no increase in the number of
      micronuclei in cells treated by CA and RO compared to control cells. On the other
      hand, CA and RO induced morphological changes typical for apoptosis in
      concentration-dependent manner. The presence of necrosis was negligible. Both
      natural compounds caused shrinking of cytoplasmic membrane and formation of
      apoptotic bodies. In addition, the highest concentrations of CA and RO induced
      internucleosomal DNA fragmentation (formation of DNA ladder) in HepG2 cells. Cell
      cycle analysis revealed the accumulation of cells in the G1 phase, which was
      accompanied by a reduction in the number of cells in the S phase after 24 h
      exposure to the substances tested. The cell division was thus slowed down or
      stopped and this process resulted in cell death. 

PMID- 26109900
TI  - Arbutin and decrease of potentially toxic substances generated in human blood
      neutrophils.
AB  - Neutrophils, highly motile phagocytic cells, constitute the first line of host
      defense and simultaneously they are considered to be central cells of chronic
      inflammation. In combination with standard therapeutic procedures, natural
      substances are gaining interest as an option for enhancing the effectiveness of
      treatment of inflammatory diseases. We investigated the effect of arbutin and
      carvedilol and of their combination on 4beta-phorbol-12beta-myristate-13alpha
      acetate- stimulated functions of human isolated neutrophils. Cells were
      preincubated with the drugs tested and subsequently stimulated. Superoxide (with
      or without blood platelets, in the rate close to physiological conditions [1:50])
      and HOCl generation, elastase and myeloperoxidase release were determined
      spectrophotometrically and phospholipase D activation spectrofluorometrically.
      The combined effect of arbutin and carvedilol was found to be more effective than
      the effect of each compound alone. Our study provided evidence supporting the
      potential beneficial effect of arbutin alone or in combination with carvedilol in
      diminishing tissue damage by decreasing phospholipase D, myeloperoxidase and
      elastase activity and by attenuating the generation of superoxide and the
      subsequently derived reactive oxygen species. The presented data indicate the
      ability of arbutin to suppress the onset and progression of inflammation. 

PMID- 26109901
TI  - Modulation of microglial function by the antidepressant drug venlafaxine.
AB  - An increasing amount of data suggests that depression is an inflammatory disease.
      Depressed patients have higher peripheral blood levels of inflammatory markers
      which have been shown to access the brain and interact with the
      pathophysiological domain known to be involved in depression. Furthermore,
      microglia activation may play an important role in the inflammatory
      pathophysiology of depression. In BV-2 microglia cell line, the present study
      investigated the potential anti-inflammatory effects of venlafaxine, along with
      its potential influence on injury of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cells.
      Although venlafaxine showed only marginal influence on the majority of the pro
      inflammatory parameters assessed (in particular NO release, phagocytosis and
      proliferation), it significantly suppressed superoxide production by the
      stimulated cells. In addition, venlafaxine exerted also a protective effect on
      mitochondrial membrane potential and lysosomes of the stimulated microglia. In
      conclusion, our results suggest that although VEN might have only a marginal
      effect on major pro-inflammatory parameters of microglia, its inhibitory effect
      on superoxide generation can contribute to the prevention of harmful effects of
      oxidative and nitrosative stress involved in the pathogenesis of depression.
      Moreover, the protective effect of VEN on viability of microglia can prevent a
      rapid reduction of these cells, thus avoiding limitations of several
      physiological processes in the brain and possibly also the progression of
      depression. 

PMID- 26109903
TI  - Preparation and performance of a colorimetric biosensor using
      acetylcholinesterase and indoxylacetate for assay of nerve agents and drugs.
AB  - Different toxic compounds can target the cholinergic nervous system.
      Acetylcholinesterase (AChE; EC 3.1.1.7) is one of the most crucial components of
      the cholinergic nervous system and thus many of the toxins interact with this
      enzyme. As to inhibitors, nerve agents used as chemical warfare, some
      insecticides, and drugs influencing the cholinergic system are common examples of
      AChE inhibitors. Once inhibited by a neurotoxic compound, a serious cholinergic
      crisis can occur. On the other hand, sensitivity of AChE to the inhibition can be
      used for analytical purposes. In this study, a simple disposable biosensor with
      AChE as a recognition element was devised. AChE was immobilized onto a cellulose
      matrix and indoxylacetate was used as a chromogenic substrate. The enzyme
      reaction was assessed by the naked eye using arbitrary units and pyridostigmine,
      tacrine, paraoxon, carbofuran, soman and VX were assayed as selected inhibitors.
      A good stability of the biosensors was found, with no aging over a quarter of a
      year and minimal sensitivity to the interference of organic solvents. The limit
      of detection ranged from 10 to 100 nmol/L for the compounds tested with a sample
      volume of 40 uL. 

PMID- 26109902
TI  - Protective effect of Irvingia gabonensis stem bark extract on cadmium-induced
      nephrotoxicity in rats.
AB  - Cadmium has been considered a risk factor for humans as it accumulates in body
      tissues, such as the liver, lungs, kidneys, bones, and reproductive organs. The
      aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Irvingia gabonensis (IG)
      against cadmium (Cd)-induced nephrotoxicity. The study was performed on twenty
      (20) male rats divided into four groups: control group, cadmium group (4
      mg/kg/day, intraperitoneally), cadmium + extract (200 mg/kg body weight by oral
      gavage) and cadmium + extract (400 mg/kg body weight by oral gavage). Changes in
      the kidney biochemical markers, namely glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase
      (SOD), catalase (CAT), aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)
      activities and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), urea, and creatinine were
      determined in serum. Histological examinations were monitored. Exposure to Cd
      lowered the activities of kidney antioxidants, while it increased LPO levels.
      Levels of all disrupted parameters were alleviated by co-administration of IG
      extract. The malondialdehyde concentration of the rats treated with 200 and 400
      mg/kg body weight of the extract significantly decreased (p<0.05) compared with
      the untreated cadmium rats. Yet the creatinine concentration decreased
      significantly (p<0.05) when the cadmium animals treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg
      body weight of the extract were compared with the cadmium control. Furthermore,
      histological alterations in the kidney were observed in cadmium untreated rats
      and these were ameliorated in cadmium treated rats by co-administration of IG
      extract. IG showed apparent protective and curative effect on Cd-induced
      nephrotoxicity. 

PMID- 26109904
TI  - Hemostatic effect and distribution of new rhThrombin formulations in rats.
AB  - Recombinant human thrombin (rhThrombin) is a potential hemostatic alternative to
      bovine and human plasma-derived thrombin. Hemostatic, liver regeneration effect
      and plasma concentrations of rhThrombin (SCILL) tested in the form of solution
      and hydrogels (thermo-sensitive poloxamer gel and carbomer gel; hameln rds) were
      evaluated. In the bleeding model, rhThrombin was applied locally on the bleeding
      site. The time to hemostasis was measured. The rhThrombin in liquid form as well
      as the thermo-sensitive gel forming formulation significantly reduced the
      bleeding time in comparison to saline. In the regeneration model, a cut in the
      form "V" was made on the liver and rhThrombin in both formulations was applied at
      defined concentrations to the wound for 5 min. The rats survived 1, 3 and 5 days
      after the injury and treatment. Histological examination showed better results in
      the group treated with rh Thrombin gel in comparison to the liquid form -
      solution; differences were insignificant. Low [(125)I]-rhThrombin radioactivity
      was evaluated in plasma after topical application (solution and both hydrogels)
      at hemostatic effective doses to partial hepatectomy in rats. Locally applied rh
      Thrombin on the rat damaged liver tissue never reached pharmacologically active
      systemic levels. The plasmatic levels and the content of this active protein in
      injured liver tissue were lower after application of its hydrogels versus
      solution. 

PMID- 26109905
TI  - Deriving forest fire ignition risk with biogeochemical process modelling.
AB  - Climate impacts the growth of trees and also affects disturbance regimes such as
      wildfire frequency. The European Alps have warmed considerably over the past half
      century, but incomplete records make it difficult to definitively link alpine
      wildfire to climate change. Complicating this is the influence of forest
      composition and fuel loading on fire ignition risk, which is not considered by
      purely meteorological risk indices. Biogeochemical forest growth models track
      several variables that may be used as proxies for fire ignition risk. This study
      assesses the usefulness of the ecophysiological model BIOME-BGC's 'soil water'
      and 'labile litter carbon' variables in predicting fire ignition. A brief
      application case examines historic fire occurrence trends over pre-defined
      regions of Austria from 1960 to 2008. Results show that summer fire ignition risk
      is largely a function of low soil moisture, while winter fire ignitions are
      linked to the mass of volatile litter and atmospheric dryness.

PMID- 26109906
TI  - Modeling structural change in spatial system dynamics: A Daisyworld example.
AB  - System dynamics (SD) is an effective approach for helping reveal the temporal
      behavior of complex systems. Although there have been recent developments in
      expanding SD to include systems' spatial dependencies, most applications have
      been restricted to the simulation of diffusion processes; this is especially true
      for models on structural change (e.g. LULC modeling). To address this
      shortcoming, a Python program is proposed to tightly couple SD software to a
      Geographic Information System (GIS). The approach provides the required
      capacities for handling bidirectional and synchronized interactions of operations
      between SD and GIS. In order to illustrate the concept and the techniques
      proposed for simulating structural changes, a fictitious environment called
      Daisyworld has been recreated in a spatial system dynamics (SSD) environment. The
      comparison of spatial and non-spatial simulations emphasizes the importance of
      considering spatio-temporal feedbacks. Finally, practical applications of
      structural change models in agriculture and disaster management are proposed.

PMID- 26109907
TI  - Extracting cluster distributions from mass spectra: IsotopeFit.
AB  - The availability of high resolution mass spectrometry in the study of atomic and
      molecular clusters opens up challenges for the interpretation of the data. In
      complex systems each resolved mass peak may contain contributions from multiple
      species because of the isotope structure of constituent elements and because a
      multitude of different types of clusters with different compositions are present.
      A computational procedure which can help to identify a specific cluster from this
      complex dataset and quantify its relative abundance would be extremely helpful to
      many who work in this field. Here some new software designed for this purpose,
      known as IsotopeFit, is described.

PMID- 26109908
TI  - Tumor-specific expression of HMG-CoA reductase in a population-based cohort of
      breast cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The mevalonate pathway synthetizes cholesterol, steroid hormones, and
      non-steriod isoprenoids necessary for cell survival. 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl
      coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) is the rate-limiting enzyme of the mevalonate
      pathway and the target for statin treatment. HMGCR expression in breast tumors
      has recently been proposed to hold prognostic and treatment-predictive
      information. This study aimed to investigate whether HMGCR expression in breast
      cancer patients was associated with patient and tumor characteristics and disease
      free survival (DFS). METHODS: A population-based cohort of primary breast cancer
      patients in Lund, Sweden was assembled between October 2002 and June 2012
      enrolling 1,116 patients. Tumor tissue microarrays were constructed and stained
      with a polyclonal HMGCR antibody (Cat. No HPA008338, Atlas Antibodies AB,
      Stockholm, Sweden, diluted 1:100) to assess the HMGCR expression in tumor tissue
      from 885 patients. HMGCR expression was analyzed in relation to patient- and
      tumor characteristics and disease-free survival (DFS) with last follow-up June
      30(th) 2014. RESULTS: Moderate/strong HMGCR expression was associated with less
      axillary lymph node involvement, lower histological grade, estrogen and
      progesterone receptor positivity, HER2 negativity, and older patient age at
      diagnosis compared to weak or no HMGCR expression. Patients were followed for up
      to 11 years. The median follow-up time was 5.0 years for the 739 patients who
      were alive and still at risk at the last follow-up. HMGCR expression was not
      associated with DFS. CONCLUSION: In this study, HMGCR expression was associated
      with less aggressive tumor characteristics. However, no association between HMGCR
      expression and DFS was observed. Longer follow-up may be needed to evaluate HMGCR
      as prognostic or predictive marker in breast cancer.

PMID- 26109909
TI  - Mental health nurses' support to caregivers of older adults with severe mental
      illness: a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Literature has shown the serious impact of severe mental illness on
      the daily life of caregivers. We studied reported caregiver support practices by
      mental health nurses for use in the development of a nursing intervention. We
      aimed to explore current caregiver support practices by mental health nurses.
      METHODS: Twenty-one participants completed semi-structured interviews, and 17
      participants attended two focus groups. All interviews were audio-taped,
      transcribed and coded for qualitative analysis. RESULTS: The diversity in
      caregiver support could best be described by three prototypes: the tolerator, the
      preventer and the concerner, representing three approaches of involvement with
      caregivers. At one end of the spectrum are mental health nurses (MHN) who are
      essentially only concerned with the wellbeing of the care recipient and see the
      caregiver as a potential impediment in reaching the client's goals. We call these
      the tolerators. At the other end of the spectrum are the MHNs who see the
      caregiver and the care recipient as inextricably connected with each other. In
      these cases the MHN directs her/his intervention towards both the informal
      caregiver and the care recipient. We call these the concerners. In the middle
      position are MHNs who realize that caregivers are important agents in the
      achievement of the client's goals, and therefore consider preventing them from
      becoming overburdened as an important goal. We call these the preventers.
      CONCLUSIONS: Based on the extent to which the MHNs believe that the informal
      caregiver plays a necessary role in the client's support system, and the degree
      to which they feel responsible for the caregiver's wellbeing, three MHN
      prototypes can be distinguished. These prototypes determine how the nurses'
      vision directs their understanding of their role and responsibilities and the
      content of their behaviour. This implies that a change in behaviour needs to be
      preceded by a change in vision. Therefore, promoting family support cannot be
      achieved by one-size-fits-all-programmes.

PMID- 26109910
TI  - Association between underexpression of microrna-203 and clinicopathological
      significance in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although recent studies have shown the utility of miR-203 as a cancer
      relevant biomarker, the validated clinical significance of miR-203 in HCC remains
      obscure. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between
      miR-203 expression and clinicopathological features in HCC patients. METHODS: MiR
      203 expression in 95 formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) HCC tissues and
      their paired adjacent non-cancerous tissues was evaluated by quantitative reverse
      transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Simultaneously, expression of
      miR-203 and its correlation with a variety of clinicopathological parameters and
      patient recurrence was analyzed. RESULTS: The relative level of miR-203 was
      1.1651 +/- 0.70378 in HCC tissues, significantly lower than its expression in the
      corresponding adjacent non-cancerous liver tissues (2.2408 +/- 0.75351, P <
      0.001). The area under curve (AUC) of low miR-203 expression to diagnose HCC was
      0.85 (95 % CI: 0.796 ~ 0.904, P = 0.027) at a cut-off value 1.99 evaluated by the
      median expression of miR-203 in all tissues, including HCC and normal liver
      tissues. Expression of miR-203 was negatively correlated to metastasis (r = 
      0.254, P = 0.013), clinical tumor nodes metastasis (TNM) stage (r = -0.300, P =
      0.003), nm23 expression (r = -0.292, P = 0.004), p21 expression (r = -0.223, P =
      0.030), microvessel density (MVD)(r = -0.206, P = 0.045) and was positively
      correlated to cirrhosis (r = 0.487, P < 0.001). Additionally, the recurrent time
      of lower miR-203 expression group was 57.949 +/- 4.184 months, slightly longer
      than that in the high expression group (54.682 +/- 2.591 months), however, no
      significant difference was noted (Chi-square = 0.206, P = 0.650). CONCLUSIONS:
      MiR-203 plays a vital role in the carcinogenesis and progression of HCC, which
      makes itself as a predictor for the deterioration of HCC. Furthermore, miR-203
      may become a new target for molecular therapy in HCC.

PMID- 26109911
TI  - Chicken chorioallantoic membrane as a reliable model to evaluate osteosarcoma-an
      experimental approach using SaOS2 cell line.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma is the most common primary tumor that affects usually
      children. Due to its cellular complex and osteoid formation it is very difficult
      to understand the mechanism behind the progressiveness of osteosarcoma. Various
      animal models are available to study the issue but they are time consuming and
      costly. We aimed to understand the progressiveness and invasiveness of
      osteosarcoma induced by SaOS2 cells using chicken chorioallantoic membrane. CAM
      is a well-established model which allows in vivo studies of tumor induced
      angiogenesis and the testing of anti angiogenic molecules. However only a few
      reports showed the tumor forming ability of SaOS2 cells on CAM. METHOD:
      Angiogenic ability of SaOS2 cells on CAM was validated by various methods.
      Angiogenic ability was scored by direct visualization and scanning microscopic
      analysis. The sprouting ability and growth of the vessel was measured by
      Angioquant software under different cellular volume. The invasiveness was
      analyzed by histological staining. Involvement of angiogenic factors at
      differential stage of progressiveness was confirmed by the molecular and protein
      level expression analysis. RESULT: SaOS2 cells induces sprouting angiogenesis on
      CAM and shows its aggressiveness by rupturing the ectodermal layer of the CAM.
      Growth and development of osteosarcoma depends mainly on the activation of
      VEGF165, MMP2 and MMP9. CAM able to reproduce angiogenic response against the
      stimulation of SaOS2 cells exactly as in other animal models without inflammatory
      reactions. CONCLUSION: CAM is an excellent alternative in vivo model for studying
      the aggressiveness and tumor progression of osteosarcoma using various angiogenic
      techniques in an easily, faster and affordable way. We further provided insight
      about the involvement of various angiogenic growth factors on the development of
      osteosarcoma which will enable to find the suitable therapeutic molecule for the
      treatment of osteosarcoma. CAM model could provide a wide space using modern
      techniques like micro array or in situ hybridization to have a better
      understanding about the progression and invasiveness of osteosarcoma cells to
      develop suitable therapeutic molecules.

PMID- 26109912
TI  - Malnutrition and cachexia in patients with head and neck cancer treated with
      (chemo)radiotherapy.
AB  - AIM: To highlight the problems associated with nutrition that occur in patients
      with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). BACKGROUND: SCCHN is
      associated with weight loss before, during and after radiotherapy or concurrent
      chemoradiotherapy. Because of serious consequences of malnutrition and cachexia
      on treatment outcome, mortality, morbidity, and quality of life, it is important
      to identify SCCHN patients with increased risk for the development of
      malnutrition and cachexia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Critical review of the
      literature. RESULTS: This review describes pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment
      of malnutrition and cancer cachexia. Treatment of malnutrition and cancer
      cachexia includes nutritional interventions and pharmacological therapy.
      Advantages and disadvantages of different nutritional interventions and their
      effect on the nutritional status, quality of life and specific oncological
      treatment are presented. CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional management is an essential part
      of care of these patients, including early screening, assessment of nutritional
      status and appropriate intervention.

PMID- 26109913
TI  - Uroncor consensus statement: Management of biochemical recurrence after radical
      radiotherapy for prostate cancer: From biochemical failure to castration
      resistance.
AB  - Management of patients who experience biochemical failure after radical
      radiotherapy with or without hormonal therapy is highly challenging. The
      clinician must not only choose the type of treatment, but also the timing and
      optimal sequence of treatment administration. When biochemical failure occurs,
      numerous treatment scenarios are possible, thus making it more difficult to
      select the optimal approach. Moreover, rapid and ongoing advances in treatment
      options require that physicians make decisions that could impact both survival
      and quality of life. The aim of the present consensus statement, developed by the
      Urological Tumour Working Group (URONCOR) of the Spanish Society of Radiation
      Oncology (SEOR), is to provide cancer specialists with the latest, evidence-based
      information needed to make the best decisions for the patient under all possible
      treatment scenarios. The structure of this consensus statement follows the
      typical development of disease progression after biochemical failure, with the
      most appropriate treatment recommendations given for each stage. The consensus
      statement is organized into three separate chapters, as follows: biochemical
      failure with or without local recurrence and/or metastasis; progression after
      salvage therapy; and treatment of castration-resistant patients. 

PMID- 26109914
TI  - Volumetric modulated arc therapy in prostate cancer patients with metallic hip
      prostheses in a UK centre.
AB  - AIM: This study aimed to investigate whether IMRT using VMAT is a viable and safe
      solution in dose escalated RT in these patients. BACKGROUND: An increasing number
      of prostate cancer patients are elderly and have hip prostheses. These implants
      pose challenges in radiotherapy treatment planning. Although intensity modulated
      radiotherapy (IMRT) is commonly used, there is a lack of clinical studies
      documenting its efficacy and toxicities in this subgroup of patients. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The data from 23 patients with hip prostheses and non-metastatic
      prostate cancer treated with VMAT (volumetric modulated arc therapy) between 2009
      and 2011, were retrospectively analyzed. Baseline characteristics, treatment
      details and outcome data were collected on all patients. The median follow up was
      40.9 months. MRI-CT image fusion was performed and the treatment plans were
      created using RapidArcTM (RA) techniques utilizing 1 or 2 arcs and 10 MV photon
      beams. RESULTS: 96% of patients were treated with a dose of 72 Gy/32 fractions
      over 44 days. 21/23 plans met the PTV targets. The mean homogeneity index was
      1.07. 20/23 plans met all OAR constraints (rectum, bladder). Two plans deviated
      from rectal constraints, four from bladder constraints; all were classed as minor
      deviations. One patient experienced late grade 3 genitourinary toxicity. Three
      other patients experienced late grade 2 or lower gastrointestinal toxicity. One
      patient had biochemical failure and one had a non-prostate cancer related death.
      CONCLUSIONS: VMAT provides an elegant solution to deliver dose escalated RT in
      patients with unilateral and bilateral hip replacements with minimal acute and
      late toxicities.

PMID- 26109915
TI  - Relationships between various indices of doses distribution homogeneity.
AB  - AIM: In this study we compared three different methods of evaluation of dose
      distribution. BACKGROUND: The aim of treatment planning is to prepare the
      treatment plan which the criteria are defined according to the international
      recommendations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For three groups of patients, for lung,
      breast and prostate, treated radically in Brzozow with external beams the
      treatment plans were prepared. For each patient the metrics of dose distribution
      in the PTV defined according to the ICRU Reports 50, 83 and according to the
      Nordic Association of Clinical were calculated. Also Homogeneity Index defined by
      Yoon was used in this work. Additionally for similar group of patients treated in
      Warsaw the same calculations were performed. Correlations between the standard
      deviations and: (1) the differences between the maximum and minimum doses, and
      (2) the differences between near maximum and near minimum doses normalized to
      median dose and (3) to prescribed dose were calculated. RESULTS: There was a very
      strong correlation between the standard deviation and the difference between the
      near-maximum and near-minimum doses for all locations regardless the
      prescription. Also good correlation was observed for the standard deviation and
      the difference between the maximum and minimum doses for patients treated in
      Brzozow. CONCLUSIONS: The standard deviation may be estimated by the Homogeneity
      Index, however the relationship should be established for each location and each
      center separately.

PMID- 26109916
TI  - Radiotherapy for adult medulloblastoma: Long term result from a single
      institution. A review of prognostic factors and why we do need a multi
      institutional cooperative program.
AB  - AIM: We retrospectively analyzed our Institution experience with these patients.
      The endpoints of the analysis were overall survival (OS), disease-free survival
      (DFS), local control (LC), metastasis free survival (MFS); results were compared
      with the literature. BACKGROUND: Medulloblastoma in adult patients is a very rare
      disease; the 5 and 10-year overall survival rates range between 33-78% and 27
      56%, respectively. The collection of more clinical data is strongly needed.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: From September 1975 to October 2006, we treated 16 adult
      patients (9 males and 7 females) with a histological diagnosis of
      medulloblastoma. Acute and late toxicities were scored according to RTOG toxicity
      scale. Karnofski performance status (KPS) and neurological performance status
      (NPS) pre- and post-RT were reported. Median age was 27 years (range 18-53
      years). All the patients received cranio-spinal irradiation, two patients were
      also given chemotherapy. Median follow-up period was 121.5 months. RESULTS: In
      January 2014, 10/16 patients were alive without evidence of disease, 6/16 died
      with progressive disease (1 local and spinal, 3 spinal and 2 extraneural). Ten
      year LC, OS, DFS, MFS were, respectively, 84%, 67%, 60% and 59%. Univariate
      analysis shows that gross total resection is associated with better survival. No
      acute or late G3-G4 toxicity was observed. CONCLUSIONS: This experience and the
      analysis of the literature confirm the efficacy of postoperative RT but also the
      need of large datasets to better define prognostic factors and the possible role
      of the association of chemotherapy.

PMID- 26109917
TI  - Effects of remedies made in patient setup process on residual setup errors and
      margins in head and neck cancer radiotherapy based on 2D image guidance.
AB  - AIM: Patient setup errors were aimed to be reduced in radiotherapy (RT) of head
      and-neck (H&N) cancer. Some remedies in patient setup procedure were proposed for
      this purpose. BACKGROUND: RT of H&N cancer has challenges due to patient rotation
      and flexible anatomy. Residual position errors occurring in treatment situation
      and required setup margins were estimated for relevant bony landmarks after the
      remedies made in setup process and compared with previous results. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The formation process for thermoplastic masks was improved. Also image
      matching was harmonized to the vertebrae in the middle of the target and a 5 mm
      threshold was introduced for immediate correction of systematic errors of the
      landmarks. After the remedies, residual position errors of bony landmarks were
      retrospectively determined from 748 orthogonal X-ray images of 40 H&N cancer
      patients. The landmarks were the vertebrae C1-2, C5-7, the occiput bone and the
      mandible. The errors include contributions from patient rotation, flexible
      anatomy and inter-observer variation in image matching. Setup margins (3D) were
      calculated with the Van Herk formula. RESULTS: Systematic residual errors of the
      landmarks were reduced maximally by 49.8% (p <= 0.05) and the margins by 3.1 mm
      after the remedies. With daily image guidance the setup margins of the landmarks
      were within 4.4 mm, but larger margins of 6.4 mm were required for the mandible.
      CONCLUSIONS: Remarkable decrease in the residual errors of the bony landmarks and
      setup margins were achieved through the remedies made in the setup process. The
      importance of quality assurance of the setup process was demonstrated.

PMID- 26109918
TI  - Smoking during radiotherapy for head and neck cancer and acute mucosal reaction.
AB  - AIM: We compared the incidence of RTOG/EORTC grade III and higher acute mucositis
      in patients with head and neck cancer who continued to smoke during radiotherapy
      with those who quit smoking. BACKGROUND: There are conflicting data on the
      relationship between smoking during radiotherapy and the severity of acute
      mucosal reaction. More studies dealing with this issue are needed. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Among 136 patients receiving curative radio(chemo)therapy, 37 (27%)
      declared that they had not quit smoking during radiotherapy. The intensity of
      mucositis was scored daily by a nurse and weekly by a physician using the
      RTOG/EORTC scale. The main end-point of the study was the highest observed
      RTOG/EORTC grade of mucositis. RESULTS: Patients who smoked during radiotherapy
      (smokers) were younger than their counterparts who quit smoking (non-smokers), p
      = 0.06. There were no other differences in the baseline characteristics between
      smokers and non-smokers. Grade III/IV acute mucositis was observed in 43.5% of
      all patients. The percentage of patients with grade III/IV acute mucositis was
      similar in smokers and non-smokers (46% vs. 42%, p = 0.71). Nine patients
      (smokers [13.5%]; non-smokers [4%], p = 0.05) required prolonged hospitalization
      to heal mucositis. CONCLUSIONS: In the whole group, smoking during radiotherapy
      was not related to acute mucosal toxicity evaluated as the rate of the highest
      observed grade of mucositis.

PMID- 26109919
TI  - The effect of radiotherapy and chemotherapy on osmotic fragility of red blood
      cells and plasma levels of malondialdehyde in patients with breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gamma radiation effects on the erythrocyte membrane from three
      different functional parts, lipid bilayer, cytoskeleton and protein components.
      When the red cell membrane is exposed to radiation, it loses its integrity and
      hemoglobin leaks out. In addition, irradiation leads to lipid peroxidation and
      the products of this process, leading to hemolysis. The aim of the present study
      was to measure osmotic fragility (OF) of red blood cells and malondialdehyde
      (MDA) levels as a marker of oxidative injury in breast cancer patients treated
      with radiation and chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The OF test was performed
      using different concentrations of a salt solution. The measurement of MDA was
      done with chemical methods.(11) The sampling was taken during three stages of
      treatment: first sample was taken before starting chemotherapy, the second sample
      was taken before radiation therapy and the third sample was taken after
      radiotherapy. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences between levels of
      MDA in these three stages of treatment were observed. However, the comparison of
      mean levels of MDA showed an increase after radiotherapy. The OF rate did not
      show significant difference (P > 0.05) during the stages of treatment.
      CONCLUSION: In a standard treatment program of radiotherapy and chemotherapy
      lipid peroxidation level and OF do not significantly increase.

PMID- 26109920
TI  - Hypersensitivity to chemoradiation in FANCA carrier with cervical carcinoma-A
      case report and review of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Compared to Fanconi anemia (FA) patients with homozygous defective two
      alleles inheritance, there is a scarce or no evidence on one defective allele
      FANCA carriers, with respect to their cancer incidence, clinical and in vitro
      radiosensitivity and chemosensitivity. On that account, we report a case of a 30
      year old FANCA mutation carrier woman with uterine cervix adenocarcinoma who was
      treated with chemoradiotherapy, in which unexpected acute toxicity and fatal late
      morbidity occured. METHODS: We also report the results of an in vitro test for
      radiosensitivity, immunohistochemical examination with FANCA staining and human
      papillomavirus genotypization, and a review of the literature for FA carrier
      patients with respect to cancer incidence, clinical and in vitro response to
      chemo/radiotherapy, options of early heterozygosity detection, and methods of in
      vitro prediction of hypersensitivity to oncologic treatment. CONCLUSION: Although
      there are no standard guidelines for management of FA carriers with malignancies
      and reports about chemo- or radiosensitivity in this population are scarce;
      patients with FA-A heterozygosity may have a high rate of complications from
      chemo/radiotherapy. Up to now, an optimum method for the prediction of
      radiosensitivity and the best parameter has not been found. Clinical
      radioresponsiveness is unpredictable in FA carriers and there is a pressing need
      of new rapid and predictive in vitro assays of radiation responses. Until then,
      the treatment of FA carriers with malignancies should be individualized, with
      respect to potential hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation or cross-linking
      agents.

PMID- 26109921
TI  - On the cutting edge of intensity modulated radiotherapy and simultaneous
      integrated boost (IMRT-SIB): The case of a patient with 8 brain metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with multiple brain metastases, especially those with more
      than 3 lesions, usually undergo to palliative whole brain (WB) radiotherapy (RT).
      METHODS: A breast cancer patient with 8 brain metastases was treated on the brain
      by a radical RT regimen. Prescription doses were according to the simultaneous
      integrated boost-intensity modulated radiation therapy (SIB-IMRT) technique with
      all lesions as well brain irradiated simultaneously in 20 daily fractions. Doses
      of 40.0 Gy (2.0 Gy/fraction) and 50.0 Gy (2.5 Gy/fraction) were prescribed to the
      whole brain and to eight individual metastases, respectively. RESULTS: Mean
      volume of the eight metastases was 8.1 cc (range: 3.8-10.1 cc). For all lesions,
      the volume receiving 95% of prescribed dose was 100% and dose homogeneity was
      within 3%. Moreover, maximum doses were less than 105% of prescribed dose, while
      average mean dose to lesions was 50.6 Gy (range: 49.7-51.5 Gy). Whole brain mean
      dose was 45.2 Gy. Maximum doses to brainstem and optic chiasma were limited to
      44.5 Gy and 42.9 Gy, respectively, while maximum doses to eyes, lens and optic
      nerves were limited to 9.2 Gy, 4.9 Gy and 41.0 Gy, respectively. From a clinical
      point of view, subsequent MRI brain controls showed a complete clinical response.
      Forty months after treatment the patient is disease free and shows no late brain
      and skin toxicities. CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates the technical feasibility
      of a SIB-IMRT treatment in patients with more than 3 brain metastases.

PMID- 26109922
TI  - Osteocalcin and the Regulation of Glucose Metabolism.
AB  - Uncarboxylated osteocalcin enhances insulin and adiponectin release and improves
      glucose tolerance in mice. Data in humans do not unequivocally support a role for
      osteocalcin in glucose homeostasis. Changes in the amount of uncarboxylated
      osteocalcin induced by vitamin K or warfarin treatment are not associated with
      changes in glucose and insulin concentrations. Interventional studies in humans,
      designed to detect small changes in insulin secretion and action attributable to
      changes in uncarboxylated osteocalcin, will be required to reliably detect
      effects of osteocalcin on glucose metabolism and to better understand its
      interaction with adiposity and adipokines.

PMID- 26109923
TI  - Factors regulating excystment of Alexandrium in Puget Sound, WA, USA.
AB  - Factors regulating excystment of a toxic dinoflagellate in the genus Alexandrium
      were investigated in cysts from Puget Sound, Washington State, USA. Experiments
      were carried out in the laboratory using cysts collected from benthic seedbeds to
      determine if excystment is controlled by internal or environmental factors. The
      results suggest that the timing of germination is not tightly controlled by an
      endogenous clock, though there is a suggestion of a cyclical pattern. This was
      explored using cysts that had been stored under cold (4  degrees C), anoxic
      conditions in the dark and then incubated for 6 weeks at constant favorable
      environmental conditions. Excystment occurred during all months of the year, with
      variable excystment success ranging from 31-90%. When cysts were isolated
      directly from freshly collected sediments every month and incubated at the in
      situ bottom water temperature, a seasonal pattern in excystment was observed that
      was independent of temperature. This pattern may be consistent with secondary
      dormancy, an externally modulated pattern that prevents excystment during periods
      that are not favorable for sustained vegetative growth. However, observation over
      more annual cycles is required and the duration of the mandatory dormancy period
      of these cysts must be determined before the seasonality of germination can be
      fully characterized in Alexandrium from Puget Sound. Both temperature and light
      were found to be important environmental factors regulating excystment, with the
      highest rates of excystment observed for the warmest temperature treatment (20 
      degrees C) and in the light.

PMID- 26109924
TI  - Training needs in metabolomics.

PMID- 26109925
TI  - Can we trust untargeted metabolomics? Results of the metabo-ring initiative, a
      large-scale, multi-instrument inter-laboratory study.
AB  - The metabo-ring initiative brought together five nuclear magnetic resonance
      instruments (NMR) and 11 different mass spectrometers with the objective of
      assessing the reliability of untargeted metabolomics approaches in obtaining
      comparable metabolomics profiles. This was estimated by measuring the proportion
      of common spectral information extracted from the different LCMS and NMR
      platforms. Biological samples obtained from 2 different conditions were analysed
      by the partners using their own in-house protocols. Test #1 examined urine
      samples from adult volunteers either spiked or not spiked with 32 metabolite
      standards. Test #2 involved a low biological contrast situation comparing the
      plasma of rats fed a diet either supplemented or not with vitamin D. The spectral
      information from each instrument was assembled into separate statistical blocks.
      Correlations between blocks (e.g., instruments) were examined (RV coefficients)
      along with the structure of the common spectral information (common components
      and specific weights analysis). In addition, in Test #1, an outlier individual
      was blindly introduced, and its identification by the various platforms was
      evaluated. Despite large differences in the number of spectral features produced
      after post-processing and the heterogeneity of the analytical conditions and the
      data treatment, the spectral information both within (NMR and LCMS) and across
      methods (NMR vs. LCMS) was highly convergent (from 64 to 91 % on average). No
      effect of the LCMS instrumentation (TOF, QTOF, LTQ-Orbitrap) was noted. The
      outlier individual was best detected and characterised by LCMS instruments. In
      conclusion, untargeted metabolomics analyses report consistent information within
      and across instruments of various technologies, even without prior
      standardisation.

PMID- 26109926
TI  - A hypothetical astrocyte-microglia lactate shuttle derived from a 1H NMR
      metabolomics analysis of cerebrospinal fluid from a cohort of South African
      children with tuberculous meningitis.
AB  - Tuberculosis meningitis (TBM) is the most severe form of extra-pulmonary
      tuberculosis and is particularly intense in small children; there is no
      universally accepted algorithm for the diagnosis and substantiation of TB
      infection, which can lead to delayed intervention, a high risk factor for
      morbidity and mortality. In this study a proton magnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based
      metabolomics analysis and several chemometric methods were applied to data
      generated from lumber cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from three experimental
      groups: (1) South African infants and children with confirmed TBM, (2) non
      meningitis South African infants and children as controls, and (3) neurological
      controls from the Netherlands. A total of 16 NMR-derived CSF metabolites were
      identified, which clearly differentiated between the controls and TBM cases under
      investigation. The defining metabolites were the combination of perturbed glucose
      and highly elevated lactate, common to some other neurological disorders. The
      remaining 14 metabolites of the host's response to TBM were likewise mainly
      energy-associated indicators. We subsequently generated a hypothesis expressed as
      an "astrocyte-microglia lactate shuttle" (AMLS) based on the host's response,
      which emerged from the NMR-metabolomics information. Activation of microglia, as
      implied by the AMLS hypothesis, does not, however, present a uniform process and
      involves intricate interactions and feedback loops between the microglia,
      astrocytes and neurons that hamper attempts to construct basic and linear
      cascades of cause and effect; TBM involves a complex integration of the responses
      from the various cell types present within the CNS, with microglia and the
      astrocytes as main players.

PMID- 26109928
TI  - Binge Drug Use among Street-Involved Youth in a Canadian Setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Binge drug use has been associated with increased risk of HIV
      infection and other serious health-related harms among adult drug user
      populations. This study sought to determine the prevalence and correlates of
      binge drug use among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting. METHODS: From
      Sept 2005 to May 2012, data were collected from the At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS), a
      prospective cohort of street-involved youth aged 14 - 26 who use illicit drugs.
      Multivariate generalized estimating equations (GEE) was used to identify factors
      associated with binge drug use. RESULTS: Of the 987 participants included in this
      analysis, 41.5% reported binge drug use at baseline, and another 59.1% reported
      binge drug use at some point during the study. In multivariate GEE analysis,
      older age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.11), homelessness (AOR = 1.67), drug
      injecting (AOR = 1.63), non-fatal overdose (AOR = 1.98), public injecting (AOR
      1.42), being a victim of violence (AOR = 1.38), sex work (AOR = 2.51) and
      participation in drug dealing (AOR = 2.04) were independently associated with
      binge drug use in the previous 6 months (all p<0.05). DISCUSSION: The prevalence
      of reporting binge drug use among the youth was high in this setting and was
      independently associated with a range of high-risk activities and markers of
      vulnerability. Querying high-risk youth about binge drug use may help prioritize
      those in greatest need of addiction treatment strategies and public health
      interventions.

PMID- 26109929
TI  - Active zone stability: insights from fly neuromuscular junction.
AB  - The presynaptic active zone is a dynamic structure that orchestrates regulated
      release of neurotransmitters. Developmental and aging processes, and changes in
      neuronal network activity can all modulate the number, size and composition of
      active zone and thereby synaptic efficacy. However, very little is known about
      the mechanism that controls the structural stability of active zone. By studying
      a model synapse, the Drosophila neuromuscular junction, our recent work shed
      light on how two scaffolding proteins at the active zone regulate active zone
      stability by promoting a localized dephosphorylation event at the nerve terminal.
      Here we discuss the major insights from our findings and their implications for
      future research. 

PMID- 26109931
TI  - Lesson from the neuromuscular junction: role of pattern and timing of nerve
      activity in synaptic development.

PMID- 26109930
TI  - Restoring nervous system structure and function using tissue engineered living
      scaffolds.
AB  - Neural tissue engineering is premised on the integration of engineered living
      tissue with the host nervous system to directly restore lost function or to
      augment regenerative capacity following nervous system injury or
      neurodegenerative disease. Disconnection of axon pathways - the long-distance
      fibers connecting specialized regions of the central nervous system or relaying
      peripheral signals - is a common feature of many neurological disorders and
      injury. However, functional axonal regeneration rarely occurs due to extreme
      distances to targets, absence of directed guidance, and the presence of
      inhibitory factors in the central nervous system, resulting in devastating
      effects on cognitive and sensorimotor function. To address this need, we are
      pursuing multiple strategies using tissue engineered "living scaffolds", which
      are preformed three-dimensional constructs consisting of living neural cells in a
      defined, often anisotropic architecture. Living scaffolds are designed to restore
      function by serving as a living labeled pathway for targeted axonal regeneration 
      mimicking key developmental mechanisms- or by restoring lost neural circuitry
      via direct replacement of neurons and axonal tracts. We are currently utilizing
      preformed living scaffolds consisting of neuronal clusters spanned by long axonal
      tracts as regenerative bridges to facilitate long-distance axonal regeneration
      and for targeted neurosurgical reconstruction of local circuits in the brain.
      Although there are formidable challenges in preclinical and clinical advancement,
      these living tissue engineered constructs represent a promising strategy to
      facilitate nervous system repair and functional recovery. 

PMID- 26109927
TI  - Standardizing the experimental conditions for using urine in NMR-based
      metabolomic studies with a particular focus on diagnostic studies: a review.
AB  - The metabolic composition of human biofluids can provide important diagnostic and
      prognostic information. Among the biofluids most commonly analyzed in metabolomic
      studies, urine appears to be particularly useful. It is abundant, readily
      available, easily stored and can be collected by simple, noninvasive techniques.
      Moreover, given its chemical complexity, urine is particularly rich in potential
      disease biomarkers. This makes it an ideal biofluid for detecting or monitoring
      disease processes. Among the metabolomic tools available for urine analysis, NMR
      spectroscopy has proven to be particularly well-suited, because the technique is
      highly reproducible and requires minimal sample handling. As it permits the
      identification and quantification of a wide range of compounds, independent of
      their chemical properties, NMR spectroscopy has been frequently used to detect or
      discover disease fingerprints and biomarkers in urine. Although protocols for NMR
      data acquisition and processing have been standardized, no consensus on protocols
      for urine sample selection, collection, storage and preparation in NMR-based
      metabolomic studies have been developed. This lack of consensus may be leading to
      spurious biomarkers being reported and may account for a general lack of
      reproducibility between laboratories. Here, we review a large number of published
      studies on NMR-based urine metabolic profiling with the aim of identifying key
      variables that may affect the results of metabolomics studies. From this survey,
      we identify a number of issues that require either standardization or careful
      accounting in experimental design and provide some recommendations for urine
      collection, sample preparation and data acquisition.

PMID- 26109932
TI  - Synthetic and nature-derived lipid nanoparticles for neural regeneration.

PMID- 26109933
TI  - Homeostatic regulation of brain functions by endocannabinoid signaling.

PMID- 26109934
TI  - Staining neurons with Golgi techniques in degenerative diseases of the brain.

PMID- 26109935
TI  - The brain compensatory mechanisms and Alzheimer's disease progression: a new
      protective strategy.

PMID- 26109936
TI  - The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells in Alzheimer's disease:
      converging mechanisms.

PMID- 26109937
TI  - Enhanced neuronal degradation of amyloid-beta oligomers allows synapse
      regeneration.

PMID- 26109938
TI  - Evaluating rehabilitation interventions in Parkinson's disease with functional
      MRI: a promising neuroprotective strategy.

PMID- 26109939
TI  - The innate immune system in Parkinson's disease: a novel target promoting
      endogenous neuroregeneration.

PMID- 26109940
TI  - New insights on the standardization of peripheral nerve regeneration quantitative
      analysis.

PMID- 26109941
TI  - Auditory nerve preservation and regeneration in man: relevance for cochlear
      implantation.

PMID- 26109942
TI  - Dynamic expression of ATF3 as a novel tool to study activation and migration of
      endogenous spinal stem cells and their role in neural repair.

PMID- 26109943
TI  - Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase cells in the spinal cord: a potential origin
      of monoamines.

PMID- 26109944
TI  - Can training extend current guidelines for cochlear implant candidacy?

PMID- 26109945
TI  - The p75 neurotrophin receptor: at the crossroad of neural repair and death.
AB  - The strong repair and pro-survival functions of neurotrophins at their primary
      receptors, TrkA, TrkB and TrkC, have made them attractive candidates for
      treatment of nervous system injury and disease. However, difficulties with the
      clinical implementation of neurotrophin therapies have prompted the search for
      treatments that are stable, easier to deliver and allow more precise regulation
      of neurotrophin actions. Recently, the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)) has
      emerged as a potential target for pharmacological control of neurotrophin
      activity, supported in part by studies demonstrating 1) regulation of neural
      plasticity in the mature nervous system, 2) promotion of adult neurogenesis and
      3) increased expression in neurons, macrophages, microglia, astrocytes and/or
      Schwann cells in response to injury and neurodegenerative diseases. Although the
      receptor has no intrinsic catalytic activity it interacts with and modulates the
      function of TrkA, TrkB, and TrkC, as well as sortilin and the Nogo receptor. This
      provides substantial cellular and molecular diversity for regulation of neuron
      survival, neurogenesis, immune responses and processes that support neural
      function. Upregulation of the p75(NTR) under pathological conditions places the
      receptor in a key position to control numerous processes necessary for nervous
      system recovery. Support for this possibility has come from recent studies
      showing that small, non-peptide p75(NTR) ligands can selectively modify pro
      survival and repair functions. While a great deal remains to be discovered about
      the wide ranging functions of the p75(NTR), studies summarized in this review
      highlight the immense potential for development of novel neuroprotective and
      neurorestorative therapies. 

PMID- 26109948
TI  - Encephalic hemodynamic phases in subarachnoid hemorrhage: how to improve the
      protective effect in patient prognoses.
AB  - Subarachnoid hemorrhage is frequently associated with poor prognoses. Three
      different hemodynamic phases were identified during subarachnoid hemorrhage:
      oligemia, hyperemia, and vasospasm. Each phase is associated with brain metabolic
      changes. In this review, we correlated the hemodynamic phases with brain
      metabolism and potential treatment options in the hopes of improving patient
      prognoses. 

PMID- 26109949
TI  - Neuroprotective effects of ginsenoside Rg1-induced neural stem cell
      transplantation on hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
AB  - Ginsenoside Rg1 is the major pharmacologically active component of ginseng, and
      is reported to have various therapeutic actions. To determine whether it induces
      the differentiation of neural stem cells, and whether neural stem cell
      transplantation after induction has therapeutic effects on hypoxic-ischemic
      encephalopathy, we cultured neural stem cells in 10-80 MUM ginsenoside Rg1.
      Immunohistochemistry revealed that of the concentrations tested, 20 mM
      ginsenoside Rg1 had the greatest differentiation-inducing effect and was the
      concentration used for subsequent experiments. Whole-cell patch clamp showed that
      neural stem cells induced by 20 MUM ginsenoside Rg1 were more mature than non
      induced cells. We then established neonatal rat models of hypoxic-ischemic
      encephalopathy using the suture method, and ginsenoside Rg1-induced neural stem
      cells were transplanted via intracerebroventricular injection. These tests
      confirmed that neural stem cells induced by ginsenoside had fewer pathological
      lesions and had a significantly better behavioral capacity than model rats that
      received saline. Transplanted neural stem cells expressed neuron-specific
      enolase, and were mainly distributed in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. The
      present data suggest that ginsenoside Rg1-induced neural stem cells can promote
      the partial recovery of complicated brain functions in models of hypoxic-ischemic
      encephalopathy. 

PMID- 26109947
TI  - The role of exosomes in peripheral nerve regeneration.
AB  - Peripheral nerve injuries remain problematic to treat, with poor functional
      recovery commonly observed. Injuries resulting in a nerve gap create specific
      difficulties for axonal regeneration. Approaches to address these difficulties
      include autologous nerve grafts (which are currently the gold standard treatment)
      and synthetic conduits, with the latter option being able to be impregnated with
      Schwann cells or stem cells which provide an appropriate micro-environment for
      neuronal regeneration to occur. Transplanting stem cells, however, infers
      additional risk of malignant transformation as well as manufacturing difficulties
      and ethical concerns, and the use of autologous nerve grafts and Schwann cells
      requires the sacrifice of a functioning nerve. A new approach utilizing exosomes,
      secreted extracellular vesicles, could avoid these complications. In this review,
      we summarize the current literature on exosomes, and suggest how they could help
      to improve axonal regeneration following peripheral nerve injury. 

PMID- 26109946
TI  - Advances in regenerative therapies for spinal cord injury: a biomaterials
      approach.
AB  - Spinal cord injury results in the permanent loss of function, causing enormous
      personal, social and economic problems. Even though neural regeneration has been
      proven to be a natural mechanism, central nervous system repair mechanisms are
      ineffective due to the imbalance of the inhibitory and excitatory factors
      implicated in neuroregeneration. Therefore, there is growing research interest on
      discovering a novel therapeutic strategy for effective spinal cord injury repair.
      To this direction, cell-based delivery strategies, biomolecule delivery
      strategies as well as scaffold-based therapeutic strategies have been developed
      with a tendency to seek for the answer to a combinatorial approach of all the
      above. Here we review the recent advances on regenerative/neural engineering
      therapies for spinal cord injury, aiming at providing an insight to the most
      promising repair strategies, in order to facilitate future research conduction. 

PMID- 26109951
TI  - Lateral intracerebroventricular injection of Apelin-13 inhibits apoptosis after
      cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.
AB  - Apelin-13 inhibits neuronal apoptosis caused by hydrogen peroxide, yet apoptosis
      following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury has rarely been studied. In this
      study, Apelin-13 (0.1 MUg/g) was injected into the lateral ventricle of middle
      cerebral artery occlusion model rats. TTC, TUNEL, and immunohistochemical
      staining showed that compared with the cerebral ischemia/reperfusion group,
      infarct volume and apoptotic cell number at the ischemic penumbra region were
      decreased in the Apelin-13 treatment group. Additionally, Apelin-13 treatment
      increased Bcl-2 immunoreactivity and decreased caspase-3 immunoreactivity. Our
      findings suggest that Apelin-13 is neuroprotective against cerebral
      ischemia/reperfusion injury through inhibition of neuronal apoptosis. 

PMID- 26109950
TI  - Changes of resting cerebral activities in subacute ischemic stroke patients.
AB  - This study aimed to detect the difference in resting cerebral activities between
      ischemic stroke patients and healthy participants, define the abnormal site, and
      provide new evidence for pathological mechanisms, clinical diagnosis, prognosis
      prediction and efficacy evaluation of ischemic stroke. At present, the majority
      of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies focus on the motor dysfunction
      and the acute stage of ischemic stroke. This study recruited 15 right-handed
      ischemic stroke patients at subacute stage (15 days to 11.5 weeks) and 15 age
      matched healthy participants. A resting-state functional magnetic resonance
      imaging scan was performed on each subject to detect cerebral activity. Regional
      homogeneity analysis was used to investigate the difference in cerebral
      activities between ischemic stroke patients and healthy participants. The results
      showed that the ischemic stroke patients had lower regional homogeneity in
      anterior cingulate and left cerebrum and higher regional homogeneity in
      cerebellum, left precuneus and left frontal lobe, compared with healthy
      participants. The experimental findings demonstrate that the areas in which
      regional homogeneity was different between ischemic stroke patients and healthy
      participants are in the cerebellum, left precuneus, left triangle inferior
      frontal gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus and anterior cingulate. These
      locations, related to the motor, sensory and emotion areas, are likely potential
      targets for the neural regeneration of subacute ischemic stroke patients. 

PMID- 26109952
TI  - CX3 chemokine receptor 1 deficiency leads to reduced dendritic complexity and
      delayed maturation of newborn neurons in the adult mouse hippocampus.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that microglia impact the proliferation and
      differentiation of neurons during hippocampal neurogenesis via the
      fractalkine/CX3 chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1) signaling pathway. However, whether
      microglia can influence the maturation and dendritic growth of newborn neurons
      during hippocampal neurogenesis remains unclear. In the present study, we found
      that the number of doublecortin-positive cells in the hippocampus was decreased,
      and the dendritic length and number of intersections in newborn neurons in the
      hippocampus were reduced in transgenic adult mice with CX3CR1 deficiency (CX3CR1
      (GFP/GFP) ). Furthermore, after experimental seizures were induced with kainic
      acid in these CX3CR1-deficient mice, the expression of c-fos, a marker of
      neuronal activity, was reduced compared with wild-type mice. Collectively, the
      experimental findings indicate that the functional maturation of newborn neurons
      during hippocampal neurogenesis in adult mice is delayed by CX3CR1 deficiency. 

PMID- 26109953
TI  - Effective components of Chinese herbs reduce central nervous system function
      decline induced by iron overload.
AB  - Abnormally increased levels of iron in the brain trigger cascade amplification in
      Alzheimer's disease patients, resulting in neuronal death. This study
      investigated whether components extracted from the Chinese herbs epimedium herb,
      milkvetch root and kudzuvine root could relieve the abnormal expression of iron
      metabolism-related protein in Alzheimer's disease patients. An APPswe /PS1DeltaE9
      double transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease was used. The intragastric
      administration of compounds from epimedium herb, milkvetch root and kudzuvine
      root improved pathological alterations such as neuronal edema, increased the
      number of neurons, downregulated divalent metal transporter 1 expression,
      upregulated ferroportin 1 expression, and inhibited iron overload in the cerebral
      cortex of mice with Alzheimer's disease. These compounds reduced iron overload
      induced impairment of the central nervous system, indicating a new strategy for
      developing novel drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. 

PMID- 26109955
TI  - CORRIGENDA.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 1907 in vol. 9, PMID: 25558241.][This corrects
      the article on p. 266 in vol. 10, PMID: 25883626.]. 

PMID- 26109954
TI  - MicroRNA-124 slows down the progression of Huntington's disease by promoting
      neurogenesis in the striatum.
AB  - MicroRNA-124 contributes to neurogenesis through regulating its targets, but its
      expression both in the brain of Huntington's disease mouse models and patients is
      decreased. However, the effects of microRNA-124 on the progression of
      Huntington's disease have not been reported. Results from this study showed that
      microRNA-124 increased the latency to fall for each R6/2 Huntington's disease
      transgenic mouse in the rotarod test. 5-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) staining of
      the striatum shows an increase in neurogenesis. In addition, brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma
      coactivator 1-alpha protein levels in the striatum were increased and SRY-related
      HMG box transcription factor 9 protein level was decreased. These findings
      suggest that microRNA-124 slows down the progression of Huntington's disease
      possibly through its important role in neuronal differentiation and survival. 

PMID- 26109956
TI  - Upregulated Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 signaling pathway: a new hope in the repair of spinal
      cord injury.
AB  - An increasing number of studies report that the Ras/Raf/extracellular signal
      regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) signaling pathway has a death-promoting apoptotic
      function in neural cells. We hypothesized that the Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 signaling
      pathway may be abnormally regulated in rat injured spinal cord models. The weight
      drop method was used to establish rat spinal cord injury at T9. Western blot
      analysis and immunohistochemical staining revealed Ras expression was
      dramatically elevated, and the phosphorylations of A-Raf, B-Raf and C-Raf were
      all upregulated in the injured spinal cord. Both mitogen-activated protein kinase
      kinase 1/2 and ERK1/2, which belong to the Ras/Raf signaling kinases, were
      upregulated. These results indicate that Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 signaling may be
      upregulated in injured spinal cord and are involved in recovery after spinal cord
      injury. 

PMID- 26109957
TI  - Bibliometric profile of neurogenic bladder in the literature: a 20-year
      bibliometric analysis.
AB  - Neurogenic bladder is a dysfunction of the lower urinary tract caused by nervous
      system disorder. We investigated the trends in publication of articles under the
      topic "neurogenic bladder" using bibliometric analysis. Articles on neurogenic
      bladder, published between 1995 and 2014, were retrieved from the ISI Web of
      Science citation database. We analyzed the search results for authors, countries,
      institutions, journals, and top-cited papers. A total of 1,904 articles were
      retrieved. There was a small increase in the number of articles on neurogenic
      bladder from 1995 (n = 43) to 2014 (n = 117). The USA was the leading country in
      the total number of articles (n = 598). However, the number of publications from
      China has rapidly increased, and China was ranked second in 2014. Emmanuel
      Chartier-Kastler (n = 65) was the most productive author, and University of Paris
      VI (Paris 6) (n = 61) was the most productive institution. The Journal of Urology
      published the greatest number of articles on this topic (n = 285). Articles on
      neurogenic bladder were often published in a professional journal under the
      category Urology & Nephrology, Neurosciences & Neurology, or Rehabilitation.
      Visualization analysis based on co-citation networks was conducted using
      CiteSpace III. Visualization analysis revealed that the hot spots in neurogenic
      bladder were botulinum toxin-A, prazosin, bethanechol, and afferent pathways.
      These findings provide new insight into the publication trends and hot spots in
      neurogenic bladder. 

PMID- 26109958
TI  - Autologous nerve graft repair of different degrees of sciatic nerve defect:
      stress and displacement at the anastomosis in a three-dimensional fnite element
      simulation model.
AB  - In the repair of peripheral nerve injury using autologous or synthetic nerve
      grafting, the magnitude of tensile forces at the anastomosis affects its response
      to physiological stress and the ultimate success of the treatment. One
      dimensional stretching is commonly used to measure changes in tensile stress and
      strain; however, the accuracy of this simple method is limited. Therefore, in the
      present study, we established three-dimensional finite element models of sciatic
      nerve defects repaired by autologous nerve grafts. Using PRO E 5.0 finite element
      simulation software, we calculated the maximum stress and displacement of an
      anastomosis under a 5 N load in 10-, 20-, 30-, 40-mm long autologous nerve
      grafts. We found that maximum displacement increased with graft length,
      consistent with specimen force. These findings indicate that three-dimensional
      finite element simulation is a feasible method for analyzing stress and
      displacement at the anastomosis after autologous nerve grafting. 

PMID- 26109959
TI  - Acupuncture and vitamin B12 injection for Bell's palsy: no high-quality evidence
      exists.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of acupuncture combined with vitamin B12
      acupoint injection versus acupuncture alone to reduce incomplete recovery in
      patients with Bell's palsy. DATA RETRIEVAL: A computer-based online retrieval of
      Medline, Web of Science, CNKI, CBM databases until April 2014 was performed for
      relevant trials, using the key words "Bell's palsy or idiopathic facial palsy or
      facial palsy" and "acupuncture or vitamin B12 or methylcobalamin". STUDY
      SELECTION: All randomized controlled trials that compared acupuncture with
      acupuncture combined with vitamin B12 in patients with Bell's palsy were included
      in the meta-analysis. The initial treatment lasted for at least 4 weeks. The
      outcomes of incomplete facial recovery were monitored. The scoring index varied
      and the definition of healing was consistent. The combined effect size was
      calculated by using relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) using
      the fixed effect model of Review Manager. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incomplete
      recovery rates were chosen as the primary outcome. RESULTS: Five studies
      involving 344 patients were included in the final analysis. Results showed that
      the incomplete recovery rate of Bell's palsy patients was 44.50% in the
      acupuncture combined with vitamin B12 group but 62.57% in the acupuncture alone
      group. The major acupoints were Taiyang (EX-HN5), Jiache (ST6), Dicang (ST4) and
      Sibai (ST2). The combined effect size showed that acupuncture combined with
      vitamin B12 was better than acupuncture alone for the treatment of Bell's palsy
      (RR = 0.71, 95%CI: 0.58-0.87; P = 0.001), this result held true when 8 patients
      lost to follow up in one study were included into the analyses (RR = 0.70, 95%CI:
      0.58-0.86; P = 0.0005). In the subgroup analyses, the therapeutic effect in
      patients of the electroacupuncture subgroup was better than in the non
      electroacupuncture subgroup (P = 0.024). There was no significant difference in
      the incomplete recovery rate by subgroup analysis on drug types and treatment
      period. Most of the included studies were moderate or low quality, and bias
      existed. CONCLUSION: In patients with Bell's palsy, acupuncture combined with
      vitamin B12 can reduce the risk of incomplete recovery compared with acupuncture
      alone in our meta-analysis. Because of study bias and methodological limitations,
      this conclusion is uncertain and the clinical application of acupuncture combined
      with vitamin B12 requires further exploration.

PMID- 26109960
TI  - High-dose thalidomide increases the risk of peripheral neuropathy in the
      treatment of ankylosing spondylitis.
AB  - Thalidomide is an effective drug for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis but
      might induce peripheral neuropathy. This major adverse reaction has attracted
      much concern. The current study aimed to observe the incidence of thalidomide
      induced peripheral neuropathy among ankylosing spondylitis patients for 1 year
      after treatment. In this study, 207 ankylosing spondylitis cases received
      thalidomide treatment, while 116 ankylosing spondylitis cases received other
      treatments. Results showed that the incidence of thalidomide-induced peripheral
      neuropathy in the thalidomide group was higher than that in the non-thalidomide
      group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of neuropathy between
      the < 6 months medication and >= 6 months medication groups. There were no
      differences in the mean age, gender, or daily dose between the two groups. The
      incidence of peripheral neuropathy among patients receiving 25, 50, 75, or 100 mg
      thalidomide per day was 4.6%, 8.5%, 17.1%, 21.7%, respectively. The incidence was
      significantly different between the groups receiving 25 mg and 100 mg
      thalidomide. In conclusion, thalidomide can induce peripheral neuropathy within 1
      year after treatment of ankylosing spondylitis; however, age and gender have no
      obvious impact on the incidence of peripheral neuropathy. The incidence of
      peripheral neuropathy is associated with increasing daily doses of thalidomide. 

PMID- 26109961
TI  - Efficacy and safety of nerve growth factor for the treatment of neurological
      diseases: a meta-analysis of 64 randomized controlled trials involving 6,297
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: China is the only country where nerve growth factor is approved for
      large-scale use as a clinical medicine. More than 10 years ago, in 2003, nerve
      growth factor injection was listed as a national drug. The goal of this article
      is to evaluate comprehensively the efficacy and safety of nerve growth factor for
      the treatment of neurological diseases. DATA RETRIEVAL: A computer-based
      retrieval was performed from six databases, including the Cochrane Library,
      PubMed, EMBASE, Sino Med, CNKI, and the VIP database, searching from the clinical
      establishment of nerve growth factor for treatment until December 31, 2013. The
      key words for the searches were "nerve growth factor, randomized controlled
      trials" in Chinese and in English. DATA SELECTION:  INCLUSION CRITERIA: any study
      published in English or Chinese referring to randomized controlled trials of
      nerve growth factor; patients with neurological diseases such as peripheral nerve
      injury, central nerve injury, cranial neuropathy, and nervous system infections;
      patients older than 7 years; similar research methods and outcomes assessing
      symptoms; and measurement of nerve conduction velocities. The meta-analysis was
      conducted using Review Manager 5.2.3 software. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The total
      effective rate, the incidence of adverse effects, and the nerve conduction
      velocity were recorded for each study. RESULTS: Sixty-four studies involving
      6,297 patients with neurological diseases were included. The total effective rate
      in the group treated with nerve growth factor was significantly higher than that
      in the control group (P < 0.0001, RR: 1.35, 95%CI: 1.30-1.40). The average nerve
      conduction velocity in the nerve growth factor group was significantly higher
      than that in the control group (P < 0.00001, MD: 4.59 m/s, 95%CI: 4.12-5.06). The
      incidence of pain or scleroma at the injection site in the nerve growth factor
      group was also higher than that in the control group (P < 0.00001, RR: 6.30,
      95%CI: 3.53-11.27), but such adverse effects were mild. CONCLUSION: Nerve growth
      factor can significantly improve nerve function in patients with nervous system
      disease and is safe and effective.

PMID- 26109962
TI  - Recovery of a degenerated corticospinal tract after injury in a patient with
      intracerebral hemorrhage: confirmed by diffusion tensor tractography imaging.

PMID- 26109964
TI  - Evaluation of the pelvic apophysis with multi-detector computed tomography for
      legal age estimation in living individuals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Legal age estimations of living individuals are gaining increasing
      importance for radiologists involved in delivering expert opinions. The present
      study aimed to assess the correlation between chronological age and apophyseal
      centers distance from pelvic bone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross
      sectional study carried out on 2013. Subjects were chosen from 15 to 25 years old
      people who had previous pelvic multi-detector computed tomography for any reason.
      The distance of iliac crest apophysis to iliac bone, and pubic apophysis to pubic
      bone were assessed. RESULTS: There was a reverse linear correlation between
      chronological age and distance of iliac crest apophysis (P < 0.001, r = 0.899)
      and pubic apophysis to pelvic bone (P < 0.001, r = 0.898). Pubic apophysis was
      not appeared in subjects before 16 years old and it was appeared in all of the
      subjects with 18 years old and more. Subjects with age of 21 had near
      ossification of iliac or pubic apophysis and subjects with age of 24 had full
      ossification of iliac or pubic apophysis. CONCLUSION: skeletalage can be
      estimated by assessing the apophyseal centers distance from the pelvic bone in
      adolescents 15-25 years old.

PMID- 26109963
TI  - Ligustrazine monomer against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.
AB  - Ligustrazine (2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine) is a major active ingredient of the
      Szechwan lovage rhizome and is extensively used in treatment of ischemic
      cerebrovascular disease. The mechanism of action of ligustrazine use against
      ischemic cerebrovascular diseases remains unclear at present. This study
      summarizes its protective effect, the optimum time window of administration, and
      the most effective mode of administration for clinical treatment of cerebral
      ischemia/reperfusion injury. We examine the effects of ligustrazine on
      suppressing excitatory amino acid release, promoting migration, differentiation
      and proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells. We also looked at its effects
      on angiogenesis and how it inhibits thrombosis, the inflammatory response, and
      apoptosis after cerebral ischemia. We consider that ligustrazine gives noticeable
      protection from cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. The time window of
      ligustrazine administration is limited. The protective effect and time window of
      a series of derivative monomers of ligustrazine such as 2-[(1,1
      dimethylethyl)oxidoimino]methyl]-3,5,6-trimethylpyrazine, CXC137 and CXC195 after
      cerebral ischemia were better than ligustrazine. 

PMID- 26109965
TI  - A noninvasive method for coronary artery diseases diagnosis using a clinically
      interpretable fuzzy rule-based system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coronary heart diseases/coronary artery diseases (CHDs/CAD), the most
      common form of cardiovascular disease (CVD), are a major cause for death and
      disability in developing/developed countries. CAD risk factors could be detected
      by physicians to prevent the CAD occurrence in the near future. Invasive coronary
      angiography, a current diagnosis method, is costly and associated with morbidity
      and mortality in CAD patients. The aim of this study was to design a computer
      based noninvasive CAD diagnosis system with clinically interpretable rules.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, the Cleveland CAD dataset from the
      University of California UCI (Irvine) was used. The interval-scale variables were
      discretized, with cut points taken from the literature. A fuzzy rule-based system
      was then formulated based on a neuro-fuzzy classifier (NFC) whose learning
      procedure was speeded up by the scaled conjugate gradient algorithm. Two feature
      selection (FS) methods, multiple logistic regression (MLR) and sequential FS,
      were used to reduce the required attributes. The performance of the NFC
      (without/with FS) was then assessed in a hold-out validation framework. Further
      cross-validation was performed on the best classifier. RESULTS: In this dataset,
      16 complete attributes along with the binary CHD diagnosis (gold standard) for
      272 subjects (68% male) were analyzed. MLR + NFC showed the best performance. Its
      overall sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, type I error (alpha) and statistical
      power were 79%, 89%, 84%, 0.1 and 79%, respectively. The selected features were
      "age and ST/heart rate slope categories," "exercise-induced angina status,"
      fluoroscopy, and thallium-201 stress scintigraphy results. CONCLUSION: The
      proposed method showed "substantial agreement" with the gold standard. This
      algorithm is thus, a promising tool for screening CAD patients.

PMID- 26109966
TI  - Diagnosed tuberculous meningitis using cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain
      reaction in patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of meningitis in referral
      hospitals in Isfahan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the leading infectious diseases
      throughout the world. Among various forms of extrapulmonary TB, tuberculous
      meningitis (TBM) is the most severe form and remains a major global health
      problem with a high mortality rate. Our study was designed to evaluate
      tuberculous polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive rate in patients who present
      with fairly long symptoms of meningitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 162 Patients
      with an indolent onset of symptoms compatible with central nervous system
      infection were admitted. Sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was evaluated for
      biochemistry and tuberculous real-time PCR. Data analyzed by Student's t-test and
      Fisher's test. RESULTS: Patients were mostly male (69.8%), with a median age of
      43.69 +/- 22.67 years. CSF real-time PCR results in 6 patients (3.7%) were
      positive for tuberculous DNA. Of these 6 patients, 4 of whom were men and two of
      whom were women. In other words, the frequency of positive tuberculous DNA was in
      male 5.3% and female 1.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Given that we live in Iran
      and in the vicinity of the tuberculous endemic countries, if we face a meningitis
      case with lasting symptoms and tendency to be chronic, TBM should be considered.

PMID- 26109967
TI  - Breast cancer screening: Evidence of the effect of adjunct ultrasound screening
      in women with unilateral mammography-negative dense breasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with the previous history of breast cancer are in risk of
      contralateral breast cancer. On the other hand, increased breast density is a
      risk factor for breast cancer and the sensitivity of detecting nonpalpable
      cancers in screening mammography in radiographically dense breasts is low. The
      use of ultrasonography in dense breast remains a controversial topic. The purpose
      of this study was to assess the usefulness of routine ultrasonography in follow
      up of women with the previous history of breast cancer and negative mammography
      but dense breasts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, a total of
      267 individuals with unilateral postmastectomy mammogram screened and 153
      subjects assigned to study. There were 28 subjects with American College of
      Radiology (ACR) breast density 2 and 125 with ACR breast density 3-4, which there
      was no new finding in their mammogram in comparison to previous studies. We
      assumed subjects with ACR breast density 3-4 as mammographic Breast Imaging
      Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category 0 for malignancy. Standard two-view
      mammogram was performed for all participants, and breast ultrasound (US)
      examinations were performed by an expert radiologist in radial and anti-radial
      planes. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago,
      Illinois, USA). RESULTS: The results showed that in subjects with ACR breast
      density 3-4, when there was no new density in two consecutive mammograms in
      comparison to previous studies, US also showed no possibility for malignancy (BI
      RADS 1-2). And also in subjects with ACR breast density 2, when the mammographic
      results were BI-RADS 1-2, the US results was the same. CONCLUSION: Our data
      indicate that for the detection of breast cancer, sensitivity of US was not
      greater than mammography in patients with postmastectomy unilateral dense breast
      if there is not any new density.

PMID- 26109968
TI  - Comparison of the effect of topical versus systemic L-arginine on wound healing
      in acute incisional diabetic rat model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes is associated with endothelial dysfunction and impaired
      wound healing. The amino acid L-arginine is the only substrate for nitric oxide
      (NO) synthesis. The purpose of this study was to compare the topical versus
      systemic L-arginine treatment on total nitrite (NOx) and vascular endothelial
      growth factor (VEGF) concentrations in wound fluid and rate of wound healing in
      an acute incisional diabetic wound model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 56
      Sprague-Dawley rats were used of which 32 were rendered diabetic. Animals
      underwent a dorsal skin incision. Dm-sys-arg group (N = 8, diabetic) and Norm-sys
      arg group (N = 8, normoglycemic) were gavaged with L-arginine. Dm-sys-control
      group (N = 8, diabetic) and Norm-sys-control group (N = 8, normoglycemic) were
      gavaged with water. Dm-top-arg group (N = 8, diabetic) and norm-top-arg group (N
      = 8, normoglycemic) received topical L-arginine gel. Dm-top-control group (N = 8,
      diabetic) received gel vehicle. On the day 5 the amount of NOx in wound fluid was
      measured by Griess reaction. VEGF/total protein in wound fluids was also measured
      on day 5 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All wound tissue specimens were
      fixed and stained to be evaluated for rate of healing. Data were analyzed using
      SPSS software (version 18.0, Chicago, IL, USA) through One-way analysis of
      variance test and Tukey's post-hoc. RESULTS: In dm-sys-arg group, the level of
      NOx on day 5 was significantly more than dm-top-arg group (P < 0.05). VEGF
      content in L-arginine treated groups were significantly more than controls (P <
      0.05). Rate of diabetic wound healing in dm-sys-arg group was significantly more
      than dm-top-arg group. CONCLUSION: Systemic L-arginine is more efficient than
      topical L-arginine in wound healing. This process is mediated at least in part,
      by increasing VEGF and NO in the wound fluid.

PMID- 26109969
TI  - Rhabdomyolysis in 114 patients with acute poisonings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rhabdomyolysis is a clinical and biochemical syndrome, which is
      observed in some patients with acute chemical and/or pharmaceutical poisonings.
      We aimed to investigate rhabdomyolysis in patients with acute poisonings due to
      different chemicals, natural toxins or drug overdose. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Following approval of the University medical research committee and obtaining
      informed consents from the patients or their relatives, all patients with acute
      poisonings who were treated between March 2009 and February 2010 in the
      Toxicologic Ward of Imam Reza Hospital and had serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK)
      above 975 IU/L (as a definition for rhabdomyolysis) were studied. RESULTS: Of
      3555 hospitalized poisoned patients, 114 patients had rhabdomyolysis with CPK of
      5996 +/- 892 IU/L (mean +/- standard error). The most common intoxication to
      induce the rhabdomyolysis was opioid overdose (28%). Acute renal failure (ARF)
      was diagnosed in 11 (8.7%) patients. There was a linear correlation between CPK
      and creatinine (P < 0.001), which in turn had a significant correlation with
      death (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients with acute poisoning were at risk of
      rhabdomyolysis. Acute opioid poisoning was the most common cause of toxic
      rhabdomyolysis in the intoxicated patients, and ARF was the main complication.

PMID- 26109970
TI  - Developing a provisional and national renal disease registry for Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disease registry is a database that includes information about people
      suffering a special kind of disease. The aim of this study was to first identify
      and compare the National Renal Disease Registry (NRDR) characteristics in some
      countries with Iran; and second, develop a provisional and NRDR for Iran.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrieval of data of the NRDR was performed by scholars
      responsible in related agencies, including the Ministry of Health and Medical
      Education, Renal Disease charity, and data registries in the United States,
      United Kingdom, Malaysia, and Iran. This research was applied, and the study was
      descriptive-comparative. The study population consisted of the NRDR in selected
      countries in which data were collected by forms that were designed according to
      the study objectives. Sources of data were researchers, articles, books,
      journals, databases, websites, related documents, and people who are active in
      this regard, and related agencies, including the Ministry of Health and Medical
      Education, and patient support charity. The researchers collected data for each
      country based on the study objectives and then put them in comparative tables.
      Data were analyzed by descriptive, comparative, and theoretical methods. RESULTS:
      Most of the renal transplant teams report their own results as a single center
      experiences. America and Britain have a preeminent national registry of renal
      disease compared to other countries. CONCLUSION: Given that control, prevention,
      and treatment of chronic renal diseases incur high expenses and the disease is
      one of leading mortality factors in Iran and across the world and since national
      registry system for chronic renal diseases can provide better tools and
      strategies to manage and evaluate patients' characteristics as well as risk
      factors which eventually leads to making better decisions.

PMID- 26109971
TI  - Trends in ageing of the population and the life expectancy after retirement: A
      comparative country-based analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During the 20(th) century, the share of elderly in the total
      population of the Earth has increased steadily. It is expected that this trend
      will continue in the 21(st) century. In 1950, the elderly (persons aged 60 years
      and older) were 8% of the world population; in 2000, is already 10%; and in 2050,
      according to United Nations projections, the proportion will reach 21%. This
      research on Kazakhstan provides demographic analysis from 1989 to 2012 and
      presents the main features of population' ageing through comparative analysis.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used information-analytical, content-analysis,
      mathematical treatment and comparative analysis of statistical data on
      demographic status in Kazakhstan and some other countries of the world (UK, USA,
      Turkey, Russia) over the 1989-2012. RESULTS: Age dependency ratio of the Russian
      federation - >1.7 times, in the USA-up to 1.9 times and the UK has dependency
      ratio higher than 2.5 times of similar indicators in Kazakhstan in 2010.
      CONCLUSION: Life expectancy of the elderly population KZ after 65 years in 2010
      was only 13.8 years, which is 6-9 years inferior to European and U.S. indices.
      Thus, increasing the retirement age is inappropriate for the current period.

PMID- 26109972
TI  - Diabetes research in Middle East countries; a scientometrics study from 1990 to
      2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes burden is a serious warning for urgent action plan across
      the world. Knowledge production in this context could provide evidences for more
      efficient interventions. Aimed to that, we quantify the trend of diabetes
      research outputs of Middle East countries focusing on the scientific publication
      numbers, citations, and international collaboration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      scientometrics study was performed based on the systematic analysis through three
      international databases; ISI, PubMed, and Scopus from 1990 to 2012. International
      collaboration of Middle East countries and citations was analyzed based on
      Scopus. Diabetes' publications in Iran specifically were assessed, and frequent
      used terms were mapped by VOSviewer software. RESULTS: Over 23-year period, the
      number of diabetes publications and related citations in Middle East countries
      had increasing trend. The number of articles on diabetes in ISI, PubMed, and
      Scopus were respectively; 13,994, 11,336, and 20,707. Turkey, Israel, Iran, Saudi
      Arabia, and Egypt have devoted the five top competition positions. In addition,
      Israel, Turkey, and Iran were leading countries in citation analysis. The most
      collaborative country with Middle East countries was USA and within the region,
      the most collaborative country was Saudi Arabia. Iran in all databases stands on
      third position and produced 12.7% of diabetes publications within region.
      Regarding diabetes researches, the frequent used terms in Iranian articles were
      "effect," "woman," and "metabolic syndrome." CONCLUSION: Ascending trend of
      diabetes research outputs in Middle East countries is appreciated but encouraging
      to strategic planning for maintaining this trend, and more collaboration between
      researchers is needed to regional health promotion.

PMID- 26109973
TI  - The impact of acid-suppressing drugs to the patients with chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease: A nationwide, population-based, cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A high prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms has
      observed among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, and proton
      pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the main medication in clinical practices. The aim of
      this study is to analyze the impact of PPIs to the risk of pneumonia in the cases
      with COPD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a nationwide, population-based, cohort
      study using National Health Insurance Program in Taiwan. The enrolled cases were
      newly-diagnosed COPD, older than 30 years, between 2001 and 2005. Patients'
      prescriptions with PPIs and histamine receptor 2 antagonists (HR2As), >2 months,
      were identified. The appearance of pneumonia and mortality of these enrolled
      patients was recorded. Multivariate Cox's regression was used to examine the
      influence of acid-suppressing drugs to pneumonia on individuals with COPD.
      RESULTS: A total of 17,498 patients were included, of whom 109 (0.6%) and 526
      (3%) cases had used PPIs and HR2As respectively. The risk of pneumonia existed
      when patients had used concurrent PPIs (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 1.76; 95%
      confidence interval [CI] = 1.33-2.34) or HR2As (adjusted HR = 1.25; 95% CI = 1.07
      1.47). The positive association was lost in the cases over 70 years. The ratio of
      mortality also increased in those with PPIs or HR2As. CONCLUSION: Acid
      suppressing drugs, especially PPIs, are attributed to more pneumonia happening in
      COPD patients compare with nonusers. The association was lost in elderly cases.
      Use acid-suppressing drugs should be careful about a higher possibility of
      pneumonia in younger individuals with COPD.

PMID- 26109974
TI  - Features of fatigue in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate the fatigue status and
      related factors in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) 1
      5 years after surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included
      254 patients with stage IA or IB NSCLC, who had undergone surgery. They completed
      several surveys, including the Brief Fatigue Inventory, Karnofsky Performance
      Scale, Physical Activity Questionnaire, Baseline Dyspnea Index, Hospital Anxiety
      and Depression Scale. The association between fatigue and functional status was
      assessed using Chi-square analysis. Spearman rank correlation and multivariate
      logistic regression analysis were used to assess the correlation between fatigue
      and various other factors. RESULTS: The overall incidence of postoperative
      fatigue was 59.8%. Among patients with moderate to severe fatigue, 21.1% had
      obvious dysfunction, whereas only 9.6% of patients with mild or no fatigue
      (chi(2) = 5.369; P = 0.02) showed obvious dysfunction. Multivariate logistic
      regression analysis showed that functional status (odds ratio [OR]: 3.57; 95%
      confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-6.19), concurrent lung disease (OR: 2.34; 95% CI:
      1.08-4.99), depression (OR: 6.39; 95% CI: 2.42-17.35), and anxiety (OR: 2.45; 95%
      CI: 1.13-4.87) were independent risk factors for fatigue, whereas physical
      activity (OR: 0.27; 95% CI: 0.11-0.73) could prevent fatigue. CONCLUSION: More
      than half of the patients with early-stage NSCLC experienced fatigue 1-5 years
      after surgery, and moderate to severe fatigue was often associated with obvious
      dysfunction. The strong association of fatigue with anxiety, depression, and lung
      complications suggests that fatigue and other symptoms constitute a symptom
      cluster. Therefore, comprehensive treatment methods may achieve better
      therapeutic results.

PMID- 26109975
TI  - Challenges of the ward round teaching based on the experiences of medical
      clinical teachers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Holding educational sessions in a clinical environment is a major
      concern for faculty members because of its special difficulties and restrictions.
      This study attempts to recognize the challenges of the ward round teaching
      through investigating the experiences of clinical teachers in 2011. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This qualitative research is carried out through purposive sampling with
      maximum variation from among the clinical teachers of major departments in
      Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (9 persons). The sampling continued until
      data saturation. Data were collected through semi-structured interview and
      analyzed through Collaizzi method. Data reliability and validity was confirmed
      through the four aspects of Lincoln and Guba method (credibility, conformability,
      transferability, and dependability). RESULTS: Three major themes and their
      related sub-themes (minor themes) were found out including the factors related to
      the triad of clinical teaching (patient, learner, and clinical teacher) (concern
      about patient's welfare, poor preparation, lack of motivation, ethical problems),
      factors related to the educational environment (stressful environment,
      humiliating environment and poor communication) and the factors related to the
      educational system of the clinical environment (poor organizing and arrangement
      of resources, poor system's monitoring, bad planning and inadequate resource).
      CONCLUSION: Ward round teaching has many concerns for teachers, and this should
      be recognized and resolved by authorities and teachers. If these problems are not
      resolved, it would affect the quality of clinical teaching.

PMID- 26109976
TI  - Serum iron level, ferritin and total iron binding capacity level among
      nonpregnant women with and without melasma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Melasma is a common acquired disorder characterized by symmetric,
      hyperpigmented patches with an irregular outline, occurring most commonly on the
      face. It is most prevalent among young to middle-aged women. Although iron
      overload affects skin pigmentation, effect of iron deficiency on skin is not
      clear. So, we evaluated serum iron level, ferritin and total iron binding
      capacity (TIBC) level among nonpregnant women with and without melasma. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A cross-sectional case study was conducted in 2012 at university
      dermatologic department on 33 nonpregnant women with melasma (case) and 33
      nonpregnant women without melasma (control). Serum iron level, TIBC and ferritin
      in the two groups was measured and compared. RESULTS: Serum iron level was lower
      in the case group (85 +/- 11) in comparison with control group (102 +/- 9), but
      the difference was not significant (P: 0.9). Mean TIBC and Ferritin were higher
      in the case group (TIBC: 329.4 +/- 29, ferritin: 6 +/- 18) than the control group
      (TIBC: 329.3 +/- 29, ferritin: 33 +/- 6) without significant difference.
      CONCLUSION: Although the serum iron level was lower in nonpregnant women with
      mealsma, it was not significant compared with those without melasma.

PMID- 26109977
TI  - BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in Iranian breast cancer patients: A systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: BRCA1/2 genes mutation prevalence varies among ethnic groups and may
      be influenced by founder mutations. Understanding BRCA1/2 genes mutations is
      important for reducing breast cancer (BC) incidence, accurate risk assessment and
      counseling. This systematic review of the literature was conducted to addressing
      BRCA1/2 mutations in Iranian BC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search for
      relevant articles was run on before January 2014 using MedLine, PubMed, Science
      Iranian Database, Google, and Web sites related to the study topic. The key words
      included: BC and Iran with Genes, BRCA Genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2; "Cancer Genes,"
      and "Iran." RESULTS: Thirteen articles retrieved from this search strategy were
      eligible for this review. The overall BRCA1 mutation rate for Iranian female BC
      patients was detected 31.8% (377/1183). Although this gene mutation rate for male
      patients is <0.01%. Eight BRCA1 mutations (c. 4837A > G, c. 3419G > A, c. 3119G >
      A, c. 2612C > T, c. 3113A > G, c. 2311T > C, c. 4301T > C and c. 4308T > C in
      BRCA1, and one BRCA2 mutation (c. 6494G > C) were found in multiple case subjects
      and represent candidate founder mutations. CONCLUSION: According to these
      studies, there is heterogeneity in BRCA mutations in Iranian BC patients.

PMID- 26109979
TI  - Mercury poisoning in two 13-year-old twin sisters.
AB  - Mercury (Hg) is a toxic agent that evaporates in room temperature and its
      inhalation may cause poisoning. Due to the nonspecific symptoms, diagnosis is
      difficult in special circumstances with no initial history of Hg exposure. We
      report two such cases of Hg poisoning. The patients were two sisters, presenting
      with pain in extremities, itchy rashes, sweating, salivation, weakness, and mood
      changes. They have used a compound that contains mercury, for treatment of
      pedicullosis three months before admission. This compound was purchased from a
      herbal shop and was applied locally on the scalps for 2 days. Their urinary
      mercury concentrations were 50 and 70 mg/L. They were successfully treated by D
      penicillamine and gabapentin. In a patient with any kind of bone and joint pain,
      skin rash erythema and peripheral neuropathy, mercury poisoning should be
      considered as a differential diagnosis. 

PMID- 26109978
TI  - Systematic review on the association of abdominal obesity in children and
      adolescents with cardio-metabolic risk factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The adverse health effects of abdominal obesity are well documented
      in adults, but such association remains to be determined in the pediatric age
      group. This study aims to perform a systematic review on the association between
      abdominal obesity and cardio-metabolic factors such as dyslipidemia,
      hypertension, and hyperglycemia among children and adolescents. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus and
      Google Scholar databases to May 2014. Two independent reviewers identified
      relevant papers in several steps. After studying the titles and texts of
      documents, repeated and irrelevant ones were excluded. The search was refined to
      the English language. We did not consider any time limitation. Studies with
      different measuring methods of abdominal obesity were included. Studies with
      abdominal obese patients secondary to other disease were excluded from the study.
      In final, the data of association of cardio-metabolic risk factors and abdominal
      obesity extracted from studies. RESULTS: Overall, 3966 articles were reviewed,
      and 61 of them were studied according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
      Waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio, and waist-to-hip ratio were the
      most common indexes used for defining abdominal obesity. The association of high
      blood pressure with increasing WC was seen in several studies. The association of
      other cardio-metabolic risk factors was seen in some studies. CONCLUSION:
      Whatever the definition used for abdominal obesity and whatever the methods used
      for anthropometric measurements, central body fat deposition in children and
      adolescents increases the risk of cardio-metabolic risk factors. Therefore, more
      attention should be paid to abdominal obesity of children and adolescents both in
      clinical practice and in epidemiological studies.

PMID- 26109980
TI  - Interstitial pregnancy treated with a single-dose of systemic methotrexate: A
      successful management.
AB  - Interstitial pregnancy is an ectopic pregnancy at high hemorrhagic risk. It often
      poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to the clinician, with a significant
      risk of morbidity and mortality. It presents a difficult management problem with
      no absolute standard of care; the most appropriate treatment technique for these
      pregnancies remains controversial. We describe a case of unruptured interstitial
      pregnancy successfully treated with a single-dose of systemic methotrexate with
      subsequent ultrasound and serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin monitoring.
      Medical management can be a safe and successful option in selected cases that
      satisfy specific criteria and in women who are able to be monitored after
      treatment. 

PMID- 26109981
TI  - Etanercept plus methotrexate: An effective combination therapy for recalcitrant
      pemphigus vulgaris.

PMID- 26109982
TI  - Public health strategies to ensure optimal community participation in the Ebola
      outbreak in West-Africa.

PMID- 26109983
TI  - Absence of canalicular undescended testis during follow-up; where should be
      examined by ultrasound?

PMID- 26109984
TI  - National cerebral palsy minimum data set.

PMID- 26109985
TI  - Voice rehabilitation with tragal cartilage and perichondrium after vertical
      partial laryngectomy for glottic cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The goal of the study is to test medialization of the neocord after
      oncological surgery for glottic cancer, using autologous tragal cartilage and
      perichondrium by the direct approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients
      underwent comprehensive assessment including auditory perceptual assessment,
      videostrobolaryngoscopy, and acoustic voice analysis. The cartilage graft was
      inserted into a pocket created in the tyroarytenoid - lateral cricoarytenoid
      muscle complex or the excavated musculomembranous part of the neocord, and fixed
      by placing the perichondrium by the direct approach. The patients were evaluated
      preoperatively, and at 14 days, 60 days, and 6 months later. RESULTS: Improvement
      of voice and breathiness was correlated with the increase of closed quotient and
      harmonic-to-noise ratio; the acoustic voice parameters studied showed significant
      differences between preoperative and postoperative voices, and these objective
      measurements of voice changes provided accurate and documentary evidence of the
      results of surgical treatment. CONCLUSION: This method may be considered a safe
      and efficient phonosurgical procedure for voice restoration.

PMID- 26109986
TI  - The efficacy of combination of ondansetron and aprepitant on preventing the
      radiotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depending on the site of irradiation, about 40-80% of patients
      undergoing radiotherapy (RT) will experience nausea and/or vomiting. The current
      study aimed to investigate the efficacy of ondansetronas as a single agent and
      with a combination to aprepitant on preventing RT-induced nausea and vomiting
      (RINV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a clinical randomized controlled trial (from
      September 2010 to September 2011), conducted in Radiation Oncology Department of
      Seyed-al-Shohada Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 40
      abdominopelvic malignancies cancer patients were allocated into two aliquots
      using block randomization of size. Patients in the first group (group I) received
      ondansetron alone while those patients in the remaining group (group II) received
      ondansetron and aprepitant. Then, developing of RINV and its severity and benefit
      of adding aprepitant to ondansetron, in comparison with ondansetron as a single
      drug therapy were evaluated. RESULTS: The average age of the patients in group I
      was 61.15 +/- 12.27 years while in group II it was 50.1 +/- 13.27 years. No
      statistically significant gender differences were found between the two groups.
      In patients treated with ondansetron single drug therapy (group I), frequency and
      grade of RINV were significantly more than the group treated simultaneously by
      aprepitant and ondansetron (group II) (odds ratio [OR] = 21.2; P < 0.01).
      Compared with RT alone, the patients whom underwent RT along with chemotherapy
      showed lower probability of experiencing RINV (OR = 0.13; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION:
      The present study indicated a significant superiority of combination of
      ondansetron and aprepitant in management of RINV, in patients undergoing RT,
      compared to ondansetron as a single agent therapy. More accurate follow-up
      studies are needed for the evaluation of the efficacy of ondansetron with
      combination to aprepitant on preventing the RINV.

PMID- 26109987
TI  - Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Iranian preschoolers:
      Interrelationship with physical fitness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The preschool years are a crucial time to study the determinants of
      childhood obesity, as it is when eating and physical activity habits are becoming
      established. The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of
      overweight and obesity among preschoolers living in the capital of Iran and to
      determine relationships between overweight and obesity and selected motor- and
      health-related fitness parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This exploratory cross
      sectional study was conducted with 190 boys and 191 girls aged 5-6 years. Study
      children were selected from the kindergartens in Tehran, the capital of Iran. All
      children underwent anthropometric, motor- and health-related fitness tests.
      Height, body mass, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip
      ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and percentage of body fat (PBF) were
      measured for anthropometric assessments. Sit-and-reach, modified sit-ups,
      modified pull-ups, the 4 m * 9 m shuttle run, the 20 m sprint test and the 20 m
      multistage shuttle run test were measured for motor- and health-related fitness
      tests. Overweight and obesity prevalence was determined by the International
      Obesity Task Force, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health
      Organization standard criteria. RESULTS: International Obesity Task Force
      criteria indicate almost 12% (23/190) of boys and 22.5% (43/191) of girls were
      overweight or obese with 4.73% (9/190) of boys and 10.99% (21/191) of girls in
      the obese category. Significant correlations were found between modified pull-ups
      test and body mass, BMI, WC, WHR, WHtR, PBF in boys and modified pull-ups and
      modified sit-ups tests were significantly correlated with body mass, BMI, WC,
      WHR, WHtR, and PBF in girls. Compared to their counterparts, overweight and obese
      boys demonstrated inferior performance in modified pull-ups and predicted VO2max
      and overweight and obese girls demonstrated inferior performance in modified pull
      ups, modified sit-ups, 4 m * 9 m agility shuttle run and predicted VO2max.
      CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the relatively high prevalence of overweight
      and obesity in both genders of preschoolers and found that overweight and obesity
      were associated with poor fitness performances. The findings provided evidence to
      support the establishment of tailored physical fitness intervention programs to
      manage and prevent obesity in preschoolers.

PMID- 26109988
TI  - Usefulness of combination of grey-scale and color Doppler ultrasound findings in
      the diagnosis of ulnar nerve entrapment syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ulnar nerve entrapment (UNE) has been diagnosed with clinical
      examination and electrodiagnostic studies. This study was designed to determine
      the value of a combination of grey-scale and color Doppler ultrasound findings in
      the diagnosis of patients with UNE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During May to August
      2013 41 patients with UNE (proven by electrodiagnostic studies) and 44 healthy
      volunteers were evaluated by ultrasound study. Three cross-sectional area (CSA)
      of ulnar nerve around cubital fossa was determined and measured in both groups.
      The maximum and minimum diameter of ulnar nerve was measured for calculating
      flattening ratio index (FRI). Vascularity of ulnar nerve around cubital fossa was
      also examined in proper color Doppler setting. RESULTS: The mean CSA of nerve at
      all proximal, middle and distal levels were greater in patients with UNE than in
      controls (P = 0.02, <0.001 and 0.34 respectively). A cut-off point of 10.5 mm(2)
      for CSA (in the level of the cubital fossa) yielded a sensitivity and specificity
      of 92.7% and 93.2%, respectively. Mean FRI was 3.1 +/- 0.6 in patients with UNE
      group and 1.4 +/- 0.2 in the control group with a significant difference (P <
      0.001). FRI with cutoff point 2.15 has been shown as an important parameter for
      the detection of UNE. The vascularity in UNE has a sensitivity and specificity of
      66% and 93.2%, respectively, and has a higher probability of being positive in
      severe UNE. CONCLUSION: Combination of grey-scale and color Doppler ultrasound
      may provide valuable diagnostic criteria and severity assessment of UNE.

PMID- 26109989
TI  - The cardiovascular implication of single nucleotide polymorphisms of chromosome
      9p21 locus among Arab population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Based on several reports including genome-wide association studies,
      genetic variability has been linked with higher (nearly half) susceptibility
      toward coronary artery disease (CAD). We aimed to evaluate the association of
      chromosome 9p21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): rs2383207, rs10757278,
      and rs10757274 with the risk and severity of CAD among Arab population. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A prospective observational case-control study was conducted between
      2011 and 2012, in which 236 patients with CAD were recruited from the Heart
      Hospital in Qatar. Patients were categorized according to their coronary
      angiographic findings. Also, 152 healthy volunteers were studied to determine if
      SNPs are associated with risk of CAD. All subjects were genotyped for SNPs
      (rs2383207, rs2383206, rs10757274 and rs10757278) using allele-specific real-time
      polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Patients with CAD had a mean age of 57 +/-
      10; of them 77% were males, 54% diabetics, and 25% had family history of CAD. All
      SNPs were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium except rs2383206, with call rate >97%.
      After adjusting for age, sex and body mass index, the carriers of GG genotype for
      rs2383207 have increased the risk of having CAD with odds ratio (OR) of 1.52 (95%
      confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-2.961, P = 0.046). Also, rs2383207 contributed to
      CAD severity with adjusted OR 1.80 (95% CI = 1.04-3.12, P = 0.035) based on the
      dominant genetic model. The other SNPs (rs10757274 and rs10757278) showed no
      significant association with the risk of CAD or its severity. CONCLUSION: Among
      Arab population in Qatar, only G allele of rs2483207 SNP is significantly
      associated with risk of CAD and its severity.

PMID- 26109990
TI  - The association of personality traits and coping styles according to stress
      level.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some personality traits and coping styles could be as risk factors in
      stressful situations. This study aimed to investigate the association of
      personality traits and coping styles according to the stress level. METERIALS AND
      METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed in 2011. A total of 4628
      individuals over 20 years were selected by random sampling from nonacademic
      employees that working in 50 different centers across Isfahan province. Data were
      collected using 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Big Five
      Personality Inventory Short Form and coping strategies scale, and individuals
      were divided into high and low-stress groups in term of GHQ-12. To analyze the
      data, a binary logistic regression analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Mean age of
      participants was 36.3 +/- 7.91 years and 56.26% (2604) of them were female.
      Neuroticism with adjusting covariates of demographic characteristics and the rest
      of personality traits was a risk factor for stress level with odds ratios (OR)
      OR:1.24; but other personality traits were protective. Also, active coping styles
      were protective factors for OR of stress level with adjusting covariates of
      demographic characteristics and the rest of coping styles, and positive
      reinterpretation and growth was the most effective of coping style with OR:0.84.
      CONCLUSION: Some personality traits are associated with passive copings and cause
      high-stress level. So, it could be concluded that improve and strengthen
      effective coping strategies in individual with maladaptive traits should be
      considered as a crucial component of prevention and control programs of stress.

PMID- 26109991
TI  - A randomized clinical trial of efficacy and safety of the topical clonidine and
      capsaicin in the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Incomplete efficiency of oral medications restricts their therapeutic
      success in pain control of the painful form of the diabetic peripheral neuropathy
      (DPN). Use of topical medications because of less systemic side effects is more
      acceptable. This study aimed to compare the effect of clonidine gel and capsaicin
      cream in relieving pain associated with DPN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This 12-week,
      randomized, double-blind and parallel-group trial was conducted to compare the
      efficacy and safety of topical clonidine and capsaicin. Totally, 139 patients
      with type 2 diabetes with a pain score of at least 4 as assessed by visual analog
      scale (VAS), were treated for up to 3 months. The endpoint of the study was the
      reduction in the median pain score from baseline, as assessed by the VAS at the 4
      weekly follow-up visits. RESULTS: The intention-to-treat population for the
      efficacy analysis consists of 69 patients receiving clonidine and 70 patients
      receiving capsaicin. Both drugs significantly relieved pain at 12 weeks (P <
      0.001 for both) but no significant difference in the efficacy between the two
      treatments was observed (P = 0.931). Dermatologic complications were more common
      in capsaicin group (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed the
      comparable efficacy of clonidine gel in comparison with capsaicin cream in the
      treatment of pain due to DPN with less adverse events. More studies are required
      to better evaluate the efficacy and safety of this topical compound for relieving
      pain in DPN.

PMID- 26109992
TI  - Double-blind, randomized, clinical trial of metformin as add-on treatment with
      clozapine in treatment of schizophrenia disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the major causes of death in schizophrenia is a metabolic
      syndrome. The clozapine has the highest rate of weight gain among antipsychotics.
      It has been shown that metformin can promote weight loss. We aimed to investigate
      the effect of metformin as an adjunctive therapy with clozapine to prevent
      metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total
      of 37 patients consisting metformin group (19 cases) and a group of placebo
      consisting of 18 cases were evaluated. A brief psychiatric rating scale score
      (BPRS) and metabolic profiles was determined for all patients. All of the
      variables were also determined at 2, 8, 16, and 20 weeks after the onset of the
      study. RESULTS: The mean age of the group of metformin was 47.2 +/- 10.4 compared
      with 45.8 +/- 10.2 for the group of placebo. The difference in mean waist
      circumference and serum level of triglyceride at baseline compared with the end
      of study showed a statistically significant difference between two groups (P = 0.
      000). A statistically significant difference was also observed in a comparison of
      mean difference of weight and body mass index at baseline compared with end of
      study (P = 0. 000). There was a statistically significant difference of fasting
      blood sugar (P = 0.011) and serum high-density lipoprotein (P = 0.000) between
      two groups but this difference was not significant for mean BPRS scores, mean
      systolic and diastolic blood pressure, serum level of triiodothyronine, thyroxin
      and thyroid stimulating hormone, serum low-density lipoprotein and serum
      cholesterol. CONCLUSION: Metformin could be considered an adjunctive therapy with
      clozapine to prevent metabolic syndrome in schizophrenic patients.

PMID- 26109993
TI  - Effects of vitamin D on retinal nerve fiber layer in vitamin D deficient patients
      with optic neuritis: Preliminary findings of a randomized, placebo-controlled
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is accumulating evidence for a possible protective role of
      vitamin D in the development and disease course of multiple sclerosis. Whether
      vitamin D is also effective in treating patients with optic neuritis (ON) is not
      known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral vitamin D on the
      thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in vitamin D deficient patients
      with ON by optical coherence tomography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Phase II
      placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial conducted between July 2011 and
      November 2012 included 52 patients with confirmed unilateral ON aged 15-38 years
      and low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. The main outcome measures were changes
      in thickness of RNFL and macula 6 months after treatment. Patients were randomly
      allocated to receive 6 months of treatment with adding either 50,000 IU/week
      vitamin D or placebo. RESULTS: In the 27 patients treated with vitamin D, the
      mean (standard deviation [SD]) thickness of RNFL decreased from 111.3 (18.9) MUm
      at baseline to 91.4 (13.3) at the end of study period (P < 0.001).
      Correspondingly, in the 25 patients treated with placebo, the mean (SD) thickness
      of RNFL decreased from 113.7 (21.5) MUm at baseline to 96.1 (12.3) at the end of
      study period (P < 0.01). In both groups, the mean thickness of the macula did not
      changed (P > 0.05). Average thickness of RNFL at the end of trial did not differ
      between groups. CONCLUSION: Adding vitamin D to routine disease therapy had no
      significant effect on the thickness of RNFL or macula in patients with ON. This
      trial is registered on www.clinicaltrials.gov (ID NCT01465893).

PMID- 26109994
TI  - Comparing efficacy of Montelukast versus doxycycline in treatment of moderate
      acne.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of acne is an important issue for reducing the cosmetic and
      psychological burden of disease. Regarding the inflammatory effect of LT-B4 in
      acne lesions and action mechanism of Montelukast, this study was performed to
      determine the efficacy of Montelukastin acne treatment comparison with
      doxycycline. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a randomized clinical trial that was
      performed in Dermatology Clinic in a Training Tertiary Health Care Center in
      Tehran, Iran since January 2012 to May 2014, 52 patients with moderate acne were
      evaluated. The included patients were randomly assigned to receive doxycycline
      100 mg/day plus 1% Clindamycin solution (Group 1) or Montelukast 5 mg daily plus
      1% clindamycin solution (Group 2). The acne severity index was measured and
      compared between two groups at baseline (on admission), 1-month and 3 months
      later. Independent-Sample-T, Chi-Square, and Repeated-Measure ANOVA tests were
      used and were considered statistically significant at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean
      age was 26.8 +/- 7.1 in Group 1 and25 +/- 4.8 in Group 2 (P = 0.1). 73% women and
      26.7% 4 men in Group 1 and 86.7% women, and 13.3% men in Group 2 (P = 0.01). The
      mean acne severity index at baseline was 18.2 +/- 6.1 and 19 +/- 4.2 in
      Montelukast and doxycycline group, respectively (P = 0.679). The mean acne
      severity index after 1-month was 10.5 +/- 6.2 and 12.9 +/- 3.3 in Montelukast and
      doxycycline group, respectively (P = 0). Finally, the mean acne severity index
      after 3 months follow-up was 8.6 +/- 4.8 and 8.2 +/- 1.2 in Montelukast and
      doxycycline group, respectively (P = 0.01). There was no significant difference
      between two groups regarding the amount of decrease in acne severity index across
      the study (P = 0.186). However, each groups showed a significant reduction in the
      acne severity index, separately (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: It may be concluded that
      Montelukast is an effective and safe medication for moderate-level acne
      treatment.

PMID- 26109995
TI  - The effect of early ambulation on the incidence of neurological complication
      after spinal anesthesia with lidocaine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transient neurological symptoms (TNS), was described in patients
      recovering from spinal anesthesia with lidocaine but its etiology remains unknown
      this study was evaluated the influence of ambulation time on the occurrence of
      TNSs after spinal anesthesia with lidocaine 5%. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      randomized clinical trial was conducted on 60 patients with American Society of
      Anesthesiologists Grades I and II, who were candidates for lower abdominal
      surgery in supine or lithotomy positions. Patients were randomly divided into
      early ambulation group (Group A) who were asked to start walking as soon as the
      anesthesia was diminished or to the late ambulation group (Group B) who walked
      after at least 12 h bedridden. Participants were contacted 2 days after spinal
      anesthesia to assess any type of pain at surgical or anesthesia injection site,
      muscle weakness, fatigue, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, headache, and difficult
      urination or defecation. RESULTS: Four subjects (13.3%) in Group A and two
      patients (6.7%) in Group B had pain at anesthesia injection site (P = 0.019).
      Fourteen patients in Group A (46.7%) and six patients in Group B (20%) had post
      dural puncture headache (P = 0.014). Participants in Group B reported difficult
      urination more than Group A (P = 0.002). there were not statistically significant
      differences between two groups regarding frequency of fatigue, muscle weakness,
      vertigo, nausea, vomiting, difficult defecation, paresthesia, and the mean of
      visual analogue scale at the surgical site. CONCLUSION: Early ambulation after
      spinal anesthesia with lidocaine did not increase the risk of neurologic
      complication.

PMID- 26109996
TI  - Curriculum leadership in the postgraduate: Gap between current and optimal
      status.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identifying the strengths and weakness points is one of the effective
      methods to analyze current status, and prioritizing actions based on the gap
      between current and optimal status is necessary for short-term and long-term
      planning in departments and colleges. The aim of this study was to determine the
      gap between current and optimal status of curriculum leadership in the
      postgraduate courses in two Iranian universities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this
      cross-sectional study, a sample of 212 faculty members from the two Iranian
      universities (one medical and one nonmedical) was randomly selected through
      stratified random sampling method. Data were collected by using a researcher-made
      questionnaire, with 55 items categorized in four areas of main dimensions in
      curriculum leadership. The validity of the questionnaire was determined by
      curriculum studies scholars, and the reliability was confirmed as the Cronbach's
      alpha calculated 0.969. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential
      statistics according to the variables. RESULTS: There was a gap in all dimensions
      and roles. The maximum gap (-1.70) with the highest frequency (98%) were related
      to "improving the educational atmosphere" dimension. As for items, the maximum
      gap (-2.41) was related to "society needs and expectations and the labor market"
      in "curriculum development and revision" dimension. CONCLUSION: The negative gap
      between all dimensions of curriculum leadership implies faculty members'
      dissatisfaction. Curriculum leadership at universities, colleges and departments
      of the study in all aspects need to be improved. Hence, it is necessary for
      managers to make use of the viewpoints of the faculty members to decrease the
      gap.

PMID- 26109997
TI  - Association of retinopathy and intima media thickness of common carotid artery in
      type 2 diabetic patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was carried out in order to evaluate the relationship
      between retinopathy and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 154 diabetic patients who had a history of
      diabetic disease were evaluated in two equal groups of 77 patients with and
      without retinopathy, respectively. CIMT was evaluated in all of the patients.
      RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 59.65 +/- 9.37 years. Mean CIMT of all
      patients was 0.84 +/- 0.18. CIMT of patients with retinopathy was significantly
      greater than patients without retinopathy (P < 0.001). CIMT also correlated with
      age, duration of diabetes, systolic blood pressure, blood urea nitrogen, and
      serum creatinine. CONCLUSION: CIMT may be used as a simple, available and
      noninvasive method for screening of macro and microvascular complication of
      diabetic patients.

PMID- 26109998
TI  - Systematic review on adverse birth outcomes of climate change.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Climate change and global warming have significant effects on human
      health. This systematic review presents the effects of the climate changes on
      pregnancy outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The search process was conducted in
      electronic databases including ISI Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Scopus, and Google
      Scholar using key words of "environmental temperature" "pregnancy" "low birth
      weight (LBW)" "pregnancy outcome," "climate change," "preterm birth (PTB)," and a
      combination of them. We did not consider any time limitation; English-language
      papers were included. The related papers were selected in three phases. After
      quality assessment, two reviewers extracted the data while the third reviewer
      checked their extracted data. Finally, 15 related articles were selected and
      included in the current study. RESULTS: Approximately all studies have reported a
      significant relationship between exposure variable and intended outcomes
      including eclampsia, preeclampsia, cataract, LBW, PTB, hypertension, sex ratio
      and length of pregnancy. According to conducted studies, decrease in birth weight
      is more possible in cold months. Increase in temperature was followed by increase
      in PTB rate. According to most of the studies, eclampsia and preeclampsia were
      more prevalent in cold and humid seasons. Two spectrums of heat extent, different
      seasons of the year, sunlight intensity and season of fertilization were
      associated with higher rates of PTB, hypertension, eclampsia, preeclampsia, and
      cataract. CONCLUSION: Climate change has unfavorable effects on eclampsia,
      preeclampsia, PTB, and cataract. The findings of this review confirm the crucial
      importance of the adverse health effects of climate change especially in the
      perinatal period.

PMID- 26109999
TI  - Medicated chewing gum, a novel drug delivery system.
AB  - New formulations and technologies have been developed through oral drug delivery
      systems' researches. Such researches display significance of oral route amongst
      patients. We've reviewed all the features associated with medicated chewing gum
      as a modern drug delivery by introducing the history, advantages and
      disadvantages, methods of manufacturing, composition differences, evaluation
      tests and examples of varieties of medicated chewing gums. Acceptance of
      medicated chewing gum has been augmented through years. The advantages and
      therapeutic benefits of chewing gum support its development as we can see new
      formulations with new drugs contained have been produced from past and are going
      to find a place in market by formulation of new medicated chewing gums. Potential
      applications of medicated chewing gums are highly widespread as they will be
      recognized in future. Nowadays standards for qualifying chewing gums are the same
      as tablets. Patient-centered studies include medicated chewing gums as a delivery
      system too which creates compliance for patients. 

PMID- 26110000
TI  - Marine-Lenhart syndrome with papillary thyroid carcinoma.
AB  - Graves' disease with accompanying functioning nodules is known as Marine-Lenhart
      syndrome. Autonomously functioning thyroid nodules (AFTNs) also within Graves'
      thyroid tissue are almost always bening in nature. A 45-year-old man developed
      hyperthyroidism due to the coexistence of Graves' disease and AFTN. Total
      thyroidectomy was performed. The hyperfunctioning nodule with centrally
      hypoactive foci detected by technetium-99m thyroid scanning was histologically
      diagnosed as papillary thyroid carcinoma that was 2.5 cm in diameter. We report
      the presence of papillary thyroid carcinoma within AFTN in patients with Marine
      Lenhart syndrome, which has not been reported so far. 

PMID- 26110001
TI  - Fanconi syndrome due to prolonged use of low-dose adefovir.
AB  - Fanconi syndrome results from a generalized abnormality of the proximal tubules
      of the kidney and owing to phosphate depletion can cause hypophosphatemic
      osteomalacia. Adefovir dipivoxyl (ADV) effectively suppresses hepatitis B virus
      replication but exhibits nephrotoxicity when administered at a low dosage. We
      report two cases of Fanconi syndrome induced by ADV at 10 mg/day to call for
      regular screening for evidence of proximal tubular dysfunction and detailed bone
      metabolic investigations for prompt detection of ADV nephrotoxicity is critically
      important to ensure timely drug withdrawal before the development of irreversible
      tubulointerstitial injury. 

PMID- 26110002
TI  - Geogenic thallium and lead pollution in soils and potential risk of toxicity: A
      report from Iran.

PMID- 26110003
TI  - A female with positive serum nontreponemal tests.

PMID- 26110004
TI  - A Review of the LARIAT Suture Delivery Device for Left Atrial Appendage Closure.
AB  - The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is 1-2 % in the general population,
      and the risk of embolic stroke in AF patients is 4-5 times higher than that in
      the general population. AF-related strokes are often severe, and the rate of
      permanent disability is much higher among individuals who have AF-related strokes
      than in those who have strokes unrelated to AF. In patients with AF, more than 90
      % of thrombi originate from the left atrial appendage (LAA). The purpose of this
      paper is to review the efficacy and safety of performing the LAA closure with the
      LARIAT Suture Delivery Device to prevent AF-related stroke in patients with
      contraindications to oral anticoagulant therapy. 

PMID- 26110005
TI  - Potential Effect of L-Carnitine on the Prevention of Myocardial Injury after
      Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: L-carnitine has been demonstrated to confer cardiac protection
      against ischemia reperfusion injury in animals. This study evaluates the effects
      of L-carnitine administration on cardiac biomarkers after coronary artery bypass
      graft (CABG) surgery. METHODS: One hundred thirty-four patients undergoing
      elective CABG surgery, without a history of myocardial ischemia or previous L
      carnitine treatment, were enrolled and randomly assigned to an L-carnitine group
      ([n = 67], 3000 mg/d, started 2 days preoperatively and continued for 2 days
      after surgery) or a control group (n = 67). CK-MB (creatine kinase, muscle-brain
      subunits) and troponin T (TnT) levels were assessed in all the patients before
      surgery as baseline levels and at 8 and 24 hours postoperatively. RESULTS: Our
      study included 134 patients (99 [73.8%] males) at a mean +/- SD age of 59.94 +/-
      8.61 years who were candidates for CABG and randomized them into control or L
      carnitine groups. The baseline demographic characteristics, including age (60.01
      +/- 9.23 in the L-carnitine group vs. 59.88 +/- 7.98 in the control group) and
      sex (54 [80.6%] in the L-carnitine group vs. 45 [67.2%] in the control group) did
      not show any significant differences (p value=0.93 and 0.08, respectively).
      Patients in the L-carnitine group had lower levels of CK-MB (mean +/- SD, 25.06
      +/- 20.29 in the L-carnitine group vs. 24.26 +/- 14.61 in the control group), but
      the difference was not significant (p value = 0.28). TnT levels also showed no
      significant differences between the two groups (399.50 +/- 378.91 in the L
      carnitine group vs. 391.48 +/- 222.02 in the control group; p value = 0.34).
      CONCLUSION: In this population of intermediate- to high-risk patients undergoing
      CABG surgery, L-carnitine did not reduce CK-MB and TnT levels.

PMID- 26110006
TI  - Changes in Heart Rate Variability Parameters after Elective Percutaneous Coronary
      Intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic stable angina often have a state of sympathetic
      hyperactivity. It is considered associated with myocardial ischemia and
      disappears after ischemia elimination. The aim of this study was to investigate
      the changes in heart rate variability parameters, a noninvasive technique for the
      evaluation of the autonomic nervous system activity, after successful
      revascularization in these patients to evaluate this theory. METHODS: The
      patients were enrolled among those who underwent successful percutaneous coronary
      intervention. Short-term heart rate variability analyses of all the patients were
      obtained, and time-domain indices (standard deviation of normal-to-normal
      intervals [SDNN], standard deviation of differences of successive R-R intervals
      [SDSD], root-mean square differences of successive R-R intervals [rMSSD],
      percentage of R-R intervals differing > 10 ms from the preceding one [PNN10],
      percentage of R-R intervals differing > 20 ms from the preceding one [PNN20],
      percentage of R-R intervals differing > 30 ms from the preceding one [PNN30],
      percentage of R-R intervals differing > 40 ms from the preceding one [PNN40],
      percentage of R-R intervals differing > 50 ms from the preceding one [PNN50],
      percentage of R-R intervals differing > 60 ms from the preceding one [PNN60], and
      percentage of R-R intervals differing > 70 ms from the preceding one [PNN70])
      were analyzed. All the measurements were made before and after percutaneous
      coronary intervention. RESULTS: This study included 64 patients, comprising 27
      men and 37 women at a mean age of 56.8 +/- 9.1 years. There was a significant
      difference only between pre- and post-revascularization SDNN (27.5 +/- 19.72 vs.
      41 +/- 41.4; p value = 0.013). The other parameters showed no significant
      differences after successful coronary intervention. Conclusion : Our data
      indicate that the increase in SDNN in patients with stable angina pectoris
      undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention seems to be prominent.

PMID- 26110008
TI  - Effects of Everolimus-Eluting Stents on the Left Ventricular Systolic and
      Diastolic Functions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The drug-eluting stent (DES) decreases the rate of coronary
      restenosis and re-obstruction. The aim of this study was to assess prospectively
      the effectiveness of the new generation DES on the left ventricular (LV) systolic
      and diastolic functions in patients with isolated severe proximal left anterior
      descending (LAD) coronary artery stenosis. METHODS: A prospective study was
      conducted on 50 patients with isolated severe proximal LAD stenosis. Successful
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with Everolimus-eluting stents was
      performed for the whole study population. All the patients underwent
      transthoracic echocardiography within 24 hours before and one month after PCI,
      and LV systolic and diastolic parameters were compared before and after PCI using
      the paired samples t-test. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was
      57.68 +/- 8.82 years. Within the study population, 26 (52%) patients were male
      and 24 (48%) were female. There was a significant 10.6% and 5.2% increase in the
      early diastolic mitral annular motion (e') and the LV ejection fraction following
      PCI, respectively (p value = 0.005 and p value = 0.044, respectively). Before
      PCI, wall motion abnormality was seen in 2.21 +/- 2.91 segments, which
      significantly decreased to 1.49 +/- 2.58 segments (p value = 0.04) after the
      procedure. Also, the wall motion score index was 1.18 +/- 0.26 before PCI, which
      significantly decreased to 1.13 +/- 0.23 after PCI (p value < 0.001). Also, there
      was a trend toward a higher ratio of transmitral peak early diastolic velocity to
      peak late diastolic velocity after PCI (p value = 0.068). CONCLUSION: Our study
      showed that the use of the Everolimus-eluting stents improved the LV systolic and
      diastolic functions in patients with isolated severe LAD stenosis.

PMID- 26110007
TI  - Association between Perioperative Parameters and Cognitive Impairment in Post
      Cardiac Surgery Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) has been an important
      complication of cardiac surgery over the years. Neurocognitive dysfunction can
      affect quality of life and lead to social, functional, emotional, and financial
      problems in the patient's life. To reduce POCD, we sought to identify the
      association between cognitive dysfunction and perioperative factors in patients
      undergoing cardiac surgery. METHODS: One hundred one patients aged between 45 and
      75 years undergoing elective cardiac surgery were enrolled in this study. All the
      surgeries were performed on-pump by the same medical team. A brief Wechsler
      Memory Test (WMT) was administered before surgery, 3 to 5 days after the surgery,
      and 3 months after discharge. All related perioperative parameters were collected
      in order to study the effect of these parameters on the postoperative WMT scores
      and WMT score change. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 101 patients,
      comprising 14 (13.8%) females and 87 (86.2%) males aged between 45 and 75 years.
      In univariate analysis, the baseline WMT score, serum levels of lactate
      dehydrogenase and T3, cross-clamp time, and preexistence of chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease showed significant effects on the postoperative WMT score (p
      value < 0.05), whereas only the baseline WMT score and chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease showed strong effects on the postoperative WMT score in the
      multiple regression model. In addition, the multiple regression model
      demonstrated a significant association between the baseline WMT score, serum
      creatinine level, and nitrate administration and the WMT score change.
      CONCLUSION: Our study showed that preexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease and preoperative high serum creatinine levels negatively affected
      cognitive function after surgery. In addition, there was a strong relationship
      between the patients' basic cognition and POCD. Preoperative nitrate
      administration led to a significant improvement in POCD. It is also concluded
      that the preoperative administration of specific medicines like nitrates can
      reduce neurological complications after cardiac surgery.

PMID- 26110009
TI  - Chronic Otitis Media Resulting in Aortic Valve Replacement: A Case Report.
AB  - The bicuspid aortic valve is known to be the most common congenital cardiac
      malformation, with an approximate incidence rate of 1-2% in the general
      population. Most patients are unaware of the disease until the onset of infective
      endocarditis, which is a life-threatening complication that may affect a heart
      valve or other cardiac structures at the site of endothelial damage. A 22-year
      old man presented to our internal medicine clinic with a complaint of acute onset
      dyspnea and fatigue. His body temperature was 38 ( degrees )C. A diastolic murmur
      was detected at the right sternal border. Two-dimensional transthoracic
      echocardiography revealed severe aortic insufficiency, and two-dimensional
      transesophageal echocardiography showed that the aortic valve was bicuspid. There
      was also a flail lesion extending the left ventricular outflow tract, resulting
      in pathological coaptation and severe aortic insufficiency. The patient was
      referred to our cardiovascular department for surgery. We herein present this
      case of a bicuspid aortic valve complicated by infective endocarditis due to the
      underlying disease of chronic otitis media related to a rare pathogen:
      Alloiococcus otitidis. The patient underwent a successful aortic valve
      replacement surgery due to aortic insufficiency following infective endocarditis.
      He was discharged on the 16(th) postoperative day in good condition. 

PMID- 26110010
TI  - Intravenous Catheter-Associated Candidemia due to Candida membranaefaciens: The
      First Iranian Case.
AB  - The incidence of candidemia due to the uncommon non-albicans Candida species
      appears to be increasing, and certain species such as Candida (C.)
      membranaefaciens have been reported in some clinical researches. Vascular
      catheters are considered the likely culprit for the sudden emergence of hospital
      acquired candidemia. The identification of C. membranaefaciens can be problematic
      in clinical practice owing to its phenotypic resemblance to C. guilliermondii. We
      report the first case of C. membranaefaciens in Iran, which occurred in a 70-year
      old woman, who had coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We isolated germ-tube
      negative yeast from both blood culture and central venous catheter (CVC) tip
      culture on brain-heart infusion agar, Sabouraud dextrose agar plates, and
      biphasic brain-heart infusion media bottle; it developed smooth, pink colonies on
      CHROMagar Candida. By using the polymerase chain reaction and sequencing of
      theinternal transcribed spacer region of rDNA, we identified C. membranaefaciens.
      After the removal of the CVC and initiation of Fluconazole treatment, the
      patient's condition gradually improved and she was discharged from the hospital.
      The early detection of organisms in the catheter, removal of the catheter, and
      treatment with anti-fungal antibiotics have an important role in controlling
      disease and preventing septicemia after CABG. As C. membranaefaciens is an
      opportunistic Candida species, both clinicians and microbiologists should be
      aware of the factors that confer fast diagnosis and appropriate treatment. 

PMID- 26110011
TI  - Late Development of a Bronchocutaneous Fistula due to an Epicardial Cardioverter
      Defibrillator Lead.
AB  - Cutaneous complications caused by a pacemaker or defibrillator are widely
      documented, but the development of a bronchocutaneous fistula has never been
      described before. We report the case of a 79-year-old man who was admitted to our
      hospital because of a seemingly superficial cutaneous infection, externalized
      defibrillator leads, and hemoptysis. Bronchoscopical investigation proved the
      existence of the fistula, which connected the epicardium, the left main bronchus,
      and the aforementioned site of skin infection. The patient refused an operation
      for the complete removal of the epicardial defibrillator and was treated
      conservatively. This case demonstrated that the long-term presence of foreign
      bodies in the epicardium may cause serious complications. 

PMID- 26110012
TI  - Acute Left Atrial Thrombus Formation on Resected Residual Cribriform Septum after
      Atrial Septal Defect Surgery.
AB  - Acute left atrial thrombosis at the site of the resection of the primary
      cribriform septum is an exceedingly rare and important complication after atrial
      septal defect (ASD) closure with a pericardial or synthetic patch. This case
      report presents a mobile thrombus noted on the left atrium at the raw surface
      site of a resected cribriform primary septum that was not caught in the suture
      line with the pericardial patch for the closure of the ASD in a 30-year-old woman
      with an uncomplicated ASD surgery. The patient had no symptoms in the
      postoperative period, and routine postoperative transesophageal echocardiography
      revealed a large pedunculated and mobile mass (thrombosis) at the left atrial
      side of the interatrial septum at the level of the implanted pericardial patch.
      The thrombus was successfully treated with surgery. The patient had an uneventful
      recovery in the postoperative period and was discharged from the hospital 15 days
      after admission. One-year follow-up showed no evidence of clot recurrence in the
      left or right atrium. 

PMID- 26110013
TI  - Anomalous Origin of the Left Atrial Branch from the Left Main Trunk.

PMID- 26110014
TI  - Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis: A Very Rare Disease and the Role of the Cardiac
      Surgeon in its Treatment.

PMID- 26110015
TI  - Chemical Antagonists of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1: Mechanisms of Action
      and Therapeutic Potential in Vascular Disease.

PMID- 26110016
TI  - Associations of physical activity with depressiveness and coping in subjects with
      high-grade obesity aiming at bariatric surgery: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reduced physical activity is supposed to be associated with
      depressiveness and more passive coping patterns. For further evaluation of this
      assumed relation we studied energy expenditure due to physical activity - usually
      referred to as activity thermogenesis (AT) - together with depressiveness
      (clinical diagnosis, depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire), and
      coping behaviours (Brief COPE Inventory) in 50 patients with high-grade obesity
      (42 +/- 12 years; 9 with II degrees  and 41 with III degrees  obesity) aiming at
      bariatric surgery. METHODS: AT was assessed with a portable armband device
      (SenseWearTM armband). Depressiveness and coping were assessed using validated
      questionnaires. RESULTS: Weight-adjusted non-exercise AT and intensity of
      physical activity (metabolic equivalent) correlated inversely with body mass
      index (non-exercise AT: r = -0.32, P < 0.05; mean metabolic equivalent: r = 
      0.37, P < 0.01) but not with depressiveness. The coping strategies "support
      coping" and "active coping" showed significant inverse correlations to a) weight
      adjusted non-exercise AT ("support coping": r = -0.34, P < 0.05; "active coping":
      r = -0.36, P < 0.05), b) weight-adjusted exercise-related AT ("support coping": r
      = -0.36, P < 0.05; "active coping": r = -0.38, P < 0.01) and c) intensity of
      physical activity (for mean metabolic equivalent: "support coping": r = -0.38, P
      < 0.01; "active coping": r = -0.40, P < 0.01; for duration of exercise-related
      AT: "support coping": r = -0.36, P < 0.05; "active coping": r = -0.38, P < 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: AT was not associated with depressiveness. Furthermore, supposed
      adaptive coping strategies of individuals aiming at bariatric surgery were
      negatively associated with AT.

PMID- 26110017
TI  - Chemical lysis of cyanobacteria.
AB  - We have developed a mixture of enzymes and chemicals that completely lyse
      cyanobacteria. Since the treatment involves only readily-available chemicals and
      simple proteins that degrade the components of the cyanobacterial cell wall, it
      can easily be used in high-throughput applications requiring lysis for subsequent
      intracellular measurements. Our lysis technique consistently enables complete
      lysis of several different cyanobacterial strains, and we demonstrated that DNA,
      mRNA, and proteins are preserved in the lysates. Chemical lysis can be superior
      to existing techniques because of its convenience, reliability, and amenability
      to a variety of downstream applications. 

PMID- 26110018
TI  - Rapid estimation of sugar release from winter wheat straw during bioethanol
      production using FTIR-photoacoustic spectroscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Complexity and high cost are the main limitations for high-throughput
      screening methods for the estimation of the sugar release from plant materials
      during bioethanol production. In addition, it is important that we improve our
      understanding of the mechanisms by which different chemical components are
      affecting the degradability of plant material. In this study, Fourier transform
      infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS) was combined with advanced
      chemometrics to develop calibration models predicting the amount of sugars
      released after pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw during
      bioethanol production, and the spectra were analysed to identify components
      associated with recalcitrance. RESULTS: A total of 1122 wheat straw samples from
      nine different locations in Denmark and one location in the United Kingdom,
      spanning a large variation in genetic material and environmental conditions
      during growth, were analysed. The FTIR-PAS spectra of non-pretreated wheat straw
      were correlated with the measured sugar release, determined by a high-throughput
      pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis (HTPH) assay. A partial least square
      regression (PLSR) calibration model predicting the glucose and xylose release was
      developed. The interpretation of the regression coefficients revealed a positive
      correlation between the released glucose and xylose with easily hydrolysable
      compounds, such as amorphous cellulose and hemicellulose. Additionally, a
      negative correlation with crystalline cellulose and lignin, which inhibits
      cellulose and hemicellulose hydrolysis, was observed. CONCLUSIONS: FTIR-PAS was
      used as a reliable method for the rapid estimation of sugar release during
      bioethanol production. The spectra revealed that lignin inhibited the hydrolysis
      of polysaccharides into monomers, while the crystallinity of cellulose retarded
      its hydrolysis into glucose. Amorphous cellulose and xylans were found to
      contribute significantly to the released amounts of glucose and xylose,
      respectively.

PMID- 26110019
TI  - Metabolic pathway engineering for production of 1,2-propanediol and 1-propanol by
      Corynebacterium glutamicum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Production of the versatile bulk chemical 1,2-propanediol and the
      potential biofuel 1-propanol is still dependent on petroleum, but some approaches
      to establish bio-based production from renewable feed stocks and to avoid toxic
      intermediates have been described. The biotechnological workhorse Corynebacterium
      glutamicum has also been shown to be able to overproduce 1,2-propanediol by
      metabolic engineering. Additionally, C. glutamicum has previously been engineered
      for production of the biofuels ethanol and isobutanol but not for 1-propanol.
      RESULTS: In this study, the improved production of 1,2-propanediol by C.
      glutamicum is presented. The product yield of a C. glutamicum strain expressing
      the heterologous genes gldA and mgsA from Escherichia coli that encode
      methylglyoxal synthase gene and glycerol dehydrogenase, respectively, was
      improved by additional expression of alcohol dehydrogenase gene yqhD from E. coli
      leading to a yield of 0.131 mol/mol glucose. Deletion of the endogenous genes
      hdpA and ldh encoding dihydroxyacetone phosphate phosphatase and lactate
      dehydrogenase, respectively, prevented formation of glycerol and lactate as by
      products and improved the yield to 0.343 mol/mol glucose. To construct a 1
      propanol producer, the operon ppdABC from Klebsiella oxytoca encoding diol
      dehydratase was expressed in the improved 1,2-propanediol producing strain ending
      up with 12 mM 1-propanol and up to 60 mM unconverted 1,2-propanediol. Thus, B12
      dependent diol dehydratase activity may be limiting 1-propanol production.
      CONCLUSIONS: Production of 1,2-propanediol by C. glutamicum was improved by
      metabolic engineering targeting endogenous enzymes. Furthermore, to the best of
      our knowledge, production of 1-propanol by recombinant C. glutamicum was
      demonstrated for the first time.

PMID- 26110020
TI  - Partial tetrasomy of the proximal long arm of chromosome 15 in two patients: the
      significance of the gene dosage in terms of phenotype.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Large amounts of low copy number repeats in the 15q11.2q13.3
      chromosomal region increase the possibility of misalignments and unequal
      crossover during meiosis in this region, leading to deletions, duplications,
      triplications and supernumerary chromosomes. Most of the reported cases with
      epilepsy, autism and Prader-Willi/Angelman syndrome are in association with
      rearrangements of the proximal long arm of chromosome 15. RESULTS: Here we report
      the first two unrelated Hungarian patients with the same epileptic and dysmorphic
      features, who were investigated by array comparative genomic hybridization (array
      CGH). By G-banded karyotype followed by FISH and array CGH we could detect
      partial tetrasomy of the 15q11.2q13.3 chromosomal region, supporting proximal 15q
      duplication syndrome. Findings of the array CGH gave fully explanation of the
      phenotypic features of these patients, including epileptic seizures, delayed
      development, hyperactivity and craniofacial dysmorphic signs. Besides the
      described features of isodicentric (15) (idic(15)) syndrome Patient 1. suffered
      from bigeminic extrasystoles and had postnatal growth retardation, which had been
      published only in a few articles. CONCLUSIONS: Dosage effect of some genes in the
      concerned genomic region is known, but several genes have no evidence to have
      dosage dependence. Our results expanded the previous literature data. We assume
      dosage dependence in the case of CHRNA7 and OTUD7A, which might be involved in
      growth regulation. On the other hand increased dosage of the KLF13 gene seems to
      have no direct causal relationship with heart morphology. The genomic environment
      of the affected genes may be responsible for the observed phenotype.

PMID- 26110021
TI  - 6q16.3q23.3 duplication associated with Prader-Willi-like syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is characterized by hypotonia, delayed
      neuropsychomotor development, overeating, obesity and mental deficiency. This
      phenotype is encountered in other conditions, defining Prader-Willi-like syndrome
      (PWLS). CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 14-year-old boy with a complex small
      supernumerary marker chromosome (sSMC) associated with PWLS. The propositus
      presents clinical features commonly found in patients with PWLS, including growth
      hormone deficit. Banding karyotype analysis and fluorescence in situ
      hybridization (FISH) revealed a marker derived from chromosome 6 and a
      neocentromere as suspected, but array-CGH enabled us to characterize this marker
      as a der(10)t(6;10)(6qter -> 6q23.3::10p11.1 -> 10p11.21)dn. As far as we know,
      this is the first diagnosed case of PWLS associated with a complex sSMC,
      involving a 30.9 Mb gain in the 6q16.3q23.3 region and a 3.5 Mb gain in the
      10p11.21p11.1 region. Several genes have been mapped to the 6q region including
      the TCBA1 gene, which is associated with developmental delay and recurrent
      infections, the ENPP1 gene, associated with insulin resistance and susceptibility
      to obesity and the BMIQ3 gene, associated with body mass index (BMI). No OMIM
      gene was found in the smallest 10p11.21p11.1 region. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that
      the duplicated chromosome segment 6q16.3q23.3 may be responsible for the
      phenotype of our case and may also be a candidate locus of PWLS.

PMID- 26110022
TI  - DNA microarray integromics analysis platform.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The study of interactions between molecules belonging to different
      biochemical families (such as lipids and nucleic acids) requires specialized data
      analysis methods. This article describes the DNA Microarray Integromics Analysis
      Platform, a unique web application that focuses on computational integration and
      analysis of "multi-omics" data. Our tool supports a range of complex analyses,
      including - among others - low- and high-level analyses of DNA microarray data,
      integrated analysis of transcriptomics and lipidomics data and the ability to
      infer miRNA-mRNA interactions. RESULTS: We demonstrate the characteristics and
      benefits of the DNA Microarray Integromics Analysis Platform using two different
      test cases. The first test case involves the analysis of the nutrimouse dataset,
      which contains measurements of the expression of genes involved in nutritional
      problems and the concentrations of hepatic fatty acids. The second test case
      involves the analysis of miRNA-mRNA interactions in polysaccharide-stimulated
      human dermal fibroblasts infected with porcine endogenous retroviruses.
      CONCLUSIONS: The DNA Microarray Integromics Analysis Platform is a web-based
      graphical user interface for "multi-omics" data management and analysis. Its
      intuitive nature and wide range of available workflows make it an effective tool
      for molecular biology research. The platform is hosted at
      https://lifescience.plgrid.pl/.

PMID- 26110024
TI  - WikiHyperGlossary (WHG): an information literacy technology for chemistry
      documents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The WikiHyperGlossary is an information literacy technology that was
      created to enhance reading comprehension of documents by connecting them to
      socially generated multimedia definitions as well as semantically relevant data.
      The WikiHyperGlossary enhances reading comprehension by using the lexicon of a
      discipline to generate dynamic links in a document to external resources that can
      provide implicit information the document did not explicitly provide. Currently,
      the most common method to acquire additional information when reading a document
      is to access a search engine and browse the web. This may lead to skimming of
      multiple documents with the novice actually never returning to the original
      document of interest. The WikiHyperGlossary automatically brings information to
      the user within the current document they are reading, enhancing the potential
      for deeper document understanding. RESULTS: The WikiHyperGlossary allows users to
      submit a web URL or text to be processed against a chosen lexicon, returning the
      document with tagged terms. The selection of a tagged term results in the
      appearance of the WikiHyperGlossary Portlet containing a definition, and
      depending on the type of word, tabs to additional information and resources.
      Current types of content include multimedia enhanced definitions, ChemSpider
      query results, 3D molecular structures, and 2D editable structures connected to
      ChemSpider queries. Existing glossaries can be bulk uploaded, locked for editing
      and associated with multiple social generated definitions. CONCLUSION: The
      WikiHyperGlossary leverages both social and semantic web technologies to bring
      relevant information to a document. This can not only aid reading comprehension,
      but increases the users' ability to obtain additional information within the
      document. We have demonstrated a molecular editor enabled knowledge framework
      that can result in a semantic web inductive reasoning process, and integration of
      the WikiHyperGlossary into other software technologies, like the Jikitou
      Biomedical Question and Answer system. Although this work was developed in the
      chemical sciences and took advantage of open science resources and initiatives,
      the technology is extensible to other knowledge domains. Through the DeepLit
      (Deeper Literacy: Connecting Documents to Data and Discourse) startup, we seek to
      extend WikiHyperGlossary technologies to other knowledge domains, and integrate
      them into other knowledge acquisition workflows.

PMID- 26110023
TI  - Expression quantitative trait locus analysis for translational medicine.
AB  - Expression quantitative trait locus analysis has emerged as an important
      component of efforts to understand how genetic polymorphisms influence disease
      risk and is poised to make contributions to translational medicine. Here we
      review how expression quantitative trait locus analysis is aiding the
      identification of which gene(s) within regions of association are causal for a
      disease or phenotypic trait; the narrowing down of the cell types or regulators
      involved in the etiology of disease; the characterization of drivers and
      modifiers of cancer; and our understanding of how different environments and
      cellular contexts can modify gene expression. We also introduce the concept of
      transcriptional risk scores as a means of refining estimates of individual
      liability to disease based on targeted profiling of the transcripts that are
      regulated by polymorphisms jointly associated with disease and gene expression. 

PMID- 26110025
TI  - QSAR DataBank repository: open and linked qualitative and quantitative structure
      activity relationship models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Structure-activity relationship models have been used to gain insight
      into chemical and physical processes in biomedicine, toxicology, biotechnology,
      etc. for almost a century. They have been recognized as valuable tools in
      decision support workflows for qualitative and quantitative predictions. The main
      obstacle preventing broader adoption of quantitative structure-activity
      relationships [(Q)SARs] is that published models are still relatively difficult
      to discover, retrieve and redeploy in a modern computer-oriented environment.
      This publication describes a digital repository that makes in silico (Q)SAR-type
      descriptive and predictive models archivable, citable and usable in a novel way
      for most common research and applied science purposes. DESCRIPTION: The QSAR
      DataBank (QsarDB) repository aims to make the processes and outcomes of in silico
      modelling work transparent, reproducible and accessible. Briefly, the models are
      represented in the QsarDB data format and stored in a content-aware repository
      (a.k.a. smart repository). Content awareness has two dimensions. First, models
      are organized into collections and then into collection hierarchies based on
      their metadata. Second, the repository is not only an environment for browsing
      and downloading models (the QDB archive) but also offers integrated services,
      such as model analysis and visualization and prediction making. CONCLUSIONS: The
      QsarDB repository unlocks the potential of descriptive and predictive in silico
      (Q)SAR-type models by allowing new and different types of collaboration between
      model developers and model users. The key enabling factor is the representation
      of (Q)SAR models in the QsarDB data format, which makes it easy to preserve and
      share all relevant data, information and knowledge. Model developers can become
      more productive by effectively reusing prior art. Model users can make more
      confident decisions by relying on supporting information that is larger and more
      diverse than before. Furthermore, the smart repository automates most of the
      mundane work (e.g., collecting, systematizing, and reporting data), thereby
      reducing the time to decision.

PMID- 26110026
TI  - Insulin mediated improvement in glycemic control in elderly with type 2 diabetes
      mellitus can improve depressive symptoms and does not seem to impair health
      related quality of life.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is very prevalent among the
      elderly. Insulin therapy is often required for glycemic control. The association
      of starting this therapy with depressive symptoms as well the health-related
      quality of life (HRQoL) is unknown among the elderly patients. AIMS: Evaluate the
      association of starting insulin therapy depressive symptoms as well with HRQoL of
      elderly people with T2D. METHODS: 36 T2D participants (67.9 % females, age 66.5
      years +/- 5.1) were recruited, 26 of whom completed the follow-up. Generic (Short
      Form 36 Health Survey - SF-36) and specific (Problem Areas in Diabetes - PAID)
      HRQoL questionnaires, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), clinical, laboratorial and
      socio-demographic data were recorded on baseline and 6 months after the beginning
      of insulin treatment. RESULTS: There was a reduction in the BDI score after the
      use of insulin, which means an improvement in depressive symptoms (Before/After:
      median - 10.5 / 7; p = 0008). There were no statistically significant differences
      in HRQoL scores between the two time periods There was also a reduction in HbA1c
      (Before/After: median - 8.7/7.9). Otherwise, there were no statistically
      significant differences in: BMI (28.1/28.3); Abdominal circumference:(100.5/99.5)
      and chronic complications status. CONCLUSION: Insulin therapy in elderly people
      with type 2 diabetes can lead to an improvement of depressive symptoms and does
      not seem to affect negatively HRQoL of the participants.

PMID- 26110027
TI  - Understanding Bland Altman analysis.
AB  - In a contemporary clinical laboratory it is very common to have to assess the
      agreement between two quantitative methods of measurement. The correct
      statistical approach to assess this degree of agreement is not obvious.
      Correlation and regression studies are frequently proposed. However, correlation
      studies the relationship between one variable and another, not the differences,
      and it is not recommended as a method for assessing the comparability between
      methods.? In 1983 Altman and Bland (B&A) proposed an alternative analysis, based
      on the quantification of the agreement between two quantitative measurements by
      studying the mean difference and constructing limits of agreement.? The B&A plot
      analysis is a simple way to evaluate a bias between the mean differences, and to
      estimate an agreement interval, within which 95% of the differences of the second
      method, compared to the first one, fall. Data can be analyzed both as unit
      differences plot and as percentage differences plot.? The B&A plot method only
      defines the intervals of agreements, it does not say whether those limits are
      acceptable or not. Acceptable limits must be defined a priori, based on clinical
      necessity, biological considerations or other goals.? The aim of this article is
      to provide guidance on the use and interpretation of Bland Altman analysis in
      method comparison studies.

PMID- 26110028
TI  - Altmetrics - a complement to conventional metrics.
AB  - Emerging metrics based on article-level does not exclude traditional metrics
      based on citations to the journal, but complements them. Both can be employed in
      conjunction to offer a richer picture of an article use from immediate to long
      terms. Article-level metrics (ALM) is the result of the aggregation of different
      data sources and the collection of content from multiple social network services.
      Sources used for the aggregation can be broken down into five categories: usage,
      captures, mentions, social media and citations. Data sources depend on the tool,
      but they include classic metrics indicators based on citations, academic social
      networks (Mendeley, CiteULike, Delicious) and social media (Facebook, Twitter,
      blogs, or Youtube, among others). Altmetrics is not synonymous with alternative
      metrics. Altmetrics are normally early available and allow to assess the social
      impact of scholarly outputs, almost at the real time. This paper overviews
      briefly the meaning of altmetrics and describes some of the existing tools used
      to apply this new metrics: Public Library of Science--Article-Level Metrics,
      Altmetric, Impactstory and Plum.

PMID- 26110029
TI  - Aberrant methylation patterns in cancer: a clinical view.
AB  - Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, DNA hydroxymethylation, post
      translational modifications (PTMs) of histone proteins affecting nucleosome
      remodelling, and regulation by small and large non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) work in
      concert with cis and trans acting elements to drive appropriate gene expression.
      Advances in detection methods and development of dedicated platforms and
      methylation arrays resulted in an explosion of information on aberrantly
      methylated sequences linking deviations in epigenetic landscape with the
      initiation and progression of complex diseases. Here, we consider how DNA
      methylation changes in malignancies, such as breast, pancreatic, colorectal, and
      gastric cancer could be exploited for the purpose of developing specific
      diagnostic tools. DNA methylation changes can be applicable as biomarkers for
      detection of malignant disease in easily accessible tissues. Methylation
      signatures are already proving to be an important marker for determination of
      drug sensitivity. Even more, promoter methylation patterns of some genes, such as
      MGMT, SHOX2, and SEPT9, have already been translated into commercial clinical
      assays aiding in patient assessment as adjunct diagnostic tools. In conclusion,
      the changes in DNA methylation patterns in tumour cells are slowly gaining
      entrance into routine diagnostic tests as promising biomarkers and as potential
      therapeutic targets. 

PMID- 26110030
TI  - Clinical and diagnostic utility of saliva as a non-invasive diagnostic fluid: ?a
      systematic review.
AB  - This systematic review presents the latest trends in salivary research and its
      applications in health and disease. Among the large number of analytes present in
      saliva, many are affected by diverse physiological and pathological conditions.
      Further, the non-invasive, easy and cost-effective collection methods prompt an
      interest in evaluating its diagnostic or prognostic utility. Accumulating data
      over the past two decades indicates towards the possible utility of saliva to
      monitor overall health, diagnose and treat various oral or systemic disorders and
      drug monitoring. Advances in saliva based systems biology has also contributed
      towards identification of several biomarkers, development of diverse salivary
      diagnostic kits and other sensitive analytical techniques. However, its
      utilization should be carefully evaluated in relation to standardization of pre
      analytical and analytical variables, such as collection and storage methods,
      analyte circadian variation, sample recovery, prevention of sample contamination
      and analytical procedures. In spite of all these challenges, there is an
      escalating evolution of knowledge with the use of this biological matrix. 

PMID- 26110031
TI  - Croatian survey on critical results reporting.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Poor harmonization of critical results management is present in
      various laboratories and countries, including Croatia. We aimed to investigate
      procedures used in critical results reporting in Croatian medical biochemistry
      laboratories (MBLs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: An anonymous questionnaire,
      consisting of 24 questions/statements, related to critical results reporting
      procedures, was send to managers of MBLs in Croatia. Participants were asked to
      declare the frequency of performing procedures and degree of agreement with
      statements about critical values reporting using a Likert scale. Total score and
      mean scores for corresponding separate statements divided according to health
      care setting were calculated and compared. RESULTS: Responses from 111 Croatian
      laboratories (48%) were analyzed. General practice laboratories (GPLs) more often
      re-analyzed the sample before reporting the critical result in comparison with
      the hospital laboratories (HLs) (score: 4.86 (4.75-4.96) vs. 4.49 (4.25-4.72);
      P=0.001) and more often reported the critical value exclusively to the
      responsible physician compared to HLs (4.46 (4.29-4.64) vs. 3.76 (3.48-4.03),
      P<0.001). High total score (4.69 (4.56-4.82)) was observed for selection of the
      critical results list issued by the Croatian Chamber of Medical Biochemistry
      (CCMB) indicating a high harmonization level for this aspect of critical result
      management. Low total scores were observed for the statements regarding data
      recording and documentation of critical result notification. CONCLUSIONS:
      Differences in practices about critical results reporting between HLs and GPLs
      were found. The homogeneity of least favorable responses detected for data
      recording and documentation of critical results notification reflects the lack of
      specific national recommendations.

PMID- 26110032
TI  - Method evaluation study of a new generation of vitamin D assays.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recently several diagnostic manufacturers have launched new 25
      hydroxy-vitamin D (25[OH]D) assays, which are aligned to the National Institute
      of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Materials (SRM) (NIST,
      Gaithersburg, Maryland). The aim of this study was to compare the performance of
      one liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method, one enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and one recalibrated and previous version of
      a chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Serum-aliquots of
      198 patient samples from routine 25(OH)D analysis were measured by the
      ClinMass(r) LC-MS/MS Complete Kit (RECIPE Chemicals+Instruments GmbH, Munich,
      Germany), the ORGENTEC 25(OH)D3/D2 ELISA (ORGENTEC Diagnostika GmbH, Mainz,
      Germany), the recalibrated Immunodiagnostic Systems (IDS)-iSYS 25(OH)DS and the
      previous used IDS-iSYS 25(OH)D CLIA (Immunodiagnostic Systems Ltd, Boldon, United
      Kingdom). Bland-Altman and Deming regression analyses were calculated for methods
      comparison of all tested 25(OH)D assays. The LC-MS/MS method was defined as the
      reference method. Within-run and between-run precision measurements were
      performed for all methods with three different concentration levels. RESULTS:
      Compared to the LC-MS/MS method, the new IDS-iSYS 25(OH)DS and ORGENTEC
      25(OH)D3/D2 assay demonstrated mean relative biases of 16.3% and 17.8%. The IDS
      iSYS 25(OH)D assay showed the lowest mean bias of 1.5%. Deming regression
      analyses of the recalibrated IDS-iSYS 25(OH)DS and the ORGENTEC 25(OH)D3/D2 assay
      showed proportional differences, when compared to the reference method. All
      assays showed a within-run and between-run imprecision of <=20% at each of the
      evaluated concentration levels. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluated standardized
      immunoassays and LC-MS/MS are useful methods for measuring 25(OH)D serum-levels
      in clinical laboratories.

PMID- 26110033
TI  - National survey on intra-laboratory turnaround time for some most common routine
      and stat laboratory analyses in 479 laboratories in China.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To investigate the state of the art of intra-laboratory turnaround
      time (intra-TAT), provide suggestions and find out whether laboratories
      accredited by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189 or
      College of American Pathologists (CAP) will show better performance on intra-TAT
      than non-accredited ones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 479 Chinese clinical
      laboratories participating in the external quality assessment programs of
      chemistry, blood gas, and haematology tests organized by the National Centre for
      Clinical Laboratories in China were included in our study. General information
      and the median of intra-TAT of routine and stat tests in last one week were asked
      in the questionnaires. RESULTS: The response rate of clinical biochemistry, blood
      gas, and haematology testing were 36% (479/1307), 38% (228/598), and 36%
      (449/1250), respectively. More than 50% of laboratories indicated that they had
      set up intra-TAT median goals and almost 60% of laboratories declared they had
      monitored intra-TAT generally for every analyte they performed. Among all
      analytes we investigated, the intra-TAT of haematology analytes was shorter than
      biochemistry while the intra-TAT of blood gas analytes was the shortest. There
      were significant differences between median intra-TAT on different days of the
      week for routine tests. However, there were no significant differences in median
      intra-TAT reported by accredited laboratories and non-accredited laboratories.
      CONCLUSIONS: Many laboratories in China are aware of intra-TAT control and are
      making effort to reach the target. There is still space for improvement.
      Accredited laboratories have better status on intra-TAT monitoring and target
      setting than the non-accredited, but there are no significant differences in
      median intra-TAT reported by them.

PMID- 26110034
TI  - Plasma centrifugation does not influence thrombin-antithrombin and plasmin
      antiplasmin levels but determines platelet microparticles count.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Centrifugation is an essential step for plasma preparation to
      remove residual elements in plasma, especially platelets and platelet-derived
      microparticles (PMPs). Our working hypothesis was that centrifugation as a
      preanalytical step may influence some coagulation parameters. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Healthy young men were recruited (N=17). For centrifugation, two
      protocols were applied: (A) the first centrifugation at 2500xg for 15 min and (B)
      at 2500xg for 20 min at room temperature with a light brake. In protocol (A), the
      second centrifugation was carried out at 2500xg for 15 min, whereas in protocol
      (B), the second centrifugation involved a 10 min spin at 13,000 x g. Thrombin
      antithrombin (TAT) and plasmin-antiplasmin (PAP) complexes concentrations were
      determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. PMPs were stained with CD41
      antibody and annexin V, and analyzed by flow cytometry method. Procoagulant
      activity was assayed by the Calibrated Automated Thrombogram method as a slope of
      thrombin formation (CAT velocity). RESULTS: Median TAT and PAP concentrations did
      not differ between the centrifugation protocols. The high speed centrifugation
      reduced the median (IQR) PMP count in plasma from 1291 (841-1975) to 573 (391
      1010) PMP/uL (P=0.001), and CAT velocity from 2.01 (1.31-2.88) to 0.97 (0.82
      1.73) nM/min (P=0.049). Spearman's rank correlation analysis showed correlation
      between TAT and PMPs in the protocol A plasma which was (rho=0.52, P<0.050) and
      between PMPs and CAT for protocol A (rho=0.74, P<0.050) and protocol B (rho=0.78,
      P<0.050). CONCLUSION: Centrifugation protocols do not influence the markers of
      plasminogen (PAP) and thrombin (TAT) generation but they do affect the PMP count
      and procoagulant activity.

PMID- 26110035
TI  - How well are pregnant women in Croatia informed about the oral glucose tolerance
      test?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Preanalytical errors still constitute the largest source of errors
      in laboratory work. Proper patient preparation and patient's knowledge about a
      particular procedure affects its accuracy and reliability. We hypothesized that
      most of pregnant women are not well enough informed about the proper procedure
      for the OGTT. The aims of this study were to investigate: (i) how well pregnant
      women are informed about the OGTT; (ii) the most common way to inform pregnant
      women about OGTT and (iii) whether pregnant women's level of knowledge about the
      OGTT differ regarding source of information. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The anonymous
      questionnaire was conducted across the country in 23 Croatian primary and
      secondary healthcare centres. The questionnaire contained 9 questions on certain
      demographic data and familiarity with OGTT procedure. All 343 participants filled
      the questionnaire before the first blood draw. RESULTS: 42% of the participants
      demonstrated high and 38% adequate level of knowledge about the OGTT procedure.
      Majority of participants were informed about the procedure by gynaecologist
      (56%). The level of knowledge differed among participants with different sources
      of information (P=0.030). Further analysis showed that the level of knowledge was
      lower in pregnant women having received information from their gynaecologist
      compared to pregnant women who received information from the laboratory staff.
      CONCLUSIONS: In general, pregnant women are familiar with OGTT procedure, main
      source of information about the OGTT procedure is their gynaecologist, but the
      level of knowledge was higher in women who received information about the OGTT
      procedure from the laboratory staff.

PMID- 26110036
TI  - Education and communication is the key for the successful management of vitamin D
      test requesting.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pre-preanalytical and post-postanalytical phases are steps where
      the laboratory professional may play a crucial role. Measuring the serum
      circulating 25 hydroxyvitamin D level (25(OH)D) is recommended to evaluate
      vitamin D status in patients at risk for vitamin D deficiency while 1,25
      hydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D) is only recommended to monitor several particular
      conditions (chronic kidney disease, hereditary phosphate-losing disorders, and
      some other) clearly defined by the current clinical guidelines of Endocrine
      Society.? Our research hypothesis was that through education and communication
      through comments in the Laboratory Information System (LIS), we could improve
      appropriateness in the request vitamin D tests. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      retrospective observational cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2005
      to December 2014. Each 1,25(OH)2D request was reviewed individually by a member
      of the laboratory staff. Starting in November 2011, each inappropriate 1,25(OH)2D
      request was registered in LIS and 25(OH)D was measured instead of 1,25(OH)2D. We
      counted the overall number of 1,25(OH)2D requests and the number of inappropriate
      requests which then were marked with a comment. RESULTS: The request of 25(OH)D
      increased along years. However, 1,25(OH)2D requests increased until 2012 when
      demand began to diminish. CONCLUSIONS: Education and communication through
      comments in the LIS, corrected the inappropriate request of 1,25(OH)2D and
      promoted the use of 25(OH)D to study vitamin D deficiency.

PMID- 26110037
TI  - Circulating resistin protein and mRNA concentrations and clinical severity of
      coronary artery disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have implicated a strong link between circulating
      plasma resistin and coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the differences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) resistin
      mRNA and its plasma protein concentrations between the patients with CAD of
      different clinical severity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study included 33 healthy
      subjects as the control group (CG) and 77 patients requiring coronary
      angiography. Of the latter 30 was CAD negative whereas 47 were CAD positive [18
      with stable angina pectoris (SAP) and 29 with acute coronary syndrome (ACS)].
      Circulating resistin was measured by ELISA; PBMC resistin mRNA was determined by
      real-time PCR. RESULTS: Resistin protein was significantly higher in the ACS
      group compared to the CG (P=0.001) and the CAD negative group (P=0.018). Resistin
      mRNA expression did not vary across the study groups, despite the positive
      correlation seen with plasma resistin (rho=0.305, P=0.008). In patients, plasma
      resistin and PBMC resistin mRNA negatively correlated with HDL-C (rho=-0.404,
      P<0.001 and rho=-0.257, P=0.032, respectively). Furthermore, the highest plasma
      resistin tertile showed the lowest HDL-C (P=0.006). Plasma resistin was
      positively associated with serum creatinine (rho=0.353, P=0.002). CONCLUSION:
      Significant increase of plasma resistin in patients with ACS compared to CG and
      CAD negative patients was observed. Despite no change in PBMC resistin mRNA in
      different disease conditions a positive association between resistin mRNA and
      resistin plasma protein was evident. Both plasma resistin and PBMC resistin mRNA
      were negatively associated with plasma HDL-C, and plasma resistin positively with
      serum creatinine.

PMID- 26110038
TI  - Liver transplantation reverses hypergammaglobulinemia in patients with chronic
      hepatic failure.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Sparse data are available about the effect of therapy methods on
      antibody levels in patients with liver failure. The aim of this study was to
      determine serum immunoglobulin concentrations in patients with chronic hepatic
      failure (CHF), acute- (ALF), or acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and to
      evaluate the impact of MARS treatment or liver transplantation (LT) on antibody
      levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We followed ten patients with ALF, twelve with
      ACLF and 18 with CHF. Eight patients with ALF and seven with ACLF underwent MARS
      therapy, whereas the rest received LT. 13 healthy volunteers served as controls.
      Serum antibody concentrations were measured using ELISA-technique. RESULTS:
      Median serum levels of IgA, IgG and IgM were significantly increased in patients
      with CHF compared to ALF or controls (P<0.02, P<0.01, and P<0.01). IgM and IgG
      concentrations were also significantly elevated in patients with CHF compared to
      ACLF (IgM, 3.7 vs. 1 g/L, P<0.001; IgG, 8.7 vs. 3.1 g/L, P=0.004). Immediately
      after LT a significant decrease of IgA (6.9 vs. 3.1 g/L, P=0.004), IgG (8.7 vs.
      5.1 g/L, P=0.02) and IgM (3.7 vs. 1.8 g/L, P=0.001) was detected in patients with
      CHF and antibody levels further decreased the days after LT reaching levels
      comparable to healthy individuals. MARS treatment had no apparent effect on the
      immunoglobulin profile in patients with ALF or ACLF. CONCLUSION: We provide
      evidence that LT reverses hypergammaglobulinemia in patients suffering from CHF
      within one day, which could be explained to a reconstituted hepatic antibody
      clearance, whereas MARS treatment has no immediate effect on immunoglobulin
      levels.

PMID- 26110039
TI  - Cost-effectiveness analysis of acute kidney injury biomarkers in pediatric
      cardiac surgery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is significant problem in children with
      congenital heart disease (CHD) who undergo cardiac surgery. The economic impact
      of a biomarker-based diagnostic strategy for AKI in pediatric populations
      undergoing CHD surgery is unknown. The aim of this study was to perform the cost
      effectiveness analysis of using serum cystatin C (sCysC), urine neutrophil
      gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) and urine liver fatty acid-binding
      protein (uL-FABP) for the diagnosis of AKI in children after cardiac surgery
      compared with current diagnostic method (monitoring of serum creatinine (sCr)
      level). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We developed a decision analytical model to
      estimate incremental cost-effectiveness of different biomarker-based diagnostic
      strategies compared to current diagnostic strategy. The Markov model was created
      to compare the lifetime cost associated with using of sCysC, uNGAL, uL-FABP with
      monitoring of sCr level for the diagnosis of AKI. The utility measurement
      included in the analysis was quality-adjusted life years (QALY). The results of
      the analysis are presented as the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER).
      RESULTS: Analysed biomarker-based diagnostic strategies for AKI were cost
      effective compared to current diagnostic method. However, uNGAL and sCys C
      strategies yielded higher costs and lower effectiveness compared to uL-FABP
      strategy. uL-FABP added 1.43 QALY compared to current diagnostic method at an
      additional cost of $8521.87 per patient. Therefore, ICER for uL-FABP compared to
      sCr was $5959.35/QALY. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the use of uL-FABP
      would represent cost effective strategy for early diagnosis of AKI in children
      after cardiac surgery.

PMID- 26110040
TI  - In vitro diagnostic company recalls and medical laboratory practices: an Italian
      case.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In vitro human diagnostic (IVD) company recalls are a common
      practice aimed to either minimize a potential error or eliminate an existing
      failure. In this case report, we aim to provide a critical analysis of a recent
      IVD recall and to provide a practical framework about what to do when an IVD
      company recalls product(s) based on the International Organization for
      Standardization--ISO 15189:2012 standard. CASE REPORT: In 2014, Abbott
      Laboratories(r) (Green Oaks, IL) published an urgent field safety notice
      regarding a product recall (Architect Intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) Assay List
      Number 8K25) with immediate action required. The IVD company explained the
      reasons for the recall as follows: i) Abbott has confirmed that a performance
      shift in the Architect Intact PTH assay has the potential to generate falsely
      elevated results on patient samples; ii) results generated with impacted lots may
      demonstrate a positive shift relative to those generated with previous reagent
      and/or calibrator lots. This issue may also impact established Architect Intact
      PTH reference ranges; iii) the magnitude of shift averages approximately 13% to
      45%; iv) Abbott Architect Intact PTH controls do not detect the shift; and v) all
      current reagent, calibrator, and control inventory are impacted. The recall could
      have resulted in ~40,000 inaccurate laboratory tests reported by 18 laboratories
      from Italy (Lombardy region). CONCLUSION: IVD company recalls have a serious
      impact on the patient safety and require a thorough investigation and responsible
      approach to minimize the possible damage. Medical laboratories accredited
      according to the ISO 15189 standard have procedures in place to manage such
      situations and ensure that patient safety is maintained when such recalls are
      issued.

PMID- 26110041
TI  - A case report of short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (SCADD).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (SCADD) is a rare
      inherited mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation disorder associated with variations
      in the ACADS (Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, C-2 to C-3 short chain) gene. SCADD has
      highly variable biochemical, genetic and clinical characteristics. Phenotypes
      vary from fatal metabolic decompensation to asymptomatic individuals. SUBJECT AND
      METHODS: A Romani boy presented at 3 days after birth with hypoglycaemia,
      hypotonia and respiratory pauses with brief generalized seizures. Afterwards the
      failure to thrive and developmental delay were present. Organic acids analysis
      with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GS/MS) in urine and acylcarnitines
      analysis with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in dried
      blood spot were measured. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was isolated from blood and
      polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) were performed for all exons. Sequence analysis
      of all exons and flanking intron sequences of ACADS gene was performed. RESULTS:
      Organic acids analysis revealed increased concentration of ethylmalonic acid.
      Acylcarnitines analysis showed increase of butyrylcarnitine, C4-carnitine. C4
      carnitine was 3.5 times above the reference range (<0.68 umol/L). Confirmation
      analysis for organic acids and acylcarnitine profile was performed on the second
      independent sample and showed the same pattern of increased metabolites. Sequence
      analysis revealed 3-bp deletion at position 310-312 in homozygous state
      (c.310_312delGAG). Mutation was previously described as pathogenic in
      heterozygous state, while it is in homozygous state in our patient. CONCLUSIONS:
      In our case clinical features of a patient, biochemical parameters and genetic
      data were consistent and showed definitely SCAD deficiency.

PMID- 26110042
TI  - Platelet satellitism in infectious disease?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Platelet satellitism is a phenomenon of unknown etiology of
      aggregating platelets around polymorphonuclear neutrophils and other blood cells
      which causes pseudothrombocytopenia, visible by microscopic examination of blood
      smears. It has been observed so far in about a hundred cases in the world. CASE
      SUBJECT AND METHODS: Our case involves a 73-year-old female patient with a
      urinary infection. Biochemical serum analysis (CRP, glucose, AST, ALT, ALP, GGT,
      bilirubin, sodium, potassium, chloride, urea, creatinine) and blood cell count
      were performed with standard methods on autoanalyzers. Serum protein fractions
      were examined by electrophoresis and urinalysis with standard methods on
      autoanalyzer together with microscopic examination of urine sediment. Erythrocyte
      sedimentation rate, blood culture and urine culture tests were performed with
      standard methods. RESULTS: Due to typical pathological values for bacterial
      urinary infection, the patient was admitted to the hospital. Blood smear
      examination revealed phenomenon, which has persisted for three weeks after the
      disease has been cured. Blood smears with EDTA as an anticoagulant had platelet
      satellitism whereas the phenomenon was not observed in tubes with different
      anticoagulants (Na, Li-heparin) and capillary blood. DISCUSSION: We hypothesize
      that satellitism was induced by some immunological mechanism through formation of
      antibodies which have mediated platelets binding to neutrophil membranes and vice
      versa. Unfortunately we were unable to determine the putative trigger for this
      phenomenon. To our knowledge this is the second case of platelet satellitism ever
      described in Croatia.

PMID- 26110043
TI  - Insulin resistance is associated with epigenetic and genetic regulation of
      mitochondrial DNA in obese humans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial alterations have been observed in subjects with
      metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. Studies on animal models and
      cell cultures suggest aberrant glucose and lipid levels, and impaired insulin
      signaling might lead to mitochondrial changes. However, the molecular mechanism
      underlying mitochondrial aberrance remains largely unexplored in human subjects.
      RESULTS: Here we show that the mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAn) was
      significantly reduced (6.9-fold lower, p < 0.001) in the leukocytes from obese
      humans (BMI >30). The reduction of mtDNAn was strongly associated with insulin
      resistance (HOMA-IR: -0.703, p < 0.05; fasting insulin level: -0.015, p < 0.05);
      by contrast, the correlation between fasting glucose or lipid levels and mtDNAn
      was not significant. Epigenetic study of the displacement loop (D-loop) region of
      mitochondrial genome, which controls the replication and transcription of the
      mitochondrial DNA as well as organization of the mitochondrial nucleoid, revealed
      a dramatic increase of DNA methylation in obese (5.2-fold higher vs. lean
      subjects, p < 0.05) and insulin-resistant (4.6-fold higher vs. insulin-sensitive
      subjects, p < 0.05) individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The reduction of mtDNAn in obese
      human subjects is associated with insulin resistance and may arise from increased
      D-loop methylation, suggesting an insulin signaling-epigenetic-genetic axis in
      mitochondrial regulation.

PMID- 26110045
TI  - The Relationships Between Common Measurements of Taste Function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are five common, independent measures used to characterize
      taste function in humans: detection and recognition thresholds (DT and RT),
      suprathreshold intensity ratings of prototypical tastants, propylthiouracil
      (PROP) bitterness intensity, and fungiform papillae (FP) number. METHODS: We
      employed all five methods to assess taste function of 65 women (21.5 +/- 4 years,
      BMI 22.3 +/- 2.8 kg/m2). Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between
      the different measures. RESULTS: The DT and RT were positively correlated for
      sweet, bitter, sour, and umami (p < 0.05), but not for salt. The DT or RT did not
      correlate with suprathreshold intensity ratings, except for umami (suprathreshold
      intensity and RT: r = -0.32, p = 0.009). FP number did not correlate with any
      measurement of taste function. PROP bitterness intensity ratings did not
      correlate with any measurement of taste function, except for suprathreshold
      ratings for saltiness (r = 0.26, p = 0.033). CONCLUSION: As most of the
      individual measures of taste function did not correlate with each other, with
      exception of the two threshold measures, we conclude that there are multiple
      perceptual phases of taste, with no single measure able to represent the sense of
      taste globally.

PMID- 26110044
TI  - The role of beneficial bacteria wall elasticity in regulating innate immune
      response.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Probiotics have great potential to contribute to development of
      healthy dietary regimes, preventive care, and an integrated approach to immunity
      related disease management. The bacterial wall is a dynamic entity, depending on
      many components and playing an essential role in modulating immune response. The
      impact of cell wall elasticity on the beneficial effects of probiotic strains has
      not been sufficiently studied. The aim was to investigate the effect of lactic
      acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria strains on phagocytic system cells
      (macrophages) as related to bacterial wall elasticity, estimated using atomic
      force microscopy (AFM). METHODS: We conducted studies on Balb/c line mice 18-20 g
      in weight using lyophilized strains of LAB-Lactobacillus acidophilus IMV B-7279,
      Lactobacillus casei IMV B-7280, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus IMV B
      7281, and bifidobacteria-Bifidobacterium animalis VKL and Bifidobacterium
      animalis VKB. We cultivated the macrophages obtained from the peritoneal cavity
      of mice individually with the strains of LAB and bifidobacteria and evaluated
      their effect on macrophages, oxygen-dependent bactericidal activity, nitric oxide
      production, and immunoregulatory cytokines. We used AFM scanning to estimate
      bacterial cell wall elasticity. RESULTS: All strains had a stimulating effect on
      the functional activity of macrophages and ability to produce NO/NO2 in vitro.
      Lactobacilli strains increased the production of IL-12 and IFN-gamma in vitro.
      The AFM demonstrated different cell wall elasticity levels in various strains of
      LAB and bifidobacteria. The rigidity of the cell walls among lactobacilli was
      distributed as follows: Lactobacillus acidophilus IMV B-7279 > Lactobacillus
      casei IMV B-7280 > Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus IMV B-7281; among
      the strains of bifidobacteria: B. animalis VKB > B. animalis VKL. Probiotic
      strain survival in the macrophages depended on the bacterial cell wall elasticity
      and on the time of their joint cultivation. CONCLUSION: LAB and bifidobacteria
      strains stimulate immune-modulatory cytokines and active oxygen and nitrogen
      oxide compound production in macrophages. Strains with a more elastic cell wall
      according to AFM data demonstrated higher resistance to intracellular digestion
      in macrophages and higher level of their activation. AFM might be considered as a
      fast and accurate method to assess parameters of probiotic strain cell wall to
      predict their immune-modulatory properties.

PMID- 26110046
TI  - Reaching for the Unreachable: Reorganization of Reaching with Walking.
AB  - Previous research suggests that reaching and walking behaviors may be linked
      developmentally as reaching changes at the onset of walking. Here we report new
      evidence on an apparent loss of the distinction between the reachable and
      nonreachable distances as children start walking. The experiment compared
      nonwalkers, walkers with help, and independent walkers in a reaching task to
      targets at varying distances. Reaching attempts, contact, leaning, and
      communication behaviors were recorded. Most of the children reached for the
      unreachable objects the first time it was presented. Nonwalkers, however, reached
      less on the subsequent trials showing clear adjustment of their reaching
      decisions with the failures. On the contrary, walkers consistently attempted
      reaches to targets at unreachable distances. We suggest that these reaching
      errors may result from inappropriate integration of reaching and locomotor
      actions, attention control and near/far visual space. We propose a reward
      mediated model implemented on a NAO humanoid robot that replicates the main
      results from our study showing an increase in reaching attempts to nonreachable
      distances after the onset of walking.

PMID- 26110047
TI  - Apoptotic cell-linked immunoregulation: implications for promoting immune
      tolerance in transplantation.
AB  - The induction of alloantigen-specific immune tolerance is the "Holy-Grail" in
      transplantation. Although it had been previously demonstrated that transient
      depletion of T cells through apoptosis could lead to long-term immune tolerance,
      the underlying mechanism responsible for this tolerance induction and maintenance
      was unknown. In this short article, a novel mechanism for long-term immune
      tolerance via transient T cell apoptosis will be discussed, based on our recent
      findings in a CD3-specific antibody treatment-induced immune tolerance mouse
      model. Transforming growth factor-beta, which is produced by immature dendritic
      cells whilst they phagocytose apoptotic T cells and by macrophages, plays an
      important role in initiating long-term immune tolerance. A possible model of how
      allospecific-immune tolerance can be induced in order to prevent allograft
      rejection in transplantation will be also proposed. 

PMID- 26110051
TI  - EUGHS NEWS.

PMID- 26110052
TI  - Causes of accidental childhood deaths in China in 2010: A systematic review and
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infectious causes of childhood deaths in the world have decreased
      substantially in the 21st century. This trend has exposed accidental deaths as an
      increasingly important future challenge. Presently, little is known about the
      cause structure of accidental childhood deaths in low- and middle-income country
      (LMIC) settings. In this paper, we aim to establish cause structure for
      accidental deaths in children aged 0-4 years in China in the year 2010. METHODS:
      In this paper, we explored the database of 208 multi-cause child mortality
      studies in Chinese that formed a basis for the first published estimate of the
      causes of child deaths in China (for the year 2008). Only five of those studies
      identified specific causes of accidental deaths. Because of this, we searched the
      Chinese medical literature databases CNKI and WanFang for single-cause mortality
      studies that were focused on accidental deaths. We identified 71 further studies
      that provided specific causes for accidental deaths. We used epidemiological
      modeling to estimate the number of accidental child deaths in China in 2010 and
      to assign those deaths to specific causes. RESULTS: In 2010, we estimated 314 581
      deaths in children 0-4 years in China, of which 31 633 (10.1%) were accidental.
      Accidental deaths contributed 7240 (4.0%) of all deaths in neonatal period, 8838
      (10.5%) among all post-neonatal infant deaths, and 15 554 (31.7%) among children
      with 1-4 years of age. Among four tested models, the most predictive was used to
      establish the likely cause structure of accidental deaths in China. We estimated
      that asphyxia caused 9490 (95% confidence interval (CI) 8224-11 072), drowning
      5694 (95% CI 5061-6327), traffic accidents 3796 (95% CI 3163-4745), poisoning
      3163 (95% CI 2531-3796) and falls 2531 (95% CI 2214-3163) deaths. Based on
      medians from a few rare studies, we also predict 633 (95% CI 316-1265) deaths to
      be due to burns and 316 (95% CI 0-633) due to falling objects. Together, these 7
      causes explain more than 80% of all accidental deaths when modeling is primarily
      used, and more than 95% when the analysis is based purely on medians from the 76
      available studies. CONCLUSIONS: Reduction in global child mortality is a leading
      political priority and accidental deaths will soon emerge as one of the main
      challenges. In this paper we provided a detailed breakdown of causes of these
      deaths in a large middle-income country. We noted that, wherever the share of
      accidental deaths among all child deaths is increased, drowning is more likely to
      be the leading cause; asphyxia seems to be equally important in all contexts,
      while traffic accidents, poisoning and falls are relatively more important in
      contexts where the overall share of accidents to all child deaths is low.

PMID- 26110053
TI  - Deriving causes of child mortality by re-analyzing national verbal autopsy data
      applying a standardized computer algorithm in Uganda, Rwanda and Ghana.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goal 4,
      reliable information on causes of child mortality is critical. With more national
      verbal autopsy (VA) studies becoming available, how to improve consistency of
      national VA derived child causes of death should be considered for the purpose of
      global comparison. We aimed to adapt a standardized computer algorithm to re
      analyze national child VA studies conducted in Uganda, Rwanda and Ghana recently,
      and compare our results with those derived from physician review to explore
      issues surrounding the application of the standardized algorithm in place of
      physician review. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We adapted the standardized computer
      algorithm considering the disease profile in Uganda, Rwanda and Ghana. We then
      derived cause-specific mortality fractions applying the adapted algorithm and
      compared the results with those ascertained by physician review by examining the
      individual- and population-level agreement. Our results showed that the leading
      causes of child mortality in Uganda, Rwanda and Ghana were pneumonia (16.5-21.1%)
      and malaria (16.8-25.6%) among children below five years and intrapartum-related
      complications (6.4-10.7%) and preterm birth complications (4.5-6.3%) among
      neonates. The individual level agreement was poor to substantial across causes
      (kappa statistics: -0.03 to 0.83), with moderate to substantial agreement
      observed for injury, congenital malformation, preterm birth complications,
      malaria and measles. At the population level, despite fairly different cause
      specific mortality fractions, the ranking of the leading causes was largely
      similar. CONCLUSIONS: The standardized computer algorithm produced internally
      consistent distribution of causes of child mortality. The results were also
      qualitatively comparable to those based on physician review from the perspective
      of public health policy. The standardized computer algorithm has the advantage of
      requiring minimal resources from the health care system and represents a
      promising way to re-analyze national or sub-national VA studies in place of
      physician review for the purpose of global comparison.

PMID- 26110054
TI  - Reproduction and beyond, kisspeptin in ruminants.
AB  - Kisspeptin (Kp) is synthesized in the arcuate nucleus and preoptic area of the
      hypothalamus and is a regulator of gonadotropin releasing hormone in the
      hypothalamus. In addition, Kp may regulate additional functions such as increased
      neuropeptide Y gene expression and reduced proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene
      expression in sheep. Other studies have found a role for Kp to release growth
      hormone (GH), prolactin and luteinizing hormone (LH) from cattle, rat and monkey
      pituitary cells. Intravenous injection of Kp stimulated release LH, GH, prolactin
      and follicle stimulating hormone in some experiments in cattle and sheep, but
      other studies have failed to find an effect of peripheral injection of Kp on GH
      release. Recent studies indicate that Kp can stimulate GH release after
      intracerebroventricular injection in sheep at doses that do not release GH after
      intravenous injection. These studies suggest that Kp may have a role in
      regulation of both reproduction and metabolism in sheep. Since GH plays a role in
      luteal development, it is tempting to speculate that the ability of Kp to release
      GH and LH is related to normal control of reproduction. 

PMID- 26110055
TI  - Challenges in enriching milk fat with polyunsaturated fatty acids.
AB  - Milk fatty acid composition is determined by several factors including diet. The
      milk fatty acid profile of dairy cows is low in polyunsaturated fatty acids,
      especially those of the n-3 series. Efforts to change and influence fatty acid
      profile with longer chain polyunsaturated fatty acids have proven challenging.
      Several barriers prevent easy transfer of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids to
      milk fat including rumen biohydrogenation and fatty acid esterification. The
      potential for cellular uptake and differences in fatty acid incorporation into
      milk fat might also have an effect, though this has received less research
      effort. Given physiological impediments to enriching milk fat with
      polyunsaturated fatty acids, manipulating the genome of the cow might provide a
      greater increase than diet alone, but this too may be challenged by the
      physiology of the cow. 

PMID- 26110056
TI  - Effects of Laminaria japonica polysaccharides on airway inflammation of lungs in
      an asthma mouse model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma is a serious chronic inflammatory disease affecting 300
      million people worldwide. This aim of this study to investigate the anti
      inflammatory and anti-asthmatic effects of Laminaria japonica extract in the
      ovalbumin (OVA)-induced mouse asthma model. METHODS: A mouse asthma model was
      established in SPF Kunming mice by OVA-sensitization followed by inhalation of
      aerosol allergen for two weeks. Laminaria japonica polysaccharides (LJPS) were
      given by gavage feeding at 50 mg/kg/day during OVA inhalation challenge period,
      and their effect on asthma was compared with the standard treatment of Budesonide
      inhalation. The total inflammatory cells and eosinophils in bronchoalveolar
      lavage fluid (BALF) were determined. Histopathological changes in lung tissue
      were studied and scored to determine the degree of inflammation. Levels of IL-12,
      IL-13, and TGF-beta1 in BALF as well as serum levels of IgE were measured.
      Expressions of IL-12, IL-13, and TGF-beta1 in lung tissues were assessed.
      RESULTS: Highly inflammatory lungs infiltrated with significant increased
      eosinophils were observed in OVA-induced asthmatic mice. The OVA treated mice
      presented with a lower level of IL-12 and higher levels of IL-13 and TGF-beta1 in
      BALF and lung tissues, as well as an increased level of the serum IgE. Treatment
      with LJPS (Group B) significantly decreased the numbers of eosinophils in the
      BALF (P < 0.05) and alleviated lung inflammation compared to the untreated asthma
      mice (Group A). It also reduced the serum IgE levels, increased expression of IL
      12, and decreased the expression of IL-13 and TGF-beta1 in BALF and lung (Both P
      < 0.05) compared with the group A. CONCLUSIONS: LJPS can significantly inhibit
      airway inflammation of asthmatic mice, adjust the balance of cytokines, and
      improve the pulmonary histopathological condition. Our data suggested that LJPS
      might be a potential therapeutic reagent for allergic asthma.

PMID- 26110058
TI  - JITC launches a new section: commentary and editorials.

PMID- 26110057
TI  - Characterization of cognitive deficits in spontaneously hypertensive rats,
      accompanied by brain insulin receptor dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) has been used to model
      changes in the central nervous system associated with cognitive-related
      disorders. Recent human and animal studies indicate a possible relationship
      between cognitive deficits, insulin resistance and hypertension. We aimed to
      investigate whether cognitively impaired SHRs develop central and/or peripheral
      insulin resistance and how their cognitive performance is influenced by the
      animal's sex and age as well as strains used for comparison (Wistar and Wistar
      Kyoto/WKY). METHODS: Three and seven-month-old SHR, Wistar, and WKY rats were
      studied for their cognitive performance using Morris Water Maze (MWM) and Passive
      Avoidance tests (PAT). Plasma glucose and insulin were obtained after oral
      glucose tolerance tests. Cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and striatum status of
      insulin-receptor (IR) beta-subunit and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK3beta)
      and their phosphorylated forms were obtained via ELISA. RESULTS: SHRs performed
      poorly in MWM and PAT in comparison to both control strains but more pronouncedly
      compared to WKY. Females performed poorer than males and 7-month-old SHRs had
      poorer MWM performance than 3-month-old ones. Although plasma glucose levels
      remained unchanged, plasma insulin levels were significantly increased in the
      glucose tolerance test in 7-month-old SHRs. SHRs demonstrated reduced expression
      and increased activity of IRbeta-subunit in cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and
      striatum with different regional changes in phospho/total GSK3beta ratio, as
      compared to WKYs. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that cognitive deficits in SHRs
      are accompanied by both central and peripheral insulin dysfunction, thus allowing
      for the speculation that SHRs might additionally be considered as a model of
      insulin resistance-induced type of dementia.

PMID- 26110059
TI  - Effects of prehospital epinephrine administration on neurological outcomes in
      patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To determine if the effects of epinephrine administration on the
      outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), patients are associated with
      the duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed by Emergency
      Medical Service (EMS) personnel. METHODS: This retrospective, nonrandomized,
      observational analysis used the All-Japan Utstein Registry, a prospective,
      nationwide population-based registry of all OHCA patients transported to the
      hospital by EMS staff as the data source. We stratified all OHCA patients for
      quartile of EMSs' CPR duration. Group 1 consisted of patients who fell under the
      25th percentile of EMSs' CPR duration (under 15 min); group 2, patients who fell
      into the 25th to 50th percentile (between 15 and 19 min); group 3, patients who
      fell into the 50th to 75th percentile (between 20 and 26 min); and group 4,
      patients who fell at or above the 75th percentile (over 26 min). The primary
      endpoint was a favorable neurological outcome 1 month after cardiac arrest. The
      secondary endpoints were ROSC before arrival at the hospital and 1-month
      survival. RESULTS: A total of 383,811 patients aged over 18 years who had
      experienced OHCA between 2006 and 2010 in Japan, when stratified for quartile of
      EMSs' CPR duration, the epinephrine administration increased the rate of return
      of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) approximately tenfold in all groups. However,
      the beneficial effects of epinephrine administration on 1-month survival
      disappeared in patients on whom EMSs' CPR had been performed for more than 26
      min, and the beneficial effects of epinephrine administration on neurological
      outcomes were observed only in patients on whom EMSs' CPR had been performed
      between 15 and 19 min (odds ratio, 1.327, 95 % confidence intervals, 1.017-1.733
      P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: Epinephrine administration is associated with an
      increase of ROSC and with improvement in the neurological outcome on which EMSs'
      CPR duration is performed between 15 and 19 min.

PMID- 26110060
TI  - Changing trends in the epidemiology of vertebral osteomyelitis in Marseille,
      France.
AB  - The incidence and significant morbidity of vertebral osteomyelitis are increasing
      despite the progress of diagnosis competences. Among the 50 cases of vertebral
      osteomyelitis managed in our centers over the past 5 years, 84% of the cases were
      in men. The mean age was 55 years. Sixty-two percent of patients had
      comorbidities and risk factors: diabetes mellitus (24%), malignancy (16%),
      intravenous drug use (10%) and alcoholism (4%). A source of infection was
      identified in 66% of cases, including postvertebral surgery infection (18%) and
      hematogenous infection (48%). The mean time to diagnosis was 36 days. Back pain
      were occurred in 90% of cases, fever (70%), neurologic deficits (40%), epidural
      abscesses (32%), completed vertebral bone destruction (26%) and psoas abscess
      (12%). A single organism was isolated in 92% of cases. Gram-positive bacteria
      were identified in 76% of cases, while Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) were found in
      18% of cases. The presence of GNB was significantly associated with malignancy (p
      0.041). The mean duration of antibiotic therapy was 123 days. Surgical treatment
      was performed in 41 cases: spinal stabilization (26%), drainage of abscesses
      (32%) and relief of compression (40%). Residual pain was found in 24% of cases,
      and neurologic sequelae in 22%. Cervical or thoracic localization was a risk
      factor for neurologic compromise (p 0.042). The epidemiology of vertebral
      osteomyelitis has changed; an increase in malignancy that was significantly
      associated with vertebral osteomyelitis due to GNB has been observed. Our study
      shows that the rate of neurologic complications remains high despite improved
      diagnostic capabilities and optimal treatment. 

PMID- 26110061
TI  - Prevalence of Smqnr and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants in
      clinical isolates of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia from Japan: novel variants of
      Smqnr.
AB  - Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an important pathogen in healthcare-associated
      infections. S. maltophilia may contain Smqnr, a quinolone resistance gene
      encoding the pentapeptide repeat protein, which confers low-level quinolone
      resistance upon expression in a heterologous host. We investigated the prevalence
      of Smqnr and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants in S.
      maltophilia isolates from Japan. A total of 181 consecutive and nonduplicate
      clinical isolates of S. maltophilia were collected from four areas of Japan. The
      antimicrobial susceptibility profiles for these strains were determined. PCR was
      conducted for Smqnr and PMQR genes, including qnrA, qnrB, qnrC, qnrS, aac(6')-Ib
      and qepA. PCR products for Smqnr and aac(6')-Ib were sequenced. For the S.
      maltophilia isolates containing Smqnr, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)
      was performed using XbaI. Resistance rates to ceftazidime, levofloxacin,
      trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol and minocycline were 67.4%, 6.1%,
      17.7%, 8.8% and 0%, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration required
      to inhibit the growth of 50% and 90% of organisms were 0.5 and 2 mg/L for
      moxifloxacin but 1 and 4 mg/L for levofloxacin, respectively. Smqnr was detected
      in 104 of the 181 S. maltophilia isolates (57.5%), and the most frequent was
      Smqnr6, followed by Smqnr8 and Smqnr11. Eleven novel variants from Smqnr48 to
      Smqnr58 were detected. The 24 Smqnr-containing S. maltophilia isolates were typed
      by PFGE and divided into 21 unique types. Nine S. maltophilia isolates (5.0%)
      carried aac(6')-Ib-cr. No qnr or qepA genes were detected. This study describes a
      high prevalence of Smqnr and novel variants of Smqnr among S. maltophilia from
      Japan. Continuous antimicrobial surveillance and further molecular
      epidemiological studies on quinolone resistance in S. maltophilia are needed. 

PMID- 26110062
TI  - Epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus in Bangalore, India: emergence of the ST217
      clone and high rate of resistance to erythromycin and ciprofloxacin in the
      community.
AB  - This study aimed to determine the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of
      Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and the circulating clones in Bangalore, India.
      Susceptibility testing was performed for all cases of SA infections in a tertiary
      care hospital. Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) encoding genes were detected,
      and sequence type and spa type were determined. Out of the 92 collected strains,
      52.2% were methicillin-resistant SA (MRSA), isolated from community-acquired (CA)
      infections in 60.4% and hospital-acquired (HA) infections in 39.6%. S. aureus
      isolates were also highly resistant to erythromycin (54.3%) and ciprofloxacin
      (70.6%) in methicillin-susceptible SA (MSSA) and MRSA, as well as in CA and HA
      infections. MRSA were found to be significantly more resistant to gentamicin (p
      <0.001), cotrimoxazole (p <0.001) and ciprofloxacin (p 0.001) than MSSA, but no
      significant difference was observed between CA- and HA-SA. ST217 appeared as a
      new emerging and prevalent clone, but ST772 remained the predominant clone, all
      being PVL-positive isolates. Our study points out the high prevalence of MRSA,
      even in the community, and the worrying increase of resistance to ciprofloxacin
      and erythromycin among CA-MSSA. Emergence of clone ST217 is reported for the
      first time in India. 

PMID- 26110063
TI  - First report of Actinomyces europaeus bacteraemia result from a breast abscess in
      a 53-year-old man.
AB  - This is the first report of Actinomyces europaeus bacteraemia in a 53-year-old
      man. The bacteraemia was the result of a breast abscess. Identification was
      established by matrix-assisted desorption ionization-time of flight mass
      spectrometry and confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The patient was treated
      with surgical drainage and penicillin for 4 weeks; the patient did not experience
      any relapse during 6 months of follow-up. 

PMID- 26110064
TI  - Proteomic analysis of colon and rectal carcinoma using standard and customized
      databases.
AB  - Understanding proteomic differences underlying the different phenotypic classes
      of colon and rectal carcinoma is important and may eventually lead to a better
      assessment of clinical behavior of these cancers. We here present a comprehensive
      description of the proteomic data obtained from 90 colon and rectal carcinomas
      previously subjected to genomic analysis by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Here,
      the primary instrument files and derived secondary data files are compiled and
      presented in forms that will allow further analyses of the biology of colon and
      rectal carcinoma. We also discuss new challenges in processing these large
      proteomic datasets for relevant proteins and protein variants. 

PMID- 26110065
TI  - A TEX86 surface sediment database and extended Bayesian calibration.
AB  - Quantitative estimates of past temperature changes are a cornerstone of
      paleoclimatology. For a number of marine sediment-based proxies, the accuracy and
      precision of past temperature reconstructions depends on a spatial calibration of
      modern surface sediment measurements to overlying water temperatures. Here, we
      present a database of 1095 surface sediment measurements of TEX86, a temperature
      proxy based on the relative cyclization of marine archaeal glycerol dialkyl
      glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipids. The dataset is archived in a machine-readable
      format with geospatial information, fractional abundances of lipids (if
      available), and metadata. We use this new database to update surface and
      subsurface temperature calibration models for TEX86 and demonstrate the
      applicability of the TEX86 proxy to past temperature prediction. The TEX86
      database confirms that surface sediment GDGT distribution has a strong
      relationship to temperature, which accounts for over 70% of the variance in the
      data. Future efforts, made possible by the data presented here, will seek to
      identify variables with secondary relationships to GDGT distributions, such as
      archaeal community composition. 

PMID- 26110066
TI  - Comparative, transcriptome analysis of self-organizing optic tissues.
AB  - Embryonic stem (ES) cells have a remarkable capacity to self-organize complex,
      multi-layered optic cups in vitro via a culture technique called SFEBq. During
      both SFEBq and in vivo optic cup development, Rax (Rx) expressing neural retina
      epithelial (NRE) tissues utilize Fgf and Wnt/beta-catenin signalling pathways to
      differentiate into neural retina (NR) and retinal-pigmented epithelial (RPE)
      tissues, respectively. How these signaling pathways affect gene expression during
      optic tissue formation has remained largely unknown, especially at the
      transcriptome scale. Here, we address this question using RNA-Seq. We generated
      Rx+ optic tissue using SFEBq, exposed these tissues to either Fgf or Wnt/beta
      catenin stimulation, and assayed their gene expression across multiple time
      points using RNA-Seq. This comparative dataset will help elucidate how Fgf and
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling affect gene expression during optic tissue
      differentiation and will help inform future efforts to optimize in vitro optic
      tissue culture technology. 

PMID- 26110067
TI  - The wow factor as a determinant of funding for disorders of the skin.
AB  - As people live beyond 100 years, there is an extended period of impaired quality
      of life for the increasing numbers of individuals with skin disorders. There is
      also a growing work force of fit elderly individuals who are able to provide low
      technology skin care and who can teach self-help if well instructed. The
      International Society of Dermatology's sub-committee Skin Care for All: Community
      Dermatology seeks to bring together those who care for skin diseases and those
      who manage wounds, burns, lymphoedema and neglected tropical diseases affecting
      the skin for the purpose of skin care. Their focus is the repair of four
      functions: barrier, thermoregulation, sensory perception and communication. The
      curriculum includes low cost self-help and the restoration of absent skin. The
      care expectation is one of technical proficiency integrated with kindness and
      altruism. The concept is attracting wide attention but needs to develop
      compelling and persuasive arguments ("wow factors") regarding why it should be
      funded. There is probably no greater wow factor than tracing the path of a
      severely injured patient from the battlefield through the course of immediate
      first aid by paramedics to the surgeon in the frontline tent who can almost
      guarantee survival. Seeing these disfigured persons winning trophies at the
      Olympic Games has garnered the admiration of millions of viewers. 

PMID- 26110068
TI  - Transparency in Medicare Reimbursement: Help or Hindrance?
AB  - Welcome to the latest edition of JADPRO! It is my pleasure and honor to serve as
      an associate editor for this elite and unique journal. As one of the co-chairs of
      the meeting, I would like to invite you to attend the second JADPRO Live
      symposium to be held in sunny Orlando, Florida, this October 30 through November
      2. The faculty lineup is superb, the content offerings are first rate, and you
      can earn up to 15 CE credits/contact hours. I am hoping to network with our
      entire readership there! You can find more information and learn how to register
      at www.apsho.org/jadprolive. 

PMID- 26110069
TI  - Targeted Therapies in Breast Cancer: Implications for Advanced Oncology Practice.
AB  - The systemic therapeutic management of breast cancer has undergone significant
      transformation in the past decade. Without targeted therapies, conventional
      treatment with cytotoxic agents has reached the limit of its potential in terms
      of patient survival for most types of cancer. Enhanced understanding of the
      pathogenesis of tumor cell growth and metastasis has led to the identification of
      signaling growth pathways as targets for these directed therapies. Novel
      therapies targeted to HER2/neu, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF), poly(ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP), mammalian
      target of rapamycin (mTOR), histone deacetylase (HDAC), the heat shock protein,
      and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors have been developed and have
      demonstrated some efficacy in breast cancer. Recognition and management of the
      toxicities associated with targeted therapies is imperative. This review will
      describe the clinical development and utilization of targeted therapies currently
      in use or in clinical trials, with a focus on considerations for the oncology
      advanced practitioner. 

PMID- 26110070
TI  - The History and Physical in Cancer Care: A Primer for the Oncology Advanced
      Practitioner.
AB  - Advanced practitioners (APs) specializing in cancer care will most likely need to
      perform or participate in obtaining the history and physical (H & P) of a new
      patient. The core infrastructure of the history-taking and physical examination
      process remains the same across all patients regardless of diagnosis. There are,
      however, important distinctions in the H & P of the patient with cancer. These
      distinctions can be challenging for the student or novice oncology AP, leading to
      frustration and potentially poor patient satisfaction and outcomes. In each
      component of the patient history, certain considerations related to the cancer
      and its diagnosis and/or treatment to date must be included; these elements are
      different from those in the general medical H & P. This article focuses mainly on
      the structure and elements of the history of the present illness phase of the H &
      P. The similarities and differences between taking a cancer-focused H & P vs. a
      traditional medical one are discussed as well. 

PMID- 26110071
TI  - Approaches to Managing Safety With Lenalidomide in Hematologic Malignancies.
AB  - Lenalidomide is an oral immunomodulatory agent approved in relapsed multiple
      myeloma with dexamethasone, for transfusion-dependent anemia in myelodysplastic
      syndrome associated with deletion 5q, and in relapsed/progressive mantle cell
      lymphoma following bortezomib. In recent clinical trials, lenalidomide has shown
      promising activity in hematologic malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic
      leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Starting doses and dosing
      schedules vary by malignancy, with lenalidomide started at a lower dose for CLL
      than for NHL or multiple myeloma. Certain adverse events (AEs) are common across
      tumor types (e.g., neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, fatigue), whereas others are
      more often associated with CLL patients (e.g., tumor lysis syndrome and tumor
      flare reaction). Effective management requires awareness of these differences as
      well as appropriate prophylaxis, monitoring, and treatment of AEs. This article
      reviews the efficacy and safety of lenalidomide in CLL and NHL, focusing on
      approaches for the advanced practitioner to improve patient quality of life
      through optimal management of side effects. With these steps, lenalidomide can be
      administered safely, at the best starting doses and with minimal dose
      interruptions or reductions across hematologic malignancies. 

PMID- 26110072
TI  - Management of Malignant Pericardial Effusion.

PMID- 26110073
TI  - The Case for Early Palliative Care in the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer.

PMID- 26110074
TI  - Vismodegib: First-in-Class Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitor for Metastatic or Locally
      Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma.

PMID- 26110075
TI  - Healthy Weight Loss for the Cancer Survivor.

PMID- 26110076
TI  - Lessons Learned in Cancer Care Communication.

PMID- 26110077
TI  - Diagnostic Snapshot: Aggressive Malignancy or Benign Lesion?

PMID- 26110078
TI  - Outcome of cerebral arteriovenous malformations after linear accelerator
      reirradiation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of
      patients undergoing single-dose reirradiation using the Linear Accelerator
      (LINAC) for brain arteriovenous malformations (AVM). METHODS: A retrospective
      study of 37 patients with brain AVM undergoing LINAC reirradiation between April
      2003 and November 2011 was carried out. Patient characteristics, for example,
      gender, age, use of medications, and comorbidities; disease characteristics, for
      example, Spetzler-Martin grading system, location, volume, modified Pollock
      Flickinger score; and treatment characteristics, for example, embolization,
      prescription dose, radiation dose-volume curves, and conformity index were
      analyzed. During the follow-up period, imaging studies were performed to evaluate
      changes after treatment and AVM cure. Complications, such as edema, rupture of
      the blood-brain barrier, and radionecrosis were classified as symptomatic and
      asymptomatic. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients underwent angiogram after
      reirradiation and the percentage of angiographic occlusion was 55.5%. In three
      patients without obliteration, AVM shrinkage made it possible to perform surgical
      resection with a 2/3 cure rate. A reduction in AVM nidus volume greater than 50%
      after the first procedure was shown to be the most important predictor of
      obliteration. Another factor associated with AVM cure was a prescription dose
      higher than 15.5 Gy in the first radiosurgery. Two patients had permanent
      neurologic deficits. Factors correlated with complications were the prescription
      dose and maximum dose in the first procedure. CONCLUSION: This study suggests
      that single-dose reirradiation is safe and feasible in partially occluded AVM.
      Reirradiation may not benefit candidates whose prescribed dose was lower than
      15.5 Gy in the first procedure and initial AVM nidus volume did not decrease by
      more than 50% before reirradiation.

PMID- 26110079
TI  - A case of angiographically occult, distal small anterior inferior cerebellar
      artery aneurysm.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A small aneurysm at an unusual location, such as a distal anterior
      inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) aneurysm, may conceal as a computed tomography
      angiography (CTA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA)-occult aneurysm. CASE
      DESCRIPTION: We herein present the case of a patient suffering from a
      subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) with two aneurysms in which the AICA aneurysm was
      negative by CTA and DSA. CTA demonstrated a right anterior choroidal artery
      aneurysm, which was revealed to be an unruptured aneurysm after surgical
      exploration. A small distal AICA aneurysm was detected by 3D rotational
      angiography (3DRA). The patient fully recovered except for left-side hearing loss
      four months after the second operation. CONCLUSION: We recommend a meticulous
      diagnosis by 3DRA in patients with SAH in which the distribution is not
      coincident with a typical aneurysmal location.

PMID- 26110080
TI  - Neurosurgery Concepts: Key perspectives on Traumatic Brain Injury, New Treatments
      for Glioblastoma, Hemicraniectomy for Extensive Middle-Cerebral-Artery Stroke,
      Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery and Lumbar Epidural Injections for
      Radiculopathy.

PMID- 26110081
TI  - Minimal access microsurgical ligation of spinal dural arteriovenous fistula with
      tubular retractor.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Open surgical ligation is an effective treatment of spinal dural
      arteriovenous fistula (SDAVF). Until recently, the procedure would require an
      open laminectomy, which may potentially cause significant postoperative pain,
      spinal deformity, and instability due to disruptions of the spinal mechanics.
      Development in minimal access spine surgery provides an alternative approach that
      can minimize bone and soft tissue trauma. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report two
      patients who presented with progressive paraparesis secondary to thoracolumbar
      SDAVF. Minimal access microsurgical ligation was successfully performed through a
      tubular retractor using a paramedian muscle-splitting approach. CONCLUSION: With
      accurate localization of the fistulous point in each patient, only a
      hemilaminectomy and a small dura opening were required using the tube-assisted
      technique. This allows direct visualization and ligation of the fistulous point
      while minimizing postoperative morbidities.

PMID- 26110082
TI  - Microsurgical clipping for the true posterior communicating artery aneurysm in
      the distal portion of the posterior communicating artery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aneurysms arising from the posterior communicating artery (PCoA)
      itself are rare in which aneurysms usually located in the proximal portion of the
      PCoA. The authors report a case of the true PCoA ruptured aneurysm in the distal
      portion of the PCoA. CASE DESCRIPTION: The patient was an 83-year-old man who
      suffered subarachnoid hemorrhage. Cerebral angiography revealed a saccular
      aneurysm arising on the fetal type right PCoA itself in the distal portion of the
      PCoA. 2 days after the onset of symptoms, the patient underwent right
      interfascial pterional craniotomy, with anterior temporal approach. The aneurysm
      was successfully clipped with the preservation of both the PCoA and the
      thalamoperforating artery. CONCLUSION: We speculated that blood flow into the
      PCoA gradually increased after occlusion of the left vertebral artery, which
      induced tortuosity of the PCoA. As a result, hemodynamic stress might increase
      near the curvature and cause aneurysm formation.

PMID- 26110083
TI  - Surgical treatment of the intracranial pial arteriovenous fistula.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pial arteriovenous fistula (PAVF) is a rare vascular condition
      comprising of one or more arterial vessels that are in direct communication with
      the draining veins. The condition is also characterized by the absence of a
      nidus. Due to high blood flows, varicose systems adjacent to the fistula appear.
      The key characteristic of the arteriovenous direct transition is that it offers a
      treatment option in which interruption of the blood flow can occur without
      removing the entire lesion. This study presents two cases of PAVF. CASE
      DESCRIPTION: The first case is of a 59-year-old male with lesions in the frontal
      region, fed by a branch of the right anterior cerebral artery and drained by the
      frontal basal vein to the sphenoparietal sinus. The second case is of a 3-year
      old child with a lesion in the right anterior frontal lobe, fed by a branch of
      the right middle cerebral artery, which drains into the Trolard vein and was
      associated with large a venous varix. CONCLUSION: PAVF is a disease characterized
      by its rarity, and knowledge of PAVF's clinical presentation is of vital
      importance in early diagnosis. The treatment of the condition consists of an
      occlusion of the supply vessel, which can be done by endovascular, microsurgical,
      or both procedures. Both the cases were successfully treated by microsurgical
      procedure.

PMID- 26110084
TI  - Ethical considerations regarding head transplantation.

PMID- 26110085
TI  - Religious morality (and secular humanism) in Western civilization as precursors
      to medical ethics: A historic perspective.

PMID- 26110086
TI  - Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leakage through fistulas at the clivus repaired
      with endoscopic endonasal approach.

PMID- 26110087
TI  - Rapid on-site evaluation with dynamic telecytopathology for ultrasound-guided
      fine-needle aspiration of head and neck nonthyroid lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) at the time of ultrasound-guided fine
      needle aspiration (USGFNA) of head and neck lesion is essential for obtaining
      adequate samples and providing the preliminary diagnosis. We summarize our
      experience with ROSE of USGFNA on head and neck nonthyroid lesions using
      telecytopathology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Real-time images of Diff-Quik stained
      cytology smears were obtained at ultrasound suite with an Olympus DP-70 digital
      camera attached to an Olympus CX41 microscope, and transmitted via ethernet by a
      cytotechnologist to a cytopathologist in cytopathology laboratory who rendered a
      preliminary diagnosis. Live communication was conducted with Vocera voice
      communication system. The ultrasound suite was located on different floor from
      the cytopathology laboratory. Accuracy of ROSE via telecytopathology was compared
      with an equal number of cases that received ROSE, prior to introduction of
      telecytopathology, via conventional microscopy. RESULTS: Rapid on-site evaluation
      was performed on a total of 116 USGFNA of head and neck nonthyroid lesions. The
      telecytopathology system and conventional microscopy was used to evaluate equal
      number of cases (58 each). Preliminary diagnoses of benign, atypical/suspicious
      for malignancy, and positive for malignancy were 72.4%, 17.2% and 10.3% for
      telecytopathology, and 69.0%, 10.3% and 20.7% for conventional microscopy. None
      of the cases were deemed unsatisfactory. The overall concordance between the
      preliminary and final diagnoses was 94.8% for telecytopathology and 98.3% for
      conventional microscopy and was not statistically significant (P = 0.309). The
      causes of discordant preliminary and final diagnoses were mainly attributed to
      availability of cell block and Papanicolaou-stained slides for review or flow
      cytometry results for lymphoma cases at the time of final sign out. CONCLUSIONS:
      Telecytopathology is comparable with conventional microscopy in ROSE of USGFNA of
      head and neck nonthyroid lesions.

PMID- 26110088
TI  - Automated morphometry provides accurate and reproducible virtual staging of liver
      fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Liver fibrosis staging provides prognostic value, although hampered
      by observer variability. We used digital analysis to develop diagnostic
      morphometric scores for significant fibrosis, cirrhosis and fibrosis staging in
      chronic hepatitis C. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We automated the measurement of 44
      classical and new morphometric descriptors. The reference was histological
      METAVIR fibrosis (F) staging (F0 to F4) on liver biopsies. The derivation
      population included 416 patients and liver biopsies >=20 mm-length. Two
      validation population included 438 patients. RESULTS: In the derivation
      population, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) for
      clinically significant fibrosis (F stage >=2) of a logistic score combining 5 new
      descriptors (stellar fibrosis area, edge linearity, bridge thickness, bridge
      number, nodularity) was 0.957. The AUROC for cirrhosis of 6 new descriptors (edge
      linearity, nodularity, portal stellar fibrosis area, portal distance,
      granularity, fragmentation) was 0.994. Predicted METAVIR F staging combining 8
      morphometric descriptors agreed well with METAVIR F staging by pathologists:
      kappa = 0.868. Morphometric score of clinically significant fibrosis had a higher
      correlation with porto-septal fibrosis area (r s = 0.835) than METAVIR F staging
      (r s = 0.756, P < 0.001) and the same correlations with fibrosis biomarkers,
      e.g., serum hyaluronate: r s = 0.484 versus r s = 0.476 for METAVIR F (P =
      0.862). In the validation population, the AUROCs of clinically significant
      fibrosis and cirrhosis scores were, respectively: 0.893 and 0.993 in 153 patients
      (biopsy < 20 mm); 0.955 and 0.994 in 285 patients (biopsy >= 20 mm). The three
      morphometric diagnoses agreed with consensus expert reference as well as or
      better than diagnoses by first-line pathologists in 285 patients, respectively:
      significant fibrosis: 0.733 versus 0.733 (kappa), cirrhosis: 0.900 versus 0.827,
      METAVIR F: 0.881 versus 0.865. CONCLUSION: The new automated morphometric scores
      provide reproducible and accurate diagnoses of fibrosis stages via "virtual
      expert pathologist."

PMID- 26110089
TI  - Prospector: A web-based tool for rapid acquisition of gold standard data for
      pathology research and image analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obtaining ground truth for pathological images is essential for
      various experiments, especially for training and testing image analysis
      algorithms. However, obtaining pathologist input is often difficult, time
      consuming and expensive. This leads to algorithms being over-fitted to small
      datasets, and inappropriate validation, which causes poor performance on real
      world data. There is a great need to gather data from pathologists in a simple
      and efficient manner, in order to maximise the amount of data obtained. METHODS:
      We present a lightweight, web-based HTML5 system for administering and
      participating in data collection experiments. The system is designed for rapid
      input with minimal effort, and can be accessed from anywhere in the world with a
      reliable internet connection. RESULTS: We present two case studies that use the
      system to assess how limitations on fields of view affect pathologist agreement,
      and to what extent poorly stained slides affect judgement. In both cases, the
      system collects pathologist scores at a rate of less than two seconds per image.
      CONCLUSIONS: The system has multiple potential applications in pathology and
      other domains.

PMID- 26110090
TI  - Whole slide imaging for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
      immunohistochemistry interpretation: Accuracy, Precision, and reproducibility
      studies for digital manual and paired glass slide manual interpretation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of digital whole slide imaging for human epidermal growth
      factor receptor 2 (HER2) immunohistochemistry (IHC) could create improvements in
      workflow and performance, allowing for central archiving of specimens,
      distributed and remote interpretation, and the potential for additional
      computerized automation. PROCEDURES: The accuracy, precision, and reproducibility
      of manual digital interpretation for HER2 IHC were determined by comparison to
      manual glass slide interpretation. Inter- and intra-pathologist reproducibility
      and precision between the glass slide and digital interpretations of HER2 IHC
      were determined in 5 studies using DAKO HercepTest-stained breast cancer slides
      with the Philips Digital Pathology System. In 2 inter-method studies, 3
      pathologists interpreted glass and digital slides in sequence or in random order
      with a minimum of 7 days as a washout period. These studies also measured inter
      observer reproducibility and precision. Another two studies measured intra
      pathologist reproducibility on cases read 10 times by glass and digital methods.
      One additional study evaluated the effects of adding IHC control slides with each
      run, using 1 pathologist interpreting glass and digital slides randomized from
      the sets above along with appropriate controls for each slide in the set.
      RESULTS: The overall results show that there is no statistical difference between
      the variance of performance when comparing glass and digital HER2
      interpretations; and there were no effects noted when control tissues were
      evaluated in conjunction with the test slides. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that
      there is an equivalence of result when interpreting HER2 IHC slides in breast
      cancer by either glass slides or digital images. Digital interpretation can
      therefore be safely and effectively used for this purpose.

PMID- 26110091
TI  - A review of the current state of digital plate reading of cultures in clinical
      microbiology.
AB  - Digital plate reading (DPR) is increasingly being adopted as a means to
      facilitate the analysis and improve the quality and efficiency within the
      clinical microbiology laboratory. This review discusses the role of DPR in the
      context of total laboratory automation and explores some of the platforms
      currently available or in development for digital image capturing of microbial
      growth on media. The review focuses on the advantages and challenges of DPR. Peer
      reviewed studies describing the utility and quality of these novel DPR systems
      are largely lacking, and professional guidelines for DPR implementation and
      quality management are needed. Further development and more widespread adoption
      of DPR is anticipated. 

PMID- 26110092
TI  - Reimagining the microscope in the 21(st) century using the scalable adaptive
      graphics environment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whole-slide imaging (WSI), while technologically mature, remains in
      the early adopter phase of the technology adoption lifecycle. One reason for this
      current situation is that current methods of visualizing and using WSI closely
      follow long-existing workflows for glass slides. We set out to "reimagine" the
      digital microscope in the era of cloud computing by combining WSI with the rich
      collaborative environment of the Scalable Adaptive Graphics Environment (SAGE).
      SAGE is a cross-platform, open-source visualization and collaboration tool that
      enables users to access, display and share a variety of data-intensive
      information, in a variety of resolutions and formats, from multiple sources, on
      display walls of arbitrary size. METHODS: A prototype of a WSI viewer app in the
      SAGE environment was created. While not full featured, it enabled the testing of
      our hypothesis that these technologies could be blended together to change the
      essential nature of how microscopic images are utilized for patient care, medical
      education, and research. RESULTS: Using the newly created WSI viewer app,
      demonstration scenarios were created in the patient care and medical education
      scenarios. This included a live demonstration of a pathology consultation at the
      International Academy of Digital Pathology meeting in Boston in November 2014.
      CONCLUSIONS: SAGE is well suited to display, manipulate and collaborate using
      WSIs, along with other images and data, for a variety of purposes. It goes beyond
      how glass slides and current WSI viewers are being used today, changing the
      nature of digital pathology in the process. A fully developed WSI viewer app
      within SAGE has the potential to encourage the wider adoption of WSI throughout
      pathology.

PMID- 26110093
TI  - Enhancing automatic classification of hepatocellular carcinoma images through
      image masking, tissue changes and trabecular features.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent breakthroughs in computer vision and digital microscopy have
      prompted the application of such technologies in cancer diagnosis, especially in
      histopathological image analysis. Earlier, an attempt to classify hepatocellular
      carcinoma images based on nuclear and structural features has been carried out on
      a set of surgical resected samples. Here, we proposed methods to enhance the
      process and improve the classification performance. METHODS: First, we segmented
      the histological components of the liver tissues and generated several masked
      images. By utilizing the masked images, some set of new features were introduced,
      producing three sets of features consisting nuclei, trabecular and tissue changes
      features. Furthermore, we extended the classification process by using biopsy
      resected samples in addition to the surgical samples. RESULTS: Experiments by
      using support vector machine (SVM) classifier with combinations of features and
      sample types showed that the proposed methods improve the classification rate in
      HCC detection for about 1-3%. Moreover, detection rate of low-grades cancer
      increased when the new features were appended in the classification process,
      although the rate was worsen in the case of undifferentiated tumors. CONCLUSIONS:
      The masking process increased the reliability of extracted nuclei features. The
      additional of new features improved the system especially for early HCC
      detection. Likewise, the combination of surgical and biopsy samples as training
      data could also improve the classification rates. Therefore, the methods will
      extend the support for pathologists in the HCC diagnosis.

PMID- 26110094
TI  - Understanding the three-dimensional world from two-dimensional immunofluorescent
      adjacent sections.
AB  - Visualizing tissue structures in three-dimensions (3D) is crucial to
      understanding normal and pathological phenomena. However, staining and imaging of
      thick sections and whole mount samples can be challenging. For decades,
      researchers have serially sectioned large tissues and painstakingly reconstructed
      the 3D volume. Advances in automation, from sectioning to alignment, now greatly
      accelerate the process. In addition, immunofluorescent staining methods allow
      multiple antigens to be simultaneously detected and analyzed volumetrically. The
      objective was to incorporate multi-channel immunofluorescent staining and
      automation in 3D reconstruction of serial sections for volumetric analysis.
      Paraffin-embedded samples were sectioned manually but were processed, stained,
      imaged and aligned in an automated fashion. Reconstructed stacks were
      quantitatively analyzed in 3D. By combining automated immunofluorescent staining
      and tried-and-true methods of reconstructing adjacent sections, we were able to
      visualize, in detail, not only the geometric structures of the sample but also
      the presence and interactions of multiple proteins and molecules of interest
      within their 3D environment. Advances in technology and software algorithms have
      significantly expedited the 3D reconstruction of serial sections. Automated,
      multi-antigen immunofluorescent staining will significantly broaden the range and
      complexity of scientific questions that can be answered with this methodology. 

PMID- 26110095
TI  - Exploring viewing behavior data from whole slide images to predict correctness of
      students' answers during practical exams in oral pathology.
AB  - The way of viewing whole slide images (WSI) can be tracked and analyzed. In
      particular, it can be useful to learn how medical students view WSIs during exams
      and how their viewing behavior is correlated with correctness of the answers they
      give. We used software-based view path tracking method that enabled gathering
      data about viewing behavior of multiple simultaneous WSI users. This approach was
      implemented and applied during two practical exams in oral pathology in 2012 (88
      students) and 2013 (91 students), which were based on questions with attached
      WSIs. Gathered data were visualized and analyzed in multiple ways. As a part of
      extended analysis, we tried to use machine learning approaches to predict
      correctness of students' answers based on how they viewed WSIs. We compared the
      results of analyses for years 2012 and 2013 - done for a single question, for
      student groups, and for a set of questions. The overall patterns were generally
      consistent across these 3 years. Moreover, viewing behavior data appeared to have
      certain potential for predicting answers' correctness and some outcomes of
      machine learning approaches were in the right direction. However, general
      prediction results were not satisfactory in terms of precision and recall. Our
      work confirmed that the view path tracking method is useful for discovering
      viewing behavior of students analyzing WSIs. It provided multiple useful insights
      in this area, and general results of our analyses were consistent across two
      exams. On the other hand, predicting answers' correctness appeared to be a
      difficult task - students' answers seem to be often unpredictable. 

PMID- 26110096
TI  - A perspective on digital and computational pathology.
AB  - The digitization of images has not only led to increasingly sophisticated methods
      of quantitating information from those images themselves, but also to the
      development of new physics-based techniques for extracting information from the
      original specimen and presenting this as visual data in both two and three
      dimensional (3D) forms. This evolution of an image-based discipline has reached
      maturity in Radiology, but it is only just beginning in Pathology. An historical
      perspective is provided both on the current state of computational imaging in
      pathology and of the factors that are impeding further progress in the
      development and application of these approaches. Emphasis is placed on barriers
      to the dissemination of information in this area. The value of computational
      imaging in basic and translational research is clear. However, while there are
      many examples of "virtual diagnostics" in Radiology, there are only relatively
      few in Pathology. Nevertheless, we can do cellular level analysis of lesions
      accessible by endoscopic or catheterization procedures, and a number of steps
      have been taken toward real-time imaging as adjuncts to traditional biopsies.
      Progress in computational imaging will greatly expand the role of pathologists in
      clinical medicine as well as research. 

PMID- 26110097
TI  - The use of virtual microscopy and a wiki in pathology education: Tracking student
      use, involvement, and response.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The pathology laboratory course at the New York College of Podiatric
      Medicine involves the use of Virtual Microscopy. The students can scan the whole
      slide, section by section, and zoom in or out. METHODS: Using the advantages of
      digital pathology, the students can, in addition, access the slide collections
      from other medical schools and put up normal histology (control) slides side-by
      side with the pathology. They can cut and paste and preserve the region of
      interest that they find. They can edit and annotate their slides. A wiki was
      created (http://pathlab2014.wikifoundry.com)for the Class of 2014. The students
      saved, edited and uploaded their slides. In the wiki format, other students could
      comment, further edit, and even delete the slides. RESULTS: The students studied
      Basic Mechanisms and System Pathology. During this time, they saved, edited,
      shared, and uploaded their slides to the wiki. These were available in one full
      presentation and were also grouped into 16 albums. They were available to all.
      Student access was followed by Google analytics. At the end of the course, a
      questionnaire was distributed, assessing their impression of the wiki format and
      soliciting strengths and weaknesses. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a wiki has a number
      of important advantages in pathology education. It trains the students in the
      more sophisticated skills that they will use as professional pathologists or as
      clinicians: (1) Telepathology-it enables them to share slides and discuss
      observations. (2) Archiving and retrieval - It models the challenge faced by
      hospitals, diagnostic labs and physicians in maintaining a collection of slides
      in a form that is easily accessible. (3) Image analysis-familiarity with the wiki
      format allows them to jump easily to capturing and storing images found in the
      literature or in a pathologist's report. Experience with the use of a wiki in
      pathology education has been quite satisfactory from both the faculty and the
      student's point of view.

PMID- 26110098
TI  - Comparative study between quantitative digital image analysis and fluorescence in
      situ hybridization of breast cancer equivocal human epidermal growth factor
      receptors 2 score 2(+) cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optimization of workflow for breast cancer samples with equivocal
      human epidermal growth factor receptors 2 (HER2)/neu score 2(+) results in
      routine practice, remains to be a central focus of the on-going efforts to assess
      HER2 status. According to the College of American Pathologists/American Society
      of Clinical Oncology guidelines equivocal HER2/neu score 2(+) cases are subject
      for further testing, usually by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
      investigations. It still remains on open question, whether quantitative digital
      image analysis of HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) stained slides can assist in
      further refining the HER2 score 2(+). AIM OF THIS WORK: To assess utility of
      quantitative digital analysis of IHC stained slides and compare its performance
      to FISH in cases of breast cancer with equivocal HER2 score 2(+). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Fifteen specimens (previously diagnosed as breast cancer and was
      evaluated as HER 2(-) score 2(+)) represented the study population. Contemporary
      new cuts were prepared for re-evaluation of HER2 immunohistochemical studies and
      FISH examination. All the cases were digitally scanned by iScan (Produced by
      BioImagene [Now Roche-Ventana]). The IHC signals of HER2 were measured using an
      automated image analyzing system (MECES, www.Diagnomx.eu/meces). Finally, a
      comparative study was done between the results of the FISH and the quantitative
      analysis of the virtual slides. RESULTS: Three out of the 15 cases with equivocal
      HER2 score 2(+), turned out to be positive (3(+)) by quantitative digital
      analysis, and 12 were found to be negative in FISH too. Two of these three
      positive cases proved to be positive with FISH, and only one was negative.
      CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative digital analysis is highly sensitive and relatively
      specific when compared to FISH in detecting HER2/neu overexpression. Therefore,
      it represents a potential reliable substitute for FISH in breast cancer cases,
      which desire further refinement of equivocal IHC results.

PMID- 26110099
TI  - Gender Differences in Real-Home Sleep of Young and Older Couples.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVES: To understand gender differences in sleep quality, architecture
      and duration of young healthy couples in comparison to older couples in their
      natural sleep environment. DESIGN: Sleep was monitored in a naturalistic setting
      using a headband sleep monitoring device over a period of two weeks for young
      couples and home polysomnography for the older couples. PARTICIPANTS: Ten
      heterosexual young couples (male mean age: 28.2+/-1.0[SD] years/female mean age:
      26.8+/-0.9 years) and 14 older couples (male mean age: 59.3+/-9.6 years/female
      mean age: 58.8+/-9.1 years). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: In the young couples,
      total sleep time (395+/-66 vs. 367+/-54 min., p<0.05), sleep efficiency (97.0+/
      3.0 vs. 91.1+/-7.9, p<0.001), and % REM (31.1+/-4.8 vs. 23.6+/-5.5, p<0.001) in
      males was higher than in females. In contrast, % light sleep (51.7+/-7.1 vs.
      59.7+/-6.7, p<0.001) and number of arousals (2.9+/-1.9 vs. 5.3+/-1.9, p<0.001)
      were lower. These differences persisted after controlling for evening mood and
      various evening pre-sleep activities. In the older couples, there were no
      differences between genders. In addition, children in the household adversely
      impacted sleep. CONCLUSIONS: In couples recorded in the home, young males slept
      longer and had better sleep quality than young females. This difference appears
      to dissipate with age. In-home assessment of couples can aid in understanding of
      gender differences in sleep and how they are affected by age and social
      environment.

PMID- 26110100
TI  - Methotrexate utilization in Rheumatoid arthritis. A register-based cohort-study
      of treatment re-starts after gabs of at least 90 days.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine restart of MTX treatment among patients with rheumatoid
      arthritis (RA) who discontinues treatment, and investigate predictors of restart.
      METHODS: A cohort study was conducted based on data from medical databases. MTX
      drug discontinuation was defined as a gap >= 90 days from the expiration of one
      MTX prescription to the redemption of a new one. Kaplan Meier estimates were used
      to compute the cumulative probability of restarting MTX treatment and Cox
      proportional hazard to estimate the hazard of return to treatment. A case
      crossover analysis compared the frequency of events that could potentially have a
      transient effect on MTX restart. RESULTS: Among 788 patients, who started MTX,
      299 patients experienced a gap >= 90 days. Within 1.4 years 50 % of these
      patients returned to treatment, and a total of 66 % restarted treatment during
      follow-up. Concurrent treatment with corticosteroid and disease-modifying
      antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) tended to be negatively associated with MTX restart
      (OR: 0.7(95 % CI: 0.5-1.2) and (OR: 0.7 (95 % CI: 0.4-1.0)). Older patients were
      less inclined to restart treatment than middle-aged patients (Adjustet HR 0.7
      (0.4-1.2)). Patients with a CRP > 300 nmol/L less often restarted MTX than
      patients with a CRP < 75 nmol/L (adjHR: 0.6 (95 % CI 0.3-1.2)), and men were more
      inclined to MTX restart than women (adjHR 1.30 (95 % CI 0.9-2.0)). CONCLUSION: It
      is important to support patients in remaining continuous users of MTX. A large
      proportion of RA patients who discontinued MTX later restarted treatment, but
      especially patients with high disease activity, old age or co-morbidity were less
      inclined to restart treatment.

PMID- 26110101
TI  - Focus group discussions on the coverage of the southern separatist movement
      crisis in Yemeni newspapers.
AB  - A qualitative method using focus group discussions (FGDs) was applied in this
      study to identify people's perceptions on newspaper reporting pertaining to the
      Southern Separatist Movement (SSM) by different Yemeni newspapers. This paper
      also looked into the attitudes towards the movement and the popularity of the
      issue of Yemeni unification. Five FGD groups with a total of 30 participants
      discussed the subject and some other aspects related to it. The findings of the
      focu19 groups showed that the southern crisis and SSM had shaken the people's
      trust on the current form of the unity. The discussion with the groups revealed
      that media in general and the selected four papers from various political
      persuasions have no credibility and objectivity, but these papers are trying to
      instill democratic values which is consistent with their ideology, which have a
      serious impact on the value of liberal democracy. The participants assured that
      reporting on the southern cause and the SSM indicated the absence of professional
      journalism in the media and the political discourse in general. 

PMID- 26110102
TI  - Comparative study of abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms: their pathogenesis
      and a gingival fibroblasts-based ex vivo treatment.
AB  - Aortic aneurysms (AAs) consist of slow proteolysis and loss of both collagen and
      elastin matrix in the aorta wall, leading to wall dilation, weakening and rupture
      in well-advanced lesions. This can occur in both abdominal aorta (Abdominal
      Aortic Aneurysm: AAA) and thoracic aorta (Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm: TAA). To
      date, no non-surgical therapy has been proposed to slow or stop AA progression.
      Previously published preclinical studies from our team using an aneurysm rabbit
      model showed a promising concept for treatment of AAs with gingival fibroblast
      (GFs) which are readily available cells. In this study, we investigated the
      possible tissue repair of human AAAs and TAAs using ex vivo models co-cultured
      with GFs. Histological analysis showed that TAA and AAA are two distinct
      pathologies. Both lesions presented destruction of the aorta wall, highly
      evidenced in AAA samples. The results have confirmed the presence of the
      bacterial Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) protein in all AAA samples, but not in
      TAA samples, indicating the possible role of an infectious factor in the
      developing and progression of AAA lesions compared to TAA. The co-culture of GFs
      with AA lesions shows increased expression of TIMP-1, the inhibitor of the
      aneurysm severity marker MMP-9. Our study indicates that GFs might ameliorate
      aorta wall reestablishment in both AA types by their regenerative and
      immunomodulatory capacities. It also demonstrates the possible infectious cause
      of AAA compared with TAA that may explain their different behavior. 

PMID- 26110103
TI  - Characterization of proteins regulated by interleukin-4 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.
AB  - Obesity is closely associated with metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (T2DM) and cardiovascular diseases. Our previous reports uncover the significant
      associations between interleukin-4 (IL-4)/IL-4 receptor genotypes and T2DM, as
      well as IL-4 genotypes and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Theses
      observations suggest that IL-4 harbors the capacity to regulate lipid metabolism.
      The present study is aimed at further elucidating regulatory roles of IL-4 to
      lipid metabolism by identifying putative proteins in 3T3-L1 adipocytes which are
      differentially expressed under IL-4 treatment. Proteins in mature 3T3-L1
      adipocytes with altered expression levels under IL-4 treatment were identified by
      proteomic strategy. Our results revealed that IL-4 up-regulated levels of ATP
      synthase delta chain, Cytochrome c reductase, Pyrophsphatase and Vimentin,
      whereas, Alpha-enolase, Gelsolin, Vinculin and Valosin were down-regulated. These
      observations suggest that IL-4 promotes energy metabolism and inhibit lipid
      deposits in adipocytes by up-regulating proteins accelerating ATP synthesis. Our
      results suggest that IL-4 facilitates adipocytes metabolism to catabolism with a
      favorable condition for lipolysis. These catabolized lipids in adipocytes
      triggered by IL-4 might either be released into periphery or metabolized
      intracellularlly, and modulate systemic energy metabolism. 

PMID- 26110104
TI  - Computed tomography findings in acute decompensated heart failure: periportal
      collar sign and lymphedema in the hepatoduodenal ligament and retroperitoneal
      space.
AB  - We report two cases that were diagnosed with either acute exacerbation of chronic
      heart failure or acute decompensated heart failure due to acute myocardial
      infarction; both cases exhibited computed tomography (CT) findings of the
      periportal collar sign in the liver and lymphedema in the hepatoduodenal ligament
      and retroperitoneal space. Both of these signs, particularly lymphedema in the
      hepatoduodenal ligament and anterior pararenal space, are considered very
      important CT findings when diagnosing acute decompensated heart failure. 

PMID- 26110106
TI  - Reallocation of resources between generations and genders in the market and non
      market economy. The case of Italy.
AB  - In this article the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) method is used to develop a
      comprehensive account of resource reallocations between population members in
      Italy, encompassing the age and the gender perspective, the public and the
      familial institutional sectors as well as the market and non-market dimensions of
      the economy. The inclusion of the non-market economy, referring to household and
      care time, allows for an insight into the gender division of labour and the
      strength of intergenerational obligations in the Italian familistic welfare
      regime. Results highlight the existence of large flows of resources within the
      family both between genders and toward young generations, with men and women
      giving rise to considerable monetary and time transfers, respectively.

PMID- 26110105
TI  - Reactive oxygen species induce Cox-2 expression via TAK1 activation in synovial
      fibroblast cells.
AB  - Oxidative stress within the arthritis joint has been indicated to be involved in
      generating mediators for tissue degeneration and inflammation. COX-2 is a
      mediator in inflammatory action, pain and some catabolic reactions in inflamed
      tissues. Here, we demonstrated a direct relationship between oxidative stress and
      Cox-2 expression in the bovine synovial fibroblasts. Furthermore, we elucidated a
      novel mechanism, in which oxidative stress induced phosphorylation of MAPKs and
      NF-kappaB through TAK1 activation and resulted in increased Cox-2 and
      prostaglandin E2 expression. Finally, we demonstrated that ROS-induced Cox-2
      expression was inhibited by supplementation of an antioxidant such as N-acetyl
      cysteamine and hyaluronic acid in vitro and in vivo. From these results, we
      conclude that oxidative stress is an important factor for generation of Cox-2 in
      synovial fibroblasts and thus its neutralization may be an effective strategy in
      palliative therapy for chronic joint diseases. 

PMID- 26110107
TI  - Production activities and economic dependency by age and gender in Europe: A
      cross-country comparison.
AB  - We compare selected European countries using an economic dependency ratio which
      emphasizes the role of age-specific levels of production and consumption. Our
      analysis reveals large differences in the age- and gender-specific level and type
      of production activities across selected European countries and identifies
      possible strategies to adjust age-specific economic behaviour to an ageing
      population. The cross-country differences in economic dependency of children and
      elderly persons are largely determined by the age at which people enter,
      respectively exit, the labour market. The ability of the working age population
      to support children and elderly persons in turn is strongly influenced by the
      participation of women in paid work. We also provide a measure for the age
      specific production and consumption in form of unpaid household work. The
      inclusion of unpaid household work leads to a decrease of the gender differences
      in production activities and indicates that the working age population supports
      children and elderly persons not only through monetary transfers but also through
      services produced by unpaid work (e.g. childcare, cooking, cleaning...). Given
      the available data, we cannot distinguish the age profile of consumption by
      gender and have to assume - in case of unpaid work - that each member of the
      household consumes the same. Hence, our results have to be regarded as a first
      approximation only. Our paper aims to argue that a reform of the welfare system
      needs to take into account not only public transfers but also private transfers,
      in particular the transfers in form of goods and services produced through unpaid
      household work.

PMID- 26110108
TI  - Cortical thickness estimation in longitudinal stroke studies: A comparison of 3
      measurement methods.
AB  - There is considerable controversy about the causes of cognitive decline after
      stroke, with evidence for both the absence and coexistence of Alzheimer
      pathology. A reduction in cortical thickness has been shown to be an important
      biomarker for the progression of many neurodegenerative diseases, including
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, brain volume changes following stroke are not
      well described. Cortical thickness estimation presents an ideal way to detect
      regional and global post-stroke brain atrophy. In this study, we imaged a group
      of patients in the first month after stroke and at 3 months. We compared three
      methods of estimating cortical thickness on unmasked images: one surface-based
      (FreeSurfer) and two voxel-based methods (a Laplacian method and a registration
      method, DiRecT). We used three benchmarks for our analyses: accuracy of
      segmentation (especially peri-lesional performance), reproducibility, and
      biological validity. We found important differences between these methods in
      cortical thickness values and performance in high curvature areas and peri
      lesional regions, but similar reproducibility metrics. FreeSurfer had less
      reliance on manual boundary correction than the other two methods, while
      reproducibility was highest in the Laplacian method. A discussion of the caveats
      for each method and recommendations for use in a stroke population is included.
      We conclude that both surface- and voxel-based methods are valid for estimating
      cortical thickness in stroke populations. 

PMID- 26110110
TI  - Hippocampal volume correlates with attenuated negative psychotic symptoms
      irrespective of antidepressant medication.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals with at-risk mental state for psychosis (ARMS) often
      suffer from depressive and anxiety symptoms, which are clinically similar to the
      negative symptomatology described for psychosis. Thus, many ARMS individuals are
      already being treated with antidepressant medication. OBJECTIVES: To investigate
      clinical and structural differences between psychosis high-risk individuals with
      or without antidepressants. METHODS: We compared ARMS individuals currently
      receiving antidepressants (ARMS-AD; n = 18), ARMS individuals not receiving
      antidepressants (ARMS-nonAD; n = 31) and healthy subjects (HC; n = 24), in terms
      of brain structure abnormalities, using voxel-based morphometry. We also
      performed region of interest analysis for the hippocampus, anterior cingulate
      cortex, amygdala and precuneus. RESULTS: The ARMS-AD had higher 'depression' and
      lower 'motor hyperactivity' scores than the ARMS-nonAD. Compared to HC, there was
      significantly less GMV in the middle frontal gyrus in the whole ARMS cohort and
      in the superior frontal gyrus in the ARMS-AD subgroup. Compared to ARMS-nonAD,
      the ARMS-AD group showed more gray matter volume (GMV) in the left superior
      parietal lobe, but less GMV in the left hippocampus and the right precuneus. We
      found a significant negative correlation between attenuated negative symptoms and
      hippocampal volume in the whole ARMS cohort. CONCLUSION: Reduced GMV in the
      hippocampus and precuneus is associated with short-term antidepressant medication
      and more severe depressive symptoms. Hippocampal volume is further negatively
      correlated with attenuated negative psychotic symptoms. Longitudinal studies are
      needed to distinguish whether hippocampal volume deficits in the ARMS are related
      to attenuated negative psychotic symptoms or to antidepressant action.

PMID- 26110111
TI  - Increased segregation of brain networks in focal epilepsy: An fMRI graph theory
      finding.
AB  - Focal epilepsy is conceived of as activating local areas of the brain as well as
      engaging regional brain networks. Graph theory represents a powerful quantitative
      framework for investigation of brain networks. Here we investigate whether
      functional network changes are present in extratemporal focal epilepsy. Task-free
      functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 15 subjects with extratemporal
      epilepsy and 26 age and gender matched healthy controls were used for analysis.
      Local network properties were calculated using local efficiency, clustering
      coefficient and modularity metrics. Global network properties were assessed with
      global efficiency and betweenness centrality metrics. Cost-efficiency of the
      networks at both local and global levels was evaluated by estimating the physical
      distance between functionally connected nodes, in addition to the overall numbers
      of connections in the network. Clustering coefficient, local efficiency and
      modularity were significantly higher in individuals with focal epilepsy than
      healthy control subjects, while global efficiency and betweenness centrality were
      not significantly different between the two groups. Local network properties were
      also highly efficient, at low cost, in focal epilepsy subjects compared to
      healthy controls. Our results show that functional networks in focal epilepsy are
      altered in a way that the nodes of the network are more isolated. We postulate
      that network regularity, or segregation of the nodes of the networks, may be an
      adaptation that inhibits the conversion of the interictal state to seizures. It
      remains possible that this may be part of the epileptogenic process or an effect
      of medications. 

PMID- 26110113
TI  - Wild chimpanzees are infected by Trypanosoma brucei.
AB  - Although wild chimpanzees and other African great apes live in regions endemic
      for African sleeping sickness, very little is known about their trypanosome
      infections, mainly due to major difficulties in obtaining their blood samples. In
      present work, we established a diagnostic ITS1-based PCR assay that allows
      detection of the DNA of all four Trypanosoma brucei subspecies (Trypanosoma
      brucei brucei, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, and
      Trypanosoma brucei evansi) in feces of experimentally infected mice. Next, using
      this assay we revealed the presence of trypanosomes in the fecal samples of wild
      chimpanzees and this finding was further supported by results obtained using a
      set of primate tissue samples. Phylogenetic analysis of the ITS1 region showed
      that the majority of obtained sequences fell into the robust T. brucei group,
      providing strong evidence that these infections were caused by T. b. rhodesiense
      and/or T. b. gambiense. The optimized technique of trypanosome detection in feces
      will improve our knowledge about the epidemiology of trypanosomes in primates and
      possibly also other endangered mammals, from which blood and tissue samples
      cannot be obtained. Finally, we demonstrated that the mandrill serum was able to
      efficiently lyse T. b. brucei and T. b. rhodesiense, and to some extent T. b.
      gambiense, while the chimpanzee serum failed to lyse any of these subspecies. 

PMID- 26110112
TI  - Disruption of caudate working memory activation in chronic blast-related
      traumatic brain injury.
AB  - Mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to blast exposure is frequently
      diagnosed in veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However,
      it is unclear whether neural damage resulting from blast TBI differs from that
      found in TBI due to blunt-force trauma (e.g., falls and motor vehicle crashes).
      Little is also known about the effects of blast TBI on neural networks,
      particularly over the long term. Because impairment in working memory has been
      linked to blunt-force TBI, the present functional magnetic resonance imaging
      (fMRI) study sought to investigate whether brain activation in response to a
      working memory task would discriminate blunt-force from blast TBI. Twenty-five
      veterans (mean age = 29.8 years, standard deviation = 6.01 years, 1 female) who
      incurred TBI due to blast an average of 4.2 years prior to enrollment and 25
      civilians (mean age = 27.4 years, standard deviation = 6.68 years, 4 females)
      with TBI due to blunt-force trauma performed the Sternberg Item Recognition Task
      while undergoing fMRI. The task involved encoding 1, 3, or 5 items in working
      memory. A group of 25 veterans (mean age = 29.9 years, standard deviation = 5.53
      years, 0 females) and a group of 25 civilians (mean age = 27.3 years, standard
      deviation = 5.81 years, 0 females) without history of TBI underwent identical
      imaging procedures and served as controls. Results indicated that the civilian
      TBI group and both control groups demonstrated a monotonic relationship between
      working memory set size and activation in the right caudate during encoding,
      whereas the blast TBI group did not (p < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons
      using False Discovery Rate). Blast TBI was also associated with worse performance
      on the Sternberg Item Recognition Task relative to the other groups, although no
      other group differences were found on neuropsychological measures of episodic
      memory, inhibition, and general processing speed. These results could not be
      attributed to caudate atrophy or the presence of PTSD symptoms. Our results point
      to a specific vulnerability of the caudate to blast injury. Changes in activation
      during the Sternberg Item Recognition Task, and potentially other tasks that
      recruit the caudate, may serve as biomarkers for blast TBI. 

PMID- 26110114
TI  - Unilateral periventricular heterotopia and epilepsy in a girl with Ehlers-Danlos
      syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), comprising a variety of inherited
      connective tissue disorders, has already been described in association with
      various neurological features, particularly with epilepsy and periventricular
      heterotopia (PH). Until now, there are reports of only bilateral periventricular
      heterotopia associated with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. METHODS AND RESULTS: Here we
      describe a 1-year, 4-month-old female who came under our care in the Pediatric
      Emergency Room because of prolonged afebrile generalized seizures, whose clinical
      picture allowed us to suspect a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
      Neuroradiological investigations showed unilateral periventricular heterotopias,
      and genetic analyses confirmed the hypothesized diagnosis, identifying in
      particular a mutation in the COL5A1 gene. After starting anticonvulsant therapy,
      her seizures showed a good response with seizure control and she had a favorable
      long-term course. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of
      unilateral periventricular heterotopia associated with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. We
      first hypothesized a mosaicism as the cause of both, a unilateral localization of
      the heterotopias and a favorable long-term course with good response to
      anticonvulsant therapy; however, intriguingly, we could not demonstrate a
      mosaicism as the genetic condition in our patient and the neuroradiological
      findings and the favorable clinical outcome still remain unexplained.

PMID- 26110116
TI  - Genetic diversity analysis among male and female Jojoba genotypes employing gene
      targeted molecular markers, start codon targeted (SCoT) polymorphism and CAAT box
      derived polymorphism (CBDP) markers.
AB  - To detect genetic variations among different Simmondsia chinensis genotypes, two
      gene targeted markers, start codon targeted (SCoT) polymorphism and CAAT box
      derived polymorphism (CBDP) were employed in terms of their informativeness and
      efficiency in analyzing genetic relationships among different genotypes. A total
      of 15 SCoT and 17 CBDP primers detected genetic polymorphism among 39 Jojoba
      genotypes (22 females and 17 males). Comparatively, CBDP markers proved to be
      more effective than SCoT markers in terms of percentage polymorphism as the
      former detecting an average of 53.4% and the latter as 49.4%. The Polymorphic
      information content (PIC) value and marker index (MI) of CBPD were 0.43 and 1.10,
      respectively which were higher than those of SCoT where the respective values of
      PIC and MI were 0.38 and 1.09. While comparing male and female genotype
      populations, the former showed higher variation in respect of polymorphic
      percentage and PIC, MI and Rp values over female populations. Nei's diversity (h)
      and Shannon index (I) were calculated for each genotype and found that the
      genotype "MS F" (in both markers) was highly diverse and genotypes "Q104 F"
      (SCoT) and "82-18 F" (CBDP) were least diverse among the female genotype
      populations. Among male genotypes, "32 M" (CBDP) and "MS M" (SCoT) revealed
      highest h and I values while "58-5 M" (both markers) was the least diverse.
      Jaccard's similarity co-efficient of SCoT markers ranged from 0.733 to 0.922 in
      female genotypes and 0.941 to 0.746 in male genotype population. Likewise, CBDP
      data analysis also revealed similarity ranging from 0.751 to 0.958 within female
      genotypes and 0.754 to 0.976 within male genotype populations thereby, indicating
      genetically diverse Jojoba population. Employing the NTSYS (Numerical taxonomy
      and multivariate analysis system) Version 2.1 software, both the markers
      generated dendrograms which revealed that all the Jojoba genotypes were clustered
      into two major groups, one group consisting of all female genotypes and another
      group comprising of all male genotypes. During the present investigation, CBDP
      markers proved more informative in studying genetic diversity among Jojoba. Such
      genetically diverse genotypes would thus be of great significance for breeding,
      management and conservation of elite (high yielding) Jojoba germplasm. 

PMID- 26110115
TI  - Metagenomics: A new horizon in cancer research.
AB  - Metagenomics has broadened the scope of targeting microbes responsible for
      inducing various types of cancers. About 16.1% of cancers are associated with
      microbial infection. Metagenomics is an equitable way of identifying and studying
      micro-organisms within their habitat. In cancer research, this approach has
      revolutionized the way of identifying, analyzing and targeting the microbial
      diversity present in the tissue specimens of cancer patients. The genomic
      analyses of these micro-organisms through next generation sequencing techniques
      invariably facilitate in recognizing the microbial population in biopsies and
      their evolutionary relationships with each other. In this review an attempt has
      been made to generate current metagenomic view on cancer microbiota. Different
      types of micro-organisms have been found to be linked to various types of
      cancers, thus, contributing significantly in understanding the disease at
      molecular level. 

PMID- 26110117
TI  - So if we like the idea of peer workers, why aren't we seeing more?
AB  - The employment of peer support workers is widely encouraged in recovery-oriented
      mental health systems and services, providing a tangible example of how to
      translate recovery values and principles into actions. In Scotland, despite a
      long-term policy commitment to recovery approaches, the creation of peer worker
      roles has been slow and patchy. This paper describes findings from a study on the
      levers and barriers to the development of peer worker roles in two Scottish
      health board areas. Findings suggest that new evidence on effective
      implementation and cost effectiveness should be prioritised to support
      potentially complex role development in times of reduced resources. We argue that
      additional evidence on effectiveness is unlikely, by itself, to lead to country
      wide employment of peer workers. We therefore suggest that a policy commitment to
      peer working would be reinforced by not only a strengthened evidence base but
      also strengthened accountability mechanisms. In the absence of such
      accountability, decision-makers and planners might reasonably continue to ask
      "why bother"? 

PMID- 26110109
TI  - Neuroimaging and neuromodulation approaches to study eating behavior and prevent
      and treat eating disorders and obesity.
AB  - Functional, molecular and genetic neuroimaging has highlighted the existence of
      brain anomalies and neural vulnerability factors related to obesity and eating
      disorders such as binge eating or anorexia nervosa. In particular, decreased
      basal metabolism in the prefrontal cortex and striatum as well as dopaminergic
      alterations have been described in obese subjects, in parallel with increased
      activation of reward brain areas in response to palatable food cues. Elevated
      reward region responsivity may trigger food craving and predict future weight
      gain. This opens the way to prevention studies using functional and molecular
      neuroimaging to perform early diagnostics and to phenotype subjects at risk by
      exploring different neurobehavioral dimensions of the food choices and motivation
      processes. In the first part of this review, advantages and limitations of
      neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI),
      positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography
      (SPECT), pharmacogenetic fMRI and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)
      will be discussed in the context of recent work dealing with eating behavior,
      with a particular focus on obesity. In the second part of the review, non
      invasive strategies to modulate food-related brain processes and functions will
      be presented. At the leading edge of non-invasive brain-based technologies is
      real-time fMRI (rtfMRI) neurofeedback, which is a powerful tool to better
      understand the complexity of human brain-behavior relationships. rtfMRI, alone or
      when combined with other techniques and tools such as EEG and cognitive therapy,
      could be used to alter neural plasticity and learned behavior to optimize and/or
      restore healthy cognition and eating behavior. Other promising non-invasive
      neuromodulation approaches being explored are repetitive transcranial magnetic
      stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS). Converging
      evidence points at the value of these non-invasive neuromodulation strategies to
      study basic mechanisms underlying eating behavior and to treat its disorders.
      Both of these approaches will be compared in light of recent work in this field,
      while addressing technical and practical questions. The third part of this review
      will be dedicated to invasive neuromodulation strategies, such as vagus nerve
      stimulation (VNS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS). In combination with
      neuroimaging approaches, these techniques are promising experimental tools to
      unravel the intricate relationships between homeostatic and hedonic brain
      circuits. Their potential as additional therapeutic tools to combat
      pharmacorefractory morbid obesity or acute eating disorders will be discussed, in
      terms of technical challenges, applicability and ethics. In a general discussion,
      we will put the brain at the core of fundamental research, prevention and therapy
      in the context of obesity and eating disorders. First, we will discuss the
      possibility to identify new biological markers of brain functions. Second, we
      will highlight the potential of neuroimaging and neuromodulation in
      individualized medicine. Third, we will introduce the ethical questions that are
      concomitant to the emergence of new neuromodulation therapies. 

PMID- 26110118
TI  - What is schizophrenia? 25 years of research into schizophrenia - the Age
      Beginning Course Study.
AB  - We studied a population-based sample of 232 first-onset cases of schizophrenia
      aged 12 to 59 years at first admission retrospectively back to illness onset and
      prospectively up to 11.2 years later. We compared them with psychiatrically
      healthy age- and sex-matched population controls and equally matched first
      admission patients diagnosed with major depression. At schizophrenia onset women
      are several years older than men. The social factors tested did not explain the
      finding. Women's higher level of social development at onset is associated with a
      better medium-term functional and social outcome. Prodromal schizophrenia and
      depression are equal in length and diagnostically distinguishable only after the
      onset of positive symptoms. The sex difference in age at onset, invariable across
      cultures and ethnicities, is explained by a protective effect of oestrogen, which
      down-regulates D2 receptors. A higher genetic load antagonizes this effect. Long
      term symptom-related illness course exhibits a plateau after three years, the
      positive symptom dimension after two years, the depressive and the negative
      dimensions do so after three to five years. The most prevalent symptom is
      depressive mood. Male first episodes are more frequent and more severe in the
      first half of life, female ones in the second half. Aetiological conclusions will
      be drawn. 

PMID- 26110119
TI  - Transcranial magnetic stimulation for geriatric depression: Promises and
      pitfalls.
AB  - As the global population gets older, depression in the elderly is emerging as an
      important health issue. A major challenge in treating geriatric depression is the
      lack of robust efficacy for many treatments that are of significant benefit to
      depressed working age adults. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
      is a novel physical treatment approach used mostly in working age adults with
      depression. Many TMS trials and clinics continue to exclude the elderly from
      treatment citing lack of evidence in this age group. In this review, we appraise
      the evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of rTMS in the elderly. A
      consistent observation supporting a high degree of tolerability and safety among
      the elderly patients emerged across the Randomised Controlled Trials and the
      uncontrolled trials. Further, there is no reliable evidence negating the utility
      of rTMS in the elderly with depression. We also identified several factors other
      than age that moderate the observed variations in the efficacy of rTMS in the
      elderly. These factors include but not limited to: (1) brain atrophy; (2)
      intensity and number of pulses (dose-response relationship); and (3) clinical
      profile of patients. On the basis of the current evidence, the practice of
      excluding elderly patients from TMS clinics and trials cannot be supported. 

PMID- 26110120
TI  - Electroconvulsive therapy in catatonic patients: Efficacy and predictors of
      response.
AB  - Recent evidence favors the view of catatonia as an autonomous syndrome,
      frequently associated with mood disorders, but also observed in neurological,
      neurodevelopmental, physical and toxic conditions. From our systematic literature
      review, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) results effective in all forms of
      catatonia, even after pharmacotherapy with benzodiazepines has failed. Response
      rate ranges from 80% to 100% and results superior to those of any other therapy
      in psychiatry. ECT should be considered first-line treatment in patients with
      malignant catatonia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, delirious mania or severe
      catatonic excitement, and in general in all catatonic patients that are
      refractory or partially responsive to benzodiazepines. Early intervention with
      ECT is encouraged to avoid undue deterioration of the patient's medical
      condition. Little is known about the long-term treatment outcomes following
      administration of ECT for catatonia. The presence of a concomitant chronic
      neurologic disease or extrapyramidal deficit seems to be related to ECT non
      response. On the contrary, the presence of acute, severe and psychotic mood
      disorder is associated with good response. Severe psychotic features in
      responders may be related with a prominent GABAergic mediated deficit in
      orbitofrontal cortex, whereas non-responders may be characterized by a prevalent
      dopaminergic mediated extrapyramidal deficit. These observations are consistent
      with the hypothesis that ECT is more effective in "top-down" variant of
      catatonia, in which the psychomotor syndrome may be sustained by a dysregulation
      of the orbitofrontal cortex, than in "bottom-up" variant, in which an
      extrapyramidal dysregulation may be prevalent. Future research should focus on
      ECT response in different subtype of catatonia and on efficacy of maintenance ECT
      in long-term prevention of recurrent catatonia. Further research on mechanism of
      action of ECT in catatonia may also contribute to the development of other brain
      stimulation techniques. 

PMID- 26110121
TI  - Auditory hallucinations: A review of the ERC "VOICE" project.
AB  - In this invited review I provide a selective overview of recent research on brain
      mechanisms and cognitive processes involved in auditory hallucinations. The
      review is focused on research carried out in the "VOICE" ERC Advanced Grant
      Project, funded by the European Research Council, but I also review and discuss
      the literature in general. Auditory hallucinations are suggested to be perceptual
      phenomena, with a neuronal origin in the speech perception areas in the temporal
      lobe. The phenomenology of auditory hallucinations is conceptualized along three
      domains, or dimensions; a perceptual dimension, experienced as someone speaking
      to the patient; a cognitive dimension, experienced as an inability to inhibit, or
      ignore the voices, and an emotional dimension, experienced as the "voices" having
      primarily a negative, or sinister, emotional tone. I will review cognitive,
      imaging, and neurochemistry data related to these dimensions, primarily the first
      two. The reviewed data are summarized in a model that sees auditory
      hallucinations as initiated from temporal lobe neuronal hyper-activation that
      draws attentional focus inward, and which is not inhibited due to frontal lobe
      hypo-activation. It is further suggested that this is maintained through abnormal
      glutamate and possibly gamma-amino-butyric-acid transmitter mediation, which
      could point towards new pathways for pharmacological treatment. A final section
      discusses new methods of acquiring quantitative data on the phenomenology and
      subjective experience of auditory hallucination that goes beyond standard
      interview questionnaires, by suggesting an iPhone/iPod app. 

PMID- 26110122
TI  - Olfactory function in psychotic disorders: Insights from neuroimaging studies.
AB  - Olfactory deficits on measures of identification, familiarity, and memory are
      consistently noted in patients with psychotic disorders relative to age-matched
      controls. Olfactory intensity ratings, however, appear to remain intact while the
      data on hedonics and detection threshold are inconsistent. Despite the behavioral
      abnormalities noted, no specific regional brain hypoactivity has been identified
      in psychosis patients, for any of the olfactory domains. However, an intriguing
      finding emerged from this review in that the amygdala and pirifom cortices were
      not noted to be abnormal in hedonic processing (nor was the amygdala identified
      abnormal in any study) in psychotic disorders. This finding is in contrast to the
      literature in healthy individuals, in that this brain region is strongly
      implicated in olfactory processing (particularly for unpleasant odorants).
      Secondary olfactory cortex (orbitofrontal cortices, thalamus, and insula) was
      abnormally activated in the studies examined, particularly for hedonic
      processing. Further research, using consistent methodology, is required for
      better understanding the neurobiology of olfactory deficits. The authors suggest
      taking age and sex differences into consideration and further contrasting
      olfactory subgroups (impaired vs intact) to better our understanding of the
      heterogeneity of psychotic disorders. 

PMID- 26110123
TI  - Inter-relationships between isotretinoin treatment and psychiatric disorders:
      Depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, psychosis and suicide risks.
AB  - Isotretinoin (Accutane) is a treatment for severe acne that is resistant to other
      forms of treatment, including antibiotics and topical treatments. The
      prescription of this drug has been controversial ever since its initial marketing
      in 1982. It is the only non-psychotropic drug in the Food and Drug Administration
      top 10 drugs found to be associated with depression. Recently, Bremner et al
      published an extensive review (until 2010) of the evidence for the association of
      retinoic acid (RA) with depression and suicide. Some patients who are admitted in
      psychiatric hospitals report a history of present or past treatment with
      isotretinoin. Then, the imputability of the molecule in the occurrence of
      disorders represents necessarily an important question for both professionals and
      their patients. This paper aims to specify the links between the drug and
      specific psychiatric disorders. A review of the literature related to
      isotretinoin, RA, vitamin A, depression, suicide, anxiety, bipolar disorder,
      psychosis, schizophrenia was performed. Many studies demonstrated an increased
      risk of depression, attempted suicide and suicide following isotretinoin
      treatment. However, isotretinoin may have an antidepressant impact, according to
      some dermatological papers. They consider treating acne with this efficient
      treatment could improve self-image and make the patient feel better. Several
      studies showed that patients with bipolar disorder had an increased risk for a
      clinical exacerbation of symptoms undergoing treatment with isotretinoin. A few
      studies also seem to suggest a possible link between isotretinoin and psychosis.
      Nonetheless, studies point out a link between retinoid dysregulation and
      schizophrenia through modulation of dopamine receptors. From this review, we
      propose guidelines for isotretinoin prescription to healthcare professionals. 

PMID- 26110124
TI  - Outpatient competence restoration: A model and outcomes.
AB  - AIM: To describe a model outpatient competence restoration program (OCRP) and
      provide data on time to restoration of adjudicative competence. METHODS: The
      authors tracked the process by which individuals are referred for outpatient
      competence restoration (OCR) by courts in the United States capital, describing
      the unique requirements of American law, and the avenues available for compelling
      adherence. Competence to stand trial is a critical gate-keeping function of the
      judicial and forensic communities and assures that defendants understand
      courtroom procedures. OCR is therefore an effort to assure fairness and
      protection of important legal rights. Multi-media efforts are described that
      educate patients and restore competence to stand trial. These include resources
      such as group training, use of licensed clinicians, visual aids, structured
      instruments, and cinema. Aggregate data from the OCRP's previous 4 years of OCR
      efforts were reviewed for demographic characteristics, restoration rate, and time
      to restoration. Poisson regression modeling identified the differences in
      restoration between sequential 45-d periods after entrance into the program.
      RESULTS: In the past 4 years, the DC OCRP has been successful in restoring 55 of
      170 participants (32%), with an average referral rate of 35 persons per year. 76%
      are restored after the initial 45 d in the program. Demographics of the group
      indicate a predominance of African-American men with a mean age of 42. Thought
      disorders predominate and individuals in care face misdemeanor charges 78% of the
      time. Poisson regression modeling of the number attaining competence during four
      successive 45-d periods showed a substantial difference among the time periods
      for the rate of attaining competence (P = 0.0011). The three time periods after
      45 d each showed a significant decrease in the restoration rate when compared to
      the initial 0 to 45 d period - their relative rates were only 22% to 33% as high
      as the rate for 0-45 d (all P-values, compared to the 0-45 d rate, were 0.013 or
      smaller). However, the three periods from day 45 to day 135 showed no difference
      among themselves (P = 0.87). CONCLUSION: The majority of restored participants
      were restored after 45 d, suggesting a model that may identify an optimal length
      of time to restoration.

PMID- 26110125
TI  - Audit study of the new hospitalization for assessment scheme for forensic mental
      health in Japan.
AB  - AIM: To clarify the components of hospitalization for assessment (HfA) and the
      management changes from the beginning of the scheme to the present. METHODS: This
      study is composed of two surveys. In 2013 survey, we created two paper
      questionnaires (facility and case questionnaires) for psychiatrists working in
      psychiatric hospitals accepting HfA patients. Questionnaires were sent to 205
      hospitals that were identified as accepting the HfA cases, and responses were
      requested via mail. The facility questionnaire was designed to clarify the
      following specifications and characteristics of each facility: the facility
      organizer (public sector or private hospital), and the number of beds,
      psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists, psychiatric social
      workers, psychotherapists, public health nurses, and patients treated through HfA
      during the survey period. The case questionnaire was then used to collect data of
      the patients under HfA based on the Medical Treatment and Supervision (MTS) Act
      who were discharged between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013. Gathered information
      included: legal information of each case, demographic data, past history of the
      offenders, issued offense and the relationship to the victim, information
      regarding past psychiatric testimonies, psychiatric diagnoses, contents of the
      treatment during HfA, information regarding seclusion and restraint during the
      HfA, the verdict of the District Court panel, and so forth. Next, we compared
      those results with relevant data obtained in 2007. The 2007 survey comprised data
      of HfA patients from July 15, 2005 (the date the MTS Act was enforced) to January
      15, 2007. RESULTS: We obtained 171 cases, approximately a half of whole
      contemporary cases of HfA, from 134 facilities, of which 46 were national,
      prefectural, or semi-official hospitals, and 88 were private hospitals, in 2013
      survey. The majority of subjects were male, schizophrenic, and experienced
      previous psychiatric treatment. The most frequent type of the offense was injury,
      followed by arson. Most of the subjects were medicated, and a few cases took
      psychotropic injection during the HfA. The frequency of injection was decreased
      in 2013 (chi (2) = 7.54, df = 1, P = 0.006) than in 2007. Psychiatric testimony
      was more likely to be conducted in 2013 (chi (2) = 8.56, df = 1, P = 0.004). The
      examiner psychiatrist was more likely to belong to the HfA facility to which the
      patient was hospitalized (chi (2) = 5.32, df = 1, P = 0.02). Hospitalization
      orders were more frequently selected in 2013 (chi (2) = 19.76, df = 3, P <
      0.001), although the characteristics of the subjects had not changed. CONCLUSION:
      Although the management of HfA has improved in recent years, structural problems
      remain.

PMID- 26110126
TI  - Systematic review of suicide in economic recession.
AB  - AIM: To provide a systematic update of the evidence concerning the relationship
      between economic recession and suicide. METHODS: A keyword search of Ovid
      Medline, Embase, Embase Classic, PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES was performed to
      identify studies that had investigated the association between economic recession
      and suicide. RESULTS: Thirty-eight studies met predetermined selection criteria
      and 31 of them found a positive association between economic recession and
      increased suicide rates. Two studies reported a negative association, two
      articles failed to find such an association, and three studies were inconclusive.
      CONCLUSION: Economic recession periods appear to increase overall suicide rates,
      although further research is warranted in this area, particularly in low income
      countries.

PMID- 26110127
TI  - Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm of Pancreas.
AB  - Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) of the pancreas are neoplasms
      that are characterized by ductal dilation, intraductal papillary growth, and
      thick mucus secretion. This relatively recently defined pathology is evolving in
      terms of its etiopathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, management, and
      treatment guidelines. A PubMed database search was performed. All the relevant
      abstracts in English language were reviewed and the articles in which cases of
      IPMN could be identified were further scrutinized. Information of IPMN was
      derived, and duplication of information in several articles and those with areas
      of persisting uncertainties were excluded. The recent consensus guidelines were
      examined. The reported incidence of malignancy varies from 57% to 92% in the main
      duct-IPMN (MD-IPMN) and from 6% to 46% in the branch duct-IPMN (BD-IPMN). The
      features of high-risk malignant lesions that raise concern include obstructive
      jaundice in a patient with a cystic lesion in the pancreatic head, the findings
      on radiological imaging of a mass lesion of >30 mm, enhanced solid component, and
      the main pancreatic duct (MPD) of size >=10 mm; while duct size 5-9 mm and cyst
      size <3 mm are considered as "worrisome features." Magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) are primary investigations in diagnosing
      and following up on these patients. The role of pancreatoscopy and the analysis
      of aspirated cystic fluid for cytology and DNA analysis is still to be
      established. In general, resection is recommended for most MD-IPMN, mixed
      variant, and symptomatic BD-IPMN. The 5-year survival of patients after surgical
      resection for noninvasive IPMN is reported to be at 77-100%, while for those with
      invasive carcinoma, it is significantly lower at 27-60%. The follow-up of these
      patients could vary from 6 months to 1 year and would depend on the risk
      stratification for invasive malignancy and the pathology of the resected
      specimen. The understanding of IPMN has evolved over the years. The recent
      guidelines have played a role in this regard. 

PMID- 26110128
TI  - Tumor-suppressor Genes, Cell Cycle Regulatory Checkpoints, and the Skin.
AB  - The cell cycle (or cell-division cycle) is a series of events that take place in
      a cell, leading to its division and duplication. Cell division requires cell
      cycle checkpoints (CPs) that are used by the cell to both monitor and regulate
      the progress of the cell cycle. Tumor-suppressor genes (TSGs) or antioncogenes
      are genes that protect the cell from a single event or multiple events leading to
      cancer. When these genes mutate, the cell can progress to a cancerous state. We
      aimed to perform a narrative review, based on evaluation of the manuscripts
      published in MEDLINE-indexed journals using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
      terms "tumor suppressor's genes," "skin," and "cell cycle regulatory
      checkpoints." We aimed to review the current concepts regarding TSGs, CPs, and
      their association with selected cutaneous diseases. It is important to take into
      account that in some cell cycle disorders, multiple genetic abnormalities may
      occur simultaneously. These abnormalities may include intrachromosomal
      insertions, unbalanced division products, recombinations, reciprocal deletions,
      and/or duplication of the inserted segments or genes; thus, these presentations
      usually involve several genes. Due to their complexity, these disorders require
      specialized expertise for proper diagnosis, counseling, personal and family
      support, and genetic studies. Alterations in the TSGs or CP regulators may occur
      in many benign skin proliferative disorders, neoplastic processes, and
      genodermatoses. 

PMID- 26110129
TI  - Gastroesophageal Reflux Symptoms After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy for Morbid
      Obesity. The Importance of Preoperative Evaluation and Selection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is prevalent in morbidly obese
      patients, and its severity appears to correlate with body mass index (BMI). AIM:
      The aim of this study is to investigate the status of GERD after laparoscopic
      sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospectively maintained
      database of all the patients who underwent LSG from February 2008 to May 2011 was
      reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 131 patients were included. The mean age and the
      BMI of the patients were 49.4 years and 48.9 kg/m(2), respectively. Prior to LSG,
      subjective reflux symptoms were reported in 67 (51%) patients. Anatomical
      presence of hiatal hernia was endoscopically confirmed in 35 (52%) patients who
      reported reflux symptoms prior to LSG. All these patients underwent simultaneous
      hiatal hernia repair during their LSG. The overall mean operative time was 106
      min (range: 48-212 min). There were no intra- and 30-day postoperative
      complications. Out of the 67 preoperative reflux patients, 32 (47.7%) reported
      resolution of their symptoms after the operation, 20 (29.9%) reported clinical
      improvement, and 12 (22.2%) reported unchanged or persistent symptoms. Three
      patients developed new-onset reflux symptoms, which were easily controlled with
      proton pump inhibitors. No patient required conversion to gastric bypass or
      duodenal switch because of the severe reflux symptoms. At 18 months, the follow
      up data were available in 60% of the total patients. CONCLUSION: LSG results in
      resolution or improvement of the reflux symptoms in a large number of patients.
      Proper patient selection, complete preoperative evaluation to identify the
      presence of hiatal hernia, and good surgical techniques are the keys to achieve
      optimal outcomes.

PMID- 26110130
TI  - Status of Superoxide Dismutase in Transfusion Dependent Thalassaemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thalassemia is a collection of genetic impairments in beta and alpha
      genes causing various states of anemia. Severe types of the disease need lifelong
      transfusions, leading to oxidant-antioxidant disturbance due to massive iron
      deposits. AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the antioxidant enzyme
      Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and ferritin levels of thalassemia major patients in a
      peripheral health facility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and nine probands
      were recruited and performed laboratory experiments for SOD and Ferritin levels.
      Chelation administration and clinical score were taken from interviewing the
      family and from medical report data. RESULTS: The study showed that SOD intensity
      was lower (162.41 u/ml) compared to the normal cutoff point (P = 0.001), while
      the mean of Ferritin levels was ten times over the normal value (4226,67 ng/dl).
      Observations also reported that chelation medicine was not administrated
      properly. CONCLUSIONS: The data indicates that thalassemic patients have oxidant
      antioxidant uproar due to oxidative stress. Monitored chelating administration,
      selective antioxidant, and a well-balanced diet may prevent oxidative injury.

PMID- 26110131
TI  - Telephonic Consultation and follow-up in Diabetics: Impact on Metabolic Profile,
      Quality of Life, and Patient Compliance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM), being a long-term condition, requires
      consistent blood glucose monitoring and adjustment of doses of the antidiabetic
      drugs and insulin. Telehealth is an emerging field that can have a positive
      impact on the management of this disease. AIM: The aim was to study the impact of
      the frequency of consultation and follow-up on telephone of diagnosed follow-up
      patients of DM on glycemic and metabolic profiles, the patients' compliance, and
      their quality of life (QoL), and to compare the effectiveness of different modes
      of follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred twenty patients were enrolled
      from the outpatient department (OPD) including both type 1 and type 2 DM patients
      who had already been diagnosed and were on treatment. They were randomly assigned
      to one of three groups, each consisting of 40 subjects, according to the mode of
      follow-up: A (rare, i.e., less frequent outpatient visits), B (moderate, i.e.,
      more frequent outpatient visits), and C (frequent, i.e., more frequent outpatient
      visits with weekly telephonic consultation). Metabolic profiles and the QoL were
      monitored. The patients' compliance with and adherence to the treatment, and
      dietary and exercise advice were assessed. RESULTS: The patients' compliance with
      and adherence to the treatment was higher in group C, followed by groups B and A.
      There was a net decrease in adverse events, with an increase in the frequency of
      follow-up. Changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) suggested a positive impact of
      weekly telephonic consultation. The lipid profile was also positively affected,
      with maximum improvement being in high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) and
      triglycerides. There was an improvement in the QoL domains pertaining to physical
      health and endurance in patients with higher frequency of follow-ups. There was
      no effect on emotional or mental health. There was an overall deterioration of
      the financial domain, being most marked in group B. The treatment satisfaction
      questionnaire showed better results in the telephone intervention group.
      CONCLUSION: Telephonic consultation can be a useful measure to improve the follow
      up and management of patients with DM.

PMID- 26110132
TI  - Long-term Results of Transcatheter Closure of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in
      Adolescents and Adults with Amplatzer Duct Occluder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) with the
      Amplatzer ductal occluder (ADO) has become a standard procedure in most pediatric
      patients. However, experience in adults and adolescents is limited. Our
      experience of transcatheter closure of PDA with ADO in adolescents and adults is
      presented in this study. AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate long-term
      outcomes of transcatheter closure of PDA in adolescents and adults with ADO.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 69 patients (52 females and 17 males) with
      PDA underwent transcatheter closure between May 2004 and October 2012. The
      procedure was performed under fluoroscopic guidance. Chest radiograph,
      electrocardiogram, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), and clinical assessment
      of the patients were conducted before the procedure. Clinical and
      echocardiographic follow-ups were performed on day 1 of the 1st month, 6(th)
      month, and 12(th) month and then yearly after the procedure. RESULTS: The mean
      and standard deviation age of the patients was 18.08 +/- 7.25 years (ranging 10
      38 years). The mean and standard deviation angiographic diameter of PDA was 7.78
      +/- 2.78 mm. The mean and standard deviation size of the implanted device was 9.3
      +/- 2.9. The mean and standard deviation average pulmonary artery pressure was
      32.1 +/- 14.2 mmHg. The mean pulmonary flow/systemic flow ratio was 2.2 +/- 0.61.
      The devices were successfully implanted in all patients (100%). Immediately after
      device implantation, 47 patients had residual shunts. The residual shunts
      disappeared in all the patients, except for one that lingered until 24 h after
      the procedure. No severe complication occurred at the immediate and long-term
      follow-ups. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term results suggested that transcatheter
      closure of PDA with ADO is a safe and effective treatment for adolescents and
      adults with PDA. Low complication rates and short hospital stays make this
      procedure the treatment of choice in most cardiovascular centers worldwide.

PMID- 26110133
TI  - Adrenal Mass in Patients who Underwent Abdominal Computed Tomography Examination.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adrenal masses are usually discovered incidentally (IAM) during
      abdominal computed tomography (CT). AIMS: We aimed to describe the prevalence,
      management, and outcome of incidentally discovered adrenal mass on radiological
      investigation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted to
      look for IAM identified by abdominal CT performed for other reasons between 2004
      and 2008 and were followed for 4 years. IAM patients with known malignancy or
      clinically evident adrenal disease or overt disease originally missed due to
      insufficient clinical examination were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 13,115
      patients underwent abdominal CT, of which 136 were identified with adrenal mass
      (69 males and 67 females). Overall, 84 patients had benign IAM and six had
      primary adrenal carcinoma (all had tumor size >=4 cm and five were males).
      Hormonal evaluation was performed in 80 cases, which revealed hypersecretion in
      10 cases (six had Conn's syndrome and four had pheochromocytoma). Males had
      higher frequency of right-sided IAMs; whereas, left-sided IAM swere more common
      among females (P = 0.02). Seven patients underwent surgery and all were males
      (one Conn's syndrome, one pheochromocytoma, three primary adrenal adenocarcinoma,
      one benign nonfunctional adenoma, and one metastatic tumor). Only one patient
      died due to brain metastasis. CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of adrenal
      incidentaloma is 1% in Qatar. Unfortunately, hormonal evaluation, surgical
      referral, and follow-up are not appropriate in this study. Moreover, screening of
      IAM warrants more attention to rule out malignancy. This work could be of value
      as a local auditing for the current management.

PMID- 26110134
TI  - Cognitive Function and Control of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Young Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been associated with impairment
      of cognitive function. Studies show a strong negative correlation between the
      levels of glycosylated hemoglobin and cognitive function in adult patients above
      the mean age of 60 years. In healthy adults, age-related cognitive impairment is
      mostly reported after the age of 60 years, hence the decline in cognitive
      function can be a part of normal aging without diabetes. Since the majority of
      patients with diabetes are between the ages of 40 and 59 years, it is crucial to
      ascertain whether the levels of glycosylated hemoglobin negatively correlate with
      the levels of cognitive function scores in adult patients of age 60 years or
      younger, similar to the way it correlates in patients older than 60 years of age,
      or not. AIMS: We observed the relationship between the levels of glycosylated
      hemoglobin and the levels of cognitive function in patients of age 60 years or
      younger with T2DM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-two patients with T2DM underwent
      cognitive assessment testing by using a Modified Mini-Mental State Examination
      (3MS), and their cognitive function scores were correlated with their
      glycosylated hemoglobin levels, durations of diabetes, and levels of education.
      RESULTS: Cognitive impairment was observed in 19.5% of the studied patients. We
      found a weakly negative relationship between the glycosylated hemoglobin level
      and cognitive function score (r = -0.292), a moderately negative relationship
      between the duration of diabetes and cognitive function score (r = -0.303), and a
      weakly positive relationship between the level of education and cognitive
      function score (r = 0.277). CONCLUSION: Cognitive impairment affects one-fifth of
      the patients of age 60 years or younger with T2DM. It is weakly negatively
      related to the glycosylated hemoglobin level, moderately negatively related to
      the duration of diabetes, and weakly positively related to the level of
      education.

PMID- 26110135
TI  - Down with the Flu: Hyponatremia in a patient with influenza.
AB  - CONTEXT: Syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) is a
      common cause of hyponatremia. Although it has been associated with different
      pulmonary infections, there have been only few case reports describing the
      association of SIADH with influenza. CASE REPORT: We report a case of SIADH in a
      patient with influenza who was successfully treated with fluid restriction.
      CONCLUSION: It is essential for clinicians to be aware of the association between
      influenza and SIADH.

PMID- 26110136
TI  - Computed Tomography in Diagnosis of Admantinoma.
AB  - CONTEXT: Admantinoma is second most common benign odontogenic tumor which
      clinically appears as an aggressive odontogenic tumor, often asymptomatic and
      slow growing, associated with symptoms such as swelling, dental malocclusion,
      pain, and paresthesia of the affected area. The radiographic appearance may vary
      from unilocular to multilocular radiolucencies, imparting a characteristic honey
      comb, soap bubble appearance or may resemble a caricature of spider. CASE REPORT:
      This report highlights the importance of conventional and advanced imaging in the
      diagnosis of large and invasive lesions. Patient reported with complaint of
      swelling in jaw, which progressively increased; and was found to be bony hard,
      both intra- and extraorally. Radiographs revealed large multilocular radiolucency
      on left body and ramus of mandible with soap bubble pattern and knife edged root
      resorption. Computed tomographic examination evaluated the extent of the lesion,
      internal structure, and relation to adjacent structures; further a reconstructed
      image was obtained to evaluate extent of destruction in three dimensions.
      CONCLUSION: Computed tomography has an important role in the diagnosis and
      treatment planning is imperative as it is superior in revealing the cortical
      destruction and extension into the neighboring soft tissues than conventional
      radiography.

PMID- 26110137
TI  - Pulmonary Tuberculosis in a Patient with Cystic Fibrosis.
AB  - CONTEXT: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection is rarely seen in cystic
      fibrosis (CF) patients. CASE REPORT: We report a 24-year-old CF patient with
      fever, cough, hemoptysis, and weight loss of 1week duration prior to admission.
      Past sputum cultures grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The patient was treated with broad spectrum antibiotics
      based on previous culture data, but failed to improve. Chest radiograph and
      computed tomography (CT) chest revealed chronic collapse of the anterior
      subsegment of right upper lobe and multiple bilateral cavitary lesions which were
      worse compared to prior films. MTB was suspected and was confirmed by positive
      acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smears and cultures. After receiving first-line
      antituberculous drugs, the patient's condition markedly improved. CONCLUSION: MTB
      is an infrequent finding, but considered a potential pathogen in CF patients, and
      may lead to serious pulmonary complications if there is a delay in diagnosis and
      treatment.

PMID- 26110138
TI  - Infection Control in a Far Far Away Galaxy: New and Alternative Learning Tool
      from Popular Culture to Improve the Antimicrobial Stewardship.

PMID- 26110139
TI  - Burmese Community's Beliefs on Inconsolable Crying.

PMID- 26110140
TI  - Metallothionein Lower Under-Expression in Benign Tumors than That in Malignant
      Tumors: Systematic Review Article and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Metallothionein (MT) manifests varying expression levels in carcinomas, and they
      may be considered as valuable cell cancerization biomarkers for diagnosis of
      patients with cancers. A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate comprehensively
      the MT expression difference in various benign tumors and malignant tumors, which
      compared the high with low MT expression levels in patients of the available
      studies. Finally, a total of 13 studies dealing with various tumors were involved
      for this meta-analysis. The results indicated that lower expression of MT in
      various benign tumors tissue than that in corresponding malignant tumors with the
      pooled OR of 0.52 (95 % CI 0.18-1.47, P < 0.001). In conclusion, MT expression
      difference is associated with tumor various stages in tumor patients and could be
      a useful clinical criteria of distinguishing benign tumors and malignant tumors
      for those patients. 

PMID- 26110141
TI  - Prevalence of Hepatitis B Co-Infection among HIV Positive Patients: Narrative
      Review Article.
AB  - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the most prevalent viral infection and is among the
      leading causes of human liver diseases. Nearly 360 millions of people are world
      widely infected with prolonged forms of hepatitis B including active and inactive
      chronic forms. Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is associated with cirrhosis and
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients suffering from congenital and/or
      acquired immunodeficiency and also following immunosuppressive therapy. The
      target cell of human acquired immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is CD4 positive T
      cells. These cells play central role(s) in both cellular and humoral immunity so
      that the HIV attack of CD4 positive T cells causes suppression of both cell
      mediated and humoral immune responses. One of the frequent complications in HIV
      positive patients is HBV co-infection and as a result, the co-transmission of
      these viral diseases is common. Due to the paramount importance of the co
      infection of HBV and HIV, it is noteworthy to investigate the prevalence of
      hepatitis B in these patients for planning of an effective therapeutic strategy.
      Based on these considerations, the main aim of this review article was to collect
      and analyze the recent and relevant studies regarding the prevalence rate of
      hepatitis B co-infection among HIV positive patients world widely. 

PMID- 26110142
TI  - Developing a Clinical Diabetes Guideline in Diabetes Research Network in Iran.
AB  - Development of evidence-based clinical guidelines to raising standards of medical
      care in diabetes is a core element of coping with the global diabetes epidemic.
      The purpose of this study was to develop a systematic clinical diabetes guideline
      from the latest scientific evidences and also to localize its recommendations
      according to regional and cultural needs of our society. Searches were conducted
      using NICE, SIGN, WDPCP, IDF, JDC, ADA, AACE, ICSI, CDA, AMDA, IDC, NyDoH
      guidelines which were examined and criticized and scored using Agree method.
      Guidelines which got higher score in some important areas of Agree scale
      including: rigor of development, clarity and comprehensiveness of the
      recommendations and applicability, especially in the climatic conditions of our
      country were selected. The existing recommendations were extracted by committee
      members and supporting evidences of each recommendation were determined based on
      the sources listed in the clinical guideline. Recommendations grading were
      classified from grade A to D based on the quality of their supporting evidences
      (BEL1-5). This guideline covered all areas related to diabetes including
      screening and diagnosis, lifestyle modification and patient education,
      management, complications and hypoglycemia. Regarding capacities of this
      guideline and lack of comprehensive and updated guidelines in our country and
      region, it is suggested that designing a pilot study to implement this Learner
      centered guideline and finding its weaknesses can lead to patient care
      improvement and also propel us towards our goal to design a comprehensive
      guideline in compliance with regional and national needs in Middle East. 

PMID- 26110143
TI  - Reducing Visit-To-Visit Variability in Systolic Blood Pressure for Improving the
      Progression of Carotid Atherosclerosis and Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients
      with Hypertension Management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Visit-to-visit variability (VVV) in blood pressure (BP) creates
      challenges to hypertension control and was independent associated with increased
      all-cause mortality in hypertensive patients. The major goal of the present study
      was to investigate the association of VVV in systolic (S)BP with progression of
      carotid atherosclerosis and en-dothelial dysfunction in on-treated hypertensive
      patients. METHODS: Overall, 356 hypertensive patients were enrolled and completed
      the trial. Clinic BP was measured at baseline and at 3 monthly thereafter.
      Carotid artery ultrasound and endothelial function were evaluated at baseline and
      annually follow-up visit. VVV in BP was assessed by standard deviation (SD) and
      coefficient of variation (CV) of serial follow-up BP measurements. The patients
      were divided into low, middle, and high group by tertile of SD in SBP. RESULTS:
      Decrease percentage of maximum intima-media thickness (IMT) and stiffness index
      beta and increase percentage of brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and nitric
      oxide (NO) in lower groups were significant greater than in higher groups (P <
      0.05). Change percentage of stiffness index beta and endothelin-1 positively, and
      change percentage of FMD and NO negatively correlated with SD, CV, maximum, and
      delta of SBP (P < 0.05). SD and CV of SBP were risk factors for change percentage
      of IMT, stiffness index beta, FMD, NO, and endothelin-1 independently of other
      influential factors, such as age, and mean SBP. CONCLUSION: Excessive VVV in SBP
      maybe increase carotid atherosclerosis and impair endothelial function in on
      treated hypertensive patients. Reducing VVV in SBP is benefit for patients with
      hypertension management.

PMID- 26110144
TI  - Socioeconomic Inequalities in Non-Communicable Diseases and Self Assessed Health
      in Turkey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inequities in health need to be monitored and necessary actions
      should be taken to reduce them. This study aimed to determine the socioeconomic
      distribution of self-reported chronic diseases and self-assessed health (SAH) in
      Turkey and try to evaluate the determinants of such inequalities in terms of
      their contributions. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the Turkish Health Survey
      conducted during year 2008, covering 14,655 adults aged 15 or older were analyzed
      for the first time to assess socioeconomic inequalities in chronic disease and
      suboptimal SAH prevalence by calculating concentration index (CI), which ranges
      from -1 to +1 (concentration of disease among lower and higher socioeconomic
      groups) and the relative index of inequality (RII), reflecting the prevalence
      ratio between the two extremes of wealth. RESULTS: Several diseases and sub
      optimal SAH were more concentrated among those with lower incomes. The
      concentration indices of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), arthritis,
      chronic bronchitis, migraine and poor SAH were -0.180 (95% CI = -0.241,-0.111), 
      0.126 (95% CI = -0.148,-0.105),-0.118 (95%CI = -0.149,-0.079), -0.248(95%CI = (
      0.278,-0.219) respectively. Of all chronic diseases, COPD demonstrated the
      highest relative inequality with a RII value of 2.51 (95%CI: 1.57-4.01). Income
      was the major contributor to inequality in occurrence of COPD (88.2%), migraine
      (80.4%) and arthritis (77.7%). CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that majority of
      chronic diseases were more concentrated among less wealthy individuals in Turkey.
      Wealth and education had the largest contributions to observed inequalities.
      These inequalities need to be explicitly addressed and vulnerable subgroups
      should be targeted to reduce these socioeconomic disparities.

PMID- 26110145
TI  - Gene-Gene Interactions among Pparalpha/delta/gamma Polymorphisms for
      Apolipoprotein (Apo) A-I/Apob Ratio in Chinese Han Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) -alpha, 
      delta/beta and -gamma are the ligand-activated transcription factors involved in
      the regulation of fatty acid and lipoprotein metabolism, energy balance, cell
      proliferation and differentiation and atherosclerosis, etc. We investigated the
      associations of 10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PPARs with
      apolipoprotein (apo) A-I/apoB ratio in Chinese Han population. METHODS: Overall,
      630 subjects (212 males, 418 females) were randomly selected from the Prevention
      of Metabolic Syndrome and Multiple Metabolic Disorders in Jiangsu Province of
      China Study Cohort. Population analyzed was as the general population which
      involved healthy people and individuals with disorders of apoA-I or apoB. 10 SNPs
      (rs1800206, rs135539, rs4253778, rs2016520, rs9794, rs10865710, rs1805192,
      rs709158, rs3856806 and rs4684847) were genotyped. Mean difference (Difference)
      and 95% confident interval (95%CI) were calculated. RESULTS: After covariates
      adjustment, rs1800206-V allele (LV+VV) and rs3856806-T allele (CT+TT) were
      significantly associated with a decreased apoA-I/apoB ratio than those wild type
      carriers, Difference (95%CI) were -1.29 (-1.96-0.62) and -0.8 (-1.42~-0.17),
      respectively. Rs4253778-C allele was significantly associated with an increased
      apoA-I/apoB ratio compared to the wild type carriers (GG), Difference (95%CI) was
      0.76 (0.04-1.48). Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis
      showed that three-to-eight-locus models were significant with apoA-I/apoB ratio
      (P<0.05). We chose the seven-locus model (P=0.0010) as the best GMDR model (cross
      validation consistency was 7/10 and testing accuracy was 62.97%). CONCLUSION: Our
      data provided the evidence that PPARs polymorphisms might be involved in
      regulation of apoA-I/apoB ratio in independently and/or in an interactive manner.

PMID- 26110146
TI  - The Characteristics of Road Traffic Fatalities in Kazakhstan's Semey Region, 2006
      2010: A Descriptive Retrospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Kazakhstan, a developing middle-income country, has the highest road
      traffic collision (RTC) mortality in the European Region. The aims of this study
      were to determine main characteristics of road traffic fatalities in Semey
      region, Kazakhstan and to compare findings with National data and middle-income
      European countries. METHODS: This descriptive surveillance study assesses RTC
      mortality rates and epidemiology in the Semey Region of East Kazakhstan Oblast.
      Data of all 318 road traffic fatalities form the Semey Regional Center for
      Forensic Medicine were analyzed for the 5-year period of January 1, 2006 through
      December 31, 2010. RESULTS: Over the study period, the average road traffic
      mortality in the Semey Region was 12.1 per 100,000 population with downward trend
      by 35.1% (p=0.002). The victims mean age was 37.1 (SD=17) years. Males
      predominated at 74.5%. Vehicle fatality was the most common mode of fatality at
      61.3%. The majority of collisions, 53.1%, occurred on highways. Most victims,
      67.3%, have died at the scene of collision; in 67.3% of fatalities, autopsies
      identified multiple injuries as cause of death. The high number of fatal
      collisions took place in "no snow" season (P<0.001), with an overall 5-years
      downward dynamic. CONCLUSION: High proportion of males, pedestrians and car
      occupants among road traffic fatalities; high proportion of death on scene in
      case of highway collisions are specifics for Semey region, Kazakhstan. These
      findings can be used to formulate preventive strategies to reduce fatalities and
      to improve the medical care system for road traffic fatalities.

PMID- 26110147
TI  - Utilization of Rural Primary Care Physicians' Visit Services for Diabetes
      Management of Public Health in Southwestern China: A Cross-Sectional Study from
      Patients' View.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary care physicians' visit services for diabetes management are
      now widely delivered in China's rural public health care. Current studies mainly
      focus on supply but risk factors from patients' view have not been previously
      explored. This study aims to present the utilization of rural primary care
      physicians' visit services for diabetes management in the last 12 months in
      southwestern China, and to explore risk factors from patients' view. METHODS:
      This cross sectional study selected six towns at random and all 385 diabetics
      managed by primary care physicians were potential participants. Basing on the
      inclusion and exclusion criteria, 374 diabetics were taken as valid subjects and
      their survey responses formed the data resource of analyses. Descriptive
      indicators, chi2 contingency table analyses and Logistic regression were used.
      RESULTS: 54.8% respondents reported the utilization of visit services. According
      to the multivariate analysis, the positive factors mainly associated with
      utilization of visit services include disease duration (OR=1.654), use of
      diabetic drugs (OR=1.869), consulting diabetes care knowledge (OR=1.602),
      recognition of diabetic complications (OR=1.662), needs of visit services
      (OR=2.338). CONCLUSION: The utilization of rural primary care physicians' visit
      services still remains unsatisfactory. Mass rural health policy awareness,
      support, and emphasis are in urgent need and possible risk factors including
      disease duration, use of diabetic drugs, consulting diabetes care knowledge,
      recognition of diabetic complications and needs of visit services should be taken
      into account when making rural health policy of visit services for diabetes
      management in China and many other low- and middle-income countries.

PMID- 26110148
TI  - The 10-year Trend of TB Rate in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran from 2001 to 2010.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to explore some risk factors affected the
      mean of the number of tuberculosis (TB) in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran between
      2001 and 2010. METHODS: Our time series study analyzed the data of 2,560 TB
      patients as registered with TB Patients Care System in West Azerbaijan Province
      from early 2001 to 2010. A checklist was prepared for collecting the data and
      they were then analyzed in SPSS V.16 software. RESULTS: The percentage of male
      and percentage of female were close to each other (52.2% against 47.8%,
      respectively). A significant increasing trend of TB rate was found over the years
      of 2001and 2010 with a pick at 2008 (P<0.001). A Poisson log-linear analysis
      showed that the most important risk factor of the trend of rate was the level of
      education so that people with primary level or with illiterate level had a
      statistically significant TB rate of 5.21 (4.66-5.81), adjusted for years. The
      next risk factor was type of TB and place of residency, i.e., pulmonary TB cases
      had higher rate than External pulmonary TB cases (RR=1.67; (1.54-1.80). The last
      factor with the lowest risk was BCG with RR=1.29 (1.20-1.40) for people who
      received BCG compared to the people who had not received it. CONCLUSION: Although
      the co morbidity of AIDS and TB was not a major problem, it is necessary that
      special attention be paid to the way of implementing the TB control program based
      on the demographic risk factors of the study population.

PMID- 26110149
TI  - Rate of Pressure Ulcers in Intensive Units and General Wards of Iranian Hospitals
      and Methods for Their Detection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to estimate the rate of pressure ulcers in intensive
      care units (ICUs) and medical and surgical wards of Iranian hospitals and compare
      the performance of methods of medical record review as well as direct observation
      for their detection. METHODS: The research team visited 308 patients in medical
      and surgical wards of hospitals affiliated with Tehran University of Medical
      Sciences and a further 90 patients in their ICUs between March 2009 and April
      2010. In addition 310 patient records were randomly selected from patients
      discharged from the ICUs between March 2009 and April 2010. And a further 600
      patient records were randomly selected from the patients that were discharged
      from medical and surgical wards between March 2010 and April 2011. These 910
      selected records were retrospectively reviewed to identify pressure ulcers. Data
      were collected by a structured checklist. RESULTS: In ICUs 24 of 90 patients
      (26.7%, 95% CI: 17.56 to 35.84) that were directly observed and 59 of 310
      patients (19.0%, 95% CI: 14.63 to 23.37) that were studied by retrospective
      review of medical records had pressure ulcers. In medical and surgical wards, 5
      of 308 patients (1.6%, 95% CI: 0.20 to 3.00) that were directly observed had
      pressure ulcers, but no pressure ulcer was detected by review of 600 medical
      records. CONCLUSION: Pressure ulcers are significantly more frequent in ICUs than
      in medical and surgical wards and a significant proportion of pressure ulcers are
      not reported.

PMID- 26110150
TI  - Occupational Exposure to Mercury: Air Exposure Assessment and Biological
      Monitoring based on Dispersive Ionic Liquid-Liquid Microextraction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exposure to mercury (Hg) as a heavy metal can cause health effects.
      The objective of this study was to assess occupational exposure to Hg in a chlor
      alkali petrochemical industry in Iran by determining of Hg concentrations in air,
      blood and urine samples. METHODS: The study was performed on 50 exposed subjects
      and 50 unexposed controls. Air samples were collected in the breathing zone of
      exposed subjects, using hopcalite sorbents. Analysis was performed using a cold
      vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometer (CV-AAS) according to NIOSH analytical
      method 6009. For all participants, blood and urine samples were collected and
      then transferred into sterile glass tubes. After micro-extraction with ionic
      liquid and back extraction with nitric acid, Hg concentrations in blood and urine
      samples were determined by CV-AAS. RESULTS: The mean concentration of air Hg was
      0.042+/- 0.003 mg/m(3). The mean concentrations of Hg in blood and urine samples
      of exposed subjects were significantly higher than unexposed controls (22.41+/-
      12.58 versus 1.19+/- 0.95 MUg/l and 30.61+/- 10.86 versus 1.99+/- 1.34 MUg/g
      creatinine, respectively). Correlation of air Hg with blood Hg, urine Hg and
      blood Hg-urine Hg ratio were significant statistically (P< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      The values of Hg in blood and urine samples of chlor-alkali workers were
      considerably high. Correlation coefficients showed that blood Hg and blood Hg
      urine Hg ratio are better indicators than urine Hg for assessing occupationally
      exposed workers in terms of current exposure assessment.

PMID- 26110151
TI  - Factors Affecting the Survival of Patients with Gastric Cancer Undergone Surgery
      at Iran Cancer Institute: Univariate and Multivariate Analyses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is the most prevalent cancer among men and the third
      most prevalent cancer among women in Iran. Its most important reason for death is
      its belated diagnosis at the advanced stages of the disease. Various factors can
      be effective on the survival of these patients after surgery, which are the major
      concern in this study. METHODS: Data from 330 patients with Gastric cancer who
      had undergone surgery at Iran Cancer Institute from 1995 to 1999 were analyzed.
      The Survival Time of patients was determined after surgery and the effect of
      individual and demographic; clinical and diagnostic; and treatment and post
      surgical factors on patients' survival was studied. For data analysis, Kaplan-
      Meier, Log-Rank test and Proportional Hazards Model were used. RESULTS: The
      median of survival time was 16.33 months. The one-year, three-year, and five-year
      survival rates were, 0.66, 0.31, and 0.21. Based on univariate analysis results
      of age(P<0.001), metastases(P=0.012), disease stage(P=0.016), and number of
      renewed treatments(P<0.001), as well as multivariate analysis which was used to
      investigate the simultaneous effect of influencing variables on patients'
      survival showed that age(61-70:HR=1.40,>70:HR=2.08), marital status(HR=0.39),
      number of renewed treatments(1:HR=0.54, 2:HR=0.30, 3:HR=0.22), relapse(HR=1.51),
      type of gastrectomy (Subtotal: HR=1.12, Distal:HR=0.49, Partial:HR=0.94,
      Proximal:HR=0.52), liver metastases (HR=1.79), distance metastases(HR=1.84), and
      disease stage(II:HR=1.28, III:HR=2.12, IV:HR=1.90) variables had a significant
      effect on patients' survival. CONCLUSION: Patients who call on doctors in early
      stages of disease will have a higher survival rate due to early diagnosis whereas
      disease progression will increase the risk and will decrease the survival.
      Identifying factors affecting patients' survival and improving diagnostic methods
      can prevent disease progression and increase survival rate.

PMID- 26110152
TI  - Electronic Health in Perspective of Healthcare Managers: A Qualitative Study in
      South of Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The important role of electronic health as well as importance of
      health care systems awareness and readiness may lead to develop the essential
      infrastructures for electronic health especially in developing countries. This
      study aims to investigate goals, gains, applications, challenges and other
      important issues related to success performance of electronic health. METHOD:
      This research proposed a grounded theory in a qualitative design and a purposive
      sampling was used to select participants which consisted of 28 hospital managers
      and staff field managers working in deputy of health and curative affairs of
      Medical Science Universities in south of Iran. Semi structured interviews were
      conducted using a topic guide and intended themes derived from the results using
      Max QDA software during five steps. RESULTS: Nine themes through interviewees"
      viewpoints were made up as followed: Electronic health definition, necessity and
      importance of electronic health, electronic health advantages, relationship
      between electronic health and internet, physicians" opposition to electronic
      health, prerequisites for electronic health, solutions for applying electronic
      health plan, factors affecting electronic health acceptance in society and
      electronic health system challenges. CONCLUSION: It seems that there are good
      circumstances in the south medical universities about settlement and
      implementations of electronic health and their managers are aware of its
      advantages, importance and necessities. The present findings implicate that these
      organizations should consider the user friendly and probable resistances of the
      present clients, in this regard it is suggested that the used technology must be
      accepted by users, having standard base, inexpensive and simple enough while less
      vulnerable in response to changes.

PMID- 26110153
TI  - Analysis of MTHFR Gene C.677C>T and C.1298A>C Polymorphisms in Iranian Patients
      with Non-Syndromic Cleft Lip and Palate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (nsCL/P) is one
      of the most common congenital abnormalities of the orofacial region with a
      multifactorial etiology. The present study aimed to investigate the association
      of two common polymorphisms of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene
      (c.677C>T and c.1298A>C) with the occurrence of nsCL/P in an Iranian population.
      METHODS: Forty-five nsCL/P patients, 43 mothers of patients, and 101 unrelated
      controls participated in the present study. Analysis of c.677C>T and c.1298A>C
      polymorphisms in MTHFR gene was conducted using polymerase chain reaction and
      restriction enzyme digestions. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference in
      genotype and allele frequencies for c.677C>T variants between patients or their
      mothers and the control group. However, differences in the frequencies of alleles
      and genotypes of c.1298A>C polymorphism were statistically significant between
      patients and control group (P=0.01 for alleles and P=0.005 for genotypes). The
      odds ratios (OR) for the CC versus AA homozygotes were 6.1 (95% CI 1.8-20.5) and
      4.2 (95% CI 1.1-15.4), in patients and mothers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We
      found no association between genetic polymorphism of MTHFR c.677C>T and the risk
      of nsCL/P in the population studied. Yet the results suggested that c.1298A>C
      polymorphism of MTHFR gene may be a risk factor for the occurrence of nsCL/P in
      the Iranian population.

PMID- 26110154
TI  - Towards a Holistic Approach to Healthy Diet: Evidence from Iranian Health
      Perception Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of present study was to investigate the relation between the
      perception of population on healthy diet and lifestyle related behaviors.
      METHODS: As part of national study on Iranian Health Perception, a cross
      sectional study was carried out in Iran, 2010. A multistage sampling approach was
      applied to include a representative sample of population aged between 18 and 65
      in the study. To collect data a designed questionnaire was administered. RESULTS:
      In all 27,883 individuals (50.4% women, 48.8% men) were included in the study.
      The mean age of participants was 34.6 years (SD = 12.8) and most were married
      (61%). The findings indicated that Iranian population often pay attention to
      healthy diet (39.5%), never smoke (74.9%), sometimes were doing exercise (29.5%),
      felt happy to some extent (39.5%), often care about themselves (47.1%) and rated
      their health as good (54.5%). Further analysis of the data showed that increased
      paying attention to healthy diet was associated with reduced smoking, more
      exercise, more self-care and happiness, and a better self-rated health status.
      CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that a healthy diet and other determinants of
      lifestyle are very integrated into each other. The efforts for changing any
      components of lifestyle can potentially change all individual related lifestyle
      behaviors. Indeed, one of effective strategies in fostering healthy diet is
      fostering other healthy lifestyles. This holistic approach might help decision
      makers to design appropriate interventions in order to influence diet behaviors
      of people.

PMID- 26110155
TI  - Genetic Diversity among Yersinia enterocolitica Isolated from Chicken and Fish in
      and around Coimbatore City, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Yersinia enterocolitica is rapidly emerging worldwide as an enteric
      pathogen and has become a major cause of diarrhea even in developed countries.
      The aim of this study was to characterize and genetic diversity analysis among Y.
      enterocolitica strains isolated from fish and chicken sources. METHODS: From 44
      strains, 55% (24 strains) found to be positive for Y. enterocolitica by colony
      morphology, biochemical tests and 16S rRNA. We investigate the diversity of Y.
      enterocolitica by hemolytic activity, antimicrobial resistance, RAPD, ERIC and
      REP-PCRs PCR, profiling of outermembrane proteins and lipopolysaccarides.
      RESULTS: Forty one percent of the strains were found to be the producers of
      haemolysin at 37  degrees C but not at 28  degrees C. All the isolates were
      exhibiting multi-drug resistance and found sensitive to chloramphenicol, and
      resistant to ciprofloxacin and amoxicillin. Eight, eleven and twelve different
      genotypic patterns were observed in RAPD, ERIC and REP-PCRs respectively. Five
      isolates have produced high molecular weight protein (HMWP) with a molecular
      weight of 150 - 220 kDa. Mostly LPS produce identical profiles, 22 strains have
      produced smooth LPS, while 2 strains have produced the rough LPS pattern.
      CONCLUSION: Genotyping tools strongly confirm the co-existence wide genetic
      diversity among the strains tested. By using any or the combination of these
      molecular tools, epidemiological investigation on Y. enterocolitica could be
      elucidated effectively. These results showed that the REP-PCR is more informative
      and discriminative than other for analysis of Y. enterocolitica diversity.

PMID- 26110156
TI  - Unusual Occurrence of Pregnancy Tumor on the Tongue.

PMID- 26110157
TI  - Icariin Induced B16 Melanoma Tumor Cells Apoptosis, Suppressed Tumor Growth and
      Metastasis.

PMID- 26110158
TI  - Health-Related Quality of Life in Adolescents with Congenital Heart Disease:
      Importance of Parental Hope.

PMID- 26110159
TI  - Probable Etiology of Hypertension According To the Iranian Traditional Medicine.

PMID- 26110160
TI  - Near Misses and Their Importance for Improving Patient Safety.

PMID- 26110161
TI  - Agnosia in Canon: a Historical Issue.

PMID- 26110162
TI  - Only a Touch of the Flu? The Simultaneous Manifestation of Acute Necrotizing
      Encephalopathy in Two Consanguineous Patients.
AB  - This case report describes the simultaneous manifestation of acute necrotizing
      encephalopathy in 2 consanguineous patients after infection with influenza B
      based on the autosomal dominant missense mutation of the RANBP2-gene.
      Differential diagnosis of acute encephalopathy, clinical and radiological clues,
      and treatment strategies are outlined. 

PMID- 26110163
TI  - Measles in Canada Between 2002 and 2013.
AB  - Background.  In 1994, Canada committed to eliminate measles by the year 2000.
      This report presents the epidemiology of measles in Canada between 2002 and 2013
      and its implications in sustaining measles elimination. Methods.  Cases included
      individuals reported to the Canadian Measles and Rubella Surveillance System with
      confirmed measles. Results.  In Canada, 1171 cases of measles were reported
      between 2002 and 2013 (incidence 0.29 cases per 100 000 population). The annual
      number of cases ranged from 6 to 752. The majority of cases were unvaccinated
      (63%) or had an unknown vaccination status (19%). The median age of cases was
      14.4 years (range, <1 to 63 years) globally and 14 years when excluding the 2011
      outbreak in Quebec where 68% of the 678 cases were 10 to 19 years old. With the
      exclusion of this outbreak, the incidence was highest in infants (1.0 per 100
      000), lower but fairly similar between 1 and 19 years of age (0.2 to 0.4 per 100
      000), and there was a substantial decline between 20 and 39 years of age (0.1 per
      100 000). There was a significant trend towards a greater annual number of
      importations over the period. Although importations resulted in no transmission
      sustained for >=12 months, 5 chains of transmission had >30 cases. The effective
      reproductive number between 2002 and 2013 was estimated at 0.86 (95% confidence
      interval, .81-.92). Conclusions.  Canada has maintained elimination between 2002
      and 2013, but additional efforts are needed to reduce the proportion of
      unimmunized individuals and respond to importation events. 

PMID- 26110164
TI  - Metabolic Signature Profiling as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Tool in Pediatric
      Plasmodium falciparum Malaria.
AB  - Background.  Accuracy in malaria diagnosis and staging is vital to reduce
      mortality and post infectious sequelae. In this study, we present a metabolomics
      approach to diagnostic staging of malaria infection, specifically Plasmodium
      falciparum infection in children. Methods.  A group of 421 patients between 6
      months and 6 years of age with mild and severe states of malaria with age-matched
      controls were included in the study, 107, 192, and 122, individuals,
      respectively. A multivariate design was used as basis for representative
      selection of 20 patients in each category. Patient plasma was subjected to gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, and a full metabolite profile was
      produced from each patient. In addition, a proof-of-concept model was tested in a
      Plasmodium berghei in vivo model where metabolic profiles were discernible over
      time of infection. Results.  A 2-component principal component analysis revealed
      that the patients could be separated into disease categories according to
      metabolite profiles, independently of any clinical information. Furthermore, 2
      subgroups could be identified in the mild malaria cohort who we believe represent
      patients with divergent prognoses. Conclusions.  Metabolite signature profiling
      could be used both for decision support in disease staging and prognostication. 

PMID- 26110165
TI  - Increased Regulatory T-Cell Percentage Contributes to Poor CD4(+) Lymphocytes
      Recovery: A 2-Year Prospective Study After Introduction of Antiretroviral
      Therapy.
AB  - Background.  The primary aim of this study was to determine the impact of
      regulatory T cells (Tregs) percentage on immune recovery in human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients after antiretroviral therapy
      introduction. Methods.  A 2-year prospective study was conducted in HIV-1
      chronically infected naive patients with CD4 count <500 cells/mm(3). Regulatory T
      cells were identified as CD4(+)CD25(high)CD127(low) cells among CD4(+)
      lymphocytes. Effect of Treg percentage at inclusion on CD4 evolution overtime was
      analyzed using a mixed-effect Poisson regression for count data. Results.  Fifty
      eight patients were included (median CD4 = 293/mm(3), median Treg percentage =
      6.1%). Percentage of Treg at baseline and CD4 nadir were independently related to
      the evolution of CD4 absolute value according to time: (1) at any given nadir CD4
      count, 1% increase of initial Treg was associated with a 1.9% lower CD4 absolute
      value at month 24; (2) at any given Treg percentage at baseline, 10 cell/mm(3)
      increase of CD4 nadir was associated with a 2.4% increase of CD4 at month 24; and
      (3) both effects did not attenuate with time. The effect of Treg at baseline on
      CD4 evolution was as low as the CD4 nadir was high. Conclusions.  Regulatory T
      cell percentage at baseline is a strong independent prognostic factor of immune
      recovery, particularly among patients with low CD4 nadir. 

PMID- 26110166
TI  - An Infectious Diseases Physician-Led Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at a Small
      Community Hospital Associated With Improved Susceptibility Patterns and Cost
      Savings After the First Year.
AB  - The importance of antimicrobial stewardship is increasingly recognized, yet data
      from community hospitals are limited. Despite an initially low acceptance rate,
      an Infectious Diseases physician-led program at a 70-bed rural hospital was
      associated with a 42% decrease in anti-infective expenditures and susceptibility
      improvement in Pseudomonas aeruginosa over 3 years. 

PMID- 26110167
TI  - Antiretroviral Effects on Host Lipoproteins Are Associated With Changes in
      Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) RNA Levels in Human Immunodeficiency Virus/HCV Coinfected
      Individuals.
AB  - We evaluated the impact of antiretroviral-induced dyslipidemia on hepatitis C
      virus (HCV) biogenesis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/HCV coinfected
      patients. This study used serum samples from antiretroviral-naive HIV/HCV
      patients initiating their first regimen as part of AIDS Clinical Trials Group
      study protocols (A5142, A5202). Initiation of antiretrovirals increased most
      lipoproteins and apolipoproteins. In the multivariable model, changes in
      apolipoproteins were associated with changes in log10 HCV RNA from baseline to
      week-24 of therapy. Off-target lipogenic changes need to be considered in the
      context of liver and other metabolic disease in HIV/HCV patients. 

PMID- 26110168
TI  - Limitation of the Benefit of Amphotericin-Flucytosine Combination Therapy in
      Patients With Lower Conscious Level: An Ecological Fallacy?

PMID- 26110169
TI  - Prevalence, Incidence, and Clearance of Anogenital Warts in Kenyan Men Reporting
      High-Risk Sexual Behavior, Including Men Who Have Sex With Men.
AB  - Background.  Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes a spectrum of disease, ranging
      from warts to cancer. Prevalence, incidence, and factors associated with
      anogenital warts in East African men are unknown. Methods.  Kenyan men reporting
      high-risk sexual behavior were inspected for anogenital warts at enrollment and
      follow-up visits. Logistic regression was performed to identify associations with
      anogenital warts at baseline. Cox regression was performed to analyze predictors
      of incident anogenital warts, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate
      clearance. Results.  Baseline anogenital wart prevalence in 1137 men was 2.9%
      (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0%-4.0%) overall, 2.0% in human immunodeficiency
      virus (HIV)-uninfected men, and 9.4% in HIV-1-infected men (adjusted odds ratio,
      5.43; 95% CI, 2.03-11.29). Over a median of 1.4 years, anogenital wart incidence
      among 1104 men was 5.3 (95% CI, 4.3-6.5) per 100 person-years. Having HIV-1
      infection at baseline (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.66; 95% CI, 1.01-2.72) or a
      genital syndrome during follow-up (aHR, 4.78; 95% CI, 3.03-7.56) was associated
      with increased wart incidence. Wart clearance was lower in HIV-1-infected men
      (log-rank P<.001). Conclusions.  Anogenital wart prevalence and incidence were
      increased in HIV-1-infected men, and anogenital warts co-occurred with other
      genital syndromes. Quadrivalent HPV vaccination should be recommended for young
      men in settings with high HIV-1 prevalence. 

PMID- 26110170
TI  - "Ceramic" Databases Improve the Retrospective Studies in Orthopedic Surgery.

PMID- 26110172
TI  - Two-Stage Nerve Graft in Severe Scar: A Time-Course Study in a Rat Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peripheral nerve repair outcomes are suboptimal in the presence of
      severe soft tissue injury and excessive scarring paralleling the process in
      tendon reconstruction of the hand. Inspired by the advantages of the two-stage
      technique in tendon grafting and with encouraging preliminary results, we aimed
      to investigate the two-stage nerve grafting technique as an alternative method of
      secondary nerve repair. METHODS: Thirty female rats (~200 g) were randomly
      distributed into two groups (n=15). A 15 mm gap was created in the sciatic nerve
      of the animals and an excessive extraneural scar was induced using the "mincing"
      method. In this method, a thin strip of muscle was removed, minced in a petri
      dish and returned to the peripheral nerve. In the two-stage nerve graft group, a
      silicone tube was interposed in the first stage. After 4 weeks, in the second
      stage, the silicone tube was removed and a median nerve autograft was interposed
      through the newly formed vascularized sheath. In the conventional graft group,
      two nerve ends were protected with silicone caps in the first stage. After 4
      weeks the caps were removed and the median graft was interposed. Behavioral
      assessments were performed at week 15 after surgery with the withdrawal reflex
      latency (WRL) and extensor postural thrust (EPT) and at the 3, 6 and 15-week time
      points with the TOA (toe out angle). Masson Trichrome staining method was used
      for histological assessments at week 15. RESULTS: According to the EPT and WRL,
      the two-stage nerve graft showed significant improvement (P=0.020 and P=0.017
      respectively). The TOA showed no significant difference between the two groups.
      The total vascular index was significantly higher in the two-stage nerve graft
      group (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Two-stage nerve graft using a silicone tube
      enhances vascularity of the graft and improves functional recovery.

PMID- 26110171
TI  - Prevention of Periprosthetic Joint Infection.
AB  - Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a calamitous complication with high morbidity
      and substantial cost. The reported incidence is low but it is probably
      underestimated due to the difficulty in diagnosis. PJI has challenged the
      orthopaedic community for several years and despite all the advances in this
      field, it is still a real concern with immense impact on patients, and the
      healthcare system. Eradication of infection can be very difficult. Therefore,
      prevention remains the ultimate goal. The medical community has executed many
      practices with the intention to prevent infection and treat it effectively when
      it encounters. Numerous factors can predispose patients to PJI. Identifying the
      host risk factors, patients' health modification, proper wound care, and
      optimizing operative room environment remain some of the core fundamental steps
      that can help minimizing the overall incidence of infection. In this review we
      have summarized the effective prevention strategies along with the
      recommendations of a recent International Consensus Meeting on Surgical Site and
      Periprosthetic Joint Infection. 

PMID- 26110173
TI  - Radial Head Prosthesis Removal: a Retrospective Case Series of 14 Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to report the preoperative complaints
      and postoperative outcome of patients after removal of the radial head
      prosthesis. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of 14 adult patients (6
      females and 8 males) from 2007 to 2011, who underwent radial head prosthesis
      removal by three surgeons. The average time between implantation and removal was
      23 months (range from 2 weeks to 12 years, median 12 months). RESULTS: The
      leading reported complaints before removal were restricted mobility of the elbow
      (active range of motion of less than 100 degrees) in 6, pain in 3, and pain
      together with restricted mobility in 4 patients. The objective findings before
      removal were restricted mobility of the elbow in 10 (71%), capitellar cartilage
      wear, loose implants, and heterotopic ossification each in 8 (57%), subluxation
      of the radio-capitellar joint or malpositioning of the stem in 5 (36%), and
      chronic infection in 2 (14%) patients. All patients with pain had wear of the
      capitellar cartilage on radiographs. The ulnar nerve was decompressed in four
      patients at the time of removal. Four patients underwent a subsequent operation
      for postoperative ulnar nerve symptoms 5 to 21 months after removal. Four
      patients were still complaining about persistent pain at the last follow-up
      visit. Except two patients, the total range of motion improved with a mean of 34
      degrees (range 5 to 70) after a mean follow-up of 11 months. CONCLUSIONS: Removal
      of radial head prosthesis improved function and lessened pain in our case series.
      The reoperation rate was yet nearly 30% due to ulnar neuritis. Selective ulnar
      nerve decompression at the time of removal must be evaluated, especially in
      patients with expected large gain in range of motion after removal.

PMID- 26110174
TI  - Sternocostoclavicular Joint Swelling; Diagnosis of a Neglected Entity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sternocostoclavicular joint (SCCJ) swelling is an underdiagnosed,
      albeit important entity in clinical practice. The present study was conducted in
      order to identify the incidence and common causes of this entity. METHODS:
      Patients presenting to the Orthopaedic Clinic with a swelling of the
      sternocostoclavicular joint, during the study period of two years were included,
      and detailed history was obtained from the patient. Baseline investigations
      (total and differential leukocyte count, ESR, CRP, X-ray and CT) wereperformed.
      Magnetic resonance imaging,FNAC or joint aspiration was performed whenever
      clinically or radiologically indicated. RESULTS: A total of 21 patients were
      enrolled into the study for a duration of 2 years. Patients mainly presented with
      both pain and swelling of the SCCJ with predominant right sided involvement.
      Osteoarthritis was the most frequent diagnosis followed by infections, primary
      bone/cartilage tumor, and metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Although most of the patients
      with SCCJ swelling have a benign etiology, it is not wise to dismiss thisswelling
      as degenerative changes. Serious conditions like septic arthritis or neoplasia,
      may masquerade with similar presentations such as osteoarthritis. It would be
      therefore imperative to rule out all of these potentially life threatening
      conditions using thorough clinic-radiological workups.

PMID- 26110175
TI  - Is There Any Correlation Between Patient Height and Patellar Tendon Length?
AB  - BACKGROUND: A potential specific problem of patellar tendon graft in ACL
      reconstruction is the possibility of graft-tunnel mismatch which could be more
      problematic with anatomic ACL reconstruction where the femoral tunnel is placed
      low on the lateral wall of the lateral femoral condyle. The occasional occurrence
      of this mismatch raises the question that whether a correlation exists between
      patient height and patellar tendon length. The purpose of the present study was
      to measure patellar tendon length as an anthropometric finding and to evaluate
      whether a correlation exists between patient height and patellar tendon length.
      METHODS: Intra-operative measurement of patellar tendon length was carried out in
      267 consecutive patients during bone-patellar tendon-bone (BTB) graft ACL
      reconstruction. Patient age, gender, height were recorded. The patellar tendon
      measurements were done independently by two surgeons and the possible inter
      observer errors were checked. The data were analyzed using the Pearson
      correlation. RESULTS: The mean length of the patellar tendon was 46.4 +/- 4.8 mm
      (Mean +/- SD) with a range of 32-61 mm. The mean patient height was 177 +/- 7 cm
      (Mean +/- SD) with a range of 159-197 cm. A weak positive correlations were found
      between patient height and patellar tendon length (Pearson r = 0.24, P< 0.001).
      The linear regression equation for patellar tendon length (y, in millimeters) as
      a function of patient height (x, in centimeters) can be expressed as y=16.54 +
      0.17x. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed a weak correlation between patellar tendon
      length and patient height. This finding is in contrast to the usual measurements
      in human anthropometry in which taller individuals have normally longer tendons
      and ligaments. The graft-tunnel mismatch may be the result of this variation.

PMID- 26110176
TI  - Arthroscopic Meniscal Repair: "Modified Outside-In Technique".
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the introduction of different techniques for meniscal repair,
      no single procedure is superior in all situations. The new method for meniscal
      repair named "modified outside-in technique" aims to achieve higher primary
      fixation strength by an alternative suture technique as well as avoid
      disadvantages of outside-in, inside-out, and all-inside suture procedures.
      Additionally, the mid-term results of surgically treated patients with meniscal
      injuries by our new technique were evaluated. METHODS: The current prospective
      study included 66 patients who underwent meniscal repair by the modified outside
      in technique. The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective
      Knee Evaluation Form was completed pre- and post-operatively. At final follow-up,
      Lysholm score was completed and patients were questioned about their return to
      previous sport activities. Clinical success was defined as lack of swelling and
      joint line tenderness, absence of locking, negative McMurray test and no need for
      meniscectomy. Patients' satisfaction was evaluated using the visual analogue
      scale (VAS). Patients were followed for 26+/-1.7 months. RESULTS: Clinical
      success was achieved in 61 patients (92.4%) and 5 candidates required
      meniscectomy (7.6%). IKDC Subjective Knee Evaluation Form score increased
      significantly from 54.2+/-12.7 preoperatively to 90.8+/-15.6 postoperatively
      (P<0.001). Lysholm score was excellent and good in 49 (80.3%) patients and fair
      in 12 (19.7%). Patients' satisfaction averaged at 8.35+/-1 (6-10). Neurovascular
      injury, synovitis and other knot-related complications were not reported.
      CONCLUSIONS: The modified outside-in technique has satisfactory functional and
      clinical outcomes. We believe that this procedure is associated with better
      clinical and biomechanical results; however, complementary studies should be
      performed to draw a firm conclusion in this regard.

PMID- 26110177
TI  - Evaluation of Patient Outcome and Satisfaction after Surgical Treatment of
      Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Using Scoliosis Research Society-30.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) may lead to physical and mental
      problems. It also can adversely affect patient satisfaction and the quality of
      life. In this study, we assessed the outcomes and satisfaction rate after
      surgical treatment of AIS using scoliosis research society-30 questionnaire (SRS
      30). METHODS: We enrolled 135 patients with AIS undergoing corrective surgery.
      Patients were followed for at least 2 years. We compared pre- and post-operative
      x-rays in terms of Cobb's angles and coronal balance. At the last visit, patients
      completed the SRS-30 questionnaire. We then assessed the correlation between
      radiographic measures, SRS-30 total score, and patient satisfaction. RESULTS:
      Cobb's angle and coronal balance improved significantly after surgery (P<0.001).
      The scores of functional activity, pain, self-image/cosmesis, mental health, and
      satisfaction were 27+/-4.3, 26+/-2.5, 33+/-5.2, 23+/-3.5, and 13+/-1.8,
      respectively. The total SRS-30 score was 127+/-13. Radiographic measures showed
      significant positive correlation with satisfaction and SRS-30 total scores. There
      was also a positive correlation between satisfaction and self-image/cosmesis
      domain scores. CONCLUSIONS: The greater the radiographic angles were corrected
      the higher the SRS-30 total score and patient satisfaction were. It is intuitive
      that the appearance and cosmesis is of most important factor associated with
      patient satisfaction.

PMID- 26110179
TI  - Outcome of Distal Both Bone Leg Fractures Fixed by Intramedulary Nail for Fibula
      & MIPPO in Tibia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fractures of the distal third of the tibia are mostly associated with
      a fibular fracture that often requires fixation. The preferred treatment of
      distal tibial fracture is the minimally invasive percutaneous plate
      osteosynthesis (MIPPO) procedure. However, there are no clear cut guidelines on
      fixation of the fibular fracture and currently most orthopedic surgeons use a
      plate osteosynthesis for the fibula as well. A common complication associated
      with dual plating is an increased chance of soft tissue necrosis, infection, and
      in some cases resulting in an exposed implant. We conducted a prospective study
      to analyze the results of fractures of the distal in both leg bones managed by
      the MIPPO procedure for tibial fractures and a rush nail for fibular fractures.
      METHODS: The study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital from November 2012
      to May 2014, a total of 30 fractures in 30 patients (18 males, 12 females) with a
      mean age of 42.4 years (26-60 years) were treated in our institution in the
      aforesaid time period with MIPPO for tibia and rush nail for fibular fractures.
      All the cases were operated on by a single surgeon in emergency within 24 hours.
      The patients with skin blistering and compound fractures were excluded from this
      study. Rehabilitative measures were proceeded as per patient's pain profile,
      isometric and isotonic exercises were started on the first post-operative day,
      with full weight bearing at 10-12 weeks after assessing clinical and radiological
      union. Regular follow up of patients was done, radiographs were taken at the
      immediate post-operative period and at 3, 6, 12 and 24 weeks. RESULTS: All the
      patients were available for regular follow up. Radiological and clinical union
      proceeded normally in all the patients, no patients had signs of any deep
      infection, delayed union or nonunion, three patients had a superficial infection
      of the tibial incision that healed with a change in antibiotic. CONCLUSIONS: The
      use of dual plating for fixation of the lower tibia and fibula fractures is often
      associated with soft tissue complications, exposed implant, and increased risk of
      infection. We conclude that in fractures of the distal tibia and fibula it is
      better to use a rush nail for the fibula with a concurrent MIPPO for the tibia
      for the reasons cited above. Moreover, with the use of rush nail the cost of
      implant is also reduced, which is a very important factor in developing
      countries.

PMID- 26110178
TI  - A Survey of Severity and Distribution of Musculoskeletal Pain in Multiple
      Sclerosis Patients; a Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pain, a common phenomenon in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, is
      associated with many symptoms and problems. AIM: To investigation severity and
      distribution of musculoskeletal pain in MS patients. METHODS: In this cross
      sectional study, 115 members of the Mazandaran MS Association with confirmed MS
      were randomly selected to participate in the study. The patients were asked to
      fill out Numerical Rating Score and Nodric questionnaires, respectively. The data
      was analyzed by SPSS ver. 16 software. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants
      was 30.43+/-5.86 years and 88 cases (76.5%) were female. The mean disease
      duration was 26.34+/-24.32 months and 87.8% of the cases were experiencing pain
      at the time of study. The mean pain severity was 3.75+/-2.25 and worst pain
      experienced was 5.73+/-2.12. The most common pain sites were: the knees (55.7%),
      wrist (43.5%), and neck (41.7%). Women experience higher prevalence of shoulder,
      upper back, and ankle pain (P<0.05). In 62 cases (53.91%) MS interfered with
      daily functioning at least for a time. The prevalence of upper back and neck pain
      was higher in cases with a shorter disease duration (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pain
      was very common in patients with MS and not relevant to sex or age. In the
      majority of the cases more than 1 limb was involved and the prevalence of pain in
      the lower limbs was higher, especially in the knees. In females, the prevalence
      of pain in the shoulders, upper back, and ankle was higher compared to males.
      Also, neck and upper-back pain were found in the early stages of the disease.

PMID- 26110181
TI  - A Pitfall in Fixation of Distal Humeral Fractures with Pre-Contoured Locking
      Compression Plate.
AB  - Anatomically precontoured locking plates are intended to facilitate the fixation
      of articular fractures and particularly those associated with osteoporosis.
      Fractures of the distal humerus are relatively uncommon injuries where operative
      intervention can be exceptionally challenging. The distal humeral trochlea
      provides a very narrow anatomical window through which to pass a fixed-angle
      locking screw, which must also avoid the olecranon, coronoid, and radial fossae.
      We describe 3 patients (ages 27, 49, and 73 years) with a bicolumnar fracture of
      the distal humerus where very short distal locking screws were used. Intra
      articular screw placement was avoided but loss of fixation occurred in two
      patients and a third was treated with a prolonged period of immobilization. We
      postulate that fixed-angle screw trajectories may make it difficult for the
      surgeon to place screws of adequate length in this anatomically confined region,
      and may lead to insufficient distal fixation. Surgical tactics should include
      placement of as many screws as possible into the distal fragment, as long as
      possible and that each screw passes through a plate without necessarily locking
      in. 

PMID- 26110180
TI  - Adult Degenerative Scoliosis with Spinal Stenosis Treated with Stand-Alone Cage
      via an Extreme Lateral Transpsoas Approach; a Case Report and Literature Review.
AB  - We report the case of a 73-year-old female with severe degenerative scoliosis and
      back and leg pain that was successfully treated with stand- alone cages via an
      extreme lateral transpsoas approach. This patient had declined open surgery and
      instrumentation due to her advanced age concerns about potential side effects. 

PMID- 26110182
TI  - An Unusual Case of a Large Hematorrachis Associated with Multi-Level Osteoporotic
      Vertebral Compression Fractures; a Case Report.
AB  - Spinal epidural haemorrhage may present as back pain associated with radicular
      symptoms and can be a catastrophic clinical scenario with progression to
      paraplegia or even sudden death. Being a rare entity, it needs a high index of
      clinical suspicion to diagnose it. Fractures have been documented as a cause of
      hematorrachis but such hematomas only extend to one or two vertebral segments.
      Large epidural hematomas are usually associated with conditions like bleeding
      diathesis, arterio-venous malformations, plasma cell myeloma, and non-Hodgkin's
      lymphoma. Surgical management with immediate evacuation of the hematoma is the
      usual line of management in patients with neurological deficits. Though rare,
      monitored and careful conservative management can lead to recovery of
      neurological symptoms and resolution of the hematoma. We report a case of a very
      large post traumatic epidural hematorrchis extending to 11 vertebral segments
      from D3 to L1 vertebral bodies, who had a gradual spontaneous recovery. 

PMID- 26110183
TI  - Femoral Condyle Fracture during Revision of Anterior Cruciate Ligament
      Reconstruction: Case Report and a Review of Literature.
AB  - A rare and devastating complication following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
      revision reconstruction is femoral fracture. A 35-year old male soccer player
      with a history of ACL tear from one year ago, who underwent arthroscopic ACL
      reconstruction and functioned well until another similar injury caused ACL re
      rupture. Revision of ACL reconstruction was performed and after failure of graft
      tension during the pumping, a fluoroscopic assessment showed a femoral condyle
      fracture. The patient referred to our knee clinic and was operated on in two
      stages first fixation of the fracture and then ACL re-revision after fracture
      healing was complete. Not inserting multiple guide pins, keeping a safe distance
      from the posterior cortex and giving more attention during graft tensioning,
      especially in revision surgeries, are all small points that can reduce the risk
      of fracture during the revision of ACL reconstruction. 

PMID- 26110184
TI  - Childhood Facial Osteo Sarcoma: a Case Report.
AB  - Osteosarcoma (OS) is the eighth common cancer of childhood and its incidence is 4
      cases in one million in children younger than 14. Facial OS incidence is
      estimated between 8 and 10% of OS cases. The main etiology of OS is unknown, but
      various predisposing factors are proposed such as radiation, radiotherapy, some
      benign bone diseases like Paget's disease or fibrous dysplasia. There is a 5-year
      survival rate of 68% and it decreases with the increase of age. Positive history
      of radiotherapy is the main predisposing factor for childhood OS. There is some
      evidence about the X-ray induced mutation in genomic DNA that leads to
      osteosarcoma. In the present paper we present a 19-month old girl with a mass
      located in the inferior margin of the left cheek and orbit. Our case is unique
      with regard to her young age and sex. Moreover, the tumor was located in an
      uncommon site and her disease was progressive and resistant. 

PMID- 26110185
TI  - Elbow Stiffness Secondary to Elbow Joint Osteoid Osteoma, a Diagnostic Dilemma.
AB  - We present a 23-year-old man with distal humerus osteoid osteoma referring to our
      hospital with pain and progressive stiffness. The patient has been suffering from
      the disease for two years without a certain diagnosis. The radiographies of elbow
      did not reveal the pathology but further CT scan and MRI studies demonstrated the
      tumor. The en block resection of the tumor resolved the pain immediately but
      range of motion remained restricted. 

PMID- 26110186
TI  - Feasibility of a hybrid elastographic-microfluidic device to rapidly process and
      assess pancreatic cancer biopsies for pathologists.
AB  - In this study, our collaborative research group explored the possibility of
      incorporating ultrasound elastography technology with a microfluidic device that
      is designed to prepare fine needle core biopsies (CBs; L=0.5-2.0 cm, D=0.4-1.2
      mm) for pancreatic cancer diagnosis. For the first time, elastographic techniques
      were employed to measure shear wave velocity in fresh (3.7 m/s) and formalin
      fixed (14.7 m/s) pancreatic CBs. Shear wave velocity did not vary whether fixed
      specimens were free on a microscope slide, or constrained within glass
      microfluidic channels: 11.5+/-1.9 v. 11.8+/-2.1 m/s. 4% agarose inclusions were
      also embedded within 1% agarose hydrogels to simulate cysts, neoplastic, or
      necrotic tissue within CBs. Inclusions were successfully visualized and measured
      using optical coherence elastography. These preliminary experiments demonstrate
      in a rudimentary fashion that elastographic measurements of pancreatic CBs may be
      incorporated with our microfluidic device. The rapid mapping of CB stiffness may
      provide qualitative spatial information for pathologists to determine a more
      accurate diagnosis for patients.

PMID- 26110187
TI  - Duchenne muscular dystrophy: High-resolution  melting curve analysis as an
      affordable diagnostic  mutation scanning tool in a South African cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy (D/BMD) is an X-linked recessive
      muscle disorder affecting 1/3 500 live male births worldwide. Up to 70% of all
      D/BMD cases are caused by exonic deletions or duplications routinely identified
      in diagnostic laboratories worldwide.The remaining patients harbour other
      sequence alterations for which testing availability is limited owing to the
      expense of interrogating the large DMD gene. Genetic screening for D/BMD in South
      Africa currently includes multiple ligase-dependent probe amplification (MLPA)
      for exonic deletions and duplications and linkage analysis. No genetic testing
      for small mutations in the DMD gene is offered, leaving a third of D/BMD families
      without genetic closure. The advent of potential mutation-specific therapies for
      DMD necessitates comprehensive testing protocols. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the
      effectiveness and affordability of high-resolution melting curve analysis (hrMCA)
      for detection of small/point mutations in the DMD gene, for possible inclusion
      into the local public health-funded diagnostic service. METHODS: DNA from 24
      patients who had previously tested deletion-negative with multiplex polymerase
      chain reaction (mPCR) was analysed by MLPA and hrMCA. RESULTS: MLPA revealed
      eight previously undetected exonic rearrangements: five deletions and three
      duplications. HrMCA of the remaining samples revealed three nonsense, four
      frameshifts, one splice-site, one missense and one single-base substitution in
      the Dp427promoter/exon1 of the DMD gene. In addition, 41 polymorphisms and three
      changes of uncertain significance were detected. CONCLUSION: These findings
      identify hrMCA as an affordable and effective mutation scanning tool for
      incorporation into the local diagnostic setting, allowing for better genetic
      counselling of more DMD families and selection of potential candidates for future
      therapies.

PMID- 26110199
TI  - Subclinical Hypothyroidism is not a Risk Factor for Female Sexual Dysfunction in
      Korean Middle-Aged Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that subclinical hypothyroidism is
      associated with the risk of anxiety or depression and can affect quality of life.
      However, there is a paucity of information regarding the relationship between
      subclinical hypothyroidism and female sexual dysfunction. METHODS: The study
      population consisted of sexually active middle-aged women (>=40 years old) who
      visited the center for health promotion and optimal aging at Seoul National
      University Hospital for a health check-up between 2010 and 2011. Sexual function
      was evaluated by the female sexual function index (FSFI) questionnaire, and
      female sexual dysfunction was defined as a FSFI score of <=26.55. FSFI scores and
      female sexual dysfunction frequencies were compared between cases with
      subclinical hypothyroidism and healthy controls. Nonparametric methods were used
      for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1086 women were included, and the
      frequency of subclinical hypothyroidism and female sexual dysfunction was 138
      (12.7%) and 741 (68.2%), respectively. The total FSFI score and the scores in
      each domain were not different between the two groups (median total FSFI score
      (interquartile range): 23.8 (20.2-27.5) for normal thyroid status vs. 24.4 (20.6
      27.6) for subclinical hypothyroidism, p=n.s.). The frequency of female sexual
      dysfunction was not different between the two groups, either (68.4% for normal
      thyroid status vs. 67.4% for subclinical hypothyroidism, p=n.s.). These findings
      were consistent even after adjustment for confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS:
      Subclinical hypothyroidism is not a risk factor for sexual dysfunction in middle
      aged women.

PMID- 26110200
TI  - Discovery and Optimization of a Porcupine Inhibitor.
AB  - Wnt proteins regulate various cellular functions and serve distinct roles in
      normal development throughout life. Wnt signaling is dysregulated in various
      diseases including cancers. Porcupine (PORCN) is a membrane-bound O
      acyltransferase that palmitoleates the Wnts and hence is essential for their
      secretion and function. The inhibition of PORCN could serve as a therapeutic
      approach for the treatment of a number of Wnt-dependent cancers. Herein, we
      describe the identification of a Wnt secretion inhibitor from cellular high
      throughput screening. Classical SAR based cellular optimization provided us with
      a PORCN inhibitor with nanomolar activity and excellent bioavailability that
      demonstrated efficacy in a Wnt-driven murine tumor model. Finally, we also
      discovered that enantiomeric PORCN inhibitors show very different activity in our
      reporter assay, suggesting that such compounds may be useful for mode of action
      studies on the PORCN O-acyltransferase. 

PMID- 26110201
TI  - Metal artefact reduction in CT imaging of hip prostheses-an evaluation of
      commercial techniques provided by four vendors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate commercial metal artefact
      reduction (MAR) techniques in X-ray CT imaging of hip prostheses. METHODS:
      Monoenergetic reconstructions of dual-energy CT (DECT) data and several different
      MAR algorithms, combined with single-energy CT or DECT, were evaluated by imaging
      a bilateral hip prosthesis phantom. The MAR images were compared with uncorrected
      images based on CT number accuracy and noise in different regions of interest.
      RESULTS: The three MAR algorithms studied implied a general noise reduction (up
      to 67%, 74% and 77%) and an improvement in CT number accuracy, both in regions
      close to the prostheses and between the two prostheses. The application of
      monoenergetic reconstruction, without any MAR algorithm, did not decrease the
      noise in the regions close to the prostheses to the same extent as did the MAR
      algorithms and even increased the noise in the region between the prostheses.
      CONCLUSION: The MAR algorithms evaluated generally improved CT number accuracy
      and substantially reduced the noise in the hip prostheses phantom images, both
      close to the prostheses and between the two prostheses. The study showed that the
      monoenergetic reconstructions evaluated did not sufficiently reduce the severe
      metal artefact caused by large orthopaedic implants. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: This
      study evaluates several commercially available MAR techniques in CT imaging of
      large orthopaedic implants.

PMID- 26110202
TI  - Relative percentage signal intensity recovery of perfusion metrics-an efficient
      tool for differentiating grades of glioma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Glioma classification and characterization may be facilitated by a
      multiparametric approach of perfusion metrics, which could not be achieved by
      conventional MRI alone. Our aim is to explore the potential of relative
      percentage signal intensity recovery (rPSR) values, in addition to relative
      cerebral blood volume (rCBV) and relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) of first
      pass T2* dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) perfusion MRI, in differentiating
      high- and low-grade glioma. METHODS: This prospective study included 39 patients
      with low-grade and 25 patients with high-grade glioma. rPSR, rCBV and rCBF were
      calculated from the first-pass T2* DSC perfusion MRI. rPSR was calculated using
      standard software and validated with dedicated perfusion metrics analysis
      software. The statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance and
      receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Variation in rPSR, rCBV
      and rCBF values between low- and high-grade gliomas were statistically
      significant (p < 0.005). The ROC curve analysis for each of them yielded 96%
      sensitivity and 71.8% specificity; 88% sensitivity and 69.2% specificity; and 72%
      sensitivity and 66.7% specificity. The area under the curve (AUC) from the ROC
      curve analysis yielded 0.893, 0.852 and 0.702 for rPSR, rCBV and rCBF,
      respectively. The rPSR calculation with the validation software yielded 92.3%
      sensitivity and 72% specificity with an AUC of 0.864. CONCLUSION: rPSR inversely
      correlates while rCBV and rCBF values directly correlate with the tumour grade.
      Furthermore, the overall diagnostic performance of rPSR is better than rCBV and
      rCBF values. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: rPSR of T2* DSC perfusion is an indicator of
      blood-brain barrier status and lesion leakiness, which has not been explored yet
      compared with the usual haemodynamic parameters, rCBV and rCBF.

PMID- 26110203
TI  - What is the minimum amount of simulated breast movement required for visual
      detection of blurring? An exploratory investigation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Image blurring in mammography can cause significant image degradation
      and interpretational problems. A potential source is due to paddle movement
      during image formation. Paddle movement has been shown to be as much as 1.5 mm.
      No study has yet been performed to determine how much motion would be noticeable
      visually. The aim of this study is to determine the minimum amount of simulated
      breast movement at which blurring can be detected visually. METHODS: 25 artefact
      free mammogram images were selected. Mathematical simulation software was created
      to mimic the effect of blurring produced by breast movement during exposure.
      Motion simulation was imposed to 15 levels, from 0.1 to 1.5 mm stepping through
      0.1 mm increments. 15 degraded images and 1 without blurring were de-identified,
      randomized and assessed on a blinded basis by two clinical experts to determine
      the presence or absence of blurring. Statistical testing was carried out to
      determine the consistency between the two observers. RESULTS: The probability of
      simulated blurred image detection is the highest for the gaussian method and the
      lowest for soft-edged mask estimation. CONCLUSION: The amount of simulated breast
      movement at which blurring can be detected visually for gaussian blur, hard-edge
      mask estimation and soft-edge mask estimation is 0.4, 0.8 and 0.7 mm,
      respectively. Cohen's kappa for all the levels of simulated blurring is 0.689 (p
      < 0.05). ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: This research establishes the concept of using
      probability to represent visual detection of blurring rather than defining a hard
      cut-off level.

PMID- 26110204
TI  - Evaluation of lymph node status after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer
      patients: comparison of diagnostic performance of ultrasound, MRI and 18F-FDG
      PET/CT.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of ultrasound, MRI and fluorine
      18 fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET)/CT for the
      diagnosis of metastatic axillary lymph node (ALN) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy
      (NAC) and to find out histopathological factors affecting the diagnostic
      performance of these imaging modalities. METHODS: From January 2012 to November
      2014, 191 consecutive patients with breast cancer who underwent NAC before
      surgery were retrospectively reviewed. We included 139 patients with ALN
      metastasis that was confirmed on fine needle aspiration or core needle biopsy at
      initial diagnosis. RESULTS: After NAC, 39 (28%) patients showed negative
      conversion of ALN on surgical specimens of sentinel lymph node (LN) or ALN. The
      sensitivity of ultrasound, MRI and PET/CT was 50% (48/96), 72% (70/97) and 22%
      (16/73), respectively. The specificity of ultrasound, MRI and PET/CT was 77%
      (30/39), 54% (21/39) and 85% (22/26), respectively. The Az value of combination
      of ultrasound and PET/CT was the highest (0.634) followed by ultrasound (0.626)
      and combination of ultrasound, MRI and PET/CT (0.617). The size of tumour deposit
      in LN and oestrogen receptor was significantly associated with the diagnostic
      performance of ultrasound (p < 0.001 and p = 0.009, respectively) and MRI (p =
      0.045 and p = 0.036, respectively). The percentage diameter decrease, size of
      tumour deposit in LN, progesterone receptor, HER2 and histological grade were
      significantly associated with the diagnostic performance of PET/CT (p = 0.023, p
      = 0.002, p = 0.036, p = 0.044 and p = 0.008, respectively). On multivariate
      logistic regression analysis, size of tumour deposit within LN was identified as
      being independently associated with diagnostic performance of ultrasound [odds
      ratio, 13.07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.95-57.96] and PET/CT (odds ratio,
      6.47; 95% CI, 1.407-29.737). CONCLUSION: Combination of three imaging modalities
      showed the highest sensitivity, and PET/CT showed the highest specificity for the
      evaluation of ALN metastasis after NAC. Ultrasound alone or combination of
      ultrasound and PET/CT showed the highest positive-predictive value. The size of
      tumour deposit within ALN was significantly associated with diagnostic
      performance of ultrasound and PET/CT. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: This study is about
      the diagnostic performance of ultrasound, MRI, PET/CT and combination of each
      imaging modality for the evaluation of metastatic ALN after NAC. Of many
      histopathological factors, only the size of tumour deposit within ALN was an
      independent factor associated with the diagnostic performance of ultrasound and
      PET/CT.

PMID- 26110205
TI  - Diffusion-weighted MRI in the follow-up of chronic periaortitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) for the
      assessment of the intraindividual follow-up in patients with chronic periaortitis
      (CP) under medication. METHODS: MRI data of 21 consecutive patients with newly
      diagnosed untreated disease were retrospectively examined before and after
      medical therapy, with a median follow-up of 16 weeks. DWI parameters [b800
      signal, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values] of the CP and psoas muscle
      were analysed together with the extent and contrast enhancement. Pre- and post
      treatment laboratory inflammation markers were acquired parallel to each MR
      examination. RESULTS: Statistically significant lower b800 signal intensities (p
      <= 0.0001) and higher ADC values (p <= 0.0001) were observed after medical
      treatment within the fibrous periaortic tissue. Extent and contrast enhancement
      of the CP showed also a statistically significant decrease (p <= 0.0001) in the
      follow-up examinations, while the control parameters within the psoas muscle
      showed no differences. CONCLUSION: DWI seems to be a useful method for the
      evaluation of response to treatment without contrast agents. The technique may be
      helpful in the assessment of disease activity to guide further therapeutic
      strategies. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: DWI detects significant differences in the
      intraindividual follow-up of CP under medical therapy.

PMID- 26110206
TI  - Ubiquitin in regulation of spindle apparatus and its positioning: implications in
      development and disease.
AB  - Emerging data implicates ubiquitination, a post-translational modification, in
      regulating essential cellular events, one of them being mitosis. In this review
      we discuss how various E3 ligases modulate the cortical proteins such as dynein,
      LGN, NuMa, Galpha, along with polymerization, stability, and integrity of
      spindles. These are responsible for regulating symmetric cell division. Some of
      the ubiquitin ligases regulating these proteins include PARK2, BRCA1/BARD1,
      MGRN1, SMURF2, and SIAH1; these play a pivotal role in the correct positioning of
      the spindle apparatus. A direct connection between developmental or various
      pathological disorders and the ubiquitination mediated cortical regulation is
      rather speculative, though deletions or mutations in them lead to developmental
      disorders and disease conditions. 

PMID- 26110208
TI  - Percutaneous Removal of Filter-Induced Iliocaval Thrombus Using the AngioVac
      Device.
AB  - Most percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy devices entail thrombolysis and/or
      thrombus fragmentation followed by subsequent aspiration, with the associated
      risks of bleeding and embolization. We describe the use of the AngioVac system
      (Angiodynamics, Latham, NY USA) for extraction of extensive iliocaval thrombus
      associated with an inferior vena cava filter followed by percutaneous inferior
      vena cava filter extraction in a patient with an absolute contraindication to
      thrombolysis. The AngioVac may be considered in this scenario as it does not
      require thrombolytics and can remove whole thrombus, thus overcoming some of the
      limitations of percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy devices in the setting of
      subacute and early chronic thrombus. 

PMID- 26110207
TI  - Stabilization of an alpha/beta-Hydrolase by Introducing Proline Residues:
      Salicylic Acid Binding Protein 2 from Tobacco.
AB  - alpha/beta-Hydrolases are important enzymes for biocatalysis, but their stability
      often limits their application. We investigated a plant esterase, salicylic acid
      binding protein 2 (SABP2), as a model alpha/beta-hydrolase. SABP2 shows typical
      stability to urea (unfolding free energy 6.9 +/- 1.5 kcal/mol) and to heat
      inactivation (T1/2 15min 49.2 +/- 0.5  degrees C). Denaturation in urea occurs in
      two steps, but heat inactivation occurs in a single step. The first unfolding
      step in urea eliminates catalytic activity. Surprisingly, we found that the first
      unfolding likely corresponds to the unfolding of the larger catalytic domain.
      Replacing selected amino acid residues with proline stabilized SABP2. Proline
      restricts the flexibility of the unfolded protein, thereby shifting the
      equilibrium toward the folded conformation. Seven locations for proline
      substitution were chosen either by amino acid sequence alignment with a more
      stable homologue or by targeting flexible regions in SABP2. Introducing proline
      in the catalytic domain stabilized SABP2 to the first unfolding in urea for three
      of five cases: L46P (+0.2 M urea), S70P (+0.1), and E215P (+0.9). Introducing
      proline in the cap domain did not stabilize SABP2 (two of two cases), supporting
      the assignment that the first unfolding corresponds to the catalytic domain.
      Proline substitutions in both domains stabilized SABP2 to heat inactivation: L46P
      (DeltaT1/2 15min = +6.4  degrees C), S70P (+5.4), S115P (+1.8), S141P (+4.9), and
      E215P (+4.2). Combining substitutions did not further increase the stability to
      urea denaturation, but dramatically increased resistance to heat inactivation:
      L46P-S70P DeltaT1/2 15min = +25.7  degrees C. This straightforward proline
      substitution approach may also stabilize other alpha/beta-hydrolases.

PMID- 26110209
TI  - Porous Carbon Nanofibers from Electrospun Biomass Tar/Polyacrylonitrile/Silver
      Hybrids as Antimicrobial Materials.
AB  - A novel route to fabricate low-cost porous carbon nanofibers (CNFs) using biomass
      tar, polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and silver nanoparticles has been demonstrated
      through electrospinning and subsequent stabilization and carbonization processes.
      The continuous electrospun nanofibers had average diameters ranging from 392 to
      903 nm. The addition of biomass tar resulted in increased fiber diameters,
      reduced thermal stabilities, and slowed cyclization reactions of PAN in the as
      spun nanofibers. After stabilization and carbonization, the resultant CNFs showed
      more uniformly sized and reduced average diameters (226-507 nm) compared to as
      spun nanofibers. The CNFs exhibited high specific surface area (>400 m(2)/g) and
      microporosity, attributed to the combined effects of phase separations of the tar
      and PAN and thermal decompositions of tar components. These pore characteristics
      increased the exposures and contacts of silver nanoparticles to the bacteria
      including Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli,
      leading to excellent antimicrobial performances of as-spun nanofibers and CNFs. A
      new strategy is thus provided for utilizing biomass tar as a low-cost precursor
      to prepare functional CNFs and reduce environmental pollutions associated with
      direct disposal of tar as an industrial waste. 

PMID- 26110210
TI  - Distinct Features in Koreans with Involutional Blepharoptosis.

PMID- 26110211
TI  - Reply: Tissue-Engineered Breast Reconstruction with Brava-Assisted Fat Grafting:
      A 7-Year, 488-Patient, Multicenter Experience.

PMID- 26110212
TI  - Tissue-Engineered Breast Reconstruction with Brava-Assisted Fat Grafting: A 7
      Year, 488-Patient, Multicenter Experience.

PMID- 26110213
TI  - Reply: Distinct Features in Koreans with Involutional Blepharoptosis.

PMID- 26110214
TI  - Reply: Facial Feminization Surgery: The Forehead. Surgical Techniques and
      Analysis of Results.

PMID- 26110215
TI  - Quantitative Assessment of Parametric Uncertainty in Northern Hemisphere PAH
      Concentrations.
AB  - We quantitatively examine the relative importance of uncertainty in emissions and
      physicochemical properties (including reaction rate constants) to Northern
      Hemisphere (NH) and Arctic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations,
      using a computationally efficient numerical uncertainty technique applied to the
      global-scale chemical transport model GEOS-Chem. Using polynomial chaos (PC)
      methods, we propagate uncertainties in physicochemical properties and emissions
      for the PAHs benzo[a]pyrene, pyrene and phenanthrene to simulated spatially
      resolved concentration uncertainties. We find that the leading contributors to
      parametric uncertainty in simulated concentrations are the black carbon-air
      partition coefficient and oxidation rate constant for benzo[a]pyrene, and the
      oxidation rate constants for phenanthrene and pyrene. NH geometric average
      concentrations are more sensitive to uncertainty in the atmospheric lifetime than
      to emissions rate. We use the PC expansions and measurement data to constrain
      parameter uncertainty distributions to observations. This narrows a priori
      parameter uncertainty distributions for phenanthrene and pyrene, and leads to
      higher values for OH oxidation rate constants and lower values for European PHE
      emission rates. 

PMID- 26110216
TI  - Glenohumeral dislocation with a proximal humerus physeal fracture.

PMID- 26110217
TI  - Arch of the foot and postural balance in young judokas and peers.
AB  - Twenty-nine male judocas and nontraining peers participated in this study. The
      arch of the foot (as Clarke's angular values) was measured under non-weight
      bearing conditions in two-leg and one-leg stands. Postural balance was assessed
      by the Flamingo balance test. Judocas presented better static balance and higher
      arches of the foot. Significant differences in Clarke's angular values in a
      sitting and standing on two-leg position were found in both groups. After
      transition to a one-leg stand, the height of the arches of the foot in
      nontraining participants was still significantly decreased. Weight bearing did
      not affect Clarke's angular values in judokas. A correlation was found between
      the Flamingo test and Clarke's angle. Better balance was observed in adolescents
      with higher arch of the foot. 

PMID- 26110218
TI  - Acute, unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis with associated congenital coxa
      vara.
AB  - Slipped capital femoral epiphysis in patients younger than 10 years is rare and
      is often associated with some identifiable metabolic or endocrinologic
      abnormality. We present a case of a 5-year-old girl with an acute, unstable,
      severe slipped capital femoral epiphysis associated with congenital coxa vara and
      its surgical management. This association has not been described in previous
      literature. Surgical treatment is proposed and described. 

PMID- 26110219
TI  - Variation in practice habits in the treatment of pediatric distal radius
      fractures.
AB  - Distal radius fractures are widespread in the pediatric population. Standardized
      treatment protocols have not been well defined. We sought to examine the
      diversity of current practice patterns in the treatment of these fractures by
      surveying hand, pediatric, and general orthopedic surgeons. Hand, pediatric, and
      general orthopedic surgeons were surveyed using an internet-based questionnaire
      on the management of pediatric distal radius fractures. Each surgeon was asked to
      select a criterion from among choices of 'acceptable' alignment criteria at the
      onset of the survey. Ten cases were then provided to represent a broad spectrum
      of injuries from minimally angulated torus fractures to complete, displaced
      fractures. In addition to the variation in injury pattern, the patients in the
      survey differed in age at the time of injury (3-15 years of age). For each case,
      surgeons were asked to select a preferred treatment, first on the basis of injury
      films, and then again after reviewing 1-week follow-up radiographs. A total of
      781 surgeons completed the survey. In patients younger than 9 years of age, a
      residual sagittal angulation of 20 degrees  or less, coronal angulation of 10
      degrees  or less, and 1 cm or less of bayonet apposition was deemed 'acceptable'
      by 88, 90, and 69% of respondents, respectively. In older patients, these
      percentages were 58, 64, and 29%, respectively. When specific cases were
      reviewed, 20.3% of surgeons recommended treatment different from their own
      theoretical 'acceptable' criteria. When subspecialty training was analyzed, hand
      surgeons and general orthopedic surgeons were 2.9 and 1.6 times more likely to
      recommend surgery, respectively, as compared with pediatric surgeons after
      viewing the initial radiograph. Private practice surgeons were 1.5 times more
      likely to recommend surgery compared with academic surgeons based on the initial
      injury radiographs. Our survey highlights the discordance between theoretical
      acceptable criteria of surgeons and their practice habits, as well as the
      substantial disparities in treatment recommendations based on subspecialty
      training. Further study is warranted to determine whether these variations in
      treatment affect patient outcomes. This survey is a level IV observational study.

PMID- 26110221
TI  - Methadone Medical Maintenance: An Early 21st-Century Perspective.
AB  - Methadone medical maintenance is the treatment of stable methadone-maintained
      patients in primary care physicians' offices under an exemption from federal
      methadone regulations. Reports from seven such programs in six states show high
      retention and low frequencies of illicit drug use. Patients and physicians
      indicate high levels of satisfaction. Although methadone maintenance has a long
      history of safety and efficacy, most methadone medical maintenance programs are
      no longer operating or accepting new patients. Federal regulations for standard
      methadone clinics allow some features of methadone medical maintenance, and
      advocacy for state approval of these changes is strongly recommended. 

PMID- 26110220
TI  - Practical review of immunizations in adult patients with cancer.
AB  - Compared with the general population, patients with cancer in general are more
      susceptible to vaccine-preventable infections, either by an increased risk due to
      the malignancy itself or immunosuppressive treatment. The goal of immunizations
      in these patients is therefore to provide protection against these infections,
      and to decrease the number of vulnerable patients who can disseminate these
      organisms. The proper timing of immunization with cancer treatment is key to
      achieving better vaccine protection. As the oncology field continues to advance,
      leading to better quality of life and longer survival, immunization and other
      aspects of preventive medicine ought to move to the frontline in the care of
      these patients. Herein, we review the vaccines most clinically relevant to
      patients with cancer, as well as special cases including vaccines after
      splenectomy, travel immunization and recommendations for family members. 

PMID- 26110222
TI  - Hyperactivity and lack of social discrimination in the adolescent Fmr1 knockout
      mouse.
AB  - The aims of this study were to investigate behaviour relevant to human autism
      spectrum disorder (ASD) and the fragile X syndrome in adolescent Fmr1 knockout
      (KO) mice and to evaluate the tissue levels of striatal monoamines. Fmr1 KO mice
      were evaluated in the open field, marble burying and three-chamber test for the
      presence of hyperactivity, anxiety, repetitive behaviour, sociability and
      observation of social novelty compared with wild-type (WT) mice. The Fmr1 KO mice
      expressed anxiety and hyperactivity in the open field compared with WT mice. This
      increased level of hyperactivity was confirmed in the three-chamber test. Fmr1 KO
      mice spent more time with stranger mice compared with the WT. However, after a
      correction for hyperactivity, their apparent increase in sociability became
      identical to that of the WT. Furthermore, the Fmr1 KO mice could not
      differentiate between a familiar or a novel mouse. Monoamines were measured by
      HPLC: Fmr1 KO mice showed an increase in the striatal dopamine level. We conclude
      that the fragile X syndrome model seems to be useful for understanding certain
      aspects of ASD and may have translational interest for studies of social
      behaviour when hyperactivity coexists in ASD patients. 

PMID- 26110223
TI  - Neuroanatomical dichotomy of sexual behaviors in rodents: a special emphasis on
      brain serotonin.
AB  - Much of the social behavior in which rodents engage is related to reproduction,
      such as maintaining a breeding territory, seeking mates, mating, and caring for
      their young. Rodents belong to the internally fertilizing species that require
      sexual behavior for reproduction. The dyadic, heterosexual patterns of most
      mammalian species are sexually dimorphic, but they also share mutual components
      in both sexes: sexual attraction is reciprocal, sexual initiative is assumed,
      appetitive behavior is engaged in, and mating involves consummatory and
      postconsummatory phases in females as well as in males. Serotonin, a
      phylogenetically ancient molecule, is the most widely distributed
      neurotransmitter in the brain and its signaling pathways are essential for
      numerous functions including sexual behavior. Since the late 1960s, brain
      serotonergic neurotransmission has been considered to exert an inhibitory
      influence on the neural mechanisms mediating sexual behavior. This contention was
      based mainly on the observations that a decrease in central serotonergic activity
      facilitated the elicitation of sexual behavior, whereas an increase in central
      serotonergic activity attenuated it. However, the discovery of over 14 types of
      serotonin receptors has added numerous layers of complexity to the study of
      serotonin and sexual behavior. Evidence shows that, upon activation, certain
      receptor subtypes facilitate, whereas some others suppress, sexual behavior, as
      well as sexual arousal and motivation. Furthermore, the role of these receptors
      has been shown to be different in the male and female sexes. The use of
      serotonergic pharmacological interventions, mouse strains with genetic
      polymorphisms causing alterations in the levels of brain serotonin, and animal
      models with genetic manipulations of various serotonin effectors has helped
      delineate the fundamental role of this neurotransmitter in the regulation of
      sexual behavior. This review aims to examine the basics of the components of
      female and male sexual behavior and the participation of the serotonin system in
      the modulation of these behaviors, with emphasis on rodents. 

PMID- 26110225
TI  - Effects of long-term agomelatine treatment on the cognitive performance and
      hippocampal plasticity of adult rats.
AB  - Agomelatine is an antidepressant with a distinct pharmacological mechanism of
      action as an MT1 and MT2 receptor agonist and as a 5-HT2C receptor antagonist. We
      evaluated the chronic effects of agomelatine administration (40 mg/kg, 20 weeks)
      on the cognitive performance of rats in the Morris water maze task. We applied
      unbiased stereological quantification methods to estimate the total numbers of
      granular and pyramidal neurons located in the dorsal hippocampus. We also
      analyzed the dendritic spines of pyramidal neurons in the CA1 region using the
      Golgi-Cox impregnation method. The agomelatine-treated group found the hidden
      platform more quickly than did the control group and spent significantly more
      time in the target quadrant. Agomelatine administration caused significant
      volumetric and numerical enhancements in granular and pyramidal neurons in the
      dentate gyrus and CA1-3 subregions, respectively. Increased densities of the
      mushroom and stubby types of spines, with no alteration in the thin-shaped
      spines, were observed in the agomelatine-treated group. These results showed that
      long-term agomelatine administration induced a nootropic effect supported by
      structural changes. Enhancement of the more stable types of dendritic spines
      might indicate improved adaptive capacity in hippocampal neurons. Future studies
      will provide a better understanding of the effect of this drug on synaptic
      plasticity. 

PMID- 26110226
TI  - Delay discounting, self-control, and substance use among adult drug court
      participants.
AB  - The current study examined the relationship between two measures of impulsiveness
      and the odds of substance use among a sample of participants on an Australian
      drug court (n=80). Participants completed a computer-based delay discounting
      task, a paper-based delay discounting task, and a questionnaire-based measure of
      self-control. The delay discounting tasks measured individual differences in the
      value attributed to distal outcomes, which is one aspect of impulsive behavior
      that has been found to be over-represented among illicit drug users. The
      relationship between the measures of impulsiveness and the odds of substance use
      was assessed by fitting longitudinal panel regression models with adjustment for
      informative treatment dropout. Consistent with previous research, drug court
      participants were found to have higher discount rates (i.e. were more impulsive)
      than a noncriminal population of university students (n=101). Drug court
      participants also discounted delayed gains more than delayed losses. Delay
      discounting was not significantly associated with the odds of substance use on
      the drug court program. There was a positive relationship between the survey
      based measure of impulsivity and the mean substance use frequency. The authors
      conclude that impulsivity is correlated with substance use among drug court
      participants but not when measuring impulsivity using a delay discounting
      paradigm. 

PMID- 26110224
TI  - Effects of acute and chronic social defeat stress are differentially mediated by
      the dynorphin/kappa-opioid receptor system.
AB  - Accumulating evidence indicates that kappa-opioid receptors (KORs) and their
      endogenous ligand, dynorphin (DYN), can play important roles in regulating the
      effects of stress. Here, we examined the role of KOR systems in the molecular and
      behavioral effects of acute (1-day) and chronic (10-day) social defeat stress
      (SDS) in mice. We found that acute SDS increased DYN mRNA levels within the
      nucleus accumbens, a key element of brain dopamine (DA) systems. In contrast,
      chronic SDS produced long-lasting decreases in DYN mRNA levels. We then examined
      whether disruption of KOR function would affect development of SDS-induced
      depressive-like behaviors, as measured in the intracranial self-stimulation and
      social interaction tests. Ablation of KORs from DA transporter-expressing neurons
      delayed the development of SDS-induced anhedonia in the intracranial self
      stimulation test, suggesting increased stress resilience. However, administration
      of the long-lasting KOR antagonist JDTic (30 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) before the
      SDS regimen did not affect anhedonia, suggesting that disruption of KOR function
      outside DA systems can oppose stress resilience. Social avoidance behavior
      measured after the 10-day SDS regimen was not altered by ablation of KORs in DA
      transporter-expressing neurons or by JDTic administration before testing. Our
      findings indicate that KORs expressed in DA systems regulate the effects of
      acute, but not chronic, social stress. 

PMID- 26110227
TI  - Serum Inflammatory Cytokine Markers of Invasive Fungal Infection in Previously
      Immunocompetent Battle Casualties.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Invasive fungal infection (IFI) is described increasingly in
      individuals experiencing high-energy military trauma. Hallmarks of successful
      treatment involve aggressive surgical debridement and early initiation of
      systemic antimicrobial therapy. Currently, intravenous anti-fungal therapy
      commences based on appearance of wounds and patient's clinical course. Whereas
      some clinical protocols exist to predict which critically injured patients should
      receive anti-fungal therapies, there are no established serum markers associated
      with IFI. Our hypothesis is that serum inflammatory cytokines exist that can
      assist in identifying individuals at risk for IFI. METHODS: This is a
      retrospective case control study at a single institution. Nine patients with IFI
      (Saksenaea vasiformis, Fusarium sp., Graphium sp., Scedosporium sp., Aspergillus
      sp., Mucor sp., and Alternaria sp.) after battlefield trauma were matched to nine
      individuals with similar injury patterns whose laboratory results were negative
      for IFI. The combination of serum inflammatory cytokines from the first and
      second debridements was examined with multiplex platform proteomic analysis. We
      defined statistical significance as a two-tailed alpha<0.05 after adjusting for
      multiple comparisons using the false discovery rate method. This model was
      refined further with correlation-based filter selection and the area under the
      curve of the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) was tested. RESULTS: Both
      groups had similar Injury Severity Scores (ISS) (mean+/-standard deviation [SD])
      (26.8+/-15.5 vs. 29.2+/-16.8, p=0.766). Elevated RANTES (regulated on activation,
      normal T cell expressed and secreted) alone (10,492.8+/-4,450.1 vs. 5,333.3+/
      4,162.2, p=0.006) correlated with IFI. Also, the combination of persistent
      elevations in RANTES, interleukin (IL)-2R, and IL-15 was a robust model for
      predicting IFI with the AUROC being 0.9. CONCLUSIONS: Elevation in serum
      cytokines, particularly RANTES, correlated with IFI in this small group of
      patients. This demonstrates the potential of future rapid serum testing for early
      initiation and guidance of anti-fungal therapies.

PMID- 26110230
TI  - Treadmill Training or Progressive Strength Training to Improve Walking in People
      with Multiple Sclerosis? A Randomized Parallel Group Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The most effective treatment approach to improve walking
      in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is not known. The aim of this trial was to
      assess the efficacy of treadmill training and progressive strength training on
      walking in people with MS. METHODS: A single blinded randomized parallel group
      trial was carried out. Eligible participants were adults with MS with Expanded
      Disability Status Scale score <=6. A total of 29 participants were randomized and
      28 received the allocated exercise intervention, treadmill (n = 13) or strength
      training (n = 15). Both groups exercised 30 minutes, three times a week for 8
      weeks. Primary outcome was The Functional Ambulation Profile evaluated by the
      GAITRite walkway. Secondary outcomes were walking work economy and balance
      control during walking, measured by a small lightweight accelerometer connected
      to the lower back. Testing was performed at baseline and the subsequent week
      after completion of training. RESULTS: Two participants were lost to follow-up,
      and 11 (treadmill) and 15 (strength training) were left for analysis. The
      treadmill group increased their Functional Ambulation Profile score significantly
      compared with the strength training group (p = .037). A significant improvement
      in walking work economy (p = .024) and a reduction of root mean square of
      vertical acceleration (p = .047) also favoured the treadmill group. DISCUSSION:
      The results indicate that task-specific training by treadmill walking is a
      favourable approach compared with strength training to improve walking in persons
      with mild and moderate MS. Implications for Physiotherapy practice, this study
      adds knowledge for the decision of optimal treatment approaches in people with
      MS. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26110231
TI  - Best friends and better coping: Facilitating psychological resilience through
      boys' and girls' closest friendships.
AB  - This is a novel investigation of whether, and how, a single close supportive
      friendship may facilitate psychological resilience in socio-economically
      vulnerable British adolescents. A total of 409 adolescents (160 boys, 245 girls,
      four unknown), aged between 11 and 19 years, completed self-report measures of
      close friendship quality, psychological resilience, social support, and other
      resources. Findings revealed a significant positive association between perceived
      friendship quality and resilience. This relationship was facilitated through
      inter-related mechanisms of developing a constructive coping style (comprised of
      support-seeking and active coping), effort, a supportive friendship network, and
      reduced disengaged and externalising coping. While protective processes were
      encouragingly significantly present across genders, boys were more vulnerable to
      the deleterious effects of disengaged and externalizing coping than girls. We
      suggest that individual close friendships are an important potential protective
      mechanism accessible to most adolescents. We discuss implications of the
      resulting Adolescent Friendship and Resilience Model for resilience theories and
      integration into practice. 

PMID- 26110232
TI  - The effect of genotypes and parent of origin on cancer risk and age of cancer
      development in PMS2 mutation carriers.
AB  - PURPOSE: Lynch syndrome (LS), a heritable disorder with an increased risk of
      primarily colorectal cancer (CRC) and endometrial cancer (EC), can be caused by
      mutations in the PMS2 gene. We wished to establish whether genotype and/or parent
      of-origin effects (POE) explain (part of) the reported variability in severity of
      the phenotype. METHODS: European PMS2 mutation carriers (n = 381) were grouped
      and compared based on RNA expression and whether the mutation was inherited
      paternally or maternally. RESULTS: Mutation carriers with loss of RNA expression
      (group 1) had a significantly lower age at CRC diagnosis (51.1 years vs. 60.0
      years, P = 0.035) and a lower age at EC diagnosis (55.8 years vs. 61.0 years, P =
      0.2, nonsignificant) compared with group 2 (retention of RNA expression).
      Furthermore, group 1 showed slightly higher, but nonsignificant, hazard ratios
      (HRs) for both CRC (HR: 1.31, P = 0.38) and EC (HR: 1.22, P = 0.72). No evidence
      for a significant parent-of-origin effect was found for either CRC or EC.
      CONCLUSIONS: PMS2 mutation carriers with retention of RNA expression developed
      CRC 9 years later than those with loss of RNA expression. If confirmed, this
      finding would justify a delay in surveillance for these cases. Cancer risk was
      not influenced by a parent-of-origin effect.Genet Med 18 4, 405-409.

PMID- 26110233
TI  - Health-care professionals' responsibility to patients' relatives in genetic
      medicine: a systematic review and synthesis of empirical research.
AB  - PURPOSE: The extent of the responsibility of health-care professionals (HCPs) to
      ensure that patients' relatives are told of their risk is unclear. Current
      international guidelines take confidentiality to the individual patient as the
      default position, but some suggest that disclosure could be default and genetic
      information could be conceptualized as familial. METHODS: Our systematic review
      and synthesis of 17 studies explored the attitudes of HCPs, patients, and the
      public regarding the extent of HCPs' responsibility to relatives with respect to
      disclosure. RESULTS: Health-care professionals generally felt a responsibility to
      patients' relatives but perceived a variety of reasons why it would be difficult
      to act on this responsibility. Public/patient views were more wide-ranging.
      Participants identified several competing and overlapping arguments for and
      against HCP disclosure: guidelines do not permit/mandate it, privacy, medical
      benefit, impact on family dynamics, quality of communication, and respecting
      autonomy. CONCLUSION: We argue that HCPs can sometimes share genetic information
      without breaching confidentiality and that they could factor into their
      considerations the potential harm to family dynamics of nondisclosure. However,
      we need more nuanced research about their responsibilities to relatives,
      particularly as genomic tests are used more frequently in clinical practice.Genet
      Med 18 4, 290-301.

PMID- 26110234
TI  - High-Internal-Phase Emulsion Tailoring Polymer Amphiphilicity towards an
      Efficient NIR-Sensitive Bacteria Filter.
AB  - Emulsions having a high internal-phase volume fraction-termed as HIPEs for high
      internal phase emulsions-are in high demand as templates for functional
      macroporous materials. Designing molecular surfactants with appropriate
      amphiphilicity plays a critical role in the HIPE preparation. In this study,
      successful tailoring of the amphiphilicity of the originally hydrophobic block co
      polymer of polystyrene-b-polyvinylpyridine (PS-b-P4VP) is reported. In
      combination with trifluoroacetic acid, less than 5 wt% of the polymer-CF3COOH
      system is feasible as a surfactant for HIPE preparation; this is lower than the
      amounts typically needed for commonly used commercial surfactants. Using the
      HIPEs as templates, well-defined closed- and open-cell macroporous triacrylate
      based monoliths are fabricated simply through the adjustment of the ratio of the
      water phase to oil phase. After coating the resulting macroporous material with
      polypyrrole nanoparticles, the system can be exploited as an NIR-sensitive filter
      for bacteria; it not only excludes oversized bacteria, but it also kills the
      bacteria with the help of NIR-induced heat.

PMID- 26110235
TI  - Association of claudin2 and PRSS1-PRSS2 polymorphisms with idiopathic recurrent
      acute and chronic pancreatitis: A case-control study from India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gene polymorphisms, including those recently described in the
      claudin2 gene, have been implicated in recurrent acute (RAP) and chronic
      pancreatitis (CP). In India, RAP and CP have been associated with SPINK1
      polymorphism. In this study, we evaluated the association of claudin2 and PRSS1
      PRSS2 polymorphisms with idiopathic RAP and CP. METHODS: We included 101
      prospectively followed patients with documented idiopathic RAP (IRAP) and 96
      patients who presented with idiopathic chronic pancreatitis (ICP) without
      previous history of AP. Controls were 156 unrelated individuals undergoing master
      health check or with non-specific symptoms. All the samples were genotyped for
      the SNPs rs7057398 in the claudin2 (CLDN2) gene and rs10273639 in the PRSS1 gene
      on Realtime polymerase chain reaction platform. Clinical data pertaining to
      patient and disease characteristics were recorded. RESULTS: Claudin2 and PRSS1
      polymorphisms were seen in a significantly higher proportion of female patients
      (P = 0.01 and 0.039, respectively). Thirty-three (32.7%) patients with IRAP
      developed features of early CP during follow-up (mean [95% confidence interval,
      CI] duration of 11.3 [8.9-13.7] months). Female patients with claudin2
      (rs7057398) CC genotype were at significantly higher risk for IRAP (odds ratio
      [OR] [95% CI] 6.75 [1.82-23.67]; P = 0.004) and progression from IRAP to CP (OR
      [95% CI] 7.05 [1.51-33.01]; P = 0.007). CT genotype of PRSS1 (rs10273639) was
      associated IRAP (OR [95% CI] 2.59 [1.1-6.13]; P = 0.030), and both CT and CC
      genotypes with ICP in women (OR [95% CI] 2.86 [1.12-7.31]; P = 0.033 and 3.73
      [1.03-13.59]; P = 0.048, respectively). CONCLUSION: In this study, we have
      demonstrated the association of claudin2 (rs7057398) polymorphism with IRAP and
      progression of IRAP to CP, and PRSS1 (rs10273639) polymorphism with IRAP and ICP.

PMID- 26110237
TI  - Stoichiometric and catalytic inter- and intramolecular hydroamination of terminal
      alkynes by frustrated Lewis pairs.
AB  - Frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) based on sterically encumbered anilines and the
      Lewis acid B(C6 F5 )3 were found to react with terminal alkynes effecting
      intermolecular hydroamination affording iminium alkynylborate species of the form
      [RPhN?C(R')Me][R'CCB(C6 F5 )3 ]. In these cases, the reagent ratio of borane,
      aniline, and alkyne is 1:1:2. These reactions could also be performed in an
      intramolecular fashion by using anilines with alkynyl substituents effecting
      cyclization reactions. The use of 10 mol % B(C6 F5 )3 under a H2 atmosphere
      provides a one-pot synthesis of the pyrrolidine 12, the piperidines 13-15, the
      azepane 16, the isoindoline 17, and the benzoxazine 18. 

PMID- 26110236
TI  - Characteristics of Extended-Spectrum beta-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli in
      Retail Meats and Shrimp at a Local Market in Vietnam.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Contamination of food with multiantibiotic-resistant bacteria,
      particularly extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae, is considered a potential source for the wide dissemination
      of ESBL-producing bacteria in communities. However, little is known about the
      extent of contamination of food with ESBL-producing bacteria in Vietnam.
      OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to assess the characteristics of ESBL
      producing Escherichia coli isolated from retail meats and shrimp in Nha Trang,
      Vietnam. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 350 food samples (poultry [n=143],
      pork [n=147], and shrimp [n=60]) were purchased in July and November 2013 from a
      local market. ESBL-producing E. coli were isolated, and ESBL genotypes,
      phylogenetic groups, and antibiotic resistance profiles were determined. RESULTS:
      The prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli in retail foods was 40.6%. beta
      Lactamase-encoding genes of the CTX-M-1 (50.7%), CTX-M-9 (41.5%), TEM (59.9%),
      and SHV (2.8%) groups were detected singly or in combination. The percentages of
      single ESBL isolates harboring CTX-M-1 or -9 plus TEM groups were 35.2% and
      16.2%, respectively. B1 was the most prevalent phylogroup in ESBL isolates from
      pork (44.7%), poultry (55.9%), and shrimp (72.7%). B2 was the least prevalent
      (4.2% and 4.8% for pork and poultry isolates, respectively). The prevalence of
      multidrug resistance (MDR; resistance to >= 3 antimicrobial groups) in ESBL
      producing E. coli isolated from food was 85.9%. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This
      is the first report of the characteristics of ESBL-producing E. coli in retail
      foods in a local city in Vietnam. Our findings indicate that retail foods are
      contaminated with ESBL-producing E. coli, of which many were MDR. Further
      monitoring and public health efforts targeting food administration are needed to
      control the spread of ESBL-producing bacteria in communities.

PMID- 26110239
TI  - Discontinuation of Inhaled Corticosteroids in COPD and the Risk Reduction of
      Pneumonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The widespread use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) for COPD
      treatment has been questioned. Recent studies of weaning some patients with COPD
      off ICSs found little or no adverse consequences compared with long-acting
      bronchodilators. It is unclear, however, whether discontinuation of ICSs reduces
      the elevated risk of pneumonia associated with these drugs. METHODS: Using the
      Quebec health insurance databases, we formed a new-user cohort of patients with
      COPD treated with ICSs during 1990 to 2005 and followed through 2007 or until a
      serious pneumonia event, defined as a first hospitalization for or death from
      pneumonia. A nested case-control analysis of the cohort was used to estimate the
      rate ratio of serious pneumonia associated with discontinuation of ICS use
      compared with continued use, adjusted for age, sex, respiratory disease severity,
      and comorbidity. RESULTS: The cohort included 103,386 users of ICSs, of whom
      14,020 had a serious pneumonia event during 4.9 years of follow-up (incidence
      rate, 2.8/100/y). Discontinuation of ICSs was associated with a 37% decrease in
      the rate of serious pneumonia (rate ratio [RR], 0.63; 95% CI, 0.60-0.66). The
      risk reduction was rapidly evident, going from 20% in the first month to 50% by
      the fourth month after discontinuation. The risk reduction was particularly
      marked with fluticasone (RR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.54-0.61) but less so with budesonide
      (RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78-0.97). CONCLUSIONS: Discontinuation of ICS use in COPD is
      associated with a reduction in the elevated risk of serious pneumonia,
      particularly so with fluticasone.

PMID- 26110238
TI  - Increased excitability of medium-sized dorsal root ganglion neurons by prolonged
      interleukin-1beta exposure is K(+) channel dependent and reversible.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Neuropathic pain resulting from peripheral nerve injury is initiated
      and maintained by persistent ectopic activity in primary afferent neurons.
      Sciatic nerve injury increases the excitability of medium-sized dorsal root
      ganglion (DRG) neurons. Levels of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin 1beta (IL
      1beta) increase and peak after 7 days. Five to six days of exposure of medium
      sized DRG neurons to 100 pm IL-1beta promotes persistent increases in
      excitability which abate within 3-4 days of cytokine removal. This is associated
      with a profound attenuation of K(+) channel currents but only modest increases in
      function of cyclic nucleotide-sensitive hyperpolarization-activated channels
      (HCNs) and of voltage-gated Na(+) and Ca(2+) channel currents. It is unlikely,
      therefore, that direct interaction of IL-1beta with DRG neurons is capable of
      initiating an enduring phenotypic shift in their electrophysiological properties
      that follows sciatic nerve injury. The findings also underline the importance of
      K(+) channel modulation in the actions of inflammatory mediators on peripheral
      neurons. ABSTRACT: Chronic constriction injury of rat sciatic nerve promotes
      signs of neuropathic pain. This is associated with an increase in the level of
      interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) in primary afferents that peaks at 7 days. This
      initial cytokine exposure has been proposed to trigger an enduring alteration in
      neuronal phenotype that underlies chronic hyper-excitability in sensory nerves,
      which initiates and maintains chronic neuropathic pain. We have shown previously
      that 5-6 days of exposure of rat dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) to 100 pm IL-1beta
      increases the excitability of medium-sized neurons. We have now found using whole
      cell recording that this increased excitability reverts to control levels within
      3-4 days of cytokine removal. The effects of IL-1beta were dominated by changes
      in K(+) currents. Thus, the amplitudes of A-current, delayed rectifier and Ca(2+)
      -sensitive K(+) currents were reduced by ~68%, ~64% and ~36%, respectively.
      Effects of IL-1beta on other cation currents were modest by comparison. There was
      thus a slight decrease in availability of high voltage-activated Ca(2+) channel
      current, a small increase in rates of activation of hyperpolarization-activated
      cyclic nucleotide-gated channel current (IH ), and a shift in the voltage
      dependence of activation of tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium current (TTX-S INa ) to
      more negative potentials. It is unlikely, therefore, that direct interaction of
      IL-1beta with DRG neurons initiates an enduring phenotypic shift in their
      electrophysiological properties following sciatic nerve injury. Persistent
      increases in primary afferent excitability following nerve injury may instead
      depend on altered K(+) channel function and on the continued presence of slightly
      elevated levels IL-1beta and other cytokines.

PMID- 26110240
TI  - [The Primary Health Care Situation in Saxony-Anhalt. Perception, Description and
      Evaluation of Local Health Care Problems by Mayors].
AB  - Background: The combination of ageing general practitioners and a shortage of
      young doctors is having a negative effect on primary health care in almost all
      municipalities in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The communities are finding
      it progressively more difficult to safeguard the provision of primary health
      care. To solve these problems, they have neither the appropriate skills nor
      sufficient funding. The aim of this study was to ask mayors in Saxony-Anhalt to
      describe and evaluate local primary health-care systems from their perspective.
      Method: In June of 2013, all 124 full-time mayors in Saxony-Anhalt were asked by
      e-mail to participate in a web-based survey. The questionnaire was broken down
      into the categories: "socio-demographics", "health-care system in the
      communities", "causes and measures taken to deal with health-care problems",
      "development of the primary health-care system" and "cooperation". The data were
      descriptively analysed using IBM Statistics SPSS. Results: The response rate was
      51.6% (n=64). For 87.5% of the respondents the primary health-care system is an
      important location factor in their community. 45.3% consider it their duty to
      ensure the provision of local health care. However, 42.6% of the polled mayors
      believe the infrastructure in their community to be too unattractive to convince
      young general practitioners to settle down there. In the next 10 years, 75.0% of
      the respondents expect the provision of primary health care to deteriorate
      further. Conclusions: In view of local deficits, the polled municipalities are
      very interested in safeguarding the continued existence of primary health care.
      As local experts, communities should get more involved in planning and decision
      making processes.

PMID- 26110241
TI  - [Current Status of Medical Care for Nursing Home Residents in Germany - Results
      of an Empirical Study].
AB  - Following recent studies revealing deficits in general and specialised medical
      care of nursing home residents in Germany, the discussion on the quality of
      medical care of residents in residential care facilities has intensified in the
      past years. As a result, political efforts have been undertaken to facilitate
      improvements in this context. We collected data on the health status and medical
      care of 778 residents from 8 nursing homes in order to investigate the current
      situation regarding medical care for nursing home residents in Germany. Most of
      them were multimorbid, taking several prescribed medications. Our results showed
      that about 91% of the residents had personal contact to general practitioners or
      internists quarterly and only 1.3% had no such contacts within a year. The
      frequency of contacts to other medical specialists was comparably low. For
      example, within a year, only 18.9% of the residents had contact to urologists;
      only 16.7% had contact to ophthalmologists; only 39.6% had contact to dentists
      and only 10.6% of the female residents had contact to gynaecologists. Despite the
      fact that many of the residents showed specific medical care needs, these rates
      were below the utilisation rates of older population groups not living in long
      term care homes. This leads to the conclusion that previous efforts to optimise
      medical care in nursing homes were only partially successful. Well known deficits
      are still remaining. Considering potential consequences for residents, further
      and consequent actions are required to improve the general and specialised
      medical care in institutionalised long-term care.

PMID- 26110242
TI  - [Appraisal of Educational Programmes and Qualifications of Health
      Occupations/Professions: A European Comparison - Main Results and Conclusions].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This is about some results of a study called "Appraisal of the
      educational programmes and qualifications of health professions: a European
      Comparison" (in short: GesinE). It was carried out in the years 2009-2013,
      commissioned by the BMBF and supported by the BIBB. It is focussed on Germany,
      France, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Austria. The objectives have been (i)
      an inventory and comparative international synoptic presentation of education
      programmes of 16 health professions, (ii) a comparative international
      qualification analysis for the professions of radiographer, physiotherapist and
      nurse and (iii) the exposure of key aspects of the health-care and education
      systems in the compared countries. METHODS: This is a comparative multi-sectional
      study for which a mixed methods approach with qualitative and quantitative
      elements was used. RESULTS: According to the results of this study it is
      necessary that current qualification paths and competence profiles of the health
      professions are developed continuously in Germany. In this process the German
      education and the secondary education sector should not be underrated. At the
      same time the results suggest that there are advantages in some aspects in the
      academic education (which is the norm for most of the analysed professions in the
      surveyed countries) compared to the existing education programmes in the
      secondary sector. This in particular applies to the competence for finding and
      transferring scientific knowledge into practice and for implementing reflected
      processes for decision making. CONCLUSIONS: The results improve the basis of the
      current debate in Germany about the development and reorganisation of the
      profiles of health professions and their qualification in a European context.

PMID- 26110243
TI  - [Patients' Priorities in the Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumours: An Analytical
      Hierarchy Process].
AB  - Background: Neuroendocrine tumours (NET) are relatively rare, usually slow
      growing malignant tumours. So far there are no data on the patient
      preferences/priorities regarding the therapy for NET. This empirical study aimed
      at the elicitation of patient priorities in the drug treatment of NET. Method:
      Qualitative patient interviews (N=9) were conducted. To elicit the patient's
      perspective regarding various treatment aspects of NET a self-administered
      questionnaire using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was developed. The
      data collection was carried out using paper questionnaires supported by an item
      response system in a group discussion. To evaluate the patient-relevant outcomes,
      the eigenvector method was applied. Results: N=24 patients, experts and relatives
      participated in the AHP survey. In the AHP all respondents had clear priorities
      for all considered attributes. The attribute "overall survival" was the most
      significant feature of a drug therapy for all respondents. As in the qualitative
      interviews, "efficacy attributes" dominated the side effects in the AHP as well.
      The evaluation of all participants thus showed the attributes "overall survival"
      (Wglobal:0.418), "progression-free survival" (Wglobal:0.172) and "response to
      treatment" (Wglobal:0.161) to be most relevant. "Occurrence of abdominal pain"
      (Wglobal:0.051) was ranked sixth, with "tiredness/fatigue" and "risk of a
      hypoglycaemia" (Wglobal:0.034) in a shared seventh place. Conclusion: The results
      thus provide evidence about how much influence a treatment capacity has on
      therapeutic decisions. Using the AHP major aspects of drug therapy from the
      perspective of those affected were captured, and positive and negative
      therapeutic properties could be related against each other. Based on the
      assessment of the patient's perspective further investigation must elicit patient
      preferences for NET drug therapy. In the context of a discrete choice experiment
      or another choice-based method of preference measurement, the results obtained
      here can be validated and the therapeutic features weighted according to their
      preferability.

PMID- 26110244
TI  - [Newborn Hearing Screening - Results of a Parental Survey in Saxony-Anhalt].
AB  - Background: In recent years quality assurance has become an essential part of
      today's health-care system in the wake of the modern patient-oriented quality
      management. With the statutory introduction of newborn hearing screening (NHS) in
      2009, a quality assurance of these early detection methods has become necessary.
      The aim of the study was to determine patient satisfaction in relation to the NHS
      in Saxony-Anhalt. Patients/Methods: During the period from November 2013 to April
      2014, 394 parents were retrospectively interviewed about their experiences and
      expectations in relation to the NHS, using a standardised questionnaire. In
      total, 21 child care centres and 6 paediatric primary care centres from all over
      Saxony-Anhalt were involved. Results: It turns out that the majority of parents
      are satisfied with the NHS and 97.7% are in favour of the offer of an NHS. Of the
      surveyed parents, 69.3% felt the information as sufficient. However, only 66.2%
      of parents took a closer look at the leaflet issued by the G-BA. In addition,
      17.7% of respondents are dissatisfied with the professional competence of the
      examining staff. Conclusion: The study shows that the general attitude among
      parents towards newborn hearing screening was very positive. They felt reassured
      by it although there are some aspects still open to criticism.

PMID- 26110245
TI  - [Development, Application and Evaluation of a Concept for Safe Patient
      Identification in Hospital - How can Knowledge Transfer Succeed?]
AB  - Aim of the Study: In order to minimise the risk of patient misidentification in
      clinical settings, the German Coalition for Patient Safety published
      recommendations for safety patient identification in 2008. The aim of this study
      was to develop, implement and evaluate a theoretical framework of knowledge
      transfer. The purpose of the framework was to enhance hospital staff's ability to
      apply the recommendations for safe patient identification in the daily routine of
      patient care. Method: A data bank-based research and literature review have been
      conducted. Research topics were: knowledge transfer, change management and
      implementation science. Within the application of the concept group interviews
      were held with hospital staff and the interview material was evaluated using
      content analysis. On this basis a tailored multifaceted implementation strategy
      has been developed and applied in 8 hospital wards of 4 hospitals belonging to a
      communal hospital concern. The evaluation of the developed knowledge transfer
      concept was conducted 4 weeks after the concept application with a written
      questionnaire. Results: The developed framework concept of knowledge translation
      consisted of 4 phases built on top of each other: initiation phase; analysis
      phase; implementation phase; evaluation phase. The multifaceted implementation
      strategy included 3 interventions: a poster, a computer-based training and a
      guideline for team meetings. The survey yielded responses from 56 individuals:
      96% declared that they know about the existence of the recommendations for safe
      patient identification; 86% said that they know about the content of the
      recommendations; 91% have striven to apply the recommendations in the daily
      routine of patient care; 71% stated that the recommendations for safe patient
      identification have become integral part in the daily routine of patient care. To
      become aware of the recommendations and its content the respondents have used on
      average 2.3 interventions, however the effect of the CBS was relatively small.
      Conclusion: The developed theoretical framework concept for knowledge transfer
      provides a way to integrate the recommendations for safe patient identification
      in the daily routine of patient care and to counteract risk factors promoting
      misidentification. Therefore a multifaceted implementation strategy is promising.

PMID- 26110246
TI  - [Mortality Related to Alcohol and Tobacco Consumption - A Benchmarking of
      Regional Trends and Levels].
AB  - STUDY AIM: Regional characteristics are being increasingly taken into account in
      studies on the determinants of health and health-care. A systematic observation
      and inclusion of regional particularities has, however, been absent from
      strategic planning and financing decisions to date. Furthermore, regional-level
      changes over time have, for the most part, not been considered in the existing
      studies. Accordingly, this article seeks to depict both the levels and trends in
      potentially avoidable mortality on the district level and to establish a
      benchmark that shows the theoretical goals for the reduction in avoidable deaths
      in each district. METHOD: Gender-specific and age-standardised potentially
      avoidable deaths were determined for each of the 413 German districts in the
      period from 2000 to 2008 on the basis of cause of death statistics provided by
      statistical agencies of the German federal states. Deaths due to lung cancer and
      alcohol-related diseases were taken into account as these are considered to be
      avoidable through primary prevention. The district-specific benchmark values were
      ascertained using 2 linear hierarchic nested models and tested for significance
      using an F-test. RESULTS: Overall, the lung cancer mortality was found to have
      declined amongst men and gradually increased amongst women during the time period
      under consideration. The benchmark for deaths from lung cancer in women shows
      that the increase in mortality is principally observed in West German and urban
      districts. In relation to the alcohol-related deaths we also see an east-west
      divide, with higher rates in eastern Germany. Shrinking districts in eastern
      Germany were able, however, to record a big reduction in rates in recent years.
      An unfortunate development in the trend of alcohol-related mortality in women was
      notably observed in regional areas of Bavaria. CONCLUSION: The analysis offers
      decision makers the possibility of pinpointing regions with high intervention
      need. Increasing lung cancer mortality rates in women living in cities points to,
      for example, a heightened need for anti-smoking campaigns in urban areas. In
      relation to alcohol-related diseases, a heightened need for target group-specific
      prevention was identified in East German districts as well as some districts in
      Bavaria.

PMID- 26110248
TI  - Modelling the mobility of positive ion clusters in normal liquid helium over
      large pressure ranges.
AB  - Positively charged helium clusters, also called 'snowballs', have been
      investigated within normal liquid helium. Thermodynamic state equations for ionic
      helium clusters in liquid helium have been developed, allowing us to discern the
      'hydrodynamic' radius for a wide range of hydrostatic pressures and temperatures.
      The mobilities derived from the cluster sizes using stokes law match experimental
      data with unsurpassed accuracy. For low pressures the compressibility of the
      cluster ions was found to be distinctly larger than the compressibility of solid
      helium suggesting that in this pressure range clusters are fully or partially
      liquid. 

PMID- 26110247
TI  - Strong inhibition of betanodavirus replication by ribavirin targeting RNA
      dependent RNA polymerase.

PMID- 26110249
TI  - Could we do better? Behavioural tracking on recommended consumer health websites.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examines behavioural tracking practices on consumer health
      websites, contrasting tracking on sites recommended by information professionals
      with tracking on sites returned by Google. METHODS: Two lists of consumer health
      websites were constructed: sites recommended by information professionals and
      sites returned by Google searches. Sites were divided into three groups according
      to source (Recommended-Only, Google-Only or both) and type (Government, Not-for
      Profit or Commercial). Behavioural tracking practices on each website were
      documented using a protocol that detected cookies, Web beacons and Flash cookies.
      The presence and the number of trackers that collect personal information were
      contrasted across source and type of site; a second set of analyses specifically
      examined Advertising trackers. RESULTS: Recommended-Only sites show lower levels
      of tracking - especially tracking by advertisers - than do Google-Only sites or
      sites found through both sources. Government and Not-for-Profit sites have fewer
      trackers, particularly from advertisers, than do Commercial sites. CONCLUSIONS:
      Recommended sites, especially those from Government or Not-for-Profit
      organisations, present a lower privacy threat than sites returned by Google
      searches. Nonetheless, most recommended websites include some trackers, and half
      include at least one Advertising tracker. IMPLICATIONS: To protect patron
      privacy, information professionals should examine the tracking practices of the
      websites they recommend.

PMID- 26110250
TI  - SDF-1 liposomes promote sustained cell proliferation in mouse diabetic wounds.
AB  - Chronic skin wounds are a common complication of diabetes. When standard wound
      care fails to heal such wounds, a promising approach consists of using
      decellularized matrices and other porous scaffold materials to promote the
      restoration of skin. Proper revascularization is critical for the efficacy of
      such materials in regenerative medicine. Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is
      a chemokine known to play a key role for angiogenesis in ischemic tissues. Herein
      we developed nanosized SDF-1 liposomes, which were then incorporated into
      decellularized dermis scaffolds used for skin wound healing applications. SDF-1
      peptide associated with liposomes with an efficiency of 80%, and liposomes were
      easily dispersed throughout the acellular dermis. Acellular dermis spiked with
      SDF-1 liposomes exhibited more persistent cell proliferation in the dermis,
      especially in CD31(+) areas, compared to acellular dermis spiked with free SDF-1,
      which resulted in increased improved wound closure at day 21, and increased
      granulation tissue thickness at day 28. SDF-1 liposomes may increase the
      performance of a variety of decellularized matrices used in tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26110251
TI  - Prescription patterns of inhaled corticosteroids for preschool children--A
      Norwegian register study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although guidelines for treatment of wheeze and asthma in preschool
      children are available, symptoms are overlapping and it may be difficult to
      decide which children should be given inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Previous
      studies suggest an inappropriate prescription pattern of ICS in this age group.
      We studied time trends of ICS use in preschool children in Norway during 2004
      2013 by age, gender and physician specialty, and the persistence of ICS use
      during preschool years. METHODS: Data were drawn from the Norwegian Prescription
      Database. The study population consisted of children <=5 years who were
      prescribed ICS (alone or in combination) during 2004-2013. RESULTS: The one-year
      prevalence of ICS use was generally high, and increased from 2004 to 2010, but
      decreased thereafter. The prevalence was highest in 2-year-olds (boys 12.9% and
      girls 9.3% in 2010) and declined by age, and higher among boys in all ages. 40
      50% of ICS users received only one prescription per year. The share of children
      with persistent use of ICS over several preschool years was low, irrespective of
      the age at the first prescription. The majority of prescriptions were given by
      general practitioners, increasing during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The
      prevalence of ICS prescription for preschool children was high, but with low
      persistence, suggesting that ICS are frequently given for intermittent asthma
      like symptoms. Asthma guidelines suggest a restrictive use of ICS during the
      first years of life, and the results may call for actions to better implement
      these guidelines.

PMID- 26110252
TI  - A Moderate Low-Carbohydrate Low-Calorie Diet Improves Lipid Profile, Insulin
      Sensitivity and Adiponectin Expression in Rats.
AB  - Calorie restriction (CR) via manipulating dietary carbohydrates has attracted
      increasing interest in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome. There
      is little consensus about the extent of carbohydrate restriction to elicit
      optimal results in controlling metabolic parameters. Our study will identify a
      better carbohydrate-restricted diet using rat models. Rats were fed with one of
      the following diets for 12 weeks: Control diet, 80% energy (34% carbohydrate
      reduced) and 60% energy (68% carbohydrate-reduced) of the control diet. Changes
      in metabolic parameters and expressions of adiponectin and peroxisome
      proliferator activator receptor gamma (PPARgamma) were identified. Compared to
      the control diet, 68% carbohydrate-reduced diet led to a decrease in serum
      triglyceride and increases inlow density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high
      density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and total cholesterol; a 34% carbohydrate
      reduced diet resulted in a decrease in triglycerides and an increase in HDL
      cholesterol, no changes however, were shown in LDL-cholesterol and total
      cholesterol; reductions in HOMA-IR were observed in both CR groups. Gene
      expressions of adiponectin and PPARgamma in adipose tissues were found
      proportionally elevated with an increased degree of energy restriction. Our study
      for the first time ever identified that a moderate-carbohydrate restricted diet
      is not only effective in raising gene expressions of adiponectin and PPARgamma
      which potentially lead to better metabolic conditions but is better at improving
      lipid profiles than a low-carbohydrate diet in rats. 

PMID- 26110253
TI  - A Novel Approach to Improving Fat Delivery in Neonatal Enteral Feeding.
AB  - Continuous infusion systems used for enteral nutrition support in the neonatal
      intensive care unit deliver as little as 60% of the fat in human milk to the
      neonate. This study determined the effect of mixing common feedings for preterm
      infants in the feeding bag and tubing on fat losses during enteral feeding.
      Laboratory models were developed to assess the contribution of various mixing
      techniques to delivered fat content. Fat content was measured periodically during
      feeding and compared to baseline measurements. A multistage approach
      incorporating a feeding bag inverter and a tubing circulation loop delivered >90%
      of milk fat when used in conjunction with a commercial continuous infusion
      system. With unfortified human milk, this approach delivered 91.9% +/- 1.5% of
      fat content over a one hour feed, significantly greater (p < 0.01) than 77.5% +/-
      2.2% delivered by continuous infusion controls (Mean +/- SEM). With fortified
      human milk, this approach delivered 92.1% +/- 2.4% of fat content, significantly
      greater (p < 0.01) than 79.4% +/- 1.0% delivered by a non-adapted infusion system
      (Mean +/- SEM). Mixing human milk during continuous infusion improves fat
      delivery, which may improve nutrition and growth outcomes in low birth weight
      neonates. 

PMID- 26110254
TI  - Association of pretreatment with antifungal medication and fungal resistance in
      the mycotic ulcer treatment trial I.

PMID- 26110256
TI  - Acceleration of Full-thickness Wound Healing in Porcine Model by Autologous
      Platelet Gel.
AB  - Controversy over efficacy of many wound treatments, particularly autologous
      platelet gel (APG), is common. The objective of this study was to determine if
      autologous platelet gel would accelerate the healing process of full-thickness
      cutaneous wounds in a porcine model. Autologous platelet gel with a ratio of 10:4
      was created using 10 cc platelet-rich plasma and 4 cc autologous thrombin rich
      plasma. A punch was used to create 24 full-thickness, cutaneous round wounds on
      each flank of a neutered pig and were treated with APG on 1 side versus 0.9%
      saline (control) on the other side. The wounds were then covered with transparent
      vapor permeable film dressing. On Day 14 and Day 28 post-injury, all 24 wounds
      were photographed and digital imaging system tracings determined the area of each
      wound. Biopsy specimens from each wound were obtained. On Day 14, the specimens
      were taken from 9- and 3 o'clock positions at the edge of the round wounds, and
      on Day 28 the specimens were taken from 12- and 6 o'clock positions of the round
      wounds. This was done to reduce bias from variations in thickness of the pig
      skin. Sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histological study,
      which included microscopic review and dermal thickness measurement. The mean size
      of wounds treated with APG was consistently smaller than contralateral wounds
      treated with saline alone. On Days 14 and 28 post-injury, APG-treated wounds were
      23% and 25% smaller in area than the control wounds (P < 0.001), respectively.
      Histological study revealed thicker dermis on APG-treated wounds and more normal
      anatomic skin structures on the APG side. Higher magnification revealed
      leukocytes consistently more prevalent in granulation tissue on the control side,
      indicating a delayed healing process. 

PMID- 26110255
TI  - Sexual Dimorphism and Population Differences in Structural Properties of Barn
      Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Wing and Tail Feathers.
AB  - Sexual selection and aerodynamic forces affecting structural properties of the
      flight feathers of birds are poorly understood. Here, we compared the structural
      features of the innermost primary wing feather (P1) and the sexually dimorphic
      outermost (Ta6) and monomorphic second outermost (Ta5) tail feathers of barn
      swallows (Hirundo rustica) from a Romanian population to investigate how sexual
      selection and resistance to aerodynamic forces affect structural differences
      among these feathers. Furthermore, we compared structural properties of Ta6 of
      barn swallows from six European populations. Finally, we determined the
      relationship between feather growth bars width (GBW) and the structural
      properties of tail feathers. The structure of P1 indicates strong resistance
      against aerodynamic forces, while the narrow rachis, low vane density and low
      bending stiffness of tail feathers suggest reduced resistance against airflow.
      The highly elongated Ta6 is characterized by structural modifications such as
      large rachis width and increased barbule density in relation to the less
      elongated Ta5, which can be explained by increased length and/or high aerodynamic
      forces acting at the leading tail edge. However, these changes in Ta6 structure
      do not allow for full compensation of elongation, as reflected by the reduced
      bending stiffness of Ta6. Ta6 elongation in males resulted in feathers with
      reduced resistance, as shown by the low barb density and reduced bending
      stiffness compared to females. The inconsistency in sexual dimorphism and in
      change in quality traits of Ta6 among six European populations shows that
      multiple factors may contribute to shaping population differences. In general,
      the difference in quality traits between tail feathers cannot be explained by the
      GBW of feathers. Our results show that the material and structural properties of
      wing and tail feathers of barn swallows change as a result of aerodynamic forces
      and sexual selection, although the result of these changes can be contrasting. 

PMID- 26110257
TI  - The Biological Mechanisms Behind Injury and Inflammation: How They Can Affect
      Treatment Strategy, Product Performance, and Healing.
AB  - The processes behind tissue response to injury and innate immunity are integral
      parts of the acute wound response and the initiation of repair. In addition,
      inflammation is a key factor influencing both positive and negative aspects of
      healing in chronic wounds. Biological data on the signaling mechanisms behind
      these basic processes has increased dramatically over the last 10 years, yet the
      products and practice of wound healing have not benefited to the fullest extent
      from this new knowledge. An in-depth analysis of the biological mechanisms
      underpinning the processes that impact healing was undertaken to discover ways
      this information might be used to improve the treatment of chronic wounds. A
      synopsis of findings is presented regarding the biological mechanisms at work in
      injury and inflammation. It examines the early stages of wound healing from a
      mechanistic, biological perspective to gain insight into how this information
      might translate to the better use and development of wound healing products.
      These biological processes can impact the effectiveness of treatment from wound
      bed preparation to potentially regenerative products like growth factors and
      bioengineered skin constructs. The authors conclude that approaching wound
      healing from the perspective of biological mechanism can improve how effectively
      wounds are treated today. As importantly, viewing the development of wound care
      and wound healing products from the perspective of biological mechanism can lead
      to new ways of treating wounds that achieve greater clinical significance. 

PMID- 26110258
TI  - Vacuum-assisted Closure Therapy Attenuates the Inflammatory Response in a Porcine
      Acute Wound Healing Model.
AB  - Porcine full-thickness wounds were treated with V.A.C.(r) Therapy (KCI, San
      Antonio, Tex) or moist wound dressing without negative pressure. V.A.C. Therapy
      related systemic effects included postwound reduction in the number of peripheral
      blood monocytes and neutrophils during the inflammatory phase of wound healing,
      as well as reduced serum levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-gamma and
      IL-6. Local effects included reduced concentrations of IL-8, TGF-beta1, and TNF
      alpha in wound fluid following V.A.C. THERAPY: Collectively, these responses
      suggest that V.A.C. Therapy may attenuate the pro-inflammatory response following
      cutaneous wounding.

PMID- 26110260
TI  - Evidence Corner: April 2007.

PMID- 26110259
TI  - Treatment of Postherniorrhaphy Inguinal Abscess by Hydrofiber: A Possible Option
      of Leaving Mesh In situ?
AB  - The authors present a case of inguinal abscess occurring after inguinal hernia
      repair that was treated with a silver-containing wound care product without
      removing the prosthesis. A 75-year-old woman presented with inguinal abscess and
      acute renal failure initially underwent hemodialysis and then surgical drainage.
      The mesh was not removed, the wound was left open for secondary healing, and
      daily wound care was conducted using Aquacel Ag Hydrofiber(r) (ConvaTec,
      Skillman, NJ). She was discharged 15 days after admission and her wound healed 2
      months after admission. 

PMID- 26110261
TI  - Editorial Message: Effectively Managing the Patient Not Just the Problem.

PMID- 26110263
TI  - Post-Heading Heat Stress in Rice of South China during 1981-2010.
AB  - Frequent extreme heat events are the serious threat to rice production, but the
      historical trend of heat stress associated with phenology shift and its impact on
      rice yield over a long period are poorly known. Based on the analysis of observed
      climate and phenology data from 228 stations in South China during 1981-2010, the
      spatio-temporal variation of post-heading heat stress was investigated among two
      single-season rice sub-regions in the northern Middle and Lower Reaches of
      Yangtze River (S-NMLYtz) and Southwest Plateau (S-SWP), and two double-season
      early rice sub-regions in the southern Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River
      (DE-SMLYtz) and Southern China (DE-SC). Post-heading heat stress was more severe
      in DE-SMLYtz, west S-NMLYtz and east S-SWP than elsewhere, because of rice
      exposure to the hot season during post-heading stage. The spatial variation of
      post-heading heat stress was greater in single-season rice region than in double
      season early rice region due to the greater spatial variation of heading and
      maturity dates. Post-heading heat stress increased from 1981 to 2010 in most
      areas, with significant increases in the east of double-season early rice region
      and west S-SWP. Phenology shift during 1981-2010 mitigated the increasing trends
      of heat stress in most areas, but not in west S-SWP. Post-heading heat stress
      played a dominated role in the reduction of rice yield in South China. Grain
      yield was more sensitive to post-heading heat stress in double-season early rice
      region than that in single-season rice region. Rice yield decreased by 1.5%,
      6.2%, 9.7% and 4.6% in S-NMLYtz, S-SWP, DE-SMLYtz and DE-SC, respectively,
      because of post-heading heat stress during 1981-2010, although there were some
      uncertainties. Given the current level and potential increase of post-heading
      heat stress in South China, the specific adaptation or mitigation strategies are
      necessary for different sub-regions to stabilize rice production under heat
      stress. 

PMID- 26110264
TI  - Cationic Cell-Penetrating Peptides Are Potent Furin Inhibitors.
AB  - Cationic cell-penetrating peptides have been widely used to enhance the
      intracellular delivery of various types of cargoes, such as drugs and proteins.
      These reagents are chemically similar to the multi-basic peptides that are known
      to be potent proprotein convertase inhibitors. Here, we report that both HIV-1
      TAT47-57 peptide and the Chariot reagent are micromolar inhibitors of furin
      activity in vitro. In agreement, HIV-1 TAT47-57 reduced HT1080 cell migration,
      thought to be mediated by proprotein convertases, by 25%. In addition, cyclic
      polyarginine peptides containing hydrophobic moieties which have been previously
      used as transfection reagents also exhibited potent furin inhibition in vitro and
      also inhibited intracellular convertases. Our finding that cationic cell
      penetrating peptides exert potent effects on cellular convertase activity should
      be taken into account when biological effects are assessed. 

PMID- 26110265
TI  - Copper(II)-Mediated Self-Assembly of Hairpin Peptides and Templated Synthesis of
      CuS Nanowires.
AB  - The self-assembly of peptides and proteins under well-controlled conditions
      underlies important nanostructuring processes that could be harnessed in
      practical applications. Herein, the synthesis of a new hairpin peptide containing
      four histidine residues is reported and the self-assembly process mediated by
      metal ions is explored. The work involves the combined use of circular dichroism,
      NMR spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, AFM, and TEM to follow the structural and
      morphological details of the metal-coordination-mediated folding and self
      assembly of the peptide. The results indicate that by forming a tetragonal
      coordination geometry with four histidine residues, copper(II) ions selectively
      trigger the peptide to fold and then self-assemble into nanofibrils. Furthermore,
      the copper(II)-bound nanofibrils template the synthesis of CuS nanowires, which
      display a near-infrared laser-induced thermal effect. 

PMID- 26110266
TI  - Antibiotic Restriction Might Facilitate the Emergence of Multi-drug Resistance.
AB  - High antibiotic resistance frequencies have become a major public health issue.
      The decrease in new antibiotics' production, combined with increasing frequencies
      of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, cause substantial limitations in
      treatment options for some bacterial infections. To diminish overall resistance,
      and especially the occurrence of bacteria that are resistant to all antibiotics,
      certain drugs are deliberately scarcely used--mainly when other options are
      exhausted. We use a mathematical model to explore the efficiency of such
      antibiotic restrictions. We assume two commonly used drugs and one restricted
      drug. The model is examined for the mixing strategy of antibiotic prescription,
      in which one of the drugs is randomly assigned to each incoming patient. Data
      obtained from Rabin medical center, Israel, is used to estimate realistic single
      and double antibiotic resistance frequencies in incoming patients. We find that
      broad usage of the hitherto restricted drug can reduce the number of incorrectly
      treated patients, and reduce the spread of bacteria resistant to both common
      antibiotics. Such double resistant infections are often eventually treated with
      the restricted drug, and therefore are prone to become resistant to all three
      antibiotics. Thus, counterintuitively, a broader usage of a formerly restricted
      drug can sometimes lead to a decrease in the emergence of bacteria resistant to
      all drugs. We recommend re-examining restriction of specific drugs, when multiple
      resistance to the relevant alternative drugs already exists.

PMID- 26110268
TI  - Refinement of Strut-and-Tie Model for Reinforced Concrete Deep Beams.
AB  - Deep beams are commonly used in tall buildings, offshore structures, and
      foundations. According to many codes and standards, strut-and-tie model (STM) is
      recommended as a rational approach for deep beam analyses. This research focuses
      on the STM recommended by ACI 318-11 and AASHTO LRFD and uses experimental
      results to modify the strut effectiveness factor in STM for reinforced concrete
      (RC) deep beams. This study aims to refine STM through the strut effectiveness
      factor and increase result accuracy. Six RC deep beams with different shear span
      to effective-depth ratios (a/d) of 0.75, 1.00, 1.25, 1.50, 1.75, and 2.00 were
      experimentally tested under a four-point bending set-up. The ultimate shear
      strength of deep beams obtained from non-linear finite element modeling and STM
      recommended by ACI 318-11 as well as AASHTO LRFD (2012) were compared with the
      experimental results. An empirical equation was proposed to modify the principal
      tensile strain value in the bottle-shaped strut of deep beams. The equation of
      the strut effectiveness factor from AASHTTO LRFD was then modified through the
      aforementioned empirical equation. An investigation on the failure mode and crack
      propagation in RC deep beams subjected to load was also conducted. 

PMID- 26110267
TI  - Tumor-Targeted Human T Cells Expressing CD28-Based Chimeric Antigen Receptors
      Circumvent CTLA-4 Inhibition.
AB  - Adoptive T cell therapy represents a promising treatment for cancer. Human T
      cells engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) recognize and kill
      tumor cells in a MHC-unrestricted manner and persist in vivo when the CAR
      includes a CD28 costimulatory domain. However, the intensity of the CAR-mediated
      CD28 activation signal and its regulation by the CTLA-4 checkpoint are unknown.
      We investigated whether T cells expressing an anti-CD19, CD3 zeta and CD28-based
      CAR (19-28z) displayed the same proliferation and anti-tumor abilities than T
      cells expressing a CD3 zeta-based CAR (19z1) costimulated through the CD80/CD28,
      ligand/receptor pathway. Repeated in vitro antigen-specific stimulations
      indicated that 19-28z+ T cells secreted higher levels of Th1 cytokines and showed
      enhanced proliferation compared to those of 19z1+ or 19z1-CD80+ T cells. In an
      aggressive pre-B cell leukemia model, mice treated with 19-28z+ T cells had 10
      fold reduced tumor progression compared to those treated with 19z1+ or 19z1-CD80+
      T cells. shRNA-mediated CTLA-4 down-regulation in 19z1-CD80+ T cells
      significantly increased their in vivo expansion and anti-tumor properties, but
      had no effect in 19-28z+ T cells. Our results establish that CTLA-4 down
      regulation may benefit human adoptive T cell therapy and demonstrate that CAR
      design can elude negative checkpoints to better sustain T cell function. 

PMID- 26110269
TI  - Pulmonary arterial wall thickness in Eisenmenger Syndrome: Prospective, cross
      sectional, controlled clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of current study is to investigate echocardiographic
      pulmonary artery wall thickness (PAWT) association with angiocardiography,
      echocardiography, and biochemical findings and to demonstrate its predictive role
      in morbidity of disease. METHOD: Nineteen patients with Eisenmenger Syndrome (ES)
      (13 females; a mean age of 12.0 +/- 4.1 [min-max 4-17] years) and 24 (16 females;
      a mean age of 12.1 +/- 4.3 [min-max 3-18 years]) healthy subjects as a control
      group were included in this prospective, cross-sectional, controlled clinical
      study between December, 2012 and December, 2013. PAWT were measured at the end of
      systole at the distal site of pulmonary valves at the parasternal short-axis.
      PAWT was compared with morbidity criteria of the disease such as functional
      class, pulmonary vascular resistance. RESULTS: PAWT was higher in the patient
      group (P = 0.005) together with pulmonary arterial diameter (Z-score, P < 0.001),
      vena cava inferior diameter (P = 0.002), and right ventricular wall thickness
      (RVWT), while TAPSE was significantly lower (P = 0.002). PAWT was strongly
      positively correlated to RVWT (r = 0.893, P < 0.001) and moderate negatively
      correlated to TAPSE (r = 0.597; P < 0.011). CONCLUSION: PAWT can be used as an
      additional parameter with other echocardiographic parameters in the follow-up of
      Eisenmenger Syndrome in children.

PMID- 26110270
TI  - A Systematic Review of the Mortality from Untreated Leptospirosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leptospirosis occurs worldwide, but the global incidence of human
      disease and its mortality are not well understood. Many patients are undiagnosed
      and untreated due to its non-specific symptoms and a lack of access to
      diagnostics. This study systematically reviews the literature to clarify the
      mortality from untreated leptospirosis. Results will help quantify the global
      burden of disease and guide health policies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A
      comprehensive literature search was performed to identify untreated patient
      series. Included patients were symptomatic, but asymptomatic patients and those
      who had received antibiotics, dialysis or who were treated on Intensive Care
      Units were excluded. Included patients had a confirmed laboratory diagnosis by
      culture, PCR, or serological tests. Data was extracted and individual patient
      series were assessed for bias. Thirty-five studies, comprising 41 patient series
      and 3,390 patients, were included in the study. A high degree of bias within
      studies was shown due to limitations in study design, diagnostic tests and
      missing data. Median series mortality was 2.2% (Range 0.0-39.7%), but mortality
      was high in jaundiced patients (19.1%) (Range 0.0-39.7%), those with renal
      failure 12.1% (Range 0-25.0%) and in patients aged over 60 (60%) (Range 33.3
      60%), but low in anicteric patients (0%) (Range 0-1.7%). CONCLUSIONS: This
      systematic review contributes to our understanding of the mortality of untreated
      leptospirosis and provides data for the estimation of DALYs attributable to this
      disease. We show that mortality is significantly higher in older patients with
      icteric disease or renal failure but is lower in younger, anicteric patients.
      Increased surveillance and accurate point-of-care diagnostics are required to
      better understand the incidence and improve diagnosis of disease. Empirical
      treatment strategies should prioritize early treatment to improve outcomes from
      leptospirosis.

PMID- 26110272
TI  - Exploring Host-Pathogen Interactions through Biological Control.

PMID- 26110271
TI  - Emotion processing in Parkinson's disease: a three-level study on recognition,
      representation, and regulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterised by well-known motor
      symptoms, whereas the presence of cognitive non-motor symptoms, such as emotional
      disturbances, is still underestimated. One of the major problems in studying
      emotion deficits in PD is an atomising approach that does not take into account
      different levels of emotion elaboration. Our study addressed the question of
      whether people with PD exhibit difficulties in one or more specific dimensions of
      emotion processing, investigating three different levels of analyses, that is,
      recognition, representation, and regulation. METHODOLOGY: Thirty-two consecutive
      medicated patients with PD and 25 healthy controls were enrolled in the study.
      Participants performed a three-level analysis assessment of emotional processing
      using quantitative standardised emotional tasks: the Ekman 60-Faces for emotion
      recognition, the full 36-item version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RME)
      for emotion representation, and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)
      for emotion regulation. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Regarding emotion recognition,
      patients obtained significantly worse scores than controls in the total score of
      Ekman 60-Faces but not in any other basic emotions. For emotion representation,
      patients obtained significantly worse scores than controls in the RME
      experimental score but no in the RME gender control task. Finally, on emotion
      regulation, PD and controls did not perform differently at TAS-20 and no specific
      differences were found on TAS-20 subscales. The PD impairments on emotion
      recognition and representation do not correlate with dopamine therapy, disease
      severity, or with the duration of illness. These results are independent from
      other cognitive processes, such as global cognitive status and executive
      function, or from psychiatric status, such as depression, anxiety or apathy.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results may contribute to better understanding of the
      emotional problems that are often seen in patients with PD and the measures used
      to test these problems, in particular on the use of different versions of the RME
      task.

PMID- 26110273
TI  - The Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment Cascade in
      Bangladesh.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine, in areas supported by BRAC, Bangladesh i) the pre
      diagnosis and pre-treatment attrition among presumptive and confirmed Multi-Drug
      Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients and ii) factors associated with
      attrition. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study involving record
      review. Presumptive MDR-TB patients from peripheral microscopy centres serving
      60% of the total population of Bangladesh were included in the study. Attrition
      and turnaround time for MDR-TB diagnosis by Xpert MTB/RIF and treatment
      initiation were calculated between July 2012 and June 2014. RESULTS: Of 836
      presumptive MDR-TB patients referred from 398 peripheral microscopy centres, 161
      MDR-TB patients were diagnosed. The number of diagnosed MDR-TB patients was less
      than country estimates of MDR-TB patients (2000 cases) during the study period.
      Among those referred, pre-diagnosis and pre-treatment attrition was 17% and 21%
      respectively. Median turnaround time for MDR-TB testing, result receipt and
      treatment initiation was four, zero and five days respectively. Farmers (RR=2.3,
      p=0.01) and daily wage laborers (RR=2.1, p=0.04) had twice the risk of having pre
      diagnosis attrition. Poor record-keeping and unreliable upkeep of presumptive MDR
      TB patient databases were identified as challenges at the peripheral microscopy
      centres. CONCLUSION: There was a low proportion of pre-diagnosis and pre
      treatment attrition in patients with presumptive and confirmed MDR-TB under
      programmatic conditions. However, the recording and reporting system did not
      detect all presumptive MDR-TB patients, highlighting the need to improve the
      system in order to prevent morbidity, mortality and transmission of MDR-TB in the
      community.

PMID- 26110274
TI  - Proprioceptive body illusions modulate the visual perception of reaching
      distance.
AB  - The neurobiology of reaching has been extensively studied in human and non-human
      primates. However, the mechanisms that allow a subject to decide-without engaging
      in explicit action-whether an object is reachable are not fully understood. Some
      studies conclude that decisions near the reach limit depend on motor simulations
      of the reaching movement. Others have shown that the body schema plays a role in
      explicit and implicit distance estimation, especially after motor practice with a
      tool. In this study we evaluate the causal role of multisensory body
      representations in the perception of reachable space. We reasoned that if body
      schema is used to estimate reach, an illusion of the finger size induced by
      proprioceptive stimulation should propagate to the perception of reaching
      distances. To test this hypothesis we induced a proprioceptive illusion of
      extension or shrinkage of the right index finger while participants judged a
      series of LEDs as reachable or non-reachable without actual movement. Our results
      show that reach distance estimation depends on the illusory perceived size of the
      finger: illusory elongation produced a shift of reaching distance away from the
      body whereas illusory shrinkage produced the opposite effect. Combining these
      results with previous findings, we suggest that deciding if a target is reachable
      requires an integration of body inputs in high order multisensory parietal areas
      that engage in movement simulations through connections with frontal premotor
      areas. 

PMID- 26110275
TI  - Psychological Distress in the Hospital Setting: A Comparison between Native Dutch
      and Immigrant Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prevalence of psychological distress (i.e. depressive and anxiety
      symptoms) in medically ill patients is high. Research in the general population
      shows a higher prevalence of psychological distress among immigrants compared to
      natives. Our aim was to examine the prevalence of psychological distress in the
      hospital setting comparing immigrant and native Dutch patients and first and
      second generation immigrant patients. METHODS: Prevalence of psychological
      distress was assessed using the extended Kessler-10 (EK-10) in 904 patients in a
      Dutch general teaching hospital. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds
      ratios to determine differences between native and immigrant patients and first
      and second generation immigrants in the prevalence of psychological distress. We
      adjusted for demographic and social variables, socio-economic status, physical
      quality of life, history of psychiatric disease and health care use. RESULTS: Of
      904 patients, 585 were native Dutch patients and 319 were immigrant patients. The
      prevalence of psychological distress in native compared to immigrant patients was
      54% and 66% respectively, with especially high prevalences among Turkish and
      Moroccan immigrant patients. The crude OR for prevalence of psychological
      distress for immigrant patients versus native patients was 1.7 (95% CI 1.2-2.2)
      and for first versus second generation immigrant patients 2.1 (95% CI 1.2-3.5).
      After full adjustment ORs were 1.7 (95% CI 1.2-2.3) and 2.2 (95% CI 1.2-4.1)
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Immigrant patients and first generation immigrant
      patients were more likely to have psychological distress compared to native
      patients and second generation immigrant patients respectively. We found a
      particularly high prevalence of psychological distress in Turkish and Moroccan
      immigrants.

PMID- 26110276
TI  - BGD: a database of bat genomes.
AB  - Bats account for ~20% of mammalian species, and are the only mammals with true
      powered flight. For the sake of their specialized phenotypic traits, many
      researches have been devoted to examine the evolution of bats. Until now, some
      whole genome sequences of bats have been assembled and annotated, however, a
      uniform resource for the annotated bat genomes is still unavailable. To make the
      extensive data associated with the bat genomes accessible to the general
      biological communities, we established a Bat Genome Database (BGD). BGD is an
      open-access, web-available portal that integrates available data of bat genomes
      and genes. It hosts data from six bat species, including two megabats and four
      microbats. Users can query the gene annotations using efficient searching engine,
      and it offers browsable tracks of bat genomes. Furthermore, an easy-to-use
      phylogenetic analysis tool was also provided to facilitate online phylogeny study
      of genes. To the best of our knowledge, BGD is the first database of bat genomes.
      It will extend our understanding of the bat evolution and be advantageous to the
      bat sequences analysis. BGD is freely available at:
      http://donglab.ecnu.edu.cn/databases/BatGenome/. 

PMID- 26110277
TI  - Do bells affect behaviour and heart rate variability in grazing dairy cows?
AB  - In alpine regions cows are often equipped with bells. The present study
      investigated the impact of wearing a bell on behaviour and heart rate variability
      in dairy cows. Nineteen non-lactating Brown-Swiss cows with bell experience were
      assigned to three different treatments. For 3 days each, cows were equipped with
      no bell (control), with a bell with inactivated clapper (silent bell) or with a
      functional bell (functional bell). The bells weighed 5.5 kg and had frequencies
      between 532 Hz and 2.8 kHz and amplitudes between 90 and 113 dB at a distance of
      20 cm. Data were collected on either the first and third or on all 3 days of each
      treatment. Whereas duration of rumination was reduced with a functional bell and
      a silent bell compared with no bell, feeding duration was reduced with a silent
      bell and was intermediate with a functional bell. Head movements were reduced
      when wearing a silent bell compared with no bell and tended to be reduced when
      wearing a functional compared to no bell. With a functional bell, lying duration
      was reduced by almost 4 hours on the third day of treatment compared with the
      first day with a functional bell and compared with no bell or a silent bell. All
      additional behavioural measures are consistent with the hypothesis of a
      restriction in the behaviour of the cows wearing bells, although this pattern did
      not reach significance. There was no treatment effect on heart rate variability,
      suggesting that the bells did not affect vago-sympathetic balance. An effect of
      experimental day was found for only 1 out of 10 behavioural parameters, as shown
      by a decrease in lying with a functional bell on day 3. The results indicate
      behavioural changes in the cows wearing a bell over 3 days, without indication of
      habituation to the bell. Altogether, the behavioural changes suggest that the
      behaviour of the cows was disturbed by wearing a bell. If long-lasting, these
      effects may have implications for animal welfare. 

PMID- 26110278
TI  - Correction: quantitative analysis of respiration-related movement for abdominal
      artery in multiphase hepatic CT.

PMID- 26110279
TI  - Association of Climatic Variability, Vector Population and Malarial Disease in
      District of Visakhapatnam, India: A Modeling and Prediction Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malarial incidence, severity, dynamics and distribution of malaria
      are strongly determined by climatic factors, i.e., temperature, precipitation,
      and relative humidity. The objectives of the current study were to analyse and
      model the relationships among climate, vector and malaria disease in district of
      Visakhapatnam, India to understand malaria transmission mechanism (MTM).
      METHODOLOGY: Epidemiological, vector and climate data were analysed for the years
      2005 to 2011 in Visakhapatnam to understand the magnitude, trends and seasonal
      patterns of the malarial disease. Statistical software MINITAB ver. 14 was used
      for performing correlation, linear and multiple regression analysis.
      RESULTS/FINDINGS: Perennial malaria disease incidence and mosquito population was
      observed in the district of Visakhapatnam with peaks in seasons. All the climatic
      variables have a significant influence on disease incidence as well as on
      mosquito populations. Correlation coefficient analysis, seasonal index and
      seasonal analysis demonstrated significant relationships among climatic factors,
      mosquito population and malaria disease incidence in the district of
      Visakhapatnam, India. Multiple regression and ARIMA (I) models are best suited
      models for modeling and prediction of disease incidences and mosquito population.
      Predicted values of average temperature, mosquito population and malarial cases
      increased along with the year. Developed MTM algorithm observed a major MTM cycle
      following the June to August rains and occurring between June to September and
      minor MTM cycles following March to April rains and occurring between March to
      April in the district of Visakhapatnam. Fluctuations in climatic factors favored
      an increase in mosquito populations and thereby increasing the number of malarial
      cases. Rainfall, temperatures (20 degrees C to 33 degrees C) and humidity (66% to
      81%) maintained a warmer, wetter climate for mosquito growth, parasite
      development and malaria transmission. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Changes in
      climatic factors influence malaria directly by modifying the behaviour and
      geographical distribution of vectors and by changing the length of the life cycle
      of the parasite.

PMID- 26110280
TI  - An insulator element located at the cyclin B1 interacting protein 1 gene locus is
      highly conserved among mammalian species.
AB  - Insulators are cis-elements that control the direction of enhancer and silencer
      activities (enhancer-blocking) and protect genes from silencing by
      heterochromatinization (barrier activity). Understanding insulators is critical
      to elucidate gene regulatory mechanisms at chromosomal domain levels. Here, we
      focused on a genomic region upstream of the mouse Ccnb1ip1 (cyclin B1 interacting
      protein 1) gene that was methylated in E9.5 embryos of the C57BL/6 strain, but
      unmethylated in those of the 129X1/SvJ and JF1/Ms strains. We hypothesized the
      existence of an insulator-type element that prevents the spread of DNA
      methylation within the 1.8 kbp segment, and actually identified a 242-bp and a
      185-bp fragments that were located adjacent to each other and showed insulator
      and enhancer activities, respectively, in reporter assays. We designated these
      genomic regions as the Ccnb1ip1 insulator and the Ccnb1ip1 enhancer. The Ccnb1ip1
      insulator showed enhancer-blocking activity in the luciferase assays and barrier
      activity in the colony formation assays. Further examination of the Ccnb1ip1
      locus in other mammalian species revealed that the insulator and enhancer are
      highly conserved among a wide variety of species, and are located immediately
      upstream of the transcriptional start site of Ccnb1ip1. These newly identified
      cis-elements may be involved in transcriptional regulation of Ccnb1ip1, which is
      important in meiotic crossing-over and G2/M transition of the mitotic cell cycle.

PMID- 26110281
TI  - VarI-SIG 2014--From SNPs to variants: interpreting different types of genetic
      variants.

PMID- 26110282
TI  - Computational Modelling of NF-kappaB Activation by IL-1RI and Its Co-Receptor
      TILRR, Predicts a Role for Cytoskeletal Sequestration of IkappaBalpha in
      Inflammatory Signalling.
AB  - The transcription factor NF-kappaB (nuclear factor kappa B) is activated by Toll
      like receptors and controlled by mechanotransduction and changes in the
      cytoskeleton. In this study we combine 3-D predictive protein modelling and in
      vitro experiments with in silico simulations to determine the role of the
      cytoskeleton in regulation of NF-kappaB. Simulations used a comprehensive agent
      based model of the NF-kappaB pathway, which includes the type 1 IL-1 receptor (IL
      1R1) complex and signalling intermediates, as well as cytoskeletal components.
      Agent based modelling relies on in silico reproductions of systems through the
      interactions of its components, and provides a reliable tool in investigations of
      biological processes, which require spatial considerations and involve complex
      formation and translocation of regulatory components. We show that our model
      faithfully reproduces the multiple steps comprising the NF-kappaB pathway, and
      provides a framework from which we can explore novel aspects of the system. The
      analysis, using 3-D predictive protein modelling and in vitro assays,
      demonstrated that the NF-kappaB inhibitor, IkappaBalpha is sequestered to the
      actin/spectrin complex within the cytoskeleton of the resting cell, and released
      during IL-1 stimulation, through a process controlled by the IL-1RI co-receptor
      TILRR (Toll-like and IL-1 receptor regulator). In silico simulations using the
      agent-based model predict that the cytoskeletal pool of IkappaBalpha is released
      to adjust signal amplification in relation to input levels. The results suggest
      that the process provides a mechanism for signal calibration and enables
      efficient, activation-sensitive regulation of NF-kappaB and inflammatory
      responses. 

PMID- 26110283
TI  - Reply to Treatment decisions and outcome in very elderly patients with diffuse
      large B-cell lymphoma.

PMID- 26110284
TI  - Inhibition of Interferon Regulatory Factor 4 Suppresses Th1 and Th17 Cell
      Differentiation and Ameliorates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by
      recurrent episodes of T-cell-mediated immune attack on central nervous system
      (CNS) myelin, leading to axon damage and progressive disability. Interferon
      regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) is expressed predominantly in the immune system and
      plays an important role in its development and function. Recent study
      demonstrated that IRF4 was critical for the generation of IL-17-producing Th17
      cells. However, the effect of IRF4 on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
      (EAE), an animal model of MS, needs to be further investigated. In our current
      study, inhibition of IRF4 with IRF4 siRNA (SiIRF4) decreases EAE scores and
      infiltration of Th1 and Th17 cells, but increases Treg infiltration. SiIRF4
      inhibits Th1 and Th17 cell differentiation in vivo and in vitro. In our DC-T-cell
      coculture system, SiIRF4-treated DCs resulted in significantly less IFN-gamma and
      IL-17 production from T cells. Next, we adoptively transfer CD11c(+) DCs from
      SiIRF4-treated mice into recipient mice and found that these CD11c(+) DCs
      ameliorated EAE. Furthermore, CD11c(+) DCs from SiIRF4-treated naive mice
      exhibited significantly reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF
      alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6 and IL-12/IL-23 (p40), and a corresponding increase in anti
      inflammatory IL-10 expression. In conclusion, inhibition of IRF4 suppresses Th1
      and Th17 cell differentiation and ameliorates EAE, via a direct regulation of
      DCs.

PMID- 26110285
TI  - The Effect of Solvation on Electron Attachment to Pure and Hydrated Pyrimidine
      Clusters.
AB  - The interaction of low-energy electrons with biomolecules plays an important role
      in the radiation-induced alteration of biological tissue at the molecular level.
      At electron energies below 15 eV, dissociative electron attachment is one of the
      most important processes in terms of the chemical transformation of molecules. So
      far, a common approach to study processes at the molecular level has been to
      carry out investigations with single biomolecular building blocks like pyrimidine
      as model molecules. Electron attachment to single pyrimidine, as well as to pure
      clusters and hydrated clusters, was investigated in this study. In striking
      contrast to the situation with isolated molecules and hydrated clusters, where no
      anionic monomer is detectable, we were able to observe the molecular anion for
      the pure clusters. Furthermore, there is evidence that solvation effectively
      prevents the ring fragmentation of pyrimidine after electron capture. 

PMID- 26110286
TI  - Human Fetal Progenitor Tenocytes for Regenerative Medicine.
AB  - Tendon injuries are very frequent and affect a wide and heterogeneous population.
      Unfortunately, the healing process is long with outcomes that are not often
      satisfactory due to fibrotic tissue appearance, which leads to scar and adhesion
      development. Tissue engineering and cell therapies emerge as interesting
      alternatives to classical treatments. In this study, we evaluated human fetal
      progenitor tenocytes (hFPTs) as a potential cell source for treatment of tendon
      afflictions, as fetal cells are known to promote healing in a scarless
      regenerative process. hFPTs presented a rapid and stable growth up to passage 9,
      allowing to create a large cell bank for off-the-shelf availability. hFPTs showed
      a strong tenogenic phenotype with an excellent stability, even when placed in
      conditions normally inducing cells to differentiate. The karyotype also indicated
      a good stability up to passage 12, which is far beyond that necessary for
      clinical application (passage 6). When placed in coculture, hFPTs had the
      capacity to stimulate human adult tenocytes (hATs), which are responsible for the
      deposition of a new extracellular matrix during tendon healing. Finally, it was
      possible to distribute cells in porous or gel scaffolds with an excellent
      survival, thus permitting a large variety of applications (from simple injections
      to grafts acting as filling material). All of these results are encouraging in
      the development of an off-the-shelf cell source capable of stimulating tendon
      regeneration for the treatment of tendon injuries. 

PMID- 26110287
TI  - [Is There Really Agreement between Rebound and Goldmann Applanation Tonometry
      Methods? Results of a Systematic Review of the Period 01/2005 to 08/2014].
AB  - BACKGROUND: After its introduction in 2003 the iCare(r) rebound tonometry has
      gained wide acceptance, mostly as a result of immediate method comparison trials
      showing high concordance with the Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) as a
      reference method. The objective of this systemic review was the synopsis of the
      current literature as a rationale of a concordance evaluation between the
      iCare(r) rebound and the Goldmann applanation tonometry methods. METHODS: The
      PubMed database was searched for Anglo-American and German publications comparing
      intraindividually the two tonometry methods and having been published during the
      period 01/2005 to 08/2014. The primary endpoint of the review was the reported
      IOD deviation [mmHg] between the two devices; for each trial, this primary
      endpoint was parameterised in terms of the "mean deviation" as well as the
      "relative frequency [%] of measurements with an intraindividual deviation of >=
      +/- 3 mmHg". A total of 33 published method comparison studies concerning the
      iCare TA01i device were included, 17 of them being published between 01/2009 and
      08/2014. The number of analysed eyes ranged between 28 and 445; 17 of the 33
      studies reported more than 100 examined eyes. 7 of the 33 studies included only
      healthy eyes. RESULTS: Only 10 out of the 33 studies reported a mean deviation of
      more than +/- 1.5 mmHg, 7 of these were published between 01/2009 and 08/2014.
      Only 12 of the 33 studies reported the relative frequency of intraindividual
      deviations >= +/- 3 mmHg, 7 of them reporting a frequency > 20 % (with a maximum
      of 51 %), with higher frequencies being derived from samples showing higher IOD
      levels according to the GAT reference. CONCLUSION: As concluded from the current
      literature the iCare(r) rebound and the Goldmann applanation tonometry methods
      cannot be considered exchangable.

PMID- 26110288
TI  - Oropharyngeal Candidiasis in HIV Infection: Analysis of Impaired Mucosal Immune
      Response to Candida albicans in Mice Expressing the HIV-1 Transgene.
AB  - IL-17-producing Th17 cells are of critical importance in host defense against
      oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC). Speculation about defective Th17 responses to
      oral C. albicans infection in the context of HIV infection prompted an
      investigation of innate and adaptive immune responses to Candida albicans in
      transgenic mice expressing the genome of HIV-1 in immune cells and displaying an
      AIDS-like disease. Defective IL-17 and IL-22-dependent mucosal responses to C.
      albicans were found to determine susceptibility to OPC in these transgenic mice.
      Innate phagocytes were quantitatively and functionally intact, and individually
      dispensable for control of OPC and to prevent systemic dissemination of Candida
      to deep organs. CD8+ T-cells recruited to the oral mucosa of the transgenic mice
      limited the proliferation of C. albicans in these conditions of CD4+ T-cell
      deficiency. Therefore, the immunopathogenesis of OPC in the context of HIV
      infection involves defective T-cell-mediated immunity, failure of crosstalk with
      innate mucosal immune effector mechanisms, and compensatory cell responses, which
      limit Candida infection to the oral mucosa and prevent systemic dissemination. 

PMID- 26110289
TI  - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections: role of daptomycin/beta
      lactams combination.
AB  - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) associated infection has
      become a worrisome issue worldwide. Glycopeptides are the backbone antibiotics
      for the treatment of MRSA infections. However, several reports have highlighted
      the limitations of vancomycin. Daptomycin is successfully used for the treatment
      of serious MRSA infections, however selection of resistant strains has been
      reported during daptomycin-monotherapy. This review will briefly discuss the
      available data on daptomycin/beta-lactam combination therapies for the treatment
      of MRSA infections. 

PMID- 26110290
TI  - Candidemia, and infections by Clostridium difficile and carbapenemase-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae: new enteropathogenetic opportunistic syndromes?
AB  - In this paper we analyze three enteropathogenetic opportunistic infections
      represented by Candida spp., C. difficile and carbapenemase-producing K.
      pneumoniae. The common pathogenetic pathway is based on an alteration of the
      intestinal flora, now mainly referred as the human microbiome, with secondary
      opportunism for infections caused by Candida, C. difficile and carbapenemase
      producing Enterobacteriaceae ("CCC"). We highlight the epidemiology, risk
      factors, clinical syndromes associated with the pathogens and we propose some new
      issues related to the epidemiology and diagnosis of candidemia, also using
      hierarchical cluster analysis, definitions of levels of interventions in patients
      colonized or infected by carbapenemase-producing bacteria. The
      "enteropathogenetic" opportunistic syndromes are best prevented with
      antimicrobial stewardship programs aiming at increasing diagnostic specificity of
      infectious syndromes to reduce the antimicrobial use and costs. Appropriate
      guidelines for infection control should also be implemented to reduce the
      nosocomial spread of enteropathogenetic microbes. 

PMID- 26110291
TI  - Medical care related laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infections in paediatrics.
AB  - The aim of this survey was to describe the incidence, epidemiology, microbiology,
      risk factors and outcome of medical care related laboratory-confirmed bloodstream
      infections (LCBIs) observed during a twelve-month prospective study in a
      Paediatric Teaching Hospital in Turin, Italy. Inclusion criteria were clinical
      signs of sepsis and positivity of one or more of the following tests: blood
      culture, polymerase chain reaction for bacterial and fungal DNA on blood, and
      culture on intravascular device tips. In all, 140 episodes of sepsis were
      documented in 131 children: 37 (26.4%) were healthcare outpatient-associated, 91
      (65.0%) healthcare-associated and 12 (8.6%) community-acquired. The overall
      incidence of healthcare-associated LCBIs was 13.6/1,000 hospitalized patients and
      incidence density 1.4/1,000 inpatient days. The overall mortality was 3.9%. Forty
      seven (36.7%) episodes involved newborns and 107 (83.6%) episodes were observed
      in children with an indwelling central venous catheter. Coagulase-negative
      staphylococci (26.8%), Staphylococcus aureus (15.2%), Escherichia coli (8.7%) and
      Candida spp. (7.2%) were responsible for the majority of cases. 9.5% of S. aureus
      isolates were methicillin-resistant and 6.5% of Gram negatives were extended
      spectrum beta-lactamase-producing. Incidence and epidemiology of medical care
      related LCBIs were similar to the existing literature data. LCBIs caused by
      antibiotic-resistant microorganisms were fewer and mortality rate was lower. Most
      of the LCBIs recorded involved newborns and oncological children. 

PMID- 26110292
TI  - Experience of influenza A H1N1 in a paediatric emergency unit.
AB  - This study was carried out to evaluate symptoms, clinical findings, treatment
      options and complications of H1N1 influenza infection in patients who applied to
      our emergency unit during the influenza season in 2009. The clinical and
      laboratory findings of children with influenza A (H1N1) during the influenza
      season in 2009 were evaluated retrospectively. Influenza A was diagnosed by
      polymerase chain reaction and/or rapid antigen test. Clinical and laboratory
      findings of the patients with H1N1 (group I) and without H1N1 (group II) were
      compared. Fever and myalgia were noted to be higher in group I (p <0.05). The
      mean body temperature in group I was 39.0?, which was statistically different
      from group II (p <0.001). Myalgia was observed only in group I (15.4%), but not
      in group II (p <0.05). There were three patients with diarrhoea, two of whom were
      in group I, and they had no significant respiratory symptoms. Lymphopenia was
      seen in 18 patients (81.8%) in group I and in four patients (23.5%) in group II
      (p <0.05). Oseltamivir treatment was applied to 28 patients, where 24 had severe
      symptoms, nine had comorbid factors and two did not have any of these. The fever
      was higher in group I and myalgia was present only in group I. In group I, the
      lymphocyte count was significantly lower than in group II. The fever was higher
      in patients of H1N1 (average of 39 degrees C) and myalgia was present only in
      patients with H1N1. The lymphocyte count was significantly lower in patients with
      H1N1 than those without H1N1. While none of the patients required intensive care,
      three patients requiring hospitalization were discharged after referral and
      completion of their treatment. 

PMID- 26110293
TI  - Role of ITPA and IL28B variants in the management of chronic hepatitis C
      treatment.
AB  - The inosine triphosphatase (ITPA) gene and interleukin 28B (IL28-B) gene variants
      have been associated to protection of anemia and sustained virological response,
      respectively, in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) during antiviral
      therapy. Aim of this study was to evaluate the single and combined role of both
      polymorphisms in the management of peg-interferon-ribavirin treatment in CHC
      patients. We studied 79 Italian patients with histology proven CHC treated with
      pegylated interferon plus ribavirin for 6-12 months on the base of HCV genotype.
      Patients were carefully followed-up for anemia development which was classified
      as mild, moderate or severe in relation to levels of haemoglobin decreasing;
      ribavirin dosage reduction and/or epoietin administration were carried out, where
      needed. Sustained virological response (SVR) was considered for HCV-RNA clearance
      after 6 months of treatment stop. Decay of haemoglobin at month 1 of treatment
      significantly correlated with ITPA activity (p 0.0004) and at multivariate
      analysis ITPA activity was the only parameter associate with anemia (R - 0.4; p
      0.0004). SVR was obtained in 47% of patients. IL28B CC variant was associated
      with SVR (p 0.01), but IL28B polymorphisms had no influence on the ITPA
      polymorphism. This study confirms the role of ITPA variants in the prediction of
      development of severe anemia during antiviral treatment for CHC and demonstrates
      the absence of influence of IL28B variant on ITPA polymorphisms. These two
      polymorphisms can be useful in the management of patients that need antiviral
      therapy for HCV chronic infection. 

PMID- 26110294
TI  - [Diagnosis in patients with a painful arthroplasty].
AB  - The differential diagnosis between asepting loosening or prosthetic joint
      infection is not always easy. Tc-99m-labelled leucocyte scans, frozen section and
      histology can help recognise doubtful cases. We report the experience of the Unit
      for Infectious Diseases and Septic Orthopaedics of the ASL-2 Liguria, Italy, with
      a Tc-99m-labelled leucocyte scan and intraoperative frozen section to choose the
      best therapeutic approach: one-stage or two-stage exchange or arthrodesis
      arthroplastica. All cases underwent histology and intraoperative cultures to
      confirm the diagnosis, and the effectiveness of the approach was evaluated at
      follow up after 18 months. From January 2011 to December 2012, 36 patients were
      evaluated (21 hip and 15 knee arthroprosthesis). The Tc-99m-labelled leukocyte
      scan was positive in 31 and negative in 5 patients. Frozen section was negative
      in 7 patients. Five of them were patients with a negative Tc-99m-labelled
      leucocyte scan and were treated successfully with one-stage exchange, even if, in
      one of them, Enterococcus faecalis was isolated at replacement and suppressive
      antibiotic treatment was needed. The other 31 patients were treated with
      arthrodesis arthroplasty (3 patients) or a two-stage exchange. In this group the
      Tc-99m-labelled leucocyte scan was positive in all patients and the frozen
      section was positive in 29/31 cases with 6% false negative. Histology was
      positive in 27/31 with 13% of false negative. The sensitivity and specificity
      value was respectively 90% and 100% in the frozen section, 84% and 100% in
      histology. Cultures were positive in 23/31 cases. Patients subjected to two-stage
      exchange were evaluated again during prosthesis replacement but the results of
      the Tc-99m-labelled leucocyte scan and histology showed unclear results more
      frequently: the Tc-99m-labelled leucocyte scan was positive in two cases, the
      frozen section in three and histology in seven in spite of positive culture in
      three cases and one relapse in a patient with a frozen section and histology
      positive but negative culture. In the second step sensitivity and specificity
      were respectively 67% and 96% in the frozen section, 75% and 88% in histology.
      Finally, our experience suggests the utility of nuclear and histological tests
      during diagnostic work-up for differential diagnosis of aseptic loosening or
      prosthetic joint infection. The same tests produce more uncertain data when
      performed in two-stage exchange during the second step. 

PMID- 26110295
TI  - [Antiretroviral therapy in inmates: between guidelines and reality of Italian
      correctional facilities].
AB  - In HIV-positive patients detention often represents a unique opportunity for
      health care. HIV-positive inmates enjoy the same rights as non-restricted people,
      as established under national and international legislation, declarations and
      guidelines. Antiretroviral therapy in restricted men shows some peculiarities
      such as the voluntary non-taking of drugs to worsen the health status or obtain
      legal benefits and the high frequency of concomitant psychiatric treatment. On
      the other hand, patient compliance may be considerably improved by adopting DOT
      strategy. Aiming to define the choices of first and subsequent lines of therapy
      with respect to the patient's epidemiological characteristics and other ongoing
      treatments in two major correctional facilities in Milan (Opera and San Vittore,
      harbouring about 2500 inmates), we collected punctual data (March 6, 2014) drawn
      from the single patient forms of therapy. Our results show the same prevalence of
      HIV infection in both facilities (3%), AIDS and viral hepatitis coinfection cases
      being more frequent in Opera. Both in Opera and San Vittore we found a high
      adherence to antiretroviral therapy (high CD4 count average and high percentage
      of HIV-RNA suppressed). The first and subsequent choice of main lines was
      TDF+FTC+RTV+ATV. The choice of efavirenz (EFV) as the third drug was often
      excluded due to its neuropsychiatric implications. The most common cause of drug
      change was toxicity followed by simplification and then by virological failure.
      Finally we showed a high frequency of concomitant psychiatric therapy (77% in
      Opera, 67% in San Vittore), noting the hypothetical interactions with
      antiretroviral drugs.

PMID- 26110296
TI  - Effectiveness and tolerability of short course co-trimoxazole, norfloxacin and
      levofloxacin in bacteriological cure of uncomplicated urinary tract infection in
      outpatient setting. An open label, parallel group, randomized controlled trial.
AB  - To compare the bacteriological cure rate of short-course (3-day) treatment of
      uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) using co-trimoxazole, norfloxacin and
      levofloxacin, patients with uncomplicated UTI were randomized to receive either
      co-trimoxazole (960 mg) twice a day or norfloxacin (400 mg) twice a day or
      levofloxacin (250 mg) once a day for three days. Urine culture was done at the
      end of treatment and evaluated for bacteriological cure rate in each group. Among
      a total of 175 patients, Escherichia coli (74.29%) was the most common organism
      isolated followed by Klebsiella (11.43%), Streptococcus (6.29%), Staphylococcus
      saphrophyticus (5.14%), and Pseudomonas (2.86%). At the end of three days'
      treatment, bacteriological cure rates were 86.2%, 87.7% and 83.3% for co
      trimoxazole, norfloxacin and levofloxacin, respectively (p>0.05). Therefore short
      course treatment with co-trimoxazole 960 mg twice a day, norfloxacin 400 mg twice
      a day and levofloxacin 250 mg once a day are almost equally effective for
      treatment of uncomplicated UTI. 

PMID- 26110297
TI  - Geotrichum capitatum septicaemia in a haematological patient after acute myeloid
      leukaemia relapse: identification using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and review of
      the literature.
AB  - Emerging fungal pathogens, such as Geotrichum capitatum, are often associated
      with poor prognosis and represent a new challenge in modern medicine. Invasive
      Geotrichum capitatum infection is rare and has been reported exclusively in
      patients who showed signs of severe immunodeficiency, particularly those affected
      by haematological malignancies. The optimal therapy against systemic geotricosis
      has not yet been identified due to limited data about its antifungal
      susceptibility. The use of several therapeutic strategies and the low number of
      cases treated does not allow identification of specific therapeutic protocols.
      Furthermore, in spite of antifungal therapy, mortality rates reach very high
      levels. We report a case of systemic Geotrichum capitatum infection in a 78-year
      old male treated with salvage therapy after acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
      relapse. Geotrichum capitatum was isolated from his blood culture and identified
      by using Vitek 2 and Maldi time-of-flight system (MALDI-TOF). The infection was
      unsuccessfully treated, despite in vitro susceptibility, with micafungin and
      liposomal amphotericin B. 

PMID- 26110298
TI  - Renal embolism as a primary manifestation of Streptococcus dysgalactiae
      subspecies equisimilis endocarditis in a patient with chronic aortic dissection.
AB  - We report a case of renal embolism as an initial manifestation of Streptococcus
      dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) endocarditis in a patient with chronic
      aortic dissection. A 37-year-old man who underwent total aortic arch replacement
      owing to aortic dissection, presented with a 3-h history of fever, chills, and
      acute right-sided flank pain. The endocarditis affected the native aortic valve
      and was complicated by a renal embolism. Blood culture results were positive for
      SDSE. Intravenous penicillin resulted in satisfactory clinical and
      echocardiographic recovery. 

PMID- 26110299
TI  - Salmonella paratyphi B mycotic aneurysm of the abdominal aorta in an HIV-infected
      patient: a case report.
AB  - An HIV-infected 49-year-old man was admitted with polyuria, fever, chills and a
      dull left lumbar pain. Laboratory tests showed increased C-reactive protein while
      urine analysis and abdomen ultrasound scan were negative. Blood cultures revealed
      a Salmonella paratyphi B, identified through MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.
      Targeted antibiotic therapy with intravenous piperacillin/tazobactam was started
      and a multi-phase contrast-enhanced abdomen CT-scan was performed at 24 hours
      from admission showing a saccular aneurysm of the abdominal aorta with a 1 cm
      penetrating aortic ulcer on posterior wall. The patient underwent emergency
      vascular surgery at 34 hours from admission for debridement and homo-graft
      placement of sub-renal aorta, and surgical samples were sent for microbiological
      analysis. Unfortunately, the patient died on post-surgical day 7 after
      haemorrhagic shock due to laceration of his graft. Salmonella paratyphi infection
      can be responsible for sepsis in severely immunosuppressed patients with poorly
      controlled HIV, requiring careful work-up for cardiovascular involvement. 

PMID- 26110300
TI  - A case of brucellosis presenting with acute hepatitis and bicytopenia.
AB  - Although liver involvement is frequently seen in brucellosis, acute hepatitis is
      a rare clinical entity. In its progress, haematological findings are non-specific
      and vary in respect to severity. In this paper, we present a case of brucellosis
      with acute hepatitis and bicytopenia without anaemia. A 19-year-old man presented
      with a 2-week history of fever, sweating, low back and leg pain, lassitude, loss
      appetite, nausea and vomiting. He gave a history of raw milk ingestion and animal
      contact. Physical examination showed signs of icteric skin and sclera, tenderness
      in the right hypochondriac region and hepatosplenomegaly. On admission to
      hospital, laboratory tests showed WBC 3500/mmc (polymorphs 63% and lymphocytes
      33%), haemoglobin 13.8 g/dL, platelet 89000/mmc, erythrocyte sedimentation rate
      19 mm/h, and C-reactive protein 21.7 mg/dL (N<0.8 mg/dL). Biochemical tests were
      as follows: AST 771 U/L, ALT 471 U/L, ALP 355 U/L, GGT 432 U/L, total bilirubin
      2.61 mg/dL, direct bilirubin 1.45 mg/dL and albumin 3.7 g/dL. Viral hepatitis
      markers were found to be negative (HBsAg, anti-HBc total, anti-HBc IgM, anti-HAV
      IgM, and anti-HCV). Blood culture grew Brucella melitensis. Leukopenia and
      thrombocytopenia returned to normal levels at the 7th and 14th day of his
      admission, respectively. Liver function tests improved at the 28th day. Treatment
      of the brucellosis was performed with antibiotics (tetracycline 500 mg orally
      four times daily for 6 weeks and streptomycin 1 g IM once daily for 21 days).
      Finally, a case of brucellosis with acute hepatitis and bicytopenia was treated
      with a successful outcome. In conclusion, we suggest that due consideration be
      taken of bicytopenia/pancytopenia and acute hepatitis in brucellosis cases in
      Turkey, an endemic region. 

PMID- 26110301
TI  - Necrotizing soft tissue infection of the right anterolateral abdominal wall
      caused by a ruptured gangrenous appendix in an elderly diabetic patient.
AB  - Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) of the abdominal wall usually occur
      when either a common superficial soft tissue infection progresses down to, or an
      injury (e.g. knife stab) penetrates, the investing muscle fascia, or an intra
      abdominal infection spreads directly to the muscle layers of the abdominal wall.
      These infections are severe and associated with significant morbidity and
      mortality. We present an 83-year-old female diabetic patient who was admitted to
      the surgical emergency department complaining of right abdominal pain after a
      fall to the floor. She had previously received oral antibiotics for a minor
      superficial skin infection attributed to her subcutaneous use of insulin. On
      admission she exhibited signs of agitation and dyspnoea with hypotension and
      tachycardia (systolic arterial pressure 90mmHg, heart rate >110 bpm, oxygen
      saturation 88%). Furthermore, she had a tender right abdomen but without any
      demonstrable pathology on her skin or crepitus. Arterial blood gases revealed
      metabolic acidosis and hypoxaemia. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan
      demonstrated signs of infection of the entire right anterior abdominal wall and
      the LRINEC score was calculated to be 13. Subsequent operative aggressive
      necrosectomy of all the involved layers of the right anterolateral abdominal wall
      sparing the peritoneum was undertaken. Unfortunately, the patient died the next
      day due to multiple organ failure. 

PMID- 26110302
TI  - Spinal lesions by infectious spondylodiscitis and hepatocellular carcinoma
      presenting as spinal metastasis in an HIV-HCV co-infected patient.
AB  - Back pain and spine tenderness over the involved spine segment are common
      clinical findings of a number of relative benign conditions. However, back pain
      may be the presenting symptom of vertebral metastases in patients with systemic
      cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma, a not uncommon complication in HCV
      HIV infected patients. We describe a case of a 51-year-old intravenous drug user
      with HIV and HCV co-infection who developed dorsal spondylodiscitis due to
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which improved following antibiotic therapy. Three months
      after the end of therapy, the patient referred recurrence of back pain. The MRI
      showed different vertebral lesions of the dorsal spine and costal arch which
      turned out to be hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis at the histological
      examination. The patient had never been treated with the interferon-ribavirine
      combination therapy because of a major depressive syndrome. Interferon-free
      regimens are urgently required for HIV-HCV coinfected patients, especially when
      interferon-based regimens are contraindicated. 

PMID- 26110303
TI  - Arthrographis kalrae arthritis: a new case report.
AB  - To date, only 11 cases of infection by Arthrographis kalrae have been described.
      According to the literature, we report a second case of arthritis caused by this
      mycete after a penetrating wound successfully treated with voriconazole before
      arthroscopic knee washout for six weeks.

PMID- 26110304
TI  - [Epidemics on the sea: migrants journeys in the nineteenth century].
AB  - In the nineteenth century travelling by ship became faster due to the
      introduction of the steam engine. Population growth, economic crises and food
      shortages forced millions of Italians to consider migration towards the Americas
      as a real opportunity. Travel conditions on ships and steamers were particularly
      difficult. People were crammed into dormitories where ventilation was poor, food
      was insufficient, hygiene was appalling and promiscuity was rife. Under such
      conditions, epidemics of cholera, typhus and measles were all too likely to
      develop, but mycobacterium tuberculosis also proliferated. The health authorities
      attempted to block the spread of epidemics by means of either health licenses -
      papers certifying good health of the crew and passengers, which had to be
      exhibited on arrival - or quarantine, involving the ship and all its contents, if
      infectious diseases were detected or suspicious deaths occurred during the ship's
      voyage. In this article the particularly unfortunate stories of Italian
      immigrants, who boarded ships and steamers, are reported. In the second half of
      the nineteenth century, but also in the first decades of the twentieth, millions
      of Italians whose aim was to reach the Americas paid a very high price. Italy did
      not provide acceptable living conditions for millions of farmers and town
      dwellers, and migration in search of work was in many cases the only solution.
      Although many during their sea voyages became ill or died of starvation or
      infectious diseases, migration, supported by hope, continued. 

PMID- 26110306
TI  - Combined Treatment Modalities of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Bilayer Matrix Wound
      Dressing, and Negative Pressure Therapy in Patients with Failed Temporoparietal
      Fascia Flaps.
AB  - Temporoparietal fascia flaps are reported to have a 94% success rate in auricular
      reconstruction. Bilayer matrix (IntegraTM, Integra LifeSciences, Plainsboro, NJ)
      dermal graft alone has an average success rate of 76.6%. When combined with
      fibrin glue and negative pressure therapy (V.A.C.A(r) FreedomA(r), KCI, San
      Antonio, Tex) the flaps have a success rate of up to 98% in patients with a
      variety of wound types and sites. Two patients are presented with failed
      temporoparietal fascia flaps. In addition, one also had prior failure of a split
      thickness skin graft; the second also had failure of prior Integra split
      thickness skin graft, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. All 3 treatment modalities
      of bilayer dermal graft, negative pressure therapy, and hyperbaric oxygen used
      simultaneously allowed both flaps to heal. 

PMID- 26110305
TI  - Assessment of the Effect of an Aliamide-containing Topical Gel by Evaluation of
      the Reduction of Wound Volume Measured by High R.
AB  - This study evaluated the use of an aliamide-containing gel in the treatment of
      skin wounds by employing noninvasive wound volume measurements acquired from
      wound images of high resolution ultrasonography (HRU). The dorsal thoracolumbar
      areas of 10 Beagle dogs were clipped and 2 rows of 6 full-thickness 5-mm punch
      biopsy samples were taken from either side of the midline under general
      anaesthesia. Wounds were allowed to heal by secondary intention, while treatment
      gel or base was applied 3 times daily to randomly selected treatment and control
      groups. Concentric 8-mm punch biopsy samples of the healing wounds were taken on
      Days 1, 2, 4, 8, and 14 for histopathological assessment. Wounds were imaged with
      20 MHz HRU daily over a period of 28 days. Wound volume was calculated using
      scanner software based on the disk summation method. The wound volume was
      calculated in longitudinal and transverse ultrasound images and the average of
      the 2 values was used as the final wound volume. Repeated measures analysis of
      variance (ANOVA) was used to assess whether wound volume differed significantly
      over time, and between control and treated animals. Mean wound volume decreased
      significantly during the 28-day experimental period, and there was a significant
      time-treatment interaction indicating that the treatment effect varied at
      different stages during the healing process. Overall, application of the aliamide
      containing gel appears to improve wound healing over time. 

PMID- 26110307
TI  - Painful Leg Ulcers: A Misdiagnosed Case Report With Literature Review.
AB  - A 56-year-old man presented with painful leg ulcers located on the left
      malleolus, tibia, the dorsal aspect of the feet and calves. He was initially
      treated with wound dressings, antibiotics, and other surgical debridement-'but
      these treatments were not effective. The results from laboratory and image
      examinations did not support the diagnosis of vascular and diabetic ulcerations
      or any specific infectious diseases. Subsequently, the patient confessed that he
      has been on medication with hydroxyurea for his granulocytic leukemia. The leg
      ulcers were fully cured after discontinuation of hydroxyurea. This case suggests
      that any medication the patient might be taking is always considered when
      evaluating a chronic ulcer. 

PMID- 26110308
TI  - An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Skin Grafting to Treat Chronic Venous Leg
      Ulcers.
AB  - AIM: This study assessed the effectiveness of skin autografting at 6 months post
      treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective analysis of the disease course
      and treatment of 2 groups of patients (group S contained patients who have been
      treated by performing the surgery of skin autografting, group C contained
      patients who have been treated only by nonoperative means of treatment) after 6
      months who were treated from January 2001 to June 2005 at the Department of
      Plastic Surgery and Burns and at the Clinic of Skin and Venereal Diseases of
      Kaunas Medical University Hospital was performed. The analysis evaluated the
      influence on the speed of epithelization (healing) of ulcers by performing
      surgical skin autografting and conservative treatment. The speed of
      epithelization (the decrement of an area of an ulcer within 6 months) for the
      treatment of large chronic leg ulcers after the first 6-month period was also
      analyzed. RESULTS: Seventy-one patients (group S, n = 40; group C, n = 31)
      participated in the 6-month study period. Ulcers did not heal completely in any
      patients in group C (100%)-ulcer size increased in 17 patients and decreased in
      14 patients. The average area of ulcers for group C was 171.12 cm2 (range = 8 cm2
      720 cm2). Compared to the area before treatment (m = 182.29 cm2), the reduction
      in average area was not significant (P > 0.5). The contamination of ulcers did
      not change much in either group over the course of the study. Staphylococcus
      aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most commonly found pathogens. In
      group S, the skin epithelized completely in 27 cases (67.5%) and did not
      epithelize in 13 cases (32.5%). The average ulcer area was 16 cm2 (range = 6 cm2
      52 cm2). In comparison with the previous area (m = 279 cm2), the current area was
      rather small and did not (or was insignificant) influence patient quality of
      life. CONCLUSION: According to the data from all factors that were analyzed, age
      was the only influence on the origination of large chronic venous leg ulcers
      (CVLUs, P < 0.05). Large CVLUs (> 50 cm2) of 67.5% of elderly patients (> 60
      years) were healed within 2-3 weeks by skin grafting compared to the
      conservatively treated group and maintained closure up to 6 months (ie, if the
      subjects were studied up to 6 months).

PMID- 26110310
TI  - Editorial Message: 'Wound Care' Reading Is Fundamental.

PMID- 26110309
TI  - Odor Absorbing Hydrocolloid Dressings for Direct Wound Contact.
AB  - Patients in institutional settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes, often
      have or acquire chronic wounds such as those resulting from venous insufficiency
      and pressure ulcers-these wounds can possess a very offensive odor. 1 The most
      direct way of avoiding or eliminating wound odor is to prevent or eradicate the
      infection responsible for it.Topical antibiotics, such as metronidazole gel (0.8
      w/v) have proved to be quite effective, but can generate resistant organisms.
      Further, the action of metronidazole can be sluggish; often several days are
      needed for any infection to be resolved, and meanwhile the odor is still being
      generated.Thus, in practice, other methods such as charcoal-based dressings are
      often used with or with-out concomitant antibiotic therapy. Odor absorbing
      dressings have been marketed in one form or other for many years. During the past
      decades a number of charcoal based dressings have been introduced into the
      market. Some of the more current products are Actisorb (r) Silver (Johnson &
      Johnson Medical Ltd, Gargrave, UK), CarboFlex (r) (ConvaTec, Princeton, NJ),
      Carbonet (r) (Smith and Nephew Abstract: Charcoal based odor-absorbing dressings
      for management of odoriferous chronic wounds have been marketed for many years.
      However, the presence of wound serum deactivates the charcoal and inhibits the
      adsorption of odor molecules. Charcoal dressings also gen-erally need adjunct
      fixation to hold them in place. A new series of hydrocolloid adhesives based on
      cyclodextrins has been developed to provide an alternative technology for the
      adsorption of chronic wound odors. Dressings incorporating this technology are
      suitable for direct wound contact. In presence of serum, superior odor absorption
      with these new materials in comparison with charcoal dressings has been
      demonstrated in vitro. These new dressings have significant fluid absorption
      potential, are self-adhesive, and require no additional fixa-tion. Some of the
      factors affecting performance of these new materi-als in vitro are presented.
      Comparisons of fluid handling and odor pre-vention abilities of 3 hydrocolloid
      dressings, Exuderm OdorShield (r) (Medline, Mundelein, Ill) a hydrocolloid
      dressing containing cyclodex-trins, coded MED 9150H, TegaSorb (r) (3M Health
      Care, St. Paul, Minn), and DuoDerm Extra Thin (r) (ConvaTec, Deeside, UK) are
      made. Preliminary results of the in-vivo performance of the MED9150H product on
      chronic wounds are also given. 

PMID- 26110311
TI  - Long-Term Observations in an Affected Family with Neurogenic Scapuloperoneal
      Syndrome Caused by Mutation R269C in the TRPV4 Gene.
AB  - Mutations in the TRPV4 gene, encoding a polymodal Ca(2+) permeable channel, are
      causative for several human diseases, affecting the skeletal and the peripheral
      nervous system with highly variable phenotypes. We report on a family with two
      affected individuals. The father clinically suffered from a classical
      scapuloperoneal syndrome, while the son presented with a severe neonatal onset
      with congenital respiratory distress, feeding problems and arthrogryposis
      multiplex. Multi-Gene Panel sequencing by next generation sequencing revealed the
      heterozygous mutation c.805C>T (p.R269C) in the TRPV4 gene. Long-term observation
      over two decades showed no relevant disease progression in the father and, after
      a dramatic neonatal period, a significant improvement in the son who became
      ambulant with orthoses at the age of 5 years, suggesting a reasonably good
      prognosis even in cases with severe neonatal onset. Long-term findings in muscle
      ultrasound correlated with the clinical course, showing stable or even slightly
      improved findings. Neurography revealed a late-onset sensory neuropathy in the
      father, which was so far not described in TRPV4 neuropathies.

PMID- 26110312
TI  - SYNGAP1 Mutation in Focal and Generalized Epilepsy: A Literature Overview and A
      Case Report with Special Aspects of the EEG.
AB  - BACKGROUND: SYNGAP1, which encodes a RAS-GTPase-activating protein, is located on
      the short arm of chromosome 6. Heterozygous SYNGAP1 gene mutations have been
      associated with autism spectrum disorders, delay of psychomotor development,
      acquired microcephaly, and several forms of idiopathic generalized epilepsy.
      Here, we report a patient with a new SYNGAP1 stop mutation, and compare the
      phenotype with published cases with SYNGAP1 mutations and epilepsy. PATIENT: This
      15-year-old nondysmorphic girl with intellectual disability developed drop
      attacks at the age of 2 years, later clonic and clonic-tonic as well as myoclonic
      seizures predominantly during sleep. The epilepsy was well-controlled by valproic
      acid (VPA) and later on with levetiracetam. Electroencephalogram (EEG) showed a
      complete EEG-normalization with eye opening as well as photosensitivity. Magnetic
      resonance imaging was normal. Genetic analysis revealed a de novo heterozygous
      stop mutation (c.348C>A, p.Y116*) in exon 4 of the SYNGAP1 gene. DISCUSSION: The
      main clinical features of our patient (i.e., intellectual disability and
      idiopathic epilepsy) are compatible with previous reports on patients with
      SYNGAP1 mutations. The unusual feature of complete EEG normalization with eye
      opening has not been reported yet for this genetic abnormality. Furthermore, our
      case provides further support for efficacy of VPA in patients with SYNGAP1
      mutation-related epilepsy.

PMID- 26110313
TI  - JAG: A Computational Tool to Evaluate the Role of Gene-Sets in Complex Traits.
AB  - Gene-set analysis has been proposed as a powerful tool to deal with the highly
      polygenic architecture of complex traits, as well as with the small effect sizes
      typically found in GWAS studies for complex traits. We developed a tool, Joint
      Association of Genetic variants (JAG), which can be applied to Genome Wide
      Association (GWA) data and tests for the joint effect of all single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) located in a user-specified set of genes or biological
      pathway. JAG assigns SNPs to genes and incorporates self-contained and/or
      competitive tests for gene-set analysis. JAG uses permutation to evaluate gene
      set significance, which implicitly controls for linkage disequilibrium, sample
      size, gene size, the number of SNPs per gene and the number of genes in the gene
      set. We conducted a power analysis using the Wellcome Trust Case Control
      Consortium (WTCCC) Crohn's disease data set and show that JAG correctly
      identifies validated gene-sets for Crohn's disease and has more power than
      currently available tools for gene-set analysis. JAG is a powerful, novel tool
      for gene-set analysis, and can be freely downloaded from the CTG Lab website. 

PMID- 26110314
TI  - The Fork in the Road: Histone Partitioning During DNA Replication.
AB  - In the following discussion the distribution of histones at the replication fork
      is examined, with specific attention paid to the question of H3/H4 tetramer
      "splitting." After a presentation of early experiments surrounding this topic,
      more recent contributions are detailed. The implications of these findings with
      respect to the transmission of histone modifications and epigenetic models are
      also addressed. 

PMID- 26110316
TI  - Alternative Okazaki Fragment Ligation Pathway by DNA Ligase III.
AB  - Higher eukaryotes have three types of DNA ligases: DNA ligase 1 (Lig1), DNA
      ligase 3 (Lig3) and DNA ligase 4 (Lig4). While Lig1 and Lig4 are present in all
      eukaryotes from yeast to human, Lig3 appears sporadically in evolution and is
      uniformly present only in vertebrates. In the classical, textbook view, Lig1
      catalyzes Okazaki-fragment ligation at the DNA replication fork and the ligation
      steps of long-patch base-excision repair (BER), homologous recombination repair
      (HRR) and nucleotide excision repair (NER). Lig4 is responsible for DNA ligation
      at DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) by the classical, DNA-PKcs-dependent pathway
      of non-homologous end joining (C-NHEJ). Lig3 is implicated in a short-patch base
      excision repair (BER) pathway, in single strand break repair in the nucleus, and
      in all ligation requirements of the DNA metabolism in mitochondria. In this
      scenario, Lig1 and Lig4 feature as the major DNA ligases serving the most
      essential ligation needs of the cell, while Lig3 serves in the cell nucleus only
      minor repair roles. Notably, recent systematic studies in the chicken B cell
      line, DT40, involving constitutive and conditional knockouts of all three DNA
      ligases individually, as well as of combinations thereof, demonstrate that the
      current view must be revised. Results demonstrate that Lig1 deficient cells
      proliferate efficiently. Even Lig1/Lig4 double knockout cells show long-term
      viability and proliferate actively, demonstrating that, at least in DT40, Lig3
      can perform all ligation reactions of the cellular DNA metabolism as sole DNA
      ligase. Indeed, in the absence of Lig1, Lig3 can efficiently support semi
      conservative DNA replication via an alternative Okazaki-fragment ligation
      pathway. In addition, Lig3 can back up NHEJ in the absence of Lig4, and can
      support NER and HRR in the absence of Lig1. Supporting observations are available
      in less elaborate genetic models in mouse cells. Collectively, these observations
      raise Lig3 from a niche-ligase to a universal DNA ligase, which can potentially
      substitute or backup the repair and replication functions of all other DNA
      ligases in the cell nucleus. Thus, the old model of functionally dedicated DNA
      ligases is now replaced by one in which only Lig4 remains dedicated to C-NHEJ,
      with Lig1 and Lig3 showing an astounding functional flexibility and
      interchangeability for practically all nuclear ligation functions. The underlying
      mechanisms of Lig3 versus Lig1 utilization in DNA repair and replication are
      expected to be partly different and remain to be elucidated. 

PMID- 26110315
TI  - Genetics of Type 2 Diabetes and Clinical Utility.
AB  - A large proportion of heritability of type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been attributed
      to inherent genetics. Recent genetic studies, especially genome-wide association
      studies (GWAS), have identified a multitude of variants associated with T2D. It
      is thus reasonable to question if these findings may be utilized in a clinical
      setting. Here we briefly review the identification of risk loci for T2D and
      discuss recent efforts and propose future work to utilize these loci in clinical
      setting-for the identification of individuals who are at particularly high risks
      of developing T2D and for the stratification of specific health-care approaches
      for those who would benefit most from such interventions. 

PMID- 26110317
TI  - MicroRNA-224 is Readily Detectable in Urine of Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus
      and is a Potential Indicator of Beta-Cell Demise.
AB  - MicroRNA (miRNA) are a class of non-coding, 19-25 nucleotide RNA critical for
      network-level regulation of gene expression. miRNA serve as paracrine signaling
      molecules. Using an unbiased array approach, we previously identified elevated
      levels of miR-224 and miR-103 to be associated with a monogenic form of diabetes;
      HNF1A-MODY. miR-224 is a novel miRNA in the field of diabetes. We sought to
      explore the role of miR-224 as a potential biomarker in diabetes, and whether
      such diabetes-associated-miRNA can also be detected in the urine of patients.
      Absolute levels of miR-224 and miR-103 were determined in the urine of n = 144
      individuals including carriers of a HNF1A mutation, participants with type 1
      diabetes mellitus (T1DM), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and normal controls.
      Expression levels were correlated with clinical and biochemical parameters. miR
      224 was significantly elevated in the urine of carriers of a HNF1A mutation and
      participants with T1DM. miR-103 was highly expressed in urine across all diabetes
      cohorts when compared to controls. For both miR-224 and-103, we found a
      significant correlation between serum and urine levels (p < 0.01). We demonstrate
      that miRNA can be readily detected in the urine independent of clinical indices
      of renal dysfunction. We surmise that the differential expression levels of miR
      224 in both HNF1A-MODY mutation carriers and T1DM may be an attempt to compensate
      for beta-cell demise. 

PMID- 26110319
TI  - Arrest of Viral Proliferation by Ectopic Copies of Its Cognate Replication
      Origin.
AB  - The initiation step of DNA replication is the crucial determinant of
      proliferation in all organisms. This step depends on the specific interaction of
      DNA sequences present at origins of DNA replication and their cognate activators.
      We wished to explore the hypothesis that the presence of ectopic origin copies
      may interfere with proper genome duplication. Bacteriophage lambda was used as a
      model system. To this end, the outcome of an infection of an E. coli strain
      harboring ectopic copies of the lambda origin region was analyzed. By measuring
      the effect on the host growth, viral production, and electro-microscopic
      visualization of the resulting lambda replicative intermediates, we concluded
      that the ectopic copies had prevented the normal initiation step of lambda DNA
      replication. These results suggest that DNA decoys encoding viral origins could
      constitute effective tools to specifically arrest viral proliferation. 

PMID- 26110318
TI  - Hedgehog Signaling during Appendage Development and Regeneration.
AB  - Regulatory networks that govern embryonic development have been well defined.
      While a common hypothesis supports the notion that the embryonic regulatory
      cascades are reexpressed following injury and tissue regeneration, the
      mechanistic regulatory pathways that mediate the regenerative response in higher
      organisms remain undefined. Relative to mammals, lower vertebrates, including
      zebrafish and newts, have a tremendous regenerative capacity to repair and
      regenerate a number of organs including: appendages, retina, heart, jaw and
      nervous system. Elucidation of the pathways that govern regeneration in these
      lower organisms may provide cues that will enhance the capacity for the
      regeneration of mammalian organs. Signaling pathways, such as the hedgehog
      pathway, have been shown to play critical functions during development and during
      regeneration in lower organisms. These signaling pathways have been shown to
      modulate multiple processes including cellular origin, positional identity and
      cellular maturation. The present review will focus on the cellular and molecular
      regulation of the hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway and its interaction with other
      signaling factors during appendage development and regeneration. 

PMID- 26110320
TI  - Design and Synthesis of Novel N-Arylsulfonyl-3-(2-yl-ethanone)-6-methylindole
      Derivatives as Inhibitors of HIV-1 Replication.
AB  - Seven novel N-arylsulfonyl-3-(2-yl-ethanone)-6-methylindole derivatives 4a-f and
      6 were readily synthesized and have been identified as inhibitors of human
      immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) replication. Initial biological studies
      indicated that among these derivatives, N-(p-ethyl)phenylsulfonyl-3-[2
      morpholinoethanone]-6-methylindole (4f) and N-(p-ethyl)phenylsulfonyl-3-[2-(5
      phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-yl-thio)ethanone]-6-methylindole (6) showed the most
      promising activity against HIV-1 replication. The effective concentration (EC50)
      and therapeutic index (TI) values of 4f and 6 were 9.42/4.62 MUM, and
      >49.77/66.95, respectively. The cytotoxicity of these compounds has also been
      assessed. No significant cytotoxicities were found for any of these compounds. 

PMID- 26110322
TI  - Pharmaceuticals Best Paper Award 2015.
AB  - It is always a difficult task for a jury to classify articles from a selection of
      outstanding manuscripts. [...]. 

PMID- 26110323
TI  - Extracellular Wound Matrices: Novel Stabilization and Sterilization Method for
      Collagen-based Biologic Wound Dressings.
AB  - Biologic extracellular matrix (ECM)-based wound dressings offer promise in the
      treatment of chronic wounds. A variety of animal and human tissue derived
      dressings are currently available. These products are processed and/or sterilized
      by a range of chemical and mechanical processes, which will impact the final
      quality of the matrices--ultimately affecting the overall wound healing process.
      A novel method is described to prepare a sterile and biocompatible biological
      wound dressing. The advantages and the clinical implications of this wound
      dressing preparation are also discussed. 

PMID- 26110321
TI  - Seatbelts in CAR therapy: How Safe Are CARS?
AB  - T-cells genetically redirected with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) to
      recognize tumor antigens and kill tumor cells have been infused in several phase
      1 clinical trials with success. Due to safety concerns related to on-target/off
      tumor effects or cytokine release syndrome, however, strategies to prevent or
      abate serious adverse events are required. Pharmacologic therapies; suicide
      genes; or novel strategies to limit the cytotoxic effect only to malignant cells
      are under active investigations. In this review, we summarize results and
      toxicities of investigations employing CAR redirected T-cells, with a focus on
      published strategies to grant safety of this promising cellular application. 

PMID- 26110324
TI  - Small Intestinal Submucosa Wound Matrix for Chronic Wound Healing.
AB  - Chronic wounds represent a state where healing has stagnated. Venous, diabetic,
      and pressure ulcers are typically difficult to heal and are at high risk of
      becoming chronic. In an attempt to restart the healing of chronic wounds, many
      biologically important molecules, such as collagen, hyaluronic acid, and growth
      factors have been used to treat these wounds with varying degrees of success.
      Until recently, the idea of replacing the failing extracellular matrix (ECM) with
      an intact and biologically complex substitute was unknown. Small Intestinal
      Submucosa Wound Matrix (SISWM) is both a biologically complex and intact ECM, and
      an effective therapy for treating chronic wounds. A "drop in' replacement for the
      ECM of difficult to heal or chronic wounds helps to stimulate tissue ingrowth,
      deposition of new matrix, and rapid epithelialization-potentially leading to
      improved quality of life for patients. 

PMID- 26110325
TI  - Extracellular Wound Matrices:A Novel Regenerative Tissue Matrix (RTM) Technology
      for Connective Tissue Reconstruction.
AB  - The restoration of structure, function, and physiology to damaged or missing
      tissue through the use of a regenerative tissue matrix (RTM) leads to
      regenerative healing rather than reparative scarring. While many processes exist
      to transform biologic materials into an extracellular matrix (ECM), only those
      that maintain the required structural and biochemical properties necessary to
      capture the intrinsic regenerative abilities of the body are suitable to produce
      an RTM. Histological examination using differential staining with hematoxylin and
      eosin stain or Verhoeff von Geisen stain of human biopsies of RTM obtained from 2
      different abdominal surgery patients taken at 8- and 12 months were consistent
      with RTM remodeling into fascia-like tissue. A synopsis of recent studies on the
      use of the RTM GraftJacket(r) (Wright Medical Technologies, Memphis, Tenn) in
      successful closure of diabetic foot wounds is presented. Collectively, these
      reports indicate that LifeCell produced ECMs exemplified by GraftJacket exhibit
      the required clinical outcomes associated with an RTM. 

PMID- 26110326
TI  - An Institutional Analysis of Risk Factors in Pectoralis Advancement Flap
      Reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Between 1996 and 2004, 21 patients at the Birmingham Veterans Affairs
      Medical Center (BVA) underwent bilateral pectoralis flap reconstruction for
      treatment of post sternotomy sternal wound infection. METHODS: Data from the
      University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Medical Center were used to create a
      cohort group of 29 patients similar to the BVA group with respect to cardiac
      procedure, reconstruction type, demographics, and preoperative risk factors, such
      as diabetes, renal function, and nutritional status. The same surgeons performed
      the cardiac and reconstructive procedures at both institutions. RESULTS:
      Numerical comparison shows higher mortality in the BVA group (19.0% versus 6.9%
      at UAB, P = 0.22). It was also noted that the BVA group had a longer post-cardiac
      operation length of stay ([LOS], 21.8 versus 8.9 days, P = 0.03) and a longer
      post-reconstruction LOS (17.2 versus 9.5 days, P = 0.01). There were 3 patients
      in the BVA group who died of sepsis, while there were no sepsis-related deaths in
      the UAB group. CONCLUSION: The outcome differences between these 2 groups suggest
      that BVA patients presented with later more advanced sternal wound infections.
      Possible explanations include differences in patient populations, critical care,
      and referral networks. These findings further emphasize the importance of early
      diagnosis and treatment in sternal wound management.

PMID- 26110327
TI  - Evidence Corner:Pressure Ulcer Risk Scales.

PMID- 26110328
TI  - Editorial Message: Honor Your Wound Care Heroes.

PMID- 26110329
TI  - The Elimination Rate after Clozapine Overdose in Chinese Schizophrenia Patients:
      A Population Pharmacokinetics Model Study.

PMID- 26110330
TI  - Waterpipe Smoking and Regulation in the United States: A Comprehensive Review of
      the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Researchers in tobacco control are concerned about the increasing
      prevalence of waterpipe smoking in the United States, which may pose similar
      risks as cigarette smoking. This review explores the prevalence of waterpipe
      smoking in the United States as well as the shortcomings of current U.S. policy
      for waterpipe control and regulation. METHODS: Researchers conducted a literature
      review for waterpipe articles dated between 2004 and 2015 using five online
      databases: MEDLINE, CINHAHL, ScienceDirect, PMC, and Cochrane Library. RESULTS:
      To date, few studies have explored the marketing and regulation of waterpipe
      smoking in the U.S., which has increased in the last ten years, especially among
      women, adolescents, and young adults. Data indicate that the majority of
      waterpipe smokers are unaware of the potential risks of use. In addition, current
      tobacco control policies do not address waterpipe smoking, enabling tobacco
      companies to readily market and sell waterpipe products to young adults, who are
      at risk for becoming lifelong smokers. CONCLUSION: Policy makers in the area of
      public health need to update existing tobacco regulations to include waterpipe
      smoking. Similarly, public health researchers should develop public health
      campaigns and interventions to address the increasing rates of waterpipe smoking
      in the United States.

PMID- 26110333
TI  - Polyhexamethylene Biguanide (PHMB): An Addendum to Current Topical
      Antimicrobials.
AB  - Antimicrobials are routinely used in the treatment of chronic and problematic
      wounds. Despite the on-going increase in numbers and types of products, well
      designed clinical trials that support their efficacy are limited. Antimicrobial
      products are applied with understanding of their mechanisms of action and role in
      wound repair. This manuscript reviews the major categories of products on the
      market, providing the clinician with information on the different types of
      products and their purported effect on wounds. A new product containing
      polyhexamethylene biguanide is described in greater detail with relevant case
      presentations and cost data. This new product does not appear to have any known
      cytotoxicity in the dressing configuration and may be applied to a wide range of
      wounds. 

PMID- 26110331
TI  - Physiological and Psychological Effects of Viewing a Kiwifruit (Actinidia
      deliciosa 'Hayward') Orchard Landscape in Summer in Japan.
AB  - The physiological and psychological relaxation effects of viewing a kiwifruit
      (Actinidia deliciosa 'Hayward') orchard landscape were investigated. Seventeen
      Japanese adult females (46.1 +/- 8.2 years) viewed a kiwifruit orchard landscape
      or a building site (control) for 10 min. The heart rate variability and heart
      rate were determined. The modified semantic differential method and the short
      form Profile of Mood States were used to assess the psychological effects.
      Compared with viewing the building site, viewing the kiwifruit orchard landscape
      resulted in a significant increase in the parasympathetic activity, a marginally
      significant decrease in the heart rate, a significant increase in "comfortable",
      "relaxed" and "natural" feelings and a significant improvement in mood states. 

PMID- 26110332
TI  - Application Study of Comprehensive Forecasting Model Based on Entropy Weighting
      Method on Trend of PM2.5 Concentration in Guangzhou, China.
AB  - For the issue of haze-fog, PM2.5 is the main influence factor of haze-fog
      pollution in China. The trend of PM2.5 concentration was analyzed from a
      qualitative point of view based on mathematical models and simulation in this
      study. The comprehensive forecasting model (CFM) was developed based on the
      combination forecasting ideas. Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average Model
      (ARIMA), Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) model and Exponential Smoothing Method
      (ESM) were used to predict the time series data of PM2.5 concentration. The
      results of the comprehensive forecasting model were obtained by combining the
      results of three methods based on the weights from the Entropy Weighting Method.
      The trend of PM2.5 concentration in Guangzhou China was quantitatively forecasted
      based on the comprehensive forecasting model. The results were compared with
      those of three single models, and PM2.5 concentration values in the next ten days
      were predicted. The comprehensive forecasting model balanced the deviation of
      each single prediction method, and had better applicability. It broadens a new
      prediction method for the air quality forecasting field. 

PMID- 26110334
TI  - Quantitation of the Postoperative Vascular Response in Four Dorsal Bipedicle
      Flaps in the Rat.
AB  - The rodent bipedicle flap has been used in numerous permutations as a model of
      ischemia and to generate a compromised tissue bed. In this study 24 rats were
      used to investigate skin perfusion over time along the length of 4 distinct
      bipedicle flap designs-2 oriented cranial-caudally and 2 transverse. Traditional
      rectangular flaps were evaluated as well as unique elliptical geometries designed
      to maximize the area of the resulting ischemic bed. Perfusion was assessed by
      scanning laser Doppler and intravascular dye penetration. In all models, an
      initially ischemic bed as measured by Doppler reestablished basal perfusion rates
      within 2-4 days and went on to produce a hyperemic bed with perfusion levels well
      above baseline. Reduced perfusion areas visualized by fluorescein dye penetration
      completely resolved in 55% of flaps within 2 days, and 68% within 4 days. This
      study underscores the difficulty in developing a representative model of chronic
      ischemia in young healthy rats as well as their remarkable ability to recover
      from acute surgical insults. 

PMID- 26110335
TI  - Wound Debridement by Continuous Streaming of Proteolytic Enzyme Solutions:
      Effects on Experimental Chronic Wound Model in Porcin.
AB  - Wound debridement for the removal of necrotic tissue is a crucial step in wound
      management. Enzymatic wound debridement is one example of a method currently used
      that removes necrotic tissue with proteases and offers selectivity without
      affecting healthy adjacent tissue. Proteolytic enzymes for wound debndement are
      commercially available as ointments. The authors previously proposed and demon-
      strated feasibility on small lab animals-an alternative mode of deliv- ery of
      proteolytic enzymes for wound debridement with continuous streaming of protease
      solutions. The present study describes the impact of streaming of papain solut
      ions, fort ified by the incorporation of hypertonic agents, onto an experimental
      larger chronic wound model in pigs. Debridement of approximately half of the
      necrotic tis- sue mass was achieved within 6 to 11 h of streaming of papain solu-
      tions onto these experimental wounds. No adverse effects or notice- able
      morphological changes to the wound surface or its immediate surroundings were
      noted, indicating enzyme selectivity and preference for attacking necrotic
      tissue. The mechanism of enzymatic attack on the necrotic tissue is also
      discussed. In the control group, streaming of the basic solution formula (devoid
      of papain) was performed-no debridement of necrotic tissue was noticed in this
      case. The results indicate that the streaming delivery mode for enzymatic
      debridement is a highly effective tool designed to be completed in a few
      sessions. thus paving the way for extension of its application in clinical trials
      on humans. 

PMID- 26110336
TI  - The Burden of Pressure Ulcers in Spain.
AB  - Pressure ulcers are a serious and debilitating condition treated in all care
      settings and have a significant impact on both patients and healthcare resources.
      The objective of this study was to estimate overall treatment costs to the
      Spanish healthcare system by using a bottom-up costing approach. This study
      demonstrates that the cost to heal a pressure ulcer increases substantially with
      the severity of the ulcer, ranging from ?24 ([$32.16], Grade I) to ?6802
      ([$9115], Grade IV) for patients treated in hospitals. Ulcer severity increases
      overall costs because the time to heal is longer and the incidence of
      complications is higher in more severe cases. The total cost of pressure ulcer
      treatment in Spain is approximately ?461 million ([$618 million], roughly 5% of
      total annual healthcare expenditure). Of this, 15% represents the cost of
      dressings and other materials, while 19% represents the cost of nursing time, and
      45% represents the cost of ulcer-related hospital stays. 

PMID- 26110338
TI  - Erratum for: A Sensitive and Specific Indirect Competitive Enzyme-Linked
      Immunosorbent Assay for Detection of Paeoniflorin and Its Application in
      Pharmacokinetic Interactions between Paeoniflorin and Glycyrrhizinic Acid.

PMID- 26110337
TI  - Synthesis and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Siderophore Biosynthesis Inhibitors
      for Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - MbtA catalyzes the first committed biosynthetic step of the mycobactins, which
      are important virulence factors associated with iron acquisition in Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis. MbtA is a validated therapeutic target for antitubercular drug
      development. 5'-O-[N-(Salicyl)sulfamoyl]adenosine (1) is a bisubstrate inhibitor
      of MbtA and exhibits exceptionally potent biochemical and antitubercular
      activity. However, 1 suffers from suboptimal drug disposition properties
      resulting in a short half-life (t(1/2)), low exposure (AUC), and low
      bioavailability (F). Four strategies were pursued to address these liabilities
      including the synthesis of prodrugs, increasing the pK(a) of the acyl-sulfonyl
      moiety, modulation of the lipophilicity, and strategic introduction of fluorine
      into 1. Complete pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis of all compounds was performed.
      The most successful modifications involved fluorination of the nucleoside that
      provided substantial improvements in t(1/2) and AUC. Increasing the pK(a) of the
      acyl-sulfonyl linker yielded incremental enhancements, while modulation of the
      lipophilicity and prodrug approaches led to substantially poorer PK parameters.

PMID- 26110339
TI  - Exploring the nature of atheroma and cardiovascular inflammation in vivo using
      positron emission tomography (PET).
AB  - Positron emission tomography (PET) has become widely established in oncology.
      Subsequently, a whole new "toolbox" of tracers have become available to look at
      different aspects of cancer cell function and dysfunction, including cell protein
      production, DNA synthesis, hypoxia and angiogenesis. In the past 5 years, these
      tools have been used increasingly to look at the other great killer of the
      developed world: cardiovascular disease. For example, inflammation of the
      unstable plaque can be imaged with 18-fludeoxyglucose (18F-FDG), and this uptake
      can be quantified to show the effect that statins have in reducing inflammation
      and explains how these drugs can reduce the risk of stroke. 18F-FDG has also
      become established in diagnosing and monitoring large-vessel vasculitis and has
      now entered routine practice. Other agents such as gallium-68 (68Ga) octreotide
      have been shown to identify vascular inflammation possibly more specifically than
      18FFDG.Hypoxia within the plaque can be imaged with 18F-fluoromisonidazole and
      resulting angiogenesis with 18F-RGD peptides. Active calcification such as that
      found in unstable atheromatous plaques can be imaged with 18F-NaF. PET imaging
      enables us to understand the mechanisms by which cardiovascular disease,
      including atheroma, leads tomorbidity and death and thus increases the chance of
      finding new and effective treatments.

PMID- 26110340
TI  - Is the Relationship Between Breastfeeding and Childhood Risk of Asthma and
      Obesity Mediated by Infant Antibiotic Treatment?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies of the protective effect of breastfeeding on asthma have not
      brought unequivocal results, and thus this issue remains controversial.
      Antibiotic use, known to increase asthma risk, may be involved in this
      relationship. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of
      breastfeeding duration on obesity and asthma risk in childhood and to test a
      mediating role of antibiotic use in infancy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross
      sectional anthropometric and questionnaire study was conducted on 1,277
      schoolchildren 8 years of age. Data on weight status, asthma, breastfeeding
      duration, antibiotic administration in infancy, socioeconomic status, and
      lifestyle were analyzed. Multivariate standard and logistic regression and
      mediation analyses, controlling for confounders, were applied. RESULTS: Total
      duration of breastfeeding was negatively related to the child's body mass index
      (p=0.038), fat percentage (p=0.030), and obesity risk (p=0.032). Dropping the
      variable of antibiotic use from the model made the breastfeeding duration a
      significant predictor of low asthma risk (p=0.027). Antibiotic treatment mediated
      the relationship between breastfeeding duration and asthma risk (Sobel's z=-2.61,
      p=0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support protective effects of longer duration
      of breastfeeding against obesity and asthma. We propose a new mechanism for a
      relationship between breastfeeding and asthma: shorter breastfeeding compromises
      infant health and thereby leads to antibiotic treatment, which in turn increases
      the risk of asthma.

PMID- 26110341
TI  - The Met allele of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism is associated with increased BDNF
      levels in generalized anxiety disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common psychiatric disorder
      characterized by long-term worry, tension, nervousness, fidgeting, and symptoms
      of autonomic system hyperactivity. The neurobiology of this disorder is still
      unclear, although it has been shown consistently that the environment and the
      genetic profile could increase its risk. We examined whether a polymorphism in
      the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene, which plays a role in
      neuroplasticity and memory, could increase the vulnerability to this disorder.
      PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: In our study, 816 participants from a population-based
      study were genotyped by qPCR for the BDNF functional variant rs6265 (Val66Met)
      and the BDNF serum levels were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: Our results showed a
      significant association between the Met allele and risk for GAD (P=0.014), but no
      differences were observed in the serum levels of BDNF according to diagnosis
      (P=0.531) or genotype distribution (P=0.197). However, after stratification
      according to the GAD diagnosis, the Met allele was associated significantly with
      an increase in serum BDNF levels compared with the Val/Val genotype in GAD
      participants (F=3.93; P=0.048). The logistic regression analysis confirmed the
      independent association of Met allele as a risk factor for development of GAD
      after adjusting for confounder variables (beta=0.528; 95% confidence interval:
      0.320-0.871; P=0.012). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that BDNF could be
      involved in the neurobiology of GAD and might represent a useful marker
      associated with the disease.

PMID- 26110342
TI  - Serotonin transporter gene promoter polymorphism predicts relationship between
      years of cocaine use and impulsivity.

PMID- 26110343
TI  - Genetic association of the oxytocin receptor genes with panic, major depressive
      disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

PMID- 26110344
TI  - Validity and Test-Retest Reliability of the TIVRE-Basket Test for the
      Determination of Aerobic Power in Elite Male Basketball Players.
AB  - The aims of this study were to (a) determine the relationship between performance
      on the court-based TIVRE-Basket test and peak aerobic power determined from a
      criterion laboratory-based incremental treadmill test and (b) to examine the test
      retest reliability of the TIVRE-Basket test in elite male basketball players. To
      address aim 1, 36 elite male basketball players (age: 25.2 +/- 4.7 years, weight:
      94.1 +/- 11.4 kg, height: 195.83 +/- 9.6 cm) completed a graded treadmill
      exercise test and the TIVRE-Basket within 72 hours. The mean distance recorded
      during the TIVRE-Basket test was 4001.8 +/- 176.4 m, and mean VO2 peak was 54.7
      +/- 2.8 ml . kg(-1) . min(-1), and the correlation between the 2 parameters was r
      = 0.824 (p <= 0.001). Linear regression analysis identified TIVRE-Basket distance
      (in meters) as the only unique predictor of VO2 peak in a single variable plus
      constant model: VO2 peak = 2.595 + (0.13 * TIVRE-Basket distance [in meters]).
      Performance on the TIVRE-Basket test accounted for 67.8% of the variance in VO2
      peak (t = 8.466, p <= 0.001, 95% confidence interval: 0.01-0.016, SEE: 1.61). To
      address aim 2, 20 male basketball players (age: 26.7 +/- 4.2 years, height: 1.94
      +/- 0.92 cm, weight: 94.0 +/- 9.1 kg) performed the TIVRE-Basket test on 2
      occasions. There was no significant difference in total distance covered between
      trial 1 (4138.8 +/- 677.3 m) and trial 2 (4188.0 +/- 648.8 m; t = 0.5798, p =
      0.5688). Mean difference between trials was 49.2 +/- 399.5 m, with an intraclass
      correlation coefficient of 0.85 suggesting a moderate level of reliability.
      Standardized typical error of measurement was 0.88%, representing a moderate
      degree of trial-to-trial error, and the Coefficient of Variation (CV) was 6.3%.
      The TIVRE-Basket test therefore represents a valid and moderately reliable court
      based sport-specific test of aerobic power for use with individuals and teams of
      elite-level male basketball players. Future research is required to ascertain its
      validity and reliability in other basketball populations, for example, across age
      groups, at different levels of competition, in females and in different forms of
      the game, for example, wheelchair basketball.

PMID- 26110345
TI  - Time Course of Resistance Training-Induced Muscle Hypertrophy in the Elderly.
AB  - Extended periods of resistance training (RT) induce muscle hypertrophy.
      Nevertheless, to date, no study has investigated the time window necessary to
      observe significant changes in muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) in older adults.
      Therefore, this study investigated the time course of muscle hypertrophy after 10
      weeks (20 sessions) of RT in the elderly. Fourteen healthy older subjects were
      randomly allocated in either the RT (n: 6) or control group (n: 8). The RT was
      composed of 4 sets * 10 repetitions (70-80% 1 repetition maximum [1RM]) in a leg
      press machine. The time course of vastus lateralis muscle hypertrophy (CSA) was
      assessed on a weekly basis by mode-B ultrasonography. Leg press muscle strength
      was assessed by dynamic 1RM test. Our results demonstrated that the RT group
      increased leg press 1RM by 42% (p <= 0.05) after 10 weeks of training.
      Significant increases in vastus lateralis muscle CSA were observed only after 18
      sessions of training (9 weeks; p <= 0.05; 7.1%). In conclusion, our training
      protocol promoted muscle mass accrual in older subjects, and this was only
      observable after 18 sessions of RT (9 weeks).

PMID- 26110346
TI  - The Power Output-Drop Height Relationship to Determine the Optimal Dropping
      Intensity and to Monitor the Training Intervention.
AB  - The literature currently lacks in methodological approaches to quantify the drop
      jump intensity and to control the training intervention. This study aimed to
      determine the average power output-drop height relationship and to quantify the
      reliability of this relationship across 2 different training interventions (each
      8 weeks in length). The relationships were determined for 52 volunteer sports
      science students who took part in this study (25 male/27 female participants).
      The drop jumps from 20 to 60 cm were performed on a resistive platform. The
      reliability of the power output-drop height relationships was quantified for 29
      subjects who were selected from the sample and were assigned to a drop jump,
      vibration, or control groups. The average power output during the drop jump
      statistically depends on the gender (F(1,250) = 18.844; p = 0.0001) and drop
      height (F(4,250) = 7.195; p = 0.0001), whereas the interaction between gender and
      height did not affect the power output (F(4,250) = 0.458; p = 0.767). Both the
      drop jump and the vibration groups showed a significant main effect over time
      (F(3,200) = 40.059, p = 0.0001; and F(3,160) = 11.422, p = 0.0001, respectively).
      The intrasession and interday reliability ranged from "high" (intraclass
      correlation coefficient [ICC] > 0.80) to "excellent" (ICC > 0.90) among the
      various drop heights. This study suggests that an individual drop height that
      maximizes the power output during a drop jump exists and that the test to select
      this optimal drop height is repeatable over time. Consequently, the test can
      monitor the improvement in the power output following different training
      regimens.

PMID- 26110347
TI  - Hip External Rotator Strength Is Associated With Better Dynamic Control of the
      Lower Extremity During Landing Tasks.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the association between hip strength
      and lower extremity kinematics and kinetics during unanticipated single-leg
      landing and cutting tasks in collegiate female soccer players. Twenty-three
      National Collegiate Athletic Association division I female soccer players were
      recruited for strength testing and biomechanical analysis. Maximal isometric hip
      abduction and external rotation strength were measured using a hand-held
      dynamometer and expressed as muscle torque (force * femoral length) and
      normalized to body weight. Three-dimensional lower extremity kinematics and
      kinetics were assessed with motion analysis and force plates, and an inverse
      dynamics approach was used to calculate net internal joint moments that were
      normalized to body weight. Greater hip external rotator strength was
      significantly associated with greater peak hip external rotation moments (r =
      0.47; p = 0.021), greater peak knee internal rotation moments (r = 0.41; p =
      0.048), greater hip frontal plane excursion (r = 0.49; p = 0.017), and less knee
      transverse plane excursion (r = -0.56; p = 0.004) during unanticipated single-leg
      landing and cutting tasks. In addition, a statistical trend was detected between
      hip external rotator strength and peak hip frontal plane moments (r = 0.39; p =
      0.06). The results suggest that females with greater hip external rotator
      strength demonstrate better dynamic control of the lower extremity during
      unanticipated single-leg landing and cutting tasks and provide further support
      for the link between hip strength and lower extremity landing mechanics.

PMID- 26110348
TI  - Strength and Power Qualities Are Highly Associated With Punching Impact in Elite
      Amateur Boxers.
AB  - This study investigated the relationship between punching impact and selected
      strength and power variables in 15 amateur boxers from the Brazilian National
      Team (9 men and 6 women). Punching impact was assessed in the following
      conditions: 3 jabs starting from the standardized position, 3 crosses starting
      from the standardized position, 3 jabs starting from a self-selected position,
      and 3 crosses starting from a self-selected position. For punching tests, a force
      platform (1.02 * 0.76 m) covered by a body shield was mounted on the wall at a
      height of 1 m, perpendicular to the floor. The selected strength and power
      variables were vertical jump height (in squat jump and countermovement jump),
      mean propulsive power in the jump squat, bench press (BP), and bench throw,
      maximum isometric force in squat and BP, and rate of force development in the
      squat and BP. Sex and position main effects were observed, with higher impact for
      males compared with females (p <= 0.05) and the self-selected distance resulting
      in higher impact in the jab technique compared with the fixed distance (p <=
      0.05). Finally, the correlations between strength/power variables and punching
      impact indices ranged between 0.67 and 0.85. Because of the strong associations
      between punching impact and strength/power variables (e.g., lower limb muscle
      power), this study provides important information for coaches to specifically
      design better training strategies to improve punching impact.

PMID- 26110349
TI  - Effects of 28-Day Beta-Alanine Supplementation on Isokinetic Exercise Performance
      and Body Composition in Female Masters Athletes.
AB  - Beta-alanine (BA) supplementation increases exercise performance due to increases
      in the intramuscular lactate buffer, carnosine. Females are more sensitive to
      these increases and results are further pronounced in trained individuals.
      Baseline intramuscular carnosine levels also naturally decrease with age;
      therefore, trained older females may experience augmented benefits from BA
      supplementation. However, the ability of BA to increase lower-body isokinetic
      strength (ISO) in female masters athletes (MA) is unknown. The purpose of this
      study was to examine the longitudinal effects of BA supplementation on ISO,
      handgrip strength (HG), and body composition in female MA cyclists. Twenty-two
      subjects participated in this double-blind randomized study. Subjects were
      randomized into 2 groups (placebo [PLA] = 8 g dextrose; BA = 800 mg + 8 g
      dextrose) and supplemented 4 times per day for 28 days. ISO, HG, and body
      composition were evaluated at baseline and at the same day/time each week over
      the 28-day intervention. No differences existed between groups at baseline or at
      the 7, 14, and 21 days time points for any variables (p > 0.05). When evaluating
      ISO (isokinetic) after 28 days, total work performed during the final third of
      the assessment (24.0 vs. -16.8% change) in flexion and average peak torque (5.4
      vs. 2.9% change) in extension were significantly increased from baseline in BA
      compared with PLA (p <= 0.05). No differences existed for HG or body composition
      after supplementation. Twenty-eight days of BA supplementation increased peak
      torque and work completed, indicating BA improves lower-body exercise performance
      in female MA.

PMID- 26110350
TI  - Thermographic Assessment of Eccentric Overload Training Within Three Days of a
      Running Session.
AB  - The aim of this study was to analyze the changes in patellar and Achilles tendons
      between a group trained using eccentric overload and an untrained group within 3
      days of a running session. To this end, infrared thermography (IRT) will be used.
      Twenty healthy male subjects were divided into 2 groups. One group performed a 6
      week squat training in the flywheel before the running session. During the
      running intervention, both groups ran in 3 different days, for 1 hour each, at
      80% maximal heart rate. Before, just after, and after 10 minutes of the running
      intervention, participants were assessed using IRT. Eccentrically trained groups
      showed a statistically significant difference (analysis of variance, p = 0.0049)
      expressed as a smaller bilateral increase in temperature in the patellar tendon
      just before the first running day (right side, 0.11  degrees C; left side, 0.29 
      degrees C). On the other days of running and in the Achilles tendon groups,
      similar changes were observed: an increase in the temperature after running and
      no significant difference between contralateral limbs. Our results point at
      eccentric overload training providing a better adaptation for the first day of
      running. IRT is an easy-to-apply noninvasive tool to analyze and compare the
      effects of performance on tendon tissues.

PMID- 26110351
TI  - Apps for immunization: Leveraging mobile devices to place the individual at the
      center of care.
AB  - Mobile technology and applications (apps) have disrupted several industries
      including healthcare. The advantage of apps, being personally focused and
      permitting bidirectional communication, make them well suited to address many
      immunization challenges. As of April 25, 2015 searching the Android app store
      with the words 'immunize app' and 'immunization app' in Canada yielded 225 apps.
      On the Apple App Store a similar search produced 98 results. These include apps
      that provide immunization related information, permit vaccine tracking both for
      individuals and for animals, assist with the creation of customized schedules and
      identification of vaccine clinics and serve as sources of education. The diverse
      functionality of mobile apps creates the potential for transformation of
      immunization practice both at a personal level and a system level. For
      individuals, mobile apps offer the opportunity for better record keeping,
      assistance with the logistics of vaccination, and novel ways of communicating
      with and receiving information from public health officials. For the system,
      mobile apps offer the potential to improve the quality of information residing in
      immunization information systems and program evaluation, facilitate harmonization
      of immunization information between individuals, health care providers and public
      health as well as reduce vaccine hesitancy. As mobile technology continues to
      rapidly evolve there will emerge new ways in which apps can enhance immunization
      practice. 

PMID- 26110352
TI  - Piano-Stool Lutetium Amido and Imido Compounds Supported by a Constrained
      Bis(oxazoline)cyclopentadienyl Ligand.
AB  - {Bo(M)Cp(tet)}Lu(CH2Ph)2 (1; Bo(M)Cp(tet) = MeC(Ox(Me2))2C5Me4; Ox(Me2) = 4,4
      dimethyl-2-oxazoline) was prepared in 95% yield from the reaction of
      Bo(M)Cp(tet)H and Lu(CH2Ph)3THF3. Compound 1 reacts with 1 or 2 equiv of H2NCH2R
      (R = C6H5, 1-C10H7) to give the corresponding imido complexes
      [{Bo(M)Cp(tet)}LuNCH2R]2 (R = C6H5 (2a), 1-C10H7 (2b)) or amido complexes
      {Bo(M)Cp(tet)}Lu(NHCH2R)2 (R = C6H5 (3a), 1-C10H7 (3b)). Once isolated, the imido
      species are insoluble in nonprotic organic solvents. Crystallographic
      characterization reveals dimeric [{Bo(M)Cp(tet)}LuNCH2(1-C10H7)]2 in the solid
      state. The reaction of 1 and NH3B(C6F5)3 affords crystallographically
      characterized {Bo(M)Cp(tet)}Lu{NHB(C6F5)2}C6F5. This species is proposed to form
      via a transient lutetium imido, which undergoes C6F5 migration to the lutetium
      center. 

PMID- 26110353
TI  - Effect of AIE substituents on the fluorescence of tetraphenylethene-containing
      BODIPY derivatives.
AB  - A series of BODIPY derivatives with tetraphenylethene (TPE) moieties were
      designed and synthesized. The effect of positions and numbers of substitution
      groups on the fluorescence of the BODIPYs was investigated. Theoretical
      calculation and single crystal structures proved that the TPE substitution groups
      on the 8-position of BODIPY contributed little to the conjugation, but benefited
      the aggregated state emission. On the other hand, the substitutions on the 3- or
      5-position of BODIPY through vinyl bridges increased the conjugation length, and
      generated big coplanar pi-conjugated structures with poor aggregated state
      emission. The compound with bright aggregated state emission has been further
      fabricated into biocompatible fluorescent nanoparticles and used as effective
      fluorescent contrast agents for intracellular imaging. 

PMID- 26110354
TI  - Gas-Phase Rearrangement in Lysine Phosphorylated Peptides During Electron
      Transfer Dissociation Tandem Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) strategies coupled with collision-induced
      dissociation (CID) or radical-driven fragmentation techniques such as electron
      capture dissociation (ECD) or electron-transfer dissociation (ETD) have been
      successfully used for comprehensive phosphoproteome analysis. However, the
      unambiguous characterization of the phosphorylation site remains a significant
      challenge due to phosphate-related neutral losses and gas-phase rearrangements,
      which have been observed during CID. In particular, for the analysis of labile N
      phosphorylated peptides, ECD and ETD are emerging as a complementary method. In
      contrast to CID, the phosphorylation site of histidine, arginine, and lysine
      phosphorylated peptides can be characterized by ETD. Here, we present a study on
      the application of ETD for analysis of phospholysine (pLys) peptides. We show
      that, depending on the charge state of the precursor ion as well as the presence
      of basic amino acid side chains, phosphate transfer reactions during the ETD
      process can be observed leading to ambiguous fragment ion spectra. Basically,
      pLys is stable under ETD conditions allowing an unambiguous assignment of the
      site of phosphorylation, but some factors/parameters have to be considered to
      avoid gas-phase rearrangement which would lead to false positive results in
      phosphoproteomic studies. 

PMID- 26110356
TI  - Photochemically Induced Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Observed by Solid-State NMR
      in a Uniformly (13)C-Isotope-Labeled Photosynthetic Reaction Center.
AB  - A sample of solubilized and quinone-depleted reaction centers from the purple
      bacterium Rhodobacter (R.) sphaeroides wild type has been prepared entirely (13)C
      and (15)N isotope labeled at all positions of the protein as well as of the
      cofactors. In this sample, the occurrence of the solid-state photo-CIDNP
      (photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization) effect has been probed by
      (13)C solid-state magic-angle spinning NMR under illumination. Under continuous
      illumination, signal intensities are modified by the three-spin mixing (TSM)
      mechanism. Time-resolved illumination experiments reveal the occurrence of light
      induced nuclear polarization on the time scale of hundreds of microseconds,
      initially dominated by the transient polarization of the singlet branch of the
      radical-pair mechanism. A first kinetic analysis shows that the lifetime of the
      polarization from the singlet branch, indicated by the enhanced absorptive
      intensities of the signals from aliphatic carbons, is significantly extended.
      Upon arrival of the polarization from the triplet decay branch, emissive
      polarization caused by the TSM mechanism is observed. Also, this arrival is
      significantly delayed. The decay of TSM polarization occurs in two steps,
      assigned to intra- and intermolecular spin diffusion. 

PMID- 26110355
TI  - Ocular Tuberculosis--A Clinical Conundrum.

PMID- 26110357
TI  - Challenges and Opportunities for the Use of Medications to Treat Opioid Addiction
      in the United States and Other Nations of the World.
AB  - There has been a well documented increase in the use and abuse of prescription
      opioids and heroin in the United States and other parts of the world. There has
      also been an increasing focus to increase access to the use of medications
      (methadone, buprenorphine, Naltrexone/Vivitrol) for opioid addicted individuals
      under legal supervision. As policymakers engage in strategic initiatives to
      better prevent and effectively treat chronic opioid addiction, both in the United
      States and other countries, there are a number of unintended consequences,
      complicating how best to increase access to effective treatment. 

PMID- 26110358
TI  - Yet Another Flawed "Placebo Controlled" Study in Crohn's Disease?

PMID- 26110361
TI  - Impact of Sepsis on Surgical Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sepsis is among the leading causes of death in the United States, and
      patients undergoing surgical procedures are at greater risk for infectious
      complications. The incidence of sepsis and its association with outcomes among
      patients undergoing surgical procedures in various specialties were investigated.
      Additionally, the infectious sources and associated primary procedures were
      reported for sepsis-related deaths. METHODS: Patients undergoing procedures
      performed by surgical services at our academic medical center between January
      2010 and June 2013 were reviewed. Sepsis was identified by the assignment of
      related ICD-9-CM billing codes. Patient outcomes included hospital length of
      stay, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, ICU length of stay, and death. A
      subset of sepsis-related deaths was reviewed further for infectious sources and
      primary procedure codes. RESULTS: A total of 25,522 patients underwent a
      procedure by a surgical service, and sepsis developed in 863 patients (3.38%)
      during their hospital stays. Overall, patients with sepsis had significantly
      longer hospital and ICU stays, greater likelihood of ICU admission, and a higher
      mortality rate. The incidence of sepsis was highest in patients with procedures
      performed by cardiothoracic surgery (8.39%), trauma/acute care surgery (7.55%),
      and plastic/reconstructive surgery (5.35%). Sepsis was associated with a
      significant increase in the mortality rate among vascular surgery, trauma/acute
      care surgery, and cardiothoracic surgery patients. The most common infectious
      sources in sepsis-related deaths were pulmonary infections (39.5%), blood stream
      infections (35.1%), and gastrointestinal infections (31.6%). The procedures
      associated with the greatest number of sepsis-related deaths were extracorporeal
      membrane oxygenation, small bowel resection, and insertion of implantable heart
      assist systems. CONCLUSIONS: Sepsis is not an uncommon condition and is
      associated with longer hospital and ICU stays, greater likelihood of ICU
      admission, and a higher mortality rate. Accurate benchmarking of sepsis is
      essential for the development and monitoring of sepsis-reduction quality
      improvement initiatives.

PMID- 26110364
TI  - The Mechanism of Cell Interaction and Response on Decellularized Human Amniotic
      Membrane: Implications in Wound Healing.
AB  - ACELAGRAFTTM (Celgene Cellular Therapeutics, Cedar Knolls, NJ) was developed as a
      decellularized and dehydrated human amniotic membrane product (DDHAM). The
      product has demonstrated potential as a wound healing product with several
      ongoing preclinical and clinical studies in the area of acute and chronic ulcers.
      Although the mechanism of action of such a decellularized product has not been
      examined, a detailed study of the ability of fibroblasts to interact with DDHAM
      and subsequent cellular responses are presented. These studies indicate that the
      composition of DDHAM is that of an extracellular matrix (ECM)-like material with
      high collagen content, retaining key bioactive molecules, such as fibronectin,
      laminin, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and elastin. No cytokines or growth factors
      were identified as one might expect in a nondecellularized amniotic membrane
      product. Cell assays show that fibroblasts can recognize fibronectin in DDHAM and
      bind to it via typical integrin-fibronectin interactions. Fibroblasts secrete
      fibronectin and can actively assemble the soluble fibronectin into a complex
      extracellular matrix on DDHAM. Fibroblasts are also stimulated by DDHAM to
      secrete key proinflammatory(IL-1 and IL-6) and chemotactic cytokines or
      chemokines (proand IL-8) involved in regulating and enhancing wound repair
      processes. Microarray gene expression studies on fibroblasts bound to DDHAM show
      increased expression of key wound healing cytokines. Together, these studies
      provide insight into the mechanisms by which DDHAM may augment the wound healing
      process. 

PMID- 26110363
TI  - Two Distinct Uveal Melanomas in the Same Eye.

PMID- 26110365
TI  - Fungal Agents as a Cause of Surgical Wound Infections: An Overview of Host
      Factors.
AB  - Microbial virulence and host resistance are the determinants of the surgical
      infections. Bacteria are responsible for the majority of cases, but fungi are
      rare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fungi causing surgical infections
      and discuss host factors predisposing the infection. METHODS: A total of 824
      surgical wound specimens had been evaluated. The specimens were cultured using 5%
      sheep blood, Sabouraud Dextrose, and Eosin methylene blue agars and the isolates
      were identified by classical methods and API identification system. RESULTS:
      Growth was obtained in 455 (55.2%) out of 824 specimens. Nine (2%) of the agents
      of surgical infections were yeasts: Candida albicans was isolated in 5 (55.6%), C
      tropicalis in 3 (33.3%), and C glabrata in 1 (11.1%) specimen(s). Examining the
      characteristics of the patients, fungal infection could be explained with the
      presence of at least 1 predisposing factor. Immunosuppression was closely related
      with fungal growth. CONCLUSION: Predisposing factors impairing the immune system
      were detected in most of the patients showing the possibility of onset of fungal,
      predominantly Candidal infections. It is important for clinicians to be aware of
      fungal infections that may develop in this group under risk, particularly after
      surgery and all Candida species isolated from high-risk patients should be
      identified to species level, as nonalbicans strains are often associated with
      resistance to antifungal agents.

PMID- 26110366
TI  - Necrotizing Fasciitis and Myonecrosis Due to Aeromonas hydrophila.
AB  - Aeromonas hydrophila infection has been described as the cause of necrotizing
      fasciitis in patients with suppressed immune systems, burns, and trauma in an
      aquatic setting. The following presents a case in which severe necrotizing
      fasciitis and myonecrosis of the lower extremity, as well as toxic shock,
      developed as a result of wound infection from direct contact with brackish water.
      Mixed aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, including Aeromonas hydrophila, were
      isolated from the wound culture. This case illustrates that an infection with
      Aeromonas hydrophila can cause severe necrotizing fasciitis and myonecrosis.
      Early and aggressive surgical intervention should be implemented immediately
      after necrotizing fasciitis is diagnosed. 

PMID- 26110367
TI  - A Non-healing Sinus of the Lower Leg 5 Years After Vacuum-assisted Closure
      Therapy Due To a Gossypiboma.
AB  - Since its introduction, vacuum-assisted closure (V.A.C.(r) TherapyTM, KCI, San
      Antonio,Tex) therapy has proven to be an adequate and noninvasive method in the
      treatment of complicated wounds. Vacuumassisted closure can be used in the
      treatment of many types of chronic wounds, such as venous stasis ulcers, pressure
      ulcers, dehisced surgical wounds, arterial and diabetic ulcers, and a wide
      variety of miscellaneous, long-existing wounds. Although complications related to
      its use are rare; localized superficial skin irritation is the most common
      complication reported in the literature. Further complications involve pain,
      infection, bleeding, and fluid depletion. Although rare, severe complications,
      such as toxic shock syndrome, anaerobic sepsis, or thrombosis have been reported.
      This case report presents an unusual complication of vacuum-assisted closure
      therapy, which to the authors' knowledge has only once been reported in the
      literature. 

PMID- 26110368
TI  - Treating the Complicated Neuropathic Charcot Foot.

PMID- 26110369
TI  - Clinical practice of ambulatory versus home blood pressure monitoring in
      hypertensive patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze whether blood pressure (BP) measurement
      is concordant between ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and home blood
      pressure monitoring (HBPM), and determine whether the decision on treatment
      changes is similar on the basis of information provided by both methods. METHODS:
      Treated hypertensive patients were studied with ABPM and HBPM to evaluate
      therapeutic efficacy and/or diagnose resistant hypertension (HTN). Modification
      of pharmacological treatment was decided on the basis of pre-established
      criteria; therefore, the number of therapeutic changes between both techniques
      was compared. RESULTS: A total of 200 patients were included. The average daytime
      ABPM systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 136+/-16 compared with 136+/-15 (P=1) with
      HBPM; the average diurnal diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 83+/-12 and 81+/-9,
      respectively (P=0.06). The concordance between both methods was very good for SBP
      [r=0.85; Bland-Altman 0.2 (95% confidence interval 0.9-1.4 mmHg)], and good for
      the DBP [r=0.77; Bland-Altman 1.8 (95% confidence interval 0.8-2.8 mmHg)]. Both
      methods were in agreement that HTN was controlled in 68 patients and that it was
      not controlled in 90 patients, that is, they were concordant in 158 patients
      (79%, kappa=0.6). More patients required changes with ABPM than HBPM (149 vs. 99
      patients, P<0.0001) CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in the
      measurement of diurnal SBP and DBP between both methods. The concordance to
      determine proper control of HTN was 79%. There was a significant difference in
      the decision to modify the treatment in favor of the ABPM.

PMID- 26110370
TI  - The impact of arm circumference on noninvasive oscillometric blood pressure
      referenced with intra-aortic blood pressure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of arm circumference (AC) on the brachial
      blood pressure (BP) measured with an adult cuff. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: This
      study included 208 patients (150 men, 61.0+/-8.0 years) for coronary angiography.
      Intra-aortic BP and noninvasive right brachial oscillometric BP (noninvasive BP)
      were measured simultaneously before coronary angiography. The noninvasive BP was
      measured using an electronic oscillometric device with an adult cuff (12*22 cm).
      The mid-ACs were measured. Thus, proper cuff-arm (<=26 cm) and small cuff (>26
      cm) groups were created. The difference in intra-aortic and noninvasive BP was
      calculated as BPi-n. RESULTS: The correlation coefficients (r) between
      noninvasive and invasive systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean artery pressure, and
      diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 0.88, 0.76, and 0.58, respectively. The SBPi
      n was higher (7.9+/-1.6 vs. 5.2+/-1.1 mmHg), but the DBPi-n (3.9+/-1.4 vs. 6.1+/
      1.0 mmHg, P<0.05) was lower in the group <=26 cm than in the group >26 cm. Among
      the four subgroups divided by 20-23, 24-26, 27-30, and 31-37 cm of AC, as the AC
      increased, the SBPi-n increased, but DBP decreased, resulting in noninvasive SBP
      4.6 mmHg higher and noninvasive DBP 4.6 mmHg lower in the 31-37 cm group in
      comparison with the 20-23 cm group. CONCLUSION: When an adult cuff was used, the
      noninvasive oscillometric SBP was overestimated, but DBP was underestimated in
      the individuals with large arms against the intra-aortic BP.

PMID- 26110372
TI  - Catalytic conversion of isophorone to jet-fuel range aromatic hydrocarbons over a
      MoO(x)/SiO2 catalyst.
AB  - For the first time, jet fuel range C8-C9 aromatic hydrocarbons were synthesized
      in high carbon yield (~80%) by the catalytic conversion of isophorone over
      MoO(x)/SiO2 at atmospheric pressure. A possible reaction pathway was proposed
      according to the control experiments and the intermediates generated during the
      reaction.

PMID- 26110373
TI  - POINT: Is N2 Disease a Contraindication for Surgical Resection for Superior
      Sulcus Tumors? Yes.

PMID- 26110374
TI  - Severity of rhinitis and wheezing is strongly associated in preschoolers: A
      population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In preschool children, no study assessed the relation between
      wheezing and rhinitis severity. Our aims were to estimate the prevalence of
      current wheezing (CW) in preschoolers and to study the association between CW and
      current rhinitis (CR), considering its severity/persistency. METHODS: This is a
      cross-sectional, nationwide, population-based study including a representative
      sample of 5003 Portuguese children aged 3-5 years. Data were collected by a face
      to-face interview with caregivers using an adapted ISAAC questionnaire. CW was
      defined as presence of >=1 wheezing episode in the previous 12 months. Rhinitis
      severity/persistency was classified according to Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact
      on Asthma. RESULTS: Current wheezing prevalence was 24.5% [95% CI 23.3-25.7];
      9.4% of the participants had >=4 wheezing episodes in the previous year. Children
      with CR had an odds ratio (OR) of 4.0 [95% CI 3.4-4.5] for CW; it was highest for
      children with moderate-severe persistent rhinitis (11.5 [95% CI 8.1-16.3]), even
      after adjusting for possible confounders. Wheezers with CR reported more wheezing
      treatment use (p = 0.024) than those without CR. There was a trend for a higher
      number of wheezing episodes with more persistent and severe nasal disease - 48.4%
      of children with moderate-severe persistent rhinitis had >4 wheezing episodes vs.
      28.9% in moderate-severe intermittent, 20.0% in mild persistent, 10.8% in mild
      intermittent, and 3.6% in those without CR; p < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Current
      wheezing was present in almost 25% of preschool children and was strongly
      associated with rhinitis, especially moderate-severe persistent disease.
      Preschoolers with both CW and rhinitis seem to have a more severe phenotype,
      emphasizing the need for concurrent evaluation of nasal and bronchial symptoms
      even in small children.

PMID- 26110375
TI  - New Formulation of Sustained Release Naloxone Can Reverse Opioid Induced
      Constipation Without Compromising the Desired Opioid Effects.
AB  - An international double-blind randomized placebo controlled study evaluated the
      safety and efficacy of four doses of a new sustained release naloxone capsule to
      treat Opioid Induced Constipation (OIC). METHODS: Forty patients taking opioids
      for noncancer related pain, and experiencing OIC, were randomized into 4 cohorts
      of 10 patients. A multiple ascending dose design was used to evaluate the safety
      and efficacy of 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg naloxone sustained release (NSR)
      capsules vs placebo. Drug was given once-daily for 3 weeks followed by twice
      daily (bid) dosing between weeks 4 and 6. RESULTS: The incidence of treatment
      emergent adverse events was highest in the placebo group. The incidence of
      adverse events among the four active treatment groups were similar. There were no
      serious adverse events. The number of severe events was low overall but highest
      in the placebo group. Significant improvements were seen in Spontaneous Bowel
      Movements with 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg NSR capsules. Mean change in SBMs from
      baseline of 2.21 (P = 0.052), 2.37 (P = 0.032); 4.11 (P = 0.0005); 5.19 (<0.0001)
      was noted with NSR 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg, respectively, when taken once
      daily, compared with 1.38 (P = 0.2) for patients on placebo therapy. No changes
      in subjective or objective measures of opioid withdrawal as measured by the
      Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale or Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale were
      observed. There was no increase in patient reported pain as measured daily using
      a visual analogue scale. CONCLUSIONS: This Phase II study has shown that using a
      new sustained release formulation to deliver oral naloxone to the colon allows
      successful treatment of OIC without comprising the desired opioid effects.

PMID- 26110376
TI  - Skin Cancer Risk Factors and Preventative Behaviors among United States Military
      Veterans Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

PMID- 26110377
TI  - Mutational analysis of Greek patients with suspected hereditary neuropathy with
      liability to pressure palsies (HNPP): a 15-year experience.
AB  - There has been limited information from population studies regarding the overall
      frequency of the common 1.5-Mb 17p11.2 deletion and even scarcer data regarding
      the overall frequency of PMP22 micromutations in patients with a clinical
      suspicion of hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP). We
      have analysed 100 consecutive Greek patients referred for HNPP genetic testing
      over a 15-year period to our Neurogenetics Unit in Athens, a reference centre for
      all regions of Greece. All patients were screened for the 1.5-Mb deletion and a
      selected subgroup of deletion-negative patients for PMP22 micromutations.
      Mutation-positive and mutation-negative patients were compared for various
      clinical parameters. In total, 54 mutation-positive patients were identified. In
      index cases, the deletion frequency was 47.8%, and the PMP22 micromutation
      frequency was 2.2%. Within mutation-positive patients, the common deletion
      represented 95.7% and PMP22 micromutations 4.3% of cases. Two previously reported
      PMP22 micromutations (c.364_365delCC and c.79-2A>G) were detected. HNPP index
      cases had a 2.8-1 male-to-female ratio, similar to mutation-negative patients. A
      typical phenotype (recurrent or isolated palsies) was present in 82.4% of
      symptomatic HNPP cases, significantly higher than mutation-negative patients.
      Sensitivity of proposed electrophysiological diagnostic criteria for HNPP was
      calculated at 95.7% and specificity at 80.5%. In conclusion, the common HNPP
      deletion accounts for ~50% and PMP22 micromutations for ~2% of cases in a large
      consecutive cohort of patients with suspected HNPP. The mutational and phenotypic
      spectrum of HNPP is similar in the Greek population compared with other
      populations. Proposed electrophysiological diagnostic criteria perform
      satisfactorily in everyday clinical practice. 

PMID- 26110378
TI  - Psychiatric Symptom Clusters as Risk Factors for Alcohol Use Disorders in
      Adolescence: A National Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few epidemiologic studies have examined a full range of adolescent
      psychiatric disorders in the general population. The association between
      psychiatric symptom clusters (PSCs) and DSM-IV alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among
      adolescents is not well understood. METHODS: This study draws upon the public-use
      data from the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, including a study
      sample of 19,430 respondents aged 12 to 17. Logistic regression and exploratory
      structural equation modeling assess the associations between PSCs and DSM-IV AUDs
      by gender. The PSCs are based on brief screening scales devised from the
      Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Predictive Scales. RESULTS: Several
      PSCs were found to be significantly associated with DSM-IV AUDs, including
      separation anxiety, generalized anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant
      disorder, and conduct disorder among both genders, and panic disorder and
      obsessive/ compulsive disorder among females. Consistent with the literature, the
      analysis of PSCs yields 3 factors identical for both genders-2 internalizing
      factors (fear and anxiety-misery) and 1 externalizing factor. Adolescents who
      scored higher on the externalizing factor tended to have higher levels of the AUD
      factor. Female adolescents who scored higher on the internalizing misery factor
      and lower on the internalizing fear factor also tended to have higher levels of
      the AUD factor. CONCLUSIONS: The associations that we found between PSCs and AUDs
      among adolescents in this study are consistent with those found among adults in
      other studies, although gender may moderate associations between internalizing
      PSCs and AUDs. Our findings lend support to previous findings on the
      developmentally stable associations between disruptive behaviors and AUDs among
      adolescents as well as adults in the general population.

PMID- 26110379
TI  - Circulating Long Noncoding RNA as a Potential Target for Prostate Cancer.
AB  - Prostate cancer is considered the second most common visceral malignancy in men
      in Western countries. Its emergence is largely due to the coordination of a
      malignant network, and long noncoding RNA has been recently demonstrated to play
      a critical role in prostate carcinogenesis. The aberrant expression of long
      noncoding RNA in prostate cancer patients is strongly associated with diagnosis,
      risk stratification and carcinogenesis, information that provides new insight
      into the complicated intracellular milieu of prostate cancer. This review focuses
      mainly on literature evidence for the role of long noncoding RNA in prostate
      cancer, which may suggest novel strategies for its prognosis, diagnosis and
      clinical treatment. 

PMID- 26110380
TI  - Phylogeography of Thlaspi arvense (Brassicaceae) in China Inferred from
      Chloroplast and Nuclear DNA Sequences and Ecological Niche Modeling.
AB  - Thlaspi arvense is a well-known annual farmland weed with worldwide distribution,
      which can be found from sea level to above 4000 m high on the Qinghai-Tibetan
      Plateau (QTP). In this paper, a phylogeographic history of T. arvense including
      19 populations from China was inferred by using three chloroplast (cp) DNA
      segments (trnL-trnF, rpl32-trnL and rps16) and one nuclear (n) DNA segment (Fe
      regulated transporter-like protein, ZIP). A total of 11 chloroplast haplotypes
      and six nuclear alleles were identified, and haplotypes unique to the QTP were
      recognized (C4, C5, C7 and N4). On the basis of molecular dating, haplotypes C4,
      C5 and C7 have separated from others around 1.58 Ma for cpDNA, which corresponds
      to the QTP uplift. In addition, this article suggests that the T. arvense
      populations in China are a mixture of diverged subpopulations as inferred by
      hT/vT test (hT <= vT, cpDNA) and positive Tajima's D values (1.87, 0.05 < p <
      0.10 for cpDNA and 3.37, p < 0.01 for nDNA). Multimodality mismatch distribution
      curves and a relatively large shared area of suitable environmental conditions
      between the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) as well as the present time recognized by
      MaxEnt software reject the sudden expansion population model. 

PMID- 26110382
TI  - Supramolecular Approaches to Nanoscale Morphological Control in Organic Solar
      Cells.
AB  - Having recently surpassed 10% efficiency, solar cells based on organic molecules
      are poised to become a viable low-cost clean energy source with the added
      advantages of mechanical flexibility and light weight. The best-performing
      organic solar cells rely on a nanostructured active layer morphology consisting
      of a complex organization of electron donating and electron accepting molecules.
      Although much progress has been made in designing new donor and acceptor
      molecules, rational control over active layer morphology remains a central
      challenge. Long-term device stability is another important consideration that
      needs to be addressed. This review highlights supramolecular strategies for
      generating highly stable nanostructured organic photovoltaic active materials by
      design. 

PMID- 26110381
TI  - Targeted siRNA Screens Identify ER-to-Mitochondrial Calcium Exchange in Autophagy
      and Mitophagy Responses in RPE1 Cells.
AB  - Autophagy is an important stress response pathway responsible for the removal and
      recycling of damaged or redundant cytosolic constituents. Mitochondrial damage
      triggers selective mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy), mediated by a variety of
      response factors including the Pink1/Parkin system. Using human retinal pigment
      epithelial cells stably expressing autophagy and mitophagy reporters, we have
      conducted parallel screens of regulators of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and
      mitochondrial morphology and function contributing to starvation-induced
      autophagy and damage-induced mitophagy. These screens identified the ER chaperone
      and Ca2+ flux modulator, sigma non-opioid intracellular receptor 1 (SIGMAR1), as
      a regulator of autophagosome expansion during starvation. Screens also identified
      phosphatidyl ethanolamine methyl transferase (PEMT) and the IP3-receptors (IP3Rs)
      as mediators of Parkin-induced mitophagy. Further experiments suggested that IP3R
      mediated transfer of Ca2+ from the ER lumen to the mitochondrial matrix via the
      mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) primes mitochondria for mitophagy.
      Importantly, recruitment of Parkin to damaged mitochondria did not require IP3R
      mediated ER-to-mitochondrial Ca2+ transfer, but mitochondrial clustering
      downstream of Parkin recruitment was impaired, suggesting involvement of
      regulators of mitochondrial dynamics and/or transport. Our data suggest that Ca2+
      flux between ER and mitochondria at presumed ER/mitochondrial contact sites is
      needed both for starvation-induced autophagy and for Parkin-mediated mitophagy,
      further highlighting the importance of inter-organellar communication for
      effective cellular homeostasis. 

PMID- 26110383
TI  - Combinatorial Pharmacophore-Based 3D-QSAR Analysis and Virtual Screening of FGFR1
      Inhibitors.
AB  - The fibroblast growth factor/fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGF/FGFR)
      signaling pathway plays crucial roles in cell proliferation, angiogenesis,
      migration, and survival. Aberration in FGFRs correlates with several malignancies
      and disorders. FGFRs have proved to be attractive targets for therapeutic
      intervention in cancer, and it is of high interest to find FGFR inhibitors with
      novel scaffolds. In this study, a combinatorial three-dimensional quantitative
      structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) model was developed based on previously
      reported FGFR1 inhibitors with diverse structural skeletons. This model was
      evaluated for its prediction performance on a diverse test set containing 232
      FGFR inhibitors, and it yielded a SD value of 0.75 pIC50 units from measured
      inhibition affinities and a Pearson's correlation coefficient R2 of 0.53. This
      result suggests that the combinatorial 3D-QSAR model could be used to search for
      new FGFR1 hit structures and predict their potential activity. To further
      evaluate the performance of the model, a decoy set validation was used to measure
      the efficiency of the model by calculating EF (enrichment factor). Based on the
      combinatorial pharmacophore model, a virtual screening against SPECS database was
      performed. Nineteen novel active compounds were successfully identified, which
      provide new chemical starting points for further structural optimization of FGFR1
      inhibitors. 

PMID- 26110384
TI  - Identification of Site-Specific Stroke Biomarker Candidates by Laser Capture
      Microdissection and Labeled Reference Peptide.
AB  - The search to date for accurate protein biomarkers in acute ischemic stroke has
      taken into consideration the stage and/or the size of infarction, but has not
      accounted for the site of stroke. In the present study, multiple reaction
      monitoring using labeled reference peptide (LRP) following laser capture
      microdissection (LCM) is used to identify site-specific protein biomarker
      candidates. In middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rat models, both intact
      and infarcted brain tissue was collected by LCM, followed by on-film digestion
      and semi-quantification using triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry. Thirty-four
      unique peptides were detected for the verification of 12 proteins in both tissue
      homogenates and LCM-captured samples. Six insoluble proteins, including
      neurofilament light polypeptide (NEFL), alpha-internexin (INA), microtubule
      associated protein 2 (MAP2), myelin basic protein (MBP), myelin proteolipid
      protein (PLP) and 2',3'-cyclic-nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNP), were found
      to be site-specific. Soluble proteins, such as neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and
      ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase isozyme L1 (UCHL1), and some insoluble
      proteins, including neurofilament heavy polypeptide (NEFH), glial fibrillary
      acidic protein (GFAP), microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) and tubulin beta
      3 chain (TUBB3), were found to be evenly distributed in the brain. Therefore, we
      conclude that some insoluble protein biomarkers for stroke are site-specific, and
      would make excellent candidates for the design and analysis of relevant clinical
      studies in the future. 

PMID- 26110385
TI  - Inflammatory and Other Biomarkers: Role in Pathophysiology and Prediction of
      Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - Understanding pathophysiology and identifying mothers at risk of major pregnancy
      complications is vital to effective prevention and optimal management. However,
      in current antenatal care, understanding of pathophysiology of complications is
      limited. In gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), risk prediction is mostly based
      on maternal history and clinical risk factors and may not optimally identify high
      risk pregnancies. Hence, universal screening is widely recommended. Here, we will
      explore the literature on GDM and biomarkers including inflammatory markers,
      adipokines, endothelial function and lipids to advance understanding of
      pathophysiology and explore risk prediction, with a goal to guide prevention and
      treatment of GDM. 

PMID- 26110386
TI  - Local Controlled Release of Polyphenol Conjugated with Gelatin Facilitates Bone
      Formation.
AB  - Catechins are extensively used in health care treatments. Nevertheless, there is
      scarce information about the feasibility of local administration with polyphenols
      for bone regeneration therapy, possibly due to lack of effective delivery
      systems. Here we demonstrated that the epigallocatechin-3-gallate-conjugated
      gelatin (EGCG/Gel) prepared by an aqueous chemical synthesis using 4-(4,6
      dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-morpholinium chloride (DMT-MM) gradually
      disintegrated with time and facilitated bone formation in a critical size defect
      of a mouse calvaria. Conjugation of EGCG with the Gel generated cross-linking
      between the two molecules, thereby leading to a retardation of the degradation of
      the EGCG/Gel and to a delayed release of EGCG. The prepared EGCG/Gels represented
      significant osteogenic capability compared with that of the uncross-linked Gel
      and the cross-linked Gel with uncombined-EGCG. In vitro experiments disclosed
      that the EGCG/Gel induced osteoblastogenesis of a mouse mesenchymal stem cell
      line (D1 cells) within 14 days. Using fluorescently-labeled EGCG/Gel, we found
      that the fraction of EGCG/Gel adsorbed onto the cell membrane of the D1 cells
      possibly via a Gel-cell interaction. The interaction might confer the long-term
      effects of EGCG on the cells, resulting in a potent osteogenic capability of the
      EGCG/Gel in vivo. These results should provide insight into local controlled
      release of polyphenols for bone therapy. 

PMID- 26110387
TI  - A Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells-Type I Interferon Axis Is Critically Implicated in
      the Pathogenesis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic autoimmune disease that is
      characterized by the generation of immune responses to various nuclear
      components. Impaired clearance of apoptotic cells and loss of tolerance to self
      antigens are involved both in the initiation and in the propagation of the
      disease. Dendritic cells (DCs) are key factors in the balance between
      autoimmunity and tolerance and play a role linking innate and adaptive immunity.
      DCs, particularly plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), are the main source of type I
      interferon (IFN) cytokines, which contribute to the immunopathogenesis of SLE.
      There is accumulating evidence that pDCs and type I IFN cytokines take the
      leading part in the development of SLE. In this review, we discuss recent data
      regarding the role of pDCs and type I IFN cytokines in the pathogenesis of SLE
      and the potential for employing therapies targeting against aberrant regulation
      of the pDC-type I IFN axis for treating SLE. 

PMID- 26110388
TI  - Memantine Attenuates Delayed Vasospasm after Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
      via Modulating Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase.
AB  - Delayed cerebral vasospasm is an important pathological feature of subarachnoid
      hemorrhage (SAH). The cause of vasospasm is multifactorial. Impairs nitric oxide
      availability and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) dysfunction has been
      reported to underlie vasospasm. Memantine, a low-affinity uncompetitive N-methyl
      d-aspartate (NMDA) blocker has been proven to reduce early brain injury after
      SAH. This study investigated the effect of memantine on attenuation of vasospasm
      and restoring eNOS functionality. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 350-450 g
      were randomly divided into three weight-matched groups, sham surgery, SAH +
      vehicle, and SAH + memantine groups. The effects of memantine on SAH were
      evaluated by assessing the severity of vasospasm and the expression of eNOS.
      Memantine effectively ameliorated cerebral vasospasm by restoring eNOS
      functionality. Memantine can prevent vasospasm in experimental SAH. Treatment
      strategies may help combat SAH-induced vasospasm in the future. 

PMID- 26110389
TI  - Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Hull-Caryopsis Adhesion/Separation Revealed by
      Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Covered/Naked Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).
AB  - The covered/naked caryopsis trait of barley is an important agronomic trait
      because it is directly linked to dietary use. The formation of covered/naked
      caryopsis is controlled by an NUD transcription factor, which is involved in
      pericarp cuticle development. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this
      trait remains so far largely unknown. In this study, comparative transcriptomes
      of grains three weeks after anthesis of Tibetan Hulless barley landrace Dulihuang
      and covered barley Morex were analyzed using RNA-seq technique. A total of 4031
      differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The Nud gene was
      overexpressed in Morex, with trace expression in Dulihuang. Among seventeen
      cuticle related DEGs, sixteen were down regulated and one up regulated in Morex.
      These results suggest that the Nud gene in covered caryopsis might down regulate
      cuticle related genes, which may cause a permeable cuticle over pericarp, leading
      to a hull-caryopsis organ fusion. A functional cuticle covering the pericarp of
      naked caryopsis might be the result of deletion or low expression level of the
      Nud gene. The functional cuticle defines a perfect boundary to separate the
      caryopsis from the hull in naked barley. 

PMID- 26110390
TI  - Bioactive Phytochemicals from Wild Arbutus unedo L. Berries from Different
      Locations in Portugal: Quantification of Lipophilic Components.
AB  - The lipophilic composition of wild Arbutus unedo L. berries, collected from six
      locations in Penacova (center of Portugal), as well as some general chemical
      parameters, namely total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, total phenolic
      content and antioxidant activity was studied in detail to better understand its
      potential as a source of bioactive compounds. The chemical composition of the
      lipophilic extracts, focused on the fatty acids, triterpenoids, sterols, long
      chain aliphatic alcohols and tocopherols, was investigated by gas chromatography
      mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the dichloromethane extracts. The
      lipophilic extractives of the ripe A. unedo berries ranged from 0.72% to 1.66%
      (w/w of dry weight), and consisted mainly of triterpenoids, fatty acids and
      sterols. Minor amounts of long chain aliphatic alcohols and tocopherols were also
      identified. Forty-one compounds were identified and among these, ursolic acid,
      lupeol, alpha-amyrin, linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids, and beta-sitosterol
      were highlighted as the major components. To the best of our knowledge the
      current research study provides the most detailed phytochemical repository for
      the lipophilic composition of A. unedo, and offers valuable information for
      future valuation and exploitation of these berries. 

PMID- 26110392
TI  - Biomineral/Agarose Composite Gels Enhance Proliferation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells
      with Osteogenic Capability.
AB  - Hydroxyapatite (HA) or calcium carbonate (CaCO3) formed on an organic polymer of
      agarose gel is a biomaterial that can be used for bone tissue regeneration.
      However, in critical bone defects, the regeneration capability of these materials
      is limited. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that can
      differentiate into bone forming osteoblasts. In this study, we loaded MSCs on HA-
      or CaCO3-formed agarose gel and cultured them with dexamethasone, which triggers
      the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. High alkaline phosphatase activity was
      detected on both the HA- and CaCO3-formed agarose gels; however, basal activity
      was only detected on bare agarose gel. Bone-specific osteocalcin content was
      detected on CaCO3-formed agarose gel on Day 14 of culture, and levels
      subsequently increased over time. Similar osteocalcin content was detected on HA
      formed agarose on Day 21 and levels increased on Day 28. In contrast, only small
      amounts of osteocalcin were found on bare agarose gel. Consequently, osteogenic
      capability of MSCs was enhanced on CaCO3-formed agarose at an early stage, and
      both HA- and CaCO3-formed agarose gels well supported the capability at a later
      stage. Therefore, MSCs loaded on either HA- or CaCO3-formed agarose could
      potentially be employed for the repair of critical bone defects. 

PMID- 26110393
TI  - Effect of Dose and Administration Period of Seed Cake of Genetically Modified and
      Non-Modified Flax on Selected Antioxidative Activities in Rats.
AB  - Flaxseed cake containing antioxidants is a valuable dietary component. Its
      nutritional effect may be diminished by the presence of anti-nutrients. The work
      was aimed at determining the effect of different contents of flaxseed cake in
      diets and their administration period on the development of rats and selected
      parameters of their health status. Diets with 15% and 30% addition of genetically
      modified (GM) flax seed cake with enhanced synthesis of polyphenols, as well as
      Linola non-GM flax were administered in short-term (33 days) and long-term (90
      days) experiments. The 30% addition of flaxseed cake reduced digestibility of
      dietary nutrients, GM flaxseed cake lowered body weight gains. The relative
      weight of selected organs, hematological blood markers and serum activities of
      aspartate and alanine aminotransferases (AST, ALT) were not affected. Flaxseed
      cake consumption reduced serum concentration of albumins and increased globulins.
      Administration of 30% flaxseed cake improved plasma total antioxidant status and
      30% GM flaxseed cake lowered liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. The
      activities of superoxide dismutase in erythrocytes, glutathione peroxidase in
      plasma and the liver concentration of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine were not changed.
      Most morphometric parameters of the small intestine did not differ between
      feeding groups. The administration of diets with 30% addition of flaxseed cake
      for 90 days improved the antioxidant status in rats. 

PMID- 26110394
TI  - Biomarkers for Refractory Lupus Nephritis: A Microarray Study of Kidney Tissue.
AB  - The prognosis of severe lupus nephritis (LN) is very different among individual
      patients. None of the current biomarkers can be used to predict the development
      of refractory LN. Because kidney histology is the gold standard for diagnosing
      LN, the authors hypothesize that molecular signatures detected in kidney biopsy
      tissue may have predictive value in determining the therapeutic response. Sixty
      seven patients with biopsy-proven severely active LN by International Society of
      Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) classification III/IV were
      recruited. Twenty-three kidney tissue samples were used for RNA microarray
      analysis, while the remaining 44 samples were used for validation by real-time
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) gene expression analysis. From hundreds of
      differential gene expressions in refractory LN, 12 candidates were selected for
      validation based on gene expression levels as well as relevant functions. The
      candidate biomarkers were members of the innate immune response molecules,
      adhesion molecules, calcium-binding receptors, and paracellular tight junction
      proteins. S100A8, ANXA13, CLDN19 and FAM46B were identified as the best kidney
      biomarkers for refractory LN, and COL8A1 was identified as the best marker for
      early loss of kidney function. These new molecular markers can be used to predict
      refractory LN and may eventually lead to novel molecular targets for therapy. 

PMID- 26110396
TI  - Rapidly differentiating grape seeds from different sources based on
      characteristic fingerprints using direct analysis in real time coupled with time
      of-flight mass spectrometry combined with chemometrics.
AB  - The seeds of grapevine (Vitis vinifera) are a byproduct of wine production. To
      examine the potential value of grape seeds, grape seeds from seven sources were
      subjected to fingerprinting using direct analysis in real time coupled with time
      of-flight mass spectrometry combined with chemometrics. Firstly, we listed all
      reported components (56 components) from grape seeds and calculated the precise
      m/z values of the deprotonated ions [M-H](-) . Secondly, the experimental
      conditions were systematically optimized based on the peak areas of total ion
      chromatograms of the samples. Thirdly, the seven grape seed samples were examined
      using the optimized method. Information about 20 grape seed components was
      utilized to represent characteristic fingerprints. Finally, hierarchical
      clustering analysis and principal component analysis were performed to analyze
      the data. Grape seeds from seven different sources were classified into two
      clusters; hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis
      yielded similar results. The results of this study lay the foundation for
      appropriate utilization and exploitation of grape seed samples. Due to the
      absence of complicated sample preparation methods and chromatographic separation,
      the method developed in this study represents one of the simplest and least time
      consuming methods for grape seed fingerprinting. 

PMID- 26110397
TI  - Temperament and Interparental Conflict: The Role of Negative Emotionality in
      Predicting Child Behavioral Problems.
AB  - This study examined temperamental irritability and fearful distress as moderators
      of the association between interparental conflict and child behavior problems in
      a disadvantaged sample of two hundred and one 2-year-old children and their
      mothers. Using a multimethod, prospective design, findings revealed that the
      relation between interparental conflict and changes in child behavior problems
      over a 1-year period were moderated by temperamental irritability. Consistent
      with differential susceptibility theory, children high in irritable temperament
      not only exhibited poorer outcomes in contexts of high interparental conflict but
      also better adjustment in contexts of low levels of interparental conflict.
      Mediated moderation analyses revealed that fearful reactivity partly accounted
      for the greater susceptibility of irritable children, particularly in explaining
      why they fared better when interparental conflict was low.

PMID- 26110391
TI  - Transcriptional Factors Mediating Retinoic Acid Signals in the Control of Energy
      Metabolism.
AB  - Retinoic acid (RA), an active metabolite of vitamin A (VA), is important for many
      physiological processes including energy metabolism. This is mainly achieved
      through RA-regulated gene expression in metabolically active cells. RA regulates
      gene expression mainly through the activation of two subfamilies in the nuclear
      receptor superfamily, retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors
      (RXRs). RAR/RXR heterodimers or RXR/RXR homodimers bind to RA response element in
      the promoters of RA target genes and regulate their expressions upon ligand
      binding. The development of metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2
      diabetes is often associated with profound changes in the expressions of genes
      involved in glucose and lipid metabolism in metabolically active cells. RA
      regulates some of these gene expressions. Recently, in vivo and in vitro studies
      have demonstrated that status and metabolism of VA regulate macronutrient
      metabolism. Some studies have shown that, in addition to RARs and RXRs,
      hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha, chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter
      transcription factor II, and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor
      beta/delta may function as transcriptional factors mediating RA response. Herein,
      we summarize current progresses regarding the VA metabolism and the role of
      nuclear receptors in mediating RA signals, with an emphasis on their implication
      in energy metabolism. 

PMID- 26110399
TI  - Relative cost-effectiveness of home visits and telephone contacts in preventing
      early childhood caries.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a home-visit intervention
      conducted by oral health therapists relative to a telephone-based alternative and
      no intervention. METHODS: A Markov model was built to combine data on dental
      caries incidence, dental treatments, quality of life and costs for a cohort of
      children from age 6 months to 6 years. The probabilities of developing caries and
      subsequent treatments were derived primarily from the key intervention study. The
      outcome measures were costs (US dollars), quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and
      the number of carious teeth prevented. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity
      analyses were used to test the stability of the model. RESULTS: For every group
      of 100 children, the model predicted that having the home-visit intervention
      would save $167 032 and telephone contacts $144 709 over 51/2 years relative to
      no intervention (usual care). The home visits and telephone intervention would
      prevent 113 and 100 carious teeth (per 100 children) relative to no intervention
      in a period of 51/2 years. Sensitivity analysis showed that a lower rate of
      caries reduced the intervention's cost-effectiveness primarily through reducing
      general anaesthesia costs. The home visits and telephone interventions resulted
      in 7 and 6 QALYs, respectively, gained over the usual care group for the 100
      children over 51/2 years. Both interventions were 'dominant,' as they saved costs
      and produced health benefits over usual care. CONCLUSIONS: Both the home visits
      and telephone-based community interventions conducted by oral health therapists
      were highly cost-effective than no intervention in preventing early childhood
      caries.

PMID- 26110398
TI  - Transparent, Ultrahigh-Gas-Barrier Films with a Brick-Mortar-Sand Structure.
AB  - Transparent and flexible gas-barrier materials have shown broad applications in
      electronics, food, and pharmaceutical preservation. Herein, we report ultrahigh
      gas-barrier films with a brick-mortar-sand structure fabricated by layer-by-layer
      (LBL) assembly of XAl-layered double hydroxide (LDH, X=Mg, Ni, Zn, Co)
      nanoplatelets and polyacrylic acid (PAA) followed by CO2 infilling, denoted as
      (XAl-LDH/PAA)n-CO2. The near-perfectly parallel orientation of the LDH "brick"
      creates a long diffusion length to hinder the transmission of gas molecules in
      the PAA "mortar". Most significantly, both the experimental studies and
      theoretical simulations reveal that the chemically adsorbed CO2 acts like "sand"
      to fill the free volume at the organic-inorganic interface, which further
      depresses the diffusion of permeating gas. The strategy presented here provides a
      new insight into the perception of barrier mechanism, and the (XAl-LDH/PAA)n-CO2
      film is among the best gas barrier films ever reported.

PMID- 26110395
TI  - Geographic distribution and characteristics of genotype A hepatitis B virus
      infection in acute and chronic hepatitis B patients in Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The prevalence of sexually transmitted acute infections of
      the genotype A hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been increasing in Japan. Genotype A
      HBV is associated with an increased risk of HBV progression to chronic infection
      after acute hepatitis B (AHB) in adults. A nationwide survey was conducted to
      evaluate the geographic distribution, clinical, and virologic characteristics of
      genotype A AHB and chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in Japan. METHODS: Five hundred
      seventy AHB patients were recruited between 2005 and 2010, and 3682 CHB patients
      were recruited between 2010 and 2011. HBV genotypes were determined for 552 and
      3619 AHB and CHB patients, respectively. Clinical characteristics were compared
      among different genotypes in AHB and CHB patients. Genomic characteristics of HBV
      genotype A were examined by molecular evolutionary analysis. RESULTS: Hepatitis B
      virus genotype A was the predominant genotype for AHB between 2005 and 2010.
      Phylogenetic analysis showed that all strains in the AHB patients with genotype A
      were classified into subtype Ae. Among CHB patients, the occurrence of genotype A
      was 4.1%, and genotype A was spreading in young adults. In genotype A CHB
      patients, early stage liver diseases were predominant, although liver diseases
      progressed to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma in some patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of HBV genotypes is quite different between AHB and
      CHB in Japanese patients. Genotype A infection is spreading in young adults of
      Japanese CHB patients. Sequences derived from Japanese AHB patients were
      identical to or closely resembled the sequences derived from other Japanese AHB
      patients.

PMID- 26110400
TI  - Piezoelectric Sensor to Measure Soft and Hard Stiffness with High Sensitivity for
      Ultrasonic Transducers.
AB  - During dental sinus lift surgery, it is important to monitor the thickness of the
      remaining maxilla to avoid perforating the sinus membrane. Therefore, a sensor
      should be integrated into ultrasonic dental tools to prevent undesirable damage.
      This paper presents a piezoelectric (PZT) sensor installed in an ultrasonic
      transducer to measure the stiffness of high and low materials. Four design types
      using three PZT ring materials and a split PZT for actuator and sensor ring
      materials were studied. Three sensor locations were also examined. The voltage
      signals of the sensor and the displacement of the actuator were analyzed to
      distinguish the low and high stiffness. Using sensor type T1 made of the PZT-1
      material and the front location A1 provided a high sensitivity of 2.47 Vm/kN. The
      experimental results demonstrated that our design can measure soft and hard
      stiffness. 

PMID- 26110402
TI  - Socially Aware Heterogeneous Wireless Networks.
AB  - The development of smart cities has been the epicentre of many researchers'
      efforts during the past decade. One of the key requirements for smart city
      networks is mobility and this is the reason stable, reliable and high-quality
      wireless communications are needed in order to connect people and devices. Most
      research efforts so far, have used different kinds of wireless and sensor
      networks, making interoperability rather difficult to accomplish in smart cities.
      One common solution proposed in the recent literature is the use of software
      defined networks (SDNs), in order to enhance interoperability among the various
      heterogeneous wireless networks. In addition, SDNs can take advantage of the data
      retrieved from available sensors and use them as part of the intelligent decision
      making process contacted during the resource allocation procedure. In this paper,
      we propose an architecture combining heterogeneous wireless networks with social
      networks using SDNs. Specifically, we exploit the information retrieved from
      location based social networks regarding users' locations and we attempt to
      predict areas that will be crowded by using specially-designed machine learning
      techniques. By recognizing possible crowded areas, we can provide mobile
      operators with recommendations about areas requiring datacell activation or
      deactivation. 

PMID- 26110401
TI  - Modulated Raman Spectroscopy for Enhanced Cancer Diagnosis at the Cellular Level.
AB  - Raman spectroscopy is emerging as a promising and novel biophotonics tool for non
      invasive, real-time diagnosis of tissue and cell abnormalities. However, the
      presence of a strong fluorescence background is a key issue that can detract from
      the use of Raman spectroscopy in routine clinical care. The review summarizes the
      state-of-the-art methods to remove the fluorescence background and explores
      recent achievements to address this issue obtained with modulated Raman
      spectroscopy. This innovative approach can be used to extract the Raman spectral
      component from the fluorescence background and improve the quality of the Raman
      signal. We describe the potential of modulated Raman spectroscopy as a rapid,
      inexpensive and accurate clinical tool to detect the presence of bladder cancer
      cells. Finally, in a broader context, we show how this approach can greatly
      enhance the sensitivity of integrated Raman spectroscopy and microfluidic
      systems, opening new prospects for portable higher throughput Raman cell sorting.

PMID- 26110403
TI  - A Cross Structured Light Sensor and Stripe Segmentation Method for Visual
      Tracking of a Wall Climbing Robot.
AB  - In non-destructive testing (NDT) of metal welds, weld line tracking is usually
      performed outdoors, where the structured light sources are always disturbed by
      various noises, such as sunlight, shadows, and reflections from the weld line
      surface. In this paper, we design a cross structured light (CSL) to detect the
      weld line and propose a robust laser stripe segmentation algorithm to overcome
      the noises in structured light images. An adaptive monochromatic space is applied
      to preprocess the image with ambient noises. In the monochromatic image, the
      laser stripe obtained is recovered as a multichannel signal by minimum entropy
      deconvolution. Lastly, the stripe centre points are extracted from the image. In
      experiments, the CSL sensor and the proposed algorithm are applied to guide a
      wall climbing robot inspecting the weld line of a wind power tower. The
      experimental results show that the CSL sensor can capture the 3D information of
      the welds with high accuracy, and the proposed algorithm contributes to the weld
      line inspection and the robot navigation. 

PMID- 26110404
TI  - Photography by Cameras Integrated in Smartphones as a Tool for Analytical
      Chemistry Represented by an Butyrylcholinesterase Activity Assay.
AB  - Smartphones are popular devices frequently equipped with sensitive sensors and
      great computational ability. Despite the widespread availability of smartphones,
      practical uses in analytical chemistry are limited, though some papers have
      proposed promising applications. In the present paper, a smartphone is used as a
      tool for the determination of cholinesterasemia i.e., the determination of a
      biochemical marker butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). The work should demonstrate
      suitability of a smartphone-integrated camera for analytical purposes. Paper
      strips soaked with indoxylacetate were used for the determination of BChE
      activity, while the standard Ellman's assay was used as a reference measurement.
      In the smartphone-based assay, BChE converted indoxylacetate to indigo blue and
      coloration was photographed using the phone's integrated camera. A RGB color
      model was analyzed and color values for the individual color channels were
      determined. The assay was verified using plasma samples and samples containing
      pure BChE, and validated using Ellmans's assay. The smartphone assay was proved
      to be reliable and applicable for routine diagnoses where BChE serves as a marker
      (liver function tests; some poisonings, etc.). It can be concluded that the assay
      is expected to be of practical applicability because of the results' relevance. 

PMID- 26110405
TI  - Classification of Potential Water Bodies Using Landsat 8 OLI and a Combination of
      Two Boosted Random Forest Classifiers.
AB  - This study proposes a new water body classification method using top-of
      atmosphere (TOA) reflectance and water indices (WIs) of the Landsat 8 Operational
      Land Imager (OLI) sensor and its corresponding random forest classifiers. In this
      study, multispectral images from the OLI sensor are represented as TOA
      reflectance and WI values because a classification result using two measures is
      better than raw spectral images. Two types of boosted random forest (BRF)
      classifiers are learned using TOA reflectance and WI values, respectively,
      instead of the heuristic threshold or unsupervised methods. The final probability
      is summed linearly using the probabilities of two different BRFs to classify
      image pixels to water class. This study first demonstrates that the Landsat 8 OLI
      sensor has higher classification rate because it provides improved signal-to
      ratio radiometric by using 12-bit quantization of the data instead of 8-bit as
      available from other sensors. In addition, we prove that the performance of the
      proposed combination of two BRF classifiers shows robust water body
      classification results, regardless of topology, river properties, and background
      environment. 

PMID- 26110406
TI  - Solving Energy-Aware Real-Time Tasks Scheduling Problem with Shuffled Frog
      Leaping Algorithm on Heterogeneous Platforms.
AB  - Reducing energy consumption is becoming very important in order to keep battery
      life and lower overall operational costs for heterogeneous real-time
      multiprocessor systems. In this paper, we first formulate this as a combinatorial
      optimization problem. Then, a successful meta-heuristic, called Shuffled Frog
      Leaping Algorithm (SFLA) is proposed to reduce the energy consumption. Precocity
      remission and local optimal avoidance techniques are proposed to avoid the
      precocity and improve the solution quality. Convergence acceleration
      significantly reduces the search time. Experimental results show that the SFLA
      based energy-aware meta-heuristic uses 30% less energy than the Ant Colony
      Optimization (ACO) algorithm, and 60% less energy than the Genetic Algorithm (GA)
      algorithm. Remarkably, the running time of the SFLA-based meta-heuristic is 20
      and 200 times less than ACO and GA, respectively, for finding the optimal
      solution. 

PMID- 26110407
TI  - Interference Mitigation Schemes for Wireless Body Area Sensor Networks: A
      Comparative Survey.
AB  - A wireless body area sensor network (WBASN) consists of a coordinator and
      multiple sensors to monitor the biological signals and functions of the human
      body. This exciting area has motivated new research and standardization
      processes, especially in the area of WBASN performance and reliability. In
      scenarios of mobility or overlapped WBASNs, system performance will be
      significantly degraded because of unstable signal integrity. Hence, it is
      necessary to consider interference mitigation in the design. This survey presents
      a comparative review of interference mitigation schemes in WBASNs. Further, we
      show that current solutions are limited in reaching satisfactory performance, and
      thus, more advanced solutions should be developed in the future. 

PMID- 26110409
TI  - Electrothermally-Actuated Micromirrors with Bimorph Actuators--Bending-Type and
      Torsion-Type.
AB  - Three different electrothermally-actuated MEMS micromirrors with Cr/Au-Si bimorph
      actuators are proposed. The devices are fabricated with the SOIMUMPs process
      developed by MEMSCAP, Inc. (Durham, NC, USA). A silicon-on-insulator MEMS process
      has been employed for the fabrication of these micromirrors. Electrothermal
      actuation has achieved a large angular movement in the micromirrors. Application
      of an external electric current 0.04 A to the bending-type, restricted-torsion
      type, and free-torsion-type mirrors achieved rotation angles of 1.69 degrees ,
      3.28 degrees , and 3.64 degrees , respectively. 

PMID- 26110408
TI  - A Microfluidic Love-Wave Biosensing Device for PSA Detection Based on an Aptamer
      Beacon Probe.
AB  - A label-free and selective aptamer beacon-based Love-wave biosensing device was
      developed for prostate specific antigen (PSA) detection. The device consists of
      the following parts: LiTaO3 substrate with SiO2 film as wave guide layer, two set
      of inter-digital transducers (IDT), gold film for immobilization of the
      biorecongniton layer and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic channels. DNA
      aptamer, or "artificial antibody", was used as the specific biorecognition probe
      for PSA capture. Some nucleotides were added to the 3'-end of the aptamer to form
      a duplex with the 3'-end, turning the aptamer into an aptamer-beacon. Taking
      advantage of the selective target-induced assembly changes arising from the
      "aptamer beacon", highly selective and specific detection of PSA was achieved.
      Furthermore, PDMS microfluidic channels were designed and fabricated to realize
      automated quantitative sample injection. After optimization of the experimental
      conditions, the established device showed good performance for PSA detection
      between 10 ng/mL to 1 MUg/mL, with a detection limit of 10 ng/mL. The proposed
      sensor might be a promising alternative for point of care diagnostics. 

PMID- 26110410
TI  - First-Principles Studies of Hydrogen Adsorption at Pd-SiO2 Interfaces.
AB  - The interaction of hydrogen with Pd-SiO2 interfaces has been investigated for the
      first time using first-principles calculations based on density functional
      theory. The hydrogen-induced polarization at the Pd-SiO2 interfaces was evaluated
      using Pd-SiO2 interface supercells. As a result, the potential change induced by
      interfacial hydrogen atoms was not observed even for hydrogen concentration of
      ~1.3 * 10(15) cm(-2) at the Pd-SiO2 interface. This result implies that hydrogen
      does not create an electric double layer at the Pd-SiO2 interface but change the
      property of the SiO2 region, resulting in the hydrogen sensitivity of the
      devices.

PMID- 26110412
TI  - Design of a Thermoacoustic Sensor for Low Intensity Ultrasound Measurements Based
      on an Artificial Neural Network.
AB  - In therapeutic ultrasound applications, accurate ultrasound output intensities
      are crucial because the physiological effects of therapeutic ultrasound are very
      sensitive to the intensity and duration of these applications. Although radiation
      force balance is a benchmark technique for measuring ultrasound intensity and
      power, it is costly, difficult to operate, and compromised by noise vibration. To
      overcome these limitations, the development of a low-cost, easy to operate, and
      vibration-resistant alternative device is necessary for rapid ultrasound
      intensity measurement. Therefore, we proposed and validated a novel two-layer
      thermoacoustic sensor using an artificial neural network technique to accurately
      measure low ultrasound intensities between 30 and 120 mW/cm2. The first layer of
      the sensor design is a cylindrical absorber made of plexiglass, followed by a
      second layer composed of polyurethane rubber with a high attenuation coefficient
      to absorb extra ultrasound energy. The sensor determined ultrasound intensities
      according to a temperature elevation induced by heat converted from incident
      acoustic energy. Compared with our previous one-layer sensor design, the new two
      layer sensor enhanced the ultrasound absorption efficiency to provide more rapid
      and reliable measurements. Using a three-dimensional model in the K-wave toolbox,
      our simulation of the ultrasound propagation process demonstrated that the two
      layer design is more efficient than the single layer design. We also integrated
      an artificial neural network algorithm to compensate for the large measurement
      offset. After obtaining multiple parameters of the sensor characteristics through
      calibration, the artificial neural network is built to correct temperature drifts
      and increase the reliability of our thermoacoustic measurements through iterative
      training about ten seconds. The performance of the artificial neural network
      method was validated through a series of experiments. Compared to our previous
      design, the new design reduced sensing time from 20 s to 12 s, and the sensor's
      average error from 3.97 mW/cm2 to 1.31 mW/cm2 respectively. 

PMID- 26110411
TI  - Biosensing with Forster Resonance Energy Transfer Coupling between Fluorophores
      and Nanocarbon Allotropes.
AB  - Nanocarbon allotropes (NCAs), including zero-dimensional carbon dots (CDs), one
      dimensional carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and two-dimensional graphene, exhibit
      exceptional material properties, such as unique electrical/thermal conductivity,
      biocompatibility and high quenching efficiency, that make them well suited for
      both electrical/electrochemical and optical sensors/biosensors alike. In
      particular, these material properties have been exploited to significantly
      enhance the transduction of biorecognition events in fluorescence-based
      biosensing involving Forster resonant energy transfer (FRET). This review
      analyzes current advances in sensors and biosensors that utilize graphene, CNTs
      or CDs as the platform in optical sensors and biosensors. Widely utilized
      synthesis/fabrication techniques, intrinsic material properties and current
      research examples of such nanocarbon, FRET-based sensors/biosensors are
      illustrated. The future outlook and challenges for the research field are also
      detailed. 

PMID- 26110413
TI  - A Low Complexity System Based on Multiple Weighted Decision Trees for Indoor
      Localization.
AB  - Indoor position estimation has become an attractive research topic due to growing
      interest in location-aware services. Nevertheless, satisfying solutions have not
      been found with the considerations of both accuracy and system complexity. From
      the perspective of lightweight mobile devices, they are extremely important
      characteristics, because both the processor power and energy availability are
      limited. Hence, an indoor localization system with high computational complexity
      can cause complete battery drain within a few hours. In our research, we use a
      data mining technique named boosting to develop a localization system based on
      multiple weighted decision trees to predict the device location, since it has
      high accuracy and low computational complexity. The localization system is built
      using a dataset from sensor fusion, which combines the strength of radio signals
      from different wireless local area network access points and device orientation
      information from a digital compass built-in mobile device, so that extra sensors
      are unnecessary. Experimental results indicate that the proposed system leads to
      substantial improvements on computational complexity over the widely-used
      traditional fingerprinting methods, and it has a better accuracy than they have. 

PMID- 26110414
TI  - The Precise Synthesis of Phenylene-Extended Cyclic Hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronenes
      from Polyarylated [n]Cycloparaphenylenes by the Scholl Reaction.
AB  - The longitudinal extension of cycloparaphenylenes (CPP) towards ultrashort carbon
      nanotubes (CNTs) is essential for the solution based bottom-up synthesis of CNTs.
      Herein, the longitudinal extension of the CPP skeleton by the introduction of
      hexaphenylbenzene units towards polyarylated [n]CPPs is described. Further, the
      applicability of the Scholl reaction to selectively form graphenic sidewalls is
      demonstrated. The ring size and substitution patterns of the polyarylated [n]CPPs
      were varied to overcome strain-induced side reactions during the oxidative
      cyclodehydrogenation and cyclic para-hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene trimers
      ([3]CHBCs) were selectively obtained. This concept is envisioned as an access to
      ultrashort carbon nanotubes subject to the condition that further benzene rings
      with the right connectivity will be inserted. 

PMID- 26110415
TI  - Local infusion of ascorbate augments NO-dependent cutaneous vasodilatation during
      intense exercise in the heat.
AB  - Recent work demonstrates that nitric oxide (NO) contributes to cutaneous
      vasodilatation during moderate (400 W of metabolic heat production) but not high
      (700 W of metabolic heat production) intensity exercise bouts performed in the
      heat (35 degrees C). The present study evaluated whether the impairment in NO
      dependent cutaneous vasodilatation was the result of a greater accumulation of
      reactive oxygen species during high (700 W of metabolic heat production) relative
      to moderate (500 W of metabolic heat production) intensity exercise. It was shown
      that local infusion of ascorbate (an anti-oxidant) improves NO-dependent forearm
      cutaneous vasodilatation during high intensity exercise in the heat. These
      findings provide novel insight into the physiological mechanisms governing
      cutaneous blood flow during exercise-induced heat stress and provide direction
      for future research exploring whether oxidative stress underlies the impairments
      in heat dissipation that may occur in older adults, as well as in individuals
      with pathophysiological conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Nitric oxide (NO)
      dependent cutaneous vasodilatation is reportedly diminished during exercise
      performed at a high (700 W) relative to moderate (400 W) rate of metabolic heat
      production. The present study evaluated whether this impairment results from
      increased oxidative stress associated with an accumulation of reactive oxygen
      species (ROS) during high intensity exercise. On two separate days, 11 young
      (mean +/- SD, 24 +/- 4 years) males cycled in the heat (35 degrees C) at a
      moderate (500 W) or high (700 W) rate of metabolic heat production. Each session
      included two 30 min exercise bouts followed by 20 and 40 min of recovery,
      respectively. Cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) was monitored at four forearm
      skin sites continuously perfused via intradermal microdialysis with: (1) lactated
      Ringer solution (Control); (2) 10 mm ascorbate (Ascorbate); (3) 10 mm l-NAME; or
      (4) 10 mm ascorbate + 10 mm l-NAME (Ascorbate + l-NAME). At the end of each 500 W
      exercise bout, CVC was attenuated with l-NAME (~35% CVCmax ) and Ascorbate + l
      NAME (~43% CVCmax ) compared to Control (~60% CVCmax ; all P < 0.04); however,
      Ascorbate did not modulate CVC during exercise (~60% CVCmax ; both P > 0.87).
      Conversely, CVC was elevated with Ascorbate (~72% CVCmax ; both P < 0.03) but
      remained similar to Control (~59% CVCmax ) with l-NAME (~50% CVCmax ) and
      Ascorbate + l-NAME (~47% CVCmax ; all P > 0.05) at the end of both 700 W exercise
      bouts. We conclude that oxidative stress associated with an accumulation of
      ascorbate-sensitive ROS impairs NO-dependent cutaneous vasodilatation during
      intense exercise.

PMID- 26110416
TI  - Experimental African Trypanosome Infection by Needle Passage or Natural Tsetse
      Fly Challenge Thwarts the Development of Collagen-Induced Arthritis in DBA/1
      Prone Mice via an Impairment of Antigen Specific B Cell Autoantibody Titers.
AB  - Collagen-induced arthritis is a B cell-mediated autoimmune disease. Recently
      published studies have demonstrated that in some rare cases pathogens can confer
      protection from autoimmunity. Trypanosoma brucei parasites are tsetse fly
      transmitted extracellular protozoans causing sleeping sickness disease in humans
      and Nagana in livestock in sub-Saharan endemic areas. In the past, we
      demonstrated that trypanosome infections impair B cell homeostasis and abolish
      vaccine-induced protection against unrelated antigens. Hence, here we
      hypothesized that trypanosome infection can affect the onset of CIA by
      specifically dampening specific B-cell responses and type II collagen antibody
      titers in DBA/1 prone mice. We observed a substantial delay in the onset of
      collagen-induced arthritis in T. brucei-infected DBA/1 mice that correlates with
      a drastic decrease of type II collagen titers of the different IgG isotypes in
      the serum. Treatment of infected mice with Berenil, a trypanocidal drug, restored
      the development of CIA-associated clinical symptoms. Interestingly, these data
      were confirmed by the challenge of immunized DBA/1 prone mice with T. brucei
      infected tsetse flies. Together, these results demonstrate that T. brucei
      infection is impairing the maintenance of the antigen specific plasma B cell pool
      driving the development of CIA in DBA/1 prone mice. 

PMID- 26110417
TI  - Salivary Thromboxane A2-Binding Proteins from Triatomine Vectors of Chagas
      Disease Inhibit Platelet-Mediated Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) Formation
      and Arterial Thrombosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The saliva of blood-feeding arthropods contains a notable diversity
      of molecules that target the hemostatic and immune systems of the host.
      Dipetalodipin and triplatin are triatomine salivary proteins that exhibit high
      affinity binding to prostanoids, such as TXA2, thus resulting in potent
      inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation in vitro. It was recently demonstrated
      that platelet-derived TXA2 mediates the formation of neutrophil extracellular
      traps (NETs), a newly recognized link between inflammation and thrombosis that
      promote thrombus growth and stability. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This study
      evaluated the ability of dipetalodipin and triplatin to block NETs formation in
      vitro. We also investigated the in vivo antithrombotic activity of TXA2 binding
      proteins by employing two murine models of experimental thrombosis. Remarkably,
      we observed that both inhibitors abolished the platelet-mediated formation of
      NETs in vitro. Dipetalodipin and triplatin significantly increased carotid artery
      occlusion time in a FeCl3-induced injury model. Treatment with TXA2-binding
      proteins also protected mice from lethal pulmonary thromboembolism evoked by the
      intravenous injection of collagen and epinephrine. Effective antithrombotic doses
      of dipetalodipin and triplatin did not increase blood loss, which was estimated
      using the tail transection method. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Salivary TXA2
      binding proteins, dipetalodipin and triplatin, are capable to prevent platelet
      mediated NETs formation in vitro. This ability may contribute to the
      antithrombotic effects in vivo. Notably, both molecules inhibit arterial
      thrombosis without promoting excessive bleeding. Our results provide new insight
      into the antihemostatic effects of TXA2-binding proteins and may have important
      significance in elucidating the mechanisms of saliva to avoid host's hemostatic
      responses and innate immune system.

PMID- 26110418
TI  - Synonymous codon usage bias in plant mitochondrial genes is associated with
      intron number and mirrors species evolution.
AB  - Synonymous codon usage bias (SCUB) is a common event that a non-uniform usage of
      codons often occurs in nearly all organisms. We previously found that SCUB is
      correlated with both intron number and exon position in the plant nuclear genome
      but not in the plastid genome; SCUB in both nuclear and plastid genome can mirror
      the evolutionary specialization. However, how about the rules in the
      mitochondrial genome has not been addressed. Here, we present an analysis of SCUB
      in the mitochondrial genome, based on 24 plant species ranging from algae to land
      plants. The frequencies of NNA and NNT (A- and T-ending codons) are higher than
      those of NNG and NNC, with the strongest preference in bryophytes and the weakest
      in land plants, suggesting an association between SCUB and plant evolution. The
      preference for NNA and NNT is more evident in genes harboring a greater number of
      introns in land plants, but the bias to NNA and NNT exhibits even among exons.
      The pattern of SCUB in the mitochondrial genome differs in some respects to that
      present in both the nuclear and plastid genomes. 

PMID- 26110419
TI  - Metabolic Profiles in Ovine Carotid Arteries with Developmental Maturation and
      Long-Term Hypoxia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term hypoxia (LTH) is an important stressor related to health
      and disease during development. At different time points from fetus to adult, we
      are exposed to hypoxic stress because of placental insufficiency, high-altitude
      residence, smoking, chronic anemia, pulmonary, and heart disorders, as well as
      cancers. Intrauterine hypoxia can lead to fetal growth restriction and long-term
      sequelae such as cognitive impairments, hypertension, cardiovascular disorders,
      diabetes, and schizophrenia. Similarly, prolonged hypoxic exposure during adult
      life can lead to acute mountain sickness, chronic fatigue, chronic headache,
      cognitive impairment, acute cerebral and/or pulmonary edema, and death. AIM: LTH
      also can lead to alteration in metabolites such as fumarate, 2-oxoglutarate,
      malate, and lactate, which are linked to epigenetic regulation of gene
      expression. Importantly, during the intrauterine life, a fetus is under a
      relative hypoxic environment, as compared to newborn or adult. Thus, the changes
      in gene expression with development from fetus to newborn to adult may be as a
      consequence of underlying changes in the metabolic profile because of the hypoxic
      environment along with developmental maturation. To examine this possibility, we
      examined the metabolic profile in carotid arteries from near-term fetus, newborn,
      and adult sheep in both normoxic and long-term hypoxic acclimatized groups.
      RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that LTH differentially regulated glucose
      metabolism, mitochondrial metabolism, nicotinamide cofactor metabolism, oxidative
      stress and antioxidants, membrane lipid hydrolysis, and free fatty acid
      metabolism, each of which may play a role in genetic-epigenetic regulation.

PMID- 26110420
TI  - Intrinsic functional plasticity of the sensorimotor network in relapsing
      remitting multiple sclerosis: evidence from a centrality analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Advanced MRI studies have revealed regional alterations
      in the sensorimotor cortex of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple
      sclerosis (RRMS). However, the organizational features underlying the relapsing
      phase and the subsequent remitting phase have not been directly shown at the
      functional network or the connectome level. Therefore, this study aimed to
      characterize MS-related centrality disturbances of the sensorimotor network (SMN)
      and to assess network integrity and connectedness. METHODS: Thirty-four patients
      with clinically definite RRMS and well-matched healthy controls participated in
      the study. Twenty-three patients in the remitting phase underwent one resting
      state functional MRI, and 11 patients in the relapsing-remitting phase underwent
      two different MRIs. We measured voxel-wise centrality metrics to determine direct
      (degree centrality, DC) and global (eigenvector centrality, EC) functional
      relationships across the entire SMN. RESULTS: In the relapsing phase, DC was
      significantly decreased in the bilateral primary motor and somatosensory cortex
      (M1/S1), left dorsal premotor (PMd), and operculum-integrated regions. However,
      DC was increased in the peripheral SMN areas. The decrease in DC in the bilateral
      M1/S1 was associated with the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and total
      white matter lesion loads (TWMLLs), suggesting that this adaptive response is
      related to the extent of brain damage in the rapid-onset attack stage. During the
      remission process, these alterations in centrality were restored in the bilateral
      M1/S1 and peripheral SMN areas. In the remitting phase, DC was reduced in the
      premotor, supplementary motor, and operculum-integrated regions, reflecting an
      adaptive response due to brain atrophy. However, DC was enhanced in the right M1
      and left parietal-integrated regions, indicating chronic reorganization. In both
      the relapsing and remitting phases, the changes in EC and DC were similar.
      CONCLUSIONS: The alterations in centrality within the SMN indicate rapid
      plasticity and chronic reorganization with a biased impairment of specific
      functional areas in RRMS patients.

PMID- 26110421
TI  - Visual vs Fully Automatic Histogram-Based Assessment of Idiopathic Pulmonary
      Fibrosis (IPF) Progression Using Sequential Multidetector Computed Tomography
      (MDCT).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe changes over time in extent of idiopathic pulmonary
      fibrosis (IPF) at multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) assessed by semi
      quantitative visual scores (VSs) and fully automatic histogram-based quantitative
      evaluation and to test the relationship between these two methods of
      quantification. METHODS: Forty IPF patients (median age: 70 y, interquartile: 62
      75 years; M:F, 33:7) that underwent 2 MDCT at different time points with a median
      interval of 13 months (interquartile: 10-17 months) were retrospectively
      evaluated. In-house software YACTA quantified automatically lung density
      histogram (10th-90th percentile in 5th percentile steps). Longitudinal changes in
      VSs and in the percentiles of attenuation histogram were obtained in 20 untreated
      patients and 20 patients treated with pirfenidone. Pearson correlation analysis
      was used to test the relationship between VSs and selected percentiles. RESULTS:
      In follow-up MDCT, visual overall extent of parenchymal abnormalities (OE)
      increased in median by 5%/year (interquartile: 0%/y; +11%/y). Substantial
      difference was found between treated and untreated patients in HU changes of the
      40th and of the 80th percentiles of density histogram. Correlation analysis
      between VSs and selected percentiles showed higher correlation between the
      changes (Delta) in OE and Delta 40th percentile (r=0.69; p<0.001) as compared to
      Delta 80th percentile (r=0.58; p<0.001); closer correlation was found between
      Delta ground-glass extent and Delta 40th percentile (r=0.66, p<0.001) as compared
      to Delta 80th percentile (r=0.47, p=0.002), while the Delta reticulations
      correlated better with the Delta 80th percentile (r=0.56, p<0.001) in comparison
      to Delta 40th percentile (r=0.43, p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: There is a relevant and
      fully automatically measurable difference at MDCT in VSs and in histogram
      analysis at one year follow-up of IPF patients, whether treated or untreated:
      Delta 40th percentile might reflect the change in overall extent of lung
      abnormalities, notably of ground-glass pattern; furthermore Delta 80th percentile
      might reveal the course of reticular opacities.

PMID- 26110422
TI  - Treatment decisions and outcome in very elderly patients with diffuse large B
      cell lymphoma.

PMID- 26110423
TI  - Association of Agronomic Traits with SNP Markers in Durum Wheat (Triticum
      turgidum L. durum (Desf.)).
AB  - Association mapping is a powerful approach to detect associations between traits
      of interest and genetic markers based on linkage disequilibrium (LD) in molecular
      plant breeding. In this study, 150 accessions of worldwide originated durum wheat
      germplasm (Triticum turgidum spp. durum) were genotyped using 1,366 SNP markers.
      The extent of LD on each chromosome was evaluated. Association of single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers with ten agronomic traits measured in four
      consecutive years was analyzed under a mix linear model (MLM). Two hundred and
      one significant association pairs were detected in the four years. Several
      markers were associated with one trait, and also some markers were associated
      with multiple traits. Some of the associated markers were in agreement with
      previous quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses. The function and homology
      analyses of the corresponding ESTs of some SNP markers could explain many of the
      associations for plant height, length of main spike, number of spikelets on main
      spike, grain number per plant, and 1000-grain weight, etc. The SNP associations
      for the observed traits are generally clustered in specific chromosome regions of
      the wheat genome, mainly in 2A, 5A, 6A, 7A, 1B, and 6B chromosomes. This study
      demonstrates that association mapping can complement and enhance previous QTL
      analyses and provide additional information for marker-assisted selection. 

PMID- 26110425
TI  - Identification of CREB3L1 as a Biomarker Predicting Doxorubicin Treatment
      Outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Doxorubicin has been shown to inhibit proliferation of cancer cells
      through proteolytic activation of CREB3L1 (cAMP response element binding protein
      3-like 1), a transcription factor synthesized as a membrane-bound precursor. Upon
      doxorubicin treatment, CREB3L1 is cleaved so that the N-terminal domain of the
      protein can reach the nucleus where it activates transcription of genes that
      inhibit cell proliferation. These results suggest that the level of CREB3L1 in
      cancer cells may determine their sensitivity to doxorubicin. METHODS: Mice
      transplanted with 6 lines of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were injected with
      doxorubicin to observe the effect of the chemotherapy on tumor growth.
      Immunohistochemistry and bioinformatics analyses were performed to compare
      CREB3L1 levels in types of cancer known to respond to doxorubicin versus those
      resistant to doxorubicin. RESULTS: Higher levels of CREB3L1 protein are
      correlated with increased doxorubicin sensitivity of xenograft RCC tumors (p =
      0.017 by Pearson analysis). From patient tumor biopsies we analyzed, CREB3L1 was
      expressed in 19% of RCC, which is generally resistant to doxorubicin, but in 70%
      of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that is sensitive to doxorubicin. Doxorubicin is
      used as the standard treatment for cancers that express the highest levels of
      CREB3L1 such as osteosarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma but is not
      generally used to treat those that express the lowest levels of CREB3L1 such as
      RCC. CONCLUSION: Identification of CREB3L1 as the biomarker for doxorubicin
      sensitivity may markedly improve the doxorubicin response rate by applying
      doxorubicin only to patients with cancers expressing CREB3L1.

PMID- 26110424
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA copy number in peripheral blood and melanoma risk.
AB  - Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in peripheral blood has been suggested as
      risk modifier in various types of cancer. However, its influence on melanoma risk
      is unclear. We evaluated the association between mtDNA copy number in peripheral
      blood and melanoma risk in 500 melanoma cases and 500 healthy controls from an
      ongoing melanoma study. The mtDNA copy number was measured using real-time
      polymerase chain reaction. Overall, mean mtDNA copy number was significantly
      higher in cases than in controls (1.15 vs 0.99, P<0.001). Increased mtDNA copy
      number was associated with a 1.45-fold increased risk of melanoma (95% confidence
      interval: 1.12-1.97). Significant joint effects between mtDNA copy number and
      variables related to pigmentation and history of sunlight exposure were observed.
      This study supports an association between increased mtDNA copy number and
      melanoma risk that is independent on the known melanoma risk factors
      (pigmentation and history of sunlight exposure). 

PMID- 26110426
TI  - Transfemoral aortic valve implantation in pure native aortic valve insufficiency
      using the repositionable and retrievable lotus valve.
AB  - Transfemoral aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for the treatment of pure native
      aortic insufficiency is not routine clinical practice. Absent cusp calcification,
      missing landmarks in combination with no perfect valve control during release
      with first-generation TAVI devices resulted in a high rate for need of a second
      valve or relevant residual aortic insufficiency. We report the first case with a
      native pure aortic valve insufficiency at high surgical risk successfully treated
      by implantation of the repositionable and completely retrievable Lotus valve,
      resulting in a well-controlled and safe procedure with no residual aortic
      insufficiency.

PMID- 26110427
TI  - Susceptibility-weighted imaging provides insight into white matter damage in
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, progressive
      neurodegenerative disorder, characterised by widespread white matter damage.
      There is growing evidence that disturbances in iron metabolism contribute to
      white matter alterations. MATERIALS & METHODS: We analysed the data of
      susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) of white matter in a cohort of 27 patients
      with ALS and 30 healthy age-matched controls. RESULTS: Signal alterations were
      found on SWI in the corpus callosum; along the corticospinal tract (subcortical
      motor cortex, posterior limb of the internal capsule and brainstem levels) and in
      the subgyral regions of frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital and limbic lobes.
      Alterations of white matter in the corpus callosum correlated with disease
      severity as assessed by the revised ALS functional rating scale. CONCLUSION: SWI
      is capable of indicating iron and myelin disturbances in white matter of ALS
      patients. The SWI patterns observed in this study suggest that widespread
      alterations due to iron disturbances occur in patients with ALS and correlate
      with disease severity.

PMID- 26110428
TI  - Temperature-stress resistance and tolerance along a latitudinal cline in North
      American Arabidopsis lyrata.
AB  - The study of latitudinal gradients can yield important insights into adaptation
      to temperature stress. Two strategies are available: resistance by limiting
      damage, or tolerance by reducing the fitness consequences of damage. Here we
      studied latitudinal variation in resistance and tolerance to frost and heat and
      tested the prediction of a trade-off between the two strategies and their
      costliness. We raised plants of replicate maternal seed families from eight
      populations of North American Arabidopsis lyrata collected along a latitudinal
      gradient in climate chambers and exposed them repeatedly to either frost or heat
      stress, while a set of control plants grew under standard conditions. When
      control plants reached maximum rosette size, leaf samples were exposed to frost
      and heat stress, and electrolyte leakage (PEL) was measured and treated as an
      estimate of resistance. Difference in maximum rosette size between stressed and
      control plants was used as an estimate of tolerance. Northern populations were
      more frost resistant, and less heat resistant and less heat tolerant, but
      unexpectedly-they were also less frost tolerant. Negative genetic correlations
      between resistance and tolerance to the same and different thermal stress were
      generally not significant, indicating only weak trade-offs. However, tolerance to
      frost was consistently accompanied by small size under control conditions, which
      may explain the non-adaptive latitudinal pattern for frost tolerance. Our results
      suggest that adaptation to frost and heat is not constrained by trade-offs
      between them. But the cost of frost tolerance in terms of plant size reduction
      may be important for the limits of species distributions and climate niches. 

PMID- 26110429
TI  - Dissociating Two Stages of Preparation in the Stop Signal Task Using fMRI.
AB  - Often we must balance being prepared to act quickly with being prepared to
      suddenly stop. The stop signal task (SST) is widely used to study inhibitory
      control, and provides a measure of the speed of the stop process that is robust
      to changes in subjects' response strategy. Previous studies have shown that
      preparation affects inhibition. We used fMRI to separate activity that occurs
      after a brief (500 ms) warning stimulus (warning-phase) from activity that occurs
      during responses that follow (response-phase). Both of these phases could
      contribute to the preparedness to stop because they both precede stop signals.
      Warning stimuli activated posterior networks that signal the need for top-down
      control, whereas response phases engaged prefrontal and subcortical networks that
      implement top-down control. Regression analyses revealed that both of these
      phases affect inhibitory control in different ways. Warning-phase activity in the
      cerebellum and posterior cingulate predicted stop latency and accuracy,
      respectively. By contrast, response-phase activity in fronto-temporal areas and
      left striatum predicted go speed and stop accuracy, in pre-supplementary motor
      area affected stop accuracy, and in right striatum predicted stop latency and
      accuracy. The ability to separate hidden contributions to inhibitory control
      during warning-phases from those during response-phases can aid in the study of
      models of preparation and inhibitory control, and of disorders marked by poor top
      down control. 

PMID- 26110432
TI  - Estimating the Effects of Obesity and Weight Change on Mortality Using a Dynamic
      Causal Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A well-known challenge in estimating the mortality risks of obesity
      is reverse causality attributable to illness-associated and smoking-associated
      weight loss. Given that the likelihood of chronic and acute illnesses rises with
      age, reverse causality is most threatening to estimates derived from elderly
      populations. METHODS: I analyzed data from 12,523 respondents over 50 years old
      from a nationally representative longitudinal dataset, the Health and Retirement
      Study (HRS). The effects of both baseline body weight and time-varying weight
      change on mortality are estimated, adjusting for demographic and socio-economic
      variables, as well as time-varying confounders including illness and smoking.
      Body weight is measured by body mass index (BMI). In survival models for
      mortality, illness and smoking were lagged to minimize bias from reverse
      causality in estimates of the effect of weight change. Furthermore, because
      illness both causes and is caused by changes in BMI, I used a marginal structural
      model (MSM) rather than standard adjustment to control confounding by this and
      other time-dependent factors. RESULTS: Overall, relative to normal weight,
      underweight and Class II/III at baseline are associated with hazard ratios that
      are 2.07 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28-3.37) and 1.82 (1.54-2.16)
      respectively, whereas overweight and Class I obesity do not significantly lower
      or raise the mortality risks. Furthermore, relative to stable weight change, all
      types of weight change lead to significantly increased risk of mortality.
      Specifically, large weight loss results in a mortality risk that is nearly 3.86
      (3.26-4.58) times of staying in the stable weight range and small weight loss is
      about 1.81 (1.55-2.11 ) times riskier. In contrast, large weight gain and small
      weight gain are associated with hazard ratios that are 1.98 (1.67-2.35) and 1.20
      (1.02-1.41) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Being underweight or severe obese at
      baseline is associated with excess mortality risk, and weight change tend to
      raise mortality risk. Both the confounding by illness and by smoking lead to
      overestimates of the effects of being underweight at baseline and of weight loss,
      but underestimates the effect of being obese at baseline.

PMID- 26110430
TI  - A Novel Feedback Loop That Controls Bimodal Expression of Genetic Competence.
AB  - Gene expression can be highly heterogeneous in isogenic cell populations. An
      extreme type of heterogeneity is the so-called bistable or bimodal expression,
      whereby a cell can differentiate into two alternative expression states.
      Stochastic fluctuations of protein levels, also referred to as noise, provide the
      necessary source of heterogeneity that must be amplified by specific genetic
      circuits in order to obtain a bimodal response. A classical model of bimodal
      differentiation is the activation of genetic competence in Bacillus subtilis. The
      competence transcription factor ComK activates transcription of its own gene, and
      an intricate regulatory network controls the switch to competence and ensures its
      reversibility. However, it is noise in ComK expression that determines which
      cells activate the ComK autostimulatory loop and become competent for genetic
      transformation. Despite its important role in bimodal gene expression, noise
      remains difficult to investigate due to its inherent stochastic nature. We
      adapted an artificial autostimulatory loop that bypasses all known ComK
      regulators to screen for possible factors that affect noise. This led to the
      identification of a novel protein Kre (YkyB) that controls the bimodal regulation
      of ComK. Interestingly, Kre appears to modulate the induction of ComK by
      affecting the stability of comK mRNA. The protein influences the expression of
      many genes, however, Kre is only found in bacteria that contain a ComK homologue
      and, importantly, kre expression itself is downregulated by ComK. The
      evolutionary significance of this new feedback loop for the reduction of
      transcriptional noise in comK expression is discussed. Our findings show the
      importance of mRNA stability in bimodal regulation, a factor that requires more
      attention when studying and modelling this non-deterministic developmental
      mechanism. 

PMID- 26110433
TI  - Detectability in Audio-Visual Surveys of Tropical Rainforest Birds: The Influence
      of Species, Weather and Habitat Characteristics.
AB  - Indices of relative abundance do not control for variation in detectability,
      which can bias density estimates such that ecological processes are difficult to
      infer. Distance sampling methods can be used to correct for detectability, but in
      rainforest, where dense vegetation and diverse assemblages complicate sampling,
      information is lacking about factors affecting their application. Rare species
      present an additional challenge, as data may be too sparse to fit detection
      functions. We present analyses of distance sampling data collected for a diverse
      tropical rainforest bird assemblage across broad elevational and latitudinal
      gradients in North Queensland, Australia. Using audio and visual detections, we
      assessed the influence of various factors on Effective Strip Width (ESW), an
      intuitively useful parameter, since it can be used to calculate an estimate of
      density from count data. Body size and species exerted the most important
      influence on ESW, with larger species detectable over greater distances than
      smaller species. Secondarily, wet weather and high shrub density decreased ESW
      for most species. ESW for several species also differed between summer and
      winter, possibly due to seasonal differences in calling behavior. Distance
      sampling proved logistically intensive in these environments, but large
      differences in ESW between species confirmed the need to correct for detection
      probability to obtain accurate density estimates. Our results suggest an evidence
      based approach to controlling for factors influencing detectability, and avenues
      for further work including modeling detectability as a function of species
      characteristics such as body size and call characteristics. Such models may be
      useful in developing a calibration for non-distance sampling data and for
      estimating detectability of rare species. 

PMID- 26110431
TI  - Loss of resting-state posterior cingulate flexibility is associated with memory
      disturbance in left temporal lobe epilepsy.
AB  - The association between cognition and resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) has been the
      focus of many recent studies, most of which use stationary connectivity. The
      dynamics or flexibility of connectivity, however, may be seminal for
      understanding cognitive functioning. In temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), stationary
      connectomic correlates of impaired memory have been reported mainly for the
      hippocampus and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). We therefore investigate
      resting-state and task-based hippocampal and PCC flexibility in addition to
      stationary connectivity in left TLE (LTLE) patients. Sixteen LTLE patients were
      analyzed with respect to rs-fMRI and task-based fMRI (t-fMRI), and underwent
      clinical neuropsychological testing. Flexibility of connectivity was calculated
      using a sliding-window approach by determining the standard deviation of Fisher
      transformed Pearson correlation coefficients over all windows. Stationary
      connectivity was also calculated. Disturbed memory was operationalized as having
      at least one memory subtest score equal to or below the 5th percentile compared
      to normative data. Lower PCC flexibility, particularly in the contralateral (i.e.
      right) hemisphere, was found in memory-disturbed LTLE patients, who had up to 22%
      less flexible connectivity. No significant group differences were found with
      respect to hippocampal flexibility, stationary connectivity during both rs-fMRI
      and t-fMRI, or flexibility during t-fMRI. Contralateral resting-state PCC
      flexibility was able to classify all but one patient with respect to their memory
      status (94% accuracy). Flexibility of the PCC during rest relates to memory
      functioning in LTLE patients. Loss of flexible connectivity to the rest of the
      brain originating from the PCC, particularly contralateral to the seizure focus,
      is able to discern memory disturbed patients from their preserved counterparts.
      This study indicates that the dynamics of resting-state connectivity are
      associated with cognitive status of LTLE patients, rather than stationary
      connectivity. 

PMID- 26110434
TI  - Host Delivery of Favorite Meals for Intracellular Pathogens.

PMID- 26110435
TI  - Unnatural deaths in Shanghai from 2000 to 2009: a retrospective study of forensic
      autopsy cases at the Shanghai Public Security Bureau.
AB  - Shanghai is the most developed city in China and has a soaring population. This
      study uses forensic epidemiology to determine the relationship between unnatural
      deaths and the development in Shanghai, based on recently released forensic
      autopsy cases from the 2000s at the Shanghai Public Security Bureau (SPSB). There
      were 5425 accidental deaths, 2696 homicides, 429 suicides, 186 natural deaths,
      and 1399 deaths of undetermined cause. There was a male-to-female ratio of
      2.02:1, and the average age was 40.9+/-18.7 years. Traffic accidents (84.2%) were
      the number one cause of accidental deaths, which decreased during the study
      period. Sharp force injury (50.6%) was the leading cause of homicides, different
      from Western countries, where firearms are the leading cause. Hanging (24.5%) was
      the leading cause of suicides, whereas drug and chemical intoxication was the
      leading cause in the previous decade; pesticide ingestion decreased in the 2000s.
      In addition to traffic accidents, manual strangulation was the leading cause of
      death in childhood fatalities. Children under age 2 were vulnerable to homicides.
      In the 2000s, there were a large number of drug overdoses, and illegal medical
      practices and subway-related deaths first appeared in Shanghai. A new type of
      terrorist attack that involved injecting people with syringes in public places
      was reflected in the SPSB archives. The forensic epidemiology and changes in
      unnatural deaths in this decade reflected their relationship with the law, policy
      and changes in Shanghai. Illegal medical practices, subway-related deaths and
      terrorist attacks were closely related to the development in Shanghai.
      Identifying the risks of unnatural deaths will improve public health. 

PMID- 26110436
TI  - One Step Preparation of Reduced Graphene Oxide/Pd-Fe3 O4 @Polypyrrole Composites
      and Their Application in Catalysis.
AB  - The simple preparation of catalysts with superior catalytic activity and good
      reusability is highly desirable. Herein, we report a novel strategy to construct
      reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/Pd-Fe3 O4 @polypyrrole (PPy) catalysts with Pd and
      Fe3 O4 nanoparticles anchored on a rGO nanosheet surface and wrapped in a PPy
      shell. The synthesis and assembly of both the Pd and Fe3 O4 nanoparticles, the
      preparation of the PPy layer, and the reduction of graphene oxide nanosheets were
      finished in one step. In the system, the PPy layer not only prevented aggregation
      of Pd and Fe3 O4 nanoparticles, but also generated a synergistic effect with
      precursor Pd(2+) ions, which led to a high dispersity of as-prepared Pd
      nanoparticles. Although the procedure was simplified to one step, the catalytic
      activity and reusability were not sacrificed. In the reduction of 4-nitrophenol,
      their catalytic performance was better than that in recent reports. Moreover, the
      catalysts showed good reusability owing to their magnetic properties. 

PMID- 26110437
TI  - Acute flavanol consumption improves the cerebral vasodilatory capacity in college
      aged African Americans.
AB  - NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? The purpose was to
      determine whether acute flavanol consumption improves cerebral vasodilatory
      capacity during rebreathing-induced hypercapnia in African Americans. What is the
      main finding and its importance? The reduced cerebral vasodilatory response to
      hypercapnia in young healthy African Americans was improved acutely following
      consumption of a flavanol-rich beverage. This may have important clinical
      implications regarding racial differences in cerebrovascular disease risk and
      possible interventional approaches to offset this risk. African Americans (AAs)
      have increased risk for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. African
      Americans have attenuated cerebral vasodilator capacity during hypercapnia
      relative to Caucasian Americans (CAs). This study tested the hypothesis, using a
      placebo-controlled crossover design, that acute flavanol consumption improves the
      range of change in cerebral vascular conductance [CVCI, (a)] and the maximal CVCI
      (y0) achieved during rebreathing-induced increases in end-tidal carbon dioxide
      tension. Fourteen college-aged AAs and 14 CAs participated. Both a and y0 were
      lower in AAs prior to flavanols (for a, AAs, 46 +/- 16 versus CAs, 74 +/- 18%
      CVCI, P < 0.001; and for y0, AAs, 151 +/- 18 versus CAs, 176 +/- 20% CVCI, P =
      0.002); however, these variables were increased after flavanols such that there
      were no differences between groups (for a, AAs, 64 +/- 19 versus CAs, 72 +/- 22%
      CVCI, P = 0.35; and for y0, AAs, 166 +/- 22 versus CAs, 176 +/- 22% CVCI, P =
      0.26). Both a and y0 were also lower in AAs prior to placebo (for a, AAs, 52 +/-
      19 versus CAs, 76 +/- 15% CVCI, P = 0.002; and for y0, AAs, 156 +/- 20 versus
      CAs, 177 +/- 21% CVCI, P = 0.015), and these differences remained following
      placebo (for a, AAs, 52 +/- 17 versus CAs, 80 +/- 20% CVCI, P < 0.001; and for
      y0, AAs, 152 +/- 18 versus CAs, 181 +/- 25% CVCI, P = 0.003). These data suggest
      that acute flavanol consumption improves cerebral vasodilatory capacity during
      hypercapnia in AAs.

PMID- 26110438
TI  - Better prediction of functional effects for sequence variants.
AB  - Elucidating the effects of naturally occurring genetic variation is one of the
      major challenges for personalized health and personalized medicine. Here, we
      introduce SNAP2, a novel neural network based classifier that improves over the
      state-of-the-art in distinguishing between effect and neutral variants. Our
      method's improved performance results from screening many potentially relevant
      protein features and from refining our development data sets. Cross-validated on
      >100k experimentally annotated variants, SNAP2 significantly outperformed other
      methods, attaining a two-state accuracy (effect/neutral) of 83%. SNAP2 also
      outperformed combinations of other methods. Performance increased for human
      variants but much more so for other organisms. Our method's carefully calibrated
      reliability index informs selection of variants for experimental follow up, with
      the most strongly predicted half of all effect variants predicted at over 96%
      accuracy. As expected, the evolutionary information from automatically generated
      multiple sequence alignments gave the strongest signal for the prediction.
      However, we also optimized our new method to perform surprisingly well even
      without alignments. This feature reduces prediction runtime by over two orders of
      magnitude, enables cross-genome comparisons, and renders our new method as the
      best solution for the 10-20% of sequence orphans. SNAP2 is available at:
      https://rostlab.org/services/snap2web.

PMID- 26110440
TI  - Neurologic Evaluation and Management of Perioperative Nerve Injury.
AB  - Neurologic injury after regional anesthesia or pain medicine procedures is rare.
      Postprocedural neurologic deficits may create high levels of anxiety for the
      patient and practitioner, although most deficits are limited in severity and can
      be expected to fully resolve with time. Postoperative anesthesia-related
      neuraxial and peripheral nerve injuries are reviewed to define an efficient,
      structured approach to these complications. Emphasis is placed on acutely
      stratifying the urgency and scope of diagnostic testing or consultation
      necessity, initiating appropriate definitive treatments, and defining appropriate
      out-of-hospital follow-up and symptom management. WHAT'S NEW: Studies pertinent
      to the recognition, evaluation, and treatment of neurologic assessment of
      perioperative nerve injury and published since the last advisory on the topic are
      reviewed and a new structured algorithmic approach is proposed. The evolving
      literature on postoperative inflammatory neuropathies is reviewed to help define
      the clinical criteria and to identify patients who would benefit from early
      neurological evaluation. New sections review potential acute interventions to
      improve neurologic outcome and long-term management of neuropathic pain resulting
      from perioperative nerve injury.

PMID- 26110439
TI  - Goals for Human Milk Feeding in Mothers of Very Low Birth Weight Infants: How Do
      Goals Change and Are They Achieved During the NICU Hospitalization?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about human milk (HM) feeding goals for mothers of
      very low birth weight (VLBW) (<1,500 g birth weight) infants, especially for
      black mothers, for whom rates of VLBW birth are higher and lactation rates lower.
      This study examined the establishment, modification, and achievement of HM
      feeding goals during neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization for
      mothers of VLBW infants and the influence of maternal race and income. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study measured maternal HM feeding goals
      (exclusive [EHM], partial, none) predelivery and during three time intervals: day
      of life (DOL) 1-14, 15-28, and 29-72. Goal achievement compared the goal for the
      time interval with the proportion of HM feedings received by the infant. Goal
      establishment, modification, and achievement were examined using chi-squared and
      contingency tables. RESULTS: Three hundred fifty-two mother-infant dyads (53%
      black; 70% low-income; mean birth weight, 1,048 g) were studied. Predelivery, 55%
      of mothers planned to provide EHM; fewer black and low-income mothers chose EHM.
      During DOL 1-14, 63% of mothers chose EHM, and predelivery racial differences
      disappeared. Only 10% of mothers chose exclusive at-breast EHM feedings. EHM
      feeding goals decreased during NICU hospitalization, especially for black
      mothers. Whereas most mothers met their HM feeding goals initially, achievement
      rates declined during hospitalization. Mothers' EHM goal achievement was not
      influenced by race or income. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers changed their predelivery HM
      feeding goals after birth of a VLBW infant. Longitudinally, HM feeding goals and
      achievement reflected less HM use, highlighting the need to target lactation
      maintenance in this population.

PMID- 26110441
TI  - A Comparison of 2 Ultrasound-Guided Approaches to the Saphenous Nerve Block:
      Adductor Canal Versus Distal Transsartorial: A Prospective, Randomized, Blinded,
      Noninferiority Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Saphenous nerve blocks can be technically challenging.
      Recently described ultrasound techniques have improved the success rate of
      saphenous nerve blocks, but randomized controlled trials comparing these
      ultrasound-guided techniques are lacking. We compared 2 common ultrasound-guided
      approaches for saphenous nerve block: saphenous nerve block at the adductor canal
      (ACSNB) versus block by the distal transsartorial (DTSNB) approach. METHODS:
      Patients received either ACSNB or DTSNB in this prospective, randomized, blinded,
      noninferiority clinical trial. The primary objective was to show the
      noninferiority of ACSNB to DTSNB in terms of block success. Secondary outcome
      measures were time required to perform the block, time to onset of successful
      block, and the visibility of the nerve using ultrasound. RESULTS: One hundred
      twenty patients were randomized to receive DTSNB (n = 62) or ACSNB (n = 58).
      There were 9 failures in the DTSNB group (85% success) and no failures in the
      ACSNB group (100% success), 90% confidence interval of difference in success
      rates (DTSNB - ACSNB) was -0.195 to -0.031. Given that the upper confidence bound
      (-3.1%) was less than 10%, the success rate of ACSNB was noninferior to DTSNB.
      After satisfying noninferiority and observing a greater success rate of ACSNB
      compared with DTSNB, we also determined that ACSNB was superior to DTSNB (P =
      0.003). The median time to success was significantly less for the ACSNB group: 9
      minutes versus 3 minutes (P < 0.001). The grade of the ultrasound image, as
      judged by the provider, was significantly better in the ACSNB group (P = 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound-guided block of the saphenous nerve at the adductor canal
      is not only noninferior but also superior to block at the distal transsartorial
      level in terms of success rate, with additional advantages of faster block onset
      time and better nerve visibility under ultrasound.

PMID- 26110442
TI  - Percutaneous Rupture of a Symptomatic Facet Joint Synovial Cyst Using 2-Needle
      Distention.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This case report calls attention to an alternative approach for
      management of a symptomatic facet joint synovial cyst. We describe a patient with
      a symptomatic facet joint synovial cyst who failed an attempted percutaneous
      rupture using a single-needle technique. This patient was subsequently
      successfully managed with percutaneous rupture using a 2-needle technique. CASE
      REPORT: A 60-year-old woman presented with low back pain, right lower extremity
      pain, and paresthesias. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a right L5-S1 facet
      joint cyst, which compressed the right L5 nerve root. Before presentation, the
      patient failed an attempted single-needle percutaneous rupture. The decision was
      made to proceed with percutaneous rupture using a 2-needle technique. A 22-gauge
      needle was inserted into the right L5-S1 facet joint, and a Tuohy needle was
      inserted directly into the cyst through an interlaminar approach. A solution of
      methylprednisolone and hyaluronidase was simultaneously injected through both
      needles, and the cyst was continuously distended until rupture was achieved.
      Rupture was confirmed by injecting contrast into the facet joint and visualizing
      a normal epidurogram. The patient reported significant pain relief immediately
      after the procedure. At 4-month follow-up, the patient reported continued pain
      relief and denied any radicular symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous rupture of a
      symptomatic facet joint synovial cyst using a single-needle technique has been
      validated as an efficacious form of management. In a select group of patients who
      fail single-needle percutaneous rupture, a 2-needle approach for percutaneous
      facet cyst rupture may be considered as an option for management.

PMID- 26110443
TI  - Bioactive Sesquiterpenes and Lignans from the Fruits of Xanthium sibiricum.
AB  - Seven new sesquiterpenes (1, 3-8), a new sesquiterpene natural product (2), and
      two new lignans (9 and 10), together with 15 known compounds, were isolated from
      the fruits of Xanthium sibiricum. The structures of the new compounds were
      established by NMR spectroscopic analysis, ECD calculations, and Mo2(OAc)4
      induced circular dichroism, with the structures of 1 and 4 confirmed by single
      crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 is the first example of a 3/5/6/5
      tetracyclic eudesmane sesquiterpene lactone formed at C-6 and C-7. In turn,
      compound 4 is the first example of a natural xanthane tetranorsesquiterpene,
      while compounds 5-8 are the first xanthane trinorsesquiterpenes found to date.
      Compounds 8, 11-15, 17, and 24 exhibited indirect anti-inflammatory activity by
      suppressing the lipopolysaccharide-induced proinflammatory factors in BV2
      microglial cells, with IC50 values between 1.6 and 8.5 MUM. Furthermore,
      compounds 13 and 17 exhibited anti-inflammatory activity against ear edema in
      mice produced by croton oil, with inhibition rates of 46.9% and 37.7%,
      respectively. Compounds 8, 11, 12, 23, and 24 exhibited potent activity against
      influenza A virus (A/FM/1/47, H1N1) with IC50 values between 3.7 and 8.4 MUM. 

PMID- 26110444
TI  - Nanometer-scale separation of d(10) Zn(2+)-layers and twin-shift competition in
      Ba8ZnNb6O24-based 8-layered hexagonal perovskites.
AB  - The 8-layered shifted hexagonal perovskite compound Ba8ZnNb6O24 was isolated via
      controlling the ZnO volatilization, which features long-range B-cation ordering
      with nanometer-scale separation by ~1.9 nm of octahedral d(10) cationic (Zn(2+))
      layers within the purely corner-sharing octahedral d(0) cationic (Nb(5+)) host.
      The long-range ordering of the B-site vacancy and out-of-center distortion of the
      highly-charged d(0) Nb(5+) that is assisted by the second-order Jahn-Teller
      effect contribute to this unusual B-cation ordering in Ba8ZnNb6O24. A small
      amount (~15%) of d(10) Sb(5+) substitution for Nb(5+) in Ba8ZnNb6-xSbxO24
      dramatically transformed the shifted structure to a twinned structure, in
      contrast with the Ba8ZnNb6-xTaxO24 case requiring 50% d(0) Ta(5+) substitution
      for Nb(5+) for such a shift-to-twin transformation. Multiple factors including B
      cationic sizes, electrostatic repulsion forces, long-range ordering of B-site
      vacancies, and bonding preferences arising from a covalent contribution to the B
      O bonding that includes out-of-center octahedral distortion and the B-O-B bonding
      angle could subtly contribute to the twin-shift phase competition of B-site
      deficient 8-layered hexagonal perovskites Ba8B7O24. The ceramics of new shifted
      Ba8ZnNb6O24 and twinned Ba8ZnNb5.1Sb0.9O24 compounds exhibited good microwave
      dielectric properties (epsilonr ~ 35, Qf ~ 36 200-43 400 GHz and tauf ~ 38-44
      ppm/ degrees C). 

PMID- 26110445
TI  - Duration of Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Interruption Is Associated With Risk
      of Virologic Rebound as Determined by Real-Time Adherence Monitoring in Rural
      Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence interruptions have been
      associated with viral rebound; however, the true risk is unknown because HIV RNA
      has never been measured during ongoing interruptions. METHODS: The Uganda AIDS
      Rural Treatment Outcomes Study is an observational longitudinal cohort of adults
      initiating ART. We monitored adherence with the device that wirelessly transmits
      records of device openings, and routinely assessed HIV RNA quarterly. When lapses
      of 48+ hours between device openings were detected, we made unannounced visits to
      participants to investigate the cause and assess HIV RNA. Generalized estimating
      equation logistic regressions were used to assess factors associated with viral
      rebound. RESULTS: We followed 479 participants (median: 25 months per
      participant). Most were women (72%), median age was 36 years, median pre-ART CD4
      count was 198 cells per microliter, median pre-ART HIV RNA level was 5.0 log10
      copies per milliliter, and median duration of prior viral suppression was 13
      months. A total of 587 adherence interruptions followed confirmed prior viral
      suppression, of which 13 (2%) had detectable viral rebound. Viral rebound was
      associated with duration of adherence interruption (odds ratio: 1.25 for each day
      beyond 48 hours; P = 0.007) and 30-day adherence before the interruption (odds
      ratio: 0.73; P = 0.02). DISCUSSION: This article is the first demonstration of
      HIV RNA rebound during adherence interruptions objectively measured in real time.
      Odds of viral rebound increased by 25% with each day beyond 48 hours. Real-time
      adherence monitoring was feasible in a sub-Saharan African setting. Further
      research should assess the potential for real-time adherence interventions to
      sustain adherence to affordable first-line regimens.

PMID- 26110446
TI  - Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Children with Familial Mediterranean Fever.

PMID- 26110447
TI  - Industrial odor sources and air pollutant concentrations in Globeville, a Denver,
      Colorado neighborhood.
AB  - An odor of unknown origin described as a "tar" or "asphalt" smell has become
      unbearable for many of Globeville, CO, residents over the past few years.
      Residents report during odor events burning eyes and throat, headaches, skin
      irritation, and problems sleeping. This study was undertaken to identify the
      potential sources of the odor and the concentrations of air pollutants making up
      the odor by conducting meteorological correlations and sampling for a panel of
      volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sulfur gases, and polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the neighborhood and near suspected sources. Wind speed
      and direction data collected every 1 min in the neighborhood indicate that when
      the odor is noticed, the community is directly downwind of a wood preservation
      facility and an asphalt roofing facility. Air samples collected during high
      intensity odor events have shown concentrations of methylene chloride, hexane,
      toluene, naphthalene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, benzo[g,h,i]perylene, and
      indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, each at least two times higher than background
      concentrations. Naphthalene and the other PAHs are known pollutants emitted from
      wood treatment processes, and are known to have a coal tar odor. Naphthalene was
      present in a sample collected directly adjacent to the Koppers facility and was
      not present in any background samples. Single-compound odor and health
      thresholds, however, were never surpassed. Given the technical and regulatory
      challenges of sampling odors and controlling emissions, it is recommended that
      Globeville residents and neighboring industry pursue a "good neighbor policy" to
      solve the odor issue. Specific offending industrial processes could be identified
      for which there exist cost-effective control technologies that would reduce
      exposure to odors and air toxics in Globeville. IMPLICATIONS: Meteorological
      correlations and samples of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sulfur gases, and
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Globeville, CO, neighborhood and
      near suspected sources during odor events indicate potential industrial sources
      of a transient and noxious odor. Legislative approaches have proven unfruitful
      and no health or odor thresholds were typically violated. New approaches are
      warranted to address odor mixture effects in neighborhoods near industrial
      facilities.

PMID- 26110448
TI  - EPS Mid-Career Award 2014. The control of attention in visual search: Cognitive
      and neural mechanisms.
AB  - In visual search, observers try to find known target objects among distractors in
      visual scenes where the location of the targets is uncertain. This review article
      discusses the attentional processes that are active during search and their
      neural basis. Four successive phases of visual search are described. During the
      initial preparatory phase, a representation of the current search goal is
      activated. Once visual input has arrived, information about the presence of
      target-matching features is accumulated in parallel across the visual field
      (guidance). This information is then used to allocate spatial attention to
      particular objects (selection), before representations of selected objects are
      activated in visual working memory (recognition). These four phases of
      attentional control in visual search are characterized both at the cognitive
      level and at the neural implementation level. It will become clear that search is
      a continuous process that unfolds in real time. Selective attention in visual
      search is described as the gradual emergence of spatially specific and temporally
      sustained biases for representations of task-relevant visual objects in cortical
      maps. 

PMID- 26110449
TI  - Maternal Cultural Orientation and Child Growth in New Zealand Pacific Families.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In New Zealand (NZ), children of Pacific heritage are generally born
      heavier and gain weight more quickly than non-Pacific children. Immigrants'
      health is commonly expected to converge with the host population through
      acculturation. The aim of this analysis was to examine whether mothers'
      acculturation is associated with less-rapid weight gain in NZ Pacific children,
      and whether this differs by mothers' nativity. METHODS: In a birth cohort of 1249
      children followed 2000-2011, birth weight and weight and standing height,
      measured at years 2, 4, 6, 9, and 11, were quantified as sex- and age-specific
      weight (weight-for-age; WFA) and BMI z-scores. Maternal acculturation (range, 11
      54) was assessed at baseline and years 4, 6, and 11. RESULTS: In adjusted models
      using generalized estimating equations to account for repeated measures, maternal
      acculturation was not significantly associated with children's WFA or BMI z
      scores overall. In stratified analyses, change in maternal acculturation score
      was inversely associated with WFA z-score change among children of NZ-born, but
      not immigrant, mothers (beta=-0.021; 95% confidence interval, -0.036 to -0.007;
      p=0.006; interaction, p=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides the first
      evidence in a longitudinal sample that changes in maternal acculturation can
      influence children's growth, suggesting the importance of lifestyle or behavioral
      factors related to a mother's cultural orientation. Given the high risk of
      obesity and its related conditions in the NZ Pacific population, critical next
      steps are to identify mediating factors, as well as to understand the processes
      influencing growth among children of immigrant mothers.

PMID- 26110450
TI  - Biofilm Lysine Decarboxylase, a New Therapeutic Target for Periodontal
      Inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lysine, a nutritionally essential amino acid, enters the oral cavity
      in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). During oral hygiene restriction (OHR), lysine
      decarboxylase (LDC) in dento-gingival biofilms converts lysine to cadaverine.
      Lysine depletion impairs the dental epithelial barrier to bacterial
      proinflammatory products. Antibodies to LDC from Eikenella corrodens (Ecor-LDC)
      inhibit LDC activity and retard gingival inflammation in beagle dogs. Whether E.
      corrodens is the major source of LDC in dental biofilms and whether the lysine
      analog tranexamic acid (TA) inhibits LDC activity, biofilm accumulation, and GCF
      exudation in a human gingivitis model were examined. METHODS: Antibodies raised
      in goats to LDC-rich extracts from E. corrodens cell surfaces were used to
      inhibit Ecor-LDC and detect it in biofilm extracts using Western blots. Ecor-LDC
      activity was measured at pH 4.0 to 11.0 and its TA dissociation constant (Ki) at
      pH 7.0. Young adults used a 5% or 10% TA mouthwash three times daily during OHR
      for 1 week. RESULTS: Ecor-LDC antibodies and TA inhibited biofilm LDC. Ki of TA
      for Ecor-LDC was 940 MUM. TA reduced plaque index (PI) by downshifting the PI
      correlation with biofilm lysine content after OHR without TA. GCF was
      correspondingly suppressed. However, greater TA retention in saliva partially
      relieved GCF suppression but not biofilm lysine depletion. CONCLUSIONS: TA
      slightly inhibits LDC but strongly reduces biofilm by inhibiting bacterial lysine
      uptake. Unfortunately, TA may impair dental epithelial attachments by also
      inhibiting lysine transporter uptake. Ecor-LDC inhibitors other than lysine
      analogs may maintain sufficient lysine levels and attachment integrity to prevent
      periodontal inflammation.

PMID- 26110452
TI  - Periodontal Biotype: Gingival Thickness as It Relates to Probe Visibility and
      Buccal Plate Thickness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Probe visibility is the clinical gold standard to discriminate thick
      from thin biotype but is prone to subjective interpretation. The primary
      objective of this study is to determine at what objective gingival thickness the
      probe becomes invisible through the tissue. A secondary objective is to compare
      mean buccal plate thickness between thick and thin biotypes as determined by
      probe visibility. METHODS: Maxillary anterior teeth (n = 306) were studied in 56
      human patients. Biotype was determined by probe visibility through the tissue.
      Gingival thickness was measured via transgingival sounding. Buccal plate
      thickness was measured (n = 66 teeth) by cone beam computed tomography. For the
      primary objective, the gingival thickness that best corresponded with probe
      invisibility was selected using the receiver operating characteristic and area
      under the curve (AUC) with the highest combination of sensitivity and
      specificity. For the secondary objective, mean buccal plate thickness was
      compared between sites in which the probe was visible and when it was not
      (Student t test, alpha= 0.05). RESULTS: The gingival thickness that most closely
      corresponded with probe invisibility was >0.8 mm (0.666 AUC, 67.7% sensitivity,
      65.4% specificity). When the probe was visible, mean gingival thickness was 0.17
      mm less (P <0.001) compared to the "thick" counterparts. When the probe was
      visible, mean buccal plate thickness tended to be smaller by 0.212 mm (P = 0.08),
      but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The study
      failed to identify a gingival thickness threshold that can discriminate reliably
      between sites in which the probe was visible (i.e., thin biotype) and those in
      which it was not (i.e., thick biotype). Probe visibility was associated with
      thinner measurements of gingival thickness and showed a tendency to be associated
      with a thinner buccal plate.

PMID- 26110451
TI  - Association Between Periodontal Disease and Kidney Function Decline in African
      Americans: The Jackson Heart Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains a prevalent public health
      problem that disproportionately affects African Americans, despite intense
      efforts targeting traditional risk factors. Periodontal disease, a chronic
      bacterial infection of the oral cavity, is both common and modifiable and has
      been implicated as a novel potential CKD risk factor. The authors seek to examine
      to what extent periodontal disease is associated with kidney function decline.
      METHODS: This retrospective cohort study examines 699 African American
      participants with preserved kidney function (defined by estimated glomerular
      filtration rate (eGFR) >60 mL/minute/1.73 m(2) at baseline) who underwent
      complete dental examinations as part of the Dental-Atherosclerosis Risk in
      Communities study (1996 to 1998) and subsequently enrolled in the Jackson Heart
      Study (2000 to 2004). Using multivariable Poisson regression, the authors
      examined the association of periodontal disease (severe versus non-severe) with
      incident CKD, defined as incident eGFR <60 mL/minute/1.73 m(2) and rapid (5%
      annualized) eGFR decline at follow-up among those with preserved eGFR at
      baseline. RESULTS: Mean (+/- SD) age at baseline was 65.4 (+/- 5.2) years, and
      16.3% (n = 114) had severe periodontal disease. There were 21 cases (3.0%) of
      incident CKD after a mean follow-up of 4.8 (+/- 0.6) years. Compared with
      participants with non-severe periodontal disease, those with severe periodontal
      disease had a four-fold greater rate of incident CKD (adjusted incidence rate
      ratio 4.18 [95% confidence interval 1.68 to 10.39], P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS:
      Severe periodontal disease is prevalent among a population at high risk for CKD
      and is associated with clinically significant kidney function decline. Further
      research is needed to determine if periodontal disease treatment alters the
      trajectory of renal deterioration.

PMID- 26110453
TI  - Long-Term Effect of Four Surgical Periodontal Therapies and One Non-Surgical
      Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the long term (>= 2
      years) effect of four surgical and non-surgical therapies in treating periodontal
      disease. METHODS: An electronic search of four databases and a hand search of
      peer-reviewed journals for relevant articles were conducted. Prospective human
      controlled clinical trials were included that compared surgical therapy to non
      surgical therapy in >= 10 patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis with a
      follow-up period of >= 2 years and that reported change in probing depth (PD) and
      clinical attachment level (CAL) after the therapy. Random effect meta-analysis
      was performed to compare the outcome of surgical and non-surgical therapy in
      shallow, moderate, and deep PD. RESULTS: Eight human prospective clinical trials
      were included. In 1- to 3-mm PD, scaling and root planing (SRP), modified Widman
      flap (MWF), and osseous surgery (OS) resulted in 23.2%, 39.4%, and 61.39% CAL
      loss, respectively; SRP, MWF, and OS resulted in increased mean PD of 2.5%, 3.3%,
      and 6.3%, respectively. In 4- to 6-mm PD, SRP, MWF, and OS resulted in 8.4%,
      6.5%, and 5.22% CAL gain, respectively; SRP, MWF, and OS resulted in 18.7%,
      25.4%, and 30.8% PD reduction, respectively. In PD >= 7 mm, SRP, MWF, and OS
      resulted in 9.8%, 14.2%, and 9.38% CAL gain, respectively; SRP, MWF, and OS
      resulted in mean PD reduction of 21.6%, 33.1%, and 42.8%, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Surgical therapy had significantly more CAL loss than non-surgical
      therapy in shallow PD. In moderate PD, MWF had significantly more PD reduction
      than SRP, and there was significantly less CAL gain with surgical therapy. In
      deep PD, OS had significantly higher PD reduction than SRP.

PMID- 26110455
TI  - [Discussing Fertility and the Desire to have a Child in Hemato-Oncology--A
      Qualitative Survey].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Adolescent and young adult patients in hemato-oncology have often not
      fulfilled their desire to have a child, which is threatened by the malignancy and
      it's treatment. The oncologists have to inform their patients about possible
      infertility and fertility preservation. METHODS: 25 oncologists were interviewed
      to discuss the desire to have a child and fertility issues with the patients.
      Afterwards the semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analyzed according
      to the qualitative content analysis of Mayring. RESULTS: The following issues
      could be identified in the interviews: current desire to have a child; possible
      threat of fertility; fertility preservation and their implementation; contact to
      a reproduction facility; sexuality and contraception during therapy. Most of the
      oncologists (n=19) stated to discuss the fertility aspects in the first session.
      14 oncologists stated that they have enough knowledge about fertility
      preservation. To improve the conditions for a discussion the oncologists wished
      to have more information (n=10) or patient leaflets (n=11) about fertility
      preservation. DISCUSSION: Addressing the desire to have a child and fertility
      aspects of adolescent and young adult patients in hemato-oncology have already a
      high priority. Further studies should analyze the discussion from patient
      perspective and determine patient needs in this regard.

PMID- 26110454
TI  - Community awareness, use and preference for pandemic influenza vaccines in Pune,
      India.
AB  - Vaccination is a cornerstone of influenza prevention, but limited vaccine uptake
      was a problem worldwide during the 2009-2010 pandemic. Community acceptance of a
      vaccine is a critical determinant of its effectiveness, but studies have been
      confined to high-income countries. We conducted a cross-sectional, mixed-method
      study in urban and rural Pune, India in 2012-2013. Semi-structured explanatory
      model interviews were administered to community residents (n = 436) to study
      awareness, experience and preference between available vaccines for pandemic
      influenza. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews complemented the
      survey. Awareness of pandemic influenza vaccines was low (25%). Some respondents
      did not consider vaccines relevant for adults, but nearly all (94.7%), when
      asked, believed that a vaccine would prevent swine flu. Reported vaccine uptake
      however was 8.3%. Main themes identified as reasons for uptake were having heard
      of a death from swine flu, health care provider recommendation or affiliation
      with the health system, influence of peers and information from media. Reasons
      for non-use were low perceived personal risk, problems with access and cost,
      inadequate information and a perceived lack of a government mandate endorsing
      influenza vaccines. A majority indicated a preference for injectable over nasal
      vaccines, especially in remote rural areas. Hesitancy from a lack of confidence
      in pandemic influenza vaccines appears to have been less of an issue than access,
      complacency and other sociocultural considerations. Recent influenza outbreaks in
      2015 highlight a need to reconsider policy for routine influenza vaccination
      while paying attention to sociocultural factors and community preferences for
      effective vaccine action. 

PMID- 26110456
TI  - [What do Interpreters Understand as their Role in a Medical Consultation and How
      do they Carry it out in Reality?].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In the literature the role of an interpreter in the clinical setting
      is not yet clearly defined. The aim of the study is to explore, which role the
      interpreters assign to themselves and which role they actually take in the
      clinical setting. METHODS: In the quantitative part of the study, the
      interpreters evaluated their role in the clinical encounter through a
      questionnaire, whereas in the qualitative part the interpreters' role was
      assessed by analysing videotapes of the clinical encounters. RESULTS: 373
      questionnaires and 19 videotapes were collated and analysed. According to the
      results of the questionnaire interpreters seem to prefer a neutral role in the
      clinical encounter. This was in contrast to what was observed in practice, as
      seen in the videotapes. In reality, they take in an active role while
      interpreting. CONCLUSIONS: It is important that medical professionals and
      interpreters discuss their roles and expectations before every clinical
      consultation.

PMID- 26110457
TI  - [Specific Self-Efficacy for Modifying Sexual Interest in Children (SSIC):
      Construction and Validation of a Measuring Instrument].
AB  - The current study aimed the construction and validation of an instrument for
      assessing the specific self-efficacy for modifying sexual interest in children
      (SSIC). The construction process included 2 expert reviews resulting in a 6-item
      self-report questionnaire (SSIC-Scale). Regarding validation, the SSIC-Scale and
      additional psychometric instruments were assessed within a sample of 56 men
      having a sexual interest in children. Results demonstrated a good internal
      consistency (reliability) of the instrument with Cronbach's alpha=0.87. The good
      construct validity was primarily shown by expected positive correlations of the
      SSIC-Scale with other aspects of sexuality such as sexual self-efficacy (r=0.54,
      p<0.01) and by the expected negative correlation with external locus of control
      (r=-0.25, p<0.10). Correlations with other variables such as general self
      efficacy (r=0.15, p=0.29) or depression (r=-0.18, p=0.19) presented the expected
      direction, but did not reach statistical significance. The results indicate the
      existence of a construct that may be described as the specific self-efficacy for
      modifying sexual interest in children. Research implications especially concern
      the question whether the SSIC is influenceable due to specific interventions. 

PMID- 26110458
TI  - [Relationship between Stress and Resources in Patients Waiting for Organ
      Transplantation: Comparison of Patients with Renal and Liver Insufficiency].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patients on the waiting list for organ transplantation are exposed
      to different stress factors and use individual resources for coping. The present
      study examines these factors in the context of health-related quality of life in
      different patient groups (patients with renal vs. liver insufficiency) and
      attachment pattern. MATERIAL & METHODS: The following variables were measured by
      questionnaire in a clinical sample of 103 patients waiting for a liver or kidney
      transplant in Thuringia: Physical complaints (GBB), Depression and Anxiety (HADS
      D), Coping (EFK), Self-efficacy expectations (SWE), Resilience (RS-13), Social
      support (F-SozU-K-14), Health-related quality of life (SF-8) and Attachment style
      (BFPE). RESULTS: Patients with liver insufficiency have a higher level of anxiety
      and show more often an insecure attachment style as renal failure patients.
      Differences between secure and insecure attached patients waiting for a kidney
      transplant are found in physical complaints, depression, depressive coping and
      self-efficacy, resilience, social support, active coping and mental health, in
      favor of secure attachment. Insecure attachment in patients with liver
      insufficiency leads to a less frequent usage of active coping strategies.
      Furthermore, the variables anxiety, depression, resilience, social support and
      dysfunctional coping mediate the relationship between attachment and mental
      health completely. DISCUSSION: RESULTS suggest that psychological interventions
      should specifically consider the variables anxiety, depression, resilience, self
      efficacy, social support, coping and attachment. CONCLUSION: The gained insights
      of this study make it possible to derive implications for interventions to reduce
      risk factors for the development of co-morbid mental disorders and to strengthen
      protective factors and thus improve the well-being and quality of life of
      patients.

PMID- 26110459
TI  - [Media Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Review and Implications for
      Psychotherapy].
AB  - The posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is conceptualised as a psychological
      reaction upon traumatic events of distinct threat. Especially after the
      terrorists' attacks of September 11th 2001, the scientific evaluation of the
      impact of media coverage of war and terrorism on mental functions of healthy
      individuals and the question whether the exposure of previously traumatised
      individuals to media coverage of war and disasters may act as a trigger for a
      trauma re-activation has begun in the US. There are positive associations between
      media exposure and the presence of PTSD symptoms. The amount (length) of media
      consumption appears to be a crucial variable to consider. Psychotherapists are
      asked to broach the issue of a careful and self-protecting handling of media
      coverage during therapy. 

PMID- 26110461
TI  - Tailored Magnetic and Magnetoelectric Responses of Polymer-Based Composites.
AB  - The manipulation of electric ordering with applied magnetic fields has been
      realized on magnetoelectric (ME) materials; however, their ME switching is often
      accompanied by significant hysteresis and coercivity that represents for some
      applications a severe weakness. To overcome this obstacle, this work focuses on
      the development of a new type of ME polymer nanocomposites that exhibits a
      tailored ME response at room temperature. The multiferroic nanocomposites are
      based on three different ferrite nanoparticles, Zn0.2Mn0.8Fe2O4 (ZMFO), CoFe2O4
      (CFO) and Fe3O4 (FO), dispersed in a piezoelectric copolymer poly(vinylindene
      fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) matrix. No substantial differences were
      detected in the time-stable piezoelectric response of the composites (~-28 pC.N(1
      )) with distinct ferrite fillers and for the same ferrite content of 10 wt %.
      Magnetic hysteresis loops from pure ferrite nanopowders showed different magnetic
      responses. ME results of the nanocomposite films with 10 wt % ferrite content
      revealed that the ME induced voltage increases with increasing dc magnetic field
      until a maximum of 6.5 mV.cm(-1).Oe(1-), at an optimum magnetic field of 0.26 T,
      and 0.8 mV.cm(-1).Oe(1-), at an optimum magnetic field of 0.15 T, for the
      CFO/P(VDF-TrFE) and FO/P(VDF-TrFE) composites, respectively. In contrast, the ME
      response of ZMFO/P(VDF-TrFE) exposed no hysteresis and high dependence on the
      ZMFO filler content. Possible innovative applications such as memories and
      information storage, signal processing, and ME sensors and oscillators have been
      addressed for such ferrite/PVDF nanocomposites.

PMID- 26110460
TI  - Subcutaneous administration of bovine superoxide dismutase protects lungs from
      radiation-induced lung injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of the present study was to determine whether single
      administration of the antioxidant enzyme bovine superoxide dismutase (bSOD) after
      radiation therapy (RT) mitigates development of pulmonary toxicity in rats.
      METHODS: Female F344 rats (n = 60) were divided among six experimental groups:
      (1) RT, single dose of 21 Gy to the right hemithorax; (2) RT + 5 mg/kg bSOD; (3)
      RT + 15 mg/kg bSOD; (4) No RT; (5) sham RT + 5 mg/kg bSOD; and (6) sham RT + 15
      mg/kg bSOD. A single subcutaneous injection of bSOD (5 or 15 mg/kg) was
      administered 24 h post-radiation. The effects of bSOD on radiation-induced lung
      injury were assessed by measurement of body weight, breathing frequency, and
      histopathological changes. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate oxidative
      stress (8-OHdG(+), NOX4(+), nitrotyrosine(+), and 4HNE(+) cells), macrophage
      activation (ED1(+)), and expression of profibrotic transforming growth factor
      beta or TGF-beta in irradiated tissue. RESULTS: Radiation led to an increase in
      all the evaluated parameters. Treatment with 15 mg/kg bSOD significantly
      decreased levels of all the evaluated parameters including tissue damage and
      breathing frequency starting 6 weeks post-radiation. Animals treated with 5 mg/kg
      bSOD trended toward a suppression of radiation-induced lung damage but did not
      reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The single application of bSOD (15
      mg/kg) ameliorates radiation-induced lung injury through suppression of reactive
      oxygen species/reactive nitrogen species or ROS/RNS-dependent tissue damage.

PMID- 26110463
TI  - Usefulness and validity of the modified Addiction Severity Index: A focus on
      alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and gambling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals who seek treatment for an addictive disorder often
      exhibit comorbid substance use disorders and/or gambling disorder. The lack of a
      unique severity assessment instrument might be an obstacle for individuals to
      access integrated and comprehensive treatment. This paper aimed to examine the
      usefulness and validity of a modified version of the Addiction Severity Index
      (mASI) to assess all substance use disorders (including tobacco) and gambling.
      METHODS: Participants (N = 833) were interviewed with the mASI and completed a
      validity battery questionnaire. The validity and the reliability of the mASI were
      examined. RESULTS: The mASI was reliable, and its 9 assessed domains showed a
      relative independence, supporting its multidimensionality. CONCLUSIONS: The
      standardized properties of the mASI permit a comprehensive and systematic
      assessment of all addictive disorders independent of individuals' perceived
      problems and treatment settings, hence facilitating personalized treatment
      planning.

PMID- 26110464
TI  - The Impact of Bile Duct Cultures on Surgical Site Infections in Pancreatic
      Surgery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In pancreatic surgery pre-operative biliary drainage (PBD) is
      associated with bacteribilia, which increases the risk for surgical site
      infections (SSIs). METHODS: This study is a retrospective observational cohort
      design that compared micro-organisms of intra-operative bile duct cultures with
      micro-organisms of SSIs after pancreaticoduodenectomy. RESULTS: From January 2004
      until December 2010, 887 patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy or
      hepaticojejunostomy for benign and malignant peri-ampullary lesions. Surgical
      site infections occurred in 10% (87/887). Cultures of SSIs with corresponding
      intra-operative bile duct cultures were available for 59 patients. Sixty-four
      percent (38/59) had undergone PBD. Pre-operative biliary drainage was associated
      with positive intra-operative bile duct cultures in 95% (36/38), versus 48%
      (10/21; p<=0.001). The correlation of SSIs with intra-operative bile duct
      cultures was 59% (35/59). There was a significant association between the micro
      organisms cultured from SSIs and the corresponding bile duct cultures for
      Enterococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Enterobacteriaceae with extended spectrum beta
      lactamase (ESBL), and Candida spp. CONCLUSION: After pancreaticoduodenectomy,
      SSIs are often caused by the same micro-organisms that are present on intra
      operative bile duct cultures, especially after PBD. Therefore, intra-operative
      bile duct cultures should be performed routinely to adjust the antibiotic
      prophylaxis according to the local hospital surveillance data.

PMID- 26110465
TI  - Gas-Phase FRET Efficiency Measurements To Probe the Conformation of Mass-Selected
      Proteins.
AB  - Electrospray ionization and mass spectrometry have revolutionized the chemical
      analysis of biological molecules, including proteins. However, the correspondence
      between a protein's native structure and its structure in the mass spectrometer
      (where it is gaseous) remains unclear. Here, we show that fluorescence (Forster)
      resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements combined with mass spectrometry
      provides intramolecular distance constraints in gaseous, ionized proteins. Using
      an experimental setup which combines trapping mass spectrometry and laser-induced
      fluorescence spectroscopy, the structure of a fluorescently labeled mutant
      variant of the protein GB1 was probed as a function of charge state. Steady-state
      fluorescence emission spectra and time-resolved donor fluorescence measurements
      of mass-selected GB1 show a marked decrease in the FRET efficiency with
      increasing number of charges on the gaseous protein, which suggests a
      Coulombically driven unfolding and expansion of its structure. This lies in stark
      contrast to the pH stability of GB1 in solution. Comparison with solution-phase
      single-molecule FRET measurements show lower FRET efficiency for all charge
      states of the gaseous protein examined, indicating that the ensemble of
      conformations present in the gas phase is, on average, more expanded than the
      native form. These results represent the first FRET measurements on a mass
      selected protein and illustrate the utility of FRET for obtaining a new kind of
      structural information for large, desolvated biomolecules. 

PMID- 26110466
TI  - FRET Nanoflares for Intracellular mRNA Detection: Avoiding False Positive Signals
      and Minimizing Effects of System Fluctuations.
AB  - A new class of intracellular nanoprobe, termed fluorescence resonance energy
      transfer (FRET) nanoflares, was developed to sense mRNA in living cells. It
      consists of a gold nanoparticle (AuNP), recognition sequences, and flares.
      Briefly, the AuNP functionalized with recognition sequences hybridized to flares,
      which are designed as hairpin structures and fluorescently labeled donors and
      acceptors at two ends, respectively. In the absence of targets, the flares are
      captured by binding with the recognition sequences, separating of the donor and
      acceptor, and inducing low FRET efficiency. However, in the presence of targets,
      the flares are gradually displaced from the recognition sequences by the targets,
      subsequently forming hairpin structures that bring the donor and acceptor into
      close proximity and result in high FRET efficiency. Compared to the conventional
      single-dye nanoflares, the upgraded FRET nanoflares can avoid false positive
      signals by chemical interferences (such as nuclease and GSH) and thermodynamic
      fluctuations. Moreover, the signal generation in FRET nanoflares can be easily
      made with ratiometric measurement, minimizing the effect of system fluctuations. 

PMID- 26110467
TI  - Determination of Free and Total Carnitine and Choline in Infant Formulas and
      Adult Nutritional Products by UPLC/MS/MS: Single-Laboratory Validation, First
      Action 2014.04.
AB  - A single-laboratory validation (SLV) has been performed for a method that
      simultaneously determines choline and carnitine in nutritional products by ultra
      performance LC (UPLC)/MS/MS. All 11 matrixes from the AOAC Stakeholder Panel on
      Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals (SPIFAN) were tested. Depending on the
      sample preparation, either the added (free, with a water dilution and filtering)
      or total (after microwave digestion at 120 degrees C in nitric acid and
      subsequent neutralization with ammonia) species can be detected. For nonmilk
      containing products, the total carnitine is almost always equal to the free
      carnitine. A substantial difference was noted between free and total choline in
      all products. All Standard Method Performance Requirements for carnitine and
      choline have been met. This report summarizes the material sent to the AOAC
      Expert Review Panel for SPIFAN nutrient methods for the review of this method, as
      well as some additional data from an internal validation. The method was granted
      AOAC First Action status for carnitine in 2014 (2014.04), but the choline data
      are also being presented. A comparison of choline results to those from other
      AOAC methods is given. 

PMID- 26110468
TI  - Safety and Efficacy of Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Implants in the Surgical
      Management of Traumatic Nasal Deformity.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: The ideal alloplastic implant for correction of traumatic nasal
      deformity has not been adequately examined. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety
      profile and postoperative results of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE)
      implants used in functional nasal surgery (FNS) in the setting of traumatic nasal
      deformity. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a 13-year
      retrospective medical chart review for patients treated at a tertiary academic
      facial plastic and reconstructive surgery practice between July 1999 and July
      2012. A total of 404 FNS procedures were performed by a single surgeon during
      this period, 255 to repair traumatic deformities, 35 of these involving ePTFE
      implants. Patient demographics, medical comorbidities, operative and technical
      considerations, functional and aesthetic results, complications, and
      postoperative course findings were collected from patient records. In addition,
      preoperative and postoperative photographic documents were examined. EXPOSURES:
      Functional nasal surgery. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Postoperative complications
      or presentations necessitating revision. RESULTS: A total of 404 patients (197
      male, 207 female) underwent FNS. Of those, 255 procedures were to treat traumatic
      deformities. Forty patients altogether required the use of an ePTFE implant, 35
      of those 40 deformities being associated with a traumatic injury. One of the 35
      patients in the ePTFE-repaired traumatic deformities group experienced
      postoperative infection. This patient ultimately developed exposure after the
      infection failed to resolve with oral antibiotics, and the implant was removed.
      An additional patient in the ePTFE group required revision of the implant owing
      to contour irregularity and aesthetic concerns. No infections or other
      complications occurred among the 220 patients with traumatic deformity treated
      with autologous grafts. Analysis of other variables including sex, tobacco use,
      diabetes, immunosuppression, implant thickness, suture material, and prior
      septorhinoplasty were not associated with increased rate of infection (P > .05
      for all). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In the setting of traumatic nasal
      deformities requiring FNS, ePTFE implants can be used at the level of the nasal
      dorsum, where soft tissue coverage is often adequate, with a low risk of
      complications.

PMID- 26110470
TI  - A red-emitting ratiometric fluorescent probe based on a benzophosphole P-oxide
      scaffold for the detection of intracellular sodium ions.
AB  - We disclose the development of a ratiometric fluorescent probe based on a
      benzophosphole P-oxide and its application for the detection of intracellular
      Na(+) ions. Excitation by visible light induced red emission from this probe in
      water, which was subjected to a hypsochromic shift upon complexation with Na(+).
      Based on this change, a ratiometric analysis enabled us to visualise changes in
      the Na(+) concentration in living mammalian cells. 

PMID- 26110471
TI  - Nanoparticle interaction with the immune system.
AB  - When nanoparticles enter the body, their interactions with cells are almost
      unavoidable. Unintended nanoparticle interaction with immune cells may elicit a
      molecular response that can have toxic effects and lead to greater susceptibility
      to infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancer development. As
      evidenced by several studies, nanoparticle interactions with biological systems
      can stimulate inflammatory or allergic reactions and activate the complement
      system. Nanoparticles can also stimulate immune response by acting as adjuvants
      or as haptens. Immunosuppressive effects have also been reported. This article
      gives a brief review of in vitro and in vivo research evidencing stimulatory or
      suppressive effects of nanoparticles on the immune system of mammals. In order to
      ensure safe use of nanosized particles, future research should focus on how their
      physical and chemical properties influence their behaviour in the biological
      environment, as they not only greatly affect nanoparticle-immune system
      interactions but can also interfere with experimental assays. 

PMID- 26110472
TI  - Polymorphisms in DNA repair genes: link with biomarkers of the CBMN cytome assay
      in hospital workers chronically exposed to low doses of ionising radiation.
AB  - Individual sensitivity to ionising radiation (IR) is the result of interaction
      between exposure, DNA damage, and its repair, which is why polymorphisms in DNA
      repair genes could play an important role. We examined the association between
      DNA damage, expressed as micronuclei (MNi), nuclear buds (NBs), and nucleoplasmic
      bridges (NPBs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms in selected DNA repair genes
      (APE1, hOGG1, XRCC1, XRCC3, XPD, PARP1, MGMT genes; representative of the
      different DNA repair pathways operating in mammals) in 77 hospital workers
      chronically exposed to low doses of IR, and 70 matched controls. A significantly
      higher MNi frequency was found in the exposed group (16.2+/-10.4 vs. 11.5+/-9.4;
      P=0.003) and the effect appeared to be independent from the principal confounding
      factor. Exposed individuals with hOGG1, XRCC1, PARP1, and MGMT wild-type alleles
      or APEX1, as well as XPD (rs13181) heterozygous showed a significantly higher MNi
      frequency than controls with the same genotypes. Genetic polymorphism analysis
      and cytogenetic dosimetry have proven to be a powerful tool complementary to
      physical dosimetry in regular health surveillance programmes. 

PMID- 26110473
TI  - ADHD-like behaviour in the offspring of female rats exposed to low chlorpyrifos
      doses before pregnancy.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate how chronic low-dose chlorpyrifos
      exposure of female Wistar rats before and during pregnancy affects behavioural
      parameters in their offspring. Four months before pregnancy, we exposed three
      groups of rats to chlorpyrifos doses of 5, 10, and 15 mg kg-1 body weight every
      day for 30 days, whereas one group received a single 30 mg kg-1 dose on
      gestational day 6. When the offspring of the exposed rats grew up, we studied
      their anxiety rate, motor activity, and cognitive abilities using the respective
      behavioural tests: open field test, dark/light box, and the extrapolation escape
      test. The offspring of rats exposed before pregnancy had significantly higher
      activity rate than controls, and even showed motor agitation and hyperactivity
      signs. The offspring of rats exposed to the single dose had difficulties solving
      the extrapolation escape test and showed poorer short- and long-term memory
      performance. This confirmed that even pre-pregnancy chlorpyrifos exposure can
      cause neurobehavioral consequences in offspring. Even though the mechanisms of
      the observed changes remain unclear and need further investigation, these data
      seem alarming and may serve as an important argument for revising the terms of
      safe pesticide use. 

PMID- 26110474
TI  - Comparative determination of the efficacy of bispyridinium oximes in paraoxon
      poisoning.
AB  - The inability of standard therapy to provide adequate protection against
      poisoning by organophosphorus compounds (pesticides and nerve agents) motivated
      us to search for new, more effective oximes. We investigated the
      pharmacotoxicological properties of six experimental K-oximes (K027, K033, K048,
      K074, K075, and K203) in vivo. The therapeutic efficacy of K-oximes (at doses of
      5 or 25 % of their LD50) combined with atropine was assessed in paraoxon-poisoned
      mice and compared with conventionally used oximes HI-6 and TMB-4. The bisoxime
      K074 was the most toxic (LD50=21.4 mg kg-1) to mice, while monoxime K027 was the
      least toxic (LD50=672.8 mg kg-1). With the exception of K033, all of the tested K
      oximes showed better therapeutic efficiency than HI-6 and TMB-4. K027 and K048
      stood out by demonstrating low acute toxicities and ensuring protective indices
      ranging from 60.0 to 100.0 LD50 of paraoxon. Taking into account that these two
      oximes showed a similar therapeutic efficacy regardless of the applied doses, our
      results suggest that K027 and K048 could be antidotes for paraoxon intoxication. 

PMID- 26110475
TI  - The effects of CaCl2 and CaBr2 on the reproduction of Daphnia magna Straus.
AB  - Concentrated CaCl2 and CaBr2 salt solutions of densities up to 2.3 kg L-1 are
      regularly used to control hydrostatic pressure in oil wells during special
      operations in the exploration and production of natural gas and crude oil.
      Various concentrations of high density salts are frequently left in mud pits near
      the drilling site as waste, polluting fresh and ground waters by spillage and
      drainage. The toxic effects of these salts have already been observed. This study
      investigated the effects of CaCl2 and CaBr2 on water flea Daphnia magna Straus in
      a 21-day reproduction test. The three tested concentrations of CaCl2 (240, 481,
      and 1925 mg L-1) caused a significant dose-response decrease of reproduction
      (p<0.001). With CaBr2 (533 and 1066 mg L-1), only aborted eggs were produced,
      demonstrating the embryotoxicity of the substance. The results suggest that high
      concentrations of the tested chemicals are harmful to Daphnia's reproduction and
      could reduce its abundance. 

PMID- 26110476
TI  - Growth and photosynthetic responses of Lemna minor L. exposed to cadmium in
      combination with zinc or copper.
AB  - Metals have a variety of negative outcomes on plants, essential components of any
      ecosystem. The effects of CdCl2 (5 MUmol L-1), ZnCl2 (25 or 50 MUmol L-1), and
      CuCl2 (2.5 or 5 MUmol L-1) and combinations of CdCl2 with either ZnCl2 or CuCl2
      on the growth, photosynthetic pigments, and photosystem II (PSII) efficiency of
      duckweed (Lemna minor L.) were investigated. All of the treatments caused growth
      inhibition and remarkable metal accumulation in plant tissue after 4 and 7 days.
      In the combined treatments, the accumulation of each metal applied was lesser in
      comparison to treatments with single metals. After 4 days, all of the treatments
      generally diminished chlorophyll a content and decreased the maximum quantum
      yield (Fv/Fm) and effective quantum yield (DeltaF/F'm) of PSII. However, after 7
      days of exposure to a combination of Cd and Zn, pigment content and PSII activity
      recovered to control levels. A higher concentration of Cu (5 MUmol L-1) as well
      as Cd in combination with Cu had a prolonged inhibitory effect on photosynthetic
      features. Our results suggest that growth inhibition was due to the toxic effect
      of absolute metal quantity in plant tissue. Zn counteracted Cd uptake, as seen
      from the recovery of pigment content and PSII efficiency in plants exposed for 7
      days to the Cd and Zn combination. Cu-induced oxidative stress led to a prolonged
      inhibitory effect in plants treated both with a higher concentration of Cu (5
      MUmol L-1) and simultaneously with Cd and Cu. Our findings could contribute to
      general knowledge on anthropogenic and environmental contaminants that endanger
      plant communities and significantly disrupt the sensitive balance of an ecosystem
      by influencing photosynthetic mechanisms. 

PMID- 26110477
TI  - Genotoxic effects of diazinon on human peripheral blood lymphocytes.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic damage in human peripheral
      blood lymphocytes following 24 and 48- hour exposure to a commercial diazinon
      formulation Basudin 60EM(r) at concentrations between 0.01 and 40 MUg mL-1. For
      this purpose we used the micronucleus (MN), fluorescence in situ hybridization
      (FISH), and alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay. Diazinon
      significantly increased the frequency of micronucleated cells compared to
      control. Forty-eight-hour exposure increased this frequency even at lower
      concentrations (0.01-10 MUg mL-1). The FISH results revealed aneugenic effects at
      10 MUg mL-1. The comet assay also confirmed DNA damage at concentrations between
      10 and 40 MUg mL-1. Our findings have confirmed the genotoxic potential of
      diazinon and its cytotoxic effect on human lymphocytes. The increased DNA damage
      in our study raises concern about the current assessment of the health risk posed
      by this pesticide and calls for a high level of caution in agricultural and
      household use. 

PMID- 26110478
TI  - The role of wastewater treatment in reducing pollution of surface waters with
      zearalenone.
AB  - Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin produced by some Fusarium species in food and
      feed. The toxicity of ZEA and its metabolites is related to the chemical
      structure of the mycotoxin, which is similar to naturally occurring oestrogens.
      Currently, there is increasing awareness of the presence of fungi and their toxic
      metabolites in the aquatic environment. One of the sources of these compounds are
      the effluents from wastewater treatment plants. The average annual efficiency of
      zearalenone reduction in the Leczyca plant in our three-year study was in the
      range from 51.35 to 69.70 %. The threeway analysis of variance (year, month, and
      kind of wastewater) shows that the main effects of all factors and all
      interactions between them were significant for zearalenone and dissolved organic
      carbon content. Our findings suggest that wastewater is not the main source of
      surface water pollution with zearalenone. Future research should investigate the
      means to reduce ZEA and its migration from the fields through prevention
      strategies such as breeding for crops, plant debris management (crop rotation,
      tillage), and/or chemical and biological control. 

PMID- 26110479
TI  - Modelling of copper(II) binding to pentapeptides related to atrial natriuretic
      factor using the 3chiv connectivity index.
AB  - Using molecular graph theory we studied the binding of NSFRY-NH2 and 12 related
      pentapeptide amides to Cu(II) as a model system for atrial natriuretic factor
      (ANF) peptide interactions with copper. Linear regression models based on the
      valence connectivity index of the 3rd order (3chiv) reproduced experimental
      stability constants (log beta) for 1N, 2N, 3N, and 4N coordinated complexes with
      the standard error of 0.30-0.39 log beta units. We developed separate models for
      seven tyrosinic (N=28) and five non-tyrosinic peptides (N=20), and a common model
      for both kinds of peptides (N=48) with an indicator (dummy) variable. The results
      indicate additional aromatic stabilisation in 4N complexes due to metal cation-pi
      interactions with tyrosine but not with the phenylalanine residue. We have also
      amended the log K and log K* values to correct miscalculations published by
      Janicka-Klos et al. in 2013. 

PMID- 26110480
TI  - Real-time dissemination of air quality information using data streams and Web
      technologies: linking air quality to health risks in urban areas.
AB  - This article presents a new, original application of modern information and
      communication technology to provide effective real-time dissemination of air
      quality information and related health risks to the general public. Our on-line
      subsystem for urban real-time air quality monitoring is a crucial component of a
      more comprehensive integrated information system, which has been developed by the
      Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health. It relies on a
      StreamInsight data stream management system and service-oriented architecture to
      process data streamed from seven monitoring stations across Zagreb. Parameters
      that are monitored include gases (NO, NO2, CO, O3, H2S, SO2, benzene, NH3),
      particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), and meteorological data (wind speed and
      direction, temperature and pressure). Streamed data are processed in real-time
      using complex continuous queries. They first go through automated validation,
      then hourly air quality index is calculated for every station, and a report sent
      to the Croatian Environment Agency. If the parameter values exceed the
      corresponding regulation limits for three consecutive hours, the web service
      generates an alert for population groups at risk. Coupled with the Common Air
      Quality Index model, our web application brings air pollution information closer
      to the general population and raises awareness about environmental and health
      issues. Soon we intend to expand the service to a mobile application that is
      being developed. 

PMID- 26110481
TI  - Recognition of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease using factorial hidden
      Markov model.
AB  - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a common disease among neurological
      disorders that can change the pattern of gait in human. One of the effective
      methods for recognition and analysis of gait patterns in ALS patients is
      utilizing stride interval time series. With proper preprocessing for removing
      unwanted artifacts from the raw stride interval times and then extracting
      meaningful features from these data, the factorial hidden Markov model (FHMM) was
      used to distinguish ALS patients from healthy subjects. The results of
      classification accuracy evaluated using the leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validation
      algorithm showed that the FHMM method provides better recognition of ALS and
      healthy subjects compared to standard HMM. Moreover, comparing our method with a
      state-of-the art method named least square support vector machine (LS-SVM) showed
      the efficiency of the FHMM in distinguishing ALS subjects from healthy ones. 

PMID- 26110482
TI  - Fungal biotransformation of crude glycerol into malic acid.
AB  - Malic acid production from the biodiesel coproduct crude glycerol by Aspergillus
      niger ATCC 9142, ATCC 10577 and ATCC 12846 was observed to occur with the highest
      malic acid level acid being produced by A. niger ATCC 12846. Fungal biomass
      production from crude glycerol was similar, but ATCC 10577 produced the highest
      biomass. Fungal biotransformation of crude glycerol into the commercially
      valuable organic acid malic acid appeared feasible. 

PMID- 26110483
TI  - The effect of the bioactive sphingolipids S1P and C1P on multipotent stromal
      cells--new opportunities in regenerative medicine.
AB  - Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) belong to a family
      of bioactive sphingolipids that act as important extracellular signaling
      molecules and chemoattractants. This study investigated the influence of S1P and
      C1P on the morphology, proliferation activity and osteogenic properties of rat
      multipotent stromal cells derived from bone marrow (BMSCs) and subcutaneous
      adipose tissue (ASCs). We show that S1P and C1P can influence mesenchymal stem
      cells (MSCs), each in a different manner. S1P stimulation promoted the formation
      of cellular aggregates of BMSCs and ASCs, while C1P had an effect on the regular
      growth pattern and expanded intercellular connections, thereby increasing the
      proliferative activity. Although osteogenic differentiation of MSCs was enhanced
      by the addition of S1P, the effectiveness of osteoblast differentiation was more
      evident in BMSCs, particularly when biochemical and molecular marker levels were
      considered. The results of the functional osteogenic differentiation assay, which
      includes an evaluation of the efficiency of extracellular matrix mineralization
      (SEM-EDX), revealed the formation of numerous mineral aggregates in BMSC cultures
      stimulated with S1P. Our data demonstrated that in an appropriate combination,
      the bioactive sphingolipids S1P and C1P may find wide application in regenerative
      medicine, particularly in bone regeneration with the use of MSCs.

PMID- 26110484
TI  - Use of Depth Measure for Multivariate Functional Data in Disease Prediction: An
      Application to Electrocardiograph Signals.
AB  - In this paper we develop statistical methods to compare two independent samples
      of multivariate functional data that differ in terms of covariance operators. In
      particular we generalize the concept of depth measure to this kind of data,
      exploiting the role of the covariance operators in weighting the components that
      define the depth. Two simulation studies are carried out to validate the
      robustness of the proposed methods and to test their effectiveness in some
      settings of interest. We present an application to Electrocardiographic (ECG)
      signals aimed at comparing physiological subjects and patients affected by Left
      Bundle Branch Block. The proposed depth measures computed on data are then used
      to perform a nonparametric comparison test among these two populations. They are
      also introduced into a generalized regression model aimed at classifying the ECG
      signals. 

PMID- 26110485
TI  - Remote transmission of live endoscopy over the Internet: Report from the 87th
      Congress of the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.
AB  - Live demonstration of endoscopy is one of the most attractive and useful methods
      for education and is often organized locally in hospitals. However, problems have
      been apparent in terms of cost, preparation, and potential risks to patients. Our
      aim was to evaluate a new approach to live endoscopy whereby remote hospitals are
      connected by the Internet for live endoscopic demonstrations. Live endoscopy was
      transmitted to the Congress of the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopic Society
      by 13 domestic and international hospitals. Patients with upper and lower
      gastrointestinal diseases and with pancreatobiliary disorders were the subjects
      of a live demonstration. Questionnaires were distributed to the audience and were
      sent to the demonstrators. Questions concerned the quality of transmitted images
      and sound, cost, preparations, programs, preference of style, and adverse events.
      Of the audience, 91.2% (249/273) answered favorably regarding the transmitted
      image quality and 93.8% (259/276) regarding the sound quality. All demonstrators
      answered favorably regarding image quality and 93% (13/14) regarding sound
      quality. Preparations were completed without any outsourcing at 11 sites (79%)
      and were evaluated as 'very easy' or 'easy' at all but one site (92.3%).
      Preparation cost was judged as 'very cheap' or 'cheap' at 12 sites (86%). Live
      endoscopy connecting multiple international centers was satisfactory in image and
      sound quality for both audience and demonstrators, with easy and inexpensive
      preparation. The remote transmission of live endoscopy from demonstrators' own
      hospitals was preferred to the conventional style of locally organized live
      endoscopy.

PMID- 26110486
TI  - Takayasu Arteritis of the Coronary Arteries Presenting as Sudden Death in a White
      Teenager.
AB  - Takayasu arteritis is a rare disease that expresses chronic, large vessel
      inflammation. The etiology remains unclear and its presentation depends on the
      affected arteries. With coronary artery involvement, manifestations range from
      chest pain and shortness of breath to sudden death. We report a case of a 15-year
      old white girl who presented with syncope immediately before passing. On autopsy,
      all 3 major coronary arteries grossly contained multiple proximal lesions that
      were consistent with Takayasu arteritis, microscopically. Takayasu arteritis
      solely affecting multiple coronary arteries is exceedingly rare. This report
      discusses the significance of coronary involvement in Takayasu arteritis at
      autopsy and sudden death. 

PMID- 26110487
TI  - COUNTERPOINT: Is N2 Disease a Contraindication for Surgical Resection for
      Superior Sulcus Tumors? No.

PMID- 26110489
TI  - Hypothermic Total Liquid Ventilation Is Highly Protective Through Cerebral
      Hemodynamic Preservation and Sepsis-Like Mitigation After Asphyxial Cardiac
      Arrest.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Total liquid ventilation provides ultrafast and potently neuro- and
      cardioprotective cooling after shockable cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction
      in animals. Our goal was to decipher the effect of hypothermic total liquid
      ventilation on the systemic and cerebral response to asphyxial cardiac arrest
      using an original pressure- and volume-controlled ventilation strategy in
      rabbits. DESIGN: Randomized animal study. SETTING: Academic research laboratory.
      SUBJECTS: New Zealand Rabbits. INTERVENTIONS: Thirty-six rabbits were submitted
      to 13 minutes of asphyxia, leading to cardiac arrest. After resumption of
      spontaneous circulation, they underwent either normothermic life support (control
      group, n = 12) or hypothermia induced by either 30 minutes of total liquid
      ventilation (total liquid ventilation group, n = 12) or IV cold saline
      (conventional cooling group, n = 12). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Ultrafast
      cooling with total liquid ventilation (32  degrees C within 5 min in the
      esophagus) dramatically attenuated the post-cardiac arrest syndrome regarding
      survival, neurologic dysfunction, and histologic lesions (brain, heart, kidneys,
      liver, and lungs). Final survival rate achieved 58% versus 0% and 8% in total
      liquid ventilation, control, and conventional cooling groups (p < 0.05),
      respectively. This was accompanied by an early preservation of the blood-brain
      barrier integrity and cerebral hemodynamics as well as reduction in the immediate
      reactive oxygen species production in the brain, heart, and kidneys after cardiac
      arrest. Later on, total liquid ventilation also mitigated the systemic
      inflammatory response through alteration of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1,
      interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-8 transcripts levels compared with control. In
      the conventional cooling group, cooling was achieved more slowly (32  degrees C
      within 90-120 min in the esophagus), providing none of the above-mentioned
      systemic or organ protection. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrafast cooling by total liquid
      ventilation limits the post-cardiac arrest syndrome after asphyxial cardiac
      arrest in rabbits. This protection involves an early limitation in reactive
      oxidative species production, blood-brain barrier disruption, and delayed
      preservation against the systemic inflammatory response.

PMID- 26110491
TI  - The Pattern of Brain Microhemorrhages After Severe Lung Failure Resembles the One
      Seen in High-Altitude Cerebral Edema.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: After suffering from severe acute respiratory distress syndrome,
      several patients show generalized brain alterations and atrophy. A distinctive
      morphologic pattern of cerebral injury, however, has not been found so far. DATA
      SOURCES: We present the history of three patients who survived severe acute
      respiratory distress syndrome. In these patients, MRI of the brain showed
      multiple microhemorrhages predominantly in the splenium of the corpus callosum.
      An identical pattern of microhemorrhages has previously been described in
      mountaineers who suffered from high-altitude cerebral edema. CONCLUSIONS: This
      report demonstrates that patients after treatment for acute respiratory distress
      syndrome and high-altitude cerebral edema show congruent cerebral injuries.
      Further investigation into the similarities of the causative conditions and
      neurologic consequences might reveal underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms and
      clinical implications of this observation.

PMID- 26110490
TI  - Community-, Healthcare-, and Hospital-Acquired Severe Sepsis Hospitalizations in
      the University HealthSystem Consortium.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Severe sepsis poses a major burden on the U.S. healthcare system.
      Previous epidemiologic studies have not differentiated community-acquired severe
      sepsis from healthcare-associated severe sepsis or hospital-acquired severe
      sepsis hospitalizations. We sought to compare and contrast community-acquired
      severe sepsis, healthcare-associated severe sepsis, and hospital-acquired severe
      sepsis hospitalizations in a national hospital sample. DESIGN: Retrospective
      analysis of severe sepsis discharges from University HealthSystem Consortium
      hospitals in 2012. SETTING: United States. PATIENTS: We used the criteria from
      Angus et al (discharge diagnoses for both a serious infection and organ
      dysfunction) to identify severe sepsis hospitalizations. We defined healthcare
      associated severe sepsis as severe sepsis hospitalizations with an infection
      present at admission, where the patient was a nursing home resident, was on
      hemodialysis, or was readmitted within 30 days of a prior hospitalization. We
      defined community-acquired severe sepsis as all other severe sepsis patients with
      an infection present at admission. We defined hospital-acquired severe sepsis as
      severe sepsis patients where the documented infection was not present at
      admission. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Prevalence of
      community-acquired severe sepsis, healthcare-associated severe sepsis, and
      hospital-acquired severe sepsis, adjusted hospital mortality, length of
      hospitalization, length of stay in an ICU, and hospital costs. Among 3,355,753
      hospital discharges, there were 307,491 with severe sepsis, including 193,081
      (62.8%) community-acquired severe sepsis, 79,581 (25.9%) healthcare-associated
      severe sepsis, and 34,829 (11.3%) hospital-acquired severe sepsis. Hospital
      acquired severe sepsis and healthcare-associated severe sepsis exhibited higher
      in-hospital mortality than community-acquired severe sepsis (hospital acquired
      [19.2%] vs healthcare associated [12.8%] vs community acquired [8.6%]). Hospital
      acquired severe sepsis had greater resource utilization than both healthcare
      associated severe sepsis and community-acquired severe sepsis, with higher median
      length of hospital stay (hospital acquired [17 d] vs healthcare associated [7 d]
      vs community acquired [6 d]), median length of ICU stay (hospital acquired [8 d]
      vs healthcare associated [3 d] vs community acquired [3 d]), and median hospital
      costs (hospital acquired [$38,369] vs healthcare associated [$8,796] vs community
      acquired [$7,024]). CONCLUSIONS: In this series, severe sepsis hospitalizations
      included community-acquired severe sepsis (62.8%), healthcare-associated severe
      sepsis (25.9%), and hospital-acquired severe sepsis (11.3%) cases. Hospital
      acquired severe sepsis was associated with both higher mortality and resource
      utilization than community-acquired severe sepsis and healthcare-associated
      severe sepsis.

PMID- 26110492
TI  - Previous Ingestion of Lactococcus lactis by Ethanol-Treated Mice Preserves
      Antigen Presentation Hierarchy in the Gut and Oral Tolerance Susceptibility.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ethanol (EtOH) consumption is able to disturb the ovalbumin (OVA)
      oral tolerance induction by interfering on the function of antigen presenting
      cells (APC), down-regulating dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages and up
      regulating B-lymphocytes and their function, which results in an overall allergic
      type immune status. In this study, the potential of a priori administration of
      Lactococcus lactis (LL) in avoiding loss of oral tolerance in EtOH-treated mice
      was investigated. METHODS: Female C57BL/6 mice received, by oral route, ad
      libitum wild-type (WT) LL or heat-shock protein producer (Hsp65) LL for 4
      consecutive days. Seven days later, mice were submitted to short-term high-dose
      EtOH treatment. After 24 hours, stomach, intestine, spleen, mesenteric lymph
      nodes (mLN) specimens were collected for biomarkers analysis. Following EtOH
      treatment protocol, a group of animals underwent single-gavage OVA-tolerance
      protocol and sera samples collected for antibody analysis. RESULTS: The ingestion
      of WT LL or Hsp65 LL is able to restore oral tolerance to OVA in EtOH-treated
      mice, by reducing local and systemic allergic outcomes such as gastric mast cells
      and gut-interleukin-4, as well as serum IgE. WT LL treatment prevents the
      decrease of mLN regulatory T cells induced by the EtOH treatment. Moreover, LL
      treatment preserves APC hierarchy and antigen presentation commitment in EtOH
      treated mice, with conserved DC and macrophage activity over B lymphocytes in mLN
      and preserved macrophage activity over DC and B-cell subsets in the spleen.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that a priori ingestion of LL preserves
      essential mechanisms associated with oral tolerance induction that are disturbed
      by EtOH ingestion. Maintenance of mucosal homeostasis by preserving APC hierarchy
      and antigen presentation commitment could be associated with T-regulatory subset
      activities in the gastrointestinal tract.

PMID- 26110488
TI  - Protocols and Hospital Mortality in Critically Ill Patients: The United States
      Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group Critical Illness Outcomes Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Clinical protocols may decrease unnecessary variation in care and
      improve compliance with desirable therapies. We evaluated whether highly
      protocolized ICUs have superior patient outcomes compared with less highly
      protocolized ICUs. DESIGN: Observational study in which participating ICUs
      completed a general assessment and enrolled new patients 1 day each week.
      PATIENTS: A total of 6,179 critically ill patients. SETTING: Fifty-nine ICUs in
      the United States Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group Critical Illness
      Outcomes Study. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary
      exposure was the number of ICU protocols; the primary outcome was hospital
      mortality. A total of 5,809 participants were followed prospectively, and 5,454
      patients in 57 ICUs had complete outcome data. The median number of protocols per
      ICU was 19 (interquartile range, 15-21.5). In single-variable analyses, there
      were no differences in ICU and hospital mortality, length of stay, use of
      mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, or continuous sedation among individuals in
      ICUs with a high versus low number of protocols. The lack of association was
      confirmed in adjusted multivariable analysis (p = 0.70). Protocol compliance with
      two ventilator management protocols was moderate and did not differ between ICUs
      with high versus low numbers of protocols for lung protective ventilation in
      acute respiratory distress syndrome (47% vs 52%; p = 0.28) and for spontaneous
      breathing trials (55% vs 51%; p = 0.27). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical protocols are
      highly prevalent in U.S. ICUs. The presence of a greater number of protocols was
      not associated with protocol compliance or patient mortality.

PMID- 26110494
TI  - Modeling Permanent Deformations of Superelastic and Shape Memory Materials.
AB  - In this paper we propose a modification of the polycrystalline shape memory alloy
      constitutive model originally proposed by Souza. By introducing a transformation
      strain energy with two different hardening coefficients, we are able to take into
      account the effect of the martensitic transformation of unfavorably oriented
      grains occurring after the main plateau. By choosing a proper second hardening
      coefficient, it is possible to reproduce the correct stress strain behavior of
      the material after the plateau without the need of introducing a much smaller
      Young modulus for martensite. The proposed modification is introduced in the
      model comprising permanent deformation effects. Model results for uniaxial stress
      tests are compared to experimental results showing good agreement. 

PMID- 26110493
TI  - Comparing the NIS vs. MRC and INCAT sensory scale through Rasch analyses.
AB  - We performed a comparison between Neuropathy Impairment Scale-sensory (NISs) vs.
      the modified Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment sensory scale (mISS),
      and NIS-motor vs. the Medical Research Council sum score in patients with
      Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), chronic inflammatory demyelinating
      polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), and IgM monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined
      significance-related polyneuropathy (MGUSP). The ordinal data were subjected to
      Rasch analyses, creating Rasch-transformed (RT)-intervals for all measures.
      Comparison between measures was based on validity/reliability with an emphasis on
      responsiveness (using the patient's level of change related to the individually
      obtained varying SE for minimum clinically important difference). Eighty stable
      patients (GBS: 30, CIDP: 30, and MGUSP: 20) were assessed twice (entry: two
      observers; 2-4 weeks later: one observer), and 137 newly diagnosed or relapsing
      patients (GBS: 55, CIDP: 59, and IgM-MGUSP: 23) were serially examined with 12
      months follow-up. Data modifications were needed to improve model fit for all
      measures. The sensory and motor scales demonstrated approximately equal and
      acceptable validity and reliability scores. Responsiveness scores were poor but
      slightly higher in RT-mISS compared to RT-NISs. Responsiveness was equal for the
      RT-motor scales, but higher in GBS compared to CIDP; responsiveness was poor in
      patients with MGUSP, suggesting a longer duration of follow-up in the latter
      group of patients. 

PMID- 26110495
TI  - Response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation tests in preterm infants
      with transient hypothyroxinemia of prematurity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Whether hormone supplementation is necessary for infants with
      transient hypothyroxinemia of prematurity (THOP) remains controversial, and
      further analysis of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis of infants with THOP
      is necessary. STUDY DESIGN: Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation tests
      were performed at 2 weeks of age in 50 infants with a gestational age of 30 weeks
      or less, and the data were analyzed retrospectively. RESULT: Subjects were
      divided into three groups; group A consisted of euthyroid infants, group B
      consisted of infants with THOP and group C consisted of hypothyroid infants. The
      basal and peak thyroid-stimulating hormone level of group C in response to TRH
      stimulation tests was significantly higher than the others, but no differences
      were observed between groups A and B. CONCLUSION: The response of infants with
      THOP to the TRH stimulation test was not different from that of euthyroid
      infants, which suggested that their hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis was
      appropriately regulated in infants with THOP.

PMID- 26110496
TI  - Cervical ripening with the balloon catheter and the risk of subsequent preterm
      birth.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the risk of subsequent preterm birth after cervical
      ripening using a balloon catheter. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study was held
      at a university teaching hospital between January 2007 and June 2013. The study
      group included women who underwent cervical ripening using a balloon (single or
      double) catheter in the previous pregnancy followed by a subsequent singleton
      delivery (balloon catheter group). Two control groups were included. The first
      was similar to the study group except that ripening was achieved in the previous
      pregnancy with vaginal prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 group). The second control group
      had a previous pregnancy that resulted in spontaneous onset of labor at term
      (unexposed group). The primary outcome was the incidence of spontaneous preterm
      birth (before 37 weeks) in the index pregnancy. RESULT: Overall, 558 women were
      included; each group consisted of 186 women. The incidence of spontaneous preterm
      birth in the index pregnancy did not differ between the groups (0.5, 1.6 and 2.7%
      in the balloon catheter, PGE2 and in the unexposed groups, respectively, P=0.31).
      Among the balloon catheter group, 58 (31.2%) women had the ripening performed
      with a single-balloon catheter and 128 (68.8%) women with a double-balloon
      catheter. The rate of the spontaneous preterm birth in the index pregnancy did
      not differ between the two groups (P=1.0). CONCLUSION: Cervical ripening with a
      balloon catheter does not increase the rate of subsequent spontaneous preterm
      birth.

PMID- 26110497
TI  - Transcutaneous bilirubin levels in newborns <35 weeks' gestation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In infants <35 weeks' gestation, we sought to define the
      transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) levels at which a total serum bilirubin (TSB)
      level suggesting the need for phototherapy is unlikely to occur and a TSB
      measurement can, therefore, be avoided. STUDY DESIGN: Nursing staff performed 896
      TcB measurements within 1 h of a TSB on 225 neonates 26 0/7-34 6/7 weeks'
      postmenstrual age (PMA). Generalized linear models were fit with generalized
      estimating equations (GEEs) to model the probability of having a TSB level at or
      above the phototherapy initiation cutpoint as a function of the TcB; these
      methods allow for multiple tests per infant. RESULTS: The mean difference between
      TcB and TSB measurements was <1 mg dl(-1) for each PMA category. When the TcB was
      at least 3 mg dl(-1) below the TSB cutpoint for phototherapy, there was a ?98%
      probability that the TSB was not at, or above, the recommended phototherapy
      level. The single exception to this was a phototherapy level of 6 mg dl(-1) for
      infants of 28 0/7-29 6/7 weeks' PMA, where a TcB of 4 mg dl(-1) below the
      phototherapy level (ie a TcB ?2 mg dl(-1)) was necessary to achieve ?98%
      probability. CONCLUSION: Our data support the use of routine TcB screening for
      infants 28-34 6/7 weeks' gestation. TcB screening in the neonatal intensive care
      unit can identify infants who require a TSB to confirm or exclude the need for
      phototherapy.

PMID- 26110498
TI  - Ethics and professionalism education during neonatal-perinatal fellowship
      training in the United States.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to determine the perceived adequacy
      of ethics and professionalism education for neonatal-perinatal fellows in the
      United States, and to measure confidence of fellows and recent graduates when
      navigating ethical issues. STUDY DESIGN: Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Directors,
      fellows and recent graduates were surveyed regarding the quality and type of such
      education during training, and perceived confidence of fellows/graduates in
      confronting ethical dilemmas. RESULT: Forty-six of 97 Directors (47%) and 82 of
      444 fellows/graduates (18%) completed the surveys. Over 97% of respondents agreed
      that ethics training is 'important/very important'. Only 63% of Directors and 37%
      of fellows/graduates rated ethics education as 'excellent/very good' (P=0.004).
      While 96% of Directors reported teaching of ethics, only 70% of fellows/graduates
      reported such teaching (P<0.001). Teaching methods and their perceived
      effectiveness varied widely. CONCLUSION: Training in ethics and professionalism
      for fellows is important, yet currently insufficient; a more standardized
      curriculum may be beneficial to ensure that trainees achieve competency.

PMID- 26110499
TI  - Genetic association of AKAP10 gene polymorphism with reduced risk of preterm
      birth.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Preterm birth (PTB) is a multifactorial complication in which genetic
      and environmental factors contribute to the phenotype. The AKAP10 protein encoded
      by AKAP10 gene has a vital role in the maintenance of myometrial quiescence and
      pregnancy. This study aimed to investigate whether polymorphisms in the AKAP10
      gene are associated with the risk of PTB. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 664 women (132
      preterm and 532 term) with spontaneous singleton deliveries were genotyped for
      AKAP10 polymorphisms (rs119672, rs203462 and rs169412) using Sequenom MassARRAY
      platform. RESULT: A significant association was observed between the CC and AC
      genotypes of AKAP10 rs169412 with reduced risk of PTB (CC: adjusted odds ratio
      (OR) 2.95, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23-7.09, P=0.016. AC: adjusted OR
      3.46, 95% CI: 1.38-8.68, P=0.008), respectively. Following stratification by
      ethnicity, a significant association was observed between the AC and CC genotypes
      of rs169412 and term birth in the Malay ethnic subgroup. (CC: OR 2.9, 95% CI:
      1.01-8.59, P=0.041. AC: OR 3.14, 95% CI: 1.04-9.54, P=0.043). A significant
      association was also observed between the CT genotypes of AKAP10 rs119672 with
      reduced risk of PTB deliveries (CT: OR 3.2, 95% CI: 1.06-9.76 P=0.007, TT: OR
      2.8, 0.98-8.34, P =.0.015) Alternatively, there was no association between AKAP10
      rs169412 and rs119672 polymorphisms with PTB in the Indians and Chinese ethnic
      groups. CONCLUSION: This study indicates a significant association between the
      AKAP10 polymorphisms and reduced risk of PTB in the Malays. This demonstrates the
      potential role of AKAP10 polymorphisms in preterm complications.

PMID- 26110500
TI  - Episodic Future Thinking Is Related to Impulsive Decision Making in Healthy
      Adolescents.
AB  - Delay discounting is a stable trait measure of impulsivity. Engaging in episodic
      future thinking (EFT) can reduce discounting, but whether individual differences
      in discounting are associated with differences in future thinking remains
      unclear. Here, this association was tested in healthy adolescents (n = 49, age
      range = 12-16 years, fluent German speakers, from a large German city). Data
      collection was between December 2011 and December 2012. Vividness of EFT
      (assessed via the Autobiographical Memory Interview) was negatively correlated
      with discounting (r = -.41, 95% CI [-.63, -.13], r(2) = .17). Regression analyses
      confirmed that this association was stable when controlling for additional
      variables, including hormonal measures of pubertal maturation and intelligence.
      EFT may attenuate impulsivity in young people at risk of engaging in problematic
      behavior.

PMID- 26110501
TI  - Development of a method using high-performance liquid chromatographic fingerprint
      and multi-ingredients quantitative analysis for the quality control of Yangxinshi
      Pian.
AB  - A simple and reliable method of high-performance liquid chromatography with diode
      array detection method was developed for fingerprint analysis and simultaneous
      determination of six compounds including puerarin, salvianolic acid B, berberine
      hydrochloride, palmatine chloride, dehydrocorydaline, and icariin in the Chinese
      medicine preparation Yangxinshi Pian. The separation was performed on an Agilent
      Eclipse XDB-C18 reserved-phase column (250 mm * 4.6mm I.D., 5 MUm) using gradient
      elution with 50 mmol/L monopotassium phosphate aqueous solution and methanol as
      mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The column operating temperature was
      set at 30 degrees C, and the detection wavelength was 280 nm. The method was
      validated by linearity, precision, accuracy, stability, and recovery. For
      fingerprint analysis, 25 peaks were selected as the common peaks, and four kinds
      of similarities including cosine similarity (S), ratio of similarity (S'),
      projection content similarity (C), and content similarity (P) were applied to
      evaluate the quality consistency of different batches of Yangxinshi Pian. The
      results showed that the developed method was an efficient tool for quality
      evaluation of Yangxinshi Pian. 

PMID- 26110502
TI  - Addendum: Urusov, A.E.; Zherdev, A.V.; Petrakova, A.V.; Sadykhov, E.G.; Koroleva,
      O.V.; Dzantiev, B.B. Rapid Multiple Immunoenzyme Assay of Mycotoxins. Toxins,
      2015, 7, 238-254.

PMID- 26110503
TI  - Application of Microwave Irradiation and Heat to Improve Gliadin Detection and
      Ricin ELISA Throughput with Food Samples.
AB  - The utility of microwave irradiation to accelerate the onset of equilibrium and
      improve ELISA performance was examined using ELISAs for the detection of the
      plant toxin ricin and gliadin. The ricin ELISA normally requires several one hour
      incubations at 37  degrees C, a total assay time of approximately five hours, and
      employs a complex buffer containing PBS, Tween-20(r), and non-fat milk. Different
      energy levels and pulse designs were compared to the use of abbreviated
      incubation times at 37  degrees C for the detection of ricin in food. The use of
      microwave irradiation had no significant advantage over the application of heat
      using an oven incubator and performed worse with some foods. In contrast, a
      gliadin ELISA that relied on 30 min incubation steps at room temperature and a
      salt-based buffer performed better upon irradiation but also displayed
      improvement upon incubating the microtiter plate at 37  degrees C. Whether
      microwave irradiation was advantageous compared to incubation in an oven was
      inconclusive. However, by abbreviating the incubation time of the ricin ELISA, it
      was possible to cut the assay time to less than 2 hours and still display LOD
      values < 10 ppb and recoveries of 78%-98%. 

PMID- 26110504
TI  - Prevention of Aflatoxin B1-Induced DNA Breaks by beta-D-Glucan.
AB  - Aflatoxins are a group of naturally-occurring carcinogens that are known to
      contaminate different human and animal foodstuffs. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the
      most genotoxic hepatocarcinogenic compound of all of the aflatoxins. In this
      report, we explore the capacity of beta-D-glucan (Glu) to reduce the DNA damage
      induced by AFB1 in mouse hepatocytes. For this purpose, we applied the comet
      assay to groups of animals that were first administered Glu in three doses (100,
      400 and 700 mg/kg bw, respectively) and, 20 min later, 1.0 mg/kg of AFB1. Liver
      cells were obtained at 4, 10 and 16 h after the chemical administration and
      examined. The results showed no protection of the damage induced by AFB1 with the
      low dose of the polysaccharide, but they did reveal antigenotoxic activity
      exerted by the two high doses. In addition, we induced a co-crystallization
      between both compounds, determined their fusion points and analyzed the molecules
      by UV spectroscopy. The data suggested the formation of a supramolecular complex
      between AFB1 and beta-D-glucan. 

PMID- 26110506
TI  - Fusariotoxins in Avian Species: Toxicokinetics, Metabolism and Persistence in
      Tissues.
AB  - Fusariotoxins are mycotoxins produced by different species of the genus Fusarium
      whose occurrence and toxicity vary considerably. Despite the fact avian species
      are highly exposed to fusariotoxins, the avian species are considered as
      resistant to their toxic effects, partly because of low absorption and rapid
      elimination, thereby reducing the risk of persistence of residues in tissues
      destined for human consumption. This review focuses on the main fusariotoxins
      deoxynivalenol, T-2 and HT-2 toxins, zearalenone and fumonisin B1 and B2. The key
      parameters used in the toxicokinetic studies are presented along with the factors
      responsible for their variations. Then, each toxin is analyzed separately.
      Results of studies conducted with radiolabelled toxins are compared with the more
      recent data obtained with HPLC/MS-MS detection. The metabolic pathways of
      deoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin, and zearalenone are described, with attention paid to
      the differences among the avian species. Although no metabolite of fumonisins has
      been reported in avian species, some differences in toxicokinetics have been
      observed. All the data reviewed suggest that the toxicokinetics of fusariotoxins
      in avian species differs from those in mammals, and that variations among the
      avian species themselves should be assessed. 

PMID- 26110507
TI  - Reduced Toxicity of Shiga Toxin (Stx) Type 2c in Mice Compared to Stx2d Is
      Associated with Instability of Stx2c Holotoxin.
AB  - Shiga toxin (Stx) is an AB5 ribotoxin made by Stx-producing Escherichia coli
      (STEC). These organisms cause diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis and the hemolytic
      uremic syndrome. STEC make two types of Stxs, Stx1 and/or Stx2. Stx2 has one
      prototype (a) and six subtypes (b-g), but only STEC that make Stx2a, and/or
      Stx2c, or Stx2d are associated with severe disease. However, Stx2c is about 10
      fold less toxic than Stx2d in vivo despite only two amino acid differences in the
      A subunit at positions 291 and 297. We made mutations at these two sites to
      create intermediate toxins between Stx2c and Stx2d, and determined the 50%
      cytotoxic dose on Vero cells before and after heat treatment, and the 50% lethal
      dose in mice of the toxins. We found that serine 291 was associated with
      increased toxicity in vivo and that either amino acid change from that in Stx2c
      to that in Stx2d increased heat stability. We also assessed the secondary
      structure of Stx2c and Stx2d by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The CD
      studies suggest that Stx2c has a less-ordered secondary structure than Stx2d. We
      conclude that both amino acids at positions 291 and 297 in Stx2c contribute to
      its decreased stability and in vivo toxicity compared to Stx2d. 

PMID- 26110509
TI  - YAlC: A Bonding Chameleon with Heteropolyacetylene Features.
AB  - YAlC was prepared by a flux method. It crystallizes as a partially filled-up TlI
      structure, showing remarkable structural aspects at the border between Zintl
      phases and intermetallics. This novel ternary aluminide-carbide exhibits a unique
      one-dimensional multi-center bond and a polyacetylene-related aluminum carbide
      substructure. The different functionalities of aluminum and of yttrium are quite
      remarkable. While the latter behaves more like a trivalent ion, aluminum
      contributes considerably to covalent bonding with carbon. Still yttrium d states
      contribute, but hardly in a directed manner. 

PMID- 26110505
TI  - Bioinformatics-Aided Venomics.
AB  - Venomics is a modern approach that combines transcriptomics and proteomics to
      explore the toxin content of venoms. This review will give an overview of
      computational approaches that have been created to classify and consolidate
      venomics data, as well as algorithms that have helped discovery and analysis of
      toxin nucleic acid and protein sequences, toxin three-dimensional structures and
      toxin functions. Bioinformatics is used to tackle specific challenges associated
      with the identification and annotations of toxins. Recognizing toxin transcript
      sequences among second generation sequencing data cannot rely only on basic
      sequence similarity because toxins are highly divergent. Mass spectrometry
      sequencing of mature toxins is challenging because toxins can display a large
      number of post-translational modifications. Identifying the mature toxin region
      in toxin precursor sequences requires the prediction of the cleavage sites of
      proprotein convertases, most of which are unknown or not well characterized.
      Tracing the evolutionary relationships between toxins should consider specific
      mechanisms of rapid evolution as well as interactions between predatory animals
      and prey. Rapidly determining the activity of toxins is the main bottleneck in
      venomics discovery, but some recent bioinformatics and molecular modeling
      approaches give hope that accurate predictions of toxin specificity could be made
      in the near future. 

PMID- 26110510
TI  - Are we missing an opportunity for cancer prevention? Human papillomavirus
      vaccination for survivors of pediatric and young adult cancers.
AB  - Survivors of pediatric and young adult cancers remain at risk for subsequent
      diseases, including those related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
      Prevention of HPV acquisition through vaccination has become possible over the
      last decade. HPV vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective, yet rates of
      vaccination among childhood cancer survivors have remained low. Multiple factors,
      including stronger advocacy for this intervention from providers, could
      potentially increase vaccination and lead to lower HPV disease burdens for
      childhood cancer survivors. Health care providers for survivors of pediatric and
      adolescent cancers should prioritize counseling for HPV vaccination at follow-up
      visits. Cancer 2015;121:3435-43. (c) 2015 American Cancer Society. 

PMID- 26110508
TI  - Pain Relief in Cervical Dystonia with Botulinum Toxin Treatment.
AB  - Dystonia is a neurological disorder characterized by intermittent or sustained
      muscle contractions that cause abnormal, usually repetitive, movements and
      postures. Dystonic movements can be tremulous and twisting and often follow a
      pattern. They are frequently associated with overflow muscle activation and may
      be triggered or worsened by voluntary action. Most voluntary muscles can be
      affected and, in the case of the neck muscles, the condition is referred to as
      cervical dystonia (CD), the most common form of dystonia. The high incidence of
      pain distinguishes CD from other focal dystonias and contributes significantly to
      patient disability and low quality of life. Different degrees of pain in the
      cervical region are reported by more than 60% of patients, and pain intensity is
      directly related to disease severity. Botulinum toxin (BoNT) is currently
      considered the treatment of choice for CD and can lead to an improvement in pain
      and dystonic symptoms in up to 90% of patients. The results for BoNT/A and BoNT/B
      are similar. The complex relationship between pain and dystonia has resulted in a
      large number of studies and more comprehensive assessments of dystonic patients.
      When planning the application of BoNT, pain should be a key factor in the choice
      of muscles and doses. In conclusion, BoNT is highly effective in controlling
      pain, and its analgesic effect is sustained for a long time in most CD patients. 

PMID- 26110511
TI  - Indolizino[5,6-b]quinoxaline Derivatives: Intramolecular Charge Transfer
      Characters and NIR Fluorescence.
AB  - Indolizino[5,6-b]quinoxaline derivatives (1 a and 1 b) with a push-pull structure
      were prepared to show intramolecular charge-transfer properties. Compounds 1 a
      and 1 b are strongly fluorescent in aprotic solvents while symmetrical
      derivatives (2 a and 2 b) were non-fluorescent. The pi-expanded alpha-alpha
      linked dimer (10) of indolizino[5,6-b]quinoxaline 1 b was serendipitously
      obtained to show NIR absorption over 800 nm and the fluorescence edge reached to
      1400 nm.

PMID- 26110514
TI  - Potassium permanganate-glutaraldehyde chemiluminescence system catalyzed by gold
      nanoprisms toward selective determination of fluoride.
AB  - Gold and silver nanoparticles (NPs) are shown to exert a positive effect on the
      chemiluminescence (CL) reaction of permanganate aldehydes. Interestingly, between
      various shapes examined, Au nanoprisms have the highest beneficial effect. This
      effect is even more notable in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)
      surfactant. UV-vis spectra and transmission electron microscopy were used to
      characterize the NP shapes and sizes. Furthermore, it was observed that iron(III)
      ions can slightly increase CL emission of this system. This intensification is
      very effective in the presence of fluoride ions (F(-)). These observations form
      the basis of the method for the high sensitive determination of F(-) in the 6
      1200 nmol L(-1) concentration range, with a detection limit of 2.1 nmol L(-1).
      The proposed method has good precision and was satisfactorily used in the
      selective determination of low concentrations of fluoride ion in real samples.

PMID- 26110513
TI  - Identifying in vivo DCE MRI markers associated with microvessel architecture and
      gleason grades of prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To identify computer extracted in vivo dynamic contrast enhanced
      (DCE) MRI markers associated with quantitative histomorphometric (QH)
      characteristics of microvessels and Gleason scores (GS) in prostate cancer.
      METHODS: This study considered retrospective data from 23 biopsy confirmed
      prostate cancer patients who underwent 3 Tesla multiparametric MRI before radical
      prostatectomy (RP). Representative slices from RP specimens were stained with
      vascular marker CD31. Tumor extent was mapped from RP sections onto DCE MRI using
      nonlinear registration methods. Seventy-seven microvessel QH features and 18 DCE
      MRI kinetic features were extracted and evaluated for their ability to
      distinguish low from intermediate and high GS. The effect of temporal sampling on
      kinetic features was assessed and correlations between those robust to temporal
      resolution and microvessel features discriminative of GS were examined. RESULTS:
      A total of 12 microvessel architectural features were discriminative of low and
      intermediate/high grade tumors with area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve (AUC) > 0.7. These features were most highly correlated with
      mean washout gradient (WG) (max rho = -0.62). Independent analysis revealed WG to
      be moderately robust to temporal resolution (intraclass correlation coefficient
      [ICC] = 0.63) and WG variance, which was poorly correlated with microvessel
      features, to be predictive of low grade tumors (AUC = 0.77). Enhancement ratio
      was the most robust (ICC = 0.96) and discriminative (AUC = 0.78) kinetic feature
      but was moderately correlated with microvessel features (max rho = -0.52).
      CONCLUSION: Computer extracted features of prostate DCE MRI appear to be
      correlated with microvessel architecture and may be discriminative of low versus
      intermediate and high GS.

PMID- 26110512
TI  - Hypoxia, AMPK activation and uterine artery vasoreactivity.
AB  - Genes near adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase-alpha1 (PRKAA1) have
      been implicated in the greater uterine artery (UtA) blood flow and relative
      protection from fetal growth restriction seen in altitude-adapted Andean
      populations. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation
      vasodilates multiple vessels but whether AMPK is present in UtA or placental
      tissue and influences UtA vasoreactivity during normal or hypoxic pregnancy
      remains unknown. We studied isolated UtA and placenta from near-term C57BL/6J
      mice housed in normoxia (n = 8) or hypoxia (10% oxygen, n = 7-9) from day 14 to
      day 19, and placentas from non-labouring sea level (n = 3) or 3100 m (n = 3)
      women. Hypoxia increased AMPK immunostaining in near-term murine UtA and
      placental tissue. RT-PCR products for AMPK-alpha1 and -alpha2 isoforms and liver
      kinase B1 (LKB1; the upstream kinase activating AMPK) were present in murine and
      human placenta, and hypoxia increased LKB1 and AMPK-alpha1 and -alpha2 expression
      in the high- compared with low-altitude human placentas. Pharmacological AMPK
      activation by A769662 caused phenylephrine pre-constricted UtA from normoxic or
      hypoxic pregnant mice to dilate and this dilatation was partially reversed by the
      NOS inhibitor l-NAME. Hypoxic pregnancy sufficient to restrict fetal growth
      markedly augmented the UtA vasodilator effect of AMPK activation in opposition to
      PE constriction as the result of both NO-dependent and NO-independent mechanisms.
      We conclude that AMPK is activated during hypoxic pregnancy and that AMPK
      activation vasodilates the UtA, especially in hypoxic pregnancy. AMPK activation
      may be playing an adaptive role by limiting cellular energy depletion and helping
      to maintain utero-placental blood flow in hypoxic pregnancy.

PMID- 26110515
TI  - Comparison of GENCODE and RefSeq gene annotation and the impact of reference
      geneset on variant effect prediction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A vast amount of DNA variation is being identified by increasingly
      large-scale exome and genome sequencing projects. To be useful, variants require
      accurate functional annotation and a wide range of tools are available to this
      end. McCarthy et al recently demonstrated the large differences in prediction of
      loss-of-function (LoF) variation when RefSeq and Ensembl transcripts are used for
      annotation, highlighting the importance of the reference transcripts on which
      variant functional annotation is based. RESULTS: We describe a detailed analysis
      of the similarities and differences between the gene and transcript annotation in
      the GENCODE and RefSeq genesets. We demonstrate that the GENCODE Comprehensive
      set is richer in alternative splicing, novel CDSs, novel exons and has higher
      genomic coverage than RefSeq, while the GENCODE Basic set is very similar to
      RefSeq. Using RNAseq data we show that exons and introns unique to one geneset
      are expressed at a similar level to those common to both. We present evidence
      that the differences in gene annotation lead to large differences in variant
      annotation where GENCODE and RefSeq are used as reference transcripts, although
      this is predominantly confined to non-coding transcripts and UTR sequence, with
      at most ~30% of LoF variants annotated discordantly. We also describe an
      investigation of dominant transcript expression, showing that it both supports
      the utility of the GENCODE Basic set in providing a smaller set of more highly
      expressed transcripts and provides a useful, biologically-relevant filter for
      further reducing the complexity of the transcriptome. CONCLUSIONS: The reference
      transcripts selected for variant functional annotation do have a large effect on
      the outcome. The GENCODE Comprehensive transcripts contain more exons, have
      greater genomic coverage and capture many more variants than RefSeq in both
      genome and exome datasets, while the GENCODE Basic set shows a higher degree of
      concordance with RefSeq and has fewer unique features. We propose that the
      GENCODE Comprehensive set has great utility for the discovery of new variants
      with functional potential, while the GENCODE Basic set is more suitable for
      applications demanding less complex interpretation of functional variants.

PMID- 26110517
TI  - Anaphylactic Shock Due to Cow's Milk Allergy in the Neonatal Period.

PMID- 26110516
TI  - Reward-Induced Phasic Dopamine Release in the Monkey Ventral Striatum and
      Putamen.
AB  - In-vivo voltammetry has successfully been used to detect dopamine release in
      rodent brains, but its application to monkeys has been limited. We have
      previously detected dopamine release in the caudate of behaving Japanese monkeys
      using diamond microelectrodes (Yoshimi 2011); however it is not known whether the
      release pattern is the same in various areas of the forebrain. Recent studies
      have suggested variations in the dopaminergic projections to forebrain areas. In
      the present study, we attempted simultaneous recording at two locations in the
      striatum, using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) on carbon fibers, which has
      been widely used in rodents. Responses to unpredicted food and liquid rewards
      were detected repeatedly. The response to the liquid reward after conditioned
      stimuli was enhanced after switching the prediction cue. These characteristics
      were generally similar between the ventral striatum and the putamen. Overall, the
      technical application of FSCV recording in multiple locations was successful in
      behaving primates, and further voltammetric recordings in multiple locations will
      expand our knowledge of dopamine reward responses. 

PMID- 26110518
TI  - Soil-Transmitted Helminths in Southwestern China: A Cross-Sectional Study of
      Links to Cognitive Ability, Nutrition, and School Performance among Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Empirical evidence suggests that the prevalence of soil-transmitted
      helminth (STH) infections in remote and poor rural areas is still high among
      children, the most vulnerable to infection. There is concern that STH infections
      may detrimentally affect children's healthy development, including their
      cognitive ability, nutritional status, and school performance. Medical studies
      have not yet identified the exact nature of the impact STH infections have on
      children. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between STH
      infections and developmental outcomes among a primary school-aged population in
      rural China. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a large-scale survey in
      Guizhou province in southwest China in May 2013. A total of 2,179 children aged 9
      11 years living in seven nationally-designated poverty counties in rural China
      served as our study sample. Overall, 42 percent of the sample's elementary school
      aged children were infected with one or more of the three types of STH--Ascaris
      lumbricoides (ascaris), Trichuris trichuria (whipworm) and the hookworms
      Ancylostoma duodenale or Necator americanus. After controlling for socioeconomic
      status, we observed that infection with one or more STHs is associated with worse
      cognitive ability, worse nutritional status, and worse school performance than no
      infection. This study also presents evidence that children with Trichuris
      infection, either infection with Trichuris only or co-infected with Trichuris and
      Ascaris, experience worse cognitive, nutritional and schooling outcomes than
      their uninfected peers or children infected with only Ascaris.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We find that STH infection still poses a significant
      health challenge among children living in poor, rural, ethnic areas of southwest
      China. Given the important linkages we find between STH infection and a number of
      important child health and educational outcomes, we believe that our results will
      contribute positively to the debate surrounding the recent Cochrane report.

PMID- 26110519
TI  - Bioactive Diterpenoids from the Leaves of Callicarpa macrophylla.
AB  - A phytochemical investigation of the leaves of Callicarpa macrophylla led to the
      isolation of five new diterpenoids (1-5), macrophypenes A-E, and nine known
      analogues (6-14). The structures of 1-5 were established on the basis of
      extensive analysis of NMR spectroscopic data, X-ray diffraction data, and
      experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra. Compound 1 is
      a spiroditerpenoid with a novel skeleton, and compound 5 is a rare ent-abietane
      diterpenoid possessing a peroxide bridge. Compounds 1, 5-7, and 11-14 stimulate
      nerve growth factor mediated neurite outgrowth from PC12 cells. 

PMID- 26110520
TI  - SEQUENTIAL CENTRAL RETINAL VEIN AND OPHTHALMIC ARTERY OCCLUSIONS IN A PEDIATRIC
      CASE OF PRIMARY ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID SYNDROME.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report a case of sequential central retinal vein occlusion and
      ophthalmic artery occlusion in a patient with primary antiphospholipid syndrome.
      METHODS: Observational case report. Color fundus photography, fluorescein
      angiography, and optical coherence tomography were used to document the
      progression of a central retinal vein occlusion and sequential development of an
      ophthalmic artery occlusion within a 1-week period in a patient with primary
      antiphospholipid syndrome. RESULTS: A 15-year-old boy presented with unilateral
      blurry vision due to a central retinal vein occlusion along with other systemic
      symptoms. Within a 1-week period, he developed an ophthalmic artery occlusion in
      the same eye, with resulting bare light perception vision. Extensive evaluation
      by the pediatrics and rheumatology services led to a diagnosis of primary
      antiphospholipid syndrome as the etiology for the occlusions. CONCLUSION: This
      case report illustrates the rapid sequential venous and arterial ocular
      thrombosis in a patient with primary antiphospholipid syndrome.

PMID- 26110521
TI  - OUTER RETINAL ATROPHY ON SPECTRAL DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY AFTER
      RESOLUTION OF GLAUCOMA SURGERY-ASSOCIATED HYPOTONY MACULOPATHY.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report two cases of persistent central vision loss after resolution
      of filtration surgery-associated hypotony, corresponding with foveal outer
      retinal atrophy on spectral domain optical coherence tomography. METHODS:
      Retrospective observational case series. A retrospective chart review was
      conducted of two patients with persistent vision loss after normalization of
      intraocular pressure and resolution of glaucoma surgery-associated hypotony
      maculopathy. RESULTS: Several months after glaucoma surgery and resolution of
      hypotony, both patients suffered persistent vision loss and new foveal
      photoreceptor loss on spectral domain optical coherence tomography. CONCLUSION:
      This is the first case series demonstrating foveal outer retinal atrophy on
      spectral domain optical coherence tomography after resolution of glaucoma surgery
      associated hypotony maculopathy. Both patients had previous uveitis that was
      controlled at the time of hypotony. Eyes with previous hypotony and compromised
      ciliary body function may be at greater risk of photoreceptor damage.

PMID- 26110522
TI  - SHEDDING LIGHT ON FUNDUS DRUSEN ASSOCIATED WITH MEMBRANOPROLIFERATIVE
      GLOMERULONEPHRITIS: BREAKING STEREOTYPES OF TYPES I, II, AND III.
AB  - PURPOSE: Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) classification has been
      changed from purely anatomic to molecular. This report describes two cases of
      MPGN with associated drusen that exemplify the importance of this change and the
      need for ophthalmologists to understand it. METHODS: The medical and pathologic
      records of two patients with MPGN and drusen were examined. RESULTS: Two patients
      with MPGN and risk-associated alleles of complement factor H were found to have
      drusen. In one case, the process led to severe visual impairment. Based on
      anatomic classification, one patient had MPGN Type I and the other had MPGN Type
      III. However, both patients had renal biopsy findings classic for C3
      glomerulonephritis and the same genetic abnormality (risk-associated alleles of
      complement factor H). CONCLUSION: The association of MPGN and drusen needs to be
      reevaluated. Previously only recognized in association with Type II MPGN, drusen
      have been demonstrated in 2 patients with C3 glomerulonephritis in this report.
      These drusen are likely the result of complement pathway abnormalities. The
      authors propose a new nomenclature in the ophthalmic literature to classify
      pathology as immune complex-mediated or complement-mediated rather than solely by
      the electron microscopy findings. This nomenclature will better characterize the
      underlying genetic abnormalities and pathophysiology of these disease processes.

PMID- 26110523
TI  - SUBMILLIMETER CHOROIDAL MELANOMA DETECTION BY ENHANCED DEPTH IMAGING OPTICAL
      COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY IN A PATIENT WITH OCULODERMAL MELANOCYTOSIS.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe a tiny subclinical choroidal melanoma visualized only with
      enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography in a newly symptomatic
      patient with known oculodermal melanocytosis. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 52
      year-old white man with heterochromia and known oculodermal melanocytosis of the
      right eye, followed for 2 years without change, developed blurred vision and was
      referred for possible central serous chorioretinopathy. On examination, visual
      acuity was 20/20 in each eye. There was oculodermal melanocytosis in the right
      eye involving the periocular skin, episclera, iris, and choroid. On
      ophthalmoscopy and ocular ultrasonography, there was no appreciable mass, but
      subtle subfoveal fluid and perifoveal orange pigment were detected, as well as
      equatorial drusen. Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography
      demonstrated a subtle optically dense focal choroidal mass measuring 4.5 mm in
      basal dimension and 0.7 mm in enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography
      thickness. There was choroidal vascular compression, obliteration of choroidal
      details, and related overlying subretinal fluid with shaggy photoreceptors,
      consistent with early choroidal melanoma in an eye with oculodermal
      melanocytosis. The patient elected early treatment considering the risk factors
      for growth and the risk for metastasis associated with melanoma in the setting of
      oculodermal melanocytosis. Plaque radiotherapy was performed with complete tumor
      regression clinically and by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography.
      At 2-year follow-up, visual acuity remains 20/20, with regressed tumor and no
      systemic metastasis. CONCLUSION: Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence
      tomography is a useful tool in the evaluation of eyes with oculodermal
      melanocytosis, permitting high-resolution visualization of the choroid and
      detection of submillimeter early melanoma that might not be apparent with
      indirect ophthalmoscopy or ultrasonography.

PMID- 26110524
TI  - Isolation, Characterization and Biological Properties of Membrane Vesicles
      Produced by the Swine Pathogen Streptococcus suis.
AB  - Streptococcus suis, more particularly serotype 2, is a major swine pathogen and
      an emerging zoonotic agent worldwide that mainly causes meningitis, septicemia,
      endocarditis, and pneumonia. Although several potential virulence factors
      produced by S. suis have been identified in the last decade, the pathogenesis of
      S. suis infections is still not fully understood. In the present study, we showed
      that S. suis produces membrane vesicles (MVs) that range in diameter from 13 to
      130 nm and that appear to be coated by capsular material. A proteomic analysis of
      the MVs revealed that they contain 46 proteins, 9 of which are considered as
      proven or suspected virulence factors. Biological assays confirmed that S. suis
      MVs possess active subtilisin-like protease (SspA) and DNase (SsnA). S. suis MVs
      degraded neutrophil extracellular traps, a property that may contribute to the
      ability of the bacterium to escape the host defense response. MVs also activated
      the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway in both monocytes and
      macrophages, inducing the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which may in
      turn contribute to increase the permeability of the blood brain barrier. The
      present study brought evidence that S. suis MVs may play a role as a virulence
      factor in the pathogenesis of S. suis infections, and given their composition be
      an excellent candidate for vaccine development. 

PMID- 26110525
TI  - Physiological outperformance at the morphologically-transformed edge of the
      cyanobacteriosponge Terpios hoshinota (Suberitidae: Hadromerida) when confronting
      opponent corals.
AB  - Terpios hoshinota, an encrusting cyanosponge, is known as a strong substrate
      competitor of reef-building corals that kills encountered coral by overgrowth.
      Terpios outbreaks cause significant declines in living coral cover in Indo
      Pacific coral reefs, with the damage usually lasting for decades. Recent studies
      show that there are morphological transformations at a sponge's growth front when
      confronting corals. Whether these morphological transformations at coral contacts
      are involved with physiological outperformance (e.g., higher metabolic activity
      or nutritional status) over other portions of Terpios remains equivocal. In this
      study, we compared the indicators of photosynthetic capability and nitrogen
      status of a sponge-cyanobacteria association at proximal, middle, and distal
      portions of opponent corals. Terpios tissues in contact with corals displayed
      significant increases in photosynthetic oxygen production (ca. 61%), the delta13C
      value (ca. 4%), free proteinogenic amino acid content (ca. 85%), and Gln/Glu
      ratio (ca. 115%) compared to middle and distal parts of the sponge. In contrast,
      the maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm), which is the indicator usually used to
      represent the integrity of photosystem II, of cyanobacteria photosynthesis was
      low (0.256~0.319) and showed an inverse trend of higher values in the distal
      portion of the sponge that might be due to high and variable levels of
      cyanobacterial phycocyanin. The inconsistent results between photosynthetic
      oxygen production and Fv/Fm values indicated that maximum quantum yields might
      not be a suitable indicator to represent the photosynthetic function of the
      Terpios-cyanobacteria association. Our data conclusively suggest that Terpios
      hoshinota competes with opponent corals not only by the morphological
      transformation of the sponge-cyanobacteria association but also by physiological
      outperformance in accumulating resources for the battle. 

PMID- 26110526
TI  - QTL Mapping for Fiber and Yield Traits in Upland Cotton under Multiple
      Environments.
AB  - A population of 178 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed using a single
      seed descendant from a cross between G. hirsutum. acc DH962 and G. hirsutum. cv
      Jimian5, was used to construct a genetic map and to map QTL for fiber and yield
      traits. A total of 644 polymorphic loci were used to construct a final genetic
      map, containing 616 loci and spanning 2016.44 cM, with an average of 3.27 cM
      between adjacent markers. Statistical analysis revealed that segregation
      distortion in the intraspecific population was more serious than that in the
      interspecific population. The RIL population and the two parents were phenotyped
      under 8 environments (two locations, six years), revealing a total of 134 QTL,
      including 64 for fiber qualities and 70 for yield components, independently
      detected in seven environments, explaining 4.40-15.28% of phenotypic variation
      (PV). Among the 134 QTL, 9 common QTL were detected in more than one environment,
      and 22 QTL and 19 new QTL were detected in combined analysis (E9). A total of 26
      QTL hotspot regions were observed on 13 chromosomes and 2 larger linkage groups,
      and some QTL clusters related to fiber qualities or yield components were also
      observed. The results obtained in the present study suggested that to map
      accurate QTL in crops with larger plant types, such as cotton, phenotyping under
      multiple environments is necessary to effectively apply the obtained results in
      molecular marker-assisted selection breeding and QTL cloning. 

PMID- 26110527
TI  - Openness to experience as a predictor and outcome of upward job changes into
      managerial and professional positions.
AB  - In industrial and organizational psychology, there is a long tradition of
      studying personality as an antecedent of work outcomes. Recently, however,
      scholars have suggested that personality characteristics may not only predict,
      but also change due to certain work experiences, a notion that is depicted in the
      dynamic developmental model (DDM) of personality and work. Upward job changes are
      an important part of employees' careers and career success in particular, and we
      argue that these career transitions can shape personality over time. In this
      study, we investigate the Big Five personality characteristics as both predictors
      and outcomes of upward job changes into managerial and professional positions. We
      tested our hypotheses by applying event history analyses and propensity score
      matching to a longitudinal dataset collected over five years from employees in
      Australia. Results indicated that participants' openness to experience not only
      predicted, but that changes in openness to experience also followed from upward
      job changes into managerial and professional positions. Our findings thus provide
      support for a dynamic perspective on personality characteristics in the context
      of work and careers. 

PMID- 26110529
TI  - Inexpensive and Highly Reproducible Cloud-Based Variant Calling of 2,535 Human
      Genomes.
AB  - Population scale sequencing of whole human genomes is becoming economically
      feasible; however, data management and analysis remains a formidable challenge
      for many research groups. Large sequencing studies, like the 1000 Genomes
      Project, have improved our understanding of human demography and the effect of
      rare genetic variation in disease. Variant calling on datasets of hundreds or
      thousands of genomes is time-consuming, expensive, and not easily reproducible
      given the myriad components of a variant calling pipeline. Here, we describe a
      cloud-based pipeline for joint variant calling in large samples using the Real
      Time Genomics population caller. We deployed the population caller on the Amazon
      cloud with the DNAnexus platform in order to achieve low-cost variant calling.
      Using our pipeline, we were able to identify 68.3 million variants in 2,535
      samples from Phase 3 of the 1000 Genomes Project. By performing the variant
      calling in a parallel manner, the data was processed within 5 days at a compute
      cost of $7.33 per sample (a total cost of $18,590 for completed jobs and $21,805
      for all jobs). Analysis of cost dependence and running time on the data size
      suggests that, given near linear scalability, cloud computing can be a cheap and
      efficient platform for analyzing even larger sequencing studies in the future. 

PMID- 26110530
TI  - Correction: activation of GPR55 receptors exacerbates oxLDL-induced lipid
      accumulation and inflammatory responses, while reducing cholesterol efflux from
      human macrophages.

PMID- 26110528
TI  - AKTIP/Ft1, a New Shelterin-Interacting Factor Required for Telomere Maintenance.
AB  - Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes that protect the ends of linear chromosomes
      from incomplete replication, degradation and detection as DNA breaks. Mammalian
      telomeres are protected by shelterin, a multiprotein complex that binds the
      TTAGGG telomeric repeats and recruits a series of additional factors that are
      essential for telomere function. Although many shelterin-associated proteins have
      been so far identified, the inventory of shelterin-interacting factors required
      for telomere maintenance is still largely incomplete. Here, we characterize
      AKTIP/Ft1 (human AKTIP and mouse Ft1 are orthologous), a novel mammalian
      shelterin-bound factor identified on the basis of its homology with the
      Drosophila telomere protein Pendolino. AKTIP/Ft1 shares homology with the E2
      variant ubiquitin-conjugating (UEV) enzymes and has been previously implicated in
      the control of apoptosis and in vesicle trafficking. RNAi-mediated depletion of
      AKTIP results in formation of telomere dysfunction foci (TIFs). Consistent with
      these results, AKTIP interacts with telomeric DNA and binds the shelterin
      components TRF1 and TRF2 both in vivo and in vitro. Analysis of AKTIP- depleted
      human primary fibroblasts showed that they are defective in PCNA recruiting and
      arrest in the S phase due to the activation of the intra S checkpoint.
      Accordingly, AKTIP physically interacts with PCNA and the RPA70 DNA replication
      factor. Ft1-depleted p53-/- MEFs did not arrest in the S phase but displayed
      significant increases in multiple telomeric signals (MTS) and sister telomere
      associations (STAs), two hallmarks of defective telomere replication. In
      addition, we found an epistatic relation for MST formation between Ft1 and TRF1,
      which has been previously shown to be required for replication fork progression
      through telomeric DNA. Ch-IP experiments further suggested that in AKTIP-depleted
      cells undergoing the S phase, TRF1 is less tightly bound to telomeric DNA than in
      controls. Thus, our results collectively suggest that AKTIP/Ft1 works in concert
      with TRF1 to facilitate telomeric DNA replication. 

PMID- 26110531
TI  - Oncocalyxone A functions as an anti-glycation agent in vitro.
AB  - Advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) are the result of post-translational changes
      to proteins, which ultimately compromise their structure and/or function. The
      identification of methods to prevent the formation of these compounds holds great
      promise in the development of alternative therapies for diseases such as
      diabetes. Plants used in traditional medicine are often rich sources of anti
      glycation agents. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the anti-glycation
      activity of one such compound, Oncocalyxone A (Onco A). Using spectrofluorimetric
      techniques, we determined that Onco A inhibits AGE formation in a concentration
      dependent manner. Its IC50 value (87.88 +/- 3.08 MUM) was almost two times lower
      than the standard anti-glycation compound aminoguanidine (184.68 +/- 4.85 MUM).
      The excellent anti-glycation activity of Onco A makes it an exciting candidate
      for the treatment of diseases associated with excessive accumulation of AGE.
      However, additional studies are necessary to identify its mechanism of action, as
      well as the in vivo response in suitable model organisms. 

PMID- 26110532
TI  - Correction: a nonlinear mixed effects approach for modeling the cell-to-cell
      variability of Mig1 dynamics in yeast.

PMID- 26110533
TI  - Munroa argentina, a Grass of the South American Transition Zone, Survived the
      Andean Uplift, Aridification and Glaciations of the Quaternary.
AB  - The South American Transition Zone (SATZ) is a biogeographic area in which not
      only orogeny (Andes uplift) and climate events (aridification) since the mid
      Miocene, but also Quaternary glaciation cycles had an important impact on the
      evolutionary history of the local flora. To study this effect, we selected Munroa
      argentina, an annual grass distributed in the biogeographic provinces of Puna,
      Prepuna and Monte. We collected 152 individuals from 20 localities throughout the
      species' range, ran genetic and demographic analyses, and applied ecological
      niche modeling. Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses based on cpDNA and
      AFLP data identified three phylogroups that correspond to the previously
      identified subregions within the SATZ. Molecular dating suggests that M.
      argentina has inhabited the SATZ since approximately 3.4 (4.2-1.2) Ma and
      paleomodels predict suitable climate in these areas during the Interglacial
      period and the Last Glacial Maximum. We conclude that the current distribution of
      M. argentina resulted from the fragmentation of its once continuous range and
      that climate oscillations promoted ecological differences that favored isolation
      by creating habitat discontinuity. 

PMID- 26110534
TI  - Performance of three prognostic models in patients with cancer in need of
      intensive care in a medical center in China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Acute
      Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Simplified Acute
      Physiology Score 3 (SAPS 3), and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation
      IV (APACHE IV) in patients with cancer admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) in a
      single medical center in China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective
      observational cohort study including nine hundred and eighty one consecutive
      patients over a 2-year period. RESULTS: The hospital mortality rate was 4.5%.
      When all 981 patients were evaluated, the area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve (AUROC, 95% Confidential Intervals) of the three models in
      predicting hospital mortality were 0.948 (0.914-0.982), 0.863 (0.804-0.923), and
      0.873 (0.813-0.934) for SAPS 3, APACHE II and APACHE IV respectively. The p
      values of Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics for the models were 0.759, 0.900 and 0.878
      for SAPS 3, APACHE II and APACHE IV respectively. However, SAPS 3 and APACHE IV
      underestimated the in-hospital mortality with standardized mortality ratio (SMR)
      of 1.5 and 1.17 respectively, while APACHE II overestimated the in-hospital
      mortality with SMR of 0.72. Further analysis showed that discrimination power was
      better with SAPS 3 than with APACHE II and APACHE IV whether for emergency
      surgical and medical patients (AUROC of 0.912 vs 0.866 and 0.857) or for
      scheduled surgical patients (AUROC of 0.945 vs 0.834 and 0.851). Calibration was
      good for all models (all p > 0.05) whether for scheduled surgical patients or
      emergency surgical and medical patients. However, in terms of SMR, SAPS 3 was
      both accurate in predicting the in-hospital mortality for emergency surgical and
      medical patients and for scheduled surgical patients, while APACHE IV and APACHE
      II were not. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, we found that APACHE II, APACHE IV and
      SAPS 3 models had good discrimination and calibration ability in predicting in
      hospital mortality of critically ill patients with cancer in need of intensive
      care. Of these three severity scores, SAPS 3 was superior to APACHE II and APACHE
      IV, whether in terms of discrimination and calibration power, or standardized
      mortality ratios.

PMID- 26110535
TI  - Waterborne Viruses: A Barrier to Safe Drinking Water.

PMID- 26110536
TI  - Solubilisation of Phosphate and Micronutrients by Trichoderma harzianum and Its
      Relationship with the Promotion of Tomato Plant Growth.
AB  - Trichoderma harzianum strain SQR-T037 is a biocontrol agent that has been shown
      to enhance the uptake of nutrients (macro- and microelements) by plants in
      fields. The objective of this study was to investigate the contribution of SQR
      T037 to P and microelement (Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) nutrition in tomato plants grown
      in soil and in hydroponic conditions. Inoculation with SQR-T037 significantly
      improved the biomass and nutrient uptake of tomato seedlings grown in a nutrient
      limiting soil. So we investigated the capability of SQR-T037 to solubilise
      sparingly soluble minerals in vitro via four known mechanisms: acidification by
      organic acids, chelation by siderophores, redox by ferric reductase and
      hydrolysis by phytase. SQR-T037 was able to solubilise phytate, Fe2O3, CuO, and
      metallic Zn but not Ca3(PO4)2 or MnO2. Organic acids, including lactic acid,
      citric acid, tartaric acid and succinic acid, were detected by HPLC and LC/MS in
      two Trichoderma cultures. Additionally, we inoculated tomato seedlings with SQR
      T037 using a hydroponic system with specific nutrient deficiencies (i.e.,
      nutrient solutions deficient in P, Fe, Cu or Zn and supplemented with their
      corresponding solid minerals) to better study the effects of Trichoderma
      inoculation on plant growth and nutrition. Inoculated seedlings grown in Cu
      deficient hydroponic conditions exhibited increases in dry plant biomass (92%)
      and Cu uptake (42%) relative to control plants. However, we did not observe a
      significant effect on seedling biomass in plants grown in the Fe- and Zn
      deficient hydroponic conditions; by contrast, the biomass decreased by 82% in the
      P-deficient hydroponic condition. Thus, we demonstrated that Trichoderma SQR-T037
      competed for P (phytate) and Zn with tomato seedlings by suppressing root
      development, releasing phytase and/or chelating minerals. The results of this
      study suggest that the induction of increased or suppressed plant growth occurs
      through the direct effect of T. harzianum on root development, in combination
      with indirect mechanisms, such as mineral solubilisation (including
      solubilisation via acidification, redox, chelation and hydrolysis). 

PMID- 26110537
TI  - Orientation of DNA Minicircles Balances Density and Topological Complexity in
      Kinetoplast DNA.
AB  - Kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), a unique mitochondrial structure common to trypanosomatid
      parasites, contains thousands of DNA minicircles that are densely packed and can
      be topologically linked into a chain mail-like network. Experimental data
      indicate that every minicircle in the network is, on average, singly linked to
      three other minicircles (i.e., has mean valence 3) before replication and to six
      minicircles in the late stages of replication. The biophysical factors that
      determine the topology of the network and its changes during the cell cycle
      remain unknown. Using a mathematical modeling approach, we previously showed that
      volume confinement alone can drive the formation of the network and that it
      induces a linear relationship between mean valence and minicircle density. Our
      modeling also predicted a minicircle valence two orders of magnitude greater than
      that observed in kDNA. To determine the factors that contribute to this
      discrepancy we systematically analyzed the relationship between the topological
      properties of the network (i.e., minicircle density and mean valence) and its
      biophysical properties such as DNA bending, electrostatic repulsion, and
      minicircle relative position and orientation. Significantly, our results showed
      that most of the discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental
      observations can be accounted for by the orientation of the minicircles with
      volume exclusion due to electrostatic interactions and DNA bending playing
      smaller roles. Our results are in agreement with the three dimensional kDNA
      organization model, initially proposed by Delain and Riou, in which minicircles
      are oriented almost perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the kDNA disk. We
      suggest that while minicircle confinement drives the formation of kDNA networks,
      it is minicircle orientation that regulates the topological complexity of the
      network. 

PMID- 26110538
TI  - Demographic and Spatiotemporal Patterns of Avian Influenza Infection at the
      Continental Scale, and in Relation to Annual Life Cycle of a Migratory Host.
AB  - Since the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in the eastern
      hemisphere, numerous surveillance programs and studies have been undertaken to
      detect the occurrence, distribution, or spread of avian influenza viruses (AIV)
      in wild bird populations worldwide. To identify demographic determinants and
      spatiotemporal patterns of AIV infection in long distance migratory waterfowl in
      North America, we fitted generalized linear models with binominal distribution to
      analyze results from 13,574 blue-winged teal (Anas discors, BWTE) sampled in 2007
      to 2010 year round during AIV surveillance programs in Canada and the United
      States. Our analyses revealed that during late summer staging (July-August) and
      fall migration (September-October), hatch year (HY) birds were more likely to be
      infected than after hatch year (AHY) birds, however there was no difference
      between age categories for the remainder of the year (winter, spring migration,
      and breeding period), likely due to maturing immune systems and newly acquired
      immunity of HY birds. Probability of infection increased non-linearly with
      latitude, and was highest in late summer prior to fall migration when densities
      of birds and the proportion of susceptible HY birds in the population are
      highest. Birds in the Central and Mississippi flyways were more likely to be
      infected compared to those in the Atlantic flyway. Seasonal cycles and spatial
      variation of AIV infection were largely driven by the dynamics of AIV infection
      in HY birds, which had more prominent cycles and spatial variation in infection
      compared to AHY birds. Our results demonstrate demographic as well as seasonal,
      latitudinal and flyway trends across Canada and the US, while illustrating the
      importance of migratory host life cycle and age in driving cyclical patterns of
      prevalence. 

PMID- 26110539
TI  - Evaluation of Appropriate Reference Genes for Gene Expression Normalization
      during Watermelon Fruit Development.
AB  - Gene expression analysis in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) fruit has drawn
      considerable attention with the availability of genome sequences to understand
      the regulatory mechanism of fruit development and to improve its quality. Real
      time quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is a routine technique for
      gene expression analysis. However, appropriate reference genes for transcript
      normalization in watermelon fruits have not been well characterized. The aim of
      this study was to evaluate the appropriateness of 12 genes for their potential
      use as reference genes in watermelon fruits. Expression variations of these genes
      were measured in 48 samples obtained from 12 successive developmental stages of
      parthenocarpic and fertilized fruits of two watermelon genotypes by using qRT-PCR
      analysis. Considering the effects of genotype, fruit setting method, and
      developmental stage, geNorm determined clathrin adaptor complex subunit (ClCAC),
      beta-actin (ClACT), and alpha tubulin 5 (ClTUA5) as the multiple reference genes
      in watermelon fruit. Furthermore, ClCAC alone or together with SAND family
      protein (ClSAND) was ranked as the single or two best reference genes by
      NormFinder. By using the top-ranked reference genes to normalize the transcript
      abundance of phytoene synthase (ClPSY1), a good correlation between lycopene
      accumulation and ClPSY1 expression pattern was observed in ripening watermelon
      fruit. These validated reference genes will facilitate the accurate measurement
      of gene expression in the studies on watermelon fruit biology. 

PMID- 26110540
TI  - The investigation of solid slag obtained by neutralization of sewage sludge.
AB  - The purpose of this research is to investigate the feasibility of utilizing the
      slag collected after gasification of organic fuel combined with sewage sludge.
      The residue left after gasification process is likely usable as raw material for
      production of supercondensers. The sewage sludge neutralization system consists
      of a dosing system (fuel tank), gasifier, plasma reactor, electrostatic filter,
      and heat exchangers. For the gasification process, dried solid sewage is supplied
      in proportion of 70% to biomass 30% by weight. The slag is collected in a
      specially designed chamber beneath the gasifier. A scanning electron microscope
      (SEM) was used to evaluate surface morphology of the samples. Elemental analysis
      of the sewage sludge slag was performed using the energy-dispersive spectroscopy
      (EDS) method, which showed different solid-state elements contained in the porous
      structure of the solid phase: carbon 29%, aluminum 26%, potassium 20%, chlorine
      1%, and others. The specific surface area of the sewage sludge slag is 6.15
      m(2)/g as the BET analysis shows. In order to use the slag as a secondary raw
      material, detailed analysis of the structure and properties is necessary for a
      decision on whether the slag left after gasification of sewage sludge is suitable
      for any further usages. Initial results indicate that the slag may be used for
      production of electrodes for supercapacitors. IMPLICATIONS: Every year thousands
      of tons of sewage sludge are formed in Lithuania. Sewage sludge consists of
      organic and inorganic compounds. Partial combustion, plasma decomposition, and
      other methods are used to neutralize the sewage sludge. The incineration of
      sewage sludge results in generation of solid-phase slag. In this paper the
      material structure and composition of a solid slag (formed during neutralization
      of sewage sludge) is considered. Also, the impact the ambient temperature on
      structure and composition of solid slag is analyzed.

PMID- 26110541
TI  - Synthesis and optical power limiting properties of heteroleptic Mo3S7 clusters.
AB  - Substitution of the halide ligands in (Bu4N)2[Mo3S7X6] (X = Cl, Br) by diimine
      ligands, such as 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine (dmbpy), 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) and
      1,10-phenanthroline (phen), affords the neutral heteroleptic clusters
      Mo3S7Cl4(dmbpy) (), Mo3S7Br4(dmbpy) (), Mo3S7Br4(bpy) (), and Mo3S7Br4(phen) ().
      Further substitution of the halide ligands in Mo3S7Br4(diimine) clusters by dmit
      (1,3-dithiole-2-thione-4,5-dithiolate) allows the preparation of the mixed
      diimine-dithiolene neutral cluster complexes Mo3S7(dnbpy)(dmit)2 (, dnbpy = 4,4'
      dinonyl-2,2'-bipyridine), Mo3S7(dcmbpy)(dmit)2 (, dcmbpy = 4,4'-dimethoxycarbonyl
      2,2'-bipyridine), and Mo3S7(dcbpy)(dmit)2 (, dcbpy = 2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'
      dicarboxylic acid). The optical limiting properties of complexes have been
      assessed by the open-aperture Z-scan technique at 570 nm, employing a nanosecond
      optical parametric oscillator. In order to investigate the effect of increasing
      the pi-system, complexes , with the general formula Mo3S7X4(diimine), (X = Cl,
      Br), were compared to clusters , containing the dmit ligand. The influence of the
      metal content on the optical power limiting properties was also investigated by
      comparing the trinuclear series of complexes prepared herein with the
      bis(dithiolene) dinuclear cluster (Et4N)2[Mo2O2S2(BPyDTS2)2], which has been
      recently prepared by our group. All trinuclear clusters are efficient optical
      limiters (sigmaeff > sigma0) with the threshold limiting fluence F15% decreasing
      on proceeding from dinuclear to trinuclear clusters and, generally, on extending
      the pi-system. 

PMID- 26110542
TI  - Illness Perceptions and Health Behaviors of Black Women.
AB  - The Common Sense Model of Illness Representations proposes that representations
      or perceptions of illness drive health behaviors. The purpose of this study was
      to explore the relationships between hypertension representations, exercise, and
      dietary behaviors in hypertensive black women (N = 204, aged 18-65 years).
      Regression results revealed that perceiving hypertension as chronic and
      perceiving it a result of environmental causes were inversely related to moderate
      intensity physical activity (beta = -.15 [P = .05] and beta = -.25 [P = .05],
      respectively). Having more emotional responses to hypertension (beta = .23, P =
      .05) was related to moderate-intensity physical activity and more fruit and
      vegetable consumption (beta = .28, P = .05). These findings suggest that
      hypertension representations can interfere with recommended lifestyle changes
      among black women. Assessing hypertension representations and implementing
      measures to clarify misperceptions of hypertension among black women may lead to
      better blood pressure control and health outcomes.

PMID- 26110543
TI  - Patients' Decision Making About Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve
      Implantation for Severe Aortic Stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aortic stenosis is the most common valve disease in Western
      countries, and its prevalence is increasing because of the aging population. Some
      patients, denied surgery because of high risk, can be offered transcatheter
      aortic valve implantation (TAVI). These patients are old and have comorbidities,
      and it is not always easy for them to make the decision about accepting TAVI.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the decision-making process
      about undergoing TAVI treatment among people with severe aortic stenosis who are
      denied surgery. METHODS: The Swedish participants (n = 24) with a mean age of 80
      years who had been offered TAVI all agreed to participate in a presurgical
      interview. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using
      qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Three patterns in the decision-making
      process about TAVI treatment-ambivalent, obedient, and reconciled-were
      identified. The ambivalent patient is unsure of the value of treatment and aware
      of the risks; the obedient patient is unsure of the value of one's own decision
      and wants to leave the decision to others; the reconciled patient has reached a
      point where there is no choice anymore and is always sure that the decision to
      undergo TAVI is right. CONCLUSIONS: People with aortic stenosis who are offered
      TAVI need to discuss the risks and benefits in order to participate in decision
      making about the treatment. They have different patterns in decision making and
      would benefit from healthcare professionals being observant of them to support
      them in this process in a manner consistent with their values.

PMID- 26110544
TI  - Association of Disease Activity with Serum and Tear IL-2 Levels in Behcet
      Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the association of Behcet disease activity with serum and
      tear interleukin-2 levels. METHODS: The study was designed as a prospective case
      control study. The study population consisted of 45 patients with Behcet disease
      and 24 age and sex-matched healthy participants. Behcet disease patients were
      classified as active (24 patients) or inactive (21 patients) according to disease
      activity. Serum and tear interleukin-2 levels were determined using the enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay method. RESULTS: The mean serum and tear interleukin-2
      levels of the active disease, inactive disease, and control groups were 17.04 +/-
      5.02 and 32.61 +/- 16.53 pg/mL; 15.20 +/- 4.68 and 29.61 +/- 8.30 pg/mL; and
      14.22 +/- 4.18 and 28.89 +/- 8.73 pg/mL, respectively. There was no statistically
      significant difference between the groups with respect to all measured data.
      CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in serum or tear IL-2 levels
      between Behcet patients and controls; there was no association of disease
      activity with serum and tear IL-2 levels.

PMID- 26110545
TI  - Pupillometry reveals increased pupil size during indirect request comprehension.
AB  - Fluctuations in pupil size have been shown to reflect variations in processing
      demands during lexical and syntactic processing in language comprehension. An
      issue that has not received attention is whether pupil size also varies due to
      pragmatic manipulations. In two pupillometry experiments, we investigated whether
      pupil diameter was sensitive to increased processing demands as a result of
      comprehending an indirect request versus a direct statement. Adult participants
      were presented with 120 picture-sentence combinations that could be interpreted
      either as an indirect request (a picture of a window with the sentence "it's very
      hot here") or as a statement (a picture of a window with the sentence "it's very
      nice here"). Based on the hypothesis that understanding indirect utterances
      requires additional inferences to be made on the part of the listener, we
      predicted a larger pupil diameter for indirect requests than statements. The
      results of both experiments are consistent with this expectation. We suggest that
      the increase in pupil size reflects additional processing demands for the
      comprehension of indirect requests as compared to statements. This research
      demonstrates the usefulness of pupillometry as a tool for experimental research
      in pragmatics. 

PMID- 26110546
TI  - Lumbar Traction for Managing Low Back Pain: A Survey of Physical Therapists in
      the United States.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. OBJECTIVES: To examine how many physical
      therapists use traction, the patients for whom traction is used, the preferred
      delivery modes/parameters of traction, the supplemental interventions used with
      traction, and whether professional characteristics influence traction usage.
      BACKGROUND: Several systematic reviews and clinical guidelines have questioned
      the effectiveness of traction for managing low back pain, yet some patients may
      benefit from lumbar traction. While traction usage among physical therapists in
      other countries has been described, usage among physical therapists in the United
      States has not been examined. METHODS: We surveyed a random sample of 4000
      Orthopaedic Section members of the American Physical Therapy Association.
      Associations among respondents' professional characteristics and survey responses
      were explored with chi-square analyses (alpha = .05). RESULTS: The response rate
      was 25.5% (n = 1001), and 76.6% (n = 767) of respondents reported using traction.
      Most (58.4%) of the respondents used traction for patients with signs of nerve
      root compression, though many (31.4%) did not. Common delivery modes included
      manual methods (68.3%) and mechanical tables (44.9%), most often supplemental to
      other interventions (eg, stabilization exercises, postural education). Levels of
      professional preparation (doctoral/masters level versus bachelors/certificate
      level) were associated with many variables, as was attainment of an orthopaedic
      specialist certification. CONCLUSION: Most of the orthopaedic physical therapists
      in the United States who responded to our survey reported that they used lumbar
      traction, though not necessarily consistent with proposed criteria that identify
      patients most likely to benefit from traction. They used various traction
      delivery modes/parameters and used traction within comprehensive plans of care
      incorporating multiple interventions. Professional characteristics (education
      levels and clinical specialist credentialing) were associated with traction
      usage.

PMID- 26110547
TI  - Atrophy of the Quadriceps Is Not Isolated to the Vastus Medialis Oblique in
      Individuals With Patellofemoral Pain.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional. Objectives To determine if quadriceps atrophy was
      present in people with patellofemoral pain (PFP), and whether the vastus medialis
      oblique (VMO) was selectively involved. BACKGROUND: Despite the lack of research
      investigating individual quadriceps muscle size in individuals with PFP, it has
      been suggested that selective atrophy of the VMO relative to the vastus lateralis
      could be associated with PFP. METHODS: The quadriceps muscle sizes of 35
      participants with PFP (22 with unilateral and 13 with bilateral symptoms) and 35
      asymptomatic control participants matched for age and sex were measured using
      real-time ultrasound. The thicknesses of the VMO, vastus lateralis, vastus
      medialis, rectus femoris, and vastus intermedius were measured. Paired-samples t
      tests were used to compare muscle thickness between limbs in those with
      unilateral PFP, and independent t tests were used to compare muscle thickness
      between groups with and without PFP. Results In those with unilateral PFP, the
      thickness of all portions of the quadriceps muscle was statistically smaller in
      the symptomatic compared to the asymptomatic limb: VMO (P = .038), vastus
      medialis (P<.001), vastus lateralis (P = .005), vastus intermedius (P = .013),
      and rectus femoris (P = .045). No difference was found in thickness of any of the
      portions of the quadriceps on the affected side of people with PFP compared to
      asymptomatic controls: VMO (P = .148), vastus medialis (P = .474), vastus
      lateralis (P = .122), vastus intermedius (P = .466), and rectus femoris (P =
      .508). CONCLUSION: Atrophy of all portions of the quadriceps muscles is present
      in the affected limb of people with unilateral PFP. There was no atrophy of the
      quadriceps in individuals with PFP compared to those without pathology. Selective
      atrophy of the VMO relative to the vastus lateralis was not identified in people
      with PFP.

PMID- 26110548
TI  - Responsiveness and Minimal Clinically Important Change: A Comparison Between 2
      Shoulder Outcome Measures.
AB  - Study Design A prospective cohort study nested in a randomized controlled trial.
      Objectives To determine and compare responsiveness and minimal clinically
      important change of the modified Constant score (CS) and the Oxford Shoulder
      Score (OSS). Background The OSS and the CS are commonly used to assess shoulder
      outcomes. However, few studies have evaluated the measurement properties of the
      OSS and CS in terms of responsiveness and minimal clinically important change.
      Methods The study included 126 patients who reported having difficulty returning
      to usual activities 8 to 12 weeks after arthroscopic decompression surgery for
      subacromial impingement syndrome. The assessment at baseline and at 3 months
      included the OSS, the CS, and the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions-3 Level
      (EQ-5D-3L) index. Responsiveness was assessed as follows: by correlation analysis
      between the change scores of the OSS, CS, and EQ-5D-3L index, and the Patient
      Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scale; by receiver-operating-characteristic
      (ROC) curve analysis using the PGIC scale as an external anchor; and by effect
      size statistics. Results At 3 months, a follow-up assessment of 112 patients
      (89%) was conducted. The change scores of the CS and the OSS were more strongly
      correlated with the external anchor (PGIC scale) than the change score of the EQ
      5D-3L index. The areas under the ROC curves exceeded 0.80 for both shoulder
      scores, with no significant differences between them, and comparable effect-size
      estimates were observed for the CS and the OSS. Minimal clinically important
      change ROC values were 6 points for the OSS and 11 points for the CS, with upper
      95% cutoff limits of 12 and 22 points, respectively. Conclusion The CS and the
      OSS were both suitable for assessing improvement after decompression surgery.

PMID- 26110549
TI  - Baseline Examination Factors Associated With Clinical Improvement After Dry
      Needling in Individuals With Low Back Pain.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Quasi-experimental. OBJECTIVES: To explore for associations between
      demographic, patient history, and physical examination variables and short-term
      improvement in self-reported disability following dry needling therapy performed
      on individuals with low back pain (LBP). BACKGROUND: Dry needling is an
      intervention used with increasing frequency in patients with LBP; however, the
      characteristics of patients who are most likely to respond are not known.
      METHODS: Seventy-two volunteers with mechanical LBP participated in the study.
      Potential prognostic factors were collected from baseline questionnaires, patient
      history, and physical examination tests. Treatment consisted of dry needling to
      the lumbar multifidus muscles bilaterally, administered during a single treatment
      session. Improvement was based on percent change on the Oswestry Disability Index
      at 1 week. The univariate and multivariate associations between 33 potential
      prognostic factors and improved disability were assessed with correlation
      coefficients and multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: Increased LBP with the
      multifidus lift test (rpb = 0.31, P = .01) or during passive hip flexion
      performed with the patient supine (rpb = 0.23, P = .06), as well as positive
      beliefs about acupuncture/dry needling (rho = 0.22, P = .07), demonstrated
      univariate associations with Oswestry Disability Index improvement. Aggravation
      of LBP with standing (rpb = -0.27, P = .03), presence of leg pain (rpb = -0.29, P
      = .02), and any perception of hypermobility in the lumbar spine (rpb = -0.21, P =
      .09) were associated with less improvement. The multivariate model identified 2
      predictors of improved disability with dry needling: pain with the multifidus
      lift test and no aggravation with standing (R(2) = 0.16, P = .01). CONCLUSION:
      Increased LBP with the multifidus lift test was the strongest predictor of
      improved disability after dry needling, suggesting that the finding of pain
      during muscle contraction should be studied in future dry needling studies. LEVEL
      OF EVIDENCE: Prognosis, level 1b.

PMID- 26110550
TI  - Small molecule drugs with immunomodulatory effects in cancer.
AB  - Immunotherapy shows promise for positively changing the landscape of the
      management of many advanced solid tumors, including gastrointestinal (GI)
      malignancies. Many of these developments have been focused on vaccine-based,
      monoclonal antibody therapies and more recently, checkpoint inhibitors, although
      many small molecule inhibitors can function as immunomodulators. Small molecule
      compounds have several advantages over conventional immunotherapeutic agents
      including: ease of production and the potential for oral administration. There is
      a potential niche for small molecule immunomodulators to enhance the efficacy of
      existing immunotherapeutic and cytotoxic agents. This article focuses on two
      categories of small molecule compounds with immunomodulatory effects: IDO and MEK
      inhibitors. Indoleamine -2, 3- dioxygenase (IDO) is known for its effects in
      tumor immunity. IDO inhibitors are generally well-tolerated and have the
      potential to enhance anti-tumor responses when combined with checkpoint
      inhibitors. MEK inhibitors affect signal transduction of the RAS-RAF-MEK pathway
      and numerous MEK inhibitors are currently being investigated in solid tumors.
      Small molecule immunomodulators are currently being investigated for their
      potential role in augmenting the effects of conventional immunotherapeutic agents
      although further research is required to identify those patients most likely to
      respond to combination therapy. 

PMID- 26110551
TI  - Cognitive bias modification as a strategy to reduce children's fears and concerns
      about the secondary school transition.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cognitive Bias Modification of Interpretations (CBM-I)
      has emerged as an anxiety-reducing tool for children and adolescents, targeting
      maladaptive interpretations of everyday situations. This literature falls short
      of addressing whether the effects of CBM-I extend to worries about a real-life
      stressor, such as a school transition. DESIGN: The study comprised a between
      groups design comparing the effects of CBM-I to an active control (AC)
      intervention in children. METHOD: We recruited 38 children within two months of
      their primary-secondary school transition and investigated the capacity for multi
      session, parent-administered CBM-I, compared to an AC condition, to modify
      cognitive style and reduce anxiety symptoms and school concerns. RESULTS: While
      benign interpretations increased significantly and negative interpretations
      tended to decrease following CBM-I, both interventions significantly reduced
      anxiety symptoms and school concerns. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that
      anxiety-reducing effects of CBM-I in children extend to a real life stressful
      event, but that equivalent anxiety reduction may be achieved through exposure to
      potentially worrying situations and parent-child interaction in the absence of
      bias modification.

PMID- 26110553
TI  - Micelles Based on Acid Degradable Poly(acetal urethane): Preparation, pH
      Sensitivity, and Triggered Intracellular Drug Release.
AB  - Polyurethanes are a unique class of biomaterials that are widely used in medical
      devices. In spite of their easy synthesis and excellent biocompatibility,
      polyurethanes are less explored for controlled drug delivery due to their slow or
      lack of degradation. In this paper, we report the design and development of novel
      acid degradable poly(acetal urethane) (PAU) and corresponding triblock copolymer
      micelles for pH-triggered intracellular delivery of a model lipophilic anticancer
      drug, doxorubicin (DOX). PAU with Mn ranging from 4.3 to 12.3 kg/mol was
      conveniently prepared from polycondensation reaction of lysine diisocyanate (LDI)
      and a novel diacetal-containing diol, terephthalilidene-bis(trimethylolethane)
      (TPABTME) using dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL) as a catalyst in N,N
      dimethylformamide (DMF). The thiol-ene click reaction of Allyl-PAU-Allyl with
      thiolated PEG (Mn = 5.0 kg/mol) afforded PEG-PAU-PEG triblock copolymers that
      readily formed micelles with average sizes of about 90-120 nm in water. The
      dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements revealed fast swelling and disruption
      of micelles under acidic pH. UV/vis spectroscopy corroborated that acetal
      degradation was accelerated at pH 4.0 and 5.0. The in vitro release studies
      showed that doxorubicin (DOX) was released in a controlled and pH-dependent
      manner, in which ca. 96%, 73%, and 30% of drug was released within 48 h at pH
      4.0, 5.0, and 7.4, respectively. Notably, MTT assays displayed that DOX-loaded
      PEG-PAU-PEG micelles had a high in vitro antitumor activity in both RAW 264.7 and
      drug-resistant MCF-7/ADR cells. The confocal microscopy and flow cytometry
      experiments demonstrated that PEG-PAU-PEG micelles mediated efficient cytoplasmic
      delivery of DOX. Importantly, blank PEG-PAU-PEG micelles were shown to be
      nontoxic to RAW 264.7 and MCF-7/ADR cells even at a high concentration of 1.5
      mg/mL. Hence, micelles based on poly(acetal urethane) have appeared as a new
      class of biocompatible and acid-degradable nanocarriers for efficient
      intracellular drug delivery.

PMID- 26110554
TI  - Association of CDK4 germline and BRAF somatic mutations in a patient with
      multiple primary melanomas and BRAF inhibitor resistance.
AB  - Many genetic alterations, including predisposing or somatic mutations, may
      contribute toward the development of melanoma. Although CDKN2A and CDK4 are high
      penetrance genes for melanoma, MC1R is a low-penetrance gene that has been
      associated most consistently with the disease. Moreover, BRAF is the most
      frequently somatically altered oncogene and is a validated therapeutic target in
      melanoma. This paper reports a case of multiple primary melanoma with germline
      CDK4 mutation, MC1R variant, and somatic BRAF mutation in nine out of 10
      melanomas, indicating that a common pathogenesis, because of a predisposing
      genetic background, may be shared among distinct subsequent melanomas of probable
      clonal origin. After 3 months of targeted therapy with BRAF inhibitor, our
      patient developed resistance with rapid progression of the disease leading to
      death. This is the first case in which early resistance to BRAF inhibitor has
      been reported in a patient with CDK4 germline mutation. 

PMID- 26110555
TI  - Repeated isolated limb perfusion in melanoma patients with recurrent in-transit
      metastases.
AB  - In-transit metastases of melanoma occur in 5-8% of all melanoma patients. In case
      of extensive locoregional disease, Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and melphalan
      based isolated limb perfusion (TM-ILP) had proven to yield excellent local
      control. Here, we report on repeat TM-ILP for locoregional recurrence after
      isolated limb perfusion. Between 1991 and 2013, 37 consecutive repeat TM-ILPs
      were analyzed in 32 different patients. Three patients underwent a third TM-ILP.
      During a median follow-up of 20 months after repeat TM-ILP, the overall response
      rate was 86%. Complete response (CR) was recorded after 24 TM-ILPs (65%). CR
      after first TM-ILP was a strong predictor for successful repeat TM-ILP in terms
      of clinical response and local recurrence. Local toxicity was mild (70%
      Wieberdink I-II). The local recurrence rate was 59%. Five-year overall survival
      was 35%. Repeat TM-ILP is a safe treatment modality in melanoma patients with
      recurrent in-transit metastases of melanoma. Those with a CR after first TM-ILP
      benefit the most from repeat TM-ILP. 

PMID- 26110556
TI  - Mechanism of Inactivation of GABA Aminotransferase by (E)- and (Z)-(1S,3S)-3
      Amino-4-fluoromethylenyl-1-cyclopentanoic Acid.
AB  - When gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the
      mammalian central nervous system, falls below a threshold level, seizures occur.
      One approach to raise GABA concentrations is to inhibit GABA aminotransferase
      (GABA-AT), a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme that degrades GABA. We have
      previously developed (1S,3S)-3-amino-4-difluoromethylene-1-cyclopentanoic acid
      (CPP-115), which is 186 times more efficient in inactivating GABA-AT than
      vigabatrin, the only FDA-approved inactivator of GABA-AT. We also developed (E)-
      and (Z)-(1S,3S)-3-amino-4-fluoromethylenyl-1-cyclopentanoic acid (1 and 2,
      respectively), monofluorinated analogs of CPP-115, which are comparable to
      vigabatrin in inactivating GABA-AT. Here, we report the mechanism of inactivation
      of GABA-AT by 1 and 2. Both produce a metabolite that induces disruption of the
      Glu270-Arg445 salt bridge to accommodate interaction between the metabolite
      formyl group and Arg445. This is the second time that Arg445 has interacted with
      a ligand and is involved in GABA-AT inactivation, thereby confirming the
      importance of Arg445 in future inactivator design. 

PMID- 26110557
TI  - The Natural Surfactant Glycerol Monolaurate Significantly Reduces Development of
      Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis Biofilms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacterial biofilms are involved in a large proportion of clinical
      infections, including device-related infections. Unfortunately, biofilm
      associated bacteria are typically less susceptible to antibiotics, and infected
      devices must often be removed. On the basis of a recent observation that lipid
      rich biofilm matrix material is present in early biofilm formation and may
      protect a population of bacteria from interacting with ordinarily diffusible
      small molecules, we hypothesized that surfactants may be useful in preventing
      biofilm development. METHODS: Experimental Staphylococcus aureus or Enterococcus
      faecalis biofilms were cultivated on surgical suture suspended in a growth medium
      supplemented with the natural surfactant glycerol monolaurate (GML) or with a
      component molecule, lauric acid. After 16 h incubation, the numbers of viable
      biofilm-associated bacteria were measured by standard microbiologic techniques
      and biofilm biomass was measured using the colorimetric crystal violet assay.
      RESULTS: Both GML and lauric acid were effective in inhibiting biofilm
      development as measured by decreased numbers of viable biofilm-associated
      bacteria as well as decreased biofilm biomass. Compared with lauric acid on a
      molar basis, GML represented a more effective inhibitor of biofilms formed by
      either S. aureus or E. faecalis. CONCLUSIONS: Because the natural surfactant GML
      inhibited biofilm development, resulting data were consistent with the hypothesis
      that lipids may play an important role in biofilm growth, implying that
      interfering with lipid formation may help control development of clinically
      relevant biofilms.

PMID- 26110558
TI  - Correlating droplet size with temperature changes in electrospray source by
      optical methods.
AB  - We investigated how the temperature and size of charged droplets are affected by
      the electrospray ionization (ESI) process, using in situ measurements involving
      laser-induced fluorescence and Mie scattering on a thermal gradient focusing ESI
      source. Rhodamine dyes were employed as temperature indicators using ratiometric
      intensity-based fluorescence techniques. The results were compared to lifetime
      based techniques using tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)dichlororuthenium(II) hexahydrate,
      [Ru(bpy)3](2+). Both methods gave similar profiles. Nevertheless, the precision
      and sensitivity were higher for lifetime-based techniques in comparison to
      intensity-based techniques. Global warming (with DeltaT ~10 K) of the ESI plume
      is reported while the size of the droplet decreases along the plume. The global
      warming indicates that the conductive thermal transfer (between the superheated
      sheath gas and the solvent) is predominant and stronger than the cooling effect
      due to the evaporation of the droplets, and this outcome is effectively
      reproduced by a diffusion-controlled evaporation model. Thermal gradient focusing
      ESI sources therefore appear to be efficient sources for evaporating large
      amounts of solvent, along with an increase in temperature. 

PMID- 26110560
TI  - Oligodendroglial markers in the cuprizone model of CNS de- and remyelination.
AB  - Oligodendrocytes are the myelinating cells of the central nervous system. Since
      many studies of demyelinating diseases focus their research on this cell type,
      there is growing interest for obtaining reliable markers that can specifically
      recognize oligodendroglia. Established markers are the myelin-associated neurite
      outgrowth inhibitor (NogoA), the transcription factor Olig2, and the antibody CC
      1, the latter being directed against the protein adenomatous polyposis coli
      (APC). Unfortunately, it has been discussed whether APC and Olig2 could recognize
      astrocytes under pathological conditions as well. Hence, we performed
      immunohistochemical studies using the oligodendroglial markers NogoA, APC, and
      Olig2 in a murine model of cuprizone induced demyelination. We have found that
      APC co-localizes with NogoA and does not co-localize with the astrocytic marker
      GFAP. Olig2 shows co-localization with APC but there is also a small population
      of Olig2/GFAP double positive cells. Some Olig2/GFAP double positive cells are
      found in the corpus callosum in a narrow time window in which oligodendrocyte
      precursor cells proliferate in this model. In other brain regions including the
      cerebral cortex and hippocampus and in all regions in untreated control mice
      double positive Olig2/GFAP cells do not occur. In conclusion, our results
      underline that APC and NogoA are reliable markers for detection of mature
      oligodendrocytes. Olig2 is a suitable marker to stain cells of oligodendroglial
      origin but could be combined with GFAP to exclude the GFAP positive population of
      cells from the quantification of oligodendroglia.

PMID- 26110559
TI  - Unfolding Kinetics of the Human Telomere i-Motif Under a 10 pN Force Imposed by
      the alpha-Hemolysin Nanopore Identify Transient Folded-State Lifetimes at
      Physiological pH.
AB  - Cytosine (C)-rich DNA can adopt i-motif folds under acidic conditions, with the
      human telomere i-motif providing a well-studied example. The dimensions of this i
      motif are appropriate for capture in the nanocavity of the alpha-hemolysin (alpha
      HL) protein pore under an electrophoretic force. Interrogation of the current vs
      time (i-t) traces when the i-motif interacts with alpha-HL identified
      characteristic signals that were pH dependent. These features were evaluated from
      pH 5.0 to 7.2, a region surrounding the transition pH of the i-motif (6.1). When
      the i-motif without polynucleotide tails was studied at pH 5.0, the folded
      structure entered the nanocavity of alpha-HL from either the top or bottom face
      to yield characteristic current patterns. Addition of a 5' 25-mer poly-2'
      deoxyadensosine tail allowed capture of the i-motif from the unfolded terminus,
      and this was used to analyze the pH dependency of unfolding. At pH values below
      the transition point, only folded strands were observed, and when the pH was
      increased above the transition pH, the number of folded events decreased, while
      the unfolded events increased. At pH 6.8 and 7.2 4% and 2% of the strands were
      still folded, respectively. The lifetimes for the folded states at pH 6.8 and 7.2
      were 21 and 9 ms, respectively, at 160 mV electrophoretic force. These lifetimes
      are sufficiently long to affect enzymes operating on DNA. Furthermore, these
      transient lifetimes are readily obtained using the alpha-HL nanopore, a feature
      that is not easily achievable by other methods. 

PMID- 26110561
TI  - Association Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Spontaneous Cerebrospinal Fluid
      Leaks: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are a morbid condition
      associated with operative intervention for treatment. Understanding associations
      are key to diagnosis, treatment, and possible early detection. OBJECTIVE: To
      determine the clinical association and odds of having obstructive sleep apnea
      (OSA) and spontaneous CSF leaks. DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive search of the
      literature was conducted using PubMed (MEDLINE), Cochrane Library, and relevant
      article bibliographies. STUDY SELECTION: Systematic review and meta-analysis of
      studies from 2005 to 2015 investigating spontaneous CSF leaks in patients with
      OSA. The CSF leaks were considered spontaneous when they occurred in the absence
      of trauma, surgery, infection, and neoplasm. Included studies provided the number
      of patients diagnosed as having OSA and spontaneous CSF leaks. DATA EXTRACTION
      AND SYNTHESIS: Two independent investigators reviewed all studies for inclusion.
      The numbers of patients with OSA were systematically extracted from each study.
      Studies that compared the prevalence of OSA with spontaneous CSF leaks against
      their control cohort were pooled in the meta-analysis using a random-effects
      model. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURE: To determine whether there was increased
      incidence of OSA in patients with spontaneous CSF leaks. This hypothesis was
      formulated prior to data collection. RESULTS: The search criteria yielded 384
      abstracts, and 6 clinical studies involving OSA and CSF leaks met the inclusion
      and exclusion criteria. They were all retrospective in nature and included 3
      comparative (case-control) studies, 2 case series, and 1 case report. The
      cumulative reported prevalence of having OSA and spontaneous CSF leaks is 16.9%
      (232 of 1376 patients). Three of the studies were eligible for the meta-analysis.
      The odds of having OSA with a spontaneous CSF leak were 4.73 times more likely
      than in control cohorts (95% CI, 1.56-14.31; P = .006; I2 = 35%). In a subgroup
      analysis of studies including nonspontaneous CSF leaks as their control cohort,
      the odds of having OSA with a spontaneous CSF leak were 2.85 times more likely
      than OSA with a nonspontaneous CSF leak (95% CI, 1.22-6.63; P = .02; I2 = 0%).
      There was a notable difference in the age, BMI, or patients with hypertension in
      the comparative studies. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The association between OSA
      and spontaneous CSF leaks as demonstrated by retrospective studies is confounded
      by heterogeneous patient characteristics. Large prospective controlled studies
      using polysomnography and elevated intracranial pressure measurements are
      required to further evaluate the relationship between OSA and spontaneous CSF
      leaks.

PMID- 26110563
TI  - Increased Incidence of Spinal Abscess and Substance Abuse after Implementation of
      State Mandated Prescription Drug Legislation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of spinal abscess and substance abuse in
      a tertiary care hospital after state legislation titled "House Bill 1" (HB1)
      mandated stricter regulation of prescription drugs of abuse in Kentucky in 2012.
      DESIGN: A retrospective case series study design was used to review the incidence
      of spinal abscess and drug abuse diagnoses admissions from 2010 to 2014.
      Variances in the incidence of spinal abscess and substance abuse were plotted
      across this time frame. RESULTS: The incidence of intraspinal abscess increased
      1.56-fold in 2011 (n = 26) and 2012 (n = 25) relative to 2010 (n = 16). However,
      in 2013, the year following implementation of HB1 legislation, the incidence of
      intraspinal abscess increased 2.38-fold (n = 38) and then 4.19-fold (n = 67) in
      2014. The incidence of intraspinal abscess in subjects with drug abuse diagnosis
      remained constant between 2010 (n = 3) and 2012 (n = 3). However, it increased
      twofold (n = 7) in 2013 and then ninefold (n = 27) in 2014. A correlation
      coefficient (rSAD ) of 0.775 revealed a strong association between the increase
      incidence of intraspinal abscess and diagnosis of drug abuse. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results of this retrospective study demonstrate an increased incidence of
      intraspinal abscess associated with drug abuse after passage of HB1 legislation
      regulating prescriptions of controlled medications in Kentucky. This increased
      incidence may be related to individuals relying on nonprescription drugs of abuse
      due to more highly regulated access to controlled prescription medications.
      However, additional factors unrelated to HB1 legislation must be taken into
      account.

PMID- 26110564
TI  - Under-water unidirectional air penetration via a Janus mesh.
AB  - Under-water and unidirectional air penetration, viz. air "diode", was effectively
      achieved on the basis of a composite mesh with Janus wettability. In the aqueous
      solution, the air bubbles can only pass through the mesh from the hydrophilic
      side to the superhydrophobic side, whereas they will be blocked from the opposite
      direction. 

PMID- 26110565
TI  - Rebuttal From Drs Tanner and Silvestri.

PMID- 26110566
TI  - AGPAT9 suppresses cell growth, invasion and metastasis by counteracting acidic
      tumor microenvironment through KLF4/LASS2/V-ATPase signaling pathway in breast
      cancer.
AB  - Human 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase 9 (AGPAT9) is the gene
      identified from adipose tissue in 2007. We found AGPAT9 expression was
      significantly higher in poorly invasive MCF7 human breast cancer cells than the
      highly invasive MDA-MB-231 cells. AGPAT9 significantly inhibited the
      proliferation of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Live-cell imaging and
      transwell assays showed that AGPAT9 could significantly inhibit the migration and
      invasive capacities of breast cancer cells. The inhibitory effect of AGPAT9 on
      metastasis was also observed in vivo in lung metastasis model. AGPAT9 inhibited
      breast cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion through, at least in
      part, suppressing the V-ATPase activity. In addition, increased AGPAT9 expression
      in MCF-7/ADR cells could increase the chemosensitivity to doxorubicin (Dox). Our
      findings suggest that increasing AGPAT9 expression may be a new approach that can
      be used for breast cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26110567
TI  - By inhibiting snail signaling and miR-23a-3p, osthole suppresses the EMT-mediated
      metastatic ability in prostate cancer.
AB  - Here we showed that Osthole, 7-methoxy-8-(3-methyl-2-butenyl) coumarin, a
      bioactive coumarin derivative extracted from medicinal plants, inhibited
      migration, invasion, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in androgen
      independent prostate cancer (AIPC) cells in vitro and metastasis of AIPC in vivo.
      In patients, high Snail levels were correlated with a higher histological Gleason
      sum and poor survival rates. Osthole inhibited the TGF-beta/Akt/MAPK pathways,
      reduced Snail-DNA-binding activity and induced E-cadherin. We found that osthole
      decreased miR-23a-3p. Ectopic miR-23a-3p suppressed E-cadherin 3' untranslated
      region reporter activity and E-cadherin expression, and relieved the motility
      suppression caused by osthole treatment. 

PMID- 26110568
TI  - Bcl-2high mantle cell lymphoma cells are sensitized to acadesine with ABT-199.
AB  - Acadesine is a nucleoside analogue with known activity against B-cell
      malignancies. Herein, we showed that in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) cells
      acadesine induced caspase-dependent apoptosis through turning on the
      mitochondrial apoptotic machinery. At the molecular level, the compound triggered
      the activation of the AMPK pathway, consequently modulating known downstream
      targets, such as mTOR and the cell motility-related vasodilator-stimulated
      phosphoprotein (VASP). VASP phosphorylation by acadesine was concomitant with a
      blockade of CXCL12-induced migration. The inhibition of the mTOR cascade by
      acadesine, committed MCL cells to enter in apoptosis by a translational
      downregulation of the antiapoptotic Mcl-1 protein. In contrast, Bcl-2 protein
      levels were unaffected by acadesine and MCL samples expressing high levels of Bcl
      2 tended to have a reduced response to the drug. Targeting Bcl-2 with the
      selective BH3-mimetic agent ABT-199 sensitized Bcl-2high MCL cells to acadesine.
      This effect was validated in vivo, where the combination of both agents displayed
      a more marked inhibition of tumor outgrowth than each drug alone. These findings
      support the notions that antiapoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family regulate MCL
      cell sensitivity to acadesine and that the combination of this agent with Bcl-2
      inhibitors might be an interesting therapeutic option to treat MCL patients. 

PMID- 26110569
TI  - Overexpressed tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase, an angiostatic protein, enhances oral
      cancer cell invasiveness.
AB  - Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common neoplasms
      worldwide. Previously, we identified the angiostatic agent tryptophanyl-tRNA
      synthetase (TrpRS) as a dysregulated protein in OSCC based on a proteomics
      approach. Herein, we show that TrpRS is overexpressed in OSCC tissues (139/146,
      95.2%) compared with adjacent normal tissues and that TrpRS expression positively
      correlates with tumor stage, overall TNM stage, perineural invasion and tumor
      depth. Importantly, the TrpRS levels were significantly higher in tumor cells
      from metastatic lymph nodes than in corresponding primary tumor cells. TrpRS
      knockdown or treatment with conditioned media obtained from TrpRS-knockdown cells
      significantly reduced oral cancer cell viability and invasiveness. TrpRS
      overexpression promoted cell migration and invasion. In addition, the
      extracellular addition of TrpRS rescued the invasion ability of TrpRS-knockdown
      cells. Subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescence staining further revealed
      that TrpRS was distributed on the cell surface, suggesting that secreted TrpRS
      promotes OSCC progression via an extrinsic pathway. Collectively, our results
      demonstrated the clinical significance and a novel role of TrpRS in OSCC. 

PMID- 26110570
TI  - Predominant Rab-GTPase amplicons contributing to oral squamous cell carcinoma
      progression to metastasis.
AB  - Metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is frequently associated with
      recurrent gene abnormalities at specific chromosomal loci. Here, we utilized
      array comparative genomic hybridization and genome-wide screening of metastatic
      and non-metastatic tongue tumors to investigate genes potentially contributing to
      OSCC progression to metastasis. We identified predominant amplifications of
      chromosomal regions that encompass the RAB5, RAB7 and RAB11 genes (3p24-p22,
      3q21.3 and 8p11-12, respectively) in metastatic OSCC. The expression of these Rab
      GTPases was confirmed by immunohistochemistry in OSCC tissues from a cohort of
      patients with a follow-up of 10 years. A significant overexpression of Rab5, Rab7
      and Rab11 was observed in advanced OSCC cases and co-overexpression of these Rabs
      was predictive of poor survival (log-rank test, P = 0.006). We generated a Rab
      interaction network and identified central Rab interactions of relevance to
      metastasis signaling, including focal adhesion proteins. In preclinical models,
      mRNA and protein expression levels of these Rab members were elevated in a panel
      of invasive OSCC cell lines, and their down-regulation prevented cell invasion at
      least in part via inhibition of focal adhesion disassembly. In summary, our
      results provide insights into the cooperative role of Rab gene amplifications in
      OSCC progression and support their potential utility as prognostic markers and
      therapeutic approach for advanced OSCC. 

PMID- 26110571
TI  - Disseminated histiocytoses biomarkers beyond BRAFV600E: frequent expression of PD
      L1.
AB  - The histiocytoses are rare tumors characterized by the primary accumulation and
      tissue infiltration of histiocytes and dendritic cells. Identification of the
      activating BRAFV600E mutation in Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) and Langerhans
      cell histiocytosis (LCH) cases provided the basis for the treatment with BRAF
      and/or MEK inhibitors, but additional treatment options are needed. Twenty-four
      cases of neoplastic histiocytic diseases [11 extrapulmonary LCH, 4 ECD, 4
      extranodal Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD), 3 follicular dendritic cell sarcoma
      (FDCS), 1 histiocytic sarcoma (HS) and 1 blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell
      neoplasm (BPDCN)] were analyzed using immunohistochemical and mutational analysis
      in search of biomarkers for targeted therapy. BRAF V600E mutations were detected
      in 4/11 LCH and 4/4 ECD cases. A pathogenic PTEN gene mutation and loss of PTEN
      protein expression were identified in the case of HS. Increased expression of PD
      L1 (>=2+/>=5%) was seen in 3/4 ECD, 7/8 LCH, 3/3 FDCS and 1/1 HS, with overall
      81% concordance between 2 antibodies used in the study (SP142 vs. MAB1561 clone).
      These results show for the first time significant expression of the PD-L1 immune
      checkpoint protein in these disorders, which may provide rationale for addition
      of immune check-point inhibitors in treatment of disseminated and/or refractory
      histiocytoses. 

PMID- 26110573
TI  - The Microbiome and Cancer: Implications for Oncology Nursing Science.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately 1.6 million Americans were diagnosed with cancer in
      2014. To combat their disease, many individuals received either curative or
      palliative treatments that produced undesired symptoms. These symptoms, which
      often cause significant distress for individuals coping with cancer, may share
      biologic underpinnings such as epigenetic changes and immune dysregulation.
      Alterations in the normal flora of the gut may also influence cancer symptoms.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to describe the emerging role for the gut
      microbiome in cancer research, especially the potential relationship between the
      gut microbiome and cancer symptoms. METHODS: Extant literature was reviewed and
      synthesized. RESULTS: The majority of studies linking the gut microbiota and
      cancer are animal models and focus on the relationship between dysbiosis and
      colorectal cancer. Emerging evidence supports that the "gut-brain" connection is
      a plausible mechanism for "psychoneurological" cancer symptoms such as
      depression, pain, and fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: There is compelling evidence that the
      gut microbiota affects cancer via several mechanisms, including microbial
      diversity and number, metabolism, and/or immune initiation. However, more
      research is necessary to elucidate these mechanisms, particularly among a variety
      of cancers and cancer-related symptoms. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: A better
      understanding of the role of the gut microbiota in cancer symptoms may lead to
      the development of targeted individualized interventions affecting the gut
      microbiota that prevent or ameliorate dysbiosis, thereby reducing symptoms. These
      interventions may emphasize self-care management strategies essential for
      wellness, such as diet, nutrition, and stress reduction.

PMID- 26110572
TI  - Gene expression profiling signatures for the diagnosis and prevention of oral
      cavity carcinogenesis-genome-wide analysis using RNA-seq technology.
AB  - We compared the changes in global gene expression between an early stage (the
      termination of the carcinogen treatment and prior to the appearance of frank
      tumors) and a late stage (frank squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)) of tongue
      carcinogenesis induced by the carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO) in a
      mouse model of human oral cavity and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Gene
      ontology and pathway analyses show that increases in "cell cycle progression" and
      "degradation of basement membrane and ECM pathways" are early events during SCC
      carcinogenesis and that changes in these pathways are even greater in the actual
      tumors. Myc, NFkappaB complex (NFKB1/RELA), and FOS transcription networks are
      the major transcriptional networks induced in early stage tongue carcinogenesis.
      Decreases in metabolism pathways, such as in "tricarboxylic acid cycle" and
      "oxidative phosphorylation", occurred only in the squamous cell carcinomas and
      not in the early stages of carcinogenesis. We detected increases in ALDH1A3,
      PTGS2, and KRT1 transcripts in both the early and late stages of carcinogenesis.
      The identification of the transcripts and pathways that change at an early stage
      of carcinogenesis provides potentially useful information for early diagnosis and
      for prevention strategies for human tongue squamous cell carcinomas. 

PMID- 26110574
TI  - Womb Outsourcing: Commercial Surrogacy in India.
AB  - Infertility affects more than 7 million American couples. As traditional
      treatments fail and the costs of hiring a surrogate increase in the United
      States, transnational commercial surrogacy becomes a feasible alternative for
      many couples. Infertile couples may opt for this choice after reading enticing
      Internet advertisements of global medical tourism offering "special deals" on
      commercial surrogacy. This is particularly true in India where couples from the
      United States can purchase transnational surrogacy for less than one-half or even
      one-third of the costs in the United States, including the cost of travel. The
      majority of surrogate mothers in India come from impoverished, poorly educated
      rural areas of India. Commercial surrogacy offers the lure of earning the
      equivalent of 5 years of family income. This multidisciplinary review of the
      literature suggests that the issue of commercial surrogacy is complex and
      influenced by a number of factors including expensive infertility costs, ease of
      global travel, and the financial vulnerability of Indian commercial surrogate
      mothers and their families. Questions are being raised about decision making by
      the surrogate mother particularly as influenced by gender inequities, power
      differentials, and inadequate legal protection for the surrogate mother. More
      research is needed to understand commercial surrogacy, especially research
      inclusive of the viewpoints of the Indian mothers and their families involved in
      these transactions. 

PMID- 26110575
TI  - Measles: Still a Significant Health Threat.
AB  - Measles (Rubeola), although considered eradicated in the United States, still
      causes periodic outbreaks. Vaccine refusal leads to vulnerable pockets of
      individuals who may become infected once the virus is imported from countries
      where it is endemic. In turn, these individuals may spread the virus to young
      infants and to other vulnerable individuals. Many healthcare providers are not
      familiar with this disease or with the factors that contribute to the risk of
      spread. Measles causes a serious febrile illness that may lead to pneumonia,
      blindness, deafness, neurological disorders, and even death. Patients with
      measles need supportive care and administration of oral vitamin A. The measles
      vaccine is highly effective and considered extremely safe, but misinformation
      about the safety of this and other vaccines has decreased immunization coverage
      in some areas of the country. Mandatory immunization laws exist in every state
      and have been upheld by courts including the United States Supreme Court, but
      laws and exemptions vary among states. Nurses can play a strong role in care of
      patients with measles, case identification, and prevention of transmission. Most
      importantly, because nurses hold positions of trust in their communities, they
      should be tireless frontline advocates for immunization. The purpose of this
      article is to provide information on measles, its transmission, signs and
      symptoms, treatment, prevention, and relevant laws and regulations. 

PMID- 26110576
TI  - Assessment of the Effects of 6 Standard Rodent Diets on Binge-Like and Voluntary
      Ethanol Consumption in Male C57BL/6J Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years, much attention has been given to the lack of
      reproducibility in biomedical research, particularly in preclinical animal
      studies. This is a problem that also plagues the alcohol research field,
      particularly in consistent consumption in animal models of alcohol use disorders.
      One often overlooked factor that could affect reproducibility is the maintenance
      diet used in preclinical studies. METHODS: Herein, 2 well-established models of
      alcohol consumption, the "drinking in the dark" (DID) procedure and the
      continuous 2-bottle choice (C2BC) paradigm, were employed to determine the
      effects of diet on ethanol (EtOH) consumption. Male C57BL/6J mice were given 1 of
      6 standard rodent chow diets obtained from Purina LabDiet((r)) , Inc.
      (Prolab((r)) RMH 3000) or Harlan((r)) Laboratories, Inc. (Teklad Diets T.2916,
      T.2918, T.2920X, T.7912, or T.8940). A separate group of animals were used to
      test dietary effects on EtOH pharmacokinetics and behavioral measures following
      intraperitoneal (IP) injections of various doses of EtOH. RESULTS: Mice eating
      Harlan diets T.2916 (H2916) and T.2920X (H2920) consumed significantly less EtOH
      and exhibited lower blood EtOH concentrations (BECs) during DID; however, during
      C2BC, animals maintained on Harlan T.7912 (H7912) consumed more EtOH and had a
      higher EtOH preference than the other diet groups. EtOH consumption levels did
      not stem from changes in alcohol pharmacokinetics, as a separate group of animals
      administered EtOH IP showed no difference in BECs. However, animals on Harlan
      diet T.2920X (H2920) were more sensitive to alcohol-induced locomotor activity in
      an open-field task. No diet-dependent differences were seen in alcohol-induced
      sedation as measured with loss of righting reflex. CONCLUSIONS: Although these
      data do not identify a specific mechanism, together, they clearly show that the
      maintenance diet impacts EtOH consumption. It is incumbent upon the research
      community to consider the importance of describing nutritional information in
      methods, which may help decrease interlaboratory reproducibility issues.

PMID- 26110577
TI  - The Selective Cross-Coupling of Secondary Alkyl Zinc Reagents to Five-Membered
      Ring Heterocycles Using Pd-PEPPSI-IHept(Cl).
AB  - The ability to cross-couple secondary alkyl centers is fraught with a number of
      problems, including difficult reductive elimination, which often leads to beta
      hydride elimination. Whereas catalysts have been reported that provide decent
      selectivity for the expected (non-rearranged) cross-coupled product with aryl or
      heteroaryl oxidative-addition partners, none have shown reliable selectivity with
      five-membered-ring heterocycles. In this report, a new, rationally designed
      catalyst, Pd-PEPPSI-IHept(Cl), is demonstrated to be effective in selective cross
      coupling reactions with secondary alkyl reagents across an impressive variety of
      furans, thiophenes, and benzo-fused derivatives (e.g., indoles, benzofurans), in
      most instances producing clean products with minimal, if any, migratory insertion
      for the first time.

PMID- 26110578
TI  - Phenotype-Driven Plasma Biobanking Strategies and Methods.
AB  - Biobank development and integration with clinical data from electronic medical
      record (EMR) databases have enabled recent strides in genomic research and
      personalized medicine. BioVU, Vanderbilt's DNA biorepository linked to de
      identified clinical EMRs, has proven fruitful in its capacity to extensively
      appeal to numerous areas of biomedical and clinical research, supporting the
      discovery of genotype-phenotype interactions. Expanding on experiences in BioVU
      creation and development, we have recently embarked on a parallel effort to
      collect plasma in addition to DNA from blood specimens leftover after routine
      clinical testing at Vanderbilt. This initiative offers expanded utility of BioVU
      by combining proteomic and metabolomic approaches with genomics and/or clinical
      outcomes, widening the breadth for potential research and subsequent future
      impact on clinical care. Here, we describe the considerations and components
      involved in implementing a plasma biobank program from a feasibility assessment
      through pilot sample collection. 

PMID- 26110579
TI  - Bilateral Trochlear Nerve Palsy as a Consequence of Cerebellar Medulloblastoma:
      Clinical and Pathological Findings in a Calf.

PMID- 26110580
TI  - Seinajoki Adult Asthma Study (SAAS): a protocol for a 12-year real-life follow-up
      study of new-onset asthma diagnosed at adult age and treated in primary and
      specialised care.

PMID- 26110581
TI  - Self-plagiarism: the perspective of a convicted plagiarist!

PMID- 26110582
TI  - Recombinant Immunomodulating Lentogenic or Mesogenic Oncolytic Newcastle Disease
      Virus for Treatment of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Oncolytic Newcastle disease virus (NDV) might be a promising new therapeutic
      agent for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. We evaluated recombinant NDVs
      (rNDVs) expressing interferon (rNDV-hIFNbeta-F0) or an IFN antagonistic protein
      (rNDV-NS1-F0), as well as rNDV with increased virulence (rNDV-F3aa) for oncolytic
      efficacy in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells. Expression of additional
      proteins did not hamper virus replication or cytotoxic effects on itself.
      However, expression of interferon, but not NS1, resulted in loss of multicycle
      replication. Conversely, increasing the virulence (rNDV-F3aa) resulted in
      enhanced replication of the virus. Type I interferon was produced in high amounts
      by all tumor cells inoculated with rNDV-hIFNbeta -F0, while inoculation with rNDV
      NS1-F0 resulted in a complete block of interferon production in most cells.
      Inoculation of human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells with rNDV-F3aa caused
      markedly more cytotoxicity compared to rNDV-F0, while inoculation with rNDVbeta
      hIFN -F0 and rNDV-NS1-F0 induced cytotoxic effects comparable to those induced by
      the parental rNDV-F0. Evaluation in vivo using mice bearing subcutaneous
      pancreatic cancer xenografts revealed that only intratumoral injection with rNDV
      F3aa resulted in regression of tumors. We conclude that although lentogenic rNDVs
      harboring proteins that modulate the type I interferon pathway proteins do have
      an oncolytic effect, a more virulent mesogenic rNDV might be needed to improve
      oncolytic efficacy.

PMID- 26110584
TI  - The Effect of Oral Administration of dsRNA on Viral Replication and Mortality in
      Bombus terrestris.
AB  - Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), a single-stranded RNA virus, has a
      worldwide distribution and affects honeybees as well as other important
      pollinators. IAPV infection in honeybees has been successfully repressed by
      exploiting the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway of the insect's innate immune
      response with virus-specific double stranded RNA (dsRNA). Here we investigated
      the effect of IAPV infection in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris and its tissue
      tropism. B. terrestris is a common pollinator of wild flowers in Europe and is
      used for biological pollination in agriculture. Infection experiments
      demonstrated a similar pathology and tissue tropism in bumblebees as reported for
      honeybees. The effect of oral administration of virus-specific dsRNA was examined
      and resulted in an effective silencing of the virus, irrespective of the length.
      Interestingly, we observed that non-specific dsRNA was also efficient against
      IAPV. However further study is needed to clarify the precise mechanism behind
      this effect. Finally we believe that our data are indicative of the possibility
      to use dsRNA for a broad range viral protection in bumblebees. 

PMID- 26110583
TI  - APOBEC3 Interference during Replication of Viral Genomes.
AB  - Co-evolution of viruses and their hosts has reached a fragile and dynamic
      equilibrium that allows viral persistence, replication and transmission. In
      response, infected hosts have developed strategies of defense that counteract the
      deleterious effects of viral infections. In particular, single-strand DNA editing
      by Apolipoprotein B Editing Catalytic subunits proteins 3 (APOBEC3s) is a well
      conserved mechanism of mammalian innate immunity that mutates and inactivates
      viral genomes. In this review, we describe the mechanisms of APOBEC3 editing
      during viral replication, the viral strategies that prevent APOBEC3 activity and
      the consequences of APOBEC3 modulation on viral fitness and host genome
      integrity. Understanding the mechanisms involved reveals new prospects for
      therapeutic intervention. 

PMID- 26110586
TI  - Honey Bee Infecting Lake Sinai Viruses.
AB  - Honey bees are critical pollinators of important agricultural crops. Recently,
      high annual losses of honey bee colonies have prompted further investigation of
      honey bee infecting viruses. To better characterize the recently discovered and
      very prevalent Lake Sinai virus (LSV) group, we sequenced currently circulating
      LSVs, performed phylogenetic analysis, and obtained images of LSV2. Sequence
      analysis resulted in extension of the LSV1 and LSV2 genomes, the first detection
      of LSV4 in the US, and the discovery of LSV6 and LSV7. We detected LSV1 and LSV2
      in the Varroa destructor mite, and determined that a large proportion of LSV2 is
      found in the honey bee gut, suggesting that vector-mediated, food-associated,
      and/or fecal-oral routes may be important for LSV dissemination. Pathogen
      specific quantitative PCR data, obtained from samples collected during a small
      scale monitoring project, revealed that LSV2, LSV1, Black queen cell virus
      (BQCV), and Nosema ceranae were more abundant in weak colonies than strong
      colonies within this sample cohort. Together, these results enhance our current
      understanding of LSVs and illustrate the importance of future studies aimed at
      investigating the role of LSVs and other pathogens on honey bee health at both
      the individual and colony levels.

PMID- 26110585
TI  - Viral Membrane Channels: Role and Function in the Virus Life Cycle.
AB  - Viroporins are small, hydrophobic trans-membrane viral proteins that oligomerize
      to form hydrophilic pores in the host cell membranes. These proteins are crucial
      for the pathogenicity and replication of viruses as they aid in various stages of
      the viral life cycle, from genome uncoating to viral release. In addition, the
      ion channel activity of viroporin causes disruption in the cellular ion
      homeostasis, in particular the calcium ion. Fluctuation in the calcium level
      triggers the activation of the host defensive programmed cell death pathways as
      well as the inflammasome, which in turn are being subverted for the viruses'
      replication benefits. This review article summarizes recent developments in the
      functional investigation of viroporins from various viruses and their
      contributions to viral replication and virulence. 

PMID- 26110588
TI  - Characterisation of Structural Proteins from Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus (CBPV)
      Using Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) is the etiological agent of chronic paralysis,
      an infectious and contagious disease in adult honeybees. CBPV is a positive
      single-stranded RNA virus which contains two major viral RNA fragments. RNA 1
      (3674 nt) and RNA 2 (2305 nt) encode three and four putative open reading frames
      (ORFs), respectively. RNA 1 is thought to encode the viral RNA-dependent RNA
      polymerase (RdRp) since the amino acid sequence derived from ORF 3 shares
      similarities with the RdRP of families Nodaviridae and Tombusviridae. The genomic
      organization of CBPV and in silico analyses have suggested that RNA 1 encodes non
      structural proteins, while RNA 2 encodes structural proteins, which are probably
      encoded by ORFs 2 and 3. In this study, purified CBPV particles were used to
      characterize virion proteins by mass spectrometry. Several polypeptides
      corresponding to proteins encoded by ORF 2 and 3 on RNA 2 were detected. Their
      role in the formation of the viral capsid is discussed.

PMID- 26110589
TI  - Nanoparticle uptake by macrophages in vulnerable plaques for atherosclerosis
      diagnosis.
AB  - The composition of atherosclerotic (AS) plaques is crucial concerning rupture,
      thrombosis and clinical events. Two plaque types are distinguished: stable and
      vulnerable plaques. Vulnerable plaques are rich in inflammatory cells, mostly
      only M1 macrophages, and are highly susceptible to rupture. These plaques
      represent a high risk particularly with the standard invasive diagnosis by
      coronary angiography. So far there are no non-invasive low-risk clinical
      approaches available to detect and distinguish AS plaque types in vivo. The
      perspective review introduces a whole work-flow for a novel approach for non
      invasive detection and classification of AS plaques using the diffusion
      reflection method with gold nanoparticle loaded macrophages in combination with
      flow and image cytometric analysis for quality assurance. Classical biophotonic
      methods for AS diagnosis are summarized. Phenotyping of monocytes and macrophages
      are discussed for specific subset labelling by nanomaterials, as well as existing
      studies and first experimental proofs of concept for the novel approach are
      shown. In vitro and in vivo detection of NP loaded macrophages (MPhi). Different
      ways of MPhi labelling include (1) in vitro labelling in suspension (whole blood
      or buffy coat) or (2) labelling of short-term MPhi cultures with re-injection of
      MPhi-NP into the animal to detect migration of the cells in the plaques and (3)
      in vivo injection of NP into the organism. 

PMID- 26110587
TI  - Phylodynamics of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Europe, 2005-2010:
      Potential for Molecular Surveillance of New Outbreaks.
AB  - Previous Bayesian phylogeographic studies of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian
      influenza viruses (HPAIVs) explored the origin and spread of the epidemic from
      China into Russia, indicating that HPAIV circulated in Russia prior to its
      detection there in 2005. In this study, we extend this research to explore the
      evolution and spread of HPAIV within Europe during the 2005-2010 epidemic, using
      all available sequences of the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) gene
      regions that were collected in Europe and Russia during the outbreak. We use
      discrete-trait phylodynamic models within a Bayesian statistical framework to
      explore the evolution of HPAIV. Our results indicate that the genetic diversity
      and effective population size of HPAIV peaked between mid-2005 and early 2006,
      followed by drastic decline in 2007, which coincides with the end of the epidemic
      in Europe. Our results also suggest that domestic birds were the most likely
      source of the spread of the virus from Russia into Europe. Additionally,
      estimates of viral dispersal routes indicate that Russia, Romania, and Germany
      were key epicenters of these outbreaks. Our study quantifies the dynamics of a
      major European HPAIV pandemic and substantiates the ability of phylodynamic
      models to improve molecular surveillance of novel AIVs. 

PMID- 26110590
TI  - Asymmetric Donor-pi-Acceptor-Type Benzo-Fused Aza-BODIPYs: Facile Synthesis and
      Colorimetric Properties.
AB  - Novel aza-diisoindolylmethene and their BF2 -chelating complexes (benzo-fused aza
      BODIPYs) were synthesized on a large scale and in a facile manner from
      phthalonitrile in tBuOK-DMF solution. The unique asymmetric donor-pi-acceptor
      structure facilitates B-N bond detachment in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid
      (TFA) in dichloromethane, resulting in sharp color change from red to colorless,
      with over 250 nm hypsochromic shift in the absorption maximum. This colorimetric
      process can be reversed by adding a very small amount of proton-accepting
      solvents or compounds. A (1) H and (11) B NMR spectroscopy study and also density
      functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that TFA-induced B-N bond cleavage
      may disrupt the whole pi-conjugation of the BODIPY molecule, resulting in
      significant colorimetric behavior.

PMID- 26110591
TI  - The moderating effect of perceived partner empathy on body image and depression
      among breast cancer survivors.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aims of the study were the following: (1) to understand the
      relationship between women's perceptions of empathy from their partners and their
      depressive symptoms and body image and (2) to examine the moderating effects of
      women's perceptions of empathy from their partners on the relationship between
      body image and depressive symptoms. METHODS: A cross-sectional and correlational
      design was used, in which a convenience sample of 151 women who completed surgery
      and the necessary chemotherapy/radiotherapy were recruited from southern Taiwan.
      A structured questionnaire including the Other Dyadic Perspective-Taking Scale,
      the Body Image Scale, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale
      were administered. Hierarchical regression was used to examine the moderating
      effects of empathy from partners between the women's body image and their level
      of depressive symptoms. RESULTS: The results showed significant relationships
      between empathy from a partner and depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). However,
      there was no significant relationship between empathy from a partner and body
      image (p > 0.05). The moderating effect of empathy from a partner on the
      relationship between body image and depressive symptoms was also significant (p <
      0.01). CONCLUSION: The more empathy women perceived from partners, the fewer
      depressive symptoms women reported. Empathy from a partner could moderate the
      impact of body image changes on depressive symptoms. Women's depressive symptoms,
      resulting from a change in body image after breast cancer surgery, might be
      minimized if they perceived greater empathy from their partners.

PMID- 26110592
TI  - Does one size fit all? The updated ovarian cancer staging: Still a work in
      progress.

PMID- 26110593
TI  - Disease-associated variants in different categories of disease located in
      distinct regulatory elements.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The invention of high throughput sequencing technologies has led to
      the discoveries of hundreds of thousands of genetic variants associated with
      thousands of human diseases. Many of these genetic variants are located outside
      the protein coding regions, and as such, it is challenging to interpret the
      function of these genetic variants by traditional genetic approaches. Recent
      genome-wide functional genomics studies, such as FANTOM5 and ENCODE have
      uncovered a large number of regulatory elements across hundreds of different
      tissues or cell lines in the human genome. These findings provide an opportunity
      to study the interaction between regulatory elements and disease-associated
      genetic variants. Identifying these diseased-related regulatory elements will
      shed light on understanding the mechanisms of how these variants regulate gene
      expression and ultimately result in disease formation and progression. RESULTS:
      In this study, we curated and categorized 27,558 Mendelian disease variants,
      20,964 complex disease variants, 5,809 cancer predisposing germline variants, and
      43,364 recurrent cancer somatic mutations. Compared against nine different types
      of regulatory regions from FANTOM5 and ENCODE projects, we found that different
      types of disease variants show distinctive propensity for particular regulatory
      elements. Mendelian disease variants and recurrent cancer somatic mutations are
      22-fold and 10- fold significantly enriched in promoter regions respectively
      (q<0.001), compared with allele-frequency-matched genomic background. Separate
      from these two categories, cancer predisposing germline variants are 27-fold
      enriched in histone modification regions (q<0.001), 10-fold enriched in chromatin
      physical interaction regions (q<0.001), and 6-fold enriched in transcription
      promoters (q<0.001). Furthermore, Mendelian disease variants and recurrent cancer
      somatic mutations share very similar distribution across types of functional
      effects. We further found that regulatory regions are located within over 50%
      coding exon regions. Transcription promoters, methylation regions, and
      transcription insulators have the highest density of disease variants, with 472,
      239, and 72 disease variants per one million base pairs, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Disease-associated variants in different disease categories are
      preferentially located in particular regulatory elements. These results will be
      useful for an overall understanding about the differences among the pathogenic
      mechanisms of various disease-associated variants.

PMID- 26110594
TI  - Maternal and Hospital Factors Associated with First-Time Mothers' Breastfeeding
      Practice: A Prospective Study.
AB  - Continuity of breastfeeding is infrequent and indeterminate. Evidence is lacking
      regarding factors associated with breastfeeding at different postpartum time
      points. This prospective study investigated the change in, and correlates of,
      breastfeeding practices after delivery at a hospital and at 1, 3, and 6 months
      postpartum among first-time mothers. We followed a cohort of 300 primiparous
      mothers of Taiwan who gave birth at two hospitals during 2010-2011. Logistic and
      Cox regression analyses were performed to determine factors that were correlated
      with breastfeeding practices. In the study sample, the rate of exclusive
      breastfeeding during the hospital stay was 66%; it declined to 37.5% at 1 month
      and 30.2% at 3 months postpartum. Only 17.1% of women reported continuing
      breastfeeding at 6 months. Early initiation of breastfeeding, rooming-in
      practice, and self-efficacy were significantly related to exclusive breastfeeding
      during the hospital stay. After discharge, health literacy, knowledge, intention,
      and self-efficacy were positively and significantly associated with breastfeeding
      exclusivity. Later initiation (hazard ratio=1.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.05,
      1.97), shorter intention (hazard ratio=1.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.13,
      1.68), and self-efficacy (hazard ratio=0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.96, 0.99)
      were important predictors of breastfeeding cessation within 6 months of delivery.
      Continuous breastfeeding practice for 6 months is challenging and difficult for
      new mothers. Results showed that factors related to breastfeeding varied over
      time after delivery. Interventions seeking to sustain breastfeeding should
      consider new mothers' needs and barriers at different times. 

PMID- 26110595
TI  - Infant Cancer in Taiwan: Incidence and Trends (1995-2009).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current information about cancer incidence patterns among infants in
      East Asia is rare. The objective of this study was to report the first population
      based cancer surveillance of infants in Taiwan. METHODS: Cancer frequencies and
      incidence rates among subjects aged <1 year for the period 1995-2009 were
      obtained from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. Types of cancers were grouped according
      to the International Classification of Childhood Cancer. Rates and trends were
      analyzed by sex and disease groups and further compared with that of other
      countries. RESULTS: A total of 900 infants were diagnosed with cancers, giving an
      incidence rate of 250.7 per million person-years from 1995 to 2009. The male-to
      female incidence rate ratio was 1.22. Overall, leukemias (56.3 per million) were
      the most common cancer, followed by germ cell neoplasms (43.2) and neuroblastomas
      (41.8). The incidence increased by 2.5% annually during the 15-year study period
      and was predominantly contributed by male infants (3.5%). Compared with other
      countries, the rate of hepatoblastoma in Taiwan was second to that from Beijing
      (China) and 2 to 5 times greater compared with the US, France, the North of
      England and Osaka (Japan). The rates of germ cell neoplasms were 2 to 4 times
      greater in Taiwan. CONCLUSIONS: The current data suggests that cancer incidence
      rate among male infants was rising in Taiwan. The factors associated with higher
      rates of hepatoblastoma and germ cell neoplasms warrant further investigation on
      similar ethnic groups of different areas to elucidate the potential environmental
      impacts while controlling for race.

PMID- 26110596
TI  - INFLUENCE OF VITREOMACULAR INTERFACE ON ANTI-VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR
      THERAPY USING TREAT AND EXTEND TREATMENT PROTOCOL FOR AGE-RELATED MACULAR
      DEGENERATION (VINTREX).
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the influence of vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) on treatment
      outcomes in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration who were
      treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents using a treat and
      extend treatment regimen. METHODS: A retrospective consecutive case series of 204
      eyes from 181 patients with a minimum of 1 year of follow-up at Wills Eye
      Hospital Retina Service. Vitreomacular interface characteristics were determined
      by spectral domain optical coherence tomography. One hundred and fifty-three eyes
      (75%) had no signs of VMA (non-VMA), and 51 (25%) had VMA. RESULTS: Baseline mean
      visual acuity was 20/133 with a mean central retinal thickness of 350.5 MUm in
      the non-VMA group and was 20/145 with 371.8 MUm in the VMA group. Mean visual
      acuity in the non-VMA group was 20/83 and 20/64 at Years 1 and 2, respectively (P
      < 0.01 to baseline). Mean visual acuity in the VMA group was 20/81 and 20/85 at
      Years 1 and 2, respectively (P < 0.01 to baseline). The central retinal thickness
      was 289.71 MUm and 267 MUm at Years 1 and 2, respectively (P < 0.01 to baseline)
      in the non-VMA group and was 305.3 MUm and 289.24 MUm (P < 0.01 to baseline) in
      the VMA group. The mean total number of injections at Year 1 for non-VMA was 7.4
      compared with 8.4 in VMA (P = 0.001) and 5.5 versus 6.7 for the 2 groups in Year
      2 (P = 0.027). The mean longest extension at Year 1 was 11.8 weeks compared with
      10.1 week (P = 0.005) and for Year 2 was 14.1 weeks compared with 12 weeks (P =
      0.041). CONCLUSION: The vitreomacular interface seems to have a significant
      influence on anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment intervals but not
      visual acuity or exudative control outcomes. Eyes with VMA on spectral domain
      optical coherence tomography at baseline may require more intensive treatment
      with decreased ability to extend treatment intervals.

PMID- 26110597
TI  - OUTCOMES OF TREATMENT OF CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION ASSOCIATED WITH CENTRAL
      SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY WITH INTRAVITREAL ANTIANGIOGENIC AGENTS.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes from the
      largest case series of choroidal neovascularization secondary to central serous
      chorioretinopathy. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 46 eyes of 43 consecutive
      subjects. Collected data included demographic details, history of presenting
      illness, clinical examination details including visual acuity at presentation and
      follow-up with imaging and treatment details. Main outcome measures were the
      proportion of eyes that had improved (3 or more lines), stable (within +/-1
      line), or decreased (3 or more lines) vision at the final visit as compared with
      baseline examination. Secondary efficacy outcomes included change in visual
      acuity at final follow-up, number of injections, treatment-free interval, and
      adverse events. RESULTS: Mean age was 57.56 years (range 29-79 years). Mean
      follow-up duration was 38.3 months +/- 58.9 months. More than 3 lines of
      improvement in 12 eyes (26%), vision was stable (within +/-1 line) in 19 eyes
      (41.3%), and >3 lines of loss was noted in 6 eyes (13%). Mean change in the
      number of lines was 1.16 +/- 3.74. Mean number of anti-vascular endothelial
      growth factor injections during the follow-up was 4.45 +/- 4.1. The longest
      treatment-free interval was 8.9 months +/- 7.5 months. There were no adverse
      events noted. CONCLUSION: Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy as a
      primary therapy for choroidal neovascularization secondary to central serous
      chorioretinopathy is safe and efficacious, without any serious adverse events.

PMID- 26110598
TI  - HIGH-RESOLUTION MULTIMODAL IMAGING AFTER IDIOPATHIC EPIRETINAL MEMBRANE SURGERY.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the changes of the vitreomacular interface during a 1
      year follow-up after idiopathic epiretinal membrane (iERM) surgery. METHODS: Six
      patients affected by fovea-attached iERM were recruited in this pilot study. Pars
      plana vitrectomy associated with epiretinal membrane peeling was performed
      uneventfully in all cases. In four cases, the inner limiting membrane was removed
      using Brilliant blue G. En face high-resolution adaptive optics and cross
      sectional spectral domain optical coherence tomography retinal imaging were
      performed before and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. The microstructures
      of vitreomacular interface in high-resolution adaptive optics images were
      correlated to the cross-sectional spectral domain optical coherence tomography
      data. RESULTS: Preoperatively, adaptive optics images showed multiple
      abnormalities of the vitreomacular interface, such as macrofolds, microfolds, and
      hyperreflective microstructures. We identified two subtypes of iERM according to
      the distribution of microfolds over the foveal area, which included the radial
      type and the grid-type iERM. After surgery, the morphology of the vitreomacular
      interface changed compared with the preoperative state. The number of both
      macrofolds and microfolds was reduced in all cases. The hyperreflective
      structures were still resolvable in all cases, however presenting different shape
      and morphology than preoperatively. In addition, they showed marked differences
      between eyes that had internal limiting membrane removal and eyes that did not.
      CONCLUSION: Adaptive optics imaging gives new insight into the changes of
      vitreomacular interface after iERM surgery. Enhanced multimodal imaging of the
      vitreomacular interface and retinal structures can be valuable to monitor
      treatment outcome of iERM.

PMID- 26110599
TI  - INSIGHTS INTO AUTOSOMAL DOMINANT STARGARDT-LIKE MACULAR DYSTROPHY THROUGH
      MULTIMODALITY DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING.
AB  - PURPOSE: Autosomal dominant Stargardt-like macular dystrophy is a rare juvenile
      macular dystrophy most commonly because of mutations in ELOVL4 and PROM1 genes.
      In this study, we review a series of cases of Stargardt-like macular dystrophy
      and use advanced imaging techniques to describe pathophysiologic manifestations.
      METHODS: A retrospective medical record review was performed for five patients
      from two families with ELOVL4 mutation and one patient with PROM1 mutation
      including reviewing diagnostic imaging, such as fundus photography, spectral
      domain optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence, and adaptive optics
      flood-illuminated photography. RESULTS: All patients had reduced central visual
      acuity with varying degree of foveal atrophy. In the ELOVL4 group, best-corrected
      visual acuity ranged from 20/25 to 20/200. Early pathologic changes included
      thickening of the external limiting membrane and outer nuclear atrophy followed
      by retinal pigment epithelium loss in later stages. Adaptive optics imaging
      revealed photoreceptor loss even in early stages with good visual acuity. The
      PROM1 patient also had similar central vision loss with significant outer nuclear
      atrophy. In contrast to ELOVL4 mutation, there was more diffuse and patchy
      retinal pigment epithelium loss throughout the macula. CONCLUSION: Both ELOVL4-
      and PROM1-related maculopathies are characterized by progressive photoreceptor
      atrophy and central vision loss. Using advanced diagnostic imaging, early disease
      changes and disease progression can be characterized.

PMID- 26110600
TI  - Computation-Assisted Structural Elucidation of Epoxyroussoeone and
      Epoxyroussoedione Isolated from Roussoella japanensis KT1651.
AB  - The structures of epoxyroussoenone (1) and epoxyroussoedione (3) isolated from a
      culture broth of Roussoella japanensis KT1651 were determined. Although NMR
      spectra provided insufficient structural information, computation of the
      theoretical chemical shifts with DFT EDF2/6-31G* enabled us to elucidate not only
      the planar structure, but also the relative configuration. Their ECD (electric
      circular dichroism) spectra suggested the absolute configurations, which were
      confirmed with time-dependent DFT calculations employing BHandHLYP/TZVP. The ECD
      calculations for other stereoisomers yielded obviously different spectral
      profiles, thus confirming the relative structures of 1 and 3. 

PMID- 26110601
TI  - A Spiritual Journey: Influence of Hannelore.
AB  - Little do we know as we go along our ordinary daily living that an invitation to
      listen could so profoundly affect another person's life. The gift of true
      listening can bring about connections and relationships that last for a lifetime.
      This reflective article reminds educators to take time to encourage, question,
      support, and challenge eager neophytes in their classes. 

PMID- 26110602
TI  - Dual mode signaling responses of a rhodamine based probe and its immobilization
      onto a silica gel surface for specific mercury ion detection.
AB  - A 3-aminomethyl-(2-amino-1-pyridyl) coupled amino-ethyl-rhodamine-B based probe
      (2) exhibited simultaneous chromogenic and fluorogenic dual mode signaling
      responses in the presence of Hg(II) ions only among all the metal ions
      investigated in an organic aqueous medium. The spiro-cyclic rhodamine signaling
      subunit undergoes complexation induced structural transformation to result in
      absorption and fluorescence modulation. Its complexation induced signaling
      exhibited reversibility with various contrasting reagents having higher affinity
      towards Hg(II) ions, such as anions (AcO(-)) and competing chelating agents (En).
      It also exhibited Hg(II)-specific photophysical signaling responses when
      immobilized onto a silica gel surface attached through its amino-ethyl-receptor
      end, owing to its structure-conformational advantages for effective coordination.
      The surface modified silica appended with 2 (SiR-1), as evaluated through the
      FTIR spectral pattern, thermogravimetric analysis, FESEM images, elemental
      analysis, X-ray diffraction, surface area determination and particle size
      analysis, also exhibited reversible Hg(II)-specific signaling in its suspension
      state in an aqueous medium, enhancing the probe's utility for practical
      applications such as the detection, isolation and extraction of Hg(II) ions in
      the presence of other competitive metal ions.

PMID- 26110603
TI  - A Peptide Mimetic of 5-Acetylneuraminic Acid-Galactose Binds with High Avidity to
      Siglecs and NKG2D.
AB  - We previously identified several peptide sequences that mimicked the terminal
      sugars of complex glycans. Using plant lectins as analogs of lectin-type cell
      surface receptors, a tetravalent form of a peptide with the sequence NPSHPLSG,
      designated svH1C, bound with high avidity to lectins specific for glycans with
      terminal 5-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac)-galactose (Gal)/N-acetylgalactosamine
      (GalNAc) sequences. In this report, we show by circular dichroism and NMR spectra
      that svH1C lacks an ordered structure and thus interacts with binding sites from
      a flexible conformation. The peptide binds with high avidity to several
      recombinant human siglec receptors that bind preferentially to
      Neu5Ac(alpha2,3)Gal, Neu5Ac(alpha2,6)GalNAc or Neu5Ac(alpha2,8)Neu5Ac ligands. In
      addition, the peptide bound the receptor NKG2D, which contains a lectin-like
      domain that binds Neu5Ac(alpha2,3)Gal. The peptide bound to these receptors with
      a KD in the range of 0.6 to 1 MUM. Binding to these receptors was inhibited by
      the glycoprotein fetuin, which contains multiple glycans that terminate in
      Neu5Ac(alpha2,3)Gal or Neu5Ac(alpha2,6)Gal, and by sialyllactose. Binding of
      svH1C was not detected with CLEC9a, CLEC10a or DC-SIGN, which are lectin-type
      receptors specific for other sugars. Incubation of neuraminidase-treated human
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells with svH1C resulted in binding of the peptide
      to a subset of the CD14+ monocyte population. Tyrosine phosphorylation of siglecs
      decreased dramatically when peripheral blood mononuclear cells were treated with
      100 nM svH1C. Subcutaneous, alternate-day injections of svH1C into mice induced
      several-fold increases in populations of several types of immune cells in the
      peritoneal cavity. These results support the conclusion that svH1C mimics Neu5Ac
      containing sequences and interacts with cell-surface receptors with avidities
      sufficient to induce biological responses at low concentrations. The attenuation
      of inhibitory receptors suggests that svH1C has characteristics of a checkpoint
      inhibitor. 

PMID- 26110604
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Recombinant Immunoglobulin-like Protein A-Based IgM ELISA
      for the Early Diagnosis of Leptospirosis in the Philippines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leptospirosis is an important but largely under-recognized public
      health problem in the tropics. Establishment of highly sensitive and specific
      laboratory diagnosis is essential to reveal the magnitude of problem and to
      improve treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a
      recombinant LigA protein based IgM ELISA during outbreaks in the clinical-setting
      of a highly endemic country. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A prospective study
      was conducted from October 2011 to September 2013 at a national referral hospital
      for infectious diseases in Manila, Philippines. Patients who were hospitalized
      with clinically suspected leptospirosis were enrolled. Plasma and urine were
      collected on admission and/or at discharge and tested using the LigA-IgM ELISA
      and a whole cell-based IgM ELISA. Sensitivity and specificity of these tests were
      evaluated with cases diagnosed by microscopic agglutination test (MAT), culture
      and LAMP as the composite reference standard and blood bank donors as healthy
      controls: the mean+3 standard deviation optical density value of healthy controls
      was used as the cut-off limit (0.062 for the LigA-IgM ELISA and 0.691 for the
      whole cell-based IgM ELISA). Of 304 patients enrolled in the study, 270 (89.1%)
      were male and the median age was 30.5 years; 167 (54.9%) were laboratory
      confirmed. The sensitivity and ROC curve AUC for the LigA-IgM ELISA was
      significantly greater than the whole cell-based IgM ELISA (69.5% vs. 54.3%,
      p<0.01; 0.90 vs. 0.82, p<0.01) on admission, but not at discharge. The
      specificity of LigA-IgM ELISA and whole cell-based IgM ELISA were not
      significantly different (98% vs. 97%). Among 158 MAT negative patients, 53 and 28
      were positive by LigA- and whole cell-based IgM ELISA, respectively; if the
      laboratory confirmation was re-defined by LigA-IgM ELISA and LAMP, the clinical
      findings were more characteristic of leptospirosis than the diagnosis based on
      MAT/culture/LAMP. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The newly developed LigA-IgM ELISA is
      more sensitive than the whole cell-based IgM based ELISA. Although the final
      diagnosis must be validated by more specific tests, LigA-IgM ELISA could be a
      useful diagnostic test in a real clinical-setting, where diagnosis is needed in
      the early phase of infection.

PMID- 26110605
TI  - Relationship between the decomposition process of coarse woody debris and fungal
      community structure as detected by high-throughput sequencing in a deciduous
      broad-leaved forest in Japan.
AB  - We examined the relationship between the community structure of wood-decaying
      fungi, detected by high-throughput sequencing, and the decomposition rate using
      13 years of data from a forest dynamics plot. For molecular analysis and wood
      density measurements, drill dust samples were collected from logs and stumps of
      Fagus and Quercus in the plot. Regression using a negative exponential model
      between wood density and time since death revealed that the decomposition rate of
      Fagus was greater than that of Quercus. The residual between the expected value
      obtained from the regression curve and the observed wood density was used as a
      decomposition rate index. Principal component analysis showed that the fungal
      community compositions of both Fagus and Quercus changed with time since death.
      Principal component analysis axis scores were used as an index of fungal
      community composition. A structural equation model for each wood genus was used
      to assess the effect of fungal community structure traits on the decomposition
      rate and how the fungal community structure was determined by the traits of
      coarse woody debris. Results of the structural equation model suggested that the
      decomposition rate of Fagus was affected by two fungal community composition
      components: one that was affected by time since death and another that was not
      affected by the traits of coarse woody debris. In contrast, the decomposition
      rate of Quercus was not affected by coarse woody debris traits or fungal
      community structure. These findings suggest that, in the case of Fagus coarse
      woody debris, the fungal community structure is related to the decomposition
      process of its host substrate. Because fungal community structure is affected
      partly by the decay stage and wood density of its substrate, these factors
      influence each other. Further research on interactive effects is needed to
      improve our understanding of the relationship between fungal community structure
      and the woody debris decomposition process. 

PMID- 26110606
TI  - The relationship between childhood sexual/physical abuse and sexual dysfunction
      in patients with social anxiety disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Childhood traumatic events are known as developmental factors for
      various psychiatric disorders. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to
      investigate the effects of childhood sexual and physical abuse (CSA/CPA), and co
      morbid depression on sexual functions in patients with social anxiety disorder
      (SAD). METHOD: Data obtained from 113 SAD patients was analysed. Childhood
      traumatic experiences were evaluated using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire,
      and the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale was used for the evaluation of the sexual
      functions. The data from interviews performed with SCID-I were used for
      determination of Axis I diagnosis. The Beck Anxiety Scale, Beck Depression Scale
      and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale were administered to each patient. RESULTS:
      History of childhood physical abuse (CPA) was present in 45.1% of the SAD
      patients, and 14.2% had a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Depression co
      diagnosis was present in 30.1% of SAD patients and 36.3% had sexual dysfunction.
      History of CSA and depression co-diagnosis were determined as two strong
      predictors in SAD patients (odds ratio (OR) for CSA, 7.83; 95% CI, 1.97-31.11; p
      = 0.003 and OR for depression, 3.66; 95% CI, 1.47-9.13; p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS:
      CSA and depression should be considered and questioned as an important factor for
      SAD patients who suffer from sexual dysfunction.

PMID- 26110607
TI  - Minor Cause--Major Effect: A Novel Mode of Control of Bistable Gene Expression.

PMID- 26110608
TI  - Targeting prion protein interactions in cancer.
AB  - In recent years, prion protein (PrP(C)) has been considered as a promising target
      molecule for cancer therapies, due its direct or indirect participation in tumor
      growth, metastasis, and resistance to cell death induced by chemotherapy. PrP(C)
      functions as a scaffold protein, forming multiprotein complexes on the plasma
      membrane, which elicits distinct signaling pathways involved in diverse
      biological phenomena and could be modulated depending on the cell type, complex
      composition, and organization. In addition, PrP(C) and its partners participate
      in self-renewal of embryonic, tissue-specific stem cells and cancer stem cells,
      which are suggested to be responsible for the origin, maintenance, relapse, and
      dissemination of tumors. Interference with protein-protein interaction has been
      recognized as an important therapeutic strategy in cancer; indeed, the possible
      interference in PrP(C) engagement with specific partners is a novel strategy.
      Recently, our group successfully used that approach to interfere with the
      interaction between PrP(C) and HSP-90/70 organizing protein (HOP, also known as
      stress-inducible protein 1 - STI1) to control the growth of human glioblastoma in
      animal models. Thus, PrP(C)-organized multicomplexes have emerged as feasible
      candidates for anti-tumor therapy, warranting further exploration. 

PMID- 26110609
TI  - Yeast prions are useful for studying protein chaperones and protein quality
      control.
AB  - Protein chaperones help proteins adopt and maintain native conformations and play
      vital roles in cellular processes where proteins are partially folded. They
      comprise a major part of the cellular protein quality control system that
      protects the integrity of the proteome. Many disorders are caused when proteins
      misfold despite this protection. Yeast prions are fibrous amyloid aggregates of
      misfolded proteins. The normal action of chaperones on yeast prions breaks the
      fibers into pieces, which results in prion replication. Because this process is
      necessary for propagation of yeast prions, even small differences in activity of
      many chaperones noticeably affect prion phenotypes. Several other factors
      involved in protein processing also influence formation, propagation or
      elimination of prions in yeast. Thus, in much the same way that the dependency of
      viruses on cellular functions has allowed us to learn much about cell biology,
      the dependency of yeast prions on chaperones presents a unique and sensitive way
      to monitor the functions and interactions of many components of the cell's
      protein quality control system. Our recent work illustrates the utility of this
      system for identifying and defining chaperone machinery interactions. 

PMID- 26110610
TI  - As a toxin dies a prion comes to life: A tentative natural history of the [Het-s]
      prion.
AB  - A variety of signaling pathways, in particular with roles in cell fate and host
      defense, operate by a prion-like mechanism consisting in the formation of open
      ended oligomeric signaling complexes termed signalosomes. This mechanism emerges
      as a novel paradigm in signal transduction. Among the proteins forming such
      signaling complexes are the Nod-like receptors (NLR), involved in innate
      immunity. It now appears that the [Het-s] fungal prion derives from such a cell
      fate defining signaling system controlled by a fungal NLR. What was once
      considered as an isolated oddity turns out to be related to a conserved and
      widespread signaling mechanism. Herein, we recall the relation of the [Het-s]
      prion to the signal transduction pathway controlled by the NWD2 Nod-like
      receptor, leading to activation of the HET-S pore-forming cell death execution
      protein. We explicit an evolutionary scenario in which formation of the [Het-s]
      prion is the result of an exaptation process or how a loss-of-function mutation
      in a pore-forming cell death execution protein (HET-S) has given birth to a
      functional prion ([Het-s]). 

PMID- 26110611
TI  - cir-ITCH plays an inhibitory role in colorectal cancer by regulating the Wnt/beta
      catenin pathway.
AB  - Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are the dominant product of eukaryotic transcription.
      These products range from short microRNAs (miRNAs) to long intergenic noncoding
      RNAs (lincRNAs). Circular RNAs composed of exonic sequences represent an
      understudied form of ncRNA that was discovered more than 20 years ago. Using a
      TaqMan-based reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay, we analyzed
      the relationship between cir-ITCH expression and colorectal cancer (CRC) in a
      total of 45 CRCs and paired adjacent non-tumor tissue samples. We found that cir
      ITCH expression was typically down-regulated in CRC compared to the peritumoral
      tissue. This result, as well as several follow-up experiments, showed that cir
      ITCH could increase the level of ITCH, which is involved in the inhibition of the
      Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Therefore, our results showed that cir-ITCH plays a
      role in CRC by regulating the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. 

PMID- 26110612
TI  - The Importance of Exosite Interactions for Substrate Cleavage by Human Thrombin.
AB  - Thrombin is a serine protease of the chymotrypsin family that acts both as a
      procoagulant and as an anticoagulant by cleaving either factor VIII, factor V and
      fibrinogen or protein C, respectively. Numerous previous studies have shown that
      electropositive regions at a distance from the active site, so called exosites,
      are of major importance for the cleavage by human thrombin. Upstream of all the
      known major cleavage sites for thrombin in factor VIII, factor V and fibrinogen
      are clusters of negatively charged amino acids. To study the importance of these
      sites for the interaction with the exosites and thereby the cleavage by thrombin,
      we have developed a new type of recombinant substrate. We have compared the
      cleavage rate of the minimal cleavage site, involving only 8-9 amino acids
      (typically the P4-P4' positions) surrounding the cleavage site, with the
      substrates also containing the negatively charged regions upstream of the
      cleavage sites. The results showed that addition of these regions enhanced the
      cleavage rate by more than fifty fold. However, the enhancement was highly
      dependent on the sequence of the actual cleavage site. A minimal site that showed
      poor activity by itself could be cleaved as efficiently as an optimal cleavage
      site when presented together with these negatively charged regions. Whereas sites
      conforming closely to the optimal site were only minimally enhanced by the
      addition of these regions. The possibility to mimic this interaction for the
      sites in factor V and factor VIII by recombinant substrates, which do not have
      the same folding as the full size target, indicates that the enhancement was
      primarily dependent on a relatively simple electrostatic interaction. However,
      the situation was very different for fibrinogen and protein C where other factors
      than only charge is of major importance. 

PMID- 26110613
TI  - Serum cell death biomarkers for prediction of liver fibrosis and poor prognosis
      in primary biliary cirrhosis.
AB  - The development of simple, noninvasive markers of liver fibrosis is urgently
      needed for primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). This study examined the ability of
      several serum biomarkers of cell death to estimate fibrosis and prognosis in PBC.
      A cohort of 130 patients with biopsy-proven PBC and 90 healthy subjects were
      enrolled. We assessed the utility of the M30 ELISA, which detects caspase-cleaved
      cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) fragments and is representative of apoptotic cell death,
      as well as the M65 and newly developed M65 Epideath (M65ED) ELISAs, which detect
      total CK-18 as indicators of overall cell death, in predicting clinically
      relevant fibrosis stage. All 3 cell death biomarkers were significantly higher in
      patients with PBC than in healthy controls and were significantly correlated with
      fibrosis stage. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for
      the M65 and M65ED assays for differentiation among significant fibrosis, severe
      fibrosis, and cirrhosis were 0.66 and 0.76, 0.66 and 0.73, and 0.74 and 0.82,
      respectively. In multivariate analysis, high M65ED (hazard ratio 6.13; 95%
      confidence interval 1.18-31.69; P = 0.031) and severe fibrosis (hazard ratio
      7.45; 95% confidence interval 1.82-30.51; P = 0.005) were independently
      associated with liver-related death, transplantation, or decompensation. High
      serum M65ED was also significantly associated with poor outcome in PBC (log-rank
      test; P = 0.001). Noninvasive cell death biomarkers appear to be clinically
      useful in predicting fibrosis in PBC. Moreover, the M65ED assay may represent a
      new surrogate marker of adverse disease outcome. 

PMID- 26110614
TI  - The relationship between impulsivity and suicide among rural youths aged 15-35
      years: a case-control psychological autopsy study.
AB  - In China, the gender ratio of suicide rates did not match the Western patterns,
      which was higher for females than males. However, the rural men were at
      relatively high risk of suicide in Liaoning province. Impulsivity was an
      important factor of suicide behaviors, but there was a lack of studies in China.
      This research aimed to study the relationship between impulsive personality
      traits and suicidal behavior among Chinese rural youths. Suicides were
      consecutively sampled from six randomly selected counties in Liaoning Province in
      China. Between 2005 and 2007, a total of 162 suicide victims were enrolled in the
      study along with 162 community controls matched for age, gender, and location.
      The psychological autopsy method was used to collect data from informants
      knowledgeable about the selected suicide victims and controls. The results showed
      the suicide victims in the study were more likely to demonstrate dysfunctional
      impulsivity and less likely to demonstrate functional impulsivity compared with
      the controls. Mental disorders, acute negative life events, and dysfunctional
      impulsivity contributed to the risk of suicide; educational and functional
      impulsivity were protective factors. Suicide prevention efforts in rural China
      may address impulsivity. 

PMID- 26110615
TI  - Coordination-resolved electron spectrometrics.

PMID- 26110617
TI  - Correction: impact of open data policies on consent to participate in human
      subjects research: discrepancies between participant action and reported
      concerns.

PMID- 26110618
TI  - Toward Clinically Compatible Phase-Contrast Mammography.
AB  - Phase-contrast mammography using laboratory X-ray sources is a promising approach
      to overcome the relatively low sensitivity and specificity of clinical,
      absorption-based screening. Current research is mostly centered on identifying
      potential diagnostic benefits arising from phase-contrast and dark-field
      mammography and benchmarking the latter with conventional state-of-the-art
      imaging methods. So far, little effort has been made to adjust this novel imaging
      technique to clinical needs. In this article, we address the key points for a
      successful implementation to a clinical routine in the near future and present
      the very first dose-compatible and rapid scan-time phase-contrast mammograms of
      both a freshly dissected, cancer-bearing mastectomy specimen and a mammographic
      accreditation phantom. 

PMID- 26110616
TI  - Deep sequencing analysis of HBV genotype shift and correlation with antiviral
      efficiency during adefovir dipivoxil therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Viral genotype shift in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients during
      antiviral therapy has been reported, but the underlying mechanism remains
      elusive. METHODS: 38 CHB patients treated with ADV for one year were selected for
      studying genotype shift by both deep sequencing and Sanger sequencing method.
      RESULTS: Sanger sequencing method found that 7.9% patients showed mixed genotype
      before ADV therapy. In contrast, all 38 patients showed mixed genotype before ADV
      treatment by deep sequencing. 95.5% mixed genotype rate was also obtained from
      additional 200 treatment-naive CHB patients. Of the 13 patients with genotype
      shift, the fraction of the minor genotype in 5 patients (38%) increased gradually
      during the course of ADV treatment. Furthermore, responses to ADV and HBeAg
      seroconversion were associated with the high rate of genotype shift, suggesting
      drug and immune pressure may be key factors to induce genotype shift.
      Interestingly, patients with genotype C had a significantly higher rate of
      genotype shift than genotype B. In genotype shift group, ADV treatment induced a
      marked enhancement of genotype B ratio accompanied by a reduction of genotype C
      ratio, suggesting genotype C may be more sensitive to ADV than genotype B.
      Moreover, patients with dominant genotype C may have a better therapeutic effect.
      Finally, genotype shifts was correlated with clinical improvement in terms of
      ALT. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provided a rational explanation for genotype shift
      among ADV-treated CHB patients. The genotype and genotype shift might be
      associated with antiviral efficiency.

PMID- 26110619
TI  - Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Congenital Heart Defects: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are still inconsistent conclusions about the association of
      prenatal alcohol drinking with congenital heart defects (CHDs). We conducted this
      meta-analysis to investigate the association between prenatal alcohol exposure
      and the risk of overall CHDs and the CHDs subtypes. METHODS: Case-control and
      cohort studies published before March 2015 were searched through PubMed and
      Embase. Two authors independently extracted data and scored the study quality
      according to the Newcastle-0ttawa Scale. The pooled ORs and 95%CI were estimated
      using the random-effects model and heterogeneity was assessed by the Q test and
      I2 statistic. RESULTS: A total of 20 studies were finally included. The results
      provided no evidence of the association between prenatal alcohol exposure and the
      risk of overall CHDs (OR = 1.06, 95%CI = 0.93-1.22), ventricular septal defects
      (VSDs) (OR = 1.04, 95%CI = 0.86-1.25), or atrial septal defects (ASDs) (OR =
      1.40, 95%CI = 0.88-2.23). However, prenatal alcohol drinking was marginally
      significantly associated with conotruncal defects (CTDs) (OR = 1.24, 95%CI = 0.97
      1.59) and statistically significantly associated with d-Transposition of the
      Great Arteries (dTGA) (OR = 1.64, 95%CI = 1.17-2.30). Moreover, both prenatal
      heavy drinking and binge drinking have a strong association with overall CHDs
      (heavy drinking: OR = 3.76, 95%CI = 1.00-14.10; binge drinking: OR = 2.49, 95%CI
      = 1.04-5.97), and prenatal moderate drinking has a modest association with CTDs
      (OR = 1.35, 95%CI = 1.05-1.75) and dTGA (OR = 1.86, 95%CI = 1.09-3.20).
      CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the results suggested that prenatal alcohol exposure
      was not associated with overall CHDs or some subtypes, whereas marginally
      significant association was found for CTDs and statistically significant
      association was found for dTGA. Further prospective studies with large population
      and better designs are needed to explore the association of prenatal alcohol
      exposure with CHDs including the subtypes in specific groups.

PMID- 26110620
TI  - BMI1 is expressed in canine osteosarcoma and contributes to cell growth and
      chemotherapy resistance.
AB  - BMI1, a stem cell factor and member of the polycomb group of genes, has been
      shown to contribute to growth and chemoresistance of several human malignancies
      including primary osteosarcoma (OSA). Naturally occurring OSA in the dog
      represents a large animal model of human OSA, however the potential role of BMI1
      in canine primary and metastatic OSA has not been examined. Immunohistochemical
      staining of canine primary and metastatic OSA tumors revealed strong nuclear
      expression of BMI1. An identical staining pattern was found in both primary and
      metastatic human OSA tissues. Canine OSA cell lines (Abrams, Moresco, and D17)
      expressed high levels of BMI1 compared with canine osteoblasts and knockdown or
      inhibition of BMI1 by siRNA or by small molecule BMI1-inhibitor PTC-209
      demonstrated a role for BMI1 in canine OSA cell growth and resistance to
      carboplatin and doxorubicin chemotherapy. These findings suggest that inhibition
      of BMI1 in primary or metastatic OSA may improve response to chemotherapy and
      that the dog may serve as a large animal model to evaluate such therapy. 

PMID- 26110621
TI  - Saturated, Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Intake and Risk of
      Pancreatic Cancer: Evidence from Observational Studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the relationship between dietary monounsaturated fatty acids
      (MUFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and saturated fatty acids (SFAs)
      intake and pancreatic cancer risk has been reported by several studies, the
      evidence is controversial. We firstly conducted this comprehensive meta-analysis
      to summarize the aforementioned evidence from observational studies. METHODS: The
      MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, and ISI Web of Science databases were used to search
      for epidemiological studies of dietary SFA, MUFA, and PUFA and pancreatic cancer
      risk that were published until the end of June 2014. Random- or fixed-effects
      models were used to estimate the relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs). We also carried out subgroup, sensitivity, and publication bias
      analyses. RESULTS: We identified 13 case-control studies and 7 prospective
      studies which including 6270 pancreatic cancer cases in the meta-analysis of SFA,
      MUFA, and PUFA and risk of pancreatic cancer. The summary RR was 1.13 (95%CI =
      0.94-1.35, I2 = 70.7%) for SFA, 1.00 (95%CI = 0.87-1.14, I2 = 43.4%) for MUFA,
      and 0.87 (95%CI = 0.75-1.00, I2 = 55.3%) for PUFA for high versus low intake
      categories. We found no evidence of publication bias. CONCLUSION: In summary,
      findings of this study supports an inverse association between diets high in PUFA
      and pancreatic cancer risk. Further large prospective studies are warranted to
      report the results stratified by the subtypes of MUFA and PUFA and adjust for
      other potential risk factors to eliminate residual confounding.

PMID- 26110622
TI  - L-Amino Acids Elicit Diverse Response Patterns in Taste Sensory Cells: A Role for
      Multiple Receptors.
AB  - Umami, the fifth basic taste, is elicited by the L-amino acid, glutamate. A
      unique characteristic of umami taste is the response potentiation by 5'
      ribonucleotide monophosphates, which are also capable of eliciting an umami
      taste. Initial reports using human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells suggested that
      there is one broadly tuned receptor heterodimer, T1r1+T1r3, which detects L
      glutamate and all other L-amino acids. However, there is growing evidence that
      multiple receptors detect glutamate in the oral cavity. While much is understood
      about glutamate transduction, the mechanisms for detecting the tastes of other L
      amino acids are less well understood. We used calcium imaging of isolated taste
      sensory cells and taste cell clusters from the circumvallate and foliate papillae
      of C57BL/6J and T1r3 knockout mice to determine if other receptors might also be
      involved in detection of L-amino acids. Ratiometric imaging with Fura-2 was used
      to study calcium responses to monopotassium L-glutamate, L-serine, L-arginine,
      and L-glutamine, with and without inosine 5' monophosphate (IMP). The results of
      these experiments showed that the response patterns elicited by L-amino acids
      varied significantly across taste sensory cells. L-amino acids other than
      glutamate also elicited synergistic responses in a subset of taste sensory cells.
      Along with its role in synergism, IMP alone elicited a response in a large number
      of taste sensory cells. Our data indicate that synergistic and non-synergistic
      responses to L-amino acids and IMP are mediated by multiple receptors or possibly
      a receptor complex. 

PMID- 26110624
TI  - Predictors of Enrollment in Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs in Spain.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is very effective for secondary prevention
      of cardiovascular disorders. The objective of this study was to analyze
      population factors associated with nonenrollment of cardiac patients in these
      programs. METHODS: Retrospective study of 756 patients referred to the cardiac
      rehabilitation program (CRP) of a tertiary referral hospital with a service area
      population of more than 640 000 from January 2009 to June 2012. We assessed the
      relationship between population characteristics of these patients and
      nonenrollment by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: There were 2386 hospital
      admissions for an acute coronary syndrome during the study period. Out of the
      2355 patients who were alive at discharge, 756 (632 men and 124 women) were
      referred for CR (32.1% vs 3% state average and vs 51% European average). Of these
      patients, 20.9% did not enroll. The referral rate was lower among women than
      among men (P < .001). The characteristics associated with a lower rate of
      enrollment in the program were age (OR: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02-1.09), living alone
      (OR: 4.54; 95% CI: 2.53-8.16), living further than 50 km from the CR unit (OR:
      2.90; 95% CI: 1.29-6.41) and, in women, having a history of cardiovascular
      disease (recurrent myocardial infarction) (OR: 6.35; 95% CI: 2.53-11.81).
      CONCLUSIONS: The rate of referral for CR in our setting is well above the
      national average but still could be improved. We identified older age, living
      alone, travel distance to the cardiac rehabilitation unit, and, in women, a
      history of a previous myocardial infarction as barriers to enrollment in CRPs.

PMID- 26110623
TI  - Specific Cell Targeting Therapy Bypasses Drug Resistance Mechanisms in African
      Trypanosomiasis.
AB  - African trypanosomiasis is a deadly neglected disease caused by the extracellular
      parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Current therapies are characterized by high drug
      toxicity and increasing drug resistance mainly associated with loss-of-function
      mutations in the transporters involved in drug import. The introduction of new
      antiparasitic drugs into therapeutic use is a slow and expensive process. In
      contrast, specific targeting of existing drugs could represent a more rapid and
      cost-effective approach for neglected disease treatment, impacting through
      reduced systemic toxicity and circumventing resistance acquired through impaired
      compound uptake. We have generated nanoparticles of chitosan loaded with the
      trypanocidal drug pentamidine and coated by a single domain nanobody that
      specifically targets the surface of African trypanosomes. Once loaded into this
      nanocarrier, pentamidine enters trypanosomes through endocytosis instead of via
      classical cell surface transporters. The curative dose of pentamidine-loaded
      nanobody-chitosan nanoparticles was 100-fold lower than pentamidine alone in a
      murine model of acute African trypanosomiasis. Crucially, this new formulation
      displayed undiminished in vitro and in vivo activity against a trypanosome cell
      line resistant to pentamidine as a result of mutations in the surface transporter
      aquaglyceroporin 2. We conclude that this new drug delivery system increases drug
      efficacy and has the ability to overcome resistance to some anti-protozoal drugs.

PMID- 26110625
TI  - Balance Training in Pulmonary Rehabilitation: EFFECTS ON PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES.
AB  - PURPOSE: Balance impairment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is
      associated with a worsening of quality of life (QOL) as related with fatigue
      perception, depression, and anxiety. The aim of this study was to examine the
      effect of balance training included in pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) on QOL,
      fatigue perception, depression, and anxiety in patients with COPD. METHODS:
      Patients were assigned randomly to an intervention or PR-only group. The
      intervention group underwent balance training 3 times a week for 6 months
      concurrently with PR. The PR-only group received 6 months of the standard PR
      program. Quality of life was assessed at the beginning and at the end of the
      program using the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire, fatigue using the
      Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, and anxiety and depression using the Hospital
      Anxiety and Depression Scale. Exercise tolerance was determined from the 6-minute
      walk test. RESULTS: After the 6 months of the intervention or PR-only, both the
      intervention (n = 32) and PR-only (n = 30) groups improved their QOL (activity,
      impact, and total) with a significant intergroup difference (P < .05) after PR.
      General fatigue, physical fatigue, and reduced activity decreased in both groups
      with an intergroup difference (P < .05). Anxiety decreased significantly in both
      groups with a greater change in the intervention group (P < .01). Only the
      intervention group had an improved depression score at the end of 6 months.
      CONCLUSIONS: Balance training added to PR improved health-related QOL, fatigue,
      and mental health in patients with COPD.

PMID- 26110628
TI  - Prominent vessel sign on susceptibility-weighted imaging in acute stroke:
      prediction of infarct growth and clinical outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Predicting the risk of further infarct growth in stroke
      patients is critical to therapeutic decision making. We aimed to predict early
      infarct growth and clinical outcome from prominent vessel sign (PVS) identified
      on the first susceptibility-weighted image (SWI) after acute stroke. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction had
      diffusion-weighted imaging, SWI, MR angiography, and clinical evaluation using
      the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale at 7-60 hours and 5-14 days after
      stroke onset. Late-stage clinical evaluation at 1 and 3 months used the modified
      Rankin Scale. The infarct area and growth were scored from 10 (none) to 0
      (infarct or growth in all 10 zones) using the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT
      Score (ASPECTS) system. RESULTS: Infarct growth on the second MRI occurred in 13
      of 15 patients with PVS on the first MRI and not in any patient without PVS (n=7;
      r=0.86, P<0.001). The extent of PVS was significantly correlated with infarct
      growth (r=0.82, P<0.001) and early-stage outcome (P=0.02). No between-group
      difference in late-stage clinical outcome was found. CONCLUSION: PVS on the first
      SWI after acute MCA territory stroke is a useful predictor of early infarct
      growth. Extensive PVS within the large MCA territory is related to poor early
      stage outcome and could be useful for clinical assessment of stroke.

PMID- 26110629
TI  - Sauna, sweat and science - quantifying the proportion of condensation water
      versus sweat using a stable water isotope ((2)H/(1)H and (18)O/(16)O) tracer
      experiment.
AB  - Most visitors of a sauna appreciate the heat pulse that is perceived when water
      is poured on the stones of a sauna stove. However, probably only few bathers are
      aware that this pleasant heat pulse is caused by latent heat being released onto
      our skin due to condensation of water vapour. In order to quantify the proportion
      of condensation water versus sweat to dripping water of test persons we conducted
      sauna experiments using isotopically labelled (delta(18)O and delta(2)H) thrown
      water as tracer. This allows differentiating between 'pure sweat' and
      'condensation water'. Two ways of isotope mass balance calculations were applied
      and yielded similar results for both water isotopes. Accordingly, condensation
      contributed considerably to dripping water with mean proportions of 52 +/- 12 and
      54 +/- 7% in a sauna experiment in winter semester 2011/12 and 30 +/- 13 and 33
      +/- 6% in a sauna experiment in winter semester 2012/13, respectively, depending
      on the way of calculating the isotope mass balance. It can be concluded from the
      results of our dual isotope labelling sauna experiment that it is not all about
      sweat in the sauna.

PMID- 26110630
TI  - Direct and Indirect Influence of Non-Native Neighbours on Pollination and Fruit
      Production of a Native Plant.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Entomophilous non-native plants can directly affect the pollination
      and reproductive success of native plant species and also indirectly, by altering
      the composition and abundance of floral resources in the invaded community.
      Separating direct from indirect effects is critical for understanding the
      mechanisms underlying the impacts of non-native species on recipient communities.
      OBJECTIVES: Our aims are: (a) to explore both the direct effect of the non-native
      Hedysarum coronarium and its indirect effect, mediated by the alteration of
      floral diversity, on the pollinator visitation rate and fructification of the
      native Leopoldia comosa and (b) to distinguish whether the effects of the non
      native species were due to its floral display or to its vegetative interactions.
      METHODS: We conducted field observations within a flower removal experimental
      setup (i.e. non-native species present, absent and with its inflorescences
      removed) at the neighbourhood scale. RESULTS: Our study illustrates the
      complexity of mechanisms involved in the impacts of non-native species on native
      species. Overall, Hedysarum increased pollinator visitation rates to Leopoldia
      target plants as a result of direct and indirect effects acting in the same
      direction. Due to its floral display, Hedysarum exerted a direct magnet effect
      attracting visits to native target plants, especially those made by the honeybee.
      Indirectly, Hedysarum also increased the visitation rate of native target plants.
      Due to the competition for resources mediated by its vegetative parts, it
      decreased floral diversity in the neighbourhoods, which was negatively related to
      the visitation rate to native target plants. Hedysarum overall also increased the
      fructification of Leopoldia target plants, even though such an increase was the
      result of other indirect effects compensating for the observed negative indirect
      effect mediated by the decrease of floral diversity.

PMID- 26110631
TI  - Instrument Psychometrics: Parental Satisfaction and Quality Indicators of
      Perinatal Palliative Care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite a life-limiting fetal diagnosis, prenatal attachment often
      occurs in varying degrees resulting in role identification by an individual as a
      parent. Parents recognize quality care and report their satisfaction when
      interfacing with health care providers. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to test an
      instrument measuring parental satisfaction and quality indicators with parents
      electing to continue a pregnancy after learning of a life-limiting fetal
      diagnosis. METHODS: A cross sectional survey design gathered data using a
      computer-mediated platform. Subjects were parents (n=405) who opted to continue a
      pregnancy affected by a life-limiting diagnosis. Factor analysis using principal
      component analysis with Varimax rotation was used to validate the instrument,
      evaluate components, and summarize the explained variance achieved among quality
      indicator items. The Prenatal Scale was reduced to 37 items with a three
      component solution explaining 66.19% of the variance and internal consistency
      reliability of 0.98. The Intrapartum Scale included 37 items with a four
      component solution explaining 66.93% of the variance and a Cronbach alpha of
      0.977. The Postnatal Scale was reduced to 44 items with a six-component solution
      explaining 67.48% of the variance. Internal consistency reliability was 0.975.
      RESULTS: The Parental Satisfaction and Quality Indicators of Perinatal Palliative
      Care Instrument is a valid and reliable measure for parent-reported quality care
      and satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Use of this instrument will enable clinicians and
      researchers to measure quality indicators and parental satisfaction. The
      instrument is useful for assessing, analyzing, and reporting data on quality for
      care delivered during the prenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal periods.

PMID- 26110632
TI  - Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer and Ganglion Cell-Inner Plexiform Layers
      Thickness in Ankylosing Spondylitis.

PMID- 26110633
TI  - Predictors of Monomicrobial Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy is critical in the management of
      necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTI) in the emergency setting. Clindamycin
      often is included empirically to cover monomicrobial gram-positive pathogens but
      probably is of little value for polymicrobial infections and is associated with
      significant side effects, including the induction of Clostridium difficile
      colitis. However, there have been no studies predicting monomicrobial infections
      prior to obtaining cultures. The purpose of this study was to identify
      independent predictors of monomicrobial NSTI where the use of clindamycin would
      be most beneficial. We hypothesized that monomicrobial infections are
      characterized by involvement of the upper extremities and fewer co-morbid
      diseases. METHODS: We reviewed all cases of potential NSTI occurring between 1996
      and 2013 in a single tertiary-care center. The infection was diagnosed by the
      finding of rapidly progressing necrotic fascia during debridement with positive
      cultures of tissue. Univariable analysis was performed using the Student t-,
      Wilcoxon rank sum, chi2, and Fisher exact tests as appropriate. Multivariable
      logistic regression was used to identify independent variables associated with
      outcomes. RESULTS: A group of 151 patients with confirmed NSTI with complete data
      was used. Of the monomicrobial infections, 61.8% were caused by Group A
      streptococci, 20.1% by Staphylococcus aureus, and 12.7% by Escherichia coli. Of
      the polymicrobial infections, E. coli was involved 13.7% of the time, followed by
      Candida spp. at 12.9%, and Bacteroides fragilis at 11.3%. On univariable
      analysis, immunosuppression, upper extremity infection, and elevated serum sodium
      concentration were associated with monomicrobial infection, whereas morbid
      obesity and a perineal infection site were associated with polymicrobial
      infection. On multivariable analysis, the strongest predictor of monomicrobial
      infection was immunosuppression (odds ratio [OR] 7.0; 95% confidence interval
      [CI] 2.2-22.3) followed by initial serum sodium concentration (OR 1.1; 95% CI 1.0
      1.2). Morbid obesity (OR 0.1; 95% CI 0.0-0.5) and perineal infection (OR 0.3; 95%
      CI 0.1-0.8) were independently associated with polymicrobial infection.
      CONCLUSION: We identified independent risk factors that may be helpful in
      differentiating monomicrobial from polymicrobial NSTI. We suggest empiric
      clindamycin coverage be limited to patients who are immunosuppressed, have an
      elevated serum sodium concentration, or have upper extremity involvement and be
      avoided in obese patients or those with perineal disease.

PMID- 26110635
TI  - Investigation of Neuropathogenesis in HIV-1 Clade B and C Infection Associated
      with IL-33 and ST2 Regulation.
AB  - In present research work, for the first time, we demonstrate that
      neuropathogenesis in HIV-1 clade B and C infection is associated with IL-33 and
      ST2 dysregulation, that is, implication toward neuropathogenesis. It is known
      that neuropathogenesis of HIV infected individuals is clade dependent.
      Proinflammatory cytokines and related receptors play a significant role in the
      complex regulatory mechanisms of neuropathogenesis in HIV-1 infection. Among
      them, IL-33 is an inflammatory cytokine expressed in the central nervous system
      (CNS) and activates microglia cells and may affect neuroimmune inflammatory
      processes involved in HIV neuropathogenesis. Beside this, IL-33 receptor (ST2)
      plays a role in neuroinflammatory processes through the modulation of the
      biological action of IL-33. quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR), ELISA, Western
      blot (WB), and flow cytometry experiments were performed to elucidate the role of
      IL-33/ST2 in HIV neuropathogenesis in CNS cells. Apoptosis and mechanisms of IL
      33 in neuronal cells were studied using caspase-3 assay and RT-PCR. Results of
      the studies suggest that the infection in CNS cells with HIV-1 clade B resulted
      in higher levels of IL-33/ST2L expression compared to HIV-1 clade C infection.
      Furthermore, higher concentrations of IL-33 were associated with a decrease in
      myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C) expression, a transcription factor that
      regulates synaptic function, and an increase in apoptosis, NOD2, and SLC11A1 in
      clade B infection. This led to neuroinflammation which dysregulates synaptic
      function and apoptosis. These parameters are common in neuroAIDS provoked by HIV
      infection. 

PMID- 26110637
TI  - Correction: a systems biology approach identifies a regulatory network in parotid
      acinar cell terminal differentiation.

PMID- 26110636
TI  - Alpha-Amylase Activity in Blood Increases after Pharmacological, But Not
      Psychological, Activation of the Adrenergic System.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIM: Alpha-amylase in both blood and saliva has been used as a
      diagnostic parameter. While studies examining alpha-amylase activity in saliva
      have shown that it is sensitive to physiological and psychological challenge of
      the adrenergic system, no challenge studies have attempted to elucidate the role
      of the adrenergic system in alpha-amylase activity in blood. We set out to
      examine the impact of psychological and pharmacological challenge on alpha
      amylase in blood in two separate studies. METHODS: In study 1, healthy subjects
      were examined in a placebo-controlled, double-blind paradigm using yohimbine, an
      alpha2-adrenergic antagonist. In study 2, subjects were examined in a
      standardized rest-controlled psychosocial stress protocol. Alpha-amylase activity
      in blood was repeatedly measured in both studies. RESULTS: Results of study 1
      showed that alpha-amylase in blood is subject to stronger increases after
      injection of yohimbine compared to placebo. In study 2, results showed that there
      was no significant effect of psychological stress compared to rest. CONCLUSIONS:
      Alpha-amylase in blood increases after pharmacological activation of the
      adrenergic pathways suggesting that sympathetic receptors are responsible for
      these changes. Psychological stress, however, does not seem to have an impact on
      alpha-amylase in blood. Our findings provide insight into the mechanisms
      underlying activity changes in alpha-amylase in blood in healthy individuals.

PMID- 26110638
TI  - The Analysis of Pendolino (peo) Mutants Reveals Differences in the Fusigenic
      Potential among Drosophila Telomeres.
AB  - Drosophila telomeres are sequence-independent structures that are maintained by
      transposition to chromosome ends of three specialized retroelements (HeT-A, TART
      and TAHRE; collectively designated as HTT) rather than telomerase activity. Fly
      telomeres are protected by the terminin complex (HOAP-HipHop-Moi-Ver) that
      localizes and functions exclusively at telomeres and by non-terminin proteins
      that do not serve telomere-specific functions. Although all Drosophila telomeres
      terminate with HTT arrays and are capped by terminin, they differ in the type of
      subtelomeric chromatin; the Y, XR, and 4L HTT are juxtaposed to constitutive
      heterochromatin, while the XL, 2L, 2R, 3L and 3R HTT are linked to the TAS
      repetitive sequences; the 4R HTT is associated with a chromatin that has features
      common to both euchromatin and heterochromatin. Here we show that mutations in
      pendolino (peo) cause telomeric fusions (TFs). The analysis of several peo mutant
      combinations showed that these TFs preferentially involve the Y, XR and 4th
      chromosome telomeres, a TF pattern never observed in the other 10 telomere
      capping mutants so far characterized. peo encodes a non-terminin protein
      homologous to the E2 variant ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes. The Peo protein
      directly interacts with the terminin components, but peo mutations do not affect
      telomeric localization of HOAP, Moi, Ver and HP1a, suggesting that the peo
      dependent telomere fusion phenotype is not due to loss of terminin from
      chromosome ends. peo mutants are also defective in DNA replication and PCNA
      recruitment. However, our results suggest that general defects in DNA replication
      are unable to induce TFs in Drosophila cells. We thus hypothesize that DNA
      replication in Peo-depleted cells results in specific fusigenic lesions
      concentrated in heterochromatin-associated telomeres. Alternatively, it is
      possible that Peo plays a dual function being independently required for DNA
      replication and telomere capping. 

PMID- 26110639
TI  - Micro-economic impact of congenital heart surgery: results of a prospective study
      from a limited-resource setting.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The microeconomic impact of surgery for congenital heart disease is
      unexplored, particularly in resource limited environments. We sought to
      understand the direct and indirect costs related to congenital heart surgery and
      its impact on Indian households from a family perspective. METHODS: Baseline and
      first follow-up data of 644 consecutive children admitted for surgery for
      congenital heart disease (March 2013 - July 2014) in a tertiary referral hospital
      in Central Kerala, South India was collected prospectivelyfrom parents through
      questionnaires using a semi-structured interview schedule. RESULTS: The median
      age was 8.2 months (IQR: 3.0- 36.0 months). Most families belonged to upper
      middle (43.0%) and lower middle (35.7%) socioeconomic class. Only 3.9% of
      families had some form of health insurance. The median expense for the admission
      and surgery was INR 201898 (IQR: 163287-266139) [I$ 11989 (IQR: 9696-15804)],
      which was 0.93 (IQR: 0.52-1.49) times the annual family income of affected
      patients. Median loss of man-days was 35 (IQR: 24-50) and job-days was 15 (IQR:
      11-24). Surgical risk category and hospital stay duration significantly predicted
      higher costs. One in two families reported overwhelming to high financial stress
      during admission period for surgery. Approximately half of the families borrowed
      money during the follow up period after surgery. CONCLUSION: Surgery for
      congenital heart disease results in significant financial burden for majority of
      families studied. Efforts should be directed at further reductions in treatment
      costs without compromising the quality of care together with generating financial
      support for affected families.

PMID- 26110640
TI  - The effect of Nrf2 pathway activation on human pancreatic islet cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic islets are known to contain low level of antioxidants that
      renders them vulnerable to oxidative stress. Nrf2 is the master regulator of
      numerous genes, encoding antioxidant, detoxifying, and cytoprotective molecules.
      Activation of Nrf2 pathway induces up-regulation of numerous genes encoding
      antioxidant and phase II detoxifying enzymes and related proteins. However,
      little is known regarding the role of this pathway in human islet cells. The aim
      was to investigate the effect of Nrf2 activator (dh404, CDDO-9,11-dihydro
      trifluoroethyl amide) on human islet cells. METHODS: Human islets were obtained
      from cadaveric donors. After dh404 treatment, Nrf2 translocation, mRNA
      expression, and protein abundance of its key target gene products were examined.
      The proportion of dh404-treated or non-treated viable islet beta cells was
      analyzed using flowcytemetry. The cytoprotective effects against oxidative stress
      and production of inflammatory mediators, and in vivo islet function after
      transplantation were determined. RESULTS: Nrf2 nuclear translocation was
      confirmed by con-focal microscope within 2 hours after treatment, which was
      associated with a dose-dependent increase in mRNA expression of anti-oxidants,
      including NQO1, HO-1, and GCLC. Enhanced HO-1 expression in dh404 treated islets
      was confirmed by Western Blot assay. Islet function after transplantation (2000
      IEQ/mouse) to diabetic nude mice was not affected with or without dh404
      treatment. After induction of oxidative stress with hydrogen peroxide (200 MUM)
      the proportion of dh404-treated viable islet cells was significantly higher in
      the dh404-treated than untreated islets (74% vs.57%; P<0.05). Dh404 significantly
      decreased production of cytokines/chemokines including IL-1beta, IL-6, IFN-gamma
      and MCP-1. CONCLUSION: Treatment of human pancreatic islets with the potent
      synthetic Nrf2 activator, dh404, significantly increased expression of the key
      anti-oxidants enzymes, decreased inflammatory mediators in islets and conferred
      protection against oxidative stress in beta cells.

PMID- 26110641
TI  - Patience, persistence and pragmatism: experiences and lessons learnt from the
      implementation of clinically integrated teaching and learning of evidence-based
      health care - a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinically integrated teaching and learning are regarded as the best
      options for improving evidence-based healthcare (EBHC) knowledge, skills and
      attitudes. To inform implementation of such strategies, we assessed experiences
      and opinions on lessons learnt of those involved in such programmes. METHODS AND
      FINDINGS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 EBHC programme
      coordinators from around the world, selected through purposive sampling.
      Following data transcription, a multidisciplinary group of investigators carried
      out analysis and data interpretation, using thematic content analysis. Successful
      implementation of clinically integrated teaching and learning of EBHC takes much
      time. Student learning needs to start in pre-clinical years with consolidation,
      application and assessment following in clinical years. Learning is supported
      through partnerships between various types of staff including the core EBHC team,
      clinical lecturers and clinicians working in the clinical setting. While full
      integration of EBHC learning into all clinical rotations is considered necessary,
      this was not always achieved. Critical success factors were pragmatism and
      readiness to use opportunities for engagement and including EBHC learning in the
      curriculum; patience; and a critical mass of the right teachers who have EBHC
      knowledge and skills and are confident in facilitating learning. Role modelling
      of EBHC within the clinical setting emerged as an important facilitator. The
      institutional context exerts an important influence; with faculty buy-in,
      endorsement by institutional leaders, and an EBHC-friendly culture, together with
      a supportive community of practice, all acting as key enablers. The most common
      challenges identified were lack of teaching time within the clinical curriculum,
      misconceptions about EBHC, resistance of staff, lack of confidence of tutors,
      lack of time, and negative role modelling. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing clinically
      integrated EBHC curricula requires institutional support, a critical mass of the
      right teachers and role models in the clinical setting combined with patience,
      persistence and pragmatism on the part of teachers.

PMID- 26110642
TI  - Let-7 miRNAs Modulate the Activation of NF-kappaB by Targeting TNFAIP3 and Are
      Involved in the Pathogenesis of Lupus Nephritis.
AB  - TNFAIP3 is a ubiquitin-editing enzyme that negatively regulates multiple NF
      kappaB signaling pathways and dysregulation of TNFAIP3 is related to systemic
      lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although there exists evidence indicating that
      microRNAs (miRNAs) modulate the expression of TNFAIP3, whether and how miRNAs
      regulate TNFAIP3 and contribute to lupus nephritis (LN) is still not well
      understood. In this study, we screened eleven selected miRNAs that potentially
      regulated TNFAIP3 expression by dual luciferase assay and found that Let-7 miRNAs
      repressed TNFAIP3 expression by targeting the 3'UTR of TNFAIP3 mRNA.
      Overexpression of Let-7 miRNAs led to increased phosphorylation and sustained
      degradation of IkappaBalpha and enhanced phosphorylation of p65 following
      TNFalpha stimulation and promoted SeV-induced production of cytokines in HEK293T
      cells. In addition, the expression of Let-7 miRNAs was significantly up
      regulated, and TNFAIP3 level was remarkably down-regulated in samples from LN
      patients compared control samples. Our findings have uncovered Let-7-TNFAIP3-NF
      kappaB pathway that is involved in LN and thus provided a potential target for
      therapeutic intervention. 

PMID- 26110644
TI  - Time-resolved cell culture assay analyser (TReCCA Analyser) for the analysis of
      on-line data: data integration--sensor correction--time-resolved IC50
      determination.
AB  - Time-resolved cell culture assays circumvent the need to set arbitrary end-points
      and reveal the dynamics of quality controlled experiments. However, they lead to
      the generation of large data sets, which can represent a complexity barrier to
      their use. We therefore developed the Time-Resolved Cell Culture Assay (TReCCA)
      Analyser program to perform standard cell assay analyses efficiently and make
      sophisticated in-depth analyses easily available. The functions of the program
      include data normalising and averaging, as well as smoothing and slope
      calculation, pin-pointing exact change time points. A time-resolved IC50/EC50
      calculation provides a better understanding of drug toxicity over time and a more
      accurate drug to drug comparison. Finally the logarithmic sensor recalibration
      function, for sensors with an exponential calibration curve, homogenises the
      sensor output and enables the detection of low-scale changes. To illustrate the
      capabilities of the TReCCA Analyser, we performed on-line monitoring of dissolved
      oxygen in the culture media of the breast cancer cell line MCF-7 treated with
      different concentrations of the anti-cancer drug Cisplatin. The TReCCA Analyser
      is freely available at www.uni
      heidelberg.de/fakultaeten/biowissenschaften/ipmb/biologie/woelfl/Research.html.
      By introducing the program, we hope to encourage more systematic use of time
      resolved assays and lead researchers to fully exploit their data. 

PMID- 26110645
TI  - The Curious Road from Basic Pathogen Research to Clinical Translation.

PMID- 26110643
TI  - Protein-Trap Insertional Mutagenesis Uncovers New Genes Involved in Zebrafish
      Skin Development, Including a Neuregulin 2a-Based ErbB Signaling Pathway Required
      during Median Fin Fold Morphogenesis.
AB  - Skin disorders are widespread, but available treatments are limited. A more
      comprehensive understanding of skin development mechanisms will drive
      identification of new treatment targets and modalities. Here we report the
      Zebrafish Integument Project (ZIP), an expression-driven platform for identifying
      new skin genes and phenotypes in the vertebrate model Danio rerio (zebrafish). In
      vivo selection for skin-specific expression of gene-break transposon (GBT) mutant
      lines identified eleven new, revertible GBT alleles of genes involved in skin
      development. Eight genes--fras1, grip1, hmcn1, msxc, col4a4, ahnak, capn12, and
      nrg2a--had been described in an integumentary context to varying degrees, while
      arhgef25b, fkbp10b, and megf6a emerged as novel skin genes. Embryos homozygous
      for a GBT insertion within neuregulin 2a (nrg2a) revealed a novel requirement for
      a Neuregulin 2a (Nrg2a)-ErbB2/3-AKT signaling pathway governing the apicobasal
      organization of a subset of epidermal cells during median fin fold (MFF)
      morphogenesis. In nrg2a mutant larvae, the basal keratinocytes within the apical
      MFF, known as ridge cells, displayed reduced pAKT levels as well as reduced
      apical domains and exaggerated basolateral domains. Those defects compromised
      proper ridge cell elongation into a flattened epithelial morphology, resulting in
      thickened MFF edges. Pharmacological inhibition verified that Nrg2a signals
      through the ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase network. Moreover, knockdown of the
      epithelial polarity regulator and tumor suppressor lgl2 ameliorated the nrg2a
      mutant phenotype. Identifying Lgl2 as an antagonist of Nrg2a-ErbB signaling
      revealed a significantly earlier role for Lgl2 during epidermal morphogenesis
      than has been described to date. Furthermore, our findings demonstrated that
      successive, coordinated ridge cell shape changes drive apical MFF development,
      making MFF ridge cells a valuable model for investigating how the coordinated
      regulation of cell polarity and cell shape changes serves as a crucial mechanism
      of epithelial morphogenesis.

PMID- 26110646
TI  - Cardiac engraftment of genetically-selected parthenogenetic stem cell-derived
      cardiomyocytes.
AB  - Parthenogenetic stem cells (PSCs) are a promising candidate donor for cell
      therapy applications. Similar to embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced
      pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), PSCs exhibit self-renewing capacity and
      clonogenic proliferation in vitro. PSCs exhibit largely haploidentical genotype,
      and as such may constitute an attractive population for allogenic applications.
      In this study, PSCs isolated from transgenic mice carrying a cardiomyocyte
      restricted reporter transgene to permit tracking of donor cells were genetically
      modified to carry a cardiomyocyte-restricted aminoglycoside phosphotransferase
      expression cassette (MHC-neor/pGK-hygror) to permit the generation of highly
      enriched cardiomyocyte cultures from spontaneously differentiating PSCs by simple
      selection with the neomycin analogue G148. Following engraftment into isogenic
      recipient hearts, the selected cardiomyocytes formed a functional syncytium with
      the host myocardium as evidenced by the presence of entrained intracellular
      calcium transients. These cells thus constitute a potential source of therapeutic
      donor cells. 

PMID- 26110648
TI  - The Patterns of Coevolution in Clade B HIV Envelope's N-Glycosylation Sites.
AB  - The co-evolution of the potential N-glycosylation sites of HIV Clade B gp120 was
      mapped onto the coevolution network of the protein structure using mean field
      direct coupling analysis (mfDCA). This was possible for 327 positions with
      suitable entropy and gap content. Indications of pressure to preserve the
      evolving glycan shield are seen as well as strong dependencies between the
      majority of the potential N-glycosylation sites and the rest of the structure.
      These findings indicate that although mainly an adaptation against antibody
      neutralization, the evolving glycan shield is structurally related to the core
      polypeptide, which, thus, is also under pressure to reflect the changes in the N
      glycosylation. The map we propose fills the gap in previous attempts to tease out
      sequon evolution by providing a more general molecular context. Thus, it will
      help design strategies guiding HIV gp120 evolution in a rational way. 

PMID- 26110647
TI  - TRPM4 Is a Novel Component of the Adhesome Required for Focal Adhesion
      Disassembly, Migration and Contractility.
AB  - Cellular migration and contractility are fundamental processes that are regulated
      by a variety of concerted mechanisms such as cytoskeleton rearrangements, focal
      adhesion turnover, and Ca2+ oscillations. TRPM4 is a Ca2+-activated non-selective
      cationic channel (Ca2+-NSCC) that conducts monovalent but not divalent cations.
      Here, we used a mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach to identify putative
      TRPM4-associated proteins. Interestingly, the largest group of these proteins has
      actin cytoskeleton-related functions, and among these nine are specifically
      annotated as focal adhesion-related proteins. Consistent with these results, we
      found that TRPM4 localizes to focal adhesions in cells from different cellular
      lineages. We show that suppression of TRPM4 in MEFs impacts turnover of focal
      adhesions, serum-induced Ca2+ influx, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Rac
      activities, and results in reduced cellular spreading, migration and contractile
      behavior. Finally, we demonstrate that the inhibition of TRPM4 activity alters
      cellular contractility in vivo, affecting cutaneous wound healing. Together,
      these findings provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, for a TRP channel
      specifically localized to focal adhesions, where it performs a central role in
      modulating cellular migration and contractility. 

PMID- 26110649
TI  - Genome Analysis of the First Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR) Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis in Malaysia Provides Insights into the Genetic Basis of Its Biology
      and Drug Resistance.
AB  - The outbreak of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) has become an
      increasing problem in many TB-burdened countries. The underlying drug resistance
      mechanisms, including the genetic variation favored by selective pressure in the
      resistant population, are partially understood. Recently, the first case of XDR
      TB was reported in Malaysia. However, the detailed genotype family and mechanisms
      of the formation of multiple drugs resistance are unknown. We sequenced the whole
      genome of the UM 1072388579 strain with a 2-kb insert-size library and combined
      with that from previously sequenced 500-bp-insert paired-end reads to produce an
      improved sequence with maximal sequencing coverage across the genome. In silico
      spoligotyping and phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that UM 1072388579 strain
      belongs to an ancestral-like, non-Beijing clade of East Asia lineage. This is
      supported by the presence of a number of lineage-specific markers, including
      fadD28, embA, nuoD and pks7. Polymorphism analysis showed that the drug
      susceptibility profile is correlated with the pattern of resistance mutations.
      Mutations in drug-efflux pumps and the cell wall biogenesis pathway such as mmpL,
      pks and fadD genes may play an important role in survival and adaptation of this
      strain to its surrounding environment. In this work, fifty-seven putative
      promoter SNPs were identified. Among them, we identified a novel SNP located at 
      4 T allele of TetR/acrR promoter as an informative marker to recognize strains of
      East Asian lineage. Our work indicates that the UM 1072388579 harbors both
      classical and uncommon SNPs that allow it to escape from inhibition by many
      antibiotics. This study provides a strong foundation to dissect the biology and
      underlying resistance mechanisms of the first reported XDR M. tuberculosis in
      Malaysia. 

PMID- 26110650
TI  - Quality of Co-Prescribing NSAID and Gastroprotective Medications for Elders in
      The Netherlands and Its Association with the Electronic Medical Record.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess guideline adherence of co-prescribing NSAID and
      gastroprotective medications for elders in general practice over time, and
      investigate its potential association with the electronic medical record (EMR)
      system brand used. METHODS: We included patients 65 years and older who received
      NSAIDs between 2005 and 2010. Prescription data were extracted from EMR systems
      of GP practices participating in the Dutch NIVEL Primary Care Database. We
      calculated the proportion of NSAID prescriptions with co-prescription of
      gastroprotective medication for each GP practice at intervals of three months.
      Association between proportion of gastroprotection, brand of electronic medical
      record (EMR), and type of GP practice were explored. Temporal trends in
      proportion of gastroprotection between electronic medical records systems were
      analyzed using a random effects linear regression model. RESULTS: We included
      91,521 patient visits with NSAID prescriptions from 77 general practices between
      2005 and 2010. Overall proportion of NSAID prescriptions to the elderly with co
      prescription of gastroprotective medication was 43%. Mean proportion of
      gastroprotection increased from 27% (CI 25-29%) in the first quarter of 2005 with
      a rate of 1.2% every 3 months to 55%(CI 52-58%) at the end of 2010. Brand of EMR
      and type of GP practice were independently associated with co-prescription of
      gastroprotection. CONCLUSION: Although prescription of gastroprotective
      medications to elderly patients who receive NSAIDs increased in The Netherlands,
      they are not co-prescribed in about half of the indicated cases. Brand of EMR
      system is associated with differences in prescription of gastroprotective
      medication. Optimal design and utilization of EMRs is a potential area of
      intervention to improve quality of prescription.

PMID- 26110652
TI  - Cancer survivors in the first year after treatment: the prevalence and correlates
      of unmet needs in different domains.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore cancer survivors' unmet needs in the first year after
      primary treatment, and to investigate the relationship between demographic,
      disease-related, and psychosocial characteristics and the number of unmet needs
      in different domains. METHODS: Cancer survivors were recruited through eight
      Dutch hospitals (November 2012-January 2013). In a cross-sectional survey, 255
      survivors were asked about unmet needs across several domains (CaSUN) and
      demographic, disease-related, and psychosocial characteristics, comprising
      quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30), psychological distress (HADS), mental adjustment
      (MAC), and problem solving (SPSI-R:S). RESULTS: Sixty-three percent of survivors
      reported one or more unmet needs (M = 5.13, SD = 6.98, range = 0-34). Common
      unmet needs concerned emotional support (31.3%), smoking cessation (26.7% of
      smokers), managing side effects/complications (25.9%), fear of recurrence
      (23.0%), cancer care (22.0%), social support (22.0%), up-to-date information
      (19.8%), and carrying out work (19.6%). Regression analysis showed that age,
      higher education, participation in support programs, anxiety, depression, and
      negative adjustment style correlated positively, while being female, time since
      last treatment, and quality of life correlated negatively with the number of
      unmet needs. Lower number of unmet needs also accounted for other types of cancer
      (except colon cancer) than breast cancer. These relationships differed per need
      domain. CONCLUSIONS: The heterogeneity in unmet needs complicates the provision
      of adequate support for survivors.

PMID- 26110651
TI  - Enrichment of the Cancer Stem Phenotype in Sphere Cultures of Prostate Cancer
      Cell Lines Occurs through Activation of Developmental Pathways Mediated by the
      Transcriptional Regulator DeltaNp63alpha.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells (CSC) drive prostate cancer tumor survival and
      metastasis. Nevertheless, the development of specific therapies against CSCs is
      hindered by the scarcity of these cells in prostate tissues. Suspension culture
      systems have been reported to enrich CSCs in primary cultures and cell lines.
      However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been fully
      explored. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We describe a prostasphere assay for
      the enrichment of CD133+ CSCs in four commercial PCa cell lines: 22Rv1, DU145,
      LNCaP, and PC3. Overexpression of CD133, as determined by flow cytometric
      analysis, correlated with an increased clonogenic, chemoresistant, and invasive
      potential in vitro. This phenotype is concordant to that of CSCs in vivo. Gene
      expression profiling was then carried out using the Cancer Reference panel and
      the nCounter system from NanoString Technologies. This analysis revealed several
      upregulated transcripts that can be further explored as potential diagnostic
      markers or therapeutic targets. Furthermore, functional annotation analysis
      suggests that DeltaNp63alpha modulates the activation of developmental pathways
      responsible for the increased stem identity of cells growing in suspension
      cultures. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that profiling the genetic
      mechanisms involved in CSC enrichment will help us to better understand the
      molecular pathways that underlie CSC pathophysiology. This platform can be
      readily adapted to enrich and assay actual patient samples, in order to design
      patient-specific therapies that are aimed particularly against CSCs.

PMID- 26110653
TI  - Sequential Anion and Cation Exchange Reactions for Complete Material
      Transformations of Nanoparticles with Morphological Retention.
AB  - Ion exchange reactions of colloidal nanocrystals provide access to complex
      products that are synthetically challenging using traditional hot-injection
      methods. However, such reactions typically achieve only partial material
      transformations by employing either cation or anion exchange processes. It is now
      shown that anion and cation exchange reactions can be coupled together and
      applied sequentially in one integrated pathway that leads to complete material
      transformations of nanocrystal templates. Although the product nanocrystals do
      not contain any of the original constituent elements, the original morphology is
      retained, thereby fully decoupling morphology and composition control. The
      sequential anion/cation exchange process was applied to pseudo-spherical CdO
      nanocrystals and ZnO tetrapods, producing fully transformed and shape-controlled
      nanocrystals of copper and silver sulfides and selenides. Furthermore, hollow
      core-shell tetrapod ZnS@CdS heterostructures were readily accessible. 

PMID- 26110654
TI  - Extracts of Feijoa Inhibit Toll-Like Receptor 2 Signaling and Activate Autophagy
      Implicating a Role in Dietary Control of IBD.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a heterogeneous chronic
      inflammatory disease affecting the gut with limited treatment success for its
      sufferers. This suggests the need for better understanding of the different
      subtypes of the disease as well as nutritional interventions to compliment
      current treatments. In this study we assess the ability of a hydrophilic feijoa
      fraction (F3) to modulate autophagy a process known to regulate inflammation, via
      TLR2 using IBD cell lines. METHOD: Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) deleted for
      ATG5, and two intestinal epithelial cells HCT15 and HCT116, were used to test the
      anti-inflammatory effect of F3 after stimulating the cells with a TLR2 specific
      ligand PAM3CSK4. RESULTS: F3 was able to reduce TLR2 specific inflammation and
      stimulate autophagy in MEFs and HCT15 cells but not in HCT116 cells. The anti
      inflammatory effect was reduced in the MEF cells deleted for ATG5. In addition,
      the activation of autophagy by F3 was enhanced by PAM3CSK4. CONCLUSION: F3 of
      feijoa can interact with cells via a TLR2 specific mechanism and reduce Nuclear
      factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) activation in part due to stimulation of autophagy.
      These results suggest that there is potential benefit in using feijoa extracts as
      part of dietary interventions to manage IBD in patients.

PMID- 26110655
TI  - Modelling the mechanoreceptor's dynamic behaviour.
AB  - All sensory receptors adapt, i.e. they constantly adjust their sensitivity to
      external stimuli to match the current demands of the natural environment.
      Electrophysiological responses of sensory receptors from widely different
      modalities seem to exhibit common features related to adaptation, and these
      features can be used to examine the underlying sensory transduction mechanisms.
      Among the principal senses, mechanosensation remains the least understood at the
      cellular level. To gain greater insights into mechanosensory signalling, we
      investigated if mechanosensation displayed adaptive dynamics that could be
      explained by similar biophysical mechanisms in other sensory modalities. To do
      this, we adapted a fly photoreceptor model to describe the primary transduction
      process for a stretch-sensitive mechanoreceptor, taking into account the
      viscoelastic properties of the accessory muscle fibres and the biophysical
      properties of known mechanosensitive channels (MSCs). The model's output is in
      remarkable agreement with the electrical properties of a primary ending in an
      isolated decapsulated spindle; ramp-and-hold stretch evokes a characteristic
      pattern of potential change, consisting of a large dynamic depolarization during
      the ramp phase and a smaller static depolarization during the hold phase. The
      initial dynamic component is likely to be caused by a combination of the
      mechanical properties of the muscle fibres and a refractory state in the MSCs.
      Consistent with the literature, the current model predicts that the dynamic
      component is due to a rapid stress increase during the ramp. More novel
      predictions from the model are the mechanisms to explain the initial peak in the
      dynamic component. At the onset of the ramp, all MSCs are sensitive to external
      stimuli, but as they become refractory (inactivated), fewer MSCs are able to
      respond to the continuous stretch, causing a sharp decrease after the peak
      response. The same mechanism could contribute a faster component in the 'sensory
      habituation' of mechanoreceptors, in which a receptor responds more strongly to
      the first stimulus episode during repetitive stimulation. 

PMID- 26110656
TI  - DMSO/I2 mediated C-C bond cleavage of alpha-ketoaldehydes followed by C-O bond
      formation: a metal-free approach for one-pot esterification.
AB  - A novel and efficient I2/DMSO mediated metal-free strategy is presented for the
      direct C-C bond cleavage of aryl-/heteroaryl- or aliphatic alpha-ketoaldehydes by
      C2-decarbonylation and C1-carbonyl oxidation to give the corresponding carboxylic
      acids followed by esterification in one pot, offering excellent yields in both
      the steps. Here, DMSO acts as the oxygen source/oxidant and this reaction works
      very well under both conventional heating and microwave irradiation. This is a
      very simple and convenient protocol. 

PMID- 26110657
TI  - Correction: Tyrosine Hydroxylase Is Short-Term Regulated by the Ubiquitin
      Proteasome System in PC12 Cells and Hypothalamic and Brainstem Neurons from
      Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats: Possible Implications in Hypertension.

PMID- 26110658
TI  - Diagnosis and Treatment of Autoimmune Pancreatitis in China: A Systematic Review.
AB  - AIMS: To provide comprehensive data on the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune
      pancreatitis (AIP) patients in China. DESIGN: A systematic review. METHODS: All
      clinical studies concerning AIP from China published between January 2006 and
      June 2014 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 26
      original articles involving 706 AIP patients were included with an estimated
      proportion of type 2 AIP as 4.7%. In the 706 AIP patients, the range of
      mean/median age was 48.6-67.0 years old and the male to female ratio was 4.47:1.
      The common presentations included obstructive jaundice (pooled rate: 63.4%,
      95%CI: 55.4%-71.0%) and abdominal symptoms (pooled rate: 62.3%, 95%CI: 52.4%
      71.7%). Biliary involvement was the most common extrapancreatic manifestations,
      especially the lower part of the common bile duct (pooled rate: 62.3%, 95%CI:
      49.9%-73.9%). According to the imaging examinations, 53.8% and 41.6% patients
      were classified into focal-type and diffuse-type, respectively. Notably, upstream
      pancreatic duct dilatation was found in parts of patients (pooled rate: 13.8%,
      95%CI: 6.6%-23.1%). The levels of serum IgG4 were elevated in most patients
      (pooled rate: 86.0%, 95%CI: 74.2%-94.6%). Nearly three tenths AIP patients
      received surgery (pooled rate: 29.7%, 95%CI: 18.1%-42.8%) due to mimicked
      malignancy. Steroid treatment was given to 78.4% patients (95%CI: 65.3%-89.1%)
      with a pooled remission rate of 96.2% (95%CI: 94.0%-97.9%). The pooled relapse
      rate was 13.8% (95%CI: 7.2%-22.0%) with the mean follow-up time ranging from 12
      to 45 months. CONCLUSION: Type 1 is the predominant type of Chinese AIP patients
      and the clinical features, diagnostic modalities and therapeutic regimen were
      similar with those in other countries. Knowledge of AIP should be more widespread
      to avoid unnecessary surgery.

PMID- 26110659
TI  - Epigenetic Aging Signatures Are Coherently Modified in Cancer.
AB  - Aging is associated with highly reproducible DNA methylation (DNAm) changes,
      which may contribute to higher prevalence of malignant diseases in the elderly.
      In this study, we analyzed epigenetic aging signatures in 5,621 DNAm profiles of
      25 cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Overall, age-associated DNAm
      patterns hardly reflect chronological age of cancer patients, but they are
      coherently modified in a non-stochastic manner, particularly at CpGs that become
      hypermethylated upon aging in non-malignant tissues. This coordinated regulation
      in epigenetic aging signatures can therefore be used for aberrant epigenetic age
      predictions, which facilitate disease stratification. For example, in acute
      myeloid leukemia (AML) higher epigenetic age-predictions are associated with
      increased incidence of mutations in RUNX1, WT1, and IDH2, whereas mutations in
      TET2, TP53, and PML-PARA translocation are more frequent in younger age
      predictions. Furthermore, epigenetic aging signatures correlate with overall
      survival in several types of cancer (such as lower grade glioma, glioblastoma
      multiforme, esophageal carcinoma, chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, cutaneous
      melanoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma, and neuroendocrine neoplasms). In
      conclusion, age-associated DNAm patterns in cancer are not related to
      chronological age of the patient, but they are coordinately regulated,
      particularly at CpGs that become hypermethylated in normal aging. Furthermore,
      the apparent epigenetic age-predictions correlate with clinical parameters and
      overall survival in several types of cancer, indicating that regulation of DNAm
      patterns in age-associated CpGs is relevant for cancer development. 

PMID- 26110661
TI  - Surgical Treatment of Congenital Scoliosis Associated With Tethered Cord by
      Thoracic Spine-shortening Osteotomy Without Cord Detethering.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and
      efficacy of spine-shortening osteotomy for congenital scoliosis with tethered
      cord. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Conventional surgery for congenital scoliosis
      associated with tethered cord risks the complications of detethering. Spine
      shortening osteotomy holds the potential to correct scoliosis and decrease spinal
      cord tension simultaneously without an extra detethering procedure, but no data
      on this issue is available. METHODS: 21 patients (14 females and 7 males, average
      age 15.4 yr) underwent spine-shortening osteotomy without detethering. All of the
      patients had tethered cord. Patients with main curve more than 90 degrees 
      underwent vertebral column resection (VCR), whereas the others had pedicle
      subtraction osteotomy (PSO) performed. The average postoperative follow-up period
      was 45.2 months. RESULTS: The mean operation time was 544.5 min with average
      blood loss of 2769.1 ml. The deformity correction was 61.3% in the coronal plane
      and 43.9 degrees  in the sagittal plane. 10 patients had neurological deficits
      preoperatively. At the final follow-up, the deficits in 8 (80%) patients were
      significantly improved, whereas 2 (20%) remained unchanged. At final follow-up,
      71.4% (5/7) patients reported improvement in motor function, 100% (3/3) had
      improved pain scores, and 75% (3/4) reported better sensory function after the
      spine-shortening osteotomy. Urinary dysfunction and bowel incontinence present
      preoperatively in 3 patients all recovered by final follow-up. 5 (23.8%) patients
      incurred complications including temporary neurological deterioration in 1
      patient, urinary tract infection in 2 patients, cerebrospinal fluid leakage in 1
      patient, and blood loss more than 5000 ml in 1 patient. CONCLUSION: Spine
      shortening osteotomy is a safe and effective procedure for congenital scoliosis
      associated with tethered cord. Spine-shortening osteotomy at the thoracic apical
      vertebrae level not only corrects the spine deformity but also simultaneously
      releases the tension of the tethered cord, resulting in improved neurologic
      function.

PMID- 26110660
TI  - Characterization of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae with High Rate of
      Autochthonous Transmission in the Arabian Peninsula.
AB  - To establish the role of local transmission versus possible pathogen import due
      to previous foreign exposure in infections caused by carbapenem non-susceptible
      Enterobacteriaceae in the Arabian Peninsula, 200 independent isolates collected
      in 16 hospitals of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates were
      studied. All strains were multidrug resistant; 42.5% of them also qualified as
      extremely drug resistant. The frequency of various carbapenemases varied
      according to the participating countries, but in the collection, as a whole,
      blaNDM-1 was the most frequently encountered carbapenemase gene (46.5%) followed
      by blaOXA-48-like gene (32.5%). A comparatively high rate (8.9%) of multi-clonal
      strains carrying both blaNDM and blaOXA-48-like genes in the United Arab
      Emirates, representing the most resistant subgroup, was encountered. No KPC
      expressing isolates were detected. Three major clones of blaNDM-1 carrying
      Klebsiella pneumoniae of ST152 (n = 22, Saudi Arabia), ST14 (n = 7, United Arab
      Emirates) and ST147 types (n = 9, Oman) were identified, the latter two clones
      carrying similar, but not identical HI1b incompatibility type plasmids of >170
      kb. While from 78.6% of the cases with documented foreign hospitalization blaNDM
      positive strains were isolated, these strains formed only 25.6% of all the
      isolates expressing this enzyme. In fact, 56.8% of the NDM, 75.7% of OXA-48-like
      and 90.9% of VIM positive strains were recovered from patients without documented
      foreign exposure, neither in the form of travel or prior hospitalization abroad,
      suggesting a high rate of autochthonous infections. This, considering the
      extensive links of these countries to the rest of the world, predicts that trends
      in the local epidemiology of carbapenem resistant strains may increasingly affect
      the spread of these pathogens on the global scale. These results call for
      improved surveillance of carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae in the countries
      of the Arabian Peninsula.

PMID- 26110662
TI  - A replication study for association of 53 single nucleotide polymorphisms in
      ScoliScore test with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in French-Canadian
      population by Tang et al.

PMID- 26110663
TI  - Responsiveness and Interpretability of the Portuguese Version of the Neck
      Disability Index in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain Undergoing Physiotherapy.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cohort study with a 7-week follow-up of 113 patients
      with chronic neck pain undergoing physiotherapy. OBJECTIVE: To examine the
      responsiveness of the Portuguese Version of the Neck Disability Index (NDI-PT),
      and to determine the minimal clinically important difference (MCID), minimal
      detectable change (MDC), and floor/ceiling effects. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA:
      Studies that determine MDC and MCID are needed to provide more accurate outcome
      evaluation and critically assess potential relevant sources for differences in
      the minimal important change values for the NDI. METHODS: The NDI-PT was
      administered twice: at the baseline and after 7 weeks of physiotherapy treatment.
      A Global Transition Scale was used as an external criterion measure to
      distinguish between improved and nonimproved patients' scores between baseline
      and follow-up. The responsiveness of the NDI-PT was assessed through anchor-based
      methods (correlation coefficient and receiver operating characteristics curves
      ROC curves). The MCID was estimated by the ROC curve method, and the MDC through
      the standard Error of Measurement (SEM). RESULTS: The NDI-PT revealed moderate
      responsiveness when applied to patients with chronic neck pain undergoing
      physiotherapy (rho = 0.328 and area under the curve of 0.595, 95% confidence
      interval: 0.484-0.706). The MDC achieved 12 points, whereas the MCID was found to
      be 5.5 points. A complementary ROC analysis based on percentage differences in
      NDI-PT scores from baseline revealed an optimal cutoff point of 27%. The optimal
      cutoff point was found to be dependent of disability baseline scores. CONCLUSION:
      The NDI-PT demonstrated moderate levels of responsiveness. The amount of change
      in questionnaire scores perceived by the patient to be meaningful is smaller than
      the amount of change required to be statistically 95% confident that score change
      is not just measurement error. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.

PMID- 26110664
TI  - Overall Similar Infection Rates Reported in the Physician-reported Scoliosis
      Research Society Database and the Chart-abstracted American College of Surgeons
      National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To compare the
      infection rates in the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) morbidity and mortality
      database to those in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality
      Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Surgical
      databases have demonstrated value in orthopaedic surgery. However, few studies in
      the literature have used the SRS database relative to other available databases.
      To validate the surgeon-reported data of the SRS database, we compared the rate
      of postoperative infection in this database to that in the chart-abstracted ACS
      NSQIP database. METHODS: International Classification of Disease, ninth revision
      (ICD-9) codes were used to group patients from the 2012 and 2013 ACS-NSQIP
      database into groups corresponding to spinal deformity diagnoses delineated by
      SRS. Postoperative infection rates after surgical correction of these deformities
      compared with those reported in the 2012 and 2013 SRS database using chi tests.
      RESULTS: The overall rate of acute postoperative infection was slightly lower in
      the SRS database than in the ACS-NSQIP database (1.21% compared to 2.05% in ACS
      NSQIP, a difference of only 0.84%, statistically significant, P < 0.001).The
      infection rates of most diagnoses did not differ; these included scoliosis
      (idiopathic <10 yr of age/congenital/neuromuscular/other scoliosis),
      spondylolisthesis (isthmic/dysplastic), and kyphosis (congenital and other). The
      only differences noted were in Scheuermann kyphosis (difference of 5.49%, P =
      0.003), degenerative spondylolithesis (difference of 0.69%, P = 0.003), and
      idiopathic scoliosis in the age 10 to18 yr and adult age ranges (differences of
      1.10% and 1.28%, P < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSION: Although some statistical
      differences were found in infection rates between the surgeon-reported SRS
      database and the chart-abstracted ACS-NSQIP database, these small differences
      likely reflect differences in surgical cases and data collection methods. This
      finding supports the validity of the surgeon-reported SRS morbidity and morality
      database. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

PMID- 26110665
TI  - Thoracic Hemangioma From Rib Presenting as Compressive Paraparesis in a Young
      Adult: A Treatment Dilemma.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A case report. OBJECTIVE: To describe the presentation of
      compressive paraparesis as a result of thoracic rib hemangioma in a young adult
      and its nonsurgical management. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Hemangiomas are rare
      bone tumors and those arising from rib are rarer. Only about 50 such cases have
      been reported in literature so far. METHODS: A 21-year-old male student,
      presented to us with a 6-week history of progressive weakness in both lower limbs
      and loss of bowel bladder control. Patient gave history of being operated for
      left periscapular tumor treated with wide excision and proven with biopsy to be a
      hemangioendothelioma (benign but locally aggressive hemangioma variant) a year
      ago. RESULTS: New radiograph of the chest showed an expansile lesion of left
      fifth rib and magnetic resonance image showed a tumor of left dorsal thoracic
      wall with AV malformation causing compressive thoracic myelopathy at T5 level
      vertebrae. We planned for immediate decompression surgery for spine along with
      excision of tumor with the help of a thoracic surgeon. However, on preoperative
      digital subtraction angiography, the tumor was found to be highly vascular with
      high risk of intraoperative bleeding and morbidity. So, the plan was revised and
      the patient underwent digital subtraction angiography, followed by embolization
      by an expert interventional neurosurgeon. The patient showed signs of recovery
      within a week. Lower limb power improved from grade 2 to 3/5 to grade 4 to 4+/5.
      The patient became ambulatory with single stick at 3-month follow-up; he was a
      nonwalker to start with. At 2 years plus follow-up, the patient fully recovered
      and walks without stick. CONCLUSION: This unique case brings to light the dilemma
      a spine surgeon sometimes faces. A case that warranted immediate surgical
      intervention based on clinical findings was treated with interventional fibrin
      glue embolizations with excellent results. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.

PMID- 26110666
TI  - Determining Organ Doses from CT with Direct Measurements in Postmortem Subjects:
      Part 2--Correlations with Patient-specific Parameters.
AB  - PURPOSE: To generate empirical sets of equations that can be used to calculate
      patient-specific organ doses resulting from a group of computed tomographic (CT)
      studies by using data from direct dose measurements performed within a human
      body. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Organ dose measurements were obtained in eight
      postmortem female subjects. A chest-abdomen-pelvis protocol was used for this
      study. The relationships among measured organ doses, body mass index, effective
      diameter (D(eff)), and volume CT dose index (CTDI(vol)) were investigated. Organ
      dose equations were developed by means of linear regression from organ dose data,
      with CTDI(vol) and D(eff) as variables, by using Pearson correlation coefficients
      and P values to determine correlation strength of fit. Measured organ doses were
      compared with corresponding size-specific dose estimates (SSDEs). RESULTS: The
      central-section D(eff) presented similar correlations with organ doses to those
      from D(eff) measured at specific organ locations. The strongest correlations were
      observed between the central-section D(eff) and CTDI(vol)-normalized organ doses
      (R(2): 0.478-0.941). The average of measured organ doses for each subject
      resulted in an average difference of only 5% from SSDE-calculated doses; however,
      individual organ doses differed from +31% to -61% from the calculated SSDE.
      CONCLUSION: The organ dose equations developed represent a method for organ dose
      estimation from direct organ dose measurements that can estimate organ doses more
      accurately than the calculated SSDE, which provides a less-specific patient dose
      estimate.

PMID- 26110667
TI  - MR Imaging as an Additional Screening Modality for the Detection of Breast Cancer
      in Women Aged 50-75 Years with Extremely Dense Breasts: The DENSE Trial Study
      Design.
AB  - Women with extremely dense breasts have an increased risk of breast cancer and
      lower mammographic tumor detectability. Nevertheless, in most countries, these
      women are currently screened with mammography only. Magnetic resonance (MR)
      imaging has the potential to improve breast cancer detection at an early stage
      because of its higher sensitivity. However, MR imaging is more expensive and is
      expected to be accompanied by an increase in the number of false-positive results
      and, possibly, an increase in overdiagnosis. To study the additional value of MR
      imaging, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design is needed in which one group
      undergoes mammography and the other group undergoes mammography and MR imaging.
      With this design, it is possible to determine the proportion of interval cancers
      within each study arm. For this to be an effective screening strategy, the
      additional cancers detected at MR imaging screening must be accompanied by a
      subsequent reduction in interval cancers. The Dense Tissue and Early Breast
      Neoplasm Screening, or DENSE, trial is a multicenter RCT performed in the Dutch
      biennial population-based screening program (subject age range, 50-75 years). The
      study was approved by the Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport. In this
      study, mammographic density is measured by using a fully automated volumetric
      method. Participants with extremely dense breasts (American College of Radiology
      breast density category 4) and a negative result at mammography (Breast Imaging
      Recording and Data System category 1 or 2) are randomly assigned to undergo
      additional MR imaging (n = 7237) or to be treated according to current practice
      (n = 28 948). Participants provide written informed consent before the MR imaging
      examination, which consists of dynamic breast MR imaging with gadolinium-based
      contrast medium and is intended to be performed for three consecutive screening
      rounds. The primary outcome is the difference in the proportions of interval
      cancers between the study arms. Secondary outcomes are the number of MR imaging
      screening-detected cancers, proportions of false-positive results, diagnostic
      yield of MR imaging, tumor characteristics, quality of life, and cost
      effectiveness.

PMID- 26110669
TI  - Changes in Epithelium, Stroma, and Lumen Space Correlate More Strongly with
      Gleason Pattern and Are Stronger Predictors of Prostate ADC Changes than
      Cellularity Metrics.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the hypothesis that the clinically observed decrease in
      apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) at diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance
      imaging with increasing prostate cancer Gleason grade can be attributed to an
      increasing volume of low-diffusivity epithelial cells and corresponding
      decreasing volumes of higher-diffusivity stroma and lumen space rather than to
      increased cell density. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tissue samples were acquired after
      institutional ethics review committee approval and informed consent from patients
      were obtained. Nuclear count, nuclear area, and gland component volumes
      (epithelium, stroma, lumen space) were measured in tissue from 14 patients. Gland
      component volumes and cellularity metrics were correlated with Gleason pattern
      (Spearman rank correlation coefficient) and measured ADC (Pearson correlation
      coefficient) in six prostates ex vivo. Differences between metrics for cancerous
      tissue and those for normal tissue were assessed by using a two-tailed two-sample
      t test. Linear mixed models with a post hoc Fisher least significant difference
      test were used to assess differences between gland component volumes and
      cellularity metrics for multiple groups. To adjust for a clustering effect due to
      repeated measures, the organ mean value of the measured metric for each tissue
      type was used in the analysis. RESULTS: There were significant differences
      between Gleason patterns for gland component volumes (P < .05) but not nuclear
      count (P = .100) or area (P = .141). There was a stronger correlation of Gleason
      pattern with gland component volumes (n = 553) of epithelium (Spearman rho =
      0.898, P < .001), stroma (rho = -0.651, P < .001), and lumen space (rho = -0.912,
      P = .007) than with the cellularity metrics (n = 288) nuclear area (rho = 0.422,
      P = .133) or nuclear count (rho = 0.082, P = .780). There was a stronger
      correlation between measured ADC and lumen volume (r = 0.688, P < .001) and
      epithelium volume (r = -0.647, P < .001) than between ADC and nuclear count (r = 
      0.598, P < .001) or nuclear area (r = -0.569, P < .001) (n = 57). CONCLUSION:
      Differences in the gland compartment volumes of prostate tissue having distinct
      diffusivities, rather than changes in the conventionally cited "cellularity"
      metrics, are likely to be the major contributor to clinically observed variations
      of ADC in prostate tissue.

PMID- 26110668
TI  - Oxygen-weighted Hyperpolarized (3)He MR Imaging: A Short-term Reproducibility
      Study in Human Subjects.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether hyperpolarized helium 3 magnetic resonance (MR)
      imaging to measure alveolar partial pressure of oxygen (Pao2) shows sufficient
      test-retest repeatability and between-cohort differences to be used as a reliable
      technique for detection of alterations in gas exchange in asymptomatic smokers.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The protocol was approved by the local institutional
      review board and was HIPAA compliant. Informed consent was obtained from all
      subjects. Two sets of MR images were obtained 10 minutes apart in 25 subjects: 10
      nonsmokers (five men, five women; mean +/- standard deviation age, 50 years +/-
      6) and 15 smokers (seven women, eight men; mean age, 50 years +/- 8). A mixed
      effects model was developed to identify the regional repeatability of Pao2
      measurements as an intraclass correlation coefficient. Ten smokers were matched
      with the 10 nonsmokers on the basis of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Three
      separate models were generated: one for nonsmokers, one for the SNR-matched
      smokers, and one for the five remaining smokers, who were imaged with a
      significantly higher SNR. RESULTS: Short-term back-to-back regional
      reproducibility was assessed by using intraclass correlation coefficients, which
      were 0.67 and 0.65 for SNR case-matched nonsmokers and smokers, respectively.
      Repeatability was a strong function of SNR; a 50% increase in SNR in the
      remaining smokers improved the intraclass correlation coefficient to 0.82.
      Although repeatability was not significantly different between the SNR-matched
      cohorts (P = .44), the smoker group showed higher spatial and temporal
      variability in Pao2. CONCLUSION: The short-term test-retest repeatability of
      hyperpolarized gas MR imaging of regional Pao2 was good. Asymptomatic smokers
      exhibited greater spatial and temporal variability in Pao2 than did the
      nonsmokers, which suggests that this parameter allows detection of small
      functional alterations associated with smoking.

PMID- 26110670
TI  - System Accuracy Evaluation of Different Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems
      Following ISO 15197:2013 by Using Two Different Comparison Methods.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adherence to established standards (e.g., International Organization
      for Standardization [ISO] 15197) is important to ensure comparable and sufficient
      accuracy of systems for self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG). Accuracy
      evaluation was performed for different SMBG systems available in Europe with
      three reagent lots each. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Test procedures followed the
      recently published revision ISO 15197:2013. Comparison measurements were
      performed with a glucose oxidase (YSI 2300 STAT PlusTM glucose analyzer; YSI
      Inc., Yellow Springs, OH) and a hexokinase (cobas Integra((r)) 400 Plus analyzer;
      Roche Instrument Center, Rotkreuz, Switzerland) method. Compliance with ISO
      15197:2013 accuracy criteria was determined by calculating the percentage of
      results within +/-15% or within +/-0.83 mmol/L of the comparison measurement
      results for glucose concentrations at and above or below 5.55 mmol/L,
      respectively, and by calculating the percentage of results within consensus error
      grid Zones A and B. RESULTS: Seven systems showed with all three tested lots that
      95-100% of the results were within the accuracy limits of ISO 15197:2013 and that
      100% of results were within consensus error grid Zones A and B, irrespective of
      the comparison method used. Regarding results of individual lots, slight
      differences between the glucose oxidase method and the hexokinase method were
      found. Accuracy criteria of ISO 15197:2003 (+/-20% for concentrations >=4.2
      mmol/L and+/-0.83 mmol/L for concentrations <4.2 mmol/L) were fulfilled by eight
      systems with all three lots and by one system with two lots. CONCLUSIONS: In this
      study, seven systems complied with the accuracy criteria of ISO 15197:2013. The
      results also indicate that the comparison measurement method/system is important,
      as it may have a considerable impact on accuracy data obtained for a system.

PMID- 26110671
TI  - Effectiveness of Atomoxetine in the Treatment of Children With Encopresis.

PMID- 26110672
TI  - Correction: A RNA-Seq Analysis of the Rat Supraoptic Nucleus Transcriptome:
      Effects of Salt Loading on Gene Expression.

PMID- 26110673
TI  - Voice Outcomes Following Posterior Cordotomy With Medial Arytenoidectomy in
      Patients With Bilateral Vocal Fold Immobility.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Voice quality-of-life (VQOL) and perceptual voice outcomes are
      presumed to worsen following posterior cordotomy with medial arytenoidectomy for
      bilateral vocal fold immobility (BVFI); however, subjective and objective voice
      outcomes are not well studied in this postsurgical patient population. OBJECTIVE:
      To evaluate VQOL and perceptual voice outcomes following posterior cordotomy with
      medial arytenoidectomy for BVFI. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective
      medical record review of 15 patients with BVFI who underwent posterior cordotomy
      with medial arytenoidectomy at a tertiary care academic hospital from 2009 to
      2012. INTERVENTIONS: Suspension microlaryngoscopy was performed to expose the
      posterior glottis. A posterior cordotomy and medial arytenoidectomy was performed
      anterior to the vocal process of the vocal fold in a medial to lateral fashion.
      MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Data included age, sex, tracheostomy status, number
      of cordotomies, and voice outcomes. Voice-Related Quality of Life (VRQOL) and
      Consensus Auditory Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) data were collected
      preoperatively and postoperatively surrounding a single procedure. Comparisons
      within a single group were performed with a paired t test. Statistical
      significance was determined at P <= .05. RESULTS: Eight patients (53%) were male,
      and 7 (47%) were female. Six patients (40%) required a tracheotomy at some point
      during treatment, 4 were successfully decannulated. For all 15 patients, the mean
      VRQOL scores improved 12 points from 47.33 to 59.33 after posterior cordotomy (P
      = .12). Mean CAPE-V overall severity scores in 13 patients increased 26 points
      after posterior cordotomy with medial arytenoidectomy from 38.12 to 62.77 (P =
      .01), indicating further deviance from normal. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: To our
      knowledge, this is the first study to compare VQOL with perceptual voice outcomes
      following posterior cordotomy with medial arytenoidectomy in a series of patients
      with BVFI. Patients who underwent posterior cordotomy in this study had
      significantly reduced perceptual voice outcomes with unchanged VQOL. While
      postcordotomy patients have a dysphonia that is noticeable to voice
      professionals, most patients in this study subjectively felt as though their
      voice improved after surgery. Surgeons should be aware of these factors when
      counseling patients considering cordotomy for BVFI.

PMID- 26110674
TI  - Moderate Alcohol Consumption and Colorectal Cancer Risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heavy alcohol drinking is a risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC);
      previous studies have shown a linear dose-dependent association between alcohol
      intake and CRC. However, some studies suggest that moderate alcohol consumption
      may have a protective effect, similar to that seen in cardiovascular disease.
      Other factors may interact with alcohol and contribute additional risk for CRC.
      We aimed to determine the association between moderate alcohol consumption,
      limited to 30 g of alcohol per day, by beverage type on CRC risk and to assess
      the effects of other factors that interact with alcohol to influence CRC risk.
      METHODS: The PubMed database was used to find articles published between 2008 and
      2014 related to alcohol and CRC. Twenty-one relevant articles were evaluated and
      summarized, including 11 articles reporting on CRC risk associated with moderate
      intake and 10 articles focusing on genetic interactions associated with alcohol
      and CRC risk. RESULTS: The association between alcohol and increased risk for CRC
      was found when intakes exceeded 30 g/d alcohol. Nonsignificant results were
      consistently reported for intakes <30 g/d. Additional risks for CRC were found to
      be related to obesity and folate status for regular alcohol consumers. Some
      significant results suggest that the development of CRC is dependent on the
      interaction of gene and environment. CONCLUSIONS: The association between the
      amount of alcohol consumed and the incidence of CRC was not significant at
      moderate intake levels. Moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a
      reduced CRC risk in study populations with greater adherence to a Mediterranean
      diet, where wine contributed substantially to the alcoholic beverage consumed.
      Other factors such as obesity, folate deficiency, and genetic susceptibility may
      contribute additional CRC risk for those consuming alcohol. To minimize CRC risk,
      appropriate recommendations should encourage intakes below 30 g of alcohol each
      day.

PMID- 26110675
TI  - Drug hypersensitivity reactions: more basic and clinical research is needed.

PMID- 26110676
TI  - Drug metabolism and hypersensitivity reactions to drugs.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of the present review was to discuss recent advances
      supporting a role of drug metabolism, and particularly of the generation of
      reactive metabolites, in hypersensitivity reactions to drugs. RECENT FINDINGS:
      The development of novel mass-spectrometry procedures has allowed the
      identification of reactive metabolites from drugs known to be involved in
      hypersensitivity reactions, including amoxicillin and nonsteroidal
      antiinflammatory drugs such as aspirin, diclofenac or metamizole. Recent studies
      demonstrated that reactive metabolites may efficiently bind plasma proteins, thus
      suggesting that drug metabolites, rather than - or in addition to - parent drugs,
      may elicit an immune response. As drug metabolic profiles are often determined by
      variability in the genes coding for drug-metabolizing enzymes, it is conceivable
      that an altered drug metabolism may predispose to the generation of reactive drug
      metabolites and hence to hypersensitivity reactions. These findings support the
      potential for the use of pharmacogenomics tests in hypersensitivity (type B)
      adverse reactions, in addition to the well known utility of these tests in type A
      adverse reactions. SUMMARY: Growing evidence supports a link between genetically
      determined drug metabolism, altered metabolic profiles, generation of highly
      reactive metabolites and haptenization. Additional research is required to
      developing robust biomarkers for drug-induced hypersensitivity reactions.

PMID- 26110677
TI  - Genetic basis of hypersensitivity reactions to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
      drugs.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: NSAIDs are the main triggers of hypersensitivity reactions to
      drugs. However, the full genetic and molecular basis of these reactions has yet
      to be uncovered. In this article, we have summarized research from recent years
      into the effects of genetic variants on the different clinical entities induced
      by NSAID hypersensitivity, focusing on prostaglandin and leukotriene-related
      genes as well as others beyond the arachidonic acid pathway. RECENT FINDINGS: We
      introduce recent contributions of high-throughput approaches including genome
      wide association studies as well as available information from epigenetics and
      next-generation sequencing. Finally, we give our thoughts on future directions in
      this field, including the scope for bioinformatics and systems biology and the
      need for clear patient phenotyping. SUMMARY: The full genetic and molecular basis
      of clinical entities induced by NSAIDs hypersensitivity has yet to be uncovered,
      and despite commendable efforts over recent years, no clinically proven genetic
      markers currently exist for these disorders. It is clear that we will continue to
      find more about these reactions in the coming years, concurrently with
      improvements in technology and experimental techniques, and a precise definition
      of different phenotypes.

PMID- 26110678
TI  - Monitoring the acute response in severe hypersensitivity reactions to drugs.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Severe adverse drug reactions (ADRs) including Stevens-Johnson
      syndrome (SJS)/toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and drug-induced hypersensitivity
      syndrome (DiHS)/drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) are
      acute life-threatening conditions. There is the urgent need for reliable,
      noninvasive and standardized laboratory tests for identifying patients at higher
      risk of developing severe ADRs. RECENT FINDINGS: Although previous studies
      demonstrated the pathogenic role of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-10,
      perforin/granzyme B, Fas L and granulysin in the development of severe ADRs,
      there have been no biomarkers predicting progression to severe ADRs. We,
      therefore, measured serum levels of cytokines/chemokines as well as other
      biological markers in patients who presented with clinical symptoms suggestive of
      ADRs at their initial presentation. The results show that sFas L represents a
      useful early biomarker that can predict the subsequent progression to TEN, but
      not SJS, particularly when combined with the increase in IL-6 and IP-10. The
      increased levels of IL-6 and IP-10 are reliable biomarkers predictive of the
      progression to severe ADRs, such as SJS/TEN and DiHS/DRESS. SUMMARY: The use of a
      combination of several early biomarkers, although not sufficiently sensitive or
      specific on its own when used alone, could increase the diagnostic and prognostic
      utility for the prediction of severe ADRs.

PMID- 26110679
TI  - Cutaneous adverse drug reactions in the elderly.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Population ageing is a worldwide phenomenon. The presence of
      multiple comorbidities, polypharmacy, age-related changes in pharmacokinetics and
      pharmacodynamics, as well as skin changes in the elderly contribute to a unique
      diagnostic and management problem. This article reviews the epidemiology of
      cutaneous adverse drug reactions in the elderly and elaborates on a few specific
      types of reactions which are more relevant to the elderly. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Chronic dermatoses, for example, eczema, have been reported to be associated with
      the use of long-term medications such as calcium channel blockers and
      hydrochlorothiazide. Elderly patients receiving treatment for cancers may develop
      chemotherapy-related cutaneous side effects, including those associated with
      newer 'targeted' molecular therapies. Elderly patients who develop severe
      cutaneous adverse drug reactions, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic
      epidermal necrolysis, have worse prognosis in terms of mortality. SUMMARY:
      Persons of advanced age often have multiple comorbidities and are on multiple
      medications. This can result in higher probability of an elderly person
      developing drug eruptions. It is important for the clinician to be aware of the
      range of drug-related eruptions and their implications.

PMID- 26110680
TI  - Penicillin allergy: optimizing diagnostic protocols, public health implications,
      and future research needs.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Unverified penicillin allergy is being increasingly recognized
      as a public health concern. The ideal protocol for verifying true clinically
      significant IgE-mediated penicillin allergy needs to use only commercially
      available materials, be well tolerated and easy to perform in both the inpatient
      and outpatient settings, and minimize false-positive determinations. This review
      concentrates on articles published in 2013 and 2014 that present new data
      relating to the diagnosis and management of penicillin allergy. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Penicillin allergy can be safely evaluated at this time, in patients with an
      appropriate clinical history of penicillin allergy, using only penicilloyl-poly
      lysine and native penicillin G as skin test reagents, if an oral challenge with
      amoxicillin 250 mg, followed by 1 h of observation, is given to all skin test
      negative individuals. SUMMARY: Millions of individuals falsely labeled with
      penicillin allergy need to be evaluated to safely allow them to use penicillin
      class antibiotics and avoid morbidity associated with penicillin avoidance.
      Further research is needed to determine optimal protocol(s). There will still be
      a 1-2% rate of adverse reactions reported with all future therapeutic penicillin
      class antibiotic use, even with optimal methods used to determine acute
      penicillin tolerance. Only a small minority of these new reactions will be IgE
      mediated.

PMID- 26110681
TI  - Aspirin desensitization for cardiovascular disease.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The use of aspirin in coronary artery disease and address the
      unmet need of aspirin therapy in patients with history of hypersensitivity
      reactions to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid; ASA) or other nonsteroidal
      inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). RECENT FINDINGS: Aspirin hypersensitivity is
      reported in 1.5% of patients with cardiovascular disease. However, many of those
      labeled as allergic to aspirin had experienced side-effects and could be safely
      treated with aspirin. Those with true hypersensitivity reactions were often not
      placed on appropriate antiplatelet therapy. A number of protocols of varying
      complexity exist in the literature for aspirin desensitization. The focus of this
      review is to identify the types of aspirin reactions that can occur and provide a
      rational approach to oral aspirin challenge and desensitization. SUMMARY: In
      summary, with rare exceptions, patients with a history of 'aspirin/NSAID allergy'
      who need ASA for cardiovascular issues will be able to safely take aspirin either
      after a graded challenge or desensitization providing a central role of the
      allergist in the management of these patients.

PMID- 26110682
TI  - Epinephrine in anaphylaxis: doubt no more.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this manuscript is to review the literature in
      support of epinephrine (adrenaline) as first line of therapy of anaphylaxis, not
      H-1 antihistamines or corticosteroids. RECENT FINDINGS: The purpose of this
      review is to assess that epinephrine has a quick onset of activity and rapidly
      antagonizes multiple mediators that are active in anaphylaxis. Epinephrine has
      maximal pharmacodynamic effect within 10 min of intramuscular administration into
      the thigh. As epinephrine has a narrow therapeutic window, prefilled epinephrine
      auto-injectors are available. There are weight-appropriate doses of epinephrine
      available with auto-injectors that are prefilled with 0.15, 0.30 and 0.50 mg. In
      addition, needle lengths vary from 1.17 to 2.50 cm. Different doses and needle
      lengths are available for paediatric and adult patients, especially obese
      patients to ensure intramuscular delivery in the thigh. SUMMARY: Failure to
      administer epinephrine promptly has resulted in fatalities. Education about
      anaphylaxis and prompt treatment are critical for patients and their caregivers.

PMID- 26110683
TI  - Biomarkers of anaphylaxis, beyond tryptase.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this study is to describe the current knowledge
      regarding mediators involved in anaphylactic reactions, with a special focus on
      key effector cells and mechanisms. RECENT FINDINGS: New insight into the
      potential relevance of pathways other than mast cell degranulation has been
      unravelled, such as the role of cytokines, platelet activation factor, lipid
      mediators and their metabolism or the activation of the contact system. SUMMARY:
      Gaining knowledge into these pathophysiologic mechanisms will allow researchers
      to pursue the identification of risk factors and new preventive and therapeutic
      strategies in anaphylaxis.

PMID- 26110684
TI  - Hidden allergens and oral mite anaphylaxis: the pancake syndrome revisited.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To present currently available information on oral mite
      anaphylaxis. RECENT FINDINGS: Oral mite anaphylaxis (pancake syndrome) is a new
      syndrome characterized by severe symptoms triggered by the intake of foods
      containing mites and their allergens. Breathlessness, face and/or laryngeal
      angioedema, wheezing, rhinorrhea, cough, dysphagia, and wheals are the most
      frequent clinical manifestations. SUMMARY: Pancake syndrome can occur in
      individuals at any age and in any geographical location. Foods made with wheat
      and corn flour, especially pancakes, are the most common inducers of the clinical
      picture. Both, domestic and storage mites have been incriminated. Increased
      physician awareness is required for early diagnosis and treatment, and for the
      prevention of future episodes in predisposed individuals.

PMID- 26110685
TI  - Anaphylaxis in adolescents: a potential tripartite management framework.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The incidence of anaphylaxis is increasing across all ages,
      but the risk of morbidity and fatality is disproportionately high in adolescents.
      This may, at least in part, be a consequence of a constellation of potentially
      modifiable psychosocial factors that tend to manifest during adolescence. This
      study highlights the shortcomings in and the barriers to effective management of
      anaphylaxis in adolescents, and proposes an integrated tripartite framework that
      may help promote successful management. RECENT FINDINGS: Existing mainstay
      anaphylaxis self-management approaches - comprising careful avoidance of
      triggers, recognition of early features indicative of anaphylaxis and prompt self
      administration of intra-muscular adrenaline (epinephrine) - often fail in
      adolescents. Key barriers to successful management centre on the impact of the
      psychosocial environment during adolescents' developmental transition. As a
      result, risk-taking, poor judgement of actions during reactions and non
      compliance to management instructions are common. SUMMARY: To be successful,
      anaphylaxis management strategies require more multidimensional approaches among
      adolescents. We propose a tripartite management framework that emphasizes
      integration of the following components: better understanding of adolescence;
      incorporation of the constituents of adolescents' social networks; and adolescent
      tailored healthcare perspectives. This theoretical framework now requires
      translation into an intervention, feasibility and pilot testing, and formal
      evaluation through randomized controlled trials.

PMID- 26110686
TI  - Sunlight, vitamin D and food allergy.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The role of vitamin D in the development of food allergy is
      unclear. We summarize recent data on the epidemiologic link between sunlight
      (UVB) and food allergy, and evidence for and against a specific role for vitamin
      D status. RECENT FINDINGS: Since 2007, most epidemiologic studies have supported
      low sunlight (as measured by season of birth and latitude) as a risk factor for
      food allergy. Investigators have also looked directly at vitamin D status (as
      measured by serum 25OHD level) and its potential role. Although conflicting, the
      vitamin D studies suggest a more complicated association than a linear dose
      response in all individuals, with some studies indicating different associations
      based on host characteristics (e.g. concominant eczema, genetic polymorphisms,
      country of birth). Most studies have not fully examined the myriad effects of
      sunlight but have instead focused on a single maternal, neonatal or childhood
      25OHD level. SUMMARY: Many studies have linked sunlight with the development of
      food allergy but whether this is directly related to vitamin D status or a myriad
      of other sunlight-derived, seasonal and/or geographic factors remains uncertain.
      More studies are needed to investigate the role of sunlight and vitamin D status
      in food allergy because of their potential for primary prevention and disease
      modification.

PMID- 26110687
TI  - A 'difficult' insect allergy patient: reliable history of a sting, but all
      testing negative.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Few conditions are as treatable as allergy to stinging
      insects, with venom immunotherapy (VIT) providing up to 98% protection to
      subsequent stings. The challenge with VIT is not in the treatment, but in the
      diagnosis. To offer VIT, one must determine a history of a systemic reaction to a
      stinging insect in conjunction with the presence venom-specific IgE. Current
      diagnostic methods, although sensitive and specific, are imperfect, and some
      newer testing options are not widely available. A conundrum occasionally faced is
      the patient with a reliable and compelling history of a systemic allergic
      reaction yet negative venom-specific testing. This diagnostic dilemma presents an
      opportunity to consider possible causes for this diagnostic challenge. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Our evolving understanding of the role of occult mast cell disease may
      begin to help us understand this situation and develop appropriate management
      strategies. Venom-specific skin testing has long been the cornerstone of the
      evaluation of venom sensitivity and is often combined with in-vitro assays to add
      clarity, but even these occasionally may fall short. Exploring novel venom
      diagnostic testing methods may help to fill in some of the diagnostic gaps. Do
      currently available venom vaccines contain all the key venom species? Are there
      enough differences between insect species that we may simply be missing the
      relevant allergens? What is the significance of the antigenicity of carbohydrate
      moieties in venoms? What is the role of recombinant venom extracts? SUMMARY: VIT
      is the definitive treatment for insect allergic individuals. To utilize VIT,
      identification of the relevant Hymenoptera is necessary. Unfortunately, this
      cannot always be accomplished. This deficiency can have several causes: a
      potential comorbid condition such as occult mast cell disease, limitations of
      currently available diagnostic resources, or testing vaccines with an
      insufficient coverage of relevant venom allergens. Exploring these potential
      causes may help to provide important insight into this important diagnostic
      conundrum. The use of a case report may help clarify this challenge.

PMID- 26110688
TI  - Allergy to honeybee ... not only stings.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to provide a brief overview of
      the risks of consumption of bee products in honeybee venom allergic patients and
      compositae allergic patients, the potential allergens involved in these
      reactions, the advancement in solving diagnostic difficulties, and management of
      allergic reactions to bee products. RECENT FINDINGS: Allergic patients to bee
      venom and compositae allergic patients may be allergic to bee products. Several
      bee products allergens have been identified in bee venom. SUMMARY: Anaphylaxis to
      bee products is rare. Some studies show a clear association between some
      aeroallergens such as compositae with allergic reactions to bee products.
      Additionally, allergic reactions to bee products are associated with severe
      outcomes in atopic and patients with lung disorders and are a common occupational
      disease in beekeepers. Possible cross-reactivities have been suggested between
      bee components and bee venom. Furthermore some studies found patients with
      concomitant allergy to honey or to propolis and bee venom. Nevertheless a direct
      relationship between allergy to bee products and bee venom has not been shown.
      However, cross-reactivites between bee products and bee venom might be relevant
      in some cases.

PMID- 26110690
TI  - Mepolizumab-based therapy in asthma: an update.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is considerable evidence that implicates eosinophils as
      important effector cells in the inflammation characteristic of eosinophilic
      asthma. IL-5 is central to eosinophil maturation and release from the bone
      marrow, their subsequent accumulation, activation and persistence in the tissues.
      IL-5 therefore represents an attractive target to prevent or blunt eosinophil
      mediated inflammation resulting in the development of humanized anti-IL-5
      monoclonal antibody such as mepolizumab. This review is an update of the evidence
      demonstrating the effectiveness of mepolizumab treatment of patients with asthma.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Although early clinical trials with mepolizumab in patients with
      asthma gave disappointing clinical outcomes, it is becoming apparent that
      significant clinical effects with this biologic are more likely in carefully
      selected patient populations that take the eosinophilic asthma phenotype into
      account. A number of recent studies have reported significant effects by
      mepolizumab on reductions in exacerbations together with a significant
      glucocorticoid-sparing effect. SUMMARY: Mepolizumab is a potentially important
      and well tolerated therapy in carefully selected populations of patients with
      asthma.

PMID- 26110689
TI  - Diet and asthma: an update.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Our objective was to provide an overview and discussion of
      recent experimental studies, epidemiologic studies, and clinical trials of diet
      and asthma. We focus on dietary sources and vitamins with antioxidant properties
      [vitamins (A, C, and E), folate, and omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty
      acids (n-3 and n-6 PUFAs)]. RECENT FINDINGS: Current evidence does not support
      the use of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, or PUFAs for the prevention or
      treatment of asthma or allergies. Current guidelines for prenatal use of folate
      to prevent neural tube defects should be followed, as there is no evidence of
      major effects of this practice on asthma or allergies. Consumption of a balanced
      diet that is rich in sources of antioxidants (e.g. fruits and vegetables) may be
      beneficial in the primary prevention of asthma. SUMMARY: None of the vitamins or
      nutrients examined is consistently associated with asthma or allergies. In some
      cases, further studies of the effects of a vitamin or nutrient on specific asthma
      phenotypes (e.g. vitamin C to prevent viral-induced exacerbations) are warranted.
      Clinical trials of 'whole diet' interventions to prevent asthma are advisable on
      the basis of existing evidence.

PMID- 26110691
TI  - Racial differences in breast cancer survival in a large urban integrated health
      system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: African American (AA) women are known to have poorer breast cancer
      survival than whites, and the differences may be related to underlying
      disparities in their clinical presentation or access to care. This study
      evaluated the relationship between demographic, treatment, and socioeconomic
      factors and breast cancer survival among women in southeast Michigan. METHODS:
      The population included 2387 women (34% AA) with American Joint Committee on
      Cancer stage I to III breast cancer who were treated at the Henry Ford Health
      System (HFHS) from 1996 through 2005. Linked data sets from the HFHS, the
      Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System, and the US Census Bureau were
      used to obtain demographic and clinical information. Comorbidities were
      classified with the modified Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). Economic
      deprivation was categorized with a census tract-based deprivation index (DI),
      which was stratified into 5 quintiles of increasing socioeconomic disadvantage.
      RESULTS: Compared with whites, AA women were significantly more likely to have
      larger, hormone receptor-negative tumors and more comorbidities and to reside in
      an economically deprived area. In an unadjusted analysis, AAs had a significantly
      higher risk of death (hazard ratio [HR], 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16
      1.59); however, after adjustments for clinical (age, stage, hormone receptor, and
      CCI) and societal factors (DI), the effect of race was not significant (HR, 1.13
      [95% CI, 0.96-1.34] , and HR, 0.97 [0.80-1.19] respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Racial
      differences in breast cancer survival can be explained by clinical and
      socioeconomic factors. Nonetheless, AA women with breast cancer remain
      disproportionately affected by unfavorable tumor characteristics and economic
      deprivation, which likely contribute to their increased overall mortality.

PMID- 26110692
TI  - Hepatitis C cure with antiviral therapy--benefits beyond the liver.
AB  - Liver disease is the major complication of chronic HCV infection. However,
      extrahepatic complications are common (50-75%), including mixed cryoglobulinaemia
      and B-cell lymphomas. Given that chronic hepatitis C has become curable using
      expensive oral direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), it seems worth revisiting the
      whole spectrum and burden of disease in HCV carriers.Herein, we update the most
      clinically significant medical complications associated with chronic hepatitis C
      and the evidence of benefits that would derive from a wide use of curative DAA
      therapies.Chronic HCV infection is associated with a broad spectrum of clinical
      conditions, including distinct rheumatic disorders (polyarthritis, sicca
      syndrome), lymphoproliferative conditions (mixed cryoglobulinaemia, monoclonal
      gammapathies and B-cell lymphomas) and damage at other organs due to persistent
      systemic inflammation, leading to renal, bone, neurological and/or cardiovascular
      disease. Eradication of HCV with DAAs is associated with amelioration and/or
      resolution of most liver-related and extrahepatic complications. Ultimately,
      gains in quality of life and survival favour treating everyone with hepatitis C
      regardless of liver fibrosis stage. 

PMID- 26110693
TI  - Effects of Electrostimulation with Blood Flow Restriction on Muscle Size and
      Strength.
AB  - PURPOSE: Low-load voluntary exercise can induce muscle hypertrophy and strength
      gain in working muscles when combined with blood flow restriction (BFR). However,
      it is unknown whether such hypertrophy and strength gain can be induced by
      involuntary muscle contractions triggered via low-intensity neuromuscular
      electrical stimulation (NMES) combined with BFR. The purpose of this article was
      to investigate whether low-intensity NMES combined with BFR (NMES-BFR) could
      elicit muscle hypertrophy and strength gain in the quadriceps. METHODS: Eight
      untrained young male participants (mean +/- SE; age, 26.2 +/- 0.7 yr; height,
      1.74 +/- 0.02 m; body weight, 71.4 +/- 4.8 kg) were subjected to 23 min of
      unilateral low-intensity (5%-10% of maximal voluntary contraction) NMES twice per
      day (5 d.wk-1) for 2 wk: one leg received NMES-BFR and the other leg received
      NMES alone. Quadriceps muscle thickness and isometric and isokinetic strength
      were measured before and every week throughout the training and detraining
      periods. RESULTS: In NMES-BFR legs, muscle thickness increased after 2 wk of
      training (+3.9%) and decreased after 2 wk of detraining (-3.0%). NMES-BFR
      training also increased maximal knee extension strength in isometric (+14.2%) and
      isokinetic (+7.0% at 90 degrees .s-1 and +8.3% at 180 degrees .s-1) voluntary
      contractions. In addition, maximal isometric strength decreased (-6.8%), whereas
      no large fall (-1.9% at 90 degrees .s-1 and -0.6% at 180 degrees .s-1) in
      isokinetic maximal strength was evident after 2 wk of detraining. In legs that
      received NMES alone, no prominent change was observed; there was a negligible
      effect on isometric strength. CONCLUSION: Low-intensity NMES-BFR induces muscle
      hypertrophy and strength gain in untrained young male participants.

PMID- 26110694
TI  - Affective Responses to Repeated Sessions of High-Intensity Interval Training.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vigorous exercise feels unpleasant, and negative emotions may discourage
      adherence to regular exercise. We quantified the subjective affective responses
      to short-term high-intensity interval training (HIT) in comparison with moderate
      intensity continuous training (MIT). METHODS: Twenty-six healthy middle-age (mean
      age, 47 +/- 5 yr; mean VO2peak, 34.2 +/- 4.1 mL.kg-1.min-1) sedentary men were
      randomized into HIT (n = 13, 4-6 * 30 s of all-out cycling efforts at
      approximately 180% of peak workload with 4-min recovery) or MIT (n = 13, 40- to
      60-min continuous cycling at 60% of peak workload) groups, performing six
      sessions within two weeks. Perceived exertion, stress, and affective state were
      recorded before, during, and after each session. RESULTS: Perceived exertion and
      arousal were higher, and affective state, more negative during the HIT than that
      during MIT sessions (P < 0.001). HIT versus MIT exercise acutely increased the
      experience of stress, tension, and irritation and decreased positive affect (P <
      0.05). In addition, satisfaction was lower and pain and negative affect were
      higher in the HIT than those in the MIT group (P < 0.05). However, perceived
      exertion and displeasure experienced during exercise alleviated similarly in
      response to HIT and MIT over the 6 d of training. Peak oxygen consumption
      increased (P < 0.001) after intervention (HIT, 34.7 +/- 3.9 vs 36.7 +/- 4.5; MIT,
      33.9 +/- 4.6 vs 35.0 +/- 4.6) and was not different between HIT and MIT (P = 0.28
      for group * training). CONCLUSIONS: Short-term HIT and MIT are equally effective
      in improving aerobic fitness, but HIT increases experience of negative emotions
      and exertion in sedentary middle-age men. This may limit the adherence to this
      time-effective training mode, even though displeasure lessens over time and
      suggests similar mental adaptations to both MIT and HIT.

PMID- 26110695
TI  - Mechanical Energy and Propulsion in Ergometer Double Poling by Cross-country
      Skiers.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate fluctuations in total mechanical energy
      of the body (Ebody) in relation to external ergometer work (Werg) during the
      poling and recovery phases of simulated double-poling cross-country skiing.
      METHODS: Nine male cross-country skiers (mean +/- SD age, 24 +/- 5 yr; mean +/-
      SD body mass, 81.7 +/- 6.5 kg) performed 4-min submaximal tests at low-intensity,
      moderate-intensity, and high-intensity levels and a 3-min all-out test on a ski
      ergometer. Motion capture analysis and load cell recordings were used to measure
      body kinematics and dynamics. From these, Werg, Ebody (sum of the translational,
      rotational, and gravitational potential energies of all segments), and their time
      differentials (power P) were calculated. Ptot--the rate of energy absorption or
      generation by muscles-tendons--was defined as the sum of Pbody and Perg. RESULTS:
      Ebody showed large fluctuations over the movement cycle, decreasing during poling
      and increasing during the recovery phase. The fluctuation in Pbody was almost
      perfectly out of phase with Perg. Some muscle-tendon energy absorption was
      observed at the onset of poling. For the rest of poling and throughout the
      recovery phase, muscles-tendons generated energy to do Werg and to increase
      Ebody. Approximately 50% of cycle Ptot occurred during recovery for all intensity
      levels. CONCLUSIONS: In double poling, the extensive contribution of the lower
      extremities and trunk to whole-body muscle-tendon work during recovery
      facilitates a "direct" transfer of Ebody to Werg during the poling phase. This
      observation reveals that double poling involves a unique movement pattern
      different from most other forms of legged terrestrial locomotion, which are
      characterized primarily by inverted pendulum or spring-mass types of movement.

PMID- 26110696
TI  - Neural Correlates of Clinical Scores in Patients with Anterior Shoulder
      Apprehension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anterior shoulder apprehension is a commonly reported complaint in
      anterior shoulder instability, which may lead to patient morbidity and impede
      shoulder function. It is the result of a cognitively complex mechanism, which
      includes anxiety, salience, fear, and anticipation. PURPOSE: The aim of this
      prospective case-control study was to correlate five clinically established
      scores using functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess brain activation
      patterns in patients with apprehension related to anterior shoulder instability.
      METHODS: This study includes 28 consecutive male right-handed patients (mean +/-
      SEM, 26.8 +/- 1.2 yr) with positive shoulder apprehension test and 10 healthy
      matched control participants without apprehension or a history of instability.
      Task-related and functional connectivity functional magnetic resonance imaging
      activation patterns occurring during apprehension video cue stimulation were
      correlated with five clinical tests and scores: Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Rowe
      score for instability, Simple Shoulder Test, Subjective Shoulder Value (SSV), and
      Western Ontario Shoulder Instability (WOSI). RESULTS: Rowe, pain VAS, and WOSI
      scores correlated with prefrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,
      dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, somatosensory area, and parieto-occipital and
      temporal areas (default mode network). Rowe score additionally correlated with
      frontal pole, anterior midcingulate cortex, and visual areas. Moreover, SSV
      correlated with task-related brain activity in the bilateral precentral gyrus,
      bilateral postcentral gyrus, and bilateral superior parietal lobe. CONCLUSIONS:
      Overall, Rowe score provides the strongest link between shoulder apprehension and
      brain level alterations as it correlates with the highest number of independent
      components involving areas responsible for both motor and cognitive functions,
      whereas pain VAS and WOSI occupy an intermediately strong link recruiting less
      brain networks. Finally, Simple Shoulder Test and SSV have the weakest link at
      the brain level.

PMID- 26110697
TI  - Visual Inspection for Determining Days When Accelerometer Is Worn: Is This Valid?
AB  - PURPOSE: Logs have been traditionally used for ascertaining accelerometer wear
      days in mail study designs, but not all participants complete logs. Visual
      inspection of accelerometer output may supplement missing logs; however, no data
      on the validity of this method are available. METHODS: We compared visual
      inspection with participant logs in 197 women (mean age, 71.0 yr). Women were
      mailed an accelerometer to be worn during waking hours for 7 d, marking each wear
      day on a log before returning the accelerometer by mail. For every participant,
      we created a series of graphs of accelerometer counts by time of day (one chart
      for each day with accelerometer output, including mail days). Two raters, masked
      to log wear status, independently inspected these graphs and scored each day as
      "worn" or "not worn." RESULTS: The median (interquartile range) number of valid
      wear days using either visual inspection or log was 7 (7-7). For rater 1, the
      sensitivity and specificity of visual inspection was 99.7% (95% confidence
      interval, 99.2%-99.9%) and 97.2% (95.2%-98.6%), respectively; for rater 2, the
      sensitivity and specificity of visual inspection was 99.7% (99.2%-99.9%) and
      97.0% (94.9%-98.4%), respectively. Interrater agreement was 99.5%. CONCLUSIONS:
      Visual inspection of accelerometer data is a valid alternative to missing
      participant wear logs when determining wear days in mail study designs.

PMID- 26110698
TI  - CO2 Clamping, Peripheral and Central Fatigue during Hypoxic Knee Extensions in
      Men.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The central nervous system can play a critical role in limiting
      exercise performance during hypoxic conditions. Hypocapnia, which is associated
      with hypoxia-induced hyperventilation, may affect cerebral perfusion. We
      hypothesized that CO2 clamping during hypoxic isometric knee extensions would
      improve cerebral oxygenation and reduce central fatigue. METHODS: Fifteen healthy
      men (mean +/- SD: age, 25 +/- 8 yr; body mass, 72 +/- 11 kg; height, 179 +/- 7
      cm) performed intermittent isometric knee extensions at ~50% of maximal voluntary
      contraction to task failure in normoxia, hypoxia with CO2 clamping (arterial O2
      saturation, 80% +/- 2%; end-tidal CO2 partial pressure, 40 +/- 2 mm Hg), and
      hypoxia without CO2 clamping (arterial O2 saturation, 80% +/- 3%). Transcranial
      magnetic stimulation and femoral nerve electrical stimulation were used to assess
      central and peripheral determinants of fatigue. Prefrontal cortex and quadriceps
      femoris oxygenation were monitored by multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy.
      RESULTS: Exercise duration was reduced to a similar extent in hypoxia with CO2
      clamping (997 +/- 460 s) or hypoxia without CO2 clamping (929 +/- 412 s) compared
      to normoxia (1473 +/- 876 s; P < 0.001). Prefrontal cortex and quadriceps
      oxygenation were increased (+5.3 +/- 8.6 and +2.6 +/- 3.0 MUmol.cm at task
      failure, respectively; P < 0.01) during hypoxia with CO2 clamping compared to
      hypoxia without CO2 clamping. Transcranial magnetic stimulation maximal voluntary
      activation decreased to a greater extent at task failure in hypoxia without CO2
      clamping (-18% +/- 8%) compared to hypoxia with CO2 clamping (-9% +/- 9%; P <
      0.01) and normoxia (-10% +/- 7%; P < 0.05). Conversely, exercise-induced
      peripheral fatigue was larger in hypoxia with CO2 clamping than in hypoxia
      without CO2 clamping (e.g., Db10-to-Db100 ratio of 0.54 +/- 0.12 and 0.63 +/-
      0.11 at task failure, respectively; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results
      demonstrate that CO2 clamping can alter central and peripheral mechanisms that
      contribute to neuromuscular fatigue during hypoxic isometric knee extensions in
      men. Hypocapnia impairs cerebral oxygenation and central drive but exerts a
      protective effect against fatigability in muscles.

PMID- 26110701
TI  - Empyema Thoracis after Blunt Traumatic Esophageal Perforation.

PMID- 26110702
TI  - Improved detectability of microcirculatory dynamics by laser speckle flowmetry.
AB  - Mechanisms of renal autoregulation generate oscillations in arterial blood flow
      at several characteristic frequencies. Full-field laser speckle flowmetry
      provides a real-time imaging of superficial blood microcirculation. The
      possibility to detect changes in oscillatory dynamics is an important issue in
      biomedical applications. In this paper we show how laser power density affects
      quality of the recorded signal and improves detectability of temporal changes in
      microvascular perfusion. 

PMID- 26110703
TI  - Stability assessment in ligand-binding assays: a critical parameter for data
      integrity.

PMID- 26110704
TI  - Biotransformation and stability of antibody-drug conjugates: payload metabolism
      and linker cleavage delineation.

PMID- 26110700
TI  - Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer: Moving Together and Charging Forward.
AB  - Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) is ubiquitous throughout chemistry and
      biology. This Perspective discusses recent advances and current challenges in the
      field of PCET, with an emphasis on the role of theory and computation. The
      fundamental theoretical concepts are summarized, and expressions for rate
      constants and kinetic isotope effects are provided. Computational methods for
      calculating reduction potentials and pKa's for molecular electrocatalysts, as
      well as insights into linear correlations and non-innocent ligands, are also
      described. In addition, computational methods for simulating the nonadiabatic
      dynamics of photoexcited PCET are discussed. Representative applications to PCET
      in solution, proteins, electrochemistry, and photoinduced processes are
      presented, highlighting the interplay between theoretical and experimental
      studies. The current challenges and suggested future directions are outlined for
      each type of application, concluding with an overall view to the future. 

PMID- 26110705
TI  - Effects of blood processing and sample storage on the stability of
      biotherapeutics and anti-drug antibodies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pre-analytical factors such as sample processing, handling or storage
      could affect the stability of biotherapeutics and anti-drug antibodies in
      clinical samples, potentially impacting the pharmacokinetic and immunogenicity
      assessments. METHODS: We used sarilumab, a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody,
      and evaluated the stability of sarilumab (both functional and bound forms) and
      anti-sarilumab antibodies in blood samples during serum collection and the impact
      of various processing conditions on the analyte stability in serum for long-term
      storage. We also assessed the incurred sample stability of these analytes in
      samples from clinical studies. CONCLUSION: Assessment of analyte stability can
      provide relevant information about sample stability under different pre
      analytical conditions and improve the confidence in the validity of bioanalytical
      data generated.

PMID- 26110706
TI  - Sponsor relationships, analyte stability in ligand-binding assays and critical
      reagent management: a bioanalytical CRO perspective.
AB  - This perspective article discusses key points to address in the establishment of
      sound partnerships between sponsors and bioanalytical CROs to assure the
      timeliness, quality and consistency of bioanalysis throughout biological
      therapeutic development. The performance of ligand-binding assays can be greatly
      impacted by low-grade reagents, lot-to-lot variability and lack of stability of
      the analyte in matrix, impacting both timelines and cost. Thorough
      characterization of the biologic of interest and its assay-enabling critical
      reagents will lend itself well to conservation of materials and continuity of
      assay performance. When unplanned events occur, such as performance declines or
      premature depletion of material, structured procedures are paramount to
      supplement the current loosely defined regulatory guidance on critical reagent
      characterization and method bridging. 

PMID- 26110707
TI  - Incurred sample reproducibility and stability assessment in a cell-based drug
      concentration assay.
AB  - Joleen White is Principal Scientist in Translational Sciences at Biogen Idec.
      Throughout her career, she has applied her background in biophysical protein
      chemistry to pharmaceutical development in therapeutic indications with
      significant unmet medical need. In her current role, she supports method
      development and regulated bioanalysis of biomarkers, biopharmaceuticals, and
      immunogenicity in biological samples from nonclinical and clinical studies. Her
      experience with measuring macromolecules includes enzymes, monoclonal antibodies,
      Fc fusions, oligonucleotides, PEGylated proteins, and other novel protein
      constructs. She has supported studies from discovery through all phases of
      development including GLP nonclinical, clinical, and post-marketing commitments.
      Incurred samplereproducibility is one aspect of in-study validation, with white
      papers outlining expectations for chromatographic assays and immunoassays. This
      manuscript outlines an approach for performing incurred sample reproducibility
      for a bioequivalence study using a cell-based assay, with the complication of
      time elapsed between original and repeat assays. The incurred sample
      reproducibility passed the pre-established acceptance criteria of 45% for at
      least 2/3 of the samples: 174/216 samples (80.6%). Data trends between the two
      crossover arms were qualitatively similar. The passed incurred sample
      reproducibility and stability further supports the validity of the original study
      conclusion that the two manufacturing processes were bioequivalent. This
      illustrates one approach to extrapolating industry and regulatory recommendations
      for situations outside current guidance. 

PMID- 26110708
TI  - When close is not close enough: a comparison of endogenous and recombinant
      biomarker stability samples.
AB  - Dr Stephanie Fraser is an Associate Research Fellow in the Pharmocokinetics,
      Dynamics and Metabolism department at Pfizer, Groton, Connecticut. Since 2010 she
      has led a small but ambitious group of scientists that provide ligand-binding and
      immunoassay-based support to clinical biomarker programs across multiple
      therapeutic areas. Prior to joining Pfizer, Stephanie spent 5 years in
      preclinical toxicology at Charles River Laboratories where she managed a flow
      cytometry laboratory. She received her PhD in cellular and molecular biology from
      the University of Nevada, Reno in 1999 and has since focused on biomarker
      development and fit-for-purpose bioanalytical assays. Stability for
      biomarkerassays should be established during method validation using actual
      samples. Due to contradictory reference papers and a near absence of biomarker
      guidance documents actual samples are commonly replaced with spiked validation
      samples. This practice often fails to identify the stability of the endogenous
      biomarker. Spiked QC and endogenous biomarker sample data were collected for two
      immunoassays, TGF- beta1 and IL-13. Following one freeze/thaw cycle purified TGF
      beta1 recovery ranged between 87-110% whereas endogenous TGF-beta1 was 5-96%.
      Spiked recombinant IL-13 validation samples were stable for 4 months, whereas
      placebo samples were stable for 15 months. In these two cases stability
      established with purified and recombinant protein did not reflect the endogenous
      protein stability. 

PMID- 26110709
TI  - Serum sample stability in ligand-binding assays: challenges in assessments of
      long-term, bench-top and multiple freeze-thaw.
AB  - Chris Macaraeg has been a lead scientist for method development, validation, and
      study support intended for regulated pre-clinical/clinical studies within the
      Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism department at Amgen Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA.
      He joined Amgen in 2006. His expertise also includes automation and method
      transfer to CROs. Chris received his BS degree in Physiological Science and
      Neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, CA and MS in
      Forensic Science from Pace University, New York, NY. Stability of therapeutic
      proteins in biological matrix is an important parameter to evaluate in
      bioanalytical support of regulated nonclinical or clinical studies. Despite
      industry guidance publications, many questions still arise as to how these
      practices are implemented to establish therapeutic protein stability in
      bioanalytical method validations. This article presents findings from long-term,
      bench-top and freeze-thaw stability assessments for three therapeutic monoclonal
      antibodies using either ELISA or electrochemiluminescent technology. Studies
      illustrate the principles and challenges in stability tests which represent
      scenarios that samples will likely encounter during sample analysis. Thoughtful
      consideration of each study requirements and a fit-for-purpose approach is
      essential in successful establishment of the sample stability parameters in
      method validation. 

PMID- 26110710
TI  - Current industrial practices and regulatory requirements to assess analyte and
      reagent stability using ligand-binding assays.
AB  - Specific guidelines on bioanalytical method validation for drug development
      support are recommended by regulatory agencies. Regarding stability assessment,
      US FDA states that 'Stability procedures should evaluate the stability of the
      analytes during sample collection and handling, after long-term (frozen at the
      intended storage temperature) and short-term (bench-top, room temperature)
      storage, and after going through freeze and thaw cycles and the analytical
      process'. Additional regulatory considerations are discussed including topics
      such as analyte and reagent stability. This article reviews the regulatory
      requirements as issued by the USA (FDA), Europe (EMA) and Japan (MHLW), for
      stability studies where bioanalytical methods are used to support drug
      development programs and summarizes the current industry standard for conducting
      stability studies when utilizing ligand-binding assays. 

PMID- 26110711
TI  - Chip-based capillary electrophoresis platforms: toward point-of-care
      applications.

PMID- 26110712
TI  - Bioanalytical method validation considerations for LC-MS/MS assays of therapeutic
      proteins.
AB  - This paper highlights the recommendations of a group of industry scientists in
      validating regulated bioanalytical LC-MS/MS methods for protein therapeutics in a
      2015 AAPSJ White Paper. This group recommends that most of the same precision and
      accuracy validation criteria used for ligand-binding assays (LBAs) be applied to
      LC-MS/MS-based assays where proteins are quantified using the LC-MS/MS signal
      from a surrogate peptide after proteolytic digestion (PrD-LCMS methods). PrD-LCMS
      methods are generally more complex than small molecule LC-MS/MS assays and may
      often include LBA procedures, leading to the recommendation for a combination of
      chromatographic and LBA validation strategies and appropriate acceptance
      criteria. Several key aspects of this bioanalytical approach that are discussed
      in the White Paper are treated here in additional detail. These topics include
      selectivity/specificity, matrix effect, digestion efficiency, stability and
      critical reagent considerations. 

PMID- 26110713
TI  - Integration of microfluidic LC with HRMS for the analysis of analytes in
      biofluids: past, present and future.
AB  - Capillary LC (cLC) coupled to MS has the potential to improve detection limits,
      address limited sample volumes and allow multiple analyses from one sample. This
      is particularly attractive in areas where ultrahigh assay sensitivity, low limits
      of detection and small sample volumes are becoming commonplace. However,
      implementation of cLC-MS in the bioanalytical-drug metabolism area had been
      hampered by the lack of commercial instrumentation and the need for experts to
      operate the system. Recent advances in microfabricated devices such as chip-cube
      and ion-key technologies offer the potential for true implementation of cLC in
      the modern laboratory including the benefits of the combination of this type of
      separation with high-resolution MS. 

PMID- 26110714
TI  - Analysis of resistance and tolerance to virus infection in Drosophila.
AB  - Host defense to virus infection involves both resistance mechanisms that reduce
      viral burden and tolerance mechanisms that limit detrimental effects of
      infection. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has emerged as a model for
      identifying and characterizing the genetic basis of resistance and tolerance.
      This protocol describes how to analyze host responses to virus infection in
      Drosophila, and it covers the preparation of virus stocks, experimental
      inoculation of flies and assessment of host survival and virus production, which
      are indicative of resistance or tolerance. It also provides guidance on how to
      account for recently identified confounding factors, including natural genetic
      variation in the pastrel locus and contamination of fly stocks with persistent
      viruses and the symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia. Our protocol aims to be accessible
      to newcomers to the field and, although optimized for virus research using
      Drosophila, some of the techniques could be adapted to other host organisms
      and/or other microbial pathogens. Preparation of fly stocks requires ~1 month,
      virus stock preparation requires 17-20 d, virus injection and survival assays
      require 10-15 d and virus titration requires 14 d. 

PMID- 26110715
TI  - Guidelines for the automated evaluation of Elispot assays.
AB  - The presented protocol for Elispot plate evaluation summarizes how to implement
      the recommendations developed following the establishment of a large-scale
      international Elispot plate-reading panel and subsequent multistep consensus
      finding process. The panel involved >100 scientists from various immunological
      backgrounds. The protocol includes the description and justification of steps for
      setting reading parameters to obtain accurate, reliable and precise automated
      analysis results of Elispot plates. Further, necessary adjustments for out-of
      specification situations are described and examples are provided. The plate
      analysis, including parameter adjustments, auditing of results and necessary
      annotations, should be achievable within a time range of 10-30 min per plate.
      Adoption of these guidelines should enable a further reduction in assay
      variability and an increase in the reliability and comparability of results
      obtained by Elispot. These guidelines conclude the ongoing harmonization efforts
      for the enzymatic Elispot assay. 

PMID- 26110716
TI  - Intravital imaging of hair follicle regeneration in the mouse.
AB  - Hair follicles are mammalian skin organs that periodically and stereotypically
      regenerate from a small pool of stem cells. Hence, hair follicles are a widely
      studied model for stem cell biology and regeneration. This protocol describes the
      use of two-photon laser-scanning microscopy (TPLSM) to study hair regeneration
      within a living, uninjured mouse. TPLSM provides advantages over conventional
      approaches, including enabling time-resolved imaging of single hair follicle stem
      cells. Thus, it is possible to capture behaviors including apoptosis,
      proliferation and migration, and to revisit the same cells for in vivo lineage
      tracing. In addition, a wide range of fluorescent reporter mouse lines
      facilitates TPLSM in the skin. This protocol also describes TPLSM laser ablation,
      which can spatiotemporally manipulate specific cellular populations of the hair
      follicle or microenvironment to test their regenerative contributions. The
      preparation time is variable depending on the goals of the experiment, but it
      generally takes 30-60 min. Imaging time is dependent on the goals of the
      experiment. Together, these components of TPLSM can be used to develop a
      comprehensive understanding of hair regeneration during homeostasis and injury. 

PMID- 26110718
TI  - Covalent-Allosteric Kinase Inhibitors.
AB  - Targeting and stabilizing distinct kinase conformations is an instrumental
      strategy for dissecting conformation-dependent signaling of protein kinases.
      Herein the structure-based design, synthesis, and evaluation of pleckstrin
      homology (PH) domain-dependent covalent-allosteric inhibitors (CAIs) of the
      kinase Akt is reported. These inhibitors bind covalently to a distinct cysteine
      of the kinase and thereby stabilize the inactive kinase conformation. These
      modulators exhibit high potency and selectivity, and represent an innovative
      approach for chemical biology and medicinal chemistry research. 

PMID- 26110719
TI  - Rebuttal From Dr Li et al.

PMID- 26110720
TI  - [Dermatology -- the most progressive discipline in medicine].

PMID- 26110722
TI  - Severe drug-induced skin reactions: clinical features, diagnosis, etiology, and
      therapy.
AB  - Drugs can induce severe skin reactions that differ in clinical presentation,
      prognosis, and therapy. The spectrum of these reactions not only includes bullous
      reactions such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis
      (TEN), and generalized bullous fixed drug eruption (GBFDE) but also acute
      generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) and drug reaction with eosinophilia
      and systemic symptoms (DRESS). If AGEP or DRESS is suspected, the diagnosis
      should be confirmed by thorough clinical examination, a skin biopsy, and specific
      laboratory tests. Crucial for the patient's prognosis, the causative agent should
      be rapidly identified and discontinued. It is therefore important to know the
      most frequent triggers of severe drug reactions, some of which may induce various
      reaction patterns. Depending on the clinical diagnosis, symptomatic and adequate
      supportive therapy, as well as systemic immunomodulatory treatments are used. The
      prognosis in SJS/TEN is often poor and depends on the patient's age and
      underlying conditions as well as the extent of skin detachment. The prognosis of
      GBFDE is somewhat better, but recurrences may lead to more severe disease
      manifestations. In DRESS, protracted and recurrent courses have been described,
      whereas AGEP usually resolves without problems. 

PMID- 26110724
TI  - Methods of analyzing regional dermatological care as exemplified by the city of
      Hamburg.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rural-urban divide is often linked to regional inequalities in
      healthcare. However, studies have also shown regional healthcare disparities
      within urban areas. To evaluate these studies, further parameters such as
      accessibility must be added to the standard criteria. The objective of this study
      was to present methodic tools for evaluating dermatological healthcare provision
      in Hamburg, primarily focusing on accessibility. METHODS: Analyzing data from 97
      districts, the geographical distribution of 101 dermatologists and the physician
      patient ratio were determined. In a second step, network analysis regarding
      accessibility was performed. RESULTS: There are regional inequalities in Hamburg
      with respect to dermatological care. Depending on the district, the physician
      patient ratio ranges from 44.9 % (undersupply) to > 500 % (oversupply). Similar
      differences exist regarding accessibility. Although 94.5 % of the population of
      Hamburg is able to reach the nearest dermatologist within ten minutes (by car),
      it may take more than 30 minutes depending on district and mode of
      transportation. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the physician-patient ratio reveals
      differences regarding dermatological care in Hamburg. However, results of the
      network analysis show that these differences do not significantly affect access
      to dermatological care. Therefore, network analysis should be used as an
      additional tool to evaluate regional healthcare provision.

PMID- 26110728
TI  - [Comment on Eberle FC, Kanyildiz M, Maria Schnabl S et al. Three dimensional (3D)
      histology in daily routine: practical implementation and its evaluation].

PMID- 26110729
TI  - S2k guideline for the diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris/foliaceus and bullous
      pemphigoid.

PMID- 26110737
TI  - Relation of Serum and Vitreous Concentrations of Fetuin-A with Diabetic
      Retinopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fetuin-A, a liver-derived glycoprotein, is correlated with diabetes.
      The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate serum and vitreous
      concentrations of fetuin-A in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR). MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: We randomly selected 224 diabetic patients and 68 control subjects
      for this study. RESULTS :There were markedly higher serum and vitreous fetuin-A
      concentrations in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients than in the
      other three groups. NPDR patients exhibited elevated vitreous fetuin-A
      concentrations compared with patients without DR. However, no significant
      differences in serum fetuin-A concentrations were observed between NPDR patients
      and patients without DR. In addition, there were significantly lower
      concentrations of serum and vitreous fetuin-A in control subjects compared with
      the other three groups. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence and severity of DR is
      correlated with serum and vitreous fetuin-A concentrations.

PMID- 26110738
TI  - An anion induced multisignaling probe for Hg(2+) and its application for fish
      kidney and liver tissue imaging studies.
AB  - 3',6'-Bis(diethylamino)-2-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)spiro[isoindoline-1,9'-xanthen]-3
      one () was synthesized for the selective fluorescence and colorimetric
      recognition of Hg(2+) at pH 6.0. In addition, was useful for imaging Hg(2+) in
      fish kidney and liver tissues using a fluorescence microscope. Spirolactam ring
      opening of for Hg(2+) recognition is strongly influenced by the nature of the
      mercury salt and found to be NO3(-)-induced. Other mercury salts such as HgCl2,
      Hg(CH3COO)2 and Hg(ClO4)2 failed to induce fluorescence and colorimetric response
      of under the same experimental conditions. For instance, the former salt does not
      exhibit spirolactam ring opening but forms a new ionic compound
      (H3L)2[Hg6Cl18].2H2O (), whose structure has been elucidated by single crystal X
      ray diffraction. This might be explained by (1) the higher covalent nature of
      Hg(2+) and, hence, the lower acidity of the metal center and its inability to
      induce the ring opening reaction, and (2) the bulky anion, in the case of
      Hg(ClO4)2, which is also ionic, faces steric hindrance to accommodate within the
      N(Et)2 group upon spirolactam ring opening. 

PMID- 26110739
TI  - Insights from GWAS: emerging landscape of mechanisms underlying complex trait
      disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are now over 2000 loci in the human genome where genome wide
      association studies (GWAS) have found one or more SNPs to be associated with
      altered risk of a complex trait disease. At each of these loci, there must be
      some molecular level mechanism relevant to the disease. What are these mechanisms
      and how do they contribute to disease? RESULTS: Here we consider the roles of
      three primary mechanism classes: changes that directly alter protein function
      (missense SNPs), changes that alter transcript abundance as a consequence of
      variants close-by in sequence, and changes that affect splicing. Missense SNPs
      are divided into those predicted to have a high impact on in vivo protein
      function, and those with a low impact. Splicing is divided into SNPs with a
      direct impact on splice sites, and those with a predicted effect on auxiliary
      splicing signals. The analysis was based on associations found for seven complex
      trait diseases in the classic Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC1) GWA
      study and subsequent studies and meta-analyses, collected from the GWAS catalog.
      Linkage disequilibrium information was used to identify possible candidate SNPs
      for involvement in disease mechanism in each of the 356 loci associated with
      these seven diseases. With the parameters used, we find that 76% of loci have at
      least of these mechanisms. Overall, except for the low incidence of direct impact
      on splice sites, the mechanisms are found at similar frequencies, with changes in
      transcript abundance the most common. But the distribution of mechanisms over
      diseases varies markedly, as does the fraction of loci with assigned mechanisms.
      Many of the implicated proteins have previously been suggested as relevant, but
      the specific mechanism assignments are new. In addition, a number of new disease
      relevant proteins are proposed. CONCLUSIONS: The high fraction of GWAS loci with
      proposed mechanisms suggests that these classes of mechanism play a major role.
      Other mechanism types, such as variants affecting expression of genes remote in
      the DNA sequence, will contribute in other loci. Each of the identified putative
      mechanisms provides a hypothesis for further investigation.

PMID- 26110740
TI  - State-of-the-Science: The Evolution of Occupational Exposure Limit Derivation and
      Application.

PMID- 26110741
TI  - Biocompatible organic charge transfer complex nanoparticles based on a semi
      crystalline cellulose template.
AB  - Using a bio-inspired cellulose template, new charge transfer (CT) nanoparticles
      (NPs) with unique and intriguing emission properties are reported. Pyrene
      modified 2,3-di-O-methyl cellulose formed CT complexes with small molecule
      acceptors, e.g. 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), and exhibited
      aggregation-induced emission (AIE) in aqueous medium upon nanoparticle formation.
      The TCNQ-CT NPs showed multicolor fluorescence emissions at 370-400 nm, 602 nm
      and 777 nm, when excited at 330 nm, 485 nm and 620 nm respectively. The cellulose
      TCNQ NPs are biocompatible and demonstrate an advance in the use of the CT
      mechanism for biomedical imaging applications both in vitro and in vivo. 

PMID- 26110742
TI  - Study of Phospholipids in Single Cells Using an Integrated Microfluidic Device
      Combined with Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Single-cell trapping and high-throughput mass spectrometry analysis remain
      challenging now. Current technologies for single-cell analysis have several
      limitations, such as throughput, space resolution, and multicomponent analysis.
      In this study, we demonstrate, for the first time, the combination of
      microfluidic chip and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass
      spectrometry (MALDI-MS) for high-throughput and automatic single-cell
      phospholipids analysis. A microwell-array-based microfluidic chip was designed
      and fabricated for cell array formation on an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass
      slide. Mass spectrometry imaging measurement with 25 MUm pixel size was performed
      with a MALDI ion source. Eight phospholipids in a single A549 cell were detected,
      and their structures were further identified by MS/MS spectra. Selected ion
      images were generated with a bin width of Deltam/z +/- 0.005. The selected ion
      images and optical images of the cell array showed excellent correlation, and
      mass spectrometry information on phospholipids from 1-3 cells was extracted
      automatically by selecting pixels with the same fixed interval between microwells
      on the chip. The measurement and data extraction could be processed in several
      minutes to achieve a high-throughput analysis. Through the optimization of
      different microwell sizes and different matrices, this method showed potential
      for the analysis of other metabolites or metabolic changes at the single-cell
      level. 

PMID- 26110743
TI  - Rho GTPases at the crossroad of signaling networks in mammals.

PMID- 26110744
TI  - High-Frequency Ultrasound in the Evaluation of Psoriatic Arthritis: A Clinical
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare high-frequency ultrasound (HFU) findings
      in the fingers with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and
      to explore the potential use of HFU in the early diagnosis of PsA. METHODS: Forty
      four PsA patients with 123 fingers with symptoms, 39 RA patients with 122 fingers
      with symptoms and 20 healthy patients were recruited as controls. The ultrasound
      imaging manifestation and blood flow of fingers were recorded and compared. The
      results were analyzed by the chi test. RESULTS: Abnormal ultrasound findings in
      the fingers of RA and PsA patients were identified and compared. Among RA
      patients, 82 (67.21%) were diagnosed with joint effusion, 78 (63.93%) were
      synovial thickening and 59 (48.36%) were bone erosion, while no tenosynovitis,
      soft tissue inflammation or enthesitis was found. However, among the patients
      with PsA, 75 (60.97%) were diagnosed with joint effusion, 68 (55.28%) were
      synovial thickening, 71 (57.72%) were bone erosion, 71 (57.72%) were
      tenosynovitis, 44 (35.77%) were soft tissue inflammation and 39 (31.70%) were
      enthesitis. CONCLUSIONS: HFU proved valuable in detecting soft tissue
      inflammation and enthesitis in the fingers of PsA patients. HFU may be an easy,
      safe and effective examination in the early diagnosis of PsA and observation of
      pathological changes of PsA.

PMID- 26110745
TI  - Toxoplasma gondii Pneumonia in an Immunocompetent Individual.

PMID- 26110746
TI  - Bovine Bioprosthetic Valve Endocarditis in a Cattle Rancher.

PMID- 26110747
TI  - Xanthinuria type I with a novel mutation of xanthine dehydrogenase.

PMID- 26110752
TI  - Estrogen and Cardiovascular Disease: Is Timing Everything?

PMID- 26110754
TI  - Joint Plenary Symposium Introduction: "From Childhood to Adulthood: Perspectives
      on Cardiovascular Disease in Females".

PMID- 26110756
TI  - Determination of Labeled Fatty Acids Content in Milk Products, Infant Formula and
      Adult/Pediatric Nutritional Formula by Capillary Gas Chromatography: First Action
      2012.13.
AB  - The method described below is intended for the quantification of all fatty acids,
      including commercially important groups of fatty acids used for labeling reasons
      (i.e., TFA, SFA, MUFA, PUFA, omega-3, omega-6, omega-9) and/or individual fatty
      acids (i.e., LA, ALA, ARA, EPA, DHA) in milk products, infant formula and
      adult/pediatric nutritional formula. These products often contain milk fat and/or
      vegetable oils, and are supplemented or not supplemented with oils rich in long
      chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA). The determination is performed by
      direct transesterification of ready-to-feed liquid concentrate or powder
      products, without prior fat extraction. The single laboratory validation (SLV)
      data was submitted to the Stakeholder Panel on Infant Formula and Adult
      Nutritionals (SPIFAN) Expert Review Panel (ERP) for review at the AOAC
      INTERNATIONAL annual meeting held September 30 to October 3, 2012 in Las Vegas,
      Nevada. The ERP determined that the data reviewed met the Standard Method
      Performance Requirements (SMPR 2012.11) set by SPIFAN and was approved as an AOAC
      Official First Action. The analytical range for SPIFAN samples was between 0.001
      7.94 g/100 g reconstituted product, or ready-to-feed liquid. The quantitation
      limit was estimated as 0.001 g/100 g, while repeatability and intermediate
      precision were both less than 1.8 % RSD above 0.05 g/100 g, and <3.5% RSD at 0.00
      5g/100 g, respectively. Recovery values based on spiking experiments at two
      different levels of linoleic and linolenic acids ranged from 100.0% to 102.9% for
      3 different SPIFAN products. All the parameters evaluated during the SLV were
      well within the values defined in SMPR 2012.011 (September 2012).

PMID- 26110755
TI  - (1)H NMR-Based Metabolomics and Neurotoxicity Study of Cerebrum and Cerebellum in
      Rats Treated with Cinnabar, a Traditional Chinese Medicine.
AB  - Cinnabar, an important traditional Chinese mineral medicine, has been widely used
      as a Chinese patent medicine ingredient for sedative therapy. Nevertheless, the
      neurotoxic effects of cinnabar have also been noted. In this study, (1)H NMR
      based metabolomics, combined with multivariate pattern recognition, were applied
      to investigate the neurotoxic effects of cinnabar after intragastrical
      administration (dosed at 2 and 5 g/kg body weight) on male Wistar rats. The
      metabolite variations induced by cinnabar were characterized by increased levels
      of glutamate, glutamine, myo-inositol, and choline, as well as decreased levels
      of GABA, taurine, NAA, and NAAG in tissue extracts of the cerebellum and
      cerebrum. These findings suggested that cinnabar induced glutamate
      excitotoxicity, neuronal cell loss, osmotic state changes, membrane fluidity
      disruption, and oxidative injury in the brain. We also show here that there is a
      dose- and time-dependent neurotoxicity of cinnabar, and that cerebellum was more
      sensitive to cinnabar induction than cerebrum. This work illustrates the utility
      and reliability of (1)H NMR-based metabolomics approach for examining the
      potential neurotoxic effects of cinnabar and other traditional Chinese medicines.

PMID- 26110753
TI  - Hypertension and Health Behaviors in Females Across the Lifespan.

PMID- 26110757
TI  - The effects of high perioperative inspiratory oxygen fraction for adult surgical
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Available evidence on the effects of a high fraction of inspired
      oxygen (FIO2) of 60% to 90% compared with a routine fraction of inspired oxygen
      of 30% to 40%, during anaesthesia and surgery, on mortality and surgical site
      infection has been inconclusive. Previous trials and meta-analyses have led to
      different conclusions on whether a high fraction of supplemental inspired oxygen
      during anaesthesia may decrease or increase mortality and surgical site
      infections in surgical patients. OBJECTIVES: To assess the benefits and harms of
      an FIO2 equal to or greater than 60% compared with a control FIO2 at or below 40%
      in the perioperative setting in terms of mortality, surgical site infection,
      respiratory insufficiency, serious adverse events and length of stay during the
      index admission for adult surgical patients.We looked at various outcomes,
      conducted subgroup and sensitivity analyses, examined the role of bias and
      applied trial sequential analysis (TSA) to examine the level of evidence
      supporting or refuting a high FIO2 during surgery, anaesthesia and recovery.
      SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials
      (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, International Web of Science, the Latin
      American and Caribbean Health Science Information Database (LILACS), advanced
      Google and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)
      up to February 2014. We checked the references of included trials and reviews for
      unidentified relevant trials and reran the searches in March 2015. We will
      consider two studies of interest when we update the review. SELECTION CRITERIA:
      We included randomized clinical trials that compared a high fraction of inspired
      oxygen with a routine fraction of inspired oxygen during anaesthesia, surgery and
      recovery in individuals 18 years of age or older. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:
      Two review authors extracted data independently. We conducted random-effects and
      fixed-effect meta-analyses, and for dichotomous outcomes, we calculated risk
      ratios (RRs). We used published data and data obtained by contacting trial
      authors.To minimize the risk of systematic error, we assessed the risk of bias of
      the included trials. To reduce the risk of random errors caused by sparse data
      and repetitive updating of cumulative meta-analyses, we applied trial sequential
      analyses. We used Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and
      Evaluation (GRADE) to assess the quality of the evidence. MAIN RESULTS: We
      included 28 randomized clinical trials (9330 participants); in the 21 trials
      reporting relevant outcomes for this review, 7597 participants were randomly
      assigned to a high fraction of inspired oxygen versus a routine fraction of
      inspired oxygen.In trials with an overall low risk of bias, a high fraction of
      inspired oxygen compared with a routine fraction of inspired oxygen was not
      associated with all-cause mortality (random-effects model: RR 1.12, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.93 to 1.36; GRADE: low quality) within the longest
      follow-up and within 30 days of follow-up (Peto odds ratio (OR) 0.99, 95% CI 0.61
      to 1.60; GRADE: low quality). In a trial sequential analysis, the required
      information size was not reached and the analysis could not refute a 20% increase
      in mortality. Similarly, when all trials were included, a high fraction of
      inspired oxygen was not associated with all-cause mortality to the longest follow
      up (RR 1.07, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.33) or within 30 days of follow-up (Peto OR 0.83,
      95% CI 0.54 to 1.29), both of very low quality according to GRADE. Neither was a
      high fraction of inspired oxygen associated with the risk of surgical site
      infection in trials with low risk of bias (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.17; GRADE:
      low quality) or in all trials (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.07; GRADE: low quality).
      A high fraction of inspired oxygen was not associated with respiratory
      insufficiency (RR 1.25, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.99), serious adverse events (RR 0.96,
      95% CI 0.65 to 1.43) or length of stay (mean difference -0.06 days, 95% CI -0.44
      to 0.32 days).In subgroup analyses of nine trials using preoperative antibiotics,
      a high fraction of inspired oxygen was associated with a decrease in surgical
      site infections (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.97; GRADE: very low quality); a
      similar effect was noted in the five trials adequately blinded for the outcome
      assessment (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.96; GRADE: very low quality). We did not
      observe an effect of a high fraction of inspired oxygen on surgical site
      infections in any other subgroup analyses. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: As the risk of
      adverse events, including mortality, may be increased by a fraction of inspired
      oxygen of 60% or higher, and as robust evidence is lacking for a beneficial
      effect of a fraction of inspired oxygen of 60% or higher on surgical site
      infection, our overall results suggest that evidence is insufficient to support
      the routine use of a high fraction of inspired oxygen during anaesthesia and
      surgery. Given the risk of attrition and outcome reporting bias, as well as other
      weaknesses in the available evidence, further randomized clinical trials with low
      risk of bias in all bias domains, including a large sample size and long-term
      follow-up, are warranted.

PMID- 26110758
TI  - Augmenting LTP-Like Plasticity in Human Motor Cortex by Spaced Paired Associative
      Stimulation.
AB  - Paired associative stimulation (PASLTP) of the human primary motor cortex (M1)
      can induce LTP-like plasticity by increasing corticospinal excitability beyond
      the stimulation period. Previous studies showed that two consecutive PASLTP
      protocols interact by homeostatic metaplasticity, but animal experiments provided
      evidence that LTP can be augmented by repeated stimulation protocols spaced by
      ~30 min. Here we tested in twelve healthy selected PASLTP responders the
      possibility that LTP-like plasticity can be augmented in the human M1 by
      systematically varying the interval between two consecutive PASLTP protocols. The
      first PASLTP protocol (PAS1) induced strong LTP-like plasticity lasting for 30-60
      min. The effect of a second identical PASLTP protocol (PAS2) critically depended
      on the time between PAS1 and PAS2. At 10 min, PAS2 prolonged the PAS1-induced LTP
      like plasticity. At 30 min, PAS2 augmented the LTP-like plasticity induced by
      PAS1, by increasing both magnitude and duration. At 60 min and 180 min, PAS2 had
      no effect on corticospinal excitability. The cumulative LTP-like plasticity after
      PAS1 and PAS2 at 30 min exceeded significantly the effect of PAS1 alone, and the
      cumulative PAS1 and PAS2 effects at 60 min and 180 min. In summary, consecutive
      PASLTP protocols interact in human M1 in a time-dependent manner. If spaced by 30
      min, two consecutive PASLTP sessions can augment LTP-like plasticity in human M1.
      Findings may inspire further research on optimized therapeutic applications of
      non-invasive brain stimulation in neurological and psychiatric diseases.

PMID- 26110759
TI  - Structural and Functional Analysis of Human HtrA3 Protease and Its Subdomains.
AB  - Human HtrA3 protease, which induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, can be a
      tumor suppressor and a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of cancer.
      However, there is little information about its structure and biochemical
      properties. HtrA3 is composed of an N-terminal domain not required for
      proteolytic activity, a central serine protease domain and a C-terminal PDZ
      domain. HtrA3S, its short natural isoform, lacks the PDZ domain which is
      substituted by a stretch of 7 C-terminal amino acid residues, unique for this
      isoform. This paper presents the crystal structure of the HtrA3 protease domain
      together with the PDZ domain (DeltaN-HtrA3), showing that the protein forms a
      trimer whose protease domains are similar to those of human HtrA1 and HtrA2. The
      DeltaN-HtrA3 PDZ domains are placed in a position intermediate between that in
      the flat saucer-like HtrA1 SAXS structure and the compact pyramidal HtrA2 X-ray
      structure. The PDZ domain interacts closely with the LB loop of the protease
      domain in a way not found in other human HtrAs. DeltaN-HtrA3 with the PDZ removed
      (DeltaN-HtrA3-DeltaPDZ) and an N-terminally truncated HtrA3S (DeltaN-HtrA3S) were
      fully active at a wide range of temperatures and their substrate affinity was not
      impaired. This indicates that the PDZ domain is dispensable for HtrA3 activity.
      As determined by size exclusion chromatography, DeltaN-HtrA3 formed stable
      trimers while both DeltaN-HtrA3-DeltaPDZ and DeltaN-HtrA3S were monomeric. This
      suggests that the presence of the PDZ domain, unlike in HtrA1 and HtrA2,
      influences HtrA3 trimer formation. The unique C-terminal sequence of DeltaN
      HtrA3S appeared to have little effect on activity and oligomerization.
      Additionally, we examined the cleavage specificity of DeltaN-HtrA3. Results
      reported in this paper provide new insights into the structure and function of
      DeltaN-HtrA3, which seems to have a unique combination of features among human
      HtrA proteases. 

PMID- 26110760
TI  - Talin Is Required Continuously for Cardiomyocyte Remodeling during Heart Growth
      in Drosophila.
AB  - Mechanotransduction of tension can govern the remodeling of cardiomyocytes during
      growth or cardiomyopathy. Tension is signaled through the integrin adhesion
      complexes found at muscle insertions and costameres but the relative importance
      of signalling during cardiomyocyte growth versus remodelling has not been
      assessed. Employing the Drosophila cardiomyocyte as a genetically amenable model,
      we depleted the levels of Talin, a central component of the integrin adhesion
      complex, at different stages of heart growth and remodeling. We demonstrate a
      continuous requirement for Talin during heart growth to maintain the one-to-one
      apposition of myofibril ends between cardiomyocytes. Retracted myofibrils cannot
      regenerate appositions to adjacent cells after restoration of normal Talin
      expression, and the resulting deficit reduces heart contraction and lifespan.
      Reduction of Talin during heart remodeling after hatching or during metamorphosis
      results in pervasive degeneration of cell contacts, myofibril length and number,
      for which restored Talin expression is insufficient for regeneration. Resultant
      dilated cardiomyopathy results in a fibrillating heart with poor rhythmicity.
      Cardiomyocytes have poor capacity to regenerate deficits in myofibril orientation
      and insertion, despite an ongoing capacity to remodel integrin based adhesions. 

PMID- 26110761
TI  - Quantitative Assessment of Intra-Patient Variation in CD4+ T Cell Counts in
      Stable, Virologically-Suppressed, HIV-Infected Subjects.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Counts of absolute CD4+ T lymphocytes (CD4+ T cells) are known to be
      highly variable in untreated HIV-infected individuals, but there are no data in
      virologically-suppressed individuals. We investigated CD4+ T cell variability in
      stable, virologically-suppressed, HIV-1 infected adults on combination
      antiretroviral therapy (cART). METHODS: From a large hospital database we
      selected patients with stable virological suppression on cART for >3 years with
      >10 CD4+ T cell measurements performed over a further >2 years; and a control
      group of 95 patients not on cART. RESULTS: We identified 161 HIV-infected
      patients on cART without active HCV or HBV infection, with stable virological
      suppression for a median of 6.4 years. Over the study period 88 patients had
      reached a plateau in their absolute CD4+ T cell counts, while 65 patients had
      increasing and 8 patients had decreasing absolute CD4+ T cell counts. In patients
      with plateaued CD4+ T cell counts, variability in absolute CD4+ T cell counts was
      greater than in percent CD4+ T cells (median coefficient of variation (CV) 16.6%
      [IQR 13.8-20.1%] and CV 9.6% [IQR 7.4-13.0%], respectively). Patients with
      increasing CD4+ T cell counts had greater variability in absolute CD4+ T cell
      counts than those with plateaued CD4 T cell counts (CV 19.5% [IQR 16.1-23.8%],
      p<0.001) while there was no difference in percent CD4+ T cell variability between
      the two groups. As previously reported, untreated patients had CVs significantly
      higher than patients on cART (CVs of 21.1% [IQR 17.2-32.0%], p<0.001 and 15.2%
      (IQR 10.7-20.0%), p<0.001, respectively). Age or sex did not affect the degree of
      CD4+ variation. CONCLUSIONS: Adults with stable, virologically-suppressed HIV
      infection continue to have significant variations in individual absolute CD4+ T
      cell and percent CD4+ T cell counts; this variation can be of clinical relevance
      especially around CD4+ thresholds. However, the variation seen in individuals on
      cART is substantially less than in untreated subjects.

PMID- 26110762
TI  - Ambiguity in Social Network Data for Presence, Sensitive-Attribute, Degree and
      Relationship Privacy Protection.
AB  - Maintaining privacy in network data publishing is a major challenge. This is
      because known characteristics of individuals can be used to extract new
      information about them. Recently, researchers have developed privacy methods
      based on k-anonymity and l-diversity to prevent re-identification or sensitive
      label disclosure through certain structural information. However, most of these
      studies have considered only structural information and have been developed for
      undirected networks. Furthermore, most existing approaches rely on generalization
      and node clustering so may entail significant information loss as all properties
      of all members of each group are generalized to the same value. In this paper, we
      introduce a framework for protecting sensitive attribute, degree (the number of
      connected entities), and relationships, as well as the presence of individuals in
      directed social network data whose nodes contain attributes. First, we define a
      privacy model that specifies privacy requirements for the above private
      information. Then, we introduce the technique of Ambiguity in Social Network data
      (ASN) based on anatomy, which specifies how to publish social network data. To
      employ ASN, individuals are partitioned into groups. Then, ASN publishes exact
      values of properties of individuals of each group with common group ID in several
      tables. The lossy join of those tables based on group ID injects uncertainty to
      reconstruct the original network. We also show how to measure different privacy
      requirements in ASN. Simulation results on real and synthetic datasets
      demonstrate that our framework, which protects from four types of private
      information disclosure, preserves data utility in tabular, topological and
      spectrum aspects of networks at a satisfactory level. 

PMID- 26110763
TI  - From Cell and Organismal Biology to Drugs.

PMID- 26110764
TI  - Characterization of SMAD3 Gene Variants for Possible Roles in Ventricular Septal
      Defects and Other Congenital Heart Diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nodal/TGF signaling pathway has an important effect at early stages
      of differentiation of human embryonic stem cells in directing them to develop
      into different embryonic lineages. SMAD3 is a key intracellular messenger
      regulating factor in the Nodal/TGF signaling pathway, playing important roles in
      embryonic and, particularly, cardiovascular system development. The aim of this
      work was to find evidence on whether SMAD3 variations might be associated with
      ventricular septal defects (VSD) or other congenital heart diseases (CHD).
      METHODS: We sequenced the SMAD3 gene for 372 Chinese Han CHD patients including
      176 VSD patients and evaluated SNP rs2289263, which is located before the 5'UTR
      sequence of the gene. The statistical analyses were conducted using Chi-Square
      Tests as implemented in SPSS (version 13.0). The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test
      of the population was carried out using the online software OEGE. RESULTS: Three
      heterozygous variants in SMAD3 gene, rs2289263, rs35874463 and rs17228212, were
      identified. Statistical analyses showed that the rs2289263 variant located before
      the 5'UTR sequence of SMAD3 gene was associated with the risk of VSD (P
      value=0.013 <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The SNP rs2289263 in the SMAD3 gene is
      associated with VSD in Chinese Han populations.

PMID- 26110766
TI  - Light- and Humidity-Induced Motion of an Acidochromic Film.
AB  - A smart acidochromic agarose-based film with 1,4-bis(para-hydroxystyryl)benzene
      as the pH-responsive fluorophore was prepared. This film can simultaneously
      harness the chemical potential of light and aerial humidity gradients to convert
      them into mechanical work. The strong reversible hygroscopicity of the agarose
      matrix induces swift locomotion by mechanical deformation owing to exchange of
      water with the surroundings. Driven by humidity, a 20 mg composite film coupled
      to a piezoelectric bending transducer sensor generates a peak output of
      approximately 80 mV, which corresponds to a power density of 25 MUW kg(-1).
      Excitation with UV light triggers isomerization of the chromophore, which appears
      as reshaping by spiraling, bending, or twisting of the film. The material also
      responds to changes in the pH value by reversible protonation of the fluorophore
      with rapid changes in color and fluorescence. The threefold sensing capability of
      this smart material could be utilized for the fabrication of multiresponsive
      actuating dynamic elements in biomedicine and soft robotics.

PMID- 26110765
TI  - On the interaction between the imidazolium cation and aromatic amino acids. A
      computational study.
AB  - Complexes formed by the imidazolium cation and the aromatic amino acids,
      phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine have been studied by using
      computational methods. Complexation energies estimated at the MP2.X level amount
      to -123.3, -124.6, -131.5 and -145.5 kJ mol(-1) for Phe, Tyr, Trp and His,
      respectively. The results obtained for Phe, Tyr and Trp complexes are similar,
      with the most stable minima corresponding to structures with the imidazolium
      cation stacked over the rings. The cation forms hydrogen bonds with the amino
      acid while establishing cationpi contacts with the aromatic rings. Extended
      structures with the amino acids in zwitterionic form are almost equally stable,
      though. The interaction is controlled by electrostatics and induction, though the
      preference for the stacked minima is due to larger contributions from induction
      and dispersion despite the energy cost of folding the amino acid. His complexes
      exhibit a totally different behaviour, and no structures displaying cationpi
      interactions are found among the most stable minima. Most favourable complexes of
      His show the cation hydrogen bonded to the amino acid in extended zwitterionic
      form. Overall, Phe, Tyr and Trp complexes can show parallel structures in
      competition with similarly stable zwitterionic ones, while His only shows
      zwitterionic minima, with a stability even larger than any of the other aromatic
      amino acids, though lacking participation of the pi cloud in the interaction. 

PMID- 26110767
TI  - EGF-Induced Acetylation of Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins Is Dependent
      on KRAS Mutational Status in Colorectal Cancer Cells.
AB  - KRAS mutational status is considered a negative predictive marker of the response
      to anti-EGFR therapies in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. However, conflicting
      data exist regarding the variable response to EGFR-targeted therapy. The effects
      of oncogenic KRAS on downstream targets were studied in cell lines with different
      KRAS mutations. Cells harboring a single KRASG13D allele showed the most
      tumorigenic profile, with constitutive activation of the downstream pathway,
      rendering them EGF-unresponsive. Conversely, KRASA146T cells showed a full EGF
      response in terms of signal transduction pathways, cell proliferation, migration
      or adhesion. Moreover, the global acetylome of CRC cells was also dependent on
      KRAS mutational status. Several hnRNP family members were identified within the
      36 acetylated-proteins. Acetylation status is known to be involved in the
      modulation of EGF-response. In agreement with results presented herein, hnRNPA1
      and L acetylation was induced in response to EGF in KRASA146T cells, whereas
      acetyl-hnRNPA1 and L levels remained unchanged after growth factor treatment in
      KRASG13D unresponsive cells. Our results showed that hnRNPs induced-acetylation
      is dependent on KRAS mutational status. Nevertheless hnRNPs acetylation might
      also be the point where different oncogenic pathways converge. 

PMID- 26110768
TI  - Clinicians' Tendencies to Under-Rate Parkinsonian Tremors in the Less Affected
      Hand.
AB  - The standard assessment method for tremor severity in Parkinson's disease is
      visual observation by neurologists using clinical rating scales. This is,
      therefore, a subjective rating that is dependent on clinical expertise. The
      objective of this study was to report clinicians' tendencies to under-rate
      Parkinsonian tremors in the less affected hand. This was observed through
      objective tremor measurement with accelerometers. Tremor amplitudes were measured
      objectively using tri-axis-accelerometers for both hands simultaneously in 53
      patients with Parkinson's disease during resting and postural tremors. The
      videotaped tremor was rated by neurologists using clinical rating scales. The
      tremor measured by accelerometer was compared with clinical ratings. Neurologists
      tended to under-rate the less affected hand in resting tremor when the
      contralateral hand had severe tremor in Session I. The participating neurologists
      corrected this tendency in Session II after being informed of it. The under
      rating tendency was then repeated by other uninformed neurologists in Session
      III. Kappa statistics showed high inter-rater agreements and high agreements
      between estimated scores derived from the accelerometer signals and the mean
      Clinical Tremor Rating Scale evaluated in every session. Therefore, clinicians
      need to be aware of this under-rating tendency in visual inspection of the less
      affected hand in order to make accurate tremor severity assessments. 

PMID- 26110769
TI  - Validation of the new Lucerne ICF based Multidisciplinary Observation Scale
      (LIMOS) for stroke patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Valid and multidisciplinary assessment of a stroke patient's ability
      to perform activities of daily living is very important to define individual
      goals and to plan targeted rehabilitation. Until today, there is no observation
      scale that relies on International Classification of Functioning, Disability and
      Health (ICF). The aim of the present study was to develop and evaluate the
      reliability and validity of a new multidisciplinary observation scale for stroke
      patients, shortly called LIMOS, which is based on ICF. METHODS: In a first phase,
      LIMOS was defined, using a Delphi approach, by an expert panel and a pilot
      testing was conducted in a small group of stroke patients (n =10) to investigate
      feasibility and practicability. In a second phase, LIMOS was assessed for its
      reliability (internal consistency and test-retest reliability) and validity in a
      large cohort of stroke patients (n = 102). For convergent validity, the
      correlation between total scores of the LIMOS and the Functional Independence
      Measure (FIM) was assessed. RESULTS: LIMOS consisted of seven ICF chapters
      incorporating 45 domains. A high internal consistency (=0.98) of LIMOS was found.
      Furthermore, good test-retest reliability at item and subscale level was found.
      Principal component analysis revealed that among the seven ICF chapters, four
      components could be found: (1) interpersonal activities, mobility and self-care,
      (2) communication, (3) knowledge and general tasks, and (4) domestic life.
      Significant associations were found between LIMOS and the FIM indicating good
      convergent validity. CONCLUSIONS: The new LIMOS is a reliable and valid
      observation scale for stroke patients based on ICF, which can be used by a
      multidisciplinary team working in a neurorehabilitation setting.

PMID- 26110770
TI  - In vivo high angular resolution diffusion-weighted imaging of mouse brain at 16.4
      Tesla.
AB  - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the rodent brain at ultra-high magnetic
      fields (> 9.4 Tesla) offers a higher signal-to-noise ratio that can be exploited
      to reduce image acquisition time or provide higher spatial resolution. However,
      significant challenges are presented due to a combination of longer T1 and
      shorter T2/T2* relaxation times and increased sensitivity to magnetic
      susceptibility resulting in severe local-field inhomogeneity artefacts from air
      pockets and bone/brain interfaces. The Stejskal-Tanner spin echo diffusion
      weighted imaging (DWI) sequence is often used in high-field rodent brain MRI due
      to its immunity to these artefacts. To accurately determine diffusion-tensor or
      fibre-orientation distribution, high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI)
      with strong diffusion weighting (b >3000 s/mm2) and at least 30 diffusion
      encoding directions are required. However, this results in long image acquisition
      times unsuitable for live animal imaging. In this study, we describe the
      optimization of HARDI acquisition parameters at 16.4T using a Stejskal-Tanner
      sequence with echo-planar imaging (EPI) readout. EPI segmentation and partial
      Fourier encoding acceleration were applied to reduce the echo time (TE), thereby
      minimizing signal decay and distortion artefacts while maintaining a reasonably
      short acquisition time. The final HARDI acquisition protocol was achieved with
      the following parameters: 4 shot EPI, b = 3000 s/mm2, 64 diffusion-encoding
      directions, 125*150 MUm2 in-plane resolution, 0.6 mm slice thickness, and 2h
      acquisition time. This protocol was used to image a cohort of adult C57BL/6 male
      mice, whereby the quality of the acquired data was assessed and diffusion tensor
      imaging (DTI) derived parameters were measured. High-quality images with high
      spatial and angular resolution, low distortion and low variability in DTI-derived
      parameters were obtained, indicating that EPI-DWI is feasible at 16.4T to study
      animal models of white matter (WM) diseases. 

PMID- 26110771
TI  - Primary Hyperventilation in the Emergency Department: A First Overview.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary hyperventilation is defined as a state of alveolar
      ventilation in excess of metabolic requirements, leading to decreased arterial
      partial pressure of carbon dioxide. The primary aim of this study was to
      characterise patients diagnosed with primary hyperventilation in the ED. METHODS:
      Our retrospective cohort study comprised adult (>=16 years) patients admitted to
      our ED between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2012 with the primary diagnosis of
      primary (=psychogenic) hyperventilation. RESULTS: A total of 616 patients were
      eligible for study. Participants were predominantely female (341 [55.4%] female
      versus 275 [44.6%] male respectively, p <0.01). The mean age was 36.5 years (SD
      15.52, range 16-85). Patients in their twenties were the most common age group
      (181, 29.4%), followed by patients in their thirties (121, 19.6%). Most patients
      presented at out-of-office hours (331 [53.7%]. The most common symptom was fear
      (586, 95.1%), followed by paraesthesia (379, 61.5%) and dizziness (306, 49.7%).
      Almost a third (187, 30.4%) of our patients had previously experienced an episode
      of hyperventilation and half (311, 50.5%) of patients had a psychiatric co
      morbidity. CONCLUSION: Hyperventilation is a diagnostic chimera with a wide
      spectrum of symptoms. Patients predominantly are of young age, female sex and
      often have psychiatric comorbidities. The severity of symptoms accompanied with
      primary hyperventilation most often needs further work-up to rule out other
      diagnosis in a mostly young population. In the future, further prospective
      multicentre studies are needed to evaluate and establish clear diagnostic
      criteria for primary hyperventilation and possible screening instruments.

PMID- 26110772
TI  - Virus Excretion from Foot-And-Mouth Disease Virus Carrier Cattle and Their
      Potential Role in Causing New Outbreaks.
AB  - The role of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) carrier cattle in causing new
      outbreaks is still a matter of debate and it is important to find out these
      carrier animals by post-outbreak serosurveillance to declare freedom from FMDV
      infection. In this study we explore the differences in viral shedding between
      carrier and non-carrier animals, quantify the transmission rate of FMDV infection
      from carriers to susceptible animals and identify potential viral determinants of
      viral persistence. We collected nasal and saliva samples from 32 vaccinated and 7
      unvaccinated FMDV carrier cattle and 48 vaccinated and 13 unvaccinated non
      carrier cattle (total n=100) during the acute phase of infection (up to 28 days
      post-challenge) and then from limited number of animals up to a maximum 168 days
      post-challenge. We demonstrate that unvaccinated cattle excrete significantly
      higher levels of virus for longer periods compared with vaccinated cattle and
      this is independent of whether or not they subsequently become carriers. By
      introducing naive cattle in to the FMDV carrier population we show the risk of
      new outbreaks is clearly very low in controlled conditions, although there could
      still be a potential threat of these carrier animals causing new outbreaks in the
      field situation. Finally, we compared the complete genome sequences of viruses
      from carrier cattle with the challenge virus and found no evidence for viral
      determinants of the carrier state. 

PMID- 26110773
TI  - Enhancing the conservation of crop wild relatives in England.
AB  - Humans require resilient, rapidly renewable and sustainable supplies of food and
      many other plant-derived supplies. However, the combined effects of climate
      change and population growth compromise the provision of these supplies
      particularly in respect to global food security. Crop wild relatives (CWR)
      contain higher genetic diversity than crops and harbour traits that can improve
      crop resilience and yield through plant breeding. However, in common with most
      countries, CWR are poorly conserved in England. There is currently no provision
      for long-term CWR conservation in situ, and comprehensive ex situ collection and
      storage of CWR is also lacking. However, there is a commitment to achieve their
      conservation in England's Biodiversity Strategy and the UK has international
      commitments to do so as part of the Global Plant Conservation Strategy. Here, we
      identify a series of measures that could enhance the conservation of English CWR,
      thereby supporting the achievement of these national and international
      objectives. We provide an inventory of 148 priority English CWR, highlight
      hotspots of CWR diversity in sites including The Lizard Peninsula, the Dorset
      coast and Cambridgeshire and suggest appropriate sites for the establishment of a
      complementary network of genetic reserves. We also identify individual in situ
      and ex situ priorities for each English CWR. Based on these analyses, we make
      recommendations whose implementation could provide effective, long-term
      conservation of English CWR whilst facilitating their use in crop improvement. 

PMID- 26110774
TI  - Trends in cancer incidence in Maputo, Mozambique, 1991-2008.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Very limited information is available regarding the incidence of
      cancer in sub-Saharan Africa. We analyzed changes in cancer patterns from 1991 to
      2008 in Maputo (Mozambique). METHODS: We calculated the rates of incidence of
      different cancer sites by sex in the 5-year age-group of the population of Maputo
      city as well as age-standardized rates (ASRs) and average annual percentage
      changes (AAPC). RESULTS: Over the 18-year study period a total of 12,674 cases of
      cancer (56.9% females) were registered with an overall increase in the risk of
      cancer in both sexes. In males, the most common cancers were those of the
      prostate, Kaposi sarcoma (KS) and the liver. Prostate cancer showed the most
      dramatic increase over the whole study period (AAPC +11.3%; 95% CI: 9.7-13.0),
      with an ASR of 61.7 per 105 in 2003-2008. In females, the most frequent cancers
      were of the uterine cervix, the breast and KS, with the former increasing along
      the whole study period (AAPC + 4.7%; 95% CI: 3.4-6) with an ASR of 62.0 per 105
      in 2003-2008 as well as breast cancer (AAPC +6.5%; 95%CI: 4.3-8.7). CONCLUSIONS:
      Overall, the risk of cancer rose in both sexes during the study period,
      particularly among cancers associated with westernization of lifestyles
      (prostate, breast), combined with increasingly rising incidences or limited
      changes in cancers associated with infection and poverty (uterine cervix, liver).
      Moreover, the burden of AIDS-associated cancers has shown a marked increase.

PMID- 26110776
TI  - Correction: CleavPredict: A Platform for Reasoning about Matrix
      Metalloproteinases Proteolytic Events.

PMID- 26110775
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of CT-Guided Transthoracic Needle Biopsy for Solitary
      Pulmonary Nodules.
AB  - To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography (CT)-guided
      percutaneous lung biopsy for solitary pulmonary nodules. Three hundred and eleven
      patients (211 males and 100 females), with a mean age of 59.6 years (range, 19-87
      years), who were diagnosed with solitary pulmonary nodules and underwent CT
      guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy between January 2008 and January
      2014 were reviewed. All patients were confirmed by surgery or the clinical
      course. The overall diagnostic accuracy and incidence of complications were
      calculated, and the factors influencing these were statistically evaluated and
      compared. Specimens were successfully obtained from all 311 patients. A total of
      217 and 94 cases were found to be malignant and benign lesions, respectively, by
      biopsy. Two hundred and twenty-five (72.3%) carcinomas, 78 (25.1%) benign
      lesions, and 8 (2.6%) inconclusive lesions were confirmed by surgery and the
      clinical course. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of CT
      guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy were 92.9%, 95.3%, and 95.7%,
      respectively. The incidences of pneumothorax and self-limiting bleeding were
      17.7% and 11.6%, respectively. Taking account of all evidence, CT-guided
      percutaneous lung biopsy for solitary pulmonary nodules is an efficient, and safe
      diagnostic method associated with few complications. 

PMID- 26110777
TI  - Peer mentorship to promote physical activity among cancer survivors: effects on
      quality of life.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Physical activity (PA) adoption can improve quality of life (QOL) and
      related outcomes among breast cancer survivors. To disseminate a telephone-based
      PA intervention to cancer survivors, we partnered with the American Cancer
      Society's Reach To Recovery program (RTR) whose volunteers (breast cancer
      survivors) provide information and emotional support to breast cancer survivors.
      METHOD: This randomized controlled trial compared the effects of PA telephone
      counseling delivered by RTR volunteers (PA Plus RTR) versus a contact control
      condition (RTR Control) in six New England states. RTR volunteers (n = 18; mean
      age = 54.9 years, mean years since breast cancer diagnosis = 7.0) delivered a 12
      week PA program to help participants adopt 30 min of moderate-intensity activity
      >=5 days/week. Breast cancer survivors (n = 76; mean age = 55.62 years, mean
      years since diagnosis = 1.11, Stage 0 = 6.58%, Stage 1 = 38.16%, Stage 2 =
      44.74%, Stage 3 = 10.53%) were randomized to a study group. RESULTS: Using a
      series of generalized linear models, we assessed intervention effects on physical
      health, physical functioning, mental health, fatigue, and QOL at 12 and 24 weeks,
      and examined whether these effects were moderated by age, marital status,
      chemotherapy use, and baseline values of the outcomes. There were no significant
      intervention effects on the outcomes but there were significant moderator effects
      of age, chemotherapy use, and baseline physical functioning, physical health, and
      breast cancer-specific symptoms (all p's < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Specific
      demographic and treatment variables and baseline psychosocial health moderate the
      impact of PA interventions on QOL. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26110778
TI  - Neglected Tropical Diseases in the Ebola-Affected Countries of West Africa.

PMID- 26110779
TI  - Multifunctional Janus hematite-silica nanoparticles: mimicking peroxidase-like
      activity and sensitive colorimetric detection of glucose.
AB  - The design and engineering of multifunctional nanostructures with multiple
      components and synergistic properties are in urgent demand for variety of
      acceptable biosensing platforms, enabling users to fulfill multiple tasks in a
      single nanosystem. Herein, we report using an asymmetric hematite-silica hybrid
      of Janus gamma-Fe2O3/SiO2 nanoparticles (JFSNs) as a multifunctional biosensing
      platform for sensitive colorimetric detection of H2O2 and glucose. It was
      demonstrated that JFSNs exhibit an intrinsic peroxidase-like catalytic activity.
      Compared with natural enzyme, JFSNs nanoenzymes could be used over a wider range
      of pH and temperatures and were more stable over time. Importantly, besides its
      excellent catalytic activity, the asymmetric properties of the Janus nanoparticle
      enable it to form the multiple functional utilities for various biosensing
      applications, including the ease of surface modification without deactivation of
      catalytic activity and recoverable use by magnetic separation. Thus, we utilized
      JFSNs with glucose oxidase (GOx) immobilization for glucose-sensitive
      colorimetric detection, which exhibited both catalytic activity of glucose
      oxidase and peroxidase with high selectivity and acceptable reproducibility. By
      combining these two analysis systems into Janus particles, an all-in-one and
      reusable sensor for blood glucose was formed and has the capability for
      determination of glucose in complex samples such as serum. These results suggest
      that such Janus nanosystems have the potential to construct robust
      nanoarchitecture with multiple functionalities for various biosensing
      applications. 

PMID- 26110780
TI  - Abridged republication of FIGO's staging classification for cancer of the ovary,
      fallopian tube, and peritoneum.
AB  - Ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers have a similar clinical
      presentation and are treated similarly, and current evidence supports staging all
      3 cancers in a single system. The primary site (i.e. ovary, fallopian tube, or
      peritoneum) should be designated where possible. The histologic type should be
      recorded. Intraoperative rupture ("surgical spill") is IC1; capsule ruptured
      before surgery or tumor on ovarian or fallopian tube surface is IC2; and positive
      peritoneal cytology with or without rupture is IC3. The new staging includes a
      revision of stage III patients; assignment to stage IIIA1 is based on spread to
      the retroperitoneal lymph nodes without intraperitoneal dissemination. Extension
      of tumor from omentum to spleen or liver (stage IIIC) should be differentiated
      from isolated parenchymal metastases (stage IVB).

PMID- 26110781
TI  - Examining women's agency in managing intimate partner violence and the related
      risk of homelessness: The role of harm minimisation.
AB  - Intimate partner violence (IPV) has a detrimental impact on women and children's
      emotional, physical and social well-being and has been identified as one of the
      most common contributors to women's experiences of housing instabilities and
      homelessness. Women affected by IPV often experience a great level of uncertainty
      around housing solutions when trying to leave an abusive partner. This study
      explores women's responses to IPV and the related risk of homelessness through
      women's narratives (n = 22) in Queensland, Australia. Of particular interest are
      women's decisions and actions to minimise the impact of IPV as well as
      homelessness on their and their children's safety and well-being. Findings reveal
      that women's agency in relation to harm minimisation can take various forms,
      including the decision to stay with, leave or return to an abusive partner. The
      data offer insights into women's strategic attempts to manage IPV and the related
      risk of homeless while trying to minimise the harm associated with one and the
      other. Implications for understanding women's agency in managing IPV and the
      related risk of homelessness and providing adequate support mechanisms to improve
      women and children's social, emotional and physical well-being are discussed. 

PMID- 26110784
TI  - Quantitative laryngeal electromyography assessment of cricothyroid function in
      patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Determination of superior laryngeal nerve (SLN)
      involvement in addition to recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) paralysis in patients
      with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) relies on traditional, qualitative
      laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) examination. It is necessary to develop a
      quantitative measurement that reflects the degree of denervation of the
      cricothyroid (CT) muscle. The present study aimed to establish a standard
      quantitative assessment of CT function in patients with UVFP by measuring the
      turn frequency. STUDY DESIGN: Case series study performed in an otolaryngology
      outpatient clinic. METHODS: Twenty healthy subjects and 103 patients with UVFP
      were recruited. The main outcome measures for the patients included acoustic
      analysis using traditional LEMG examination, quantitative LEMG analysis, and
      acoustic analysis based on fundamental frequency contours. RESULTS: Acoustic
      reliability was examined in the healthy subjects, and the peak fundamental
      frequency in an upward glissando showed good test-retest reliability, especially
      for the offset fundamental frequency. LEMG indicated that 33 patients had RLN and
      SLN lesions (RLN+SLN group) and 70 had only RLN lesions (RLN group). When
      patients produced a standard upward glissando sound, the peak turn frequency
      reflecting the recruitment of the CT muscle was significantly lower in the
      RLN+SLN group compared with the RLN group (406+/-256 vs. 778+/-238 Hz; P<.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that quantitative measurement of the interference
      pattern when voicing a standard upward glissando sound may provide a feasible
      reflection of the degree of a SLN injury. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 26110785
TI  - Selection and Characterization of DNA Aptamers Targeting All Four Serotypes of
      Dengue Viruses.
AB  - Dengue viruses (DENVs) are members of Flaviviridae family, which are associated
      with human disease. The envelope (E) protein plays an important role in viral
      infection. However, there is no effective antibody for clinical treatment due to
      antibody dependent enhancement of infection. In this study, using Systematic
      Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX), we demonstrated the first
      aptamer (S15) that can bind to DENV-2 envelop protein domain III (ED3) with a
      high binding affinity. S15 was found to form a parallel quadruplex based on
      Quadfinder prediction, gel mobility assay and circular dichroism studies. Both
      the quadruplex structure and the sequence on 5'-end were necessary for the
      binding activity of S15. NMR titration experiments indicated that S15 bound to a
      highly conserved loop between betaA and betaB strands of ED3. Moreover, S15 can
      neutralize the infections by all four serotypes of DENVs. Our result provides a
      new opportunity in the development of DNA aptamers against DENVs in the future. 

PMID- 26110788
TI  - Sparsity-promoting orthogonal dictionary updating for image reconstruction from
      highly undersampled magnetic resonance data.
AB  - Image reconstruction from undersampled k-space data accelerates magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) by exploiting image sparseness in certain transform
      domains. Employing image patch representation over a learned dictionary has the
      advantage of being adaptive to local image structures and thus can better
      sparsify images than using fixed transforms (e.g. wavelets and total variations).
      Dictionary learning methods have recently been introduced to MRI reconstruction,
      and these methods demonstrate significantly reduced reconstruction errors
      compared to sparse MRI reconstruction using fixed transforms. However, the
      synthesis sparse coding problem in dictionary learning is NP-hard and
      computationally expensive. In this paper, we present a novel sparsity-promoting
      orthogonal dictionary updating method for efficient image reconstruction from
      highly undersampled MRI data. The orthogonality imposed on the learned dictionary
      enables the minimization problem in the reconstruction to be solved by an
      efficient optimization algorithm which alternately updates representation
      coefficients, orthogonal dictionary, and missing k-space data. Moreover, both
      sparsity level and sparse representation contribution using updated dictionaries
      gradually increase during iterations to recover more details, assuming the
      progressively improved quality of the dictionary. Simulation and real data
      experimental results both demonstrate that the proposed method is approximately
      10 to 100 times faster than the K-SVD-based dictionary learning MRI method and
      simultaneously improves reconstruction accuracy. 

PMID- 26110787
TI  - Gamma-smooth muscle actin expression is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition and stem-like properties in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is hampered
      by frequent tumour recurrence and metastases. Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
      (EMT) is now recognized as a key process in tumour invasion, metastasis and the
      generation of cancer initiating cells. The morphological identification of EMT in
      tumour samples from the expression of novel mesenchymal markers could provide
      relevant prognostic information and aid in understanding the metastatic process.
      METHODS: The expression of Smooth Muscle Actins was studied using
      immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry assays in cultured liver cells during
      an induced EMT process and in liver specimens from adult and paediatric HCC
      series. RESULTS: We report here that in HCC cell lines treated with TGF-beta and
      in HCC specimens, the expression of alphaSMA, a known mesenchymal marker of EMT,
      could never be detected. In addition, our in vitro studies identified the enteric
      form of SMA, gammaSMA, as being a marker of EMT. Moreover, this SMA isoform was
      expressed in 46% of 58 tumours from 42 adult HCC patients and in 90% of 16
      tumours from 12 paediatric HCC patients. Interestingly, this expression was
      significantly correlated with poor tumour differentiation and progenitor cell
      features characterized by the expression of EpCAM and K19. CONCLUSION: Taken
      together, our results support the conclusion that gammaSMA expression in HCC is
      strongly correlated with the EMT process, HCC aggressiveness and the
      identification of cancer stem cells. This correlation suggests that gammaSMA
      represents a novel and powerful marker to predict HCC progression.

PMID- 26110789
TI  - Development of a Bioluminescent Nitroreductase Probe for Preclinical Imaging.
AB  - Bacterial nitroreductases (NTRs) have been widely utilized in the development of
      novel antibiotics, degradation of pollutants, and gene-directed enzyme prodrug
      therapy (GDEPT) of cancer that reached clinical trials. In case of GDEPT, since
      NTR is not naturally present in mammalian cells, the prodrug is activated
      selectively in NTR-transformed cancer cells, allowing high efficiency treatment
      of tumors. Currently, no bioluminescent probes exist for sensitive, non-invasive
      imaging of NTR expression. We therefore developed a "NTR caged luciferin" (NCL)
      probe that is selectively reduced by NTR, producing light proportional to the NTR
      activity. Here we report successful application of this probe for imaging of NTR
      in vitro, in bacteria and cancer cells, as well as in vivo in mouse models of
      bacterial infection and NTR-expressing tumor xenografts. This novel tool should
      significantly accelerate the development of cancer therapy approaches based on
      GDEPT and other fields where NTR expression is important. 

PMID- 26110790
TI  - Seasonal variation in the skin transcriptome of common bottlenose dolphins
      (Tursiops truncatus) from the northern Gulf of Mexico.
AB  - As long-lived predators that integrate exposures across multiple trophic levels,
      cetaceans are recognized as sentinels for the health of marine ecosystems. Their
      utility as sentinels requires the establishment of baseline health parameters.
      Because cetaceans are protected, measurements obtained with minimal disruption to
      free ranging animals are highly desirable. In this study we investigated the
      utility of skin gene expression profiling to monitor health and contaminant
      exposure in common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Remote integument
      biopsies were collected in the northern Gulf of Mexico prior to the Deepwater
      Horizon oil spill (May 2010) and during summer and winter for two years following
      oil contamination (2010-2011). A bottlenose dolphin microarray was used to
      characterize the skin transcriptomes of 94 individuals from three populations:
      Barataria Bay, Louisiana, Chandeleur Sound, Louisiana, and Mississippi Sound,
      Mississippi/Alabama. Skin transcriptomes did not differ significantly between
      populations. In contrast, season had a profound effect on gene expression, with
      nearly one-third of all genes on the array differing in expression between winter
      and the warmer seasons (moderated T-test; p<0.01, fold-change>=1.5). Persistent
      organic pollutants (POPs) in blubber changed concurrently, reaching >two-fold
      higher concentrations in summer compared to winter, due to a seasonal decrease in
      blubber thickness and loss of stored lipid. However, global gene expression did
      not correlate strongly with seasonally changing contaminant concentrations, most
      likely because the refractory, lipid-stored metabolites are not substrates for
      phase I or II xenobiotic detoxification pathways. Rather, processes related to
      cell proliferation, motility, and differentiation dominated the differences in
      expression in winter and the warmer seasons. More subtle differences were seen
      between spring and summer (1.5% of genes differentially expressed). However, two
      presumed oil-exposed animals from spring presented gene expression profiles more
      similar to the summer animals (presumed exposed) than to other spring animals.
      Seasonal effects have not previously been considered in studies assessing gene
      expression in cetaceans, but clearly must be taken into account when applying
      transcriptomic analyses to investigate their contaminant exposure or health
      status. 

PMID- 26110791
TI  - C:N:P Molar Ratios, Sources and 14C Dating of Surficial Sediments from the NW
      Slope of Cuba.
AB  - The surficial sediments recovered from 12 sites located near the channel axis of
      the Florida Straits and the lower slope off NW Cuba were analyzed for total
      organic carbon (TOC), nitrogen (TN), phosphorus (TP), elemental C:N:P ratios, C
      and N isotopic values, and 14C dating. The depth profiles of TOC, TN, and TP (0
      18 cm) displayed a downcore trend and a significant variation. The TOC values
      were low (0.15 to 0.62%; 66 to 516 umol g(-1)). Sites near the island's lower
      slope had lower TOC average concentrations (158-333 umol g(-1)) than those closer
      to the channel axis (averaging 341-516 umol g(-1); p <0.05). The TN
      concentrations near the lower slope attained 0.11% (80 umol g(-1)), whereas,
      towards the channel axis, they decreased to 0.07% (55 umol g(-1); p<0.05). The
      C:N ratios ranged from 1.9 to 10.2. The mean molar C:N ratio (5.4) indicated a
      marine hemipelagic deposition. The TP was lower at sites near the lower slope
      (38.4 to 50.0 umol gv; 0.12% to 0.16%) than those near the channel axis (50.0 to
      66 umol g(-1); 0.15 to 0.21%). C:P fluctuated from 7.7 to 14.1 in the surficial
      sediment layer. The bulk organic delta13Corg and delta15N values confirmed
      pelagic organic sources, and the 14C dating revealed that the sediments were
      deposited during the Holocene (1000-5000 yr BP). We suggest that the hydrodynamic
      conditions in the Straits influence vertical and advective fluxes of particulate
      organic material trapped in the mixed-layer, which reduces the particulate matter
      flux to the seabed.

PMID- 26110792
TI  - Scale Adjustments to Facilitate Two-Dimensional Measurements in OCT Images.
AB  - PURPOSE: To address the problem of unequal scales for the measurement of two
      dimensional structures in OCT images, and demonstrate the use of intra!ocular
      objects of known dimensions in the murine eye for the equal calibration of axes.
      METHODS: The first part of this work describes the mathematical foundation of
      major distortion effects introduced by X-Y scaling differences. Illustrations
      were generated with CorelGraph X3 software. The second part bases on image data
      obtained with a HRA2 Spectralis (Heidelberg Engineering) in SV129 wild-type mice.
      Subretinally and intravitreally implanted microbeads, alginate capsules with a
      diameter of 154+/-5 MUm containing GFP-marked mesenchymal stem cells (CellBeads),
      were used as intraocular objects for calibration. RESULTS: The problems
      encountered with two-dimensional measurements in cases of unequal scales are
      demonstrated and an estimation of the resulting errors is provided. Commonly, the
      Y axis is reliably calibrated using outside standards like histology or
      manufacturer data. We show here that intraocular objects like dimensionally
      stable spherical alginate capsules allow for a two-dimensional calibration of the
      acquired OCT raw images by establishing a relation between X and Y axis data. For
      our setup, a correction factor of about 3.3 was determined using both
      epiretinally and subretinally positioned beads (3.350 +/- 0.104 and 3.324 +/-
      0.083, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In this work, we highlight the distortion
      related problems in OCT image analysis induced by unequal X and Y scales. As an
      exemplary case, we provide data for a two-dimensional in vivo OCT image
      calibration in mice using intraocular alginate capsules. Our results demonstrate
      the need for a proper two-dimensional calibration of OCT data, and we believe
      that equal scaling will certainly improve the efficiency of OCT image analysis.

PMID- 26110794
TI  - 'Disaster day': global health simulation teaching.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As society diversifies and globalisation quickens, the importance of
      teaching global health to medical undergraduates increases. For undergraduates,
      the majority of exposure to 'hands-on' teaching on global health occurs during
      optional elective periods. This article describes an innovative student-led
      initiative, 'Disaster Day', which used simulation to teach global health to
      undergraduates. METHODS: The teaching day began with an introduction outlining
      the work of Medecins Sans Frontieres and the basic principles of resuscitation.
      Students then undertook four interactive simulation scenarios: Infectious
      Diseases in a Refugee Camp, Natural Disaster and Crush Injury, Obstetric
      Emergency in a Low-Income Country, and Warzone Gunshot Wound. Sessions were
      facilitated by experienced doctors and fourth-year students who had been trained
      in the delivery of the scenarios. Students completed pre- and post-session
      evaluation forms that included the self-rating of confidence in eight learning
      domains (using a five-point Likert scale). RESULTS: Twenty-seven students
      voluntarily attended the session, and all provided written feedback. Analysis of
      the pre- and post-session evaluations demonstrated statistically significant
      improvements in confidence across all but one domains (Wilcoxon signed rank
      test). Free-text feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with students appreciating
      the practical aspect of the scenarios. For undergraduates, the majority of
      exposure to 'hands-on' teaching on global health occurs during optional elective
      periods DISCUSSION: Simulation-based teaching can provide students with 'hands
      on' exposure to global health in a controlled, reproducible fashion and appears
      to help develop their confidence in a variety of learning domains. The more
      widespread use of such teaching methods is encouraged: helping tomorrow's doctors
      develop insight into global health challenges may produce more rounded clinicians
      capable of caring for more culturally diverse populations.

PMID- 26110793
TI  - Guanidinoacetate is more effective than creatine at enhancing tissue creatine
      stores while consequently limiting methionine availability in Yucatan miniature
      pigs.
AB  - Creatine (Cr) is an important high-energy phosphate buffer in tissues with a high
      energy demand such as muscle and brain and is consequently a highly consumed
      nutritional supplement. Creatine is synthesized via the S-adenosylmethionine
      (SAM) dependent methylation of guanidinoacetate (GAA) which is not regulated by a
      feedback mechanism. The first objective of this study was to determine the
      effectiveness of GAA at increasing tissue Cr stores. Because SAM is required for
      other methylation reactions, we also wanted to determine whether an increased
      creatine synthesis would lead to a lower availability of methyl groups for other
      methylated products. Three month-old pigs (n = 18) were fed control, GAA- or Cr
      supplemented diets twice daily. On day 18 or 19, anesthesia was induced 1-3 hours
      post feeding and a bolus of [methyl-3H]methionine was intravenously infused.
      After 30 minutes, the liver was analyzed for methyl-3H incorporation into
      protein, Cr, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and DNA. Although both Cr and GAA led to
      higher hepatic Cr concentration, only supplementation with GAA led to higher
      levels of muscle Cr (P < 0.05). Only GAA supplementation resulted in lower methyl
      3H incorporation into PC and protein as well as lower hepatic SAM concentration
      compared to the controls, suggesting that Cr synthesis resulted in a limited
      methyl supply for PC and protein synthesis (P < 0.05). Although GAA is more
      effective than Cr at supporting muscle Cr accretion, further research should be
      conducted into the long term consequences of a limited methyl supply and its
      effects on protein and PC homeostasis. 

PMID- 26110795
TI  - Imaging pathological tau in atypical parkinsonian disorders.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review examines the current literature on tau imaging in
      atypical parkinsonian disorders and other tauopathies. RECENT FINDINGS: There are
      a number of tau PET radiotracers that have demonstrated promising preliminary
      results in atypical parkinsonian disorders, such as progressive supranuclear
      palsy and corticobasal degeneration. These radiotracers were capable of
      selectively labeling tau in vitro and in vivo, with high affinity. Other
      radiotracers tested more extensively in patients with Alzheimer's disease have
      also been able to successfully image tau deposition. SUMMARY: The development of
      tau radioligands for PET has led to the current testing of these tracers in
      clinical studies, many of which concentrate on patients with Alzheimer's disease.
      Atypical parkinsonian disorders such as progressive supranuclear palsy and
      corticobasal degeneration are now being investigated as well. These disorders can
      be very difficult to diagnose, because of their clinical overlap with other
      parkinsonian disorders. Imaging tau using PET could serve as a diagnostic
      biomarker for these tauopathies and provide a means of assessing treatment that
      targets tau burden.

PMID- 26110796
TI  - Neuroimaging signature of neuropsychiatric disorders.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review focuses on new findings related to structural and
      functional changes in large-scale brain networks (i.e., pathoconnectomics) that
      occur in neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly Parkinson's disease,
      Alzheimer's disease and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. RECENT FINDINGS: Many
      neuropsychiatric disorders involve dysfunction in neuronal regions that are
      defined as hubs; these regions are pivotal regions of information transfer in
      large-scale brain networks. In neuropsychiatric disorders with neurodevelopmental
      mechanisms, the common connectivity profiles remain unclear as both hyper- and
      hypoconnectivity profiles have been reported. Neurodegenerative neuropsychiatric
      disorders are commonly characterized by a diminished local and global efficiency
      of large-scale brain networks. SUMMARY: The connectome, which is largely
      underpinned by the network science and graph theoretical approaches, is relevant
      to the field of neuropsychiatry and could be successfully used for the
      differential diagnosis for neuropsychiatric disorders and for predicting the
      progression of such disorders. The analysis of large-scale brain network dynamics
      generates new insights into the mechanisms of action of invasive and noninvasive
      brain stimulation and guides further investigations of new therapeutic targets.

PMID- 26110797
TI  - Subtypes of Parkinson's disease: state of the field and future directions.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Previously, outstanding questions have been identified
      including the relationship of proposed subtypes to etiology, underlying biology,
      and prognosis. This situation presents an opportunity for major developments in
      the field. The review summarizes the progress made over the past 1-2 years.
      RECENT FINDINGS: The etiologic, physiological, and clinical differences between
      tremor dominant, postural instability gait disorder, and indeterminate phenotypes
      have been further explored, finding genetic influences, functional imaging and
      clinical differences. New cluster analyses suggest that nonmotor features are
      important aspects of Parkinson's disease subtypes, but there was little
      association found between tremor-dominant /postural instability gait disorder
      phenotype and nonmotor symptoms. In the cognitive realm, empirically derived
      subtypes of PD-MCI did not map well onto cognitive subtypes derived using a data
      driven approach. In data-driven subtype research, important survival differences
      between subtypes were identified within the PROPARK database. SUMMARY: It will be
      important to revisit PD-MCI classification to consider subtyping based upon data
      that relate cognitive phenotype to prognosis. Given the traction that traditional
      motor subtyping has had in the field it would be of value to consider how
      nonmotor symptom clusters can be used with or alongside the motor subtypes.
      Finally, incorporating subtypes into clinical trials remains a significant gap in
      Parkinson's disease research.

PMID- 26110798
TI  - Tracking trauma-induced structural and functional changes above the level of
      spinal cord injury.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review will highlight the latest findings from
      neuroimaging studies that track structural and functional changes within the
      central nervous system at both the brain and spinal cord levels following acute
      human spinal cord injury (SCI). The putative, underlying biological mechanisms of
      structural change (e.g. degradation of neural tissue) rostral to the lesion site
      will be discussed in relation to animal models of SCI and their potential value
      in clinical studies of human SCI. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent prospective studies in
      human acute SCI have begun to reveal the time-course, spatial distribution and
      extent of structural changes following an acute SCI and their relation to
      functional outcome. Adaptive changes in sensory and motor pathways above the
      level of the lesion have prognostic value and complement clinical readouts.
      SUMMARY: The introduction of sensitive neuroimaging biomarkers will be an
      essential step forward in the implementation of interventional trials in which
      proof-of-concept is currently limited to clinical readouts, but more responsive
      measures are required to improve the sensitivity of clinical trials.

PMID- 26110800
TI  - Tremor entities and their classification: an update.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review focuses on important new findings in the field of
      tremor and illustrates the consequences for the current definition and
      classification of tremor. RECENT FINDINGS: Since 1998 when the consensus criteria
      for tremor were proposed, new variants of tremors and new diagnostic methods were
      discovered that have changed particularly the concepts of essential tremor and
      dystonic tremor. Accumulating evidence exists that essential tremor is not a
      single entity rather different conditions that share the common symptom action
      tremor without other major abnormalities. Tremor is a common feature in patients
      with adult-onset focal dystonia and may involve several different body parts and
      forms of tremor. Recent advances, in particular, in the field of genetics,
      suggest that dystonic tremor may even be present without overt dystonia.
      Monosymptomatic asymmetric rest and postural tremor has been further delineated,
      and apart from tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease, there are several rare
      conditions including rest and action tremor with normal dopamine transporter
      imaging (scans without evidence of dopaminergic deficit) and essential tremor
      with tremor at rest. SUMMARY: Increasing knowledge in the last decades changed
      the view on tremors and highlights several caveats in the current tremor
      classification. Given the ambiguous assignment between tremor phenomenology and
      tremor etiology, a more cautious definition of tremors on the basis of clinical
      assessment data is needed.

PMID- 26110799
TI  - Recent developments in dystonia.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The dystonias are a family of related disorders with many
      different clinical manifestations and causes. This review summarizes recent
      developments regarding these disorders, focusing mainly on advances with direct
      clinical relevance from the past 2 years. RECENT FINDINGS: The dystonias are
      generally defined by their clinical characteristics, rather than by their
      underlying genetic or neuropathological defects. The many varied clinical
      manifestations and causes contribute to the fact that they are one of the most
      poorly recognized of all movement disorders. A series of recent publications has
      addressed these issues, offering a revised definition and more logical means for
      classifying the many subtypes. Our understanding of the genetic and
      neurobiological mechanisms responsible for different types of dystonias also has
      grown rapidly, creating new opportunities and challenges for diagnosis, and
      identifying increasing numbers of rare subtypes for which specific treatments are
      available. SUMMARY: Recent advances in describing the clinical phenotypes and
      determining associated causes have pointed to the need for new strategies for
      diagnosis, classification, and treatment of the dystonias.

PMID- 26110801
TI  - Apathy and noradrenaline: silent partners to mild cognitive impairment in
      Parkinson's disease?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a comorbid factor in
      Parkinson's disease. The aim of this review is to examine the recent neuroimaging
      findings in the search for Parkinson's disease MCI (PD-MCI) biomarkers to gain
      insight on whether MCI and specific cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease
      implicate striatal dopamine or another system. RECENT FINDINGS: The evidence
      implicates a diffuse pathophysiology in PD-MCI rather than acute dopaminergic
      involvement. On the one hand, performance in specific cognitive domains, notably
      in set-shifting and learning, appears to vary with dopaminergic status. On the
      other hand, motivational states in Parkinson's disease along with their
      behavioral and physiological indices suggest a noradrenergic contribution to
      cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease. Finally, Parkinson's disease's pattern
      of neurodegeneration offers an avenue for continued research in nigrostriatal
      dopamine's role in distinct behaviors, as well as the specification of dorsal and
      ventral striatal functions. SUMMARY: The search for PD-MCI biomarkers has
      employed an array of neuroimaging techniques, but still yields divergent
      findings. This may be due in part to MCI's broad definition, encompassing
      heterogeneous cognitive domains, only some of which are affected in Parkinson's
      disease. Most domains falling under the MCI umbrella include fronto-dependent
      executive functions, whereas others, notably learning, rely on the basal ganglia.
      Given the deterioration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system in Parkinson's
      disease, it has been the prime target of PD-MCI investigation. By testing well
      defined cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease, distinct functions can be
      attributed to specific neural systems, overcoming conflicting results on PD-MCI.
      Apart from dopamine, other systems such as the neurovascular or noradrenergic
      systems are affected in Parkinson's disease. These factors may be at the basis of
      specific facets of PD-MCI for which dopaminergic involvement has not been
      conclusive. Finally, the impact of both dopaminergic and noradrenergic deficiency
      on motivational states in Parkinson's disease is examined in light of a plausible
      link between apathy and cognitive deficits.

PMID- 26110802
TI  - Movement disorders emergencies.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Although movement disorders are traditionally viewed as
      chronic diseases that are followed electively, a growing number of these patients
      present with acute, severe syndromes or complications of their underlying
      neurological problem. Identifying and managing movement disorders emergencies is
      challenging, even for the specialist. This review summarizes evidence outlining
      the clinical presentation of acute, life-threatening movement disorders. RECENT
      FINDINGS: We review the most significant aspects in the most common movement
      disorders emergencies, including acute complications related to Parkinson's
      disease and parkinsonism, serotonergic, and neuroleptic malignant syndromes,
      chorea, ballismus, dystonia, myoclonus, and tics. SUMMARY: The increasing amount
      of information delineating the descriptions of movement disorders emergencies
      provides means for more effective prevention, identification, and management for
      the nonspecialist. Although the commonest of these syndromes eventually have a
      good outcome, serious conditions such as neuroleptic malignant syndrome and
      status dystonicus may induce substantial rates of morbidity and mortality. This
      review re-emphasizes the need for their prompt identification and management.

PMID- 26110803
TI  - Developments in impulse control behaviours of Parkinson's disease.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Impulse control behaviours (ICBs) are a frequent comorbidity
      for patients with Parkinson's disease. They consist of impulse control disorders,
      dopamine dysregulation syndrome, and punding. The field continues to evolve in
      the understanding of impulsivity and assessment of risk factors in the
      development of these behaviours and their appropriate management in patients with
      Parkinson's disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Impulsivity is a multifaceted concept that
      is surprisingly common in untreated patients with Parkinson's disease. The
      incidence of ICBs increases with demographic, clinical, and biochemical risk
      factors. Treatments rely on reduction of dopamine agonists with exception of
      cognitive behavioural therapy and possibly repetitive transcranial magnetic
      stimulation. SUMMARY: Reduction of dopamine agonist dose is the mainstay of
      treatment of ICBs. Other forms of dopaminergic treatment such as deep brain
      stimulation or jejunal infusion are alternative treatments but may be complicated
      by dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome. Other therapies show promise but data
      are insufficient to suggest their regular use.

PMID- 26110804
TI  - A field guide to current advances in paediatric movement disorders.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recent advances in neurogenetics, neuroimmunology and
      nonpharmacological treatments have reshaped the field of paediatric movement
      disorders. In this review, we put recent findings into context providing a
      framework to enable navigation of the expanding literature in this field. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis has proven to be a significant cause of
      treatable movement disorder in children and to present a multifaceted link with
      herpes simplex encephalitis. The growing use of next-generation sequencing in
      both research and clinical practice has unravelled an expanding number of genes
      related to paediatric movement disorders as well as expanding spectrums of
      variable expressivity and phenotypic pleiotropy for various genes. Behavioural
      therapies have been proven efficacious in Tourette's syndrome and are likely to
      be helpful in complex motor stereotypies. Management of dystonia remains a
      clinical priority and challenge. SUMMARY: The rapid advance of translational
      medicine has had major impacts on the field of paediatric movement disorders
      including diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.

PMID- 26110805
TI  - Functional brain networks in epilepsy: recent advances in noninvasive mapping.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Epilepsy is one of the most frequent chronic neurological
      disorders. Recent evidences strongly suggest that epilepsy is due to a
      dysfunction within an epileptic network, rather than due to the pathological
      activity of single sources. The aim of this article is to review the recent
      advances on functional connectivity revealed by noninvasive neuroimaging
      techniques. RECENT FINDINGS: Functional connectivity detected through hemodynamic
      [functional MRI (fMRI)] and electro-magnetic techniques (EEG/MEG) in patients
      with epilepsy gives an insight into the physiopathogenesis of epileptic network
      underlying focal epilepsies and specific epileptic syndromes. An increasing
      number of studies suggest a relevance for surgical cases, both for localizing the
      focus and for predicting postsurgical cognitive impairment, based on the
      interactions between pathological and physiological networks. SUMMARY: fMRI and
      EEG/MEG functional connectivity are complementary techniques and help in
      identifying the interactions between epileptic activity and physiological
      networks at different scales. Neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric impairment
      can be explained by such interactions. fMRI and EEG/MEG functional connectivity
      help in localizing important drivers of epileptic activity and can also help in
      predicting postsurgical outcome. Given the large number of methods applied,
      strict validation, mostly obtained in surgical series, is of utmost importance to
      understand the benefits and limitations of each technique.

PMID- 26110806
TI  - Using functional imaging to understand therapeutic effects in poststroke aphasia.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The evidence base for the treatment of poststroke aphasia
      continues to grow, so too does interest in the neural mechanisms that underlie
      these therapy-driven improvements. Although the majority of patients respond to
      therapy, not all of those who do improve do so in a predictable way. Here, we
      review 17 of the most recent articles that have attempted to deal with this
      important question, dividing them into those that target speech perception and
      production. RECENT FINDINGS: There are many methodological differences between
      the studies, but some neuroimaging patterns have emerged: whether the in-scanner
      language task is speech perception or production, left hemisphere fronto-temporal
      cortex is often activated/correlated with language improvement and; right
      inferior frontal gyrus is frequently identified although what this represents is
      still hotly contested. We are concerned that many studies are not well controlled
      making it difficult to ascribe neuroimaging changes directly to the therapeutic
      intervention. SUMMARY: Encouragingly, there are many more functional imaging
      studies in this challenging area of research. Behaviour, either alone or paired
      with structural imaging data, only goes part way in explaining aphasic patients'
      responses to therapy. An important emerging theme is exploring the role that
      nonlanguage cognitive processes play in aphasia recovery.

PMID- 26110807
TI  - alpha-Synuclein and Lewy pathology in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The role of protein aggregates, such as Lewy body inclusions,
      in the molecular pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease has remained controversial
      and elusive. The protein alpha-synuclein is a major component of these inclusions
      but it can exist in many alternate conformations. Here we review advances in our
      understanding of the roles of Lewy pathology and alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's
      disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent work has demonstrated that certain alpha
      synuclein conformations are directly toxic to neurons and may also propagate Lewy
      pathology within the nervous system. Investigation into clinicopathological
      correlates in rare genetic forms of Parkinson's disease has revealed that Lewy
      pathology is associated with nonmotor features but may not contribute to motor
      symptoms in Parkinson's disease. SUMMARY: These recent findings open up new
      avenues of investigation into the molecular pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.
      Future work will need to identify the most toxic conformations of alpha-synuclein
      and define their relationship to Lewy pathology. This work will be necessary to
      be able to develop novel therapeutic strategies that target specific pathogenic
      forms of alpha-synuclein for disease modification in Parkinson's disease.

PMID- 26110808
TI  - Deep brain stimulation for movement disorders: 2015 and beyond.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review was to review the recent and future
      developments of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for movement disorders. RECENT
      FINDINGS: In the last 2 years, we have gained a better understanding of
      established indications, particularly with respect to the debate on whether
      subthalamus or globus pallidus pars interna should be the target of choice for
      Parkinson's disease. In addition, the role of DBS for dystonia has been further
      defined in terms of patients' selection and outcome of surgery. Other established
      (e.g. essential tremor) and novel indications (e.g. Tourette syndrome) have been
      addressed. Along with the evolving knowledge of the clinical aspects of DBS,
      technological advances are also shaping the present and the future of DBS. New
      implantable pulse generators (e.g. allowing storage of electrophysiological data
      and eventual adaptive stimulation) as well as new electrode configurations are
      now available. Furthermore, high-resolution structural imaging, including high
      field MRI and diffusion tensor tractography, will facilitate both the planning of
      DBS procedures, and the optimization of postoperative outcomes by aiding
      stimulation programming. SUMMARY: The recent successes of DBS along the clinical
      and technological directions are changing the current practice of neuromodulation
      and, more importantly, will also drive future developments of this fascinating
      treatment.

PMID- 26110809
TI  - Identification and Characterization of CXCR4-Positive Gastric Cancer Stem Cells.
AB  - Diffuse-type solid tumors are often composed of a high proportion of rarely
      proliferating (i.e., dormant) cancer cells, strongly indicating the involvement
      of cancer stem cells (CSCs) Although diffuse-type gastric cancer (GC) patients
      have a poor prognosis due to high-frequent development of peritoneal
      dissemination (PD), it is limited knowledge that the PD-associated CSCs and
      efficacy of CSC-targeting therapy in diffuse-type GC. In this study, we
      established highly metastatic GC cell lines by in vivo selection designed for the
      enrichment of PD-associated GC cells. By microarray analysis, we found C-X-C
      chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) can be a novel marker for highly metastatic
      CSCs, since CXCR4-positive cells can grow anchorage-independently, initiate
      tumors in mice, be resistant to cytotoxic drug, and produce differentiated
      daughter cells. In clinical samples, these CXCR4-positive cells were found from
      not only late metastasis stage (accumulated ascites) but also earlier stage
      (peritoneal washings). Moreover, treatment with transforming growth factor-beta
      enhanced the anti-cancer effect of docetaxel via induction of cell
      differentiation/asymmetric cell division of the CXCR4-positive gastric CSCs even
      in a dormant state. Therefore, differentiation inducers hold promise for
      obtaining the maximum therapeutic outcome from currently available anti-cancer
      drugs through re-cycling of CSCs. 

PMID- 26110810
TI  - Use of Ethanol in the Trans-Arterial Lipiodol Embolization (TAELE) of
      Intermediated-Stage HCC: Is This Safer than Conventional Trans-Arterial Chemo
      Embolization (c-TACE)?
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate safety and efficacy of Trans-Arterial Ethanol-Lipiodol
      Embolization (TAELE) compared with conventional Trans-Arterial Chemo-Embolization
      (cTACE) in the treatment of small intermediate-HCC (BCLC-Stage B). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A random sample of 87 patients (37.93% male; 62.07% female; age range,
      36-86 years) with documented small intermediate-HCC and treated with TAELE
      (mixture 1:1 of Ethanol and Lipiodol) or cTACE (mixture of 50mg-Epirubicin and
      5cc-Lipiodol) were retrospectively studied in an institutional review board
      approved protocol. The two procedures were compared with chi2-test, chi2-test
      with Yates correction, McNemar's exact test, ANOVA test and log-rank test.
      RESULTS: TAELE and cTACE therapies were performed in 45 and 42 patients,
      respectively. Thirty days after the procedure, a Multi-Detector Computed
      Tomography (MDCT) showed no significant difference in the number of patients with
      partial and complete response between the two groups (p-value = 0.958), according
      to mRECIST. Contrary, significant differences were found in tumor
      devascularization, lesion-reduction and post-embolization syndrome occurrence (p
      value = 0.0004, p-value = 0.0003 and p-value = 0.009, respectively). Similar
      survival was observed during 36-month follow-up (p-value = 0.884). CONCLUSION:
      Compared to cTACE, TAELE showed a better toxicity profile with similar 36-month
      survival and similar one-month anti-tumor effects, which makes it better
      tolerated by patients, especially in case of more than one treatment.

PMID- 26110811
TI  - PINK1 Is Dispensable for Mitochondrial Recruitment of Parkin and Activation of
      Mitophagy in Cardiac Myocytes.
AB  - Myocyte function and survival relies on the maintenance of a healthy population
      of mitochondria. The PINK1/Parkin pathway plays an important role in clearing
      defective mitochondria via autophagy in cells. However, how the PINK1/Parkin
      pathway regulates mitochondrial quality control and whether it coordinates with
      other mitophagy pathways are still unclear. Therefore, the objective of this
      study was to investigate the effect of PINK1-deficiency on mitochondrial quality
      control in myocytes. Using PINK1-deficient (PINK1-/-) mice, we found that Parkin
      is recruited to damaged cardiac mitochondria in hearts after treatment with the
      mitochondrial uncoupler FCCP or after a myocardial infarction even in the absence
      of PINK1. Parkin recruitment to depolarized mitochondria correlates with
      increased ubiquitination of mitochondrial proteins and activation of mitophagy in
      PINK1-/- myocytes. In addition, induction of mitophagy by the atypical BH3-only
      protein BNIP3 is unaffected by lack of PINK1. Overall, these data suggest that
      Parkin recruitment to depolarized cardiac mitochondria and subsequent activation
      of mitophagy is independent of PINK1. Moreover, alternative mechanisms of Parkin
      activation and pathways of mitophagy remain functional in PINK1-/- myocytes and
      could compensate for the PINK1 deficiency. 

PMID- 26110813
TI  - Relationships among indoor, outdoor, and personal airborne Japanese cedar pollen
      counts.
AB  - Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCP) is an important illness caused by the inhalation
      of airborne allergenic cedar pollens, which are dispersed in the early spring
      throughout the Japanese islands. However, associations between pollen exposures
      and the prevalence or severity of allergic symptoms are largely unknown, due to a
      lack of understanding regarding personal pollen exposures in relation to indoor
      and outdoor concentrations. This study aims to examine the relationships among
      indoor, outdoor, and personal airborne Japanese cedar pollen counts. We conducted
      a 4-year monitoring campaign to quantify indoor, outdoor, and personal airborne
      cedar pollen counts, where the personal passive settling sampler that has been
      previously validated against a volumetric sampler was used to count airborne
      pollen grains. A total of 256 sets of indoor, outdoor, and personal samples (768
      samples) were collected from 9 subjects. Medians of the seasonally-integrated
      indoor-to-outdoor, personal-to-outdoor, and personal-to-indoor ratios of airborne
      pollen counts measured for 9 subjects were 0.08, 0.10, and 1.19, respectively. A
      greater correlation was observed between the personal and indoor counts (r =
      0.89) than between the personal and outdoor counts (r = 0.71), suggesting a
      potential inaccuracy in the use of outdoor counts as a basis for estimating
      personal exposures. The personal pollen counts differed substantially among the
      human subjects (49% geometric coefficient of variation), in part due to the
      variability in the indoor counts that have been found as major determinants of
      the personal pollen counts. The findings of this study highlight the need for
      pollen monitoring in proximity to human subjects to better understand the
      relationships between pollen exposures and the prevalence or severity of pollen
      allergy. 

PMID- 26110812
TI  - Highly Stereoselective Intermolecular Haloetherification and Haloesterification
      of Allyl Amides.
AB  - An organocatalytic and highly regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective
      intermolecular haloetherification and haloesterification reaction of allyl amides
      is reported. A variety of alkene substituents and substitution patterns are
      compatible with this chemistry. Notably, electronically unbiased alkene
      substrates exhibit exquisite regio- and diastereoselectivity for the title
      transformation. We also demonstrate that the same catalytic system can be used in
      both chlorination and bromination reactions of allyl amides with a variety of
      nucleophiles with little or no modification. 

PMID- 26110814
TI  - Treatment for Alexia With Agraphia Following Left Ventral Occipito-Temporal
      Damage: Strengthening Orthographic Representations Common to Reading and
      Spelling.
AB  - PURPOSE: Damage to left ventral occipito-temporal cortex can give rise to written
      language impairment characterized by pure alexia/letter-by-letter (LBL) reading,
      as well as surface alexia and agraphia. The purpose of this study was to examine
      the therapeutic effects of a combined treatment approach to address concurrent
      LBL reading with surface alexia/agraphia. METHOD: Simultaneous treatment to
      address slow reading and errorful spelling was administered to 3 individuals with
      reading and spelling impairments after left ventral occipito-temporal damage due
      to posterior cerebral artery stroke. Single-word reading/spelling accuracy,
      reading latencies, and text reading were monitored as outcome measures for the
      combined effects of multiple oral re-reading treatment and interactive spelling
      treatment. RESULTS: After treatment, participants demonstrated faster and more
      accurate single-word reading and improved text-reading rates. Spelling accuracy
      also improved, particularly for untrained irregular words, demonstrating
      generalization of the trained interactive spelling strategy. CONCLUSION: This
      case series characterizes concomitant LBL with surface alexia/agraphia and
      demonstrates a successful treatment approach to address both the reading and
      spelling impairment.

PMID- 26110815
TI  - The Utility of Commonly Used Laboratory Tests to Screen for Excessive Alcohol Use
      in Clinical Practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This current study was undertaken to carefully assess the accuracy of
      routinely used laboratory tests in detecting excessive/recent alcohol use. We
      also determined the kinetics of these markers in subjects who underwent an
      intensive alcohol rehabilitation program. METHODS: The study cohort consisted of
      210 nonexcessive drinkers, 272 excessive drinkers, and 76 with alcoholic
      cirrhosis. To determine the kinetics of these markers during alcohol abstinence,
      we followed 45 subjects with history of excessive alcohol use for 12 weeks during
      the intensive alcohol treatment program. RESULTS: Percentage of carbohydrate
      deficient transferrin (%CDT) provided the highest diagnostic performance (area
      under the curve [AUC] 0.77) followed by gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (AUC
      0.68) to detect excessive drinkers. The percentage of excessive drinkers with
      aspartate aminotransferase:alanine aminotransferase (AST:ALT) > 2 was only 2%,
      whereas 51% of subjects with alcoholic cirrhosis had AST:ALT > 2. In the
      multivariate analysis, the levels of GGT and %CDT were associated with the level
      of alcohol consumed during the past 30 days. The levels of GGT, mean corpuscular
      volume (MCV), and %CDT were significantly lower compared to those at baseline
      before alcohol rehabilitation, whereas the AST, ALT, and AST:ALT ratio were
      unchanged. The percent reduction was ~2.7% (for MCV), 19% (for GGT), and 43% (for
      %CDT) at the end of the 12-week follow-up compared to the baseline. CONCLUSIONS:
      %CDT are useful markers to screen for excessive alcohol use and for follow-up of
      abstinence. Most subjects with excessive alcohol use do not have a high AST:ALT
      ratio. Rather, the AST:ALT > 2 is suggestive of alcoholic cirrhosis. The
      performance of the %CDT to screen for heavy alcohol use is still not ideal.
      Further research to identify the noninvasive marker(s) (i.e., using proteomic or
      metabolomics approach) should be considered.

PMID- 26110816
TI  - Targeting the CaMKII/ERK Interaction in the Heart Prevents Cardiac Hypertrophy.
AB  - AIMS: Activation of Ca2+/Calmodulin protein kinase II (CaMKII) is an important
      step in signaling of cardiac hypertrophy. The molecular mechanisms by which
      CaMKII integrates with other pathways in the heart are incompletely understood.
      We hypothesize that CaMKII association with extracellular regulated kinase (ERK),
      promotes cardiac hypertrophy through ERK nuclear localization. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: In H9C2 cardiomyoblasts, the selective CaMKII peptide inhibitor
      AntCaNtide, its penetratin conjugated minimal inhibitory sequence analog tat
      CN17beta, and the MEK/ERK inhibitor UO126 all reduce phenylephrine (PE)-mediated
      ERK and CaMKII activation and their interaction. Moreover, AntCaNtide or tat
      CN17beta pretreatment prevented PE induced CaMKII and ERK nuclear accumulation in
      H9C2s and reduced the hypertrophy responses. To determine the role of CaMKII in
      cardiac hypertrophy in vivo, spontaneously hypertensive rats were subjected to
      intramyocardial injections of AntCaNtide or tat-CN17beta. Left ventricular
      hypertrophy was evaluated weekly for 3 weeks by cardiac ultrasounds. We observed
      that the treatment with CaMKII inhibitors induced similar but significant
      reduction of cardiac size, left ventricular mass, and thickness of cardiac wall.
      The treatment with CaMKII inhibitors caused a significant reduction of CaMKII and
      ERK phosphorylation levels and their nuclear localization in the heart.
      CONCLUSION: These results indicate that CaMKII and ERK interact to promote
      activation in hypertrophy; the inhibition of CaMKII-ERK interaction offers a
      novel therapeutic approach to limit cardiac hypertrophy.

PMID- 26110817
TI  - Detection of peramivir and laninamivir, new anti-influenza drugs, in sewage
      effluent and river waters in Japan.
AB  - This is the first report of the detection of two new anti-influenza drugs,
      peramivir (PER) and laninamivir (LAN), in Japanese sewage effluent and river
      waters. Over about 1 year from October 2013 to July 2014, including the influenza
      prevalence season in January and February 2014, we monitored for five anti
      influenza drugs-oseltamivir (OS), oseltamivir carboxylate (OC), zanamivir (ZAN),
      PER, and LAN-in river waters and in sewage effluent flowing into urban rivers of
      the Yodo River system in Japan. The dynamic profiles of these anti-influenza
      drugs were synchronized well with that of the numbers of influenza patients
      treated with the drugs. The highest levels in sewage effluents and river waters
      were, respectively, 82 and 41 ng/L (OS), 347 and 125 ng/L (OC), 110 and 35 ng/L
      (ZAN), 64 and 11 ng/L (PER), and 21 and 9 ng/L (LAN). However, application of
      ozone treatment before discharge from sewage treatment plants was effective in
      reducing the levels of these anti-influenza drugs in effluent. The effectiveness
      of the ozone treatment and the drug dependent difference in susceptibility
      against ozone were further evidenced by ozonation of a STP effluent in a batch
      reactor. These findings should help to promote further environmental risk
      assessment of the generation of drug-resistant influenza viruses in aquatic
      environments. 

PMID- 26110818
TI  - High Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patient Volume Associated With Lower Mortality and
      Better Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High-volume centers have better outcomes than low-volume centers when
      managing complex conditions including subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). OBJECTIVE:
      To quantify SAH volume-outcome association and determine the extent to which this
      association is influenced by aggressiveness of care. METHODS: A serial cross
      sectional retrospective study using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample for 2002 to
      2010 was performed. Included were all adult (older than 18 years of age)
      discharged patients with a primary diagnosis of SAH admitted from the emergency
      department or transferred to a discharging hospital; cases of trauma or
      arteriovenous malformation were excluded. Survey-weighted descriptive statistics
      estimated temporal trends. Multilevel logistic regression estimated volume
      outcome associations for inpatient mortality and discharge home. Models were
      adjusted for demographic characteristics, year, transfer status, insurance
      status, all individual Charlson comorbidities, intubation, and all patient
      refined, diagnosis-related group mortality. Analyses were repeated, excluding
      cases in which aggressive care was not pursued. RESULTS: A total of 32,336
      discharges were included; 13,398 patients underwent clipping (59.1%) or coiling
      (40.9%). The inpatient mortality rate decreased from 32.2% in 2002 to 22.2% in
      2010; discharge home increased from 28.5% to 40.8% during the same period. As SAH
      volume decreased from 100/year, the mortality rate increased from 18.7% to 19.8%
      at 80/year, 21.7% at 60/year, 24.5% at 40/year, and 28.4% at 20/year. As SAH
      patient volume decreased, the probability of discharge home decreased from 40.3%
      at 100/year to 38.7% at 60/year, and 35.3% at 20/year. Better outcomes persisted
      in patients receiving aggressive care and in those not receiving aggressive care.
      CONCLUSION: Short-term SAH outcomes have improved. High-volume hospitals have
      more favorable outcomes than low-volume hospitals. This effect is substantial,
      even for hospitals conventionally classified as high volume.

PMID- 26110819
TI  - Establishment and Characterization of PCL12, a Novel CD5+ Chronic Lymphocytic
      Leukaemia Cell Line.
AB  - Immortalized cell lines representative of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can
      assist in understanding disease pathogenesis and testing new therapeutic agents.
      At present, very few representative cell lines are available. We here describe
      the characterization of a new cell line (PCL12) that grew spontaneously from the
      peripheral blood (PB) of a CLL patient with progressive disease and EBV
      infection. The CLL cell origin of PCL12 was confirmed after the alignment of its
      IGH sequence against the "original" clonotypic sequence. The IGH gene
      rearrangement was truly unmutated and no CLL-related cytogenetic or genetic
      lesions were detected. PCL12 cells express CD19, CD20, CD5, CD23, low levels of
      IgM and IgD and the poor-outcome-associated prognostic markers CD38, ZAP70 and
      TCL1. In accordance with its aggressive phenotype the cell line is inactive in
      terms of LYN and HS1 phosphorylation. BcR signalling pathway is constitutively
      active and anergic in terms of p-ERK and Calcium flux response to alpha-IgM
      stimulation. PCL12 cells strongly migrate in vitro in response to SDF-1 and form
      clusters. Finally, they grow rapidly and localize in all lymphoid organs when
      xenotrasplanted in Rag2-/-gammac-/- mice. PCL12 represents a suitable preclinical
      model for testing pharmacological agents. 

PMID- 26110820
TI  - Breast Tissue Composition and Immunophenotype and Its Relationship with
      Mammographic Density in Women at High Risk of Breast Cancer.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the cellular and immunophenotypic basis of mammographic
      density in women at high risk of breast cancer. METHODS: Mammograms and targeted
      breast biopsies were accrued from 24 women at high risk of breast cancer.
      Mammographic density was classified into Wolfe categories and ranked by
      increasing density. The histological composition and immunophenotypic profile
      were quantified from digitized haematoxylin and eosin-stained and
      immunohistochemically-stained (ERalpha, ERbeta, PgR, HER2, Ki-67, and CD31)
      slides and correlated to mammographic density. RESULTS: Increasing mammographic
      density was significantly correlated with increased fibrous stroma proportion (rs
      (22) = 0.5226, p = 0.0088) and significantly inversely associated with adipose
      tissue proportion (rs (22) = -0.5409, p = 0.0064). Contrary to previous reports,
      stromal expression of ERalpha was common (19/20 cases, 95%). There was
      significantly higher stromal PgR expression in mammographically-dense breasts
      (p=0.026). CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of stroma and fat underlies mammographic
      density in women at high risk of breast cancer. Increased expression of PgR in
      the stroma of mammographically dense breasts and frequent and unexpected presence
      of stromal ERalpha expression raises the possibility that hormone receptor
      expression in breast stroma may have a role in mediating the effects of exogenous
      hormonal therapy on mammographic density.

PMID- 26110821
TI  - Minimizing the Risk of Disease Transmission in Emergency Settings: Novel In Situ
      Physico-Chemical Disinfection of Pathogen-Laden Hospital Wastewaters.
AB  - The operation of a health care facility, such as a cholera or Ebola treatment
      center in an emergency setting, results in the production of pathogen-laden
      wastewaters that may potentially lead to onward transmission of the disease. The
      research presented here evaluated the design and operation of a novel treatment
      system, successfully used by Medecins Sans Frontieres in Haiti to disinfect CTC
      wastewaters in situ, eliminating the need for road haulage and disposal of the
      waste to a poorly-managed hazardous waste facility, thereby providing an
      effective barrier to disease transmission through a novel but simple sanitary
      intervention. The physico-chemical protocols eventually successfully treated over
      600 m3 of wastewater, achieving coagulation/flocculation and disinfection by
      exposure to high pH (Protocol A) and low pH (Protocol B) environments, using
      thermotolerant coliforms as a disinfection efficacy index. In Protocol A, the
      addition of hydrated lime resulted in wastewater disinfection and
      coagulation/flocculation of suspended solids. In Protocol B, disinfection was
      achieved by the addition of hydrochloric acid, followed by pH neutralization and
      coagulation/flocculation of suspended solids using aluminum sulfate. Removal
      rates achieved were: COD >99%; suspended solids >90%; turbidity >90% and
      thermotolerant coliforms >99.9%. The proposed approach is the first known
      successful attempt to disinfect wastewater in a disease outbreak setting without
      resorting to the alternative, untested, approach of 'super chlorination' which,
      it has been suggested, may not consistently achieve adequate disinfection. A
      basic analysis of costs demonstrated a significant saving in reagent costs
      compared with the less reliable approach of super-chlorination. The proposed
      approach to in situ sanitation in cholera treatment centers and other disease
      outbreak settings represents a timely response to a UN call for onsite
      disinfection of wastewaters generated in such emergencies, and the 'Coalition for
      Cholera Prevention and Control' recently highlighted the research as meriting
      serious consideration and further study. Further applications of the method to
      other emergency settings are being actively explored by the authors through
      discussion with the World Health Organization with regards to the ongoing Ebola
      outbreak in West Africa, and with the UK-based NGO Oxfam with regards to excreta
      borne disease management in the Philippines and Myanmar, as a component of post
      disaster incremental improvements to local sanitation chains. 

PMID- 26110822
TI  - Cold Regime interannual variability of primary and secondary producer community
      composition in the southeastern Bering Sea.
AB  - Variability of hydrographic conditions and primary and secondary productivity
      between cold and warm climatic regimes in the Bering Sea has been the subject of
      much study in recent years, while interannual variability within a single regime
      and across multiple trophic levels has been less well-documented. Measurements
      from an instrumented mooring on the southeastern shelf of the Bering Sea were
      analyzed for the spring-to-summer transitions within the cold regime years of
      2009-2012 to investigate the interannual variability of hydrographic conditions,
      primary producer biomass, and acoustically-derived secondary producer and
      consumer abundance and community structure. Hydrographic conditions in 2012 were
      significantly different than in 2009, 2010, and 2011, driven largely by increased
      ice extent and thickness, later ice retreat, and earlier stratification of the
      water column. Primary producer biomass was more tightly coupled to hydrographic
      conditions in 2012 than in 2009 or 2011, and shallow and mid-column phytoplankton
      blooms tended to occur independent of one another. There was a high degree of
      variability in the relationships between different classes of secondary producers
      and hydrographic conditions, evidence of significant intra-consumer interactions,
      and trade-offs between different consumer size classes in each year.
      Phytoplankton blooms stimulated different populations of secondary producers in
      each year, and summer consumer populations appeared to determine dominant
      populations in the subsequent spring. Overall, primary producers and secondary
      producers were more tightly coupled to each other and to hydrographic conditions
      in the coldest year compared to the warmer years. The highly variable nature of
      the interactions between the atmospherically-driven hydrographic environment,
      primary and secondary producers, and within food webs underscores the need to
      revisit how climatic regimes within the Bering Sea are defined and predicted to
      function given changing climate scenarios. 

PMID- 26110823
TI  - Identifying Differences and Similarities in Static and Dynamic Contact Angles
      between Nanoscale and Microscale Textured Surfaces Using Molecular Dynamics
      Simulations.
AB  - We quantify some of the effects of patterned nanoscale surface texture on static
      contact angles, dynamic contact angles, and dynamic contact angle hysteresis
      using molecular dynamics simulations of a moving Lennard-Jones droplet in contact
      with a solid surface. We observe static contact angles that change with the
      introduction of surface texture in a manner consistent with theoretical and
      experimental expectations. However, we find that the introduction of nanoscale
      surface texture at the length scale of 5-10 times the fluid particle size does
      not affect dynamic contact angle hysteresis even though it changes both the
      advancing and receding contact angles significantly. This result differs
      significantly from microscale experimental results where dynamic contact angle
      hysteresis decreases with the addition of surface texture due to an increase in
      the receding contact angle. Instead, we find that molecular-kinetic theory,
      previously applied only to nonpatterned surfaces, accurately describes dynamic
      contact angle and dynamic contact angle hysteresis behavior as a function of
      terminal fluid velocity. Therefore, at length scales of tens of nanometers, the
      kinetic phenomena such as contact line pinning observed at larger scales become
      insignificant in comparison to the effects of molecular fluctuations for moving
      droplets, even though the static properties are essentially scale-invariant.
      These findings may have implications for the design of highly hierarchical
      structures with particular wetting properties. We also find that quantitatively
      determining the trends observed in this article requires the careful selection of
      system and analysis parameters in order to achieve sufficient accuracy and
      precision in calculated contact angles. Therefore, we provide a detailed
      description of our two-surface, circular-fit approach to calculating static and
      dynamic contact angles on surfaces with nanoscale texturing. 

PMID- 26110824
TI  - Correction: climatic effects on planning behavior.

PMID- 26110825
TI  - Pd(II)-Catalyzed Direct Sulfonylation of Unactivated C(sp(3))-H Bonds with Sodium
      Sulfinates.
AB  - A Pd(II)-catalyzed sulfonylation of unactivated C(sp(3))-H bonds with sodium
      arylsulfinates using an 8-aminoquinoline auxiliary is described. This reaction
      demonstrates excellent functional group tolerance with respect to both the
      caboxamide starting material and the sodium arylsulfinate coupling partner,
      affording a broad range of aryl alkyl sulfones. Moreover, the late-stage
      modification of complex molecules was achieved via this sulfonylation protocol. 

PMID- 26110826
TI  - An Analysis of Predator Selection to Affect Aposematic Coloration in a Poison
      Frog Species.
AB  - Natural selection is widely noted to drive divergence of phenotypic traits.
      Predation pressure can facilitate morphological divergence, for example the
      evolution of both cryptic and conspicuous coloration in animals. In this context
      Dendrobatid frogs have been used to study evolutionary forces inducing diversity
      in protective coloration. The polytypic strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio)
      shows strong divergence in aposematic coloration among populations. To
      investigate whether predation pressure is important for color divergence among
      populations of O. pumilio we selected four mainland populations and two island
      populations from Costa Rica and Panama. Spectrometric measurements of body
      coloration were used to calculate color and brightness contrasts of frogs as an
      indicator of conspicuousness for the visual systems of several potential
      predators (avian, crab and snake) and a conspecific observer. Additionally, we
      conducted experiments using clay model frogs of different coloration to
      investigate whether the local coloration of frogs is better protected than non
      local color morphs, and if predator communities vary among populations. Overall
      predation risk differed strongly among populations and interestingly was higher
      on the two island populations. Imprints on clay models indicated that birds are
      the main predators while attacks of other predators were rare. Furthermore, clay
      models of local coloration were equally likely to be attacked as those of non
      local coloration. Overall conspicuousness (and brightness contrast) of local
      frogs was positively correlated with attack rates by birds across populations.
      Together with results from earlier studies we conclude that conspicuousness
      honestly indicates toxicity to avian predators. The different coloration patterns
      among populations of strawberry poison frogs in combination with behavior and
      toxicity might integrate into equally efficient anti-predator strategies
      depending on local predation and other ecological factors. 

PMID- 26110828
TI  - Segregating the Effects of Seed Traits and Common Ancestry of Hardwood Trees on
      Eastern Gray Squirrel Foraging Decisions.
AB  - The evolution of specific seed traits in scatter-hoarded tree species often has
      been attributed to granivore foraging behavior. However, the degree to which
      foraging investments and seed traits correlate with phylogenetic relationships
      among trees remains unexplored. We presented seeds of 23 different hardwood tree
      species (families Betulaceae, Fagaceae, Juglandaceae) to eastern gray squirrels
      (Sciurus carolinensis), and measured the time and distance travelled by squirrels
      that consumed or cached each seed. We estimated 11 physical and chemical seed
      traits for each species, and the phylogenetic relationships between the 23
      hardwood trees. Variance partitioning revealed that considerable variation in
      foraging investment was attributable to seed traits alone (27-73%), and combined
      effects of seed traits and phylogeny of hardwood trees (5-55%). A phylogenetic
      PCA (pPCA) on seed traits and tree phylogeny resulted in 2 "global" axes of
      traits that were phylogenetically autocorrelated at the family and genus level
      and a third "local" axis in which traits were not phylogenetically
      autocorrelated. Collectively, these axes explained 30-76% of the variation in
      squirrel foraging investments. The first global pPCA axis, which produced large
      scores for seed species with thin shells, low lipid and high carbohydrate
      content, was negatively related to time to consume and cache seeds and travel
      distance to cache. The second global pPCA axis, which produced large scores for
      seeds with high protein, low tannin and low dormancy levels, was an important
      predictor of consumption time only. The local pPCA axis primarily reflected
      kernel mass. Although it explained only 12% of the variation in trait space and
      was not autocorrelated among phylogenetic clades, the local axis was related to
      all four squirrel foraging investments. Squirrel foraging behaviors are
      influenced by a combination of phylogenetically conserved and more evolutionarily
      labile seed traits that is consistent with a weak or more diffuse coevolutionary
      relationship between rodents and hardwood trees rather than a direct
      coevolutionary relationship. 

PMID- 26110827
TI  - ABC transporters and the proteasome complex are implicated in susceptibility to
      Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis across multiple drugs.
AB  - Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) represent
      rare but serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Both are characterized by
      distinctive blistering lesions and significant mortality rates. While there is
      evidence for strong drug-specific genetic predisposition related to HLA alleles,
      recent genome wide association studies (GWAS) on European and Asian populations
      have failed to identify genetic susceptibility alleles that are common across
      multiple drugs. We hypothesize that this is a consequence of the low to moderate
      effect size of individual genetic risk factors. To test this hypothesis we
      developed Pointer, a new algorithm that assesses the aggregate effect of multiple
      low risk variants on a pathway using a gene set enrichment approach. A key
      advantage of our method is the capability to associate SNPs with genes by
      exploiting physical proximity as well as by using expression quantitative trait
      loci (eQTLs) that capture information about both cis- and trans-acting regulatory
      effects. We control for known bias-inducing aspects of enrichment based analyses,
      such as: 1) gene length, 2) gene set size, 3) presence of biologically related
      genes within the same linkage disequilibrium (LD) region, and, 4) genes shared
      among multiple gene sets. We applied this approach to publicly available SJS/TEN
      genome-wide genotype data and identified the ABC transporter and Proteasome
      pathways as potentially implicated in the genetic susceptibility of non-drug
      specific SJS/TEN. We demonstrated that the innovative SNP-to-gene mapping phase
      of the method was essential in detecting the significant enrichment for those
      pathways. Analysis of an independent gene expression dataset provides supportive
      functional evidence for the involvement of Proteasome pathways in SJS/TEN
      cutaneous lesions. These results suggest that Pointer provides a useful framework
      for the integrative analysis of pharmacogenetic GWAS data, by increasing the
      power to detect aggregate effects of multiple low risk variants. The software is
      available for download at https://sourceforge.net/projects/pointergsa/. 

PMID- 26110829
TI  - A reproducible and versatile system for the dynamic expansion of human
      pluripotent stem cells in suspension.
AB  - Reprogramming of patient cells to human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)
      has facilitated in vitro disease modeling studies aiming at deciphering the
      molecular and cellular mechanisms that contribute to disease pathogenesis and
      progression. To fully exploit the potential of hiPSC for biomedical applications,
      technologies that enable the standardized generation and expansion of hiPSC from
      large numbers of donors are required. Paralleled automated processes for the
      expansion of hiPSC could provide an opportunity to maximize the generation of
      hiPSC collections from patient cohorts while minimizing hands-on time and costs.
      In order to develop a simple method for the parallel expansion of human
      pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) we established a protocol for their cultivation as
      undifferentiated aggregates in a bench-top bioreactor system (BioLevitatorTM). We
      show that long-term expansion (10 passages) of hPSCs either in mTeSR or E8 medium
      preserved a normal karyotype, three-germ-layer differentiation potential and high
      expression of pluripotency-associated markers. The system enables the expansion
      from low inoculation densities (0.3 * 10(5) cells/mL) and provides a simplified,
      cost-efficient and time-saving method for the provision of hiPSC at midi-scale.
      Implementation of this protocol in cell production schemes has the potential to
      advance cell manufacturing in many areas of hiPSC-based medical research. 

PMID- 26110830
TI  - Leukemia diagnosis: today and tomorrow.
AB  - The European LeukemiaNet (ELN) is composed of several work packages, four of them
      being directly involved in the various aspects of diagnosis. On the occasion of
      the annual ELN meeting of 2015 in Mannheim, these four work packages collectively
      examined the current situation and future prospects of cytomorphology, flow
      cytometry, cytogenetics, next-generation sequencing, and minimal residual disease
      detection in the context of leukemia diagnosis and follow-up. This document
      summarizes the outcome of this compendium. 

PMID- 26110831
TI  - The stage-classified matrix models project a significant increase in biomass
      carbon stocks in China's forests between 2005 and 2050.
AB  - China's forests are characterized by young age, low carbon (C) density and a
      large plantation area, implying a high potential for increasing C sinks in the
      future. Using data of provincial forest area and biomass C density from China's
      forest inventories between 1994 and 2008 and the planned forest coverage of the
      country by 2050, we developed a stage-classified matrix model to predict biomass
      C stocks of China's forests from 2005 to 2050. The results showed that total
      forest biomass C stock would increase from 6.43 Pg C (1 Pg = 10(15) g) in 2005 to
      9.97 Pg C (95% confidence interval: 8.98 ~ 11.07 Pg C) in 2050, with an overall
      net C gain of 78.8 Tg C yr(-1) (56.7 ~ 103.3 Tg C yr(-1); 1 Tg = 10(12) g). Our
      findings suggest that China's forests will be a large and persistent biomass C
      sink through 2050. 

PMID- 26110832
TI  - Geographic analysis of urologist density and prostate cancer mortality in the
      United States.
AB  - CONTEXT: Financial and demographic pressures in US require an understanding of
      the most efficient distribution of physicians to maximize population-level health
      benefits. Prior work has assumed a constant negative relationship between
      physician supply and mortality outcomes throughout the US and has not addressed
      regional variation. METHODS: In this ecological analysis, geographically weighted
      regression was used to identify spatially varying relationships between local
      urologist density and prostate cancer mortality at the county level. Data from
      1,492 counties in 30 eastern and southern states from 2006-2010 were analyzed.
      FINDINGS: The ordinary least squares (OLS) regression found that, on average,
      increasing urologist density by 1 urologist per 100,000 people resulted in an
      expected decrease in prostate cancer mortality of -0.499 deaths per 100,000 men
      (95% CI -0.709 to -0.289, p-value < 0.001), or a 1.5% decrease. Geographic
      weighted regression demonstrated that the addition of one urologist per 100,000
      people in counties in the southern Mississippi River states of Arkansas,
      Mississippi, and Louisiana, as well as parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin
      is associated with decrease of 0.411 to 0.916 in prostate cancer mortality per
      100,000 men (1.6-3.6%). In contrast, the urologist density was not significantly
      associated with the prostate state mortality in the new England region.
      CONCLUSIONS: The strength of association between urologist density and prostate
      cancer mortality varied regionally. Those areas with the highest potential for
      effects could be targeted for increasing the supply of urologists, as it
      associated with the largest predicted improvement in prostate cancer mortality.

PMID- 26110833
TI  - Mapping Soil Properties of Africa at 250 m Resolution: Random Forests
      Significantly Improve Current Predictions.
AB  - 80% of arable land in Africa has low soil fertility and suffers from physical
      soil problems. Additionally, significant amounts of nutrients are lost every year
      due to unsustainable soil management practices. This is partially the result of
      insufficient use of soil management knowledge. To help bridge the soil
      information gap in Africa, the Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS) project
      was established in 2008. Over the period 2008-2014, the AfSIS project compiled
      two point data sets: the Africa Soil Profiles (legacy) database and the AfSIS
      Sentinel Site database. These data sets contain over 28 thousand sampling
      locations and represent the most comprehensive soil sample data sets of the
      African continent to date. Utilizing these point data sets in combination with a
      large number of covariates, we have generated a series of spatial predictions of
      soil properties relevant to the agricultural management--organic carbon, pH,
      sand, silt and clay fractions, bulk density, cation-exchange capacity, total
      nitrogen, exchangeable acidity, Al content and exchangeable bases (Ca, K, Mg,
      Na). We specifically investigate differences between two predictive approaches:
      random forests and linear regression. Results of 5-fold cross-validation
      demonstrate that the random forests algorithm consistently outperforms the linear
      regression algorithm, with average decreases of 15-75% in Root Mean Squared Error
      (RMSE) across soil properties and depths. Fitting and running random forests
      models takes an order of magnitude more time and the modelling success is
      sensitive to artifacts in the input data, but as long as quality-controlled point
      data are provided, an increase in soil mapping accuracy can be expected. Results
      also indicate that globally predicted soil classes (USDA Soil Taxonomy,
      especially Alfisols and Mollisols) help improve continental scale soil property
      mapping, and are among the most important predictors. This indicates a promising
      potential for transferring pedological knowledge from data rich countries to
      countries with limited soil data.

PMID- 26110834
TI  - Induction of the superoxide anion radical scavenging capacity of dried
      'funori'Gloiopeltis furcata by Lactobacillus plantarum S-SU1 fermentation.
AB  - To understand the beneficial properties of edible algae obtained from the north
      eastern (Sanriku) Satoumi region of Japan, the antioxidant properties of hot
      aqueous extract solutions (AES) obtained from 18 dried algal products were
      determined. The samples included 4 Ceratophyllum demersum (matsumo), 5 Undaria
      pinnatifida (wakame), 5 Laminaria japonica (kombu), and 2 each of Gloiopeltis
      furcate (funori) and G. tenax (funori). Of these products, the total phenolic
      content and Fe-reducing power were highest in matsumo. On the other hand, the
      polysaccharide content, viscosity, and superoxide anion radical (O2(-))
      scavenging capacity were highest in funori. Lactobacillus plantarum S-SU3,
      isolated from the intestine of Japanese surfperch, and Lb. plantarum S-SU1,
      isolated from salted squid, could ferment the AES of matsumo and funori,
      respectively. Although the Fe-reducing power of the matsumo solution was reduced
      due to fermentation, the O2(-)-scavenging capacity of the funori solution was
      increased by fermentation. Furthermore, the fermented funori suspension protected
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a live cell model, against H2O2 toxicity. These results
      suggest that the fermented funori is a promising functional food material that is
      capable of protecting against reactive oxygen species. 

PMID- 26110835
TI  - Prevalence of Diagnosed and Undiagnosed HIV Infection--United States, 2008-2012.
AB  - Persons unaware of their human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection contribute
      nearly one third of ongoing transmission in the United States. Among the
      estimated 1.2 million persons living with HIV in the United States in 2011, 14%
      had undiagnosed infections. To accelerate progress toward reducing undiagnosed
      HIV infection, CDC and its partners have pursued an approach that includes
      expanding HIV testing in communities with high HIV infection rates. To measure
      the prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV infection for the 50 states and
      the District of Columbia (DC), CDC analyzed data from the National HIV
      Surveillance System. In 42 jurisdictions with numerically stable estimates, HIV
      prevalence in 2012 ranged from 110 per 100,000 persons (Iowa) to 3,936 per
      100,000 (DC). The percentage of persons living with diagnosed HIV ranged from 77%
      in Louisiana to >=90% in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, and New York.
      In 39 jurisdictions with numerically stable estimates, the percentage of HIV
      cases with diagnosed infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) ranged from
      75% in Louisiana to >=90% in Hawaii and New York. These data demonstrate the need
      for interventions and public health strategies to reduce the prevalence of
      undiagnosed HIV infection. Because the percentage of persons with undiagnosed HIV
      varies by geographic area, efforts tailored to each area's unique circumstances
      might be needed to increase the percentage of persons aware of their infection. 

PMID- 26110836
TI  - Identifying New Positives and Linkage to HIV Medical Care--23 Testing Site Types,
      United States, 2013.
AB  - Among the estimated 1.2 million persons living with human immunodeficiency virus
      (HIV) infection in the United States, approximately 14% have not had their HIV
      diagnosed. Certain populations, such as African Americans/blacks (in this report
      referred to as blacks), men who have sex with men (MSM), and Hispanics/Latinos
      (in this report referred to as Hispanics), are disproportionately affected by
      HIV. In areas where HIV prevalence is >=0.1%, CDC recommends routine HIV
      screening in health care settings for persons aged 13-64 years. Implementation of
      HIV screening as part of routine care can increase the number of HIV diagnoses,
      destigmatize HIV testing, and improve access to care for persons with new HIV
      infections. Additionally, targeted testing in non-health care settings might
      facilitate access to persons in at-risk populations (e.g., MSM, blacks, and
      Hispanics) who are unaware of their status and do not routinely seek care. CDC
      analyzed data for 23 testing site types submitted by 61 health departments and
      151 CDC-funded community-based organizations to determine 1) the number of HIV
      tests conducted, 2) the percentage of persons with new diagnoses of HIV infection
      (in this report referred to as new positives), and 3) the percentage of persons
      who were linked to HIV medical care within 90 days after receiving diagnoses at
      specific site types within health care and non-health care settings. The results
      indicated that, in health care settings, primary care and sexually transmitted
      disease (STD) clinics accounted for substantially more HIV tests than did other
      sites, and STD clinics identified more new positives. In non-health care
      settings, HIV counseling and testing sites accounted for the most tests and
      identified the highest number of new positives. Examining program data by site
      type shows which sites performed better in diagnosing new positives and informs
      decisions about program planning and allocation of CDC HIV testing resources
      among and within settings. 

PMID- 26110837
TI  - Outbreaks of Illness Associated with Recreational Water--United States, 2011
      2012.
AB  - Outbreaks of illness associated with recreational water use result from exposure
      to chemicals or infectious pathogens in recreational water venues that are
      treated (e.g., pools and hot tubs or spas) or untreated (e.g., lakes and oceans).
      For 2011-2012, the most recent years for which finalized data were available,
      public health officials from 32 states and Puerto Rico reported 90 recreational
      water-associated outbreaks to CDC's Waterborne Disease and Outbreak Surveillance
      System (WBDOSS) via the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS). The 90
      outbreaks resulted in at least 1,788 cases, 95 hospitalizations, and one death.
      Among 69 (77%) outbreaks associated with treated recreational water, 36 (52%)
      were caused by Cryptosporidium. Among 21 (23%) outbreaks associated with
      untreated recreational water, seven (33%) were caused by Escherichia coli (E.
      coli O157:H7 or E. coli O111). Guidance, such as the Model Aquatic Health Code
      (MAHC), for preventing and controlling recreational water-associated outbreaks
      can be optimized when informed by national outbreak and laboratory (e.g.,
      molecular typing of Cryptosporidium) data. 

PMID- 26110838
TI  - State Tobacco Control Program Spending--United States, 2011.
AB  - Evidence-based, statewide tobacco control programs that are comprehensive,
      sustained, and accountable reduce smoking rates and tobacco-related diseases and
      deaths. States that made larger investments in tobacco prevention and control
      have seen larger declines in cigarettes sales than the United States as a whole,
      and the prevalence of smoking has declined faster as spending for tobacco control
      programs has increased. CDC's Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control
      Programs (Best Practices) outlines the elements of an evidence-based state
      tobacco control program and provides recommended state funding levels to
      substantially reduce tobacco-related disease, disability, and death. To analyze
      states' spending in relation to program components outlined within Best
      Practices, CDC assessed state tobacco control programs' expenditures for fiscal
      year 2011. In 2011, states spent approximately $658 million on tobacco control
      and prevention, which accounts for less than 3% of the states' revenues from the
      sale of tobacco products and only 17.8% of the level recommended by CDC. Evidence
      suggests that funding tobacco prevention and control efforts at the levels
      recommended in Best Practices could achieve larger and more rapid reductions in
      tobacco use and associated morbidity and mortality. 

PMID- 26110839
TI  - Notes from the Field: Measles Transmission in an International Airport at a
      Domestic Terminal Gate--April-May 2014.
AB  - On April 22, 2014, the Minnesota Department of Health notified CDC of a case of
      measles in a child aged 19 months who had documentation of receiving 1 dose of
      measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine at age 12 months. The child's illness was
      clinically compatible with measles, which was confirmed by polymerase chain
      reaction and immunoglobulin M serology at the Minnesota Department of Health
      Public Health Laboratory. The child was febrile and developed a rash on April 17
      while on an international flight from India to the United States before taking a
      connecting flight from Chicago to Minneapolis. Persons with measles are
      infectious from 4 days before to 4 days after rash onset. Therefore, travelers
      were exposed on both the international and domestic flights. CDC's Division of
      Global Migration and Quarantine was contacted and provided information on
      potentially exposed persons to relevant health departments for follow-up. No
      documented transmission was reported as a result of the two flight exposures. 

PMID- 26110840
TI  - Influence of phthalates on in vitro innate and adaptive immune responses.
AB  - Phthalates are a group of endocrine disrupting chemicals, suspected to influence
      the immune system. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of
      phthalates on cytokine secretion from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
      Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide and phytohemagglutinin-P were used for
      stimulation of monocytes/macrophages and T cells, respectively. Cells were
      exposed for 20 to 22 hours to either di-ethyl, di-n-butyl or mono-n-butyl
      phthalate at two different concentrations. Both diesters were metabolised to
      their respective monoester and influenced cytokine secretion from both
      monocytes/macrophages and T cells in a similar pattern: the secretion of
      interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10 and the chemokine CXCL8 by monocytes/macrophages was
      enhanced, while tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha secretion by
      monocytes/macrophages was impaired, as was the secretion of IL-2 and IL-4, TNF
      alpha and interferon-gamma by T cells. The investigated phthalate monoester also
      influenced cytokine secretion from monocytes/macrophages similar to that of the
      diesters. In T cells, however, the effect of the monoester was different compared
      to the diesters. The influence of the phthalates on the cytokine secretion did
      not seem to be a result of cell death. Thus, results indicate that both human
      innate and adaptive immunity is influenced in vitro by phthalates, and that
      phthalates therefore may affect cell differentiation and regenerative and
      inflammatory processes in vivo. 

PMID- 26110841
TI  - Endocytic Adaptor Protein Tollip Inhibits Canonical Wnt Signaling.
AB  - Many adaptor proteins involved in endocytic cargo transport exhibit additional
      functions in other cellular processes which may be either related to or
      independent from their trafficking roles. The endosomal adaptor protein Tollip is
      an example of such a multitasking regulator, as it participates in trafficking
      and endosomal sorting of receptors, but also in interleukin/Toll/NF-kappaB
      signaling, bacterial entry, autophagic clearance of protein aggregates and
      regulation of sumoylation. Here we describe another role of Tollip in
      intracellular signaling. By performing a targeted RNAi screen of soluble
      endocytic proteins for their additional functions in canonical Wnt signaling, we
      identified Tollip as a potential negative regulator of this pathway in human
      cells. Depletion of Tollip potentiates the activity of beta-catenin/TCF-dependent
      transcriptional reporter, while its overproduction inhibits the reporter activity
      and expression of Wnt target genes. These effects are independent of dynamin
      mediated endocytosis, but require the ubiquitin-binding CUE domain of Tollip. In
      Wnt-stimulated cells, Tollip counteracts the activation of beta-catenin and its
      nuclear accumulation, without affecting its total levels. Additionally, under
      conditions of ligand-independent signaling, Tollip inhibits the pathway after the
      stage of beta-catenin stabilization, as observed in human cancer cell lines,
      characterized by constitutive beta-catenin activity. Finally, the regulation of
      Wnt signaling by Tollip occurs also during early embryonic development of
      zebrafish. In summary, our data identify a novel function of Tollip in regulating
      the canonical Wnt pathway which is evolutionarily conserved between fish and
      humans. Tollip-mediated inhibition of Wnt signaling may contribute not only to
      embryonic development, but also to carcinogenesis. Mechanistically, Tollip can
      potentially coordinate multiple cellular pathways of trafficking and signaling,
      possibly by exploiting its ability to interact with ubiquitin and the sumoylation
      machinery. 

PMID- 26110842
TI  - Social network analysis for program implementation.
AB  - This paper introduces the use of social network analysis theory and tools for
      implementation research. The social network perspective is useful for
      understanding, monitoring, influencing, or evaluating the implementation process
      when programs, policies, practices, or principles are designed and scaled up or
      adapted to different settings. We briefly describe common barriers to
      implementation success and relate them to the social networks of implementation
      stakeholders. We introduce a few simple measures commonly used in social network
      analysis and discuss how these measures can be used in program implementation.
      Using the four stage model of program implementation (exploration, adoption,
      implementation, and sustainment) proposed by Aarons and colleagues [1] and our
      experience in developing multi-sector partnerships involving community leaders,
      organizations, practitioners, and researchers, we show how network measures can
      be used at each stage to monitor, intervene, and improve the implementation
      process. Examples are provided to illustrate these concepts. We conclude with
      expected benefits and challenges associated with this approach. 

PMID- 26110843
TI  - Bioinformatics analysis of thousands of TCGA tumors to determine the involvement
      of epigenetic regulators in human cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many cancer cells show distorted epigenetic landscapes. The Cancer
      Genome Atlas (TCGA) project profiles thousands of tumors, allowing the discovery
      of somatic alterations in the epigenetic machinery and the identification of
      potential cancer drivers among members of epigenetic protein families. METHODS:
      We integrated mutation, expression, and copy number data from 5943 tumors from 13
      cancer types to train a classification model that predicts the likelihood of
      being an oncogene (OG), tumor suppressor (TSG) or neutral gene (NG). We applied
      this predictor to epigenetic regulator genes (ERGs), and used differential
      expression and correlation network analysis to identify dysregulated ERGs along
      with co-expressed cancer genes. Furthermore, we quantified global proteomic
      changes by mass spectrometry after EZH2 inhibition. RESULTS: Mutation-based
      classifiers uncovered the OG-like profile of DNMT3A and TSG-like profiles for
      several ERGs. Differential gene expression and correlation network analyses
      revealed that EZH2 is the most significantly over-expressed ERG in cancer and is
      co-regulated with a cell cycle network. Proteomic analysis showed that EZH2
      inhibition induced down-regulation of cell cycle regulators in lymphoma cells.
      CONCLUSIONS: Using classical driver genes to train an OG/TSG predictor, we
      determined the most predictive features at the gene level. Our predictor
      uncovered one OG and several TSGs among ERGs. Expression analyses elucidated
      multiple dysregulated ERGs including EZH2 as member of a co-expressed cell cycle
      network.

PMID- 26110844
TI  - Two Species with an Unusual Combination of Traits Dominate Responses of British
      Grasshoppers and Crickets to Environmental Change.
AB  - There are large variations in the responses of species to the environmental
      changes of recent decades, heightening interest in whether their traits may
      explain inter-specific differences in range expansions and contractions. Using a
      long-term distributional dataset, we calculated range changes of grasshoppers and
      crickets in Britain between the 1980s and the 2000s and assessed whether their
      traits (resource use, life history, dispersal ability, geographic location)
      explain relative performance of different species. Our analysis showed large
      changes in the distributions of some species, and we found a positive
      relationship between three traits and range change: ranges tended to increase for
      habitat generalists, species that oviposit in the vegetation above ground, and
      for those with a southerly distribution. These findings accord well with the
      nature of environmental changes over this period (climatic warming; reductions in
      the diversity and increases in the height of vegetation). However, the trait
      effects applied mainly to just two species, Conocephalus discolor and Metrioptera
      roeselii, which had shown the greatest range increases. Once they were omitted
      from the analysis, trait effects were no longer statistically significant.
      Previous studies on these two species emphasised wing-length dimorphism as the
      key to their success, resulting in a high phenotypic plasticity of dispersal and
      evolutionary-ecological feedback at their expanding range margins. This, combined
      with our results, suggests that an unusual combination of traits have enabled
      these two species to undertake extremely rapid responses to recent environmental
      changes. The fact that our results are dominated by two species only became
      apparent through cautious testing of the results' robustness, not through
      standard statistical checks. We conclude that trait-based analyses may contribute
      to the assessment of species responses to environmental change and provide
      insights into underlying mechanisms, but results need to be interpreted with
      caution and may have limited predictive power. 

PMID- 26110845
TI  - Control of Dog Mediated Human Rabies in Haiti: No Time to Spare.
AB  - The American region has pledged to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies by 2015.
      As part of these efforts, we describe the findings of a desk and field mission
      review of Haiti's rabies situation by the end of 2013. While government officials
      recognize the importance of dog-mediated rabies control, and the national rabies
      plan adequately contemplates the basic capacities to that effect, regular and
      sufficient implementation, for example, of dog vaccination, is hampered by
      limited funding. Compounding insufficient funding and human resources, official
      surveillance figures do not accurately reflect the risk to the population, as
      evidenced by the large number of rabid dogs detected by focalized and enhanced
      surveillance activities conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural
      Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) and the Health and Population Ministry
      (MSPP) with the technical assistance of the United States Centers for Disease
      Control and Prevention. Although international support is common, either in the
      form of on-the-ground technical support or donations of immunobiologicals, it is
      not comprehensive. In addition, there is limited coordination with MARNDR/MSPP
      and with other actors at the strategic or operational level due to human
      resources limitations. Given these findings, the 2015 elimination goal in the
      region is compromised by the situation in Haiti where control of the disease is
      not yet in sight despite the best efforts of the resolute national officials.
      More importantly, dog-mediated rabies is still a threat to the Haitian
      population. 

PMID- 26110846
TI  - Correction: PSMC5, a 19S proteasomal ATPase, regulates cocaine action in the
      nucleus accumbens.

PMID- 26110847
TI  - Shank Muscle Strength Training Changes Foot Behaviour during a Sudden Ankle
      Supination.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The peroneal muscles are the most effective lateral stabilisers whose
      tension braces the ankle joint complex against excessive supination. The purpose
      of this study was to identify the morphological and biomechanical effects of two
      machine-based shank muscle training methods. METHODS: Twenty-two healthy male
      recreationally active sports students performed ten weeks of single-set high
      resistance strength training with 3 training sessions per week. The subjects
      conducted subtalar pronator/supinator muscle training (ST) with the right leg by
      using a custom-made apparatus; the left foot muscles were exercised with machine
      based talocrural plantar and dorsiflexor training (TT). Muscle strength (MVIC),
      muscle volume and foot biomechanics (rearfoot motion, ground reaction forces,
      muscle reaction times) during a sudden ankle supination were recorded before and
      after the intervention. RESULTS: Compared to TT, ST resulted in significantly
      higher pronator (14% vs. 8%, P<0.01) and supinator MVIC (25% vs. 12%, P<0.01).
      During sudden foot inversions, both ST and TT resulted in reduced supination
      velocity (-12%; P<0.01). The muscle reaction onset time was faster after the
      training in peroneus longus (PL) (P<0.01). Muscle volume of PL (P<0.01) and TA
      (P<0.01) increased significantly after both ST and TT. CONCLUSION: After both ST
      and TT, the ankle joint complex is mechanically more stabilised against sudden
      supinations due to the muscle volume increase of PL and TA. As the reduced
      supination velocities indicate, the strength training effects are already present
      during free-fall. According to a sudden ankle supination in standing position,
      both machine-based dorsiflexor and pronator strength training is recommended for
      enhancing the mechanical stability of the ankle.

PMID- 26110848
TI  - Physical Features of Intracellular Proteins that Moonlight on the Cell Surface.
AB  - Moonlighting proteins comprise a subset of multifunctional proteins that perform
      two or more biochemical functions that are not due to gene fusions, multiple
      splice variants, proteolytic fragments, or promiscuous enzyme activities. The
      project described herein focuses on a sub-set of moonlighting proteins that have
      a canonical biochemical function inside the cell and perform a second biochemical
      function on the cell surface in at least one species. The goal of this project is
      to consider the biophysical features of these moonlighting proteins to determine
      whether they have shared characteristics or defining features that might suggest
      why these particular proteins were adopted for a second function on the cell
      surface, or if these proteins resemble typical intracellular proteins. The latter
      might suggest that many other normally intracellular proteins found on the cell
      surface might also be moonlighting in this fashion. We have identified 30 types
      of proteins that have different functions inside the cell and on the cell
      surface. Some of these proteins are found to moonlight on the surface of multiple
      species, sometimes with different extracellular functions in different species,
      so there are a total of 98 proteins in the study set. Although a variety of
      intracellular proteins (enzymes, chaperones, etc.) are observed to be re-used on
      the cell surface, for the most part, these proteins were found to have physical
      characteristics typical of intracellular proteins. Many other intracellular
      proteins have also been found on the surface of bacterial pathogens and other
      organisms in proteomics experiments. It is quite possible that many of those
      proteins also have a moonlighting function on the cell surface. The increasing
      number and variety of known moonlighting proteins suggest that there may be more
      moonlighting proteins than previously thought, and moonlighting might be a common
      feature of many more proteins. 

PMID- 26110849
TI  - TNFalpha signaling regulates cystic epithelial cell proliferation through
      Akt/mTOR and ERK/MAPK/Cdk2 mediated Id2 signaling.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) is present in cyst fluid and promotes cyst
      growth in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). However, the
      cross-talk between TNFalpha and PKD associated signaling pathways remains
      elusive. In this study, we found that stimulation of renal epithelial cells with
      TNFalpha or RANKL (receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand), a member of the
      TNFalpha cytokine family, activated either the PI3K pathway, leading to AKT and
      mTOR mediated the increase of Id2 protein, or MAPK and Cdk2 to induce Id2 nuclear
      translocation. The effects of TNFalpha/RANKL on increasing Id2 protein and its
      nuclear translocation caused significantly decreased mRNA and protein levels of
      the Cdk inhibitor p21, allowing increased cell proliferation. TNFalpha levels
      increase in cystic kidneys in response to macrophage infiltration and thus might
      contribute to cyst growth and enlargement during the progression of disease. As
      such, this study elucidates a novel mechanism for TNFalpha signaling in
      regulating cystic renal epithelial cell proliferation in ADPKD. 

PMID- 26110851
TI  - What about our nurses' pain?

PMID- 26110850
TI  - Correction: differential CARM1 isoform expression in subcellular compartments and
      among malignant and benign breast tumors.

PMID- 26110852
TI  - Personal health budgets: enabling greater choice.

PMID- 26110853
TI  - Oral and enteral nutrition in dementia: an overview.
AB  - The number of people currently living with dementia in the UK is estimated to be
      850 000 and this is expected to rise to over 1 million by the year 2025. Dementia
      is a progressive terminal disease and the rate of decline is unique to each
      person; however, cognitive deterioration can be accelerated by undernutrition.
      This article discusses evidence-based approaches in the use of oral and enteral
      nutrition interventions for people living with dementia and ways to support their
      caregivers. The discussion of interventions to improve oral nutrition includes
      changes to the environment, support with feeding difficulties, nutritional
      supplements and education and training for caregivers. 

PMID- 26110854
TI  - Nurses' attitudes to assisted suicide: sociodemographic factors.
AB  - This literature review seeks to explore the factors that influence nurses'
      attitudes towards assisted suicide. A poll conducted by the Royal College of
      Nursing (RCN) showed that 49% of nurses supported assisted suicide while 40% were
      opposed to it. A literature review resulted in 16 articles being identified for
      data synthesis using a recognised critiquing framework. The articles revealed
      four key themes: nursing specialty, level of education, geographical location and
      religion. It was concluded that these four themes are key to understanding a
      nurse's attitude towards assisted suicide. Nursing staff need to be aware of
      their own influences on this topic, since they will inevitably be involved in the
      process in some way or another, in countries where assisted suicide has been
      legalised. 

PMID- 26110855
TI  - Influencing organisational culture: a leadership challenge.
AB  - In the wake of the Francis report, the need for NHS trusts and hospitals to adopt
      a culture of learning, safety and transparency has been highlighted. This article
      considers different aspects of culture in health care, and hones in on the link
      between culture and safety for patients in putting the patient first, embedding
      the 6Cs and considering the options to measure and influence organisational
      culture. The article reflects more deeply on how leadership across all levels can
      influence and inspire change in organisational culture, ensuring that the patient
      remains the focus of any changes in care delivery. 

PMID- 26110856
TI  - Experiences of sexual intimacy among older people.

PMID- 26110857
TI  - Reaccreditation of non-medical prescribers: maintaining competence.
AB  - There is no systematic and robust method to assess the competence of non-medical
      prescribers (NMPs) locally or nationally. NMPs have a responsibility to remain up
      to date with the knowledge and skills to enable them to prescribe competently and
      safely within their field of expertise. In 2012, the National Prescribing Centre
      developed a single competency framework for prescribers defining a set of nine
      dimensions within three domains that can be used to underpin personal
      responsibility for prescribing. The authors identified validated assessment tools
      using a literature search, and selected those suitable for mapping against the
      nine dimensions. It was hoped that trust NMPs could provide evidence of
      competence covering all three of the framework domains using the chosen tools.
      Five NMPs used the tools to create a portfolio and audited them for suitability
      in establishing a robust and credible evidence-led system to evaluate and
      accredit ongoing competence. Feedback on their ease of use and applicability was
      sought. Trust NMPs were then invited to a workshop where the evidence was
      presented and they were asked to comment on, and contribute to, finalising the
      tools before they were embedded within trust policy. 

PMID- 26110858
TI  - Consumer views on A&E and inpatient care.
AB  - John Tingle discusses the Care Quality Commission national survey results for
      hospital inpatient care along with results from the Patients Association and
      Royal College of Emergency Medicine patient survey report on A&E care. 

PMID- 26110859
TI  - Pledging the health of the nation's children.
AB  - Emeritus professor Alan Glasper, of the University of Southampton and Angela
      Horsley, Senior Nurse for Children and Young People at NHS England, discuss a
      recently published report, which outlines the progress made to achieve the
      government's pledge for children and young people. 

PMID- 26110860
TI  - Raising concerns: the vulnerability of students.

PMID- 26110861
TI  - Coping with aspects of patient and domestic violence in nursing.
AB  - In this monthly column, Aysha Mendes discusses how nurses, in collaboration with
      healthcare organisations, can protect themselves against violence from patients,
      and how to care for patients who have experienced domestic abuse. 

PMID- 26110862
TI  - Relationships: from staff nurse to nurse consultant. Part 8: mental health
      problems.

PMID- 26110863
TI  - Mindfulness: it's not just about the lotus position!

PMID- 26110864
TI  - Retropupillary Fixation of Iris-Claw Intraocular Lens for Aphakic Eyes in
      Children.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report outcome, complications and safety of retropupillary fixated
      iris-claw intraocular lenses in a pediatric population. DESIGN: Retrospective
      study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten consecutive pediatric patients (15 eyes)
      underwent placement of retropupillary fixated iris-claw intraocular lenses
      between October 2007 and July 2013 at the Department of Ophthalmology, Medical
      University Graz and General Hospital Klagenfurt, Austria. Postoperative visual
      acuity and complications were analyzed. RESULTS: Median final best-corrected
      visual acuity improved by 0.12 logMAR from preoperative baseline. Mean
      postoperative spherical equivalent was -0.05 +/- 1.76 D. No serious complications
      were observed intra- or postoperatively during the entire follow-up period of up
      to 40 months. One patient experienced a haptic disenclavation with IOL
      subluxation immediately after a car accident. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates
      that iris-claw intraocular lens implantation behind the iris is safe in children
      with lack of capsular support and yields excellent visual outcome with low
      complication rate.

PMID- 26110865
TI  - Can Handheld Thermal Imaging Technology Improve Detection of Poachers in African
      Bushveldt?
AB  - Illegal hunting (poaching) is a global threat to wildlife. Anti-poaching
      initiatives are making increasing use of technology, such as infrared
      thermography (IRT), to support traditional foot and vehicle patrols. To date, the
      effectiveness of IRT for poacher location has not been tested under field
      conditions, where thermal signatures are often complex. Here, we test the
      hypothesis that IRT will increase the distance over which a poacher hiding in
      African scrub bushveldt can be detected relative to a conventional flashlight. We
      also test whether any increase in effectiveness is related to the cost and
      complexity of the equipment by comparing comparatively expensive (22,000 USD) and
      relatively inexpensive (2000 USD) IRT devices. To test these hypotheses we employ
      a controlled, fully randomised, double-blind procedure to find a poacher in
      nocturnal field conditions in African bushveldt. Each of our 27 volunteer
      observers walked three times along a pathway using one detection technology on
      each pass in randomised order. They searched a prescribed search area of
      bushveldt within which the target was hiding. Hiding locations were pre
      determined, randomised, and changed with each pass. Distances of first detection
      and positive detection were noted. All technologies could be used to detect the
      target. Average first detection distance for flashlight was 37.3 m, improving by
      19.8 m to 57.1 m using LIRT and by a further 11.2m to 68.3m using HIRT. Although
      detection distances were significantly greater for both IRTs compared to
      flashlight, there was no significant difference between LIRT and HIRT. False
      detection rates were low and there was no significant association between
      technology and accuracy of detection. Although IRT technology should ideally be
      tested in the specific environment intended before significant investment is
      made, we conclude that IRT technology is promising for anti-poaching patrols and
      that for this purpose low cost IRT units are as effective as units ten times more
      expensive.

PMID- 26110866
TI  - Matched-Case Comparisons in a Single Institution to Determine Critical Points for
      Inexperienced Surgeons' Successful Performances of Laparoscopic Radical
      Hysterectomy versus Abdominal Radical Hysterectomy in Stage IA2-IIA Cervical
      Cancer.
AB  - This is a retrospective study which aims to identify major determinants of
      successful laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (LRH) versus abdominal radical
      hysterectomy (ARH) performed by inexperienced surgeons for stage IA2-IIA cervical
      cancer. A total of 161 consecutive patients with stage IA2-IIA cervical cancer
      who underwent RH were grouped into 2 groups according to the surgeons' experience
      with LRH: experienced surgeon versus inexperienced surgeon. After matching for
      age and risk factors, surgical and survival outcomes were compared. Experienced
      surgeon selected patients with earlier-stage and fewer risk factors for LRH than
      ARH, but inexperience surgeons did not. After matching, the vaginal tumor-free
      margin of LRH was shorter than that of ARH in experienced surgeon group (1.3
      versus 1.7 cm, p=0.007); however, the vaginal tumor-free margin was longer than
      that of ARH in the inexperienced surgeon group (1.8 versus 1.3 cm, p=0.035). The
      postoperative hospital stay of LRH was shorter than that of ARH in experienced
      surgeon group (5.5 versus 7.7 days, p<0.001), but not different from that of ARH
      in the inexperienced surgeon group. Vaginal tumor-free margin >1.8 cm (OR 7.33,
      95% CI 1.22-40.42), stage >IB1 (OR 8.83, 95% CI 1.51-51.73), and estimated blood
      loss >575 mL (OR 33.95, 95% CI 4.87-236.79) were independent risk factors for
      longer postoperative hospital stay in the inexperienced surgeon group. There was
      no difference of 5-year-profression-free survival of LRH patients between
      experienced surgeon and inexperienced surgeon groups after matching (55.1 versus
      33.3%, p=0.391). Selection of earlier-stage disease and moderate vaginal tumor
      free margin might be important for an inexperienced surgeon to successfully
      perform LRH with minimal complications in stage IA2-IIA cervical cancer. 

PMID- 26110867
TI  - Religion and Completed Suicide: a Meta-Analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Suicide is a major public health concern and a leading cause of
      death around the world. How religion influences the risk of completed suicide in
      different settings across the world requires clarification in order to best
      inform suicide prevention strategies. METHODS: A meta-analysis using search
      results from Pubmed and Web of Science databases was conducted following PRISMA
      protocol and using the keywords "religion" or "religious" or "religiosity" or
      "spiritual" or "spirituality" plus "suicide" or "suicidality" or "suicide
      attempt". Random and fixed effects models were used to generate pooled ORs and I2
      values. Sub-analyses were conducted among the following categories: young age
      (<45 yo), older age (>=45 yo), western culture, eastern culture, and religious
      homogeneity. RESULTS: Nine studies that altogether evaluated 2339 suicide cases
      and 5252 comparison participants met all selection criteria and were included in
      the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis suggested an overall protective effect of
      religiosity from completed suicide with a pooled OR of 0.38 (95% CI: 0.21-0.71)
      and I2 of 91%. Sub-analyses similarly revealed significant protective effects for
      studies performed in western cultures (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.18-0.46), areas with
      religious homogeneity (OR = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.13-0.26), and among older populations
      (OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.21-0.84). High heterogeneity of our meta-analysis was
      attributed to three studies in which the methods varied from the other six.
      CONCLUSION: Religion plays a protective role against suicide in a majority of
      settings where suicide research is conducted. However, this effect varies based
      on the cultural and religious context. Therefore, public health professionals
      need to strongly consider the current social and religious atmosphere of a given
      population when designing suicide prevention strategies.

PMID- 26110869
TI  - Estimation of Potential Availability of Essential Oil in Some Brands of Herbal
      Teas and Herbal Dietary Supplements.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to estimate potential availability of
      essential oil in some brands of herbal products. METHODS: A comparison was
      performed on the basis of the essential oil yield in the unprocessed raw
      materials such as leaves of peppermint and lemon balm and inflorescence of
      chamomile as well as herbal tea bags and in dietary supplements. The yield of
      essential oil was determined by distillation. Essential oil was analyzed by GC
      FID and GC-MS. RESULTS: It was found that the average potential availability of
      essential oils in the products such as dietary supplements for the doses
      recommended by the producers is lower than in the corresponding tea infusions:
      for peppermint formulations approximately 6-fold lower, for the formulations with
      lemon balm about 4-fold lower, and for the chamomile preparations about 3-fold
      lower. It was found that essential oils extracted from herbal teas have a similar
      chemical profile with characteristic deviations in the amount of individual
      components, which arise from the origin of the raw material. DISCUSSION: In
      contrast to homogenous pharmaceutical herbal mixtures consistent with, the
      Pharmacopoeia requirements, herbal teas (available in grocery stores) and dietary
      supplements are often out of control in terms of the yield and composition of the
      essential oil, which is primarily responsible for the health benefits and
      aromatic qualities of these products. Analysis of the composition of the dietary
      supplements showed that they contain on average significantly lower amounts of
      plant material compared to the herbal teas.

PMID- 26110868
TI  - Exercise Improves Host Response to Influenza Viral Infection in Obese and Non
      Obese Mice through Different Mechanisms.
AB  - Obesity has been associated with greater severity of influenza virus infection
      and impaired host defense. Exercise may confer health benefits even when weight
      loss is not achieved, but it has not been determined if regular exercise improves
      immune defense against influenza A virus (IAV) in the obese condition. In this
      study, diet-induced obese mice and lean control mice exercised for eight weeks
      followed by influenza viral infection. Exercise reduced disease severity in both
      obese and non-obese mice, but the mechanisms differed. Exercise reversed the
      obesity-associated delay in bronchoalveolar-lavage (BAL) cell infiltration,
      restored BAL cytokine and chemokine production, and increased ciliary beat
      frequency and IFNalpha-related gene expression. In non-obese mice, exercise
      treatment reduced lung viral load, increased Type-I-IFN-related gene expression
      early during infection, but reduced BAL inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. In
      both obese and non-obese mice, exercise increased serum anti-influenza virus
      specific IgG2c antibody, increased CD8+ T cell percentage in BAL, and reduced
      TNFalpha by influenza viral NP-peptide-responding CD8+ T cells. Overall, the
      results suggest that exercise "restores" the immune response of obese mice to a
      phenotype similar to non-obese mice by improving the delay in immune activation.
      In contrast, in non-obese mice exercise treatment results in an early reduction
      in lung viral load and limited inflammatory response. 

PMID- 26110870
TI  - Relationship between Distinct African Cholera Epidemics Revealed via MLVA
      Haplotyping of 337 Vibrio cholerae Isolates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since cholera appeared in Africa during the 1970s, cases have been
      reported on the continent every year. In Sub-Saharan Africa, cholera outbreaks
      primarily cluster at certain hotspots including the African Great Lakes Region
      and West Africa. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we applied MLVA
      (Multi-Locus Variable Number Tandem Repeat Analysis) typing of 337 Vibrio
      cholerae isolates from recent cholera epidemics in the Democratic Republic of the
      Congo (DRC), Zambia, Guinea and Togo. We aimed to assess the relationship between
      outbreaks. Applying this method, we identified 89 unique MLVA haplotypes across
      our isolate collection. MLVA typing revealed the short-term divergence and
      microevolution of these Vibrio cholerae populations to provide insight into the
      dynamics of cholera outbreaks in each country. Our analyses also revealed strong
      geographical clustering. Isolates from the African Great Lakes Region (DRC and
      Zambia) formed a closely related group, while West African isolates (Togo and
      Guinea) constituted a separate cluster. At a country-level scale our analyses
      revealed several distinct MLVA groups, most notably DRC 2011/2012, DRC 2009,
      Zambia 2012 and Guinea 2012. We also found that certain MLVA types collected in
      the DRC persisted in the country for several years, occasionally giving rise to
      expansive epidemics. Finally, we found that the six environmental isolates in our
      panel were unrelated to the epidemic isolates. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: To
      effectively combat the disease, it is critical to understand the mechanisms of
      cholera emergence and diffusion in a region-specific manner. Overall, these
      findings demonstrate the relationship between distinct epidemics in West Africa
      and the African Great Lakes Region. This study also highlights the importance of
      monitoring and analyzing Vibrio cholerae isolates.

PMID- 26110871
TI  - Neural Tuning Functions Underlie Both Generalization and Interference.
AB  - In sports, the role of backswing is considered critical for generating a good
      shot, even though it plays no direct role in hitting the ball. We recently
      demonstrated the scientific basis of this phenomenon by showing that immediate
      past movement affects the learning and recall of motor memories. This effect
      occurred regardless of whether the past contextual movement was performed
      actively, passively, or shown visually. In force field studies, it has been shown
      that motor memories generalize locally and that the level of compensation decays
      as a function of movement angle away from the trained movement. Here we examine
      if the contextual effect of past movement exhibits similar patterns of
      generalization and whether it can explain behavior seen in interference studies.
      Using a single force-field learning task, the directional tuning curves of both
      the prior contextual movement and the subsequent force field adaptive movements
      were measured. The adaptation movement direction showed strong directional
      tuning, decaying to zero by 90 degrees  relative to the training direction. The
      contextual movement direction exhibited a similar directional tuning, although
      the effect was always above 60%. We then investigated the directional tuning of
      the passive contextual movement using interference tasks, where the contextual
      movements that uniquely specified the force field direction were separated by +/
      15 degrees  or +/-45 degrees . Both groups showed a pronounced tuning effect,
      which could be well explained by the directional tuning functions for single
      force fields. Our results show that contextual effect of past movement influences
      predictive force compensation, even when adaptation does not require contextual
      information. However, when such past movement contextual information is crucial
      to the task, such as in an interference study, it plays a strong role in motor
      memory learning and recall. This work demonstrates that similar tuning responses
      underlie both generalization of movement direction during dynamic learning and
      contextual movements in both single force field and interference tasks. 

PMID- 26110873
TI  - Convective Flow of Sisko Fluid over a Bidirectional Stretching Surface.
AB  - The present investigation focuses the flow and heat transfer characteristics of
      the steady three-dimensional Sisko fluid driven by a bidirectional stretching
      sheet. The modeled partial differential equations are reduced to coupled ordinary
      differential equations by a suitable transformation. The resulting equations are
      solved numerically by the shooting method using adaptive Runge Kutta algorithm in
      combination with Newton's method in the domain [0,infinity). The numerical
      results for the velocity and temperature fields are graphically presented and
      effects of the relevant parameters are discussed in detail. Moreover, the skin
      friction coefficient and local Nusselt number for different values of the power
      law index and stretching ratio parameter are presented through tabulated data.
      The numerical results are also verified with the results obtained analytically by
      the homotopy analysis method (HAM). Additionally, the results are validated with
      previously published pertinent literature as a limiting case of the problem. 

PMID- 26110872
TI  - The Synergistic Effect of Combination Progesterone and Temozolomide on Human
      Glioblastoma Cells.
AB  - Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and most aggressive malignant
      brain tumor. Despite optimal treatment and evolving standard of care, the median
      survival of patients diagnosed with GBM is only 12-15 months. In this study, we
      combined progesterone (PROG) and temozolomide (TMZ), a standard chemotherapeutic
      agent for human GBM, to test whether PROG enhances the antitumor effects of TMZ
      and reduces its side effects. Two WHO grade IV human GBM cells lines (U87MG and
      U118MG) and primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) were repeatedly exposed to
      PROG and TMZ either alone or in combination for 3 and 6 days. Cell death was
      measured by MTT reduction assay. PROG and TMZ individually induced tumor cell
      death in a dose-dependent manner. PROG at high doses produced more cell death
      than TMZ alone. When combined, PROG enhanced the cell death-inducing effect of
      TMZ. In HDFs, PROG did not reduce viability even at the same high cytotoxic
      doses, but TMZ did so in a dose-dependent manner. In combination, PROG reduced
      TMZ toxicity in HDFs. PROG alone and in combination with TMZ suppressed the
      EGFR/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and MGMT expression in U87MG cells, thus
      suppressing cell proliferation. PROG and TMZ individually reduced cell migration
      in U87MG cells but did so more effectively in combination. PROG enhances the
      cytotoxic effects of TMZ in GBM cells and reduces its toxic side effects in
      healthy primary cells. 

PMID- 26110875
TI  - International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification
      for the Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Physician.
AB  - After a patient encounter, the physician uses two coding systems to bill for the
      service rendered to the patient. The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code is
      used to describe the encounter or procedure. The International Classification of
      Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code is used to
      describe the diagnosis(es) of the patient. On October 1, 2015, ICD-9-CM coding
      will end, and all physicians will be required to use a new diagnostic coding
      system, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical
      Modification (ICD-10-CM). This article describes the new diagnostic coding system
      and how it differs from the old system. There are resources and costs involved
      for physicians and physician practices to prepare properly for ICD-10-CM. Similar
      to other important events, the more thorough the preparation, the more likely a
      positive outcome will occur. Resource use is very important in preparation for
      the transition from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM. Greater familiarity with ICD-10-CM
      plus a thorough, effective preparation will lead to reduced costs and a smooth
      transition. Coding descriptor changes and additional codes occur in ICD-10-CM for
      chronic bronchitis and emphysema, asthma, and respiratory failure. These changes
      will affect the coding of these diseases and disorders by physicians. Because the
      number of codes will increase more than fivefold, the complexity of documentation
      to support ICD-10-CM will increase substantially. The documentation in the
      patient's chart to support the ICD-10-CM codes used will need to be enhanced. The
      requirement for accurate and comprehensive documentation cannot be emphasized
      enough. All of the coding and documentation changes will be a challenge to
      pulmonary, critical care, and sleep physicians. They must be prepared fully when
      ICD-10-CM coding begins and ICD-9-CM coding stops abruptly on October 1, 2015. 

PMID- 26110874
TI  - Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) Promotes Macrophage Foam Cell Formation via
      Reduced Expression of ATP Binding Cassette Transporter-1 (ABCA1).
AB  - Atherosclerosis, the major pathology of cardiovascular disease, is caused by
      multiple factors involving psychological stress. Corticotropin-releasing hormone
      (CRH), which is released by neurosecretory cells in the hypothalamus, peripheral
      nerve terminals and epithelial cells, regulates various stress-related responses.
      Our current study aimed to verify the role of CRH in macrophage foam cell
      formation, the initial critical stage of atherosclerosis. Our quantitative real
      time reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR), semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase
      PCR, and Western blot results indicate that CRH down-regulates ATP-binding
      cassette transporter-1 (ABCA1) and liver X receptor (LXR)-alpha, a transcription
      factor for ABCA1, in murine peritoneal macrophages and human monocyte-derived
      macrophages. Oil-red O (ORO) staining and intracellular cholesterol measurement
      of macrophages treated with or without oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and with or without
      CRH (10 nM) in the presence of apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1) revealed that CRH
      treatment promotes macrophage foam cell formation. The boron-dipyrromethene
      (BODIPY)-conjugated cholesterol efflux assay showed that CRH treatment reduces
      macrophage cholesterol efflux. Western blot analysis showed that CRH-induced down
      regulation of ABCA1 is dependent on phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473) induced by
      interaction between CRH and CRH receptor 1(CRHR1). We conclude that activation of
      this pathway by CRH accelerates macrophage foam cell formation and may promote
      stress-related atherosclerosis. 

PMID- 26110876
TI  - Association between DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA Polymorphism and Susceptibility with
      Tourette Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genetic factors are important in the pathogenesis of Tourette
      syndrome (TS). Notably, Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) gene has been suggested as a
      possible candidate gene for this disorder. Several studies have demonstrated that
      DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of developing
      TS. However, past results remain conflicting. We addressed this controversy by
      performing a meta-analysis of the relationship between DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA
      polymorphism and TS. METHODS: Literature was searched in multiple databases
      including PUBMED, COCHRANE and WEB OF SCIENCE up to July 2014. The number of the
      genotypes for DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA in the TS and control subjects was extracted and
      statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.0.16 and Stata 12.0
      software. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were
      utilized to calculate the risk of TS with DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA. Stratified analysis
      based on ethnicity was also conducted. RESULTS: 523 patients with TS, 564
      controls and 87 probands plus 152 relatives from five published studies were
      finally involved in this meta-analysis. Combined analysis revealed that the
      overall ORs for the DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA A1 allele were 1.69 (95%CIs = 1.42-2.00) in
      the fixed-effect model and 1.66 (95%CIs = 1.33-2.08) in the random-effects model.
      Stratification by ethnicity indicated the TaqIA A1 allele was significantly
      associated with TS in Caucasians (fixed-effect model: OR=1.75, 95%CI = 1.43-2.16;
      random-effect model: OR=1.69, 95%CI = 1.25-2.28) and in Asians (OR=1.54, 95%CI =
      1.12-2.10). Meta-analysis of the A1A1 vs. A2A2 (homozygous model), A1A2 vs. A2A2
      (heterozygous model) and A1A1+A1A2 vs. A2A2 (dominant model) of this polymorphism
      revealed a significant association with TS in overall populations and Caucasians.
      CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggested that the DRD2/ANKK1 TaqIA polymorphism
      might contribute to TS susceptibility, especially in Caucasian population.
      However, further investigation with a larger number of worldwide studies should
      be conducted to verify the association.

PMID- 26110877
TI  - Overcoming inactivation of the lung surfactant by serum proteins: a potential
      role for fluorocarbons?
AB  - In many pulmonary conditions serum proteins interfere with the normal adsorption
      of components of the lung surfactant to the surface of the alveoli, resulting in
      lung surfactant inactivation, with potentially serious untoward consequences.
      Here, we review the strategies that have recently been designed in order to
      counteract the biophysical mechanisms of inactivation of the surfactant. One
      approach includes protein analogues or peptides that mimic the native proteins
      responsible for innate resistance to inactivation. Another perspective uses water
      soluble additives, such as electrolytes and hydrophilic polymers that are prone
      to enhance adsorption of phospholipids. An alternative, more recent approach
      consists of using fluorocarbons, that is, highly hydrophobic inert compounds that
      were investigated for partial liquid ventilation, that modify interfacial
      properties and can act as carriers of exogenous lung surfactant. The latter
      approach that allows fluidisation of phospholipid monolayers while maintaining
      capacity to reach near-zero surface tension definitely warrants further
      investigation. 

PMID- 26110879
TI  - Correction: MAVS Protein Is Attenuated by Rotavirus Nonstructural Protein 1.

PMID- 26110878
TI  - Effects of Tumour Necrosis Factor Antagonists on Insulin Sensitivity/Resistance
      in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Beyond the joints, TNFi (tumour necrosis factor inhibitor) therapy may
      confer systemic benefits in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Several studies have
      investigated the role of TNFi on insulin resistance/sensitivity (IR/IS). This
      question is of general interest given the emerging evidence linking inflammation
      and insulin resistance. The main aim of this review was to summarise the
      published data and to determine the effects of TNFi on IR/IS. METHODS: We
      searched the PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge databases for studies which examined
      the effects of TNFi on IR/IS. The studies were assessed independently by two
      reviewers according to a pre-specified protocol. The data on Homeostatic Model
      Assessment for Insulin resistance (HOMA) and Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity
      Check Index (QUICKI) were pooled and reported as standard difference in means
      (SDM) with 95% confidence interval (CI) using a random-effects model. RESULTS: A
      total of eight studies with 260 subjects met the selection criteria. The duration
      of the studies was from 8 weeks to 12 months. There was statistically significant
      reduction in HOMA index in six out of eight studies and four reported significant
      increment in QUICKI. The pooled analysis revealed significant reduction in HOMA
      [SDM-0.148, 95%CI[-0.278 to -0.017], p=0.026] and increment in QUICKI [SDM 0.312,
      95%CI[0.019 to 0.606], p=0.037] with TNFi. CONCLUSION: There is emerging evidence
      to support that TNFi therapy improves IS and reduces IR in RA. Further, well
      conducted trials are needed to determine if such effects translate to lower
      incidence of diabetes in RA or other autoimmune conditions on biologic therapy.

PMID- 26110880
TI  - Acute promyelocytic leukemia during pregnancy: a systematic analysis of outcome.
AB  - The outcomes of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in pregnancy are largely
      unknown. The MEDLINE database was systematically searched to obtain 43 articles
      with 71 patients with new-onset APL during pregnancy. Induction therapy included
      various regimens of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), cytarabine, and anthracycline
      and resulted in a complete remission rate of 93%. Obstetric and fetal
      complications included pre-term deliveries (46%), spontaneous/therapeutic
      abortion/intrauterine death (33.3%) and other neonatal complications (25.9%).
      Mothers diagnosed in the first trimester were more likely to experience obstetric
      (p < 0.01) and fetal (p < 0.01) complications. To our knowledge, this is the
      largest systematic review of APL in pregnancy. The vast majority of APL patients
      in pregnancy may achieve remission with initial induction therapy. APL or its
      therapy in pregnancy, however, is associated with a high risk of fetal and
      obstetrical complications. The results of our study may help in patient
      counseling and informed decision-making. 

PMID- 26110881
TI  - Methotrexate-associated EBV-positive CD20-negative diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
      localized to skin presenting as multiple chronic lower leg ulcers.

PMID- 26110882
TI  - Early-stage nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma: the impact of
      radiotherapy on overall survival.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to use the National Cancer Database to examine the
      association between radiation therapy (RT) and overall survival (OS) in early
      stage nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) using standard and
      propensity score (PS)-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. From 1998-2011,
      1915 patients with stage I/II NLPHL were studied, with a median follow-up of 6.6
      years (median age = 44). Of the cohort, 1224(64%) received RT (alone or with
      chemotherapy) to a median dose of 30.6 Gy. Patients were more likely to receive
      RT if male, younger age, lower stage, no "B"-symptoms, favorably insured, and
      treatment at comprehensive centers (all p < 0.05). Patients administered RT had
      an improved 5-year OS (HR = 0.62; 95%CI, 0.43-0.89, p = 0.01). After PS-matching
      (n = 868) based on all known co-variates, RT use trended towards improved OS (HR
      = 0.49; 95%CI, 0.23-1.05, p = 0.06). This study represents one of the largest
      prospective datasets examining the role of RT for stage I/II NLPHL and inclusion
      of RT may be considered.

PMID- 26110883
TI  - Marked regression of myelofibrosis during reduced-dose dasatinib treatment in
      chronic myelogenous leukemia in accelerated phase.

PMID- 26110884
TI  - Statin Treatment and Mortality in Community-Dwelling Frail Older Patients with
      Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Observational Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Older adults are often excluded from clinical trials. Decision making
      for administration of statins to older patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is
      under debate, particularly in frail older patients with comorbidity and high
      mortality risk. We tested the hypothesis that statin treatment in older patients
      with DM was differentially effective across strata of mortality risk assessed by
      the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI), based on information collected with
      the Standardized Multidimensional Assessment Schedule for Adults and Aged Persons
      (SVaMA). METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, we estimated the
      mortality risk in 1712 community-dwelling subjects with DM >= 65 years who
      underwent a SVaMA evaluation to establish accessibility to homecare
      services/nursing home admission from 2005 to 2013 in the Padova Health District,
      Italy. Mild (MPI-SVaMA-1), moderate (MPI-SVaMA-2), and high (MPI-SVaMA-3) risk of
      mortality at baseline and propensity score-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of three
      year mortality were calculated according to statin treatment. RESULTS: Higher MPI
      SVaMA scores were associated with lower rates of statin treatment (MPI-SVaMA-1 =
      39% vs MPI-SVaMA-2 = 36% vs MPI-SVaMA-3 = 24.9%. p<0.001) and higher three-year
      mortality (MPI-SVaMA-1 = 12.9% vs MPI-SVaMA-2 = 24% vs MPI-SVaMA-3 = 34.4%,
      p<0.001). After adjustment for propensity score quintiles, statin treatment was
      significantly associated with lower three-year mortality irrespective of MPI
      SVaMA group (interaction test p = 0.303). HRs [95% confidence interval (CI)] were
      0.19 (0.14-0.27), 0.28 (0.21-0.36), and 0.26 (0.20-0.34) in the MPI-SVaMA-1, MPI
      SVaMA-2, and MPI-SVaMA-3 groups, respectively. Subgroup analyses showed that
      statin treatment was also beneficial irrespective of age. HRs (95% CI) were 0.21
      (0.15-0.31), 0.26 (0.20-0.33), and 0.26 (0.20-0.35) among patients aged 65-74, 75
      84, and >= 85 years, respectively (interaction test p=0.812). CONCLUSIONS: Statin
      treatment was significantly associated with reduced three-year mortality
      independently of age and multidimensional impairment in community-dwelling frail
      older patients with DM.

PMID- 26110885
TI  - MED30 Regulates the Proliferation and Motility of Gastric Cancer Cells.
AB  - MED30 is an essential member of the mediator complex that forms a hub between
      transcriptional activators and RNA polymerase II. However, the expressions and
      roles of MED30 have been poorly characterized in cancer. In this study, we
      examined the functional roles of MED30 during gastric cancer progression. It was
      found that MED30 was overexpressed in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines.
      Moreover, MED30 overexpression increased the proliferation, migration, and
      invasion of gastric cancer cells, whereas MED30 knockdown inhibited these
      effects. Furthermore the knockdown significantly inhibited tumorigenicity in SCID
      mice. MED30 also promoted the expressions of genes related to epithelial
      mesenchymal transition and induced a fibroblast-like morphology. This study shows
      MED30 has pathophysiological roles in the proliferation, migration, and invasion
      of gastric cancer cells and suggests that MED30 should be viewed as a potent
      therapeutic target for malignant gastric carcinoma. 

PMID- 26110886
TI  - Community Phylogenetics: Assessing Tree Reconstruction Methods and the Utility of
      DNA Barcodes.
AB  - Studies examining phylogenetic community structure have become increasingly
      prevalent, yet little attention has been given to the influence of the input
      phylogeny on metrics that describe phylogenetic patterns of co-occurrence. Here,
      we examine the influence of branch length, tree reconstruction method, and amount
      of sequence data on measures of phylogenetic community structure, as well as the
      phylogenetic signal (Pagel's lambda) in morphological traits, using Trichoptera
      larval communities from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. We find that model-based
      tree reconstruction methods and the use of a backbone family-level phylogeny
      improve estimations of phylogenetic community structure. In addition, trees built
      using the barcode region of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) alone accurately
      predict metrics of phylogenetic community structure obtained from a multi-gene
      phylogeny. Input tree did not alter overall conclusions drawn for phylogenetic
      signal, as significant phylogenetic structure was detected in two body size
      traits across input trees. As the discipline of community phylogenetics continues
      to expand, it is important to investigate the best approaches to accurately
      estimate patterns. Our results suggest that emerging large datasets of DNA
      barcode sequences provide a vast resource for studying the structure of
      biological communities. 

PMID- 26110887
TI  - The Role of Genetic Risk Score in Predicting the Risk of Hypertension in the
      Korean population: Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study.
AB  - Hypertension is regarded as a multifactorial disease with a modest contribution
      of genetic factors and strongly affected by environmental factors. Recent genome
      wide association studies have identified specific loci associated with high blood
      pressure (BP) and hypertension. This study aimed to examine the association
      between the genetic risk score (GRS), a linear function of multiple single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with hypertension, and high BP and
      prevalent hypertension at baseline examination and to evaluate the efficacy of
      the GRS for predicting incident hypertension with longitudinal data in Korean
      subjects. Data for 8,556 participants, aged 40 to 69, in a community-based cohort
      study were analyzed. Unweighted GRS (cGRS) and weighted GRS (wGRS) were
      constructed from 4 SNPs related to high BP or hypertension in previous genome
      wide association and its replication studies for the Korean middle-aged
      population. Cross-sectional analysis (n=8,556) revealed that cGRS was
      significantly associated with prevalent hypertension (odds ratio=1.15 per risk
      allele; 95%CI, 1.09-1.20). Additionally, the odds ratios (ORs) of prevalent
      hypertension for those who in medium and the highest tertile compared with those
      who in the lowest tertile of wGRS were 1.31 (95% CI, 1.15-1.50) and 1.59 (95%CI,
      1.38-1.82), respectively. In a longitudinal analysis (n=5,632), participants in
      the highest tertile of wGRS had a 1.22-fold (OR=1.22, 95%CI, 1.02-1.46) greater
      risk of incident hypertension relative to those in the lowest tertile, after
      adjusting for a number of confounding factors. However, wGRS topped with
      traditional risk factors had no significant effect on discrimination ability (c
      statistics with and without wGRS were 0.811 and 0.810, P=0.1057). But,
      reclassification analysis showed that the addition of GRS to the model with
      conventional risk factors led to about 9% significant increment in category-free
      net reclassification improvement. GRSs based on 4 SNPs were independently
      associated with hypertension and may provide a statistically significant
      improvement over the existing model for prediction of incident hypertension. 

PMID- 26110888
TI  - Rescuing Those Left Behind: Recovering and Characterizing Underdigested Membrane
      and Hydrophobic Proteins To Enhance Proteome Measurement Depth.
AB  - The marine archaeon Nanoarchaeum equitans is dependent on direct physical contact
      with its host, the hyperthermophile Ignicoccus hospitalis. As this interaction is
      thought to be membrane-associated, involving a myriad of membrane-anchored
      proteins, proteomic efforts to better characterize this difficult to analyze
      interface are paramount to uncovering the mechanism of their association. By
      extending multienzyme digestion strategies that use sample filtration to recover
      underdigested proteins for reprocessing/consecutive proteolytic digestion, we
      applied chymotrypsin to redigest the proteinaceous material left over after
      initial proteolysis with trypsin of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-extracted I.
      hospitalis-N. equitans proteins. Using this method, we show that proteins with
      increased hydrophobic character, including membrane proteins with multiple
      transmembrane helices, are enriched and recovered in the underdigested fraction.
      Chymotryptic reprocessing provided significant sequence coverage gains in both
      soluble and hydrophobic proteins alike, with the latter benefiting more so in
      terms of membrane protein representation. These gains were despite a large
      proportion of high-quality peptide spectra remaining unassigned in the
      underdigested fraction suggesting high levels of protein modification on these
      often surface-exposed proteins. Importantly, these gains were achieved without
      applying extensive fractionation strategies usually required for thorough
      characterization of membrane-associated proteins and were facilitated by the
      generation of a distinct, complementary set of peptides that aid in both the
      identification and quantitation of this important, under-represented class of
      proteins. 

PMID- 26110889
TI  - Dietary fatty acids: Friends or foes?

PMID- 26110891
TI  - The aperitif effect: Alcohol's effects on the brain's response to food aromas in
      women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Consuming alcohol prior to a meal (an aperitif) increases food
      consumption. This greater food consumption may result from increased activity in
      brain regions that mediate reward and regulate feeding behavior. Using functional
      magnetic resonance imaging, we evaluated the blood oxygenation level dependent
      (BOLD) response to the food aromas of either roast beef or Italian meat sauce
      following pharmacokinetically controlled intravenous infusion of alcohol.
      METHODS: BOLD activation to food aromas in non-obese women (n = 35) was evaluated
      once during intravenous infusion of 6% v/v EtOH, clamped at a steady-state breath
      alcohol concentration of 50 mg%, and once during infusion of saline using
      matching pump rates. Ad libitum intake of roast beef with noodles or Italian meat
      sauce with pasta following imaging was recorded. RESULTS: BOLD activation to food
      relative to non-food odors in the hypothalamic area was increased during alcohol
      pre-load when compared to saline. Food consumption was significantly greater, and
      levels of ghrelin were reduced, following alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: An alcohol pre
      load increased food consumption and potentiated differences between food and non
      food BOLD responses in the region of the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus may
      mediate the interplay of alcohol and responses to food cues, thus playing a role
      in the aperitif phenomenon.

PMID- 26110893
TI  - Body fat and the cognitive pattern: A population-based study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The relationship between body fatness and cognitive pattern at a
      population level was investigated. METHODS: Among 500 unselected subjects from
      the general population, the role of body mass index (BMI) and body fat mass (BFM)
      on a mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and on a battery of paper and pencil
      neuropsychological tests was analyzed. Multiple linear regressions, accounting
      for potential confounders, were used. RESULTS: In fully adjusted models, MMSE
      (coefficient +0.027, 95% confidence intervals, 0.017-0.177), the clock drawing
      test (+0.141, 0.053-0.226), and the trail making test A (+1.542, 0.478-2.607)
      were positively associated with BMI. Adding BFM to the models, no associations
      were observed. The tests were also positively associated with BFM (+0.056, 0.021
      0.091; +0.063, 0.025-0.101; +0.592, 0.107-1.077; respectively). At analysis of
      covariance, the same tests were significantly better performed over 29.4 kg m(-2)
      of BMI. After adding BFM as further confounder, all differences in performance
      across BMI were no longer significant. The three tests were better performed over
      34.6 kg of BFM. CONCLUSIONS: Higher BMI and particularly higher BFM are
      positively associated with better performance at the cognitive tasks exploring
      selective attention and executive functions.

PMID- 26110894
TI  - Extraction, Isolation, Structural Characterization and Anti-Tumor Properties of
      an Apigalacturonan-Rich Polysaccharide from the Sea Grass Zostera caespitosa
      Miki.
AB  - An apigalacturonan (AGA)-rich polysaccharide, ZCMP, was isolated from the sea
      grass Zostera caespitosa Miki. The depolymerized fragments derived from ZCMP were
      obtained by either acidic degradation or pectinase degradation, and their
      structures were characterized by electrospray ionization collision-induced
      dissociation mass spectrometry (ESI-CID-MS2) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
      spectroscopy. The average molecular weight of ZCMP was 77.2 kD and it consisted
      of galacturonic acid (GalA), apiosefuranose (Api), galactose (Gal), rhamnose
      (Rha), arabinose (Ara), xylose (Xyl), and mannose (Man), at a molar ratio of
      51.4?15.5?6.0?11.8?4.2?4.4?4.2. There were two regions of AGA (70%) and
      rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-Iota, 30%) in ZCMP. AGA was composed of an alpha-1,4-D
      galactopyranosyluronan backbone mainly substituted at the O-3 position by single
      Api residues. RG-Iota possessed a backbone of repeating disaccharide units of 
      >4GalAalpha1,2Rhaalpha1->, with a few alpha-L-arabinose and beta-D-galactose
      residues as side chains. The anti-angiogenesis assay showed that ZCMP inhibited
      the migratory activity of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVECs), with no
      influence on endothelial cells growth. ZCMP also promoted macrophage
      phagocytosis. These findings of the present study demonstrated the potential anti
      tumor activity of ZCMP through anti-angiogenic and immunoregulatory pathways. 

PMID- 26110892
TI  - Epigenome-wide study identifies novel methylation loci associated with body mass
      index and waist circumference.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To conduct an epigenome-wide analysis of DNA methylation and obesity
      traits. METHODS: DNA methylation was quantified in CD4+ T-cells using the
      Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 array in 991 participants of the Genetics
      of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network. Methylation at individual cytosine
      phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites as a function of body mass index (BMI) and waist
      circumference (WC), adjusting for age, gender, study site, T-cell purity,
      smoking, and family structure, was modeled. RESULTS: Epigenome-wide significant
      associations between eight CpG sites and BMI and five CpG sites and WC,
      successfully replicating the top hits in whole blood samples from the Framingham
      Heart Study (n = 2,377) and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study (n =
      2,097), were found. Top findings were in CPT1A (meta-analysis P = 2.7 * 10(-43)
      for BMI and 9.9 * 10(-23) for WC), PHGDH (meta-analysis P = 2.0 * 10(-15) for BMI
      and 4.0 * 10(-9) for WC), CD38 (meta-analysis P = 6.3 * 10(-11) for BMI and 1.6 *
      10(-12) for WC), and long intergenic non-coding RNA 00263 (meta-analysis P = 2.2
      * 10(-16) for BMI and 8.9 * 10(-14) for WC), regions with biologically plausible
      relationships to adiposity. CONCLUSIONS: This large-scale epigenome-wide study
      discovered and replicated robust associations between DNA methylation at CpG loci
      and obesity indices, laying the groundwork for future diagnostic and/or
      therapeutic applications.

PMID- 26110895
TI  - Use of Natural Antimicrobial Peptides and Bacterial Biopolymers for Cultured
      Pearl Production.
AB  - Cultured pearls are the product of grafting and rearing of Pinctada margaritifera
      pearl oysters in their natural environment. Nucleus rejections and oyster
      mortality appear to result from bacterial infections or from an inappropriate
      grafting practice. To reduce the impact of bacterial infections, synthetic
      antibiotics have been applied during the grafting practice. However, the use of
      such antibiotics presents a number of problems associated with their incomplete
      biodegradability, limited efficacy in some cases, and an increased risk of
      selecting for antimicrobial resistant bacteria. We investigated the application
      of a marine antimicrobial peptide, tachyplesin, which is present in the Japanese
      horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus, in combination with two marine bacterial
      exopolymers as alternative treatment agents. In field studies, the combination
      treatment resulted in a significant reduction in graft failures vs. untreated
      controls. The combination of tachyplesin (73 mg/L) with two bacterial
      exopolysaccharides (0.5% w/w) acting as filming agents, reduces graft-associated
      bacterial contamination. The survival data were similar to that reported for
      antibiotic treatments. These data suggest that non-antibiotic treatments of pearl
      oysters may provide an effective means of improving oyster survival following
      grafting procedures. 

PMID- 26110896
TI  - Valorization of Sargassum muticum Biomass According to the Biorefinery Concept.
AB  - The biorefinery concept integrates processes and technologies for an efficient
      biomass conversion using all components of a feedstock. Sargassum muticum is an
      invasive brown algae which could be regarded as a renewable resource susceptible
      of individual valorization of the constituent fractions into high added-value
      compounds. Microwave drying technology can be proposed before conventional
      ethanol extraction of algal biomass, and supercritical fluid extraction with CO2
      was useful to extract fucoxanthin and for the fractionation of crude ethanol
      extracts. Hydrothermal processing is proposed to fractionate the algal biomass
      and to solubilize the fucoidan and phlorotannin fractions. Membrane technology
      was proposed to concentrate these fractions and obtain salt- and arsenic-free
      saccharidic fractions. Based on these technologies, this study presents a
      multipurpose process to obtain six different products with potential applications
      for nutraceutical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. 

PMID- 26110890
TI  - Weight change in the first 2 months of a lifestyle intervention predicts weight
      changes 8 years later.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Examine the relationship between 1- and 2-month weight loss (WL) and 8
      year WL among participants enrolled in a lifestyle intervention. METHODS: 2,290
      Look AHEAD participants (BMI: 35.65 +/- 5.93 kg/m(2) ) with type 2 diabetes
      received an intensive behavioral WL intervention. RESULTS: 1- and 2-month WL were
      associated with yearly WL through Year 8 (P's < 0.0001). At Month 1, participants
      losing 2-4% and >4% had 1.62 (95% CI: 1.32, 1.98) and 2.79 (95% CI: 2.21, 3.52)
      times higher odds of achieving >=5% WL at Year 4 and 1.28 (95% CI: 1.05,1.58) and
      1.77 (95% CI: 1.40, 2.24) times higher odds of achieving >=5% WL at Year 8,
      compared to those losing <2% initially. At Month 2, 3-6% WL resulted in greater
      odds of achieving >=5% WL at Year 4 (OR = 1.85; CI: 1.48, 2.32), and >6% WL
      resulted in the greatest odds of achieving >=5% WL at Year 4 (OR = 3.85; CI:
      3.05, 4.88) and Year 8 (OR = 2.28; CI: 1.81, 2.89), compared to those losing <3%.
      Differences in adherence between WL categories were observed as early as Month 2.
      CONCLUSIONS: 1- and 2-month WL was associated with 8-year WL. Future studies
      should examine whether alternative treatment strategies can be employed to
      improve treatment outcomes among those with low initial WL.

PMID- 26110897
TI  - Sulfated Galactan from Palisada flagellifera Inhibits Toxic Effects of Lachesis
      muta Snake Venom.
AB  - In Brazil, snakebites are a public health problem and accidents caused by
      Lachesis muta have the highest mortality index. Envenomation by L. muta is
      characterized by systemic (hypotension, bleeding and renal failure) and local
      effects (necrosis, pain and edema). The treatment to reverse the evolution of all
      the toxic effects is performed by injection of antivenom. However, such therapy
      does not effectively neutralize tissue damage or any other local effect, since in
      most cases victims delay seeking appropriate medical care. In this way,
      alternative therapies are in demand, and molecules from natural sources have been
      exhaustively tested. In this paper, we analyzed the inhibitory effect of a
      sulfated galactan obtained from the red seaweed Palisada flagellifera against
      some toxic activities of L. muta venom. Incubation of sulfated galactan with
      venom resulted in inhibition of hemolysis, coagulation, proteolysis, edema and
      hemorrhage. Neutralization of hemorrhage was also observed when the galactan was
      administered after or before the venom injection; thus mimicking a real in vivo
      situation. Moreover, the galactan blocked the edema caused by a phospholipase A2
      isolated from the same venom. Therefore, the galactan from P. flagellifera may
      represent a promising tool to treat envenomation by L. muta as a coadjuvant for
      the conventional antivenom. 

PMID- 26110899
TI  - Correction: MiR-34a/c-Dependent PDGFR-alpha/beta Downregulation Inhibits
      Tumorigenesis and Enhances TRAIL-Induced Apoptosis in Lung Cancer.

PMID- 26110898
TI  - Opposite Expression of SPARC between the Liver and Pancreas in Streptozotocin
      Induced Diabetic Rats.
AB  - Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a matricellular protein
      that regulates several cellular events, including inflammation and tissue
      remodelling. In this study, we investigated the tissue-specific expression of
      SPARC in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes, and found that SPARC was
      significantly up-regulated in the liver while down-regulated in the pancreas of
      STZ-induced diabetic rats. Chronic inflammation occurred in the diabetic pancreas
      accompanied by up-regulation of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPbeta)
      and its targets (TNFalpha, Il6, CRP, and Fn1) as well as myeloperoxidase (Mpo)
      and C-X-C chemokine receptor type 2 (Cxcr2). Diabetic liver showed significant up
      regulation of Tgfb1 as well as moderately less up-regulated TNFalpha and reduced
      Fn1, resulting in elevated fibrogenesis. PARP-1 was not up-regulated during CD95
      mediated apoptosis, resulting in restoration of high ATP levels in the diabetic
      liver. On the contrary, CD95-dependent apoptosis was not observed in the diabetic
      pancreas due to up-regulation of PARP-1 and ATP depletion, resulting in necrosis.
      The cytoprotective machinery was damaged by pancreatic inflammation, whereas
      adequate antioxidant capacity indicates low oxidative stress in the diabetic
      liver. High and low cellular insulin content was found in the diabetic liver and
      pancreas, respectively. Furthermore, we identified six novel interacting partner
      proteins of SPARC by co-immunoprecipitation in the diabetic liver and pancreas,
      and their interactions with SPARC were predicted by bioinformatics tools. Taken
      together, opposite expression of SPARC in the diabetic liver and pancreas may be
      related to inflammation and immune cell infiltration, degrees of apoptosis and
      fibrosis, cytoprotective machinery, and cellular insulin levels. 

PMID- 26110900
TI  - Genotoxic and Antigenotoxic Assessment of Chios Mastic Oil by the In Vitro
      Micronucleus Test on Human Lymphocytes and the In Vivo Wing Somatic Test on
      Drosophila.
AB  - Chios mastic oil (CMO), the essential oil derived from Pistacia lentiscus (L.)
      var. chia (Duham), has generated considerable interest because of its
      antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant and other beneficial properties. In the
      present study, the potential genotoxic activity of CMO as well as its
      antigenotoxic properties against the mutagenic agent mitomycin-C (MMC) were
      evaluated by employing the in vitro Cytokinesis Block MicroNucleus (CBMN) assay
      and the in vivo Somatic Mutation And Recombination Test (SMART). In the in vitro
      experiments, lymphocytes were treated with 0.01, 0.05 and 0.10% (v/v) of CMO with
      or without 0.05 MUg/ml MMC, while in the in vivo assay Drosophila larvae were fed
      with 0.05, 0.10, 0.50 and 1.00% (v/v) of CMO with or without 2.50 MUg/ml MMC. CMO
      did not significantly increase the frequency of micronuclei (MN) or total wing
      spots, indicating lack of mutagenic or recombinogenic activity. However, the in
      vitro analysis suggested cytotoxic activity of CMO. The simultaneous
      administration of MMC with CMO did not alter considerably the frequencies of MMC
      induced MN and wing spots showing that CMO doesn't exert antigenotoxic or
      antirecombinogenic action. Therefore, CMO could be considered as a safe product
      in terms of genotoxic potential. Even though it could not afford any protection
      against DNA damage, at least under our experimental conditions, its cytotoxic
      potential could be of interest. 

PMID- 26110903
TI  - The Effects of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease on Forensic Breath Alcohol
      Testing.
AB  - Fifteen test subjects, 10 of whom were diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux
      disease (GERD), were dosed with alcohol to BACs above 0.150 g/dL. Blood and
      breath assays taken at 20-min intervals for 8 h after dosing demonstrated close
      agreement between postabsorptive BAC and BrAC values. Three subjects exhibited
      elevated breath alcohol concentrations up to 0.105 g/dL during the absorptive
      phase that were apparently due to the passage of gastric alcohol through the
      lower esophageal sphincter not attributable to eruction or regurgitation. The
      effect of gastric alcohol was not consistently proportional to the amount of
      unabsorbed gastric alcohol. Absorption of alcohol in the esophagus explains the
      nonproportionality. Breath samples contaminated by GERD-related alcohol leakage
      from the stomach into a breath sample were found only when there was a high
      concentration of alcohol in the stomach. When contaminated breath samples were
      encountered, they were irreproducible in magnitude.

PMID- 26110901
TI  - The Value of Intraoperative Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging Based on Enhanced
      Permeability and Retention of Indocyanine Green: Feasibility and False-Positives
      in Ovarian Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In ovarian cancer, two of the most important prognostic factors for
      survival are completeness of staging and completeness of cytoreductive surgery.
      Therefore, intra-operative visualization of tumor lesions is of great importance.
      Preclinical data already demonstrated tumor visualization in a mouse-model using
      near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging and indocyanine green (ICG) as a result
      of enhanced permeability and retention (EPR). The aim of this study was to
      determine feasibility of intraoperative ovarian cancer metastases imaging using
      NIR fluorescence imaging and ICG in a clinical setting. METHODS: Ten patients
      suspected of ovarian cancer scheduled for staging or cytoreductive surgery were
      included. Patients received 20 mg ICG intravenously after opening the abdominal
      cavity. The mini-FLARE NIR fluorescence imaging system was used to detect NIR
      fluorescent lesions. RESULTS: 6 out of 10 patients had malignant disease of the
      ovary or fallopian tube, of which 2 had metastatic disease outside the pelvis.
      Eight metastatic lesions were detected in these 2 patients, which were all NIR
      fluorescent. However, 13 non-malignant lesions were also NIR fluorescent,
      resulting in a false-positive rate of 62%. There was no significant difference in
      tumor-to-background ratio between malignant and benign lesions (2.0 vs 2.0;
      P=0.99). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first clinical trial demonstrating
      intraoperative detection of ovarian cancer metastases using NIR fluorescence
      imaging and ICG. Despite detection of all malignant lesions, a high false
      positive rate was observed. Therefore, NIR fluorescence imaging using ICG based
      on the EPR effect is not satisfactory for the detection of ovarian cancer
      metastases. The need for tumor-specific intraoperative agents remains. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN16945066.

PMID- 26110904
TI  - Double CO2 activation by 14-electron eta(8)-permethylpentalene titanium dialkyl
      complexes.
AB  - The novel 14 electron species eta(8)-Pn*TiR2 (Pn* = C8Me6; R = Me, CH2Ph) have
      been synthesised and spectroscopically and structurally characterised. Subsequent
      reaction with CO2 leads to the activation and double insertion of CO2 into both
      Ti-alkyl bonds to form the electronically saturated eta(8)-Pn*Ti(kappa(2)-O2CR)2
      (R = Me, CH2Ph) complexes. 

PMID- 26110902
TI  - Genotypic Diversity Is Associated with Clinical Outcome and Phenotype in
      Cryptococcal Meningitis across Southern Africa.
AB  - Cryptococcal meningitis is a major cause of mortality throughout the developing
      world, yet little is known about the genetic markers underlying Cryptococcal
      virulence and patient outcome. We studied a cohort of 230 Cryptococcus neoformans
      (Cn) isolates from HIV-positive South African clinical trial patients with
      detailed clinical follow-up using multi-locus sequence typing and in vitro
      phenotypic virulence assays, correlating these data with clinical and fungal
      markers of disease in the patient. South African Cn displayed high levels of
      genetic diversity and locus variability compared to globally distributed types,
      and we identified 50 sequence types grouped within the main molecular types VNI,
      VNII and VNB, with 72% of isolates typed into one of seven 'high frequency'
      sequence types. Spatial analysis of patients' cryptococcal genotype was not shown
      to be clustered geographically, which might argue against recent local
      acquisition and in favour of reactivation of latent infection. Through comparison
      of MLST genotyping data with clinical parameters, we found a relationship between
      genetic lineage and clinical outcome, with patients infected with the VNB lineage
      having significantly worse survival (n=8, HR 3.35, CI 1.51-7.20, p=0.003), and
      this was maintained even after adjustment for known prognostic indicators and
      treatment regimen. Comparison of fungal genotype with in vitro phenotype
      (phagocytosis, laccase activity and CSF survival) performed on a subset of 89
      isolates revealed evidence of lineage-associated virulence phenotype, with the
      VNII lineage displaying increased laccase activity (p=0.001) and ex vivo CSF
      survival (p=0.0001). These findings show that Cryptococcus neoformans is a
      phenotypically heterogeneous pathogen, and that lineage plays an important role
      in cryptococcal virulence during human infection. Furthermore, a detailed
      understanding of the genetic diversity in Southern Africa will support further
      investigation into how genetic diversity is structured across African
      environments, allowing assessment of the risks different ecotypes pose to
      infection. 

PMID- 26110905
TI  - A Simple Retroelement Based Knock-Down System in Dictyostelium: Further Insights
      into RNA Interference Mechanisms.
AB  - CHARACTERISTICS OF DIRS-1 MEDIATED KNOCK-DOWNS: We have previously shown that the
      most abundant Dictyostelium discoideum retroelement DIRS-1 is suppressed by RNAi
      mechanisms. Here we provide evidence that both inverted terminal repeats have
      strong promoter activity and that bidirectional expression apparently generates a
      substrate for Dicer. A cassette containing the inverted terminal repeats and a
      fragment of a gene of interest was sufficient to activate the RNAi response,
      resulting in the generation of ~21 nt siRNAs, a reduction of mRNA and protein
      expression of the respective endogene. Surprisingly, no transitivity was observed
      on the endogene. This was in contrast to previous observations, where endogenous
      siRNAs caused spreading on an artificial transgene. Knock-down was successful on
      seven target genes that we examined. In three cases a phenotypic analysis proved
      the efficiency of the approach. One of the target genes was apparently essential
      because no knock-out could be obtained; the RNAi mediated knock-down, however,
      resulted in a very slow growing culture indicating a still viable reduction of
      gene expression. ADVANTAGES OF THE DIRS-1-RNAI SYSTEM: The knock-down system
      required a short DNA fragment (~400 bp) of the target gene as an initial trigger.
      Further siRNAs were generated by RdRPs since we have shown some siRNAs with a 5'
      triphosphate group. Extrachromosomal vectors facilitate the procedure and allowed
      for molecular and phenotypic analysis within one week. The system provides an
      efficient and rapid method to reduce protein levels including those of essential
      genes.

PMID- 26110907
TI  - Validating the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning for Children
      With ADHD and Their Typically Developing Peers.
AB  - The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF) has been widely
      used both clinically and in research for measuring executive functioning (EF) in
      children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study
      examined the concurrent validity of the BRIEF (both parent and teacher ratings)
      compared to performance-based measures of EF in children with ADHD compared to
      typically developing (TD) children. The authors assessed 20 children with ADHD
      and 20 TD controls on 4 EF domains-working memory, planning, inhibition, and set
      shifting-using the BRIEF and performance-based measures of EF. Children (aged 8
      12 years old) with ADHD demonstrated more EF impairment than their TD peers on
      both questionnaire- and performance-based measures. Ratings on questionnaire- and
      performance-based measures did not uniquely correlate with each other.
      Questionnaire-based measures were better at discriminating between children with
      ADHD and TD children, specifically BRIEF parent ratings, and discrimination
      depended mostly on the Working Memory, Plan/Organize, and Inhibit subscales. The
      BRIEF has clinical utility for discriminating between children with ADHD and
      their TD peers; however, some limitations exist for interpretation of the BRIEF,
      and it should be used with caution in the assessment and diagnosis of ADHD. 

PMID- 26110906
TI  - The BMP Pathway Participates in Human Naive CD4+ T Cell Activation and
      Homeostasis.
AB  - Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) form a group of secreted factors that belongs
      to the TGF-beta superfamily. Among different roles in a number of immune cell
      types, BMPs are known to regulate T cell development within the thymus, although
      the role of BMP signaling in human mature T cells remains elusive. In this study,
      we demonstrate that canonical BMP signaling is necessary during two critical
      events that regulate the size and function of human naive CD4+ T cell population:
      activation and homeostasis. Upon stimulation via TCR, naive CD4+ T cells
      upregulate the expression of BMP ligands triggering canonical BMP signaling in
      CD25+ cells. Blockade of BMP signaling severely impairs CD4+ T cell proliferation
      after activation mainly through regulation of IL-2, since the addition of this
      cytokine recuperates normal T cell expansion after inhibition of BMP signaling.
      Similarly, activation of canonical BMP pathway is required for both the
      maintenance of cell survival and the homeostatic proliferation induced by IL-7, a
      key factor for T cell homeostasis. Moreover, upregulation of two critical
      receptors for T cell homeostasis, CXCR4 and CCR9, triggered by IL-7 is also
      abrogated in the absence of BMP signaling. Collectively, we describe important
      roles of the canonical BMP signaling in human naive CD4+ T cell activation and
      homeostasis that could be valuable for clinical application. 

PMID- 26110908
TI  - Center Variation in Intestinal Microbiota Prior to Late-Onset Sepsis in Preterm
      Infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Late onset sepsis (LOS) contributes to mortality and morbidity in
      preterm infants. We tested the hypotheses that microbes causing LOS originate
      from the gut, and that distortions in the gut microbial community increases
      subsequent risk of LOS. STUDY DESIGN: We examined the gut microbial community in
      prospectively collected stool samples from preterm infants with LOS and an equal
      number of age-matched controls at two sites (Cincinnati, OH and Birmingham, AL),
      by sequencing the bacterial 16S rDNA. We confirmed our findings in a subset of
      infants by whole genome shotgun sequencing, and analyzed the data using R and
      LEfSe. RESULTS: Infants with LOS in Cincinnati, as compared to controls, had less
      abundant Actinobacteria in the first samples after birth (median 18 days before
      sepsis onset), and less abundant Pseudomonadales in the last samples collected
      prior to LOS (median 8 days before sepsis onset). Infants with LOS in Birmingham,
      as compared to controls, had no differences identified in the first sample
      microbial communities, but Lactobacillales was less abundant in the last samples
      prior to LOS (median 4 days before sepsis onset). Sequencing identified
      detectable levels of the sepsis-causative organism in stool samples prior to
      disease onset for 82% of LOS cases. CONCLUSIONS: Translocation of gut microbes
      may account for the majority of LOS cases. Distortions in the fecal microbiota
      occur prior to LOS, but the form of distortion depends on timing and site. The
      microbial composition of fecal samples does not predict LOS onset in a
      generalizable fashion.

PMID- 26110911
TI  - Correction: Patterns of Mass Mortality among Rocky Shore Invertebrates across 100
      km of Northeastern Pacific Coastline.

PMID- 26110909
TI  - Frequency domain ultrasound waveform tomography: breast imaging using a ring
      transducer.
AB  - Application of the frequency domain acoustic wave equation on data acquired from
      ultrasound tomography scans is shown to yield high resolution sound speed images
      on the order of the wavelength of the highest reconstructed frequency. Using a
      signal bandwidth of 0.4-1 MHz and an average sound speed of 1500 m s(-1), the
      resolution is approximately 1.5 mm. The quantitative sound speed values and
      morphology provided by these images have the potential to inform diagnosis and
      classification of breast disease. In this study, we present the formalism,
      practical application, and in vivo results of waveform tomography applied to
      breast data gathered by two different ultrasound tomography scanners that utilize
      ring transducers. The formalism includes a review of frequency domain modeling of
      the wave equation using finite difference operators as well as a review of the
      gradient descent method for the iterative reconstruction scheme. It is shown that
      the practical application of waveform tomography requires an accurate starting
      model, careful data processing, and a method to gradually incorporate higher
      frequency information into the sound speed reconstruction. Following these steps
      resulted in high resolution quantitative sound speed images of the breast. These
      images show marked improvement relative to commonly used ray tomography
      reconstruction methods. The robustness of the method is demonstrated by obtaining
      similar results from two different ultrasound tomography devices. We also compare
      our method to MRI to demonstrate concordant findings. The clinical data used in
      this work was obtained from a HIPAA compliant clinical study (IRB 040912M1F). 

PMID- 26110912
TI  - Coupling of metals and biominerals: characterizing the interface between
      ferromagnetic shape-memory alloys and hydroxyapatite.
AB  - Durable, mechanically robust osseointegration of metal implants poses one of the
      largest challenges in contemporary orthopedics. The application of biomimetic
      hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings as mediators for enhanced mechanical coupling to
      natural bone constitutes a promising approach. Motivated by recent advances in
      the field of smart metals that might open the venue for alternate therapeutic
      concepts, we explore their mechanical coupling to sputter-deposited HAp layers in
      a combined experimental-theoretical study. While experimental delamination tests
      and comprehensive structural characterization, including high-resolution
      transmission electron microscopy, are utilized to establish structure-property
      relationships, density functional theory based total energy calculations unravel
      the underlying physics and chemistry of bonding and confirm the experimental
      findings. Experiments and modeling indicate that sputter-deposited HAp coatings
      are strongly adherent to the exemplary ferromagnetic shape-memory alloys, Ni-Mn
      Ga and Fe-Pd, with delamination stresses and interface bonding strength exceeding
      the physiological scales by orders of magnitude. 

PMID- 26110913
TI  - Evaluation of Hybridization Capture Versus Amplicon-Based Methods for Whole-Exome
      Sequencing.
AB  - Next-generation sequencing has aided characterization of genomic variation. While
      whole-genome sequencing may capture all possible mutations, whole-exome
      sequencing remains cost-effective and captures most phenotype-altering mutations.
      Initial strategies for exome enrichment utilized a hybridization-based capture
      approach. Recently, amplicon-based methods were designed to simplify preparation
      and utilize smaller DNA inputs. We evaluated two hybridization capture-based and
      two amplicon-based whole-exome sequencing approaches, utilizing both Illumina and
      Ion Torrent sequencers, comparing on-target alignment, uniformity, and variant
      calling. While the amplicon methods had higher on-target rates, the hybridization
      capture-based approaches demonstrated better uniformity. All methods identified
      many of the same single-nucleotide variants, but each amplicon-based method
      missed variants detected by the other three methods and reported additional
      variants discordant with all three other technologies. Many of these potential
      false positives or negatives appear to result from limited coverage, low variant
      frequency, vicinity to read starts/ends, or the need for platform-specific
      variant calling algorithms. All methods demonstrated effective copy-number
      variant calling when evaluated against a single-nucleotide polymorphism array.
      This study illustrates some differences between whole-exome sequencing
      approaches, highlights the need for selecting appropriate variant calling based
      on capture method, and will aid laboratories in selecting their preferred
      approach. 

PMID- 26110914
TI  - Paracetamol (acetaminophen) for prevention or treatment of pain in newborns.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Newborn infants have the ability to experience pain. Newborns treated
      in neonatal intensive care units are exposed to numerous painful procedures.
      Healthy newborns are exposed to pain if the birth process consists of assisted
      vaginal birth by vacuum extraction or by forceps and during blood sampling for
      newborn screening tests. OBJECTIVES: Primary objectiveTo determine the efficacy
      and safety of paracetamol for the prevention or treatment of
      procedural/postoperative pain or pain associated with clinical conditions in
      neonates. Secondary objectiveTo review the effects of various doses and routes of
      administration (enteral, intravenous or rectal) of paracetamol for the prevention
      or treatment of pain in neonates. We designed the main comparisons according to
      intention of use, that is, paracetamol for prevention or treatment of pain. We
      included separate comparisons based on the painful
      intervention/procedure/condition (heel lance, insertion of nasogastric tube,
      insertion of intravenous catheter, lumbar puncture, assisted vaginal birth,
      postoperative pain, birth trauma, congenital anomalies such as myelomeningocoele
      and open cutaneous lesions) and the mode of administration of paracetamol. Within
      these comparisons, we planned to assess in subgroups (when possible) effects
      based on postmenstrual age (PMA) at the birth of randomly assigned infants (< 28
      weeks, 28 weeks to 31 + 6 weeks, 32 weeks to 36 + 6 weeks and >= 37 weeks) or
      based on birth weight (or current weight) categories (<= 1000 grams, 1001 to 1500
      grams, 1501 to 2500 grams and >= 2501 grams) SEARCH METHODS: We used the standard
      search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group including electronic
      searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (October
      2014), MEDLINE (1966 to October 2014), EMBASE (1980 to October 2014) and the
      Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) (1982 to
      October 2014). We applied no language restrictions.We conducted electronic
      searches of abstracts from meetings of the Pediatric Academic Societies (2000 to
      2014) and the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (2010 to 2014).We
      searched clinical trial registries for ongoing trials and the Web of Science for
      articles quoting identified randomised controlled trials. We searched the first
      200 hits on Google Scholar(TM) to identify grey literature. SELECTION CRITERIA:
      We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials of paracetamol for
      the prevention or treatment of pain in neonates (<= 30 days of age). DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently extracted data from the
      full-text articles using a specifically designed form. We used this form to
      decide trial inclusion/exclusion, to extract data from eligible trials and to
      request additional published information from authors of the original reports. We
      entered and cross-checked data using RevMan 5.3.3 software. When noted, we
      resolved differences by mutual discussion and consensus. MAIN RESULTS: We
      included eight trials with low risk of bias, which assessed paracetamol use for
      the treatment of pain in 614 infants. Painful interventions studied included heel
      lance, assisted vaginal birth, eye examination for ascertainment of retinopathy
      of prematurity (ROP) and postoperative care following major surgery. Results of
      individual studies could not be combined in meta-analyses as the painful
      conditions, the use of paracetamol and comparison interventions and the outcome
      measures differed. Paracetamol compared with water, cherry elixir or EMLA cream
      did not significantly reduce pain following heel lance. The Premature Infant Pain
      Profile score (PIPP) within three minutes following lancing was higher in the
      paracetamol group than in the oral glucose group (mean difference (MD) 2.21, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.72 to 3.70; one study, 38 infants). Paracetamol did
      not reduce "modified facies scores" after assisted vaginal birth (one study, 119
      infants). In another study (n = 123), the Echelle de Douleur et d'Inconfort du
      Nouveau-Ne score at two hours of age was significantly higher in the group that
      received paracetamol suppositories than in the placebo suppositories group (MD
      1.00, 95% CI 0.60 to 1.40). In that study, when infants were subjected to a heel
      lance at two to three days of age, Bernese Pain Scale for Neonates scores were
      higher in the paracetamol group than in the placebo group, and infants spent a
      longer time crying (MD 19 seconds, 95% CI 14 to 24). For eye examinations, no
      significant reduction in PIPP scores in the first or last 45 seconds of eye
      examination was reported, nor at five minutes after the eye examination. In one
      study (n = 81), the PIPP score was significantly higher in the paracetamol group
      than in the 24% sucrose group (MD 3.90, 95% CI 2.92 to 4.88). For postoperative
      care following major thoracic or abdominal surgery, the total amount of morphine
      (ug/kg) administered over 48 hours was significantly less among infants randomly
      assigned to the paracetamol group than in those randomly assigned to the morphine
      group (MD -157 ug/kg, 95% CI -27 to -288). No adverse events were noted in any
      study. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Paracetamol does not significantly reduce pain
      associated with heel lance or eye examinations. Paracetamol given after assisted
      vaginal birth may increase the response to later painful exposures. Paracetamol
      should not be used for painful procedures given its lack of efficacy and its
      potential for adverse effects. Paracetamol may reduce the total need for morphine
      following major surgery, and for this aspect of paracetamol use, further research
      is needed.

PMID- 26110915
TI  - Characterization of a feruloyl esterase B from Talaromyces cellulolyticus.
AB  - A feruloyl esterase catalyzes the hydrolysis of the 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamoyl
      (feruloyl) group from esterified sugars in plant cell walls. Talaromyces
      cellulolyticus is a high cellulolytic-enzyme producing fungus. However, there is
      no report for feruloyl esterase activity of T. cellulolyticus. Analysis of the
      genome database of T. cellulolyticus identified a gene encoding a putative
      feruloyl esterase B. The recombinant enzyme was prepared using a T.
      cellulolyticus homologous expression system and characterized. The purified
      enzyme exhibited hydrolytic activity toward p-nitrophenyl acetate, p-nitrophenyl
      trans-ferulate, methyl ferulate, rice husk, and bagasse. HPLC assays showed that
      the enzyme released ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid from hydrothermal-treated
      rice husk and bagasse. Trichoderma sp. is well-known high cellulolytic-enzyme
      producing fungus useful for the lignocellulosic biomass saccharification.
      Interestingly, no feruloyl esterase has been reported from Trichoderma sp. The
      results show that this enzyme is expected to be industrially useful for biomass
      saccharification. 

PMID- 26110916
TI  - GH-Releasing Hormone Promotes Survival and Prevents TNF-alpha-Induced Apoptosis
      and Atrophy in C2C12 Myotubes.
AB  - Skeletal muscle atrophy is a consequence of different chronic diseases, including
      cancer, heart failure, and diabetes, and also occurs in aging and genetic
      myopathies. It results from an imbalance between anabolic and catabolic
      processes, and inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-alpha, have been found
      elevated in muscle atrophy and implicated in its pathogenesis. GHRH, in addition
      to stimulating GH secretion from the pituitary, exerts survival and antiapoptotic
      effects in different cell types. Moreover, we and others have recently shown that
      GHRH displays antiapoptotic effects in isolated cardiac myocytes and protects the
      isolated heart from ischemia/reperfusion injury and myocardial infarction in
      vivo. On these bases, we investigated the effects of GHRH on survival and
      apoptosis of TNF-alpha-treated C2C12 myotubes along with the underlying
      mechanisms. GHRH increased myotube survival and prevented TNF-alpha-induced
      apoptosis through GHRH receptor-mediated mechanisms. These effects involved
      activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway and inactivation of glycogen
      synthase kinase-3beta, whereas mammalian target of rapamycin was unaffected. GHRH
      also increased the expression of myosin heavy chain and the myogenic
      transcription factor myogenin, which were both reduced by the cytokine.
      Furthermore, GHRH inhibited TNF-alpha-induced expression of nuclear factor
      kappaB, calpain, and muscle ring finger1, which are all involved in muscle
      protein degradation. In summary, these results indicate that GHRH exerts survival
      and antiapoptotic effects in skeletal muscle cells through the activation of
      anabolic pathways and the inhibition of proteolytic routes. Overall, our findings
      suggest a novel therapeutic role for GHRH in the treatment of muscle atrophy
      associated diseases. 

PMID- 26110917
TI  - Synthesis of Previously Inaccessible Borylated Heterocycle Motifs Using Novel
      Boron-Containing Amphoteric Molecules.
AB  - The photoredox-organocatalyzed alpha-alkylation of the alpha-MIDA boryl aldehyde
      with a range of alpha-bromoketones resulted in the first examples of boron
      containing 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds. These novel trifunctional amphoteric
      molecules, which bear an additional, strategically placed electrophilic site
      compared to the starting amphoteric alpha-boryl aldehyde, were subjected to
      double-condensation reactions in the presence of various nucleophiles. As a
      result, a variety of synthetically challenging 3-borylated pyrroles and furans
      and 4-borylated pyridazines were generated. The borylated regioisomers accessible
      with this condensation-based strategy are distinctly different from those arising
      from the well-known lithiation and C-H activation processes.

PMID- 26110918
TI  - Hypoxia Enhances the Toxicity of Corexit EC9500A and Chemically Dispersed
      Southern Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil (MC-242) to Sheepshead Minnow (Cyprinodon
      variegatus) Larvae.
AB  - Oil exploration and production activities are common in the northern Gulf of
      Mexico as well as many other coastal and near coastal areas worldwide. Seasonal
      hypoxia is also a common feature in the Northern Gulf, and many other coastal
      areas, which is likely to increase in severity and extent with continuing
      anthropogenic nutrient inputs. Hypoxia has well established physiological effects
      on many organisms, and it has been shown to enhance the toxicity of polycyclic
      aromatic hydrocarbons (persistent components of petroleum) in fish. The goal of
      this study was to examine the combined effects of hypoxia and exposure to
      contaminants associated with oil spills. We evaluated the effects of short term
      (48 hr) exposures to Corexit EC9500A, water accommodated fractions (WAF), and
      chemically enhanced water accommodated fractions (CEWAF) prepared from Southern
      Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil (MC 242) on survival of sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon
      variegatus) larvae held under normoxic (ambient air) or hypoxic (2 mg/L O2)
      conditions. Results demonstrated that hypoxia significantly enhances mortality
      observed in response to Corexit or CEWAF solutions. In the latter case,
      significant interactions between the two stressors were also observed. Our data
      supports the need to further evaluate the combined stresses imparted by hypoxia
      and exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons and dispersants. 

PMID- 26110919
TI  - Resolution of Acute Suicidality After a Single Right Unilateral Electroconvulsive
      Therapy.

PMID- 26110922
TI  - Disease burden of chronic hepatitis C among immigrants in Canada.
AB  - Immigrants with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Canada have doubled risk of
      hepatocellular carcinoma. To measure the burden of CHC among immigrants in
      Canada. A decision analytic model was developed to compare immigrants with CHC
      and age-matched immigrants without CHC for survival years, quality-adjusted life
      years (QALYs) and medical costs per life year. Hepatitis C epidemiology among
      immigrants was based on hepatitis C prevalence in their home countries. A cohort
      of immigrant patients was retrospectively followed up to estimate fibrosis stage
      distribution, treatment patterns and prognosis of compensated cirrhosis. Other
      model variables were based on published sources. Base case analysis, one-way
      sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to
      measure the burden of CHC and assess the impact of uncertainty associated with
      model variables on the burden of CHC. CHC could reduce survival by 9.6 years [95%
      credible interval (CI): 8.0-10.9 years], reduce QALYs by 9.5 years (95% CI: 6.0
      13.8 years) and increase medical costs per life year by $1950 (95% CI: $1518 to
      $2486, 2006 Canadian dollars). Because nearly half of immigrants with CHC were
      not diagnosed until the development of cirrhosis, the burden of CHC was highly
      sensitive to the risks of liver-related complications and mortality but
      insensitive to pegylated interferon plus ribavirin. The burden of CHC among
      immigrants in Canada is substantial mainly due to liver-related complications and
      mortality. The delay in diagnosis was another important contributor to the burden
      of CHC among immigrants. 

PMID- 26110921
TI  - Tetraarsenictetrasulfide and Arsenic Trioxide Exert Synergistic Effects on
      Induction of Apoptosis and Differentiation in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Cells.
AB  - Since arsenic trioxide (As3+) has been successfully used in the treatment of
      acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), its adverse effects on patients have been
      problematic and required a solution. Considering the good therapeutic potency and
      low toxicity of tetraarsenictetrasulfide (As4S4) in the treatment of APL, we
      investigated the effects of combining As4S4 and As3+ on the apoptosis and
      differentiation of NB4 and primary APL cells. As4S4, acting similarly to As3+,
      arrested the G1/S transition, induced the accumulation of cellular reactive
      oxygen species, and promoted apoptosis. Additionally, low concentrations of As4S4
      (0.1-0.4 MUM) induced differentiation of NB4 and primary APL cells. Compared with
      the As4S4- or As3+-treated groups, the combination of As4S4 and As3+ obviously
      promoted apoptosis and differentiation of NB4 and primary APL cells. Mechanistic
      studies suggested that As4S4 acted synergistically with As3+ to down-regulate Bcl
      2 and nuclear factor-kappaB expression, up-regulate Bax and p53 expression, and
      induce activation of caspase-12 and caspase-3. Moreover, the combination of low
      concentrations of As4S4 and As3+ enhanced degradation of the promyelocytic
      leukemia-retinoic acid receptor alpha oncoprotein. In summary, As4S4 and As3+
      synergistically induce the apoptosis and differentiation of NB4 and primary APL
      cells. 

PMID- 26110920
TI  - Chloride Accumulators NKCC1 and AE2 in Mouse GnRH Neurons: Implications for GABAA
      Mediated Excitation.
AB  - A developmental "switch" in chloride transporters occurs in most neurons
      resulting in GABAA mediated hyperpolarization in the adult. However, several
      neuronal cell subtypes maintain primarily depolarizing responses to GABAA
      receptor activation. Among this group are gonadotropin-releasing hormone-1 (GnRH)
      neurons, which control puberty and reproduction. NKCC1 is the primary chloride
      accumulator in neurons, expressed at high levels early in development and
      contributes to depolarization after GABAA receptor activation. In contrast, KCC2
      is the primary chloride extruder in neurons, expressed at high levels in the
      adult and contributes to hyperpolarization after GABAA receptor activation. Anion
      exchangers (AEs) are also potential modulators of responses to GABAA activation
      since they accumulate chloride and extrude bicarbonate. To evaluate the
      mechanism(s) underlying GABAA mediated depolarization, GnRH neurons were analyzed
      for 1) expression of chloride transporters and AEs in embryonic, pre-pubertal,
      and adult mice 2) responses to GABAA receptor activation in NKCC1-/- mice and 3)
      function of AEs in these responses. At all ages, GnRH neurons were immunopositive
      for NKCC1 and AE2 but not KCC2 or AE3. Using explants, calcium imaging and
      gramicidin perforated patch clamp techniques we found that GnRH neurons from
      NKCC1-/- mice retained relatively normal responses to the GABAA agonist muscimol.
      However, acute pharmacological inhibition of NKCC1 with bumetanide eliminated the
      depolarization/calcium response to muscimol in 40% of GnRH neurons from WT mice.
      In the remaining GnRH neurons, HCO3- mediated mechanisms accounted for the
      remaining calcium responses to muscimol. Collectively these data reveal
      mechanisms responsible for maintaining depolarizing GABAA mediated transmission
      in GnRH neurons. 

PMID- 26110924
TI  - Editorial: IDS - here we go ...

PMID- 26110923
TI  - Lack of Rybp in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Impairs Cardiac Differentiation.
AB  - Ring1 and Yy1 binding protein (Rybp) has been implicated in transcriptional
      regulation, apoptotic signaling and as a member of the polycomb repressive
      complex 1, it has an important function in regulating pluripotency and
      differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Earlier, we had proved that Rybp
      plays an essential role in mouse embryonic and central nervous system
      development. This work identifies Rybp, as a critical regulator of heart
      development. Rybp is readily detectable in the developing mouse heart from day
      8.5 of embryonic development. Prominent Rybp expression persists during all
      embryonic stages, and Rybp marks differentiated cell types of the heart. By
      utilizing rybp null ESCs in an in vitro cardiac differentiation assay, we found
      that rybp null ESCs do not form rhythmically beating cardiomyocytes (CMCs). Gene
      expression profiles revealed a downregulation of cardiac terminal and
      upregulation of germline-specific markers in the rybp null CMCs. Furthermore,
      transcriptome analysis uncovered a number of novel candidate target genes
      regulated by Rybp. Among these are several that are important in cardiac
      development and contractility such as Plagl1, Isl1, and Tnnt2. Importantly,
      forced expression of rybp in rybp-deficient ESCs by a lentiviral vector was able
      to rescue the mutant phenotype. Our data provide evidence for a previously
      unrecognized function of Rybp in heart development and point out the importance
      of germ cell lineage gene silencing during somatic differentiation. 

PMID- 26110925
TI  - Intraoral scanning systems - a current overview.
AB  - There is no doubt today about the possibilities and potential of digital
      impression-taking with the aid of intraoral optical impression systems, and the
      past few years have seen a considerable increase in the range of optical
      intraoral scanners available on the market. On the strength of numerous
      innovations and a wider range of indications in orthodontics and implantology,
      intraoral scanning systems appear to be a highly promising development for the
      future. Digital impression-taking with intraoral scanners has already shown
      itself in some respects to be clearly superior to conventional impression-
      taking. Particularly worthy of mention is the versatile integration of digital
      impressions into diagnostic and treatment concepts to provide a customizable
      healthcare solution for the patient. It remains exciting to look forward to
      future developments that will allow us to observe digital impression-taking--as
      with other digital applications already established in everyday life--becoming
      firmly established in the routine of dentistry and dental technology. This
      article presents an overview of the benefits and limitations of digital
      impression-taking using intraoral scanning systems, and includes a summary of all
      the relevant intraoral scanners available on the market at present.

PMID- 26110926
TI  - Tooth-colored CAD/CAM monolithic restorations.
AB  - A monolithic restoration (also known as a full contour restoration) is one that
      is manufactured from a single material for the fully anatomic replacement of lost
      tooth structure. Additional staining (followed by glaze firing if ceramic
      materials are used) may be performed to enhance the appearance of the
      restoration. For decades, monolithic restoration has been the standard for inlay
      and partial crown restorations manufactured by both pressing and computer-aided
      design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques. A limited selection of monolithic
      materials is now available for dental crown and bridge restorations. The IDS
      (2015) provided an opportunity to learn about and evaluate current trends in this
      field. In addition to new developments, established materials are also mentioned
      in this article to complete the picture. In line with the strategic focus of the
      IJCD, the focus here is naturally on CAD/CAM materials. 

PMID- 26110927
TI  - Clinical performance of chairside CAD/CAM feldspathic ceramic posterior shoulder
      crowns and endocrowns up to 12 years.
AB  - In 55 patients, 25 endocrowns (test) and 40 shoulder crowns (control) were
      produced chairside in a private practice using the Cerec 3 (CAD/CAM) method and
      Vita Mark II feldspathic ceramic. The crowns were examined at baseline and after
      up to 12 years using modified USPHS criteria. The survival estimate was assessed
      by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The 12 years survival estimate of the shoulder crowns
      was 95% on molars and 94.7% on premolars. Endocrowns showed 90.5% survival on
      molars and 75% on premolars. Statistically, the differences between the survival
      estimates were not significant (P > 0.05). The longevity of Vita Mark II Cerec 3
      shoulder crowns on molars and premolars, as well as of endocrowns on molars,
      proved to be--for private practice--a very acceptable result, while the premolar
      endocrowns tended to show a higher risk for failure.

PMID- 26110928
TI  - Clinical application of fully digital Cerec surgical guides made in-house.
AB  - It is now possible to produce full-digital drilling templates with Cerec Guide 2
      (Sirona) in the dental practice relatively quickly, efficiently, and
      economically. Here, a patient case example is used to present an exemplary
      description of the procedure and method to do this. The solution described herein
      shows the advantageous efficiency, compared with other systems presently on the
      market, of a procedure that does not require the external production of the
      drilling template in the laboratory or a manufacturing center. 

PMID- 26110929
TI  - Hybrid materials offer new perspectives.
AB  - Dental materials, especially in restorative dentistry, must not only be cost
      effective, they must also meet many other requirements: biocompatibility,
      durability, excellent shade and light effects, abrasion resistance, hardness,
      mechanical strength under pressure, chemical resistance, surface density, ease of
      manufacture, and easy intraoral maintenance. 

PMID- 26110931
TI  - Willful Blindness.

PMID- 26110930
TI  - Indoleamine 2,3 Dioxygenase (IDO) Expression and Activity in Relapsing-Remitting
      Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) production induces the transcription of
      indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO) resulting in the reduction of T-cell activation
      and proliferation through the depletion of tryptophan and the elicitation of Treg
      lymphocytes. IDO was shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune
      diseases; we investigated whether changes in IDO gene expression and activity
      could be indicative of onset of relapse in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
      METHODS: IDO and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) gene expression, serum IDO activity
      (Kynurenine/Tryptophan ratio) and serum neopterin concentration--a protein
      released by macrophages upon IFN-gamma stimulation--were measured in 51
      individuals: 36 relapsing remitting (RR)-MS patients (21 in acute phase--AMS, 15
      in stable phase--SMS) and 15 healthy controls (HC). PBMCs samples in AMS patients
      were collected before (BT-AMS) and during glucocorticoids-based therapy (DT-AMS).
      RESULTS: IDO expression was increased and IFN-gamma was decreased (p<0.001) in BT
      AMS compared to SMS patients. Glucocorticoids-induced disease remission resulted
      in a significant reduction of IDO and IFN-gamma gene expression, IDO catalytic
      activity (p<0.001). Serum neopterin concentration followed the same trend as IDO
      expression and activity. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of IDO gene expression and
      activity in blood could be a useful marker to monitor the clinical course of RR
      MS. Therapeutic interventions modulating IDO activity may be beneficial in MS.

PMID- 26110932
TI  - Informed Consent and the Use of Biospecimens in Research.

PMID- 26110933
TI  - DNP vs. CNS.

PMID- 26110934
TI  - Moral Conflict.

PMID- 26110935
TI  - Collaboration.

PMID- 26110936
TI  - 'Get Trained'.

PMID- 26110937
TI  - Legislation Claiming to Protect Workers Would Hurt RNs.

PMID- 26110938
TI  - Unable to Go-But Is It an Emergency?

PMID- 26110941
TI  - Rethinking Sinusitis Treatment.

PMID- 26110943
TI  - Precautions Guidelines for Hospital Visitors.

PMID- 26110944
TI  - Infectious Diseases Update Shigella and Enterovirus D68.

PMID- 26110945
TI  - Behavioral Health Screening in Children.

PMID- 26110946
TI  - Haloperidol vs. Low-Potency Antipsychotic Drugs for Schizophrenia.

PMID- 26110955
TI  - Bringing It Home Explores Nursing Beyond the Hospital.

PMID- 26110956
TI  - Effective Collaboration Among Magnet Hospitals: A Win-Win for Nurses and
      Institutions.

PMID- 26110958
TI  - Conflict Engagement: A Relational Approach.
AB  - This article is one in a series on conflict. It is part of an ongoing series on
      leadership coordinated by the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE;
      www.aone.org), highlighting topics of interest to nurse managers and emerging
      nurse leaders. The AONE provides leadership, professional development, advocacy,
      and research to advance nursing practice and patient care, promote nursing
      leadership excellence, and shape public policy for health care. 

PMID- 26110959
TI  - Teaching in the Middle East.

PMID- 26110965
TI  - Why?

PMID- 26110964
TI  - The Forefront of Diabetes Care.

PMID- 26110966
TI  - Enhanced Solvation of Peptides Attached to "Solid-Phase" Resins: Straightforward
      Syntheses of the Elastin Sequence Pro-Gly-Val-Gly-Val-Pro-Gly-Val-Gly-Val.
AB  - The solubility-enhancing power of covalent attachment to solvent-swollen cross
      linked resin supports was illustrated by syntheses of the highly aggregating
      elastin-derived 10-residue peptide sequence Pro-Gly-Val-Gly-Val-Pro-Gly-Val-Gly
      Val using standard protocols for both Boc and Fmoc chemistry SPPS. 

PMID- 26110967
TI  - A Dimetalloxycarbene Bonding Mode and Reductive Coupling Mechanism for Oxalate
      Formation from CO2.
AB  - We describe the stable and isolable dimetalloxycarbene [(TiX3 )2 (MU2 -CO2 
      kappa(2) C,O:kappaO')] 5, where X=N-(tert-butyl)-3,5-dimethylanilide, which is
      stabilized by fluctuating MU2 -kappa(2) C,O:kappa(1) O' coordination of the
      carbene carbon to both titanium centers of the dinuclear complex 5, as shown by
      variable-temperature NMR studies. Quantum chemical calculations on the unmodified
      molecule indicated a higher energy of only +10.5 kJ mol(-1) for the MU2 -kappa(1)
      O:kappa(1) O' bonding mode of the free dimetalloxycarbene compared to the MU2 
      kappa(2) C,O:kappa(1) O' bonding mode of the masked dimetalloxycarbene. The
      parent cationic bridging formate complex [(TiX3 )2 (MU2 -OCHO
      kappaO:kappaO')][B(C6 F5)4], 4[B(C6 F5)4], was simply deprotonated with the
      strong base K(N(SiMe3 )2 ) to give 5. Complex 5 reacts smoothly with CO2 to
      generate the bridging oxalate complex [(TiX3 )2 (MU2 -C2 O4 -kappaO:kappaO'')],
      6, in a C-C bond formation reaction commonly anticipated for oxalate formation by
      reductive coupling of CO2 on low-valent transition-metal complexes.

PMID- 26110968
TI  - Rethinking the gold standard for recurrent DNA mutations detection in acute
      myeloid leukemia.

PMID- 26110969
TI  - Determination of antibiotic EC50 using a zero-flow microfluidic chip based growth
      phenotype assay.
AB  - Current existing assay systems for evaluating antimicrobial activity suffer from
      several limitations including excess reagent consumption and inaccurate
      concentration gradient preparation. Recently, microfluidic systems have been
      developed to provide miniaturized platforms for antimicrobial susceptibility
      assays. However, some of current microfluidic based assays require continuous
      flows of reagents or elaborate preparation steps during concentration
      preparation. In this study, we introduce a novel microfluidic chip based growth
      phenotype assay that automatically generates a logarithmic concentration gradient
      and allows observing the growth of pathogenic bacteria under different
      concentrations of antibiotics in nanoliter batch culture reactors. We chose
      pathogen bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a model strain and evaluated the
      inhibitory effects of gentamicin and ciprofloxacin. We determined the EC50 values
      and confirmed the validity of the present system by comparing the EC50 values
      obtained through conventional test tube method. We demonstrated that the EC50
      values acquired from present assay are comparable to those obtained from
      conventional test tube cultures. The potential application of present assay
      system for investigating combinatorial effects of antibiotics on multidrug
      resistant pathogenic bacteria is discussed and it can be further used for
      systematic evaluation of antifungal or antiviral agents. 

PMID- 26110970
TI  - Parallels Between Action-Object Mapping and Word-Object Mapping in Young
      Children.
AB  - Across a series of four experiments with 3- to 4-year-olds we demonstrate how
      cognitive mechanisms supporting noun learning extend to the mapping of actions to
      objects. In Experiment 1 (n = 61) the demonstration of a novel action led
      children to select a novel, rather than a familiar object. In Experiment 2 (n =
      78) children exhibited long-term retention of novel action-object mappings and
      extended these actions to other category members. In Experiment 3 (n = 60) we
      showed that children formed an accurate sensorimotor record of the novel action.
      In Experiment 4 (n = 54) we demonstrate limits on the types of actions mapped to
      novel objects. Overall these data suggest that certain aspects of noun mapping
      share common processing with action mapping and support a domain-general account
      of word learning. 

PMID- 26110971
TI  - NET-GE: a novel NETwork-based Gene Enrichment for detecting biological processes
      associated to Mendelian diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enrichment analysis is a widely applied procedure for shedding light
      on the molecular mechanisms and functions at the basis of phenotypes, for
      enlarging the dataset of possibly related genes/proteins and for helping
      interpretation and prioritization of newly determined variations. Several
      standard and Network-based enrichment methods are available. Both approaches rely
      on the annotations that characterize the genes/proteins included in the input
      set; network based ones also include in different ways physical and functional
      relationships among different genes or proteins that can be extracted from the
      available biological networks of interactions. RESULTS: Here we describe a novel
      procedure based on the extraction from the STRING interactome of sub-networks
      connecting proteins that share the same Gene Ontology(GO) terms for Biological
      Process (BP). Enrichment analysis is performed by mapping the protein set to be
      analyzed on the sub-networks, and then by collecting the corresponding
      annotations. We test the ability of our enrichment method in finding annotation
      terms disregarded by other enrichment methods available. We benchmarked 244 sets
      of proteins associated to different Mendelian diseases, according to the OMIM web
      resource. In 143 cases (58%), the network-based procedure extracts GO terms
      neglected by the standard method, and in 86 cases (35%), some of the newly
      enriched GO terms are not included in the set of annotations characterizing the
      input proteins. We present in detail six cases where our network-based enrichment
      provides an insight into the biological basis of the diseases, outperforming
      other freely available network-based methods. CONCLUSIONS: Considering a set of
      proteins in the context of their interaction network can help in better defining
      their functions. Our novel method exploits the information contained in the
      STRING database for building the minimal connecting network containing all the
      proteins annotated with the same GO term. The enrichment procedure is performed
      considering the GO-specific network modules and, when tested on the OMIM-derived
      benchmark sets, it is able to extract enrichment terms neglected by other
      methods. Our procedure is effective even when the size of the input protein set
      is small, requiring at least two input proteins.

PMID- 26110973
TI  - Likely effect of adding flexible sigmoidoscopy to the English NHS Bowel Cancer
      Screening Programme: impact on colorectal cancer cases and deaths.
AB  - BACKGROUND: From 2013, once-only flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) at age 55 is being
      phased into the England National Health Service Bowel Cancer Screening Programme
      (NHSBCSP), augmenting biennial guaiac faecal occult blood testing (gFOBT) at ages
      60-74. Here, we project the impact of this change on colorectal cancer (CRC)
      cases and deaths prevented in England by mid-2030. METHODS: We simulated the life
      course of English residents reaching age 55 from 2013 onwards. Model inputs
      included population numbers, invitation rates and CRC incidence and mortality
      rates. The impact of gFOBT and FS alone on CRC incidence and mortality were
      derived from published trials, assuming an uptake of 50% for FS and 57% for
      gFOBT. For FS plus gFOBT, we assumed the gFOBT effect to be 75% of the gFOBT
      alone impact. RESULTS: By mid-2030, 8.5 million individuals will have been
      invited for once-only FS screening. Adding FS to gFOBT screening is estimated to
      prevent an extra 9627 (-10%) cases and 2207 (-12%) deaths by mid-2030. If FS
      uptake is 38% or 71%, respectively, an extra 7379 (-8%) or 13 689 (-15%) cases
      and 1691 (-9%) or 3154 (-17%) deaths will be prevented by mid-2030. CONCLUSIONS:
      Adding once-only FS at age 55 to the NHSBCSP will prevent ~10,000 CRC cases and
      ~2000 CRC deaths by mid-2030 if FS uptake is 50%. In 2030, one cancer was
      estimated to be prevented per 150 FS screening episodes, and one death prevented
      per 900 FS screening episodes. The actual reductions will depend on the FS
      invitation schedule and uptake rates.

PMID- 26110972
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis of immunohistochemical prognostic biomarkers
      in resected oesophageal adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) is one of the fastest rising
      malignancies with continued poor prognosis. Many studies have proposed novel
      biomarkers but, to date, no immunohistochemical markers of survival after
      oesophageal resection have entered clinical practice. Here, we systematically
      review and meta-analyse the published literature, to identify potential
      biomarkers. METHODS: Relevant articles were identified via Ovid medline 1946
      2013. For inclusion, studies had to conform to REporting recommendations for
      tumor MARKer (REMARK) prognostic study criteria. The primary end-point was a
      pooled hazard ratio (HR) and variance, summarising the effect of marker
      expression on prognosis. RESULTS: A total of 3059 articles were identified. After
      exclusion of irrelevant titles and abstracts, 214 articles were reviewed in full.
      Nine molecules had been examined in more than one study (CD3, CD8, COX-2, EGFR,
      HER2, Ki67, LgR5, p53 and VEGF) and were meta-analysed. Markers with largest
      survival effects were COX-2 (HR=2.47, confidence interval (CI)=1.15-3.79), CD3
      (HR=0.51, 95% CI=0.32-0.70), CD8 (HR=0.55, CI=0.31-0.80) and EGFR (HR=1.65, 95%
      CI=1.14-2.16). DISCUSSION: Current methods have not delivered clinically useful
      molecular prognostic biomarkers in OAC. We have highlighted the paucity of good
      quality robust studies in this field. A genome-to-protein approach would be
      better suited for the development and subsequent validation of biomarkers. Large
      collaborative projects with standardised methodology will be required to generate
      clinically useful biomarkers.

PMID- 26110974
TI  - Stem vs non-stem cell origin of colorectal cancer.
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers in the western world
      and is characterised by deregulation of the Wnt signalling pathway. Mutation of
      the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) tumour suppressor gene, which encodes a
      protein that negatively regulates this pathway, occurs in almost 80% of CRC
      cases. The progression of this cancer from an early adenoma to carcinoma is
      accompanied by a well-characterised set of mutations including KRAS, SMAD4 and
      TP53. Using elegant genetic models the current paradigm is that the intestinal
      stem cell is the origin of CRC. However, human histology and recent studies,
      showing marked plasticity within the intestinal epithelium, may point to other
      cells of origin. Here we will review these latest studies and place these in
      context to provide an up-to-date view of the cell of origin of CRC. 

PMID- 26110976
TI  - Take the shot: Message from the president.

PMID- 26110975
TI  - Macrophage polarisation changes within the time between diagnostic biopsy and
      tumour resection in oral squamous cell carcinomas--an immunohistochemical study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognosis of solid malignancies has been shown to depend on
      immunological parameters, such as macrophage polarisation (M1/M2). Recently, it
      was reported that preoperative oral surgery leads to a worsening of oral squamous
      cell carcinomas (OSCC) prognosis. Diagnostic incision biopsies are oral surgery
      procedures that might lead to healing-associated M2 macrophage polarisation with
      a potential negative influence on tumour biology. No studies have compared
      macrophage polarisation in OSCC biopsies and tumour specimens. METHODS:
      Preoperative diagnostic incision biopsies (n=25) and tumour resection specimens
      (n=34) of T1/T2 OSCC were processed for immunohistochemistry to detect CD68-,
      CD11c-, CD163- and MRC1-positive cells. Samples were digitised using whole-slide
      imaging, and the expression of macrophage markers was quantitatively analysed.
      RESULTS: Carcinoma tissues obtained during OSCC tumour resections showed a
      significantly (P<0.05) increased CD163 cell count (M2 macrophages) compared with
      tissues obtained during preoperative incision biopsies. Additionally, the
      CD163/CD68 ratio (an indicator of M2 polarisation) was significantly (P<0.05)
      higher in tumour resection specimens than in biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      revealed for the first time an increase in M2 polarisation in samples obtained
      during OSCC tumour resection surgery compared with preoperative incision
      biopsies. The biopsy-induced tissue trauma might explain the observed shift in
      macrophage polarisation towards the tumour-promoting M2 type and could lead to
      accelerated tumour progression.

PMID- 26110977
TI  - A Comprehensive Model of Electric-Field-Enhanced Jumping-Droplet Condensation on
      Superhydrophobic Surfaces.
AB  - Superhydrophobic micro/nanostructured surfaces for dropwise condensation have
      recently received significant attention due to their potential to enhance heat
      transfer performance by shedding positively charged water droplets via
      coalescence-induced droplet jumping at length scales below the capillary length
      and allowing the use of external electric fields to enhance droplet removal and
      heat transfer, in what has been termed electric-field-enhanced (EFE) jumping
      droplet condensation. However, achieving optimal EFE conditions for enhanced heat
      transfer requires capturing the details of transport processes that is currently
      lacking. While a comprehensive model has been developed for condensation on
      micro/nanostructured surfaces, it cannot be applied for EFE condensation due to
      the dynamic droplet-vapor-electric field interactions. In this work, we developed
      a comprehensive physical model for EFE condensation on superhydrophobic surfaces
      by incorporating individual droplet motion, electrode geometry, jumping
      frequency, field strength, and condensate vapor-flow dynamics. As a first step
      toward our model, we simulated jumping droplet motion with no external electric
      field and validated our theoretical droplet trajectories to experimentally
      obtained trajectories, showing excellent temporal and spatial agreement. We then
      incorporated the external electric field into our model and considered the
      effects of jumping droplet size, electrode size and geometry, condensation heat
      flux, and droplet jumping direction. Our model suggests that smaller jumping
      droplet sizes and condensation heat fluxes require less work input to be removed
      by the external fields. Furthermore, the results suggest that EFE electrodes can
      be optimized such that the work input is minimized depending on the condensation
      heat flux. To analyze overall efficiency, we defined an incremental coefficient
      of performance and showed that it is very high (~10(6)) for EFE condensation. We
      finally proposed mechanisms for condensate collection which would ensure
      continuous operation of the EFE system and which can scalably be applied to
      industrial condensers. This work provides a comprehensive physical model of the
      EFE condensation process and offers guidelines for the design of EFE systems to
      maximize heat transfer. 

PMID- 26110978
TI  - Narrow Networks and the Affordable Care Act.

PMID- 26110979
TI  - Individual Differences in Newborn Visual Attention Associate with Temperament and
      Behavioral Difficulties in Later Childhood.
AB  - Recently it was shown that individual differences in attention style in infants
      are associated with childhood effortful control, surgency, and hyperactivity
      inattention. Here we investigated whether effortful control, surgency and
      behavioral problems in childhood can be predicted even earlier, from individual
      differences in newborns' average duration of gaze to stimuli. Eighty newborns
      participated in visual preference and habituation studies. Parents completed
      questionnaires at follow up (mean age = 7.5 years, SD = 1.0 year). Newborns'
      average dwell time was negatively associated with childhood surgency (beta = 
      .25, R(2) = .04, p = .02) and total behavioral difficulties (beta = -.28, R(2) =
      .05, p = .04) but not with effortful control (beta = .03, R(2) = .001, p = .76).
      Individual differences in newborn visual attention significantly associated with
      individual variation in childhood surgency and behavioral problems, showing that
      some of the factors responsible for this variation are present at birth. 

PMID- 26110980
TI  - Microbial synthesis of chalcogenide semiconductor nanoparticles: a review.
AB  - Chalcogenide semiconductor quantum dots are emerging as promising nanomaterials
      due to their size tunable optoelectronic properties. The commercial synthesis and
      their subsequent integration for practical uses have, however, been contorted
      largely due to the toxicity and cost issues associated with the present chemical
      synthesis protocols. Accordingly, there is an immediate need to develop
      alternative environment-friendly synthesis procedures. Microbial factories hold
      immense potential to achieve this objective. Over the past few years, bacteria,
      fungi and yeasts have been experimented with as eco-friendly and cost-effective
      tools for the biosynthesis of semiconductor quantum dots. This review provides a
      detailed overview about the production of chalcogen-based semiconductor quantum
      particles using the inherent microbial machinery. 

PMID- 26110982
TI  - The Effectiveness of Two Grammar Treatment Procedures for Children With SLI: A
      Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study compared the effectiveness of two grammar treatment
      procedures for children with specific language impairment. METHOD: A double-blind
      superiority trial with cluster randomization was used to compare a cueing
      procedure, designed to elicit a correct production following an initial error, to
      a recasting procedure, which required no further production. Thirty-one 5-year
      old children with specific language impairment participated in 8 small group,
      classroom-based treatment sessions. Fourteen children received the cueing
      approach and 17 received the recasting approach. RESULTS: The cueing group made
      significantly more progress over the 8-week treatment period than the recasting
      group. There was a medium-large treatment effect in the cueing group and a
      negligible effect size in the recasting group. The groups did not differ in
      maintenance of treatment effects 8 weeks after treatment. In single-subject
      analyses, 50% of children in the cueing group and 12% in the recasting group
      showed a significant treatment effect. Half of these children maintained the
      treatment effect 8 weeks later. CONCLUSION: Treatment that used a structured
      cueing hierarchy designed to elicit a correct production following a child's
      error resulted in significantly greater improvement in expressive grammar than
      treatment that provided a recast following an error.

PMID- 26110981
TI  - Alcohol Dependence Genetics: Lessons Learned From Genome-Wide Association Studies
      (GWAS) and Post-GWAS Analyses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alcohol dependence (AD) is a complex psychiatric disorder and a
      significant public health problem. Twin and family-based studies have
      consistently estimated its heritability to be approximately 50%, and many studies
      have sought to identify specific genetic variants associated with susceptibility
      to AD. These studies have been primarily linkage or candidate gene based and have
      been mostly unsuccessful in identifying replicable risk loci. Genome-wide
      association studies (GWAS) have improved the detection of specific loci
      associated with complex traits, including AD. However, findings from GWAS explain
      only a small proportion of phenotypic variance, and alternative methods have been
      proposed to investigate the associations that do not meet strict genome-wide
      significance criteria. METHODS: This review summarizes all published AD GWAS and
      post-GWAS analyses that have sought to exploit GWAS data to identify AD
      associated loci. RESULTS: Findings from AD GWAS have been largely inconsistent,
      with the exception of variants encoding the alcohol-metabolizing enzymes.
      Analyses of GWAS data that go beyond standard association testing have
      demonstrated the polygenic nature of AD and the large contribution of common
      variants to risk, nominating novel genes and pathways for AD susceptibility.
      CONCLUSIONS: Findings from AD GWAS and post-GWAS analyses have greatly increased
      our understanding of the genetic etiology of AD. However, it is clear that larger
      samples will be necessary to detect loci in addition to those that encode alcohol
      metabolizing enzymes, which may only be possible through consortium-based
      efforts. Post-GWAS approaches to studying the genetic influences on AD are
      increasingly common and could greatly increase our knowledge of both the genetic
      architecture of AD and the specific genes and pathways that influence risk.

PMID- 26110983
TI  - Professional lead nurse tissue viability.

PMID- 26110984
TI  - 150 patient experiences with a soft silicone foam dressing.
AB  - Pain, malodour and exudate from acute and chronic wounds can be catastrophic to
      the patient. Excessive exudate results in significant tissue damage to the wound
      bed and surrounding skin, reduces quality of life, and often requires costly
      specialist service input. Effective wound assessment and management including
      appropriate dressing choice is, therefore, paramount to ensure wound healing can
      take place in a timely manner. This observational evaluation explores 150 ward
      based patients who presented with acute and chronic exuding wounds; it examines
      and evaluates the proposed benefits of the Cutimed((r)) Siltec foam dressing
      range over a 4-month period in an acute hospital setting. The outcomes of the
      evaluation were exudate management, maceration reduction, atraumatic application
      and removal, non-adherence and patient experience. The evaluation highlights not
      only an overall positive improvement in exudate management and maceration
      reduction, non-adherence, atraumatic application and removal but also emphasises
      the importance of a positive patient experience in the wound-care journey. 

PMID- 26110985
TI  - Topical haemoglobin spray for diabetic foot ulceration.
AB  - The development and subsequent deterioration of diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) is
      a common occurrence across all healthcare divides, concerning all patient groups,
      age, gender and social environments. It increases demand on clinical resources
      and creates unnecessary hardship for patients. Chronic DFU is challenging to
      prevent and notoriously difficult to manage owing to the complex nature of the
      patient and the disease itself. The improvement of oxygenation to many chronic
      wound groups is gaining momentum across wound care; particularly in those wounds
      such as DFU that present with circulatory, oxygen-deficient scenarios. METHOD: A
      descriptive evaluation was undertaken in an acute clinical setting where a spray
      solution containing purified haemoglobin was used in a cohort of 20 patients who
      presented with chronic (>12 weeks) DFU. Standard wound care was undertaken by 18
      health professionals with no changes to products, devices or practice before
      evaluation. All wounds received the addition of the product on eight set
      occasions over a 4-week period and the resulting data correlated in regards to
      the set outcomes of wound surface area reduction, ease of use, adverse events and
      patient acceptability. RESULTS: At 4 weeks all wounds had demonstrated positive
      wound reduction, there were no adverse events, all patients and clinicians found
      the product acceptable and easy to use. Interestingly, although not a set
      outcome, all wounds commenced the evaluation with wound-bed slough present and at
      4 weeks 100% were deemed slough free. At a further 4-week review no patients
      wounds had regressed. CONCLUSION: The incorporation of a haemoglobin spray
      solution within this cohort of DFU resulted in a positive improvement in wound
      healing and slough elimination. Further work in this area is recommended to
      increase the evidence.

PMID- 26110986
TI  - Ensuring competence.

PMID- 26110987
TI  - Chronic wound bed preparation using a cleansing solution.
AB  - Chronic wound management remains challenging in clinical practice, especially in
      the presence of bacterial bioburden and slough. To resolve these clinical
      challenges, it is essential clinicians implement the TIME framework (tissue,
      inflammation/infection, moisture, edge of wound) as a model of effective wound
      bed preparation. As a result of advances in technology and wound care therapies,
      on the market today are products that can help reduce the wound bed clinical
      challenges recommended by the TIME framework. This article looks at a wound
      cleansing solution that reduces the wound bed bioburden by breaking down biofilms
      and debriding slough. 

PMID- 26110988
TI  - Mechanical debridement: a brief overview.

PMID- 26110989
TI  - A programme to reduce acquired pressure ulcers in care homes.
AB  - Prevention of pressure ulcers is a major health concern, especially for older
      people. Much of the literature related to prevention of pressure ulcers focuses
      on hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. There is less literature related to
      prevention of pressure ulcers in care homes. This article presents a review of
      the literature related to prevention of pressure ulcers in care homes and an
      ambitious project undertaken by one care home provider to raise awareness of
      pressure ulcers, provide training in prevention and monitor and evaluate pressure
      ulcers in over 200 care home across the UK. Known as MI SKIN, the project
      involves ongoing training to all levels of care staff, a robust system of
      monitoring pressure ulcers and a mechanism to investigate and learn from any
      incident of pressure ulcer using root cause analysis. 

PMID- 26110990
TI  - Evaluating an alternating mattress on an elderly rehabilitation ward.
AB  - Pressure ulcer prevention is a primary requirement for the NHS. Robust nursing
      procedures and the provision of pressure-relieving equipment is vital in meeting
      this requirement. However, the Department of Health also regards making
      considerable financial savings as a fundamental requirement. There is a firm
      clinical consensus among national and international bodies that patients at a
      high risk of developing pressure ulcers, or with existing tissue damage, should
      be cared for on an alternating (pressure-relieving) mattress system. This
      evaluation process looks at the performance of the lower cost Air-Flo((r)) 8
      Acute alternating (pressure-relieving) mattress system to see if it is effective
      in meeting the needs of patients. The outcomes suggest that when combined with a
      pressure ulcer management plan and turning schedule the Air-Flo((r)) 8 Acute
      performed well, giving an option to continue to care for high-risk patients with
      an empirically proven effective therapy, while making considerable financial
      savings. 

PMID- 26110991
TI  - The prehospital intravenous access assessment: a prospective study on intravenous
      access failure and access delay in prehospital emergency medicine.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Intravenous access in prehospital emergency care allows for early
      administration of medication and extended measures such as anaesthesia.
      Cannulation may, however, be difficult, and failure and resulting delay in
      treatment and transport may have negative effects on the patient. Therefore, our
      study aims to perform a concise assessment of the difficulties of prehospital
      venous cannulation. METHODS: We analysed 23 candidate predictor variables on
      peripheral venous cannulations in terms of cannulation failure and exceedance of
      a 2 min time threshold. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted for
      variables of predictive value (P<0.25) and evaluated by the area under the curve
      (AUC>0.6) of their respective receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: A
      total of 762 intravenous cannulations were enroled. In all, 22% of punctures
      failed on the first attempt and 13% of punctures exceeded 2 min. Model selection
      yielded a three-factor model (vein visibility without tourniquet, vein
      palpability with tourniquet and insufficient ambient lighting) of fair accuracy
      for the prediction of puncture failure (AUC=0.76) and a structurally congruent
      model of four factors (failure model factors plus vein visibility with
      tourniquet) for the exceedance of the 2 min threshold (AUC=0.80). CONCLUSION: Our
      study offers a simple assessment to identify cases of difficult intravenous
      access in prehospital emergency care. Of the numerous factors subjectively
      perceived as possibly exerting influences on cannulation, only the universal -
      not exclusive to emergency care - factors of lighting, vein visibility and
      palpability proved to be valid predictors of cannulation failure and exceedance
      of a 2 min threshold.

PMID- 26110992
TI  - Determination of Histidine pKa Values in the Propeptides of Furin and Proprotein
      Convertase 1/3 Using Histidine Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Propeptides of proprotein convertases regulate activation of their protease
      domains by sensing the organellar pH within the secretory pathway. Earlier
      experimental work highlighted the importance of a conserved histidine residue
      within the propeptide of a widely studied member, furin. A subsequent
      evolutionary analysis found an increase in histidine content within propeptides
      of secreted eukaryotic proteases compared with their prokaryotic orthologs.
      However, furin activates in the trans-golgi network at a pH of 6.5 while a
      paralog, proprotein convertase 1/3, activates in secretory vesicles at a pH of
      5.5. It is unclear how a conserved histidine can mediate activation at two
      different pH values. In this manuscript, we measured the pKa values of histidines
      within the propeptides of furin and proprotein convertase 1/3 using a histidine
      hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry approach. The high density of
      histidine residues combined with an abundance of basic residues provided
      challenges for generation of peptide ions with unique histidine residues, which
      were overcome by employing ETD fragmentation. During this analysis, we found slow
      hydrogen-deuterium exchange in residues other than histidine at basic pH.
      Finally, we demonstrate that the pKa of the conserved histidine in proprotein
      convertase 1/3 is acid-shifted compared with furin and is consistent with its
      lower pH of activation. 

PMID- 26110993
TI  - Psychosocial Factors Associated With Risk Perceptions for Chronic Diseases in
      Younger and Middle-Aged Women.
AB  - Perceptions of disease risk play an important role in motivating people to adopt
      healthy behaviors. However, little is known about psychosocial factors that
      influence women's perceived risk for developing disease. The present study
      investigated the extent to which individual traits, social influences, objective
      risk factors, and demographic characteristics were associated with women's risk
      perceptions for cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and lung cancer. Using
      structural equation modeling, we examined hypothesized associations among 452
      younger (ages 18-25 years) and 167 middle-aged (ages 40-64 years) women. A
      greater number and variety of factors were associated with middle-aged women's
      risk perceptions compared to younger women. For both groups, some objective risk
      factors were associated with risk perceptions; yet, associations also existed
      between multiple psychosocial variables (optimism, health locus of control,
      social exposure to disease, perceived stigma) and risk perceptions. Results
      suggested that women may base their risk estimates on factors beyond those
      considered important by healthcare providers. 

PMID- 26110994
TI  - The Additive Inflammatory In Vivo and In Vitro Effects of IL-7 and TSLP in
      Arthritis Underscore the Therapeutic Rationale for Dual Blockade.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The cytokines interleukin (IL)-7 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin
      (TSLP) signal through the IL-7R subunit and play proinflammatory roles in
      experimental arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We evaluated the effect of
      inhibition of IL-7R- and TSLPR-signalling as well as simultaneous inhibition of
      IL-7R- and TSLPR-signalling in murine experimental arthritis. In addition, the
      effects of IL-7 and TSLP in human RA dendritic cell (DC)/T-cell co-cultures were
      studied. METHODS: Arthritis was induced with proteoglycan in wildtype mice (WT)
      and in mice deficient for the TSLP receptor subunit (TSLPR-/-). Both mice
      genotypes were treated with anti-IL-7R or phosphate buffered saline. Arthritis
      severity was assessed and local and circulating cytokines were measured.
      Autologous CD1c-positive DCs and CD4 T-cells were isolated from peripheral blood
      of RA patients and were co-cultured in the presence of IL-7, TSLP or both and
      proliferation and cytokine production were assessed. RESULTS: Arthritis severity
      and immunopathology were decreased in WT mice treated with anti-IL-7R, in TSLPR-/
      mice, and the most robustly in TSLPR-/- mice treated with anti-IL-7R. This was
      associated with strongly decreased levels of IL-17, IL-6 and CD40L. In human DC/T
      cell co-cultures, TSLP and IL-7 additively increased T-cell proliferation and
      production of Th17-associated cytokines, chemokines and tissue destruction
      factors. CONCLUSION: TSLP and IL-7 have an additive effect on the production of
      Th17-cytokines in a human in vitro model, and enhance arthritis in mice linked
      with enhanced inflammation and immunopathology. As both cytokines signal via the
      IL-7R, these data urge for IL-7R-targeting to prevent the activity of both
      cytokines in RA.

PMID- 26110995
TI  - Laparoscopic Right Posterior Sectionectomy for Malignant Lesions: An Anatomic
      Approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Good indications for laparoscopic hepatectomy are still considered to
      be tumors located over anterolateral segments of the liver. Tumors located over
      the right posterior section are considered to be difficult for laparoscopic
      resection. In this case series, we present our experience on laparoscopic right
      posterior sectionectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patient data were
      prospectively collected. Data on patient demographics, tumor characteristics,
      operative data, and postoperative outcome were collected and analyzed. RESULTS:
      During the period of May 2010-May 2014, we performed 13 laparoscopic right
      posterior sectionectomies. The diagnoses were hepatocellular carcinoma in 11
      patients, of which 2 were cases of colorectal liver metastasis. Median operative
      time was 381 minutes, and median blood loss was 1500 mL. Significant bleeding
      occurred in the first 5 patients. The median size of the tumor resected was 3.7
      cm, and the median resection margin was 8.7 mm. Four of the 13 patients (30.8%)
      were cirrhotic on histological examination. There was no postoperative mortality.
      Median hospital stay was 7 days. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic right posterior
      sectionectomy is technically demanding. A proper inflow and outflow control is
      mandatory for proper anatomical resection. This surgical principle should not be
      compromised in the era of laparoscopic hepatectomy.

PMID- 26110996
TI  - Longitudinal evaluation of 100% fruit juice consumption on BMI status in 2-5-year
      old children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity in childhood is related to multiple lifestyle factors. Our
      objective was to evaluate the relationship between consumption of 100% fruit
      juice and weight status over time among pre-school children. METHODS: We used
      linear and logistic multivariable regression to evaluate body mass index (BMI) z
      score and overweight/obese status as a function of 100% fruit juice intake for
      8950 children examined at ages 2, 4 and 5 years as part of the Early Childhood
      Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, a representative sample of the United States.
      RESULTS: Cross-sectional analysis at ages 4 and 5 years showed no difference in
      the prevalence of overweight and obesity between consistent juice drinkers and
      inconsistent/non-drinkers. Longitudinal analysis found that children who drank
      100% juice consistently at age 2 years had greater increases in BMI z-score by
      age 4 years than infrequent/non-drinkers (P < 0.0001), a difference driven by
      lesser increases in height z-score (P = 0.0003) and slightly greater increases in
      weight z-score (P = 0.0550) among consistent juice drinkers over the 2 to 4 year
      time period. Additionally, consistent juice drinkers at age 2 had higher odds of
      becoming overweight by age 4 (adjusted odds ratio 1.30; CI 1.06-1.60). These
      differences in growth parameters were not noted between ages 4 and 5 years.
      CONCLUSIONS: Drinking 100% fruit juice regularly at age 2 is associated with
      higher odds of becoming overweight between 2 and 4 years. Paediatricians and
      parents can discourage excessive fruit juice consumption as part of a larger
      effort to avoid unhealthy gain in BMI in young children.

PMID- 26110997
TI  - Brain Herniation After Endoscopic Transnasal Resection of Anterior Skull Base
      Malignancies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic endonasal approaches, when appropriate, allow a less
      invasive method to remove anterior skull base cancer than traditional external
      transfacial/craniofacial approaches. The resultant skull base defect can be
      significantly large, potentially extending from the posterior table of the
      frontal sinus to the tuberculum sellae in the sagittal plane, and from one lamina
      papyracea to the other in the coronal plane. However, frontal lobe herniation
      after such expanded endoscopic resection has been considered more of a
      theoretical than a practical occurrence. OBJECTIVE: To report the occurrence of
      frontal lobe herniation into the sinonasal cavity after expanded endonasal
      approaches, and to analyze causes and pathogenetic mechanisms of this unusual
      complication, proposing how it could have been prevented. METHODS: Two cases have
      been observed in 2 different skull base referral centers in the United States and
      Italy. Surgical and perioperative complications, postoperative course, and need
      for revisions were analyzed. RESULTS: Available data support the hypothesis that
      this complication is not attributable to the size of the anterior skull base
      defect, to the surgical technique, or to the materials used for the
      reconstruction. We found that 1 possible contributing factor may be the presence
      of increased intracranial pressure associated with obesity and obstructive sleep
      apnea, observed in both patients. CONCLUSION: Frontal lobe herniation must be
      considered as a possible, albeit rare, complication of expanded endoscopic
      anterior skull base resection. Preoperative investigations concerning the
      presence of obstructive sleep symptoms as well as proper identification of
      neuroimaging signs of intracranial hypertension are recommended for such cases.

PMID- 26110998
TI  - Surgical Management of a Patient With Thoracic Spinal Cord Herniation: Case
      Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Thoracic spinal cord herniation (TSCH) is rare and
      likely underdiagnosed. It is characterized by ventral herniation of the spinal
      cord through a dural defect, effacement of the anterior subarachnoid space, and
      increased posterior subarachnoid space. We present here a case of TSCH diagnosed
      and surgically treated at Barrow Neurological Institute, along with supplemental
      intraoperative video. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 61-year-old man with a history of
      progressive myelopathy causing left lower-extremity weakness with associated
      numbness, impaired gait, foot drop, incontinence, and sexual impotence was
      referred without any previous treatment. Computed tomographic myelography and
      magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracic spine showed ventral spinal cord
      herniation at T3-T4. Neurological monitoring was recorded preoperatively and
      intraoperatively. The patient underwent left-sided posterolateral exploration via
      T3-T4 laminectomies and costotransversectomy for intradural cord
      release/detethering of the spinal cord with additional superior and inferior
      extension and repair of the dural defect. Arthrodesis was not considered
      necessary. After cord release, motor evoked potentials showed immediate
      improvement from baseline. Dural duplication was considered the cause of TSCH in
      this case. Total reduction of herniation was evident in postoperative images. The
      postoperative course was uneventful, and at the last follow-up, the patient had
      regained ambulation and sphincter control. CONCLUSION: Anterior displacement of
      the thoracic spinal cord should elicit consideration of herniation to prevent
      misdiagnosis and inadequate surgery. Surgical cord release and enlargement of the
      dural defect are safe and associated with good clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26110999
TI  - Intrathecal Pressure After Spinal Cord Injury.

PMID- 26111000
TI  - In Reply: Intrathecal Pressure After Spinal Cord Injury.

PMID- 26111001
TI  - Basal Autophagy and Feedback Activation of Akt Are Associated with Resistance to
      Metformin-Induced Inhibition of Hepatic Tumor Cell Growth.
AB  - While accumulating evidence has shown that the use of the diabetic drug metformin
      may be beneficial against various tumors in some epidemiological studies, a few
      studies failed to show the same beneficial effects. The molecular and cellular
      mechanisms for these conflicting observations are not clear. In this study, we
      compared the inhibitory effects of cell growth by metformin on several hepatic
      tumor cell lines: SMMC-7721, HCC-97L, HCC-LM3 and HepG2. While metformin
      inhibited cell growth in all these cells, we found that SMMC-7721, HCC-97L and
      HCC-LM3 cells were more resistant than HepG2 cells. Mechanistically, we found
      that metformin inhibited mTOR in all these hepatic tumor cells. However, SMMC
      7721 cells had higher levels of basal autophagy and mTORC2-mediated feedback
      activation of Akt than HepG2 cells, which may render SMMC-7721 cells to be more
      resistant to metformin-induced inhibition of cell growth. Similarly, HCC-97L and
      HCC-LM3 cells also had higher feedback activation of AKT than HepG2 cells, which
      may also account for their resistance to metformin-induced inhibition of cell
      growth. Therefore, the various basal autophagy and mTOR activity in different
      cancer cells may contribute to the controversial findings on the use of metformin
      in inhibition of cancers in humans. 

PMID- 26111003
TI  - The loss of scents: do defects in olfactory sensory neuron development underlie
      human disease?
AB  - The olfactory system is a fascinating and beguiling sensory system: olfactory
      sensory neurons detect odors underlying behaviors essential for mate choice, food
      selection, and escape from predators, among others. These sensory neurons are
      unique in that they have dendrites contacting the outside world, yet their first
      synapse lies in the central nervous system. The information entering the central
      nervous system is used to create odor memories that play a profound role in
      recognition of individuals, places, and appropriate foods. Here, the structure of
      the olfactory epithelium is given as an overview to discuss the origin of the
      olfactory placode, the plasticity of the olfactory sensory neurons, and finally
      the origins of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuroendocrine cells. For the
      purposes of this review, the development of the peripheral sensory system will be
      analyzed, incorporating recently published studies highlighting the potential
      novelties in development mechanisms. Specifically, an emerging model where the
      olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb develop simultaneously from a continuous
      neurectoderm patterned at the end of gastrulation, and the multiple origins of
      the gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuroendocrine cells associated with the
      olfactory sensory system development will be presented. Advances in the
      understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying olfactory sensory system
      development allows for a more thorough understanding of the potential causes of
      human disease.

PMID- 26111002
TI  - Drug Trafficking into Macrophages via the Endocytotic Receptor CD163.
AB  - In inflammatory diseases, macrophages are a main producer of a range of cytokines
      regulating the inflammatory state. This also includes inflammation induced by
      tumor growth, which recruits so-called tumor-associated macrophages supporting
      tumor growth. Macrophages are therefore relevant targets for cytotoxic or
      phenotype-modulating drugs in the treatment of inflammatory and cancerous
      diseases. Such targeting of macrophages has been tried using the natural
      propensity of macrophages to non-specifically phagocytose circulating foreign
      particulate material. In addition, the specific targeting of macrophage-expressed
      receptors has been used in order to obtain a selective uptake in macrophages and
      reduce adverse effects of off-target delivery of drugs. CD163 is a highly
      expressed macrophage-specific endocytic receptor that has been studied for
      intracellular delivery of small molecule drugs to macrophages using targeted
      liposomes or antibody drug conjugates. This review will focus on the biology of
      CD163 and its potential role as a target for selective macrophage targeting
      compared with other macrophage targeting approaches. 

PMID- 26111004
TI  - Changes in Neurofilament and Microtubule Distribution following Focal Axon
      Compression.
AB  - Although a number of cytoskeletal derangements have been described in the setting
      of traumatic axonal injury (TAI), little is known of early structural changes
      that may serve to initiate a cascade of further axonal degeneration. Recent work
      by the authors has examined conformational changes in cytoskeletal constituents
      of neuronal axons undergoing traumatic axonal injury (TAI) following focal
      compression through confocal imaging data taken in vitro and in situ. The present
      study uses electron microscopy to understand and quantify in vitro alterations in
      the ultrastructural composition of microtubules and neurofilaments within
      neuronal axons of rats following focal compression. Standard transmission
      electron microscopy processing methods are used to identify microtubules, while
      neurofilament identification is performed using antibody labeling through gold
      nanoparticles. The number, density, and spacing of microtubules and
      neurofilaments are quantified for specimens in sham Control and Crushed groups
      with fixation at <1 min following load. Our results indicate that the axon
      caliber dependency known to exist for microtubule and neurofilament metrics
      extends to axons undergoing TAI, with the exception of neurofilament spacing,
      which appears to remain constant across all Crushed axon diameters. Confidence
      interval comparisons between Control and Crushed cytoskeletal measures suggests
      early changes in the neurofilament spatial distributions within axons undergoing
      TAI may precede microtubule changes in response to applied loads. This may serve
      as a trigger for further secondary damage to the axon, representing a key insight
      into the temporal aspects of cytoskeletal degeneration at the component level,
      and suggests the rapid removal of neurofilament sidearms as one possible
      mechanism.

PMID- 26111005
TI  - Two showy traits, scent emission and pigmentation, are finely coregulated by the
      MYB transcription factor PH4 in petunia flowers.
AB  - The mechanism underlying the emission of phenylpropanoid volatiles is poorly
      understood. Here, we reveal the involvement of PH4, a petunia MYB-R2R3
      transcription factor previously studied for its role in vacuolar acidification,
      in floral volatile emission. We used the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS)
      approach to knock down PH4 expression in petunia, measured volatile emission and
      internal pool sizes by GC-MS, and analyzed transcript abundances of scent-related
      phenylpropanoid genes in flowers. Silencing of PH4 resulted in a marked decrease
      in floral phenylpropanoid volatile emission, with a concurrent increase in
      internal pool levels. Expression of scent-related phenylpropanoid genes was not
      affected. To identify putative scent-related targets of PH4, we silenced PH5, a
      tonoplast-localized H(+) -ATPase that maintains vacuolar pH homeostasis.
      Suppression of PH5 did not yield the reduced-emission phenotype, suggesting that
      PH4 does not operate in the context of floral scent through regulation of
      vacuolar pH. We conclude that PH4 is a key floral regulator that integrates
      volatile production and emission processes and interconnects two essential floral
      traits - color and scent. 

PMID- 26111006
TI  - Revision Rhinoplasty for Short Noses in the Asian Population.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Short nose, especially postoperative short nose in Asian patients,
      remains a challenging problem for plastic surgeons. OBJECTIVE: To determine the
      outcomes of revision rhinoplasty of postoperative short noses in Asian patients.
      DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We performed a retrospective medical record
      review of 41 Asian patients with postoperative short nose who underwent revision
      rhinoplasty in a tertiary care referral center in South Korea from October 1,
      2006, through August 31, 2014. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Patient demographic,
      surgical technique, graft use, anthropometric measurement, complication, and
      aesthetic outcome assessment data were retrieved. RESULTS: The 41 enrolled
      patients were a mean (SD) of 36.5 (12.6) years old. There were 16 men and 25
      women. The most commonly used dorsal graft in the previous rhinoplasty was
      silicone, followed by fascia with or without cartilage. Various surgical
      techniques were applied, including septal reconstruction, cartilage flap
      technique, tip surgery, lateral compartment correction, and dorsal augmentation.
      Autologous costal cartilage was the most commonly used septal reconstruction
      material. Eleven patients (27%) developed postoperative complications, including
      infection, nostril asymmetry, and pollybeak deformity. Revision rhinoplasty
      yielded statistically significant improvements in nasal length (increase of
      12.0%, P < .001), nasal tip projection (increase of 13.4%, P < .001), nasofrontal
      angle (decrease of 2.39 degrees , P = .04), nasolabial angle (decrease of 7.62
      degrees , P < .001), and columella-lobular angle (increase of 3.25 degrees , P <
      .001). More than 90% (37) of the patients were judged to have good or excellent
      aesthetic results. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Correction of postoperative short
      nose in Asian patients requires complicated surgery that usually involves more
      than one kind of surgical technique. Complications are not uncommon, and patients
      should be informed of this before surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

PMID- 26111007
TI  - Glycosylation enhances the aqueous sensitivity and lowers the cytotoxicity of a
      naphthalimide zinc ion fluorescence probe.
AB  - With this research we demonstrate that glycosylation of a naphthalimide zinc ion
      probe, using click chemistry, leads to an improvement of the aqueous sensitivity,
      working pH range and targeting ability for specific cells, together with
      significantly reduced cytotoxicity. 

PMID- 26111008
TI  - Ultrasonic Nanobubbles Carrying Anti-PSMA Nanobody: Construction and Application
      in Prostate Cancer-Targeted Imaging.
AB  - To facilitate prostate cancer imaging using targeted molecules, we constructed
      ultrasonic nanobubbles coupled with specific anti-PSMA (prostate specific
      membrane antigen) nanobodies, and evaluated their in vitro binding capacity and
      in vivo imaging efficacy. The "targeted" nanobubbles, which were constructed via
      a biotin-streptavidin system, had an average diameter of 487.60 +/- 33.55 nm and
      carried the anti-PSMA nanobody as demonstrated by immunofluorescence. Microscopy
      revealed targeted binding of nanobubbles in vitro to PSMA-positive cells.
      Additionally, ultrasonography indicators of nanobubble imaging (including arrival
      time, peak time, peak intensity and enhanced duration) were evaluated for the
      ultrasound imaging in three kinds of animal xenografts (LNCaP, C4-2 and MKN45),
      and showed that these four indicators of targeted nanobubbles exhibited
      significant differences from blank nanobubbles. Therefore, this study not only
      presents a novel approach to target prostate cancer ultrasonography, but also
      provides the basis and methods for constructing small-sized and high-efficient
      targeted ultrasound nanobubbles. 

PMID- 26111009
TI  - Auxin influx importers modulate serration along the leaf margin.
AB  - Leaf shape in Arabidopsis is modulated by patterning events in the margin that
      utilize a PIN-based auxin exporter/CUC2 transcription factor system to define
      regions of promotion and retardation of growth, leading to morphogenesis. In
      addition to auxin exporters, leaves also express auxin importers, notably members
      of the AUX1/LAX family. In contrast to their established roles in embryogenesis,
      lateral root and leaf initiation, the function of these transporters in leaf
      development is poorly understood. We report that three of these genes (AUX1, LAX1
      and LAX2) show specific and dynamic patterns of expression during early leaf
      development in Arabidopsis, and that loss of expression of all three genes is
      required for observation of a phenotype in which morphogenesis (serration) is
      decreased. We used these expression patterns and mutant phenotypes to develop a
      margin-patterning model that incorporates an AUX1/LAX1/LAX2 auxin import module
      that influences the extent of leaf serration. Testing of this model by margin
      localized expression of axr3-1 (AXR17) provides further insight into the role of
      auxin in leaf morphogenesis. 

PMID- 26111011
TI  - Verbal Fluency: Language or Executive Function Measure?
AB  - Measures of phonemic and semantic verbal fluency, such as FAS and Animal Fluency
      (Benton, Hamsher, & Sivan, 1989), are often thought to be measures of executive
      functioning (EF). However, some studies (Henry & Crawford, 2004a , 2004b , 2004c
      ) have noted there is also a language component to these tasks. The current
      exploratory factor-analytic study examined the underlying cognitive structure of
      verbal fluency. Participants were administered language and EF measures,
      including the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (FAS version), Animal
      Fluency, Boston Naming Test (BNT), Vocabulary (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
      III), Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST, perseverative responses), and Trail
      Making Test-Part B (TMT-B). A 2-factor solution was found with the 1st factor,
      language, having significant loadings for BNT and Vocabulary, while the second
      factor was labeled EF because of significant loading from the WCST and TMT-B.
      Surprisingly, FAS and Animal Fluency loaded exclusively on to the language factor
      and not EF. The current results do not exclude EF as a determinant of verbal
      fluency, but they do suggest that language processing is the critical component
      for this task, even without significant aphasic symptoms. Thus, the results
      indicated that both letter (phonemic) and category (semantic) fluency are related
      to language, but the relationship to EF is not supported by the results. 

PMID- 26111013
TI  - Automatic delineation of tumor volumes by co-segmentation of combined PET/MR
      data.
AB  - Combined PET/MRI may be highly beneficial for radiotherapy treatment planning in
      terms of tumor delineation and characterization. To standardize tumor volume
      delineation, an automatic algorithm for the co-segmentation of head and neck (HN)
      tumors based on PET/MR data was developed. Ten HN patient datasets acquired in a
      combined PET/MR system were available for this study. The proposed algorithm uses
      both the anatomical T2-weighted MR and FDG-PET data. For both imaging modalities
      tumor probability maps were derived, assigning each voxel a probability of being
      cancerous based on its signal intensity. A combination of these maps was
      subsequently segmented using a threshold level set algorithm. To validate the
      method, tumor delineations from three radiation oncologists were available. Inter
      observer variabilities and variabilities between the algorithm and each observer
      were quantified by means of the Dice similarity index and a distance measure.
      Inter-observer variabilities and variabilities between observers and algorithm
      were found to be comparable, suggesting that the proposed algorithm is adequate
      for PET/MR co-segmentation. Moreover, taking into account combined PET/MR data
      resulted in more consistent tumor delineations compared to MR information only. 

PMID- 26111010
TI  - Emergency Department Presentations following Tropical Cyclone Yasi.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Emergency departments see an increase in cases during cyclones. The
      aim of this study is to describe patient presentations to the Emergency
      Department (ED) of a tertiary level hospital (Townsville) following a tropical
      cyclone (Yasi). Specific areas of focus include changes in: patient demographics
      (age and gender), triage categories, and classification of diseases. METHODS:
      Data were extracted from the Townsville Hospitals ED information system (EDIS)
      for three periods in 2009, 2010 and 2011 to coincide with formation of Cyclone
      Yasi (31 January 2011) to six days after Yasi crossed the coast line (8 February
      2012). The analysis explored the changes in ICD10-AM 4-character classification
      and presented at the Chapter level. RESULTS: There was a marked increase in the
      number of patients attending the ED during Yasi, particularly those aged over 65
      years with a maximum daily attendance of 372 patients on 4 Feb 2011. The most
      marked increases were in: Triage categories--4 and 5; and ICD categories-
      diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L00-L99), and factors influencing
      health care status (Z00-Z99). The most common diagnostic presentation across all
      years was injury (S00-T98). DISCUSSION: There was an increase in presentations to
      the ED of TTH, which peaked in the first 24-48 hours following the cyclone and
      returned to normal over a five-day period. The changes in presentations were
      mostly an amplification of normal attendance patterns with some altered areas of
      activity. Injury patterns are similar to overseas experience.

PMID- 26111014
TI  - Correction: FK-16 Derived from the Anticancer Peptide LL-37 Induces Caspase
      Independent Apoptosis and Autophagic Cell Death in Colon Cancer Cells.

PMID- 26111015
TI  - N-trimethyl chitosan chloride-coated PLGA nanoparticles overcoming multiple
      barriers to oral insulin absorption.
AB  - Although several strategies have been applied for oral insulin delivery to
      improve insulin bioavailability, little success has been achieved. To overcome
      multiple barriers to oral insulin absorption simultaneously, insulin-loaded N
      trimethyl chitosan chloride (TMC)-coated polylactide-co-glycoside (PLGA)
      nanoparticles (Ins TMC-PLGA NPs) were formulated in our study. The Ins TMC-PLGA
      NPs were prepared using the double-emulsion solvent evaporation method and were
      characterized to determine their size (247.6 +/- 7.2 nm), zeta-potential (45.2 +/
      4.6 mV), insulin-loading capacity (7.8 +/- 0.5%) and encapsulation efficiency
      (47.0 +/- 2.9%). The stability and insulin release of the nanoparticles in enzyme
      containing simulated gastrointestinal fluids suggested that the TMC-PLGA NPs
      could partially protect insulin from enzymatic degradation. Compared with
      unmodified PLGA NPs, the positively charged TMC-PLGA NPs could improve the mucus
      penetration of insulin in mucus-secreting HT29-MTX cells, the cellular uptake of
      insulin via clathrin- or adsorption-mediated endocytosis in Caco-2 cells and the
      permeation of insulin across a Caco-2 cell monolayer through tight junction
      opening. After oral administration in mice, the TMC-PLGA NPs moved more slowly
      through the gastrointestinal tract compared with unmodified PLGA NPs, indicating
      the mucoadhesive property of the nanoparticles after TMC coating. Additionally,
      in pharmacological studies in diabetic rats, orally administered Ins TMC-PLGA NPs
      produced a stronger hypoglycemic effect, with 2-fold higher relative
      pharmacological availability compared with unmodified NPs. In conclusion, oral
      insulin absorption is improved by TMC-PLGA NPs with the multiple absorption
      barriers overcome simultaneously. TMC-PLGA NPs may be a promising drug delivery
      system for oral administration of macromolecular therapeutics. 

PMID- 26111017
TI  - TAFFYS: An Integrated Tool for Comprehensive Analysis of Genomic Aberrations in
      Tumor Samples.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array is a common platform
      for investigating the cancer genomic aberration and the functionally important
      altered genes. Original SNP array signals are usually corrupted by noise, and
      need to be de-convoluted into absolute copy number profile by analytical methods.
      Unfortunately, in contrast with the popularity of tumor Affymetrix SNP array, the
      methods that are specifically designed for this platform are still limited. The
      complicated characteristics of noise in signals is one of the difficulties for
      dissecting tumor Affymetrix SNP array data, as they inevitably blur the
      distinction between aberrations and create an obstacle for the copy number
      aberration (CNA) identification. RESULTS: We propose a tool named TAFFYS for
      comprehensive analysis of tumor Affymetrix SNP array data. TAFFYS introduce a
      wavelet-based de-noising approach and copy number-specific signal variance model
      for suppressing and modelling the noise in signals. Then a hidden Markov model is
      employed for copy number inference. Finally, by using the absolute copy number
      profile, statistical significance of each aberration region is calculated in term
      of different aberration types, including amplification, deletion and loss of
      heterozygosity (LOH). The result shows that copy number specific-variance model
      and wavelet de-noising algorithm fits well with the Affymetrix SNP array signals,
      leading to more accurate estimation for diluted tumor sample (even with only 30%
      of cancer cells) than other existed methods. Results of examinations also
      demonstrate a good compatibility and extensibility for different Affymetrix SNP
      array platforms. Application on the 35 breast tumor samples shows that TAFFYS can
      automatically dissect the tumor samples and reveal statistically significant
      aberration regions where cancer-related genes locate. CONCLUSIONS: TAFFYS provide
      an efficient and convenient tool for identifying the copy number alteration and
      allelic imbalance and assessing the recurrent aberrations for the tumor
      Affymetrix SNP array data.

PMID- 26111016
TI  - A de novo Assembly of the Common Frog (Rana temporaria) Transcriptome and
      Comparison of Transcription Following Exposure to Ranavirus and Batrachochytrium
      dendrobatidis.
AB  - Amphibians are experiencing global declines and extinctions, with infectious
      diseases representing a major factor. In this study we examined the
      transcriptional response of metamorphic hosts (common frog, Rana temporaria) to
      the two most important amphibian pathogens: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd)
      and Ranavirus. We found strong up-regulation of a gene involved in the adaptive
      immune response (AP4S1) at four days post-exposure to both pathogens. We detected
      a significant transcriptional response to Bd, covering the immune response
      (innate and adaptive immunity, complement activation, and general inflammatory
      responses), but relatively little transcriptional response to Ranavirus. This may
      reflect the higher mortality rates found in wild common frogs infected with
      Ranavirus as opposed to Bd. These data provide a valuable genomic resource for
      the amphibians, contribute insight into gene expression changes after pathogen
      exposure, and suggest potential candidate genes for future host-pathogen
      research. 

PMID- 26111019
TI  - Will a warmer and wetter future cause extinction of native Hawaiian forest birds?
AB  - Isolation of the Hawaiian archipelago produced a highly endemic and unique
      avifauna. Avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum), an introduced mosquito-borne
      pathogen, is a primary cause of extinctions and declines of these endemic
      honeycreepers. Our research assesses how global climate change will affect future
      malaria risk and native bird populations. We used an epidemiological model to
      evaluate future bird-mosquito-malaria dynamics in response to alternative climate
      projections from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. Climate changes
      during the second half of the century accelerate malaria transmission and cause a
      dramatic decline in bird abundance. Different temperature and precipitation
      patterns produce divergent trajectories where native birds persist with low
      malaria infection under a warmer and dryer projection (RCP4.5), but suffer high
      malaria infection and severe reductions under hot and dry (RCP8.5) or warm and
      wet (A1B) futures. We conclude that future global climate change will cause
      significant decreases in the abundance and diversity of remaining Hawaiian bird
      communities. Because these effects appear unlikely before mid-century, natural
      resource managers have time to implement conservation strategies to protect this
      unique avifauna from further decimation. Similar climatic drivers for avian and
      human malaria suggest that mitigation strategies for Hawai'i have broad
      application to human health. 

PMID- 26111018
TI  - Canine Antibodies against Salivary Recombinant Proteins of Phlebotomus
      perniciosus: A Longitudinal Study in an Endemic Focus of Canine Leishmaniasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phlebotomine sand flies are vectors of Leishmania parasites. During
      blood feeding, sand flies deposit into the host skin immunogenic salivary
      proteins which elicit specific antibody responses. These anti-saliva antibodies
      enable an estimate of the host exposure to sand flies and, in leishmaniasis
      endemic areas, also the risk for Leishmania infections. However, the use of whole
      salivary gland homogenates as antigen has several limitations, and therefore,
      recombinant salivary proteins have been tested to replace them in antibody
      detection assays. In this study, we have used for the first time sand fly
      salivary recombinant proteins in a longitudinal field study on dogs.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Sera from dogs naturally exposed to P.
      perniciosus bites over two consecutive transmission seasons in a site endemic for
      canine leishmaniasis (CanL) were tested at different time points by ELISA for the
      antibodies recognizing whole saliva, single salivary 43 kDa yellow-related
      recombinant protein (rSP03B), and a combination of two salivary recombinant
      proteins, 43 kDa yellow-related protein and 35.5 kDa apyrase (rSP01). Dogs were
      also tested for Leishmania infantum positivity by serology, culture, and PCR and
      the infection status was evaluated prospectively. We found a significant
      association between active CanL infection and the amount of anti-P. perniciosus
      saliva antibodies. Importantly, we detected a high correlation between IgG
      antibodies recognizing rSP03B protein and the whole salivary antigen. The
      kinetics of antibody response showed for both a whole saliva and rSP03B a similar
      pattern that was clearly related to the seasonal abundance of P. perniciosus.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that P. perniciosus rSP03B protein is a valid
      alternative to whole saliva and could be used in large-scale serological studies.
      This novel method could be a practical and economically-sound tool to detect the
      host exposure to sand fly bites in CanL endemic areas.

PMID- 26111020
TI  - Geographical Barriers Impeded the Spread of a Parasitic Chromosome.
AB  - Parasitic supernumerary (B) chromosomes show high capability to spread across
      populations. But the existence of abrupt discontinuities in their distribution
      demands an explanation. The grasshopper Eyprepocnemis plorans plorans harbour
      supernumerary chromosomes in all natural populations hitherto analyzed from the
      Circum-Mediterranean region, with the single exception of the headwaters of the
      Iberian Segura River and several of its tributaries. To ascertain the causes of
      this distribution pattern, we analyze here the genetic structure of five natural
      populations collected in this zone (two +B and three -B), by means of ISSR
      markers. We found significant population structure, with two kinds of populations
      coinciding with +B and -B ones, separated by strong barriers to gene flow. This
      gives strong support to the hypothesis that the non-B populations precede B
      origin, and that B-carrying individuals from coastal zones have been able to
      colonize upstream areas, until geographical barriers (usually narrow canyons and
      arid areas surrounding them) impeded their advance. 

PMID- 26111021
TI  - Propofol versus thiopental sodium for the treatment of refractory status
      epilepticus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published
      in Issue 8, 2012.Failure to respond to antiepileptic drugs in patients with
      uncontrolled seizure activity such as refractory status epilepticus (RSE) has led
      to the use of anaesthetic drugs. Coma is induced with anaesthetic drugs to
      achieve complete control of seizure activity. Thiopental sodium and propofol are
      popularly used for this purpose. Both agents have been found to be effective.
      However, there is a substantial lack of evidence as to which of the two drugs is
      better in terms of clinical outcome. OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy, adverse
      effects, and short- and long-term outcomes of RSE treated with one of the two
      anaesthetic agents, thiopental sodium or propofol. SEARCH METHODS: We searched
      the Cochrane Epilepsy Group Specialized Register (26 March 2015), the Cochrane
      Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library Issue 2,
      February 2015) and MEDLINE (1946 to 26 March 2015). We also searched
      ClinicalTrials.gov (26 March 2015), the South Asian Database of Controlled
      Clinical Trials and IndMED (a bibliographic database of Indian Medical Journals).
      SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised or quasi-randomised controlled studies
      (regardless of blinding) of control of RSE using either thiopental sodium or
      propofol in patients of any age and gender. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two
      review authors screened the search results and reviewed the abstracts of relevant
      and eligible trials before retrieving the full-text publications. MAIN RESULTS:
      One study with a total of 24 participants was available for review. This study
      was a small, single-blind, multicentre trial studying adults with RSE receiving
      either propofol or thiopental sodium for the control of seizure activity. This
      study cannot be considered of high methodological quality. This study was
      terminated early due to recruitment problems. This study showed a wide confidence
      interval suggesting that the drugs may differ in efficacy up to more than two
      fold. Days of mechanical ventilation were more in patients receiving thiopental
      sodium when compared with propofol. At three months there was no evidence of a
      difference between the drugs with respect to outcome measures such as control of
      seizure activity and functional outcome. Adverse events reported in this study
      were infection, hypotension and intestinal ischaemia. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Since
      the last version of this review we have found no new studies.There is a lack of
      robust, randomised, controlled evidence that can clarify the efficacy of propofol
      and thiopental sodium compared to each other in the treatment of RSE. There is a
      need for large randomised controlled trials for this serious condition.

PMID- 26111022
TI  - Clinicopathological Analysis of Ocular Adnexal Extranodal Marginal Zone B-Cell
      Lymphoma with IgG4-Positive Cells.
AB  - This study aims to analyze clinical and pathological characteristics of ocular
      adnexal extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (EMZL) accompanying IgG4
      positive cells. Fifty patients with a diagnosis of primary non-conjunctival
      ocular adnexal EMZL were enrolled in this study. The number of IgG4-positive
      cells and the ratio of IgG/IgG4 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in the
      biopsy specimens. The patients were divided into two groups based on the absolute
      number and the ratio of IgG4-positive cells (IgG4-posivite vs IgG4-negative
      groups). The demographic data, clinical staging at diagnosis, histopathological
      characteristics, and response to initial treatment were comparatively analyzed
      between the 2 groups. Five (10%) of 50 patients were defined as IgG4-positive
      group, and all the cases showed characteristic histological features such as
      extensive plasma cell infiltration and dense fibrosis. Most of these patients (4
      of 5 patients) had lymphoma of the lacrimal gland. The patients from the IgG4
      positive group showed a lower response rate to initial treatment (87.5 vs 33%, p
      = 0.03) than IgG4-negative group with a median follow-up period of 38 months. A
      part of the ocular adnexal EMZLs were accompanied with IgG4-positive cells.
      Significantly, most IgG4-positive ocular adnexal EMZLs occurred in the lacrimal
      gland, and can be related with a more frequent treatment failure. 

PMID- 26111023
TI  - Discovery of a latent calcineurin inhibitory peptide from its autoinhibitory
      domain by docking, dynamic simulation, and in vitro methods.
AB  - Autoinhibitory domain (AID) of calcineurin (CN) was discovered two decades ago.
      Fewer investigations are reported to find out shortest possible peptide from the
      AID for CN inhibition. Hence, this study has focused on screening of nearly 150
      peptide fragments derived from the AID using in silico method. Therefore, we have
      employed docking studies, aiming to analyze the best pose of AID-derived peptides
      on CN active site. We also analyzed binding free energy (DeltaG) of docked
      complex using molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area (MM/GBSA).
      MM/GBSA predicts two short peptides P1 and P2 found to be lowest binding free
      energy. Two peptides exhibit better binding affinity with CN, suggests that the
      possible candidates for potential CN inhibition. Further, the stability of the
      docked complex was analyzed using molecular dynamic (MD) simulation. MD study
      shows that CNA:P2 is the most stable complex than CN A:P1 and CN A:AID. Besides,
      we have synthesized and purified P1 and P2 peptides over high performance liquid
      chromatography (HPLC) found to be 90.31% and 98.93% of purity, respectively. In
      addition, AID peptides were characterized over mass spectral analysis. Peptides
      were subjected to CN inhibitory assay using malachite green method. Where, P1 and
      P2 exhibit CN inhibition better than AID. In particular, shortest peptide P2
      shows highest inhibitory activity than AID. Enzyme assay reveals CN inhibitory
      activity of P2 peptide is consistent within silico results. In silico and in
      vitro, results corroborated each other to confirm short peptide P2 can be used as
      a potential CN inhibitor. 

PMID- 26111024
TI  - Toward integrative annotation of cell type-specific epigenomes to better
      understand human biology and disease.

PMID- 26111025
TI  - Breaking TADs: insights into hierarchical genome organization.

PMID- 26111026
TI  - The regulatory mechanisms of intragenic DNA methylation.

PMID- 26111027
TI  - DNMT3A moderates cognitive decline in subjects with mild cognitive impairment:
      replicated evidence from two mild cognitive impairment cohorts.
AB  - Epigenetic dysregulation has been associated with cognitive decline and
      Alzheimer's disease. The present study investigated associations between common
      SNPs in genes regulating DNA methylation and age-related changes in cognitive
      decline in two independent prospective cohorts of patients suffering from mild
      cognitive impairment. An association between the rs1187120 SNP in DNMT3A and
      annual decline in cognitive functioning was discovered and replicated, suggesting
      that DNMT3A moderates cognitive decline in subjects with mild cognitive
      impairment. 

PMID- 26111028
TI  - DNA methylation profiling of synovial fluid FLS in rheumatoid arthritis reveals
      changes common with tissue-derived FLS.
AB  - AIM: Alterations in DNA methylation contribute to the abnormal phenotype of
      fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
      We profiled genome-wide DNA methylation in these cells from synovial fluid, a
      more readily accessible source of disease-associated cells. PATIENTS & METHODS:
      Genome-wide DNA methylation was interrogated in fluid-derived FLS from five RA
      and six osteoarthritis patients using Human Methylation 450 Bead Chip and
      bisulfite pyrosequencing. RESULTS: Array analysis identified 328 CpGs,
      representing 195 genes, that were differentially methylated between RA and
      osteoarthritis fluid-derived FLS. Comparison with the genes identified in two
      independent studies of tissue-derived FLS revealed 73 genes in common (~40%), of
      which 22 shared identity with both studies. Pyrosequencing confirmed altered
      methylation of these genes. CONCLUSION: Synovial fluid-derived RA FLS show
      methylation changes common with tissue-derived FLS, supporting the use of fluid
      derived FLS for future investigations.

PMID- 26111029
TI  - Introducing enteral feeding induces intestinal subclinical inflammation and
      respective chromatin changes in preterm pigs.
AB  - AIM: To analyze how enteral food introduction affects intestinal gene regulation
      and chromatin structure in preterm pigs. MATERIALS & METHODS: Preterm pigs were
      fed parenteral nutrition plus/minus slowly increasing volumes of enteral
      nutrition. Intestinal gene-expression and chromatin structure were analyzed 5
      days after birth. RESULTS: Enteral feeding led to differential upregulation of
      inflammatory and pattern recognition receptor genes, including IL8 (median: 5.8,
      95% CI: 3.9-7.8 for formula; median: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.3-3.3 for colostrum) and TLR4
      (median: 3.7, 95% CI: 2.6-4.8 for formula; no significant differences for
      colostrum) with corresponding decondensed chromatin configurations. On histology
      this correlated with mild mucosal lesions, particularly in formula-fed pigs. In
      CaCo-2 cells, histone hyperacetylation led to a marked increase in TLR4 mRNA and
      increased IL8 expression upon stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (median: 7.0;
      interquartile range: 5.63-8.85) compared with naive cells (median 4.2;
      interquartile range: 2.45-6.33; p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Enteral feeding,
      particular with formula, induces subclinical inflammation in the premature
      intestine and more open chromatin structure in key inflammatory genes. This may
      increase the susceptibility for necrotizing enterocolitis.

PMID- 26111031
TI  - Traumatic stress and human DNA methylation: a critical review.
AB  - Animal studies have identified persistent and functional effects of traumatic
      stress on the epigenome. This review discusses the clinical evidence for trauma
      induced changes in DNA methylation across the life span in humans. Studies are
      reviewed based on reports of trauma exposure during the prenatal period (13
      studies), early life (20 studies), and adulthood (ten studies). Even though it is
      apparent that traumatic stress influences the human epigenome, there are
      significant drawbacks in the existing human literature. These include a lack of
      longitudinal studies, methodological heterogeneity, selection of tissue type, and
      the influence of developmental stage and trauma type on methylation outcomes.
      These issues are discussed in order to present a way in which future studies can
      gain more insight into the functional relevance of trauma-related DNA methylation
      changes. Epigenetic studies investigating the detrimental effects of traumatic
      stress have great potential for an improved detection and treatment of trauma
      related psychiatric disorders. 

PMID- 26111032
TI  - KDM1 histone lysine demethylases as targets for treatments of oncological and
      neurodegenerative disease.
AB  - Histone methylation and demethylation are important processes associated with the
      regulation of gene transcription, and alterations in histone methylation status
      have been linked to a large number of human diseases. Initially thought to be an
      irreversible process, histone methylation is now known to be reversed by two
      families of proteins containing over 30 members that act to remove methyl groups
      from specific lysine residues present in the tails of histone H3 and histone H4.
      A rapidly growing number of reports have implicated the FAD-dependent lysine
      specific demethylase (KDM1) family in cancer, and several small-molecule
      inhibitors are in development for the treatment of cancer. An additional role has
      emerged for KDM1 in brain function, offering additional opportunities for the
      development of novel therapeutic strategies in neurodegenerative disease. A
      decade after the identification of KDM1A as a histone demethylase, the first
      selective inhibitors have now reached the clinic. 

PMID- 26111033
TI  - Epigenetics and the burden of noncommunicable disease: a paucity of research in
      Africa.
AB  - Epidemiological evidence suggests that an adverse in utero environment is
      associated with an increased risk for developing adult onset diseases. The
      molecular mechanisms for susceptibility to chronic noncommunicable diseases are
      not fully understood, although recent research has proposed that epigenetic
      modifications play an important role in fetal programming. Genetic and
      environmental factors contribute to interindividual and spatiotemporal tissue
      specific methylation patterns. Although the diverse environments and high genetic
      diversity of African populations provide unparalleled potential to investigate
      the effects of environmental change on the epigenetic profile in humans, only a
      small percentage of genomic and epigenetic studies have focused on populations
      from this continent. This emphasizes the need to build capacity in Africa for
      research that leads to an understanding of the association between genetic,
      epigenetic and environmental risk factors for noncommunicable diseases on the
      continent. 

PMID- 26111030
TI  - Gadd45b and N-methyl-D-aspartate induced DNA demethylation in postmitotic
      neurons.
AB  - AIM: In nondividing neurons examine the role of Gadd45b in active 5
      methylcytosine (5MC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5HMC) removal at a gene
      promoter highly implicated in mental illnesses and cognition, Bdnf. MATERIALS &
      METHODS: Mouse primary cortical neuronal cultures with and without Gadd45b siRNA
      transfection were treated with N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA). Expression changes of
      genes reportedly involved in DNA demethylation, Bdnf mRNA and protein and 5MC and
      5HMC at Bdnf promoters were measured. RESULTS: Gadd45b siRNA transfection in
      neurons abolishes the NMDA-induced increase in Bdnf IXa mRNA and reductions in
      5MC and 5HMC at the Bdnf IXa promoter. CONCLUSION: These results contribute to
      our understanding of DNA demethylation mechanisms in neurons, and its role in
      regulating NMDA responsive genes implicated in mental illnesses.

PMID- 26111034
TI  - Epigenetic modulation with histone deacetylase inhibitors in combination with
      immunotherapy.
AB  - Understanding the contribution of dysregulated gene silencing to epigenomic
      alterations in cancer development provides the rationale for the use of
      epigenetic modulators, such as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, in cancer
      therapy. HDAC inhibitors have been approved as single agents for cutaneous and
      peripheral T-cell lymphoma and have shown promising activity in reversing therapy
      resistance in other tumor types. The effects of HDAC inhibitors on immune
      modulation have created a recent interest in their potential role in
      immunotherapy. This review describes the current understanding on integrating
      HDAC inhibitors into various immunotherapeutic approaches, such as cancer
      vaccines, adoptive T-cell transfer and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Furthermore,
      it summarizes promising treatment strategies in epigenetic immune priming from
      clinical trials that are currently underway. 

PMID- 26111035
TI  - Circulating miRNAs as intercellular messengers, potential biomarkers and
      therapeutic targets for Type 2 diabetes.
AB  - miRNAs have emerged as key epigenetic regulators of metabolism. Their
      deregulation contributes to metabolic abnormalities, proposing their potential
      role as therapeutic targets for Type 2 diabetes. The exciting finding that miRNAs
      exist in the bloodstream suggests that circulating miRNAs may act in a hormone
      like fashion. Despite the fact that significant progress has been made in
      understanding circulating miRNAs, this topic is full of complexities and many
      questions remain unanswered. The goal of this review is to bring together up-to
      date knowledge about circulating miRNAs and their role as intercellular
      communicators as well as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in
      metabolic diseases, providing examples of possible clinical applications for
      circulating miRNAs in diabetes and cardiovascular complications. 

PMID- 26111036
TI  - The role of butyrate, a histone deacetylase inhibitor in diabetes mellitus:
      experimental evidence for therapeutic intervention.
AB  - The contribution of epigenetic mechanisms in diabetes mellitus (DM), beta-cell
      reprogramming and its complications is an emerging concept. Recent evidence
      suggests that there is a link between DM and histone deacetylases (HDACs),
      because HDAC inhibitors promote beta-cell differentiation, proliferation,
      function and improve insulin resistance. Moreover, gut microbes and diet-derived
      products can alter the host epigenome. Furthermore, butyrate and butyrate
      producing microbes are decreased in DM. Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid
      produced from the fermentation of dietary fibers by microbiota and has been
      proven as an HDAC inhibitor. The present review provides a pragmatic
      interpretation of chromatin-dependent and independent complex
      signaling/mechanisms of butyrate for the treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 DM, with
      an emphasis on the promising strategies for its drugability and therapeutic
      implication.

PMID- 26111037
TI  - Correlates of Recent Declines of Rodents in Northern and Southern Australia:
      Habitat Structure Is Critical.
AB  - Australia has experienced dramatic declines and extinctions of its native rodent
      species over the last 200 years, particularly in southern Australia. In the
      tropical savanna of northern Australia significant declines have occurred only in
      recent decades. The later onset of these declines suggests that the causes may
      differ from earlier declines in the south. We examine potential regional effects
      (northern versus southern Australia) on biological and ecological correlates of
      range decline in Australian rodents. We demonstrate that rodent declines have
      been greater in the south than in the tropical north, are strongly influenced by
      phylogeny, and are consistently greater for species inhabiting relatively open or
      sparsely vegetated habitat. Unlike in marsupials, where some species have much
      larger body size than rodents, body mass was not an important predictor of
      decline in rodents. All Australian rodent species are within the prey-size range
      of cats (throughout the continent) and red foxes (in the south). Contrary to the
      hypothesis that mammal declines are related directly to ecosystem productivity
      (annual rainfall), our results are consistent with the hypothesis that
      disturbances such as fire and grazing, which occur in non-rainforest habitats and
      remove cover used by rodents for shelter, nesting and foraging, increase
      predation risk. We agree with calls to introduce conservation management that
      limits the size and intensity of fires, increases fire patchiness and reduces
      grazing impacts at ecological scales appropriate for rodents. Controlling feral
      predators, even creating predator-free reserves in relatively sparsely-vegetated
      habitats, is urgently required to ensure the survival of rodent species,
      particularly in northern Australia where declines are not yet as severe as those
      in the south. 

PMID- 26111038
TI  - Hybridization Gap and Dresselhaus Spin Splitting in EuIr4In2Ge4.
AB  - EuIr4In2Ge4 is a new intermetallic semiconductor that adopts a non
      centrosymmetric structure in the tetragonal I42m space group with unit cell
      parameters a=6.9016(5) A and c=8.7153(9) A. The compound features an indirect
      optical band gap E(g)=0.26(2) eV, and electronic-structure calculations show that
      the energy gap originates primarily from hybridization of the Ir 5d orbitals,
      with small contributions from the Ge 4p and In 5p orbitals. The strong spin-orbit
      coupling arising from the Ir atoms, and the lack of inversion symmetry leads to
      significant spin splitting, which is described by the Dresselhaus term, at both
      the conduction- and valence-band edges. The magnetic Eu(2+) ions present in the
      structure, which do not play a role in gap formation, order antiferromagnetically
      at 2.5 K.

PMID- 26111039
TI  - Correction: Combined Use of Hyperbaric and Hypobaric Ropivacaine Significantly
      Improves Hemodynamic Characteristics in Spinal Anesthesia for Caesarean Section:
      A Prospective, Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Study.

PMID- 26111041
TI  - Lesions of the Neovagina--A Review.
AB  - Creation of a neovagina is uncommon, but it may be performed for congenital
      absence or anomaly, after exenterative cancer surgery, or in male-to-female
      transsexuals. A variety of tissues may be used to create the neovagina. Lesions
      of the neovagina are uncommon and probably not well known to most practitioners.
      A review of these lesions will be helpful if such a patient presents. 

PMID- 26111042
TI  - Primary Adenocarcinoma of Intestinal Type Arising From a Vaginal Mass: A Case
      Report.
AB  - A patient with a history of a severe vaginal laceration during vaginal birth,
      unknown degree, presented with recurrent vaginal discharge and was found to have
      a vaginal mass. Pathologic analysis showed squamous mucosa transitioning into
      colonic type of mucosa with adenocarcinoma developed from colonic type of mucosa,
      reminiscent of anorectal junction. 

PMID- 26111040
TI  - History of Abuse in Women With Vulvar Pruritus, Vulvodynia, and Asymptomatic
      Controls.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Chronic vulvar pruritus and vulvodynia are common vulvar diseases. The
      aim of this study was to compare gynecologic and sexual and physical abuse
      histories from patients with these diagnoses and from healthy controls. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Questionnaires were self-completed by patients diagnosed with vulvar
      itch-scratch (n = 93), patients diagnosed with vulvodynia (n = 232), and patients
      presenting for annual gynecologic examinations (n = 104) at the University of
      Michigan Hospitals, Ann Arbor, MI. RESULTS: Patients who came for annual
      examinations were less likely to report past gynecologic infections (p < .05) and
      indicated higher interest in and more frequent sexual activity than the other 2
      groups (p = .003). Vulvodynia patients had the highest scores on the McGill Pain
      Questionnaire (p < .001). Subjects with either vulvar disorder were more likely
      to self-report a history of gynecologic infections than annual examination
      controls. Rates of sexual (p = .78) and physical abuse (p = .12) were similar for
      all 3 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with vulvar pruritus and vulvodynia report
      similar rates of sexual and physical abuse.

PMID- 26111043
TI  - Efficacy and Tolerability of Mometasone Furoate in Lichen Sclerosus: Further
      Confirming Evidence.

PMID- 26111044
TI  - Enhancing primary care for persons with spinal cord injury: More than improving
      physical accessibility.
AB  - In Ontario, Canada, legislation exists that mandates that all medical practices
      be fully accessible by 2025, in an effort to improve access to primary care for
      persons with physical disabilities. The simple removal of physical barriers may
      not guarantee improved access to appropriate care. In this clinical note, members
      of an interprofessional primary care-based Mobility Clinic reflect on
      opportunities to improve primary care beyond just better physical accessibility
      for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). The importance of collaborations
      between funders, researchers, and clinicians are examined. Using a participatory
      action research model, the unique perspective of consumers and consumer networks
      are incorporated into the Mobility Clinic's clinical and research efforts to
      improve primary care for persons with SCI.

PMID- 26111045
TI  - Why do men suffering from LUTS seek primary medical care? A qualitative study.
AB  - RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are common
      problems among men, but only a small proportion actually visit their general
      practitioner (GP). This study aims to gain insight into the reasons why men visit
      a doctor, and their expectations. METHODS: We opted to perform a qualitative
      study with semi-structured interviews among men aged over 50 years who consulted
      their GP because of suffering from LUTS. All interviews were fully transcribed
      and coded and analysed by two researchers using ATLAS.ti. RESULTS: We interviewed
      18 men between the ages of 52 and 80. Frequently mentioned reasons for seeking
      help can be grouped under three main themes: a wish for reassurance about not
      having prostate cancer, the nuisance of symptoms such as nycturia and being
      triggered by public information about LUTS. Most participants lacked an
      understanding of the cause and prognosis of their symptoms. CONCLUSION: The main
      reasons to seek primary medical care are the need for reassurance and the
      nuisance of symptoms, especially nycturia. Overall, the patients show remarkably
      poor knowledge about their symptoms.

PMID- 26111046
TI  - Region-Based Association Test for Familial Data under Functional Linear Models.
AB  - Region-based association analysis is a more powerful tool for gene mapping than
      testing of individual genetic variants, particularly for rare genetic variants.
      The most powerful methods for regional mapping are based on the functional data
      analysis approach, which assumes that the regional genome of an individual may be
      considered as a continuous stochastic function that contains information about
      both linkage and linkage disequilibrium. Here, we extend this powerful approach,
      earlier applied only to independent samples, to the samples of related
      individuals. To this end, we additionally include a random polygene effects in
      functional linear model used for testing association between quantitative traits
      and multiple genetic variants in the region. We compare the statistical power of
      different methods using Genetic Analysis Workshop 17 mini-exome family data and a
      wide range of simulation scenarios. Our method increases the power of regional
      association analysis of quantitative traits compared with burden-based and kernel
      based methods for the majority of the scenarios. In addition, we estimate the
      statistical power of our method using regions with small number of genetic
      variants, and show that our method retains its advantage over burden-based and
      kernel-based methods in this case as well. The new method is implemented as the R
      function 'famFLM' using two types of basis functions: the B-spline and Fourier
      bases. We compare the properties of the new method using models that differ from
      each other in the type of their function basis. The models based on the Fourier
      basis functions have an advantage in terms of speed and power over the models
      that use the B-spline basis functions and those that combine B-spline and Fourier
      basis functions. The 'famFLM' function is distributed under GPLv3 license and is
      freely available at http://mga.bionet.nsc.ru/soft/famFLM/. 

PMID- 26111047
TI  - Detecting and Quantifying Forest Change: The Potential of Existing C- and X-Band
      Radar Datasets.
AB  - This paper evaluates the opportunity provided by global interferometric radar
      datasets for monitoring deforestation, degradation and forest regrowth in
      tropical and semi-arid environments. The paper describes an easy to implement
      method for detecting forest spatial changes and estimating their magnitude. The
      datasets were acquired within space-borne high spatial resolutions radar missions
      at near-global scales thus being significant for monitoring systems developed
      under the United Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The approach
      presented in this paper was tested in two areas located in Indonesia and
      Australia. Forest change estimation was based on differences between a reference
      dataset acquired in February 2000 by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)
      and TanDEM-X mission (TDM) datasets acquired in 2011 and 2013. The synergy
      between SRTM and TDM datasets allowed not only identifying changes in forest
      extent but also estimating their magnitude with respect to the reference through
      variations in forest height. 

PMID- 26111048
TI  - Flow Cytometric Immunobead Assay for Detection of BCR-ABL1 Fusion Proteins in
      Chronic Myleoid Leukemia: Comparison with FISH and PCR Techniques.
AB  - Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is characterized by a balanced translocation
      juxtaposing the Abelson (ABL) and breakpoint cluster region (BCR) genes. The
      resulting BCR-ABL1 oncogene leads to increased proliferation and survival of
      leukemic cells. Successful treatment of CML has been accompanied by steady
      improvements in our capacity to accurately and sensitively monitor therapy
      response. Currently, measurement of BCR-ABL1 mRNA transcript levels by real-time
      quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) defines critical response endpoints. An antibody-based
      technique for BCR-ABL1 protein recognition could be an attractive alternative to
      RQ-PCR. To date, there have been no studies evaluating whether flow-cytometry
      based assays could be of clinical utility in evaluating residual disease in CML
      patients. Here we describe a flow-cytometry assay that detects the presence of
      BCR-ABL1 fusion proteins in CML lysates to determine the applicability,
      reliability, and specificity of this method for both diagnosis and monitoring of
      CML patients for initial response to therapy. We show that: i) CML can be
      properly diagnosed at onset, (ii) follow-up assessments show detectable fusion
      protein (i.e. relative mean fluorescent intensity, rMFI%>1) when BCR-ABL1IS
      transcripts are between 1-10%, and (iii) rMFI% levels predict CCyR as defined by
      FISH analysis. Overall, the FCBA assay is a rapid technique, fully translatable
      to the routine management of CML patients. 

PMID- 26111050
TI  - Safety of a second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor and novel targeted
      therapy for the treatment of a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia and multiple
      myeloma.
AB  - The prevalence of chronic myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma has increased in
      recent years partly because of an improved therapeutic armamentarium for both
      conditions. Likewise, understanding the complexity inherent in designing
      combination treatment strategies will become increasingly prescient in the coming
      years. We describe, to the best of our knowledge, the first reported patient to
      be treated with second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy while on
      novel therapy for myeloma. The combination was well tolerated and effective for
      the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia and concurrent myeloma. 

PMID- 26111049
TI  - Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and
      fluorouracil-based treatment in Taiwan colorectal cancer.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the association between methylenetetrahydrofolate
      reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms and the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC)
      patients undergoing 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy in Taiwan. We
      investigated 126 CRC cases. The most common polymorphisms C677T (rs1801133) and
      A1298C (rs1801131) in MTHFR were genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism. The frequencies of C677T and A1298C were further compared with
      those in the HapMap database for Whites and Asians. In this study, we found that
      TT-homozygosity at MTHFR C677T was significantly associated with survival in CRC
      patients [P<0.001; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.068-0.212]. In CRC patients
      receiving 5-FU-based chemotherapy, the TT genotype at C677T was also
      significantly associated with survival (P=0.001; 95% CI=0.113-0.400) and
      recurrence after surgery (P<0.001; 95% CI=0.295-0.609). The A1298C genotypes had
      a significant impact on survival (chi=7.103; P=0.029). The MTHFR A1298C CC
      genotype may increase the risk of death in Taiwanese CRC patients. The MTHFR
      C677T TT genotype was present at a lower frequency in our CRC patients than in
      the HapMap Asian population, but the frequency was similar to that in Whites in
      the HapMap database. The distribution of MTHFR A1298C genotypes was similar in
      our CRC and in the HapMap Asian population, but was different from that in the
      White population. This study suggested that MTHFR C677T and A1298C are associated
      with prognosis in CRC patients undergoing 5-FU-based chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26111051
TI  - Synthesis of N-Hydroxy Isopeptide Containing Proteins.
AB  - Chemical synthesis of a peptide-ubiquitin conjugate linked by an N-hydroxy
      isopeptide bond to determine what effect the N-hydroxy group has on the enzymatic
      hydrolysis of the isopeptide linkage by deubiquitinases is reported. This
      conjugate was subjected to proteolysis by UCH-L3 in the presence and absence of
      various metal ions, and no substantive difference in hydrolysis was seen compared
      to a control lacking the N-hydroxy group. The accessibility of N-hydroxy
      ubiquitinated substrates may find uses to study other deubiquitinases in
      particular those which use a zinc ion as a part of their catalytic mechanism. 

PMID- 26111052
TI  - Highly Enantioselective Nucleophilic Dearomatization of Pyridines by Anion
      Binding Catalysis.
AB  - The asymmetric dearomatization of N-heterocycles is an important synthetic method
      to gain bioactive and synthetically valuable chiral heterocycles. However, the
      catalytic enantio- and regioselective dearomatization of the simplest six
      membered-ring N-heteroarenes, the pyridines, is still very challenging. The first
      anion-binding-catalyzed, highly enantioselective nucleophilic dearomatization of
      pyridines with triazole-based H-bond donor catalysts is presented. Contrary to
      other more common NH-based H-bond donors, this type of organocatalyst shows a
      prominent higher C2-regioselectivity and is able to promote high
      enantioinductions via formation of a close chiral anion-pair complex with a
      preformed N-acyl pyridinium ionic intermediate. This method offers a
      straightforward and useful synthetic approach to chiral N-heterocycles from
      abundant and readily available pyridines. 

PMID- 26111053
TI  - Flow cytometric measurement of platelet-associated immunoglobulin in children
      with newly diagnosed Immune Thrombocytopenia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical utility of measuring platelet-associated
      immunoglobulin (PAIG) at the time of diagnosis in children with immune
      thrombocytopenia (ITP). METHODS: PAIG was measured by flow cytometry using
      fluorescent murine anti-IgG and anti-IgM. In a cohort of 88 children with ITP,
      the assay was performed within 15 days of diagnosis and before any treatment in
      68 cases. We reviewed the results and examined the relation of isotype profile
      and degree of elevation to clinical manifestations and course of disease.
      RESULTS: PAIG was elevated in 74%, with raised IgM being more frequent than IgG
      (63% vs. 44%, P = 0.04) and with isotype profile depending on symptom onset.
      Platelet counts at presentation were similar in all subgroups, but mucosal
      bleeding was less frequent in PAIG-negative patients compared to the positive
      groups (5.5% vs. 34%, P = 0.03). Duration of thrombocytopenia was similar in
      negative and positive cases, but during follow-up, significant bleeding events
      occurred less frequently in PAIG-negative patients (0% vs. 14%, P = 0.18).
      CONCLUSION: Approximately one-quarter of children are PAIG-negative, and these
      children have milder bleeding tendency at diagnosis and lower morbidity during
      follow-up. Raised PAIG possibly may cause some degree of platelet dysfunction.

PMID- 26111054
TI  - Nonrigid Registration Regularized by Shape Information: Application to Atlas
      Construction of Cardiac CT Images.
AB  - Cardiac atlases play an important role in the computer-aided diagnosis of
      cardiovascular diseases, in particular they need to deal with large and highly
      variable image datasets. In this paper, we propose a new nonrigid registration
      algorithm incorporating shape information, to produce comprehensive atlases. For
      one thing, the multiscale gradient orientation features of images are combined to
      form the construction of multifeature mutual information. Additionally, the shape
      information of multiple-objects in images is incorporated into the cost function
      for registration. We demonstrate the merits of the new registration algorithm on
      the 3D data sets of 15 patients. The experimental results show that the new
      registration algorithm can outperform the conventional intensity-based
      registration method. The obtained atlas can represent the cardiac structures more
      accurately. 

PMID- 26111055
TI  - Case of psoriasis vulgaris developing ulcerative colitis during adalimumab
      treatment.

PMID- 26111056
TI  - Computational methods and resources for the interpretation of genomic variants in
      cancer.
AB  - The recent improvement of the high-throughput sequencing technologies is having a
      strong impact on the detection of genetic variations associated with cancer.
      Several institutions worldwide have been sequencing the whole exomes and or
      genomes of cancer patients in the thousands, thereby providing an invaluable
      collection of new somatic mutations in different cancer types. These initiatives
      promoted the development of methods and tools for the analysis of cancer genomes
      that are aimed at studying the relationship between genotype and phenotype in
      cancer. In this article we review the online resources and computational tools
      for the analysis of cancer genome. First, we describe the available repositories
      of cancer genome data. Next, we provide an overview of the methods for the
      detection of genetic variation and computational tools for the prioritization of
      cancer related genes and causative somatic variations. Finally, we discuss the
      future perspectives in cancer genomics focusing on the impact of computational
      methods and quantitative approaches for defining personalized strategies to
      improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

PMID- 26111057
TI  - Zidovudine, an anti-viral drug, resensitizes gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic
      cancer cells to gemcitabine by inhibition of the Akt-GSK3beta-Snail pathway.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult malignancies to treat owing to the
      rapid acquisition of resistance to chemotherapy. Gemcitabine, a first-line
      treatment for pancreatic cancer, prolongs patient survival by several months, and
      combination treatment with gemcitabine and other anti-cancer drugs in the clinic
      do not show any significant effects on overall survival. Thus, identification of
      a drug that resensitizes gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer to gemcitabine
      and a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of gemcitabine resistance
      are critical to develop new therapeutic options for pancreatic cancer. Here, we
      report that zidovudine resensitizes gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer to
      gemcitabine as shown by screening a compound library, including clinical
      medicine, using gemcitabine-resistant cells. In analyzing the molecular
      mechanisms of zidovudine effects, we found that the epithelial-to-mesenchymal
      transition (EMT)-like phenotype and downregulation of human equilibrative
      nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1) are essential for the acquisition of gemcitabine
      resistance, and zidovudine restored these changes. The chemical biology
      investigations also revealed that activation of the Akt-GSK3beta-Snail1 pathway
      in resistant cells is a key signaling event for gemcitabine resistance, and
      zidovudine resensitized resistant cells to gemcitabine by inhibiting this
      activated pathway. Moreover, our in vivo study demonstrated that co
      administration of zidovudine and gemcitabine strongly suppressed the formation of
      tumors by gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer and prevented gemcitabine
      sensitive pancreatic tumors from acquiring gemcitabine-resistant properties,
      inducing an EMT-like phenotype and downregulating hENT1 expression. These results
      suggested that co-treatment with zidovudine and gemcitabine may become a novel
      therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer by inhibiting chemoresistance-specific
      signaling. 

PMID- 26111059
TI  - Hypoxia-cultured human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells are non-oncogenic
      and have enhanced viability, motility, and tropism to brain cancer.

PMID- 26111060
TI  - RIPK1 promotes death receptor-independent caspase-8-mediated apoptosis under
      unresolved ER stress conditions.

PMID- 26111058
TI  - Glycation of vitronectin inhibits VEGF-induced angiogenesis by uncoupling VEGF
      receptor-2-alphavbeta3 integrin cross-talk.
AB  - Glycation of vessel wall proteins is thought to have an important role in the
      pathogenesis of vascular complications in diabetes mellitus. However, no previous
      study has implicated glycated vitronectin (VN) in the control of vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling. To explore whether the glycation of
      VN affects angiogenic signaling and to understand the molecular mechanisms
      involved, we synthesized glycated VN by incubating VN with methylglyoxal (MGO) in
      vitro and identified the formation of glycated VN by an LC-ESI-MS/MS-based
      method. We tested the hypothesis that glycation of VN downregulates VEGF receptor
      2 (VEGFR-2) activation by uncoupling the interaction between VEGFR-2 and
      alphavbeta3. Unmodified and MGO-glycated VN were used as substrates for human
      umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The effects of glycated VN on VEGF
      signaling in HUVECs were investigated. The glycation of VN inhibited VEGF-induced
      phosphorylation of VEGFR-2 and the intracellular signaling pathway downstream of
      VEGFR-2. Glycated VN inhibited the binding of VEGFR-2 to beta3 integrin and
      inhibited the phosphorylation of beta3 integrin. Furthermore, glycation of VN
      significantly decreased VEGF-induced migration of HUVECs in vitro and vessel
      outgrowth in an ex vivo angiogenesis model. Collectively, these data indicate
      that the glycation of VN inhibits VEGF-induced VEGFR-2 activation by uncoupling
      VEGFR-2-alphavbeta3 integrin cross-talk. The glycation of VN causes a reduction
      in the migration of endothelial cells and vessel outgrowth. This may provide a
      mechanism for the failure of collateral sprouting in diabetic microangiopathy. 

PMID- 26111061
TI  - Chloride transporter KCC2-dependent neuroprotection depends on the N-terminal
      protein domain.

PMID- 26111062
TI  - Cellular IAP proteins and LUBAC differentially regulate necrosome-associated RIP1
      ubiquitination.
AB  - Necroptosis is a caspase-independent regulated type of cell death that relies on
      receptor-interacting protein kinases RIP1 (receptor-interacting protein kinases
      1) and RIP3. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha)-stimulated assembly of the
      TNFR1 (TNF receptor 1)-associated signaling complex leads to the recruitment of
      RIP1, whose ubiquitination is mediated by the cellular inhibitors of apoptosis (c
      IAPs). Translocation of RIP1 to the cytoplasm and association of RIP1 with the
      necrosome is believed to correlate with deubiquitination of RIP1. However, we
      found that RIP1 is ubiquitinated with K63 and linear polyubiquitin chains during
      TNFalpha, IAP antagonist BV6 and caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk-induced necroptotic
      signaling. Furthermore, ubiquitinated RIP1 is associated with the necrosome, and
      RIP1 ubiquitination in the necrosome coincides with RIP3 phosphorylation. Both
      cellular IAPs and LUBAC (linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex) modulate RIP1
      ubiquitination in IAP antagonist-treated necrotic cells, but they use different
      mechanisms. c-IAP1 regulates RIP1 recruitment to the necrosome without directly
      affecting RIP1 ubiquitination, whereas HOIP and HOIL1 mediate linear
      ubiquitination of RIP1 in the necrosome, but are not essential for necrosome
      formation. Knockdown of the E3 ligase c-IAP1 decreased RIP1 ubiquitination,
      necrosome assembly and necroptosis induced by TNFalpha, BV6 and zVAD-fmk. c-IAP1
      deficiency likely decreases necroptotic cell death through the activation of the
      noncanonical NF-kappaB pathway and consequent c-IAP2 upregulation. The ability to
      upregulate c-IAP2 could determine whether c-IAP1 absence will have a positive or
      negative impact on TNFalpha-induced necroptotic cell death and necrosome
      formation. Collectively, these results reveal unexpected complexity of the roles
      of IAP proteins, IAP antagonists and LUBAC in the regulation of necrosome
      assembly. 

PMID- 26111064
TI  - Performance of Seven Commercial Phytases in an in Vitro Simulation of Poultry
      Digestive Tract.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the biochemical properties of seven
      commercially available phytase products as well as their catalytic performance in
      an in vitro simulation of the digestive tract of poultry. Their enzymatic
      properties relevant with respect to phytate dephosphorylation in the digestive
      tract of birds were determined under identical assay conditions. All phytase
      products included in the study showed an acid pH optimum of activity and were
      capable of releasing the organically bound phosphate from phytate during the in
      vitro simulation. However, their overall biochemical properties and relative
      catalytic performances were remarkably different. The in vitro degradation system
      was considered as a simple and useful tool to evaluate the suitability of a
      phytase to be used as a feed supplement. Although relevant factors such as
      dietary P levels, intestinal phytase, and P absorption are not implemented in the
      system, this approach might help to reduce the number of feeding trials necessary
      in the search for a better suited phytase for animal feeding application. 

PMID- 26111063
TI  - Hepatitis C guidance: AASLD-IDSA recommendations for testing, managing, and
      treating adults infected with hepatitis C virus.

PMID- 26111065
TI  - Copper(II)-Catalyzed Alkoxyhalogenation of Alkynyl Ureas and Amides as a Route to
      Haloalkylidene-Substituted Heterocycles.
AB  - A highly effective synthesis of haloalkylidene-substituted heterocycles by
      copper(II)-catalyzed cyclization of alkynyl ureas and secondary amides has been
      developed. The reaction, which involves a catalytic amount of CuCl2 and a
      stoichiometric amount of N-halosuccinimide, occurs selectively through an
      alkoxyhalogenation process. Alternatively, alkoxychlorination and
      alkoxybromination reactions can be performed working solely with stoichiometric
      CuCl2 and CuBr2, respectively. 

PMID- 26111066
TI  - Effectiveness of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Among Trauma
      Affected Children in Lusaka, Zambia: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) are at high risk for
      experiencing trauma and related psychosocial problems. Despite this, no
      randomized clinical trials have studied evidence-based treatments for OVC in low
      resource settings. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of lay counselor
      provided trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) to address trauma
      and stress-related symptoms among OVC in Lusaka, Zambia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: This randomized clinical trial compared TF-CBT and treatment as
      usual (TAU) (varying by site) for children recruited from August 1, 2012, through
      July 31, 2013, and treated until December 31, 2013, for trauma-related symptoms
      from 5 community sites within Lusaka, Zambia. Children were aged 5 through 18
      years and had experienced at least one traumatic event and reported significant
      trauma-related symptoms. Analysis was with intent to treat. INTERVENTIONS: The
      intervention group received 10 to 16 sessions of TF-CBT (n = 131). The TAU group
      (n = 126) received usual community services offered to OVC. MAIN OUTCOMES AND
      MEASURES: The primary outcome was mean item change in trauma and stress-related
      symptoms using a locally validated version of the UCLA Posttraumatic Stress
      Disorder Reaction Index (range, 0-4) and functional impairment using a locally
      developed measure (range, 0-4). Outcomes were measured at baseline and within 1
      month after treatment completion or after a waiting period of approximately 4.5
      months after baseline for TAU. RESULTS: At follow-up, the mean item change in
      trauma symptom score was -1.54 (95% CI, -1.81 to -1.27), a reduction of 81.9%,
      for the TF-CBT group and -0.37 (95% CI, -0.57 to -0.17), a reduction of 21.1%,
      for the TAU group. The mean item change for functioning was -0.76 (95% CI, -0.98
      to -0.54), a reduction of 89.4%, and -0.54 (95% CI, -0.80 to -0.29), a reduction
      of 68.3%, for the TF-CBT and TAU groups, respectively. The difference in change
      between groups was statistically significant for both outcomes (P < .001). The
      effect size (Cohen d) was 2.39 for trauma symptoms and 0.34 for functioning. Lay
      counselors participated in supervision and assessed whether the intervention was
      provided with fidelity in all 5 community settings. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:
      The TF-CBT adapted for Zambia substantially decreased trauma and stress-related
      symptoms and produced a smaller improvement in functional impairment among OVC
      having experienced high levels of trauma. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov
      Identifier: NCT01624298.

PMID- 26111067
TI  - Unique human orbital morphology compared with that of apes.
AB  - Humans' and apes' convergent (front-facing) orbits allow a large overlap of
      monocular visual fields but are considered to limit the lateral visual field
      extent. However, humans can greatly expand their lateral visual fields using eye
      motion. This study aimed to assess whether the human orbital morphology was
      unique compared with that of apes in avoiding lateral visual field obstruction.
      The orbits of 100 human skulls and 120 ape skulls (30 gibbons; 30 orangutans; 30
      gorillas; 30 chimpanzees and bonobos) were analyzed. The orbital width/height
      ratio was calculated. Two orbital angles representing orbital convergence and
      rearward position of the orbital margin respectively were recorded using a
      protractor and laser levels. Humans have the largest orbital width/height ratio
      (1.19; p < 0.001). Humans and gibbons have orbits which are significantly less
      convergent than those of chimpanzees/bonobos, gorillas and orangutans (p <
      0.001). These elements suggest a morphology favoring lateral vision in humans.
      More specifically, the human orbit has a uniquely rearward temporal orbital
      margin (107.1 degrees ; p < 0.001), suitable for avoiding visual obstruction and
      promoting lateral visual field expansion through eye motion. Such an orbital
      morphology may have evolved mainly as an adaptation to open-country habitat and
      bipedal locomotion.

PMID- 26111068
TI  - SmartArc-based volumetric modulated arc therapy can improve the middle ear,
      vestibule and cochlea sparing for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma: a dosimetric comparison with step-and-shoot intensity-modulated
      radiotherapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Radiation-induced sensorineural hearing loss is a common complication
      after radiotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) that
      significantly affects their quality of life. The goal of this study was to
      compare SmartArc-based volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT-S) with step-and
      shoot intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for patients with
      locoregionally advanced NPC with regard to the sparing effect on middle ear,
      vestibule and cochlea. METHODS: 20 patients with non-metastatic Stage III or IV
      NPC were selected to have planning with VMAT-S and IMRT [using Philips Pinnacle
      Planning System (Philips, Fitchburg, WI) for Varian accelerator] for dosimetric
      comparison. Mean middle ears, vestibule and cochlea doses for the two planning
      techniques were compared using a paired t-test. Target coverage and dose
      homogeneity were evaluated by calculating conformity index (CI) and homogeneity
      index (HI) values. RESULTS: VMAT-S had significantly improved homogeneity and
      conformity compared with IMRT. Mean HI of planning target volume of gross tumour
      volume (PGTV) was better with VMAT-S (1.05 +/- 0.02) than IMRT (1.09 +/- 0.03) (p
      < 0.001). Mean CI of PGTV is also better with VMAT-S (0.59 +/- 0.12) than IMRT
      (0.54 +/- 0.12) (p < 0.001). Mean doses to the left cochleas were 43.8 +/- 3.6
      and 47.8 +/- 4.0 (p < 0.001) for VMAT-S and IMRT plans, respectively. Mean doses
      to the right cochleas were 42.7 +/- 4.7 and 47.6 +/- 5.4 (p < 0.001) for VMAT-S
      and IMRT plans, respectively. VMAT-S also significantly reduced the mean doses to
      middle ears (p < 0.001 for both) and vestibule (p < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSION:
      Our results indicate that VMAT-S provides better sparing of hearing apparatus in
      locoregionally advanced NPC. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: VMAT-S can improve the middle
      ear, vestibule and cochlea sparing in patients with locoregionally advanced NPC.

PMID- 26111069
TI  - MDCT and clinicopathological features of small bowel gastrointestinal stromal
      tumours in 102 patients: a single institute experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Small bowel (SB) is the second most common site of gastrointestinal
      stromal tumours (GISTs). We evaluated clinical presentation, pathology, imaging
      features and metastatic pattern of SB GIST. METHODS: Imaging and
      clinicopathological data of 102 patients with jejunal/ileal GIST treated at Dana
      Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA) between
      2002 and 2013 were evaluated. Imaging of treatment-naive primary tumour (41
      patients) and follow-up imaging in all patients was reviewed. RESULTS: 90/102
      patients were symptomatic at presentation, abdominal pain and lower
      gastrointestinal blood loss being the most common symptoms. On pathology, 21
      GISTs were low risk, 17 were intermediate and 64 were high risk. The mean tumour
      size was 8.5 cm. On baseline CT (n = 41), tumours were predominantly well
      circumscribed, exophytic and smooth/mildly lobulated in contour. Of 41 tumours,
      16 (39%) were homogeneous, whereas 25 (61%) were heterogeneous. Of the 41
      tumours, cystic/necrotic areas (Hounsfield units < 20) were seen in 16 (39%) and
      calcifications in 9 (22%). CT demonstrated complications in 13/41 (32%) patients
      in the form of tumour-bowel fistula (TBF) (7/41), bowel obstruction (4/41) and
      intraperitoneal rupture (2/41). Amongst 102 total patients, metastases developed
      in 51 (50%) patients (27 at presentation), predominantly involving peritoneum
      (40/102) and liver (32/102). 7/8 (87%) patients having intraperitoneal rupture at
      presentation developed metastases. Metastases elsewhere were always associated
      with hepatic/peritoneal metastases. At last follow-up, 28 patients were deceased
      (median survival, 65 months). CONCLUSION: SB GISTs were predominantly large, well
      circumscribed, exophytic tumours with or without cystic/necrotic areas.
      Complications such as TBF, bowel obstruction and intraperitoneal perforation were
      visualized at presentation, with patients with perforation demonstrating a high
      risk of metastatic disease. Exophytic eccentric bowel wall involvement and lack
      of associated adenopathy are useful indicators to help differentiate GISTs from
      other SB neoplasms. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: SB GISTs are predominantly large, well
      circumscribed, exophytic tumours, and may present with complications. They often
      are symptomatic at presentation, are high risk on pathology and metastasize to
      the peritoneum more commonly than the liver.

PMID- 26111072
TI  - MELD-Na as a prognostic indicator of 30- and 90-day mortality in patients with
      end-stage liver disease after creation of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic
      shunt.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)
      score is superior to other liver disease scoring systems to establish optimal
      candidates for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure and
      liver transplantation. Our aim was to compare MELD-Na score with MELD score as a
      predictor of 30-day as well as 90-day mortality for individuals with end-stage
      liver disease (ESLD) after creation of TIPS. We performed a chart review on
      cirrhotic patients who underwent TIPS procedure and documented presence and
      severity of ascites and hepatic encephalopathy, patient laboratory values, and
      results from TIPS procedures. We compared continuous variables by Student's t
      test for independent samples and categorical variables by chi-test(s). In non
      normal distributions, a nonparametric test was used. We performed a logistic
      regression to determine the effects of several variables and analyzed variable
      predictors of likelihood of death within 30 and 90 days of TIPS procedure. Of the
      six predictor variables, only MELD-Na score was a statistically significant
      predictor of 30- and 90-day mortality following TIPS procedure for ESLD
      (P=0.028). For each one point increase in MELD-Na score, the odds of death
      increased by 1.15 times [95% confidence interval (1.02-1.30), P=0.28]. Since
      hyponatremia may be associated with poor prognostic features of overall health,
      its incorporation into the MELD scoring system to predict mortality in ESLD after
      creation of TIPS serves a useful purpose. Our single-center experience suggests
      that the MELD-Na score is the most effective predictor of survival after TIPS
      creation. 

PMID- 26111071
TI  - The Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Research Network (IPFnet): diagnostic
      and adjudication processes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-sponsored IPF Clinical
      Research Network (IPFnet) studies enrolled subjects with idiopathic pulmonary
      fibrosis (IPF) to evaluate drug therapies in treatment trials. An adjudication
      committee (AC) provided a structured review of cases in which there was
      uncertainty or disagreement regarding diagnosis or clinical event classification.
      This article describes the diagnosis and adjudication processes. METHODS: The
      diagnostic process was based on review of clinical data and high-resolution CT
      scans with central review of lung biopsies when available. The AC worked closely
      with the data coordinating center to obtain clinical, radiologic, and histologic
      data and to communicate with the clinical centers. The AC used a
      multidisciplinary discussion model with four clinicians, one radiologist, and one
      pathologist to adjudicate diagnosis and outcome measures. RESULTS: The IPFnet
      trials screened 1,015 subjects; of these, 23 cases required review by the AC to
      establish eligibility. The most common diagnosis for exclusion was suspected
      chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The AC reviewed 88 suspected acute
      exacerbations (AExs), 93 nonelective hospitalizations, and 16 cases of bleeding.
      Determination of AEx presented practical challenges to adjudicators, as necessary
      clinical data were often not collected, particularly when subjects were evaluated
      outside of the primary study site. CONCLUSIONS: The IPFnet diagnostic process was
      generally efficient, but a multidisciplinary adjudication committee was critical
      to assure correct phenotype for study enrollment. The AC was key in adjudicating
      all adverse outcomes in two IPFnet studies terminated early because of safety
      issues. Future clinical trials in IPF should consider logistical and cost issues
      as they incorporate AExs and hospitalizations as outcome measures. TRIAL
      REGISTRY: ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT00517933, NCT00650091, NCT00957242; URL:
      www.clinicaltrials.gov.

PMID- 26111070
TI  - Lower limb complications of diabetes mellitus: a comprehensive review with
      clinicopathological insights from a dedicated high-risk diabetic foot
      multidisciplinary team.
AB  - Diabetic complications in the lower extremity are associated with significant
      morbidity and mortality, and impact heavily upon the public health system. Early
      and accurate recognition of these abnormalities is crucial, enabling the early
      initiation of treatments and thus avoiding or minimizing deformity, dysfunction
      and amputation. Following careful clinical assessment, radiological imaging is
      central to the diagnostic and follow-up process. We aim to provide a
      comprehensive review of diabetic lower limb complications designed to assist
      radiologists and to contribute to better outcomes for these patients. 

PMID- 26111073
TI  - Electronic Nose for Recognition of Volatile Vapor Mixtures Using a Nanopore
      Enhanced Opto-Calorimetric Spectroscopy.
AB  - An electronic nose (e-nose) for identification and quantification of volatile
      organic compounds (VOCs) vapor mixtures was developed using nanopore-enhanced
      opto-calorimetric spectroscopy. Opto-calorimetric spectroscopy based on specific
      molecular vibrational transitions in the mid infrared (IR) "molecular
      fingerprint" regime allows highly selective detection of VOCs vapor mixtures.
      Nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) microcantilevers, fabricated using a two
      step anodization and simple photolithography process, were utilized as highly
      sensitive thermomechanical sensors for opto-calorimetric signal transduction. The
      AAO microcantilevers were optimized by fine-tuning AAO nanopore diameter in order
      to enhance their thermomechanical sensitivity as well as their surface area. The
      thermomechanical sensitivity of a bilayer AAO microcantilever with a 60 nm pore
      diameter was approximately 1 MUm/K, which is far superior to that of a bilayer
      plain silicon (Si) microcantilever. The adsorbed molecules of VOCs mixtures on
      the AAO microcantilever were fully recognized and quantified by variations of
      peak positions and amplitudes in the opto-calorimetric IR spectra as well as by
      shifts in the resonance frequency of the AAO microcantilever with the adsorbed
      molecules. Furthermore, identification of complex organic compounds with a real
      industrial sample was demonstrated by this e-nose system. 

PMID- 26111074
TI  - Adjusting for undercoverage of access-points in creel surveys with fewer
      overflights.
AB  - Creel surveys are used in recreational fisheries to estimate angling effort,
      catch, and harvest. Aerial-access creel surveys rely on two components: (1) a
      ground component in which fishing parties returning from their trips are
      interviewed at some access-points of the fishery; (2) an aerial component in
      which the number of fishing parties is counted. A common practice is to sample
      fewer aerial survey days than ground survey days. This is thought by
      practitioners to reduce the cost of the survey, but there is a lack of sound
      statistical methodology for this case. In this article, we propose various
      estimation methods to handle this situation and evaluate their asymptotic
      properties from a design-based perspective. We also propose formulas for the
      optimal allocation of the effort between the ground and the aerial portion of the
      survey, for given costs and budget. A simulation study investigates the
      performance of the estimators. Finally, we apply our methods to data from an
      annual Kootenay Lake survey (Canada). 

PMID- 26111075
TI  - Development and Application of a Sensitive, Second Antibody Format
      Enzymeimmunoassay (EIA) for Estimation of Plasma FSH in Mithun (Bos frontalis).
AB  - Mithun (Bos frontalis) is a semi-wild rare ruminant species. A simple sensitive
      enzymeimmunoassay suitable for assaying FSH in the blood plasma of mithun is not
      available which thereby limits our ability to understand this species
      reproductive processes. Therefore, the aim of this article was to develop a
      simple and sensitive enzymeimmunoassay (EIA) for estimation of FSH in mithun
      plasma and apply the assay to understand the estrous cycle and superovulatory
      process in this species. To accomplish this goal, biotinylated FSH was bridged
      between streptavidin-peroxidase and immobilized antiserum in a competitive assay.
      Forty microlitre mithun plasma was used directly in the EIA. The FSH standards
      were prepared in hormone free plasma and ranged from 5-1280 pg/well/40 MUL. The
      sensitivity of EIA was 5 pg/well FSH, which corresponds to 0.125 ng/mL plasma and
      the 50% relative binding sensitivity was 90 pg/well/40 MUL. Although the shape of
      the standard curve was not influenced by different plasma volumes viz. 40 and 80
      MUL, a slight drop in the OD450 was observed with the increasing volume of
      plasma. Parallelism tests conducted between the endogenous mithun FSH and bovine
      FSH standards showed good homology between them. Plasma FSH estimated using the
      developed EIA and commercially available FSH EIA kit in the same samples were
      correlated (r = 0.98) and showed linearity. Both the Intra- and inter-assay CV
      were below 6%. Recovery of known concentrations of added FSH showed linearity (r
      = 0.99). The developed EIA was further validated biologically by estimating FSH
      in cyclic cows for the entire estrous cycle, in mithun heifers administered with
      GnRH analogues and in mithun cows during superovulatory treatment with FSH. In
      conclusion, the EIA developed for FSH determination in mithun blood plasma is
      simple and highly sensitive for estimation of mithun FSH in all physiological
      conditions. 

PMID- 26111076
TI  - Assessment of the Clinical Utility of Cervical and Ocular Vestibular Evoked
      Myogenic Potential Testing in Elderly Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess whether patient age or sex was predictive of a bilaterally
      absent cervical or ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP or oVEMP).
      STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case review. SETTING: Tertiary center. PATIENTS:
      Patients presenting with normal vestibular tests (i.e. normal caloric and
      rotational chair) who underwent cVEMP and/or oVEMP testing. Patients with
      conductive hearing loss were excluded as were those with unilaterally abnormal
      VEMP results because they presented with evidence of a possible unilateral
      vestibular impairment. A total of 895 patients met criteria for cVEMPs and 297
      for oVEMPs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The presence or absence of cVEMP and oVEMP
      responses elicited with a 500-Hz 125-dB pSPL air conduction stimulus. RESULTS: A
      logistic regression was performed including odd ratios and confidence intervals.
      Compared with adults in their 20s, the odds of bilaterally absent cVEMP responses
      are 6 times greater for patients in their 50s and 60s and over 22 times greater
      for patients in their 70s and 80s. A bilaterally absent oVEMP response is 6 times
      more likely for patients in their 40s, 50s, and 60 and 13 times greater for
      patients in their 70s. CONCLUSIONS: VEMPs in response to air conduction stimuli
      are bilaterally absent in a large percentage of older patients complaining of
      dizziness who otherwise have normal vestibular and auditory testing for their
      age. In combination with other abnormal vestibular findings, an absence of VEMP
      responses may be of value. However, the functional consequence of an isolated
      bilaterally absent VEMP is not known and may provide minimal information to an
      older patient's diagnostic picture. In cases where the response is bilaterally
      absent, a more intense AC stimulus should be used or bone conducted vibration
      should be considered.

PMID- 26111077
TI  - Functional Results and Subjective Benefit of a Transcutaneous Bone Conduction
      Device in Patients With Single-Sided Deafness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze speech discrimination scores and subjective benefit of a
      transcutaneous bone conduction device (tBCD) in adults with single-sided deafness
      (SSD). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center.
      PATIENTS: Nine adults with SSD for more than 1 year and normal hearing on the
      contralateral side (PTA <30 dB HL) were implanted with a tBCD. INTERVENTIONS:
      Transmastoidal implantation of a Bonebridge (BB, MED-EL) tBCD. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Aided and unaided speech discrimination scores in three different
      spatial settings were measured using the Oldenburg sentence test (OLSA). Quality
      of life was assessed by two questionnaires, the Bern Benefit in Single Sided
      Deafness Questionnaire (BBSS) and the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing
      scale for benefit questionnaire (SSQ-B). RESULTS: Speech discrimination scores
      measured by OLSA showed a mean signal-to-noise ratio improvement of 1.7 dB SPL
      for the aided condition compared with the unaided condition in the setting where
      the sound signal is presented on the side of the implanted ear and the noise is
      coming from the front (p < 0.05). In the other two settings (signal and noise
      from front; signal from normal hearing ear and noise from front), the signal-to
      noise ratio did not change significantly. This benefit became manifest after 6
      months. Good satisfaction was indicated by positive results on the
      questionnaires. CONCLUSION: Speech discrimination in noise for patients implanted
      with the BB is comparable with patients with other bone conduction hearing aids.
      A learning curve is clearly detectable. The subjective benefit was rated
      positively by the patients. With the advantage of intact skin conditions after
      implantation, the BB is an adequate option for patients with SSD.

PMID- 26111078
TI  - Virtual Endoscopy to Plan Transtympanic Approach to Labyrinthine Windows.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the position and the
      accessibility of labyrinthine windows through the external auditory canal (EAC)
      by virtual endoscopy based on computed tomographic scan images. STUDY DESIGN:
      Prospective cross-sectional study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS:
      Sixty-three high-resolution temporal bone computed tomographic scans were
      obtained from 34 adult patients undergoing various otologic procedures.
      INTERVENTION: Images were analyzed by the virtual endoscopy function included in
      Osirix (www.osirix-viewer.com). The endoscope was constrained in the EAC. The
      visible surfaces of target anatomic structures were assessed on multiplanar
      reconstruction views. RESULTS: The optimal angles of the virtual endoscope
      position showed a relatively high interindividual variability in the axial plane
      (64 +/- 2.4 degrees for the oval window [OW] and 60 +/- 2.5 degrees for the round
      window [RW]) position, but a low interindividual variation was noted in the
      coronal plane (107 +/- 1.5 degrees for the OW and 112 +/- 1.7 degrees for the
      RW). The RW was accessible in 87% of cases. The OW accessibility could be staged
      as follows: 1, invisible stapedial superstructure (10% of cases); 2, stapedial
      posterior crus partly visible (33%); 3, entire posterior crus and pyramid visible
      (44%); 4, posterior and anterior crus visible (13%). CONCLUSION: Virtual
      endoscopy through the EAC can evaluate the accessibility of the OW or RW via a
      transcanal route. This technique seems to be helpful in preplanning minimally
      invasive procedures by this approach such as cochlear implantation.

PMID- 26111079
TI  - Transition-metal-free visible-light photoredox catalysis at room-temperature for
      decarboxylative fluorination of aliphatic carboxylic acids by organic dyes.
AB  - We report herein an efficient, general and green method for decarboxylative
      fluorination of aliphatic carboxylic acids. By using a transition-metal-free,
      organocatalytic photoredox system, the reaction of various aliphatic carboxylic
      acids with the Selectfluor reagent afforded the corresponding alkyl fluorides in
      satisfactory yields under visible light irradiation at room temperature. 

PMID- 26111080
TI  - Expanding the SPECC1L mutation phenotypic spectrum to include Teebi hypertelorism
      syndrome.
AB  - Teebi hypertelorism syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder that has
      eluded a molecular etiology since first described in 1987. Here we report on two
      unrelated families with a Teebi hypertelorism-like syndrome and Teebi
      hypertelorism phenotype who have missense mutations in Sperm Antigen With
      Calponin Homology And Coiled-Coil Domains (SPECC1L), previously associated with
      oblique facial clefting and Opitz G/BBB syndrome. The first patient and his
      affected mother were previously-reported by Hoffman et al. in this journal as a
      new syndrome resembling Teebi hypertelorism and Aarskog syndromes in 2007. This
      patient had hypertelorism, sagittal and coronal craniosynostosis, ptosis, natal
      teeth, unusual umbilicus, shawl scrotum, small hands, and feet, with grossly
      normal development. Our second patient had classic Teebi hypertelorism syndrome
      with hypertelorism and a giant umbilical hernia. Patient one and his affected
      mother had a c.1260G>C:p.E420D variant and patient two had a de novo
      c.1198_1203delATACAC:p.I400_H401del variant in SPECC1L. We review the phenotypic
      findings in the previously-published Teebi hypertelorism syndrome patients, and
      the Opitz G/BBB patients with SPECC1L mutations. In addition we emphasize the
      findings of aortic root dilation and craniosynostosis in these patients, which
      should be considered in their management.

PMID- 26111081
TI  - The Predictive Impact of Biological and Sociocultural Factors on Executive
      Processing: The Role of Age, Education, and Frequency of Reading and Writing
      Habits.
AB  - Although the impact of education and age on executive functions (EF) has been
      widely studied, the influence of daily cognitive stimulation on EF has not been
      sufficiently investigated. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to
      evaluate whether the age, education, and frequency of reading and writing habits
      (FRWH) of healthy adults could predict their performance on measures of
      inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Inhibition speed, inhibitory control, and
      set shifting were assessed using speed, accuracy, and discrepancy scores on the
      Trail-Making Test (TMT) and Hayling Test. Demographic characteristics and the
      FRWH were assessed using specialized questionnaires. Regression analyses showed
      that age and the FRWH predicted speed and accuracy on the TMT. The FRWH predicted
      both speed and accuracy on the Hayling Test, for which speed and accuracy scores
      were also partly explained by age and education, respectively. Surprisingly, only
      the FRWH was associated with Hayling Test discrepancy scores, considered one of
      the purest EF measures. This highlights the importance of regular cognitive
      stimulation over the number of years of formal education on EF tasks. Further
      studies are required to investigate the role of the FRWH so as to better
      comprehend its relationship with EF and general cognition. 

PMID- 26111082
TI  - Determination of Chromium, Selenium, and Molybdenum in Infant Formula and Adult
      Nutritional Products - Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry:
      Collaborative Study, Final Action 2011.19.
AB  - AOAC First Action Method 2011.19: Chromium, Selenium, and Molybdenum in Infant
      Formula and Adult Nutritional Products, was collaboratively studied. This method
      employs microwave digestion of samples with nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide, and
      internal standard followed by simultaneous detection of the elements by an
      inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) instrument equipped with a
      collision/reaction cell. During this collaborative study, nine laboratories from
      four different countries, using seven different models of ICP-MS instruments,
      analyzed blind duplicates of seven infant, pediatric, and adult nutritional
      formulas. One laboratory's set of data was rejected in its entirety. The method
      demonstrated acceptable repeatability and reproducibility and met The Stakeholder
      Panel on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals (SPIFAN) standard method
      performance requirements (SMPR) for almost all of the matrices analyzed. The Cr,
      Mo, and Se SPIFAN requirement for repeatability was ?5% RSD. The SMPR called for
      a reproducibility of ??15% RSD in products for ultratrace element concentrations
      above the targeted limit of quantitation of 20 MUg/kg Cr/Mo and 10 MUg/kg Se (as
      ready-to-feed). During this collaborative study, repeatability relative standard
      deviation ranged from 1.0%-7.0% and reproducibility relative standard deviation
      ranged from 2.5-13.4% across all three ultratrace elements.

PMID- 26111083
TI  - Polymorphisms in adiponectin receptor genes are associated with lipodystrophy
      related phenotypes in HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Adiponectin is a circulating peptide secreted by mature adipocytes
      that may act as a regulator of glucose and lipid metabolism. This study aimed to
      investigate the association between genetic variability in the adiponectin
      receptor genes ADIPOR1 (adiponectin receptor 1) and ADIPOR2 and lipodystrophy and
      its related anthropometric and metabolic phenotypes in HIV-infected patients on
      highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). METHODS: We studied six single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the adiponectin receptor genes ADIPOR1
      (rs1342387 and rs10920533) and ADIPOR2 (rs11061925, rs10773983, rs929434 and
      rs767870) and their association with adiponectin plasma levels, lipodystrophy
      subtypes and other parameters linked to glucose and lipid metabolism involved in
      the lipodystrophic syndrome. The genotypes of 407 HIV-infected patients receiving
      HAART were investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Mean
      biochemical and anthropometrical parameters were compared between the different
      genotypes using analysis of variance. RESULTS: Two ADIPOR2 SNPs (rs11061925 and
      rs929434) were associated with fasting plasma triglyceride concentrations in the
      entire sample. Stronger significant associations were found between these SNPs
      and biochemical parameters (levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol,
      adiponectin and glucose) in men. We did not find any significant associations
      with ADIPOR1 gene variants. CONCLUSIONS: SNPs in the ADIPOR2 gene appear to be
      involved in the metabolic alterations in HIV-infected men receiving HAART.

PMID- 26111084
TI  - The "Chef's Knife" in Oblique Split Technique for Rhinoplasty.

PMID- 26111085
TI  - Embodied neural responses to others' suffering.
AB  - To investigate whether and how facial mimicry in observers affects their empathic
      neural responses to others' pain expressions, we recorded event-related
      potentials (ERPs) from Chinese adults while viewing pain and neutral expressions
      of Asian and Caucasian faces. Facial mimicry was manipulated by allowing
      participants to freely move their facial muscles (the relaxed condition) or
      asking them to hold a pen horizontally using both teeth and lips to prevent
      facial muscle movement and facial mimicry (the blocked condition). We found that
      the frontal N1 at 100-120 ms was enlarged by pain vs. neutral expressions. The N1
      modulation by facial expressions was significantly reduced in the blocked
      compared to relaxed conditions and this effect was observed for Asian but not
      Caucasian faces. The findings suggest that facial mimicry plays a causal role in
      the early empathic neural response and the embodied empathic neural responses are
      constrained by the racial intergroup relationship.

PMID- 26111087
TI  - Effects of oxymorphone hydrochloride or hydromorphone hydrochloride on minimal
      alveolar concentration of desflurane in sheep.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of desflurane
      and evaluate the effects of 2 opioids on MAC in sheep. ANIMALS: 8 adult
      nulliparous mixed-breed sheep. PROCEDURES: A randomized crossover design was
      used. Each sheep was evaluated individually on 2 occasions (to allow assessment
      of the effects of each of 2 opioids), separated by a minimum of 10 days. On each
      occasion, sheep were anesthetized with desflurane in 100% oxygen, MAC of
      desflurane was determined, oxymorphone (0.05 mg/kg) or hydromorphone (0.10 mg/kg)
      was administered IV, and MAC was redetermined. Physiologic variables and arterial
      blood gas and electrolyte concentrations were measured at baseline (before MAC
      determination, with end-tidal desflurane concentration maintained at 10%) and
      each time MAC was determined. Timing of various stages of anesthesia was recorded
      for both occasions. RESULTS: Mean +/- SEM MAC of desflurane was 8.6 +/- 0.2%.
      Oxymorphone or hydromorphone administration resulted in significantly lower MAC
      (7.6 +/- 0.4% and 7.9 +/- 0.2%, respectively). Cardiac output at MAC
      determination for desflurane alone and for desflurane with opioid administration
      was higher than that at baseline. No difference was identified among hematologic
      values at any point. Effects of oxymorphone and hydromorphone on durations of
      various stages of anesthesia did not differ significantly. CONCLUSIONS AND
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: MAC of desflurane in nulliparous adult sheep was established.
      Intravenous administration of oxymorphone or hydromorphone led to a decrease in
      MAC; however, the clinical importance of that decrease was minor relative to the
      effect in other species.

PMID- 26111088
TI  - Cardiovascular effects of equipotent doses of isoflurane alone and isoflurane
      plus fentanyl in New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).
AB  - OBJECTIVE To determine effects of equipotent concentrations of fentanyl and
      isoflurane, compared with isoflurane alone, on cardiovascular variables in New
      Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). ANIMALS 6 adult female New Zealand
      White rabbits. PROCEDURES Rabbits were anesthetized with isoflurane, and lungs
      were mechanically ventilated. The minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of
      isoflurane alone (baseline) and with fentanyl administered IV to achieve 3
      targeted plasma concentrations was determined for each rabbit by means of an
      electrical stimulus. Cardiovascular variables were measured in a separate
      experiment at 1.3X isoflurane MAC and equipotent doses of isoflurane plus
      fentanyl at the same 3 targeted plasma concentrations. Blood samples were
      collected for measurement of blood gas variables and plasma fentanyl
      concentrations. Treatment effects were evaluated by repeated-measures ANOVA
      followed by 2-tailed paired t tests with sequentially rejective Bonferroni
      correction. RESULTS Mean +/- SD MAC of isoflurane was 1.95 +/- 0.27%. Mean
      measured plasma fentanyl concentrations of 4.97, 8.93, and 17.19 ng/mL reduced
      isoflurane MAC by 17%, 37%, and 56%, respectively. Mean measured plasma fentanyl
      concentrations during cardiovascular measurements were 5.49, 10.26, and 18.40
      ng/mL. Compared with baseline measurements, heart rate was significantly lower at
      all 3 plasma fentanyl concentrations, mean arterial blood pressure and systemic
      vascular resistance were significantly higher at mean fentanyl concentrations of
      10.26 and 18.40 ng/mL, and cardiac output was significantly higher at 18.40 ng of
      fentanyl/mL. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Administration of fentanyl in
      isoflurane-anesthetized rabbits resulted in improved mean arterial blood pressure
      and cardiac output, compared with isoflurane alone. This balanced anesthesia
      technique may prove useful in the management of clinical cases in this species. 

PMID- 26111089
TI  - Changes in synovial fluid biomarker concentrations following arthroscopic surgery
      in horses with osteochondritis dissecans of the distal intermediate ridge of the
      tibia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To quantify concentrations of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein
      (COMP) and fibromodulin in synovial fluid from the tarsocrural joints (TCJs) of
      horses with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the distal intermediate ridge of
      the tibia and determine whether concentrations would change following
      arthroscopic removal of osteochondral fragments. ANIMALS: 115 client-owned horses
      with OCD of the TCJ and 29 control horses euthanized for unrelated reasons.
      PROCEDURES: COMP and fibromodulin concentrations were measured in synovial fluid
      from the TCJs of the affected horses before and after osteochondral fragments
      were removed arthroscopically and in synovial fluid from the TCJs of the control
      horses after euthanasia. Synovial biopsy specimens from the TCJs of affected and
      control horses were examined histologically for evidence of inflammation.
      RESULTS: Synovial fluid COMP and fibromodulin concentrations prior to surgery in
      horses with OCD were not significantly different from concentrations in control
      horses. Fibromodulin, but not COMP, concentration in horses with OCD was
      significantly decreased after surgery, compared with the concentration before
      surgery. Fibromodulin concentration was significantly correlated with joint
      effusion score but not with lameness score or results of a flexion test and was
      correlated with histologic score for number of synoviocytes on the surface of the
      synovium but not with score for degree of infiltration of inflammatory cells in
      the synovium. Synovial fluid COMP concentration was not significantly correlated
      with clinical or histologic findings. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results
      suggested that fibromodulin, but not COMP, could potentially be a biomarker of
      joint inflammation in horses with OCD of the TCJ.

PMID- 26111090
TI  - Development of a clonal equine myoblast cell line capable of terminal
      differentiation into mature myotubes in vitro.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To produce a clonal equine myoblast cell line that retains the ability
      to divide for multiple passages and differentiate into multinucleated myotubes
      during specific conditions. SAMPLE: Cultured primary equine skeletal muscle
      derived cells from a healthy Thoroughbred. PROCEDURES: Cell cultures were
      transfected by electroporation with a plasmid (pNIT) that expresses the
      temperature-sensitive simian vacuolating virus 40 large T antigen (TAg), which
      can be controlled by a doxycycline-responsive promoter. Cells that stably
      integrated the TAg were selected and expanded to passage 25. For each passage,
      differentiation and fusion properties of the cells were determined and
      immunocytochemical analyses were performed to evaluate expression of TAg and
      other muscle-specific proteins. Optimum conditions that led to cell
      differentiation into myotubes were also determined. RESULTS: Compared with
      nontransfected control cells, myogenic, desmin-positive cells expressed the TAg
      when incubated at 33 degrees C and could be maintained in culture for numerous
      passages. Reduced expression of TAg was identified in cells incubated at 37
      degrees C or when incubated with doxycycline at 33 degrees C. Expression of TAg
      was not detected when cells were incubated with doxycycline at 37 degrees C, and
      when serum was withdrawn from the culture medium, those clones differentiated
      into a pure population of multinucleated myotubes. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Results indicated that production of an immortalized clonal equine
      skeletal muscle cell line was possible. A clonal equine skeletal muscle cell line
      will be a valuable in vitro tool for use in equine physiology and disease
      research.

PMID- 26111091
TI  - Effects of nitric oxide on blood-brain barrier permeability in common carp
      (Cyprinus carpio L.).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine in vivo effects of nitric oxide (NO) on blood-brain
      barrier (BBB) permeability in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). ANIMALS: 148
      carp. PROCEDURES Carp received glyceryl trinitrate (1 mg/kg) as an NO donor or
      received no treatment (control group). Nitrite and nitrate concentrations in carp
      sera were determined 0.25, 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, and 24 hours after treatment. In
      control and treatment groups, BBB permeability was analyzed by assessment of
      leakage of Evans blue dye into various brain areas at 6, 12, and 24 hours after
      glyceryl trinitrate treatment. Brain edema was determined by means of the wet-dry
      weight method and assessed with light microscopy on H&E-stained preparations of
      tissues obtained 6 and 24 hours after glyceryl trinitrate treatment. RESULTS:
      Treatment with glyceryl trinitrate induced endogenous synthesis of NO, which was
      upregulated 6 and 8 hours after treatment. Increased NO synthesis was associated
      with increased permeability of the BBB, which developed 6 hours after treatment
      with the NO donor. Although the BBB became impermeable again by 12 hours after
      glycerol trinitrate treatment, brain edema still persisted 24 hours after
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In this study, treatment with an
      NO donor caused reversible opening of the BBB and brain edema in common carp. An
      intact BBB is important to prevent influx of potentially harmful substances into
      the brain. This investigation highlighted the possibility of BBB disarrangement
      caused by NO, a substance found in the CNS of all vertebrates evaluated.

PMID- 26111092
TI  - Comparison of two- and three-times-daily topical ophthalmic application of 0.005%
      latanoprost solution in clinically normal dogs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether 2- or 3-times-daily application of topical
      ophthalmic 0.005% latanoprost solution is more effective at lowering intraocular
      pressure (IOP) in clinically normal dogs. ANIMALS: 9 clinically normal dogs.
      PROCEDURES: For each dog, I drop of latanoprost 0.005% solution was applied to 1
      eye every 8 or 12 hours each day for 5 days; the contralateral eye received
      topical ophthalmic treatment with 1 drop of saline (0.9% NaCl) solution at the
      times of latanoprost application. Ocular examinations of both eyes were performed
      every 6 hours starting 48 hours prior to and ending 42 hours after the treatment
      period. Following a 5-week washout interval, the procedures were repeated but the
      previously latanoprost-treated eye of each dog received latanoprost application
      at the alternate frequency. RESULTS: Mean +/- SD IOP reduction in the latanoprost
      treated eyes was 31 +/- 6.9% with 2-times-daily application and 33 +/- 8.2% with
      3-times-daily application. A 2-way repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant
      differences in IOP with contributions by treatment (2 or 3 times daily), time of
      day (diurnal variation), and individual dog. The maximum mean daily IOP reduction
      in latanoprost-treated eyes was detected on day 3 of latanoprost treatment in
      each group. Eyes treated 3 times daily had significantly smaller pupil diameter
      and greater conjunctival hyperemia than eyes treated 2 times daily. CONCLUSIONS
      AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The clinical importance of the ocular hypotensive effects
      of 3-times-daily topical ophthalmic application of 0.005% latanoprost solution in
      dogs with glaucoma warrants investigation.

PMID- 26111093
TI  - Comparison of axillary and rectal temperatures for healthy Beagles in a
      temperature- and humidity-controlled environment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare axillary and rectal temperature measurements obtained with
      a digital thermometer for Beagles in a temperature- and humidity-controlled
      environment. ANIMALS: 26 healthy Beagles (17 sexually intact males and 9 sexually
      intact females). PROCEDURES: Dogs were maintained in a temperature- and humidity
      controlled environment for 56 days before rectal and axillary temperatures were
      measured. Axillary and rectal temperatures were obtained in triplicate for each
      dog by use of a single commercially available manufacturer-calibrated digital
      thermometer. RESULTS: Mean rectal and axillary temperatures of Beagles maintained
      in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment were significantly
      different, with a median +/- SD difference of 1.4 degrees  +/- 0.15 degrees C
      (range, 0.7 degrees  to 2.1 degrees C). Mean rectal and axillary temperatures
      were 38.7 degrees C (range, 37.6 degrees  to 39.5 degrees C) and 37.2 degrees C
      (range, 36.6 degrees  to 38.3 degrees C), respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Results of this study indicated that the historical reference of a
      0.55 degrees C gradient between rectal and axillary temperatures that has been
      clinically used for veterinary patients was inaccurate for healthy Beagles in a
      temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. Rectal and axillary
      temperatures can be measured in veterinary patients. Reliable interpretation of
      axillary temperatures may accommodate patient comfort and reduce patient anxiety
      when serial measurement of temperatures is necessary. Further clinical studies
      will be needed.

PMID- 26111094
TI  - Effect of exercise on serum markers of muscle inflammation in Spanish Greyhounds.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate effects of exercise on hematologic and biochemical
      values (especially markers of inflammation and muscle damage) in Spanish
      Greyhounds used for hunting without previous training. ANIMALS: 32 Spanish
      Greyhounds and 31 dogs of other breeds. PROCEDURES: Hematologic variables and
      concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and other biochemical markers were
      compared in samples obtained from Spanish Greyhounds 24 hours after exercise (eg,
      a hunting race) and 2 months after exercise (ie, at rest) and from non-Spanish
      Greyhounds at rest. All dogs were healthy. Hematologic and biochemical analyses
      were performed within 24 hours after samples were obtained, and results were
      compared by means of a Student t test. RESULTS: CRP concentration and muscle
      enzyme (creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate aminotransferase)
      activities were significantly higher and serum iron concentration was
      significantly lower for Spanish Greyhounds after exercise than at rest. The WBC
      and neutrophil counts were significantly higher after exercise then at rest.
      Plasma alanine transaminase activity and total protein, calcium, and phosphorus
      concentrations were significantly higher after exercise than at rest. Spanish
      Greyhounds at rest had higher RBC counts, PCVs, and hemoglobin concentrations and
      lower WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts, compared with values for non
      Spanish Greyhounds at rest. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Exercise of
      Spanish Greyhounds without prior training activated an acute-phase response
      represented by an increase in serum CRP concentration and decrease in serum
      albumin and iron concentrations. These changes, along with leukocytosis and
      neutrophilia, were indicative of a subclinical inflammatory state in Spanish
      Greyhounds.

PMID- 26111095
TI  - In vitro comparison of leakage pressure and leakage location for various staple
      line offset configurations in functional end-to-end stapled small intestinal
      anastomoses of canine tissues.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare intraluminal pressure at initial leakage (leakage
      pressure), leakage location, and maximum intraluminal pressure (MIP) for various
      staple line offset configurations of functional end-to-end stapled anastomosis
      (FEESA). SAMPLE: Grossly normal jejunal segments from 4 canine cadavers.
      PROCEDURES: 52 jejunal segments (4 control and 24 anastomosis constructs [2
      segments/standard FEESA construct]) were prepared for testing. Segments were
      assigned to three 8-segment gastrointestinal anastomosis staple line offset
      groups: complete offset (CSO group), partial gastrointestinal anastomosis offset
      (PSO group), and no gastrointestinal anastomosis offset (NSO group). Results for
      leakage pressure, leakage location, and MIP were compared. RESULTS: Mean +/- SD
      leakage pressure differed significantly among all groups and was highest for the
      PSO group (34.4 +/- 3.7 mm Hg), followed by the CSO group (25.9 +/- 4.1 mm Hg)
      and the NSO group (18.8 +/- 1.5 mm Hg). Leakage location did not differ
      significantly among groups but was most commonly associated with the
      thoracoabdominal staple line. The MIP did not differ significantly among groups
      (PSO, 83.1 +/- 9.4 mm Hg; CSO, 81.7 +/- 6.7 mm Hg; and NSO, 58.5 +/- 7.7 mm Hg).
      CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In this study, partial staple line offset
      leaked at a significantly higher pressure, which represented the greatest leakage
      protection of tested constructs. The thoracoabdominal staple line was more
      susceptible to leakage than was the gastrointestinal anastomosis staple line.
      Results suggested that surgeons should avoid FEESA with no staple line offset,
      strive for partial offset of the gastrointestinal anastomosis staples, and
      provide precise placement of the thoracoabdominal staple line.

PMID- 26111096
TI  - Effects of azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, and 6-thioguanine on canine primary
      hepatocytes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cytotoxic effects of azathioprine, 6
      mercaptopurine, and 6-thioguanine on canine hepatocytes. SAMPLE: Commercially
      available cryopreserved canine primary hepatocytes. PROCEDURES: The study
      consisted of 2 trials. In trial 1, hepatocytes were incubated with azathioprine,
      6-mercaptopurine, or 6-thioguanine at 1 of 6 concentrations (0.468, 0.937, 1.875,
      3.750, 7.500, or 15.000 MUmol/L) for 24, 48, or 72 hours. At each time, cell
      viability and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity were determined for each
      thiopurine-concentration combination, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity
      was determined for cells incubated with each thiopurine at a concentration of 15
      MUmol/L. In trial 2, hepatocytes were incubated with azathioprine, 6
      mercaptopurine, or 6-thioguanine at 1 of 3 concentrations (18.75, 37.50, or 75.00
      MUmol/L) for 24 hours, after which the free glutathione concentration was
      determined for each thiopurine-concentration combination and compared with that
      for hepatocytes incubated without a thiopurine (control). RESULTS: Incubation of
      hepatocytes with each of the 3 thiopurines adversely affected cell viability in a
      time- and concentration-dependent manner; however, this decrease in cell
      viability was not accompanied by a concurrent increase in LDH or ALT activity.
      Likewise, free glutathione concentration for hepatocytes incubated for 24 hours
      with supratherapeutic thiopurine concentrations (> 18.75 MUmol/L) did not differ
      significantly from that of control cells. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
      Results indicated that thiopurines adversely affected the viability of canine
      hepatocytes in a time- and concentration-dependent manner but had a
      nonsignificant effect on the LDH and ALT activities and free glutathione
      depletion of those hepatocytes.

PMID- 26111097
TI  - Constructing a High-Efficiency MoO3/Polyimide Hybrid Photocatalyst Based on
      Strong Interfacial Interaction.
AB  - A novel two-dimensional hybrid polymer photocatalyst black-MoO3/polyimide was
      synthesized by one-pot thermopolymerization of monomers, ammonium molybdate, and
      thiourea at mild temperatures. Thiourea and ammonium molybdate as fluxing agents
      promote the formation of black molybdenum oxide (BMO) on polyimide (PI) and
      enhance the crystallinity of PI. It is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, and Fourier transform infrared
      that the strong interaction between BMO and PI leads to the formation of a Mo-N
      coordination bond through the coordination of N atoms of heptazine units to the
      unsaturated Mo atoms of BMO and results in a large number of Mo5+ cations in
      BMO/PI. UV-vis and photoluminescence reveal that the visible light absorption of
      BMO/PI was increased and the separation efficiency of photogenerated
      electron/hole obviously was significantly enhanced, which facilitates the
      improvement of the photocatalytic activity of BMO/PI. This work provides a new
      approach to synthesizing efficient inorganic-organic hybrid semiconductor
      photocatalysts.

PMID- 26111098
TI  - The lived experience of adults with ulcerative colitis.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of
      adults living with ulcerative colitis. BACKGROUND: Research to date has focused
      on the impact of inflammatory bowel disease, by analysing the responses of
      persons with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease collectively. This article
      addresses the dearth in literature by exploring the experiences of adults living
      with ulcerative colitis. DESIGN: An exploratory qualitative phenomenological
      design was used. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a
      purposive sample of 10 adults with ulcerative colitis. Verbatim transcripts were
      analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. RESULTS: Three super
      ordinate themes emerged from the analysis: 'living with physical discomfort',
      'emotional turmoil in living the experience' and 'social interactions'.
      CONCLUSION: The participants described a fundamental change in their lifestyle,
      as a result of physical discomfort and emotional turmoil. Misconceptions held
      regarding the causes of their disease, further compounded their negative
      emotional experience. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: It is of importance that
      health care professionals understand and explore the unique perspectives of
      individuals with ulcerative colitis. These perspectives relate to both physical
      and psychosocial issues. The needs and concerns of persons with ulcerative
      colitis can then guide the formulation and development of an individualised care
      plan.

PMID- 26111099
TI  - Experimental validation of the dual parameter beam quality specifier for
      reference dosimetry in flattening-filter-free (FFF) photon beams.
AB  - Removal of the flattening filter alters the energy spectrum of the photon beam
      such that current beam quality specifiers may not correctly account for this
      change when predicting the Spencer-Attix restricted water-to-air mass collision
      stopping-power ratio, (L/rho)(water)(air). Johnsson et al (2000 Phys. Med. Biol.
      45 2733-45) proposed a beam quality specifier, known as the dual parameter beam
      quality specifier, which was calculated via Monte Carlo (MC) simulations using
      transmission data of primary kerma through two differing thicknesses of water
      material. Ceberg et al (2010 Med. Phys. 37 1164-8) extended this MC study to
      include relevant flattening filter free (FFF) beam data. Experimental
      investigations of this dual parameter beam quality specifier have not previously
      been published, therefore the purpose of this work was to validate that the dual
      parameter beam quality specifier could be measured experimentally for clinical
      beams (both with a flattening filter (WFF) and without (FFF)). Transmission
      measurements of primary kerma were performed by employing the setup outlined in
      Johnsson et al (1999 Phys. Med. Biol. 44 2445-50). Varying absorber thicknesses,
      in 5 cm increments from 5 to 40 cm, were placed at isocentre with the chamber
      positioned at an extended source to chamber distance of 300 cm. Experimental
      setup for TPR20,10 and %dd(10)x followed the methodology outlined in IAEA TRS398
      (2004) and TG-51 (1999) with AAPM Addendum to TG-51 (2014) respectively. The
      maximum difference of (L/rho)(water)(air) determined using the different beam
      quality specifiers was found to be 0.35%. Analysis of the absorber thickness
      combination found that small thicknesses (<10 cm) for the first absorber and
      absorbers similar in thickness (<10 cm) should be avoided. Stopping-power ratios
      of the beams investigated were determined using three different beam quality
      specifiers. The results demonstrated successful experimental determination of the
      dual parameter beam quality specifier, indicating its potential as an alternate
      beam quality specifier for FFF beams.

PMID- 26111101
TI  - Climatic and biotic extreme events moderate long-term responses of above- and
      belowground sub-Arctic heathland communities to climate change.
AB  - Climate change impacts are not uniform across the Arctic region because
      interacting factors causes large variations in local ecosystem change. Extreme
      climatic events and population cycles of herbivores occur simultaneously against
      a background of gradual climate warming trends and can redirect ecosystem change
      along routes that are difficult to predict. Here, we present the results from sub
      Arctic heath vegetation and its belowground micro-arthropod community in response
      to the two main drivers of vegetation damage in this region: extreme winter
      warming events and subsequent outbreaks of the defoliating autumnal moth
      caterpillar (Epirrita autumnata). Evergreen dwarf shrub biomass decreased (30%)
      following extreme winter warming events and again by moth caterpillar grazing.
      Deciduous shrubs that were previously exposed to an extreme winter warming event
      were not affected by the moth caterpillar grazing, while those that were not
      exposed to warming events (control plots) showed reduced (23%) biomass from
      grazing. Cryptogam cover increased irrespective of grazing or winter warming
      events. Micro-arthropods declined (46%) following winter warming but did not
      respond to changes in plant community. Extreme winter warming and caterpillar
      grazing suppressed the CO2 fluxes of the ecosystem. Evergreen dwarf shrubs are
      disadvantaged in a future sub-Arctic with more stochastic climatic and biotic
      events. Given that summer warming may further benefit deciduous over evergreen
      shrubs, event and trend climate change may both act against evergreen shrubs and
      the ecosystem functions they provide. This is of particular concern given that
      Arctic heath vegetation is typically dominated by evergreen shrubs. Other
      components of the vegetation showed variable responses to abiotic and biotic
      events, and their interaction indicates that sub-Arctic vegetation response to
      multiple pressures is not easy to predict from single-factor responses.
      Therefore, while biotic and climatic events may have clear impacts, more work is
      needed to understand their net effect on Arctic ecosystems. 

PMID- 26111100
TI  - AtRTD - a comprehensive reference transcript dataset resource for accurate
      quantification of transcript-specific expression in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) allows global gene expression analysis at the individual
      transcript level. Accurate quantification of transcript variants generated by
      alternative splicing (AS) remains a challenge. We have developed a comprehensive,
      nonredundant Arabidopsis reference transcript dataset (AtRTD) containing over 74
      000 transcripts for use with algorithms to quantify AS transcript isoforms in RNA
      seq. The AtRTD was formed by merging transcripts from TAIR10 and novel
      transcripts identified in an AS discovery project. We have estimated transcript
      abundance in RNA-seq data using the transcriptome-based alignment-free programmes
      Sailfish and Salmon and have validated quantification of splicing ratios from RNA
      seq by high resolution reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (HR RT
      PCR). Good correlations between splicing ratios from RNA-seq and HR RT-PCR were
      obtained demonstrating the accuracy of abundances calculated for individual
      transcripts in RNA-seq. The AtRTD is a resource that will have immediate utility
      in analysing Arabidopsis RNA-seq data to quantify differential transcript
      abundance and expression. 

PMID- 26111102
TI  - Clinical development of rivaroxaban: emerging new clinical evidences?
AB  - Rivaroxaban has proven efficacious in a variety of conditions. In fact,
      rivaroxaban has been approved for the prevention of venous thromboembolism after
      elective hip or knee replacement surgery, for the prevention and treatment of
      deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, for the prevention of stroke in
      patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and for the prevention of
      atherothrombotic events after acute coronary syndrome with elevated cardiac
      biomarkers. However, clinical development of rivaroxaban is ongoing. Considering
      published and on-going randomized clinical trials, noninterventional studies and
      registries, over 275,000 patients are being analyzed. The aim of this review was
      to update the clinical development of rivaroxaban, including completed and
      ongoing studies not only randomized clinical trials, but also clinical practice
      studies. 

PMID- 26111103
TI  - VTE Incidence and Risk Factors in Patients With Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prospective studies on the incidence of VTE during severe sepsis and
      septic shock remain absent, hindering efficacy assessments regarding VTE
      prevention strategies in sepsis. METHODS: We prospectively studied 113
      consecutively enrolled patients in the ICU with severe sepsis and septic shock at
      three hospitals. All patients provided informed consent. VTE thromboprophylaxis
      was recorded for all patients. Patients underwent ultrasonography and were
      followed for VTE prior to ICU discharge. All-cause 28-day mortality was recorded.
      Variables from univariate analyses that were associated with VTE (including
      central venous catheter [CVC] insertion, age, length of stay, and mechanical
      ventilation) were included in a multivariable logistic regression analysis using
      backward stepwise elimination to determine VTE predictors. RESULTS: Mean APACHE
      (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) II score was 18.2 +/- 7.0, and
      age was 50 +/- 18 years. Despite all patients receiving guideline-recommended
      thromboprophylaxis, the incidence of VTE was 37.2% (95% CI, 28.3-46.8). Most VTE
      events were clinically significant (defined as pulmonary embolism, proximal DVT,
      and/or symptomatic distal DVT) and associated with an increased length of stay
      (18.2 +/- 9.9 days vs 13.4 +/- 11.5 days, P < .05). Mortality was higher in
      patients with acute VTE but did not reach statistical significance. Insertion of
      a CVC and longer mechanical ventilation duration were significant VTE risk
      factors. VTE incidence did not differ by thromboprophylaxis type. CONCLUSIONS: To
      our knowledge this is the first multicenter prospective study to identify a high
      incidence of VTE in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock, despite the use
      of universal, guideline-recommended thromboprophylaxis. Our findings suggest that
      the systemic inflammatory milieu of sepsis may uniquely predispose patients with
      sepsis to VTE. More effective VTE prevention strategies are necessary in patients
      with sepsis. TRIAL REGISTRY: ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT02353910; URL:
      www.clinicaltrials.gov.

PMID- 26111105
TI  - Plasma-derived C1-INH for managing hereditary angioedema in pediatric patients: A
      systematic review.
AB  - Presently, medications approved for children with Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) are
      extremely limited. This is especially the case for children under 12 years of
      age. For this reason we reviewed and summarized the data on treatment of children
      with HAE. Available data indicate that plasma derived C1-inhibitor is a safe,
      effective treatment option for HAE in pediatric patients, including those below
      12 years of age. Other therapies are also appear safe for the under 12 year of
      age, but less data are available. Importantly, home-based treatment of HAE in
      this age group appears to be safe and effective and can improve quality of life.
      These findings support current HAE consensus guidelines which strongly recommend
      the use of plasma derived C1-inhibitor as a first-line treatment in children and
      encourage home and self-treatment. 

PMID- 26111106
TI  - Images in Anesthesiology: Broncholithiasis: Images and Insight.

PMID- 26111104
TI  - A randomized phase 2 study comparing EC or CMF versus nab-paclitaxel plus
      capecitabine as adjuvant chemotherapy for nonfrail elderly patients with moderate
      to high-risk early breast cancer (ICE II-GBG 52).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although greater than 40% of breast cancers occur in patients aged
      >=65 years, these individuals are frequently undertreated. Taxane-based adjuvant
      chemotherapy is considered the treatment of choice but to the authors' knowledge
      has only limited evidence in elderly patients. METHODS: Patients aged >=65 years
      with a Charlson comorbidity index <=2 and pT1/2 pN0/1 disease and either human
      epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive, hormone receptor-negative,
      grade 3 (according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [version
      3.0]), high uPA/PAI-1 or any stage pT3/4 pN2/3 breast cancer were randomized to
      receive 4 cycles of adjuvant epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (EC) (epirubicin at
      a dose of 90 mg/m(2) and cyclophosphamide at a dose of 600 mg/m(2) intravenously
      [iv] on day 1 every 3 22 days) or 6 cycles of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and
      5-fluorouracil (CMF) (cyclophosphamide at a dose of 500 mg/m(2), methotrexate at
      a dose of 40 mg/m(2), and 5-fluorouracil at a dose of 600 mg/m(2) iv on days 1
      plus 8 every 29 days) versus 6 cycles of nab-paclitaxel and capecitabine (nPX)
      (nab-paclitaxel at a dose of 100 mg/m(2) iv on days 1, 8, and 15 every 21 days
      with 1 week of rest every 6 weeks plus capecitabine at a dose of 2000 mg/m(2)
      orally on days 1-14 every 21 days). Primary endpoints were treatment
      discontinuations and overall frequency of adverse events. RESULTS: Thirteen of
      198 patients (6.6%) discontinued EC/CMF and 69 of 193 patients (35.8%)
      discontinued nPX (P<.001) with 1 and 5 deaths observed during treatment,
      respectively. Grade 3 to 5 adverse events were more frequent among patients
      treated with EC/CMF (90.9%) than among those treated with nPX (64.8%) (P<.001),
      with hematological toxicities being more frequent with EC/CMF (88.4% vs 22.3%;
      P<.001), but nonhematological toxicities (hand-foot syndrome, diarrhea,
      mucositis, fatigue, sensory neuropathy, thromboembolisms, and metabolic
      disorders) being more frequent with nPX (58.5% vs 18.7%; P<.001). None of the
      geriatric scores (Charlson comorbidity index, Vulnerable Elders Survey [VES-13],
      Instrumental Activities of Daily Living [IADL], and G8) independently predicted
      grade 3 to 5 toxic events or treatment discontinuations. No differences in
      survival between the treatment groups were observed after 22.8 months.
      CONCLUSIONS: Compared with EC/CMF, treatment with nPX led to more treatment
      discontinuations and nonhematological toxicities in elderly patients with
      moderate or high-risk breast cancer.

PMID- 26111108
TI  - Tagging Glycoproteins with Fluorescently Labeled GDP-Fucoses by Using alpha1,3
      Fucosyltransferases.
AB  - Fucose-containing glycans mediate a variety of biological processes, but there is
      little information on reaction processes and mechanisms mediated by
      fucosyltransferases. We recently reported on fluorescently labeled GDP-beta-L
      fucose-ATTO 550, which enabled monitoring of alpha1,3-fucosyltransferase
      activity. Here we present an extension to the previously described results, based
      on the synthesis of a fluorescein-isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled and two
      carboxyfluorescein-labeled (FAM-labeled) NDP-beta-L-fucose derivatives, and
      applied all four compounds in labeling of different glycoproteins with the aid of
      four different fucosyltransferases. The labeling processes were analyzed by in
      gel fluorescence and fluorescence polarization measurements. Comparison with the
      ATTO-labeled sugar revealed that the FITC-labeled fucose was the best of these
      substrates, and that the bacterial enzyme HP-FucT tolerated the fluorescent
      substrates better than human fucosyltransferases.

PMID- 26111109
TI  - Direct and Scalable Deposition of Atomically Thin Low-Noise MoS2 Membranes on
      Apertures.
AB  - Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) flakes can grow beyond the edge of an underlying
      substrate into a planar freestanding crystal. When the substrate edge is in the
      form of an aperture, reagent-limited nucleation followed by edge growth
      facilitate direct and selective growth of freestanding MoS2 membranes. We have
      found conditions under which MoS2 grows preferentially across micrometer-scale
      prefabricated solid-state apertures in silicon nitride membranes, resulting in
      sealed membranes that are one to a few atomic layers thick. We have investigated
      the structure and purity of our membranes by a combination of atomic-resolution
      transmission electron microscopy, elemental analysis, Raman spectroscopy,
      photoluminescence spectroscopy, and low-noise ion-current recordings through
      nanopores fabricated in such membranes. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of
      fabricated ultrathin nanopores in such membranes for single-stranded DNA
      translocation detection. 

PMID- 26111110
TI  - Conditional entropy in variation-adjusted windows detects selection signatures
      associated with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Over the past 50,000 years, shifts in human-environmental or human
      human interactions shaped genetic differences within and among human populations,
      including variants under positive selection. Shaped by environmental factors,
      such variants influence the genetics of modern health, disease, and treatment
      outcome. Because evolutionary processes tend to act on gene regulation, we test
      whether regulatory variants are under positive selection. We introduce a new
      approach to enhance detection of genetic markers undergoing positive selection,
      using conditional entropy to capture recent local selection signals. RESULTS: We
      use conditional logistic regression to compare our Adjusted Haplotype Conditional
      Entropy (H|H) measure of positive selection to existing positive selection
      measures. H|H and existing measures were applied to published regulatory variants
      acting in cis (cis-eQTLs), with conditional logistic regression testing whether
      regulatory variants undergo stronger positive selection than the surrounding
      gene. These cis-eQTLs were drawn from six independent studies of genotype and RNA
      expression. The conditional logistic regression shows that, overall, H|H is
      substantially more powerful than existing positive-selection methods in
      identifying cis-eQTLs against other Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the
      same genes. When broken down by Gene Ontology, H|H predictions are particularly
      strong in some biological process categories, where regulatory variants are under
      strong positive selection compared to the bulk of the gene, distinct from those
      GO categories under overall positive selection. . However, cis-eQTLs in a second
      group of genes lack positive selection signatures detectable by H|H, consistent
      with ancient short haplotypes compared to the surrounding gene (for example, in
      innate immunity GO:0042742); under such other modes of selection, H|H would not
      be expected to be a strong predictor.. These conditional logistic regression
      models are adjusted for Minor allele frequency(MAF); otherwise, ascertainment
      bias is a huge factor in all eQTL data sets. Relationships between Gene Ontology
      categories, positive selection and eQTL specificity were replicated with H|H in a
      single larger data set. Our measure, Adjusted Haplotype Conditional Entropy
      (H|H), was essential in generating all of the results above because it: 1) is a
      stronger overall predictor for eQTLs than comparable existing approaches, and 2)
      shows low sequential auto-correlation, overcoming problems with convergence of
      these conditional regression statistical models. CONCLUSIONS: Our new method,
      H|H, provides a consistently more robust signal associated with cis-eQTLs
      compared to existing methods. We interpret this to indicate that some cis-eQTLs
      are under positive selection compared to their surrounding genes. Conditional
      entropy indicative of a selective sweep is an especially strong predictor of
      eQTLs for genes in several biological processes of medical interest. Where
      conditional entropy is a weak or negative predictor of eQTLs, such as innate
      immune genes, this would be consistent with balancing selection acting on such
      eQTLs over long time periods. Different measures of selection may be needed for
      variant prioritization under other modes of evolutionary selection.

PMID- 26111111
TI  - ESEM Detection of Foreign Metallic Particles inside Ameloblastomatous Cells.
AB  - Ameloblastoma is a borderline tumor of odontogenic origin, with a high recurrence
      rate and possible local aggressiveness. The etiopathogenetic factors involved in
      its occurrence are not still defined and our study has been precisely aimed to
      search for novel factors associated with its development. Sections cut from
      paraffin blocks, containing the representative specimens of 18 different
      ameloblastomas, collected in a 15-year period (1999-2014), have been observed by
      an environmental scanning electron microscope, in order to search micro- and nano
      sized particles and to identify their composition. In all the neoplastic cases,
      micro- and nano-sized metallic debris, differing in size and composition, have
      been detected inside the ameloblastomatous cells. On the contrary, the total
      absence of metallic particles in the healthy control cases has been emerged. Our
      results reveal a relationship between ameloblastoma and metallic particulate. The
      cigarette smoke and the routine dental practice appear the most probable source
      for the presence of these biopersistant inorganic particles inside the neoplastic
      cells. 

PMID- 26111112
TI  - Diagnostic performance of diffusion-weighted MRI for detection of pelvic
      metastatic lymph nodes in patients with cervical cancer: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - In recent years, diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI has emerged as a new technique for
      detecting the pelvic lymph metastases in patients with cervical cancer. The aim
      of this meta-analysis was to assess the diagnostic value of DW imaging (DWI) for
      benign/malignant discrimination of pelvic lymph nodes (LNs). Studies about DWI
      for the detection of metastatic LNs were searched in the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of
      Science, EBSCO, the Cochrane Library and three Chinese databases. Based on the
      extracted data, we determined pooled sensitivities, specificities and diagnostic
      odds ratios (DORs) across studies, calculated positive and negative likelihood
      ratios (LRs) and constructed summary receiver operating characteristic curves
      with area under the curve (AUC) and Q* obtained. We also analysed the
      heterogeneity between studies based on subgroup analysis, threshold effect and
      publication bias. In total, 15 studies involving 1021 patients met the inclusion
      criteria. The pooled sensitivity, specificity and DOR of DWI were 0.86 [95%
      confidence interval (CI), 0.84-0.89], 0.84 (95% CI, 0.83-0.86) and 47.21 (95% CI,
      25.67-86.81), respectively. LR syntheses yielded overall positive LR of 6.55 (95%
      CI, 4.77-9.01) and negative LR of 0.17 (95% CI, 0.12-0.23). The AUC and Q* index
      were 0.9384 and 0.8754, respectively. The heterogeneity was relatively high
      between studies; however, there was no evidence for threshold effect and
      publication bias. DWI is beneficial in the pelvic nodal assessment in patients
      with cervical cancer. Large-scale, high-quality trials with standard protocols
      are required to evaluate its clinical value for discrimination of metastatic from
      non-metastatic pelvic LNs in patients with cervical cancer. Advances in knowledge
      include providing evidence to assess the role of DWI in nodal staging of cervical
      cancer. 

PMID- 26111113
TI  - The Extended Oxygen Window Concept for Programming Saturation Decompressions
      Using Air and Nitrox.
AB  - Saturation decompression is a physiological process of transition from one steady
      state, full saturation with inert gas at pressure, to another one: standard
      conditions at surface. It is defined by the borderline condition for time spent
      at a particular depth (pressure) and inert gas in the breathing mixture
      (nitrogen, helium). It is a delicate and long lasting process during which single
      milliliters of inert gas are eliminated every minute, and any disturbance can
      lead to the creation of gas bubbles leading to decompression sickness (DCS). Most
      operational procedures rely on experimentally found parameters describing a
      continuous slow decompression rate. In Poland, the system for programming of
      continuous decompression after saturation with compressed air and nitrox has been
      developed as based on the concept of the Extended Oxygen Window (EOW). EOW mainly
      depends on the physiology of the metabolic oxygen window--also called inherent
      unsaturation or partial pressure vacancy--but also on metabolism of carbon
      dioxide, the existence of water vapor, as well as tissue tension. Initially,
      ambient pressure can be reduced at a higher rate allowing the elimination of
      inert gas from faster compartments using the EOW concept, and maximum outflow of
      nitrogen. Then, keeping a driving force for long decompression not exceeding the
      EOW allows optimal elimination of nitrogen from the limiting compartment with
      half-time of 360 min. The model has been theoretically verified through its
      application for estimation of risk of decompression sickness in published systems
      of air and nitrox saturation decompressions, where DCS cases were observed. Clear
      dose-reaction relation exists, and this confirms that any supersaturation over
      the EOW creates a risk for DCS. Using the concept of the EOW, 76 man
      decompressions were conducted after air and nitrox saturations in depth range
      between 18 and 45 meters with no single case of DCS. In summary, the EOW concept
      describes physiology of decompression after saturation with nitrogen-based
      breathing mixtures.

PMID- 26111114
TI  - Intracorneal Inlays for the Correction of Ametropias.
AB  - Various materials have been placed in the corneal stroma to modify a spherical
      refractive error (usually hyperopic). As the surgical procedures evolved to
      simplify the insertion process so has the quality and biocompatibility of the
      implanted materials. Failures have been due to excessive inlay dimensions,
      bioincompatibility of the materials used, poor choice of test model, or
      combinations of the above. We present a thorough analysis of the history of the
      intracorneal inlay and the materials and techniques used up to and including the
      current materials and techniques available for the correction of spherical
      refractive errors. 

PMID- 26111115
TI  - Sulfated and Glucuronated trans-Resveratrol Metabolites Regulate Chemokines and
      Sirtuin-1 Expression in U-937 Macrophages.
AB  - The natural anti-inflammatory compound resveratrol (RES) is metabolized upon
      ingestion. After dietary-scale doses, plasma concentrations of sulfated and
      glucuronated metabolites in humans exceed those of RES. The aim of this in vitro
      study was to assess the effect of physiological concentrations (1 MUM) of the
      most abundant RES metabolites (RES-3-O-sulfate, R3S; RES-disulfates, RdS; RES-3-O
      glucuronide, R3G; RES-4'-O-glucuronide, R4G) on genes and proteins involved in
      immune cell chemotaxis and inflammation (IL-8, MIP-1b, MCP-1, CCR1, CCR2, CXCR2,
      SIRT1) in a cell model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated U-937 macrophages.
      Levels of MCP-1 mRNA were comparably decreased after 3 h of treatment with R3S
      and RdS by -24.7 +/- 5.51 and -28.7 +/- 19.2%, respectively. LPS-induced MCP-1
      protein release was reduced after 3 h of treatment by R3S (-20.8 +/- 13.9%) and
      RdS (-25.7 +/- 8.29%). After a 9 h treatment, RdS also inhibited IL-8 and MIP-1b
      protein release by -22.9 +/- 3.57 and -20.1 +/- 7.00%, respectively. Glucuronides
      showed differential effects after 6 h of treatment, with R4G up-regulating mRNA
      of MIP-1b (24.5 +/- 14.8%) and R3G and R4G down-regulating CXCR2 surface protein
      compared to cells treated with LPS alone, by -5.33 +/- 4.18 and -15.2 +/- 5.99%,
      respectively. On the contrary, R3G and R4G up-regulated SIRT1 mRNA by 22.7 +/-
      17.9 and 22.8 +/- 16.9%, respectively, in LPS-stimulated U-937 macrophages,
      showing anti-inflammatory properties. In conclusion, sulfated RES metabolites
      show an interesting beneficial potential for attenuating inflammatory immune
      processes. 

PMID- 26111116
TI  - CALCIUM-INDUCED LIPID PEROXIDATION IS MEDIATED BY RHODNIUS HEME-BINDING PROTEIN
      (RHBP) AND PREVENTED BY VITELLIN.
AB  - Lipid peroxidation is promoted by the quasi-lipoxygenase (QL) activity of heme
      proteins and enhanced by the presence of free calcium. Unlike mammalian plasma,
      the hemolymph of Rhodnius prolixus, a vector of Chagas disease, contains both a
      free heme-binding protein (RHBP) and circulating lipoproteins. RHBP binds and
      prevents the heme groups of the proteins from participating in lipid peroxidation
      reactions. Herein, we show that despite being bound to RHBP, heme groups promote
      lipid peroxidation through a calcium-dependent QL reaction. This reaction is
      readily inhibited by the presence of ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA), the
      antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene or micromolar levels of the main yolk
      phosphoprotein vitellin (Vt). The inhibition of lipid peroxidation is eliminated
      by the in vitro dephosphorylation of Vt, indicating that this reaction depends on
      the interaction of free calcium ions with negatively charged phosphoamino acids.
      Our results demonstrate that calcium chelation mediated by phosphoproteins occurs
      via an antioxidant mechanism that protects living organisms from lipid
      peroxidation. 

PMID- 26111117
TI  - Prospective study of articular manifestations in Behcet's disease: five-year
      report.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate different aspects of articular involvements (prevalence, types,
      relation to extra-articular manifestations, etc.) in Iranian patients with
      Behcet's disease (BD). METHODS: In a prospective study, all patients with BD
      attending an outpatient BD clinic were enrolled. The type of articular
      involvements (peripheral or axial), involved joints, duration of attacks and
      their relation to extra-articular manifestations, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)
      B5 and HLA-B27 were evaluated. Data analysis was done by using descriptive
      statistical indices such as mean and confidence interval. The comparisons were
      done by chi-square test. RESULTS: In a 5-year period, 2312 patients were
      recruited. Musculoskeletal manifestations were recorded in 430 patients (190
      without previous history of these involvements). The remaining 1882 patients
      showed no musculoskeletal involvements, of which 753 had past histories of
      musculoskeletal manifestations. The 5-year incidence rate was 18.6%, and the
      prevalence rate was 51.2%. History of previous musculoskeletal involvements has
      no effect in its new development (P = 0.2). Arthritis was the most common type of
      involvement (289/430, 67%). The most frequent pattern was monoarthritis (191/289,
      66%), and the most frequent involved joints were knees (147/289, 50.9%). The
      arthritic attacks were unilateral in 82.4% of cases. Ankylosing spondylitis was
      seen in 44/430 (10.2%). There was no association between HLA-B5 or HLA-B27 and
      any type of musculoskeletal involvements (P > 0.5). Pseudofolliculitis was the
      only extra-articular manifestation related to arthritic attacks (P = 0.046).
      CONCLUSION: Musculoskeletal involvement is a common manifestation of BD seen in
      more than half of patients. Acute knee monoarthritis was the most common pattern
      of articular involvement in BD.

PMID- 26111119
TI  - Highly Rigid Labdane-Type Diterpenoids from a Chinese Liverwort and Light-Driven
      Structure Diversification.
AB  - Two unprecedented labdane-type diterpenoids haplomintrins A (1) and B (2) with
      six rings system were isolated from a Chinese liverwort Haplomitrium mnioides.
      Light-driven reaction of homologous haplomitrenonolides C (6), A (4), and D (3)
      afforded haplomintrins A-C (1, 2, and 7), respectively, while 4 was converted to
      more complex congeners haplomintrins D-G (8-11) through intramolecular
      cyclization. Formation of 1 and 2 from compounds 6 and 4, respectively, helps us
      to postulate that a photochemical reaction is involved in the biosynthetic
      pathway. These structure features can be used as molecular markers of H.
      mnioides, and their allelopathic effects are also preliminarily tested. 

PMID- 26111118
TI  - Assessing the Impact of Capture on Wild Animals: The Case Study of Chemical
      Immobilisation on Alpine Ibex.
AB  - The importance of capturing wild animals for research and conservation projects
      is widely shared. As this activity continues to become more common, the need to
      assess its negative effects increases so as to ensure ethical standards and the
      validity of research results. Increasing evidence has revealed that indirect
      (physiological and behavioural) effects of capture are as important as direct
      risks (death or injury) and that different capture methodologies can cause
      heterogeneous effects. We investigated the influence of chemical immobilisation
      on Alpine ibex (Capra ibex): during the days following the capture we collected
      data on spatial behaviour, activity levels of both males and females, and male
      hormone levels. Moreover, we recorded the reproductive status of each marked
      female during the breeding seasons of 15 years. Then, by several a priori models
      we investigated the effects of the capture taking into account biological factors
      and changes in environmental conditions. Our results showed that chemical
      immobilisation did not affect either spatial behaviour (for both males and
      females) or male hormone levels, though both sexes showed reduced activity levels
      up to two days after the capture. The capture did not significantly affect the
      likelihood for a female to give birth in the following summer. Our findings
      highlighted the scarce impact of chemical immobilisation on ibex biology, as we
      detected alteration of activity levels only immediately after the capture if
      compared to the following days (i.e., baseline situation). Hence, the comparison
      of our findings with previous research showed that our methodology is one of the
      less invasive procedures to capture large mammals. Nonetheless, in areas
      characterised by high predator density, we suggest that animals released be
      carefully monitored for some hours after the capture. Moreover, researchers
      should avoid considering data collected during the first days after the
      manipulation in order to avoid biased information. 

PMID- 26111120
TI  - Seeing and Holding Baby: Systematic Review of Clinical Management and Parental
      Outcomes After Stillbirth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2009 there were an estimated 2.6 million stillbirths worldwide. In
      the United States, a 2007 systematic review found little consensus about
      professional behaviors perceived by parents to be most helpful or most
      distressing. In the United Kingdom, a bereaved parents' organization has
      highlighted discordance between parental views and clinical guidelines that
      recommend clinicians do not encourage parents to see and hold their baby. The
      objective of this review was to identify and synthesize available research
      reporting parental outcomes relating to seeing and holding. METHODS: We undertook
      a systematic review. We included studies of any design, reporting parental
      experiences and outcomes. Electronic searches (PubMed and PsychINFO) were
      conducted in January 2014. Three authors independently screened and assessed the
      quality of the studies before abstracting data and undertaking thematic analysis.
      RESULTS: We reviewed 741 records and included 23 studies (10 quantitative, 12
      qualitative, and 1 mixed-method). Twenty-one studies suggested positive outcomes
      for parents who saw or held their baby. Increased psychological morbidity was
      associated with current pregnancy, choice not to see their baby, lack of time
      with their baby and/or insufficient mementos. Three themes were formulated
      "positive effects of contact within a traumatic life event," "importance of role
      of health professionals," and "impact on mothers and fathers: similarities and
      differences." CONCLUSIONS: Stillbirth is a risk factor for increased
      psychological morbidity. Parents seeing and holding their stillborn baby can be
      beneficial to their future well-being. Since 2007, there has been a proliferation
      of studies that challenge clinical guidelines recommending that clinicians do not
      encourage parental contact.

PMID- 26111121
TI  - Spontaneous corynebacterium spondylodiskitis in an immunocompetent patient: A
      case report and literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spontaneous Corynebacterium spondylodiskitis is an unusual diagnosis
      of spondylodiskitis, especially in healthy patients without any significant past
      medical history. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We describe the case of a 78-year-old man
      with progressive low back pain for 3 months, irradiating down the lower limbs
      through L5 and S1 root pathways, associated with distal muscle weakness in both
      lower limbs. He had no history of trauma or medical problems. Laboratory
      investigation revealed elevated serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte
      sedimentation rate, without leukocytosis. The magnetic resonance findings
      demonstrated an extensive L5-S1 spondylodiskitis and L4-L5 anterolisthesis. Prior
      to spinopelvic fixation and posterolateral fusion, a substantial debridement was
      performed. The obtained tissue samples were submitted to pathological and
      microbiological studies, which identified Corynebacterium infection. RESULTS: One
      month after surgery, the pain diminished dramatically and the CRP titer
      diminished significantly. CONCLUSION: Although cases are very rare, spontaneous
      Corynebacterium spondylodiskitis, with substantial invasion of the spine, may
      develop in patients lacking any history of medical or surgical problems.

PMID- 26111122
TI  - Detection of tick-borne Anaplasma bovis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Anaplasma
      centrale in Spain.
AB  - The genus Anaplasma (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) includes species of medical
      and veterinary importance. The presence of Anaplasma spp. in ticks from birds, as
      well as in Haemaphysalis punctata (Ixodida: Ixodidae) specimens collected from
      cattle and vegetation in northern Spain was investigated. A total of 336 ticks
      from birds [174 Ixodes frontalis (Ixodida: Ixodidae), 108 H. punctata, 34
      Hyalomma marginatum (Ixodida: Ixodidae), 17 Ixodes ricinus (Ixodida: Ixodidae)
      and three Ixodes spp.], and 181 H. punctata specimens collected from cattle (n =
      71) and vegetation (n = 110) were analysed. Anaplasma bovis was detected in five
      H. punctata, including two from birds (1.9%) and three from vegetation (2.7%).
      Four I. frontalis (2.3%) (one co-infected with 'Candidatus Midichloria
      mitochondrii') and one I. ricinus (5.9%) removed from birds, as well as four H.
      punctata (5.6%) collected from cattle showed Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection.
      In addition, Anaplasma centrale was found in two H. punctata, one from a cow
      (1.4%) and the other from vegetation (0.9%). This study represents the first
      evidence of the presence of A. bovis in European ticks, and reports the first
      detection of A. bovis and A. centrale in H. punctata, and the first finding of A.
      phagocytophilum and 'Ca. Midichloria mitochondrii' in I. frontalis. 

PMID- 26111124
TI  - Clostridium difficile Infection.

PMID- 26111123
TI  - Exonuclease III-Assisted Target Recycling Amplification Coupled with Liposome
      Assisted Amplification: One-Step and Dual-Amplification Strategy for Highly
      Sensitive Fluorescence Detection of DNA.
AB  - Detection of ultralow concentration of specific DNA sequence is a central
      challenge in the early diagnosis of gene-related disease and biodefense
      application. Herein, we report a dual-amplification strategy for highly sensitive
      fluorescence detection of DNA. In this proposed strategy, a dumbbell-shaped DNA
      probe is designed to integrate target binding, magnetic separation, and signal
      response. In the presence of specific DNA target, the multifunctional dumbbell
      probe can initiate exonuclease III (Exo III)-aided target recycling
      amplification, and, in the meantime, generate a large number of fluorescein (FAM)
      encapsulated liposomes. The developed method offers very high sensitivity due to
      primary amplification via numerous FAM from a liposome and secondary
      amplification via target recycling amplification. The detection limit of the
      proposed method can reach 4 aM, which is much lower than that of the Exo III
      aided target recycling technique applied for DNA quantification without FAM
      encapsulated liposomes amplification. Moreover, the dual-signal amplification
      process can be completed one-step in this system. Therefore, this method provides
      a simple, isothermal, and low-cost approach for sensitive detection of DNA and
      holds a great potential for early diagnosis in gene-related diseases. 

PMID- 26111125
TI  - Effect of Teduglutide, a Glucagon-like Peptide 2 Analog, on Citrulline Levels in
      Patients With Short Bowel Syndrome in Two Phase III Randomized Trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In clinical trials, treatment with the glucagon-like peptide 2 analog
      teduglutide was associated with improved fluid and nutrient absorption and
      increased intestinal villus height and crypt depth in patients with short bowel
      syndrome (SBS). Plasma citrulline, an amino acid produced by enterocytes, is
      considered a measure of enterocyte mass. This analysis assessed changes in plasma
      citrulline levels in patients with SBS in 2 phase III clinical studies of
      teduglutide. METHODS: Both teduglutide studies (0.05 or 0.10 mg/kg/day in CL0600
      004 and 0.05 mg/kg/day in CL0600-020) were phase III, 24-week, double-blind, and
      placebo controlled. Plasma citrulline levels were analyzed and validated by
      liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: In both the
      CL0600-004 and CL0600-020 studies, change in mean plasma citrulline
      concentrations at Week 24 vs. baseline was significantly greater with teduglutide
      compared with placebo (10.9 (0.05-mg/kg/day dose) and 15.7 (0.10-mg/kg/day dose)
      vs. 2.0 MUmol/L and 20.6 vs. 0.7 MUmol/L, respectively, for each study (P<=0.0001
      for each comparison with placebo)). Teduglutide treatment was associated with
      reductions from baseline in PS (parenteral support) volume requirements; however,
      a significant correlation between PS reduction and increase in plasma citrulline
      at Week 24 was observed in only one out of the three teduglutide treatment
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: In 2 phase III studies, patients receiving teduglutide had
      significant increases in plasma citrulline at Week 24 compared with patients
      receiving placebo. Increases in plasma citrulline concentrations likely reflect
      enterocyte mass expansion, but no clear correlation was detected between change
      in plasma citrulline and change in weekly PS volume.

PMID- 26111126
TI  - Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics of Single Rising TAK
      438 (Vonoprazan) Doses in Healthy Male Japanese/non-Japanese Subjects.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and
      pharmacodynamics of TAK-438 (vonoprazan, a potassium-competitive acid blocker) in
      healthy male subjects. METHODS: In two phase I, randomized, double-blind, placebo
      controlled, single rising-dose studies, healthy male subjects (Japan N=84; UK
      N=63) received a single TAK-438 dose (1-120 mg in Japan and 1-40 mg in the UK).
      Assessments included safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics
      (intragastric pH). RESULTS: Plasma concentration-time profiles of TAK-438 at all
      dose levels showed rapid absorption (median Tmax up to 2 h). Estimated mean
      elimination half-life was up to 9 h. Exposure was slightly greater than dose
      proportional. No clear difference in TAK-438 pharmacokinetics was observed
      between Japanese and non-Japanese subjects. Acid suppression was dose dependent
      and similar in both studies. The 24-h intragastric pH >=4 holding time ratio with
      40 mg TAK-438 was 92% in Japan and 87% in the UK. TAK-438 was well tolerated,
      with no adverse events reported in Japanese subjects; 10 of 63 UK subjects
      experienced 12 treatment-emergent adverse events (non-serious). Increases in
      serum gastrin and pepsinogen I and II concentrations were observed at doses >=10
      mg, but there were no changes in alanine aminotransferase concentrations.
      CONCLUSIONS: Single oral doses of TAK-438 20-120 mg caused rapid, profound, and
      24-h suppression of gastric acid secretion in healthy male subjects, regardless
      of geographical region, and TAK-438 was well tolerated at all doses studied,
      making it a potential alternative to proton pump inhibitors for the treatment of
      acid-related disorders.

PMID- 26111129
TI  - Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy in Women With Postpartum Low Back Pain and
      Disability: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - CONTEXT: Persistent low back pain (LBP) is a common complaint among women during
      and after pregnancy, and its effects on quality of life can be disabling.
      OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative therapy
      (OMTh; manipulative care provided by foreign-trained osteopaths) in women with
      persistent LBP and functional disability after childbirth. METHODS: A pragmatic
      randomized controlled trial was conducted among a sample of women with a history
      of pregnancy-related LBP for at least 3 months after delivery. Participants were
      identified from the general population in Germany. By means of external
      randomization, women were allocated to an OMTh group and a waitlist control
      group. Osteopathic manipulative therapy was provided 4 times at intervals of 2
      weeks, with a follow-up after 12 weeks. The OMTh was tailored to each participant
      and based on osteopathic principles. The participants allocated to the control
      group did not receive OMTh during the 8-week study; rather, they were put on a
      waiting list to receive OMTh on completion of the study. Further, they were not
      allowed to receive any additional treatment (ie, medication, physical therapy, or
      other sources of pain relief) during the study period. The main outcome measures
      were pain intensity as measured by a visual analog scale and the effect of LBP on
      daily activities as assessed by the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). RESULTS: A
      total of 80 women aged between 23 and 42 years (mean [SD], 33.6 [4.5] years) were
      included in the study, with 40 in the OMTh group and 40 in the control group.
      Pain intensity decreased in the OMTh group from 7.3 to 2.0 (95% CI, 4.8-5.9;
      P<.001) and in the control group from 7.0 to 6.5 (95% CI, -0.2 to -0.9; P=.005).
      The between-group comparison of changes revealed a statistically significant
      improvement in pain intensity in the OMTh group (between-group difference of
      means, 4.8; 95% CI, 4.1-5.4; P<.001) and level of disability (between-group
      difference of means, 10.6; 95% CI, 9.9-13.2; P<.005). The follow-up assessment in
      the OMTh group (n=38) showed further improvement. CONCLUSION: During 8 weeks,
      OMTh applied 4 times led to clinically relevant positive changes in pain
      intensity and functional disability in women with postpartum LBP. Further studies
      that include prolonged follow-up periods are warranted. (German Clinical Trials
      Register: DRKS00006280.).

PMID- 26111130
TI  - Diabetes Mellitus Coding Training for Family Practice Residents.
AB  - CONTEXT: Although physicians regularly use numeric coding systems such as the
      International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification
      (ICD-9-CM) to describe patient encounters, coding errors are common. One of the
      most complicated diagnoses to code is diabetes mellitus. The ICD-9-CM currently
      has 39 separate codes for diabetes mellitus; this number will be expanded to more
      than 50 with the introduction of ICD-10-CM in October 2015. OBJECTIVE: To assess
      the effect of a 1-hour focused presentation on ICD-9-CM codes on diabetes
      mellitus coding. METHODS: A 1-hour focused lecture on the correct use of diabetes
      mellitus codes for patient visits was presented to family practice residents at
      Doctors Hospital Family Practice in Columbus, Ohio. To assess resident knowledge
      of the topic, a pretest and posttest were given to residents before and after the
      lecture, respectively. Medical records of all patients with diabetes mellitus who
      were cared for at the hospital 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after the lecture were
      reviewed and compared for the use of diabetes mellitus ICD-9 codes. RESULTS:
      Eighteen residents attended the lecture and completed the pretest and posttest.
      The mean (SD) percentage of correct answers was 72.8% (17.1%) for the pretest and
      84.4% (14.6%) for the posttest, for an improvement of 11.6 percentage points
      (P<=.035). The percentage of total available codes used did not substantially
      change from before to after the lecture, but the use of the generic ICD-9-CM code
      for diabetes mellitus type II controlled (250.00) declined (58 of 176 [33%] to
      102 of 393 [26%]) and the use of other codes increased, indicating a greater
      variety in codes used after the focused lecture. CONCLUSION: After a focused
      lecture on diabetes mellitus coding, resident coding knowledge improved. Review
      of medical record data did not reveal an overall change in the number of diabetic
      codes used after the lecture but did reveal a greater variety in the codes used.

PMID- 26111131
TI  - Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.
AB  - Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a complex clinical
      condition. Initially called diastolic heart failure, it soon became clear that
      this condition is more than the opposite side of systolic heart failure. It is
      increasingly prevalent and lethal. Currently, HFpEF represents more than 50% of
      heart failure cases and shares a 90-day mortality and readmission rate similar to
      heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Heart failure with preserved
      ejection fraction is best considered to be a systemic disease. From a
      cardiovascular standpoint, it is not just a stiff ventricle. A stiff ventricle
      combined with a stiff arterial and venous system account for the clinical
      manifestations of flash pulmonary edema and the marked changes in renal function
      or systemic blood pressure with minor changes in fluid volume status. No
      effective pharmacologic treatments are available for patients with HFpEF, but an
      approach to the musculoskeletal system has merit: the functional limitations and
      exercise intolerance that patients experience are largely due to abnormalities of
      peripheral vascular function and skeletal muscle dysfunction. Regular exercise
      training has strong objective evidence to support its use to improve quality of
      life and functional capacity for patients with HFpEF. This clinical review
      summarizes the current evidence on the pathophysiologic aspects, diagnosis, and
      management of HFpEF. 

PMID- 26111132
TI  - Improving Resident Performance Through a Simulated Rapid Response Team: A Pilot
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Joint Commission requires hospitals to develop systems in which a
      team of clinicians can rapidly recognize and respond to changes in a patient's
      condition. The rapid response team (RRT) concept has been widely adopted as the
      solution to this mandate. The role of house staff in RRTs and the impact on
      resident education has been controversial. At Christiana Care Health System,
      eligible residents in their second through final years lead the RRTs. OBJECTIVE:
      To evaluate the use of a team-based, interdisciplinary RRT training program for
      educating and training first-year residents in an effort to improve global RRT
      performance before residents start their second year. METHODS: This pilot study
      was administered in 3 phases. Phase 1 provided residents with classroom-based
      didactic sessions using case-based RRT scenarios. Multiple choice examinations
      were administered, as well as a confidence survey based on a Likert scale before
      and after phase 1 of the program. Phase 2 involved experiential training in which
      residents engaged as mentored participants in actual RRT calls. A qualitative
      survey was used to measure perceived program effectiveness after phase 2. In
      phase 3, led by senior residents, simulated RRTs using medical mannequins were
      conducted. Participants were divided into 5 teams, in which each resident would
      rotate in the roles of leader, nurse, and respiratory therapist. This phase
      measured resident performance with regard to medical decision making, data
      gathering, and team behaviors during the simulated RRT scenarios. Performance was
      scored by an attending and a senior resident. RESULTS: A total of 18 residents
      were eligible (N=18) for participation. The average multiple choice test score
      improved by 20% after didactic training. The average confidence survey score
      before training was 3.44 out of 5 (69%) and after training was 4.13 (83%),
      indicating a 14% improvement. High-quality team behaviors correlated with medical
      decision making (0.92) more closely than did high-quality data gathering (0.11).
      This difference narrowed during high-pressure scenarios (0.84 and 0.72,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that resident training using a team
      based, interdisciplinary RRT training program may improve resident education,
      interdisciplinary team-based dynamics, and global RRT performance. In turn, data
      gathering and medical decision making may be enhanced, which may result in better
      patient outcomes during RRT scenarios.

PMID- 26111133
TI  - Effects of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Diabetic Gastroparesis.
AB  - As the number of diagnoses of diabetes mellitis continues to increase, so does
      the incidence of diabetic complications, such as gastroparesis. The current case
      report examines the effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on the
      symptoms of diabetic gastroparesis in a patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
      After a prescribed regimen of OMT, the patient's Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom
      Index score improved from 13 to 8, and his hospitalization stays decreased from
      once every 6 to 8 weeks to once in 6 months. After 6 sessions of OMT, the patient
      experienced a reduction in and subsequent relief of diabetic gastroparesis
      symptoms and improved quality of life. The role of OMT needs to be further
      investigated as a cost-effective adjunctive treatment for patients with diabetic
      gastroparesis. 

PMID- 26111140
TI  - Chorea, Hyperglycemia, Basal Ganglia Syndrome.

PMID- 26111141
TI  - The Act of Listening: Perspective of a Hard-of-Hearing Medical Student.

PMID- 26111142
TI  - Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis After an Abnormal Stress Test: Case Report and Review
      of the Literature.
AB  - Pheochromocytoma is a rare adrenal gland tumor that is often difficult for
      physicians to diagnose because of its general, nonspecific complaints. Diagnosis
      is particularly difficult in patients with neurofibromatosis 1, because
      pheochromocytoma in these patients will mimic other cardiovascular abnormalities.
      The authors report the case of a 60-year-old woman with an extensive history of
      hyperlipidemia, malignant hypertension, coronary artery disease, and
      neurofibromatosis 1 who was referred for an elective cardiac catheterization as a
      result of an abnormal stress test. The patient returned to the hospital 3 days
      after the procedure complaining of increased angina and palpitations. While
      hospitalized, she developed severe episodic hypertension. A computed tomographic
      scan revealed bilateral adrenal masses. Findings of biochemical and imaging
      evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of bilateral pheochromocytoma. Early screening
      of pheochromocytomas in high-risk populations is essential for prompt diagnosis
      and successful management. 

PMID- 26111143
TI  - Health Behavior Theory for Pressure Ulcer Prevention: Root-Cause Analysis Project
      in Critical Care Nursing.
AB  - The purpose of this project was to use a behavioral theory to examine pressure
      ulcer prevention by nurses in a critical care setting. A root-cause analysis
      approach was used, including an integrative literature review, operationalization
      of behavioral constructs into a survey, and root-cause analysis application in a
      cardiovascular intensive care unit. This article highlights an innovative
      approach to quality improvement in critical care. 

PMID- 26111144
TI  - Are Lipases Still Important Biocatalysts? A Study of Scientific Publications and
      Patents for Technological Forecasting.
AB  - The great potential of lipases is known since 1930 when the work of J. B. S.
      Haldane was published. After eighty-five years of studies and developments, are
      lipases still important biocatalysts? For answering this question the present
      work investigated the technological development of four important industrial
      sectors where lipases are applied: production of detergent formulations; organic
      synthesis, focusing on kinetic resolution, production of biodiesel, and
      production of food and feed products. The analysis was made based on research
      publications and patent applications, working as scientific and technological
      indicators, respectively. Their evolution, interaction, the major players of each
      sector and the main subject matters disclosed in patent documents were discussed.
      Applying the concept of technology life cycle, S-curves were built by plotting
      cumulative patent data over time to monitor the attractiveness of each technology
      for investment. The results lead to a conclusion that the use of lipases as
      biocatalysts is still a relevant topic for the industrial sector, but
      developments are still needed for lipase biocatalysis to reach its full
      potential, which are expected to be achieved within the third, and present, wave
      of biocatalysis. 

PMID- 26111145
TI  - Treatment decisions based on scalar and functional baseline covariates.
AB  - The amount and complexity of patient-level data being collected in randomized
      controlled trials offer both opportunities and challenges for developing
      personalized rules for assigning treatment for a given disease or ailment. For
      example, trials examining treatments for major depressive disorder are not only
      collecting typical baseline data such as age, gender, or scores on various tests,
      but also data that measure the structure and function of the brain such as images
      from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI (fMRI), or
      electroencephalography (EEG). These latter types of data have an inherent
      structure and may be considered as functional data. We propose an approach that
      uses baseline covariates, both scalars and functions, to aid in the selection of
      an optimal treatment. In addition to providing information on which treatment
      should be selected for a new patient, the estimated regime has the potential to
      provide insight into the relationship between treatment response and the set of
      baseline covariates. Our approach can be viewed as an extension of "advantage
      learning" to include both scalar and functional covariates. We describe our
      method and how to implement it using existing software. Empirical performance of
      our method is evaluated with simulated data in a variety of settings and also
      applied to data arising from a study of patients with major depressive disorder
      from whom baseline scalar covariates as well as functional data from EEG are
      available. 

PMID- 26111146
TI  - Identification of Genetic Loci Associated with Quality Traits in Almond via
      Association Mapping.
AB  - To design an appropriate association study, we need to understand population
      structure and the structure of linkage disequilibrium within and among
      populations as well as in different regions of the genome in an organism. In this
      study, we have used a total of 98 almond accessions, from five continents located
      and maintained at the Centro de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agroalimentaria de
      Aragon (CITA; Spain), and 40 microsatellite markers. Population structure
      analysis performed in 'Structure' grouped the accessions into two principal
      groups; the Mediterranean (Western-Europe) and the non-Mediterranean, with K = 3,
      being the best fit for our data. There was a strong subpopulation structure with
      linkage disequilibrium decaying with increasing genetic distance resulting in
      lower levels of linkage disequilibrium between more distant markers. A
      significant impact of population structure on linkage disequilibrium in the
      almond cultivar groups was observed. The mean r2 value for all intra-chromosomal
      loci pairs was 0.040, whereas, the r2 for the inter-chromosomal loci pairs was
      0.036. For analysis of association between the markers and phenotypic traits,
      five models comprising both general linear models and mixed linear models were
      selected to test the marker trait associations. The mixed linear model (MLM)
      approach using co-ancestry values from population structure and kinship estimates
      (K model) as covariates identified a maximum of 16 significant associations for
      chemical traits and 12 for physical traits. This study reports for the first time
      the use of association mapping for determining marker-locus trait associations in
      a world-wide almond germplasm collection. It is likely that association mapping
      will have the most immediate and largest impact on the tier of crops such as
      almond with the greatest economic value. 

PMID- 26111147
TI  - Decreased Expression of CoREST1 and CoREST2 Together with LSD1 and HDAC1/2 during
      Neuronal Differentiation.
AB  - CoREST (CoREST1, rcor1) transcriptional corepressor together with the histone
      demethylase LSD1 (KDM1A) and the histone deacetylases HDAC1/2 form LSD1-CoREST
      HDAC (LCH) transcriptional complexes to regulate gene expression. CoREST1 belong
      to a family that also comprises CoREST2 (rcor2) and CoREST3 (rcor3). CoREST1
      represses the expression of neuronal genes during neuronal differentiation.
      However, the role of paralogs CoREST2 and CoREST3 in this process is just
      starting to emerge. Here, we report the expression of all CoRESTs and partners
      LSD1 and HDAC1/2 in two models of neuronal differentiation: Nerve-Growth-Factor
      (NGF)-induced neuronal phenotype of PC12 cells, and in vitro maturation of
      embryonic rat cortical neurons. In both models, a concomitant and gradual
      decrease of LSD1, HDAC1, HDAC2, CoREST1, and CoREST2, but not CoREST3 was
      observed. As required by the study, full-length rat rcor1 gene was identified
      using in silico analysis of available rat genome. The work was also complemented
      by the analysis of rat RNA-seq databases. The analysis showed that all CoRESTs,
      including the identified four splicing variants of rat CoREST3, display a wide
      expression in adult tissues. Moreover, the analysis of RNA-seq databases showed
      that CoREST2 displays a higher expression than CoREST1 and CoREST3 in the mature
      brain. Immunofluorescent assays and immunoblots of adult rat brain showed that
      all CoRESTs are present in both glia and neurons. Regarding functional
      partnership, CoREST2 and CoREST3 interact with all LSD1 splicing variants. In
      conclusion, neuronal differentiation is accompanied by decreased expression of
      all core components of LCH complexes, but not CoREST3. The combination of the
      differential transcriptional repressor capacity of LCH complexes and variable
      protein levels of its different components should result in a finely tuned gene
      expression during neuronal differentiation and in the adult brain. 

PMID- 26111149
TI  - Genetic variants within immune-modulating genes influence the risk of developing
      rheumatoid arthritis and anti-TNF drug response: a two-stage case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that arises
      as a result of the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. A
      growing body of research suggests that genetic variants within immune-related
      genes can influence the risk of developing the disease and affect drug response.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: To test this hypothesis, we carried out a comprehensive
      two-stage case-control study in a White population of 1239 White RA patients and
      1229 healthy controls to investigate whether 49 single nucleotide polymorphisms
      within or near 17 immune-related genes modulate the risk of developing RA and
      antitumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drug response. RESULTS: Logistic regression
      analyses showed that carriers of the IL4rs2070874T and IL4rs2243250T and
      IL8RBrs1126580A alleles or the IL8RBrs2230054C/C genotype had a significantly
      increased risk of developing RA [odds ratio (OR)=1.37, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) 1.13-1.67, P=0.0016; OR=1.24, 95% CI 1.03-1.49, P=0.020; OR=1.23, 95% CI
      1.08-1.41, P=0.002 and OR=1.19, 95% CI 1.04-1.36, P=0.01, respectively]. The
      association of the IL4 variants was further supported by a meta-analysis
      including 7150 individuals (P =0.0010), whereas the involvement of the IL8RB
      locus in determining the susceptibility to RA was also supported by gene-gene
      interaction analyses that identified significant two-locus and three-locus
      interaction models including IL8RB variants that act synergistically to increase
      the risk of the disease (P=0.014 and 0.018). Interestingly, we also found that
      patients harbouring the IFNGrs2069705C allele showed a significantly better
      response to anti-TNF drugs than those patients carrying the wild-type allele
      (P=0.0075). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that IL4 and IL8RB loci may have a
      small-effect genetic impact on the risk of developing RA, whereas IFNG might be
      involved in modulating the response to anti-TNF drugs.

PMID- 26111148
TI  - Computer-Aided Prediction of Long-Term Prognosis of Patients with Ulcerative
      Colitis after Cytoapheresis Therapy.
AB  - Cytoapheresis (CAP) therapy is widely used in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients
      with moderate to severe activity in Japan. The aim of this study is to predict
      the need of operation after CAP therapy of UC patients on an individual level
      using an artificial neural network system (ANN). Ninety UC patients with moderate
      to severe activity were treated with CAP. Data on the patients' demographics,
      medication, clinical activity index (CAI) and efficacy of CAP were collected.
      Clinical data were divided into training data group and validation data group and
      analyzed using ANN to predict individual outcomes. The sensitivity and
      specificity of predictive expression by ANN were 0.96 and 0.97, respectively.
      Events of admission, operation, and use of immunomodulator, and efficacy of CAP
      were significantly correlated to the outcome. Requirement of operation after CAP
      therapy was successfully predicted by using ANN. This newly established ANN
      strategy would be used as powerful support of physicians in the clinical
      practice. 

PMID- 26111150
TI  - Association of the ADRB2 (rs2053044) polymorphism and angiotensin-converting
      enzyme-inhibitor blood pressure response in the African American Study of Kidney
      Disease and Hypertension.
AB  - AIM/OBJECTIVES/BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular and
      kidney disease and is most prevalent in African-American adults. The renin
      angiotensin-aldosterone system is integral in blood pressure regulation;
      angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors such as ramipril are first-line
      treatment options. As decreases in angiotensin result in catecholamine release,
      beta-adrenergic receptor (ADRB) polymorphisms may influence blood pressure
      response to ramipril. METHODS: Associations between ADRB polymorphisms and blood
      pressure response to ramipril were analyzed in the African American Study of
      Kidney Disease and Hypertension, a randomized clinical trial. A total of 336
      participants were included in this analysis. Six polymorphisms were analyzed
      here: (a) ADRB1 rs1801252 (Ser49Gly) and rs1801253 (Gly389Arg); and (b) ADRB2
      rs2053044, rs1042711, rs1042713 (Arg16Gly), and rs1042714 (Gln27Glu). Time to
      reach a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 107 mmHg within the first 60 days after
      randomization was studied using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards
      modeling for univariate and adjusted analyses. RESULTS: Genotypes at rs2053044,
      upstream from the ADRB2 5' untranslated region, were associated with time to
      reach target MAP among those randomized to the usual treatment group.
      Participants with the GG genotype achieved target MAP on average 12.2 days
      (38.1%) later than in comparison with those with the A allele (P=0.01). After
      adjusting for covariates, those with the AA/AG genotype had 2.09 greater odds of
      reaching MAP of 107 mmHg or less within 60 days of treatment in comparison with
      those with a GG genotype (hazard ratio=2.09, 95% confidence interval=1.21-3.60).
      CONCLUSION: Results suggest that ADRB2 rs2053044 genotypes may be a determinant
      of blood pressure response to ramipril. Additional studies are needed to clarify
      the effect of rs2053044 and other 5' untranslated region polymorphisms on gene
      expression and blood pressure response to angiotensin-converting enzyme
      inhibitors.

PMID- 26111152
TI  - Genetic determinants of metamizole metabolism modify the risk of developing
      anaphylaxis.
AB  - Metamizole is a NSAID that has been banned in several countries because of its
      toxicity. It is often involved in selective hypersensitivity reactions and most
      hypersensitivity patients develop anaphylaxis. Metamizole is rapidly metabolized,
      and metabolic profiles are related to genetic factors. We analyzed whether
      genetic determinants of metamizole metabolism influence the risk of developing
      hypersensitivity in 265 patients diagnosed with hypersensitivity to metamizole
      and 362 healthy individuals who tolerated metamizole. Slow acetylation is
      associated with an increased risk of developing selective hypersensitivity to
      metamizole [odds ratio for slow alleles=2.17 (95% confidence interval=1.44-3.27);
      P=0.00016], and particularly anaphylaxis [odds ratio=4.77 (95% confidence
      interval=2.28-9.98); P=0.000006], with a significant gene-dose effect. The
      association was not identified in patients with cross-hypersensitivity.
      Cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) and cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) genotypes did not
      influence risk association. Our findings raise the hypothesis of genetically
      determined metabolic variability as a risk factor for developing anaphylaxis with
      metamizole. 

PMID- 26111151
TI  - PharmGKB summary: peginterferon-alpha pathway.

PMID- 26111153
TI  - Polybacterial Periodontal Pathogens Alter Vascular and Gut BH4/nNOS/NRF2-Phase II
      Enzyme Expression.
AB  - Periodontal disease is a highly prevalent chronic inflammatory disease and is
      associated with complex microbial infection in the subgingival cavity. Recently,
      American Heart Association supported a century old association between
      periodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease. We have recently shown
      that polybacterial periodontal infection led to aortic atherosclerosis and
      modulation of lipid profiles; however the underlying mechanism(s) has not been
      yet demonstrated. Altered nitric oxide (NO) synthesis and tetrahydrobiopterin
      (BH4), a cofactor for nitric oxide synthases (NOS) has long been shown to be
      associated with vascular dysfunction and gastrointestinal motility disorders. We
      sought to examine the mechanism of periodontal infection leading to altered
      vascular and gastrointestinal smooth muscle relaxation, focusing on the BH4/nNOS
      pathways. In addition, we also have investigated how the antioxidant system (NRF2
      Phase II enzyme expression) in vascular and GI specimens is altered by oral
      infection. Eight week old male ApoEnull mice were either sham-infected or
      infected orally for 16 weeks with a mixture of major periodontal bacteria
      Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia to induce
      experimental periodontitis. Serum, vascular (mesenteric), stomach, and colon
      specimens were collected at the end of periodontal pathogen infection. Bacterial
      infection induced significant (p<0.05) reductions in the levels of BH4,in ratio
      of BH4:BH2+B and also in nitric oxide levels compared to sham-infected controls.
      In addition, we identified a significant (p<0.05) reduction in eNOS dimerization,
      nNOS dimerization and protein expression of BH4 biosynthesis enzymes; GCH-1, DHFR
      and NRF2 & Phase II enzymes in infected mice versus controls in both mesenteric
      artery and colon tissues. However, we found no differences in nNOS/BH4 protein
      expression in stomach tissues of infected and sham-infected mice. This suggests
      that a polybacterial infection can cause significant changes in the vascular and
      colonic BH4/nNOS/NRF2 pathways which might lead to impaired vascular relaxation
      and colonic motility. 

PMID- 26111154
TI  - Exome sequencing expands the mechanism of SOX5-associated intellectual
      disability: A case presentation with review of sox-related disorders.
AB  - The SOX5 haploinsufficiency syndrome is characterized by global developmental
      delay, intellectual disability, language and motor impairment, and distinct
      facial features. The smallest deletion encompassed only one gene, SOX5 (OMIM
      604975), indicating that haploinsufficiency of SOX5 contributes to neuro
      developmental delay. Although multiple deletions of the SOX5 gene have been
      reported in patients, none are strictly intragenic point mutations. Here, we
      report the identification of a de novo loss of function variant in SOX5
      identified through whole exome sequencing. The proband presented with moderate
      developmental delay, bilateral optic atrophy, mildly dysmorphic features, and
      scoliosis, which correlates with the previously-described SOX5-associated
      phenotype. These results broaden the diagnostic spectrum of SOX5-related
      intellectual disability. Furthermore it highlights the utility of exome
      sequencing in establishing an etiological basis in clinically and genetically
      heterogeneous conditions such as intellectual disability.

PMID- 26111155
TI  - Keys to Lipid Selection in Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Catalysis: Structural
      Flexibility, Gating Residues and Multiple Binding Pockets.
AB  - The fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) regulates the endocannabinoid system
      cleaving primarily the lipid messenger anandamide. FAAH has been well
      characterized over the years and, importantly, it represents a promising drug
      target to treat several diseases, including inflammatory-related diseases and
      cancer. But its enzymatic mechanism for lipid selection to specifically hydrolyze
      anandamide, rather than similar bioactive lipids, remains elusive. Here, we
      clarify this mechanism in FAAH, examining the role of the dynamic paddle, which
      is formed by the gating residues Phe432 and Trp531 at the boundary between two
      cavities that form the FAAH catalytic site (the "membrane-access" and the "acyl
      chain-binding" pockets). We integrate microsecond-long MD simulations of wild
      type and double mutant model systems (Phe432Ala and Trp531Ala) of FAAH, embedded
      in a realistic membrane/water environment, with mutagenesis and kinetic
      experiments. We comparatively analyze three fatty acid substrates with different
      hydrolysis rates (anandamide > oleamide > palmitoylethanolamide). Our findings
      identify FAAH's mechanism to selectively accommodate anandamide into a multi
      pocket binding site, and to properly orient the substrate in pre-reactive
      conformations for efficient hydrolysis that is interceded by the dynamic paddle.
      Our findings therefore endorse a structural framework for a lipid selection
      mechanism mediated by structural flexibility and gating residues between multiple
      binding cavities, as found in FAAH. Based on the available structural data, this
      exquisite catalytic strategy for substrate specificity seems to be shared by
      other lipid-degrading enzymes with similar enzymatic architecture. The
      mechanistic insights for lipid selection might assist de-novo enzyme design or
      drug discovery efforts. 

PMID- 26111156
TI  - Promoting Evidence-Based Decision Making in a Local Health Department, Pueblo
      City-County, Colorado.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence-based decision making (EBDM) is an effective strategy for
      addressing population health needs. Assessing and reducing barriers to using EBDM
      in local health departments may improve practice and provide insight into
      disseminating EBDM principles among public health practitioners. COMMUNITY
      CONTEXT: Administrative leaders at the Pueblo City-County Health Department,
      Pueblo, Colorado, used a systematic approach for implementing EBDM. Research
      partners engaged staff to understand factors that increase or deter its use.
      METHODS: A survey was distributed to staff members at baseline to identify gaps
      in administrative and individual practice of EBDM. In-depth interviews were also
      conducted with 11 randomly selected staff members. Results were shared with staff
      and administration, after which activities were implemented to improve
      application of EBDM. A follow up survey was administered 1 year after the initial
      assessment. OUTCOME: Survey data showed evidence of progress in engaging and
      educating staff members, and data showed improved attitudes toward EBDM (ie,
      several items showed significant improvement from baseline to follow-up). For
      example, staff members reported having the necessary skills to develop evidence
      based interventions (73.9%), the ability to effectively communicate information
      on evidence-based strategies to policy makers (63.0%), access to current
      information on improving EBDM processes (65.2%), and a belief that evidence-based
      interventions are designed to be self-sustaining (43.5%). INTERPRETATION: Within
      a local health department in which leaders have made EBDM a priority, addressing
      the culture and climate of the department may build EBDM. Future research may
      provide insight into tailoring EBDM within and across local health departments.

PMID- 26111157
TI  - How Do You Know Which Health Care Effectiveness Research You Can Trust? A Guide
      to Study Design for the Perplexed.

PMID- 26111158
TI  - Smoke-Free Policies in Multiunit Housing: Smoking Behavior and Reactions to
      Messaging Strategies in Support or in Opposition.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Given the high proportion of US adults living in multiunit housing
      (MUH) and the related risks of secondhand smoke, we examined correlates of having
      smoke-free MUH policies, level of support for such policies, and reactions to
      related messaging among a quota-based nonprobability sample of US adults.
      METHODS: In 2013, 752 adult MUH residents were recruited through an online survey
      panel to complete a cross-sectional survey assessing tobacco use, personal smoke
      free policies in homes and cars, smoke-free MUH policies, and reactions to
      messaging on smoke-free MUH policies. We sought sufficient representation of
      smokers, racial/ethnic minorities, and residents of the Southeast. RESULTS:
      Overall, 56.3% had no smoke-free MUH policies and 16.2% had complete policies;
      62.8% favored living in smoke-free MUH, and 28.9% said they would move if their
      building became smoke-free. Multivariate regression indicated that correlates of
      living in MUH with partial or no policies included younger age, less education,
      lower income, and current smoking (P's <= .01); more restrictive smoke-free MUH
      policies were associated with lower cigarette consumption and recent quit
      attempts among current smokers (P's < .05); and correlates of support for MUH
      policies included greater education, nonsmoker status, and having complete MUH
      policies (P's < .05). Of 9 messages opposing smoke-free MUH policies, the most
      persuasive was "People have the right to smoke in their own homes"; the most
      persuasive message of 11 in support was "You have the right to breathe clean air
      in your home." CONCLUSION: Smoke-free MUH policies may reduce smoking. Messaging
      in favor of smoke-free MUH policies was more persuasive than messaging opposing
      such policies, indicating the potential for using these approaches.

PMID- 26111160
TI  - A Cu4S model for the nitrous oxide reductase active sites supported only by
      nitrogen ligands.
AB  - To model the (His)7Cu4Sn (n = 1 or 2) active sites of nitrous oxide reductase,
      the first Cu4(MU4-S) cluster supported only by nitrogen donors has been prepared
      using amidinate supporting ligands. Structural, magnetic, spectroscopic, and
      computational characterization is reported. Electrochemical data indicates that
      the 2-hole model complex can be reduced reversibly to the 1-hole state and
      irreversibly to the fully reduced state. 

PMID- 26111159
TI  - A National Asian-Language Smokers' Quitline--United States, 2012-2014.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Until recently, in-language telephone quitline services for smokers
      who speak Asian languages were available only in California. In 2012, the Centers
      for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded the national Asian Smokers'
      Quitline (ASQ) to expand this service to all states. The objective of this study
      was to examine characteristics of ASQ callers, how they heard about the quitline,
      and their use of the service. METHODS: Characteristics of callers from August
      2012 through July 2014 were examined by using descriptive statistics. We examined
      demographics, cigarette smoking status, time to first cigarette, how callers
      heard about the quitline, and service use (receipt of counseling and medication)
      by using ASQ intake and administrative data. We analyzed these data by language
      and state. RESULTS: In 2 years, 5,771 callers from 48 states completed intake;
      31% were Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin), 38% were Korean, and 31% were
      Vietnamese. More than 95% of all callers who used tobacco were current daily
      cigarette smokers at intake. About 87% of ASQ callers were male, 57% were aged 45
      to 64 years, 48% were uninsured, and educational attainment varied. Most callers
      (54%) were referred by newspapers or magazines. Nearly all eligible callers (99%)
      received nicotine patches. About 85% of smokers enrolled in counseling; counseled
      smokers completed an average of 4 sessions. CONCLUSION: ASQ reached Chinese,
      Korean, and Vietnamese speakers nationwide. Callers were referred by the
      promotional avenues employed by ASQ, and most received services (medication,
      counseling, or both). State quitlines and local organizations should consider
      transferring callers and promoting ASQ to increase access to cessation services.

PMID- 26111161
TI  - Structure-Function Analysis of the Non-Muscle Myosin Light Chain Kinase (nmMLCK)
      Isoform by NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Modeling: Influence of MYLK Variants.
AB  - The MYLK gene encodes the multifunctional enzyme, myosin light chain kinase
      (MLCK), involved in isoform-specific non-muscle and smooth muscle contraction and
      regulation of vascular permeability during inflammation. Three MYLK SNPs (P21H,
      S147P, V261A) alter the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the non-muscle isoform
      of MLCK (nmMLCK) and are highly associated with susceptibility to acute lung
      injury (ALI) and asthma, especially in individuals of African descent. To
      understand the functional effects of SNP associations, we examined the N-terminal
      segments of nmMLCK by 1H-15N heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC)
      spectroscopy, a 2-D NMR technique, and by in silico molecular modeling. Both NMR
      analysis and molecular modeling indicated SNP localization to loops that connect
      the immunoglobulin-like domains of nmMLCK, consistent with minimal structural
      changes evoked by these SNPs. Molecular modeling analysis identified protein
      protein interaction motifs adversely affected by these MYLK SNPs including
      binding by the scaffold protein 14-3-3, results confirmed by immunoprecipitation
      and western blot studies. These structure-function studies suggest novel
      mechanisms for nmMLCK regulation, which may confirm MYLK as a candidate gene in
      inflammatory lung disease and advance knowledge of the genetic underpinning of
      lung-related health disparities. 

PMID- 26111162
TI  - Degradation of Bunker C Fuel Oil by White-Rot Fungi in Sawdust Cultures Suggests
      Potential Applications in Bioremediation.
AB  - Fungal lignocellulolytic enzymes are promising agents for oxidizing pollutants.
      This study investigated degradation of Number 6 "Bunker C" fuel oil compounds by
      the white-rot fungi Irpex lacteus, Trichaptum biforme, Phlebia radiata, Trametes
      versicolor, and Pleurotus ostreatus (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes). Averaging
      across all studied species, 98.1%, 48.6%, and 76.4% of the initial Bunker C C10
      alkane, C14 alkane, and phenanthrene, respectively were degraded after 180 days
      of fungal growth on pine media. This study also investigated whether Bunker C oil
      induces changes in gene expression in the white-rot fungus Punctularia
      strigosozonata, for which a complete reference genome is available. After 20 days
      of growth, a monokaryon P. strigosozonata strain degraded 99% of the initial C10
      alkane in both pine and aspen media but did not affect the amounts of the C14
      alkane or phenanthrene. Differential gene expression analysis identified 119
      genes with >= log2(2-fold) greater expression in one or more treatment
      comparisons. Six genes were significantly upregulated in media containing oil;
      these genes included three enzymes with potential roles in xenobiotic
      biotransformation. Carbohydrate metabolism genes showing differential expression
      significantly accumulated transcripts on aspen vs. pine substrates, perhaps
      reflecting white-rot adaptations to growth on hardwood substrates. The mechanisms
      by which P. strigosozonata may degrade complex oil compounds remain obscure, but
      degradation results of the 180-day cultures suggest that diverse white-rot fungi
      have promise for bioremediation of petroleum fuels. 

PMID- 26111163
TI  - Does a Simple Intervention Enhance Memory and Adherence for Neuropsychological
      Recommendations?
AB  - The variables that influence the extent to which patients and their families
      remember and follow neuropsychological recommendations after their appointments
      are unclear. There has been limited research on this topic. The current study was
      designed to address this knowledge gap. Patients (n = 79) and caregivers (n = 36)
      were randomized into 1 of 2 groups, letter or no-letter, to investigate whether
      providing a supplemental written reminder of the recommendations given (in
      addition to routine feedback procedures in our clinic) would improve memory for
      and adherence to recommendations. We found that recall of recommendations was
      better in the letter condition, although this effect was observed in the
      caregivers and not in the patients. Adherence to recommendations did not differ
      significantly between the letter and no-letter conditions. These findings show
      that a simple intervention can improve caregiver memory for recommendations.
      Future research could help determine how to translate improvements in memory into
      greater adherence.

PMID- 26111164
TI  - Self-Organizing Feature Maps Identify Proteins Critical to Learning in a Mouse
      Model of Down Syndrome.
AB  - Down syndrome (DS) is a chromosomal abnormality (trisomy of human chromosome 21)
      associated with intellectual disability and affecting approximately one in 1000
      live births worldwide. The overexpression of genes encoded by the extra copy of a
      normal chromosome in DS is believed to be sufficient to perturb normal pathways
      and normal responses to stimulation, causing learning and memory deficits. In
      this work, we have designed a strategy based on the unsupervised clustering
      method, Self Organizing Maps (SOM), to identify biologically important
      differences in protein levels in mice exposed to context fear conditioning (CFC).
      We analyzed expression levels of 77 proteins obtained from normal genotype
      control mice and from their trisomic littermates (Ts65Dn) both with and without
      treatment with the drug memantine. Control mice learn successfully while the
      trisomic mice fail, unless they are first treated with the drug, which rescues
      their learning ability. The SOM approach identified reduced subsets of proteins
      predicted to make the most critical contributions to normal learning, to failed
      learning and rescued learning, and provides a visual representation of the data
      that allows the user to extract patterns that may underlie novel biological
      responses to the different kinds of learning and the response to memantine.
      Results suggest that the application of SOM to new experimental data sets of
      complex protein profiles can be used to identify common critical protein
      responses, which in turn may aid in identifying potentially more effective drug
      targets. 

PMID- 26111165
TI  - Effects of a 12-Week Hatha Yoga Intervention on Metabolic Risk and Quality of
      Life in Hong Kong Chinese Adults with and without Metabolic Syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of a 12-week Hatha yoga intervention to
      improve metabolic risk profiles and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in
      Chinese adults with and without metabolic syndrome (MetS). METHODS: We conducted
      a controlled trial within an university-affiliated hospital. 173 Chinese men and
      women aged 18 or above were assigned to either the yoga intervention group (n =
      87) or the control group (n = 86). Primary outcomes included 12-week change in
      metabolic risk factors and MetS z score. Secondary outcome was HRQoL (Medical
      Outcomes Short Form Survey at 12 weeks). RESULTS: The mean age of participants
      was 52.0 (SD 7.4, range 31-71) years. Analysis involving the entire study
      population revealed that the yoga group achieved greater decline in waist
      circumference (p<0.001), fasting glucose (p<0.01), triglycerides (p<0.05), and
      MetS z score (p<0.01). Yoga training also improved general health perceptions
      (p<0.01), physical component score (p<0.01), and social functioning (p<0.01)
      domains score of HRQoL. However, no significant differences between groups were
      observed in the mean change of systolic/diastolic blood pressures or high-density
      lipid protein cholesterol (all p>0.05). There were no significant differences in
      the intervention effects on waist circumference and MetS z score between the MetS
      subgroups (both p>0.05). CONCLUSION: A 12-week Hatha yoga intervention improves
      metabolic risk profiles and HRQoL in Chinese adults with and without MetS. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry
      ACTRN12613000816752.

PMID- 26111166
TI  - Oxidation of Disulfides to Thiolsulfinates with Hydrogen Peroxide and a Cyclic
      Seleninate Ester Catalyst.
AB  - Cyclic seleninate esters function as mimetics of the antioxidant selenoenzyme
      glutathione peroxidase. They catalyze the reduction of harmful peroxides with
      thiols, which are converted to disulfides in the process. The possibility that
      the seleninate esters could also catalyze the further oxidation of disulfides to
      thiolsulfinates and other overoxidation products under these conditions was
      investigated. This has ramifications in potential medicinal applications of
      seleninate esters because of the possibility of catalyzing the unwanted oxidation
      of disulfide-containing spectator peptides and proteins. A variety of aryl and
      alkyl disulfides underwent facile oxidation with hydrogen peroxide in the
      presence of catalytic benzo-1,2-oxaselenolane Se-oxide affording the
      corresponding thiolsulfinates as the principal products. Unsymmetrical disulfides
      typically afforded mixtures of regioisomers. Lipoic acid and N,N'
      dibenzoylcystine dimethyl ester were oxidized readily under similar conditions.
      Although isolated yields of the product thiolsulfinates were generally modest,
      these experiments demonstrate that the method nevertheless has preparative value
      because of its mild conditions. The results also confirm the possibility that
      cyclic seleninate esters could catalyze the further undesired oxidation of
      disulfides in vivo. 

PMID- 26111167
TI  - Coarse-Grained Modeling of Peptide Docking Associated with Large Conformation
      Transitions of the Binding Protein: Troponin I Fragment-Troponin C System.
AB  - Most of the current docking procedures are focused on fine conformational
      adjustments of assembled complexes and fail to reproduce large-scale protein
      motion. In this paper, we test a new modeling approach developed to address this
      problem. CABS-dock is a versatile and efficient tool for modeling the structure,
      dynamics and interactions of protein complexes. The docking protocol employs a
      coarse-grained representation of proteins, a simplified model of interactions and
      advanced protocols for conformational sampling. CABS-dock is one of the very few
      tools that allow unrestrained docking with large conformational freedom of the
      receptor. In an example application we modeled the process of complex assembly
      between two proteins: Troponin C (TnC) and the N-terminal helix of Troponin I
      (TnI N-helix), which occurs in vivo during muscle contraction. Docking
      simulations illustrated how the TnC molecule undergoes significant conformational
      transition on complex formation, a phenomenon that can be modeled only when
      protein flexibility is properly accounted for. This way our procedure opens up a
      new possibility for studying mechanisms of protein complex assembly, which may be
      a supporting tool for rational drug design. 

PMID- 26111168
TI  - Carbocations and the Complex Flavor and Bouquet of Wine: Mechanistic Aspects of
      Terpene Biosynthesis in Wine Grapes.
AB  - Computational chemistry approaches for studying the formation of
      terpenes/terpenoids in wines are presented, using five particular
      terpenes/terpenoids (1,8-cineole, alpha-ylangene, botrydial, rotundone, and the
      wine lactone), volatile compounds (or their precursors) found in wine and/or wine
      grapes, as representative examples. Through these examples, we show how modern
      computational quantum chemistry can be employed as an effective tool for
      assessing the validity of proposed mechanisms for terpene/terpenoid formation. 

PMID- 26111169
TI  - Metabolites Produced by the Endophytic Fungus Aspergillus fumigatus from the Stem
      of Erythrophloeum fordii Oliv.
AB  - A new diketopiperazine alkaloid named spirotryprostatin K (1), and five known
      alkaloids, spiro[5H,10H-dipyrrolo[1,2-a:1',2'-d]pyrazine-2(3H),2'-[2H]-indole]
      3',5,10(1'H) trione (2), 6-methoxyspirotryprostatin B (3), pseurotin A (4), N
      beta-acetyltryptamine (5), and lumichrome (6) were isolated from the endophytic
      fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. The structure and the absolute configuration of
      spirotryprostatin K were established by extensive spectroscopic analyses, acid
      hydrolysis and ECD calculations. Pseurotin A exhibited indirect anti-inflammatory
      activity by suppressing the lipopolysaccharide-induced proinflammatory factors in
      BV2 microglial cells, with an IC50 of 5.20 uM. 

PMID- 26111170
TI  - Progress in Studies on Rutaecarpine. II.--Synthesis and Structure-Biological
      Activity Relationships.
AB  - Rutaecarpine is a pentacyclic indolopyridoquinazolinone alkaloid found in Evodia
      rutaecarpa and other related herbs. It has a variety of intriguing biological
      properties, which continue to attract the academic and industrial interest.
      Studies on rutaecarpine have included isolation from new natural sources,
      development of new synthetic methods for its total synthesis, the discovery of
      new biological activities, metabolism, toxicology, and establishment of
      analytical methods for determining rutaecarpine content. The present review
      focuses on the synthesis, biological activities, and structure-activity
      relationships of rutaecarpine derivatives, with respect to their antiplatelet,
      vasodilatory, cytotoxic, and anticholinesterase activities. 

PMID- 26111171
TI  - Comparative Evaluation of Different Extraction Techniques and Solvents for the
      Assay of Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activity of Hashemi Rice Bran.
AB  - Secondary metabolite contents (total phenolic, flavonoid, tocopherol, and
      tocotrienol) and antioxidant activities of Hashemi rice bran extracts obtained by
      ultrasound-assisted and traditional solvent (ethanol and 50:50 (v/v) ethanol
      water) extraction techniques were compared. Phenolic and, flavonoid compounds
      were identified using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and method
      validation was performed. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed among
      the different extraction techniques upon comparison of phytochemical contents and
      antioxidant activities. The extracts obtained using the ethanol-water (50:50 v/v)
      ultrasonic technique showed the highest amounts of total phenolics (288.40 mg/100
      g dry material (DM)), total flavonoids (156.20 mg/100 g DM), and total
      tocotrienols (56.23 mg/100 g DM), and the highest antioxidant activity (84.21%
      1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 65.27% beta-carotene-linoleic bleaching and
      82.20% nitric oxide scavenging activity). Secondary metabolite contents and
      antioxidant activities of the rice bran extracts varied depending of the
      extraction method used, and according to their effectiveness, these were
      organized in a decreasing order as follows: ethanol-water (50:50 v/v) ultrasonic,
      ethanol-water (50:50 v/v) maceration, ethanol ultrasonic and ethanol maceration
      methods. Ferulic, gallic and chlorogenic acids were the most abundant phenolic
      compounds in rice bran extracts. The phytochemical constituents of Hashemi rice
      bran and its antioxidant properties provides insights into its potential
      application to promote health. 

PMID- 26111172
TI  - A Halogen-Containing Stilbene Derivative from the Leaves of Cajanus cajan that
      Induces Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
AB  - A new natural halogen-containing stilbene derivative was isolated from the leaves
      of Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. and identified as 3-O-(3-chloro-2-hydroxyl
      propanyl)-longistylin A by comprehensive spectroscopic and chemical analysis, and
      named cajanstilbene H (1). It is the first halogen-containing stilbene derivative
      found from plants. In human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) from bone marrow, 1 did
      not promote cell proliferation, but distinctly enhanced osteogenic
      differentiation of hMSC in time- and dose-dependent manners. In six human cancer
      cell lines, 1 showed a moderate inhibitory effect on cell proliferation, with
      IC50 values of 21.42-25.85 MUmol.L(-1).

PMID- 26111173
TI  - Development of a Large Set of Microsatellite Markers in Zapote Mamey (Pouteria
      sapota (Jacq.) H.E. Moore & Stearn) and Their Potential Use in the Study of the
      Species.
AB  - Pouteria sapota is known for its edible fruits that contain unique carotenoids,
      as well as for its fungitoxic, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activity.
      However, its genetics is mostly unknown, including aspects about its genetic
      diversity and domestication process. We did high-throughput sequencing of
      microsatellite-enriched libraries of P. sapota, generated 5223 contig DNA
      sequences, 1.8 Mbp, developed 368 microsatellites markers and tested them on 29
      individuals from 10 populations (seven wild, three cultivated) from Mexico, its
      putative domestication center. Gene ontology BLAST analysis of the DNA sequences
      containing microsatellites showed potential association to physiological
      functions. Genetic diversity was slightly higher in cultivated than in the wild
      gene pool (HE = 0.41 and HE = 0.35, respectively), although modified Garza
      Williamson Index and Bottleneck software showed evidence for a reduction in
      genetic diversity for the cultivated one. Neighbor Joining, 3D Principal
      Coordinates Analysis and assignment tests grouped most individuals according to
      their geographic origin but no clear separation was observed between wild or
      cultivated gene pools due to, perhaps, the existence of several admixed
      populations. The developed microsatellites have a great potential in genetic
      population and domestication studies of P. sapota but additional sampling will be
      necessary to better understand how the domestication process has impacted the
      genetic diversity of this fruit crop. 

PMID- 26111174
TI  - Synthesis of (E)-2-Styrylchromones and Flavones by Base-Catalyzed
      Cyclodehydration of the Appropriate beta-Diketones Using Water as Solvent.
AB  - A low cost, safe, clean and environmentally benign base-catalyzed
      cyclodehydration of appropriate beta-diketones affording (E)-2-styrylchromones
      and flavones in good yields is disclosed. Water was used as solvent and the
      reactions were heated using classical and microwave heating methods, under open
      and closed vessel conditions. beta-Diketones having electron-donating and
      withdrawing substituents were used to evaluate the reaction scope. The reaction
      products were isolated in high purity by simple filtration and recrystallization
      from ethanol, when using 800 mg of the starting diketone under classical reflux
      heating conditions. 

PMID- 26111175
TI  - Characterization of Volatile Compounds of Eleven Achillea Species from Turkey and
      Biological Activities of Essential Oil and Methanol Extract of A. hamzaoglui
      Arabaci & Budak.
AB  - According to distribution of genus Achillea, two main centers of diversity occur
      in S.E. Europe and S.W. Asia. Diversified essential oil compositions from Balkan
      Peninsula have been numerously reported. However, report on essential oils of
      Achillea species growing in Turkey, which is one of the main centers of
      diversity, is very limited. This paper represents the chemical compositions of
      the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of eleven
      Achillea species, identified simultaneously by gas chromatography and gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry. The main components were found to be 1,8
      cineole, p-cymene, viridiflorol, nonacosane, alpha-bisabolol, caryophyllene
      oxide, alpha-bisabolon oxide A, beta-eudesmol, 15-hexadecanolide and camphor. The
      chemical principal component analysis based on thirty compounds identified three
      species groups and a subgroup, where each group constituted a chemotype. This is
      the first report on the chemical composition of A. hamzaoglui essential oil; as
      well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial evaluation of its essential oil and
      methanolic extract. 

PMID- 26111176
TI  - Plasmodium falciparum Thioredoxin Reductase (PfTrxR) and Its Role as a Target for
      New Antimalarial Discovery.
AB  - The growing resistance to current antimalarial drugs is a major concern for
      global public health. The pressing need for new antimalarials has led to an
      increase in research focused on the Plasmodium parasites that cause human
      malaria. Thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme needed to maintain redox
      equilibrium in Plasmodium species, is a promising target for new antimalarials.
      This review paper provides an overview of the structure and function of TrxR,
      discusses similarities and differences between the thioredoxin reductases (TrxRs)
      of different Plasmodium species and the human forms of the enzyme, gives an
      overview of modeling Plasmodium infections in animals, and suggests the role of
      Trx functions in antimalarial drug resistance. TrxR of Plasmodium falciparum is a
      central focus of this paper since it is the only Plasmodium TrxR that has been
      crystallized and P. falciparum is the species that causes most malaria cases. It
      is anticipated that the information summarized here will give insight and
      stimulate new directions in which research might be most beneficial. 

PMID- 26111177
TI  - Natural Plant Alkaloid (Emetine) Inhibits HIV-1 Replication by Interfering with
      Reverse Transcriptase Activity.
AB  - Ipecac alkaloids are secondary metabolites produced in the medicinal plant
      Psychotria ipecacuanha. Emetine is the main alkaloid of ipecac and one of the
      active compounds in syrup of Ipecac with emetic property. Here we evaluated
      emetine's potential as an antiviral agent against Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
      We performed in vitro Reverse Transcriptase (RT) Assay and Natural Endogenous
      Reverse Transcriptase Activity Assay (NERT) to evaluate HIV RT inhibition.
      Emetine molecular docking on HIV-1 RT was also analyzed. Phenotypic assays were
      performed in non-lymphocytic and in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC)
      with HIV-1 wild-type and HIV-harboring RT-resistant mutation to Nucleoside
      Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (M184V). Our results showed that HIV-1 RT was
      blocked in the presence of emetine in both models: in vitro reactions with
      isolated HIV-1 RT and intravirion, measured by NERT. Emetine revealed a strong
      potential of inhibiting HIV-1 replication in both cellular models, reaching 80%
      of reduction in HIV-1 infection, with low cytotoxic effect. Emetine also blocked
      HIV-1 infection of RT M184V mutant. These results suggest that emetine is able to
      penetrate in intact HIV particles, and bind and block reverse transcription
      reaction, suggesting that it can be used as anti-HIV microbicide. Taken together,
      our findings provide additional pharmacological information on the potential
      therapeutic effects of emetine. 

PMID- 26111178
TI  - Antioxidant Capacities and Analysis of Phenolic Compounds in Three Endemic Nolana
      Species by HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS.
AB  - The antioxidant features, polyphenolic composition and chromatographic
      fingerprints of the aerial parts from three Chilean endemic plants from the
      Paposo Valley located on the cost of the Atacama Desert were investigated for the
      first time using high pressure liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode
      array detector and electrospray ionization mass analysis (HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS) and
      spectroscopic methods. The phenolic fingerprints obtained for the plants were
      compared and correlated with the antioxidant capacities measured by the bleaching
      of the DPPH radical, the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and
      quantification of the total content of phenolics and flavonoids measured by
      spectroscopic methods. Thirty phenolics were identified for the first time for
      these species, mostly phenolic acids, flavanones, flavonols and some of their
      glycoside derivatives, together with three saturated fatty acids (stearic,
      palmitic and arachidic acids). Nolana ramosissima showed the highest antioxidant
      activity (26.35 +/- 1.02 MUg/mL, 116.07 +/- 3.42 MUM Trolox equivalents/g dry
      weight and 81.23% +/- 3.77% of inhibition in the DPPH, FRAP and scavenging
      activity (SA) assays, respectively), followed by  N. aplocaryoides (85.19 +/-
      1.64 MUg/mL, 65.87 +/- 2.33 MUM TE/g DW and 53.27% +/- 3.07%) and N. leptophylla
      (124.71 +/- 3.01, 44.23 +/- 5.18 MUM TE/g DW and 38.63% +/- 1.85%). 

PMID- 26111179
TI  - Ethanolic Extracts of Pluchea indica Induce Apoptosis and Antiproliferation
      Effects in Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells.
AB  - Pluchea indica is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of lumbago,
      ulcer, tuberculosis and inflammation. The anti-cancer activities and the
      underlying molecular mechanisms of the ethanolic extracts of P. indica root
      (PIRE) were characterized in the present study. PIRE strongly inhibited the
      viability of the human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (NPC-TW 01 and NPC-TW 04)
      in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Migration of cancer cells was also
      suppressed by PIRE. In addition, PIRE significantly increased the occurrence of
      the cells in sub-G1 phase and the extent of DNA fragmentation in a dose-dependent
      manner, which indicates that PIRE significantly increased apoptosis in NPC cells.
      The apoptotic process triggered by PIRE involved up-regulation of pro-apoptotic
      Bax protein and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, consequently
      increasing the ratios of Bax/Bcl-2 protein levels. Moreover, the p53 protein was
      up-regulated by PIRE in a concentration-dependent manner. Therefore, PIRE could
      induce the apoptosis-signaling pathway in NPC cells by activation of p53 and by
      regulation of apoptosis-related proteins. 

PMID- 26111180
TI  - Combinational Treatment of Curcumin and Quercetin against Gastric Cancer MGC-803
      Cells in Vitro.
AB  - Gastric cancer remains a major health problem worldwide. Natural products, with
      stronger antitumor activity and fewer side effects, are potential candidates for
      pharmaceutical development as anticancer agents. In this study, quercetin and
      curcumin were chosen for testing and were applied separately and in combination
      to human gastric cancer MGC-803 cells. The MTT assay was used to evaluate cell
      growth inhibition. Annexin V-FITC/PI was carried out to measure apoptosis rate.
      Flow cytometry was performed to analyze mitochondrial membrane potential levels.
      Western blots were applied to detect expression of cytochrome c, total and
      phosphorylated ERK and AKT. Combined treatment with curcumin and quercetin
      resulted in significant inhibition of cell proliferation, accompanied by loss of
      mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim), release of cytochrome c and
      decreased phosphorylation of AKT and ERK. These results indicate that the
      combination of curcumin and quercetin induces apoptosis through the mitochondrial
      pathway. Notably, effect of combined treatment with curcumin and quercetin on
      gastric cancer MGC-803 cells is stronger than that of individual treatment,
      indicating that curcumin and quercetin combinations have potential as anti
      gastric cancer drugs for further development. 

PMID- 26111181
TI  - Uses of 3-(2-Bromoacetyl)-2H-chromen-2-one in the Synthesis of Heterocyclic
      Compounds Incorporating Coumarin: Synthesis, Characterization and Cytotoxicity.
AB  - In this work, 3-bromoacetylcoumarin was used as the key starting material for the
      synthesis of pyran, pyridine, thiophene, thiazole and pyrazole derivatives
      through its reaction with different reagents. The structures of the newly
      synthesized compounds were confirmed on the basis of their spectral data and
      elemental analyses. All of the synthesized compounds were screened for their in
      vitro anticancer activity against six human cancer cell lines, namely: human
      gastric cancer (NUGC), human colon cancer (DLD1), human liver cancer (HA22T and
      HEPG2), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (HONE1), human breast cancer (MCF) and normal
      fibroblast cells (WI38). The IC50 values (the sample concentration that produces
      50% reduction in cell growth) in nanomolars (nM)) showed most of the compounds
      exhibited significant cytotoxic effect. Among these derivatives, compound 6d
      showed almost equipotent cytotoxic activity against NUGC (IC50 = 29 nM) compared
      to the standard CHS 828 (IC50 = 25 nM). 

PMID- 26111182
TI  - Trypanocidal Activity of Long Chain Diamines and Aminoalcohols.
AB  - Thirteen aminoalcohols and eight diamines were obtained and tested against
      Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes strains MG, JEM and CL-B5 clone. Some of them
      were equal or more potent (1.0-6.6 times) than the reference compound nifurtimox.
      From them, three aminoalcohols and two diamines were selected for amastigotes
      assays. Compound 5 was as potent as the reference drug nifurtimox against
      amastigotes of the CL-B5 strain (IC50 = 0.6 uM), with a selectivity index of 54. 

PMID- 26111183
TI  - Surfing the Protein-Protein Interaction Surface Using Docking Methods:
      Application to the Design of PPI Inhibitors.
AB  - Blocking protein-protein interactions (PPI) using small molecules or peptides
      modulates biochemical pathways and has therapeutic significance. PPI inhibition
      for designing drug-like molecules is a new area that has been explored
      extensively during the last decade. Considering the number of available PPI
      inhibitor databases and the limited number of 3D structures available for
      proteins, docking and scoring methods play a major role in designing PPI
      inhibitors as well as stabilizers. Docking methods are used in the design of PPI
      inhibitors at several stages of finding a lead compound, including modeling the
      protein complex, screening for hot spots on the protein-protein interaction
      interface and screening small molecules or peptides that bind to the PPI
      interface. There are three major challenges to the use of docking on the
      relatively flat surfaces of PPI. In this review we will provide some examples of
      the use of docking in PPI inhibitor design as well as its limitations. The
      combination of experimental and docking methods with improved scoring function
      has thus far resulted in few success stories of PPI inhibitors for therapeutic
      purposes. Docking algorithms used for PPI are in the early stages, however, and
      as more data are available docking will become a highly promising area in the
      design of PPI inhibitors or stabilizers. 

PMID- 26111184
TI  - Protective Effects of Korean Red Ginseng against Alcohol-Induced Fatty Liver in
      Rats.
AB  - The present study tested the hypothesis that Korean red ginseng (KRG) provides a
      protective effect against alcoholic fatty liver. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were
      divided into four groups and fed a modified Lieber-DeCarli diet containing 5%
      (w/v) alcohol or an isocaloric amount of dextrin-maltose for the controls for 6
      weeks: normal control (CON), alcohol control (ET), and ET treated with 125 or 250
      mg/kg body weight/day of KRG (RGL or RGH, respectively). Compared with the CON
      group, the ET group exhibited a significant increase in triglycerides, total
      cholesterol and the presence of lipid droplets in the liver, and a decrease in
      fat mass, which were all attenuated by KRG supplementation in adose-dependent
      manner. The mitigation was accompanied by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)
      signaling pathways in the liver and adipose tissue. In addition, suppression in
      the alcohol-induced changes of adipose adipokine mRNA expression was also
      observed in KRG supplementation group. These findings suggest that KRG may have
      the potential to ameliorate alcoholic fatty liver by suppressing inappropriate
      lysis of adipose tissue and preventing unnecessary de novo lipogenesis in the
      liver, which are mediated by AMPK signaling pathways. A mechanism for an
      interplay between the two organs is still needed to be examined with further
      assays. 

PMID- 26111185
TI  - Microwave-Assisted Condensation Reactions of Acetophenone Derivatives and
      Activated Methylene Compounds with Aldehydes Catalyzed by Boric Acid under
      Solvent-Free Conditions.
AB  - We here disclosed a new protocol for the condensation of acetophenone derivatives
      and active methylene compounds with aldehydes in the presence of boric acid under
      microwave conditions. Implementation of the reaction is simple, healthy and
      environmentally friendly owing to the use of a non-toxic catalyst coupled to a
      solvent-free procedure. A large variety of known or novel compounds have thus
      been prepared, including with substrates bearing acid or base-sensitive
      functional groups. 

PMID- 26111187
TI  - The effect of initiation of antiretroviral therapy on monocyte, endothelial and
      platelet function in HIV-1 infection.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Monocyte activation, endothelial dysfunction and platelet activation
      all potentially contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)
      reported in those with HIV-1 infection. To date, no study has examined how
      initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) affects markers of all three
      processes. We aimed to compare markers of monocyte, endothelial and platelet
      function between untreated HIV-positive subjects and HIV-negative controls and to
      examine the early effects of ART initiation on these markers. METHODS: We
      measured monocyte [soluble CD14 (sCD14) and sCD163], endothelial [von Willebrand
      factor (vWF), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular adhesion
      molecule-1 (VCAM-1)] and platelet [soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin), soluble CD40
      ligand (sCD40L) and soluble glycoprotein VI (sGPVI)] biomarkers before and at
      weeks 4 and 12 post ART initiation in HIV-positive and well-matched HIV-negative
      controls. RESULTS: We examined 40 subjects, 25 HIV-positive subjects and 15
      controls, with a median age of 34 years [interquartile range (IQR) 31, 40 years],
      of whom 60% were male and 47.5% Caucasian. Pre-ART, all biomarkers (monocyte,
      endothelial and platelet) were significantly higher in HIV-positive patients
      versus controls (all P < 0.05) and decreased with ART initiation, except for
      sCD14, which remained unchanged [median 1680 (IQR 1489, 1946) ng/mL at week 12
      versus 1570 (IQR 1287, 2102) ng/mL at week 0; P = 0.7]. Although platelet
      activation markers reduced to levels comparable to those in controls, endothelial
      dysfunction markers remained elevated, as did sCD163 [at week 12, median 1005
      (IQR 791, 1577) ng/mL in HIV-positive patients versus 621 (IQR 406, 700) ng/mL in
      controls; P < 0.0001]. CONCLUSIONS: ART initiation resulted in reductions in
      levels of CVD-associated biomarkers; however, although they improved, markers of
      endothelial dysfunction and monocyte activation remained elevated. How these
      persistent abnormalities affect CVD risk in HIV infection remains to be
      determined.

PMID- 26111186
TI  - Instrumental Role of Helicobacter pylori gamma-Glutamyl Transpeptidase in VacA
      Dependent Vacuolation in Gastric Epithelial Cells.
AB  - Helicobacter pylori causes cellular vacuolation in host cells, a cytotoxic event
      attributed to vacuolating cytotoxin (VacA) and the presence of permeant weak
      bases such as ammonia. We report here the role of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase
      (GGT), a constitutively expressed secretory enzyme of H. pylori, in potentiating
      VacA-dependent vacuolation formation in H. pylori-infected AGS and primary
      gastric cells. The enhancement is brought about by GGT hydrolysing glutamine
      present in the extracellular medium, thereby releasing ammonia which accentuates
      the VacA-induced vacuolation. The events of vacuolation in H. pylori wild type
      (WT)- and Deltaggt-infected AGS cells were first captured and visualized by real
      time phase-contrast microscopy where WT was observed to induce more vacuoles than
      Deltaggt. By using semi-quantitative neutral red uptake assay, we next showed
      that Deltaggt induced significantly less vacuolation in AGS and primary gastric
      epithelial cells as compared to the parental strain (P<0.05) indicating that GGT
      potentiates the vacuolating effect of VacA. Notably, vacuolation induced by WT
      was significantly reduced in the absence of GGT substrate, glutamine (P<0.05) or
      in the presence of a competitive GGT inhibitor, serine-borate complex.
      Furthermore, the vacuolating ability of Deltaggt was markedly restored when co
      incubated with purified recombinant GGT (rGGT), although rGGT itself did not
      induce vacuolation independently. Similarly, the addition of exogenous ammonium
      chloride as a source of ammonia also rescued the ability of Deltaggt to induce
      vacuolation. Additionally, we also show that monoclonal antibodies against GGT
      effectively inhibited GGT activity and successfully suppressed H. pylori-induced
      vacuolation. Collectively, our results clearly demonstrate that generation of
      ammonia by GGT through glutamine hydrolysis is responsible for enhancing VacA
      dependent vacuolation. Our findings provide a new perspective on GGT as an
      important virulence factor and a promising target in the management of H. pylori
      associated gastric diseases. 

PMID- 26111188
TI  - Long-term results of pediatric cataract surgery and primary intraocular lens
      implantation from 7 to 22 months of life.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Pediatric primary posterior intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in
      children older than 24 months has become the standard of care. Results of the
      Infantile Aphakia Treatment Study have concluded that primary IOL implantation
      before age 7 months has no advantages over aphakia. The current evidence does not
      address our understanding of the risks and benefits of primary IOL implantation
      for children aged 7 to 24 months. OBSERVATIONS: Final optotype acuity, adverse
      events, refractive growth, strabismus, binocular function, and need for
      additional surgery were retrospectively reviewed for 14 eyes of 10 patients from
      November 2001 to June 2012. The records were reviewed for children aged 6 to 24
      months; included patients were aged 7 to 22 months. The mean (SD) visual acuity
      was 0.29 (0.30) logMAR (Snellen equivalent 20/40). The mean follow-up was 5
      years. The rate of adverse events was 3 in 14 eyes (21%). Adverse events included
      lens reproliferation (2 eyes) and lens dislocation (1 eye). The rate of
      strabismus correction was 4 in 10 patients (40%). The mean (SD) rate of
      refractive growth at 3 times the age at surgery was -5.80 (3.09) diopters.
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The data suggest that primary IOL implantation in this
      age group has a lower rate of adverse events than reported in the Infantile
      Aphakia Treatment Study. Additionally, favorable visual outcome was found,
      similar to that in children undergoing primary IOL implantation when older than 2
      years. Primary IOL implantation should be considered in children who require
      cataract surgery after age 7 months.

PMID- 26111189
TI  - Possible Genetic Origin of Limb-Body Wall Complex.
AB  - Limb body wall complex (LBWC) is characterized by multiple severe congenital
      malformations including an abdominal and/or thoracic wall defect covered by
      amnion, a short or absent umbilical cord with the placenta almost attached to the
      anterior fetal wall, intestinal malrotation, scoliosis, and lower extremity
      anomalies. There is no consensus about the etiology of LBWC and many cases with
      abnormal facial cleft do not meet the requirements for the true complex. We
      describe a series of four patients with LBWC and other malformations in an
      attempt to explain their etiology. There are several reports of fetuses with LBWC
      and absent gallbladder and one of our patients also had polysplenia. Absent
      gallbladder and polysplenia are associated with laterality genes including HOX,
      bFGF, transforming growth factor beta/activins/BMP4, WNT 1-8, and SHH. We
      postulate that this severe malformation may be due to abnormal genes involved in
      laterality and caudal development. 

PMID- 26111190
TI  - Factors influencing patient-reported quality of life in pretreatment orthognathic
      surgery patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between condition-specific quality of
      life (QoL) and occlusal/skeletal traits of pretreatment orthognathic surgery
      patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients referred for orthognathic surgery
      during the 2012-2014 period were asked to complete the Orthognathic Quality of
      Life Questionnaire (OQLQ) at consultation. Patient demographics, indices of
      treatment need, occlusal traits, and cephalometric variables were also recorded.
      Bivariate analyses were carried out between the OQLQ scores and the clinical
      measurements. Significant variables were added to a multivariate regression model
      to determine the effect of these predictive factors on OQLQ. RESULTS: One hundred
      and two patients were recruited. Initial analyses showed that gender and overjet
      were significantly associated with the overall OQLQ score. Being female increased
      the overall OQLQ score by 15.6 points when compared to males (95% confidence
      interval [CI], 7.4-23.8). Females also had significant associations in the social
      and awareness domains of the OQLQ. The magnitude of overjet away from normal
      values was associated with poorer overall QoL, with significant relationships in
      the esthetic and functional domains. The Index of Orthognathic Functional
      Treatment Need was significantly associated with the functional domain of OQLQ,
      with patients in category 5 scoring a mean of 10.0 points more than patients in
      category 4 (95% CI, 2.1-17.8). The Index of Complexity, Outcome and Need and
      other cephalometric variables were not associated with the OQLQ. CONCLUSIONS:
      Females are more aware of their facial deformity and report a greater social
      detriment when compared to males. Patients with a higher orthognathic treatment
      need report greater functional disadvantage.

PMID- 26111191
TI  - In vitro and in vivo biofilm adhesion to esthetic coated arch wires and its
      correlation with surface roughness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the in vitro ability of esthetic coated rectangular arch
      wires to retain oral biofilms and in vivo biofilm formation on these wires after
      4 and 8 weeks of clinical use and to correlate the findings with the surface
      roughness of these wires. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three brands of esthetic coated
      nickel-titanium (NiTi) arch wires were selected. Arch wires retrieved after 4 and
      8 weeks of intraoral use were obtained from 30 orthodontic patients. Surface
      roughness (SR) was assessed with an atomic force microscope. In vitro adhesion
      assays were performed using Streptococcus mutans (MS), Staphylococcus aureus, and
      Candida albicans. The amount of bacterial adhesion was quantified using the
      colony-count method. Paired t-test, analysis of variance, post hoc Tukey's test,
      and Pearson's correlation coefficient test were used for statistical analysis at
      the .05 level of significance. RESULTS: In vitro bacterial adhesion showed
      significant differences between wires in terms of MS adhesion (P  =  .01). All
      wires showed significant increases in SR (P  =  .001 after 4 weeks and .007 after
      8 weeks) and biofilm adhesion (P  =  .0001 after 4 weeks and .045 after 8 weeks)
      after intraoral exposure. A significant positive correlation (P  =  .001 after 4
      weeks and .05 after 8 weeks) was observed between these two variables in vivo,
      but the correlation was not significant for in vitro bacterial adhesion.
      CONCLUSIONS: SR and biofilm adhesion increased after intraoral use at all time
      intervals. There was a positive correlation between SR and biofilm adhesion in
      vivo only.

PMID- 26111192
TI  - Ultrathin MoSe2 Nanosheets Decorated on Carbon Fiber Cloth as Binder-Free and
      High-Performance Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution.
AB  - MoSe2 nanosheets with ultrathin thickness and rich defects were grown on the
      surface of carbon fiber cloth by a facile solvent-thermal method. The active area
      and conductivity of the MoSe2 catalyst were increased simultaneously because of
      the NH4F etching effect and its incorporation with carbon fiber cloth. As a
      result, the MoSe2-based catalysts exhibited excellent HER activity including
      small onset potential, large exchange current density and small Tafel slope,
      which is superior to most of MoSe2-based catalysts reported previously. 

PMID- 26111195
TI  - A Microplate Growth Inhibition Assay for Screening Bacteriocins against Listeria
      monocytogenes to Differentiate Their Mode-of-Action.
AB  - Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have historically been used in food fermentations to
      preserve foods and are generally-recognized-as-safe (GRAS) by the FDA for use as
      food ingredients. In addition to lactic acid; some strains also produce
      bacteriocins that have been proposed for use as food preservatives. In this study
      we examined the inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes 39-2 by neutralized and non
      neutralized bacteriocin preparations (Bac+ preps) produced by Lactobacillus
      curvatus FS47; Lb. curvatus Beef3; Pediococcus acidilactici Bac3; Lactococcus
      lactis FLS1; Enterococcus faecium FS56-1; and Enterococcus thailandicus FS92.
      Activity differences between non-neutralized and neutralized Bac+ preps in agar
      spot assays could not readily be attributed to acid because a bacteriocin
      negative control strain was not inhibitory to Listeria in these assays. When
      neutralized and non-neutralized Bac+ preps were used in microplate growth
      inhibition assays against L. monocytogenes 39-2 we observed some differences
      attributed to acid inhibition. A microplate growth inhibition assay was used to
      compare inhibitory reactions of wild-type and bacteriocin-resistant variants of
      L. monocytogenes to differentiate bacteriocins with different modes-of-action
      (MOA) whereby curvaticins FS47 and Beef3, and pediocin Bac3 were categorized to
      be in MOA1; enterocins FS92 and FS56-1 in MOA2; and lacticin FLS1 in MOA3. The
      microplate bacteriocin MOA assay establishes a platform to evaluate the best
      combination of bacteriocin preparations for use in food applications as
      biopreservatives against L. monocytogenes. 

PMID- 26111196
TI  - Interclonal proteomic responses to predator exposure in Daphnia magna may depend
      on predator composition of habitats.
AB  - Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of one genotype to express different
      phenotypes in response to changing environmental conditions, is one of the most
      common phenomena characterizing the living world and is not only relevant for the
      ecology but also for the evolution of species. Daphnia, the water flea, is a
      textbook example for predator-induced phenotypic plastic defences; however, the
      analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying these inducible defences is still in
      its early stages. We exposed Daphnia magna to chemical cues of the predator
      Triops cancriformis to identify key processes underlying plastic defensive trait
      formation. To get a more comprehensive idea of this phenomenon, we studied four
      genotypes with five biological replicates each, originating from habitats
      characterized by different predator composition, ranging from predator-free
      habitats to habitats containing T. cancriformis. We analysed the morphologies as
      well as proteomes of predator-exposed and control animals. Three genotypes showed
      morphological changes when the predator was present. Using a high-throughput
      proteomics approach, we found 294 proteins which were significantly altered in
      their abundance after predator exposure in a general or genotype-dependent
      manner. Proteins connected to genotype-dependent responses were related to the
      cuticle, protein synthesis and calcium binding, whereas the yolk protein
      vitellogenin increased in abundance in all genotypes, indicating their
      involvement in a more general response. Furthermore, genotype-dependent responses
      at the proteome level were most distinct for the only genotype that shares its
      habitat with Triops. Altogether, our study provides new insights concerning
      genotype-dependent and general molecular processes involved in predator-induced
      phenotypic plasticity in D. magna. 

PMID- 26111197
TI  - High night temperatures during grain number determination reduce wheat and barley
      grain yield: a field study.
AB  - Warm nights are a widespread predicted feature of climate change. This study
      investigated the impact of high night temperatures during the critical period for
      grain yield determination in wheat and barley crops under field conditions,
      assessing the effects on development, growth and partitioning crop-level
      processes driving grain number per unit area (GN). Experiments combined: (i) two
      contrasting radiation and temperature environments: late sowing in 2011 and early
      sowing in 2013, (ii) two well-adapted crops with similar phenology: bread wheat
      and two-row malting barley and (iii) two temperature regimes: ambient and high
      night temperatures. The night temperature increase (ca. 3.9  degrees C in both
      crops and growing seasons) was achieved using purpose-built heating chambers
      placed on the crop at 19:000 hours and removed at 7:00 hours every day from the
      third detectable stem node to 10 days post-flowering. Across growing seasons and
      crops, the average minimum temperature during the critical period ranged from
      11.2 to 17.2  degrees C. Wheat and barley grain yield were similarly reduced
      under warm nights (ca. 7%  degrees C(-1) ), due to GN reductions (ca. 6%  degrees
      C(-1) ) linked to a lower number of spikes per m(2) . An accelerated development
      under high night temperatures led to a shorter critical period duration, reducing
      solar radiation capture with negative consequences for biomass production, GN and
      therefore, grain yield. The information generated could be used as a starting
      point to design management and/or breeding strategies to improve crop adaptation
      facing climate change.

PMID- 26111198
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26111199
TI  - Effective Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction Accelerates Exercise Oxygen Uptake
      Kinetics in Emphysema.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact of bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) on
      physiologic responses to exercise in patients with advanced emphysema remains
      incompletely understood. We hypothesized that effective BLVR (e-BLVR), defined as
      a reduction in residual volume > 350 mL, would improve cardiovascular responses
      to exercise and accelerate oxygen uptake (Vo2) kinetics. METHODS: Thirty-one
      patients (FEV1, 36% +/- 9% predicted; residual volume, 219% +/- 57% predicted)
      underwent a constant intensity exercise test at 70% peak work rate to the limit
      of tolerance before and after treatment bronchoscopy (n = 24) or sham
      bronchoscopy (n = 7). Physiologic responses in patients who had e-BLVR (n = 16)
      were compared with control subjects (ineffective BLVR or sham bronchoscopy; n =
      15). RESULTS: e-BLVR reduced residual volume (-1.1 +/- 0.5 L, P = .001), improved
      lung diffusing capacity by 12% +/- 13% (P = .001), and increased exercise
      tolerance by 181 +/- 214 s (P = .004). Vo2 kinetics were accelerated in the e
      BLVR group but remained unchanged in control subjects (Delta mean response time, 
      20% +/- 29% vs 1% +/- 25%, P = .04). Acceleration of Vo2 kinetics was associated
      with reductions in heart rate and oxygen pulse response half-times by 8% (84 +/-
      14 to 76 +/- 15 s, P = .04) and 20% (49 +/- 16 to 34 +/- 16 s, P = .01),
      respectively. There were also increases in heart rate and oxygen pulse amplitudes
      during the cardiodynamic phase post e-BLVR. Faster Vo2 kinetics in the e-BLVR
      group were significantly correlated with reductions in residual volume (r = 0.66,
      P = .005) and improvements in inspiratory reserve volume (r = 0.56, P = .024) and
      exercise tolerance (r = 0.63, P = .008). CONCLUSIONS: Lung deflation induced by e
      BLVR accelerated exercise Vo2 kinetics in patients with emphysema. This
      beneficial effect appears to be related mechanistically to an enhanced
      cardiovascular response to exercise, which may contribute to improved functional
      capacity.

PMID- 26111200
TI  - Exhaled breath temperature in elite swimmers: The effects of a training session
      in adolescents with or without asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cooling of the airways and inflammation have been pointed as possible
      mechanisms for exercise-induced asthma (EIA). We aimed to investigate the effect
      of training and asthma on exhaled breath temperature (EBT) of elite swimmers.
      METHODS: Elite swimmers annually screened (skin prick tests, spirometry before
      and after salbutamol inhalation, induced sputum cell counts, and methacholine
      bronchial challenge) at our department (n = 27) were invited to this prospective
      study. Swimmers who agreed to participate in the present study (n = 22, 10 with
      asthma) had axillary temperature and EBT measured (X-halo((r)) ) before and after
      a swimming training session (aerobic/non-aerobic). Linear regression models were
      used to assess the effect of asthma and other possible explanatory variables
      (demographics, PD20 , baseline EBT, training intensity, axillary temperature, and
      the number of hours trained in that week) on EBT change. RESULTS: EBT
      significantly increased after training independently of lung function, airway
      responsiveness, and inflammation in all swimmers (mean +/- SD: 0.32 +/- 0.57; p =
      0.016). No differences were observed between asthmatic swimmers and others. A
      significant correlation was observed between baseline and post-exercise EBTs (r =
      0.827, p < 0.001). Asthma was not a predictor of DeltaEBT after adjusting for
      confounders; baseline EBT was the variable most strongly associated with
      DeltaEBT, explaining by itself alone 46% of the outcome (r(2) = 0.464).
      CONCLUSION: Although these are preliminary data, a relationship between airway's
      inflammation and respiratory heat loss during exercise could not be confirmed,
      suggesting that the increase in exhaled breath temperature is a physiologic
      rather than a pathological response to exercise.

PMID- 26111202
TI  - Temperature Distribution within a Cold Cap during Nuclear Waste Vitrification.
AB  - The kinetics of the feed-to-glass conversion affects the waste vitrification rate
      in an electric glass melter. The primary area of interest in this conversion
      process is the cold cap, a layer of reacting feed on top of the molten glass. The
      work presented here provides an experimental determination of the temperature
      distribution within the cold cap. Because direct measurement of the temperature
      field within the cold cap is impracticable, an indirect method was developed in
      which the textural features in a laboratory-made cold cap with a simulated high
      level waste feed were mapped as a function of position using optical microscopy,
      scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray
      diffraction. The temperature distribution within the cold cap was established by
      correlating microstructures of cold-cap regions with heat-treated feed samples of
      nearly identical structures at known temperatures. This temperature profile was
      compared with a mathematically simulated profile generated by a cold-cap model
      that has been developed to assess the rate of glass production in a melter. 

PMID- 26111201
TI  - Micro(mi) RNA-34a targets protein phosphatase (PP)1gamma to regulate DNA damage
      tolerance.
AB  - The DNA damage response (DDR) triggers widespread changes in gene expression,
      mediated partly by alterations in micro(mi) RNA levels, whose nature and
      significance remain uncertain. Here, we report that miR-34a, which is upregulated
      during the DDR, modulates the expression of protein phosphatase 1gamma (PP1gamma)
      to regulate cellular tolerance to DNA damage. Multiple bio-informatic algorithms
      predict that miR-34a targets the PP1CCC gene encoding PP1gamma protein. Ionising
      radiation (IR) decreases cellular expression of PP1gamma in a dose-dependent
      manner. An miR-34a-mimic reduces cellular PP1gamma protein. Conversely, an miR
      34a inhibitor antagonizes IR-induced decreases in PP1gamma protein expression. A
      wild-type (but not mutant) miR-34a seed match sequence from the 3' untranslated
      region (UTR) of PP1CCC when transplanted to a luciferase reporter gene makes it
      responsive to an miR-34a-mimic. Thus, miR-34a upregulation during the DDR targets
      the 3' UTR of PP1CCC to decrease PP1gamma protein expression. PP1gamma is known
      to antagonize DDR signaling via the ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) kinase.
      Interestingly, we find that cells exposed to DNA damage become more sensitive -
      in an miR-34a-dependent manner - to a second challenge with damage. Increased
      sensitivity to the second challenge is marked by enhanced phosphorylation of ATM
      and p53, increased gammaH2AX formation, and increased cell death. Increased
      sensitivity can be partly recapitulated by a miR-34a-mimic, or antagonized by an
      miR-34a-inhibitor. Thus, our findings suggest a model in which damage-induced miR
      34a induction reduces PP1gamma expression and enhances ATM signaling to decrease
      tolerance to repeated genotoxic challenges. This mechanism has implications for
      tumor suppression and the response of cancers to therapeutic radiation. 

PMID- 26111204
TI  - Black Gold: Plasmonic Colloidosomes with Broadband Absorption Self-Assembled from
      Monodispersed Gold Nanospheres by Using a Reverse Emulsion System.
AB  - A facile approach for the fabrication of novel black plasmonic colloidosomes
      assembled from Au nanospheres is developed by an emulsion-templating strategy.
      This self-assembly process is based on a new reverse water-in-1-butanol emulsion
      system, in which the water emulsion droplets can dissolve into 1-butanol (oil)
      phase at an appropriate rate. These Au colloidosomes possess hexagonal close
      packed multilayer shells and show a low reflectivity and intense broadband
      absorption owing to the strong interparticle plasmonic coupling, which is further
      investigated by a finite-difference time-domain method. This method is universal
      and is suitable for self-assembly of different noble-metal nanoparticles into
      different colloidosomes. These colloidosomes have important applications in
      photothermal therapy, biosensors, and drug delivery. 

PMID- 26111203
TI  - The Impact of Elective Colon Resection on Rates of Emergency Surgery for
      Diverticulitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of elective colectomy on emergency
      diverticulitis surgery at the population level. BACKGROUND: Current
      recommendations suggest avoiding elective colon resection for uncomplicated
      diverticulitis because of uncertain effectiveness at reducing recurrence and
      emergency surgery. The influence of these recommendations on use of elective
      colectomy or rates of emergency surgery remains undetermined. METHODS: A
      retrospective cohort study using a statewide hospital discharge database
      identified all patients admitted for diverticulitis in Washington State (1987
      2012). Sex- and age-adjusted rates (standardized to the 2000 state census) of
      admissions, elective and emergency/urgent surgical and percutaneous interventions
      for diverticulitis were calculated and temporal changes assessed. RESULTS: A
      total of 84,313 patients (mean age 63.3 years and 58.9% female) were hospitalized
      for diverticulitis (72.2% emergent/urgent). Elective colectomy increased from 7.9
      to 17.2 per 100,000 people (P < 0.001), rising fastest since 2000.
      Emergency/urgent colectomy increased from 7.1 to 10.2 per 100,000 (P < 0.001),
      nonelective percutaneous interventions increased from 0.1 to 3.7 per 100,000 (P =
      0.04) and the frequency of emergency/urgent admissions (with or without a
      resection) increased from 34.0 to 85.0 per 100,000 (P < 0.001). In 2012, 47.5% of
      elective resections were performed laparoscopically compared to 17.5% in 2008
      (when the code was introduced). CONCLUSIONS: The elective colectomy rate for
      diverticulitis more than doubled, without a decrease in emergency surgery,
      percutaneous interventions, or admissions for diverticulitis. This may reflect
      changes in thresholds for elective surgery and/or an increase in the frequency or
      severity of the disease. These trends do not support the practice of elective
      colectomy to prevent emergency surgery.

PMID- 26111205
TI  - Nitrite accumulation performance of aerobic MBBR treating Lurgi coal gasification
      waste water by adjusting pollutant load and DO concentration.
AB  - An aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was adopted to treat Lurgi coal
      gasification waste water (LCGW) in about 10 months. The pollutant load and
      dissolve oxygen (DO) concentration were adjusted by trying to maximize the
      accumulation of [Formula: see text] in the MBBR for LCGW treatment. The highest
      [Formula: see text] accumulation proportion [Formula: see text] was 73.9%, but
      was not stable with influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) and DO concentrations
      of around 1000 and 1.5 mg/L, respectively. Around 1500 mg/L of influent COD
      concentration and 1.5 mg/L of DO concentration were proper operation conditions
      for the aerobic MBBR to achieve relatively stable [Formula: see text]
      accumulation, with [Formula: see text] ratio at 53% and [Formula: see text] ratio
      at just 4.3% in the effluent. More specifically, free ammonia concentration and
      DO concentration affected [Formula: see text] accumulation much more obvious than
      phenols concentration. The activity and quantity of nitrifying bacteria growth in
      suspended sludge and biofilm of the MBBR were monitored simultaneously to explain
      the variations of [Formula: see text] accumulation performance under different
      operation conditions. An aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was adopted to
      treat Lurgi coal gasification waste water (LCGW)in about 10 months. The pollutant
      load and dissolve oxygen (DO) concentration were adjusted by trying to maximize
      the accumulation of NO(-)(2)-N in the MBBR for LCGW treatment. The highest NO(
      )(2)-N accumulation proportion(NO(-)(2)-Neffluent/TN effluent) was 73.9%, but was
      not stable with influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) and DO concentrations of
      around 1000 and 1.5 mg/L, respectively. Around 1500 mg/L of influent COD
      concentration and 1.5 mg/L of DO concentration were proper operation conditions
      for the aerobic MBBR to achieve relatively stable NO(-)(2)-N accumulation,with
      NO(-)(2)-N/TN ratio at 53% and NO(-)(3)-N/TN ratio at just 4.3% in the effluent.
      More specifically, free ammonia concentration and DO concentration affected
      NO(2)(-)N accumulation much more obvious than phenols concentration. The activity
      and quantity of nitrifying bacteria growth in suspended sludge and biofilm of the
      MBBR were monitored simultaneously toexplain the variations of NO(-)(2)-N
      accumulation performance under different operation conditions.

PMID- 26111206
TI  - Differential Evolution approach to detect recent admixture.
AB  - The genetic structure of human populations is extraordinarily complex and of
      fundamental importance to studies of anthropology, evolution, and medicine. As
      increasingly many individuals are of mixed origin, there is an unmet need for
      tools that can infer multiple origins. Misclassification of such individuals can
      lead to incorrect and costly misinterpretations of genomic data, primarily in
      disease studies and drug trials. We present an advanced tool to infer ancestry
      that can identify the biogeographic origins of highly mixed individuals. reAdmix
      can incorporate individual's knowledge of ancestors (e.g. having some ancestors
      from Turkey or a Scottish grandmother). reAdmix is an online tool available at
      http://chcb.saban-chla.usc.edu/reAdmix/. 

PMID- 26111207
TI  - Three-Dimensional Electron Microscopy Reconstruction of Degenerative Dopaminergic
      Neurons Surrounded by Activated Microglia in Substantia Nigra.
AB  - There is an urgent need to investigate the reason for the pathogenic mechanism of
      intractable central neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease. It has
      been reported that the activation of microglial cells is involved in the
      pathology of these diseases. However, due to technical difficulties, the
      relationship between degenerative neurons and activated microglial cells remains
      unclear. Therefore, we tried the improved analysis technique to clarify the
      spatial relationship between these cell types. We were able to establish an
      analysis technique that consists of a three-dimensional reconstruction method
      using serial immunoelectron micrographs after having identified both degenerative
      neurons and activated microglial cells under optical microscope. Using this
      technique, we have relatively easily been able to clarify the spatial
      relationship between degenerative neurons and activated microglial cells.
      Furthermore, using this technique it is possible to determine the neuronal
      degeneration process in detail, because it is able to identify structures
      implicated in degeneration, such as accumulation of lipofuscin in degenerated
      neuronal somata and phagocytotic structures of microglial cells. In future, this
      technical approach may be applied to elucidate the relationship between
      degenerative neurons and activated glial cells in human diseases. 

PMID- 26111208
TI  - Multimodality imaging of primary extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO):
      what every radiologist should know.
AB  - Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a frequent complication of liver cirrhosis, but
      it can also occur as a primary vascular disorder amid absent liver disease.
      Extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO) refers to the obstruction of the
      extrahepatic portal vein with or without involvement of the intrahepatic portal
      vein branches, splenic and/or superior mesenteric vein. It is a distinct disorder
      that excludes PVT occurring in concurrence with liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular
      carcinoma. The term "EHPVO" implies chronicity and is principally reserved for a
      long-standing condition characterized by cavernous transformation of the portal
      vein. The most characteristic imaging manifestation is the formation of
      portoportal collaterals (via the venous plexi of Petren and Saint) that allow
      hepatopetal flow. However, this collateral circulation is insufficient resulting
      in clinically significant pre-hepatic portal hypertension, wherein the liver
      function and structure remain preserved until late. Although the long-term (more
      than 10 years) survival with controlled variceal bleeding is up to 100%, affected
      individuals have an impaired quality of life owing to portal cavernoma
      cholangiopathy, hypersplenism, neurocognitive dysfunction and growth retardation.
      Imaging diagnosis is not always straightforward as the collaterals can also
      present as a tumour-like solid mass that can be inadvertently biopsied. Moreover,
      EHPVO has its implications for the biliary tree, arterial circulation,
      liver/splenic volumes and stiffness, which merit proper understanding but have
      not been so well described in literature. In this review, we present the complete
      spectrum of the vascular, biliary and visceral changes with a particular emphasis
      on what our medical/surgical hepatology colleagues need to know from us in the
      pre-operative and post-operative settings.

PMID- 26111209
TI  - How to Explain the Dramatic Increase Around 2000 but Recent Leveling Off of
      Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Korea?

PMID- 26111210
TI  - Immunoregulatory Pathways Involved in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
AB  - Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) include ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
      The immune response in ulcerative colitis is different from the Crohn's disease.
      Accumulating evidence suggests that IBD results from an inappropriate
      inflammatory response to intestinal microbes in a genetically susceptible host.
      Several immunoregulatory abnormalities have been reported in patients with IBD,
      including the ratio of proinflammatory (tumor necrosis factor alpha, IL-6, IL-1
      beta) to immunoregulatory cytokines (IL-10, TGF-beta, IL-35) and selective
      activation of T-helper (Th) lymphocyte subsets (Th1, Th2, Th9, Th17, and
      regulatory T cells). The purpose of this review is to show the immunoregulatory
      pathways (regulatory cells and cytokines) involved in IBD published in recent
      years. 

PMID- 26111211
TI  - Comments on Measures of Obesity and Risk of Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative
      Colitis.

PMID- 26111212
TI  - Increased Incidence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Korea May Not Be Explained
      by Food Additives.

PMID- 26111213
TI  - Reply to Comments on Measures of Obesity and Risk of Crohn's Disease and
      Ulcerative Colitis.

PMID- 26111214
TI  - Reply to Methodological Approach to Mesalazine Treatment in Patients with Mild-to
      moderate Ulcerative Colitis.

PMID- 26111216
TI  - Ansa-bridged bis(benzene) titanium complexes.
AB  - Taking advantage of an improved synthesis of [Ti(eta(6) -C6 H6 )2 ], we report
      here the first examples of ansa-bridged bis(benzene) titanium complexes.
      Deprotonation of [Ti(eta(6) -C6 H6 )2 ] with nBuLi in the presence of
      N,N,N',N'',N''-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (pmdta) leads to the corresponding
      1,1'-dilithio salt [Ti(eta(6) -C6 H5 Li)2 ]?pmdta that enables the preparation of
      the first one- and two-atom-bridged complexes by simple salt metathesis. The ansa
      complexes were fully characterized (NMR spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy,
      elemental analysis, and X-ray crystallography) and further studied
      electrochemically and computationally. Moreover, [Ti(eta(6) -C6 H6 )2 ] is found
      to react with the Lewis base 1,3-dimethylimidazole-2-ylidene (IMe) to give the
      bent sandwich complex [Ti(eta(6) -C6 H6 )2 (IMe)]. 

PMID- 26111215
TI  - Potential implications of dose and diet for the effects of cocoa flavanols on
      cardiometabolic function.
AB  - The metabolic syndrome is a pathological state whereby cardiovascular and
      metabolic dysfunction coexist and typically progress in a mutual feed-forward
      manner to further dysfunction and ultimately disease. The health and function of
      the vascular endothelium is integral in this phenomenon and thus represents a
      logical target for intervention. Consumption of foods high in cocoa flavanols has
      demonstrated a capacity to markedly improve endothelial function and key markers
      of the metabolic syndrome including blood pressure and insulin sensitivity. The
      typically high energy content of foods containing sufficient doses of cocoa
      flavanols has caused some reservations around its therapeutic use, but this is
      dependent upon the particulars of the food matrix used. Further to this, the food
      matrix appears to influence the dose response curve of cocoa flavanols,
      particularly on blood pressure, with dark chocolate appearing to be 8 times more
      effective in systolic blood pressure reduction than a cocoa powder drink for the
      equivalent dose of flavanol. Cocoa flavanol consumption conclusively demonstrates
      a positive impact on cardiometabolic function; however, more research is needed
      to understand how best to consume it to maximize the benefit while avoiding
      excessive fat and sugar consumption. 

PMID- 26111217
TI  - Mechanical and Chemical Characterization of a TiC/C System Synthesized Using a
      Focus Plasma Arc.
AB  - Titanium carbide-graphite (TiC/C) composite was successfully synthesized from Ti
      and C starting elemental powders using self-propagating high-temperature
      synthesis technique in an ultra-high plasma inert medium in a single stage. The
      TiC was exposed to a high-temperature inert medium to allow recrystallization.
      The product was then characterized using field emission scanning electron
      microscopy (FESEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray
      diffraction (XRD), Rietveld refinement, nanoindentation, and micro-hardness to
      determine the product's properties. The recorded micro-hardness of the product
      was 3660 HV, which is a 14% enhancement and makes is comparable to TiC materials.

PMID- 26111222
TI  - Reversible myoclonus, asterixis, and tremor associated with high dose
      trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole: a case report.
AB  - CASE DIAGNOSIS: Reversible myoclonus, tremor, and asterixis induced by high dose
      trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. CASE DESCRIPTION: The patient was a 66-year-old
      male with T9 AIS(1) C quadriplegia secondary to spinal cord compression by a
      tumor due to large B cell lymphoma. Subsequent to tumor resection and
      chemotherapy, the patient was discovered to have Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia
      (PJP). Once started on high dose trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) therapy
      (15.6 mg/kg/day of trimethoprim) for the treatment of PJP, he displayed bilateral
      upper extremity myoclonic jerks at rest, asterixis, and postural tremor. Symptoms
      resolved once TMP-SMX therapy was discontinued. DISCUSSION: Myoclonus, asterixis,
      and tremor have been linked to high dose TMP-SMX therapy as a toxic side effect.
      Our patient's symptoms did improve with levetiracetam therapy, but did not fully
      resolve until TMP-SMX was discontinued. CONCLUSIONS: This is thought to be the
      first reported case of reversible myoclonus, tremor, and asterixis induced by
      high dose TMP-SMX in the spinal cord injury population. Early recognition of TMP
      SMX induced complications were of key importance as they negatively impacted the
      rehabilitation process. We also recommend consideration of symptomatic treatment
      with levetiracetam for the duration of required TMP-SMX therapy as it appeared to
      mitigate the severity of our patient's movement disorders.

PMID- 26111221
TI  - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Women During Pregnancy and
      Childbearing Years.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Little is known regarding complementary and alternative medicine
      (CAM) use during pregnancy and the preconception period. Since half of all
      pregnancies in the United States are unintended, understanding the patterns of
      CAM use among women of childbearing age has implications for fetal and maternal
      health. METHODS: Descriptive statistics were generated from the 2012 National
      Health Interview Study (NHIS) to estimate weighted prevalence and patterns of CAM
      use by women of childbearing age. Comparisons were made between pregnant and
      nonpregnant respondents. RESULTS: In this sample of 10,002 women, 7 percent (n =
      727) were recently pregnant. Over one-third of all the women used CAM during the
      previous year (34/38%, pregnant/nonpregnant, respectively) and only half
      disclosed CAM use to conventional providers (50/49%). In the adjusted model,
      taking multivitamins (OR 2.52 [CI 2.22-2.86]) and moderate to heavy alcohol use
      (OR 1.92 [CI 1.53-2.41]) were more likely associated with CAM use. The two most
      commonly used modalities were herbs (14/17%) and yoga (13/16%). The top reasons
      for CAM use were to improve general wellness or to prevent disease (33/35%) and
      to treat back pain (16/18%). When examining all pregnancy-related symptoms
      treated with CAM, no difference was found in the rates of CAM use between
      pregnant and nonpregnant users. CONCLUSIONS: CAM use by women of childbearing age
      in the United States is common, with over a third of the population using one or
      more therapies. However, only half disclosed their use to conventional providers
      despite limited evidence on safety and effectiveness. This study highlights the
      important need for further research in this area.

PMID- 26111223
TI  - Development of an obstetrics triage tool for clinical pharmacists.
AB  - WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVES: Obstetrics services are a high-throughput and high
      risk environment poised for pharmacist involvement, but determining how to
      ideally allocate services is difficult. There is recent interest in the
      development of tools for service prioritization, but none are specifically
      targeted to obstetrics. Therefore, the aim of this study was (i) to conduct a
      practice audit surveying the demographics of patients attending obstetrics wards
      at a high-capacity maternity hospital; and (ii) to evaluate a triage tool
      developed to prioritize pharmacy services. METHODS: A retrospective case review
      of women discharged after birth admissions was undertaken at a hospital in
      National Health Service (NHS) Scotland during June 2014. Demographic and
      admission data were collected, as well as pharmacist interventions and missed
      opportunities in patient care on post-natal wards. A pharmacy triage tool was
      developed and retrospectively applied to each case to ascertain a risk category
      that would trigger and target pharmacist review. Interventions/opportunities were
      classified as either clinical (medication related) or administrative (potential
      for error development). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: One hundred and seventy-five
      cases were reviewed with a median age of 29 years old. Eighty-six patients
      (49.1%) were retrospectively classified with elevated risk using the triage tool.
      A total of 117 charts (66.9%) were identified with missed opportunities for
      pharmacist intervention, which was significantly greater among patients
      classified as higher risk (75.6 vs. 58.4%, P = 0.017). Compared to low-risk
      patients, patients with a higher-risk classification had lower rates of
      administrative missed opportunities (55.4 vs. 80.8%, P = 0.015), but numerically
      higher rates of clinical (26.2 vs. 9.6%, p=NS) and mixed clinical/administrative
      (18.5 vs. 9.6%, p=NS) missed opportunities, although this failed to reach
      statistical significance. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Evaluation of a triage tool
      for obstetric services demonstrated potential for prioritizing higher-risk
      patients for pharmacist review and addressing opportunities for clinical
      improvements.

PMID- 26111224
TI  - Multivalent 3D Display of Glycopolymer Chains for Enhanced Lectin Interaction.
AB  - Synthetic glycoprotein conjugates were synthesized through the polymerization of
      glycomonomers (mannose and/or galactose acrylate) directly from a protein
      macroinitiator. This design combines the multivalency of polymer structures with
      3D display of saccharides randomly arranged around a central protein structure.
      The conjugates were tested for their interaction with mannose binding lectin
      (MBL), a key protein of immune complement. Increasing mannose number (controlled
      through polymer chain length) and density (controlled through comonomer feed
      ratio of mannose versus galactose) result in greater interaction with MBL. Most
      significantly, mannose glycopolymers displayed in a multivalent and 3D
      configuration from the protein exhibit dramatically enhanced interaction with MBL
      compared to linear glycopolymer chains with similar total valency but lacking 3D
      display. These findings demonstrate the importance of the 3D presentation of
      ligand structures for designing biomimetic materials. 

PMID- 26111225
TI  - Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Danish consensus version of the
      10-item Perceived Stress Scale.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aims of the present study were to (i) cross-culturally adapt a
      Danish consensus version of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and (ii)
      evaluate its psychometric properties in terms of agreement, reliability,
      validity, responsiveness, and interpretability among patients with work-related
      stress complaints. METHODS: A consensus-building process was performed involving
      the authors of the three previous Danish translations and the consensus version
      was back-translated into English and pilot-tested. Psychometric properties of the
      final version were examined in a sample of 64 patients with work-related stress
      complaints. RESULTS: The face validity, reliability, and internal consistency of
      the Danish consensus version of the PSS-10 were satisfactory, and convergent
      construct validity was confirmed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves
      of the change scores showed that the ability of the PSS-10 to correctly classify
      patients as improved or unchanged according to the patients' own judgment was
      acceptable. The estimates of minimal clinically important change were 11 points
      and 28% for absolute and relative change scores, respectively. CONCLUSION: The
      Danish consensus version of the PSS-10 appears to be feasible for use in clinical
      research settings and has good psychometric properties in terms of agreement,
      reliability, validity, responsiveness, and interpretability.

PMID- 26111226
TI  - Active Drumming Experience Increases Infants' Sensitivity to Audiovisual
      Synchrony during Observed Drumming Actions.
AB  - In the current study, we examined the role of active experience on sensitivity to
      multisensory synchrony in six-month-old infants in a musical context. In the
      first of two experiments, we trained infants to produce a novel multimodal effect
      (i.e., a drum beat) and assessed the effects of this training, relative to no
      training, on their later perception of the synchrony between audio and visual
      presentation of the drumming action. In a second experiment, we then contrasted
      this active experience with the observation of drumming in order to test whether
      observation of the audiovisual effect was as effective for sensitivity to
      multimodal synchrony as active experience. Our results indicated that active
      experience provided a unique benefit above and beyond observational experience,
      providing insights on the embodied roots of (early) music perception and
      cognition. 

PMID- 26111228
TI  - Authors' Response.

PMID- 26111227
TI  - Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Increases Rectal Activity in
      Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Neurostimulation is increasingly used in treating bladder and bowel
      dysfunction, but its effect on rectal motility is obscure. The aim of the study
      was to evaluate the acute effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
      (TENS) on rectal motility in children with overactive bladder (OAB). METHODS: In
      this double-blind placebo-controlled study in 20 children with OAB (mean age 8.6
      +/- 1.8 years; 7 girls), 48-hour urodynamic monitoring including rectal manometry
      was performed. After 24-hours of baseline investigation without stimulation the
      children were randomised to either active TENS (n = 10) or placebo (n = 10).
      Surface electrodes were placed over the sacral bone. The exterior of active and
      placebo stimulators was identical. Starting in the morning, the children received
      either continuous TENS stimulation or placebo until bedtime. Rectal contractions
      were de&filig;ned as pressure runs exceeding 5 cm H2O and lasting >=3 minutes.
      RESULTS: At baseline there was no significant difference in proportion of time
      with rectal contractions in the 2 groups (TENS group median 31% [range 12%-66%]
      vs placebo group median 31% [range 10%-66%]; P = 0.75); however, on the day of
      stimulation there was more time with rectal contractions in the group receiving
      TENS (median 51% [range 25%-78%]) compared with placebo (median 32% [range 4%
      68%]; P = 0.02). Also, there was an increase in time with rectal contractions in
      the TENS group (P = 0.007) but not in the placebo group (P = 0.39). The night
      after the TENS was disabled, rectal activity in both groups returned to baseline
      level. CONCLUSIONS: TENS acutely increases time with rectal contractions in
      children undergoing urodynamic investigation. The effect disappears when the
      stimulator is turned off.

PMID- 26111230
TI  - State-of-the-Art in the Computational Analysis of Cytometry Data.

PMID- 26111229
TI  - Drug survival for methotrexate in a daily practice cohort of adult patients with
      severe atopic dermatitis.

PMID- 26111235
TI  - Imported case of MERS-CoV infection identified in China, May 2015: detection and
      lesson learned.
AB  - At the end of May 2015, an imported case of Middle East respiratory syndrome
      coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection was confirmed in China. The patient is in a
      stable condition and is still undergoing treatment. In this report, we summarise
      the preliminary findings for this imported case and the results of contact
      tracing. We identified 78 close contacts and after 14 days of monitoring and
      isolation, none of the contacts presented symptoms and all tested negative for
      MERS-CoV.

PMID- 26111236
TI  - Emergence of a new GII.17 norovirus variant in patients with acute
      gastroenteritis in Jiangsu, China, September 2014 to March 2015.
AB  - From September 2014 to March 2015, 23 outbreaks of norovirus (NoV) acute
      gastroenteritis occurred in Jiangsu, China. Partial sequencing of the NoV capsid
      gene suggested that 16 of the 23 outbreaks were related to a new GII.17 variant.
      This variant was first detected in sporadic specimens in October 2014, and became
      predominant in February 2015. Analysis of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase
      (RdRp), and complete capsid including the protruding domain P2 sequences
      confirmed this GII.17 variant as distinct from previously identified GII
      variants.

PMID- 26111237
TI  - Detection of livestock-associated meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      CC398 in retail pork, United Kingdom, February 2015.
AB  - Livestock-associated meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus belonging to
      clonal complex 398 (LA-MRSA CC398) is an important cause of zoonotic infections
      in many countries. Here, we describe the isolation of LA-MRSA CC398 from retail
      meat samples of United Kingdom (UK) farm origin. Our findings indicate that this
      lineage is probably established in UK pig farms and demonstrate a potential
      pathway for the transmission of LA-MRSA CC398 from livestock to humans in the UK.

PMID- 26111238
TI  - Systematic review of fever, febrile convulsions and serious adverse events
      following administration of inactivated trivalent influenza vaccines in children.
AB  - In 2010, increased febrile convulsions (FC) occurred after administration of
      inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) in Australia. We systematically
      reviewed the rates of fever, FC and serious adverse events (SAEs) after TIV,
      focussing on published and unpublished clinical trial data from 2005 to 2012, and
      performed meta-analysis of fever rates. From 4,372 records in electronic
      databases, 18 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), 14 non-randomised clinical
      trials, six observational studies and 12 registered trials (five RCTs and seven
      non-randomised) were identified. In published RCTs, fever >= 38  degrees C rates
      after first dose of non-adjuvanted TIV were 6.7% and 6.9% for children aged 6-35
      months and >= 3 years, respectively. Analysis of RCTs by vaccine manufacturer
      showed pooled fever estimates up to 5.1% with Sanofi or GlaxoSmithKline vaccines;
      bioCSL vaccines were used in two non-randomised clinical trials and one
      unpublished RCT and were associated with fever in 22.5-37.1% for children aged 6
      35 months. In RCTs, FCs occurred at a rate of 1.1 per 1,000 vaccinated children.
      While most TIVs induced acceptably low fever rates, bioCSL influenza vaccines
      were associated with much higher rates of fever in young children. Future
      standardised study methodology and access to individual level data would be
      illuminating.

PMID- 26111239
TI  - Waterborne outbreaks in the Nordic countries, 1998 to 2012.
AB  - A total of 175 waterborne outbreaks affecting 85,995 individuals were notified to
      the national outbreak surveillance systems in Denmark, Finland and Norway from
      1998 to 2012, and in Sweden from 1998 to 2011. Between 4 and 18 outbreaks were
      reported each year during this period. Outbreaks occurred throughout the
      countries in all seasons, but were most common (n = 75/169, 44%) between June and
      August. Viruses belonging to the Caliciviridae family and Campylobacter were the
      pathogens most frequently involved, comprising n = 51 (41%) and n = 36 (29%) of
      all 123 outbreaks with known aetiology respectively. Although only a few
      outbreaks were caused by parasites (Giardia and/or Cryptosporidium), they
      accounted for the largest outbreaks reported during the study period, affecting
      up to 53,000 persons. Most outbreaks, 124 (76%) of those with a known water
      source (n = 163) were linked to groundwater. A large proportion of the outbreaks
      (n = 130/170, 76%) affected a small number of people (less than 100 per outbreak)
      and were linked to single-household water supplies. However, in 11 (6%) of the
      outbreaks, more than 1,000 people became ill. Although outbreaks of this size are
      rare, they highlight the need for increased awareness, particularly of parasites,
      correct water treatment regimens, and vigilant management and maintenance of the
      water supply and distribution systems.

PMID- 26111240
TI  - Outbreak of psittacosis in a group of women exposed to Chlamydia psittaci
      infected chickens.
AB  - Eight cases of psittacosis due to Chlamydia psittaci were identified in May 2013
      among 15 individuals involved in chicken gutting activities on a mixed poultry
      farm in France. All cases were women between 42 and 67 years-old. Cases were
      diagnosed by serology and PCR of respiratory samples. Appropriate treatment was
      immediately administered to the eight hospitalised individuals after exposure to
      birds had been discovered. In the chicken flocks, mainly C. gallinacea was
      detected, a new member of the family Chlamydiaceae, whereas the ducks were found
      to harbour predominantly C. psittaci, the classical agent of psittacosis. In
      addition, C. psittaci was found in the same flock as the chickens that the
      patients had slaughtered. Both human and C. psittaci-positive avian samples
      carried the same ompA genotype E/B of C. psittaci, which is widespread among
      French duck flocks. Repeated grassland rotations between duck and chicken flocks
      on the farm may explain the presence of C. psittaci in the chickens. Inspection
      by the veterinary service led to temporary closure of the farm. All birds had to
      be euthanised on site as no slaughterhouses accepted processing them. Farm
      buildings and grasslands were cleaned and/or disinfected before the introduction
      of new poultry birds.

PMID- 26111241
TI  - Erratum for Euro Surveill. 2015;20(12).

PMID- 26111243
TI  - Reliability of an Adapted Version of the Modified Six Elements Test as a Measure
      of Executive Function.
AB  - The Modified Six Elements Test (MSET) is used to examine executive deficits-more
      specifically, planning deficits. This study investigates the reliability of an
      adapted version of the MSET and proposes a novel scoring method. Two parallel
      versions of the adapted MSET were administered in 60 healthy participants in a
      counterbalanced order. Test-retest and parallel-form reliability were examined
      using intraclass correlation coefficients, Bland-Altman analyses, standard errors
      of measurement, and smallest real differences, representing clinically relevant
      changes over time. Moreover, the ecological validity of the adapted MSET was
      evaluated using the Executive Function Index, a self-rating questionnaire
      measuring everyday executive performance. No systematic differences between the
      test occasions were present, and the adapted MSET including the proposed scoring
      method was capable of detecting real clinical changes. Intraclass correlations
      for the test-retest and parallel-form reliability were modest, and the
      variability between the test scores was high. The nonsignificant correlations
      with the Executive Function Index did not confirm the previously established
      ecological validity of the MSET. We show that both parallel versions of the test
      are clinically equivalent and can be used to measure executive function over the
      course of time without task-specific learning effects. 

PMID- 26111242
TI  - Plasma HIV-2 RNA According to CD4 Count Strata among HIV-2-Infected Adults in the
      IeDEA West Africa Collaboration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plasma HIV-1 RNA monitoring is one of the standard tests for the
      management of HIV-1 infection. While HIV-1 RNA can be quantified using several
      commercial tests, no test has been commercialized for HIV-2 RNA quantification.
      We studied the relationship between plasma HIV-2 viral load (VL) and CD4 count in
      West African patients who were either receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) or
      treatment-naive. METHOD: A cross sectional survey was conducted among HIV-2
      infected individuals followed in three countries in West Africa from March to
      December 2012. All HIV-2 infected-patients who attended one of the participating
      clinics were proposed a plasma HIV-2 viral load measurement. HIV-2 RNA was
      quantified using the new ultrasensitive in-house real-time PCR assay with a
      detection threshold of 10 copies/ mL (cps/mL). RESULTS: A total of 351 HIV-2
      infected individuals participated in this study, of whom 131 (37.3%) were
      treatment naive and 220 (62.7%) had initiated ART. Among treatment-naive
      patients, 60 (46.5%) had undetectable plasma HIV-2 viral load (<10 cps/mL), it
      was detectable between 10-100 cps/mL in 35.8%, between 100-1000 cps/mL in 11.7%
      and >1000 cps/mL in 6.0% of the patients. Most of the treatment-naive patients
      (70.2%) had CD4-T cell count >=500 cells/mm3 and 43 (46.7%) of these patients had
      a detectable VL (>=10 cps/mL). Among the 220 patients receiving ART, the median
      CD4-T cell count rose from 231 to 393 cells/mm3 (IQR [259-561]) after a median
      follow-up duration of 38 months and 145 (66.0%) patients had CD4-T cell count <=
      500 cells/mm3 with a median viral load of 10 cps/mL (IQR [10-33]). Seventy five
      (34.0%) patients had CD4-T cell count >= 500 cells/mm3, among them 14 (18.7%) had
      a VL between 10-100 cps/mL and 2 (2.6%) had VL >100 cps/mL. CONCLUSION: This
      study suggests that the combination of CD4-T cell count and ultrasensitive HIV-2
      viral load quantification with a threshold of 10 cps/mL, could improve ART
      initiation among treatment naive HIV-2-infected patients and the monitoring of
      ART response among patients receiving treatment.

PMID- 26111244
TI  - The Decay of Motor Memories Is Independent of Context Change Detection.
AB  - When the error signals that guide human motor learning are withheld following
      training, recently-learned motor memories systematically regress toward untrained
      performance. It has previously been hypothesized that this regression results
      from an intrinsic volatility in these memories, resulting in an inevitable decay
      in the absence of ongoing error signals. However, a recently-proposed alternative
      posits that even recently-acquired motor memories are intrinsically stable,
      decaying only if a change in context is detected. This new theory, the context
      dependent decay hypothesis, makes two key predictions: (1) after error signals
      are withheld, decay onset should be systematically delayed until the context
      change is detected; and (2) manipulations that impair detection by masking
      context changes should result in prolonged delays in decay onset and reduced
      decay amplitude at any given time. Here we examine the decay of motor adaptation
      following the learning of novel environmental dynamics in order to carefully
      evaluate this hypothesis. To account for potential issues in previous work that
      supported the context-dependent decay hypothesis, we measured decay using a
      balanced and baseline-referenced experimental design that allowed for direct
      comparisons between analogous masked and unmasked context changes. Using both an
      unbiased variant of the previous decay onset analysis and a novel highly-powered
      group-level version of this analysis, we found no evidence for systematically
      delayed decay onset nor for the masked context change affecting decay amplitude
      or its onset time. We further show how previous estimates of decay onset latency
      can be substantially biased in the presence of noise, and even more so with
      correlated noise, explaining the discrepancy between the previous results and our
      findings. Our results suggest that the decay of motor memories is an intrinsic
      feature of error-based learning that does not depend on context change detection.

PMID- 26111246
TI  - The clinical application of plasma Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus viral load as a
      tumour biomarker: results from 704 patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of plasma Kaposi
      sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in people
      living with HIV (PLWH) and diagnosed with KSHV-associated diseases. METHODS:
      Using quantitative nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the open
      reading frame-26 gene of KSHV, plasma levels of KSHV were measured in consecutive
      PLWH with KSHV-associated diseases or as part of the investigation of
      lymphadenopathy. RESULTS: Plasma KSHV assays were performed on samples from 684
      PLWH and 20 HIV-seronegative people with KSHV-associated malignancies. In PLWH,
      plasma KSHV was detected in 39% of those with KS, 99% of those with multicentric
      Castleman disease (MCD), 9% of those with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), 2% of those
      with non-AIDS-defining malignancies and 0% of those with nonmalignant
      lymphadenopathy. There was no significant difference in plasma KSHV viral load
      among those with KS, MCD and KSHV-associated NHL. The 5-year overall survival
      rate from KS diagnosis of 335 PLWH was 95.2% (95% confidence interval 92.6
      97.8%). Plasma KSHV viraemia did not predict overall survival in those with KS (P
      = 0.73), nor when those with T0 stage KS (P = 0.52) or T1 stage KS (P = 0.62)
      were analysed separately. CONCLUSIONS: Measuring the plasma levels of KSHV as a
      biomarker in KSHV-associated disease has a very limited value in either diagnosis
      or prognostication. The only potential role of clinical value is the suggestion
      that an undetectable plasma KSHV excludes a diagnosis of MCD in PLWH.

PMID- 26111245
TI  - Doxycycline Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits Proliferation and Invasion of Human
      Cervical Carcinoma Stem Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are proposed to be responsible for high
      recurrence rate in cervical carcinoma. Reagents that can suppress the
      proliferation and differentiation of CSCs would provide new opportunities to
      fight against tumor recurrence. Doxycycline has been reported as a potential anti
      cancer compound. However, few studies investigated its inhibitory effect against
      cervical cancer stem cells. METHODS: HeLa cells were cultured in cancer stem cell
      conditional media in a poly-hema-treated dish. In this non-adhesive culture
      system, HeLa cells were treated with cisplatin until some cells survived and
      formed spheroids, which were then collected and injected into the immunodeficient
      mice. Cisplatin was administered every three days for five times. The tumor
      xenografts with CSC enrichment were cultured in cancer stem cell specific medium
      again to form tumorsphere, which we called HeLa-CSCs. Expression of cancer stem
      cell markers in HeLa-CSCs was measured by flow cytometry and qPCR. HeLa-CSCs were
      then treated with doxycycline. Proliferation and differentiation rates were
      determined by the size of spheres formed in vitro and tumor formed in vivo.
      RESULTS: We developed a new strategy to selectively enrich CSCs from human
      cervical carcinoma cell line HeLa, and these HeLa-CSCs are CD133+/CD49f+ cell
      populations with significantly enhanced expression of stem cell markers. When
      these HeLa-CSCs were treated with doxycycline, the colony formation,
      proliferation, migration and invasion, and differentiation were all suppressed.
      Meanwhile, stem cell markers SOX-2, OCT-4, NANOG, NOTCH and BMI-1 decreased in
      doxycycline treated cells, so as the surface markers CD133 and CD49f.
      Furthermore, proliferation markers Ki67 and PCNA were also decreased by
      doxycycline treatment in the in vivo xenograft mouse model. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer
      stem cells are enriched from sphere-forming and chemoresistant HeLa-derived tumor
      xenografts in immunodeficient mice. Doxycycline inhibits proliferation, invasion,
      and differentiation, and also induces apoptosis of these HeLa-CSCs in vitro and
      in vivo.

PMID- 26111247
TI  - Association of rivaroxaban anticoagulation and spontaneous vitreous hemorrhage.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Rivaroxaban is an anticoagulant prescribed for the management of
      atrial fibrillation. We describe a correlation between rivaroxaban and
      spontaneous vitreous hemorrhage. OBSERVATIONS: Three patients developed
      spontaneous vitreous hemorrhage after initiating rivaroxaban anticoagulation. All
      3 patients were taking an additional anticoagulant at the time of hemorrhage.
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Rivaroxaban is increasingly prescribed as a
      replacement for warfarin sodium in the management of atrial fibrillation.
      Rivaroxaban anticoagulation may be associated with spontaneous vitreous
      hemorrhage. The risk of hemorrhage may be particularly elevated during the
      transition period when patients are switched from baseline anticoagulant to
      rivaroxaban therapy and are taking both anticoagulants simultaneously.

PMID- 26111248
TI  - Emotional Processing, Interaction Process, and Outcome in Clarification-Oriented
      Psychotherapy for Personality Disorders: A Process-Outcome Analysis.
AB  - It is important to understand the change processes involved in psychotherapies
      for patients with personality disorders (PDs). One patient process that promises
      to be useful in relation to the outcome of psychotherapy is emotional processing.
      In the present process-outcome analysis, we examine this question by using a
      sequential model of emotional processing and by additionally taking into account
      a therapist's appropriate responsiveness to a patient's presentation in
      clarification-oriented psychotherapy (COP), a humanistic-experiential form of
      therapy. The present study involved 39 patients with a range of PDs undergoing
      COP. Session 25 was assessed as part of the working phase of each therapy by
      external raters in terms of emotional processing using the Classification of
      Affective-Meaning States (CAMS) and in terms of the overall quality of therapist
      patient interaction using the Process-Content-Relationship Scale (BIBS).
      Treatment outcome was assessed pre- and post-therapy using the Global Severity
      Index (GSI) of the SCL-90-R and the BDI. Results indicate that the good outcome
      cases showed more self-compassion, more rejecting anger, and a higher quality of
      therapist-patient interaction compared to poorer outcome cases. For good outcome
      cases, emotional processing predicted 18% of symptom change at the end of
      treatment, which was not found for poor outcome cases. These results are
      discussed within the framework of an integrative understanding of emotional
      processing as an underlying mechanism of change in COP, and perhaps in other
      effective therapy approaches for PDs.

PMID- 26111250
TI  - Disappointed Love and Suicide: A Randomized Controlled Trial of "Abandonment
      Psychotherapy" Among Borderline Patients.
AB  - To determine whether ambulatory psychotherapy targeted to abandonment experiences
      and fears can reduce suicidality and improve outcome in borderline patients
      referred to the emergency room with major depressive disorder and self
      destructive behavior severe enough to require medical/surgical treatment and a
      brief psychiatric hospitalization. A total of 170 subjects were randomized at
      hospital discharge into three treatment groups: treatment as usual (TAU),
      abandonment psychotherapy delivered by certified psychotherapists, and
      abandonment psychotherapy delivered by nurses. Assessments were performed before
      randomization and at 3-month follow-up. Continued suicidality and other outcome
      measures were significantly worse in the treatment-as-usual as compared to both
      abandonment psychotherapy groups, but there were no differences between the two
      psychotherapy groups. These results suggest the efficacy of manualized
      psychotherapy that specifically targets the abandonment fears and experiences
      that are so common as precipitants to suicidal and self-destructive acts in
      borderline patients. It does not appear that formal psychotherapy training is
      associated with better outcomes. 

PMID- 26111249
TI  - The Effect of Attending Good Psychiatric Management (GPM) Workshops on Attitudes
      Toward Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder.
AB  - The effect that attending a 1-day workshop on Good Psychiatric Management (GPM)
      had on attitudes about borderline personality disorder (BPD) was assessed among
      297 clinicians. Change was recorded by comparing before and after scores on a 9
      item survey previously developed to assess the effects of workshops on Systems
      Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (STEPPS). Participants
      reported decreased inclination to avoid borderline patients, dislike of
      borderline patients, and belief that BPD's prognosis is hopeless, as well as
      increased feeling of competence, belief that borderline patients have low self
      esteem, feeling of being able to make a positive difference, and belief that
      effective psychotherapies exist. Less clinical experience was related to an
      increased feeling of competence and belief that borderline patients have low self
      esteem. These findings were compared to those from the STEPPS workshop. This
      assessment demonstrates GPM's potential for training clinicians to meet
      population-wide needs related to borderline personality disorder.

PMID- 26111251
TI  - Documenting Differences between Early Stone Age Flake Production Systems: An
      Experimental Model and Archaeological Verification.
AB  - This study investigates morphological differences between flakes produced via
      "core and flake" technologies and those resulting from bifacial shaping
      strategies. We investigate systematic variation between two technological groups
      of flakes using experimentally produced assemblages, and then apply the
      experimental model to the Cutting 10 Mid -Pleistocene archaeological collection
      from Elandsfontein, South Africa. We argue that a specific set of independent
      variables--and their interactions--including external platform angle, platform
      depth, measures of thickness variance and flake curvature should distinguish
      between these two technological groups. The role of these variables in
      technological group separation was further investigated using the Generalized
      Linear Model as well as Linear Discriminant Analysis. The Discriminant model was
      used to classify archaeological flakes from the Cutting 10 locality in terms of
      their probability of association, within either experimentally developed
      technological group. The results indicate that the selected independent variables
      play a central role in separating core and flake from bifacial technologies.
      Thickness evenness and curvature had the greatest effect sizes in both the
      Generalized Linear and Discriminant models. Interestingly the interaction between
      thickness evenness and platform depth was significant and played an important
      role in influencing technological group membership. The identified interaction
      emphasizes the complexity in attempting to distinguish flake production
      strategies based on flake morphological attributes. The results of the
      discriminant function analysis demonstrate that the majority of flakes at the
      Cutting 10 locality were not associated with the production of the numerous Large
      Cutting Tools found at the site, which corresponds with previous suggestions
      regarding technological behaviors reflected in this assemblage.

PMID- 26111253
TI  - Effects of graphene modification on the bioactivation of polyethylene
      terephthalate-based artificial ligaments.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate whether surface coating with
      graphene could enhance the surface bioactivation of PET-based artificial
      ligaments to accelerate graft-to-bone healing after anterior cruciate ligament
      reconstruction. In an in vitro study, the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells and
      their differentiation on the scaffolds were quantified via 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol
      2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and real-time polymerase chain reaction
      assays. The significantly higher optical-density values and transcription levels
      of osteoblast-specific genes indicated that graphene modification could promote
      the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells and accelerate their specific differentiation
      into osteogenic lineages on scaffolds. In an in vivo test, rabbits were used to
      establish an extra-articular graft-to-bone healing model. At 4, 8, and 12 weeks
      after surgery, biomechanical tests, microcomputed tomography analysis, and
      histological observations were performed. The final results demonstrated that the
      microstructural parameters, the average mineral apposition rate of the bone, and
      the biomechanical properties of the graphene-coated polyethylene terephthalate
      (PET)-based artificial ligament (G-PET-AL) group were significantly higher than
      those of the PET-AL graft group (P < 0.05). The results of Van Gieson staining
      indicated that in the G-PET-AL group, there was more newly formed bone than there
      was in the group in which nongraphene-coated PET-ALs were used. In conclusion,
      graphene exhibits considerable potential for enhancing the surface bioactivation
      of materials. 

PMID- 26111254
TI  - Blood donation in China: sustaining efforts and challenges in achieving safety
      and availability.
AB  - China has entered a new phase in blood safety and availability through persistent
      efforts in the past decades. Based on national data from 2008 to 2012, we present
      a comprehensive review on the blood services ranging from policy and
      organization, supply, donors, screening and processing, and clinical use to
      government response in contemporary China. Current evidence suggests that the
      Chinese blood industries, after continual efforts in reforms on the legal
      framework and national management system, have been in a relatively steady but
      bottleneck stage. Although the blood industries have had an impressive track
      record on management and resolving problems, such as low availability, limited
      donors, deficient laboratory tests, shortage of blood products, and unnecessary
      clinical usage of blood still exist nationwide. While medical technology and
      services have seen a rapid increase in progress in recent years, they have not
      coordinated with the development of the national health care system. This article
      presents an analysis with detailed data, rich contents, and recent response from
      the Chinese government, allowing readers to appreciate how China, a country with
      more than 19.13% of the world's population, has long endeavored to improve safety
      and availability of blood. Meantime, the article sincerely welcomes the guidance
      on policymaking and technical assistance from the international community. Data
      in this article do not include those of Hong Kong, Macao, or Taiwan. 

PMID- 26111255
TI  - Photosynthesis and isoprene emission from trees along an urban-rural gradient in
      Texas.
AB  - Isoprene emission is an important mechanism for improving the thermotolerance of
      plant photosystems as temperatures increase. In this study, we measured
      photosynthesis and isoprene emission in trees along an urban-rural gradient that
      serves as a proxy for climate change, to understand daily and seasonal responses
      to changes in temperature and other environmental variables. Leaf-level gas
      exchange and basal isoprene emission of post oak (Quercus stellata) and sweet gum
      (Liquidambar styraciflua) were recorded at regular intervals over an entire
      growing season at urban, suburban, and rural sites in eastern Texas. In addition,
      the temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration experienced by
      leaves were experimentally manipulated in spring, early summer, and late summer.
      We found that trees experienced lower stomatal conductance and photosynthesis and
      higher isoprene emission, at the urban and suburban sites compared to the rural
      site. Path analysis indicated a daily positive effect of isoprene emission on
      photosynthesis, but unexpectedly, higher isoprene emission from urban trees was
      not associated with improved photosynthesis as temperatures increased during the
      growing season. Furthermore, urban trees experienced relatively higher isoprene
      emission at high CO2 concentrations, while isoprene emission was suppressed at
      the other sites. These results suggest that isoprene emission may be less
      beneficial in urban, and potentially future, environmental conditions,
      particularly if higher temperatures override the suppressive effects of high CO2
      on isoprene emission. These are important considerations for modeling future
      biosphere-atmosphere interactions and for understanding tree physiological
      responses to climate change. 

PMID- 26111256
TI  - Potential Impact of Food Safety Vaccines on Health Care Costs.
AB  - Foodborne pathogens continue to cause several outbreaks every year in many parts
      of the world. Among the bacterial pathogens involved, Shiga toxin-producing
      Escherichia coli, Campylobacter jejuni, and nontyphoidal Salmonella species cause
      a significant number of human infections worldwide, resulting in a huge annual
      economic burden that amounts to millions of dollars in health care costs. Human
      infections are primarily caused by the consumption of contaminated food.
      Vaccination of food-producing animals is an attractive, cost-effective strategy
      to lower the levels of these pathogens that will ultimately result in a safer
      food supply and fewer human infections. However, producers are often reluctant to
      routinely vaccinate animals against these pathogens since they do not cause any
      detectable clinical symptoms. This review highlights recent approaches used to
      develop effective food safety vaccines and the potential impact these vaccines
      might have on health care costs. 

PMID- 26111257
TI  - Short-term Exposure to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Increases Hospitalizations
      and Mortality in COPD: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many epidemiologic studies have documented variable relationships
      between ambient particulate matter (PM) and COPD hospitalizations and mortality
      in cities worldwide. METHODS: Comprehensive and systematic searches were
      performed in the electronic reference databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar,
      Ovid, and Web of Science) with specific search terms and selection criteria for
      relevant studies. Summary ORs and 95% CIs were calculated to evaluate the
      relationship between short-term exposure to PM with aerodynamic diameters <= 2.5
      MUm (PM2.5) and COPD hospitalizations and mortality. The sources of heterogeneity
      and the effect of potential confounders were explored using subgroup analyses.
      Study findings were analyzed using a random effects model and a fixed effects
      model in COPD hospitalizations and mortality, respectively. RESULTS: The search
      yielded 12 studies suitable for meta-analysis of hospitalizations and six studies
      suitable for the mortality meta-analysis until April 15, 2015. A 10-MUg/m(3)
      increase in daily PM2.5 (lag days 0-7) was associated with a 3.1% (95% CI, 1.6%
      4.6%) increase in COPD hospitalizations and a 2.5% (95% CI, 1.5%-3.5%) increase
      in COPD mortality. Significant publication bias was not found in studies focusing
      on the relationship between short-term PM2.5 exposure and COPD hospitalizations
      and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Our combined analysis indicated that short-term
      exposure to a 10-MUg/m(3) increment of ambient PM2.5 is associated with increased
      COPD hospitalizations and mortality. Further study is needed to elucidate to what
      extent this relationship is causal, together with other factors, and to elucidate
      the mechanism by which PM2.5 induces activation of cellular processes promoting
      COPD exacerbations.

PMID- 26111258
TI  - Hydrogel Antimicrobial Capture Coatings for Endotracheal Tubes: A Pharmaceutical
      Strategy Designed to Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia.
AB  - This paper presents a novel strategy for the prevention of ventilator-associated
      pneumonia that involves coating poly(vinyl chloride, PVC) endotracheal tubes (ET)
      with hydrogels that may be subsequently used to entrap nebulized antimicrobial
      solutions. Candidate hydrogels were prepared containing a range of ratios of
      hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and methacrylic acid (MAA) from 100:0 to 70:30
      using free radical polymerization and, when required, simultaneous attachment to
      PVC was performed. The mechanical properties, glass transition temperatures,
      swelling kinetics, uptake of gentamicin from an aqueous medium, and gentamicin
      release were characterized. Increasing the MAA content of the hydrogels
      significantly decreased the ultimate tensile strength, % elongation at break,
      Young's modulus, and increased the glass transition temperature, the swelling
      ratio, and gentamicin uptake. Microbial (Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa) adherence to control (drug-free) hydrogels was observed; however,
      while adherence to gentamicin-containing p(HEMA) occurred, no adherence occurred
      to gentamicin-containing HEMA:MAA copolymers. Antimicrobial persistence of
      gentamicin-containing hydrogels was examined by determining the zone of
      inhibition against each microorganism on successive days. Hydrogel composition
      affected the observed antimicrobial persistence, with the hydrogel composed of
      70:30 HEMA:MAA exhibiting >20 days persistence against S. aureus and P.
      aeruginosa, respectively. To simulate clinical use, the hydrogels (coated onto
      PVC) were first exposed to a nebulized solution of gentamicin (4 mL, 80 mg for 20
      min), and then to nebulized bacteria (4 mL ca. 1*10(9) colony forming units mL(
      1), 30 min). Viable bacteria were not observed on the gentamicin-treated p(HEMA:
      MAA) copolymers, whereas growth was observed on gentamicin-treated p(HEMA). In
      light of the excellent antimicrobial activity and physicochemical properties,
      p(HEMA: MAA) copolymers composed of ratios of 80:20 or 70:30 HEMA: MAA were
      identified as potentially useful coatings of endotracheal tubes to be used in
      conjunction with the clinical nebulization of gentamicin and designed for the
      prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

PMID- 26111259
TI  - Can Nitriles Be Stronger Bases Than Proton Sponges in the Gas Phase? A
      Computational Analysis.
AB  - DFT calculations have been performed for a series of push-pull nitriles
      [(R2N)n(X?Y)iC=N, where i = 0, 1, or 2, n = 1, 2, or 3, R2N = H2N, Me2N, or
      C4H8N, X = CH, N, or P, Y = CH or N]. The possible protonation N-sites (N-cyano,
      N-imino, and N-amino) have been examined and their proton affinities (PA)
      estimated. For all compounds in the series, even for those containing the
      guanidino, phosphazeno, and diphosphazeno pushing groups, the N-cyano atom is the
      favored site of protonation. The n-pi conjugation strongly decreases the PA value
      of the pushing amino group in favor of the pulling cyano one. Nitriles with the
      phosphazeno groups [(R2N)3P?N-P(R2N)2?N and (R2N)3P?N] exhibit the strongest
      basicity in the series. Some of them (with PA > 1000 kJ mol(-1)) are stronger
      bases than DMAN, the so-called "proton sponge". Nitriles bearing the guanidino
      group [(R2N)2C?N] are less basic than those with the phosphazeno group
      [(R2N)3P?N] but more basic than those with the formamidino group (R2N-CH?N)
      containing the same substituent R. The N-imino atoms, present in the transmitter
      group (X?N, X = CH, N, or P), display PA values lower than those of the N-cyano
      site by more than 30 kJ mol(-1). When proceeding from the unsubstituted
      derivatives (R = H) to the methylated ones (R = Me), the Me groups at the N-amino
      atom increase the PA value of the N-cyano site for Me2N-X?Y-C=N (X, Y = CH or N)
      by ca. 30-60 kJ mol(-1). For the guanidino and phosphazeno derivatives containing
      two and three amino groups, respectively, this effect is not additive. The four
      Me groups for (Me2N)2C?N-C=N and the six Me groups for (Me2N)3P?N-C=N increase
      the PA(N-cyano) values by only 30-50 kJ mol(-1). The C=N bond lengths of the
      neutral forms are well correlated with the PA(N-cyano) values. 

PMID- 26111260
TI  - Fussy eating and feeding difficulties in infants and toddlers consuming a cows'
      milk exclusion diet.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cows' milk allergy (CMA) is the most common infant food allergy in
      the United Kingdom, requiring a strict exclusion diet. Feeding difficulties and
      fussy eating are also very common problems in young children and can negatively
      influence feeding and dietary intake in an infant with CMA. The aim of this study
      was to compare the levels of fussy eating and feeding difficulties in two groups
      of young children: a group consuming an exclusion diet for CMA and a control
      group of children consuming an unrestricted diet. METHOD: Participants were
      recruited from allergy and health visitor clinics on the Isle of Wight. Parents
      completed a number of questionnaires about their child's feeding behaviour.
      RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-six participants (mean age 13 months) were
      recruited. Participants consuming an exclusion diet for CMA had significantly
      higher scores for both fussy eating and feeding difficulties (p < 0.05), although
      overall both groups were within the normal range. A number of symptoms were found
      to be positively moderately correlated with higher feeding difficulty score (p <
      0.05). A higher consumption of milk/milk substitute consumed per day was
      positively correlated to both feeding difficulties and fussy eating (p < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Participants consuming an exclusion diet for CMA have higher scores
      for feeding difficulties and fussy eating than those consuming an unrestricted
      diet; however, the majority of participants' scores were within the normal range
      and did not affect the growth.

PMID- 26111261
TI  - Stable Carbon Isotope Fractionation During 1,2-Dichloropropane-to-Propene
      Transformation by an Enrichment Culture Containing Dehalogenimonas Strains and a
      dcpA Gene.
AB  - A stable enrichment culture derived from Besos river estuary sediments
      stoichiometrically dechlorinated 1,2-dichloropropane (1,2-DCP) to propene.
      Sequential transfers in defined anaerobic medium with the inhibitor
      bromoethanesulfonate produced a sediment-free culture dechlorinating 1,2-DCP in
      the absence of methanogenesis. Application of previously published genus-specific
      primers targeting 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed the presence of a
      Dehalogenimonas strain, and no amplification was obtained with Dehalococcoides
      specific primers. The partial sequence of the 16S rRNA amplicon was 100%
      identical with Dehalogenimonas alkenigignens strain IP3-3. Also, dcpA, a gene
      described to encode a corrinoid-containing 1,2-DCP reductive dehalogenase was
      detected. Resistance of the dehalogenating activity to vancomycin, exclusive
      conversion of vicinally chlorinated alkanes, and tolerance to short-term oxygen
      exposure is consistent with the hypothesis that a Dehalogenimonas strain is
      responsible for 1,2-DCP conversion in the culture. Quantitative PCR showed a
      positive correlation between the number of Dehalogenimonas 16S rRNA genes copies
      in the culture and consumption of 1,2-DCP. Compound specific isotope analysis
      revealed that the Dehalogenimonas-catalyzed carbon isotopic fractionation
      (epsilonC(bulk)) of the 1,2-DCP-to-propene reaction was -15.0 +/- 0.70/00 under
      both methanogenic and nonmethanogenic conditions. This study demonstrates that
      carbon isotope fractionation is a valuable approach for monitoring in situ 1,2
      DCP reductive dechlorination by Dehalogenimonas strains.

PMID- 26111262
TI  - First Human Study of the Investigational Sedative and Anesthetic Drug AZD3043: A
      Dose-Escalation Trial to Assess the Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Efficacy of a
      30-Minute Infusion in Healthy Male Volunteers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: AZD3043 is a positive allosteric modulator of the gamma-aminobutyric
      acid type A receptor that is rapidly metabolized to an inactive metabolite by
      esterases present in blood and liver. Preclinical results suggest that AZD3043
      has the potential as a short-acting IV sedative/anesthetic drug with rapid and
      predictable recovery characteristics and a favorable safety and tolerability
      profile. METHODS: Our primary objective in this phase 1, single-center, open
      label study was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of AZD3043 after IV
      infusion and to estimate the maximal tolerated dose. Secondary objectives
      included the evaluation of AZD3043 pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and
      efficacy. Sequential ascending-dose cohorts of 5 or 6 healthy male volunteers
      aged 18 to 45 years received a single 30-minute IV infusion of AZD3043.
      Assessments included adverse events, vital signs, blood gases, laboratory values,
      clinical signs of sedation/anesthesia, and bispectral index. RESULTS: Fifty-three
      subjects received AZD3043 in infusion rate cohorts of 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 27, 36,
      54, and 81 mg/kg/h. There were no discontinuations, and dose escalation was
      stopped on reaching the predefined exposure limit. Adverse events occurring in >1
      subject were headache (n = 4), erythema (n = 3), chest discomfort (n = 2), nausea
      (n = 2), and dyspnea (n = 2). The frequency and character of adverse events
      appeared unrelated to dose. There were no spontaneous reports of pain on
      injection and no clinically relevant changes in respiratory rate or arterial
      blood pressure. However, heart rate increased dose-dependently at infusion rates
      >18 mg/kg/h. Occurrence of sedation/anesthesia corresponded with dose; the lowest
      applied infusion rate to induce anesthesia according to clinical signs of
      sedation/anesthesia at predefined time points was 12 mg/kg/h (1 of 6 subjects
      anesthetized), and all subjects in the 3 highest dose groups were anesthetized.
      The onset of anesthesia ranged from 4 minutes in the highest infusion rate group
      to 29 minutes in the 12-mg/kg/h infusion rate group. Return of response to oral
      command occurred at 3 minutes after the end of infusion in the single subject who
      was anesthetized in the 12-mg/kg/h group and median 25 minutes in the 81-mg/kg/h
      group. Involuntary movements ranging from minor twitches to extensive movements
      were accompanied by increased muscle tone. CONCLUSIONS: AZD3043 was well
      tolerated in this first human study and seems to exhibit rapid onset and
      recovery, indicating potential use as a short-acting drug for anesthesia and
      sedation.

PMID- 26111263
TI  - Perioperative Complications in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients Undergoing
      Surgery: A Review of the Legal Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in patients undergoing
      surgery. OSA, known or suspected, has been associated with significant
      perioperative adverse events, including severe neurologic injury and death. This
      study was undertaken to assess the legal consequences associated with poor
      outcomes related to OSA in the perioperative setting. METHODS: A retrospective
      review of the legal literature was performed by searching 3 primary legal
      databases between the years 1991 and 2010 for cases involving adults with known
      or suspected OSA who underwent a surgical procedure associated with an adverse
      perioperative outcome. OSA had to be directly implicated in the outcome, and
      surgical mishaps (i.e., uncontrolled bleeding) were excluded. The adverse
      perioperative outcome had to result in a lawsuit that was then adjudicated in a
      court of law with a final decision rendered. Data were abstracted from each case
      regarding patient demographics, type of surgery, type and location of adverse
      event, associated anesthetic and opioid use, and legal outcome. RESULTS: Twenty
      four cases met the inclusion criteria. The majority (83%) occurred in or after
      2007. Patients were young (average age, 41.7 years), male (63%), and had a known
      diagnosis of OSA (96%). Ninety-two percent of cases were elective with 33.3%
      considered general procedures, 37.5% were ears, nose and throat procedures for
      the treatment of OSA, and 29.1% were considered miscellaneous interventions.
      Complications occurred intraoperatively (21%), in the postanesthesia care unit
      (33%), and on the surgical floors (46%). The most common complications were
      respiratory arrest in an unmonitored setting and difficulty in airway management.
      Immediate adverse outcomes included death (45.6%), anoxic brain injury (45.6%),
      and upper airway complications (8%). Overall, 71% of the patients died, with 6 of
      the 11 who suffered anoxic brain injury dying at an average of 113 days later.
      The use of opioids and general anesthetics was believed to play a role in 38% and
      58% of cases, respectively. Verdicts favored the plaintiffs in 58% of cases and
      the defendants in 42%. In cases favoring the plaintiff, the average financial
      penalty was $2.5 million (+/-$2.3 million; range, $650,000--$7.7 million).
      CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative complications related to OSA are increasingly being
      reported as the central contention of malpractice suits. These cases can be
      associated with severe financial penalties. These data likely underestimate the
      actual medicolegal burden, given that most such cases are settled out of court
      and are not accounted for in the legal literature.

PMID- 26111264
TI  - Conventional Versus Video Laryngoscopy for Tracheal Tube Exchange: Glottic
      Visualization, Success Rates, Complications, and Rescue Alternatives in the High
      Risk Difficult Airway Patient.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tracheal tube exchange is a simple concept but not a simple procedure
      because hypoxemia, esophageal intubation, and loss of airway may occur with life
      threatening ramifications. Combining laryngoscopy with an airway exchange
      catheter (AEC) may lessen the exchange risk. Laryngoscopy is useful for a pre
      exchange examination and to open a pathway for endotracheal tube (ETT) passage.
      Direct laryngoscopy (DL) is hampered by a restricted "line of sight"; thus,
      airway assessment and exchange may proceed blindly and contribute to difficulty
      and complications. We hypothesized that video laryngoscopy (VL), when compared
      with DL, will improve glottic viewing for airway assessment, and the VL-AEC
      method of ETT exchange will result in a reduction in airway and hemodynamic
      complications in high-risk patients when compared with a historical group of
      patients who underwent DL + AEC-assisted exchange. METHODS: Critically ill
      patients requiring an ETT exchange underwent DL-assisted pre-exchange airway
      assessment. If the DL-assisted pre-exchange assessment rendered a "poor view,"
      these patients underwent a VL-based airway assessment followed by a VL-assisted
      ETT exchange procedure. The DL and VL pre-exchange assessments were compared. The
      attempts, complications, and rescue devices required for ETT exchange were
      analyzed. These exchange results were then compared with a historical control
      group of patients who (1) were classified as a poor view on DL-assisted pre
      exchange airway assessment; and (2) underwent a DL + AEC-assisted exchange. The
      airway assessment and ETT exchange were performed by a board-certified
      anesthesiologist from the Department of Anesthesiology alone or with anesthesia
      resident assistance. RESULTS: Three hundred twenty-eight patients with a poor
      view on initial DL examination underwent a subsequent VL with comparison of views
      with the 337 patients in the historical control group (DL + AEC). A majority
      (88%) had a "full or near-full view" on VL examination. The first-pass success
      rate for ETT exchange was greater in the VL group (91.5% vs 67.7% with DL; P =
      0.0001) and the number of patients requiring 3+ attempts was lower (1.2% vs 6.8%
      with DL; P = 0.0003). A commensurate difference in the incidence of mild and
      severe hypoxemia, esophageal intubation, bradycardia, and the need for rescue
      airway device intervention was also observed with VL exchange procedures when
      compared with the historical DL + AEC group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support
      the hypothesis that VL may result in better glottic viewing for airway assessment
      and may permit the ETT exchange procedure to be performed with fewer airway and
      hemodynamic complications. Execution of the ETT exchange over an AEC was
      augmented by improved glottic visualization to allow more efficient and timely
      ETT passage. Multiple attempts to resecure the airway increased the number of
      exchange complications. VL + AEC exchange led to fewer attempts and is consistent
      with the recommendation of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Difficult
      Airway Task Force to limit laryngoscopic attempts and, as a consequence, decrease
      complications. A VL-based pre-exchange airway assessment may be a valuable
      procedure for both planning the exchange and uncovering unrecognized airway
      maladies, for example, partial or complete self-extubation.

PMID- 26111265
TI  - Atomic-Layer-Confined Doping for Atomic-Level Insights into Visible-Light Water
      Splitting.
AB  - A model of doping confined in atomic layers is proposed for atomic-level insights
      into the effect of doping on photocatalysis. Co doping confined in three atomic
      layers of In2S3 was implemented with a lamellar hybrid intermediate strategy.
      Density functional calculations reveal that the introduction of Co ions brings
      about several new energy levels and increased density of states at the conduction
      band minimum, leading to sharply increased visible-light absorption and three
      times higher carrier concentration. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy
      reveals that the electron transfer time of about 1.6 ps from the valence band to
      newly formed localized states is due to Co doping. The 25-fold increase in
      average recovery lifetime is believed to be responsible for the increased of
      electron-hole separation. The synthesized Co-doped In2S3 (three atomic layers)
      yield a photocurrent of 1.17 mA cm(-2) at 1.5 V vs. RHE, nearly 10 and 17 times
      higher than that of the perfect In2S3 (three atomic layers) and the bulk
      counterpart, respectively.

PMID- 26111266
TI  - Detection of aflatoxin M1 in milk, cheese and sour cream samples from Costa Rica
      using enzyme-assisted extraction and HPLC.
AB  - Aflatoxins are toxic fungal metabolites, which can be found in feed. Aflatoxin M1
      (AFM1) is excreted into milk when ruminants ingest aflatoxin B1 contaminated
      feedstuffs. Due to its carcinogenic potential, contamination of milk and dairy
      products with AFM1 may pose a risk for consumers. Hence, it is considered a
      public health concern. In this survey, the level of AFM1 contamination of dairy
      products marketed in Costa Rica was determined by enzyme-assisted extraction,
      immunoaffinity clean-up and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a
      fluorescent detector (HPLC-FLD) in fluid milk (n = 70), fresh cheese (n = 70) and
      sour cream (n = 70) collected at local convenience stores and supermarkets. AFM1
      concentrations in milk and fresh cheese ranged from 19 to 629 ng/L and from 31 to
      276 ng/L, with mean values of 136 ng/L and 74 ng/L, respectively, whereas none of
      the sour cream samples analysed tested positive for this aflatoxin. In 30 milk
      samples, and 10 cheese samples, AFM1 concentrations surpassed threshold
      concentrations as established by the European Commission. Thus, sour cream and -
      to a lesser extent - cheese manufacturing seems to reduce the amount of AFM1
      present in milk, possibly due to fraction redistribution or microbiological
      degradation. The survey results reveal improper quality control procedures in the
      Costa Rican dairy industry. Therefore, a surveillance programme for dairy
      products in our country is recommended.

PMID- 26111267
TI  - Targeted Temperature Management (TTM 2014).

PMID- 26111268
TI  - Megamitochondria in Cardiomyocytes of a Knockout (Klf15-/-) Mouse.
AB  - The Kruppel-like factors (KLF) family of zinc-finger transcriptional regulators
      control many aspects of cardiomyocyte structure and function. Deletion of Klf15
      from the nuclear genome in mice affects cardiac mitochondria. Some become grossly
      enlarged, extending many sarcomeres in length. These display many sites of
      incipient pinching, but there is little attenuation of the megamitochondria at
      these sites; there are no examples of organelles that clearly have reached the
      point where further membrane encroachment will cause separation into smaller
      daughter mitochondria. It is clear that deletion of Klf15 interferes with nuclear
      control of mitochondrial fission, whereas fusion appears to be unaffected. 

PMID- 26111269
TI  - Hysterosalpingographic features of cervical abnormalities: acquired structural
      anomalies.
AB  - Cervical abnormalities may be congenital or acquired. Congenital cervical
      structural anomalies are relatively uncommon, whereas acquired cervical
      abnormalities are commonly seen in gynaecology clinics. Acquired abnormalities of
      the cervix can cause cervical factor infertility and recurrent spontaneous
      abortion. Various imaging tools have been used for evaluation of the uterine
      cavity and fallopian tubes. Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is a quick and minimally
      invasive tool for evaluation of infertility that facilitates visualization of the
      inner surfaces of the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes, as well as the cervical
      canal and isthmus. The lesions of the uterine cervix show various imaging
      manifestations on HSG such as narrowing, dilatation, filling defects,
      irregularities and diverticular projections. This pictorial review describes and
      illustrates the hysterosalpingographic appearances of normal variants and
      acquired structural abnormalities of the cervix. Accurate diagnosis of such cases
      is considered essential for optimal treatment. The pathological findings and
      radiopathological correlation will be briefly discussed. 

PMID- 26111270
TI  - Use of (99m)Tc-doxorubicin scintigraphy in females with breast cancer: a pilot
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Doxorubicin (Eurofarma, Sao Paulo, Brazil) is an antitumour agent
      widely used in the treatment of breast cancer and can be used for tumour tracking
      when labelled with a radionuclide. Here, we present the results obtained with
      technetium-99m ((99m)Tc)-doxorubicin, using the direct method, to evaluate its
      uptake in breast cancer. METHODS: Four females with confirmed breast carcinoma
      diagnosis and breast image reporting and data system Category 5 on mammography
      underwent whole-body and thorax single-photon emission CT/CT imaging 1 and 3 h
      after (99m)Tc-doxorubicin administration. RESULTS: We observed increased uptake
      in breast carcinoma lesions and elimination via renal and hepatic pathways.
      CONCLUSION: These preliminary results suggest that (99m)Tc-doxorubicin may be a
      promising radiopharmaceutical for the evaluation of patients with breast cancer.
      Further studies are ongoing. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: To our knowledge, this is the
      first study to evaluate the use of a directly labelled doxorubicin tracer in
      humans. (99m)Tc-doxorubicin could provide information on the response of tumours
      to doxorubicin.

PMID- 26111271
TI  - Aurora kinase inhibition: a new light in the sky?
AB  - The quest for potent and selective small molecule inhibitors of the Aurora
      kinases has been long and resource intensive with multiple agents progressed to
      the clinic. To definitively explore the potential for clinical efficacy at well
      tolerated dosing schedules requires a well-characterized, selective inhibitor
      with pharmacokinetic properties, flexible dosing regimen, and suite of target
      engagement biomarkers suitable for clinical use. AMG900 is a promising
      opportunity to definitively test the clinical benefit of dual Aurora kinase A and
      B inhibition. 

PMID- 26111272
TI  - Intratumoral CD8+ Lymphocyte Infiltration as a Prognostic Factor and Its
      Relationship With Cyclooxygenase 2 Expression and Microsatellite Instability in
      Endometrial Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Microsatellite instability (MSI) is caused by a defective DNA mismatch
      repair system. Colorectal cancer in MSI-positive patients is characterized by an
      increased number of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. On the other hand, it has
      recently been reported that cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) suppresses antitumor
      immunity. The objectives of the present study were to clarify the relationships
      among MSI status, COX-2 expression, and antitumor immune status and to verify
      impact of these factors on the prognosis of endometrial cancer. METHODS: The data
      of 123 patients with endometrial cancer were analyzed. The numbers of tumor
      infiltrating CD8 T lymphocytes within cancer cell nests (TILs), as a
      representative of the antitumor immunity, and COX-2 expression levels in the
      tumor cells were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. Microsatellite
      instability was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction analysis for 11 markers.
      Fisher exact probability test, Kaplan-Meier method, and proportional hazards
      analysis were used for the statistical analyses. RESULTS: The MSI-positive tumors
      showed significantly higher grades (G2 or G3) and significantly larger numbers of
      TILs than did the MSI-negative tumors. The COX-2-high group showed significantly
      fewer TILs than did the COX-2-low group. Multivariate analysis identified a low
      number of TILs (<10), positive lymph node involvement, and high tumor malignancy
      grade as factors independently associated with poor prognosis. The prognosis was
      significantly poorer in the patients with MSI-positive tumors with high COX-2
      expression than in those with MSI-positive tumors showing low COX-2 expression.
      CONCLUSIONS: The number of TILs, which was increased by MSI and decreased by COX
      2 expression, was associated with a poorer prognosis in patients with endometrial
      cancer. We also propose that COX-2 may block MSI-activated TILs in the tumor
      microenvironment.

PMID- 26111273
TI  - Laparoscopic Debulking Surgery in the Management of Advanced Ovarian Cancer After
      Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and
      morbidity of total laparoscopic debulking surgery in the treatment of advanced
      ovarian cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS/MATERIALS: We performed a
      retrospective review of laparoscopic approach in patients with histologically
      confirmed epithelial ovarian cancer (International Federation of
      GynaecologyObstetrics stages IIIC-IV) who received 3 courses of neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy, from January 2010 to December 2014, at the Gynaecologic Oncologic
      Unit, "Regina Elena" National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy. RESULTS: A total of
      30 patients were included. The median age was 50 years (range, 26-73 years),
      median body mass index was 24.5 kg/m (range, 19-39 kg/m). All patients had good
      clinical response to 3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. All women underwent a
      complete debulking surgery with no residual disease. The median operating time
      was 152 minutes (range, 70-335 minutes), the median blood loss was 70 mL (range,
      50-200 mL). The median number of removed pelvic lymph nodes was 15 (range, 13
      25). There was 1 (3.3%) intraoperative complication and 2 (6.6%) postoperative
      short-term complications. The median length of hospital stay was 4 days (range, 3
      13 days). The median follow-up was 15 months (range, 2-54 months). Twenty-six
      patients are free from recurrence at the time of this report. CONCLUSIONS:
      Laparoscopic cytoreduction in patients with advanced ovarian cancer after
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy, when performed by skilled surgeons, seems feasible and
      may decrease the impact of aggressive surgery on high-morbidity patients, such as
      on women after chemotherapy.

PMID- 26111274
TI  - Analyze Association of BRCA2 Arg372His Polymorphism With Ovarian Cancer Risk.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Studies investigating the association between BRCA2 Arg372His
      polymorphism and ovarian cancer risks have yielded conflicting results. METHODS:
      We carried out a meta-analysis of 8488 ovarian cancer cases and 14,510 controls
      from 7 case-control studies in 5 articles published. The association between
      BRCA2 Arg372His polymorphism and ovarian cancer susceptibility was calculated
      using pooled odds ratios (ORs) appropriately derived from fixed effects models.
      RESULTS: There were no significant associations between BRCA2 Arg372His
      polymorphisms and ovarian cancer risk in overall comparisons in all genetic
      models (HH vs NN: OR, 1.06; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.96-1.18; P =
      0.25; NH vs NN: OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.96-1.07; P = 0.6; NH + HH vs NN: OR, 1.01;
      95% CI, 0.98-1.04; P = 0.42; HH vs NN + NH: OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.95-1.17; P =
      0.29). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis indicates that the BRCA2 Arg372His
      polymorphism is not associated with ovarian cancer risk for whites. Asian and
      African populations should be further studied.

PMID- 26111275
TI  - Highly cytotoxic bioconjugated gold(I) complexes with cysteine-containing
      dipeptides.
AB  - Several gold(I) complexes with cysteine-containing dipeptides have been prepared
      starting from cystine by coupling different amino acids and using several
      orthogonal protections. The first step is the reaction of cystine, where the
      sulfur centre is protected as disulfide, with Boc2 O in order to protect the
      amino group, followed by coupling of an amino acid ester; finally the disulfide
      bridge is broken with mercaptoethanol to afford the dipeptide derivative. Further
      reaction with [AuCl(PPh3 )] gives the gold-dipeptide-phosphine species. Starting
      from these formally gold(I) thiolate-dipeptide phosphine complexes with the
      general formula [Au(SR)(PR3 )] different structural modifications, such as change
      in the type of the amino protecting group, the type of phosphine, the number of
      gold(I) atoms per molecule, or the use of a non-proteinogenic conformationally
      restricted amino acid ester, were introduced in order to evaluate their influence
      in the biological activity of the final complexes. The cytotoxic activity, in
      vitro, of these complexes was evaluated against different tumour human cell lines
      (A549, MiaPaca2 and Jurkat). The complexes show an outstanding cytotoxic activity
      with IC50 values in the very low micromolar range. Structure-activity
      relationship studies from the complexes open the possibility of designing more
      potent and promising gold(I) anticancer agents. 

PMID- 26111276
TI  - 3D nitrogen-doped graphene/beta-cyclodextrin: host-guest interactions for
      electrochemical sensing.
AB  - Host-guest interactions, especially those between cyclodextrins (CDs, including
      alpha-, beta- and gamma-CD) and various guest molecules, exhibit a very high
      supramolecular recognition ability. Thus, they have received considerable
      attention in different fields. These specific interactions between host and guest
      molecules are promising for biosensing and clinical detection. However, there is
      a lack of an ideal electrode substrate for CDs to increase their performance in
      electrochemical sensing. Herein, we propose a new 3D nitrogen-doped graphene (3D
      NG) based electrochemical sensor, taking advantage of the superior sensitivity of
      host-guest interactions. Our 3D-NG was fabricated by a template-directed chemical
      vapour deposition (CVD) method, and it showed a large specific surface area, a
      high capacity for biomolecules and a high electron transfer efficiency. Thus, for
      the first time, we took 3D-NG as an electrode substrate for beta-CD to establish
      a new type of biosensor. Using dopamine (DA) and acetaminophen (APAP) as
      representative guest molecules, our 3D-NG/beta-CD biosensor shows extremely high
      sensitivities (5468.6 MUA mM(-1) cm(-2) and 2419.2 MUA mM(-1) cm(-2),
      respectively), which are significantly higher than those reported in most
      previous studies. The stable adsorption of beta-CD on 3D-NG indicates potential
      applications in clinical detection and medical testing. 

PMID- 26111281
TI  - Routine Echo Follow-Up of the Patient after Transcatheter Aortic Valve
      Replacement.

PMID- 26111280
TI  - A label-free electrochemical impedance aptasensor for cylindrospermopsin
      detection based on thionine-graphene nanocomposites.
AB  - It is important to develop methods to determine cylindrospermopsin (CYN) at trace
      levels since CYN is a kind of widespread cyanobacterial toxin in water sources.
      In this study, a label-free impedimetric aptasensor has been fabricated for
      detecting CYN. In this case, the amino-substituted aptamer of CYN was covalently
      grafted onto the surface of the thionine-graphene (TH-G) nanocomposite through
      the cross-linker glutaraldehyde (GA). The reaction of the aptamer with CYN was
      monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy because the CYN induced
      conformation change of the aptamer can cause a remarkable decrease of the
      electron transfer resistance. Under optimum conditions, the aptasensor exhibits
      high sensitivity and a low detection limit for CYN determination. The CYN can be
      quantified in a wide range of 0.39 to 78 ng mL(-1) with a good linearity (R(2) =
      0.9968) and a low detection limit of 0.117 ng mL(-1). In addition, the proposed
      aptasensor displays excellent stability, reusability and reproducibility. 

PMID- 26111282
TI  - Developing quality of care indicators for patients with traumatic and non
      traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI): A feasibility study using administrative
      health data.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: (1) to inform the development of health system quality indicators for
      traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injury from acute care admission to
      community care discharge using administrative data, and (2) to examine
      characteristics and differences in care among type of care facility, and type of
      pathology using administrative data. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using
      administrative health data. SETTING: Ontario, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Using
      administrative health data, we used International Classification codes 10(th)
      version Canadian Edition to identify incident cases of SCI from April 1, 2006 to
      March 31, 2012. RESULTS: We identified 7,693 cases in our cohort, of whom 1,537
      (20.0%) were categorized as traumatic spinal cord (TSCI) and 6,156 (80.0%) as non
      traumatic (NTSCI). Of those identified with NTSCI, more than half (54.0%) were
      diagnosed with either Guillain Barre syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis (n = 3,326).
      More individuals admitted to a trauma/spine center were seen by an orthopedic
      surgeon or a neurosurgeon (20.3% compared to 5.6% for NTSCI; 77.7% compared to
      24.9% for TSCI). Only 25.7% (n = 724) of the NTSCI cohort were admitted to a
      rehabilitation facility from a trauma/spine center, compared to 58.9% (n = 754)
      of those with TSCI. CONCLUSIONS: Important challenges in data completeness and
      utility were identified. Province wide processes to flag incomplete data and
      provision of incentives for comprehensive data are urgently needed to develop
      quality indicators across the care continuum. Consensus on the coding for NTSCI
      for the purposes of developing health system indicators is required.

PMID- 26111283
TI  - [First Episode Psychosis: Relationship of Symptoms, Initial Treatment and
      Clinical Response].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: It was aimed to explore the relationship of clinical psychopathology
      and treatment response with "duration of untreated psychosis" (DUP) and "duration
      of untreated illness"(DUI) in 15-20 years old (mean age: 17,34 +/- 1.69)
      inpatients in Turkey. METHOD: Mood disorders with psyhotic features were grouped
      as affective psychoses (18 patients, mean age: 17,28 +/- 1,75); schizophrenia,
      schiozophreniform disorder and other psychotic disorders were grouped as non
      affective psychoses (25 patients, mean age: 17,38 +/- 1,68). 43 patiens (11
      females, 32 males) were evaluated for acute treatment response with Positive and
      Negative Scale-PANSS and Clinical Global Impressions Scale-CGI. RESULTS: Mean DUP
      was determined as 6,5 +/- 12,4 weeks, mean DUI was determined as 37,8 +/- 49,8
      weeks. For the affective psychosis (AP) group; mean DUP was 1,9 +/- 1,2 weeks,
      mean DUI was 24,6 +/- 37,1 weeks, for the non-affective psychosis (NAP) group;
      mean DUP was 9,8 +/- 15,5 weeks, mean DUI was 47,3 +/- 55,9 weeks. Treatment
      response was better for the non-affective psychosis group and for the patients
      who had earlier access to treatment. Shorter DUP and DUI was related with better
      PANSS negative symptom severity at the time of the discharge. CONCLUSION: Better
      treatment response related with shorter DUP and DUI reveals the significance of
      early treatment for the disease prognosis.

PMID- 26111284
TI  - [Relationship between the Psychiatric Symptoms in Expecting Parents and
      Postpartum Depression and Infantile Colic: A Multicenter Follow up Study].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between
      postpartum depression (PPD), infantile colic (IC) and different psychosocial
      variables, psychiatric symptoms, attachment style and perceived social support in
      expecting parents. METHOD: Two hundred forty five expecting mothers and 150
      expecting fathers were first interviewed between the 22-34 weeks of pregnancy.
      Sociodemografic data form, Adult Attachment Style Scale (AASS), State Anxiety
      Inventory (SAI), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Multidimensional
      Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) were
      filled out by each expecting parent. Second interview was conducted between the
      postpartum 4-24 weeks. Data form consisting health, nutrition, sleep and crying
      problems of the infant and EPDS and SAI were filled out by mothers and SAI by
      fathers. RESULTS: One in every four mothers had PPD symptoms above the threshold
      on EPDS. Maternal and paternal insecure attachment style, maternal psychiatric
      symptoms and postpartum anxiety level were found to be the predictors of PPD. One
      in every five infants had IC and maternal education level, hostility score and
      PPD symptoms along with paternal insecure attachment style and psychiatric
      symptoms were the main predictors of IC. CONCLUSION: Results about PPD and IC
      regarding maternal variables are consistent with the literature. In addition,
      paternal insecure attachment style is found to be an important risk factor for
      both PPD and IC. Fathers should also be included in further studies exploring PPD
      or IC.

PMID- 26111285
TI  - [The Relationship of Suicide Attempts with Affective Temperament and Relevant
      Clinical Features in Patients with Mood Disorders].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study, patients with affective disorders with or without
      suicide attempts were examined according to whether their disorder was unipolar
      or bipolar. An analysis was made of their socio-demographic variables, comorbid
      psychiatric symptoms, and affective temperament dimensions in order to understand
      the effects of these variables on suicide risk. METHOD: The study populations
      consisted of 246 inpatients with affective disorders who had been admitted to the
      Erenkoy Research and Training Hospital for Mental and Neurological Disorders (93
      patients with unipolar disorders, 153 with bipolar disorders). The TEMPS-A
      (Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Auto
      questionnaire), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and the Symptom Checklist-90
      Revised (SCL-90-R) psychological symptom screening tests were applied to all
      patients. In order to determine the affective disorder diagnosis and to identify
      suicide attempts, a Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was
      performed during the first 48 hours of hospitalization. RESULTS: The cyclothymic
      and anxious temperament dimensions measured using TEMPS-A, somatic symptoms
      obtained from a symptom checklist, and psychiatric disorders in the family were
      found to be good indicators of suicide attempts in patients with unipolar
      disorders in this study. An investigation of predictors of suicide attempts in
      bipolar patients showed that cyclothymic temperament pattern, paranoid symptoms,
      evaluated through symptom screening test and having a psychiatric disorder in the
      family are good predictors of a suicide attempt. CONCLUSION: The findings are
      expected to guadiance to preventing suicide in patients with affective disorders.
      The inclusion in this study of patients with different index episodes of illness,
      including manic, depressive and mixed periods, can be accepted as a significant
      limitation of this study.

PMID- 26111286
TI  - [The Role of Worry and Rumination in the Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression].
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study is to examine the unique and interactive role of worry
      and rumination in anxiety and depression symptoms. METHOD: A total of 328
      university students responded to questionnaires assessing worry (Penn State Worry
      Questionnaire), rumination (Ruminative Response Styles Questionnaire-Short Form),
      anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory and Trait Anxiety Inventory), and depression
      (Beck Depression Inventory). RESULTS: The results of regression analyses
      demonstrated that the relationship between worry and depressive symptoms is
      significant only if individuals engage in high levels of brooding type
      rumination. The main effect of worry was a significant predictor of trait
      anxiety, but it did not make a significant contribution to somatic anxiety.
      Brooding was found to be associated not only with depressive symptoms but also
      with both types of anxiety. Finally, the reflection type of rumination did not
      significantly predict depressive symptoms, somatic anxiety, or trait anxiety.
      CONCLUSION: Findings indicated that worry and rumination are related to both
      anxiety and depression. Clinical implications of these results were discussed in
      the light of the current literature.

PMID- 26111287
TI  - [Dimensions of Agitation Based on the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory in
      Patients with Dementia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the dimensions of agitation
      in dementia patients using the Turkish version of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation
      Inventory (CMAI-T). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 100 patients
      diagnosed as dementia, according to the DSM-IV-TR. The CMAI-T was administered to
      the patients' caregivers via face-to-face interviews. The Standardized Mini
      Mental State Examination (SMMSE) was used to assess cognitive functions. The
      severity of depression and the functional state of the patients were assessed
      using the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) and the Functional
      Activities Questionnaire (FAQ). Principal component analysis and varimax rotation
      were used to determine the factor structure of the CMAI-T. RESULTS: Factor
      analysis of the CMAI-T indicated a 3-factor structure: physically aggressive
      agitation, verbal agitation, and physically non-aggressive agitation. In 92% of
      the patients there was >=1 agitation behavior during the previous 2 weeks. The
      CMAI-T total and factor scores were negatively correlated with the SMMSE scores,
      and positively correlated with the CSDD and the FAQ scores. CONCLUSIONS: The CMAI
      T yielded 3 factors (physically aggressive agitation, verbal agitation, and
      physically non-aggressive agitation), which indicated the scale had construct
      validity. Agitation behaviors were associated with cognitive dysfunction,
      symptoms of depression and general level of functioning. Additional research is
      necessary to identify the predictors of these dimensions in different dementia
      samples, and to determine the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.

PMID- 26111288
TI  - [Assessment of Perceived Parenting Attitudes in Childhood: Turkish Form of the S
      EMBU for Children].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Among the instruments aiming to assess perceived parenting attitudes
      during the childhood period, EMBU (Egna Minnen Barndoms Uppfostran; My memories
      of upbringing) is one of the frequently used scales. It is a self-report
      instrument in which adult participants are asked to report their perceptions of
      the attitudes of their parents during their childhood on the dimensions of
      emotional warmth, overprotection and rejection, separately for each parent. The
      aim of the present study was to examine the reliability and the validity of the
      Turkish version of the EMBU, following a previous pilot study which supported its
      psychometric properties and supported its cross-cultural validity. METHOD: s-EMBU
      C The Parental Bonding Instrument, Brief Symptom Inventory, Eysenck Personality
      Questionnaire-Revised Abbreviated and and General Self Efficacy Scale were
      administered to 271 adults living in Bursa. In order to evaluate psychometric
      properties of s-EMBU-C Explanatory Factor analysis, Pearson's Product Moment
      Correlation test, and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) were conducted.
      RESULTS: The analyses supported the reliability, concurrent, convergent and
      criterion validities of the Turkish version of the EMBU. CONCLUSION: It may be
      reported that the Turkish version of the EMBU is a reliable and valid instrument
      which can be used in research studies aiming to assess perceptions of parental
      attitudes on different psychological constructs and in clinical practice.

PMID- 26111289
TI  - [Schizoaffective Disorder: Evolution and Current Status of the Concept].
AB  - Schizoaffective disorder as a diagnostic entity is of particular present-day
      relevance; however, the concept of schizoaffective disorder, and its management
      and prognosis remain contentious. Descriptions of the disorder have varied over
      time. In this literature review, after tracking the evolution of the concept and
      nosology of schizoaffective disorder, research findings are summarized. This
      review takes a broad overview of the epidemiology, neurobiology, clinical
      presentation, diagnostic validity and stability, treatment, course, and outcome
      of schizoaffective disorder. Importance is given to the distinctness of
      schizoaffective disorder, and the overlap with schizophrenia and mood disorders,
      and problems associated with the construct are examined. Possible ways to treat
      the construct in the future in the best interest of patients, clinicians, and
      researchers are discussed. 

PMID- 26111290
TI  - [Phenomenological and Diagnostic Implications of Paraschemazia: A Case Report].
AB  - Paraschemazia is characterized by distortions of body image, and has been
      observed in neurological disorders (epilepsies, migraine, and non-dominant
      cortical lesions), retinal damage, and hallucinogenic drug use. This complex
      symptom cluster of subjective and objective perceptual abnormalities forms an
      essential feature of Todd's Alice in Wonderland syndrome. This neuropsychiatric
      manifestation must be phenomenologically differentiated from hallucinations,
      illusions, and agnosias. Herein we report a patient with paraschemazia that
      occurred during the ictal phase of temporal lobe epilepsy; the patient was
      referred to the department of psychiatry due to symptoms of transient intense
      fear and abnormal perceptions. We also discuss the diagnostic difficulty and
      phenomenological implications associated with this rare phenomenon. A 45-year-old
      female presented with brief episodes (30-45 s) of sensory distortion, during
      which the faces and limbs of other people and her own appeared distorted (e.g.
      protruding eyes, elongated nose, and oval or square head). The episodes of
      sensory distortion were associated with intense fear and were followed by loss of
      consciousness for 5 min. She had been experiencing these episodes since the age
      of 12 years and responded poorly to several antiepileptic medications. 3-Tesla
      MRI performed using a complex partial seizure protocol showed altered signal
      intensity and volume loss in the right hippocampus, suggestive of right mesial
      temporal sclerosis. Neuropsychological assessment showed impaired sustained
      attention, working memory, and verbal and visual learning and memory, suggestive
      of bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal and temporal lobe deficits. She improved in
      response to a combination of levetiracetam and clobazam, and was seizure free at
      the 2-year follow-up. 

PMID- 26111291
TI  - [Psychotic Disorder and Sheehan's Syndrome: Etiology or Comorbidity?: A Case
      Report].
AB  - Sheehan's Syndrome -also called postpartum hypopituitarism- is a syndrome which
      characterized by lots of bleeding during or after delivery and necrosis of
      pituitary gland due to hypovolemic shock. It appears with not only agalactorrhea,
      amenorrhea, hypoythyroidism and hypoglycemia but also psychiatric disorders like
      psychosis. In this study, we reported a case presented with psychotic disorder
      and diagnosed as Sheehan's Syndrome at the same time. 44 year-old, female
      patient, married. She was admitted for withdrawal, irritability, insomnia,
      hearing voices -especially insult her- thoughts about that her husband was
      cheating on her and people would do evil. She was diagnosed as psychotic disorder
      and she was treated with olanzapine 20 mg/day. She had hypopituitarism symptoms
      so hormone tests and cranial MRI are done. Sheehan's syndrome was also diagnosed
      and prednisolone and tyroxine were added to the treatment. Her symptoms were
      disappeared one months later Olanzapine was stopped after 4 months and her
      treatment continued with prednisolone and tyroxine. Studies about etiology of
      psychotic symptoms refer to endocrine and autoimmune systems. In this study, we
      discussed a case that diagnosed as psychotic disorder and Sheehan's Syndrome 
      diagnosed 24 years later and etiological aspect with the follow-up period and
      treatment. 

PMID- 26111292
TI  - [Editorial].

PMID- 26111293
TI  - Disability in Children and Adolescents With Irritable Bowel Syndrome and/or
      Fibromyalgia.
AB  - To compare disability and emotional health in individuals with irritable bowel
      syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, or both, patients completed the Questionnaire on
      Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms-Rome III, childhood Functional Disability
      Inventory (FDI), and the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition.
      Patients' (age range 8-18 years, 19 IBS, 12 fibromyalgia, and 12 both) FDI scores
      showed greater disability than scores from historically healthy patients.
      Fibromyalgia (FDI 22.5 +/- 12.7, P = 0.018) and patients with both (FDI 26.2 +/-
      13.8, P = 0.001) averaged greater disability than those with IBS (FDI 10.6 +/-
      7.9). Disability was correlated with anxiety and depression symptoms. Disability
      and psychological symptoms are important when evaluating individuals with
      fibromyalgia and IBS. 

PMID- 26111296
TI  - Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations in Children With Chronic
      Pancreatitis in the United States.
AB  - We analyzed 2 national databases to assess the use of health care resources by
      children with chronic pancreatitis (CP). In 2012, the hospital discharge rate for
      pediatric CP was 2.73/100,000 children. Patients with CP were sicker with a
      greater burden of illness than age- and sex-matched counterparts. Acute
      pancreatitis occurred frequently in hospitalized children with CP. Abdominal pain
      and nausea, and vomiting were the most common gastrointestinal symptoms
      associated with emergency department visits in children with CP. A significant
      proportion of these visits resulted in a hospitalization. These findings add to
      our understanding of the epidemiology of CP in the United States. 

PMID- 26111294
TI  - Presenting Pattern of Pediatric Celiac Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease that can be complicated
      by impaired nutrition and growth. With the development of sensitive serologic
      tests, safe endoscopy, and efforts to educate primary care physicians, more
      children are diagnosed as having CD. The aim of this study is to evaluate the
      pattern of the presentation of pediatric CD in western New York. METHODS: Chart
      review of pediatric patients with CD was undertaken. Patients' demographics,
      presenting features, disaccharidase assay (DA), celiac serology, and Marsh score
      were reviewed from patients seen at the Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Center,
      State University of New York at Buffalo from January 2003 through March 2013.
      RESULTS: A total of 165 patients with CD were evaluated. Mean age was 10.7 +/-
      4.3 years, 76 male patients. The presenting features were abdominal pain (n = 87,
      52.7%), constipation (n = 65, 38.9%), diarrhea (n = 52, 31.1%), family history of
      first-degree relative (n = 47, 28.1%), diabetes mellitus type 1 (n = 37, 22.2%),
      failure to thrive (n = 36, 21.8%), reflux (n = 25, 15.1%), vomiting (n = 24,
      14.5%), fatigue (n = 15, 9%), short stature (n = 9, 5.4%), thyroid disease (n =
      9, 5.4%), Down syndrome (n = 8, 4.8%). We found no correlation between Marsh
      score and serum tissue transglutaminase (tTG) immunoglobulin (Ig) A level at
      diagnosis and no correlation between DA and serum tTG IgA level, presenting
      feature and tTG IgA level, presenting feature and Marsh score, tTG IgA and DA, or
      between the age and the presenting feature. CONCLUSIONS: Children newly diagnosed
      as having CD in western New York presented most frequently with abdominal pain
      and constipation and were older at the time of diagnosis than those described in
      the classical presentation of CD. We speculate that our patients may have a
      different long-term natural history and risk factors than originally described
      for patients with CD.

PMID- 26111297
TI  - Interaction of Giardia intestinalis and Systemic Oxidation in Preschool Children
      in the Western Highlands of Guatemala.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Guatemala is a country with the highest prevalence of stunting in
      under-5 children in the Americas, with a national average of 49.8%. Asymptomatic
      intestinal colonization with Giardia intestinalis is common in Guatemalan
      preschoolers and has been implicated as a factor in linear growth retardation.
      The potential mechanisms of any giardiasis-growth interaction have not been
      exhaustively explored. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to describe
      urine oxidative stress biomarkers and erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activity,
      and to explore any association with prevalence or intensity of G intestinalis
      infection in preschoolers attending 3 government-subsidized day care centers in
      the Guatemalan Western Highlands. METHODS: Samples of feces, urine, and red blood
      cell (RBC) hemolysate were collected in a total of 74 preschoolers enrolled in 3
      day care centers. Giardia prevalence and a proxy index for intensity were
      assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Urinary biomarkers of
      oxidative damage to DNA (8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine [8-OHdG]) and to lipid (F2t 15
      Isoprostane [F2-Iso]) were measured by ELISA. The erythrocyte activity of
      catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GSR), and
      glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were measured by respective spectroscopic substrate
      based reaction assays. RESULTS: Median values of RBC CAT activity (P = 0.016) and
      urine F2-Iso (P = 0.023) differed between children who were positive (n = 39) and
      negative (n = 35) for Giardia. Similarly, G intestinalis intensity was
      significantly and positively associated with urinary F2-Iso (r = 0.446, P <
      0.001), RBC SOD (r = 283, P = 0.014), and RBC CAT (r = 0.260, P = 0.025).
      CONCLUSION: The optical density reading of the fecal ELISA assay for G
      intestinalis has potential as a proxy for the intensity of infestation. In this
      respect, there exists an association of this intensity with indicators of the
      systemic oxidation.

PMID- 26111298
TI  - Infliximab More Effective in Therapy-Naive Than in Therapy-Refractory Patients.

PMID- 26111299
TI  - Author's Response.

PMID- 26111300
TI  - Portopulmonary Hypertension: Opportunities for Precision Pediatrics.

PMID- 26111303
TI  - Challenges in Reducing Readmissions: Lessons from Leadership and Frontline
      Personnel at Eight Minority-Serving Hospitals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hospitals that serve minority patients have higher readmission rates
      than other hospitals and, as a result, receive higher penalties under the federal
      government's Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. A study was conducted to
      determine how minority-serving hospitals are responding to federal readmissions
      policy and whether they face specific challenges as they work to reduce
      readmissions. METHODS: In-depth case studies were created for eight minority
      serving hospitals, selected to reflect a range of geographies and sizes.
      Semistructured interviews with hospital leaders and frontline personnel focused
      on knowledge of readmission rates and prioritization of readmission reduction,
      strategies to reduce readmissions, barriers to reducing readmissions, and
      opinions about federal readmissions policy. RESULTS: Each hospital had only a
      general awareness of its performance on readmissions metrics but placed a high
      priority on reducing readmissions, largely spurred by federal readmissions
      policy. Respondents reported that socioeconomics, rather than race alone, was a
      key factor in readmissions reduction. The hospitals followed a similar
      progression in strategies to reduce readmissions-moving from working on the
      discharge process to creating customized approaches to transitional care to,
      finally, focusing more on building community supports and resources. Salient
      barriers to reducing readmission rates included scarce resources, the variety of
      patient needs, limited ability to influence care in the community, and a
      misalignment of financial incentives. CONCLUSIONS: Among eight hospitals serving
      a high proportion of minority patients, the findings uncovered the importance of
      addressing issues specific to the patient population and community and reaching
      outside the walls of the hospital to implement programs that improve outpatient
      access and management.

PMID- 26111301
TI  - Fish-collagen allergy: a pitfall of the prick-to-prick test with raw fish.

PMID- 26111304
TI  - E-Autopsy: Using Structured Hybrid Manual/Electronic Mortality Reviews to
      Identify Quality Improvement Opportunities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mortality reviews are a foundation of inpatient quality improvement
      (QI), but low levels of harm among a random or sequential sample may not yield
      actionable improvement opportunities. To increase the efficiency of mortality
      reviews at identifying QI opportunities, Kaiser Permanente Southern California
      (KPSC) developed a condition-specific hybrid electronic/manual chart review
      called the "e-autopsy." METHODS: KPSC hospital deaths are filtered electronically
      by predetermined criteria. Teams consisting of a registered nurse and physician
      trained in QI at each hospital then manually review selected charts using a
      structured data-extraction tool to identify gaps in provision of evidence-based
      care. Results are aggregated and studied to identify improvement opportunities.
      RESULTS: E-autopsy has identified opportunities amenable to system improvements.
      The first e-autopsy of all KPSC members who died with a ruptured abdominal aortic
      aneurysm (AAA) in a KPSC hospital indicated that many patients meeting criteria
      had not been screened for AAA. This study showed KPSC leaders the value of point
      of-care electronic decision support to increase evidence-based AAA screening and
      of a tracking system for patients with positive results. Screening among high
      risk patients in 2012 increased by more than 8,000 individuals, compared with the
      annual average during the previous four years. E-autopsies have also been
      conducted of patients who died with aspiration pneumonia; after unplanned
      transfers to the ICU; and after diagnosis of colon cancer. CONCLUSION: E-autopsy
      reveals actionable opportunities to improve care systems, complementing other QI
      activities. This hybrid electronic/manual process can be applied to a wide
      variety of patient conditions and settings.

PMID- 26111305
TI  - Meaningful Use Status and Participation in Health Information Exchange Among New
      York State Hospitals: A Longitudinal Assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Billions of dollars is being utilized to promote electronic health
      record (EHR) adoption and electronic health information exchange (HIE).
      Monitoring trends over time is critical to understanding the success of policies
      initiatives. New York State is a leader in state-based initiatives promoting
      health information technology (HIT), and its experiences can provide valuable
      lessons to inform ongoing state and federal efforts. METHODS: All hospitals in
      New York State were previously surveyed in 2009 to determine rates of EHR
      adoption, preparedness to meet meaningful use criteria, and participation in HIE.
      A follow-up survey was conducted from November 2012 through February 2013 to
      evaluate progress over time. RESULTS: Responses were received from 129 of 210
      hospitals (61% response rate). Some 98% of responding hospitals (n = 126) had
      implemented or begun implementing an EHR-greater than a fourfold increase in
      three years. Nearly three-quarters had already attested to Stage 1 meaningful use
      for Medicaid (74.8%, n = 86) and Medicare (70.8%, n = 85), although only 10.7% (n
      = 13) anticipated it would be easy to achieve Stage 2 meaningful use. Seventy
      nine percent of respondents (n = 92) reported exchanging electronic patient-level
      clinical data with other partners, and 89.9% (n = 116) reported participation in
      regional arrangements to share data. Lack of architecture and cost remain major
      barriers to achieving robust HIE. DISCUSSION: Although much progress has been
      made since 2009, careful attention must be paid to helping hospitals meet the
      stricter Stage 2 meaningful use requirements and to supporting robust HIE to help
      fulfill HIT's promise of achieving higher-quality, lower-cost health care.

PMID- 26111306
TI  - A Qualitative Analysis of Physician Perspectives on Missed and Delayed Outpatient
      Diagnosis: The Focus on System-Related Factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Delayed and missed diagnoses lead to significant patient harm.
      Because physician actions are fundamental to the outpatient diagnostic process, a
      study was conducted to explore physician perspectives on diagnosis. METHODS: As
      part of a quality improvement initiative, an integrated health system conducted
      six physician focus groups in 2004 and 2005. The focus groups included questions
      about the process of diagnosis, specific factors contributing to missed
      diagnosis, use of guidelines, atypical vs. typical presentations of disease,
      diagnostic tools, and follow-up, all with regard to delays in the diagnostic
      process. The interviews were analyzed (1) deductively, with application of the
      Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model, which addresses
      systems design, quality management, job design, and technology implementations
      that affect safety-related patient and organizational and/or staff outcomes, and
      (2) inductively, with identification of novel themes using content analysis.
      RESULTS: A total of 25 physicians participated in the six focus groups, which
      yielded 12 hours of discussion. Providers identified multiple barriers to timely
      and accurate diagnosis, including organizational culture, information
      availability, and communication factors. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple themes relating to
      each of the participants in the diagnostic process-health system, provider, and
      patient-emerged. Concerns about health system structure and providers'
      interactions with one another and with patients far exceeded discussion of the
      cognitive factors that might affect the diagnostic process. The results suggest
      that, at least in physicians' views, improving the diagnostic process requires
      attention to the organization of the health system in addition to the cognitive
      aspects of diagnosis.

PMID- 26111307
TI  - Medication Safety in the Operating Room: A Survey of Preparation Methods and Drug
      Concentration Consistencies in Children's Hospitals in the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medication errors in the perioperative environment are an important
      source of iatrogenic harm to patients. In 2010 the Anesthesia Patient Safety
      Foundation (APSF) initiated an effort to reduce medication errors in the
      operating room environment. One of the components of this effort was designed to
      minimize error opportunities for the anesthesia provider by having the hospital
      pharmacy supply premixed solutions from in-house pharmacies or outside
      pharmaceutical companies. METHODS: In a convenience sample of representatives of
      34 children's hospitals across all geographic regions of the United States, the
      current state of the APSF medication safety paradigm was assessed. A telephone
      questionnaire study was conducted from June 2012 through August 2012 to determine
      each center's practices in providing, packaging, and administering standard
      anesthesia-related medications. RESULTS: All 34 institutions required at least
      one anesthetic drug to be prepared by the anesthesia provider in the operating
      room. Vasopressors were the most common class of drugs to be supplied as
      prefilled syringes by a hospital pharmacy or pharmaceutical company. For example,
      27 of the 34 hospitals surveyed supply epinephrine in a prefilled syringe at a
      concentration of 0.1 mg/mL (1:10,000 solution), commonly used in cardiac arrest
      scenarios. Several different anesthetic medications were supplied in different
      concentrations both between institutions and often within the same institution.
      None of the surveyed children's hospitals were using bar-code medication
      administration technology. CONCLUSIONS: Some children's hospitals use
      standardized medication concentrations, and pharmacy-prepared syringes of
      anesthetic medications; however, the majority of anesthetic medications were
      still prepared by the anesthesia provider at the anesthetizing location.

PMID- 26111308
TI  - The Safe Day Call: Reducing Silos in Health Care Through Frontline Risk
      Assessment.

PMID- 26111309
TI  - Emerging Trends in Abdominal Wall Reinforcement: Bringing Bio-Functionality to
      Meshes.
AB  - Abdominal wall hernia is a recurrent issue world-wide and requires the
      implantation of over 1 million meshes per year. Because permanent meshes such as
      polypropylene and polyester are not free of complications after implantation,
      many mesh modifications and new functionalities have been investigated over the
      last decade. Indeed, mesh optimization is the focus of intense development and
      the biomaterials utilized are now envisioned as being bioactive substrates that
      trigger various physiological processes in order to prevent complications and to
      promote tissue integration. In this context, it is of paramount interest to
      review the most relevant bio-functionalities being brought to new meshes and to
      open new avenues for the innovative development of the next generation of meshes
      with enhanced properties for functional abdominal wall hernia repair. 

PMID- 26111310
TI  - Critical Evaluation of Risk Factors and Early Complications in 564 Consecutive
      Two-Stage Implant-Based Breast Reconstructions Using Acellular Dermal Matrix at a
      Single Center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acellular dermal matrix for implant-based breast reconstruction
      appears to cause higher early complication rates, but long-term outcomes are
      perceived to be superior. This dichotomy is the subject of considerable debate.
      The authors hypothesized that patient characteristics and operative variables
      would have a greater impact on complications than the type of acellular dermal
      matrix used. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed of consecutive
      patients who underwent two-stage, implant-based breast reconstruction with human
      cadaveric or bovine acellular dermal matrix from 2006 to 2012 at a single
      institution. Patient characteristics and operative variables were analyzed using
      logistic regression analyses to identify risk factors for complications. RESULTS:
      The authors included 564 reconstructions in the study. Radiation therapy and
      obesity increased the odds of all complications. Every 100-ml increase in
      preoperative breast volume increased the odds of any complication by 1 percent,
      the odds of infection by 27 percent, and the risk of explantation by 16 percent.
      The odds of seroma increased linearly with increasing surface area of acellular
      dermal matrix. Odds of infection were higher with an intraoperative expander fill
      volume greater than 50 percent of the total volume. Risk of explantation was
      twice as high when intraoperative expander fill volume was greater than 300 ml.
      CONCLUSIONS: Radiation therapy, obesity, larger breasts, higher intraoperative
      fill volumes, and larger acellular dermal matrices are all independent risk
      factors for early complications. Maximizing the initial mastectomy skin envelope
      fill must be balanced with the understanding that higher complication rates may
      result from a larger intraoperative breast mound. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Risk, III.

PMID- 26111311
TI  - Vertical Scar Reduction Mammaplasty.
AB  - Since 1989, the authors have performed vertical scar reduction mammaplasty on
      over 3000 patients. In 2006, the authors described their technique. Since then,
      the authors have made several modifications that they believe have improved both
      the reliability of the procedure and the outcomes that they are able to achieve.
      Key modifications are described in this article and the accompanying video. 

PMID- 26111312
TI  - A Retrospective Review of Patients Undergoing Lateral Canthoplasty Techniques to
      Manage Existing or Potential Lower Eyelid Malposition: Identification of Seven
      Key Preoperative Findings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lateral canthal procedures are often indicated to correct or prevent
      lower eyelid malposition. When determining an appropriate lateral canthal
      procedure, planning is essential and includes proper analysis and identification
      of any contributory anatomical factors. METHODS: A 12-month retrospective review
      was performed on patients undergoing lateral canthal procedures. Important
      components of the preoperative examination were studied to relate patient anatomy
      and results. Outcomes were followed for a minimum of 5 years. RESULTS: Of 288
      consecutive lower eyelid canthal procedures, a total of 146 met the inclusion
      criteria. Common designated abnormal preoperative findings included a negative
      vector (62 percent), lid margin eversion (12 percent), scleral show (21 percent),
      neutral or negative canthal tilt (49 percent and 18 percent, respectively), and
      lateral canthus -to -orbital rim distance of more than 1 cm (11 percent). The
      distribution of lateral canthal procedures performed in our study population
      included inferior retinacular lateral canthopexy (n = 36), inferior retinacular
      lateral canthoplasty (n = 88), tarsal strip lateral canthoplasty (n = 15), and
      dermal-orbicular pennant lateral canthoplasty (n = 7). Successful outcomes were
      noted to be 86 percent and 91 percent according to surgeons and patients,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Specific findings on the preoperative physical
      examination identify when simple or more complex lateral canthal procedures
      should be performed. The authors report seven key physical findings that should
      be documented to effectively determine a lateral canthal procedure that is
      appropriate for prevention and management of lower eyelid malposition. CLINICAL
      QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.

PMID- 26111313
TI  - Stereoscopic Analysis of Silicone Breast Implant Shells Damaged by Surgical
      Instruments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Iatrogenic shell injury during the implantation and explantation of
      silicone gel breast implants may lead to eventual device failure. Identification
      of the patterns of injury caused by surgical instruments is important when
      attempting to characterize the cause of shell rupture. Understanding the true
      causes of device failure may help with its prevention. The purpose of this study
      was to microscopically characterize patterns of shell injury induced by various
      surgical instruments. METHODS: Textured and smooth silicone gel implants were
      intentionally damaged with a variety of surgical instruments. Various scalpels
      and surgical scissors ranging in fineness were used to create full-thickness
      injuries in the implant shell. Optical microscopy and scanning electron
      microscopy were then used to image the injured area to determine patterns of
      injury. RESULTS: Full-thickness striations across the thickness of the shell
      could be seen with damage caused by scissors. The density of these striations
      correlated directly with the fineness of scissors used. No striations were seen
      with injuries caused by scalpels. CONCLUSIONS: Striations were only observed in
      injuries caused by scissors and suture needles. Striation density correlated with
      the coarseness of the cutting edge. No such striations were seen in shells
      damaged by a scalpel even when the angle of approach was changed. This difference
      can be of assistance in distinguishing between scissors versus scalpel injury of
      an implant shell.

PMID- 26111314
TI  - Deaths Caused by Gluteal Lipoinjection: What Are We Doing Wrong?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intramuscular gluteal lipoinjection has become one of the most
      commonly used surgical procedures for achieving improvement in the gluteal
      contour; however, there are few studies that report and analyze the causes of
      secondary death from this surgical procedure. METHODS: An analysis of secondary
      deaths from gluteal lipoinjection procedures was performed in Mexico and Colombia
      over periods of 10 and 15 years, respectively. In Mexico, the study was performed
      through a survey of all members of the Mexican Association of Reconstructive,
      Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery. In Colombia, the study was performed through an
      analysis of deaths and autopsies documented by the National Institute of Legal
      Medicine and Forensic Sciences Regional Bogota. RESULTS: A total of 413 Mexican
      plastic surgeons reported 64 deaths related to liposuction, with 13 deaths caused
      by gluteal lipoinjection. In Colombia, nine deaths were documented. Of the 13
      deaths in Mexico, eight (61.6 percent) occurred during lipoinjection, whereas the
      remaining five (38.4 percent) occurred within the first 24 hours. In Colombia,
      six deaths (77.7 percent) occurred during surgery and three occurred (22.2
      percent) immediately after surgery. In the Colombian autopsy results, seven cases
      of macroscopic fat embolism and two cases with a microscopic embolism were
      reported, with abundant fatty tissue in the infiltrated gluteal muscles.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the authors found that intramuscular gluteal
      lipoinjection is associated with mortality caused by gluteal blood vessel damage
      allowing macroscopic and microscopic fat embolism; therefore, buttocks
      lipoinjection should be performed very carefully, avoiding injections into deep
      muscle planes. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, V.

PMID- 26111315
TI  - Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells May Promote Breast Cancer
      Progression and Metastatic Spread.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stem cell-enriched fat grafting has been proposed as a potential
      therapy for reconstructive, restorative, or enhancement-related procedures of the
      breast. Its role in postoncologic breast reconstruction is still emerging, with
      concerns about safety. The authors investigated the dose-dependent interaction
      between human adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (AD-MSCs) and human
      breast cancer cell (BCC) lines [MDA-MB-231 (MDA) and MCF-7 (MCF)] focusing on
      tumor microenvironment, tumor growth, and metastatic spread. METHODS: Adipose
      derived mesenchymal stromal cell influence on viability and factor expression
      [regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha, and eotaxin) of breast cancer cells was studied in vitro
      using direct and indirect co-culture systems. Groups were formed according to
      adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cell-to-cancer cell number ratio [MDA/MCF
      only, AD-MSC/(MDA/MCF), and AD-MSC/(MDA/MCF)]. A humanized orthotopic murine
      cancer model was used to evaluate breast cancer progression and metastasis (n =
      10/group). Cells were injected into the mammary pad in different ratios and
      animals were monitored over 42 days. Microdialysis was performed to analyze
      RANTES levels in the tumor microenvironment (days 21 and 42). Primary and
      metastatic tumors were weighed and analyzed for oncogene, growth factor, and
      metastatic marker expression. RESULTS: MDA cell viability increased from 45.5
      percent to 95.5 percent in presence of adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells
      in vitro. In vivo, animals with AD-MSC showed increased mean tumor weight (MDA, p
      < 0.01; MCF versus controls, p < 0.05) and metastatic occurrence (40 percent in
      MDA; 30 percent in MCF versus 0 percent in controls). Cytokine analysis revealed
      switching of MCF tumor phenotype to a more malignant type in the presence of
      adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells. CONCLUSION: Human adipose-derived
      mesenchymal stromal cells may promote progression and metastatic spread in breast
      cancer through a switch to a more malignant phenotype with worse prognosis.

PMID- 26111317
TI  - Laparoscopic Free Omental Lymphatic Flap for the Treatment of Lymphedema.
AB  - Advances in microsurgery have displayed promising results for the treatment of
      lymphedema. The use of vascularized lymph node transfers has increased in
      popularity but incurs the potential risk for donor-site lymphedema. The omentum
      has been previously described for the treatment of lymphedema but has been
      overlooked because of presumed high morbidity, including the need for celiotomy
      and pedicled complications. The authors present a novel technique and early
      results of the laparoscopic free omental lymphatic flap for the management of
      lymphedema. The minimally invasive harvest successfully avoids both the
      previously associated morbidity of this flap and the risk of iatrogenic
      lymphedema to the donor site. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic,
      V.

PMID- 26111316
TI  - A Systematic Review of Outcomes after Revision Amputation for Treatment of
      Traumatic Finger Amputation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Revision amputation is often the treatment for traumatic finger
      amputation injuries. However, patient outcomes are inadequately reported, and
      their impact is poorly understood. The authors performed a systematic review to
      evaluate outcomes of revision amputation and amputation wound coverage
      techniques. METHODS: The authors searched all available English literature in the
      PubMed and Embase databases for articles reporting outcomes of nonreplantation
      treatments for traumatic finger amputation injuries, including revision
      amputation, local digital flaps, skin grafting, and conservative treatment. Data
      extracted were study characteristics, patient demographic data, sensory and
      functional outcomes, patient-reported outcomes, and complications. RESULTS: A
      total of 1659 articles were screened, yielding 43 studies for review. Mean static
      two-point discrimination was 5.0 +/- 1.5 mm (n = 23 studies) overall, 6.1 +/- 2.4
      mm after local flap procedures, and 3.8 +/- 0.4 mm after revision amputation.
      Mean total active motion was 93 +/- 8 percent of normal (n = 6 studies) overall.
      It was 90 +/- 9 percent of normal after local flap procedures and 95 percent of
      normal after revision amputation. Seventy-seven percent of patients reported cold
      intolerance after revision amputation. Ninety-one percent of patients (217 of
      238) reported "satisfactory" or "good/excellent" ratings regardless of treatment.
      CONCLUSIONS: Revision amputation and conservative treatments result in better
      static two-point discrimination outcomes compared with local flaps. All
      techniques preserve total active motion, although arc of motion is slightly
      better with revision amputation. Revision amputation procedures are frequently
      associated with cold intolerance. Patients report "satisfactory," "good," or
      "excellent" ratings in appearance and quality of life with all nonreplantation
      techniques.

PMID- 26111318
TI  - Progressive Tightening of the Levator Veli Palatini Muscle Improves
      Velopharyngeal Dysfunction in Early Outcomes of Primary Palatoplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Management of the levator veli palatini with intravelar veloplasty
      has been shown to improve speech resonance. The senior author has introduced a
      more aggressive procedure where the levator is separately dissected, overlapped,
      and tightened. This study compares resonance results from four levator management
      protocols: non-intravelar veloplasty, Kriens intravelar veloplasty, radical
      intravelar veloplasty, and overlapping intravelar veloplasty. METHODS:
      Retrospective chart review was conducted on 252 patients who underwent primary
      palatoplasty with speech follow-up at 3 years of age. Velopharyngeal function was
      evaluated with perceptual speech examinations, and subjects were scored on a four
      point scale (0 = normal resonance; 1 = occasional hypernasality/nasal
      emission/turbulence/grimacing, no further assessment warranted; 2 = mild
      hypernasality/intermittent nasal turbulence/grimacing, velopharyngeal imaging
      suggested; and 3 = severe hypernasality, surgical intervention recommended).
      Fisher's exact test was used to compare outcomes. RESULTS: A single surgeon
      performed all the non-intravelar veloplasty (n = 92), Kriens intravelar
      veloplasty (n = 103), and radical intravelar veloplasty (n = 31), whereas the
      senior author performed the overlapping intravelar veloplasty (n = 26). Cleft
      severity proportions were equivalent across the four methods (p = 0.28). Patients
      who underwent overlapping intravelar veloplasty demonstrated significantly better
      velopharyngeal function, and none required further imaging or secondary surgery
      compared with the other three procedures (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Speech
      resonance outcomes at 3 years of age are improved and need for secondary
      velopharyngeal dysfunction management is reduced with more aggressive levator
      dissection and reconstruction during primary one-stage palatoplasty. Results were
      best when the muscle was overlapped. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Therapeutic, III.

PMID- 26111319
TI  - Discussion: Progressive Tightening of the Levator Veli Palatini Muscle Improves
      Velopharyngeal Dysfunction in Early Outcomes of Primary Palatoplasty.

PMID- 26111320
TI  - Trans-Sutural Distraction Osteogenesis for Midfacial Hypoplasia in Growing
      Patients with Cleft Lip and Palate: Clinical Outcomes and Analysis of Skeletal
      Changes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although maxillary distraction osteogenesis has been used for early
      treatment of midfacial hypoplasia, the inevitable osteotomies are still a
      complicated and invasive procedure for growing patients. Based on the bone-borne
      trans-sutural distraction osteogenesis, novel improvements to the approach were
      made to treat midfacial hypoplasia, and the clinical outcomes and skeletal
      changes were analyzed. METHODS: Seventy consecutive growing cleft lip and palate
      patients with midfacial hypoplasia were treated with trans-sutural distraction
      osteogenesis. The distraction system consists of a rigid external distractor,
      nickel-titanium shape memory alloy spring, and bone-borne traction hooks. The
      whole distraction process was recorded in detail clinically. Lateral
      cephalographs and computed tomographic scans were taken and analyzed by
      cephalometric measurement and color-map analysis to assess the skeletal changes.
      RESULTS: All of the patients except one achieved satisfactory appearance and
      occlusal relationship. The unilateral maximum traction force presented an
      increased trend with age, but this relationship was not absolute. The whole trans
      sutural distraction osteogenesis process was divided into three clinical stages:
      the startup period, the rapid movement period, and the consolidation period.
      Cephalometric analysis showed a great increase in SNA, ANB and horizontal
      movement of the maxillae after distraction, but with marginal relapse at 6 to 18
      months postoperatively. Visualized changes of the midfacial skeleton were
      observed by three-dimensional color mapping. The results showed an unequal
      advancement in different regions. CONCLUSION: Trans-sutural distraction
      osteogenesis process with adaptations offers an alternative method for the early
      treatment of midfacial hypoplasia in growing patients with cleft lip and palate.
      CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.

PMID- 26111321
TI  - What Makes a Plastic Surgery Residency Program Attractive? An Applicant's
      Perspective.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plastic surgery is among the most competitive specialties in
      medicine, but little is known about the attributes of programs that are most
      attractive to successful applicants. This study aimed to understand and provide
      insights regarding program characteristics that are most influential to students
      when ranking plastic surgery programs. METHODS: An anonymous online survey was
      conducted with newly matched plastic surgery residents for the integrated and
      combined Match in 2012 and 2013. Subjects were queried regarding their
      demographics, qualifications, application experiences, and motivations for
      residency program selection. RESULTS: A total of 92 of 245 matched plastic
      surgery residents (38 percent) responded to the survey. The perception of
      resident happiness was the most positive factor influencing program ranking,
      followed by high operative volume, faculty mentorship, and strong research
      infrastructure. Perception of a program as "malignant" was the most negative
      attribute. Applicants with Step 1 scores greater than 245 received significantly
      more interviews (p =0.001) and considered resident benefits less important (p <
      0.05), but geographic location more important (p =0.005). Applicants who
      published more than two articles also received more interviews (p =0.001) and
      ranked a strong research infrastructure and program reputation as significantly
      more important (p < 0.05). Forty-two percent of applicants completed an away
      rotation at the program with which they matched, and these applicants were more
      likely to match at their number one ranked program (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Plastic surgery applicants have differing preferences regarding the ideal
      training program, but some attributes resonate. These trends can guide programs
      for improvement in attracting the best applicants.

PMID- 26111322
TI  - Discussion: What Makes a Plastic Surgery Residency Program Attractive? An
      Applicant's Perspective.

PMID- 26111323
TI  - The Development of a Wireless Implantable Blood Flow Monitor.
AB  - Microvascular anastomotic failure remains an uncommon but devastating problem.
      Although the implantable Doppler probe is helpful in flap monitoring, the devices
      are cumbersome, easily dislodged, and plagued by false-positive results. The
      authors have developed an implantable wireless Doppler monitor prototype from off
      the-shelf components and tested it in a swine model. The wireless probe
      successfully distinguished between femoral vein flow, occlusion, and reflow, and
      wirelessly reported the different signals reliably. This is the first description
      of a wireless implantable blood flow sensor for flap monitoring. Future
      iterations will incorporate an integrated microchip-based Doppler system that
      will decrease the size to 1 mm, small enough to fit onto an anastomotic coupler. 

PMID- 26111325
TI  - Patterns and Trends in Immediate Postmastectomy Reconstruction in California:
      Complications and Unscheduled Readmissions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Immediate reconstruction rates after mastectomy are increasing but
      remain low. Little is known about hospital readmissions after these procedures.
      The authors studied unscheduled readmissions after immediate reconstruction.
      METHODS: Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project California State
      database, the authors identified patients undergoing mastectomy only or with
      immediate reconstruction for ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive breast cancer
      from 2005 to 2009. Immediate reconstruction included tissue expander/implant and
      autologous tissue reconstructions. The authors evaluated temporal trends in
      immediate reconstruction and factors associated with 30-day unscheduled
      readmissions after reconstruction. RESULTS: The cohort contained 48,414 patients
      (mastectomy only, 35,648; immediate reconstruction, 12,766; tissue
      expander/implant, 10,437; autologous tissue, 2329). Readmission rates were not
      significantly different between mastectomy only and immediate reconstruction
      (3.55 percent versus 3.39 percent; p = 0.39); however, autologous tissue
      reconstruction was associated with a significantly higher readmission rate
      compared with tissue expander/implant reconstruction (4.08 percent versus 3.24
      percent; p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Immediate reconstruction does not result in
      higher readmission rates compared with mastectomy only. All women undergoing
      mastectomy should be offered consultation for reconstruction. CLINICAL
      QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

PMID- 26111326
TI  - The Direction of Optimal Skin Incisions Derived from Striae Distensae.

PMID- 26111327
TI  - Reply: The Direction of Optimal Skin Incisions Derived from Striae Distensae.

PMID- 26111328
TI  - Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy and Ptosis: Perforator Flap Breast Reconstruction
      Allows Full Secondary Mastopexy with Complete Nipple Areolar Repositioning.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with moderate to severe ptosis are often considered poor
      candidates for nipple-sparing mastectomy. This results from the perceived risk of
      nipple necrosis and/or the inability of the reconstructive surgeon to reliably
      and effectively reposition the nipple-areola complex on the breast mound after
      mastectomy. METHODS: A retrospective review identified patients with grade II/III
      ptosis who underwent nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate perforator flap
      reconstruction and subsequently underwent a mastopexy procedure. The mastopexies
      included complete, full-thickness periareolar incisions with peripheral
      undermining around the nipple-areola complex to allow for full transposition of
      the nipple-areola complex relative to the surrounding skin envelope. RESULTS:
      Seventy patients with 116 nipple-sparing mastectomies met inclusion criteria. The
      most common complications were minor incisional dehiscence (7.7 percent) and
      variable degrees of necrosis in the preserved breast skin (3.4 percent) after the
      initial mastectomy. There were no cases of nipple-areola complex necrosis
      following the secondary mastopexy. CONCLUSIONS: The authors demonstrate that full
      mastopexy, including a complete full-thickness periareolar incision and nipple
      areola complex repositioning on the breast mound, can be safely performed after
      nipple-sparing mastectomy and perforator flap breast reconstruction. The
      underlying flap provides adequate vascular ingrowth to support the perfusion of
      the nipple-areola complex despite complete incisional interruption of the
      surrounding cutaneous blood supply. These findings may allow for inclusion of
      women with moderate to severe ptosis in the candidate pool for nipple-sparing
      mastectomy if oncologic criteria are otherwise met. These findings also represent
      a significant potential advantage of autogenous reconstruction over implant
      reconstruction in women with breast ptosis who desire nipple-sparing mastectomy.
      CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.

PMID- 26111329
TI  - Current Trends in Facial Rejuvenation: An Assessment of ASPS Members' Use of Fat
      Grafting during Face Lifting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fat grafting can be used to improve the results of face lifting. The
      extent to which plastic surgeons use fat grafting in their face-lift practices is
      unknown. The goals of this study were to understand the current use of fat
      grafting during facial rejuvenation surgery and identify the most common
      techniques used. METHODS: A 28-item questionnaire was formulated for distribution
      to a randomized cohort of American Society of Plastic Surgeons members. Data were
      collected and statistically analyzed using Pearson chi-square and Fisher's exact
      tests. RESULTS: A total of 309 questionnaires were collected. The questionnaire
      revealed that 85.2 percent of respondents use fat grafting during face lifts.
      Currently, the most common techniques used include abdominal harvest, centrifuge
      processing, blunt cannula injection without pretunneling, and placing less than
      0.1 cc per pass. The deep central malar, lower lid cheek junction, and nasolabial
      folds are the most commonly injected areas. CONCLUSIONS: Combining surgical
      repositioning of fat with fat grafting offers surgeons a greater degree of
      aesthetic control for correcting contour in the aging face. Although there is
      controversy regarding the best method to surgically reposition fat, there is a
      growing consensus that volume augmentation is preferred by most face-lift
      surgeons.

PMID- 26111330
TI  - Comparison of Limited and Full Dissection Abdominoplasty Using Laser Fluorescence
      Imaging to Evaluate Perfusion of the Abdominal Skin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In an effort to reduce risk, some surgeons promote a limited
      dissection abdominoplasty technique. They believe that preserving
      musculocutaneous perforators improves blood supply to the overlying abdominal
      tissue and that improved vascularity avoids seromas and reduces wound healing
      problems. Laser fluorescence imaging is a new method that allows quantitative
      measurements of perfusion. METHODS: Twenty-two consecutive women undergoing
      abdominoplasty agreed to participate in this prospective study. The inclusion
      rate was 100 percent. The SPY Elite Intraoperative Perfusion Assessment System
      was used to quantitate flap perfusion. Patients served as their own controls to
      avoid confounders. All patients received superwet infusions followed by
      liposuction of the abdomen and flanks. First, a limited dissection was performed,
      preserving medial musculocutaneous perforating blood vessels and the Scarpa
      fascia on the lower abdomen. The rectus fascia was repaired in all cases. A
      temporary superficial fascial wound closure was performed. The patient was imaged
      after injection of the contrast agent. The dissection was then extended to a full
      abdominoplasty and the Scarpa fascia was removed from the lower abdomen. The
      patient was reimaged. Wound tension was also measured. RESULTS: Complications
      included one distal deep venous thrombosis, one infection, and one seroma. There
      were no cases of marginal necrosis or dehiscence. There was no significant
      difference (p < 0.05) in perfusion measurements comparing the limited and full
      dissections. Wound tensions were significantly less (p < 0.001) in the full
      dissection group. CONCLUSION: The limited dissection abdominoplasty does not
      provide a significant improvement in perfusion compared with a full dissection.
      CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, II.

PMID- 26111331
TI  - Heat Shock Protein 90 Inhibitor (17-AAG) Induces Apoptosis and Decreases Cell
      Migration/Motility of Keloid Fibroblasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The regulation of apoptosis, proliferation, and migration of
      fibroblasts is altered in keloids. The 90-kDa heat shock protein (heat shock
      protein 90) is known to play a key role in such regulation. Therefore, the
      authors investigated whether the inhibition of heat shock protein 90 in keloid
      fibroblasts could induce apoptosis and attenuate keloid fibroblast proliferation
      and migration. METHODS: The authors evaluated heat shock protein 90 expression in
      keloid tissues with immunohistochemistry. The authors used cell viability [3-(4,5
      dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assays and annexin
      V/propidium iodide staining for apoptosis, a wound healing model and cell
      tracking system to assess cell migration, and Akt Western blotting analysis in
      keloid fibroblasts after inhibition of heat shock protein 90 with 17
      allylaminodemethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG). RESULTS: The expression of heat shock
      protein 90 in keloid tissues was significantly increased compared with normal
      tissues. The 17-AAG-treated keloid fibroblasts showed significantly decreased
      proliferation, promotion of apoptosis, and decreased expression of Akt.
      Furthermore, a dose-dependent decrease in cell migration was noted after 17-AAG
      treatment of keloid fibroblasts. The 17-AAG-treated keloid fibroblasts had less
      directionality to the wound center and migrated a shorter distance. CONCLUSIONS:
      The authors confirmed that the inhibition of heat shock protein 90 in keloid
      fibroblasts could promote apoptosis and attenuate proliferation and migration of
      keloid fibroblasts. Therefore, the authors think that the inhibition of heat
      shock protein 90 is a key factor in the regulation of biological processes in
      keloids. With further preclinical study, the authors will be able to apply these
      results clinically for keloid treatment.

PMID- 26111332
TI  - Factors in Free Fasciocutaneous Flap Complications: A Logistic Regression
      Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Free tissue transfer using fasciocutaneous flaps has increased in
      frequency over the past decade. Predictive analyses are lacking for
      fasciocutaneous free flaps in terms of complication rates for reconstruction.
      This study therefore was designed to identify key variables that drive
      complications in fasciocutaneous free flap surgery. METHODS: A retroactive chart
      review of 91 patients undergoing 91 fasciocutaneous flaps was performed. Twelve
      variables were identified and tracked through clinic and hospital charts (i.e.,
      surgeon experience, hospital, age, flap type, traumatic wound, smoking, large
      fasciocutaneous flap, type of anastomosis, recipient vessel choice, sex,
      anatomical region of wound, and flap debulking). A logistic regression model was
      used to determine the presence of complications associated with the prescribed
      predictors. RESULTS: The model revealed that smoking, age, anatomical area of
      wound, flap size, flap type, and presence of a traumatic wound impacted
      complications. The model was found to be a good fit (Hosmer-Lemeshow, p = 0.135).
      Factors impacting complications with fasciocutaneous flaps included anatomical
      area (62.3 percent increase in complications; p = 0.047), surgeon experience (27
      percent reduction in complications; p = 0.007), and reconstruction of a trauma
      activation patient (80 percent reduction in complications; p = 0.025).
      CONCLUSION: The implications of these findings can be used to contain cost and
      minimize poor outcomes within the health care system.

PMID- 26111333
TI  - Role of Postoperative Antimicrobials in Cleft Palate Surgery: Prospective, Double
      Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study in India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine whether administration of
      postoperative antibiotics affects the incidence of complications after primary
      cleft palate repair in a developing area. METHODS: This study was a prospective,
      double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial composed of 518 consecutive
      patients who underwent primary cleft palate repair at a single institution.
      Patients were aged 1 to 43 years at the time of surgery (median, 9 years). The
      patients were divided randomly into two groups. One group received a 5-day
      regimen of oral amoxicillin (50 mg/kg/day) postoperatively and the other group
      received placebo medication. Both groups received a single dose of cefuroxime (30
      mg/kg) before incision. Patients and providers were blinded to the randomization.
      Patients were followed postoperatively for early complications (infection and
      wound breakdown) and for late complications (palatal fistulas). RESULTS: The
      incidence of early complications was 13.8 percent among the patients in the
      placebo group and 8.7 percent among the patients in the antibiotic group (p =
      0.175). Fistulas were noted in 17.1 percent in the placebo group and in 10.7
      percent in the antibiotic group (p = 0.085). Logistic regression analysis
      identified visiting surgeons as the only covariate related to early complications
      (OR, 3.71; p < 0.001). However, the use of placebo (OR, 2.09; p = 0.037), female
      sex (OR, 2.04; p = 0.047), and Veau III and IV (OR, 3.31; p = 0.004) were
      observed as factors associated with the incidence of fistulas. CONCLUSION: The
      authors' results indicate that postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis can reduce
      the incidence of fistulas after primary cleft palate repair in a developing area.

PMID- 26111334
TI  - Effectiveness of Surgical Treatment for Neglected Congenital Muscular
      Torticollis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Findings on the effectiveness of surgical release for neglected
      congenital muscular torticollis have been conflicting. This systematic review
      aims to examine the literature describing the effectiveness of surgery for
      neglected congenital muscular torticollis. METHODS: The authors conducted a
      systematic review to examine the effectiveness of surgical treatment for
      neglected congenital muscular torticollis by means of meta-analysis. The authors
      searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, and KoreaMed for all articles
      published before May of 2014. Studies with quantitative data describing the
      effectiveness of surgery for congenital muscular torticollis were included. The
      primary outcomes after surgery were (1) clinical outcome measured by scoring
      systems; (2) change in range of motion of the neck; and (3) change in skeletal
      deformities, measured by Cobb angle and the cervicomandibular angle. Effect
      estimates were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: Twelve
      studies were included in the review (published between 1976 and 2014), including
      a total of 220 patients with neglected congenital muscular torticollis. All
      studies used an interrupted time-series design. Surgical treatment was successful
      in 81 percent of cases, based on the scoring systems for surgical outcome.
      Outcomes of surgery performed in patients older than 15 years did not differ
      significantly from those of surgery performed in patients aged 15 years or
      younger. The range of motion of the neck and skeletal deformities showed
      significant improvement after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment for
      neglected congenital muscular torticollis produced satisfactorily successful
      results, with improvement in both the range of motion of the neck and secondary
      skeletal deformities. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.

PMID- 26111335
TI  - Abnormality of Auricular Muscles in Congenital Auricular Deformities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that there is a close association of
      abnormality in auricular muscles with various congenital auricular deformities.
      However, there has been no investigation to determine what muscles are involved
      and how they affect the deformity. The authors examined abnormalities of
      auricular muscles for patients with various auricular deformities. METHODS: The
      authors examined 77 auricles of 62 patients with congenital auricular
      deformities, including cryptotia, Stahl's ear, prominent ear, lop ear, and
      others. The superior and posterior auricular muscles from the extrinsic auricular
      muscle group and the auricular oblique and transverse muscles from the auricular
      intrinsic muscle group were investigated. RESULTS: The authors found
      characteristic features of the abnormality of the muscle for each auricular
      deformity. In nearly all cases of cryptotia, abnormality was found in the
      superior auricular, auricular oblique, and auricular transverse muscles. Abnormal
      insertion was found mainly in the superior auricular muscle and was the main
      cause of cryptotia. In Stahl's ear, the major abnormality was abnormal insertion
      of the auricular transverse muscle, which creates an abnormal cartilaginous
      prominence in the scapha. The abnormality in cases of prominent ear was clearly
      limited mostly to the auricular transverse muscle and, in some cases, to the
      posterior auricular muscle. In lop ear, abnormality was mostly found in the
      auricular transverse muscle, with elongation, and in the superior auricular or
      auricular oblique muscle in some cases. CONCLUSIONS: There is a tendency for a
      specific muscle abnormality to be found in each deformity. It is important to
      identify the abnormal muscle and correct the abnormality during the operation.

PMID- 26111336
TI  - Outpatient Surgery.
AB  - LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After studying this article, the participant should be able
      to: 1. Determine those patients appropriate for outpatient surgery. 2. Choose
      appropriate anesthetics. 3. Manage patients with cardiac disease. 4. Limit
      complications occurring intraoperatively. SUMMARY: This article provides
      continuing medical education information regarding the current state of practice
      concerning outpatient surgery. A thorough preoperative evaluation is necessary to
      identify comorbid conditions and patients at risk for pulmonary compromise.
      Guidelines are provided on the use of sedatives, analgesics, and reversal agents.
      The management of patients with coronary artery stents and/or cardiac rhythm
      management devices is discussed. Effective surgical team communication is crucial
      to ensure that everyone is aware of conditions that may require adjustments from
      the usual healthy patients. Lastly, suggestions are provided to avoid
      intraoperative problems such as drug reactions and pressure ulcers. As our aging
      population presents for an increasing number of procedures, plastic surgeons must
      ensure that patient safety is a priority.

PMID- 26111337
TI  - Employment Satisfaction in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Its Influence
      on Graduating Residents in an Evolving Health Care Climate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current state of employment satisfaction in plastic surgery has
      not been defined. Similarly, the factors influencing residents as they search for
      employment and the role of attending surgeons as mentors in this process have not
      been elicited. The authors aim to elucidate these measures through a survey of
      attending surgeons and senior residents. METHODS: A survey was created assessing
      employment satisfaction and was distributed to members of the American Society of
      Plastic Surgeons with available contact information. Responses were analyzed,
      with values of p < 0.05 deemed significant. RESULTS: A total of 616 plastic
      surgeons and senior plastic surgery residents responded. Compared with attending
      surgeons in private practice, those in academic practice were more satisfied with
      their case mix (p = 0.0005; OR, not significant) and less satisfied with their
      incentive structure (p = 0.0001; OR, 0.3155) and payor mix (p = 0.0005; OR,
      0.6156). Employment change occurred in 225 surgeons (39.2 percent) since
      beginning practice. Surgeons that changed employment ranked base salary (p =
      0.0031), earning potential (p = 0.0001), and incentive structure (p = 0.0001) as
      most important. Those that did not change employment ranked lifestyle (p =
      0.0048), location (p = 0.0001), and desire to teach (p = 0.0002) as more
      important. Residents ranked location (p = 0.0030), desired case mix (p = 0.0131),
      and desire or lack of desire to teach residents (p = 0.0329) as more important
      than attending surgeons felt they should be, and guaranteed salary (p = 0.0178)
      and incentive structure (p = 0.0069) as less important. CONCLUSIONS: In an
      evolving health care environment, plastic surgeons' employment satisfaction is
      significantly dependent on a myriad of factors. Residents and their attending
      mentors differ significantly in perceived importance of these factors.

PMID- 26111338
TI  - Comparison of sequential drug release in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - Development of drug-delivery devices typically involves characterizing in vitro
      release performance with the inherent assumption that this will closely
      approximate in vivo performance. Yet, as delivery devices become more complex,
      for instance with a sequential drug release pattern, it is important to confirm
      that in vivo properties correlate with the expected "programming" achieved in
      vitro. In this work, a systematic comparison between in vitro and in vivo
      biomaterial erosion and sequential release was performed for a multilayered
      association polymer system comprising cellulose acetate phthalate and Pluronic F
      127. After assessing the materials during incubation in phosphate-buffered
      saline, devices were implanted supracalvarially in rats. Devices with two
      different doses and with different erosion rates were harvested at increasing
      times post-implantation, and the in vivo thickness loss, mass loss, and the drug
      release profiles were compared with their in vitro counterparts. The sequential
      release of four different drugs observed in vitro was successfully translated to
      in vivo conditions. Results suggest, however, that the total erosion time of the
      devices was longer and that release rates of the four drugs were different, with
      drugs initially released more quickly and then more slowly in vivo. Many
      comparative studies of in vitro and in vivo drug release from biodegradable
      polymers involved a single drug, whereas this research demonstrated that
      sequential release of four drugs can be maintained following implantation. (c)
      2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1302
      1310, 2016.

PMID- 26111339
TI  - Dynamics of preventive vs post-diagnostic cancer control using low-impact
      measures.
AB  - Cancer poses danger because of its unregulated growth, development of resistance,
      and metastatic spread to vital organs. We currently lack quantitative theory for
      how preventive measures and post-diagnostic interventions are predicted to affect
      risks of a life threatening cancer. Here we evaluate how continuous measures,
      such as life style changes and traditional treatments, affect both neoplastic
      growth and the frequency of resistant clones. We then compare and contrast
      preventive and post-diagnostic interventions assuming that only a single lesion
      progresses to invasive carcinoma during the life of an individual, and resection
      either leaves residual cells or metastases are undetected. Whereas prevention
      generally results in more positive therapeutic outcomes than post-diagnostic
      interventions, this advantage is substantially lowered should prevention
      initially fail to arrest tumour growth. We discuss these results and other
      important mitigating factors that should be taken into consideration in a
      comparative understanding of preventive and post-diagnostic interventions. 

PMID- 26111341
TI  - Visible light absorption and photoelectrochemical activity of colorless molecular
      1,3-bis(dicyanomethylidene)indane (BDMI) by surface complexation on TiO2.
AB  - Adsorption of the colorless 1,3-bis(dicyanomethylidene)indane (BDMI) onto a
      nanocrystalline TiO2 surface unusually turned the BDMI a deep blue color. Upon
      contact of the BDMI-adsorbed TiO2 (BDMI-TiO2) with an iodide-based redox
      electrolyte, a photocurrent density as high as 14.9 mA cm(-2) was generated with
      a photovoltage of 0.42 V, leading to a power conversion efficiency of 3.63%. This
      unprecedented photovoltaic performance was simultaneously investigated by
      spectroscopic studies of BDMI-TiO2 films and density functional theory (DFT)/time
      dependent DFT (TD-DFT) computational approaches for [BDMI](-)[Ti(OH)3.H2O](+) (1)
      as a simple model compound to inspect the light to current conversion abilities.
      All these results established that the color change from colorless to deep blue
      and the highly efficient photocurrent generation through binding on the TiO2
      surface originates from interfacial charge transfer transitions from anionic BDMI
      to TiO2.

PMID- 26111342
TI  - Functional relations and cognitive psychology: Lessons from human performance and
      animal research.
AB  - We consider requirements for effective interdisciplinary communication and
      explore alternative interpretations of "building bridges between functional and
      cognitive psychology." If the bridges are intended to connect radical
      behaviourism and cognitive psychology, or functional contextualism and cognitive
      psychology, the efforts are unlikely to be successful. But if the bridges are
      intended to connect functional relationships and cognitive theory, no
      construction is needed because the bridges already exist within cognitive
      psychology. We use human performance and animal research to illustrate the latter
      point and to counter the claim that the functional approach is unique in offering
      a close relationship between science and practice. Effective communication will
      be enhanced and, indeed, may only occur if the goal of functional contextualism
      extends beyond just "the advancement of functional contextual cognitive and
      behavioral science and practice" to "the advancement of cognitive and behavioral
      science and practice" without restriction. 

PMID- 26111340
TI  - ATF4 licenses C/EBPbeta activity in human mesenchymal stem cells primed for
      adipogenesis.
AB  - A well-established cascade of transcription factor (TF) activity orchestrates
      adipogenesis in response to chemical cues, yet how cell-intrinsic determinants of
      differentiation such as cell shape and/or seeding density inform this
      transcriptional program remain enigmatic. Here, we uncover a novel mechanism
      licensing transcription in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) adipogenically
      primed by confluence. Prior to adipogenesis, confluency promotes heterodimer
      recruitment of the bZip TFs C/EBPbeta and ATF4 to a non-canonical C/EBP DNA
      sequence. ATF4 depletion decreases both cell-density-dependent transcription and
      adipocyte differentiation. Global profiling in hMSCs and a novel cell-free assay
      reveals that ATF4 requires C/EBPbeta for genomic binding at a motif distinct from
      that bound by the C/EBPbeta homodimer. Our observations demonstrate that
      C/EBPbeta bridges the transcriptional programs in naive, confluent cells and
      early differentiating pre-adipocytes. Moreover, they suggest that homo- and
      heterodimer formation poise C/EBPbeta to execute diverse and stage-specific
      transcriptional programs by exploiting an expanded motif repertoire. 

PMID- 26111343
TI  - Relations Between Actual Group Norms, Perceived Peer Behavior, and Bystander
      Children's Intervention to Bullying.
AB  - The goals of the study were (a) to predict children's intervention in bullying
      situations from class-level norms for intervention, as well as child-level
      perceptions of the number of peers who would intervene, and (b) to determine
      whether these predictions held when accounting for children's levels of empathy,
      prosocial behavior, and callous-unemotional traits. Participants were 751
      racially and ethnically diverse fourth- and fifth-grade students (53.8% female)
      in 43 classes. Participants completed peer nominations about which classmates
      they perceived would intervene during bullying situations. Empathy and callous
      unemotional traits were assessed via self report, whereas prosocial behavior was
      measured through peer report. Using multilevel modeling, each child's
      intervention in bullying was positively predicted from class-level norms for
      intervention (class means for the percentage of children who nominated each child
      as intervening) but negatively predicted from child-level perceptions of the
      number of peers who would intervene, after accounting for the 3 child traits.
      Class-level findings support past research on group norms which suggest that
      children are more likely to display a behavior if their peers display the same
      behavior. Child-level findings support the presence of the "bystander effect" in
      children's bullying episodes, in which children are less likely to intervene if
      they believe that more peers will do so. Thus, although children were more likely
      to intervene in classrooms with cultures that made intervention more normative,
      within the context of each class's culture, children were more likely to
      intervene if they perceived that fewer peers would do so.

PMID- 26111344
TI  - Sequential Optical Coherence Tomographic Angiography for Diagnosis and Treatment
      of Choroidal Neovascularization in Multifocal Choroiditis.

PMID- 26111345
TI  - Calcitriol increases Dicer expression and modifies the microRNAs signature in
      SiHa cervical cancer cells.
AB  - MicroRNAs play important roles in cancer biology. Calcitriol, the hormonal form
      of vitamin D3, regulates microRNAs expression in tumor cells. In the present
      study we asked if calcitriol would modify some of the components of the microRNA
      processing machinery, namely, Drosha and Dicer, in calcitriol-responsive cervical
      cancer cells. We found that calcitriol treatment did not affect Drosha mRNA;
      however, it significantly increased Dicer mRNA and protein expression in VDR
      positive SiHa and HeLa cells. In VDR-negative C33-A cells, calcitriol had no
      effect on Dicer mRNA. We also found a vitamin D response element in Dicer
      promoter that interacts in vitro to vitamin D and retinoid X receptors. To
      explore the biological plausibility of these results, we asked if calcitriol
      alters the microRNA expression profile in SiHa cells. Our results revealed that
      calcitriol regulates the expression of a subset of microRNAs with potential
      regulatory functions in cancer pathways, such as miR-22, miR-296-3p, and miR-498,
      which exert tumor-suppressive effects. In summary, the data indicate that in SiHa
      cells, calcitriol stimulates the expression of Dicer possibly through the vitamin
      D response element located in its promoter. This may explain the calcitriol
      dependent modulation of microRNAs whose target mRNAs are related to anticancer
      pathways, further adding to the various anticancer mechanisms of calcitriol. 

PMID- 26111346
TI  - A Computational, Tissue-Realistic Model of Pressure Ulcer Formation in
      Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury.
AB  - People with spinal cord injury (SCI) are predisposed to pressure ulcers (PU). PU
      remain a significant burden in cost of care and quality of life despite improved
      mechanistic understanding and advanced interventions. An agent-based model (ABM)
      of ischemia/reperfusion-induced inflammation and PU (the PUABM) was created,
      calibrated to serial images of post-SCI PU, and used to investigate potential
      treatments in silico. Tissue-level features of the PUABM recapitulated visual
      patterns of ulcer formation in individuals with SCI. These morphological
      features, along with simulated cell counts and mediator concentrations, suggested
      that the influence of inflammatory dynamics caused simulations to be committed to
      "better" vs. "worse" outcomes by 4 days of simulated time and prior to ulcer
      formation. Sensitivity analysis of model parameters suggested that increasing
      oxygen availability would reduce PU incidence. Using the PUABM, in silico trials
      of anti-inflammatory treatments such as corticosteroids and a neutralizing
      antibody targeted at Damage-Associated Molecular Pattern molecules (DAMPs)
      suggested that, at best, early application at a sufficiently high dose could
      attenuate local inflammation and reduce pressure-associated tissue damage, but
      could not reduce PU incidence. The PUABM thus shows promise as an adjunct for
      mechanistic understanding, diagnosis, and design of therapies in the setting of
      PU. 

PMID- 26111348
TI  - The Effectiveness of Vestibular Rehabilitation Interventions in Treating
      Unilateral Peripheral Vestibular Disorders: A Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Various types of vestibular rehabilitation therapy are
      routinely used in clinical practice to treat unilateral peripheral vestibular
      hypofunction. The purpose of this systematic review was to compare the
      effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation interventions (adaptation,
      substitution and habituation) in people with unilateral peripheral vestibular
      hypofunction, exclusionary of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and Meniere's
      disease. METHODS: A search of the literature was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL
      and Scopus. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were 1) a randomized
      controlled trial or randomized clinical trial; 2) written in English; 3) of
      participants with a unilateral, peripheral vestibular hypofunction; 4) of a
      conservative treatment approach only; and 5) with human subjects. Quality was
      assessed by two authors using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. Effect
      size was calculated to determine the effect of treatment within each study group.
      RESULTS: Seven papers were selected for inclusion. Physiotherapy Evidence
      Database scores ranged from 2/10 to 7/10. Interventions within the selected
      studies included combinations of adaptation, habituation, substitution or
      substitution by itself. Calculated effect sizes, or significance values, revealed
      that all interventions demonstrated effectiveness. Two studies reported
      improvements on the dynamic gait index, and a large difference was seen between
      intervention groups of the two studies. DISCUSSION: Results suggest that
      vestibular therapy for unilateral peripheral vestibular hypofunction is
      effective. When considering all seven studies included in the review, it is
      difficult to determine the superiority of one intervention over another in
      treating unilateral peripheral vestibular hypofunction except when patient
      outcomes are captured by the dynamic gait index or dizziness handicap inventory.
      Many studies in this review demonstrate notable biases, suggesting that results
      should be used with caution. Future research should aim to use a common set of
      measures to capture outcomes. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26111347
TI  - Predictors of All-Cause Mortality in Patients With Severe COPD and Major
      Depression Admitted to a Rehabilitation Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: COPD is a major cause of all-cause mortality. We examined predictors
      of 1-year mortality in patients with severe COPD and major depression after
      inpatient treatment in a rehabilitation hospital. METHODS: We screened 898
      consecutively admitted patients. Of these, 138 patients received the diagnoses of
      COPD according to American Thoracic Society Guidelines and major depression by
      Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition and signed
      consent; 67 were randomized to a treatment adherence enhancement intervention and
      71 to usual care. We assessed history of falls, dyspnea-related disability,
      severity of depression, medical burden, and cognitive functioning. Following
      discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, participants were prospectively
      followed, and mortality was ascertained over 52 weeks from hospital notes and
      reports of primary care physicians and relatives. RESULTS: One-year, all-cause
      mortality was 22% (31 of 138). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that
      history of falls in the 6 months preceding hospital admission was the strongest
      predictor of mortality (OR, 3.05; 95% CI, 1.40-6.66; P < .005). Dyspnea during
      activities (Pulmonary Functional Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire-Modified
      domain) was also associated with mortality (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.08; P <
      .002). Depression severity, medical burden, and cognitive impairment were not
      predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Recent falls and dyspnea during activities
      identify subgroups of depressed patients with COPD at increased risk for all
      cause mortality. These subgroups are in need of clinical attention and follow-up
      and can serve as targets for prevention research aiming to inform clinical
      strategies and public health planning.

PMID- 26111349
TI  - Amyloid-like renal lesions in a roughtail stingray Dasyatis centroura (Mitchill
      1815).

PMID- 26111350
TI  - Enhancement of Sodium Ion Battery Performance Enabled by Oxygen Vacancies.
AB  - The utilization of oxygen vacancies (OVs) in sodium ion batteries (SIBs) is
      expected to enhance performance, but as yet it has rarely been reported. Taking
      the MoO(3-x) nanosheet anode as an example, for the first time we demonstrate the
      benefits of OVs on SIB performance. Moreover, the benefits at deep-discharge
      conditions can be further promoted by an ultrathin Al2O3 coating. A series of
      measurements show that the OVs increase the electric conductivity and Na-ion
      diffusion coefficient, and the promotion from ultrathin coating lies in the
      effective reduction of cycling-induced solid-electrolyte interphase. The coated
      nanosheets exhibited high reversible capacity and great rate capability with the
      capacities of 283.9 (50 mA g(-1)) and 179.3 mAh g(-1) (1 A g(-1)) after 100
      cycles. This work may not only arouse future attention on OVs for sodium energy
      storage, but also open up new possibilities for designing strategies to utilize
      defects in other energy storage systems.

PMID- 26111351
TI  - Randomized phase II trial of docetaxel with or without PSA-TRICOM vaccine in
      patients with castrate-resistant metastatic prostate cancer: A trial of the ECOG
      ACRIN cancer research group (E1809).
AB  - Anti-tumor vaccines have demonstrated efficacy in patients with castration
      resistant metastatic prostate cancer. One vaccine, Prostvac-VF(r), using a
      heterologous prime-boost strategy with vaccinia and fowlpox viral vectors
      encoding PSA, is currently being evaluated in a registration phase III
      multinational clinical trial. The current trial was planned to assess the
      clinical efficacy of this vaccine in patients with castration-resistant
      metastatic prostate cancer receiving subsequent docetaxel chemotherapy. 10
      patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, with a predicted
      survival of at least 18 months, were enrolled out of a planned 144 patients.
      Eight of 10 patients were treated and were randomized to receive docetaxel
      chemotherapy alone (Arm B, n = 2) versus treatment with Prostvac-VF (days 1, 15,
      29, 43, 57) followed by docetaxel (Arm A, n = 6) chemotherapy beginning at month
      3. The primary endpoint of the trial was overall survival, and secondary
      endpoints included time to radiographic progression and immunological response.
      The trial was opened within the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, but due to
      slow accrual was closed by CTEP after only 10 patients were enrolled within 13
      months. RESULTS: Presented here are the safety, clinical, and immunological
      results from 8 eligible patients who underwent treatment. Two of 6 patients
      treated on Arm A, with vaccine followed by docetaxel, had a >50% PSA response,
      with one of these patients experiencing a PSA decline during treatment with
      vaccine. Significant PSA-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses and IgG antibody
      responses specific for PSA were not detected. The primary endpoint of overall
      survival cannot be assessed due to limited accrual. The lack of T-cell responses,
      even in this small cohort, suggests that further validation and development of
      immune biomarkers will be important for future studies. Other trials remain
      ongoing to evaluate the role of anti-tumor vaccination in sequence with other
      traditional anti-tumor therapies.

PMID- 26111352
TI  - Obesity, asthma prevalence and IL-4: Roles of inflammatory cytokines, adiponectin
      and neuropeptide Y.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with asthma risk and severity, but the
      underlying biological mechanisms are poorly understood. We hypothesized that
      cytokine markers of systemic inflammation, and adiponectin and neuropeptide Y
      (NPY) markers of immuno-modulating and neurohormonal regulation are involved in
      the obesity-asthma association. METHODS: We explored the relationships between
      body mass index (BMI), C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, TNF-alpha, adiponectin and
      NPY with asthma prevalence and IL-4 levels in 70 youth with asthma and 69 age-
      and gender-matched healthy controls using cross-sectional and longitudinal data.
      RESULTS: Mean BMI level was higher among patients with asthma than healthy
      controls (p < 0.001). In logistic regression models controlling for potential
      confounders, independent associations with asthma prevalence were found for
      obesity (p = 0.001), increasing tertiles of CRP (linear trend p < 0.001), IL-6
      (linear trend p < 0.001) and lowest and highest tertiles of TNF-alpha (quadratic
      trend p < 0.05), increasing adiponectin (linear p = 0.022) and decreasing
      tertiles of NPY (linear trend p = 0.001). Among patients with asthma, NPY level
      was positively correlated with adiponectin (p < 0.05) and TNF-alpha (p < 0.05),
      and levels of NPY and IL-6 were significantly associated with IL-4 level at
      baseline and 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The obesity-asthma association was
      not explained by systemic inflammation. Specifically, CRP, TNF-a, IL-6, NPY and
      adiponectin were independently associated with asthma prevalence. NPY and IL-6
      were associated with IL-4 marker of allergic airway inflammation in asthma and
      should be further investigated as prognostic markers of asthma outcomes.

PMID- 26111354
TI  - Reaction Time Is Slower When Walking at a Slow Pace in Young Adults.
AB  - Limited research has examined attentional requirements of walking at various
      speeds. Twenty young adults were asked to walk 10 m at their preferred pace, 30%
      faster or 30% slower while verbally responding "top" as fast as possible to
      random auditory stimuli. Slow walking demonstrated significantly longer reaction
      time (RT; 457 +/- 91 ms) than preferred (423 +/- 80 ms) and fast (396 +/- 73 ms)
      walking speeds, F(2, 38) = 13.4, p < .001; eta(2)p = .414. Walking at a preferred
      pace also led to longer RT than walking at a fast pace (p < .05). Slower RT
      during slow walking may be attributed to increased task complexity, energy
      requirements and equilibrium demands. Faster RTs during fast walking could be due
      to familiarity of the task, higher arousal levels, and similar task instructions
      compared to slower speeds. 

PMID- 26111353
TI  - Gaseous Emissions from Light-Duty Vehicles: Moving from NEDC to the New WLTP Test
      Procedure.
AB  - The Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Test Procedure (WLTP), recently issued as
      GTR15 by UNECE-WP29, is designed to check the pollutant emission compliance of
      Light Duty Vehicles (LDVs) around the world and to establish the reference
      vehicle fuel consumption and CO2 performance. In the course of the development of
      WLTP, the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission has tested
      gaseous emissions of twenty-one Euro 4-6 gasoline and diesel vehicles, on both
      the current European type approval test procedure (NEDC) and the progressive
      versions of the WLTP. The results, which should be regarded just as an initial
      and qualitative indication of the trends, demonstrated minimal average
      differences between CO2 emissions over the NEDC and WLTP. On the other hand, CO2
      emissions measured at JRC on the NEDC were on average 9% higher than the
      respective type approval values, therefore suggesting that for the tested
      vehicles, CO2 emissions over WLTP were almost 10% higher than the respective NEDC
      type approval values. That difference is likely to increase with application of
      the full WLTP test procedure. Measured THC emissions from most vehicles stayed
      below the legal emission limits and in general were lower under the WLTP compared
      to NEDC. Moving from NEDC to WLTP did not have much impact on NOx from gasoline
      vehicles and CO from diesel vehicles. On the contrary, NOx from diesel vehicles
      and CO from low-powered gasoline vehicles were significantly higher over the more
      dynamic WLTP and in several cases exceeded the emission limits. Results from this
      study can be considered indicative of emission patterns of modern technology
      vehicles and useful to both policy makers and vehicle manufacturers in developing
      future emission policy/technology strategies. 

PMID- 26111355
TI  - Discovery and Modification of in Vivo Active Nrf2 Activators with 1,2,4
      Oxadiazole Core: Hits Identification and Structure-Activity Relationship Study.
AB  - Induction of phase II antioxidant enzymes by activation of Nrf2/ARE pathway has
      been recognized as a promising strategy for the regulation of oxidative stress
      related diseases. Herein we report our effort on the discovery and optimization
      of Nrf2 activators with 1,2,4-oxadiazole core. Screening of an in-house
      collection containing 7500 compounds by ARE-luciferase reporter assay revealed a
      moderate Nrf2 activator, 1. Aimed at obtaining more derivatives efficiently,
      molecular similarity search by the combination of 2D fingerprint-based and 3D
      shape-based search was applied to virtually screening the Chemdiv collection.
      Three derivatives with the same core were identified to have better inductivity
      of Nrf2 than 1. The best hit 4 was selected as starting point for structurally
      optimization, leading to a much more potent derivative 32. It in vitro
      upregulated gene and protein level of Nrf2 as well as its downstream markers such
      as NQO1, GCLM, and HO-1. It remarkably suppressed inflammation in the in vivo LPS
      challenged mouse model. Our results provide a new chemotype as Nrf2-ARE
      activators which deserve further optimization with the aim to obtain active anti
      inflammatory agents through Nrf2-ARE pathway. 

PMID- 26111356
TI  - Pregabalin for the treatment of patients with generalized anxiety disorder with
      inadequate treatment response to antidepressants and severe depressive symptoms.
AB  - To evaluate the effectiveness of pregabalin in patients with resistant
      generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and severe depressive symptoms, we carried out
      a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter, prospective, and observational 6-month
      study. We included patients who were at least 18 years old, fulfilled the
      Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV) criteria
      for GAD, showed inadequate responses to previous courses of antidepressant
      treatment, had Montgomery-Asberg Rating Scale scores of at least 35, had not
      received pregabalin previously, and were prescribed pregabalin upon entry into
      this study. We included 1815 patients fulfilling the DSM-IV criteria for GAD, and
      133 (7.3%) fulfilled the selection criteria for these analyses. Ninety-seven
      percent of the patients received pregabalin (mean dose: 222 mg/day) in
      combination with other psychotropics. The Hamilton Anxiety Scale total score was
      reduced by a mean of 20.3 points (95% confidence interval, 22.1-18.4) (57.2%
      reduction) at month 6. Pregabalin also ameliorated comorbid depressive symptoms,
      with a reduction in the mean score of the Montgomery-Asberg Rating Scale of 22.3
      points (95% confidence interval, 24.2-20.4) (56.6% reduction). Our results
      suggest that pregabalin, as part of a combination regimen with antidepressants
      and/or benzodiazepines, might be effective for the treatment of patients with GAD
      who have shown inadequate response to previous antidepressants and have severe
      depressive symptoms. 

PMID- 26111357
TI  - Metal-Organic Frameworks Incorporating Various Alkoxy Pendant Groups: Hollow
      Tubular Morphologies, X-ray Single-Crystal Structures, and Selective Carbon
      Dioxide Adsorption Properties.
AB  - Eight porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) incorporating various alkoxy pendant
      groups (-OC(n)H(2n+1); n=1-8) in the channels have been synthesized. All MOFs
      have macrosized, hollow, single-crystal morphologies independent of the type of
      alkoxy pendant groups. The X-ray single-crystal structures indicate that the MOFs
      have doubly interpenetrated 3D frameworks that generate clover-shaped 1D
      channels, the window sizes of which reduce as the length of the alkoxy pendant
      groups increases from -OCH3 to -OC8H17. The hollow axes of the tubular crystals
      are parallel to the 1D channels of the MOFs, which suggests that the hollow
      crystal is grown by the unidirectional addition of pillar ligands to the 2D
      network. Among the activated MOFs, only the MOFs with methoxy and ethoxy pendant
      groups show selective CO2 adsorption over N2 and CH4, whereas those with longer
      alkoxy pendant groups barely adsorb CO2 at room temperature, which implies that
      the pendant doors of the MOFs should have an appropriate length for selective CO2
      capture.

PMID- 26111358
TI  - Incretin-based therapies for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease:
      A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause
      of chronic liver disease in Western societies. Despite its significance, there
      are no well-proven pharmacological treatments. Two novel classes of potential
      pharmacotherapies are the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA)
      and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4I), collectively known as incretin
      based therapies. These have several metabolic and anti-inflammatory actions that
      may be of benefit in NAFLD. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate their
      efficacy via a structured retrieval and pooled analysis of relevant studies.
      METHODS: Studies were sourced from electronic databases and meeting abstracts.
      Main inclusion criteria were original studies investigating treatment of adults
      with NAFLD using GLP-1 RA/DPP-4I. Key outcomes were a change in serum alanine
      transaminase (ALT), as a marker of liver inflammation, and improvement in disease
      status measured by imaging or histology. RESULTS: Initial searching retrieved
      1357 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts. Four studies met all inclusion and
      exclusion criteria. There were a total of 136 participants with NAFLD and
      concomitant type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Meta-analysis (random-effects model)
      revealed a significant decrease in serum ALT following treatment (mean reduction
      14.1 IU/L, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 8.3-19.8, P < 0.0001). In two studies
      with imaging and tissue data, treatment was found to significantly reduce
      steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis. CONCLUSION: The significant decrease in a
      key biochemical marker of hepatic inflammation following treatment with incretin
      based therapies, as well as improvements in imaging and histology, suggests these
      agents may be effective options for managing NAFLD with comorbid T2DM.

PMID- 26111360
TI  - Evaluation of bipolar radiofrequency ablation for occluded self-expandable metal
      stents in the bile duct: in vivo and in vitro study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Endobiliary radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been used to
      treat occluded self-expandable metal stents (SEMSs). The aim of this study was to
      determine the characteristics of bipolar RFA in occluded SEMSs using both in vivo
      and in vitro models. METHODS: For the in vivo study, uncovered SEMSs were
      deployed in the bile ducts of three pigs; another pig was used as the control.
      RFA was performed at 10 W for 90 seconds. The bile duct was examined for
      histological changes. For the in vitro simulation of tissue ingrowth in SEMSs,
      RFA at 10 W for 30 seconds was performed on SEMS-occlusion polyacrylamide-gel
      phantoms. RESULTS: The ablation depth was markedly reduced in the stented porcine
      bile duct. RFA of uncovered SEMS-occlusion gel phantoms resulted in early
      termination of RFA when the coagulated area contacted the SEMS. This phenomenon
      was not observed in RFA of the covered SEMS-occlusion gel phantoms. CONCLUSIONS:
      The presence of SEMSs attenuated the effect of bipolar endobiliary RFA. Tumorous
      tissue outside the SEMS is unlikely to be affected.

PMID- 26111361
TI  - Endoscopic treatment of fistula after sleeve gastrectomy: results of a
      multicenter retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Fistula is the main complication of laparoscopic
      sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), for which healing is difficult to achieve. The aims of
      the study were to evaluate the efficacy of interventional endoscopy for post-LSG
      fistula treatment, to evaluate various endoscopic techniques used and identify
      their complications, and to identify predictive factors of healing following
      endoscopic treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective multicenter study
      included patients with post-LSG fistula. Therapeutic procedures were evaluated,
      taking into account complications and healing times. Endoscopic procedures were
      considered to have promoted healing if no other surgical procedure was performed.
      Predictive factors of healing were identified by univariate and multivariate
      analysis. RESULTS: A total of 110 patients were included, of whom 6 (5.5 %)
      healed spontaneously, 81 (73.6 %) healed following endoscopic treatment, and 19
      (17.3 %) healed following surgery. Healing rates following endoscopic treatment
      were 84.4 % in the first 6 months of treatment (65/77), 52.4 % for treatment
      lasting 6 - 12 months (11/21), and 41.7 % after 12 months of treatment (5/12). A
      drainage procedure (surgical, endoscopic, or percutaneous) was performed in 92
      patients (83.6 %). A total of 177 esogastric stents were placed in 88 patients
      (80.0 %). Surgical debridement, clip placement, glue sealing, and plug placement
      were also performed. Multivariate analysis identified four predictive factors of
      healing following endoscopic treatment: interval < 21 days between fistula
      diagnosis and first endoscopy (P = 0.003), small fistula (P = 0.01), interval
      between LSG and fistula <= 3 days (P = 0.01), no history of gastric banding (P =
      0.04). CONCLUSION: Endoscopic treatment facilitated healing of post-LSG fistula
      in 74 % of patients. Early endoscopic treatment increased the likelihood of
      success, and was most effective during the first 6 months of management. After
      this point, surgical treatment should be considered.

PMID- 26111362
TI  - Surveillance strategy based on the incidence and patterns of recurrence after
      curative endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: To suggest an appropriate surveillance strategy after
      curative endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric cancers, based
      on incidence and patterns of local, metachronous, and extragastric recurrence.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 2003 and 2011, 1497 consecutive patients with 1539
      differentiated-type early gastric cancers meeting absolute or expanded indication
      criteria underwent curative ESD. They were followed up with
      esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and abdominal computed tomography (CT) under a
      standardized surveillance protocol. Long-term outcomes were analyzed for 1306
      patients with at least 1 year's follow-up. RESULTS: Incidences of residual and
      synchronous lesions detected within 1 year were 0.13 % and 0.87 %, respectively.
      During median 47 months of follow-up, there was 1 local recurrence (0.08 %; early
      gastric cancer) and 47 cases of metachronous recurrence (3.6 %; 44 early gastric
      cancers, 3 pT2 advanced gastric cancers); all were curatively treated. During a 5
      year surveillance, the cumulative incidence curve of metachronous recurrence
      increased linearly. Median time from ESD to metachronous recurrence was 30
      months. There were 2 extragastric recurrences (0.15 %) in lymph nodes, at 5 and 4
      years, respectively, after curative ESD for absolute and expanded indications.
      The patient with the expanded indications underwent a palliative operation and
      died of gastric cancer progression. CONCLUSIONS: There was a constant incidence
      rate of metachronous recurrence during a 5-year surveillance period and there was
      extragastric recurrence at least 4 years after ESD of early gastric cancer even
      for absolute indications. Therefore, annual or biannual surveillance EGD and
      abdominal CT might be necessary for at least 5 years after curative ESD for early
      gastric cancers, with absolute as well as expanded indications.

PMID- 26111359
TI  - Targets for Ibrutinib Beyond B Cell Malignancies.
AB  - Ibrutinib (ImbruvicaTM) is an irreversible, potent inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine
      kinase (BTK). Over the last few years, ibrutinib has developed from a promising
      drug candidate to being approved by FDA for the treatment of three B cell
      malignancies, a truly remarkable feat. Few, if any medicines are monospecific and
      ibrutinib is no exception; already during ibrutinib's initial characterization,
      it was found that it could bind also to other kinases. In this review, we discuss
      the implications of such interactions, which go beyond the selective effect on
      BTK in B cell malignancies. In certain cases, the outcome of ibrutinib treatment
      likely results from the combined inhibition of BTK and other kinases, causing
      additive or synergistic, effects. Conversely, there are also examples when the
      clinical outcome seems unrelated to inhibition of BTK. Thus, more specifically,
      adverse effects such as enhanced bleeding or arrhythmias could potentially be
      explained by different interactions. We also predict that during long-term
      treatment bone homoeostasis might be affected due to the inhibition of
      osteoclasts. Moreover, the binding of ibrutinib to molecular targets other than
      BTK or effects on cells other than B cell-derived malignancies could be
      beneficial and result in new indications for clinical applications.

PMID- 26111365
TI  - Eight Urgent Care Center Best Practices for Safe Care Transitions.

PMID- 26111366
TI  - Creating a Patient Complaint Capture and Resolution Process to Incorporate Best
      Practices for Patient-Centered Representation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence suggests that patient (including family)
      feedback can provide compelling opportunities for developing risk management and
      quality improvement strategies, as well as improving customer satisfaction. The
      Patient Representative Department (PRD) at Stanford Health Care (SHC) (Stanford,
      California) created a streamlined patient complaint capture and resolution
      process to improve the capture of patient complaints and grievances from multiple
      parts of the organization and manage them in a centralized database. METHODS: In
      March 2008 the PRD rolled out a data management system for tracking patient
      complaints and generating reports to SHC leadership, and SHC needed to modify and
      address its data input procedures. A reevaluation of the overall work flow showed
      it to be complex, with over-lapping and redundant steps, and to lack standard
      processes and actions. Best-practice changes were implemented: (1) leadership
      engagement, (2) increased capture of complaints, (3) centralized data and
      reporting, (4) improved average response times to patient grievances and
      complaints, and (5) improved service recovery. Standard work flows were created
      for each category of complaint linked to specific actions. RESULTS: Complaints
      captured increased from 20 to 270 per month. Links to a specific physician rose
      from 16%-36% to more than 80%. In addition, 68% of high-complaint physicians
      improved. With improved work flows, responses to patients expressing concerns met
      a requirement of less than seven days. CONCLUSIONS: Standardized work flows for
      managing complaints and grievances, centralized data management and clear
      leadership accountability can improve responsiveness to patients, capture
      incidents more consistently, and meet regulatory and accreditation requirements.

PMID- 26111367
TI  - Implementing Best Evidence in Smoking Cessation Treatment for Hospitalized
      Veterans: Results from the VA-BEST Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has promoted
      adherence to smoking cessation guidelines since 1997, hospitalized smokers do not
      consistently receive assistance in quitting. METHODS: In a pre-post guideline
      implementation trial on the inpatient medicine units of four VA hospitals, the
      effectiveness of a multimodal intervention (enhanced academic detailing,
      modification of the nursing admission template, patient education materials and
      quitline referral, practice facilitation and staff feedback) changing practice
      behavior was evaluated. Peridischarge interviews were conducted with 824 patients
      to assess receipt of nurses' and physicians' delivery of the 5A's (Ask, Advise,
      Assess, Assist, Arrange) in hospitalized smokers. RESULTS: Subjects were
      significantly more likely to have received each of the 5A's from a nurse during
      the postimplementation period (except for "advise to quit"). More patients were
      assisted in quitting (75% versus 56%, adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.3, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] = 1.6, 3.1) and had follow-up arranged (23% versus 18%,
      adjusted OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.0, 2.2) by a nurse during the postimplementation
      period. However, unadjusted results showed no improvement in seven-day point
      prevalence abstinence at six-month follow-up (13.5% versus 13.9%). Nurses' self
      efficacy in cessation counseling, as measured in a survey of 166 unit nurses,
      improved following guideline implementation. DISCUSSION: A multifaceted
      intervention including enhanced academic detailing is an effective strategy for
      improving the delivery of smoking cessation services in medical inpatients. To
      promote long-term cessation, more intensive interventions are needed to ensure
      that motivated smokers receive guideline-recommended treatment (including
      pharmacotherapy and referral to outpatient cessation counseling).

PMID- 26111363
TI  - Transforming growth factor-beta 1 in humidifier disinfectant-associated
      children's interstitial lung disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Humidifier disinfectant-associated children's interstitial lung
      disease has an unpredictable clinical course with a high morbidity and mortality.
      OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the differences in clinical findings between survivors
      and non-survivors of humidifier disinfectant-associated children's interstitial
      lung disease. To evaluate dynamic changes in serum cytokines related to
      inflammation and fibrosis in lung injury, and to determine whether these changes
      are predictive of survival in this disease. METHODS: We evaluated 17 children
      with humidifier disinfectant-associated children's interstitial lung disease,
      from whom serum samples were obtained weekly during hospitalization. The severity
      of chest tomographic and lung pathologic findings was scored. Levels of several
      cytokines were measured in the serial serum samples. RESULTS: Seven of the 17
      children were survivors. Compared to survivors, non-survivors had greater ground
      glass attenuation on follow-up chest tomography, higher admission neutrophil
      counts, and more macrophages on pathologic findings. Transforming growth factor
      beta 1 persisted at an elevated level (1,000-1,500 pg/ml) in survivors, whereas
      it decreased abruptly in non-survivors. At the time of this decrease, non
      survivors had clinical worsening of their respiratory failure. Transforming
      growth factor-beta 1 was positively correlated with PaO2 /FiO2 (r = 0.481, P <
      0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Non-survivors exhibited more inflammatory clinical findings
      than survivors. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 remained elevated in survivors,
      suggesting that it affected the clinical course of humidifier disinfectant
      associated children's interstitial lung disease. The prognosis of this lung
      disease may depend more on controlling excessive inflammation and repairing
      damaged lung than on fibrosis, and transforming growth factor-beta 1 may play a
      key role in this process.

PMID- 26111368
TI  - Barriers and Strategies for Effective Patient Rescue: A Qualitative Study of
      Outliers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Organizational factors influencing failure-to-rescue (FTR)-or death
      after postoperative complications-are poorly understood. Case studies were
      conducted to generate hypotheses that could inform future FTR research and
      improvement strategies. METHODS: Publicly reported 2009-2011 data were used to
      identify 144 outlier hospitals with statistically better or worse FTR performance
      than the national average. Of these 144 hospitals, 7 were selected for case
      studies in a purposive sample. Outliers enabled a focus on the organizational
      factors and processes at the extremes of performance. Semi-structured interviews
      were conducted in 2013 with key informants at each hospital, and transcripts were
      analyzed using the constant comparative method to identify emergent
      organizational behavioral themes. RESULTS: The 7 hospitals-4 high- and 3 low
      performing-yielded 106 interviews. Critical barriers to effective rescue were
      ineffective communication, lack of psychological safety, staffing discontinuity,
      imbalance of shared ownership and individual responsibility, lack of appropriate
      training and education, and difficulty using current metrics. Participants also
      identified strategies to overcome these barriers-rapid response teams, flattening
      the hierarchy, escalation strategies, health information technology, structured
      communication tools, constant team structures, standardized care pathways, and
      organizational learning. CONCLUSION: FTR is a complex process that is viewed,
      defined, and acted on differently across and within organizations. Early
      recognition of patients deviating from normal recovery was enhanced in high
      performing hospitals through the use of standardized postoperative recovery
      pathways and automated escalation protocols. Current FTR measures may be less
      actionable for the purposes of quality improvement.

PMID- 26111369
TI  - Lost In Translation? Addressing Barriers in the Application of Industrial Process
      Improvement Methodologies to Health Care.

PMID- 26111370
TI  - The Language Services Documentation Tool: Documenting How Patient Language Needs
      Were Met During Clinical Encounters.

PMID- 26111371
TI  - Dynamically Tuning Particle Interactions and Assemblies at Soft Interfaces:
      Reversible Order-Disorder Transitions in 2D Particle Monolayers.
AB  - Particles trapped at fluid interfaces experience long-range interactions that
      determine their assembly behavior. Because particle interactions at fluid
      interfaces tend to be unusually strong, once particles organize themselves into a
      2D assembly, it is challenging to induce changes in their microstructure. In this
      report, a new approach is presented to induce reversible order-disorder
      transitions (ODTs) in the 2D monolayer of colloidal particles trapped at a soft
      gel-fluid interface. Particles at the soft interface, consisting of a nonpolar
      superphase and a weakly gelled subphase, initially form a monolayer with a highly
      ordered structure. The structure of this monolayer can be dynamically varied by
      the addition or removal of the oil phase. Upon removing the oil via evaporation,
      the initially ordered particle monolayer undergoes ODT, driven by capillary
      attractions. The ordered monolayer can be recovered through disorder-to-order
      transition by simply adding oil atop the particle-laden soft interface. The
      possibility to dynamically tune the interparticle interactions using soft
      interfaces can potentially enable control of the transport and mechanical
      properties of particle-laden interfaces and provide model systems to study
      particle-laden soft interfaces that are relevant to biological tissues or organs.

PMID- 26111372
TI  - Adsorption of bovine serum albumin on silver surfaces enhances the release of
      silver at pH neutral conditions.
AB  - Metallic biomaterials are widely used to replace and/or restore the function of
      damaged bodily parts. The use of silver as antibacterial coatings onto implants
      has recently gained large interest in medical applications. The extent of silver
      that can be released into different biological fluids from such coatings is,
      except for the surface characteristics of the coating, governed by parameters
      such as protein characteristics, adsorbed layer properties, formation of silver
      protein complexes as well as concentrations of proteins in the solution. This
      study aims to relate the structure of adsorbed net negatively charged bovine
      serum albumin (BSA), which is the most abundant protein in serum, to the release
      of silver from metallic silver surfaces in order to elucidate if the net charge
      of the protein has any effect of the silver release. Simultaneous adsorption
      measurements were performed in real time on the very same surface using combined
      ellipsometry and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D)
      measurements to provide a more comprehensive understanding on adsorption kinetics
      and layer structures. The amount of released silver into solution was measured by
      means of graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF-AAS). The structure
      of the adsorbed BSA layer largely influenced the amount of released silver, an
      enhancement that increased with BSA concentration. These observations are in
      complete contrast to the effect of net positively charged lysozyme (LSZ) adsorbed
      on silver, previously studied by the authors, for which a complete surface
      coverage suppressed the possibility for silver release. The underlying mechanisms
      behind the enhanced release of silver in the presence of BSA were mainly
      attributed to surface complexation between BSA and silver followed by an enhanced
      exchange rate of these surface complexes with BSA molecules in the solution,
      which in turn increase the amount of released silver in solution. 

PMID- 26111373
TI  - Wound repair during arm regeneration in the red starfish Echinaster sepositus.
AB  - Starfish can regenerate entire arms following their loss by both autotomic and
      traumatic amputation. Although the overall regenerative process has been studied
      several times in different asteroid species, there is still a considerable gap of
      knowledge as far as the detailed aspects of the repair phase at tissue and
      cellular level are concerned, particularly in post-traumatic regeneration. The
      present work is focused on the arm regeneration model in the Mediterranean red
      starfish Echinaster sepositus; to describe the early cellular mechanisms of arm
      regeneration following traumatic amputation, different microscopy techniques were
      employed. In E. sepositus, the repair phase was characterized by prompt wound
      healing by a syncytial network of phagocytes and re-epithelialisation followed by
      a localized subepidermal oedematous area formation. Scattered and apparently
      undifferentiated cells, intermixed with numerous phagocytes, were frequently
      found in the wound area during these first stages of regeneration and extensive
      dedifferentiation phenomena were seen at the level of the stump, particularly in
      the muscle bundles. A true localized blastema did not form. Our results confirm
      that regeneration in asteroids mainly relies on morphallactic processes,
      consisting in extensive rearrangement of the existing tissues which contribute to
      the new tissues through cell dedifferentiation, redifferentiation, and/or
      migration. 

PMID- 26111375
TI  - An Innovative Design of a Clay-Zeolite Medium for the Adsorption of Total
      Phosphorus from Wastewater.
AB  - Phosphorus significantly influences the eutrophication process, modifying the
      quality of waterways and habitat, especially in stagnant waterbodies exposed to
      septic tank effluent at high nutrient levels. This research explores the
      development of a cost-effective, efficient, and affordable on-site wastewater
      treatment system targeted as total phosphorus (TP) removal technology. The
      research objective is to demonstrate the TP removal efficiency of an optimized
      clay-zeolite medium by chemical adsorption. The study observes the effects of
      pellet medium design and modifications, influent concentrations, and contact
      time. Following various stages of optimization, the preliminary testing achieves
      a 45 +/- 1.8% removal after 45 minutes of contact time. The optimized pellets are
      contained within a five-layer bench-scale model, achieving equilibrium TP removal
      of 72 +/- 2.9% after 3 hours. Theoretical extrapolation to 12 contact hours
      indicates an achievement of 88% removal is possible. The results show a positive
      correlation with the linearized Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms.

PMID- 26111374
TI  - Time-Course Gene Set Analysis for Longitudinal Gene Expression Data.
AB  - Gene set analysis methods, which consider predefined groups of genes in the
      analysis of genomic data, have been successfully applied for analyzing gene
      expression data in cross-sectional studies. The time-course gene set analysis
      (TcGSA) introduced here is an extension of gene set analysis to longitudinal
      data. The proposed method relies on random effects modeling with maximum
      likelihood estimates. It allows to use all available repeated measurements while
      dealing with unbalanced data due to missing at random (MAR) measurements. TcGSA
      is a hypothesis driven method that identifies a priori defined gene sets with
      significant expression variations over time, taking into account the potential
      heterogeneity of expression within gene sets. When biological conditions are
      compared, the method indicates if the time patterns of gene sets significantly
      differ according to these conditions. The interest of the method is illustrated
      by its application to two real life datasets: an HIV therapeutic vaccine trial
      (DALIA-1 trial), and data from a recent study on influenza and pneumococcal
      vaccines. In the DALIA-1 trial TcGSA revealed a significant change in gene
      expression over time within 69 gene sets during vaccination, while a standard
      univariate individual gene analysis corrected for multiple testing as well as a
      standard a Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) for time series both failed to
      detect any significant pattern change over time. When applied to the second
      illustrative data set, TcGSA allowed the identification of 4 gene sets finally
      found to be linked with the influenza vaccine too although they were found to be
      associated to the pneumococcal vaccine only in previous analyses. In our
      simulation study TcGSA exhibits good statistical properties, and an increased
      power compared to other approaches for analyzing time-course expression patterns
      of gene sets. The method is made available for the community through an R
      package. 

PMID- 26111377
TI  - Editorial: Moving Patients from Consultants to Partners in Health Care System
      Redesign: Achieving Meaningful Engagement.

PMID- 26111378
TI  - Engaging Patients at the Front Lines of Primary Care Redesign: Operational
      Lessons for an Effective Program.
AB  - Article-at-a-Glance Background: The lack of patient engagement in quality
      improvement is concerning. As part of an enterprisewide initiative to redesign
      primary care at UW Health, interdisciplinary primary care teams received training
      in patient engagement. METHODS: Organizational stakeholders held a structured
      discussion and used nominal group technique to identify the key components
      critical to fostering a culture of patient engagement and critical lessons
      learned. These findings were augmented and illustrated by review of transcripts
      of two focus groups held with clinic managers and 69 interviews with individual
      microsystem team members. RESULTS: From late 2009 to 2014, 47 (81%) of 58 teams
      have engaged patients in various stages of practice improvement projects.
      Organizational components identified as critical to fostering a culture of
      patient engagement were alignment of the organization's vision that guided the
      redesign with national priorities, readily available external experts,
      involvement of all care team members in patient engagement, integration within an
      existing continuous improvement team development program, and an intervention
      deliberately matched to organizational readiness. Critical lessons learned were
      the need to embed patient engagement into current improvement activities,
      designate a neutral point person(s) or group to navigate organizational
      complexities, commit resources to support patient engagement activities, and plan
      for sustained team-patient interactions. CONCLUSIONS: Current national health
      care policy and local market pressures are compelling partnering with patients in
      efforts to improve the value of the health care delivery system. The UW Health
      experience may be useful for organizations seeking to introduce or strengthen the
      patient role in designing delivery system improvements.

PMID- 26111379
TI  - Strategies for Aligning Physicians to System Redesign Goals at Eight Safety-Net
      Systems.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Facing recent economic and regulatory pressures, safety-net systems
      (SNSs) are redesigning their organizations to improve care delivery, remain
      financially viable, and maintain competitive positions. Aligning physicians with
      redesign goals is a priority, particularly as many SNSs shift toward patient
      centered, population health-focused models. No previous work has examined efforts
      to align physicians to safety net redesign efforts. METHODS: This qualitative
      study, conducted at eight SNSs, examined challenges faced in a changing health
      care environment, as well as strategies and resources to address them. RESULTS:
      Strategies clustered in two categories: physician role definition and
      organizational infrastructure. Physician role definition strategies were (1)
      changing payment and employment arrangements, (2) changing clinical roles, (3)
      increasing physician involvement in quality improvement, and (4) strengthening
      physician leadership in clinical and quality roles. Organizational infrastructure
      strategies were (1) ensuring medical center leadership support and integration,
      (2) utilizing data to drive physician behavior, and (3) addressing competing
      allegiances with academia. All sites reported multifaceted approaches but
      differed in specific strategies employed, facilitators noted, and challenges
      encountered. DISCUSSION: The findings highlight the need to implement multiple
      strategies to align physicians in redesign efforts. They suggest that all health
      systems, whether SNSs or not, can capitalize on qualities of physicians and
      existing infrastructural and leadership elements to achieve physician alignment.
      However, they must contend with and address challenges of competing allegiance
      (for example, academic, physician organization, hospital), as well as resistance
      to changing clinical roles and payment structures.

PMID- 26111380
TI  - Excellence in Transitional Care of Older Adults and Pay-for-Performance:
      Perspectives of Health Care Professionals.
AB  - Article-at-a-Glance Background: Care transitions across health care settings are
      common and can result in adverse outcomes for older adults. Few studies have
      examined health care professionals' perspectives on important process measures or
      pay-for-performance (P4P) strategies related to transitional care. A study was
      conducted to characterize health care professionals' perspectives on (1)
      successful transitional care of older adults (age 65 years and older), (2)
      suggestions for improvement, and (3) P4P strategies related to transitional care.
      METHODS: In a qualitative study, one-hour semistructured in-depth interviews were
      conducted in an acute care hospital, a skilled nursing facility, two community
      based primary care practices, and one home health care agency with 20 health care
      professionals (18 physicians and 2 home health care administrators) with direct
      experience in care transitions of older adults and who were likely to be affected
      by P4P strategies. RESULTS: Findings were organized into three thematic domains:
      (1) components and markers of effective transitional care, (2) difficulties in
      design and implementation of P4P strategies, and (3) health care professionals'
      concerns and unmet needs related to delivering optimal care during transitions. A
      conceptual framework was developed on the basis of the findings to guide design
      and implementation of P4P strategies for improving transitional care. CONCLUSION:
      In characterizing health care professionals' perspectives, specific care
      processes to target, challenges to address in the design of P4P strategies, and
      unmet needs to consider regarding education and feedback for health care
      professionals were described. Future investigations could evaluate whether
      performance targets, educational interventions, and implementation strategies
      based on this conceptual framework improve quality of transitional care.

PMID- 26111382
TI  - An Assessment of Critical Care Interventions and Resource Utilization During
      Medical Emergency Team Activations in Nonhospitalized Patients.

PMID- 26111381
TI  - Reducing Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections in Three ICUs at a
      Tertiary Care Hospital in the United Arab Emirates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) is associated
      with significant morbidity and mortality. A quality improvement project was
      conducted to decrease CLABSI rates by 50% across all ICUs in a tertiary care
      hospital (Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates). METHODS:
      A multifaceted interventional program was implemented in a drive to reduce CLABSI
      rates. Stage 1 of the intervention entailed implementation of a central line
      insertion bundle, an insertion checklist, dedicated central line trolleys,
      education of all staff involved in insertion and maintenance of central lines,
      and empowerment of nurses. Stage 2 entailed implementation of a maintenance
      bundle and a CLABSI prevention policy and inclusion of central line assessment in
      the daily goals. Stage 3 was implemented in the form of CLABSI champions, spot
      checks on maintenance techniques, and review of every CLABSI. Stage 4 entailed
      the implementation of a Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP). Stage 5
      consisted of a "back to basics" campaign, which included refocusing on basic
      evidence-based care bundles, introduction of bundle-compliance verification, and
      educational sessions and awareness programs. RESULTS: Overall CLABSI rates
      significantly decreased (p < .0001) from a mean of 2.99 (standard deviation [SD],
      1.69) in the preimplementation period (January 2008-June 2011) to 1.47 (SD, 1.01)
      in the postimplementation period (July 2011-August 2014) across all ICUs.
      Overall, there were significantly more months with CLABSI-free days in the post
      implementation than in the preimplementation period. CONCLUSION: The combination
      of evidence-based interventions, standardization of procedures, teamwork, and
      front-line staff involvement in the decision-making process contributed to
      decreases in CLABSI rates across three ICUs.

PMID- 26111385
TI  - Discrete Wavelet Transform-Based Whole-Spectral and Subspectral Analysis for
      Improved Brain Tumor Clustering Using Single Voxel MR Spectroscopy.
AB  - Many approaches have been considered for automatic grading of brain tumors by
      means of pattern recognition with magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).
      Providing an improved technique which can assist clinicians in accurately
      identifying brain tumor grades is our main objective. The proposed technique,
      which is based on the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) of whole-spectral or
      subspectral information of key metabolites, combined with unsupervised learning,
      inspects the separability of the extracted wavelet features from the MRS signal
      to aid the clustering. In total, we included 134 short echo time single voxel MRS
      spectra (SV MRS) in our study that cover normal controls, low grade and high
      grade tumors. The combination of DWT-based whole-spectral or subspectral analysis
      and unsupervised clustering achieved an overall clustering accuracy of 94.8% and
      a balanced error rate of 7.8%. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first
      study using DWT combined with unsupervised learning to cluster brain SV MRS.
      Instead of dimensionality reduction on SV MRS or feature selection using model
      fitting, our study provides an alternative method of extracting features to
      obtain promising clustering results. 

PMID- 26111384
TI  - Registered report: BET bromodomain inhibition as a therapeutic strategy to target
      c-Myc.
AB  - The Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology seeks to address growing concerns
      about reproducibility in scientific research by replicating selected results from
      a substantial number of high-profile papers in the field of cancer biology
      published between 2010 and 2012. This Registered report describes the proposed
      replication plan of key experiments from 'BET bromodomain inhibition as a
      therapeutic strategy to target c-Myc' by Delmore and colleagues, published in
      Cell in 2011 (Delmore et al., 2011). The key experiments that will be replicated
      are those reported in Figures 3B and 7C-E. Delmore and colleagues demonstrated
      that treatment with JQ1, a small molecular inhibitor targeting BET bromodomains,
      resulted in the transcriptional down-regulation of the c-Myc oncogene in vitro
      (Figure 3B; Delmore et al., 2011). To assess the therapeutic efficacy of JQ1 in
      vivo, mice bearing multiple myeloma (MM) lesions were treated with JQ1 before
      evaluation for tumor burden and overall survival. JQ1 treatment significantly
      reduced disease burden and increased survival time (Figure 7C-E; Delmore et al.,
      2011). The Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology is a collaboration between the
      Center for Open Science and Science Exchange and the results of the replications
      will be published in eLife. 

PMID- 26111386
TI  - Depth Sensing for Improved Control of Lower Limb Prostheses.
AB  - Powered lower limb prostheses have potential to improve the quality of life of
      individuals with amputations by enabling all daily activities. However, seamless
      ambulation mode recognition is necessary to achieve this goal and is not yet a
      clinical reality. Current intent recognition systems use mechanical and EMG
      sensors to estimate prosthesis and user status. We propose to complement these
      systems by integrating information about the environment obtained through the
      depth sensing. This paper presents the design, characterization, and the early
      validation of a novel stair segmentation system based on Microsoft Kinect. Static
      and dynamic tests were performed. A first experiment showed how the resolution of
      the depth camera affects the speed and the accuracy of segmentation. A second
      test proved the robustness of the algorithm to different staircases. Finally, we
      performed an online walking test with the stair segmentation and related measures
      recorded online at >5 frames/s. Experimental results show that the proposed
      algorithm allows for an accurate estimate of distance, angle of intersection,
      number of steps, stair height, and stair depth for a set of stairs in the
      environment. The online test produced an estimate of whether the individual was
      approaching stairs in real time with approximately 98.8% accuracy. 

PMID- 26111387
TI  - Current Density Imaging During Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Using DT
      MRI and MREIT: Algorithm Development and Numerical Simulations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory
      technique for neuropsychiatric diseases and neurological disorders. In the tDCS
      treatment, dc current is injected into the head through a pair of electrodes
      attached on the scalp over a target region. A current density imaging method is
      needed to quantitatively visualize the internal current density distribution
      during the tDCS treatment. METHODS: We developed a novel current density image
      reconstruction algorithm using 1) a subject specific segmented 3-D head model, 2)
      diffusion tensor data, and 3) magnetic flux density data induced by the tDCS
      current. We acquired T1 weighted and diffusion tensor images of the head using
      the MRI scanner before the treatment. During the treatment, we can measure the
      induced magnetic flux density data using a magnetic resonance electrical
      impedance tomography (MREIT) pulse sequence. In this paper, the magnetic flux
      density data were numerically generated. RESULTS: Numerical simulation results
      show that the proposed method successfully recovers the current density
      distribution including the effects of the anisotropic, as well as isotropic
      conductivity values of different tissues in the head. CONCLUSION: The proposed
      current density imaging method using DT-MRI and MREIT can reliably recover cross
      sectional images of the current density distribution during the tDCS treatment.
      SIGNIFICANCE: Success of the tDCS treatment depends on a precise determination of
      the induced current density distribution within different anatomical structures
      of the brain. Quantitative visualization of the current density distribution in
      the brain will play an important role in understanding the effects of the
      electrical stimulation.

PMID- 26111388
TI  - Improving Cardiac Phase Extraction in IVUS Studies by Integration of Gating
      Methods.
AB  - GOAL: Coronary intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a fundamental imaging
      technique for atherosclerotic plaque assessment. However, volume-based data
      retrieved from IVUS studies can be misleading due to the artifacts generated by
      the cardiac motion, hindering diagnostic, and visualization of the vessel
      condition. Then, we propose an image-based gating method that improves the
      performance of the preexisting methods, delivering a gating in an appropriate
      time for clinical practice. METHODS: We propose a fully automatic method to
      synergically integrate motion signals from different gating methods to improve
      the cardiac phase estimation. Additionally, we present a local extrema
      identification method that provides a more accurate extraction of a cardiac phase
      and, also, a scheme for multiple phase extraction mandatory for elastography-type
      studies. RESULTS: A comparison with three state-of-the-art methods is performed
      over 61 in-vivo IVUS studies including a wide range of physiological situations.
      The results show that the proposed strategy offers: 1) a more accurate cardiac
      phase extraction; 2) a lower frame oversampling and/or omission in the extracted
      phase data (error of 1.492 +/-0.977 heartbeats per study, mean +/- SD); 3) a more
      accurate and robust heartbeat period detection with a Bland-Altman coefficient of
      reproducibility (RPC) of 0.23 s, while the second closest method presents an RPC
      of 0.36 s. SIGNIFICANCE: The integration of motion signals performed by our
      method shown an improvement of the gating accuracy and reliability.

PMID- 26111389
TI  - Design and Evaluation of a Novel Fixation Mechanism for a Transcatheter
      Pacemaker.
AB  - GOAL: The purpose of this paper was to evaluate a nitinol tine fixation design
      for a transcatheter pacemaker in order to determine if the tines could be easily
      deployed and safely removed from the myocardium, enable low, stable pacing
      thresholds, and minimize the potential for dislodgment. METHODS: The penetration
      properties of 13 human hearts were compared to the deployment and fixation energy
      of the tines to determine if the tines could be easily deployed and removed from
      the myocardium. The safety factor for dislodgement was calculated by comparing
      the kinetic energy of the device to the fixation energy of the tines. The
      fixation stability was tested in 113 chronic implants across 89 animals via
      pacing threshold measurements or evidence of dislodgement at necropsy. RESULTS:
      Based on the tine fixation and tissue energy analysis, the tines can easily
      penetrate the heart. The tines can be safely removed from the myocardium based on
      the increased tine surface area during retraction. There were no dislodgements
      observed in the animals and the mean pacing threshold at implant was 0.59 +/-
      0.21 V and at termination was 0.65 +/- 0.36 V. The safety factor for dislodgement
      was determined to be 15X during simulated exercise conditions. CONCLUSION: The
      nitinol tine fixation design enabled the implant of a self-contained pacemaker
      within the right ventricle and was effective in meeting the design requirements.
      SIGNIFICANCE: This fixation technology provides a novel solution to enable the
      attachment of a transcatheter pacemaker directly within the heart.

PMID- 26111390
TI  - Low-Rank Atlas Image Analyses in the Presence of Pathologies.
AB  - We present a common framework, for registering images to an atlas and for forming
      an unbiased atlas, that tolerates the presence of pathologies such as tumors and
      traumatic brain injury lesions. This common framework is particularly useful when
      a sufficient number of protocol-matched scans from healthy subjects cannot be
      easily acquired for atlas formation and when the pathologies in a patient cause
      large appearance changes. Our framework combines a low-rank-plus-sparse image
      decomposition technique with an iterative, diffeomorphic, group-wise image
      registration method. At each iteration of image registration, the decomposition
      technique estimates a "healthy" version of each image as its low-rank component
      and estimates the pathologies in each image as its sparse component. The healthy
      version of each image is used for the next iteration of image registration. The
      low-rank and sparse estimates are refined as the image registrations iteratively
      improve. For unbiased atlas formation, at each iteration, the average of the low
      rank images from the patients is used as the atlas image for the next iteration,
      until convergence. Since each iteration's atlas is comprised of low-rank
      components, it provides a population-consistent, pathology-free appearance.
      Evaluations of the proposed methodology are presented using synthetic data as
      well as simulated and clinical tumor MRI images from the brain tumor segmentation
      (BRATS) challenge from MICCAI 2012. 

PMID- 26111391
TI  - Color Image Denoising via Discriminatively Learned Iterative Shrinkage.
AB  - In this paper, we propose a novel model, a discriminatively learned iterative
      shrinkage (DLIS) model, for color image denoising. The DLIS is a generalization
      of wavelet shrinkage by iteratively performing shrinkage over patch groups and
      whole image aggregation. We discriminatively learn the shrinkage functions and
      basis from the training pairs of noisy/noise-free images, which can adaptively
      handle different noise characteristics in luminance/chrominance channels, and the
      unknown structured noise in real-captured color images. Furthermore, to remove
      the splotchy real color noises, we design a Laplacian pyramid-based denoising
      framework to progressively recover the clean image from the coarsest scale to the
      finest scale by the DLIS model learned from the real color noises. Experiments
      show that our proposed approach can achieve the state-of-the-art denoising
      results on both synthetic denoising benchmark and real-captured color images. 

PMID- 26111392
TI  - Enhancing Color Images of Extremely Low Light Scenes Based on RGB/NIR Images
      Acquisition With Different Exposure Times.
AB  - We propose a novel method to synthesize a noise- and blur-free color image
      sequence using near-infrared (NIR) images captured in extremely low light
      conditions. In extremely low light scenes, heavy noise and motion blur are
      simultaneously produced in the captured images. Our goal is to enhance the color
      image sequence of an extremely low light scene. In this paper, we augment the
      imaging system as well as enhancing the image synthesis scheme. We propose a
      novel imaging system that can simultaneously capture the red, green, blue (RGB)
      and the NIR images with different exposure times. An RGB image is taken with a
      long exposure time to acquire sufficient color information and mitigates the
      effects of heavy noise. By contrast, the NIR images are captured with a short
      exposure time to measure the structure of the scenes. Our imaging system using
      different exposure times allows us to ensure sufficient information to
      reconstruct a clear color image sequence. Using the captured image pairs, we
      reconstruct a latent color image sequence using an adaptive smoothness condition
      based on gradient and color correlations. Our experiments using both synthetic
      images and real image sequences show that our method outperforms other state-of
      the-art methods. 

PMID- 26111393
TI  - Theoretical Bounds of Direct Binary Search Halftoning.
AB  - Direct binary search (DBS) produces the images of the best quality among half
      toning algorithms. The reason is that it minimizes the total squared perceived
      error instead of using heuristic approaches. The search for the optimal solution
      involves two operations: (1) toggle and (2) swap. Both operations try to find the
      binary states for each pixel to minimize the total squared perceived error. This
      error energy minimization leads to a conjecture that the absolute value of the
      filtered error after DBS converges is bounded by half of the peak value of the
      autocorrelation filter. However, a proof of the bound's existence has not yet
      been found. In this paper, we present a proof that shows the bound existed as
      conjectured under the condition that at least one swap occurs after toggle
      converges. The theoretical analysis also indicates that a swap with a pixel
      further away from the center of the autocorrelation filter results in a tighter
      bound. Therefore, we propose a new DBS algorithm which considers toggle and swap
      separately, and the swap operations are considered in the order from the edge to
      the center of the filter. Experimental results show that the new algorithm is
      more efficient than the previous algorithm and can produce half-toned images of
      the same quality as the previous algorithm. 

PMID- 26111394
TI  - Unsupervised Texture Flow Estimation Using Appearance-Space Clustering and
      Correspondence.
AB  - This paper presents a texture flow estimation method that uses an appearance
      space clustering and a correspondence search in the space of deformed exemplars.
      To estimate the underlying texture flow, such as scale, orientation, and texture
      label, most existing approaches require a certain amount of user interactions.
      Strict assumptions on a geometric model further limit the flow estimation to such
      a near-regular texture as a gradient-like pattern. We address these problems by
      extracting distinct texture exemplars in an unsupervised way and using an
      efficient search strategy on a deformation parameter space. This enables
      estimating a coherent flow in a fully automatic manner, even when an input image
      contains multiple textures of different categories. A set of texture exemplars
      that describes the input texture image is first extracted via a medoid-based
      clustering in appearance space. The texture exemplars are then matched with the
      input image to infer deformation parameters. In particular, we define a distance
      function for measuring a similarity between the texture exemplar and a deformed
      target patch centered at each pixel from the input image, and then propose to use
      a randomized search strategy to estimate these parameters efficiently. The
      deformation flow field is further refined by adaptively smoothing the flow field
      under guidance of a matching confidence score. We show that a local visual
      similarity, directly measured from appearance space, explains local behaviors of
      the flow very well, and the flow field can be estimated very efficiently when the
      matching criterion meets the randomized search strategy. Experimental results on
      synthetic and natural images show that the proposed method outperforms existing
      methods. 

PMID- 26111395
TI  - High-Order Topology Modeling of Visual Words for Image Classification.
AB  - Modeling relationship between visual words in feature encoding is important in
      image classification. Recent methods consider this relationship in either image
      or feature space, and most of them incorporate only pairwise relationship
      (between visual words). However, in situations involving large variability in
      images, one cannot capture intrinsic invariance of intra-class images using low
      order pairwise relationship. The result is not robust to larger variations in
      images. In addition, as the number of potential pairings grows exponentially with
      the number of visual words, the task of learning becomes computationally
      expensive. To overcome these two limitations, we propose an efficient
      classification framework that exploits high-order topology of visual words in the
      feature space, as follows. First, we propose a search algorithm that seeks
      dependence between the visual words. This dependence is used to construct higher
      order topology in the feature space. Then, the local features are encoded
      according to this higher order topology to improve the image classification.
      Experiments involving four common data sets, namely PASCAL VOC 2007, 15 Scenes,
      Caltech 101, and UIUC Sport Event, demonstrate that the dependence search
      significantly improves the efficiency of higher order topological construction,
      and consequently increases the image classification in all these data sets. 

PMID- 26111396
TI  - Multiscale Superpixels and Supervoxels Based on Hierarchical Edge-Weighted
      Centroidal Voronoi Tessellation.
AB  - Superpixels and supervoxels play an important role in many computer vision
      applications, such as image segmentation, object recognition, and video analysis.
      In this paper, we propose a new hierarchical edge-weighted centroidal Voronoi
      tessellation (HEWCVT) method for generating superpixels/supervoxels in multiple
      scales. In this method, we model the problem as a multilevel clustering process:
      superpixels/supervoxels in one level are clustered to obtain larger size
      superpixels/supervoxels in the next level. In the finest scale, the initial
      clustering is directly conducted on pixels/voxels. The clustering energy involves
      both color similarities and boundary smoothness of superpixels/supervoxels. The
      resulting superpixels/supervoxels can be easily represented by a hierarchical
      tree which describes the nesting relation of superpixels/supervoxels across
      different scales. We first investigate the performance of obtained
      superpixels/supervoxels under different parameter settings, then we evaluate and
      compare the proposed method with several state-of-the-art superpixel/supervoxel
      methods on standard image and video data sets. Both quantitative and qualitative
      results show that the proposed HEWCVT method achieves superior or comparable
      performances with other methods. 

PMID- 26111397
TI  - Efficient Large-Scale Structure From Motion by Fusing Auxiliary Imaging
      Information.
AB  - One of the potentially effective means for large-scale 3D scene reconstruction is
      to reconstruct the scene in a global manner, rather than incrementally, by fully
      exploiting available auxiliary information on the imaging condition, such as
      camera location by Global Positioning System (GPS), orientation by inertial
      measurement unit (or compass), focal length from EXIF, and so on. However, such
      auxiliary information, though informative and valuable, is usually too noisy to
      be directly usable. In this paper, we present an approach by taking advantage of
      such noisy auxiliary information to improve structure from motion solving. More
      specifically, we introduce two effective iterative global optimization algorithms
      initiated with such noisy auxiliary information. One is a robust rotation
      averaging algorithm to deal with contaminated epipolar graph, the other is a
      robust scene reconstruction algorithm to deal with noisy GPS data for camera
      centers initialization. We found that by exclusively focusing on the estimated
      inliers at the current iteration, the optimization process initialized by such
      noisy auxiliary information could converge well and efficiently. Our proposed
      method is evaluated on real images captured by unmanned aerial vehicle,
      StreetView car, and conventional digital cameras. Extensive experimental results
      show that our method performs similarly or better than many of the state-of-art
      reconstruction approaches, in terms of reconstruction accuracy and completeness,
      but is more efficient and scalable for large-scale image data sets. 

PMID- 26111398
TI  - Robust Point Sets Matching by Fusing Feature and Spatial Information Using
      Nonuniform Gaussian Mixture Models.
AB  - Most of the traditional methods that handle the point sets matching between two
      images are based on local feature descriptors and the succedent mismatch
      eliminating strategies, which usually suffers from the sparsity of the initial
      match set because some correct ambiguous associations are easily filtered out by
      the ratio test of SIFT matching due to their second ranking in feature
      similarity. In this paper, we propose a nonuniform Gaussian mixture model (NGMM)
      for point sets matching between a pair of images which combines feature with
      position information of the local feature points extracted from the image pair to
      achieve point sets matching in a GMM framework. The proposed point set matching
      using an NGMM is able to change the correspondence assignments throughout the
      matching process and has the potential to match up even ambiguous matches
      correctly. The proposed NGMM framework can be either used to directly find
      matches between two point sets obtained from two images or applied to remove
      outliers in a match set. When finding matches, NGMM tries to learn a nonrigid
      transformation between the two point sets and provide a probability for every
      found match to measure the reliability of the match. Then, a probability
      threshold can be used to get the final robust match set. When removing outliers,
      NGMM requires that the vector field formed by the correct matches to be coherent
      and the matches contradicting the coherent vector field will be regarded as
      mismatches to be removed. A number of comparison and evaluation experiments
      reveal the good performance of the proposed NGMM framework in both finding
      matches and discarding mismatches. 

PMID- 26111399
TI  - Improving the Performance Against Force Variation of EMG Controlled
      Multifunctional Upper-Limb Prostheses for Transradial Amputees.
AB  - We investigate the problem of achieving robust control of hand prostheses by the
      electromyogram (EMG) of transradial amputees in the presence of variable force
      levels, as these variations can have a substantial impact on the robustness of
      the control of the prostheses. We also propose a novel set of features that aim
      at reducing the impact of force level variations on the prosthesis controlled by
      amputees. These features characterize the EMG activity by means of the
      orientation between a set of spectral moments descriptors extracted from the EMG
      signal and a nonlinearly mapped version of it. At the same time, our feature
      extraction method processes the EMG signals directly from the time-domain to
      reduce computational cost. The performance of the proposed features is tested on
      EMG data collected from nine transradial amputees performing six classes of
      movements each with three force levels. Our results indicate that the proposed
      features can achieve significant reductions in classification error rates in
      comparison to other well-known feature extraction methods, achieving improvements
      of ~ 6% to 8% in the average classification performance across all subjects and
      force levels, when training with all forces.

PMID- 26111400
TI  - Optimal control of nonlinear continuous-time systems in strict-feedback form.
AB  - This paper proposes a novel optimal tracking control scheme for nonlinear
      continuous-time systems in strict-feedback form with uncertain dynamics. The
      optimal tracking problem is transformed into an equivalent optimal regulation
      problem through a feedforward adaptive control input that is generated by
      modifying the standard backstepping technique. Subsequently, a neural network
      based optimal control scheme is introduced to estimate the cost, or value
      function, over an infinite horizon for the resulting nonlinear continuous-time
      systems in affine form when the internal dynamics are unknown. The estimated cost
      function is then used to obtain the optimal feedback control input; therefore,
      the overall optimal control input for the nonlinear continuous-time system in
      strict-feedback form includes the feedforward plus the optimal feedback terms. It
      is shown that the estimated cost function minimizes the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman
      estimation error in a forward-in-time manner without using any value or policy
      iterations. Finally, optimal output feedback control is introduced through the
      design of a suitable observer. Lyapunov theory is utilized to show the overall
      stability of the proposed schemes without requiring an initial admissible
      controller. Simulation examples are provided to validate the theoretical results.

PMID- 26111401
TI  - H infinity tracking control of completely unknown continuous-time systems via off
      policy reinforcement learning.
AB  - This paper deals with the design of an H infinity tracking controller for
      nonlinear continuous-time systems with completely unknown dynamics. A general
      bounded L2 -gain tracking problem with a discounted performance function is
      introduced for the H infinity tracking. A tracking Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaac (HJI)
      equation is then developed that gives a Nash equilibrium solution to the
      associated min-max optimization problem. A rigorous analysis of bounded L2 -gain
      and stability of the control solution obtained by solving the tracking HJI
      equation is provided. An upper-bound is found for the discount factor to assure
      local asymptotic stability of the tracking error dynamics. An off-policy
      reinforcement learning algorithm is used to learn the solution to the tracking
      HJI equation online without requiring any knowledge of the system dynamics.
      Convergence of the proposed algorithm to the solution to the tracking HJI
      equation is shown. Simulation examples are provided to verify the effectiveness
      of the proposed method. 

PMID- 26111402
TI  - Parallel Online Temporal Difference Learning for Motor Control.
AB  - Temporal difference (TD) learning, a key concept in reinforcement learning, is a
      popular method for solving simulated control problems. However, in real systems,
      this method is often avoided in favor of policy search methods because of its
      long learning time. But policy search suffers from its own drawbacks, such as the
      necessity of informed policy parameterization and initialization. In this paper,
      we show that TD learning can work effectively in real robotic systems as well,
      using parallel model learning and planning. Using locally weighted linear
      regression and trajectory sampled planning with 14 concurrent threads, we can
      achieve a speedup of almost two orders of magnitude over regular TD control on
      simulated control benchmarks. For a real-world pendulum swing-up task and a two
      link manipulator movement task, we report a speedup of 20* to 60* , with a real
      time learning speed of less than half a minute. The results are competitive with
      state-of-the-art policy search.

PMID- 26111403
TI  - Alternative Multiview Maximum Entropy Discrimination.
AB  - Maximum entropy discrimination (MED) is a general framework for discriminative
      estimation based on maximum entropy and maximum margin principles, and can
      produce hard-margin support vector machines under some assumptions. Recently, the
      multiview version of MED multiview MED (MVMED) was proposed. In this paper, we
      try to explore a more natural MVMED framework by assuming two separate
      distributions p1( Theta1) over the first-view classifier parameter Theta1 and p2(
      Theta2) over the second-view classifier parameter Theta2 . We name the new MVMED
      framework as alternative MVMED (AMVMED), which enforces the posteriors of two
      view margins to be equal. The proposed AMVMED is more flexible than the existing
      MVMED, because compared with MVMED, which optimizes one relative entropy, AMVMED
      assigns one relative entropy term to each of the two views, thus incorporating a
      tradeoff between the two views. We give the detailed solving procedure, which can
      be divided into two steps. The first step is solving our optimization problem
      without considering the equal margin posteriors from two views, and then, in the
      second step, we consider the equal posteriors. Experimental results on multiple
      real-world data sets verify the effectiveness of the AMVMED, and comparisons with
      MVMED are also reported.

PMID- 26111404
TI  - Cascaded Network Body Channel Model for Intrabody Communication.
AB  - Intrabody communication has been of great research interest in recent years. This
      paper proposes a novel, compact but accurate body transmission channel model
      based on RC distribution networks and transmission line theory. The comparison
      between simulation and measurement results indicates that the proposed approach
      accurately models the body channel characteristics. In addition, the impedance
      matching networks at the transmitter output and the receiver input further
      maximize the power transferred to the receiver, relax the receiver complexity,
      and increase the transmission performance. Based on the simulation results, the
      power gain can be increased by up to 16 dB after matching. A binary phase-shift
      keying modulation scheme is also used to evaluate the bit-error-rate improvement.

PMID- 26111406
TI  - Transmission of Therapeutic Ultrasound by Wound Dressings.
AB  - Ultrasound has been used for the treatment of a variety of cutaneous wounds,
      particularly venous ulcers. Many of the published studies involved application of
      ultrasound to the surrounding tissue rather than directly over the wound.
      Insonating the wound itself may enhance the healing process, but the lack of data
      regarding the transmission characteristics of dressings has limited the use of
      this option. This study aimed to measure the ultrasound transmissivity of
      dressings commonly employed for wound management. Forty-eight different dressings
      and wound care products were tested in vitro using a radiation force balance.
      Transmissivity was found to vary significantly between dressings, from excellent
      to zero. These findings may be useful to clinicians in deciding whether to apply
      ultrasound through a particular dressing. They could also inform future studies
      of the efficacy of ultrasound in wound management by application directly to
      wounds rather than to their periphery. 

PMID- 26111405
TI  - Very high-pressure dilatation for undilatable coronary lesions: indications and
      results with a new dedicated balloon.
AB  - AIMS: Calcific coronary lesions impose a rigid obstacle to optimal balloon and
      stent expansion and the 20 to 30 atm limit that non-compliant (NC) balloons reach
      can be insufficient. The aim of our study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy
      of a new dedicated super high-pressure NC balloon (OPN NC(r); SIS Medical AG,
      Winterthur, Switzerland). METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively evaluated a
      consecutive series of 91 lesions in which conventional NC balloons at maximal
      pressure failed to achieve an adequate post-dilatation luminal gain and were
      therefore treated with an OPN NC balloon up to 40 atm. Angiographic success was
      defined as residual angiographic diameter stenosis <30%. MLD and %DS were
      measured at baseline, after NC balloon, OPN NC balloon and stent implantation.
      Angiographic success was achieved in 84 lesions (92.3%). All of the remaining
      lesions received rotational atherectomy with the exception of two cases in which
      rotational atherectomy was not attempted because of small vessel size and
      excessive tortuosity. MLD and acute gain were significantly greater and %DS was
      significantly lower post OPN NC balloon compared with conventional NC balloon
      inflation (p<0.001). No coronary perforations occurred. No acute or 30-day follow
      up MACE was reported. CONCLUSIONS: When conventional NC balloons fail, the new
      OPN NC dedicated high-pressure balloon provides an effective and safe alternative
      strategy for the dilatation of resistant coronary lesions.

PMID- 26111407
TI  - Evaluation of Pressure Ulcers in 202 Patients with Cancer.
AB  - Countermeasures for pressure ulcers, which have been promoted as a national
      policy in Japan since 2002, have reduced the development of new pressure ulcers
      due to insufficient observation or treatment. On the other hand, it has become
      clear that pressure ulcers continue to develop in patients with cancer. The
      authors evaluated 419 patients (202 of whom had cancer) who had newly developed
      pressure ulcers. The following results were obtained: 1) among patients with
      terminal illnesses, cancer patients outnumbered noncancer patients; 2) there was
      no difference between the cancer patient group and the noncancer patient group
      regarding time required to heal ulcers; 3) there was no difference between the
      groups in the time from the development of pressure ulcer until the patients
      died; 4) patients with cancer were more likely to develop pressure ulcers
      compared to patients without cancer, even though their risk scores analysis were
      not high. In addition to providing enough anodynes, sedatives, and extra-soft
      mattresses, it is necessary to modify risk assessment measures because cancer is
      a risk factor for pressure ulcer development. 

PMID- 26111408
TI  - Risk Factors for Pressure Ulcers in Hospitalized Elderly without Significant
      Cognitive Impairment.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate risk factors for pressure ulcers (PU) in hospitalized
      elderly without significant cognitive impairment. METHODS: From July 2005 to
      February 2006, 40 hospitalized elderly patients without cognitive deficit were
      evaluated in a university hospital in Pouso Alegre, Brazil. Twenty patients with
      a PU formed the study group and 20 without a PU formed the control group. The
      Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to assess cognitive status.
      Pressure ulcers were classified using the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel
      (NPUAP) guidelines, followed by evaluation of risk factors for PU using the
      Braden scale. The chi-squared test was applied and for the Braden scale the Mann
      Whitney test was used. RESULTS: In the study group, 14 (70%) of the subjects were
      women and 6 (30%) were men. The average age was 71.5 years. The average score for
      the MMSE was 19.7. The average time of hospitalization was 23.1 days for the
      study group and 13 days for the control. In the Braden scale, the risk factors
      such as humidity, activity, mobility, friction, and shear force were significant
      (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The data from the present study demonstrate that
      hospitalized elderly patients have an increased risk for the development of PU.
      Humidity, activity, mobility, friction, and shear are important risk factors
      during the hospitalization period.

PMID- 26111409
TI  - Blastomycosis Dermatitidis.

PMID- 26111410
TI  - Editorial Message: January 2007.

PMID- 26111411
TI  - Diagnostic Validity of Semiquantitative Swab Cultures.
AB  - Swab cultures of wounds are noninvasive and most laboratories are capable of
      semiquantitatively processing these specimens. This study examined the diagnostic
      validity of semiquantitative swab cultures obtained using Levine's technique and
      compared semiquantitative and quantitative swab cultures. Two swab specimens were
      obtained from a sample of 44 chronic wounds using Levine's technique. One was
      processed using quantitative laboratory procedures and the other using
      semiquantitative laboratory procedures. The diagnostic validity of the findings
      from each swab culture process was determined by associating the culture findings
      of each with quantitative tissue cultures (reference standard) using receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curves and by evaluating concordance. The area
      under the curve (AUC) of the semiquantitative swab culture was 0.639, which was
      not significantly higher than the .50 diagonal chance (P = 0.0501), suggesting a
      non-informative test. The AUC for quantitative swab cultures was 0.821. The AUC
      of the quantitative swab culture was significantly higher than the diagonal
      chance line of 0.5 and was significantly higher than the AUC of the
      semiquantitative swab culture (P = 0.0128). The mean concordance of
      semiquantitative cultures in recovering all organisms was 57%. The mean
      concordance of quantitative swab cultures in recovering all organisms was 72%.
      The findings of this study suggest that swab specimens processed using
      semiquantitative processes do not provide culture findings that correlate well
      with culture findings from tissue specimens. More meaningful information can be
      obtained from swab specimens if they are quantitatively processed in the
      laboratory. 

PMID- 26111412
TI  - Silver Ion-releasing Dressing (CONTREET) Does Not Disturb Angiogenesis and
      Microvascularization In Vivo.
AB  - This study examined the effects of silver-releasing wound dressing on
      angiogenesis and microvascularization in vivo. Implants from silver-releasing and
      silver-free dressings were placed into dorsal skinfold chambers of BALB/c mice. A
      total of 30 animals (10 implants per group) were observed. Group 1 was treated
      with Contreet(r) (Coloplast, Holtedam, Denmark). Group 2 and Group 3 were primed
      with BiatainTM (Coloplast, Holtedam, Denmark) and SeaSorb Soft(r) (Coloplast,
      Holtedam, Denmark). Visualization of angiogenesis and quantification of
      functional vessel density (FVD) was performed using intravital fluorescence
      microscopy (IFM). Functional vessel density served as the parameter for
      vascularization. Functional vessel density was measured on Day 3, 7, and 12 after
      implantation. Intravital fluorescence microscopy revealed constant development of
      a sufficient network of perfused microvessels surrounding the silver-based
      implants. Group 1 showed a stronger morphological alteration of microvessel
      network at the border zone at Day 3 and even more so at Day 7, compared to the
      silver-free groups. Reinforced dilatation, elongation, and torsion of capillaries
      with progressive growth of perfused preliminary stages of new blood vessels were
      observed for silver-based implants. Border zone FVD of silver-based implants at
      Day 3 (257.1 +/- 33.9 mm/mm2) was significantly increased compared to Group 2
      (230.9 +/- 31.3) and Group 3 (210.2 +/- 35.7). At Day 7, the FVD in Group 1 was
      still significantly higher as measured in Group 3 (265.9 +/- 30.7 versus 219.7 +/
      42.6). However, no significant difference between Groups 1 and 2 at Day 7 (265.9
      +/- 30.7 versus 269.4 +/- 31.9) and at Day 12 (258.7 +/- 38.1 versus 268.3 +/-
      39.0) remained. In conclusion, the silver-based implants did not show any anti
      angiogenic effects when compared to the silver-free implants. 

PMID- 26111414
TI  - Evidence Corner: February 2007.

PMID- 26111413
TI  - Cross-leg Pedicled Free Scapular Flap for the Repair of Extensive Soft Tissue
      Defect with Tibial Bone Exposure.
AB  - Free scapular flaps are suitable for many lower extremity applications and often
      provide excellent contour reproduction and appearance. However, when the soft
      tissue defect of the lower leg is extensive and complicated there may not be
      vessels in the recipient site suitable to be anastomosed. A cross-leg pedicled
      free flap technique can be applied in this situation. This study extends the
      indications and reports a successful experience using cross-leg pedicled free
      scapular flap to cover an extensive soft tissue defect with tibial bone exposure
      of the lower leg. This study involved 24 patients between May 2000 and October
      2005. Wounds were caused by accident (6 patients), burn (2 patients), electrical
      injury (3 patients), and fall (2 patients). The defects ranged in size from 8 cm
      x 15 cm to 15 cm x 30 cm. All patients were treated with free scapular flaps to
      cover the defects and the vessels of the free scapular flaps were anastomosed
      with the dorsalis pedis vessels of contralateral leg in order to provide
      temporary blood supply. Both legs were fixed in a cross-leg position by plaster
      cast. The pedicle was divided after 4 to 5 weeks and the donor site of dorsum
      pedis was re-sutured. Blood supply was re-established in all 13 patients. All
      free scapular flaps survived and the defects were covered completely. The
      defective lower extremities regained function with no deformities in donor sites
      of the contralateral lower leg. The authors believe that use of the cross-leg
      pedicled free scapular flap in patients with a difficult lower extremity wound
      with extensive tissue defect and tibial bone exposure is a worthwhile procedure
      and should be attempted if possible. The scapular flap has several advantages
      applicable to the cross-leg pedicled free flap technique. Although the operation
      is divided into 2 stages, it solves the problem and can offer temporary blood
      supply when there is no vessel for anastomosis in the recipient site, which
      decreases the risk of microanastomosis and produces good results. 

PMID- 26111415
TI  - Editorial Message: February 2007.

PMID- 26111416
TI  - Chronic Wounds: Factors Influencing Healing Within 3 Months and Nonhealing After
      5-6 Months of Care.
AB  - Chronic wounds affect approximately 2.5 million to 4.5 million people in the US
      and are particularly a problem for the elderly. Nonhealing or slow healing wounds
      represent a major health burden and drain on resources, contributing to
      substantial disability, morbidity, and costs. This study was conducted to
      identify factors that influence the healing of chronic wounds within 3 months of
      starting treatment, compared to factors influencing nonhealing wounds after 5 or
      6 months of treatment. A retrospective review of medical records of subjects with
      chronic pressure, diabetic, or venous ulcers using a structured data collection
      form and protocol was conducted at 4 sites located in disperse geographic areas.
      The sample consisted of 400 subjects with at least 3 months of data. Demographic,
      case mix, wound characteristics, and treatment characteristics were analyzed.
      Consistent with the literature, wounds that were larger, deeper, infected,
      draining larger amounts of exudate, and/or covered with slough or eschar were
      significantly less likely to heal within 3 months and more likely not to heal
      after 5-6 months of treatment. Medicaid insurance coverage and being non-white
      were also associated with poorer healing. A lower percentage of antimicrobial
      dressings was associated with faster healing, while a lower percentage of
      moisture-management dressings was associated with nonhealing after 5-6 months.
      The analysis also showed that inappropriate management of wound exudate and
      necrotic tissue was associated with poorer healing outcomes. While the influence
      of insurance coverage and race on healing needs further exploration, healing
      rates could improve in certain centers through better adherence to evidence-based
      wound management recommendations. 

PMID- 26111418
TI  - A Technique To Avoid a Dog-ear Deformity On the Buttock Using a "Pigeon Head"
      Modification of the Rotation Flap.
AB  - Gluteal fasciocutaneous (FC) rotation flaps can still be used to close sacral
      pressure ulcers but tend to develop a large dog-ear on the buttock. This study
      presents a new method of avoiding a dog-ear deformity (Burow's triangle) while
      achieving adequate repair of pressure ulcers on the buttock by using a
      modification of the bilobed rotation flap. This "pigeon head" modification of the
      rotation flap successfully covered all 7 sacral ulcers. In all cases, Burow's
      triangles were unobtrusive immediately after surgery. This technique is simple,
      can be performed quickly, has minimal associated morbidity, and yields a good
      outcome. 

PMID- 26111417
TI  - Percutaneous Flexor Tenotomy-Office Procedure for Diabetic Toe Ulcerations.
AB  - Lesser toe deformities include, but are not limited to, hammertoes, mallet toes,
      and claw toes. In people with diabetes, these conditions can create pressure
      points and lead to callous and ulcer formation. Conservative treatment methods
      such as extra-depth toe box shoes, pads, inserts, and splints provide mixed
      results with inevitable recurrent ulcerations. Closed or percutaneous flexor
      tenotomy is a definitive corrective procedure for severe lesser toe deformities
      often complicated by ulceration in the insensate patient with diabetes. The
      authors illustrate this simple, office-based procedure in a step-by-step approach
      to correct these deformities and thereby offload pressures. The technique
      provides rapid healing and may prevent potential toe and lower extremity
      amputations. 

PMID- 26111419
TI  - Maggot Debridement Therapy in Necrotizing Fasciitis Reduces the Number of
      Surgical Debridements.
AB  - Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare but potentially lethal bacterial infection of the
      fascial and subcutaneous tissues. Mortality rates of this condition remain high,
      ranging from 6%-76%. Bacterial cultures may show a wide variety of organisms, but
      Group A Streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes) is the causative agent in up to
      71% of all human cases. The treatment consists of urgent radical surgical
      debridement in combination with broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy. Maggot
      debridement therapy (MDT) has been proven to be very effective in the treatment
      of gram-positive bacterial infections. The present study reports on the results
      of 15 patients with necrotizing fasciitis treated with surgical debridement and
      antibiotic therapy in combination with MDT from November 2001 to November 2005. A
      detailed case report of 1 patient is presented. 

PMID- 26111420
TI  - Editorial Message: Wound Care and Wound Clinic Operations in Ecuador.

PMID- 26111421
TI  - [Obesity psychological treatment: beyond cognitive and behavioral therapy].
AB  - The psychological assessment of the patient with obesity aims to identify the
      factors of maintenance of excess weight, such as eating disorders or anxio
      depressive disorders. Psychotherapy helps a better weight management. Cognitive
      behavioral therapy has shown its effectiveness in the treatment of obesity. New
      psychotherapeutic approaches are explored. The hypnosis and mindfulness are
      proposed for the management of emotions and stress. A targeted approach on the
      body image disorder decreases body dissatisfaction. When post-traumatic stress
      syndrome is involved, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) is
      better than other types of therapies. Family therapy is indicated when the
      entourage is impacted. Psychological difficulties should be the subject of
      specific care.

PMID- 26111422
TI  - Total Corneal Astigmatism and Posterior Corneal Surface.

PMID- 26111423
TI  - Findings of research misconduct.

PMID- 26111424
TI  - A new key character in males of the family Goodeidae (cyprinodontiformes).

PMID- 26111425
TI  - Update on vaccine-derived polioviruses worldwide, January 201-March 2015.

PMID- 26111426
TI  - Lipocalin-2 in the Inflammatory Activation of Brain Astrocytes.
AB  - Lipocalin-2 (LCN2), a secretory protein, regulates diverse cellular processes
      such as cell death/survival, cell migration/invasion, cell differentiation, iron
      delivery, inflammation, insulin resistance, and tissue regeneration. Recently, we
      reported that LCN2 is secreted by brain astrocytes under inflammatory conditions
      and that it promotes apoptosis, morphological changes, and migration in
      astrocytes both in vitro and in vivo. Activated astrocytes release LCN2 not only
      to induce the morphological transformation associated with reactive astrocytosis,
      but also to promote their own death. Under inflammatory conditions, activated
      astrocytes also show functional dichotomy similar to the M1/M2 phenotypes of
      microglia and macrophages. LCN2 is thought to be a chemokine inducer and an
      autocrine promoter of the classical proinflammatory activation of astrocytes.
      This article summarizes the current knowledge regarding the role of astrocyte
      derived LCN2 as a proinflammatory mediator in the central nervous system and
      discusses LCN2's role in neuroinflammatory disorders.

PMID- 26111427
TI  - Pregnancy outcome in women with gestational diabetes mellitus according to the
      Carpenter-Coustan criteria in Thailand.
AB  - AIM: To compare the pregnancy outcome of patients diagnosed with gestational
      diabetes mellitus (GDM) using the Carpenter-Coustan (CC) criteria with that of
      non-GDM pregnant women at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok. METHODS: A retrospective
      study was carried out by reviewing medical records of pregnant women who
      underwent 100-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for diagnosing GDM between
      January 2009 and December 2012 at Siriraj Hospital. Pregnant women were divided
      into three groups according to the 100-g OGTT result: group 1, pregnant women
      with normal OGTT on both CC and National Diabetes Data Group (NDDG) criteria;
      group 2, pregnant women with normal OGTT on NDDG criteria but GDM on CC criteria;
      and group 3, pregnant women with GDM on CC criteria after December 2012 and
      enrolled in glycemic control program. Maternal and perinatal outcomes were
      compared between the groups. RESULTS: During the study period, the incidence of
      GDM increased 32.76% using the CC criteria. These women (group 2) had a higher
      risk of neonatal hypoglycemia (6.7% vs 0.6%; OR, 12.3; P < 0.0001), neonatal
      hyperbilirubinemia (13.7% vs 7.8%; OR, 1.9; P = 0.013) compared with group 1.
      Pregnant women in group 3 had a lower incidence of immediate post-partum
      hemorrhage from vaginal delivery than group 2 (0 vs 2.9%; P = 0.04) as well as
      lower rates of neonatal hypoglycemia and neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. CONCLUSION:
      Use of CC criteria increases the prevalence of GDM, but managing these women
      according to the program for GDM can improve the adverse neonatal outcome.

PMID- 26111428
TI  - Perampanel for epilepsy with partial-onset seizures: a pharmacokinetic and
      pharmacodynamic evaluation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Epilepsies are among the most common diseases of the CNS. As
      available antiepileptic drugs do not successfully control seizures in one-third
      of these patients, the development of drugs with new mechanisms of action is an
      urgent requirement. AREAS COVERED: Preclinical and clinical data of the recently
      released antiepileptic drug perampanel are reviewed based on search in medical
      databases with special reference to its mechanism of action and to its
      pharmacokinetic properties relevant for clinical treatment. Pharmacodynamically,
      perampanel is a noncompetitive AMPA-receptor antagonist exerting its
      antiepileptic properties by modulating glutamatergic synaptic excitation.
      Pharmacokinetically, perampanel is characterized by a short Tmax but slow hepatic
      metabolism and a mean plasma half-life of 105 h, allowing for once-daily dosing.
      Perampanel has shown antiepileptic properties in several animal models of
      seizures and epilepsy, and in clinical studies significantly reducing partial
      onset seizures in a dose range from 4 to 12 mg/day both in blinded short-term and
      in open-label long-term extension trials even in highly pharmacoresistant
      patients. Aside from adverse effects of dizziness and somnolence,
      neuropsychiatric disturbances have been reported in patient subgroups, making
      careful clinical monitoring during uptitration recommendable. EXPERT OPINION: The
      use of perampanel focusing on control of abnormal synaptic excitation profits
      from favorable pharmacokinetics and from proven efficacy and overall good
      tolerability also in patient populations nonresponsive to treatment with
      previously available antiepileptic drugs.

PMID- 26111430
TI  - Hemifacial spasm: The past, present and future.
AB  - Hemifacial spasm is characterised by unilateral contractions of the facial
      muscles. Though considered to be benign by many people, it can lead to functional
      blindness and a poor quality of life due to social embarrassment for the
      suffering individual. Botulinum toxin therapy is an excellent noninvasive tool to
      treat this condition. However, surgical decompression of the aberrant vessel is
      also an upcoming approach to therapy for this condition. 

PMID- 26111429
TI  - 'I'm a sick person, not a bad person': patient experiences of treatments for
      alcohol use disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Emerging research indicates that standard treatments for alcohol use
      disorders may not fully meet the needs of patients with co-occurring severe
      mental health symptoms. Investigating health quality indicators may provide
      insight into how current treatment might be improved. OBJECTIVE: To better
      understand the experiences of patients receiving treatment for alcohol use
      disorders and compare the experiences of patients with and without co-occurring
      severe mental health symptoms. DESIGN: Cross-sectional qualitative research
      design using semi-structured interviews methods and framework analysis approach.
      SETTING: Inpatient hospital, outpatient service, inpatient detoxification clinic
      and a residential/ therapeutic community. PARTICIPANT'S: Thirty-four patients
      receiving treatment for an alcohol use disorder. MAIN VARIABLES STUDIED: Themes
      relating to patients' experiences of continuity of care, treatment need and
      satisfaction with treatment were studied. The qualitative data were divided into
      two groups: patients with (n = 15) and without (n = 19) severe mental health
      symptoms. RESULTS: Five themes relating to patient satisfaction with treatment
      were identified, including: perceived effectiveness of treatment, supportive
      relationships, specialized but holistic care, patient autonomy and continuity of
      care. A diverse range of patient treatment needs, staff and service continuity
      and stigma were also identified as major themes. Five basic themes were
      identified as more critical to the experiences of patients with severe mental
      health symptoms. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that patients look
      for supportive relationships with others, to be involved in treatment decisions,
      effective specialized and holistic approaches to care and a non-judgemental
      treatment environment.

PMID- 26111432
TI  - Critical period for first language: the crucial role of language input during the
      first year of life.
AB  - The critical period for language acquisition is often explored in the context of
      second language acquisition. We focus on a crucially different notion of critical
      period for language, with a crucially different time scale: that of a critical
      period for first language acquisition. We approach this question by examining the
      language outcomes of children who missed their critical period for acquiring a
      first language: children who did not receive the required language input because
      they grew in isolation or due to hearing impairment and children whose brain has
      not developed normally because of thiamine deficiency. We find that the
      acquisition of syntax in a first language has a critical period that ends during
      the first year of life, and children who missed this window of opportunity later
      show severe syntactic impairments. 

PMID- 26111431
TI  - Immunomodulation by interleukin-33 is protective in stroke through modulation of
      inflammation.
AB  - Cerebral stroke induces massive Th1-shifted inflammation both in the brain and
      the periphery, contributing to the outcome of stroke. A Th1-type response is
      neurotoxic whereas a Th2-type response is accompanied by secretion of anti
      inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-4 (IL-4). Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a
      cytokine known to induce a shift towards the Th2-type immune response, polarize
      macrophages/microglia towards the M2-type, and induce production of anti
      inflammatory cytokines. We found that the plasma levels of the inhibitory IL-33
      receptor, sST2, are increased in human stroke and correlate with a worsened
      stroke outcome, suggesting an insufficient IL-33-driven Th2-type response. In
      mouse, peripheral administration of IL-33 reduced stroke-induced cell death and
      improved the sensitivity of the contralateral front paw at 5days post injury. The
      IL-33-treated mice had increased levels of IL-4 in the spleen and in the peri
      ischemic area of the cortex. Neutralization of IL-4 by administration of an IL-4
      antibody partially prevented the IL-33-mediated protection. IL-33 treatment also
      reduced astrocytic activation in the peri-ischemic area and increased the number
      of Arginase-1 immunopositive microglia/macrophages at the lesion site. In human T
      cells, IL-33 treatment induced IL-4 secretion, and the conditioned media from IL
      33-exposed T-cells reduced astrocytic activation. This study demonstrates that IL
      33 is protective against ischemic insult by induction of IL-4 secretion and may
      represent a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of stroke. 

PMID- 26111433
TI  - Methods of classification for women undergoing induction of labour: a systematic
      review and novel classification system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A lack of reproducible methods for classifying women having an
      induction of labour (IOL) has led to controversies regarding IOL and related
      maternal and perinatal health outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate articles that
      classify IOL and to develop a novel IOL classification system. SEARCH STRATEGY:
      Electronic searches using CINAHL, EMBASE, WEB of KNOWLEDGE, and reference lists.
      SELECTION CRITERIA: Two reviewers independently assessed studies that classified
      women having an IOL. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: For the systematic review,
      data were extracted on study characteristics, quality, and results. Pre-specified
      criteria were used for evaluation. A multidisciplinary collaboration developed a
      new classification system using a clinically logical model and stakeholder
      feedback, demonstrating applicability in a population cohort of 909 702
      maternities in New South Wales, Australia, over the period 2002-2011. MAIN
      RESULTS: All seven studies included in the systematic review categorised women
      according to the presence or absence of varying medical indications for IOL.
      Evaluation identified uncertainties or deficiencies across all studies, related
      to the criteria of total inclusivity, reproducibility, clinical utility,
      implementability, and data availability. A classification system of ten groups
      was developed based on parity, previous caesarean, gestational age, number, and
      presentation of the fetus. Nulliparous and parous women at full term were the
      largest groups (21.2 and 24.5%, respectively), and accounted for the highest
      proportion of all IOL (20.7 and 21.5%, respectively). AUTHOR'S CONCLUSIONS:
      Current methods of classifying women undertaking IOL based on medical indications
      are inadequate. We propose a classification system that has the attributes of
      simplicity and clarity, uses information that is readily and reliably collected,
      and enables the standard characterisation of populations of women having an IOL
      across and within jurisdictions.

PMID- 26111435
TI  - Action to protect human health from climate change: an African perspective.

PMID- 26111434
TI  - Reproducibility of transcranial magnetic stimulation metrics in the study of
      proximal upper limb muscles.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Reproducibility of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) metrics is
      essential in accurately tracking recovery and disease. However, majority of
      evidence pertains to reproducibility of metrics for distal upper limb muscles. We
      investigate for the first time, reliability of corticospinal physiology for a
      large proximal muscle - the biceps brachii and relate how varying statistical
      analyses can influence interpretations. METHODS: 14 young right-handed healthy
      participants completed two sessions assessing resting motor threshold (RMT),
      motor evoked potentials (MEPs), motor map and intra-cortical inhibition (ICI)
      from the left biceps brachii. Analyses included paired t-tests, Pearson's, intra
      class (ICC) and concordance correlation coefficients (CCC) and Bland-Altman
      plots. RESULTS: Unlike paired t-tests, ICC, CCC and Pearson's were >0.6
      indicating good reliability for RMTs, MEP intensities and locations of map;
      however values were <0.3 for MEP responses and ICI. CONCLUSIONS: Corticospinal
      physiology, defining excitability and output in terms of intensity of the TMS
      device, and spatial loci are the most reliable metrics for the biceps. MEPs and
      variables based on MEPs are less reliable since biceps receives fewer cortico
      motor-neuronal projections. Statistical tests of agreement and associations are
      more powerful reliability indices than inferential tests. SIGNIFICANCE: Reliable
      metrics of proximal muscles when translated to a larger number of participants
      would serve to sensitively track and prognosticate function in neurological
      disorders such as stroke where proximal recovery precedes distal.

PMID- 26111436
TI  - Achieving a cleaner, more sustainable, and healthier future.

PMID- 26111437
TI  - Peng Gong: remote sensing of near climate change.

PMID- 26111438
TI  - Tackling climate change: the greatest opportunity for global health.

PMID- 26111439
TI  - Health and climate change: policy responses to protect public health.

PMID- 26111440
TI  - Reduce short-lived climate pollutants for multiple benefits.

PMID- 26111441
TI  - Does perthionitrite (SSNO(-)) account for sustained bioactivity of NO? A
      (bio)chemical characterization.
AB  - Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and nitric oxide (NO) are important signaling molecules
      that regulate several physiological functions. Understanding the chemistry behind
      their interplay is important for explaining these functions. The reaction of H2S
      with S-nitrosothiols to form the smallest S-nitrosothiol, thionitrous acid
      (HSNO), is one example of physiologically relevant cross-talk between H2S and
      nitrogen species. Perthionitrite (SSNO(-)) has recently been considered as an
      important biological source of NO that is far more stable and longer living than
      HSNO. In order to experimentally address this issue here, we prepared SSNO(-) by
      two different approaches, which lead to two distinct species: SSNO(-) and
      dithionitric acid [HON(S)S/HSN(O)S]. (H)S2NO species and their reactivity were
      studied by (15)N NMR, IR, electron paramagnetic resonance and high-resolution
      electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, as well as by X-ray
      structure analysis and cyclic voltammetry. The obtained results pointed toward
      the inherent instability of SSNO(-) in water solutions. SSNO(-) decomposed
      readily in the presence of light, water, or acid, with concomitant formation of
      elemental sulfur and HNO. Furthermore, SSNO(-) reacted with H2S to generate HSNO.
      Computational studies on (H)SSNO provided additional explanations for its
      instability. Thus, on the basis of our data, it seems to be less probable that
      SSNO(-) can serve as a signaling molecule and biological source of NO. SSNO(-)
      salts could, however, be used as fast generators of HNO in water solutions. 

PMID- 26111442
TI  - Changes in Caesarean Delivery Rates in Western Australia from 1995 to 2010 by
      Gestational Age at Birth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The caesarean delivery rate in the developed world has been
      increasing. It is not well understood how caesarean delivery rates have changed
      by gestational age at birth in Western Australia, particularly in relation to the
      introduction of the early-term delivery guidelines in Australia in 2006. METHODS:
      Data from the Western Australian Midwives Notification System were used to
      identify 193,136 singletons born to primiparous women at 34-42 weeks' gestation
      during 1995-2010. Caesarean delivery rates were calculated by gestational age
      group (34-36 weeks, 37-38 weeks, and 39-42 weeks) and stratified into pre-labour
      and in-labour caesarean delivery. The average annual percent change (AAPC) for
      the caesarean delivery rates was calculated using joinpoint regression. Log
      binomial regression was used to estimate the risk of having a caesarean delivery
      while adjusting for maternal and antenatal factors. RESULTS: Caesarean delivery
      rates rose steadily from 1995 to 2005 (AAPC = 5.9%, [95% confidence interval (CI)
      4.9, 6.9]), but stabilised since then (AAPC = 0.9%, [95% CI -1.9, 3.8]). The rate
      of in-labour caesarean deliveries rose consistently from 1995 to 2010 across all
      gestational age groups. The pre-labour caesarean delivery rate rise was most
      dominant at 37-38 weeks' gestation from 1995 to 2005 (AAPC = 6.8%, [95% CI 5.4,
      8.2]), but declined during 2006-10 (AAPC = -4.5, [95% CI -6.7, -2.3]), while at
      the same time the rate at 39-42 weeks rose slightly. CONCLUSIONS: The rise in pre
      labour caesarean deliveries during 1995-2005 occurred predominantly at 37-38
      weeks' gestation, but declined again from 2006 to 2010. This suggests that the
      recently developed Australian early-term delivery guidelines may have had some
      success in reducing early-term deliveries in Western Australia.

PMID- 26111443
TI  - Newborn Adipokines and Birth Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adipokines can serve as a measure of adipose tissue activity.
      Although birthweight correlates with neonatal adiposity, findings for cord blood
      levels of adipokines and birth outcomes have been conflicted. Therefore, we
      determined the cross-sectional associations between adipokines measured in
      newborn dried blood spots (DBS) and birth outcomes. METHODS: The Upstate KIDS
      study enrolled mothers and infants from 2008 to 2010. Among infants whose parents
      consented to the use of residual DBS from newborn screening, 2397 singletons and
      1240 twins had adipokine measurements from the Human Obesity Panel (R&D Systems)
      by Luminex. Odds ratios were estimated by multivariable logistic regression for
      risk of birth outcomes of preterm delivery (<37 weeks for singletons, <32 for
      twins) and small-for-gestational age (SGA <10th for singletons and <3rd for twins
      age- and sex-specific percentiles) by adipokine quintiles. Generalised estimating
      equations were applied to account for correlations between twins. RESULTS:
      Singletons in the lowest compared with the highest quintile of adiponectin were
      more likely preterm (adjusted odds ratio 3.26; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.99,
      5.34) and SGA (1.81; [95% CI 1.18, 2.77]). Similar associations were observed
      among twins. Resistin was associated with preterm birth (Q1 vs. Q5: 2.08; [95% CI
      1.20, 3.62]) only among singletons. Adipsin had inconsistent associations after
      adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: This large population-based study demonstrates that
      newborn DBS-measured adipokines are associated with birth outcomes, particularly
      preterm birth and SGA among those with lower adiponectin levels regardless of
      plurality.

PMID- 26111444
TI  - The Association of Infant Growth Patterns with Adiposity in Adolescence:
      Prospective Observations from Hong Kong's 'Children of 1997' Birth Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of infant growth in adiposity remains unclear. METHODS: We
      used multivariable linear regression, with inverse probability weighting and
      multiple imputation to account for loss to follow-up, in a population
      representative Chinese birth cohort, 'Children of 1997' in Hong Kong, to examine,
      in terms births, the adjusted association of infant (birth to 12 months) weight
      growth trajectories with body mass index (BMI) (n = 6861, 88% follow-up), waist
      to-height ratio (WHtR), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (n = 5398, 69% follow-up) at
      ~ 14 years. RESULTS: Infant weight growth trajectories had graded associations
      with adolescent BMI and WHtR but not with WHR, such that compared with
      adolescents born light with slow infant growth, adolescents born heavy with fast
      infant growth had higher BMI z-score [0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49,
      0.70], higher WHtR z-score (0.17, 95% CI 0.08, 0.26) but similar WHR z-score (
      0.02, 95% CI -0.11, 0.08), adjusted for sex, gestational age, parental education,
      parental BMI, parental height, and parental place of birth. CONCLUSIONS: Varying
      associations of infant growth with different adiposity measures suggest a complex
      role of infant growth in long-term health, perhaps because infant growth, or its
      underlying drivers, influences build and body composition as well as adiposity.

PMID- 26111445
TI  - Design and Conduct of an Internet-Based Preconception Cohort Study in North
      America: Pregnancy Study Online.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We launched the Boston University Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO) to
      assess the feasibility of carrying out an Internet-based preconception cohort
      study in the US and Canada. METHODS: We recruited female participants age 21-45
      and their male partners through Internet advertisements, word of mouth, and
      flyers. Female participants were randomised with 50% probability to receive a
      subscription to FertilityFriend.com (FF), a web-based programme that collects
      real-time data on menstrual characteristics. We compared recruitment methods
      within PRESTO, assessed the cost-efficiency of PRESTO relative to its Danish
      counterpart (Snart-Gravid), and validated retrospectively reported date of last
      menstrual period (LMP) against the FF data. RESULTS: After 99 weeks of
      recruitment (2013-15), 2421 women enrolled; 1384 (57%) invited their male
      partners to participate, of whom 693 (50%) enrolled. Baseline characteristics
      were balanced across randomisation groups. Cohort retention was similar among
      those randomised vs. not randomised to FF (84% vs. 81%). At study enrollment,
      56%, 22%, and 22% couples had been trying to conceive for < 3, 3-5, and >= 6
      months, respectively. The cost per subject enrolled was $146 (2013 US$), which
      was similar to our companion Danish study and half that of a traditional cohort
      study. Among FF users who conceived, > 97% reported their LMP on the PRESTO
      questionnaire within 1 day of the LMP recorded via FF. CONCLUSIONS: Use of the
      Internet as a method of recruitment and follow-up in a North American
      preconception cohort study was feasible and cost-effective.

PMID- 26111446
TI  - A developmentally plastic adult mouse kidney cell line spontaneously generates
      multiple adult kidney structures.
AB  - Despite exciting new possibilities for regenerative therapy posed by the ability
      to induce pluripotent stem cells, recapitulation of three-dimensional kidneys for
      repair or replacement has not been possible. ARID3a-deficient mouse tissues
      generated multipotent, developmentally plastic cells. Therefore, we assessed the
      adult mouse ARID3a-/- kidney cell line, KKPS5, which expresses renal progenitor
      surface markers as an alternative cell source for modeling kidney development.
      Remarkably, these cells spontaneously developed into multicellular nephron-like
      structures in vitro, and engrafted into immunocompromised medaka mesonephros,
      where they formed mouse nephron structures. These data implicate KKPS5 cells as a
      new model system for studying kidney development. 

PMID- 26111447
TI  - Thymosin alpha1 promotes the activation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in a
      Lewis lung cancer model by upregulating Arginase 1.
AB  - Thymosin alpha1 (Talpha1) has been tested for cancer therapy for several years,
      in most cases, the anti-tumor effect of Talpha1 was limited, especially when
      Talpha1 was used as a single agent. The role of Talpha1 in cancer treatment and
      the regulatory mechanisms by which Ta1 takes effects are not yet completely
      understood. Using a Lewis lung caner model, here we report that Talpha1 used
      alone elevated CD8(+) T cells, but failed to inhibit tumor growth. Furthermore,
      immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) showed heightened
      Arginase 1 production in response to Talpha1 treatment, which led to stronger
      suppression of anti-tumor immunity. In addition, the upregulation of ARG1 was
      dependent on TLRs/MyD88 signaling, blocking MyD88 signaling abrogated the
      enhanced ARG1 expression and restored the anti-tumor efficacy of Talpha1. This
      study provides the first demonstration that Talpha1 treatment activates but not
      expands MDSCs via MyD88 signaling, which indicates better immunotherapeutic
      strategy of Talpha1 against cancer. 

PMID- 26111448
TI  - Ablation of C/EBP homologous protein increases the acute phase mortality and
      doesn't attenuate cardiac remodeling in mice with myocardial infarction.
AB  - Endoplasmic reticulum stress is a proapoptotic and profibrotic stimulus. Ablation
      of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) is reported to reverse cardiac dysfunction by
      attenuating cardiac endoplasmic reticulum stress in mice with pressure overload
      or ischemia/reperfusion, but it is unclear whether loss of CHOP also inhibits
      cardiac remodeling induced by permanent-infarction. In mice with permanent
      ligation of left coronary artery, we found that ablation of CHOP increased the
      acute phase mortality. For the mice survived to 4 weeks, left ventricular
      anterior (LV) wall thickness was larger in CHOP knockout mice than in the
      wildtype littermates, while no difference was noted on posterior wall thickness,
      LV dimensions, LV fractional shortening and ejection fraction. Similarly,
      invasive assessment of LV hemodynamics, morphological analysis of heart and lung
      weight indexes, myocardial fibrosis and TUNEL-assessed apoptosis showed no
      significant differences between CHOP knockout mice and their wildtype ones, while
      in mice with ischemia for 45 min and reperfusion for 1 week, myocardial fibrosis
      and apoptosis in the infarct area were significantly attenuated in CHOP knockout
      mice. These findings indicate that ablation of CHOP doesn't ameliorate cardiac
      remodeling induced by permanent-myocardial infarction, which implicates that
      early reperfusion is a prerequisite for ischemic myocardium to benefit from CHOP
      inhibition. 

PMID- 26111449
TI  - A new kinetochore component CENP-W interacts with the polycomb-group protein EZH2
      to promote gene silencing.
AB  - Polycomb recessive complex 2 (PRC2) plays a central roles in chromatin compaction
      and remodeling. EZH2, the catalytic subunit of PRC2, is frequently overexpressed
      in many human tumors. Together with another essential core component, SUZ12, EZH2
      trimethylates histone H3 on lysine 27 (H3K27me3). CENP-W was originally
      identified as a putative oncogene overexpressed in various human tumors, and
      later characterized as an essential factor for the formation of functional
      kinetochore during mitosis. In this study, we found that CENP-W associates with
      EZH2 to subsequently enhance the protein stability of EZH2. Chromatin
      immunoprecipitation revealed that ectopically expressed CENP-W bound the promoter
      of EZH2 target genes to enhance EZH2-mediated transcriptional repression,
      possibly by facilitating the recruitment of EZH2 to its target genes.
      Collectively, this study suggests CENP-W is a novel kinetochore component that
      may be involved in the EZH2-mediated silencing machinery. 

PMID- 26111450
TI  - Identification, characterization and structure analysis of a type I ribosome
      inactivating protein from Sapium sebiferum (Euphorbiaceae).
AB  - Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are N-glycosidases (EC3.2.2.22) that
      universally inactivate the ribosome, thereby inhibiting protein biosynthesis. In
      this study, a novel type I RIPs named SEBIN was identified in Sapium sebiferum.
      Nuclear acid depurine experiment showed that SEBIN had rRNA N-Glycosidase
      activity. Further experiment indicated that SEBIN significantly inhibited
      Caenorhabditis elegans development as well as resulted in worm cell apoptosis.
      This is the first report to evaluate RIPs toxicity using C. elegans. We proposed
      that SEBIN may impaire C. elegans reproduction in a DNA-damage manner besides
      traditional protein synthesis inhibition approach. The predicted 3D structure was
      modeled using threading and ab initio modeling, and the r-RNA binding residue of
      SEBIN was identified through the protein-ligand docking approach. It showed the
      amino acid residues, Glu195, Asn81, Ala82, Tyr83, Glu164, Ser163, Ile159 and
      Arg167, played critical roles in catalytic process. Our results provided the
      theoretical foundation of structure-function relationships between enzymatic
      properties, toxicity and structural characterization of SEBIN. 

PMID- 26111451
TI  - Historic recollections: From polymers and proteins to autoimmunity and cancer.

PMID- 26111452
TI  - Role of an arginine-lysine rich motif in maturation and trafficking of CD19.
AB  - Normal expression of CD19 on the surface of B cells requires the presence of the
      tetraspanin molecule CD81. Previous studies have shown that surface expression of
      CD19 is highly reduced in CD81-deficient mouse B cells and that it is completely
      absent in an antibody deficient human patient with a mutation in the CD81 gene.
      The current study explored the contribution of an arginine-lysine rich motif,
      present in the membrane-proximal cytoplasmic domain of CD19, for the maturation
      and trafficking of this molecule. We demonstrate that this motif plays a role in
      the maturation and recycling of CD19 but in a CD81-independent manner. 

PMID- 26111453
TI  - Cost of Treating Venous Thromboembolism With Heparin and Warfarin Versus Home
      Treatment With Rivaroxaban.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Target-specific anticoagulants such as rivaroxaban facilitate
      immediate discharge of low-risk venous thromboembolism (VTE; including deep vein
      thrombosis [DVT] and pulmonary embolism [PE]) allowing treatment at home instead
      of hospitalization. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to compare costs accrued over 6
      months by patients diagnosed with low-risk VTE and treated at home with
      rivaroxaban versus usual care with heparin-warfarin. METHODS: This case-control
      study calculated costs using the established charge-to-cost ratio from UB-04
      billing claims of patients diagnosed at two metropolitan hospitals. Patients were
      defined as low risk by the Hestia criteria. All patients were anticoagulated for
      6 months. Control patients were treated with usual care using low-molecular
      weight heparin (LMWH) and then warfarin. Case patients were treated with an
      initial dose of rivaroxaban in the ED followed by same-day discharge home with
      rivaroxaban. Medians were compared by Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: Fifty cases
      and 47 controls were identified. Groups were well matched according to mean age,
      Charlson comorbidity score, and proportions by sex and location of thrombus. For
      all VTEs, median hospital charges for 6 months after diagnosis were $11,128
      (interquartile range [IQR] = $8,110 to $23,390) for controls, compared with
      $4,787 (IQR = $3,042 to $7,596) for cases (Mann-Whitney U-test p < 0.001).
      Subgroup analyses of the first week of therapy, PE, DVT, and inpatient pharmacy
      costs retained significance, with costs for rivaroxaban-treated PE patients 57%
      lower than control PE patients (p < 0.001) and 56% lower for DVT patients (p =
      0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Cost of medical care was lower for low-risk VTE patients
      discharged immediately from the ED with rivaroxaban therapy compared with
      patients treated with LMWH-warfarin.

PMID- 26111454
TI  - Mobility and safety issues in drivers with dementia.
AB  - Although automobiles remain the mobility method of choice for older adults, late
      life cognitive impairment and progressive dementia will eventually impair the
      ability to meet transport needs of many. There is, however, no commonly utilized
      method of assessing dementia severity in relation to driving, no consensus on the
      specific types of assessments that should be applied to older drivers with
      cognitive impairment, and no gold standard for determining driving fitness or
      approaching loss of mobility and subsequent counseling. Yet, clinicians are often
      called upon by patients, their families, health professionals, and driver
      licensing authorities to assess their patients' fitness-to-drive and to make
      recommendations about driving privileges. We summarize the literature on dementia
      and driving, discuss evidenced-based assessments of fitness-to-drive, and outline
      the important ethical and legal concerns. We address the role of physician
      assessment, referral to neuropsychology, functional screens, dementia severity
      tools, driving evaluation clinics, and driver licensing authority referrals that
      may assist clinicians with an evaluation. Finally, we discuss mobility counseling
      (e.g. exploration of transportation alternatives) since health professionals need
      to address this important issue for older adults who lose the ability to drive.
      The application of a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to the older
      driver with cognitive impairment will have the best opportunity to enhance our
      patients' social connectedness and quality of life, while meeting their
      psychological and medical needs and maintaining personal and public safety. 

PMID- 26111455
TI  - Growth in neurofibromatosis 1 microdeletion patients.
AB  - Microdeletions of the entire NF1 gene and surrounding genomic region occur in
      about 5% of patients with neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1). NF1 microdeletion patients
      usually have more cutaneous and plexiform neurofibromas and a higher risk of
      developing malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors than other people with NF1.
      Somatic overgrowth has also been observed in NF1 microdeletion patients, an
      observation that is remarkable because most NF1 patients are smaller than average
      for age and sex. We studied longitudinal measurements of height, weight, and head
      circumference in 56 patients with NF1 microdeletions and 226 NF1 patients with
      other kinds of mutations. Although children with NF1 microdeletions were much
      taller than non-deletion NF1 patients at all ages after 2 years, the lengths of
      deletion and nondeletion NF1 patients were similar in early infancy. NF1
      microdeletion patients tended to be heavier than other NF1 patients, but height
      or weight more than 3 standard deviations above the mean for age and sex was
      infrequent in children with NF1 microdeletions. Head circumference and age of
      puberty were similar in deletion and non-deletion NF1 patients. The pattern of
      growth differs substantially in deletion and non-deletion NF1 patients, but the
      pathogenic basis for this difference is unknown.

PMID- 26111456
TI  - Ion transport through electrolyte/polyelectrolyte multi-layers.
AB  - Ion transport of multi-ionic solutions through layered electrolyte and
      polyelectrolyte structures are relevant in a large variety of technical systems
      such as micro and nanofluidic devices, sensors, batteries and large desalination
      process systems. We report a new direct numerical simulation model coined EnPEn:
      it allows to solve a set of first principle equations to predict for multiple
      ions their concentration and electrical potential profiles in electro-chemically
      complex architectures of n layered electrolytes E and n polyelectrolytes PE.
      EnPEn can robustly capture ion transport in sub-millimeter architectures with
      submicron polyelectrolyte layers. We proof the strength of EnPEn for three yet
      unsolved architectures: (a) selective Na over Ca transport in surface modified
      ion selective membranes, (b) ion transport and water splitting in bipolar
      membranes and (c) transport of weak electrolytes.

PMID- 26111457
TI  - In honour of the 65th birthday of Reinhard Miller.

PMID- 26111458
TI  - In-bore prostate transperineal interventions with an MRI-guided parallel
      manipulator: system development and preliminary evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Robot-assisted minimally-invasive surgery is well recognized as a
      feasible solution for diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer in humans.
      METHODS: This paper discusses the kinematics of a parallel 4 Degrees-of-Freedom
      (DOF) surgical manipulator designed for minimally invasive in-bore prostate
      percutaneous interventions through the patient's perineum. The proposed
      manipulator takes advantage of four sliders actuated by MRI-compatible
      piezoelectric motors and incremental rotary encoders. Errors, mostly originating
      from the design and manufacturing process, need to be identified and reduced
      before the robot is deployed in clinical trials. RESULTS: The manipulator has
      undergone several experiments to evaluate the repeatability and accuracy (about 1
      mm in air (in x or y direction) at the needle's reference point) of needle
      placement, which is an essential concern in percutaneous prostate interventions.
      CONCLUSION: The acquired results endorse the sustainability, precision and
      reliability of the manipulator. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26111459
TI  - Associations of coeliac disease with coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular
      disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - AIMS: Clinical experience suggests that atherosclerotic disease is common in
      individuals with coeliac disease, but epidemiological studies have had
      contradicting findings. To summarise the currently available evidence, we
      systematically reviewed and analysed observational studies of the association of
      coeliac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis with coronary heart disease (CHD) or
      stroke. DATA SYNTHESIS: We searched for studies comparing CHD or stroke outcomes
      with individuals with and without coeliac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis.
      Three investigators independently searched electronic databases, identified
      relevant studies and extracted data. Study-specific results were combined in
      random-effects meta-analyses, and heterogeneity was quantified using the I(2)
      statistic and meta-regression. Twenty-one studies were included in our systematic
      review and 18 in the meta-analyses. For CHD, the pooled hazard ratio for incident
      disease was 1.05 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.93, 1.19) and the overall
      standardised mortality ratio was 1.21 (0.99, 1.49). For stroke and brain
      haemorrhage, the corresponding estimates were 1.10 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.21) and 1.43
      (0.97, 2.10), respectively. There was moderate to considerable heterogeneity
      among the study-specific estimates. In addition, many estimates were based on
      small numbers of outcomes and they had limitations in terms of adjustment for
      potential confounders. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analyses lend some support to an
      association between coeliac disease and CHD or cerebrovascular disease, but the
      evidence base was heterogeneous and had limitations. Our systematic review
      highlighted a need in this area for adequately powered prospective studies with
      appropriate adjustment for potentially confounding factors.

PMID- 26111460
TI  - Human pharmaceuticals in the marine environment: Focus on exposure and biological
      effects in animal species.
AB  - Marine waters have been poorly investigated for the occurrence of pharmaceutical
      contamination. Recent data confirm that pharmaceuticals occur widely in marine
      and coastal environments; therefore, assessment of potential risk to marine
      species needs further efforts. The present study represents the first extensive
      review of pharmaceutical contamination in marine environments addressing the
      effects on the marine biota analyzed at the molecular, cellular, and individual
      levels. Because pharmaceuticals differ from conventional pollutants, being
      designed to interact with specific physiological pathways at low doses, the most
      recent evidence on modes of action and physiological alterations on marine animal
      species are discussed. Data on spatial distributions of pharmaceuticals in waters
      and sediments, as well as bioaccumulation rates, are also presented. The present
      review also seeks to expand knowledge of how the quality of coastal and marine
      environments could be efficiently monitored to anticipate possible health and
      environmental risks.

PMID- 26111461
TI  - Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Introduction.

PMID- 26111463
TI  - Biochemical, Epigenetic, and Metabolic Approaches to Target IDH Mutations in
      Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
AB  - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a lethal hematologic malignancy associated with
      poor clinical outcomes. In recent years, mutations in the IDH1 and IDH2 genes
      have been discovered across a range of malignancies, including AML, raising hope
      for effective targeted therapies. An intriguing aspect of IDH1/2-mutant
      malignancies is the aberrant production of the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate
      (2-HG), which likely play a pivotal oncogenic role. We recently reported that 2
      HG is dramatically elevated in the sera, marrow and urine of IDH1/2-mutant AML
      patients, and that levels of this oncometabolite directly correlate with disease
      burden and therapeutic response. The discovery of IDH1/2 mutations and their
      impact on important proteomic and metabolic pathways has triggered intensive
      efforts to develop novel and targeted therapies. IDH1/2 inhibitors are currently
      under early phase clinical investigation, with promising suggestion of efficacy.
      Other therapeutic approaches under preclinical and clinical investigation in this
      population include DNA methyltransferase inhibitors and agents that target
      glutamine metabolism through inhibition of glutaminase or depletion of serum
      glutamine by asparaginase products. 

PMID- 26111462
TI  - Biology and Clinical Relevance of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells.
AB  - Evidence for the cancer stem cell model was first demonstrated in
      xenotransplanted blood and bone marrow samples from patients with acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML) almost two decades ago, supporting the concept that a rare clonal
      and mutated leukemic stem cell (LSC) population is sufficient to drive leukemic
      growth. The inability to eliminate LSCs with conventional therapies is thought to
      be the primary cause of disease relapse in AML patients, and as such, novel
      therapies with the ability to target this population are required to improve
      patient outcomes. An important step towards this goal is the identification of
      common immunophenotypic surface markers and biological properties that
      distinguish LSCs from normal hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs)
      across AML patients. This work has resulted in the development of a large number
      of potential LSC-selective therapies that target cell surface molecules,
      intracellular signaling pathways, and the bone marrow microenvironment. Here, we
      will review the basic biology, immunophenotypic detection, and clinical relevance
      of LSCs, as well as emerging biological and small-molecule strategies that either
      directly target LSCs or indirectly target these cells through modulation of their
      microenvironment. 

PMID- 26111464
TI  - Epigenetic Therapy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Current and Future Directions.
AB  - Epigenetic modifications affect gene expression without changes in the actual DNA
      sequence. Two of the most important mechanisms include DNA methylation and
      histone tail modifications (especially acetylation and methylation). Epigenetic
      modulation is a part of normal physiologic development; its dysregulation is an
      important mechanism of pathogenesis of some cancers, including acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML). Despite significant progress in understanding the pathogenesis of
      AML, therapeutic options remain quite limited. Technological advances have
      facilitated understanding of aberrant DNA methylation and histone
      methylation/acetylation as key elements in the development of AML and uncovered
      several recurrent mutations in genes important for epigenetic regulation.
      However, much remains to be learned about how to exploit this knowledge for
      epigenetic therapeutic targeting. Currently, no epigenetic therapy is approved
      for the treatment of AML, although two DNA methyltransferase inhibitors
      (azacitidine and decitabine) are commonly used in clinical practice. Among the
      other epigenetic modifiers undergoing research in AML, the histone deacetylase
      inhibitors are the most studied. Other promising drugs, such as inhibitors of
      histone methylation (eg, EZH2 and DOT1L inhibitors), inhibitors of histone
      demethylases (eg, LSD1 inhibitors), inhibitors of bromodomain-containing
      epigenetic "reader" BET proteins, and inhibitors of mutant isocitrate
      dehydrogenases, are at early stages of clinical evaluation. 

PMID- 26111466
TI  - FLT3 Tyrosine Kinase Inhibition as a Paradigm for Targeted Drug Development in
      Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
AB  - Therapy targeting specific somatic mutations has become an increasingly important
      part of cancer therapy over the past 20 years. In particular, tyrosine kinase
      inhibitors (TKIs) have become a critical component of treatment for both solid
      tumors and hematologic malignancies. Since mutations in the FMS-like tyrosine
      kinase 3 (FLT3) gene are relatively common in acute myeloid leukemia (AML),
      activating mutations in FLT3 represent an appealing target for drug development.
      Efforts are well underway to develop FLT3 inhibitors and to incorporate these
      agents into AML therapy. As the genetic landscape of AML has been mapped, other
      attractive targets for therapy have been discovered, including C-KIT, IDH1 and
      IDH2, NPM1, and MEK. Some lessons from the ongoing endeavor to develop FLT3
      inhibitors may be applicable to the development of other targeted agents for AML.

PMID- 26111465
TI  - Advancing the Minimal Residual Disease Concept in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
AB  - The criteria to evaluate response to treatment in acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
      have changed little in the past 60 years. It is now possible to use higher
      sensitivity tools to measure residual disease burden in AML. Such minimal or
      measurable residual disease (MRD) measurements provide a deeper understanding of
      current patient status and allow stratification for risk of subsequent clinical
      relapse. Despite these obvious advantages, and after over a decade of laboratory
      investigation and preclinical validation, MRD measurements are not currently
      routinely used for clinical decision-making or drug development in non-acute
      promyelocytic leukemia (non-APL) AML. We review here some potential constraints
      that may have delayed adoption, including a natural hesitancy of end users,
      economic impact concerns, misperceptions regarding the meaning of and need for
      assay sensitivity, the lack of one single MRD solution for all AML patients, and
      finally the need to involve patients in decision-making based on such correlates.
      It is our opinion that none of these issues represent insurmountable barriers and
      our hope is that by providing potential solutions we can help map a path forward
      to a future where our patients will be offered personalized treatment plans based
      on the amount of AML they have left remaining to treat. 

PMID- 26111467
TI  - Acute Myelogenous Leukemia and its Microenvironment: A Molecular Conversation.
AB  - Survival of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) depends on our ability
      to prevent relapse in patients that achieved complete remission after intensive
      chemotherapy. While studies focusing on the malignant clone brought many advances
      in understanding AML biology and chemoresistance, little improvement has been
      made in eliminating the last bastion of malignant cells, the minimal residual
      disease (MRD). Inspired by Sir Paget's "soil and seed" hypothesis, it is becoming
      more clear that there is constant feedback between the malignant clone and the
      leukemic microenvironment. This "molecular conversation" dictates AML behavior
      and holds the key to eliminating MRD. Here we review recent advances in our
      understanding of how leukemia cells modify their microenvironment and how these
      changes reinforce AML homeostasis. In addition, we outline current clinical and
      preclinical efforts to disrupt these interactions and to therapeutically target
      MRD. 

PMID- 26111468
TI  - Immunotherapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
AB  - Despite longstanding efforts in basic research and clinical studies, the
      prognosis for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains poor. About half
      of the patients are not medically fit for intensive induction therapy to induce a
      complete remission and are treated with palliative treatment concepts. The
      patients medically fit for intensive induction therapy have a high complete
      remission rate but the majority suffers from relapse due to chemo-refractory
      leukemic cells. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation as post-remission therapy
      can significantly reduce the likelihood of relapse, but it is associated with a
      high rate of morbidity and mortality. Novel therapeutic concepts are therefore
      urgently sought after. During recent years, the focus has shifted towards the
      development of novel immunotherapeutic strategies. Some of the most promising are
      drug-conjugated monoclonal antibodies, T-cell engaging antibody constructs,
      adoptive transfer with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, and dendritic
      cell vaccination. Here, we review recent progress in these four fields and
      speculate about the optimal time points during the course of AML treatment for
      their application. 

PMID- 26111469
TI  - Core Binding Factor Acute Myeloid Leukemia: New Prognostic Categories and
      Therapeutic Opportunities.
AB  - Core binding factor (CBF) is a heterodimeric protein complex involved in the
      transcriptional regulation of normal hematopoiesis. Mutations in CBF-encoding
      genes result in leukemogenic proliferative advantages and impaired
      differentiation of the hematopoietic progenitors. CBF molecular aberrations are
      responsible for approximately 20% of all adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
      Although CBF-AMLs are considered to have relatively good prognosis compared to
      other leukemia subtypes, they are a heterogeneous group of disorders and modern
      therapy frequently leads to relapse and the associated morbidity and mortality.
      Improvements in risk stratification and development of targeted therapies are
      needed for better outcomes. In this review we provide a brief overview of the
      molecular basis, prognostic categories and the advanced treatment strategies for
      CBF leukemias. 

PMID- 26111470
TI  - Which Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients Should Be Offered Transplantation?
AB  - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by multiple
      genetic and epigenetic alterations. The major causes of treatment failure remain
      disease relapse and treatment toxicity. However, major advances in biological
      determinants of disease relapse, development of targeted molecules, improvement
      in allogeneic stem cell transplantation regimens, and better evaluation of non
      relapse mortality risk by comorbidity scores lead to the need to constantly
      revise the indications of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      (allo-HSCT). Promising post-allo-HSCT strategies will be pivotal for improving
      allo-HSCT outcome. This review focus on recent studies reporting new disease
      specific prognostic markers, in addition to allo-HSCT-related risk factors, which
      can be assessed at specific time points during treatment. 

PMID- 26111472
TI  - Why Is Progress in Acute Myeloid Leukemia So Slow?
AB  - Therapeutic progress in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is generally acknowledged to
      have been slower than that in the other commonly occurring types of leukemia. To
      a very large extent this reflects a relative lack of understanding of AML
      "biology" and in particular an inability to identify genetic and/or molecular
      aberrations not found in normal myeloid precursors ("targets"). Here, however, I
      also point out that the pace of development/acceptance of new therapies may be
      retarded by continued adherence to past practices, although these may lack
      empirical support. Among these practices are reliance on preclinical models that
      do not accurately represent clinical AML, delay in combining targeted therapies
      with each other or with "chemotherapy," and limitation of eligibility for
      clinical trials to patients with relapsed/refractory AML or unfit patients with
      newly diagnosed disease, and the stereotyped use of single-arm phase II trials
      followed by very large randomized phase III trials. Finally, I question whether
      improvement in survival should be the sole or even principal criterion for
      approval of new drugs in AML. 

PMID- 26111471
TI  - Alternative Donor Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Acute Myeloid
      Leukemia.
AB  - Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) provides a potentially
      curative therapy for patients with high-risk or chemorefractory acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML). Historically, the applicability of alloHCT has been limited as
      only 30%-35% of patients have human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched siblings and
      outcomes using other donor types have been markedly inferior due to excess
      toxicity, graft failure, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and consequently non
      relapse mortality. Advances in HLA typing, GVHD prophylactic approaches, and
      other transplantation techniques have successfully addressed these historical
      challenges. Herein, we review recent alloHCT studies using volunteer unrelated
      donors, umbilical cord blood units, or HLA-haploidentical donors, specifically
      focusing on studies that compared outcomes between donor sources. Although none
      are randomized and most are retrospective, these analyses suggest that current
      outcomes for AML patients using most alternative donor types are comparable to
      those seen using HLA-matched siblings. 

PMID- 26111473
TI  - Mitigating Fear and Loathing in Managing Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
AB  - The contemporary care of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is made
      complex by potentially toxic treatments, continuously advancing science, aging
      patients, and individual treatment goals. By taking a survey of present-day
      approaches, we aim to dispel some of the trepidation surrounding that care of
      patients with AML. At the beginning is the initial presentation, and we will
      discuss whether or not AML should be considered a medical emergency. We will
      explore the complex realm of patient decision-making about initial therapy,
      including the intricate straits of patient-doctor communication, and available
      options for initial treatment. We will then address post-remission approaches and
      the controversies that lie therein, and survivorship issues. Finally, we will
      investigate the current role molecular assessments are playing in therapy
      recommendations. 

PMID- 26111474
TI  - EPIMAG: International Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Psoriasis Study in the
      Maghreb.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a common skin disorder that is characterized by red
      plaques covered with silvery scales and is associated with considerable
      psychosocial impact. It has been described in several studies worldwide, but
      specific data from the Maghreb (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) are unavailable.
      OBJECTIVES: To characterize the frequency of new psoriasis cases and to describe
      the epidemiological and clinical profile of psoriasis in the Maghreb. METHODS: A
      psoriasis working group for the Maghreb initiated the EPIMAG international
      multicentre cross-sectional observational epidemiological study coupled with a 2
      week psoriasis screening study via medical consultation. Data were collected via
      questionnaires. RESULTS: The total analysis population included 373 pre-existing
      and 326 new psoriasis cases, described by 261 participating investigators. The
      frequency of new psoriasis cases was 10.26/1,000 in Algeria, 15.04/1,000 in
      Morocco and 13.26/1,000 in Tunisia, and thus 12.08/1,000 in the Maghreb. In all
      699 psoriasis subjects, the mean age was 46 years, the mean BMI was 26.6, and
      55.7% of subjects were men. Two thirds of the subjects had never smoked, and
      85.0% had never consumed alcohol. Half had brown skin, and 28.6% had a family
      history of psoriasis. Three quarters had localized psoriasis, 85.8% had plaque
      psoriasis, coupled with pruritus in over 70.0% of cases. Flares or outbreaks were
      most often triggered by stress (79.4%) and change of season (43.1%). The majority
      of subjects used topical therapy, and the investigators considered overall
      treatment efficacy to be partial in over half of the cases. Among patients with
      pre-existing psoriasis, secondary analyses showed that 73.2% had severe
      psoriasis, and that quality of life was severely affected in 40.1% of cases. The
      mean number of missing school or work days over 6 months was 3.2 (+/-12.1) days.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides novel information relative to psoriasis
      epidemiology and characterization in the Maghreb and highlights the need to
      improve psoriasis screening and management in the region. The data will help
      optimize psoriasis management, to ensure appropriate national health care
      policies.

PMID- 26111476
TI  - Electronic and magnetism properties of two-dimensional stacked nickel hydroxides
      and nitrides.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials receive a lot of attention because of
      their outstanding intrinsic properties and wide applications. In this work, the
      structural, electronic and magnetic properties of nickel hydroxides (Ni(OH)2) and
      nitrides XN (X = B, Al, and Ga) heterostructures are studied by first-principles
      calculations. The results show that the pristine monolayer Ni(OH)2 owns no macro
      magnetism with antiferromagnetic (AFM) coupling between two nearest Ni atoms, the
      electronic structure can be modulated through the heterostructures. The Ni(OH)2
      GaN and Ni(OH)2-AlN heterostructures retain the AFM coupling, while Ni(OH)2-BN
      heterostructure have a larger magnetic moment with ferromagnetic (FM) coupling.
      The complete electron-hole separation is found in the Ni(OH)2-GaN
      heterostructure. The tunable electronic and magnetic properties of the Ni(OH)2-XN
      heterostructures open a new door to design the spintronic devices in the 2D
      stacked nanostructures. 

PMID- 26111475
TI  - Upregulation of Death Receptor 5 and Production of Reactive Oxygen Species
      Mediate Sensitization of PC-3 Prostate Cancer Cells to TRAIL Induced Apoptosis by
      Vitisin A.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although Vitisin A, derived from wine grapes, is known to have
      cytotoxic, anti-adipogenic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, the
      underlying antitumor mechanism has not been investigated in prostate cancer cells
      to date. In the present study, the apoptotic mechanism of Vitisin A plus TNF
      related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in prostate cancer cells was
      elucidated. METHODS: The cytotoxicity of Vitisin A and/or TRAIL against PC-3,
      DU145 and LNCaP prostate cancer cells was measured by MTT colorimetric assay.
      Annexin V-FITC Apoptosis Detection kit was used to detect apoptotic cells by flow
      cytometry. Intracellular levels of ROS were measured by flow cytometry using 2070
      diacetyl dichlorofluorescein (DCFDA). RESULTS: Combined treatment with Vitisin A
      and TRAIL enhanced cytotoxicity and also increased sub-G1 population in PC-3
      cells better than DU145 or LNCap prostate cancer cells. Similarly, Annexin V and
      PI staining revealed that combination increased early and late apoptosis in PC-3
      cells compared to untreated control. Consistently, combination attenuated the
      expression of pro-caspases 7/8, DcR1, Bcl-XL or Bcl-2 and activated caspase 3,
      FADD, DR5 and DR4 in PC-3 cells. Also, combination increased DR5 promoter
      activity compared to untreated control. Furthermore, combination increased the
      production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and DR5 cell surface expression. The
      ROS inhibitor NAC and silencing of DR5 by siRNA transfection inhibited the
      ability of combination to induce PARP cleavage and generate ROS. CONCLUSION:
      These findings provide evidence that Vitisin A can be used in conjunction with
      TRAIL as a potent TRAIL sensitizer for synergistic apoptosis induction via
      upregulation of DR5 and production of ROS in prostate cancer cells.

PMID- 26111477
TI  - Fusion Peptides CPU1 and CPU2 Inhibit Matrix Metalloproteinases and Protect Mice
      from Endotoxin Shock Within a Strict Time Window.
AB  - Endotoxin shock induction in mice is a commonly used animal model to evaluate the
      protective effect of biologically active reagents. After an lipopolysaccharides
      (LPS) stimulus, matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) and matrix metalloproteinase-9
      (MMP-9) are rapidly degranulated and released by neutrophils, aside other enzymes
      and effector molecules. MMPs cleave extracellular matrix components and
      cytokines, and such processes contribute to shock syndrome development. CPU1 and
      CPU2 are two peptide MMP inhibitors with different in vitro IC50 values to
      several key enzymes, including MMP-8 and MMP-9. In vivo work confirmed that CPU1
      and CPU2 protected mice from endotoxin shock after intravenous and
      intraperitoneal injections. Furthermore, their minimal effective dose after an
      intravenous injection and the maximum time interval between intraperitoneal
      peptide injection (150 mg/kg) and intravenous LPS injection were determined. With
      the use of an indirect competitive ELISA, plasma CPU1 and CPU2 concentrations in
      different experimental settings were measured. In addition, the acuteness of MMP
      9 release in the mouse circulation after an intravenous LPS injection was
      confirmed with the zymography technique. Our findings reinforce previous work
      with other inhibitors about a strict time window within which effective MMP
      inhibition is needed to obtain significant survival rate improvements and also
      show that, with strict pharmacokinetic monitoring, potent protease inhibitors may
      in the future become life-savers in shock conditions. 

PMID- 26111478
TI  - Phospholipid Incorporation of Non-Methylene-Interrupted Fatty Acids (NMIFA) in
      Murine Microglial BV-2 Cells Reduces Pro-Inflammatory Mediator Production.
AB  - Sciadonic acid (SCA), pinolenic acid (PNA), and Delta7-eicosatrienoic acid
      (Delta7-ETrA) are three non-methylene-interrupted fatty acids (NMIFA). Using
      murine microglial BV-2 cells, this study determined how NMIFA incorporation
      modulated phospholipid fatty acid composition and the production of pro
      inflammatory mediators. Each NMIFA was rapidly taken up and incorporated in BV-2
      cells, resulting in the differential redistribution of total lipids. The cellular
      phospholipid fatty acid compositions were altered, and a significant decrease in
      the proportions of total monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) was observed while
      the proportions of NMIFA and its metabolites accounted for 38% of the fatty acid
      total. Incubation of microglial cells with NMIFA suppressed production of LPS
      stimulated pro-inflammatory mediators, including nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin
      E2 (PGE2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), as
      well as the over-expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and type 2
      cyclooxygenase (COX-2). These inhibitory effects could be accounted for, in part,
      by the inactivation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling. In
      conclusion, Delta7-ETrA, PNA, and SCA are anti-inflammatory NMIFA that may be
      useful in suppressing in vitro immune responses involved in neural inflammation.

PMID- 26111479
TI  - Compromised immune response in infants at risk for type 1 diabetes born by
      Caesarean Section.
AB  - Children born by Caesarean Section have a higher risk for type 1 diabetes. We
      aimed to investigate whether Caesarean Section leads to alterations of the immune
      response in children with familial risk for type 1 diabetes. We examined measures
      of innate and adaptive immune responses in 94 prospectively followed children,
      including 40 born by Caesarean Section. Proinflammatory serum cytokine
      concentrations were determined at age 6 months. As a measure of vaccine response,
      IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4 tetanus antibody titers and CD4(+) T cell proliferation
      against tetanus toxoid were quantified. Compared to infants born by vaginal
      delivery, infants born by Caesarean Section had lower concentrations of the
      cytokines IFN-gamma (p=0.014) and IL-8 (p=0.005), and weaker CD4(+) T cell
      responses to tetanus measured in the first (p=0.007) and second year (p=0.047) of
      life. Overall, our findings provide evidence that the mode of delivery influences
      the immune status and responsiveness during childhood.

PMID- 26111480
TI  - Statistical considerations when analyzing biomarker data.
AB  - Biomarkers have become, and will continue to become, increasingly important to
      clinical immunology research. Yet, biomarkers often present new problems and
      raise new statistical and study design issues to scientists working in clinical
      immunology. In this paper I discuss statistical considerations related to the
      important biomarker problems of: 1) The design and analysis of clinical studies
      which seek to determine whether changes from baseline in a biomarker are
      associated with changes in a metabolic outcome; 2) The conditions that are
      required for a biomarker to be considered a "surrogate"; 3) Considerations that
      arise when analyzing whether or not a predictive biomarker could act as a
      surrogate endpoint; 4) Biomarker timing relative to the clinical endpoint; 5) The
      problem of analyzing studies that measure many biomarkers from few subjects; and,
      6) The use of statistical models when analyzing biomarker data arising from count
      data. 

PMID- 26111482
TI  - Sensitive, reliable and easy-performed laboratory monitoring of eculizumab
      therapy in atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.
AB  - Complement C5 inhibitor eculizumab treatment in atypical hemolytic uremic
      syndrome is effective, but associated with high costs. Complement inhibition
      monitoring in these patients has not been standardized. In this study we
      evaluated novel functional assays for application in routine follow-up. We
      documented that the Wieslab(r) complement screen assay showed a sensitivity of 1
      2% of C5 activity by adding purified C5 or normal human serum to a C5 deficient
      serum. All the patient samples obtained during the treatment course, were
      completely blocked for terminal complement pathway activity for up to four weeks
      after the eculizumab infusion. Levels of complexes between eculizumab and C5 were
      inversely correlated to the complement activity (p=0.01). Moreover, titrating
      serum from eculizumab-treated patients into normal serum revealed that eculizumab
      was present in excess up to four weeks after infusion. Thus, we demonstrate
      sensitive, reliable and easy-performed assays which can be used to design
      individual eculizumab dosage regimens. 

PMID- 26111481
TI  - Preliminary evidence that the novel host-derived immunostimulant EP67 can act as
      a mucosal adjuvant.
AB  - EP67 is a complement component 5a (C5a)-derived peptide agonist of the C5a
      receptor (CD88) that selectively activates DCs over neutrophils. Systemic
      administration of EP67 covalently attached to peptides, proteins, or attenuated
      pathogens generates TH1-biased immunogen-specific humoral and cellular immune
      responses with little inflammation. Furthermore, intranasal administration of
      EP67 alone increases the proportion of activated APCs in the airways. As such, we
      hypothesized that EP67 can act as a mucosal adjuvant. Intranasal immunization
      with an EP67-conjugated CTL peptide vaccine against protective MCMV epitopes M84
      and pp89 increased protection of naive female BALB/c mice against primary
      respiratory infection with salivary gland-derived MCMV and generated higher
      proportions of epitope responsive and long-lived memory precursor effector cells
      (MPEC) in the lungs and spleen compared to an inactive, scrambled EP67-conjugated
      CTL peptide vaccine and vehicle alone. Thus, EP67 may be an effective adjuvant
      for mucosal vaccines and warrants further study. 

PMID- 26111483
TI  - Galectin-3 Expression in Primary Cutaneous CD30-Positive Lymphoproliferative
      Disorders and Transformed Mycosis Fungoides.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In nodal anaplastic large cell lymphoma, strong expression of
      galectin-3 (Gal-3) has been found, but only very few cases of primary cutaneous
      lymphoma have so far been examined. OBJECTIVES: To investigate 11 primary
      cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphomas (PCALCL), 47 lymphomatoid papuloses
      (LYP) and 14 cases of transformed mycosis fungoides with CD30 expression (MF-T)
      for Gal-3 expression. METHODS: A Gal-3 score was applied using a photo-based
      morphometric evaluation program. Double staining for CD30 and Gal-3 was
      performed. Furthermore, we recorded the cellular and extracellular
      sublocalization of the signal. RESULTS: The Gal-3 expression in CD30+ tumor cells
      was significantly lower in MF-T in contrast to CD30+ lymphoproliferative
      disorders (CD30 LPD; p < 0.001), but we found no differences between PCALCL and
      LYP (p = 0.42). In PCALCL Gal-3 was more often localized in the cytoplasm in
      contrast to LYP, in which an equal distribution in the cytoplasm and the nucleus
      was more common (p = 0.9). CONCLUSIONS: The lower Gal-3 expression in MF-T in
      comparison to CD30 LPD might be an additional criterion to differentiate both
      entities. The different sublocalization of the Gal-3 signal might reflect a
      different biological function and behavior.

PMID- 26111484
TI  - Acinetobacter baumannii clonal lineages I and II harboring different carbapenem
      hydrolyzing-beta-lactamase genes are widespread among hospitalized burn patients
      in Tehran.
AB  - The aim of this study was to analyze antimicrobial resistance patterns and their
      encoding genes and genotypic diversity of Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from
      burn patients in Tehran, Iran. The presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-
      and blaOXA-encoding genes among 37 multidrug resistant (MDR) A. baumannii strains
      isolated from patients hospitalized in a teaching hospital in Tehran was
      evaluated. Susceptibility to 7 antibiotics was tested by disk agar diffusion and
      to polymyxin B and colistin was tested by E-test, according to CLSI guidelines.
      All isolates were then analyzed by PCR for the presence of blaIMP, blaVIM,
      blaSIMblaOXA-23, blaOXA-24, and blaOXA-58-like carbapenemase genes, and blaOXA-51
      like, blaTEM, blaSHV, blaPER, blaVEB, and blaGIM genes. Genotyping of A.
      baumannii strains was performed by repetitive sequence-based (REP)-PCR and
      cluster analysis of REP-PCR profiles. A. baumannii isolates were assigned to
      international clones by multiplex PCR sequence group analysis. Twenty-five A.
      baumannii isolates were classified as MDR, and 12 were classified as extensively
      drug resistant. All isolates were susceptible to colistin and polymyxin B. Eighty
      one percent of the isolates was resistant to imipenem or meropenem and harbored
      at least one or both of the blaOXA-23-like or blaOXA-24-like carbapenemase genes.
      Co-existence of different resistance genes was found among carbapenem-resistant
      isolates. Multiplex PCR sequence group analysis most commonly assigned A.
      baumannii isolates to international clones I (18/37; 48.6%) and II (18/37;
      48.6%). An alarming increase in resistance to carbapenems and the spread of
      blaOXA-23-like and/or blaOXA-24-like carbapenemase genes was observed among A.
      baumannii strains belonging to clonal lineages I and II, isolated from burn
      patients in Tehran. 

PMID- 26111485
TI  - Cortical sources of resting state electroencephalographic rhythms differ in
      relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Resting state electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms are abnormal in
      multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, but it is unclear if they can reflect different
      neurophysiologic abnormalities in MS sub-types (phenotypes) such as relapsing
      remitting (RR) and secondary progressive (SP). METHODS: We tested whether
      cortical sources of resting state EEG rhythms are abnormal in MS patients and
      differ between MS phenotypes. Resting state eyes-closed EEG activity was recorded
      in 36 RR, 23 SP, and 41 matched healthy subjects. EEG bands of interest were
      individually identified based on Transition frequency (TF), Individual alpha
      frequency (IAF), and Individual beta frequency (IBF). LORETA freeware estimated
      cortical EEG sources. RESULTS: Widespread TF -4Hz (delta) and IAF (alpha)
      cortical sources were abnormal in the MS sub-groups compared to the control
      group. Furthermore, TF -4Hz sources in central, parietal, and limbic regions were
      higher in amplitude in the SP compared to the RR sub-group. CONCLUSION: Cortical
      sources of resting state EEG rhythms are abnormal in MS patients at group level
      and differ between RR and SP sub-groups. SIGNIFICANCE: Future studies should test
      the utility of these EEG markers in the diagnosis and management of MS clinical
      phenotypes and in the therapy evaluation.

PMID- 26111486
TI  - Electrophysiology of facilitation priming in obsessive-compulsive and panic
      disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Repeated experience with stimuli often primes faster, more efficient
      neuronal and behavioural responses. Exaggerated repetition priming effects have
      previously been reported in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), however little
      is known of their underlying neurobiology or disorder-specificity, hence we
      investigated these factors. METHODS: We examined event-related potentials (ERPs)
      and behaviour while participants with OCD, panic disorder and healthy controls
      (20 per group) performed a Go/NoGo task which manipulated target repetition
      sequences. RESULTS: Both clinical groups showed stronger reaction time (RT)
      priming than HCs, which in OCD was greater in a checking, than washing, subgroup.
      Both clinical groups had similar RT deficits and ERP anomalies across several
      components, which correlated with psychopathology and RT priming. In OCD alone,
      N1 latency tended to increase to repeated stimuli, correlated with O-C symptoms,
      whereas it decreased in other groups. OCD-checkers had smaller target P2
      amplitude than all other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced neural priming is not
      unique to OCD and may contribute to salient sensory-cognitive experiences in
      anxiety generally. These effects are related to symptom severity and occur to
      neutral stimuli and in the context of overall RT impairment, suggesting they may
      be clinically relevant and pervasive. The results indicate overlapping
      information-processing and neurobiological factors across disorders, with
      indications of OCD-specific trends and subgroup differences. SIGNIFICANCE: This
      first electrophysiological investigation of OCD priming in OCD to include anxious
      controls and OCD subgroups allows for differentiation between overlapping and OCD
      specific phenomena, to advance neurobiological models of OCD.

PMID- 26111488
TI  - EEG oscillations reflect the complexity of social interactions in a non-verbal
      social cognition task using animated triangles.
AB  - The ability to attribute independent mental states (e.g. opinions, perceptions,
      beliefs) to oneself and others is termed Theory of Mind (ToM). Previous studies
      investigating ToM usually employed verbal paradigms and functional neuroimaging
      methods. Here, we studied oscillatory responses in the electroencephalogram (EEG)
      in a non-verbal social cognition task. The aim of this study was twofold: First,
      we wanted to investigate differences in oscillatory responses to animations
      differing with regard to the complexity of social "interactions". Secondly, we
      intended to evaluate the basic cognitive processes underlying social cognition.
      To this end, we analyzed theta, alpha, beta and gamma task-related de
      /synchronization (TRD/TRS) during presentation of six non-verbal videos differing
      in the complexity of (social) "interactions" between two geometric shapes. Videos
      were adopted from Castelli et al. (2000)and belonged to three conditions: Videos
      designed to evoke attributions of mental states (ToM), interaction descriptions
      (goal-directed, GD) and videos in which the shapes moved randomly (R). Analyses
      revealed that only theta activity consistently varied as a function of social
      "interaction" complexity. Results suggest that ToM/GD videos attract more
      attention and working-memory resources and may have activated related memory
      contents. Alpha and beta results were less consistent. While alpha effects
      suggest that observation of social "interactions" may benefit from inhibition of
      self-centered processing, oscillatory responses in the beta range could be
      related to action observation. In summary, the results provide insight into basic
      cognitive processes involved in social cognition and render the paradigm
      attractive for the investigation of social cognitive processes in non-verbal
      populations. 

PMID- 26111489
TI  - Sex-related functional asymmetry of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in regard
      to decision-making under risk and ambiguity.
AB  - Previous work has provided preliminary indication of sex-related functional
      asymmetry of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in social and emotional
      functions and complex decision-making. Findings have been inconsistent, and based
      on small numbers of patients. Given the rarity of these neurological cases,
      replicable results across studies are important to build evidence for sex-related
      functional asymmetry of the vmPFC. Here we used a sample of sixteen neurological
      patients with unilateral damage to the left or right vmPFC and examined
      differences between men and women on a task that probed decision-making under
      risk or decision-making under ambiguity. We found that men with right-hemisphere
      vmPFC damage and women with left-hemisphere vmPFC damage demonstrated
      significantly reduced aversion to risk and ambiguity. Men with damage to the left
      vmPFC and women with damage to the right vmPFC showed aversion to risk and
      ambiguity comparable to participants with left or right-sided brain damage
      outside the vmPFC, and to comparison participants without brain damage. Our
      results add to previous findings of sex-related functional asymmetry of the vmPFC
      in decision-making. Our study also replicates findings of no observable
      behavioral differences between men and women without neurological damage on tests
      of decision-making. This pattern of neurobiological divergence but behavioral
      convergence between men and women may reflect a complex interplay of
      neuroendocrine, developmental, and psychosocial factors. 

PMID- 26111487
TI  - A shift in perspective: Decentering through mindful attention to imagined
      stressful events.
AB  - Ruminative thoughts about a stressful event can seem subjectively real, as if the
      imagined event were happening in the moment. One possibility is that this
      subjective realism results from simulating the self as engaged in the stressful
      event (immersion). If so, then the process of decentering--disengaging the self
      from the event--should reduce the subjective realism associated with immersion,
      and therefore perceived stressfulness. To assess this account of decentering, we
      taught non-meditators a strategy for disengaging from imagined events, simply
      viewing these events as transient mental states (mindful attention). In a
      subsequent neuroimaging session, participants imagined stressful and non
      stressful events, while either immersing themselves or adopting mindful
      attention. In conjunction analyses, mindful attention down-regulated the
      processing of stressful events relative to baseline, whereas immersion up
      regulated their processing. In direct contrasts between mindful attention and
      immersion, mindful attention showed greater activity in brain areas associated
      with perspective shifting and effortful attention, whereas immersion showed
      greater activity in areas associated with self-processing and visceral states.
      These results suggest that mindful attention produces decentering by disengaging
      embodied senses of self from imagined situations so that affect does not develop.

PMID- 26111490
TI  - From blood to brain through BBB and astrocytic signaling.
AB  - In this Festschrift, I discuss the career and guiding principles to which Abba J.
      Kastin has adhered during the last 20 years we worked together. I briefly
      describe the history of our joint laboratory group, the context of studies of
      peptide permeation across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and newer developments
      in the BBB Group as Abba steps down after serving 35 years as the founding Editor
      in-Chief for Peptides. Abba's BBB studies on peptides have contributed to
      concepts in the neuroendocrinology of feeding and developed information on
      molecular trafficking across BBB cells. The astroglial leptin signaling studies
      and the interactions of sleep and BBB are two major directions, whereas the long
      term MIF-1 project demarcates a tortuous road on translational research. 

PMID- 26111491
TI  - Pain on administration of non-alkalinised lidocaine for carpal tunnel
      decompression: A comparison between the Gale and the "advancing wheal"
      techniques.
AB  - METHODS: This study compares two methods of administration of non-alkalinised
      lidocaine for carpal tunnel decompression in volunteers as well as in patients
      undergoing carpal tunnel release: The Gale subcutaneous injection technique and
      another subcutaneous injection technique known as the "advancing wheal"
      technique. The comparison was done in nine male volunteers and in 20 patients. In
      the volunteer part of the study, both hands were injected and, hence, each
      volunteer acted as his own control. In the clinical part of the study, the 20
      patients were randomised, with 10 patients receiving the Gale technique and the
      other 10 receiving the wheal technique. RESULTS: In volunteers, the advancing
      wheal technique was associated with less pain; but with a longer duration of
      injection and a higher number of needle pricks when compared with the Gale
      technique. Eight volunteers preferred the advancing wheal technique because the
      overall pain experience was less. One volunteer preferred the Gale technique
      because it took less time to complete the injection procedure. Clinically, the
      wheal technique also had a significantly lower mean pain score than the Gale
      technique. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the advancing wheal technique is
      associated with less pain than the Gale technique.

PMID- 26111492
TI  - On the Origins of Pituitary Apoplexy.
AB  - This paper sketches the early history of pituitary apoplexy, a disorder later
      fully described in 1950 by Brougham, Heusner and Adams. Haemorrhage or necrosis
      in an adenoma causes a characteristic sudden drowsiness, stupor or coma, headache
      and stiff neck, ocular palsy, and impaired acuity with visual field loss owing to
      optic nerve or chiasmal compression. The associated endocrinopathy and management
      are described. 

PMID- 26111493
TI  - Heart donation and transplantation after circulatory death: ethical issues after
      Europe's first case.

PMID- 26111494
TI  - Intensive perioperative simvastatin treatment protects from chronic kidney
      allograft injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and innate immune response
      augment adaptive immunity and may also trigger repair processes that lead to
      uncontrolled fibrosis and atherosclerosis as seen in chronic allograft injury.
      Simvastatin has been shown to protect from renal IRI in several experimental
      studies. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of donor simvastatin
      pretreatment and early initiation of recipient simvastatin treatment on chronic
      kidney allograft injury. METHODS: A rat renal transplantation model was used.
      Simvastatin was administered perorally for donor (5 mg/kg) and/or for recipient
      (2 mg/kg) 2 hours before transplantation and/or as daily treatment starting on
      the first postoperative day (2 mg/kg/day). The study included 5 groups: (1) no
      simvastatin, (2) donor pretreatment, (3) daily recipient treatment, (4) donor
      pretreatment + daily recipient treatment and (5) donor pretreatment + recipient
      pretreatment + daily recipient treatment. The grafts were recovered at day 90 for
      histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis. Kidney function was followed
      weekly with serum creatinine, and 24-hour urine protein was measured 60 and 90
      days after transplantation. RESULTS: We found that donor and recipient
      simvastatin pretreatment combined with daily recipient treatment reduced graft
      inflammation and chronic allograft injury. Treatment using only statins started
      after transplantation reduced inflammation to some extent, but did not affect
      chronic kidney allograft injury. Pretreatment using only donor statins impaired
      graft function and increased proteinuria. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that
      perioperative recipient statin treatment reduces inflammation and may protect the
      graft in the long term.

PMID- 26111496
TI  - Erosive Effect of Different Soft Drinks on Enamel Surface in vitro: Application
      of Stylus Profilometry.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the erosive potential of various soft drinks by measuring
      initial pH and titratable acidity (TA) and to evaluate enamel surface roughness
      using different exposure times. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The initial pH of the soft
      drinks (group 1: Coca-Cola; group 2: orange juice; group 3: Cedevita; group 4:
      Guarana, and group 5: strawberry yoghurt) was measured using a pH meter, and TA
      was measured by titration with NaOH. Enamel samples (n = 96), cut from unerupted
      human third molars, were randomly assigned to 6 groups: experimental (groups 1-5)
      and control (filtered saliva). The samples were exposed to 50 ml of soft drinks
      for 15, 30 and 60 min, 3 times daily, during 10 days. Between immersions, the
      samples were kept in filtered saliva. Enamel surface roughness was measured by
      diamond stylus profilometer using the following roughness parameters: Ra, Rq, Rz,
      and Ry. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, Tukey's post hoc and Student-Newman
      Keuls post hoc tests. RESULTS: The pH values of the soft drinks ranged from 2.52
      (Guarana) to 4.21 (strawberry yoghurt). Orange juice had the highest TA,
      requiring 5.70 ml of NaOH to reach pH 7.0, whereas Coca-Cola required only 1.87
      ml. Roughness parameters indicated that Coca-Cola had the strongest erosion
      potential during the 15 min of exposure, while Coca-Cola and orange juice were
      similar during 30- and 60-min exposures. There were no significant differences
      related to all exposure times between Guarana and Cedevita. Strawberry yoghurt
      did not erode the enamel surface regardless of the exposure time. CONCLUSION: All
      of the tested soft drinks except yoghurt were erosive. Erosion of the enamel
      surfaces exposed to Coca-Cola, orange juice, Cedevita, and Guarana was directly
      proportional to the exposure time.

PMID- 26111495
TI  - Histochemical analysis of testis specific gene 13 in human normal and malignant
      tissues.
AB  - Testis-specific gene 13 (TSGA13) is abundantly expressed in testis. As previous
      studies of TSGA13 expression pattern have all been based on mRNA analysis, it is
      imperative to investigate its actual protein expression. Here, we first examined
      TSGA13 gene tree and protein homology among species, and found that TSGA13 is
      relatively well conserved. Next, we detected its protein expression in normal
      human tissues as well as in a limited number of malignant tumors by
      immunohistochemistry (IHC). It was demonstrated that, in addition to testis, high
      expression of TSGA13 could also be observed in multiple normal tissues, including
      stomach, larynx, spleen, bladder, tonsil, liver and thyroid. Notably, most types
      of human carcinoma tissues displayed reduced expression of TSGA13 rather than
      their adjacent normal tissues except glioblastoma and lung cancer. Hence, the
      data from the current study strongly suggest the association between TSGA13 and
      tumor malignancy. 

PMID- 26111498
TI  - HBsAg spontaneous seroclearance in a cohort of HBeAg-seronegative patients with
      chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
AB  - Loss of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is considered to reflect the
      resolution of a hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Patient characteristics and
      various seromarkers were evaluated to characterize factors predicting spontaneous
      HBsAg loss in a cohort of HBeAg-seronegative patients with presumed chronic HBV
      infection. Relationships between seromarkers and HBsAg loss were assessed
      annually and after 6 years using binary logistic regression. Among the 634
      participants, 117 (18.45%) cleared HBsAg after 6 years, with a 3.08% annual
      seroclearance rate. Baseline HBsAg levels and platelet (PLT) counts were
      predictors of HBsAg seroclearance. The HBsAg level predicted HBsAg seroclearance
      better than the PLT count (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve
      (AUROC): HBsAg, 0.965 (95%CI, 0.947-0.980) versus PLT count, 0.617 (95%CI, 0.561
      0.669); P < 0.001). A cutoff HBsAg level of 10 IU/ml at baseline predicted
      spontaneous HBsAg seroclearance at 6 years with a diagnostic accuracy of 93.4%, a
      sensitivity of 87.2%, a specificity of 94.8%, a positive predictive value of
      79.1%, and a negative predictive value of 97.0%. HBsAg seroclearance may occur
      more commonly than expected. A serum HBsAg level <10 IU/ml and PLT count were
      accurate predictors of clearance.

PMID- 26111497
TI  - A major allergen in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): complete sequences of
      parvalbumin by MALDI tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - Fish parvalbumin (PRVB) is an abundant and stable protein in fish meat. The
      variation in cross-reactivity among individuals is well known and explained by a
      broad repertoire of molecular forms and differences between IgE-binding epitopes
      in fish species. PVRB has "sequential" epitopes, which retain their IgE-binding
      capacity and allergenicity also after heating and digestion using proteolytic
      enzymes. From the allergonomics perspective, PRVB is still a challenging target
      due to its multiple isoforms present at different degrees of distribution. Little
      information is available in the databases about PVRBs from Oncorhynchus mykiss.
      At present, only two validated, incomplete isoforms of this species are included
      in the protein databases: parvalbumin beta 1 (P86431) and parvalbumin beta 2
      (P86432). A simple and rapid protocol has been developed for selective
      solubilization of PRVB from the muscle of farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus
      mykiss), followed by calcium depletion, proteolytic digestion, MALDI MS, and
      MS/MS analysis. With this strategy thermal allergen release was assessed and
      PRVB1 (P86431), PRVB1.1, PRVB2 (P86432) and PRVB2.1 variants from the rainbow
      trout were sequenced. The correct ordering of peptide sequences was aided by
      mapping the overlapping enzymatic digests. The deduced peptide sequences were
      arranged and the theoretical molecular masses (Mr) of the resulting sequences
      were calculated. Experimental masses (Mr) of each PRVB variant were measured by
      linear MALDI-TOF. 

PMID- 26111499
TI  - Post-closure biosphere assessment modelling: comparison of complex and more
      stylised approaches.
AB  - Geological disposal facilities are the preferred option for high-level
      radioactive waste, due to their potential to provide isolation from the surface
      environment (biosphere) on very long timescales. Assessments need to strike a
      balance between stylised models and more complex approaches that draw more
      extensively on site-specific information. This paper explores the relative merits
      of complex versus more stylised biosphere models in the context of a site
      specific assessment. The more complex biosphere modelling approach was developed
      by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co (SKB) for the Formark
      candidate site for a spent nuclear fuel repository in Sweden. SKB's approach is
      built on a landscape development model, whereby radionuclide releases to distinct
      hydrological basins/sub-catchments (termed 'objects') are represented as they
      evolve through land rise and climate change. Each of seventeen of these objects
      is represented with more than 80 site specific parameters, with about 22 that are
      time-dependent and result in over 5000 input values per object. The more stylised
      biosphere models developed for this study represent releases to individual
      ecosystems without environmental change and include the most plausible transport
      processes. In the context of regulatory review of the landscape modelling
      approach adopted in the SR-Site assessment in Sweden, the more stylised
      representation has helped to build understanding in the more complex modelling
      approaches by providing bounding results, checking the reasonableness of the more
      complex modelling, highlighting uncertainties introduced through conceptual
      assumptions and helping to quantify the conservatisms involved. The more stylised
      biosphere models are also shown capable of reproducing the results of more
      complex approaches. A major recommendation is that biosphere assessments need to
      justify the degree of complexity in modelling approaches as well as simplifying
      and conservative assumptions. In light of the uncertainties concerning the
      biosphere on very long timescales, stylised biosphere models are shown to provide
      a useful point of reference in themselves and remain a valuable tool for nuclear
      waste disposal licencing procedures. 

PMID- 26111500
TI  - What do measures of patient satisfaction with the doctor tell us?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To gain an understanding of how patient satisfaction (PS) with the
      doctor (PSD) is conceptualized through an empirical review of how it is currently
      being measured. The content of PS questionnaire items was examined to (a)
      determine the primary domains underlying PSD, and (b) summarize the specific
      doctor-related characteristics and behaviors, and patient-related perceptions,
      composing each domain. METHODS: A scoping review of empirical articles that
      assessed PSD published from 2000 to November 2013. MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases
      were searched. RESULTS: The literature search yielded 1726 articles, 316 of which
      fulfilled study inclusion criteria. PSD was realized in one of four health
      contexts, with questions being embedded in a larger questionnaire that assessed
      PS with either: (1) overall healthcare, (2) a specific medical encounter, or (3)
      the healthcare team. In the fourth context, PSD was the questionnaire's sole
      focus. Five broad domains underlying PSD were revealed: (1) Communication
      Attributes; (2) Relational Conduct; (3) Technical Skill/Knowledge; (4) Personal
      Qualities; and (5) Availability/Accessibility. CONCLUSIONS: Careful consideration
      of measurement goals and purposes is necessary when selecting a PSD measure.
      PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The five emergent domains underlying PSD point to
      potential key areas of physician training and foci for quality assessment.

PMID- 26111501
TI  - Do multimorbidity and deprivation influence patients' emotional expressions and
      doctors' responses in primary care consultations?--An exploratory study using
      multilevel analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore whether and how patient multimorbidity and socioeconomic
      deprivation might influence patients' emotional expression and doctors' responses
      in the general practice (GP) consultations. METHODS: Video recordings of 107
      consultations (eight GPs) were coded with the Verona Coding Definitions of
      Emotional Sequences (VR-CoDES). Multilevel logistic regressions modelled the
      probability of GP providing space response, considering patient multimorbidity,
      deprivation conditions and other contextual factors. Further multinomial
      regressions explored the possible impact of multimorbidity and deprivation on
      expression of and specific responses to patients' emotional distress. RESULTS: It
      was less likely for GPs to provide space as the consultation proceeded,
      controlling for multimorbidity and deprivation variables. Patients with
      multimorbidity were less likely to express emotional distress in an explicit
      form. GPs were more likely to provide acknowledgement to emotions expressed by
      patients from more deprived areas. CONCLUSION: Multimorbidity and deprivation may
      influence the dynamics of the GP consultations in specific ways. Rigorous
      methodologies using larger samples are required to explore further how these two
      variables relate to each other and influence cue expression, provider response
      and subsequent patient outcomes. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Understanding how
      multimorbidity and deprivation impact on GP consultations may help inform future
      service improvement programmes.

PMID- 26111502
TI  - Decisions, choice and shared decision making in antenatal clinics: An
      observational study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The UK Government has prioritised shared decision making (SDM) and
      choice in maternity services, but no studies have explored the breadth of
      antenatal decisions or the feasibility of this aspiration. This study aimed to
      describe the decisions made, investigate the factors associated with choice and
      explore SDM practice. METHODS: Cross-sectional audio-recording of consultations
      in a UK district general hospital. Multi-level regression models were used to
      investigate associations between choice and doctor, patient, consultation and
      decision variables. RESULTS: 585 decisions were documented with a mean of 3.0 (SD
      1.5) per consultation. No choice was offered in 75% of decisions. Choice was
      associated with the decision topic, consultation length, Royal College membership
      status and presence on the specialist register. CONCLUSIONS: Without a choice, it
      will be challenging for a patient and their healthcare profession to truly share
      decisions. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: If universal SDM is the aim, then further work
      is required to understand the factors impacting choice availability and SDM,
      while engaging and supporting healthcare professionals to offer options and share
      decisions with patients.

PMID- 26111503
TI  - L1CAM in human cancer.
AB  - L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) is one of the first neural adhesion molecules
      described with important functions in the development of the nervous system.
      Subsequent work discovered that L1CAM is expressed in many human cancers and is
      often associated with bad prognosis. This is most likely due to the motility and
      invasion promoting function of L1CAM. Here, we describe the path L1CAM has taken
      from a neural adhesion molecule to a recognized tumor antigen. We summarize the
      literature on L1CAM expression in cancers and pre-cancerous lesions. We focus on
      the genetic elements required for its re-expression and highlight preclinical
      studies for targeted therapy. The data suggest that L1CAM is a valuable
      diagnostic/prognostic marker and an attractive target for the therapy of several
      human cancers. 

PMID- 26111504
TI  - Iron-catalyzed amination of alcohols assisted by Lewis acid.
AB  - An efficient Lewis acid-assisted, iron-catalyzed amination of alcohols using
      borrowing hydrogen methodology was developed. In particular, silver fluoride was
      identified to be a highly effective additive to overcome the low efficiency in
      the amination of secondary alcohols catalyzed by Knolker's complex. 

PMID- 26111506
TI  - No impact without data access.

PMID- 26111505
TI  - Lidocaine-Associated Cardiac Events in Newborns with Seizures: Incidence,
      Symptoms and Contributing Factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lidocaine is an effective therapy for neonatal seizures; however, it
      is not widely used, presumably due to the risk of cardiac events. OBJECTIVE: To
      investigate the incidence of cardiac events in full-term and preterm infants
      receiving lidocaine for seizures. METHODS: Full-term (n = 368) and preterm (n =
      153) infants, admitted to a level 3 neonatal intensive care unit from 1992 to
      2012, who received lidocaine for seizures were retrospectively studied. The
      causal relation between reported cardiac events and lidocaine administration was
      evaluated based on expected plasma concentrations, symptoms and relevant
      interactions during cardiac events. RESULTS: Cardiac events were reported in
      11/521 infants (2.1%; 9 full-term, 2 preterm). In 7/11 infants the causal
      relation was considered plausible, in 3/11 questionable and in 1/11 implausible.
      The incidence was calculated to be 1.3-1.9% (n = 7-10/521), but was only 0.4% (n
      = 1/246, p = 0.02) when using reduced-dose regimens. Important risk factors for
      cardiac events were unstable potassium, (congenital) cardiac dysfunction and
      concurrent phenytoin use. CONCLUSIONS: Lidocaine-associated cardiac events were
      rare in our cohort, especially since the introduction of new reduced-dose
      regimens. This indicates that lidocaine is safe to use as an antiepileptic drug
      in full-term and preterm infants.

PMID- 26111507
TI  - The European Genome-phenome Archive of human data consented for biomedical
      research.

PMID- 26111508
TI  - Double trouble in human aneuploidy.
AB  - Crossing over, or reciprocal recombination, is essential for accurate segregation
      of homologous chromosomes at the first meiotic division, resulting in gametes
      containing the correct chromosome number. A new study in human oocytes analyzes
      the genome-wide recombination and segregation patterns in all the products of
      female meiosis, providing experimental support for existing theories about the
      origin of human aneuploidies and highlighting a novel reverse segregation
      mechanism of chromosome segregation during meiosis. 

PMID- 26111509
TI  - Sweet size control in tomato.
AB  - All cells of an adult plant are ultimately derived from divisions that occur in
      small groups of cells distributed throughout the plant, termed meristems. A new
      study shows that carbohydrate post-translational modification of a peptide signal
      influences meristem and, as a consequence, fruit size in tomato. 

PMID- 26111510
TI  - Lipid transport and human brain development.
AB  - How the human brain rapidly builds up its lipid content during brain growth and
      maintains its lipids in adulthood has remained elusive. Two new studies show that
      inactivating mutations in MFSD2A, known to be expressed specifically at the blood
      brain barrier, lead to microcephaly, thereby offering a simple and surprising
      solution to an old enigma. 

PMID- 26111511
TI  - Corrigendum: Induction, suppression and requirement of RNA silencing pathways in
      virulent Agrobacterium tumefaciens infections.

PMID- 26111512
TI  - Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the lung: A rare case of three small intestinal
      intussusceptions and literature review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Sarcomatoid carcinoma is an extremely rare, biphasic tumor
      characterized by a combination of malignant epithelial and mesenchymal cells.
      Limited data showed that most cases occurred with advanced local disease and
      metastasis. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present a rare case of a 60-year-old man
      with three small intestinal intussusceptions due to metastatic pulmonary
      carcinosarcoma. He was explored for chest pain and hemoptysis in Emergency room.
      Due to his chest symptoms he had a computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest
      which showed a lesion about 60mm in diameter in the inferior lobe of the left
      lung. After 2 weeks physical examination demonstrated a distended abdomen and
      auscultation was indicated by hyperactive bowel sounds. Further imaging studies
      with abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan, showed multiple protruding small
      bowel tumors with entero enteric intussusceptions at three sites requiring a
      massive bowel resection at surgery. The pathology showed that it was positive for
      cytokeratin, vimentin, CD-34, and LIS; CK7 was focally positive; and CD117, CD20,
      and desmine were negative. The final diagnosis was metastatic small bowel
      carcinosarcoma with a lung primary. DISCUSSION: Lung carcinosarcoma is a high
      grade biphase neoplasm. The survival rate at 6 months is only around 27%.
      CONCLUSION: There are rare reports of small intestinal intussusceptions caused by
      metastatic lung carcinosarcoma, this presentation shows the third case in
      literature. Physicians should be more alert to symptoms or signs indicating GI
      metastais in patients with a history of lung cancer.

PMID- 26111513
TI  - Morphology of the foramen magnum in syndromic and non-syndromic brachycephaly
      authors' reply.

PMID- 26111514
TI  - Long-term outcome of accessory nerve to suprascapular nerve transfer in obstetric
      brachial plexus lesion: functional, morphological, and electrophysiological
      results.
AB  - PURPOSE: An accessory to suprascapular nerve (XIN-SSN) transfer is considered in
      patients with obstetric brachial plexus lesion who fail to recover active
      shoulder external rotation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of
      extraplexal suprascapular nerve neurotization and to perform a detailed analysis
      of the infraspinatus muscle (IM) and shoulder external rotation. METHODS: A XIN
      SSN transfer was performed in 14 patients between 2000 and 2007. Patients had
      been operated at the age of 3.7 +/- 2.8 years. Follow-up examinations were
      conducted up to 8.5 +/- 2.5 years. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed to
      investigate muscle trophism. Fatty muscle degeneration of the IM was classified
      according to the Goutallier classification. We conducted nerve conduction
      velocity studies of the suprascapular nerve and needle electromyography of the IM
      to assess pathologic spontaneous activity and interference patterns. Active
      glenohumeral shoulder external rotation and global shoulder function were
      evaluated using the Mallet score. RESULTS: Postoperatively, growth of the IM
      increased equally on the affected and unaffected sides, although significant
      differences of muscle thickness persisted over time. There was only grade 1 or 2
      fatty degeneration pre- and postoperatively. Electromyography of the IM revealed
      a full interference pattern in all except one patient, and there was no
      pathological spontaneous activity. Glenohumeral external rotation as well as
      global shoulder function increased significantly. CONCLUSION: Our results
      indicate that the anastomosis after XIN-SSN transfer is functional and that
      successful reinnervation of the infraspinatus muscle may enable true glenohumeral
      active external rotation.

PMID- 26111515
TI  - ATP-enhanced peroxidase-like activity of gold nanoparticles.
AB  - Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are known to possess intrinsic biological peroxidase
      like activity that has applications in development of numerous biosensors. The
      reactivity of the Au atoms at the surface of AuNPs is critical to the performance
      of such biosensors, yet little is known about the effect of biomolecules and ions
      on the peroxidase-like activity. In this work, the effect of ATP and other
      biologically relevant molecules and ions over peroxidase-like activity of AuNPs
      are described. Contrary to the expectation that nanoparticles exposed to
      biomolecules may lose the catalytic property, ATP and ADP addition enhanced the
      peroxidase-like activity of AuNPs. The catalytic activity was unaltered by the
      addition of free phosphate, sulphate and carbonate anions however, addition of
      ascorbic acid to the reaction mixture diminished the intrinsic peroxidase-like
      activity of AuNPs, even in the presence of ATP and ADP. In contrast to AuNPs, ATP
      did not synergize and improve the peroxidase activity of the natural peroxidase
      enzyme, horseradish peroxidase. 

PMID- 26111516
TI  - Manganese Dioxide nanosheet suspension: A novel absorbent for Cadmium(II)
      contamination in waterbody.
AB  - A MnO2 nanosheet (MnO2-NS) suspension was prepared from tetramethylammonium
      hydroxide (TMA?OH), H2O2, and MnCl2?4H2O, and its efficiency for Cd(II) removal
      from aqueous solutions was investigated. The maximum adsorption capacity of the
      MnO2-NS for Cd(II) was evaluated to be about 348 mg/g, which is thus far the
      highest value reported for MnO2 at pH 6.0. This high adsorption capacity is
      attributed to efficient ion exchange. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)
      revealed that Cd(II) was adsorbed on MnO2 as CdO and Cd(OH)2. After Cd(II)
      adsorption, the suspended MnO2-NS aggregated and precipitated within 5.0 min from
      solution. Therefore, dispersive MnO2-NS can be used to remove Cd(II) from
      wastewater rapidly and with high efficiency.

PMID- 26111517
TI  - Order of Magnitude Signal Gain in Magnetic Sector Mass Spectrometry Via Aperture
      Coding.
AB  - Miniaturizing instruments for spectroscopic applications requires the designer to
      confront a tradeoff between instrument resolution and instrument throughput [and
      associated signal-to-background-ratio (SBR)]. This work demonstrates a solution
      to this tradeoff in sector mass spectrometry by the first application of one
      dimensional (1D) spatially coded apertures, similar to those previously
      demonstrated in optics. This was accomplished by replacing the input slit of a
      simple 90 degrees  magnetic sector mass spectrometer with a specifically designed
      coded aperture, deriving the corresponding forward mathematical model and
      spectral reconstruction algorithm, and then utilizing the resulting system to
      measure and reconstruct the mass spectra of argon, acetone, and ethanol. We
      expect the application of coded apertures to sector instrument designs will lead
      to miniature mass spectrometers that maintain the high performance of larger
      instruments, enabling field detection of trace chemicals and point-of-use mass
      spectrometry.

PMID- 26111518
TI  - A calibration routine for efficient ETD in large-scale proteomics.
AB  - Electron transfer dissociation (ETD) has been broadly adopted and is now
      available on a variety of commercial mass spectrometers. Unlike collisional
      activation techniques, optimal performance of ETD requires considerable user
      knowledge and input. ETD reaction duration is one key parameter that can greatly
      influence spectral quality and overall experiment outcome. We describe a
      calibration routine that determines the correct number of reagent anions
      necessary to reach a defined ETD reaction rate. Implementation of this automated
      calibration routine on two hybrid Orbitrap platforms illustrate considerable
      advantages, namely, increased product ion yield with concomitant reduction in
      scan rates netting up to 75% more unique peptide identifications in a shotgun
      experiment. Graphical Abstract ?. 

PMID- 26111519
TI  - Top-down-assisted bottom-up method for homologous protein sequencing: hemoglobin
      from 33 bird species.
AB  - Ticks are vectors for disease transmission because they are indiscriminant in
      their feeding on multiple vertebrate hosts, transmitting pathogens between their
      hosts. Identifying the hosts on which ticks have fed is important for disease
      prevention and intervention. We have previously shown that hemoglobin (Hb)
      remnants from a host on which a tick fed can be used to reveal the host's
      identity. For the present research, blood was collected from 33 bird species that
      are common in the U.S. as hosts for ticks but that have unknown Hb sequences. A
      top-down-assisted bottom-up mass spectrometry approach with a customized
      searching database, based on variability in known bird hemoglobin sequences, has
      been devised to facilitate fast and complete sequencing of hemoglobin from birds
      with unknown sequences. These hemoglobin sequences will be added to a hemoglobin
      database and used for tick host identification. The general approach has the
      potential to sequence any set of homologous proteins completely in a rapid
      manner. Graphical Abstract ?. 

PMID- 26111520
TI  - Structure of Protonated Threonine Dimers in the Gas Phase: Salt-Bridged or Charge
      Solvated?
AB  - For homodimers of amino acids, their salt-bridged structures are gradually
      stabilized as the proton affinity of the component amino acid increases.
      Threonine has a proton affinity value located in the middle of the list of 20
      natural amino acids. Thus, identifying whether the most stable isomer of
      protonated threonine dimer (Thr(2)H(+)) has a charge-solvated or salt-bridged
      structure is important and helpful for understanding the structures of other
      homodimers. By combining infrared photodissociation (IRPD) spectroscopy and
      theoretical calculations, the structures of Thr(2)H(+) were investigated. Based
      on calculations at the M062X/6-311++G(d,p)//M062X/6-311++G(d,p) level, the most
      stable isomer of Thr(2)H(+) was computed to be a charge-solvated structure, with
      an energy 3.87 kcal/mol lower than the most stable salt-bridged isomer. The
      predicted infrared spectrum is in good agreement with the experimental spectrum.
      To evaluate the temperature effect on the distribution of different isomers, the
      relative concentrations of the six isomers of Thr(2)H(+) were calculated at
      different temperatures, according to their partition functions and enthalpies.
      The results show that the isomers are dominated by charge-solvated structures at
      a temperature of 300 K.

PMID- 26111521
TI  - Boosting BCG-primed mice with chimeric DNA vaccine HG856A induces potent
      multifunctional T cell responses and enhanced protection against Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis.
AB  - The tuberculosis pandemic continues to rampage despite widespread use of the
      current Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine. Because DNA vaccines can elicit
      effective antigen-specific immune responses, including potent T cell-mediated
      immunity, they are promising vehicles for antigen delivery. In a prime-boost
      approach, they can supplement the inadequate anti-TB immunological memory induced
      by BCG. Based on this, a chimeric DNA vaccine HG856A encoding Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) immunodominant antigen Ag85A plus two copies of
      ESAT-6 was constructed. Potent humoral immune responses, as well as therapeutic
      effects induced by this DNA vaccine, were observed previously in M. tuberculosis
      infected mice. In this study, we further evaluated the antigen-specific T cell
      immune responses and showed that repeated immunization with HG856A gave modest
      protection against M. tuberculosis challenge infection and significantly boosted
      the immune protection primed by BCG vaccination. Enhanced protection was
      accompanied by increased multifunctional Th1 CD4(+) T cell responses, most
      notably by an elevated frequency of M. tuberculosis antigen-specific IL-2
      producing CD4(+) T cells post-vaccination. These data confirm the potential of
      chimeric DNA vaccine HG856A as an anti-TB vaccine candidate. 

PMID- 26111522
TI  - Apoptotic cell-treated dendritic cells induce immune tolerance by specifically
      inhibiting development of CD4+ effector memory T cells.
AB  - CD4(+) memory T cells play an important role in induction of autoimmunity and
      chronic inflammatory responses; however, regulatory mechanisms of CD4(+) memory T
      cell-mediated inflammatory responses are poorly understood. Here we show that
      apoptotic cell-treated dendritic cells inhibit development and differentiation of
      CD4(+) effector memory T cells in vitro and in vivo. Simultaneously, intravenous
      transfer of apoptotic T cell-induced tolerogenic dendritic cells can block
      development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an inflammatory
      disease of the central nervous system in C57 BL/6J mouse. Our results imply that
      it is effector memory CD4(+) T cells, not central memory CD4(+) T cells, which
      play a major role in chronic inflammatory responses in mice with EAE. Intravenous
      transfer of tolerogenic dendritic cells induced by apoptotic T cells leads to
      immune tolerance by specifically blocking development of CD4(+) effector memory T
      cells compared with results of EAE control mice. These results reveal a new
      mechanism of apoptotic cell-treated dendritic cell-mediated immune tolerance in
      vivo. 

PMID- 26111523
TI  - Effects of sex hormones on survival of peritoneal mesothelioma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested the presence of steroid receptors as
      a favourable prognostic factor in peritoneal mesothelioma (PM). This study aims
      to investigate possible hormonal effects on survival of PM. METHODS: This is a
      retrospective study of prospectively collected data of 52 consecutive patients
      with PM who underwent cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic
      intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) by the same surgical team at St George
      Hospital in Sydney, Australia, between April 1996 and April 2013. Females were
      arbitrarily divided into assumed premenopausal (< 51 years old; n = 15) and
      assumed postmenopausal (>= 51 years old, n = 9). In each gender group, patients
      were furthered divided into three age groups (< 40, 40-60, > 60). A significant
      statistical difference was defined as p < 0.05. RESULTS: Females with epithelial
      mesothelioma had a significantly higher survival than males (p = 0.023). They
      also had a better overall median survival (> 60 months) than males (43 months),
      although this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.098). Survival
      of postmenopausal females became similar to males after excluding benign cystic
      mesothelioma. CONCLUSIONS: The better survival in premenopausal females could
      probably be explained by higher levels of oestradiol and progesterone. Also, our
      data suggests that higher rates of benign cystic mesothelioma in females was not
      the key reason for the better survival in female patients, further supporting the
      hypothesis of hormonal links with survival of PM. Therapeutic effects of sex
      steroid hormones on PM may be a valuable area to explore.

PMID- 26111524
TI  - Sepsis caused by Listeria monocytogenes during chemotherapy for small cell
      carcinoma of the thymus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular parasitic
      bacterium that is Gram positive, catalase positive, oxidase negative, and a
      facultative anaerobe. It is known to infect humans through food. It is a bacillus
      with low virulence, but can cause meningitis and sepsis in infants and
      immunocompromised patients. CASE PRESENTATION: A case of 75-year-old Japanese
      female with small cell carcinoma of the thymus and pleural dissemination is
      described. She was treated with carboplatin and etoposide and showed a partial
      response. However, the tumor recurred 6 months later. Therefore, we again
      administered carboplatin and etoposide. Though peritoneal dissemination was
      suspected based on abdominal computed tomography findings after two courses, the
      assessment was stable disease. She was occasionally treated for constipation. She
      developed chills, rigor, and diarrhea, necessitating admission on the 7th day of
      the third course of chemotherapy. We suspected intestinal infection, and cefepime
      was thus administered. However, her blood pressure dropped and neutropenia
      manifested on the 4th day of admission. We therefore switched the antibiotic from
      cefepime to meropenem and also administered granulocyte-colony stimulating
      factor. Listeria monocytogenes was detected by two blood cultures, and the
      antimicrobial medication was thus switched to ampicillin, in consideration of
      sensitivity. Her general condition improved and she was able to leave the
      hospital on the 19th day after admission. CONCLUSIONS: During chemotherapy,
      factors such as impaired bowel movements, malnutrition, and myeloablation can
      contribute to the development of severe infections. It is necessary to
      comprehensively assess a patient's state and treat all aspects of illness.

PMID- 26111526
TI  - Bilateral vocal fold immobility: a 13 year review of etiologies, management and
      the utility of the Empey index.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bilateral vocal fold immobility (BVFI) is a rare diagnosis causing
      dyspnea, dysphonia and dysphagia. Management depends on respiratory performance,
      airway patency, vocal ability, and quality-of-life priorities. The authors review
      the presentation, management and outcome in patients diagnosed with BVFI. The
      utility and efficacy of the Empey index (EI) and the Expiratory Disproportion
      Index (EDI) are evaluated as an objective monitoring tools for BVFI patients.
      METHODS: A 13-year retrospective review was performed of BVFI patients at St.
      Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, a tertiary referral centre for
      laryngology. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients were included; 46 presented with
      airway obstruction symptoms. Tracheotomy was required for airway management in
      40% of patients throughout the course of their treatment, which was reduced to
      19% at the end of the study period. Twenty-one patients underwent endoscopic
      arytenoidectomy/cordotomy. Non-operative management included continuous positive
      airway pressure devices. Pulmonary function testing was carried out in 29
      patients. Only a portion of the BVFI patients met the defined upper airway
      obstruction criteria (45% EI and 52% EDI). Seven patients had complete pre- and
      post-operative PFTs for comparison and all seven had ratios that significantly
      improved post-operatively which correlated clinically. CONCLUSION: The EI and EDI
      have limited use in evaluating patients with who have variable upper airway
      obstruction, but may be helpful in monitoring within subject airway function
      changes.

PMID- 26111525
TI  - Demographic, psychosocial, and genetic risk associated with smokeless tobacco use
      among Mexican heritage youth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite well-established negative health consequences of smokeless
      tobacco use (STU), the number and variety of alternative non-combustible tobacco
      products on the market have increased tremendously over the last 10 years, as has
      the market share of these products relative to cigarettes. While STU among non
      Hispanic white youth has decreased over the last 10 years, the prevalence has
      remained constant among Hispanic youth. Here we examine demographic,
      psychosocial, and genetic risk associated with STU among Mexican heritage youth.
      METHODS: Participants (50.5 % girls) reported on psychosocial risk factors in
      2008-09 (n = 1,087, mean age = 14.3 years), and smokeless tobacco use in 2010-11
      (mean age = 16.7 years). Participants provided a saliva sample that was genotyped
      for genes in the dopamine, serotonin and opioid pathways. RESULTS: Overall 62
      (5.7 %) participants reported lifetime STU. We identified five single nucleotide
      polymorphisms that increased the risk for lifetime use. Specifically, rs2023902
      on SERGEF (OR = 1.93; 95 % CI: 1.05-3.53), rs16941667 on ALDH2 (OR = 3.14; 95 %
      CI: 1.65-5.94), and rs17721739 on TPH1 (OR = 1.71; 95 % CI: 1.00-2.91) in the
      dopamine pathway, rs514912 on TRH-DE (OR = 1.84; 95 % CI: 1.25-2.71) in the
      serotonin pathway, and rs42451417 on the serotonin transporter gene, SLC6A4 (OR =
      3.53; 95 % CI: 1.56-7.97). After controlling for genetic risk, being male (OR =
      1.86; 95 % CI: 1.02-3.41), obesity status (OR = 2.22; 95 % CI: 1.21-4.09), and
      both higher levels of anxiety (OR = 1.04; 95 % CI: 1.01-1.08) and social
      disinhibition (OR = 1.26; 95 % CI: 1.07-1.48) were associated with increased use.
      High subjective social status (OR = 0.78; 95 % CI: 0.64-0.93) was protective
      against use, while higher parental education (OR = 2.01; 95 % CI: 1.03-3.93) was
      associated with increased use. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that use of
      genetic risk, along with psychosocial, demographic, and behavioral risk factors
      may increase our ability to identify youth at increased risk for STU, which in
      turn may improve our ability to effectively target prevention messages to Mexican
      heritage youth.

PMID- 26111527
TI  - Evolution of substrate recognition sites (SRSs) in cytochromes P450 from Apiaceae
      exemplified by the CYP71AJ subfamily.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Large proliferations of cytochrome P450 encoding genes resulting from
      gene duplications can be termed as 'blooms', providing genetic material for the
      genesis and evolution of biosynthetic pathways. Furanocoumarins are
      allelochemicals produced by many of the species in Apiaceaous plants belonging to
      the Apioideae subfamily of Apiaceae and have been described as being involved in
      the defence reaction against phytophageous insects. RESULTS: A bloom in the
      cytochromes P450 CYP71AJ subfamily has been identified, showing at least 2 clades
      and 6 subclades within the CYP71AJ subfamily. Two of the subclades were
      functionally assigned to the biosynthesis of furanocoumarins. Six substrate
      recognition sites (SRS1-6) important for the enzymatic conversion were
      investigated in the described cytochromes P450 and display significant
      variability within the CYP71AJ subfamily. Homology models underline a significant
      modification of the accession to the iron atom, which might explain the
      difference of the substrate specificity between the cytochromes P450 restricted
      to furanocoumarins as substrates and the orphan CYP71AJ. CONCLUSION: Two
      subclades functionally assigned to the biosynthesis of furanocoumarins and four
      other subclades were identified and shown to be part of two distinct clades
      within the CYP71AJ subfamily. The subclades show significant variability within
      their substrate recognition sites between the clades, suggesting different
      biochemical functions and providing insights into the evolution of cytochrome
      P450 'blooms' in response to environmental pressures.

PMID- 26111528
TI  - Maternal and child health nurse screening and care for mothers experiencing
      domestic violence (MOVE): a cluster randomised trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mothers are at risk of domestic violence (DV) and its harmful
      consequences postpartum. There is no evidence to date for sustainability of DV
      screening in primary care settings. We aimed to test whether a theory-informed,
      maternal and child health (MCH) nurse-designed model increased and sustained DV
      screening, disclosure, safety planning and referrals compared with usual care.
      METHODS: Cluster randomised controlled trial of 12 month MCH DV screening and
      care intervention with 24 month follow-up. The study was set in community-based
      MCH nurse teams (91 centres, 163 nurses) in north-west Melbourne, Australia.
      Eight eligible teams were recruited. Team randomisation occurred at a public
      meeting using opaque envelopes. Teams were unable to be blinded. The intervention
      was informed by Normalisation Process Theory, the nurse-designed good practice
      model incorporated nurse mentors, strengthened relationships with DV services,
      nurse safety, a self-completion maternal health screening checklist at three or
      four month consultations and DV clinical guidelines. Usual care involved
      government mandated face-to-face DV screening at four weeks postpartum and follow
      up as required. Primary outcomes were MCH team screening, disclosure, safety
      planning and referral rates from routine government data and a postal survey sent
      to 10,472 women with babies <= 12 months in study areas. Secondary outcomes
      included DV prevalence (Composite Abuse Scale, CAS) and harm measures (postal
      survey). RESULTS: No significant differences were found in routine screening at
      four months (IG 2,330/6,381 consultations (36.5 %) versus CG 1,792/7,638
      consultations (23.5 %), RR = 1.56 CI 0.96-2.52) but data from maternal health
      checklists (n = 2,771) at three month IG consultations showed average screening
      rates of 63.1 %. Two years post-intervention, IG safety planning rates had
      increased from three (RR 2.95, CI 1.11-7.82) to four times those of CG (RR 4.22
      CI 1.64-10.9). Referrals remained low in both intervention groups (IGs) and
      comparison groups (CGs) (<1 %). 2,621/10,472 mothers (25 %) returned surveys. No
      difference was found between arms in preference or comfort with being asked about
      DV or feelings about self. CONCLUSION: A nurse-designed screening and care model
      did not increase routine screening or referrals, but achieved significantly
      increased safety planning over 36 months among postpartum women. Self-completion
      DV screening was welcomed by nurses and women and contributed to sustainability.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry,
      ACTRN12609000424202, 10/03/2009.

PMID- 26111531
TI  - Analysis of physiological responses associated with emotional changes induced by
      viewing video images of dental treatments.
AB  - Since the understanding of emotional changes induced by dental treatments is
      important for dentists to provide a safe and comfortable dental treatment, we
      analyzed physiological responses during watching video images of dental
      treatments to search for the appropriate objective indices reflecting emotional
      changes. Fifteen healthy young adult subjects voluntarily participated in the
      present study. Electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram (EEG) and corrugator
      muscle electromyogram (EMG) were recorded and changes of them by viewing videos
      of dental treatments were analyzed. The subjective discomfort level was acquired
      by Visual Analog Scale method. Analyses of autonomic nervous activities from ECG
      and four emotional factors (anger/stress, joy/satisfaction, sadness/depression
      and relaxation) from EEG demonstrated that increases in sympathetic nervous
      activity reflecting stress increase and decreases in relaxation level were
      induced by the videos of infiltration anesthesia and cavity excavation, but not
      intraoral examination. The corrugator muscle activity was increased by all three
      images regardless of video contents. The subjective discomfort during watching
      infiltration anesthesia and cavity excavation was higher than intraoral
      examination, showing that sympathetic activities and relaxation factor of emotion
      changed in a manner consistent with subjective emotional changes. These results
      suggest that measurement of autonomic nervous activities estimated from ECG and
      emotional factors analyzed from EEG is useful for objective evaluation of
      subjective emotion. 

PMID- 26111529
TI  - Persistently elevated osteopontin serum levels predict mortality in critically
      ill patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory, autoimmune and metabolic disorders have been
      associated with alterations in osteopontin (OPN) serum levels. Furthermore,
      elevated serum levels of OPN were reported from a small cohort of patients with
      sepsis. We therefore analyzed OPN serum concentrations in a large cohort of
      critically ill medical patients. METHODS: A total of 159 patients (114 with
      sepsis, 45 without sepsis) were studied prospectively upon admission to the
      medical intensive care unit (ICU) as well as after 3 days of ICU treatment and
      compared to 50 healthy controls. Clinical data, various laboratory parameters as
      well as investigational inflammatory cytokine profiles were assessed. Patients
      were followed for approximately 1 year. RESULTS: We found significantly elevated
      serum levels of OPN at admission to the ICU and after 3 days of treatment in
      critically ill patients compared to healthy controls. OPN concentrations were
      related to disease severity and significantly correlated with established
      prognosis scores and classical as well as experimental markers of inflammation
      and multi-organ failure. In the total cohort, OPN levels decreased from admission
      to day 3 of ICU treatment. However, persistently elevated OPN levels at day 3 of
      ICU treatment were a strong independent predictor for an unfavorable prognosis,
      with similar or better diagnostic accuracy than routinely used markers of organ
      failure or prognostic scoring systems such as SAPS2 or APACHE II score.
      CONCLUSIONS: Persistently elevated OPN serum concentrations are associated with
      an unfavourable outcome in patients with critical illness, independent of the
      presence of sepsis. Besides a possible pathogenic role of OPN in critical
      illness, our study indicates a potential value for OPN as a prognostic biomarker
      in critically ill patients during the early course of ICU treatment.

PMID- 26111530
TI  - L-Asparaginase monotherapy for EBV-positive T/NK lymphoproliferative diseases: A
      pilot Study.
AB  - We investigated the effects of L-asparaginase (L-asp) on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
      positive T/NK lymphoproliferative diseases (EBV-T/ NK-LPDs). Seven doses of L-asp
      (6,000 U/m2) were administered intravenously, with one dose administered on every
      alternate day. Five consecutive patients were enrolled. Three patients completed
      the treatment. The clinical symptoms resolved in 1 patient who started the
      administration 8 months after the onset, being the earliest among the 5 patients.
      Her EBV-DNA level in whole blood markedly decreased to 0.08 times of that before
      treatment, and the level in plasma became undetectable. In the other 2 patients
      whose administration was started 3 and 3.5 years after the onset, however, a
      remarkable improvement was not detected. Treatment was discontinued in 2 patients
      because of disease progression or idiopathic dystonia. The mRNA levels of
      asparagine synthetase in EBV-infected cells were examined. The level from the
      patient who responded to L-asp treatment was low, but it did not correlate with
      the effects in the other patients. Liver dysfunction (grades 2 and 3) was
      observed in 2 patients and neutropenia (grade 3) was noted in 1 patient. In
      conclusion, the effect of L-asp as monotherapy in EBV-T/NK-LPDs is limited, and
      early treatment initiation might be effective. 

PMID- 26111532
TI  - Risk factors for cervical lymph node metastasis in superficial head and neck
      squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The necessity of transoral surgery for head and neck carcinoma is
      increasing, but its indications for the treatment of superficial head and neck
      carcinomas have not yet been established. This study was intended to help
      establish the standard indications for transoral surgery and additional therapy
      in patients with superficial head and neck carcinoma. METHODS: Sixty-two patients
      with 83 superficial head and neck carcinoma underwent transoral tumor resection
      at the Cancer Institute Hospital between June 2006 and September 2011. We
      measured the tumor size and thickness, examined the gross appearance, permeation
      of vessels, and droplet infiltration, and analyzed the correlations between each
      parameter. RESULTS: Sessile type of tumor on gross appearance showed a
      significantly higher incidence of thickness>=1000 um than the other types. Tumor
      thickness>=1000 um was associated with higher incidences of permeation of
      vessels, droplet infiltration, and cervical lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS:
      In superficial head and neck carcinoma, if the endoscopic gross appearance is the
      sessile type, tumor thickness is likely to be >=1000 um and risk of cervical
      lymph node metastasis is increased.

PMID- 26111533
TI  - Cochrane Column.

PMID- 26111534
TI  - Loss-of-Function SCN5A Mutations Associated With Sinus Node Dysfunction, Atrial
      Arrhythmias, and Poor Pacemaker Capture.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiac device implantation can be complicated by inability to
      adequately place leads because of significant lead capture issues. This study
      sought to determine whether there are genetic bases that underlie poor lead
      capture. METHODS AND RESULTS: Retrospective review of all patients with
      structurally normal hearts who underwent new device implantation at Texas
      Children's Hospital between 2009 and 2014 was performed. Patients with inability
      to capture at 10 V or a final capture threshold >=3 V at 0.4 ms during implant
      were analyzed. Among a total of 136 patients (median age, 13 years; range, 3 days
      to 46 years), 11 patients (8.1%) who underwent dual chamber device implantation
      had elevated thresholds in the atria (4), ventricle (3), or both chambers (4;
      atrial-lead threshold, 4.7+/-4.3 versus 0.7+/-0.3 V; ventricular-lead, 3.0+/-3.3
      versus 0.7+/-0.3 V). All 11 patients presented with sinus node dysfunction and 10
      had atrial arrhythmias. At implant, inability to find atrial capture was seen in
      4 patients. Three demonstrated intermittent complete loss of ventricular capture
      after implantation: 1 has recurrent syncope, 2 eventually died. Genetic testing
      performed in 10 demonstrated 7 patients with 6 distinct SCN5A mutations, all
      predicted to be severe loss-of-function mutations by bioinformatic analyses. In
      the remaining patients, although putative pathogenic mutations were not found,
      multiple SCN5A polymorphisms were identified in 2 and a desmin mutation in 1.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that significant capture issues at implant may
      be because of loss-of-function SCN5A mutations, providing new insights into SCN5A
      function. Recognition of this association may be critical for planning device
      implantation strategies and patient follow-up.

PMID- 26111535
TI  - Characterisation and materials flow management for waste electrical and
      electronic equipment plastics from German dismantling centres.
AB  - Waste electrical and electronic equipment is a complex waste stream and treatment
      options that work for one waste category or product may not be appropriate for
      others. A comprehensive case study has been performed for plastic-rich fractions
      that are treated in German dismantling centres. Plastics from TVs, monitors and
      printers and small household appliances have been characterised extensively.
      Based on the characterisation results, state-of-the-art treatment technologies
      have been combined to design an optimised recycling and upgrade process for each
      input fraction. High-impact polystyrene from TV casings that complies with the
      European directive on the restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) was produced
      by applying continuous density separation with yields of about 60%. Valuable
      acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/polycarbonate can be extracted from monitor and
      printer casings by near-infrared-based sorting. Polyolefins and/or a halogen-free
      fraction of mixed styrenics can be sorted out by density separation from monitors
      and printers and small household appliances. Emerging separation technologies are
      discussed to improve recycling results. 

PMID- 26111536
TI  - BMA annual meeting: BMA issues warning over dangerous working patterns.

PMID- 26111537
TI  - The experiences and needs of female adults with high-functioning autism spectrum
      disorder.
AB  - There is limited large-scale research into the lived experiences of female adults
      who have an autism spectrum disorder with no co-occurring intellectual
      disability. Drawing on the findings of an Australia-wide survey, this report
      presents self-report data from n = 82 women with high-functioning autism spectrum
      disorder in the areas of health, education, employment, social and community
      activities. Where relevant, comparisons are provided with the male subset of the
      same study population; however, in the majority of analyses, no discernible
      gender differences emerged. The findings highlight the diverse and complex
      challenges faced by women with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder,
      including high levels of mental health disorder, unmet support needs in education
      settings and the workplace, and social exclusion and isolation.

PMID- 26111538
TI  - MWCNTs Induce ROS Generation, ERK Phosphorylation, and SOD-2 Expression in Human
      Mesothelial Cells.
AB  - Biological oxidative responses are involved in the toxicity of multiwall carbon
      nanotubes (MWCNTs), which may cause asbestos-like pathogenicity. Superoxide
      dismutase 2 (SOD-2) has been proposed as a biomarker of early responses to
      mesothelioma-inducing fibers. This study was conducted to investigate the
      alteration of SOD-2 expression in the human mesothelial cell lines Met-5A after
      exposure to nontoxic doses of MWCNTs and the potential signaling pathway. The
      parameters measured included the viability, morphological change, superoxide
      formation, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation,
      and messenger RNA (mRNA)/protein levels of SOD-2. Our results showed that MWCNTs
      upregulated SOD-2 expression at both mRNA and protein level. Coincidently, both
      superoxide formation and ERK1/2 phosphorylation were observed in Met-5A cells
      exposed to MWCNTs and were diminished by pretreatment with the reactive oxidative
      species (ROS) scavenger, N-acetyl-l-(+)-cysteine (NAC). To further investigate
      the role of ROS/ERK1/2 in MWCNTs-induced SOD-2 overexpression, prior to MWCNTs
      exposure, cells were pretreated with the Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase
      1/2 (MEK 1/2) inhibitor (U0126) or with NAC. Both pretreatments decreased the
      MWCNTs-induced overexpression of SOD-2. These results suggest that upregulation
      of SOD-2 in Met-5A cells exposed to MWCNTs is mediated by ROS formation and
      ERK1/2 activation. 

PMID- 26111539
TI  - A 9-Month Toxicity and Toxicokinetic Assessment of Subcutaneous Pegylated Human C
      peptide (CBX129801) in Cynomolgus Monkeys.
AB  - C-peptide is formed in the biosynthesis of insulin and is therefore deficient in
      patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. A pegylated form of human synthetic C
      peptide (CBX129801) has been developed to extend the half-life of the native
      peptide and is undergoing clinical investigation as replacement therapy to treat
      diabetic peripheral neuropathy. This monkey study was conducted to evaluate the
      toxicity of CBX129801 with weekly subcutaneous dosing for 39 weeks at dose levels
      of 0 (vehicle), 0.4, 1.33, and 4.0 mg/kg/wk. No systemic adverse effects were
      observed at any dose with maximal CBX129801 plasma concentrations of 735 to 1050
      nmol/L during the dosing period (physiological range is 1-3 nmol/L). CBX129801
      related effects were limited to minimal macrophagic vacuolization at the
      injection sites and in the associated draining (axillary) lymph nodes; these
      local effects largely resolved by the end of a 7-week recovery period. No
      systemic macrophagic vacuolization was observed. Additionally, there was no
      histological evidence for plaque formation in the major arteries of these
      nondiabetic animals. 

PMID- 26111540
TI  - An Animal Model of Trichloroethylene-Induced Skin Sensitization in BALB/c Mice.
AB  - Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a major occupational hazard and environmental
      contaminant that can cause multisystem disorders in the form of occupational
      medicamentosa-like dermatitis. Development of dermatitis involves several
      proinflammatory cytokines, but their role in TCE-mediated dermatitis has not been
      examined in a well-defined experimental model. In addition, few animal models of
      TCE sensitization are available, and the current guinea pig model has apparent
      limitations. This study aimed to establish a model of TCE-induced skin
      sensitization in BALB/c mice and to examine the role of several key inflammatory
      cytokines on TCE sensitization. The sensitization rate of dorsal painted group
      was 38.3%. Skin edema and erythema occurred in TCE-sensitized groups, as seen in
      2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) positive control. Trichloroethylene sensitization
      positive (dermatitis [+]) group exhibited increased thickness of epidermis,
      inflammatory cell infiltration, swelling, and necrosis in dermis and around hair
      follicle, but ear painted group did not show these histological changes. The
      concentrations of serum proinflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor
      (TNF)-alpha, interferon (IFN)-gamma, and interleukin (IL)-2 were significantly
      increased in 24, 48, and 72 hours dermatitis [+] groups treated with TCE and
      peaked at 72 hours. Deposition of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL-2 into the skin
      tissue was also revealed by immunohistochemistry. We have established a new
      animal model of skin sensitization induced by repeated TCE stimulations, and we
      provide the first evidence that key proinflammatory cytokines including TNF
      alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL-2 play an important role in the process of TCE
      sensitization. 

PMID- 26111541
TI  - Integrating Image-Based Phenomics and Association Analysis to Dissect the Genetic
      Architecture of Temporal Salinity Responses in Rice.
AB  - Salinity affects a significant portion of arable land and is particularly
      detrimental for irrigated agriculture, which provides one-third of the global
      food supply. Rice (Oryza sativa), the most important food crop, is salt
      sensitive. The genetic resources for salt tolerance in rice germplasm exist but
      are underutilized due to the difficulty in capturing the dynamic nature of
      physiological responses to salt stress. The genetic basis of these physiological
      responses is predicted to be polygenic. In an effort to address this challenge,
      we generated temporal imaging data from 378 diverse rice genotypes across 14 d of
      90 mm NaCl stress and developed a statistical model to assess the genetic
      architecture of dynamic salinity-induced growth responses in rice germplasm. A
      genomic region on chromosome 3 was strongly associated with the early growth
      response and was captured using visible range imaging. Fluorescence imaging
      identified four genomic regions linked to salinity-induced fluorescence
      responses. A region on chromosome 1 regulates both the fluorescence shift
      indicative of the longer term ionic stress and the early growth rate decline
      during salinity stress. We present, to our knowledge, a new approach to capture
      the dynamic plant responses to its environment and elucidate the genetic basis of
      these responses using a longitudinal genome-wide association model. 

PMID- 26111542
TI  - Photosynthetic Genes and Genes Associated with the C4 Trait in Maize Are
      Characterized by a Unique Class of Highly Regulated Histone Acetylation Peaks on
      Upstream Promoters.
AB  - Histone modifications contribute to gene regulation in eukaryotes. We analyzed
      genome-wide histone H3 Lysine (Lys) 4 trimethylation and histone H3 Lys 9
      acetylation (two modifications typically associated with active genes) in
      meristematic cells at the base and expanded cells in the blade of the maize (Zea
      mays) leaf. These data were compared with transcript levels of associated genes.
      For individual genes, regulations (fold changes) of histone modifications and
      transcript levels were much better correlated than absolute intensities. When
      focusing on regulated histone modification sites, we identified highly regulated
      secondary H3 Lys 9 acetylation peaks on upstream promoters (regulated secondary
      upstream peaks [R-SUPs]) on 10% of all genes. R-SUPs were more often found on
      genes that were up-regulated toward the blade than on down-regulated genes and
      specifically, photosynthetic genes. Among those genes, we identified six genes
      encoding enzymes of the C4 cycle and a significant enrichment of genes associated
      with the C4 trait derived from transcriptomic studies. On the DNA level, R-SUPs
      are frequently associated with ethylene-responsive elements. Based on these data,
      we suggest coevolution of epigenetic promoter elements during the establishment
      of C4 photosynthesis. 

PMID- 26111543
TI  - Strigolactone Inhibition of Branching Independent of Polar Auxin Transport.
AB  - The outgrowth of axillary buds into branches is regulated systemically via plant
      hormones and the demand of growing shoot tips for sugars. The plant hormone auxin
      is thought to act via two mechanisms. One mechanism involves auxin regulation of
      systemic signals, cytokinins and strigolactones, which can move into axillary
      buds. The other involves suppression of auxin transport/canalization from
      axillary buds into the main stem and is enhanced by a low sink for auxin in the
      stem. In this theory, the relative ability of the buds and stem to transport
      auxin controls bud outgrowth. Here, we evaluate whether auxin transport is
      required or regulated during bud outgrowth in pea (Pisum sativum). The profound,
      systemic, and long-term effects of the auxin transport inhibitor N-1
      naphthylphthalamic acid had very little inhibitory effect on bud outgrowth in
      strigolactone-deficient mutants. Strigolactones can also inhibit bud outgrowth in
      N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid-treated shoots that have greatly diminished auxin
      transport. Moreover, strigolactones can inhibit bud outgrowth despite a much
      diminished auxin supply in in vitro or decapitated plants. These findings
      demonstrate that auxin sink strength in the stem is not important for bud
      outgrowth in pea. Consistent with alternative mechanisms of auxin regulation of
      systemic signals, enhanced auxin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis
      thaliana) can suppress branching in yucca1D plants compared with wild-type
      plants, but has no effect on bud outgrowth in a strigolactone-deficient mutant
      background. 

PMID- 26111544
TI  - A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the
      efficacy and safety of single-entity, once-daily hydrocodone tablets in patients
      with uncontrolled moderate to severe chronic low back pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
      with an enriched enrollment, randomized withdrawal design was conducted to
      evaluate the analgesic efficacy and safety of single-entity, once-daily
      hydrocodone 20 to 120 mg tablets (HYD) in opioid-naive and opioid-experienced
      patients with uncontrolled moderate to severe chronic low back pain (CLBP).
      RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The primary endpoint was week 12 pain intensity
      scores (11-point scale, 0 = no pain) using a mixed effect model with repeated
      measures incorporating a pattern mixture model framework. Responder analysis was
      a secondary endpoint. Safety was assessed. RESULTS: Out of 905 patients who were
      treated with HYD during the open-label titration period, 588 (65%) were
      randomized to continue to receive HYD (n = 296, 20 - 120 mg taken once daily,
      average daily dose 57 mg) or a matching placebo (n = 292). HYD demonstrated
      superior pain reduction (p = 0.0016); this result was supported by sensitivity
      analyses using different approaches to handling missing data. Proportions of
      patients achieving >= 30 and >= 50% improvement in pain from screening to week 12
      also favored HYD (p = 0.0033 and 0.0225, respectively). HYD was generally well
      tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: HYD was shown to be an efficacious treatment for CLBP in
      this study. There were no new or unexpected safety concerns detected.

PMID- 26111545
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonography in Retained Soft Tissue Foreign Bodies: A
      Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Open wounds with the potential for retained foreign bodies are
      frequently seen in the emergency department (ED). Common foreign bodies, such as
      wood or glass, are often missed on physical examination and conventional
      radiography. The increased use of ultrasonography (US) in the ED presents an
      opportunity to better identify retained soft tissue foreign bodies, and
      understanding of its test characteristics is desirable. The authors set out to
      determine the test characteristics of US for detection of soft tissue foreign
      bodies by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of the existing
      literature. METHODS: This was a thorough, systematic review of OVID Medline,
      SCOPUS, and Cochrane databases and a limited review of Directory of Open Access
      Journals, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify clinical studies
      examining the diagnostic accuracy of US in the identification of retained soft
      tissue foreign bodies. Studies were selected for full-text review by two
      independent reviewers to determine if they met inclusion criteria. Results were
      pooled for test characteristics using STATA and assessed for risk of bias and
      applicability using the QUADAS-2 tool. RESULTS: This systematic search strategy
      identified 5,059 unique articles, and 17 articles met inclusion criteria. Pooled
      sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 72% (95% confidence interval [CI]
      = 57% to 83%) and 92% (95% CI = 88% to 95%). Overall quality of the studies was
      low and interstudy heterogeneity was high (I(2)  = 90%, 95% CI = 80% to 100%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonography is highly specific and moderately sensitive in the
      identification of retained soft tissue foreign bodies; however, studies to date
      have a high degree of heterogeneity and a high risk of bias.

PMID- 26111546
TI  - Fine Structure and Molecular Phylogeny of Parametopidium circumlabens
      (Ciliophora: Armophorea), Endocommensal of Sea Urchins.
AB  - Metopid armophoreans are ciliates commonly found in anaerobic environments
      worldwide; however, very little is known of their fine structure. In this study,
      the metopid Parametopidium circumlabens (Biggar and Wenrich 1932) Aescht, 1980, a
      common endocommensal of sea urchins, is investigated for the first time with
      emphasis on transmission electron microscopy, revealing several previously
      unknown elements of its morphology. Somatic dikinetids of P. circumlabens have a
      typical ribbon of transverse microtubules, an isolated microtubule near triplets
      4 and 5 of the anterior kinetosome, plus two other microtubules between anterior
      and posterior kinetosomes, a short kinetodesmal striated fiber and long
      postciliary microtubules. In the dikinetids of the perizonal stripe, the
      kinetodesmal fiber is very pronounced, and there is a conspicuous microfibrillar
      network system associated with the kinetosomes. A new structure, shaped as a
      dense, roughly cylindrical mass surrounded by microtubules, is found associated
      with the posterior kinetosome of perizonal dikinetids. The paroral membrane is
      diplostichomonad and the adoral membranelles are of the "paramembranelle" type.
      Bayesian inference and maximum-likelihood analysis of the 18S-rDNA gene
      unambiguously placed P. circumlabens as sister group of the cluster formed by
      ((Atopospira galeata, Atopospira violacea) Metopus laminarius) + Clevelandellida,
      corroborating its classification within the Metopida. 

PMID- 26111547
TI  - New diagnostic criteria and operative strategy for cesarean scar syndrome:
      Endoscopic repair for secondary infertility caused by cesarean scar defect.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of endoscopic repair
      for secondary infertility caused by post-cesarean scar defect (PCSD). Our
      investigation focused on the validity of new diagnostic criteria and selection
      methods. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The subjects were 22 women with secondary
      infertility due to PCSD with retention of bloody fluid in the uterine cavity.
      Women with a residual myometrial thickness of >= 2.5 mm and an anteflexed or
      straight uterus underwent hysteroscopic surgery, while all others underwent
      laparoscopic repair. Hysteroscopic surgery involved resection and coagulation of
      scarred areas, whereas laparoscopic surgery involved removal of scarred areas
      combined with hysteroscopy, followed by resuturing. RESULTS: Fourteen of the 22
      women (63.6%) who were followed up for >= 1 year after surgery achieved
      pregnancy. Pregnancies occurred in all four women (100%) who underwent
      hysteroscopic surgery and in 10 of the 18 women (55.6%) who underwent
      laparoscopic surgery. Three out of four women who underwent hysteroscopic surgery
      had term deliveries. Among the women who underwent laparoscopic surgery, five had
      term deliveries. No cases of uterine rupture were experienced, and the delivery
      method was cesarean section in all cases. CONCLUSION: We propose that infertility
      associated with PCSD, cesarean scar syndrome, is caused by the retention of
      bloody fluid in the uterine cavity and scarring. Endoscopic treatment, such as
      hysteroscopy or laparoscopy, was effective for cesarean scar syndrome.

PMID- 26111548
TI  - Thinking Concretely Increases the Perceived Likelihood of Risks: The Effect of
      Construal Level on Risk Estimation.
AB  - Recent findings on construal level theory (CLT) suggest that abstract thinking
      leads to a lower estimated probability of an event occurring compared to concrete
      thinking. We applied this idea to the risk context and explored the influence of
      construal level (CL) on the overestimation of small and underestimation of large
      probabilities for risk estimates concerning a vague target person (Study 1 and
      Study 3) and personal risk estimates (Study 2). We were specifically interested
      in whether the often-found overestimation of small probabilities could be reduced
      with abstract thinking, and the often-found underestimation of large
      probabilities was reduced with concrete thinking. The results showed that CL
      influenced risk estimates. In particular, a concrete mindset led to higher risk
      estimates compared to an abstract mindset for several adverse events, including
      events with small and large probabilities. This suggests that CL manipulation can
      indeed be used for improving the accuracy of lay people's estimates of small and
      large probabilities. Moreover, the results suggest that professional risk
      managers' risk estimates of common events (thus with a relatively high
      probability) could be improved by adopting a concrete mindset. However, the
      abstract manipulation did not lead managers to estimate extremely unlikely events
      more accurately. Potential reasons for different CL manipulation effects on risk
      estimates' accuracy between lay people and risk managers are discussed. 

PMID- 26111550
TI  - The population cost-effectiveness of a parenting intervention designed to prevent
      anxiety disorders in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prevention and early intervention for anxiety disorders has lagged
      behind many other forms of mental disorder. Recent research has demonstrated the
      efficacy of a parent-focussed psycho-educational programme. The programme is
      directed at parents of inhibited preschool children and has been shown to reduce
      anxiety disorders at 1 and 3 years following intervention. The current study
      assesses the cost-effectiveness of this intervention to determine whether it
      could provide value-for-money across a population. METHOD: A cost-utility
      economic framework, using Disability-Adjusted-Life-Years (DALYs) as the outcome,
      was adopted. Economic modelling techniques were used to assess the incremental
      cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of the intervention within the Australian
      population context, which was modelled as add-on to current practice. The
      perspective was the health sector. Uncertainty was measured using multivariate
      probabilistic testing and key assumptions were tested using univariate
      sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: The median ICER for the intervention was AUD$8,000
      per DALY averted with 99.8% of the uncertainty iterations falling below the
      threshold value-for-money criterion of AUD$50,000 per DALY averted. The results
      were robust to sensitivity testing. CONCLUSIONS: Screening young children in a
      preschool setting for an inhibited temperament and providing a brief intervention
      to the parents of children with high levels of inhibition appears to provide very
      good value-for-money and worth considering in any package of preventive care.
      Further evaluation of this intervention under routine health service conditions
      will strengthen conclusions. Acceptability issues associated with this
      intervention, particularly to preschool staff and parents, need to be considered
      before wide-scale adoption is undertaken.

PMID- 26111549
TI  - Synthesis and evaluation of 1,4-naphthoquinone ether derivatives as SmTGR
      inhibitors and new anti-schistosomal drugs.
AB  - Investigations regarding the chemistry and mechanism of action of 2-methyl-1,4
      naphthoquinone (or menadione) derivatives revealed 3-phenoxymethyl menadiones as
      a novel anti-schistosomal chemical series. These newly synthesized compounds (1
      7) and their difluoromethylmenadione counterparts (8, 9) were found to be potent
      and specific inhibitors of Schistosoma mansoni thioredoxin-glutathione reductase
      (SmTGR), which has been identified as a potential target for anti-schistosomal
      drugs. The compounds were also tested in enzymic assays using both human
      flavoenzymes, i.e. glutathione reductase (hGR) and selenium-dependent human
      thioredoxin reductase (hTrxR), to evaluate the specificity of the inhibition.
      Structure-activity relationships as well as physico- and electro-chemical studies
      showed a high potential for the 3-phenoxymethyl menadiones to inhibit SmTGR
      selectively compared to hGR and hTrxR enzymes, in particular those bearing an
      alpha-fluorophenol methyl ether moiety, which improves anti-schistosomal action.
      Furthermore, the (substituted phenoxy)methyl menadione derivative (7) displayed
      time-dependent SmTGR inactivation, correlating with unproductive NADPH-dependent
      redox cycling of SmTGR, and potent anti-schistosomal action in worms cultured ex
      vivo. In contrast, the difluoromethylmenadione analog 9, which inactivates SmTGR
      through an irreversible non-consuming NADPH-dependent process, has little killing
      effect in worms cultured ex vivo. Despite ex vivo activity, none of the compounds
      tested was active in vivo, suggesting that the limited bioavailability may
      compromise compound activity. Therefore, future studies will be directed toward
      improving pharmacokinetic properties and bioavailability.

PMID- 26111551
TI  - To induce or not to induce: what is the right question?

PMID- 26111552
TI  - Measurement challenges in shared decision making: putting the 'patient' in
      patient-reported measures.
AB  - Measuring clinicians' shared decision-making (SDM) performance is a key
      requirement given the intensity of policy interest in many developed countries -
      yet it remains one of the most difficult methodological challenges, which is a
      concern for many stakeholders. In this Viewpoint Article, we investigate the
      development of existing patient-reported measures (PRMs) of SDM identified in a
      recent review. We find that patients were involved in the development of only
      four of the 13 measures. This lack of patient involvement in PRM development is
      associated with two major threats to content validity, common to all 13 PRMs of
      SDM: (i) an assumption of patient awareness of 'decision points' and (ii) an
      assumption that there is only one decision point in each healthcare consultation.
      We provide detailed examples of these threats and their impact on accurate
      assessment of SDM processes and outcomes, which may hamper efforts to introduce
      incentives for SDM implementation. We propose cognitive interviewing as a
      recommended method of involving patients in the design of PRMs in the field of
      SDM and provide a practical example of this approach.

PMID- 26111554
TI  - Thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke: does it work?-the con position - ERRATUM.

PMID- 26111553
TI  - Fabrication and characterization of polyacrylamide/silk fibroin hydrogels for
      peripheral nerve regeneration.
AB  - Various hydrogels have been used for repairing peripheral nerve injury; however,
      the silk fibroin (SF)-based hydrogels in peripheral nerve regeneration are still
      rarely reported. In this study, the SF/pAM hydrogels with different SF
      concentrations and ethanol treatment time were developed by solution blending and
      in situ radical polymerization. The physiochemical properties of composite
      hydrogels were measured, the cytotoxicity of hydrogels was evaluated by L929
      fibroblasts, and the effect on peripheral nerve regeneration was evaluated via
      Schwann cells culture in vitro. The results showed that the physiochemical
      properties of SF/pAM hydrogels could be changed by varying SF concentration and
      ethanol treatment time, and the mechanical property was enhanced with increasing
      SF concentration, while the presence of SF in pAM hydrogels and ethanol treatment
      does not affect hydrogels structure in per se. All the composite hydrogels
      displayed no obvious cytotoxicity, while the SF/pAM composite hydrogels with 10%
      SF and 60-min ethanol treatment could obviously accelerate the attachment and
      proliferation of Schwann cells. Therefore, the SF/pAM composite hydrogels
      possessed the beneficial properties required for in situ cell scaffolding and may
      have potential application in peripheral nerve regeneration. 

PMID- 26111555
TI  - Locomotor Ecology of Propithecus verreauxi in Kirindy Mitea National Park.
AB  - The locomotor behaviour of 2 groups of Propithecus verreauxi (Verreaux's sifaka)
      was studied over an 8-month period in Kirindy Mitea National Park (KMNP),
      Madagascar. This paper assesses the major characteristics of their locomotion,
      focusing on the extent that seasonal variation in climate and habitat, and local
      variation in habitat, is reflected in changes in locomotor behaviour. P.
      verreauxi is a committed leaper with a strong preference for vertical and angled
      supports. We found clear between-group differences in support orientation and
      diameter suggesting local variation in habitat. During the dry season, P.
      verreauxi utilizes smaller-diameter supports than in the rainy season. While this
      difference cannot yet be ascribed to any single cause, we discuss the factors
      which may contribute to this result.

PMID- 26111556
TI  - Brodifacoum induces early hemoglobinuria and late hematuria in rats: novel rapid
      biomarkers of poisoning.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Brodifacoum (BDF) is a superwarfarin that is used primarily as a
      rodenticide. There have been increasing numbers of reports of human cases of
      accidental or intentional BDF ingestion with high mortality rate. Its broad
      availability and high lethality suggest that BDF should be considered a potential
      chemical threat. Currently, there is no biomarker for early detection of BDF
      ingestion in humans; patients typically present with severe coagulopathy. Since
      we demonstrated earlier that warfarin can induce acute kidney injury with
      hematuria, we tested whether BDF would also lead to change in urinary biomarkers.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: BDF was administered to Sprague Dawley rats via oral
      gavage. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) was given per os in drinking water 24 h prior to
      BDF. Urinalysis was performed at different times after BDF administration.
      Anticoagulation and serum creatinine levels were analyzed in the blood. RESULTS:
      We observed that within a few hours the animals developed BDF-dose-dependent
      transient hemoglobinuria, which ceased within 24 h. This was accompanied by a
      transient decrease in hematocrit, gross hemolysis and an increase in free
      hemoglobin in the serum. At later times, animals developed true hematuria with
      red blood cells in the urine, which was associated with BDF anticoagulation. NAC
      prevented early hemoglobinuria, but not late hematuria associated with BDF.
      CONCLUSIONS: We propose that transient early hemoglobinuria (associated with
      oxidative stress) with consecutive late hematuria (associated with
      anticoagulation) are novel biomarkers of BDF poisoning, and they can be used in
      clinical setting or in mass casualty with BDF to identify poisoned patients.

PMID- 26111557
TI  - Fracture Resistance of Roots Restored with Four Different Fiber-Reinforced
      Composite Posts.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the resistance to vertical root
      fracture of root-filled teeth restored with four different fiber-reinforced
      composite (FRC) post systems and two types of dual-cured resin luting agents.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety extracted human maxillary central incisors were
      selected and decoronated to obtain a standardized root length of 14 mm. After
      root canal obturation, post spaces were prepared to a depth of 10 mm with a No. 3
      post drill. The specimens (n = 80) were divided into two groups (n = 40)
      according to the resin luting agents used: group 1, Variolink II + ExciTE DSC;
      group 2, RelyX Unicem. These groups were subdivided into four subgroups (n = 10)
      and restored with one of the following post systems: (a) DT Light, (b) DT Light
      SL, (c) FRC Postec and (d) Everstick, while the remaining 10 teeth served as
      controls. The roots were subjected to axial compressive loading using a 2.2-mm
      diameter metal sphere in a universal testing machine (0.5 mm/min). A factorial
      experiment with a single control group (analysis of variance) was used to test
      the resistance of the specimens. RESULTS: Groups 2a (DT Light + RelyX Unicem;
      398.5 N) and 1b (DT Light SL + Variolink II + ExciTE DSC; 431.1 N) had
      significantly higher resistance to fracture than the control group (334.1 N; p <
      0.05). DT Light SL and FRC Postec Plus were more resistant to fracture when
      Variolink II was used as the luting cement. DT Light and Everstick had higher
      fracture resistance when they were luted with RelyX Unicem (p < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that the use of quartz fiber posts
      (DT Light and DT Light SL) with an adhesive luting cement in root-filled teeth
      may reinforce the root to some extent.

PMID- 26111558
TI  - Global Prevalence of Small for Gestational Age Births.
AB  - Fetal growth restriction is found both in babies who are preterm or full-term,
      and in either case has important adverse effects on subsequent survival, health,
      growth and development. Fetal growth restriction is usually assessed by comparing
      the weight of the newborn with the expected weight for the child's gestational
      age using less than the 10th centile of a reference population for fetal growth
      as the threshold for being called small for gestational age (SGA). We estimate
      that in 2010 32.4 million babies were born SGA in low- and middle-income
      countries, constituting 27% of all live births. The estimated prevalence of SGA
      is highest in South Asia and in Sahelian countries of Africa. India has the
      world's largest number of SGA births, 12.8 million in 2010, due to the large
      number of births and the high proportion, 46.9%, of births that are SGA. The
      prevalence of SGA births is approximately double the prevalence of low
      birthweight births (using the common indicator of <2,500 g birthweight) globally
      and in the world's regions. Thus, given the adverse effects of being born SGA,
      even weighing 2,500 g or more, it is important that maternal, neonatal and child
      health programs seek and use information on gestational age as well as
      birthweight to appropriately assess the newborn's risks and direct care.

PMID- 26111559
TI  - Global Incidence of Preterm Birth.
AB  - Estimating the incidence of preterm birth depends on accurate assessment of
      gestational age and pregnancy outcomes. In many countries, such data are not
      routinely collected, making global estimates difficult. A recent systematic
      approach to this problem has estimated a worldwide incidence of 11.1 per 100 live
      births in 2010. Significant variation in rates by country and region of the world
      was noted, but this variation is smaller than observed for a number of other
      important reproductive outcomes. Rates range from approximately 5% in some
      northern European countries to over 15% in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa
      and Asia. Time trends suggest that preterm birth incidence is increasing, but
      much of this change may reflect changes in medically induced early delivery
      practices as improvements in survival of preterm infants has improved. Whether
      there have been major changes in spontaneous preterm birth is unknown. New
      approaches to classifying etiologic heterogeneity have been proposed and offer
      the promise of developing specific interventions to address the range of
      underlying causes of this important health problem.

PMID- 26111561
TI  - Mortality Risk among Term and Preterm Small for Gestational Age Infants.
AB  - Globally, 15% of infants are low birthweight (LBW; <2,500 g) each year. Most LBW
      infants are either preterm (<37 weeks gestation) and/or growth restricted in
      utero. These etiologies of LBW have different prevalence, risk factors, health
      and survival consequences, and are attenuated by different interventions.
      Birthweight has generally been easier to measure than gestational age in low
      resource settings. This is now changing rapidly with access to antenatal care and
      ultrasound and allows providers, researchers and public health practitioners the
      opportunity to identify infants born too soon or too small, and to better target
      interventions to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with these conditions.
      Understanding the mortality patterns and burden of preterm or small for
      gestational age (SGA) is important for designing programs to prevent these
      outcomes and improve survival of these infants. We present here estimates of the
      increased mortality risk, timing of mortality, and attributable mortality burden
      associated with these conditions. Such data provide estimates of the potential
      for proven maternal interventions to reduce SGA burden and its associated
      mortality, as well as identify infants who would most benefit from clinical and
      public health interventions to improve their survival and health.

PMID- 26111560
TI  - Nutritional and Reproductive Risk Factors for Small for Gestational Age and
      Preterm Births.
AB  - Approximately 32.4 million small for gestational age (SGA) babies and 13.7
      million preterm babies are born annually in low- and middle-income countries
      (LMICs), of whom 2.8 million are both SGA and preterm. These newborns who are
      born too small and/or too soon not only experience heightened risk of neonatal
      and infant mortality, but also of long-term morbidities, like adulthood chronic
      disease. In order to reduce these burdens worldwide, it is critical to identify
      and understand the epidemiology of the risk factors that contribute to SGA and
      preterm births. As part of the Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group, we
      explored nutritional and reproductive health-related maternal risk factors
      associated with SGA and preterm outcomes in LMICs, including short maternal
      stature, young/advanced maternal age, low/high parity, and short birth interval.
      In this chapter, we highlight our findings and relevant existing literature, and
      also summarize literature on how low/high BMI and low weight gain during
      pregnancy, respectively, are associated with SGA and/or preterm outcomes.

PMID- 26111562
TI  - Prevention of Intrauterine Growth Restriction and Preterm Birth with Presumptive
      Antibiotic Treatment of Pregnant Women: A Literature Review.
AB  - Intrauterine growth restriction and preterm birth (PTB) account for a large share
      of global child mortality, morbidity and developmental loss. Of the numerous risk
      factors for these conditions, maternal infections have been most consistently
      identified. Our aim was to study if presumptive antibiotic treatment of pregnant
      women before any signs of the onset of labor would promote fetal growth and
      reduce the incidence of PTB or low birthweight (LBW). In a systematic literature
      search, we identified 14 clinical trials of sufficient quality. Eight trials
      concluded that there was a positive effect on one or both of the conditions, and
      others found no such association. The trials reporting an effect were typically
      conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa (6 trials) and with broadest spectrum
      antibiotics, whereas data from India (2) suggested no intervention effect and
      trials in the US (5) or Europe (1) yielded both positive and negative findings.
      We conclude that appropriately chosen presumptive antimicrobial treatment of
      pregnant women, targeting infections in the reproductive tract but also other
      maternal infections such as malaria, other parasitic diseases, skin infections,
      and periodontitis, can in selected contexts promote fetal growth and reduce the
      incidence of PTB and LBW.

PMID- 26111563
TI  - Should We Promote Catch-Up Growth or Growth Acceleration in Low-Birthweight
      Infants?
AB  - The idea that catch-up growth or growth acceleration has adverse effects on long
      term health has generated much debate. This pattern of growth is most commonly
      seen after birth in infants of low birthweight; a global problem affecting over
      20 million newborns a year. Faster postnatal growth may have short-term benefits
      but increases the long-term risk of aging, obesity and metabolic disease.
      Consequently, the optimal pattern of postnatal growth is unclear and is likely to
      differ in different populations. In infants born prematurely, faster postnatal
      growth improves long-term cognitive function but is associated with later risk
      factors for cardiovascular disease. So, on balance, the current policy is to
      promote faster growth by increasing nutrient intake (e.g. using higher-nutrient
      preterm formulas). Whether the same policy should apply to larger preterm infants
      is not known. Similarly, in infants from impoverished environments, the short
      term benefits of faster postnatal growth may outweigh long-term disadvantages.
      However, whether similar considerations apply to infants from countries in
      transition is uncertain. For term infants from developed countries, promoting
      catch-up growth by nutritional supplementation has few advantages for short- or
      long-term health. Overall therefore, a 'one size fits all' solution for the
      optimal pattern of postnatal growth is unlikely.

PMID- 26111564
TI  - Catch-Up Growth and Metabolic and Cognitive Outcomes in Adolescents Born Preterm.
AB  - The worldwide rate of premature birth is increasing. Survival has also improved,
      even for very preterm infants, meaning greater numbers of preterm infants
      surviving into later life. This has led to greater attention being focused on
      long-term outcomes. Recent interest in the Developmental Origins of Health and
      Disease has highlighted the importance of early life growth and nutritional
      exposures for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and
      type 2 diabetes. There is evidence linking preterm birth and poor growth in utero
      with worse long-term cognitive outcome, but also evidence to link more rapid
      growth in certain epochs of early life with adverse metabolic outcomes. The
      current data suggest that a diverse range of metabolic outcomes are affected by
      preterm birth, and that adult survivors may be more likely to develop certain
      chronic diseases. There are data to show that catch-up growth during the neonatal
      period and in infancy may affect these later outcomes, but studies are
      inconsistent in their findings. In addition, it is clear that lifestyle factors
      during childhood and adolescence have a major impact on metabolic disease that
      may be greater in magnitude to the effects of early growth and nutritional
      exposures.

PMID- 26111565
TI  - Role of Specific Nutrients in Low-Birthweight Infants.
AB  - Low birthweight (LBW) is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as body
      weight less than 2,500 g at birth based on epidemiological observations that
      infants with a birthweight less than 2,500 g are 20 times more likely to die than
      'heavier' babies [1]. Moreover, according to the WHO, a birthweight below 2,500 g
      contributes to poor health outcomes. Worldwide, the incidence of LBW is estimated
      to be 15.5% with a range from 7 to 18.6% based on more developed, less developed
      and least developed countries. In addition to discussing causes and consequences
      of LBW, this chapter will discuss specific nutrients that need particular
      attention in this cohort of infants: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin D,
      iron, copper, zinc and issues related to feeding these infants including the use
      of human milk. Since LBW is an important public health indicator of long-term
      maternal malnutrition, maternal health, poor prenatal care and, in addition,
      poses significant challenges in feeding and growth, this large population,
      globally, deserves particular attention.

PMID- 26111567
TI  - Stunting Persists despite Optimal Feeding: Are Toilets Part of the Solution?
AB  - Children in developing countries have an average length-for-age that is already
      below the World Health Organization standard at birth and show a further decline
      in linear growth over the first 24 months of life; however, complementary feeding
      interventions have only a modest impact on growth. Children living in conditions
      of poor sanitation and hygiene are frequently exposed to pathogenic microbes
      through feco-oral transmission. Acute diarrhea represents only the tip of the
      'enteric disease iceberg', with a substantial underlying burden of chronic,
      subclinical enteropathy. Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is characterized
      by disturbance in small intestinal structure and impaired gut barrier function,
      enabling microbial translocation and chronic systemic inflammation, which may
      impair growth. Gut damage appears to arise early in infancy and markers of
      intestinal inflammation, intestinal permeability and systemic immune activation
      are inversely associated with linear growth. Reducing feco-oral microbial
      transmission by improving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) may theoretically
      prevent or ameliorate EED and improve linear growth; ongoing trials are exploring
      this hypothesis. Given the complex interplay of factors leading to stunting,
      multisectoral interventions are likely required. Improving WASH in addition to
      infant feeding may be one approach to improve the growth and developmental
      potential of infants in developing countries.

PMID- 26111566
TI  - Catch-Up Growth: Basic Mechanisms.
AB  - The neuroendocrine model of catch-up growth has been well studied in a number of
      animal models. During nutritional inadequacy, which invariably precedes catch-up
      growth, growth hormone (GH) levels increase under the influence of the oxygenic
      'hunger signal' ghrelin. This increase in GH would usually be accompanied by an
      increase in IGF-1. However, malnutrition also induces the nutritionally
      responsive proteins sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21)
      that block GH signal transduction in the liver by blocking the JAK/STAT pathway,
      limiting IGF-1 production. The result is that GH's action is shifted from hepatic
      effects to effects in other tissues (for example muscle and adipose) and shifted
      away from IGF-1-mediated effects and towards GH-mediated effects. Once nutrients
      become more available, SIRT1 and FGF21 levels, and hepatic GH sensitivity return
      to normal, and production of IGF-1 resumes. This shifts GH signaling away from GH
      mediated effects, and towards IGF-1-mediated effects both in the liver and in
      other tissues. It presumably leads to greatly increased IGF-1 signaling that
      would have been expected without the prior episode of nutritional inadequacy.
      Although much work remains to be done, it does appear that ghrelin is increased
      in in utero and postnatal malnutrition, that elevations in ghrelin may be
      prolonged after malnutrition resolves, and that higher ghrelin levels are
      associated with increased rates of catch-up growth. Prolonged increases in
      circulating ghrelin and GH, combined with a rapid return in hepatic GH
      sensitivity would provide an elegant mechanism to drive catch-up growth after
      periods of nutritional insufficiency.

PMID- 26111568
TI  - Human Milk Fortification.
AB  - Human milk is the feed of choice for preterm infants. However, human milk does
      not provide enough nutrition, especially protein, for preterm infants to achieve
      target growth rates similar to those in utero (15-20 g/kg per day). Fortifiers
      for human milk, manufactured from bovine milk, are commercially available and
      routinely used for patients born <32 weeks' gestation prior to discharge home.
      Recent recommended dietary intakes (RDI) have been revised. Up to 4.2 g of
      protein and 135 kcal/kg per day is recommended for infants born very preterm.
      Additional supplements are needed to current commercial fortifiers to achieve
      these RDI and reduce the incidence of ex-uterine growth failure. A human milk
      fortifier that is manufactured from donor human milk is available in some
      developed countries and may confer some clinical benefits, including a reduction
      in necrotizing enterocolitis. Fortification can be added in a standardized
      protocol as per manufacturers' instructions. Human milk composition can be
      analyzed and fortification individualized to take into account the large
      variation from mother to mother. Alternatively, fortification can be increased in
      a stepwise manner based on assumed composition while monitoring blood urea levels
      for safety. The current aim is to prevent preterm infants dropping percentiles
      and falling below the 10th percentile at 36 weeks' corrected gestational age or
      discharge home. More data are required on how best to fortify human milk for
      preterm infants to achieve optimal growth, development and health outcomes in the
      long term. There is an urgent need for well-designed and informed randomized
      clinical trials in this vulnerable preterm population.

PMID- 26111569
TI  - Feeding the Larger Low-Birthweight Infant in a Resource-Poor Environment.
AB  - The high low birthweight prevalence in resource-poor countries (16.5%) places a
      burden on overstretched resources. Labor ward must have written guidelines to
      triage these infants for optimal nutritional support to the special care nursery
      (SCN; 1,500-1,800 g and <34 weeks) and postnatal ward (PW; >1,800 g and >= 34
      weeks). Separation of mother and infant should be prevented. Initiating
      breastfeeding and kangaroo mother care (KMC) in labor ward by skilled nurses in
      the latter group is a priority and continues in the PW. SCN infants receive an
      intravenous 10% glucose-electrolyte solution and, if stable, commence with
      expressed colostrum and breast milk (EBM) feeding and intermittent KMC which
      progresses to continuous KMC and breastfeeding. Enteral feeding is advanced more
      slowly in unstable infants. Parenteral nutrition is only administered to infants
      with bowel obstruction or feeding intolerance. EBM of HIV+ mothers in the SCN is
      pasteurized. The decision to discharge a mother-infant dyad should be
      individualized. Infants in the SCN are discharged at 34 weeks, a weight of 1,600
      1,800 g and are gaining adequate weight. Discharge from the PW usually takes
      place after 48 h, often before the infant has regained his birthweight but
      breastfeeding must be established. Multivitamin- and iron-containing syrup is
      continued for at least 12 months. The clinics in the community must provide
      postdischarge nutritional support.

PMID- 26111570
TI  - Nutrient Needs for Catch-Up Growth in Low-Birthweight Infants.
AB  - Growth restriction among low-birthweight (LBW) infants occurs prenatally as well
      as postnatally. Regardless of when and how the growth restriction occurs, growth
      restricted infants have the potential for catch-up growth. Catch-up growth has
      decidedly beneficial effects on later cognition. It also may have adverse effects
      on cardiovascular and metabolic health. Although the benefits for later cognition
      are well documented in a number of studies, growth-restricted LBW infants often
      do not experience catch-up growth and therefore do not enjoy its benefits. One
      reason is that for catch-up growth to occur, extraordinarily high protein intakes
      are required. Nutrient intakes have been estimated with the use of the factorial
      method based on the assumption that catch-up growth comprises essentially a
      restoration of lean body mass, with restoration of fat mass optional. The basic
      (no catch-up) nutritional needs of growth-restricted LBW infants are altered to a
      modest degree, with energy needs increased and protein needs decreased. With
      catch-up, however, protein needs are increased sharply. Since energy needs are
      only modestly increased, the protein/energy ratio of requirements is appreciably
      increased. The high protein needs are difficult to meet with the usual feedings
      for LBW infants unless special measures are taken to increase protein intakes and
      to increase the protein/energy ratio. Without the necessary protein intake, catch
      up growth is not possible or will be delayed, which may compromise the
      realization of the long-term benefits on cognition.

PMID- 26111571
TI  - Human Milk Fortification in India.
AB  - Human milk fortification in preterm babies has become a standard of care in
      developed countries. Use of human milk fortifier (HMF) in very-low-birthweight
      infants is not a routine practice in India. There are concerns about high
      osmolality, feed intolerance, necrotizing enterocolitis, risk of contamination
      and added cost associated with use of HMF. There are limited data from India
      which address the issue of safety and short-term benefits of human milk
      fortification. This chapter highlights the issues related to human milk
      fortification in our country.

PMID- 26111572
TI  - Probiotic Supplementation for Preterm Neonates--What Lies Ahead?
AB  - Systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials indicate that probiotic
      supplementation significantly reduces the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
      without adverse effects in preterm very-low-birthweight neonates. A change in
      practice in favor of probiotic supplementation is justified considering the
      health burden of NEC in this population. The reduction in the risk of NEC seems
      to occur even when the baseline incidence of the illness is as low as 5%.
      Facilitation of feed tolerance is a significant benefit of probiotics considering
      that optimizing enteral nutrition is a priority in extremely preterm neonates,
      including those with intrauterine growth restriction, who are at a higher risk
      for feed intolerance and NEC. The increasing number of reports on routine use of
      probiotics indicates that difficulty in accessing clinically proven and safe
      probiotic products is not a significant barrier towards a change in practice.
      Strategies to address important gaps in knowledge and the impact of routine use
      of probiotic supplementation are reviewed to prepare for what lies ahead in this
      field.

PMID- 26111573
TI  - Concluding Remarks.

PMID- 26111574
TI  - Dermoscopic Features of Onychomatricoma: A Study of 34 Cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Onychomatricoma is a benign tumor of the nail matrix with a precise
      histopathological definition but many different clinical features and
      differential diagnoses. OBJECTIVES: The diagnosis of onychomatricoma is based on
      the pathological examination of a surgical specimen. The objective of this study
      was to define preoperative diagnostic criteria using noninvasive investigations:
      observation and dermoscopy. METHODS: A total of 34 cases of onychomatricoma were
      studied. In detail, 6 observers evaluated 12 clinical and 12 dermoscopical
      criteria as present or absent. RESULTS: For clinical criteria, the highest mean
      values were leuconychia (3.21), splinter hemorrhages (3.45), and thickening of
      the plate (3.0). Dermoscopical criteria were more often found present, such as
      longitudinal parallel white lines (4.33), parallel lesion edges (4.61), splinter
      hemorrhages (4.48), dark dots (3.96), free-edge nail pitting (4.5), and
      thickening of the free edge (5.27). CONCLUSION: Dermoscopical criteria for
      onychomatricoma are more frequently present and less subject to divergent
      interpretation. This offers new and original preoperative reliable diagnostic
      criteria and should be used in the evaluation of nail tumors.

PMID- 26111575
TI  - Intravitreal Ranibizumab in Daily Clinical Practice for Age-Related Macular
      Degeneration: Treatment of Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Real
      Life.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the anatomical and functional outcomes in patients with
      exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) undergoing ranibizumab therapy
      in real-life practice. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of patients with
      exudative AMD treated with ranibizumab. Visual acuity (VA) and optic coherence
      tomography characteristics at baseline and at the end of the follow-up, clinical
      forms of the disease, delay between diagnosis and treatment as well as the number
      of follow-up visits and of intravitreal injections were collected. RESULTS: One
      hundred and seventy-nine patients (220 eyes) were followed up during a mean of 24
      months. The mean delay between diagnosis and treatment was 20.3 days (SD +/
      16.8). VA stabilization was observed in 46.4% of eyes, 21.7% of eyes gained >=15
      ETDRS (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study) letters and 31.9% lost >=15
      ETDRS letters. The mean central retinal thickness decreased from 380.6 MUm at
      baseline to 295.6 um at the final examination. A lower baseline VA score was
      associated with a greater gain of letters (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.06; p < 0.001).
      CONCLUSION: Shortening the delays in diagnosis appears to be a key point in real
      life situations.

PMID- 26111576
TI  - Autophagy is Required for the Maintenance of Liver Progenitor Cell Functionality.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Liver progenitor cells (LPCs) are bipotent stem cells existing in the
      adult liver, which could be activated upon massive liver injury and contribute to
      liver regeneration. However, mechanisms of maintenance of LPC functionality
      remain poorly understood. Previous studies found that autophagy was required for
      the self-renewal and differentiation of several tissue stem cells. METHODS: The
      study compared the level of autophagic activity in LPCs and differentiated
      hepatocytes. Then, autophagic activity was inhibited in LPCs by lentivirus
      mediated autophagy-related gene 5 or Beclin 1 knockdown. Clonogenic assay, cell
      viability assays, hepatic differentiation assay, and senescence analysis were
      conducted to assess the role of autophagy in regulating self-renewal, hepatic
      differentiation and senescence of LPCs. RESULTS: We observed high autophagic
      activity in LPCs compared with differentiated hepatocytes. We found that
      inhibition of autophagy impaired the self-renewal, proliferation, and hepatic
      differentiation capability of LPCs under normal cultural condition, but had
      little impact on cell viability. Interestingly, while wild-type LPCs remained
      rarely affected by the toxin, etoposide, inhibition of autophagy induced the
      senescent phenotype of LPCs. Overexpression of Beclin 1 in Beclin 1-knockdown
      LPCs restored the functionality of stem cells. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate
      that autophagy may function as a critical regulator of LPC functionality under
      both physiological and pathological condition.

PMID- 26111577
TI  - Lurasidone in the treatment of schizophrenia: a critical evaluation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Antipsychotic medications are the foundation of the pharmacological
      treatment of schizophrenia and lurasidone is the most recent of the 65 agents
      around the world to become available. In order to use it optimally, it is
      important to understand its pharmacological and clinical nature and its
      comparative effectiveness to other antipsychotic agents in the treatment of
      schizophrenia. AREAS COVERED: Following a comprehensive review of the literature,
      this article summarizes current information about the pharmacology of lurasidone,
      data about its short- and long-term efficacy and safety/tolerability in the
      treatment of schizophrenia, its comparative effectiveness to other antipsychotic
      agents, and guidance about its optimal use in the treatment of individuals with
      schizophrenia. EXPERT OPINION: Lurasidone is a benzoisothiazole with potent
      dopamine D2 and serotonin 5HT2A antagonist and serotonin 5HT1A partial agonist
      properties (like other second-generation antipsychotic agents) with additional
      potent 5HT7 and alpha2C noradrenergic antagonism. It has little or no activity at
      the alpha1 and alpha2A noradrenergic, 5HT2C serotonergic, histaminergic and
      cholinergic receptors. Available only in an oral formulation, it is effective in
      once-daily dosing (40 - 160 mg/day) and its absorption is affected by food. There
      is an extensive clinical trial database with short-term and long-term placebo-
      and antipsychotic-controlled clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and
      safety/tolerability of lurasidone in the treatment of schizophrenia. It has been
      found to be efficacious with comparable efficacy to other agents in the treatment
      of acute psychosis and prevention of relapse in individuals with schizophrenia.
      The greater antidepressant and cognitive benefits suggested by its receptor
      profile need substantiation in robust clinical trials. It is less likely to cause
      metabolic and cardiac adverse effects than most other second-generation agents
      and is associated with a modest risk of extrapyramidal side-effects, akathisia,
      and prolactin elevation.

PMID- 26111580
TI  - From cutting edge to guideline: A first step in harmonization of the zebrafish
      embryotoxicity test (ZET) by describing the most optimal test conditions and
      morphology scoring system.
AB  - In the last couple of years, the interest in the zebrafish embryotoxicity test
      (ZET) for use in developmental toxicity assessment has been growing
      exponentially. This is also evident from the recent proposal for updating the
      ICHS5 guideline. The methodology of the ZET used by the different groups varies
      greatly. To further evaluate its successfulness and to take the ZET to the next
      level, harmonization of procedures is crucial. In the present study, based on
      literature and empirical data, the most optimal study design regarding
      temperature, test chamber, exposure period, presence of chorion, solvent use,
      exposure method, choice of concentrations, and teratogenic classification is
      proposed. Furthermore, our morphology scoring system is reported in detail as
      protocol to further enhance study design harmonization. 

PMID- 26111579
TI  - alpha2-Null mutant mice have altered levels of neuronal activity in restricted
      midbrain and limbic brain regions during nicotine withdrawal as demonstrated by
      cfos expression.
AB  - Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are the primary binding sites
      for nicotine within the brain. Using alpha(alpha)2 nAChR subunit-null mutant
      mice, the current study evaluates whether the absence of this gene product during
      mecamylamine-precipitated nicotine withdrawal eliminates neuronal activity within
      selective midbrain and limbic brain regions, as determined by the expression of
      the immediate early gene, cfos. Our results demonstrate that nicotine withdrawal
      enhances neuronal activity within the interpeduncular nucleus and dorsal
      hippocampus, which is absent in mice null for alpha2-containing nAChRs. In
      contrast, we observe that alpha2-null mutant mice exhibit a suppression of
      neuronal activity in the dentate gyrus in mice undergoing nicotine withdrawal.
      Interestingly, alpha2-null mutant mice display potentiated neuronal activity
      specifically within the stratum lacunosum moleculare layer of the hippocampus,
      independent of nicotine withdrawal. Overall, our findings demonstrate that alpha2
      null mutant mice have altered cfos expression in distinct populations of neurons
      within selective midbrain and limbic brain structures that mediate baseline and
      nicotine withdrawal-induced neuronal activity. 

PMID- 26111581
TI  - Endothelin-1 receptor antagonists in fetal development and pulmonary arterial
      hypertension.
AB  - The Pregnancy Prevention Program (PPP) is in place to prevent drug-induced
      developmental malformations. Remarkably, among the ten PPP-enlisted drugs are
      three endothelin-1 (ET-1) receptor antagonists (ERA's: ambrisentan, bosentan and
      macitentan), which are approved for the treatment of Pulmonary Arterial
      Hypertension (PAH). This review describes the effects of ERA's in PAH
      pathobiology and cardiopulmonary fetal development. While ERA's hamper
      pathological remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature and as such exert beneficial
      effects in PAH, they disturb fetal development of cardiopulmonary tissues. By
      blocking ET-1-mediated positive inotropic effects and myocardial fetal gene
      induction, ERA's may affect right ventricular adaptation to the increased
      pulmonary vascular resistance in both the fetus and the adult PAH patient. 

PMID- 26111582
TI  - Interchange of entire communities: microbial community coalescence.
AB  - Microbial communities are enigmatically diverse. We propose a novel view of
      processes likely affecting microbial assemblages, which could be viewed as the
      Great American Interchange en miniature: the wholesale exchange among microbial
      communities resulting from moving pieces of the environment containing entire
      assemblages. Incidental evidence for such 'community coalescence' is
      accumulating, but such processes are rarely studied, likely because of the
      absence of suitable terminology or a conceptual framework. We provide the nucleus
      for such a conceptual foundation for the study of community coalescence,
      examining factors shaping these events, links to bodies of ecological theory, and
      we suggest modeling approaches for understanding coalescent communities. We argue
      for the systematic study of community coalescence because of important functional
      and applied consequences. 

PMID- 26111583
TI  - Symbiotic options for the conquest of land.
AB  - The domination of the landmasses of Earth by plants starting during the
      Ordovician Period drastically altered the development of the biosphere and the
      composition of the atmosphere, with far-reaching consequences for all life ever
      since. It is widely thought that symbiotic soil fungi facilitated the
      colonization of the terrestrial environment by plants. However, recent
      discoveries in molecular ecology, physiology, cytology, and paleontology have
      brought into question the hitherto-assumed identity and biology of the fungi
      engaged in symbiosis with the earliest-diverging lineages of extant land plants.
      Here, we reconsider the existing paradigm and show that the symbiotic options
      available to the first plants emerging onto the land were more varied than
      previously thought. 

PMID- 26111584
TI  - It is time to develop ecological thresholds of toxicological concern to assist
      environmental hazard assessment.
AB  - The threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) concept is well established for
      assessing human safety of food-contact substances and has been reapplied for a
      variety of endpoints, including carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, and reproductive
      toxicity. The TTC establishes an exposure level for chemicals below which no
      appreciable risk to human health or the environment is expected, based on a de
      minimis value for toxicity identified for many chemicals. Threshold of
      toxicological concern approaches have benefits for screening-level risk
      assessments, including the potential for rapid decision-making, fully utilizing
      existing knowledge, reasonable conservativeness for chemicals used in lower
      volumes (low production volume chemicals (e.g., < 1 t/yr), and reduction or
      elimination of unnecessary animal tests. Higher production volume chemicals (>1
      t/yr) would in principle always require specific information because of the
      presumed higher exposure potential. The TTC approach has found particular favor
      in the assessment of chemicals used in cosmetics and personal care products, as
      well as other chemicals traditionally used in low volumes. Use of the TTC in
      environmental safety is just beginning, and initial attempts are being published.
      Key questions focus on hazard extrapolation of diverse taxa across trophic
      levels, importance of mode of action, and whether safe concentrations for
      ecosystems estimated from acute or chronic toxicity data are equally useful and
      in what contexts. The present study provides an overview of the theoretical basis
      for developing an ecological (eco)-TTC, with an initial exploration of chemical
      assessment and boundary conditions for use. An international collaboration under
      the International Life Sciences Institute Health and Environmental Sciences
      Institute has been established to address challenges related to developing and
      applying useful eco-TTC concepts.

PMID- 26111585
TI  - Bean Common Mosaic Virus and Bean Common Mosaic Necrosis Virus: Relationships,
      Biology, and Prospects for Control.
AB  - The closely related potyviruses Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) and Bean common
      mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV) are major constraints on common bean (Phaseolus
      vulgaris) production. Crop losses caused by BCMV and BCMNV impact severely not
      only on commercial scale cultivation of this high-value crop but also on
      production by smallholder farmers in the developing world, where bean serves as a
      key source of dietary protein and mineral nutrition. In many parts of the world,
      progress has been made in combating BCMV through breeding bean varieties
      possessing the I gene, a dominant gene conferring resistance to most BCMV
      strains. However, in Africa, and in particular in Central and East Africa, BCMNV
      is endemic and this presents a serious problem for deployment of the I gene
      because this virus triggers systemic necrosis (black root disease) in plants
      possessing this resistance gene. Information on these two important viruses is
      scattered throughout the literature from 1917 onward, and although reviews on
      resistance to BCMV and BCMNV exist, there is currently no comprehensive review on
      the biology and taxonomy of BCMV and BCMNV. In this chapter, we discuss the
      current state of our knowledge of these two potyviruses including fundamental
      aspects of classification and phylogeny, molecular biology, host interactions,
      transmission through seed and by aphid vectors, geographic distribution, as well
      as current and future prospects for the control of these important viruses. 

PMID- 26111586
TI  - The Molecular Biology of Pestiviruses.
AB  - Pestiviruses are among the economically most important pathogens of livestock.
      The biology of these viruses is characterized by unique and interesting features
      that are both crucial for their success as pathogens and challenging from a
      scientific point of view. Elucidation of these features at the molecular level
      has made striking progress during recent years. The analyses revealed that major
      aspects of pestivirus biology show significant similarity to the biology of human
      hepatitis C virus (HCV). The detailed molecular analyses conducted for
      pestiviruses and HCV supported and complemented each other during the last three
      decades resulting in elucidation of the functions of viral proteins and RNA
      elements in replication and virus-host interaction. For pestiviruses, the
      analyses also helped to shed light on the molecular basis of persistent
      infection, a special strategy these viruses have evolved to be maintained within
      their host population. The results of these investigations are summarized in this
      chapter. 

PMID- 26111587
TI  - Cyprinid Herpesvirus 3: An Archetype of Fish Alloherpesviruses.
AB  - The order Herpesvirales encompasses viruses that share structural, genetic, and
      biological properties. However, members of this order infect hosts ranging from
      molluscs to humans. It is currently divided into three phylogenetically related
      families. The Alloherpesviridae family contains viruses infecting fish and
      amphibians. There are 12 alloherpesviruses described to date, 10 of which infect
      fish. Over the last decade, cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) infecting common and
      koi carp has emerged as the archetype of fish alloherpesviruses. Since its first
      description in the late 1990s, this virus has induced important economic losses
      in common and koi carp worldwide. It has also had negative environmental
      implications by affecting wild carp populations. These negative impacts and the
      importance of the host species have stimulated studies aimed at developing
      diagnostic and prophylactic tools. Unexpectedly, the data generated by these
      applied studies have stimulated interest in CyHV-3 as a model for fundamental
      research. This review intends to provide a complete overview of the knowledge
      currently available on CyHV-3. 

PMID- 26111588
TI  - Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Cellular Entry and Exit in the T Lymphocytic
      and Monocytic Compartments: Mechanisms and Target Opportunities During Viral
      Disease.
AB  - During the course of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection, a number of
      cell types throughout the body are infected, with the majority of cells
      representing CD4+ T cells and cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage. Both
      types of cells express, to varying levels, the primary receptor molecule, CD4, as
      well as one or both of the coreceptors, CXCR4 and CCR5. Viral tropism is
      determined by both the coreceptor utilized for entry and the cell type infected.
      Although a single virus may have the capacity to infect both a CD4+ T cell and a
      cell of the monocyte-macrophage lineage, the mechanisms involved in both the
      entry of the virus into the cell and the viral egress from the cell during
      budding and viral release differ depending on the cell type. These host-virus
      interactions and processes can result in the differential targeting of different
      cell types by selected viral quasispecies and the overall amount of infectious
      virus released into the extracellular environment or by direct cell-to-cell
      spread of viral infectivity. This review covers the major steps of virus entry
      and egress with emphasis on the parts of the replication process that lead to
      differences in how the virus enters, replicates, and buds from different cellular
      compartments, such as CD4+ T cells and cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage.

PMID- 26111590
TI  - Random serum progesterone threshold to confirm ovulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serum progesterone (P) rises after ovulation in the luteinisation
      process. OBJECTIVE: To identify an accurate progesterone threshold to confirm
      ovulation in the assessment of a woman's fertility. METHODS: In a secondary
      analysis of an observational European multicentre study, this study included 107
      women over 326 menstrual cycles and tracked daily first morning urine (FMU),
      changes in observed cervical mucus discharge, serum progesterone, and
      ultrasonography to identify the day of ovulation. A serum progesterone level was
      available for 102 women over a total 260 cycles with one or two P levels per
      cycle. RESULTS: It was found that a single serum P?5ng/ml is highly specific with
      a specificity of 98.4 (95% CI 96.0-99.5), with a sensitivity of 89.6 (95% CI 85.2
      92.9). CONCLUSION: A random serum progesterone level ?5ng/ml confirms ovulation.
      This may be of use for clinicians wanting to confirm that ovulation has occurred.

PMID- 26111589
TI  - Maternal characteristics and mid-pregnancy serum biomarkers as risk factors for
      subtypes of preterm birth.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between maternal characteristics, serum
      biomarkers and preterm birth (PTB) by spontaneous and medically indicated
      subtypes. DESIGN: Population-based cohort. SETTING: California, United States of
      America. POPULATION: From a total population of 1 004 039 live singleton births
      in 2009 and 2010, 841 665 pregnancies with linked birth certificate and hospital
      discharge records were included. METHODS: Characteristics were compared for term
      and preterm deliveries by PTB subtype using logistic regression and odds ratios
      adjusted for maternal characteristics and obstetric factors present in final
      stepwise models and 95% confidence intervals. First-trimester and second
      trimester serum marker levels were analysed in a subset of 125 202 pregnancies
      with available first-trimester and second-trimester serum biomarker results. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURE: PTB by subtype. RESULTS: In fully adjusted models, ten
      characteristics and three serum biomarkers were associated with increased risk in
      each PTB subtype (Black race/ethnicity, pre-existing hypertension with and
      without pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension with pre-eclampsia, pre-existing
      diabetes, anaemia, previous PTB, one or two or more previous caesarean
      section(s), interpregnancy interval >= 60 months, low first-trimester pregnancy
      associated plasma protein A, high second-trimester alpha-fetoprotein, and high
      second-trimester dimeric inhibin A). These risks occurred in 51.6-86.2% of all
      pregnancies ending in PTB depending on subtype. The highest risk observed was for
      medically indicated PTB <32 weeks in women with pre-existing hypertension and pre
      eclampsia (adjusted odds ratio 89.7, 95% CI 27.3-111.2). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      findings suggest a shared aetiology across PTB subtypes. These commonalities
      point to targets for further study and exploration of risk reduction strategies.
      TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Findings suggest a shared aetiology across preterm birth
      subtypes. Patterns may inform risk reduction efforts.

PMID- 26111591
TI  - Marine steroids as potential anticancer drug candidates: In silico investigation
      in search of inhibitors of Bcl-2 and CDK-4/Cyclin D1.
AB  - Star fishes (Asteroidea) are rich in polar steroids with diverse structural
      characteristics. The structural modifications of star fish steroids occur at
      3beta, 4beta, 5alpha, 6alpha (or beta), 7alpha (or beta), 8, 15alpha (or beta)
      and 16beta positions of the steroidal nucleus and in the side chain. Widely found
      polar steroids in starfishes include polyhydroxysteroids, steroidal sulfates,
      glycosides, steroid oligoglycosides etc. Bioactivity of these steroids is less
      studied; only a few reports like antibacterial, cytotoxic activity etc. are
      available. In continuation of our search for bioactive molecules from natural
      sources, we undertook in silico screening of steroids from star fishes against
      Bcl-2 and CDK-4/Cyclin D1 - two important targets of progression and
      proliferation of cancer cells. We have screened 182 natural steroids from star
      fishes occurring in different parts of the world and their 282 soft-derivatives
      by in silico methods. Their physico-chemical properties, drug-likeliness, binding
      potential with the selected targets, ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism,
      toxicity) were predicted. Further, the results were compared with those of
      existing steroidal and non steroidal drugs and inhibitors of Bcl-2 and CDK
      4/Cyclin D1. The results are promising and unveil that some of these steroids can
      be potent leads for cancer treatments. 

PMID- 26111592
TI  - Cognitive cues are more compelling than facial cues in determining adults'
      reactions towards young children.
AB  - Previous research has demonstrated the significant influence that both children's
      facial features (Lorenz, 1943) and children's cognitive expressions (Bjorklund,
      Hernandez Blasi, and Periss, 2010) have on adults' perception of young children.
      However, until now, these two types of cues have been studied independently. The
      present study contrasted these two types of cues simultaneously in a group of
      college students. To this purpose, we designed five experimental conditions
      (Consistent, Inconsistent, Mature-Face, Immature-Face, and Faces-Only) in which
      we varied the presentation of a series of mature and immature vignettes
      (including two previously studied types of thinking: natural thinking and
      supernatural thinking) associated with a series of more mature and less mature
      children's faces. Performance in these conditions was contrasted with data from a
      Vignettes-Only condition taken from Bjorklund et al. (2010). Results indicated
      that cognitive cues were more powerful than facial cues in determining adults'
      perceptions of young children. From an evolutionary developmental perspective, we
      suggest that facial cues are more relevant to adults during infancy than during
      the preschool period, when, with the development of spoken language, the
      verbalized expressions of children's thoughts become the principal cues
      influencing adults' perceptions, with facial cues playing a more secondary role. 

PMID- 26111593
TI  - Diversity of endophytic fungi in Glycine max.
AB  - Endophytic fungi are microorganisms that live within plant tissues without
      causing disease during part of their life cycle. With the isolation and
      identification of these fungi, new species are being discovered, and ecological
      relationships with their hosts have also been studied. In Glycine max, limited
      studies have investigated the isolation and distribution of endophytic fungi
      throughout leaves and roots. The distribution of these fungi in various plant
      organs differs in diversity and abundance, even when analyzed using molecular
      techniques that can evaluate fungal communities in different parts of the plants,
      such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Our results show there is
      greater species richness of culturable endophytic filamentous fungi in the leaves
      G. max as compared to roots. Additionally, the leaves had high values for
      diversity indices, i.e. Simpsons, Shannon and Equitability. Conversely, dominance
      index was higher in roots as compared to leaves. The fungi Ampelomyces sp.,
      Cladosporium cladosporioides, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Diaporthe
      helianthi, Guignardia mangiferae and Phoma sp. were more frequently isolated from
      the leaves, whereas the fungi Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani and Fusarium
      sp. were prevalent in the roots. However, by evaluating the two communities by
      DGGE, we concluded that the species richness was higher in the roots than in the
      leaves. UPGMA analysis showed consistent clustering of isolates; however, the
      fungus Leptospora rubella, which belongs to the order Dothideales, was grouped
      among species of the order Pleosporales. The presence of endophytic Fusarium
      species in G. max roots is unsurprising, since Fusarium spp. isolates have been
      previously described as endophyte in other reports. However, it remains to be
      determined whether the G. max Fusarium endophytes are latent pathogens or non
      pathogenic forms that benefit the plant. This study provides a broader knowledge
      of the distribution of the fungal community in G. max leaves and roots, and
      identifies the genetic relationships among the isolated species. 

PMID- 26111594
TI  - Opening-Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy: Review of 100 Consecutive Cases.
AB  - PURPOSE: We report intermediate-term outcomes of a large consecutive series of
      medial opening-wedge tibial osteotomies. METHODS: One hundred consecutive
      patients who underwent medial high tibial osteotomy from 2004-2013 were
      retrospectively reviewed. Charts were reviewed for patient age and gender, knee
      pain and range of motion, smoking status, and body mass index. Operative reports
      were reviewed for bone graft type, degree of correction, and osteotomy fixation
      method. Radiographs were evaluated for lateral cortical or intra-articular
      fracture, osteotomy healing, and preoperative and postoperative tibiofemoral
      angles. RESULTS: Eighty-nine osteotomies (89%) in 83 patients were included in
      the study. Most procedures were performed for medial knee arthritis. The mean age
      at surgery was 48.1 years, and the mean follow-up period was 4.0 years. The mean
      tibiofemoral alignment was 3.2 degrees  of varus preoperatively and 6.4 degrees 
      of valgus postoperatively. Plate and screw fixation was used in all cases. Bone
      grafting methods included autograft, allograft, iliac crest aspirate, platelet
      rich plasma, and demineralized bone matrix. Of the osteotomies, 83 (93%) healed
      uneventfully. Five nonunions and 1 delayed union occurred. Allograft combined
      with demineralized bone matrix and/or platelet-rich plasma was associated with
      nonunion (P = .02). Lateral cortical fracture was associated with repeat surgery
      for nonunion or alignment loss (P = .02). Pain was minimal or mild in 65% of
      patients, moderate in 16%, and severe in 19%. Osteotomy fixation with a small 4
      screw plate was associated with increased postoperative pain (P = .01). Seven
      patients underwent arthroplasty an average of 5 years after osteotomy. The need
      for arthroplasty was associated with longer follow-up (P = .02) and use of a
      smaller plate (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Uncomplicated osteotomy union occurred in
      93% of medial opening-wedge high tibial osteotomies. Allograft mixed with
      demineralized bone matrix and/or platelet-rich plasma was associated with
      nonunion. At intermediate follow-up, 65% of patients had minimal or mild pain.
      Seven patients had undergone arthroplasty. Fixation with a smaller plate was
      associated with increased postoperative pain and the need for subsequent
      arthroplasty. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic case series.

PMID- 26111595
TI  - Health-related quality of life in mechanical circulatory support: Development of
      a new conceptual model and items for self-administration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Generic and heart failure (HF)-specific health-related quality of
      life (HRQOL) instruments do not address unique burdens of mechanical circulatory
      support (MCS). This report describes (1) a conceptual model of adjustment to MCS
      and HRQOL, (2) the development of a new set of items to assess adjustment and
      HRQOL, and (3) establishes content validity of the new model and items. METHODS:
      We interviewed 15 expert clinicians, 16 patients with advanced HF, and 48 MCS
      patients. A grounded theory approach was used to systemically examine qualitative
      data. We developed a coding dictionary, with codes organized under concepts. A
      conceptual model of adjustment to MCS and HRQOL was developed. A set of relevant
      items was generated from the codes, concepts, and conceptual model. After items
      were refined, MCS patients participated in cognitive interviews to provide
      feedback on their relevance and acceptability. RESULTS: Patients described how
      having HF and MCS affected their daily lives. Three concepts regarding adjustment
      to MCS and its relationship to HRQOL emerged: (1) effect of disease and treatment
      (satisfaction with treatment, symptoms, and self-efficacy regarding self-care),
      (2) resources, and (3) implant strategy. From our codes, concepts, and model, we
      developed a set of 652 items that were categorized by concept. The item set was
      reduced from 652 items to 236 (36%), and 120 of these 236 items (51%) underwent
      cognitive debriefing. Our final set includes 239 items with evidence of content
      validity. CONCLUSIONS: Our newly developed model on adjustment to MCS and HRQOL
      and items will undergo further testing in the future.

PMID- 26111596
TI  - Improved intervention of atherosclerosis and cardiac hypertrophy through
      biodegradable polymer-encapsulated delivery of glycosphingolipid inhibitor.
AB  - D-Threo-1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (D-PDMP), a
      glycosphingolipid synthesis inhibitor, holds promise for the treatment of
      atherosclerosis and cardiac hypertrophy but rapid in vivo clearance has severely
      hindered translation to the clinic. To overcome this impediment, we used a
      materials-based delivery strategy wherein D-PDMP was encapsulated within a
      biodegradable polymer composed of poly ethylene glycol (PEG) and sebacic acid
      (SA). PEG-SA was formulated into nanoparticles that were doped with (125)I
      labeled PEG to allow in vivo bio-distribution and release kinetics of D-PDMP to
      be determined by using gamma-scintigraphy and subsequently, by mass spectrometry.
      Polymer-encapsulation increased the residence time of D-PDMP in the body of a
      treated mouse from less than one hour to at least four hours (and up to 48 h or
      longer). This substantially increased in vivo longevity provided by polymer
      encapsulation resulted in an order of magnitude gain in efficacy for interfering
      with atherosclerosis and cardiac hypertrophy in apoE-/- mice fed a high fat and
      high cholesterol (HFHC) diet. These results establish that D-PDMP encapsulated in
      a biodegradable polymer provides a superior mode of delivery compared to
      unconjugated D-PDMP by way of increased gastrointestinal absorption and increased
      residence time thus providing this otherwise rapidly cleared compound with
      therapeutic relevance in interfering with atherosclerosis, cardiac hypertrophy,
      and probably other diseases associated with the deleterious effects of abnormally
      high glycosphingolipid biosynthesis or deficient catabolism.

PMID- 26111598
TI  - Intraosseous lipoma of sacrum.

PMID- 26111597
TI  - Decision analytic modeling in spinal surgery: a methodologic overview with review
      of current published literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND CONTEXT: In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of
      decision analysis studies in the spine literature. Although there are several
      published reviews on the different types of decision analysis (cost
      effectiveness, cost-benefit, cost-utility), there is limited information in the
      spine literature regarding the mathematical models used in these studies
      (decision tree, Markov modeling, Monte Carlo simulation). PURPOSE: The purpose of
      this review was to provide an overview of the types of decision analytic models
      used in spine surgery. A secondary aim was to provide a systematic overview of
      the most cited studies in the spine literature. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: This is a
      systematic review of the available information from all sources regarding
      decision analytics and economic modeling in spine surgery. METHODS: A systematic
      search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane review was performed to identify the most
      relevant peer-reviewed literature of decision analysis/cost-effectiveness
      analysis (CEA) models including decisions trees, Markov models, and Monte Carlo
      simulations. Additionally, CEA models based on investigational drug exemption
      studies were reviewed in particular detail, as these studies are prime candidates
      for economic modeling. RESULTS: The initial review of the literature resulted in
      712 abstracts. After two reviewer-assessment of abstract relevance and
      methodologic quality, 19 studies were selected: 12 with decision tree constructs
      and 7 with Markov models. Each study was assessed for methodologic quality and a
      review of the overall results of the model. A generalized overview of the
      mathematical construction and methodology of each type of model was also
      performed. Limitations, strengths, and potential applications to spine research
      were further explored. CONCLUSIONS: Decision analytic modeling represents a
      powerful tool both in the assessment of competing treatment options and
      potentially in the formulation of policy and reimbursement. Our review provides a
      generalized overview and a conceptual framework to help spine physicians with the
      construction of these models.

PMID- 26111599
TI  - Evaluation of bacterial communities by bacteriome analysis targeting 16S rRNA
      genes and quantitative analysis of ammonia monooxygenase gene in different types
      of compost.
AB  - Biofiltration technology based on microbial degradation and assimilation is used
      for the removal of malodorous compounds, such as ammonia. Microbes that degrade
      malodorous and/or organic substances are involved in composting and are retained
      after composting; therefore, mature composts can serve as an ideal candidate for
      a biofilter medium. In this study, we focused on different types of raw compost
      materials, as these are important factors determining the bacterial community
      profile and the chemical component of the compost. Therefore, bacterial community
      profiles, the abundance of the bacterial ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA), and
      the quantities of chemical components were analyzed in composts produced from
      either food waste or cattle manure. The community profiles with the lowest beta
      diversity were obtained from single type of cattle manure compost. However,
      cattle manure composts showed greater alpha diversity, contained higher amounts
      of various rRNA gene fragments than those of food waste composts and contained
      the amoA gene by relative quantification, and Proteobacteria were abundantly
      found and nitrifying bacteria were detected in it. Nitrifying bacteria are
      responsible for ammonia oxidation and mainly belong to the Proteobacteria or
      Nitrospira phyla. The quantities of chemical components, such as salt,
      phosphorus, and nitrogen, differed between the cattle manure and food waste
      composts, indicating that the raw materials provided different fermentation
      environments that were crucial for the formation of different community profiles.
      The results also suggest that cattle manure might be a more suitable raw material
      for the production of composts to be used in the biofiltration of ammonia. 

PMID- 26111600
TI  - Biogas production from chicken manure at different organic loading rates in a
      mesophilic-thermopilic two stage anaerobic system.
AB  - This study investigates the biogas production from chicken manure at different
      organic loading rates (OLRs), in a mesophilic-thermophilic two stage anaerobic
      system. The system was operated on semi continuous mode under different OLRs [1.9
      g volatile solids (VS)/L.d - 4.7 g VS/L.d] and total solid (TS) contents (3.0
      8.25%). It was observed that the anaerobic bacteria acclimatized to high total
      ammonia nitrogen concentration (>3000 mg/L) originated as a result of the
      degradation of chicken manure. High volatile fatty acid concentrations were
      tolerated by the system due to high pH in the reactors. The maximum average
      biogas production rate was found as 554 mL/g VSfeed while feeding 2.2 g VS/L-d
      (2.3% VS - 3.8% TS) to the system. Average methane content of produced biogas was
      74% during the study. 

PMID- 26111601
TI  - In vitro probiotic profile based selection of indigenous actinobacterial probiont
      Streptomyces sp. JD9 for enhanced broiler production.
AB  - The present study was undertaken to select exclusive indigenous actinobacterial
      probiont for broiler health improvement based on in vitro probiotic potentials.
      In total, 18 actinobacterial cultures isolated from chicken were screened for
      survivability (resistance to low pH, pepsin, bile and pancreatin), colonization
      (auto-aggregation, hydrophobicity and co-aggregation) and safety (antibiotic
      susceptibility and non-haemolytic activity). Ten cultures showed excellent
      viability at pH 2 and most of the acid-tolerant isolates exhibited resistance to
      pepsin (3 mg/mL), bile (0.3%) and pancreatin (1 mg/mL). Besides, the examined
      isolates displayed efficient adhesion properties. All the isolates were
      susceptible to 9 different antibiotics and none of them exhibited beta-haemolytic
      activity. Moreover, the culture JD9 revealed remarkable probiotic features
      compared to the other isolates, which was identified as Streptomyces sp. JD9
      (KF878075). Taken together, the present study suggests that the probiont
      Streptomyces sp. JD9 could potentially be used in broiler practices as a feed
      additive to facilitate enhanced broiler production. 

PMID- 26111602
TI  - Direct recovery of cyclodextringlycosyltransferase from Bacillus cereus using
      aqueous two-phase flotation.
AB  - Purification of cyclodextrin glycosyl transferase (CGTase) from Bacillus cereus
      using polyethylene glycol (PEG)-potassium phosphates aqueous two-phase flotation
      (ATPF) system was studied in this paper. The effects of varying PEG molecular
      weight, tie-line length (TLL) value, volume ratio (VR), pH value, crude
      concentration and gas nitrogen flotation time were investigated. The optimal
      condition for purification of CGTase was attained at 18.0% (w/w) PEG 8000, 7.0%
      (w/w) potassium phosphates, VR of 3.0, 20% (w/w) crude load at pH 7, and 80 min
      nitrogen flotation time at a flow rate of 5 L/min. With this optimal condition,
      purification factor (PFT) of 21.8 and a yield (YT) of 97.1% were attained. CGTase
      was successfully purified in a single downstream processing step using the ATPF.

PMID- 26111603
TI  - Sarcocystis rommeli, n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) from Cattle (Bos taurus)
      and its Differentiation from Sarcocystis hominis.
AB  - Cattle (Bos taurus) are intermediate hosts for three named species of
      Sarcocystis, S. cruzi, S. hirsuta, and S. hominis. Recently, a fourth species was
      identified and named S. sinensis. However, S. sinensis originally named a species
      of Sarcocystis in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in China. Based on unverifiable
      evidence, it was suggested that the same parasite infects cattle. In addition, S.
      sinensis was recently declared as nomen nudum because its naming violated the
      rules of International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Thus, the fourth species
      using cattle as an intermediate host does not have a valid name. Here, we propose
      a new name, Sarcocystis rommeli for the S. sinensis-like parasite from cattle in
      Argentina, and differentiate it ultrastructurally from S. hominis sarcocysts from
      experimentally infected cattle. Sarcocystis rommeli sarcocysts were microscopic
      with a 5-MUm-thick wall with slender villar protrusions (Vp); the Vp were up to 5
      MUm long, up to 0.5 MUm wide, and of uneven thickness, often bent at an angle.
      The ground substance layer (Gs) was up to 0.8 MUm thick and smooth. Vesicular
      structures were seen at the base of the Vp. The bradyzoites were 10-12 MUm long.
      Sarcocystis hominis sarcocysts had Vp that were often upright, up to 7.5 MUm
      long, and up to 1.8 MUm wide; the Gs was up to 2 MUm thick and without vesicles.
      Its sarcocyst wall was up to 5.6 MUm thick, the vp were bent at an angle, up to
      5.8 MUm long, the Gs was up to 2 MUm thick, but without vesicles seen in S.
      rommeli. Beef containing sarcocysts of S. rommeli was not orally infectious for
      two human volunteers and a red fox (Vulpes vulpes). The Sarcocystis described
      here is molecularly different from S. cruzi, S. hirsuta, and S. hominis based on
      18S rRNA and cox1 gene sequences. 

PMID- 26111604
TI  - Incorporation of capillary microsampling into whole body plethysmography and
      modified Irwin safety pharmacology studies in rats.
AB  - Limited toxicokinetic data is generated during modified Irwin screen and whole
      body plethysmography safety pharmacology studies, due to disturbance of primary
      endpoints by standard blood sampling methods. We evaluated if incorporation of
      microsampling would impact on data quality, as providing toxicokinetic data from
      main test animals could reduce the need for satellite animals. METHODS: A
      modified Irwin screen was performed, testing oral clonidine (0, 0.03, 0.1, or 0.3
      mg/kg). One cohort of rats per dose level underwent standard blood sampling (post
      4 h Irwin assessment), and another cohort underwent microsampling after the 0.5,
      1, 2, 4 and 24 h Irwin assessments. The respiratory effects of oral theophylline
      (0 or 10 mg/kg) and oral baclofen (0 or 5 mg/kg), were tested using whole body
      plethysmography. Groups of animals underwent standard blood sampling (at end of
      recording at 4 h post-dose) or microsampling at either 0.5 h or 1 h intervals (4
      or 8 microsamples, respectively). RESULTS: Microsampling did not impact on the
      quality of the data generated. The expected effects of clonidine on behavioural
      parameters, and of theophylline and baclofen on changes in ventilatory parameters
      were observed at a similar magnitude and duration independent of sampling method.
      DISCUSSION: The incorporation of multiple capillary microsamples into the
      modified Irwin or respiratory study did not adversely affect the primary
      endpoints. The capillary microsampling method is a refinement in blood sampling
      technique which can easily be adapted into safety pharmacology studies to
      generate pharmacokinetic profiles within the same animal as the primary data,
      thus enhancing scientific robustness and reducing the satellite animals required.

PMID- 26111605
TI  - Comparison of physiologic and pharmacologic parameters in Asian and mauritius
      cynomolgus macaques.
AB  - This comparative study was conducted to assess background physiologic and
      pharmacologic parameters of cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) from
      Cambodia, from a mixed Asian source (Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia), and from
      Mauritius. This evaluation provides a comprehensive assessment of several of
      these parameters in a single study. Ten male and 10 female captive-bred, age
      matched macaques from each source were evaluated. Criteria for evaluation
      included weight gain, assessment of drug metabolizing enzyme activity,
      metabolomic analysis, immunologic assessments (lymphocyte subsets, TDAR, and
      serum Ig isotyping), clinical pathology evaluations, physical (respiratory,
      neurologic, cardiovascular, and ophthalmologic) examinations, pathogen screening,
      organ weights, and gross and microscopic pathology analyses. The results of this
      evaluation indicate that, compared to macaques of Asian origin, macaques from
      Mauritius had the lowest incidence and/or severity of spontaneous pathologic
      findings in several organs and tissues (lymphoid organs, stomach, kidney,
      urothelium, heart, arteries and lung) and better testicular maturity at a given
      age with minimal variability in organ weights. Although slight differences were
      observed in other parameters, none were considered detrimental to the use of
      macaques of Asian or Mauritius origin in pharmaceutical candidate safety studies
      with the use of a consistent source, concomitant controls, and appropriate
      background knowledge and screening. 

PMID- 26111606
TI  - Differences in tissue distribution of iron from various clinically used
      intravenous iron complexes in fetal avian heart and liver.
AB  - Nanomedicines are more complex than most pharmacologically active substances or
      medicines and have been considered as non-biological complex drugs. For
      nanomedicines pivotal pharmacokinetic properties cannot be assessed by plasma
      concentration data from standard bioequivalence studies. Using intravenous iron
      complexes (IICs) as model we show that fetal avian tissues can be used to study
      time dependent tissue concentrations in heart and liver. Clear differences were
      found between equimolar doses of sucrose, gluconate or carboxymaltose coated iron
      particles. The range in tissue iron concentrations observed with these clinically
      widely used IICs provides an orientation as to what should be acceptable for any
      new IICs. Moreover, sensitivity of the experimental model was high enough to
      detect a 20% difference in tissue iron concentration. For the authorization of
      generic products under Article 10 (1) of Directive 2001/83/EC a plasma
      concentration of an active substance in the range of 80%-125% versus the
      reference product is usually considered acceptable. Based on its high
      discriminatory sensitivity this method was used to support a positive marketing
      authorization decision for a generic nanomedicine product. 

PMID- 26111607
TI  - Toxicology of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5).
AB  - Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) is a cyclic siloxane used in the formulation of
      consumer products as well as an industrial intermediate. A summary of the
      previous studies on the toxicology of D5 is provided. Toxicokinetic studies with
      D5 after dermal administration demonstrate a very low uptake of due to rapid
      evaporation. Following inhalation exposure, exhalation of unchanged D5 and
      excretion of metabolites with urine are major pathways for clearance in mammals.
      Due to this rapid clearance by exhalation, the potential for bioaccumulation of
      D5 is considered unlikely. The available toxicity data on D5 adequately cover the
      relevant endpoints regarding potential human health hazards. D5 was not DNA
      reactive or mutagenic in standard in vitro and in vivo test systems. D5 also did
      not induce developmental and reproductive toxicity in appropriately performed
      studies. In repeated studies in rats with subacute, subchronic and chronic
      inhalation exposure, mild effects on the respiratory tract typically seen after
      inhalation of irritating materials, increases in liver weight (28- and 90-day
      inhalation studies), and a small increase in the incidence of uterine
      adenocarcinoma (uterine tumor) in female rats (two-year inhalation chronic
      bioassay) were observed. The liver effects induced by D5 were consistent with D5
      as a weak "phenobarbital-like" inducer of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and
      these effects are considered to be an adaptive response. Mechanistic studies to
      elucidate the mode-of-action for uterine tumor induction suggest an interaction
      of D5 with dopamine signal transduction pathways altering the pituitary control
      of the estrus cycle. The resulting estrogen imbalance may cause the small
      increase in uterine tumor incidence at the highest D5-exposure concentration over
      that seen in control rats. A genotoxic mechanism or a direct endocrine activity
      of D5 is not supported as a mode-of-action to account for the induction of
      uterine tumors by the available data. 

PMID- 26111608
TI  - Comparative assessment of nanomaterial definitions and safety evaluation
      considerations.
AB  - Nanomaterials continue to bring promising advances to science and technology. In
      concert have come calls for increased regulatory oversight to ensure their
      appropriate identification and evaluation, which has led to extensive discussions
      about nanomaterial definitions. Numerous nanomaterial definitions have been
      proposed by government, industry, and standards organizations. We conducted a
      comprehensive comparative assessment of existing nanomaterial definitions put
      forward by governments to highlight their similarities and differences. We found
      that the size limits used in different definitions were inconsistent, as were
      considerations of other elements, including agglomerates and aggregates,
      distributional thresholds, novel properties, and solubility. Other important
      differences included consideration of number size distributions versus weight
      distributions and natural versus intentionally-manufactured materials. Overall,
      the definitions we compared were not in alignment, which may lead to inconsistent
      identification and evaluation of nanomaterials and could have adverse impacts on
      commerce and public perceptions of nanotechnology. We recommend a set of
      considerations that future discussions of nanomaterial definitions should
      consider for describing materials and assessing their potential for health and
      environmental impacts using risk-based approaches within existing assessment
      frameworks. Our intent is to initiate a dialogue aimed at achieving greater
      clarity in identifying those nanomaterials that may require additional
      evaluation, not to propose a formal definition. 

PMID- 26111609
TI  - Randomized controlled trial of enoxaparin versus intermittent pneumatic
      compression for venous thromboembolism prevention in Japanese surgical patients
      with gynecologic malignancy.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of enoxaparin
      and intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) for venous thromboembolism (VTE)
      prevention in Japanese surgical patients with gynecologic malignancy. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: Patients >= 40 years old undergoing major surgery for gynecologic
      malignancy without preoperative VTE were included. Written informed consent was
      obtained. Enrolled patients received IPC immediately before surgery. After
      surgery, they were randomly assigned to either an enoxaparin group or an IPC
      alone group. The enoxaparin group received enoxaparin injection (20 mg,
      subcutaneous, every 12 h) from postoperative day 2 to 8. IPC was discontinued
      after the first injection. In the IPC-alone group, IPC was continued until full
      ambulation. The primary end-point was incidence of VTE, including pulmonary
      embolism and deep vein thrombosis, regardless of symptoms. An interim analysis
      was to be conducted when the first 30 patients had completed the study protocol.
      A Data and Safety Monitoring Board was established for making recommendation on
      the continuation or termination of the study based on the interim results.
      RESULTS: At the time of the interim analysis, six cases of VTE were found: five
      in the IPC-alone group and one in the enoxaparin group (Fisher's exact test, P =
      0.08). Three patients in the IPC-alone group developed pulmonary embolism, but
      none in the enoxaparin group did so (Fisher's exact test, P = 0.10). The study
      was terminated following the Data and Safety Monitoring Board's recommendation.
      CONCLUSION: Enoxaparin might have lowered the risk of VTE among surgical patients
      with gynecologic malignancy. Further studies are necessary to confirm this.

PMID- 26111610
TI  - BDNF signaling in the rat cerebello-vestibular pathway during vestibular
      compensation: BDNF signaling in vestibular compensation.
AB  - Vestibular compensation, which is the behavioral recovery from lesions to the
      peripheral vestibular system, is attributed to plasticity of the central
      vestibular system. It has been reported that brain-derived neurotrophic factor
      (BDNF) is expressed and released in an activity-dependent manner. Upon binding to
      the tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB), BDNF can acutely modulate synaptic
      transmission and plasticity in the central nervous system. To assess the possible
      contribution of BDNF to this recovery process, we studied the expression of BDNF,
      TrkB.FL, TrkB.T1 and KCC2 (K(+) -Cl(-) cotransporter isoform 2) in the bilateral
      medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) and the flocculus of rats at 4 h, 8 h, 1, 3 and 7
      days following unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL) using immunohistochemistry,
      quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting. Our results have shown that,
      compared with the sham controls and the contra-lesional side, (a) the expression
      of BDNF and TrkB.FL increased at 4 h in the ipsi-lesional flocculus after UL; (b)
      the expression of TrkB.T1 decreased at 4 h and KCC2 decreased at 8 h and 1 day in
      the ipsi-lesional flocculus after UL; and (c) BDNF and TrkB.FL expression was
      enhanced and KCC2 expression was reduced in the ipsi-lesional MVN at 8 h after
      UL. Our data supported the hypothesis that BDNF upregulation may reduce the
      inhibitory effects of the flocculus and commissural inhibition system by
      regulating inhibitory GABAergic synaptic transmission in floccular Purkinje cells
      and Purkinje cell terminals in the MVN. Additionally, KCC2 may be a switch in
      this process.

PMID- 26111611
TI  - Default mode network maturation and psychopathology in children and adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The human default mode (DMN) is involved in a wide array of mental
      disorders. Current knowledge suggests that mental health disorders may reflect
      deviant trajectories of brain maturation. METHOD: We studied 654 children using
      functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans under a resting-state
      protocol. A machine-learning method was used to obtain age predictions of
      children based on the average coefficient of fractional amplitude of low
      frequency fluctuations (fALFFs) of the DMN, a measure of spontaneous local
      activity. The chronological ages of the children and fALFF measures from regions
      of this network, the response and predictor variables were considered
      respectively in a Gaussian Process Regression. Subsequently, we computed a
      network maturation status index for each subject (actual age minus predicted). We
      then evaluated the association between this maturation index and psychopathology
      scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). RESULTS: Our hypothesis was that
      the maturation status of the DMN would be negatively associated with
      psychopathology. Consistent with previous studies, fALFF significantly predicted
      the age of participants (p < .001). Furthermore, as expected, we found an
      association between the DMN maturation status (precocious vs. delayed) and
      general psychopathology scores (p = .011). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that
      child psychopathology seems to be associated with delayed maturation of the DMN.
      This delay in the neurodevelopmental trajectory may offer interesting insights
      into the pathophysiology of mental health disorders.

PMID- 26111612
TI  - Binding, internalization and fate of Huntingtin Exon1 fibrillar assemblies in
      mitotic and nonmitotic neuroblastoma cells.
AB  - AIMS: The aggregation of Huntingtin (HTT) protein and of its moiety encoded by
      its Exon1 (HTTExon1) into fibrillar structures inside neurons is the molecular
      hallmark of Huntington's disease. Prion-like transmission of these aggregates
      between cells has been demonstrated. The cell-to-cell transmission mechanisms of
      these protein aggregates and the susceptibility of different kinds of neuronal
      cells to these toxic assemblies still need assessment. METHODS: Here, we
      documented the binding to and internalization by differentiated and
      undifferentiated neuroblastoma cells of exogenous fibrillar HTTExon1 and
      polyglutamine (polyQ) polypeptides containing the same number of glutamines. We
      assessed the contribution of endocytosis to fibrillar HTTExon1 uptake, their
      intracellular localization and fate. RESULTS: We observed that undifferentiated
      neuroblastoma cells were more susceptible to fibrillar HTTExon1 and polyQ than
      their differentiated counterparts. Furthermore, we demonstrated that exogenous
      HTTExon1 aggregates are mainly taken up by endocytosis and directed to lysosomal
      compartments in both mitotic and quiescent cells. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest
      that the rates of endocytic processes that differ in mitotic and quiescent cells
      strongly impact the uptake of exogenous HTTExon1 and polyQ fibrils. This may be
      either the consequence of distinct metabolisms or distributions of specific
      protein partners for amyloid-like assemblies at the surface of highly dividing
      versus quiescent cells. Our results highlight the importance of endocytic
      processes in the internalization of exogenous HTTExon1 fibrils and suggest that a
      proportion of those assemblies reach the cytosol where they can amplify by
      recruiting the endogenous protein after escaping, by yet an unknown process, from
      the endo-lysosomal compartments.

PMID- 26111613
TI  - D-Galacturonic Acid: A Highly Reactive Compound in Nonenzymatic Browning. 2.
      Formation of Amino-Specific Degradation Products.
AB  - Thermal treatment of aqueous solutions of D-galacturonic acid and L-alanine at pH
      3, 5, and 8 led to rapid and more intensive nonenzymatic browning reactions
      compared to similar solutions of other uronic acids and to Maillard reactions of
      reducing sugars. The hemiacetal ring structures of uronic acids had a high impact
      on browning behavior and reaction pathways. Besides reductic acid (1,2-dihydroxy
      2-cyclopenten-1-one), 4,5-dihydroxy-2-cyclopenten-1-one (DHCP), furan-2
      carboxaldehyde, and norfuraneol (4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3-(2H)-furanone) could be
      detected as typical products of nonenzymatic uronic acid browning reactions. 2-(2
      Formyl-1H-pyrrole-1-yl)propanoic acid (FPA) and 1-(1-carboxyethyl)-3
      hydroxypyridin-1-ium (HPA) were identified as specific reaction products of
      uronic acids with amine participation like l-alanine. In contrast, the
      structurally related D-galacturonic acid methyl ester showed less browning
      activity and degradation under equal reaction conditions. Pectin-specific
      degradation products such as 5-formyl-2-furanoic acid and 2-furanoic acid were
      found but could not be verified for d-galacturonic acid monomers alone.

PMID- 26111614
TI  - Suboptimal survival for adolescent solid organ transplant recipients: A call to
      action?

PMID- 26111615
TI  - Further refinements on splitting livers for transplantation.

PMID- 26111616
TI  - Circulation of stem cells and the biological meaning of this phenomenon.

PMID- 26111617
TI  - Assessment in transition: Options, challenges, and future directions.

PMID- 26111618
TI  - Predicting non-adherence: Striking the right balance.

PMID- 26111619
TI  - Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy Treated With Intracoronary Infusion of
      Autologous Bone Marrow Cells: Long-term Follow-up.

PMID- 26111620
TI  - Optimization of process parameters for pilot-scale liquid-state bioconversion of
      sewage sludge by mixed fungal inoculation.
AB  - Liquid-state bioconversion (LSB) technique has great potential for application in
      bioremediation of sewage sludge. The purpose of this study is to determine the
      optimum level of LSB process of sewage sludge treatment by mixed fungal
      (Aspergillus niger and Penicillium corylophilum) inoculation in a pilot-scale
      bioreactor. The optimization of process factors was investigated using response
      surface methodology based on Box-Behnken design considering hydraulic retention
      time (HRT) and substrate influent concentration (S0) on nine responses for
      optimizing and fitted to the regression model. The optimum region was
      successfully depicted by optimized conditions, which was identified as the best
      fit for convenient multiple responses. The results from process verification were
      in close agreement with those obtained through predictions. Considering five runs
      of different conditions of HRT (low, medium and high 3.62, 6.13 and 8.27 days,
      respectively) with the range of S0 value (the highest 12.56 and the lowest 7.85 g
      L(-1)), it was monitored as the lower HRT was considered as the best option
      because it required minimum days of treatment than the others with influent
      concentration around 10 g L(-1). Therefore, optimum process factors of 3.62 days
      for HRT and 10.12 g L(-1) for S0 were identified as the best fit for LSB process
      and its performance was deviated by less than 5% in most of the cases compared to
      the predicted values. The recorded optimized results address a dynamic
      development in commercial-scale biological treatment of wastewater for safe and
      environment-friendly disposal in near future. 

PMID- 26111621
TI  - Heritability of gestational weight gain--a Swedish register-based twin study.
AB  - Gestational weight gain (GWG) is a complex trait involving intrauterine
      environmental, maternal environmental, and genetic factors. However, the extent
      to which these factors contribute to the total variation in GWG is unclear. We
      therefore examined the genetic and environmental influences on the variation in
      GWG in the first and second pregnancy in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin
      mother-pairs. Further, we explored if any co-variance existed between factors
      influencing the variation in GWG of the mothers' first and second pregnancies. By
      using Swedish nationwide record-linkage data, we identified 694 twin mother-pairs
      with complete data on their first pregnancy and 465 twin mother-pairs with
      complete data on their second pregnancy during 1982-2010. For a subanalysis, 143
      twin mother-pairs had complete data on two consecutive pregnancies during the
      study period. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the
      contribution of genetic, shared, and unique environmental factors to the
      variation in GWG. A bivariate Cholesky decomposition model was used for the
      subanalysis. We found that genetic factors explained 43% (95% CI: 36-51%) of the
      variation in GWG in the first pregnancy and 26% (95% CI: 16-36%) in the second
      pregnancy. The remaining variance was explained by unique environmental factors.
      Both overlapping and distinct genetic and unique environmental factors influenced
      GWG in the first and the second pregnancy. This study showed that GWG has a
      moderate heritability, suggesting that a large part of the variation in the trait
      can be explained by unique environmental factors.

PMID- 26111622
TI  - gamma-Glutamyltransferase and cancer risk: The Korean cancer prevention study.
AB  - Elevated serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is a marker of hepatic injury and
      is associated with risk of chronic disease. However, the value of GGT as a
      biomarker for cancer risk remains unclear. Therefore, we evaluated the
      association of serum GGT with cancer incidence among more than 1.6 million
      Koreans. We included 1,662,087 Koreans (1,108,121 men and 553,966 women aged 20
      95 years) who received health insurance from the National Health Insurance
      Service and had a biennial medical evaluation between 1995 and 1998. Follow-up
      was through December 2012. Using Cox proportional hazards models, we adjusted for
      age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, exercise and body mass index after
      exclusion of early cases (cancer diagnosis or death within 5 years of starting
      follow-up) and estimated hazard ratios (HRs) of overall and organ-specific cancer
      incidence by GGT quintiles. During the 17-year follow-up, 129,087 new cancer
      cases occurred among the participants. Across levels of GGT, there was a positive
      gradient of HR and the highest quintile of GGT (>= 60 IU/L) had the highest HR
      for all cancers in both men and women. By cancer site, the association was
      strongest for liver cancer, comparing the highest and lowest strata in men [HR,
      6.67; 95% confidence interval (95%CI), 5.88-7.57] and in women (HR, 7.57; 95%CI,
      6.41-8.94). Significant associations were also observed for cancers of the
      esophagus, larynx, stomach, colorectal, bile duct and lung in men and of the bile
      duct in women. Increased serum GGT level is independently associated with risk of
      cancer.

PMID- 26111623
TI  - Amid the possible causes of a very famous foxing: molecular and microscopic
      insight into Leonardo da Vinci's self-portrait.
AB  - Leonardo da Vinci's self-portrait is affected by foxing spots. The portrait has
      no fungal or bacterial infections in place, but is contaminated with airborne
      spores and fungal material that could play a role in its disfigurement. The
      knowledge of the nature of the stains is of great concern because future
      conservation treatments should be derived from scientific investigations. The
      lack of reliable scientific data, due to the non-culturability of the
      microorganisms inhabiting the portrait, prompted the investigation of the drawing
      using non-invasive and micro-invasive sampling, in combination with scanning
      electron microscope (SEM) imaging and molecular techniques. The fungus Eurotium
      halophilicum was found in foxing spots using SEM analyses. Oxalates of fungal
      origin were also documented. Both findings are consistent with the hypothesis
      that tonophilic fungi germinate on paper metabolizing organic acids,
      oligosaccharides and proteic compounds, which react chemically with the material
      at a low water activity, forming brown products and oxidative reactions resulting
      in foxing spots. Additionally, molecular techniques enabled a screening of the
      fungi inhabiting the portrait and showed differences when different sampling
      techniques were employed. Swabs samples showed a high abundance of lichenized
      Ascomycota, while the membrane filters showed a dominance of Acremonium sp.
      colonizing the drawing.

PMID- 26111624
TI  - Bringing smiles to faces: Evidence-based guidelines for facioscapulohumeral
      dystrophy.

PMID- 26111625
TI  - Meta-analysis of Liver Resection Versus Nonsurgical Treatments for Pancreatic
      Neuroendocrine Tumors with Liver Metastases.
AB  - PURPOSE: Studies have reported limited evidence of the benefits and harms of
      various regimens, such as liver resection and medical therapy, for the treatment
      of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) with liver metastases. This meta
      analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of liver resection versus nonsurgical
      treatments in patients with pNET. METHODS: Relevant studies published in English
      were retrieved from the computerized databases Medline, Embase, and Cochrane. A
      meta-analysis was performed to investigate the differences in the efficacy of
      liver resection and nonsurgical treatments based on the evaluation of 30-day
      mortality, symptom relief rate, median survival time, and 2-, 3-, or 5-year
      survival using a random-effects model. Studies were independently reviewed by two
      investigators. Data from eligible studies were extracted, and the meta-analysis
      was performed using the comprehensive meta-analysis program version 2. RESULTS: A
      total of seven studies were included in the analysis. The results demonstrated
      that liver resection was significantly associated with a higher rate of symptom
      relief, longer median survival time, higher 2- or 3-year survival rates, as well
      as a higher 5-year survival rate. There was no significant difference in 30-day
      mortality among patients with pNETs who were treated by liver resection and
      nonsurgical therapy or survival between functional and nonfunctional pNETs. No
      publication bias was detected. CONCLUSIONS: Liver resection has a favorable
      prognostic outcome in terms of higher postoperative symptom relief rates and
      longer survival rates. Further randomized, controlled trials with longer follow
      up periods are required to confirm the advantages of liver resection for pNETs.

PMID- 26111627
TI  - Insulin Receptor Substrate-1 Activation Mediated p53 Downregulation Protects
      Against Hypoxic-Ischemia in the Neonatal Brain.
AB  - This study determined if dietary restriction (DR) protects against hypoxic
      ischemia (HI) in the neonatal brain via insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1)/Akt
      pathway-mediated downregulation of p53 in the neurovascular unit. On postnatal
      (P) day 7, HI was induced in rat pups grouped from P1 into normal litter size
      (NL, 12 pups/dam) and increased litter size (DR, 18 pups/dam). In vivo IRS-1 anti
      sense oligonucleotide and IRS-1 overexpressed recombinant adenovirus were given,
      and neurovascular damage was assessed. In vitro models of oxygen-glucose
      deprivation (OGD) examined the inhibition and overexpression of IRS-1 on p53 and
      cell death in neurons and endothelial cells. Compared to NL pups, DR pups had
      significantly higher IRS-1, p-IRS-1, and pAkt levels, decreased p53, more tight
      junction proteins, reduced blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage after HI, and less
      infarct volumes at P21. Immunofluorescence revealed that IRS-1 was upregulated in
      the endothelial cells and neurons of DR pups. IRS-1 downregulation in DR pups
      reduced p-Akt, increased p53, worsened BBB damage, and increased brain injury,
      whereas IRS-1 overexpression in NL pups upregulated p-Akt, decreased p53,
      attenuated BBB damage, and decreased brain injury. In vitro, IRS-1 downregulation
      aggravated cell death in neurons and endothelial cells and is associated with
      decreased p-Akt and increased p53. In contrast, IRS-1 overexpression reduced cell
      death in endothelial cells with increased p-Akt and decreased p53. In conclusion,
      DR reduces neurovascular damage after HI in the neonatal brain through an IRS
      1/Akt-mediated p53 downregulation, suggesting that IRS-1 signaling is a
      therapeutic target for hypoxic brain injury in neonates.

PMID- 26111629
TI  - Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria gain antibiotic resistance during long-term
      acclimatization.
AB  - Three broad-spectrum antibiotics, amoxicillin (AMX), florfenicol (FF) and
      sulfamethazine (SMZ), that inhibit bacteria via different target sites, were
      selected to evaluate the acute toxicity and long-term effects on anaerobic
      ammonium oxidation (anammox) granules. The specific anammox activity (SAA) levels
      reduced by approximately half within the first 3 days in the presence of
      antibiotics but no nitrite accumulation was observed in continuous-flow
      experiments. However, the SAA levels and heme c content gradually recovered as
      the antibiotic concentrations increased. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)
      analysis suggested that anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria gradually developed
      a better survival strategy during long-term acclimatization, which reduced the
      antibiotic stress via increased EPS secretion that provided a protective
      'cocoon.' In terms of nitrogen removal efficiency, anammox granules could resist
      60 mg-AMX L(-1), 10 mg-FF L(-1) and 100 mg-SMZ L(-1). This study supported the
      feasibility of using anammox granules to treat antibiotic-containing wastewater.

PMID- 26111628
TI  - Hydrogen Sulfide Ameliorates Early Brain Injury Following Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
      in Rats.
AB  - Increasing studies have demonstrated the neuroprotective effect of hydrogen
      sulfide (H2S) in central nervous system (CNS) diseases. However, the potential
      application value of H2S in the therapy of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is still
      not well known. This study was to investigate the potential effect of H2S on
      early brain injury (EBI) induced by SAH and explore the underlying mechanisms.
      The role of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a donor of H2S, in SAH-induced EBI, was
      investigated in both in vivo and in vitro. A prechiasmatic cistern single
      injection model was used to produce experimental SAH in vivo. In vitro, cultured
      primary rat cortical neurons and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs)
      were exposed to OxyHb at concentration of 10 MUM to mimic SAH. Endogenous
      production of H2S in the brain was significantly inhibited by SAH. The protein
      levels of the predominant H2S-generating enzymes in the brain, including
      cystathionineb-synthase (CBS) and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfur transferase (3MST),
      were also correspondingly reduced by SAH, while treatment with NaHS restored H2S
      production and the expressions of CBS and 3MST. More importantly, NaHS treatment
      could significantly attenuate EBI (including brain edema, blood-brain barrier
      disruption, brain cell apoptosis, inflammatory response, and cerebral vasospasm)
      after SAH. In vitro, H2S protects neurons and endothelial function by functioning
      as an antioxidant and antiapoptotic mediator. Our results suggest that NaSH as an
      exogenous H2S donor could significantly reduce EBI induced by SAH.

PMID- 26111626
TI  - Exacerbation of Methamphetamine Neurotoxicity in Cold and Hot Environments:
      Neuroprotective Effects of an Antioxidant Compound H-290/51.
AB  - In this study, we examined the influence of cold and hot environments on
      methamphetamine (METH) neurotoxicity in both drug-naive rats and animals
      previously exposed to different types of nanoparticles (NPs). Since METH induces
      oxidative stress, we also examined how a potential chain-breaking antioxidant H
      290/51 (Astra-Zeneca, Molndal, Sweden) affects METH-induced neurotoxicity.
      Exposure of drug-naive rats to METH (9 mg/kg, s.c.) at 4, 21, or 34  degrees C
      for 3 h resulted in breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), brain edema, and
      neuronal injuries, which all differed in severity depending upon ambient
      temperatures. The changes were moderate at 21  degrees C, 120-180 % larger at 34 
      degrees C, and almost absent at 4  degrees C. In rats chronically treated with
      NPs (SiO2, Cu, or Ag; 50-60 nm, 50 mg/kg, i.p. for 7 days), METH-induced brain
      alterations showed a two- to fourfold increase at 21  degrees C, a four- to
      sixfold increase at 34  degrees C, and three- to fourfold increase at 4  degrees
      C. SiO2 exposure showed the most pronounced METH-induced brain pathology at all
      temperatures followed by Ag and Cu NPs. Pretreatment with a potent antioxidant
      compound H-290/51 (50 mg/kg, p.o., 30 min before METH) significantly reduced
      brain pathology in naive animals exposed to METH at 21 and 34  degrees C. In NPs
      treated animals, however, attenuation of METH-induced brain pathology occurred
      only after repeated exposure of H-290/51 (-30 min, 0 min, and +30 min). These
      observations are the first to show that NPs exacerbate METH-induced brain
      pathology in both cold and hot environments and demonstrate that timely
      intervention with antioxidant H-290/51 could have neuroprotective effects.

PMID- 26111630
TI  - Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) under realistic seasonal temperature
      variations: Characteristics of biogranules and process performance.
AB  - In this study, the effects of realistic seasonal temperatures on the nitrogen
      removal performance of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) and the properties
      of the anammox granules were comparatively investigated for 330 days. The results
      demonstrated that the nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE), nitrogen loading rate
      (NLR) and nitrogen removal rate (NRR) were decreased dramatically, as the
      temperature decreased from 31.2 to 2.5  degrees C. However, the nitrogen removal
      performance recovered andante as the temperature increased gradually. After low
      temperature exposure, the settleability tended to worsen, and granules appeared
      to be more irregular with a smaller average granule diameter, and the
      extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content increased slightly, while the
      specific anammox activity (SAA) decreased obviously. This realistic seasonal
      temperatures based research was an illation of the actual operation, and could be
      potentially implemented to maintain stability for the application of anammox
      technology.

PMID- 26111631
TI  - Effect of different organic matters on flocculation of Chlorella sorokiniana and
      optimization of flocculation conditions in swine manure wastewater.
AB  - In this study, flocculation of Chlorella sorokiniana cultivated in swine manure
      wastewater, BG-11 medium and BG-11 medium supplemented with different organic
      matters (glucose, urea and tryptone) was investigated. The results demonstrated
      that the minimum amount of Al(3+) required for complete flocculation in
      wastewater would increase substantially, and flocculation efficiency became
      highly sensitive to pH. Tryptone could cause similar extent of inhibition on
      flocculation as in wastewater. Meanwhile, glucose could increase concentrations
      of Algogenic Organic Matter (AOM), inhibiting flocculation strongly at higher pH,
      including flocculation induced by Al(3+) and autoflocculation. However, urea had
      little effect on flocculation of C. sorokiniana. Moreover, the major factors:
      dilution times, pH and flocculants dosage, which had significant impact on
      flocculation efficiency of C. sorokiniana in piggery wastewater, were optimized
      using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal flocculation efficiency
      (100%) was achieved at pH 8.5, 7-folds of dilution and 52.14 mg L(-1) of Al(3+).

PMID- 26111632
TI  - The Effects of Smoking on the Osmotic Pressure of Human Dental Pulp Tissue.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the effect of smoking on the osmotic pressure
      (OP) of human dental pulp tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty male dental
      patients (smokers and nonsmokers) scheduled for root canal treatment for
      prosthodontics were included in the study. Fifteen patients (1 premolar
      tooth/patient) were allocated to each of the following groups according to their
      smoking habits, i.e. group 1: <=10 cigarettes/day, group 2: 11-20 cigarettes/day,
      group 3: >20 cigarettes/day and group 4: nonsmoking controls. Apical pulp tissues
      were removed via coronal access. Pulp tissue supernatants were obtained to
      measure the pulpal OP by means of a semimicro digital osmometer. One-way analysis
      of variance and the post hoc Duncan test were used to analyze the differences in
      OP between groups. Regression analysis was used to determine the relationship
      between the number of cigarettes smoked daily and the pulpal OP. RESULTS: The
      mean (+/- SD) OP value decreased as cigarette consumption increased: group 4
      (268.00 +/- 10.09 mosm/kg) > group 1 (259.20 +/- 7.16 mosm/kg) > group 2 (248.90
      +/- 2.23 mosm/kg) > group 3 (239.90 +/- 7.40 mosm/kg). The OP differed
      significantly between groups (p < 0.01), and a significant negative correlation
      was found between cigarette consumption and pulpal OP (r = -0.809, p < 0.01).
      CONCLUSION: In this study, the OP decreased as the number of cigarettes smoked
      increased. In clinical examination, there may be misdiagnosis of pulpal
      conditions in smokers (even in healthy pulp tissue) due to the effect of altered
      OP on pulpal tissue reactions.

PMID- 26111633
TI  - Improvement of biohydrogen production using a reduced pressure fermentation.
AB  - This study investigated the effect of reduced pressure on biohydrogen production
      in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor from whey permeate. The
      results showed that the reduced pressure fermentation was more effective in
      enhancing biohydrogen production than dark fermentative hydrogen production at
      atmospheric pressure. Mesophilic fermentative biohydrogen production was
      investigated at a constant hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 24 h and increasing
      organic loading rates (OLRs) of 20, 25, 30, 35 kg COD/m(3) day. The reduced
      pressure fermentation was successfully operated at all OLRs tested. The maximum
      proportion of hydrogen in biogas of 47.7 %, volumetric hydrogen production rate
      (VHPR) of 7.10 L H2/day and hydrogen yield of 4.55 mol H2/kg COD removed occurred
      at the highest OLR. Increase in OLR affected the hydrogen production in UASB
      reactor exploited at atmospheric pressure. The reduced pressure process was able
      to remarkably improve the biohydrogen performance at high OLRs. 

PMID- 26111634
TI  - Molecular Pharmacology of the Incretin Receptors.
AB  - The incretin hormones glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and
      glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) are important regulators of insulin and glucagon
      secretion as well as lipid metabolism and appetite. These biological functions
      make their respective receptors (GIPR and GLP-1R) attractive targets in the
      treatment of both type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. The use of these
      native peptides in the treatment of these conditions is limited by their short
      half-lives. However, long-acting GLP-1R agonists and inhibitors of the enzyme
      that rapidly inactivates GIP and GLP-1 (dipeptidyl peptidase IV) are in clinical
      use. Although there is a loss of response to both hormones in T2DM, this effect
      appears to be more pronounced for GIP. This has made targeting GIPR less
      successful than GLP-1R. Furthermore, results demonstrating that GIPR knockout
      mice were resistant to diet-induced obesity suggested that GIPR antagonists may
      prove to be useful therapeutics. More recently, molecules that activate both
      receptors have shown promise in terms of glycemic and body weight control. This
      review focused on recent advances in the understanding of the signaling
      mechanisms and regulation of these two clinically important receptors. 

PMID- 26111635
TI  - Low anterior resection combined with a covering stoma in the treatment of rectal
      cancer reduces the risk of permanent anastomotic failure.
AB  - PURPOSE: The adoption of the total mesorectum excision technique and circular
      stapler devices has enabled the performance of ultralow colorectal anastomosis in
      rectal cancer surgery. However, rupture of the anastomosis still usually leads to
      a permanent stoma. The aim of this study was to analyze the cumulative failure
      rate and risk factors associated with reversal of colorectal or coloanal
      anastomosis after sphincter-saving surgery for rectal cancer, using standardized
      surgical regimen with the routine use of covering stoma. Our secondary interest
      was the feasibilities of redo surgery after failure. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective study with 579 consecutive rectal cancer patients operated on at
      Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland during 2005-2011. Data were
      collected from patient records. After exclusions, 273 consecutive patients
      treated with a low anterior resection with a protective stoma were included.
      RESULTS: In total, 23 out of 271 (8.5 %) of the colorectal/coloanal anastomoses
      were converted to a permanent stoma. In five patients (1.8 %), the covering stoma
      was not closed. The permanent stoma rate was thus 28 out of 271 (10.3 %). The
      risk factors associated with failure were the tumor distance from the anal verge
      (p = 0.03), coloanal anastomosis (p = 0.003), early anastomotic complication (p <
      0.001), anastomotic fistula (p < 0.001), anal incontinence (p = 0.05), and local
      recurrence (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our standardized surgical regimen with a
      covering stoma in low anterior resection for rectal cancer resulted in a minor
      anastomosis failure rate and a low risk of permanent stoma.

PMID- 26111636
TI  - Evaluation of the heterogeneity of studies estimating the association between
      risk factors and the use of potentially inappropriate drug therapy for the
      elderly: a systematic review with meta-analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate the heterogeneity of studies
      estimating the association between risk factors (age, gender, and polypharmacy)
      and the use of potentially inappropriate drug therapy for the elderly (PIDT).
      METHODOLOGY: This study is a systematic review with meta-analysis of
      observational studies. LILACS, PubMed, Scopus, and the Web of Science databases
      were reviewed. The following data were extracted from the included studies:
      country, type of study, characteristics of the sample, practice scenarios,
      instruments to evaluate potentially inappropriate drug therapy for the older
      adults, and patient-related variables. RESULTS: Twenty-nine articles (17 cross
      sectional and 12 cohort) were included. The majority of the studies were
      conducted in Europe. Regarding the study durations, 3 to 18 months was necessary
      to perform the research. As for the sample characteristics, all the studies
      analyzed involved the older adults and included anywhere from 96 patients to
      33,830,599 outpatient consultations. Of the variables analyzed, only polypharmacy
      presented a positive association with the use of PIDT. All meta-analysis studies
      showed high heterogeneity, indicating the lack of a methodological
      standardization of the studies included, among other factors.

PMID- 26111637
TI  - One Year's Observational Study of Acute Kidney Injury Incidence in Primary Care;
      Frequency of Follow-Up Serum Creatinine and Mortality Risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Publications on acute kidney injury (AKI) have concentrated on
      the inpatient population. We wanted to determine the extent of AKI in the
      community, its follow-up and patient impact. METHOD: Primary Care creatinine
      results for May 2012-April 2013 from Cornwall, United Kingdom, were screened for
      AKI. RESULTS: Over 12 months, 991 AKI episodes were identified (0.4% of all
      Primary Care creatinine requests); 51% were AKI1, 29% AKI2 and 10% AKI3. Of
      these, 51% AKI1s, 72% AKI2s and 77% AKI3s had a repeat creatinine requested
      within 14 days as per National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
      guidelines. Admissions (May 2012-July 2013) were identified on 46% AKI1s, 58%
      AKI2s and 65% AKI3s (p < 0.05). The median time from AKI identification to
      hospital admission was 33 days for AKI1, 12 days for AKI2 and 1 day for AKI3 (p <
      0.05); with a median length of stay of 2, 4 and 7 days, respectively (p < 0.05).
      The 90-day mortality from AKI identification for the admitted patients was 12%
      AKI1s, 20% AKI2s and 27% AKI3s (p < 0.05) vs. 11, 21 and 65% (p < 0.05) for those
      that were not admitted. There was no significant difference in mortality for
      admitted patients vs. non-admitted patients, except for the AKI3s. CONCLUSION:
      AKI is associated with increased admission and mortality rates; although a large
      proportion of patients had repeat creatinine testing within 14 days, there was
      still a significant number with delayed follow-up. Education within Primary Care
      is required on how to prevent, identify, follow-up and manage AKI.

PMID- 26111638
TI  - Cerebral Palsy in Children as a Risk Factor for Malnutrition.
AB  - AIM: The main aim of this study was to determine some malnutrition risk factors
      among children with cerebral palsy (CP). Children with CP often require the
      assistance of physical therapy centers. Experience suggests that, apart from
      physical disabilities, this group often suffers from malnutrition. METHODS: Data
      were gathered in the hospital among 128 children aged 3-18 years who were
      suffering from CP. The children were admitted from 2011 to 2013 to the Center for
      Neurological Physical Therapy for children in the Regional Hospital No. 2. St.
      Queen Jadwiga in Rzeszow (RORE). Statistical analyses were conducted for data on
      gender, age, type of CP, motor function level according to Gross Motor Function
      Classification Scale (GMFCS), body mass index (BMI) and hemoglobin levels in
      blood. RESULTS: The risk of anemia differs based on gender--the risk is 6 times
      greater among boys than among girls (p = 0.0398). Risk of malnutrition is 3.5
      times higher in children with tetraplegia than in children with diplegia or
      hemiplegia (p = 0.0043). Higher GMFCS scores are connected to greater proportions
      of malnourished children (for BMI z-score <-1.64, p = 0.0010). CONCLUSIONS: Among
      children with CP, malnourishment risk factors are male gender for anemia and
      tetraplegia and high GMFCS values.

PMID- 26111640
TI  - Fixation not required: characterizing oculomotor attention capture for looming
      stimuli.
AB  - A stimulus moving toward us, such as a ball being thrown in our direction or a
      vehicle braking suddenly in front of ours, often represents a stimulus that
      requires a rapid response. Using a visual search task in which target and
      distractor items were systematically associated with a looming object, we
      explored whether this sort of looming motion captures attention, the nature of
      such capture using eye movement measures (overt/covert), and the extent to which
      such capture effects are more closely tied to motion onset or the motion itself.
      We replicated previous findings indicating that looming motion induces response
      time benefits and costs during visual search Lin, Franconeri, &
      Enns(Psychological Science 19(7): 686-693, 2008). These differences in response
      times were independent of fixation, indicating that these capture effects did not
      necessitate overt attentional shifts to a looming object for search benefits or
      costs to occur. Interestingly, we found no differences in capture benefits and
      costs associated with differences in looming motion type. Combined, our results
      suggest that capture effects associated with looming motion are more likely
      subserved by covert attentional mechanisms rather than overt mechanisms, and
      attention capture for looming motion is likely related to motion itself rather
      than the onset of motion. 

PMID- 26111639
TI  - Efficient, large-scale synthesis and preclinical studies of MRS5698, a highly
      selective A3 adenosine receptor agonist that protects against chronic neuropathic
      pain.
AB  - We reported that 2-(3,4-difluorophenylethynyl)-N (6)-3-chlorobenzyl (N)
      methanocarba adenosine derivative 1 (MRS5698) binds selectively to human and
      mouse A3 adenosine receptors (A3ARs, K i 3 nM). It is becoming an important
      pharmacological tool for defining A3AR effects and is orally active in a chronic
      neuropathic pain model. Here, we introduce a new synthetic route for MRS5698 from
      D-ribose, suitable for a scale-up on a multi-gram scale, and we measure in vitro
      and in vivo ADME-Tox parameters. MRS5698 was very stable in vitro, failed to
      inhibit CYPs at <10 MUM, and was largely bound to plasma proteins. It was well
      tolerated in the rat at doses of <=200 mg/kg i.p. A 1 mg/kg i.p. dose in the
      mouse displayed t 1/2 of 1.09 h and plasma Cmax of 204 nM at 1 h with an AUC of
      213 ng * h/mL. CACO-2 bidirectional transport studies suggested intestinal efflux
      of MRS5698 (efflux ratio 86). Although the oral %F is only 5 %, the beneficial
      effect to reverse pain lasted for at least 2 h in the CCI model in rats, using
      the same vehicle for oral administration of a high dose. The stability, low
      toxicity, lack of CYP interaction, pharmacokinetic half-life, and in vivo
      efficacy suggest that MRS5698 is a preferred compound for further consideration
      as a treatment for neuropathic pain.

PMID- 26111641
TI  - Adam17, a Target of Mir-326, Promotes Emt-Induced Cells Invasion in Lung
      Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) 17 has been reported to
      be implicated in cancer cells invasion. Nevertheless, its potential role in lung
      adenocarcinoma has not been addressed clearly. METHODS: RT-PCR and Western blot
      were used to detect the expression of miR-326 and ADAM17 in lung adenocarcinoma
      samples (n=73). miR-326 mimics and inhibitor were tansfected in human A549 and
      SPCA1 cell lines. The transwell assay was used to detect the cell invasive
      ability. The regulation mechanism was evaluated by luciferase reporter assay. The
      markers of (epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition) EMT were detected by using
      Western blot assay. RESULTS: We found increased expression of ADAM17 in lung
      adenocarcinoma and cell lines. In vitro, up-regulation of ADAM17 promoted cells
      invasion, while silencing of ADAM17 inhibited cells invasion. Meanwhile, ADAM17
      could affect the markers of EMT. Furthermore, we confirmed that ADAM17 is a
      target of miR-326, which is involved in EMT and cells invasion. CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings revealed that ADAM17, a target of miR-326, promoted EMT-induced
      cells invasion in lung adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 26111642
TI  - An academic, clinical and industrial update on electrospun, additive manufactured
      and imprinted medical devices.
AB  - Electrospinning, additive manufacturing and imprint lithography scaffold
      fabrication technologies have attracted great attention in biomedicine, as they
      allow production of two- and three- dimensional constructs with tuneable
      topographical and geometrical features. In vitro data demonstrate that
      electrospun and imprinted substrates offer control over permanently
      differentiated and stem cell function. Advancements in functionalisation
      strategies have further enhanced the bioactivity and reparative capacity of
      electrospun and additive manufactured devices, as has been evidenced in several
      preclinical models. Despite this overwhelming success in academic setting, only a
      few technologies have reached the clinic and only a fraction of them have become
      commercially available products. 

PMID- 26111643
TI  - Realizing Tunable Inverse and Normal Doppler Shifts in Reconfigurable RF
      Metamaterials.
AB  - The Doppler effect has well-established applications in astronomy, medicine,
      radar and metrology. Recently, a number of experimental demonstrations of the
      inverse Doppler effect have begun to appear. However, the inverse Doppler effect
      has never been observed on an electronically reconfigurable system with an
      external electromagnetic wave source at radio frequencies (RF) in experiment.
      Here we demonstrate an experimental observation of the inverse Doppler shift on
      an electronically reconfigurable RF metamaterial structure, which can exhibit
      anomalous dispersion, normal dispersion or a stop band, depending on an applied
      bias voltage. Either inverse or normal Doppler shift is realized by injecting an
      external RF signal into the electronically reconfigurable metamaterial, on which
      an electronically controllable moving reflective boundary is formed. The
      effective velocity of this boundary and the resulting frequency shift can be
      tuned over a wide range by a digital switching circuit. This work is expected to
      open up possibilities in applying the inverse Doppler effect in wireless
      communications, radar and satellite navigation. 

PMID- 26111644
TI  - Repurposing ebselen for treatment of multidrug-resistant staphylococcal
      infections.
AB  - Novel antimicrobials and new approaches to developing them are urgently needed.
      Repurposing already-approved drugs with well-characterized toxicology and
      pharmacology is a novel way to reduce the time, cost, and risk associated with
      antibiotic innovation. Ebselen, an organoselenium compound, is known to be
      clinically safe and has a well-known pharmacology profile. It has shown potent
      bactericidal activity against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of
      staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus
      (MRSA and VRSA). We demonstrated that ebselen acts through inhibition of protein
      synthesis and subsequently inhibited toxin production in MRSA. Additionally,
      ebselen was remarkably active and significantly reduced established
      staphylococcal biofilms. The therapeutic efficacy of ebselen was evaluated in a
      mouse model of staphylococcal skin infections. Ebselen 1% and 2% significantly
      reduced the bacterial load and the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 beta (IL
      1beta), and monocyte chemo attractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in MRSA USA300 skin
      lesions. Furthermore, it acts synergistically with traditional antimicrobials.
      This study provides evidence that ebselen has great potential for topical
      treatment of MRSA skin infections and lays the foundation for further analysis
      and development of ebselen as a potential treatment for multidrug-resistant
      staphylococcal infections. 

PMID- 26111645
TI  - Ketogenic diet does not impair spatial ability controlled by the hippocampus in
      male rats.
AB  - A ketogenic diet was recently shown to reduce glutamate accumulation in synaptic
      vesicles, decreasing glutamate transmission. We questioned whether a ketogenic
      diet affects hippocampal function, as glutamate transmission is critically
      involved in visuospatial ability. In the present study, male Wistar rats were
      maintained on a ketogenic diet containing 10% protein and 90% fat with
      complements for 3 weeks to change their energy expenditure from glucose-dependent
      to fat-dependent. Control rats were fed a diet containing 10% protein, 10% fat,
      and 80% carbohydrates. The fat-dependent energy expenditure induced by the
      ketogenic diet led to decreased body weight and increased blood ketone
      production, though the rats in the two groups consumed the same number of
      calories. The ketogenic diet did not alter food preferences for the control or
      high-fat diet containing 10% protein, 45% fat, and 45% carbohydrates. Anxiety in
      the open field was not altered by ingestion the ketogenic diet. However, rats fed
      the ketogenic diet performed better in the Y-maze test than rats fed the control
      diet. No difference was observed between the two groups in the Morris water maze
      test. Finally, Western blot revealed that the hippocampal expression of alpha
      amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid-type glutamate receptor
      subunit 1 (GluR1) was significantly increased in mice fed a ketogenic diet. These
      results suggest that hippocampal function is not impaired by a ketogenic diet and
      we speculate that the fat-dependent energy expenditure does not impair
      visuospatial ability.

PMID- 26111646
TI  - Early use of oleanolic acid provides protection against 6-hydroxydopamine induced
      dopamine neurodegeneration.
AB  - Oleanolic acid is a triterpenoid that has been shown to possess antioxidant
      properties. In this study we investigated the effects of oleanolic acid in a
      parkinsonian rat model. Unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions were
      carried out on postnatal day (PND) 60 in 4 groups viz. (1) Rats that started
      oleanolic acid treatment 7 days prior to lesion. (2) Rats not treated with
      oleanolic acid. (3) Rats that started oleanolic acid treatment 1 day post-lesion.
      (4) Rats treated with oleanolic acid 7 days post-lesion. The degree of forelimb
      impairment was assessed using limb use asymmetry and forelimb akinesia tests.
      Neurochemical changes were assessed using a Dopamine ELISA kit and mitochondrial
      apoptosis was measured using a mitochondrial apoptosis detection kit. In this
      study, animals injected with 6-OHDA displayed forelimb use asymmetry that was
      ameliorated by treatment with oleanolic acid 7 days pre- and 1 day post-lesion.
      In the cylinder test, rats injected with 6-OHDA favored using the forelimb
      ipsilateral (unimpaired) to the lesioned hemisphere while rats treated with
      oleanolic acid used the forelimb contralateral (impaired) to the lesioned
      hemisphere significantly more. Rats treated with oleanolic acid 7 days pre- and 1
      day post-lesion had more dopamine in the striatum than the non-treated or the 7
      days after lesion rats. Similarly, 6-OHDA-induced membrane depolarization was
      decreased in rats that received oleanolic acid treatment pre- or immediately post
      lesion. This suggests that early treatment with oleanolic acid protects dopamine
      neurons from the toxic effects of 6-OHDA.

PMID- 26111647
TI  - Pyruvate and cilostazol protect cultured rat cortical pericytes against tissue
      plasminogen activator (tPA)-induced cell death.
AB  - Since even a brief ischemia can cause permanent brain damage, rapid restoration
      of blood flow is critical to limiting damage. Although intravenous tPA during the
      acute stage is the treatment of choice for achieving reperfusion, this treatment
      is sometimes associated with brain hemorrhage. Agents that reduce tPA-related
      bleeding risk may help expand its therapeutic window. This study assessed whether
      zinc dyshomeostasis underlies the toxic effect of tPA on brain vascular
      pericytes; whether pyruvate, an inhibitor of zinc toxicity, protects pericytes
      against tPA-induced cell death; and whether cilostazol, which protects pericytes
      against tPA-induced cell death, affects zinc dyshomeostasis associated with tPA
      toxicity. Cultured pericytes from newborn rat brains were treated with 10-200
      MUg/ml tPA for 24 h, inducing cell death in a concentration-dependent manner. tPA
      induced cell death was preceded by increases in intracellular free zinc levels,
      and was substantially attenuated by plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) or
      TPEN. Pyruvate completely blocked direct zinc toxicity and tPA-induced pericyte
      cell death. Both cAMP and cilostazol, a PDE3 inhibitor that attenuates tPA
      induced pericyte cell death in vitro and tPA-induced brain hemorrhage in vivo,
      reduced zinc- and tPA-induced pericyte cell death, suggesting that zinc
      dyshomeostasis may be targeted by cilostazol in tPA toxicity. These findings show
      that tPA-induced pericyte cell death may involve zinc dyshomeostasis, and that
      pyruvate and cilostazol attenuate tPA-induced cell death by reducing the toxic
      cascade triggered by zinc dyshomeostasis. Since pyruvate is an endogenous
      metabolite and cilostazol is an FDA-approved drug, in vivo testing of both as
      protectors against tPA-induced brain hemorrhage may be warranted. This article is
      part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Neuroprotection.

PMID- 26111648
TI  - Cav3.1 T-type calcium channel modulates the epileptogenicity of hippocampal
      seizures in the kainic acid-induced temporal lobe epilepsy model.
AB  - The molecular mechanism of temporal lobe epilepsy has not been clearly
      identified. T-type calcium channels play a role in burst firing in neurons and
      have been implicated in several seizure models. In this study, the role of Cav3.1
      T-type (alpha1G) calcium channel has been investigated in the kainic acid (KA)
      induced temporal lobe epilepsy model (TLE) by using conventional alpha1G knock
      out (ko) mice. After intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration or intrahippocampal
      injection of KA, depth hippocampal and cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) and
      behavioral monitoring were recorded, and timm and Nissl staining of brain
      sections were made later. Seizure was mainly identified by EEG signals, rather
      than behaviorally, with analytic criteria. During the acute status epilepticus
      (SE) period, both the duration and the frequency of hippocampal seizures were
      significantly reduced and increased, respectively, in alphalG ko mice compared to
      those of wild type mice. Epileptogenicity, the total period of seizures (hr(-1)),
      was also significantly reduced in alpha1G ko mice. However, the latency of
      seizure occurrence was not significantly different between wild type and ko mice.
      These differential effects were not observed in cortical seizures. Furthermore,
      the injection of KA caused a strong increase in delta rhythm power spectrum
      density (PSD) of EEG in alphalG ko mice compared to that in wild type mice. The
      results with conventional ko mice indicate that alpha1G T-type calcium channel
      plays a modulatory role in the duration and frequency of hippocampal seizures as
      well as the epileptogenicity of KA-induced TLE in mice, mostly during acute
      periods.

PMID- 26111650
TI  - Fetal imaging prompts maternal diagnosis: autosomal dominant polycystic kidney
      disease.
AB  - Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a common inherited
      disorder. Ultrasound (US) findings can include enlarged echogenic kidneys in
      utero and cysts in multiple organs in adults. Though a highly penetrant disease,
      due to varied clinical expression and the typical late onset of symptoms,
      reproductive-aged women may not know their carrier status. We present two cases
      in which fetal US findings suggested ADPKD and additional evaluation identified
      likely maternal ADPKD as well. 

PMID- 26111649
TI  - Emotion Regulatory Brain Function and SSRI Treatment in PTSD: Neural Correlates
      and Predictors of Change.
AB  - Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-a chronic, debilitating condition, broadly
      characterized by emotion dysregulation-is prevalent among US military personnel
      who have returned from Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
      Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a first-line treatment for
      PTSD, but treatment mechanisms are unknown and patient response varies. SSRIs may
      exert their effects by remediating emotion regulatory brain activity and
      individual differences in patient response might be explained, in part, by pre
      treatment differences in neural systems supporting the downregulation of negative
      affect. Thirty-four OEF/OIF veterans, 17 with PTSD and 17 without PTSD underwent
      2 functional magnetic resonance imaging scans 12 weeks apart. At each scan, they
      performed an emotion regulation task; in the interim, veterans with PTSD were
      treated with the SSRI, paroxetine. SSRI treatment increased activation in both
      the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and supplementary motor area (SMA)
      during emotion regulation, although only change in the SMA over time occurred in
      veterans with PTSD and not those without PTSD. Less activation of the right
      ventrolateral PFC/inferior frontal gyrus during pre-treatment emotion regulation
      was associated with greater reduction in PTSD symptoms with SSRI treatment,
      irrespective of pre-treatment severity. Patients with the least recruitment of
      prefrontal emotion regulatory brain regions may benefit most from treatment with
      SSRIs, which appear to augment activity in these regions. 

PMID- 26111651
TI  - An avian model for ascertaining the mechanisms of organophosphate
      neuroteratogenicity and its therapy with mesenchymal stem cell transplantation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A fast and simple model which uses animals lower on the
      evolutionary scale is beneficial for progress in neuroteratological research.
      Here, we established this novel model and applied it in the study of the
      detrimental effects of pre-hatch exposure to chlorpyrifos on neurogenesis and
      several neurotransmitter systems in the chick and their reversal, using
      mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation. METHODS: Chicken eggs were injected
      with the organophosphate chlorpyrifos, 10mg/kg eggs - a dose below the threshold
      for dysmorphology - on incubation days (ID) 0 and 5 and subsequently the embryos
      were subjected to intravenous transplantation of MSC on ID 13. RESULTS: After
      hatching (day 1) the expression of the neurogenesis-related genes DCX (also
      confirmed by immunohistochemistry), BDNF, MAP 2, FGF 2, SOX 2 and VEGF in the
      lateral striatum area was decreased in the exposed group (p<0.005). Among the
      studied neurotransmitter systems (serotonergic, dopaminergic and cholinergic),
      increased gene expression was demonstrated for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and
      tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) with a corresponding decrease in serotonin receptor
      1A (5HTR1A) (p<0.05); no changes in gene expression of choline transporter, PKC
      beta and D2 were found following chlorpyrifos exposure. CONCLUSION:
      Transplantation of MSC reversed all the neurogenic and serotonergic alterations
      (p<0.01). The study of chick embryo exposure to insults with subsequent MSC
      therapy provides a fast and simple model for elucidating the mechanisms of both
      the neuroteratogenicity and the therapy, steps that are critical for progress
      toward therapeutic applications.

PMID- 26111652
TI  - Characterizing the parent and oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in
      mangrove sediments of Hong Kong.
AB  - Parent and oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated
      in mangrove sediments of Hong Kong. Most of the analytes were detected, and the
      dominant carbonylic and hydroxylated PAHs in mangrove sediments were 9-fluorenone
      and 2-hydroxy fluorene, respectively. The concentration of 9-fluorenone and 9,10
      anthraquinone was higher than their parent PAHs. Moreover, the concentration of
      total organic matter (TOM) related with those of the parent PAHs and carbonylic
      PAHs, except for hydroxylated PAHs, which indicated that TOM was not the only
      factor regulating the distribution of oxygenated PAHs. Nevertheless, the parent
      PAHs in mangrove sediments was correlated positively with carbonylic PAHs which
      demostrated not only the similar source but also the fate of these two compound
      class. However, hydroxylated PAHs had different source by comparing with parent
      PAHs and carbonylic PAHs, they were probably originated from biodegradation and
      accumulated in mangrove sediments. 

PMID- 26111653
TI  - Release of heavy metals from sediment bed under wave-induced liquefaction.
AB  - Sediments in lakes and coasts can release metals into water via static diffusion
      and especially resuspension. The resuspension under sediment liquefaction may
      severely affect the concentrations of metals in water. In this study, flume
      experiments were carried out twice to study the release of two metal combinations
      (Zn and Pb; Zn and Cu), respectively. Each experiment included three phases:
      consolidation; non-liquefaction and liquefaction. Results showed that total Zn
      concentration at liquefaction phase increased by a maximum rate of 26 compared
      with the consolidation phase. The concentration of particulate Zn at liquefaction
      phase increased by a maximum rate of 8.30 compared with the non-liquefaction
      phase. The average concentration of dissolved Zn at the liquefaction phase
      increased up to 0.24 times from the consolidation phase. Total Zn concentration
      at the non-liquefaction phase increased by several times compared with the
      consolidation phase. Metals were homogeneously distributed in the liquefaction
      layer through wave actions. 

PMID- 26111654
TI  - Applying sediment quality guidelines on soft sediments of the Gulf of Finland,
      Baltic Sea.
AB  - The Gulf of Finland is known to have been rather largely contaminated by heavy
      metals during the last half of the 20th century, but indications of recovery have
      been reported. In order to investigate the recent levels of heavy metals and
      arsenic in the uppermost soft sediments of the off-shore Gulf of Finland coring
      of altogether 23 sites were performed. The subsamples of the cores are 605 in
      total and thus give a good picture of heavy metal levels in the surface sediments
      during the first decade of this century. In order to evaluate methods and predict
      sediment toxicity the sediment concentrations are compared to American SQG:s.
      Majority of the subsamples exceeded the threshold levels of both used SQG:s, but
      some exceeded also the midrange effects quality guidelines. As, Cd, Hg, and Zn
      concentrations still occur at unacceptably high levels in sediments of the off
      shore Gulf of Finland. 

PMID- 26111655
TI  - Heavy metals in surface sediments of the intertidal Laizhou Bay, Bohai Sea,
      China: Distributions, sources and contamination assessment.
AB  - Surface sediments from the intertidal zone of the southwestern Laizhou Bay were
      analyzed for heavy metals to seek their concentrations, distributions, pollution
      status, potential ecological risks and possible sources. The concentrations of
      As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn were in the ranges of 4.65-9.65, 0.11-0.28,
      25.85-42.75, 7.57-21.29, 0.022-0.054, 12.85-25.35, 9.65-17.65 and 38.22
      73.81MUgg(-1) dry sediment weight, respectively. Cd and Hg presented a status of
      no pollution to moderate pollution and moderate to considerable potential
      ecological risks; they were enriched to some extent at some sampling stations,
      while the other studied metals were not. The combined effects of the studied
      metals in the sediments made them have a 21% probability of being toxic to biota.
      The results indicated that As, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni and Pb were mainly from natural
      contribution, while a significant portion of Cd and Hg was likely from
      anthropogenic discharges in addition to natural inputs. 

PMID- 26111656
TI  - A comprehensive biosensor integrated with a ZnO nanorod FET array for selective
      detection of glucose, cholesterol and urea.
AB  - We report a novel straightforward approach for simultaneous and highly-selective
      detection of multi-analytes (i.e. glucose, cholesterol and urea) using an
      integrated field-effect transistor (i-FET) array biosensor without any
      interference in each sensor response. Compared to analytically-measured data,
      performance of the ZnO nanorod based i-FET array biosensor is found to be highly
      reliable for rapid detection of multi-analytes in mice blood, and serum and blood
      samples of diabetic dogs. 

PMID- 26111657
TI  - Patterns and correlates of alcohol use amongst heroin users: 11-year follow-up of
      the Australian Treatment Outcome Study cohort.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The study aimed to determine long-term alcohol use patterns and
      correlates amongst heroin users. METHODS: Longitudinal cohort. 11-year post
      baseline follow-up of the Australian Treatment Outcome Study cohort. RESULTS: At
      11-year follow-up, 431 (70%) participants were interviewed. Alcohol was used in
      the preceding month by 56%, with 27% reporting daily use and 11% heavy daily
      drinking. Alcohol use patterns showed remarkable consistency across waves, with
      the proportion who drank in the preceding month ranging between 49 and 56%, with
      no significant trend across time. Daily drinking ranged between 20 and 27%, and
      heavy daily drinking between 7 and 12%. Both declined slightly from baseline to 3
      year follow-up, but by 11 years were at levels similar to baseline. Compared to
      female referents, males were more likely to drink (OR 1.6, CI 1.3-2.1, p < .05),
      to drink daily (OR 1.8, CI 1.4-2.4, p < .05) and to drink heavily (OR 1.7, 1.1
      2.5, p < .05). Compared to those not in enrolled in a drug treatment programme,
      those enrolled were significantly less likely to drink (OR 0.7, CI 0.5-0.8, p <
      .05) and to drink daily (OR 0.6, 0.5-0.8, p < .05). Compared to those who did not
      drink heavily, heavy drinking was associated with a higher likelihood of recent
      overdose (OR 1.6, CI 1.0-2.4, p < .05), of criminality (OR 1.9, 1.3-2.7, p <
      .001), and with lower SF12 physical (mean difference -3.0, CI -4.7 to -1.4, p <
      .001) and mental (-2.4, CI -4.3 to -0.5, p < .001) health scores. CONCLUSIONS:
      There were consistently high levels of both abstinence and regular drinking, with
      drinking patterns staying relatively stable across the decade. From the clinical
      perspective, the high rates of heavy drinking are of particular relevance, given
      the observed associations with a poorer clinical profile.

PMID- 26111658
TI  - Association of second-hand smoke exposure at home with psychological distress in
      the Spanish adult population.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure has been associated with increased
      risks of respiratory and heart diseases. However, little is known about the
      potential effects of SHS on psychological distress. The aim of this study is to
      examine the association of SHS exposure at home with psychological distress in
      Spain. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey about SHS exposure, socio-demographic
      and health related variables, and psychological distress, measured with the 12
      item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) with a cut-off score >=
      3, was conducted from 2011-2012 among a representative sample of the adult
      population (aged >= 15 years) of Spain. From the total sample (n = 21,007), we
      used the subsample of never-smokers (n = 11,214). We computed the odds ratios
      (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for scoring >= 3 on the GHQ by
      means of unconditional multiple logistic regression models adjusted for sex and
      age. RESULTS: In the subsample, 9.7% (n = 1,090) responded that they were exposed
      to SHS at home. The prevalence of subjects scoring >= 3 on the GHQ was higher for
      the sample exposed to SHS (22.7%) than for the non-exposed sample (18.9%; OR:
      1.39; CI: 1.19-1.62). This association was also present when stratified for sex,
      age, marital status, socio-economic status, perceived general health, presence of
      any chronic disease, and alcohol intake. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to SHS at home is
      associated with psychological distress. Further investigation is necessary to
      determine if this association is causal. Avoiding SHS exposure at home could have
      beneficial effects on psychological distress.

PMID- 26111659
TI  - A new impedance based approach to test the activity of recombinant protein-
      Semaphorins as a test case.
AB  - The biological activity of a recombinant protein is routinely measured using a
      bioassay such as an enzyme assay. However, many proteins have no enzymatic
      activity and in many cases it is difficult to devise a simple and reliable
      approach to test their activity. Semaphorins, Ephrins, Slits, Netrins or amylin
      assisted proteins have numerous activities affecting many systems and cell types
      in the human body. Most of them are also able to induce rapid cytoskeleton
      changes at least in some cell types. We assumed therefore, that such proteins
      might be tested based on their ability to modulate the cytoskeleton. Here we
      tested a number of semaphorins in an impedance based label-free platform that
      allows for dynamic monitoring of subtle morphological and adhesive changes. This
      system has proved to be a very fast, sensitive and effective way to monitor and
      determine the activity of such proteins. Furthermore we showed that it is
      possible to customize a cell-protein system by transfecting the cells with
      specific receptors and test the cell response following the addition of the
      recombinant ligand protein. Since other protein families such as Ephrins and
      Netrins can also influence the cytoskeleton of some cells, this approach may be
      applicable to a large number of proteins. 

PMID- 26111660
TI  - Properties and functions of TRPM1 channels in the dendritic tips of retinal ON
      bipolar cells.
AB  - An increase in light intensity induces a depolarization in retinal ON-bipolar
      cells via a reduced glutamate release from presynaptic photoreceptor cells. The
      underlying transduction cascade in the dendritic tips of ON-bipolar cells
      involves mGluR6 glutamate receptors signaling to TRPM1 proteins that are an
      indispensable part of the transduction channel. Several other proteins are
      recognized to participate in the transduction machinery. Deficiency in many of
      these leads to congenital stationary night blindness, because rod bipolar cells,
      a subgroup of ON-bipolar cells, constitute the main route for sensory information
      under scotopic conditions. Here, we review the current knowledge about TRPM1 ion
      channels and how their activity is regulated within the postsynaptic compartment
      of ON-bipolar cells. The functional properties of TRPM1 channels in the dendritic
      compartment are not well understood as they differ substantially from those of
      recombinant TRPM1 channels. Critical evaluation of possible explanations of these
      discrepancies indicates that some key components of this transduction pathway
      might still not be known. The continued exploration of this pathway will yield
      further clinically useful insights. 

PMID- 26111661
TI  - Two-dimensional boron-nitrogen-carbon monolayers with tunable direct band gaps.
AB  - The search for new candidate semiconductors with direct band gaps of ~1.4 eV has
      attracted significant attention, especially among the two-dimensional (2D)
      materials, which have become potential candidates for next-generation
      optoelectronics. Herein, we systematically studied 2D B(x)/2N(x/2)C(1-x) (0 < x <
      1) compounds in particular focus on the four stoichiometric B(x)/2N(x/2)C(1-x) (x
      = 2/3, 1/2, 2/5 and 1/3) using a recently developed global optimization method
      (CALYPSO) in conjunction with density functional theory. Furthermore, we examine
      more stoichiometries by the cluster expansion technique based on a hexagonal
      lattice. The results reveal that all monolayer B(x)/2N(x/2)C(1-x) stoichiometries
      adopt a planar honeycomb character and are dynamically stable. Remarkably,
      electronic structural calculations show that most of B(x)/2N(x/2)C(1-x) phases
      possess direct band gaps within the optical range, thereby they can potentially
      be used in high-efficiency conversion of solar energy to electric power, as well
      as in p-n junction photovoltaic modules. The present results also show that the
      band gaps of B(x)/2N(x/2)C(1-x) can be widely tuned within the optical range by
      changing the concentration of carbon, thus allowing the fast development of band
      gap engineered materials in optoelectronics. These new findings may enable new
      approaches to the design of microelectronic devices.

PMID- 26111664
TI  - Subcutaneous abscess at epidural catheter insertion site in a patient with
      intestinal tuberculosis.

PMID- 26111662
TI  - Opposite effects of two estrogen receptors on tau phosphorylation through
      disparate effects on the miR-218/PTPA pathway.
AB  - The two estrogen receptors (ERs), ERalpha and ERbeta, mediate the diverse
      biological functions of estradiol. Opposite effects of ERalpha and ERbeta have
      been found in estrogen-induced cancer cell proliferation and differentiation as
      well as in memory-related tasks. However, whether these opposite effects are
      implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear. Here,
      we find that ERalpha and ERbeta play contrasting roles in regulating tau
      phosphorylation, which is a pathological hallmark of AD. ERalpha increases the
      expression of miR-218 to suppress the protein levels of its specific target,
      protein tyrosine phosphatase alpha (PTPalpha). The downregulation of PTPalpha
      results in the abnormal tyrosine hyperphosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase
      3beta (resulting in activation) and protein phosphatase 2A (resulting in
      inactivation), the major tau kinase and phosphatase. Suppressing the increased
      expression of miR-218 inhibits the ERalpha-induced tau hyperphosphorylation as
      well as the PTPalpha decline. In contrast, ERbeta inhibits tau phosphorylation by
      limiting miR-218 levels and restoring the miR-218 levels antagonized the
      attenuation of tau phosphorylation by ERbeta. These data reveal for the first
      time opposing roles for ERalpha and ERbeta in AD pathogenesis and suggest
      potential therapeutic targets for AD. 

PMID- 26111663
TI  - Estrogen modulation of the ethanol-evoked myocardial oxidative stress and
      dysfunction via DAPK3/Akt/ERK activation in male rats.
AB  - Evidence suggests that male rats are protected against the hypotensive and
      myocardial depressant effects of ethanol compared with females. We investigated
      whether E2 modifies the myocardial and oxidative effects of ethanol in male rats.
      Conscious male rats received ethanol (0.5, 1 or 1.5g/kg i.v.) 30-min after E2
      (1MUg/kg i.v.) or its vehicle (saline), and hearts were collected at the
      conclusion of hemodynamic measurements for ex vivo molecular studies. Ethanol had
      no effect in vehicle-treated rats, but it caused dose-related reductions in LV
      developed pressure (LVDP), end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), rate of rise in LV
      pressure (dP/dtmax) and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures in E2
      pretreated rats. These effects were associated with elevated (i) indices of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS), (ii) malondialdehyde (MDA) protein adducts, and
      (iii) phosphorylated death-associated protein kinase-3 (DAPK3), Akt, and
      extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2). Enhanced myocardial anti-oxidant
      enzymes (heme oxygenase-1, catalase and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2) activities were
      also demonstrated. In conclusion, E2 promotes ethanol-evoked myocardial oxidative
      stress and dysfunction in male rats. The present findings highlight the risk of
      developing myocardial dysfunction in men who consume alcohol while receiving E2
      for specific medical conditions. 

PMID- 26111666
TI  - Persistent cauda equina syndrome after cesarean section under combined spinal
      epidural anesthesia: a case report.
AB  - A 29-year-old pregnant woman was delivered by cesarean section under a combined
      spinal-epidural anesthesia. Thirty hours after an uneventful surgery, she
      complained of weakness in her lower extremities and developed fecal and urinary
      incontinence. Lumbosacral magnetic resonance imaging showed thickening and
      clumping of cauda equina nerve roots at L2-3 level, consistent with the diagnosis
      of arachnoiditis. The patient was included in an intense rehabilitation program
      with a diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome. Most of the symptoms resolved within a
      few days, but right side foot drop persisted for 2 years after the procedure.
      Because there was no other etiologies being noticed, we hypothesized that the
      hyperbaric bupivacaine neurotoxicity was likely to be the cause for this
      neurologic deficit. 

PMID- 26111665
TI  - Comparison of McGRATH MAC and Macintosh laryngoscopes for double-lumen
      endotracheal tube intubation by anesthesia residents: a prospective randomized
      clinical trial.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the utility of McGRATH MAC (McG) and
      Macintosh (McL) laryngoscopes for double-lumen endotracheal tube intubation in
      patients undergoing elective surgery. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. SETTING:
      Operating room. PATIENTS: Fifty adult patients scheduled for elective surgery
      under 1-lung ventilation with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical
      status 1 to 3. INTERVENTIONS: Double-lumen endotracheal tube intubation was
      performed with the McG (McG group; 25 patients) or conventional McL (McL group;
      25 patients) laryngoscope by anesthesia residents. MEASUREMENTS: The number of
      attempts to successful intubation, intubation time, percentage of glottis opening
      score, and subjective difficulty of laryngoscopy and tube passage through the
      glottis were assessed. MAIN RESULTS: The total numbers of intubation attempts
      were 1 (McG group, 24 patients; McL group, 16 patients), 2 (McG group, 1 patient;
      McL group, 8 patients), and 3 (McG group, 0 patient; McL group, 1 patient), with
      significant differences between the two groups (P = .018). Intubation time was
      significantly shorter in the McG group compared with the McL group (McG: 17.1 +/-
      4.6 seconds vs McL: 20.8 +/- 5.9 seconds, P = .026). The percentage of glottis
      opening score was significantly higher in the McG group compared with the McL
      group (McG: 88.4% +/- 13.7% vs McL: 71.4% +/- 20.4%, P = .004). CONCLUSIONS: The
      McG demonstrated a better intubation profile compared with the McL, possibly due
      to its ease of use for double-lumen endotracheal tube intubation. Clinical Trial
      registry number: UMIN000014636.

PMID- 26111667
TI  - Plasma Uric Acid as a Prognostic Marker in Patients With Hypertrophic
      Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Uric acid (UA) has been shown to be an independent risk factor for
      various cardiovascular diseases. However, its significance in hypertrophic
      cardiomyopathy (HCM) has not yet been evaluated. The objective of the present
      study was to evaluate clinical implications of plasma UA levels on the prognosis
      of patients with HCM. METHODS: A total of 588 adult patients with HCM were
      enrolled at FuWai Hospital from 1999-2011 and followed until 2014. The plasma
      levels of UA were measured at enrollment. RESULTS: During the follow-up of 5.2 +/
      2.4 years, 44 (7.5%) patients had cardiovascular-related deaths, and 100 (17.0%)
      patients had cardiac events. Compared with the first tertile of UA concentration
      (< 284.6 MUmol/L), patients in the highest tertile (> 358.7 MUmol/L) had a higher
      risk for the development of adverse events: cardiovascular death (adjusted hazard
      ratio [HR], 3.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37-7.04; P = 0.007), all-cause
      mortality (adjusted HR, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.11-4.89; P = 0.025), cardiac events
      (adjusted HR, 4.20, 95% CI, 2.38-7.42; P < 0.001), heart failure events (adjusted
      HR, 3.46; 95% CI, 1.86-6.45; P < 0.001), and arrhythmic events (adjusted HR,
      9.19; 95% CI, 2.40-35.25; P = 0.001). Similarly, the continuous variable of UA
      (for every 1 mg/dL higher concentration) was also an independent predictor for
      adverse outcomes: cardiovascular death (adjusted HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.11-1.49; P =
      0.001), all-cause mortality (adjusted HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.07-1.41; P = 0.004),
      cardiac events (adjusted HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.15-1.41; P < 0.001), heart failure
      events (adjusted HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.06-1.33; P = 0.003), and arrhythmic events
      (adjusted HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.30-1.98; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      indicate that UA is an independent predictor of adverse outcomes in patients with
      HCM.

PMID- 26111668
TI  - Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Aggravates Viral Myocarditis by Raising Inflammation
      Through the IRE1-Associated NF-kappaB Pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Viral myocarditis, which is mostly caused by coxsackievirus
      infection, is characterized by myocardial inflammation. Abnormal endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) stress participates in many heart diseases, but its role in viral
      myocarditis remains unsolved. METHODS: We investigated the influence of ER stress
      in coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced viral myocarditis by dynamically detecting
      its activation in CVB3-infected hearts, analyzing its association with
      myocarditis severity, and exploring its impact on disease development by
      modulating the strength of ER stress with the chemical activator tunicamycin (Tm)
      or the inhibitor tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA). The underlying signal pathway
      of ER stress in CVB3-induced myocarditis was also deciphered. RESULTS: We found
      that myocardial expression of Grp78 and Grp94, 2 ER stress markers, was
      significantly increased after CVB3 infection and positively correlated with
      myocarditis severity. Consistently, Tm-augmented ER stress obviously aggravated
      myocarditis, as shown by more severe myocardial inflammation, reduced cardiac
      function, and a lower survival rate, whereas TUDCA decreased ER stress and
      obviously alleviated myocarditis. This pathologic effect of ER stress could be
      attributed to increased levels of proinflammatory cytokine (interleukin [IL]-6,
      IL-12, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1)
      production through the IRE1-associated nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kB) pathway.
      CONCLUSIONS: ER stress accentuated CVB3-induced myocardial inflammation through
      the IRE1-associated NF-kappaB pathway. This study may help us understand the role
      of ER stress in viral myocarditis and promote the development of corresponding
      therapeutic strategies based on manipulating ER stress.

PMID- 26111669
TI  - Warfarin Monotherapy in Atrial Fibrillation Patients With Stable Coronary Disease
      One Year After Myocardial Infarction/Stent: Two Birds With One Stone?
AB  - Patients with atrial fibrillation and stable coronary artery disease remain a
      therapeutic challenge because of the different antithrombotic therapies for the 2
      conditions and the increase in bleeding with concomitant antiplatelet and
      anticoagulant medications. Current guidelines extrapolated data from studies of
      antithrombotic regimens of each condition separately but there is limited
      evidence for the optimal regimen in patients with atrial fibrillation and stable
      coronary artery disease beyond the first year after an acute coronary syndrome or
      stent implantation. In this review we suggest that warfarin monotherapy is
      sufficient for this patient population beyond 1 year. 

PMID- 26111670
TI  - [Detection and analysis of copy number variation from 1000 Genomes trio data].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Copy number variation (CNV) is an important type of genomic structural
      variation and plays a crucial role in genomic disorders imposed by diseases. Most
      of the current bioinformatic researches focus on developing algorithms and tools
      for detecting CNVs from single or paired datasets, but the analysis of such CNVs
      is not sufficient from a family-based genetic point of view. We performed a trio
      sample family based parents-offspring CNV analysis using the 1000G data. We found
      a number of CNVs that the offsprings inherited from their parents and inferred
      through hierarchical analysis how they were generated. In addition, we also
      discovered several de novo CNV candidates.

PMID- 26111671
TI  - [Observation of radiobiological characteristics in a HepG2 cell line with
      mitochondrial DNA deletion].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the radiobiological characteristics of a HepG2 cell line with
      mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletion. METHODS: HepG2 cells were cultured in a
      medium containing ethidium bromide, acetylformic acid and uracil. The HepG2 cell
      line with mtDNA deletion (rho(0)HepG2 cells) were acquired after 30 subcultures
      by limited dilution cloning. The cell survival was then observed in the absence
      of acetylformic acid and uracil, and the total mtDNA deletion in the cells was
      confirmed by PCR. The radiosensitivity of HepG2 and rho(0)HepG2 cells was
      evaluated by exposure to gradient doses of 6 MV X ray irradiation. The cell
      apoptosis was assessed following a 2 Gy X-ray exposure with Hochest33342
      staining, and the invasiveness of rho(0)HepG2 cells was measured by Transwell
      assay. RESULTS: HepG2 cells could survive 30 subcultures in the presence of
      ethidium bromide, and massive cell death occurred after removal of acetylformic
      acid and uracil from the medium. PCR confirmed total mtDNA deletion from
      rho(0)HepG2 cells, whose alpha/beta value was significantly lower than that of
      HepG2 cells. rho(0)Hep-G2 cells showed an obviously lowered cell apoptosis rate
      following X-ray exposure with enhanced cell invasiveness. CONCLUSION: HepG2 cells
      can be induced by ethidium bromide into rho(0)HepG2 cells with an increased
      radiation resistance, anti-apoptosis ability and cell invasiveness.

PMID- 26111672
TI  - [3-O-beta-chacotriosyl benzyl ursolate inhibits entry of H5N1 influenza virus
      into target cells].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the inhibitory activities of 3-O-beta-chacotriosyl benzyl
      ursolate and its derivatives as potential new anti-influenza virus agents against
      the entry of H5N1 influenza viruses into the target cells. METHODS: Four target
      compounds were designed and synthesized, which were structurally related to the
      lead compound 3-O-beta-chacotriosyl methyl ursolate (1). The inhibitory
      activities of these compounds were tested at a cellular level psuedovirus system
      targeting H5N1 influenza viruse entry. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The compounds 1b,
      1c and 1d showed potent inhibitory activities against the entry of
      A/Thailand/Kan353/2004 pseudovirus into the target cells, and among them compound
      1d showed the strongest inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 0.96 +/- 0.10
      umol/L. The structure-activity relationship analysis of these compounds indicated
      that when 17-COOH of ursolic acid was esterified, introduction of Me groups
      rather than aryl groups more strongly enhanced the inhibitory activity. Changing
      17-COOH of ursolic acid into amide could increase the antiviral activity and
      decrease the cytotoxicity of the compounds in MDCK cells.

PMID- 26111673
TI  - [Effect of suppressing apoptosis signal regulating kinase 1 on GFAP and vimentin
      expression and hindlimb mobility in rats after spinal cord injury].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of suppressing apoptosis signal regulating
      kinase 1 (ASK1) on glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin
      expressions at the injury site and on hindlimb mobility in rats after spinal cord
      injury (SCI). METHODS: The rat models of SCI were established by extradural
      compression of the spinal cord using an aneurysm clip. The injured rats were
      treated with normal saline (model group), ASK1 specific inhibitor thioredoxin
      (Trx group), or ASK1 monoclonal antibody (Anti-ASK1 group), and the rats
      receiving a sham operation underwent laminectomy without SCI. The expression of
      GFAP and vimentin were detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay
      at 1, 7, 14 and 28 days after SCI. The motion function of the hindlimbs of the
      injured rats was assessed with Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) scores, and
      somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEP) and motor-evoked potentials (MEP) were
      determined to examine the electrophysiological changes. RESULTS: At 1 day after
      SCI, the expressions of GFAP and vimentin showed no significant differences among
      the groups; at 7, 14 and 28 days after SCI, GFAP and vimentin expressions
      significantly increased in Trx and Anti-ASK1 groups compared with those in the
      model group (P<0.01). The BBB scores showed no significant differences among the
      groups at 1, 7 and 14 days after SCI, while at 28 days, the BBB scores in Trx and
      Anti-ASK1 groups were significantly higher than those in the model group
      (P<0.01). At 28 days after SCI, the latent period of SEP and MEP decreased and
      the amplitude increased significantly in Trx and Anti-ASK1 groups compared with
      that in the model group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Blocking ASK1 can inhibit the
      expression of GFAP and vimentin in glial scars and improve the outcomes of
      hindlimb mobility in rats after SCI.

PMID- 26111674
TI  - [Expression and functional assessment of solute carrier 26A transporter family in
      HEK-293 cells].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To express solute carrier 26A proteins in HEK-293 cells and explore
      their functions. METHODS: SLC26A-eGFP plasmids were transiently transfected into
      HEK-293 cells, and the nonlinear capacitance of the cells expressing SLC26A
      proteins was measured by whole-cell patch recording. RESULTS: All the SLC26A
      transporters were expressed on the membrane of HEK-293 cells. Each member of the
      SLC26A transporter family showed robust nonlinear capacitance, which represented
      their binding capability with anions. CONCLUSION: The SLC26A transporters
      expressed on HEK cells show similar functions as expected in tissue environment.
      The plasmids we constructed facilitate structural and functional study of SLC26A
      transporters.

PMID- 26111675
TI  - [Treatment options in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients with a poor
      response to 24-week interferon monotherapy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 4 treatment options for HBeAg
      positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients following a suboptimal response to 24
      week interferon monotherapy. METHODS: The data of 193 HBeAg-positive CHB patients
      with suboptimal response to 24-week interferon monotherapy were collected from
      Nanfang Hospital between September, 2010 and January, 2013. According to the
      subsequent treatments, the patients were divided into group A with additional
      entecavir or adefovir, group B with further interferon monotherapy, group C with
      conversion to NAs therapy, and group D with direct therapy withdrawal, and the
      biochemical and virological results at weeks 24, 48 and 72 were analyzed in the 4
      groups. RESULTS: At week 48, the HBV DNA negative rates and serum alanine
      aminotransferase (ALT) normalization rates were both significantly higher in
      group A and C than in group B (P<0.05); in group A, ETV therapy subgroup had a
      significantly higher HBV DNA negative rate than ADV therapy subgroup at week 48
      (90.3% vs 59.5%, Chi=8.255, P=0.004). At week 72, 39.7%(27/68) of the patients in
      group A achieved HBeAg seroconversion, a rate significantly higher than those in
      groups B (Chi=4.238, P=0.040) and C (Chi=7.681, P=0.006); the HBV DNA negative
      rate and ALT normalization rate in group A were 85.3%(58/68) and 86.8%(59/68),
      respectively, both significantly higher than those in group B (Chi=23.018,
      P<0.001; Chi=5.987, P=0.014) but comparable to those in group C (P>0.05). In the
      two subgroups in group A, the HBV DNA negative rate and HBeAg seroconversion rate
      were both significantly higher in ETV subgroup (Chi=9.823, P=0.002; Chi=5.450,
      P=0.020). In group D, all the patients remained HBeAg-positive with abnormal ALT
      levels and high level of HBV DNA. CONCLUSION: For HBeAg-positive CHB patients
      with suboptimal response to 24-week interferon monotherapy, combined treatment
      with NAs (especially ETV) and extension of the treatment course can significantly
      improve the HBeAg seroconversion rates, HBV DNA negative rates, and ALT
      normalization rates.

PMID- 26111676
TI  - [Effect of exercise load on apparent diffusion coefficient and fractional
      anisotropy of normal lumbar intervertebral discs in diffusion tensor imaging].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of exercise load on apparent diffusion
      coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) of normal lumbar intervertebral
      discs in magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). METHODS: Thirty
      healthy volunteers (24 males and 6 females, aged 19 to 25 years) underwent
      examinations with MR T2WI and DTI of the lumbar intervertebral discs before and
      after exercise load. Pfirrmann grading was evaluated with T2WI, and the B0 map,
      ADC map and FA map were reconstructed based on the DTI data to investigate the
      changes in ADC and FA after exercise. RESULTS: Of the 30 volunteers (150
      intervertebral discs) receiving the examination, 27 with discs of Pfirrminn grade
      II were included for analysis. In these 27 volunteers, the average ADC and FA
      before exercise were (1.99 +/- 0.18)*10-3 mm2/s and 0.155?0.059, respectively.
      After exercise, ADC was lowered significantly to (1.93 +/- 0.17)*10-3 mm2/s
      (P<0.05) and FA increased slightly to 0.1623 +/- 0.017 (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: DTI
      allows quantitatively analysis of the changes in water molecular diffusion and
      anisotropy of the lumbar intervertebral discs after exercise load, which can
      cause a decreased ADC and a increased FA value, and the change of ADC is more
      sensitive to exercise load.

PMID- 26111677
TI  - [Expression of BATF, a member of the activator protein-1 family, in renal tissues
      of MRL/lpr mice].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of BATF, a member of the activator
      protein-1 family, in the renal tissues of mice with lupus nephritis. METHODS: The
      renal tissues from 24-week-old female MRL/lpr mice and age- and sex-matched
      C57BL/6 mice were examined for BATF protein expressions using Western blotting
      and for expressions of BATF, RORgammat and IL-17A mRNA using quantitative real
      time PCR. The results of laboratory examinations were analyzed in relation with
      the histopathology of the mice. RESULTS: The urinary protein and ds-DNA levels
      were significantly higher in MRL/lpr mice than in the control mice (P<0.05).
      Compared to normal control mice, MRL/lpr mice showed obvious glomerular fibrosis
      and inflammatory cell infiltrating with significantly increased BATF protein and
      mRNA expressions (P<0.05) and RORgammat and IL-17 mRNA expressions in the renal
      tissues (P<0.05). In MRL/lpr mice, the expression of BATF mRNA was positively
      correlated with the RORgammat and IL-17A mRNA expressions in the renal tissues.
      CONCLUSION: The renal expressions of BATF protein and mRNA is increased in
      MRL/lpr mice. BATF may participate in the immunopathogenesis of lupus nephritis
      by enhancing Thl7 cell response.

PMID- 26111678
TI  - [Iohexol tracing of hyaluronic acid distribution in the knee joint cavity of
      rabbits].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution of hyaluronic acid (HA) with iohexol
      tracing in the knee joint cavity of rabbits using CT plain scan, three
      dimensional reconstruction and Chi-ray and observe how different injection sites
      affect HA distribution. METHODS: Mixtures of HA and iohexol (tracer) were
      prepared that contained final iohexol concentrations of 2.5%, 5%, 10%, 20%, or
      40%. The HA-iohexol mixtures (0.5 ml) were injected into rabbit knee joints, and
      the optimal iohexol concentration that allowed clear differentiation of the
      injected agents from the surrounding tissues was determined using dual-source CT
      plain scan and three-dimensional reconstruction technique. The HA-iohexol mixture
      (0.5 ml) containing the optimal concentration of iohexol was then injected into
      the knees of the rabbits either through the patella medial approach or the medial
      joint line approach, and HA distribution in the knee joint cavity was observed
      using CT scan and Chi-ray. RESULTS: The CT value of HA-iohexol mixture increased
      progressively with the tracer concentration. After injection of the mixture
      containing 2.5%, 5%, 10%, 20%, and 40% iohexol, the CT value ratios of the soft
      tissue, HA-iohexol mixture and bone cortex were 2:7:46, 2:14:44, 2:28:44,
      2:60:46, and 2:98:45, respectively, and a iohexol concentration of 5% was
      determined as optimal for differntiating the injected agents from the surrounding
      tissues. The HA-iohexol mixutre containing 5% iohexol injected through the medial
      patellar approach was distributed mainly over the patello-femoral joint, and that
      injected through the joint line approach was found mainly over the tibio-femoral
      joint. CONCLUSION: HA-iohexol mixture containing 5% iohexol allows clear
      differentiation of bone cortex and soft tissues in rabit knee joint from the
      injected agents on CT scan and Chi-ray, and the injection approach can influence
      HA distribution in the knee joint cavity.

PMID- 26111680
TI  - [Construction a lentiviral vector for RNA interference of glutathione peroxidase
      2 gene and its effect on HepG2 cell apoptosis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To construct a RNA interference lentiviral vector for human
      glutathione peroxidase 2 (GPX2) gene and observe the effect of GPX2 knockdown on
      cell apoptosis. METHODS: The sequence of the small interfering RNA (siRNA) for
      GPX2 interference was inserted into the pSicoR vector. HepG2 cells were infected
      by the packaged si-GPX2 lentivirus and the expression of GPX2 in the infected
      cells was detected by both RT-PCR and Western blotting. Changes of cell apoptosis
      following the infection were analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The lentiviral
      particles pSicoR-GPX2 were successfully packaged. The expression of GPX2 in the
      infected cells was obviously down-regulated at both RNA and protein levels. GPX2
      knockdown caused increased apoptosis rate, increased Bax expression and lowered
      Bcl-2 expression in HepG2 cells. CONCLUSION: We have successfully constructed the
      lentiviral vector for RNA interference of human GPX2 gene.

PMID- 26111679
TI  - [Expression profiling and immunofluorescence localization of the major egg
      antigen p40 of Schistosoma japonicum in the liver of infected New Zealand white
      rabbits].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the expression profile and immunofluorescence localization
      of the major egg antigen p40 of Schistosoma japonicum (Sjp40) during granuloma
      formation in the liver of infected New Zealand white rabbits. METHODS: New
      Zealand white rabbits were infected with S. japonicum cercariae, and the livers
      were harvested at 29 and 45 days post-infection (dpi). The total RNA of the liver
      tissues was extracted for expression profiling of Sjp40 by quantitative reverse
      transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) with GAPDH of S. japonicum as the endogenous
      reference gene. The expression of Sjp40 in the liver were detected by Western
      blotting using anti-Sjp40 monoclonal antibody (mAb) 9G7 or anti-Toxoplasma gondii
      tSAG1 mAb Y3A8 (control) as the primary antibody. Paraffin sections of the liver
      were prepared for observing egg granuloma formation using HE staining and for
      indirect immunofluorescence assay of Sjp40 location in the trapped eggs and egg
      granulomas. RESULTS: The level of Sjp40 mRNA in the eggs trapped in rabbit livers
      was significantly higher at 45 dpi than that at 29 dpi (P<0.05), and Western
      blotting confirmed the presence of Sjp40 protein in the rabbit livers at both 29
      and 45 dpi. Immunofluorescence assay demonstrated localized expression of Sjp40
      in the immature eggs in the rabbit liver at 29 dpi, but at 45 dpi fluorescence
      was detected in clusters of mature eggs containing miracidium and in the
      surrounding egg granulomas. CONCLUSIONS: The transcriptional levels of Sjp40
      significantly increased with the maturation of eggs trapped in the rabbit livers.
      Sjp40 protein spread from the eggs to the surrounding egg granuloma at 45 dpi
      when acute liver granulomatous lesions occur, suggesting that Sjp40 plays a key
      role in egg granulomas formation in the livers of infected New Zealand white
      rabbits.

PMID- 26111681
TI  - [Successful pregnancy in women with infertility following surgeries for
      gynecological malignancies: report of 3 cases and literature review].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We report 3 cases of successful pregnancies in women with a history of
      surgeries for gynecological malignancies and postoperative infertility, achieved
      by in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) with controlled ovarian
      hyperstimulation. All the 3 patients had clinical pregnancies without cancer
      recurrence. In such cancer survivors with infertility, the ovarian reserve is
      severely impaired by cancer therapies and assisted reproductive techniques should
      be the primary option.

PMID- 26111682
TI  - [Inhibitory effect of 17-AAG combined with paclitaxel on proliferation of
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma Eca-109 cells in vitro].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of 17-AAG combined with paclitaxel (PTX) on
      the proliferation and apoptosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell line
      Eca-109 in vitro. METHODS: Eca-109 cells were treated with 17-AAG and PTX either
      alone or in combination. The proliferation of Eca-109 cells was detected by MTT
      assay, and the cell cycle changes and cell apoptosis were determined by flow
      cytometry. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, both 17-AAG and PTX
      significantly inhibited the proliferation of Eca-109 cells. A combined treatment
      of the cells with 0.5 umol/L PTX and 0.625 umol/L 17-AAG produced an obviously
      stronger inhibitory effect on the cell proliferation than either of the agents
      used alone (P<0.01). Flow cytometry showed that, 17-AAG and PTX used alone caused
      Eca-109 cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase and S phase, respectively, and their
      combined use caused cell cycle arrest in both G2/M and S phases. The cell
      apoptosis rates of Eca-109 cells treated with 17-AAG, PTX and their combination
      were 4.52%, 10.91%, and 29.88%, respectively, all significantly higher than that
      in the control group (1.32%); the combined treatment resulted in a distinct
      apoptotic peak that was significantly higher than that caused by either of the
      agents alone. CONCLUSION: 17-AAG and PTX can inhibit cell proliferation and
      promote apoptosis of Eca-109 cells, and their combination produces stronger
      effects in inhibiting cell proliferation and increasing cell apoptosis.

PMID- 26111683
TI  - [Expression of progesterone-induced blocking factor in severe preeclampsia and
      its association with immune tolerance imbalance].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore progesterone-induced blocking factor (PIBF) expression in
      the placenta and blood of patients with severe preeclampsia and its relationship
      with immune tolerance imbalance. METHODS: Forty-seven patients admitted between
      January and December, 2012 were enrolled in this study, including 25 patients
      with early-onset severe preeclampsia (EOPE) and 22 with late-onset severe
      preeclampsia (LOPE), with 25 women with normal pregnancy serving as control
      group. The antenatal blood and postpartum placenta were collected for
      immunohistochemical staining to detect PIBF expression in the placenta and for
      testing serum PIBF level using ELISA. Flow cytometry was used to detect the
      percentage of circulating Th1 and Th2 cells and the Th1/Th2 ratio was calculated.
      RESULTS: PIBF was expressed in decidual cells, syncytiotrophoblasts and partial
      cytotrophablasts. The serum PIBF levels were 213.58 +/- 44.93 ng/ml in EOPE
      group, 243.00?61.19 ng/ml in LOPE group and 273.91 +/- 48.57 ng/ml in control
      group. There were significant differences in serum PIBF, blood Th1/Th2 and
      placenta PIBF-IOD among the 3 groups (P<0.05). EOPE group had significantly lower
      serum PIBF, lower llacental PIBF quantity (PIBF-IOD) and higher blood Th1/Th2
      than the control group (P<0.05). Serum PIBF in women with severe preeclampsia was
      positively correlated with placenta PIBF-IOD and negatively with blood Th1/Th2
      ratio (P<0.05), but a negative correlation between serum PIBF and 24-hour urinary
      protein was found only in EOPE group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The immune tolerance
      imbalance mediated by PIBF may participate in the pathogenesis of severe
      preeclampsia. PIBF, the immune suppressor secreted by lymphocytes of pregnancy
      women, is also a protective factor against severe preeclampsia, which is expected
      to be a new target in therapy.

PMID- 26111684
TI  - [Effects of propofol on pulmonary metastasis of intravenously injected MADB106
      tumor cells and expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin in rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different doses of propofol on pulmonary
      metastasis of intravenous injected MADB106 tumor cells and the expression of E
      cadherin and beta-catenin in the metastatic tumor tissue in rats. METHODS: Forty
      Fischer 344 male rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=10) for intravenous
      administration of normal saline, intralipid, or propofol at 30 or 50 mg/kg via
      the femoral vein. One hour after the infusion, MADB106 tumor cells (2*10(5)) were
      injected intravenously in the rats. Three weeks later, pulmonary metastasis tumor
      foci and metastatic inhibitory rate were observed and the expression of E
      cadherin and beta-catenin in the metastatic tumor tissue were detected by
      immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Compared with the normal saline group, intralipid
      group showed no significant differences in the number of metastatic tumor foci in
      the lungs or E-cadherin and beta-catenin expressions (P>0.05), which were all
      significantly lowered in the two propofol groups (P<0.05 or 0.01). The dose of
      propofol was inversely correlated with the number of metastasis tumor foci (r=
      0.879) and expressions of E-cadherin (r=-0.755) and beta-catenin (r=-0.693)
      (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Propofol can dose-dependently suppress pulmonary metastasis
      of intravenous injected MADB106 tumor cells by inhibiting the Wnt/beta-catenin
      pathway and down-regulating E-cadherin and beta-catenin expressions in the
      metastatic tumor tissue.

PMID- 26111686
TI  - [Three-dimensional isotropic magnetic resonance imaging of the ankle joint].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the image quality of isotropic 3-dimensional fast spin echo
      (3D-FSE), 3D fast field echo (3D-FFE), and 2D fast spin echo (2D-FSE) sequences
      in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the anatomical structure of the ankle
      joint. METHODS: The ankle joints of 10 healthy volunteers were examined with
      isotropic 3D-FSE, 3D-FFE and 2D-FSE sequences using a 1.5T MR scanner and 3D
      reconstruction. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)
      of the tissues were measured. Two radiologists evaluated the image quality of the
      3 sequences using a 5-point Likert scale in a double-blinded manner. RESULTS: The
      3D-FSE sequences resulted in the highest SNRs for all the tissues and the highest
      CNRs for differentiation between cartilage and marrow, between muscle and tendon,
      and between tendon and fluid. In the estimation of image quality for cartilages,
      3D-FFE had the highest score followed by 3D-FSE, and the latter had the highest
      score among the 3 sequences in displaying the tendon. CONCLUSION: 3D-FSE sequence
      has a high performance in displaying the anatomical structures of complex joints
      especially for cartilage, ligament, and tendon tissues.

PMID- 26111685
TI  - [Mitochondrial injury in enterovirus 71-infected Vero cells and its mechanism].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mitochondrial injury in enterovirus 71 (EV71)
      infected Vero cells and explore the possible mechanism. METHODS: A clinical
      isolate of EV71 was inoculated to Vero cells and the EV71 antigen was detected by
      immunofluorescence assay. The morphological changes of Vero cells were observed
      using optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The diameter and
      area density of the viral particles and the ratio and area density of vacuolated
      mitochondria in the cells were measured on the ultrastructural images. RESULTS:
      EV71-infected Vero cells underwent obvious changes and to a spherical morphology
      followed by cell death EV71 particles were detected in the cytoplasm by
      immunofluorescence. Ultrastructurally, the infected cells contained a large
      number of viral particles in the cytoplasm, with a clustered distribution and
      lattice-like arrangement. The diameter of the particles were 16.3 nm and the mean
      area density was 38.3%. Most of the mitochondria presented with swelling,
      vacuoles and degeneration. The ratio of the vacuolated mitochondria was 90.9%
      with a mean area density of 89.2%. Viral particles were also found in some
      mitochondria. CONCLUSION: EV71 proliferates in the cytoplasm and invades the
      mitochondria of infected Vero cells leading to mitochondrial injury and cell
      death, suggesting that mitochondria are the targets for EV71 infection.

PMID- 26111687
TI  - [Early intervention with aspirin for preventing preeclampsia in high-risk women:
      a meta-analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of early intervention with aspirin for
      prevention of preeclampsia in high-risk women. METHODS: A systematic review and
      meta-analysis were performed based on the principles and methods of Cochrane
      systematic reviews. Electronic databases were searched for randomized trials
      comparing aspirin with either placebo or no aspirin. Studies were included when
      meeting the inclusion criteria that the participants were pregnant women at a
      high risk of preeclampsia and started aspirin therapy at 16 gestational weeks or
      earlier, which were assessed by two independent reviewers. Meta-analysis was
      conducted using Review Manger 5.3 software. RESULTS: A total of 5 studies
      involving 860 participants were included in the final analysis. In the high-risk
      women, early use of aspirin showed an OR of 0.35 (95% CI 0.17-0.75) for
      preventing pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), 0.75 (95% CI 0.47-0.98) for
      preeclampsia, 0.53 (95% CI 0.29-0.98) for intrauterine growth retardation, and
      0.20 (95% CI 0.08-0.48) for preterm birth; the average birth weight in aspirin
      intervention group was 107.15 g (95% CI 76.13-138.18, P<0.001) more than that in
      the control group. CONCLUSION: In high-risk pregnancies, early aspirin
      intervention starting before 16 weeks of gestation can prevent PIH, preeclampsia,
      IUGR, and preterm birth and help to increase the birth weight.

PMID- 26111688
TI  - [Feasibility of integrating tumor therapy with therapeutic effect evaluation
      using siRNA-loaded microbubbles].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of integrating cancer gene therapy with
      therapeutic effect evaluation using siRNA-loaded nano-scale microbubbles (siRNA
      NBs). METHODS: siRNA-NBs were prepared by hetero-assembly of polymeric siRNA
      micelles and liposomal microbubbles, and the particle sizes and surface
      potentials were examined with dynamic light scattering. The distributions of cy3
      labled siRNA in the tumor tissues were evaluated using confocal laser scanning
      microscopy. A siRNA targeting the anti-apoptosis gene SIRT2 was designed and its
      gene silencing effects was tested in vivo using siRNA-NBs with ultrasound
      exposure. The therapeutic effect of the loaded siRNA-NBs was evaluated by
      contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. RESULTS: The siRNA-NBs had a mean diameter of
      400.7 +/- 30.5 nm with a weak positive charge of +8.8 +/- 0.8 mV. With ultrasound
      exposure, siRNA-NBs effectively delivered cy3-siRNA into the cytoplasm of cancer
      cells and caused SIRT2 suppression and cell apoptosis in tumor tissues, resulting
      in significantly suppressed tumor growth. In addition, contrast-enhanced
      ultrasonography of siRNA-NBs provided good imaging quality to allow real-time
      observation of blood supply during gene therapy. CONCLUSIONS: As a novel
      ultrasound contrast agent, siRNA-NBs make possible the integration of tumor gene
      therapy and therapeutic effect evaluation for cancer.

PMID- 26111689
TI  - [Preparation and performance of pravastatin sodium-loaded chitosan microspheres].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To prepare pravastatin sodium-loaded chitosan microspheres to allow
      sustained drug release. METHODS: The drug-loaded chitosan microspheres were
      prepared by using genipin as the cross-linker. The influences of molecular weight
      of chitosan, volume ratio of oil and water, reaction temperature, and stirring
      speed on the formation of chitosan microspheres were investigated. The morphology
      of the microspheres was observed using scanning electron microscopy. The
      encapsulation efficiency, swelling ratio under different pH conditions, and in
      vitro drug release were measured. RESULTS: The in vitro release of pravastatin
      sodium could last for at least 31 days. The drug release rate varied with the
      reaction condition. The drug entrapment efficiency of the microsphere was 54.7%.
      The optimal processing conditions were as follows: chitosan viscosity of 200-400
      mPa.s, oil-water proportion of 10:1, stirring speed of 850 r/min, and reaction
      temperature at 40 degrees celsius;. CONCLUSION: The pravastatin sodium-loaded
      microspheres show good sustained drug release property, and the drug release rate
      can be modified by controlling the cross-linking time.

PMID- 26111690
TI  - [Lonidamine induces apoptosis via endoplasmic reticulum stress response and down
      regulating cIAP expression in human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of lonidamine on apoptosis of human breast
      carcinoma cells MCF-7 and the possible mechanisms. METHODS: MTT assay and colony
      forming assay were used to evaluate the growth inhibition induced by lonidamine
      in breast cancer MCF-7 cells. PI/Annexin-V staining was used to detect the
      apoptotic cells. The ATP levels in the cells were detected using an ATP assay
      kit. The expression of glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78), inhibitor of
      apoptosis protein (cIAP1) and caspase-8 were analyzed with Western blotting.
      RESULTS: MTT assay and colony-forming assay showed that 50-250 mmol/L lonidamine
      caused a time- and concentration-dependent inhibition of MCF-7 cell
      proliferation. Exposure to increased concentrations of lonidamine resulted in
      significantly increased apoptosis rate in MCF-7 cells. In MCF-7 cells treated
      with 50, 150 and 250 mmol/L lonidamine for 5 h, the intracellular ATP levels were
      lowered to 80.67%, 62.78% and 30.73% of the control level, respectively. Western
      blotting showed that lonidamine up-regulated the expression of GRP78, down
      regulated the expression of cIAP1 and promoted caspase-8 activation as the
      treatment time extended. CONCLUSION: Lonidamine can inhibit the proliferation and
      induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells, and these effects are probably mediated by
      reducing ATP level, inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress response, down
      regulating cIAP1, and promoting caspase-8 activation in the cells.

PMID- 26111691
TI  - [Plasma levels of mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease 2 in children
      with upper respiratory tract infection].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the significance of plasma levels of mannan-binding lectin
      (MBL)-associated serine protease 2 (MASP2) in children with upper respiratory
      tract infection (URTI). METHODS: A total of 103 children with URTI and 35 healthy
      children were examined for plasma levels of MASP2 and C-reactive protein (CRP).
      According to CRP levels, white blood cell count (WBC), stage of infection, and
      administration of treatments, the children with URTI were divided into the
      elevated CRP group (n=48) and the normal CRP group (n=54), elevated WBC group
      (n=61) and normal WBC group (n=40), the early stage of infection without
      treatment group (n=68) and mid-late stage of infection with treatment group
      (n=35). RESULTS: Plasma MASP2 levels was significantly higher in URTI group than
      in the healthy control group (P<0.001) and showed a close correlation with age
      (r=0.302, P<0.01). Plasma MASP2 level was significantly correlated with CRP level
      in elevated CRP group (r=0.310, P<0.05) but not in normal CRP group (P>0.05),
      correlated with WBC in elevated WBC group (r=0.392, P<0.01) but not in normal WBC
      group (P>0.05), and was significantly higher in early stage infection without
      treatment group than in mid-late stage of infection with treatment group
      (P<0.01). MASP2, MBL2 and CRP genes had a common binding site for the
      transcription factor HNF-4alpha. CONCLUSIONS: MASP2 may be an acute-phase
      protein, and its plasma level might serve as a new reference index in the
      diagnosis of URTI in children.

PMID- 26111692
TI  - [Quantitative detection of plasma level of human telomerase reverse transcriptase
      mRNA in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively measure plasma level of human telomerase reverse
      transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and
      explore its implications for NPC diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: With 24
      healthy volunteers serving as controls, the plasma level of hTERT mRNA was
      detected in 33 NPC patients by real-time PCR before and after treatments with
      chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and its association with the clinicopathological
      parameters of the patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The NPC patients showed a
      significantly higher mean plasma level of hTERT mRNA than the healthy volunteers
      (10.75 +/- 4.29 vs 0.95 +/- 0.37, P<0.05). The plasma hTERT mRNA level in the NPC
      patients was significantly correlated with clinical staging, tumor size, and
      degree of nodal metastasis (P<0.05) but with gender or age (P>0.05). In patients
      with stage I and II NPC, the plasma hTERT mRNA level decreased significantly
      after radiotherapy (5.60 +/- 2.33 vs 3.43 +/- 1.42); in patients in advanced
      stages (III and IV), plasma hTERT mRNA level decreased significantly from 12.68
      +/- 3.08 to 10.68 +/- 2.48 (P<0.05) after chemotherapy and to 3.13 +/- 1.69
      (P<0.05) after radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Radiotherapy and chemotherapy can
      effectively suppress elevated plasma hTERT mRNA levels in NPC patients. Plasma
      hTERT mRNA level is closely related to the clinicopathological factors and
      provides important information for early diagnosis and therapeutic effect
      evaluation of NPC.

PMID- 26111693
TI  - [Effects of metformin on apoptosis induced by advanced glycation end-products and
      expressions of caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2 in human dermal fibroblasts in vitro].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of metformin in protecting against advanced
      glycation end products (AGEs)-induced apoptosis in human primary dermal
      fibroblasts. METHODS: Fibroblasts were exposed to 100, 200, or 300 ug/mL AGEs,
      300 ug/mL bovine serum albumin (BSA), or 300 ug/mL AGEs and 1 mmol/L metformin
      for 24, 48, or 72 h. The exposed cells were examined for cell apoptosis using a
      cell counting kit. The expressions of caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2 protein in the
      fibroblasts treated for 72 h were detected with Western blotting. RESULTS: AGEs
      exposures caused significant dose- and time-dependent apoptosis in the
      fibroblasts. A 72-h exposure to 300 ug/mL AGEs resulted in obviously increased
      apoptosis of the fibroblasts compared to the control group (0.72 +/- 0.02 vs 1 +/
      0.04, P<0.05), and metformin significantly decreased AGEs-induced apoptosis
      (0.98 +/- 0.02 vs 0.72 +/- 0.02, P<0.05). The expressions of caspase-3 and Bax
      protein were significantly increased (P<0.05) and Bcl-2 protein expression was
      decreased (P<0.05) with a lowered Bcl-2/Bax ratio in AGEs-treated fibroblasts
      (P<0.05), and such changes were significantly reversed by metformin treatment
      (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Metformin can antagonize AGEs-induced apoptosis in human
      dermal fibroblasts by regulating the expressions of caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2.

PMID- 26111694
TI  - [Effect of RNA interference of CD59 gene on proliferation of non-small cell lung
      cancer cell line GLC-P in vitro].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of CD59 gene inhibition mediated by RNA
      interference on the proliferation and apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC) GLC-P cells in vitro. METHODS: Recombinant plasmids for RNA interference
      of CD59 gene were constructed and transfected into GLC-P cells via lipofectamine
      2000. The stably transfected cells were examined with real-time RT-PCR, MTT assay
      and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to investigate the changes in cell
      proliferation and apoptosis. RESULTS: Compared with the control cells, the cells
      transfected with CD59-siRNA showed significantly decreased expression levels of
      CD59 mRNA (P<0.05) and significantly inhibited cell proliferation. CONCLUSION:
      CD59 gene is highly expressed in NSCLC and RNA interference-mediated CD59
      silencing can strongly inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis in GLC-P
      cells, which shed light on a potentially new target for targeted gene therapy of
      NSCLC.

PMID- 26111695
TI  - [Construction of a online database for functional dyspepsia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish a clinical database of functional dyspepsia for
      epidemiological researches and standardizing clinical diagnosis and treatment.
      METHODS: The functional dyspepsia database was designed to incorporate the data
      from in-patients and out-patients with functional dyspepsia treated since July,
      2013 and was constructed using Visual Studio. The patient data were collected
      using a customized case report form designed according to the Roman criteria III
      and the etiology, symptoms, and treatments of the patients. All the cases deemed
      ineligible were excluded. The database was displayed on a website and allowed
      online data entry, case searches and statistical analysis of the clinical
      parameters. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The established online database for
      functional dyspepsia contained data of the general information, clinical
      symptoms, psychological status, living habits, dietary habits, medical history,
      examination results, clinical diagnosis, treatment methods and courses, outcomes
      and data statistics. The database was fully functional and provided complete and
      standardized data of functional dyspepsia for clinical studies.

PMID- 26111696
TI  - [Ovarian response and pregnancy outcome in hyper-responders during repeated in
      vitro fertilization and embryo transfer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ovarian response and pregnancy outcomes in patients
      with excessive ovarian response receiving long-protocol pituitary down-regulation
      during repeated in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). METHODS:
      Sixty IVF-ET cycles from January 2008 to December 2011 were analyzed
      retrospectively. The clinical characteristics were compared between the various
      treatment cycles. RESULTS: Compared with those with the first treatment cycle,
      the patients receiving repeated cycles had a significantly older age (P<0.001),
      reduced initial doses of Gn (P=0.049), and moderately lowered estrogen level on
      the day of hCG administration (E2) (P=0.027) and the number of oocytes retrieved
      (P=0.030). The high-quality embryo formation rate (P<0.001) and clinical
      pregnancy rate (P=0.009) were both significantly higher in patients with repeated
      cycles. The dose for down-regulation, total Gn dose, duration of Gn stimulation,
      number of two pronuclei (PN), number of fertilized oocyte, and the cancellation
      rate for a high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) were all
      comparable between the two groups (P>0.05). The recurrence rate of ovarian
      excessive respond was 40% (12/30). CONCLUSIONS: For patients receiving repeated
      IVF treatment cycle with a high ovarian response, a smaller initial dose of Gn
      should be used to minimize the risk of hyper-response and improve the outcome of
      assisted reproductive treatment.

PMID- 26111697
TI  - [Effect of Radix euphorbiae pekinensis extract on bioavailability of paclitaxel
      after their oral co-administration].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of Radix euphorbiae pekinensis extract on the
      permeability and bioavailability of paclitaxel co-administered orally. METHODS:
      Based on Ussing Chamber and in vivo experiment, the permeability and
      bioavailability of paclitaxel were evaluated after oral co-administration with
      radix euphorbiae pekinensis in rats. The contents of paclitaxel in the permeates
      and the blood samples were determined using HPLC and LC-MS/MS method,
      respectively. RESULTS: In Radix euphorbiae pekinensis co-administration group,
      the Papp of the mucosal-to-serosal (M-S) transport or serosal-to-mucosal
      transport (S-M) of paclitaxel in the jejunum or ileum segment differed
      significantly from those in verapamil co-administration group and blank control
      group (P<0.05), but the Papp of S-M transport in the colon showed no significant
      difference from that in the blank control group. In the blank group, the average
      absolute bioavailability (AB%) of orally administered paclitaxel was only 2.81%,
      compared to that of 7.63% in radix euphorbiae pekinensis group. The average AB%
      in verapamil group was about 1.5 times that of the blank group. CONCLUSION: Co
      administration of Radix euphorbiae pekinensis extract can increase the
      bioavailability of orally administered paclitaxel.

PMID- 26111698
TI  - [Effects of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome and age on sleep
      architecture].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea
      syndrome (OSAHS) and age on sleep architecture and the therapeutic effects of
      continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed
      222 subjects undergoing polysomnography (PSG) for snoring, who received CPAP
      under PSG on the next day following the initial PSG. The sleep architecture of
      the subjects in different age groups and in groups with different severities of
      OSAHS was analyzed before and after adjustment for apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) or
      age. The sleep architecture and ventilation function of the patients with OSAHS
      were also analyzed after CPAP. RESULTS: N3 sleep showed the strongest correlation
      with AHI (r=-0.361), and REM sleep and wake after sleep onset (WASO) were the
      most strongly correlated with age (r=-0.211 and 0.216, respectively). The 4 age
      groups showed significant differences in sleep efficiency (P<0.001), N1
      (P=0.015), N2 (P=0.013) and REM (P=0.030) sleeps, and WASO (P=0.001) but not in
      AHI (P=0.185). REM sleep decreased and WASO increased with an increasing age. The
      sleep efficiency and architecture were still significant different after
      adjustment for AHI. In 4 groups with different severity of OSAHS, N1, N2 and N3
      sleeps were significant different after adjustment for age (P=0.011, 0.017,
      0.001). In patients with moderate or severe OSAHS, N3 sleep increased with the
      increase of AHI. After CPAP for OSAHS, N1 and N2 sleeps significantly decreased,
      and N3 and REM sleeps increased (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Between OSAHS and age, REM
      sleep and WTSO are more importantly affected by age, while OSAHS more strongly
      affects N3 sleep. CPAP can improve the sleep quality of patients with OSAHS.

PMID- 26111699
TI  - [Muscle tissue lymphoma presenting only with fever of unknown origin: a case
      report and literature review].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Extra-nodal malignant lymphoma is often characterized by a lack of
      typical symptoms and positive results of auxiliary examinations, which make
      diagnosis difficult. In some cases, fever can be the only clinical manifestation.
      For the lymphoma patients presenting with persistent fever with a duration over 3
      weeks, characteristics of fever including time of fever attack, fever type and
      effects of drugs may have significant value in the diagnosis, especially in the
      early stage of the disease or in rare cases.

PMID- 26111700
TI  - COgnitive behavioural therapy vs standardised medical care for adults with
      Dissociative non-Epileptic Seizures (CODES): a multicentre randomised controlled
      trial protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The evidence base for the effectiveness of psychological
      interventions for patients with dissociative non-epileptic seizures (DS) is
      currently extremely limited, although data from two small pilot randomised
      controlled trials (RCTs), including from our group, suggest that Cognitive
      Behavioural Therapy (CBT) may be effective in reducing DS occurrence and may
      improve aspects of psychological status and psychosocial functioning.
      METHODS/DESIGN: The study is a multicentre, pragmatic parallel group RCT to
      evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of specifically-tailored CBT plus
      standardised medical care (SMC) vs SMC alone in reducing DS frequency and
      improving psychological and health-related outcomes. In the initial screening
      phase, patients with DS will receive their diagnosis from a neurologist/epilepsy
      specialist. If patients are eligible and interested following the provision of
      study information and a booklet about DS, they will consent to provide
      demographic information and fortnightly data about their seizures, and agree to
      see a psychiatrist three months later. We aim to recruit ~500 patients to this
      screening stage. After a review three months later by a psychiatrist, those
      patients who have continued to have DS in the previous eight weeks and who meet
      further eligibility criteria will be told about the trial comparing CBT + SMC vs
      SMC alone. If they are interested in participating, they will be given a further
      booklet on DS and study information. A research worker will see them to obtain
      their informed consent to take part in the RCT. We aim to randomise 298 people
      (149 to each arm). In addition to a baseline assessment, data will be collected
      at 6 and 12 months post randomisation. Our primary outcome is monthly seizure
      frequency in the preceding month. Secondary outcomes include seizure severity,
      measures of seizure freedom and reduction, psychological distress and
      psychosocial functioning, quality of life, health service use, cost effectiveness
      and adverse events. We will include a nested qualitative study to evaluate
      participants' views of the intervention and factors that acted as facilitators
      and barriers to participation. DISCUSSION: This study will be the first
      adequately powered evaluation of CBT for this patient group and offers the
      potential to provide an evidence base for treating this patient group. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN05681227 ClinicalTrials.gov
      NCT02325544.

PMID- 26111701
TI  - Mechanisms underlying clinical efficacy of Angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R)
      antagonist EMA401 in neuropathic pain: clinical tissue and in vitro studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The clinical efficacy of the Angiotensin II (AngII) receptor AT2R
      antagonist EMA401, a novel peripherally-restricted analgesic, was reported
      recently in post-herpetic neuralgia. While previous studies have shown that AT2R
      is expressed by nociceptors in human DRG (hDRG), and that EMA401 inhibits
      capsaicin responses in cultured hDRG neurons, the expression and levels of its
      endogenous ligands AngII and AngIII in clinical neuropathic pain tissues, and
      their signalling pathways, require investigation. We have immunostained AngII,
      AT2R and the capsaicin receptor TRPV1 in control post-mortem and avulsion injured
      hDRG, control and injured human nerves, and in cultured hDRG neurons. AngII,
      AngIII, and Ang-(1-7) levels were quantified by ELISA. The in vitro effects of
      AngII, AT2R agonist C21, and Nerve growth factor (NGF) were measured on neurite
      lengths; AngII, NGF and EMA401 effects on expression of p38 and p42/44 MAPK were
      measured using quantitative immunofluorescence, and on capsaicin responses using
      calcium imaging. RESULTS: AngII immunostaining was observed in approximately 75%
      of small/medium diameter neurons in control (n = 5) and avulsion injured (n = 8)
      hDRG, but not large neurons i.e. similar to TRPV1. AngII was co-localised with
      AT2R and TRPV1 in hDRG and in vitro. AngII staining by image analysis showed no
      significant difference between control (n = 12) and injured (n = 13) human
      nerves. AngII levels by ELISA were also similar in control human nerves (4.09 +/-
      0.36 pmol/g, n = 31), injured nerves (3.99 +/- 0.79 pmol/g, n = 7), and painful
      neuromas (3.43 +/- 0.73 pmol/g, n = 12); AngIII and Ang-(1-7) levels were
      undetectable (<0.03 and 0.05 pmol/g respectively). Neurite lengths were
      significantly increased in the presence of NGF, AngII and C21 in cultured DRG
      neurons. AngII and, as expected, NGF significantly increased signal intensity of
      p38 and p42/44 MAPK, which was reversed by EMA401. AngII mediated sensitization
      of capsaicin responses was not observed in the presence of MAP kinase inhibitor
      PD98059, and the kinase inhibitor staurosporine. CONCLUSION: The major AT2R
      ligand in human peripheral nerves is AngII, and its levels are maintained in
      injured nerves. EMA401 may act on paracrine/autocrine mechanisms at peripheral
      nerve terminals, or intracrine mechanisms, to reduce neuropathic pain signalling
      in AngII/NGF/TRPV1-convergent pathways.

PMID- 26111702
TI  - Pancreatic cancer-associated gene polymorphisms in a nation-wide cohort of p16
      Leiden germline mutation carriers; a case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The p16-Leiden founder mutation in the CDKN2A gene is the most common
      cause of Familial Atypical Multiple Mole Melanoma (FAMMM) syndrome in the
      Netherlands. Individuals with this mutation are at increased risk for developing
      melanoma of the skin, as well as pancreatic cancer. However, there is a notable
      interfamilial variability in the occurrence of pancreatic cancer among p16-Leiden
      families. We aimed to test whether previously identified genetic risk factors for
      pancreatic cancer modify the risk for pancreatic cancer in p16-Leiden germline
      mutation carriers. METHODS: Seven pancreatic cancer-associated SNPs were selected
      from the literature and were genotyped in a cohort of 185 p16-Leiden germline
      mutation carriers from 88 families, including 50 cases (median age 55 years) with
      pancreatic cancer and 135 controls (median age 64 years) without pancreatic
      cancer. Allelic odds ratios per SNP were calculated. RESULTS: No significant
      association with pancreatic cancer was found for any of the seven SNPs.
      CONCLUSIONS: Since genetic modifiers for developing melanoma have already been
      identified in CDKN2A mutation carriers, this study does not exclude that genetic
      modifiers do not play a role in the individual pancreatic cancer risk in this
      cohort of p16-Leiden germline mutation carriers. The search for these modifiers
      should therefore continue, because they can potentially facilitate more targeted
      pancreatic surveillance programs.

PMID- 26111703
TI  - Chronic heart failure alters orexin and melanin concentrating hormone but not
      corticotrophin releasing hormone-related gene expression in the brain of male
      Lewis rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of chronic heart
      failure (HF; 16 weeks post left coronary artery ligation) on the brain's orexin
      (ORX) and related neuropeptide systems. METHODS: Indicators of cardiac function,
      including the percent fractional shortening (%FS) left ventricular posterior wall
      shortening velocity (LVPWSV) were assessed via echocardiography at 16 weeks post
      myocardial infarction or sham treatment in male Lewis rats (n=5/group). Changes
      in gene expression in HF versus control (CON) groups were quantified by real-time
      PCR in the hypothalamus, amygdala and dorsal pons. RESULTS: HF significantly
      reduced both the %FS and LVPWSV when compared to CON animals (P<0.02). In the
      hypothalamus ORX gene expression was significantly reduced in HF and correlated
      with changes in cardiac function when compared to CON (P<0.02). No significant
      changes in hypothalamic ORX receptor (type 1 or type 2) gene expression were
      identified. Alternatively hypothalamic melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) gene
      expression was significantly upregulated in HF animals and negatively correlated
      with LVPWSV (P<0.006). In both the amygdala and dorsal pons ORX type 2 receptor
      expression was significantly down-regulated in HF compared to CON. ORX receptor
      type 1, CRH and CRH type 1 and type 2 receptor expressions were unchanged by HF
      in all brain regions analyzed. CONCLUSION: These observations support previous
      work demonstrating that cardiovascular disease modulates the ORX system and
      identify that in the case of chronic HF the ORX system is altered in parallel
      with changes in MCH expression but independent of any significant changes in the
      central CRH system. This raises the new possibility that ORX and MCH systems may
      play an important role in the pathophysiology of HF.

PMID- 26111704
TI  - Cord blood adipokines, neonatal anthropometrics and postnatal growth in offspring
      of Hispanic and Native American women with diabetes mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Offspring of women with diabetes mellitus (DM) during pregnancy have
      a risk of developing metabolic disease in adulthood greater than that conferred
      by genetics alone. The mechanisms responsible are unknown, but likely involve
      fetal exposure to the in utero milieu, including glucose and circulating
      adipokines. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of maternal DM on
      fetal adipokines and anthropometry in infants of Hispanic and Native American
      women. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study of offspring of mothers with
      normoglycemia (Con-O; n = 79) or type 2 or gestational DM (DM-O; n = 45)
      pregnancies. Infant anthropometrics were measured at birth and 1-month of age.
      Cord leptin, high-molecular-weight adiponectin (HMWA), pigment epithelium-derived
      factor (PEDF) and C-peptide were measured by ELISA. Differences between groups
      were assessed using the Generalized Linear Model framework. Correlations were
      calculated as standardized regression coefficients and adjusted for significant
      covariates. RESULTS: DM-O were heavier at birth than Con-O (3.7 +/- 0.6 vs. 3.4
      +/- 0.4 kg, p = 0.024), but sum of skinfolds (SSF) were not different. At 1
      month, there was no difference in weight, SSF or % body fat or postnatal growth
      between groups. Leptin was higher in DM-O (20.1 +/- 14.9 vs. 9.5 +/- 9.9 ng/ml in
      Con-O, p < 0.0001). Leptin was positively associated with birth weight (p =
      0.0007) and SSF (p = 0.002) in Con-O and with maternal hemoglobin A1c in both
      groups (Con-O, p = 0.023; DM-O, p = 0.006). PEDF was positively associated with
      birth weight in all infants (p = 0.004). Leptin was positively associated with
      PEDF in both groups, with a stronger correlation in DM-O (p = 0.009). At 1-month,
      HMWA was positively associated with body weight (p = 0.004), SSF (p = 0.025) and
      % body fat (p = 0.004) across the cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal DM results in
      fetal hyperleptinemia independent of adiposity. HMWA appears to influence
      postnatal growth. Thus, in utero exposure to DM imparts hormonal differences on
      infants even without aberrant growth.

PMID- 26111705
TI  - Nuclear Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Versus Stress Echocardiography in the
      Preoperative Evaluation of Patients for Kidney Transplantation.
AB  - The goal of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy, cost
      effectiveness, and appropriate use of SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (SMPI)
      versus stress echocardiography in the preoperative evaluation of patients for
      kidney transplantation. METHODS: A single-institution, retrospective study was
      performed. SMPI was performed with regadenoson and stress echocardiography
      predominantly with dobutamine. Findings on subsequent coronary angiography were
      correlated. A cost analysis for SMPI versus stress echocardiography was modeled
      using reimbursements from the Center for Medicare Services. RESULTS: One hundred
      thirteen patients underwent imaging (53 SMPI and 60 stress echocardiography). One
      hundred percent of SMPI studies were diagnostic, compared with only 80% (48/60)
      in the stress echocardiography group, and this result was statistically
      significant (chi(2) = 7.96, P < 0.01). The most common reason for a nondiagnostic
      test was not reaching the target heart rate. In the SMPI group, 15% (8/53) of
      patients had ischemia on imaging and all underwent subsequent coronary
      angiography, which confirmed obstructive coronary lesions. One patient with a
      negative SMPI result underwent a subsequent angiogram that was negative. In the
      stress echocardiography group, 5% (3/60) of patients had ischemia on imaging and
      2 underwent subsequent angiography, which was negative. Three of 12 patients with
      nondiagnostic examinations underwent further testing. One patient underwent a
      follow-up positive SMPI scan but no subsequent coronary angiography. The other 2
      patients underwent coronary angiography, which was negative. Of the 45 negative
      stress echocardiography patients, 6 (13%) underwent angiography, with a positive
      result for obstructive coronary artery disease in 3 of 6. For the modeling of
      cost analysis, rates of $1,173 and $1,521 (Center for Medicare Services) were
      used for SMPI and stress echocardiography, respectively. The model assumed that
      all nondiagnostic imaging would be referred for further stress testing (i.e.,
      nondiagnostic stress echocardiography would be referred for SMPI). This model
      estimated that initial noninvasive testing with stress echocardiography versus
      SMPI resulted in a 50% greater cost. CONCLUSION: For the preoperative evaluation
      of kidney transplantation, SMPI is more often diagnostic than stress
      echocardiography. A cost model estimates that initial noninvasive diagnostic
      testing with stress echocardiography would result in an approximately 50% greater
      cost than SMPI. Our data also suggest that SMPI has greater diagnostic accuracy
      than stress echocardiography. Therefore, this single-institution experience
      supports SMPI as the more appropriate test.

PMID- 26111706
TI  - Histamine Receptor 1 and 2 Antagonists Alter Biodistribution of Radioiodine.
AB  - Nuclear medicine technology assumes responsibility for examination-specific
      patient preparation procedures. This requires a clear understanding of the
      possible effects of medications on the outcome of examinations. There is evidence
      that common over-the-counter drugs, histamine 1 (H1) and histamine 2 (H2)
      receptor blockers and proton pump inhibitors, may directly or indirectly affect
      thyroid function. The objective was to determine whether short-term use of these
      drugs alters biodistribution of radioiodine in a rat model. METHODS: Rats
      received no drug (controls) or daily subcutaneous injections of H1 blocker
      (promethazine), H2 blocker (famotidine), or proton pump inhibitor (esomeprazole)
      commencing 1 d before a single intraperitoneal injection of 0.037 MBq (1 MUCi) of
      (131)I (NaI) and continuing daily until euthanasia at either 1 d or 8 d after
      (131)I. Organ uptake of (131)I by control and drug-treated rats was compared by
      gamma-well counting. RESULTS: Promethazine significantly increased uptake of
      (131)I by the thyroid (drug-treated-to-control ratios) both at 1 d (1.32) and 8 d
      (1.52) after (131)I. Both famotidine and promethazine (respectively)
      significantly increased salivary gland uptake of (131)I (drug-treated-to-control
      ratios) at 1 d (1.37, 1.40) and 8 d (4.52, 5.57) after (131)I. Promethazine
      significantly increased gastric (131)I uptake (drug-treated-to-control ratios) at
      1 d (1.47) and 8 d (1.46) after (131)I. Famotidine and promethazine
      (respectively) significantly decreased uptake of (131)I by the liver (drug
      treated-to-control ratios) at 1 d (0.60, 0.71) after (131)I but resulted in a
      marked increase over control levels (11.21, 9.28) at 8 d. Blood levels of (131)I
      were not altered by drug treatment. Esomeprazole did not affect radioiodine
      distribution. CONCLUSION: H1 and H2 blockers alter the biodistribution of
      radioiodine in the rat. Although the findings remain to be confirmed in humans,
      these drugs could increase radiation exposure to nontarget tissues, particularly
      the stomach and salivary tissue, during (131)I therapy and consideration should
      be given toward avoiding the elective use of these drugs during radioiodine
      therapy.

PMID- 26111708
TI  - Prostate Cancer Metastases to Inguinal Lymph Nodes Detected by Attenuation
      Corrected 11C-Acetate PET/CT.
AB  - The inguinal lymph nodes are an unusual site of metastases for prostate
      adenocarcinoma. We present a case in which a 61-y-old man with biochemically
      recurrent prostate cancer underwent attenuation-corrected (11)C-acetate PET/CT,
      which demonstrated multiple foci of increased activity in the left inguinal, left
      iliac chain, and right inguinal regions. The attenuation-corrected CT portion of
      the scan also showed anterior wall thickening of the rectum. The imaging findings
      were suggestive of metastatic involvement of the rectum below the dentate line
      with subsequent spread to the inguinal lymph nodes. 

PMID- 26111707
TI  - Comparison of Cystatin C and beta-Trace Protein Versus 99mTc-DTPA Plasma Sampling
      in Determining Glomerular Filtration Rate in Chronic Renal Disease.
AB  - Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best indicator of renal function. The
      gold standard for GFR measurement is inulin clearance. However, its measurement
      is inconvenient, time-consuming, and costly. Thus, in both scientific studies and
      routine clinical practice nuclear medicine methods ((99m)Tc
      diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid [(99m)Tc-DTPA] and (51)Cr
      ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid [(51)Cr-EDTA]) are preferred, and they correlate
      strongly with inulin clearance. In addition, cystatin C and beta-trace protein
      have also recently been used for this purpose. In the literature, however, data
      are limited about the clinical value of cystatin C and beta-trace protein in GFR
      measurement in chronic renal disease (CRD), and the results have been
      inconclusive. In this study, we aimed to determine the efficiency of cystatin C
      and beta-trace protein in the determination of GFR in CRD patients. METHODS:
      Eighty-four patients with CRD were included in the study (59 men and 25 women;
      age range, 21-88 y; mean age, 61 y). GFR was calculated using the gold-standard
      (99m)Tc-DTPA 2-sample plasma sampling method (TPSM) and 2 alternative methods: a
      formula using cystatin C and a formula using beta-trace protein. The correlation
      between TPSM and the cystatin C and beta-trace protein methods was assessed, and
      Bland-Altman analysis was used to graph scatterplots of the differences at a
      confidence interval of 95% (mean difference +/- 1.96 SDs). RESULTS: GFRs
      calculated using both alternative methods correlated strongly with those
      calculated using the gold standard. However, the correlation was stronger for the
      cystatin C method than for the beta-trace protein method, and neither method
      produced reliably consistent GFRs. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that
      cystatin C and beta-trace protein do not reflect GFR with sufficient accuracy.

PMID- 26111709
TI  - Incidental Diagnosis of an Asymptomatic Hydatid Cyst Through Low-Grade 18F-FDG
      Uptake in the Peripheral Rim.
AB  - Here we present a case of an untreated, asymptomatic, pulmonary hydatid cyst
      incidentally diagnosed on the basis of atypically low-grade (18)F-FDG uptake in
      the peripheral rim and a minimal increase in uptake on dual-point (18)F-FDG
      PET/CT. The patient underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT for characterization of a solitary
      lung lesion found on chest radiography and inconclusive findings on contrast
      enhanced CT. Although the diagnosis was confirmed by a serum indirect
      hemagglutination assay positive for Echinococcus granulosus, the low-grade (18)F
      FDG uptake in the context of the asymptomatic presentation was noteworthy, as it
      could be related to minimal active inflammation. Our case, together with similar
      previously published findings, leads to the hypothesis that inflammatory (18)F
      FDG uptake may be an additional determinant of the cause of symptoms in these
      patients. 

PMID- 26111710
TI  - Evaluation of the Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction with Gated IQ-SPECT
      Myocardial Perfusion Imaging.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the assessment of the left ventricular
      ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients by gated IQ-SPECT. METHODS: Twenty-eight
      patients were examined using gated (99m)Tc-sestamibi IQ-SPECT. Two different
      reconstruction datasets were created using the same projection data. The number
      of iterations, subsets, and gaussian filtering were based on 2 different
      recommendations from the manufacturer. For each dataset, end diastolic volume,
      end systolic volume, and LVEF were calculated using 4DMSPECT. A multigated planar
      equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography (MUGA) study with (99m)Tc-labeled red
      blood cells was used as a reference for the LVEF. RESULTS: The values of the
      different datasets were tested using the Bland-Altman analysis method. The
      calculated mean and 95% limits of agreement for the LVEF when dataset 1 and 2
      were compared were -1.1% and +/-15% points; when dataset 1 was compared with
      MUGA, the mean was calculated to -3.1% points and +/-17% points for the 95%
      limits of agreement. When dataset 2 and MUGA were compared, the mean was -4.2%
      and 95% limits of agreement of +/-18% points. CONCLUSION: Neither of the gated
      reconstructed datasets analyzed with 4DMSPECT was comparable to LVEF estimated by
      MUGA, with a tendency to overestimate LVEF. However, large random variations of
      the end diastolic volume, end systolic volume, and LVEF between the 2 gated
      reconstructed datasets were found. The reconstructed datasets were not
      interchangeable. Thus, these values should only be used with great caution when
      evaluating the functional state of the heart.

PMID- 26111711
TI  - Gallbladder Fossa Abscess Masquerading as Cholecystitis After Cholecystectomy.
AB  - We present a case of a 59-y-old woman who had undergone cholecystectomy and was
      subsequently found to have an abscess within the gallbladder fossa. A
      hepatobiliary scan using (99m)Tc-diisopropyliminodiacetic acid demonstrated the
      characteristic rim sign, a photopenic defect surrounded by a rim of mildly
      increased activity immediately adjacent to the gallbladder fossa. The rim sign
      was thought to be the result of reactive inflammation in the hepatic tissue
      adjacent to a postoperative abscess within the gallbladder fossa. 

PMID- 26111712
TI  - Incidental Liver Findings in 99mTc-Sestamibi Myocardial Perfusion SPECT.
AB  - In cardiac nuclear imaging, the liver is mostly remembered as a source of
      artifact in the left ventricular inferior wall. However, the liver may eventually
      display unexpected findings, which draw attention to significant noncardiac
      disease. In a patient referred for myocardial perfusion SPECT to investigate
      atypical chest pain, focal areas of increased tracer uptake revealed intrahepatic
      biliary dilatation. 

PMID- 26111713
TI  - Precise Localization of a Bile Leak with Hepatobiliary Scintigraphy.
AB  - Hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) is a widely used modality to diagnose biliary
      injury. In patients with a history of trauma or surgery, the common presentations
      of bile leaks on HBS are a progressive collection of radiotracer outside the
      biliary system. However, the precise localization of a bile leak is usually not
      conveyed by noninvasive techniques including CT or ultrasound or even HBS. This
      case study of a patient with liver trauma demonstrates a direct bile leak sign
      leading to recognition of an exact bile leakage site from the left intrahepatic
      duct. This diagnosis helped clinicians perform less-invasive management. 

PMID- 26111714
TI  - Bone Scintigraphy SPECT/CT Evaluation of Mandibular Condylar Hyperplasia.
AB  - Mandibular condylar hyperplasia (CH) is a complex developmental deformity
      resulting in asymmetries of the hyperplastic condyle. Bone scan SPECT is a
      sensitive and accurate method of detecting the growth activity of this disorder.
      This method can be used to quantitate the radionuclide uptake differences between
      the left and right condyles. Uptake differences of 10% or more between the left
      and right condyles, with increased uptake ipsilateral to the CH, are considered
      to be evidence of active growing CH. Quantitative assessment of CH is important
      to select an appropriate treatment course. Degenerative arthropathies of the
      temporomandibular joints may result in altered uptake, but this is mostly
      associated with the side contralateral to the CH. The CT portion of SPECT/CT is
      useful to assess the condylar dimensions and underlying bony changes. 

PMID- 26111715
TI  - Persistence and dispersal in a Southern Hemisphere glaciated landscape: the
      phylogeography of the spotted snow skink (Niveoscincus ocellatus) in Tasmania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this research was to identify the effects of Pleistocene
      climate change on the distribution of fauna in Tasmania, and contrast this with
      biotic responses in other temperate regions in the Northern and Southern
      Hemisphere that experienced glacial activity during this epoch. This was achieved
      by examining the phylogeographic patterns in a widely distributed Tasmanian
      endemic reptile, Niveoscincus ocellatus. 204 individuals from 29 populations
      across the distributional range of N. ocellatus were surveyed for variation at
      two mitochondrial genes (ND2, ND4), and two nuclear genes (beta-globin, RPS8).
      Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed using a range of methods (maximum
      parsimony, Bayesian inference and haplotype networks), and the demographic
      histories of populations were assessed (AMOVA, Tajima's D, Fu's Fs, mismatch
      distributions, extended Bayesian skyline plots, and relaxed random walk
      analyses). RESULTS: There was a high degree of mitochondrial haplotype diversity
      (96 unique haplotypes) and phylogeographic structure, where spatially distinct
      groups were associated with Tasmania's Northeast and a large area covering
      Southeast and Central Tasmania. Phylogeographic structure was also present within
      each major group, but the degree varied regionally, being highest in the
      Northeast. Only the Southeastern group had a signature of demographic expansion,
      occurring during the Pleistocene but post-dating the Last Glacial Maximum. In
      contrast, nuclear DNA had low levels of variation and a lack of phylogeographic
      structure, and further loci should be surveyed to corroborate the mitochondrial
      inferences. CONCLUSIONS: The phylogeographic patterns of N. ocellatus indicate
      Pleistocene range and demographic expansion in N. ocellatus, particularly in the
      Southeast and Central areas of Tasmania. Expansion in Central and Southeastern
      areas appears to have been more recent in both demographic and spatial contexts,
      than in Northeast Tasmania, which is consistent with inferences for other taxa of
      greater stability and persistence in Northeast Tasmania during the Last Glacial
      Maximum. These phylogeographic patterns indicate contrasting demographic
      histories of populations in close proximity to areas directly affected by
      glaciers in the Southern Hemisphere during the LGM.

PMID- 26111716
TI  - Placental autotaxin expression is diminished in women with pre-eclampsia.
AB  - AIM: Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a member of a new class of lipid mediators
      and exerts varied physiological and pathological functions. The secreted protein,
      autotaxin (ATX), is a key enzymatic determinant of local LPA production. The
      primary aim of this study was to investigate the potential involvement of the
      placental ATX-LPA system in pre-eclampsia (PE). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We compared
      human placental ATX mRNA expression in pregnancies complicated by severe PE with
      that in healthy placentas using real-time polymerase chain reaction. We further
      assessed whether these expression levels were associated with disease-onset
      patterns. RESULTS: Placental transcription of ATX increased progressively during
      normal pregnancy. In the analysis for pre-eclamptic placentas, the placental ATX
      expression in the early-onset group, but not in late-onset group, was
      significantly lower compared to normal controls. Multiple regression analysis
      revealed that occurrence of early-onset PE, but not late-onset PE, was a variable
      that was significantly associated with the placental ATX expression level.
      CONCLUSION: These findings support our previous work showing reduced ATX antigen
      levels in the peripheral blood of pre-eclamptic women. A disturbance in placental
      ATX production may be linked to poor placental development and systemic maternal
      symptoms in early-onset PE.

PMID- 26111717
TI  - Protection of coronary endothelial cells from cigarette smoke-induced oxidative
      stress by a new Mn(II)-containing polyamine-polycarboxilate scavenger of
      superoxide anion.
AB  - Oxidative stress plays a major role in cardiovascular injury and dysfunction
      induced by cigarette smoke. Smoke-borne pro-oxidants impair endothelial function
      and predispose to thrombosis, inflammation and atherosclerosis. This in vitro
      study evaluates whether Mn(II)(4,10-dimethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,7
      diacetate).2H2O (Mn(II)(Me2DO2A)), a polyamine-polycarboxilate, Mn(II)-containing
      O2(-) scavenger, has a direct protective action on guinea pig coronary
      endothelial (GPCE) cells exposed to cigarette smoke extracts (CSE).
      Mn(II)(Me2DO2A) (1-10MUmol/l) was added to the culture medium together with CSE
      and maintained for 4h. In parallel experiments, the inactive congener
      Zn(II)(Me2DO2A), in which Zn(II) replaced the functional Mn(II) center in the
      same organic scaffold, was used as negative control. Mn(II)(Me2DO2A), mostly at
      the higher doses (5 and 10MUmol/l), significantly increased GPCE cell viability
      (trypan blue assay), improved mitochondrial activity (MTT test, mitochondrial
      membrane potential Deltapsi), reduced cellular apoptosis (mPTP, caspase-3
      activity, TUNEL assay), decreased intracellular ROS levels (H2DCFDA),
      lipoperoxidation (BODIPY 581/591) and decreased protein nitrosylation. Of note,
      Zn(II)(Me2DO2A) did not preserve cell viability. These findings suggest that
      Mn(II)(Me2DO2A) is a promising O2(-) scavenging compound able to protect from
      cigarette smoke-induced oxidative cell injury. In perspective, should its
      efficacy be confirmed in future in vivo studies, this molecule might represent a
      therapeutic or preventive drug to counteract cigarette smoke toxicity. 

PMID- 26111718
TI  - Homocysteine, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, folate status and
      atherothrombosis: A mechanistic and clinical perspective.
AB  - Observational studies consistently reported an association between plasma total
      homocysteine concentrations and the risk of vascular events. In contrast, data
      from randomized trials largely support the hypothesis that mild elevations in
      homocysteine level have a modest effect on cardiovascular risk. A substantial
      body of evidence suggests that platelet activation is, at least in part, a
      transducer of the effects of high homocysteine in promoting atherothrombosis. The
      larger treatment effect recorded in several supplementation trials by subjects
      not on antiplatelet agents may support this hypothesis and justify, at least in
      part, the success of folate therapy in primary prevention. Circulating folate and
      homocysteine levels as well as MTHFR genotype, while emerging as major predictors
      of the risk of vascular events and of the efficacy of folic acid therapy, have
      also proved to be determinants of an interindividual variability in the degree of
      lipid peroxidation and platelet activation, and of the extent of their
      downregulation by folic acid. This may justify a variability in folate
      requirements, to be further characterized with dose-finding studies using
      biochemical endpoints. The combination of low-dose aspirin and low-dose folate
      would appear to be ideally suited for the primary prevention of both coronary and
      cerebrovascular events, and additional clinical trials should assess the efficacy
      and safety of these agents. 

PMID- 26111719
TI  - Wound healing and all-cause mortality in 958 wound patients treated in home care.
AB  - Skin wounds are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Data are,
      however, not readily available for benchmarking, to allow prognostic evaluation,
      and to suggest when involvement of wound-healing experts is indicated. We,
      therefore, conducted an observational cohort study to investigate wound healing
      and all-cause mortality associated with different types of skin wounds.
      Consecutive skin wound patients who received wound care by home-care nurses from
      January 2010 to December 2011 in a district in Eastern Denmark were included in
      this study. Patients were followed until wound healing, death, or the end of
      follow-up on December 2012. In total, 958 consecutive patients received wound
      care by home-care nurses, corresponding to a 1-year prevalence of 1.2% of the
      total population in the district. During the study, wound healing was achieved in
      511 (53.3%), whereas 90 (9.4%) died. During the first 3 weeks of therapy, healing
      was most likely to occur in surgical wounds (surgical vs. other wounds: adjusted
      hazard ratio [AHR] 2.21, 95% confidence interval 1.50-3.23), while from 3 weeks
      to 3 months of therapy, cancer wounds, and pressure ulcers were least likely to
      heal (cancer vs. other wounds: AHR 0.12, 0.03-0.50; pressure vs. other wounds:
      AHR 0.44, 0.27-0.74). Cancer wounds and pressure ulcers were further associated
      with a three times increased probability of mortality compared with other wounds
      (cancer vs. other wounds: AHR 3.19, 1.35-7.50; pressure vs. other wounds: AHR
      2.91, 1.56-5.42). In summary, the wound type was found to be a significant
      predictor of healing and mortality with cancer wounds and pressure ulcers being
      associated with poor prognosis. 

PMID- 26111720
TI  - The role of pro-inflammatory cytokines in neuroinflammation, neurogenesis and the
      neuroendocrine system in major depression.
AB  - Cytokines are pleiotropic molecules with important roles in inflammatory
      responses. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and neuroinflammation are important not
      only in inflammatory responses but also in neurogenesis and neuroprotection.
      Sustained stress and the subsequent release of pro-inflammatory cytokines lead to
      chronic neuroinflammation, which contributes to depression. Hippocampal
      glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) and the associated hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal
      (HPA) axis have close interactions with pro-inflammatory cytokines and
      neuroinflammation. Elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and GR functional
      resistance are among the most widely investigated factors in the pathophysiology
      of depression. These two major components create a vicious cycle. In brief,
      chronic neuroinflammation inhibits GR function, which in turn exacerbates pro
      inflammatory cytokine activity and aggravates chronic neuroinflammation. On the
      other hand, neuroinflammation causes an imbalance between oxidative stress and
      the anti-oxidant system, which is also associated with depression. Although
      current evidence strongly suggests that cytokines and GRs have important roles in
      depression, they are essential components of a whole system of inflammatory and
      endocrine interactions, rather than playing independent parts. Despite the
      evidence that a dysfunctional immune and endocrine system contributes to the
      pathophysiology of depression, much research remains to be undertaken to clarify
      the cause and effect relationship between depression and neuroinflammation. 

PMID- 26111721
TI  - The influence of sport club participation on physical activity, fitness and body
      fat during childhood and adolescence: The LOOK Longitudinal Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the longitudinal effect of sport participation in
      physical activity, fitness and body fat changes during childhood and adolescence.
      DESIGN: Longitudinal study (134 boys, 155 girls) of Australian youth aged 8-16
      years. METHODS: Physical activity was assessed by pedometers and accelerometers,
      fitness by the 20m shuttle-run, body fat by DEXA and club sport participation by
      questionnaire. Linear mixed models were used to determine the effects of sport
      participation and gender differences. RESULTS: Sports club participants were more
      physically active at all age groups than non-participants; boys took an extra
      1800 steps (p<0.001) and girls 590 steps per day (p<0.01) and boys engaged in an
      extra 9min and girls 6min more moderate to vigorous PA per day (both p<0.05).
      Fitness was higher among sports participants (boys 27% and girls 20% higher, both
      p<0.001) and sport participant girls had 2.9% less body fat (p<0.05). Higher
      fitness scores were maintained over time by sports participants but their greater
      PA diminished during adolescence, this being more evident among girls. Only 20%
      of sports club participants met the recommended daily average of 60min MVPA.
      CONCLUSIONS: Sport participants were more active, fitter and had less body fat
      (girls only) than non-sports participants. However, the associated benefits of
      sport with PA diminished during adolescence and the majority of sports
      participants did not meet recommended levels of PA. Strategies aiming to maximise
      the benefits of sports participation may be enhanced by providing special
      attention to the early adolescent period particularly among girls.

PMID- 26111722
TI  - The effects of antiepileptic inducers in neuropsychopharmacology, a neglected
      issue. Part II: Pharmacological issues and further understanding.
AB  - The literature on inducers in epilepsy and bipolar disorder is seriously
      contaminated by false negative findings. Part II of this comprehensive review on
      antiepileptic drug (AED) inducers provides clinicians with further educational
      material about the complexity of interpreting AED drug-drug interactions. The
      basic pharmacology of induction is reviewed including the cytochrome P450 (CYP)
      isoenzymes, the Uridine Diphosphate Glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), and P
      glycoprotein (P-gp). CYP2B6 and CYP3A4 are very sensitive to induction. CYP1A2 is
      moderately sensitive while CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 are only mildly sensitive. CYP2D6
      cannot be induced by medications. Induction of UGT and P-gp are poorly
      understood. The induction of metabolic enzymes such as CYPs and UGTs, and
      transporters such as P-gp, implies that the amount of these proteins increases
      when they are induced; this is almost always explained by increasing synthesis
      mediated by the so-called nuclear receptors (constitutive androstane, estrogen,
      glucocorticoid receptors and pregnaneX receptors). Although parti provides
      correction factors for AEDs, extrapolation from an average to an individual
      patient may be influenced by administration route, absence of metabolic enzyme
      for genetic reasons, and presence of inhibitors or other inducers. AED
      pharmacodynamic DDIs may also be important. Six patients with extreme sensitivity
      to AED inductive effects are described. 

PMID- 26111723
TI  - Researchers' focus on drugs over other treatments ignores doctors' and patients'
      views.

PMID- 26111724
TI  - Open Trial of an Acceptance-Based Behavior Therapy Intervention to Engage Newly
      Diagnosed HIV Patients in Care: Rationale and Evidence of Feasibility and
      Acceptability.
AB  - Successful linkage and retention in care of newly diagnosed individuals in the
      United States remains a significant gap in the HIV care continuum. This study
      assessed the acceptability and feasibility of an acceptance-based behavior
      therapy (ABBT) intervention to engage patients newly diagnosed with HIV in
      medical care. Nine patients were recruited over 4 months for this brief ABBT
      intervention, which consisted of two brief sessions, each lasting less than 20
      min. The intervention was developed to promote psychological acceptance of the
      HIV diagnosis, thereby increasing patients' willingness to make informed
      disclosure of their status. Eight patients completed a 1-month follow-up
      assessment, and all approved of the intervention and its components. Over the 1
      month period, participants showed increased acceptance, reduced perceptions of
      HIV stigmatization, and increased disclosure of HIV status to social supports.
      This pilot study provided support for the continued investigation of ABBT as an
      adjunctive intervention for newly diagnosed HIV patients who are at high-risk of
      dropping out of HIV care. 

PMID- 26111726
TI  - Drug-Related Inadvertent Deaths in a University Hospital--A Declining Trend.
AB  - We studied the incidence of fatal adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in a tertiary
      hospital to find out which drugs were involved. The secondary objective was to
      compare the data from the same hospital published 12 years earlier. All 1708
      death cases in the Helsinki University Central Hospital during the year 2012 were
      retrospectively evaluated. All suspected drug-related deaths, excluding suicides,
      were scrutinized by an expert panel using the WHO ADR probability classification.
      Of all cases, 52 (3.0%) were classified as certainly or probably drug related and
      24 (1.4%) as possibly drug related. Together, these corresponded to 0.02% of all
      hospital admissions. The most commonly involved drugs in certain or probable
      cases were cytostatics (18 cases, 1.1% of all cases) and antithrombotics (17,
      1.0%). Twelve years earlier, these caused 27 (1.8%) and 22 (1.5%) cases,
      respectively. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and glucocorticoids
      caused less (2 and 0 cases) fatal ADRs than earlier (12 and 4 cases, p = 0.048
      and p = 0.005, respectively). Most of the ADRs leading to death were present
      already in admission and affected seriously ill or elderly patients. Hospital
      born fatal ADRs occurred in 0.003% of patients. In conclusion, cytostatics and
      antithrombotics are still the leading causes of fatal ADRs, but NSAIDs and
      glucocorticoids seem to cause fatal ADRs less often than previously. The
      incidence of fatal ADRs in 2012 was 3.0% of all deaths, suggesting a decline
      compared to the 2000 value (5.0%). Improved awareness, prevention and treatment
      of ADRs and safer medicines may explain these declining trends. 

PMID- 26111725
TI  - Chronic MPTP treatment produces hyperactivity in male mice which is not
      alleviated by concurrent trehalose treatment.
AB  - The chronic MPTP+probenecid treatment paradigm has been used to successfully
      model the neurochemical, neuropathological, and behavioral effects associated
      with Parkinson's disease. Here, adult male C57Bl/6 mice were injected ip with 25
      mg/kg MPTP and 250 mg/kg probenecid (MPTPp) or saline twice weekly for a total of
      10 injections. Behavioral assessments included motor coordination, grip strength,
      spatial learning/memory, locomotor activity, and anhedonia. Those assessments
      were repeated up to 8 weeks post-treatment. In a subsequent experiment, adult
      male mice were treated with saline or MPTPp as described above. One-half of each
      group was allowed access to 1% trehalose in the water bottle. Trehalose intake
      averaged 1.90-2.34 g/kg. Behavioral assessments included locomotor activity,
      olfaction, motor coordination, grip strength, and exploratory behavior. Those
      assessments were repeated 4 weeks post-treatment. The strongest MPTPp effect was
      hyperactivity as exhibited in the open field. This increased activity was
      apparent in both experiments and occurred at all time points post-treatment.
      Assessments of grip strength, water maze performance, olfaction, and exploratory
      behavior did not indicate MPTPp-related alterations. When the specifications for
      the motor coordination test were made somewhat easier in the second experiment,
      there were deficits exhibited by the MPTPp group, the MPTPp+trehalose group and
      the trehalose group. The addition of trehalose did not alleviate any of the MPTPp
      induced behavioral alterations; however, trehalose treatment significantly
      attenuated the striatal decreases in DA, DOPAC, HVA and 5-HIAA. These results
      provide a more comprehensive description of the behavioral alterations resulting
      from the chronic MPTPp treatment regimen and suggest that trehalose at this
      concentration does not act as a complete neuroprotectant.

PMID- 26111728
TI  - First evidence of natural reproduction of the Allis shad Alosa alosa in the River
      Rhine following re-introduction measures.
AB  - After stocking with larvae from the Gironde-Garonne-Dordogne population, in 2013,
      three young-of-the-year Allis shad Alosa alosa, probably originating from natural
      reproduction, were documented for the first time in a period of nearly 100 years
      in the River Rhine. In 2014, a further increase was observed when 57 juveniles
      and eight adults were caught; seven of these eight adults were derived from
      stocking, indicating the success of stocking measures within the framework of the
      EU-LIFE project.

PMID- 26111730
TI  - Effects of changing housing conditions on mangabey behavior (Cercocebus atys):
      Spatial density, housing quality, and novelty effects.
AB  - The separate influences of spatial density and housing quality on the behavior of
      captive animals are difficult to measure because the two factors are often
      intrinsically linked. Here, we recorded affiliative and agonistic behavior in
      adult sooty mangabeys in various housing situations, testing spatial density and
      housing quality changes separately (N = 26 experienced spatial density changes; N
      = 12 experienced housing quality changes). We varied spatial density by 50% while
      holding housing quality constant and we varied housing quality while holding
      spatial density constant (achieved by comparing two types of run-housing that
      varied in the amount of visual privacy and outdoor access). Each housing
      condition was one month in duration. Prior to collecting data in each housing
      condition, we evaluated the subjects' initial responses to the change in housing
      environment during 2-week novelty periods. Affiliative behavior did not change
      during the novelty periods. Agonistic behavior initially increased slightly when
      spatial density increased and it decreased significantly when spatial density
      decreased; it also decreased when subjects moved to housing that offered more
      visual privacy and outdoor space, indicating that the mangabeys were sensitive to
      these housing changes. After the novelty periods, affiliative behavior increased
      under higher spatial density, but remained unchanged across housing quality
      conditions; agonistic behavior remained unchanged across all conditions. Results
      suggest that a prolonged increase in spatial density led the mangabeys to adopt a
      tension-reduction coping strategy, in which the increase in affiliative behavior
      alleviates a presumed increase in social tension. Reducing visual privacy and
      choice did not affect the mangabeys' behavior, post-novelty period. Thus, like
      many other primates, the mangabeys managed tension by flexibly adapting to
      changes in their housing environment in ways that reduce the risk of severe
      aggression. This study highlights the importance of controlled behavioral studies
      in facilitating data-driven management decisions that promote animal welfare. Am.
      J. Primatol. 77:1001-1014, 2015. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26111727
TI  - Recurrent mutations of CD79B and MYD88 are the hallmark of primary central
      nervous system lymphomas.
AB  - AIMS: Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) manifest aggressive
      clinical behaviour and have poor prognosis. Although constitutive activation of
      the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway has been documented, knowledge
      about the genetic alterations leading to the impairment of the NF-kappaB pathway
      in PCNSLs is still limited. This study was aimed to unravel the underlying
      genetic profiles of PCNSL. METHODS: We conducted the systematic sequencing of 21
      genes relevant to the NF-kappaB signalling network for 71 PCNSLs as well as the
      pyrosequencing of CD79B and MYD88 mutation hotspots in a further 35 PCNSLs and 46
      glioblastomas (GBMs) for validation. RESULTS: The results showed that 68 out of
      71 PCNSLs had mutations in the NF-kappaB gene network, most commonly affecting
      CD79B (83%), MYD88 (76%), TBL1XR1 (23%), PRDM1 (20%) and CREBBP1 (20%). These
      mutations, particularly CD79B and MYD88, frequently coincided within each tumour
      in various combinations, simultaneously affecting diverse pathways within the
      network. No GBMs had hotspot mutation of CD79B Y196 and MYD88 L265. CONCLUSIONS:
      The prevalence of CD79B and MYD88 mutations in PCNSLs was considerably higher
      than reported in systemic diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. This observation could
      reflect the paucity of antigen stimuli from the immune system in the central
      nervous system (CNS) and the necessity to substitute them by the constitutive
      activation of CD79B and MYD88 that would initiate the signalling cascades. These
      hotspot mutations may serve as a genetic hallmark for PCNSL serving as a genetic
      marker for diagnose and potential targets for molecular therapy.

PMID- 26111731
TI  - Integrating Multiple Correlated Phenotypes for Genetic Association Analysis by
      Maximizing Heritability.
AB  - Many correlated disease variables are analyzed jointly in genetic studies in the
      hope of increasing power to detect causal genetic variants. One approach involves
      assessing the relationship between each phenotype and each SNP individually and
      using a Bonferroni correction for the effective number of tests conducted.
      Alternatively, one can apply a multivariate regression or a dimension reduction
      technique, such as principal component analysis, and test for the association
      with the principal components of the phenotypes rather than the individual
      phenotypes. Inspired by the previous approaches of combining phenotypes to
      maximize heritability at individual SNPs, in this paper, we propose to construct
      a maximally heritable (MaxH) phenotype by taking advantage of the estimated total
      heritability and co-heritability. The heritability and co-heritability only need
      to be estimated once; therefore, our method is applicable to genome-wide scans.
      The MaxH phenotype is a linear combination of the individual phenotypes with
      increased heritability and power over the phenotypes being combined. Simulations
      show that the heritability and power achieved agree well with the theory for
      large samples and two phenotypes. We compare our approach with commonly used
      methods and assess both the heritability and the power of the MaxH phenotype.
      Moreover, we provide suggestions for how to choose the phenotypes for
      combination. An application of our approach to a GWAS on chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease shows its practical relevance.

PMID- 26111733
TI  - The gill microbiota of invasive and indigenous Spondylus oysters from the
      Mediterranean Sea and northern Red Sea.
AB  - The gill tissue of bivalve mollusks hosts rich symbiotic microbial communities
      that may contribute to the animal's metabolism. Spondylus spinosus is an invasive
      oyster that has become highly abundant along the eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS)
      coastline, but is scarce in the northern Red Sea (NRS), its indigenous region.
      The composition and seasonal dynamics of the gill microbial communities of S.
      spinosus were examined in both regions, using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.
      Additionally, two Red Sea Spondylus species, S. avramsingeri and S. pickeringae,
      were investigated using the same approach. Significant differences were found
      between microbial communities of the EMS S. spinosus and the three NRS species.
      Bacteria from the family Hahellaceae dominated the communities of the EMS S.
      spinosus and the NRS S. avramsingeri, oysters that are dominant in their habitat,
      yet were rare in the NRS S. spinosus and S. pickeringae, which are only seldom
      encountered. Bacterial communities of EMS S. spinosus were more similar to those
      of NRS S. spinosus than to those of other NRS Spondylus species, indicating that
      either part of the microbiota had co-invaded with their host into the
      Mediterranean Sea, or that there are species-specific selective constraints on
      microbial composition. 

PMID- 26111732
TI  - Structural Determinants of Client Perpetrated Violence Among Female Sex Workers
      in Two Mexico-U.S. Border Cities.
AB  - Female sex workers (FSWs) are disproportionately affected by both HIV and gender
      based violence, such as that perpetrated by clients (CPV). We used a structural
      determinants framework to assess correlates of physical or sexual CPV in the past
      6 months among FSWs in the Mexico/U.S. border cities of Ciudad Juarez and
      Tijuana. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis identified
      individual, client, interpersonal, work environment and macrostructural factors
      associated with recent CPV. Among 496 FSWs, 5 % experienced recent CPV.
      Witnessing violence towards other FSWs in one's neighborhood (aOR 5.6, 95 % CI
      1.8-17.2), having a majority of foreign (aOR 3.5, 95 % CI 1.4-8.4) or substance
      using (aOR 4.0, 95 % CI 1.5-10.4) clients, and being a street worker (aOR 3.0, 95
      % CI 1.1-7.7) were independently associated with recent CPV. Our findings
      underscore the vulnerability of FSWs and the need to design policies and
      interventions addressing macro-level influences on CPV rather than exclusively
      targeting individual behaviors.

PMID- 26111734
TI  - Organo-arsenic molecular layers on silicon for high-density doping.
AB  - This article describes for the first time the controlled monolayer doping (MLD)
      of bulk and nanostructured crystalline silicon with As at concentrations
      approaching 2 * 10(20) atoms cm(-3). Characterization of doped structures after
      the MLD process confirmed that they remained defect- and damage-free, with no
      indication of increased roughness or a change in morphology. Electrical
      characterization of the doped substrates and nanowire test structures allowed
      determination of resistivity, sheet resistance, and active doping levels.
      Extremely high As-doped Si substrates and nanowire devices could be obtained and
      controlled using specific capping and annealing steps. Significantly, the As
      doped nanowires exhibited resistances several orders of magnitude lower than the
      predoped materials. 

PMID- 26111736
TI  - Type 2 diabetes mellitus and risk of gallbladder cancer: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis of observational studies.
AB  - AIMS: Increasing evidence suggests that a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (type 2 DM) may be involved in the development of various sites of cancer.
      However, the association with risk of gallbladder cancer remains unclear.
      METHODS: We identified studies by a literature search of MEDLINE and EMBASE
      through 31 August 2014 and by searching the reference lists of pertinent
      articles. All data were independently extracted by two investigators using a
      standardized data abstraction tool. Summary relative risks (SRRs) with 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with a random effects model. RESULTS:
      A total of 20 studies (eight case-control studies and 12 cohort studies) were
      included in this meta-analysis. Analysis of these 20 studies found that compared
      with non-diabetic individuals, diabetic individuals had an increased risk of
      gallbladder cancer (SRR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.36-1.79). There was evidence of
      moderate heterogeneity among these studies (p = 0.010 and I(2)  = 43.5%). This
      increased risk relationship is independent of smoking, body mass index and a
      history of gallstones. However, whether or not controlled for, alcohol use may be
      one of the potential confounders that significantly affect the association
      between type 2 DM and the risk of gallbladder cancer. Diabetic women and men had
      a similarly increased risk of gallbladder cancer associated with type 2 DM.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings of this systematic review indicate that compared with
      non-diabetic individuals, both men and women with type 2 DM had an increased risk
      of gallbladder cancer. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26111735
TI  - Deep brush-based cytology in tonsils resected for benign diseases.
AB  - A fraction of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), especially in the tonsil, is caused by
      human papillomavirus (HPV), mainly HPV16. Noninvasive diagnostic methods to
      detect precancerous lesions in the tonsil would be useful, e.g., liquid-based
      cytology (LBC). However, ill-characterized precancerous lesions may be hidden in
      the depth of the tonsillar crypts. We therefore conducted a study on HPV and
      tonsillar precancerous lesions to evaluate, among other things, the utility of
      LBC obtained by deep brushing of the resected tonsils. Two hundred non-paediatric
      patients (mean age: 30.3 years) who underwent tonsillectomy for infection-related
      conditions (69%) or other conditions (mainly obstructive sleep apnoea, 31%) were
      included. An ultra-sensitive Luminex bead-based platform was used to test for the
      DNA of 21 mucosal HPV types; 56% of slides were unsatisfactory due to low number
      of squamous epithelial cells or the masking effect of a large number of
      lymphocytes. Three patients (1.5%; 95% CI: 0.5-4.3) showed suspicious cytological
      findings (atypical squamous cells-cannot exclude high-grade squamous
      intraepithelial lesion, ASC-H) while 3 others were HPV-positive (2 for HPV16 and
      1 for HPV39). None of the ASC-H patients and HPV-positive patients showed
      dysplasia at histological examination. The rarity of HPV infection in the tonsil
      conflicts with the relatively frequent detection of the virus in the mouth. In
      conclusion, aggressive deep brushing of tonsils, while hardly applicable in vivo,
      is unlikely to be a reliable method to detect precancerous lesions. The absence
      of OPC screening modalities places the priority on multi-purpose primary
      prevention strategies, i.e., HPV vaccination and reduction of smoking and
      drinking. 

PMID- 26111737
TI  - Semantic Borders and Incomplete Understanding.
AB  - In this article, we explore a fundamental issue of Cultural Psychology, that is
      our "capacity to make meaning", by investigating a thesis from contemporary
      philosophical semantics, namely, that there is a decisive relationship between
      language and rationality. Many philosophers think that for a person to be
      described as a rational agent he must understand the semantic content and meaning
      of the words he uses to express his intentional mental states, e.g., his beliefs
      and thoughts. Our argument seeks to investigate the thesis developed by Tyler
      Burge, according to which our mastery or understanding of the semantic content of
      the terms which form our beliefs and thoughts is an "incomplete understanding".
      To do this, we discuss, on the one hand, the general lines of anti-individualism
      or semantic externalism and, on the other, criticisms of the Burgean notion of
      incomplete understanding - one radical and the other moderate. We defend our
      understanding that the content of our beliefs must be described in the light of
      the limits and natural contingencies of our cognitive capacities and the
      normative nature of our rationality. At heart, anti-individualism leads us to
      think about the fact that we are social creatures, living in contingent
      situations, with important, but limited, cognitive capacities, and that we
      receive the main, and most important, portion of our knowledge simply from what
      others tell us. Finally, we conclude that this discussion may contribute to the
      current debate about the notion of borders. 

PMID- 26111738
TI  - Pitch Processing in Tonal-Language-Speaking Children with Autism: An Event
      Related Potential Study.
AB  - The present study investigated pitch processing in Mandarin-speaking children
      with autism using event-related potential measures. Two experiments were designed
      to test how acoustic, phonetic and semantic properties of the stimuli contributed
      to the neural responses for pitch change detection and involuntary attentional
      orienting. In comparison with age-matched (6-12 years) typically developing
      controls (16 participants in Experiment 1, 18 in Experiment 2), children with
      autism (18 participants in Experiment 1, 16 in Experiment 2) showed enhanced
      neural discriminatory sensitivity in the nonspeech conditions but not for speech
      stimuli. The results indicate domain specificity of enhanced pitch processing in
      autism, which may interfere with lexical tone acquisition and language
      development for children who speak a tonal language.

PMID- 26111739
TI  - Does Gender Moderate Core Deficits in ASD? An Investigation into Restricted and
      Repetitive Behaviors in Girls and Boys with ASD.
AB  - Due to the uneven gender ratio of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), girls are
      rarely studied independently from boys. Research focusing on restricted and
      repetitive behaviors (RRBs) indicates that above the age of six girls have fewer
      and/or different RRBs than boys with ASD. In this study we investigated whether
      girls and boys with ASD demonstrated similar rates and types of RRBs in early
      childhood, using discrete observational coding from a video-taped play
      interaction. Twenty-nine girls with ASD were matched to 29 boys based on ASD
      severity. While boys in our sample demonstrated a greater frequency of RRBs, this
      was not significant and our findings indicate that girls and boys under five are
      more similar than dissimilar on this core deficit. However our data also revealed
      a trend toward gender-differential growth trajectories--a finding worthy of
      further investigation in larger samples.

PMID- 26111740
TI  - Referral of Ovarian Cancer Patients for Genetic Counselling by Oncologists: Need
      for Improvement.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Nearly 15% of all ovarian cancer patients carry a germline BRCA
      mutation. A pilot project was started at IRCCS AOU San Martino--IST, Genoa, to
      assess the feasibility and consequences of offering genetic counselling to all
      ovarian cancer patients during routine oncology appointments. We present early
      results of this project. METHODS: Patients who attended an oncology visit at the
      Medical Oncology Unit 1 between November 2012 and December 2013 were identified.
      Medical records were reviewed for clinical data, genetic counselling and testing
      outcomes. RESULTS: Out of 104 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer undergoing an
      oncology visit, 94 had not had genetic counselling in the past. Twenty-nine
      patients (29/94, 31%) were referred to the Unit of Hereditary Cancer; of these,
      14/26 (54%) were referred at the first visit and 15/68 (22%) at the follow-up
      visit (p = 0.003). Most referred women attended genetic counselling (22/29, 76%)
      and had BRCA genetic testing (21/22, 95%). Four BRCA1 mutations were detected
      (4/21, 19%). CONCLUSIONS: Oncologists discuss genetic counselling with a minority
      of ovarian cancer patients. Mainstreaming such practice is important to optimize
      the management of these patients and their families. Efforts are needed to
      identify new models for introducing ovarian cancer genetic risk assessment in
      oncology practice.

PMID- 26111742
TI  - Horizontal Tonic Conjugate Gaze Deviation and Arachnoid Cyst.

PMID- 26111741
TI  - The Role of the Modified Barium Swallow Study and Esophagram in Patients with
      Globus Sensation.
AB  - Globus sensation (GS) is a common benign finding that is often associated with
      frequent throat clearing and is commonly a result of laryngopharyngeal reflux.
      The primary objective of this investigation was to examine the role of the
      modified barium swallow study (MBSS) with esophagram in the diagnosis and
      management patients who present with chief complaints of a GS. We hypothesize
      that these radiographic swallow studies do not add clinically significant
      information in the investigation of this common complaint. Retrospective chart
      review of patients with chief complaints of GS between 2000 and 2009 who
      underwent both MBSS and esophagram was conducted. Of the 380 patients who
      underwent MBSS, only 68 patients were eligible for this study. Over 70 % of
      patients were on reflux medicines, 81 % of the MBSS studies were normal, 62 % of
      the esophagram results were normal, 18 % of patients had a hiatal hernia, and 10
      % exhibited signs of reflux. Esophagoscopy was performed in 45 % of patients, of
      which 35 % were normal. One patient initially had a normal
      esophagogastroduodenoscopy and then was subsequently diagnosed with gastric CA.
      Fifty-nine percent of patients underwent CT Neck with IV contrast, of which 67 %
      had minor findings. Positive findings are often benign and can be treated with
      reflux medications. Esophagoscopy was often normal and most sensitive only for
      hiatal hernia. No hypopharyngeal cancer was noted. Therefore, MBSS and esophagram
      for patients with GS are most often negative and fail to add significant
      diagnostic information.

PMID- 26111743
TI  - Modulating spin relaxation in nanowires with infrared light at room temperature.
AB  - Spintronic devices usually rely on long spin relaxation times and/or long spin
      relaxation lengths for optimum performance. Therefore, the ability to modulate
      these quantities with an external agent offers unique possibilities. The dominant
      spin relaxation mechanism in most technologically important semiconductors is the
      D'yakonov-Perel' (DP) mechanism which may vanish if the spin carriers (electrons)
      are confined to a single conduction subband in a quantum wire. Here, we report
      modulating the DP spin relaxation rate (and hence the spin relaxation length) in
      self assembled 50 nm diameter InSb nanowires with infrared (IR) light at room
      temperature. In the dark, almost all the electrons in the nanowires are in the
      lowest conduction subband, resulting in near-complete absence of DP relaxation.
      This allows observation of spin-sensitive effects in the magnetoresistance. Under
      IR illumination, higher subbands get populated and the DP spin relaxation
      mechanism is revived, leading to a three-fold decrease in the spin relaxation
      length. Consequently, the spin sensitive effects disappear under illumination.
      This phenomenon may have applications in spintronic room-temperature IR
      photodetection. 

PMID- 26111744
TI  - [Analysis of vaccination data of patients aged 60 years and older from Bavaria
      and Thuringia].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite annual updates of vaccination recommendations by the German
      Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) at the Robert Koch Institute, diseases
      preventable by vaccination still cause a relevant burden of disease in the
      elderly. OBJECTIVES: A comparison of the vaccination status of the elderly in
      Bavaria and Thuringia was carried out. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Medical settlement
      data from the first quarter of 2007 to the second quarter of 2008 from the
      association of panel doctors in Bavaria and Thuringia for insured persons aged 60
      years and above were analyzed concerning vaccinations, age, gender and
      multimorbidity. The vaccination rates for influenza were calculated. RESULTS: The
      use of all recommended vaccinations in this age group was greater in Thuringia
      (eastern federal state) than in Bavaria (western federal state). In both states
      the administration rates of tetanus and diphtheria vaccines were lower in
      individuals with higher comorbidity and age. Protection rates against diphtheria
      were incomplete as a result of inadequate use of combination vaccines. In both
      states the administration of pneumococcal vaccine was higher in subjects with
      more comorbidities. In Bavaria administration rates increased with age. Influenza
      vaccination rates increased in association with age and comorbidity in both
      states. In elderly individuals influenza vaccination was used more often in the
      third quarter of 2007. CONCLUSION: Old age and multimorbidity are often
      insufficiently taken into consideration in studies on vaccination rates. The data
      from this study confirmed the relevant findings from other studies and emphasize
      the deficient implementation of standard vaccinations in primary prevention. In
      this study very old patients were differentiated and considered according to age
      groups for the first time.

PMID- 26111745
TI  - Influence of Lentiviral beta-Synuclein Overexpression in the Hippocampus of a
      Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease on Amyloid Precursor Protein
      Metabolism and Pathology.
AB  - BACKGROUND: beta-Synuclein (beta-Syn) is a member of the highly homologous
      synuclein protein family. The most prominent family member, alpha-synuclein
      (alpha-Syn), abnormally accumulates in so-called Lewy bodies, one of the major
      pathological hallmarks of alpha-synucleinopathies. Notably, parts of the peptide
      backbone, called the nonamyloid component, are also found in amyloid plaques.
      However, beta-Syn seems to have beneficial effects by reducing alpha-Syn
      aggregation, and amyloid antiaggregatory activity has been described. OBJECTIVE:
      The aim of the study was to analyze if wild-type beta-Syn can counteract
      functional and pathological changes in a murine Alzheimer model over different
      time periods. METHODS: At the onset of pathology, lentiviral particles expressing
      human beta-Syn were injected into the hippocampus of transgenic mice
      overexpressing human amyloid precursor protein with Swedish and London mutations
      (APPSL). An empty vector served as the control. Behavioral analyses were
      performed 1, 3 and 6 months after injection followed by biochemical and
      histological examinations of brain samples. RESULTS: beta-Syn expression was
      locally concentrated and rather modest, but nevertheless changed its effect on
      APP expression and plaque load in a time- and concentration-dependent manner.
      Interestingly, the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta was
      enhanced in APPSL mice expressing human beta-Syn, but an inverse trend was
      observed in wild-type animals. CONCLUSION: The initially reported beneficial
      effects of beta-Syn could be partially reproduced, but locally elevated levels of
      beta-Syn might also cause neurodegeneration. To enlighten the controversial
      pathological mechanism of beta-Syn, further examinations considering the
      relationship between concentration and exposure time of beta-Syn are needed.

PMID- 26111746
TI  - Surgical Management of Vascular Stents in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery: Clues for a
      Staged Partnership.
AB  - Complex cases undergo step surgical and percutaneous procedures, including stent
      deployment. Concerns arise on stent removal at latest surgery. Our initial
      experience is presented. Forty-six stents in 35 patients were partially or
      totally removed at surgery. Univentricular heart was diagnosed in 20 patients.
      Stents were previously deployed in: ductus (6), right ventricle outflow tract
      (12), atrial septal defect (4), right pulmonary artery (4), left pulmonary artery
      (16), inferior vena cava (2), superior vena cava (1) and ascending aorta (1).
      Surgical procedures performed: 9 transplants, 6 Fontan, 4 Glenn, 1 comprehensive
      repair (Norwood + Glenn), 1 Glenn takedown, 8 conduit replacement, 2 Fallot, 2
      Rastelli, 1 ventricular septal defect closure and 1 iatrogenic aortopulmonary
      window. Five ductal stents were clipped. Eleven stents in right ventricle, four
      ones in atrial septal defect, two in right pulmonary artery, seven in the left
      pulmonary artery and two in inferior vena cava were completely removed. Two
      stents in right pulmonary artery, one in superior vena cava, one in ascending
      aorta and nine in the left pulmonary artery were partially retrieved. Handling
      the stents in ductus, right ventricle and atrial septal defect was
      straightforward. On the contrary, stent removal in the ductus (comprehensive
      case), pulmonary branches, both vena cavae or aorta required short periods of
      deep hypothermia with circulatory arrest. Surgery over stents is increasing in
      complex, step procedures. Univentricular hearts are most prevalent. Congenital
      transplant surgery faces new challenges. Stent removal at the time of surgery may
      require deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. 

PMID- 26111747
TI  - Closure of Isolated Congenital Coronary Artery Fistula: Long-Term Outcomes and
      Rate of Re-intervention.
AB  - Long-term outcome after closure of isolated congenital coronary artery fistula
      (ICCAF) is poorly documented. To assess late outcome after ICCAF closure, a 1983
      2013 retrospective study included all patients who attempted an ICCAF closure and
      whose follow-up was >=1 year. ICCAF was diagnosed in 23 patients [median age 6.9
      years (0.1-70.5 years), 13 children]. ICCAF was symptomatic in 12 patients (52.2
      %). First intervention was either a transcatheter embolization (n = 19 patients,
      82.6 %) or a surgical ligation (n = 4 patients, 17.4 %). After a follow-up of 9.0
      years (2.8-33.5), neither death nor late ischemic event occurred but one patient
      was transplanted, because of postoperative myocardial infarction. Late ICCAF
      recanalization occurred in eight patients, leading to successful embolization of
      the shunt in all patients after a delay of 9.8 years (5.7-13.8 years) from the
      first intervention. Re-intervention occurred later in children (p = 0.0027), with
      a 50 and 37.5 % freedom from re-intervention in adults compared to a 100 and 89.0
      % in children, respectively, at 1 and 6 years of follow-up. At last follow-up,
      coronary artery diameter had decreased from a mean z score of 12.0 +/- 7.7 to a
      mean z score of 6.0 +/- 6.0 (p = 0.002). Long-term outcome after ICCAF closure is
      excellent, with neither death nor late ischemic event, and a significant decrease
      in coronary artery diameter with time. Late follow-up is of paramount importance,
      as one-third of patients will require a re-intervention for late shunt
      recanalization. 

PMID- 26111748
TI  - Histopathology of the human inner ear in Alstrom's syndrome.
AB  - Alstrom's syndrome is an autosomal recessive syndromic genetic disorder caused by
      mutations in the ALMS1 gene. Sensorineural hearing loss occurs in greater than
      85% of patients. Histopathology of the inner ear abnormalities in the human has
      not previously been fully described. Histopathology of the inner ear in Alstrom's
      syndrome is presented in 2 genetically confirmed cases. The predominant
      histopathologic correlates of the sensorineural loss were degeneration of the
      organ of Corti, both inner and outer hair cells, degeneration of spiral ganglion
      cells, and atrophy of the stria vascularis and spiral ligament.

PMID- 26111749
TI  - Effect of excessive doses of oxytetracycline on stress-related biomarker
      expression in coho salmon.
AB  - Fish are exposed to a wide variety of environmental stressors, such as chemicals
      and acute changes in temperature. Oxytetracycline (OTC) has been used as an
      antibiotic for many kinds of bacterial diseases in cultured fish, but excessive
      doses of OTC are known to cause side effects in fish and can have negative
      effects on their environment. In the present study, we examined stress-related
      biomarker expression in response to excessive doses of dietary OTC in coho salmon
      (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Fish received OTC (100 mg/kg body weight/day) orally for
      2 weeks. The percentage of liver to body weight (hepatosomatic index; HSI) and
      plasma biochemical parameter, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, of the
      group fed a diet containing OTC were observed to be significantly higher than
      those of the control group. The total glutathione (tGSH) levels in the liver of
      OTC-fed fish were four fold higher than those in control fish and double the
      control levels in muscle and stomach. Plasma tGSH levels in OTC-fed fish were
      also higher than those in control fish. Expression levels of heat shock protein
      70 in the liver, muscle, and stomach decreased by OTC administration.
      Accordingly, OTC-induced stress might increase the metabolic turnover of GSH due
      to consumption by scavenging oxidants generated by stress. These results
      concerning the changing patterns of stress-related biomarkers indicate that
      excessive doses of OTC fed to coho salmon induce oxidative stress, which might
      enhance oxidation in the body and result in damage to tissues, especially in the
      liver. The present results also suggest that tissue-specific damage caused by OTC
      might already exist in fish.

PMID- 26111750
TI  - Identifying the regional-scale groundwater-surface water interaction on the
      Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China.
AB  - Assessment on the interaction between groundwater and surface water (GW-SW) can
      generate information that is critical to regional water resource management,
      especially for regions that are highly dependent on groundwater resources for
      irrigation. This study investigated such interaction on China's Sanjiang Plain
      (10.9 * 10(4) km(2)) and produced results to assist sustainable regional water
      management for intensive agricultural activities. Methods of hierarchical cluster
      analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and statistical analysis were
      used in this study. One hundred two water samplings (60 from shallow groundwater,
      7 from deep groundwater, and 35 from surface water) were collected and grouped
      into three clusters and seven sub-clusters during the analyses. The PCA analysis
      identified four principal components of the interaction, which explained 85.9%
      variance of total database, attributed to the dissolution and evolution of
      gypsum, feldspar, and other natural minerals in the region that was affected by
      anthropic and geological (sedimentary rock mineral) activities. The analyses
      showed that surface water in the upper region of the Sanjiang Plain gained water
      from local shallow groundwater, indicating that the surface water in the upper
      region was relatively more resilient to withdrawal for usage, whereas in the
      middle region, there was only a weak interaction between shallow groundwater and
      surface water. In the lower region of the Sanjiang Plain, surface water lost
      water to shallow groundwater, indicating that the groundwater was vulnerable to
      pollution by pesticides and fertilizers from terrestrial sources.

PMID- 26111751
TI  - Blood cholinesterase activity levels of farmers in winter and hot season of Mae
      Taeng District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand.
AB  - Organophosphate and carbamate pesticides have been widely used by farmers for
      crop protection and pest control. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in
      erythrocyte and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) in plasma is the predominant toxic
      effect of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides. Mae Taeng District, Chiang
      Mai Province, is one of the large areas of growing vegetables and fruits. Due to
      their regular exposure to these pesticides, the farmers are affected by this
      toxicity. The objective of the study was to examine the AChE and the BChE
      activity levels in the blood of 102 farmers for comparison of exposure in two
      cropping seasons, winter and hot. Blood samples were collected in December 2013
      (winter) and April-June 2014 (hot). A total of 102 farmers joined the study,
      represented by 76 males (74.5 %) and 26 females (25.5 %). The age of most of the
      farmers was 53.4 +/- 8.7 years. Out of 102, 21 farmers used carbamate pesticides.
      The results showed that the AChE and the BChE activity levels of all the farmers
      were 3.27 +/- 0.84 Unit/mL and 2.15 +/- 0.58 Unit/mL, respectively. The AChE and
      the BChE activity levels in males were 3.31 +/- 0.88 Unit/mL and 1.97 +/- 0.60
      U/mL, respectively, during winter and 3.27 +/- 0.82 Unit/mL and 2.15 +/- 0.58
      U/mL, respectively, during the hot season, and AChE and the BChE activity levels
      in females were 3.27 +/- 0.82 U/mL and 2.44 +/- 0.56 U/mL, respectively, during
      the hot season. The cholinesterase activity levels, both AChE and BChE, in the
      male farmers' blood had significant difference between the two seasons, while in
      the case of the female farmers, there was significant difference in the BChE
      activity levels, at p < 0.05. The BChE activity level was found to significantly
      correlate with self-spray (p < 0.05), which implies that the BChE activity
      decreased when they sprayed by themselves. The cholinesterase activity levels of
      the present study were lower than those of the other studies, which may be an
      indication of some chronic effect of exposure to anticholinesterase pesticides.
      Thus, it is recommended that the use of pesticides be decreased, together with
      increase in the awareness of the impact of pesticides on health; also recommended
      is regular monitoring of blood cholinesterase.

PMID- 26111752
TI  - Are urinary polyaromatic hydrocarbons associated with adult hypertension, heart
      attack, and cancer? USA NHANES, 2011-2012.
AB  - Links between environmental chemicals and human health have emerged over the last
      few decades, but the effects from polyaromatic hydrocarbons were less studied,
      compared to other commonly known environmental chemicals such as heavy metals,
      phthalates, arsenic, phenols and pesticides. Therefore, it was aimed to study the
      relationships of urinary polyaromatic hydrocarbons and adult cardiovascular
      disease and cancer using human sample in a national and population-based study in
      recent years. Data was retrieved from US National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Surveys, 2011-2012, including demographics, self-reported health
      conditions and urinary polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Statistical analyses included
      chi-square test, t test, survey-weighted logistic regression modeling and
      population attributable risk (PAR) estimation. Of 5560 American adults aged 20-80
      and included in the statistical analysis, urinary polyaromatic hydrocarbons
      (representatively in one-third sample) were observed to be higher in people with
      cardiovascular disease and total cancer. In particular, urinary 4
      hydroxyphenanthrene was associated with hypertension (odds ratio (OR) 1.33, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 1.00-1.76, P = 0.048, PAR 5.1%), urinary 1-hydroxypyrene
      was significantly associated with heart attack (OR 1.47, 95%CI 1.05-2.06, P =
      0.027, PAR 1.7%), and urinary 2-hydroxynapthalene (2-naphthol) was associated
      with cancer (OR 1.46, 95%CI 1.12-1.90, P = 0.008, PAR 3.9%). Urinary polyaromatic
      hydrocarbons were associated with adult hypertension, heart attack and cancer,
      although the causality cannot be established. From the research perspective,
      future studies with a longitudinal or experimental approach would be suggested.
      From the law and public health perspectives, regulation on minimizing exposure to
      polyaromatic hydrocarbons might need to be considered in future health and
      environmental policies and intervention programs.

PMID- 26111753
TI  - The Mar Piccolo of Taranto: an interesting marine ecosystem for the environmental
      problems studies.
AB  - The National Project RITMARE (la Ricerca ITaliana per il MARE-Italian Research
      for the sea) started from 1 January 2012. It is one of the national research
      programs funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. RITMARE is
      coordinated by the National Research Council (CNR) and involves an integrated
      effort of most of the scientific community working on marine and maritime issues.
      Within the project, different marine study areas of strategic importance for the
      Mediterranean have been identified: Among these, the coastal area of Taranto
      (Ionian Sea, Southern Italy) was chosen for its different industry settlements
      and the relative impact on the marine environment. In particular, the research
      has been concentrated on the Mar Piccolo of Taranto, a complex marine ecosystem
      model important in terms of ecological, social, and economic activities for the
      presence also of extensive mussel farms. The site has been selected also because
      the Mar Piccolo area is a characteristic "on field" laboratory suitable to
      investigate release and diffusion mechanisms of contaminants, evaluate chemical
      ecological risks towards the marine ecosystem and human health, and suggest and
      test potential remediation strategies for contaminated sediments. In this
      context, within the project RITMARE, a task force of researchers has contributed
      to elaboration a functioning conceptual model with a multidisciplinary approach
      useful to identify anthropogenic forcings, its impacts, and solutions of
      environmental remediation. This paper describes in brief some of the
      environmental issues related to the Mar Piccolo basin. 

PMID- 26111754
TI  - Cd isotopic signatures: a potential source tracer of metal pollution in the
      environment.

PMID- 26111756
TI  - Bufalin Inhibits the Differentiation and Proliferation of Cancer Stem Cells
      Derived from Primary Osteosarcoma Cells through Mir-148a.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the second leading cause of cancer-related
      death in children and young adults. Chemoresistance is the most important cause
      of treatment failure in OS, largely resulting from presence of cancer stem cells
      (CSCs). However, CSCs isolated from cancer cell lines do not necessarily
      represent those from primary human tumors due to accumulation of genetic
      aberrations that increase with passage number. Therefore, studies on CSCs from
      primary OS may be more important for understanding the mechanisms driving the
      chemoresistance of CSCs in OS. METHODS: We established a primary culture of OS
      cells, known as C1OS, from freshly resected tumor tissue. We further isolated
      CSCs from C1OS cells (C1OS-CSCs). We analyzed the effects of bufalin, a
      traditional Chinese medicine, on the stemness of C1OS-CSCs. We also analyzed the
      microRNA (miR) targets of bufalin on the stemness of C1OS-CSCs. Moreover, we
      examined these findings in the OS specimen. RESULTS: Bufalin inhibited the
      stemness of C1OS-CSCs. Moreover, we found that miR-148a appeared to be a target
      of bufalin, and miR-148a further regulated DNMT1 and p27 to control the stemness
      of OS cells. This mechanism was further confirmed in OS specimen. CONCLUSION: Our
      data suggest that bufalin may be a promising treatment for OS, and its function
      may be conducted through regulation of miR-148a.

PMID- 26111755
TI  - (No) time for control: Frontal theta dynamics reveal the cost of temporally
      guided conflict anticipation.
AB  - During situations of response conflict, cognitive control is characterized by
      prefrontal theta-band (3- to 8-Hz) activity. It has been shown that cognitive
      control can be triggered proactively by contextual cues that predict conflict.
      Here, we investigated whether a pretrial preparation interval could serve as such
      a cue. This would show that the temporal contingencies embedded in the task can
      be used to anticipate upcoming conflict. To this end, we recorded
      electroencephalography (EEG) from 30 human subjects while they performed a
      version of a Simon task in which the duration of a fixation cross between trials
      predicted whether the next trial would contain response conflict. Both their
      behavior and EEG activity showed a consistent but unexpected pattern of results:
      The conflict effect (increased reaction times and decreased accuracy on conflict
      as compared to nonconflict trials) was stronger when conflict was cued, and this
      was associated with stronger conflict-related midfrontal theta activity and
      functional connectivity. Interestingly, intervals that predicted conflict did
      show a pretarget increase in midfrontal theta power. These findings suggest that
      temporally guided expectations of conflict do heighten conflict anticipation, but
      also lead to less efficiently applied reactive control. We further explored this
      post-hoc interpretation by means of three behavioral follow-up experiments, in
      which we used nontemporal cues, semantically informative cues, and neutral cues.
      Together, this body of results suggests that the counterintuitive cost of
      conflict cueing may not be uniquely related to the temporal domain, but may
      instead be related to the implicitness and validity of the cue. 

PMID- 26111757
TI  - Molecular and diagnostic features of apocrine breast lesions.
AB  - Apocrine morphology in breast is observed in a wide variety of lesions ranging
      from simple cysts and atypical hyperplasia to invasive metastatic stages of
      disease. The accurate diagnosis of breast apocrine carcinoma remains
      controversial, mainly due to the subjectivity of histopathological criteria and
      the lack of sensitive and specific biomarkers for reliable categorization of this
      subtype of breast carcinoma. Thus, many efforts are currently being made to
      identify novel molecular marker signature(s) that can define apocrine carcinoma
      with high levels of accuracy and reliability, and determine with certainty the
      true clinical significance of these lesions. The purpose of this article is to
      review the data on apocrine lesions, with an emphasis on borderline apocrine
      differentiation. In particular, we address relevant issues in the context of the
      current state of research on benign and malignant apocrine lesions of the breast,
      with a focus on parameters for diagnosis and potential-targeted therapeutic
      options. 

PMID- 26111758
TI  - Precise Control of the Number of Layers of Graphene by Picosecond Laser Thinning.
AB  - The properties of graphene can vary as a function of the number of layers (NOL).
      Controlling the NOL in large area graphene is still challenging. In this work, we
      demonstrate a picosecond (ps) laser thinning removal of graphene layers from
      multi-layered graphene to obtain desired NOL when appropriate pulse threshold
      energy is adopted. The thinning process is conducted in atmosphere without any
      coating and it is applicable for graphene films on arbitrary substrates. This
      method provides many advantages such as one-step process, non-contact operation,
      substrate and environment-friendly, and patternable, which will enable its
      potential applications in the manufacturing of graphene-based electronic devices.

PMID- 26111760
TI  - Calcium phosphate nanoparticles are associated with inorganic phosphate-induced
      osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells.
AB  - In the present study, we demonstrated that calcium phosphate (CaP) nanoparticles
      formed in cell culture media were implicated in the process of high inorganic
      phosphate (Pi) mediated osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal
      cells (BMSCs). Exposure of BMSCs in vitro to high Pi-containing media reduced
      alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the expressions of osteoblast-specific
      genes. The sediments of CaP nanoparticles were observed at the cell surface and
      some of them were concomitantly found inside cells at high Pi concentration. In
      addition, treatment the cells with pyrophosphate (PPi), an inhibitor of calcium
      crystal formation, abrogated the ALP activity induced by high Pi, suggesting the
      contribution of CaP nanoparticles. Moreover, for isolated CaP nanoparticles,
      there was a trend of conversion from amorphous calcium phosphate to
      hydroxyapatite with elevated Pi. The particle size of CaP increased and the
      surface morphology changed from spherical to irregular due to increased
      concentrations of serum proteins incorporated into CaP nanoparticles. The study
      demonstrated that those physicochemical properties of CaP nanoparticles played an
      important role in modulating BMSCs differentiation. Furthermore, the addition of
      Pi in the osteogenic media resulted in a dose-dependent increase in matrix
      mineralization, while treatment of the cells with PPi suppressed Pi-induced
      calcium deposition. The findings indicated that calcium deposition in the matrix
      partly came from the spontaneous precipitation of CaP nanoparticles. 

PMID- 26111759
TI  - Quantitative analysis of the human T cell palmitome.
AB  - Palmitoylation is a reversible post-translational modification used to inducibly
      compartmentalize proteins in cellular membranes, affecting the function of
      receptors and intracellular signaling proteins. The identification of protein
      "palmitomes" in several cell lines raises the question to what extent this
      modification is conserved in primary cells. Here we use primary T cells with acyl
      biotin exchange and quantitative mass spectrometry to identify a pool of proteins
      previously unreported as palmitoylated in vivo. 

PMID- 26111761
TI  - The antioxidative potential of farrerol occurs via the activation of Nrf2
      mediated HO-1 signaling in RAW 264.7 cells.
AB  - Farrerol, (S)-2,3-dihydro-5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-6,8-dimethyl-4
      benzopyrone, isolated from rhododendron, has been shown to have antioxidative
      potential, but the molecular mechanism underlying this activity remains unclear.
      The inducible expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a potent antioxidative and
      cytoprotective enzyme, is known to play an important role in cytoprotection in a
      variety of pathological models. In this study, we evaluated the antioxidative
      potential of farrerol against oxidative damage and investigated its antioxidative
      mechanism in RAW 264.7 cells. The molecular mechanism underlying the
      cytoprotective function of farrerol was determined by analyzing intracellular
      signaling pathways, transcriptional activation and the inhibitory effect of HO-1
      on ROS production. Farrerol induced antioxidant enzymes mRNA expression, HO-1
      protein expression and nuclear translocation of NF-E2-related factor 2 in RAW
      264.7 macrophage cells. Farrerol down-regulated the expression of the Keap1
      protein and the thiol reducing agents attenuated farrerol-induced HO-1
      expression. Further investigation utilizing Western blotting and specific
      inhibitors of Akt, p38, JNK and ERK demonstrated that Akt, p38, and ERK axis of
      signaling pathway mediates HO-1 expression. Moreover, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t
      BHP)-induced oxidative damage was ameliorated by farrerol treatment in a dose
      dependent manner, which was abolished by Akt, p38, ERK and HO-1 inhibitors
      (Snpp). It is hence likely that farrerol inactivated KEAP-1 or activated the Akt,
      p38 and ERK to facilitate the release of Nrf2 from Keap1 and subsequent reduced
      the intracellular production of reactive oxygen species via the induction of HO-1
      expression. These results support the central role of HO-1 in the cytoprotective
      effect of farrerol. 

PMID- 26111762
TI  - Superoxide anion radical (O2(-)) degrades methylmercury to inorganic mercury in
      human astrocytoma cell line (CCF-STTG1).
AB  - Methylmercury (MeHg) is a global pollutant that is affecting the health of
      millions of people worldwide. However, the mechanism of MeHg toxicity still
      remains somewhat elusive and there is no treatment. It has been known for some
      time that MeHg can be progressively converted to inorganic mercury (iHg) in
      various tissues including the brain. Recent work has suggested that cleavage of
      the carbon-metal bond in MeHg in a biological environment is facilitated by
      reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the oxyradical species that actually
      mediates this process has not been identified. Here, we provide evidence that
      superoxide anion radical (O2(-)) can convert MeHg to iHg. The calculated second
      order rate constant for the degradation of 1MUM MeHg by O2(-) generated by
      xanthine/xanthine oxidase was calculated to be 2*10(5)M(-1)s(-1). We were also
      able to show that this bioconversion can proceed in intact CCF-STTG1 human
      astrocytoma cells exposed to paraquat (PQ), a O2(-) generating viologen. Notably,
      exposure of cells to increasing amounts of PQ led to a dose dependent increase in
      both MeHg and iHg. Indeed, a 24h exposure to 500MUM PQ induced a ~13-fold and ~18
      fold increase in intracellular MeHg and iHg respectively. These effects were
      inhibited by superoxide dismutase mimetic MnTBAP. In addition, we also observed
      that a 24h exposure to a biologically relevant concentration of MeHg (1MUM) did
      not induce cell death, oxidative stress, or even changes in cellular O2(-) and
      H2O2. However, co-exposure to PQ enhanced MeHg toxicity which was associated with
      a robust increase in cell death and oxidative stress. Collectively our results
      show that O2(-) can bioconvert MeHg to iHg in vitro and in intact cells exposed
      to conditions that simulate high intracellular O2(-) production. In addition, we
      show for the first time that O2(-) mediated degradation of MeHg to iHg enhances
      the toxicity of MeHg by facilitating an accumulation of both MeHg and iHg in the
      intracellular environment. 

PMID- 26111763
TI  - Ginsenoside Rd attenuates Abeta25-35-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in
      primary cultured hippocampal neurons.
AB  - One of the most common pathological changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain is
      the large number of amyloid beta (Abeta) peptides accumulating in lesion areas.
      Ginsenosides are the most active components extracted from ginseng. Ginsenoside
      Rd (GRd) is a newly discovered saponin that has a stronger pharmacological
      activity than other ginsenosides, especially in neuroprotection. Here we examined
      the neuroprotective effects of GRd against neuronal insults induced by Abeta25-35
      in primary cultured hippocampal neurons. A 10MUM GRd treatment significantly
      prevented the loss of hippocampal neurons induced by Abeta25-35. In addition, GRd
      significantly ameliorated Abeta25-35-induced oxidative stress by decreasing the
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and malondialdehyde (MDA) level, and
      increasing the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase
      (GSH-Px); which is similar in treatments with 10MUM of probucol (PB) and 100MUM
      of edaravone (EDA). Moreover, our present study demonstrated that GRd
      significantly enhanced the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA, and decreased the
      expressions of Bax mRNA and Cyt c mRNA. GRd also downregulated the protein level
      of cleaved Caspase-3 compared to controls. These results highlighted the
      neuroprotective effects of GRd against Abeta25-35-induced oxidative stress and
      neuronal apoptosis, suggesting that this may be a promising therapeutics against
      AD. 

PMID- 26111764
TI  - A systems toxicology approach on the mechanism of uptake and toxicity of MWCNT in
      Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - The increased volumes of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) being utilized in industrial and
      biomedical processes carries with it an increased risk of unintentional release
      into the environment, requiring a thorough hazard and risk assessment. In this
      study, the toxicity of pristine and hydroxylated (OH-) multiwall CNTs (MWCNTs)
      was investigated in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans using an integrated
      systems toxicology approach. To gain an insight into the toxic mechanism of
      MWCNTs, microarray and proteomics were conducted for C. elegans followed by
      pathway analyses. The results of pathway analyses suggested endocytosis,
      phagocytosis, oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, as
      potential mechanisms of uptake and toxicity, which were subsequently investigated
      using loss-of-function mutants of genes of those pathways. The expression of
      phagocytosis related genes (i.e. ced-10 and rab-7) were significantly increased
      upon exposure to OH-MWCNT, concomitantly with the rescued toxicity by loss-of
      function mutants of those genes, such as ced-10(n3246) and rab-7(ok511). An
      increased sensitivity of the hsp-4(gk514) mutant by OH-MWCNT, along with a
      decreased expression of hsp-4 at both gene and protein level suggests that MWCNTs
      may affect ER stress response in C. elegans. Collectively, the results implied
      phagocytosis to be a potential mechanism of uptake of MWCNTs, and ER and
      oxidative stress as potential mechanisms of toxicity. The integrated systems
      toxicology approach applied in this study provided a comprehensive insight into
      the toxic mechanism of MWCNTs in C. elegans, which may eventually be used to
      develop an "Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP)", a recently introduced concept as a
      conceptual framework to link molecular level responses to higher level effects. 

PMID- 26111765
TI  - Angiotensin II modification by decomposition products of linoleic acid-derived
      lipid hydroperoxide.
AB  - Polyunsaturated fatty acids are highly susceptible to oxidation induced by
      reactive oxygen species and enzymes, leading to the formation of lipid
      hydroperoxides. The linoleic acid (LA)-derived hydroperoxide, 13
      hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid (HPODE) undergoes homolytic decomposition to
      reactive aldehydes, 4-oxo-2(E)-nonenal (ONE), 4-hydroxy-2(E)-nonenal, trans-4,5
      epoxy-2(E)-decenal (EDE), and 4-hydroperoxy-2(E)-nonenal (HPNE), which can
      covalently modify peptides and proteins. ONE and HNE have been shown to react
      with angiotensin (Ang) II (DRVYIHPF) and modify the N-terminus, Arg(2), and
      His(6). ONE-derived pyruvamide-Ang II (Ang P) alters the biological activities of
      Ang II considerably. The present study revealed that EDE and HPNE preferentially
      modified the N-terminus and His(6) of Ang II. In addition to the N-substituted
      pyrrole of [N-C4H2]-Ang II and Michael addition products of [His(6)(EDE)]-Ang II,
      hydrated forms were detected as major products, suggesting considerable
      involvement of the vicinal dihydrodiol (formed by epoxide hydration) in EDE
      derived protein modification in vivo. Substantial amounts of [N-(EDE-H2O)]-Ang II
      isomers were also formed and their synthetic pathway might involve the
      tautomerization of a carbinolamine intermediate, followed by intramolecular
      cyclization and dehydration. The main HPNE-derived products were [His(6)(HPNE)]
      Ang II and [N-(HPNE-H2O)]-Ang II. However, ONE, HNE, and malondialdehyde-derived
      modifications were dominant, because HPNE is a precursor of these aldehydes. A
      mixture of 13-HPODE and [(13)C18]-13-HPODE (1:1) was then used to determine the
      major modifications derived from LA peroxidation. The characteristic doublet
      (1:1) observed in the mass spectrum and the mass difference of the [M+H](+)
      doublet aided the identification of Ang P (N-terminal alpha-ketoamide), [N-ONE]
      Ang II (4-ketoamide), [Arg(2)(ONE-H2O)]-Ang II, [His(6)(HNE)]-Ang II (Michael
      addition product), [N-C4H2]-Ang II (EDE-derived N-substituted pyrrole),
      [His(6)(HPNE)]-Ang II, [N-(9,12-dioxo-10(E)-dodecenoic acid)]-Ang II, and
      [His(6)(9-hydroxy-12-oxo-10(E)-decenoic acid)]-Ang II as the predominant LA
      derived modifications. These modifications could represent the majority of lipid
      derived modifications to peptides and proteins in biological systems. 

PMID- 26111768
TI  - The Mini-OAKHQOL for knee and hip osteoarthritis quality of life was obtained
      following recent shortening guidelines.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To develop a short form of the knee and hip osteoarthritis quality of
      life questionnaire, the Mini-OAKHQOL, preserving the conceptual model and, as far
      as possible, the content and the psychometric properties of the original
      instrument. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A two-step shortening procedure was used:
      (1) a consensus Delphi method, with a panel of patients and another of
      professionals independently asked to select items and (2) a nominal group, where
      patients, professionals, and methodologists reached consensus on the final
      selection of items, using information from the panels and from modern measurement
      and classical test theory analyses. The psychometric properties of the Mini
      OAKHQOL were assessed in an independent population-based sample of 581 subjects
      with knee or hip osteoarthritis. RESULTS: The two-step shortening procedure
      resulted in a 20-item questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis showed
      preservation of the original five-dimensional structure. Rasch analyses showed
      the unidimensionality and invariance by sex, age, and joint of the main
      dimensions. Convergent validity, reproducibility, and internal consistency were
      similar to or better than those of the original OAKHQOL. CONCLUSIONS: The 20-item
      Mini-OAKHQOL has good psychometric properties and can be used for the measurement
      of quality of life in subjects with osteoarthritis of the lower limbs.

PMID- 26111769
TI  - Creating a synergistic interplay between tubular MoS2 and particulate Fe3O4 for
      improved lithium storage.
AB  - A novel three-dimensional MoS2@Fe3O4 nanohybrid, composed of tubular MoS2
      uniformly and densely decorated with particulate Fe3O4, is constructed, which
      exhibits significantly improved lithium storage performances through an
      impressive synergistic interplay between the two active materials. 

PMID- 26111770
TI  - Comparison of obesity among Chinese and U.S. Special Olympic athletes with
      intellectual disabilities.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity is a health problem in China, but there are no
      reports on the obesity status of Chinese citizens with intellectual disabilities
      (ID). Research has shown that adults with ID have higher body mass index (BMI)
      than adults without ID, but this information is primarily based on populations
      residing in North American and European countries. The purpose of this study was
      to compare BMI and obesity status of Chinese and U.S. Special Olympic athletes
      with ID. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Height, weight, BMI and self-reported physical
      activity (SRPA) data from the Special Olympics 2006 U.S. National Games and 2007
      Shanghai World Games databases were analyzed. Linear and logistic analyses were
      conducted for continuous data and dichotomous variables, respectively. Predictor
      variables were age, gender, country, SRPA, and obesity status according to
      country specific criteria. Significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The U.S.
      group had significantly higher BMI values than their Chinese counterparts. Age (p
      = 0.001) and country (p = <0.001) were the main predictors of BMI and obesity
      status, even when country-specific standards of obesity classifications were
      used. Holding all other factors constant, each unit increase of age was
      associated with increased odds for obesity by a factor of 1.04 and the odds of
      obesity occurring in U.S. athletes was 2.47 times greater than in Chinese
      athletes. CONCLUSION: Obesity is an emerging health problem for Chinese adults
      with ID. Participation in Special Olympics does not offset obesity in people with
      ID and other methods of intervention are needed to address obesity in this
      population segment. This is a global health concern that requires immediate
      attention.

PMID- 26111771
TI  - The influence of the learning effect on automated perimetry in a Turkish
      population.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of learning effect on the outcome of automated
      perimetry and to assess the factors associated with the learning effect in a
      Turkish population. METHODS: The Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm (SITA)
      standard 30-2 test was performed on a Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer in 102
      normal Turkish subjects who had not previously undertaken any form of perimetry.
      Each subject completed three testing sessions, each separated by at least one
      day. The SITA standard 30-2 testing sessions included both eyes. The right eye
      was always tested before left eye. The reliability parameters, test duration and
      visual field (VF) global indices (mean deviation [MD] and pattern standard
      deviation [PSD]) obtained from right eyes in the first and third sessions were
      compared to assess the learning effect. Change in these parameters between the
      first and third sessions was calculated, and the effect of gender, age and
      educational level on this change was evaluated. RESULTS: The reliability
      parameters, test duration and VF global indices each improved between the first
      and third sessions (P <= 0.001). The change in the parameters was greater in
      subjects over 50 years of age and with an educational level less than high school
      (P <= 0.01). No correlation was found between learning effect and gender.
      CONCLUSION: In normal Turkish subjects, a significant learning effect was
      observed during VF testing with the SITA standard 30-2. The learning effect was
      correlated with age and educational level.

PMID- 26111766
TI  - SLC transporters as therapeutic targets: emerging opportunities.
AB  - Solute carrier (SLC) transporters - a family of more than 300 membrane-bound
      proteins that facilitate the transport of a wide array of substrates across
      biological membranes - have important roles in physiological processes ranging
      from the cellular uptake of nutrients to the absorption of drugs and other
      xenobiotics. Several classes of marketed drugs target well-known SLC
      transporters, such as neurotransmitter transporters, and human genetic studies
      have provided powerful insight into the roles of more-recently characterized SLC
      transporters in both rare and common diseases, indicating a wealth of new
      therapeutic opportunities. This Review summarizes knowledge on the roles of SLC
      transporters in human disease, describes strategies to target such transporters,
      and highlights current and investigational drugs that modulate SLC transporters,
      as well as promising drug targets. 

PMID- 26111773
TI  - Validation of circulating BNP level >1000 pg/ml in all-cause mortality: A
      retrospective study.
AB  - AIM: To determine the primary diseases and prognoses of patients with highly
      elevated levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP; >1000 pg/ml), with or without
      heart failure. METHODS: Medical records and echocardiograms of patients with BNP
      levels that fell within one of three predetermined categories (>1000 pg/ml, 200
      1000 pg/ml and <200 pg/ml) were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: There were no
      significant between-group differences in duration of hospitalization. Patients
      with BNP levels >1000 pg/ml (n = 103) or 200-1000 pg/ml (n = 100) had
      significantly worse 3-year survival than those with BNP levels <200 pg/ml (n =
      100). The majority of patients (64/103) in the BNP >1000 pg/ml group had heart
      failure. The main cause of death in patients with other causes of BNP levels
      >1000 pg/ml (39/103) was community acquired pneumonia. CONCLUSION: A BNP level
      >1000 pg/ml has clinical importance in primary care medicine and hospital
      settings.

PMID- 26111772
TI  - PTH(1-84) Administration in Hypoparathyroidism Transiently Reduces Bone Matrix
      Mineralization.
AB  - Patients with hypoparathyroidism have low circulating parathyroid (PTH) levels
      and higher cancellous bone volume and trabecular thickness. Treatment with PTH(1
      84) was shown to increase abnormally low bone remodeling dynamics. In this work,
      we studied the effect of 1-year or 2-year PTH(1-84) treatment on cancellous and
      cortical bone mineralization density distribution (Cn.BMDD and Ct.BMDD) based on
      quantitative backscattered electron imaging (qBEI) in paired transiliac bone
      biopsy samples. The study cohort comprised 30 adult hypoparathyroid patients (14
      treated for 1 year; 16 treated for 2 years). At baseline, Cn.BMDD was shifted to
      higher mineralization densities in both treatment groups (average degree of
      mineralization Cn.CaMean +3.9% and +2.7%, p < 0.001) compared to reference BMDD.
      After 1-year PTH(1-84), Cn.CaMean was significantly lower than that at baseline (
      6.3%, p < 0.001), whereas in the 2-year PTH(1-84) group Cn.CaMean did not differ
      from baseline. Significant changes of Ct.BMDD were observed in the 1-year
      treatment group only. The change in histomorphometric bone formation
      (mineralizing surface) was predictive for Cn.BMDD outcomes in the 1-year PTH(1
      84) group, but not in the 2-year PTH(1-84) group. Our findings suggest higher
      baseline bone matrix mineralization consistent with the decreased bone turnover
      in hypoparathyroidism. PTH(1-84) treatment caused differential effects dependent
      on treatment duration that were consistent with the histomorphometric bone
      formation outcomes. The greater increase in bone formation during the first year
      of treatment was associated with a decrease in bone matrix mineralization,
      suggesting that PTH(1-84) exposure to the hypoparathyroid skeleton has the
      greatest effects on BMDD early in treatment.

PMID- 26111774
TI  - Does pectoralis major flap harvesting induce upper extremity dysfunction?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of pectoralis major myocutaneous (PMM) flap
      reconstruction on upper extremity dysfunction. METHODS: Patients undergoing PMM
      flap reconstruction following head and neck cancer resection were enrolled. The
      control group comprised age-, sex- and clinical characteristic-matched patients
      undergoing non-PMM flap reconstruction. All patients completed the Disability of
      the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire preoperatively and >1 year
      postoperatively. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between pre- and
      postoperative DASH scores in the control group (n = 46; 2.38 +/- 3.33 and 2.99 +/
      4.21, respectively). In the PMM flap group (n = 46), the postoperative DASH
      score was significantly higher than the preoperative score (7.00 +/- 9.13 and
      2.44 +/- 3.50, respectively). In the PMM flap group, flap size was significantly
      associated with postoperative DASH score. CONCLUSION: PMM flap reconstruction has
      a small but significant negative effect on upper extremity dysfunction.

PMID- 26111776
TI  - Tunable mid IR plasmon in GZO nanocrystals.
AB  - Degenerate metal oxide nanoparticles are promising systems to expand the
      significant achievements of plasmonics into the infrared (IR) range. Among the
      possible candidates, Ga-doped ZnO nanocrystals are particularly suited for mid
      IR, considering their wide range of possible doping levels and thus of plasmon
      tuning. In the present work, we report on the tunable mid IR plasmon induced in
      degenerate Ga-doped ZnO nanocrystals. The nanocrystals are produced by a plasma
      expansion and exhibit unprotected surfaces. Tuning the Ga concentration allows
      tuning the localized surface plasmon resonance. Moreover, the plasmon resonance
      is characterized by a large damping. By comparing the plasmon of nanocrystal
      assemblies to that of nanoparticles dispersed in an alumina matrix, we
      investigate the possible origins of such damping. We demonstrate that it
      partially results from the self-organization of the naked particles and also from
      intrinsic inhomogeneity of dopants. 

PMID- 26111775
TI  - Expression of delta-like 4 (Drosophila) and vascular endothelial growth factor A
      in colon cancer and association with tumour angiogenesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Angiogenesis depends on interaction between a variety of promoting and
      inhibiting factors, and is known to involve vascular endothelial growth factor
      (VEGF) A and the Notch signaling pathway. The present study investigated the
      expression of Notch ligand delta-like (DLL) 4 (Drosophila), and VEGFA in colon
      cancer and colorectal adenoma tissue, and the association with tumour
      angiogenesis. METHODS: Protein level DLL4, VEGFA and CD34 molecule (CD34)
      expression was detected immunohistochemically in tissue sections from patients
      with colon cancer and colorectal adenoma. RESULTS: Out of 80 cases (35 with colon
      cancer, 45 with colorectal adenoma) DLL4 and VEGFA expression was closely related
      to tumour diameter, clinical stage, histological grade and lymph node metastasis.
      DLL4 expression was significantly higher in colon cancer tissue than colorectal
      adenoma tissue. CONCLUSION: High levels of DLL4 expression were closely related
      to metastasis and prognosis in patients with colon cancer. The results of the
      present study support the conclusion that prognosis of colon cancer is
      significantly correlated with angiogenesis.

PMID- 26111778
TI  - A Quarter Century's Progress in the Treatment of Open-Angle Glaucoma.

PMID- 26111777
TI  - Coenzyme Q10 restores oocyte mitochondrial function and fertility during
      reproductive aging.
AB  - Female reproductive capacity declines dramatically in the fourth decade of life
      as a result of an age-related decrease in oocyte quality and quantity. The
      primary causes of reproductive aging and the molecular factors responsible for
      decreased oocyte quality remain elusive. Here, we show that aging of the female
      germ line is accompanied by mitochondrial dysfunction associated with decreased
      oxidative phosphorylation and reduced Adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) level.
      Diminished expression of the enzymes responsible for CoQ production, Pdss2 and
      Coq6, was observed in oocytes of older females in both mouse and human. The age
      related decline in oocyte quality and quantity could be reversed by the
      administration of CoQ10. Oocyte-specific disruption of Pdss2 recapitulated many
      of the mitochondrial and reproductive phenotypes observed in the old females
      including reduced ATP production and increased meiotic spindle abnormalities,
      resulting in infertility. Ovarian reserve in the oocyte-specific Pdss2-deficient
      animals was diminished, leading to premature ovarian failure which could be
      prevented by maternal dietary administration of CoQ10. We conclude that impaired
      mitochondrial performance created by suboptimal CoQ10 availability can drive age
      associated oocyte deficits causing infertility. 

PMID- 26111779
TI  - Improving Medication Adherence to Reduce Vision Loss in Patients with Glaucoma:
      Low Hanging Fruit?

PMID- 26111780
TI  - Re: Staurenghi et al.: Proposed lexicon for anatomic landmarks in normal
      posterior segment spectral-domain optical coherence tomography: the IN*OCT
      consensus (Ophthalmology 2014;121:1572-8).

PMID- 26111781
TI  - Author reply: To PMID 24755005.

PMID- 26111782
TI  - Re: Tham et al.: Global prevalence of glaucoma and projections of glaucoma burden
      through 2040: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Ophthalmology 2014;121:2081
      90).

PMID- 26111783
TI  - Author reply: To PMID 24974815.

PMID- 26111784
TI  - Re: Farias et al.: Choroidal thickness in patients with diabetes and
      microalbuminuria (Ophthalmology 2014;121:2071-3).

PMID- 26111785
TI  - Author reply: To PMID 24908206.

PMID- 26111786
TI  - Re: Kim et al.: Diagnostic classification of macular ganglion cell and retinal
      nerve fiber layer analysis: differentiation of false-positives from glaucoma
      (Ophthalmology 2015;122:502-10).

PMID- 26111787
TI  - Author reply: To PMID 25444638.

PMID- 26111788
TI  - Phase I study of intravenous (IV) docetaxel and intraperitoneal (IP) oxaliplatin
      in recurrent ovarian and fallopian tube cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to define the maximum tolerated dose (MTD)
      and dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) of IV docetaxel and IP oxaliplatin in women with
      recurrent ovarian (OV), fallopian tube (FT) or peritoneal (PP) cancer. Secondary
      objectives included response rate, time to progression, pharmacokinetics (PK) and
      quality of life (QoL). METHODS: Patients received docetaxel 75mg/m(2) IV day (d)
      1 and oxaliplatin escalating from 50mg/m(2) IP d2 every 3weeks using a 3+3
      design. Treatment continued until disease progression, remission, or intolerable
      toxicity. Plasma and IP samples were taken to determine drug concentrations. MD
      Anderson Symptom Inventory and symptom interference scale were completed weekly.
      RESULTS: Thirteen patients were included. Median number of cycles was 6 (range 1
      10). Ten patients had measureable disease. Best response was partial response (PR
      2), stable disease (SD-7), and progressive disease (PD-1). Twenty-one Grades 3-4
      toxicities were noted, commonly hematologic. Two patients had DLTs: prolonged
      neutropenia (1) and abdominal pain (1). MTD was d1 docetaxel 75mg/m(2) IV and d2
      oxaliplatin 50mg/m(2) IP. Symptom burden peaked week one and returned to baseline
      by week two of each cycle on dose level 1. Dose level 2 had persistently high
      symptom burden and interference. At IP oxaliplatin doses of 50mg/m(2), total
      unbound drug exposure (AUC) averaged 8 times larger and Cmax reached
      concentrations 50-fold greater in IP fluid compared to plasma. CONCLUSIONS:
      Docetaxel 75mg/m(2) IV d1 and oxaliplatin 50mg/m(2) IP d2 is the MTD. Most
      patients had PR or SD. Patient-reported outcomes demonstrate temporary but
      tolerable decrements in QoL. IP oxaliplatin provides PK advantages over IV
      administration.

PMID- 26111789
TI  - Simple measurement popularizes sarcopenia evaluation in patients with heart
      failure.

PMID- 26111791
TI  - The Impact of Risk Reduction Initiatives on Readmission: THA and TKA Readmission
      Rates.
AB  - We assessed whether sequential incorporation of initiatives to decrease
      postoperative surgical complications were similarly effective in reducing 30-day
      readmission rates following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip
      arthroplasty (THA). Readmission rates following TKA decreased substantially (5.6%
      vs. 3.0%, P<0.001), but readmissions following THA (4.0% vs. 3.4%, P=0.41) were
      not significantly reduced. The greatest impact of the multimodal treatment
      approach was a reduction of surgically related TKA complications. Advanced
      medical disease, facility discharge status, and Medicare or Medicaid coverage
      contributed to the highest risk for 30-day readmission after THA. Risk models
      defining expected readmission rates should account for these factors to avoid
      penalizing hospitals that provide higher proportional care to Centers for
      Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) beneficiaries. 

PMID- 26111790
TI  - Mapping Power Law Distributions in Digital Health Social Networks: Methods,
      Interpretations, and Practical Implications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Social networks are common in digital health. A new stream of
      research is beginning to investigate the mechanisms of digital health social
      networks (DHSNs), how they are structured, how they function, and how their
      growth can be nurtured and managed. DHSNs increase in value when additional
      content is added, and the structure of networks may resemble the characteristics
      of power laws. Power laws are contrary to traditional Gaussian averages in that
      they demonstrate correlated phenomena. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is
      to investigate whether the distribution frequency in four DHSNs can be
      characterized as following a power law. A second objective is to describe the
      method used to determine the comparison. METHODS: Data from four DHSNs-Alcohol
      Help Center (AHC), Depression Center (DC), Panic Center (PC), and Stop Smoking
      Center (SSC)-were compared to power law distributions. To assist future
      researchers and managers, the 5-step methodology used to analyze and compare
      datasets is described. RESULTS: All four DHSNs were found to have right-skewed
      distributions, indicating the data were not normally distributed. When power
      trend lines were added to each frequency distribution, R(2) values indicated
      that, to a very high degree, the variance in post frequencies can be explained by
      actor rank (AHC .962, DC .975, PC .969, SSC .95). Spearman correlations provided
      further indication of the strength and statistical significance of the
      relationship (AHC .987. DC .967, PC .983, SSC .993, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: This is
      the first study to investigate power distributions across multiple DHSNs, each
      addressing a unique condition. Results indicate that despite vast differences in
      theme, content, and length of existence, DHSNs follow properties of power laws.
      The structure of DHSNs is important as it gives insight to researchers and
      managers into the nature and mechanisms of network functionality. The 5-step
      process undertaken to compare actor contribution patterns can be replicated in
      networks that are managed by other organizations, and we conjecture that patterns
      observed in this study could be found in other DHSNs. Future research should
      analyze network growth over time and examine the characteristics and survival
      rates of superusers.

PMID- 26111792
TI  - Perioperative Complications in Patients with Inflammatory Arthropathy Undergoing
      Total Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - Little data exists comparing acute post-operative outcomes in patients with
      different types of inflammatory arthritis (IA) after undergoing a total knee
      arthroplasty (TKA). Our objectives were to compare perioperative complications
      and determine the most common complications between the different IA subtypes
      compared with patients with osteoarthritis undergoing primary TKA. We found
      significant differences when comparing complications within the different
      subtypes of IA. RA patients, despite having a greater number of comorbidities had
      a reduced rate of medical complications postoperatively compared to the OA
      cohort. All of the inflammatory subtypes had a higher rate of orthopedic
      complications postoperatively compared to the OA group except for patients with
      AS. However, ankylosing spondylitis had the highest mortality rate as well as
      medical complication rate among the subtypes. 

PMID- 26111793
TI  - Correction to Supporting Information for Sullivan et al., Spatially robust
      estimates of biological nitrogen (N) fixation imply substantial human alteration
      of the tropical N cycle.

PMID- 26111794
TI  - Correction for Thompson et al., Identification of hydroxyapatite spherules
      provides new insight into subretinal pigment epithelial deposit formation in the
      aging eye.

PMID- 26111796
TI  - Engineering Escherichia coli coculture systems for the production of biochemical
      products.
AB  - Engineering microbial consortia to express complex biosynthetic pathways
      efficiently for the production of valuable compounds is a promising approach for
      metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. Here, we report the design,
      optimization, and scale-up of an Escherichia coli-E. coli coculture that
      successfully overcomes fundamental microbial production limitations, such as high
      level intermediate secretion and low-efficiency sugar mixture utilization. For
      the production of the important chemical cis,cis-muconic acid, we show that the
      coculture approach achieves a production yield of 0.35 g/g from a glucose/xylose
      mixture, which is significantly higher than reported in previous reports. By
      efficiently producing another compound, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, we also
      demonstrate that the approach is generally applicable for biosynthesis of other
      important industrial products. 

PMID- 26111795
TI  - The Bromodomain protein BRD4 controls HOTAIR, a long noncoding RNA essential for
      glioblastoma proliferation.
AB  - Bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) domain proteins have emerged as promising
      therapeutic targets in glioblastoma and many other cancers. Small molecule
      inhibitors of BET bromodomain proteins reduce expression of several oncogenes
      required for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) progression. However, the mechanism
      through which BET protein inhibition reduces GBM growth is not completely
      understood. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important epigenetic regulators
      with critical roles in cancer initiation and malignant progression, but
      mechanistic insight into their expression and regulation by BET bromodomain
      inhibitors remains elusive. In this study, we used Helicos single molecule
      sequencing to comprehensively profile lncRNAs differentially expressed in GBM,
      and we identified a subset of GBM-specific lncRNAs whose expression is regulated
      by BET proteins. Treatment of GBM cells with the BET bromdomain inhibitor I
      BET151 reduced levels of the tumor-promoting lncRNA HOX transcript antisense RNA
      (HOTAIR) and restored the expression of several other GBM down-regulated lncRNAs.
      Conversely, overexpression of HOTAIR in conjunction with I-BET151 treatment
      abrogates the antiproliferative activity of the BET bromodomain inhibitor.
      Moreover, chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated binding of
      Bromodomain Containing 4 (BRD4) to the HOTAIR promoter, suggesting that BET
      proteins can directly regulate lncRNA expression. Our data unravel a previously
      unappreciated mechanism through which BET proteins control tumor growth of
      glioblastoma cells and suggest that modulation of lncRNA networks may, in part,
      mediate the antiproliferative effects of many epigenetic inhibitors currently in
      clinical trials for cancer and other diseases. 

PMID- 26111797
TI  - High MN1 expression increases the in vitro clonogenic activity of primary mouse B
      cells.
AB  - The MN1 (Meningioma 1) gene is overexpressed in certain subtypes of acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML) and high levels of MN1 expression in mouse bone marrow cells
      results in myeloid leukemia. We showed that compared with control bone marrow
      (BM) MN1 expression was increased (2-fold or more) in 29 out of 73 (40%)
      pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patient BM. Additional
      analysis of MN1 expression in sub-groups within our cohort carrying different
      chromosome translocations showed that carriers of the good prognostic marker
      t(12;21)(TEL-AML1) (n=27) expressed significantly more MN1 than both healthy
      controls (n=9) (P=0.02) and the group carrying the t(9;22)(BCR-ABL) (n=9)
      (P=0.001). In addition, AML1 expression was also upregulated in 31 out of 45
      (68%) B-ALL patient BM compared with control and there was a significant
      correlation between MN1 and AML1 expression (r=0.3552, P=0.0167). Retroviral MN1
      overexpression increased the colony forming activity of mouse Pro-B/Pre-B cells
      in vitro. Our results suggest that deregulated MN1 expression contributes to the
      pathogenesis of pediatric B-ALL. Further investigation into the clinical and
      biological significance of elevated MN1 expression in TEL-AML1(positive) leukemia
      might provide insight into additional molecular mechanisms contributing to B-ALL
      and may lead to improved treatment options for patients. 

PMID- 26111799
TI  - Primary vaginal sarcoma: Experience of a regional cancer center in China.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of primary vaginal sarcoma, which
      is a rare malignancy METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of
      eight patients with primary vaginal sarcoma treated at Sun Yat-Sen University
      Cancer Centre from 1997 to 2012. RESULTS: Eight patients aged >= 17 years were
      identified (four had leiomyosarcoma, two had endometrial stromal sarcoma, one had
      undifferentiated sarcoma, and one had adenosarcoma). Four patients had stage I
      disease, one had stage II, and three had stage IV. Five patients with stage I or
      II tumor received surgery of mainly local wide excision. One of the five patients
      received postoperative radiation plus chemotherapy and two had postoperative
      chemotherapy only. Three of the four stage I patients who had low-grade tumors
      and received wide local excision were alive without disease at 21, 53, and 81
      months, respectively. One stage I patient with a high-grade tumor received simple
      tumor excision only and died of the disease at 20 months. The patient with stage
      II disease was lost to follow up. The three stage IV patients received
      radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy and all died within 2 years. CONCLUSIONS:
      Surgery is the main treatment for primary vaginal sarcoma. Prognosis may be
      associated with tumor grade and stage.

PMID- 26111798
TI  - Robust disruptions in electroencephalogram cortical oscillations and large-scale
      functional networks in autism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are increasingly prevalent and have a
      significant impact on the lives of patients and their families. Currently, the
      diagnosis is determined by clinical judgment and no definitive physiological
      biomarker for ASD exists. Quantitative biomarkers obtainable from clinical
      neuroimaging data - such as the scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) - would provide
      an important aid to clinicians in the diagnosis of ASD. The interpretation of
      prior studies in this area has been limited by mixed results and the lack of
      validation procedures. Here we use retrospective clinical data from a well
      characterized population of children with ASD to evaluate the rhythms and
      coupling patterns present in the EEG to develop and validate an
      electrophysiological biomarker of ASD. METHODS: EEG data were acquired from a
      population of ASD (n = 27) and control (n = 55) children 4-8 years old. Data were
      divided into training (n = 13 ASD, n = 24 control) and validation (n = 14 ASD, n
      = 31 control) groups. Evaluation of spectral and functional network properties in
      the first group of patients motivated three biomarkers that were computed in the
      second group of age-matched patients for validation. RESULTS: Three biomarkers of
      ASD were identified in the first patient group: (1) reduced posterior/anterior
      power ratio in the alpha frequency range (8-14 Hz), which we label the "peak
      alpha ratio", (2) reduced global density in functional networks, and (3) a
      reduction in the mean connectivity strength of a subset of functional network
      edges. Of these three biomarkers, the first and third were validated in a second
      group of patients. Using the two validated biomarkers, we were able to classify
      ASD subjects with 83 % sensitivity and 68 % specificity in a post-hoc analysis.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that clinical EEG can provide quantitative
      biomarkers to assist diagnosis of autism. These results corroborate the general
      finding that ASD subjects have decreased alpha power gradients and network
      connectivities compared to control subjects. In addition, this study demonstrates
      the necessity of using statistical techniques to validate EEG biomarkers
      identified using exploratory methods.

PMID- 26111800
TI  - Function and postnatal changes of dural afferent fibers expressing TRPM8
      channels.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies have identified TRPM8 (transient
      receptor potential melastatin 8) as one of the susceptibility genes for common
      migraine. Here, we investigated the postnatal changes of TRPM8-expressing dural
      afferent fibers as well as the function of dural TRPM8 channels in mice. RESULTS:
      First, we quantified the density and the number of axonal branches of TRPM8
      expressing fibers in the dura of mice expressing farnesylated enhanced green
      fluorescent protein (EGFPf) from one TRPM8 allele between postnatal day 2 (P2) to
      adulthood. The number of axonal branches on individual dural EGFP-positive fibers
      was decreased by 30% between P2 and P11. The density of dural EGFP-positive
      fibers was subsequently reduced by 50% between P16 and P21. Conversely, the
      density and the number of branches of axons expressing calcitonin gene-related
      peptide remained stable in postnatal mouse dura. The density of TRPM8-expressing
      fibers innervating the mouse cornea epithelium was significantly increased from
      P2 to adulthood. Next, we tested the function of dural TRPM8 channels in adult
      mice and found that TRPM8 agonist menthol effectively inhibited the nocifensive
      behavior evoked by dural application of inflammatory mediators. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results indicate that the TRPM8-expressing dural afferent fibers undergo cell-
      and target tissue-specific axonal pruning during postnatal development.
      Activation of dural TRPM8 channels decreases meningeal irritation-evoked
      nocifensive behavior in adult mice. This provides a framework to further explore
      the role of postnatal changes of TRPM8-expressing dural afferents in the
      pathophysiology of pediatric and adult migraine.

PMID- 26111801
TI  - Temporal distribution of arrhythmic events in chronic kidney disease: Highest
      incidence in the long interdialytic period.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD)
      have a high risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). A unique risk factor may be a
      longer interval between HD sessions (interdialytic period). Inherent in
      conventional HD (thrice-weekly) are two 48-hour short breaks (SIDP) and one 72
      hour long break (LIDP) between HD sessions. OBJECTIVE: We used an implantable
      cardiac monitor (ICM) to define the incidence and timing of significant
      arrhythmias in an HD population. METHODS: Fifty CKD patients undergoing HD with
      left ventricular ejection fraction >35% had an ICM inserted, with intensive
      follow-up to record SCD events and predefined bradyarrhythmias and
      tachyarrhythmias. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 67 +/- 11 years; 72% were
      male, and the mean follow-up was 18 +/- 4 months. There were 8 unexpected SCDs
      (16%), all during the LIDP. The terminal event was severe bradycardia with
      asystole in each recorded case. No episodes of polymorphic ventricular
      tachycardia (VT) occurred. A total of 7686 arrhythmia events were recorded in 43
      patients (86%), including bradycardia in 15 patients (30%), sinus arrest in 14
      (28%), second-degree atrioventricular block in 4 (8%), nonsustained VT in 10
      (20%), and new-onset paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in 14 (28%). The LIDP was the
      highest-risk period for all arrhythmias (P < .001). The arrhythmia event rate per
      hour was greatest during the first pre-HD period of the week compared with any
      other peri-HD period (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Risk of SCD and significant
      arrhythmias is greatest during the LIDP. SCD was attributable to severe
      bradycardia and asystole. Interventions to prevent this type of SCD or shorten
      the LIDP deserve further evaluation. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
      URL: https://www.anzctr.org.au (Unique identifier: ACTRN12613001326785).

PMID- 26111802
TI  - To the Editor--Are esophageal lesions caused by the use of esophageal probess or
      conductive heat after atrial fibrillation ablation?

PMID- 26111803
TI  - To the Editor--Higher incidence of esophageal lesions after atrial fibrillation
      ablation related to the use of esophageal temperature probes.

PMID- 26111804
TI  - Reply to the Editor--Higher incidence of esophageal lesions after atrial
      fibrillation ablation related to the use of esophageal temperature probes.

PMID- 26111805
TI  - Comparison of cardiac MRI and 18F-FDG positron emission tomography manifestations
      and regional response to corticosteroid therapy in newly diagnosed cardiac
      sarcoidosis with complet heart block.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Complete heart block (CHB) caused by myocardial inflammation is a
      serious consequence of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) that requires early diagnosis for
      effective anti-inflammatory treatment. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to clarify the
      cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and (18)F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron
      emission tomography ((18)F-FDG PET) manifestations of newly diagnosed CS with CHB
      and to assess whether certain imaging features could predict responders to
      corticosteroid therapy. METHODS: Fifteen newly diagnosed CS patients with CHB and
      17 without CHB were examined. We defined abnormal (18)F-FDG uptake on (18)F-FDG
      PET and increased T2-weighted signal on cardiac MRI as signs of myocardial
      inflammation and delayed enhancement (DE) on cardiac MRI as a sign of myocardial
      fibrosis. Ten CHB+ patients were then treated with corticosteroids. RESULTS: The
      CHB+ group showed higher (18)F-FDG uptake and increased T2-weighted signal in the
      interventricular septum, which involves the electrical pathway of
      atrioventricular conduction, than the CHB- group (P = .001 and P < .0001,
      respectively), whereas there was no group difference in DE (P = .232). Six
      corticosteroid-treated patients recovered from CHB; all had exhibited increased
      T2-weighted signal, (18)F-FDG uptake, and DE in the interventricular septum
      before therapy. In contrast, among the 4 patients without recovery, 2 showed no
      abnormal (18)F-FDG uptake and 3 had no increased T2-weighted signal in the
      interventricular septum, but all showed DE. The 2 patients without recovery with
      abnormal (18)F-FDG uptake showed wall thinning in the interventricular septum.
      CONCLUSION: Focal inflammation in the interventricular septum was associated with
      CHB and might predict recovery from CHB after corticosteroids if it coexists with
      preserved wall thickness.

PMID- 26111806
TI  - Re-growth, morphogenesis, and differentiation during starfish arm regeneration.
AB  - The red starfish Echinaster sepositus is an excellent model for studying arm
      regeneration processes following traumatic amputation. The initial repair phase
      was described in a previous paper in terms of the early cicatrisation phenomena,
      and tissue and cell involvement. In this work, we attempt to provide a further
      comprehensive description of the later regenerative stages in this species. Here,
      we present the results of a detailed microscopic and submicroscopic investigation
      of the long regenerative phase, which can be subdivided into two subphases: early
      and advanced regenerative phases. The early regenerative phase (1-6 weeks p.a.)
      is characterized by tissue rearrangement, morphogenetic processes and initial
      differentiation events (mainly neurogenesis and skeletogenesis). The advanced
      regenerative phase (after 6 weeks p.a.) is characterized by further
      differentiation processes (early myogenesis), and obvious morphogenesis and re
      growth of the regenerate. As in other starfish, the regenerative process in E.
      sepositus is relatively slow in comparison with that of crinoids and many
      ophiuroids, which is usually interpreted as resulting mainly from size-related
      aspects and of the more conspicuous involvement of morphallactic processes. Light
      and electron microscopy analyses suggest that some of the amputated structures,
      such as muscles, are not able to replace their missing parts by directly re
      growing them from the remaining tissues, whereas others tissues, such as the
      skeleton and the radial nerve cord, appear to undergo direct re-growth. The
      overall process is in agreement with the distalization-intercalation model
      proposed by Agata and co-workers. Further experiments are needed to confirm this
      hypothesis. 

PMID- 26111807
TI  - Agreement with evidence for tissue Plasminogen Activator use among emergency
      physicians: a cross-sectional survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Emergency department staff play a crucial role in the triage of
      stroke patients and therefore the capacity to deliver time-dependent treatments
      such as tissue Plasminogen Activator. This study aimed to identify among
      emergency physicians, (1) rates of agreement with evidence supporting tissue
      Plasminogen Activator use in acute stroke care; and (2) individual and hospital
      factors associated with high agreement with evidence supporting tissue
      Plasminogen Activator use. METHODS: Australian fellows and trainees of the
      Australasian College for Emergency Medicine were invited to complete an online
      cross-sectional survey assessing perceptions of tissue Plasminogen Activator use
      in acute stroke. Demographic and hospital characteristics were also collected.
      RESULTS: 429 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine members responded (13%
      response rate). Almost half (47.2%) did not agree with any statements regarding
      the benefits of tissue Plasminogen Activator use for acute stroke. Perceived
      routine administration of tissue Plasminogen Activator by the head of
      respondents' emergency department was significantly associated with high
      agreement with the evidence supporting tissue Plasminogen Activator use in acute
      stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Agreement with evidence supporting tissue Plasminogen
      Activator use in acute stroke is not high among responding Australian emergency
      physicians. In order for tissue Plasminogen Activator treatment to become widely
      accepted and adopted in emergency settings, beliefs and attitudes towards
      treatment need to be in accordance with clinical practice guidelines.

PMID- 26111808
TI  - Hepatotoxic effect of ochratoxin A and citrinin, alone and in combination, and
      protective effect of vitamin E: In vitro study in HepG2 cell.
AB  - Ochratoxin A (OTA) and citrinin (CTN) are the most commonly co-occurring
      mycotoxins in a wide variety of food and feed commodities. The major target organ
      of these toxins is kidney but liver could also be a target organ. The combined
      toxicity of these two toxins in kidney cells has been studied but not in liver
      cell. In this study HepG2 cells were exposed to OTA and CTN, alone and in
      combination, with a view to compare the molecular and cellular mechanisms
      underlying OTA, CTN and OTA + CTN hepatotoxicity. OTA and CTN alone as well as in
      combination affected the viability of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. OTA
      + CTN, at a dose of 20% of IC50 of each, produced effect almost similar to that
      produced by either of the toxins at its IC50 concentration, indicating that the
      two toxins in combination act synergistically. The cytotoxicity of OTA + CTN on
      hepatocytes is mediated by increased level of intracellular ROS
      followed/accompanied by DNA strand breaks and mitochondria-mediated intrinsic
      apoptosis. Co-treatment of vitamin E (Vit E) with OTA, CTN and OTA + CTN reduced
      the levels of ROS and the cytotoxicity. But the genotoxic effect of OTA and OTA +
      CTN was not completely alleviated by Vit E treatment whereas the DNA damage as
      caused by CTN when treated alone was obviated, indicating that OTA induces DNA
      damage directly whereas CTN induces ROS-mediated DNA damage and OTA + CTN
      combination induces DNA damage not exclusively relying on but influenced by ROS
      generation. Taken together, these findings indicate that OTA and CTN in
      combination affect hepatocytes at very low concentrations and, thereby, pose a
      potential threat to public and animal health.

PMID- 26111809
TI  - Approach to using mechanism-based structure activity relationship (SAR) analysis
      to assess human health hazard potential of nanomaterials.
AB  - With the increasing use and development of engineered nanoparticles in
      electronics, consumer products, pesticides, food and pharmaceutical industries,
      there is a growing concern about potential human health hazards of these
      materials. A number of studies have demonstrated that nanoparticle toxicity is
      extremely complex, and that the biological activity of nanoparticles will depend
      on a variety of physicochemical properties such as particle size, shape,
      agglomeration state, crystal structure, chemical composition, surface area and
      surface properties. Nanoparticle toxicity can be attributed to nonspecific
      interaction with biological structures due to their physical properties (e.g.,
      size and shape) and biopersistence, or to specific interaction with biomolecules
      through their surface properties (e.g., surface chemistry and reactivity) or
      release of toxic ions. The toxic effects of most nanomaterials have not been
      adequately characterized and currently, there are many issues and challenges in
      toxicity testing and risk assessment of nanoparticles. Based on the possible
      mechanisms of action and available in vitro and in vivo toxicity database, this
      paper proposes an approach to using mechanism-based SAR analysis to assess the
      relative human health hazard/risk potential of various types of nanomaterials. 

PMID- 26111810
TI  - Ethanol-extracted propolis enhances BBN-initiated urinary bladder carcinogenesis
      via non-mutagenic mechanisms in rats.
AB  - Ethanol-extracted propolis (EEP) is used for medical, dietetic and cosmetic
      purposes. In this study, the effects of EEP on urinary bladder carcinogenesis,
      its underlying mechanism and in vivo genotoxicity were investigated. In
      experiment 1, rats were treated with N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN)
      for 2 or 4 weeks followed by dietary administration of 0.125, 0.25, 0.5 or 1% EEP
      for 4 or 32 weeks, respectively. At week 6, the mRNA levels of top2a, cyclin D1
      and survivin were significantly elevated in the 0.5 and 1% EEP groups. At week
      36, the incidence and multiplicity of urothelial carcinomas and total tumors were
      markedly elevated in all EEP groups. In experiment 2, rats were fed basal diet or
      the 1% EEP diet for 13 weeks without carcinogen initiation. Increases in urinary
      precipitate, cell proliferation and incidence of simple hyperplasia were observed
      in the 1% EEP group. In experiment 3, dietary administration of 2.5% EEP to gpt
      delta rats for 13 weeks did not induce any obvious mutagenicity in the urinary
      bladder urothelium. Taken together, EEP enhanced BBN-initiated rat urinary
      bladder carcinogenesis in a non-genotoxic manner through increasing formation of
      urinary precipitate, enhancing cell proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis during
      the early stages of carcinogenesis.

PMID- 26111811
TI  - Right-sided colon cancer and left-sided colorectal cancers respond differently to
      cetuximab.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Right-sided colon cancer (RSCC) and left-sided colorectal cancer
      (LSCRC) differ with respect to their biology and genomic patterns. This study
      aimed to examine whether the primary tumor location is associated with the
      response to cetuximab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).
      METHODS: Patients with mCRC treated with cetuximab and standard chemotherapy as
      first- or second-line treatments were compared with randomly chosen patients who
      were treated with chemotherapy alone between 2005 and 2013. The main outcome
      measures were the overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS),
      and overall survival (OS). The differences in the outcome were analyzed by using
      the chi-squared test, Student's t test, and Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The
      treatment results of 206 patients with mCRC treated with cetuximab and standard
      chemotherapy as first- or second-line treatments were compared with those of 210
      patients who were treated with chemotherapy alone. As a first-line treatment,
      cetuximab with chemotherapy was associated with a significantly higher ORR (49.4
      % vs. 28.6 %, P = 0.005) as well as longer PFS (9.1 vs. 6.2 months, P = 0.002)
      and OS (28.9 vs. 20.1 months, P = 0.036) than chemotherapy alone in patients with
      LSCRC. However, cetuximab neither improved the ORR (36.4 % vs. 26.2 %, P = 0.349)
      nor prolonged PFS (5.6 vs. 5.7 months, P = 0.904) or OS (25.1 vs. 19.8 months, P
      = 0.553) in patients with RSCC. As a second-line treatment, cetuximab exhibited a
      tendency to improve the ORR (23.5 % vs. 10.2 %, P = 0.087) and prolong PFS (4.9
      vs. 3.5 months, P = 0.064), and it significantly prolonged OS (17.1 vs. 12.4
      months, P = 0.047) compared with chemotherapy alone in the patients with LSCRC.
      In contrast, as a second-line treatment, cetuximab neither improved the ORR (7.1
      % vs. 11.4 %, P = 0.698) nor prolonged PFS (3.3 vs. 4.2 months, P = 0.761) or OS
      (13.4 vs. 13.0 months, P = 0.652) in patients with RSCC. CONCLUSIONS: The
      addition of cetuximab to chemotherapy in both first- and second-line treatments
      of mCRC may only benefit patients with primary LSCRC.

PMID- 26111812
TI  - Metformin in breast cancer - an evolving mystery.
AB  - Metformin, a diabetes drug with well-established side effect and safety profiles,
      has been widely studied for its anti-tumor activities in a number of cancers,
      including breast cancer. But its mechanism of action in the clinical arena
      remains elusive. In a window of opportunity trial of metformin in non-diabetic
      breast cancer patients, Dowling and colleagues examined both the direct actions
      of the drug on cancer cells (as mediated by AMP kinase), as well as its indirect
      actions (as mediated by circulating insulin). The data suggest that short-term
      administration of metformin in this setting has anti-tumor effects significantly
      involving the indirect, insulin-dependent pathway. The role of the direct pathway
      remains to be determined. This study represents an important step forward in
      establishing one of several possible mechanisms for metformin, information that
      will be useful in determining candidate biomarkers to evaluate in large clinical
      trials of metformin, such as the ongoing NCIC CTG MA.32 trial of adjuvant
      metformin. The potential significance of these data for metformin in the
      treatment of breast cancer is discussed here. 

PMID- 26111813
TI  - Successful use of pre and post-operative ECMO for pulmonary endarterectomy,
      mitral valve replacement and myomectomy in a patient with chronic thromboembolic
      pulmonary hypertension and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
AB  - As a salvage strategy, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) permits the
      recovery of end-organ perfusion, whilst allowing the surgeon time for patient
      reassessment and surgical planning. We report upon the first known case in which
      VA ECMO was instituted as peri-operative supportive therapy for a young patient,
      in-extremis, with surgically correctable Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary
      Hypertension (CTEPH) and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HOCM). 

PMID- 26111814
TI  - Applying a typology of health worker migration to non-EU migrant doctors in
      Ireland.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research on health worker migration in the Irish context has
      categorized migrant health workers by country or region of training (for example,
      non-EU nurses or doctors) or recruitment mechanism (for example, actively
      recruited nurses). This paper applies a new typology of health worker migrants -
      livelihood, career-oriented, backpacker, commuter, undocumented and returner
      migrants (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and WHO, vol. 2:129
      152, 2014) - to the experiences of non-EU migrant doctors in Ireland and tests
      its utility for understanding health worker migration internationally. METHODS:
      The paper draws on quantitative survey (N = 366) and qualitative interview (N =
      37) data collected from non-EU migrant doctors in Ireland between 2011 and 2013.
      RESULTS: Categorizing non-EU migrant doctors in Ireland according to the typology
      (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and WHO, vol. 2:129-152,
      2014) offers insight into their differing motivations, particularly on arrival.
      Findings suggest that the career-oriented migrant is the most common type of
      doctor among non-EU migrant doctor respondents, accounting for 60 % (N = 220) of
      quantitative and 54 % (N = 20) of qualitative respondents. The authors propose a
      modification to the typology via the addition of two additional categories - the
      family migrant and the safety and security migrant. CONCLUSIONS: Employing a
      typology of health worker migration can facilitate a more comprehensive
      understanding of the migrant medical workforce, a necessary prerequisite for the
      development of useful policy tools (European Observatory on Health Systems and
      Policies and WHO, vol. 2:129-152, 2014). The findings indicate that there is some
      fluidity between categories, as health worker motivations change over time. This
      indicates the potential for policy levers to influence migrant health worker
      decision-making, if they are sufficiently "tuned in" to migrant health worker
      motivation.

PMID- 26111815
TI  - Knowledge and attitudes of school teachers, preschool teachers and students in
      teacher training about epilepsy and emergency management of seizures.
AB  - PROBLEM: School and preschool teachers play a key role in the care of children
      with epilepsy. Yet, data about their knowledge on epilepsy are scarce. METHODS:
      Assessment of knowledge and attitudes towards epilepsy in teachers by conducting
      a questionnaire survey in Leipzig and Blankenburg, Germany, from August 2013 to
      January 2014. RESULTS: 1243 questionnaires were completed by 302 school teachers,
      883 preschool teachers, 56 students and two unclassified participants. Of the
      respondents, 140 (11%) stated to have already been actively involved in an
      epilepsy emergency situation, another 148 (12%) as observers. Only 214 (17%) of
      respondents felt sufficiently prepared for an emergency. A rescue medication had
      already been applied by 79 (6%) of respondents; only 186 respondents (15%) stated
      they would be willing to administer a prescribed rescue medication under any
      circumstances. In response to an open-ended question about the most common fatal
      outcomes of a seizure, status epilepticus and drowning were rarely mentioned. 233
      (19%) of respondents assumed that epileptic seizures cannot result in death. 606
      (49%) of respondents were concerned about the legal repercussions to an incorrect
      response to a seizure.129/403 (32%) of teachers with >20 years of professional
      experience claimed never to have had a child suffering from epilepsy in their
      care, even though the prevalence of childhood epilepsy indicates that they
      should. In total, 1066 (86%) respondents expressed a desire to gain more
      knowledge on epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: Training programmes for teachers should be
      established. Furthermore, a clear legal regulatory framework needs to be set up.

PMID- 26111817
TI  - Response to 'supervisor or mentor: is there a difference? Implications for
      paediatric practice'.

PMID- 26111816
TI  - Prevalence and associated harm of engagement in self-asphyxial behaviours
      ('choking game') in young people: a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of engagement in self-asphyxial (risk-taking)
      behaviour (SAB) ('choking game') and associated morbidity and mortality in
      children and young people up to age 20. DESIGN: Systematic literature review.
      SEARCH STRATEGY: Electronic database search of MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL,
      PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, BIOSIS citation index and the Cochrane
      register with no language or date limits applied. References of key papers were
      reviewed, and experts were contacted to identify additional relevant papers.
      ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Systematic reviews, cross-sectional, cohort and case
      control studies, and case reports examining SAB with regard to individuals aged 0
      20 years, without explicitly stated autoerotic, suicidal or self-harm intentions
      were included. RESULTS: Thirty-six relevant studies were identified, and SAB was
      reported in 10 countries. In North America, France and Colombia, awareness of SAB
      ranged from 36% to 91% across studies/settings, and the median lifetime
      prevalence of engagement in SAB was 7.4%. Six studies identified the potential
      for SAB to be associated with engagement in other risk behaviours. Ninety-nine
      fatal cases were reported. Of the 24 cases described in detail, most occurred
      when individuals engaged in SAB alone and used a ligature. CONCLUSIONS: The
      current evidence on SAB among young people is limited, and stems predominantly
      from North America and France. Awareness of SAB among young people is high, and
      engagement varies by setting. Further research is needed to understand the level
      of risk and harm associated with SAB, and to determine the appropriate public
      health response.

PMID- 26111818
TI  - The epidemiology of Kawasaki disease: a global update.
AB  - Kawasaki disease (KD) is a childhood vasculitis and the most frequent cause of
      paediatric acquired heart disease in North America, Europe and Japan. It is
      increasingly recognised in rapidly industrialising countries such as China and
      India where it may replace rheumatic heart disease as the most common cause of
      acquired heart disease in children. We review the current global epidemiology of
      KD and discuss some public health implications. 

PMID- 26111819
TI  - Discussing overweight in primary care.

PMID- 26111820
TI  - Using a Root Cause Analysis Curriculum for Practice-Based Learning and
      Improvement in General Surgery Residency.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe and evaluate a root cause analysis (RCA)-based educational
      curriculum for quality improvement (QI) practice-based learning and
      implementation in general surgery residency. DESIGN: A QI curriculum was designed
      using RCA and spaced-learning approaches to education. The program included a
      didactic session about the RCA methodology. Resident teams comprising multiple
      postgraduate years then selected a personal complication, completed an RCA, and
      presented the findings to the Department of Surgery. Mixed methods consisting of
      quantitative assessment of performance and qualitative feedback about the program
      were used to assess the value, strengths, and limitations of the program.
      SETTING: Urban tertiary academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: General surgery
      residents, faculty, and medical students. RESULTS: An RCA was completed by 4
      resident teams for the following 4 adverse outcomes: postoperative neck hematoma,
      suboptimal massive transfusion for trauma, venous thromboembolism, and decubitus
      ulcer complications. Quantitative peer assessment of their performance revealed
      proficiency in selecting an appropriate case, defining the central problem,
      identifying root causes, and proposing solutions. During the qualitative feedback
      assessment, residents noted value of the course, with the greatest limitation
      being time constraints and equal participation. CONCLUSION: An RCA-based
      curriculum can provide general surgery residents with QI exposure and training
      that they value. Barriers to successful implementation include time restrictions
      and equal participation from all involved members.

PMID- 26111821
TI  - A 19-Year Record of Training Haitian Residents in Otorhinolaryngology and
      Cervicofacial Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Since 1996, 1 to 4 annual training missions have been carried out to
      train Haitian otorhinolaryngology (ENT) and cervicofacial surgery residents by
      the association Liens Otorhinolaryngology Ayti (LOA). Until 1996, ENT was
      practiced and taught by ophthalmologists. The aim of this article is to describe
      the contributions and limitations of LOA in training of Haitian resident
      physicians and the creation of the ENT specialty in Haiti. DESIGN: Retrospective
      analysis of clinical consultation and surgical interventions records and
      didactics carried out during missions from 1996 through 2014. PARTICIPANTS: A
      total of 37 missions were made during the 19-year period in which 29 senior ENT
      specialists participated, with an average of 3.37 missions per physician.
      RESULTS: A total of 10,300 consultations and 173 surgical procedures were made
      jointly by a senior LOA physician and a Haitian resident physician. Totally 16
      Haitian ENT residents were trained, 81% of whom are still practicing in Haiti.
      ENT became a surgical specialty in 2001 after the nomination of a Haitian ENT
      specialist as Assistant Director of the ENT-Ophthalmology service. The latter
      benefitted from dual training by LOA in Haiti and abroad. CONCLUSION: The Haitian
      population experiences significant difficulties with access to medical care owing
      to very low number of resident medical personnel. LOA's work has contributed over
      19 years to the training of ENT physicians now practicing in Haiti and to the
      creation of a local ENT specialty.

PMID- 26111822
TI  - e-Learning in Surgical Education: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: e-Learning involves the delivery of educational content through web
      based methods. Owing to work-hour restrictions and changing practice patterns in
      surgery, e-learning can offer an effective alternative to traditional teaching.
      Our aims were to (1) identify current modalities of e-learning, (2) assess the
      efficacy of e-learning as an intervention in surgical education through a
      systematic review of the literature, and (3) discuss the relevance of e-learning
      as an educational tool in surgical education. This is the first such systematic
      review in this field. DESIGN: A systematic search of MEDLINE and EMBASE was
      conducted for relevant articles published until July 2014, using a predefined
      search strategy. The database search was conducted according to the Preferred
      Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
      RESULTS: A total of 38 articles were found which met the inclusion criteria. In
      these studies, e-learning was used as an intervention in 3 different ways: (1) to
      teach cases through virtual patients (18/38); (2) to teach theoretical knowledge
      through online tutorials, or other means (18/38); and (3) to teach surgical
      skills (2/38). Nearly all of the studies reviewed report significant knowledge
      gain from e-learning; however, 2 in 3 studies did not use a control group.
      CONCLUSIONS: e-Learning has emerged as an effective mode of teaching with
      particular relevance for surgical education today. Published studies have
      demonstrated the efficacy of this method; however, future work must involve well
      designed randomized controlled trials comparing e-learning against standard
      teaching.

PMID- 26111823
TI  - The Generic Error Rating Tool: A Novel Approach to Assessment of Performance and
      Surgical Education in Gynecologic Laparoscopy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Global rating scales are commonly used to rate surgeons' skill level.
      However, these tools lack granularity required for specific skill feedback.
      Recently, an alternative framework has been developed that is designed to measure
      technical errors during laparoscopy. The purpose of the present study was to
      gather validity evidence for the Generic Error Rating Tool (GERT) in gynecologic
      laparoscopy. DESIGN: Video recordings of total laparoscopic hysterectomies were
      analyzed by 2 blinded reviewers using the GERT and the Objective Structured
      Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) scale. Several sources of validity were
      examined according to the unitary framework of validity. Main outcomes were
      interrater and intrarater reliability regarding total number of errors and
      events. Further, surgeons were grouped according to OSATS scores (OSATS >= 28 =
      high performers and OSATS < 28 = low performers), and the number of errors and
      events was compared between groups. Correlation analysis between GERT and OSATS
      scores was performed. Lastly, error distribution within procedure steps was
      explored and compared between high- and low-performing surgeons. SETTING:
      University teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 20 anonymized video
      recordings of total laparoscopic hysterectomies. RESULTS: Interrater and
      intrarater reliability was high (intraclass correlation coefficient >0.95) for
      total number of errors and events. Low performers made significantly more errors
      than high performers did (median = 49.5 [interquartile range: 34.5-66] vs median
      = 31 [interquartile range: 16.75-35.25], p = 0.002). There was a significant
      negative correlation between individual OSATS scores and total number of errors
      (Spearman rho = -0.76, p < 0.001, and rho = -0.88, p < 0.001, for raters 1 and 2,
      respectively). Error distribution varied between operative steps, and low
      performers made more errors in some steps, but not in others. CONCLUSION: GERT
      allows for objective and reproducible assessment of technical errors during
      gynecologic laparoscopy and could be used for performance analysis and
      personalized surgical education and training.

PMID- 26111825
TI  - Aerobic Copper-Catalyzed O-Methylation with Methylboronic Acid.
AB  - The oxidative coupling of alkylboronic acids with oxygen nucleophiles offers a
      strategy for replacing toxic, electrophilic alkylating reagents. Although the
      Chan-Lam reaction has been widely applied in the arylation of heteroatom
      nucleophiles, O-alkylation with boronic acids is rare. We report a Cu-catalyzed
      nondecarboxylative methylation of carboxylic acids with methylboronic acid that
      proceeds in air with no additional oxidant. An isotope-labeling study supports an
      oxidative cross-coupling mechanism, in analogy to that proposed for Chan-Lam
      arylation. 

PMID- 26111824
TI  - Time dependency of foamy virus evolutionary rate estimates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It appears that substitution rate estimates co-vary very strongly
      with their timescale of measurement; the shorter the timescale, the higher the
      estimated value. Foamy viruses have a long history of co-speciation with their
      hosts, and one of the lowest estimated rates of evolution among viruses. However,
      when their rate of evolution is estimated over short timescales, it is more
      reminiscent of the rapid rates seen in other RNA viruses. This discrepancy
      between their short-term and long-term rates could be explained by the time
      dependency of substitution rate estimates. Several empirical models have been
      proposed and used to correct for the time-dependent rate phenomenon (TDRP), such
      as a vertically-translated exponential rate decay model and a power-law rate
      decay model. Nevertheless, at present, it is still unclear which model best
      describes the rate dynamics. Here, we use foamy viruses as a case study to
      empirically describe the phenomenon and to determine how to correct rate
      estimates for its effects. Four empirical models were investigated: (i) a
      vertically-translated exponential rate decay model, (ii) a simple exponential
      rate decay model, (iii) a vertically-translated power-law rate decay model, and
      (iv) a simple power-law rate decay model. RESULTS: Our results suggest that the
      TDRP is likely responsible for the large discrepancy observed in foamy virus
      short-term and long-term rate estimates, and the simple power-law rate decay
      model is the best model for inferring evolutionary timescales. Furthermore, we
      demonstrated that, within the Bayesian phylogenetic framework, currently
      available molecular clocks can severely bias evolutionary date estimates,
      indicating that they are inadequate for correcting for the TDRP. Our analyses
      also suggest that different viral lineages may have different TDRP dynamics, and
      this may bias date estimates if it is unaccounted for. CONCLUSIONS: As
      evolutionary rate estimates are dependent on their measurement timescales, their
      values must be used and interpreted under the context of the timescale of rate
      estimation. Extrapolating rate estimates across large timescales for evolutionary
      inferences can severely bias the outcomes. Given that the TDRP is widespread in
      nature but has been noted only recently the estimated timescales of many viruses
      may need to be reconsidered and re-estimated. Our models could be used as a
      guideline to further improve current phylogenetic inference tools.

PMID- 26111826
TI  - Long-term (up to 4.5 years) treatment with fingolimod in multiple sclerosis:
      results from the extension of the randomised TRANSFORMS study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The 12-month (M), phase 3, double-blind, randomised TRANSFORMS study
      demonstrated significant benefits of fingolimod 0.5 or 1.25 mg over interferon
      beta-1a (IFNbeta-1a) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. We
      report the results of long-term (up to 4.5 years) extension of TRANSFORMS.
      METHODS: Patients randomised to fingolimod (0.5/1.25 mg) in the core phase
      continued the same dose (continuous-fingolimod) in the extension, whereas those
      on IFNbeta-1a were re-randomised (1:1) to fingolimod (IFN-switch; IFN: 0.5/1.25
      mg). Outcomes included annualised relapse rate (ARR), confirmed disability
      progression and MRI measures. Results are presented here for the continuous
      fingolimod 0.5 mg and pooled IFN-switch groups. RESULTS: Of the 1027 patients who
      entered the extension, 772 (75.2%) completed the study. From baseline to the end
      of the study (EOS), ARR in patients on continuous-fingolimod 0.5 mg was
      significantly lower than in the IFN-switch group (M0-EOS: 0.17 vs 0.27). After
      switching to fingolimod (M0-12 vs M13-EOS), patients initially treated with IFN
      had a 50% reduction in ARR (0.40 vs 0.20), reduced MRI activity and a lower rate
      of brain volume loss. In a post hoc analysis, the proportion of IFN-switch
      patients with no evidence of disease activity increased by approximately 50% in
      the first year after switching to fingolimod treatment (44.3% to 66.0%). The
      safety profile was consistent with that observed in the core phase. CONCLUSIONS:
      These results support a continued effect of long-term fingolimod therapy in
      maintaining a low rate of disease activity and sustained improved efficacy after
      switching from IFNbeta-1a to fingolimod. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NO:
      NCT00340834.

PMID- 26111827
TI  - An extended assistantship for final-year students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many students feel unprepared for clinical practice after completing
      their medical school training. There is evidence that a brief shadowing period
      improves student confidence and patient safety, but there is currently little
      evidence on the impact of a longer shadowing period. A 10-week student
      assistantship (SA) for final-year students was implemented for Year 5
      undergraduates at the University of Bristol in 2011. This study investigated the
      impact of the SA on student confidence. METHODS: All final-year medical students
      at the University of Bristol in the academic year 2012-13 (n = 248) were
      contacted with an online questionnaire at the start of the SA. They were asked
      about confidence in a range of domains. Further questionnaires were sent at the
      end of the SA, and again once the students had qualified as foundation doctors.
      Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Many students feel unprepared for
      clinical practice RESULTS: A total of 37 students responded to the pre
      assistantship questionnaire, 62 to the post-assistantship questionnaire, and 13
      to the questionnaire sent once students had qualified. Self-assessed confidence
      improved in all areas when the pre- and post-assistantship scores were compared,
      in particular prescribing, assessing and managing unwell patients, and aspects of
      death and dying. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that a prolonged assistantship
      period improves knowledge and skills in a range of domains relevant to becoming a
      junior doctor, and could be considered within medical schools as a way to address
      established areas of poor confidence in new graduates. Larger studies are needed
      to provide more robust evidence for these initial findings.

PMID- 26111829
TI  - Curcumin alleviates lung injury in diabetic rats by inhibiting nuclear factor
      kappaB pathway.
AB  - Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound that is extracted from Curcuma longa. It has
      broad anti-inflammation and anti-tumor activities. Curcumin was previously
      reported to exert beneficial effects on diabetes. However, the effect of curcumin
      on diabetes-induced lung injury is not yet clear. In this study, the effects of
      curcumin on lung injury induced by diabetes was explored using quantitative real
      time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA),
      immunohistochemistry and electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The results of
      this study showed that curcumin reduced oxidative stress level, inhibited the
      synthesis of nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2, and reduced inflammatory
      responses in the lungs of diabetic rats, thereby alleviating diabetes-induced
      lung injury. Further study of the mechanism revealed that curcumin inhibited the
      activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB which is a key player in inflammatory
      responses. In summary, our study demonstrated that curcumin inhibited the
      activation of NF-kappaB in the lungs of diabetic rats, thus reducing pulmonary
      inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, and ultimately relieving diabetes
      induced lung injury. This study suggests that curcumin may be a promising agent
      to alleviate diabetic lung injury and also provides theoretical foundation for
      the development of diabetes therapy.

PMID- 26111830
TI  - Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Danish children and adolescents in 2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The global increase in childhood obesity has in some
      countries been followed by an increase in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM);
      however, the prevalence of T2DM among Danish children and adolescents is
      currently unknown. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to determine the
      prevalence of T2DM in children and adolescents in Denmark together with status on
      treatment, metabolic control, and late diabetic complications. METHODS:
      Individuals were identified in the Danish Registry for Diabetes in Children and
      Adolescents (DanDiabKids), and clinical information regarding these was obtained
      from the respective pediatric departments. RESULTS: In total, seven young
      individuals (three boys) with T2DM were identified, according to the American
      Diabetes Association (ADA)/International Society of Pediatric and Adolecent
      Diabetes (ISPAD) guidelines, leading to a prevalence of T2DM at 0.6/100 000
      inhabitants in Denmark. Only three of the patients had hyperglycemic symptoms at
      diagnosis. One boy was overweight and six were obese (two boys). Currently, no
      patients fulfill the treatment target of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) <7.0%
      (53 mmol/mol) according to the guidelines for treatment of diabetes. CONCLUSIONS:
      In 2014, there is no increasing prevalence of T2DM in children and adolescents in
      Denmark. Nevertheless, the current treatment regimen is not satisfying, as none
      of the patients truly fulfill the treatment target.

PMID- 26111828
TI  - MKP1 phosphatase mediates G1-specific dephosphorylation of H3Serine10P in
      response to DNA damage.
AB  - Histone mark, H3S10 phosphorylation plays a dual role in a cell by maintaining
      relaxed chromatin for active transcription in interphase and condensed chromatin
      state in mitosis. The level of H3S10P has also been shown to alter on DNA damage;
      however, its cell cycle specific behavior and regulation during DNA damage
      response is largely unexplored. In the present study, we demonstrate G1 cell
      cycle phase specific reversible loss of H3S10P in response to IR-induced DNA
      damage is mediated by opposing activities of phosphatase, MKP1 and kinase, MSK1
      of the MAP kinase pathway. We also show that the MKP1 recruits to the chromatin
      in response to DNA damage and correlates with the decrease of H3S10P, whereas
      MKP1 is released from chromatin during recovery phase of DDR. Furthermore,
      blocking of H3S10 dephosphorylation by MKP1 inhibition impairs DNA repair process
      and results in poor survival of WRL68 cells. Collectively, our data proposes a
      pathway regulating G1 cell cycle phase specific reversible reduction of H3S10P on
      IR induced DNA damage and also raises the possibility of combinatorial modulation
      of H3S10P with specific inhibitors to target the cancer cells in G1-phase of cell
      cycle. 

PMID- 26111831
TI  - Physical Compatibility of Calcium Chloride and Sodium Glycerophosphate in
      Pediatric Parenteral Nutrition Solutions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Calcium and phosphate precipitation is an ongoing concern when
      compounding pediatric parenteral nutrition (PN) solutions. Considerable effort
      has been expended in producing graphs, tables, and equations to guide the
      practitioner in prescribing PN that will remain stable. Calcium gluconate is
      preferred over calcium chloride when compounding PN because of its superior
      compatibility with inorganic phosphates. PN solutions containing calcium
      gluconate carry a higher aluminum load than equivalent solutions compounded with
      calcium chloride, leading to increased potential for aluminum toxicity. This
      study tested the solubility of calcium chloride in PN solutions compounded with
      an organic phosphate component, sodium glycerophosphate (NaGP), in place of
      sodium phosphate. METHODS: Five PN solutions were compounded by adding calcium
      chloride at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mEq/L and corresponding concentrations of NaGP
      at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mmol/L. Each of the 5 solutions was compounded using
      1.5% and 4% amino acids, cysteine, and lipids. The physical stability was
      evaluated by visual inspection (precipitation, haze, and color change). Solutions
      were evaluated microscopically for any microcrystals using U.S. Pharmacopeia
      <788> standards. RESULTS: Compatibility testing showed no changes in the PN
      solution in any of the concentrations tested. Calcium chloride was found to be
      physically compatible with NaGP in PN at the tested concentrations. CONCLUSION:
      Utilization of NaGP in PN solutions would eliminate the need for precipitation
      curves and allow for the use of calcium chloride. Compounding with NaGP and
      calcium chloride allows the practitioner a mechanism for reducing the aluminum
      load in PN.

PMID- 26111832
TI  - Clinical Management of Patients With Parenteral Nutrition-Dependent Short Bowel
      Syndrome During Teduglutide Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with intestinal failure, who are dependent on parenteral
      nutrition (PN) to supplement their limited absorption of dietary nutrients, are
      subject to complications associated with long-term PN therapy. Medication therapy
      that results in improved dietary nutrient absorption may enable these patients to
      reduce or even become independent from PN therapy and its related complications.
      The glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) analogue teduglutide was approved for use in
      such patients by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2012. PURPOSE: The
      purpose of this article is to describe the experience of 7 patients with PN
      dependent intestinal failure who were treated with teduglutide by a single center
      that had been involved in the teduglutide clinical trials. RESULTS: Two patients
      who were treated during the clinical trials and 5 others who were treated since
      teduglutide came to market in the United States are described. Protocols used to
      prepare and monitor patients with this drug and PN weaning and adverse event
      outcomes are presented. CONCLUSIONS: While some patients had uncomplicated PN
      reduction, others experienced various complications. Careful monitoring of
      patients' clinical course is needed during drug therapy.

PMID- 26111833
TI  - UK doctors head home from Ebola frontline.

PMID- 26111834
TI  - Effect of Topical Insulin on Second-Degree Burns in Diabetic Rats.
AB  - The healing process is complex in diabetic wounds, and the healing mechanism of
      burn wounds is different from that of incisional or excisional wounds. Data from
      our previous study indicated that topical insulin cream reduced wound closure
      time in diabetic rats. Our aim was to investigate the effect of topical insulin
      cream on wound healing following second-degree burns in control and diabetic
      rats. Rats were divided into four groups: control (nondiabetic) rats treated with
      placebo (CP), control (nondiabetic) rats treated with topical insulin cream (CI),
      diabetic rats treated with placebo (DP), and diabetic rats treated with topical
      insulin cream (DI). The wounds were assessed at 4 time points (1, 7, 14, and 26
      days) post-wounding for morphometric analysis of wound sections stained with
      hematoxylin/eosin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and Picrosirius red to evaluate
      general aspects of the wound, inflammatory infiltrate, blood vessels, and Types I
      and III collagen fibers. Histological analysis showed that topical insulin cream
      increased the inflammatory cell infiltrate in the DI group (at 7 and 14 days
      postburn, p < .05) and blood vessels (at 14 days postburn, p < .05) to levels
      similar to those of groups CP and CI. Wounds treated with topical insulin cream
      (CI and DI groups) showed significantly stronger staining for fibrillar collagen
      than wounds of the DP group. The use of topical insulin may reduce the duration
      of the inflammatory phase; improve wound reepithelialization, tissue granulation,
      and wound contraction; and increase collagen deposition in second-degree burns in
      healthy and diabetic animals. 

PMID- 26111835
TI  - [Why history of medicine?].

PMID- 26111836
TI  - [Antike Anatomien].
AB  - One still wonders today at the anatomical precision with which various ancient
      authors, like Homer, depict the inner body. How was it possible to get such a
      precise knowledge, at a period when medicine was not particularly famous for its
      scientific achievements? The history of the beginnings of western anatomy reveals
      a surprising variety: its progress, until the tremendous technical fulfilments of
      contemporary anatomical imaging, has been neither linear, nor spontaneous, nor
      even necessary. Before becoming one of the epistemological bedrocks of medicine,
      its history reveals itself filled with accidents, ruptures, contingencies, and
      actors who contributed to modify its course.

PMID- 26111837
TI  - [William Harvey revisited ].
AB  - William Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood is often described as
      a product of the Scientific Revolution of the Seventeenth Century. Modern
      research has, however, shown thatHarvey followed the Aristotelian research
      tradition and thus tried to reveal the purpose of the organs through examination
      of various animals. His publication of 1628 has to be read as an argument of
      natural philosophy, or, more precisely, as a series of linked observations,
      experiments and philosophical reasonings from which the existence of circulation
      has to be deduced as a logical consequence. Harvey did not consider experiments
      as superior to philosophical reasoning nor intended he to create a new system of
      medicine. He believed in the vitality of the heart and the blood and rejected
      Francis Bacon's empirism and the mechanistic rationalism of Descartes. Harvey's
      contribution and originality lied less in his single observations and experiments
      but in the manner how he linked them with critical reasoning and how he accepted,
      presented and defended the ensuing radical findings.

PMID- 26111838
TI  - [Beyond the asylum -An other view on the history of psychiatry in the modern
      age].
AB  - If one thinks medicine, madness and the past, one image immediately pops into
      mind: that of the mental asylum. Following the famous work by Michel Foucault,
      Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason, many
      historians have thus considered that the medicalization of insanity in the modern
      age had mostly led to a "great confinement" and a greater segregation of all
      individuals deemed mentally unfit during the "asylum era': However, new research
      demonstrates that this classic narrative of the psychiatric past needs to be
      revised. It discloses that, ever since the 191h century, a whole other medical
      culture existed as a challenge to asylums, a culture that advocated the
      integration of the mad and fought to disassociate psychiatry from the dominant
      model of confinement all throughout the occidental world. This article aims at
      presenting the results of these historical works that depict another aspect of
      the psychiatric history, exploring "boarding out" practices, instead of asylum
      ones.

PMID- 26111839
TI  - [The construction of a medical discipline and its challenges: Orthopedics in
      Switzerland during the 19th and 20th centuries].
AB  - During the 19th century, numerous figures, with different qualifications, claimed
      to practice orthopedics: doctors, surgeons, inventors of equipment and
      instruments, and other empiricists. They performed certain types of techniques,
      massages, surgical operationsand/or fitted prostheses. The polysemous notion of
      orthopedics had created conflicts of interest that would reach their height at
      the end of the 19th century. The integration of orthopedics into the training at
      the university level enhanced its proximity to surgery, a discipline that has
      dominated the so-called modern medicine. During the 20th century, various medical
      branches defend the legitimacy of certain orthopedic practices, thereby threating
      to a degree the title itself of this specialization. By examining the challenges
      that have shaped the history of orthopedics in Switzerland, this article also
      seeks to shed light on the strategies that were implemented in adopting a medical
      and technical discipline within a transforming society.

PMID- 26111840
TI  - [The traveling image in neurological textbooks (1850-1920)].
AB  - Images have always played an important part in neurology. From the early days of
      the discipline, images, in the form of drawings and photographs, are included in
      textbooks and travel all around the Western world. They have a role to play in
      the diffusion, authority and standardization of the neurological discipline. This
      paper describes the world-wide circulation of a medical image through textbooks.

PMID- 26111841
TI  - [Negotiating light therapy. Kellogg versus Finsen, and the controversy about the
      health effects of light rays around 1900].
AB  - Western medicine has produced different rationales for the application of light
      rays to cure diseases in the 201h century. Since the 1980s, physicians have used
      bright light for treating mental disorders. In the interwar period, however,
      physicians regarded ultraviolet rays rather than bright light as medically
      relevant. This view goes back to the 1890s, when the physician (and later Nobel
      Price laureate) Niels R. Finsen started treating skin tuberculosis with light
      rays. However, Finsen was not the only physician who utilized the new electric
      light to develop effective therapies. Famous American inventor of the breakfast
      cereal and eugenicists, John Harvey Kellogg used incandescent lamps to heat a
      sweatbox. Consequently, two different therapeutic schools emerged from these
      therapeutic experiments. This article shows how these two schools negotiated the
      use of light therapy and how a specific idea of medically interesting light rays
      emerged thereby.

PMID- 26111842
TI  - [Constant or break? On the relations between human genetics and eugenics in the
      Twentieth Century].
AB  - The history of human genetics has been a neglected topic in history of science
      and medicine for a long time. Only recently, have medical historians begun to pay
      more attention to the history of human heredity. An important research question
      deals with the interconnections between human genetics and eugenics. This paper
      addresses this question: By focusing on a Swiss case study, the investigation of
      the heredity of goiter, I will argue that there existed close but also ambiguous
      relations between heredity research and eugenics in the twentieth century.
      Studies on human heredity often produced evidence that challenged eugenic aims
      and ideas. Concurrently, however, these studies fostered visions of genetic
      improvement of human populations.

PMID- 26111843
TI  - [Consumption and Control: How Vitamin C could become a Cure-All].
AB  - Artificial vitamin C has become a bulk product. To explain how ascorbic acid
      could enter everyday life, one less has to look at medical necessities than at
      the dynamic interplay of production, promotion, and health care policy. Hence,
      this contribution focuses on the complex interactions of health concepts,
      diagnostic instruments and the physician's gaze necessary to endow ascorbic acid
      with a medical indication. On the one hand, this reveals the differences between
      a "purely scientific" and a "medical-biological" point of view. On the other
      hand, as man last but not least is what he eats, this points to the fact that
      nutrition and parts of it always are soaked with health policy and moral.

PMID- 26111844
TI  - [Hospital Infections, Antibiotics and the Emergence of Resistance in English
      Hospitals, 1930-1960].
AB  - This paper examines the history of hospital infections, the clinical introduction
      of antibiotics and the emergence of antibiotic resistant disease strains in
      English hospitals between 1930 and 1960. It argues that infection has been an
      almost constant problem for the modern, curative hospital. The arrival first of
      sulphonamides and later of antibiotics provided a cost-effective, readily
      available counter-measure which proved to be highly effective in the short term.
      The longer term consequence, however, was the emergence of antibiotic resistant
      strains. Calls for a rational use of antibiotics, voiced from 1952, remained
      unheard. The problem culminated in the crisis around Staph 80/81, a strain of
      Staphyloccocus Aureus resistant to all available antibiotics at the time. The
      development of methicillin and the implementation of stricter infection control
      regimes allowed the problem to recede around 1960 after an intense period of
      historical change from the end of the war onwards.

PMID- 26111845
TI  - [Peptic ulcer disease and helicobacter pylori: How we know what we know].
AB  - The bacterium Helicobacter pylori is one of the main causes of peptic ulcers. But
      how was this causal relationship demonstrated? A historical and philosophical
      analysis of a series of studies conducted during the 1980s can elucidate the
      question. In the beginning, a mere correlation between the newly discovered
      bacterium and peptic ulcers was found in gastric biopsies. It remained an open
      question whether the bacterium caused the disease, or whether it constituted
      merely an opportunistic infection. Yet determining the direction of causality was
      difficult in the absence of an animal model: Even though gastritis was observed
      in a courageous self-experiment involving a swallowed bacterial culture, tf!e
      significance of the individual case was small. The failings of the self
      experiment could only be rectified by a randomised, placebo-controlled trial
      which met the requirements of Koch's third postulate. Moreover, it was necessary
      to gain an initial understanding of the mechanism by which the causal
      relationship between H. pylori and peptic ulcers is mediated: How, forexample,
      does the bacterium survive in the acid environment of the stomach? The study of
      the case from the perspective of the history and philosophy of science
      illustrates how medical knowledge is established incrementally.

PMID- 26111846
TI  - Temporal trends in classical and alternative flame retardants in bird eggs from
      Donana Natural Space and surrounding areas (south-western Spain) between 1999 and
      2013.
AB  - Several halogenated flame retardants were detected in black kite, white stork and
      greater flamingo unborn eggs from Donana Natural Space (Spain) collected in 1999,
      2003, 2011 and 2013. The main components of Penta-BDE commercial mixture (BDE-47,
      -99 and -100) showed a decrease in the studied time interval, concurring with the
      ban of this mixture in the European Union (EU) in 2006. On the other hand, BDE
      209, the main component of Deca-BDE mixture showed a clear trend in black kites
      but further monitoring is needed since its production ceased at the end of 2013.
      Besides, even if Dechlorane Plus (DP) was proposed by the EU as an alternative to
      BDE-209 no time trends were observed. Furthermore, total concentrations of PBDEs
      (classical FRs) are still higher than concentrations of hexabromocyclododecane
      (HBCD) and alternative FRs halogenated norbornenes (HNs), which are theoretically
      substitutes of the already banned PBDEs. 

PMID- 26111848
TI  - Complex cooperative breeders: Using infant care costs to explain variability in
      callitrichine social and reproductive behavior.
AB  - The influence of ecology on social behavior and mating strategies is one of the
      central questions in behavioral ecology and primatology. Callitrichines are New
      World primates that exhibit high behavioral variability, which is widely
      acknowledged, but not always systematically researched. Here, I examine the
      hypothesis that differences in the cost of infant care among genera help explain
      variation in reproductive traits. I present an integrative approach to generate
      and evaluate predictions from this hypothesis. I first identify callitrichine
      traits that vary minimally and traits that are more flexible (e.g., have greater
      variance or norm of reaction), including the number of males that mate with a
      breeding female, mechanisms of male reproductive competition, number of natal
      young retained, and the extent of female reproductive suppression. I outline how
      these more labile traits should vary along a continuum of infant care costs
      according to individual reproductive strategies. At one end of the spectrum, I
      predict that groups with higher infant care costs will show multiple adult males
      mating and providing infant care, high subordinate female reproductive
      suppression, few natal individuals delaying dispersal, and increased reproductive
      output by the dominant female -with opposite predictions under low infant costs.
      I derive an estimate of the differences in ecological and physiological infant
      care costs that suggest an order of ascending costs in the wild: Cebuella,
      Callithrix, Mico, Callimico, Saguinus, and Leontopithecus. I examine the
      literature on each genus for the most variable traits and evaluate a) where they
      fall along the continuum of infant care costs according to their reproductive
      strategies, and b) whether these costs correspond to the ecophysiological
      estimates of infant care costs. I conclude that infant care costs can provide a
      unifying explanation for the most variable reproductive traits among
      callitrichine genera. The approach presented can be used to generate predictions
      and motivate researchers to unravel complexity in callitrichine social and
      reproductive behavior.

PMID- 26111847
TI  - Old measures and new scores in spinal muscular atrophy patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A recent Rasch analysis performed on the Hammersmith Functional
      Motor Scale-Expanded (HFMSE) in patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
      identified issues impacting scale validity, redundant items, and disordered
      thresholds on some items. METHODS: We modified the HMFSE scoring based on the
      Rasch analysis and on expert consensus to establish whether the traditional
      scoring overestimated the number of patients with changes within 2 points from
      baseline. Data were collected retrospectively from multicenter data sets in 255
      type 2 and 3 SMA patients. RESULTS: The mean 12-month changes using the new and
      the traditional scoring system did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). The
      numbers of patients who improved or decreased by >2 points were also similar.
      CONCLUSIONS: The presence of outliers using the traditional scoring system was
      not due to overestimation of changes in activities that were tested bilaterally
      or to discrepancies in the scoring hierarchy of individual items.

PMID- 26111849
TI  - Erratum to: Halolamina rubra sp. nov., a haloarchaeon isolated from non-purified
      solar salt.

PMID- 26111850
TI  - Flavobacterium notoginsengisoli sp. nov., isolated from the rhizosphere of Panax
      notoginseng.
AB  - Two novel bacterial strains, designated SYP-B540(T) and SYP-B556, were isolated
      from rhizospheric soil of Panax notoginseng located at Yunnan Province, China.
      Both strains were Gram-staining negative, aerobic, non-motile, elongated rod
      shaped and yellow coloured. They grew optimally at 28  degrees C and pH 7.0.
      Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the two strains shared 99.8 %
      sequence similarity to each other, but lower than 97.6 % to the other known
      species of the genus Flavobacterium. The predominant respiratory quinone for the
      two strains was MK-6, and the major fatty acids were iso-C15:0 and summed Feature
      3 (comprising 16:1 omega7c and/or 16:1 omega6c). The polar lipids consisted of
      phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified polar lipids and three unidentified
      amino-phospholipids. The DNA G+C contents of strains SYP-B540(T) and SYP-B556
      were 33.3 and 32.7 mol%, respectively. In addition, the DNA-DNA hybridization
      values of strains SYP-B540(T) and SYP-B556 to their closest phylogenetic
      neighbors were significantly lower than 70 %. On the basis of the polyphasic
      taxonomy studies, strains SYP-B540(T) and SYP-B556 represent a novel species of
      the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium notoginsengisoli sp.
      nov. is proposed. The type strain is SYP-B540(T) (=KCTC 32505(T) = NBRC 110012(T)
      = BCRC 80724(T)).

PMID- 26111851
TI  - Lysobacter agri sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from soil.
AB  - A bacterial strain, designated as THG-SKA3(T), was isolated from field soil of
      Kyung Hee University, South Korea. Cells of the isolate were observed to be Gram
      negative, aerobic, rod-shaped and motile by gliding. The strain was found to grow
      optimally at 28  degrees C, at pH 7 and in absence of NaCl. Based on 16S rRNA
      gene sequence comparisons, strain THG-SKA3(T) shared highest sequence similarity
      with Lysobacter niastensis KACC 11588(T) followed by Lysobacter panacisoli KACC
      17502(T), Lysobacter enzymogenes LMG 8762(T) and Lysobacter oryzae KCTC 22249(T).
      The G+C content of THG-SKA3(T) was determined to be 68.9 mol%. The DNA-DNA
      relatedness values between strain THG-SKA3(T) and its closest phylogenetic
      neighbors were below 25.0 %.The major polar lipids of strain THG-SKA3(T) were
      determined to be diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and
      phosphatidylethanolamine. The predominant respiratory quinone was identified as
      ubiquinone 8 (Q-8). The major cellular fatty acids were identified as branched
      chain iso-C15:0, iso-C16:0 and unsaturated iso-C17:1 omega9c. On the basis of
      polyphasic data presented, it is evident that strain THG-SKA3(T) represents a
      novel species of the genus Lysobacter, for which the name Lysobacter agri sp.
      nov. (type strain THG-SKA3(T) = KACC 18283(T) = CSCTCC AB 2015126(T)) is
      proposed.

PMID- 26111852
TI  - Catellatospora tagetis sp. nov., isolated from the root of a marigold (Tagetes
      erecta L.).
AB  - A Gram-stain positive, non-motile, mesophilic actinomycete, designated strain
      NEAU-YJC4(T) was isolated from the root of a marigold (Tagetes erecta L.)
      collected in Heilongjiang Province, northeast China, and characterized using a
      polyphasic approach. Morphological and chemotaxonomic properties of strain NEAU
      YJC4(T) were consistent with the description of the genus Catellatospora. 16S
      rRNA gene sequence similarity studies showed that strain NEAU-YJC4(T) belongs to
      the genus Catellatospora, being most closely related to Catellatospora
      bangladeshensis JCM 12949(T) (98.7 %). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA
      gene sequences demonstrated that strain NEAU-YJC4(T) formed a monophyletic clade
      with the closest relative. A combination of DNA-DNA hybridization results and
      some phenotypic characteristics indicated that strain NEAU-YJC4(T) can be
      distinguished from C. bangladeshensis JCM 12949(T). Therefore, it is proposed
      that strain NEAU-YJC4(T) represents a novel species of the genus Catellatospora,
      for which the name Catellatospora tagetis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain
      is NEAU-YJC4(T) (=CGMCC 4.7176(T) = JCM 30053(T)).

PMID- 26111853
TI  - [Experience in nephron-sparing surgery in patients with small renal tumors].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nephron -sparing surgery is currently the treatment of choice for
      surgical removal of solid renal tumours smaller than 7 cm, in the case of a
      solitary kidney, bilateral renal tumours or the presence of chronic renal
      failure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational, descriptive, retrospective and
      cross-sectional study was conducted. The variables evaluated were: age at
      diagnosis, gender, intraoperative blood loss, operative time, preoperative tumour
      size, hospital stay, pathology report, pTNM classification, Fuhrman nuclear
      grade, pre- and post-operative creatinine, monitoring for cancer. All were
      analysed using SPSS v 22. RESULTS: The study included 28 patients, 14 male and 14
      women, with a mean age 52.3 years. The approach was lumbotomy in all patients.
      The mean hospital stay was 4.1 days. Mean perioperative bleeding loss was 380.3
      ml. The mean preoperative creatinine was 0.96 mg/dl, with a post-operative mean
      of 1.12 mg/dl. Histopathology reported, 23 clear cell tumours, 2 angiomyolipomas,
      2 oncocytomas, and 1 haemorrhagic cyst. Tumour staging was performed on 14
      patients, with 13 patients T1bN0M0, and 1 patient T2aN0M0. In clear cell tumours,
      Fuhrman nuclear grade 2 was present in 16 patients and 7 patients were Fuhrman
      grade 3. CONCLUSION: Nephron sparing surgery is the choice procedure of choice in
      patients with small renal tumours, with good functional results without
      significant alteration in renal function. Outcome is optimal, with a low
      incidence of complications.

PMID- 26111854
TI  - [Prognostic factors related to mortality in newborns with necrotising
      enterocolitis].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Necrotizing enterocolitis is the most frequent and severe acquired
      gastrointestinal disease in newborns and still has high mortality. There are few
      published papers about prognostic factors of death in our country. OBJECTIVE: To
      know the factors associated with death in patients with necrotizing
      enterocolitis. METHODS: Retrospective, descriptive, comparative study with a case
      control design was conducted on patients with necrotizing enterocolitis during a
      5-year period. RESULTS: Deceased patients had significantly lower platelet counts
      compared to survivors (P=0.022) and the prognostic factors associated with
      mortality were anaemia (P=0.006, OR = 15.62), stage III of necrotizing
      enterocolitis (P<0.001, OR = 47.5), to require surgical treatment (P<0.001, OR =
      47.5), to have intestinal necrosis (P=0.001, OR = 48.5) or perforation (P=0.016,
      OR =24.25), to have medical complications, specifically intravascular
      disseminated coagulation (P<.001, RR = 98), and multi-organ failure (P<0.001, RR
      = 2). It was also found that patients with gastrointestinal symptoms and
      diagnosis of necrotising enterocolitis when they were hospitalized were more
      likely to have surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We must be aware of the factors
      associated with mortality, as well as those associated with surgical treatment to
      reduce overall mortality for this condition.

PMID- 26111855
TI  - Pd size effect on the gas sensing properties of Pd-loaded SnO2 in humid
      atmosphere.
AB  - Pd particles of different nanosizes were loaded on the SnO2 surface by using
      different Pd precursors for the purpose of investigating the Pd size effect on
      gas sensing properties in humid atmosphere. One kind of Pd-loaded SnO2
      nanoparticle was characterized by smaller Pd particles (2.6 nm) with high
      dispersion, while another kind was characterized by larger Pd particles (5-10 nm)
      with low dispersion. It was found that both kinds of Pd on the SnO2 surface let
      the mainly adsorbed oxygen species change from O(-) to O(2-) in humid atmosphere
      at 350  degrees C. In addition, the water vapor poisoning effect on electric
      resistance and sensor response was greatly reduced by loading Pd. Interestingly,
      for the CO response at 350  degrees C, Pd-SnO2 with small Pd size showed almost
      constant sensor response with varying humidity (0.5-4 vol % H2O). While the CO
      response of Pd-SnO2 with large Pd size even increased with increasing amount of
      water vapor. Moreover, the former CO response was increased from 300 to 350 
      degrees C, but the later response decreased with increase in operating
      temperature. These behaviors were analyzed by temperature programed reduction
      (TPR) in H2 and CO atmospheres, and they were supported by the different
      catalytic activities of different nanosized Pd particles. 

PMID- 26111858
TI  - Shades of grey: the conundrum of implantable defibrillators in individuals with
      advanced CKD.

PMID- 26111859
TI  - Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in patients with CKD: a propensity
      matched mortality analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Benefits of transvenous implantable cardioverter
      defibrillators (ICDs) in prevention of sudden cardiac death among the general
      population are proven. However, the benefit of ICDs remains unclear in CKD. A
      propensity-matched analysis was conducted to examine the survival benefits of
      ICDs placed for primary prevention in those with CKD not on dialysis (eGFR<60
      ml/min per 1.73 m(2)). DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: The
      Cleveland Clinic CKD registry was utilized to identify individuals who had an
      echocardiogram at the institution (between 2001 and October 2011). A propensity
      score of the likelihood of receiving an ICD was developed with the following
      variables: demographics, comorbid conditions, use of cardioprotective
      medications, eGFR, left ventricular ejection fraction, and ventricular
      arrhythmia. One-to-one greedy matching was used with 0.1 caliper width to match
      patients with and without an ICD. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to
      examine survival of matched patients with and without an ICD. RESULTS: This study
      included 1053 ICD patients and 9435 potential controls. Of 1053 ICD patients
      (60%), 631 were matched to the control group. During a median follow-up of 2.9
      years (25th and 75th percentiles, 1.5, 4.7), 578 patients died. After adjusting
      for covariates, the hazard of mortality among propensity-matched patients was
      0.69 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.59 to 0.82) for the ICD group compared
      with the non-ICD group. A significant interaction was found between ICDs and eGFR
      (P=0.04). Presence of an ICD was associated with a lower risk of death among
      those with eGFRs of 45-59 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) (hazard ratio [HR], 0.58; 95% CI,
      0.44 to 0.77) and 30-44 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.85),
      but not among those with eGFRs<30 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.71 to
      1.35). CONCLUSIONS: Transvenous ICDs placed for primary prevention are associated
      with a survival benefit in those with stage 3 CKD, but not in those with stage 4
      CKD.

PMID- 26111857
TI  - CKD as a Model for Improving Chronic Disease Care through Electronic Health
      Records.
AB  - Electronic health records have the potential to improve the care of patients with
      chronic medical conditions. CKD provides a unique opportunity to show this
      potential: the disease is common in the United States, there is significant room
      to improve CKD detection and management, CKD and its related conditions are
      defined primarily by objective laboratory data, CKD care requires collaboration
      by a diverse team of health care professionals, and improved access to CKD
      related data would enable identification of a group of patients at high risk for
      multiple adverse outcomes. However, to realize the potential for improvement in
      CKD-related care, electronic health records will need to provide optimal
      functionality for providers and patients and interoperability across multiple
      health care settings. The goal of the National Kidney Disease Education Program
      Health Information Technology Working Group is to enable and support the
      widespread interoperability of data related to kidney health among health care
      software applications to optimize CKD detection and management. Over the course
      of the last 2 years, group members met to identify general strategies for using
      electronic health records to improve care for patients with CKD. This paper
      discusses these strategies and provides general goals for appropriate
      incorporation of CKD-related data into electronic health records and
      corresponding design features that may facilitate (1) optimal care of individual
      patients with CKD through improved access to clinical information and decision
      support, (2) clinical quality improvement through enhanced population management
      capabilities, (3) CKD surveillance to improve public health through wider
      availability of population-level CKD data, and (4) research to improve CKD
      management practices through efficiencies in study recruitment and data
      collection. Although these strategies may be most effectively applied in the
      setting of CKD, because it is primarily defined by laboratory abnormalities and
      therefore, an ideal computable electronic health record phenotype, they may also
      apply to other chronic diseases. 

PMID- 26111860
TI  - How to transform a metabolic syndrome score into an insulin sensitivity value?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) predicts cardiovascular risk and
      incident type 2 diabetes mellitus. The presence of a MetS is defined by the
      clustering of >=3 out of 5 cardiometabolic criteria (hyperglycemia; hypertension;
      enlarged waist; low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol; and
      hypertriglyceridemia), each of which is connected with insulin resistance. It is
      not known whether the severity of MetS, ranked from the sextet of scores range
      [0/5 to 5/5], is linearly related to reduced insulin sensitivity (IS) and/or
      lesser hyperbolic product across the glycemic spectrum. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      total of 839 adults (54 normoglycemic; 785 with abnormal glucose homeostasis,
      among whom 711 type 2 diabetes mellitus) had insulin sensitivity assessed
      together with their cardiometabolic phenotype. RESULTS: There was a significant
      gradient according to interval-scale MetS score in insulinemia; body mass index;
      (visceral) fat; hepatic steatosis; and macroangiopathy. There was an inverse
      linear relationship between increasing MetS scores and decreased insulin
      sensitivity, allowing to define an insulin resistance-predicting linear equation:
      IS (%) = [-15.1 * MetS score] + 109.4 (R(2)  = 0.221). For each MetS category,
      mean IS values did not significantly differ between groups of patients across the
      glycemic spectrum. The hyperbolic product (beta-cell function * IS) and/or its
      loss rate were inversely related to MetS severity. CONCLUSION: Insulin
      sensitivity is linearly and inversely related to MetS severity across the 6
      scores. This novel way to exploit information intrinsic to the MetS criteria
      provides an easy and low cost means to quantify insulin sensitivity across the
      glycemic spectrum. Moreover, a higher MetS score is associated with lesser
      residual insulin secretion, and faster B-cell function loss. Copyright (c) 2015
      John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26111861
TI  - Birth of nine normal healthy babies following transfer of blastocysts derived
      from human single-pronucleate zygotes.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the clinical outcomes of
      blastocysts derived from human single-pronucleate (1PN) embryos after
      conventional in vitro fertilization (cIVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection
      (ICSI) cycles. METHODS: This was a retrospective study at a reproductive center
      of a hospital. To evaluate embryo quality and clinical outcomes, cIVF or ICSI
      cycles with one or more 1PN embryos were compared with same cycles with 2PN
      embryos (control cycles). RESULTS: A total of 623 cycles (426 cIVF cycles and 197
      ICSI cycles) were treated with cIVF or ICSI. The single pronuclear status rate
      was similar between cIVF (22.1 %) and ICSI (25.1 %) cycles. Although the
      development rates of 1PN embryos on day 3 and day 5/6 in cIVF were significantly
      higher than those in ICSI, those of 1PN embryos in cIVF were significantly lower
      compared to 2PN embryos (p < 0.01). Nonetheless, the ongoing pregnancy rates
      achieved with 1PN blastocysts in 1PN embryos did not significantly differ from
      the control group. Thirty-three transfer cycles with 33 blastocysts derived from
      1PN embryos in cIVF resulted in nine deliveries with no newborn malformations;
      however, no implantation was observed in three ICSI cycles. CONCLUSION: Although
      the blastocyst formation rate of 1PN embryos was significantly lower than 2PN
      embryos in cIVF and ICSI cycles, 1PN blastocysts in cIVF, and not from ICSI,
      demonstrated an adequate ongoing pregnancy rate. These results suggested that 1PN
      blastocysts in cIVF are available for clinical use and may lead to an increase in
      the chance of pregnancy in patients receiving assisted reproductive technology
      with 1PN embryos.

PMID- 26111862
TI  - Testicular injection of busulfan for recipient preparation in transplantation of
      spermatogonial stem cells in mice.
AB  - Intraperitoneal busulfan injections are used to prepare recipients for
      spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) transplantation but they are associated with
      haematopoietic toxicity. Testicular injections of busulfan have been proposed to
      overcome this limitation. To date, testicular injections have not been studied in
      the mouse model. Therefore, in the present study we used ICR mice as recipients
      for SSC transplantation and prepared these mice by testicular injection of
      busulfan on both sides (2, 3, 4 or 6mgkg-1 per side). Following this, donor germ
      cells expressing red fluorescent protein (RFP) from transgenic C57BL/6J male mice
      were transplanted into recipients via the efferent duct on Days 16-17 after
      busulfan treatment. Positive control mice were prepared by intraperitoneal
      injection of 40mgkg-1 busulfan and negative control mice were treated with
      bilateral testicular injection of 50% dimethyl sulfoxide. On Day 49 after
      transplantation, recipient mice that were RFP-positive by in vivo imaging were
      mated with ICR female mice. Donor-derived germ cell colonies with red
      fluorescence were observed on Day 60 after transplantation, and donor-derived
      offspring were obtained. The results demonstrated that endogenous germ cells were
      successfully eliminated in the seminiferous tubules via testicular busulfan
      administration, and that exogenous SSCs successfully undergo spermatogenesis in
      the testes of recipient mice prepared by testicular injections of busulfan. In
      addition to its effects on recipient preparation, this method was safe in rodents
      and could possibly be adapted for use in other species.

PMID- 26111863
TI  - Rivaroxaban Induces Mucosal Healing in a Rat Model of Trinitrobenzene Sulfonic
      Acid-Induced Colitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to identify the effect of rivaroxaban, a
      direct factor Xa inhibitor, on trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced
      colitis in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four female Wistar rats were
      divided into 4 groups of 6 each. Group 1 received TNBS + rivaroxaban, group 2
      received TNBS + methylprednisolone, group 3 received TNBS and group 4 received a
      saline enema. Colitis was induced in the rats by the intracolonic administration
      of TNBS. Rivaroxaban and methylprednisolone were given by oral gavage daily for 7
      days. The rats were killed 7 days after the induction of colitis. RESULTS:
      Rivaroxaban and methylprednisolone significantly reduced gross damage and
      histopathological scores. Rivaroxaban was more effective than methylprednisolone
      in terms of microscopic mucosal healing. Rivaroxaban attenuated the accumulation
      of malonyldialdehyde (MDA) and transforming growth-factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) and
      the activities of myeloperoxidase (MPO), matrix metalloproteinase-3 and tissue
      inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1. Methylprednisolone reduced only the activity
      of MPO and the accumulation of MDA and TGF-beta1. Superoxide dismutase activity
      showed a restoration to normal levels after rivaroxaban and methylprednisolone
      administration. CONCLUSIONS: Rivaroxaban showed a therapeutic effect in the TNBS
      model of experimental colitis, and it seemed to be at least as effective as
      methylprednisolone. This effect may be brought about by the inhibition of
      oxidative stress and metalloproteinase activity associated with tissue injury and
      remodeling.

PMID- 26111864
TI  - Nuclear membrane localization during pollen development and apex-focused polarity
      establishment of SYP124/125 during pollen germination in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: Establishment of apex-polarity. Elongation of the pollen tube is a
      highly coordinated process involving polarized secretion of cell wall and
      membrane materials to the apical region. We investigated changes in the
      localization of soluble NSF attachment proteins (SNAREs) in developing pollen
      grains and the pollen tube for transgenic Arabidopsis expressing pollen-specific
      plasma-membrane Qa-SNAREs (SYP124, 125 and 131) fused with the green fluorescent
      protein (GFP). The expression of SYP124 and SYP125 was firstly detected in the
      microspore nuclear membrane during pollen mitosis II. Although SYP124, 125 and
      131 accumulated throughout the cytosol in the mature pollen grain, GFP-SYP124 and
      GFP-SYP125 were highly concentrated in the apical or subapical regions of the
      elongating pollen tube with slightly different localization patterns, whereas GFP
      SYP131 was uniformly localized to the plasma membrane of the pollen tube. The
      apex-focused polarity of GFP-SYP125 was established coincident with formation of
      a Ca(2+) gradient before pollen germination. These results suggest that SNAREs
      function differentially in the same cells and that at least two distinct membrane
      transport pathways are involved in the pollen development and the pollen tube
      germination and elongation.

PMID- 26111865
TI  - Novel Mutations in HESX1 and PROP1 Genes in Combined Pituitary Hormone
      Deficiency.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: The HESX1 gene is essential in forebrain development and
      pituitary organogenesis, and its mutations are the most commonly identified
      genetic cause of septo-optic dysplasia (SOD). The PROP1 gene is involved in
      anterior pituitary cell lineage specification and is commonly implicated in non
      syndromic combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD). We aimed to assess the
      involvement of HESX1 and PROP1 mutations in a cohort of patients with SOD and
      CPHD. METHODS: Six patients with sporadic SOD and 16 patients with CPHD from 14
      pedigrees were screened for mutations in HESX1 and PROP1 genes by exon
      sequencing. Half of the CPHD patients had variable associated clinical
      characteristics, such as hearing loss, orofacial cleft, kidney disorder or
      developmental delay. Novel variants were evaluated in silico and verified in SNP
      databases. RESULTS: A novel heterozygous p.Glu102Gly mutation in the HESX1 gene
      and a novel homozygous p.Arg121Thr mutation in the PROP1 gene were detected in 2
      pedigrees with CPHD. A small previously reported deletion in PROP1 c.301_302delAG
      was detected in a separate patient with CPHD, in heterozygous state. No mutations
      were identified in patients with SOD. CONCLUSIONS: Our results expand the
      spectrum of mutations implicated in CPHD. The frequency of 15% of the PROP1
      mutations in CPHD was low, likely due to the clinical heterogeneity of the
      cohort.

PMID- 26111866
TI  - Towards instantaneous cellular level bio diagnosis: laser extraction and imaging
      of biological entities with conserved integrity and activity.
AB  - The prospect for spatial imaging with mass spectroscopy at the level of the cell
      requires new means of cell extraction to conserve molecular structure. To this
      aim, we demonstrate a new laser extraction process capable of extracting intact
      biological entities with conserved biological function. The method is based on
      the recently developed picosecond infrared laser (PIRL), designed specifically to
      provide matrix-free extraction by selectively exciting the water vibrational
      modes under the condition of ultrafast desorption by impulsive vibrational
      excitation (DIVE). The basic concept is to extract the constituent protein
      structures on the fastest impulsive limit for ablation to avoid excessive thermal
      heating of the proteins and to use strongly resonant 1-photon conditions to avoid
      multiphoton ionization and degradation of the sample integrity. With various
      microscope imaging and biochemical analysis methods, nanoscale single protein
      molecules, viruses, and cells in the ablation plume are found to be
      morphologically and functionally identical with their corresponding controls.
      This method provides a new means to resolve chemical activity within cells and is
      amenable to subcellular imaging with near-field approaches. The most important
      finding is the conserved nature of the extracted biological material within the
      laser ablation plume, which is fully consistent with in vivo structures and
      characteristics. 

PMID- 26111868
TI  - Vitamin D Supplementation Does Not Improve the Severity or the Resolution of
      Ultraviolet B-Induced Acute Erythema.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whether vitamin D supplementation alleviates the severity of
      ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced erythema and/or facilitates its resolution remains
      undetermined. OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of oral vitamin D on UVB-induced
      erythema and its resolution in fair-skinned subjects. METHODS: UVB-induced
      erythema was quantified using a Chroma Meter(r) in 50 volunteers 48 h before and
      10 days after the random administration of 200,000 IU vitamin D (n = 40) or
      placebo (n = 10). Resolution of erythema in both groups was assessed by
      chromametry 24, 48, and 72 h after vitamin D administration. RESULTS: No
      statistical difference between erythema values before and after administration in
      the vitamin D-supplemented group (p = 0.44) or the placebo group (p = 0.34) was
      noted. No statistical difference was evident between both groups with respect to
      resolution of erythema (p = 0.30). CONCLUSION: Oral vitamin D supplementation
      neither improves protection against UVB-induced erythema nor facilitates its
      resolution.

PMID- 26111867
TI  - Blood pressure and prognosis in patients with incident heart failure: the Diet,
      Cancer and Health (DCH) cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our objective was to test the hypothesis that elevated blood pressure
      (BP) is associated with increased risk of stroke, bleeding and death in patients
      with incident heart failure (HF). METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort
      study among subjects who were participants in the Diet, Cancer and Health study,
      born in Denmark, aged 50-64 years at recruitment. We assessed stroke (ischemic
      stroke or systemic embolic events), major bleeding, death and the composite
      endpoint according to degree of BP control in patients with incident HF. BP was
      assessed prior to HF at cohort entry. RESULTS: Of the whole cohort of 55,748
      subjects, n = 2159 (35 % female) had incident HF, of which 12 % had treatment for
      hypertension. Median follow-up after incident HF was 3.5 years. High systolic
      (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and pulse (PP) pressures were associated with an increased
      risk of stroke, major bleeding and the composite endpoint. For death and
      stroke/death, the relation appeared U-shaped for SBP and DBP. When comparing the
      highest quartile group (Q4) to first quartile group (Q1), SBP (Q4: SBP >163 mmHg)
      was associated with significantly higher adjusted hazard rate ratio (HR) for
      stroke (HR 1.46, 95 % CI 1.00-2.14) and major bleeding (HR 1.68, 95 % CI 1.12
      2.53). For DBP (Q4: DBP >94 mmHg), adjusted HR was significantly higher for major
      bleeding (HR 1.63, 95 % CI 1.13-2.38). The highest quartile of pulse pressure
      (Q4: PP >74 mmHg) was associated with non-significantly higher risk of stroke (HR
      1.40, 95 % CI 0.94-2.06). CONCLUSION: We have shown for the first time that
      amongst a population with incident HF, higher baseline systolic, diastolic and
      pulse pressure levels were associated with a higher rate of adverse events. Our
      data support the importance for optimised BP control, as part of the holistic
      management of HF patients.

PMID- 26111869
TI  - A radiolucent chair for sitting-posture radiographs in non-ambulatory children:
      use in biplanar digital slot-scanning.
AB  - EOS imaging (EOS System; EOS imaging, Paris, France) enables fast 2-D/3-D imaging
      of children in standing load-bearing position. Non-ambulatory children with
      neuromuscular scoliosis need evaluation of their spinal balance while in a normal
      daily position. We designed a customized chair fitting the EOS patient-area
      dimensions to obtain images in natural sitting postures. The chair is a 360
      degrees  rotating orthopaedic chair made of fully radiolucent polyethylene and
      equipped with an adjustable headrest and three-point belts. Out of 41 consecutive
      patients, 36 (88%, 95% confidence interval 74-96%) had successful imaging. In
      most patients with severe neuromuscular trunk deformities, the EOS system
      combined with our chair was useful for assessing preoperative trunk collapse,
      pelvic obliquity and postoperative corrections in all planes. This specific
      device changed our daily practice for the assessment of spinal deformities in non
      ambulatory patients. 

PMID- 26111870
TI  - Glutaric aciduria type 1: neuroimaging features with clinical correlation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glutaric aciduria type 1 is a rare neurometabolic disease with high
      morbidity. OBJECTIVE: To describe the MR imaging abnormalities in glutaric
      aciduria type 1 and to identify any association between the clinical and imaging
      features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MRI scans of 29 children (mean age: 16.9 months)
      with confirmed diagnosis of glutaric aciduria type 1 were retrospectively
      reviewed. Gray matter and white matter scores were calculated based on a
      previously published pattern-recognition approach of assessing
      leukoencephalopathies. Hippocampal formation and opercular topography were
      assessed in relation to the known embryological basis. MRI scores were correlated
      with morbidity score. RESULTS: The most consistent MRI abnormality was widened
      operculum with dilatation of the subarachnoid spaces surrounding underdeveloped
      frontotemporal lobes. Incomplete hippocampal inversion was also seen. The globus
      pallidus was the most frequently involved gray matter structure (86%). In
      addition to the central tegmental tract, white matter abnormalities
      preferentially involved the central and periventricular regions. The morbidity
      score correlated with the gray matter abnormality score (P = 0.004). Patients
      with dystonia had higher gray matter and morbidity scores. CONCLUSION: Morbidity
      is significantly correlated with abnormality of gray matter, rather than white
      matter, whether secondary to acute encephalopathic crisis or insidious onset
      disease.

PMID- 26111871
TI  - Current methods for reducing intussusception: external manual reduction with US
      assistance.

PMID- 26111872
TI  - Peritoneal Dialysis for Chronic Congestive Heart Failure.
AB  - Maladaptive responses between a failing heart and the kidneys ultimately lead to
      permanent chronic kidney disease, referred to as cardiorenal syndrome type 2. In
      this narrative review, we discuss the pathophysiological pathways in the
      progression of cardiorenal failure and review the current evidence on peritoneal
      dialysis as a treatment strategy in cardiorenal syndrome type 2. A patient with
      heart failure can present with clinical symptoms related to venous congestion
      even in the absence of end-stage renal disease. Diuretics remain the cornerstone
      for the treatment of fluid overload related to heart failure. However, with
      chronic use, diuretic resistance can supervene. When medical therapy is no longer
      able to relieve congestive symptoms, ultrafiltration might be needed. Patients
      with heart failure tolerate well the gentle rate of fluid removal through
      peritoneal dialysis. Recent publications suggest a positive impact of starting
      peritoneal dialysis in patients with cardiorenal syndrome type 2 on the
      hospitalisation rate, functional status and quality of life.

PMID- 26111873
TI  - The House of Orthopaedics.

PMID- 26111874
TI  - Advances in Surgical Management of Intra-articular Calcaneus Fractures.
AB  - Intra-articular calcaneus fractures are commonly sustained after high-energy
      trauma, and a variety of techniques exists for anatomic reduction and surgical
      fixation. Traditional approaches using an extended L-shaped lateral incision with
      lateral plating for open reduction and internal fixation have relatively high
      complication rates. Common complications include hematoma formation, skin edge
      necrosis, wound breakdown, and superficial or deep infection. As a result, less
      invasive techniques have been developed in recent years, including limited
      incision sinus tarsi open reduction and internal fixation, percutaneous fixation,
      and arthroscopic-assisted fixation. These techniques are associated with lower
      complication rates and equivalent clinical and radiographic outcomes in certain
      fracture patterns and patient populations. 

PMID- 26111875
TI  - Closed Sagittal Band Injury of the Metacarpophalangeal Joint.
AB  - Although it is an uncommon injury, traumatic rupture of the sagittal band often
      results in subluxation or dislocation of the extensor digitorum communis tendon.
      The radial sagittal band prevents ulnar subluxation of the extensor tendon at the
      metacarpophalangeal joint. Injury may result from a direct blow to the hand or
      from relatively low-energy mechanisms. Symptoms range from metacarpophalangeal
      joint pain and edema to dislocation of the extensor tendon. Associated injuries
      include collateral ligament sprains, capsular injury, and osteochondral
      fractures. Many acute injuries can be managed nonsurgically with extension
      splints. Optimal management of subacute or chronic injuries remains undefined.
      Surgical management consists of repair or reconstruction of the radial sagittal
      band. Numerous adjunctive surgical techniques have been described to prevent
      subluxation of the extensor tendon. 

PMID- 26111876
TI  - Female Athlete Triad: Past, Present, and Future.
AB  - After the passage of Title IX in 1972, female sports participation skyrocketed.
      In 1992, the female athlete triad was first defined; diagnosis required the
      presence of an eating disorder, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. However, many
      athletes remained undiagnosed because they did not meet all three of these
      criteria. In 2007, the definition was modified to a spectrum disorder involving
      low energy availability (with or without disordered eating), menstrual
      dysfunction, and low bone mineral density. With the new definition, all three
      components need not be present for a diagnosis of female athlete triad. Studies
      using the 1992 definition of the disorder demonstrated a prevalence of 1% to 4%
      in athletes. However, in certain sports, many female athletes may meet at least
      one of these criteria. The actual prevalence of athletes who fall under the
      "umbrella" diagnosis of the female athlete triad remains unknown. 

PMID- 26111877
TI  - Transcatheter arterial embolization of hypervascular tumors with HepaSphere:
      prospective multicenter open label clinical trial of microspheres in Japan.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of transcatheter arterial
      embolization (TAE) with the use of HepaSphere microspheres for hypervascular
      tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective multicenter open label
      clinical trial involving six institutions in Japan. TAE was performed with the
      HepaSphere microspheres for hypervascular tumors in various locations. The
      endpoint of the study was the feasibility and safety of the procedure. The
      feasibility and safety were evaluated according to technical success and adverse
      events, respectively. Adverse events that were related to TAE were evaluated by
      using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0. RESULTS:
      Twenty-four patients were enrolled. The technical success rate was 100 % (24/24).
      Twenty-two (92 %) patients developed a total of 50 symptomatic adverse events,
      including 30 grade 1 events, 17 grade 2 events, and 3 grade 3 events. The most
      frequent adverse event was fever with an incidence of 63 %, followed by abdominal
      pain (25 %). CONCLUSION: TAE for hypervascular tumors with the HepaSphere
      microspheres was feasible and rarely caused major adverse events. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: This trial was registered in JAPIC Clinical Trials Information
      (JapicCTI-111534).

PMID- 26111878
TI  - CT findings of omental pregnancy: a case report.
AB  - Omental pregnancy is an extremely rare and dangerous form of ectopic pregnancy
      which can be very difficult to diagnose radiologically. We report the case of an
      18-year-old girl with secondary omental pregnancy who was assessed by use of
      contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT). For the first time, we report the
      contrast-enhanced CT features of omental pregnancy. Inhomogeneous mild
      enhancement was observed, which is different from other kinds of ectopic
      pregnancy, for which enhancement is often substantial. Possible reasons for the
      discrepancy are discussed, as also is differential diagnosis of omental
      pregnancy. 

PMID- 26111879
TI  - Judgments of learning index relative confidence, not subjective probability.
AB  - The underconfidence-with-practice (UWP) effect is a common finding in calibration
      studies concerned with judgments of learning (JOLs) elicited on a percentage
      scale. The UWP pattern is present when, in a procedure consisting of multiple
      study-test cycles, the mean scale JOLs underestimate the mean recall performance
      on Cycle 2 and beyond. Although this pattern is present both for items recalled
      and unrecalled on the preceding cycle, to date research has concentrated mostly
      on the sources of UWP for the latter type of items. In the present study, we
      aimed to bridge this gap. In three experiments, we examined calibration on the
      third of three cycles. The results of Experiment 1 demonstrated the typical
      pattern of higher recall and scale JOLs for previously recalled items than for
      unrecalled ones. More importantly, they also revealed that even though the UWP
      effect was found for items previously recalled both once and twice, its magnitude
      was greater for the former class of items. Experiments 2 and 3, which employed a
      binary betting task and a binary 0 %/100 % JOL task, respectively, demonstrated
      that people can accurately predict future recall for previously recalled items
      with binary decisions. In both experiments, the UWP effect was absent for both
      items recalled once and twice. We suggest that the sensitivity of scale JOLs, but
      not binary judgments, to the number of previous recall successes strengthens the
      claim of Hanczakowski, Zawadzka, Pasek, and Higham (Journal of Memory and
      Language 69:429-444, 2013) that scale JOLs reflect confidence in, rather than the
      subjective probability of, future recall. 

PMID- 26111880
TI  - The Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Trial after the FDA Update: Noncardiovascular
      Deaths, Cancer and Optimal Treatment Duration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The landmark Dual Antiplatelet Therapy (DAPT) trial revealed an
      impressive reduction of stent thrombosis and myocardial infarction after
      prolonged 30-month DAPT compared to the conventional 12-month regimen. However,
      aside from the expected extra bleeding risks, more cancers and noncardiovascular
      deaths (NCVD) were observed in the 30-month DAPT arm. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to
      comprehend the totality of DAPT trial evidence in the light of the FDA medical
      review. RESULTS: A significant excess of solid cancers that was picked up after
      prasugrel treatment in the TRITON trial (Prasugrel versus Clopidogrel in Patients
      with Acute Coronary Syndromes) and later observed with vorapaxar treatment in the
      TRACER trial (Thrombin Receptor Antagonist for Clinical Event Reduction in Acute
      Coronary Syndrome) has now been confirmed by the FDA DAPT review for 30-month
      therapy with prasugrel [hazard ratio (HR) 1.3] and clopidogrel (HR 1.2). The
      latest randomized evidence with antiplatelet agents rejected the drug-specific
      cancer risks, clearly indicating the class effect. The NCVD risks were elevated
      after treatment with both thienopyridines, but were more prominent after
      clopidogrel treatment (HR 1.91) than prasugrel treatment (HR 1.17). About half of
      the NCVD were considered to be caused by cancers occurring after the 24 months of
      extended antiplatelet therapy. Impression: The DAPT trial confirmed that long
      term antiplatelet therapy is associated with cancer that contributes to NCVD.
      Based on the full disclosure of cancer data by the DAPT study, it can be
      reflected that the optimal duration of antiplatelet therapy with thienopyridines
      should be limited to no more than 2 years. This duration allows the preservation
      of most vascular benefits while avoiding additional cancers and NCVD. (c) 2015 S.
      Karger AG, Basel.

PMID- 26111881
TI  - Dabigatran for the treatment of venous thromboembolism.
AB  - Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and
      individuals with a first VTE are at risk of recurrent VTE. VTE treatment is
      divided into three phases: a first short phase of acute (traditionally
      parenteral) anticoagulation, followed by a second maintenance phase with an oral
      anticoagulant, which may be continued into a third extended maintenance phase in
      patients considered to be at increased risk of recurrent VTE. Vitamin K
      antagonists are effective oral anticoagulants but have well-known limitations;
      non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants including dabigatran etexilate (DE) were
      therefore developed. DE was approved for VTE treatment on the basis of an
      extensive clinical trial program that evaluated DE during both the maintenance
      phase and the extended maintenance phase of VTE treatment. This article provides
      a comprehensive overview of DE in VTE treatment, from its preclinical
      characteristics and pharmacokinetic properties to its efficacy and safety in
      major clinical trials. 

PMID- 26111882
TI  - Single-copy gene based 50 K SNP chip for genetic studies and molecular breeding
      in rice.
AB  - Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is the most abundant DNA sequence variation
      present in plant genomes. Here, we report the design and validation of a unique
      genic-SNP genotyping chip for genetic and evolutionary studies as well as
      molecular breeding applications in rice. The chip incorporates 50,051 SNPs from
      18,980 different genes spanning 12 rice chromosomes, including 3,710 single-copy
      (SC) genes conserved between wheat and rice, 14,959 SC genes unique to rice, 194
      agronomically important cloned rice genes and 117 multi-copy rice genes. Assays
      with this chip showed high success rate and reproducibility because of the SC
      gene based array with no sequence redundancy and cross-hybridisation problems.
      The usefulness of the chip in genetic diversity and phylogenetic studies of
      cultivated and wild rice germplasm was demonstrated. Furthermore, its efficacy
      was validated for analysing background recovery in improved mega rice varieties
      with submergence tolerance developed through marker-assisted backcross breeding. 

PMID- 26111883
TI  - Effect of ethanol induced mild stress on post-thawed bull sperm quality.
AB  - This study was performed to investigate the effect of sub-lethal exposure of bull
      semen to ethanol on the post-thaw spermatozoa quality. Semen samples (n=24, 6
      ejaculates/bull) from 4 Holstein bulls were collected and pooled. Pooled samples
      were divided into 4 equal parts and each part was frozen after being diluted with
      Optidyl(r) extender containing 0 (O-E0), 0.03 (O-E3), 0.09 (O-E9) and 0.15 (O
      E15) % (v/v) absolute ethanol. Sperm motility and velocity, plasma membrane
      integrity and functionality, mitochondrial activity, malondialdehyde
      concentration, and apoptosis status were evaluated after thawing. A higher
      percentage of total motility was observed in the O-E9 group as compared to the O
      E0, O-E3 and O-E15 groups (p<0.05). Also, plasma membrane integrity was higher
      (p<0.05) in the O-E9 group compared to the O-E3, and O-E15 groups. However, the
      difference between the O-E9 and O-E0 groups was not significant (p>0.05). In
      terms of the proportion of sperm abnormality and plasma membrane functionality no
      differences (p>0.05) were observed between the groups. Our results revealed that
      malondialdehyde level was lower in ethanol treated (O-E3, O-E9 and O-E15) groups
      compared to the O-E0 group (p<0.05). Furthermore, the percentage of live
      spermatozoa with active mitochondria was higher in the O-E9 and O-E15 groups
      compared to the O-E0 and O-E3 groups (p<0.05). The O-E3 and O-E9 groups resulted
      in the highest and lowest percentage of apoptotic spermatozoa, respectively
      (p<0.05). The results of this study demonstrate that supplementation of semen
      extender with sub-lethal concentration of ethanol influences post-thawed bull
      sperm quality in a dose dependent manner. 

PMID- 26111884
TI  - Quantification of recombinant immunotoxin delivery to solid tumors allows for
      direct comparison of in vivo and in vitro results.
AB  - Solid tumors present challenges for delivery of protein therapeutics; current
      methods cannot quantify the functional effects of these agents. RG7787 (anti
      mesothelin recombinant immunotoxin) is highly cytotoxic to pancreatic cancer cell
      lines, but with limited activity in vivo. To investigate this discrepancy, we
      developed a flow cytometry method to quantify the amount of RG7787 internalized
      per cell in tumors and used it to analyze tumor responses by determining the
      number of molecules of RG7787 internalized per cell in vivo and comparing it to
      that needed to kill cells in vitro. At a maximum tolerated dose of 7.5 mg/kg,
      tumor cells in vivo internalized a wide range of RG7787 with the average amount
      equivalent to the amount that induced growth arrest in vitro. However, 20% of
      cells accumulated 20,300 ITs per cell, sufficient to kill cells in vitro. At 2.5
      mg/kg the top 20% of cells internalized enough RG7787 to only induce growth
      arrest. These data are in agreement with tumor responses; 22% regression
      following a 7.5 mg/kg dose and growth stabilization following 2.5 mg/kg.
      Comparing amounts of RIT delivered in vivo and in vitro can explain tumor
      responses and should facilitate the development of more active immunotoxins and
      other antibody based agents. 

PMID- 26111885
TI  - FNDC5 overexpression and irisin ameliorate glucose/lipid metabolic derangements
      and enhance lipolysis in obesity.
AB  - Irisin is a cleaved and secreted fragment of fibronectin type III domain
      containing 5 (FNDC5), and contributes to the beneficial effects of exercise on
      metabolism. Here we report the therapeutical effects of FNDC5/irisin on metabolic
      derangements and insulin resistance in obesity, and show the lipolysis effect of
      irisin and its signal molecular mechanism. In obese mice, lentivirus mediated
      FNDC5 overexpression enhanced energy expenditure, lipolysis and insulin
      sensitivity, and reduced hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinism, blood
      pressure and norepinephrine levels; it increased hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL)
      expression and phosphorylation, and reduced perilipin level and adipocyte
      diameter in adipose tissues. Subcutaneous perfusion of irisin reduced
      hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia, and improved insulin resistance. Either FNDC5
      overexpression or irisin perfusion only induced a tendency toward a slight
      decrease in body weight in obese mice. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, irisin enhanced
      basal lipolysis rather than isoproterenol-induced lipolysis, which were prevented
      by inhibition of adenylate cyclase or PKA; irisin increased the HSL and perilipin
      phosphorylation; it increased PKA activity, and cAMP and HSL mRNA levels, but
      reduced perilipin expression. These results indicate that FNDC5/irisin
      ameliorates glucose/lipid metabolic derangements and insulin resistance in obese
      mice, and enhances lipolysis via cAMP-PKA-HSL/perilipin pathway. FNDC5 or irisin
      can be taken as an effective therapeutic strategy for metabolic disorders. 

PMID- 26111886
TI  - Diagnosis of Stroke-Associated Pneumonia: Recommendations From the Pneumonia in
      Stroke Consensus Group.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Lower respiratory tract infections frequently complicate
      stroke and adversely affect outcome. There is currently no agreed terminology or
      gold-standard diagnostic criteria for the spectrum of lower respiratory tract
      infections complicating stroke, which has implications for clinical practice and
      research. The aim of this consensus was to propose standardized terminology and
      operational diagnostic criteria for lower respiratory tract infections
      complicating acute stroke. METHODS: Systematic literature searches of multiple
      electronic databases were undertaken. An evidence review and 2 rounds of
      consensus consultation were completed before a final consensus meeting in
      September 2014, held in Manchester, United Kingdom. Consensus was defined a
      priori as >=75% agreement between the consensus group members. RESULTS: Consensus
      was reached for the following: (1) stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) is the
      recommended terminology for the spectrum of lower respiratory tract infections
      within the first 7 days after stroke onset; (2) modified Centers for Disease
      Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria are proposed for SAP as follows-probable
      SAP: CDC criteria met, but typical chest x-ray changes absent even after repeat
      or serial chest x-ray; definite SAP: CDC criteria met, including typical chest x
      ray changes; (3) there is limited evidence for a diagnostic role of white blood
      cell count or C-reactive protein in SAP; and (4) there is insufficient evidence
      for the use of other biomarkers (eg, procalcitonin). CONCLUSIONS: Consensus
      operational criteria for the terminology and diagnosis of SAP are proposed based
      on the CDC criteria. These require prospective evaluation in patients with stroke
      to determine their reliability, validity, impact on clinician behaviors
      (including antibiotic prescribing), and clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26111887
TI  - Methods of Implementation of Evidence-Based Stroke Care in Europe: European
      Implementation Score Collaboration.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Differences in stroke care and outcomes reported in
      Europe may reflect different degrees of implementation of evidence-based
      interventions. We evaluated strategies for implementing research evidence into
      stroke care in 10 European countries. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed and
      administered through face-to-face interviews with key informants. Implementation
      strategies were investigated considering 3 levels (macro, meso, and micro, eg,
      policy, organization, patients/professionals) identified by the framing analysis,
      and different settings (primary, hospital, and specialist) of stroke care.
      Similarities and differences among countries were evaluated using the categorical
      principal components analysis. RESULTS: Implementation methods reported by >=7
      countries included nonmandatory policies, public financial incentives, continuing
      professional education, distribution of educational material, educational
      meetings and campaigns, guidelines, opinion leaders', and stroke patients
      associations' activities. Audits were present in 6 countries at national level;
      national and regional regulations in 4 countries. Private financial incentives,
      reminders, and educational outreach visits were reported only in 2 countries. At
      national level, the first principal component of categorical principal components
      analysis separated England, France, Scotland, and Sweden, all with positive
      object scores, from the other countries. Belgium and Lithuania obtained the
      lowest scores. At regional level, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden had
      positive scores in the first principal component, whereas Belgium, Lithuania,
      Poland, and Scotland showed negative scores. Spain was in an intermediate
      position. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a novel method to assess different domains of
      implementation in stroke care. Clear variations were observed among European
      countries. The new tool may be used elsewhere for future contributions.

PMID- 26111888
TI  - White Matter Lesions Double the Risk of Post-Thrombolytic Intracerebral
      Hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs), a surrogate for
      small-vessel disease, are common in patients with stroke and may be related to an
      increased intracranial bleeding risk after intravenous thrombolysis in acute
      ischemic stroke. We aimed to investigate the risk of symptomatic intracerebral
      hemorrhage (sICH) in the presence of WMLs in a large cohort of ischemic stroke
      patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis. METHODS: We included 2485
      consecutive patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis at the Helsinki
      University Central Hospital. WMLs were scored according to 4 previously published
      computed tomography visual rating scales from all baseline head scans. A sICH was
      classified according to the European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study II criteria.
      The associations of sICH with nominal, ordinal, and continuous variables were
      analyzed in a univariate binary regression model and adjusted in multivariate
      binary regression models. RESULTS: In univariate and multivariate regression
      analyses, all 4 tested visual WML rating scales (as continuous variables or
      dichotomized at different cutoff points) were associated with increased risk of
      sICH. In binary analyses, WML doubled the bleeding risk: the odds ratios of all 4
      visual rating scales ranged from 2.22 (95% confidence interval, 1.49-3.30) to
      2.70 (1.87-3.90) in univariable and from 2.00 (1.26-3.16) to 2.62 (1.71-4.02) in
      multivariable analyses. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratio for the association
      of high load of WMLs with remote parenchymal hemorrhage was 4.11 (2.38-7.10).
      CONCLUSIONS: WMLs visible on computed tomography are associated with a more than
      doubled risk of sICH in patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis for acute
      ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26111889
TI  - Letter by Zuo and Xu Regarding Article, "Delayed Administration of Tat-HA-NR2B9c
      Promotes Recovery After Stroke in Rats".

PMID- 26111890
TI  - Retrobulbar Spot Sign Predicts Thrombolytic Treatment Effects and Etiology in
      Central Retinal Artery Occlusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Transorbital sonography may help establish diagnosis of
      central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO). Next to Doppler sonographic proof of
      CRAO, an intra-arterial spot sign can be detected in some cases. We hypothesized
      that it reflects calcified components. It may be associated with embolization
      from atherosclerotic plaques and may negatively influence thrombolysis. METHODS:
      Prospective monocenter study of 46 patients with ophthalmologically confirmed
      CRAO. Systemic tissue-type plasminogen activator thrombolysis was performed when
      appropriate. All patients received etiologic workup. RESULTS: CRAO was confirmed
      by Doppler in all patients. Fifty-nine percent of patients with arterio-arterial
      embolization were spot sign-positive compared with 20% from cardiac source
      (P<0.05) and none with vasculitis. Eleven patients underwent thrombolysis.
      Clinically relevant visual improvement was only found in absence of a spot sign
      (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Transbulbar ultrasound is valuable for initial diagnosis
      and diagnostic workup of CRAO. In the light of inconsistent results of previous
      thrombolysis trials, ultrasound may identify patients more likely to benefit from
      thrombolytic treatment.

PMID- 26111892
TI  - Response to Letter Regarding Article, "Relevance of Blood-Brain Barrier
      Disruption After Endovascular Treatment of Ischemic Stroke: Dual-Energy Computed
      Tomographic Study".

PMID- 26111894
TI  - Response to Letter Regarding Article, "Delayed Administration of Tat-HA-NR2B9c
      Promotes Recovery After Stroke in Rats".

PMID- 26111893
TI  - Ischemic Stroke Tissue-Window in the New Era of Endovascular Treatment.

PMID- 26111895
TI  - Functional Anatomy and Oncologic Barriers of the Larynx.
AB  - Laryngeal barriers to tumor spread are a product of laryngeal development,
      anatomic barriers, and enzymatic activity. Supraglottic and glottic/subglottic
      development is distinct and partially explains the metastatic behavior of
      laryngeal carcinoma. Dense connective tissues and elastic fibers provide anatomic
      barriers within the larynx. Laryngeal cartilage contains dense cartilage, enzyme
      inhibitors, and an intact perichondrium making it relatively resistant to tumor
      invasion; however, focal areas of vulnerability are created by ossified cartilage
      and natural interruptions in the perichondrium. Local inflammation and the
      enzymatic interplay between tumor and host are important factors in the spread of
      laryngeal tumor. 

PMID- 26111891
TI  - Rare Coding Variation and Risk of Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Intracerebral hemorrhage has a substantial genetic
      component. We performed a preliminary search for rare coding variants associated
      with intracerebral hemorrhage. METHODS: A total of 757 cases and 795 controls
      were genotyped using the Illumina HumanExome Beadchip (Illumina, Inc, San Diego,
      CA). Meta-analyses of single-variant and gene-based association were computed.
      RESULTS: No rare coding variants were associated with intracerebral hemorrhage.
      Three common variants on chromosome 19q13 at an established susceptibility locus,
      encompassing TOMM40, APOE, and APOC1, met genome-wide significance (P<5e-08).
      After adjusting for the APOE epsilon alleles, this locus was no longer
      convincingly associated with intracerebral hemorrhage. No gene reached genome
      wide significance level in gene-based association testing. CONCLUSIONS: Although
      no coding variants of large effect were detected, this study further underscores
      a major challenge for the study of genetic susceptibility loci; large sample
      sizes are required for sufficient power except for loci with large effects.

PMID- 26111896
TI  - Renaissance for low shrinking resins: all-in-one solution by bi-functional
      vinylcyclopropane-amides.
AB  - A low volume shrinking vinylcyclopropane (VCP) monomer, showing both a high
      reactivity and a low viscosity, was obtained by applying a sterically hindered
      and isomeric spacer element, incorporating intermolecular amide hydrogen bonds.
      The resulting properties locate this VCP system in a pronounced range that so far
      no other efficient and radical polymerizable resin could enter. 

PMID- 26111897
TI  - Antibody tagged gold nanoparticles as scattering probes for the pico molar
      detection of the proteins in blood serum using nanoparticle tracking analyzer.
AB  - We report a rapid one-step immunoassay to detect protein using antibody
      conjugated gold nanoparticles (AbGNPs) where the targeted protein concentration
      was determined by analyzing the gold nanoparticle aggregation caused by antibody
      antigen interactions using nanoparticles tracking analysis (NTA) technique. The
      sandwich structure constituting the binding of the targeted human IgG to the gold
      nanoparticle conjugates with goat anti human monoclonal IgG (AbGNPs) was
      confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The binding of human IgG (antigen,
      mentioned hence forth as AT) induce AbGNPs to form dimers or trimers through a
      typical antibody-antigen-antibody sandwich structure that can be analyzed for the
      sensitive determination on the basis of change in hydrodynamic diameter of
      AbGNPs. By this method the minimum detectable concentration of AT is found to be
      below 2pg/ml. We expect that a significant change in the hydrodynamic diameter of
      AbGNP could form the basis for the rapid one-step immunoassay development. 

PMID- 26111898
TI  - Cytocompatibility of Si-incorporated TiO2 nanopores films.
AB  - Si-incorporated TiO2 nanopores films were prepared by anodization and silicon
      plasma immersion ion implantation. The microstructure and phase composition of
      the films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction
      and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The hydrophilicity of the films was
      evaluated using water contact angle measurement and MG63 cells were cultured on
      the films to investigate the cytocompatibility. The results showed that the
      concentration and depth of silicon on the Si-incorporated TiO2 nanopores films
      increased with the duration time of implantation. Both the as-annealed and Si
      incorporated nanopores films exhibited good hydrophilicity and cytocompatibility,
      while the TiO2 nanopores films implanted silicon for 1.0h showed higher
      proliferation rate and vitality of MG63 cells than others, indicating a great
      potential application for titanium implants. 

PMID- 26111899
TI  - Persistent, severe post-thrombolysis angioedema: Simple management of a difficult
      problem.
AB  - Post-thrombolysis orolingual angioedema in the setting of managing acute stroke
      is reported in the literature as most often being mild and self-limiting. We
      present a case of severe angioedema resulting in persistent macroglossia,
      representing a different end of the spectrum of disease than that referenced in
      the literature. Despite the severity of the tongue edema in our case, it did
      resolve with a relatively simple intervention. In addition to highlighting that
      post-thrombolysis angioedema can be potentially life threatening, this report
      reviews the pathophysiology of this condition and discusses management options
      for macroglossia in this setting.

PMID- 26111900
TI  - Optimizing the affinity and specificity of ligand binding with the inclusion of
      solvation effect.
AB  - Solvation effect is an important factor for protein-ligand binding in aqueous
      water. Previous scoring function of protein-ligand interactions rarely
      incorporates the solvation model into the quantification of protein-ligand
      interactions, mainly due to the immense computational cost, especially in the
      structure-based virtual screening, and nontransferable application of
      independently optimized atomic solvation parameters. In order to overcome these
      barriers, we effectively combine knowledge-based atom-pair potentials and the
      atomic solvation energy of charge-independent implicit solvent model in the
      optimization of binding affinity and specificity. The resulting scoring functions
      with optimized atomic solvation parameters is named as specificity and affinity
      with solvation effect (SPA-SE). The performance of SPA-SE is evaluated and
      compared to 20 other scoring functions, as well as SPA. The comparative results
      show that SPA-SE outperforms all other scoring functions in binding affinity
      prediction and "native" pose identification. Our optimization validates that
      solvation effect is an important regulator to the stability and specificity of
      protein-ligand binding. The development strategy of SPA-SE sets an example for
      other scoring function to account for the solvation effect in biomolecular
      recognitions.

PMID- 26111901
TI  - Enantioselective construction of a 2,2'-bisindolylmethane scaffold via catalytic
      asymmetric reactions of 2-indolylmethanols with 3-alkylindoles.
AB  - A chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric reaction of 2-indolylmethanols with
      3-alkylindoles has been established, which constructed a biologically important
      2,2'-bisindolylmethane scaffold in high yields and good enantioselectivities (up
      to 98% yield, 94:6 er). This protocol not only provides an efficient method for
      constructing a 2,2'-bisindolylmethane framework in an enantioselective form, but
      also promotes the development of 2-indolylmethanol-involved catalytic asymmetric
      transformations.

PMID- 26111902
TI  - Safety of living kidney donation: another brick in the wall...and a solid
      (physiologic) one.

PMID- 26111903
TI  - Quality training, quality board examinations, quality nephrologists.

PMID- 26111904
TI  - APOL1 and kidney disease: new insights leading to novel therapies.

PMID- 26111905
TI  - The myth of the future burden of CKD in United States.

PMID- 26111906
TI  - Discontinuation of eculizumab treatment in atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome: an
      update.

PMID- 26111908
TI  - Beyond the last battle: a viewpoint from the frontiers of transplantation.

PMID- 26111907
TI  - In reply to 'the myth of the future burden of CKD in United States'.

PMID- 26111909
TI  - Quiz page: an unusual cause of nephrotic syndrome.

PMID- 26111910
TI  - Sulfated polysaccharides from Cyclocarya paliurus reduce H2O2-induced oxidative
      stress in RAW264.7 cells.
AB  - In this study, two sulfated polysaccharides (S-CP1-4 and S-CP1-8) from Cyclocarya
      paliurus were produced by chlorosulfonic acid-pyridine method. Hydrogen peroxide
      (H2O2) was used to develop an oxidative stress model in the mouse macrophage cell
      line RAW264.7. Effects of the two sulfated polysaccharides on H2O2-induced
      oxidative stress were investigated. The results showed that S-CP(1-8) improved
      the viability of the H2O2-induced stressed RAW264.7 cells, as well as inhibited
      the lipid oxidation as determined by the level of malondialdehyde (MDA).
      Meanwhile, treatment with S-CP(1-4) increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity
      in these cells. The sulfated polysaccharides were found to have a better
      protective effect against H2O2-induced oxidative stress as compared to the native
      polysaccharide. Scanning electron microscopy also showed a significant change in
      the surface morphology of sulfated polysaccharides, but the degradation of main
      chain of polysaccharides was unconspicuous according to the results of
      monosaccharide composition. In addition, the sulfated polysaccharides had
      noticeable DPPH radical scavenging activity. In summary, our results demonstrated
      that H2O2 was able to induce oxidative stress in RAW264.7 cells, and sulfated
      group might play an important role in resistance to H2O2-induced oxidative
      damage.

PMID- 26111911
TI  - A versatile chitosan/ZnO nanocomposite with enhanced antimicrobial properties.
AB  - Porous chitosan membrane was fabricated by casting method using silica particles.
      Simultaneously nano ZnO was synthesized by green-synthesis method using tung ting
      oolong tea extract. Chitosan membrane was combined with nano ZnO in order to
      increase its antimicrobial activity. Through observations obtained from various
      techniques such as XRD, SEM, FT-IR, UV-visible and fluorescence emission
      analyses, chitosan was seen to be able to incorporate nano ZnO in the
      nanocomposite membrane. A blue shift (from 360 to 335 nm) was observed in the UV
      visible spectrum of nanocomposite and fluorescence emission intensity of
      nanocomposite was considerably lower than that of nano ZnO. Gram negative
      organism Klebsiella planticola (MTCC2727) and Gram positive organism Bacillus
      substilis (MTCC3053) were used to test the antibacterial and antifouling
      activities of newly synthesized nanocomposite chitosan/ZnO membrane. The
      nanocomposite chitosan/ZnO membrane promisingly inhibited the bacterial growth
      when compared with as-synthesized chitosan. Gram negative K. planticola
      (MTCC2727) was comparatively more susceptible for inhibition than that of Gram
      positive Bacillus substilis (MTCC3053). In conclusion, nanocomposite obtained in
      this study showed enhanced antibacterial and antifouling activities. We believed
      that the enhanced physical properties of nanocomposite achieved by incorporating
      nano ZnO in the chitosan matrix could be beneficial in various applications.

PMID- 26111912
TI  - Biophysical insight into the anti-amyloidogenic behavior of taurine.
AB  - In this work, we investigated the inhibitory ability of taurine on the
      aggregation of Human serum albumin (HSA) and also examined how it controls the
      kinetic parameters of the aggregation process. We demonstrated the structural
      alterations in the HSA after binding to the taurine at 65  degrees C by
      exploiting various biophysical techniques. UV-vis spectroscopy was used to check
      the turbidometric changes in the protein. Thioflavin T fluorescence kinetics was
      subjected to explore kinetic parameters comparing the amyloid formation in the
      presence of varying concentration of taurine. Further, Congo red binding and ANS
      binding assays were performed to determine the inhibitory effect of taurine on
      HSA fibrillation process and surface hydrophobicity modifications occurring
      before and after the addition of taurine with protein, respectively. Far UV CD
      and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) confirmed that taurine stabilized the protein
      alpha-helical structure and formed complex with HSA which is further supported by
      differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Moreover, microscopic imaging techniques
      were also done to analyze the morphology of aggregation formed. Taurine is also
      capable of altering the cytotoxicity of the proteinaceous aggregates. Molecular
      docking study also deciphered the possible residues involved in protein and drug
      interaction.

PMID- 26111913
TI  - Diagnosis of Severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Using Nerve Conduction Study and
      Ultrasonography.
AB  - This study investigated the correlation between nerve conduction study and
      ultrasonographic findings for assessment of the usefulness of ultrasonography in
      determining carpal tunnel syndrome severity. Hands of adults with carpal tunnel
      syndrome were assessed using ultrasound and nerve conduction studies and grouped
      according to median nerve cross-sectional area (CSA). There were significant
      differences (p < 0.01) in mean median nerve CSA between controls, patients with
      median sensory nerve conduction velocity <=40 m/s and patients with absent
      sensory nerve action potential and between controls, patients with median nerve
      distal motor latency >=4.5 ms and patients with absent compound muscle action
      potentials of the abductor pollicis brevis. This is the first report to define
      median nerve CSA cutoff values (18 mm(2)) for determining carpal tunnel syndrome
      severity in patients with absent compound muscle action potentials of the
      abductor pollicis brevis. Median nerve CSA values below the cutoff values should
      prompt clinicians to consider other disorders, such as cervical compressive
      myelopathy. 

PMID- 26111914
TI  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary disease: COPDCoRi, a simple
      and effective algorithm for predicting the risk of coronary artery disease in
      COPD patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often associated with
      cardiovascular artery disease (CAD), representing a potential and independent
      risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to
      identify an algorithm for predicting the risk of CAD in COPD patients. METHODS:
      We analyzed data of patients afferent to the Cardiology ward and the Respiratory
      Diseases outpatient clinic of Tor Vergata University (2010-2012, 1596 records).
      The study population was clustered as training population (COPD patients
      undergoing coronary arteriography), control population (non-COPD patients
      undergoing coronary arteriography), test population (COPD patients whose records
      reported information on the coronary status). The predicting model was built via
      causal relationship between variables, stepwise binary logistic regression and
      Hosmer-Lemeshow analysis. The algorithm was validated via split-sample validation
      method and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. The
      diagnostic accuracy was assessed. RESULTS: In training population the variables
      gender (men/women OR: 1.7, 95%CI: 1.237-2.5, P < 0.05), dyslipidemia (OR: 1.8,
      95%CI: 1.2-2.5, P < 0.01) and smoking habit (OR: 1.5, 95%CI: 1.2-1.9, P < 0.001)
      were significantly associated with CAD in COPD patients, whereas in control
      population also age and diabetes were correlated. The stepwise binary logistic
      regressions permitted to build a well fitting predictive model for training
      population but not for control population. The predictive algorithm shown a
      diagnostic accuracy of 81.5% (95%CI: 77.78-84.71) and an AUC of 0.81 (95%CI: 0.78
      0.85) for the validation set. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed algorithm is effective
      for predicting the risk of CAD in COPD patients via a rapid, inexpensive and non
      invasive approach.

PMID- 26111915
TI  - Uptake and Acceptability of Information and Communication Technology in a
      Community-Based Cohort of People Who Inject Drugs: Implications for Mobile Health
      Interventions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mobile phone and Internet-based technologies are increasingly used to
      disseminate health information and facilitate delivery of medical care. While
      these strategies hold promise for reducing barriers to care for medically
      underserved populations, their acceptability among marginalized populations such
      as people who inject drugs is not well-understood. OBJECTIVE: To understand
      patterns of mobile phone ownership, Internet use and willingness to receive
      health information via mobile devices among people who inject drugs. METHODS: We
      surveyed current and former drug injectors participating in a longitudinal cohort
      study in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Respondents completed a 12-item, interviewer
      administered questionnaire during a regular semi-annual study visit that assessed
      their use of mobile technology and preferred modalities of receiving health
      information. Using data from the parent study, we used logistic regression to
      evaluate associations among participants' demographic and clinical
      characteristics and their mobile phone and Internet use. RESULTS: The survey was
      completed by 845 individuals, who had a median age of 51 years. The sample was
      89% African-American, 65% male, and 33% HIV-positive. Participants were generally
      of low education and income levels. Fewer than half of respondents (40%)
      indicated they had ever used the Internet. Mobile phones were used by 86% of
      respondents. Among mobile phone owners, 46% had used their phone for text
      messaging and 25% had accessed the Internet on their phone. A minority of
      respondents (42%) indicated they would be interested in receiving health
      information via phone or Internet. Of those receptive to receiving health
      information, a mobile phone call was the most favored modality (66%) followed by
      text messaging (58%) and Internet (51%). CONCLUSIONS: Utilization of information
      and communication technology among this cohort of people who inject drugs was
      reported at a lower level than what has been estimated for the general U.S.
      POPULATION: Our findings identify a potential barrier to successful
      implementation of mobile health and Internet-based interventions for people who
      inject drugs, particularly those who are older and have lower levels of income
      and educational attainment. As mobile communication technology continues to
      expand, future studies should re-examine whether mHealth applications become more
      accessible and accepted by socioeconomically disadvantaged groups.

PMID- 26111916
TI  - Long-term survival of adults with cardiogenic shock after venoarterial
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine the long-term survival of patients
      who survived to be weaned from venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
      (VA ECMO) and to determine which factors present at initiation and during ECMO
      predict long-term survival. We further sought to develop the preliminary long
      term outcome after VA ECMO score that would predict patient outcome and to assess
      its accuracy at various time points. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective,
      observational cohort study of all patients with cardiogenic shock treated with VA
      ECMO at the Alfred Hospital, Australia, from January 2007 until February 2013.
      Overall, 125 patients underwent ECMO, and 104 patients were successfully weaned
      and formed the study population, with a median follow-up of 21 months (range, 0
      84). RESULTS: Survival rates of those weaned from ECMO at 3 months, 12 months,
      and 2 years were 87%, 79%, and 71%, respectively, corresponding to overall
      survival rates at 3 months of 90 (72%) of 124; at 12 months, 80 (65%) of 122; and
      24 months, 57 (57%) of 100. Ischemic heart disease, higher lactate and higher
      bilirubin at initiation of VA ECMO, and a longer duration of renal replacement
      therapy during ECMO were all independently associated with decreased length of
      survival. Long-term survival was found to be highly related to the number of
      these risk factors present up to 2 years afterward. CONCLUSION: Good long-term
      survival can be achieved in patients who have been successfully weaned from VA
      ECMO. The factors present at initiation and during ECMO can relate to altered
      risk of long-term survival.

PMID- 26111917
TI  - Risk stratification in acute pulmonary embolism with heart-type fatty acid
      binding protein: A meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) has emerged as a new
      biomarker in risk stratification of patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE).
      We performed a meta-analysis of studies in patients with acute PE to assess the
      prognostic value of elevated H-FABP for short-term adverse outcomes. DATA SOURCE:
      Two independent reviewers systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane
      Database until June 2014. DATA SELECTION: Studies were searched using MeSH word
      "fatty acid-binding protein" and "pulmonary embolism." Prospective studies were
      included if those were done on patients with acute PE and if serum H-FABP assay
      was done. DATA EXTRACTION: Relevant data on study design, year of publication,
      patient population, inclusion criteria, exclusion criteria, mean age, sex, type
      of H-FABP assay, cutoff of H-FABP used, and outcomes were extracted. The primary
      end point was 30-day complicated clinical course and PE-related mortality. The
      secondary end point was right ventricular dysfunction (RVD). A random-effects
      model was used to pool study results. DATA SYNTHESIS: Nine studies, including
      1680 patients, reported data on the 30-day complicated clinical course. Elevated
      H-FABP was significantly associated with the increased risk of 30-day complicated
      clinical course (odds ratio [OR], 17.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.02
      51.89; I(2) = 80%). Similarly, 6 studies, including 676 patients, reported 30-day
      mortality data. Elevated H-FABP was associated with increased risk of 30-day PE
      related mortality (OR, 32.94; 95% CI, 8.80-123.21, I(2) = 53%). The risk of RVD
      was significantly higher in patients with elevated H-FABP as compared with
      patients with normal H-FABP (OR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.05-6.33, I(2) = 57%). The
      prognostic sensitivity and specificity of H-FABP were 71% and 74% in predicting
      30-day complicated clinical course and were 90% and 70% in predicting 30-day
      mortality. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis indicates that elevated H-FABP levels
      are associated with increased risk of 30-day complicated clinical course,
      mortality, and RVD.

PMID- 26111918
TI  - Costs and Resource Utilization Associated With Anemia and Rash in Chronic
      Hepatitis C Patients Treated With Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents in the United
      States.
AB  - PURPOSE: The addition of 2 direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents, telaprevir and
      boceprevir, to peginterferon and ribavirin therapy significantly improves
      sustained virologic response rates in patients treated for chronic hepatitis C
      virus (CHC) but is associated with a higher risk of adverse events (AEs),
      including anemia and rash. Using a large administrative claims database, this
      study compared the health care resource utilization and costs among CHC patients
      who developed anemia and/or rash while receiving DAA-based therapies (telaprevir
      and boceprevir) versus those who did not develop anemia or rash. Adjusted costs
      were compared by using regression analysis. METHODS: Adult patients with >=1 CHC
      diagnosis and a prescription for boceprevir or telaprevir were selected from a US
      based claims database. The date of the first DAA fill after May 13, 2011, was
      defined as the index date. Patients were required to have continuous eligibility
      and no claims for hepatitis B treatment during the 6 months before (baseline) and
      12 months after (study period) the index date. Patients were categorized into 4
      cohorts based on the development of anemia only, rash only, both anemia and rash
      (anemia/rash), or neither anemia nor rash (NAR) while receiving DAA-based
      therapies. Baseline characteristics and study period health care utilization and
      costs were compared by using univariate statistics between cohorts that developed
      anemia only, rash only, or anemia/rash and the cohort that did not develop anemia
      or rash. Adjusted costs were compared by using multivariable regressions.
      FINDINGS: A total of 2862 patients were identified and categorized into 4
      cohorts: 1204 anemia only, 131 rash only, 188 anemia/rash, and 1339 NAR patients.
      During the study period, patients developing anemia and/or rash incurred
      significantly more outpatient, dermatologist, and total medical visits compared
      with the NAR cohort. The anemia-only and anemia/rash cohorts also had
      significantly more inpatient, emergency department, and hematologist visits, as
      well as significantly higher adjusted total medical costs ($18,285 and $21,435 vs
      $11,253), total drug costs ($76,723 and $79,689 vs $63,001), and non-CHC drug
      costs ($10,391 and $10,475 vs $2437). The rash-only cohort had comparable
      adjusted total medical and drug costs. IMPLICATIONS: CHC patients who developed
      anemia while receiving DAA-based therapies incurred significantly higher resource
      utilization and costs compared with those who did not. The study highlights the
      need for new CHC treatment regimens that are associated with fewer and less
      severe AEs, particularly anemia.

PMID- 26111919
TI  - Combining lived experience with the facilitation of enquiry-based learning: a
      'trigger' for transformative learning.
AB  - What is known on the subject The values underpinning recovery-orientated practice
      are recited in the literature and influential in the content of mental health
      nurse education internationally. However, scepticism exists regarding the degree
      to which students' assimilate the principles of recovery into their practice due
      to the troublesome and challenging nature of learning at a transformational
      level, also known as threshold concept learning. Evaluation suggests that this
      combination of educational approaches positively influences students' prior
      understandings, beliefs and values in relation to the prospect for people with
      significant mental health problems to recover. The components of threshold
      concepts are useful as a deductive framework for the evaluation of educational
      initiatives which attempt to initiate transformative learning. While this forum
      clearly holds significant potential for student development, support and
      preparation is needed for both the student and the facilitator in order to enable
      the possibility of learning which influences attitudes, beliefs and practice. The
      aim of this paper is to discuss the potential for combining lived experience of
      mental distress with the facilitation of enquiry-based learning (EBL) to act as a
      trigger for transformative learning in the context of promoting the understanding
      of mental health 'recovery' in nurse education.The values underpinning recovery
      orientated practice are recited in the literature and influential in mental
      health nurse education internationally. However, scepticism exists regarding the
      degree to which students assimilate into their practice. An open-ended was
      distributed to a cohort of pre-registration nursing students receiving the co
      facilitated EBL (n = 112). Data demonstrated how the specific attributes of this
      educational approach were identified by students as impacting positively on ill
      informed preconceptions, understanding of complex theory and their future
      practice. Results were considered in light of the identification of 'recovery' as
      a 'threshold concept' and offered evidence to support the value of this specific
      educational forum in the promotion of learning which is transformative,
      integrative, bounded and at times troublesome. Support and significant
      preparation is needed for both the student and the facilitator in order to enable
      the possibility of transformatory learning.

PMID- 26111920
TI  - Investigating the performance and cost-effectiveness of the simple ultrasound
      based rules compared to the risk of malignancy index in the diagnosis of ovarian
      cancer (SUBSONiC-study): protocol of a prospective multicenter cohort study in
      the Netherlands.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Estimating the risk of malignancy is essential in the management of
      adnexal masses. An accurate differential diagnosis between benign and malignant
      masses will reduce morbidity and costs due to unnecessary operations, and will
      improve referral to a gynecologic oncologist for specialized cancer care, which
      improves outcome and overall survival. The Risk of Malignancy Index is currently
      the most commonly used method in clinical practice, but has a relatively low
      diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity 75-80% and specificity 85-90%). Recent reports
      show that other methods, such as simple ultrasound-based rules, subjective
      assessment and (Diffusion Weighted) Magnetic Resonance Imaging might be superior
      to the RMI in the pre-operative differentiation of adnexal masses.
      METHODS/DESIGN: A prospective multicenter cohort study will be performed in the
      south of The Netherlands. A total of 270 women diagnosed with at least one pelvic
      mass that is suspected to be of ovarian origin who will undergo surgery, will be
      enrolled. We will apply the Risk of Malignancy Index with a cut-off value of 200
      and a two-step triage test consisting of simple ultrasound-based rules
      supplemented -if necessary- with either subjective assessment by an expert
      sonographer or Magnetic Resonance Imaging with diffusion weighted sequences, to
      characterize the adnexal masses. The histological diagnosis will be the reference
      standard. Diagnostic performances will be expressed as sensitivity, specificity,
      positive and negative predictive values and likelihood ratios. DISCUSSION: We
      hypothesize that this two-step triage test, including the simple ultrasound-based
      rules, will have better diagnostic accuracy than the Risk of Malignancy Index and
      therefore will improve the management of women with adnexal masses. Furthermore,
      we expect this two-step test to be more cost-effective. If the hypothesis is
      confirmed, the results of this study could have major effects on current
      guidelines and implementation of the triage test in daily clinical practice could
      be a possibility. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: registration number
      NCT02218502.

PMID- 26111921
TI  - Emergency Department Visits and Head Computed Tomography Utilization for
      Concussion Patients From 2006 to 2011.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Concussion is the most common type of mild traumatic brain injury for
      which patients present to the emergency department (ED). It is critical to
      understand the contemporary epidemiology of concussion and rates of head computed
      tomography (CT) use in head-injured patients to inform education of evidence
      based clinical practice guidelines to emergency medicine providers. METHODS: This
      was a cross-sectional analysis of the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample
      (NEDS) for years 2006 to 2011, representing a stratified probability sample of
      all U.S. hospital-based EDs. Patients of all ages with concussion diagnoses were
      included, and those with intracranial hemorrhages or prolonged loss of
      consciousness were excluded. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were summarized
      for patient demographics, injury mechanism, Injury Severity Scores (ISS), and
      concussion incidence rates, based on U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.
      RESULTS: There were 756,214,762 (weighted) ED visits in the NEDS between 2006 and
      2011, of which 0.5% received diagnoses of concussion. The national incidence rate
      of concussion visits increased 22.6% from 195 visits per 100,000 person-years in
      2006 to 239 visits per 100,000 person-years in 2011. The incidence of concussion
      visits increased by 28.1% from 2006 to 2011 overall (580,573 to 743,994) and
      within all age group categories. The rate of head CT use in patients diagnosed
      with concussion increased 35.7% (range = 34.5% to 46.8%) for the entire group
      from 2006 to 2011 (p < 0.0001). The injury severity of patients' injuries
      decreased over time (66.4% ISS < 5 in 2006 and 75% in 2011; p < 0.0001), while
      the proportion of discharged patients increased over time (78.1% in 2006 and
      86.6% in 2011; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: ED visits for concussions have increased
      over time, with a corresponding increase in head CT utilization despite a
      decrease in injury severity. Increased visits may be due to more concussion
      awareness and recognition of subtle injuries. Evidence-based clinical practice
      guidelines for neuroimaging in head-injured patients and management of concussion
      should be reinforced to emergency medicine providers.

PMID- 26111922
TI  - Kaatsu training to enhance physical function of older adults with knee
      osteoarthritis: Design of a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - As the U.S. population ages, efficacious interventions are needed to manage pain
      and maintain physical function among older adults with osteoarthritis (OA).
      Skeletal muscle weakness is a primary contributory factor to pain and functional
      decline among persons with OA, thus interventions are needed that improve muscle
      strength. High-load resistance exercise is the best-known method of improving
      muscle strength; however high-compressive loads commonly induce significant joint
      pain among persons with OA. Thus interventions with low-compressive loads are
      needed which improve muscle strength while limiting joint stress. This study is
      investigating the potential of an innovative training paradigm, known as Kaatsu,
      for this purpose. Kaatsu involves performing low-load exercise while externally
      applied compression partially restricts blood flow to the active skeletal muscle.
      The objective of this randomized, single-masked pilot trial is to evaluate the
      efficacy and feasibility of chronic Kaatsu training for improving skeletal muscle
      strength and physical function among older adults. Participants aged >= 60 years
      with physical limitations and symptomatic knee OA will be randomly assigned to
      engage in a 3-month intervention of either (1) center-based, moderate-load
      resistance training, or (2) Kaatsu training matched for overall workload. Study
      dependent outcomes include the change in 1) knee extensor strength, 2) objective
      measures of physical function, and 3) subjective measures of physical function
      and pain. This study will provide novel information regarding the therapeutic
      potential of Kaatsu training while also informing about the long-term clinical
      viability of the paradigm by evaluating participant safety, discomfort, and
      willingness to continually engage in the intervention.

PMID- 26111923
TI  - Dose timing of D-cycloserine to augment cognitive behavioral therapy for social
      anxiety: Study design and rationale.
AB  - The use of D-cycloserine (DCS) as a cognitive enhancer to augment exposure-based
      cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) represents a promising new translational
      research direction with the goal to accelerate and optimize treatment response
      for anxiety disorders. Some studies suggest that DCS may not only augment
      extinction learning but could also facilitate fear memory reconsolidation.
      Therefore, the effect of DCS may depend on fear levels reported at the end of
      exposure sessions. This paper presents the rationale and design for a randomized
      controlled trial examining the relative efficacy of tailoring DCS administration
      based on exposure success (i.e. end fear levels) during a 5-session group CBT
      protocol for social anxiety disorder (n = 156). Specifically, tailored post
      session DCS administration will be compared against untailored post-session DCS,
      untailored pre-session DCS, and pill placebo in terms of reduction in social
      anxiety symptoms and responder status. In addition, a subset of participants (n =
      96) will undergo a fear extinction retention experiment prior to the clinical
      trial in which they will be randomly assigned to receive either DCS or placebo
      prior to extinguishing a conditioned fear. The results from this experimental
      paradigm will clarify the mechanism of the effects of DCS on exposure procedures.
      This study aims to serve as the first step toward developing an algorithm for the
      personalized use of DCS during CBT for social anxiety disorder, with the ultimate
      goal of optimizing treatment outcome for anxiety disorders.

PMID- 26111924
TI  - On developing a pragmatic strategy for clinical trials: A case study of
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with sufficiently high statistical power are
      not always feasible for patients when the administration of the treatment is
      burdensome. Nevertheless, useful information concerning the relative
      effectiveness of the Test and Standard therapies, may be gleaned from under
      powered trials, non-randomised comparative studies and/or clinician's beliefs:
      the latter possibly additionally providing some suggestion of the strength of
      evidence required in order to adopt the Test therapy into clinical practice. In
      such circumstances, a Bayesian synthesis may be useful in quantifying the
      evidence of treatment effectiveness. In this article, we aim to present a
      Bayesian approach for synthesizing the cumulative evidence of the use of adjuvant
      hepatic intra-arterial iodine-131-lipiodol (I131L) following curative resection
      in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. We constructed a posterior
      distribution using the information from two small RCTs, three non-randomised
      comparative studies, three single arm studies and the views of investigators on
      the use of I131L. This distribution enables calculation of the probability that
      the Test therapy is more effective than the Standard by a pre-stipulated amount.
      If this is very high, then for example, one may conclude the Test may replace the
      Standard therapy. If it is not, then the Standard would be retained for clinical
      use. Despite a strong early indication of the effectiveness of I131L, the
      evolving evidence over a 10-year period became more sceptical of its value.
      Although highly recommended, difficulties of implementing a Bayesian approach in
      this context are highlighted. 

PMID- 26111925
TI  - A novel colourimetric technique to assess chewing function using two-coloured
      specimens: Validation and application.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Chewing efficiency may be evaluated using cohesive specimen,
      especially in elderly or dysphagic patients. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate three two-coloured chewing gums for a colour-mixing ability test and to
      validate a new purpose built software (ViewGum(c)). METHODS: Dentate participants
      (dentate-group) and edentulous patients with mandibular two-implant overdentures
      (IOD-group) were recruited. First, the dentate-group chewed three different types
      of two-coloured gum (gum1-gum3) for 5, 10, 20, 30 and 50 chewing cycles.
      Subsequently the number of chewing cycles with the highest intra- and inter-rater
      agreement was determined visually by applying a scale (SA) and opto
      electronically (ViewGum(c), Bland-Altman analysis). The ViewGum(c) software
      determines semi-automatically the variance of hue (VOH); inadequate mixing
      presents with larger VOH than complete mixing. Secondly, the dentate-group and
      the IOD-group were compared. RESULTS: The dentate-group comprised 20 participants
      (10 female, 30.3+/-6.7 years); the IOD-group 15 participants (10 female, 74.6+/
      8.3 years). Intra-rater and inter-rater agreement (SA) was very high at 20
      chewing cycles (95.00-98.75%). Gums 1-3 showed different colour-mixing
      characteristics as a function of chewing cycles, gum1 showed a logarithmic
      association; gum2 and gum3 demonstrated more linear behaviours. However, the
      number of chewing cycles could be predicted in all specimens from VOH (all
      p<0.0001, mixed linear regression models). Both analyses proved discriminative to
      the dental state. CONCLUSION: ViewGum(c) proved to be a reliable and
      discriminative tool to opto-electronically assess chewing efficiency, given an
      elastic specimen is chewed for 20 cycles and could be recommended for the
      evaluation of chewing efficiency in a clinical and research setting. CLINICAL
      SIGNIFICANCE: Chewing is a complex function of the oro-facial structures and the
      central nervous system. The application of the proposed assessments of the
      chewing function in geriatrics or special care dentistry could help visualising
      oro-functional or dental comorbidities in dysphagic patients or those suffering
      from protein-energy malnutrition.

PMID- 26111926
TI  - Peptide-functionalized zirconia and new zirconia/titanium biocermets for dental
      applications.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Titanium materials have been functionalized with biomolecules as a
      modern strategy to incorporate bioactive motifs that will expand and improve
      their biomedical applications. Here, we have biofunctionalized biomaterials based
      on zirconia of much interest for dentistry: the widely used bioceramic 3Y-TZP and
      a newly developed 3Y-TZP/Ti biocermet. METHODS: The biosurfaces were activated,
      silanized, and functionalized with coatings made of oligopeptides. Surface
      activation by plasma or alkaline-etching was optimized. The surfaces were coated
      by tethering a purposely-designed RGD-containing peptide. We selected this
      oligopeptide as a model peptide to validate the effectiveness of the
      biofunctionalization process. Successful treatments after each step of the
      process were assessed by surface physical and chemical characterization with
      water contact angles and XPS, respectively. Coatings' stability was evaluated
      after 2h sonication in water. Pre-osteoblasts adhesion on the functionalized
      surfaces was also studied. RESULTS: 10-min air-plasma treatment effectively
      activated all types of materials with no detrimental effects on the material
      structure and hardness. Nitrogen XPS-peak confirmed that RGD-peptides were
      chemically-attached on the silanized samples. This was further confirmed by
      visualizing the functionalized surfaces with flourescence-labelled RGD-peptides
      before and after ultrasonication. Furthermore, RGD-functionalized surfaces
      significantly enhanced osteoblast adhesion on all types of substrates, which
      demonstrated their successful bioactivation. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully
      developed stable functional biocoatings on zirconia and biocermets made of
      oligopeptides. Surface bioactivation of zirconia-containing components for dental
      implant applications will enable their improved clinical performance by
      incorporating signalling oligopeptides to accelerate osseointegration, improving
      permucosal sealing, and/or incorporating antimicrobial properties to prevent peri
      implant infections.

PMID- 26111927
TI  - Effect of different storage conditions on the physical properties of bleached
      enamel: An in vitro vs. in situ study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the effect of different storage conditions on bleached
      enamel using Knoop microhardness (KHN) and colour variation. METHODS: Forty-eight
      tooth blocks were divided into four groups (n=12), based on storage media (SM):
      purified water (PW), artificial saliva (AS), natural saliva (NS), in situ (IS).
      Three whitening sessions were carried out using 35% hydrogen peroxide, with a
      week interval. Colour and KHN measurements were taken before the samples were
      placed in the SM (t1), after 24h in the SM (t2), and after 24h at the end of the
      bleaching treatment (t3). Two extra samples from each group were analysed using a
      scanning electron microscope (SEM). KHN results were analysed by PROC-MIXED and
      Tukey-Kramer test (alpha=0.05), and colour changes were evaluated using DeltaL,
      Deltaa, Deltab, DeltaE between the different times Delta1(t1-t2), Delta2(t2-t3)
      using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's test (alpha=0.05). RESULTS: Significant
      statistical difference was noted in KHN at t3, with the lowest values found for
      PW. As for colour analysis in DeltaE2 and Deltab2, IS showed values that were
      statistically lower when compared to AS. Likewise, there were differences between
      PW and AS in relation to IS when evaluating DeltaL2. In addition, NS showed
      similar values to IS. CONCLUSIONS: The storage conditions had different effects
      on the physical properties of bleached enamel. NS was the only SM that showed
      similar behaviour to IS. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: NS proved an effective SM in the
      protection and recovery of damage caused by bleaching and is a viable SM for in
      vitro studies.

PMID- 26111928
TI  - Expression changes of microRNA-1 and its targets Connexin 43 and brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor in the peripheral nervous system of chronic neuropathic rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the neuroplastic changes which
      induce and maintain neuropathic pain. However, it is unknown whether nerve injury
      leads to altered miRNA expression and modulation of pain relevant target gene
      expression within peripheral nerves. In the present study, expression profiles of
      miR-1 and the pain-relevant targets, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and
      Connexin 43 (Cx43), were studied in peripheral neuropathic pain, which was
      induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve in rats. The
      expression of miR-1 was investigated in the sciatic nerve, dorsal root ganglion
      (DRG) and the ipsilateral spinal cord by qPCR. Changes of BDNF and Cx43
      expression patterns were studied using qPCR, Western blot analysis, ELISA and
      immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In sciatic nerves of naive rats, expression levels
      of miR-1 were more than twice as high as in DRG and spinal cord. In neuropathic
      rats, CCI lead to a time-dependent downregulation of miR-1 in the sciatic nerve
      but not in DRG and spinal cord. Likewise, protein expression of the miR-1 targets
      BDNF and Cx43 was upregulated in the sciatic nerve and DRG after CCI.
      Immunohistochemical staining revealed an endoneural abundancy of Cx43 in injured
      sciatic nerves which was absent after Sham operation. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      demonstrates that CCI leads to a regulation of miRNAs (miR-1) in the peripheral
      nervous system. This regulation is associated with alterations in the expression
      and localization of the miR-1 dependent pain-relevant proteins BDNF and Cx43.
      Further studies will have to explore the function of miRNAs in the context of
      neuropathic pain in the peripheral nervous system.

PMID- 26111929
TI  - Carcinogenicity of lindane, DDT, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid.

PMID- 26111931
TI  - Misconceptions in the assessment of cough peak flow measurements for extubation
      or decanulation protocols.

PMID- 26111930
TI  - Healing activity of Casearia sylvestris Sw. in second-degree scald burns in
      rodents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Every year thousands of people are victims of burns, mainly scald
      burns. Many of these victims have small size wounds and superficial partial
      thickness and do not seek specialized medical care. As in Brazil Casearia
      sylvestris Sw., popularly known as guacatonga is widely used for its analgesic,
      antiseptic and anti-inflammatory activities, this study sought to evaluate the
      effects of its hydroalcoholic extract in healing process of burns injuries.
      METHODS: The obtained extract was validated applying a thin layer chromatography
      and sophisticated validation method using Bothrops jararacussu snake venom that
      is necrotic and inflammatory, and by which guacatonga extract was able to
      neutralize the irreversible neuromuscular blockade induced by the venom. After
      induction of the scald injury, the animals were treated daily with saline
      solution spray; spray containing extract; biofilm; or biofilm impregnated with
      extract. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed between the four groups
      studied considering: extension of the healing area, neovascularization,
      fibroblast proliferation, and epithelialization. CONCLUSION: The anti
      inflammatory and bactericidal effects of C. sylvestris Sw. suggests a potential
      therapeutic benefit in the treatment of inflammatory conditions in second-degree
      scald burn injuries, as well as, counteracting against the in vitro paralysis
      induced by B. jararacussu venom.

PMID- 26111933
TI  - Learning in underserved UK areas: a novel approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is an insufficient number of medical students intending to
      pursue general practitioner (GP) careers. The undergraduate curriculum has
      traditionally prioritised teaching in large hospital settings despite most
      National Health Service patient contact occurring in primary care. Primary care
      is faced with providing health care for an ageing population with high levels of
      co-morbidities. Patients who live in deprived areas suffer many disadvantages
      affecting their health and additionally tend to be underserved. Globally, there
      has been an initiative to provide medical students with extended clinical
      placements in rural and remote areas. These placements have identified many
      beneficial outcomes; however, little is known about placements in other
      underserved, deprived areas. This paper describes an innovative pilot programme
      to address these issues. CONTEXT: The North East of England has a large
      proportion of the most deprived communities and worst health care outcomes in
      England. In Teesside, Phase 1 Medicine at Durham University provides the pre
      clinical curriculum. Durham students then join Newcastle University for Phase 2
      Medicine, the clinical years. INNOVATION: The Difficult and Deprived Areas
      Programme (DDAP) places fourth-year students in general practice and community
      settings in post-industrial, deprived areas for 14 weeks, thus adopting and
      applying principles from rural initiatives (continuity and immersion) to other
      deprived settings. The DDAP allows students to learn about psychosocial
      determinants of health and to pursue community interests whilst gaining an
      excellent clinical grounding. There is an insufficient number of medical students
      intending to pursue general practitioner careers IMPLICATIONS: The DDAP provides
      a model for educators seeking to implement initiatives in similar underserved,
      deprived settings, which may potentially alleviate GP workforce shortages.

PMID- 26111934
TI  - Circulating irisin levels are associated with lipid and uric acid metabolism in a
      Chinese population.
AB  - Irisin is a novel hormone secreted by skeletal muscle after exercise, which may
      ameliorate insulin resistance. In this study, we aimed to explore the
      relationship between circulating irisin levels and type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (T2DM) as well as related metabolic traits in a Chinese population. A total of
      203 subjects were recruited. Of these, 68 subjects with normal glucose tolerance
      (NGT), 63 subjects with impaired glucose regulation (IGR) and 72 subjects with
      new-onset T2DM. Circulating irisin levels were measured by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Detailed clinical investigations and biochemistry
      measurements were carried out in all of the subjects. Multivariate linear
      regression analysis was performed to assess the association between irisin levels
      and related metabolic characteristics. All subjects were classified into normal
      weight and overweight/obese subgroups according to body mass index (BMI). No
      significant differences in circulating irisin levels were identified among the
      three groups (P = 0.9741). After adjusting for covariates, multiple linear
      regression analysis revealed that serum irisin level was independently and
      significantly associated with total cholesterol (P = 0.0005), low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.0014), fasting fatty acids (P = 0.0402) and uric
      acid (P = 0.0062). By dividing the serum irisin levels into three tertile groups,
      the values of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting
      fatty acids and uric acid were all increased significantly with the increase of
      irisin (P < 0.05). Moreover, serum irisin levels remain closely related to total
      cholesterol in both normal weight and overweight/obese subgroups. Our study
      suggests that circulating irisin concentrations are significantly associated with
      lipid and uric acid metabolism in a Chinese population.

PMID- 26111932
TI  - Surgery with versus without preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy for mid/low
      rectal cancer: an interim analysis of a prospective, randomized trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Multimodality therapy, including preoperative chemoradiotherapy
      (CRT) and total mesorectal excision (TME), has effectively reduced local
      recurrence rates of rectal cancer over the past decade. However, the benefits and
      risks of the addition of neoadjuvant CRT to surgery need to be evaluated. This
      study was to compare the efficacy of TME with versus without preoperative
      concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) involving XELOX regimen (oxaliplatin plus
      capecitabine) in Chinese patients with stages II and III mid/low rectal
      adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients to the TME group (TME
      without preoperative CCRT) or CCRT + TME group (TME with preoperative CCRT). The
      primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS); the secondary endpoints were
      overall survival (OS), local and distant recurrence, tumor response to CRT,
      toxicity, sphincter preservation, and surgical complications. An interim analysis
      of the potential inferiority of DFS in the CCRT + TME group was planned when the
      first 180 patients had been followed up for at least 6 months. RESULTS: A total
      of 94 patients in the TME group and 90 patients in the CCRT + TME group were able
      to be evaluated. The 3-year DFS and OS rates were 86.3 % and 91.5 % in the whole
      cohort, respectively. The 3-year DFS rates of the TME and CCRT + TME groups were
      85.7% and 87.9 % (P = 0.766), respectively, and the 3-year OS rates were 90.7 %
      and 92.3 % (P = 0.855), respectively. The functional sphincter preservation rates
      of the TME and CCRT + TME groups were 71.3 % and 70.0 % (P = 0.849),
      respectively. In the TME group, 16 (17.0 %) patients were proven to have pTNM
      stage I disease after surgery. In the CCRT + TME group, 32 (35.6 %) patients
      achieved a pathologic complete response (pCR). CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results
      indicated no significant differences in the DFS, OS, or functional sphincter
      preservation rates between the TME and CCRT + TME groups. However, preoperative
      CCRT with XELOX yielded a high pCR rate. Newer techniques are needed to improve
      the staging accuracy, and further investigation is warranted. CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: Chi CTR-TRC-08000122.

PMID- 26111935
TI  - Ethnic differences in the incidence of type 1 diabetes in Norway: a register
      based study using data from the period 2002-2009.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have looked at variation in type 1 diabetes incidence
      between immigrant groups within a country. OBJECTIVE: To investigate differences
      in incidence rates of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes between immigrant groups
      and ethnic Norwegians, and their contribution to the number of incident cases of
      type 1 diabetes in Norway. SUBJECTS: The study includes 2221 individuals with
      newly onset type 1 diabetes diagnosed during 2002-2009 in children of 0-14 yr in
      Norway registered in the nationwide and population-based Norwegian Childhood
      Diabetes Registry. METHODS: Incident cases were classified in seven groups based
      on country of maternal birth and three age groups. Statistics Norway provided the
      corresponding population sizes. Incidence rates were compared by Poisson
      regression. RESULTS: The overall incidence rate was 34.0 cases per 100,000 person
      years (95% CI: 32.6, 35.5). There were large variations in incidence across the
      immigrant groups (p < 0.001), ranging from 6.8 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI:
      1.9-17.5) for South/East Asians to 26.0 cases per 100,000 person-years (95% CI:
      11.9-49.3) for sub-Saharan Africans. The differences remained significant after
      adjusting for age and gender. CONCLUSIONS: There are large variations in the rate
      of incidence of type 1 diabetes across the ethnic groups, and several immigrant
      groups have significantly lower incidence than ethnic Norwegians. Immigrant
      groups contributed ca. 5% of the total cases of type 1 diabetes and influence the
      overall incidence in Norway only to a small extent.

PMID- 26111936
TI  - Avian influenza virus exhibits distinct evolutionary dynamics in wild birds and
      poultry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wild birds are the major reservoir hosts for influenza A viruses,
      occasionally transmitting to other species such as domesticated poultry. Despite
      an abundance of genomic data from avian influenza virus (AIV), little is known
      about whether AIV evolves differently in wild birds and poultry, although this is
      critical to revealing the dynamics and time-scale of viral evolution. In
      particular, because environmental (water-borne) transmission is more common in
      wild birds, which may reduce the number of replications per unit time, it is
      possible that evolutionary rates are systematically lower in wild birds than in
      poultry. RESULTS: We estimated rates of nucleotide substitution in two AIV
      subtypes that are strongly associated with infections in wild birds - H4 and H6 -
      and compared these to rates in the H5N1 subtype that has circulated in poultry
      for almost two decades. Our analyses of three internal genes confirm that H4 and
      H6 viruses are evolving significantly more slowly than H5N1 viruses, suggesting
      that evolutionary rates of AIV are reduced in wild birds. This result was
      verified by the analysis of a poultry-associated H6 lineage that exhibited a
      markedly higher substitution rate than those H6 viruses circulating in wild
      birds. Interestingly, we also observed a significant difference in evolutionary
      rate between H4 and H6, despite frequent reassortment rate among them.
      CONCLUSIONS: AIV experiences markedly different evolutionary dynamics between
      wild birds and poultry. These results suggest that rate heterogeneity among viral
      subtypes and ecological groupings should be taken into account when estimating
      evolutionary rates and divergence times.

PMID- 26111937
TI  - Genome-scale resources for Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum is a hemicellulose-degrading
      thermophilic anaerobe that was previously engineered to produce ethanol at high
      yield. A major project was undertaken to develop this organism into an industrial
      biocatalyst, but the lack of genome information and resources were recognized
      early on as a key limitation. RESULTS: Here we present a set of genome-scale
      resources to enable the systems level investigation and development of this
      potentially important industrial organism. Resources include a complete genome
      sequence for strain JW/SL-YS485, a genome-scale reconstruction of metabolism,
      tiled microarray data showing transcription units, mRNA expression data from 71
      different growth conditions or timepoints and GC/MS-based metabolite analysis
      data from 42 different conditions or timepoints. Growth conditions include
      hemicellulose hydrolysate, the inhibitors HMF, furfural, diamide, and ethanol, as
      well as high levels of cellulose, xylose, cellobiose or maltodextrin. The genome
      consists of a 2.7 Mbp chromosome and a 110 Kbp megaplasmid. An active prophage
      was also detected, and the expression levels of CRISPR genes were observed to
      increase in association with those of the phage. Hemicellulose hydrolysate
      elicited a response of carbohydrate transport and catabolism genes, as well as
      poorly characterized genes suggesting a redox challenge. In some conditions, a
      time series of combined transcription and metabolite measurements were made to
      allow careful study of microbial physiology under process conditions. As a
      demonstration of the potential utility of the metabolic reconstruction, the
      OptKnock algorithm was used to predict a set of gene knockouts that maximize
      growth-coupled ethanol production. The predictions validated intuitive strain
      designs and matched previous experimental results. CONCLUSION: These data will be
      a useful asset for efforts to develop T. saccharolyticum for efficient industrial
      production of biofuels. The resources presented herein may also be useful on a
      comparative basis for development of other lignocellulose degrading microbes,
      such as Clostridium thermocellum.

PMID- 26111938
TI  - Uncoupling of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in cerebral vasculature of Tg2576
      mice.
AB  - In this study, we tested the hypothesis that reduced bioavailability of
      tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is a major mechanism responsible for pathogenesis of
      endothelial dysfunction in cerebral microvessels of transgenic mice expressing
      the Swedish double mutation of human amyloid precursor protein (APP) (Tg2576
      mice). Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) protein expression was
      significantly increased in cerebral vasculature of Tg2576 mice. In contrast,
      bioavailability of BH4 was significantly reduced (p < 0.05). Moreover, superoxide
      anion production was increased in cerebral microvessels of Tg2576 mice (p <
      0.05). Incubation with NOS inhibitor, Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester,
      decreased superoxide anion indicating that uncoupled eNOS is most likely the
      source of superoxide anion. Increasing BH4 bioavailability either exogenously by
      BH4 supplementation or endogenously by treatment with the selective peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor--delta activator GW501516 (2 mg/kg/day, 14 days)
      attenuated eNOS uncoupling and decreased superoxide anion production in cerebral
      microvessels of Tg2576 mice (p < 0.05). Treatment with GW501516 restored the
      biological activity of endothelial nitric oxide in cerebral microvessels of
      Tg2576 mice, as indicated by the increased nitrite/nitrate content and 3,5-cyclic
      guanosine monophosphate levels (p < 0.05). Our studies indicate that sub-optimal
      BH4 bioavailability in cerebral vasculature is an important contributor to
      oxidant stress and endothelial dysfunction in Tg2576 mouse model of Alzheimer's
      disease. Existing evidence suggests that Abeta peptides-induced up-regulation of
      expression and activity of NADPH oxidase causes increased production of
      superoxide anion (.O2(-)). .O2(-) can also be converted to hydrogen peroxide
      (H2O2) by enzymatic activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) or spontaneous
      dismutation. Elevation of .O2(-) and H2O2 might cause oxidation of
      tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) to dihydrobiopterin (BH2) and subsequent uncoupling of
      endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) (a) thus reducing levels of nitric oxide
      (NO) and 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). Supplementation of BH4 or
      activation of PPARdelta prevents detrimental effects of eNOS uncoupling by
      restoring bioavailability of BH4 and scavenging of .O2(-), respectively (b).
      Activation of PPARdelta also increases expression of catalase thereby
      inactivating H2O2. Generation of H2O2 by uncoupled eNOS in cerebral microvessels
      of Tg2576 mice is hypothetical.

PMID- 26111940
TI  - Chlorhexidine Anaphylaxis Masquerading as Septic Shock.
AB  - Chlorhexidine is a commonly used antiseptic and disinfectant in the health-care
      setting. Its usage has increased in recent years with intensive campaigns and
      infection control guidelines to combat hospital-acquired infections. As a result,
      patients and health-care workers (HCW) are exposed to increasing chlorhexidine
      usage. In recent years, adverse reactions to chlorhexidine ranging from allergic
      contact dermatitis, photosensitivity, fixed drug eruptions, urticaria and
      anaphylactic shock have been reported. Most have been isolated case reports on
      adverse reactions occurring in healthy individuals or HCW. We report a case of
      anaphylactic shock caused by applying chlorhexidine cleansing solution and
      masquerading as septic shock from left-leg necrotising fasciitis.

PMID- 26111939
TI  - A Cluster-Randomized Trial of a Centralized Clinical Pharmacy Cardiovascular Risk
      Service to Improve Guideline Adherence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated the value of including pharmacists
      in team-based care to improve adherence to cardiovascular (CV) guidelines,
      medication adherence, and risk factor control. However, there is limited
      information on whether these models can be successfully implemented more widely
      in diverse settings and populations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate
      whether a centralized, web-based cardiovascular risk service (CVRS) managed by
      clinical pharmacists will improve guideline adherence in multiple primary care
      medical offices with diverse geographic and patient characteristics. METHODS:
      This study is a prospective trial in 20 primary care offices stratified by the
      percent of under-represented minorities and then randomized to either the CVRS
      intervention or usual care. The intervention will last for 12 months and all
      subjects will have research visits at baseline and 12 months. The primary outcome
      is the difference in guideline adherence between groups. Data will also be
      abstracted from the medical record at 24 months to determine if the intervention
      effect is sustained after it is discontinued. CONCLUSIONS: Patient enrollment
      will continue through 2016, with results expected in 2019. This study will
      provide information on whether a distant, centralized CVRS can be implemented in
      large numbers of medical offices, if it is effective in diverse populations, and
      if there is a long-term sustained effect.

PMID- 26111941
TI  - A novel therapeutic approach for LPIN1 mutation-associated rhabdomyolysis--The
      Austrian experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Lipin 1 gene (LPIN1) mutations lead to cellular energy deficiency
      and cause up to 50% of the rhabdomyolysis episodes seen in pediatric patients.
      These episodes are associated with poor prognosis, as treatment options have been
      limited. We propose a novel therapeutic strategy based on prevention and early
      treatment of catabolism. METHODS: Five patients were diagnosed with LPIN1
      mutations. They were instructed to maintain high caloric intake in situations
      possibly leading to catabolism such as viral infections or excessive physical
      activity. When an episode of rhabdomyolysis occurred, patients were treated with
      intravenous high-concentration glucose at first symptoms. RESULTS: The
      therapeutic strategies described limited the number of rhabdomyolyis episodes,
      and the duration of episodes was reduced from 7-10 days, as reported in the
      literature, to 5 days. CONCLUSION: In this small series, patients with LPIN1
      mutations appear to have benefited from prevention and early treatment of
      catabolism.

PMID- 26111943
TI  - A General Route to Robust Nacre-Like Graphene Oxide Films.
AB  - Artificial nacre-like composite films of graphene oxide (GO) with a variety of
      commercially available water-soluble polymers were fabricated by a gel-film
      transformation (GFT) technique. The blending of a polymer into the aqueous
      dispersion of GO can modulate the interaction between GO sheets. Typically, the
      attraction force between polymer and GO sheets overcomes the dominant hydration
      and electrostatic repulsive forces between GO sheets, promoting the gelation of
      GO. Cast drying the resultant GO hydrogel containing small amounts of polymer (1
      20 wt % relative to GO depending on the intrinsic structures of polymers)
      generates layered GO composite films with tensile strengths over 200 MPa and
      failure strains larger than 3.0%, which are higher than those of natural nacre
      and most nacre-like GO films. These results indicate that GO/polymer composite
      hydrogels are excellent precursors for nacre-like GO films and that the GFT
      approach is a general route toward the large-scale fabrication of nacre-like GO
      films with unique combinations of high strength and high toughness. 

PMID- 26111944
TI  - Case report: Limb-threatening femoral vein thrombosis in a healthy carpet fitter:
      Carpet fitter's thrombosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report a case of femoral vein thrombosis in a carpet fitter and to
      highlight this as an occupational hazard. METHOD: Case presentation and
      literature review. RESULTS: An otherwise fit 21-year-old carpet fitter with no
      past medical history presented with acute thrombosis of his left common femoral,
      superficial femoral and great saphenous veins. Attempted catheter directed
      thrombolysis was unsuccessful. Due to severe pain and the threat of venous
      gangrene he was treated by emergency surgical thrombectomy with excision of
      chronic venous scarring and vein-patch repair that led to resolution of his
      symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Deep vein thrombosis is typically associated with factors
      such as increasing age and prolonged periods of immobility; however, certain
      'active' occupations can increase its risk. Crouched and cramped working
      conditions including repetitive active movement with flexed hips and knees can
      predispose to increased risk of venous thromboembolism.

PMID- 26111942
TI  - Physical activity, mindfulness meditation, or heart rate variability biofeedback
      for stress reduction: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - In contemporary western societies stress is highly prevalent, therefore the need
      for stress-reducing methods is great. This randomized controlled trial compared
      the efficacy of self-help physical activity (PA), mindfulness meditation (MM),
      and heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF) in reducing stress and its
      related symptoms. We randomly allocated 126 participants to PA, MM, or HRV-BF
      upon enrollment, of whom 76 agreed to participate. The interventions consisted of
      psycho-education and an introduction to the specific intervention techniques and
      5 weeks of daily exercises at home. The PA exercises consisted of a vigorous
      intensity activity of free choice. The MM exercises consisted of guided
      mindfulness meditation. The HRV-BF exercises consisted of slow breathing with a
      heart rate variability biofeedback device. Participants received daily reminders
      for their exercises and were contacted weekly to monitor their progress. They
      completed questionnaires prior to, directly after, and 6 weeks after the
      intervention. Results indicated an overall beneficial effect consisting of
      reduced stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and improved psychological well
      being and sleep quality. No significant between-intervention effect was found,
      suggesting that PA, MM, and HRV-BF are equally effective in reducing stress and
      its related symptoms. These self-help interventions provide easily accessible
      help for people with stress complaints. 

PMID- 26111945
TI  - Superior Disembedding Performance in Childhood Predicts Adolescent Severity of
      Repetitive Behaviors: A Seven Years Follow-Up of Individuals With Autism Spectrum
      Disorder.
AB  - Previous research suggests that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
      show a detail-focused cognitive style. The aim of the current longitudinal study
      was to investigate whether this detail-focused cognitive style in childhood
      predicted a higher symptom severity of repetitive and restrictive behaviors and
      interests (RRBI) in adolescence. The Childhood Embedded Figures Test (CEFT) and
      the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) were administered in 87
      children with ASD at the age of 6-12 years old (T1), and the ADOS was
      readministered 7 years later when the participants were 12-19 years old (T2).
      Linear regression analyses were performed to investigate whether accuracy and
      reaction time in the complex versus simple CEFT condition and performance in the
      complex condition predicted T2 ADOS RRBI calibrated severity scores (CSS), while
      taking into consideration relevant covariates and ADOS RRBI CSS at T1. The CEFT
      performance (accuracy in the complex condition divided by the time needed)
      significantly predicted higher ADOS RRBI CSS at T2 (DeltaR(2)  = 15%). This
      finding further supports the detail-focused cognitive style in individuals with
      ASD, and shows that it is also predictive of future RRBI symptoms over time.

PMID- 26111946
TI  - Prevalence of cranial autonomic parasympathetic symptoms in chronic migraine:
      Usefulness of a new scale.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cranial autonomic symptoms (CAS) seem to appear in around half of
      migraine patients. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to analyse the prevalence and profile
      of CAS, mainly of cranial autonomic parasympathetic symptoms (CAPS), in a series
      of patients with chronic migraine (CM) according the new criteria for autonomic
      symptoms in the current IHS classification. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We recruited
      consecutive CM patients attending our headache clinic. Five CPAS were surveyed:
      lacrimation, conjunctival injection, eyelid oedema, ear fullness and nasal
      congestion. They were graded as 0 (absent), 1 (present and mild) and 2 (present
      and conspicuous); therefore the score in this CAPS scale ranges from 0 to 10
      points. As a cranial autonomic sympathetic symptom (CSAS), we also asked about
      the presence of ptosis. RESULTS: We interviewed 100 CM patients. Their mean age
      was 45 years (18-63 years); 93 were females. Eighteen had no CAPS, while 82
      reported at least one CAPS. There were only six patients with scores higher than
      5, the mean and median CAPS being 2.1 and 2, respectively. Prevalence of CAPS was
      lacrimation (49%), conjunctival injection (44%), eyelid oedema (39%), ear
      fullness (30%) and nasal congestion (20%). Ptosis was reported by 42. CONCLUSION:
      These results, by using for the first time an easy quantitative scale, confirm
      that (mild) CAPS are not the exception but the rule in CM patients. The score in
      this CAPS scale could be of help as a further endpoint in clinical trials or to
      be correlated with potential biomarkers of parasympathetic activation in primary
      headaches.

PMID- 26111947
TI  - Contribution of behavioural science to antibiotic stewardship.

PMID- 26111949
TI  - A comparison of two commercially available ELISA methods for the quantification
      of human plasma heat shock protein 70 during rest and exercise stress.
AB  - This study compared resting and exercise heat/hypoxic stress-induced levels of
      plasma extracellular heat shock protein 70 (eHSP70) in humans using two
      commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELIS)A kits. EDTA
      plasma samples were collected from 21 males during two separate investigations.
      Participants in part A completed a 60-min treadmill run in the heat (HOT70; 33.0
      +/- 0.1  degrees C, 28.7 +/- 0.8 %, n = 6) at 70 % VO2max. Participants in part B
      completed 60 min of cycling exercise at 50 % VO2max in either hot (HOT50; 40.5 
      degrees C, 25.4 relative humidity (RH)%, n = 7) or hypoxic (HYP50; fraction of
      inspired oxygen (FIO2) = 0.14, 21  degrees C, 35 % RH, n = 8) conditions. Samples
      were collected prior to and immediately upon termination of exercise and analysed
      for eHSP70 using EKS-715 high-sensitivity HSP70 ELISA and new ENZ-KIT-101
      Amp'd(TM) HSP70 high-sensitivity ELISA. ENZ-KIT was superior in detecting resting
      eHSP70 (1.54 +/- 3.27 ng . mL(-1); range 0.08 to 14.01 ng . mL(-1)), with
      concentrations obtained from 100 % of samples compared to 19 % with EKS-715
      assay. The ENZ-KIT requires optimisation prior to running samples in order to
      ensure participants fall within the standard curve, a step not required with EKS
      715. Using ENZ-KIT, a 1:4 dilution allowed for quantification of resting HSP70 in
      26/32 samples, with a 1:8 (n = 3) and 1:16 (n = 3) dilution required to determine
      the remaining samples. After exercise, eHSP70 was detected in 6/21 and 21/21
      samples using EKS-715 and ENZ-KIT, respectively. eHSP70 was increased from rest
      after HOT70 (p < 0.05), but not HOT50 (p > 0.05) or HYP50 (p > 0.05) when
      analysed using ENZ-KIT. It is recommended that future studies requiring the
      precise determination of resting plasma eHSP70 use the ENZ-KIT (i.e. HSP70
      Amp'd((r)) ELISA) instead of the EKS-715 assay, despite additional assay
      development time and cost required.

PMID- 26111950
TI  - Resisting the Resistance in Cancer: Cheminformatics Studies on Short- Path Base
      Excision Repair Pathway Antagonists Using Supervised Learning Approaches.
AB  - Survival of cells and maintenance of genome depend on detection and repair of
      damaged DNA through intricate mechanisms. Cancer treatment relies on chemotherapy
      or radiation therapy that kills neoplastic cells by causing immense damage to the
      DNA. In many cases, escalated DNA repair mechanism leads to resistance against
      these therapies and therefore, there is a need to expand the interest in
      developing drugs that can sensitize the cells to such therapies by interfering
      with the DNA repair mechanism. Several studies have suggested a link between over
      expression of the primary mammalian enzyme, Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease
      (APE1), responsible for abasic (or AP) site removal in the DNA and resistance of
      these cells to cancer therapy, whereas APE1 down-regulation sensitizes the cells
      to DNA damaging agents. Thus, the current treatment efficacy can be improved by
      aiding to selective sensitization of cancer cells and protection of normal cells.
      In the present study, we have used machine learning based approach by selecting
      assorted compounds with known activity for APE1 and constructed a range of in
      silico predictive classification models to discriminate between the inhibitors
      and non-inhibitors. These models can be applied to numerous other unscreened
      compounds to select the ones which are more likely to be the inhibitors for APE1.
      We have further found the common molecular substructures which were associated
      with the molecular activity of the compounds using a substructure search
      approach.

PMID- 26111951
TI  - Oxygen diffusion in marine-derived tissue engineering scaffolds.
AB  - This paper addresses the computation of the effective diffusivity in new
      bioactive glass (BG) based tissue engineering scaffolds. High diffusivities
      facilitate the supply of oxygen and nutrients to grown tissue as well as the
      rapid disposal of toxic waste products. The present study addresses required
      novel types of bone tissue engineering BG scaffolds that are derived from natural
      marine sponges. Using the foam replication method, the scaffold geometry is
      defined by the porous structure of Spongia Agaricina and Spongia Lamella. These
      sponges present the advantage of attaining scaffolds with higher mechanical
      properties (2-4 MPa) due to a decrease in porosity (68-76%). The effective
      diffusivities of these structures are compared with that of conventional
      scaffolds based on polyurethane (PU) foam templates, characterised by high
      porosity (>90%) and lower mechanical properties (>0.05 MPa). Both the spatial and
      directional variations of diffusivity are investigated. Furthermore, the effect
      of scaffold decomposition due to immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) on the
      diffusivity is addressed. Scaffolds based on natural marine sponges are
      characterised by lower oxygen diffusivity due to their lower porosity compared
      with the PU replica foams, which should enable the best oxygen supply to newly
      formed bone according the numerical results. The oxygen diffusivity of these new
      BG scaffolds increases over time as a consequence of the degradation in SBF.

PMID- 26111952
TI  - Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring and Body Mass Index: Good but Not
      Standardized!

PMID- 26111953
TI  - Xerosis and pruritus as major EGFRI-associated adverse events.
AB  - PURPOSE: The objective of this sub-analysis of the BeCet study (NCT01136005) was
      to examine health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients experiencing
      dermatological adverse events (AEs) during the first 6 weeks of epidermal growth
      factor receptor inhibitor (EGFRI) treatment. METHODS: Patients (n = 85) treated
      with EGFRI completed five questionnaires during the first 6 weeks of treatment.
      77 patients provided enough data for the sub-analysis. Experienced AEs were
      reported in the Dermatological Reactions Targeted Therapy-Patients (DERETT-P), a
      symptom experience diary for patients treated with targeted therapy. The impact
      of EGFRI-associated dermatological adverse events on HRQoL was examined using
      four HRQoL questionnaires; the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-EGFRI
      (FACT-EGFRI-18), the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G),
      the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Skindex-16. RESULTS: During
      the first 6 weeks of EGFRI treatment, physical discomfort was the most
      significantly affected domain. In the entire study population, xerosis (dry skin)
      (22.3 %) and pruritus (itchy skin) (16.9 %) were reported as the most impactful
      AEs. For patients experiencing a papulopustular eruption (acneiform rash)
      pruritus (24.2 %), xerosis (18.9 %), and papulopustular eruption (6.3 %) were
      reported as the most impactful AEs. Papulopustular eruption, xerosis, and
      pruritus all showed a significant negative effect on HRQoL, displayed in FACT
      EGFRI-18 scores. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to papulopustular eruption, xerosis and
      pruritus are major EGFRI-associated dermatological AEs with an impact on HRQoL,
      which warrant more attention in clinical practice and research.

PMID- 26111954
TI  - Management of the respiratory distress symptom cluster in lung cancer: a
      randomised controlled feasibility trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breathlessness, cough and fatigue are distressing symptoms for
      patients with lung cancer. There is evidence that these three symptoms form a
      discreet symptom cluster. This study aimed to feasibly test a new non
      pharmacological intervention for the management of the Respiratory Distress
      Symptom Cluster (breathlessness-cough-fatigue) in lung cancer. METHOD: This was a
      multi-centre, randomised controlled non-blinded parallel group feasibility trial.
      Eligible patients (patients with primary lung cancer and 'bothered' by at least
      two of the three cluster symptoms) received usual care plus a multicomponent
      intervention delivered over two intervention training sessions and a follow-up
      telephone call or usual care only. Follow-up was for 12 weeks, and end-points
      included six numerical rating scales for breathlessness severity, Dyspnoea-12,
      Manchester Cough in Lung Cancer scale, FACIT-Fatigue scale, Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression scale, Lung Cancer Symptom Scale and the EQ-5D-3L, collected at
      baseline, week 4 and week 12. RESULTS: One hundred seven patients were randomised
      over 8 months; however, six were removed from further analysis due to protocol
      violations (intervention group n = 50 and control group n = 51). Of the
      ineligible patients (n = 608), 29 % reported either not experiencing two or more
      symptoms or not being 'bothered' by at least two symptoms. There was 29 % drop
      out by week 4, and by week 12, a further two patients in the control group were
      lost to follow-up. A sample size calculation indicated that 122 patients per arm
      would be needed to detect a clinically important difference in the main outcome
      for breathlessness, cough and fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: The study has provided
      evidence of the feasibility and acceptability of a new intervention in the lung
      cancer population and warrants a fully powered trial before we reach any
      conclusions. The follow-on trial will test the hypothesis that the intervention
      improves symptom cluster of breathlessness, cough and fatigue better than usual
      care alone. Full economic evaluation will be conducted in the main trial.

PMID- 26111955
TI  - Improving psychosocial outcomes for caregivers of people with poor prognosis
      gastrointestinal cancers: a randomized controlled trial (Family Connect).
AB  - PURPOSE: This study investigated the effectiveness of a structured telephone
      intervention for caregivers of people diagnosed with poor prognosis
      gastrointestinal cancer to improve psychosocial outcomes for both caregivers and
      patients. METHODS: Caregivers of patients starting treatment for upper
      gastrointestinal or Dukes D colorectal cancer were randomly assigned (1:1) to the
      Family Connect telephone intervention or usual care. Caregivers in the
      intervention group received four standardized telephone calls in the 10 weeks
      following patient hospital discharge. Caregivers' quality of life (QOL),
      caregiver burden, unmet supportive care needs and distress were assessed at 3 and
      6 months. Patients' QOL, unmet supportive care needs, distress and health service
      utilization were also assessed at these time points. RESULTS: Caregivers (128)
      were randomized to intervention or usual care groups. At 3 months, caregiver QOL
      scores and other caregiver-reported outcomes were similar in both groups.
      Intervention group participants experienced a greater sense of social support (p
      = .049) and reduced worry about finances (p = .014). Patients whose caregiver was
      randomized to the intervention also had fewer emergency department presentations
      and unplanned hospital readmissions at 3 months post-discharge (total 17 vs. 5, p
      = .01). CONCLUSIONS: This standardized intervention did not demonstrate any
      significant improvements in caregiver well-being but did result in a decrease in
      patient emergency department presentations and unplanned hospital readmissions in
      the immediate post-discharge period. The trend towards improvements in a number
      of caregiver outcomes and the improvement in health service utilization support
      further development of telephone-based caregiver-focused supportive care
      interventions.

PMID- 26111956
TI  - Comparison of effectiveness of biosimilar filgrastim (NivestimTM), reference
      Amgen filgrastim and pegfilgrastim in febrile neutropenia primary prevention in
      breast cancer patients treated with neo(adjuvant) TAC: a non-interventional
      cohort study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Biosimilars are supported by limited clinical data at the time of
      approval. Recently, NivestimTM, a biosimilar of reference of filgrastim, was
      approved for prevention of chemotherapy-related febrile neutropenia (FN). To add
      clinical experience to this new biosimilar, we performed a study to compare the
      effectiveness of NivestimTM with reference filgrastim and pegfilgrastim in FN
      prevention in patients receiving high-risk FN chemotherapy. METHODS: This is a
      comparative cohort study, with retrospective data collection. Three cohorts were
      identified according to the type of primary prophylaxis employed over different
      time periods: reference filgrastim (2004-2006), pegfilgrastim (2007-2008) and
      biosimilar filgrastim (2011-2012). The study included female patients with early
      breast cancer that received FN primary prophylaxis during (neo)adjuvant
      docetaxel/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (TAC). RESULTS: Reference filgrastim
      cohort included 147 patients and pegfilgrastim and biosimilar filgrastim cohorts
      139 and 134 patients, respectively. FN rates per patient/cycle were 16 % (95 %
      confidence interval (CI) 10.2-22.5 %)/3 % (95 % CI 2.1-4.7 %) in the reference
      filgrastim group, 9 % (95 % CI 4.5-14.6 %)/2 % (95 % CI 1.3-3.6 %) in the
      pegfilgrastim group and 16 % (95 % CI 10.0-22.9 %)/4 % (95 % CI 2.5-5.3 %) in the
      biosimilar filgrastim cohort. The median absolute neutrophil count (ANC) at FN
      presentation was lower in the biosimilar group in comparison with reference
      filgrastim. FN episodes with ANC < 100 cells/MUL were more frequent in the
      biosimilar group (50 %) when compared with reference filgrastim (4 %) and
      pegfilgrastim (6 %). No differences concerning FN complications were seen, with
      the exception of more chemotherapy delays in the biosimilar group when compared
      with pegfilgrastim. CONCLUSION: No differences in biosimilar effectiveness were
      detected. The clinical relevance of the profound neutropenia found in the
      biosimilar cohort needs further attention.

PMID- 26111959
TI  - Targeting B16 tumors in vivo with peptide-conjugated gold nanoparticles.
AB  - This study examines the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and peptide
      conjugation on the biodistribution of ultrasmall (2.7 nm) gold nanoparticles in
      mice bearing B16 melanoma allografts. Nanoparticles were delivered intravenously,
      and biodistribution was measured at specific timepoints by organ digestion and
      inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. All major organs were examined. Two
      peptides were tested: the cyclic RGD peptide (cRGD, which targets integrins); and
      a recently described peptide derived from the myxoma virus. We found the greatest
      specific tumor delivery using the myxoma peptide, with or without PEGylation. Un
      PEGylated cRGD performed poorly, but PEGylated RGD showed a significant transient
      collection in the tumor. Liver and kidney were the primary targets of all
      constructs. None of the particles were able to cross the blood-brain barrier.
      Although it was able to deliver Au to B16 cells, the myxoma peptide did not show
      any cytotoxic activity against these cells, in contrast to previous reports.
      These results indicate that the effect of passive targeting by PEGylation and
      active targeting by peptides can be independent or combined, and that they should
      be evaluated on a case-by-case basis when designing new nanosystems for targeted
      therapies. Both myxoma peptide and cRGD should be considered for specific
      targeting to melanoma, but a thorough investigation of the cytotoxicity of the
      myxoma peptide to different cell lines remains to be performed. 

PMID- 26111957
TI  - Effect of single doses of IV palonosetron, up to 2.25 mg, on the QTc interval
      duration: a double-blind, randomized, parallel group study in healthy volunteers.
AB  - PURPOSE: The use of serotonin type 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonists (RAs) in the
      prevention of nausea and vomiting caused by emetogenic chemotherapy is part of a
      comprehensive management strategy for patients undergoing chemotherapy.
      Electrocardiographic effects have been reported in patients after intravenous
      administration of 5-HT3 RAs. The present study investigated the electrocardiogram
      (ECG) profile of the 5-HT3 RA palonosetron following International Conference on
      Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for
      Human Use (ICH) E14 Guidelines. METHODS: A total of 221 healthy subjects (101
      females, 120 males) were randomized in this phase I, double-blind, double-dummy,
      parallel group study and assigned to one of five treatments: placebo,
      palonosetron (0.25, 0.75, or 2.25 mg), or moxifloxacin (400 mg). ECGs were
      recorded for 24 h pre-dosing until 48 h post-dose. The primary endpoint was the
      placebo time-matched and baseline-subtracted individual QTc interval prolongation
      (DeltaDeltaQTcI). RESULTS: The QTc interval was not prolonged after
      administration of palonosetron (DeltaDeltaQTcI upper confidence interval was <10
      ms for all time points in all palonosetron treatment groups). Assay sensitivity
      was confirmed with the expected change in the QTc interval after administration
      of the positive control moxifloxacin. CONCLUSIONS: Palonosetron, even at
      supratherapeutic doses, has no effect on cardiac repolarization as measured by
      the QTc interval in a validated controlled clinical trial.

PMID- 26111958
TI  - Plasma Levels of Interleukin 12 Family Cytokines and Their Relevant Cytokines in
      Adult Patients with Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia before and after High-Dose
      Dexamethasome Treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the expression of interleukin 12 (IL-12)
      family cytokines (IL-12, IL-23, IL-27 and IL-35) and their relevant cytokines
      (IFN-gamma, IL-4, IL-17A and IL-10) in patients with chronic immune
      thrombocytopenia (cITP) as well as the effect of high-dose dexamethasone (HD-DXM)
      treatment on this expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DXM was administered orally
      at a dose of 40 mg per day for 4 consecutive days to 38 patients with cITP. We
      measured the plasma levels of IL-12p70, IL-23, IL-27, IFN-gamma, IL-4 and IL-17A
      before and after treatment and also in 36 matched healthy controls, by means of
      FlowCytomixTM technology. The plasma levels of IL-10 and IL-35 were measured by
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Significantly higher plasma levels of
      IL-12p70, IL-23, IL-27, IFN-gamma and IL-17A were observed in cITP patients than
      in controls (p < 0.01), and after HD-DXM treatment, these levels decreased
      significantly (p < 0.01). However, significantly lower plasma levels of IL-4, IL
      10 and IL-35 were observed in cITP patients than in controls (p < 0.01); after
      the HD-DXM treatment, these levels had increased significantly in the cITP
      patients (p < 0.01). Moreover, the cytokine levels of patients who attained a
      complete response returned to the levels of normal controls (p > 0.05) but were
      not corrected in the patients who had no response (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The
      patients with cITP had abnormal expression of the IL-12 family cytokines and
      their relevant cytokines levels, and HD-DXM treatment corrected the derangement
      of plasma cytokines. Measuring cytokine levels may help in the clinical
      assessment of cITP.

PMID- 26111960
TI  - Synthetic chromosomes.
AB  - What a living organism looks like and how it works and what are its components
      all this is encoded on DNA, the genetic blueprint. Consequently, the way to
      change an organism is to change its genetic information. Since the first pieces
      of recombinant DNA have been used to transform cells in the 1970s, this approach
      has been enormously extended. Bigger and bigger parts of the genetic information
      have been exchanged or added over the years. Now we are at a point where the
      construction of entire chromosomes becomes a reachable goal and first examples
      appear. This development leads to fundamental new questions, for example, about
      what is possible and desirable to build or what construction rules one needs to
      follow when building synthetic chromosomes. Here we review the recent progress in
      the field, discuss current challenges and speculate on the appearance of future
      synthetic chromosomes. 

PMID- 26111961
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of anti-MCV and anti-CCP antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis:
      A meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of
      anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin (anti-MCV) and anti-cyclic citrullinated
      peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: We searched
      the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane library databases and performed two meta
      analyses on the diagnostic accuracy of anti-MCV and anti-CCP in patients with RA
      compared to healthy controls. RESULTS: We identified 12 studies that included a
      total of 2003 RA patients and 831 healthy controls for the meta-analysis. The
      pooled sensitivity and specificity of anti-MCV were 68.6% [95% confidence
      interval (CI) 66.6-79.7] and 94.2% (95% CI 92.4-96.7) and those of anti-CCP were
      61.7% (95% CI 59.5-63.8) and 97.1% (95% CI 96.7-98.1), respectively. Anti-MCV
      PLR, NLR, and DOR were 12.99 (95% CI 8.013-21.27), 0.297 (95% CI 0.238-0.369),
      and 47.78 (95% CI 28.59-79.84), and those for anti-CCP were 16.71 (95% CI 11.42
      24.47), 0.378 (95% CI 0.325-0.439), and 54.20 (95% CI 31.65-92.82), respectively.
      The AUC of anti-MCV was 0.886, and its Q* index was 0.817, indicating modest
      accuracy, while the AUC of anti-CCP was 0.946, and its Q* index was 0.885. The
      sensitivity of anti-MCV was significantly higher than that of anti-CCP in the
      diagnosis of RA (difference 0.069, 95% CI 0.039-0.098, p < 0.0001), but the
      specificity of anti-MCV was lower than that of anti-CCP (difference -0.029, 95%
      CI -0.051 to -0.006, p = 0.012). The Q* index of anti-MCV was significantly lower
      than that of anti-CCP (difference -0.068, 95% CI -0.070 to -0.065, p < 0.0001).
      CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis demonstrates that anti-MCV is more sensitive but
      less specific, and has lower diagnostic accuracy than anti-CCP in RA, although
      anti-MCV and anti-CCP showed comparable high PLRs.

PMID- 26111962
TI  - Increasing Incidence of Juvenile Thyrotoxicosis in Denmark: A Nationwide Study,
      1998-2012.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to determine in a Danish nationwide study whether
      the incidence rate (IR) of thyrotoxicosis in children below 15 years of age has
      increased between 1998 and 2012 and to compare the results with previously
      published national data from 1982 to 1988. Furthermore, we intended to conduct a
      descriptive study of children diagnosed with Graves' disease (GD) between 2008
      and 2012. METHODS: Children diagnosed with thyrotoxicosis between 1998 and 2012
      were identified through the Danish National Patient Registry. All medical records
      were reviewed to verify the diagnosis. Additional data were collected on children
      diagnosed with GD in 2008-2012. RESULTS: In total, 237 patients with juvenile
      thyrotoxicosis (JT) were identified. The overall IR in 1998-2012 was 1.58/100,000
      person-years and has increased significantly from 0.79/100,000 person-years in
      1982-1988 (p < 0.001). The IR has continued to increase during the recent 15
      years (1.31-1.83/100,000 person-years), with a 12.5% increase with each 5-year
      time period. The IR increased with age and female sex (p < 0.001). The
      descriptive study included 79 children with GD, presenting with a wide spectrum
      of clinical features. Remission occurred in 13.9%. CONCLUSION: The IR of JT has
      increased significantly since 1982-1988 and has continued to increase during the
      recent 15 years. The overall IR was 1.58/100,000 person-years during 1998-2012.

PMID- 26111963
TI  - Amino Acid and Peptide Utilization Profiles of the Fluoroacetate-Degrading
      Bacterium Synergistetes Strain MFA1 Under Varying Conditions.
AB  - Synergistetes strain MFA1 is an asaccharolytic ruminal bacterium isolated based
      on its ability to degrade fluoroacetate, a plant toxin. The amino acid and
      peptide requirements of the bacterium were investigated under different culturing
      conditions. The growth of strain MFA1 and its fluoroacetate degradation rate were
      enhanced by peptide-rich protein hydrolysates (tryptone and yeast extract)
      compared to casamino acid, an amino acid-rich protein hydrolysate. Complete
      utilization and preference for arginine, asparagine, glutamate, glycine, and
      histidine as free amino acids from yeast extract were observed, while the
      utilization of serine, threonine, and lysine in free form and peptide-bound
      glutamate was stimulated during growth on fluoroacetate. A predominant peptide in
      yeast extract preferentially utilized by strain MFA1 was partially characterized
      by high-liquid performance chromatography-mass spectrometry as a hepta-glutamate
      oligopeptide. Similar utilization profiles of amino acids were observed between
      the co-culture of strain MFA1 with Methanobrevibacter smithii without
      fluoroacetate and pure strain MFA1 culture with fluoroacetate. This suggests that
      growth of strain MFA1 could be enhanced by a reduction of hydrogen partial
      pressure as a result of hydrogen removal by a methanogen or reduction of
      fluoroacetate.

PMID- 26111964
TI  - Sediment Ammonia-Oxidizing Microorganisms in Two Plateau Freshwater Lakes at
      Different Trophic States.
AB  - Both ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) can contribute to ammonia
      biotransformation in freshwater lake ecosystems. However, the factors shaping the
      distribution of sediment AOA and AOB in plateau freshwater lake remains unclear.
      The present study investigated sediment AOA and AOB communities in two freshwater
      lakes (hypertrophic Dianchi Lake and mesotrophic Erhai Lake) on the Yunnan
      Plateau (China). A remarkable difference in the abundance, diversity, and
      composition of sediment AOA and AOB communities was observed between Dianchi Lake
      and Erhai Lake. AOB usually outnumbered AOA in Dianchi Lake, but AOA showed the
      dominance in Erhai Lake. Organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN), and total
      phosphorus (TP) might be the key determinants of AOB abundance, while AOA
      abundance was likely influenced by the ration of OM to TN (C/N). AOA or AOB
      community structure was found to be relatively similar in the same lake. TN and
      TP might play important roles in shaping sediment AOA and AOB compositions in
      Dianchi Lake and Erhai Lake. Moreover, Nitrososphaera-like AOA were detected in
      Dianchi Lake. Nitrosospira- and Nitrosomonas-like AOB were dominant in Dianchi
      Lake and Erhai Lake, respectively. Sediment AOA and AOB communities in Dianchi
      Lake and Erhai Lake were generally regulated by trophic state.

PMID- 26111965
TI  - Economic benefits of the Mediterranean-style diet consumption in Canada and the
      United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Mediterranean-style diet (MedDiet) is an established healthy
      eating behavior that has consistently been shown to favorably impact
      cardiovascular health, thus likely improving quality of life and reducing costs
      associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Data on the economic benefits of
      MedDiet intakes are, however, scarce. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was
      to estimate the annual healthcare and societal cost savings that would accrue to
      the Canadian and American public, independently, as a result of a reduction in
      the incidence of CVD following adherence to a MedDiet. DESIGN: A variation in
      cost-of-illness analysis entailing three stages of estimations was developed to
      1) identify the proportion of individuals who are likely to adopt a MedDiet in
      North America, 2) assess the impact of the MedDiet intake on CVD incidence
      reduction, and 3) impute the potential savings in costs associated with
      healthcare and productivity following the estimated CVD reduction. To account for
      the uncertainty factor, a sensitivity analysis of four scenarios, including
      ideal, optimistic, pessimistic, and very-pessimistic assumptions, was implemented
      within each of these stages. RESULTS: Significant improvements in CVD-related
      costs were evident with varying MedDiet adoption and CVD reduction rates.
      Specifically, CAD $41.9 million to 2.5 billion in Canada and US $1.0-62.8 billion
      in the United States were estimated to accrue as total annual savings in economic
      costs, given the 'very-pessimistic' through 'ideal' scenarios. CONCLUSIONS:
      Closer adherence to dietary behaviors that are consistent with the principles of
      the MedDiet is expected to contribute to a reduction in the monetary burdens of
      CVD in Canada, the United States, and possibly other parts of the world.

PMID- 26111966
TI  - Indicators of dietary patterns in Danish infants at 9 months of age.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is important to increase the awareness of indicators associated
      with adverse infant dietary patterns to be able to prevent or to improve dietary
      patterns early on. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the
      association between a wide range of possible family and child indicators and
      adherence to dietary patterns for infants aged 9 months. DESIGN: The two dietary
      patterns 'Family Food' and 'Health-Conscious Food' were displayed by principal
      component analysis, and associations with possible indicators were analysed by
      multiple linear regressions in a pooled sample (n=374) of two comparable
      observational cohorts, SKOT I and SKOT II. These cohorts comprised infants with
      mainly non-obese mothers versus infants with obese mothers, respectively.
      RESULTS: A lower Family Food score indicates a higher intake of liquid baby food,
      as this pattern shows transition from baby food towards the family's food.
      Infants, who were younger at diet registration and had higher body mass index
      (BMI) z-scores at 9 months, had lower Family Food pattern scores. A lower Family
      Food pattern score was also observed for infants with immigrant/descendant
      parents, parents who shared cooking responsibilities and fathers in the labour
      market compared to being a student, A lower Health-Conscious Food pattern score
      indicates a less healthy diet. A lower infant Health-Conscious Food pattern score
      was associated with a higher maternal BMI, a greater number of children in the
      household, a higher BMI z-score at 9 months, and a higher infant age at diet
      registration. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between infant dietary patterns and
      maternal, paternal, household, and child characteristics were identified. This
      may improve the possibility of identifying infants with an increased risk of
      developing unfavourable dietary patterns and potentially enable an early targeted
      preventive support.

PMID- 26111967
TI  - Treatment Time or Convection Volume in HDF: What Drives the Reduced Mortality
      Risk?
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Treatment time is associated with survival in hemodialysis (HD)
      patients and with convection volume in hemodiafiltration (HDF) patients. High
      volume HDF is associated with improved survival. Therefore, we investigated
      whether this survival benefit is explained by treatment time. METHODS:
      Participants were subdivided into four groups: HD and tertiles of convection
      volume in HDF. Three Cox regression models were fitted to calculate hazard ratios
      (HRs) for mortality of HDF subgroups versus HD: (1) crude, (2) adjusted for
      confounders, (3) model 2 plus mean treatment time. As the only difference between
      the latter models is treatment time, any change in HRs is due to this variable.
      RESULTS: 114/700 analyzed individuals were treated with high-volume HDF. HRs of
      high-volume HDF are 0.61, 0.62 and 0.64 in the three models, respectively (p
      values <0.05). Confidence intervals of models 2 and 3 overlap. CONCLUSION: The
      survival benefit of high-volume HDF over HD is independent of treatment time.

PMID- 26111968
TI  - Protective efficacy of two novel DNA vaccines expressing Toxoplasma gondii
      rhomboid 4 and rhomboid 5 proteins against acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in
      mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the protective efficacy of two novel DNA vaccines
      expressing Toxoplasma gondii rhomboid 4 (ROM4) and rhomboid 5 (ROM5) proteins
      against acute and chronic toxoplasmosis. METHODS: DNA vaccines (pVAX-TgROM5 and
      pVAX-TgROM4) were constructed and their immunogenicity evaluated in Kunming mice.
      RESULTS: Mice vaccinated with pVAX-TgROM5 or pVAX-TgROM4 elicited strong Th1-type
      humoral and cellular responses, with higher level of IgG antibody titers (the
      predominance of IgG2a production), and increased levels of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T
      cells and cytokines IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-12 (p70) and IL-23. Mice vaccinated with
      pVAX-TgROM5 (11 days) showed a significantly longer survival time compared with
      controls (8 days) (p < 0.05) after lethal challenge. Brain cyst numbers of mice
      vaccinated with pVAX-TgROM5 and pVAX-TgROM4 reduced significantly (p < 0.05)
      (72.04 and 44.08%, respectively) compared with control groups after chronic
      challenge. CONCLUSION: The pVAX-TgROM5 showed a better protective efficacy
      against acute and chronic toxoplasmosis compared to pVAX-TgROM4.

PMID- 26111969
TI  - MiR-19a regulates PTEN expression to mediate glycogen synthesis in hepatocytes.
AB  - MiR-19a, a member of mir-17-92 microRNA clusters, has been demonstrated to
      promote cell proliferation and angiogenesis via regulating the PI3K/AKT pathway,
      the major insulin signaling pathway. However, whether miR-19a plays an important
      role in glycogen synthesis in hepatocytes remains unknown. Here, we define the
      impact of miR-19a on glycogen synthesis and IL-6-induced reduced glycogenesis in
      hepatocytes and its underlying mechanisms. Our studies indicate that miR-19a was
      down-regulated in the livers of db/db mice and mice injected with IL-6, as well
      as mouse NCTC 1469 hepatocytes and HEP 1-6 hepatocytes treated by IL-6. We found
      that over-expression of miR-19a in NCTC 1469 cells and HEP 1-6 cells led to
      increased activation of the AKT/GSK pathway and synthesis of glycogen, whereas
      down-regulation of miR-19a impaired AKT/GSK phosphorylation and glycogenesis.
      Over-expression of miR-19a ameliorated IL-6-induced reduced glycogen synthesis in
      hepatocytes. Moreover, we identified PTEN as the target of miR-19a by a
      luciferase assay. Down-regulation of PTEN rescued the effects of miR-19a
      suppression on the activation of the AKT/GSK pathway and improved glycogenesis in
      NTC 1469 cells. These findings show for the first time that miR-19a might
      activate the AKT/GSK pathway and glycogenesis via down-regulation of PTEN
      expression. 

PMID- 26111971
TI  - Effects of Postoperative Continuous Femoral Nerve Block Analgesia with Braun
      Continuous Peripheral Nerve Block Catheter Set versus Novel Needle-Over-Cannula
      after Total Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the novel needle-over-cannula
      vs. the Braun continuous peripheral nerve block catheter set (Contiplex A) in
      postoperative analgesics after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Sixty patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty were randomly assigned
      to Braun continuous peripheral nerve block catheter set group (Braun Group, n=30)
      or the novel needle-over-cannula group (Cannula Group, n=30). All the patients in
      the 2 groups received continuous femoral nerve block (CFNB) for postoperative
      analgesics. RESULTS: We found no significant difference in analgesic effect
      between the 2 groups. The time of catheter or cannula insertion was shorter in
      the Cannula Group than in the Braun Group. Four (13.32%) out of 30 patients had
      failed catheter insertions in the Braun Group compared to none in the Cannula
      Group. Twelve (46%) out of 26 patients in the Braun Group had serious local
      anesthetic leakage at puncture sites during 12 h compared to none in the Cannula
      Group. CONCLUSIONS: The novel needle-over-cannula is effective, convenient, and
      safe in CFNB after TKA.

PMID- 26111970
TI  - Epidemiological Paradox or Immigrant Vulnerability? Obesity Among Young Children
      of Immigrants.
AB  - According to the "immigrant epidemiological paradox," immigrants and their
      children enjoy health advantages over their U.S.-born peers--advantages that
      diminish with greater acculturation. We investigated child obesity as a
      potentially significant deviation from this paradox for second-generation
      immigrant children. We evaluated two alternate measures of mother's
      acculturation: age at arrival in the United States and English language
      proficiency. To obtain sufficient numbers of second-generation immigrant
      children, we pooled samples across two related, nationally representative
      surveys. Each included measured (not parent-reported) height and weight of
      kindergartners. We also estimated models that alternately included and excluded
      mother's pre-pregnancy weight status as a predictor. Our findings are opposite to
      those predicted by the immigrant epidemiological paradox: children of U.S.-born
      mothers were less likely to be obese than otherwise similar children of foreign
      born mothers; and the children of the least-acculturated immigrant mothers, as
      measured by low English language proficiency, were the most likely to be obese.
      Foreign-born mothers had lower (healthier) pre-pregnancy weight than U.S.-born
      mothers, and this was protective against their second-generation children's
      obesity. This protection, however, was not sufficiently strong to outweigh
      factors associated or correlated with the mothers' linguistic isolation and
      marginal status as immigrants.

PMID- 26111972
TI  - Characterization of tailless functions during Drosophila optic lobe formation.
AB  - Brain development goes through phases of proliferative growth and differentiation
      to ensure the formation of correct number and variety of neurons. How and when
      naive neuroepithelial cells decide to enter a differentiation pathway remains
      poorly understood. In the Drosophila visual system, four optic ganglia emerge
      from neuroepithelia of the inner (IPC) and outer (OPC) proliferation centers.
      Here we demonstrate that the orphan nuclear receptor Tailless (Tll) is a key
      factor for the development of all optic ganglia. We describe tll expression
      during larval optic lobe development in unprecedented detail and find a
      spatiotemporally dynamic pattern. In the larval OPC, symmetrically dividing
      neuroepithelial cells transform into asymmetrically dividing medulla neuroblast
      and into lamina precursor cells in a precisely regulated fashion. Using genetic
      manipulations we found that tll is required for proper neuroepithelium morphology
      and neuroepithelial cell survival. We show that tll regulates the precise timing
      of the transition from neuroepithelial cells to medulla neuroblasts. In
      particular, however, we demonstrate that tll has a crucial role for the
      specification of lamina precursor cells. We propose that the Tll/Tlx
      transcription factors have an evolutionary conserved role in regulating neural
      precursor cell states in the Drosophila optic lobe and in the mammalian retina. 

PMID- 26111973
TI  - Myocardial Function by Two-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography and
      Activin A May Predict Mortality in Patients with Carcinoid Intestinal Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Myocardial fibrosis causes deterioration of myocardial function in
      carcinoid intestinal disease (CID). We assessed the ability of myocardial
      function and various biomarkers to predict mortality in patients with CID.
      METHODS: A total of 71 patients with small intestinal carcinoid tumours were
      included, and underwent echocardiography at baseline. Systolic function was
      assessed by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography as left ventricular
      (LV) and right ventricular (RV) strain, and as mitral annular displacement (MAD),
      by tissue Doppler imaging. Parameters of diastolic function, the amount of liver
      metastases, and various biomarkers were also analysed. RESULTS: During 1,274 +/-
      368 days of follow-up, 18 patients (25%) died. Of the 53 survivors, 46 patients
      (87%) were available for follow-up echocardiography. Baseline LV strain and MAD
      was reduced in those who died compared to those who survived (p < 0.001).
      Baseline plasma levels of activin A were markedly higher in patients who died
      during follow-up than those who survived (p = 0.001). In multivariate Cox hazard
      models (A, B, C and D), LV strain, age, the amount of liver metastases, MAD, and
      activin A were independent predictors of mortality. CONCLUSION: Assessment of
      myocardial function by echocardiography, and the biomarker activin A, can be very
      useful in the risk stratification of patients with CID. (c) 2015 S. Karger AG,
      Basel.

PMID- 26111974
TI  - Anti-atherosclerotic effects of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) based
      therapies in patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A meta-analysis.
AB  - This study assessed the effect of GLP-1 based therapies on atherosclerotic
      markers in type 2 diabetes patients. 31 studies were selected to obtain data
      after multiple database searches and following inclusion and exclusion criteria.
      Age and BMI of the participants of longitudinal studies were 59.8 +/- 8.3 years
      and 29.2 +/- 5.7 kg/m(2) (Mean+/-SD). Average duration of GLP-1 based therapies
      was 20.5 weeks. Percent flow-mediated diameter (%FMD) did not change from
      baseline significantly but when compared to controls, %FMD increased non
      significantly following GLP-1-based therapies (1.65 [-0.89, 4.18]; P = 0.2; REM)
      in longitudinal studies and increased significantly in cross sectional studies
      (2.58 [1.68, 3.53]; P < 0.00001). Intima media thickness decreased statistically
      non-significantly by the GLP-1 based therapies. GLP-1 based therapies led to
      statistically significant reductions in the serum levels of brain natriuretic
      peptide (-40.16 [-51.50, -28.81]; P < 0.0001; REM), high sensitivity c-reactive
      protein (-0.27 [-0.48, -0.07]; P = 0.009), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (
      12.90 [-25.98, 0.18]; P=0.05), total cholesterol (-5.47 [-9.55, -1.39]; P =
      0.009), LDL-cholesterol (-3.70 [-7.39, -0.00]; P = 0.05) and triglycerides (
      16.44 [-25.64, -7.23]; P = 0.0005) when mean differences with 95% CI in the
      changes from baselines were meta-analyzed. In conclusion, GLP-1-based therapies
      appear to provide beneficial effects against atherosclerosis. More randomized
      data will be required to arrive at conclusive evidence. 

PMID- 26111975
TI  - Correlation of histopathologic features of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast
      with the oncotype DX DCIS score.
AB  - The Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Assay for ductal carcinoma in situ is used to
      determine local recurrence risk in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ. The
      results help select patients with low-risk ductal carcinoma in situ who could
      forgo radiation therapy after conservative surgery. The genes assessed include
      five proliferation genes, progesterone receptor (PR), and GSTM-1. Our objective
      was to determine if PR, mitotic counting, or any other pathologic feature of
      ductal carcinoma in situ could predict the Oncotype DX DCIS Score. We identified
      46 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ with a Oncotype DX DCIS Score. In addition
      to information obtained from routine pathology, we counted mitotic figures in the
      ductal carcinoma in situ and noted presence of dense chronic inflammatory
      infiltrate surrounding ductal carcinoma in situ. We found that PR >= 90% (P =
      0.004), mitotic count <= 1 (P = 0.045), estrogen receptor >= 90% (P = 0.046), and
      low nuclear grade (P < 0.0001) were associated with a low score. Dense chronic
      inflammation surrounding ductal carcinoma in situ was associated with a high
      score (P = 0.034).All 13 cases with PR >= 90%, <= 1 mitotic figure and absence of
      dense chronic inflammation around ductal carcinoma in situ had a low score (100%
      specificity). A low score was not observed in any case with at least two of the
      following--negative PR, >1 mitotic figure, and/or presence of dense chronic
      inflammation around ductal carcinoma in situ (100% specificity). Our study
      suggests using a combination of PR (>= 90% vs negative) with mitotic count in
      ductal carcinoma in situ (<= 1 vs >1) and dense chronic inflammation around
      ductal carcinoma in situ one could predict the Oncotype DX DCIS score. Mitotic
      counting and evaluation of immune response might provide prognostic information
      in ductal carcinoma in situ.

PMID- 26111976
TI  - Intratumoral morphologic and molecular heterogeneity of rhabdoid renal cell
      carcinoma: challenges for personalized therapy.
AB  - Rhabdoid histology in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma is associated with a poor
      prognosis. The prognosis of patients with clear-cell renal cell carcinoma may
      also be influenced by molecular alterations. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the association between histologic features and salient molecular
      changes in rhabdoid clear-cell renal cell carcinoma. We macrodissected the
      rhabdoid and clear-cell epithelioid components from 12 cases of rhabdoid clear
      cell renal cell carcinoma. We assessed cancer-related mutations from eight cases
      using a clinical next-generation exome-sequencing platform. The transcriptome of
      rhabdoid clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (n=8) and non-rhabdoid clear-cell renal
      cell carcinoma (n=37) was assessed by RNA-seq and gene expression microarray. VHL
      (63%) showed identical mutations in all regions from the same tumor. BAP1 (38%)
      and PBRM1 (13%) mutations were identified in the rhabdoid but not in the
      epithelioid component and were mutually exclusive in 3/3 cases and 1 case,
      respectively. SETD2 (63%) mutations were discordant between different histologic
      regions in 2/5 cases, with mutations called only in the epithelioid and rhabdoid
      components, respectively. The transcriptome of rhabdoid clear-cell renal cell
      carcinoma was distinct from advanced-stage and high-grade clear-cell renal cell
      carcinoma. The diverse histologic components of rhabdoid clear-cell renal cell
      carcinoma, however, showed a similar transcriptomic program, including a similar
      prognostic gene expression signature. Rhabdoid clear-cell renal cell carcinoma is
      transcriptomically distinct and shows a high rate of SETD2 and BAP1 mutations and
      a low rate of PBRM1 mutations. Driver mutations in clear-cell renal cell
      carcinoma are often discordant across different morphologic regions, whereas the
      gene expression program is relatively stable. Molecular profiling of clear-cell
      renal cell carcinoma may improve by assessing for gene expression and sampling
      tumor foci from different histologic regions. 

PMID- 26111977
TI  - Intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasms of the bile ducts: clinicopathologic,
      immunohistochemical, and molecular analysis of 20 cases.
AB  - Intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasm is a well-established entity in the
      pancreas. A similar, if not identical, tumor occurs also in the biliary tract. We
      conducted a multicenter study of 20 such lesions, focusing on their
      clinicopathologic characteristics and molecular profile. Biliary intraductal
      tubulopapillary neoplasms were seen in patients in their 60s (mean 62 years). The
      tumors were intrahepatic 70%, extrahepatic 10%, and perihilar 20%; mean tumor
      size was 6.9 cm. Histologically, all intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasms
      showed, in addition to their typical tubular pattern, solid areas (70%) or
      abortive papillae (50%). Necrosis was common (85%), predominantly focal (40%),
      and with 'comedocarcinoma-like pattern' in 40%. Immunohistochemically, these
      neoplasms were characterized by the expression of MUC1 (80%) and MUC6 (30%) and
      by the absence of MUC2 and MUC5AC. Associated invasive carcinomas were present in
      16 (80%), mainly conventional tubular adenocarcinoma (50%). The molecular
      alterations observed included CDKN2A/p16 (intraductal components 44%, invasive
      33%) and TP53 (intraductal components 17%, invasive 9%). Mutations in KRAS
      (intraductal 6%, invasive 0%), PIK3CA (intraductal 6%, invasive 0%), and loss of
      SMAD4/DPC4 (intraductal 7%, invasive 0%) were rare. No alterations/mutations were
      identified in IDH1/2, BRAF, GNAS, EGFR, HER2, and beta-catenin. Follow-up
      information was available for 17 patients (85%) with mean follow-up 44 months.
      Overall combined survival rates showed favorable prognosis: 1 year 100%, 3 years
      90%, and 5 years 90%. In conclusion, despite the relatively high incidence of
      invasive carcinoma (80%), available follow-up suggests that biliary intraductal
      tubulopapillary neoplasms have an indolent behavior. Molecular analyses highlight
      the low prevalence of alterations of common oncogenic signaling pathways in
      intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasm. Further studies using whole-exome
      sequencing are required to discover yet unknown molecular changes and to
      understand the carcinogenesis of intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasms.

PMID- 26111979
TI  - Li[Li0.2Ni 0.16Mn 0.56Co 0.08]O 2 Nanoparticle/Carbon Composite Using
      Polydopamine Binding Agent for Enhanced Electrochemical Performance.
AB  - Li[Li0.2Ni0.16Mn0.56Co0.08]O2 nanoparticles were composited with carbon (Super P)
      in order to achieve an enhanced rate capability. A polydopamine pre-coating layer
      was introduced to facilitate the adhesion between Super P and pristine
      nanoparticles. The Super P particles were dispersed on the surface of
      Li[Li0.2Ni0.16Mn0.56Co0.08]O2 powders. The composite samples that were heat
      treated in a N2 atmosphere showed increased capacity and enhanced rate
      capability, which was caused by the improved electronic conductivity owing to the
      presence of carbon. However, the composite samples that were heat-treated in air
      did not present these carbon-related effects clearly. The capacity changes
      observed during the first several cycles may be due to the oxygen deficiency of
      the structure caused by the heat-treatment process. 

PMID- 26111980
TI  - Stability of peptide drugs in the colon.
AB  - This study was the first to investigate the colonic stability of 17 peptide
      molecules (insulin, calcitonin, glucagon, secretin, somatostatin, desmopressin,
      oxytocin, Arg-vasopressin, octreotide, ciclosporin, leuprolide, nafarelin,
      buserelin, histrelin, [D-Ser(4)]-gonadorelin, deslorelin, and goserelin) in a
      model of the large intestine using mixed human faecal bacteria. Of these, the
      larger peptides - insulin, calcitonin, somatostatin, glucagon and secretin - were
      metabolized rapidly, with complete degradation observed within 5 min. In
      contrast, a number of the smaller peptides - Arg-vasopressin, desmopressin,
      oxytocin, gonadorelin, goserelin, buserelin, leuprolide, nafarelin and deslorelin
      - degraded more slowly, while octreotide, histrelin and ciclosporin were seen to
      be more stable as compared to the other small peptides under the same conditions.
      Peptide degradation rate was directly correlated to peptide lipophilicity (logP);
      those peptides with a higher logP were more stable in the colonic model
      (R(2)=0.94). In the absence of human faecal bacteria, all peptides were stable.
      This study highlights the impact of the colonic environment - in particular, the
      gut microbiota - on the metabolism of peptide drugs, and identifies potential
      peptide candidates for drug delivery to the colon.

PMID- 26111978
TI  - Evaluation of NF-kappaB subunit expression and signaling pathway activation
      demonstrates that p52 expression confers better outcome in germinal center B-cell
      like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in association with CD30 and BCL2 functions.
AB  - Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a transcription factor with a well-described
      oncogenic role. Study for each of five NF-kappaB pathway subunits was only
      reported on small cohorts in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In this large
      cohort (n=533) of patients with de novo DLBCL, we evaluated the protein
      expression frequency, gene expression signature, and clinical implication for
      each of these five NF-kappaB subunits. Expression of p50, p52, p65, RELB, and c
      Rel was 34%, 12%, 20%, 14%, and 23%, whereas p50/p65, p50/c-Rel, and p52/RELB
      expression was 11%, 11%, and 3%, respectively. NF-kappaB subunits were expressed
      in both germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) and activated B-cell-like (ABC) DLBCL,
      but p50 and p50/c-Rel were associated with ABC-DLBCL. p52, RELB, and p52/RELB
      expressions were associated with CD30 expression. p52 expression was negatively
      associated with BCL2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) expression and BCL2 rearrangement.
      Although p52 expression was associated with better progression-free survival
      (PFS) (P=0.0170), singular expression of the remaining NF-kappaB subunits alone
      did not show significant prognostic impact in the overall DLBCL cohort.
      Expression of p52/RELB was associated with better overall survival (OS) and PFS
      (P=0.0307 and P=0.0247). When cases were stratified into GCB- and ABC-DLBCL, p52
      or p52/RELB dimer expression status was associated with better OS and PFS
      (P=0.0134 and P=0.0124) only within the GCB subtype. However, multivariate
      analysis did not show p52 expression to be an independent prognostic factor.
      Beneficial effect of p52 in GCB-DLBC appears to be its positive correlation with
      CD30 and negative correlation with BCL2 expression. Gene expression profiling
      (GEP) showed that p52(+) GCB-DLBCL was distinct from p52(-) GCB-DLBCL.
      Collectively, our data suggest that DLBCL patients with p52 expression might not
      benefit from therapy targeting the NF-kappaB pathway. 

PMID- 26111981
TI  - Drug resistance mutations 18 months after discontinuation of nevirapine-based ART
      for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Malawi.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of drug
      resistance mutations among HIV-positive women in Malawi 18 months after
      discontinuing nevirapine-based ART for the prevention of mother-to-child
      transmission. PATIENTS AND METHODS: HIV-infected antiretroviral-naive (except for
      single-dose nevirapine) pregnant Malawian women receiving a nevirapine-based
      triple antiretroviral regimen from Week 25 of gestation until 6 months of
      breastfeeding were included in this analysis. Drug resistance was assessed in HIV
      DNA 24 months post-partum and at baseline (before the initiation of treatment).
      In patients with resistance, the presence of mutations was also evaluated in the
      corresponding plasma samples. RESULTS: Seven out of 42 (16.7%) women studied had
      archived drug resistance at Month 24 [six cases had NNRTI-associated mutations
      and two cases the M184I mutation]. In four cases, resistance mutations were
      already present at baseline (all NNRTI mutations). In three cases, there was an
      emergence of 'new' resistance (also present in the plasma in one case). Of the 35
      women without resistance mutations at Month 24, only one subject had resistance
      mutations at baseline. Baseline resistance was significantly more common among
      women with mutations at 24 months compared with those harbouring a WT virus (4/7
      versus 1/35, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among women who had discontinued drugs 6
      months post-partum, only 3/42 (7.1%) had accumulated new resistance mutations in
      HIV-DNA 2 years after delivery. These findings are reassuring in terms of the
      safety of the Option B strategy for the prevention of HIV mother-to-child
      transmission.

PMID- 26111982
TI  - Treatment of a ruptured aneurysm involved in a double origin of the posterior
      inferior cerebellar artery.
AB  - Double origin of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (DOPICA) is a rare
      anatomical variation, and can be associated with intracranial aneurysm formation.
      We describe a 66-year-old woman case of a ruptured aneurysm involved in a DOPICA.
      We performed aneurysmal coil embolization for the ruptured aneurysm involved in
      the cranial channel of DOPICA, but the aneurysm relapsed two months later. We
      subsequently performed internal trapping of the cranial channel because of well
      visualization of the distal flow by the balloon occlusion test. Endovascular
      trapping of a channel is one of the effective treatments of an aneurysm involved
      in DOPICA. 

PMID- 26111983
TI  - Endovascular treatment of pulsatile tinnitus associated with transverse sigmoid
      sinus aneurysms and jugular bulb anomalies.
AB  - Pulsatile tinnitus of vascular origin may arise in arterial or venous structures.
      Many authors have reported the association of pulsatile tinnitus with anomalies
      of dural venous sinuses and the jugular bulb. In such circumstances, mainly
      concomitantly with disabling tinnitus, endovascular treatment has been
      successfully employed. We describe here a new case of jugular bulb diverticulum
      associated with transverse sigmoid sinus stenosis, in a patient presenting with
      disabling pulsatile tinnitus. She was treated with dural sinus stenting and
      selective embolization of the diverticulum. In addition, we performed a
      literature review aiming to identify possible risk factors for developing the
      symptoms, as well as the safety and results of endovascular treatment. 

PMID- 26111984
TI  - Radiculo-pial spinal arteriovenous fistulas treated with coils: Report of two
      cases.
AB  - Spinal pial arteriovenous fistulas (SPAVFs) are rare lesions that present more
      frequently in young patients. Lesions located on radiculo-pial arteries without
      involvement of the anterior spinal artery are even rarer. SPAVFs may present with
      mass effect, venous congestion or hemorrhage. Most often, treatment is performed
      either by surgery or endovascularly with fluid embolic material. Use of
      microcoils has not been reported for this condition.We present two cases of
      radiculo-pial high-flow SPAVFs in two patients in their early 30 s. One patient
      presented with abrupt headache without proof of hemorrhage and the other one with
      trigeminal neuralgia resulting from dilated posterior fossa draining veins remote
      from the fistula. Both patients were successfully treated with endovascular shunt
      closure using microcoils with resolution of symptoms and disappearance of the
      dilated veins at follow-up.With recent advances in microcatheter technology,
      distal navigation and microcoil embolization offers another option for these
      cases that may be safer than fluid embolic material. 

PMID- 26111985
TI  - Flat-detector computed tomography evaluation in an experimental animal aneurysm
      model after endovascular treatment: A pilot study.
AB  - We compared flat-detector computed tomography angiography (FD-CTA) to multislice
      computed tomography (MS-CTA) and digital subtracted angiography (DSA) for the
      visualization of experimental aneurysms treated with stents, coils or a
      combination of both.In 20 rabbits, aneurysms were created using the rabbit
      elastase aneurysm model. Seven aneurysms were treated with coils, seven with
      coils and stents, and six with self-expandable stents alone. Imaging was
      performed by DSA, MS-CTA and FD-CTA immediately after treatment. Multiplanar
      reconstruction (MPR) was performed and two experienced reviewers compared
      aneurysm/coil package size, aneurysm occlusion, stent diameters and artifacts for
      each modality.In aneurysms treated with stents alone, the visualization of the
      aneurysms was identical in all three imaging modalities. Residual aneurysm
      perfusion was present in two cases and visible in DSA and FD-CTA but not in MS
      CTA. The diameter of coil-packages was overestimated in MS-CT by 56% and only by
      16% in FD-CTA compared to DSA (p < 0.05). The diameter of stents was identical
      for DSA and FD-CTA and was significantly overestimated in MS-CTA (p < 0.05).
      Beam/metal hardening artifacts impaired image quality more severely in MS-CTA
      compared to FD-CTA.MS-CTA is impaired by blooming and beam/metal hardening
      artifacts in the visualization of implanted devices. There was no significant
      difference between measurements made with noninvasive FD-CTA compared to gold
      standard of DSA after stenting and after coiling/stent-assisted coiling of
      aneurysms. FD-CTA may be considered as a non-invasive alternative to the gold
      standard 2D DSA in selected patients that require follow up imaging after
      stenting. 

PMID- 26111986
TI  - Endovascular treatment of posterior communicating artery aneurysms in the
      presence of the fetal variant of posterior cerebral artery.
AB  - Posterior communicating artery (PcomA) aneurysms in the presence of the fetal
      variant of posterior cerebral artery (PCA) often pose technical challenges for
      endovascular treatment because of a greater potential for ischemic injury with
      the fetal PCA compromise. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility
      and results of endovascular treatment for these lesions. We retrospectively
      reviewed our experience and results of endovascular treatments for a series of
      nine consecutive patients with PcomA aneurysms occurring at the origin of fetal
      PCAs at the Department of Neurosurgery of Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China,
      between June 2011 and June 2014. Depending on the angiographic findings, location
      and shape of the aneurysms, various therapeutic strategies were used including
      coiling by single or double microcatheter, balloon remodeling technique, and
      single or Y-stenting technique. Overall, fetal PCA was preserved patent in all
      cases, and complete or near complete occlusion was achieved in 8/9 cases. There
      was no procedure-related morbidity or mortality. With the exception of one
      patient who died of pneumonia 6 weeks after treatment, no clinical evidence of
      neurologic deterioration and hemorrhagic complication was seen during the follow
      up period in the remaining 8 patients. Our experience suggests that endovascular
      treatment is relatively safe and technically feasible in most patients with PcomA
      aneurysms in the presence of fetal PCA using multiple strategies. 

PMID- 26111987
TI  - Endovascular treatment of bifurcation intracranial aneurysms with the WEB SL/SLS:
      6-month clinical and angiographic results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The WEB device is a recent intrasaccular flow disruption technique
      developed for the treatment of wide-necked intracranial aneurysms. To date, a
      single report on the WEB Single-Layer (SL) treatment of intracranial aneurysms
      has been published with 1-months' safety results. The aim of this study is to
      report our experience and 6-month clinical and angiographic follow-up of
      endovascular treatment of wide-neck aneurysm with the WEB SL. METHODS: Ten
      patients with 10 unruptured wide-necked aneurysms were prospectively enrolled in
      this study. Feasibility, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and
      outcomes were recorded. Immediate and 6-month clinical and angiographic results
      were evaluated. RESULTS: Failure of WEB SL placement occurred in two cases. Eight
      aneurysms were successfully treated using one WEB SL without additional
      treatment. Three middle cerebral artery, four anterior communicating artery, and
      one basilar artery aneurysms were treated. Average dome width was 7.5 mm (range
      5.4-10.7 mm), and average neck size was 4.9 mm (range 2.6-6.5 mm). No
      periprocedural complication was observed, and morbi-mortality at discharge and 6
      months was 0.0%. Angiographic follow-up at 6 months demonstrated complete
      aneurysm occlusion in 2/8 aneurysms, neck remnant in 5/8 aneurysms, and aneurysm
      remnant in 1/8 aneurysm. CONCLUSIONS: From this preliminary study, treatment of
      bifurcation intracranial aneurysms using WEB SL is feasible. WEB SL treatment
      seems safe at 6 months; however, the rate of neck remnants is not negligible due
      to compression of the WEB SL. Further technical improvements may be needed in
      order to ameliorate the occlusion in the WEB SL treatment.

PMID- 26111988
TI  - Visible light promoted hydration of alkynes catalyzed by rhodium(III) porphyrins.
AB  - Visible light promoted hydration of a wide scope of alkynes to ketones catalyzed
      by rhodium(III) porphyrin complexes was described. The key intermediate beta
      carbonyl alkyl was observed and independently synthesized. The rate of photolysis
      is over two orders of magnitude faster than that of the thermal process.

PMID- 26111989
TI  - Effects of whole-body vibration training with quadriceps strengthening exercise
      on functioning and gait parameters in patients with medial compartment knee
      osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled preliminary study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of whole-body vibration training (WBVT) with
      quadriceps strengthening exercise (QSE) with QSE alone on functioning and gait
      parameters in patients with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis. DESIGN:
      Randomised controlled preliminary study. SETTING: Department of Rehabilitation
      Medicine, West China Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
      SUBJECTS: Thirty-nine patients with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis.
      INTERVENTIONS: Participants were assigned at random to one of two groups. MAIN
      MEASURES: Visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, Western Ontario and McMaster
      Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), timed up and go test (TUG), 6-minute
      walk distance test (6MWD), and three-dimensional gait analysis during level
      walking at baseline, 12 weeks and 16 weeks (follow-up). RESULTS: Compared with
      baseline, significant improvements in VAS, all WOMAC scales, TUG, 6MWD and all
      spatiotemporal parameters were seen in both the WBVT+QSE group and the QSE alone
      group at 12 and 16 weeks. However, the WBVT+QSE group showed greater improvements
      than the QSE alone group in WOMAC scales (physical function), TUG, 6MWD and
      cadence at 12 weeks. No differences were found between the WBVT+QSE and QSE alone
      groups in VAS, WOMAC scales (pain, stiffness), kinematic and kinetic gait
      parameters, and other spatiotemporal parameters at 12 weeks and 16 weeks.
      CONCLUSION: Over a 3-month period, WBVT in combination with QSE improved
      symptoms, physical function and spatiotemporal parameters in patients with medial
      compartment knee osteoarthritis, and led to greater improvement than QSE alone in
      WOMAC scales (physical function), TUG, 6MWD and cadence.

PMID- 26111990
TI  - Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (PACT) in osteomyelitis induced by
      Staphylococcus aureus: Microbiological and histological study.
AB  - Osteomyelitis is an inflammation either of medullar spaces or of the surface of
      cortical bones, which represents a bacterial infection. Photodynamic
      Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (PACT) is a treatment based on a cytotoxic
      photochemical reaction that induces a series of metabolic reactions and
      culminates in bacterial suppression. Such effect led to the idea that it could be
      used as a treatment of osteomyelitis. Following approval by the Animal
      Experimentation Committee of the School of Dentistry of the Federal University of
      Bahia, the present randomized study used eighty Wistar rats with the aim to
      evaluate, by microbiological and histological analysis, the effects of
      Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - PACT on tibial surgical bone defects in
      rats infected by Staphylococcus aureus. The animals were divided in groups:
      Control (non-infected); Control Osteomyelitis Induction; Saline solution;
      Photosensitizer; Red Laser and PACT - on this group, a diode laser (40mW;
      lambda660nm ?=0.04cm(2), CW, 10J/cm(2)) was used in combination with 5MUg/ml of
      toluidine blue as the photosensitizer. On the microbiological study, immediately
      after treatment, the PACT group presented a bacterial reduction of 97.4%
      (p<0.001). Thirty days after treatment, there was a bacterial reduction of more
      than 99.9% (p<0.001). In the histological study, it was observed that the PACT
      group demonstrated an intense presence of osteocytes and absence of bone
      sequestration and micro-abscesses. The PACT using toluidine blue was effective in
      reducing the number of S. aureus enabling a better quality bone repair. 

PMID- 26111991
TI  - Fluorescence kinetics of Trp-Trp dipeptide and its derivatives in water via
      ultrafast fluorescence spectroscopy.
AB  - Ultrafast fluorescence dynamics of Tryptophan-Tryptophan (Trp-Trp/Trp2) dipeptide
      and its derivatives in water have been investigated using a picosecond resolved
      time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) apparatus together with a
      femtosecond resolved upconversion spectrophotofluorometer. The fluorescence decay
      profiles at multiple wavelengths were fitted by a global analysis technique.
      Nanosecond fluorescence kinetics of Trp2, N-tert-butyl carbonyl oxygen-N'
      aldehyde group-l-tryptophan-l-tryptophan (NBTrp2), l-tryptophan-l-tryptophan
      methyl ester (Trp2Me), and N-acetyl-l-tryptophan-l-tryptophan methyl ester
      (NATrp2Me) exhibit multi-exponential decays with the average lifetimes of 1.99,
      3.04, 0.72 and 1.22ns, respectively. Due to the intramolecular interaction
      between two Trp residues, the "water relaxation" lifetime was observed around
      4ps, and it is noticed that Trp2 and its derivatives also exhibit a new decay
      with a lifetime of ~100ps, while single-Trp fluorescence decay in
      dipeptides/proteins shows 20-30ps. The intramolecular interaction lifetime
      constants of Trp2, NBTrp2, Trp2Me and NATrp2Me were then calculated to be 3.64,
      0.93, 11.52 and 2.40ns, respectively. Candidate mechanisms (including
      heterogeneity, solvent relaxation, quasi static self-quenching or ET/PT
      quenching) have been discussed. 

PMID- 26111992
TI  - Synthesis and evaluation of galacto-noeurostegine and its 2-deoxy analogue as
      glycosidase inhibitors.
AB  - An epimer of the known glycosidase inhibitor noeurostegine, galacto
      noeurostegine, was synthesised in 21 steps from levoglucosan and found to be a
      potent, competitive and highly selective galactosidase inhibitor of Aspergillus
      oryzae beta-galactosidase. Galacto-noeurostegine was not found to be an inhibitor
      of green coffee bean alpha-galactosidase, yeast alpha-glucosidase and E. coli
      beta-galactosidase, whereas potent but non-competitive inhibition against sweet
      almond beta-glucosidase was established. The 2-deoxy-galacto-noeurostegine
      analogue was also prepared and found to be a less potent inhibitor of the same
      enzymes.

PMID- 26111993
TI  - Facile Preparation of Ultrasmall Void Metallic Nanogap from Self-Assembled Gold
      Silica Core-Shell Nanoparticles Monolayer via Kinetic Control.
AB  - A facile preparation of ultrasmall 1-2 nm void metallic nanogaps on various solid
      substrates is proposed by utilizing the self-assembly of a uniform gold-silica
      core-shell nanoparticle monolayer at interfaces and chemical etching. The
      ultrasmall void metallic nanogap shows key advantages such as a strong near-field
      enhancement and free diffusion of analytes to the gap, which are useful in
      molecular sensing and monitoring. 

PMID- 26111994
TI  - US Renal Data System 2014 Annual Data Report: Epidemiology of Kidney Disease in
      the United States.

PMID- 26111995
TI  - Functional characterizations of IPS-1 in CIK cells: Potential roles in regulating
      IFN-I response dependent on IRF7 but not IRF3.
AB  - IPS-1, as the sole adaptor of RIG-I and MDA5, plays a central role in innate
      antiviral immunity. In this study, we investigated potential roles of IPS-1 in
      innate immunity and the domain-requirement of IPS-1 for its signaling in grass
      carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Overexpression experiment showed that CiIPS-1
      mediated IFN-I signal possibly dependent on CiIRF7 but not CiIRF3. Post GCRV
      challenge, CiIPS-1 could enhance antiviral immune responses. CARD and TM domains
      were crucial for antiviral function of CiIPS-1, and TRAF motif played an
      assistant role. PRO domain seemed as a negative regulator but was pivotal for the
      initiation of CiIFN-I and CiMx1. Post viral/bacterial PAMPs stimulation, CiIPS-1
      mediated signaling was tightly controlled. CARD domain of CiIPS-1 could
      significantly elicit poly I:C/LPS/PGN-mediated signaling. PRO domain negatively
      regulated CiIRF7 and CiIFN-I but was indispensable for inductions of CiMx1 and
      CiIL-1beta. TRAF motif and TM domain regulated the signaling presumably in a
      cooperative fashion. Post poly I:C stimulation, TRAF motif negatively regulated
      CiIRF7, CiIFN-I and CiIL-1beta at a relative early time while TM domain
      functioned at a relative late time. TRAF motif was indispensable for the
      production of CiMx1, while TM domain slightly negatively regulated the
      expression. Post LPS and PGN stimulation, TRAF motif excited an assistant and
      persistent negative role on CiIFN-I, CiIRF7 and CiIL-1beta induction, but was
      crucial for induction of CiMx1. TM domain slightly negatively regulated LPS- and
      PGN-triggered signaling. Taken together, CiIPS-1 not only exerted important
      functions in antiviral immune response but also participated in viral/bacterial
      PAMPs-triggered immune response which was tightly controlled to prevent harmful
      effects resulting from excessive activation. This study provided novel insights
      into the pivotal role of IPS-1 in innate immunity. 

PMID- 26111996
TI  - Nasal vaccination of young rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) against infectious
      hematopoietic necrosis and enteric red mouth disease.
AB  - Determining the earliest age at which farmed fish can be successfully vaccinated
      is a very important question for fish farmers. Nasal vaccines are novel mucosal
      vaccines that prevent aquatic infectious diseases of finfish. The present study
      investigates the ontogeny of the olfactory organ of rainbow trout by histology
      and aims to establish the earliest age for vaccination against infectious
      hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) and enteric red mouth (ERM) disease using the nasal
      route. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were vaccinated intranasally (I.N) at
      three different ages: 1050 degrees  days (DD) (group A); 450 DD (group B); and
      360 DD (group C), or 70, 30 and 24 days post-hatch (dph), respectively. The mean
      weights of groups A, B and C were 4.69 g, 2.9 g and 2.37 g, respectively. Fish
      received either a live attenuated IHN virus vaccine, ERM formalin killed bacterin
      or saline (mock vaccinated). Fish were challenged to the corresponding live
      pathogen 28 days post-vaccination. IHN vaccine delivery at 360 DD resulted in 40%
      mortality likely due to residual virulence of the vaccine. No mortality was
      observed in the ERM nasal delivery groups. Following challenge, very high
      protection rates against IHN virus were recorded in all three age groups with
      survivals of 95%, 100% and 97.5% in groups A, B and C, respectively. Survival
      against ERM was 82.5%, 87.5% and 77.5% in groups A, B and C, respectively.
      Survival rates did not differ among ages for either vaccine. Our results indicate
      the feasibility and effectiveness of nasal vaccination as early as 360 DD and
      vaccination-related mortalities when a live attenuated viral vaccine was used in
      the youngest fish.

PMID- 26111997
TI  - Exploring erythropoiesis of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) using an in vitro
      colony assay in the presence of recombinant carp kit ligand A and erythropoietin.
AB  - The use of in vitro colony assays in mammals has contributed to identification of
      erythroid progenitor cells such as burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) and
      colony-forming unit-erythroid (CFU-E) progenitors, and serves to examine
      functions of erythropoietic growth factors like Erythropoietin (Epo) and Kit
      ligand. Here, we established an in vitro colony-forming assay capable of
      investigating erythropoiesis in carp (Cyprinus carpio), cloned and functionally
      characterized recombinant homologous molecules Epo and Kit ligand A (Kitla), and
      identified three distinct erythroid progenitor cells in carp. Recombinant carp
      Epo induced the formation of CFU-E-like and BFU-E-like erythroid colonies,
      expressing erythroid marker genes, beta-globin, epor and gata1. Recombinant carp
      Kitla alone induced limited colony formation, whereas a combination of Kitla and
      Epo dramatically enhanced erythroid colony formation and colony cell growth, as
      well as stimulated the formation of thrombocytic/erythroid colonies expressing
      not only erythroid markers but also thrombocytic markers, cd41 and c-mpl.
      Utilizing this colony assay to examine the distribution of distinct erythroid
      progenitor cells in carp, we demonstrated that carp head and trunk kidney play a
      primary role in erythropoiesis, while the spleen plays a secondary. Furthermore,
      we showed that presumably bi-potent thrombocytic/erythroid progenitor cells
      localize principally in the trunk kidney. Our results indicate that teleost fish
      possess mechanisms of Epo- and Kitla-dependent erythropoiesis similar to those in
      other vertebrates, and also help to demonstrate the diversity of erythropoietic
      sites among vertebrates.

PMID- 26111998
TI  - Complement regulatory protein genes in channel catfish and their involvement in
      disease defense response.
AB  - Complement system is one of the most important defense systems of innate
      immunity, which plays a crucial role in disease defense responses in channel
      catfish. However, inappropriate and excessive complement activation could lead to
      potential damage to the host cells. Therefore the complement system is controlled
      by a set of complement regulatory proteins to allow normal defensive functions,
      but prevent hazardous complement activation to host tissues. In this study, we
      identified nine complement regulatory protein genes from the channel catfish
      genome. Phylogenetic and syntenic analyses were conducted to determine their
      orthology relationships, supporting their correct annotation and potential
      functional inferences. The expression profiles of the complement regulatory
      protein genes were determined in channel catfish healthy tissues and after
      infection with the two main bacterial pathogens, Edwardsiella ictaluri and
      Flavobacterium columnare. The vast majority of complement regulatory protein
      genes were significantly regulated after bacterial infections, but interestingly
      were generally up-regulated after E. ictaluri infection while mostly down
      regulated after F. columnare infection, suggesting a pathogen-specific pattern of
      regulation. Collectively, these findings suggested that complement regulatory
      protein genes may play complex roles in the host immune responses to bacterial
      pathogens in channel catfish. 

PMID- 26111999
TI  - Role of Penaeus monodon hemocyte homeostasis associated protein (PmHHAP) in
      regulation of caspase-mediated apoptosis.
AB  - The viral responsive protein, PmHHAP, plays an important role in the control of
      hemocyte homeostasis in shrimps during viral infection. In this study, we further
      investigate the role of PmHHAP in the regulation of hemocyte apoptosis. RNA
      interference (RNAi) mediated gene silencing was used to suppress the PmHHAP
      expression and the change in hemocyte apoptosis was determined in the knockdown
      shrimp. Within circulating hemocytes, PmHHAP knockdown increased the number of
      annexin V-positive apoptotic cells and the combined caspase-3/-7 activity and
      induced the characteristic apoptotic DNA ladder. Furthermore, PmHHAP down
      regulation was accompanied by significantly altered expression of apoptosis
      related proteins including the effector caspases, PmCaspase and PmCasp. Yeast two
      hybrid and co-immunoprecipitation assays showed that PmHHAP binds to the p20
      domain of PmCasp. Moreover, the recombinant PmHHAP protein was able to reduce the
      caspase activity in the actinomycin D-treated hemocyte cells and rPmCasp-treated
      hemocyte cells. Taken together, our data indicate that PmHHAP regulates hemocyte
      homeostasis by inhibits apoptotic cell death through caspase activation. 

PMID- 26112000
TI  - To complete its replication cycle, a shrimp virus changes the population of long
      chain fatty acids during infection via the PI3K-Akt-mTOR-HIF1alpha pathway.
AB  - White spot syndrome virus (WSSV), the causative agent of white spot disease
      (WSD), is a serious and aggressive shrimp viral pathogen with a worldwide
      distribution. At the genome replication stage (12 hpi), WSSV induces a metabolic
      rerouting known as the invertebrate Warburg effect, which boosts the availability
      of energy and biosynthetic building blocks in the host cell. Here we show that
      unlike the lipogenesis that is seen in cancer cells that are undergoing the
      Warburg effect, at 12 hpi, all of the long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) were
      significantly decreased in the stomach cells of WSSV-infected shrimp. By means of
      this non-selective WSSV-induced lipolysis, the LCFAs were apparently diverted
      into beta-oxidation and used to replenish the TCA cycle. Conversely, at 24 hpi,
      when the Warburg effect had ceased, most of the LCFAs were significantly up
      regulated and the composition was also significantly altered. In crayfish these
      changes were in a direction that appeared to favor the formation of WSSV virion
      particles. We also found that, at 24 hpi, but not at 12 hpi, the PI3K-Akt-mTOR
      HIF1alpha pathway induced the expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS), an enzyme
      which catalyzes the conversion of acetyl-CoA into LCFAs. WSSV virion formation
      was impaired in the presence of the FAS inhibitor C75, although viral gene and
      viral DNA levels were unaffected. WSSV therefore appears to use the PI3K-Akt-mTOR
      pathway to induce lipid biosynthesis at 24 hpi in order to support viral
      morphogenesis.

PMID- 26112001
TI  - Relationship Between Prebiopsy Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI),
      Biopsy Indication, and MRI-ultrasound Fusion-targeted Prostate Biopsy Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence supports the use of magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI)-ultrasound fusion-targeted prostate biopsy (MRF-TB) to improve the
      detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (PCa) while limiting
      detection of indolent disease compared to systematic 12-core biopsy (SB).
      OBJECTIVE: To compare MRF-TB and SB results and investigate the relationship
      between biopsy outcomes and prebiopsy MRI. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:
      Retrospective analysis of a prospectively acquired cohort of men presenting for
      prostate biopsy over a 26-mo period. A total of 601 of 803 consecutively eligible
      men were included. INTERVENTIONS: All men were offered prebiopsy MRI and assigned
      a maximum MRI suspicion score (mSS). Men with an MRI abnormality underwent
      combined MRF-TB and SB. OUTCOMES: Detection rates for all PCa and high-grade PCa
      (Gleason score [GS] >=7) were compared using the McNemar test. RESULTS AND
      LIMITATIONS: MRF-TB detected fewer GS 6 PCas (75 vs 121; p<0.001) and more GS >=7
      PCas (158 vs 117; p<0.001) than SB. Higher mSS was associated with higher
      detection of GS >=7 PCa (p<0.001) but was not correlated with detection of GS 6
      PCa. Prediction of GS >=7 disease by mSS varied according to biopsy history.
      Compared to SB, MRF-TB identified more GS >=7 PCas in men with no prior biopsy
      (88 vs 72; p=0.012), in men with a prior negative biopsy (28 vs 16; p=0.010), and
      in men with a prior cancer diagnosis (42 vs 29; p=0.043). MRF-TB detected fewer
      GS 6 PCas in men with no prior biopsy (32 vs 60; p<0.001) and men with prior
      cancer (30 vs 46; p=0.034). Limitations include the retrospective design and the
      potential for selection bias given a referral population. CONCLUSIONS: MRF-TB
      detects more high-grade PCas than SB while limiting detection of GS 6 PCa in men
      presenting for prostate biopsy. These findings suggest that prebiopsy
      multiparametric MRI and MRF-TB should be considered for all men undergoing
      prostate biopsy. In addition, mSS in conjunction with biopsy indications may
      ultimately help in identifying men at low risk of high-grade cancer for whom
      prostate biopsy may not be warranted. PATIENT SUMMARY: We examined how magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI)-targeted prostate biopsy compares to traditional
      systematic biopsy in detecting prostate cancer among men with suspicion of
      prostate cancer. We found that MRI-targeted biopsy detected more high-grade
      cancers than systematic biopsy, and that MRI performed before biopsy can predict
      the risk of high-grade cancer.

PMID- 26112002
TI  - Establishment of NE asymmetry-targeting of membrane proteins to the inner nuclear
      membrane.
AB  - The inner nuclear membrane (INM) represents a specialized subdomain of the
      endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The INM houses a unique set of integral membrane
      proteins that perform key functions in the organization of intranuclear
      architecture, control of gene expression and coupling of the nucleus to the
      cytoskeleton. However, the molecular mechanism of membrane protein sorting from
      the ER to the INM has remained enigmatic. Recently, novel approaches combining
      visual kinetic assays and computational modeling were used to define the
      requirements of trafficking to the INM in human cells. These studies reveal that
      nuclear retention, diffusional mobility in the ER as well as the number and
      architecture of NPCs are major determinants of INM targeting, collectively
      lending support to a diffusion-retention-based mechanism. 

PMID- 26112003
TI  - Prospective Clinical Utility Study of the Use of the 21-Gene Assay in Adjuvant
      Clinical Decision Making in Women With Estrogen Receptor-Positive Early Invasive
      Breast Cancer: Results From the SWITCH Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 21-gene Oncotype DX Recurrence Score assay is a validated assay
      to help decide the appropriate treatment for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+),
      early-stage breast cancer (EBC) in the adjuvant setting. The choice of adjuvant
      treatments might vary considerably in different countries according to various
      treatment guidelines. This prospective multicenter study is the first to assess
      the impact of the Oncotype DX assay in the French clinical setting. METHODS: A
      total of 100 patients with ER+, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative
      EBC, and node-negative (pN0) disease or micrometastases in up to 3 lymph nodes
      (pN1mi) were enrolled. Treatment recommendations, physicians' confidence before
      and after knowing the Recurrence Score value, and physicians' perception of the
      assay were recorded. RESULTS: Of the 100 patients, 95 were evaluable (83 pN0, 12
      pN1mi). Treatment recommendations changed in 37% of patients, predominantly from
      chemoendocrine to endocrine treatment alone. The proportion of patients
      recommended chemotherapy decreased from 52% pretest to 25% post-test. Of patients
      originally recommended chemotherapy, 61% were recommended endocrine treatment
      alone after receiving the Recurrence Score result. For both pN0 and pN1mi
      patients, post-test recommendations appeared to follow the Recurrence Score
      result for low and high values. Physicians' confidence improved significantly.
      CONCLUSION: These are the first prospective data on the impact of the Oncotype DX
      assay on adjuvant treatment decisions in France. Using the assay was associated
      with a significant change in treatment decisions and an overall reduction in
      chemotherapy use. These data are consistent with those presented from European
      and non-European studies.

PMID- 26112004
TI  - Phase I/II Study of Weekly Oraxol for the Second-Line Treatment of Patients With
      Metastatic or Recurrent Gastric Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oraxol consists of paclitaxel and HM30181A, a P-glycoprotein
      inhibitor, to increase the oral bioavailability of paclitaxel. This phase I/II
      study (HM-OXL-201) was conducted to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD)
      and recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of Oraxol. In addition, we investigated the
      efficacy and safety of Oraxol as second-line chemotherapy for metastatic or
      recurrent gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: In the phase I component, paclitaxel was
      orally administered at escalating doses (90, 120, or 150 mg/m(2) per day) with a
      fixed dose (15 mg/day) of HM30181A. Oraxol was administrated 6 times per cycle
      (days 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16) every 4 weeks. In the phase II component, the
      efficacy and safety of Oraxol were evaluated. RESULTS: In the phase I component,
      the MTD could not be determined. Based on toxicity and pharmacokinetic data, the
      RP2D of oral paclitaxel was determined to be 150 mg/m(2). In the phase II
      component, 4 of 43 patients (9.3%) achieved partial responses. Median progression
      free survival and overall survival were 2.6 and 10.7 months, respectively.
      Toxicity profiles were favorable, and the most common drug-related adverse events
      (grade >=3) were neutropenia and diarrhea. CONCLUSION: Oraxol exhibited modest
      efficacy and favorable toxicity profiles as second-line chemotherapy for GC.

PMID- 26112005
TI  - Menacalc, a quantitative method of metastasis assessment, as a prognostic marker
      for axillary node-negative breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Menacalc is an immunofluorescence-based, quantitative method in which
      expression of the non-invasive Mena protein isoform (Mena11a) is subtracted from
      total Mena protein expression. Previous work has found a significant positive
      association between Menacalc and risk of death from breast cancer. Our goal was
      to determine if Menacalc could be used as an independent prognostic marker for
      axillary node-negative (ANN) breast cancer. METHODS: Analysis of the association
      of Menacalc with overall survival (death from any cause) was performed for 403
      ANN tumors using Kaplan Meier survival curves and the univariate Cox proportional
      hazards (PH) model with the log-rank or the likelihood ratio test. Cox PH models
      were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for the association of Menacalc with
      risk of death after adjustment for HER2 status and clinicopathological tumor
      features. RESULTS: High Menacalc was associated with increased risk of death from
      any cause (P=0.0199, HR (CI)=2.18 (1.19, 4.00)). A similarly elevated risk of
      death was found in the subset of the Menacalc cohort which did not receive
      hormone or chemotherapy (n=142) (P=0.0052, HR (CI)=3.80 (1.58, 9.97)). There was
      a trend toward increased risk of death with relatively high Menacalc in the HER2,
      basal and luminal molecular subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: Menacalc may serve as an
      independent prognostic biomarker for the ANN breast cancer patient population.

PMID- 26112006
TI  - Primary synovial sarcoma of the right heart involving the tricuspid valve in an
      elderly Chinese woman: a case report.
AB  - Described herein is a 51-year-old woman with abdominal discomfort who was found
      to have a pericardial effusion and a large mass in her right heart by computed
      tomography scan and who then underwent tumour resection surgery. The tumour was
      so extensive that it involved the right atrium, the right ventricle and the
      tricuspid valve, and encompassed the right coronary artery. The patient had no
      significant medical history, and no tumour was found at any other site. The
      morphology of the tumour mimicked carcinosarcoma, exhibiting mixed epithelioid
      and spindle elements and it was difficult to differentiate the diagnosis even by
      immunohistochemical stains. Then, the final diagnosis of primary biphasic
      synovial sarcoma of the heart was established based on the finding of SS18
      rearrangement. This is a highly intriguing rare case that may represent a
      diagnostic pitfall, particularly regarding frozen section. The patient will
      receive chemotherapy, and we will pursue follow-up. 

PMID- 26112007
TI  - Acute Hyperglycemia Impairs Vascular Function in Healthy and Cardiometabolic
      Diseased Subjects: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Controversy exists over the effect of acute hyperglycemia on vascular
      function. In this systematic review, we compared the effect of acute
      hyperglycemia on endothelial and vascular smooth muscle functions across healthy
      and cardiometabolic diseased subjects. APPROACH AND RESULTS: A systematic search
      of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science from inception until July 2014 identified
      articles evaluating endothelial or vascular smooth muscle function during acute
      hyperglycemia and normoglycemia. Meta-analyses compared the standardized mean
      difference (SMD) in endothelial and vascular smooth muscle functions between
      acute hyperglycemia and normoglycemia. Subgroup analyses and metaregression
      identified sources of heterogeneity. Thirty-nine articles (525 healthy and 540
      cardiometabolic subjects) were analyzed. Endothelial function was decreased (39
      studies; n=1065; SMD, -1.25; 95% confidence interval, -1.52 to -0.98; P<0.01),
      whereas vascular smooth muscle function was preserved (6 studies; n=144; SMD, 
      0.07; 95% confidence interval, -0.30 to 0.16; P=0.55) during acute hyperglycemia
      compared with normoglycemia. Significant heterogeneity was detected among
      endothelial function studies (P<0.01). A subgroup analysis revealed that
      endothelial function was decreased in the macrocirculation (30 studies; n=884;
      SMD, -1.40; 95% confidence interval, -1.68 to -1.12; P<0.01) but not in the
      microcirculation (9 studies; n=181; SMD, -0.63; 95% confidence interval, -1.36 to
      0.11; P=0.09). Similar results were observed according to health status.
      Macrovascular endothelial function was inversely associated with age, blood
      pressure, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and was positively associated
      with the postocclusion interval of vascular assessment. CONCLUSIONS: To our
      knowledge, this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of its kind. In
      healthy and diseased subjects, we found evidence for macrovascular but not
      microvascular endothelial dysfunction during acute hyperglycemia.

PMID- 26112009
TI  - Carotid arterial stiffness and risk of incident cerebral microbleeds in older
      people: the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility (AGES)-Reykjavik study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Age and high blood pressure are major risk factors for cerebral
      microbleeds (CMBs). However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear and
      arterial stiffness may be important. We investigated whether carotid arterial
      stiffness is associated with incidence and location of CMBs. APPROACH AND
      RESULTS: In the prospective, population-based Age, Gene/Environment
      Susceptibility (AGES)-Reykjavik study, 2512 participants aged 66 to 93 years
      underwent a baseline brain MRI examination and carotid ultrasound in 2002 to 2006
      and returned for a repeat brain MRI in 2007 to 2011. Common carotid arterial
      stiffness was assessed using a standardized protocol and expressed as carotid
      arterial strain, distensibility coefficient, and Young elastic modulus. Modified
      Poisson regression was applied to relate carotid arterial stiffness parameters to
      CMB incidence. During a mean follow-up of 5.2 years, 463 people (18.4%) developed
      new CMBs, of whom 292 had CMBs restricted to lobar regions and 171 had CMBs in a
      deep or infratentorial region. After adjusting for age, sex, and follow-up
      interval, arterial stiffness measures were associated with incident CMBs (risk
      ratio per SD decrease in carotid arterial strain, 1.11 [95% confidence interval,
      1.01-1.21]; per SD decrease in natural log-transformed distensibility
      coefficient, 1.14 [1.05-1.24]; and per SD increase in natural log-transformed
      Young elastic modulus, 1.13 [1.04-1.23]). These measures were also significantly
      associated with incident deep CMBs (1.18 [1.02-1.37]; 1.24 [1.08-1.42]; and 1.23
      [1.07-1.42]) but not with lobar CMBs. When further adjusted for blood pressure
      and other baseline vascular risk factors, carotid plaque, prevalent CMBs,
      subcortical infarcts, and white matter hyperintensities, the associations
      persisted. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the hypothesis that localized
      increases in carotid arterial stiffness may contribute to the development of
      CMBs, especially in a deep location attributable to hypertension.

PMID- 26112008
TI  - Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 Is Associated With Carotid Plaque Presence and Area:
      The Northern Manhattan Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Elevated fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), a hormone that regulates
      phosphate homeostasis, has been associated with mortality, cardiovascular events,
      and stroke, and to arterial calcification in chronic kidney disease, but its role
      in atherosclerosis is unclear and population-based studies are lacking. We
      hypothesized that elevated FGF23 would associate with carotid plaque presence,
      area, and echogenicity in the race/ethnically diverse community-based Northern
      Manhattan Study (NOMAS) sample. APPROACH AND RESULTS: There were 1512 stroke-free
      NOMAS participants with FGF23 and 2-dimensional carotid ultrasound data (mean
      age, 68+/-9 years; 61% women; 62% Hispanic, 18% black, and 18% white). We used
      multivariable linear and logistic regression to evaluate FGF23, continuously and
      by quintiles, as a correlate of carotid plaque, plaque area (cubic root
      transformed), and echogenicity adjusting for sociodemographic and vascular risk
      factors. Participants with FGF23 levels in the top quintile were more likely to
      have carotid plaque (odds ratio, 1.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-2.19;
      P=0.04) and larger plaque area (beta=0.32 mm(2), 95% confidence interval, 0.10
      0.53 mm(2); P=0.004) than those in the lowest quintile, adjusting for estimated
      glomerular filtration rate, demographics, and vascular risk factors. Linear
      regression models also showed that log transformed FGF23 (LnFGF23) associated
      with greater odds of plaque presence (odds ratio, 1.26 per LnFGF23; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.01-1.58; P=0.04), and plaque area (beta=0.19 mm(2) per
      LnFGF23; 95% confidence interval, 0.07-0.31 mm(2); P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Higher
      FGF23 associated with greater likelihood and burden of carotid atherosclerosis
      independent of CKD. Atherosclerosis may be a mechanism through which FGF23
      increases cardiovascular events and stroke.

PMID- 26112010
TI  - Both MC1 and MC3 Receptors Provide Protection From Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion
      Induced Neutrophil Recruitment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Neutrophil recruitment is a key process in the pathogenesis of stroke,
      and may provide a valuable therapeutic target. Targeting the melanocortin (MC)
      receptors has previously shown to inhibit leukocyte recruitment in peripheral
      inflammation, however, it is not known whether treatments are effective in the
      unique cerebral microvascular environment. Here, we provide novel research
      highlighting the effects of the MC peptides on cerebral neutrophil recruitment,
      demonstrating important yet discrete roles for both MC1 and MC3. APPROACH AND
      RESULTS: Using intravital microscopy, in 2 distinct murine models of cerebral
      ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, we have investigated MC control for neutrophil
      recruitment. After global I/R, pharmacological treatments suppressed pathological
      neutrophil recruitment. MC1 selective treatment rapidly inhibited neutrophil
      recruitment while a nonselective MC agonist provided protection even when
      coadministered with an MC3/4 antagonist, suggesting the importance of early MC1
      signaling. However, by 2-hour reperfusion, MC1-mediated effects were reduced, and
      MC3 anti-inflammatory circuits predominated. Mice bearing a nonfunctional MC1
      displayed a transient exacerbation of neutrophil recruitment after global I/R,
      which diminished by 2 hours. However importantly, enhanced inflammatory responses
      in both MC1 mutant and MC3 (-/-) mice resulted in increased infarct size and poor
      functional outcome after focal I/R. Furthermore, we used an in vitro model of
      leukocyte recruitment to demonstrate these anti-inflammatory actions are also
      effective in human cells. CONCLUSIONS: These studies reveal for the first time MC
      control for neutrophil recruitment in the unique pathophysiological context of
      cerebral I/R, while also demonstrating the potential therapeutic value of
      targeting multiple MCs in developing effective therapeutics.

PMID- 26112011
TI  - Foamy monocytes form early and contribute to nascent atherosclerosis in mice with
      hypercholesterolemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine infiltration of blood foamy monocytes, containing
      intracellular lipid droplets, into early atherosclerotic lesions and its
      contribution to development of nascent atherosclerosis. APPROACH AND RESULTS: In
      apoE(-/-) mice fed Western high-fat diet (WD), >10% of circulating monocytes
      became foamy monocytes at 3 days on WD and >20% of monocytes at 1 week. Foamy
      monocytes also formed early in blood of Ldlr(-/-)Apobec1(-/-) (LDb) mice on WD.
      Based on CD11c and CD36, mouse monocytes were categorized as CD11c(-)CD36(-),
      CD11c(-)CD36(+), and CD11c(+)CD36(+). The majority of foamy monocytes were
      CD11c(+)CD36(+), whereas most nonfoamy monocytes were CD11c(-)CD36(-) or CD11c(
      )CD36(+) in apoE(-/-) mice on WD. In wild-type mice, CD11c(+)CD36(+) and CD11c(
      )CD36(+), but few CD11c(-)CD36(-), monocytes took up cholesteryl ester-rich very
      low-density lipoproteins (CE-VLDLs) isolated from apoE(-/-) mice on WD, and CE
      VLDL uptake accelerated CD11c(-)CD36(+) to CD11c(+)CD36(+) monocyte
      differentiation. Ablation of CD36 decreased monocyte uptake of CE-VLDLs.
      Intravenous injection of DiI-CE-VLDLs in apoE(-/-) mice on WD specifically
      labeled CD11c(+)CD36(+) foamy monocytes, which infiltrated into nascent
      atherosclerotic lesions and became CD11c(+) cells that were selectively localized
      in atherosclerotic lesions. CD11c deficiency reduced foamy monocyte infiltration
      into atherosclerotic lesions. Specific and consistent depletion of foamy
      monocytes (for 3 weeks) by daily intravenous injections of low-dose clodrosome
      reduced development of nascent atherosclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: Foamy monocytes,
      which form early in blood of mice with hypercholesterolemia, infiltrate into
      early atherosclerotic lesions in a CD11c-dependent manner and play crucial roles
      in nascent atherosclerosis development.

PMID- 26112012
TI  - Increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in mice with XX versus XY
      sex chromosomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The molecular mechanisms underlying sex differences in dyslipidemia
      are poorly understood. We aimed to distinguish genetic and hormonal regulators of
      sex differences in plasma lipid levels. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We assessed the
      role of gonadal hormones and sex chromosome complement on lipid levels using the
      four core genotypes mouse model (XX females, XX males, XY females, and XY males).
      In gonadally intact mice fed a chow diet, lipid levels were influenced by both
      male-female gonadal sex and XX-XY chromosome complement. Gonadectomy of adult
      mice revealed that the male-female differences are dependent on acute effects of
      gonadal hormones. In both intact and gonadectomized animals, XX mice had higher
      HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) levels than XY mice, regardless of male-female sex.
      Feeding a cholesterol-enriched diet produced distinct patterns of sex differences
      in lipid levels compared with a chow diet, revealing the interaction of gonadal
      and chromosomal sex with diet. Notably, under all dietary and gonadal conditions,
      HDL-C levels were higher in mice with 2 X chromosomes compared with mice with an
      X and Y chromosome. By generating mice with XX, XY, and XXY chromosome
      complements, we determined that the presence of 2 X chromosomes, and not the
      absence of the Y chromosome, influences HDL-C concentration. CONCLUSIONS: We
      demonstrate that having 2 X chromosomes versus an X and Y chromosome complement
      drives sex differences in HDL-C. It is conceivable that increased expression of
      genes escaping X-inactivation in XX mice regulates downstream processes to
      establish sexual dimorphism in plasma lipid levels.

PMID- 26112013
TI  - The effects of pegylated interferon-alpha and ribavirin on liver and serum
      concentrations of activin-A and follistatin in normal Wistar rat: a preliminary
      report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Activin-A and follistatin regulate the liver and the immune system.
      AIMS: To measure the effects of treatment with pegylated-interferon-alpha (Peg
      IFN-alpha) and ribavirin on the concentrations of mature activin-A and
      follistatin in serum and liver tissue homogenates in rats. METHODS: A total of 28
      male Wistar rats were divided equally into four groups as follow: 'Control group'
      (n = 7), 'PEG only group' consisted of those that only received a weekly
      injection of Peg-IFN-alpha (6 ug/rat) for 4 weeks, 'RBV only group' received
      ribavirin only (4 mg/rat/day) orally for 35 days and the last group received both
      Peg-IFN-alpha and ribavirin 'PEG & RBV group'. The concentrations of candidate
      proteins in serum and liver samples were measured using ELISA. RESULTS: Pegylated
      interferon-alpha decreased activin-A and increased follistatin significantly in
      serum and liver of 'PEG only' and 'PEG & RBV' groups compared with the 'Control'
      and 'RBV only' groups (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the
      'RBV only' and 'Control' groups (P > 0.05) in the concentrations of candidate
      proteins. A significant positive correlations between serum and liver activin-A
      (r = 0.727; P = 0.02 * 10(-3)) and follistatin (r = 0.540; P = 0.01) was also
      detected. CONCLUSION: Pegylated-interferon-alpha modulates the production of
      activin-A and follistatin by the liver, which is reflected and can be detected at
      the serum level. Further studies are needed to explore the role of Peg-IFN-alpha
      based therapy on the production of activins and follistatin by the liver and
      immune cells.

PMID- 26112014
TI  - Why are some people more successful at lifestyle change than others? Factors
      associated with successful weight loss in the BeWEL randomised controlled trial
      of adults at risk of colorectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The BeWEL (BodyWEight and physicaL activity) randomised controlled
      trial demonstrated that a weight management programme offered in the colorectal
      cancer screening setting was effective. However, the differential responses of
      participants to the programme were notable. This study aimed to explore the
      factors associated with success and to identify implications for future programme
      design. METHODS: Analyses were conducted of quantitative data (n = 148) from the
      BeWEL intervention group to compare demographic and psychosocial characteristics
      and lifestyle changes in those who met and exceeded the target 7% weight loss
      ('super-achievers') with those who achieved only 'moderate' or 'low' amounts of
      weight loss (2-7% loss, or <2% loss, respectively). In-depth qualitative
      interviews (n = 24) explored in detail the motivations, actions, pathways to
      weight loss and circumstances of study participants. RESULTS: Over the 12 month
      intervention period, mean percentage weight loss of super-achievers (n = 33) was
      11.5%, compared with moderate-achievers (n = 58) who lost 4.2%, and low-achievers
      (n = 57) who gained 0.8%. Compared to other groups, super- achievers increased
      their fruit and vegetable intake (p < 0.01) and physical activity (step count, p
      < 0.01). 'Super-achievers' did not differ in baseline demographic characteristics
      from other participants. However, significantly fewer reported that their
      activities were limited by physical and emotional health and they were more
      likely to perceive their current diet as harmful. Qualitative analyses found no
      consistent patterns among super-achievers in relation to some factors identified
      as important in previous studies, such as social support. However, super
      achievers shared several characteristics such as determination and consistency in
      their engagement with the intervention, receptivity to new information and
      prompts, previous positive experience of changing health behaviours, being
      motivated by early success, making changes routine, and an ability to devise and
      apply strategies for dealing with setback and 'relapse' triggers. CONCLUSIONS:
      Successful lifestyle change depends on active engagement as well as effective
      intervention ingredients. Weight loss interventions are likely to be more
      effective where they can adapt to participants' differing characteristics and
      needs, while also providing core elements likely to build success.

PMID- 26112016
TI  - The receptor proteins: pivotal roles in selective autophagy.
AB  - Autophagy is a highly regulated and multistep biological process whereby cells
      under metabolic, proteotoxic, or other stresses remove dysfunctional organelles
      and/or misfolded/polyubiquitinated proteins by shuttling them via specialized
      structures called autophagosomes to the lysosome for degradation. Although
      autophagy is generally considered to be a non-selective process, accumulating
      evidence suggests that it can also selectively degrade specific target cargoes.
      These selective targets include proteins, mitochondria, and even invading
      bacteria. The discovery and characterization of autophagic adapters, such as
      p62/Sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) and Neighbor of BRCA1 gene 1 (NBR1), have provided
      mechanistic insights into selective autophagy. These receptors are all able to
      act as cargo receptors for the degradation of ubiquitinated substrates. This
      review mainly summarizes the most up-to-date findings regarding the key receptor
      proteins that play important roles in regulating selective autophagy. 

PMID- 26112015
TI  - Comprehensive gene panels provide advantages over clinical exome sequencing for
      Mendelian diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To understand the contribution of Mendelian mutations to the burden
      of undiagnosed diseases that are suspected to be genetic in origin, we developed
      a next-generation sequencing-based multiplexing assay that encompasses the ~3000
      known Mendelian genes. This assay, which we term the Mendeliome, comprises 13
      gene panels based on clinical themes, covering the spectrum of pediatric and
      adult clinical genetic medicine. We explore how these panels compare with
      clinical whole exome sequencing (WES). RESULTS: We tested 2357 patients referred
      with suspected genetic diagnoses from virtually every medical specialty. A likely
      causal mutation was identified in 1018 patients, with an overall clinical
      sensitivity of 43 %, comparing favorably with WES. Furthermore, the cost of
      clinical-grade WES is high (typically more than 4500 US dollars), whereas the
      cost of running a sample on one of our panels is around 75-150 US dollars,
      depending on the panel. Of the "negative" cases, 11 % were subsequently found by
      WES to harbor a likely causal mutation in a known disease gene (largely in genes
      identified after the design of our assay), as inferred from a representative
      sample of 178. Although our study population is enriched for consanguinity, 245
      (24 %) of solved cases were autosomal dominant and 35 (4 %) were X-linked,
      suggesting that our assay is also applicable to outbred populations. CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite missing a significant number of cases, the current version of the
      Mendeliome assay can account for a large proportion of suspected genetic
      disorders, and provides significant practical advantages over clinical WES.

PMID- 26112017
TI  - A lentiviral vector-based therapeutic vaccine encoding Ag85B-Rv3425 potently
      increases resistance to acute tuberculosis infection in mice.
AB  - Few treatment options for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) and extensively
      drug-resistant TB call attention to the development of novel therapeutic
      approaches for TB. Therapeutic vaccines are promising candidates because they can
      induce antigen-specific cellular immune responses, which play an important role
      in the elimination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). In this study, a novel
      lentiviral vector therapeutic vaccine for delivering MTB-specific fusion protein
      Ag85B-Rv3425 was constructed. Results showed that one single-injection of this
      recombinant lentivirus vaccine could trigger antigen-specific Th1-type immune
      responses in mice. More importantly, mice with acute infection benefited a lot
      from a single-dose administration of this vaccine by markedly reduced MTB burdens
      in lungs and spleens as well as attenuated lesions in lungs compared with
      untreated mice. These results displayed good prospects of this novel vaccine for
      the immunotherapy of TB. 

PMID- 26112018
TI  - APOL1 genetic variants, chronic kidney diseases and hypertension in mixed
      ancestry South Africans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The frequencies of apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) variants and their
      associations with chronic kidney disease (CKD) vary substantially in populations
      from Africa. Moreover, available studies have used very small sample sizes to
      provide reliable estimates of the frequencies of these variants in the general
      population. We determined the frequency of the two APOL1 risk alleles (G1 and G2)
      and investigated their association with renal traits in a relatively large sample
      of mixed-ancestry South Africans. APOL1 risk variants (G1: rs60910145 and
      rs73885319; G2: rs71785313) were genotyped in 859 African mixed ancestry
      individuals using allele-specific TaqMan technology. Glomerular filtration rate
      (eGFR) was estimated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and
      Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations. RESULTS:
      The frequencies of rs73885319, rs60910145 and rs71785313 risk alleles were
      respectively, 3.6%, 3.4%, and 5.8%, resulting in a 1.01% frequency of the APOL1
      two-risk allele (G1:G1 or G1:G2 or G2:G2). The presence of the two-risk allele
      increased serum creatinine with a corresponding reduction in eGFR (either MDRD or
      CKD-EPI based). In dominant and log-additive genetic models, significant
      associations were found between rs71785313 and systolic blood pressure (both p <=
      0.025), with a significant statistical interaction by diabetes status, p = 0.022,
      reflecting a negative non-significant effect in nondiabetics and a positive
      effect in diabetics. CONCLUSIONS: Although the APOL1 variants are not common in
      the mixed ancestry population of South Africa, the study does provide an
      indication that APOL1 variants may play a role in conferring an increased risk
      for renal and cardiovascular risk in this population.

PMID- 26112019
TI  - Non-enzymatic cyclic oxygenated metabolites of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty
      acid: Bioactive drugs?
AB  - Non-enzymatic oxygenated metabolites derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids
      (PUFA) are formed in vivo through free radical reaction under oxidative stress
      conditions. It has been over twenty-five years since the discovery of cyclic
      oxygenated metabolites derived from arachidonic acid (20:4 n-6), the
      isoprostanes, and since then they have become biomarkers of choice for assessing
      in vivo OS in humans and animals. Chemical synthesis of n-3 PUFA isoprostanoids
      such as F3-Isoprostanes from eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 n-3), and F4
      Neuroprostanes from docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 n-6) unravelled novel and
      unexpected biological properties of such omega-3 non-enzymatic cyclic metabolites
      as highlighted in this review. 

PMID- 26112021
TI  - Reply: Breast Cancer Staging: To Which Women Should 18F-FDG PET/CT Be Offered?

PMID- 26112020
TI  - 18F-Fluoromisonidazole Quantification of Hypoxia in Human Cancer Patients Using
      Image-Derived Blood Surrogate Tissue Reference Regions.
AB  - (18)F-fluoromisonidazole ((18)F-FMISO) is the most widely used PET agent for
      imaging hypoxia, a condition associated with resistance to tumor therapy. (18)F
      FMISO equilibrates in normoxic tissues but is retained under hypoxic conditions
      because of reduction and binding to macromolecules. A simple tissue-to-blood (TB)
      ratio is suitable for quantifying hypoxia. A TB ratio threshold of 1.2 or greater
      is useful in discriminating the hypoxic volume (HV) of tissue; TBmax is the
      maximum intensity of the hypoxic region and does not invoke a threshold. Because
      elimination of blood sampling would simplify clinical use, we tested the validity
      of using imaging regions as a surrogate for blood sampling. METHODS: Patients
      underwent 20-min (18)F-FMISO scanning during the 90- to 140-min interval after
      injection with venous blood sampling. Two hundred twenty-three (18)F-FMISO
      patient studies had detectable surrogate blood regions in the field of view.
      Quantitative parameters of hypoxia (TBmax, HV) derived from blood samples were
      compared with values using surrogate blood regions derived from the heart, aorta,
      or cerebellum. In a subset of brain cancer patients, parameters from blood
      samples and from the cerebellum were compared for their ability to independently
      predict outcome. RESULTS: Vascular regions of heart showed the highest
      correlation to measured blood activity (R(2) = 0.84). For brain studies,
      cerebellar activity was similarly correlated to blood samples. In brain cancer
      patients, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that image-derived reference regions had
      predictive power nearly identical to parameters derived from blood, thus
      obviating the need for venous sampling in these patients. CONCLUSION: Simple
      static analysis of (18)F-FMISO PET captures both the intensity (TBmax) and the
      spatial extent (HV) of tumor hypoxia. An image-derived region to assess blood
      activity can be used as a surrogate for blood sampling in quantification of
      hypoxia.

PMID- 26112022
TI  - PET Imaging of Tumor-Associated Macrophages with 89Zr-Labeled High-Density
      Lipoprotein Nanoparticles.
AB  - Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are increasingly investigated in cancer
      immunology and are considered a promising target for better and tailored
      treatment of malignant growth. Although TAMs also have high diagnostic and
      prognostic value, TAM imaging still remains largely unexplored. Here, we describe
      the development of reconstituted high-density lipoprotein (rHDL)-facilitated TAM
      PET imaging in a breast cancer model. METHODS: Radiolabeled rHDL nanoparticles
      incorporating the long-lived positron-emitting nuclide (89)Zr were developed
      using 2 different approaches. The nanoparticles were composed of phospholipids
      and apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) in a 2.5:1 weight ratio. (89)Zr was complexed
      with deferoxamine (also known as desferrioxamine B, desferoxamine B), conjugated
      either to a phospholipid or to apoA-I to generate (89)Zr-PL-HDL and (89)Zr-AI
      HDL, respectively. In vivo evaluation was performed in an orthotopic mouse model
      of breast cancer and included pharmacokinetic analysis, biodistribution studies,
      and PET imaging. Ex vivo histologic analysis of tumor tissues to assess regional
      distribution of (89)Zr radioactivity was also performed. Fluorescent analogs of
      the radiolabeled agents were used to determine cell-targeting specificity using
      flow cytometry. RESULTS: The phospholipid- and apoA-I-labeled rHDL were produced
      at 79% +/- 13% (n = 6) and 94% +/- 6% (n = 6) radiochemical yield, respectively,
      with excellent radiochemical purity (>99%). Intravenous administration of both
      probes resulted in high tumor radioactivity accumulation (16.5 +/- 2.8 and 8.6 +/
      1.3 percentage injected dose per gram for apoA-I- and phospholipid-labeled rHDL,
      respectively) at 24 h after injection. Histologic analysis showed good
      colocalization of radioactivity with TAM-rich areas in tumor sections. Flow
      cytometry revealed high specificity of rHDL for TAMs, which had the highest
      uptake per cell (6.8-fold higher than tumor cells for both DiO@Zr-PL-HDL and
      DiO@Zr-AI-HDL) and accounted for 40.7% and 39.5% of the total cellular DiO@Zr-PL
      HDL and DiO@Zr-AI-HDL in tumors, respectively. CONCLUSION: We have developed
      (89)Zr-labeled TAM imaging agents based on the natural nanoparticle rHDL. In an
      orthotopic mouse model of breast cancer, we have demonstrated their specificity
      for macrophages, a result that was corroborated by flow cytometry. Quantitative
      macrophage PET imaging with our (89)Zr-rHDL imaging agents could be valuable for
      noninvasive monitoring of TAM immunology and targeted treatment.

PMID- 26112023
TI  - In Vivo Cancer Dual-Targeting and Dual-Modality Imaging with Functionalized
      Quantum Dots.
AB  - Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), after surface modification to provide water
      solubility and biocompatibility, have a promising future in biomedical
      applications. In this study, a dual receptor-targeting dual-modality PET/near
      infrared fluorescence (NIRF) probe was developed for accurate assessment of the
      pharmacokinetics and tumor-targeting efficacy of QDs. METHODS: QDs were modified
      by beta-Glu-RGD-BBN (RGD is arginine-glycine-aspartate acid, and BBN is bombesin)
      peptides and then labeled with (18)F via the 4-nitrophenyl-2-(18)F
      fluoropropionate prosthetic group. Cytotoxicity and cell-binding assay of QD-RGD
      BBN were performed with PC-3 cells. In vivo dual-modality PET/NIRF imaging of
      prostate tumor-bearing mice was investigated using QD-RGD-BBN and 2-(18)F
      fluoropropionyl-QD-RGD-BBN ((18)F-FP-QD-RGD-BBN). An in vivo biodistribution
      study of (18)F-FP-QD-RGD-BBN was performed on normal mice. RESULTS: QD-RGD-BBN
      exhibited strong red luminescence (600-800 nm) with the same maximum fluorescence
      wavelength (705 nm) as QD705 and slightly lower toxicity than that of QD705 in PC
      3 cells at concentrations of greater than 30 MUg/mL. Uptake of QD-RGD-BBN in PC-3
      cells showed no significant decrease in the presence of an excess amount of dimer
      arginine-glycine-aspartate acid (RGD2) or bombesin(7-14) (BBN) peptide but was
      blocked significantly in the presence of an excess amount of NH2-RGD-BBN. Dual
      function PET/NIRF imaging is able to accurately assess the biodistribution and
      tumor-targeting efficacy of the (18)F-labeled functionalized QDs. CONCLUSION: The
      functionalized QD probe has great potential as a universal dual-targeting probe
      for detecting tumors in living subjects, opening up a new strategy for the
      development of multitargeting multimodality (18)F-labeled QD probes with improved
      tumor-targeting efficacy.

PMID- 26112024
TI  - Prospective Comparison of 18F-Fluoromethylcholine Versus 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT in
      Prostate Cancer Patients Who Have Rising PSA After Curative Treatment and Are
      Being Considered for Targeted Therapy.
AB  - In prostate cancer with biochemical failure after therapy, current imaging
      techniques have a low detection rate at the prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
      levels at which targeted salvage therapy is effective. (11)C-choline and (18)F
      fluoromethylcholine, though widely used, have poor sensitivity at low PSA levels.
      (68)Ga-PSMA (Glu-NH-CO-NH-Lys-(Ahx)-[(68)Ga-N,N'-bis[2-hydroxy-5
      (carboxyethyl)benzyl]ethylenediamine-N,N'-diacetic acid]) has shown promising
      results in retrospective trials. Our aim was to prospectively compare the
      detection rates of (68)Ga-PSMA versus (18)F-fluoromethylcholine PET/CT in men who
      were initially managed with radical prostatectomy, radiation treatment, or both
      and were being considered for targeted therapy. METHODS: A sample of men with a
      rising PSA level after treatment, eligible for targeted treatment, was
      prospectively included. Patients on systemic treatment were excluded. (68)Ga
      PSMA, (18)F-fluoromethylcholine PET/CT, and diagnostic CT were performed
      sequentially on all patients between January and April 2015, and the images were
      assessed by masked, experienced interpreters. The findings and their impact on
      management were documented, together with the results of histologic follow-up
      when feasible. RESULTS: In total, 38 patients were enrolled. Of these, 34 (89%)
      had undergone radical prostatectomy and 4 (11%) had undergone radiation
      treatment. Twelve (32%) had undergone salvage radiation treatment after primary
      radical prostatectomy. The mean PSA level was 1.74 +/- 2.54 ng/mL. The scan
      results were positive in 26 patients (68%) and negative with both tracers in 12
      patients (32%). Of the 26 positive scans, 14 (54%) were positive with (68)Ga-PSMA
      alone, 11 (42%) with both (18)F-fluoromethylcholine and (68)Ga-PSMA, and only 1
      (4%) with (18)F-fluoromethylcholine alone. When PSA was below 0.5 ng/mL, the
      detection rate was 50% for (68)Ga-PSMA versus 12.5% for (18)F
      fluoromethylcholine. When PSA was 0.5-2.0 ng/mL, the detection rate was 69% for
      (68)Ga-PSMA versus 31% for (18)F-fluoromethylcholine, and when PSA was above 2.0,
      the detection rate was 86% for (68)Ga-PSMA versus 57% for (18)F
      fluoromethylcholine. On lesion-based analysis, (68)Ga-PSMA detected more lesions
      than (18)F-fluoromethylcholine (59 vs. 29, P < 0.001). The tumor-to-background
      ratio in positive scans was higher for (68)Ga-PSMA than for (18)F
      fluoromethylcholine (28.6 for (68)Ga-PSMA vs. 9.4 for (18)F-fluoromethylcholine,
      P < 0.001). There was a 63% (24/38 patients) management impact, with 54% (13/24
      patients) being due to (68)Ga-PSMA imaging alone. Histologic follow-up was
      available for 9 of 38 patients (24%), and 9 of 9 (68)Ga-PSMA-positive lesions
      were consistent with prostate cancer ((68)Ga-PSMA was true-positive). The lesion
      positive on (18)F-fluoromethylcholine imaging and negative on (68)Ga-PSMA imaging
      was shown at biopsy to be a false-positive (18)F-fluoromethylcholine finding
      ((68)Ga-PSMA was true-negative). CONCLUSION: In patients with biochemical failure
      and a low PSA level, (68)Ga-PSMA demonstrated a significantly higher detection
      rate than (18)F-fluoromethylcholine and a high overall impact on management.

PMID- 26112025
TI  - Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury by Increased 64Cu Uptake on 64CuCl2 PET/CT.
AB  - Copper is a nutritional trace element required for cell proliferation and wound
      repair. METHODS: To explore increased copper uptake as a biomarker for
      noninvasive assessment of traumatic brain injury (TBI), experimental TBI in
      C57BL/6 mice was induced by controlled cortical impact, and (64)Cu uptake in the
      injured cortex was assessed with (64)CuCl2 PET/CT. RESULTS: At 24 h after
      intravenous injection of the tracer, uptake was significantly higher in the
      injured cortex of TBI mice (1.15 +/- 0.53 percentage injected dose per gram of
      tissue [%ID/g]) than in the uninjured cortex of mice without TBI (0.53 +/- 0.07
      %ID/g, P = 0.027) or the cortex of mice that received an intracortical injection
      of zymosan A (0.62 +/- 0.22 %ID/g, P = 0.025). Furthermore, uptake in the
      traumatized cortex of untreated TBI mice (1.15 +/- 0.53 %ID/g) did not
      significantly differ from that in minocycline-treated TBI mice (0.93 +/- 0.30
      %ID/g, P = 0.33). CONCLUSION: Overall, the data suggest that increased (64)Cu
      uptake in traumatized brain tissues holds potential as a new biomarker for
      noninvasive assessment of TBI with (64)CuCl2 PET/CT.

PMID- 26112026
TI  - Repeatability of Tumor SUV Quantification: The Role of Variable Blood SUV.

PMID- 26112027
TI  - Progress on eliminating neglected tropical diseases is too slow, report warns.

PMID- 26112028
TI  - Remote Ischemic Conditioning for Preventing Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury
      in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Interventions/Coronary Angiography:
      A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is uncertain whether remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) has a
      protective effect on contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) after
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)/coronary artery angiography (CAG). We
      performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the
      effect of RIC on CI-AKI in such patients. METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE,
      ClinicalTrials.gov, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials
      databases were searched for RCTs that assessed the effect of RIC on CI-AKI in
      patients undergoing PCI/CAG. RESULTS: Ten RCTs with 1389 patients (RIC group, 757
      and control, 632) were included. The RIC group significantly exerted a lower risk
      of CI-AKI compared to the controls (odds ratio [OR] = 0.52, 95% confidence
      interval [CI] = 0.34-0.77, P = .001), and they had the similar effect on major
      adverse cardiovascular events within 1 year (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.20-0.66, P <
      .001). The RIC reduced the rates of death within 30 days, but this was not
      significant (OR = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.02-1.34, P = .091). The RIC was associated
      with a significantly lower incidence of CI-AKI in patients following elective
      PCI/CAG (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.33-0.87, P = .011). The RIC before not after the
      intervention was effective in reducing the occurrence of CI-AKI (OR: 0.37 vs
      1.05, P = .022). The RIC of the upper arm has statistically significant effect on
      protecting CI-AKI but not that of the lower limb (OR: 0.41 vs 1.41, P = .004).
      The effect of RIC on CI-AKI was similar between patients with a mean estimated
      glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and those with mean rates >=60
      (OR: 0.23 vs 0.41, P = .333). CONCLUSION: The RIC reduced the incidence of CI-AKI
      in those receiving PCI/CAG. And RIC of the upper arm significantly reduced the
      risk of CI-AKI but not RIC of the lower limb in patients undergoing PCI/CAG.

PMID- 26112030
TI  - Older Adults' Perceptions of Fall Detection Devices.
AB  - A third of adults over the age of 65 are estimated to fall at least once a year.
      Perhaps as dangerous as the fall itself is the time spent after a fall if the
      person is unable to move. Although there are many devices available to detect
      when a person has fallen, little is known about the opinions of older adults
      regarding these fall detection devices (FDDs). We conducted five focus groups
      with 27 older adults. Transcripts from sessions were coded to generate themes
      that captured participants' perceptions. Themes were identified that related to
      two topics of interest: (a) personal influences on the participants' desire to
      have a FDD, including perceived need, participant values, and cost, and (b)
      participant recommendations regarding specific features and functionalities of
      these devices such as automation, wearable versus non-wearable devices, and
      device customization. Together, these themes suggest ways in which FDDs may be
      improved so that they are suitable for their intended population.

PMID- 26112029
TI  - The center for expanded data annotation and retrieval.
AB  - The Center for Expanded Data Annotation and Retrieval is studying the creation of
      comprehensive and expressive metadata for biomedical datasets to facilitate data
      discovery, data interpretation, and data reuse. We take advantage of emerging
      community-based standard templates for describing different kinds of biomedical
      datasets, and we investigate the use of computational techniques to help
      investigators to assemble templates and to fill in their values. We are creating
      a repository of metadata from which we plan to identify metadata patterns that
      will drive predictive data entry when filling in metadata templates. The metadata
      repository not only will capture annotations specified when experimental datasets
      are initially created, but also will incorporate links to the published
      literature, including secondary analyses and possible refinements or retractions
      of experimental interpretations. By working initially with the Human Immunology
      Project Consortium and the developers of the ImmPort data repository, we are
      developing and evaluating an end-to-end solution to the problems of metadata
      authoring and management that will generalize to other data-management
      environments. 

PMID- 26112031
TI  - Initial Validity Analysis of the Emergency Medicine Milestones.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
      Milestones describe behavioral markers for the progressive acquisition of
      competencies during residency. As a key component of the Next Accreditation
      System, all residents are evaluated for the acquisition of specialty-specific
      Milestones. The objective was to determine the validity and reliability of the
      emergency medicine (EM) Milestones. METHODS: The ACGME and the American Board of
      Emergency Medicine performed this single-event observational study. The data
      included the initial EM Milestones performance ratings of all categorical EM
      residents submitted to the ACGME from October 31, 2013, to January 6, 2014. Mean
      performance ratings were determined for all 23 subcompetencies for every year of
      residency training. The internal consistency (reliability) of the Milestones was
      determined using a standardized Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Exploratory factor
      analysis was conducted to determine how the subcompetencies were interrelated.
      RESULTS: EM Milestone performance ratings were obtained on 100% of EM residents
      (n = 5,805) from 162 residency programs. The mean performance ratings of the
      aggregate and individual subcompetency scores showed discrimination between
      residency years, and the factor structure further supported the validity of the
      EM Milestones. The reliability was alpha = 0.96 within each year of training.
      CONCLUSIONS: The EM Milestones demonstrated validity and reliability as an
      assessment instrument for competency acquisition. EM residents can be assured
      that this evaluation process has demonstrated validity and reliability; faculty
      can be confident that the Milestones are psychometrically sound; and stakeholders
      can know that the Milestones are a nationally standardized, objective measure of
      specialty-specific competency acquisition.

PMID- 26112032
TI  - Resilience in families in which a member has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
AB  - Due to the extensive focus of the literature on the burden placed on families in
      which a member has been diagnosed with a mental illness such as schizophrenia,
      there is a need to identify factors that may help these families to be resilient
      and adapt to their crisis. The aim of this study was to identify family
      resilience qualities in families in which a member has been diagnosed with
      schizophrenia. The study comprised 42 families, represented by 33 parents and 9
      siblings of the diagnosed family member. Families were recruited from three
      support groups within the Cape Metropolitan area, Western Cape, South Africa.
      Qualitative data were obtained through an open-ended question and quantitative
      data were collected with seven self-report questionnaires. The following family
      resilience qualities were identified: family income; finding support in their
      community; family togetherness; family communication style during crises;
      affirming and supportive communication patterns; family hardiness; commitment to
      the family; reframing crises as a challenge; and an internal locus of control
      within the family. The findings may be used by professionals and support group
      facilitators to enhance the resilience and functioning of families living with a
      member with schizophrenia. ACCESSIBLE SUMMARY: With approximately 1% of the
      world's population diagnosed with schizophrenia, it is clear that many families
      are affected when a member has been diagnosed. There is a need to identify
      factors that may help these families to be resilient. The aim of this study was
      to identify family resilience qualities in families in which a member has been
      diagnosed with schizophrenia. The following family resilience qualities were
      identified as resources that helped them to adapt to the many challenges put to
      them: family income, finding support in their community, the availability of
      hospitals, churches and professionals, family togetherness, family communication,
      family hardiness, commitment to the family, reframing crises as a challenge, and
      an internal locus of control within the family. Due to the limited studies on
      resilience in families in which a member has been diagnosed with schizophrenia,
      we suggest that the current study may contribute to this literature and provide a
      more comprehensive look at resilience in these families. Furthermore, the current
      study may contribute to knowledge about factors and resources that are associated
      with resilience in families in which a member has been diagnosed with
      schizophrenia. Finally, the findings of this study may be used in interventions
      to help families from different cultures and socio-economic statuses to adapt and
      hence be resilient.

PMID- 26112033
TI  - Assessing the waddle: An evaluation of a 3-point gait score system for ducks.
AB  - Impaired walking ability is an economically important welfare problem that
      affects poultry raised for meat production, including Pekin ducks. To gain a
      better understanding of the impacts of walking impairments on duck production,
      and to identify contributing variables and plausible remedies, an accurate
      measure of walking ability must first be defined. The viability of a 3-point gait
      score system for characterizing the walking abilities of Pekin ducks was
      evaluated. Specifically, we examined whether the qualitative gait score
      categories corresponded to quantitative gait parameter measures, and evaluated
      the inter- and intra-rater reliabilities of the gait score system. Commercial
      Pekin ducks aged 13 to 14 d (14 d; 248 ducks), 20 to 21 d (21 d; 350 ducks), and
      30 to 32 d (31 d; 368 ducks), were video recorded and gait scored using a 3-point
      system (GS0 = best gait; GS2 = poor gait) as they crossed a Tekscan((r)) gait
      analysis system. Gait structure parameters were calculated based on 4 steps made
      by each duck. The most prominent differences were observed at 21 d and 31 d of
      age between the ducks with GS0 and GS2, with GS2 scoring ducks walking a shorter
      total distance, having greater differences in the amount of pressure applied to
      the right versus left leg, and the amount of time spent standing on 2 feet
      between steps. Gait score reliabilities were calculated separately for observers
      who received minimal training (M, N = 10) and those who viewed and discussed the
      sample cases (V, N = 13). Both groups assessed the gait of ducks from video
      footage. Inter-rater reliability (Fleiss kappa) was lowest for 14 d old ducks (M:
      k = 0.47, T: k = 0.62), and best for the 32 d old ducks (V: k = 0.75; T: k =
      0.8). Overall, intra-rater reliabilities (Pearson's correlation) were high and
      were unaffected by the scorer's level of training (M: r = 0.87; V: r = 0.87; t21
      = 0.43). The results indicate that a 3-point gait score system is a promising
      tool for assessing the walking ability of ducks at 21 d of age and older. 

PMID- 26112034
TI  - Effects of color of light on preferences, performance, and welfare in broilers.
AB  - Broiler houses are mainly lit by fluorescent light. With the expected continued
      increase in energy prices, the interest in less energy consuming light sources is
      growing. The light-emitting diode (LED) is an energy-saving alternative. The aims
      of the present 2 studies were to examine 1) the preference for LED color
      temperature and effects on behavior, and 2) effects of LED color temperature on
      performance and welfare of male broilers (Ross 308). Two color temperatures were
      investigated: neutral-white (4,100 K) and cold-white (6,065 K). First, 6 groups
      of 6-day-old chicks were housed in pens consisting of 2 lightproof compartments
      with a pop-hole between allowing chicks to move freely between compartments.
      Number of broilers in each compartment and their behavior were recorded every 15
      min on 6 d. A preference for 6,065 K was found (P < 0.001). On d 16, 28, and 34,
      more time was spent in the 6,065 K treatment (P < 0.03), whereas indifference
      between treatments was found on d 4, 10, and 22 (P > 0.07). Second, each of the 2
      light conditions was applied to 6 groups of 75 chicks. BW and feed consumption
      were registered weekly. On d 34, we scored gait, foot pad dermatitis, and hock
      burns in 15 individuals/pen. At slaughter (d 35), cold carcass weight was
      recorded from all individuals, while yields of different body parts were
      collected from 9 individuals/group. Broilers from the 6,065 K treatment were 67.4
      +/- 19.2 g heavier on the day of slaughter (P = 0.0009), whereas no difference
      was found at other ages (P > 0.12). Feed intake was found to be similar for the 2
      treatments (P = 0.52). Pectoralis minor was 4.1 +/- 1.9 g heavier in the 6,065 K
      treatment (P = 0.03). There was no difference between the light treatments in any
      of the welfare parameters. We conclude from the results that of the 2 color
      temperatures examined, the most suitable for use in commercial broiler houses is
      6,065 K. 

PMID- 26112035
TI  - The inhibitory effects of gga-miR-199-3p, gga-miR-140-3p, and gga-miR-221-5p in
      Marek's disease tumorigenesis.
AB  - Marek's disease (MD) is lymphoproliferative neoplastic disease in chickens, which
      is caused by Marek's disease virus (MDV). Our previous study profiled microRNA
      (miRNA) transcriptome in MD lymphoma, and found that gga-miR-199-3p, gga-miR-140
      3p, and gga-miR-221-5p were down-regulated in MD lymphoma. In this study, we
      further investigated their differential expression between MDV-infected spleens
      and noninfected spleens at 4, 7, 14, 21, and 28 d postinfection (dpi) to
      elucidate whether deregulation of them was specific to late tumor transformation
      phase or not. The results showed that gga-miR-199-3p was down-regulated at 14 and
      28 dpi, and the expression of gga-miR-140-3p was decreased at 14 dpi, which
      indicated that deregulation of these miRNAs appeared since early stage of MD
      tumor transformation. Additionally, the inhibitory effects of gga-miR-199-3p, gga
      miR-140-3p, and gga-miR-221-5p on MDV-transformed lymphoid cell line (MSB1) cells
      proliferation were observed, which suggested that these miRNAs acted as MD tumor
      suppressors. Their aberrant expression at early tumor transformation phase and
      suppressive role in cell proliferation indicated that they were involved in MD
      lymphoma transformation, and might play crucial roles in MD tumorigenesis. 

PMID- 26112036
TI  - Cooking frozen Turkey: duration, yield and stuffing alterations with solid-state
      starting temperature.
AB  - Frozen pre-stuffed turkeys from 12 week females were conductively cooked at 163
      degrees C to an 85 degrees C internal breast end-point. Bread cubes having 50%
      added water filled crop and body cavity to 20% of weight the turkeys were then
      frozen. Each of 4 treatments employed 7 carcasses: one was thawed to +5 degrees C
      with repetitions at -5, -15, and -25 degrees C enabling a regression analysis.
      Time to attain breast end-point was 44 min when the starting temperature was +5
      degrees C, which increased to 63 min at -5 degrees C, and 69 min at -25 degrees C
      (P < 0.001, Q: quadratic). Thigh temperatures averaged 77 degrees C. Crop
      stuffing was 80 degrees C when cooking was initiated at +5 degrees C and
      increased to 84 degrees C as the starting temperatures fell to -25 degrees C (P <
      0.01, Q). Body cavity stuffing reached 65 degrees C when the carcass had been
      thawed prior to cooking, thereafter decreasing to 59 and 60 degrees C when at -5
      and -15 degrees C, respectively, before returning to 65 degrees C for the -25
      degrees C case (P < 0.01, C: cubic). Total carcass loss was 18.8% when cooking
      was initiated at +5 degrees C. This increased to 22.6% at -25 degrees C (P <
      0.01, Q). Total drip after cooking averaged 23.7% however, the percentage of fat
      in the drip increased from 51.1% when using +5 degrees C, to 57.2% with carcasses
      at -25 degrees C (P < 0.05, Q). The stuffing gained in weight, which could be
      attributed to associated water when thawed, as opposed to frozen (147 vs. 102g, P
      < 0.05, Q). Stuffing moisture was less when the carcasses had been frozen than if
      cooked after thawing, particularly for crop (59.4% using +5 degrees C vs. 55.8%
      frozen, P < 0.05, Q). Fat dominated the DM: increase, which was similar among
      treatments and both locations (22.6%). Stuffing CP: increased with +5 degrees C
      carcasses on thawing compared to frozen carcasses, particularly for crop (15.1
      vs. 13.2% DM, P < 0.05, Q from +5 to -5 degrees C, respectively). Changes in part
      yield and meat composition were minor. Heat for ice to change to liquid was the
      primary basis for alterations when cooking from the frozen state, while cavity
      stuffing consistently failed to attain a safe temperature. 

PMID- 26112037
TI  - Evaluation of White Striping prevalence and predisposing factors in broilers at
      slaughter.
AB  - White striping ( WS: ) is an alteration of breast and thigh muscles of broiler
      chickens characterized by the presence of white striations parallel to the
      direction of muscle fibers. This study was performed to evaluate the prevalence
      and the predisposing factors to WS in commercial broilers of different weight
      reared in northern Italy. Fifty seven broiler flocks, including animals of medium
      and heavy-weight, were grossly evaluated at slaughter for the presence of WS.
      For each flock, breeding data (mean BW at slaughter, ADG, sex, color of skin and
      fat, genetic line, age, antibiotic treatment, and prevalence of deep pectoral
      myopathy) were collected and statistically analyzed to assess their correlation
      with WS. Histology of breast fillets affected by different grades of WS was
      performed to evaluate potential differences between medium- and heavy-weight
      broilers. The overall prevalence of WS in medium- and heavy-weight broilers (mean
      BW 2.59 +/- 0.13 kg and 3.64 +/- 0.34 kg, respectively) was 70.2 +/- 7.9% and
      82.51 +/- 8.5%, respectively, while the percentage of severe WS was 13.3 +/- 7.1%
      and 25.7 +/- 12.8%, respectively. A strong correlation was found between presence
      of WS, BW at slaughter, and ADG (Pearson correlation = 0.69, P < 0.01; Pearson
      correlation = 0.67, P < 0.01). WS also closely correlated with the prevalence of
      deep pectoral myopathy (Spearman's Rho slaughterhouse 1 = 0.74, Spearman's Rho
      slaughterhouse 2 = 0.51, P < 0.01). No correlation was found between genetics or
      sanitary status of the flock and WS. Histology confirmed that breasts with WS
      lesions were affected by a polyphasic degenerative and necrotizing myopathy, and
      that the lesions, as expected, were more severe in heavy-weight broilers. In
      conclusion, WS is a major concern in commercial meat poultry reared in Italy,
      affecting more severely heavier broilers, and it is mainly related to the BW and
      ADG of animals. 

PMID- 26112038
TI  - In ovo injection of prebiotics and synbiotics affects the digestive potency of
      the pancreas in growing chickens.
AB  - The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of 2 prebiotics and 2
      synbiotics on the digestive potency of pancreas in 1-, 3-, 7-, 14-, 21-, and 34
      day-old cockerels. Prebiotics (inulin and Bi2tos) and synbiotics (inulin +
      Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and Bi2tos + Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris)
      were injected in ovo into the air cell on the 12th d embryonic development. Their
      application increased the activity of amylase, lipase, and trypsin in the
      pancreas. The most pronounced changes were observed at the end of the
      investigated rearing period (d 34). The strongest stimulative effects on amylase
      were shown by both synbiotics, on lipase synbiotic Bi2tos + Lactococcus lactis
      subsp. cremoris, and on trypsin all the used prebiotics and synbiotics.
      Simultaneously, neither the absolute nor the relative mass of the pancreas in
      comparison to control group were changed. Also, the injected in ovo compounds did
      not cause a deterioration in the posthatching condition of the chicken liver, as
      determined by measurement of the activity of marker enzymes in the blood (alanine
      aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase). Treatment with the prebiotics
      and synbiotics did not change the feed conversion ratio but Bi2tos (galacto
      oligosaccharide) and inulin (fructan) + Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis
      significantly increased final BW.

PMID- 26112039
TI  - Efficacy of 25-OH Vitamin D3 prophylactic administration for reducing lameness in
      broilers grown on wire flooring.
AB  - Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is the most common cause of
      lameness in commercial broilers. Growing broilers on wire flooring provides an
      excellent experimental model for reproducibly triggering significant levels of
      lameness attributable to BCO. In the present study we evaluated the efficacy of
      adding HyD (25-OH vitamin D3) to the drinking water as a
      preventative/prophylactic treatment for lameness. Broiler chicks were reared on 5
      x 10 ft flat wire floor panels within 6 environmental chambers. Three chambers
      were supplied with tap water (Control group) and the remaining chambers were
      supplied with HyD (HyD group: 0.06 mL HyD solution/L water; dosing based on the
      HyD Solution label to provide 33.9 MUg 25-OHD3/L) from d 1 through 56. Feed was
      provided ad libitum and was formulated to meet or exceed minimum standards for
      all ingredients, including 5,500 IU vitamin D3/kg. Lameness initially was
      detected on d 28, and the cumulative incidence of lameness on d 56 was higher in
      the Control group than in the HyD group (34.7 vs. 22.7%, respectively; P = 0.03;
      Z-test of proportions; chambers pooled). The most prevalent diagnoses for lame
      birds were osteochondrosis and osteomyelitis (BCO) of the proximal femora (52%)
      and tibiae (79%), accompanied by minor incidences of tibial dyschondroplasia
      (0.33%), spondylolisthesis, or kinky back (0.67%), and twisted legs (1%).
      Broilers that survived to d 56 without developing lameness did not differ in BW
      when compared by group within a gender. The wire flooring model imposes a
      rigorous, sustained challenge that undoubtedly is much more severe than typically
      would be experienced by broilers under normal commercial conditions. Therefore
      the encouraging response to HyD supplementation in the present study supports the
      potential for 25-OH vitamin D3 to attenuate outbreaks of lameness caused by BCO
      in commercial broiler flocks. 

PMID- 26112040
TI  - Feed form and energy concentration of the diet affect growth performance and
      digestive tract traits of brown-egg laying pullets from hatching to 17 weeks of
      age.
AB  - The influence of feed form and energy concentration of the diet on growth
      performance and the development of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) was studied
      in brown-egg laying pullets. Diets formed a 2 x 5 factorial with 2 feed forms
      (mash vs. crumbles) and 5 levels of energy differing in 50 kcal AMEn/kg. For the
      entire study (0 to 17 wk of age) feeding crumbles increased ADFI (52.9 vs. 49.7
      g; P < 0.001) and ADG (12.7 vs. 11.6 g; P < 0.001) and improved feed conversion
      ratio (FCR; 4.18 vs. 4.27; P < 0.001). An increase in the energy content of the
      diet decreased ADFI linearly (P < 0.001) and improved FCR quadratically (P <
      0.01) but energy intake (kcal AMEn/d) was not affected. BW uniformity was higher
      (P < 0.05) in pullets fed crumbles than in those fed mash but was not affected (P
      > 0.05) by energy content of the diet. At 5, 10, and 17 wk of age, the relative
      weight (RW, % BW) of the GIT and the gizzard, and gizzard digesta content were
      lower (P < 0.05 to P < 0.001) and gizzard pH was higher (P < 0.05 to P < 0.001)
      in pullets fed crumbles than in pullets fed mash. Energy concentration of the
      diet did not affect any of the GIT variables studied. In summary, feeding
      crumbles improved pullet performance and reduced the RW of the GIT and gizzard,
      and increased gizzard pH at all ages. An increase in the energy content of the
      diet improved FCR from 0 to 17 wk of age. The use of crumbles and the increase in
      the AMEn content of the diet might be used adventageously when the objetive is to
      increase the BW of the pullets. However, crumbles affected the development and
      weight of the organs of the GIT, which might have negative effects on feed intake
      and egg production at the beginning of the egg laying cycle. 

PMID- 26112042
TI  - Domain-specific model selection for structural identification of the Rab5-Rab7
      dynamics in endocytosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given its recent rapid development and the central role that modeling
      plays in the discipline, systems biology clearly needs methods for automated
      modeling of dynamical systems. Process-based modeling focuses on explanatory
      models of dynamical systems; it constructs such models from measured time-course
      data and formalized modeling knowledge. In this paper, we apply process-based
      modeling to the practically relevant task of modeling the Rab5-Rab7 conversion
      switch in endocytosis. The task is difficult due to the limited observability of
      the system variables and the noisy measurements, which pose serious challenges to
      the process of model selection. To address these issues, we propose a domain
      specific model selection criteria that take into account knowledge about the
      necessary properties of the simulated model behavior. RESULTS: In a series of
      modeling experiments, we compare the results of process-based modeling obtained
      with different model selection criteria. The first is the standard maximum
      likelihood criterion based solely on least-squares model error. The second one is
      a parsimony-based criterion that also takes into account model complexity. We
      also introduce three domain-specific criteria based on domain expert expectations
      about the simulated behavior of an endocytosis model. According to the first
      criterion, 90 of the candidate models are indistinguishable. Furthermore, taking
      into account the complexity of the model does not lead to better model selection.
      However, the use of domain-specific criteria results in a remarkable improvement
      over the other two model selection criteria. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate the
      applicability of process-based modeling to the task of modeling the Rab5-Rab7
      dynamics in endocytosis. Our experiments show that the domain-specific criteria
      outperform the standard domain-independent criteria for model selection. We also
      find that some of the model structures discarded as implausible in previous
      studies lead to the expected Rab5-Rab7 switch behavior.

PMID- 26112041
TI  - A group randomized controlled trial integrating obesity prevention and control
      for postpartum adolescents in a home visiting program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adolescence represents a critical period for the development of
      overweight that tracks into adulthood. This risk is significantly heightened for
      adolescents that become pregnant, many of whom experience postpartum weight
      retention. The aim of this study was to evaluate Balance Adolescent Lifestyle
      Activities and Nutrition Choices for Energy (BALANCE), a multicomponent obesity
      prevention intervention targeting postpartum adolescents participating in a
      national home visiting child development-parent education program. METHODS: A
      group randomized, nested cohort design was used with 1325 adolescents, 694
      intervention and 490 control, (mean age = 17.8 years, 52 % underrepresented
      minorities) located across 30 states. Participatory methods were used to
      integrate lifestyle behavior change strategies within standard parent education
      practice. Content targeted replacement of high-risk obesogenic patterns (e.g.
      sweetened drink and high fat snack consumption, sedentary activity) with positive
      behaviors (e.g. water intake, fruit and vegetables, increased walking). Parent
      educators delivered BALANCE through home visits, school based classroom-group
      meetings, and website activities. Control adolescents received standard child
      development information. Phase I included baseline to posttest (12 months); Phase
      II included baseline to follow-up (24 months). RESULTS: When compared to the
      control group, BALANCE adolescents who were >=12 weeks postpartum were 89 % more
      likely (p = 0.02) to maintain a normal BMI or improve an overweight/obese BMI by
      12 months; this change was not sustained at 24 months. When compared to the
      control group, BALANCE adolescents significantly improved fruit and vegetable
      intake (p = .03). In stratified analyses, water intake improved among younger
      BALANCE teens (p = .001) and overweight/obese BALANCE teens (p = .05) when
      compared to control counterparts. There were no significant differences between
      groups in sweetened drink and snack consumption or walking. CONCLUSION:
      Prevention of postpartum weight retention yields immediate health benefits for
      the adolescent mother and may prevent the early development or progression of
      maternal obesity, which contributes to the intergenerational transmission of
      obesity to her offspring. Implementing BALANCE through a national home visiting
      organization may hold promise for promoting positive lifestyle behaviors
      associated with interruption of the progression of maternal obesity. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials Registry NCT01617486 .

PMID- 26112044
TI  - Results From a European Multicenter Randomized Trial of Physical Activity and/or
      Healthy Eating to Reduce the Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: The DALI
      Lifestyle Pilot.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ways to prevent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) remain unproven.
      We compared the impact of three lifestyle interventions (healthy eating [HE],
      physical activity [PA], and both HE and PA [HE+PA]) on GDM risk in a pilot
      multicenter randomized trial. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Pregnant women at risk
      for GDM (BMI >=29 kg/m2) from nine European countries were invited to undertake a
      75-g oral glucose tolerance test before 20 weeks' gestation. Those without GDM
      were randomized to HE, PA, or HE+PA. Women received five face-to-face and four
      optional telephone coaching sessions, based on the principles of motivational
      interviewing. A gestational weight gain (GWG) <5 kg was targeted. Coaches
      received standardized training and an intervention toolkit. Primary outcome
      measures were GWG, fasting glucose, and insulin sensitivity (HOMA) at 35-37
      weeks. RESULTS: Among the 150 trial participants, 32% developed GDM by 35-37
      weeks and 20% achieved GWG <5 kg. HE women had less GWG (-2.6 kg [95% CI -4.9, 
      0.2]; P = 0.03) and lower fasting glucose (-0.3 mmol/L [-0.4, -0.1]; P = 0.01)
      than those in the PA group at 24-28 weeks. HOMA was comparable. No significant
      differences between HE+PA and the other groups were observed. CONCLUSIONS: An
      antenatal HE intervention is associated with less GWG and lower fasting glucose
      compared with PA alone. These findings require a larger trial for confirmation
      but support the use of early HE interventions in obese pregnant women.

PMID- 26112043
TI  - Epigenetic modifications of caveolae associated proteins in health and disease.
AB  - Caveolae are small, "omega-shaped" invaginations at the plasma membrane of the
      cell which are involved in a variety of processes including cholesterol
      transport, potocytosis and cell signalling. Within caveolae there are caveolae
      associated proteins, and changes in expression of these molecules have been
      described to play a role in the pathophysiology of various diseases including
      cancer and cardiovascular disease. Evidence is beginning to accumulate that
      epigenetic processes may regulate the expression of these caveolae related genes,
      and hence contribute to disease progression. Here, we summarize the current
      knowledge of the role of epigenetic modification in regulating the expression of
      these caveolae related genes and how this relates to changes in cellular
      physiology and in health and disease. 

PMID- 26112045
TI  - Training for staff who support students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Front-line administrative, academic and clinical teaching staff often
      find themselves providing pastoral and learning support to students, but they are
      often not trained for this role, and this aspect of their work is under
      acknowledged. CONTEXT: Staff participating in an action research study at two
      medical schools identified common concerns about the personal impact of providing
      student support, and of the need for professional development to carry out this
      responsibility. This need is magnified in clinical placement settings that are
      remote from on-campus services. INNOVATION: Informed by participatory action
      research, brief interactive workshops with multimedia training resources were
      developed, conducted and evaluated at eight health professional student training
      sites. These workshops were designed to: (1) be delivered in busy clinical
      placement and university settings; (2) provide a safe and inclusive environment
      for administrative, academic and clinical teaching staff to share experiences and
      learn from each other; (3) be publicly accessible; and (4) promote continued
      development and roll-out of staff training, adapted to each workplace (see
      http://www.uws.edu.au/meusupport). The workshops were positively evaluated by 97
      participants, with both teaching and administrative staff welcoming the
      opportunity to discuss and share experiences. Staff supporting health
      professional students have shared, often unmet, needs for support themselves
      IMPLICATIONS: Staff supporting health professional students have shared, often
      unmet, needs for support themselves. Participatory action research can be a means
      for producing and maintaining effective training resources as well as the
      conditions for change in practice. In our workshops, staff particularly valued
      opportunities for guided discussion using videos of authentic cases to trigger
      reflection, and to collaboratively formulate student support guidelines,
      customised to each site.

PMID- 26112047
TI  - CXCL8 as a Potential Therapeutic Target for HIV-Associated Neurocognitive
      Disorders.
AB  - Chemokine CXCL8 is a low molecular weight neutrophil chemoattractant implicated
      in various neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease and stroke.
      Increased expression of CXCL8 has been reported in serum, plasma and brain of
      human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infected individuals with neurocognitive
      impairment, indicating its role in neuroinflammation associated with HIV-1
      infection of the brain. Since chemokines are critical in eliciting immune
      responses in the central nervous system (CNS), CXCL8 is of particular importance
      for being one of the first chemokines described in the brain. Activation of
      astrocytes and microglia by HIV-1 and virus associated proteins results in
      production of this chemokine in the brain microenvironment. Consequently, CXCL8
      exerts its effect on target cells via Gprotein coupled receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2.
      Neutrophils are the main target cells for CXCL8; however, microglia and neurons
      also express CXCR1/CXCR2 and therefore are important targets for CXCL8-mediated
      crosstalk. The objective of this review is to focus on CXCL8 production,
      signaling and regulation in neuronal and glial cells in response to HIV-1
      infection. We highlight the role of HIV-1 secreted proteins such as trans
      activator of transcription, envelope glycoprotein, negative regulatory factor and
      viral protein r in the regulation of CXCL8. We discuss dual role of CXCL8 in
      neurodegeneration as well as neuroprotection in the CNS. Thus, targeting CXCL8
      through the development of CXCR1/CXCR2-based therapeutic strategies to either
      selectively agonize or antagonize receptors may be able to selectively promote
      neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory outcomes, leading to significant clinical
      applications in many neuroinflammatory CNS diseases, including HIV-associated
      neurocognitive disorders. 

PMID- 26112046
TI  - Molecular and neuroendocrine mechanisms of cancer cachexia.
AB  - Cancer and its morbidities, such as cancer cachexia, constitute a major public
      health problem. Although cancer cachexia has afflicted humanity for centuries,
      its underlying multifactorial and complex physiopathology has hindered the
      understanding of its mechanism. During the last few decades we have witnessed a
      dramatic increase in the understanding of cancer cachexia pathophysiology.
      Anorexia and muscle and adipose tissue wasting are the main features of cancer
      cachexia. These apparently independent symptoms have humoral factors secreted by
      the tumor as a common cause. Importantly, the hypothalamus has emerged as an
      organ that senses the peripheral signals emanating from the tumoral environment,
      and not only elicits anorexia but also contributes to the development of muscle
      and adipose tissue loss. Herein, we review the roles of factors secreted by the
      tumor and its effects on the hypothalamus, muscle and adipose tissue, as well as
      highlighting the key targets that are being exploited for cancer cachexia
      treatment. 

PMID- 26112048
TI  - Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome revealing a cervical bronchogenic cyst: a
      case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bronchogenic cyst is a congenital malformation, rarely located in the
      cervical region and almost never involved in a neonate with acute respiratory
      distress in the delivery room. CASE PRESENTATION: A female newborn with
      respiratory distress syndrome caused by a large left cervical mass. Intubation
      was difficult due to tracheal deviation. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed a
      left cervical cyst displacing the trachea and esophagus laterally. Surgical
      excision was performed via a cervical approach on the 5th day, and pathological
      examination revealed a bronchogenic cyst. The patient's course was complicated by
      left vocal cord paralysis and necrotic lesions in the glottic and subglottic
      regions; she required a tracheostomy on the 13th day. Inflammatory stenosis in
      the subglottic region required balloon dilation once, 20 days later. Proximal
      esophageal stenosis induced transient upper airway obstruction with salivary
      stasis. Decannulation was performed at 2 months and the patient was discharged 10
      days later. CONCLUSION: A bronchogenic cyst can exceptionally obstruct the
      airways in the neonatal period. Surgical excision is necessary, but postoperative
      complications may occur if the cyst is in close contact with the trachea and
      esophagus, including necrotic and stenotic lesions of the upper aerodigestive
      tract. In those situations, tracheostomy may be necessary for mechanical
      ventilation weaning and the initiation of oral feeding.

PMID- 26112049
TI  - Immune microenvironment as a factor of breast cancer progression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rate of progression of the disease depends on various factors and
      the tumor microenvironment takes not the last place among them. One part of
      researchers argues that the presence of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes serves as a
      favorable marker of the disease. There exists a completely different point of
      view on the matter. The investigation of the effects of the inflammatory
      infiltration on the course of breast cancer process. METHODS: We found a
      pronounced inflammatory infiltration in the tumor microenvironment in 24 cases.
      Nineteen cases of IDC without inflammatory infiltration were used as a control
      group. Immunohistochemical reaction showed expression of ERalpha, PR, HER2/neu, E
      cadherin, Hsp90alpha, Bcl-2, CD3, CD79alpha, S100 and Myeloperoxidase receptors.
      Mathematical calculations were done using Microsoft Excel 2010 with 12.0.5
      Attestat option. RESULTS: We have determined five variants of immune
      microenvironment: interstitial, trabecular, nodular, diffuse and mixed. We have
      established a direct correlation between the expression of ERalpha and PR and
      indirect correlation between the receptors of steroid hormones and HER2/neo in
      both groups of breast cancer. HER2/neo positive tumors in 100% of cases were
      accompanied by the presence of heat shock proteins. There was a combination of
      Bcl-2 presence with the steroid receptors expression in 90 % of cases. There was
      found the indirect correlation between the presence of B lymphocytes and
      expression of steroid receptors. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of B lymphocytes in an
      inflammatory infiltrate leads to the disappearance of estrogen receptors and
      progesterone receptors. It provokes the accumulation of Hsp90 in a cell. It
      contributes to the stabilization of HER2/neu receptors and most proteins that
      promote tumor progression. VIRTUAL SLIDES: The virtual slides for this article
      can be found here:
      http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1362330168161694.

PMID- 26112051
TI  - Decreased integrity of the fronto-temporal fibers of the left inferior occipito
      frontal fasciculus associated with auditory verbal hallucinations in
      schizophrenia.
AB  - Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) have been proposed to result from altered
      connectivity between frontal speech production regions and temporal speech
      perception regions. Whilst the dorsal language pathway, serviced by the arcuate
      fasciculus, has been extensively studied in relation to AVH, the ventral language
      pathway, serviced by the inferior occipito-frontal fasciculus (IOFF) has been
      rarely studied in relation to AVH. This study examined whether structural changes
      in anatomically defined subregions of the IOFF were associated with AVH in
      patients with schizophrenia. Diffusion tensor imaging scans and clinical data
      were obtained from the Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank for 113
      schizophrenia patients, of whom 39 had lifetime experience of AVH (18 had current
      AVH, 21 had remitted AVH), 74 had no lifetime experience of AVH, and 40 healthy
      controls. Schizophrenia patients with a lifetime experience of AVH exhibited
      reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in the fronto-temporal fibers of the left IOFF
      compared to both healthy controls and schizophrenia patients without AVH. In
      contrast, structural abnormalities in the temporal and occipital regions of the
      IOFF were observed bilaterally in both patient groups, relative to the healthy
      controls. These results suggest that while changes in the structural integrity of
      the bilateral IOFF are associated with schizophrenia per se, integrity reductions
      in the fronto-temporal fibers of the left IOFF may be specifically associated
      with AVH.

PMID- 26112052
TI  - Circulating resistin levels are early and significantly increased in deceased
      brain dead organ donors, correlate with inflammatory cytokine response and remain
      unaffected by steroid treatment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Resistin is a pro-inflammatory adipokine that increases after brain
      injury (trauma, bleeding) and may initiate an inflammatory response. Resistin was
      found increased in deceased, brain dead organ donors (DBD) and correlated with
      delayed graft function after kidney transplantation. The kinetics of resistin
      during brain death (BD), its impact on the inflammatory response and the
      influence of several donor variables on resistin levels are still unknown.
      METHODS: Resistin along with a panel of Th1/Th2 cytokines [interferon (IFN)
      gamma, interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL10, IL-12, IL-13 and tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)] was analyzed in 36 DBDs after the diagnosis of BD and
      before organ procurement and in 12 living kidney donors (LD). The cytokine levels
      and resistin were analyzed in relation to donor parameters including cause of
      death, donors' age and steroid treatment. RESULTS: Resistin levels were higher in
      DBDs both at BD diagnosis and before organ procurement compared to LD (p <
      0.001). DBDs had significantly increased IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF
      levels at both time points compared with LD. In DBDs, resistin at BD diagnosis
      correlated positively with IL-1beta (rs 0.468, p = 0.007), IL-6 (rs 0.511, p =
      0.002), IL-10 (rs 0.372, p = 0.028), IL-12 (rs 0.398, p = 0.024), IL-13 (rs
      0.397, p = 0.030) and TNF (rs 0.427, p = 0.011) at procurement. The cause of
      death, age over 60 and steroid treatment during BD did not affect resistin
      levels. However, steroid treatment significantly decreased pro-inflammatory
      cytokines IL-1beta, IL-8, TNF and IFN-gamma at the time of organ procurement.
      CONCLUSIONS: Resistin is increased early in DBDs, remains increased throughout
      the period of BD and correlates strongly with pro-inflammatory mediators.
      Resistin level, in contrast to cytokines, is not affected by steroid treatment.
      Resistin increase is related to the BD but is not influenced by age or cause of
      death. Resistin may be one of the initial triggers for the systemic inflammatory
      activation seen in DBDs.

PMID- 26112050
TI  - Improving care after colon cancer treatment in The Netherlands, personalised care
      to enhance quality of life (I CARE study): study protocol for a randomised
      controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is expected that in 2020 more than 17,000 cases of colorectal
      cancer will be diagnosed in The Netherlands. To date, patients are included in a
      surgeon-led follow-up programme whose main focus is recurrence detection.
      However, patients often experience multiple physical and psychosocial problems.
      Currently, these problems are not always encountered. More care by a generalist
      is suggested as a solution. Furthermore, patients prefer to undergo
      rehabilitation in their own environment and to be more involved in their own
      health care. eHealth applications might enhance this. Oncokompas(2.0) is an
      online self-management application which facilitates access to supportive care.
      This study aims to evaluate primary care follow-up and aftercare in comparison
      with secondary care follow-up and aftercare for patients with colon cancer.
      Second, the added value of Oncokompas(2.0) to care will be assessed.
      METHODS/DESIGN: This is a multi-centre 2 * 2 factorial randomised controlled
      trial with a calculated sample size of 300 patients. Patients with stage I, II,
      or III colon carcinoma are eligible. Patients will be randomly assigned in four
      groups: (1) usual follow-up visits and aftercare provided in secondary care, (2)
      usual follow-up visits and aftercare provided in secondary care with additional
      use of Oncokompas(2.0), (3) follow-up and aftercare in primary care, and (4)
      follow-up and aftercare in primary care with additional use of Oncokompas(2.0).
      The primary outcome is quality of life. Secondary outcomes include physical
      outcomes, psychosocial outcomes, number of investigations, referrals and related
      communication between secondary and primary care, (time of) recurrence detection
      and protocol adherence, attention to preventive care, self-management of
      patients, patient satisfaction, and preference of care at the end of the trial.
      Data collection will be done by questionnaires and extractions from electronic
      medical records. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will provide evidence,
      which has been scarce to date, on prominent general practitioner involvement in
      care for colon cancer patients after initial treatment. Also, it evaluates the
      efficacy of an eHealth application to enhance patient empowerment. DUTCH TRIAL
      REGISTER: NTR4860 (registered on 2 October 2014).

PMID- 26112053
TI  - A series of patients with minimal change nephropathy treated with rituximab
      during adolescence and adulthood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The treatment of immune suppression dependent minimal change
      nephropathy (MCN) can be challenging and frequently leads to serious
      complications. In paediatric patients, successful treatment with rituximab is
      described in steroid-dependent MCN. There is limited information about the
      potential efficacy of rituximab for the treatment of MCN in adults and
      adolescence. We describe our experience with rituximab in adolescent and adult
      patients with immune suppression dependent MCN. RESULTS: Ten adolescents and
      adults with immune suppression dependent MCN and therapy related complications
      were treated with rituximab. At a mean age of 26 years, about 10.5 years after
      first presentation, they received two doses of rituximab (375 mg/m(2)).
      Maintenance immunosuppressive medication was stopped. After a mean follow-up of
      43 months, three patients had four relapses. Three relapses were successfully
      retreated with rituximab again, after induction therapy with 60 mg prednisone per
      day. Rituximab was well tolerated and no infectious complications were recorded.
      CONCLUSION: Treatment with rituximab induces a long-term remission of immune
      suppression dependent MCN in adolescents and adults. A timely treatment with
      rituximab could be considered to limit side effects of immunosuppressive
      medication.

PMID- 26112055
TI  - CT volumetric analysis of pleural effusions: a comparison with thoracentesis
      volumes.
AB  - RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to compare
      computed tomography (CT) volumetric analysis of pleural effusions with
      thoracentesis volumes. The secondary objective of this study was to compare
      subjective grading of pleural effusion size with thoracentesis volumes. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 67 patients with free-flowing
      pleural effusions who underwent therapeutic thoracentesis. CT volumetric analysis
      was performed on all patients; the CT volumes were compared with the
      thoracentesis volumes. In addition, the subjective grading of pleural effusion
      size was compared with the thoracentesis volumes. RESULTS: The average difference
      between CT volume and thoracentesis volume was 9.4 mL (1.3%) +/- 290 mL (30%);
      these volumes were not statistically different (P = .79, paired two-tailed
      Student's t-test). The thoracentesis volume of a "small," "moderate," and "large"
      pleural effusion, as graded on chest CT, was found to be approximately 410 +/-
      260 cc, 770 +/- 270 mL and 1370 +/- 650 mL, respectively; the thoracentesis
      volume of a "small," "moderate," and "large" pleural effusion, as graded on chest
      radiograph, was found to be approximately 610 +/- 320 mL, 1040 +/- 460 mL, and
      1530 +/- 830 mL, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: CT volumetric analysis is an
      accessible tool that can be used to accurately quantify the size of pleural
      effusions.

PMID- 26112054
TI  - From big data analysis to personalized medicine for all: challenges and
      opportunities.
AB  - Recent advances in high-throughput technologies have led to the emergence of
      systems biology as a holistic science to achieve more precise modeling of complex
      diseases. Many predict the emergence of personalized medicine in the near future.
      We are, however, moving from two-tiered health systems to a two-tiered
      personalized medicine. Omics facilities are restricted to affluent regions, and
      personalized medicine is likely to widen the growing gap in health systems
      between high and low-income countries. This is mirrored by an increasing lag
      between our ability to generate and analyze big data. Several bottlenecks slow
      down the transition from conventional to personalized medicine: generation of
      cost-effective high-throughput data; hybrid education and multidisciplinary
      teams; data storage and processing; data integration and interpretation; and
      individual and global economic relevance. This review provides an update of
      important developments in the analysis of big data and forward strategies to
      accelerate the global transition to personalized medicine. 

PMID- 26112056
TI  - Reproducibility of VPCT parameters in the normal pancreas: comparison of two
      different kinetic calculation models.
AB  - RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the reproducibility of volume computed
      tomographic perfusion (VPCT) measurements in normal pancreatic tissue using two
      different kinetic perfusion calculation models at three different time points.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional ethical board approval was obtained for
      retrospective analysis of pancreas perfusion data sets generated by our
      prospective study for liver response monitoring to local therapy in patients
      experiencing unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, which was approved by the
      institutional review board. VPCT of the entire pancreas was performed in 41
      patients (mean age, 64.8 years) using 26 consecutive volume measurements and
      intravenous injection of 50 mL of iodinated contrast at a flow rate of 5 mL/s.
      Blood volume(BV) and blood flow (BF) were calculated using two mathematical
      methods: maximum slope + Patlak analysis versus deconvolution method. Pancreas
      perfusion was calculated using two volume of interests. Median interval between
      the first and the second VPCT was 2 days and between the second and the third
      VPCT 82 days. Variability was assessed with within-patient coefficients of
      variation (CVs) and Bland-Altman analyses. Interobserver agreement for all
      perfusion parameters was calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients
      (ICCs). RESULTS: BF and BV values varied widely by method of analysis as did
      within-patient CVs for BF and BV at the second versus the first VPCT by
      22.4%/50.4% (method 1) and 24.6%/24.0% (method 2) measured in the pancreatic head
      and 18.4%/62.6% (method 1) and 23.8%/28.1% (method 2) measured in the pancreatic
      corpus and at the third versus the first VPCT by 21.7%/61.8% (method 1) and
      25.7%/34.5% (method 2) measured also in the pancreatic head and 19.1%/66.1%
      (method 1) and 22.0%/31.8% (method 2) measured in the pancreatic corpus,
      respectively. Interobserver agreement measured with ICC shows fair-to-good
      reproducibility. CONCLUSIONS: VPCT performed with the presented examinational
      protocol is reproducible and can be used for monitoring purposes. Best
      reproducibility was obtained with both methods for BF and with method 2 also for
      BV data for both follow-up studies.

PMID- 26112057
TI  - Effect of menstrual cycle phase on background parenchymal uptake at molecular
      breast imaging.
AB  - RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The level of Tc-99m sestamibi uptake within normal
      fibroglandular tissue on molecular breast imaging (MBI), termed background
      parenchymal uptake (BPU), has been anecdotally observed to fluctuate with
      menstrual cycle. Our objective was to assess the impact of menstrual cycle phase
      on BPU appearance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Premenopausal volunteers who reported
      regular menstrual cycles and no exogenous hormone use were recruited to undergo
      serial MBI examinations during the follicular and luteal phase. A study
      radiologist, blinded to cycle phase, categorized BPU as photopenic, minimal mild,
      moderate, or marked. Change in BPU with cycle phase was determined, as well as
      correlations of BPU with mammographic density and hormone levels. RESULTS: In 42
      analyzable participants, high BPU (moderate or marked) was observed more often in
      luteal phase compared to follicular (P = .016). BPU did not change with phase in
      30 of 42 participants (71%) and increased in the luteal phase compared to
      follicular in 12 (29%). High BPU was more frequent in dense breasts compared to
      nondense breasts at both the luteal (58% [15 of 26] vs. 13% [2 of 16], P = .004)
      and follicular phases (35% [9 of 26] vs. 6% [1 of 16], P = .061). Spearman
      correlation coefficients did not show any correlation of BPU with hormone levels
      measured at either cycle phase and suggested a weak correlation between change in
      BPU and changes in estrone and estradiol between phases. CONCLUSIONS: We observed
      variable effects of menstrual cycle on BPU among our cohort of premenopausal
      women; however, when high BPU was observed, it was most frequently seen during
      the luteal phase compared to follicular phase and in women with dense breasts
      compared to nondense breasts.

PMID- 26112059
TI  - Comparison of the Effectiveness and Prognostic Factors of Intravitreal
      Ranibizumab between Typical Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration and
      Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy over 24 Months of Follow-Up.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the response to ranibizumab between patients with typical
      neovascular age-related macular degeneration (tAMD) and those with polypoidal
      choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), and to determine the predictors for the outcomes.
      METHODS: Fifty-nine eyes from 59 consecutive patients (tAMD: 27 eyes, PCV: 32
      eyes) were treated with three monthly ranibizumab injections followed by as
      needed retreatment. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and morphological
      parameters were evaluated over 24 months of follow-up. RESULTS: The mean BCVA in
      tAMD and PCV patients was significantly improved at 3 months (-0.22 and -0.09
      logMAR units, respectively). The improvement in BCVA was sustained up to 24
      months in tAMD (p = 0.01) but not in PCV patients. The significant predictor for
      good response to ranibizumab in tAMD patients was the improvement of BCVA at 3
      months, whereas that in PCV patients was the anatomical resolution at 3 months.
      CONCLUSIONS: Ranibizumab is an effective therapy for tAMD and PCV over 24 months.
      The predictors for good outcome might be different between tAMD and PCV.

PMID- 26112058
TI  - Reference values for jitter recorded by concentric needle electrodes in healthy
      controls: A multicenter study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to create reference values for jitter
      measured with concentric needle electrodes. METHODS: Operators worldwide
      contributed recordings from orbicularis oculi (OO), frontalis (FR), and extensor
      digitorum (ED) muscles in healthy controls. Criteria for acceptable signal
      quality were agreed upon in advance. Fifteen or 20 recordings of acceptable
      quality from each muscle were required for voluntary and electrical stimulation
      recordings, respectively. RESULTS: Recordings from 59 to 92 subjects were
      obtained for each muscle and activation type. Outlier limits for mean consecutive
      difference and individual jitter data for voluntary activation were: OO, 31 and
      45 us; FR, 28 and 38 us; ED, 30 and 43 us; and for electrical stimulation they
      were: OO, 27 and 36 us; FR, 21 and 28 us; ED, 24 and 35 us. CONCLUSION: Reference
      jitter values from concentric needle electrode recordings were developed from
      signals of defined quality while seeking to avoid creating supernormal values.

PMID- 26112060
TI  - Intact Automatic Imitation and Typical Spatial Compatibility in Autism Spectrum
      Disorder: Challenging the Broken Mirror Theory.
AB  - A lack of imitative behavior is frequently described as a core feature of Autism
      Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and is consistent with claims of mirror neuron system
      dysfunction in these individuals. Previous research has questioned this
      characterization of ASD however, arguing that when tests of automatic imitation
      are used--which do not require higher-level cognitive processing--imitative
      behavior is intact or even enhanced in individuals with ASD. In Experiment 1, 60
      adult individuals with ASD and a matched Control group completed an automatic
      imitation task in which they were required to perform an index or a middle finger
      lift while observing a hand making either the same, or the alternate, finger
      movement. Both groups demonstrated a significant imitation effect whereby actions
      were executed faster when preceded by observation of the same action, than when
      preceded by the alternate action. The magnitude of this "imitation effect" was
      statistically indistinguishable in the ASD and Control groups. Experiment 2
      utilized an improved automatic imitation paradigm to demonstrate that, when
      automatic imitation effects are isolated from those due to spatial compatibility,
      increasing autism symptom severity is associated with an increased tendency to
      imitate. Notably, there was no association between autism symptom severity and
      spatial compatibility, demonstrating the specificity of the link between ASD
      symptoms and increased imitation. These results provide evidence against claims
      of a lack of imitative behavior in ASD, and challenge the "Broken Mirror Theory
      of Autism."

PMID- 26112061
TI  - Black Arsenic-Phosphorus: Layered Anisotropic Infrared Semiconductors with Highly
      Tunable Compositions and Properties.
AB  - New layered anisotropic infrared semiconductors, black arsenic-phosphorus (b
      AsP), with highly tunable chemical compositions and electronic and optical
      properties are introduced. Transport and infrared absorption studies demonstrate
      the semiconducting nature of b-AsP with tunable bandgaps, ranging from 0.3 to
      0.15 eV. These bandgaps fall into the long-wavelength infrared regime and cannot
      be readily reached by other layered materials.

PMID- 26112062
TI  - Resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes to the most commonly used anthelmintics
      in sheep, cattle and horses in Spain.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the status of anthelmintic resistance
      (AR) in ruminants and horses in Spain. The efficacy of commonly used macrocyclic
      lactones (MLs) - ivermectin (IVM) and moxidectin (MOX) - was measured in sheep,
      cattle and horses. In addition, albendazole (ABZ) and levamisole (LEV) were
      evaluated in sheep and oxibendazole (OXI) and pyrantel (PYR) in horses. Efficacy
      was evaluated based on the difference between the arithmetic mean pre- and post
      treatment faecal egg count (in cattle and horses), or compared to an untreated
      control group (in sheep). AR was present when the percentage reduction in egg
      count was <95% and the lower 95% confidence interval (CI) was <90%; if only one
      of these two criteria was met, the finding was recorded as suspected AR (SAR). In
      horses, AR-PYR and OXI was considered when the percentage reduction in egg count
      was <= 90% and the lower 95% CI was <= 80%. For each animal species, at least 10
      study sites were selected. AR to at least one of the drugs was detected in all 10
      sheep flocks; the main parasite identified after treatment was Teladorsagia
      circumcincta. Moreover, in 5 flocks multidrug resistance was identified, on 4
      farms to drugs from different families, on one farm to both MOX and IVM and on
      another farm to all drugs tested. In cattle, the efficacy of both MOX and IVM was
      100% on 4 and 3 farms, respectively, and therefore 60% of these farms were
      considered to have AR or SAR to both MLs. The most frequent parasite identified
      after treatment was Trichostrongylus spp., although Ostertagia ostertagi was also
      identified after treatment on one farm. In contrast to ruminants, the 4 drugs
      evaluated in horses were highly efficacious against strongyles, with efficacies
      for the MLs and OXI between 95 and 100% and between 94 and 100% for PYR, although
      3 herds were SAR against PYR. In conclusion, AR to at least one of the commonly
      used drugs was identified on all sheep flocks investigated in the northwest of
      Spain. The occurrence of AR to MLs in cattle was higher than expected but
      consistent with what was observed in sheep. In horses, all currently used drugs
      were confirmed as effective against strongyles.

PMID- 26112063
TI  - The relationships between dysfunctional attitudes, rumination, and non-somatic
      depressive symptomatology in newly diagnosed Asian cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given the high prevalence of cancer patients with comorbid
      depression, the present study sought to elucidate the relationships between two
      vulnerability factors, dysfunctional attitudes and rumination, and their
      influence on non-somatic depressive symptomatology in an Asian cohort of cancer
      patients. It was hypothesized that all variables of interest would be inter
      correlated, and that both dysfunctional attitudes and rumination would mediate
      one another in influencing non-somatic depressive symptoms. METHODS: A total of
      194 recently diagnosed mixed-cancer patients in Singapore (Mage=49.2+/-9.2years;
      68% women; 61% ethnically Chinese), without any comorbid psychiatric diagnosis,
      completed the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale Form A, Rumination Responses Scale
      (comprising brooding and reflective rumination), and Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression Scale. RESULTS: Correlational analyses revealed that all variables
      were inter-correlated (rhos[194]=.35-.52). Bootstrapping mediation analyses
      controlling for gender and treatment received revealed that both brooding and
      reflective rumination mediated the relationship between dysfunctional attitudes
      and non-somatic depressive symptoms, and that dysfunctional attitudes also
      mediated the relationship between both brooding and reflective rumination and non
      somatic depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that, in cancer
      patients, both dysfunctional attitudes and rumination seem to act upon one other,
      in a feedback loop, to influence non-somatic depressive symptomatology.
      Clinicians may therefore have a wider range of treatments to choose from in
      managing cancer patients with depressive symptomatology.

PMID- 26112064
TI  - Effects of 72hours total sleep deprivation on male astronauts' executive
      functions and emotion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To provide evidence for better understanding stressful situations,
      the present study was designed to investigate the specific physiological and
      psychological responses under stressful situations like social isolation and
      sleep deprivation. METHODS: Twelve healthy male adults (age: 18-30years old) who
      participated in our study were randomized to the 72hours of social isolation and
      72hours of sleep deprivation experimental conditions. Performances (event-related
      potentials and physiological activities) on the Go/Nogo task which reflected the
      executive functions were accessed at baseline (pretest) and after 72-hour of the
      experiment (posttest). RESULTS: The results showed that compared to the social
      isolation, the participants got strengthened heart rate (HR), weakened HR
      variability and smaller amplitude of the P300 under the sleep deprivation
      condition; moreover, they had lower positive emotion and higher negative mood in
      the posttest. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated that sleep deprivation
      specifically influenced the intensity of task-relevant information processing,
      mood and vagal tone.

PMID- 26112065
TI  - Racial Differences in Minnesota Nursing Home Residents' Quality of Life: The
      Importance of Looking Beyond Individual Predictors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate racial differences in nursing
      home (NH) residents' quality of life (QOL) at the resident and facility levels.
      METHOD: We used hierarchical linear modeling to identify significant resident-
      and facility-level predictors for racial differences in six resident-reported QOL
      domains. Data came from the following: (a) resident-reported QOL (n = 10,929),
      (b) the Minimum Data Set, and (c) facility-level characteristics from the
      Minnesota Department of Human Services (n = 376). RESULTS: White residents
      reported higher QOL in five of six domains, but in full models, individual-level
      racial differences remained only for food enjoyment. On the facility level,
      higher percentage of White residents was associated with better scores in three
      domains, even after adjusting for all characteristics. DISCUSSION: Racial
      differences in QOL exist on individual and aggregate levels. Individual
      differences are mainly explained by health status. The finding that facility
      racial composition predicts QOL more than individual race underscores the
      importance of examining NH structural characteristics and practices.

PMID- 26112066
TI  - Age Differences in the Association Between Body Mass Index Class and Annualized
      Medicare Expenditures.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to assess the relationship between body mass
      index (BMI) class and Medicare claims among young-old (65-69), old (70-74), and
      old-old (75+) adults over a 10-year period. METHOD: We assessed costs by BMI
      class and age group among 9,300 respondents to the 1998 Health and Retirement
      Study (HRS) with linked 1998-2008 Medicare claims data. BMI was classified as
      normal (18.5-24.9), overweight (25-29.9), mild obesity (30-34.9), or severe
      obesity (35 or above). RESULTS: Annualized total Medicare claims adjusted for
      age, gender, ethnicity, education, and smoking history were 109% greater for
      severely obese young-old adults in comparison with normal weight young-old adults
      (US$9,751 vs. US$4,663). Total annualized claim differences between the normal
      weight and severely obese in the old and old-old groups were not statistically
      significant. DISCUSSION: Excess Medicare expenditures related to obesity may be
      concentrated among severely obese young-old adults. Preventing severe obesity
      among middle and older aged adults may have large cost implications for society.

PMID- 26112067
TI  - Recent progress in the drug development of coumarin derivatives as potent
      antituberculosis agents.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) is still a challenging worldwide health problem and
      mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) remains one of the most deadly human pathogens.
      TB is the second leading infectious cause of mortality today behind only
      HIV/AIDS. The impetus for developing new structural classes of antituberculosis
      drugs comes from the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains. The
      development of MDR strains to commonly used drugs is due to, longer durations of
      therapy as results of resistance, and the resurgence of the disease in immune
      compromised patients. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore new
      antitubercular (anti-TB) agents. Ironically, the low number of potentially new
      chemical entities which can act as anti-TB candidates is of great importance at
      present situation. Considering the severity of the problem, WHO has prepared a
      strategic plan in Berlin declaration 2007 to stop TB, globally. Among the oxygen
      heterocycles, coumarin derivatives are important motifs, which can be widely
      found in many natural products, and many of them displaying diverse biological
      activities. This spectacular spectrum of applications has intrigued organic and
      medicinal chemists for decades to explore the natural coumarins or their
      synthetic analogs for their applicability as anti-TB drugs. To pave the way for
      the future research, there is a need to collect the latest information in this
      promising area. In the present review, we collated published reports on coumarin
      derivatives to shed light on the insights on different types of methods reported
      for their preparations, characterizations and anti-TB applications, so that its
      full therapeutic potential class of compounds can be utilized for the treatment
      of tuberculosis. Therefore, the objective of this review is to focus on important
      coumarin analogs with anti-TB activities, and structure-activity relationships
      (SAR) for designing the better anti-TB agents. It is hoped that, this review will
      be helpful for new thoughts in the quest for rational designs of more active and
      less toxic coumarin-based anti-TB drugs. 

PMID- 26112068
TI  - Applications of a new type of poly(methyl methacrylate)/TiO2 nanocomposite as an
      antibacterial agent and a reducing photocatalyst.
AB  - A new type of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/TiO2 nanocomposite film sensitized
      by ionic liquids with a low dosage of TiO2 nanoparticles was prepared based on a
      microemulsion method. The photocatalytic activity, via the photoreduction of 4
      nitrophenole (4-NP) to 4-aminophenole (4-AP) by NaBH4, and the photocatalytic
      based antibacterial activity, for the destruction of Escherichia coli and
      Staphylococcus aureus, of the prepared nanocomposite film were investigated. The
      conditions for the maximum efficiency in the presence of visible light
      irradiation have been evaluated. The rate constant of the photoreduction of 4-NP
      to 4-AP was calculated and the maximum rate constant was found with the 0.01 wt%
      of TiO2 dosage in the photocatalyst and a solution pH of 7.5. The photocatalytic
      antibacterial maximum activity against Gram-negative bacteria was also obtained
      for the 0.01 wt% of TiO2 concentration of the photocatalyst. A notable result of
      this work is that PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposite films show efficient photocatalytic
      activity at very low loadings of TiO2, in contrast to other previous reports. 

PMID- 26112069
TI  - The potential of decision support systems to improve risk assessment for pollen
      beetle management in winter oilseed rape.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reliance on and extensive use of pyrethroid insecticides have led
      to pyrethroid resistance in pollen beetle (Meligethes aeneus). Widespread
      adoption of best practice in pollen beetle management is therefore needed.
      Decision support systems (DSSs) that identify the risk period(s) for pest
      migration can help to target monitoring and control efforts, but they must be
      accurate and labour efficient to gain the support of growers. Weather data and
      the phenology of pollen beetles in 44 winter oilseed rape crops across England
      over 4 years were used to compare the performance of two risk management tools:
      the DSS proPlant expert, which predicts migration risk according to a
      phenological model and local weather data, and 'rule-based advice', which depends
      on crop growth stage and a temperature threshold. RESULTS: Both risk management
      tools were effective in prompting monitoring that would detect breaches of
      various control thresholds. However, the DSS more accurately predicted migration
      start and advised significantly fewer days of migration risk, consultation days
      and monitoring than did rule-based advice. CONCLUSION: The proPlant expert DSS
      reliably models pollen beetle phenology. Use of such a DSS can focus monitoring
      effort to when it is most needed, facilitate the practical use of thresholds and
      help to prevent unnecessary insecticide applications and the development of
      insecticide resistance.

PMID- 26112070
TI  - Whole-genome sequencing of uropathogenic Escherichia coli reveals long
      evolutionary history of diversity and virulence.
AB  - Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are phenotypically and genotypically very
      diverse. This diversity makes it challenging to understand the evolution of UPEC
      adaptations responsible for causing urinary tract infections (UTI). To gain
      insight into the relationship between evolutionary divergence and adaptive paths
      to uropathogenicity, we sequenced at deep coverage (190*) the genomes of 19 E.
      coli strains from urinary tract infection patients from the same geographic area.
      Our sample consisted of 14 UPEC isolates and 5 non-UTI-causing (commensal) rectal
      E. coli isolates. After identifying strain variants using de novo assembly-based
      methods, we clustered the strains based on pairwise sequence differences using a
      neighbor-joining algorithm. We examined evolutionary signals on the whole-genome
      phylogeny and contrasted these signals with those found on gene trees constructed
      based on specific uropathogenic virulence factors. The whole-genome phylogeny
      showed that the divergence between UPEC and commensal E. coli strains without
      known UPEC virulence factors happened over 32 million generations ago. Pairwise
      diversity between any two strains was also high, suggesting multiple genetic
      origins of uropathogenic strains in a small geographic region. Contrasting the
      whole-genome phylogeny with three gene trees constructed from common
      uropathogenic virulence factors, we detected no selective advantage of these
      virulence genes over other genomic regions. These results suggest that UPEC
      acquired uropathogenicity long time ago and used it opportunistically to cause
      extraintestinal infections. 

PMID- 26112071
TI  - Recent advances and perspectives in molecular epidemiology of Taenia solium
      cysticercosis.
AB  - Cysticercosis caused by accidental ingestion of eggs of Taenia solium is
      spreading all over the world through globalization and is one of the most
      neglected, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) or neglected zoonotic diseases
      (NZDs). In the present study, the reason why T. solium cysticercosis has been
      neglected is discussed at first, and followed with an overview on the most recent
      advances and perspectives in molecular approaches for epidemiology of T. solium
      taeniasis/cysticercosis, since although taeniasis does not constitute recognized
      zoonoses, transmission and complete development are dependent on human definitive
      hosts. Main topics are discussions on (1) the two, Asian and Afro/American,
      genotypes of T. solium, (2) comparative analysis of mitochondrial (haploid) and
      nuclear (diploid) genes, and (3) the presence of hybrids of these two genotypes
      which indicates out-crossing of two genotypes in hermaphrodite tapeworms in
      Madagascar. Additional topics are on (4) the usefulness of phylogeographic
      analyses to discuss where the infection was acquired from, and (5) miscellaneous
      unsolved topics around these genetic diversity of T. solium.

PMID- 26112073
TI  - Magnetic resonance arthrography of the wrist with axial traction: An iconographic
      review.
AB  - Stress maneuvers inspired by arthroscopic techniques have been previously studied
      for MRA of shoulder, hip, knee and wrist. Axial traction in MRA of the wrist is
      advantageous to study intrinsic ligaments and cartilage, but seems useless to
      assess tendons or nerves disorders. Based on our experience and a well-chosen
      iconography, we would like to emphasize the contribution of axial traction in MRA
      of wrist disorders. 

PMID- 26112072
TI  - The TatC component of the twin-arginine protein translocase functions as an
      obligate oligomer.
AB  - The Tat protein export system translocates folded proteins across the bacterial
      cytoplasmic membrane and the plant thylakoid membrane. The Tat system in
      Escherichia coli is composed of TatA, TatB and TatC proteins. TatB and TatC form
      an oligomeric, multivalent receptor complex that binds Tat substrates, while
      multiple protomers of TatA assemble at substrate-bound TatBC receptors to
      facilitate substrate transport. We have addressed whether oligomerisation of TatC
      is an absolute requirement for operation of the Tat pathway by screening for
      dominant negative alleles of tatC that inactivate Tat function in the presence of
      wild-type tatC. Single substitutions that confer dominant negative TatC activity
      were localised to the periplasmic cap region. The variant TatC proteins retained
      the ability to interact with TatB and with a Tat substrate but were unable to
      support the in vivo assembly of TatA complexes. Blue-native PAGE analysis showed
      that the variant TatC proteins produced smaller TatBC complexes than the wild
      type TatC protein. The substitutions did not alter disulphide crosslinking to
      neighbouring TatC molecules from positions in the periplasmic cap but abolished a
      substrate-induced disulphide crosslink in transmembrane helix 5 of TatC. Our
      findings show that TatC functions as an obligate oligomer. 

PMID- 26112074
TI  - Pelvic trauma and vascular emergencies.
AB  - Pelvic ring injuries carry a high mortality rate, the main cause of which, in the
      first 24hours, is exsanguination. Injured patients are managed by a
      multidisciplinary damage-control strategy. Unstable patients should have
      instrumentalized hemostasis without delay. Arterial embolization is an effective
      way of achieving this and justifies this approach being permanently available in
      level 1 trauma-centers. After CT assessment of injuries, stable patients can
      undergo arterial embolization if active arterial bleeding or vascular damage is
      present. The embolization methods (selective or unselective) and agents used
      depend on the patient's hemodynamic stage and assessment of the injury whenever
      possible. 

PMID- 26112075
TI  - Biochemical performance of native and introduced clam species living in sympatry:
      The role of elements accumulation and partitioning.
AB  - The present study reports metal and arsenic contamination in sediments, as well
      as element accumulation and partitioning in native (Ruditapes decussatus and
      Venerupis corrugata) and introduced (Ruditapes philippinarum) clam species living
      in sympatry at the Obidos lagoon (Portugal). The biochemical performance and the
      human health risks derived from the consumption of these species are also
      discussed. The results obtained showed that R. decussatus was the most abundant
      species in all the sampling sites, revealing that the introduced clam has not yet
      supplanted the native species. The concentration of elements was higher in areas
      with higher Total Organic Matter (TOM) and fines content, being Chromium (Cr),
      Copper (Cu) and Lead (Pb) the most abundant metals. Clams from these areas showed
      the highest concentration of elements but the lowest bioaccumulation levels.
      Furthermore, except for As, higher concentration of elements was found in clams
      insoluble fraction, the less toxic fraction to the organisms. Due to the low
      contamination levels and because elements, except As, were mainly allocated to
      the insoluble fraction, clams presented similar biochemical parameters among
      distinct areas, with no significant oxidative stress induced. Furthermore, clams
      from the Obidos lagoon represent a low health risk to human consumption since,
      except for As, their contamination levels were below the maximum permissible
      limits defined by international organizations. 

PMID- 26112076
TI  - Population-level tuberculosis incidence in the ART era.

PMID- 26112078
TI  - beta-Blocker Therapy in the Era of Primary Percutaneous Intervention for ST
      Elevation Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: With the present therapeutic advances in the era of primary
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the role of beta-blockers in ST
      elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) has remained contentious. METHODS:
      We analyzed the data and clinical outcomes of 901 STEMI patients who had
      undergone primary PCI. We classified the patients into beta-blocker (n = 598) and
      non-beta-blocker groups (n = 303). RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of all-cause
      death was 10.0% in the beta-blocker group and 25.4% in the non-beta-blocker group
      (p < 0.001). The incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) was 22.1% in
      the beta-blocker group and 34.3% in the non-beta-blocker group (p < 0.001). The
      relative hazard ratio (HR) of beta-blockers for all-cause death and MACE with low
      left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF; <50%) was 0.55 [95% confidence interval
      (CI) 0.35-0.86, p = 0.009] and 0.75 (95% CI 0.51-1.09, p = 0.125), respectively.
      In patients with normal LVEF (>=50%), the relative HR of beta-blockers for death
      and MACE were 0.50 (95% CI 0.29-0.88, p = 0.016) and 0.75 (95% CI 0.51-1.12, p =
      0.162), respectively. After propensity score matching of the difference of the
      baseline characteristics, the Kaplan-Meier survival curve demonstrated lower
      mortality in the beta-blocker group than in the non-beta-blocker group with both
      low LVEF and normal LVEF (p = 0.02 and p = 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:
      beta-Blockers have beneficial clinical outcomes in the era of primary PCI for
      STEMI, regardless of the LVEF. (c) 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

PMID- 26112077
TI  - Nationwide and regional incidence of microbiologically confirmed pulmonary
      tuberculosis in South Africa, 2004-12: a time series analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: South Africa has the highest incidence of tuberculosis in the world,
      largely resulting from a high population prevalence of HIV infection. We
      investigated the incidence of microbiologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis,
      and new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis registered for treatment, nationally and
      provincially in South Africa from 2004 to 2012, during which time there were
      changes in antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage among individuals with HIV
      infection. METHODS: We identified cases of microbiologically confirmed pulmonary
      tuberculosis from 2004 to 2012 from the National Health Laboratory Service
      Corporate Data Warehouse. New cases registered for treatment were identified from
      National Department of Health electronic registries. A time series analysis,
      using autoregressive models, was undertaken on incidence of microbiologically
      confirmed pulmonary disease nationally and provincially; this trend was also
      examined relative to ART coverage of adults with HIV infection. FINDINGS: During
      the 9-year period, 3 523 371 cases of microbiologically confirmed pulmonary
      tuberculosis were recorded nationally. Annual incidence (per 100 000 population)
      increased from 650 (95% CI 648-652) in 2004 to 848 (845-850) in 2008, declining
      to 774 (771-776) by 2012 (9% decrease from 2008 to 2012). Incidence varied by age
      group, sex, and province. There was an inverse association between incidence of
      microbiologically confirmed disease and ART coverage among HIV-infected
      individuals nationally and provincially. Trends in incidence of tuberculosis
      cases registered for treatment mirrored those of microbiologically confirmed
      cases nationally and provincially; however, incidence of microbiologically
      confirmed cases was consistently higher than cases registered for treatment
      nationally and in seven of nine provinces. INTERPRETATION: Since its peak in
      2008, the incidence of microbiologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis in
      South Africa had declined by 2012; this decline is associated with an increase in
      ART coverage. Future integration of registries for microbiologically confirmed
      cases and new cases registered for treatment would improve the assessment of the
      burden of pulmonary tuberculosis in South Africa. FUNDING: National Institute for
      Communicable Diseases: Division of the National Health Laboratory Service, South
      Africa.

PMID- 26112080
TI  - Liver toxicity in colorectal cancer patients treated with first-line FOLFIRI
      containing regimen: a single institution experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-induced toxic liver injury is a relevant issue in the
      clinical management of patients affected with metastatic colorectal cancer
      (mCRC). This retrospective study evaluated patterns of liver toxicity in patients
      treated with FOLinic acid, Fluorouracil, IRInotecan (FOLFIRI)-based regimens.
      METHODS: One hundred and fifty-six mCRC patients treated at the University Campus
      Bio-Medico between January 2003 and January 2013 were included in this
      retrospective analysis. All patients received a FOLFIRI backbone-based
      chemotherapy. Basal liver enzymes levels were assessed before starting the
      treatment and before every therapy course. R ratio and the aspartate
      aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio were calculated. RESULTS: Ninety
      one patients were male versus 55 female, and the median age of the population was
      62 years (range: 38-83). Most patients had liver involvement at the beginning of
      first-line regimen (101 patients, 64.74%) and 59 patients had received a previous
      5-FU based therapy in the adjuvant setting (37.82%). Aspartate aminotransferase
      level (167.87 vs 41.05 U/l; p < 0.001), Alanine aminotransferase level (94.48 vs
      39.80 U/l; p = 0.004) and alkaline phosphatase (289.0 vs 172.44 U/l; p = 0.02)
      were significantly increased during the first 3 months of treatment. In the
      entire population, the calculated R ratio was 3.96 (95% CI: 3.25-4.51). In all
      three regimens, the calculated R ratio was between 2 and 5, without any
      statistical differences. CONCLUSIONS: FOLFIRI-based hepatotoxicity has been
      indirectly defined as a mixed pattern injury in all three regimens evaluated.

PMID- 26112081
TI  - The straintronic spin-neuron.
AB  - In artificial neural networks, neurons are usually implemented with highly
      dissipative CMOS-based operational amplifiers. A more energy-efficient
      implementation is a 'spin-neuron' realized with a magneto-tunneling junction
      (MTJ) that is switched with a spin-polarized current (representing weighted sum
      of input currents) that either delivers a spin transfer torque or induces domain
      wall motion in the soft layer of the MTJ to mimic neuron firing. Here, we propose
      and analyze a different type of spin-neuron in which the soft layer of the MTJ is
      switched with mechanical strain generated by a voltage (representing weighted sum
      of input voltages) and term it straintronic spin-neuron. It dissipates orders of
      magnitude less energy in threshold operations than the traditional current-driven
      spin neuron at 0 K temperature and may even be faster. We have also studied the
      room-temperature firing behaviors of both types of spin neurons and find that
      thermal noise degrades the performance of both types, but the current-driven type
      is degraded much more than the straintronic type if both are optimized for
      maximum energy-efficiency. On the other hand, if both are designed to have the
      same level of thermal degradation, then the current-driven version will dissipate
      orders of magnitude more energy than the straintronic version. Thus, the
      straintronic spin-neuron is superior to current-driven spin neurons. 

PMID- 26112079
TI  - Viral Infection of Tumors Overcomes Resistance to PD-1-immunotherapy by
      Broadening Neoantigenome-directed T-cell Responses.
AB  - There is evidence that viral oncolysis is synergistic with immune checkpoint
      inhibition in cancer therapy but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we
      investigated whether local viral infection of malignant tumors is capable of
      overcoming systemic resistance to PD-1-immunotherapy by modulating the spectrum
      of tumor-directed CD8 T-cells. To focus on neoantigen-specific CD8 T-cell
      responses, we performed transcriptomic sequencing of PD-1-resistant CMT64 lung
      adenocarcinoma cells followed by algorithm-based neoepitope prediction.
      Investigations on neoepitope-specific T-cell responses in tumor-bearing mice
      demonstrated that PD-1 immunotherapy was insufficient whereas viral oncolysis
      elicited cytotoxic T-cell responses to a conserved panel of neoepitopes. After
      combined treatment, we observed that PD-1-blockade did not affect the magnitude
      of oncolysis-mediated antitumoral immune responses but a broader spectrum of T
      cell responses including additional neoepitopes was observed. Oncolysis of the
      primary tumor significantly abrogated systemic resistance to PD-1-immunotherapy
      leading to improved elimination of disseminated lung tumors. Our observations
      were confirmed in a transgenic murine model of liver cancer where viral oncolysis
      strongly induced PD-L1 expression in primary liver tumors and lung metastasis.
      Furthermore, we demonstrated that combined treatment completely inhibited
      dissemination in a CD8 T-cell-dependent manner. Therefore, our results strongly
      recommend further evaluation of virotherapy and concomitant PD-1 immunotherapy in
      clinical studies. 

PMID- 26112082
TI  - Acute Sensorineural Hearing Loss After Abuse of an Inhaled, Crushed Oxymorphone
      Extended-Release Tablet.
AB  - Oxymorphone, a semisynthetic MU-opioid receptor agonist, is the major active
      metabolite of oxycodone. It is a highly potent narcotic analgesic due to its high
      lipid solubility, which allows it to readily cross the blood-brain barrier and
      enter the central nervous system. It is available as both an immediate-release
      and extended-release (ER) formulation. Oxymorphone can be abused by injection or
      inhalation of crushed tablets; thus, in 2011, the manufacturer of ER oxymorphone
      reformulated the drug with crush-resistant technology to deter its misuse and
      abuse. We describe the case of a previously healthy, 24-year-old male who
      experienced reproducible acute subjective bilateral temporary hearing loss that
      occurred after inhalation of oxymorphone. He presented to the emergency
      department complaining of acute bilateral hearing loss after he reported snorting
      a crushed oxymorphone ER 30-mg tablet. Emergency department evaluation revealed
      obvious bilateral hearing loss as well as coincidental aspiration pneumonia. The
      patient's medical history revealed that he had experienced a similar episode of
      hearing loss after a previous episode of oxymorphone inhalation. His hearing loss
      began to improve 3 hours after presentation to the emergency department and was
      completely resolved by the following day. Use of the Naranjo adverse drug
      reaction probability scale revealed oxymorphone to be a probable cause of this
      patient's acute hearing loss (score of 6). The mechanism of action of opioid
      associated hearing loss (OAHL) is not completely understood, but it is thought to
      be due to disturbances within the cochlea, such as cochlear ischemia. To our
      knowledge, this is only the second published case report of acute reversible
      hearing loss following oxymorphone inhalation and the first published case report
      of reproducible OAHL. Since opioid misuse continues to be prevalent despite
      attempts at reformulations to make the drugs crush resistant, a high degree of
      clinical suspicion is needed to evaluate and treat patients who present with
      unique findings after episodes of substance abuse, especially those related to
      tamper-resistant formulations.

PMID- 26112083
TI  - Hyperbaric oxygen pre-treatment impairs anoxic tolerance but improves
      hyperglycemic tolerance in peripheral nerve.
AB  - Prior research has suggested that treatment with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) may
      change energy metabolism in the peripheral nerve, potentially resulting in
      improved tolerance to hyperglycemia and anoxia. In this paper, the in vitro rat
      sciatic nerve model was used to explore the effects of a single 90 min treatment
      with either 1 or 3 atmospheres of: oxygen, nitrogen or air on the ability of the
      peripheral nerve to tolerate intermittent anoxia or hyperglycemia. After this
      treatment, the nerve was placed in a perfusion system where the nerve action
      potential (NAP) was continuously recorded over the duration of a 16 h experiment.
      The amplitude, paired pulse response, velocity and duration of the NAP were used
      as markers of peripheral nerve function. The perfusate contained either 5 mmol/L
      or 55 mmol/L glucose and was either continuously oxygenated or intermittently
      replaced by an oxygen free solution of identical composition. HBO treatment
      primarily affected the amplitude and duration of the NAP. HBO improved the NAP in
      continuously oxygenated nerves exposed to the 55 mmol/L glucose perfusate but not
      the 5 mmol/L. However, it worsened the NAP in nerves exposed to intermittent
      anoxia and increased the rate at which the amplitude of the NAP declined during
      anoxia. Pressure had an effect on the NAP only for oxygen but not nitrogen or
      air. The effect of the HBO treatment persisted more than 1 h after the end of the
      treatment.

PMID- 26112085
TI  - Introduction and Welcome.

PMID- 26112091
TI  - Sensorineural hearing loss following induction chemotherapy plus concurrent
      chemoradiotherapy for advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of sensorineural hearing loss between those
      treated with docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil induction chemotherapy
      followed by carboplatin concurrent chemoradiotherapy and those treated with
      conventional concurrent chemoradiotherapy for advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
      METHODS: Serial pure tone audiometry was conducted in 36 nasopharyngeal carcinoma
      patients who were randomised into 2 groups. The first group received docetaxel,
      cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil induction chemotherapy followed by carboplatin
      concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The second group received conventional concurrent
      chemoradiotherapy. RESULTS: The incidence of sensorineural hearing loss at speech
      frequency in the first group was 10 per cent and in the second group was 50 per
      cent (p = 0.0027). Bone conduction thresholds were significantly increased after
      completion of the treatment at 2-4 kHz in the first group and at all frequencies
      in the second group. CONCLUSION: The docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil
      induction chemotherapy regimen followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy was
      associated with a lower incidence of sensorineural hearing loss than conventional
      concurrent chemoradiotherapy. This regimen may be the preferred choice of
      treatment for hearing preservation.

PMID- 26112092
TI  - Chromosome Banding in Amphibia. XXXII. The Genus Xenopus (Anura, Pipidae).
AB  - Mitotic chromosomes of 16 species of the frog genus Xenopus were prepared from
      kidney and lung cell cultures. In the chromosomes of 7 species, high-resolution
      replication banding patterns could be induced by treating the cultures with 5
      bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and deoxythymidine (dT) in succession, and in 6 of these
      species the BrdU/dT-banded chromosomes could be arranged into karyotypes. In the
      3 species of the clade with 2n = 20 and 4n = 40 chromosomes (X. tropicalis, X.
      epitropicalis, X. new tetraploid 1), as well as in the 3 species with 4n = 36
      chromosomes (X. laevis, X. borealis, X. muelleri), the BrdU/dT-banded karyotypes
      show a high degree of homoeology, though differences were detected between these
      groups. Translocations, inversions, insertions or sex-specific replication bands
      were not observed. Minor replication asynchronies found between chromosomes
      probably involve heterochromatic regions. BrdU/dT replication banding of Xenopus
      chromosomes provides the landmarks necessary for the exact physical mapping of
      genes and repetitive sequences. FISH with an X. laevis 5S rDNA probe detected
      multiple hybridization sites at or near the long-arm telomeric regions in most
      chromosomes of X. laevis and X. borealis, whereas in X. muelleri, the 5S rDNA
      sequences are located exclusively at the long-arm telomeres of a single
      chromosome pair. Staining with the AT base pair-specific fluorochrome quinacrine
      mustard revealed brightly fluorescing heterochromatic regions in the majority of
      X. borealis chromosomes which are absent in other Xenopus species.

PMID- 26112093
TI  - Protective effect of a novel Rho kinase inhibitor WAR-5 in experimental
      autoimmune encephalomyelitis by modulating inflammatory response and neurotrophic
      factors.
AB  - The Rho-kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Fasudil has proven beneficial in experimental
      autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Given the small safety window of Fasudil, we
      are looking for novel ROCK inhibitors, which have similar or stronger effect on
      EAE with greater safety. In this study, we report that WAR-5, a Y-27632
      derivative, alleviates the clinical symptoms, attenuates myelin damage and
      reduces CNS inflammatory responses in EAE C57BL/6 mice at an extent similar to
      Fasudil, while exhibits less vasodilator and adverse reaction in vivo. WAR-5
      inhibits ROCK activity, and selectively suppresses the expression of ROCK II in
      spleen, brain and spinal cord of EAE mice, especially in spinal cord, accompanied
      by decreased expression of Nogo. WAR-5 also regulates the imbalance of Th1/Th17 T
      cells and regulatory T cells, inhibits inflammatory microenvironment induced with
      NF-kappaB-IL-1beta pathway. Importantly, WAR-5 converts M1 toward M2
      microglia/macrophages that are positively correlated with BDNF and NT-3
      production. Taken together, WAR-5 exhibits therapeutic potential in EAE by more
      selectively inhibits ROCK II, with a greater safety than Fasudil, and is worthy
      of further clinical study to clarify its clinical value. 

PMID- 26112095
TI  - S100P and HYAL2 as prognostic markers for patients with triple-negative breast
      cancer.
AB  - Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a group of very aggressive breast
      tumours, characterised by lack of expression of oestrogen receptor (ER),
      progesterone receptor (PR) and erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (ERBB2/HER2).
      Nevertheless, TNBCs show different clinical characteristics and are very diverse
      regarding prognostic outcome. So far, only a few prognostic markers for TNBC have
      been reported that could be helpful for therapeutic stratification. Here we have
      analysed the expression of S100P and HYAL2 using immunohistochemistry (IHC) in a
      TNBC cohort of 98 patients with a follow-up for recurrence and death. TNBC
      patients with high expression of both proteins showed significantly shorter
      progression-free survival (PFS) (mean PFS=35.9months, P=0.001) compared to TNBC
      patients with high expression levels of only one of the proteins (mean
      PFS=69.4months) and to TNBC patients with low expression of both proteins (mean
      PFS=83.3months). Moreover, multivariate Cox-regression model showed the combined
      expression of S100P and HYAL2 as independent prognostic factor for PFS (P=0.001).
      The expression of S100P and HYAL2 indicated similar prognostic effect to the
      overall survival (OS) of TNBC patients. In addition, high expression levels of
      both S100P and HYAL2 showed significant association with different
      clinicopathological characteristics, such as more recurrence events (P=0.004),
      and higher occurrence of metastasis (P=0.002). Our study proposes S100P and HYAL2
      as potential prognostic markers for TNBC.

PMID- 26112096
TI  - Assessment of association between genetic variants in microRNA genes hsa-miR-499,
      hsa-miR-196a2 and hsa-miR-27a and prostate cancer risk in Serbian population.
AB  - Due to their potentially functional significance, genetic variants within
      microRNA genes have been recognized as candidates for cancer-related genetic
      biomarkers. Among the most extensively studied so far are rs3746444, rs11614913
      and rs895819. Nevertheless, only few previous studies in Asian population
      analyzed the association of rs3746444 and rs11614913 with prostate cancer (PCa)
      risk, while rs895819 was not evaluated in relation to this issue. The aim of this
      study was to assess the possible association between these genetic variants and
      PCa risk and progression in Serbian population. 355 samples of peripheral blood
      were obtained from the patients with PCa and 353 samples from patients with
      benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). 312 volunteers derived from general
      population who gave samples of buccal swabs were included in the control group.
      Genotyping of rs3746444, rs11614913 and rs895819 was performed by using PCR-RFLP
      method, HRM analysis and allele-specific PCR, respectively. Allelic and genotypic
      associations were evaluated by unconditional linear (for serum PSA level in PCa
      patients) and logistic regression method with adjustment for age. Minor allele C
      of rs895819 was found to be associated with the increased risk of developing PCa
      under dominant (P=0.035; OR=1.38, 95%CI 1.02-1.86) and overdominant (P=0.04;
      OR=1.37, 95%CI 1.01-1.85) genetic model. Same genetic variant was found to be
      associated with the clinical stage of localized PCa, as well as with the presence
      of distant metastases. Allele G of rs3746444 was also shown to be associated with
      the decreased risk of PCa progression. According to our data, rs3746444 qualifies
      for a genetic variant potentially associated with PCa aggressiveness in Serbian
      population. Furthermore, our study provided the first evidence of association
      between rs895819 and PCa risk, as well as for its genetic association with the
      presence of distant metastases among PCa patients.

PMID- 26112094
TI  - Fat-laden macrophages modulate lobular inflammation in nonalcoholic
      steatohepatitis (NASH).
AB  - Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by extensive hepatic
      monocyte infiltration and monocyte-derived macrophages have an important role in
      regulating the disease evolution. However, little is known about the functional
      changes occurring in liver macrophages during NASH progression. In this study, we
      investigated phenotypic and functional modifications of hepatic macrophages in
      experimental NASH induced by feeding C57BL/6 mice with a methionine-choline
      deficient (MCD) diet up to 8weeks. In mice with steatohepatitis liver F4/80
      positive macrophages increased in parallel with the disease progression and
      formed small clusters of enlarged and vacuolated cells. At immunofluorescence
      these cells contained lipid vesicles positive for the apoptotic cell marker
      Annexin V suggesting the phagocytosis of apoptotic bodies derived from dead fat
      laden hepatocytes. Flow cytometry revealed that these enlarged macrophages
      expressed inflammatory monocyte (CD11b, Ly6C, TNF-alpha) markers. However, as
      compared to regular size macrophages the enlarged sub-set was characterized by an
      enhanced production of arginase-1 and of the anti-inflammatory mediators IL-10
      and annexin A1. Similar vacuolated macrophages producing annexin A1 were also
      evident in liver biopsies of NASH patients. In mice with NASH, the accumulation
      of enlarged F4/80(+) cells paralleled with a decline in the expression of the
      macrophage M1 activation markers iNOS, IL-12 and CXCL10, while the levels of M2
      polarization markers arginase-1 and MGL-1 were unchanged. Interestingly, the
      lowering of IL-12 expression mainly involved the macrophage sub-set with regular
      size. We conclude that during the progression of NASH fat accumulation within
      liver macrophages promotes the production of anti-inflammatory mediators that
      influence hepatic inflammatory responses.

PMID- 26112098
TI  - The Role of Topical Brimonidine Tartrate Gel as a Novel Therapeutic Option for
      Persistent Facial Erythema Associated with Rosacea.
AB  - Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that commonly presents with
      persistent facial erythema with or without the coincident presence of flushing,
      telangiectasias, inflammatory papules or pustules, phymatous changes, or ocular
      involvement. Patients often present with a constellation of various signs and
      symptoms of the disease, and an individualized treatment plan should be tailored
      to a patient's unique clinical presentation. Previously available medications for
      rosacea have all targeted the inflammatory erythematous papules and pustules
      frequently associated with the disease, leaving a therapeutic gap for the common
      manifestation of persistent facial erythema. Brimonidine tartrate 0.33% gel was
      approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in August 2013 as the first
      medication available for the topical treatment of persistent facial erythema
      associated with rosacea. Brimonidine gel is a highly selective alpha2-adrenergic
      receptor agonist with potent vasoconstrictive effects, which leads to significant
      reduction of persistent facial erythema in the majority of patients when applied
      once daily. Based on large-scale clinical trials and post-marketing reports,
      brimonidine gel has maintained a good safety profile with a minority of patients
      experiencing adverse effects from its use, most of which are cutaneous in nature,
      mild-to-moderate in degree, occur early after initiation of treatment, often
      resolve spontaneously with continued use, and generally resolve after
      discontinuation of use. Among the reported adverse effects, two distinct
      manifestations of worsened erythema have been described. Brimonidine gel can be
      integrated into a treatment regimen along with concomitant therapies for facial
      papules and pustules with no increased risk of adverse events with combination
      therapy. Education about optimal application methods, setting reasonable
      expectations for treatment, and minimizing inflammation are important factors for
      the successful use of brimonidine gel as part of a patient's overall rosacea
      treatment regimen. 

PMID- 26112097
TI  - Hypermethylation of FOXD3 suppresses cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis
      in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - As a transcriptional repressor, forkhead box D3 (FOXD3) plays an important role
      in tumorigenesis and progression of several tumors. However, the function and
      methylation status of FOXD3 remain unknown in the progression of hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we found that FOXD3 was decreased in HCC tissues
      and correlated with differentiation, AFP and poor survival of HCC patients
      (p<0.05). Down-regulation of FOXD3 in HCC tissues was mainly due to promoter
      hypermethylation. In vitro and in vivo functional results showed that ectopic
      FOXD3 inhibited the proliferation, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition
      (EMT) and invasion in HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells, and FOXD3 depletion in HepG2 and
      QGY-7701 cells showed the adverse effects (p<0.05). Moreover, FOXD3 was
      sufficient to suppress tumor growth and pulmonary metastatic potential in mice.
      Our findings suggest that down-regulation of FOXD3, due to promoter
      hypermethylation plays an important role in the progression of HCC and may be a
      promising prognostic biomarker for HCC patients. 

PMID- 26112100
TI  - Intracellular synthesis of glutamic acid in Bacillus methylotrophicus SK19.001, a
      glutamate-independent poly(gamma-glutamic acid)-producing strain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacillus methylotrophicus SK19.001 is a glutamate-independent strain
      that produces poly(gamma-glutamic acid) (gamma-PGA), a polymer of D- and L
      glutamic acids that possesses applications in food, the environment, agriculture,
      etc. This study was undertaken to explore the synthetic pathway of intracellular
      L- and D-glutamic acid in SK19.001 by investigating the effects of tricarboxylic
      acid cycle intermediates and different amino acids as metabolic precursors on the
      production of gamma-PGA and analyzing the activities of the enzymes involved in
      the synthesis of L- and D-glutamate. RESULTS: Tricarboxylic acid cycle
      intermediates and amino acids could participate in the synthesis of gamma-PGA via
      independent pathways in SK19.001. L-Aspartate aminotransferase, L-glutaminase and
      L-glutamate synthase were the enzymatic sources of L-glutamate. Glutamate
      racemase was responsible for the formation of D-glutamate for the synthesis of
      gamma-PGA, and the synthetase had stereoselectivity for glutamate substrate.
      CONCLUSION: The enzymatic sources of L-glutamate were investigated for the first
      time in the glutamate-independent gamma-PGA-producing strain, and multiple
      enzymatic sources of L-glutamate were verified in SK19.001, which will benefit
      efforts to improve production of gamma-PGA with metabolic engineering strategies.

PMID- 26112099
TI  - Treatment of HAE Attacks in the Icatibant Outcome Survey: An Analysis of
      Icatibant Self-Administration versus Administration by Health Care Professionals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Icatibant, a selective bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist for the
      treatment of acute hereditary angio-oedema (HAE) attacks in adults, can be
      administered by health care professionals (HCPs) or self-administered. This
      analysis compared characteristics and outcomes of acute HAE attacks treated with
      self-administered and HCP-administered icatibant in a real-world setting.
      METHODS: The Icatibant Outcome Survey (Shire, Zug, Switzerland; NCT01034969) is
      an international observational study monitoring the safety and effectiveness of
      icatibant treatment. Descriptive retrospective analyses were performed (February
      2008 to December 2012). RESULTS: Icatibant was used in 652 attacks in 170
      patients with HAE type I/II. Most icatibant injections were self-administered
      (431/652, 68.5%). The proportion of self-treated attacks increased over time
      (40.3% in 2009 vs. 89.7% in 2012). The median time to administration was
      significantly shorter in self- versus HCP-treated attacks (1.5 vs. 2.4 h; p =
      0.016). Earlier treatment (<2 h after onset) was significantly associated with a
      shorter median time to resolution (2.5 vs. 5.0 h; p = 0.032) and attack duration
      (3.0 vs. 14.0 h; p < 0.0001), regardless of administration method. Patients self
      administered icatibant for attacks of all severities; overall, 34.7% of severe
      and 30.2% of very severe attacks were HCP treated. Logistic regression analysis
      did not find use of long-term prophylaxis, attack location or gender to be
      predictive for self-administration. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of HAE attacks
      treated with self-administered icatibant increased over time. Patients
      successfully self-administered icatibant for a wide variety of HAE attacks,
      demonstrating that icatibant is generally well tolerated and effective for self
      administration. Self-administration of icatibant provides a complementary option
      to HCP administration, enabling optimization of patient care.

PMID- 26112101
TI  - Dopamine-assisted synthesis of carbon-coated silica for PCR enhancement.
AB  - Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has become one of the most popular methods to
      identify genomic information on cells and tissues as well as to solve crimes and
      check genetic diseases. Recently, the nanomaterials including nanocomposite and
      nanoparticles have been considered as a next generation of solution to improve
      both quality and productivity of PCR. Herein, taking into these demands, carbon
      coated silica was synthesized using silica particles via polymerization of
      biocompatible dopamine (PD) to form polydopamine (PDA) film and carbonization of
      PDA into graphitic structures. For further investigation of the effects of as
      prepared silica, PDA-coated silica (PDA silica), and carbonized PDA silica (C-PDA
      silica), two different types of genes were adopted to investigate the influences
      of them in the PCR. Furthermore, the strong interaction between the
      nanocomposites and PCR reagents including polymerase and primers enables
      regulation of the PCR performance. The effectiveness of the nanocomposites was
      also confirmed through adopting the conventional PCR and real-time PCR with two
      different types of DNA as realistic models and different kinds of analytical
      methods. These findings could provide helpful insight for the potential
      application in biosensors and biomedical diagnosis. 

PMID- 26112102
TI  - Inter-laboratory verification of European pharmacopoeia monograph on derivative
      spectrophotometry method and its application for chitosan hydrochloride.
AB  - Inter-laboratory verification of European pharmacopoeia (EP) monograph on
      derivative spectrophotometry (DS) method and its application for chitosan
      hydrochloride was carried out on two generation of instruments (earlier GBC
      Cintra 20 and current technology TS Evolution 300). Instruments operate with
      different versions of Savitzky-Golay algorithm and modes of generating digital
      derivative spectra. For resolution power parameter, defined as the amplitude
      ratio A/B in DS method EP monograph, comparable results were obtained only with
      algorithm's parameters smoothing points (SP) 7 and the 2nd degree polynomial and
      those provided corresponding data with other two modes on TS Evolution 300 Medium
      digital indirect and Medium digital direct. Using quoted algorithm's parameters,
      the differences in percentages between the amplitude ratio A/B averages, were
      within accepted criteria (+/-3%) for assay of drug product for method transfer.
      The deviation of 1.76% for the degree of deacetylation assessment of chitosan
      hydrochloride, determined on two instruments, (amplitude (1)D202; the 2nd degree
      polynomial and SP 9 in Savitzky-Golay algorithm), was acceptable, since it was
      within allowed criteria (+/-2%) for assay deviation of drug substance, for method
      transfer in pharmaceutical analyses. 

PMID- 26112103
TI  - Novel push-pull heterocyclic azo disperse dyes containing piperazine moiety:
      Synthesis, spectral properties, antioxidant activity and dyeing performance on
      polyester fibers.
AB  - Six novel push-pull azo disperse dyes were synthesized via classical azo coupling
      reaction using 2-amino-thiazolyl derivatives as the diazo components and 1-(4
      bromobenzyl)-4-phenylpiperazine as a key coupling intermediate. The structures of
      the dyes and synthesized intermediate were confirmed by FT-IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C
      NMR and UV-vis analyses. The solvatochromic behavior of the dyes was studied in a
      set of 10 solvents of different polarity and considerable results were obtained.
      The prepared heterocyclic azo dyes were applied for dyeing polyester fibers and
      their dyeing properties were studied. The fastness properties of the dyed fabrics
      such as wash, light and rubbing fastness degrees were measured by standard
      methods. Investigation of antioxidant activity of compounds was carried out by
      ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method. The synthesized dyes exhibited
      significant antioxidant activities. 

PMID- 26112104
TI  - Ab initio theoretical reinvestigation of the ground and excited state properties
      of silylated coumarins: Good candidates for solid state dye lasers and dye
      sensitized solar cells.
AB  - We present ab initio theoretical calculations of various properties of the ground
      and excited states of basic coumarin (1) and its derivatives: 4-methylcoumarin
      (2), 7-aminocoumarin (3), 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin or coumarin 120 (4), 4
      trifluoromethylcoumarin (5), 7-amino-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin or coumarin 151
      (6), silylated coumarin 120 (7) and silylated coumarin 151 (8). We calculate the
      following: (i) ground and excited state dipole moments (ii) energies and
      locations of HOMOs and LUMOs (iii) SCF total energies of ground state (iv)
      excitation energies with oscillator strengths for first six excited states (v)
      C=O and C-N bond lengths in ground and excited states (vi) ground state
      thermodynamic and electronic properties. The ground and excited state properties
      of coumarins 1-8 are obtained within the framework of density functional theory
      using B3LYP and long-range-corrected (LRC) omegaB97X-D functionals with 6
      31G(d,p) basis set. A detailed comparative analysis of different photo physical
      and electronic properties of silylated and unsilylated coumarins is made. On the
      basis of theoretical results we find many interesting features of silylation
      process and we can conclude that silylation will result in better long-term photo
      and thermodynamic stability compared to its unsilylated counterpart due to
      increase in the values of thermodynamic parameters like SCF total energy, G(0)
      and H(0), etc. Therefore, silylated molecules may become good candidates for
      solid state dye lasers and dye sensitized solar cells. In contrast, we find that
      both the functional B3LYP and LRC-omegaB97X-D predict nearly the same results for
      electronic, thermodynamic and photo physical properties of studied coumarins 1-8
      in their ground states but B3LYP hybrid functional severely overestimates excited
      state dipole moments, underestimates vertical excitation energies, oscillator
      strengths, C=O and C-N bond lengths of studied coumarins. On the basis of our
      theoretical results we conclude that LRC-omegaB97X-D functional must be used for
      prediction of excited state properties of a molecule.

PMID- 26112105
TI  - Substituent effects on anion sensing of salicylidene Schiff base derivatives:
      Tuning sensitivity and selectivity.
AB  - A series of colorimetric anion sensors using the salicylidene Schiff bases with
      different substituents, including electron donating group (tert-butyl, in sensor
      2), conjugated group (naphthyl, in sensor 3) and electron withdrawing group
      (chlorine, in sensor 4), respectively, have been developed. The substituents can
      not only impact chromogenic signal output, but also tune the sensitivity and
      selectivity of the anion sensing by their specific electron push-pull features.
      In particular, both 1 (without substituent) and 2 show high selectivity for F(-)
      over Cl(-), Br(-), I(-), AcO(-) and H2PO4(-), but the sensitivity of 2 is poorer
      than 1 due to the effect of electron donating groups. Sensor 3 exhibits higher
      sensitivity for F(-) than 1, but it is disturbed by the weak response to AcO(-)
      and H2PO4(-). Sensor 4 has the highest sensitivity for F(-), but shows the
      significant response to AcO(-) and H2PO4(-), which also decreases the selectivity
      for F(-). Finally, analytical applications of 1 for the detection of F(-) in
      aqueous medium and toothpaste have been studied. 

PMID- 26112106
TI  - Syntheses, crystallographic, mass-spectroscopic determination and antioxidant
      studies of Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes of a new imidazol based Schiff
      base.
AB  - A new imidazole-based Schiff base, 2-((1H-imidazol-4
      yl)methyleneamino)benzylalcohol (HL) and corresponding analogous bis(2-((1H
      imidazol-4-yl)methyleneimino)benzylalcohol)metal(II) perchlorates (M: Co(1),
      Ni(2), Cu(3)) have prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, ESI-MS, IR,
      UV-Vis spectroscopies and conductivity measurements. X-ray single crystal
      structures of 1 and 2 have been also determined. Elemental analyses,
      spectroscopic and conductance data of 3 demonstrated similar structural features
      with these of crystallographically characterized complexes and based upon this
      relevances, HL ligands are neutrally coordinated to metal(II) ions in tridentate
      mode and all complexes are isostructural, dicathionic, contain perchlorate anions
      as complementary ions and, are in octahedral geometry with the formulae of
      [M(HL)2](ClO4)2 (for 3) and [M(HL)2](ClO4)2.H2O (for 1 and 2). Radical scavenging
      activities of the complexes have been evaluated by using DPPH, DMPD(+), and
      ABTS(+) assays. SC50 values (MUg/mL) of the complexes and standards on DPPH,
      DMPD(+), ABTS(+) follow the sequences, BHA (9.06+/-0.33)>CMPD3 (15.62+/
      0.52)>CMPD2 (17.43+/-0.29)>Rutin (21.65+/-0.60)>CMPD1 (25.67+/-0.51)>Trolox
      (28.57+/-0.37), Rutin>BHA>CMPD3>CMPD2>Trolox>CMPD1, and
      Trolox>BHA>CMPD3>CMPD2>Rutin>CMPD1 respectively. 

PMID- 26112107
TI  - Reproductive Isolation of Ips nitidus and I. shangrila in Mountain Forests of
      Western China: Responses to Chiral and Achiral Candidate Pheromone Components.
AB  - Eastern Palearctic conifers are subject to frequent bark beetle outbreaks.
      However, neither the species responsible nor the semiochemicals guiding these
      attacks are well understood. Two high-mountain Ips species on Qinghai spruce,
      Picea crassifolia, I. shangrila and I. nitidus, are typical in this regard. Six
      synthetic candidate pheromone components that we earlier identified from hindguts
      of unmated males of these two Ips species were tested for field activity in
      Qinghai province, P. R. China. For I. nitidus, racemic ipsdienol ((+/-)-Id) could
      replace the naturally-produced blend of enantiomers containing 74% (-)-(S)-Id
      (74:26 S:R), in attractive ternary or binary blends. In contrast, sympatric I.
      shangrila were attracted mainly to blends including Id of opposite chirality, 97%
      (+)-(R)-Id. Of the verbenols, (-)-trans-verbenol was inactive for I. nitidus or
      inhibitory for I. shangrila, but (-)-cis-verbenol (cV) was a key component of the
      pheromone in both species. Two fully factorial experiments demonstrated that (+/
      )-Id, cV, and 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MB) are components of the aggregation
      pheromone of I. nitidus, whereas only (+)-Id and cV are essential components of
      the aggregation pheromone of I. shangrila. While MB is not necessary for
      attraction of I. shangrila, it is an active antagonist and likely functions in
      species isolation. A review of the pheromone production and responses in
      Palearctic Ips and Pseudoips showed that cV is more common than methylbutenols,
      and both elicit qualitatively variable responses. Ipsdienol is the most common
      component with variable chirality, and is a necessary, but often not sufficient,
      factor for determining pheromone specificity.

PMID- 26112108
TI  - Role of JNK and Contribution of p53 into Growth Potential of Mesenchymal
      Progenitor Cells In Vitro.
AB  - Specific JNK and p53 inhibitors stimulated the formation of fibroblast colonies
      (CFU-F) and clusters (ClFU-F) and increased proliferative activity of mesenchymal
      progenitor cells. No effects of inhibitors of JNK and p53 on differentiation of
      progenitor elements were revealed.

PMID- 26112120
TI  - Company Profiles.

PMID- 26112117
TI  - National Speakers.

PMID- 26112121
TI  - Spontaneous seizures in Kcna1-null mice lacking voltage-gated Kv1.1 channels
      activate Fos expression in select limbic circuits.
AB  - Mice lacking voltage-gated Kv1.1 channels as a result of deletion of the Kcna1
      gene are an extensively utilized genetic model of human epilepsy and sudden
      unexpected death in epilepsy because of their frequent seizures and genotypic
      phenotypic similarity to the human condition. Ictal behaviors,
      electrophysiological recordings, and gene expression studies suggest limbic
      circuits are critical for epilepsy in Kcna1-null mice, but the exact brain
      networks recruited by seizures remain unknown. In this study, Fos protein
      expression patterns were used to map limbic brain regions with increased neuronal
      activity at baseline and during spontaneous seizures in Kcna1-null mice by
      comparing seizing and non-seizing knockouts and wild-type controls. Basal Fos
      levels were unchanged in non-seizing knockout mice compared to wild types for all
      brain regions examined except the dentate gyrus granule cell layer which
      exhibited a significant decrease in Fos-positive cells. Following seizures, Kcna1
      null brains exhibited significantly increased Fos labeling in the basolateral
      amygdala and the dentate hilus region, but not in other principal cell layers of
      the hippocampal formation. The selective Fos activation in the amygdala following
      seizures suggests that extra hippocampal limbic circuits may be critically
      involved with seizure generation or spread in Kcna1-null mice. Fos protein
      expression patterns were analyzed using immunohistochemistry to provide the first
      map of brain regions recruited by spontaneous seizures in mice lacking Kv1.1
      channels, an extensively used genetic model of epilepsy. Seizures significantly
      increased Fos expression in the amygdala and hilus by about fourfold, suggesting
      an important contribution by extrahippocampal networks to epilepsy in this model.

PMID- 26112123
TI  - The Effects of 17-Methoxyl-7-Hydroxy-Benzene-Furanchalcone on Pressure Overload
      Induced Cardiac Remodeling in Rats and the Endothelial Mechanisms Based on PGI2.
AB  - AIM: The primary objective of this study was to study the effects of 17-methoxyl
      7-hydroxy-benzene-furanchalcone (MHBFC) on pressure overload-induced cardiac
      remodeling in rats, as well as the endothelial mechanisms based on PGI2. METHODS:
      Six weeks following surgery, rats were divided randomly into the following
      groups: a sham group, a model group, an MHBFC 12 mg/kg/day group (MHBFC 12), an
      indomethacin 2 mg/kg/day group (Indo 2), and an Indo 2+ MHBFC 12 group. The MS
      4000 organism signal system was used to record the rats' hemodynamic indices.
      Additionally, the heart weight was determined, and the cardiac remodeling index
      was calculated. HE and Masson's stains were utilized to perform histological
      analyses; the immunofluorescence was used to observe the microvessel density of
      myocardial tissue; the colorimetric method was used to determine the
      hydroxyproline content of cardiac tissue; the ELISA method was used to measure
      the plasma PGI2 content; and transmission electron microscopy was used to observe
      the ultrastructure of the myocardium. RESULTS: A hyperdynamic circulation state,
      cardiac remodeling, decreased microvessel density and decreased plasma PGI2
      content were each observed in the model group compared with the sham group, in
      which any changes in the above parameters were effectively reversed by MHBFC.
      Single-use Indo administration resulted in the progression of these
      pathophysiological changes; however, MHBFC prevented the worsening of these
      parameters. CONCLUSION: MHBFC significantly reverses pressure overload-induced
      cardiac remodeling, and its mechanism may partially contribute to the
      amelioration of endothelial cell function and the augmentation of PGI2 synthesis
      and secretion.

PMID- 26112122
TI  - A novel method for screening colorectal cancer by infrared spectroscopy of
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) can reduce mortality and
      morbidity. Current screening methods include colonoscopy and stool tests, but a
      simple low-cost blood test would increase compliance. This preliminary study
      assessed the utility of analyzing the entire bio-molecular profile of peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and plasma using Fourier transform infrared
      (FTIR) spectroscopy for early detection of CRC. METHODS: Blood samples were
      prospectively collected from 62 candidates for CRC screening/diagnostic
      colonoscopy or surgery for colonic neoplasia. PBMCs and plasma were separated by
      Ficoll gradient, dried on zinc selenide slides, and placed under a FTIR
      microscope. FTIR spectra were analyzed for biomarkers and classified by principal
      component and discriminant analyses. Findings were compared among diagnostic
      groups. RESULTS: Significant changes in multiple bands that can serve as CRC
      biomarkers were observed in PBMCs (p = ~0.01) and plasma (p = ~0.0001) spectra.
      There were minor but statistically significant differences in both blood
      components between healthy individuals and patients with benign polyps. Following
      multivariate analysis, the healthy individuals could be well distinguished from
      patients with CRC, and the patients with benign polyps were mostly distributed as
      a distinct subgroup within the overlap region. Leave-one-out cross-validation for
      evaluating method performance yielded an area under the receiver operating
      characteristics curve of 0.77, with sensitivity 81.5% and specificity 71.4%.
      CONCLUSIONS: Joint analysis of the biochemical profile of two blood components
      rather than a single biomarker is a promising strategy for early detection of
      CRC. Additional studies are required to validate our preliminary clinical
      results.

PMID- 26112124
TI  - The longitudinal effects of neighbourhood social and material deprivation change
      on psychological distress in urban, community-dwelling Canadian adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess how longitudinal changes in
      neighbourhood material and social deprivation affect distress outcomes in adult
      Canadians. STUDY DESIGN: This study used a prospective cohort approach. METHODS:
      We paired data from 2745 urban participants of Canada's National Population
      Health Survey-who completed the Kessler 6-Item psychological distress screening
      tool at baseline and follow-up-with neighbourhood social and material deprivation
      data from the census-based Pampalon Deprivation Index. Data were paired using
      participants' postal code. We conducted multiple linear regression models, which
      were stratified by baseline deprivation level and controlled for key confounders.
      RESULTS: Most participants lived in neighbourhoods that did not change
      drastically in social or material deprivation level during the six years between
      baseline and follow-up. We found that a worsening of material settings was
      significantly associated with worsening distress scores at follow-up. This
      finding is discussed in the context of existing literature, and made relevant for
      urban health research and policy.

PMID- 26112125
TI  - Retrospective review of administration of childhood primary vaccination schedule
      in an Irish tertiary neonatal intensive care unit.
AB  - AIMS: Quantify and evaluate administration of the routine childhood primary
      vaccination schedule in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). STUDY
      DESIGN: Retrospective review of paper record of vaccinations administered to
      inpatients in the NICU from 01/01/2001-30/11/2013. METHODS: Data were extracted
      from hospital records and institutional databases and analysed using SPSS for Mac
      version 21. Analysis was made based on gestational age, chronological age at time
      of administration of vaccine, corrected gestational age at time of vaccine
      administration and type of vaccine received. RESULTS: For all preterm (gestation
      < 37 weeks) babies that received the first '6in1' vaccination while an inpatient
      (n = 344): mean gestational age = 27.3 weeks (sd = 2.6 weeks); mean chronological
      age at time of vaccination = 9.4 weeks. For all preterm patients that received
      the second '6in1' vaccination while an inpatient (n = 19): mean gestational age =
      25.6 weeks (sd = 1.63); mean chronological age at time of vaccination = 18.4
      weeks. For all term (gestation >= 37 weeks) patients that received the first
      '6in1' vaccination while an inpatient (n = 9): mean gestational age = 40.1 weeks
      (sd = 1.9); mean chronological age at time of vaccination = 9.8 weeks. There were
      no reported adverse events to any of the vaccinations administered. CONCLUSION:
      It is safe for premature infants to receive the routine vaccination schedule in a
      NICU setting.

PMID- 26112126
TI  - What impact does community service learning have on medical students'
      appreciation of population health?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The Bar Ilan Faculty of Medicine places public health as a priority
      in its medical curriculum, emphasizing its importance by strategically placing
      the required course as first on entry into medical school. Students are
      introduced to the importance of population health and community engagement
      through participatory community learning experiences. This study aims to examine
      how participatory community teaching methods impact students' understanding and
      attitudes towards community health. STUDY DESIGN: Mixed quantitative and
      qualitative design. METHODS: 75 first year students completed the required public
      health course utilizing participatory community methods, including community
      visits, Team Based Learning, an ethnic forum, and lifestyle medicine. Evaluation
      comprised skills assessment through project work, analysis of reflective notes
      and comparison of assessment scores with students in the previous year who
      experienced a formal lecture-only based curriculum. RESULTS: Students acquired
      public health skills, including conducting a needs assessment, searching for
      research evidence and designing an evaluation framework. Reflective notes
      revealed in-depth understanding not only of course aims, but an appreciation of
      the social determinants of health and the local community. Test marks indicated
      public health knowledge reached a comparable standard (83 +/- 7.3) to the
      previous year (85 +/- 9.3; P = 0.431). CONCLUSIONS: Participatory community
      learning equips students with public health skills, knowledge, and enhanced
      understanding of communities. It offers a way to effectively teach public health,
      while emphasizing the extended role and societal responsibilities of doctors.

PMID- 26112127
TI  - Global Governance for Health: how to motivate political change?
AB  - In this article, we address a central theme that was discussed at the Durham
      Health Summit: how can politics be brought back into global health governance and
      figure much more prominently in discussions around policy? We begin by briefly
      summarizing the report of the Lancet - University of Oslo Commission on Global
      Governance for Health: 'The Political Origins of Health Inequity' Ottersen et al.
      In order to provide compelling evidence of the central argument, the Commission
      selected seven case studies relating to, inter alia, economic and fiscal policy,
      food security, and foreign trade and investment agreements. Based on an analysis
      of these studies, the report concludes that the problems identified are often due
      to political choices: an unwillingness to change the global system of governance.
      This raises the question: what is the most effective way that a report of this
      kind can be used to motivate policy-makers, and the public at large, to demand
      change? What kind of moral or rational argument is most likely to lead to action?
      In this paper we assess the merits of various alternative perspectives: health as
      an investment; health as a global public good; health and human security; health
      and human development; health as a human right; health and global justice. We
      conclude that what is required in order to motivate change is a more explicitly
      political and moral perspective - favouring the later rather than the earlier
      alternatives just listed. 

PMID- 26112129
TI  - Adaptation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis to daily repeated stress
      does not follow the rules of habituation: A new perspective.
AB  - Repeated exposure to a wide range of stressors differing in nature and intensity
      results in a reduced response of prototypical stress markers (i.e. plasma levels
      of ACTH and adrenaline) after an acute challenge with the same (homotypic)
      stressor. This reduction has been considered to be a habituation-like phenomenon.
      However, direct experimental evidence for this assumption is scarce. In the
      present work we demonstrate in adult male rats that adaptation of the
      hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to repeated stress does not follow some
      of the critical rules of habituation. Briefly, adaptation was stronger and faster
      with more severe stressors, maximally observed even with a single exposure to
      severe stressors, extremely long-lasting, negatively related to the interval
      between the exposures and positively related to the length of daily exposure. We
      offer a new theoretical view to explain adaptation to daily repeated stress. 

PMID- 26112130
TI  - Organization and evolution of parieto-frontal processing streams in macaque
      monkeys and humans.
AB  - The functional organization of the parieto-frontal system is crucial for
      understanding cognitive-motor behavior and provides the basis for interpreting
      the consequences of parietal lesions in humans from a neurobiological
      perspective. The parieto-frontal connectivity defines some main information
      streams that, rather than being devoted to restricted functions, underlie a rich
      behavioral repertoire. Surprisingly, from macaque to humans, evolution has added
      only a few, new functional streams, increasing however their complexity and
      encoding power. In fact, the characterization of the conduction times of parietal
      and frontal areas to different target structures has recently opened a new window
      on cortical dynamics, suggesting that evolution has amplified the probability of
      dynamic interactions between the nodes of the network, thanks to communication
      patterns based on temporally-dispersed conduction delays. This might allow the
      representation of sensory-motor signals within multiple neural assemblies and
      reference frames, as to optimize sensory-motor remapping within an action space
      characterized by different and more complex demands across evolution. 

PMID- 26112128
TI  - The rat's not for turning: Dissociating the psychological components of cognitive
      inflexibility.
AB  - Executive function is commonly assessed by assays of cognitive flexibility such
      as reversal learning and attentional set-shifting. Disrupted performance in these
      assays, apparent in many neuropsychiatric disorders, is frequently interpreted as
      inability to overcome prior associations with reward. However, non-rewarded or
      irrelevant associations may be of considerable importance in both discrimination
      learning and cognitive flexibility. Non-rewarded associations can have greater
      influence on choice behaviour than rewarded associations in discrimination
      learning. Pathology-related deficits in cognitive flexibility can produce
      selective disruptions to both the processing of irrelevant associations and
      associations with reward. Genetic and pharmacological animal models demonstrate
      that modulation of reversal learning may result from alterations in either
      rewarded or non-rewarded associations. Successful performance in assays of
      cognitive flexibility can therefore depend on a combination of rewarded, non
      rewarded, and irrelevant associations derived from previous learning, accounting
      for some inconsistencies observed in the literature. Taking this combination into
      account may increase the validity of animal models and may also reveal pathology
      specific differences in problem solving and executive function. 

PMID- 26112132
TI  - Circularly polarized luminescence under near-UV excitation and structural
      elucidation of a Eu complex.
AB  - A new chiral diketonate ligand based on carvone binds early lanthanides. The Eu
      complex displays high circularly polarized (g(lum) = 0.82) red luminescence under
      near-UV excitation in the solid state. This is the first report on such CPL
      activity in the solid state with a rigorous protocol to exclude artifacts.
      Paramagnetic NMR spectroscopy revealed the nature and structure of the active
      species.

PMID- 26112134
TI  - A Family History of Lethal Prostate Cancer and Risk of Aggressive Prostate Cancer
      in Patients Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy.
AB  - We investigated whether a family history of lethal prostate cancer (PCa) was
      associated with high-risk disease or biochemical recurrence in patients
      undergoing radical prostatectomy. A cohort of radical prostatectomy patients was
      stratified into men with no family history of PCa (NFH); a first-degree relative
      with PCa (FH); and those with a first-degree relative who had died of PCa (FHD).
      Demographic, operative and pathologic outcomes were analyzed. Freedom from
      biochemical recurrence was examined using Kaplan-Meier log rank. A multivariate
      Cox logistic regression analysis was also performed. We analyzed 471 men who
      underwent radical prostatectomy at our institution with known family history. The
      three groups had: 355 patients (75%) in NFH; 97 patients (21%) in FH; and 19
      patients (4%) in FHD. The prevalence of a Gleason score >=8, higher pathologic T
      stage, and biochemical recurrence (BCR) rates did not significantly differ
      between groups. On Kaplan-Meier analysis there were no differences in short-term
      BCR rates (p = 0.212). In this cohort of patients undergoing radical
      prostatectomy, those with first-degree relatives who died of PCa did not have an
      increased likelihood of high-risk or aggressive PCa or shorter-term risk of BCR
      than those who did not. 

PMID- 26112133
TI  - Insulin-like factor regulates neural induction through an IGF1 receptor
      independent mechanism.
AB  - Insulin receptor (IR) and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R)
      signalling is required for normal embryonic growth and development. Previous
      reports indicated that the IGF/IGF1R/MAPK pathway contributes to neural induction
      and the IGF/IGF1R/PI3K/Akt pathway to eye development. Here, we report the
      isolation of insulin3 encoding a novel insulin-like ligand involved in neural
      induction. Insulin3 has a similar structure to pro-insulin and mature IGF
      ligands, but cannot activate the IGF1 receptor. However, similar to IGFs,
      Insulin3 induced the gene expression of an anterior neural marker, otx2, and
      enlarged anterior head structures by inhibiting Wnt signalling. Insulin3 are
      predominantly localised to the endoplasmic reticulum when otx2 is induced by
      insulin3. Insulin3 reduced extracellular Wnts and cell surface localised Lrp6.
      These results suggest that Insulin3 is a novel cell-autonomous inhibitor of Wnt
      signalling. This study provides the first evidence that an insulin-like factor
      regulates neural induction through an IGF1R-independent mechanism. 

PMID- 26112135
TI  - Duodenal Electric Stimulation: Results of a First-in-Man Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to demonstrate feasibility and safety of a
      new electric duodenal stimulation system (EDS, BALANCE) in humans. Secondary
      objectives were to evaluate the effect on glycemic control and weight loss in
      patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: In an open
      labeled, prospective, single-arm, non-randomized multicenter study, 12 obese T2DM
      patients with a mean HbA1c of 8.0% received laparoscopic implantation of the
      BALANCE duodenal stimulating device. Adverse events, changes in glycemic control,
      cardiovascular parameters, and weight were collected. The follow-up period after
      implantation was 12 months. RESULTS: Device related severe adverse events did not
      occur. Mean HbA1c decreased by 0.8% (p = 0.02) and mean fasting blood glucose
      level (FBG) was reduced by 19% (p = 0.038) after the 12 months. Mean HDL level
      increased from 44 to 48 mg/dl (p = 0.033). CONCLUSIONS: EDS is a feasible and
      safe procedure. Positive effects on T2DM and some cardiovascular parameters (HDL,
      weight) were seen. However, further prospective randomized blinded studies are
      needed in order to evaluate the potential of this new minimally invasive method.

PMID- 26112136
TI  - Super-Obesity in the Elderly: Is Bariatric Surgery Justified?
AB  - Although the prevalence of obese elderly patients is increasing, the outcomes of
      bariatric surgery in this potentially high-risk cohort remain poorly understood,
      especially those relating to quality of life. Furthermore, there is no data on
      the efficacy of bariatric surgery in the super-obese elderly. We identified 50
      consecutive patients undergoing bariatric surgery aged 60 years or over, and
      compared the outcomes of the super-obese (BMI >= 50; n = 26) with those of BMI <
      50. Mean follow-up was 33 months. There were no significant differences between
      the groups in terms of comorbidities, operation-type and peri-operative
      complications. Mean percentage excess weight loss was comparable between the
      groups (56.7 vs. 58.8 %; p = 0.81), as was resolution of comorbidities and post
      operative quality of life (mean Bariatric Analysis and Reporting Outcome System
      (BAROS) 3.5 vs. 3.1; p = 0.64).

PMID- 26112137
TI  - Is Bariatric Surgery Effective in Reducing Comorbidities and Drug Costs? A
      Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess drug use and costs before and after bariatric
      surgery (BS). A systematic review of the literature was carried out using the
      MeSH terms obesity, bariatric surgery, and drug costs for searches of 10
      electronic databases up to July 2014. Data were extracted from the 11 studies
      (37,720 patients) that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Where applicable, data
      were pooled by meta-analysis. The average number of drugs per patient decreased
      from 3.9 +/- 1.86 before surgery to 1.75 +/- 1.85 after surgery. Mean reduction
      in total cost of drugs was 49.8 % over a follow-up duration of 6-72 months. BS is
      effective for the improvement or resolution of comorbidities and significantly
      reduces drug use and costs.

PMID- 26112138
TI  - Construction and expression of human scFv-Fc against interleukin-33.
AB  - Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a member of the IL-1 family and the ligand of orphan
      ST2 molecules. IL-33 is widely expressed in multiple tissues and cells, and
      mainly involved in regulating Th2 immune and inflammatory responses. Inhibiting
      IL-33 signaling pathways relieves the symptoms of allergic inflammation,
      indicating that IL-33 is a potential target for the treatment of allergic
      diseases. In this study, the recombinant vectors SP-scFv-Fc/pcDNA3.1 and SP-scFv
      Fc/PMH3(EN) were constructed to express a human scFv-Fcs against IL-33. The size
      of the inserted SP-scFv-Fc was approximately 1540bp. The RT-PCR results showed
      that SP-scFv-Fcs were successfully transfected into CHO K1 cells. Western blot
      analysis indicated specific binding of the expressed scFv-Fcs fusion protein
      (approximately 60kDa under reduced condition) with a goat anti-human IgG1 Fc
      antibody. The expression level of the scFv-Fcs from SP-scFv-Fc/PMH3(EN) was
      higher than that from SP-scFv-Fc/pcDNA3.1. A single high-expressing cell line was
      selected after three rounds of screening and the fusion protein was expressed in
      a suspension culture in serum-free medium. The level of expression products
      reached 20mg/L and the expressed and purified scFvs was further characterized and
      analyzed for bioactivity and functionality. The recombinant vectors for
      eukaryotic expression of scFv-Fcs against IL-33 were successfully constructed and
      the expressed scFv-Fcs was shown to be a suitable candidate for the development
      of a new therapy for allergic and autoimmune diseases. 

PMID- 26112139
TI  - Focal unilateral polymicrogyria and epilepsy surgery.

PMID- 26112140
TI  - The prognostic value of IL10 and TNF alpha functional polymorphisms in
      premenopausal early-stage breast cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interleukin-10 and tumor necrosis factor alpha play an important role
      in breast carcinogenesis. Genes, encoding those two cytokines, contain single
      nucleotide polymorphisms, which are associated with differential levels of gene
      transcription. This study analyzes single nucleotide polymorphisms in interleukin
      10 and tumor necrosis factor alpha genes and their contribution to breast cancer
      phenotype, lymph node status and survival in a group of young Lithuanian women
      with early-stage breast cancer patients. RESULTS: We genotyped 100 premenopausal
      Eastern European (Lithuanian) patients with stage I-II breast cancer, <= 50 years
      old at the time of diagnosis, for interleukin 10 -592A > C, -819C > T and -1082A
      > G and tumor necrosis factor alpha -308G > A single nucleotide polymorphisms in
      the gene promoter region. We used the polymerase chain reaction, namely a
      restriction fragment length polymorphism method, for a SNP analysis. All
      genotypes were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and had the same distribution as the
      HapMap CEU population. Holders of IL10 -592A > C heterozygous IL10 -592 AC
      genotype had a higher probability of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer
      phenotype than homozygous variants (P = 0.017). Phased ACC haplotype of IL10
      polymorphisms was associated with younger age of diagnosis (P = 0.017). Of all
      the tested single nucleotide polymorphisms, only TNFalpha -308G > A has revealed
      a prognostic capability for breast cancer survival. GA genotype carriers,
      compared to GG, showed a significant disadvantage in progression-free survival (P
      = 0.005, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 4.631, 95 % confidence interval (CI) =
      1.587 - 13.512), metastasis-free survival (P = 0.010, HR = 4.708, 95 % CI = 1.445
      - 15.345) and overall survival (P = 0.037, HR = 4.829, 95 % CI = 1.098 - 21.243).
      CONCLUSIONS: According to our data, IL10 -1082A > G, -819 T > C, -592A > C
      polymorphisms and phased haplotypes have not revealed a prognostic value for
      breast cancer. On the contrary, the TNFalpha -308 polymorphism might modulate the
      risk and contribute to the identification of patients at a higher risk of breast
      cancer recurrence, metastasis and worse overall survival among young Lithuanian
      early-stage breast cancer patients.

PMID- 26112141
TI  - Fluid curtailment during childhood diarrhea: a countdown analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The foundation of recommended diarrhea management in young children
      is increased fluids and continued feeding. This increase in fluids is necessary
      to replace those lost during diarrhea and ultimately prevent dehydration. There
      may be an opportunity to prevent deaths in children under five by discouraging
      the practice of reducing or curtailing fluids during diarrhea episodes across
      different settings worldwide. METHODS: We quantify and describe the extent of
      fluid curtailment in children with diarrhea in a selection of countries (Burkina
      Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda) with
      high burden of diarrhea-related mortality with national cross sectional survey
      data. We examine the practice of fluid curtailment in these countries and its
      relationship to child and household traits and to characteristics of diarrhea
      management. RESULTS: The prevalence of fluid curtailment among children under
      five with diarrhea is strikingly high in these countries: 55 % in Nigeria, 49 %
      in Ethiopia, 44 % in Uganda, 37 % in Tanzania, 36 % in DR Congo and 32 % in
      Burkina Faso. Fluid curtailment is associated with giving less food, potentially
      worsening the impact of this harmful practice. Children who were reported to have
      had fluids curtailed during diarrhea episodes were also 3.51 (95 % confidence,
      2.66 - 4.64) times more likely to be reported to have food withheld (alpha =
      0.05; p < 0.001). Children who received care from non-governmental providers, and
      those who were breastfed were more likely to have their fluids curtailed, as were
      children with an unimproved water source. Children of poorer or less educated
      mothers and those living in rural areas are more likely to have curtailed fluids,
      compared to children of less poor or more educated mothers, or those living in
      urban areas. CONCLUSIONS: The harmful practice of curtailing fluids for a child
      with diarrhea is highly prevalent, representing an increased risk of dehydration
      and complications due to diarrhea, including death, especially for children in
      specific subgroups.

PMID- 26112142
TI  - Inequalities in health: definitions, concepts, and theories.
AB  - Individuals from different backgrounds, social groups, and countries enjoy
      different levels of health. This article defines and distinguishes between
      unavoidable health inequalities and unjust and preventable health inequities. We
      describe the dimensions along which health inequalities are commonly examined,
      including across the global population, between countries or states, and within
      geographies, by socially relevant groupings such as race/ethnicity, gender,
      education, caste, income, occupation, and more. Different theories attempt to
      explain group-level differences in health, including psychosocial, material
      deprivation, health behavior, environmental, and selection explanations. Concepts
      of relative versus absolute; dose-response versus threshold; composition versus
      context; place versus space; the life course perspective on health; causal
      pathways to health; conditional health effects; and group-level versus individual
      differences are vital in understanding health inequalities. We close by
      reflecting on what conditions make health inequalities unjust, and to consider
      the merits of policies that prioritize the elimination of health disparities
      versus those that focus on raising the overall standard of health in a
      population. 

PMID- 26112143
TI  - Food security and nutrition in the Russian Federation - a health policy analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the Russian Federation (Russia), an elevated burden of premature
      mortality attributable to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been observed
      since the country's economic transition. NCDs are largely related to preventable
      risk factors such as unhealthy diets. OBJECTIVE: This health policy study's aim
      was to analyze past and current food production and nutritional trends in Russia
      and their policy implications for Russia's NCD burden. DESIGN: We examined food
      security and nutrition in Russia using an analytical framework of food
      availability, access to food, and consumption. RESULTS: Agricultural production
      declined during the period of economic transition, and nutritional habits changed
      from high-fat animal products to starches. However, per-capita energy consumption
      remained stable due to increased private expenditures on food and use of private
      land. Paradoxically, the prevalence of obesity still increased because of an
      excess consumption of unsaturated fat, sugar, and salt on one side, and
      insufficient intake of fruit and vegetables on the other. CONCLUSIONS: Policy and
      economic reforms in Russia were not accompanied by a food security crisis or
      macronutrient deprivation of the population. Yet, unhealthy diets in contemporary
      Russia contribute to the burden of NCDs and related avoidable mortality. Food and
      nutrition policies in Russia need to specifically address nutritional
      shortcomings and food-insecure vulnerable populations. Appropriate, evidence
      informed food and nutrition policies might help address Russia's burden of NCDs
      on a population level.

PMID- 26112144
TI  - Current Advances in L-DOPA and DOPA-Peptidomimetics: Chemistry, Applications and
      Biological Activity.
AB  - L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine [2-amino-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl) propanoic acid (L
      DOPA) is a natural constituent of animal and plant tissue derived from post
      translational modification of the amino acid tyrosine. L-DOPA is modified during
      metabolism to catecholamine neurotransmitters, noradrenaline and adrenaline,
      which are characterized by different biological activities. L-DOPA has been the
      first drug of choice in the therapy of Parkinson's disease that is a progressive
      neurodegenerative disorder involving the loss of dopaminergic neurons of
      substantia nigra pars compacta. The social and economic impact of these diseases
      is very high due to the progressive aging of the population. This review focuses
      on the biological effect of LDOPA, as well as on the synthesis of L-DOPA
      derivatives and their application in central nervous system diseases. Among them,
      L-DOPA-containing peptides (L-DOPA-Pep) show important biological and
      pharmacological activities. For example, L-DOPA analogues of the alpha-factor
      interact with models of the G protein-coupled receptor, inhibit the oxidation of
      low-density lipoproteins, and are used for improving L-DOPA absorption in long
      term treatment of Parkinson's disease and as skin moisturizer in cosmetic
      compositions. Moreover, L-DOPA residues in proteins provide reactive tools for
      the preparation of adhesives and coatings materials. Usually, L-DOPA-Pep is
      prepared by traditional liquid or solid state procedures starting from simple
      amino acids. Recently, selective side-chain modifications of pre-formed peptides
      have also been reported both for linear and branched peptides. Here, we describe
      the recent advances in the synthesis of L-DOPA and dopa-peptidomimetics and their
      biological and pharmacological activities, focusing the attention on new
      synthetic procedures and biological mechanism of actions.

PMID- 26112145
TI  - Asymmetric Dimethylarginine: Clinical Significance and Novel Therapeutic
      Approaches.
AB  - Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is a competitive endogenous inhibitor of
      nitric oxide synthase with a key role in the pathophysiology of endothelial
      dysfunction, in the progression of atherosclerosis and in cardiovascular
      diseases. Statins, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors, blood glucose
      lowering agents, insulin sensitizers, beta-blockers, estrogen replacement
      therapy, antioxidants, complex B vitamins, L-arginine and acetylsalicylic acid
      have been evaluated for their ability to reduce ADMA levels or inhibit its
      actions. Despite the major beneficial effects of these agents in cardiovascular
      disease, research has shown that their favorable actions are only partially
      mediated by reducing ADMA levels or by bypassing its effect in nitric oxide
      synthesis. Novel therapeutic approaches targeting selectively ADMA are
      encouraging, but have only been tested in vitro or in animal studies and further
      research is needed in order to conclude on how therapeutic strategies modulating
      ADMA actions can affect atherosclerosis progression and cardiovascular diseases. 

PMID- 26112146
TI  - Curious (Old and New) Antiviral Nucleoside Analogues with Intriguing Therapeutic
      Potential.
AB  - In the current context of antiviral drug development, which has been
      traditionally dominated by herpesviruses, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and
      hepatitis C virus (HCV), a new viral target has been recently gained unforeseen
      attention, Ebola virus. Ten nucleoside analogues, or categories thereof, are
      reviewed for their therapeutic potential as antiviral drugs: (i) BCX4430, a C
      nucleoside; (ii) 4'-azido-, 4'-cyano-, and 4'-ethynyl derivatives; (iii) 4'
      thionucleosides; (iv) cordycepin (3'-deoxyadeosine); (v) pyrazofurin, another C
      nucleoside; (vi) neplanocin A analogues; (vii) EICAR, a ribavirin analogue;
      (viii) GR-92938X, a double carboxamide; (ix) sofosbuvir (Solvaldi((r))), a 2'-C
      methylnucleoside; and (x) favipiravir (T-705), a pyrazine analogue. 

PMID- 26112147
TI  - Epidemiology and clinical predictors of biphasic reactions in children with
      anaphylaxis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic data regarding biphasic reactions in children with
      anaphylaxis are sparse. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and clinical
      predictors of biphasic reactions in children presenting to the emergency
      department (ED) with anaphylaxis. METHODS: A health records review of ED visits
      at 2 large Canadian academic pediatric EDs was conducted. All visits that
      satisfied anaphylaxis diagnostic criteria of the National Institute of Allergy
      and Infectious Diseases and the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network were
      included. Predictors of biphasic reaction were analyzed using univariate and
      multiple logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Of 1,749 ED records reviewed, 484
      visits met the study inclusion criteria. Seventy-one patients (14.7%) developed
      biphasic reactions. The median age was 6 years (interquartile range 2.7-10.1) and
      51 (71.8%) were boys. Forty-nine of the 71 (69%) delayed reactions involved
      respiratory and/or cardiovascular manifestations and 35 (49%) were treated with
      epinephrine. Five independent predictors for biphasic reactions were found: age 6
      to 9 years (odds ratio [OR] 3.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5-8.58), delay
      in presentation to the ED longer than 90 minutes after the onset of the initial
      reaction (OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.47-4.53), wide pulse pressure at triage (OR 2.92, 95%
      CI 1.69-5.04), treatment of the initial reaction with more than 1 dose of
      epinephrine (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.12-6.55), and administration of inhaled beta
      agonists in the ED (OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.24-4.62). CONCLUSION: Biphasic reactions
      seem to be associated with the severity of the initial anaphylactic reactions. We
      identified clinical predictors that could ultimately be used to identify patients
      who would benefit from prolonged ED monitoring and enable better utilization of
      ED resources.

PMID- 26112148
TI  - Effect of heating and cooling combination therapy on patients with chronic low
      back pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinicians often apply heating or cooling stimulation for treatment
      of musculoskeletal pain. However, scalding, frostbite and skin ulcers may occur
      from the excessive use of either therapy alone. Heating and cooling combination
      therapy may be a suitable alternative for treatment of musculoskeletal diseases,
      although insufficient research has documented the safety and efficacy of such
      therapy. The purpose of this clinical trial is to determine the efficacy and
      safety of heating and cooling combination therapy for treatment of chronic low
      back pain. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a multicenter, parallel-group, double-blinded,
      randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a heating and
      cooling combination therapeutic device (OCH-S100) in patients with chronic low
      back pain. Eighty participants with chronic low back pain will be recruited from
      two hospitals in South Korea (Dongguk University Ilsan Oriental Hospital and
      Dongguk University Bundang Oriental Hospital). Enrolled patients will be randomly
      divided into a treatment group and a sham group. Patients in both groups will be
      given 10 treatments (15 min per treatment) over 4 weeks. The protocol will
      consist of five cycles of heating/cooling therapy (maximum: 45  degrees C,
      minimum: 15  degrees C) in the treatment group, and five cycles of sham therapy
      (maximum: 1  degrees C above skin temperature, minimum: 1  degrees C below skin
      temperature) in the sham group. The primary outcome measure is change from
      baseline in the 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain after 4 weeks. There
      are six secondary outcome measures that consider disability or range of motion
      (ROM). DISCUSSION: This research will determine the efficacy and safety of
      heating and cooling combination therapy on chronic low back pain. The results of
      this trial may have important implications for the more widespread use of heating
      and cooling combination therapy for treatment of musculoskeletal pain. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: NCT02289170 (14 October 2014).

PMID- 26112149
TI  - Analysis of Potential Binding Sites of 3,5,4'-Trihydroxystilbene (Resveratrol)
      and trans-3,3',5,5'-Tetrahydroxy-4'-methoxystilbene (THMS) to the GAPDH Molecule
      Using a Computational Ligand-Docking Method: Structural and Functional Changes in
      GAPDH Induced by the Examined Polyphenols.
AB  - The presented study analyzed potential binding sites of 3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene
      (resveratrol, RSV) and its derivative, trans-3,3',5,5'-tetrahydroxy-4'
      methoxystilbene (THMS) to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). The
      effects of stilbene analogs on the structure of GAPDH were determined by
      fluorescence spectroscopy and zeta potential measurements. To what extent the
      studied compounds affect the activity of the enzyme was also assessed. A
      computational ligand-docking study showed that there are 11 potential binding
      sites of RSV and 8 such sites of THMS in the GAPDH molecule. While resveratrol
      does not significantly affect the activity of the dehydrogenase upon binding to
      it, THMS leads to approximately 10% inactivation of this enzyme. THMS has no
      effect on GAPDH inactivation induced by the superoxide anion radical, in contrast
      to resveratrol, which increases dehydrogenase inactivation. 

PMID- 26112150
TI  - SonoGraphic monitoring of severe focal B-cell myositis of the anterior calf
      muscle responsive to rituximab.

PMID- 26112151
TI  - Cyclam glycoconjugates as lectin ligands and protective agents of metal-induced
      amyloid aggregation.
AB  - Transition metal ion complexes of a number of chelators have been widely
      investigated due to their biological properties. The sugar conjugation of metal
      complexes has resulted in improved properties of the systems, such as solubility
      and lectin recognition. In this paper, we report the synthesis, the
      characterization of new glucose and galactose conjugates of 1,4,8,11
      tetraazacyclotetradecane (cyclam) and their Cu(II) complexes. The glycoconjugates
      were proved to be protective agents of metal-induced amyloid aggregation. The
      binding constants of the galactose conjugate KA1=(3.07+/-0.16)*10(7) and
      KA2=(2.13+/-0.04)*10(7)M(-1) with the lectin Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA120)
      as a model of galactose-specific human lectin were obtained with surface plasmon
      resonance. 

PMID- 26112152
TI  - Iron(II) porphyrins induced conversion of nitrite into nitric oxide: A
      computational study.
AB  - Nitrite reduction to nitric oxide by heme proteins was reported as a protective
      mechanism to hypoxic injury in mammalian physiology. In this study, the pathways
      of nitrite reduction to nitric oxide mediated by iron(II) porphyrin (P)
      complexes, which were generally recognized as models for heme proteins, were
      investigated by using density functional theory (DFT). In view of two type
      isomers of combination of nitrite and Fe(II)(P), N-nitro- and O-nitrito-Fe(II)
      porphyrin complexes, and two binding sites of proton to the different O atoms of
      nitrite moiety, four main pathways for the conversion of nitrite into nitric
      oxide mediated by iron(II) porphyrins were proposed. The results indicate that
      the pathway of N-bound Fe(II)(P)(NO2) isomer into Fe(III)(P)(NO) and water is
      similar to that of O-bound isomer into nitric oxide and Fe(III)(P)(OH) in both
      thermodynamical and dynamical aspects. Based on the initial computational studies
      of five-coordinate nitrite complexes, the conversion of nitrite into NO mediated
      by Fe(II)(P)(L) complexes with 14 kinds of proximal ligands was also
      investigated. Generally, the same conclusion that the pathways of N-bound isomers
      are similar to those of O-bound isomer was obtained for iron(II) porphyrin with
      ligands. Different effects of ligands on the reduction reactions were also found.
      It is notable that the negative proximal ligands can improve reactive abilities
      of N-nitro-iron(II) porphyrins in the conversion of nitrite into nitric oxide
      compared to neutral ligands. The findings will be helpful to expand our
      understanding of the mechanism of nitrite reduction to nitric oxide by iron(II)
      porphyrins. 

PMID- 26112153
TI  - Thermodynamics of binding of a sulfonamide inhibitor to metal-mutated carbonic
      anhydrase as studied by affinity capillary electrophoresis.
AB  - By affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE), the thermodynamic binding constants
      of a sulfonamide (SA) inhibitor to bovine carbonic anhydrase II (CA) and metal
      mutated variants (M-CAs) were evaluated. 1-(4-Aminosulfonylphenylazo)-2-naphthol
      6,8-disulfonate was used as the SA in the electrophoretic buffer for ACE. The
      Scatchard analysis of the dependence of the electrophoretic mobility of native CA
      on the SA concentration provided the binding constant to be Kb=(2.29+/
      0.05)*10(6) M(-1) (at pH8.4, 25 degrees C). On the other hand, apoCA showed far
      smaller value [Kb=(3.76+/-0.14)*10(2) M(-1)], suggesting that the coordination of
      SA to the Zn(II) center controlled the binding thermodynamics. The ACE of M-CAs
      showed the same behaviors as native CA but with different Kb values. For example,
      Co-CA adopting the same tetrahedral coordination geometry as native CA exhibited
      the largest Kb value [(2.55+/-0.05)*10(6) M(-1)] among the M-CAs. In contrast, Mn
      and Ni-CA, which adopted the octahedral coordination geometry, had Kb values
      that were about two orders of magnitude lower. Because the hydrophobic cavity of
      CA around the active center pre-organized the orientation of SA, thereby fixing
      the ligating NH(-) moiety to the apex of the tetrahedron supported by three basal
      His3 of CA, metals such as Zn and Co at the center of M-CA gave the most stable
      CA-SA complex. However, pre-organization was not favored for octahedral geometry.
      Thus, pre-organization of SA was the key to facilitating the tetrahedral
      coordination geometry of the Zn(II) active center of CA.

PMID- 26112154
TI  - Aerobic interval training reduces inducible ventricular arrhythmias in diabetic
      mice after myocardial infarction.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of heart failure after myocardial
      infarction (MI), and aggravates ventricular arrhythmias in heart failure
      patients. Although exercise training improves cardiac function in heart failure,
      it is still unclear how it benefits the diabetic heart after MI. To study the
      effects of aerobic interval training on cardiac function, susceptibility to
      inducible ventricular arrhythmias and cardiomyocyte calcium handling in DM mice
      after MI (DM-MI). Male type 2 DM mice (C57BLKS/J Lepr (db) /Lepr (db) ) underwent
      MI or sham surgery. One group of DM-MI mice was submitted to aerobic interval
      training running sessions during 6 weeks. Cardiac function and structure were
      assessed by echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging, respectively.
      Ventricular arrhythmias were induced by high-frequency cardiac pacing in vivo.
      Protein expression was measured by Western blot. DM-MI mice displayed increased
      susceptibility for inducible ventricular arrhythmias and impaired diastolic
      function when compared to wild type-MI, which was associated with disruption of
      cardiomyocyte calcium handling and increased calcium leak from the sarcoplasmic
      reticulum. High-intensity exercise recovered cardiomyocyte function in vitro,
      reduced sarcoplasmic reticulum diastolic calcium leak and significantly reduced
      the incidence of inducible ventricular arrhythmias in vivo in DM-MI mice.
      Exercise training also normalized the expression profile of key proteins involved
      in cardiomyocyte calcium handling, suggesting a potential molecular mechanism for
      the benefits of exercise in DM-MI mice. High-intensity aerobic exercise training
      recovers cardiomyocyte function and reduces inducible ventricular arrhythmias in
      infarcted diabetic mice.

PMID- 26112155
TI  - Cardiovascular magnetic resonance compatible physical model of the left ventricle
      for multi-modality characterization of wall motion and hemodynamics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The development of clinically applicable fluid-structure interaction
      (FSI) models of the left heart is inherently challenging when using in vivo
      cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) data for validation, due to the lack of a
      well-controlled system where detailed measurements of the ventricular wall motion
      and flow field are available a priori. The purpose of this study was to (a)
      develop a clinically relevant, CMR-compatible left heart physical model; and (b)
      compare the left ventricular (LV) volume reconstructions and hemodynamic data
      obtained using CMR to laboratory-based experimental modalities. METHODS: The LV
      was constructed from optically clear flexible silicone rubber. The geometry was
      based off a healthy patient's LV geometry during peak systole. The LV phantom was
      attached to a left heart simulator consisting of an aorta, atrium, and systemic
      resistance and compliance elements. Experiments were conducted for heart rate of
      70 bpm. Wall motion measurements were obtained using high speed stereo
      photogrammetry (SP) and cine-CMR, while flow field measurements were obtained
      using digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) and phase-contrast magnetic
      resonance (PC-CMR). RESULTS: The model reproduced physiologically accurate
      hemodynamics (aortic pressure = 120/80 mmHg; cardiac output = 3.5 L/min). DPIV
      and PC-CMR results of the center plane flow within the ventricle matched, both
      qualitatively and quantitatively, with flow from the atrium into the LV having a
      velocity of about 1.15 m/s for both modalities. The normalized LV volume through
      the cardiac cycle computed from CMR data matched closely to that from SP. The
      mean difference between CMR and SP was 5.5 +/- 3.7%. CONCLUSIONS: The model
      presented here can thus be used for the purposes of: (a) acquiring CMR data for
      validation of FSI simulations, (b) determining accuracy of cine-CMR
      reconstruction methods, and

PMID- 26112157
TI  - Becatamide Found in Houttuynia cordata Suppresses P-selectin Expression Via
      Inhibiting COX Enzyme, Not Increasing cAMP in Platelets.
AB  - Atherosclerosis is a well-known inflammatory cardiovascular disease. Recent
      studies suggested potential anti-atherosclerosis effects of becatamide found in
      Houttuynia cordata. Therefore, in this study, we investigated potential effect of
      becatamide (1) and its analogues (enferamide (2), veskamide (3), oretamide (4)
      and amkamide (5)) on cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and -2 and the production of cyclic
      adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), which are critically involved in platelet
      activation. Among them, becatamide was the most potent compound able to inhibit
      COX-1 (IC50  = 0.27 um) and -2 (IC50  = 0.78 um) (p < 0.05). The decreasing order
      of COX-1 and -2 inhibition activity was becatamide > veskamide > enferamide >
      oretamide > amkamide. As a result of the inhibition, the production of
      thromboxane B2 and P-selectin expression were suppressed by 35% (p < 0.05) and
      28% (p < 0.05), respectively, in mouse blood treated with becatamide (0.25 um).
      However, becatamide did not increase intracellular cAMP in platelets. Therefore,
      the suppression of P-selectin expression was not blocked by beta 2-adrenoceptor
      antagonists, suggesting that the COX inhibition is likely an underlying mechanism
      for the P-selectin suppression. In summary, becatamide may be a potent compound
      to inhibit platelet activation by inhibiting COX enzymes, not by increasing cAMP.
      Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public
      domain in the USA.

PMID- 26112156
TI  - A Comprehensive Atlas of the Adult Mouse Penis.
AB  - Mice are routinely used to study the development of the external genitalia and,
      in particular, the process of male urethral closure. This is because misplacement
      of the male penile urethra, or hypospadias, is amongst the most common birth
      defects reported in humans. While mice present a tractable model to study penile
      development, several structures differ between mice and humans, and there is a
      lack of consensus in the literature on their annotation and developmental
      origins. Defining the ontology of the mouse prepuce is especially important for
      the relevance and interpretation of mouse models of hypospadias to human
      conditions. We have developed a detailed annotation of the adult mouse penis that
      addresses these differences and enables an accurate comparison of murine and
      human hypospadias phenotypes. Through MRI data, gross morphology and section
      histology, we define the origin of the mouse external and internal prepuces,
      their relationship to the single human foreskin as well as provide a
      comprehensive view of the various structures of the mouse penis and their
      associated muscle attachments within the body. These data are combined to
      annotate structures in a novel 3D adult penis atlas that can be downloaded,
      viewed at any angle, and manipulated to examine the relationship of various
      structures.

PMID- 26112158
TI  - Birth Weight Variability and Language Development: Risk, Resilience, and
      Responsive Parenting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether birth weight variation within the normal
      range was associated with language ability at 36 months, and whether responsive
      parenting-the putative protective factor-buffered children from the risk of
      relatively low birth weight. METHODS: In all, 467 community mother-child dyads
      were followed longitudinally from birth. Receptive language was measured at 36
      months. Responsive parenting was assessed through observed interactions at 18
      months and examined as the hypothesized moderator. RESULTS: Controlling for
      confounds, both birth weight and responsive parenting positively predicted
      children's language skills. There was also a significant interaction between
      birth weight and responsive parenting-higher responsivity was associated with
      better language ability, and this link was especially pronounced for children at
      risk owing to relatively low birth weight. CONCLUSION: Normative differences in
      birth weight are a source of variability in children's language, but postnatal
      socialization factors such as parenting may buffer this risk.

PMID- 26112159
TI  - Abdominal Computed Tomography Utilization and 30-day Revisitation in Emergency
      Department Patients Presenting With Abdominal Pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective was to explore which patient characteristics are
      associated with repeat emergency department (ED) visitation within 30 days of ED
      discharge for patients presenting with abdominal pain. METHODS: A retrospective,
      observational study was conducted at a single, academic, urban ED with over
      85,000 annual visits. A consecutive sample of adult patients with a chief
      complaint of abdominal pain from January 2010 through December 2010 who were
      discharged following ED evaluation were included in the analysis. A logistic
      regression model was used to determine which patient-level factors, including
      computed tomography (CT) utilization, were associated with the primary outcome of
      ED revisit within 30 days. RESULTS: Of 80,619 total ED patient visits during the
      study period, 3,928 ED discharges with a chief complaint of abdominal pain were
      included. A total of 487 (12.4%) patients revisited the ED within 30 days. No
      deaths were recorded. CT imaging was associated with a lower 30-day revisit rate
      (odds ratio [OR] = 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.55 to 0.87) after
      controlling for multiple other patient-level factors associated with revisits.
      Increasing age (OR = 1.01, 95% CI = 1.00 to 1.02), increasing triage pain scores
      (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.08 to 1.18), elevated triage heart rate (OR = 1.42, 95% CI
      = 1.07 to 1.89), low sodium levels (OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.07 to 2.23), and anemia
      (OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.95) were all associated with increased rate of
      return. CONCLUSIONS: Performance of an abdominal CT was associated with fewer 30
      day revisits, suggesting that future measures of "imaging appropriateness" and
      "ED overuse" consider downstream utilization of health care resources in addition
      to the index visit.

PMID- 26112160
TI  - Treatment Resistant Epilepsy in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Increased Risk for
      Females.
AB  - The male:female ratio in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) averages greater than 4:1
      while the male:female ratio of ASD with epilepsy averages less than 3:1. This
      indicates an elevated risk of epilepsy in females with ASD; yet, it is unknown
      whether phenotypic features of epilepsy and ASD differ between males and females
      with this comorbidity. The goal of this study is to investigate sex differences
      in phenotypic features of epilepsy and ASD in a prospective sample of 130
      children and young adults with an initial ASD diagnosis and subsequent epilepsy
      diagnosis. All participants were characterized by standardized diagnostic
      inventories, parent/caregiver completed questionnaires, and medical/academic
      record review. Diagnostic classifications of epilepsy, ASD, and intellectual
      disability were performed by board certified neurologists and a pediatric
      neuropsychologist. Results demonstrated a lower male:female ratio (1.8:1) in
      individuals with ASD and treatment-resistant epilepsy relative to those with ASD
      and treatment-responsive epilepsy (4.9:1), indicating a higher risk of treatment
      resistant epilepsy in females. Mild neuroimaging abnormalities were more common
      in females than males and this was associated with increased risk of treatment
      resistance. In contrast, ASD symptom severity was lower in females compared with
      males. Findings distinguish females with ASD and epilepsy as a distinct subgroup
      at higher risk for a more severe epilepsy phenotype in the context of a less
      severe ASD phenotype. Increased risk of anti-epileptic treatment resistance in
      females with ASD and epilepsy suggests that comprehensive genetic, imaging, and
      neurologic screening and enhanced treatment monitoring may be indicated for this
      subgroup. Autism Res 2016, 9: 311-320. (c) 2015 International Society for Autism
      Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26112161
TI  - Alteration of local adipose tissue trace element homeostasis as a possible
      mechanism of obesity-related insulin resistance.
AB  - The mechanisms of association between obesity and the related metabolic
      disturbances in general and insulin resistance in particular are extensively
      studied. Taking into account a key role of adipose tissue insulin resistance in
      the development of systemic obesity-related insulin resistance, the estimation of
      mechanisms linking increased adiposity and impaired insulin signaling in
      adipocytes will allow to develop novel prophylactic and therapeutic approaches to
      treatment of these states. A number of trace elements like chromium, zinc, and
      vanadium have been shown to take part in insulin signaling via various
      mechanisms. Taking into account a key role of adipocyte in systemic carbohydrate
      homeostasis it can be asked if trace element homeostasis in adipose tissue may
      influence regulatory mechanisms of glucose metabolism. We hypothesize that
      caloric excess through currently unknown mechanisms results in decreased
      chromium, vanadium, and zinc content in adipocytes. Decreased content of trace
      elements in the adipose tissue causes impairment of intra-adipocyte insulin
      signaling subsequently leading to adipose tissue insulin resistance. The latter
      significantly contributes to systemic insulin resistance and further metabolic
      disruption in obesity. It is also possible that decreased adipose tissue trace
      element content is associated with dysregulation of insulin-sensitizing and
      proinflammatory adipokines also leading to insulin resistance. We hypothesize
      that insulin resistance and adipokine dysbalance increase the severity of obesity
      subsequently aggravating alteration of adipose tissue trace element balance.
      Single indications of high relative adipose tissue trace element content,
      decreased Cr, V, and Zn content in obese adipose tissue, and tight association
      between fat tissue chromium, vanadium, and zinc levels and metabolic parameters
      in obesity may be useful for hypothesis validation. If our hypothesis will be
      confirmed by later studies, adipose tissue chromium, vanadium, and zinc content
      may be used as a prognostic biomarker of metabolic disturbances in obesity.
      Hypothetically, development and approbation of drugs increasing adipose tissue
      chromium, vanadium, and zinc content may help to achieve better metabolic control
      in obesity and obesity-related insulin resistance. However, stronger basis is
      required to prove our hypothesis. In particular, future studies should
      investigate the influence of obesity severity of adipose tissue trace element
      content, estimate the association between adipose tissue metals and metabolic
      parameters, and highlight the mechanisms involved in these changes. Both in vivo
      and in vitro studies are required to support the hypothesis. 

PMID- 26112162
TI  - Fecal Calprotectin and serum chromogranin A as potential biomarkers of irritable
      bowel syndrome symptom severity.
AB  - Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of the lower gastrointestinal (GI)
      tract, which manifests as abdominal pain and/or discomfort accompanied by altered
      bowel function, in the absence of structural pathology. The onset and
      precipitation of IBS is the result of an interaction among several factors,
      including psychological distress, altered GI sensation and processing of sensory
      information as well as GI inflammation. These factors have varying contributions
      to disorder etiology in different patients, and in line with that, there is now
      emerging evidence about a low-grade inflammation in a subgroup of IBS patients.
      Because IBS diagnosis is based on the ROME III criteria, with the exclusion of
      structural pathology, patients are often exposed to numerous invasive and
      unpleasant tests. In order to decrease the cost of repeated testing, while
      simultaneously alleviating patients' anxiety, research should be aimed at
      detecting cost-effective biomarkers. We hypothesize chromogranin A (CgA) and
      fecal Calprotectin (FC) could be used to eliminate possible organic causes of IBS
      symptoms. Also, we hypothesize FC could be helpful in detecting IBS patients with
      low-grade inflammation. Forty-eight outpatients with IBS (76% females) completed
      a set of psychosocial measures (HRQoL, STAI, BDI, VSI, SF-36), and their FC and
      CgA levels were obtained. We found elevated CgA levels in 4 patients, but CgA
      levels were not related to any of the psychological measures used. Elevated FC
      levels were found in 12 patients. FC levels significantly correlated with the
      physical component of health related quality of life (HRQoL) (r48=-.42, p<.01).
      In addition, one-way ANOVA's were performed to test possible differences in
      psychosocial measures depending on the patient's FC status. The analysis showed
      only one significant difference. Patients with the highest levels of FC had
      significantly lower physical component of HRQoL compared to the other two groups
      of patients. 

PMID- 26112164
TI  - One little, too little: Counting Canada's indigenous people for improved health
      reporting.
AB  - The way state governments, worldwide, count or do not count Indigenous peoples
      has contributed to inconsistent reporting of Indigenous health statistics. To
      address unreliable reporting in Canada, we reviewed laws on Indian status and the
      development of a national Indian Registration System (IRS) to track Indian status
      and eligibility. With this information as a guide, we linked the IRS to the
      Manitoba provincial health registry systems and were able to identify individuals
      with Indian status for health reporting. To improve reporting, we identified
      individuals often missed in this type of linkage. For instance, we identified
      children and adult children who were eligible for Indian status but not yet
      registered. Equally as important, we identified individuals not eligible for
      Indian status but have Indian heritage and/or represent potential individual
      Indian status eligibility cases before the courts to right a historic form of
      identity sex discrimination that has made them invisible in Canadian society and
      health reporting. A familial kinship approach was used to identify Indian
      children and adult children typically missed when a strict legal entitlement
      criteria is used for data linkage. Our reflective socio-legal data linkage
      approach expanded the number of Indian peoples for health reporting purposes and
      demonstrated a feasible, inclusive way to report on the health of Indians in
      Canada. 

PMID- 26112163
TI  - Quantitative analysis of mRNA expression levels and DNA methylation profiles of
      three neighboring genes: FUS1, NPRL2/G21 and RASSF1A in non-small cell lung
      cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor suppressor gene (TSG) inactivation plays a crucial role in
      carcinogenesis. FUS1, NPRL2/G21 and RASSF1A are TSGs from LUCA region at 3p21.3,
      a critical chromosomal region in lung cancer development. The aim of the study
      was to analyze and compare the expression levels of these 3 TSGs in NSCLC, as
      well as in macroscopically unchanged lung tissue surrounding the primary lesion,
      and to look for the possible epigenetic mechanism of TSG inactivation via gene
      promoter methylation. METHODS: Expression levels of 3 TSGs and 2 DNA
      methyltransferases, DNMT1 and DNMT3B, were assessed using real-time PCR method
      (qPCR) in 59 primary non-small cell lung tumors and the matched macroscopically
      unchanged lung tissue samples. Promoter methylation status of TSGs was analyzed
      using methylation-specific PCRs (MSP method) and Methylation Index (MI) value was
      calculated for each gene. RESULTS: The expression of all three TSGs were
      significantly different between NSCLC subtypes: RASSF1A and FUS1 expression
      levels were significantly lower in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and NPRL2/G21
      in adenocarcinoma (AC). RASSF1A showed significantly lower expression in tumors
      vs macroscopically unchanged lung tissues. Methylation frequency was 38-76%,
      depending on the gene. The highest MI value was found for RASSF1A (52%) and the
      lowest for NPRL2/G21 (5%). The simultaneous decreased expression and methylation
      of at least one RASSF1A allele was observed in 71% tumor samples. Inverse
      correlation between gene expression and promoter methylation was found for FUS1
      (rs = -0.41) in SCC subtype. Expression levels of DNMTs were significantly
      increased in 75-92% NSCLCs and were significantly higher in tumors than in normal
      lung tissue. However, no correlation between mRNA expression levels of DNMTs and
      DNA methylation status of the studied TSGs was found. CONCLUSIONS: The results
      indicate the potential role of the studied TSGs in the differentiation of NSCLC
      histopathological subtypes. The significant differences in RASSF1A expression
      levels between NSCLC and macroscopically unchanged lung tissue highlight its
      possible diagnostic role in lung cancer in situ recognition. High percentage of
      lung tumor samples with simultaneous RASSF1A decreased expression and gene
      promoter methylation indicates its epigenetic silencing. However, DNMT
      overexpression doesn't seem to be a critical determinate of its promoter
      hypermethylation.

PMID- 26112166
TI  - Effects of multisensory and motor stimulation on the behavior of people with
      dementia.
AB  - A quasi-experimental study using a pre-posttest design was conducted in four aged
      care facilities to assess the effects of a person-centred care (PCC) multisensory
      stimulation (MSS) and motor stimulation (MS) program, implemented by direct care
      workers, on the behaviors of residents with dementia. Data were collected at
      baseline and after the intervention through video recordings of morning care
      routines. Forty-five residents with moderate and severe dementia participated in
      the study. A total of 266 morning care routines were recorded. The frequency and
      duration of a list of behaviors were analyzed. The frequency of engagement in
      task decreased significantly ( p = .002) however, its duration increased ( p =
      .039). The duration of gaze directed at direct care workers improved
      significantly ( p = .014) and the frequency of closed eyes decreased ( p = .046).
      There was a significant decrease in the frequency of the expression of sadness.
      These results support the implementation of PCC-MSS and MS programs as they may
      stimulate residents' behaviors.

PMID- 26112165
TI  - Emergency medical service, nursing, and physician providers' perspectives on
      delirium identification and management.
AB  - Purpose of the study The study objective was to understand providers' perceptions
      regarding identifying and treating older adults with delirium, a common
      complication of acute illness in persons with dementia, in the pre-hospital and
      emergency department environments. Design and methods The authors conducted
      structured focus group interviews with separate groups of emergency medical
      services staff, emergency nurses, and emergency physicians. Recordings of each
      session were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for themes with representative
      supporting quotations identified. Results Providers shared that the busy
      emergency department environment was the largest challenge to delirium
      recognition and treatment. When describing delirium, participants frequently
      detailed hyperactive features of delirium, rather than hypoactive features.
      Participants shared that they employed no clear diagnostic strategy for
      identifying the condition and that they used heterogeneous approaches to treat
      the condition. To improve care for older adults with delirium, emergency nurses
      identified the need for more training around the management of the condition.
      Emergency medical services providers identified the need for more support in
      managing agitated patients when in transport to the hospital and more guidance
      from emergency physicians on what information to collect from the patient's home
      environment. Emergency physicians felt that delirium care would be improved if
      they could have baseline mental status data on their patients and if they had
      access to a simple, accurate diagnostic tool for the condition. Implications
      Emergency medical services providers, emergency nurses, and emergency physicians
      frequently encounter delirious patients, but do not employ clear diagnostic
      strategies for identifying the condition and have varying levels of comfort in
      managing the condition. Clear steps should be taken to improve delirium care in
      the emergency department including the development of mechanisms to communicate
      patients' baseline mental status, the adoption of a systematized approach to
      recognizing delirium, and the institution of a standardized method to treat the
      condition when identified.

PMID- 26112167
TI  - Decreasing spatial disorientation in care-home settings: How psychology can guide
      the development of dementia friendly design guidelines.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease results in marked declines in navigation skills that are
      particularly pronounced in unfamiliar environments. However, many people with
      Alzheimer's disease eventually face the challenge of having to learn their way
      around unfamiliar environments when moving into assisted living or care-homes.
      People with Alzheimer's disease would have an easier transition moving to new
      residences if these larger, and often more institutional, environments were
      designed to compensate for decreasing orientation skills. However, few existing
      dementia friendly design guidelines specifically address orientation and
      wayfinding. Those that do are often based on custom, practice or intuition and
      not well integrated with psychological and neuroscientific knowledge or
      navigation research, therefore often remaining unspecific. This paper discusses
      current dementia friendly design guidelines, reports findings from psychological
      and neuropsychological experiments on navigation and evaluates their potential
      for informing design guidelines that decrease spatial disorientation for people
      with dementia.

PMID- 26112168
TI  - The structure and interaction mechanism of a polyelectrolyte complex: a
      dissipative particle dynamics study.
AB  - The mechanism of complex formation of two oppositely charged linear
      polyelectrolytes dispersed in a solvent is investigated by using dissipative
      particle dynamics (DPD) simulation. In the polyelectrolyte solution, the size of
      the cationic polyelectrolyte remains constant while the size of the anionic chain
      increases. We analyze the influence of the anionic polyelectrolyte size and salt
      effect (ionic strength) on the conformational changes of the chains during
      complex formation. The behavior of the radial distribution function, the end-to
      end distance and the radius of gyration of each polyelectrolyte is examined.
      These results showed that the effectiveness of complex formation is strongly
      influenced by the process of counterion release from the polyelectrolyte chains.
      The radius of gyration of the complex is estimated using the Fox-Flory equation
      for a wormlike polymer in a theta solvent. The addition of salts in the medium
      accelerates the complex formation process, affecting its radius of gyration.
      Depending on the ratio of chain lengths a compact complex or a loosely bound
      elongated structure can be formed. 

PMID- 26112169
TI  - How active ingredient localisation in plant tissues determines the targeted pest
      spectrum of different chemistries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The efficacies of four commercial insecticides and of two research
      compounds were tested against aphids (Aphis craccivora and Myzus persicae),
      whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) and red-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) in
      intrinsic (oral administration), curative (direct contact spray) and translaminar
      (arthropods infested on untreated leaf underside) assays. With a new translaminar
      model, the transport across the leaf cuticle and tissues and the electrochemical
      distribution of test compounds in cellular compartments and apoplast were
      calculated. RESULTS: The comparison of both information sets revealed that the
      intracellular localisation of active ingredients determines the performance of
      test compounds against different target pests because of different feeding
      behaviours: mites feed on mesophyll, and aphids and whiteflies mostly in the
      vascular system. Polar compounds have a slow adsorption into leaf cells and thus
      a favourable distribution into apoplast and xylem sap. Slightly lipophilic bases
      get trapped in vacuoles, which is a less suited place to control hemipteran pests
      but appropriate to control mites. Non-favourable cellular localisation led to a
      strong reduction in translaminar efficacy against phloem feeders. CONCLUSION:
      Prediction and optimisation of intracellular localisation of pesticides add
      valuable new information for targeted bioavailability and can indicate directions
      for improved pesticide design.

PMID- 26112170
TI  - The changing faces of IgG4-related disease: Clinical manifestations and
      pathogenesis.
AB  - Since the earliest reports in 2001, immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease has
      been defined as an autoimmune systemic disease characterized by the
      lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of affected tissues leading to fibrosis and
      obliterative phlebitis along with elevated serum IgG4 levels. Prior to this
      unifying hypothesis, a plethora of clinical manifestations were considered as
      separate entities despite the similar laboratory profile. The pathology can be
      observed in virtually all organs and may thus be a challenging diagnosis,
      especially when the adequate clinical suspicion is not present or when obtaining
      a tissue biopsy is not feasible. Nonetheless, the most frequently involved organs
      are the pancreas and exocrine glands but these may be spared. Immunosuppressants
      lead to a prompt clinical response in virtually all cases and prevent
      histological sequelae and, as a consequence, an early differential diagnosis from
      other conditions, particularly infections and cancer, as well as an early
      treatment should be pursued. We describe herein two cases in which atypical
      disease manifestations were observed, i.e., one with recurrent neck lymph node
      enlargement and proptosis, and one with jaundice. Our understanding of the
      pathogenesis of IgG4-related disease is largely incomplete but data support a
      significant role for Th2 cytokines with the contribution of innate immunity
      factors such as Toll-like receptors, macrophages and basophils. Further,
      macrophages activated by IL4 overexpress B cell activating factors and contribute
      to chronic inflammation and the development of fibrosis. We cannot rule out the
      possibility that the largely variable disease phenotypes reflect different
      pathogenetic mechanisms and the tissue microenvironment may then contribute to
      the organ involvement. 

PMID- 26112172
TI  - Precision-cut kidney slices (PCKS) to study development of renal fibrosis and
      efficacy of drug targeting ex vivo.
AB  - Renal fibrosis is a serious clinical problem resulting in the greatest need for
      renal replacement therapy. No adequate preventive or curative therapy is
      available that could be clinically used to target renal fibrosis specifically.
      The search for new efficacious treatment strategies is therefore warranted.
      Although in vitro models using homogeneous cell populations have contributed to
      the understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms involved in renal fibrosis,
      these models poorly mimic the complex in vivo milieu. Therefore, we here
      evaluated a precision-cut kidney slice (PCKS) model as a new, multicellular ex
      vivo model to study the development of fibrosis and its prevention using anti
      fibrotic compounds. Precision-cut slices (200-300 MUm thickness) were prepared
      from healthy C57BL/6 mouse kidneys using a Krumdieck tissue slicer. To induce
      changes mimicking the fibrotic process, slices were incubated with TGFbeta1 (5
      ng/ml) for 48 h in the presence or absence of the anti-fibrotic cytokine IFNgamma
      (1 ug/ml) or an IFNgamma conjugate targeted to PDGFRbeta (PPB-PEG-IFNgamma).
      Following culture, tissue viability (ATP-content) and expression of alpha-SMA,
      fibronectin, collagen I and collagen III were determined using real-time PCR and
      immunohistochemistry. Slices remained viable up to 72 h of incubation, and no
      significant effects of TGFbeta1 and IFNgamma on viability were observed. TGFbeta1
      markedly increased alpha-SMA, fibronectin and collagen I mRNA and protein
      expression levels. IFNgamma and PPB-PEG-IFNgamma significantly reduced TGFbeta1
      induced fibronectin, collagen I and collagen III mRNA expression, which was
      confirmed by immunohistochemistry. The PKCS model is a novel tool to test the
      pathophysiology of fibrosis and to screen the efficacy of anti-fibrotic drugs ex
      vivo in a multicellular and pro-fibrotic milieu. A major advantage of the slice
      model is that it can be used not only for animal but also for (fibrotic) human
      kidney tissue. 

PMID- 26112171
TI  - miR-146a targets Fos expression in human cardiac cells.
AB  - miR-146a is a microRNA whose transcript levels are induced in the heart upon
      activation of NF-kappaB, a transcription factor induced by pro-inflammatory
      molecules (such as TNF-alpha) that is strongly related to the pathogenesis of
      cardiac disorders. The main goal of this study consisted of studying new roles of
      miR-146a in cardiac pathological processes caused by the pro-inflammatory
      cytokine TNF-alpha. Our results demonstrate that miR-146a transcript levels were
      sharply increased in cardiac ventricular tissue of transgenic mice with specific
      overexpression of TNF-alpha in the heart, and also in a cardiomyocyte cell line
      of human origin (AC16) exposed to TNF-alpha. Among all the in silico predicted
      miR-146a target genes, Fos mRNA and protein levels notably decreased after TNF
      alpha treatment or miR-146a overexpression. These changes correlated with a
      diminution in the DNA-binding activity of AP-1, the Fos-containing transcription
      factor complex. Interestingly, AP-1 inhibition was accompanied by a reduction in
      matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 mRNA levels in human cardiac cells. The specific
      regulation of this MMP by miR-146a was further confirmed at the secretion and
      enzymatic activity levels, as well as after anti-miR-mediated miR-146a
      inhibition. The results reported here demonstrate that Fos is a direct target of
      miR-146a activity and that downregulation of the Fos-AP-1 pathway by miR-146a has
      the capacity to inhibit MMP-9 activity. Given that MMP-9 is an AP-1 target gene
      involved in cardiac remodeling, myocardial dysfunction and progression of heart
      failure, these findings suggest that miR-146a might be a new and promising
      therapeutic tool for treating cardiac disorders associated with enhanced
      inflammation in the heart. 

PMID- 26112173
TI  - SUMOylation of Wor1 by a novel SUMO E3 ligase controls cell fate in Candida
      albicans.
AB  - Candida albicans is the most common human fungal pathogen, yet is a normal
      commensal resident of the human gut. CO(2) levels in the gut are much higher than
      in air, and it is known that elevated CO(2) concentration promotes C. albicans
      cells to undergo a phenotypic switch from white to opaque phase. Wor1, the master
      regulator of opaque cell formation, is required for both the white to opaque
      transition and opaque maintenance. To elucidate the regulatory mechanism of Wor1,
      we set out to identify Wor1-interacting proteins using a yeast two-hybrid screen.
      A SUMO E3 ligase named Wos1 (Wor1 SUMO-ligase 1) was identified to interact with
      Wor1 and regulate Wor1 SUMOylation. WOS1 expression is upregulated in response to
      high CO(2), and the induction by CO(2) is dependent on the transcription factor
      Flo8. Under high CO(2) conditions, Wos1 is required for the white to opaque
      switch and acts downstream of Flo8. At atmospheric CO(2) levels, overexpression
      of Wos1 enhances Wor1 SUMOylation and promotes the white to opaque switch. Wor1
      is found to be SUMOylated at lysine 385, and loss of this mark by point mutation
      leads to a defect in CO(2) -mediated opaque cell induction. Together, our genetic
      and biological data show that Wos1-mediated Wor1 SUMOylation contributes to the
      regulation of CO(2) -induced white to opaque switching as well as heritable
      maintenance of the opaque cell type.

PMID- 26112174
TI  - Hospital audit of delayed transfusion after orthopaedic surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To understand the mechanisms related to both the onset
      and correction of severe anaemia after orthopaedic surgery, we analysed all the
      full blood counts (FBCs) for patients on one orthopaedic ward during a one-year
      period in an academic hospital. METHODS: FBCs were screened and the medical
      records of those patients for whom a postoperative haemoglobin (Hb) concentration
      below 8 g/dL was recorded at least once were reviewed. The onset of postoperative
      anaemia was determined by calculating the various time intervals delineated by
      surgery, the time at which the transfusion threshold was reached and the time at
      which the lowest Hb level (nadir) and transfusion (if any) occurred. RESULTS: A
      total of 6573 FBCs drawn from 1255 patients were screened. The medical records of
      74 consecutive patients with at least one Hb value < 8 g/dL were analysed. The
      postoperative Hb nadir was 7.4 (+/- 0.6) g/dL (mean - SD). The medians (IQR 25
      75) of the calculated intervals were: (surgery - nadir): 72 (48-144) h, (nadir -
      transfusion): 7 (5-21) h and (transfusion threshold - transfusion): 26 (11-51) h.
      CONCLUSIONS: Delayed transfusion (defined as > 12 hours between the time at which
      the transfusion threshold was reached and actual transfusion) was observed in 57%
      of severely anaemic patients after orthopaedic surgery.

PMID- 26112175
TI  - Endovascular Repair of Saccular Ascending Aortic Aneurysm After Orthotopic Heart
      Transplantation Using an Investigational Zenith Ascend Stent-Graft.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the use of an investigational stent-graft to treat an
      ascending aortic aneurysm in a patient with a heart transplant. CASE REPORT: A 48
      year-old man presented with a 3.5*1.5-cm saccular aneurysm in the mid anterior
      ascending aorta, abutting the sternum. The patient's history was notable for
      placement of a left ventricular assist device followed by orthotopic heart
      transplantation 2 years prior to treat end-stage familial dilated cardiomyopathy.
      Under compassionate use, a custom-designed ascending aortic stent-graft (Zenith
      Ascend) was successfully delivered via an 18-F system and deployed just distal to
      the origin of the left main coronary artery under pulmonary artery catheter
      guided rapid ventricular pacing. The patient was discharged the next day, and 6
      month follow-up was unremarkable. Imaging at 5 months showed an excluded aneurysm
      sac with no endoleak or migration. CONCLUSION: The ideal ascending aortic stent
      graft should be low profile, conformable to the arch anatomy, with short tip
      delivery system and a stepwise deployment mechanism that allows precise placement
      relative to the ostia of the coronary arteries and the innominate artery. This
      case illustrates the advancement of endovascular techniques to the most
      challenging segment of the aorta to decrease morbidity and mortality in high-risk
      patients.

PMID- 26112176
TI  - Effectiveness of a Toothpaste with Low Fluoride Content Combined with
      Trimetaphosphate on Dental Biofilm and Enamel Demineralization in situ.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate in situ whether a
      toothpaste with low fluoride associated with sodium trimetaphosphate (TMP) would
      provide similar effect to that of a 1,100 ppm F toothpaste. DESIGN: This
      crossover double-blind study consisted of 4 phases (14 days each), during which
      10 volunteers wore oral appliances containing 4 enamel bovine blocks. The
      cariogenic challenge was performed by the application of a 20% sucrose solution
      (6*/day). The toothpaste treatments (2*/day) were: placebo, 500 ppm F, 500 ppm F
      plus 1% TMP, and 1,100 ppm F. At the end, enamel mineral loss and biofilm
      composition were analyzed. RESULTS: The toothpaste with 500 ppm F plus 1% TMP
      showed the lowest mineral loss (p < 0.05). Regarding the fluoride and calcium
      concentrations in the enamel and in the biofilm, there were no significant
      differences between 500 ppm F plus 1% TMP, and 1,100 ppm F toothpastes (p >
      0.569), but they were significantly different when compared to toothpaste with
      500 ppm F (p < 0.050). CONCLUSION: The addition of 1% TMP to a low-fluoride
      toothpaste reduces enamel demineralization in situ similar to a 1,100 ppm F
      toothpaste.

PMID- 26112177
TI  - Phytoremediation potential of Arabidopsis with reference to acrylamide and
      microarray analysis of acrylamide-response genes.
AB  - Acrylamide (ACR) is a widely used industrial chemical. However, it is a dangerous
      compound because it showed neurotoxic effects in humans and act as reproductive
      toxicant and carcinogen in many animal species. In the environment, acrylamide
      has high soil mobility and may travel via groundwater. Phytoremediation is an
      effective method to remove the environmental pollutants, but the mechanism of
      plant response to acrylamide remains unknown. With the purpose of assessing
      remediation potentials of plants for acrylamide, we have examined acrylamide
      uptake by the model plant Arabidopsis grown on contaminated substrates with high
      performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The result revealed that
      acrylamide could be absorbed and degraded by Arabidopsis. Further microarray
      analysis showed that 527 transcripts were up-regulated within 2-days under
      acrylamide exposure condition. We have found many potential acrylamide-induced
      genes playing a major role in plant metabolism and phytoremediation. 

PMID- 26112178
TI  - Long-Term Off-Line Extracorporeal Photochemotherapy in Patients with Chronic Lung
      Allograft Rejection Not Responsive to Conventional Treatment: A 10-Year Single
      Centre Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP) for chronic lung allograft
      dysfunction (CLAD) has been reported as beneficial in a few short-term studies.
      OBJECTIVES: In this retrospective cohort study on 48 CLAD patients treated by ECP
      (off-line technique) for a period of >8 years (compared to 58 controls), we
      explored potential predictors of survival and response. METHODS: Failures were
      defined as a decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) of >10% from ECP
      initiation. RESULTS: ECP patients were enrolled between February 2003 and
      December 2013; 14 (29.2%) with restrictive allograft syndrome (RAS) and 34 with
      bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome. Grade 1 severity was indicated in 58.3%, grade
      2 in 20.8%, and grade 3 in 20.8% of patients. The median follow-up was 65 months
      (cumulative 2,284.4 person-months). Twenty (41.7%) patients died, including 17
      (85%) CLAD-related deaths. Among the controls, there were 42 deaths (72.4%), of
      which 32 (76.2%) were CLAD related, over a median of 51 months (cumulative
      3,066.5 person-months; p = 0.09). Among ECP patients, the FEV1 slope flattened
      out after a decline in the initial months (slope -19 ml/month in months 0-6, +4
      in months 36-48 and later; p = 0.001). RAS was associated with poorer survival,
      whereas a 'rapid decline in the previous 6 months' was not. No ECP side effects
      or complications were observed. CONCLUSION: Long-term ECP for CLAD is safe and
      reduces FEV1 decline over time; the RAS phenotype might show a poorer response.
      ECP deserves to be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial.

PMID- 26112179
TI  - Suspected cecal volvulus as a reason for abdominal pain after gastric bypass: a
      case series.

PMID- 26112180
TI  - How long should we make the biliopancreatic limb during Roux-en-Y gastric bypass?

PMID- 26112181
TI  - Comment on: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for failed gastric banding:
      outcomes in 642 patients.

PMID- 26112182
TI  - 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 stimulates human SOST gene expression and
      sclerostin secretion.
AB  - Sclerostin, the SOST gene product, is a negative regulator of bone formation and
      a positive regulator of bone resorption. In this study, treatment of human
      primary osteoblasts, including cells differentiated to an osteocyte-like stage,
      with 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitaminD3 (1,25D) resulted in the dose-dependent
      increased expression of SOST mRNA. A similar effect was observed in human
      trabecular bone samples cultured ex vivo, and in osteocyte-like cultures of
      differentiated SAOS2 cells. Treatment of SAOS2 cells with 1,25D resulted in the
      production and secretion of sclerostin protein. In silico analysis of the human
      SOST gene revealed a single putative DR3-type vitamin D response element (VDRE)
      at position -6216 bp upstream of the transcription start site (TSS). This
      sequence was confirmed to have strong VDRE activity by luciferase reporter assays
      and electrophoretic mobility shift analysis (EMSA). Sequence substitution in the
      VDR/RXR half-sites abolished VDRE reporter activity and binding of nuclear
      proteins. A 6.3 kb fragment of the human proximal SOST promoter demonstrated
      responsiveness to 1,25D. The addition of the evolutionary conserved region 5
      (ECR5), a known bone specific enhancer region, ahead of the 6.3 kb fragment
      increased basal promoter activity but did not increase 1,25D responsiveness. Site
      specific mutagenesis abolished the responsiveness of the 6.3 kb promoter to
      1,25D. We conclude that 1,25D is a direct regulator of human SOST gene and
      sclerostin protein expression, extending the pathways of control of sclerostin
      expression. At least some of this responsiveness is mediated by the identified
      classical VDRE however the nature of the transcriptional regulation by 1,25D
      warrants further investigation. 

PMID- 26112183
TI  - Human somatostatin receptor-3 distinctively induces apoptosis in MCF-7 and cell
      cycle arrest in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
AB  - Somatostatin (SST) mediates cytostatic and pro-apoptotic effects through five
      somatostatin receptors (SSTR1-5). The modest clinical benefits of SST analogs in
      cancers of different origin such as breast cancer are attributed to diminished
      SSTRs expression at tumor sites. In the present study, SSTR3 was overexpressed in
      MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, and analyzed for downstream signaling molecules associated
      with cytostatic and cytotoxic effect. Cells overexpressing SSTR3 displayed
      inhibition of EGF induced proliferation and enhanced antiproliferative effect of
      SSTR3-specific agonist in comparison to non-transfected cells. SSTR3
      overexpression in MCF-7 cells (R3-MCF-7) constitutively enhanced TUNEL staining,
      PARP-1 and p27(Kip1) expression suggesting apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest.
      Conversely, R3-MB-231 cells with SSTR3 overexpression exerted cytostatic and were
      devoid of any cytotoxic effects. The expression of PTP-1C and the status of
      ERK1/2, p38 and PI3K phosphorylation was modulated in a cell-specific manner.
      These findings provide new insights in understanding the antiproliferative role
      of SSTR3 in breast tumor biology. 

PMID- 26112184
TI  - Expression, regulation and function of Hmgn3 during decidualization in mice.
AB  - Although Hmgn3 is involved in the regulation of development and cellular
      differentiation, its physiological roles on decidualization are still unknown.
      Here we showed that Hmgn3 was highly expressed in the decidua and decidualizing
      stromal cells. Overexpression of Hmgn3 variants, Hmgn3a or Hmgn3b, enhanced the
      expression of decidualization markers Prl8a2 and Prl3c1, whereas inhibition of
      Hmgn3 reduced their expression. Hmgn3 could mediate the effects of Hoxa10 and
      cAMP on the expression of Prl8a2 and Prl3c1. Further study found that Hmgn3
      directed the process of decidualization through influencing the expression of
      Hand2. Progesterone could induce the expression of Hmgn3 in the ovariectomized
      mouse uterus, uterine epithelial cells and stromal cells. Knockdown of Hoxa10
      with siRNA alleviated the induction of progesterone and cAMP on Hmgn3 expression.
      Simultaneously, siRNA-mediated down-regulation of Hmgn3 in the uterine stromal
      cells could attenuate the effects of progesterone, cAMP and Hoxa10 on the
      expression of Hand2. Collectively, Hmgn3 may play an important role during mouse
      decidualization. 

PMID- 26112185
TI  - The LH/CG receptor activates canonical signaling pathway when expressed in
      Drosophila.
AB  - G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their ligands provide precise tissue
      regulation and are therefore often restricted to specific animal phyla. For
      example, the gonadotropins and their receptors are crucial for vertebrate
      reproduction but absent from invertebrates. In mammals, LHR mainly couples to the
      PKA signaling pathway, and CREB is the major transcription factor of this
      pathway. Here we present the results of expressing elements of the human
      gonadotropin system in Drosophila. Specifically, we generated transgenic
      Drosophila expressing the human LH/CG receptor (denoted as LHR), a constitutively
      active form of LHR, and an hCG analog. We demonstrate activation-dependent
      signaling by LHR to direct Drosophila phenotypes including lethality and specific
      midline defects; these phenotypes were due to LHR activation of PKA/CREB pathway
      activity. That the LHR can act in an invertebrate demonstrates the conservation
      of factors required for GPCR function among phylogenetically distant organisms.
      This novel gonadotropin model may assist the identification of new modulators of
      mammalian fertility by exploiting the powerful genetic and pharmacological tools
      available in Drosophila. 

PMID- 26112187
TI  - Infection with human retroviruses other than HIV-1: HIV-2, HTLV-1, HTLV-2, HTLV-3
      and HTLV-4.
AB  - HIV-1 is the most prevalent retrovirus, with over 30 million people infected
      worldwide. Nevertheless, infection caused by other human retroviruses like HIV-2,
      HTLV-1, HTLV-2, HTLV-3 and HTLV-4 is gaining importance. Initially confined to
      specific geographical areas, HIV-2, HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 are becoming a major
      concern in non-endemic countries due to international migration flows. Clinical
      manifestations of retroviruses range from asymptomatic carriers to life
      threatening conditions, such as AIDS in HIV-2 infection or adult T-cell
      lymphoma/leukemia or tropical spastic paraparesis in HTLV-1 infection. HIV-2 is
      naturally resistant to some antiretrovirals frequently used to treat HIV-1
      infection, but it does have effective antiretroviral therapy options.
      Unfortunately, HTLV still has limited therapeutic options. In this article, we
      will review the epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, pathogenic and therapeutic
      aspects of infections caused by these human retroviruses. 

PMID- 26112186
TI  - Glycan complexity dictates microbial resource allocation in the large intestine.
AB  - The structure of the human gut microbiota is controlled primarily through the
      degradation of complex dietary carbohydrates, but the extent to which
      carbohydrate breakdown products are shared between members of the microbiota is
      unclear. We show here, using xylan as a model, that sharing the breakdown
      products of complex carbohydrates by key members of the microbiota, such as
      Bacteroides ovatus, is dependent on the complexity of the target glycan.
      Characterization of the extensive xylan degrading apparatus expressed by B.
      ovatus reveals that the breakdown of the polysaccharide by the human gut
      microbiota is significantly more complex than previous models suggested, which
      were based on the deconstruction of xylans containing limited monosaccharide side
      chains. Our report presents a highly complex and dynamic xylan degrading
      apparatus that is fine-tuned to recognize the different forms of the
      polysaccharide presented to the human gut microbiota. 

PMID- 26112188
TI  - Thermo-stable carbon nanotube-TiO2 nanocompsite as electron highways in dye
      sensitized solar cell produced by bio-nano-process.
AB  - We produced a thermostable TiO2-(anatase)-coated multi-walled-carbon-nanotube
      (MWNT) nanocomposite for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using
      biological supuramolecules as catalysts. We synthesized two different sizes of
      iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) and arrayed the NPs on a silicon substrate
      utilizing two kinds of genetically modified cage-shaped proteins with silicon
      binding peptide aptamers on their outer surfaces. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD)
      with the vapor-liquid-solid phase (VLS) method was applied to the substrate, and
      thermostable MWNTs with a diameter of 6 +/- 1 nm were produced. Using a
      genetically modified cage-shaped protein with carbon-nanomaterials binding and Ti
      mineralizing peptides as a catalyst, we were able to mineralize a titanium
      compound around the surface of the MWNT. The products were sintered, and thin
      TiO2-layer-coated MWNTs nanocomoposites were successfully produced. Addition of a
      0.2 wt% TiO2-coated MWNT nanocomposite to a DSSC photoelectrode improved current
      density by 11% and decreased electric resistance by 20% compared to MWNT-free
      reference DSSCs. These results indicate that a nanoscale TiO2-layer-coated
      thermostable MWNT structure produced by our mutant proteins works as a superior
      electron transfer highway within TiO2 photoelectrodes.

PMID- 26112189
TI  - Cumulative Blood Pressure in Early Adulthood and Cardiac Dysfunction in Middle
      Age: The CARDIA Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cumulative blood pressure (BP) exposure may adversely influence
      myocardial function, predisposing individuals to heart failure later in life.
      OBJECTIVES: This study sought to investigate how cumulative exposure to higher BP
      influences left ventricular (LV) function during young to middle adulthood.
      METHODS: The CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study
      prospectively enrolled 5,115 healthy African Americans and whites in 1985 and
      1986 (baseline). At the year 25 examination, LV function was measured by 2
      dimensional echocardiography; cardiac deformation was assessed in detail by
      speckle-tracking echocardiography. We used cumulative exposure of BP through
      baseline and up to the year 25 examination (millimeters of mercury * year) to
      represent long-term exposure to BP levels. Linear regression and logistic
      regression were used to quantify the association of BP measured repeatedly
      through early adulthood (18 to 30 years of age) up to middle age (43 to 55
      years). RESULTS: Among 2,479 participants, cumulative BP measures were not
      related to LV ejection fraction; however, high cumulative exposure to systolic
      blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were associated with
      lower longitudinal strain rate (both p < 0.001). For diastolic function, higher
      cumulative exposures to SBP and DBP were associated with low early diastolic
      longitudinal peak strain rate. Of note, higher DBP (per SD increment) had a
      stronger association with diastolic dysfunction compared with SBP. CONCLUSIONS:
      Higher cumulative exposure to BP over 25 years from young adulthood to middle age
      is associated with incipient LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction in middle age.

PMID- 26112190
TI  - The Strain of Detecting Early Target Organ Damage in Hypertension.

PMID- 26112191
TI  - Digoxin Use and Subsequent Outcomes Among Patients in a Contemporary Atrial
      Fibrillation Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although digoxin has long been used to treat atrial fibrillation (AF)
      and heart failure (HF), its safety remains controversial. OBJECTIVES: This study
      sought to describe digoxin use over time in patients with AF who were stratified
      by the presence or absence of HF, to characterize the predictors of digoxin use
      and initiation, and to correlate digoxin use with outcomes. METHODS: Longitudinal
      patterns of digoxin use and its association with a variety of outcomes were
      assessed in a prospective outpatient registry conducted at 174 U.S. sites with
      enrollment from June 2010 to August 2011. RESULTS: Among 9,619 patients with AF
      and serial follow-up every 6 months for up to 3 years, 2,267 (23.6%) received
      digoxin at study enrollment, 681 (7.1%) were initiated on digoxin during follow
      up, and 6,671 (69.4%) were never prescribed digoxin. After adjusting for other
      medications, heart rate was 72.9 beats/min among digoxin users and 71.5 beats/min
      among nonusers (p < 0.0001). Prevalent digoxin use at registry enrollment was not
      associated with subsequent onset of symptoms, hospitalization, or mortality (in
      patients with HF, adjusted hazard ratio [HR] for death: 1.04; without HF, HR:
      1.22). Incident digoxin use during follow-up was not associated with subsequent
      death in patients with HF (propensity adjusted HR: 1.05), but was associated with
      subsequent death in those without HF (propensity adjusted HR: 1.99). CONCLUSIONS:
      After adjustment for detailed clinical factors, digoxin use in registry patients
      with AF had a neutral association with outcomes under most circumstances. Because
      of the multiple conflicting observational reports about digoxin's safety and
      possible concerns in specific clinical situations, a large pragmatic trial of
      digoxin therapy in AF is needed.

PMID- 26112192
TI  - Digoxin: In the Cross Hairs Again.

PMID- 26112193
TI  - Clinical Differentiation Between Physiological Remodeling and Arrhythmogenic
      Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy in Athletes With Marked Electrocardiographic
      Repolarization Anomalies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physiological cardiac adaptation to regular exercise, including
      biventricular dilation and T-wave inversion (TWI), may create diagnostic overlap
      with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). OBJECTIVES: The goal
      of this study was to assess the accuracy of diagnostic criteria for ARVC when
      applied to athletes exhibiting electrocardiographic TWI and to identify
      discriminators between physiology and disease. METHODS: The study population
      consisted of athletes with TWI (n = 45), athletes without TWI (n = 35), and ARVC
      patients (n = 35). Subjects underwent electrocardiography (ECG), signal-averaged
      electrocardiography (SAECG), echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
      (CMRI), Holter monitoring, and exercise testing. RESULTS: There were no
      electrical, structural, or functional cardiac differences between athletes
      exhibiting TWI and athletes without TWI. When athletes were compared with ARVC
      patients, markers of physiological remodeling included early repolarization,
      biphasic TWI, voltage criteria for right ventricular (RV) or left ventricular
      hypertrophy, and symmetrical cardiac enlargement. Indicators of RV pathology
      included the following: syncope; Q waves or precordial QRS amplitudes <1.8 mV; 3
      abnormal SAECG parameters; delayed gadolinium enhancement, RV ejection fraction
      <=45%, or wall motion abnormalities at CMRI; >1,000 ventricular extrasystoles (or
      >500 non-RV outflow tract) per 24 h; and symptoms, ventricular tachyarrhythmias,
      or attenuated blood pressure response during exercise. Nonspecific parameters
      included the following: prolonged QRS terminal activation; <=2 abnormal SAECG
      parameters; RV dilation without wall motion abnormalities; RV outflow tract
      ectopy; and exercise-induced T-wave pseudonormalization. CONCLUSIONS: TWI and
      balanced biventricular dilation are likely to represent benign manifestations of
      training in asymptomatic athletes without relevant family history. Diagnostic
      criteria for ARVC are nonspecific in such individuals. Comprehensive testing
      using widely available techniques can effectively differentiate borderline cases.

PMID- 26112194
TI  - Suspected ARVC in the Athlete: Do T-Wave Findings Really Help in Diagnosis?

PMID- 26112195
TI  - Choice of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Equation Impacts Drug-Dosing
      Recommendations and Risk Stratification in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
      Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Interventions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple equations exist to estimate glomerular filtration rate
      (GFR); however, there is no consensus on which is superior for risk
      classification in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). OBJECTIVES: The goals of this study
      were to identify which equation to estimate GFR is superior for predicting
      adverse outcomes after PCI and to examine how equation selection would impact
      drug-dosing recommendations. METHODS: Estimated GFR (eGFR) was calculated with
      the Cockcroft-Gault, Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study (MDRD), and
      Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations for 128,805
      patients undergoing PCI in the state of Michigan. Agreement between patient pre
      PCI eGFR estimates and resultant CKD stage classifications, their ability to
      discriminate post-procedural in-hospital clinical outcomes, and the impact of
      equation choice on dosing recommendations for commonly used antiplatelet and
      antithrombotic medications were investigated. RESULTS: CKD-EPI best discriminated
      post-PCI mortality by receiver operator characteristic analysis. There was wide
      variability in eGFR, which persisted after grouping by CKD stages.
      Reclassification by CKD-EPI resulted in net reclassification index improvement
      for acute kidney injury and new requirement for dialysis. Equation choice
      affected drug-dosing recommendations, with the formulas agreeing for only 50.3%,
      40.0%, and 34.3% of potentially impacted patients for eGFR cutoffs of <60, <50,
      and <30 ml/min/1.73 m(2), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Different eGFR equations
      result in CKD stage reclassification that has major clinical implications for
      predicting adverse outcomes after PCI and drug-dosing recommendations. Our
      results support the use of CKD-EPI for risk stratification among patients
      undergoing PCI.

PMID- 26112196
TI  - Estimating Renal Filtration, Drug Dosing, and Clinical Outcomes.

PMID- 26112197
TI  - Evolution of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association
      Clinical Guidelines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart
      Association (AHA) have been developing clinical guidelines to assist practicing
      clinicians. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to evaluate changes in ACC/AHA
      guideline recommendations between 2008 and 2014. METHODS: The previous and
      current ACC/AHA guideline documents that were updated between 2008 and June 2014
      were compared to determine changes in Class of Recommendation (COR) and Level of
      Evidence (LOE). Each recommendation was classified as new, dropped, revised, or
      unchanged, and the changes in evidence were examined. RESULTS: During the study
      period, 11 guideline documents (9 disease based and 2 interventional procedure
      based) were updated. The total number of recommendations decreased from 2,067 to
      1,869 (321 fewer recommendations in disease-based guidelines and 123 additional
      recommendations in interventional procedure-based guidelines). The recommendation
      class distribution of the updated guidelines was 50.1% Class I (previously
      50.8%), 39.4% Class II (previously 35.4%), and 10.4% Class III (previously 13.8%)
      (p = 0.001). The LOE distribution among updated versions was 15.0% for LOE: A
      (previously 13.3%), 50.8% for LOE: B (previously 41.4%), and 34.2% for LOE C
      (previously 45.3%) (p < 0.001). Among all guidelines, 859 recommendations were
      new, 1,339 were dropped, 881 were unchanged in COR and LOE, and 129 were revised.
      Of the revised guidelines, 75 recommendations had an increase in LOE (the
      majority from LOE: C to LOE: B); 34 recommendations had a decrease in LOE; and 20
      recommendations had class changes. LOE increases were justified by introduction
      of new randomized controlled trials, new studies, and new meta-analyses.
      CONCLUSIONS: The ACC/AHA guideline recommendations are undergoing significant
      changes, becoming more evidence based and scientifically robust with a tendency
      to exclude recommendations with insufficient scientific evidence.

PMID- 26112198
TI  - Evolution of the ACC/AHA Clinical Practice Guidelines in Perspective: Guiding the
      Guidelines.

PMID- 26112199
TI  - Cardiovascular Health of Patients With Cancer and Cancer Survivors: A Roadmap to
      the Next Level.
AB  - Many existing and emerging cancer therapies have a significant effect on the
      cardiovascular health of patients with cancer and cancer survivors. This paper
      examines current aspects of interdisciplinary cardio-oncology clinical care
      delivery and education in the United States and outlines how these data provide a
      platform for future development of the field. We present the results of the
      nationwide survey on cardio-oncology services, practices, and opinions, conducted
      among chiefs of cardiology and program directors, which demonstrate ranges of
      clinical activities and identify significant interest for increased educational
      opportunities and expert training of cardiovascular physicians in this field. The
      survey respondents recognized clinical relevance but emphasized lack of national
      guidelines, lack of funds, and limited awareness and infrastructure as the main
      challenges for development and growth of cardio-oncology. We discuss potential
      solutions to unmet needs through interdisciplinary collaboration and the active
      roles of professional societies and other stakeholders.

PMID- 26112201
TI  - The Cardiovascular Specialty Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

PMID- 26112200
TI  - Finding the Gatekeeper to the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory: Coronary CT
      Angiography or Stress Testing?
AB  - Functional capacity is a robust predictor of clinical outcomes, and stress
      testing is used in current practice paradigms to guide referral to invasive
      coronary angiography. However, invasive coronary angiography is driven by ongoing
      symptoms, as well as risk of adverse outcomes. The limitations of current
      functional testing-based paradigms might be avoided by using coronary computed
      tomographic angiography (CCTA) for exclusion of obstructive coronary artery
      disease. The growth of CCTA has been supported by comparative prognostic evidence
      with CCTA and functional testing, as well as radiation dose reduction. Use of
      CCTA for physiological evaluation of coronary lesion-specific ischemia may
      facilitate evaluation of moderate stenoses, designation of the culprit lesion,
      and prediction of benefit from revascularization. The potential of CCTA to serve
      as an effective gatekeeper to invasive coronary angiography will depend, in part,
      on the adoption of these new developments, as well as definition of the benefit
      of detecting high-risk plaque for guiding the management of selected patients. 

PMID- 26112202
TI  - Vascular Medicine: The Eye Cannot See What the Mind Does Not Know.

PMID- 26112203
TI  - Remote Ischemic Conditioning Reduces Myocardial Infarct Size in STEMI Patients
      Treated by Thrombolysis.

PMID- 26112204
TI  - Are Phytosterols Responsible for the Low-Density Lipoprotein-Lowering Effects of
      Tree Nuts?: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PMID- 26112206
TI  - When to Call It Severe Mitral Regurgitation?

PMID- 26112205
TI  - Reply: When to Call It Severe Mitral Regurgitation?

PMID- 26112207
TI  - Underutilization of High-Intensity Statin Therapy After Hospitalization for
      Coronary Heart Disease: A Cause for Concern, But a Few Words of Caution.

PMID- 26112208
TI  - Reply: Underutilization of High-Intensity Statin Therapy After Hospitalization
      for Coronary Heart Disease: A Cause for Concern, But a Few Words of Caution.

PMID- 26112209
TI  - Seeing is believing: good graphic design principles for medical research.
AB  - Have you noticed when you browse a book, journal, study report, or product label
      how your eye is drawn to figures more than to words and tables? Statistical
      graphs are powerful ways to transparently and succinctly communicate the key
      points of medical research. Furthermore, the graphic design itself adds to the
      clarity of the messages in the data. The goal of this paper is to provide a
      mechanism for selecting the appropriate graph to thoughtfully construct quality
      deliverables using good graphic design principles. Examples are motivated by the
      efforts of a Safety Graphics Working Group that consisted of scientists from the
      pharmaceutical industry, Food and Drug Administration, and academic institutions.

PMID- 26112210
TI  - Activation of imidazoline-I3 receptors ameliorates pancreatic damage.
AB  - Agmatine, an endogenous ligand of imidazoline receptors, is reported to exhibit
      anti-hyperglycaemic and many other effects. It has been established that the
      imidazoline I3 receptor is involved in insulin secretion. The current study
      characterizes the role of the imidazoline I3 receptor in the protection of
      pancreatic islets. The activity effect of agmatine against on streptozotocin
      (STZ)-induced (5 mmol/L) rat beta cell apoptosis was examined by using ApoTox-Glo
      triplex assay, live/dead cell double staining assay, flow cytometric analysis,
      and western blot. Imidazoline I3 receptors antagonist KU14R and the phospholipase
      C inhibitor named U73122 were treated in beta cells to investigate the potential
      signalling pathways. The serum glucose and recovery of insulin secretion were
      measured in STZ-treated rats after continuously injected agmatine. The apoptosis
      in rat beta cells was reduced by agmatine in a dose-dependent manner, cell
      viability was improved after treatment with agmatine and these effects were
      suppressed after the blockade of KU14R and U73122. Western blot analysis
      confirmed that agmatine could decrease caspase-3 expression and increase the p
      BAD levels. In STZ-treated rats, injection of agmatine for 4 weeks may
      significantly lower the serum glucose and recovery of insulin secretion. This
      improvement of pancreatic islets induced by agmatine was deleted by KU14R in
      vivo. Agmatine can activate the imidazoline I3 receptor linked with the
      phospholipase C pathway to induce cell protection against apoptosis induced by a
      low dose of STZ. This finding provides new insight into the prevention of early
      stage pancreatic islet damage.

PMID- 26112211
TI  - Engineered Deinococcus radiodurans R1 with NiCoT genes for bioremoval of trace
      cobalt from spent decontamination solutions of nuclear power reactors.
AB  - The aim of the present work was to engineer bacteria for the removal of Co in
      contaminated effluents. Radioactive cobalt ((60)Co) is known as a major
      contributor for person-sievert budgetary because of its long half-life and high
      gamma-energy values. Some bacterial Ni/Co transporter (NiCoT) genes were
      described to have preferential uptake for cobalt. In this study, the NiCoT genes
      nxiA and nvoA from Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 (RP) and Novosphingobium
      aromaticivorans F-199 (NA), respectively, were cloned under the control of the
      groESL promoter. These genes were expressed in Deinococcus radiodurans in reason
      of its high resistance to radiation as compared to other bacterial strains. Using
      qualitative real time-PCR, we showed that the expression of NiCoT-RP and NiCoT-NA
      is induced by cobalt and nickel. The functional expression of these genes in
      bioengineered D. radiodurans R1 strains resulted in >60 % removal of (60)Co
      (>=5.1 nM) within 90 min from simulated spent decontamination solution containing
      8.5 nM of Co, even in the presence of >10 mM of Fe, Cr, and Ni. D. radiodurans R1
      (DR-RP and DR-NA) showed superior survival to recombinant E. coli (ARY023)
      expressing NiCoT-RP and NA and efficiency in Co remediation up to 6.4 kGy. Thus,
      the present study reports a remarkable reduction in biomass requirements (2 kg)
      compared to previous studies using wild-type bacteria (50 kg) or ion-exchanger
      resins (8000 kg) for treatment of ~10(5)-l spent decontamination solutions (SDS).

PMID- 26112212
TI  - Effects of DNA methylation inhibitors and conventional antidepressants on mice
      behaviour and brain DNA methylation levels.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Stress increases DNA methylation and decreases the expression of genes
      involved in neural plasticity, while treatment with DNA methyltransferase
      inhibitors (DNMTi) increases gene expression and induces antidepressant-like
      effects in preclinical models. Therefore, the aim of the present work was to
      further investigate the potential antidepressant-like effect induced by DNMTi by
      evaluating the behavioural effects induced by associating DNMTi treatment with
      conventional antidepressant drugs in mice submitted to the forced swimming test
      (FST). In addition, brain levels of DNA methylation were also investigated.
      METHODS: Mice received systemic injections of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AzaD,
      0.1, 0.2 mg/kg), RG108 (0.1, 0.2, 0.4 mg/kg), desipramine (DES, 2.5, 5, 10 mg/kg)
      or fluoxetine (FLX, 5, 10, 20, 30 mg/kg) and were submitted to the FST or to the
      open field test (OFT). Additional groups received a combination of subeffective
      doses of 5-AzaD or RG108 (DNMTi) with subeffective doses of DES or FLX
      (antidepressants). RESULTS: Subeffective doses of RG108 (0.1 mg/kg) or 5-AzaD
      (0.1 mg/kg) in association with subeffective doses of DES (2.5 mg/kg) or FLX (10
      mg/kg) induced significant antidepressant-like effects. Effective doses of RG108
      (0.2 mg/kg), 5-AzaD (0.2 mg/kg), DES (10 mg/kg) and FLX (20 mg/kg) atenuated
      stress-induced changes in DNA methylation levels in the hippocampus and
      prefrontal cortex. None of the treatments induced locomotor effects in the OFT.
      CONCLUSION: These results suggest that DNMTi potentiate the behavioural effects
      of antidepressant drugs in the FST and that antidepressants, as well as DNMTi,
      are able to modulate stress-induced changes in DNA methylation in brain regions
      closely associated with the neurobiology of depression.

PMID- 26112213
TI  - Lrig1 and CD44v3 Expression in the Human Folliculosebaceous Unit.

PMID- 26112214
TI  - Wnt5a attenuates Wnt3a-induced alkaline phosphatase expression in dental follicle
      cells.
AB  - Wnt signaling regulates multiple cellular events such as cell proliferation,
      differentiation, and apoptosis through beta-catenin-dependent canonical and beta
      catenin-independent noncanonical pathways. Canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling
      can promote the differentiation of dental follicle cells, putative progenitor
      cells for cementoblasts, osteoblasts, and periodontal ligament cells, toward a
      cementoblast/osteoblast phenotype during root formation, but little is known
      about the biological significance of noncanonical Wnt signaling in this process.
      We identified the expression of Wnt5a, a representative noncanonical Wnt ligand,
      in tooth root lining cells (i.e. precementoblasts/cementoblasts) and dental
      follicle cells during mouse tooth root development, as assessed by
      immunohistochemistry. Silencing expression of the Wnt5a gene in a dental follicle
      cell line resulted in enhancement of the Wnt3a (a representative canonical Wnt
      ligand)-mediated increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression. Conversely,
      treatment with recombinant Wnt5a inhibited the increase in ALP expression,
      suggesting that Wnt5a signaling functions as a negative regulator of canonical
      Wnt-mediated ALP expression of dental follicle cells. Wnt5a did not affect the
      nuclear translocation of beta-catenin as well as beta-catenin-mediated
      transcriptional activation of T-cell factor (Tcf) triggered by Wnt3a, suggesting
      that Wnt5a inhibits the downstream part of the beta-catenin-Tcf pathway. These
      findings suggest the existence of a feedback mechanism between canonical and
      noncanonical Wnt signaling during the differentiation of dental follicle cells.

PMID- 26112215
TI  - Endostatin induces proliferation of oral carcinoma cells but its effect on
      invasion is modified by the tumor microenvironment.
AB  - The turnover of extracellular matrix liberates various cryptic molecules with
      novel biological activities. Endostatin is an endogenous angiogenesis inhibitor
      that is derived from the non-collagenous domain of collagen XVIII. Although there
      are a large number of studies on its anti-tumor effects, the molecular mechanisms
      are not yet completely understood, and the reasons why endostatin has not been
      successful in clinical trials are unclear. Research has mostly focused on its
      anti-angiogenic effect in tumors. Here, we aimed to elucidate how endostatin
      affects the behavior of aggressive tongue HSC-3 carcinoma cells that were
      transfected to overproduce endostatin. Endostatin inhibited the invasion of HSC-3
      cells in a 3D collagen-fibroblast model. However, it had no effect on invasion in
      a human myoma organotypic model, which lacks vital fibroblasts. Recombinant
      endostatin was able to reduce the Transwell migration of normal fibroblasts, but
      had no effect on carcinoma associated fibroblasts. Surprisingly, endostatin
      increased the proliferation and decreased the apoptosis of cancer cells in
      organotypic models. Also subcutaneous tumors overproducing endostatin grew
      bigger, but showed less local invasion in nude mice xenografts. We conclude that
      endostatin affects directly to HSC-3 cells increasing their proliferation, but
      its net effect on cancer invasion seem to depend on the cellular composition and
      interactions of tumor microenvironment. 

PMID- 26112216
TI  - Co-regulation of SREBP-1 and mTOR ameliorates lipid accumulation in kidney of
      diabetic mice.
AB  - SREBP-1 and mTOR have been proved to involve in renal lipid metabolism of
      diabetes mellitus. In the present study, we investigated the effect of co
      regulation of SREBP-1 and mTOR on renal lipid metabolism using diabetic mice and
      cultured renal tubular cells. The results showed that compared with those in high
      glucose-stimulated HKC cells single transfected with shRNA-SREBP-1 vector, the
      level of SREBP-1 protein were significantly reduced by 64.1% followed by
      decreased FASN mRNA, ACC mRNA, ADRP protein and lipid droplets in HKC cells co
      transfected with shRNA-SREBP-1 vector and kinase-dead mTOR vector. Furthermore,
      diabetic mice co-injected with shRNA-SREBP-1 vector and kinase-dead mTOR vector
      showed that renal SREBP-1 protein, FASN mRNA and ACC mRNA were respectively
      decreased by 34.6%, 45.9%, 22.0% in comparison with those in diabetic mice single
      injected with shRNA-SREBP-1 vector accompanied by reduced ADRP protein and
      triglyceride content. In the end our study suggests that co-regulation of SREBP-1
      and mTOR in kidney of diabetic mice is more effective in lowering renal
      lipogenesis than only regulation of SREBP-1.

PMID- 26112217
TI  - Histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid promotes the induction of
      pluripotency in mouse fibroblasts by suppressing reprogramming-induced senescence
      stress.
AB  - Histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid (VPA) has been used to increase the
      reprogramming efficiency of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) from somatic
      cells, yet the specific molecular mechanisms underlying this effect is unknown.
      Here, we demonstrate that reprogramming with lentiviruses carrying the iPSC
      inducing factors (Oct4-Sox2-Klf4-cMyc, OSKM) caused senescence in mouse
      fibroblasts, establishing a stress barrier for cell reprogramming. Administration
      of VPA protected cells from reprogramming-induced senescent stress. Using an in
      vitro pre-mature senescence model, we found that VPA treatment increased cell
      proliferation and inhibited apoptosis through the suppression of the p16/p21
      pathway. In addition, VPA also inhibited the G2/M phase blockage derived from the
      senescence stress. These findings highlight the role of VPA in breaking the cell
      senescence barrier required for the induction of pluripotency.

PMID- 26112219
TI  - Estimation of the cost-effectiveness of apixaban versus vitamin K antagonists in
      the management of atrial fibrillation in Argentina.
AB  - Apixaban, a novel oral anticoagulant which has been approved for the prevention
      of stroke and systemic embolism in non-valvular atrial fibrillation, reduces both
      ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke and produces fewer bleedings than vitamin K
      antagonist warfarin. These clinical results lead to a decrease in health care
      resource utilization and, therefore, have a positive impact on health economics
      of atrial fibrillation. The cost-effectiveness of apixaban has been assessed in a
      variety of clinical settings and countries. However, data from emergent markets,
      as is the case of Argentina, are still scarce.We performed a cost-effectiveness
      analysis of apixaban versus warfarin in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF)
      in patients suitable for oral anticoagulation in Argentina. A Markov-based model
      including both costs and effects were used to simulate a cohort of patients with
      NVAF. Local epidemiological, resource utilization and cost data were used and all
      inputs were validated by a Delphi Panel of local experts. We adopted the payer's
      perspective with costs expressed in 2012 US Dollars.The study revealed that
      apixaban is cost-effective compared with warfarin using a willingness to pay
      threshold ranging from 1 to 3 per capita Gross Domestic Product (11558 - 34664
      USD) with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 786.08 USD per QALY gained.
      The benefit is primarily a result of the reduction in stroke and bleeding
      events.The study demonstrates that apixaban is a cost-effective alternative to
      warfarin in Argentina. 

PMID- 26112218
TI  - Pyruvate kinase isoenzyme M2 is a therapeutic target of gemcitabine-resistant
      pancreatic cancer cells.
AB  - Despite its wide use as a first-line therapeutic agent, gemcitabine has shown
      limited efficacy in advanced pancreatic cancer due to chemoresistance by as yet
      unidentified mechanisms. Our goal here was to identify molecular features
      involved in gemcitabine chemoresistance. Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), a key enzyme
      of aerobic glycolysis, has recently emerged as an important therapeutic target
      for cancer treatment. It is involved in the metabolic reprogramming of cancer
      cells and has previously unexpected non-metabolic functions that are heavily
      involved in tumor growth and survival. Herein, we report that the chemoresistance
      of pancreatic cancer to gemcitabine was dependent on PKM2 expression and its non
      metabolic function. Knocking-down of PKM2 significantly enhanced gemcitabine
      induced cell apoptosis through the activation of caspase 3/7 and PARP cleavage,
      and this inhibitory activity was associated with p38-mediated activation of p53
      phosphorylation at serine 46. Our findings support the potential of PKM2 as a
      novel target for gemcitabine chemoresistance and suggest the feasibility of
      combining gemcitabine and PKM2 inhibition for the improved chemotherapy of
      pancreatic cancer. 

PMID- 26112220
TI  - Lessons learnt from a cluster-randomised trial evaluating the effectiveness of
      Self-Management Support (SMS) delivered by practice nurses in routine diabetes
      care.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of biopsychosocial Self-Management
      Support (SMS) delivered by practice nurses in routine diabetes care. DESIGN: A
      pragmatic cluster-randomised controlled trial within a hybrid effectiveness
      implementation study design. Practice nurses were cluster-randomised. SETTING: A
      regional care group in the Netherlands consisting of 77 family practices. The
      study involved practice nurses (n=40) providing care to approximately 4000
      patients with diabetes. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with type 2 diabetes (n=264)
      selected by a self-administered questionnaire aimed at measuring emotional
      distress and diabetes-related reduced daily functioning. INTERVENTION: Practice
      nurses in the intervention arm (n=19) were trained to integrate SMS into their
      routine consultations. SMS included detection of patients with emotional distress
      and reduced daily functioning, and supporting them when needed through problem
      solving and reattribution techniques. Practice nurses in the control arm (n=21)
      provided usual care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was a
      dichotomised score on a Visual Analogue Scale that measured the perceived effect
      of diabetes on daily functioning. Secondary measures included patients' diabetes
      related distress, quality of life, autonomy and participation, self-efficacy,
      self-management and glycaemic control. Outcomes were measured at baseline and at
      4-month and 12-month follow-ups. RESULTS: Only 16 of the 117 patients in the
      intervention arm (14%) who were found eligible by the posted research-driven
      screening questionnaire were detected by their practice nurses. Extra
      consultations for the self-management support were delivered to only 11 study
      participants. In the control arm, 147 patients received usual care. Multilevel
      analyses showed no significant differences in outcomes between the intervention
      and control arms. CONCLUSIONS: SMS in its present form was not effective. The
      research-driven screening to select trial participants appeared to be
      inconsistent with nurse-led detection in routine practice. Adequate follow-up
      moments need to be built in to overcome barriers resulting from tension between
      the implementation and effectiveness parts of hybrid studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION
      NUMBER: Current Controlled Trials NTR2764.

PMID- 26112221
TI  - Prayer or spiritual healing as adjuncts to conventional care: a cross sectional
      analysis of prevalence and characteristics of use among women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and characteristics of users of prayer or
      spiritual healing among women. DESIGN AND SETTING: This cross sectional study was
      conducted as a part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health
      (ALSWH), a 20-year study that examines various factors affecting women's health
      and well-being. PARTICIPANTS: The sample used in the current study were women
      from the 1946-1951 cohort (n=9965) (59-64 years) who were surveyed in 2010.
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Use of prayer or spiritual healing; demographic factors and
      measures of health status. chi(2) Tests, analyses of variance (to determine
      associations) and a stepwise backward logistic regression model (for the most
      significant predictors) using a likelihood ratio test were used to determine the
      outcome measures. RESULTS: It is estimated that 26% of Australian women from the
      1946-1951 cohort (aged 59-64 years) use prayer or spiritual healing on a regular
      basis. Women were significantly more likely to use prayer or spiritual healing if
      they were non-smokers, non-drinkers or low-risk drinkers, had symptoms of severe
      tiredness (OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.12 to 1.40), depression, (OR 1.30; 95% CI 1.11 to
      1.53), anxiety (OR 1.33; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.53), diagnosed cancer (OR 1.84; 95% CI
      1.28 to 2.65) or other major illnesses (OR 1.43; 95% CI 1.18 to 1.75) and used
      other complementary therapies. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of adult
      women are using prayer or spiritual healing. Given that prayer or spiritual
      healing was significantly associated with health symptoms, chronic illnesses and
      positive health seeking behaviours, respect for prayer or spiritual healing
      practices is required within health care settings. Future research is recommended
      around specific populations using prayer or spiritual healing, reasons for their
      use and potential benefits on health related outcomes and general well-being.

PMID- 26112222
TI  - Is self-monitoring an effective option for people receiving long-term vitamin K
      antagonist therapy? A systematic review and economic evaluation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of self-monitoring
      of coagulation status in people receiving long-term vitamin K antagonist therapy
      compared with standard clinic care. DESIGN: Systematic review of current evidence
      and economic modelling. DATA SOURCES: Major electronic databases were searched up
      to May 2013. The economic model parameters were derived from the clinical
      effectiveness review, routine sources of cost data and advice from clinical
      experts. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs)
      comparing self-monitoring versus standard clinical care in people with different
      clinical conditions. Self-monitoring included both self-management (patients
      conducted the tests and adjusted their treatment according to an algorithm) and
      self-testing (patients conducted the tests, but received treatment
      recommendations from a clinician). Various point-of-care coagulometers were
      considered. RESULTS: 26 RCTs (8763 participants) were included. Both self
      management and self-testing were as safe as standard care in terms of major
      bleeding events (RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.45, p=0.690, and RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.80
      to 1.23, p=0.92, respectively). Self-management was associated with fewer
      thromboembolic events (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.69, p <= 0.001) and with a
      borderline significant reduction in all-cause mortality (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.46 to
      1.01, p=0.06) than standard care. Self-testing resulted in a modest increase in
      time in therapeutic range compared with standard care (weighted mean difference,
      WMD 4.4%, 95% CI 1.71 to 7.18, p=0.02). Total health and social care costs over
      10 years were L7324 with standard care and L7326 with self-monitoring (estimated
      quality adjusted life year, QALY gain was 0.028). Self-monitoring was found to
      have ~ 80% probability of being cost-effective compared with standard care
      applying a ceiling willingness-to-pay threshold of L20,000 per QALY gained.
      Within the base case model, applying the pooled relative effect of thromboembolic
      events, self-management alone was highly cost-effective while self-testing was
      not. CONCLUSIONS: Self-monitoring appears to be a safe and cost-effective option.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42013004944.

PMID- 26112223
TI  - Prevalence and predictors of initial oral antibiotic treatment failure in adult
      emergency department patients with cellulitis: a pilot study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Assessment of cellulitis severity in the emergency department (ED)
      setting is problematic. Given the lack of research performed to describe the
      epidemiology and management of cellulitis, it is unsurprising that heterogeneous
      antibiotic prescribing and poor adherence to guidelines is common. It has been
      shown that up to 20.5% of ED patients with cellulitis require either a change in
      route or dose of the initially prescribed antibiotic regimen. The current
      treatment failure rate for empirically prescribed oral antibiotic therapy in
      Irish EDs is unknown. The association of patient risk factors with treatment
      failure has not been described in our setting. Lower prevalence of community
      acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-associated infection,
      differing antibiotic prescribing preferences and varying availability of
      outpatient intravenous therapy programmes may result in different rates of
      empiric antibiotic treatment failure from those previously described. METHODS AND
      ANALYSIS: Consecutive ED patients with cellulitis will be enrolled on a 24/7
      basis from 3 Irish EDs. A prespecified set of clinical variables will be measured
      on each patient discharged on empiric oral antibiotic therapy. A second
      independent study recruiter will assess at least 10% of cases for each of the
      predictor variables. Follow-up by telephone call will occur at 14 days for all
      discharged patients where measurement of the primary outcome will occur. Our
      primary outcome is treatment failure, defined as a change in route of antibiotic
      administration from oral to intravenous antibiotic. Our secondary outcome is
      change in dose or type of prescribed antibiotic. A cohort of approximately 152
      patients is required to estimate the proportion of patients failing oral
      antibiotic treatment with a margin of error of 0.05 around the estimate. ETHICS
      AND DISSEMINATION: Full ethics approval has been granted. An integrated
      dissemination plan, involving diverse clinical specialties and enrolled patients,
      is described. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT 02230813.

PMID- 26112224
TI  - A pilot randomised controlled trial of personalised care after treatment for
      prostate cancer (TOPCAT-P): nurse-led holistic-needs assessment and
      individualised psychoeducational intervention: study protocol.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Prostate cancer is common and the incidence is increasing, but more
      men are living longer after diagnosis, and die with their disease rather than of
      it. Nonetheless, specific and substantial physical, sexual, emotional and mental
      health problems often lead to a poor quality of life. Urology services
      increasingly struggle to cope with the demands of follow-up care, and primary
      care is likely to play the central role in long-term follow-up. The present phase
      II trial will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a nurse-led, person
      centred psychoeducational intervention, delivered in community or primary care
      settings. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Prostate cancer survivors diagnosed in the past 9
      48 months and currently biochemically stable will be identified from hospital
      records by their treating clinician. Eligible men would have either completed
      radical treatment, or would be followed up with prostate specific antigen
      monitoring and symptom reporting. We will recruit 120 patients who will be
      randomised to receive either an augmented form of usual care, or an additional
      nurse-led intervention for a period of 36 weeks. Following the health policy in
      Wales, the intervention is offered by a key worker, is promoting prudent
      healthcare and is using a holistic needs assessment. Outcome measures will assess
      physical symptoms, psychological well-being, confidence in managing own health
      and quality of life. Healthcare service use will be measured over 36 weeks.
      Feedback interviews with patients and clinicians will further inform the
      acceptability of the intervention. Recruitment, attrition, questionnaire
      completion rates and outcome measures variability will be assessed, and results
      will inform the design of a future phase III trial and accompanying economic
      evaluation. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval was granted by Bangor
      University and North Wales REC (13/WA/0291). Results will be reported in peer
      reviewed publications, at scientific conferences, and directly through national
      cancer and primary care networks. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN 34516019.

PMID- 26112225
TI  - Gastrointestinal Immune Response to the Shrimp Allergen Tropomyosin: Histological
      and Immunological Analysis in an Animal Model of Shrimp Tropomyosin
      Hypersensitivity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Shellfish hypersensitivity is among the most common food allergies. A
      murine model of IgE-mediated shrimp allergy has been established in our
      laboratory. The aim of this study is to determine the intestinal histological
      changes and cytokine expression profile of this model sensitized with the major
      shellfish allergen tropomyosin. METHODS: Female Balb/c mice orally sensitized and
      challenged with recombinant tropomyosin were sacrificed. Continuous sections of
      duodenum, jejunum and ileum were prepared using the Swiss roll technique for
      histological and immunological analysis. Duodenal epithelial cell apoptosis and
      migration were examined. mRNA expression of IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-18 and
      IFN-gamma in intestinal tissue was measured via RT-PCR. RESULTS: In tropomyosin
      sensitized and challenged mice, an increased number of eosinophils, mast cells
      and goblet cells was found 24 h after challenge. There were also increased mast
      cell and goblet cell numbers at 72 h after challenge, but the level of
      eosinophils decreased. Differences compared with control mice are most prominent
      at the duodenum compared to the distal regions. In addition, TUNEL assay
      indicates a significantly higher apoptosis rate in sensitized mice sacrificed 72
      h after challenge, and mRNA expression showed a biased Th2/Th1 cytokine profile
      and a higher level of murine mast cell protease 1. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      documented a multitude of histological and immunological changes in the gut in a
      murine model of shrimp allergy. Even without repetitive intragastric challenge,
      shrimp tropomyosin induces an increase in the number of inflammatory cells to
      varying degrees within the small intestine. This model provides an important tool
      for testing new therapeutic interventions.

PMID- 26112226
TI  - Potential use of microwave treatment on fresh-cut carrots: physical, chemical and
      microbiological aspects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of microwave treatments (900 and 750 W for 45 and 60 s) on
      the microbial, physicochemical and sensory properties of fresh-cut carrot slices
      and the contents of several bioactive compounds was studied. Carrot samples were
      stored for 7 days at 5  degrees C. RESULTS: The microwaving of fresh-cut carrots
      reduced the initial respiration rate (8.6 CO2 mL kg(-1) h(-1)) by 55-74% compared
      with untreated samples, although the rates then increased during storage. The
      initial pH (6.7), titratable acidity (0.036%), soluble solid content (8.2 
      degrees Brix) and shelf-life of the samples did not differ greatly from those of
      the untreated samples. Microwaving prevented the incipient whitening and surface
      dryness during storage. In general, no significant changes in phenylalanine
      ammonia lyase activity (5.5 umol t-cinnamic acid kg(-1) h(-1)), total phenolics
      (TP, 81.3 mg chlorogenic acid equivalent kg(-1) fresh weight (FW)) or total
      antioxidant capacity (TAC, 74.2 umol Trolox equivalent kg(-1) FW) were observed
      on the processing day or over storage. However, the mildest treatment (750 W for
      45 s) caused TP and TAC enhancements of 118 and 394% respectively after 7 days of
      shelf-life. Microwave treatments reduced the initial microbial loads of the
      samples by up to 1.8 log units, although their microbial growth was greater than
      that of the untreated samples throughout storage. CONCLUSION: Mild microwave
      treatments such as 750 W/45 s and 750 W/60 s are a good sustainable alternative
      to the use of NaOCl; however, combining them with other sanitizing techniques is
      needed to control microbial growth throughout the shelf-life of fresh-cut carrot
      slices.

PMID- 26112227
TI  - New fluorescent metal-ion detection using a paper-based sensor strip containing
      tethered rhodamine carbon nanodots.
AB  - A strip of tethered rhodamine carbon nanodots (C-dots) was designed for selective
      detection of Al(3+) ion using a Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based
      ratiometric sensing mechanism. The probe consisted of rhodamine B moieties
      immobilized on the surface of water-soluble C-dots. Upon exposure to Al(3+), the
      rhodamine moieties showed a much enhanced emission intensity via energy transfer
      from the C-dots under excitation at their absorption wavelength. The detection
      mechanism was related to the Al(3+)-induced ring-opening of rhodamine on C-dots
      through the chelation of the rhodamine 6G moiety with Al(3+), leading to a
      spectral overlap of the absorption of C-dots (donor) and the emission of ring
      opened rhodamine (acceptor). In addition, a paper-based sensor strip containing
      the tethered rhodamine C-dots was prepared for practical, versatile applications
      of Al(3+) sensing. The paper-based sensor could detect Al(3+) over other metal
      ions efficiently, even from a mixture of metal ions, with increased emission
      intensity at long-wavelength emission via FRET. Sensing based on FRET of C-dots
      is color-tunable, can be recognized with a naked eye, and may provide a new
      platform for specific metal-ion sensing. 

PMID- 26112228
TI  - A systematic literature review and meta-analysis: The Theory of Planned
      Behavior's application to understand and predict nutrition-related behaviors in
      youth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Efforts to reduce unhealthy dietary intake behaviors in youth are
      urgently needed. Theory-based interventions can be effective in promoting
      behavior change; one promising model is the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB).
      PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine, using a systematic literature
      review, how the TPB has been applied to investigate dietary behaviors, and to
      evaluate which constructs are associated with dietary behavioral intentions and
      behaviors in youth. METHODS: Publications were identified by searching electronic
      databases, contacting experts in the field, and examining an evolving Internet
      based TPB-specific bibliography. Studies including participants aged 2-18years,
      all TPB constructs discernible and measured with a description of how the
      variables were assessed and analyzed, were published in English and peer-reviewed
      journals, and focused on nutrition-related behaviors in youth were identified.
      Accompanying a descriptive statistical analysis was the calculation of effect
      sizes where possible, a two-stage meta-analysis, and a quality assessment using
      tenants from the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) and
      Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE)
      statements. RESULTS: Thirty-four articles, including three intervention studies,
      were reviewed. The TPB was most often used to evaluate healthy eating and sugary
      snack and beverage consumption. Attitude had the strongest relationship with
      dietary behavioral intention (mean r=0.52), while intention was the most common
      predictor of behavior performance (mean r=0.38; both p<0.001). All three
      interventions revealed beneficial outcomes when using the TPB (e.g. eta(2)=0.51
      and ds=0.91, 0.89, and 0.79); extending the Theory with implementation intentions
      may enhance its effectiveness (e.g. eta(2)=0.76). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the TPB
      may be an effective framework to identify and understand child and adolescent
      nutrition-related behaviors, allowing for the development of tailored initiatives
      targeting poor dietary practices in youth. However, support from the literature
      is primarily from observational studies and a greater effort towards examining
      these relationships within intervention studies is needed.

PMID- 26112229
TI  - Lifestyle intervention has a beneficial effect on eating behavior and long-term
      weight loss in obese adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the change in eating behavior and the factors related
      with the change among successful dieters (maintained a weight loss of >=5% of
      original weight). METHODS: Obese adult subjects (21 male, 55 female) were
      randomized into three-year lifestyle intervention (n=59) and control groups
      (n=17). Eating behavior (cognitive restraint of eating, uncontrolled eating and
      emotional eating) was evaluated by the TFEQ-18 and motivation to lose weight and
      tolerance to problems by a separate questionnaire. Weight, height and body mass
      index were measured. RESULTS: Weight decreased more in the intervention group
      than in the control group (5.0% vs 0.6%, p=0.027). Cognitive restraint increased
      twice as much in the intervention group compared to the control group (16.0 vs.
      7.0, p=0.044). The increment in cognitive restraint was positively associated
      with weight loss and high baseline motivation and tolerance to problems.
      Cognitive restraint increased in both successful (n=27) and unsuccessful dieters
      (n=32), but only the successful dieters were able to decrease uncontrolled eating
      in the long term. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that intensive lifestyle
      counseling improved cognitive restraint which was associated with enhanced weight
      loss among obese adults. Successful dieters also showed a long-term improvement
      of uncontrolled eating. Eating behavior should be evaluated and followed before
      and during lifestyle interventions in order to support the change, e.g. by
      finding methods to control eating at risk situations and strengthening motivation
      and tolerance to problems.

PMID- 26112230
TI  - Site Specific Interaction Between TiO2 Nanoparticles and Phenanthrimidazole-A
      First Principles Quantum Mechanical Study.
AB  - Understanding the interaction between the nanomaterials and bioactive molecules
      are of current interest due to the potential application of nanomaterial in
      biomedical field. The structural, electronic and optical properties of newly
      synthesised fluorophore 2-(4-methoxynaphthalen-1-yl)-1-phenyl-1H-phenanthro[9.10
      d]imidazole have been investigated in detail. The imidazole absorbs strongly on
      the surface of TiO2 nanocrystals probably because of the chemical affinity of
      azomethine nitrogen atom of the imidazole, resulting in lowering the HOMO and
      LUMO energy levels. The TEM, SEM and EDX spectra confirm the adsorption of
      imidazole on the surface of TiO2 nanocrystals. The growth behavior and stability
      of small stoichiometric (TiO2)n clusters have been analysed by using density
      functional theory which reveals that clusters prefers three-dimensional
      structures. In addition, the interaction between the ground state structure of
      the (TiO2)n cluster and a single imidazole molecule have been studied. The
      calculated binding energy (Eb) and the energy gap (Eg) indicate that the
      imidazole molecule preferably binds to the Ti atom of the (TiO2)n clusters
      through its azomethine nitrogen atom; the binding energy is in range 5.24-7.89
      eV. In order to understand the binding interaction with DNA docking study has
      been carried out.

PMID- 26112231
TI  - Spectroscopic Investigation of Interaction Between Carbon Quantum Dots and D
      Penicillamine Capped Gold Nanoparticles.
AB  - This study reports the interaction and energy transfer between fluorescent carbon
      quantum dots (CQDs) and D-Penicillamine capped gold nanoparticles (DPA-AuNPs).
      The CQDs was synthesized by a simple chemical oxidation method at room
      temperature. The prepared CQDs shows a strong fluorescence at lambda em  = 430 nm
      when excited at lambda ex  = 320 nm. The interaction of CQDs with DPA-AuNPs was
      characterized by fluorescence spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy
      (TEM) study and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) techniques. The fluorescence study
      shows the continuous quenching in the fluorescence intensity of CQDs in presence
      of increasing concentrations of DPA-AuNPs. The change in fluorescence spectra of
      CQDs in presence of increasing concentration of DPA-AuNPs and quenching are
      suggestive of a rapid adsorption of CQDs on the surface of DPA-AuNPs. The K sv ,
      K, K q and n values were calculated and results indicated that the dynamic type
      of quenching takes place. The distance between donor and acceptor (r) is 6.07 nm
      which supports the energy transfer by Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
      (FRET) phenomenon. The plausible mechanism for FRET is also discussed. 

PMID- 26112233
TI  - How to optimize the use of biobanks from population-based cohorts in aging
      research.
AB  - In epidemiological cohorts, there is an increased interest for the implementation
      of biobanks. The potential role of biological determinants of diseases needs to
      be investigated before the onset of the event of interest in order to limit the
      problems encountered when examining biological determinants in classical case
      control studies. Biobank is now a very sophisticated system that consists of a
      programmed storage of biological material and related data. Our aim in this paper
      is to document how biobank constitution is useful for studying biological
      determinants of aging and to give some indications on methodological issues that
      can be helpful to optimize the constitution and use of biobanks in aging cohorts.
      Optimization of sampling through two-phase designs (nested case control or case
      cohort studies) allows better efficiency. These elements are, for most of them,
      not specific to aging populations but are useful more generally for the
      epidemiology of chronic diseases. Our purpose will be illustrated with some
      examples and results obtained in an ongoing aging cohort, the Three-City Study. 

PMID- 26112235
TI  - Four steps toward the control of aging: following the example of infectious
      disease.
AB  - The biotechnological task of controlling human aging will evidently be complex,
      given the failure of all simple strategies for accomplishing this task to date.
      In view of this complexity, a multi-step approach will be necessary. One
      precedent for a multi-step biotechnological success is the burgeoning control of
      human infectious diseases from 1840 to 2000. Here we break down progress toward
      the control of infectious disease into four key steps, each of which have analogs
      for the control of aging. (1) Agreement about the fundamental nature of the
      medical problem. (2) Public health measures to mitigate some of the factors that
      exacerbate the medical problem. (3) Early biotechnological interventions that
      ward off the more tractable disease etiologies. (4) Deep understanding of the
      underlying biology of the diseases involved, leading in turn to comprehensive
      control of the medical problems that they pose. Achievement of all four of these
      steps has allowed most people who live in Western countries to live largely free
      of imminent death due to infectious disease. Accomplishing the equivalent feat
      for aging over this century should lead to a similar outcome for aging-associated
      disease. Neither infection nor aging will ever be entirely abolished, but they
      can both be rendered minor causes of death and disability. 

PMID- 26112234
TI  - Development of depressive symptoms post hip fracture is associated with altered
      immunosuppressive phenotype in regulatory T and B lymphocytes.
AB  - Hip fracture is a common physical trauma in older adults that is also associated
      with a high incidence of new onset depression. The immune system declines with
      age and is also compromised by physical and psychological stress. This study
      examined whether hip fracture and depressive symptoms had additive effects upon
      the aged immune system that might contribute to poor health outcomes after hip
      fracture. We assessed the frequency of regulatory T cells, Tregs (CD4(+) CD25(+)
      Foxp3(+)) and IL10 production by CD4 T cells, and the frequency and IL10
      production by regulatory B cells, Bregs (CD19(+) CD24(hi) CD38(hi)) in 101 hip
      fracture patients (81 female) 6 weeks after injury and 43 healthy age-matched
      controls (28 female). 38 hip fracture patients (37%) developed depressive
      symptoms. Hip fracture did not have an effect on circulating Tregs frequency but
      a significant reduction in the frequency of Bregs was observed in patients who
      developed depression compared with non-depressed patients (p = 0.001) or healthy
      controls (p < 0.001). Bregs also showed a significant decline in IL10 production
      in depressed hip fracture patients compared with controls (p = 0.04) and non
      depressed patients (p = 0.01). In contrast, there was an increase in IL10
      production by CD4 T cells in hip fracture patients with new onset depression
      compared to hip fracture patients without depression (p = .04) and healthy
      controls (p = .02). We conclude that the reduced immunity associated with new
      onset depression post hip fracture could include a contribution by heightened
      Tregs function.

PMID- 26112236
TI  - Association Between Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 and Coronary Artery
      Calcification in Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis Therapy.
AB  - While all mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of coronary artery
      calcification (CAC) are unknown, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) may be
      involved in this process in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. The aim of
      this study was to investigate the association between ACE2 and CAC in patients on
      MHD therapy. Ninety patients on MHD therapy were involved in this prospective
      study. CAC was quantified by CAC score (CACs) using the Agatston method and a
      multi-slice CT scanner. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used
      to analyze the association between ACE2 and CACs. In the univariate analysis,
      CACs positively correlated with ACE2 (r = 0.666, P < 0.001). After adjusting for
      age, sex, smoking, hypertension, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, and
      hyperlipidemia, ACE2 levels continued to significantly and independently predict
      the presence of CAC. ROC curve analysis showed that the serum ACE2 level can
      predict the extent of CAC. These findings indicate that elevated serum ACE2 may
      be involved in vascular calcification in patients receiving MHD therapy. 

PMID- 26112237
TI  - Tesmilifene modifies brain endothelial functions and opens the blood-brain/blood
      glioma barrier.
AB  - Tesmilifene, a tamoxifen analog with antihistamine action, has chemopotentiating
      properties in experimental and clinical cancer studies. In our previous works,
      tesmilifene increased the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in animal
      and culture models. Our aim was to investigate the effects of tesmilifene on
      brain microvessel permeability in the rat RG2 glioma model and to reveal its mode
      of action in brain endothelial cells. Tesmilifene significantly increased
      fluorescein extravasation in the glioma. Short-term treatment with tesmilifene
      reduced the resistance and increased the permeability for marker molecules in a
      rat triple co-culture BBB model. Tesmilifene also affected the barrier integrity
      in brain endothelial cells co-cultured with RG2 glioblastoma cells. Tesmilifene
      inhibited the activity of P-glycoprotein and multidrug resistance-associated
      protein-1 efflux pumps and down-regulated the mRNA expression of tight junction
      proteins, efflux pumps, solute carriers, and metabolic enzymes important for BBB
      functions. Among the possible signaling pathways that regulate BBB permeability,
      tesmilifene activated the early nuclear translocation of NFkappaB. The MAPK/ERK
      and PI3K/Akt kinase pathways were also involved. We demonstrate for the first
      time that tesmilifene increases permeability marker molecule extravasation in
      glioma and inhibits efflux pump activity in brain endothelial cells, which may
      have therapeutic relevance. Tesmilifene, a chemopotentiator in experimental and
      clinical cancer studies increases vascular permeability in RG2 glioma in rats and
      permeability for marker molecules in a culture model of the blood-brain barrier.
      Tesmilifene inhibits the activity of efflux pumps and down-regulates the mRNA
      expression of tight junction proteins, transporters, and metabolic enzymes
      important for the blood-brain barrier functions, which may have therapeutic
      relevance. 

PMID- 26112238
TI  - Methods to estimate aspects of physical activity and sedentary behavior from high
      frequency wrist accelerometer measurements.
AB  - This investigation developed models to estimate aspects of physical activity and
      sedentary behavior from three-axis high-frequency wrist-worn accelerometer data.
      The models were developed and tested on 20 participants (n = 10 males, n = 10
      females, mean age = 24.1, mean body mass index = 23.9), who wore an ActiGraph
      GT3X+ accelerometer on their dominant wrist and an ActiGraph GT3X on the hip
      while performing a variety of scripted activities. Energy expenditure was
      concurrently measured by a portable indirect calorimetry system. Those
      calibration data were then used to develop and assess both machine-learning and
      simpler models with fewer unknown parameters (linear regression and decision
      trees) to estimate metabolic equivalent scores (METs) and to classify activity
      intensity, sedentary time, and locomotion time. The wrist models, applied to 15-s
      windows, estimated METs [random forest: root mean squared error (rSME) = 1.21
      METs, hip: rMSE = 1.67 METs] and activity intensity (random forest: 75% correct,
      hip: 60% correct) better than a previously developed model that used counts per
      minute measured at the hip. In a separate set of comparisons, the simpler
      decision trees classified activity intensity (random forest: 75% correct, tree:
      74% correct), sedentary time (random forest: 96% correct, decision tree: 97%
      correct), and locomotion time (random forest: 99% correct, decision tree: 96%
      correct) nearly as well or better than the machine-learning approaches.
      Preliminary investigation of the models' performance on two free-living people
      suggests that they may work well outside of controlled conditions. 

PMID- 26112240
TI  - Urinary excretion of lipid mediators in response to repeated eucapnic voluntary
      hyperpnea in asthmatic subjects.
AB  - Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction displays refractoriness manifested as a
      decreased response to repeated exercise challenge within hours. The
      refractoriness may be attenuated by inhibition of the biosynthesis of
      prostaglandins (PG). The aim of the study was to determine which PGs and other
      lipid mediators are excreted during the refractory period. First, 16 subjects
      with mild stable asthma performed two repeated 4-min challenges with eucapnic
      voluntary hyperpnea (EVH) 1 and 3 h apart. There was a similar degree of
      refractoriness in both protocols (~15% protection). The 1-h interval was too
      short to study mediator excretion because the urinary levels did not return to
      baseline before the second challenge. With the 3-h protocol, there was increased
      urinary excretion of cysteinyl-leukotrienes and metabolites of the mast cell
      product PGD2 after both challenges. Next, another eight subjects performed two 6
      min challenges with EVH 3 h apart, which produced a greater bronchoconstrictor
      response than the 4-min protocol (30.0 +/- 5.4 vs. 17.7 +/- 1.5%; P = 0.0029) and
      a greater degree of refractoriness (~30%). Analysis by ultra-performance liquid
      chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry confirmed excretion of the
      bronchoconstrictor cysteinyl-leukotrienes and PGD2 during both challenges. In
      addition, there was increased excretion of the bronchoprotective PGE2, and also
      of the main metabolite of PGI2. This is the first report of excretion of PGE2 and
      PGI2 during the refractory period to EVH challenge, suggesting that they may
      mediate the refractoriness. Maintained excretion of PGD2 and leukotriene E4
      following the repeat challenge argues against mast cell mediator depletion as the
      mechanism of refractoriness. 

PMID- 26112241
TI  - High-intensity interval training without weight loss improves exercise but not
      basal or insulin-induced metabolism in overweight/obese African American women.
AB  - The purpose of this randomized controlled clinical trial was to determine the
      effect of a 14-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) intervention with
      weight stability on metabolic flexibility, insulin sensitivity, and
      cardiorespiratory fitness in sedentary, premenopausal, nondiabetic,
      overweight/obese African American women. Twenty-eight subjects were allocated to
      one of two groups: HIIT, which performed three sessions per week of four high
      intensity cycling intervals, or a control group (CON), which maintained their
      normal level of physical activity. Diet was controlled for all subjects to ensure
      weight stability. Pre- and postintervention (pre/post), subjects completed an
      incremental cycling test to limit of tolerance and, following a 10-day high-fat
      controlled feeding period, a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp to determine
      insulin sensitivity and substrate oxidation. Nine members of HIIT (age, 29 +/- 4
      yr; body mass, 90.1 +/- 13.8 kg) and eleven members of CON (age, 30 +/- 7 yr;
      body mass, 85.5 +/- 10.7 kg) completed the study. HIIT experienced an increased
      limit of tolerance (post, 1,124 +/- 202 s; pre, 987 +/- 146 s; P < 0.05), gas
      exchange threshold (post, 1.29 +/- 0.34 liters/min; pre, 0.97 +/- 0.23
      liters/min; P < 0.05), and fat oxidation at the same absolute submaximal work
      rate compared with CON (P < 0.05 for group-by-time interaction in all cases).
      However, changes in peak oxygen consumption (Vo2peak), insulin sensitivity, free
      fatty acid suppression during insulin stimulation, and metabolic flexibility were
      not different in HIIT compared with CON. High-intensity interval training with
      weight stability increased exercise fat oxidation and tolerance in subjects at
      risk for diabetic progression, but did not improve insulin sensitivity or fat
      oxidation in the postabsorptive or insulin-stimulated state. 

PMID- 26112239
TI  - Mapping of spatial and temporal heterogeneity of plantar flexor muscle activity
      during isometric contraction: correlation of velocity-encoded MRI with EMG.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between contraction
      associated muscle kinematics as measured by velocity-encoded phase-contrast (VE
      PC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and activity recorded via electromyography
      (EMG), and to construct a detailed three-dimensional (3-D) map of the contractile
      behavior of the triceps surae complex from the MRI data. Ten axial-plane VE-PC
      MRI slices of the triceps surae and EMG data were acquired during submaximal
      isometric contractions in 10 subjects. MRI images were analyzed to yield the
      degree of contraction-associated muscle displacement on a voxel-by-voxel basis
      and determine the heterogeneity of muscle movement within and between slices.
      Correlational analyses were performed to determine the agreement between EMG data
      and displacements. Pearson's coefficients demonstrated good agreement (0.84 < r <
      0.88) between EMG data and displacements. Comparison between different slices in
      the gastrocnemius muscle revealed significant heterogeneity in displacement
      values both in-plane and along the cranio-caudal axis, with highest values in the
      mid-muscle regions. By contrast, no significant differences between muscle
      regions were found in the soleus muscle. Substantial differences among
      displacements were also observed within slices, with those in static areas being
      only 17-39% (maximum) of those in the most mobile muscle regions. The good
      agreement between EMG data and displacements suggests that VE-PC MRI may be used
      as a noninvasive, high-resolution technique for quantifying and modeling muscle
      activity over the entire 3-D volume of muscle groups. Application to the triceps
      surae complex revealed substantial heterogeneity of contraction-associated muscle
      motion both within slices and between different cranio-caudal positions. 

PMID- 26112242
TI  - Effects of sleeping with reduced carbohydrate availability on acute training
      responses.
AB  - We determined the effects of "periodized nutrition" on skeletal muscle and whole
      body responses to a bout of prolonged exercise the following morning. Seven
      cyclists completed two trials receiving isoenergetic diets differing in the
      timing of ingestion: they consumed either 8 g/kg body mass (BM) of carbohydrate
      (CHO) before undertaking an evening session of high-intensity training (HIT) and
      slept without eating (FASTED), or consumed 4 g/kg BM of CHO before HIT, then 4
      g/kg BM of CHO before sleeping (FED). The next morning subjects completed 2 h of
      cycling (120SS) while overnight fasted. Muscle biopsies were taken on day 1 (D1)
      before and 2 h after HIT and on day 2 (D2) pre-, post-, and 4 h after 120SS.
      Muscle [glycogen] was higher in FED at all times post-HIT (P < 0.001). The
      cycling bouts increased PGC1alpha mRNA and PDK4 mRNA (P < 0.01) in both trials,
      with PDK4 mRNA being elevated to a greater extent in FASTED (P < 0.05). Resting
      phosphorylation of AMPK(Thr172), p38MAPK(Thr180/Tyr182), and p-ACC(Ser79) (D2)
      was greater in FASTED (P < 0.05). Fat oxidation during 120SS was higher in FASTED
      (P = 0.01), coinciding with increases in ACC(Ser79) and CPT1 as well as mRNA
      expression of CD36 and FABP3 (P < 0.05). Methylation on the gene promoter for
      COX4I1 and FABP3 increased 4 h after 120SS in both trials, whereas methylation of
      the PPARdelta promoter increased only in FASTED. We provide evidence for shifts
      in DNA methylation that correspond with inverse changes in transcription for
      metabolically adaptive genes, although delaying postexercise feeding failed to
      augment markers of mitochondrial biogenesis. 

PMID- 26112243
TI  - Trichostatin A, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, modulates unloaded-induced
      skeletal muscle atrophy.
AB  - Skeletal muscle atrophy is commonly associated with immobilization, ageing, and
      catabolic diseases such as diabetes and cancer cachexia. Epigenetic regulation of
      gene expression resulting from chromatin remodeling through histone acetylation
      has been implicated in muscle disuse. The present work was designed to test the
      hypothesis that treatment with trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylase
      inhibitor, would partly counteract unloading-induced muscle atrophy. Soleus
      muscle atrophy (-38%) induced by 14 days of rat hindlimb suspension was reduced
      to only 25% under TSA treatment. TSA partly prevented the loss of type I and IIa
      fiber size and reversed the transitions of slow-twitch to fast-twitch fibers in
      soleus muscle. Unloading or TSA treatment did not affect myostatin gene
      expression and follistatin protein. Soleus protein carbonyl content remained
      unchanged, whereas the decrease in glutathione vs. glutathione disulfide ratio
      and the increase in catalase activity (biomarkers of oxidative stress) observed
      after unloading were abolished by TSA treatment. The autophagy-lysosome pathway
      (Bnip3 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 proteins, Atg5,
      Gabarapl1, Ulk1, and cathepsin B and L mRNA) was not activated by unloading or
      TSA treatment. However, TSA suppressed the rise in muscle-specific RING finger
      protein 1 (MuRF1) caused by unloading without affecting the forkhead box (Foxo3)
      transcription factor. Prevention of muscle atrophy by TSA might be due to the
      regulation of the skeletal muscle atrophy-related MuRF1 gene. Our findings
      suggest that TSA may provide a novel avenue to treat unloaded-induced muscle
      atrophy. 

PMID- 26112244
TI  - Reviewer's comment concerning "The prognostic ability of the STarT Back Tool was
      affected by episode duration" (by Lars Morso, Alice Kongsted, Lise Hestbaek, and
      Peter Kent: Eur Spine J (2015): doi:10.1007/s00586-015-3915-0.

PMID- 26112245
TI  - Reviewer's comment concerning "The surgical algorithm for the AOSpine
      thoracolumbar spine injury classification system" (by A.R. Vaccaro et al.: Eur
      Spine J, 2015; doi:10.1007/s00586-015-3982-2).

PMID- 26112246
TI  - Combined modified en bloc corpectomy with replacement of the aorta in curative
      interdisciplinary treatment of a large osteosarcoma infiltrating the aorta.
AB  - PURPOSE: We report a case of a large three-level spinal osteosarcoma infiltrating
      the adjacent aorta. This is the first case in which a combined modified three
      level en bloc corpectomy with resection and replacement of the adjacent aorta was
      successful as a part of interdisciplinary curative treatment. METHODS: Case
      report. RESULTS: The surgical procedure was performed as a two-step treatment. A
      heart lung machine (HLM) was not used, in order to avoid cerebral and spinal
      ischemia and to decrease the risk of hematogenous tumor metastases. Instead, a
      bypass from the left subclavian artery the distal descending aorta was used. We
      modified the en bloc corpectomy procedure, leaving a dorsal segment of the
      vertebral bodies to enable rapid surgery. The procedure was successful and the en
      bloc resection of the vertebral body with aortal resection could be achieved.
      Except for pallhypesthesia in the left dermatomes Th7-Th10, the patient does not
      have any postoperative neurologic deficits. CONCLUSION: Combined corpectomy with
      aortic replacement should be considered as a reasonable option in the curative
      treatment of osteosarcoma with consideration of the immense surgical risks. The
      use of an HLM is not necessary, especially considering the inherent risk of
      hematogenous tumor metastases. Modified corpectomy leaving a dorsal vertebral
      body segment was considered a reasonable variation since tumor-free margins could
      still be expected.

PMID- 26112247
TI  - Cement-augmented anterior odontoid screw fixation for osteoporotic type II
      odontoid fractures in elderly patients: prospective evaluation of 11 patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: Osteoporosis is considered to be a relative contraindication for
      anterior screw fixation of odontoid fractures because of reduced screw purchase.
      In the presence of osteoporosis, the most frequent mode of implant failure is via
      cut-out through the anterior wall of C2. Under in vitro conditions, cement
      augmented odontoid screws show significant biomechanical advantages as compared
      to non-augmented screws. Against this background, we present our prospectively
      collected data on cement-augmented anterior screw fixation of osteoporotic
      odontoid fractures in elderly patients. METHODS: 11 patients (8 female, 3 male,
      median age 83 years, range 73-89 years) with an isolated, osteoporotic type II
      odontoid fracture were treated. After closed reduction and standard anterior
      approach to the C2/3 level, a self-tapping, short-threaded 3.5-mm lag screw was
      placed. High-viscosity polymethylmethacrylate cement was injected via a
      cannulated Jamshidi needle into the base of the C2 vertebral body around the
      screw shaft and the screw was further tightened. Thin slice CT reconstructions
      for follow-up evaluation were done consistently postop and 12 months after
      surgery. RESULTS: Anatomic fracture reposition was achieved in all patients.
      Cement application was uneventful and well controllable. Cement leakage towards
      the fracture gap was not detectable. There were no major perioperative
      complications and no early revision surgeries. After 1 year, thin slice CT with
      three-dimensional reconstruction demonstrated solid osseous healing of the
      odontoid fracture in 8 out of 10 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Additional cement
      augmentation for anterior odontoid fracture repair is technically easy and safe.
      In elderly people with osteoporotic odontoid fractures, the procedure seems to be
      a useful supplementary option.

PMID- 26112248
TI  - Intermittent Stretching and Osteogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow Derived
      Mesenchymal Stem Cells via the p38MAPK-Osterix Signaling Pathway.
AB  - AIMS: The relationship between the p38MAPK signaling pathway and osterix in
      osteogenic differentiation of BMMSCs subjected to intermittent stretching was
      investigated. METHODS: BMMSCs derived from C57BL/6J mice were divided into the
      following groups: 1) control, 2) stretch, and 3) SB203580+stretch (SB203580 is a
      p38MAPK signal pathway inhibitor). BMMSCs were exposed to an intermittent
      mechanical strain of 0.8% (8000MU strain) at 0.5 Hz, twice a day for 30 min each
      application. BMMSCs were harvested on days 1, 3, and 5 post-treatment. The
      expression of ALP, COL I, OCN, and osterix mRNA was assessed utilizing RT-PCR
      while the expression of P-p38MAPK and osterix protein was assessed by Western
      blot analysis. The osterix gene in mouse BMMSCs was knocked down using RNAi
      technology and its protein expression was also assessed by Western blot. RT-PCR
      was used to detect ALP, COL I, and OCN mRNA expression. RESULTS: Intermittent
      stretching was found to promote expression of ALP, COL I, OCN, and osterix mRNA.
      Silencing the osterix gene was found to reduce levels of ALP, COL I, and OCN
      mRNA. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the levels of osterix and P-p38MAPK
      proteins in the stretch group were significantly higher than in the control group
      (P<0.05). There was less expression of ALP, COL I, OCN, and osterix mRNA in the
      SB203580+stretch group than in the control and stretch groups. CONCLUSIONS: Data
      demonstrate that intermittent stretching promotes osteogenic differentiation of
      BMMSCs, and the p38MAPK-osterix pathway has an important role in the control of
      osteogenesis-related gene expression.

PMID- 26112249
TI  - Tetrachlorobenzoquinone triggers the cleavage of Bid and promotes the cross-talk
      of extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic signalings in pheochromocytoma (PC) 12
      cells.
AB  - Although there are few studies suggested PCP exposure induced developmental and
      behavioral disorders, however, the occurrence of neurotoxicity and PCP has not
      been firmly established. Tetrachlorobenzoquinone (TCBQ) is a reactive metabolite
      of environmental pollutant pentachlorophenol (PCP). To the best of our knowledge,
      there has no information regarding to the neurological toxic effect of TCBQ
      available. Here, we demonstrated that TCBQ induces cytotoxicity in
      pheochromocytoma PC12 cell line, and the mode-of-action analysis indicated the
      involvement of apoptotic signalings, such as the activation of caspase family
      proteins, the increased expressions of Fas and Fas-associated death domain
      (FADD), the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), the release of
      cytochrome c (Cyt c) and the cleavage of the caspase substrates poly(ADP-ribose)
      polymerase (PARP). BI-6C9, a specific BH3-interacting domain death agonist (Bid)
      inhibitor, repressed TCBQ-induced Bid truncation, along with the activation of
      caspase 3 and the release of Cyt c, suggested the cross-talk of extrinsic and
      intrinsic apoptotic signalings. Furthermore, the inhibition of caspase 8 impaired
      TCBQ-induced the activation of caspase 3, as well as the release of Cyt c and the
      cleavage of Bid, suggesting caspase 8 acting as the upstream molecule of Bid, and
      TCBQ-induced apoptosis is initiated via caspase 8, leads to the activation of
      caspase 9/3 through Bid-mediated amplification loop. Finally, the pretreatment of
      antioxidant NAC ameliorated Fas, FADD and caspase 8/3 expressions, which
      illustrated that TCBQ-induced apoptotic signaling is ROS dependent. Taken
      together, these results indicated that the cleavage of Bid may play an important
      role in TCBQ-induced neurotoxicity which promotes the cross-talk of extrinsic and
      intrinsic apoptotic signalings in PC12 cells. 

PMID- 26112250
TI  - Evaluation of Approaches to Deal with Low-Frequency Nuisance Covariates in
      Population Pharmacokinetic Analyses.
AB  - Clinical studies include occurrences of rare variables, like genotypes, which due
      to their frequency and strength render their effects difficult to estimate from a
      dataset. Variables that influence the estimated value of a model-based parameter
      are termed covariates. It is often difficult to determine if such an effect is
      significant, since type I error can be inflated when the covariate is rare. Their
      presence may have either an insubstantial effect on the parameters of interest,
      hence are ignorable, or conversely they may be influential and therefore non
      ignorable. In the case that these covariate effects cannot be estimated due to
      power and are non-ignorable, then these are considered nuisance, in that they
      have to be considered but due to type 1 error are of limited interest. This study
      assesses methods of handling nuisance covariate effects. The specific objectives
      include (1) calibrating the frequency of a covariate that is associated with type
      1 error inflation, (2) calibrating its strength that renders it non-ignorable and
      (3) evaluating methods for handling these non-ignorable covariates in a nonlinear
      mixed effects model setting. Type 1 error was determined for the Wald test.
      Methods considered for handling the nuisance covariate effects were case
      deletion, Box-Cox transformation and inclusion of a specific fixed effects
      parameter. Non-ignorable nuisance covariates were found to be effectively handled
      through addition of a fixed effect parameter. 

PMID- 26112251
TI  - Out-of-sync: disrupted neural activity in emotional circuitry during film viewing
      in melancholic depression.
AB  - While a rich body of research in controlled experiments has established changes
      in the neural circuitry of emotion in major depressive disorders, little is known
      as to how such alterations might translate into complex, naturalistic settings-
      namely involving dynamic multimodal stimuli with rich contexts, such as those
      provided by films. Neuroimaging paradigms employing dynamic natural stimuli
      alleviate the anxiety often associated with complex tasks and eschew the need for
      laboratory-style abstractions, hence providing an ecologically valid means of
      elucidating neural underpinnings of neuropsychiatric disorders. To probe the
      neurobiological signature of refined depression subtypes, we acquired functional
      neuroimaging data in patients with the melancholic subtype of major depressive
      disorder during free viewing of emotionally salient films. We found a marked
      disengagement of ventromedial prefrontal cortex during natural viewing of a film
      with negative emotional valence in patients with melancholia. This effect
      significantly correlated with depression severity. Such changes occurred on the
      background of diminished consistency of neural activity in visual and auditory
      sensory networks, as well as higher-order networks involved in emotion and
      attention, including bilateral intraparietal sulcus and right anterior insula.
      These findings may reflect a failure to re-allocate resources and diminished
      reactivity to external emotional stimuli in melancholia.

PMID- 26112252
TI  - Biomimetic self-assembling acylphthalocyanines.
AB  - We synthesized a series of biomimetic self-assembling phthalocyanines equipped
      with carbonyl groups as recognition motifs, a central zinc atom and diverse
      solubilizing alkyl chains mimicking for the first time with these robust pigments
      the natural chlorosomal bacteriochlorophylls. Upon self-assembly a very broad and
      red-shifted Q-band absorption extending to over 900 nm is put into evidence. 

PMID- 26112254
TI  - Sitting and Activity Time in People With Stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Excessive sitting time is linked to cardiovascular disease morbidity.
      To date, no studies have accurately measured sitting time patterns in people with
      stroke. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the amount and
      pattern of accumulation of sitting time, physical activity, and use of time in
      people with stroke compared with age-matched healthy peers. DESIGN: This study
      used an observational design. METHODS: Sitting time (total and time accumulated
      in prolonged, unbroken bouts of >=30 minutes) was measured with an activity
      monitor. Physical activity and daily energy expenditure were measured using an
      accelerometer and a multisensory array armband, respectively. All monitors had a
      7-day wear protocol. Participants recalled 1 day of activity (during monitor wear
      time) using the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adults. RESULTS:
      Sixty-three adults (40 with stroke and 23 age-matched healthy controls)
      participated. The participants (35% female, 65% male) had a mean age of 68.4
      years (SD=10.0). Participants with stroke spent significantly more time sitting
      (X=10.9 h/d, SD=2.0) compared with controls (X=8.2 h/d, SD=2.0), with much of
      this sitting time prolonged (stroke group: X=7.4 h/d, SD=2.8; control group:
      X=3.7 h/d, SD=1.7). Participants with stroke accumulated most of their sitting
      time while watching television and in general quiet time, whereas control
      participants spent more time reading and on the computer. Physical activity and
      daily energy expenditure were lower in the stroke group compared with the control
      group. LIMITATIONS: A sample of convenience was used to select participants for
      the stroke and control groups, which may reduce the generalizability of results.
      CONCLUSIONS: Participants with stroke spent more time sitting and less time in
      activity than their age-matched peers. Further work is needed to determine
      whether reducing sitting time is feasible and leads to clinically important
      reductions in cardiovascular risk in this population.

PMID- 26112253
TI  - Socio-economic position as an intervention against overweight and obesity in
      children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Studies that investigated the association between socio-economic position (SEP)
      and obesity in children suggest inconsistent results. The aim of this study is to
      summarize and quantify the current evidence on SEP and risks of overweight and
      obesity in children aged 0-15 years. Relevant studies published between 1990 to
      Sep 4, 2014 were searched in Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane
      Database of Systematic Reviews. Risk estimates from individual studies were
      pooled using random-effects models, according to lowest vs the highest SEP
      category. A total of 62 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The odds of
      both overweight risk and obesity risk were higher in the children with lowest SEP
      than in those with highest SEP (OR, 1.10, 95% CI: 1.03-1.17, and OR, 1.41, 95%
      CI: 1.29-1.55, respectively). Sub-group analyses showed that the inverse
      relationships between SEP and childhood overweight and obesity were only found in
      high-income countries and in more economic developed areas. In conclusion, our
      study suggests that children with lower SEP had higher risks of overweight and
      obesity, and the increased risks were independent of the income levels of
      countries. 

PMID- 26112256
TI  - Functional Task Constraints Foster Enhanced Postural Control in Children With
      Cerebral Palsy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postural instability is a classical characteristic of cerebral palsy
      (CP), but it has not been examined during functional play activity. Recent work
      has demonstrated that when motor tasks are made functionally more relevant,
      performance improves, even in children with movement pathology. It is possible
      that in a disease state, the underlying control mechanisms that are associated
      with healthy physiology must be elicited. OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to
      explore the utility of the functional play task methodology as a more rich and
      interpretable approach to the quantification of postural instability in children
      with CP. DESIGN: Postural stability measures obtained from a cross-sectional
      cohort of children with CP (n=30) were compared with stability measures taken
      from children with typical development (n=30) during a single measurement period.
      METHODS: Postural stability data were obtained with a portable force platform
      system. Postural sway was quantified during a precision manual functional play
      task. A baseline condition (no task) also was included. Postural sway variability
      and postural sway regularity were analyzed with analyses of variance. RESULTS:
      There was an apparent difference in postural control (greater irregularity,
      greater sway variability) during quiet stance between children with CP and peers
      with typical development; this difference was mitigated during the performance of
      the precision functional play task. LIMITATIONS: A small and nonprobability
      sample of convenience may limit the findings of this study. CONCLUSIONS: The
      findings illustrate flexibility and adaptability in the postural control system
      despite the pathological features associated with CP.

PMID- 26112255
TI  - Virtual Sensorimotor Balance Training for Children With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
      Disorders: Feasibility Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diminished sensory adaptation has been associated with poor balance
      control for children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). A virtual
      reality system, Sensorimotor Training to Affect Balance, Engagement and Learning
      (STABEL), was developed to train sensory control for balance. OBJECTIVES: The
      purpose of this study was to examine the STABEL system in children with FASD and
      children with typical development (TD) to (1) determine the feasibility of the
      STABEL system and (2) explore the immediate effects of the STABEL system on
      sensory attention and postural control. DESIGN: This is a technical report with
      observational study data. METHODS: Eleven children with FASD and 11 children with
      TD, aged 8 to 16 years, completed 30 minutes of STABEL training. The children
      answered questions about their experience using STABEL. Sensory attention and
      postural control were measured pre- and post-STABEL training with the Multimodal
      Balance Entrainment Response system and compared using repeated-measures analysis
      of variance. RESULTS: All children engaged in game play and tolerated controlled
      sensory input during the STABEL protocol. Immediate effects post-STABEL training
      in both groups were increased postural sway velocity and some changes in
      entrainment gain. Children with FASD showed higher entrainment gain to vestibular
      stimuli. There were no significant changes in sensory attention fractions.
      LIMITATIONS: The small sample size, dose of STABEL training, and exploratory
      statistical analyses are study limitations, but findings warrant larger
      systematic study to examine therapeutic effects. CONCLUSIONS: Children completed
      the training protocol, demonstrating the feasibility of the STABEL system.
      Differences in postural sway velocity post-STABEL training may have been affected
      by fatigue, warranting further investigation. Limited immediate effects suggest
      more practice is needed to affect sensory attention; however, entrainment gain
      changes suggest the STABEL system provoked vestibular responses during balance
      practice.

PMID- 26112257
TI  - Out-of-Pocket Spending for Ambulatory Physical Therapy Services From 2008 to
      2012: National Panel Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures are incurred as insurers and
      employers shift some of the burden of health care costs onto consumers. As cost
      sharing increases, OOP expenditures could be a barrier to physical therapy care.
      OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were: (1) to identify factors associated
      with any OOP physical therapy spending and (2) to identify factors associated
      with higher spending among individuals incurring OOP costs. DESIGN: The study was
      a retrospective analysis using the 4 most recently available panels of data from
      the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) encompassing 2008-2012. METHODS: A
      data file containing episodes of physical therapy care for 2,189 people was
      created. Logistic regression was used to identify factors related to having an
      OOP expenditure. A multivariable generalized linear model was used to identify
      factors related to mean OOP expenditures. RESULTS: On average, an episode of care
      encompassed 9.9 visits, with mean total expenditures of $1,708 (median: $792).
      Fifty-four percent of episodes of care had an OOP expenditure. For individuals
      with OOP expenditures, the mean OOP expenditure for an episode of care was $351
      (median: $144). Being female or non-Hispanic and having a higher income were
      associated with higher odds of incurring an OOP expenditure, whereas being in
      worse general health, >65 years of age, or nonwhite and having public funding
      were associated with lower odds of incurring an OOP expenditure. Amounts of OOP
      spending were higher in urban areas and in all census geographic regions relative
      to the Northeast region. LIMITATIONS: Estimates are based on household-reported
      survey data, limited to ambulatory care, and do not include institutionalized
      individuals. CONCLUSIONS: At 54%, the proportion of individuals with OOP
      expenditures for physical therapy is lower than for general medical care. Several
      predictors were found of having OOP expenditures and of the magnitude of those
      expenditures.

PMID- 26112258
TI  - Late diagnosis of posterior urethral valves.
AB  - CLINICAL PROBLEM: We diagnosed 8 patients with late-stage posterior urethral
      valves (PUV) between 1 and 14 years of age. Five patients complained of symptoms
      related to voiding dysfunction. The other 3 patients required urethrocystoscopy
      for other reasons (hypospadias fistulae, difficulty with catheterisation and high
      grade vesicoureteral reflux [VUR]). A second review of the first 2 patients'
      medical history showed voiding dysfunction symptoms. All patients underwent
      preoperative ultrasonography: 3 patients had normal results and 5 had renal or
      vesical disorders. The diagnosis was reached through voiding cystourethrogram
      (VCUG), and 4 patients underwent urodynamic studies. The diagnosis was confirmed
      by urethrocystoscopy, performing valve electrofulguration. We performed
      urethrocystoscopy during the check-ups at 3-6 weeks and observed no stenosis. The
      symptoms disappeared for all patients after 20 months of follow-up. The patient
      with VUR was cured. The ultrasounds showed no progression of the renal
      involvement and showed improvement in the vesical involvement. The velocimetries
      during check-ups presented curves within normal ranges. DISCUSSION: Most children
      with PUV are diagnosed through ultrasound during the neonatal period. Some
      patients present PUV at later ages with diverse symptoms, which impedes its
      diagnosis. We should suspect PUV in male patients with symptoms of voiding
      dysfunction, either when they have normal or pathological results from
      ultrasounds or VCUG. We recommend performing urethrocystoscopy to rule out
      urethral obstruction.

PMID- 26112259
TI  - Retrospective evaluation of prognostic indicators in dogs with head trauma: 72
      cases (January-March 2011).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic value of clinical and laboratory
      variables and scoring systems in dogs with head trauma. DESIGN: Retrospective
      study (January-March, 2011). SETTING: University teaching hospital. ANIMALS:
      Seventy-two client-owned dogs with a history of head trauma occurring <=5 days
      prior to hospital admission. Dogs were excluded if they had an unconfirmed
      history of trauma, preexisting neurologic disease, or insufficient data available
      in the medical record. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Data
      from hospital admission were collected, including vital signs; blood pressure;
      pulse oximetry; venous blood gases and electrolyte concentrations; plasma lactate
      and blood glucose concentrations; PCV; total plasma protein concentration;
      activated clotting time; WBC count; and serum albumin, creatinine, total
      bilirubin, and BUN concentrations. Modified Glasgow Coma Scale (MGCS), mentation,
      and animal trauma triage (ATT) scores were also calculated. Treatment with
      mannitol, hypertonic saline (HS), corticosteroids, benzodiazepines, or
      phenobarbital, and requirement for endotracheal intubation were also recorded.
      Outcome was classified as survival or nonsurvival to hospital discharge.
      Decreased pulse oximetry, pH, bicarbonate concentration, or base excess, and
      increased potassium concentration, lactate concentration, BUN concentration, ATT
      score, or mentation score were risk factors for nonsurvival. Decreased MGCS score
      was the strongest predictor of nonsurvival; a score <= 11 was 84% sensitive and
      73% specific for predicting nonsurvival. Dogs were more likely to die before
      discharge if they required HS or endotracheal intubation. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs that
      did not survive following head trauma were more likely to have poor perfusion,
      severe concurrent injuries reflected by increased ATT scores, severe traumatic
      brain injury as evidenced by decreased MGCS or increased mentation scores, or
      requirement for HS administration or endotracheal intubation.

PMID- 26112260
TI  - Assessment of gold and silver in assorted mobile phone printed circuit boards
      (PCBs): Original article.
AB  - Demand for gold and silver has been escalating with increasing usage of
      electronic equipment globally. Around 267.3 MT of gold and 7275 MT of silver are
      being consumed annually for manufacturing mobile phones, laptops and other
      electronic equipment. However, only 15% is recuperated from these equipment; the
      remainder lies in the storage yards or landfills. The waste comprise glass,
      plastics, wires, batteries, PCBs, metal casing, etc. The PCB is composed of
      precious metals, which creates immense purpose for recycling and recovery. This
      paper characterises and assesses the recoverable metallic fraction of gold and
      silver from PCBs of mobile phones. The methodology is based on dismantling of the
      mobile handset and subjecting the PCBs to roasting and acid digestion. The
      digested samples were analysed by atomic absorption spectroscopy and the content
      of gold and silver in the PCBs was to be found in the range of 0.009-0.017% and
      0.25-0.79% by weight respectively.

PMID- 26112261
TI  - Dexamethasone enhances programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) expression during T cell
      activation: an insight into the optimum application of glucocorticoids in anti
      cancer therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) is a key cell-surface receptor of CD28
      superfamily that triggers inhibitory pathways to attenuate T-cell responses and
      promote T-cell tolerance. As a crucial role in tumor immunity, PD-1 has been a
      focus of studies in anti-cancer therapy. It has been approved that tumors could
      exploit PD-1-dependent immune suppression for immune evasion. Considering the
      wide use of glucocorticoids (GCs) in anti-cancer therapy and their
      immunosuppressive effects, we explored whether GCs could influence the expression
      of PD-1. RESULTS: In our study, we used dexamethasone (DEX) as a model
      glucocorticoid and demonstrated that DEX could enhance PD-1 expression in a dose
      dependent manner. The effects were completely inhibited by the glucocorticoid
      receptor (GR) antagonist mifepristone (RU486), indicating that the effect of DEX
      on PD-1 is mediated through GR. We further found the sensitivity to DEX-induced
      upregulation of PD-1 expression had a significant difference between different T
      cell subsets, with memory T cells more susceptible to this effect. We also showed
      that DEX could suppress T cell functions via inhibition of cytokines production
      such as IL-2, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and induction of apoptosis of T cells.
      CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a novel way by which DEX suppress the function
      of activated T lymphocytes by enhancing expression of PD-1 and provide an insight
      into the optimum clinical application of GCs.

PMID- 26112262
TI  - Association between iron deficiency and febrile seizures.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The relationship between iron status and febrile seizures has been
      examined in various settings, mainly in the Developing World, with conflicting
      results. The aim of this study was to investigate any association between iron
      deficiency and febrile seizures (FS) in European children aged 6-60 months.
      DESIGN: Prospective, case-control study. SETTING: Greek population in
      Thessaloniki. PATIENTS: 50 patients with febrile seizures (cases) and 50 controls
      (children presenting with fever, without seizures). INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Haematologic parameters (haemoglobin concentration,
      haematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width), plasma iron,
      total iron-binding capacity, plasma ferritin, transferrin saturation and soluble
      transferrin receptors were compared in cases and controls. RESULTS: Plasma
      ferritin was lower (median [range]: 42.8 (3-285.7) vs 58.3 (21.4-195.3 ng/ml; p =
      0.02) and Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) higher (mean [Standard Deviation]
      267 [58.9] vs 243 [58.45] MUg/dl, p = 0.04) in cases than in controls. Results
      were similar for 12 complex FS cases (ferritin 30 (3-121 vs 89 (41.8-141.5ng/lL;
      TIBC 292.92 [68.0] vs 232.08 [36.27] MUg/dL). Iron deficiency, defined as
      ferritin <30 ng/ml, was more frequent in cases (24%) than controls (4%; p =
      0.004). Ferritin was lower and TIBC higher in 18 with previous seizures than in
      32 with a first seizure although haemoglobin and mean cell haemoglobin
      concentration were higher. CONCLUSIONS: European children with febrile seizures
      have lower Ferritin than those with fever alone, and iron deficiency, but not
      anaemia, is associated with recurrence. Iron status screening should be
      considered as routine for children presenting with or at high risk for febrile
      seizures.

PMID- 26112263
TI  - Language comprehension in nonspeaking children with severe cerebral palsy:
      Neuroanatomical substrate?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To identify relations between brain abnormalities and spoken
      language comprehension, MRI characteristics of 80 nonspeaking children with
      severe CP were examined. METHODS: MRI scans were analysed for patterns of brain
      abnormalities and scored for specific MRI measures: white matter (WM) areas; size
      of lateral ventricles, WM abnormality/reduction, cysts, subarachnoid space,
      corpus callosum thinning and grey matter (GM) areas; cortical GM abnormalities,
      thalamus, putamen, globus pallidus and nucleus caudatus and cerebellar
      abnormalities. Language comprehension was assessed with a new validated
      instrument (C-BiLLT). RESULTS: MRI scans of 35 children were classified as a
      basal ganglia necrosis (BGN) pattern, with damage to central GM areas; in 60% of
      these children damage to WM areas was also found. MRI scans of 13 children were
      classified as periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) with little concomitant damage
      to central GM areas, 13 as malformations and 19 as miscellaneous. Language
      comprehension was best in children with BGN, followed by malformations and
      miscellaneous, and was poorest in PVL. Linear regression modelling per pattern
      group (malformations excluded), with MRI measures as independent variables,
      revealed that corpus callosum thinning in BGN and parieto-occipital WM reduction
      in PVL were the most important explanatory factors for poor language
      comprehension. No MRI measures explained outcomes in language comprehension in
      the miscellaneous group. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehension of spoken language differs
      between MRI patterns of severe CP. In children with BGN and PVL differences in
      language comprehension performance is attributed to damage in the WM areas.
      Language comprehension was most affected in children with WM lesions in the
      subcortical and then periventricular areas, most characteristic for children with
      PVL.

PMID- 26112264
TI  - The correlates of chronic disease-related health literacy and its components
      among men: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic diseases drive the burden of disease in many societies,
      particularly among men. Lifestyle behaviours are strongly associated with chronic
      disease development, and in a number of countries men tend to engage in more
      risky behaviours, and have lower health knowledge and attention to prevention,
      than women. This study investigated the correlates of men's health literacy and
      its components about major lifestyle-related diseases, namely ischaemic heart
      disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus, to gain evidence to guide the development
      of policy and programs to improve men's health. METHODS: A systematic review was
      undertaken of observational studies that investigated men's health literacy and
      its components related to ischaemic heart disease or type 2 diabetes mellitus,
      and their associated risk factors. The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied
      Health Literature (CINAHL), MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and the Cochrane Library
      databases were searched for articles published since 2003. The strength of the
      evidence was rated using the GRADE approach. RESULTS: After screening and review
      of 504 articles, the search elicited nine studies for inclusion: only one study
      examined health literacy (nutrition literacy). The majority of included studies
      focused on only one component of health literacy, namely knowledge (n = 7) and
      personal skills (confidence) (n = 1). Twenty correlates were identified,
      primarily relating to the knowledge component, with the strength of the evidence
      for only one correlate, education, graded as being of moderate quality. The
      evidence for all other correlates was graded as being of low quality.
      CONCLUSIONS: The limited body of research identified may have resulted from a
      lack of consensus about the definition of health literacy, and a concordant set
      of validated health literacy measures. Despite these limitations, broadening the
      search to include components of health literacy has identified that several
      factors are associated with men's knowledge and awareness of ischaemic heart
      disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus that will assist in the development of men's
      health promotion strategies. However, addressing the broader knowledge gaps and
      controversy in the health literacy field will deliver policy and program benefits
      to address these major contributors to the burden of disease among men.

PMID- 26112265
TI  - How urbanization affects the epidemiology of emerging infectious diseases.
AB  - The world is becoming more urban every day, and the process has been ongoing
      since the industrial revolution in the 18th century. The United Nations now
      estimates that 3.9 billion people live in urban centres. The rapid influx of
      residents is however not universal and the developed countries are already urban,
      but the big rise in urban population in the next 30 years is expected to be in
      Asia and Africa. Urbanization leads to many challenges for global health and the
      epidemiology of infectious diseases. New megacities can be incubators for new
      epidemics, and zoonotic diseases can spread in a more rapid manner and become
      worldwide threats. Adequate city planning and surveillance can be powerful tools
      to improve the global health and decrease the burden of communicable diseases. 

PMID- 26112266
TI  - Evaluation of antibiotic prescription in the Lebanese community: a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are considered among the most commonly prescribed drug
      classes in developing countries. Inappropriate prescription of antibiotics is a
      major public health concern and is related to the development of antimicrobial
      resistance. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at assessing the appropriateness of
      antibiotic prescription by non-infectious disease physicians in a community
      setting in Lebanon. METHODS: A pilot cross-sectional study was undertaken on
      community pharmacy patients presenting with antibiotic prescription. It was
      performed over a period of 4 months in different regions of Lebanon. Participants
      answered a questionnaire inquiring about socio-demographic characteristics,
      medical conditions, symptoms that required medical attention, the doctor's
      diagnosis, the prescribed antibiotic, and whether laboratory tests were ordered
      to identify the causative organism or not. Data were analyzed using SPSS 17.
      RESULTS: We studied 270 patients (49.3% males and 50.7% females). This study
      showed that the most-prescribed antibiotics were the cephalosporins (82%) and
      that almost half of the illnesses for which antibiotics were prescribed were
      respiratory tract infections (41%). The study also showed that the choice of the
      prescribed antibiotic was appropriate in 61.5% of the studied cases, while the
      prescribed dose and the duration of the treatment were inaccurate in 52 and 64%
      of the cases, respectively. In addition, fever seemed to be a factor that
      influenced the physician's prescriptions, since the choice of drug conformity to
      guidelines increased from 53.7% (1 day of fever) to 88.9% (1 week of fever), and
      the dose prescription compliance to guidelines was higher (55.9%) for patients
      suffering from fever compared to those with no fever (38.1%). CONCLUSION: This
      study showed a high prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions in
      Lebanon. Therefore, actions should be taken to optimize antibiotic prescription.

PMID- 26112267
TI  - Quantitative Proteomic and Phosphoproteomic Approaches for Deciphering the
      Signaling Pathway for Tension Wood Formation in Poplar.
AB  - Trees adjust their growth following forced changes in orientation to re-establish
      a vertical position. In angiosperms, this adjustment involves the differential
      regulation of vascular cambial activity between the lower (opposite wood) and
      upper (tension wood) sides of the leaning stem. We investigated the molecular
      mechanisms leading to the formation of differential wood types through a
      quantitative proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis on poplar subjected to a
      gravitropic stimulus. We identified and quantified 675 phosphopeptides,
      corresponding to 468 phosphoproteins, and 3 763 nonphosphorylated peptides,
      corresponding to 1 155 proteins, in the differentiating xylem of straight-growing
      trees (control) and trees subjected to a gravitational stimulus during 8 weeks.
      About 1% of the peptides were specific to a wood type (straight, opposite, or
      tension wood). Proteins quantified in more than one type of wood were more
      numerous: a mixed linear model showed 389 phosphopeptides and 556 proteins to
      differ in abundance between tension wood and opposite wood. Twenty-one percent of
      the phosphoproteins identified here were described in their phosphorylated form
      for the first time. Our analyses revealed remarkable developmental molecular
      plasticity, with wood type-specific phosphorylation events, and highlighted the
      involvement of different proteins in the biosynthesis of cell wall components
      during the formation of the three types of wood.

PMID- 26112268
TI  - Secondary posterior interosseous nerve lesions associated with humeral fractures.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Radial nerve lesions associated with humeral shaft fractures are
      the most common traumatic nerve lesions observed with long bone fractures.
      Secondary indirect posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) lesions can be associated
      with traumatic radial nerve palsy. The aim of this study was to identify cases of
      traumatic double-site radial nerve involvement through ultrasound (US). METHODS:
      Patients with traumatic radial nerve lesions referred to our laboratory from
      January 2010 to January 2014 were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 35 patients, 18 had
      US evidence of a radial nerve lesion at the fracture site associated with
      secondary PIN involvement at the arcade of Frohse. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple-site
      nerve lesions are difficult to demonstrate through electrodiagnostic tests. In
      our case series, half of the patients with traumatic radial nerve damage had US
      evidence of PIN injury. Prospective studies with follow-up are needed to
      determine the clinical and prognostic relevance of this finding and the best
      therapeutic approach.

PMID- 26112269
TI  - Evolving Larger: Dosing Anti-Tuberculosis (TB) Drugs in an Obese World.
AB  - Current clinical practice guidelines recommend dosing anti-tuberculosis drugs
      according to ideal body weight and provide dosing caps for most first-line
      agents. However, this recommendation may be placing corpulent patients with
      tuberculosis at risk as increased total body weight is associated with an
      increased risk of clinical failure. Patients with diabetes are at an increased
      risk of developing tuberculosis and typically weigh more than patients with
      tuberculosis alone. All these factors in-combination stress the importance of
      evaluating the effect of weight on the pharmacokinetics of first-line anti
      tuberculosis drugs. Multiple studies suggest the use of total body weight based
      dosing for rifampin. Less data are available for pyrazinamide and ethambutol, but
      both appear to be candidates for total body weight based dosing. The study
      evaluating levofloxacin concluded that no adjustment is required. However, the
      larger variability in obese patients is concerning as to whether "one size fits
      all" dosing is optimal for levofloxacin. The vast majority of the isoniazid's
      pharmacokinetic variability is due to NAT2*4 status. However, more extensive
      analysis of slow and fast metabolizers is needed to determine the effect of
      weight within each subgroup. Moxifloxacin does not appear to be affected by
      weight, but doses of at least 800 mg are likely needed to optimize its
      pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic target attainment. Future pharmacokinetic
      evaluations should focus on recruiting a wide range of patient weights. These
      analyses should take advantage of the full weight distribution instead of
      arbitrarily dichotomizing patients into obese vs. non-obese persons. A subsequent
      evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of optimized dosing regimens is
      needed. 

PMID- 26112270
TI  - Isolated dextrogastria in a newborn.

PMID- 26112271
TI  - Endometriosis with an acute colon obstruction: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The presentation of an acute bowel obstruction caused by
      endometriosis in an emergency department setting is rare, as it usually presents
      through years of complaints in the absence of a distinct acute onset. In this
      report, we present a case of a patient who was familiar with abdominal complaints
      and eventually required emergency surgery to treat an acute bowel obstruction
      caused by endometriosis. Endometrioses present infrequently in the acute phase,
      and only a few cases in which emergency surgery was required have been described
      in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: A 31-year-old Caucasian woman presented to
      the emergency room of our hospital with a distended abdomen, pain and nausea
      accompanied by a history of 14 years of chronic abdominal pain and constipation.
      An abdominal X-ray and subsequent computed tomographic scan showed a severely
      distended cecum of 9cm with stenosis in the sigmoid. Cecal blow-out was
      considered highly likely, and, during an emergency laparotomy, an obstructing
      process was found in the sigmoid. An oncologic resection of the sigmoid was
      performed with a primary anastomosis and loop ileostomy. A pathological
      examination revealed a tumor of 4cm in the sigmoid, which contained a tubelike
      structure with cytogenic stroma and the remains of focal bleeding. These are
      typical aspects of endometriosis. CONCLUSIONS: Infiltrating endometriosis is an
      invalidating disease that can be misdiagnosed for a wide range of other diseases.
      Emergency room physicians and surgeons should be aware that it can present as an
      acute obstruction and should be considered in diagnosing women of childbearing
      age. After initial colonoscopy, emergency surgery is the best therapeutic
      approach if there is a complete obstruction.

PMID- 26112272
TI  - Treatment of T3 laryngeal cancer in the Netherlands: a national survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment strategies for T3 laryngeal carcinoma include radiotherapy
      (RT) with or without chemotherapy (CT) and sometimes surgery. We conducted a
      national survey to determine how T3 laryngeal carcinoma is currently being
      managed in the Netherlands. METHODS: A questionnaire on general treatment policy,
      also inquiring details on RT and CT, was sent to all 13 radiotherapy departments
      accredited for treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC) in the Netherlands.
      RESULTS: Twelve centers completed the questionnaire. All centers reported using
      RT with or without CT. Upfront laryngectomy is rarely performed. At 9/12 centers,
      CT is added to RT in cases with large tumors in T3N0 disease. Three centers use a
      volume criterion (3-6 cc); 6 centers don't specify "large" with such criteria. CT
      consists of cisplatin 3-weekly (7 centers) or weekly (2 centers), unless contra
      indicated or age; 6 centers use an age limit of 70 years. RT is given
      concomitantly with CT 5*/week except at the 2 centers where cisplatin weekly is
      combined with 6 fractions/week. In case of RT only, treatment is accelerated.
      Lymph node levels II-IV are treated electively. In T3N+ disease, 11/12 centers
      treat non-bulky T3N1 with RT only. Volume criteria for combined CT-RT are the
      same as above. Two centers perform an upfront neck dissection in case of
      (resectable) N3 disease; 10 centers treat T3N2-3 cancer with primary CT-RT, 2
      centers don't use the N-stage criterion. Total RT dose is 68-70 Gy, the elective
      dose varies between 46 and 57.75 Gy. Eight centers use a simultaneous integrated
      boost technique. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of T3 laryngeal cancer in the Netherlands
      is generally comparable, with CT-RT for voluminous T3N0 and most T3N+ tumors, but
      there are some differences between the centers in the use of chemotherapy and the
      dose-fractionation schemes. Therefore, the aim of the National Platform RT HNC is
      further standardization of RT dose, fractionation and delivery techniques.

PMID- 26112273
TI  - Transdermal fentanyl patch improves post-operative pain relief and promotes early
      functional recovery in patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty: a
      prospective, randomised, controlled trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and
      safety of a 12.5 MUg/h transdermal fentanyl patch (TFP). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Fifty-two patients scheduled for primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were
      recruited in the study. They were randomly divided into two groups: patients
      provided with a transdermal fentanyl patch (Group TFP) and those provided with
      non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (Group NSAID). The patients in the TFP and
      NSAID groups had mean ages of 70.1 years (range 36-86 years) and 73.5 years
      (range 32-86 years), respectively. Post-operative pain intensity was measured
      using the visual analogue scale both at rest and during movement (mVAS). We also
      evaluated lower leg functional recovery and adverse events. RESULTS: The mean
      mVAS scores were not different between the two groups on post-operative day 4,
      but were significantly smaller in the TFP group than in the NSAID group on post
      operative days 7 (p = 0.0026) and 14 (p = 0.007). Muscle strength recovered
      faster in the TFP group than in the NSAID group, the percentage of pre-operative
      strength being significantly greater in the former than in the latter on post
      operative days 7 (p = 0.027) and 14 (p = 0.047). Furthermore, there were no
      remarkable adverse events in patients using TFP. CONCLUSION: We conclude that a
      12.5 MUg/h TFP can improve post-operative pain relief and promotes early
      functional recovery following total knee arthroplasty.

PMID- 26112274
TI  - Fetal cardiac function in late-onset intrauterine growth restriction vs small-for
      gestational age, as defined by estimated fetal weight, cerebroplacental ratio and
      uterine artery Doppler.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Among late-onset small fetuses, a combination of estimated fetal
      weight (EFW), cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) and mean uterine artery (UtA)
      pulsatility index (PI) can predict a subgroup of fetuses with poor perinatal
      outcome; however, the association of these criteria with fetal cardiac structure
      and function is unknown. Our aim was to determine the presence and severity of
      signs indicating cardiac dysfunction in small fetuses, classified as intrauterine
      growth-restricted (IUGR) or small-for-gestational age (SGA), according to EFW,
      CPR and UtA-PI. METHODS: A cohort of 209 late-onset small fetuses that were
      delivered > 34 weeks of gestation was divided in two categories: SGA (n = 59) if
      EFW was between the 3(rd) and 9(th) centiles with normal CPR and UtA-PI; and IUGR
      (n = 150) if EFW was < 3(rd) centile, or < 10(th) centile with a CPR < 5(th)
      centile and/or UtA-PI > 95(th) centile. The small population was compared with
      150 appropriately grown fetuses (controls). Fetal cardiac morphometry and
      function were assessed by echocardiography using two-dimensional M-mode,
      conventional and tissue Doppler. RESULTS: Compared with controls, both IUGR and
      SGA fetuses showed larger and more globular hearts (mean left sphericity index +/
      SD: controls, 1.8 +/- 0.3; SGA, 1.5 +/- 0.2; and IUGR, 1.6 +/- 0.3; P < 0.01)
      and showed signs of systolic and diastolic dysfunction, including decreased
      tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (mean +/- SD: controls, 8.2 +/- 1.1;
      SGA, 7.4 +/- 1.2; and IUGR, 6.9 +/- 1.1; P < 0.001) and increased left myocardial
      performance index (mean +/- SD: controls, 0.45 +/- 0.14; SGA, 0.51 +/- 0.08; and
      IUGR, 0.57 +/- 0.1; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite a perinatal outcome
      comparable to that of normal fetuses, the population of so-defined SGA fetuses
      showed signs of prenatal cardiac dysfunction. This supports the concept that at
      least a proportion of them are not 'constitutionally small' and that further
      research is needed.

PMID- 26112275
TI  - Improving the Emergency Care Research Investigator Pipeline: SAEM/ACEP
      Recommendations.

PMID- 26112276
TI  - Neural evidence for competition-mediated suppression in the perception of a
      single object.
AB  - Multiple objects compete for representation in visual cortex. Competition may
      also underlie the perception of a single object. Computational models implement
      object perception as competition between units on opposite sides of a border. The
      border is assigned to the winning side, which is perceived as an object (or
      "figure"), whereas the other side is perceived as a shapeless ground. Behavioral
      experiments suggest that the ground is inhibited to a degree that depends on the
      extent to which it competed for object status, and that this inhibition is
      relayed to low-level brain areas. Here, we used fMRI to assess activation for
      ground regions of task-irrelevant novel silhouettes presented in the left or
      right visual field (LVF or RVF) while participants performed a difficult task at
      fixation. Silhouettes were designed so that the insides would win the competition
      for object status. The outsides (grounds) suggested portions of familiar objects
      in half of the silhouettes and novel objects in the other half. Because matches
      to object memories affect the competition, these two types of silhouettes
      operationalized, respectively, high competition and low competition from the
      grounds. The results showed that activation corresponding to ground regions was
      reduced for high- versus low-competition silhouettes in V4, where receptive
      fields (RFs) are large enough to encompass the familiar objects in the grounds,
      and in V1/V2, where RFs are much smaller. These results support a theory of
      object perception involving competition-mediated ground suppression and feedback
      from higher to lower levels. This pattern of results was observed in the left
      hemisphere (RVF), but not in the right hemisphere (LVF). One explanation of the
      lateralized findings is that task-irrelevant silhouettes in the RVF captured
      attention, allowing us to observe these effects, whereas those in the LVF did
      not. Experiment 2 provided preliminary behavioral evidence consistent with this
      possibility. 

PMID- 26112279
TI  - Radiation protection during cardiac catherization: development of an improved
      lead apron for periinterventional echocardiography.

PMID- 26112280
TI  - Percutaneous septal ablation in a patient with recurrent outflow obstruction
      after previous surgical myectomy.

PMID- 26112277
TI  - Engineering structure and function using thermoresponsive biopolymers.
AB  - Self-assembly enables exquisite control at the smallest scale and generates order
      among macromolecular-building blocks that remain too small to be manipulated
      individually. Environmental cues, such as heating, can trigger the organization
      of these materials from individual molecules to multipartixcle assemblies with a
      variety of compositions and functions. Synthetic as well as biological polymers
      have been engineered for these purposes; however, biological strategies can offer
      unparalleled control over the composition of these macromolecular-building
      blocks. Biologic polymers are macromolecules composed of monomeric units that can
      be precisely tailored at the genetic level; furthermore, they can often utilize
      endogenous biodegradation pathways, which may enhance their potential clinical
      applications. DNA (nucleotides), polysaccharides (carbohydrates), and proteins
      (amino acids) have all been engineered to self-assemble into nanostructures in
      response to a change in temperature. This focus article reviews the growing body
      of literature exploring temperature-dependent nano-assembly of these biological
      macromolecules, summarizes some of their physical properties, and discusses
      future directions.

PMID- 26112278
TI  - Preliminary experience using milnacipran in patients with juvenile fibromyalgia:
      lessons from a clinical trial program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are no approved medications for juvenile fibromyalgia (JFM), a
      disorder that is often under-diagnosed. The effects of milnacipran, a drug
      approved for the management of fibromyalgia (FM) in adults, was assessed in a
      clinical trial program for JFM. METHODS: Patients, ages 13-17 years who met the
      Yunus and Masi criteria for JFM and/or 1990 American College of Rheumatology
      criteria for FM, were enrolled in a responder-enriched, randomized withdrawal
      trial. After receiving open-label milnacipran (8 weeks), patients with >=50 %
      improvement in pain underwent double-blind randomization (1:2) to either placebo
      or continuing treatment with milnacipran (8 weeks). All patients, including those
      who did not meet the randomization criteria for double-blind withdrawal, were
      allowed to enter an extension study with open-label milnacipran (up to 52 weeks).
      The primary endpoint was loss of therapeutic response (LTR) during the double
      blind period. Additional outcome measures included the Patient Global Impression
      of Severity (PGIS), Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL: Generic Core
      Scales, Multidimensional Fatigue Scale), and Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for
      Children (MASC). Safety assessments included adverse events (AEs), vital signs,
      electrocardiograms, and laboratory tests. RESULTS: The milnacipran program was
      terminated early due to low enrollment. Because only 20 patients were randomized
      into the double-blind withdrawal period, statistical analyses were not conducted
      for the LTR endpoint. However, 116 patients entered the open-label period of the
      initial study and 57 participated in the open-label extension study. Their
      experience provides preliminary information about the use of milnacipran in JFM
      patients. During both open-label periods, there were mean improvements in pain
      severity, PGIC, PedsQL, and MASC scores. No unexpected safety issues were
      detected. The most commonly reported treatment-emergent AEs were nausea,
      headache, vomiting, and dizziness. Mean increases in heart rate and blood
      pressure were observed, and were consistent with the AE profile in adults with
      FM. CONCLUSIONS: The open-label findings provide preliminary evidence that
      milnacipran may improve symptoms of JFM, with a safety and tolerability profile
      that is consistent with the experience in adult FM patients. Future trial designs
      for JFM should consider the relatively low recognition of this condition compared
      to adult FM and the difficulties with enrollment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01328002
      ; NCT01331109.

PMID- 26112281
TI  - Socio-demographic patterns of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Chile:
      results from the National Health Survey 2009-2010.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surveillance of physical activity (PA) is essential for the
      development of health promotion initiatives. The aim of the present study was to
      examine the prevalence of PA and sedentary behaviour with respect to socio
      demographic factors in Chile. METHODS: A representative sample of 5434 adults
      aged >=15 years (59% women) who participated in the Chilean National Health
      Survey (2009-2010) were included. Socio-demographic data (age, sex, environment,
      education level, income level and smoking status) were collected for all
      participants. PA levels were assessed using the Global Physical Activity
      Questionnaire. RESULTS: 19.8% [95% CI: 18.1-21.6] of the Chilean population did
      not meet PA recommendations (>=600 MET min week(-1)). The prevalence of physical
      inactivity was higher in participants aged >=65 years, compared with the youngest
      age groups and was higher in women than in men. However, it was lower for
      participants with high, compared with low, education or income levels. The
      overall prevalence of sedentary risk behaviour (spending >4 h sitting per day)
      was 35.9% [95% CI: 33.7-38.2]. CONCLUSION: Physical inactivity correlates
      strongly with socio-demographic factors such as age, gender and educational
      level. Results identify social and economic groups to which future public health
      interventions should be aimed to increase PA in the Chilean population.

PMID- 26112282
TI  - Amyloid-like fibrils formed from intrinsically disordered caseins:
      physicochemical and nanomechanical properties.
AB  - Amyloid-like fibrils are studied because of their significance in understanding
      pathogenesis and creating functional materials. Amyloid-like fibrils have been
      studied by heating globular proteins at acidic conditions. In the present study,
      intrinsically disordered alpha-, beta-, and kappa-caseins were studied to form
      amyloid-like fibrils at pH 2.0 and 90  degrees C. No fibrils were observed for
      alpha-caseins, and acid hydrolysis was found to be the rate-limiting step of
      fibrillation of beta- and kappa-caseins. An increase of beta-sheet structure was
      observed after fibrillation. Nanomechanic analysis of long amyloid-like fibrils
      using peak-force quantitative nanomechanical atomic force microscopy showed the
      lowest and highest Young's modulus for beta-casein (2.35 +/- 0.29 GPa) and kappa
      casein (4.14 +/- 0.66 GPa), respectively. The dispersion with beta-casein fibrils
      had a viscosity more than 10 and 5 times higher than those of kappa-casein and
      beta-lactoglobulin, respectively, at 0.1 s(-1) at comparable concentrations. The
      current findings may assist not only the understanding of amyloid fibril
      formation but also the development of novel functional materials from disordered
      proteins. 

PMID- 26112283
TI  - Daily respiratory training with large intrathoracic pressures, but not large lung
      volumes, lowers blood pressure in normotensive adults.
AB  - Inspiratory muscle training holds promise as a non-pharmacologic treatment that
      can improve respiratory muscle strength, reduce blood pressure, and improve
      autonomic balance in hypertensive patients. There is a gap in knowledge regarding
      the specific respiratory stimulus that gives rise to these favorable outcomes. We
      implemented five respiratory training protocols that differed in the magnitude
      and direction of the lung volumes and/or intrathoracic pressures generated by
      subjects in training. Normotensive adults were randomly assigned to each group
      and trained daily for 6 weeks. Pre-post and weekly measures of blood pressure
      showed significant declines in systolic [-8.96 mmHg (95% CI, 7.39-10.53)] and
      diastolic [-5.25 mmHg (95% CI, 3.67-6.83)] blood pressures for subjects who
      trained with large positive or negative intrathoracic pressures. Subjects who
      trained with modest intrathoracic pressures or large lung volumes saw no
      improvement in blood pressure (P > 0.3). Large intra-thoracic pressures are the
      specific respiratory stimulus underpinning breathing training related
      improvements in blood pressure.

PMID- 26112285
TI  - Monitoring techniques of the western corn rootworm are the precursor to effective
      IPM strategies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The western corn rootworm (WCR) is economically the most important
      pest of maize in Croatia. To predict WCR adult population abundance and
      variability, traditional, genetic and morphometric monitoring of populations was
      conducted over time through each phase of the WCR invasion process in Croatia.
      RESULTS: Through traditional monitoring it was shown that WCR established their
      current population and reached economic densities after 14 years persisting in
      the study area. Regression-tree-based modelling showed that the best predictor of
      WCR adult abundance was the total amount of rainfall. Genetic monitoring
      indicated that genetic differentiation increased over time at the intrapopulation
      level, and morphometric monitoring indicated that wing morphotypes varied
      according to edaphic landscape changes. CONCLUSION: Traditional population metric
      surveys are important in WCR integrated pest management (IPM), as such surveys
      can be effectively used to predict population abundances. Novel-use monitoring
      techniques such as genetics and geometric morphometrics can be used to provide
      valuable information on variation within and among populations. The monitoring
      techniques presented herein provide sound data to assist in the understanding of
      both WCR ecology and population genetics and may provide more information than
      that currently available using traditional techniques (e.g. sticky traps), and as
      such these additional techniques should be written into IPM for WCR.

PMID- 26112284
TI  - Hemodynamic effects of high intensity interval training in COPD patients
      exhibiting exercise-induced dynamic hyperinflation.
AB  - Dynamic hyperinflation (DH) has a significant adverse effect on cardiovascular
      function during exercise in COPD patients. COPD patients with (n = 25) and
      without (n = 11) exercise-induced DH undertook an incremental (IET) and a
      constant-load exercise test (CLET) sustained at 75% peak work (WRpeak) prior to
      and following an interval cycling exercise training regime (set at 100% WRpeak
      with 30-s work/30-s rest intervals) lasting for 12 weeks. Cardiac output (Q) was
      assessed by cardio-bio-impedance (PhysioFlow, enduro, PF-O7) to determine Q mean
      response time (QMRT) at onset (QMRT(ON)) and offset (QMRT(OFF)) of CLET. Post
      rehabilitation only those patients exhibiting exercise-induced DH demonstrated
      significant reductions in QMRT(ON) (from 82.2 +/- 4.3 to 61.7 +/- 4.2 s) and
      QMRT(OFF) (from 80.5 +/- 3.8 to 57.2 +/- 4.9 s ). These post-rehabilitation
      adaptations were associated with improvements in inspiratory capacity, thereby
      suggesting that mitigation of the degree of exercise-induced DH improves central
      hemodynamic responses in COPD patients.

PMID- 26112286
TI  - The MinD homolog FlhG regulates the synthesis of the single polar flagellum of
      Vibrio alginolyticus.
AB  - FlhG, a MinD homolog and an ATPase, is known to mediate the formation of the
      single polar flagellum of Vibrio alginolyticus together with FlhF. FlhG and FlhF
      work antagonistically, with FlhF promoting flagellar assembly and FlhG inhibiting
      it. Here, we demonstrate that purified FlhG exhibits a low basal ATPase activity.
      As with MinD, the basal ATPase activity of FlhG can be activated and the D171A
      residue substitution enhances its ATPase activity sevenfold. FlhG-D171A localizes
      strongly at the cell pole and severely inhibits motility and flagellation,
      whereas the FlhG K31A and K36Q mutants, which are defective in ATP binding, do
      not localize to the poles, cannot complement a flhG mutant and lead to
      hyperflagellation. A strong polar localization of FlhF is observed with the K36Q
      mutant FlhG but not with the wild-type or D171A mutant FlhG. Unexpectedly, an Ala
      substitution at the catalytic residue (D60A), which abolishes ATPase activity but
      still allows ATP binding, only slightly affects FlhG functions. These results
      suggest that the ATP-dependent polar localization of FlhG is crucial for its
      ability to downregulate the number of polar flagella. We speculate that ATP
      hydrolysis by FlhG is required for the fine tuning of the regulation. 

PMID- 26112287
TI  - Protective effect of a Protein Epitope Mimetic CCR10 antagonist, POL7085, in a
      model of allergic eosinophilic airway inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Potential involvement of the CCR10/CCL28 axis was recently reported
      in murine models of allergic asthma. If confirmed, blockade of the CCR10 receptor
      would represent an alternative to current asthma therapies. We evaluated the
      effect of a novel Protein Epitope Mimetic CCR10 antagonist, POL7085, in a murine
      model of allergic eosinophilic airway inflammation. METHODS: Mice were sensitized
      and challenged to ovalbumin. POL7085, a CCR10 antagonist (7.5 and 15 mg/kg),
      dexamethasone (1 mg/kg) or vehicle were administered intranasally once daily 1h
      before each allergen challenge. On day 21, airway hyperresponsiveness,
      bronchoalveolar lavage inflammatory cells and Th2 cytokines, and lung tissue
      mucus and collagen were measured. RESULTS: Allergen challenge induced airway
      hyperresponsiveness in vehicle-treated animals as measured by whole body
      barometric plethysmography, and eosinophilia in bronchoalveolar lavage. POL7085
      dose-dependently and significantly decreased airway hyperresponsiveness (34 +/-
      16 %) and eosinophil numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage (66 +/- 6 %). In addition,
      the highest dose of POL7085 used significantly inhibited lung IL-4 (85 +/- 4 %),
      IL-5 (87 +/- 2 %) and IL-13 (190 +/- 19 %) levels, and lung collagen (43 +/- 11
      %). CONCLUSIONS: The Protein Epitope Mimetic CCR10 antagonist, POL7085,
      significantly and dose-dependently decreased allergen-induced airway
      hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation after once daily local treatment. Our
      data give strong support for further investigations with CCR10 antagonists in
      asthmatic disease.

PMID- 26112288
TI  - Discrimination of Dental Caries Using Colorimetric Characteristics of
      Fluorescence Spectrum.
AB  - The feasibility of colorimetric parameters for the discrimination of the stages
      of dental caries based on a light-induced autofluorescence spectrum at a 405-nm
      excitation wavelength was investigated. The fluorescence spectra of 4 groups of
      tooth samples (10 sound, 10 early-stage decay, 14 established decay, and 10
      severe decay), which were classified by the International Caries Detection and
      Assessment System, were experimentally measured in vitro. The carious lesion
      samples had an additional fluorescence peak at around 627 nm. The mathematical
      relation of the fluorescence spectrum and human color perception was established
      and computed. With increasing severity, the fluorescence color changed from green
      to yellow according to the colorimetric parameters of the CIE 1931 (x, y)
      chromaticity coordinates and dominant wavelengths. The results from a one-way
      ANOVA of the dominant wavelength showed a statistically significant difference
      among the 4 classified groups. The colorimetric parameters of the light-induced
      fluorescence spectrum can potentially be applied to evaluate the various carious
      levels.

PMID- 26112289
TI  - Data Safe Havens in health research and healthcare.
AB  - MOTIVATION: The data that put the 'evidence' into 'evidence-based medicine' are
      central to developments in public health, primary and hospital care. A
      fundamental challenge is to site such data in repositories that can easily be
      accessed under appropriate technical and governance controls which are
      effectively audited and are viewed as trustworthy by diverse stakeholders. This
      demands socio-technical solutions that may easily become enmeshed in protracted
      debate and controversy as they encounter the norms, values, expectations and
      concerns of diverse stakeholders. In this context, the development of what are
      called 'Data Safe Havens' has been crucial. Unfortunately, the origins and
      evolution of the term have led to a range of different definitions being assumed
      by different groups. There is, however, an intuitively meaningful interpretation
      that is often assumed by those who have not previously encountered the term: a
      repository in which useful but potentially sensitive data may be kept securely
      under governance and informatics systems that are fit-for-purpose and
      appropriately tailored to the nature of the data being maintained, and may be
      accessed and utilized by legitimate users undertaking work and research
      contributing to biomedicine, health and/or to ongoing development of healthcare
      systems. RESULTS: This review explores a fundamental question: 'what are the
      specific criteria that ought reasonably to be met by a data repository if it is
      to be seen as consistent with this interpretation and viewed as worthy of being
      accorded the status of 'Data Safe Haven' by key stakeholders'? We propose 12 such
      criteria. CONTACT: paul.burton@bristol.ac.uk.

PMID- 26112290
TI  - biRte: Bayesian inference of context-specific regulator activities and
      transcriptional networks.
AB  - In the last years there has been an increasing effort to computationally model
      and predict the influence of regulators (transcription factors, miRNAs) on gene
      expression. Here we introduce biRte as a computationally attractive approach
      combining Bayesian inference of regulator activities with network reverse
      engineering. biRte integrates target gene predictions with different omics data
      entities (e.g. miRNA and mRNA data) into a joint probabilistic framework. The
      utility of our method is tested in extensive simulation studies and demonstrated
      with applications from prostate cancer and Escherichia coli growth control. The
      resulting regulatory networks generally show a good agreement with the biological
      literature. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: biRte is available on Bioconductor
      (http://bioconductor.org). CONTACT: frohlich@bit.uni-bonn.de SUPPLEMENTARY
      INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 26112291
TI  - Real-time multi-view deconvolution.
AB  - In light-sheet microscopy, overall image content and resolution are improved by
      acquiring and fusing multiple views of the sample from different directions.
      State-of-the-art multi-view (MV) deconvolution simultaneously fuses and
      deconvolves the images in 3D, but processing takes a multiple of the acquisition
      time and constitutes the bottleneck in the imaging pipeline. Here, we show that
      MV deconvolution in 3D can finally be achieved in real-time by processing cross
      sectional planes individually on the massively parallel architecture of a
      graphics processing unit (GPU). Our approximation is valid in the typical case
      where the rotation axis lies in the imaging plane. AVAILABILITY AND
      IMPLEMENTATION: Source code and binaries are available on github
      (https://github.com/bene51/), native code under the repository
      'gpu_deconvolution', Java wrappers implementing Fiji plugins under
      'SPIM_Reconstruction_Cuda'. CONTACT: bschmid@mpi-cbg.de or huisken@mpi-cbg.de
      SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics
      online.

PMID- 26112292
TI  - damidseq_pipeline: an automated pipeline for processing DamID sequencing
      datasets.
AB  - DamID is a powerful technique for identifying regions of the genome bound by a
      DNA-binding (or DNA-associated) protein. Currently, no method exists for
      automatically processing next-generation sequencing DamID (DamID-seq) data, and
      the use of DamID-seq datasets with normalization based on read-counts alone can
      lead to high background and the loss of bound signal. DamID-seq thus presents
      novel challenges in terms of normalization and background minimization. We
      describe here damidseq_pipeline, a software pipeline that performs automatic
      normalization and background reduction on multiple DamID-seq FASTQ datasets.
      AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Open-source and freely available from
      http://owenjm.github.io/damidseq_pipeline. The damidseq_pipeline is implemented
      in Perl and is compatible with any Unix-based operating system (e.g. Linux, Mac
      OSX). CONTACT: o.marshall@gurdon.cam.ac.uk SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
      Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 26112293
TI  - Predicting tumor purity from methylation microarray data.
AB  - MOTIVATION: In cancer genomics research, one important problem is that the solid
      tissue sample obtained from clinical settings is always a mixture of cancer and
      normal cells. The sample mixture brings complication in data analysis and results
      in biased findings if not correctly accounted for. Estimating tumor purity is of
      great interest, and a number of methods have been developed using gene
      expression, copy number variation or point mutation data. RESULTS: We discover
      that in cancer samples, the distributions of data from Illumina Infinium 450 k
      methylation microarray are highly correlated with tumor purities. We develop a
      simple but effective method to estimate purities from the microarray data.
      Analyses of the Cancer Genome Atlas lung cancer data demonstrate favorable
      performance of the proposed method. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The method
      is implemented in InfiniumPurify, which is freely available at
      https://bitbucket.org/zhengxiaoqi/infiniumpurify. CONTACT: xqzheng@shnu.edu.cn or
      hao.wu@emory.edu SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at
      Bioinformatics online.

PMID- 26112294
TI  - Administrative Privatization and Employment Outcomes in the Implementation of
      Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Welfare reform in the 1990s encouraged states and localities to
      contract out cash assistance services to for-profit and nonprofit firms operating
      within the private sector. Although privatized welfare delivery was heralded in
      the wake of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), scant empirical
      research evaluates welfare privatization and its potential relationship with
      administrative quality and program outcomes. OBJECTIVES: This study examines the
      relationship between administrative privatization and TANF program outcomes,
      including work participation activities, unsubsidized employment, employment
      closure, and monthly earnings, across a large sample of individual welfare
      clients in the state of Florida. RESULTS: The results of methodologically
      appropriate hierarchical linear models demonstrate that ownership variables
      seldom enhance the quality of TANF outcomes, suggesting that privatization alone
      is not an administrative panacea in human support services. Although direct
      privatization effects are often found to be substantively small and inconsistent
      in terms of service quality improvement, in closed-case models, there is evidence
      that nonprofit welfare delivery is associated with superior TANF employment
      closure outcomes.

PMID- 26112295
TI  - Long-term clinical outcomes of drug-eluting stents in diabetic patients with
      small vessels compared to larger vessel-7 years clinical follow-up.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of drug
      eluting stents (DES) in small vessels in patients with non-insulin-dependent
      (NIDDM) and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). BACKGROUND: Several
      randomized trials have shown DES to significantly reduce the angiographic and
      clinical events in diabetic patients. However, there is insufficient data on
      similar outcomes in diabetics with small vessels. METHODS: We studied 258
      consecutive diabetic patients (173 NIDDM and 85 IDDM) who underwent coronary
      stenting with DES, divided into 2 cohorts: group A (vessels<2.7mm): 163 patients,
      and group B (vessels>=2.7mm): 95 patients. We analyzed the major adverse cardiac
      events (MACE) [death, nonfatal myocardial infarction MI, and target lesion
      revascularization (TVR)] over a mean follow-up of 78.4+/-14.8months. RESULTS:
      Group A patients had: smaller reference diameter (2.4+/-0.31 versus 3.14+/-0.2mm,
      p=0.0001), longer lesions (19.3+/-9.5 versus 16.7+/-7.1mm, p=0.023), more complex
      lesions: (B2/C) (80.7 versus 52.6%, p<0.033), bifurcation lesions (25.8 versus
      11.6%, p=0.007), diffuse disease (42.9 versus 26.3%, p=0.008), multivessel (32.5
      versus 18.9%, p=0.019), eccentric lesions (57.1 versus 43.2%, p=0.031), more
      stents implanted (1.99+/-1.6 versus 1.7+/-1.3, p<0.0001), more overlapping stents
      (29.4 versus 13.7%, p=0.004) and more stents length (25.7+/-4.9 versus 20.2+/
      2.6, p<0.003). During the follow-up, both groups had overall similar MACE (10.4
      versus 11.7%, p=0.9) with insignificant higher restenosis (9.2 versus 8.4%,
      p=0.832) and TVR (7.4 versus 6.4%, p=0.75) in group A. There was no difference in
      death (p=0.111) or MI (p=0.858). Both groups had similar stent thrombosis rate
      (1.2 versus 1.1%, p=0.899), angina events (10.4 versus 16.8%, p=0.137), abnormal
      stress thallium (14.1 versus 14.7%, p=0.890), and hospital days (2.91 versus
      3.57, p=0.886). CONCLUSION: Despite complex angiographic characteristics, the use
      of DES in diabetic patients with small vessels showed favorable clinical outcomes
      and similar low TVR compared to those with large vessels.

PMID- 26112296
TI  - Combining balloon-assisted tracking and sheathless guiding catheter: unloosening
      the Gordian knot.
AB  - In a patient with a small-calibre radial artery and a 360 degrees  radio-ulnar
      loop, we combined the balloon-assisted tracking (BAT) technique (used to track a
      catheter trough the loop) with the use of a 6.5FPB sheathless guiding catheter,
      in order to allow the extensive catheter manipulations needed for PCI despite the
      ongoing artery spasm. 

PMID- 26112297
TI  - Complications with Endobronchial Ultrasound with a Guide Sheath for the Diagnosis
      of Peripheral Pulmonary Lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diagnostic bronchoscopy has been considered as a safe and effective
      procedure. Endobronchial ultrasound with a guide sheath (EBUS-GS) for the
      diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) is becoming a common procedure,
      but reports about its safety are missing. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was
      to evaluate the safety profile of EBUS-GS for the diagnosis of PPLs. METHODS: All
      patients with PPLs who underwent EBUS-GS between September 2012 and August 2014
      at the National Cancer Center Hospital were included. Postprocedural
      complications and the durability of devices were retrospectively reviewed.
      RESULTS: During the study period, EBUS-GS procedures were performed for 965 PPLs.
      The overall complication rate was 1.3% (13/965): 0.8% (8/965) for pneumothorax
      and 0.5% (5/965) for pulmonary infection. There was no significant hemorrhage,
      air embolism, tumor seeding or procedure-related death, and there was no breakage
      of the guide sheath. Only four radial probes were broken during the study period
      without any adverse reactions. CONCLUSIONS: EBUS-GS is a tolerable procedure, and
      the devices are durable.

PMID- 26112298
TI  - Obstructive Sleep Apnea Effects on the Right Ventricle and Beyond.

PMID- 26112299
TI  - Hypertension and Sleep Apnea.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea is more prevalent in patients with hypertension than in
      the general population and many with obstructive sleep apnea also have
      hypertension. Obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of hypertension-related
      morbidities such as stroke, heart failure, and premature death. Are such
      associations coincidental or causal and if the latter, what are their
      implications for clinical practice? Despite compelling epidemiological and
      mechanistic links between obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension, the effect in
      clinical trials of the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea on blood pressure has
      been modest and variable. The purpose of this review is to summarize our present
      understanding of: (1) the relevant epidemiology and mechanisms that might be
      responsible for the bidirectional relationship between obstructive sleep apnea
      and hypertension; and (2) available evidence regarding the effect of treating
      obstructive sleep apnea on blood pressure. 

PMID- 26112300
TI  - Heart Failure and Sleep Apnea.
AB  - Obstructive and central sleep apnea are far more common in heart failure patients
      than in the general population and their presence might contribute to the
      progression of heart failure by exposing the heart to intermittent hypoxia,
      increased preload and afterload, sympathetic nervous system activation, and
      vascular endothelial dysfunction. There is now substantial evidence that supports
      a role for fluid overload and nocturnal rostral fluid shift from the legs as
      unifying mechanisms in the pathogenesis of obstructive and central sleep apnea in
      heart failure patients, such that the predominant type of sleep apnea is related
      to the relative distribution of fluid from the leg to the neck and chest. Despite
      advances in therapies for heart failure, mortality rates remain high.
      Accordingly, the identification and treatment of sleep apnea in patients with
      heart failure might offer a novel therapeutic target to modulate this increased
      risk. In heart failure patients with obstructive or central sleep apnea,
      continuous positive airway pressure has been shown to improve cardiovascular
      function in short-term trials but this has not translated to improved mortality
      or reduced hospital admissions in long-term randomized trials. Other forms of
      positive airway pressure such as adaptive servoventilation have shown promising
      results in terms of attenuation of sleep apnea and improvement in cardiovascular
      function in short-term trials. Large scale, randomized trials are required to
      determine whether treating sleep apnea with various interventions can reduce
      morbidity and mortality. 

PMID- 26112302
TI  - Sleep Apnea and Stroke.
AB  - Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide and often has devastating
      consequences for affected individuals in terms of chronic disability. Traditional
      risk factors such as age, male sex, ethnicity, hypertension, and atrial
      fibrillation explain 60%-80% of the risk of stroke. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
      is highly prevalent in individuals who have had a stroke and its emerging role as
      a potential modifiable risk factor for stroke has been recognized in the most
      recent American Heart Association stroke guidelines, which recommend
      consideration of screening for and treatment of OSA in this regard. In this
      article we provide an overview of the current evidence-based knowledge related to
      stroke and sleep apnea. The main focus of this article is key pathophysiological
      mechanisms by which OSA might increase the risk for stroke. The effect of OSA on
      stroke outcomes and the efficacy of treatment of OSA on these outcomes is also
      discussed. 

PMID- 26112301
TI  - Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Coronary Artery Disease.
AB  - Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most frequent diseases in industrial
      nations. Despite significant advances in diagnosis and therapy, CAD and its long
      term consequences are important contributors to morbidity and mortality.
      Therefore, in addition to management of traditional CAD risk factors, there are
      continued efforts to evaluate other factors and comorbidities that might
      contribute to the development and progression of CAD. One such factor is sleep
      disordered breathing (SDB), which is characterized by repetitive apneas, arousals
      from sleep, and intermittent hypoxia. There is increasing evidence that SDB is a
      risk factor for CAD. In the early phase after myocardial infarction (MI) the
      heart might be in a vulnerable state sensitive to the negative consequences of
      SDB, including increased cardiac workload and endothelial dysfunction, which
      might ultimately lead to a mismatch between oxygen demand and supply. Despite
      successful percutaneous coronary intervention, patients with acute MI and SDB
      have prolonged myocardial ischemia, less salvaged myocardium, and impaired left
      and right ventricular remodelling compared with those without SDB, all of which
      predispose to heart failure. Suppression of SDB with positive airway pressure
      therapy in the early phase after MI is feasible. However, whether treatment of
      SDB with positive airway pressure will be an effective nonpharmacological
      treatment approach that will prevent the development of heart failure after MI
      remains to be determined and is the subject of current investigations. 

PMID- 26112303
TI  - Should All Congestive Heart Failure Patients Have a Routine Sleep Apnea
      Screening? Pro.
AB  - Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is highly prevalent in heart failure (HF)
      patients. These breathing disturbances are independent predictors of increased
      morbidity and comorbid conditions that improve with SDB treatment. Considering
      the overlap between SDB-related and HF clinical symptoms reported by patients,
      objective tests need to be conducted for a diagnosis to be firmly established and
      to determine the type and severity of SDB that will dictate treatment
      alternatives. Considering the high success rate and diagnostic value of
      ambulatory monitoring techniques, they represent a practical, cost-effective, and
      accurate alternative to diagnosing SDB in HF patients. 

PMID- 26112304
TI  - Should All Congestive Heart Failure Patients Have a Routine Sleep Apnea
      Screening? Con.
AB  - Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is one of the most common comorbidities in
      people with congestive heart failure (CHF). Although SDB has major
      cardiometabolic consequences, the attributable risk of SDB in asymptomatic CHF
      patients remains unclear. Whether early intervention using positive airway
      pressure would improve the prognosis in CHF patients is uncertain. As yet, there
      is insufficient evidence that routine polysomnography screening is cost-effective
      for asymptomatic CHF patients. Careful clinical risk evaluation and thoughtful
      use of limited-channel home sleep testing should be considered before the
      application of routine polysomnography in all CHF patients. 

PMID- 26112305
TI  - When to Suspect Sleep Apnea and What to Do About It.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is characterized by recurrent upper airway
      obstruction during sleep with resultant hypoxia-reoxygenation and sleep
      fragmentation, is prevalent among patients with cardiovascular disease.
      Refractory hypertension, nocturnal angina or arrhythmias, and stroke in
      particular should prompt consideration of OSA. The symptoms of OSA include
      snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness; risk factors include obesity and
      reduced upper airway dimensions. Up to 50% of patients with congestive heart
      failure (CHF) may manifest OSA, central sleep apnea-Cheyne-Stokes respiration
      (CSA-CSR), or both. Patients with CSA-CSR may present with fatigue, disrupted
      sleep, and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. Objective sleep recording is required to
      document the nature and severity of sleep apnea. The gold standard is in
      laboratory overnight polysomnography (PSG), including monitoring of
      electroencephalography and other signals to determine sleep-wake state, and
      recording of body position, airflow, respiratory effort, and pulse oximetry.
      Portable cardiorespiratory recorders are now approved for diagnosis in patients
      without comorbidities. Full PSG is recommended for diagnosis in all other cases,
      although OSA and CSA-CSR can be identified from portable recorders in some
      patients with CHF and other conditions. The objectives of treatment are to
      improve symptoms, quality of life, and cardiovascular outcomes. The mainstay of
      treatment for moderate-to-severe OSA is positive airway pressure (PAP). Automated
      PAP devices may be used in uncomplicated OSA, whereas continuous fixed PAP is the
      treatment of choice for other patients with OSA, and may also treat a proportion
      of patients with CSA-CSR. A form of bi-level PAP known as adaptive
      servoventilation is effective in treating a majority of patients with CSA-CSR. 

PMID- 26112306
TI  - Protein S-palmitoylation and cancer.
AB  - Protein S-palmitoylation is a reversible posttranslational modification of
      proteins with fatty acids, an enzymatic process driven by a recently discovered
      family of protein acyltransferases (PATs) that are defined by a conserved
      catalytic domain characterized by a DHHC sequence motif. Protein S-palmitoylation
      has a prominent role in regulating protein location, trafficking and function.
      Recent studies of DHHC PATs and their functional effects have demonstrated that
      their dysregulation is associated with human diseases, including schizophrenia, X
      linked mental retardation, and Huntington's Disease. A growing number of reports
      indicate an important role for DHHC proteins and their substrates in
      tumorigenesis. Whereas DHHC PATs comprise a family of 23 enzymes in humans, a
      smaller number of enzymes that remove palmitate have been identified and
      characterized as potential therapeutic targets. Here we review current knowledge
      of the enzymes that mediate reversible palmitoylation and their cancer-associated
      substrates and discuss potential therapeutic applications. 

PMID- 26112307
TI  - Coxsackievirus A6: a new emerging pathogen causing hand, foot and mouth disease
      outbreaks worldwide.
AB  - Enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) are the predominant pathogens
      causing outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) worldwide. Other human
      enterovirus A (HEV-A) serotypes tend to cause only sporadic HFMD cases. However,
      since a HFMD caused by coxsackievirus A6 broke out in Finland in 2008, CA6 has
      been identified as the responsible pathogen for a series of HFMD outbreaks in
      Europe, North America and Asia. Because of the severity of the clinical
      manifestations and the underestimated public health burden, the epidemic of CA6
      associated HFMD presents a new challenge to the control of HFMD. This article
      reviewed the epidemic characteristics, molecular epidemiology, clinical features
      and laboratory diagnosis of CA6 infection. The genetic evolution of CA6 strains
      associated with HFMD was also analyzed. It indicated that the development of a
      multivalent vaccine combining EV71, CA16 and CA6 is an urgent necessity to
      control HFMD. 

PMID- 26112309
TI  - Tuning the polarity of charge transport in InSb nanowires via heat treatment.
AB  - InSb nanowire (NW) arrays were prepared by pulsed electrodeposition combined with
      a porous template technique. The resulting polycrystalline material has a
      stoichiometric composition (In:Sb = 1:1) and a high length-to-diameter ratio.
      Based on a combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis
      and field-effect measurements, the band gap, the charge carrier polarity, the
      carrier concentration, the mobility and the effective mass for the InSb NWs was
      investigated. In this preliminary work, a transition from p-type to n-type charge
      transport was observed when the InSb NWs were subjected to annealing.

PMID- 26112310
TI  - A Bayesian methodology for detecting targeted genes under two related
      experiments.
AB  - Many gene expression data are based on two experiments where the gene expressions
      of the targeted genes under both experiments are correlated. We consider problems
      in which objectives are to find genes that are simultaneously
      upregulated/downregulated under both experiments. A Bayesian methodology is
      proposed based on directional multiple hypotheses testing. We propose a false
      discovery rate specific to the problem under consideration, and construct a Bayes
      rule satisfying a false discovery rate criterion. The proposed method is compared
      with a traditional rule through simulation studies. We apply our methodology to
      two real examples involving microRNAs; where in one example the targeted genes
      are simultaneously downregulated under both experiments, and in the other the
      targeted genes are downregulated in one experiment and upregulated in the other
      experiment. We also discuss how the proposed methodology can be extended to more
      than two experiments.

PMID- 26112308
TI  - Co-translational capturing of nascent ribosomal proteins by their dedicated
      chaperones.
AB  - Exponentially growing yeast cells produce every minute >160,000 ribosomal
      proteins. Owing to their difficult physicochemical properties, the synthesis of
      assembly-competent ribosomal proteins represents a major challenge. Recent
      evidence highlights that dedicated chaperone proteins recognize the N-terminal
      regions of ribosomal proteins and promote their soluble expression and delivery
      to the assembly site. Here we explore the intuitive possibility that ribosomal
      proteins are captured by dedicated chaperones in a co-translational manner.
      Affinity purification of four chaperones (Rrb1, Syo1, Sqt1 and Yar1) selectively
      enriched the mRNAs encoding their specific ribosomal protein clients (Rpl3, Rpl5,
      Rpl10 and Rps3). X-ray crystallography reveals how the N-terminal, rRNA-binding
      residues of Rpl10 are shielded by Sqt1's WD-repeat beta-propeller, providing
      mechanistic insight into the incorporation of Rpl10 into pre-60S subunits. Co
      translational capturing of nascent ribosomal proteins by dedicated chaperones
      constitutes an elegant mechanism to prevent unspecific interactions and
      aggregation of ribosomal proteins on their road to incorporation. 

PMID- 26112312
TI  - Adenoviruses and acute respiratory infections in children living in an equatorial
      area of Brazil.
AB  - Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are important respiratory pathogens, found in 2-27% of
      acute respiratory infection (ARI) cases. Few studies have analysed the diversity
      of species and types of HAdVs associated with ARI in Brazil. The purpose of this
      study was to determine the circulation patterns of the different HAdV species and
      respective types associated with ARI in children in the city of Fortaleza,
      northeastern Brazil. HAdVs were screened by an indirect immunofluorescence assay,
      and subsequently identified as species and types by PCR and sequencing of the
      hexon gene (HVR1-HVR6). Between 2001 and 2013, a total of 290 HAdV strains were
      detected, 190 of which were identified as belonging to the HAdV-B, -C and -E
      species. Seven types of HAdVs circulated in the studied population during the
      analysed period, with HAdV-3 being predominant. 

PMID- 26112311
TI  - Computed tomography-guided percutaneous microwave ablation combined with
      osteoplasty for palliative treatment of painful extraspinal bone metastases from
      lung cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of microwave
      ablation (MWA) combined with osteoplasty in lung cancer patients with painful
      extraspinal bone metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2011 to July
      2014, 26 lung cancer patients with 33 painful extraspinal bone metastases
      underwent percutaneous MWA combined with osteoplasty. Effectiveness was evaluated
      by visual analog scale (VAS) and daily morphine dose with a follow-up of 6
      months. Complications were also recorded. RESULTS: Mean VAS score and morphine
      dose pre-procedure were 7.4 +/- 1.6 (range, 5-10) and 47.7 +/- 30.1 mg (range, 20
      120 mg), respectively. Technical success and pain relief were achieved in all
      patients. Mean VAS scores and daily morphine doses post-procedure were as
      follows: 48 h, 1.7 +/- 1.2 (p < 0.001) and 29.6 +/- 16.1 mg (p = 0.003); 7 days,
      1.9 +/- 1.7 (p < 0.001) and 16.1 +/- 12.0 mg (p < 0.001); 1 month, 1.5 +/- 0.9 (p
      < 0.001) and 10.8 +/- 10.9 (p < 0.001); 3 months, 0.9 +/- 0.7 (p < 0.001) and 8.4
      +/- 9.2 mg (p < 0.001); and 6 months, 1.2 +/- 0.8 (p < 0.001) and 9.2 +/- 12.3 mg
      (p < 0.001). Complications were observed in eight patients (28%); among these,
      major complications were reported in two (7.7%) patients, one with local
      infection and the other with a bone fracture. The minor complication rate was
      23.1% (6/26). CONCLUSION: MWA combination with osteoplasty appeared to be an
      effective and safe treatment for lung cancer patients with painful extraspinal
      bone metastases.

PMID- 26112313
TI  - Outcomes of Transobturator Tape Surgery with Safyre T(r) Slings for Female Stress
      Urinary Incontinence after 96 Months of Follow-Up.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: To report the outcomes of transobturator tape (TOT) surgery with
      Safyre T(r) (Promedon, Argentina) slings for female stress urinary incontinence
      (SUI) at a 96- month follow-up. METHODS: We conducted a clinical follow-up study
      of 153 patients diagnosed with SUI between January 2005 and December 2014.
      Patients were provided with detailed a priori information pertaining to the TOT
      procedure and were invited to attend follow-up visits at 1, 3, 12, 24, 48, 72 and
      96 months. Follow-up visits included physical examination involving sling
      palpation, checking of the vaginal mucosa for erosion, cough test, as well as
      validated Urinary Distress Inventory-6 (UDI-6) and Incontinence Impact
      Questionnaire-7 (IIQ-7) questionnaires. RESULTS: The overall objective success
      rates, based on cough test results, were 91.3% at 12 months, 86.8% at 48 months
      and 77.6% at 96 months. Similarly, the overall subjective success rate, based on
      the validated UDI-6 and IIQ-7 scales, was 77.6% at 96 months. CONCLUSION: The
      cure rates achieved, following TOT treatment of SUI at 1-year follow-up, showed a
      statistically significant decline over an 8-year period, especially at months 48
      and 96. (c) 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

PMID- 26112316
TI  - Characterization of the Genotypic Profile of Hepatitis Delta Virus: Isolation of
      HDV Genotype-1 in the Western Amazon Region of Brazil.
AB  - The hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a hepatotropic subvirus that is dependent on
      the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and supplies the viral envelope containing the
      surface antigen of hepatitis B. Viral genetic diversity is related to the
      geographical origin of the isolates, and there are at least eight genotypes that
      are referred to as HDV-1 through HDV-8. HDV-3 is responsible for epidemics of
      severe and fulminant hepatitis, which are common in northeastern South America.
      HDV-3 is prevalent in the Brazilian Amazon and is associated with the increased
      aggressiveness of HDV infections. Although isolated, the characteristics of the
      clinical presentation of HDV-1 in the Amazon region have not yet been clearly
      reported. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the genotypic and clinical
      characteristics of individuals with the HDV-1 genotype in the western Amazon
      region. METHODS: The HDV was genotyped by nested PCR-RFLP and sequencing from
      serum samples of 56 patients with HBV/HDV infection. The genotypes were
      correlated with the clinical characteristics presented by patients with HBV/HDV
      infection. RESULTS: A prevalence of 92.3% for the HDV-3 genotype (n = 48) and
      7.6% (n = 4) for the HDV-1 genotype was observed. CONCLUSION: To date, this is
      the most extensive clinical study of HDV-1 genotype infections in the
      nonindigenous population of Western Amazonia.

PMID- 26112315
TI  - Indole trimers with antibacterial activity against Gram-positive organisms
      produced using combinatorial biocatalysis.
AB  - The I100V isoform of toluene-4-monooxygenase was used to catalyze the oxidative
      polymerization of anthranil and various indoles under mildly acidic conditions,
      favoring the production of trimers. Compounds produced in sufficient yield were
      purified and tested for their ability to inhibit the growth of B. anthracis, E.
      faecalis, L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, and in some cases, F. tularensis. 15 of
      the compounds displayed promising antibacterial activity (MIC < 5 ug/ml) against
      one or more of the strains tested, with the best MIC values being <0.8 ug/ml. All
      of these compounds had good selectivity, showing minimal cytotoxicity towards
      HepG2 cells. The structure was solved for six of the compounds that could be
      crystallized, revealing that minimally two classes of indole based trimers were
      produced. One compound class produced was a group of substituted derivatives of
      the natural product 2,2-bis(3-indolyl) indoxyl. The other group of compounds
      identified was classified as tryptanthrin-like compounds, all having multi-ring
      pendant groups attached at position 11 of tryptanthrin. One compound of
      particular interest, SAB-J85, had a structure that suggests that any compound,
      with a ring structure that can be activated by an oxygenase, might serve as a
      substrate for combinatorial biocatalysis. 

PMID- 26112314
TI  - Treatment of traumatic brain injury with anti-inflammatory drugs.
AB  - Traumatic brain injury rapidly induces inflammation. This inflammation is
      produced both by endogenous brain cells and circulating inflammatory cells that
      enter from the brain. Together they drive the inflammatory response through a
      wide variety of bioactive lipids, cytokines and chemokines. A large number of
      drugs with anti-inflammatory action have been tested in both preclinical studies
      and in clinical trials. These drugs either have known anti-inflammatory action or
      inhibit the inflammatory response through unknown mechanisms. The results of
      these preclinical studies and clinical trials are reviewed. Recommendations are
      suggested on how to improve preclinical testing of drugs to make them more
      relevant to evaluate for clinical trials. 

PMID- 26112318
TI  - Magnetically aligned iron oxide/gold nanoparticle-decorated carbon nanotube
      hybrid structure as a humidity sensor.
AB  - Functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNTs), particularly CNTs decorated with
      nanoparticles (NPs), are of great interest because of their synergic effects,
      such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering, plasmonic resonance energy transfer,
      magnetoplasmonic, magnetoelectric, and magnetooptical effects. In general,
      research has focused on a single type of NP, such as a metal or metal oxide, that
      has been modified on a CNT surface. In this study, however, a new strategy is
      introduced for the decoration of two different NP types on CNTs. In order to
      improve the functionality of modified CNTs, we successfully prepared binary NP
      decorated CNTs, namely, iron oxide/gold (Au) NP-decorated CNTs (IA-CNTs), which
      were created through two simple reactions in deionized water, without high
      temperature, high pressure, or harsh reducing agents. The physicochemical
      properties of IA-CNTs were characterized by ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy,
      Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, a superconducting quantum interference
      device, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. In
      this study, IA-CNTs were utilized to detect humidity. Magnetic IA-CNTs were
      aligned on interdigitated platinum electrodes under external magnetic fields to
      create a humidity-sensing channel, and its electrical conductivity was monitored.
      As the humidity increased, the electrical resistance of the sensor also
      increased. In comparison with various gases, for example, H2, O2, CO, CO2, SO2,
      and dry air, the IA-CNT-based humidity sensor exhibited high-selectivity
      performances. IA-CNTs also responded to heavy water (D2O), and it was established
      that the humidity detection mechanism had D2O-sensing capabilities. Further, the
      humidity from human out-breathing was also successfully detected by this system.
      In conclusion, these unique IA-CNTs exhibited potential application as gas
      detection materials. 

PMID- 26112317
TI  - Monitoring the freshness of fish: development of a qPCR method applied to MAP
      chilled whiting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Monitoring of early stages of freshness decay is a major issue for
      the fishery industry to guarantee the best quality for this highly perishable
      food matrix. Numerous techniques have been developed, but most of them have the
      disadvantage of being reliable only either in the last stages of fish freshness
      or for the analysis of whole fish. This study describes the development of a qPCR
      method targeting the torA gene harboured by fish spoilage microorganisms. torA
      encodes an enzyme that leads to the production of trimethylamine responsible for
      the characteristic spoiled-fish odour. RESULTS: A degenerate primer pair was
      designed. It amplified torA gene of both Vibrio and Photobacterium with good
      efficiencies on 7-log DNA dilutions. The primer pair was used during a shelf-life
      monitoring study achieved on modified atmosphere packed, chilled, whiting
      (Merlangius merlangus) fillets. The qPCR approach allows the detection of an
      increase of torA copies throughout the storage of fillets in correlation with the
      evolution of both total volatile basic nitrogen (-0.86) and trimethylamine
      concentrations (-0.81), known as spoilage markers. CONCLUSION: This study
      described a very promising, sensitive, reliable, time-effective, technique in the
      field of freshness characterisation of processed fish.

PMID- 26112319
TI  - Web-based prevention and treatment programmes for internalising problems in
      youth: encouraging findings in an expanding research field.

PMID- 26112320
TI  - SSRI antidepressants are not associated with cerebral microbleeds or ischaemic
      vascular lesions.

PMID- 26112321
TI  - Psychosocial therapy after self-harm associated with reduced repetition, suicide,
      and all-cause mortality in Denmark.

PMID- 26112322
TI  - A Secure Three-Factor User Authentication and Key Agreement Protocol for TMIS
      With User Anonymity.
AB  - Telecare medical information system (TMIS) makes an efficient and convenient
      connection between patient(s)/user(s) and doctor(s) over the insecure internet.
      Therefore, data security, privacy and user authentication are enormously
      important for accessing important medical data over insecure communication.
      Recently, many user authentication protocols for TMIS have been proposed in the
      literature and it has been observed that most of the protocols cannot achieve
      complete security requirements. In this paper, we have scrutinized two (Mishra et
      al., Xu et al.) remote user authentication protocols using smart card and
      explained that both the protocols are suffering against several security
      weaknesses. We have then presented three-factor user authentication and key
      agreement protocol usable for TMIS, which fix the security pitfalls of the above
      mentioned schemes. The informal cryptanalysis makes certain that the proposed
      protocol provides well security protection on the relevant security attacks.
      Furthermore, the simulator AVISPA tool confirms that the protocol is secure
      against active and passive attacks including replay and man-in-the-middle
      attacks. The security functionalities and performance comparison analysis confirm
      that our protocol not only provide strong protection on security attacks, but it
      also achieves better complexities along with efficient login and password change
      phase as well as session key verification property. 

PMID- 26112323
TI  - Optimization of Aspergillus niger rock phosphate solubilization in solid-state
      fermentation and use of the resulting product as a P fertilizer.
AB  - A biotechnological strategy for the production of an alternative P fertilizer is
      described in this work. The fertilizer was produced through rock phosphate (RP)
      solubilization by Aspergillus niger in a solid-state fermentation (SSF) with
      sugarcane bagasse as substrate. SSF conditions were optimized by the surface
      response methodology after an initial screening of factors with significant
      effect on RP solubilization. The optimized levels of the factors were 865 mg of
      biochar, 250 mg of RP, 270 mg of sucrose and 6.2 ml of water per gram of bagasse.
      At this optimal setting, 8.6 mg of water-soluble P per gram of bagasse was
      achieved, representing an increase of 2.4 times over the non-optimized condition.
      The optimized SSF product was partially incinerated at 350 degrees C (SB-350) and
      500 degrees C (SB-500) to reduce its volume and, consequently, increase P
      concentration. The post-processed formulations of the SSF product were evaluated
      in a soil-plant experiment. The formulations SB-350 and SB-500 increased the
      growth and P uptake of common bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) when compared
      with the non-treated RP. Furthermore, these two formulations had a yield relative
      to triple superphosphate of 60% (on a dry mass basis). Besides increasing P
      concentration, incineration improved the SSF product performance probably by
      decreasing microbial immobilization of nutrients during the decomposition of the
      remaining SSF substrate. The process proposed is a promising alternative for the
      management of P fertilization since it enables the utilization of low-solubility
      RPs and relies on the use of inexpensive materials.

PMID- 26112324
TI  - An Ime2-like mitogen-activated protein kinase is involved in cellulase expression
      in the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Eukaryotic mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play crucial
      roles in transducing environmental and developmental signals inside the cell and
      regulating gene expression, however, the roles of MAPKs remain largely unknown in
      Trichoderma reesei. RESULTS: T. reesei ime2 (TrIme2) encodes an Ime2-like MAPK in
      T. reesei. The deletion of the TrIme2 gene led to 90% increase in cellulase
      activity against filter paper during earlier period time of cellulase induction
      as well as the extracellular protein production. Compared to the parent strain,
      the transcriptional levels of the three major cellulase genes cbh1,cbh2, egl1
      were increased by about 9 times, 4 times, 2 times, respectively, at 8 h after
      cellulase induction in the DeltaTrIme2 mutant. In addition, the disruption of
      TrIme2 caused over 50% reduction of the transcript levels of cellulase
      transcriptional regulators cre1 and xyr1. CONCLUSION: TrIme2 functions in
      regulation of the expression of cellulase gene in T.reesei, and is a good
      candidate for genetically engineering of T. reesei for higher cellulase
      production.

PMID- 26112325
TI  - Production of novel types of antibacterial liamocins by diverse strains of
      Aureobasidium pullulans grown on different culture media.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare production of antibacterial liamocins (polyol lipids) by
      diverse strains of Aureobasidium pullulans grown on different culture media.
      RESULTS: Liamocins produced by strains of A. pullulans have potential
      agricultural and pharmaceutical applications as antibacterials with specificity
      against Streptococcus spp. Six strains of A. pullulans were characterized for
      liamocin production on four different culture media. The choice of strain and
      culture medium affected growth, liamocin yields, and production of contaminating
      pigments. Best growth and highest liamocin yields were obtained using A.
      pullulans strain NRRL 50384 grown on a sucrose basal medium. Unexpectedly, the
      choice of strain and culture medium also affected the structure of liamocins
      produced, providing novel types of liamocins. Liamocins varied not only in the
      ratios of trimer and tetramer polyester tail groups, but also in the nature of
      the polyol headgroup, which could include mannitol, arabitol, or glycerol.
      CONCLUSIONS: The ability to conveniently produce novel types of liamocins in good
      yields will provide novel antibacterials for applied uses, and facilitate
      structure-function studies on the mechanism of antibacterial activity.

PMID- 26112326
TI  - Genome shuffling to generate recombinant yeasts for tolerance to inhibitors
      present in lignocellulosic hydrolysates.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the use of genome shuffling to generate recombinants
      from previously generated hydrolysates-tolerant strains to improve tolerance of
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae to one or more inhibitory by-products present in
      lignocellulosic hydrolysates. RESULTS: Recombinants of previously evolved strains
      of S. cerevisiae were generated and analyzed for their relative performance in
      the individual inhibitors furfural, acetic acid, 5-(hydroxymethyl)-furfural (HMF)
      and in synthetic hydrolysates. One recombinant exhibited a 100 % fitness increase
      in the presence of HMF as compared to the wild-type diploid, while another stain
      exhibited a 13 % fitness increase in the presence of furfural. Furthermore, for
      one of these recombinants, these increases in fitness were specific to the
      inhibitor HMF and to synthetic hydrolysates rather than being due to a general
      increase in fitness. Mutations present in the evolved hydrolysates-tolerant
      mutants were identified via whole-genome resequencing. CONCLUSION: Recombinants
      of S. cerevisiae were produced with increased tolerance to inhibitory by-products
      present in hydrolysates of lignocellulosic biomass and identified potential
      genetic determinants associated with this phenotype.

PMID- 26112327
TI  - Sample end effects.
AB  - In high-resolution NMR spectroscopy, the variation of the magnetic field inside
      the sample has a measurable impact on lineshape. We present a model to calculate
      the moments of the internal field, as they relate to the current that should be
      set in the compensation coils to level the magnetic perturbations originating
      from the sample. We apply this model to common sample geometries, and discuss the
      practical implications for sample-limited applications. 

PMID- 26112328
TI  - CW and pulsed electrically detected magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 263GHz/12T
      on operating amorphous silicon solar cells.
AB  - Here we describe a new high frequency/high field continuous wave and pulsed
      electrically detected magnetic resonance (CW EDMR and pEDMR) setup, operating at
      263GHz and resonance fields between 0 and 12T. Spin dependent transport in
      illuminated hydrogenated amorphous silicon p-i-n solar cells at 5K and 90K was
      studied by in operando 263GHz CW and pEDMR alongside complementary X-band CW
      EDMR. Benefiting from the superior resolution at 263GHz, we were able to better
      resolve EDMR signals originating from spin dependent hopping and recombination
      processes. 5K EDMR spectra were found to be dominated by conduction and valence
      band tail states involved in spin dependent hopping, with additional
      contributions from triplet exciton states. 90K EDMR spectra could be assigned to
      spin pair recombination involving conduction band tail states and dangling bonds
      as the dominating spin dependent transport process, with additional contributions
      from valence band tail and triplet exciton states. 

PMID- 26112329
TI  - Dexamethasone-suppressed cortisol awakening response predicts treatment outcome
      in posttraumatic stress disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with several
      alterations in the neuroendocrine system, including enhanced cortisol suppression
      in response to the dexamethasone suppression test. The aim of this study was to
      examine whether specific biomarkers of PTSD predict treatment success in trauma
      focused psychotherapy. METHODS: Data were collected in the context of a
      randomized controlled trial comparing two forms of trauma-focused psychotherapy.
      Basal cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels, and the response to the
      dexamethasone suppression test were assessed pre-treatment in 24 PTSD patients.
      Treatment success was measured by pre- to post-treatment decrease in self
      reported PTSD severity. RESULTS: A more suppressed cortisol curve after
      dexamethasone significantly predicted greater PTSD symptom decrease in trauma
      focused psychotherapy, independent of the effects of gender, pre-treatment PTSD
      symptom severity, and trauma history. Basal early morning cortisol and
      dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate did not predict treatment response. LIMITATIONS:
      The number of participants who completed the neuroendocrine measurements was
      small and a significant number of participants fulfilled criteria of co-morbid
      major depressive disorder. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the use of the
      dexamethasone-suppression test for the cortisol awakening response as a biomarker
      for treatment response to trauma-focused psychotherapy. Measures of HPA-axis
      sensitivity appear to be an important predictor of positive clinical response in
      PTSD patients, and may lead to biomarker-based treatment matching in the future.

PMID- 26112330
TI  - Bipolar disorder and self-stigma: A comparison with schizophrenia.
AB  - AIM: Even though numerous studies have focused on the effects of self-stigma on
      patients with schizophrenia, little is known about self-stigma of patients with
      bipolar disorder (BD). In this study, a self-administered scale of self
      stigmatising attitudes of patients with BD and schizophrenia was used to explore
      these attitudes, examine the potential differences between the two groups and
      study the factors that influence stigma within groups. METHODS: Self-stigma of
      120 patients with schizophrenia and BD was assessed with the Self-stigma
      Questionnaire (SSQ) and the Stigma Inventory for Mental Illness (SIMI). Presence
      of clinical symptoms, overall functioning and level of self-esteem were also
      evaluated. RESULTS: Self-stigma is present in both groups but differs in its
      intensity. Patients with BD experience self-stigma in a lesser degree without
      affecting their social life or overall functioning. Patients with schizophrenia
      adopt more intense self-stigmatising attitudes leading to social exclusion and
      lower level of overall functioning. LIMITATIONS: The results are limited by the
      small sample size, whereas the inclusion of other questionnaires would broaden
      our insight to self-stigma. CONCLUSIONS: Self-stigma has a direct effect on
      overall functioning of patients with BD and schizophrenia tampering the clinical
      outcome of therapeutic interventions. Therefore, it should be incorporated in
      every treatment plan and be addressed as a clinical symptom of the mental
      illness.

PMID- 26112331
TI  - Reduced dopamine and glutamate neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens of
      quinpirole-sensitized rats hints at inhibitory D2 autoreceptor function.
AB  - Dopamine from the ventral tegmental area and glutamate from several brain nuclei
      converge in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) to drive motivated behaviors. Repeated
      activation of D2 receptors with quinpirole (QNP) induces locomotor sensitization
      and compulsive behaviors, but the mechanisms are unknown. In this study, in vivo
      microdialysis and fast scan cyclic voltammetry in adult anesthetized rats were
      used to investigate the effect of repeated QNP on dopamine and glutamate
      neurotransmission within the NAc. Following eight injections of QNP, a
      significant decrease in phasic and tonic dopamine release was observed in rats
      that displayed locomotor sensitization. Either a systemic injection or the
      infusion of QNP into the NAc decreased dopamine release, and the extent of this
      effect was similar in QNP-sensitized and control rats, indicating that inhibitory
      D2 autoreceptor function is maintained despite repeated activation of D2
      receptors and decreased dopamine extracellular levels. Basal extracellular levels
      of glutamate in the NAc were also significantly lower in QNP-treated rats than in
      controls. Moreover, the increase in NAc glutamate release induced by direct
      stimulation of medial prefrontal cortex was significantly lower in QNP-sensitized
      rats. Together, these results indicate that repeated activation of D2 receptors
      disconnects NAc from medial prefrontal cortex and ventral tegmental area.
      Repeated administration of the dopamine D2 receptor agonist quinpirole (QNP)
      induces locomotor sensitization. We found that the NAc of QNP-sensitized rats has
      reduced glutamate levels coming from prefrontal cortex together with a decreased
      phasic and tonic dopamine neurotransmission but a conserved presynaptic D2
      receptor function. We suggest that locomotor sensitization is because of
      increased affinity state of D2 post-synaptic receptors.

PMID- 26112332
TI  - MiR-22 Suppresses BMP7 in the Development of Cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: New strategies for the prevention and treatment of cirrhosis are
      urgently needed for improving therapeutic outcome. A role of microRNAs (miRNAs)
      in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis has been recently acknowledged, whereas the
      exact involved miRNAs as well as the associated molecular signaling pathways have
      not been determined. Specifically, the studies on the relationship between miR-22
      and bone morphogenic protein 7 (BMP7) in the development of cirrhosis are
      lacking. METHODS: We examined the correlation of the levels of miR-22 and bone
      morphogenic protein 7 (BMP7) in the liver biopsies from patients with cirrhosis.
      We examined overexpression or suppression of miR-22 on BMP7 in hepatocytes. We
      examined the binding of miR-22 to the 3'-UTR of BMP7 mRNA. Finally, in a carbon
      tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced cirrhosis model in mice, we gave mice adeno
      associated viruses carrying antisense of miR-22, and examined its effects on BMP7
      levels and the hallmarks of cirrhosis. RESULTS: The levels of miR-22 and BMP7 in
      the liver biopsies from patients were strongly and inversely correlated. MiR-22
      inhibited BMP7 expression in hepatocytes, through directly binding the 3'-UTR of
      BMP7 mRNA. Expression of antisense miR-22 significantly attenuated the levels of
      liver fibrosis, portal hypertension and sodium retention caused by CCl4, possibly
      through upregulation of BMP7. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-22 promotes the development of
      cirrhosis through BMP7 suppression.

PMID- 26112333
TI  - Reliable estimation of nociceptive withdrawal reflex thresholds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Assessment of the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) is frequently
      applied to probe the excitability level of the spinal nociceptive circuitry. In
      humans, the NWR threshold (NWR-T) is often estimated by applying electrical
      stimulation over the sural nerve at the lateral malleolus. Such stimulation may
      be associated with substantial pain and discomfort rendering completion of the
      assessment infeasible. NEW METHOD: As an alternative to sural nerve stimulation,
      NWR-Ts were also estimated by electrical stimulation at the arch of the foot.
      Failure-rates and test-retest reliability of these two procedures were evaluated.
      A fully-automated interleaved up-down staircase procedure was used to estimate
      the NWR-T for both stimulation sites. NWRs were detected from EMG measured over
      the biceps femoris and tibialis anterior muscles, respectively. A total of three
      repeated measures were performed in two different sessions to evaluate the test
      retest reliability of the two methods using Bland-Altman agreement analysis.
      RESULTS: The failure rate of NWR-T estimation based on electrical stimulation of
      the sural nerve (29%) was substantially higher than when the NWR was elicited by
      stimulation at the arch of the foot (5%). COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD: The
      analysis of test-retest reliability indicated that the two methods for NWR-T
      estimation were equally reliable for within-session comparisons, but stimulation
      at the arch of the foot enabled NWR-T estimation with superior between-session
      reliability CONCLUSIONS: These results support a paradigm shift within NWR-T
      estimation favoring stimulation at the arch of the foot.

PMID- 26112334
TI  - Non-invasive primate head restraint using thermoplastic masks.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The success of many neuroscientific studies depends upon adequate
      head fixation of awake, behaving animals. Typically, this is achieved by
      surgically affixing a head-restraint prosthesis to the skull. NEW METHOD: Here we
      report the use of thermoplastic masks to non-invasively restrain monkeys' heads.
      Mesh thermoplastic sheets become pliable when heated and can then be molded to an
      individual monkey's head. After cooling, the custom mask retains this shape
      indefinitely for day-to-day use. RESULTS: We successfully trained rhesus macaques
      (Macaca mulatta) to perform cognitive tasks while wearing thermoplastic masks.
      Using these masks, we achieved a level of head stability sufficient for high
      resolution eye-tracking and intracranial electrophysiology. COMPARISON WITH
      EXISTING METHOD: Compared with traditional head-posts, we find that thermoplastic
      masks perform at least as well during infrared eye-tracking and single-neuron
      recordings, allow for clearer magnetic resonance image acquisition, enable freer
      placement of a transcranial magnetic stimulation coil, and impose lower financial
      and time costs on the lab. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that thermoplastic masks are
      a viable non-invasive form of primate head restraint that enable a wide range of
      neuroscientific experiments.

PMID- 26112335
TI  - Watching from a distance: A robotically controlled laser and real-time subject
      tracking software for the study of conditioned predator/prey-like interactions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The physical distance between predator and prey is a primary
      determinant of behavior, yet few paradigms exist to study this reliably in
      rodents. NEW METHOD: The utility of a robotically controlled laser for use in a
      predator-prey-like (PPL) paradigm was explored for use in rats. This involved the
      construction of a robotic two-dimensional gimbal to dynamically position a laser
      beam in a behavioral test chamber. Custom software was used to control the
      trajectory and final laser position in response to user input on a console. The
      software also detected the location of the laser beam and the rodent continuously
      so that the dynamics of the distance between them could be analyzed. When the
      animal or laser beam came within a fixed distance the animal would either be
      rewarded with electrical brain stimulation or shocked subcutaneously. RESULTS:
      Animals that received rewarding electrical brain stimulation could learn to chase
      the laser beam, while animals that received aversive subcutaneous shock learned
      to actively avoid the laser beam in the PPL paradigm. Mathematical computations
      are presented which describe the dynamic interaction of the laser and rodent.
      COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: The robotic laser offers a neutral stimulus to
      train rodents in an open field and is the first device to be versatile enough to
      assess distance between predator and prey in real time. CONCLUSIONS: With ongoing
      behavioral testing this tool will permit the neurobiological investigation of
      predator/prey-like relationships in rodents, and may have future implications for
      prosthetic limb development through brain-machine interfaces.

PMID- 26112336
TI  - The brain cytokine levels are modulated by estrogen following traumatic brain
      injury: Which estrogen receptor serves as modulator?
AB  - The present study was designed to explore whether administration of estrogen
      affects brain cytokine levels in TBI. We also sought determine which one of type
      of classical estrogen receptors (ERs) is involved. Ovariectomized female rats
      were divided in to eight groups. Estrogen or vehicle was administered following
      TBI (E2 and oil groups). Antagonist of ER(ICI 182, 780) or vehicle was also
      administered following TBI (ICI and DMSO groups). The ICI or vehicle was
      administered either before induction of TBI and administration of estrogen
      (ICI+E2 and DMSO+E2 groups). TBI was induced by Marmarou's method. In addition to
      brain water content, the levels of brain proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory
      cytokines were measured 24 hours post- TBI. Present results demonstrated that,
      estrogen reduced TBI- induced brain edema. The antiedema effect of estrogen was
      attenuated by ICI. The brain measures of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha in TBI were
      also reduced by estrogen. The anti-inflammatory effect of estrogen was attenuated
      by ICI. The inhibition level of estrogen by ICI was 53.2%, 12.09% and 48.45% for
      IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha, respectively. Estrogen also elevated IL-10 in TBI.
      ICI inversely controlled the effect of estrogen on IL-10, by 33.84%. This effect
      was not observed once ICI was used alone. The estrogen administration following
      TBI probably results in proinflammatory cytokines reduction, and inversely
      enhancement of anti-inflammatory cytokines. In our study, the neuroprotective
      effect of estrogen is proposed to be mediated by both ERalpha and ERalpha, and
      accordingly the inhibition of neuroprotective effect of estrogen by ICI. 

PMID- 26112337
TI  - Complex angular momentum theory of state-to-state integral cross sections:
      resonance effects in the F + HD -> HF(v' = 3) + D reaction.
AB  - State-to-state reactive integral cross sections (ICSs) are often affected by
      quantum mechanical resonances, especially near a reactive threshold. An ICS is
      usually obtained by summing partial waves at a given value of energy. For this
      reason, the knowledge of pole positions and residues in the complex energy plane
      is not sufficient for a quantitative description of the patterns produced by
      resonance. Such description is available in terms of the poles of an S-matrix
      element in the complex plane of the total angular momentum. The approach was
      recently implemented in a computer code ICS_Regge, available in the public domain
      [Comput. Phys. Commun., 2014, 185, 2127]. In this paper, we employ the ICS_Regge
      package to analyse in detail, for the first time, the resonance patterns
      predicted for integral cross sections (ICSs) of the benchmark F + HD -> HF(v' =
      3) + D reaction. The v = 0, j = 0, Omega = 0 -> v' = 3, j' = 0, 1, 2, and Omega'
      = 0, 1, 2 transitions are studied for collision energies from 58.54 to 197.54
      meV. For these energies, we find several resonances, whose contributions to the
      ICS vary from symmetric and asymmetric Fano shapes to smooth sinusoidal Regge
      oscillations. Complex energies of metastable states and Regge pole positions and
      residues are found by Pade reconstruction of the scattering matrix elements. The
      accuracy of the ICS_Regge code, relation between complex energies and Regge
      poles, various types of Regge trajectories, and the origin of the J-shifting
      approximation are also discussed.

PMID- 26112338
TI  - Environmental enrichment and abstinence attenuate ketamine-induced cardiac and
      renal toxicity.
AB  - The current study was designed to investigate the effect of abstinence in
      combination with environmental enrichment (EE) on cardiac and renal toxicity
      induced by 2 weeks of ketamine self-administration (SA) in rodents. In Experiment
      1, one group of rats underwent ketamine SA for 14 days. In Experiment 2, the
      animals completed 2 weeks of ketamine SA followed by 2 and 4 weeks of abstinence.
      In Experiment 3, animals underwent 14 days of ketamine SA and 4 weeks of
      abstinence in which isolated environment (IE) and EE was introduced. The
      corresponding control groups were included for each experiment. Two weeks of
      ketamine SA caused significant increases in organ weight, Apoptosis Stimulating
      Fragment/Kidney Injury Molecule-1, and apoptotic level of heart and kidney. The
      extended length of withdrawal from ketamine SA partially reduced toxicity on the
      heart and kidney. Finally, introduction of EE during the period of abstinence
      greatly promoted the effect of abstinence on ketamine-induced cardiac and renal
      toxicity. The interactive effect of EE and abstinence was promising to promote
      the recovery of cardiac and renal toxicity of ketamine. 

PMID- 26112341
TI  - Extrinsic Origin of Persistent Photoconductivity in Monolayer MoS2 Field Effect
      Transistors.
AB  - Recent discoveries of the photoresponse of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) have shown
      the considerable potential of these two-dimensional transition metal
      dichalcogenides for optoelectronic applications. Among the various types of
      photoresponses of MoS2, persistent photoconductivity (PPC) at different levels
      has been reported. However, a detailed study of the PPC effect and its mechanism
      in MoS2 is still not available, despite the importance of this effect on the
      photoresponse of the material. Here, we present a systematic study of the PPC
      effect in monolayer MoS2 and conclude that the effect can be attributed to random
      localized potential fluctuations in the devices. Notably, the potential
      fluctuations originate from extrinsic sources based on the substrate effect of
      the PPC. Moreover, we point out a correlation between the PPC effect in MoS2 and
      the percolation transport behavior of MoS2. We demonstrate a unique and efficient
      means of controlling the PPC effect in monolayer MoS2, which may offer novel
      functionalities for MoS2-based optoelectronic applications in the future. 

PMID- 26112342
TI  - [Trans-oral intracranial stab wound with airway invasion].

PMID- 26112339
TI  - Altered amygdala-prefrontal response to facial emotion in offspring of parents
      with bipolar disorder.
AB  - This study aimed to identify neuroimaging measures associated with risk for, or
      protection against, bipolar disorder by comparing youth offspring of parents with
      bipolar disorder versus youth offspring of non-bipolar parents versus offspring
      of healthy parents in (i) the magnitude of activation within emotional face
      processing circuitry; and (ii) functional connectivity between this circuitry and
      frontal emotion regulation regions. The study was conducted at the University of
      Pittsburgh Medical Centre. Participants included 29 offspring of parents with
      bipolar disorder (mean age = 13.8 years; 14 females), 29 offspring of non-bipolar
      parents (mean age = 13.8 years; 12 females) and 23 healthy controls (mean age =
      13.7 years; 11 females). Participants were scanned during implicit processing of
      emerging happy, sad, fearful and angry faces and shapes. The activation analyses
      revealed greater right amygdala activation to emotional faces versus shapes in
      offspring of parents with bipolar disorder and offspring of non-bipolar parents
      than healthy controls. Given that abnormally increased amygdala activation during
      emotion processing characterized offspring of both patient groups, and that
      abnormally increased amygdala activation has often been reported in individuals
      with already developed bipolar disorder and those with major depressive disorder,
      these neuroimaging findings may represent markers of increased risk for affective
      disorders in general. The analysis of psychophysiological interaction revealed
      that offspring of parents with bipolar disorder showed significantly more
      negative right amygdala-anterior cingulate cortex functional connectivity to
      emotional faces versus shapes, but significantly more positive right amygdala
      left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex functional connectivity to happy faces (all
      P-values corrected for multiple tests) than offspring of non-bipolar parents and
      healthy controls. Taken together with findings of increased amygdala
      ventrolateral prefrontal cortex functional connectivity, and decreased amygdala
      anterior cingulate cortex functional connectivity previously shown in individuals
      with bipolar disorder, these connectivity patterns in offspring of parents with
      bipolar disorder may be risk markers for, rather than markers conferring
      protection against, bipolar disorder in youth. The patterns of activation and
      functional connectivity remained unchanged after removing medicated participants
      and those with current psychopathology from analyses. This is the first study to
      demonstrate that abnormal functional connectivity patterns within face emotion
      processing circuitry distinguish offspring of parents with bipolar disorder from
      those of non-bipolar parents and healthy controls. 

PMID- 26112343
TI  - Type A intramural hematoma and hemopericardium secondary to penetrating
      atherosclerotic ulcer.

PMID- 26112340
TI  - The Wernicke conundrum and the anatomy of language comprehension in primary
      progressive aphasia.
AB  - Wernicke's aphasia is characterized by severe word and sentence comprehension
      impairments. The location of the underlying lesion site, known as Wernicke's
      area, remains controversial. Questions related to this controversy were addressed
      in 72 patients with primary progressive aphasia who collectively displayed a wide
      spectrum of cortical atrophy sites and language impairment patterns. Clinico
      anatomical correlations were explored at the individual and group levels. These
      analyses showed that neuronal loss in temporoparietal areas, traditionally
      included within Wernicke's area, leave single word comprehension intact and cause
      inconsistent impairments of sentence comprehension. The most severe sentence
      comprehension impairments were associated with a heterogeneous set of cortical
      atrophy sites variably encompassing temporoparietal components of Wernicke's
      area, Broca's area, and dorsal premotor cortex. Severe comprehension impairments
      for single words, on the other hand, were invariably associated with peak atrophy
      sites in the left temporal pole and adjacent anterior temporal cortex, a pattern
      of atrophy that left sentence comprehension intact. These results show that the
      neural substrates of word and sentence comprehension are dissociable and that a
      circumscribed cortical area equally critical for word and sentence comprehension
      is unlikely to exist anywhere in the cerebral cortex. Reports of combined word
      and sentence comprehension impairments in Wernicke's aphasia come almost
      exclusively from patients with cerebrovascular accidents where brain damage
      extends into subcortical white matter. The syndrome of Wernicke's aphasia is thus
      likely to reflect damage not only to the cerebral cortex but also to underlying
      axonal pathways, leading to strategic cortico-cortical disconnections within the
      language network. The results of this investigation further reinforce the
      conclusion that the left anterior temporal lobe, a region ignored by classic
      aphasiology, needs to be inserted into the language network with a critical role
      in the multisynaptic hierarchy underlying word comprehension and object naming. 

PMID- 26112344
TI  - Beyond single behaviour theory: Adding cross-behaviour cognitions to the health
      action process approach.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Commonly, health behaviour theories have been applied to single
      behaviours, giving insights into specific behaviours but providing little
      knowledge on how individuals pursue an overall healthy lifestyle. In the context
      of diet and physical activity, we investigated the extent to which cross
      behaviour cognitions, namely transfer cognitions and compensatory health beliefs,
      contribute to single behaviour theory. DESIGN: A total of 767 participants from
      two European regions (i.e., Germany n = 351, southern Europe n = 416) completed
      online questionnaires on physical activity and healthy dietary behaviour,
      behaviour-specific cognitions (i.e., self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, risk
      perception, intention, action planning, action control), as well as cross
      behaviour cognitions, namely transfer cognitions and compensatory health beliefs.
      METHODS: Nested path models were specified to investigate the importance of cross
      behaviour cognitions over and above behaviour-specific predictors of physical
      activity and healthy nutrition. RESULTS: Across both health behaviours, transfer
      cognitions were positively associated with intention and self-regulatory
      strategies. Compensatory health beliefs were negatively associated with
      intention. Action planning and action control mediated the effect of intentions
      on behaviour. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-behaviour cognitions contribute to single
      behaviour theory and may explain how individuals regulate more than one health
      behaviour. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Cross
      behaviour cognitions are related to a healthy lifestyle. Compensatory health
      beliefs hinder the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. Transfer cognitions encourage
      the engagement in a healthy lifestyle. What does this study add? Transfer
      cognitions were positively associated with intentions, action planning, and
      action control over and above behaviour-specific cognitions. Compensatory health
      beliefs were related to intentions only. Both facilitating and debilitating cross
      behaviour cognitions need to be studied within a unified multiple behaviour
      research framework.

PMID- 26112345
TI  - Effects of dipyrone, meloxicam, or the combination on hemostasis in conscious
      dogs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of dipyrone, meloxicam, and of the combination
      of these drugs on hemostasis in dogs. DESIGN: Prospective, blinded, randomized
      crossover study. SETTING: Research laboratory at a veterinary teaching hospital.
      ANIMALS: Six adult dogs. INTERVENTIONS: Animals received 4 intravenous treatments
      with 15-day washout intervals: control (physiological saline, 0.1 mL/kg),
      meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg), dipyrone (25 mg/kg), and dipyrone-meloxicam (25 and 0.2
      mg/kg, respectively). A jugular catheter was placed for drug injection and for
      collecting samples for whole blood platelet aggregation (WBPA) and
      thromboelastometry assays at baseline, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 hours after treatment
      administration. The percent change from baseline of lag time and of the area
      under the curve (AUC) of impedance changes in response to collagen-induced
      platelet activation were recorded during WBPA. Thromboelastometry-derived
      parameters included clotting time, clot formation time, alpha-angle, and maximum
      clot firmness. The buccal mucosal bleeding time was evaluated by a blinded
      observer at baseline, 1, 3, and 5 hours after treatment injection. MEASUREMENTS
      AND MAIN RESULTS: No significant changes in WBPA and thromboelastometry were
      recorded in the control treatment. Dipyrone significantly (P < 0.05) increased
      the lag time for 2 hours and decreased the AUC for 3 hours after injection.
      Meloxicam did not alter WBPA. Dipyrone-meloxicam significantly increased lag time
      for 2 hours and decreased the AUC for 5 hours after treatment injection.
      Experimental treatments did not differ from the control treatment for
      thromboelastometry and buccal mucosal bleeding time. CONCLUSIONS: While meloxicam
      does not alter hemostasis by the methods evaluated, dipyrone inhibits platelet
      aggregation for up to 3 hours. Meloxicam-dipyrone combination causes more
      prolonged inhibition of platelet function than dipyrone alone. Decreased platelet
      aggregation induced by dipyrone and dipyrone-meloxicam does not appear to impact
      the viscoelastic properties of the blood clot nor increase the risk of bleeding
      in dogs without preexisting hemostatic disorders.

PMID- 26112346
TI  - Heat-treated stainless steel felt as scalable anode material for
      bioelectrochemical systems.
AB  - This work reports a simple and scalable method to convert stainless steel (SS)
      felt into an effective anode for bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) by means of
      heat treatment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry
      elucidated that the heat treatment generated an iron oxide rich layer on the SS
      felt surface. The iron oxide layer dramatically enhanced the electroactive
      biofilm formation on SS felt surface in BESs. Consequently, the sustained current
      densities achieved on the treated electrodes (1 cm(2)) were around 1.5+/-0.13
      mA/cm(2), which was seven times higher than the untreated electrodes (0.22+/-0.04
      mA/cm(2)). To test the scalability of this material, the heat-treated SS felt was
      scaled up to 150 cm(2) and similar current density (1.5 mA/cm(2)) was achieved on
      the larger electrode. The low cost, straightforwardness of the treatment, high
      conductivity and high bioelectrocatalytic performance make heat-treated SS felt a
      scalable anodic material for BESs.

PMID- 26112347
TI  - The addition of ortho-hexagon nano spinel Co3O4 to improve the performance of
      activated carbon air cathode microbial fuel cell.
AB  - Commercial Co3O4 and ortho-hexagon spinel nano-Co3O4 (OHSNC) were doped in the AC
      at a different percentage (5%, 10% and 15%) to enhance the performance of
      microbial fuel cell (MFC). The maximum power density of MFC with 10% OHSNC doped
      cathode was 1500+/-14 mW m(-2), which was 97.36% and 41.24% higher than that with
      the bare AC air cathode and commercial Co3O4 respectively. The electrocatalytic
      behavior for their better performance was discussed in detail with the help of
      various structural and electrochemical techniques. The OHSNC was characterized
      via X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission
      electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the improved performance owed
      to the enhancement of both kinetics activity and the number of electron transfer
      in the ORR, and the internal resistance was largely reduced. Therefore, OHSNC was
      proved to be an excellent cathodic catalyst in AC air cathode MFC.

PMID- 26112349
TI  - Full-field in vitro measurements and in silico predictions of strain shielding in
      the implanted femur after total hip arthroplasty.
AB  - Alterations in bone strain as a result of implantation may contribute towards
      periprosthetic bone density changes after total hip arthroplasty. Computational
      models provide full-field strain predictions in implant-bone constructs; however,
      these predictions should be verified using experimental models wherever it is
      possible. In this work, finite element predictions of surface strains in intact
      and implanted composite femurs were verified using digital image correlation.
      Relationships were sought between post-implantation strain states across seven
      defined Gruen zones and clinically observed longer-term bone density changes.
      Computational predictions of strain distributions in intact and implanted femurs
      were compared to digital image correlation measurements in two regions of
      interest. Regression analyses indicated a strong linear correlation between
      measurements and predictions (R = 0.927 intact, 0.926 implanted) with low
      standard error (standard error = 38 uepsilon intact, 26 uepsilon implanted). Pre-
      to post-operative changes in measured and predicted surface strains were found to
      relate qualitatively to clinically observed volumetric bone density changes
      across seven Gruen zones: marked proximal bone density loss corresponded with a
      50%-64% drop in surface strain, and slight distal density changes corresponded
      with 4%-14% strain increase. These results support the use of digital image
      correlation as a pre-clinical tool for predicting post-implantation strain
      shielding, indicative of long-term bone adaptations.

PMID- 26112348
TI  - Geometric parameterisation of pelvic bone and cartilage in contact analysis of
      the natural hip: an initial study.
AB  - Parameterised finite element models of the human hip have the potential to allow
      controlled analysis of the effect of individual geometric features on the contact
      mechanics of the joint. However, the challenge lies in defining a set of
      parameters which sufficiently capture the joint geometry in order to distinguish
      between individuals. In this study, a simple set of parameters to describe the
      geometries of acetabulum and cartilage in the hip were extracted from two
      segmentation-based models, which were then used to generate the parameterised
      finite element models for the two subjects. The contact pressure and contact area
      at the articular surface predicted from the parameterised finite element models
      were compared with the results from the segmentation-based models. The
      differences in the predicted results between the parameterised models and
      segmentation-based models were found to be within 11% across seven activities
      simulated. In addition, the parameterised models were able to replicate features
      of the contact pressure/area fluctuations over the loading cycle that differed
      between the two subjects. These results provide confidence that the parameterised
      approach could be used to generate representative finite element models of the
      human hip for contact analysis. Such a method has the potential to be used to
      systematically evaluate geometric features that can be captured from simple
      clinical measurements and provide a cost- and time-effective approach for
      stratification of the acetabular geometries in the patient population.

PMID- 26112350
TI  - A model-based approach of scatter dose contributions and efficiency of apron
      shielding for radiation protection in CT.
AB  - Given the contribution of scattered radiations to patient dose in CT, apron
      shielding is often used for radiation protection. In this study the efficiency of
      apron was assessed with a model-based approach of the contributions of the four
      scatter sources in CT, i.e. external scattered radiations from the tube and
      table, internal scatter from the patient and backscatter from the shielding. For
      this purpose, CTDI phantoms filled with thermoluminescent dosimeters were scanned
      without apron, and then with an apron at 0, 2.5 and 5 cm from the primary field.
      Scatter from the tube was measured separately in air. The scatter contributions
      were separated and mathematically modelled. The protective efficiency of the
      apron was low, only 1.5% in scatter dose reduction on average. The apron at 0 cm
      from the beam lowered the dose by 7.5% at the phantom bottom but increased the
      dose by 2% at the top (backscatter) and did not affect the centre. When the apron
      was placed at 2.5 or 5 cm, the results were intermediate to the one obtained with
      the shielding at 0 cm and without shielding. The apron effectiveness is finally
      limited to the small fraction of external scattered radiation.

PMID- 26112352
TI  - BABY EMPATHY: INFANT DISTRESS AND PEER PROSOCIAL RESPONSES.
AB  - Empathy is an important competence in our social world, a motivator of prosocial
      behavior, and thought to develop throughout the second year of life. The current
      study examined infants' responses to naturalistic peer distress to explore
      markers of empathy and prosocial behavior in young babies. Seventeen 8-month-old
      infants participated in a repeated measures design using the "babies-in-groups"
      paradigm, with maternal presence as the independent variable. Significant
      differences were found between response types: Gaze was the standard response to
      infant distress, followed by socially directed behaviors and affect, with self
      distress rarely occurring. Maternal presence was not found to impact the nature
      or frequency of babies' responses to peer distress. During distress episodes,
      babies looked preferentially at the distressed peer, then other mothers, and
      least to their own mother. Data revealed that infant responses to peer distress
      resulted in a successful cessation of that distress episode over one third of the
      time. Case studies are provided to illustrate the quantitative data. The results
      provided evidence of empathic concern and prosocial behavior in the first year of
      life, and provoke a challenge to developmental theories of empathy. 

PMID- 26112351
TI  - A complete map of potential pathogenicity markers of avian influenza virus
      subtype H5 predicted from 11 expressed proteins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polybasic cleavage sites of the hemagglutinin (HA) proteins are
      considered to be the most important determinants indicating virulence of the
      avian influenza viruses (AIV). However, evidence is accumulating that these sites
      alone are not sufficient to establish high pathogenicity. There need to exist
      other sites located on the HA protein outside the cleavage site or on the other
      proteins expressed by AIV that contribute to the pathogenicity. RESULTS: We
      employed rule-based computational modeling to construct a map, with high
      statistical significance, of amino acid (AA) residues associated to pathogenicity
      in 11 proteins of the H5 type viruses. We found potential markers of
      pathogenicity in all of the 11 proteins expressed by the H5 type of AIV. AA
      mutations S-43(HA1)-D, D-83(HA1)-A in HA; S-269-D, E-41-H in NA; S-48-N, K-212-N
      in NS1; V-166-A in M1; G-14-E in M2; K-77-R, S-377-N in NP; and Q-48-P in PB1-F2
      were identified as having a potential to shift the pathogenicity from low to
      high. Our results suggest that the low pathogenicity is common to most of the
      subtypes of the H5 AIV while the high pathogenicity is specific to each subtype.
      The models were developed using public data and validated on new, unseen
      sequences. CONCLUSIONS: Our models explicitly define a viral genetic background
      required for the virus to be highly pathogenic and thus confirm the hypothesis of
      the presence of pathogenicity markers beyond the cleavage site.

PMID- 26112353
TI  - Does academic assessment system type affect levels of academic stress in medical
      students? A cross-sectional study from Pakistan.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Stress among medical students induced by academic pressures is on
      the rise among the student population in Pakistan and other parts of the world.
      Our study examined the relationship between two different systems employed to
      assess academic performance and the levels of stress among students at two
      different medical schools in Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: A sample consisting of
      387 medical students enrolled in pre-clinical years was taken from two
      universities, one employing the semester examination system with grade point
      average (GPA) scores (a tiered system) and the other employing an annual
      examination system with only pass/fail grading. A pre-designed, self-administered
      questionnaire was distributed. Test anxiety levels were assessed by The Westside
      Test Anxiety Scale (WTAS). Overall stress was evaluated using the Perceived
      Stress Scale (PSS). RESULTS: There were 82 males and 301 females while four did
      not respond to the gender question. The mean age of the entire cohort was 19.7 +/
      1.0 years. A total of 98 participants were from the pass/fail assessment system
      while 289 were from the GPA system. There was a higher proportion of females in
      the GPA system (85% vs. 59%; p < 0.01). Students in the pass/fail assessment
      system had a lower score on the WTAS (2.4 +/- 0.8 vs. 2.8 +/- 0.7; p = 0.01) and
      the PSS (17.0 +/- 6.7 vs. 20.3 +/- 6.8; p < 0.01), indicating lower levels of
      test anxiety and overall stress than in students enrolled in the GPA assessment
      system. More students in the pass/fail system were satisfied with their
      performance than those in the GPA system. CONCLUSION: Based on the present study,
      we suggest governing bodies to revise and employ a uniform assessment system for
      all the medical colleges to improve student academic performance and at the same
      time reduce stress levels. Our results indicate that the pass/fail assessment
      system accomplishes these objectives.

PMID- 26112354
TI  - The relationships among self-care, dispositional mindfulness, and psychological
      distress in medical students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Past research suggests that medical students experience high levels
      of psychological distress. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the current study was to
      investigate the relationships among engagement in self-care behaviours,
      dispositional mindfulness, and psychological distress. METHODS: The sample
      consisted of 139 female and 68 male Australian medical students (N=207) aged 17
      41 years (M=21.82, SD=3.62) across the 5 years of the Monash University medical
      course. Participants completed an online survey comprising a demographics
      questionnaire, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Health-Promoting
      Lifestyle Profile II, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales. RESULTS:
      Results revealed significant and interpretable multivariate correlations between
      distress and both mindfulness and self-care. Furthermore, the dispositional
      mindfulness observation subscale was found to be a significant moderator of the
      relationship between several dimensions of self-care and psychological distress.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present study points to the potential of self-care and
      mindfulness to decrease medical student distress and enhance well-being.

PMID- 26112355
TI  - Evaluation of the effect of natural and emotional stress of labor on lactation
      and breast-feeding.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The amount of stress experienced by both the mother and fetus during
      labor and delivery varies considerably and is likely to be different in
      primiparous and multiparous women as well as in those who receive analgesia
      during labor and those who do not receive. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we explored
      relations between stress during birth experience and lactogenesis of 100 women,
      who experienced vaginal delivery in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of
      University Hospital of Alexandroupolis. METHOD: Stress hormones (cortisol and
      glucose) were measured in serum (cord and maternal blood) immediately after
      delivery. Moreover, breast-feeding frequency on day 4, the time when the subjects
      first felt fullness in the breasts, milk volume on day 4 postpartum and duration
      of labor were recorded. Also, we recorded maternal exhaustion score during labor
      and positive and negative affects, posttraumatic stress score and mother-infant
      bonding rate, with the use of questionnaires. RESULTS: There were significant
      intercorrelations among the outcome variables. Mothers who experienced pain,
      exhaustion and negative feelings in a stressful and long labor had delayed onset
      of lactation. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that primiparity, long labor,
      stress to the mother and fetus during labor and delivery, negative affects and
      high score of posttraumatic stress are risk factors for delayed lactogenesis.

PMID- 26112356
TI  - Impact of endometriosis on quality of life, anxiety, and depression: an Austrian
      perspective.
AB  - PURPOSE: Several studies on the quality of life in patients with endometriosis
      have been performed with conflicting results. This cross-section survey examines
      the influence of endometriosis on the psychological well-being and the quality of
      life and the incidence of anxiety and depression among these patients, recruited
      from a tertiary care center in Austria. METHODS: Three standardized
      questionnaires of 62 patients with endometriosis were evaluated: status of health
      questionnaire (SF-36), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS-D), and
      endometriosis health profile (EHP-30). Quality of life status (EHP-30) was
      compared with published samples of the Oxford hospital and the Charite Berlin.
      Chi-square tests, independent sample t-tests, and one-way independent ANCOVA's
      were used to compare SF- 36 and HADS- D scores to 61 healthy controls. Pearson
      product-moment-correlation coefficients were used to investigate correlations
      between symptoms of depression and anxiety in the patient sample. RESULTS:
      Moderate to severe anxiety symptoms were found in 29 %; depressive symptoms were
      present in 14.5 % of the patients. Both symptoms occurred in 12.9 %. We found
      significant better values in all subscales of the EHP compared to the Oxford and
      Berlin samples. The control sample showed significant better subjective general
      health (p < 0.001), vitality (p < 0.001), mental health (p < 0.001), and better
      emotional role functioning (p < 0.001). Participants age significantly influenced
      mental health and emotional role functioning. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of
      endometriosis on life quality in our study was considerably less than in other
      studies but equivalent to other chronic medical conditions. It could be shown
      that endometriosis is influenced by biopsychosocial variables. However, the
      elevated presence of anxiety and depressive symptoms indicates the need of
      psychosomatic treatment of affective disorders to prevent manifestation.

PMID- 26112357
TI  - Correlation between VITOM((r)) videocolposcopy and histopathology for
      pathognomonic grading criteria.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: "Every colposcopic criterion must be mirrored by histopathology". We
      investigated the histomorphologic equivalent of four colposcopic criteria, which
      are associated with CIN 2 and/or CIN 3 and therefore called pathognomonic.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: We diagnosed inner border sign, ridge sign, rag sign and/or
      cuffed gland openings using VITOM((r)) videocolposcopy in 255 patients which are
      consistent with major change. Histopathologic examination included
      immunohistochemical staining for p16, Ki 67 and stathmin-1 and micro-photographic
      documentation. RESULTS: The histopathologic pattern specific for each of the four
      pathognomonic colposcopic criteria was reproducibly identified: inner border sign
      showed a sharp demarcation between low- and high-grade CIN, in ridge sign high
      grade CIN adjoined directly the squamocolumnar junction, in rag sign, high-grade
      CIN was detached from stroma, and in cuffed gland openings, the entrance to a
      gland was rimmed by CIN, respectively. In 255 patients, the leading pathognomonic
      sign was inner border in 12.1 %, ridge in 34.1 %, rag in 18 %, and cuffed glands
      in 35.7 %, respectively. Inner border sign, ridge sign, rag sign and/or cuffed
      gland openings were associated with CIN 2 or 3 in 97, 98, 98 and 98 %,
      respectively. In 153 out of 255 patients, we found a combination of pathognomonic
      signs with ridge sign being the most frequent combined criterion (in 21 % of
      patients as second pathognomonic sign). CONCLUSION: The morphology of the four
      pathognomonic colposcopic criteria, inner border sign, ridge sign, rag sign and
      cuffed crypt openings, is reproduced in histopathology. These criteria are highly
      associated with CIN 2 or CIN 3.

PMID- 26112358
TI  - Associations of borderline personality with pain, problems with medications and
      suicidality in a community sample of chronic non-cancer pain patients prescribed
      opioids for pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is common in patients with
      chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP). BPD patients often report worse pain and are more
      likely to abuse opioid medication. Although the prevalence of suicidality is high
      in both CNCP patients and those with BPD, no studies have examined the
      interrelationship of BPD, CNCP and suicidality. This article aims to examine the
      prevalence and associations of BPD in a large community sample of CNCP patients
      and the association with medication problems and suicidality. METHODS: Data from
      a national sample of 978 CNCP patients prescribed pharmaceutical opioids for
      CNCP. The screener from the International Classification of Diseases, version 10,
      International Personality Disorder Examination was used to identify patients with
      symptoms of BPD. RESULTS: One in five CNCP patients (19.1%) screened positive for
      BPD. BPD was associated with a number of demographic and clinical features, such
      as daily benzodiazepine use, and was independently associated with lifetime
      pharmaceutical opioid dependence [odds ratio (OR) 2.49, 95% confidence interval
      (95% CI) 1.42-4.38], past 12-month suicidal thoughts (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.90-4.39)
      and lifetime suicide attempts (OR 3.19, 95% CI 2.16-4.72). CONCLUSIONS: BPD
      symptoms were prevalent among people prescribed opioids for CNCP and are
      associated with a number of adverse consequences. Further, those screening
      positive were at elevated risk of suicidal behaviors. Careful opioid prescription
      monitoring and appropriate referrals by clinicians are warranted in BPD with
      CNCP.

PMID- 26112359
TI  - Granulomatous Reaction to Pneumocystis jirovecii Diagnosed in a Bronchoalveolar
      Lavage: A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Granulomatous reaction to Pneumocystis jirovecii is a rare but well
      known pathological finding encountered in the setting of immunosuppression, HIV
      infection being the most common cause. It can also potentially complicate the
      treatment of hematological malignancies, typically when drugs lowering the count
      and function of lymphocytes are used. Lung biopsy is considered the gold standard
      for the diagnosis of granulomatous P. jirovecii pneumonia, whereas the diffuse
      alveolar form is usually detected cytologically in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL).
      CASE: A female patient pursuing R-CHOP chemotherapy for the treatment of multiple
      hematological malignancies developed a rapidly progressing dyspnea. Chest CT
      scans revealed a worsening of a known infiltrative lung disease thought to be
      secondary to her chemotherapy. Alterations compatible with a drug-induced
      interstitial lung disease and well-formed focally necrotizing granulomas were
      observed on an open lung biopsy, but no microorganism was identified with special
      stains. Eventually, a granulomatous reaction to P. jirovecii was found in a BAL
      and allowed appropriate treatment with rapid improvement of the dyspnea.
      CONCLUSION: Because granulomas are tissue-bound structures, they are rarely
      described in BAL. This article describes the first reported cytological diagnosis
      of a granulomatous reaction to P. jirovecii and the potential diagnostic interest
      of such a peculiar finding.

PMID- 26112360
TI  - Differential dosimetric benefit of proton beam therapy over intensity modulated
      radiotherapy for a variety of targets in patients with intracranial germ cell
      tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We performed dosimetric comparisons between proton beam therapy and
      intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of intracranial germ cell tumors (ICGCTs)
      arising in various locations of the brain. MATERIALS: IMRT, passively scattered
      proton therapy (PSPT), and spot scanning proton therapy (SSPT) plans were
      performed for four different target volumes: the whole ventricle (WV), pineal
      gland (PG), suprasellar (SS), and basal ganglia (BG). Five consecutive clinical
      cases were selected from the patients treated between 2011 and 2014 for each
      target volume. Total 20 cases from the 17 patients were included in the analyses
      with three overlap cases which were used in plan comparison both for the whole
      ventricle and boost targets. The conformity index, homogeneity index, gradient
      index, plan quality index (PQI), and doses applied to the normal substructures of
      the brain were calculated for each treatment plan. RESULTS: The PQI was
      significantly superior for PSPT and SSPT than IMRT for ICGCTs in all locations
      (median; WV: 2.89 and 2.37 vs 4.06, PG: 3.38 and 2.70 vs 4.39, SS: 3.92 and 2.49
      vs 4.46, BG: 3.01 and 2.49 vs 4.45). PSPT and SSPT significantly reduced the mean
      dose, and the 10 and 15 Gy dose volumes applied to the normal brain compared with
      IMRT (p <= 0.05). PSPT and SSPT saved significantly greater volumes of the
      temporal lobes and hippocampi (p < 0.05) in the SS and PG targets than IMRT. For
      tumors arising in the BG, PSPT and SSPT also saved greater volumes of the
      contralateral temporal lobes. CONCLUSIONS: PSPT and SSPT provide superior target
      volume coverage and saved more normal tissue compared with IMRT for ICGCTs in
      various locations. Future studies should assess whether the extent of normal
      tissue saved has clinical benefits in children with ICGCTs.

PMID- 26112361
TI  - DNA methylation differs between sister chromatids, and this difference correlates
      with the degree of differentiation potential.

PMID- 26112362
TI  - Emergency Medicine Milestones: The Next Step.

PMID- 26112363
TI  - Clinical significance of joint detection of mALB and NAG for early kidney damage
      in burn patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to study the clinical significance of joint
      detection of mALB and NAG in early kidney damage in burn patients. METHODS: Forty
      five burn patients of different degrees were selected and divided into mild,
      moderate, severe, and heavy burns, and normal healthy controls according to their
      severity. Their b2- macroglobulin (b2-MG), a1-macroglobulin (a1-MG), mALB and N
      acetyl-b-D-NAG were tested for 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks after the burn,
      respectively. RESULTS: The urine concentration change b2-MG, a1-MG, MALB, and NAG
      are related to the area, depth and degree of the burn. The more serious the burn
      is, the higher the levels of mALB and NAG (P<0.001 or P<0.01) is. CONCLUSIONS:
      Early detection of mALB and NAG is helpful for early kidney damage diagnosis in
      burn patients to prevent further complications.

PMID- 26112364
TI  - Systematic analysis of glycerol: colourimetric screening and gas chromatography
      mass spectrometric confirmation.
AB  - Glycerol is a naturally occurring polyol in the human body, essential for several
      metabolic processes. It is widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, and medical
      industries and in clinical practice as a plasma volume expander (PVE). Athletes,
      however, may use glycerol to mask the presence of forbidden substances or to
      enhance performance, inclusively through hyperhydration achieved by glycerol
      ingestion with added fluid. These practices are considered doping, and are
      prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Therefore, glycerol was
      introduced in the prohibited list. Doping through glycerol ingestion can readily
      be identified by detection of elevated glycerol concentrations in urine. In this
      paper, a protocol for the fast detection of glycerol in urine is proposed. It
      consists of a previous visual colourimetric screening, followed by a
      quantitative/qualitative confirmation analysis by mass spectrometry. The
      screening procedure involves a reaction in which polyhydric alcohols are oxidized
      by periodate to formic acid and formaldehyde, which is detected by the addition
      of a fuchsin solution. For the subsequent qualitative/quantitative confirmation
      analysis, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry based approach with a non
      deuterated internal standard and a drying step of only 10 min is proposed. The
      linear correlation was demonstrated within WADA's threshold range. The calculated
      RSD were 2.1% for within-day precision and 2.8% for between-day precision. The
      uncertainty estimation was calculated, and a value of 2.7% was obtained. The
      procedure may also be used for the analysis of other polyols in urine, as for
      example the PVE mannitol.

PMID- 26112365
TI  - Selective rather than universal screening for gestational diabetes mellitus?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To estimate the proportion of women with gestational diabetes
      mellitus (GDM) who would be missed by selective versus universal screening and to
      describe their pregnancy outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: An observational cohort study in
      a single center performing universal screening for GDM with a 75 g oral glucose
      challenge test (OGTT) at 24-28 weeks gestation. We excluded women with
      pregestational or first trimester diabetes, those not screened and deliveries <34
      weeks. Risk factors were age >= 35 years, BMI >= 25, family history of diabetes,
      GDM in a previous pregnancy or macrosomia in a previous pregnancy. Main outcomes
      were large for gestational age (LGA>90th centile for gestational age, adjusted
      for gender) and small for gestational age<10th centile. RESULTS: Among 2187 women
      screened, 309 (14%) had GDM, of whom 256 (83%) had one or more risk factors. The
      proportion of women who had GDM despite the absence of any risk factor was 2.4%.
      In multivariate analysis, LGA was significantly associated with GDM only in case
      of risk factors. Mean fasting blood glucose was lower in GDM without risk factors
      than in GDM with risk factors (87 +/- 1 mg/dl versus 94 +/- 14, p<0.001) and
      fewer required insulin (6% versus 26%, respectively, p<0.001). CONCLUSION:
      Selective screening would have missed one-sixth of GDM cases, but these cases
      seemed milder, with normal fasting blood glucose, and thus less likely to lead to
      perinatal complications. Whereas an opt-in approach relies heavily on accurate
      patient screening, we suggest that screening tests could be avoided in low-risk
      women by an opt-out approach.

PMID- 26112366
TI  - Penetration depth of focused beams in highly scattering media investigated with a
      numerical solution of Maxwell's equations in two dimensions.
AB  - The propagation of different focused beams (e.g., Gaussian or quasi-Bessel beams)
      through scattering media is studied. The finite-difference time-domain method, a
      numerical solution of Maxwell's equations, is applied to propagate the light
      beams in two dimensions. The focused beams are modeled by applying the angular
      spectrum of the plane waves method. The results show that weakly focused beams
      exhibit comparable performance to strongly focused beams in delivering focused
      light deep into scattering media.

PMID- 26112367
TI  - Raman spectroscopy of human skin: looking for a quantitative algorithm to
      reliably estimate human age.
AB  - The possibility of examining soft tissues by Raman spectroscopy is challenged in
      an attempt to probe human age for the changes in biochemical composition of skin
      that accompany aging. We present a proof-of-concept report for explicating the
      biophysical links between vibrational characteristics and the specific
      compositional and chemical changes associated with aging. The actual existence of
      such links is then phenomenologically proved. In an attempt to foster the basics
      for a quantitative use of Raman spectroscopy in assessing aging from human skin
      samples, a precise spectral deconvolution is performed as a function of donors'
      ages on five cadaveric samples, which emphasizes the physical significance and
      the morphological modifications of the Raman bands. The outputs suggest the
      presence of spectral markers for age identification from skin samples. Some of
      them appeared as authentic "biological clocks" for the apparent exactness with
      which they are related to age. Our spectroscopic approach yields clear
      compositional information of protein folding and crystallization of lipid
      structures, which can lead to a precise identification of age from infants to
      adults. Once statistically validated, these parameters might be used to link
      vibrational aspects at the molecular scale for practical forensic purposes.

PMID- 26112368
TI  - Toward a comprehensive interpretation of intravital microscopy images in studies
      of lung tissue dynamics.
AB  - Intravital microscopy (IVM) is a well-established imaging technique for real-time
      monitoring of microscale lung tissue dynamics. Although accepted as a gold
      standard in respiratory research, its characteristic image features are scarcely
      understood, especially when trying to determine the actual position of alveolar
      walls. To allow correct interpretation of these images with respect to the true
      geometry of the lung parenchyma, we analyzed IVM data of alveoli in a mouse model
      in comparison with simultaneously acquired optical coherence tomography images.
      Several IVM characteristics, such as double ring structures or disappearing
      alveoli in regions of liquid filling, could be identified and related to the
      position of alveoli relative to each other. Utilizing a ray tracing approach
      based on an idealized geometry of the mouse lung parenchyma, two major reflection
      processes could be attributed to the IVM image formation: partial reflection and
      total internal reflection between adjacent alveoli. Considering the origin of the
      reflexes, a model was developed to determine the true position of alveolar walls
      within IVM images. These results allow thorough understanding of IVM data and may
      serve as a basis for the correction of alveolar sizes for more accurate
      quantitative analysis within future studies of lung tissue dynamics.

PMID- 26112369
TI  - Multiview Hilbert transformation for full-view photoacoustic computed tomography
      using a linear array.
AB  - Due to their low cost, hand-held convenience, wide selection of bandwidths, and
      ultrasound imaging capability, linear ultrasonic transducer arrays have been
      widely studied for photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT). As linear-array PACT
      suffers from a limited view, full-view imaging requires either the transducer or
      the object to be rotated. So far, both the central frequencies and bandwidth of
      linear transducer arrays applied in full-view PACT are low, limiting the spatial
      resolutions of the reconstructed images. Here, we present a multiview high
      frequency PACT imaging system implemented with a commercial 40-MHz central
      frequency linear transducer array. By rotating the object through multiple angles
      with respect to the linear transducer array, we acquired full-view photoacoustic
      pressure measurements. Further, to quantify the unipolar initial pressures and
      overcome the limitations of the single-view Hilbert transformation, we developed
      a multiview Hilbert transformation method. The in-plane spatial resolution of
      this full-view linear-array PACT was quantified to be isotropically 60  MUm
      within a 10*10  mm2 field of view. The system was demonstrated by imaging both a
      leaf skeleton and a zebrafish in vivo.

PMID- 26112371
TI  - Peroral endoscopic myotomy in achalasia: Report on the first case performed in
      Mexico.

PMID- 26112370
TI  - Effects of intrinsic motivation on feedback processing during learning.
AB  - Learning commonly requires feedback about the consequences of one's actions,
      which can drive learners to modify their behavior. Motivation may determine how
      sensitive an individual might be to such feedback, particularly in educational
      contexts where some students value academic achievement more than others. Thus,
      motivation for a task might influence the value placed on performance feedback
      and how effectively it is used to improve learning. To investigate the interplay
      between intrinsic motivation and feedback processing, we used functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI) during feedback-based learning before and after a novel
      manipulation based on motivational interviewing, a technique for enhancing
      treatment motivation in mental health settings. Because of its role in the
      reinforcement learning system, the striatum is situated to play a significant
      role in the modulation of learning based on motivation. Consistent with this
      idea, motivation levels during the task were associated with sensitivity to
      positive versus negative feedback in the striatum. Additionally, heightened
      motivation following a brief motivational interview was associated with increases
      in feedback sensitivity in the left medial temporal lobe. Our results suggest
      that motivation modulates neural responses to performance-related feedback, and
      furthermore that changes in motivation facilitate processing in areas that
      support learning and memory. 

PMID- 26112372
TI  - The fibroblast expression of RANKL in CoCrMo-particle-induced osteolysis is
      mediated by ER stress and XBP1s.
AB  - Particle-induced osteolysis is a major cause of aseptic loosening, which is the
      most common reason for total hip arthroplasty (THA) failure and revision surgery.
      Although existing studies suggest that synovial fibroblasts present in the
      interfacial membrane are important targets of wear particles during bone
      resorption, the interaction mechanisms between the particles and fibroblasts
      remains elusive. In the present study, we investigated the effect of ER stress
      induced by CoCrMo particles (CoPs) in fibroblasts, calvarial resorption animal
      models and aseptic loosening clinical samples and its role in the stimulation of
      the RANKL expression. Our study further demonstrated that CoPs could induce
      significant ER stress in fibroblasts. Blocking ER stress with a specific
      inhibitor dramatically reduced the particle-induced expression of RANKL in vitro
      and in vivo. Furthermore, in fibroblasts, downregulation of the expression of
      XBP1s, a signaling molecule of ER stress, significantly reduced the expression of
      RANKL induced by wear particles. Moreover, inhibition of ER stress or XBP1s both
      ameliorated the CoPs-induced osteolysis in animal models. Collectively, these
      results suggested that in particle-induced osteolysis, CoPs could stimulate
      fibroblasts to secret RANKL through ER stress and the signaling molecule XBP1s.
      Therefore, downregulating ER stress or the signaling molecule XBP1s of
      fibroblasts represents a potential therapeutic approach for treating particle
      induced peri-implant osteolysis. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: For the first time,
      our study demonstrated that ER stress mediated the induction of RANKL expression
      by CoPs in fibroblasts and promoted particle-induced osteolysis. Furthermore, the
      upregulation of RANKL by CoPs in fibroblasts was mediated by the ER stress
      signaling molecule XBP1s. Both blocking ER stress and inhibiting the protein
      XBP1s by specific inhibitors resulted in downregulation of the expression of
      RANKL and amelioration of osteolysis induced by the implanted particles.
      Collectively, these findings suggest a possible mechanism underlying the RANKL
      expression induced by wear particles in fibroblasts, and downregulating ER stress
      and the XBP1s expression of fibroblasts represents a potential therapeutic
      approach for treating aseptic loosening.

PMID- 26112373
TI  - Enzyme-mediated hyaluronic acid-tyramine hydrogels for the propagation of human
      embryonic stem cells in 3D.
AB  - The propagation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in three-dimensional (3D)
      scaffolds facilitates the cell expansion process and supplies pluripotent cells
      of high quality for broad-spectrum applications in regenerative medicine. Herein,
      we report an enzyme-mediated hyaluronic acid-tyramine (HA-Tyr) hydrogel that
      encapsulated and propagated hESCs in 3D. HA-Tyr hydrogels were formed by
      crosslinking the tyramine moieties with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen
      peroxide (H2O2). By changing the HRP and H2O2 concentration, we prepared HA-Tyr
      hydrogels of different mechanical strength and studied the self-renewal
      properties of hESCs in these scaffolds. We observed that both the chemical
      composition and mechanical strength of substrates were important factors
      affecting cell proliferation and pluripotency. The HA-Tyr hydrogel with a
      compressive modulus of ~350Pa supported the proliferation of hESCs at the
      pluripotent state in both mTeSR1 medium and mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF)
      conditioned medium. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that hESCs proliferated
      well and formed spheroid structures in 3D, without undergoing apoptosis. The
      hESCs cultured in HA-Tyr hydrogels showed high expression of CD44 and
      pluripotency markers. These cells exhibited the capability to form cell
      derivatives of all three embryonic germ layers in vitro and in vivo. In addition,
      the genetic integrity of the hESCs was unaffected in the 3D cultivation system.
      STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The scope of this study is to provide a stable 3D
      cultivation system for the expansion of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs)
      towards clinical applications. We report an enzyme mediated hyaluronic acid
      tyramine (HA-Tyr) hydrogel that encapsulated and propagated hESCs in 3D. Unlike
      other HA-based photo-crosslinked hydrogel systems reported, we investigated the
      effects of mechanical strength of hydrogels on the self-renewal properties of
      hESCs in 3D. Then, we characterized hESCs cultured in hydrogels with lower
      mechanical strength that best supported the self-renewal of hESCs. Hence, we
      demonstrated a reliable approach for the controlled propagation of hESCs in 3D.
      We believe that such an approach would facilitate the development of stem cell
      based therapy towards clinical applications.

PMID- 26112374
TI  - Self-assembled microbubbles as contrast agents for ultrasound/magnetic resonance
      dual-modality imaging.
AB  - In this work, superparamagnetic self-assembled microbubbles (SAMBs) consisting of
      "Poly(acrylic acid)-Iron oxide nanoparticles-Polyamine" sandwich-like shells and
      tetradecafluorohexane cores were fabricated by a template-free self-assembly
      approach. The SAMBs exhibit not only magnetic resonance (MR) T2 imaging
      functionality, but also ultrasound (US) image contrast, showing great potential
      as US/MR dual contrast agents. The diameters of the SAMBs can be tuned easily
      from 450nm to 1300nm by changing the precursor ratio, and this size variation
      directly affects their in vitro MRI and US signals. The SAMBs also exhibit in
      vivo contrast enhancement capabilities in rat liver with injection through portal
      vein, for both MR and US imaging. Additionally, the biodistribution of SAMBs over
      time suggests normal systemic metabolic activity through the spleen. The results
      show that the Fe content in rat liver reduces to a level of which Fe cannot be
      detected in 45days. The SAMBs exhibit no obvious damage to the primary organs of
      rat during the metabolic process, indicating their good biocompatibility in vivo.

PMID- 26112375
TI  - Changes in Occlusal Caries Lesion Management in France from 2002 to 2012: A
      Persistent Gap between Evidence and Clinical Practice.
AB  - A survey conducted in 2002 among French general dental practitioners (GPs) showed
      variations between treatment decisions and a tendency towards early restorative
      intervention for caries. The aims of the present questionnaire survey were to
      investigate, among a random sample of 2,000 French GPs, the management decisions
      for occlusal lesions in 2012 and to compare the results to those obtained in
      2002. The response rate was 41.9%. The majority of the respondents (60.7%) would
      postpone their restorative decisions until the lesion was in the dentin, based on
      clinical and radiographic examinations. Almost 68% of the respondents suggested
      that the cavity preparation should be limited to the lesion (vs. a preparation
      extending to the occlusal fissure), and 81.6% chose composite as restorative
      material for the earliest lesion requiring restoration in a 20-year-old patient
      with his/her caries risk factors under control. Statistical analysis (chi(2) and
      logistic regression) showed that the management decisions were influenced by
      certain demographic characteristics (gender, clinical experience and
      participation in cariology courses). When comparing the 2002 and 2012 responses,
      it appears that even if French GPs still tend to intervene surgically for
      occlusal lesions, which could benefit from noninvasive care such as therapeutic
      sealants, the restorative threshold has been delayed to later stages of carious
      progression (p < 0.0001). Moreover, the 2012 respondents were less likely to open
      the fissure system than the 2002 respondents (p = 0.032), and less amalgam
      restorations would have been placed in 2012 (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, the
      results showed that the variability observed in 2002 toward caries management
      decisions was persisting in 2012.

PMID- 26112376
TI  - The training value of working with armed forces inpatients in psychiatry.
AB  - Over the last 10 years, the UK armed forces (UKAF) have been involved in
      operations worldwide. Mental health in the armed forces (AF) has been the subject
      of considerable interest in part because of a perceived added risk of
      psychological distress in this population. Inpatient psychiatric services are
      provided through partnerships with NHS hospitals. The Cavell Centre,
      Peterborough's acute inpatient psychiatric unit has up to four beds for service
      personnel, under the care of a civilian consultant psychiatrist and his AF
      Foundation Year 2 doctor (F2). This was the only Ministry of Defence (MoD)
      inpatient unit which had a training post for an AF doctor, but the post ended in
      August 2014 with the closure of MoD Hospital Unit Peterborough (MDHU(P)). This
      article outlines the differences in civilian and AF inpatient care and discusses
      the training value of AF doctors managing service personnel who are psychiatric
      inpatients. 

PMID- 26112377
TI  - Properties of myelin altered peptide ligand cyclo(87-99)(Ala91,Ala96)MBP87-99
      render it a promising drug lead for immunotherapy of multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory, demyelinating disease of the central
      nervous system, and it has been established that autoreactive T helper (Th) cells
      play a crucial role in its pathogenesis. Myelin basic protein (MBP) epitopes are
      major autoantigens in MS, and the sequence MBP87-99 is an immunodominant epitope.
      We have previously reported that MBP87-99 peptides with modifications at
      principal T-cell receptor (TCR) contact sites suppressed the induction of EAE
      symptoms in rats and SJL/J mice, diverted the immune response from Th1 to Th2 and
      generated antibodies that did not cross react with the native MBP protein. In
      this study, the linear and cyclic analogs of the MBP87-99 epitope, namely linear
      (Ala91,Ala96)MBP87-99 (P2) and cyclo(87-99)(Ala91,Ala96)MBP87-99 (P3), were
      evaluated for their binding to HLA-DR4, stability to lysosomal enzymes, their
      effect on cytokine secretion by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) derived
      from MS patients or healthy subjects (controls), and their effect in rat EAE. P1
      peptide (wild-type, MBP87-99) was used as control. P2 and P3 did not alter
      significantly the cytokine secretion by control PBMC, in contrast to P1 that
      induced moderate IL-10 production. In MS PBMC, P2 and P3 induced the production
      of IL-2 and IFN-gamma, with a simultaneous decrease of IL-10, whereas P1 caused a
      reduction of IL-10 secretion only. The cellular response to P3 indicated that
      cyclization did not affect the critical TCR contact sites in MS PBMC.
      Interestingly, the cyclic P3 analog was found to be a stronger binder to HLA-DR4
      compared to linear P2. Moreover, cyclic P3 was more stable to proteolysis
      compared to linear P2. Finally, both P2 and P3 suppressed EAE induced by an
      encephalitogenic guinea pig MBP74-85 epitope in Lewis rats whereas P1 failed to
      do so. In conclusion, cyclization of myelin altered peptide ligand
      (Ala91,Ala96)MBP87-99 improved binding affinity to HLA-DR4, resistance to
      proteolysis and antigen-specific immunomodulation, rendering cyclo(87
      99)(Ala91,Ala96)MBP87-99 an important candidate drug for MS immunotherapy. 

PMID- 26112378
TI  - Leishmanicidal, antiproteolytic, and mutagenic evaluation of alkyltriazoles and
      alkylphosphocholines.
AB  - A series of 16 simple long-chain alkyltriazoles and two novel alkylphosphocholine
      derivatives containing an azide moiety were evaluated in vitro for their
      leishmanicidal activity against. Among the 18 compounds tested, the eight most
      active compounds against promastigote forms were selected for further evaluation
      against amastigote forms. These compounds were also evaluated for their
      cytotoxicity against murine macrophages and tested as inhibitors of cysteine
      protease rCPB2.8, an important target for development of antileishmanial drugs.
      The mutagenicity of some of these compounds was also evaluated in prokaryotic and
      eukaryotic cells to assess any genetic effects of the leishmanicidal candidates.
      The compound 4, an alkylphosphocholine derivative, was found to be the most
      potent against amastigote forms with an IC50 of 3.81 MUM, comparable to that of
      pentamidine (IC50 = 6.62 MUM) and amphotericin B (IC50 = 6.10 MUM), two
      established leishmanicidal drugs. Compound 4 also exhibited the best selectivity
      index (SI) values of the series, demonstrating low toxicity against macrophages
      and a cLogP value higher than 5. Among the alkyltriazoles, compounds 13 and 14
      were the most active against promastigote and amastigote forms. They were then
      evaluated for their mutagenicity in vitro; the mutagenicity index (MI) values
      were lower than 2, suggesting that these compounds are not mutagenic. 

PMID- 26112379
TI  - Validation of photoplethysmography as a method to detect heart rate during rest
      and exercise.
AB  - Despite their enhanced marketplace visibility, validity of wearable
      photoplethysmographic heart rate monitoring is scarce. Forty-seven healthy
      participants performed seven, 6-min exercise bouts and completed a valid skin
      type scale. Participants wore an Omron HR500U (OHR) and a Mio Alpha (MA), two
      commercial wearable photoplethysmographic heart rate monitors. Data were compared
      to a Polar RS800CX (PRS). Means and error were calculated between devices using
      minutes 2-5. Compared to PRS, MA data was significantly different in walking,
      biking (2.41 +/- 3.99 bpm and 3.26 +/- 11.38 bpm, p < 0.05) and weight lifting
      (23.30 +/- 31.94 bpm, p < 0.01). OHR differed from PRS in walking (4.95 +/- 7.53
      bpm, p < 0.05) and weight lifting (4.67 +/- 8.95 bpm, p < 0.05). MA during
      elliptical, stair climbing and biking conditions demonstrated a strong
      correlation between jogging speed and error (r = 0.55, p < 0.0001), and showed
      differences in participants with less photosensitive skin. 

PMID- 26112380
TI  - Bronchoscopic Coil Treatment for Patients with Severe Emphysema: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bronchoscopic coil treatment has been shown to improve pulmonary
      function, exercise capacity, and quality of life in patients with severe
      emphysema. OBJECTIVES: To perform a meta-analysis of the results of four
      independent European clinical trials investigating this coil therapy for
      emphysema. METHODS: Data on all patients included in the four European clinical
      trials were analyzed for efficacy and safety outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 2,536
      coils were placed during 259 procedures in 140 patients. A total of 37 chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations and 27 pneumonias were recorded as
      serious adverse events up to 1 year after treatment. The pneumothorax rate was
      6.4%. Both 6 and 12 months after treatment, significant (all p < 0.001)
      improvements were observed for: forced expiratory volume in 1 s [+0.08 liters (+/
      0.19) and +0.08 liters (+/-0.21)], residual volume [RV; -510 ml (+/-850) and -430
      ml (+/-720)], 6-min walking distance [6MWD; +44.1 m (+/-69.8) and +38.1 m (+/
      71.9)], and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire score [SGRQ; -9.5 points (+/
      14.3) and -7.7 points (+/-14.2)]. No differences in any outcome measures were
      observed between heterogeneous and homogeneous emphysema patients. Only a high
      baseline RV was found to be an independent predictor of successful treatment.
      CONCLUSIONS: Bronchoscopic coil treatment improves pulmonary function, 6MWD, and
      quality of life in patients with severe emphysema up to 1 year after treatment,
      independent of the distribution of the disease.

PMID- 26112381
TI  - Multiplicity in confirmatory clinical trials: a case study with discussion from a
      JSM panel.
AB  - An invited panel session was conducted in the 2012 Joint Statistical Meetings,
      San Diego, California, USA, to stimulate the discussion on multiplicity issues in
      confirmatory clinical trials for drug development. A total of 11 expert panel
      members were invited and 9 participated. Prior to the session, a case study was
      previously provided to the panel members to facilitate the discussion, focusing
      on the key components of the study design and multiplicity. The Phase 3
      development program for this new experimental treatment was based on a single
      randomized controlled trial alone. Each panelist was asked to clarify if he or
      she responded as if he or she were a pharmaceutical drug sponsor, an academic
      panelist or a health regulatory scientist.

PMID- 26112382
TI  - C-kit is important for SOD1(G93A) mouse survival independent of mast cells.
AB  - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease
      leading to progressive and lethal paralysis. The disease process is multi
      factorial and is characterized by selective motor neuron degeneration. Previous
      work demonstrated that the local concentration of various growth factors can
      influence motor neuron survival and disease progression. A potential role for c
      kit, a growth factor receptor present in the spinal cord, in ALS is unknown. To
      dissect the role of c-kit in ALS we interbred SOD1(G93A) mice with kit(w-sh/w-sh)
      mice, which have a 70% decrease in c-kit expression in the spinal cord. kit(w
      sh/w-sh) SOD1(G93A) mice have a reduced survival compared to SOD1(G93A) mice,
      while the amount of motor neurons at end stage is similar. By means of grip
      strength and nerve conductance analysis we show that kit(w-sh/w-sh) mice have
      diminished strength and slightly impaired compound muscle action potential
      latency, although the number of neurons is similar across genotypes. Decreasing
      kit gene expression in SOD1(G93A) mice is detrimental and our results imply that
      this effect is independent of mast cells, as tested by ketotifen administration.
      To conclude, our data expand on the protective role of growth factors in ALS, as
      decreasing c-kit by approximately 70% is detrimental in SOD1(G93A) mice.

PMID- 26112383
TI  - Sulforaphane rescues memory dysfunction and synaptic and mitochondrial
      alterations induced by brain iron accumulation.
AB  - Iron overload contributes to the development of neurodegeneration and the
      exacerbation of normal apoptosis rates, largely due to its participation in the
      Fenton reaction and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mitochondria
      constitute the major intracellular source of ROS and the main target of attack by
      free radicals. They are dynamic organelles that bind (fusion) and divide
      (fission) in response to environmental stimuli, developmental status, and energy
      needs of the cells. Sulforaphane (SFN) is a natural compound that displays
      antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This study aims to investigate the
      effects of SFN on memory deficits and changes in markers of mitochondrial
      function, DNM1L and OPA1, and the synaptic marker, synaptophysin, induced by
      neonatal iron treatment. Male rats received vehicle or carbonyl iron (30mg/kg)
      from the 12th to the 14th postnatal day. In adulthood, they were treated with
      saline or SFN (0.5 or 5mg/kg) for 14days every other day. Memory deficits were
      assessed using the object recognition task. DNM1L, OPA1, and synaptophysin levels
      in the hippocampus were quantified by Western blotting. Results showed that SFN
      was able to reverse iron-induced decreases in mitochondrial fission protein,
      DNM1L, as well as synaptophysin levels in the hippocampus, leading to a recovery
      of recognition memory impairment induced by iron. These findings suggest that SFN
      may be further investigated as potential agent for the treatment of cognitive
      deficits associated with neurodegenerative disorders.

PMID- 26112384
TI  - Probing three-dimensional sodiation-desodiation equilibrium in sodium-ion
      batteries by in situ hard X-ray nanotomography.
AB  - Materials degradation-the main limiting factor for widespread application of
      alloy anodes in battery systems-was assumed to be worse in sodium alloys than in
      lithium analogues due to the larger sodium-ion radius. Efforts to relieve this
      problem are reliant on the understanding of electrochemical and structural
      degradation. Here we track three-dimensional structural and chemical evolution of
      tin anodes in sodium-ion batteries with in situ synchrotron hard X-ray
      nanotomography. We find an unusual (de)sodiation equilibrium during multi
      electrochemical cycles. The superior structural reversibility during 10
      electrochemical cycles and the significantly different morphological change
      features from comparable lithium-ion systems suggest untapped potential in sodium
      ion batteries. These findings differ from the conventional thought that sodium
      ions always lead to more severe fractures in the electrode than lithium ions,
      which could have impact in advancing development of sodium-ion batteries. 

PMID- 26112385
TI  - Robust electromagnetic absorption by graphene/polymer heterostructures.
AB  - Polymer/graphene heterostructures present good shielding efficiency against GHz
      electromagnetic perturbations. Theory and experiments demonstrate that there is
      an optimum number of graphene planes, separated by thin polymer spacers, leading
      to maximum absorption for millimeter waves Batrakov et al (2014 Sci. Rep. 4
      7191). Here, electrodynamics of ideal polymer/graphene multilayered material is
      first approached with a well-adapted continued-fraction formalism. In a second
      stage, rigorous coupled wave analysis is used to account for the presence of
      defects in graphene that are typical of samples produced by chemical vapor
      deposition, namely microscopic holes, microscopic dots (embryos of a second
      layer) and grain boundaries. It is shown that the optimum absorbance of
      graphene/polymer multilayers does not weaken to the first order in defect
      concentration. This finding testifies to the robustness of the shielding
      efficiency of the proposed absorption device. 

PMID- 26112386
TI  - Population-specific evidence selection to support practice.

PMID- 26112387
TI  - Radioembolization of hepatocarcinoma with (90)Y glass microspheres: development
      of an individualized treatment planning strategy based on dosimetry and
      radiobiology.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to optimize the dosimetric approach and to
      review the absorbed doses delivered, taking into account radiobiology, in order
      to identify the optimal methodology for an individualized treatment planning
      strategy based on (99m)Tc-macroaggregated albumin (MAA) single photon emission
      computed tomography (SPECT) images. METHODS: We performed retrospective dosimetry
      of the standard TheraSphere(r) treatment on 52 intermediate (n = 17) and advanced
      (i.e. portal vein thrombosis, n = 35) hepatocarcinoma patients with tumour burden
      < 50% and without obstruction of the main portal vein trunk. Response was
      monitored with the densitometric radiological criterion (European Association for
      the Study of the Liver) and treatment-related liver decompensation was defined ad
      hoc with a time cut-off of 6 months. Adverse events clearly attributable to
      disease progression or other causes were not attributed to treatment. Voxel
      dosimetry was performed with the local deposition method on (99m)Tc-MAA SPECT
      images. The reconstruction protocol was optimized. Concordance of (99m)Tc-MAA and
      (90)Y bremsstrahlung microsphere biodistributions was studied in 35 sequential
      patients. Two segmentation methods were used, based on SPECT alone (home-made
      code) or on coregistered SPECT/CT images (IMALYTICSTM by Philips). STRATOSTM
      absorbed dose calculation was validated for (90)Y with a single time point.
      Radiobiology was used introducing other dosimetric variables besides the mean
      absorbed dose D: equivalent uniform dose (EUD), biologically effective dose
      averaged over voxel values (BEDave) and equivalent uniform biologically effective
      dose (EUBED). Two sets of radiobiological parameters, the first derived from
      microsphere irradiation and the second from external beam radiotherapy (EBRT),
      were used. A total of 16 possible methodologies were compared. Tumour control
      probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) were derived.
      The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC)
      curve was used as a figure of merit to identify the methodology which gave the
      best separation in terms of dosimetry between responding and non-responding
      lesions and liver decompensated vs non-decompensated liver treatment. RESULTS:
      MAA and (90)Y biodistributions were not different (71% of cases), different in
      23% and uncertain in 6%. Response correlated with absorbed dose (Spearman's r
      from 0.48 to 0.69). Responding vs non-responding lesion absorbed doses were well
      separated, regardless of the methodology adopted (p = 0.0001, AUC from 0.75 to
      0.87). EUBED gave significantly better separation with respect to mean dose (AUC
      = 0.87 vs 0.80, z = 2.07). Segmentation on SPECT gave better separation than on
      SPECT/CT. TCP(50%) was at 250 Gy for small lesion volumes (<10 cc) and higher
      than 1,000 Gy for large lesions (>10 cc). Apparent radiosensitivity values from
      TCP were around 0.003/Gy, a factor of 3-5 lower than in EBRT, as found by other
      authors. The dose-rate effect was negligible: a purely linear model can be
      applied. Toxicity incidence was significantly larger for Child B7 patients (89 vs
      14%, p < 0.0001), who were therefore excluded from dose-toxicity analysis. Child
      A toxic vs non-toxic treatments were significantly separated in terms of dose
      averaged on whole non-tumoural parenchyma (including non-irradiated regions) with
      AUC from 0.73 to 0.94. TD50 was ~ 100 Gy. No methodology was superior to
      parenchyma mean dose, which therefore can be used for planning, with a limit of
      TD15 ~ 75 Gy. CONCLUSION: A dosimetric treatment planning criterion for Child A
      patients without complete obstruction of the portal vein was developed.

PMID- 26112388
TI  - Feasibility and utility of re-treatment with (177)Lu-DOTATATE in GEP-NENs
      relapsed after treatment with (90)Y-DOTATOC.
AB  - PURPOSE: Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is a valid therapy for
      grade 1/2 gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). Although
      a median progression-free survival (PFS) of more than 20 months is frequently
      observed, the majority of patients relapse after 2 - 3 years. In the present
      study, we investigated the use of low dosage re-treatment with (177)Lu-DOTATATE
      (Lu-PRRT) in patients with GEP-NENs who relapsed after treatment with (90)Y
      DOTATOC (Y-PRRT). METHODS: Upon tumour progression, 26 patients with a PFS of at
      least 12 months after Y-PRRT were consecutively enrolled in a phase II study of
      re-treatment with Lu-PRRT. All patients had preserved kidney and haematological
      parameters and received 14.8 - 18.5 GBq of Lu-PRRT in four or five cycles. The
      disease control rate (DCR), toxicity, PFS and prognostic factors were evaluated.
      RESULTS: Median total activity of Lu-PRRT was 16.5 GBq in five cycles. The DCR
      was 84.6%, median PFS was 22 months (95% CI 16 months - not reached) compared to
      28 months (95% CI 20 - 36 months) after Y-PRRT. Tumour burden and number of liver
      metastases were important prognostic factors. Toxicity was mild after Lu-PRRT re
      treatment in the majority of patients, with only two patients with grade 2 and
      one with grade 3 bone marrow toxicity; one patient had grade 2 and one grade 3
      renal toxicity. CONCLUSION: Patients with GEP-NEN who have previously responded
      to Y-PRRT are suitable candidates for Lu-PRRT re-treatment on progression.
      Although our sample size was limited, low-dosage Lu-PRRT was safe, and led to DCR
      and PFS rates comparable with those observed when Y-PRRT was used as primary
      treatment.

PMID- 26112389
TI  - Focal impairment in myocardial fatty acid imaging in the left anterior descending
      artery area, a strong predictor for cardiac death in hemodialysis patients
      without obstructive coronary artery disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated whether impaired patterns of myocardial fatty acid
      imaging were associated with cardiac death in dialysis patients without coronary
      lesions. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 155 hemodialysis patients without
      obstructive coronary artery disease, who had been examined by single-photon
      emission computed tomography (SPECT) using the iodinated fatty acid analogue
      BMIPP. Uptake of BMIPP on SPECT was graded in 17 segments on a five-point scale
      (0, normal; 4, absent) and assessed as BMIPP summed scores. Of the enrolled 155
      participants, we analyzed 95 who had BMIPP summed scores >= 6 (52 men and 43
      women, 65 +/- 11 years). BMIPP scores >= 2 in >= 2 consecutive segments in SPECT
      were defined as focal, and the others as non-focal pattern. RESULTS: Of 95
      participants analyzed, 42 (44.2 %) showed focal and 53 (55.8 %) non-focal type.
      During follow-up for 5.1 +/- 2.0 years, 42 died of cardiac events. The occurrence
      of cardiac death was higher in the focal than in the non-focal group (30/42 [71.4
      %] versus 12/53 [22.6 %], p = 0.001). In stepwise Cox hazard analysis, focal
      pattern was associated with cardiac death (hazard ratio 2.266), independent of
      impairment of BMIPP SPECT (BMIPP summed scores >= 12). The predictive potential
      of BMIPP SPECT for cardiac death was higher (p < 0.001) in the left anterior
      descending artery area compared with other coronary territories. CONCLUSIONS:
      Focal impairment in myocardial fatty acid imaging in the left anterior descending
      area may strongly predict cardiac death in this population.

PMID- 26112390
TI  - Early Evolution of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus ON1 Strains: Analysis of the
      Diversity in the C-Terminal Hypervariable Region of Glycoprotein Gene within the
      First 3.5 Years since Their Detection.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Characterization of the phylogeny and diversity of human respiratory
      syncytial virus (HRSV) genotype ON1 that occurred during its early evolution
      (within the first 3.5 years since the detection of the first ON1 strains). ON1
      strains have a 72-nucleotide-long in-frame duplication within the second
      hypervariable domain of the glycoprotein gene (HVR2). METHODS: All available HVR2
      sequences of strains belonging to the ON1 genotype published prior to June 20,
      2014 were collected. Multiple sequence alignments, phylogeny, phylogeography,
      sequence clustering and putative protein analyses were performed. RESULTS: The
      worldwide spread and diversification of ON1 strains are presented. Only in a
      minority of ON1 strains do the two replicas remain identical, and various ON1
      strains possess common differences between the first and the second copy
      (segments A and B). Mutations of the progenitor sequence were more frequent in
      segment B, a higher overall diversity on the protein level and more putative
      glycosylation sites exist in segment B, and, unlike in segment A, positive
      selection acts on that protein region. CONCLUSIONS: The fast spread of the novel
      HRSV genotype ON1 has been accompanied by its rapid concurrent diversification.
      Differences in variability of the two replicas within HVR2 were detected, with C
      terminal replica being more variable.

PMID- 26112391
TI  - Trend of Japanese encephalitis in Uttar Pradesh, India from 2011 to 2013.
AB  - As indicated by the sporadic Japanese encephalitis (JE) cases reported from the
      districts of Uttar Pradesh (UP), India, the disease is endemic in the state
      despite the fact that a JE vaccination programme has been ongoing in the state
      since 2006. Hence, the present study was undertaken to study the annual trend of
      JE in UP during January 2011 to December 2013. CSF and/or serum samples collected
      from acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) cases were referred to the virology
      laboratory at King George's Medical University, Lucknow and were tested for anti
      JEV IgM antibodies by JEV MAC-ELISA kit. The study reveals that 26.9%, 9.9% and
      14.8% of AES cases were positive for anti-JEV IgM in the years 2011, 2012 and
      2013, respectively. Of the total JE confirmed cases, 30% were adults. Males were
      more commonly affected than females. A distinct peak of JE was seen in the
      monsoon and post-monsoon season, although sporadic cases were also reported in
      other months. JE vaccination by district in UP is discussed. This study reports
      that the proportion of JE positives in AES cases is decreasing in UP although the
      number of AES cases has not decreased. The study also discusses the probable
      causes of this decrease, including JE vaccination and natural periodicity due to
      herd immunity. 

PMID- 26112392
TI  - Evaluation of Oxygen Supplementation Status as a Risk Factor Associated with the
      Development of Severe Retinopathy of Prematurity.
AB  - PURPOSE: The effects of oxygen supplementation status and other clinical risk
      factors on the development of severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) were
      evaluated. METHODS: Clinical records of 143 newborn infants with a gestational
      age of 32 weeks or less were reviewed. Severe ROP was diagnosed when
      photocoagulation due to progression to stage 3 was identified or when 'plus
      disease' developed. The factors were evaluated with univariate and multivariate
      logistic regression analyses between the groups with severe (n = 24) and non
      severe (n = 119) ROP. RESULTS: Gestational age, birth weight, duration of oxygen
      supplementation, duration of directional positive air pressure and maximum
      fraction of inspiratory oxygen (FiO2) were significantly associated with severe
      ROP in the univariate analyses. In the multivariate analysis, a longer duration
      of oxygen supplementation and a higher maximum FiO2 were revealed as significant
      risk factors associated with severe ROP. CONCLUSIONS: Duration of oxygen
      supplementation and maximum FiO2 required were important factors associated with
      severe ROP.

PMID- 26112393
TI  - Laser micro-dissection and qPCR for identifying specific HPV types responsible
      for malignancy in penile lesions.
AB  - The aim of the study was to identify specific human papillomavirus (HPV) type
      responsible for malignancy in penile tissue samples using laser micro-dissection
      and TaqMan quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). The study was based on two pre
      malignant and seven malignant penile tissue samples and laser micro-dissection
      was performed on all. Genotyping was performed on whole tissue sections and laser
      micro-dissection samples using qPCR. Two whole tissue section samples were HPV
      negative while seven were HPV positive. In four samples that were single HPV
      infections with whole tissue section PCR, identical HPV types were confirmed with
      laser micro-dissection PCR. Clearly confirming that the single HPV type detected
      is responsible for malignancy. In two samples that had multiple HPV infections
      with whole tissue section PCR, only one HPV type with the highest viral load was
      detected with laser micro-dissection PCR, suggesting that the HPV type with the
      highest viral load is most likely the cause of that particular lesion. HPV 11
      and/or HPV 16 were the only types detected with laser micro-dissection PCR in
      these cases, compared to multiple HPV types (HPV 11, HPV 16, HPV 18, HPV 31, HPV
      33, HPV 35, and HPV 39) initially detected with whole tissue section PCR. HPV 11
      was associated with verrucous lesions while HPV 16 was associated with squamous
      cell carcinoma and PIN 3 lesions. This study confirms that laser micro-dissection
      and qPCR are essential tools in identifying the HPV types responsible for
      malignancy in penile lesions, particularly in samples with multiple infections.

PMID- 26112394
TI  - The Lifespan-Promoting Effect of Otophylloside B in Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - Aging is the major risk factor for many human diseases and degeneration. Thus,
      clinically effective medicine could delay the process of aging and aging-related
      diseases are desperately wanted. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), some were
      claimed to slow down aging. Qingyangshen (Cynanchum otophyllum schneid) is such a
      TCM. Here, we assayed the longevity effect of compound Otophylloside B (Ot B), a
      C-21 steroidal glycoside isolated from Qingyangshen, in Caenorhabditis elegans,
      which is a popular model for aging research. Our results showed that Ot B could
      modestly extend the lifespan of C. elegans, delay the age-related decline of body
      movement and improve the stress resistance. Further investigating the molecular
      mechanism of lifespan extension effect revealed that Ot B could activate the FOXO
      transcription factor DAF-16. Ot B could not further extend the lifespan of long
      lived mutant of insulin/IGF-1-like receptor (daf-2). In addition, Ot B also
      requires SIR-2.1 and CLK-1 which is an enzyme in ubiquinone synthesis, for
      lifespan extension. 

PMID- 26112395
TI  - Ligand exchange procedure for bimetallic magnetic iron-nickel nanocrystals toward
      biocompatible activities.
AB  - Bimetallic magnetic iron-nickel (FeNi) nanocrystals (NCs) were synthesized
      through a one-pot synthetic wet chemistry method, and the morphology of the
      resulting NCs can be adjusted by changing the molar ratio of chemical attendees
      during the experimental processes. The obtained FeNi NCs can be redispersed in
      water medium though the phase works by using the ligand exchange procedures of
      cysteine (Cys), 5-aminovaleric acid (5AA), and glutathione (GSH), respectively.
      The synthesized NCs exhibited excellent magnetic properties with Hc (magnetic
      fields, ~10(-3) T) and MUa (initial permeability of up to 10(5)). Furthermore,
      linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) polarization curves revealed a low overpotential
      of -0.47, -0.44, and 0.15 V and a current of 105.7, 97.8, and 209 mA for the Cys
      , 5AA-, and GSH-FeNi NCs, respectively. This indicated a relatively high
      catalytic activity of these NCs in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The
      different cell lines (AGS, HepG2, MG63, NCI-H460, and SK-MEL-2) exposed to FeNi
      NCs for 5 days exhibited >87% viability at concentrations of up to 50 MUg mL(-1),
      which was indicative of excellent biocompatibility. The resulting FeNi NCs offer
      a facile synthetic route to fabricate monodispersed NCs. The biocompatibility of
      these NCs should also enable their application in electrocatalysis and biological
      applications. 

PMID- 26112396
TI  - Could miltefosine be used as a therapy for toxoplasmosis?
AB  - Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic protozoal disease affecting more than a billion
      people worldwide. The shortfalls of the current treatment options necessitate the
      development of non-toxic and well-tolerated, efficient alternatives especially
      against the cyst form. The current study was undertaken to investigate, for the
      first time, the potential potency of miltefosine against Toxoplasma gondii
      infection in acute and chronic experimental toxoplasmosis. Results showed that
      there is no evidence of anti-parasitic activity of miltefosine against T. gondii
      tachyzoites in acute experimental toxoplasmosis. However, anti-parasitic activity
      of miltefosine against T. gondii cyst stage in chronic experimental toxoplasmosis
      could not be excluded as demonstrated by significant reduction in brain cyst
      burden. Moreover, considerable morphological changes in the cysts were revealed
      by light and electron microscopy study and also by amelioration of pathological
      changes in the brain. Future studies should focus on enhancement of anti
      toxoplasma activity of miltefosine against chronic toxoplasmosis using
      formulation based nanotechnology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first
      study highlighting efficacy of miltefosine against chronic toxoplasmosis, thus,
      increasing the list of diseases that can be targeted by this drug. 

PMID- 26112397
TI  - Parental emotional management benefits family relationships: A randomized
      controlled trial in Hong Kong, China.
AB  - There is a shortage of culturally appropriate, brief, preventive interventions
      designed to be sustainable and acceptable for community participants in
      nonwestern cultures. Parents' ability to regulate their emotions is an important
      factor for psychological well-being of the family. In Chinese societies,
      emotional regulation may be more important in light of the cultural desirability
      of maintaining harmonious family relationships. The objectives of our randomized
      controlled trial were to test the effectiveness of our Effective Parenting
      Programme (EPP) to increase the use of emotional management strategies (primary
      outcome) and enhance the parent-child relationship (secondary outcome). We
      utilized design characteristics that promoted recruitment, retention, and
      intervention sustainability. We randomized a community sample of 412 Hong Kong
      middle- and low-income mothers of children aged 6-8 years to the EPP or attention
      control group. At 3, 6 and 12- month follow up, the Effective Parent Program
      group reported greater increases in the use of emotion management strategies
      during parent-child interactions, with small to medium effect size, and lower
      negative affect and greater positive affect, subjective happiness, satisfaction
      with the parent-child relationship, and family harmony, compared to the control
      group, with small to medium effect size. Our results provided evidence of
      effectiveness for a sustainable, preventive, culturally appropriate, cognitive
      behaviorally-based emotion management program, in a non-clinical setting for
      Chinese mothers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: HKCTR-1190.

PMID- 26112398
TI  - Emphasizing Malleability in the biology of depression: Durable effects on
      perceived agency and prognostic pessimism.
AB  - Biological attributions for depression, which are currently ascendant, can lead
      to prognostic pessimism-the perception that symptoms are relatively immutable and
      unlikely to abate (Kvaale, Haslam, & Gottdiener, 2013; Lebowitz, Ahn, & Nolen
      Hoeksema, 2013). Among symptomatic individuals, this may have important clinical
      ramifications, as reduced confidence in one's own ability to overcome depression
      carries the risk of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Previous research
      (Lebowitz, Ahn, et al., 2013) has demonstrated that educational interventions
      teaching symptomatic individuals about how the effects of genetic and
      neurobiological factors involved in depression are malleable and can be modified
      by experiences and environmental factors can reduce prognostic pessimism. While
      previous research demonstrated such effects only in the immediate term, the
      present research extends these findings by testing whether such benefits persist
      six weeks after the intervention. Indeed, among individuals who initially
      considered biological factors to play a major role in influencing their levels of
      depression, exposure to malleability-focused psychoeducation reduced levels of
      depression-related prognostic pessimism and stronger belief in their ability to
      regulate their moods. Critically, this benefit persisted six weeks after the
      intervention. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed. 

PMID- 26112400
TI  - Work Environment-Related Factors in Obtaining and Maintaining Work in a
      Competitive Employment Setting for Employees with Intellectual Disabilities: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People with an intellectual disability value work as a significant
      part of their lives, and many of them want to participate in regular paid
      employment.Current estimates show that the number of people with ID who have some
      form of paid employment are very low, ranging from 9 to 40% across different
      countries,despite legislations. This review examines papers published in the past
      20 years in an attempt to answer the following research question: 'What work
      environment-related factors contribute to obtaining or maintaining work in
      competitive employment for people with an intellectual disability?' METHOD: The
      databases of PubMed, PsycINFO,CINAHL, Embase and Web of Science were searched for
      relevant papers published between 1993 and 2013. All papers were independently
      screened by two researchers.Methodological quality of the studies was evaluated,
      and data on work environment-related factors stimulating employment for people
      with intellectual disabilities were extracted and grouped into categories.
      RESULTS: A total of 1932 articles were retrieved. After extensive screening for
      relevance and quality, 26 articles were included in this review. Four
      themes/categories with work environment related factors that could influence work
      participation were distinguished. Five studies were conducted on employers'
      decisions and opinions. Eight focused on job content and performance, and eight
      on workplace interaction and culture. Five studies evaluated support by job
      coaches. CONCLUSION: Despite ongoing legislation to promote participation of
      people with intellectual disabilities in the paid workforce, research in this
      area is still extremely scarce. In the past 20 years, very few studies have
      focused on work environment-related factors that can enhance competitive work for
      people with intellectual disabilities.This review shows that relevant work
      environment-related factors for obtaining and maintaining work in competitive
      employment include supporting the employers by paying specific attention to:
      employer's decisions, job content, integration and work culture and job coaches.

PMID- 26112399
TI  - Identification and characterization of a HEPN-MNT family type II toxin-antitoxin
      in Shewanella oneidensis.
AB  - Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are prevalent in bacteria and archaea. However,
      related studies in the ecologically and bioelectrochemically important strain
      Shewanella oneidensis are limited. Here, we show that SO_3166, a member of the
      higher eukaryotes and prokaryotes nucleotide-binding (HEPN) superfamily, strongly
      inhibited cell growth in S. oneidensis and Escherichia coli. SO_3165, a putative
      minimal nucleotidyltransferase (MNT), neutralized the toxicity of SO_3166. Gene
      SO_3165 lies upstream of SO_3166, and they are co-transcribed. Moreover, the
      SO_3165 and SO_3166 proteins interact with each other directly in vivo, and
      antitoxin SO_3165 bound to the promoter of the TA operon and repressed its
      activity. Finally, the conserved Rx4-6H domain in HEPN family was identified in
      SO_3166. Mutating either the R or H abolished SO_3166 toxicity, confirming that
      Rx4-6H domain is critical for SO_3166 activity. Taken together, these results
      demonstrate that SO_3166 and SO_3165 in S. oneidensis form a typical type II TA
      pair. This TA pair plays a critical role in regulating bacterial functions
      because its disruption led to impaired cell motility in S. oneidensis. Thus, we
      demonstrated for the first time that HEPN-MNT can function as a TA system,
      thereby providing important insights into the understanding of the function and
      regulation of HEPNs and MNTs in prokaryotes. 

PMID- 26112402
TI  - The effect of conservative treatment of urinary incontinence among older and
      frail older people: a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: urinary incontinence (UI) is a common symptom among older people,
      with a higher prevalence among frail older persons living in nursing homes.
      Despite consequences such as reduced health and quality of life, many older
      people do not seek help for their symptoms, resulting in missed opportunity for
      treatment. OBJECTIVE: the aim of this study was to investigate the evidence and
      the effect of conservative treatment of UI and the quality of life among older
      and frail older persons. METHODS: a systematic review of randomised controlled
      studies and prospective, non-randomised studies was conducted, evaluating
      interventions of conservative treatment of UI in an older population (65 years or
      older). A total of 23 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and 9 were of high
      or moderate quality. Fourteen studies were of low quality and were therefore
      excluded from the analysis. RESULTS: documented and effective conservative
      treatments are available even for older persons with UI. Pelvic muscle exercise,
      physical training in combination with ADL, prompted voiding and attention
      training, and help to toilet are important treatments. In some studies, however,
      the evidence of effectiveness is limited. CONCLUSIONS: this systematic review
      concludes that there are conservative treatments for UI for older and frail older
      persons that reduce leakage and increase quality of life. There is however a need
      for further high-quality studies.

PMID- 26112401
TI  - SH2-PLA: a sensitive in-solution approach for quantification of modular domain
      binding by proximity ligation and real-time PCR.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a great interest in studying phosphotyrosine dependent
      protein-protein interactions in tyrosine kinase pathways that play a critical
      role in many aspects of cellular function. We previously established SH2
      profiling, a phosphoproteomic approach based on membrane binding assays that
      utilizes purified Src Homology 2 (SH2) domains as a molecular tool to profile the
      global tyrosine phosphorylation state of cells. However, in order to use this
      method to investigate SH2 binding sites on a specific target in cell lysate,
      additional procedures such as pull-down or immunoprecipitation which consume
      large amounts of sample are required. RESULTS: We have developed PLA-SH2, an
      alternative in-solution modular domain binding assay that takes advantage of
      Proximity Ligation Assay and real-time PCR. The SH2-PLA assay utilizes
      oligonucleotide-conjugated anti-GST and anti-EGFR antibodies recognizing a GST
      SH2 probe and cellular EGFR, respectively. If the GST-SH2 and EGFR are in close
      proximity as a result of SH2-phosphotyrosine interactions, the two
      oligonucleotides are brought within a suitable distance for ligation to occur,
      allowing for efficient complex amplification via real-time PCR. The assay
      detected signal across at least 3 orders of magnitude of lysate input with a
      linear range spanning 1-2 orders and a low femtomole limit of detection for EGFR
      phosphotyrosine. SH2 binding kinetics determined by PLA-SH2 showed good agreement
      with established far-Western analyses for A431 and Cos1 cells stimulated with EGF
      at various times and doses. Further, we showed that PLA-SH2 can survey lung
      cancer tissues using 1 MUl lysate without requiring phospho-enrichment.
      CONCLUSIONS: We showed for the first time that interactions between SH2 domain
      probes and EGFR in cell lysate can be determined in a microliter-scale assay
      using SH2-PLA. The obvious benefit of this method is that the low sample
      requirement allows detection of SH2 binding in samples which are difficult to
      analyze using traditional protein interaction assays. This feature along with
      short assay runtime makes this method a useful platform for the development of
      high throughput assays to determine modular domain-ligand interactions which
      could have wide-ranging applications in both basic and translational cancer
      research.

PMID- 26112403
TI  - The Winding Paths of the Lonesome Cowboy: Evidence for Mutual Influences Between
      Personality, Subjective Health, and Loneliness.
AB  - Prior research demonstrated influences of personality traits and their
      development on later status of subjective health and loneliness. In the present
      study, we intended to extend these findings by examining mutual influences
      between health-related characteristics and personality traits and their
      development over time. German adults were assessed at two time points across 15
      years (NT1  = 654, NT2  = 271; Mage at Time 1 = 24.39, SD = 3.69). Data were
      analyzed with multivariate structural equation models and a multivariate latent
      change model. Neuroticism was found to predict later levels and the development
      of subjective health and loneliness. While subjective health likewise predicted
      later levels of Neuroticism, loneliness was found to be predictive of later
      levels as well as the development of Neuroticism, Extraversion, and
      Conscientiousness. Correlated changes indicated that developing a socially more
      desirable personality is associated with slower declines in subjective health and
      slower increases in loneliness. The findings indicate that characteristics
      related to an individual's health are reciprocally associated with personality
      traits. Thus, the study adds to the understanding of the development of
      personality and health-related characteristics.

PMID- 26112404
TI  - Children's age modulates the effect of part and whole practice in motor learning.
AB  - Motor skills can be learned by practicing the whole or part of a movement. In
      whole practice (WP), a skill is acquired by practicing the movement in its
      entirety, whereas in part practice (PP), a task is learned by practicing its
      components before combining them. However, the effectiveness of WP and PP in
      children is unclear. We, therefore, examined the effects of WP and PP on the
      learning of juggling among first-, third-, and fifth-graders. Children of each
      grade were pseudo-randomly assigned to the WP or PP group to learn cascade
      juggling in 6 days. After baseline assessments, the WP learners practiced three
      beanbag juggling. The PP learners practiced one-beanbag juggling on the first 2
      days, two-beanbag juggling on the following 2 days, and three-beanbag juggling on
      the last 2 days. Practice consisted of 40 trials each day. Skill retention and
      transfer trials (juggling in the opposite direction) were measured 24h after
      training (number of catches). There was no significant difference between WP and
      PP in skill retention (WP: 1.28 +/- 0.73; PP: 1.42 +/- 046, p = .40) and transfer
      (WP: 1.31 +/- 0.78; PP: 1.37 +/- 0.55, p = .49). However, a time * grade * group
      interaction (p < .001) was observed in retention. Children of different grades
      received differential benefits from the WP and PP regimens. The fifth-graders
      learned better using WP, whereas the first- and third-graders showed better
      learning with PP. We discuss the three possible explanations for the results
      (neural maturity, explicit learning, and coordination capabilities).

PMID- 26112405
TI  - Minimal Invasive Suture-Tape Augmentation for Chronic Ankle Instability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the modified Brostrom procedure has had excellent clinical
      results, postoperative complications such as skin irritation by suture material
      and problematic scar formation occur. This prospective study was performed to
      evaluate the clinical outcomes of mini-open ligament augmentation (internal brace
      technique) using suture tape for chronic ankle instability in a select cohort of
      patients. METHODS: Thirty-four young female patients with less than 70 kg of body
      weight were followed for more than 2 years after suture tape augmentation for
      lateral ankle instability. The clinical evaluation consisted of the Foot and
      Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS), Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) score, Sefton
      grading system, and the period to return to various activities. Measurement of
      talar tilt angle and anterior talar translation was obtained from stress
      radiographs to evaluate the longevity of mechanical ankle stability. RESULTS:
      FAOS and FAAM scores had significantly improved to 92.5 points at final follow-up
      (P < .001). According to the Sefton grading, 31 cases (91.2%) achieved
      satisfactory functional results. The period to return to exercise was on average
      10.2 weeks for jogging and 9.6 weeks for walking on uneven ground. The average
      subjective satisfaction score of patients was 93.8 points, and satisfaction with
      the scar was 98.5 points. Talar tilt angle and anterior talar translation had
      significantly improved to an average of 4.5 degrees and 4.1 mm, respectively, at
      final follow-up (P < .001). There were no complications such as skin irritation
      and wound infection, except for 1 case of chronic inflammation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Minimally invasive suture tape augmentation seems to be an effective alternative
      for young women with chronic ankle instability. Because there is a possibility of
      progressive elongation over time, the longevity of mechanical ankle stability and
      the proper indication for using the internal brace technique should be addressed
      in future studies. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, case series study.

PMID- 26112406
TI  - Suture Fixation of the Syndesmosis Using Readily Available Materials.

PMID- 26112407
TI  - Phosphatidylinositol Induces Caspase-Independent Apoptosis of Malignant Pleural
      Mesothelioma Cells by Accumulating AIF in the Nucleus.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Phosphatidylinositol (PI) regulates a variety of cell processes.
      The present study investigated the antitumor action of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phospho-(1'-myo-inositol)(DOPI) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-myo
      inositol)(DPPI) on human malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) cell lines such as
      NCI-H28, NCI-H2052, NCI-H2452, and MSTO-211H cells. METHODS: MTT assay, TUNEL
      staining, flow cytometry using propidium iodide (PI) and annexin V (AV),
      enzymatic caspase assay, and nuclear staining using DAPI were carried out, and
      mitochondrial membrane potentials and intracellular distribution of apoptosis
      inducing factor (AIF) were monitored in cells with and without the siRNA
      silencing the Bid-targeted gene. RESULTS: Both DOPI and DPPI reduced cell
      viability for all the investigated MPM cell lines in a concentration (0.01-100
      uM)-dependent manner. DOPI and DPPI significantly increased TUNEL-positive cells
      and the population of PI-negative/AV-positive and PI-positive/AV-positive cells,
      corresponding to early apoptosis and late apoptosis/secondary necrosis,
      respectively. DOPI and DPPI perturbed mitochondrial membrane potentials in MSTO
      211H cells, but no significant activation of caspase-3, -4, -8, and -9 was
      obtained. DOPI and DPPI upregulated expression of Bid in MSTO-211H cells. DOPI
      and DPPI significantly increased nuclear localization of AIF without affecting
      expression of the mRNAs and proteins in MSTO-211H cells, which was inhibited by
      knocking-down Bid. In the DAPI staining, nuclear fragmentation and condensation
      were found. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that DOPI and
      DPPI facilitate Bid-mediated AIF release from the mitochondria, to accumulate AIF
      in the nucleus and induce caspase-independent apoptosis of MPM cells.

PMID- 26112408
TI  - Lipid-induced Muscle Insulin Resistance Is Mediated by GGPPS via Modulation of
      the RhoA/Rho Kinase Signaling Pathway.
AB  - Elevated circulating free fatty acid levels are important contributors to insulin
      resistance in the muscle and liver, but the underlying mechanisms require further
      elucidation. Here, we show that geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase 1 (GGPPS),
      which is a branch point enzyme in the mevalonic acid pathway, promotes lipid
      induced muscle insulin resistance through activation of the RhoA/Rho kinase
      signaling pathway. We have found that metabolic perturbation would increase GGPPS
      expression in the skeletal muscles of db/db mice and high fat diet-fed mice. To
      address the metabolic effects of GGPPS activity in skeletal muscle, we generated
      mice with specific GGPPS deletions in their skeletal muscle tissue. Heterozygous
      knock-out of GGPPS in the skeletal muscle improved systemic insulin sensitivity
      and glucose homeostasis in mice fed both normal chow and high fat diets. These
      metabolic alterations were accompanied by activated PI3K/Akt signaling and
      enhanced glucose uptake in the skeletal muscle. Further investigation showed that
      the free fatty acid-stimulated GGPPS expression in the skeletal muscle was able
      to enhance the geranylgeranylation of RhoA, which further induced the inhibitory
      phosphorylation of IRS-1 (Ser-307) by increasing Rho kinase activity. These
      results implicate a crucial role of the GGPPS/RhoA/Rho kinase/IRS-1 pathway in
      skeletal muscle, in which it mediates lipid-induced systemic insulin resistance
      in obese mice. Therefore, skeletal muscle GGPPS may represent a potential
      pharmacological target for the prevention and treatment of obesity-related type 2
      diabetes. 

PMID- 26112409
TI  - Potential Prepore Trimer Formation by the Bacillus thuringiensis Mosquito
      specific Toxin: MOLECULAR INSIGHTS INTO A CRITICAL PREREQUISITE OF MEMBRANE-BOUND
      MONOMERS.
AB  - The insecticidal feature of the three-domain Cry delta-endotoxins from Bacillus
      thuringiensis is generally attributed to their capability to form oligomeric
      pores, causing lysis of target larval midgut cells. However, the molecular
      description of their oligomerization process has not been clearly defined. Here a
      stable prepore of the 65-kDa trypsin-activated Cry4Ba mosquito-specific toxin was
      established through membrane-mimetic environments by forming an ~200-kDa octyl
      beta-D-glucoside micelle-induced trimer. The SDS-resistant trimer caused
      cytolysis to Sf9 insect cells expressing Aedes-mALP (a Cry4Ba receptor) and was
      more effective than a toxin monomer in membrane perturbation of calcein-loaded
      liposomes. A three-dimensional model of toxin trimer obtained by negative-stain
      EM in combination with single-particle reconstruction at ~5 nm resolution showed
      a propeller-shaped structure with 3-fold symmetry. Fitting the three-dimensional
      reconstructed EM map with a 100-ns molecular dynamics-simulated Cry4Ba structure
      interacting with an octyl-beta-D-glucoside micelle showed relative positioning of
      individual domains in the context of the trimeric complex with a major protrusion
      from the pore-forming domain. Moreover, high-speed atomic force microscopy
      imaging at nanometer resolution and a subsecond frame rate demonstrated
      conformational transitions from a propeller-like to a globularly shaped trimer
      upon lipid membrane interactions, implying prepore-to-pore conversion. Real-time
      trimeric arrangement of monomers associated with L-alpha
      dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine/3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-2-hydroxy-1
      propanesulfonic acid bicelle membranes was also envisaged by successive high
      speed atomic force microscopy imaging, depicting interactions among three
      individual subunits toward trimer formation. Together, our data provide the first
      pivotal insights into the structural requirement of membrane-induced
      conformational changes of Cry4Ba toxin monomers for the molecular assembly of a
      prepore trimer capable of inserting into target membranes to generate a lytic
      pore.

PMID- 26112410
TI  - The Transitional Endoplasmic Reticulum ATPase p97 Regulates the Alternative
      Nuclear Factor NF-kappaB Signaling via Partial Degradation of the NF-kappaB
      Subunit p100.
AB  - Partial degradation of the p100 subunit to generate p52 subunit is a hallmark of
      the alternative NF-kappaB pathway, which has been implicated in cancer. Here, we
      uncovered a role of the p97-Npl4-Ufd1 complex in mediating p100-to-p52 processing
      and therefore positively regulating the alternative NF-kappaB pathway. We
      observed an elevation of p97 mRNA levels in lymphoma patients, which positively
      correlates with NFKB2 expression, a downstream target gene of the alternative NF
      kappaB pathway. Moreover, NFKB2 mRNA levels were aberrantly down-regulated in
      patients with inclusion body myopathy associated with Paget's disease of the bone
      and frontotemporal dementia (IBMPFD), a disease caused by mutation of p97.
      Inactivation of p97 or depletion of the p97-Npl4-Ufd1 complex inhibits the
      processing of p100 into p52, decreasing transcription of the downstream target
      genes. Further analyses reveal that the p97-Npl4-Ufd1 complex interacts with F
      box and WD repeats protein SCF(betaTrCP) complex to regulate the partial
      degradation of p100, a process involving K48- and K11-linked ubiquitination. In
      line with this, in LPS-induced lung damage mice model, generation of p52 is
      significantly decreased in p97-KD mice compared with mock mice. Finally,
      abrogation of p97 ATPase activity by its specific inhibitor DBeQ, efficiently
      decreased proliferation of lymphoma cells. Collectively, our study revealed a
      regulatory role of the p97-Npl4-Ufd1 complex in regulating p100 partial
      degradation, highlighting the potential of p97 as a drug target for cancers with
      aberrant activation of the alternative NF-kappaB pathway. 

PMID- 26112411
TI  - Kinetic Investigations of the Role of Factor Inhibiting Hypoxia-inducible Factor
      (FIH) as an Oxygen Sensor.
AB  - The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) hydroxylases regulate hypoxia sensing in
      animals. In humans, they comprise three prolyl hydroxylases (PHD1-3 or EGLN1-3)
      and factor inhibiting HIF (FIH). FIH is an asparaginyl hydroxylase catalyzing
      post-translational modification of HIF-alpha, resulting in reduction of HIF
      mediated transcription. Like the PHDs, FIH is proposed to have a hypoxia-sensing
      role in cells, enabling responses to changes in cellular O2 availability. PHD2,
      the most important human PHD isoform, is proposed to be biochemically/kinetically
      suited as a hypoxia sensor due to its relatively high sensitivity to changes in
      O2 concentration and slow reaction with O2. To ascertain whether these parameters
      are conserved among the HIF hydroxylases, we compared the reactions of FIH and
      PHD2 with O2. Consistent with previous reports, we found lower Km(app)(O2) values
      for FIH than for PHD2 with all HIF-derived substrates. Under pre-steady-state
      conditions, the O2-initiated FIH reaction is significantly faster than that of
      PHD2. We then investigated the kinetics with respect to O2 of the FIH reaction
      with ankyrin repeat domain (ARD) substrates. FIH has lower Km(app)(O2) values for
      the tested ARDs than HIF-alpha substrates, and pre-steady-state O2-initiated
      reactions were faster with ARDs than with HIF-alpha substrates. The results
      correlate with cellular studies showing that FIH is active at lower O2
      concentrations than the PHDs and suggest that competition between HIF-alpha and
      ARDs for FIH is likely to be biologically relevant, particularly in hypoxic
      conditions. The overall results are consistent with the proposal that the kinetic
      properties of individual oxygenases reflect their biological capacity to act as
      hypoxia sensors.

PMID- 26112412
TI  - The Phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-Trisphosphate-dependent Rac Exchanger 1.Ras
      related C3 Botulinum Toxin Substrate 1 (P-Rex1.Rac1) Complex Reveals the Basis of
      Rac1 Activation in Breast Cancer Cells.
AB  - The P-Rex (phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3)-dependent Rac
      exchanger) family (P-Rex1 and P-Rex2) of the Rho guanine nucleotide exchange
      factors (Rho GEFs) activate Rac GTPases to regulate cell migration, invasion, and
      metastasis in several human cancers. The family is unique among Rho GEFs, as
      their activity is regulated by the synergistic binding of PIP3 and Gbetagamma at
      the plasma membrane. However, the molecular mechanism of this family of multi
      domain proteins remains unclear. We report the 1.95 A crystal structure of the
      catalytic P-Rex1 DH-PH tandem domain in complex with its cognate GTPase, Rac1
      (Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate-1). Mutations in the P-Rex1.Rac1
      interface revealed a critical role for this complex in signaling downstream of
      receptor tyrosine kinases and G protein-coupled receptors. The structural data
      indicated that the PIP3/Gbetagamma binding sites are on the opposite surface and
      markedly removed from the Rac1 interface, supporting a model whereby P-Rex1
      binding to PIP3 and/or Gbetagamma releases inhibitory C-terminal domains to
      expose the Rac1 binding site. 

PMID- 26112413
TI  - Induction of Plasmid Conjugation in Bacillus subtilis Is Bistable and Driven by a
      Direct Interaction of a Rap/Phr Quorum-sensing System with a Master Repressor.
AB  - Conjugation of plasmid pLS20 from Bacillus subtilis is limited to a time window
      between early and late exponential growth. Genetic evidence has suggested that
      pLS20-encoded protein RcoLS20 represses expression of a large conjugation operon,
      whereas Rap protein RapLS20 relieves repression. We show that RapLS20 is a true
      antirepressor protein that forms dimers in vivo and in vitro and that it directly
      binds to the repressor protein RcoLS20 in a 1:1 stoichiometry. We provide
      evidence that RapLS20 binds to the helix-turn-helix-containing domain of RcoLS20
      in vivo, probably obstructing DNA binding of RcoLS20, as seen in competitive DNA
      binding experiments. The activity of RapLS20 in turn is counteracted by the
      addition of the cognate PhrLS20 peptide, which directly binds to the Rap protein
      and presumably induces a conformational change of the antirepressor. Thus, a Rap
      protein acts directly as an antirepressor protein during regulation of plasmid
      conjugation, turning on conjugation, and is counteracted by the PhrLS20 peptide,
      which, by analogy to known Rap/Phr systems, is secreted and taken back up into
      the cells, mediating cell density-driven regulation. Finally, we show that this
      switchlike process establishes a population heterogeneity, where up to 30% of the
      cells induce transcription of the conjugation operon. 

PMID- 26112414
TI  - Re: Follow-up of women with previous gestational diabetes.

PMID- 26112415
TI  - Re: Coustan "Follow-up of women with previous gestational diabetes" (comment on
      Noctor et al. ATLANTIC-DIP: prevalence of metabolic syndrome and insulin
      resistance in women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus by International
      Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Groups criteria. Acta Diabetol
      2015;52:153-160).

PMID- 26112416
TI  - GPR39 receptors and actions of trace metals on pancreatic beta cell function and
      glucose homoeostasis.
AB  - AIMS: G-protein-coupled receptor 39 (GPR39) has been implicated in glucose
      homoeostasis, appetite control and gastrointestinal tract function. METHODS: This
      study used clonal BRIN-BD11 cells and mouse pancreatic islets to assess the
      insulin-releasing actions of trace metals believed to act via GPR39, and the
      second messenger pathways involved in mediating their effects. Micromolar
      concentrations of Zn(2+), Cu(2+), Ni(2+) and Co(2+) were examined under
      normoglycaemic and hyperglycaemic conditions. Mechanistic studies investigated
      changes of intracellular Ca(2+), cAMP generation and assessment of cytotoxicity
      by LDH release. Cellular localisation of GPR39 was determined by double
      immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: All trace metals (7.8-500 umol/l)
      stimulated insulin release with Cu(2+) being the most potent in isolated islets,
      with an EC50 value of 87 MUmol/l. Zn(2+) was the most selective with an EC50
      value of 125 MUmol/l. Enhancement of insulin secretion was also observed with
      Ni(2+) (179 MUmol/l) and Co(2+) (190 MUmol/l). These insulin-releasing effects
      were confirmed using clonal BRIN-BD11 cells which exhibited enhanced
      intracellular Ca(2+) (p < 0.05-p < 0.001) and cAMP generation (p < 0.05-p <
      0.001) in response to trace metals. Oral administration of Zn(2+), Ni(2+) and
      Cu(2+) (50 umol/kg together with 18 mmol/kg glucose) decreased the glycaemic
      excursion (p < 0.05-p < 0.01) and augmented insulin secretion (p < 0.05-p < 0.01)
      in NIH Swiss mice. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated the presence of GPR39
      and the insulinotropic actions of trace metals on BRIN-BD11 cells and pancreatic
      beta cells, together with their antihyperglycaemic actions in vivo. These data
      suggest that development of agonists capable of specifically activating GPR39 may
      be a useful new therapeutic approach for diabetes management.

PMID- 26112417
TI  - RNA Seq profiling reveals a novel expression pattern of TGF-beta target genes in
      human blood eosinophils.
AB  - Despite major advances in our understanding of TGF-beta signaling in multiple
      cell types, little is known about the direct target genes of this pathway in
      human eosinophils. These cells constitute the major inflammatory component
      present in the sputum and lung of active asthmatics and their numbers correlate
      well with disease severity. During the transition from acute to chronic asthma,
      TGF-beta levels rise several fold in the lung which drives fibroblasts to produce
      extracellular matrix (ECM) and participate in airway and parenchymal remodeling.
      In this report, we use purified blood eosinophils from healthy donors and analyze
      baseline and TGF-beta responsive genes by RNA Seq, and demonstrate that
      eosinophils (PBE) express 7981 protein-coding genes of which 178 genes are up
      regulated and 199 genes are down-regulated by TGF-beta. While 18 target genes
      have been previously associated with asthma and eosinophilic disorders, the vast
      majority have been implicated in cell death and survival, differentiation, and
      cellular function. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed that 126 canonical
      pathways are activated by TGF-beta including iNOS, TREM1, p53, IL-8 and IL-10
      signaling. As TGF-beta is an important cytokine for eosinophil function and
      survival, and pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis, our results represent a
      significant step toward the identification of novel TGF-beta responsive genes and
      provide a potential therapeutic opportunity by selectively targeting relevant
      genes and pathways. 

PMID- 26112418
TI  - Lymphopenia-induced proliferation in the absence of functional Autoimmune
      regulator (Aire) induces colitis in mice.
AB  - Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) is caused
      by mutations in Autoimmune regulator (Aire), a transcriptional regulator of
      negative selection in thymus. However, Aire is also expressed in periphery, but
      the full range of Aire's peripheral function is unknown. Here, we transferred
      lymphocytes from wildtype donors into lymphopenic recipients with or without
      functional Aire. Following cell proliferation thus took place in Aire-sufficient
      or deficient environment. The wildtype lymphocytes hyperproliferated and induced
      disease in lymphopenic Aire(-/-) but not in Aire(+/+) recipients. The disease was
      characterized by diarrhea, inflammation, and colitis, and in some recipients
      pancreatitis, gastritis, and hepatitis was also found. Our results identify Aire
      as an important regulator of peripheral T cell homeostasis in gastrointestinal
      tissues. Given a suitable trigger the absence of peripheral Aire leads to
      dysregulated T cell proliferation and disease. 

PMID- 26112419
TI  - Single molecule Forster resonance energy transfer studies of the effect of EndoS
      deglycosylation on the structure of IgG.
AB  - The bacterial enzyme EndoS specifically cleaves glycans bound to immunoglobulin G
      (IgG) molecules. Because this deglycosylation procedure leads to a diminished
      immune response, this enzyme has potential applications as a therapeutic for
      autoimmune disorders. Although the diminished immune response is attributed to a
      structural change in the Fc region of IgG antibodies, the specific nature of this
      structural change is not known due to the variety of results obtained by
      different experimental approaches. In order to better understand how EndoS
      deglycosylation impacts the structure of the Fc region of IgG antibodies, we have
      conducted single molecule Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) studies of dye
      labeled, freely diffusing antibodies. A comparison of the FRET efficiency
      histograms obtained for glycosylated and EndoS deglycosylated antibodies
      indicates that the Fc region can take on a wider variety of structures upon
      deglycosylation. This is demonstrated by the presence of additional peaks in the
      FRET efficiency histogram for the deglycosylated case. 

PMID- 26112420
TI  - Effects of interleukin-2 on bioelectric activity of rat atrial myocardium under
      normal conditions and during gradual stretching.
AB  - Using micro-electrode technique we studied the effects of interleukin-2 (50
      ng/ml) on bio-electric activity of rat atrial myocardium under normal conditions
      and after gradual stretching of the tissue. It was shown that interleukin-2
      caused increasing in the duration of action potential at the levels of 25, 50,
      and 90% re-polarization. Perfusion with interleukin-2 resulted in appearance of
      frequent rhythm patterns followed by smooth transient fragments of paroxysmal
      tachyarrhythmia pacing into normal rhythms. In the presence of interleukin-2,
      stretching of the tissue by 1.7 mN led to appearance of abnormal bio-electrical
      activity, predominantly in the lengthening of the duration of action potential at
      the levels of 90% re-polarization. Close observation of both interleukin-2
      induced action potential duration to 90% of re-polarization, hump-like
      depolarization and stretch induced hump-like alteration, indicate existence of a
      link between the interleukin-2 and stretch induced mechanisms.

PMID- 26112421
TI  - Presenilin-1 familial Alzheimer's disease mutation alters hippocampal
      neurogenesis and memory function in CCL2 null mice.
AB  - Aberrations in hippocampal neurogenesis are associated with learning and memory,
      synaptic plasticity and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However,
      the linkage between them, beta-amyloidosis and neuroinflammation is not well
      understood. To this end, we generated a mouse overexpressing familial AD (FAD)
      mutant human presenilin-1 (PS1) crossed with a knockout (KO) of the CC-chemokine
      ligand 2 (CCL2) gene. The PS1/CCL2KO mice developed robust age-dependent deficits
      in hippocampal neurogenesis associated with impairments in learning and memory,
      synaptic plasticity and long-term potentiation. Neurogliogenesis gene profiling
      supported beta-amyloid independent pathways for FAD-associated deficits in
      hippocampal neurogenesis. We conclude that these PS1/CCL2KO mice are suitable for
      studies linking host genetics, immunity and hippocampal function. 

PMID- 26112423
TI  - Links Between Single-Trial Changes and Learning Rate in Eyelid Conditioning.
AB  - The discovery of single-trial learning effects, where the presence or absence (or
      the number) of climbing fiber inputs produces measureable changes in Purkinje
      cell response and in behavior, represents a major breakthrough in cerebellar
      learning. Among other things, these observations provide strong links between
      climbing fiber-mediated plasticity and cerebellar learning. They also demonstrate
      that cerebellar learning is stochastic, with each instantiation of a movement
      producing a small increment or decrement in gain. The sum of the small changes
      give rise to the macroscopic properties of cerebellar learning. We used a
      relatively large data set from another example of cerebellar-dependent learning,
      classical conditioning of eyelid responses, to attempt a behavioral replication
      and extension of single-trial learning effects. As a normal part of training,
      stimulus-alone trials provide instances where the climbing fiber response would
      be omitted, similar to non-climbing-fiber trials (gain down) during smooth
      pursuit training. The consequences of the stimulus-alone trial on the amplitude
      and timing of the conditioned response on the following paired trials were
      examined. We find that the amplitude of the conditioned response during the trial
      after a stimulus-alone trial (no climbing fiber input) was measurably smaller
      than the amplitude on the previous trials, and this single-trial effect on
      amplitude is larger for longer interstimulus intervals. The magnitude of the
      single-trial effect parallels the rate of extinction at different interstimulus
      intervals supporting the previously observed link between single-trial effects
      and learning. 

PMID- 26112424
TI  - Towards clinical computed ultrasound tomography in echo-mode: Dynamic range
      artefact reduction.
AB  - Computed ultrasound tomography in echo-mode (CUTE) allows imaging the speed of
      sound inside tissue using hand-held pulse-echo ultrasound. This technique is
      based on measuring the changing local phase of beamformed echoes when changing
      the transmit beam steering angle. Phantom results have shown a spatial resolution
      and contrast that could qualify CUTE as a promising novel diagnostic modality in
      combination with B-mode ultrasound. Unfortunately, the large intensity range of
      several tens of dB that is encountered in clinical images poses difficulties to
      echo phase tracking and results in severe artefacts. In this paper we propose a
      modification to the original technique by which more robust echo tracking can be
      achieved, and we demonstrate in phantom experiments that dynamic range artefacts
      are largely eliminated. Dynamic range artefact reduction also allowed for the
      first time a clinical implementation of CUTE with sufficient contrast to
      reproducibly distinguish the different speed of sound in different tissue layers
      of the abdominal wall and the neck. 

PMID- 26112425
TI  - Detection and characterization of stainless steel SCC by the analysis of crack
      related acoustic emission.
AB  - In the paper the results of the acoustic emission (AE) based detection and
      characterization of stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) in stainless steel are
      presented. As supportive methods for AE interpretation, electrochemical noise,
      specimen elongation measurements, and digital imaging of the specimen surface
      were used. Based on the defined qualitative and quantitative time and power
      spectra characteristics of the AE bursts, a manual and an automatic procedure for
      the detection of crack related AE bursts were introduced. The results of the
      analysis of the crack related AE bursts indicate that the AE method is capable of
      detecting large scale cracks, where, apart from intergranular crack propagation,
      also some small ductile fractures occur. The sizes of the corresponding ductile
      fracture areas can be estimated based on a relative comparison of the energies of
      the detected AE bursts. It has also been shown that AE burst time and power
      spectra features can be successfully used for the automatic detection of SCC. 

PMID- 26112422
TI  - The Errors of Our Ways: Understanding Error Representations in Cerebellar
      Dependent Motor Learning.
AB  - The cerebellum is essential for error-driven motor learning and is strongly
      implicated in detecting and correcting for motor errors. Therefore, elucidating
      how motor errors are represented in the cerebellum is essential in understanding
      cerebellar function, in general, and its role in motor learning, in particular.
      This review examines how motor errors are encoded in the cerebellar cortex in the
      context of a forward internal model that generates predictions about the upcoming
      movement and drives learning and adaptation. In this framework, sensory
      prediction errors, defined as the discrepancy between the predicted consequences
      of motor commands and the sensory feedback, are crucial for both on-line movement
      control and motor learning. While many studies support the dominant view that
      motor errors are encoded in the complex spike discharge of Purkinje cells, others
      have failed to relate complex spike activity with errors. Given these
      limitations, we review recent findings in the monkey showing that complex spike
      modulation is not necessarily required for motor learning or for simple spike
      adaptation. Also, new results demonstrate that the simple spike discharge
      provides continuous error signals that both lead and lag the actual movements in
      time, suggesting errors are encoded as both an internal prediction of motor
      commands and the actual sensory feedback. These dual error representations have
      opposing effects on simple spike discharge, consistent with the signals needed to
      generate sensory prediction errors used to update a forward internal model. 

PMID- 26112426
TI  - Phantom evaluation of stacked-type dual-frequency 1-3 composite transducers: A
      feasibility study on intracavitary acoustic angiography.
AB  - In this paper, we present phantom evaluation results of a stacked-type dual
      frequency 1-3 piezoelectric composite transducer as a feasibility study for
      intracavitary acoustic angiography. Our previous design (6.5/30 MHz PMN-PT single
      crystal transducer) for intravascular contrast ultrasound imaging exhibited a
      contrast-to-tissue ratio (CTR) of 12 dB with a penetration depth of 2.5 mm. For
      improved penetration depth (>3 mm) and comparable contrast-to-tissue ratio (>12
      dB), we evaluated a lower frequency 2/14 MHz PZT 1-3 composite transducer.
      Superharmonic imaging performance of this transducer and a detailed
      characterization of key parameters for acoustic angiography are presented. The
      2/14 MHz arrangement demonstrated a -6 dB fractional bandwidth of 56.5% for the
      transmitter and 41.8% for the receiver, and produced sufficient peak-negative
      pressures (>1.5 MPa) at 2 MHz to induce a strong nonlinear harmonic response from
      microbubble contrast agents. In an in-vitro contrast ultrasound study using a
      tissue mimicking phantom and 200 MUm cellulose microvessels, higher harmonic
      microbubble responses, from the 5th through the 7th harmonics, were detected with
      a signal-to-noise ratio of 16 dB. The microvessels were resolved in a two
      dimensional image with a -6dB axial resolution of 615 MUm (5.5 times the
      wavelength of 14 MHz waves) and a contrast-to-tissue ratio of 16 dB. This
      feasibility study, including detailed explanation of phantom evaluation and
      characterization procedures for key parameters, will be useful for the
      development of future dual-frequency array transducers for intracavitary acoustic
      angiography.

PMID- 26112427
TI  - Energy transfer and spectroscopic characterization of a perylenetetracarboxylic
      diimide (PDI) hexamer.
AB  - We report a comprehensive study on a newly synthesized perylenetetracarboxylic
      diimide (PDI) hexamer together with its corresponding monomer and dimer by means
      of steady-state absorption and fluorescence as well as femtosecond broadband
      transient absorption measurements. The structure of the PDI hexamer is nearly
      arranged in a 3-fold symmetry by three identical and separated dimers. This
      unique structure makes the excited state energy relaxation processes more complex
      due to the existence of two different intramolecular interactions: a strong
      interaction between face-to-face PDIs in dimers and a relatively weak interaction
      between the three separated PDI dimers. The steady-state spectra and the ground
      state structural optimization show that the steric effect plays a dominant role
      in keeping the formation of the face-to-face stacked PDI-dimer within the PDI
      hexamer, indicating that some level of a pre-associated excimer had formed
      already in the ground state for the dimer in the hexamer. Femtosecond transient
      absorption experiments on the PDI hexamer reveal a fast (~200 fs) localization
      process and a sequential relaxation to a pre-associated excimer trap state from
      the delocalized exciton state with about 1.2 ps after the initially delocalized
      excitation. Meanwhile, excitation energy transfer among the three separated
      dimers within the PDI-hexamer is also revealed by the anisotropic femtosecond
      pump-probe transient experiments, where the hopping time is about 2.8 ps. A
      relaxed excimer state is further formed in 7.9 ps after energy hopping and
      conformational relaxation. 

PMID- 26112428
TI  - Management of Locally Advanced Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagus and
      Gastroesophageal Junction: Finally a Consensus.
AB  - Opinion statement: Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus is increasing in incidence in
      Western nations leading to increased interest in and opportunity to study optimal
      management. Randomized trials have now robustly demonstrated the preoperative
      therapy with chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy alone improves survival outcome
      for the bulk of curable patients, those with locally advanced T1N1M0 and T2-3 N0
      1 M0 disease. Evidence suggests but does not confirm that radiation-containing
      regimens are more beneficial. Clinical staging is designed to exclude patients
      with T1N0M0 disease who may be treated with surgery alone and those with
      metastatic disease who may not benefit from intensive local therapy. The approach
      to clinical staging includes endoscopy with ultrasound and fine needle aspirate
      to assess local and regional disease, supplemented by CT and PET scanning
      primarily to exclude metastatic disease. Minimally invasive approaches to
      esophagectomy may be used with the goal of reducing complications, but there is
      no evidence that mortality or ultimate outcome is improved.

PMID- 26112429
TI  - Using white noise to gate organic transistors for dynamic monitoring of cultured
      cell layers.
AB  - Impedance sensing of biological systems allows for monitoring of cell and tissue
      properties, including cell-substrate attachment, layer confluence, and the
      "tightness" of an epithelial tissue. These properties are critical for electrical
      detection of tissue health and viability in applications such as toxicological
      screening. Organic transistors based on conducting polymers offer a promising
      route to efficiently transduce ionic currents to attain high quality impedance
      spectra, but collection of complete impedance spectra can be time consuming
      (minutes). By applying uniform white noise at the gate of an organic
      electrochemical transistor (OECT), and measuring the resulting current noise, we
      are able to dynamically monitor the impedance and thus integrity of cultured
      epithelial monolayers. We show that noise sourcing can be used to track rapid
      monolayer disruption due to compounds which interfere with dynamic polymerization
      events crucial for maintaining cytoskeletal integrity, and to resolve sub-second
      alterations to the monolayer integrity. 

PMID- 26112430
TI  - Coexisting and mixing phenomena of thermoacoustic and magnetoacoustic waves in
      water.
AB  - Concurrent generation and mixing phenomenon of thermoacoustic (TA) and
      magnetoacoustic (MA) waves in water are predicted and observed. A theory unifying
      TA and MA is further put forward to analyze it. By scaling down the radio
      frequency in thermoacoustics to the low mega Hertz range and by incorporating
      appropriately a static magnetic field, TA and MA waves are simultaneously
      generated in the conductive matter. The two waves propagate concurrently in water
      and produce dynamic acoustic radiation force due to water absorption. Such
      dynamic radiation force vibrates the absorbing water and consequently yields
      acoustic emissions at the inter-modulation frequencies of TA and MA waves,
      creating mixing effect similar to that of vibro-acoustography. The mixing effect
      can be potentially utilized to mimic vibro-acoustography imaging without firing
      external ultrasound towards intrinsic dual-contrast (elasticity and conductivity)
      imaging. 

PMID- 26112431
TI  - Tuberculosis in infants less than 3 months of age of Risaralda, Colombia.

PMID- 26112432
TI  - [Oncohematologic cancers and tuberculosis in a general hospital].

PMID- 26112433
TI  - Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology for
      respondent-driven sampling studies: "STROBE-RDS" statement.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a new data collection methodology
      used to estimate characteristics of hard-to-reach groups, such as the HIV
      prevalence in drug users. Many national public health systems and international
      organizations rely on RDS data. However, RDS reporting quality and available
      reporting guidelines are inadequate. We carried out a systematic review of RDS
      studies and present Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in
      Epidemiology for RDS Studies (STROBE-RDS), a checklist of essential items to
      present in RDS publications, justified by an explanation and elaboration
      document. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We searched the MEDLINE (1970-2013), EMBASE
      (1974-2013), and Global Health (1910-2013) databases to assess the number and
      geographical distribution of published RDS studies. STROBE-RDS was developed
      based on STROBE guidelines, following Guidance for Developers of Health Research
      Reporting Guidelines. RESULTS: RDS has been used in over 460 studies from 69
      countries, including the USA (151 studies), China (70), and India (32). STROBE
      RDS includes modifications to 12 of the 22 items on the STROBE checklist. The two
      key areas that required modification concerned the selection of participants and
      statistical analysis of the sample. CONCLUSION: STROBE-RDS seeks to enhance the
      transparency and utility of research using RDS. If widely adopted, STROBE-RDS
      should improve global infectious diseases public health decision making.

PMID- 26112434
TI  - Prospective evaluation of the incidence of wound infection in rattlesnake
      envenomation in dogs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence of wound infection following crotalidae
      envenomation in dogs and determine if the use of prophylactic antibiotics is
      warranted. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: A 24-hour private
      practice specialty and emergency center in Murrieta, California. ANIMALS: One
      hundred and two dogs with acute rattlesnake envenomation. INTERVENTIONS: One
      hundred and forty-three consecutive cases of suspected acute rattlesnake
      envenomation were evaluated between March of 2012 and May of 2013. One hundred
      and two cases received no antimicrobials as part of management. Eight cases were
      placed on prophylactic antimicrobials by the primary care veterinarian prior to
      referral and were excluded. Two cases were excluded because they were initiated
      on antimicrobials during hospitalization for reasons unrelated to snakebite.
      Three cases involved cats and were excluded. Three patients died acutely near the
      time of presentation and were excluded. Twenty-one cases of suspected
      envenomation were excluded for lack of strong evidence of snakebite. Four cases
      were lost to follow-up and were excluded. Follow-up was conducted within 2 weeks
      either by phone or by direct inspection of the wound. RESULTS: Of the 102
      patients included in the study only 1 infection developed. This patient developed
      an abscess subsequent to suspected compartment syndrome. CONCLUSION: The
      incidence of wound infection in rattlesnake envenomation is low, and the use of
      prophylactic antimicrobials is not recommended. The use of antimicrobials should
      be reserved for wounds with necrosis or abscess and the choice of antimicrobial
      should be based on a culture and sensitivity of the wound.

PMID- 26112435
TI  - [Keratinophilic fungi in soils of parks of Corrientes city, Argentina].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The soil is a natural reservoir of keratinophilic fungi, which are a
      small but important group of filamentous fungi, some of which typically develop
      on keratinized tissues of living animals. There are numerous species of
      saprophytic fungi with recognized keratinophilic abilities, and several studies
      have been undertaken in order to link their presence to possible human disease.
      AIMS: To know the biota of geophilic fungi in general and of keratinophilic fungi
      particularly in soils from two public parks. METHODS: Soil samples from two
      public parks of Corrientes city, Argentina, were studied during two seasons,
      using the hook technique and serial dilutions for fungal isolation. RESULTS:
      Using the hook technique, 170 isolates were classified into 17 genera and 21
      species, among which it is worth mentioning the presence of Microsporum canis.
      Shannon index for keratinophilic fungi in autumn was 2.27, and 1.92 in spring. By
      means of the serial dilutions technique, 278 fungi isolated were identified into
      33 genera and 71 species. Shannon index in autumn was 3.9, and 3.5 in spring.
      CONCLUSIONS: The soils studied have particularly favorable conditions for the
      survival of pathogens and opportunistic geophilic fungi for humans and animals.

PMID- 26112436
TI  - MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH MODERATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OXYTOCIN AND
      INTERACTIVE BEHAVIOR.
AB  - Mothers with mood or anxiety disorders exhibit less optimal interactive behavior.
      The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been linked to more optimal interactive
      behaviors in mothers without mental illness, and it may play a particularly
      beneficial role in mothers with mood or anxiety disorders given its
      antidepressant and anxiolytic functions. We compared the relationship between OT
      and interactive behavior in mothers with and without mental health problems.
      Participants included 20 women diagnosed with postpartum mood or anxiety
      disorders (clinical sample) and 90 women with low levels of depression and
      anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum (community sample). At 2 months'
      postpartum, blood was drawn to assess maternal OT levels, and mother-infant
      interaction was coded for maternal sensitivity, intrusiveness, remoteness, and
      depressiveness. Clinical mothers exhibited less sensitive, more intrusive, and
      more depressive interactive behaviors than did community mothers. The groups did
      not differ in OT levels. Mothers with higher OT levels were less intrusive with
      their infants. Higher OT levels were associated with less depressive interactive
      behavior only in clinical mothers. OT was associated with positive interactive
      behaviors in both groups. In clinical mothers, the calming and soothing effects
      of OT may promote more relaxed, energetic, and infant-focused interactive
      behaviors. 

PMID- 26112437
TI  - Synthesis and evaluation of pyrrolotriazine based molecules as PI3 kinase
      inhibitors.
AB  - Over activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway is found in most cancer tumor types.
      Controlled regulation of this pathway using PI3K inhibitors can provide
      therapeutic significance in cancer treatment. Herein, we report the synthesis and
      evaluation of pyrrolotriazine based novel small molecules as pan-PI3K inhibitors.
      The SAR studies based on in vitro potency along with microsomal metabolic
      stability screening, identified 18 as a preclinical lead found to be suitable for
      in vivo evaluation. The identified lead was also found to be a selective
      inhibitor of PI3K isoforms and mTOR when screened across a panel of 23 homologous
      kinases. 

PMID- 26112438
TI  - Identification of alpha-substituted acylamines as novel, potent, and orally
      active mGluR5 negative allosteric modulators.
AB  - This Letter describes the identification of a series of novel non-acetylenic
      mGluR5 negative allosteric modulators based on the alpha-substituted acylamine
      structure. An initial structure-activity relationship study suggested that (R)
      19b and (R)-19j might have good in vitro activity. When administered orally,
      these compounds were found to have an anxiolytic-like effect in a mouse model of
      stress-induced hyperthermia. 

PMID- 26112439
TI  - Sustained inhibition of the NaV1.7 sodium channel by engineered dimers of the
      domain II binding peptide GpTx-1.
AB  - Many efforts are underway to develop selective inhibitors of the voltage-gated
      sodium channel NaV1.7 as new analgesics. Thus far, however, in vitro selectivity
      has proved difficult for small molecules, and peptides generally lack appropriate
      pharmacokinetic properties. We previously identified the NaV1.7 inhibitory
      peptide GpTx-1 from tarantula venom and optimized its potency and selectivity via
      structure-guided analoging. To further understand GpTx-1 binding to NaV1.7, we
      have mapped the binding site to transmembrane segments 1-4 of the second
      pseudosubunit internal repeat (commonly referred to as Site 4) using
      NaV1.5/NaV1.7 chimeric protein constructs. We also report that select GpTx-1
      amino acid residues apparently not contacting NaV1.7 can be derivatized with a
      hydrophilic polymer without adversely affecting peptide potency. Homodimerization
      of GpTx-1 with a bifunctional polyethylene glycol (PEG) linker resulted in a
      compound with increased potency and a significantly reduced off-rate,
      demonstrating the ability to modulate the function and properties of GpTx-1 by
      linking to additional molecules. 

PMID- 26112440
TI  - Structure-activity relationship of N-benzenesulfonyl matrinic acid derivatives as
      a novel class of coxsackievirus B3 inhibitors.
AB  - A novel series of N-benzenesulfonyl matrinic amine/amide and matrinic methyl
      ether analogues were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro anti
      coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) activities. The structure-activity relationship (SAR)
      studies revealed that introduction of a suitable amide substituent on position 4'
      could greatly enhance the antivirus potency. Compared to the lead compounds, the
      newly synthesized matrinic amide derivatives 21c-d and 21j exhibited stronger
      anti-CVB3 activities with lower micromolar IC50 from 2.5 MUM to 2.7 MUM, and
      better therapeutic properties with improved selectivity index (SI) from 63 to 67.
      The SAR results provided powerful information for further strategic optimization,
      and these top compounds were selected for the next evaluation as novel
      enterovirus inhibitors.

PMID- 26112441
TI  - An efficient approach for conversion of 5-substituted 2-thiouridines built in RNA
      oligomers into corresponding desulfured 4-pyrimidinone products.
AB  - An efficient approach for the desulfuration of C5-substituted 2-thiouridines
      (R5S2U) bound in the RNA chain exclusively to 4-pyrimidinone nucleoside (R5H2U)
      containing RNA products is proposed. This post-synthetic transformation avoids
      the preparation of a suitably protected H2U phosphoramidite, which otherwise
      would be necessary for solid-phase synthesis of the modified RNA. Optimization of
      the desulfuration, which included reaction stoichiometry, time and temperature,
      allowed to transform a set of ten R5S2U-RNAs into their R5H2U-RNA congeners in
      ca. 90% yield. 

PMID- 26112442
TI  - Synthesis and biological evaluation of 3,5-disubstituted-4-alkynylisoxozales as a
      novel class of HSP90 inhibitors.
AB  - A series of 3,5-disubstitute-4-alkynylisoxazole derivatives were designed and
      synthesized through palladium(II)-copper(I) catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling
      reaction of an alkynyl moiety and an isoxazole scaffold as novel HSP90
      inhibitors. The resultant compounds displayed moderate to potent binding affinity
      to HSP90 proteins, and also demonstrated good cell growth inhibitory activity
      against various cancer cell lines (A549, K562, MCF-7, DU145 and Hela). Some
      compounds (18d, 18e, 19a, 19d, 20c and 20q) show similar or better binding
      affinity towards HSP90alpha and HSP90beta comparing to NVP-AUY922. In addition,
      compounds 18e, 19a and 20q exhibited potent inhibitory activity against various
      human cancer cell lines. 

PMID- 26112443
TI  - Design, synthesis and evaluation of MCH receptor 1 antagonists--Part I:
      Optimization of HTS hits towards an in vivo efficacious tool compound BI 414.
AB  - Despite recent approvals of anti-obesity drugs there is still a high therapeutic
      need for alternative options with higher efficacy in humans. As part of our MCH
      R1 antagonist program for the treatment of obesity, a series of biphenylacetamide
      HTS hits was evaluated. Several issues of the initial lead structures had to be
      resolved, such as potency, selectivity over related GPCRs and P-gp efflux
      limiting brain exposure in this series. We could demonstrate that all parameters
      can be significantly improved by structural modifications resulting in BI 414 as
      a potent and orally available MCH-R1 antagonist tool compound with acceptable in
      vivo efficacy in an animal model of obesity. 

PMID- 26112444
TI  - The structural use of carbostyril in physiologically active substances.
AB  - Carbostyril (2-quinolinone, 2-quinolone) is an important structural component
      frequently used in natural products and in physiologically active substances
      including drugs. It is a 2-ring condensed heterocyclic compound containing
      several positions that can be replaced by arbitrary substituent groups and is
      used as a chemical building block, scaffold, fragment, and pharmacophore in drug
      design or discovery. Since the number of compounds that can be designed using
      carbostyril is exceedingly large, the steric structures of carbostyril
      derivatives can be adjusted to the unique, spatially oriented shape of, for
      example, the active sites of pharmaceutical target molecules. Moreover, the
      internal amide of the carbostyril unit exhibits distinctive features because of
      the fixed cis form of the lactam amide group. Because carbostyril has been used
      as a component in drugs and other bioactive compounds over time, carbostyril
      derivatives may improve absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and
      toxicity (ADMET). Therefore, carbostyril derivatives have enormous potential. In
      this review, the potential and advantages of the use of carbostyril and its
      related molecular skeletons, such as 3,4-dihydrocarbostyril, are discussed by
      focusing on the physiologically active substances in which they are incorporated.

PMID- 26112445
TI  - Design and synthesis of constrained analogs of LCRF-0004 as potent RON tyrosine
      kinase inhibitors.
AB  - New fused bicyclic lactam head groups as rigidified analogs of thieno[3,2
      b]pyridine-based kinase inhibitor LCRF-0004 were designed and synthesized.
      Depending on the functionalities and the size of these bicyclic head groups,
      potent inhibitors of RON tyrosine kinase with various level of selectivity
      against c-Met tyrosine kinase were obtained. 

PMID- 26112447
TI  - Susceptibility to schizophrenia and insertion/deletion polymorphism in intron 3
      of the XRCC4 gene.

PMID- 26112446
TI  - Ionic derivatives of betulinic acid exhibit antiviral activity against herpes
      simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2), but not HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.
AB  - Betulinic acid (1) has been modified to ionic derivatives (2-5) to improve its
      water solubility and biological activities. The binding properties of these
      derivatives with respect to human serum albumin (HSA) was examined and found to
      be similar to current anti-HIV drugs. These compounds did not inhibit HIV reverse
      transcriptase, however, 1, 2 and 5 inhibited herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2)
      replication at concentrations similar to those reported for acyclovir (IC50 ~ 0.1
      10 MUM) and with minimal cellular cytotoxicity. IC50 values for antiviral
      activity against HSV-2 186 were 1.6, 0.6, 0.9, 7.2, and 0.9 MUM for compounds 1
      5, respectively.

PMID- 26112448
TI  - Dissociation and hallucinations in dyads engaged through interpersonal gazing.
AB  - Interpersonal gazing in dyads, when the two individuals in the dyad stare at each
      other in the eyes, is investigated in 20 healthy young individuals at low
      illumination for 10-min. Results indicate dissociative symptoms, dysmorphic face
      perceptions, and hallucination-like strange-face apparitions. Dissociative
      symptoms and face dysmorphia were correlated. Strange-face apparitions were non
      correlated with dissociation and dysmorphia. These results indicate that
      dissociative symptoms and hallucinatory phenomena during interpersonal-gazing
      under low illumination can involve different processes. Strange-face apparitions
      may characterize the rebound to "reality" (perceptual reality caused by external
      stimulus and hallucinatory reality caused by internal input) from a dissociative
      state induced by sensory deprivation. These phenomena may explain psychodynamic
      projections of the subject's unconscious meanings into the other's face. The
      results indicate that interpersonal gazing in dyads can be an effective tool for
      studying experimentally-induced dissociative symptoms and hallucinatory-like
      apparitions.

PMID- 26112449
TI  - Postcard intervention for depression in community-dwelling older adults: A
      randomised controlled trial.
AB  - Depression in older adults erodes their health, quality of life and the economy.
      Existing interventions are not feasible for broad application at the community.
      Postcard intervention only requires a few resources, and previous studies have
      shown its effectiveness for patients following drug overdose, self-harm and
      hospitalisation for major depression. The purpose of the present study is to
      evaluate the effectiveness of a postcard intervention. Participants were
      community-dwelling individuals, aged 65 or older, who eat meals alone and with
      the score of 4 or higher on the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). We
      enrolled 184 eligible participants, with 93 in the intervention and 91 in the
      control arm. Postcards were sent to participants once a month for eight months.
      Primary outcome was the GDS-15 score at post-intervention. Secondary outcomes
      were quality of life and activities of daily living. There was no significant
      difference in primary and secondary outcomes between completers of the
      intervention and the control arm. However, most of the participants who received
      intervention thought the intervention was effective. The postcard intervention
      for depression in community-dwelling elderly people in Japan is neither feasible
      nor effective. However, the descriptive results suggest that the intervention may
      be effective given different parameters. 

PMID- 26112450
TI  - Patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome have widespread personality
      differences.
AB  - Only little is known about pathological personality traits in patients with
      Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). The aim of this study was to further
      investigate the prevalence of personality traits in adults with GTS. We used a
      variety of rating scales to assess not only personality traits, but also severity
      of tics, quality of life, and comorbidities (obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),
      attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression), in a large group
      (n=50) of patients. Our major finding was that pathological personality traits
      are very common in patients with GTS encompassing a wide range of different
      personality traits, but most typically personality traits related to cluster C.
      Demand-anxious was the most common personality trait, while histrionic
      personality trait was absent. Patients' quality of life was more impaired by
      personality traits than comorbidities. Personality traits were more common in
      patients with comorbid OCD and depression, while comorbid ADHD had no influence.
      Our findings, therefore, corroborate the hypothesis that GTS plus OCD represents
      a more severe subtype of GTS, and support the assumption that OCD and depression,
      but not ADHD, are part of the GTS spectrum. 

PMID- 26112451
TI  - Cytomorphometric and Morphological Analysis in Women with Trichomonas vaginalis
      Infection: Micronucleus Frequency in Exfoliated Cervical Epithelial Cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the cytomorphometric and
      morphological effects of Trichomonas vaginalis in exfoliated epithelial cells.
      STUDY DESIGN: Ninety-six Pap-stained cervical smears were divided into a study
      group and two control groups as follows: T. vaginalis cases, a first control
      group with inflammation, and a second control group without inflammation.
      Micronucleated, binucleated, karyorrhectic, karyolytic, and karyopyknotic cells
      and cells with perinuclear halos per 1,000 epithelial cells were counted. Nuclear
      and cellular areas were evaluated in 70 clearly defined cells in each smear using
      image analysis. RESULTS: The frequencies of morphological parameters in the T.
      vaginalis cases were higher than the values of the two control groups, and the
      difference among groups was found to be significant (p < 0.05). The nuclear and
      cytoplasmic areas of epithelial cells were diminished in patients with
      trichomoniasis. The mean nucleus/cytoplasm ratio in T. vaginalis patients was
      higher than the value in the control groups, and the difference between the study
      group and control group 1 was significant. However, there was no statistically
      significant increase between the study group and control group 2. CONCLUSIONS: T.
      vaginalis exhibited significant changes in the cellular size and nuclear
      structure of the cells. The rising frequency of micronuclei, nuclear
      abnormalities, and changing nucleus/cytoplasm ratio may reflect genotoxic damage
      in trichomoniasis.

PMID- 26112452
TI  - PlantOrDB: a genome-wide ortholog database for land plants and green algae.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genes with different functions are originally generated from some
      ancestral genes by gene duplication, mutation and functional recombination. It is
      widely accepted that orthologs are homologous genes evolved from speciation
      events while paralogs are homologous genes resulted from gene duplication
      events.With the rapid increase of genomic data, identifying and distinguishing
      these genes among different species is becoming an important part of functional
      genomics research. DESCRIPTION: Using 35 plant and 6 green algal genomes from
      Phytozome v9, we clustered 1,291,670 peptide sequences into 49,355 homologous
      gene families in terms of sequence similarity. For each gene family, we have
      generated a peptide sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree, and identified the
      speciation/duplication events for every node within the tree. For each node, we
      also identified and highlighted diagnostic characters that facilitate appropriate
      addition of a new query sequence into the existing phylogenetic tree and sequence
      alignment of its best matched gene family. Based on a desired species or subgroup
      of all species, users can view the phylogenetic tree, sequence alignment and
      diagnostic characters for a given gene family selectively. PlantOrDB not only
      allows users to identify orthologs or paralogs from phylogenetic trees, but also
      provides all orthologs that are built using Reciprocal Best Hit (RBH) pairwise
      alignment method. Users can upload their own sequences to find the best matched
      gene families, and visualize their query sequences within the relevant
      phylogenetic trees and sequence alignments. CONCLUSION: PlantOrDB (
      http://bioinfolab.miamioh.edu/plantordb ) is a genome-wide ortholog database for
      land plants and green algae. PlantOrDB offers highly interactive visualization,
      accurate query classification and powerful search functions useful for functional
      genomic research.

PMID- 26112453
TI  - Diffuse Idiopathic Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Cell Hyperplasia (DIPNECH) and the
      Role of Somatostatin analogs: A Case Series.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: DIPNECH is a rare pre-neoplastic condition that often presents with a
      variety of non-specific pulmonary symptoms and sometimes seen in conjunction with
      pulmonary carcinoid tumors. There are very limited data on use of somatostatin
      analogs in patients with DIPNECH. We review the long-term outcomes of
      somatostatin analog therapy with regard to symptom control in patients with
      DIPNECH. MATERIALS/METHODS: Retrospective study out of our extensive registry of
      over 2000 neuroendocrine tumors identifies 184 pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors.
      Out of this, there were five histopathologically confirmed cases of DIPNECH.
      Appropriate institutional review board permission was taken for this analysis.
      RESULTS: All 5 patients were females, with a mean age at diagnosis was 65.5
      years. Follow-up period includes 1-5 years. Cough was the presenting complaint in
      all five patients described as mostly dry, except for one patient who had
      productive early morning cough. Other symptoms seen in one of our patients
      included wheezing, flushing, and fluctuating blood pressure. No one reported
      weight loss, hemoptysis, and shortness of breath. One of our patients had a
      benign thyroid nodule and two patients had previous history of breast cancer. All
      five of our patients were histopathologically diagnosed by lung biopsy. 4 out of
      5 patients were started on a somatostatin analog. All four patients reported
      drastic improvement in cough. One patient reported mild abdominal discomfort and
      diarrhea as side effects but remained on treatment. CONCLUSIONS: From our single
      institution review of neuroendocrine pulmonary tumor cases, we found only five
      cases of DIPNECH, which reaffirms rare nature of the pathology. It primarily
      affects females over 60 years with dry cough as the most common presenting
      symptom. Most of our patients responded to treatment with a somatostatin analog
      and had significant improvement in their presenting symptoms. Somatostatin
      analogs were well tolerated resulting in significant resolution of presenting
      symptoms in most of our patients. Further research is needed; however, a trial of
      somatostatin analogs should be considered in the treatment of patients with
      DIPNECH with responders being treated long term.

PMID- 26112454
TI  - Patients' experiences of changes in health complaints before, during, and after
      removal of dental amalgam.
AB  - In this article, we explore how patients with health complaints attributed to
      dental amalgam experienced and gave meaning to changes in health complaints
      before, during, and after removal of all amalgam fillings. We conducted
      semistructured qualitative interviews with 12 participants from the treatment
      group in a Norwegian amalgam removal trial. Interviews took place within a couple
      months of the final follow-up 5 years after amalgam removal. Using the NVivo9
      software, we conducted an explorative and reflective thematic analysis and
      identified the following themes: Something is not working: betrayed by the body,
      You are out there on your own, Not being sure of the importance of amalgam
      removal, The relief experienced after amalgam removal, and To accept, to give up,
      or to continue the search. We discuss the findings in the context of patients'
      assigning meaning to illness experiences. 

PMID- 26112455
TI  - Improving nurse practitioners' competence with genetics: Effectiveness of an
      online course.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an online
      genetics course for improving nurse practitioners' knowledge, competence, and
      comfort with genetic principles and their application to clinical practice. DATA
      SOURCES: A genetics knowledge test and survey were administered to 232 nurse
      practitioner students, between 2011 and 2013, before and after completing a 15
      week online genetics course taught by a multidisciplinary team of instructors at
      a private east coast U.S. university. The 65-item survey allowed participants to
      rate competence regarding genetic principles, diseases, and terminology, as well
      as comfort performing various clinical tasks related to genetics. The 21-item
      knowledge test contained multiple choice questions regarding core competencies in
      genetics. Paired t-tests were used to compare mean pre- and postscores.
      CONCLUSIONS: Participants significantly increased postcourse knowledge (p < .001)
      and comfort with genetic core competencies and clinical skills related to
      genetics (p < .001). This study demonstrates the effectiveness of an online
      genetics course for increasing nurse practitioners' knowledge, competence, and
      confidence with genetics and identifies specific topics educators should consider
      when designing curricula for nurse practitioners. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:
      Findings from this study can improve genetics education for nurse practitioners,
      which will in turn improve patient health.

PMID- 26112457
TI  - In Focus: Plasma Medicine.

PMID- 26112458
TI  - Aggressive thyroid cancer: targeted therapy with sorafenib.
AB  - Sorafenib (Nexavar), is a multikinase inhibitor, which has demonstrated both
      antiproliferative and antiangiogenic properties in vitro and in vivo, inhibiting
      the activity of targets present in the tumoral cells (c-RAF [proto-oncogene
      serine/threonine-protein kinase], BRAF, (V600E)BRAF, c-KIT, and FMS-like tyrosine
      kinase 3) and in tumor vessels (c-RAF, vascular endothelial growth factor
      receptor [VEGFR]-2, VEGFR-3, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta).
      Sorafenib was initially approved for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma
      and advanced renal cell carcinoma. Experimental studies have demonstrated that
      sorafenib has both antiproliferative and antiangiogenic properties in vitro and
      in vivo, against thyroid cancer cells. Furthermore, several completed (or
      ongoing) studies have evaluated the long-term efficacy and tolerability of
      sorafenib in patients with papillary, follicular and medullary aggressive thyroid
      cancer. The results of the different studies showed good clinical responses and
      stabilization of the disease and suggested that sorafenib is a promising
      therapeutic option in patients with advanced thyroid cancer that is not
      responsive to traditional therapeutic strategies (such as radioiodine).
      Currently, USA Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of sorafenib for
      metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer.

PMID- 26112459
TI  - Levels in neurotransmitter precursor amino acids correlate with mental health in
      patients with breast cancer.
AB  - Breast cancer is the most common cancer among females. Approximately 30% of
      cancer patients develop depression or depressive adaptation disorder within 5
      years post diagnosis. Low grade inflammation and subsequent changes in
      neurotransmitter levels could be the pathophysiological link. In the current
      study we investigated the association of neurotransmitter precursor amino acids
      with a diagnosis of depression or state anxiety in 154 subjects suffering from
      breast cancer (BCA(+)), depression (DPR(+)), both or neither. Sociodemographic
      parameters, severity of depressive symptoms, and state anxiety (ANX) were
      recorded. Neopterin, kynurenine/tryptophan and phenylalanine/tyrosine were
      analysed by HPLC or ELISA. Significantly higher serum neopterin values were found
      in DPR(+) patients (p = 0.034) and in ANX(+) subjects (p = 0.008), as a marker of
      Th1-related inflammation. The phenylalanine/tyrosine ratio (index of the
      catecholamine pathway) was associated with the factors "breast cancer" and
      "depression" and their interaction (all p < 0.001); it was highest in the
      DPR(+)BCA(+) group. The kynurenine/tryptophan ratio (index of the serotonin
      pathway) was significantly associated with the factors "breast cancer" and "state
      anxiety" and their interaction (p < 0.001, p = 0.026, p = 0.02, respectively); it
      was highest in the ANX(+)BCA(+) group. In BCA(+) patients kynurenine/tryptophan
      ratios correlated with severity of state anxiety (r = 0.226, p = 0.048,
      uncorrected) and phenylalanine/tyrosine ratios with severity of depressive
      symptoms (r = 0.376, p < 0.05, corrected). In conclusion, levels of
      neurotransmitter precursor amino acids correlate with mental health, an effect
      which was much more pronounced in BCA(+) patients than in BCA(-) subjects. Aside
      from identifying underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, these results could be
      the basis for future treatment studies: in BCA(+) patients with depression the
      use of serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors might be recommended while in
      those with predominant anxiety selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors might be
      the treatment of choice.

PMID- 26112460
TI  - Reasons Why Eligible Candidates Decline Left Ventricular Assist Device Placement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A greater understanding of how beliefs and perceptions inform LVAD
      placement refusals can help ensure that standards for informed decision making
      are met. We report on the factors that influence refusal and what accounts for
      changes in decliners' decision-making process when, and if, that occurs. METHOD
      AND RESULTS: We identified candidates (8 bridge to transplant; 6 destination
      therapy, 7 without designation) who declined LVAD placement (n = 21), 11 of whom
      were identified prospectively from February 2014 to March 2015, and 10 of whom
      were identified retrospectively with the use of our program database. Of these 21
      decliners, 11 candidates persistently declined LVAD placement, with a median time
      of 175 days elapsing between time of LVAD offer and March 4, 2015. Ten candidates
      declined for an average of 224 days before agreeing to LVAD placement. From March
      2014 to March 2015, we conducted structured interviews with LVAD decliners.
      Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed quantitatively
      with the use of Atlas.ti. The findings reflect that refusal can evolve over time.
      Decliners report that their initial refusals were made reflexively, but the 10
      decliners who ultimately opted for LVAD placement changed their decisions as
      symptoms worsened. Decliners have concerns about the impacts of LVAD treatment on
      mobility, and they distrust LVAD technology. Some decliners believe LVAD
      placement would affect their ability to receive a transplant. Finally, decliners
      believe that they are not sick enough for LVAD placement when they are stabilized
      with medical management. CONCLUSIONS: Decliners' perspectives are integral for
      improving informed consent and refusal processes. Our analysis revealed
      decliners' decision-making processes and factors influencing their decisions. We
      provide several clinically based practical recommendations based on our findings.

PMID- 26112461
TI  - Functions of plants long non-coding RNAs.
AB  - Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been emerged as important players for various
      biological pathways, including dosage compensation, genomic imprinting, chromatin
      regulation, alternative splicing and nuclear organization. A large number of
      lncRNAs had already been identified by different approaches in plants, while the
      functions of only a few of them have been investigated. This review will
      summarize our current understanding of a wide range of plant lncRNAs functions,
      and highlight their roles in the regulation of diverse pathways in plants. This
      article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Clues to long noncoding RNA
      taxonomy1, edited by Dr. Tetsuro Hirose and Dr. Shinichi Nakagawa. 

PMID- 26112462
TI  - Local field potentials are local events in the mouse auditory cortex.
AB  - Local field potentials (LFPs) and spikes (SPKs) sampled at the thalamocortical
      recipient layers represent the inputs from the thalamus and outputs to other
      layers. Previous studies have shown that SPK-constructed receptive fields (RFSPK)
      of cortical neurons are much smaller than LFP-constructed RFs (RFLFP). The
      difference in cortical RFLFP and RFSPK is therefore a plausible indication of
      local networking. The presence of a boarder RFLFP appears due to contamination,
      to some degree, from remote sites. Our studies of the mouse primary auditory
      cortex show that the best frequencies and minimum thresholds of RFSPK and RFLFP
      were similar. We also observed that the RFLFP area was only slightly larger than
      the RFSPK area, a very different finding from previous reports. The bandwidth of
      RFLFP was slightly broader than that of RFSPK at all levels. These data do not
      support the explanation that bioelectrical signals from distant sites impact on
      cortical LFP through volume conduction. That the cortical LFP represents a local
      event is further supported by comparisons of RFSPK and RFLFP after cortical
      inhibition by muscimol and cortical disinhibition by bicuculine. We conclude that
      the difference between RFSPK (output of cortical neurons) and RFLFP (input of
      cortical neurons) results from intracortical processing, including cortical
      lateral inhibition and excitation.

PMID- 26112463
TI  - DOTAP/DOPE ratio and cell type determine transfection efficiency with DOTAP
      liposomes.
AB  - The effects of lipid compositions on their physicochemical properties and
      transfection efficiencies were investigated. Four liposome formulations with
      different 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammoniumpropane (DOTAP) to
      dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) weight ratios were investigated, that is,
      weight ratios 1:0 (T1P0), 3:1 (T3P1), 1:1 (T1P1), and 1:3 (T1P3). Mean sizes of
      liposomes were influenced by their lipid composition and the preparation
      concentration at the time of sonication. Zeta potentials of liposomes were
      inversely correlated with their liposome sizes. However, neither liposome sizes
      nor zeta potentials were correlated with transfection efficiency. The optimum
      composition of liposomes was cell-line dependent (T1P0 and T3P1 for Huh7 and AGS,
      T3P1 and T1P1 for COS7, and T1P1 and T1P3 for A549). The shape of lipoplexes was
      changed from lamellar to inverted hexagonal structure according to the increased
      ratio of DOPE, but there was no definite advantage of specific structure in
      transfection efficiency throughout all used cell lines. However, cellular
      internalization was consistently faster in T1P0, T3P1, T1P1 compared to T1P3 in
      all cell lines, suggesting the importance of endosomal escape. Our findings show
      that the transfection efficiency of DOTAP liposomes is mainly influenced by lipid
      composition and cell type, and not by size or zeta potential. 

PMID- 26112464
TI  - Diffuse, non-polar electropermeabilization and reduced propidium uptake
      distinguish the effect of nanosecond electric pulses.
AB  - Ca2+ activation and membrane electroporation by 10-ns and 4-ms electric pulses
      (nsEP and msEP) were compared in rat embryonic cardiomyocytes. The lowest
      electric field which triggered Ca2+ transients was expectedly higher for nsEP (36
      kV/cm) than for msEP (0.09 kV/cm) but the respective doses were similar (190 and
      460 mJ/g). At higher intensities, both stimuli triggered prolonged firing in
      quiescent cells. An increase of basal Ca2+ level by >10 nM in cells with blocked
      voltage-gated Ca2+ channels and depleted Ca2+ depot occurred at 63 kV/cm (nsEP)
      or 0.14 kV/cm (msEP) and was regarded as electroporation threshold. These
      electric field values were at 150-230% of stimulation thresholds for both msEP
      and nsEP, notwithstanding a 400,000-fold difference in pulse duration. For
      comparable levels of electroporative Ca2+ uptake, msEP caused at least 10-fold
      greater uptake of propidium than nsEP, suggesting increased yield of larger
      pores. Electroporation by msEP started Ca2+ entry abruptly and locally at the
      electrode-facing poles of cell, followed by a slow diffusion to the center. In a
      stark contrast, nsEP evoked a "supra-electroporation" pattern of slower but
      spatially uniform Ca2+ entry. Thus nsEP and msEP had comparable dose efficiency,
      but differed profoundly in the size and localization of electropores.

PMID- 26112465
TI  - GLUT2 and TAS1R2 Polymorphisms and Susceptibility to Dental Caries.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Dental caries is one of the most frequent multifactorial diseases.
      Among the numerous factors influencing the risk of caries, genetics plays a
      substantial role, with heritability ranging from 40 to 60%. Gene variants
      affecting taste preference and glucose transport were recently associated with
      caries risk. The aim of this study was to analyze two common polymorphisms in the
      sweet taste receptor (TAS1R2) and glucose transporter (GLUT2) genes in children
      with dental caries and healthy controls in the Czech population. METHODS: A total
      of 637 unrelated Caucasian children, aged 11-13 years, were included in this case
      control study. One hundred and fifty-five subjects were caries-free (with
      decayed/missing/filled teeth, DMFT = 0) and 482 children were caries-affected
      (DMFT >= 1). The TAS1R2 (Ile191Val, rs35874116) and GLUT2 (Thr110Ile, rs5400)
      genotypes were determined using the 5' nuclease TaqMan(r) assay for allelic
      discrimination. RESULTS: Compared with subjects with the common Thr allele,
      carriers of the Ile allele of GLUT2 had significantly more frequently dental
      caries (p < 0.05, OR = 1.639, 95% CI: 1.089-2.466). Similarly, children with the
      Val allele for the TAS1R2 Ile191Val polymorphism were more frequently affected by
      caries than children who carried the Ile allele (p < 0.05, OR = 1.413, 95% CI:
      1.014-1.969). In contrast, no significant associations between GLUT2 and/or
      TAS1R2 polymorphisms and fillings were found, but allele frequencies of the
      TAS1R2 variant were marginally significantly different between children with DMFT
      = 0 and DMFT >=1 (p = 0.053, OR = 1.339, 95% CI: 0.996-1.799). However, no
      significant interaction between both genes and risk of dental caries was found.
      CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, GLUT2 and TASR1 polymorphisms may influence the risk
      of caries in the Czech population.

PMID- 26112467
TI  - The 2- and 8-week effects of decompressive brace use in people with medial
      compartment knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis is a prevalent disease. Unloading the affected
      compartment using a brace is a treatment option. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether
      a decompressive knee brace alters loading in medial knee osteoarthritis following
      2 and 8 weeks of use. STUDY DESIGN: Within subjects; pre- and post-testing.
      METHODS: A total of 15 individuals with medial knee osteoarthritis attended four
      sessions: baseline, fitting, 2 weeks after fitting (post), and 8 weeks after
      fitting (final). A gait analysis was performed at baseline (without knee brace),
      post and final. Knee adduction impulse, first and second peak knee adduction
      moment, knee motion, and walking velocity were calculated. Participants also
      recorded hours and steps taken while wearing the brace. RESULTS: On average, the
      brace was worn for more than 6 h/day. Through use of repeated-measures analysis
      of variance, it was determined that the knee adduction impulse and second peak
      knee adduction moment were reduced (p < 0.05) at post and final compared to
      baseline (36% and 34% reduction in knee adduction impulse, 26% reduction in
      second peak knee adduction moment for post and final, respectively). Furthermore,
      participants walked faster with increased knee motion during stance. CONCLUSION:
      The studied decompressive brace was effective in reducing potentially detrimental
      forces at the knee-knee adduction impulse and second peak knee adduction moment
      during the stance phase of gait. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The data from this study
      suggest that use of a medial unloading brace can reduce potentially detrimental
      adduction moments at the knee. Clinicians should use this evidence to advocate
      for use of this noninvasive treatment for people presenting with medial knee
      osteoarthritis.

PMID- 26112466
TI  - Bee venom ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced memory loss by preventing NF
      kappaB pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accumulation of beta-amyloid and neuroinflammation trigger
      Alzheimer's disease. We previously found that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) caused
      neuroinflammation with concomitant accumulation of beta-amyloid peptides leading
      to memory loss. A variety of anti-inflammatory compounds inhibiting nuclear
      factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation have showed efficacy to hinder
      neuroinflammation and amyloidogenesis. We also found that bee venom (BV) inhibits
      NF-kappaB. METHODS: A mouse model of LPS-induced memory loss used administration
      of BV (0.8 and 1.6 MUg/kg/day, i.p.) to ICR mice for 7 days before injection of
      LPS (2.5 mg/kg/day, i.p.). Memory loss was assessed using a Morris water maze
      test and passive avoidance test. For in vitro study, we treated BV (0.5, 1, and 2
      MUg/mL) to astrocytes and microglial BV-2 cells with LPS (1 MUg/mL). RESULTS: We
      found that BV inhibited LPS-induced memory loss determined by behavioral tests as
      well as cell death. BV also inhibited LPS-induced increases in the level of beta
      amyloid (Abeta), beta-and gamma-secretases activities, NF-kappaB and its DNA
      binding activity and expression of APP, and BACE1 and neuroinflammation proteins
      (COX-2, iNOS, GFAP and IBA-1) in the brain and cultured cells. In addition, pull
      down assay and molecular modeling showed that BV binds to NF-kappaB. CONCLUSIONS:
      BV attenuates LPS-induced amyloidogenesis, neuroinflammation, and therefore
      memory loss via inhibiting NF-kappaB signaling pathway. Thus, BV could be useful
      for treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26112470
TI  - Benchmarking Transcriptome Quantification Methods for Duplicated Genes in Xenopus
      laevis.
AB  - Xenopus is an important model organism for the study of genome duplication in
      vertebrates. With the full genome sequence of diploid Xenopus tropicalis
      available, and that of allotetraploid X. laevis close to being finished, we will
      be able to expand our understanding of how duplicated genes have evolved. One of
      the key features in the study of the functional consequence of gene duplication
      is how their expression patterns vary across different conditions, and RNA-seq
      seems to have enough resolution to discriminate the expression of highly similar
      duplicated genes. However, most of the current RNA-seq analysis methods were not
      designed to study samples with duplicate genes such as in X. laevis. Here,
      various computational methods to quantify gene expression in RNA-seq data were
      evaluated, using 2 independent X. laevis egg RNA-seq datasets and 2 reference
      databases for duplicated genes. The fact that RNA-seq can measure expression
      levels of similar duplicated genes was confirmed, but long paired-end reads are
      more informative than short single-end reads to discriminate duplicated genes.
      Also, it was found that bowtie, one of the most popular mappers in RNA-seq
      analysis, reports significantly smaller numbers of unique hits according to a
      mapping quality score compared to other mappers tested (BWA, GSNAP, STAR).
      Calculated from unique hits based on a mapping quality score, both expression
      levels and the expression ratio of duplicated genes can be estimated consistently
      among biological replicates, demonstrating that this method can successfully
      discriminate the expression of each copy of a duplicated gene pair. This
      comprehensive evaluation will be a useful guideline for studying gene expression
      of organisms with genome duplication using RNA-seq in the future.

PMID- 26112468
TI  - A systematic review of the effect of foot orthoses and shoe characteristics on
      balance in healthy older subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Foot orthoses are used to optimize lower extremity function and can
      improve postural stability by enhancing the afferent somatosensory feedback
      available to the central nervous system. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to
      evaluate the effect of foot orthoses on balance control in older subjects. STUDY
      DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: The search strategy was based on the
      Population Intervention Comparison Outcome method. A search was performed in
      PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and ISI Web of Knowledge databases by
      using selected keywords. A total of 22 articles were selected for final
      evaluation. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that older people should be advised
      to wear thin, hard-soled footwear with high collars to reduce the risk of
      falling. The findings for insoles demonstrated an increase in balance control via
      vibratory or magnetic insoles, but textured insoles do not appear to be
      beneficial for balance improvement. CONCLUSION: Foot orthoses improve postural
      stability via a somatosensory or biomechanical effect. Use of footwear with the
      proper features can be an appropriate intervention in order to increase the
      balance in the older population and reduce falls. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Loss of
      balance is an important factor in increasing the risk of falling in older
      subjects. Foot orthoses can improve functional measures of stability in older
      adults. In this review, results from studies suggest a number of recommendations
      regarding the optimal footwear for older people to reduce the risk of falling.

PMID- 26112471
TI  - Streptozotocin diabetic mice display depressive-like behavior and alterations in
      the structure, neurotransmission and plasticity of medial prefrontal cortex
      interneurons.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus patients are at increased risk of developing depression,
      although the neurobiological bases of this comorbidity are not yet fully
      understood. These patients show CNS alterations, similar to those found in major
      depression, including changes in the structure and neurotransmission of
      excitatory neurons. However, although depressive patients and animal models also
      display alterations in inhibitory networks, little is known about the effects of
      diabetes on interneurons. Our main objective was to study the impact of diabetes
      on interneurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), one of the regions most
      affected by major depression. For this purpose we have induced diabetes with high
      dose streptozotozin in transgenic mice displaying fluorescent interneurons. These
      animals showed a depressive-like behavior (increased immobility time in tail
      suspension test) in parallel with reductions in interneuronal dendritic
      arborization and in the expression of GAD67, the enzyme that synthetizes the
      inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. However, the levels of PSA-NCAM, a plasticity
      related molecule exclusively expressed by interneurons in the mPFC, were
      unaltered in the different regions and layers of this cortical area.
      Interestingly, diabetic mice also showed increased levels of synaptophysin, a
      synaptic vesicle protein. These results indicate that the structure and
      neurotransmission of interneurons is altered in the mPFC of diabetic mice and
      suggest that these changes may play a key role in the depressive symptoms
      associated to diabetes. 

PMID- 26112472
TI  - The Relationship between Prenatal Antidepressant Use and the Decision to
      Breastfeed among Women Enrolled in a Randomized Exercise Intervention Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the numerous health benefits associated with breastfeeding,
      only 49% of postpartum women in the United States breastfeed at 6 months.
      Therefore, it is important to understand factors that may influence a woman's
      decision to breastfeed. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the
      relationship between prenatal antidepressant use and the decision to breastfeed
      among postpartum women. METHODS: Participants were postpartum women (N = 87) who
      had participated in a randomized trial examining the efficacy of a 6-month
      exercise intervention for the prevention of postpartum depression (2009-2012).
      Participants were recruited from the upper Midwest and were at risk for
      postpartum depression. Participants completed telephone-based questionnaires
      assessing their prenatal antidepressant use and breastfeeding behavior. RESULTS:
      Seventeen percent of the participants took an antidepressant medication during
      pregnancy and 91% breastfed at birth. After controlling for baseline depressive
      symptoms, body mass index, and condition assignment, participants who were taking
      an antidepressant during pregnancy were less likely to initiate breastfeeding
      than participants who were not taking an antidepressant during pregnancy, beta = 
      2.042, P < .05 (odds ratio = 0.130; 95% confidence interval, 0.024-0.696).
      CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that prenatal antidepressant medication use may
      be a potential barrier to breastfeeding initiation. Additional research is needed
      to better understand the factors that play a role in the relationship between
      prenatal antidepressant use and breastfeeding initiation.

PMID- 26112473
TI  - "#discrimination": The Online Response to a Case of a Breastfeeding Mother Being
      Ejected from a UK Retail Premises.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stigma is a significant barrier to breastfeeding. Internationally,
      mothers have reported stigma surrounding public breastfeeding. In the United
      Kingdom, the Equality Act 2010 gives women the right to breastfeed in public,
      including within private businesses. In April 2014, a woman who was breastfeeding
      in a UK sports shop was asked to leave, resulting in a localized protest by
      breastfeeding mothers. This resulted in the issue of public breastfeeding being
      highlighted in local, national, and social media. OBJECTIVE: To examine online
      opinion regarding breastfeeding in public and protesting about the right to
      breastfeed in public within the context of a single case. METHODS: Online user
      generated content relating to the case of Wioletta Komar was downloaded from
      Twitter and the comments section of a UK online news source, Mail Online. Data
      comprised 884 comments and 1210 tweets, collected within 24 hours of the
      incident. Semiotic and thematic analysis was facilitated by NVivo 10. RESULTS:
      Comments from Twitter were supportive (76%) or neutral (22%) regarding the
      protesting women and public breastfeeding. Conversely, Mail Online comments were
      mostly negative (85%). Mail Online posters questioned the legality of public
      breastfeeding, while Twitter comments acknowledged and supported women's legal
      right to breastfeed publicly. Many Mail Online commenters stated that they found
      it uncomfortable to watch breastfeeding or thought it was unnecessary to
      breastfeed in public. CONCLUSION: If the UK government is serious about
      increasing breastfeeding, interventions to promote public support for public
      breastfeeding are urgently required.

PMID- 26112474
TI  - Hyperbolic phonon-polaritons in boron nitride for near-field optical imaging and
      focusing.
AB  - Hyperbolic materials exhibit sub-diffractional, highly directional, volume
      confined polariton modes. Here we report that hyperbolic phonon polaritons allow
      for a flat slab of hexagonal boron nitride to enable exciting near-field optical
      applications, including unusual imaging phenomenon (such as an enlarged
      reconstruction of investigated objects) and sub-diffractional focusing. Both the
      enlarged imaging and the super-resolution focusing are explained based on the
      volume-confined, wavelength dependent propagation angle of hyperbolic phonon
      polaritons. With advanced infrared nanoimaging techniques and state-of-art mid
      infrared laser sources, we have succeeded in demonstrating and visualizing these
      unexpected phenomena in both Type I and Type II hyperbolic conditions, with both
      occurring naturally within hexagonal boron nitride. These efforts have provided a
      full and intuitive physical picture for the understanding of the role of
      hyperbolic phonon polaritons in near-field optical imaging, guiding, and focusing
      applications. 

PMID- 26112475
TI  - Epididymosomes: a heterogeneous population of microvesicles with multiple
      functions in sperm maturation and storage.
AB  - Extracellular microvesicles present in the epididymal fluid have been named
      epididymosomes. Many epididymosome-associated proteins are transferred to
      spermatozoa during their maturation in the excurrent duct. Epididymosomes are
      heterogeneous, with their size varying between 50 and 250 nm. Two distinct
      population of epididymosomes characterized by different protein compositions and
      diameters have been isolated from the bovine epididymal fluid using different
      centrifugation protocols. One subpopulation of epididymosomes was characterized
      by CD9 and other tetraspanin partners. Transfer of proteins from these
      epididymosomes to maturing spermatozoa in co-incubation experiments was inhibited
      by antibodies against tetraspanin proteins. This suggests that this subpopulation
      of epididymosomes is involved in the acquisition of proteins involved in
      maturation by spermatozoa in the epididymis. The other population of
      epididymosomes was characterized by ELSPBP1 (epididymal sperm binding protein 1),
      known for its affinity for the phospholipid choline group. Flow cytometric
      analyses showed that ELSPBP1-positive epididymosomes only interacted with dying
      or dead epididymal spermatozoa in a Zn 2 + -dependent manner. BLVRA (biliverdin
      reductase) was identified as a partner of ELSPBP1. This enzyme reduces biliverdin
      to bilirubin: two molecules with powerful anti-oxidant properties. We hypothesize
      that BLVRA is involved in an ROS-scavenging mechanism protecting live epididymal
      spermatozoa against detrimental molecules (ROS) released by dying cells.
      Therefore, it appears that there are at least two epididymosome population with
      distinct functions: targeting specific proteins to transiting spermatozoa by
      tetraspanin-mediated membrane fusion, and protection of epididymal spermatozoa
      against ROS released from dying cells. Further work is needed to understand
      functions of epididymosomes in epididymal physiology and sperm maturation and
      storage. 

PMID- 26112476
TI  - Long-term recovery of normal sexual function in testicular cancer survivors.
AB  - Testicular cancer (TC) is the most common solid cancer in men between the third
      and fourth decade of life. Due to successful treatment approaches, TC survivors
      (TCSs) have long life expectancy, but with numerous potential long-term sequelae,
      including sexual dysfunction. We investigated predictors of long-term normal
      sexual function (SF) recovery in TCSs. Sociodemographic, medical, and
      psychometric data were analyzed in 143 Caucasian-European TCSs, who underwent
      orchiectomy at a single institution. Health-significant comorbidities were scored
      with the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Patients completed the International
      Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Statistical models tested the association
      between predictors (including age at surgery, body mass index, CCI, and adjuvant
      therapy: radiotherapy [RT], chemotherapy [CT], CT followed by retroperitoneal
      lymph node dissection [RPLND] and RPLND alone) and the long-term recovery of
      normal SF (defined as IIEF-erectile function [EF] >=26, and sexual desire [SD],
      intercourse satisfaction [IS] orgasmic function [OF], and overall satisfaction
      [OS] domain scores in the upper tertiles). At a mean follow-up of 86 months, 35
      (25.5%) TCSs had erectile dysfunction (ED), with 16 (11.2%) experiencing severe
      ED. Median time of EF recovery was 60, 60, and 70 months after CT, RT, and RPLND,
      respectively. Only adjuvant RT emerged as an independent predictor of nonrecovery
      of normal EF (HR: 0.55, P= 0.01). Neither adjuvant CT nor CT plus RPLND or RPLND
      alone significantly impaired the recovery of normal erections. Adjuvant therapy
      was not associated with impaired recovery of normal sexuality as a whole,
      considering the IIEF-SD, -OF, -IS, and OS domains. 

PMID- 26112477
TI  - Salvage brachytherapy for locally recurrent prostate cancer after external beam
      radiotherapy.
AB  - External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is a standard treatment for prostate cancer.
      Despite the development of novel radiotherapy techniques such as intensity
      modulated conformal radiotherapy, the risk of local recurrence after EBRT has not
      been obviated. Various local treatment options (including salvage prostatectomy,
      brachytherapy, cryotherapy, and high-intensity focused ultrasound [HIFU]) have
      been employed in cases of local recurrence after primary EBRT. Brachytherapy is
      the first-line treatment for low-risk and selected intermediate-risk prostate
      tumors. However, few studies have examined the use of brachytherapy to treat post
      EBRT recurrent prostate cancer. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the
      current state of our knowledge about the effects of salvage brachytherapy in
      patients who develop locally recurrent prostate cancer after primary EBRT. This
      article also introduces our novel permanent brachytherapy salvage method. 

PMID- 26112478
TI  - New therapies for relapsed castration-resistant prostate cancer based on peptide
      analogs of hypothalamic hormones.
AB  - It is a pleasure to contribute our presentation at the International Prostate
      Forum of the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) to this
      special issue of the Asian Journal of Andrology. 

PMID- 26112480
TI  - Implantation of AMS 700 LGX penile prosthesis preserves penile length without the
      need for penile lengthening procedures.
AB  - Implantation of an inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) is a well-established
      definitive solution for erectile dysfunction when conservative treatments fail.
      Penile implants may shorten the penis. The AMS 700 LGX IPP is in common use but
      reports on its mechanical reliability, medium-term postsurgical patient
      satisfaction, and mean penile length preservation are lacking. We investigate the
      mean penile length, mechanical reliability, and patient satisfaction at 6 and 12
      months after implantation of the AMS 700 LGX. This prospective study
      consecutively enrolled men undergoing first-time IPP implant surgery from
      February 2009 to April 2012. Stretched flaccid penile length, penile length at
      50% and 100% of stiffness (P50 and P100) and International Index of Erectile
      Function (IIEF) and Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction
      (EDITS) scores, were measured at 6 and 12 months postsurgery. Of 45 patients who
      underwent AMS 700 LGX implantation (median age 61 years) and completed 6 months'
      follow-up, 36 (80%) completed the study. A significant difference in stretched
      flaccid penile length was seen between 6 and 12 months (P = 0.033). P100 was also
      significantly increased at 6 and 12 months, with a mean 10% increase (1.3 +/- 0.4
      cm) from baseline to 12 months. Differences in mean IIEF scores at 6 and 12
      months were significant for the desired domain (P = 0.0001) and for overall
      satisfaction (P = 0.002); however, mean EDITS scores at 6 and 12 months were not
      significantly improved. AMS 700 LGX is a powerful tool for preserving penile
      length in men undergoing penile prosthesis implantation. 

PMID- 26112479
TI  - Hormone naive prostate cancer: predicting and maximizing response intervals.
AB  - Hormone naive advanced prostate cancer is subdivided into two disease states:
      biochemical recurrence and traditional M1 (metastatic) prostate cancer and
      characterized by no prior hormonal therapy or androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).
      In biochemical recurrence/prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence, men should
      be risk-stratified based on their PSA doubling time, the Gleason score and the
      timing of the recurrence. In general, only men who are at high risk should be
      considered for early/immediate ADT although this is best done using shared
      decision with the patient. The type of ADT to be used in biochemical recurrence
      ranging from oral-only peripheral blockade (peripheral androgen deprivation) to
      complete hormonal therapy (combined androgen blockade [CAB]) remains in debate
      owing to lack of randomized controlled trials (RCT). However, there is good RCT
      support for use of intermittent hormonal therapy (IHT). There is also limited
      research on biomarker response (PSA and testosterone decline) to predict
      prognosis. On the other hand, in the setting of M1 hormone naive prostate cancer,
      there are many more RCT's to inform our decisions. CAB and gonadotrophin
      releasing hormone antagonists perhaps provide a slight efficacy advantage while
      IHT may be slightly inferior with minimal M1 disease. The PSA nadir at 7 months
      after starting ADT is a powerful prognostic tool for M1 patients. There is
      growing recognition that serum testosterone (T) control while on ADT is linked to
      the development of castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Especially for a M1
      patient, maintaining a serum T below 20-30 ng dl-1 prolongs the response to ADT.
      Novel oral agents (abiraterone and enzalutamide) may soon find use in hormone
      naive disease and may alter the treatment landscape. Despite over 75 years of
      experience with ADT, many questions remain, and the field continues to evolve. 

PMID- 26112481
TI  - Epididymosomes: transfer of fertility-modulating proteins to the sperm surface.
AB  - A variety of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked proteins are acquired on
      spermatozoa from epididymal luminal fluids (ELF) during sperm maturation. These
      proteins serve roles in immunoprotection and in key steps of fertilization such
      as capacitation, acrosomal exocytosis and sperm-egg interactions. Their
      acquisition on sperm cells is mediated both by membrane vesicles (epididymosomes,
      EP) which were first reported to dock on the sperm surface, and by lipid carriers
      which facilitate the transfer of proteins associated with the membrane-free
      fraction of ELF. While the nonvesicular fraction is more efficient, both pathways
      are dependent on hydrophobic interactions between the GPI-anchor and the external
      lipid layer of the sperm surface. More recently proteomic and hypothesis-driven
      studies have shown that EP from several mammals carry transmembrane (TM)
      proteins, including plasma membrane Ca 2 + -ATPase 4 (PMCA4). Synthesized in the
      testis, PMCA4 is an essential protein and the major Ca 2 + efflux pump in murine
      spermatozoa. Delivery of PMCA4 to spermatozoa from bovine and mouse EP during
      epididymal maturation and in vitro suggests that the docking of EP on the sperm
      surface precedes fusion, and experimental evidence supports a fusogenic mechanism
      for TM proteins. Fusion is facilitated by CD9, which generates fusion-competent
      sites on membranes. On the basis of knowledge of PMCA4's interacting partners a
      number of TM and membrane-associated proteins have been identified or are
      predicted to be present, in the epididymosomal cargo deliverable to spermatozoa.
      These Ca 2 + -dependent proteins, undetected in proteomic studies, play essential
      roles in sperm motility and fertility, and their detection highlights the
      usefulness of the hypothesis-driven approach. 

PMID- 26112483
TI  - From the epididymis to the egg: participation of CRISP proteins in mammalian
      fertilization.
AB  - Mammalian fertilization is a complex process that involves different steps of
      interaction between the male and female gametes. In spite of its relevance, the
      molecular mechanisms underlying this process still remain to be elucidated. The
      present review describes the contribution of our laboratory to the understanding
      of mammalian fertilization using Cysteine-RIch Secretory Proteins (CRISP) as
      model molecules. Substantial evidence obtained from in vitro assays and knockout
      models shows that epididymal CRISP1 associates with the sperm surface with two
      different affinities during maturation, and participates in the regulation of
      signaling pathways during capacitation as well as in both sperm-zona pellucida
      interaction and gamete fusion. These observations can be extended to humans as
      judged by our findings showing that the human homolog of the rodent protein
      (hCRISP1) is also involved in both stages of fertilization. Evidence supports
      that other members of the CRISP family secreted in the testis (CRISP2),
      epididymis (CRISP3-4) or during ejaculation (CRISP3) are also involved in sperm
      egg interaction, supporting the existence of a functional redundancy and
      cooperation between homolog proteins ensuring the success of fertilization.
      Together, our observations indicate that CRISP proteins accompany spermatozoa
      along their transit through both the male and female reproductive tracts. We
      believe these results not only contribute to a better mechanistic understanding
      of fertilization but also support CRISP proteins as excellent candidates for
      future research on infertility and contraception. 

PMID- 26112482
TI  - Understanding normal and abnormal development of the Wolffian/epididymal duct by
      using transgenic mice.
AB  - The development of the Wolffian/epididymal duct is crucial for proper function
      and, therefore, male fertility. The development of the epididymis is complex; the
      initial stages form as a transient embryonic kidney; then the mesonephros is
      formed, which in turn undergoes extensive morphogenesis under the influence of
      androgens and growth factors. Thus, understanding of its full development
      requires a wide and multidisciplinary view. This review focuses on mouse models
      that display abnormalities of the Wolffian duct and mesonephric development, the
      importance of these mouse models toward understanding male reproductive tract
      development, and how these models contribute to our understanding of clinical
      abnormalities in humans such as congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary
      tract (CAKUT). 

PMID- 26112485
TI  - Introduction of Dr. Andrew V Schally.

PMID- 26112484
TI  - Epididymitis: revelations at the convergence of clinical and basic sciences.
AB  - Acute epididymitis represents a common medical condition in the urological
      outpatient clinic. Mostly, epididymitis is caused by bacterial ascent through the
      urogenital tract, with pathogens originating either from sexually transmitted
      diseases or urinary tract infections. Although conservative antimicrobial therapy
      is possible in the majority of patients and is usually sufficient to eradicate
      the pathogen, studies have shown persistent oligozoospermia and azoospermia in up
      to 40% of these patients. Animal models of epididymitis are created to delineate
      the underlying reasons for this observation and the additional impairment of
      sperm function that is often associated with the disease. Accumulated data
      provide evidence of a differential expression of immune cells, immunoregulatory
      genes and pathogen-sensing molecules along the length of the epididymal duct. The
      evidence suggests that a tolerogenic environment exists in the caput
      epididymidis, but that inflammatory responses are most intense toward the cauda
      epididymidis. This is consistent with the need to provide protection for the neo
      antigens of spermatozoa emerging from the testis, without compromising the
      ability to respond to ascending infections. However, severe inflammatory
      responses, particularly in the cauda, may lead to collateral damage to the
      structure and function of the epididymis. Convergence of the clinical
      observations with appropriate animal studies should lead to better understanding
      of the immunological environment throughout the epididymis, the parameters
      underlying susceptibility to epididymitis, and to therapeutic approaches that can
      mitigate epididymal damage and subsequent fertility problems. 

PMID- 26112487
TI  - External beam radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer.
AB  - Radiotherapy (XRT) is a curative treatment option for prostate cancer (PCa).
      Recent XRT technologies allow higher dose therapy that lead to increased local
      control with less adjacent tissue damage. Additionally, receiving neo-adjuvant or
      adjuvant hormonotherapy (HT) during radiation therapy increases the curative
      effect. The aim of this paper is to review the current literature and guidelines
      on external beam radiation therapy for PCa. However, brachytherapy and
      radiosurgery, a recently evolving relatively new technology for the
      radiotherapeutic management of localized PCa, are beyond the scope of this paper.

PMID- 26112486
TI  - Preventing aggressive prostate cancer with proven cardiovascular disease
      preventive methods.
AB  - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been the number one cause of death in the U.S.
      for 114 of the last 115 years. Risk factors for prostate cancer have primarily
      mirrored risk proven risk factors for CVD, especially aggressive disease.
      Obesity, dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance, metabolic syndrome, unhealthy dietary
      habits or caloric excess, lack of physical activity, and inflammation are just
      some of these shared risk factors. The evidence also suggests proven CVD
      preventive measures are identical to prostate cancer preventive measures,
      especially in regard to aggressive disease. Thus, apart from lifestyle measures
      that can encourage optimal heart and prostate health there are potentially
      several dietary supplements that need to be avoided in healthy men because they
      may also increase the risk of prostate cancer. However, there are also several
      low-cost, generic, safe in the appropriate individuals, and naturally derived
      agents that could reduce prostate cancer risk, and these can be discussed and
      remembered utilizing the acronym S.A.M. (statins, aspirin, and/or metformin). 

PMID- 26112488
TI  - Active surveillance monitoring: the role of novel biomarkers and imaging.
AB  - "CANCER" is a disease state that leads to progressive illness that is uniformly
      fatal without treatment. Hippocrates invoked the Greek word karkinos, or "crab,"
      to describe tumors he observed. For centuries, "CANCER" remained a disease that
      was recognized primarily in its locally advanced or metastatic stage, when it was
      almost uniformly fatal. 

PMID- 26112490
TI  - The International Prostate Forum introduction and history.

PMID- 26112489
TI  - Risk calculators and updated tools to select and plan a repeat biopsy for
      prostate cancer detection.
AB  - Millions of men each year are faced with a clinical suspicion of prostate cancer
      (PCa) but the prostate biopsy fails to detect the disease. For the urologists,
      how to select the appropriate candidate for repeat biopsy is a significant
      clinical dilemma. Traditional risk-stratification tools in this setting such as
      prostate-specific antigen (PSA) related markers and histopathology findings have
      met with limited correlation with cancer diagnosis or with significant disease.
      Thus, an individualized approach using predictive models such as an online risk
      calculator (RC) or updated biomarkers is more suitable in counseling men about
      their risk of harboring clinically significant prostate cancer. This review will
      focus on the available risk-stratification tools in the population of men with
      prior negative biopsies and persistent suspicion of PCa. The underlying
      methodology and platforms of the available tools are reviewed to better
      understand the development and validation of these models. The index patient is
      then assessed with different RCs to determine the range of heterogeneity among
      various RCs. This should allow the urologists to better incorporate these various
      risk-stratification tools into their clinical practice and improve patient
      counseling. 

PMID- 26112491
TI  - Physical and functional interaction between hepatitis C virus NS5A protein and
      ovarian tumor protein deubiquitinase 7B.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A protein plays crucial roles in viral RNA
      replication, virus assembly, and viral pathogenesis. Although NS5A has no known
      enzymatic activity, it modulates various cellular pathways through interaction
      with cellular proteins. HCV NS5A (and other HCV proteins) are reportedly degraded
      through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway; however, the physiological roles of
      ubiquitylation and deubiquitylation in HCV infection are largely unknown. To
      elucidate the role of deubiquitylation in HCV infection, an attempt was made to
      identify a deubiquitinase (DUB) that can interact with NS5A protein. An ovarian
      tumor protein (OTU), deubiquitinase 7B (OTUD7B), was identified as a novel NS5A
      binding protein. Co-immunoprecipitation analyses showed that NS5A interacts with
      OTUD7B in both Huh-7 and HCV RNA replicon cells. Immunofluorescence staining
      revealed that HCV NS5A protein colocalizes with OTUD7B in the cytoplasm.
      Moreover, HCV infection was found to enhance the nuclear localization of OTUD7B.
      The OTUD7B-binding domain on NS5A was mapped using a series of NS5A deletion
      mutants. The present findings suggest that the domain I of NS5A is important and
      the region from amino acid 121 to 126 of NS5A essential for the interaction.
      Either V121A or V124A mutation in NS5A disrupts the NS5A-OTUD7B interaction. The
      results of this in vivo ubiquitylation assay suggest that HCV NS5A enhances
      OTUD7B DUB activity. Taken together, these results suggest that HCV NS5A protein
      interacts with OTUD7B, thereby modulating its DUB activity.

PMID- 26112492
TI  - Comparison of hybrid FDG PET/MRI compared with PET/CT in colorectal cancer
      staging and restaging: a pilot study.
AB  - PURPOSE: We report our initial clinical experience from a pilot study to compare
      the diagnostic accuracy of hybrid PET/MRI with PET/CT in colorectal cancer and
      discuss potential PET/MRI workflow solutions for colorectal cancer. METHODS:
      Patients underwent both FDG PET/CT and PET/MRI (Ingenuity TF PET/MRI, Philips
      Healthcare) for rectal cancer staging or colorectal cancer restaging. The PET
      acquisition of PET/MRI was similar to that of PET/CT whereas the MRI protocol was
      selected individually based on the patient's medical history. One nuclear
      medicine physician reviewed the PET/CT studies and one radiologist reviewed the
      PET/MRI studies independently. The diagnostic accuracy of each modality was
      determined in consensus, using available medical records as a reference. RESULTS:
      Of the 12 patients enrolled, two were for initial staging and ten for restaging.
      The median scan delay between the two modalities was 60 min. The initial imaging
      was PET/CT in nine patients and PET/MRI in three patients. When PET/CT was
      performed first, the SUV values of the 16 FDG avid lesions were greater at
      PET/MRI than at PET/CT. In contrast, when PET/MRI was performed first, the SUV
      values of the seven FDG avid lesions were greater at PET/CT than at PET/MRI.
      PET/MRI provided more detailed T staging than PET/CT. On a per-patient basis,
      with both patient groups combined for the evaluation of N and M
      staging/restaging, the true positive rate was 5/7 (71%) for PET/CT and 6/7 (86%)
      for PET/MRI, and true negative rate was 5/5 (100%) for both modalities. On a per
      lesion basis, PET/CT identified 26 of 29 (90%) tumor lesions that were correctly
      detected by PET/MRI. Our proposed workflow allows for comprehensive cancer
      staging including integrated local and whole-body assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      initial experience shows a high diagnostic accuracy of PET/MRI in T staging of
      rectal cancer compared with PET/CT. In addition, PET/MRI shows at least
      comparable accuracy in N and M staging as well as restaging to PET/CT. However,
      the small sample size limits the generalizability of the results. It is expected
      that PET/MRI would yield higher diagnostic accuracy than PET/CT considering the
      high soft tissue contrast provided by MRI compared with CT, but larger studies
      are necessary to fully assess the benefit of PET/MRI in colorectal cancer.

PMID- 26112493
TI  - [Rare diseases in Lebanon: diagnostic difficulties and therapy].

PMID- 26112494
TI  - [Inborn metabolic disorders in Tunisia: challenges, experience and hopes].

PMID- 26112495
TI  - [Cystic fibrosis: course of management in Algeria].

PMID- 26112496
TI  - [Anonymous birth].

PMID- 26112497
TI  - [Anonymous birth, a handover].

PMID- 26112498
TI  - [The future of children born anonymously: the experience of an authorized
      adoption organization in France].

PMID- 26112499
TI  - [The "ressort" workshop: when a child plays a role in the management of his
      kidney transplant].

PMID- 26112500
TI  - [Compliance and patient education: an example of antivitamin K in pediatric
      cardiology].

PMID- 26112501
TI  - [Migraines, tension headaches and chronic headache, how does one manage?].

PMID- 26112503
TI  - [Relaxation, hypnosis, psychotherapy for headache: it truly works, under certain
      conditions!].

PMID- 26112502
TI  - [Abdominal pain, vomiting, vertigo...this is unlike a migraine...although!].

PMID- 26112504
TI  - [With the new vaccination schedule, is it easier to catch up?].

PMID- 26112505
TI  - [Pharmacovigilance of vaccines].

PMID- 26112506
TI  - [Pharmacovigilance of vaccines: distinguishing the truth from the false at the
      individual level].

PMID- 26112507
TI  - [How to identify a renal emergency?].

PMID- 26112508
TI  - [Hemolytic uremic syndrome in children].

PMID- 26112509
TI  - [Parenthood and the disabled child].

PMID- 26112510
TI  - [Exposure of the pregnant women and fetus to environmental pollutants: first
      results obtained from the national biosurveillance program (mothers included in
      the ELFE cohort)].

PMID- 26112511
TI  - [Difficult vaccination schedules].

PMID- 26112512
TI  - [HPV vaccine: what are we to believe?].

PMID- 26112513
TI  - [Biotherapeutic agents and vaccines in pediatrics].

PMID- 26112514
TI  - [Pseudohypoaldosteronism type I].

PMID- 26112515
TI  - [Bartter and Gitelman syndromes].

PMID- 26112516
TI  - [Hypophosphatemic rickets, a proximal tubular dysfunction!].

PMID- 26112517
TI  - [Diagnosing an inborn metabolic error with consciousness disorders].

PMID- 26112518
TI  - [Diagnosis and course to follow for metabolic acidosis].

PMID- 26112519
TI  - [Diagnosis and course to follow for hepatic insufficiency].

PMID- 26112520
TI  - [Diagnosis and course to follow for heart failure due to inborn metabolic
      diseases].

PMID- 26112521
TI  - [What methods need another look for management of infections in premature
      infants?].

PMID- 26112522
TI  - [When should enteral nutrition begin?].

PMID- 26112523
TI  - [Realizations and challenges of childhood cancer in Africa: experiences of the
      Franco-African Group of Pediatric Oncology].

PMID- 26112524
TI  - [The development of competence].

PMID- 26112525
TI  - [Curing Burkitt lymphomas, from France to Africa].

PMID- 26112526
TI  - [The treatment of nephroblastoma in Africa].

PMID- 26112527
TI  - [Antibacterial resistance of community acquired infections: warnings and good
      news].

PMID- 26112528
TI  - [Initial treatment of urinary tract infections with antibiotics: evolution or
      revolution?].

PMID- 26112529
TI  - [Neonatal screening for severe combined immunodeficiency: the DEPISTREC study].

PMID- 26112530
TI  - [Screening for severe congenital heart diseases by pulse oximetry in asymptomatic
      newborns].

PMID- 26112531
TI  - [How to screen for metabolic diseases?].

PMID- 26112532
TI  - [The distinctive features of the Guthrie test in neonatology].

PMID- 26112533
TI  - [Why continue a special diet after 1 year of age?].

PMID- 26112534
TI  - [What do one to three year old children eat: the results of the Nutri-Baby
      study].

PMID- 26112536
TI  - [The child psychiatrist: what relationship does the psychiatrist have with the
      team?].

PMID- 26112535
TI  - [What is the purpose of "growing-up milk?"].

PMID- 26112537
TI  - [Care by the parents: problems and benefits].

PMID- 26112538
TI  - [Parents and the program coordinator of PHARE-M help to improve the quality of
      care of cystic fibrosis].

PMID- 26112539
TI  - [Sedation and analgesia for neonates in NICUs across Europe].

PMID- 26112540
TI  - [Diagnosing pain in the neonate: why and how?].

PMID- 26112541
TI  - [Lung diseases in the premature infant: physiopathology, therapy, and
      prevention].

PMID- 26112542
TI  - [Non-invasive methods of pulmonary surfactant administration].

PMID- 26112543
TI  - [Bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the newborn: physiopathology, treatment and
      prevention].

PMID- 26112544
TI  - [The respiratory development of the premature infant: implications for follow
      up].

PMID- 26112545
TI  - [Regurgitations].

PMID- 26112546
TI  - [Diet therapy of functional diarrhea in the child].

PMID- 26112547
TI  - [Dietary measures for constipation: always correct?].

PMID- 26112548
TI  - [Myocardial function and endothelial dysfunction in sickle cell anemia].

PMID- 26112549
TI  - [Does diarrhea justify or contradict the use of antibiotics?].

PMID- 26112550
TI  - [What symptoms indicate a food allergy?].

PMID- 26112551
TI  - [Diagnosing food allergies].

PMID- 26112552
TI  - [Young LGBT are at risk of suicide and addictive behavior].

PMID- 26112553
TI  - [Accommodating and caring for the homosexual adolescent: some tools for the
      practitioner].

PMID- 26112554
TI  - [The role of the telephone].

PMID- 26112555
TI  - [The heart and maternal or fetal diabetes].

PMID- 26112556
TI  - [Heart disease in twin-twin transfusion syndrome in the era of laser surgery].

PMID- 26112557
TI  - [Cardiovascular consequences of intrauterine growth restriction].

PMID- 26112558
TI  - [The short child: from everyday life to adulthood].

PMID- 26112559
TI  - [The adopted child].

PMID- 26112560
TI  - [Between anxiolytics and sedation: what are we talking about?].

PMID- 26112561
TI  - [Sedation without symptoms: what points of reference for pediatrics?].

PMID- 26112562
TI  - [Macrophage activation syndrome: diagnosis and emergency management].

PMID- 26112563
TI  - [Acute abdominal pain: when to think about a rare disease?].

PMID- 26112564
TI  - [Feared complications in patients treated for inflammatory disease in the era of
      biotherapeutic products].

PMID- 26112565
TI  - [The biology of dental development].

PMID- 26112566
TI  - [Diseases revealed by the mouth].

PMID- 26112567
TI  - [Dental care of the disabled child].

PMID- 26112568
TI  - [The role of high-flow oxygen therapy for bronchiolitis].

PMID- 26112569
TI  - [Asthma: the jungle of holding chambers].

PMID- 26112570
TI  - [Use of an insulin pump in pediatrics: problems posed].

PMID- 26112571
TI  - [Management of acute asthma].

PMID- 26112572
TI  - [Puberty and inflammatory diseases].

PMID- 26112573
TI  - [Puberty and cancer].

PMID- 26112574
TI  - [Puberty and cystic fibrosis].

PMID- 26112575
TI  - [Puberty and chronic kidney disease].

PMID- 26112577
TI  - [Clinical decision making algorithms].

PMID- 26112576
TI  - [Medical education: learning from an error].

PMID- 26112578
TI  - [The state of Community Pediatrics residency].

PMID- 26112579
TI  - [Early diagnosis of autism: clinical tools].

PMID- 26112580
TI  - [Complications of autism].

PMID- 26112581
TI  - [Can keeping a child connected to his life outside the hospital contribute to his
      care?].

PMID- 26112582
TI  - [The Petits Princes Association recognizes the dreams of children and adolescents
      in collaboration with hospital teams].

PMID- 26112583
TI  - [Supporting children with cancer: experience of the Smile at Life Association].

PMID- 26112584
TI  - [Basic principles of diagnostic evaluation].

PMID- 26112585
TI  - [Bias and factors of variation in diagnostic studies].

PMID- 26112586
TI  - [How to use the STARD statement and the QUADAS-2 tool?].

PMID- 26112587
TI  - [Understanding the difference between association and discrimination: examples
      from neonatology].

PMID- 26112588
TI  - [Drug eruptions].

PMID- 26112589
TI  - [Management of urinary incontinence in the adolescent athlete].

PMID- 26112590
TI  - [Menstrual cycle and athletic performance: management of menstruation in
      competition].

PMID- 26112591
TI  - [Introduction to arboviruses and viral hemorrhagic fevers in the child].

PMID- 26112592
TI  - [Dengue in the child].

PMID- 26112593
TI  - [Chikungunya in children].

PMID- 26112594
TI  - [Risk-benefit of anti-reflux therapy in the premature infant].

PMID- 26112595
TI  - [Prevention of allergies in utero and in the neonatal period].

PMID- 26112596
TI  - Possible Clues to a Functional Cure for HIV Infection.

PMID- 26112598
TI  - Does the weather play a role in the spread of pandemic influenza? A study of
      H1N1pdm09 infections in France during 2009-2010.
AB  - Understanding patterns of influenza spread and persistence is crucial for
      pandemic preparedness. The H1N1pdm09 virus caused the first influenza pandemic of
      the 21st century which resulted in at least 18500 deaths. Based on laboratory
      confirmed primary-care case reports we investigated the role of weather
      conditions and socio-demographic variables in its initial spread and subsequent
      presence in France. Our findings suggest that low relative humidity and high
      population density were determinants in shaping the early spread of the virus at
      the national level. Those conditions also favoured the persistence of viral
      presence throughout the first 33 weeks of the pandemic. Additionally this
      persistence was significantly favoured by low insolation. These results confirm
      the increasingly recognized role of humidity in influenza dynamics and underlie
      the concomitant effect of insolation. Therefore climatic factors should be taken
      into account when designing influenza control and prevention measures. 

PMID- 26112599
TI  - Organoid Models and Applications in Biomedical Research.
AB  - Recent technical advances in the stem cell field have enabled the in vitro
      generation of complex structures resembling whole organs termed organoids. Most
      of these approaches employ three-dimensional (3D) culture systems that allow stem
      cell-derived or tissue progenitor cells to self-organize into 3D structures.
      These systems evolved, methodologically and conceptually, from classical
      reaggregation experiments, showing that dissociated cells from embryonic organs
      can reaggregate and re-create the original organ architecture. Since organoids
      can be grown from human stem cells and from patient-derived induced pluripotent
      stem cells, they create significant prospects for modelling development and
      diseases, for toxicology and drug discovery studies, and in the field of
      regenerative medicine. Here, we outline historical advances in the field and
      describe some of the major recent developments in 3D human organoid formation.
      Finally, we underline current limitations and highlight examples of how organoid
      technology can be applied in biomedical research.

PMID- 26112597
TI  - Rab5-mediated VE-cadherin internalization regulates the barrier function of the
      lung microvascular endothelium.
AB  - The small GTPase Rab5 has been well defined to control the vesicle-mediated
      plasma membrane protein transport to the endosomal compartment. However, its
      function in the internalization of vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin, an
      important component of adherens junctions, and as a result regulating the
      endothelial cell polarity and barrier function remain unknown. Here, we
      demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) simulation markedly enhanced the
      activation and expression of Rab5 in human pulmonary microvascular endothelial
      cells (HPMECs), which is accompanied by VE-cadherin internalization. In parallel,
      LPS challenge also induced abnormal cell polarity and dysfunction of the
      endothelial barrier in HPMECs. LPS stimulation promoted the translocation of VE
      cadherin from the plasma membrane to intracellular compartments, and
      intracellularly expressed VE-cadherin was extensively colocalized with Rab5.
      Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated depletion of Rab5a expression attenuated
      the disruption of LPS-induced internalization of VE-cadherin and the disorder of
      cell polarity. Furthermore, knockdown of Rab5 inhibited the vascular endothelial
      hyperpermeability and protected endothelial barrier function from LPS injury,
      both in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that Rab5 is a critical mediator
      of LPS-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction, which is likely mediated through
      regulating VE-cadherin internalization. These findings provide evidence,
      implicating that Rab5a is a potential therapeutic target for preventing
      endothelial barrier disruption and vascular inflammation.

PMID- 26112600
TI  - Carcinogenic ability quantification of human papilloma virus subtypes in eastern
      China.
AB  - Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is a precursor of cervical cancer. This
      study aimed to introduce a method to quantify the risk of cervical cancer
      resulting from infection by different HPV subtypes, to help guide patient
      treatment. Nucleic acid molecule flow-through hybridization and gene chip
      technology were used to test 6,510 non-cervical cancer healthy volunteers (<=CIN
      I) and 204 cervical cancer patients (>=CIN-III) from Dongying City for 21 HPV
      subtypes (HPV-16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68, 6, 11, 42, 43,
      44, 53, 66 and CP8304) in exfoliated cervical cells. The positive proportion of
      HPV subtypes was calculated, excluding or including patients with multiple
      subtype infections. The lower (L) and upper (H) limits of the carcinogenic risk
      score range were calculated, respectively. The values of carcinogenic index +/-
      uncertainty in the carcinogenic ability (CI +/- U) were also calculated. CI = (H
      + L)/2 represents the carcinogenic risk of the different subtypes, and U =(H -
      L)/2 represents the probability of each subtype being present in multiple
      infections. Infection rates were 15.87 and 96.57%, and HPV subtypes with high
      infection rates were HPV-16, 52, 58, 33, 18, and 31 and HPV-16, 31, 58, 18, 68,
      and 33 in the non-cervical cancer and cervical cancer groups, respectively. HPV
      subtypes with high risk of cervical cancer were HPV-31 (3.71 +/- 0.68), 51 (2.65
      +/- 0.44), 18 (2.03 +/- 0.43), 68 (1.76 +/- 0.40), 58 (1.68 +/- 0.49), and 16
      (1.39 +/- 0.33). We have provided a quantitative method for expressing HPV
      subtype carcinogenic risk.

PMID- 26112601
TI  - Two New Species of the Genus Criotettix Bolivar (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae), with a
      Key to the Species of the Genus from China.
AB  - Two new species of the tetrigid genus Criotettix Bolivar from China, namely
      Criotettix interruptaoides Deng & Zheng n. sp. and Criotettix shiwanshanensis
      Deng & Zheng n. sp. are described. An updated key to all known species of the
      genus from China is given. 

PMID- 26112602
TI  - Correction to catalytic reaction processes revealed by scanning probe microscopy.

PMID- 26112603
TI  - E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b suppresses human ORMDL3 expression through STAT6
      mediation.
AB  - Orosomucoid 1-Like Protein 3 (ORMDL3) is an asthma candidate gene and Casitas B
      lineage lymphoma b (Cbl-b), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is a critical factor in
      maintaining airway immune tolerance. However, the association of Cbl-b with
      ORMDL3 for asthma is unclear. Here, we show that expression of ORMDL3 is
      significantly increased and shows a strong linear correlation with decreased Cbl
      b in the peripheral blood of recurrent wheeze patients. To elucidate the
      molecular mechanisms underlying this correlation, we identified that Cbl-b
      suppressed the transcriptional activity and mRNA expression of ORMDL3 in vivo.
      Further investigation showed that phosphorylation of signal transducer and
      activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) was induced by interleukin 4 bound to the
      ORMDL3 promoter, while Cbl-b reduced the phosphorylation of STAT6. Our results
      show that Cbl-b suppresses human ORMDL3 expression through STAT6. 

PMID- 26112604
TI  - Cep70 regulates microtubule stability by interacting with HDAC6.
AB  - Microtubules, highly dynamic components of the cytoskeleton, are involved in
      mitosis, cell migration and intracellular trafficking. Our previous work has
      shown that the centrosomal protein Cep70 regulates microtubule organization and
      mitotic spindle orientation in mammalian cells. However, it remains elusive
      whether Cep70 is implicated in microtubule stability. Here we demonstrate that
      Cep70 enhances microtubule resistance to cold or nocodazole treatment. Our data
      further show that Cep70 promotes microtubule stability by regulating tubulin
      acetylation, and plays an important role in stabilizing microtubules. Mechanistic
      studies reveal that Cep70 interacts and colocalizes with histone deacetylase 6
      (HDAC6) in the cytoplasm. These findings suggest that Cep70 promotes microtubule
      stability by interaction with HDAC6 and regulation of tubulin acetylation. 

PMID- 26112605
TI  - PKCdelta stabilizes TAp63 to promote cell apoptosis.
AB  - PKCdelta and p63 are respectively reported to play important roles in cell
      apoptosis. But there is no report on interaction between them in regulation of
      apoptosis. In the present study, we found that PKCdelta can directly associate
      and up-regulate TA isoforms of p63 (TAp63) proteins via increasing their
      stability. PKCdelta kinase activity and Thr157 site in TAp63 are crucial for this
      PKCdelta-induced accumulation of TAp63. PKCdelta can also enhance TAp63-mediated
      transcription and cell apoptosis. Taken together, our data indicate that PKCdelta
      phosphorylates TAp63 proteins at Thr157 to stabilize them and promote cell
      apoptosis. 

PMID- 26112606
TI  - Entropic clocks in the service of electrical signaling: 'Ball and chain'
      mechanisms for ion channel inactivation and clustering.
AB  - Electrical signaling in the nervous system relies on action potential generation,
      propagation and transmission. Such processes are dynamic in nature and rely on
      precisely timed events associated with voltage-dependent ion channel
      conformational transitions between their primary open, closed and inactivated
      states and clustering at unique membrane sites. In voltage-dependent potassium
      (Kv) channels, fast inactivation and clustering processes rely on entropic clock
      chains as described by 'ball and chain' mechanisms, suggesting important roles
      for such chains in electrical signaling. Here, we consider evidence supporting
      the proposed 'ball and chain' mechanisms for Kv channel fast inactivation and
      clustering associated with intrinsically disordered N- and C-terminal regions of
      the protein, respectively. Based on this comparison, we delineate the
      requirements that argue for such a process and establish the thermodynamic
      signature of a 'ball and chain' mechanism. Finally, we demonstrate how 'chain'
      level alternative splicing of the Kv channel gene modulates the entropic clock
      based 'ball and chain' inactivation and clustering channel functions underlying
      changes in electrical signaling. As such, the Kv channel model system exemplifies
      how linkage between alternative splicing and intrinsic disorder enables
      functional diversity. 

PMID- 26112607
TI  - Towards measuring neuroimage misalignment.
AB  - To enhance neuro-navigation, high quality pre-operative images must be registered
      onto intra-operative configuration of the brain. Therefore evaluation of the
      degree to which structures may remain misaligned after registration is critically
      important. We consider two Hausdorff Distance (HD)-based evaluation approaches:
      the edge-based HD (EBHD) metric and the Robust HD (RHD) metric as well as various
      commonly used intensity-based similarity metrics such as Mutual Information (MI),
      Normalised Mutual Information (NMI), Entropy Correlation Coefficient (ECC),
      Kullback-Leibler Distance (KLD) and Correlation Ratio (CR). We conducted the
      evaluation by applying known deformations to simple sample images and real cases
      of brain shift. We conclude that the intensity-based similarity metrics such as
      MI, NMI, ECC, KLD and CR do not correlate well with actual alignment errors, and
      hence are not useful for assessing misalignment. On the contrary, the EBHD and
      the RHD metrics correlated well with actual alignment errors; however, they have
      been found to underestimate the actual misalignment. We also note that it is
      beneficial to present HD results as a percentile-HD curve rather than a single
      number such as the 95-percentile HD. Percentile-HD curves present the full range
      of alignment errors and also facilitate the comparison of results obtained using
      different approaches. Furthermore, the qualities that should be possessed by an
      ideal evaluation metric were highlighted. Future studies could focus on
      developing such an evaluation metric. 

PMID- 26112608
TI  - Involved-field radiotherapy for patients with mantle cell lymphoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Retrospective analysis was performed at a single institution to
      assess the responsiveness of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) to involved-field
      radiotherapy (IFRT). METHODS: All patients treated with IFRT to at least one site
      of MCL between 1998 and 2012 were included. There were 25 patients who received
      radiotherapy to 60 disease sites. Primary endpoint was overall response rate
      (ORR) infield for the first site of MCL treated per patient. Predictors of ORR
      were analysed for the primary endpoint. Time to local progression (TLP) infield
      and progression-free survival were calculated from the start of the first
      treatment course. Analysis of all sites collectively was also undertaken.
      Survival analysis was conducted by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: ORR rate was
      84% for the first site treated per patient. Complete response and partial
      response rates were 68% and 16% respectively. Median TLP following radiotherapy
      to the first site was not reached. Infield control rate was 91% at 12 months (95%
      confidence interval 69-97%). When analysis was performed on all 60 sites, ORR was
      85%. Symptomatic improvement occurred after IFRT to 93% of all sites. Systemic
      progression outside the radiotherapy field was the predominant form of failure
      following IFRT. CONCLUSION: Radiotherapy generally induced a clinical response at
      all levels of dose administered, ranging from 3 to 36 Gy. However, increased
      durability of local control was suggested with higher doses. Radiotherapy is an
      effective treatment for palliation of MCL with objective and symptomatic
      responses seen over a range of radiotherapy doses.

PMID- 26112609
TI  - Impact of Mood Spectrum Spirituality and Mysticism Symptoms on Suicidality in
      Earthquake Survivors with PTSD.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to explore the correlations between
      Spirituality/Mysticism/Psychoticism symptoms and suicidality in young adult
      survivors of the L'Aquila earthquake. The sample included 475 subjects recruited
      among high school seniors who had experienced the April 6, 2009, earthquake.
      Assessments included: Trauma and Loss Spectrum-Self Report and Mood Spectrum-Self
      Report (MOODS-SR). Mysticism/Spirituality dimension and suicidality were
      evaluated by means of some specific items of the MOOD-SR. The
      Spirituality/Mysticism/Psychoticism MOODS-SR factor score was significantly
      higher among subjects with PTSD diagnosis with respect to those without.
      Similarly, subjects with suicidal ideation, as well as those who committed a
      suicide attempt, reported significantly higher scores than those without. 

PMID- 26112610
TI  - Thematic Analysis of Persian Documents in the Field of Quran Study and Medicine
      in National Scientific-Research Journals from 1992 to 2013 "An Opportunity for
      Evidence Based Decision Making".
AB  - Several documents have investigated the area of Quran study and medicine from
      different points of view; the present study has been assessing all the documents
      about Quran study and medicine, published in Iranian scientific-research
      journals, to create an opportunity of revising the interventions executed in this
      areas and targeting the decisions in order to draw a clear and more realistic
      vision. In this simple review study, scientific-research and general informative
      websites in the period of 1992-2013 were explored by taking advantage of critical
      keywords such as Islamic medicine and Islamic lifestyle. After the initial
      retrieval, 348 articles were finally ready for the evaluation process. Chi-square
      test was used to assess the significance of patterns differences between years of
      study. Minimum and maximum numbers of articles were published in 1992 (0.28 %)
      and 2011 (12.35 %), respectively. The level of execution of studies by using
      different methods was as follows: about 3.44 % qualitative, 29.59 % cross
      sectional descriptive-analytical, 30.45 % review, 1.14 % case-control, 17.52 %
      experimental, 3.73 % cohort methods and 12.93 % were performed by other methods.
      The most common subject study was "The effects of fasting and Ramadan on health"
      (21.83 %). The most important journals hosting this field articles were the
      journals of medicine and refinement (27.01 %), as well as the Quran and medicine
      (12.64 %), respectively. Chi-square test showed significant thematic differences
      during the 21 years of study. Based on the available evidences, the number of
      descriptive papers was yet more than the analytical, interventional and
      scientific-comparative articles. Also, the most studies had been reviewing the
      medical-Islamic documents. This reflects the need for revising the search
      strategies of Quran study and medicine.

PMID- 26112611
TI  - Pain Perception in Buddhism Perspective.
AB  - Dhamma, which Lord Buddha has presented to people after his enlightenment,
      analyzes every phenomenon and objects into their ultimate elements. The
      explanation of sensory system is also found in a part of Dhamma named
      Abhidhammapitaka, the Book of the Higher Doctrine in Buddhism. To find out the
      relationship between explanation of pain in the present neuroscience and the
      explanation of pain in Abhidhamma, the study was carried out by the use of a
      comprehensive review. The comparisons were in terms of peripheral stimulation,
      signal transmission, modulation, perception, suffering, determination and
      decision making for the responding to pain. We found that details of the
      explanation on pain mechanism and perception in Abhidhamma could associate well
      with our present scientific knowledge. Furthermore, more refinement information
      about the process and its function in particular aspects of pain perception were
      provided in Abhidhammapitaka. 

PMID- 26112612
TI  - Why extra caution is needed in the case of depressed patients.

PMID- 26112613
TI  - Assent as an ethical imperative in the treatment of ADHD.
AB  - The American Academy of Paediatrics endorses obtaining assent when prescribing
      medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in older children
      whenever possible. Studies indicate the concept of assent may not be well
      understood by clinicians, possibly effecting effective and widespread
      implementation. We argue that though the concept of assent continues to evolve,
      it is critical in the context of patient-centred care, shared decision-making and
      in supporting minors' transition to adulthood. Based on the principle of respect
      for young persons, we argue that obtaining assent is an ethical imperative when
      prescribing medication for ADHD. We highlight the instrumental benefits of
      obtaining assent in the paediatric clinical encounter when prescribing
      medications for treatment of ADHD. 

PMID- 26112614
TI  - Stable nonpolar solvent droplet generation using a poly(dimethylsiloxane)
      microfluidic channel coated with poly-p-xylylene for a nanoparticle growth.
AB  - Applications of microfluidic devices fabricated in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)
      have been limited to water-based analysis rather than nonpolar solvent based
      chemistry due to a PDMS swelling problem that occurs by the absorption of the
      solvents. The absorption and swelling causes PDMS channel deformation in shape,
      and changes the cross sectional area making it difficult to control the flow rate
      and concentrations of solution in PDMS microfluidic channels. We propose that
      poly-p-xylylene polymers (parylenes) are chemical vapors deposited on the
      surfaces of PDMS channels that alleviate the effect of solvents on the absorption
      and swelling. The parylene coated surface sustains 3 h with a small volumetric
      change (less than 22 % of PDMS swelling ratio). By generating an air-nonpolar
      solvent interface based on droplets in PDMS channel, we confirmed poly-p-xylylene
      coated PDMS microfluidic channels have the potential to be applicable to
      nanocrystal growth using nonpolar solvents.

PMID- 26112615
TI  - Recent strategies and progress in identifying host factors involved in virus
      replication.
AB  - Viruses are completely dependent on their host cells for the successful
      production of progeny viruses. At each stage of the viral life cycle an intricate
      interplay between virus and host takes place with the virus aiming to usurp the
      host cell for its purposes and the host cell trying to block the intruder from
      propagation. In recent years these interactions have been studied on a global
      level by systems biology approaches, such as RNA interference screens,
      transcriptomic or proteomic methodologies, and exciting new insights into the
      pathogen-host relationship have been revealed. In this review, we summarize the
      available data, give examples for important findings from such studies and point
      out current limitations and potential future directions. 

PMID- 26112616
TI  - Discrepancy in Personality Perceptions Is Related to Relationship Satisfaction:
      Findings from Dyadic Latent Discrepancy Analyses.
AB  - The current study investigated discrepancies in self-, partner-, and meta
      perceptions of the Big Five traits and their associations with relationship
      satisfaction in intimate couples. The study was based on a subsample of the Swiss
      study "Co-Development in Personality: Longitudinal Approaches to Personality
      Development in Dyads Across the Life Span" (CoDiP) including cross-sectional data
      of 216 heterosexual couples. We adapted the Latent Congruence Model (LCM) for the
      study of discrepancies in personality perceptions in dyads. Beyond personality
      trait levels, the discrepancies between self- and partner-perceptions and between
      partner- and meta-perceptions of the Big Five traits were related to relationship
      satisfaction as actor and partner effects. In general, flattering and favorable
      partner-perceptions in relation to self- and meta-perceptions seem to positively
      contribute to relationship satisfaction. The present study implies that not only
      personality trait levels but also discrepancies between personality perceptions
      are important for understanding relationship satisfaction.

PMID- 26112618
TI  - Identification and Complications of Cosmetic Fillers: Sonography First.
AB  - Cosmetic fillers are frequently used these days for enhancing beauty and to treat
      wrinkles or sagging skin. However, information on the history of injections may
      be difficult to obtain, and there is a growing number of reports on complications
      with these agents. In contrast to other imaging techniques, sonography has been
      successfully used for detecting and identifying common types of cosmetic fillers
      and has become the first-line imaging modality to deal with these exogenous
      components. 

PMID- 26112617
TI  - Conditionally Increased Acoustic Pressures in Nonfetal Diagnostic Ultrasound
      Examinations Without Contrast Agents: A Preliminary Assessment.
AB  - The mechanical index (MI) has been used by the US Food and Drug Administration
      (FDA) since 1992 for regulatory decisions regarding the acoustic output of
      diagnostic ultrasound equipment. Its formula is based on predictions of acoustic
      cavitation under specific conditions. Since its implementation over 2 decades
      ago, new imaging modes have been developed that employ unique beam sequences
      exploiting higher-order acoustic phenomena, and, concurrently, studies of the
      bioeffects of ultrasound under a range of imaging scenarios have been conducted.
      In 2012, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine Technical Standards
      Committee convened a working group of its Output Standards Subcommittee to
      examine and report on the potential risks and benefits of the use of
      conditionally increased acoustic pressures (CIP) under specific diagnostic
      imaging scenarios. The term "conditionally" is included to indicate that CIP
      would be considered on a per-patient basis for the duration required to obtain
      the necessary diagnostic information. This document is a result of that effort.
      In summary, a fundamental assumption in the MI calculation is the presence of a
      preexisting gas body. For tissues not known to contain preexisting gas bodies,
      based on theoretical predications and experimentally reported cavitation
      thresholds, we find this assumption to be invalid. We thus conclude that
      exceeding the recommended maximum MI level given in the FDA guidance could be
      warranted without concern for increased risk of cavitation in these tissues.
      However, there is limited literature assessing the potential clinical benefit of
      exceeding the MI guidelines in these tissues. The report proposes a 3-tiered
      approach for CIP that follows the model for employing elevated output in magnetic
      resonance imaging and concludes with summary recommendations to facilitate
      Institutional Review Board (IRB)-monitored clinical studies investigating CIP in
      specific tissues. 

PMID- 26112619
TI  - Utility of Sonoelastography in Differentiating Ruptured From Unruptured Epidermal
      Cysts and Implications for Patient Care.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of sonoelastographic
      features between ruptured and unruptured epidermal cysts. METHODS: We performed a
      prospective survey of 27 patients with clinically suspected epidermal cysts
      diagnosed by excisional biopsy with prebiopsy sonography and real-time
      sonoelastography. We statistically evaluated the correlation between
      elastographic and histopathologic features. To measure the relative hardness on
      elastography, the Rinside/Routside ratio was used to show the ratio of the
      elasticity inside and outside the cyst, where the random value R was defined as
      the median red pixel intensity/(median red pixel intensity + median green pixel
      intensity + median blue pixel intensity). RESULTS: Only 24 of the 27 patients
      were enrolled. Among the 24 diagnosed epidermal cysts, 13 were unruptured cysts,
      and 11 were ruptured cysts based on histopathologic examination. There was no
      correlation between sonographically and histopathologically measured cyst
      diameters. The Rinside/Routside ratio was significantly higher in unruptured
      cysts than ruptured cysts (mean +/- SD, 1.16 +/- 0.15 versus 1.04 +/- 0.13; P =
      .047). All values below the cutoff point were considered to indicate ruptured
      cysts, and the cutoff value was set to 1.0919, which afforded sensitivity of
      83.3% and specificity of 66.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time sonoelastography is able
      to detect differences in tissue elasticity between ruptured and unruptured
      epidermal cysts. This study shows the utility of real-time sonoelastography,
      which has important implications for treatment planning.

PMID- 26112620
TI  - Assessment of the Postoperative Appearance of the Rotator Cuff Tendon Using
      Serial Sonography After Arthroscopic Repair of a Rotator Cuff Tear.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate serial changes in
      sonographic findings of a rotator cuff tendon after rotator cuff repair. METHODS:
      Sixty-five arthroscopically repaired rotator cuff tears (43 full-thickness tears
      and 22 partial-thickness tears) were retrospectively included in this study.
      Serial sonographic examinations were performed at 5 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months
      after surgery. The sonographic findings of the repaired tendon were assessed for
      a recurrent tear, tendon thickness, morphologic tendon characteristics,
      vascularity, and bursitis at each time point. RESULTS: Four recurrent tears
      occurred within 3 months of surgery. The postoperative tendon thickness decreased
      from 5 weeks to 6 months after surgery (P = .001). There were significant changes
      in the morphologic tendon characteristics, including the echo texture, fibrillar
      pattern, and surface irregularity of the repaired tendon, from 5 weeks to 6
      months after surgery (P < .001). Additionally, subacromial-subdeltoid bursitis
      and the vascularity of the repaired tendon decreased postoperatively over time.
      CONCLUSIONS: Serial sonography after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair was useful
      for monitoring the postoperative changes in a repaired tendon. The morphologic
      appearance of the repaired tendon and peritendinous soft tissue changes improved
      over time and nearly normalized within 6 months of surgery.

PMID- 26112621
TI  - Interobserver Reliability of Quantitative Muscle Sonographic Analysis in the
      Critically Ill Population.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There is growing interest in the use of quantitative high-resolution
      neuromuscular sonography to evaluate skeletal muscles in patients with critical
      illness. There is currently considerable methodological variability in the
      measurement technique of quantitative muscle analysis. The reliability of muscle
      parameters using different measurement techniques and assessor expertise levels
      has not been examined in patients with critical illness. The primary objective of
      this study was to determine the interobserver reliability of quantitative
      sonographic measurement analyses (thickness and echogenicity) between assessors
      of different expertise levels and using different techniques for selecting the
      region of interest. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study
      in neurocritical care and mixed surgical-medical intensive care units from 2
      tertiary referral hospitals. RESULTS: Twenty diaphragm and 20 quadriceps images
      were evaluated. Images were obtained by using standardized imaging acquisition
      techniques. Quantitative sonographic measurements included muscle thickness and
      echogenicity analysis (either by the trace or square technique). All images were
      analyzed twice independently by 4 assessors of differing expertise levels.
      Excellent interobserver reliability was obtained for all measurement techniques
      regardless of expertise level (intraclass correlation coefficient, >0.75 for all
      comparisons). There was less variability between assessors for echogenicity
      values when the square technique was used for the quadriceps muscle and the trace
      technique for the diaphragm. CONCLUSIONS: Excellent interobserver reliability
      exists regardless of expertise level for quantitative analysis of muscle
      parameters on sonography in the critically ill population. On the basis of these
      findings, it is recommended that echogenicity analysis be performed using the
      square technique for the quadriceps and the trace technique for the diaphragm.

PMID- 26112622
TI  - Combination of Virtual Touch Tissue Imaging and Virtual Touch Tissue
      Quantification for Differential Diagnosis of Breast Lesions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in
      women, and early detection is the key to successful treatment. Unfortunately,
      even with technological advances, the specificity of imaging modalities is still
      low. Therefore, we evaluated the value of a newly developed noninvasive
      technique, acoustic radiation force impulse imaging, for differentiating benign
      versus malignant breast lesions. METHODS: We prospectively examined 141 breast
      lesions in 122 patients. All lesions were classified according to the American
      College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) for
      mammography, BI-RADS for sonography, and Virtual Touch tissue imaging (VTI;
      Siemens Medical Solutions, Mountain View, CA) pattern. Internal and marginal
      shear wave velocity (SWV) values for the lesions were noted. The sensitivity,
      specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values for VTI and
      Virtual Touch tissue quantification (VTQ; Siemens Medical Solutions) were
      calculated. RESULTS: The marginal SWV values were statistically higher in
      malignant lesions (mean +/- SD, 5.41 +/- 1.37 m/s) than benign lesions (2.91 +/-
      0.88 m/s; P < .001). When the SWV cutoff level was set at 4.07 m/s, and the
      higher of the internal and marginal values was adopted, the combination of VTI
      and VTQ showed 95.1% sensitivity, 99.0% specificity, and 97.8% accuracy.
      CONCLUSIONS: Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System category 4 lesions are the
      main focus of research for early detection of breast cancer. Unfortunately, BI
      RADS category 4 assessment covers a wide range of likelihood of malignancy (2%
      95%). This wide range reflects the necessity for a more specific imaging
      modality. The combination of VTI and VTQ could increase the diagnostic
      performance of conventional sonography.

PMID- 26112624
TI  - Evaluation of Left Ventricular Regional Systolic Function Using Tissue Doppler
      Echocardiography After Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation in Rabbits With
      Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work was to assess left ventricular (LV) regional
      systolic function in rabbits with myocardial infarction after allogeneic
      mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation using quantitative tissue velocity
      imaging. METHODS: Thirty New Zealand White rabbits were assigned into 3 groups
      randomly: a sham-operated group (n = 10), a myocardial infarction (MI) group (n =
      10), and a MSC transplantation group (n = 10). Mesenchymal stem cells (1 * 10(7)
      in total) were delivered into 5 spots around the left anterior descending artery
      (LAD) blood supply area via direct intramyocardial injections 1 hour after LAD
      ligation in the MSC group, whereas the MI group received the same amount of
      phosphate-buffered saline injections. Echocardiography was performed before LAD
      ligation and 1 day and 2 weeks after MSC transplantation, respectively. The peak
      systolic velocity (Vs) of each LV wall segment was measured. The myocardial
      slices were harvested for histologic staining after the last echocardiographic
      examination. RESULTS: The velocity curves for the LV myocardium before LAD
      ligation had a trend showing that the Vs value decreased gradually from basal to
      apical segments. The Vs values for the LV segments around the infarcted area in
      the MSC group decreased significantly compared with the sham group (P < .05) 1
      day after MSC transplantation, whereas they increased significantly 2 weeks after
      MSC transplantation compared with 1 day after LAD ligation (P < .05).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that quantitative tissue velocity imaging
      may provide a promising approach to quantitatively assessing LV regional systolic
      function before and after MSC transplantation.

PMID- 26112623
TI  - Contrast Ultrasound Imaging Does Not Affect Heat Shock Protein 70 Expression in
      Cholesterol-Fed Rabbit Aorta.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Diagnostic ultrasound imaging is enhanced by the use of circulating
      microbubble contrast agents (UCAs), but the interactions between ultrasound,
      UCAs, and vascular tissue are not fully understood. We hypothesized that
      ultrasound with a UCA would stress the vascular tissue and increase levels of
      heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), a cellular stress protein. METHODS: Male New
      Zealand White rabbits (n = 32) were fed a standard chow diet (n = 4) or a 1%
      cholesterol, 10% fat, and 0.11% magnesium diet (n = 28). At 21 days, 24 rabbits
      on the cholesterol diet were either exposed to ultrasound (3.2-MHz f/3
      transducer; 2.1 MPa; mechanical index, 1.17; 10 Hz pulse repetition frequency;
      1.6 microseconds pulse duration; 2 minutes exposure duration at 4 sites along the
      aorta) with the UCA Definity (1* concentration, 1 mL/min; Lantheus Medical
      Imaging, North Billerica, MA) or sham exposed with a saline vehicle injection (n
      = 12 per group). Four rabbits on the cholesterol diet and 4 on the chow diet
      served as cage controls and were not exposed to ultrasound or restrained for
      blood sample collection. Animals were euthanized 24 hours after exposure, and
      aortas were quickly isolated and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Aorta lysates from
      the area of ultrasound exposure were analyzed for Hsp70 level by Western blot.
      Blood plasma was analyzed for cholesterol, Hsp70, and von Willebrand factor, a
      marker of endothelial function. RESULTS: Plasma total cholesterol levels
      increased to an average of 705 mg/dL. Ultrasound did not affect plasma von
      Willebrand factor, plasma Hsp70, or aorta Hsp70. Restraint increased Hsp70 (P <
      .001, analysis of variance). CONCLUSIONS: Restraint, but not ultrasound with the
      UCA or cholesterol feeding, significantly increased Hsp70.

PMID- 26112625
TI  - Low-Energy Ultrasound Treatment Improves Regional Tumor Vessel Infarction by
      Retargeted Tissue Factor.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To enhance the regional antitumor activity of the vascular-targeting
      agent truncated tissue factor (tTF)-NGR by combining the therapy with low-energy
      ultrasound (US) treatment. METHODS: For the in vitro US exposure of human
      umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), cells were put in the focus of a US
      transducer. For analysis of the US-induced phosphatidylserine (PS) surface
      concentration on HUVECs, flow cytometry was used. To demonstrate the differences
      in the procoagulatory efficacy of TF-derivative tTF-NGR on binding to HUVECs with
      a low versus high surface concentration of PS, we performed factor X activation
      assays. For low-energy US pretreatment, HT1080 fibrosarcoma xenotransplant
      bearing nude mice were treated by tumor-regional US-mediated stimulation (ie,
      destruction) of microbubbles. The therapy cohorts received the tumor vessel
      infarcting tTF-NGR protein with or without US pretreatment (5 minutes after US
      stimulation via intraperitoneal injection on 3 consecutive days). RESULTS:
      Combination therapy experiments with xenotransplant-bearing nude mice
      significantly increased the antitumor activity of tTF-NGR by regional low-energy
      US destruction of vascular microbubbles in tumor vessels shortly before
      application of tTF-NGR (P < .05). Mechanistic studies proved the upregulation of
      anionic PS on the outer leaflet of the lipid bilayer of endothelial cell
      membranes by low-energy US and a consecutive higher potential of these
      preapoptotic endothelial cells to activate coagulation via tTF-NGR and
      coagulation factor X as being a basis for this synergistic activity. CONCLUSIONS:
      Combining retargeted tTF to tumor vessels with proapoptotic stimuli for the tumor
      vascular endothelium increases the antitumor effects of tumor vascular
      infarction. Ultrasound treatment may thus be useful in this respect for regional
      tumor therapy.

PMID- 26112626
TI  - Left Ventricular Ejection Time Derived From the Common Carotid Artery Doppler
      Waveform: Association With Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction and Prediction of
      Heart Failure.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Left ventricular ejection time (LVET) is measured from blood pressure
      tracings as the interval from end diastole to the dicrotic notch and shows
      associations with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and heart failure.
      LVET can be measured on common carotid artery Doppler waveforms. We therefore
      studied the possible associations of common carotid artery LVET with LVEF
      measured by echocardiography and heart failure. METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective study of 110 patients who had transthoracic echocardiography and
      carotid Doppler evaluations within 1 day of each other. LVEF was determined by
      the biplane modified Simpson method. LVET was measured from left common carotid
      artery Doppler tracings. Linear regression was used to evaluate associations
      between LVET and LVEF. We also used logistic regression with LVEF of less than
      40% as a cut point for heart failure to generate a receiver operating
      characteristic curve, estimate the area under the curve, and calculate
      sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: LVET was associated with LVEF (P < .0001).
      The area under the curve of LVET for heart failure was 0.81 (95% confidence
      interval [CI], 0.72-0.87), and the sensitivity and specificity were 76.9% (95%
      CI, 65.4%-88.4%) and 65.5% (95% CI, 53.4%-77.8%), respectively, for LVET of 321
      milliseconds. CONCLUSIONS: LVET measured on common carotid artery Doppler
      tracings decreases with LVEF and is strongly associated with prevalent heart
      failure. Based on what is known of blood pressure-measured LVET, common carotid
      artery Doppler waveform-derived LVET could be used to serially monitor cardiac
      function.

PMID- 26112627
TI  - A Predictive Model for Selecting Malignant Thyroid Nodules in Patients With
      Nondiagnostic or Indeterminate Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytologic Findings.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The management of nodules with nondiagnostic or indeterminate fine
      needle aspiration cytologic findings remains challenging. This study evaluated
      the clinical differences, conventional sonographic findings, elastographic
      findings, and cytologic findings for predicting thyroid malignancy. METHODS: A
      total of 167 patients with a nondiagnostic or indeterminate thyroid fine-needle
      aspiration cytologic findings were enrolled in this study. The clinicopathologic
      and sonographic data from the patients were analyzed retrospectively to determine
      the independent predictive factors for thyroid malignancy. Then a scoring system
      was designed on the basis of statistically significant predictors. RESULTS: Fine
      needle aspiration cytologic findings, Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System
      categorization, and elastographic findings were independent predictive factors
      for thyroid cancer on multivariate analysis. The index points were statistically
      significant, with a score higher than 3 favoring malignant nodules with
      sensitivity of 79.37%, specificity of 85.85%, a positive predictive value of
      76.9%, and a negative predictive value of 87.3%. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with
      nondiagnostic or indeterminate fine-needle aspiration cytologic findings, our
      scoring system for prediction of thyroid malignancy can be another choice. We
      suggest surgery for nodules with index points higher than 3. For nodules with
      index points of 3 or lower, observation and regular follow-up are recommended.

PMID- 26112628
TI  - Integrating Sonography Training Into Undergraduate Medical Education: A Study of
      the Previous Exposure of One Institution's Incoming Residents.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Sonography is a crucial and versatile tool within the field of
      medicine. Recent advancements in technology have led to increased use of point-of
      care sonography. We designed a survey to assess prior point-of-care sonography
      training among incoming interns at an academic teaching hospital. METHODS: In
      2012 and 2013, we surveyed incoming interns (n = 154 and 145, respectively)
      regarding point-of-care sonography training received during medical school. The
      survey questions included formal didactic sessions, bedside instruction, and the
      use of simulation technology. RESULTS: One-fourth (26.3% in 2012 and 23.4% in
      2013) of responding interns reported having never done an ultrasound scan at the
      bedside. In 2012 and 2013, 55.0% and 55.6% of respondents reported never having
      done an ultrasound scan in a simulation center, respectively. Interns agreed that
      sonography education should be provided during medical school. On average,
      interns disagreed with the statement that sonography should be taught in
      residency only. There was no significant difference in the sex or general
      previous experience with sonography across both intern classes. CONCLUSIONS:
      Point-of-care sonography is inconsistently taught in medical school. The interns
      in our study also thought that sonography education should begin in medical
      school, and sonography should be taught by using simulation and at the bedside.

PMID- 26112629
TI  - Utility of Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography in the Management of Neonatal
      Illness.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the impact of targeted neonatal echocardiography on
      management of neonatal illness in a tertiary perinatal center neonatal intensive
      care unit (NICU). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of consecutive
      targeted neonatal echocardiographic studies that were performed over an 18-month
      period in a regional perinatal center NICU in Canada. All studies were performed
      with a cardiovascular ultrasound machine and transducer and read on a workstation
      with storage and analysis software. Reporting was done on a standardized
      document, and any management change resulting from targeted neonatal
      echocardiography was documented. RESULTS: A total of 303 consecutive targeted
      neonatal echocardiographic studies were performed on 129 neonates. The mean
      gestational age +/- SD was 27.8 +/- 4.3 weeks (range, 23-41 weeks), and the mean
      birth weight +/- SD was 1196 +/- 197 g (range, 490- 4500 g). The median number of
      studies per neonate was 2 (range, 1-8), with most repeated studies for a patent
      ductus arteriosus (PDA). The most common indication for echocardiography was
      assessment of a PDA (52.1%), followed by early global hemodynamic assessment of
      very low birth weight (16.2%) and pulmonary hypertension (12.2%). Of the 303
      studies, 126 (41.5%) resulted in management changes. The contribution to
      management was significantly related to the timing of echocardiography. Around
      half of the echocardiographic examinations during first the week of life resulted
      in management changes, compared to 22% of studies after 1 week of age (P = .002).
      Patent ductus arteriosus management accounted for almost half of the
      interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted neonatal echocardiography is a valuable tool
      in the NICU and can contribute substantially to hemodynamic management in the
      first week of life, PDA management in the first 2 weeks of life, and cases of
      hypotension or shock at any time during the hospital stay.

PMID- 26112630
TI  - Evaluating the Optimal Definition of Abnormal First-Trimester Uterine Artery
      Doppler Parameters to Predict Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the optimal definition of abnormal first-trimester
      uterine artery Doppler parameters associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.
      METHODS: A prospective cohort of women with singleton gestations between 11 and
      14 weeks consented to uterine artery Doppler measurements. Doppler parameters
      were measured bilaterally, and mean pulsatility index (PI) and resistive index
      (RI) values were calculated. The presence of notching was also determined. Each
      parameter was evaluated for prediction of preeclampsia, early preeclampsia (<34
      weeks), preterm birth (<37 weeks), early preterm birth (<34 weeks), and small for
      gestational age (SGA; birth weight <10th percentile). Descriptive statistics
      evaluated the association between abnormal Doppler indices and outcomes. A
      receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to define the best
      cutoff points for mean PI and RI. The sensitivity, specificity, positive
      predictive value, and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated for
      bilateral notching and mean PI and RI percentiles. RESULTS: Of 1192 patients with
      complete outcome data, preeclampsia was seen in 8.4%, early preeclampsia in 1.8%,
      preterm birth in 12.9%, early preterm birth in 5.6%, and SGA in 8.5%. A mean PI
      above the 75th percentile (>1.91) was the best index for predicting early
      preeclampsia (sensitivity, 45.0%; specificity, 75.5%; NPV, 98.7%; ROC area,
      0.65). A mean PI above the 75th percentile was also the best index for predictive
      early preterm birth (sensitivity, 40.0%; specificity, 76.0%; NPV, 95.5%; ROC
      area, 0.65). None of the parameters were significant for predicting SGA.
      CONCLUSIONS: A mean uterine PI above the 75th percentile is the most
      discriminative abnormal uterine artery Doppler parameter for predicting both
      early preeclampsia and early preterm birth.

PMID- 26112631
TI  - Cardiovascular System Sonographic Evaluation Algorithm: A New Sonographic
      Algorithm for Evaluation of the Fetal Cardiovascular System in the Second
      Trimester.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the reproducibility and feasibility of the new
      cardiovascular system sonographic evaluation algorithm for studying the extended
      fetal cardiovascular system, including the portal, thymic, and supra-aortic
      areas, in the second trimester of pregnancy (19-22 weeks). METHODS: We performed
      a cross-sectional study of pregnant women with healthy fetuses (singleton and
      twin pregnancies) attending our center from March to August 2011. The extended
      fetal cardiovascular system was evaluated by following the new algorithm, a
      sequential acquisition of axial views comprising the following (caudal to
      cranial): I, portal sinus; II, ductus venosus; III, hepatic veins; IV, 4-chamber
      view; V, left ventricular outflow tract; VI, right ventricular outflow tract;
      VII, 3-vessel and trachea view; VIII, thy-box; and IX, subclavian arteries.
      Interobserver agreement on the feasibility and exploration time was estimated in
      a subgroup of patients. The feasibility and exploration time were determined for
      the main cohort. Maternal, fetal, and sonographic factors affecting both features
      were evaluated. RESULTS: Interobserver agreement was excellent for all views
      except view VIII; the difference in the mean exploration time between observers
      was 1.5 minutes (95% confidence interval, 0.7-2.1 minutes; P < .05). In 184
      fetuses (mean gestational age +/- SD, 20 +/- 0.6 weeks), the feasibility of all
      views was close to 99% except view VIII (88.7%). The complete feasibility of the
      algorithm was 81.5%. The mean exploration time was 5.6 +/- 4.2 minutes. Only the
      occiput anterior fetal position was associated with a lower frequency of
      visualization and a longer exploration time (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The
      cardiovascular system sonographic evaluation algorithm is a reproducible and
      feasible approach for exploration of the extended fetal cardiovascular system in
      a second-trimester scan. It can be used to explore these areas in normal and
      abnormal conditions and provides an integrated image of extended fetal
      cardiovascular anatomy.

PMID- 26112632
TI  - Sonography of the Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter for Detection of Raised
      Intracranial Pressure Compared to Computed Tomography: A Systematic Review and
      Meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The diagnosis of raised intracranial pressure (ICP) is important in
      many critically ill patients. The optic nerve sheath is contiguous with the
      subarachnoid space; thus, an increase in ICP results in a corresponding increase
      in the optic nerve sheath diameter. The objective of this study was to assess the
      diagnostic accuracy of sonography of the optic nerve sheath diameter compared to
      computed tomography (CT) for predicting raised ICP. METHODS: We searched PubMed,
      EMBASE, and the Cochrane database from 1986 to August 2013 and performed hand
      searches. Two independent reviewers extracted data. Study quality was assessed by
      using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) tool. We
      calculated kappa agreement for study selection and evaluated clinical and quality
      homogeneity before the meta-analysis. RESULTS: From 1214 studies, we selected 45
      for full review. Twelve studies with 478 participants were included (kappa =
      0.89). Ocular sonography yielded sensitivity of 95.6% (95% confidence interval
      [CI], 87.7%-98.5%), specificity of 92.3% (95% CI, 77.9%-98.4%), a positive
      likelihood ratio of 12.5 (95% CI, 4.16-37.5), and a negative likelihood ratio of
      0.05 (95% CI, 0.02-0.14). Average quality according to the QUADAS tool was 7.4 of
      11. There was moderate to high heterogeneity based on the prediction ellipse area
      and variance logit of sensitivity (2.1754) and specificity (2.6720). CONCLUSIONS:
      Ocular sonography shows good diagnostic test accuracy for detecting raised ICP
      compared to CT: specifically, high sensitivity for ruling out raised ICP in a low
      risk group and high specificity for ruling in raised ICP in a high-risk group.
      This noninvasive point-of-care method could lead to rapid interventions for
      raised ICP, assist centers without CT, and monitor patients during transport or
      as part of a protocol to reduce CT use.

PMID- 26112633
TI  - Saline Flush Test: Can Bedside Sonography Replace Conventional Radiography for
      Confirmation of Above-the-Diaphragm Central Venous Catheter Placement?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Resuscitation often requires rapid vascular access via central venous
      catheters. Chest radiography is the reference standard to confirm central venous
      catheter placement and exclude complications. However, radiographs are often
      untimely. The purpose of this study was to determine whether dynamic sonographic
      visualization of a saline flush in the right side of the heart after central
      venous catheter placement could serve as a more rapid confirmatory study for
      above-the-diaphragm catheter placement. METHODS: A consecutive prospective
      enrollment study was conducted in the emergency departments of 2 major tertiary
      care centers. Adult patients of the study investigators who required an above-the
      diaphragm central venous catheter were enrolled during the study period. Patients
      had a catheter placed with sonographic guidance. After placement of the catheter,
      thoracic sonography was performed. The times for visualization of the saline
      flush in the right ventricle and sonographic exclusion of ipsilateral
      pneumothorax were recorded. Chest radiography was performed per standard
      practice. RESULTS: Eighty-one patients were enrolled; 13 were excluded. The mean
      catheter confirmation time by sonography was 8.80 minutes (95% confidence
      interval, 7.46-10.14 minutes). The mean catheter confirmation time by chest
      radiograph availability for viewing was 45.78 minutes (95% confidence interval,
      37.03-54.54 minutes). Mean sonographic confirmation occurred 36.98 minutes sooner
      than radiography (P< .001). No discrepancy existed between sonographic and
      radiographic confirmation. CONCLUSIONS: Confirmation of central venous catheter
      placement by dynamic sonographic visualization of a saline flush with exclusion
      of pneumothorax is an accurate, safe, and more efficient method than confirmation
      by chest radiography. It allows the central line to be used immediately,
      expediting patient care.

PMID- 26112634
TI  - ERRATUM.

PMID- 26112635
TI  - The Ultrasound-Only Central Venous Catheter Placement and Confirmation Procedure.
AB  - The placement of a central venous catheter remains an important intervention in
      the care of critically ill patients in the emergency department. We propose an
      ultrasound-first protocol for 3 aspects of central venous catheter placement
      above the diaphragm: dynamic procedural guidance, evaluation for pneumothorax,
      and confirmation of the catheter tip location. 

PMID- 26112636
TI  - Value of Intraoperative Sonography in Pancreatic Surgery.
AB  - The utility of intraoperative sonography for pancreatic disease has been well
      described for detection and evaluation of neoplastic and inflammatory pancreatic
      disease. Intraoperative sonography can help substantially reduce surgical time as
      well as decrease potential injury to tissues and major structures. Imaging with
      sonography literally at the point of care--the surgeon's scalpel--can precisely
      define the location of pancreatic lesions and their direct relationship with
      surrounding structures in real time during surgery. This article highlights our
      experience with intraoperative sonography at multiple institutional sites for
      both open and laparoscopic surgical procedures. We use intraoperative sonography
      for a wide range of pancreatic disease to provide accurate localization and
      staging of disease, provide guidance for enucleation of nonpalpable, nonvisible
      tumors, and in planning the most direct and least invasive surgical approach,
      avoiding injury to the pancreatic duct or other vital structures.

PMID- 26112637
TI  - Multiparametric Sonography of Testicular Hematomas: Features on Grayscale, Color
      Doppler, and Contrast-Enhanced Sonography and Strain Elastography.
AB  - We investigated the appearances of intratesticular hematomas on multiparametric
      sonography combining grayscale, color Doppler, and contrast-enhanced sonography
      and strain elastography. Over a 3-year period, 17 hematomas in 8 patients were
      analyzed. Blunt trauma (n = 7) and surgery (n = 1) were preceding events.
      Grayscale sonography showed well-defined oval or round predominantly hypoechoic
      and heterogeneous, peripherally (n = 13) or centrally (n = 4) located lesions.
      Three showed contrast enhancement of septations, and 4 showed peripheral lesion
      rim enhancement. On strain elastography, the mean strain ratio was 1.19 (range,
      0.41-2.36), and elasticity score were 3 or lower (n = 13) and 5 (n = 4).
      Multiparametric sonography shows nonenhancement with contrast and predominantly
      "soft" elastographic properties and aids in the interpretation of the benign
      nature of intratesticular hematomas. 

PMID- 26112638
TI  - Is the "I-Sign" in the 3-Vessel and Trachea View a Valid Tool for Prenatal
      Diagnosis of D-Transposition of the Great Arteries?
AB  - Prenatal diagnosis of D-transposition of the great arteries remains less frequent
      compared to other major congenital heart defects. In this study, we examined how
      often the 3-vessel and trachea view was abnormal in a large series of prenatally
      diagnosed cases of D-transposition of the great arteries. We found that an
      abnormal 3-vessel and trachea view in the shape of an "I" ("I-sign"), which
      represents an anteriorly displaced aorta, was present in all fetuses with D
      transposition of the great arteries when a 3-vessel and trachea view was
      successfully obtained. Therefore we believe that the 3-vessel and trachea view
      can be used to reliably detect D-transposition of the great arteries during
      prenatal sonography.

PMID- 26112639
TI  - Unexpected Inching Explained by an Ulnar Nerve Anatomic Variant Documented by
      Sonography.

PMID- 26112640
TI  - Cerebral Circulatory Arrest Detected by Transcranial Color-Coded Duplex
      Sonography: A Feasible Diagnosis for Intensivists.

PMID- 26112641
TI  - The devil is in the detail: estimating species richness, density, and relative
      abundance of tropical island herpetofauna.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the basic premises of drawing samples from populations is that
      the samples are representative of the populations. However, error in sampling is
      poorly recognized, and it goes unnoticed especially in community ecology. By
      combining traditional open quadrats used for sampling forest floor herpetofauna
      with intensive bounded quadrats, we explore the effect of sampling error on
      estimates of species richness, diversity, and density in the Andaman Islands.
      RESULTS: Fisher's alpha measure of species diversity and second order jackknife
      estimate of species richness were not sensitive to number of individuals sampled.
      Sampling error resulted in underestimation of density in both frogs and lizards.
      It influenced relative abundance of individual species resulting in
      underestimation of abundance of small or camouflaged species; and also resulted
      in low precision in lizard species richness estimates. CONCLUSIONS: Sampling
      error resulted in underestimation of abundance of small, fossorial or camouflaged
      species. Imperfect detection from less intensive sampling method results
      incorrect estimates of abundance of herpetofauna. Fisher's alpha for species
      diversity and second order jackknife for species richness were robust measures.
      These have strong implications on inferences made from previous studies as well
      as sampling strategies for future studies. It is essential that these shortfalls
      are accounted for while communities are sampled or when datasets are compared.

PMID- 26112642
TI  - Persistent Aortic Arch Hypoplasia After Coarctation Treatment Is Associated With
      Late Systemic Hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mild transverse aortic arch (TAA) hypoplasia is common after
      coarctation treatment, but is considered benign in the absence of an arm-leg
      systolic blood pressure (SBP) difference. Hypertension (HTN) is a common long
      term morbidity after successful coarctation treatment. We examined whether mild
      TAA hypoplasia after coarctation treatment is associated with late systemic HTN.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively reviewed 92 patients (median age, 19.9
      years; range, 4.9 to 57.8; 60% male) 14.1+/-10.3 years after successful
      coarctation treatment (surgery in 63, stent in 16, and balloon dilation in 13),
      excluding those with resting right arm-leg blood pressure gradient >20 mm Hg,
      atypical coarctation, and major associated heart defects. Minimum body-surface
      area (BSA)-adjusted TAA cross-sectional area (CSA) was calculated from cardiac
      magnetic resonance (CMR) images. On follow-up, 38 of 92 (41%) patients had
      systemic HTN using standard criteria. Systemic HTN was independently associated
      with smaller TAA CSA/BSA (P=0.006; odds ratio [OR], 6.41 per 0.5 cm(2)/m(2)
      decrease), higher age at CMR (P=0.03; OR, 1.57 per 5-year increase), and in a
      subset (n=61), higher arm-leg SBP difference during exercise (P=0.05; OR, 1.03
      per 1-mm-Hg increase). Lower ratio of TAA diameter/descending aorta diameter was
      associated with a larger increase in right arm SBP during peak exercise (P=0.006;
      r(2)=0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Persistent mild aortic arch hypoplasia, even in the
      absence of an arm-leg SBP difference at rest, is associated with late systemic
      HTN. Further studies should be undertaken to determine whether more-aggressive
      arch reconstruction at initial repair can reduce the incidence of systemic HTN.

PMID- 26112643
TI  - Proper Voltage-Dependent Ion Channel Function in Dysferlin-Deficient
      Cardiomyocytes.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Dysferlin plays a decisive role in calcium-dependent membrane
      repair in myocytes. Mutations in the encoding DYSF gene cause a number of
      myopathies, e.g. limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B (LGMD2B). Besides
      skeletal muscle degenerative processes, dysferlin deficiency is also associated
      with cardiac complications. Thus, both LGMD2B patients and dysferlin-deficient
      mice develop a dilated cardiomyopathy. We and others have recently reported that
      dystrophin-deficient ventricular cardiomyocytes from mouse models of Duchenne
      muscular dystrophy show significant abnormalities in voltage-dependent ion
      channels, which may contribute to the pathophysiology in dystrophic
      cardiomyopathy. The aim of the present study was to investigate if dysferlin,
      like dystrophin, is a regulator of cardiac ion channels. METHODS AND RESULTS: By
      using the whole cell patch-clamp technique, we compared the properties of voltage
      dependent calcium and sodium channels, as well as action potentials in
      ventricular cardiomyocytes isolated from the hearts of normal and dysferlin
      deficient (dysf) mice. In contrast to dystrophin deficiency, the lack of
      dysferlin did not impair the ion channel properties and left action potential
      parameters unaltered. In connection with normal ECGs in dysf mice these results
      suggest that dysferlin deficiency does not perturb cardiac electrophysiology.
      CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that dysferlin does not regulate cardiac
      voltage-dependent ion channels, and implies that abnormalities in cardiac ion
      channels are not a universal characteristic of all muscular dystrophy types.

PMID- 26112644
TI  - The Surtsey Magma Series.
AB  - The volcanic island of Surtsey (Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland) is the product of a 3.5
      year-long eruption that began in November 1963. Observations of magma-water
      interaction during pyroclastic episodes made Surtsey the type example of shallow
      to-emergent phreatomagmatic eruptions. Here, in part to mark the 50(th)
      anniversary of this canonical eruption, we present previously unpublished major
      element whole-rock compositions, and new major and trace-element compositions of
      sideromelane glasses in tephra collected by observers and retrieved from the 1979
      drill core. Compositions became progressively more primitive as the eruption
      progressed, with abrupt changes corresponding to shifts between the eruption's
      four edifices. Trace-element ratios indicate that the chemical variation is best
      explained by mixing of different proportions of depleted ridge-like basalt, with
      ponded, enriched alkalic basalt similar to that of Iceland's Eastern Volcanic
      Zone; however, the systematic offset of Surtsey compositions to lower Nb/Zr than
      other Vestmannaeyjar lavas indicates that these mixing end members are as-yet
      poorly contained by compositions in the literature. As the southwestern-most
      volcano in the Vestmannaeyjar, the geochemistry of the Surtsey Magma Series
      exemplifies processes occurring within ephemeral magma bodies on the extreme
      leading edge of a propagating off-axis rift in the vicinity of the Iceland plume.

PMID- 26112645
TI  - Exciton intrachain transport induced by interchain packing configurations in
      conjugated polymers.
AB  - Based on a tight binding model combined with a nonadiabatic dynamics approach, we
      theoretically investigate the exciton intrachain transport in conjugated polymers
      with different interchain packing configurations. We construct two different
      interchain packing configurations, i.e. linear and exponential forms, and
      simulate the dynamical processes of the exciton transport in these systems. We
      find that, in both cases, there exists a distribution of driving force for
      exciton transport, which stems from the gradient of the exciton creation energy
      along the chains. This finding enriches the picture of exciton transport in
      polymers and provides a new idea to improve the exciton transport length in
      polymeric photovoltaic devices. 

PMID- 26112646
TI  - Recombinant influenza virus carrying human adenovirus epitopes elicits protective
      immunity in mice.
AB  - Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are known to cause a broad spectrum of diseases in
      pediatric and adult patients. As this time, there is no specific therapy for HAdV
      infection. This study used reverse genetics (RG) to successfully rescue a
      recombinant influenza virus, termed rFLU/HAdV, with the HAdV hexon protein
      antigenic epitope sequence inserted in the influenza non-structural (NS1) protein
      gene. rFLU/HAdV morphological characteristics were observed using electron
      microscopy. Furthermore, BALB/c mice immunized twice intranasally (i.n.) with
      10(4) TCID50 or 10(5) TCID50 rFLU/HAdV showed robust humoral, mucosal, and cell
      mediated immune responses in vivo. More importantly, these specific immune
      responses could protect against subsequent wild-type HAdV-3 (BJ809) or HAdV-7
      (BJ1026) challenge, showing a significant reduction in viral load and a
      noticeable alleviation of histopathological changes in the challenged mouse lung
      in a dose-dependent manner. These findings highlighted that recombinant rFLU/HAdV
      warrants further investigation as a promising HAdV candidate vaccine and
      underscored that the immuno-protection should be confirmed in primate models. 

PMID- 26112648
TI  - Suramin inhibits chikungunya virus replication through multiple mechanisms.
AB  - Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that causes severe and
      often persistent arthritis. In recent years, millions of people have been
      infected with this virus for which registered antivirals are still lacking. Using
      our recently established in vitro assay, we discovered that the approved anti
      parasitic drug suramin inhibits CHIKV RNA synthesis (IC50 of ~5MUM). The compound
      inhibited replication of various CHIKV isolates in cell culture with an EC50 of
      ~80MUM (CC50>5mM) and was also active against Sindbis virus and Semliki Forest
      virus. In vitro studies hinted that suramin interferes with (re)initiation of RNA
      synthesis, whereas time-of-addition studies suggested it to also interfere with a
      post-attachment early step in infection, possibly entry. CHIKV (nsP4) mutants
      resistant against favipiravir or ribavirin, which target the viral RNA
      polymerase, did not exhibit cross-resistance to suramin, suggesting a different
      mode of action. The assessment of the activity of a variety of suramin-related
      compounds in cell culture and the in vitro assay for RNA synthesis provided more
      insight into the moieties required for antiviral activity. The antiviral effect
      of suramin-containing liposomes was also analyzed. Its approved status makes it
      worthwhile to explore the use of suramin to prevent and/or treat CHIKV
      infections. 

PMID- 26112647
TI  - Chronic hepatitis B: A wave of new therapies on the horizon.
AB  - This year marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Australia antigen
      (Blumberg et al., 1965), which in 1967 was identified to be the hepatitis B virus
      (HBV) surface antigen. Even though several antiviral medications have been in use
      for the management of chronic HBV infection for more than 20years, sustained
      clearance of HBsAg, similar to the sustained viral response (SVR) or cure in
      chronic hepatitis C, occurs in only a minority of treated patients. Moreover,
      even after 10years of effective suppression of HBV viremia with current therapy,
      there is only a 40-70% reduction in deaths from liver cancer. Recent success in
      developing antivirals for hepatitis C that are effective across all genotypes has
      renewed interest in a similar cure for chronic HBV infection. In this article, we
      review a wave of newly identified drug targets, investigational compounds and
      experimental strategies that are now under clinical evaluation or in preclinical
      development. The paper forms part of a symposium in Antiviral Research on "An
      unfinished story: From the discovery of the Australia antigen to the development
      of new curative therapies for hepatitis B." 

PMID- 26112649
TI  - Propensity-matched analysis of minimally invasive mitral valve repair using a
      nationwide surgical database.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the cases of minimally invasive
      mitral valve surgery (MICS-mitral) performed using right mini-thoracotomy (RT)
      with those performed using median sternotomy (MS). METHODS: Between 2008 and
      2012, 6137 patients underwent isolated mitral valve repair at 210 institutions
      and were registered in the Japan Adult Cardiovascular Surgery Database. We
      compared 756 who underwent MICS-mitral via RT to 5381 MS patients and performed a
      one-to-one matched analysis based on the estimated propensity score. RESULTS: The
      in-hospital mortality was similar between both groups (RT vs. MS: 0.5 vs. 1.1%).
      Although the incidence of postoperative stroke, renal failure, and prolonged
      ventilation was similar, the number of patients with mediastinitis was greater in
      the MS group (RT vs. MS: 0 vs. 0.7%, p < 0.01). Reexploration for bleeding was
      more frequent in the RT group (RT vs. MS: 2.9 vs. 1.4%, p < 0.01). Mortality and
      morbidity occurred at a higher rate in low-volume institutions. The propensity
      analysis showed that the operation-related times were significantly longer in the
      RT group, while the length of hospital stay was shorter. In a propensity analysis
      of patients <60 years of age, there was no in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS:
      MICS-mitral via RT was successful without compromising the clinical outcomes.
      Although the operation time and postoperative bleeding should be improved, an RT
      approach is safe in appropriately selected patients, especially those <60 years
      of age or treated in a high-volume center.

PMID- 26112650
TI  - Designing a study to evaluate the benefit of a biomarker for selecting patient
      treatment.
AB  - Biomarkers that predict the efficacy of treatment can potentially improve
      clinical outcomes and decrease medical costs by allowing treatment to be provided
      only to those most likely to benefit. We consider the design of a randomized
      clinical trial in which one objective is to evaluate a treatment selection
      marker. The marker may be measured prospectively or retrospectively using samples
      collected at baseline. We describe and contrast criteria around which the trial
      can be designed. An existing approach focuses on determining if there is a
      statistical interaction between the marker and treatment. We propose three
      alternative approaches based on estimating clinically relevant measures of
      improvement in outcomes with use of the marker. Importantly, our approaches
      accommodate the common scenario in which the marker-based rule for recommending
      treatment is developed with data from the trial. Sample sizes are calculated for
      powering a trial to assess these criteria in the context of adjuvant chemotherapy
      for the treatment of estrogen-receptor-positive, node-positive breast cancer. In
      this example, we find that larger sample sizes are generally required for
      assessing clinical impact than for simply evaluating if there is a statistical
      interaction between marker and treatment. We also find that retrospectively
      selecting a case-control subset of subjects for marker evaluation can lead to
      large efficiency gains, especially if cases and controls are matched on treatment
      assignment.

PMID- 26112651
TI  - Life with a stoma after curative resection for rectal cancer: a population-based
      cross-sectional study.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the investigation was to examine life with a stoma after rectal
      cancer surgery. METHOD: This was a population-based, cross-sectional study of
      patients with a stoma treated for rectal cancer from 2001 to 2007. A
      questionnaire was mailed to patients who had undergone abdominoperineal excision,
      Hartmann's procedure and anterior resection with a permanent stoma. RESULTS:
      Informative answers were obtained from 644 (88%) of 732 patients. Most (91%)
      managed the stoma on their own. There was an impact of the stoma on the quality
      of life in 68% of patients but this was minor in 50%. Leakage of the appliance
      was reported in 59%, and 58% of patients were disturbed by the smell of faeces. A
      parastomal hernia was reported in 57% and pain at the stoma site in 30%. There
      was no association between the impact of the stoma on the quality of life and
      gender, type of surgery, use of radiochemotherapy or the interval from surgery.
      CONCLUSION: Most patients reported little or no impact on quality of life
      resulting from the stoma, but many patients were disturbed by the smell or
      leakage of faeces. The parastomal hernia rate was extremely high.

PMID- 26112652
TI  - Financial Hardship--an Unwanted Consequence of Cancer Treatment.
AB  - The substantial economic burden of cancer is increasingly being shifted to
      patients. Financial burden experienced by patients as a result of medical
      treatment has an impact on their lifestyle choices, health behaviors, and quality
      of life. Variation in treatment recommendations based on the patients' economic
      status or affordability may be against the basic tenet of social justice and is a
      growing challenge for policy makers. This review summarizes the multifaceted
      constructs and current trends associated with financial hardship within the
      context of cancer care and healthcare economics focusing mainly on hematological
      malignancies but supplemented by nonhematological cancer and general medical
      literature. We also highlight the patient and physician perspectives about this
      issue and identify important areas for future research. We discuss the need for
      more proactive solutions so that patients can achieve good clinical outcomes,
      without catastrophic financial consequences for themselves and their families. 

PMID- 26112653
TI  - Unique Case of Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction After Stingray Strike.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction is a common cause of adult
      acquired flatfoot deformity. The cause of posterior tibial tendon dysfunction is
      often multifactorial and may include repetitive microtrauma, poor blood supply to
      the tendon, and, rarely, traumatic rupture. CASE DESCRIPTION: We present the case
      of a 69-year-old male with posterior tibial tendon dysfunction secondary to a
      stingray injury that occurred directly into the posterior tibial tendon. This
      injury led to an acquired adult flatfoot deformity that ultimately required
      surgical reconstruction. At the time of surgery, the posterior tibial tendon was
      severely degenerative at the site of skin penetration. LITERATURE REVIEW:
      Previous case reports of stingray injury describe full-thickness skin penetration
      with a subsequent inflammatory response and large zone of necrobiosis. This is
      the first reported case of stingray trauma and envenomation directly into tendon
      with subsequent tendon dysfunction. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There are thousands of
      stingray injuries in the United States annually. Injuries vary in severity
      depending on the type of stingray, size of stingray, and depth and location of
      injury. For certain injuries, such as direct penetration into tendon, early
      irrigation and debridement may limit subsequent deficits caused by progressive
      tendon dysfunction. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, Level IV: Case study.

PMID- 26112654
TI  - [Protect, and defend your health in the workplace too].

PMID- 26112655
TI  - [Development of an instrument for the surveillance of quality indicators in
      specialized training in Preventive Medicine and Public Health].
AB  - This study describes the process of developing an instrument intended for use in
      assessing satisfaction with the quality of training in preventive medicine and
      public health for resident physicians. To develop this instrument, the National
      Survey of Satisfaction with Medical Residency was adapted by an expert panel
      consisting of 23 resident physicians in preventive medicine and public health
      belonging to 9 autonomous communities in Spain. The adaptation of the survey to
      the specialty rotations included new dimensions and items and was evaluated with
      a 5-point Likert scale. The most important dimensions were planning and the
      achievement of specific objectives, supervision, delegation of responsibilities,
      resources and work environment, personal assessment, encouragement, support, and
      whether the rotation resulted in a publication or research project, etc. The
      development and utilization of this tool will enable future trainees in
      preventive medicine and public health to make an informed choice about their
      training itineraries. 

PMID- 26112656
TI  - Efficacy of Tiotropium + Olodaterol in Patients with Chronic Obstructive
      Pulmonary Disease by Initial Disease Severity and Treatment Intensity: A Post Hoc
      Analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The once-daily long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) tiotropium
      and once-daily long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) olodaterol have been studied as a
      once-daily fixed-dose combination (FDC) in patients with chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD). Two large, 52-week, double-blind, parallel-group
      studies in patients with moderate-very severe COPD demonstrated that tiotropium +
      olodaterol significantly improved lung function and symptoms versus the
      monocomponents. This post hoc analysis determined effects on lung function by
      prior LAMA or LABA maintenance treatment and initial disease severity. METHODS:
      5162 patients were randomized and treated with olodaterol 5 ug, tiotropium 2.5
      ug, tiotropium 5 ug, tiotropium + olodaterol 2.5/5 ug, or tiotropium + olodaterol
      5/5 ug (all once daily via Respimat((r)) inhaler). Primary efficacy (lung
      function) end points were forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) area under the
      curve from 0 to 3 h (AUC0-3) and trough FEV1 responses (i.e., change from
      baseline). Pooled data are presented for the following subgroups: prior
      maintenance treatment with LAMA or LABA, Global initiative for chronic
      Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2 (predicted FEV1 50% to <80%) and 3 (30% to
      <50%)/4 (<30%), sex, age, and prior use of inhaled corticosteroids. RESULTS:
      Tiotropium + olodaterol FDC improved lung function over the monocomponents in
      patients with GOLD 2 and 3-4 disease, irrespective of prior LAMA or LABA
      maintenance therapy; most comparisons between FDCs and their respective
      monocomponents were statistically significant (P < 0.05). FEV1 AUC0-3 and trough
      FEV1 responses for the individual treatments were generally greater in patients
      with less severe COPD at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Tiotropium + olodaterol 5/5 ug
      significantly improved FEV1 AUC0-3 and trough FEV1 in all GOLD severity groups
      compared to olodaterol 5 ug and tiotropium 5 ug alone, irrespective of whether
      patients had received prior LAMA or LABA maintenance treatment. Improvements from
      baseline in lung function were generally greater in patients with less severe
      disease. FUNDING: Boehringer Ingelheim. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov
      numbers, NCT01431274 and NCT01431287.

PMID- 26112657
TI  - Efficacies of designer biochars in improving biomass and nutrient uptake of
      winter wheat grown in a hard setting subsoil layer.
AB  - In the Coastal Plains region of the United States, the hard setting subsoil layer
      of Norfolk soils results in low water holding capacity and nutrient retention,
      which often limits root development. In this region, the Norfolk soils are under
      intensive crop production that further depletes nutrients and reduces organic
      carbon (C). Incorporation of pyrolyzed organic residues or "biochars" can provide
      an alternative recalcitrant C source. However, biochar quality and effect can be
      inconsistent and different biochars react differently in soils. We hypothesized
      that addition of different designer biochars will have variable effects on
      biomass and nutrient uptake of winter wheat. The objective of this study was to
      investigate the effects of designer biochars on biomass productivity and nutrient
      uptake of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in a Norfolk's hard setting subsoil
      layer. Biochars were added to Norfolk's hard setting subsoil layer at the rate of
      40 Mg ha(-1). The different sources of biochars were: plant-based (pine chips,
      PC); animal-based (poultry litter, PL); 50:50 blend (50% PC:50% PL); 80:20 blend
      (80% PC:20% PL); and hardwood (HW). Aboveground and belowground biomass and
      nutrient uptake of winter wheat varied significantly (p?0.0001) with the
      different designer biochar applications. The greatest increase in the belowground
      biomass of winter wheat over the control was from 80:20 blend of PC:PL (81%)
      followed by HW (76%), PC (59%) and 50:50 blend of PC:PL (9%). However,
      application of PL resulted in significant reduction of belowground biomass by
      about 82% when compared to the control plants. The average uptake of P, K, Ca,
      Mg, Na, Al, Fe, Cu and Zn in both the aboveground and belowground biomass of
      winter wheat varied remarkably with biochar treatments. Overall, our results
      showed promising significance for the treatment of a Norfolk's hard setting
      subsoil layer since designer biochars did improve both aboveground/belowground
      biomass and nutrient uptake of winter wheat.

PMID- 26112658
TI  - Impacts of propagating, frustrated and surface modes on radiative, electrical and
      thermal losses in nanoscale-gap thermophotovoltaic power generators.
AB  - The impacts of radiative, electrical and thermal losses on the performances of
      nanoscale-gap thermophotovoltaic (nano-TPV) power generators consisting of a
      gallium antimonide cell paired with a broadband tungsten and a radiatively
      optimized Drude radiator are analyzed. Results reveal that surface mode mediated
      nano-TPV power generation with the Drude radiator outperforms the tungsten
      radiator, dominated by frustrated modes, only for a vacuum gap thickness of 10 nm
      and if both electrical and thermal losses are neglected. The key limiting factors
      for the Drude- and tungsten-based devices are respectively the recombination of
      electron-hole pairs at the cell surface and thermalization of radiation with
      energy larger than the cell absorption bandgap. A design guideline is also
      proposed where a high energy cutoff above which radiation has a net negative
      effect on nano-TPV power output due to thermal losses is determined. It is shown
      that the power output of a tungsten-based device increases by 6.5% while the cell
      temperature decreases by 30 K when applying a high energy cutoff at 1.45 eV. This
      work demonstrates that design and optimization of nano-TPV devices must account
      for radiative, electrical and thermal losses. 

PMID- 26112659
TI  - Mothers' appreciation of chromosomal microarray analysis for autism spectrum
      disorder.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine mothers' experiences with
      chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) for a child with autism spectrum disorder
      (ASD). DESIGN AND METHODS: This is a descriptive qualitative study using thematic
      content analysis of in-depth interview with 48 mothers of children who had
      genetic testing for ASD. RESULTS: The principal theme, "something is missing,"
      included missing knowledge about genetics, information on use of the results,
      explanations of the relevance to the diagnosis, and relevance to life-long care.
      Two subordinate themes were (a) disappreciation of the helpfulness of scientific
      information to explain the diagnosis, and (b) returning to personal experience
      for interpretation. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The test "appreciated" in value when
      results could be linked to the phenotype.

PMID- 26112660
TI  - Emergence of long-lived autoreactive plasma cells in the spleen of primary warm
      auto-immune hemolytic anemia patients treated with rituximab.
AB  - Primary warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (wAIHA) is a rare autoimmune disease in
      which red blood cells are eliminated by IgG autoantibodies. We analyzed the
      antibody-secreting cells in the spleen and the peripheral blood of wAIHA patients
      in various contexts of treatment. Plasmablasts were observed in peripheral blood
      of newly diagnosed wAIHA patients and, accordingly, active germinal center
      reactions were present in the spleen of patients receiving short-term
      corticosteroid therapy. Long-term corticosteroid regimens markedly reduced this
      response while splenic plasma cells were able to persist, a fraction of them
      secreting anti-red blood cell IgG in vitro. In wAIHA patients treated by
      rituximab and who underwent splenectomy because of treatment failure, plasma
      cells were still present in the spleen, some of them being autoreactive. By using
      a set of diagnostic genes that allowed us to assess the plasma cell maturation
      stage, we observed that these cells displayed a long-lived program, differing
      from the one of plasma cells from healthy donors or from wAIHA patients with
      various immunosuppressant treatments, and more similar to the one of normal long
      lived bone-marrow plasma cells. Interestingly, an increased level of B-cell
      activating factor (BAFF) was observed in the supernatant of spleen cell cultures
      from such rituximab-treated wAIHA patients. These results suggest, in line with
      our previous report on primary immune thrombocytopenia, that the B-cell depletion
      induced by rituximab promoted a suitable environment for the maturation and
      survival of auto-immune long-lived plasma cells in the spleen. 

PMID- 26112661
TI  - In vitro dihydrouridine formation by tRNA dihydrouridine synthase from Thermus
      thermophilus, an extreme-thermophilic eubacterium.
AB  - Dihydrouridine (D) is formed by tRNA dihydrouridine synthases (Dus). In
      mesophiles, multiple Dus enzymes bring about D modifications at several positions
      in tRNA. The extreme-thermophilic eubacterium Thermus thermophilus, in contrast,
      has only one dus gene in its genome and only two D modifications (D20 and D20a)
      in tRNA have been identified. Until now, an in vitro assay system for eubacterial
      Dus has not been reported. In this study, therefore, we constructed an in vitro
      assay system using purified Dus. Recombinant T. thermophilus Dus lacking bound
      tRNA was successfully purified. The in vitro assay revealed that no other factors
      in living cells were required for D formation. A dus gene disruptant (Deltadus)
      strain of T. thermophilus verified that the two D20 and D20a modifications in
      tRNA were derived from one Dus protein. The Deltadus strain did not show growth
      retardation at any temperature. The assay system showed that Dus modified
      tRNA(Phe) transcript at 60 degrees C, demonstrating that other modifications in
      tRNA are not essential for Dus activity. However, a comparison of the formation
      of D in native tRNA(Phe) purified from the Deltadus strain and tRNA(Phe)
      transcript revealed that other tRNA modifications are required for D formation at
      high temperatures. 

PMID- 26112662
TI  - THE WORKING MODEL OF THE CHILD INTERVIEW: STABILITY OF THE DISRUPTED
      CLASSIFICATION IN A COMMUNITY INTERVENTION SAMPLE.
AB  - The Working Model of the Child Interview (WMCI; C.H. Zeanah, D. Benoit, &
      M.L.Barton, 1986) assesses caregiver internal representation of his or her child
      and the relationship with the child, with a relatively new coding system for
      representations associated with disorganized attachment-WMCI-Disrupted (WMCI-D;
      A. Crawford & D. Benoit, 2009). In the present study, we investigated the
      stability of the WMCI-D classification using a sample of 62 mothers who completed
      the WMCI twice as part of their involvement in a randomized trial comparing an
      attachment-focused parent group to home visiting. Demographic information and
      measures of maternal sensitivity, parenting stress, and infant attachment also
      were obtained in the randomized trial. There was significant concordance between
      WMCI-D classifications over 8 months (from pretest to follow-up) (90% agreement;
      kappa = .79), with 61% of mothers remaining disrupted, 29% remaining not
      disrupted, 8% becoming disrupted, and 2% becoming not-disrupted. Compared to
      mothers with not-disrupted representations, mothers classified as disrupted had
      lower socioeconomic status, more parenting stress, and infants with less
      attachment security, ps < .05. These results suggest that the WMCI-D
      classification is stable over 8 months during infancy. The findings are
      consistent with research demonstrating stability for
      disorganized/unresolved/disrupted classifications, the validity of the WMCI-D
      classification, and the lack of intervention impact on disorganized attachment. 

PMID- 26112663
TI  - [Inter-rater concordance of the "Nursing Activities Score" in intensive care].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate inter-rater concordance in the valuation of the "Nursing
      Activities Score". METHOD: Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted from
      December 2012 until June 2013 in a general intensive care unit with twelve beds.
      Three evaluator nurses, simultaneously and independently, through the patient
      daily charts, scored the nursing workload using Nursing Activities Score scale in
      all patients admitted over 18 years old. RESULTS: Three hundreds and thirty-nine
      records were collected. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) between
      evaluators was 0.92 (0.89-0.94). A perfect concordance was obtained in 39.1% of
      the items, with 52.2% having a high, and 8.7% having lower concordance,
      corresponding to two of the items with multiple scoring options. Significant
      differences between two of the evaluators (P=.049) were found. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although the inter-rater concordance was high, more accurate records are needed
      to reduce the variability of the items with multiple options and to allow more
      accuracy in the interpretation and measurement of the data regarding nursing
      workload.

PMID- 26112664
TI  - One step forward, two steps back: The story of everolimus in advanced breast
      cancer.
AB  - There has been a substantial surge of 'targeted agents' in contemporary
      anticancer drug armamentarium and some of these agents have revolutionized the
      outcome of cancer patients. However, on contrary to the nomenclature, not all new
      targeted agents are selected based on presence of target molecules on the cancer
      cells. Drugs are typically approved based on demonstration of benefit in
      randomized controlled trials with regards to efficacy outcomes although both the
      'benefits' and 'outcomes' are defined inconsistently. Surrogates that are not
      validated properly are often used as endpoints. Furthermore, new anticancer drugs
      are frequently associated with increased inconvenience to the patients and/or to
      the society due to added toxicity and cost. In this perspective article, emphasis
      is given to the above problems focusing on room for improvement in anticancer
      drug development. An illustration of a recently approved drug to treat advanced
      breast cancer, everolimus and a previously revoked drug bevacizumab is given. 

PMID- 26112665
TI  - Consonant discrimination by Mandarin-speaking children with prelingual hearing
      impairment.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the consonant discrimination ability of
      Mandarin-speaking children with prelingual hearing impairment (HI) and fitted
      with hearing aids (HAs). The present study aimed to evaluate Mandarin consonant
      discrimination ability in children with HI, and explore the effects of unaided
      and aided hearing threshold, the age of first HA fitting and the duration of HA
      use on consonant discrimination ability. METHODS: Subjects were Mandarin-speaking
      children aged 5;4-12;6 years with profound HI (n=41), children aged 6;1-12;4
      years with severe HI (n=26), and children aged 5;0-11;9 years with moderate HI
      (n=9). The Mandarin Consonant Discrimination Test was administered in six test
      conditions: -10, -5, 0, 5 and 10dB signal to noise ratios (S/Ns) and quiet. HAs
      were in the usual user's settings, adjusted to match the manufacturer prescribed
      settings and individual preferences, and the volume was set to comfortable
      listening level. RESULTS: The results revealed that /p(h)/-/t(h)/, /ts/-/ts/ and
      /z/-/l/ were the most difficult and /p/-/p(h)/, /t/-/t(h)/, /tc/-/tc(h)/ and /k/
      /k(h)/ were the easiest consonant minimal pairs to discriminate in quiet both for
      children with profound HI and those with moderate to severe HI. In noise, no
      significant difference in performance was found among all consonant minimal
      pairs. A backward elimination stepwise multiple linear regressions revealed that
      unaided hearing level accounted for 25.4% of the variance in consonant
      discrimination performance in noise at 10dB S/N and 30.4% in quiet. However,
      aided hearing threshold, the age of first HA fitting and the duration of HA use
      did not significantly predict consonant discrimination ability both in quiet and
      in noise. CONCLUSIONS: Consonant discrimination performance of children with
      profound HI was poorer than those with moderate to severe HI. The ability to
      discriminate consonant pairs seems to depend on age of acquisition of the
      consonants. Although the age of first HA fitting and the duration of HA use were
      not correlated with consonant discrimination outcomes, this finding does not
      preclude the importance of early HA fitting.

PMID- 26112672
TI  - Cellular backpackers deliver lymphoma drugs.
AB  - Researchers have attached capsules containing the drug SN-38, a relative of
      irinotecan, to T cells. When infused into mice with a cancer similar to Burkitt
      lymphoma, the T cells entered the spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow where B
      cell tumors occurred, increasing the amount of drug reaching the tumors compared
      with other methods, and prolonging survival. 

PMID- 26112666
TI  - Prevalence of cochlear dead regions in moderate to severe sensorineural hearing
      impaired children.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the overall prevalence of cochlear dead regions in
      children with moderate to severe sensorineural hearing impairment. METHODS:
      Threshold-equalizing noise (or TEN) test was administered on thirty sensorineural
      hearing impaired children (8 girls, 22 boys), aged 5-14 years (mean+/-SD8.5+/
      2.8). RESULTS: Classifying by subject, 76% tested positive for cochlear dead
      regions in one or both ears at least at one frequency. Classifying by ears, 58.3%
      had dead regions at one frequency or more. Classifying by the number of
      frequencies were tested, 20% met the criteria for a dead region. The difference
      between mean absolute thresholds in two groups was statistically significant at
      1000Hz and below (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results indicated a relatively high
      prevalence of dead regions in children with sensory neural hearing impairment,
      especially for frequencies at which the hearing loss exceeds 70dB HL.

PMID- 26112673
TI  - Effects of Intramuscular Injection of Autologous Immunoglobulin on Clinical
      Severity and Serum IgE Concentration in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The management of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) is
      often difficult for both patients and physicians. We hypothesized that repeated
      intramuscular injections of autologous immunoglobulin can induce clinical
      improvement in patients with AD by correcting immune dysfunction. METHODS:
      Seventeen adult patients with severe AD were treated by intramuscular injection
      of 50 mg autologous immunoglobulin (mainly IgG with a purity >=97%) twice a week
      for 4 weeks. The standardized clinical severity scoring system for AD (SCORAD)
      value and serum IgE concentration were measured at baseline and at 4, 8, and 12
      weeks. RESULTS: SCORAD values and serum IgE concentrations significantly
      decreased at 4, 8, and 12 weeks compared to baseline (p < 0.05). No significant
      side effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated intramuscular injections of
      autologous immunoglobulin significantly decreased the clinical severity and serum
      IgE concentration in patients with severe AD. Further studies are required to
      evaluate the clinical significance of these findings.

PMID- 26112674
TI  - A biological tissue adhesive and dissolvent system for intraocular tumor plaque
      radiotherapy: an in vivo animal model experiment.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine a novel biological adhesive and dissolvent system for plaque
      placement and removal using fibrin glue and urokinase, respectively, in an in
      vivo animal model. METHODS: The study was performed on 23 rabbit eyes. Of these,
      eight underwent a technical feasibility study and ultrasonographic plaque
      displacement measurements, nine were examined clinically and by magnetic
      resonance imaging and histopathology for tissue reaction to the biological
      substances used, and in six the impact of fibrin glue as an orbital space
      occupier on intraocular pressure was assessed. In an additional ex vivo
      experiment, the glue's radiation attenuating properties were tested using an
      oncology EDR2 film. RESULTS: Plaque horizontal movement throughout follow-up (7
      10 days) was negligible (0.5 +/- 0.2 mm), and there was no tilting whatsoever. In
      the tissue response experiment, no adverse effects were recorded after
      application of fibrin or urokinase throughout the 21-day follow-up period.
      Interestingly, a circumscribed local inflammatory response was noted in tissue
      surrounding the fibrin glue, and persisted at 21 days. In the orbital space
      occupying experiment, application of 1 cc fibrin glue did not cause a significant
      elevation in intraocular pressure (IOP) (P = 0.06), and in the ex vivo
      experiment, there was no significant difference between radiation readings with
      and without glue separation of the radioactive sources and film (P = 0.065).
      CONCLUSIONS: The adhesive and dissolvent system was feasible and safe for plaque
      placement and removal. It may be superior to conventional surgical plaque
      placement methods in eliminating the relatively common risk of plaque tilting and
      complications due to scleral suturing.

PMID- 26112676
TI  - Serrated polyp of the duodenum.

PMID- 26112677
TI  - Ethics in publication.
AB  - Publication of scientific manuscripts remains our core method of sharing
      knowledge and advanced scientific inquiry. Pressures to publish for reasons other
      than pure discovery have the potential to corrupt this process. The core
      principles of scientific ethics outlined above provide guidance on how to
      maintain the integrity of our scientific process.We, as journal editors, are
      committed to the advancement of scientific knowledge and the ethical process of
      publication. We do the best we can to make sure that the articles we publish
      fulfill all the criteria of a well-conducted study.

PMID- 26112675
TI  - A comprehensive quantitative phosphoproteome analysis of rice in response to
      bacterial blight.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rice is a major crop worldwide. Bacterial blight (BB) caused by
      Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) has become one of the most devastating
      diseases for rice. It has been clear that phosphorylation plays essential roles
      in plant disease resistance. However, the role of phosphorylation is poorly
      understood in rice-Xoo system. Here, we report the first study on large scale
      enrichment of phosphopeptides and identification of phosphosites in rice before
      and 24 h after Xoo infection. RESULTS: We have successfully identified 2367 and
      2223 phosphosites on 1334 and 1297 representative proteins in 0 h and 24 h after
      Xoo infection, respectively. A total of 762 differentially phosphorylated
      proteins, including transcription factors, kinases, epi-genetic controlling
      factors and many well-known disease resistant proteins, are identified after Xoo
      infection suggesting that they may be functionally relevant to Xoo resistance. In
      particular, we found that phosphorylation/dephosphorylation might be a key switch
      turning on/off many epi-genetic controlling factors, including HDT701, in
      response to Xoo infection, suggesting that phosphorylation switch overriding the
      epi-genetic regulation may be a very universal model in the plant disease
      resistance pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The phosphosites identified in this study would
      be a big complementation to our current knowledge in the phosphorylation status
      and sites of rice proteins. This research represents a substantial advance in
      understanding the rice phosphoproteome as well as the mechanism of rice bacterial
      blight resistance.

PMID- 26112678
TI  - Endoscopic suturing closure of large iatrogenic colonic perforation.

PMID- 26112679
TI  - Dedifferentiated liposarcoma presenting as a large rectal mass.

PMID- 26112680
TI  - EUS-guided internal drainage of a deep abdominal postoperative abscess after
      Whipple procedure.

PMID- 26112682
TI  - [Intraoperative verification of colorectal anastomotic integrity].
AB  - Early postoperative anastomotic complications have serious clinical implications
      for the patients morbidity, mortality as well as long-term results. A number of
      measures can be undertaken to reduce the risk of anastomotic complications,
      including intraoperative colorectal anastomotic integrity assessment. Methods
      used to assess anastomotic reliability have gradually developed from basic
      mechanical techniques, direct visual endoluminal inspection, to microperfusion
      assessment of perianastomotic tissue. Moderate benefit in terms of reduced
      postoperative anastomotic complications has been shown with mechanical patency
      testing and partly with intraoperative endoscopic visualization of colorectal
      anastomoses. More recently, indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging methods
      have emerged as major contributions to anastomotic patency assessment and
      intraoperative decision making during surgical colorectal procedures including
      decreased numbers of ileostomies.

PMID- 26112683
TI  - [Treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors--a comprehensive view of the
      surgeon].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are specific mesenchymal
      tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. Most of GISTs (95%) result from activating
      mutations in one of the receptor tyrosine kinase proteins (KIT). Tumor cells
      express this protein. GIST is most common in the stomach and small intestine, but
      may occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract and intra-abdominal soft
      tissues. The variety of its clinical presentations is related to localization of
      the tumor, its size and relationship to surrounding organs. Surgery is the first
      choice of treatment for patients with localized or potentially resectable tumors
      with the intention of R0 resection. Targeted therapy with imatinib (a selective
      inhibitor of the KIT protein) is the primary option for patients with metastatic
      GIST, as adjuvant treatment after surgery or neo-adjuvant therapy prior to
      surgery in indicated cases. This paper describes comprehensive therapy of GIST
      with an emphasis laid on the status of surgical treatment, and it highlights some
      controversial topics, e.g. the role of surgery for metastatic disease or neo
      adjuvant targeted therapy. CONCLUSION: GIST is a relatively rare tumor most
      commonly affecting the stomach and small intestine. Surgical treatment is not
      replaceable in the treatment strategy of this disease. The diagnostic-therapeutic
      approach to patients with GIST must be comprehensive. Due to prescribing
      restrictions of biological therapies, these patients are inevitably directed to
      specialized centers where surgical treatment should also be preferably provided.

PMID- 26112684
TI  - [Pancreatic metastases--diagnosis, radical surgery, complications and survival].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although generally uncommon, pancreatic metastases are increasingly
      encountered in clinical practice. The benefit of pancreatic resections in this
      setting is unclear and still being discussed. Renal cell carcinoma is the most
      frequent primary tumour metastasing to the pancreas--R0 resections in cases of
      solitary metastases can be performed. Resections in malignant melanoma and
      ovarian cancer are rather considered as palliative. The aim of this study is to
      analyse our own set of patients operated on for metastases into the pancreas and
      evaluate the results of their surgical treatment. METHODS: We identified the
      patients operated on for metastases to the pancreas. Patient and tumour
      characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of
      9 patients (out of 312 patients undergoing resection for malignancy in the period
      of 2006-2014) with pancreatic metastases were analysed. All but one were
      asymptomatic; the symptomatic patient suffered from GI bleeding. All patients had
      a metachronous lesion with a median length of 12 years (421 years) between the
      initial operation and pancreatic resection. The most common metastasing tumour
      was renal cell carcinoma (77%) with the highest incidence occurring at the head
      of the pancreas (44%). The most frequent procedure used was the pylorus
      preserving pancreatic head resection (44%). The median operating time was 247
      min, (126375 min). Six patients were complication free, the median of their
      hospital stay was 9.5 days (812 days). Complications included PPH type C and PF
      type B both of which required surgical intervention; however, PF type A required
      no intervention. No postoperative deaths occurred, multiple metastases were found
      in 4 patients with renal cell carcinoma metastases. The median of follow-up has
      been 11.5 months, (334 months). CONCLUSION: Survival after pancreatic resections
      due to renal cell carcinoma is favourable. Mortality is low and morbidity is
      similar to that associated with pancreatic resections due to other aetiologies,
      making surgery a valid and safe treatment option. Lifelong follow-up of patients
      after nephrectomy is advised. Resections in pancreatic metastases of malignant
      melanoma or ovarian carcinoma are considered as palliative, their indication
      being individual following interdisciplinary consultation.

PMID- 26112685
TI  - [Perspective of patients undergoing surgery for secondary peritonitis].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Peritonitis is a life-threatening disease with high mortality and
      morbidity. The prognosis depends on patient factors, the nature of the disease,
      and on diagnostic and therapeutic methods. The goal of our study was to perform a
      retrospective analysis of a group of patients with secondary peritonitis and to
      compare patients with non-stercoral peritonitis and those with stercoral
      peritonitis, and finally, to determine the prognostic value of the MPI prognostic
      index. METHODS: We analysed 124 patients who had undergone surgery for secondary
      peritonitis during the years 2012-2013. We divided the patients into two groups.
      Group A comprised patients with non-stercoral peritonitis and group B consisted
      of patients with stercoral peritonitis. We compared the two groups and predicted
      the peritonitis outcome using the Mannheim Peritonitis Index (MPI). RESULTS: The
      complete sample of 124 patients consisted of 70 men and 54 women. The average age
      of the patients was 63 years and the average length of hospitalization was 18
      days. In total, 18 patients (15%) died during their hospitalization. The average
      MPI score was 19, which correlates to an 18% mortality rate prediction. In group
      A, which consisted of 68 patients with non-stercoral peritonitis, the average age
      was 59 years and the average length of hospitalization was 12 days. Two patients
      (3%) from this group died during hospitalization. The average MPI score was 9,
      which correlates to a 9% mortality rate prediction. In group B, which consisted
      of 56 patients with stercoral peritonitis, the average age was 67 years and the
      average length of hospitalization was 25 days. 16 patients (29%) from this group
      died during hospitalization. The average MPI score was 29, which correlates to a
      31% mortality rate prediction. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of our comparison between
      the two groups is that group A with non-stercoral peritonitis had a significantly
      lower mortality, lower number of complications and a shorter length of
      hospitalization. Both basic clinical data and sophisticated scoring systems can
      be used for mortality prediction in peritonitis. The Mannheim Peritonitis Index,
      a simple scoring system, proved to be useful in our study.

PMID- 26112686
TI  - [Intestinal volvulus caused by the ingestion of magnet balls: unexpected risk in
      children].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The occurrence of swallowed foreign bodies in the digestive system
      is a common problem in children with the highest incidence in children aged six
      months to five years. Most swallowed objects leave the human body per vias
      naturales while 10-20% of swallowed foreign bodies need to be removed with an
      endoscope. Serious and life-threatening situations are caused by the ingestion of
      foreign bodies in about 1% of all cases. CASE REPORT: The authors present a case
      of a two-year-old girl diagnosed with acute abdomen for which she was operated
      on. A small bowel volvulus and several intestinal fistulas were found
      intraoperatively. The cause of this finding was the ingestion of magnetic balls
      and a swallowed metal body drawn to them by magnetic force. CONCLUSION: If more
      than one magnetic body is ingested, it is necessary to admit the patient to
      hospital and to remove these foreign bodies using an endoscope. The position of
      the magnets which is not changing in a location inaccessible for an endoscope
      during 2448 hours is an indication for urgent operation.

PMID- 26112687
TI  - [Femoropopliteal deep vein thrombosis and popliteal artery pseudoaneurysm as a
      complication of multiple hereditary osteochondromatosis].
AB  - Osteochondromas (exostoses) are the most common benign bone tumours. In most
      cases, osteochondroma occurs as a solitary lesion. Hereditary multiple
      osteochondromatosis is an autosomal dominant disorder manifested by multiple
      exostoses most commonly located at the metaphyses of long bones, the iliac crest,
      the ribs, the vertebral borders, and scapulas. Vascular complications of multiple
      osteochondromatosis are very rare, most frequently affecting the popliteal
      artery. The authors report the case of a 27-year-old female patient with
      hereditary multiple osteochondromatosis that was complicated by femoropopliteal
      deep vein thrombosis and giant popliteal artery pseudoaneurysm.

PMID- 26112688
TI  - [Endometriosis of the appendix presenting like acute appendicitis--a case
      report].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In general, pain in the lower right abdomen is the most frequent
      reason for hospital surgical admissions, acute appendicitis representing the most
      common cause of operation for acute abdomen. Timely appendectomy remains the only
      treatment in the early stages of inflammation and is usually uncomplicated,
      requiring only a short hospital stay. A differential diagnostic analysis
      necessitates a search for other, particularly long-term symptoms that might be
      driven to the background in cases of acute exacerbation. CASE REPORT: The case
      report presents a 38-year-old female patient who was admitted for lower right
      abdominal pain. Clinical examination and a blood test both suggested typical
      acute uncomplicated appendicitis, and therefore the patient underwent
      appendectomy. Haemorrhagic peritoneal fluid and nodularity of the appendix not
      typical for appendicitis was found. Oedema of the terminal ileum and a right
      adnexal tumour were a surprising finding. A more extensive surgical procedure
      involving ileocaecal resection and right-side adnexectomy was finally performed
      with regard to the intraoperative finding. The definitive diagnosis of
      appendiceal endometriosis, endometrial mass in the terminal intestine and ovarian
      endometriosis was established by histological evaluation. Long-term follow-up
      revealed microadenocarcinoma of cervix uteri. CONCLUSION: It is generally very
      difficult to confirm appendiceal endometriosis before operation, and revealing
      primary appendiceal endometriosis is virtually impossible. It is advisable to
      consider endometriosis in fertile women with chronic abdominal pain of unclear
      aetiology and gynaecological symptoms in their personal history. The best
      diagnostic and therapeutic method, respectively, is laparoscopy enabling
      exploration of the entire peritoneal cavity including the minor pelvis, and
      performing appendectomy as well as excision of suspicious endometrial lesions.
      The definitive diagnosis is usually established by histopathological evaluation.
      Gynaecological assessment and follow-up is highly recommended after surgery.

PMID- 26112689
TI  - Using the new hemostatic gelatin GELITA-SPON(r) RAPID3 to treat parenchymatous
      organs--a clinical observation.

PMID- 26112690
TI  - Matching on the disease risk score in comparative effectiveness research of new
      treatments.
AB  - PURPOSE: We use simulations and an empirical example to evaluate the performance
      of disease risk score (DRS) matching compared with propensity score (PS) matching
      when controlling large numbers of covariates in settings involving newly
      introduced treatments. METHODS: We simulated a dichotomous treatment, a
      dichotomous outcome, and 100 baseline covariates that included both continuous
      and dichotomous random variables. For the empirical example, we evaluated the
      comparative effectiveness of dabigatran versus warfarin in preventing combined
      ischemic stroke and all-cause mortality. We matched treatment groups on a
      historically estimated DRS and again on the PS. We controlled for a high
      dimensional set of covariates using 20% and 1% samples of Medicare claims data
      from October 2010 through December 2012. RESULTS: In simulations, matching on the
      DRS versus the PS generally yielded matches for more treated individuals and
      improved precision of the effect estimate. For the empirical example, PS and DRS
      matching in the 20% sample resulted in similar hazard ratios (0.88 and 0.87) and
      standard errors (0.04 for both methods). In the 1% sample, PS matching resulted
      in matches for only 92.0% of the treated population and a hazard ratio and
      standard error of 0.89 and 0.19, respectively, while DRS matching resulted in
      matches for 98.5% and a hazard ratio and standard error of 0.85 and 0.16,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: When PS distributions are separated, DRS matching can
      improve the precision of effect estimates and allow researchers to evaluate the
      treatment effect in a larger proportion of the treated population. However,
      accurately modeling the DRS can be challenging compared with the PS.

PMID- 26112691
TI  - Letter to the Editor Regarding The Use of Vancomycin Powder in Modern Spine
      Surgery: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Clinical Evidence.

PMID- 26112693
TI  - Genes involved in the pathogenesis of premature ovarian insufficiency.
AB  - Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is defined by the presence of primary or
      secondary amenorrhea, for at least 4 months, before the age of 40 years
      associated with follicle stimulating homone levels in menopausal range, exciding
      40 UI/L. The diagnosis is confirmed by two blood sample at least 1 month to
      measure the level of FSH (over 40 UI/L) and level of estradiol (below 50 pmol/L).
      Ovarian follicular dysfunction and/or depletion of functional primordial
      follicles characterized this pathology. Abnormal bleeding patterns also include
      oligomenrrhea and polimenorrhea; because of these irregular menstrual cycles
      during adolescence, diagnosis could be difficult in young women. Excluding the
      cases in which an etiopathogenetic agent could be identified, such as in case of
      chemio- and radiotherapy or extensive surgery, women with autoimmune diseases
      and/or infections, the etiology of POI remains idiopathic. An important genetic
      component exists, supported by both a frequent recurring familiar event (20-30%)
      and the association with other different genetic disorders in particular the X
      chromosome defects and the implication of some different genes with significant
      functions in ovarian development. For most of the women the diagnosis of POI is
      unexpected because of there are no obvious signs or symptoms that precede the
      cessation of periods with a normal menstrual history, age of menarche and
      fertility prior to the onset of menopause. The diagnosis of POI has a deleterious
      psychological impact on the emotional sphere of the women affected: anger,
      depression, anxiety and sadness are common and the fact that the diagnosis
      coincides with infertility needs a psychological support. Oral hormonal
      replacement therapy (HRT) administration is not recommended as first choice of
      treatment because of the higher hormones concentration with respect to the real
      hormones necessity of the patients and transdermal HRT may be preferred in women
      with coagulation disturbances to relief symptoms and to improve to quality of
      life and the sexuality of these women until the age of 50 years old which is the
      median age of physiological menopause. Moreover it should be considered the
      associate comorbidities of POI such as bone loss, cardiovascular disease and
      endocrine disease.

PMID- 26112692
TI  - Rapid mapping of insertional mutations to probe cell wall regulation in
      Cryptococcus neoformans.
AB  - Random insertional mutagenesis screens are important tools in microbial genetics
      studies. Investigators in fungal systems have used the plant pathogen
      Agrobacterium tumefaciens to create tagged, random mutations for genetic screens
      in their fungal species of interest through a unique process of trans-kingdom
      cellular transconjugation. However, identifying the locations of insertion has
      traditionally required tedious PCR-based methods, limiting the effective
      throughput of this system. We have developed an efficient genomic sequencing and
      analysis method (AIM-Seq) to facilitate identification of randomly generated
      genomic insertions in microorganisms. AIM-Seq combines batch sampling, whole
      genome sequencing, and a novel bioinformatics pipeline, AIM-HII, to rapidly
      identify sites of genomic insertion. We have specifically applied this technique
      to Agrobacterium-mediated transconjugation in the human fungal pathogen
      Cryptococcus neoformans. With this approach, we have screened a library of C.
      neoformans cell wall mutants, selecting twenty-seven mutants of interest for
      analysis by AIM-Seq. We identified thirty-five putative genomic insertions in
      known and previously unknown regulators of cell wall processes in this pathogenic
      fungus. We confirmed the relevance of a subset of these by creating independent
      mutant strains and analyzing resulting cell wall phenotypes. Through our sequence
      based analysis of these mutations, we observed "typical" insertions of the
      Agrobacterium transfer DNA as well as atypical insertion events, including large
      deletions and chromosomal rearrangements. Initially applied to C. neoformans,
      this mutant analysis tool can be applied to a wide range of experimental systems
      and methods of mutagenesis, facilitating future microbial genetic screens. 

PMID- 26112694
TI  - Interaction of intraocular lenses with fibronectin and human lens epithelial
      cells: Effect of chemical composition and aging.
AB  - The aim of this study is to investigate in vitro interactions between hydrophobic
      acrylate intraocular lenses (IOLs) and their biological environment. The
      influence of lens chemical composition and aging on fibronectin (FN) adsorption
      and on IOLs cytotoxicity on human lens epithelial cells was examined.
      Cytotoxicity of acrylate monomers used in IOLs manufacture was also investigated.
      Four different IOLs were included in the study: Acrysof((r)), Tecnis((r)),
      EnVista((r)), and iSert((r)). Implants were artificially aged in a xenon arc
      chamber to simulate 2 years of light exposure. Fibronectin adsorption on IOL
      surface was quantified using ELISA and correlated to surface roughness determined
      with AFM. Direct contact cytotoxicity was determined with the MTT assay and cell
      morphology was observed with light microscopy. Results showed that fibronectin
      adsorption did not differ significantly among IOLs, whatever their chemical
      composition. Moreover, aging conditions did not impact fibronectin adsorption.
      All IOLs were biocompatible even after applying 2-year aging conditions, with
      cell viability higher than 70%. Five acrylate monomers appeared to be toxic in
      the range of concentrations tested, but no monomer release from the IOLs could be
      detected during accelerated 2-year incubation with saline solution. This study
      did not reveal an influence of chemical composition and aging on protein
      adsorption and on biocompatibility.

PMID- 26112695
TI  - Autophagy mechanisms in sputum and peripheral blood cells of patients with severe
      asthma: a new therapeutic target.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autophagy and genetic predisposition have been suggested to
      potentially play roles in the development of asthma. However, little is known
      about the role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of severe asthma. OBJECTIVE: We
      compared autophagy in the sputum granulocytes, peripheral blood cells (PBCs) and
      peripheral blood eosinophils (PBEs) between patients with severe asthma and those
      with non-severe asthma and investigated the functional effects of autophagy.
      METHODS: We enrolled 36 patients with severe asthma, 14 with non-severe asthma
      and 23 normal healthy controls in this study. Sputum granulocytes, PBCs and PBEs
      were isolated from each subject. Autophagy was evaluated based on the expression
      of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) by Western blot, confocal
      microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and flow cytometry. IL-8 levels were
      measured by ELISA. To induce autophagy, HL-60 cells, human primary small airway
      epithelial cells (SAECs) and A549 cells were treated with IL-5, IL-1beta and TNF
      alpha. To inhibit autophagy, PI3K inhibitors (LY29400 and 3-methyladenine [3-MA])
      and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) were used. Knockdown of ATG5 and Beclin-1 was
      performed in A549 cells, and the therapeutic effects of dexamethasone were
      evaluated. RESULTS: Higher autophagy levels were noted in sputum granulocytes,
      PBCs and PBEs from patients with severe asthma than from patients with non-severe
      asthma and healthy controls (P < 0.05 for all). IL-5 increased autophagy levels
      in both PBCs and PBEs (P < 0.05). 3-MA attenuated the increased expression of LC3
      II and eosinophil cationic protein in HL-60 cells induced by IL-5 (P = 0.034 for
      both). Dexamethasone did not affect autophagy levels in PBEs. IL-1beta increased
      LC3-II expression and IL-8 production (P < 0.01) in SAECs, and this was
      attenuated by LY294002, 3-MA, HCQ and knockdown of ATG5 and Beclin-1 (in A549
      cells) (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Autophagy could play a
      role in the pathogenesis of severe asthma. Autophagy modulation may be a novel
      therapeutic target for conventional therapy-resistant severe asthma.

PMID- 26112696
TI  - Granulocyte/Monocyte Adsorptive Apheresis in Moderate to Severe Ulcerative
      Colitis--Effective or Not?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Adsorptive granulocyte/monocyte apheresis (GMA) has shown
      promising efficacy in the treatment of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). But
      a sham-controlled study was negative. A post-hoc analysis of this trial may haul
      out patients responding to GMA. METHODS: A total of 168 UC patients with a
      disease activity (DAI) between 6 and 11 were enrolled in this study. Out of 168
      patients, 112 received GMA and 56 sham apheresis. The basis for this post hoc
      analysis is the clinical study report issued by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical.
      RESULTS: Baseline histology was available for 165 patients. Only 38% (63 of 165)
      of patients showed microscopic erosion/ulceration (group P). The remaining 62% of
      patients did not show microscopic erosion/ulceration (group A). The patients in
      group P showed significantly higher DAI, flexible proctosigmoidoscopy score and
      neutrophil infiltration into the colonic mucosa than those in group A (p =
      0.0132, p = 0.0243 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Likewise, group P patients had
      a significantly (p = 0.0275) higher remission rate (11 of 46; 23.9%) when treated
      with GMA than with sham procedure (0 of 17; 0%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients in group P
      who had more active UC than those in group A showed clear clinical efficacy in
      response to GMA. We believe that true DAI should be specified for further
      randomized controlled trials.

PMID- 26112697
TI  - Paraganglioma and cyanotic congenital heart disease: The role of tisular hipoxia.

PMID- 26112698
TI  - Standard operating procedures for standardized mass rearing of the dengue and
      chikungunya vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) - II 
      Egg storage and hatching.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Management of large quantities of eggs will be a crucial aspect of
      the efficient and sustainable mass production of mosquitoes for programmes with a
      Sterile Insect Technique component. The efficiency of different hatching media
      and effectiveness of long term storage methods are presented here. METHODS: The
      effect on hatch rate of storage duration and three hatching media was analysed:
      deionized water, boiled deionized water and a bacterial broth, using Two-way
      ANOVA and Post hoc Tukey tests, and the Pearson correlation coefficient was used
      to find the effect on the proportion of collapsed eggs. Two long term storage
      methods were also tested: conventional storage (egg paper strips stored in zip
      lock bags within a sealed plastic box), and water storage (egg papers in a
      covered plastic cup with deionized water). Regression analyses were used to find
      the effect of water storage and storage duration on hatch rate. RESULTS: Both
      species hatched most efficiently in bacterial broth. Few eggs hatched in
      deionized water, and pre-boiling the water increased the hatch rate of Ae.
      aegypti, but not Ae. albopictus. A hatch rate greater than 80% was obtained after
      10 weeks of conventional storage in Ae. aegypti and 11 weeks in Ae. albopictus.
      After this period, hatching decreased dramatically; no eggs hatched after 24
      weeks. Storing eggs in water produced an 85% hatch rate after 5 months in both
      species. A small but significant proportion of eggs hatched in the water,
      probably due to combined effects of natural deoxygenation of the water over time
      and the natural instalment hatching typical of the species. CONCLUSIONS: The
      demonstrated efficiency of the bacterial broth hatching medium for both Ae.
      albopictus and Ae. aegypti facilitates mass production of these two important
      vector species in the same facility, with use of a common hatching medium
      reducing cost and operational complexity. Similarly the increased hatch rate of
      eggs stored in water would allow greater flexibility of egg management in a large
      programme over the medium term, particularly if oxygenation of the water by
      bubbling oxygen through the storage tray could be applied to prevent hatching
      during storage.

PMID- 26112699
TI  - Blood loss in primary total knee arthroplasty--body temperature is not a
      significant risk factor--a prospective, consecutive, observational cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypothermia related to anaesthesia and operating theatre environment
      is associated with increased blood loss in a number of surgical disciplines,
      including total hip arthroplasty. The influence of patient temperature on blood
      loss in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has not been previously studied. METHODS:
      We recorded patient axillary temperature in the peri-operative period, up to 24 h
      post-operatively, and analysed the effect on transfusion rate and blood loss from
      a consecutive cohort of 101 patients undergoing primary TKA. RESULTS: No
      relationship between peri-operative patient temperature and blood loss was found
      within the recorded patient temperature range of 34.7-37.8  degrees C.
      Multivariable analysis found increasing age, surgical technique, type of
      anaesthesia and the use of anti-platelet and anticoagulant medications as
      significant factors affecting blood loss following TKA. CONCLUSION: Patient
      temperature within a clinically observed range does not have a significant impact
      on blood loss in primary TKA patients. As long as patient temperature is
      maintained within a reasonable range during the intra-operative and post
      operative periods, strategies other than rigid temperature control above 36.5 
      degrees C may be more effective in reducing blood loss following TKA.

PMID- 26112700
TI  - Facial pain/headache before and after surgery in patients with nasal polyposis.
AB  - CONCLUSION: Endoscopic surgery improved facial pain/headache and physical
      psychosocial impacts in patients with nasal polyposis. However, one fifth of
      patients still experienced residual pain after surgery, requiring neurologic
      counseling to look for the non-sinonasal cause of their symptoms. OBJECTIVE:
      Considering the limited amount of literature on facial pain/headache in patients
      with nasal polyposis, this prospective study assesses facial pain/headache and
      its impacts on the quality-of-life (QoL) before and after endoscopic surgery.
      METHODS: Facial pain/headache was assessed, using the DyNaChron questionnaire, in
      107 patients with nasal polyposis 1 day prior to surgery and 6 weeks after
      surgery. All patients were operated on endoscopically on the bilateral ethmoidal
      labyrinths and olfactory clefts. RESULTS: Moderate or severe facial pain/headache
      was reported by 50% of the patients before surgery and by 20% after surgery. Post
      operatively, 79.44% of patients reported no/very mild pain (vs 47.66% pre
      operatively) and 20.56% moderate/severe pain (vs 52.33% pre-operatively). The
      pain was statistically reduced after surgery among patients with previous surgery
      (p = 0.0006). The scores of all analysed impacts of pain improved after surgery.
      However, patients with grade 1 polyps seemed to have less benefit from the
      surgery for facial pain/headache than those with more severe nasal polyposis.

PMID- 26112701
TI  - Polyploidy in Amphibia.
AB  - This review summarizes the current status of the known extant genuine polyploid
      anuran and urodelan species, as well as spontaneously originated and/or
      experimentally produced amphibian polyploids. The mechanisms by which polyploids
      can originate, the meiotic pairing configurations, the diploidization processes
      operating in polyploid genomes, the phenomenon of hybridogenesis, and the
      relationship between polyploidization and sex chromosome evolution are discussed.
      The polyploid systems in some important amphibian taxa are described in more
      detail.

PMID- 26112702
TI  - Vocal development during postnatal growth and ear morphology in a shrew that
      generates seismic vibrations, Diplomesodon pulchellum.
AB  - The ability of adult and subadult piebald shrews (Diplomesodon pulchellum) to
      produce 160Hz seismic waves is potentially reflected in their vocal ontogeny and
      ear morphology. In this study, the ontogeny of call variables and body traits was
      examined in 11 litters of piebald shrews, in two-day intervals from birth to 22
      days (subadult), and ear structure was investigated in two specimens using micro
      computed tomography (micro-CT). Across ages, the call fundamental frequency (f0)
      was stable in squeaks and clicks and increased steadily in screeches,
      representing an unusual, non-descending ontogenetic pathway of f0. The rate of
      the deep sinusoidal modulation (pulse rate) of screeches increased from 75Hz at 3
      4 days to 138Hz at 21-22 days, probably relating to ontogenetic changes in
      contraction rates of the same muscles which are responsible for generating
      seismic vibrations. The ear reconstructions revealed that the morphologies of the
      middle and inner ears of the piebald shrew are very similar to those of the
      common shrew (Sorex araneus) and the lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura
      suaveolens), which are not known to produce seismic signals. These results
      suggest that piebald shrews use a mechanism other than hearing for perceiving
      seismic vibrations. 

PMID- 26112703
TI  - Post-traumatic epidural tension pneumocephalus: a case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pneumocephalus is usually a self-limiting condition commonly
      associated with neurosurgical interventions, head and facial trauma. In contrast,
      tension pneumocephalus is extremely rare, and considered a neurosurgical
      emergency. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a rare case of post-traumatic epidural
      tension pneumocephalus in a 30-year-old white man who deteriorated rapidly after
      a blunt head trauma. Imaging revealed a large, right temporoparietal epidural
      pneumocephalus with mass effect, most likely arising from a small defect in the
      mastoid sinus. A pre-existing mucocele was also suspected. Emergency burr hole
      evacuation was performed and he experienced full recovery, but more invasive
      treatment was eventually needed to resolve the condition. CONCLUSIONS: Epidural
      tension pneumocephalus is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition, but
      treatable with the right management. To the best of our knowledge, a post
      traumatic tension pneumocephalus caused by a pre-existing mucocele has not been
      reported in the literature.

PMID- 26112705
TI  - Trans-diaphragmatic left ventricular venting during peripheral venous-arterial
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
AB  - Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has proven to be an invaluable method
      of cardiopulmonary support in cases of severe cardiogenic shock. In an emergency,
      femoral artery and vein cannulation is the easiest and quickest access to
      initiate support. Often, with peripheral venous-arterial ECMO (VA ECMO), an
      inadequate reduction in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) is
      present secondary to increased afterload from retrograde flow, inadequate RV
      drainage or persistent bronchial circulation. Elevated LVEDP has been known to be
      associated with poor myocardial recovery, LV thrombus formation and significant
      pulmonary edema. A cannulation strategy to achieve partial ventricular unloading
      is of paramount importance when considering ECMO support following cardiogenic
      shock to increase the potential for myocardial recovery. We present a novel case
      of emergent peripheral VA ECMO cannulation with a trans-diaphragmatic left
      ventricular (LV) vent in a 61-year-old, 79 kg male with end-stage liver disease
      and hepatitis B cirrhosis who suffered cardiac arrest during orthotopic liver
      transplantation.

PMID- 26112704
TI  - TNF-dependent regulation and activation of innate immune cells are essential for
      host protection against cerebral tuberculosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) affects one third of the global population, and TB
      of the central nervous system (CNS-TB) is the most severe form of tuberculosis
      which often associates with high mortality. The pro-inflammatory cytokine tumour
      necrosis factor (TNF) plays a critical role in the initial and long-term host
      immune protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) which
      involves the activation of innate immune cells and structure maintenance of
      granulomas. However, the contribution of TNF, in particular neuron-derived TNF,
      in the control of cerebral M. tuberculosis infection and its protective immune
      responses in the CNS were not clear. METHODS: We generated neuron-specific TNF
      deficient (NsTNF(-/-)) mice and compared outcomes of disease against TNF(f/f)
      control and global TNF(-/-) mice. Mycobacterial burden in brains, lungs and
      spleens were compared, and cerebral pathology and cellular contributions analysed
      by microscopy and flow cytometry after M. tuberculosis infection. Activation of
      innate immune cells was measured by flow cytometry and cell function assessed by
      cytokine and chemokine quantification using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      (ELISA). RESULTS: Intracerebral M. tuberculosis infection of TNF(-/-) mice
      rendered animals highly susceptible, accompanied by uncontrolled bacilli
      replication and eventual mortality. In contrast, NsTNF(-/-) mice were resistant
      to infection and presented with a phenotype similar to that in TNF(f/f) control
      mice. Impaired immunity in TNF(-/-) mice was associated with altered cytokine and
      chemokine synthesis in the brain and characterised by a reduced number of
      activated innate immune cells. Brain pathology reflected enhanced inflammation
      dominated by neutrophil influx. CONCLUSION: Our data show that neuron-derived TNF
      has a limited role in immune responses, but overall TNF production is necessary
      for protective immunity against CNS-TB.

PMID- 26112706
TI  - Structure and gating of the nuclear pore complex.
AB  - Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) perforate the nuclear envelope and allow the
      exchange of macromolecules between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. To acquire a
      deeper understanding of this transport mechanism, we analyse the structure of the
      NPC scaffold and permeability barrier, by reconstructing the Xenopus laevis
      oocyte NPC from native nuclear envelopes up to 20 A resolution by cryo-electron
      tomography in conjunction with subtomogram averaging. In addition to resolving
      individual protein domains of the NPC constituents, we propose a model for the
      architecture of the molecular gate at its central channel. Furthermore, we
      compare and contrast this native NPC structure to one that exhibits reduced
      transport activity and unveil the spatial properties of the NPC gate. 

PMID- 26112707
TI  - Frontier in Neurology Research Beyond Neurodegenerative Diseases.

PMID- 26112708
TI  - New Insights into Genotype-phenotype Correlations in Chinese Facioscapulohumeral
      Muscular Dystrophy: A Retrospective Analysis of 178 Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a common autosomal
      dominant muscular disorder, is caused by contraction of the D4Z4 repeats on 4q35.
      The complicated genotype-phenotype correlation among different ethnic population
      remains a controversial subject. We aimed to refine this correlation in order to
      provide new information for genetic counseling. METHODS: Here, a cohort of 136
      Chinese families including 178 affected individuals and 137 unaffected members
      were investigated. Genetic analyses were performed using the p13E-11, 4qA and 4qB
      probes after pulsed field gel electrophoresis separation and southern blotting. A
      10-grade FSHD clinical severity scale was adopted for clinical assessment. The
      genotype-phenotype correlation was established by linear regression analyses.
      RESULTS: We observed a roughly inversed correlation between the short EcoRI
      fragment size and age-corrected clinical severity score in 154 symptomatic
      patients (P < 0.05). Compared to male patients, a significant higher proportion
      of females in both asymptomatic carriers and severe patients showed larger
      variation in the size of short EcoRI fragment. A high incidence (19/42, 45.2%) of
      asymptomatic (or minimally affected) carriers was found in familial members.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although the number of D4Z4 repeats is known as one of the critical
      influences on genotype-phenotype correlation, a majority of phenotypic spectrum
      was still incompatible with their heterozygous contraction of the D4Z4 repeat,
      especial in female cases. Our results suggest that there are multi-factors
      synergistically modulating the phenotypic expression.

PMID- 26112709
TI  - Clinical Characteristics, Radiological Features and Gene Mutation in 10 Chinese
      Families with Spinocerebellar Ataxias.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a group of neurodegenerative
      disorders that primarily cause the degeneration in the cerebellum, spinal cord,
      and brainstem. We study the clinical characteristics, radiological features and
      gene mutation in Chinese families with SCAs. METHODS: In this study, we
      investigated 10 SCAs Chinese families with SCA1, SCA3/Machado-Joseph disease
      (MJD), SCA7, SCA8. There were 27 people who were genetically diagnosed as SCA, of
      which 21 people showed clinical symptoms, and 6 people had no clinical phenotype
      that we called them presymptomatic patients. In addition, 3 people with
      cerebellar ataxia and cataracts were diagnosed according to the Harding
      diagnostic criteria but failed to be recognized as SCAs on genetic testing.
      Clinical characteristic analyses of each type of SCAs and radiological
      examinations were performed. RESULTS: We found that SCA3/MJD was the most common
      subtype in Han population in China, and the ratio of the pontine tegmentum and
      the posterior fossa area was negatively correlated with the number of cytosine
      adenine-guanine (CAG) repeats; the disease duration was positively correlated
      with the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale score; and the CAG repeats
      number of abnormal alleles was negatively correlated with the age of onset.
      CONCLUSIONS: Collectively our study is a systematic research on SCAs in China,
      which may help for the clinical diagnosis and prenatal screening of this disease,
      and it may also aid toward better understanding of this disease.

PMID- 26112710
TI  - High-frequency Oscillations and the Seizure Onset Zones in Neocortical Epilepsy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To study the characters of high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) in the
      seizure onset zones (SOZ) and the nonseizure onset zones (NSOZ) in the
      electrocorticography (ECoG) of patients with neocortical epilepsy. METHODS: Only
      patients with neocortical epilepsy who were seizure-free after surgery as
      determined with ECoG were included. We selected patients with normal magnetic
      resonance imaging before surgery in order to avoid the influence of HFOs by other
      lesions. Three minutes preictal and 10 min interictal ECoG as recorded in 39
      channels in the SOZ and 256 channels in the NSOZ were analyzed. Ripples and fast
      ripples (FRs) were analyzed by Advanced Source Analysis software (ASA, The
      Netherlands). Average duration of HFOs was analyzed in SOZ and NSOZ separately.
      RESULTS: For ripples, the permillage time occupied by HFOs was 0.83 in NSOZ and
      1.17 in SOZ during the interictal period. During preictal period, they were 2.02
      in NSOZ and 7.93 in SOZ. For FRs, the permillage time occupied by HFOs was 0.02
      in NSOZ and 0.42 in SOZ during the interictal period. During preictal period,
      they were 0.03 in NSOZ and 2 in SOZ. CONCLUSIONS: High-frequency oscillations are
      linked to SOZ in neocortical epilepsy. Our study demonstrates the prevalent
      occurrence of HFOs in SOZ. More and more burst of HFOs, especially FRs, means the
      onset of seizures.

PMID- 26112711
TI  - Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Restless Legs
      Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive
      technique used to alter cortex excitability that has been proposed as an
      efficient method for treating brain hyperexcitability or hypoexcitability
      disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate whether high-frequency rTMS
      could have any beneficial effects in restless legs syndrome (RLS). METHODS:
      Fourteen patients with RLS were given high-frequency rTMS (15 Hz, 100% motor
      threshold) to the leg representation motor cortex area of the frontal lobe for 14
      sessions over 18 days. Patients were diagnosed according to the international
      criteria proposed by the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group in
      2003. The International RLS Rating Scale (IRLS-RS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality
      Index (PSQI), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and Hamilton Depression Scale were
      used to evaluate the severity of RLS, sleep quality, anxiety and depression,
      respectively. The scale scores were evaluated at four-time points (baseline, end
      of the 14 th session, and at 1- and 2-month posttreatment). One-way analysis of
      variance was used to compare scale scores at different time points. RESULTS:
      There was significant improvement in the IRLS-RS (from 23.86 +/- 5.88 to 11.21 +/
      7.23, P < 0.05), PSQI (from 15.00 +/- 4.88 to 9.29 +/- 3.91, P < 0.05), and HAMA
      (from 17.93 +/- 7.11 to 10.36 +/- 7.13, P < 0.05) scale scores at the end of 14
      th session, with ongoing effects lasting for at least 2 months. CONCLUSIONS: High
      frequency rTMS can markedly alleviate the motor system symptoms, sleep
      disturbances, and anxiety in RLS patients. These results suggest that rTMS might
      be an option for treating RLS.

PMID- 26112712
TI  - Coexistence of High Fibrinogen and Low High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol
      Levels Predicts Recurrent Cerebral Venous Thrombosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) may lead to serious neurological
      disorders; however, little is known about the risk factors for recurrent CVT. Our
      aim was to determine the association between elevated fibrinogen and decreased
      high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels with recurrent CVT. METHODS:
      This retrospective cohort study included participants if they had a first episode
      of objectively defined CVT and were admitted to Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical
      University from August 2005 to September 2009. Demographic and clinical variables
      were collected, as well as laboratory parameters, including plasma fibrinogen and
      HDL-C. Patients with CVT were followed for recurrent symptomatic CVT. Follow-up
      was through the end of September 2010. Potential predictors of recurrence were
      analyzed using Cox survival analysis. RESULTS: At the end of the follow-up, 95
      patients were eligible for the study. Twelve of 95 patients (12.6%) had recurred
      CVT. The median time of recurrence was 7 months (range: 1-39 months). Eight of
      these 12 (66.7%) experienced recurrence within the first 12 months after their
      initial CVT. The recurrence rate of CVT was 2.76 per 100 patient-years.
      Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the coexistence of high
      fibrinogen (>4.00 g/L) and low HDL-C (<1.08 mmol/L) levels at baseline was the
      only independent predictor for recurrent CVT (hazard ratio: 4.69; 95% confidence
      interval: 1.10-20.11; P < 0.05). Of the twelve patients with recurrent CVT in our
      study, 7 (58.3%) had high fibrinogen plus low HDL-C levels. All 7 of these
      patients took warfarin for 3-12 months, and 6 of 7 had recurrent CVT after the
      discontinuation of anticoagulant treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant high
      fibrinogen and low HDL-C levels may be associated with recurrence of CVT. The
      effect of potential risk factors related to atherothrombosis on recurrent CVT
      should be closely monitored.

PMID- 26112713
TI  - F Wave Study in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Assessment of Segmental
      Motoneuronal Dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dysfunctional spinal circuit may play a role in the pathophysiology
      of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The purpose of this study was to use F
      waves for assessment of segmental motoneuronal excitability following upper motor
      neuron (UMN) dysfunctions in ALS. METHODS: We studied the F waves of 152 ulnar
      nerves recorded from abductor digiti minimi in 82 patients with ALS. Two groups
      of hands were defined based on the presence or absence of pyramidal signs in the
      same upper limb. The group with pyramidal signs in the upper limbs was designated
      as the P group, and the group without pyramidal signs in the upper limbs was
      designated as the NP group. RESULTS: The mean (P < 0.001), median (P < 0.001) and
      maximum (P = 0.035) F wave amplitudes, mean (P < 0.001), median (P < 0.001) and
      maximum (P = 0.003) F/M amplitude ratio, index repeating neuron (P < 0.001) and
      index repeater F waves (P < 0.001) of the P group were significantly increased
      compared with the NP group. No significant differences were identified for F wave
      chronodispersion (P = 0.628), mean F wave latency (P = 0.151), minimum F wave
      latency (P = 0.211), maximum F wave latency (P = 0.199), F wave persistence (P =
      0.738), F wave duration (P = 0.152), F wave conduction velocity (P = 0.813) and
      number of giant F waves (P = 0.072) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this
      study, increased F wave amplitude, F/M amplitude ratio and number of repeater F
      waves reflected enhanced segmental motoneuronal excitability following UMN
      dysfunctions in ALS.

PMID- 26112714
TI  - Variants of Interferon Regulatory Factor 5 are Associated with Neither
      Neuromyelitis Optica Nor Multiple Sclerosis in the Southeastern Han Chinese
      Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are
      demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system. Interferon regulatory
      factor 5 (IRF5) is a common susceptibility gene to different autoimmune
      disorders. However, the association of IRF5 variants with NMO and MS patients has
      not been well studied. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate whether IRF5 variants were
      associated with NMO and MS in the Southeastern Han Chinese population. METHODS:
      Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected and genotyped by matrix
      assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry in 111 NMO
      patients, 145 MS patients and 300 controls from Southeastern China. RESULTS: None
      of these 4 SNPs was associated with NMO or MS patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      preliminary study indicates that genetic variants in IRF5 may affect neither NMO
      nor MS in the Southeastern Han Chinese population. Further studies with a large
      sample size and diverse ancestry populations are needed to clarify this issue.

PMID- 26112715
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroups and the Risk of Sporadic Parkinson's Disease in Han
      Chinese.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial dysfunction is linked to the pathogenesis of
      Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the precise role of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
      variations is obscure. On the other hand, mtDNA haplogroups have been
      inconsistently reported to modify the risk of PD among different population.
      Here, we try to explore the relationship between mtDNA haplogroups and sporadic
      PD in a Han Chinese population. METHODS: Nine single-nucleotide polymorphisms,
      which define the major Asian mtDNA haplogroups (A, B, C, D, F, G), were detected
      via polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism or
      denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in 279 sporadic PD patients and 510
      matched controls of Han population. RESULTS: Overall, the distribution of mtDNA
      haplogroups did not show any significant differences between patients and
      controls. However, after stratification by age at onset, the frequency of
      haplogroup B was significantly lower in patients with early-onset PD (EOPD)
      compared to the controls (odds ratio [OR] =0.225, 95% confidence interval [CI]:
      0.082-0.619, P = 0.004), while other haplogroups did not show significant
      differences. After stratification by age at examination, among subjects younger
      than 50 years of age: Haplogroup B also showed a lower frequency in PD cases (OR
      = 0.146, 95% CI: 0.030-0.715, P = 0.018) while haplogroup D presented a higher
      risk of PD (OR = 3.579, 95% CI: 1.112-11.523, P = 0.033), other haplogroups also
      did not show significant differences in the group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      indicates that haplogroup B might confer a lower risk for EOPD and people younger
      than 50 years in Han Chinese, while haplogroup D probably lead a higher risk of
      PD in people younger than 50 years of age. In brief, particular Asian mtDNA
      haplogroups likely play a role in the pathogenesis of PD among Han Chinese.

PMID- 26112716
TI  - Dopamine Agonists Exert Nurr1-inducing Effect in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear
      Cells of Patients with Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nurr1 plays an essential role in the development, survival, and
      function maintenance of midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons, and it is a potential
      target for Parkinson's disease (PD). Nurr1 mRNA can be detected in peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), but whether there is any association of altered
      Nurr1 expression in PBMC with the disease and DA drug treatments remains elusive.
      This study aimed to measure the Nurr1 mRNA level in PBMC and evaluate the effect
      of Nurr1 expression by DA agents in vivo and in vitro. METHODS: The mRNA levels
      of Nurr1 in PBMC of four subgroups of 362 PD patients and 193 healthy controls
      (HCs) using real-time polymerase chain reaction were measured. The nonparametric
      Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis test were performed to evaluate the
      differences between PD and HC, as well as the subgroups of PD. Multivariate
      linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the independent association of
      Nurr1 expression with Hoehn and Yahr scale, age, and drug treatments. Besides,
      the Nurr1 expression in cultured PBMC was measured to determine whether DA
      agonist pramipexole affects its mRNA level. RESULTS: The relative Nurr1 mRNA
      levels in DA agonists treated subgroup were significant higher than those in
      recent-onset cases without any anti-PD treatments (de novo) (P < 0.001) and HC
      groups (P < 0.010), respectively. Furthermore, the increase in Nurr1 mRNA
      expression was seen in DA agonist and L-dopa group. Multivariate linear
      regression showed DA agonists, L-dopa, and DA agonists were independent
      predictors correlated with Nurr1 mRNA expression level in PBMC. In vitro, in the
      cultured PBMC treated with 10 MUmol/L pramipexole, the Nurr1 mRNA levels were
      significantly increased by 99.61%, 71.75%, 73.16% in 2, 4, and 8 h, respectively
      (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: DA agonists can induce Nurr1 expression in PBMC, and
      such effect may contribute to DA agonists-mediated neuroprotection on DA neurons.

PMID- 26112717
TI  - The Natural Progression of Parkinson's Disease in a Small Cohort with 15 Drug
      naive Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The studies of the natural progression of Parkinson's disease (PD) in
      Chinese populations have been lacking. To address this issue and obtain a
      preliminary data, we conducted a PD progression assessment in 15 adults with de
      novo PD from a nutritional intervention trial (NIT) cohort in Lin County China.
      METHODS: Using the Copiah County screening questionnaire and United Kingdom
      Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Bank diagnostic criteria, we surveyed the
      available NIT cohort members in 2000 and diagnosed 86 patients as PD. In 2010, we
      resurveyed all PD patients and confirmed definite PD diagnosis in 15 cases with
      the rest of them being dead (54); having probable (10) PD or vascular
      Parkinsonism (3); refusing to participate (2); or being away (2). In both
      surveys, we used Hoehn and Yahr (HY) scale and assessed the disease progression.
      Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) was added to the second survey.
      RESULTS: In 2010, the average disease duration for 15 definite PD patients was
      13.6 +/- 7.3 years. Over a 10-year time span, 9 out of 15 patients remained at
      the same HY stage while the remaining 6 progressed. Rigidity (47% vs. 100%; P =
      0.002) and postural instability (7% vs. 47%; P = 0.005) worsened significantly.
      The mean UPDRS motor scores in 2010 were 39.4 +/- 23.7. CONCLUSIONS: Overall
      worsening of motor function in PD seems to be the rule in this untreated cohort,
      and their rate of progression seemed to be slower than those reported in the
      western populations.

PMID- 26112718
TI  - Heterogeneity of Monosymptomatic Resting Tremor in a Prospective Study: Clinical
      Features, Electrophysiological Test, and Dopamine Transporter Positron Emission
      Tomography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The relationship between monosymptomatic resting tremor (mRT) and
      Parkinson's disease (PD) remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to assess
      the function of presynaptic dopaminergic neurons in patients with mRT by dopamine
      transporter positron emission tomography (DAT-PET) and to evaluate the utility of
      clinical features or electrophysiological studies in differential diagnosis.
      METHODS: Thirty-three consecutive patients with mRT were enrolled prospectively.
      The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and electromyography were tested
      before DAT-PET. Striatal asymmetry index (SAI) was calculated, and a normal DAT
      PET was defined as a SAI of <15%. Scans without evidence of dopaminergic deficits
      (SWEDDs) were diagnosed in patients with a subsequent normal DAT-PET and
      structural magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Twenty-eight mRT patients with a
      significant reduction in uptake of DAT binding in the striatum were diagnosed
      with PD, while the remained 5 with a normal DAT-PET scan were SWEDDs. As for
      UPRDS, the dressing and hygiene score, walking in motor experiences of daily
      living (Part II) and motor examination (Part III) were significant different
      between two groups (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Bilateral tremor was
      more frequent in the SWEDDs group (P < 0.05). The frequency of resting tremor and
      the amplitude of postural tremor tend to be higher in the SWEDDs group (P = 0.08
      and P = 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: mRT is heterogeneous in presynaptic
      nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration, which can be determined by DAT-PET brain
      imaging. Clinical and electrophysiological features may provide clues to
      distinguish PD from SWEDDs.

PMID- 26112719
TI  - Different Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 2Bepsilon Mutations Lead to Various
      Degrees of Intolerance to the Stress of Endoplasmic Reticulum in
      Oligodendrocytes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vanishing white matter disease (VWM), a human autosomal recessive
      inherited leukoencephalopathy, is due to mutations in eukaryotic initiation
      factor 2B (eIF2B). eIF2B is responsible for the initiation of protein synthesis
      by its guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) activity. Mutations of eIF2B
      impair GEF activity at different degree. Previous studies implied improperly
      activated unfolded protein response (UPR) and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)
      participated in the pathogenesis of VWM. Autophagy relieves endoplasmic reticulum
      load by eliminating the unfolded protein. It is still unknown the effects of
      genotypes on the pathogenesis. In this work, UPR and autophagy flux were analyzed
      with different mutational types. METHODS: ERS tolerance, reflected by apoptosis
      and cell viability, was detected in human oligodendrocyte cell line transfected
      with the wild type, or different mutations of p. Arg113His, p. Arg269FNx01 or p.
      Ser610-Asp613del in eIF2Bepsilon. A representative UPR-PERK component of
      activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) was measured under the basal condition
      and ERS induction. Autophagy was analyzed the flux in the presence of lysosomal
      inhibitors. RESULTS: The degree of ERS tolerance varied in different genotypes.
      The truncated or deletion mutant showed prominent apoptosis cell viability
      declination after ERS induction. The most seriously damaged GEF activity of p.
      Arg269FNx01 group underwent spontaneous apoptosis. The truncated or deletion
      mutant showed elevated ATF4 under basal as well as ERS condition. Decreased
      expression of LC3-I and LC3-II in the mutants reflected an impaired autophagy
      flux, which was more obvious in the truncated or deletion mutants after ERS
      induction. CONCLUSIONS: GEF activities in different genotypes could influence the
      cell ERS tolerance as well as compensatory pathways of UPR and autophagy.
      Oligodendrocytes with truncated or deletion mutants showed less tolerable to ERS.

PMID- 26112720
TI  - Nutrient Intakes of Pregnant Women and their Associated Factors in Eight Cities
      of China: A Cross-sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During the last 3 decades, China has dramatic changes of the dietary
      pattern among its citizens, particularly in urban cities. This study aimed to
      determine the nutrient intake status and factors associated with nutrient intakes
      of urban Chinese pregnant women now-a-day. METHODS: The multistage stratified
      random sampling method was applied in the cross-sectional study. 479 women in
      three trimesters of pregnancy from eight cities of China were recruited. Nutrient
      intakes were evaluated with one 24 h dietary recall, and compared with the
      Chinese Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) 2013 for available nutrients. RESULTS:
      Most pregnant women had imbalanced macronutrient distribution with excessive
      energy derived from fat. Intakes of Vitamin A, B 6, calcium, magnesium, and
      selenium were below Chinese Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) and Estimated
      Average Requirements (EARs) in all trimesters. Most pregnant women took more
      folic acid in the first trimester with a significant decrease in the second and
      third trimester (P < 0.05). Shortfall in iron intake was found in the third
      trimester whereas some women may be at the risk of excessive iron intake. Intakes
      of thiamin met RNI in the first trimester but were below EAR in all trimesters.
      Trimester phasing was positively associated with most nutrients (P < 0.05).
      Prepregnancy body mass index was inversely associated with energy, fat, Vitamin
      C, and calcium intake (P < 0.05). Educational level and household income were
      positively associated with folic acid intake (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Current
      prenatal dietary choices of urban pregnant women in China are imbalanced in the
      nutrient intake when compared with national DRIs 2013, particularly in intakes of
      energy derived from fat and micronutrients. Appropriate dietary advice to
      pregnant women should promote a balanced diet with emphasis on avoidance of foods
      of high fat content and incorporation of foods that are good sources of the key
      micronutrients that are usually lacking in a regular pregnancy diet. Further
      research is needed to understand the eating habits and food patterns that
      contribute to this imbalanced diet in order to be able to effectively improve
      prenatal women's nutrient intake status.

PMID- 26112721
TI  - Safety and Efficacy of Low Dosage of Urokinase for Catheter-directed Thrombolysis
      of Deep Venous Thrombosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) has been a mainstay in treating
      deep venous thrombosis (DVT). However, the optimal dosage of a thrombolytic agent
      is still controversial. The goal of this study was to evaluate the safety and
      efficacy of low dosage urokinase with CDT for DVT. METHODS: A retrospective
      analysis was performed using data from a total of 427 patients with DVT treated
      with CDT in our single center between July 2009 and December 2012. Early efficacy
      of thrombolysis was assessed with a thrombus score based on daily venography. The
      therapeutic safety was evaluated by adverse events. A venography or duplex
      ultrasound was performed to assess the outcome at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years
      postoperatively. RESULTS: The mean total dose of 3.34 (standard deviation [SD]
      1.38) million units of urokinase was administered during a mean of 5.18 (SD 2.28)
      days. Prior to discharge, Grade III (complete lysis) was achieved in 154 (36%)
      patients; Grade II (50-99% lysis) in 222 (52%); and Grade I (50% lysis) in 51
      (12%). The major complications included one intracranial hemorrhage, one
      hematochezia, five gross hematuria, and one pulmonary embolism. Moreover, no
      death occurred in the study. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of low-dose catheter-directed
      thrombosis is an efficacious and safe therapeutic approach in patients with DVT
      offering good long-term outcomes and minimal complications.

PMID- 26112722
TI  - Survival Analysis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Comparison Between Young
      Patients and Aged Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To compare the clinicopathological features and prognosis between
      younger and aged patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: We
      analyzed the outcome of 451 HCC patients underwent liver resection, transcatheter
      arterial chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation, respectively. Then risk
      factors for aged and younger patients' survival were evaluated by multivariate
      analysis, respectively. RESULTS: The patients who were older than 55 years old
      were defined as the older group. The overall survival for aged patients was
      significantly worse than those younger patients. The younger patients had similar
      liver functional reserve but more aggressive tumor factors than aged patients.
      Cox regression analysis showed that the elevated levels of aspartate
      aminotransferase (AST) (Wald chi2 = 3.963, P = 0.047, hazard ratio [HR] =1.453,
      95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.006-2.098), lower albumin (Wald chi2 = 12.213, P
      < 0.001, HR = 1.982, 95% CI: 1.351-2.910), tumor size (Wald chi2 = 8.179, P =
      0.004, HR = 1.841, 95% CI: 1.212-2.797), and higher alpha-fetoprotein level (Wald
      chi2 = 4.044, P = 0.044, HR = 1.465, 95% CI: 1.010-2.126) were independent
      prognostic factors for aged patients, while only elevated levels of AST (Wald
      chi2 = 14.491, P < 0.001, HR = 2.285, 95% CI: 1.493-3.496) and tumor size (Wald
      chi2 = 21.662, P < 0.001, HR = 2.928, 95% CI: 1.863-4.604) were independent
      prognostic factors for younger patients. CONCLUSIONS: Age is a risk factor to
      determine the prognosis of patients with HCC. Aged patients who have good liver
      functional reserve are still encouraged to receive curative therapy.

PMID- 26112723
TI  - Randomized Controlled Study on Safety and Feasibility of Transfusion Trigger
      Score of Emergency Operations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Due to the floating of the guideline, there is no evidence-based
      evaluation index on when to start the blood transfusion for patients with
      hemoglobin (Hb) level between 7 and 10 g/dl. As a result, the trigger point of
      blood transfusion may be different in the emergency use of the existing
      transfusion guidelines. The present study was designed to evaluate whether the
      scheme can be safely and effectively used for emergency patients, so as to be
      supported by multicenter and large sample data in the future. METHODS: From June
      2013 to June 2014, patients were randomly divided into the experimental group
      (Peri-operative Transfusion Trigger Score of Emergency [POTTS-E] group) and the
      control group (control group). The between-group differences in the patients'
      demography and baseline information, mortality and blood transfusion-related
      complications, heart rate, resting arterial pressure, body temperature, and Hb
      values were compared. The consistency of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion
      standards of the two groups of patients with the current blood transfusion
      guideline, namely the compliance of the guidelines, utilization rate, and per
      capita consumption of autologous RBC were analyzed. RESULTS: During the study
      period, a total of 72 patients were recorded, and 65 of them met the inclusion
      criteria, which included 33 males and 32 females with a mean age of (34.8 +/-
      14.6) years. 50 underwent abdomen surgery, 4 underwent chest surgery, 11
      underwent arms and legs surgery. There was no statistical difference between the
      two groups for demography and baseline information. There was also no statistical
      differences between the two groups in anesthesia time, intraoperative
      rehydration, staying time in postanesthetic care unit, emergency hospitalization,
      postoperative 72 h Acute Physiologic Assessment and Chronic Health Evaluation II
      scores, blood transfusion-related complications and mortality. Only the POTTS-E
      group on the 1 st postoperative day Hb was lower than group control, P < 0.05.
      POTTS-E group was totally (100%) conformed to the requirements of the transfusion
      guideline to RBC infusion, which was higher than that of the control group
      (81.25%), P < 0.01.There were no statistical differences in utilization rates of
      autologous blood of the two groups; the utilization rates of allogeneic RBC,
      total allogeneic RBC and total RBC were 48.48%, 51.5%, and 75.7% in POTTS-E
      group, which were lower than those of the control group (84.3%, 84.3%, and 96.8%)
      P < 0.05 or P < 0.01. Per capita consumption of intraoperative allogeneic RBC,
      total allogeneic RBC and total RBC were 0 (0, 3.0), 2.0 (0, 4.0), and 3.1 (0.81,
      6.0) in POTTS-E groups were all lower than those of control group (4.0 [2.0,
      4.0], 4.0 [2.0, 6.0] and 5.8 [2.7, 8.2]), P < 0.05 or P < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS:
      Peri-operative Transfusion Trigger Score-E evaluation scheme is used to guide the
      application of RBC. There are no differences in the recent prognosis of patients
      with the traditional transfusion guidelines. This scheme is safe; Compared with
      doctor experience-based subjective assessment, the scoring scheme was closer to
      patient physiological needs for transfusion and more reasonable; Utilization rate
      and the per capita consumption of RBC are obviously declined, which has clinical
      significance and is feasible. Based on the abovementioned three points, POTTS-E
      scores scheme is safe, reasonable, and practicable and has the value for carrying
      out multicenter and large sample clinical researches.

PMID- 26112724
TI  - ApaI, BsmI, FokI, and TaqI Polymorphisms in the Vitamin D Receptor Gene and
      Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene has been identified as a candidate
      gene for susceptibility to Parkinson's disease (PD), but results from genetic
      association studies to date are inconsistent. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis
      of published case-control studies to evaluate the association of the extensively
      studied VDR ApaI (G/T), BsmI (G/A), FokI (C/T), and TaqI (T/C) gene polymorphisms
      with risk of PD. METHODS: Electronic search at PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCO, China
      National Knowledge Infrastructure, Weipu database, and Wanfang database was
      conducted to identify all relevant studies. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence
      interval (CI) values was applied to evaluate the strength of the association.
      RESULTS: A total of seven studies with 2034 PD cases and 2432 controls were
      included in the meta-analysis following the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
      Overall, no significant association between ApaI, BsmI, and TaqI gene
      polymorphisms and PD susceptibility in all four genetic models was found (T vs.
      G: OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.89-1.12, P = 0.97; A vs. G: OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.77-1.15,
      P = 0.53; C vs. T: OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.85-1.25, P = 0.77) while a significant
      association between FokI (C/T) and PD risk was observed (C vs. T: OR = 1.41, 95%
      CI: 1.14-1.75, P = 0.001; CC vs. TT: OR = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.52-3.93, P = 0.0002; CT
      vs. TT: OR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.38-3.52, P = 0.0009, CC vs. CT+TT: OR = 2.32, 95%
      CI: 1.49-3.61, P = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Polymorphisms of ApaI, BsmI, and TaqI
      may not be associated with the susceptibility to PD while the FokI (C/T)
      polymorphism is possibly associated with increased PD risk. However, conclusions
      should be cautiously interpreted due to the relatively small number of studies
      included.

PMID- 26112725
TI  - Huntington Disease in Asia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective was to review the major differences of Huntington
      disease (HD) in Asian population from those in the Caucasian population. DATA
      SOURCES: Data cited in this review were obtained from PubMed database and China
      National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from 1994 to 2014. All the papers were
      written in English or Chinese languages, with the terms of Asia/Asian, HD,
      genotype, epidemiology, phenotype, and treatment used for the literature search.
      STUDY SELECTION: From the PubMed database, we included the articles and reviews
      which contained the HD patients' data from Asian countries. From the CNKI, we
      excluded the papers which were not original research. Due to the language's
      restrictions, those data published in other languages were not included. RESULTS:
      In total, 50 papers were cited in this review, authors of which were from the
      mainland of China, Japan, India, Thailand, Taiwan (China), Korea, and western
      countries. CONCLUSIONS: The lower epidemiology in Asians can be partly explained
      by the less cytosine-adenine-guanine repeats, different haplotypes, and CCG
      polymorphisms. For the physicians, atypical clinical profiles such as the initial
      symptom of ataxia, movement abnormalities of Parkinsonism, dystonia, or tics need
      to be paid more attention to and suggest gene testing if necessary. Moreover,
      some pathogenesis studies may help progress some new advanced treatments. The
      clinicians in Asian especially in China should promote the usage of genetic
      testing and put more effects in rehabilitation, palliative care, and offer
      comfort of patients and their families. The unified HD rating scale also needs to
      be popularized in Asia to assist in evaluating the progression of HD.

PMID- 26112726
TI  - Progress in Diagnosing Mitochondrial Myopathy, Encephalopathy, Lactic Acidosis,
      and Stroke-like Episodes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke
      like episodes (MELAS) is a progressive, multisystem affected mitochondrial
      disease associated with a number of disease-related defective genes. MELAS has
      unpredictable presentations and clinical course, and it can be commonly
      misdiagnosed as encephalitis, cerebral infarction, or brain neoplasms. This
      review aimed to update the diagnosis progress in MELAS, which may provide better
      understanding of the disease nature and help make the right diagnosis as well.
      DATA SOURCES: The data used in this review came from published peer review
      articles from October 1984 to October 2014, which were obtained from PubMed. The
      search term is "MELAS". STUDY SELECTION: Information selected from those reported
      studies is mainly based on the progress on clinical features, blood biochemistry,
      neuroimaging, muscle biopsy, and genetics in diagnosing MELAS. RESULTS: MELAS has
      a wide heterogeneity in genetics and clinical manifestations. The relationship
      between mutations and phenotypes remains unclear. Advanced serial functional
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide directional information on this
      disease. Muscle biopsy has meaningful value in diagnosing MELAS, which shows the
      presence of ragged red fibers and mosaic appearance of cytochrome oxidase
      negative fibers. Genetic studies have reported that approximately 80% of MELAS
      cases are caused by the mutation m.3243A>G of the mitochondrial transfer RNA (Leu
      (UUR)) gene (MT-TL1). CONCLUSIONS: MELAS involves multiple systems with variable
      clinical symptoms and recurrent episodes. The prognosis of MELAS patients depends
      on timely diagnosis. Therefore, overall diagnosis of MELAS should be based on the
      maternal inheritance family history, clinical manifestation, and findings from
      serial MRI, muscle biopsy, and genetics.

PMID- 26112728
TI  - Clinical and Laboratory Findings of Nonacute Neurobrucellosis.

PMID- 26112727
TI  - Currently Clinical Views on Genetics of Wilson's Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to review the research on clinical
      genetics of Wilson's disease (WD). DATA SOURCES: We searched documents from
      PubMed and Wanfang databases both in English and Chinese up to 2014 using the
      keywords WD in combination with genetic, ATP7B gene, gene mutation, genotype,
      phenotype. STUDY SELECTION: Publications about the ATP7B gene and protein
      function associated with clinical features were selected. RESULTS: Wilson's
      disease, also named hepatolenticular degeneration, is an autosomal recessive
      genetic disorder characterized by abnormal copper metabolism caused by mutations
      to the copper-transporting gene ATP7B. Decreased biliary copper excretion and
      reduced incorporation of copper into apoceruloplasmin caused by
      defunctionalization of ATP7B protein lead to accumulation of copper in many
      tissues and organs, including liver, brain, and cornea, finally resulting in
      liver disease and extrapyramidal symptoms. It is the most common genetic
      neurological disorder in the onset of adolescents, second to muscular dystrophy
      in China. Early diagnosis and medical therapy are of great significance for
      improving the prognosis of WD patients. However, diagnosis of this disease is
      usually difficult because of its complicated phenotypes. In the last 10 years, an
      increasing number of clinical studies have used molecular genetics techniques.
      Improved diagnosis and prediction of the progression of this disease at the
      molecular level will aid in the development of more individualized and effective
      interventions, which is a key to transition from molecular genetic research to
      the clinical study. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical genetics studies are necessary to
      understand the mechanism underlying WD at the molecular level from the genotype
      to the phenotype. Clinical genetics research benefits newly emerging medical
      treatments including stem cell transplantation and gene therapy for WD patients.

PMID- 26112729
TI  - Is Syphilis a Potential New Factor of the POEMS Syndrome?

PMID- 26112730
TI  - Anti-Ma2 Paraneoplastic Encephalitis Associated with Ileal Lymphoma.

PMID- 26112731
TI  - Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy with Central Neck Dissection.

PMID- 26112732
TI  - Impaired Hearing in Mitochondrial Disorders.

PMID- 26112733
TI  - Adolescent Drivers: Fine-Tuning Our Understanding.

PMID- 26112734
TI  - A Review of Hazard Anticipation Training Programs for Young Drivers.
AB  - PURPOSE: Poor hazard anticipation skills are a risk factor associated with high
      motor vehicle crash rates of young drivers. A number of programs have been
      developed to improve these skills. The purpose of this review was to assess the
      empirical literature on hazard anticipation training for young drivers. METHODS:
      Studies were included if they (1) included an assessment of hazard anticipation
      training outcomes; (2) were published between January 1, 1980 and December 31,
      2013 in an English language peer-reviewed journal or conference proceeding; and
      (3) included at least one group that uniquely comprised a cohort of participants
      aged <21 years. Nineteen studies met inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Studies used a
      variety of training methods including interactive computer programs, videos,
      simulation, commentary driving, or a combination of approaches. Training effects
      were predominantly measured through computer-based testing and driving simulation
      with eye tracking. Four studies included an on-road evaluation. Most studies
      evaluated short-term outcomes (immediate or few days). In all studies, young
      drivers showed improvement in selected hazard anticipation outcomes but none
      investigated crash effects. CONCLUSIONS: Although there is promise in existing
      programs, future research should include long-term follow-up, evaluate crash
      outcomes, and assess the optimal timing of hazard anticipation training taking
      into account the age and experience level of young drivers.

PMID- 26112735
TI  - Young Drivers and Their Passengers: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological
      Studies on Crash Risk.
AB  - PURPOSE: A systematic review of the literature was conducted to appraise the
      evidence from epidemiological studies of crash risk in young drivers accompanied
      by passengers, compared with solo driving. METHODS: Databases searched were the
      Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, Transportation Research Information Services,
      and Web of Science for studies published between January 1, 1989 and August 1,
      2013. Epidemiological studies were selected for review if they focused on crashes
      of young drivers (<=24 years old) and included both a no-passenger comparison
      group and some measure of exposure to enable calculation of estimates. RESULTS:
      Fifteen articles (17 studies) were selected; seven studies reported on fatal
      crashes and 10 on nonfatal or combined fatal/nonfatal crashes. Studies on fatal
      crashes showed increased risk, compared with solo driving, for young drivers with
      at least one passenger (significant estimates ranging from 1.24 to 1.89) and two
      or more passengers versus solo driving (1.70-2.92). Increased risk was also found
      for fatal crashes and for combined or nonfatal crashes with male versus female
      passengers (1.53-2.66) and for younger versus older drivers (1.42-3.14).
      CONCLUSIONS: Results more clearly indicated an increased risk for passenger
      presence in fatal crashes than that in nonfatal or combined fatal/nonfatal
      crashes. Findings of this review, based on correlational studies, support
      licensing policies that limit the presence and number of young passengers for
      young drivers.

PMID- 26112736
TI  - The Effect of Secondary Task Engagement on Adolescents' Driving Performance and
      Crash Risk.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this review was to synthesize the evidence of the effects
      of secondary task engagement on novice adolescent's driving performance and crash
      risk. METHODS: Searches of multiple databases were conducted using search terms
      related to secondary task engagement and teenage drivers. Articles were selected
      for inclusion if they were: written in English, an empirical study assessing the
      impact of secondary task engagement on driving, and included study participants
      who were licensed drivers between the ages of 14 and 17 years (if research was
      conducted in the United States) or within 18 months licensure in other countries.
      Thirty-eight abstracts were reviewed. RESULTS: Fifteen studies met the inclusion
      criteria. Most studies examined the effects of electronic device use as the
      secondary task. Effects were assessed using crash databases, simulator,
      instrumented vehicle, and naturalistic driving studies. Texting resulted in
      increased lane deviations and eyes off road time in simulated driving, whereas
      talking on a cell phone had little effect. Naturalistic studies, which use
      vehicle instrumentation to measure actual driving, found secondary tasks that
      required drivers to look away from the forward roadway also increased the risk of
      crashes and near-crashes for young novice drivers, whereas tasks that did not
      require eyes to be off the forward roadway (e.g., talking on cell phone) had no
      effect on crash risk. CONCLUSIONS: Methodological differences in the definition
      and measurement of driving performance make it difficult to directly compare
      findings, even among the limited number of studies conducted. Despite this,
      results suggest that secondary tasks degrade driving performance and increase
      risk only when they require drivers to look away from the forward roadway. Future
      research needs to focus more explicitly on the ways in which secondary task
      engagement influences drivers' behavior (e.g., interfering with information
      acquisition or manual control of the vehicle). This, along with the use of
      standard measures across studies, would build a more useful body of literature on
      this topic.

PMID- 26112738
TI  - Persistent natural infection of a Culex tritaeniorhynchus cell line with a novel
      Culex tritaeniorhynchus rhabdovirus strain.
AB  - Culex tritaeniorhynchus rhabdovirus (CTRV) is a mosquito virus that establishes
      persistent infection without any obvious cell death. Therefore, occult infection
      by CTRV can be present in mosquito cell lines. In this study, it is shown that
      NIID-CTR cells, which were derived from Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, are persistently
      infected with a novel strain of CTRV. Complete genome sequencing of the infecting
      strain revealed that it is genetically similar but distinct from the previously
      isolated CTRV strain, excluding the possibility of contamination. These findings
      raise the importance of further CTRV studies, such as screening of CTRV in other
      mosquito cell lines.

PMID- 26112737
TI  - Effectiveness of Parent-Focused Interventions to Increase Teen Driver Safety: A
      Critical Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: We critically reviewed recent parent-directed teen driving interventions
      to summarize their success in meeting stated goals; identify promising
      intervention components and knowledge gaps; aid in the selection, adaptation, and
      dissemination of effective interventions; and guide future research efforts.
      METHODS: We focused on interventions that included a direct parent component,
      explicitly stated outcomes related to the teen and/or their parents, were
      evaluated for parent or teen outcomes, targeted drivers younger than the age of
      21 years, and had at least one evaluation study published since 1990 and in
      English. We conducted a comprehensive systematic search of 26 online databases
      between November 2013 and January 2014 and identified 34 articles representing 18
      interventions. RESULTS: Several interventions-in particular, those that had an
      active engagement component, incorporated an in-vehicle data recorder system, and
      had a strong conceptual approach-show promise in improving parental supervisory
      behaviors during the learner and early independent phases, increasing teen driver
      skill acquisition, and reducing teens' risky driving behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: We
      identify essential characteristics of effective parent-involved teen driving
      interventions and their evaluation studies, propose a comprehensive and
      multitiered approach to intervention, and discuss several research areas and
      overarching issues for consideration.

PMID- 26112739
TI  - [Hindfoot osteotomies].

PMID- 26112740
TI  - Controlling heterologous gene expression in yeast cell factories on different
      carbon substrates and across the diauxic shift: a comparison of yeast promoter
      activities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Predictable control of gene expression is necessary for the rational
      design and optimization of cell factories. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae,
      the promoter is one of the most important tools available for controlling gene
      expression. However, the complex expression patterns of yeast promoters have not
      been fully characterised and compared on different carbon sources (glucose,
      sucrose, galactose and ethanol) and across the diauxic shift in glucose batch
      cultivation. These conditions are of importance to yeast cell factory design
      because they are commonly used and encountered in industrial processes. Here, the
      activities of a series of "constitutive" and inducible promoters were
      characterised in single cells throughout the fermentation using green fluorescent
      protein (GFP) as a reporter. RESULTS: The "constitutive" promoters, including
      glycolytic promoters, transcription elongation factor promoters and ribosomal
      promoters, differed in their response patterns to different carbon sources;
      however, in glucose batch cultivation, expression driven by these promoters
      decreased sharply as glucose was depleted and cells moved towards the diauxic
      shift. Promoters induced at low-glucose levels (P(HXT7), P(SSA1) and P(ADH2))
      varied in induction strength on non-glucose carbon sources (sucrose, galactose
      and ethanol); in contrast to the "constitutive" promoters, GFP expression
      increased as glucose decreased and cells moved towards the diauxic shift. While
      lower than several "constitutive" promoters during the exponential phase,
      expression from the SSA1 promoter was higher in the post-diauxic phase than the
      commonly-used TEF1 promoter. The galactose-inducible GAL1 promoter provided the
      highest GFP expression on galactose, and the copper-inducible CUP1 promoter
      provided the highest induced GFP expression following the diauxic shift.
      CONCLUSIONS: The data provides a foundation for predictable and optimised control
      of gene expression levels on different carbon sources and throughout batch
      fermentation, including during and after the diauxic shift. This information can
      be applied for designing expression approaches to improve yields, rates and
      titres in yeast cell factories.

PMID- 26112741
TI  - SPAK and OSR1 Sensitivity of Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter EAAT3.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Kinases involved in the regulation of epithelial transport
      include SPAK (SPS1-related proline/alanine-rich kinase) and OSR1 (oxidative
      stress-responsive kinase 1). SPAK and OSR1 are both regulated by WNK (with-no
      K(Lys)) kinases. The present study explored whether SPAK and/or OSR1 influence
      the excitatory amino acid transporter EAAT3, which accomplishes glutamate and
      aspartate transport in kidney, intestine and brain. METHODS: cRNA encoding EAAT3
      was injected into Xenopus laevis oocytes with or without additional injection of
      cRNA encoding wild-type SPAK, constitutively active (T233E)SPAK, WNK insensitive
      (T233A)SPAK, catalytically inactive (D212A)SPAK, wild-type OSR1, constitutively
      active (T185E)OSR1, WNK insensitive (T185A)OSR1 and catalytically inactive
      (D164A)OSR1. Glutamate-induced current was taken as measure of electrogenic
      glutamate transport and was quantified utilizing dual electrode voltage clamp.
      Furthermore, Ussing chamber was employed to determine glutamate transport in the
      intestine from gene-targeted mice carrying WNK insensitive SPAK (spak(tg/tg)) and
      from corresponding wild-type mice (spak(+/+)). RESULTS: EAAT3 activity was
      significantly decreased by wild-type SPAK and (T233E)SPAK, but not by (T233A)SPAK
      and (D212A)SPAK. SPAK decreased maximal transport rate without affecting
      significantly affinity of the carrier. Similarly, EAAT3 activity was
      significantly downregulated by wild-type OSR1 and (T185E)OSR1, but not by
      (T185A)OSR1 and (D164A)OSR1. Again OSR1 decreased maximal transport rate without
      affecting significantly affinity of the carrier. Intestinal electrogenic
      glutamate transport was significantly lower in spak(+/+) than in spak(tg/tg)
      mice. CONCLUSION: Both, SPAK and OSR1 are negative regulators of EAAT3 activity.

PMID- 26112742
TI  - Episodic detection of human papillomavirus within a longitudinal cohort of young
      women.
AB  - Redetection of a type-specific human papillomavirus (HPV) infection may represent
      reinfection. However, a growing body of literature suggests that reactivation of
      HPV is common and that episodic detection of a HPV infection may represent
      reactivation of a persistent virus. A cohort of prospectively followed adolescent
      women (N = 150), ages 14-17, was observed on average 6.4 years. The authors
      describe the redetection of 37 HPV types and associated factors of redetection of
      high-risk (HR) and low-risk (LR) types using Cox proportional hazard models. Of
      1,248 HPV type-specific infections, 286 (22.9%) were associated with redetection
      after apparent clearance. Chlamydia infections (HR = 1.99 [95%CI, 1.15-3.49]) and
      non-condom use (HR = 1.1 [95%CI, 1.04-1.99]) were associated with increased
      redetection of HR-HPV infections. Oral contraceptive pills (HR = 2.73 [95%CI,
      1.52-4.90]) and number of sexual partners (HR = 1.44 [95%CI, 1.04-1.99]) were
      associated with increased redetection of LR-HPV infections. Episodic detection of
      HPV is common for HR- and LR-HPV types. This finding and identified factors or
      redetection have clinical implications and enhances the understanding of HPV
      natural history.

PMID- 26112743
TI  - Human rhinovirus infections in hospitalized children: clinical, epidemiological
      and virological features.
AB  - Molecular epidemiology and clinical impact of human rhinovirus (HRV) are not well
      documented in tropical regions. This study compared the clinical characteristics
      of HRV to other common viral infections and investigated the molecular
      epidemiology of HRV in hospitalized children with acute respiratory infections
      (ARIs) in Vietnam. From April 2010 to May 2011, 1082 nasopharyngeal swabs were
      screened for respiratory viruses by PCR. VP4/VP2 sequences of HRV were further
      characterized. HRV was the most commonly detected virus (30%), in which 70% were
      diagnosed as either pneumonia or bronchiolitis. Children with single HRV
      infections presented with significantly higher rate of hypoxia than those
      infected with respiratory syncytial virus or parainfluenza virus (PIV)-3 (12.4%
      vs. 3.8% and 0%, respectively, P < 0.05), higher rate of chest retraction than
      PIV-1 (57.3% vs. 34.5%, P = 0.028), higher rate of wheezing than influenza A
      (63.2% vs. 42.3%, P = 0.038). HRV-C did not differ to HRV-A clinically. The
      genetic diversity and changes of types over time were observed and may explain
      the year-round circulation of HRV. One novel HRV-A type was discovered which
      circulated locally for several years. In conclusion, HRV showed high genetic
      diversity and was associated with significant morbidity and severe ARIs in
      hospitalized children. 

PMID- 26112745
TI  - Pentoxifylline Treatment in Severe Acute Pancreatitis: A Pilot, Double-Blind,
      Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Trial.
AB  - In acute pancreatitis (AP) tumor necrosis factor-alpha mediates multi-organ
      failure; in animal models its blockade with pentoxifylline ameliorates AP. The
      efficacy of pentoxifylline in predicted severe AP (pSAP) was tested in a double
      blinded, randomized, control trial. Twenty-eight patients with pSAP were
      randomized within 72 hours of diagnosis to pentoxifylline or placebo. Baseline
      characteristics were similar in both groups. The pentoxifylline group had fewer
      intensive care unit admissions and shorter intensive care unit and hospital stays
      of longer than 4 days (all P < .05). Patients receiving pentoxifylline had no
      adverse effects. Pentoxifylline within 72 hours of pSAP is safe; a larger study
      of pentoxifylline in AP is needed to confirm efficacy. ClinicalTrials.gov number:
      NCT01292005. 

PMID- 26112744
TI  - Hepatitis E virus in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa region: an
      awareness of an infectious threat to blood safety.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is mainly transmitted through contaminated water
      supplies which make the virus endemic in developing countries including countries
      of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Recent reports suggest
      potential risk of HEV transmission via blood transfusion. METHODS: Related
      articles on HEV were collected by searching through the 25 countries of the MENA
      region using Pubmed and Medline within the past 14 years: January 2000-August
      2014. RESULTS: One hundred articles were extracted, of which 25 were not
      eligible. The articles discussed the seroprevalence of HEV and HEV markers in 12
      countries. Eight articles provided data on HEV in blood donors. The
      seroprevalence of HEV in the general MENA population ranged from 2.0 to 37.5% and
      was higher in males than in females. Prevalence increased with age, but exposure
      seems to be in early life. CONCLUSIONS: In the MENA region, the role of HEV as an
      infectious threat to blood safety is under-investigated. More data are needed to
      quantify the risk of transmission and to assess clinical outcomes. This requires,
      at least, surveillance screening of donors and recipients for HEV markers using
      sensitive and specific serological tests. At the present time, serious
      consideration should be given to selective screening for certain groups of
      patients (e.g., immunocompromised, pregnant women and others) who commonly
      require blood transfusion and are at high risk of hepatic failure or chronicity
      from HEV infection.

PMID- 26112746
TI  - Poly(thymine)-Templated Copper Nanoparticles as a Fluorescent Indicator for
      Hydrogen Peroxide and Oxidase-Based Biosensing.
AB  - Biomineralized fluorescent metal nanoparticles have attracted considerable
      interest in many fields by virtue of their excellent properties in synthesis and
      application. Poly(thymine)-templated fluorescent copper nanoparticles (T-CuNPs)
      as a promising nanomaterial has been exploited by us recently and displays great
      potential for signal transducing in biochemical analysis. However, the
      application of T-CuNPs is rare and still at an early stage. Here, a new
      fluorescent analytical strategy has been developed for H2O2 and oxidase-based
      biosensing by exploiting T-CuNPs as an effective signal indicator. The mechanism
      is mainly based on the poly(thymine) length-dependent formation of T-CuNPs and
      the probe's oxidative cleavage. In this assay, the probe T40 can effectively
      template the formation of T-CuNPs by a fast in situ manner in the absence of
      H2O2, with high fluorescent signal, while the probe is cleaved into short
      oligonucleotide fragments by hydroxyl radical (.OH) which is formed from the
      Fenton reaction in the presence of H2O2, leading to the decline of fluorescence
      intensity. By taking advantage of H2O2 as a mediator, this strategy is further
      exploited for oxidase-based biosensing. As the proof-of-concept, glucose in human
      serum has been chosen as the model system and has been detected, and its
      practical applicability has been investigated by assay of real clinical blood
      samples. Results demonstrate that the proposed strategy has not only good
      detection capability but also eminent detection performance, such as simplicity
      and low-cost, holding great potential for constructing effective sensors for
      biochemical and clinical applications. 

PMID- 26112747
TI  - The effects of collaboration and minimal-group membership on children's prosocial
      behavior, liking, affiliation, and trust.
AB  - Recent theoretical work has highlighted potential links between interpersonal
      collaboration and group membership in the evolution of human sociality. Here we
      compared the effects of collaboration and minimal-group membership on young
      children's prosocial behavior (i.e., helping and resource allocation), liking,
      affiliation, and trust. In a design that matched as closely as possible these two
      ways of connecting with others, we showed that 5-year-olds' behavior was affected
      similarly by collaboration and minimal-group membership; both increased
      children's preference for their partners on multiple dimensions and produced
      overall effects of a similar magnitude. In contrast, 3.5-year-olds did not have a
      strong preference for either collaborators or minimal in-group members. Thus,
      both collaboration and minimal-group membership are similarly effective in their
      influence on children's prosocial behavior and social preferences. 

PMID- 26112748
TI  - PTEN regulates IGF-1R-mediated therapy resistance in melanoma.
AB  - Inhibition of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is a major
      advance in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. However, its therapeutic success
      is limited by the rapid emergence of drug resistance. The insulin-like growth
      factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) is overexpressed in melanomas developing resistance
      toward the BRAF(V) (600) inhibitor vemurafenib. Here, we show that
      hyperactivation of BRAF enhances IGF-1R expression. In addition, the phosphatase
      activity of PTEN as well as heterocellular contact to stromal cells increases IGF
      1R expression in melanoma cells and enhances resistance to vemurafenib.
      Interestingly, PTEN-negative melanoma cells escape IGF-1R blockade by decreased
      expression of the receptor, implicating that only in melanoma patients with PTEN
      positive tumors treatment with IGF-1R inhibitors would be a suitable strategy to
      combat therapy resistance. Our data emphasize the crosstalk and therapeutic
      relevance of microenvironmental and tumor cell-autonomous mechanisms in
      regulating IGF-1R expression and by this sensitivity toward targeted therapies. 

PMID- 26112749
TI  - Men Aged 15-44 in Need of Preconception Care.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Preconception care for men focuses on prevention strategies
      implemented prior to conception of a first or subsequent pregnancy to improve
      pregnancy and infant outcomes. Little is known about U.S. men in need of
      preconception care. This analysis describes the proportion of men in need of
      preconception care and associations of these needs by background characteristics,
      related health conditions, access to care and receipt of services. METHODS: Data
      from men aged 15-44 in the National Survey of Family Growth 2006-2010 were
      analyzed to describe men in need of preconception care, based on future
      childbearing intentions and self and partner fecundity status (among sexually
      experienced only), and associated factors with these needs using weighted
      bivariate analyses. RESULTS: About 60 % of men are in need of preconception care.
      Higher prevalence of being in need was observed among men aged 15-29 than older;
      living in urban than non-urban settings; in school than not in school regardless
      of working status; not in a coresidential union than married or cohabiting; who
      were recent immigrants than U.S. born; and reporting never having had a child
      than >=1 child(ren). Men in need were overweight/obese (56 %), ever binge drank
      in the last year (58 %), and have high STI risk (21 %). The majority of men in
      need reported access to care in the last year (>70 %), but few reported receipt
      of services including STD/HIV testing (<20 %) or counseling (<11 %). CONCLUSIONS
      FOR PRACTICE: Findings from this analysis have implications for promoting
      preconception care among U.S. men.

PMID- 26112750
TI  - The Association Between Diabetes Mellitus Among American Indian/Alaska Native
      Populations with Preterm Birth in Eight US States from 2004-2011.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Assess risk of preterm birth associated with diabetes mellitus (DM)
      among American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN), a population with increased
      risk of DM and preterm birth, and examine whether this association differed by
      state of residence. METHODS: We used surveillance data from the Pregnancy Risk
      Assessment Monitoring System from 12,400 AI/AN respondents with singleton births
      in Alaska, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, and
      Washington from 2004-2011. We conducted multivariable logistic regression models
      to estimate the odds ratio adjusted for maternal age and prepregnancy BMI with
      all observations and then stratified by state. RESULTS: DM was reported in 5.92 %
      of the study population and preterm birth occurred in 8.95 % of births. Women
      with DM had 1.92 times higher odds of having a preterm birth than women without
      DM [95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.21-2.78]. After stratifying on state, women
      with DM in Nebraska had the greatest odds of preterm birth [aOR 6.63, (95 % CI
      3.80-11.6)] while women in Alaska saw a protective effect from DM [aOR 0.17, (95
      % CI 0.07-0.42)] compared to women without DM. CONCLUSION: Overall, AI/AN women
      with DM had significantly greater odds of preterm birth compared to AI/AN women
      without DM across states. Substantial differences in this association between
      states calls for increased public health efforts in high-risk areas as well as
      further research to assess whether differences are attributable to diagnosis,
      reporting, tribal, healthcare or lifestyle factors.

PMID- 26112751
TI  - Predicting Preterm Birth Among Women Screened by North Carolina's Pregnancy
      Medical Home Program.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine which combination of risk factors from Community Care of
      North Carolina's (CCNC) Pregnancy Medical Home (PMH) risk screening form was most
      predictive of preterm birth (PTB) by parity and race/ethnicity. METHODS: This
      retrospective cohort included pregnant Medicaid patients screened by the PMH
      program before 24 weeks gestation who delivered a live birth in North Carolina
      between September 2011-September 2012 (N = 15,428). Data came from CCNC's Case
      Management Information System, Medicaid claims, and birth certificates. Logistic
      regression with backward stepwise elimination was used to arrive at the final
      models. To internally validate the predictive model, we used bootstrapping
      techniques. RESULTS: The prevalence of PTB was 11 %. Multifetal gestation, a
      previous PTB, cervical insufficiency, diabetes, renal disease, and hypertension
      were the strongest risk factors with odds ratios ranging from 2.34 to 10.78. Non
      Hispanic black race, underweight, smoking during pregnancy, asthma, other chronic
      conditions, nulliparity, and a history of a low birth weight infant or fetal
      death/second trimester loss were additional predictors in the final predictive
      model. About half of the risk factors prioritized by the PMH program remained in
      our final model (ROC = 0.66). The odds of PTB associated with food insecurity and
      obesity differed by parity. The influence of unsafe or unstable housing and short
      interpregnancy interval on PTB differed by race/ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS:
      Evaluation of the PMH risk screen provides insight to ensure women at highest
      risk are prioritized for care management. Using multiple data sources, salient
      risk factors for PTB were identified, allowing for better-targeted approaches for
      PTB prevention.

PMID- 26112752
TI  - Myocardial glucose uptake in patients with the m.3243A > G mutation in
      mitochondrial DNA.
AB  - Mitochondrial mutations impair glucose oxidation and increase glucose uptake in
      cell cultures and lead to cardiomyopathy in patients. Here we characterize
      cardiac glucose uptake in 14 patients with the m.3243A > G mutation in
      mitochondrial DNA. The 14 patients with m.3243A > G and 13 controls were similar
      in age, physical activity and body mass index. Ten patients had diabetes. Left
      ventricular glucose uptake per tissue mass (LVGU) was measured with 2-[(18)
      F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography during euglycemic
      hyperinsulinemia. Cardiac morphology and function were assessed with magnetic
      resonance imaging. We found that the LVGU was 25% lower in the patients than that
      in the controls (P = 0.029). LVGU was inversely correlated with mutation
      heteroplasmy, glycated haemoglobin and fasting lactate in patients. The seven
      patients with mutation heteroplasmy >= 49% had 44% lower LVGU than the seven
      patients with heteroplasmy < 49%. This difference remained significant after
      adjustment for concurrent free fatty acid concentration or glycated haemoglobin
      or glucose uptake in skeletal muscle or all (p < 0.048 [All]). Patients with
      m.3243A > G had a lower stroke volume and a higher heart rate than the controls,
      whereas cardiac output and work were similar. Myocardial glucose uptake is not
      increased but decreased with a threshold effect pattern in patients with the
      m.3243A > G mutation. The glucose hypometabolism adds to the impaired cardiac
      energetics and likely contributes to the progression of the mitochondrial
      cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26112754
TI  - Synthesis and thermodynamics of Ag-Cu nanoparticles.
AB  - Metallic silver, copper, and Ag-Cu nanoparticles (NPs) have been produced by a
      chemical reduction method. The obtained nanoparticles were characterized by
      powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A side
      segregated configuration was observed for the one-pot synthesized Ag-Cu NPs, and
      the melting temperature depression of about 14  degrees C was found by
      differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). A comparison between the new
      experimental data, the literature data on Ag-Cu bimetallic NPs and the
      corresponding theoretical values obtained from the Ag-Cu nano-sized phase diagram
      was done, whereas the melting behaviour of Ag and Cu metal nanoparticles was
      discussed in the framework of the liquid layer model (LLM). 

PMID- 26112753
TI  - Spider wrapping silk fibre architecture arising from its modular soluble protein
      precursor.
AB  - Spiders store spidroins in their silk glands as high concentration aqueous
      solutions, spinning these dopes into fibres with outstanding mechanical
      properties. Aciniform (or wrapping) silk is the toughest spider silk and is
      devoid of the short amino acid sequence motifs characteristic of the other
      spidroins. Using solution-state NMR spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the 200
      amino acid Argiope trifasciata AcSp1 repeat unit contrasts with previously
      characterized spidroins, adopting a globular 5-helix bundle flanked by
      intrinsically disordered N- and C-terminal tails. Split-intein-mediated segmental
      NMR-active isotope-enrichment allowed unambiguous demonstration of modular and
      malleable "beads-on-a-string" concatemeric behaviour. Concatemers form fibres
      upon manual drawing with silk-like morphology and mechanical properties,
      alongside secondary structuring and orientation consistent with native AcSp1
      fibres. AcSp1 structural stability varies locally, with the fifth helix
      denaturing most readily. The structural transition of aciniform spidroin from a
      mostly alpha-helical dope to a mixed alpha-helix/beta-sheet-containing fibre can
      be directly related to spidroin architecture and stability. 

PMID- 26112755
TI  - Urinary Trypsin Inhibitor Attenuates Acute Lung Injury by Improving Endothelial
      Progenitor Cells Functions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urinary Trypsin Inhibitor (UTI) is involved in various aspects of
      tissue repair, regeneration and development. However, the potential role of UTI
      in protection against acute lung injury (ALI) remains largely unknown. In the
      present study, we demonstrated that UTI treatment could ameliorate ALI induced by
      oleic acid (OA) treatment in rabbit model. METHODS: Intravenous application of
      UTI (10000 U/kg/d) significantly improved the pathologies associated with OA
      induced ALI. The lungs were stained with hematoxylin and eosin to scored the lung
      injury. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated by density gradient
      centrifugation with Ficoll-Plaque Plus. The proliferation and ability of tube
      structure formation of EPCs were observed and the level of phosphorylated Akt
      protein expression and eNOS protein expression were assayed. RESULTS: Consistent
      with pathological scores, UTI treatment significantly reduced wet/dry ratio of OA
      injured lungs. A quantification of capillary density revealed that UTI treatment
      led to about 2 fold increase over uninjured control and about 1.5 fold increase
      over PBS treatment. The capacity for tube formation of EPCs on ECM gel was
      significantly reduced in the ALI group and recovered with UTI treatment.
      Quantification of western blot bands was summarized and showed that UTI treatment
      activates Akt/eNOS signaling. NO production could contribute to the improvement
      of EPCs function by UTI treatment. CONCLUSIONS: UTI-induced
      phosphorylation/activation of eNOS and Akt, increases the intracellular level of
      NO, thereby improving tube formation and proliferation function of EPCs. EPCs
      function is crucial for re-endothelialization after denuding injuries of
      arteries.

PMID- 26112756
TI  - TNF-alpha inhibition prevents cognitive decline and maintains hippocampal BDNF
      levels in the unpredictable chronic mild stress rat model of depression.
AB  - Previous findings have shown that patients with depression express higher levels
      of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-6. We have recently found
      that Infliximab (a TNF-alpha inhibitor) decreased anhedonia and despair-like
      behavior in the rat unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) model of depression
      suggesting that inflammation might play an important role in depression. An
      increasing number of studies suggest that inflammation is also associated with
      cognitive impairments. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of UCMS
      on the cognitive performance of rats and their hippocampal BDNF levels and the
      effect of chronic Infliximab (5mg/kg/weekly, i.p.) treatment on these measures.
      Rats were subjected to different types of stressors daily for a period of 56 days
      to induce depression-like state. The UCMS resulted in impairments in spatial and
      emotional memory acquisition and retention with no effect on the level of
      locomotor activity. These behavioral effects of UCMS were accompanied by
      reduction in the level of BDNF in the CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus.
      Chronic Infliximab treatment prevented the UCMS-induced cognitive impairments as
      well as the reduction in the levels of hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic
      factor (BDNF). These results suggest that Infliximab improves the spatial and
      emotional memory impairments induced by chronic stress in rats likely through its
      effects on hippocampal function by modulating inflammation. 

PMID- 26112758
TI  - Update on Severe Burn Management for the Intensivist.
AB  - Thermal injury of humans causes arguably the most severe perturbations in
      physiology that can be experienced. These physiologic derangements start
      immediately and can persist in some form until months or even years after the
      burn wounds are healed. Burn shock, marked activation of the systemic
      inflammatory response, multiple-organ failure, infection, and wound failure are
      just a few of the insults that may require management by the intensivist. The
      purpose of this article is to review recent advances in the critical care
      management of thermally injured patients. 

PMID- 26112757
TI  - Chronic treatment with the vasopressin 1b receptor antagonist SSR149415 prevents
      the dysphoria associated with nicotine withdrawal in rats.
AB  - Nicotine addiction is a chronic brain disorder that is characterized by dysphoria
      upon smoking cessation and relapse after brief periods of abstinence. It has been
      hypothesized that the negative mood state associated with nicotine withdrawal is
      partly mediated by a heightened activity of brain stress systems. Animal studies
      suggest that blockade of vasopressin 1b (V1b) receptors diminishes high levels of
      drug intake in dependent animals and attenuates the emotional response to
      stressors. The goal of the present studies was to investigate the effect of acute
      and chronic treatment with the V1b receptor antagonist SSR149415 on the negative
      mood state associated with nicotine withdrawal in rats. An intracranial self
      stimulation (ICSS) procedure was used to assess mood states and nicotine
      dependence was induced using minipumps. The nicotinic receptor antagonist
      mecamylamine was used to precipitate withdrawal. Mecamylamine elevated the brain
      reward thresholds of the nicotine dependent rats, which reflects a negative mood
      state. Mecamylamine did not affect the brain reward thresholds of the saline
      treated control rats. Chronic treatment with SSR149415 completely prevented the
      elevations in brain reward thresholds associated with nicotine withdrawal while
      acute treatment only partly prevented nicotine withdrawal. These data suggest
      that chronic treatment with V1b receptor antagonists may prevent the dysphoria
      associated with smoking cessation and thereby improve relapse rates. 

PMID- 26112759
TI  - Evaluation of Serum Lactate, Central Venous Saturation, and Venous-Arterial
      Carbon Dioxide Difference in the Prediction of Mortality in Postcardiac Arrest
      Syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Tissue hypoperfusion and hypoxia markers predict mortality in
      critically ill patients. This study evaluates the ability of serum lactate,
      central venous oxygen saturation (Scvo 2), and venous-arterial carbon dioxide
      difference (GapCo 2) to predict mortality in patients with postcardiac arrest
      (post-CA) syndrome. METHODS: A prospective observational study of patients with
      post-CA in a tertiary teaching hospital. Serial assessments of lactate, lactate
      clearance (Clac), GapCo 2, and Scvo 2 in the first 72 hours post-CA were
      analyzed. Adults (>=18 years) patients resuscitated from CA were included. The
      primary end point was 28-day mortality and secondary end points were 24- and 72
      hour mortality. RESULTS: A total of 54 patients were recruited, 33 (61,1%) of 54
      were men, with a 28-day mortality of 75.9%. Cardiac arrest occurred in-hospital
      in 84.6% of survivors and 97.5% of nonsurvivors. Lactate and Clac were
      significantly associated with mortality at 28 days, yielding an area under the
      receiver-operating characteristic curve of 0.797 (lactate 6 hours) and 0.717
      (Clac 6 hours) with a positive predictive value of 96% for lactate 6 hours (> 2.5
      mmol/L) and 89.5% for Clac 6 hours (<50%). Survival analysis confirmed the
      difference between the groups from the 24th hour post-CA. Considering mortality
      at 24 hours, lactate, Clac, and Scvo 2 (immediately post-CA, 6 and 18 hours) were
      different between the groups. In mortality at 72 hours, lactate, Clac, Scvo 2 (48
      hours), and GapCo 2 (36 and 48 hours) were associated with mortality. CONCLUSION:
      In post-CA syndrome, serum lactate and Clac were consistently able to predict
      mortality.

PMID- 26112761
TI  - Differential effects of behavioral interventions with a graded physical activity
      component in patients suffering from Chronic Fatigue (Syndrome): An updated
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - An updated systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to (1) evaluate the
      effects of behavioral and psychological interventions containing a graded
      physical activity component upon fatigue severity, physical functioning, physical
      activity and psychological distress, and to (2) examine potential moderator
      effects of trial characteristics (type of control, setting, provider, length of
      treatment, psychological component, flexibility in physical activity, and minimal
      face to face patient-provider contact). Pertinent content of selected studies was
      extracted and rated on a scale of methodological quality. Sixteen randomized
      controlled trials (N=2004) were included in the meta-analyses. Significant small
      to medium effect sizes (Hedge's g=0.25 to g=0.66) were found for all outcomes at
      post-treatment (M=5.2months) and follow-up (M=11.7months), with the exception of
      physical activity at post-treatment (g=0.11). The largest effects were found for
      fatigue severity (g=0.61 to g=0.66). Subgroup analyses revealed that minimal
      contact interventions had additional beneficial effects upon fatigue (g=0.96) and
      depression (g=0.85). Interventions provided by psychologists-psychotherapists and
      interventions conducted in secondary-tertiary settings also resulted in more
      beneficial effects on fatigue. We found some indication of publication bias. The
      small number of studies and variability between them are limitations of this
      study. Future research should explore additional moderating effects in order to
      improve the effectiveness of interventions. 

PMID- 26112762
TI  - Repurposing of rutin for the inhibition of norovirus replication.
AB  - Drug repurposing is a strategy employed to circumvent some of the bottlenecks
      involved in drug development, such as the cost and time needed for developing new
      molecular entities. Noroviruses cause recurrent epidemics and sporadic outbreaks
      of gastroenteritis associated with significant mortality and economic costs, but
      no treatment has been approved to date. Herein, a library of molecules previously
      used in humans was screened to find compounds with anti-noroviral activity.
      Antiviral testing for four selected compounds against murine norovirus infection
      revealed that rutin has anti-murine norovirus activity in cell-based assays. 

PMID- 26112760
TI  - Dimensions of emotion dysregulation in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: A
      conceptual review of the empirical literature.
AB  - Several existing conceptual models and psychological interventions address or
      emphasize the role of emotion dysregulation in eating disorders. The current
      article uses Gratz and Roemer's (2004) multidimensional model of emotion
      regulation and dysregulation as a clinically relevant framework to review the
      extant literature on emotion dysregulation in anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia
      nervosa (BN). Specifically, the dimensions reviewed include: (1) the flexible use
      of adaptive and situationally appropriate strategies to modulate the duration
      and/or intensity of emotional responses, (2) the ability to successfully inhibit
      impulsive behavior and maintain goal-directed behavior in the context of
      emotional distress, (3) awareness, clarity, and acceptance of emotional states,
      and (4) the willingness to experience emotional distress in the pursuit of
      meaningful activities. The current review suggests that both AN and BN are
      characterized by broad emotion regulation deficits, with difficulties in emotion
      regulation across the four dimensions found to characterize both AN and BN,
      although a small number of more specific difficulties may distinguish the two
      disorders. The review concludes with a discussion of the clinical implications of
      the findings, as well as a summary of limitations of the existing empirical
      literature and suggestions for future research. 

PMID- 26112763
TI  - Construction and characterization of a recombinant reticuloendotheliosis virus
      expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein.
AB  - Reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) causes an immunosuppressive and oncogenic
      disease in chickens and other birds. In this study, based on an infectious clone
      of REV, named HLJR0901, a recombinant virus containing the enhanced green
      fluorescence protein (EGFP) gene was constructed by inserting the EGFP expression
      cassette downstream of the 3' terminus of the viral env gene. An EGFP-tagged REV
      that stably expresses EGFP was rescued. This visible recombinant REV could
      contribute to the further understanding of the molecular mechanism involved in
      the replication and pathogenicity of REV. 

PMID- 26112764
TI  - Discovery of a novel circular DNA virus in the Forbes sea star, Asterias forbesi.
AB  - A single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) virus, Asterias forbesi-associated circular virus
      (AfaCV), was discovered in a Forbes sea star displaying symptoms of sea star
      wasting disease (SSWD). The AfaCV genome organization is typical of circular Rep
      encoding ssDNA (CRESS-DNA) viruses and is similar to that of members of the
      family Circoviridae. PCR-based surveys indicate that AfaCV is not clearly
      associated with SSWD, whereas the sea star-associated densovirus (SSaDV),
      recently implicated in SSWD in the Pacific, was prevalent in symptomatic
      specimens. AfaCV represents the first CRESS-DNA virus detected in echinoderms,
      adding to the growing diversity of these viruses recently recovered from
      invertebrates. 

PMID- 26112765
TI  - Confidence bounds for nonlinear dose-response relationships.
AB  - An important aim of drug trials is to characterize the dose-response relationship
      of a new compound. Such a relationship can often be described by a parametric
      (nonlinear) function that is monotone in dose. If such a model is fitted, it is
      useful to know the uncertainty of the fitted curve. It is well known that Wald
      confidence intervals are based on linear approximations and are often
      unsatisfactory in nonlinear models. Apart from incorrect coverage rates, they can
      be unreasonable in the sense that the lower confidence limit of the difference to
      placebo can be negative, even when an overall test shows a significant positive
      effect. Bootstrap confidence intervals solve many of the problems of the Wald
      confidence intervals but are computationally intensive and prone to undercoverage
      for small sample sizes. In this work, we propose a profile likelihood approach to
      compute confidence intervals for the dose-response curve. These confidence bounds
      have better coverage than Wald intervals and are more precise and generally
      faster than bootstrap methods. Moreover, if monotonicity is assumed, the profile
      likelihood approach takes this automatically into account. The approach is
      illustrated using a public dataset and simulations based on the Emax and sigmoid
      Emax models.

PMID- 26112767
TI  - The morphology of the foetal sigmoid colon in the African population: a possible
      predisposition to sigmoid volvulus.
AB  - AIM: This study aimed to determine the morphological types of the foetal sigmoid
      colon and establish if the anatomical predisposition to sigmoid volvulus is
      present in Black African foetuses. Sigmoid volvulus affects Black Africans in our
      province more frequently than other ethnic groups, and males more than females.
      Its aetiology remains speculative, with factors being proposed that do not
      suggest the pathogenetic mechanisms or the gender bias. Previous anatomical
      studies have suggested that Black Africans have a predisposition to sigmoid
      volvulus due to an elongated sigmoid colon. We investigated whether this
      phenomenon occurred during foetal development. METHOD: Foetuses were donated from
      local hospitals. Population groups were defined as Black African and non-African.
      After dissection, the anatomy of the sigmoid colon was described according to
      level of origin, classic or elongated type and shape (broad or narrow). RESULTS:
      A total of 296 Black African foetuses and 37 non-African foetuses were donated.
      The sigmoid colon in the majority of foetuses in all gestational age groups had a
      low level of origin. An elongated colon was seen in 68% of Black African and 17%
      of non-African foetuses (P < 0.0001). Among Black Africans there was a higher
      proportion of elongated sigmoid colon among male (73%) than female foetuses (62%)
      (P = 0.044). In foetuses with an elongated sigmoid colon the broad shape was more
      common in females than males and the long-narrow shape was more common in males
      (P = 0.038). CONCLUSION: The elongated sigmoid colon seen in Black Africans is
      present in utero and occurs more frequently in Black African males. A narrow
      shape is more common in male foetuses and the broad shape is more common in
      female foetuses. These anatomical features may be the cause of the predisposition
      to sigmoid volvulus in Black African adults.

PMID- 26112768
TI  - Variations in periplasmic loop interactions determine the pH-dependent activity
      of the hexameric urea transporter UreI from Helicobacter pylori: a molecular
      dynamics study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is an important factor in the development of
      diseases such as ulcer and gastric cancer. This bacterium uses a periplasmic
      transporter, UreI, to deliver urea to the intracelullar space, where later it is
      transformed into ammonia by the cytoplasmic enzyme urease to survive the acidic
      condition of the human stomach. The UreI transporter presents a pH-dependent
      activity, where this pH-dependence remains unknown at a structural level.
      Althought the existance of several protonable residues in the periplasmic loops
      are related to the pH-dependent activity, we find interesting to have a clear
      view of the conformational changes involved in this phenomena through a molecular
      dynamic study. RESULTS: Molecular dynamic simulations of the UreI transporter at
      three different pH conditions were performed, revealing two main pH-dependent
      conformations, which we present as the open and close states. We find that salt
      bridges between the periplasmic loops are crucial interactions that stabilize
      these conformations. Besides, a cooperative behaviour exists between the six
      subunits of the system that is necessary to fulfill the activity of this
      transporter. CONCLUSIONS: We found different pH-dependent conformations of the
      urea transporter UreI from Helicobacter pylori, which are related to salt-bridge
      interactions in the periplasmic regions. The behaviour of every channel in the
      system is not independent, given the existance of a cooperative behaviour through
      the formation of salt-bridges between the subunits of the hexameric system. We
      believe that our results will be related to the generation of new eradication
      therapies using this transporter as an attractive target, denoting that the
      knowledge of the possible pH-dependent conformations adopted for this transporter
      are important for the development of rational drug design approximations.

PMID- 26112769
TI  - Mathematical ability of first year undergraduate paramedic students-A before and
      after study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An ability to accurately perform drug calculations unassisted is an
      essential skill for all health professionals, with various occupational-specific
      stressors exacerbating mathematical deficiencies. OBJECTIVES: The objective of
      this study was to determine the unaided mathematic ability of first year
      undergraduate paramedic students before and after mathematical and drug
      calculation tutorials. METHODS: Students were administered a questionnaire
      containing demographic, drug calculation and arithmetic questions during week one
      of the semester before the tutorials. During the semester students participated
      in three 2-hour tutorials which included both mathematical and drug calculation
      questions without assistance of computational devices. At the end of semester was
      a summative drug calculation examination of which five key questions were
      compared to similar questions from the first questionnaire. Descriptive
      statistics describe the demographic data with a paired t-test comparing the
      questionnaire and exam results. RESULTS: Drug calculation and mathematical
      ability was markedly improved following the tutorials, mean score of correct
      answers before 1.74 (SD 1.4) and after 4.14 (SD 0.93), p<0001. When comparing the
      correct results for the same question type, there were statistically significant
      differences in four of five different drug calculations: volume of drug drawn up
      10 v 57 p<0.0001, infusion rate 29 v 31 p=0.717, drip rate 16 v 54 p<0.0001,
      volume from a syringe 30 v 59 p<0.0001, and drug dose 42 v 62 p<0.0001. Total
      errors reduced from 188 to 45. CONCLUSIONS: First year undergraduate paramedic
      students initially demonstrated a poor ability to complete mathematical and drug
      calculations without the assistance of computational devices. This improved
      significantly following appropriate education and practice. Further research is
      required to determine the retention of this ability over time.

PMID- 26112770
TI  - Faculty experiences with rapid integration of male nursing students within a
      patriarchal societal context.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2007, reforms by the Turkish government forced a rapid integration
      of male nursing students into previously all-female schools. The minimal amount
      of time for faculty preparation, little guidance from nursing leaders and the
      extant literature, and a societal context of patriarchy created unique challenges
      for faculty. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and
      interpret the experiences of nursing faculty as they adapted to the sudden
      inclusion of men in schools of nursing. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive study
      SETTINGS: Nine schools from six regions across Turkey PARTICIPANTS: 99 nursing
      faculty who were 22 to 55years of age, primarily female (97.8%), married (65.6%).
      METHODS: Focus groups were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using
      constant comparison and tripartite discussion. RESULTS: Analysis yielded three
      categories, seven themes, and seven subthemes describing variable experiences,
      perceptions, and adaptive strategies. CONCLUSIONS: The findings presented
      contradictions characterized by both optimism and concern following the rapid
      infusion of men into schools of nursing. Concerns primarily centered on the state
      of gender relations in a larger patriarchal society. The findings foster
      reflection and discourse as societies characterized by relatively rigid and
      traditional gender roles confront rapid cultural change and growing calls for
      diversity within nursing.

PMID- 26112766
TI  - A Clinical Approach to the Differential Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - The diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS) rely on clinical,
      paraclinical, and radiographic findings of limited specificity. Many disorders
      mimic MS, and the decision of when to investigate an alternative diagnosis can be
      challenging. Reliance on extensive ancillary testing to exclude potential mimics,
      however, is unnecessary in most cases. Rather, recognition and rigorous
      interpretation of "classic" clinical and radiographic features of MS are often
      sufficient to establish the diagnosis. Misinterpretation of the clinical and
      radiographic diagnostic criteria for MS in the setting of more common diseases
      and syndromes and a lack of vigilance for "red flags" are important contributors
      to misdiagnosis. A clinical framework for the differential diagnosis of MS that
      emphasizes phenotypes atypical for MS and suggests diseases or syndromes in which
      they more commonly occur may be an important diagnostic guide for clinicians in
      contemporary practice. 

PMID- 26112771
TI  - A case of a stomach gastrointestinal stromal tumor with extremely predominant
      cystic formation.
AB  - A 79-year-old male was referred to the hospital with a history of abdominal
      discomfort. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a cystic tumor with irregular
      wall thickness, approximately 50 mm in diameter, along the lesser curvature of
      the gastric body. Magnetic resonance imaging visualized the mass as signal
      hyperintense on T2-weighted imaging. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed a
      submucosal tumor with normal mucosa. Surgery was performed and the 60 * 50 * 50
      mm mass was resected. The resected tumor comprised cystic and solid regions; the
      cystic region was filled by light bloody serous fluid. On histological
      examination, a solid region of the resected tumor showed a spindle-cell
      appearance. The diagnosis was gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) with
      predominant cystic formation. GISTs are usually solitary tumors, but in this case
      the tumor demonstrated extremely predominant cystic formation. Lesions with a
      hemorrhage or necrosis may form large cystic spaces. GISTs may show extensive
      cystic changes in response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment; however, this
      patient had not undergone any such treatment before diagnosis. This represents an
      interesting case of a gastric GIST with predominant cystic formation occupying
      most of the tumor volume. Care should be taken to differentiate between GISTs and
      actual intra-abdominal cystic lesions. 

PMID- 26112772
TI  - Inspiring medical students to love pathology.

PMID- 26112773
TI  - Preparation of Graphene-Modified Acupuncture Needle and Its Application in
      Detecting Neurotransmitters.
AB  - We report a unique nanosensing platform by combining modern nanotechnology with
      traditional acupuncture needle to prepare graphene-modified acupuncture needle (G
      AN), and using it for sensitive detection of neurotransmitters via
      electrochemistry. An electrochemical deposition method was employed to deposit Au
      nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the tip surface of the traditional acupuncture needle,
      while the other part of the needle was coated with insulation paste.
      Subsequently, the G-AN was obtained by cyclic voltammetry reduction of a graphene
      oxide solution on the surface of the AuNPs. To investigate the sensing property
      of the G-AN, pH dependence was measured by recording the open circuit potential
      in the various pH buffer solutions ranging from 2.0 to 10.0. What's more, the G
      AN was further used for detection of dopamine (DA) with a limit of detection of
      0.24 MUM. This novel G-AN exhibited a good sensitivity and selectivity, and could
      realize direct detection of DA in human serum. 

PMID- 26112774
TI  - Beyond positivism: Understanding and addressing childhood obesity disparities
      through a Critical Theory perspective.
AB  - PURPOSE: We apply Critical Theory to examine menu labeling with the aim of
      uncovering important implications for nursing practice, research, and policy.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our critical analysis uncovers barriers to menu labeling's
      effectiveness, particularly for vulnerable populations. Nurses must work to
      minimize the impact of these barriers and optimize the effectiveness of menu
      labeling, in order to strengthen the fight against obesity. PRACTICE
      IMPLICATIONS: We suggest changes, guided by this critical analysis, which can be
      implemented by nurses working in clinical practice, research, and policy.

PMID- 26112776
TI  - NARRATIVE AND META-ANALYTIC REVIEW OF INTERVENTIONS AIMING TO IMPROVE MATERNAL
      CHILD ATTACHMENT SECURITY.
AB  - Early secure maternal-child attachment relationships lay the foundation for
      children's healthy social and mental development. Interventions targeting
      maternal sensitivity and maternal reflective function during the first year of
      infant life may be the key to promoting secure attachment. We conducted a
      narrative systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of
      interventions aimed at promoting maternal sensitivity and reflective function on
      maternal-child attachment security, as measured by the gold standard Strange
      Situation (M. Ainsworth, M. Blehar, B. Waters, & S. Wall, 1978) and Q-set (E.
      Waters & K. Deane, 1985). Studies were identified from electronic database
      searches and included randomized or quasi-randomized controlled parallel-group
      designs. Participants were mothers and their infants who were followed up to 36
      months' postpartum. Ten trials, involving 1,628 mother-infant pairs, were
      included. Examination of the trials that provided sufficient data for combination
      in meta-analysis revealed that interventions of both types increased the odds of
      secure maternal-child attachment, as compared with no intervention or standard
      intervention (n = 7 trials; odds ratio: 2.77; 95% confidence interval: 1.69,
      4.53, n = 965). Of the three trials not included in the meta-analyses, two
      improved the likelihood of secure attachment. We conclude that interventions
      aimed at improving maternal sensitivity alone or in combination with maternal
      reflection, implemented in the first year of infants' lives, are effective in
      promoting secure maternal-child attachments. Intervention aimed at the highest
      risk families produced the most beneficial effects.

PMID- 26112775
TI  - Young women's views on testing for sexually transmitted infections and HIV as a
      risk reduction strategy in mutual and choice-restricted relationships.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to identify relationship dynamics that influences
      the use of STI/HIV testing among young, urban African American women. BACKGROUND:
      Increasing STI/HIV testing is a key prevention strategy, but more research is
      needed to identify barriers to testing for young women such as intimate partner
      violence (IPV). METHODS: Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with
      African American women ages 18-24. Content analysis was used. RESULTS: Women in
      choice-restricted relationships were unable to negotiate safer sex practices and
      testing was viewed as the best option. Women in relationships where the desire to
      use condoms was mutual used STI and HIV testing as a sign of trust building that
      preceded unprotected sex. CONCLUSIONS: STI/HIV testing must be viewed as one
      strategy within a package of possible risk reduction. For those in choice
      restricted relationships, clinicians should screen patients for partner abuse and
      provide additional support and referrals as clinically appropriate.

PMID- 26112777
TI  - Effects of light touch on postural sway and visual search accuracy: A test of
      functional integration and resource competition hypotheses.
AB  - People often multi-task in their daily life. However, the mechanisms for the
      interaction between simultaneous postural and non-postural tasks have been
      controversial over the years. The present study investigated the effects of light
      digital touch on both postural sway and visual search accuracy for the purpose of
      assessing two hypotheses (functional integration and resource competition), which
      may explain the interaction between postural sway and the performance of a non
      postural task. Participants (n=42, 20 male and 22 female) were asked to inspect a
      blank sheet of paper or visually search for target letters in a text block while
      a fingertip was in light contact with a stable surface (light touch, LT), or with
      both arms hanging at the sides of the body (no touch, NT). The results showed
      significant main effects of LT on reducing the magnitude of postural sway as well
      as enhancing visual search accuracy compared with the NT condition. The findings
      support the hypothesis of function integration, demonstrating that the modulation
      of postural sway can be modulated to improve the performance of a visual search
      task. 

PMID- 26112778
TI  - The role of task constraints in relating laboratory and clinical measures of
      balance.
AB  - This study tested the hypothesis that age-related postural control deficits are
      more clearly detected from force plate recordings when using postural control
      tasks with an explicitly defined goal as opposed to the frequently used quiet
      stance task. Eighteen older adults (over 65) and seventeen younger adults (under
      30) stood on a force plate with visual feedback (VFB) of the center of pressure
      (COP) and without such visual feedback with eyes open (NVFB). In the VFB
      condition, online visual feedback about the COP was provided and participants
      maintained that feedback on a stationary visual target for 80s. We hypothesized
      that age-related difference in COP variability (standard deviation of COP
      position and average absolute maximum COP velocity; AAMV) would be more
      pronounced in the VFB than in the NVFB condition. In addition, we hypothesized
      that Berg balance scale (BBS) scores for older adults would correlate more
      strongly with the COP measures in the VFB condition than in the NVFB condition.
      Results showed that VFB enhanced age-related differences only for AAMV in
      anterior-posterior direction. Both age groups decreased postural sway when using
      VFB. Older adults increased AAMV with VFB while young adults did not, indicating
      that the task modified their postural control strategy stronger than in younger
      adults. BBS scores were correlated with the AAMV in both feedback conditions,
      while COP position variability was more clearly correlated with BBS in the VFB
      condition. These results suggest that the quiet stance task is sufficient to
      index balance function if velocity-based COP variables are utilized in the
      analysis. 

PMID- 26112779
TI  - A proposal for an 'equal peer-review' statement.
AB  - To make the peer-review process as objective as possible, I suggest the
      introduction of an 'equal peer-review' statement that preserves author anonymity
      across the board, thus removing any potential bias related to nominal or
      institutional 'prestige'; this would guarantee an equal peer-review process for
      all authors and grant applicants. 

PMID- 26112781
TI  - Complete Genome Sequences of Field Isolates of Mycobacterium bovis and
      Mycobacterium caprae.
AB  - Here we report the complete genome sequences of field isolates of Mycobacterium
      bovis and the related mycobacterial species, Mycobacterium caprae. The genomes of
      three M. bovis (MB1, MB3, MB4) and one M. caprae (MB2) field isolates with
      different virulence, prevalence, and host distribution phenotypes were sequenced.

PMID- 26112780
TI  - Effect of Weight Loss Induced by Intragastric Balloon Therapy on Cardiac Function
      in Morbidly Obese Individuals: A Pilot Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of intragastric
      balloon therapy on left ventricular function and left ventricular mass in a
      cohort of morbidly obese patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A prospective trial was
      performed in a cohort of 17 class II and class III morbidly obese individuals.
      The intragastric balloon was retained in the stomach for an average of 6 months.
      Conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography were performed in all patients
      before and after the procedure. RESULTS: The mean age of the study participants
      was 36 +/- 10 years (range: 18-55). The mean body mass index was significantly
      decreased following the intragastric balloon insertion procedure (44 +/- 8 vs. 38
      +/- 5, p < 0.001). The left ventricular mass index and left atrial volume index
      were significantly decreased following the procedure (112 +/- 21 vs. 93 +/- 17, p
      = 0.001 and 20 +/- 6 vs. 14 +/- 5, p = 0.02, respectfully). In addition, the
      ratio of mitral peak early diastolic velocity to tissue Doppler-derived peak
      diastolic velocity and tissue Doppler echocardiography-derived left ventricular
      myocardial performance index were decreased significantly following the procedure
      (9.5 +/- 1.9 vs. 7.7 +/- 1.5, p = 0.002 and 0.57 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.46 +/- 0.06, p =
      0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Intragastric balloon therapy resulted in
      significant weight reduction in morbidly obese patients. This weight reduction
      was associated with improved left ventricular function.

PMID- 26112782
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of the Rice Kernel Smut Tilletia horrida Strain QB-1.
AB  - Tilletia horrida is the most destructive fungal pathogen of rice (Oryza sativa
      L.). The 20,105,270-bp draft genome sequence of T. horrida strain QB-1 is
      reported here. Genes encoding proteins associated with key virulence factors were
      predicted, and this can provide information for understanding the pathogenic
      mechanisms in T. horrida. 

PMID- 26112783
TI  - Complete Genome Sequences of Two Genetically Distinct Variants of Porcine
      Epidemic Diarrhea Virus in the Eastern Region of Thailand.
AB  - Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has continued to cause sporadic outbreaks
      in Thailand since 2007. Previously, PEDV in Thailand was a new variant containing
      an insertion and deletion in the spike gene. Herein, full-length genome sequences
      are reported for two variants of PEDV isolates from pigs displaying diarrhea in
      Thailand. 

PMID- 26112784
TI  - Draft Genome Sequences of Ciliovirus and Brinovirus from San Francisco
      Wastewater.
AB  - We report the draft genome sequences of ciliovirus and brinovirus, two members of
      a likely new family of RNA viruses assembled from San Francisco wastewater. Based
      on sequence alignments and a nonuniversal genetic code, we believe these to be
      the first described RNA viruses of ciliates; however, more work is necessary to
      confirm their host. 

PMID- 26112785
TI  - Draft Genome Sequences of Leviviridae RNA Phages EC and MB Recovered from San
      Francisco Wastewater.
AB  - We report here the draft genome sequences of marine RNA phages EC and MB
      assembled from metagenomic sequencing of organisms in San Francisco wastewater.
      These phages showed moderate translated amino acid identity to other
      enterobacteria phages and appear to constitute novel members of the Leviviridae
      family. 

PMID- 26112786
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica, Isolated from a T
      Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patient.
AB  - An Elizabethkingia meningoseptica infection was detected at the end stage of a
      patient with T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The complete genome of this isolated
      strain, FMS-007, was generated in one contig with a total size of 3,938,967 bp. A
      preliminary screening indicated that the genome contains drug resistance genes to
      aminoglycosides and beta-lactams. A clustered regularly interspaced short
      palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated proteins (CRISPR/Cas) system with
      16 direct repeats and 15 spacers was identified. 

PMID- 26112787
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Leptospira interrogans Serovar Bratislava, Strain
      PigK151.
AB  - Leptospira interrogans serovar Bratislava infection occurs in multiple domestic
      and wildlife species and is associated with poor reproductive performance in
      swine and horses. We present the complete genome assembly of strain PigK151
      comprising two chromosomes, CI (4.457 Mbp) and CII (358 kbp). 

PMID- 26112788
TI  - Complete Genome Sequence of Edwardsiella tarda Isolate FL95-01, Recovered from
      Channel Catfish.
AB  - Edwardsiella tarda is a Gram-negative facultative anaerobe that has been isolated
      from fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, including humans. This is a report
      of the complete and annotated genome of isolate FL95-01, recovered from channel
      catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). 

PMID- 26112789
TI  - Whole-Genome Sequences of 15 Strains of Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus
      Isolated from Foodstuff and Human Clinical Samples.
AB  - The whole-genome sequences of 15 strains of Staphylococcus aureus (10 strains
      isolated from foodstuff samples in Switzerland and five from human clinical
      samples) were obtained by Illumina sequencing. Most strains fit within the known
      diversity for the species, but one (SA-120) possessed a higher G+C content and a
      higher number of genes than usual. 

PMID- 26112790
TI  - Whole-Genome Sequencing of Brevundimonas diminuta XGC1, Isolated from a
      Tuberculosis Patient in Gujarat, India.
AB  - We report the draft genome of Brevundimonas diminuta strain XGC1, isolated from a
      tuberculosis-infected patient in Gujarat, India. This study also reveals that the
      B. diminuta XGC1 strain has acquired mutation to confer resistance to quinolone
      drugs. 

PMID- 26112791
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium elephantis Strain Lipa.
AB  - We report the draft genome sequence of Mycobacterium elephantis strain Lipa from
      a sputum sample of a patient with pulmonary disease. This is the first draft
      genome sequence of M. elephantis, a rapidly growing mycobacterium. 

PMID- 26112792
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CRL871, a
      Folate-Producing Strain Isolated from a Northwestern Argentinian Yogurt.
AB  - Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CRL871 is the first strain of L.
      delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus reported as a folate-producing strain. We report
      the draft genome sequence of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CRL871 (2,063,981
      bp, G+C content of 49.1%). This strain is of great biotechnological importance to
      the dairy industry because it constitutes an alternative to folic acid
      fortification. 

PMID- 26112793
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of the Streptococcus pneumoniae Avery Strain A66.
AB  - We have used HiSeq 2000 technology to generate a draft genome sequence of
      Streptococcus pneumoniae strain A66. This is a common study strain used in
      investigations of pneumococcal bacterium-host interactions and was used in the
      seminal genetic studies of Avery et al. 

PMID- 26112794
TI  - Draft Genome Sequences of Two Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans Strains.
AB  - Here, we present the draft genome sequences of two toxigenic Corynebacterium
      ulcerans strains isolated from two different patients: one from a blood sample
      and the other from a scar exudate following surgery. Although these two strains
      harbor the diphtheria toxin gene tox, no full prophage sequences were found in
      the flanking regions. 

PMID- 26112795
TI  - Draft Genome Sequence of Streptacidiphilus oryzae TH49T, an Acidophilic
      Actinobacterium Isolated from Soil.
AB  - The draft genome sequence of Streptacidiphilus oryzae strain TH49(T), an
      acidophilic actinobacterium, was obtained. The draft is composed of six scaffolds
      totaling 7.8 Mbp, and it contains 6,829 protein-coding genes and 91 RNA genes.
      Genes related to respiratory nitrate reduction, siderophore production, and
      biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites were identified. 

PMID- 26112796
TI  - Stress among nurses working in emergency, anesthesiology and intensive care units
      depends on qualification: a Job Demand-Control survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The nurse stress literature reports an overwhelming culture of
      acceptance and expectation of work stressors, ironically linked to the control of
      the workplace to effectively and proactively manage stress. The stressors
      involved in delivering "stress management" have been well studied in nursing
      related workplaces, especially in acute care settings in accordance with the
      Karasek Job Demand-Control-Support (JDCS) model. However, little is known about
      the effects of specificity of an acute care unit and the level of qualifications
      on stress experienced by nurses. METHODS: A survey using the JDCS model was
      conducted among 385 nurses working in three different acute care units
      (anesthesiology, emergency and intensive care unit) from a university hospital.
      Specific questions explored variables such as gender, acute care units, level of
      qualification and working experience. RESULTS: Two hundred questionnaires were
      returned. A high level of job strain was highlighted without a gender effect and
      in the absence of isostrain. Nurses from acute care units were located in the
      high stress quadrant of the JDCS model. Conversely, other nurses were commonly
      located in the "active" quadrant. Independent of acute care settings, the highest
      level of education was associated with the highest job strain and the lowest
      level of control. CONCLUSIONS: In an acute care setting, a high level of
      education was a key factor for high job stress and was associated with a
      perception of a low control in the workplace, both of which may be predictors of
      adverse mental health. In particular, the lack of control has been associated
      with moral distress, a frequently reported characteristic of acute care settings.
      To enhance the personal and professional outcomes of the advanced registered
      nurses, strategies for supporting nurses manage daily stressors in acute care are
      urgently required.

PMID- 26112797
TI  - Shared Decision-making in the Emergency Department: Respecting Patient Autonomy
      When Seconds Count.
AB  - Shared decision-making (SDM), a collaborative process in which patients and
      providers make health care decisions together, taking into account the best
      scientific evidence available, as well as the patient's values and preferences,
      is being increasingly advocated as the optimal approach to decision-making for
      many health care decisions. The rapidly paced and often chaotic environment of
      the emergency department (ED), however, is a unique clinical setting that offers
      many practical and contextual challenges. Despite these challenges, in a recent
      survey emergency physicians reported there to be more than one reasonable
      management option for over 50% of their patients and that they take an SDM
      approach in 58% of such patients. SDM has also been selected as the topic on
      which to develop a future research agenda at the 2016 Academic Emergency Medicine
      consensus conference, "Shared Decision-making in the Emergency Department:
      Development of a Policy-relevant Patient-centered Research Agenda"
      (http://www.saem.org/annual-meeting/education/2016-aem-consensus-conference). In
      this paper the authors describe the conceptual model of SDM as originally
      conceived by Charles and Gafni and highlight aspects of the model relevant to the
      practice of emergency medicine. In addition, through the use of vignettes from
      the authors' clinical practices, the applicability of SDM to contemporary EM
      practice is illustrated and the ethical and pragmatic implications of taking an
      SDM approach are explored. It is hoped that this document will be read in advance
      of the 2016 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference, to facilitate group
      discussions at the conference. 

PMID- 26112799
TI  - Capture, adaptation and artificial control of reproduction of Lophiosilurus
      alexandri: A carnivorous freshwater species.
AB  - The present study describes the capture adaptation and reproduction of wild
      Lophiosilurus alexandri broodstock in laboratory conditions. There were two
      periods when capturing was performed in natural habitats. The animals were placed
      in four tanks of 5m(3) with water temperatures at 28 degrees C with two tanks
      having sand bottoms. Thirty days after the temperature increased (during the
      winter) the first spawning occurred naturally, but only in tanks with sand on the
      bottom. During the breeding season, there were 24 spawning bouts with egg mass
      collections occurring as a result of the spawning bouts that occurred in the
      tanks. The hatching rates for eggs varied from 0% to 95%. The spawning bouts were
      mainly at night and on weekends. In the second reproductive period, the animals
      were sexed by cannulation and distributed in four tanks with all animals being
      maintained in tanks with sand on the bottom at 28 degrees C. During this phase,
      there were 36 spawning bouts. Findings in the present study contribute to the
      understanding of the reproductive biology of this endangered species during
      captivity. 

PMID- 26112800
TI  - The uses and implications of standards in general practice consultations.
AB  - Quality standards play an increasingly important role in primary care through
      their inscription in various technologies for improving professional practice.
      While 'hard' biomedical standards have been the most common and debated, current
      quality development initiatives increasingly seek to include standards for the
      'softer' aspects of care. This article explores the consequences of both kinds of
      quality standards for chronic care consultations. The article presents findings
      from an explorative qualitative field study in Danish general practice where a
      standardized technology for quality development has been introduced. Data from
      semi-structured interviews and observations among 17 general practitioners were
      analysed using an iterative analytical approach, which served to identify
      important variations in the uses and impacts of the technology. The most
      pronounced impact of the technology was observed among general practitioners who
      strictly adhered to the procedural standards on the interactional aspects of
      care. Thus, when allowed to function as an overall frame for consultations, those
      standards supported adherence to general recommendations regarding which elements
      to be included in chronic disease consultations. However, at the same time,
      adherence to those standards was observed to narrow the focus of doctor-patient
      dialogues and to divert general practitioners' attention from patients' personal
      concerns. Similar consequences of quality standards have previously been framed
      as manifestations of an inherent conflict between principles of patient
      centredness and formal biomedical quality standards. However, this study suggests
      that standards on the 'softer' aspects of care may just as well interfere with a
      clinical approach relying on situated and attentive interactions with patients.

PMID- 26112801
TI  - Engines of alternative objectivity: Re-articulating the nature and value of
      participatory mental health organisations with the Hearing Voices Movement and
      Stepping Out Theatre Company.
AB  - Through two case studies, the Hearing Voices Movement and Stepping Out Theatre
      Company, we demonstrate how successful participatory organisations can be seen as
      'engines of alternative objectivity' rather than as the subjective other to
      objective, biomedical science. With the term 'alternative objectivity', we point
      to collectivisations of experience that are different to biomedical science but
      are nonetheless forms of objectivity. Taking inspiration from feminist theory,
      science studies and sociology of culture, we argue that participatory mental
      health organisations generate their own forms of objectivity through novel modes
      of collectivising experience. The Hearing Voices Movement cultivates an 'activist
      science' that generates an alternative objective knowledge through a commitment
      to experimentation, controlling, testing, recording and sharing experience.
      Stepping Out distinguishes itself from drama therapy by cultivating an
      alternative objective culture through its embrace of high production values,
      material culture, aesthetic standards. A crucial aspect of participatory practice
      is overcoming alienation, enabling people to get outside of themselves, encounter
      material worlds and join forces with others.

PMID- 26112802
TI  - Cytoplasmic genome types of European potatoes and their effects on complex
      agronomic traits.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Various wild species germplasm has been used in European potato
      breeding since the first introduction of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) to Europe.
      As the plant cytoplasmic genome including chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes
      is transmitted only through the maternal parent, cytoplasmic markers are useful
      tools in breeding programs to determine cytoplasmic genome types and to trace
      maternal ancestors. The potato cytoplasmic genome can be distinguished into six
      distinct types (M, P, A, W, T, and D). Male sterility was found in genotypes with
      S. demissum-derived D-type cytoplasm and S. stoloniferum-derived W/gamma-type
      cytoplasm. These wild species were frequently used to incorporate superior
      pathogen resistance genes. As a result, the percentage of these two types is
      increasing unintentionally in the European germplasm pool. Other than cytoplasmic
      male sterility, little is known about effects of the cytoplasmic genome on
      complex agronomic traits in potato. RESULT: The cytoplasm types of 1,217 European
      potato cultivars and breeding clones were determined with type specific DNA
      markers. Most frequent were T- (59.4 %), D- (27.4 %), and W- (12.2 %) type
      cytoplasm, while A- (0.7 %) and M-type cytoplasm (0.3 %) was rare and P-type
      cytoplasm was absent. When comparing varieties with breeding clones, the former
      showed a relatively higher frequency of T-type and lower frequency of D- and W
      type cytoplasm. Correlation analysis of cytoplasm types and agronomic data showed
      that W/gamma-type cytoplasm was correlated with increased tuber starch content
      and later plant maturity. Correlation with quantitative resistance to late blight
      was observed for D-type and M-type cytoplasm. Both cytoplasm types had a positive
      effect on resistance. CONCLUSION: This study revealed and quantified the
      cytoplasmic diversity in the European potato germplasm pool. Knowledge of
      cytoplasm type is important for maintaining genetic diversity and managing the
      male sterility problem in breeding programs. This is the first comprehensive
      study to show correlations of distinct cytoplasmic genomes with complex agronomic
      traits in potato. Correlations particularly with tuber starch content and
      resistance to late blight provided new knowledge on cytoplasmic effects on these
      important traits, which can be exploited for genetic improvement of potato.

PMID- 26112803
TI  - Brain metastasis research: a late awakening.

PMID- 26112804
TI  - Prognostic scores for brain metastasis patients: use in clinical practice and
      trial design.
AB  - Brain metastases (BM) are the most serious neurological complication of cancer
      that results in significant morbidity and mortality in these patients. The most
      common primary malignancies that lead to BM include lung, breast and melanoma.
      Until recently the outcomes of patients with BM has been dismal. The current
      therapeutic options include surgery, whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT),
      stereotactic radiation (SRS), systemic therapy and symptom management only.
      Prognostic scores, a useful tool for BM patients, as an estimation of a patient's
      prognosis can guide tailored treatment for these patients. It is appropriate to
      recommend more aggressive approaches in patients with good performance status and
      limited disease and focus on symptom control and palliative measures when the
      disease is more advanced, or comorbidity preclude aggressive therapy. Due to
      vastly different outcomes, prognostic scores are important to stratify patients
      in clinical trials. A number of prognostic scoring systems for BM patients have
      been proposed that include Recursive Partitioning Analysis (RPA), the Score Index
      For Radiosurgery (SIR), the Basic Score for Brain Metastases (BSBM), the
      Rotterdam system (ROTTERDAM), the Golden Grading System (GGS), 2 Rades
      classification (RADES), the Graded Prognostic Assessment (GPA) and the disease
      specific Graded Prognostic Assessment (ds-GPA). In this article, we will review
      the important prognostic scoring systems and their utility in clinical decision
      making and trial design. 

PMID- 26112805
TI  - Neurosurgical and radiosurgical decision making in brain metastasis patients in
      the area of targeted therapies?
AB  - The incidence of brain metastases (BM) is increasing to date, mostly due to the
      actual improvement of cancer patient overall survival (OS) with the advent of
      targeted therapies. BM management has dramatically evolved over the last 15 years
      and uses varying strategies including more or less aggressive local treatments,
      sometimes combined with systemic therapies that led to an improvement of
      patient's survival and quality of life. The therapeutic decision is still a
      matter of debates among experts during multidisciplinary staff, taking into
      account established prognostic factors including patient's general condition
      (clinical and functional status of the patient), extra-cerebral disease status,
      characteristic of intracranial metastases and clinical and radiological
      presentation of BM. In this article, we reviewed evidence based data available in
      the literature on the local treatment of BM. 

PMID- 26112806
TI  - Anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors in brain metastases from ALK+ non-small
      cell lung cancer: hitting the target even in the CNS.
AB  - The paradigm shift occurring in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is
      encapsulated by the management of patients harboring oncogenic anaplastic
      lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements. The unprecedented improvements in patient
      outcomes resulting from ALK-directed therapy have led to the appreciation of
      patterns of disease progression. Early studies have suggested that some tyrosine
      kinase inhibitors (TKIs), including ALK TKIs, inefficiently penetrated the blood
      brain barrier. With the increasing appreciation of the CNS as a sanctuary site in
      ALK TKI-treated patients, there is increasing focus and importance on the
      prevention and control of CNS metastases in ALK-rearranged NSCLC. The spectrum of
      CNS activity is variable among the currently available ALK TKI therapies and
      further studies are ongoing. In the following review we discuss the ability of
      current and future ALK inhibitors (ALK-i) to control and prevent CNS progression
      in patients with ALK-rearranged NSCLC. The potential implications for TKI
      sequencing and important future research directions are discussed. 

PMID- 26112807
TI  - The inflammatory microenvironment in brain metastases: potential treatment
      target?
AB  - Brain metastases (BM) are frequent in cancer patients and are associated with
      high morbidity and mortality. The incidence of BM is increasing and only limited
      treatment strategies are available. Immunomodulatory agents are emerging as
      effective cancer therapeutics and a deeper understanding of the inflammatory
      microenvironment in BM might reveal new treatment possibilities. Although the
      brain has long been considered an 'immune-privileged' organ with limited capacity
      for inflammatory response, BM do contain tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).
      Moreover, dense infiltration with TIL showed an association with favorable
      patients' overall survival times. Microglia/macrophages were shown to be involved
      in the pivotal steps of BM formation by providing a "pre-metastatic niche"
      attracting BM initiating cells and to promote growth and survival of tumor cells
      in the CNS microenvironment. The anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4)
      immune checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab showed activity against melanoma BM in a
      clinical trial, thus providing proof of concept for effective therapeutic
      immunomodulation in patients with CNS metastases. Collectively, the available
      data show that BM harbors an active inflammatory microenvironment that may be
      exploited as treatment target. 

PMID- 26112809
TI  - The emerging role of advanced neuroimaging techniques for brain metastases.
AB  - Brain metastases are an increasingly encountered and frightening manifestation of
      systemic cancer. More effective therapeutic strategies for the primary tumor are
      resulting in longer patient survival on the one hand while on the other, better
      brain tumor detection has resulted from increased availability and development of
      more precise brain imaging methods. This review focuses on the emerging role of
      functional neuroimaging techniques; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as well as
      positron emission tomography (PET), in establishing diagnosis, for monitoring
      treatment response with an emphasis on new targeted as well as immunomodulatory
      therapies and for predicting prognosis in patients with brain metastases. 

PMID- 26112808
TI  - Genomic profiling of brain metastases: current knowledge and new frontiers.
AB  - Brain metastases (BM) constitute the majority of intracranial cancers and carry
      with them a dismal prognosis. Several common cancers have a particular
      predilection for spread to the brain, amongst them lung cancer, breast cancer,
      melanoma, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and more rarely gastrointestinal (GI)
      cancers. While prognosis has historically been poor and multimodality treatment
      combining surgery and radiation therapy was the mainstay of treatment, the
      genomic revolution in cancer therapy is finding increasing applications in
      treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disease. Targeted therapy, combined
      with advances in the evaluation of BM for targetable mutations, is showing
      increased efficacy. Developments in the understanding of brain tropism and
      targetable signaling pathways in metastasis are elucidating entirely new
      treatment approaches. This review focuses on advances made in the understanding
      of the genomics of BM and how this may change the role of targeted therapeutics
      in this common complication of cancer. 

PMID- 26112810
TI  - Strategies for preservation of memory function in patients with brain metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive decline, particularly in memory, is a side effect seen in
      patients with brain metastases and when severe, can have a significant impact on
      their quality of life. It is most often the result of multiple intersecting
      etiologic factors, including the use of whole brain radiation therapy, effects of
      which, in part, are mediated by damage within the hippocampus. A variety of
      clinical factors and comorbidities may impact the likelihood and severity of this
      cognitive decline, and affected patients should be considered for evaluation in a
      comprehensive neuro-rehabilitation or "brain fitness" program. PREVENTION
      STRATEGIES OF NEUROCOGNITIVE DECLINE DUE TO WHOLE BRAIN RADIOTHERAPY (WBRT):
      Avoiding WBRT is warranted for some patients with brain metastases; particularly
      those <50 years old. However, when WBRT is clinically indicated, hippocampal
      avoidance WBRT (HA-WBRT) has been shown to significantly reduce memory decline
      compared to historical controls without compromising treatment efficacy.
      Additionally, the NMDA receptor antagonist memantine and renin-angiotensin
      aldosterone system (RAAS) blockers have shown promise as neuroprotective agents
      that could be used prophylactically with radiation. TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH
      NEUROCOGNITIVE DECLINE: After the onset of neurocognitive decline the treatment
      is largely symptom-driven, however simply screening for and treating depression,
      fatigue, anxiety, cognitive slowing, and other processes may alleviate some
      impairment. Stimulants such as methylphenidate may be useful in treating symptoms
      of fatigue and cognitive slowing. Other treatments including donepezil and
      cognitive rehabilitation have been extensively tested in the population at risk
      for dementia, although they have not been adequately studied in patients
      following cranial radiotherapy. An innovative hypothetical approach is the use of
      intranasal metabolic stimulants such as low dose insulin, which could be valuable
      in improving cognition and memory, by reversing impaired brain metabolic
      activity. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention of neurocognitive decline in patients with
      brain metastases requires a multimodal approach tailored to each patient's need,
      avoiding WBRT in some, altering the WBRT plan in others, and/or using
      neuroprotective prophylaxis in those in whom avoidance cannot be utilized.
      Likewise treatment will require a personalized combination of strategies
      optimized to address the patient's symptoms.

PMID- 26112811
TI  - Systemic therapies for melanoma brain metastases: which drug for whom and when?
AB  - Melanoma brain metastases are common, difficult to treat, and are associated with
      a poor prognosis. Historically, due to the poor activity of chemotherapeutic
      agents in melanoma, the management of brain metastases was centred on local
      treatments such as surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or whole brain
      radiotherapy (WBRT) depending on the clinical presentation. New systemic
      therapies have now evolved; kinase inhibitors targeting BRAF mutated melanoma
      cells and activating checkpoint inhibitors that activate an immune anti-tumour
      response, resulting in significantly improved survival and quality of life for
      patients with metastatic melanoma and these drugs have demonstrated activity in
      melanoma brain metastases. As the landscape shifts to incorporate these new
      systemic agents with the available local therapies, further research into using
      appropriate combinations or sequences of various treatments, especially for
      active or progressing melanoma brain metastasis, is required. This review will
      examine the evidence for systemic therapies in patients with active melanoma
      brain metastasis (untreated or treated and progressed) and highlight active and
      evolving clinical trials in this challenging field. 

PMID- 26112812
TI  - Management of neoplastic meningitis.
AB  - Leptomeningeal dissemination of tumor cells, also referred to as neoplastic
      meningitis, is most frequently seen in patients with late-stage cancer and mostly
      associated with a poor prognosis. Basically, neoplastic meningitis may affect all
      patients with a malignant tumor but is most common in patients affected by lung
      cancer, breast carcinoma, melanoma or hematologic neoplasms such as lymphoma and
      leukemia. Controlled clinical trials are largely lacking which results in various
      non-standardized treatment regimens. The presence of solid tumor manifestations
      in the CNS as well as the extracranial tumor load defines the most appropriate
      treatment approach. Radiation therapy, systemic chemotherapy and intrathecal
      treatment must be considered. For each patient, the individual situation needs to
      be carefully evaluated to determine the potential benefit as well as putative
      side effects associated with any therapy. A moderate survival benefit and
      particularly relief from pain and neurological deficits are the main treatment
      goals. Here, we summarize the management of patients with neoplastic meningitis
      and review the available treatment options. 

PMID- 26112813
TI  - Expert consensus on image-guided radiofrequency ablation of pulmonary tumors-
      2015 edition.

PMID- 26112814
TI  - Study on the pupal morphogenesis of Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) (Diptera:
      Calliphoridae) for postmortem interval estimation.
AB  - Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) is one of the most common species of blow flies
      at the scene of death in Southern China. Pupae are useful in postmortem interval
      (PMI) estimation due to their sedentary nature and longer duration of association
      with the corpse. However, to determine the age of a pupa is more difficult than
      that of a larva, due to the fact that morphological changes are rarely visible
      during pupal development. In this study, eggs of C. rufifacies were reared in
      climatic chambers under four different constant temperatures (20, 24, 28 and 32
      degrees C each+/-1 degrees C, respectively) with same rearing conditions such as
      foodstuff, substrate, photoperiod and relative humidity. Ten duplicate pupae were
      sampled at 8-h intervals from prepupae to emergence under the different constant
      temperatures, respectively. The pupae were sampled, killed, fixed, dissected and
      with the puparium removed, the external morphological changes of the pupae were
      observed, recorded and photographed. The morphological characters of C.
      rufifacies pupae were described. Based on the visible external morphological
      characters during pupal morphogenesis at 28 degrees C+/-1 degrees C, the
      developmental period of C. rufifacies was divided into nine developmental stages
      and recorded in detailed description. Based on above-mentioned nine developmental
      stages, some visible external morphological characters were selected as
      indications for developmental stages. These indications mapped to 8-h sampling
      intervals at the four different constant temperatures were also described in this
      study. It is demonstrated that generally the duration of each developmental stage
      of C. rufifacies pupae is inversely correlated to appropriate developmental
      temperatures. This study provides relatively systematic pupal developmental data
      of C. rufifacies for the estimation of PMI. In addition, further work may improve
      by focus on other environmental factors, histological analysis, more thorough
      external examination by shortening sampling intervals, PAE (the Pupal Age
      Estimator) method and parasitic insects of C. rufifacies. 

PMID- 26112815
TI  - The study of physical requirements for windsurfing specialty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In order to prepare beginners to be windsurfing players, windsurf
      specific fitness training is necessary besides windsurfing skill training. The
      aim of this study was to clarify distinguish the difference in physical abilities
      between college windsurfers and age-matched college students without regular
      exercise, and to provide further training suggestions for a novice. METHODS:
      Eight windsurfers and a group of eight age and gender-matched students were
      involved in the present study. In this study, the ability of coordination,
      proprioception deficit, balance ability, maximum muscle strength, and muscle
      endurance for upper and lower limb were measured. RESULTS: The results showed
      windsurfers had significantly better coordination ability than the control group
      in both shoulders and the non-dominant knee. Besides, windsurfers had a
      significantly smaller sway area of the center of pressure in the balance test.
      The maximum knee isometric force in non-dominant limbs and upper limb muscle
      endurance also showed significantly better testing results for the windsurfers.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study verified that windsurfers have better physical capability
      especially in the non-dominant side limbs when compared to common health people.

PMID- 26112816
TI  - Mechanical and physiological analysis of minimalist versus traditionally-shod
      running.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been purported that minimalist running shoes allow runners to
      be more biomechanically and metabolically economical, but evidence supporting
      these claims remains equivocal. This study's aim was to measure oxygen
      consumption (VO2), heart rate (HR), pulmonary ventilation (VE) and
      electromyography (EMG) of gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior in 12
      recreationally-trained, college-aged males during minimalist and shod running.
      METHODS: Participants ran at 70% VO2max on a treadmill in both minimalist and
      traditional shoes for six minutes each while VO2, HR, VE, EMG and steps taken
      were recorded. RESULTS: Results indicated no significant differences in VO2
      (2.39+/-0.17 vs. 2.43+/-0.15 L/min), HR (156.59+/-2.99 vs. 157.13+/-3.86 bpm), VE
      (46.97+/-3.19 vs. 47.00+/-2.83 L/min), EMG in the tibialis anterior (2.02+/-0.28
      vs. 1.79+/-0.20 mV), EMG in the gastrocnemius (1.97+/-0.36 vs. 2.03+/-0.37 mV) or
      steps taken (946.08+/-13.50 vs. 962.42+/-19.68 steps) between running in
      traditional and minimalist shoes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows
      that there is no mechanical and physiological benefit when running wearing
      minimalist shoes as opposed to traditional shoes and warrants a cautious approach
      to transitioning to minimalist shoe use.

PMID- 26112817
TI  - Match intensity and heart rate predictors in top level basketball referees during
      men's Eurobasket.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to determine the heart rate (HR) response
      of referees during men's Eurobasket Championship and identify relationships body
      composition and other match variables as predictor of HR. METHODS: Thirty-one
      elite basketball referees (REF, 40.4+/-4.3 years) were analyzed during a random
      sample of 38 matches in the 2013 men's Eurobasket Championship, one of the best
      basketball competitions in the World. The height, body mass, triceps, abdominal,
      supraspinale, subscapular, front thigh and medial calf skinfolds were measured.
      RESULTS: The result was that out of all 4 quarters of every game (Q1, Q2, Q3 and
      Q4), HR (bpm and % HRmax) in Q1 (164.2+/-13.9 bpm; 90.5+/-7.1%) was the highest
      (P<0.05). Likewise, Q2 (162.5+/-15.7 bpm; 90.5+/-7.1%) values were higher
      (P<0.05) than Q3 (158.5+/-13.2 bpm; 88.2+/-7.3%) and Q4 (158.4+/-13.4 bpm; 88.2+/
      7.5%). The study also showed that variables of triceps skinfold (beta: 1.33;
      P<0.000), years of experience (beta: -0.40; P<0.05) and fat mass (beta: -2.51;
      P<0.000) were the variables that significantly predicted the physical
      performance. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the heart rate directly was associated
      with REF's anthropometric features and years of experience. However did not show
      any association with different match variables such as: total scores, differences
      scores among teams, duration of the match or ratio time/point ratio.

PMID- 26112818
TI  - Incidence and factors associated with injuries among adolescent players in an
      amateur soccer tournament in Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The study was conducted to determine the incidence and risk factors
      associated with injuries among adolescents participating in an amateur soccer
      tournament in Ibadan, Nigeria. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted among
      90 participants (66 players and 24 substitutes) from six all-male teams with each
      team comprising 11 players. A total of six matches, each lasting 60 minutes (132
      player-hours) were played in the tournament. Players were observed during all
      matches and followed up for up to two weeks after the final match. The
      association between selected risk factors and injury occurence was assessed using
      chi2 test. RESULTS: Players mean age was 16.1 (+/-1.8) years. Twelve (13.3%) of
      the 90 players were involved in 15 injury events. The injury incidence was 113.6
      injuries per 1000 player hours (95% CI: 56.1-171.1) and 12 (80.0%) of all
      injuries occurred within 15 minutes of the end of each half of the match.
      Injuries often affected the lower limb 10 (58.8%), and the upper limb 6 (35.3%).
      Common injuries sustained were abrasions, 11 (64.6%), sprains, 3 (17.6%) and
      contusions 2 (11.8%). Eighty percent of injuries were due to collision with
      another player. All injuries were slight to mild as all the injured players
      returned to practice or games within five days of sustaining the injury. Dominant
      playing foot (mainly left foot or both feet) was associated with a higher
      incidence of injuries (chi2=7.321; P=0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Injury incidence was
      relatively high although injuries were mild. Measures to minimize injuries
      following player-to-player contact would be beneficial for adolescent soccer
      players in our study setting.

PMID- 26112819
TI  - Bone turnover markers are associated with higher cortical porosity, thinner
      cortices, and larger size of the proximal femur and non-vertebral fractures.
AB  - Bone turnover markers (BTM) predict bone loss and fragility fracture. Although
      cortical porosity and cortical thinning are important determinants of bone
      strength, the relationship between BTM and cortical porosity has, however,
      remained elusive. We therefore wanted to examine the relationship of BTM with
      cortical porosity and risk of non-vertebral fracture. In 211 postmenopausal women
      aged 54-94 years with non-vertebral fractures and 232 age-matched fracture-free
      controls from the Tromso Study, Norway, we quantified femoral neck areal bone
      mineral density (FN aBMD), femoral subtrochanteric bone architecture, and
      assessed serum levels of procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP) and C
      terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX). Fracture cases
      exhibited higher PINP and CTX levels, lower FN aBMD, larger total and medullary
      cross-sectional area (CSA), thinner cortices, and higher cortical porosity of the
      femoral subtrochanter than controls (p<=0.01). Each SD increment in PINP and CTX
      was associated with 0.21-0.26 SD lower total volumetric BMD, 0.10-0.14 SD larger
      total CSA, 0.14-0.18 SD larger medullary CSA, 0.13-0.18 SD thinner cortices, and
      0.27-0.33 SD higher porosity of the total cortex, compact cortex, and
      transitional zone (all p<=0.01). Moreover, each SD of higher PINP and CTX was
      associated with increased odds for fracture after adjustment for age, height, and
      weight (ORs 1.49; 95% CI, 1.20-1.85 and OR 1.22; 95% CI, 1.00-1.49, both p<0.05).
      PINP, but not CTX, remained associated with fracture after accounting for FN
      aBMD, cortical porosity or cortical thickness (OR ranging from 1.31 to 1.39, p
      ranging from 0.005 to 0.028). In summary, increased BTM levels are associated
      with higher cortical porosity, thinner cortices, larger bone size and higher odds
      for fracture. We infer that this is produced by increased periosteal apposition,
      intracortical and endocortical remodeling; and that these changes in bone
      architecture are predisposing to fracture.

PMID- 26112820
TI  - Indoxyl sulfate exacerbates low bone turnover induced by parathyroidectomy in
      young adult rats.
AB  - Low-turnover bone disease is one of the bone abnormalities observed in patients
      with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is recognized to be associated with low
      serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) level and skeletal resistance to PTH. Indoxyl
      sulfate (IS) is a representative uremic toxin that accumulates in the blood as
      renal dysfunction progresses in CKD patients. A recent in vitro study using an
      osteoblastic cell culture system suggests that IS has an important role in the
      pathogenesis of low bone turnover through induction of skeletal resistance to
      PTH. However, the effects of IS on the progression of low bone turnover have not
      been elucidated. In the present study, we produced rats with low bone turnover by
      performing parathyroidectomy (PTX) and fed these rats a diet containing indole, a
      precursor of IS, to elevate blood IS level from indole metabolism. Bone
      metabolism was evaluated by measuring histomorphometric parameters of secondary
      spongiosa of the femur. Histomorphometric analyses revealed significant decreases
      in both bone formation-related parameters and bone resorption-related parameters
      in PTX rats. In indole-treated PTX rats, further decreases in bone formation
      related parameters were observed. In addition, serum alkaline phosphatase
      activity, a bone formation marker, and bone mineral density of the tibia tended
      to decrease in indole-treated PTX rats. These findings strongly suggest that IS
      exacerbates low bone turnover through inhibition of bone formation by mechanisms
      unrelated to skeletal resistance to PTH. 

PMID- 26112822
TI  - Prevalence of human papillomavirus in squamous cell carcinomas of the soft
      palate.

PMID- 26112821
TI  - Do case-only designs yield consistent results across design and different
      databases? A case study of hip fractures and benzodiazepines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The case-crossover (CXO) and self-controlled case series (SCCS)
      designs are increasingly used in pharmacoepidemiology. In both, relative risk
      estimates are obtained within persons, implicitly controlling for time-fixed
      confounding variables. OBJECTIVES: To examine the consistency of relative risk
      estimates of hip/femur fractures (HFF) associated with the use of benzodiazepines
      (BZD) across case-only designs in two databases (DBs), when a common protocol was
      applied. METHODS: CXO and SCCS studies were conducted in BIFAP (Spain) and CPRD
      (UK). Exposure to BZD was divided into non-use, current, recent and past use. For
      CXO, odds ratios (OR; 95%CI) of current use versus non-use/past were estimated
      using conditional logistic regression adjusted for co-medications (AOR). For the
      SCCS, conditional Poisson regression was used to estimate incidence rate ratios
      (IRR; 95%CI) of current use versus non/past-use, adjusted for age. To investigate
      possible event-exposure dependence the relative risk in the 30 days prior to
      first BZD exposure was also evaluated. RESULTS: In the CXO current use of BZD was
      associated with an increased risk of HFF in both DBs, AORBIFAP = 1.47 (1.29-1.67)
      and AORCPRD = 1.55 (1.41-1.70). In the SCCS, IRRs for current exposure was 0.79
      (0.72-0.86) in BIFAP and 1.21 (1.13-1.30) in CPRD. However, when we considered
      separately the 30-day pre-exposure period, the IRR for current period was 1.43
      (1.31-1.57) in BIFAP and 1.37 (1.27-1.47) in CPRD. CONCLUSIONS: CXO designs
      yielded consistent results across DBs, while initial SCCS analyses did not.
      Accounting for event-exposure dependence, estimates derived from SCCS were more
      consistent across DBs and designs.

PMID- 26112823
TI  - Primary cutaneous CD4+ small-to-medium-sized pleomorphic T-cell lymphoma: a rare
      case report of infant.

PMID- 26112824
TI  - Polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism in a marine teleost, Nibe croaker Nibea
      mitsukurii: Functional characterization of Fads2 desaturase and Elovl5 and Elovl4
      elongases.
AB  - To reduce the requirement for fish oil in marine aquaculture, it would be
      advantageous to endow marine fish species with the capability for the endogenous
      biosynthesis of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). For
      this purpose, we have previously produced transgenic Nibe croaker (Nibea
      mitsukurii) carrying an elongase of very-long-chain fatty acids 2 (elovl2) gene
      isolated from Masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou). However, fatty acid analysis
      revealed that 24:5n-3 accumulated in the liver of the transgenic fish, whereas
      the DHA level did not differ between non-transgenic and transgenic fish.
      Therefore, to select more effective enzymes for successful transgenic synthesis
      of DHA, understanding the endogenous DHA biosynthetic pathway in the Nibe croaker
      is considered to be important. The present study aimed to investigate the
      biochemical functions of the Elovl5, Elovl4 and Fads2 enzymes involved in the DHA
      biosynthetic pathway in the Nibe croaker. The results showed that both Elovl5 and
      Elovl4 were able to elongate C18 fatty acids to C22 fatty acids and that Fads2
      had Delta6 desaturase activity toward C18 fatty acids and weak Delta8 desaturase
      activity toward C20 fatty acids. On the other hand, Fads2 was found to lack the
      ability to convert 24:5n-3 to 24:6n-3, a fatty acid that can directly be
      converted to DHA via beta-oxidation. 

PMID- 26112825
TI  - Cloning and characterization of Na(+)/H(+) Exchanger isoforms NHE2 and NHE3 from
      the gill of Pacific dogfish Squalus suckleyi.
AB  - Na(+)/H(+) Exchanger (NHE) proteins mediate cellular and systemic homeostasis of
      sodium and acid and may be the major sodium uptake method for fishes. We cloned
      and sequenced NHE2 and NHE3 from the gill of the North Pacific Spiny Dogfish
      shark Squalus suckleyi and expressed them in functional form in NHE-deficient (AP
      1) cell lines. Estimated IC50 for inhibition of NHE activity by amiloride and
      EIPA were 55 MUmol l(-1) and 4.8 MUmol l(-1), respectively, for NHE2 and 9 MUmol
      l(-1) and 24 MUmol l(-1), respectively, for NHE3. Phenamil at 100 MUmol l(-1)
      caused less than 16% inhibition of activity for each isoform. Although the IC50
      are similar for the two isoforms, dfNHE2 is less sensitive than human NHE2 to
      inhibition by amiloride and EIPA, while dfNHE3 is more sensitive than human NHE3.
      These IC50 estimates should be considered when selecting inhibitor doses for
      fishes and for reinterpretation of previous studies that use these
      pharmacological agents.

PMID- 26112827
TI  - Epidemiology of asthma exacerbations and their relation with environmental
      factors in the Basque Country.

PMID- 26112826
TI  - Kinetic mechanism of Toxoplasma gondii adenosine kinase and the highly efficient
      utilization of adenosine.
AB  - Initial velocity and product inhibition studies of Toxoplasma gondii adenosine
      kinase (TgAK, EC 2.7.1.20) demonstrated that the basic mechanism of this enzyme
      is a hybrid random bi-uni ping-pong uni-bi. Initial velocity studies showed an
      intersecting pattern, consistent with substrate-enzyme-co-substrate complex
      formation and a binding pattern indicating that binding of the substrate
      interferes with the binding of the co-substrate and vice versa. Estimated kinetic
      parameters were KAdo=0.002+/-0.0002 mM, KATP=0.05+/-0.008 mM, and Vmax=920+/-35
      MUmol/min/mg protein. Ado exhibited substrate inhibition suggesting the presence
      of more than one binding site for Ado on the enzyme. ATP relieved substrate
      inhibition by Ado. Thus, Ado also binds to the ATP binding site. AMP was
      competitive with ATP, inferring that AMP binds to the same site as ATP. AMP, ADP
      and ATP were non-competitive with Ado, therefore, none of these nucleotides binds
      to the Ado binding site. Combining ATP with ADP was additive. Therefore, the
      binding of either ATP or ADP does not interfere with the binding of the other. It
      is concluded that for every ATP consumed, TgAK generates three new AMPs. These
      findings along with the fact that a wide range of nucleoside 5'-mono, di, and
      triphosphates could substitute for ATP as phosphate donors in this reaction may
      explain the efficient and central role played by TgAK in the utilization of Ado
      as the major source from which all other purines can be synthesized in T. gondii.

PMID- 26112828
TI  - Hippocampal place cells construct reward related sequences through unexplored
      space.
AB  - Dominant theories of hippocampal function propose that place cell representations
      are formed during an animal's first encounter with a novel environment and are
      subsequently replayed during off-line states to support consolidation and future
      behaviour. Here we report that viewing the delivery of food to an unvisited
      portion of an environment leads to off-line pre-activation of place cells
      sequences corresponding to that space. Such 'preplay' was not observed for an
      unrewarded but otherwise similar portion of the environment. These results
      suggest that a hippocampal representation of a visible, yet unexplored
      environment can be formed if the environment is of motivational relevance to the
      animal. We hypothesise such goal-biased preplay may support preparation for
      future experiences in novel environments. 

PMID- 26112829
TI  - Electrospinning of PVA/chitosan nanocomposite nanofibers containing gelatin
      nanoparticles as a dual drug delivery system.
AB  - Nanofibrous core-sheath nanocomposite dual drug delivery system based on
      poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/chitosan/lidocaine hydrochloride loaded with gelatin
      nanoparticles were successfully prepared by the electrospinning method. Gelatin
      nanoparticles were prepared by nanoprecipitation and were then loaded with
      erythromycin antibiotic agent with the average particle size of ~175 nm. The
      morphology of gelatin nanoparticles observed by field emission scanning electron
      microscopy (FE-SEM) was shown to be optimal at the concentration of 1.25 wt % of
      gelatin in aqueous phase by addition of 20 uL of glutaraldehyde 5% as the
      crosslinking agent. The nanoparticles were also characterized by dynamic light
      scattering, zeta potential measurement, and Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy (FTIR). The best bead free morphology for the PVA/chitosan
      nanofibrous mats were obtained at the solution weight ratio of 96/4. The
      nanofibrous mats were analyzed by swelling studies, FTIR and antibacterial tests.
      In vitro dual release profile of the core-sheath nanofibers was also studied
      within 72 h and showed the release efficiency equal to 84.69 and 75.13% for
      lidocaine hydrochloride and erythromycin, respectively. According to release
      exponent n, the release of lidocaine hydrochloride from the sheath part of the
      matrix is quasi-Fickian diffusion mechanism, while the release of erythromycin is
      based on anomalous or non-Fickian mechanisms.

PMID- 26112830
TI  - 2q37.3 Deletion Syndrome: Two Cases with Highly Distinctive Facial Phenotype,
      Discordant Association with Schizophrenic Psychosis, and Shared Deletion
      Breakpoint Region on 2q37.3.
AB  - 2q37.3 deletion syndrome belongs to the chromosomal 2q37 deletion spectrum which
      clinically resembles Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) syndrome. It is is
      mainly characterized by short stature, obesity, round face, brachydactyly type E,
      intellectual disability, behavioral problems, and variable intellectual deficits.
      Different from classical AHO syndrome, patients with 2q37 deletion syndrome lack
      renal parathyroid hormone resistance (pseudohypoparathyroidism) and soft tissue
      ossification. So far, deletion mapping or molecular breakpoint analyses of 2q37
      have been performed in only few patients. Here, we report on 2 patients with
      2q37.3 deletion syndrome. In both patients the breakpoint of the 5.5-Mb terminal
      microdeletion could be narrowed down to the same ~ 200-kb interval on 2q37.3 by
      BAC-FISH and/or array-CGH. Flanking low-copy repeats may indicate a classical
      microdeletion syndrome genesis for the 2q37.3 microdeletion subgroup. Clinical
      evaluation revealed intellectual deficits and type E brachydactyly typical for
      classical AHO syndrome together with distinctive facial dysmorphisms not present
      in the former. Furthermore, one patient presented with schizophrenic psychosis,
      an observation that would be in accordance with previous reports about an
      association between schizophrenia susceptibility and an unknown gene within the
      chromosomal region 2q37.

PMID- 26112831
TI  - Treatment outcomes of concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced sinonasal
      squamous cell carcinoma: A single-institution study.
AB  - CONCLUSIONS: CCRT is a potential treatment option for locally advanced sinonasal
      SCC in terms of organ preservation. OBJECTIVES: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy
      (CCRT) is increasingly used for patients with advanced head and neck cancer to
      preserve organ function and improve survival. In the present study, treatment
      outcomes were compared between surgery and post-operative radiotherapy (PORT) and
      CCRT in patients with locally advanced sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
      METHODS: The records of 30 patients with non-metastatic stage III and IV
      sinonasal SCC were retrospectively reviewed. Fifteen patients were treated with
      CCRT and 15 patients underwent PORT. RESULTS: The locoregional recurrence-free,
      distant metastasis-free, disease-free, disease-specific, and overall survival
      rates did not differ between PORT and CCRT groups. In addition, there were no
      significant differences in incidence rates of acute and chronic toxicities
      between the two groups.

PMID- 26112832
TI  - Molecular genetic variation and structure of Southeast Asian crocodile (Tomistoma
      schlegelii): Comparative potentials of SSRs versus ISSRs.
AB  - Tomistoma schlegelii, also referred to as the "false gharial", is one of the most
      exclusive and least known of the world's fresh water crocodilians, limited to
      Southeast Asia. Indeed, lack of economic value for its skin has led to neglect
      the biodiversity of the species. The current study aimed to investigate the
      mentioned case using 40 simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer pairs and 45 inter
      simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers. DNA analysis of 17 T. schlegelii samples
      using the SSR and ISSR markers resulted in producing a total of 49 and 108
      polymorphic bands, respectively. Furthermore, the SSR- and ISSR-based cluster
      analyses both generated two main clusters. However, the SSR based results were
      found to be more in line with the geographical distributions of the crocodile
      samples collected across the country as compared with the ISSR-based results. The
      observed heterozygosity (HO) and expected heterozygosity (HE) of the polymorphic
      SSRs ranged between 0.588-1 and 0.470-0.891, respectively. The present results
      suggest that the Malaysian T. schlegelii populations had originated from a core
      population of crocodiles. In cooperation with the SSR markers, the ISSRs showed
      high potential for studying the genetic variation of T. schlegelii, and these
      markers are suitable to be employed in conservation genetic programs of this
      endangered species. Both SSR- and ISSR-based STRUCTURE analyses suggested that
      all the individuals of T. schlegelii are genetically similar with each other. 

PMID- 26112834
TI  - Kinetics and fracture resistance of lithiated silicon nanostructure pairs
      controlled by their mechanical interaction.
AB  - Following an explosion of studies of silicon as a negative electrode for Li-ion
      batteries, the anomalous volumetric changes and fracture of lithiated single Si
      particles have attracted significant attention in various fields, including
      mechanics. However, in real batteries, lithiation occurs simultaneously in
      clusters of Si in a confined medium. Hence, understanding how the individual Si
      structures interact during lithiation in a closed space is necessary. Here, we
      demonstrate physical and mechanical interactions of swelling Si structures during
      lithiation using well-defined Si nanopillar pairs. Ex situ SEM and in situ TEM
      studies reveal that compressive stresses change the reaction kinetics so that
      preferential lithiation occurs at free surfaces when the pillars are mechanically
      clamped. Such mechanical interactions enhance the fracture resistance of
      lithiated Si by lessening the tensile stress concentrations in Si structures.
      This study will contribute to improved design of Si structures at the electrode
      level for high-performance Li-ion batteries. 

PMID- 26112833
TI  - Ubiquitin-specific proteases are differentially expressed throughout the
      Schistosoma mansoni life cycle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ubiquitination process can be reversed by deubiquitinating
      enzymes (DUBs). These proteases are involved in ubiquitin processing, in the
      recovery of modified ubiquitin trapped in inactive forms, and in the recycling of
      ubiquitin monomers from polyubiquitinated chains. The diversity of DUB functions
      is illustrated by their number and variety of their catalytic domains with
      specific 3D architectures. DUBs can be divided into five subclasses: ubiquitin C
      terminal hydrolases (UCHs), ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs or UBPs), ovarian
      tumour proteases (OTUs), Machado-Joseph disease proteases (MJDs) and
      JAB1/MPN/Mov34 metalloenzymes (JAMMs). METHODS: Considering the role that the
      ubiquitin-proteasome system has been shown to play during the development of
      Schistosoma mansoni, our main goal was to identify and characterize SmUSPs. Here,
      we showed the identification of putative ubiquitin-specific proteases using
      bioinformatic approaches. We also evaluated the gene expression profile of
      representative USP family members using qRT-PCR. RESULTS: We reported 17 USP
      family members in S. mansoni that present a conservation of UCH domains.
      Furthermore, the putative SmUSP transcripts analysed were detected in all
      investigated stages, showing distinct expression during S. mansoni development.
      The SmUSPs exhibiting high expression profiles were SmUSP7, SmUSP8, SmUSP9x and
      SmUSP24. CONCLUSION: S. mansoni USPs showed changes in expression levels for
      different life cycle stages indicating their involvement in cellular processes
      required for S. mansoni development. These data will serve as a basis for future
      functional studies of USPs in this parasite.

PMID- 26112835
TI  - From farm to plate & beyond--A culture & context sensitive perspective for food
      safety.

PMID- 26112836
TI  - Bronchial asthma--Issues for the developing world.

PMID- 26112837
TI  - Antiviral activity of cystatin C against HIV.

PMID- 26112838
TI  - Impact of oral antidiabetic agents on bone metabolism.

PMID- 26112839
TI  - Survivin: A molecular biomarker in cancer.
AB  - Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein family that
      inhibits caspases and blocks cell death, is highly expressed in most cancers and
      is associated with a poor clinical outcome. Survivin has consistently been
      identified by molecular profiling analysis to be associated with high tumour
      grade cancers, different disease survival and recurrence. Polymorphisms in the
      survivin gene are emerging as powerful tools to study the biology of the disease
      and have the potential to be used in disease prognosis and diagnosis. The
      survivin gene polymorphisms have also been reported to influence tumour
      aggressiveness as well as survival of cancer patients. The differential
      expression of survivin in cancer cells compared to normal tissues and its role as
      a nodal protein in a number of cellular pathways make it a high target for
      different therapeutics. This review discusses the complex circuitry of survivin
      in human cancers and gene variants of survivin, and highlights novel therapy that
      targets this important protein. 

PMID- 26112840
TI  - Fidaxomicin--the new drug for Clostridium difficile infection.
AB  - Clostridium difficile is one of the many aetiological agents of antibiotic
      associated diarrhoea and is implicated in 15-25 per cent of the cases. The
      organism is also involved in the exacearbation of inflammatory bowel disease and
      extracolonic manifestations. Due to increase in the incidence of C. difficile
      infection (CDI), emergence of hypervirulent strains, and increased frequency of
      recurrence, the clinical management of the disease has become important. The
      management of CDI is based on disease severity, and current antibiotic treatment
      options are limited to vancomycin or metronidazole in the developing countries.
      this review article briefly describes important aspects of CDI, and the new drug,
      fidaxomicin, for its treatment. Fidaxomicin is particularly active against
      C.difficile and acts by inhibition of RNA synthesis. Clinical trials done to
      compare the efficacy and safety of fidaxomicin with that of vancomycin in
      treating CDI concluded that fidaxomicin was non-inferior to vancomycin for
      treatment of CDI and that there was a significant reduction in recurrences. The
      bactericidal properties of fidaxomicin make it an ideal alternative for CDI
      treatment. However, fidaxomicin use should be considered taking into account the
      potential benefits of the drug, along with the medical requirements of the
      patient, the risks of treatment and the high cost of fidaxomicin compared to
      other treatment regimens. 

PMID- 26112842
TI  - DHR-ICMR Guidelines for diagnosis & management of Rickettsial diseases in India.
AB  - Rickettsial diseases, caused by a variety of obligate intracellular, gram
      negative bacteria from the genera Rickettsia, Orientia, Ehrlichia, Neorickettsia,
      Neoehrlichia, and Anaplasma, belonging to the Alphaproteobacteria, are considered
      some of the most covert emerging and re-emerging diseases and are being
      increasingly recognized. Among the major groups of rickettsioses, commonly
      reported diseases in India are scrub typhus, murine flea-borne typhus, Indian
      tick typhus and Q fever. Rickettsial infections are generally incapacitating and
      difficult to diagnose; untreated cases have case fatality rates as high as 30-45
      per cent with multiple organ dysfunction, if not promptly diagnosed and
      appropriately treated. The vast variability and non-specific presentation of this
      infection have often made it difficult to diagnose clinically. Prompt antibiotic
      therapy shortens the course of the disease, lowers the risk of complications and
      in turn reduces morbidity and mortality due to rickettsial diseases. There is a
      distinct need for physicians and health care workers at all levels of care in
      India to be aware of the clinical features, available diagnostic tests and their
      interpretation, and the therapy of these infections. Therefore, a Task Force was
      constituted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to formulate
      guidelines for diagnosis and management of rickettsial diseases. These guidelines
      include presenting manifestations, case definition, laboratory criteria (specific
      and supportive investigations) and treatment.

PMID- 26112841
TI  - Organ transplant & the psychiatrist: An overview.
AB  - Organ transplantation has emerged as the saving grace for those who are suffering
      from end organ disease. Advent of modern surgical procedures and
      immunosuppressants further decrease morbidity and mortality. Meta-analyses have
      shown that post-organ transplantation quality of life improves for social,
      physical and daily activity functioning, but not consistently for psychological
      health. Psychiatrists can play a useful role not only in selecting the best
      suitable candidate for the procedure by psychosocial screening but also to tackle
      post-operation psychological issues that trouble patients as well as caretakers
      and decrease their quality of life. Issues like selection of patients with
      psychiatric disorders and substance abuse for transplantation process and their
      treatment both pre- and post- operation, risky health behaviours, treatment
      adherence for immunosuppressants and psychological support for caretakers can be
      better addressed by a psychiatrist who is sensitive towards these issues.
      Prescribing various psychotropics and immunosuppressants in the background of
      impaired organ function and drug-drug interaction is further challenging. Thus,
      psychiatrists need to be knowledgeable about these issues and should be an
      integral part of organ transplantation team for overall better outcome. 

PMID- 26112843
TI  - Evaluation of cystatin C activities against HIV.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Several host defense proteins known to possess
      antimicrobial activities are present on mucosal surfaces and are consequently
      found in body fluids of vertebrates. Naturally occurring protease inhibitors like
      cystatins, especially cystatin C (cys C), are abundantly present in human seminal
      plasma. Although its antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus (HSV) has
      been demonstrated, the role of this protein against HIV is not well studied.
      Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-HIV activities
      of cys C, which is present innately in the male reproductive tract. METHODS:
      Protein-protein interaction of cys C with various HIV proteins was studied using
      a commercially available HIV blot and specific interaction with HIV protease was
      studied by dot-blot technique using commercially available cys C. To purify
      biologically active cys C from human seminal plasma to be used for subsequent
      experiments, gel-permeation chromatography followed by affinity chromatography
      was used. The HIV infectivity inhibition activity of the purified cystatin C was
      tested in TZM-bl cells. To study its activity on HIV protease, time-course enzyme
      kinetics studies were performed using spectrometric assay. RESULTS: Cystatin C
      reacted with some HIV proteins including HIV protease. Biologically active cys C
      was purified using gel permeation chromatography followed by affinity
      chromatography. When tested in TZM-bl cells, purified cystatin C demonstrated HIV
      infectivity inhibitory activity (IC 50: 0.28 MUM). Enzyme kinetic studies
      demonstrated that it abrogated the action of HIV protease on its substrate.
      INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: The present data demonstrate that cystatin C
      possesses anti-HIV activities. Molecular models need to be designed with this
      protein which would assist towards prevention/ therapeutics against HIV.

PMID- 26112844
TI  - Effect of oral hypoglycaemic agents on bone metabolism in patients with type 2
      diabetes mellitus & occurrence of osteoporosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is considered to be a
      protective factor against development of osteoporosis. But oral hypoglycaemic
      agents (OHA) are likely to increase the risk of osteoporosis. This study was
      carried out to evaluate the effect of various OHA on bone mineral density (BMD)
      in patients with T2DM. METHODS: Forty one patients (study group) with T2DM (mean
      age 51.9+/-5.5 yr; 31 females) receiving treatment with oral hypoglycaemic agents
      (OHA) [thiazolidinediones alone (n=14) or in combination with other OHA (n=27)]
      for a period of at least three consecutive years and 41 age- and gender-matched
      healthy controls (mean age 51.4+/-5.1 yr) were included in the study. A detailed
      clinical history was taken and all were subjected to physical examination and
      recording of anthropometric data. BMD was assessed for both patients and
      controls. RESULTS: The mean body mass index (kg/m [2] ) (26.5+/-4.90 vs 27.3 +/
      5.33) and median [inter-quartile range (IQR)] duration of menopause (yr) among
      women [6(2-12) vs 6(1-13)] were comparable between both groups. The bone mineral
      density (BMD; g/cm [2] ) at the level of neck of femur (NOF) (0.761+/-0.112 vs
      0.762+/-0.110), lumbar spine antero-posterior view (LSAP) (0.849+/-0.127 vs
      0.854+/-0.135); median Z-score NOF {0.100[(-0.850)-(0.550)] vs -0.200[(-0.800)
      (0.600)]}, LSAP {-1.200[(-1.700)-(-0.200)] vs -1.300 [(-1.85)-(-0.400)]} were
      also similar in study and control groups. Presence of normal BMD (9/41 vs 8/41),
      osteopenia (16/41 vs 18/41) and osteoporosis (16/41 vs 15/41) were comparable
      between the study and control groups. No significant difference was observed in
      the BMD, T-scores and Z-scores at NOF and LSAP among T2DM patients treated with
      thiazolidinediones; those treated with other OHA and controls. INTERPRETATION &
      CONCLUSIONS: The present findings show that the use of OHA for a period of three
      years or more does not significantly affect the BMD in patients with T2DM.

PMID- 26112845
TI  - Wealth related inequalities in self reported morbidity: Positional objectivity or
      epidemiological transition?
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Morbidity is self reported at a higher rate among the
      rich than the poor. However, objective measures suggest the contrary. We examined
      the role of epidemiological transition in wealth related inequalities in self
      reported morbidity (SRM). METHODS: We analyzed data of two States, Bihar and
      Kerala, from 60 [th] Round of National Sample Survey (NSS). Bivariate analysis
      was performed to study the associations between various socio-demographic
      variables and self-reported morbidity. A prediction model based on hierarchical
      logistic regression was developed to identify determinants of self-reported
      morbidity. RESULTS: In Bihar, acute morbidities (26 per 1000) were reported more
      often than chronic morbidities (19 per 1000) while in Kerala the reverse was true
      (89 acute and 123 chronic morbidities per 1000 person). In both the states, the
      rate of SRM showed an increasing trend from the poorest to the richest quintiles.
      The rising gradient in the odds of SRM across increasing socio-economic strata
      was more pronounced in Bihar [OR (richest)=2.52; 1.85-3.42] as compared to Kerala
      [OR (richest) =1.66; 1.37-2.0]. Moreover, this gradient was more on account of
      chronic diseases [OR (richest) =2.7; 1.8-4.0] for Bihar; [OR (richest) =1.6; 1.26
      2.0 for Kerala] than the acute diseases [OR (richest) =1.82; 1.1-2.9 for Bihar];
      [OR (richest) =1.4; 1.1-1.8 for Kerala]. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: The
      present analysis shows that the epidemiologic transition results in higher
      prevalence and reporting of chronic ailments by the rich than the poor. This
      phenomenon is more evident in the early stages of transition. In later stages of
      transition, positional objectivity plays an important role to explain wealth
      related inequalities in SRM.

PMID- 26112846
TI  - Are Indian patients with juvenile-onset ankylosing spondylitis taller than
      reference population ?
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Paucity of growth retardation has been observed by us in
      patients with juvenile-onset ankylosing spondylitis (JAS) in a tertiary care
      health centre in south India. We, therefore, undertook this pilot study to assess
      and compare anthropometry of patients with JAS who were 15 yr and older with that
      of adult onset ankylosing spondylitis (AAS) and matching Indian reference
      population. METHODS: Consecutive male patients (December 2009- October 2012) with
      JAS and AAS fulfilling Modified New York Criteria were selected after applying
      inclusion and exclusion criteria. Demography and anthropometry were noted. Height
      of both patient groups as well as their parents and siblings were compared with
      that of the reference population. Mid-parental height and delta height were
      derived. Those with delta height of >8.5 cm were compared with the remaining.
      Multivariate logistic regression was done for variables that were found to be
      significant by chi-square in bivariate analysis. Similar analysis was done for
      BMI also. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in anthropometric
      variables between JAS and AAS groups. Twenty eight of the 30 (93.33%) JAS
      patients were taller as compared to the reference population. Twenty six (86.67%)
      AAS patients were taller than the reference population. The mean heights of JAS
      (170.67 +/- 6.94 cm) and AAS (168.2 +/- 5.94 cm) patients were significantly
      higher than the reference value of 163.11 cm; both p0 <0.001. Logistic regression
      revealed that tallness in JAS was associated positively with hypermobility
      (OR=23.46,95%CI 1.2-447.2, p0 =0.036). No significant association was detected
      for height in AAS and for BMI in both JAS and AAS groups. INTERPRETATION &
      CONCLUSIONS: No growth retardation was seen in patients with JAS in our study.
      Majority of patients with JAS and AAS were taller than reference population. The
      difference between mean height of JAS and AAS was not significant. Larger studies
      involving different populations are required to confirm these findings.

PMID- 26112847
TI  - Effect of alcoholic extract of Entada pursaetha DC on monosodium iodoacetate
      induced osteoarthritis pain in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease
      characterized by joint pain and progressive loss of articular cartilage. Entada
      pursaetha has been traditionally used in the treatment of inflammatory disease,
      liver ailment, etc. In this study we investigated suppressive effect of ethanolic
      extract of E. pursaetha (EPE) on monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced
      osteoarthritis pain and disease progression by histopathological changes in
      joints in a rat model. METHODS: OA was induced in right knee of rat by intra
      articular injection of 3 mg of MIA and characterized by pathological progression
      of disease and pain of affected joint. Spontaneous movements, mechanical, thermal
      and cold sensitivity were monitored at days 0 (before drug and MIA injection), 7,
      14 and 21 of MIA administration. EPE (30, 100 and 300 mg/kg), vehicle or
      etoricoxib (10 mg/ kg; reference drug) were administered daily for 21 days by
      oral route. RESULTS: EPE at various doses significantly reduced mechanical, heat,
      cold hyperalgesia and increased the horizontal and vertical movements in intra
      articular MIA injected rats. EPE prevented the damage to cartilage structure and
      reduced the cellular abnormalities. Articular cartilage of rats treated with EPE
      at 300 mg/kg group was almost normal with well-developed smooth surface and
      chondrocytes were distributed individually or arranged in column. INTERPRETATION
      & CONCLUSIONS: The present findings showed that the EPE was not only able to
      mitigate pain and hyperalgesia but also inhibited MIA-induced cartilage
      degeneration in vivo. EPE may have the potential to become therapeutic modality
      in the treatment of osteoarthritis. However, further studies need to be done to
      confirm these findings in other models and clinical trials.

PMID- 26112848
TI  - Comparison of interferon gamma release assay & tuberculin skin tests for
      diagnosis of latent tuberculosis in patients on maintenance haemodialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Tuberculosis (TB) is a common infection in patients on
      haemodialysis. There is a definite role of treatment of latent TB (LTB) in these
      patients. However, diagnosis of LTB in these patients by tuberculin skin test
      (TST) is unreliable. There is suggestion that interferon gamma release assay
      (IGRA) will be more reliable test for diagnosis of LTB in this setting. Thus, we
      evaluated value of IGRA and TST for the diagnosis of LTB in patients on dialysis
      in an Indian setting. METHODS: Patients with end stage kidney disease on dialysis
      were included. Patients with active TB were excluded. Each patient was subjected
      to TST (induration of >=10 mm was taken as positive) and QuantiFERON TB Gold In
      Tube test (QFT-GIT) for diagnosis of LTB. RESULTS: A total of 185 patients were
      included; 129 (69.7%) were males and mean age was 36.7 +/- 12.3 yr. Past history
      of TB was present in 18 (9.7%) patients. One hundred and thirty four (72.4%)
      patients had scar of BCG vaccination. QFT-GIT test was positive in 66 (36%), TST
      in 32 (17%) and both in 13 (7%) patients. Of the 66 patients positive with QFT
      GIT, only 13 (19.6%) were positive for TST. Of the 32 patients positive with TST,
      only 13 (40.6%) were positive with QFT-GIT; 100 (54%) patients were negative for
      both the tests. Overall, 85 (45.9%) patients were positive for either of the two
      tests. Poor agreement was shown between the two methods. On logistic regression
      analysis, odds of QFT-GIT to be positive in patients with BCG vaccination was
      1.23 and with history of TB 0.99, both being insignificant. odds of tuberculin
      skin test to be positive in patients with BCG vaccination was 1.04 and with
      history of TB 0.99, both again being insignificant. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS:
      Our findings showed that more number of patients (36%) on haemodialysis were
      positive for QuantiFERON Gold In-Tube test as compared to TST (17%). There was
      poor agreement between the two tests. No significant effect of BCG vaccination
      and history of TB in past was observed on both tests.

PMID- 26112849
TI  - Aetiology of childhood viral gastroenteritis in Lucknow, north India.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Due to limited availability of data on viral aetiology
      of acute gastroenteritis in north India, the present study was planned to detect
      rotavirus, norovirus, sapovirus and astrovirus in stool samples of both in
      hospitalized and non-hospitalized children less than five years of age presenting
      with acute gastroenteritis. METHODS: A total of 278 stool samples from equal
      number of children were tested for rotavirus antigen using ELISA and for
      norovirus, sapovirus and astroviruses by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. RESULTS:
      Of the 169 samples from hospitalized patients, rotavirus, norovirus, sapovirus
      and astrovirus were detected in 19.5, 2.3, 3.5 and 2.9 per cent samples,
      respectively. Of the 109 samples collected from the non-hospitalized patients,
      frequency of rotavirus and sapovirus detection was 9.1 and 1.8 per cent,
      respectively while norovirus and astrovirus were not detected. INTERPRETATION &
      CONCLUSIONS: Rotavirus was the most frequent cause of viral gastroenteritis in
      both hospitalized and non-hospitalized children. Maximum positivity of the
      viruses was seen in children less than two years of age.

PMID- 26112850
TI  - Profile of urinary tract infections in paediatric patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary
      care centre in Puducherry, south India, with the aim of finding the profile of
      the paediatric urinary tract infection (UTI), bacterial pathogens involved, and
      also to observe vesicoureteric reflux (VUR) and renal scarring in these patients.
      METHODS: A total of 524 paediatric patients <=13 yr, suspected to have UTI, were
      included in the study. Urine samples were collected, processed for uropathogen
      isolation and antibiotic susceptibility test was performed as per the Clinical
      and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Thirty two culture proven
      children with UTI underwent micturating cysto-urethrography (MCU) and
      dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scanning was done for 69 children. RESULTS: o0 f
      the 524 children, 186 (35.4%) had culture proven UTI with 105 (56.4%) being
      infants, 50 (27.4%) between 1-5 yr, 30 (16.12%) between 5-13 yr and 129 (69.35%)
      males. Posterior urethral valve (PUV) was noted in three, hydronephrosis in one,
      VUR in 18 and renal scarring in 33. VUR as well as renal scarring were more in
      males >1 yr of age. A significant association (P=0.0054) was noted with a
      combined sensitivity and specificity of these investigations being 83 and 90 per
      cent, respectively of the MCU and DMSA scans for detecting VUR. Escherichia coli
      was the most common pathogen isolated, sensitive to nitrofurantoin, followed by
      cefoperazone-sulbactam, aminoglycosides and meropenem. INTERPRETATION &
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that UTI varies with age and gender and
      extensive evaluation is required in boys over one year of age with UTI. This
      study also highlights the better efficacy of aminoglycosides, cefoperazone
      sulbactam and nitrofurantoin in vitro compared with meropenem in Gram-negative
      uropathogens.

PMID- 26112851
TI  - Bayesian spatio-temporal model for tuberculosis in India.

PMID- 26112852
TI  - Performance of extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) screening agar in various
      clinical specimens.

PMID- 26112853
TI  - Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of vancomycin resistant enterococci to newer
      antimicrobial agents.

PMID- 26112854
TI  - External validity & non-probability sampling.

PMID- 26112855
TI  - Observational studies versus controlled clinical trials for efficacy &
      effectiveness of a drug.

PMID- 26112857
TI  - Caput medusae.

PMID- 26112856
TI  - Defining multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacilli.

PMID- 26112858
TI  - Sirenomelia or mermaid syndrome.

PMID- 26112859
TI  - Tuberculosis - The usual suspect.

PMID- 26112860
TI  - Pooling Results by Means of Meta-Analysis.

PMID- 26112861
TI  - The Difference Is in What Is or Is Not Included.

PMID- 26112862
TI  - Metallic Hardware Not a Considered Complication.

PMID- 26112863
TI  - No Resident Left Behind: Statistical Illiteracy and What Lies Beyond the
      Abstract.

PMID- 26112864
TI  - The Association of Resting Heart Rate and Incident Hypertension: The Henry Ford
      Hospital Exercise Testing (FIT) Project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given that sympathetic tone is associated with hypertension, we
      sought to determine whether resting heart rate (RHR), as a surrogate for cardiac
      autonomic function, was associated with incident hypertension. METHODS: We
      analyzed 21,873 individuals without a history of hypertension who underwent a
      clinically indicated exercise stress test. Baseline RHR was assessed prior to
      testing and was categorized as <70, 70-85, and >85 beats-per-minute (bpm).
      Incident hypertension was defined by subsequent diagnosis codes for new-onset
      hypertension from three or more encounters. We tested for effect modification by
      age (<60 vs. >=60 years), sex, race, and history of coronary heart disease (CHD).
      RESULTS: Mean (+/-SD) age was 49 (+/-12) years, 55% were men and 21% were Black.
      Compared to the lowest RHR (<70 bpm) category, patients in the highest category
      (>85 bpm) were younger, more likely to be female, heavier, diabetic, and achieve
      lower metabolic equivalents (METS). Over a median of 4 years follow-up, there
      were 8,179 cases of incident hypertension. Compared to RHR <70 bpm, persons with
      RHR >85 bpm had increased risk of hypertension after adjustment for CHD risk
      factors, baseline blood pressure (BP), and METS (hazard ratio = 1.15 (95%
      confidence interval 1.08-1.23)). Age was an effect modifier (interaction P =
      0.02), whereas sex, race, and CHD were not. In age-stratified analyses the
      relationship remained significant only in those younger than 60 years.
      CONCLUSION: Elevated RHR is an independent risk factor for incident hypertension,
      particularly in younger persons. Whether lifestyle modification or other
      strategies to reduce RHR can prevent incident hypertension in high-risk
      individuals warrants further study.

PMID- 26112865
TI  - Pesticides Exposure and Cardiovascular Hemodynamic Parameters Among Male Workers
      Involved in Mosquito Control in East Coast of Malaysia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research findings have linked exposure to pesticides to an increased
      risk of cardiovascular (CVS) diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the
      impact of chronic mix-pesticides exposure on CVS hemodynamic parameters. METHODS:
      A total of 198 male Malay pesticide-exposed and 195 male Malay nonexposed workers
      were examined. Data were collected through exposure-matrix assessment,
      questionnaire, blood analyses, and CVS assessment. Explanatory variables
      comprised of lipid profiles, paraoxonase 1 (PON1), and oxidized low-density
      lipoprotein (ox-LDL). Outcome measures comprised of brachial and aortic diastolic
      blood pressure (DBP) and systolic BP (SBP), heart rate, and pulse wave velocity
      (PWV). Linear regressions identified the B coefficient showing how many units of
      CVS parameters are associated with each unit of covariates. RESULTS: Diazoxonase
      was significantly lower and ox-LDL was higher among pesticide-exposed workers
      than the comparison group. The final multivariate linear regression model
      revealed that age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, and pesticide exposure were
      independent predictors of brachial and aortic DBP and SBP. Pesticide exposure was
      also associated with heart rate, but not with PWV. Lipid profiles, PON1 enzymes,
      and ox-LDL showed no association with any of the CVS parameters. CONCLUSIONS:
      Chronic mix-pesticide exposure among workers involved in mosquito control has
      possible association with depression of diazoxonase and the increase in ox-LDL,
      brachial and aortic DBP and SBP, and heart rate. This study raises concerns that
      those using pesticides may be exposed to hitherto unrecognized CVS risks among
      others. If this is confirmed by further studies, greater efforts will be needed
      to protect these workers.

PMID- 26112866
TI  - Augmented Blood Pressure Variability in Hypertension Induced by Angiotensin II in
      Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Augmented blood pressure (BP) variability is associated with
      cardiovascular diseases in some clinical conditions including hypertension. Drugs
      that effectively reduce BP variability need to be identified, while few animal
      models are currently available to study BP variability. Here, we report that
      hypertension induced by continuous infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II) was
      accompanied by increased BP variability in rats. METHODS: Ang II was
      subcutaneously infused at a rate of 240 pmol/kg/min into male Wistar rats
      undergoing intraperitoneal implantation of a transmitter connected to an
      abdominal aortic catheter. BP was continuously monitored via a telemetry system
      before and after the Ang II infusion in a conscious, unrestrained condition. BP
      variability was evaluated by coefficient of variation (CV) of BP levels measured
      every 15 minutes. In addition, spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats
      (SHR and WKY) were subjected to the BP monitoring experiment at 15 weeks of age.
      RESULTS: Both systolic and diastolic BP levels were significantly elevated
      following the Ang II infusion. Similarly, CVs of systolic and diastolic BP in the
      Ang II infusion group were significantly higher than in the vehicle group upon 1
      and 2 weeks of the infusion. Meanwhile, CVs of systolic and diastolic BP of SHR
      were in a range similar to those of WKY despite significantly higher BP than in
      WKY. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension induced by the continuous infusion of Ang II was
      accompanied by augmented BP variability in rats, an effect assumed to be at least
      in part, independent of BP elevation.

PMID- 26112868
TI  - Location of the inferior oblique muscle origin with reference to the lacrimal
      caruncle and its significance in oculofacial surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify the location of the inferior oblique muscle (IOM) origin
      with reference to the lacrimal caruncle in order to facilitate safer oculofacial
      surgery by preventing morbidity associated with IOM injury. METHODS: Thirty-seven
      intact orbits of 20 embalmed Asian cadavers were dissected. The location of the
      medial border of the IOM origin was determined with respect to the apex of the
      lacrimal caruncle. In addition, the size of the IOM origin and the
      anteroposterior distance from the inferior orbital rim to the anterior border of
      the IOM origin were measured. RESULTS: The IOM origin was located at a mean
      distance of 1.2 mm lateral and 11.2 mm inferior to the apex of the lacrimal
      caruncle. In half of the orbits, the IOM origin was situated just on the vertical
      line through the apex of the lacrimal caruncle. The mean length and width of the
      IOM origin were 4.3 and 2.7 mm, respectively. The mean anteroposterior distance
      from the inferior orbital rim to the IOM origin was 1.9 mm. CONCLUSIONS: The
      lacrimal caruncle is easily identifiable and a reliable external landmark for
      prediction of the IOM origin. The IOM origin is located approximately where the
      vertical line through the apex of the lacrimal caruncle intersects the inferior
      orbital rim. The findings of this anatomical study of the exact location of the
      IOM origin can help to improve the safety of oculofacial surgery.

PMID- 26112867
TI  - Cumulative Effects of Several Target Organ Damages in Risk Assessment in
      Hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of screening multiple target organ damages
      (TODs) in hypertensive subjects has not been extensively studied. We estimated
      the prognostic value of considering 3 TODs in estimating the 10-year survival in
      hypertensive subjects. METHODS: At baseline 1,848 out of a cohort of 1,963
      hypertensive patients had a previous cardiovascular disease (CVD) or assessments
      of 3 TODs: Modification in Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) <60ml/min or albuminuria
      >300mg/day, Sokolow index >3.5 mV, and advanced hypertensive retinopathy (grades
      3 and 4 of Keith-Wagener-Barker classification). The cohort was divided into 5
      groups: 0 TOD (N = 978), 1 TOD (N = 308), 2 TODs (N = 94), 3 TODs (N = 30), and
      previous CVD (N = 438). RESULTS: After 10 years of follow-up, we observed 418
      deaths of which 254 from cardiovascular cause. The adjusted hazard ratios for the
      major cardiovascular risk factors showed a progressive risk associated with the
      number of TODs. For all-cause death, the hazard ratios [95% confidence intervals]
      vs. 0 TOD of the other 4 groups were 1.91 [1.39-2.63], 1.99 [1.28-3.10], 4.33
      [2.42-7.72], and 3.09 [2.35-4.05], respectively. For cardiovascular death, the
      hazard ratios [95% confidence intervals] were of the same order of magnitude:
      2.14 [1.38-3.32], 2.12 [1.15-3.89], 4.22 [1.83-9.72], and 4.24 [2.95-6.11],
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that hypertensive patients with
      several TODs had a worst outcome. Thus, it seems important to screen for multiple
      TODs in hypertension; especially check for severe hypertensive retinopathy in
      patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and renal damage.

PMID- 26112869
TI  - Invasive fungal disease of the sinus and orbit: a comparison between mucormycosis
      and Aspergillus.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Invasive fungal infections of the head and neck are rare life
      threatening infections where prompt diagnosis and intervention is critical for
      survival. The aim of this study is to determine the clinical characteristics and
      outcomes of invasive fungal disease of the sinus and orbit, and to compare
      mucormycosis and Aspergillus infection. METHODS: A retrospective review was
      conducted from a single tertiary care eye and ear hospital over 20 years (1994
      2014). Twenty-four patients with a confirmed pathological diagnosis of invasive
      fungal disease of the sinus and/or orbit were identified and their medical
      records were reviewed. The main outcome measures were type of fungus, location of
      disease, mortality and visual outcome. RESULTS: Patients with orbital involvement
      had a higher mortality and higher likelihood of mucormycosis infection compared
      with those with sinus-only disease (78.6% vs 20%, p=0.01; 86% vs 30%, p=0.01,
      respectively). Patients with mucormycosis had a higher mortality (71%) than
      patients with Aspergillus (29%); however, this was not statistically significant
      (p=0.16). All patients with orbital involvement and/or mucormycosis infections
      were immunosuppressed or had inadequately controlled diabetes, and had a cranial
      neuropathy or ocular motility dysfunction. All five post-transplant patients with
      orbital infections died, while the two transplant patients with sinus infections
      survived. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with orbital fungal infections are more likely to
      be infected with mucormycosis compared with Aspergillus and have a higher
      mortality compared with infections sparing the orbit. History of transplant
      portends a dismal prognosis in orbital infections. Invasive fungal disease should
      be considered in any immunocompromised patient presenting with a new cranial
      neuropathy or ocular motility abnormality.

PMID- 26112870
TI  - Ophthalmic statistics note 7: multiple hypothesis testing-to adjust or not to
      adjust.

PMID- 26112871
TI  - Glaucoma in Asia: regional prevalence variations and future projections.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate glaucoma prevalence and disease burden across Asian
      subregions from 2013 to 2040. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta
      analysis of 23 population-based studies of 1318 primary open angle glaucoma
      (POAG) cases in 66,800 individuals and 691 primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG)
      cases in 72,767 individuals in Asia. Regions in Asia were defined based on United
      Nations' (UN) classification of macro-geographic regions. PubMed, Medline and Web
      of Science databases were searched for population-based glaucoma prevalence
      studies using standardised criteria published to 31 December 2013. Pooled
      glaucoma prevalence for individuals aged 40-80 years was calculated using
      hierarchical Bayesian approaches. Prevalence differences by geographic subregion,
      subtype and habitation were examined with random effects meta-regression models.
      Estimates of individuals with glaucoma from 2013 to 2040 were based on the UN
      World Population Prospects. RESULTS: In 2013, pooled overall glaucoma prevalence
      was 3.54% (95% credible interval (CrI) 1.83 to 6.28). POAG (2.34%, 95% CrI 0.96
      to 4.55) predominated over PACG (0.73%, 95% CrI 0.18 to 1.96). With age and
      gender adjustment, PACG prevalence was higher in East than South East Asia (OR
      5.55, 95% CrI 1.52 to 14.73), and POAG prevalence was higher in urban than rural
      populations (OR 2.11, 95% CrI 1.57 to 2.38). From 2013 to 2040, South Central
      Asia will record the steepest increase in number of glaucoma individuals from
      17.06 million to 32.90 million compared with other Asian subregions. In 2040,
      South-Central Asia is also projected to overtake East Asia for highest overall
      glaucoma and POAG burden, while PACG burden remains highest in East Asia.
      CONCLUSIONS: Across the Asian subregions, there was greater glaucoma burden in
      South-Central and East Asia. Sustainable public health strategies to combat
      glaucoma in Asia are needed.

PMID- 26112872
TI  - Tumor necrosis factor-alpha enhances voltage-gated Na+ currents in primary
      culture of mouse cortical neurons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that TNF-alpha could activate voltage-gated
      Na(+) channels (VGSCs) in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Since TNF-alpha is
      implicated in many central nervous system (CNS) diseases, we examined potential
      effects of TNF-alpha on VGSCs in the CNS. METHODS: Effects of TNF-alpha (1-1000
      pg/mL, for 4-48 h) on VGSC currents were examined using whole-cell voltage clamp
      and current clamp techniques in primary culture of mouse cortical neurons.
      Expression of Nav1.1, Nav1.2, Nav1.3, and Nav1.6 were examined at both the mRNA
      and protein levels, prior to and after TNF-alpha exposure. RESULTS: TNF-alpha
      increased Na(+) currents by accelerating the activation of VGSCs. The threshold
      for action potential (AP) was decreased and firing rate were increased. VGSCs
      were up-regulated at both the mRNA and protein levels. The observed effects of
      TNF-alpha on Na(+) currents were inhibited by pre-incubation with the NF-kappaB
      inhibitor BAY 11-7082 (1 MUM) or the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK)
      inhibitor SB203580 (1 MUM). CONCLUSIONS: TNF-alpha increases Na(+) currents by
      accelerating the channel activation as well as increasing the expression of VGSCs
      in a mechanism dependent upon NF-kappaB and p38 MAPK signal pathways in CNS
      neurons.

PMID- 26112874
TI  - [Research with big data: the European perspective].
AB  - The article examines the impact that legislative developments in the European
      Union have had, still have and are continuing to have on cross-border access to
      microdata for research purposes. Therefore, we describe two competing aims: the
      tension between the ambitions of the EU to create a European Research Area within
      which research communities gain access to and share data across national
      boundaries; and the desire within the EU to establish a harmonious legislative
      framework that provides protection from the misuse of personal information. We
      attempt to examine which new developments at the EU level will have an impact
      upon research plans and the challenges researchers face when analysing big data. 

PMID- 26112873
TI  - A novel navigation template for fixation of acetabular posterior column fractures
      with antegrade lag screws: design and application.
AB  - PURPOSE: To test whether a novel guide template we designed can facilitate
      accurate insertion of antegrade lag screws in the fixation of acetabular
      posterior column fractures. METHODS: We created virtual three-dimensional
      reconstruction models of the pelvis from CT scan data obtained from 96 adult
      patients without any bony problems. A virtual cylindrical implant was placed
      along the longitudinal axis of the acetabular posterior column passing through
      the ischial tuberosity. The diameter of cylindrical implant was augmented to 6.5
      mm, and the direction was adjusted until the optimal screw path was found using
      the reverse engineering technique. The orifice of this cylinder from the iliac
      fossa was determined as the entry point for the antegrade lag screw. The
      anatomical parameters of the screw entry path were measured and saved in .stl
      format. The guide template was designed according to the acetabular morphology
      and the measured anatomical parameters before it was put into manufacture of a
      solid template with the rapid prototyping technique. The feasibility and accuracy
      of the guide template were tested in cadaveric pelvises. Finally, the guide
      template was used in real surgery for five patients. Furthermore, the time
      required for surgery was recorded. RESULTS: Under the guide of this navigation
      template, antegrade lag screws were successfully placed in the posterior column
      of the acetabulum in the cadaveric test. And five lag screws were successfully
      placed in five patients. The mean time of antegrade lag screw insertion required
      5.8 (3-10) min. CONCLUSIONS: Antegrade lag screws can be more accurately put into
      the posterior column of the acetabulum with the help of this navigation template.

PMID- 26112875
TI  - [Laboratory practices: diagnostics and antibiotics resistance testing of
      Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Germany].
AB  - Recent years have seen a world-wide increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in
      cases of infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG). NG infection is not
      notifiable in Germany and there is a lack of information available about the
      spread and AMR of NG infections. The objective of the study was to provide
      information on diagnostic methods and AMR testing in cases of NG infections in
      German laboratories. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in Germany between
      June and August 2013 using an online questionnaire. Laboratories performing NG
      diagnostics were identified and described with regard to the diagnostic methods
      used, the number of tests performed, the antibiotics tested and the AMR observed,
      in addition to general laboratory information. In total, 188 of the 521
      participating laboratories performed NG diagnostics; these were included in the
      further statistical analysis. 92.6 % of the 188 laboratories performed culture. A
      median of 60 (IQR 15-270) samples per quarter (SPQ) were tested, with an overall
      positivity rate of 4.1 and 6.9 % among men. Most (82.1 %) of the 151 laboratories
      performing NG culture tested for AMR as well. The most frequently tested
      antibiotics were ciprofloxacin (94.8 %), penicillin (93.1 %), doxycycline (70.0
      %) and ceftriaxone (67.2 %). The most frequently observed AMR ever were those
      against ciprofloxacin (87.1 %), penicillin (78.3 %), doxycycline (56.6 %) and
      azithromycin (35.1 %; all percentages refer to laboratories). The laboratories
      used different standards regarding susceptibility criteria. The emergence and
      spread of AMR shows that it is crucial to assess and monitor the scope and trends
      of multidrug-resistant gonorrhea. The data collected on diagnostic methods and
      AMR testing in cases of NG infections in German laboratories constitute an
      important basis for future monitoring. 

PMID- 26112876
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26112877
TI  - Molecular Cytogenetic Analysis of Cucumis Wild Species Distributed in Southern
      Africa: Physical Mapping of 5S and 45S rDNA with DAPI.
AB  - Wild Cucumis species have been divided into Australian/Asian and African groups
      using morphological and phylogenetic characteristics, and new species have been
      described recently. No molecular cytogenetic information is available for most of
      these species. The crossability between 5 southern African Cucumis species (C.
      africanus, C. anguria, C. myriocarpus, C. zeyheri, and C. heptadactylus) has been
      reported; however, the evolutionary relationship among them is still unclear.
      Here, a molecular cytogenetic analysis using FISH with 5S and 45 S ribosomal DNA
      (rDNA) was used to investigate these Cucumis species based on sets of rDNA
      bearing chromosomes (rch) types I, II and III. The molecular cytogenetic and
      phylogenetic results suggested that at least 2 steps of chromosomal
      rearrangements may have occurred during the evolution of tetraploid C.
      heptadactylus. In step 1, an additional 45 S rDNA site was observed in the
      chromosome (type III). In particular, C. myriocarpus had a variety of rch sets.
      Our results suggest that chromosomal rearrangements may have occurred in the 45 S
      rDNA sites. We propose that polyploid evolution occurred in step 2. This study
      provides insights into the chromosomal characteristics of African Cucumis species
      and contributes to the understanding of chromosomal evolution in this genus.

PMID- 26112878
TI  - Within-herd prevalence thresholds for the detection of Mycobacterium avium
      subspecies paratuberculosis-positive dairy herds using boot swabs and liquid
      manure samples.
AB  - The control of Johne's disease requires the identification of Mycobacterium avium
      ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP)-positive herds. Boot swabs and liquid manure samples
      have been suggested as an easy-to-use alternative to sampling individual animals
      in order to diagnose subclinical Johne's disease at the herd level, but there is
      a need to evaluate performance of this approach in the field. Using a logistic
      regression model, this study aimed to calculate the threshold level of the
      apparent within-herd prevalence as determined by individual faecal culture, thus
      allowing the detection of whether a herd is MAP positive. A total of 77 boot
      swabs and 75 liquid manure samples were taken from 19 certified negative and 58
      positive dairy herds. Faecal culture, three different polymerase chain reaction
      (PCR) methods and the combination of faecal culture with PCR were applied in
      order to detect MAP. For 50% probability of detection, a within-herd prevalence
      threshold of 1.5% was calculated for testing both matrices simultaneously by
      faecal culture and PCR, with the threshold increased to 4.0% for 90% probability
      of detection. The results encourage the use of boot swabs or liquid manure
      samples, or a combination both, for identifying MAP-positive herds and, to a
      certain extent, for monitoring certified Johne's disease-negative cattle herds. 

PMID- 26112879
TI  - Interaction between Common Genetic Variants and Total Fat Intake on Low-Density
      Lipoprotein Peak Particle Diameter: A Genome-Wide Association Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Total fat intake has an important impact on the low-density
      lipoprotein (LDL) peak particle diameter (LDL-PPD) and may interact with nutrient
      sensitive single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The objective was to examine
      whether there is suggestive evidence of SNP * dietary fat intake interaction
      effects influencing the LDL-PPD in the Quebec Family Study (QFS) in order to
      generate hypotheses to be tested in larger studies. METHODS: SNPs from a genome
      wide association study (GWAS) using Illumina Human610-Quad BeadChip, total fat
      intake derived from a 3-day weighted food record, and SNP * total fat intake
      interaction effects were examined on LDL-PPD in 541 QFS subjects. RESULTS: The
      GWAS analyses 29 identified independent SNP * total fat intake interaction
      effects on the LDL-PPD at p < 10(-5), including SNPs in the following genes:
      ABCG2, CPA3, FNBP1, KCNQ3, NBAS, NCALD, OPRL1, NKAIN2, SH3BGRL2, SOX5, and SUSD4.
      CONCLUSIONS: This observational study suggests that multiple SNPs interact with
      dietary fat intake to influence variation in the LDL-PPD.

PMID- 26112880
TI  - [Is there an autism epidemic?].

PMID- 26112881
TI  - Genetic mechanisms of parenting.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". The complexities of
      parenting behavior in humans have been studied for decades. Only recently did we
      begin to probe the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying these
      complexities. Much of the research in this field continues to be informed by
      animal studies, where genetic manipulations and invasive tools allow to peek into
      and directly observe the brain during the expression of maternal behavior. In
      humans, studies of adult twins who are parents can suggest dimensions of
      parenting that might be more amenable to a genetic influence. Candidate gene
      studies can test specific genes in association with parental behavior based on
      prior knowledge of those genes' function. Gene-by-environment interactions of a
      specific kind indicating differential susceptibility to the environment might
      explain why some parents are more resilient and others are more vulnerable to
      stressful life events. Epigenetic studies can provide the bridge often necessary
      to explain why some individuals behave differently from others despite common
      genetic influences. There is a much-needed expansion in parenting research to
      include not only mothers as the focus-as has been the case almost exclusively to
      date-but also fathers, grandparents, and other caregivers. 

PMID- 26112882
TI  - Deconstructing the function of maternal stimulation in offspring development:
      Insights from the artificial rearing model in rats.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue on "Parental Care". Maternal behavior has
      an important function in stimulating adequate growth and development of the
      young. Several approaches have been used in primates and rodents to deconstruct
      and examine the influence of specific components of maternal stimulation on
      offspring development. These approaches include observational studies of typical
      mother-infant interactions and studies of the effects of intermittent or complete
      deprivation of maternal contact. In this review, we focus on one unique approach
      using rats that enables the complete control of maternal variables by means of
      rearing rat pups artificially without contact with the mother or litter, while
      maintaining stable nutrition, temperature and exposure to stressful stimuli. This
      artificial rearing model permits the removal and controlled replacement of
      relevant maternal and litter stimuli and has contributed valuable insights
      regarding the influence of these stimuli on various developmental outcomes. It
      also enables the analysis of factors implicated in social isolation itself and
      their long-term influence. We provide an overview of the effects of artificial
      rearing on behavior, physiology, and neurobiology, including the influence of
      replacing maternal tactile stimulation and littermate contact on these outcomes.
      We then discuss the relevance of these effects in terms of the maternal role in
      regulating different aspects of offspring development and implications for human
      research. We emphasize that artificial rearing of rats does not lead to a global
      insult of nervous system development, making this paradigm useful in
      investigating specific developmental effects associated with maternal
      stimulation. 

PMID- 26112883
TI  - Combinatorial Sec pathway analysis for improved heterologous protein secretion in
      Bacillus subtilis: identification of bottlenecks by systematic gene
      overexpression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Secretory expression of valuable proteins by B. subtilis and its
      related species has attracted intensive work over the past three decades.
      Although very high yields can be achieved with homologous proteins, production of
      heterologous proteins by B. subtilis is unfortunately not the straight forward.
      The Sec pathway is the major route for protein secretion in B. subtilis.
      Therefore, the aim of this work was to identify the bottlenecks of the Sec
      pathway and improve the secretion of heterologous proteins by molecular genetic
      techniques. RESULTS: Two alpha-amylases (AmyL and AmyS) both under the control of
      the P(HpaII) promoter and equipped with their native signal peptides SP(amyl) and
      SP(amyS) were successfully secreted with significantly different expression
      levels. To improve the secretion efficiency, 23 main genes or gene operons
      involved in or closely related to the Sec pathway were overexpressed singly by
      increasing an additional copy on the chromosome, and the overexpression of prsA
      enhanced the production of alpha-amylases (AmyL and AmyS) by 3.2- and 5.5-fold,
      respectively. With the induction by xylose of different concentrations, prsA
      overexpression level was optimized and the secretion efficiency of alpha-amylase
      was further improved. Moreover, combinatorial overexpression of prsA and nine
      screened genes or gene operons, respectively, was performed, and the
      overexpression of prsA combined with partial dnaK operon improved the alpha
      amylase activity of AmyL and AmyS by 160 and 173%, respectively, compared with
      the overexpression of prsA singly. Finally, the performance of the recombinant B.
      subtilis 1A237 was evaluated with the fed-batch fermentation in 7.5 L fermentor,
      and the level of secreted AmyL and AmyS reached 1,352 and 2,300 U/mL with the
      productivity of 16.1 U/mL h and 27.4 U/mL h, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      systematic gene overexpression approach was designed to investigate the
      bottleneck of Sec pathway in B. subtilis. The deficiency of PrsA lipoprotein and
      chaperones of DnaK series was main rate-limiting factors for heterologous
      proteins secretion. Systematic and deep insight into how components of Sec
      pathway interact with each other may be the key to improving the yield of
      heterologous proteins thoroughly.

PMID- 26112884
TI  - Modeling Suggests TRPC3 Hydrogen Bonding and Not Phosphorylation Contributes to
      the Ataxia Phenotype of the Moonwalker Mouse.
AB  - A gain-of-function mutation (T635A) in the transient receptor potential (TRP)
      channel TRPC3 results in abnormal channel gating and causes cerebellar ataxia in
      the dominant Moonwalker (Mwk) mouse mutant. However, the underlying molecular and
      structural mechanisms are unclear. Here, we used a combined approach of
      computational modeling and functional characterization of proposed TRPC3 mutants.
      Our findings support a mechanism by which the hydrogen bonding capability of
      threonine 635 plays a significant role in maintaining a stable, closed state
      channel. This capability is lost in the Mwk mutant, suggesting a structural basis
      for the disease-causing phenotype in the Mwk mouse.

PMID- 26112887
TI  - Pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease.
AB  - Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects. Major advances in
      open-heart surgery have led to rapidly evolving cohorts of adult survivors and
      the majority of affected women now survive to childbearing age. The risk of
      cardiovascular complications during pregnancy and peripartum depends on the type
      of the underlying defect, the extent and severity of residual haemodynamic
      lesions and comorbidities. Careful individualized, multi-disciplinary pre
      pregnancy risk assessment and counselling, including assessment of risks in the
      offspring and estimation on long-term outcomes of the underlying heart defect,
      will enable informed decision making. Depending on the estimated risks, a careful
      follow-up plan during pregnancy as well as a detailed plan for delivery and
      postpartum care can reduce the risks and should be made by the multi-disciplinary
      team. 

PMID- 26112886
TI  - Potent peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha agonist treatment
      increases cholesterol efflux capacity in humans with the metabolic syndrome.
AB  - AIMS: Fibrate medications weakly stimulate the nuclear receptor peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha) and are currently employed
      clinically in patients with dyslipidaemia. The potent and selective agonist of
      PPAR-alpha LY518674 is known to substantially increase apolipoprotein A-I (apoA
      I) turnover without major impact on steady-state levels of apoA-I or high-density
      lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). We sought to determine whether therapy with a
      PPAR-alpha agonist impacts cholesterol efflux capacity, a marker of HDL function.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Cholesterol efflux capacity was measured at baseline and
      after 8 weeks of therapy in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving
      participants with metabolic syndrome treated with either LY518674 100 MUg daily
      (n = 13) or placebo (n = 15). Efflux capacity assessment was quantified using a
      previously validated ex vivo assay that measures the ability of apolipoprotein-B
      depleted plasma to mobilize cholesterol from macrophages. LY518674 led to a 15.7%
      increase from baseline (95% CI 3.3-28.1%; P = 0.02, P vs. placebo = 0.01) in
      efflux capacity. The change in apoA-I production rate in the active treatment arm
      was strongly linked to change in cholesterol efflux capacity (r = 0.67, P =
      0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Potent stimulation of PPAR-alpha leads to accelerated
      turnover of apoA-I and an increase in cholesterol efflux capacity in metabolic
      syndrome patients despite no change in HDL-C or apoA-I levels. This finding
      reinforces the notion that changes in HDL-C levels may poorly predict impact on
      functionality and thus has implications for ongoing pharmacologic efforts to
      enhance apoA-I metabolism.

PMID- 26112888
TI  - Coronary vascular regulation, remodelling, and collateralization: mechanisms and
      clinical implications on behalf of the working group on coronary pathophysiology
      and microcirculation.

PMID- 26112885
TI  - Intra-operative defibrillation testing and clinical shock efficacy in patients
      with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators: the NORDIC ICD randomized clinical
      trial.
AB  - AIMS: This trial was designed to test the hypothesis that shock efficacy during
      follow-up is not impaired in patients implanted without defibrillation (DF)
      testing during first implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Between February 2011 and July 2013, 1077 patients were
      randomly assigned (1 : 1) to first time ICD implantation with (n = 540) or
      without (n = 537) DF testing. The intra-operative DF testing was standardized
      across all participating centres, and all ICD shocks were programmed to 40 J
      irrespective of DF test results. The primary end point was the average first
      shock efficacy (FSE) for all true ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation
      (VT/VF) episodes during follow-up. The secondary end points included procedural
      data, serious adverse events, and mortality. During a median follow-up of 22.8
      months, the model-based FSE was found to be non-inferior in patients with an ICD
      implanted without a DF test, with a difference in FSE of 3.0% in favour of the no
      DF test [confidence interval (CI) -3.0 to 9.0%, Pnon-inferiority <0.001 for the
      pre-defined non-inferiority margin of -10%). A total of 112 procedure-related
      serious adverse events occurred within 30 days in 94 patients (17.6%) tested
      compared with 89 events in 74 patients (13.9%) not tested (P = 0.095).
      CONCLUSION: Defibrillation efficacy during follow-up is not inferior in patients
      with a 40 J ICD implanted without DF testing. Defibrillation testing during first
      time ICD implantation should no longer be recommended for routine left-sided ICD
      implantation.

PMID- 26112889
TI  - Protective effects of sirtuins in cardiovascular diseases: from bench to bedside.
AB  - Sirtuins (Sirt1-Sirt7) comprise a family of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
      (NAD(+))-dependent enzymes. While deacetylation reflects their main task, some of
      them have deacylase, adenosine diphosphate-ribosylase, demalonylase, glutarylase,
      and desuccinylase properties. Activated upon caloric restriction and exercise,
      they control critical cellular processes in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and
      mitochondria to maintain metabolic homeostasis, reduce cellular damage and dampen
      inflammation-all of which serve to protect against a variety of age-related
      diseases, including cardiovascular pathologies. This review focuses on the
      cardiovascular effects of Sirt1, Sirt3, Sirt6, and Sirt7. Most is known about
      Sirt1. This deacetylase protects from endothelial dysfunction, atherothrombosis,
      diet-induced obesity, type 2 diabetes, liver steatosis, and myocardial
      infarction. Sirt3 provides beneficial effects in the context of left ventricular
      hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy, oxidative stress, metabolic homeostasis, and
      dyslipidaemia. Sirt6 is implicated in ameliorating dyslipidaemia, cellular
      senescence, and left ventricular hypertrophy. Sirt7 plays a role in lipid
      metabolism and cardiomyopathies. Most of these data were derived from
      experimental findings in genetically modified mice, where NFkappaB, Pcsk9, low
      density lipoprotein-receptor, PPARgamma, superoxide dismutase 2, poly[adenosine
      diphosphate-ribose] polymerase 1, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase were
      identified among others as crucial molecular targets and/or partners of sirtuins.
      Of note, there is translational evidence for a role of sirtuins in patients with
      endothelial dysfunction, type 1 or type 2 diabetes and longevity. Given the
      availability of specific Sirt1 activators or pan-sirtuin activators that boost
      levels of the sirtuin cofactor NAD+, we anticipate that this field will move
      quickly from bench to bedside.

PMID- 26112891
TI  - Dissemination via the lymphatic or angiogenic route impacts the pathology,
      microenvironment and hypoxia-related drug response of lung metastases.
AB  - Complications associated with the development of lung metastases have a
      detrimental effect on the overall survival rate of many cancer patients.
      Preclinical models that mimic the clinical aspects of lung metastases are an
      important tool in developing new therapy options for these patients. The commonly
      used intravenous models only recapitulate dissemination of cancer cells to the
      lungs via the haematological route. Here we compared spontaneous and intravenous
      lung metastases of the highly metastatic KHT mouse fibrosarcoma cells after
      injecting KHT cells into the subcutaneous layer of the skin or directly into the
      tail vein. In contrast to the intravenous model, metastases spontaneously arising
      from the subcutaneous tumours disseminated most consistent with the lymph
      nodes/lymphatics route and were more hypoxic than the metastases observed
      following tail-vein administration and haematological spread. To ascertain
      whether this impacted on drug response, we tested the effectiveness of the
      hypoxia-sensitive cytotoxin AQ4N (Banoxantrone) in both models. AQ4N was more
      effective as an anti-metastatic drug in mice with subcutaneous KHT tumours,
      significantly reducing the metastatic score. Complementing the KHT studies,
      pathology studies in additional models of spontaneous lung metastases showed
      haematological (HCT116 intrasplenic implant) or mixed haematological/lymphatic
      (B16 intradermal implant) spread. These data suggest that preclinical models can
      demonstrate differing, clinically relevant dissemination patterns, and that
      careful selection of preclinical models is required when evaluating new
      strategies for targeting metastatic disease. 

PMID- 26112890
TI  - Risk of hospitalization for heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes newly
      treated with DPP-4 inhibitors or other oral glucose-lowering medications: a
      retrospective registry study on 127,555 patients from the Nationwide OsMed Health
      DB Database.
AB  - AIMS: Oral glucose-lowering medications are associated with excess risk of heart
      failure (HF). Given the absence of comparative data among drug classes, we
      performed a retrospective study in 32 Health Services of 16 Italian regions
      accounting for a population of 18 million individuals, to assess the association
      between HF risk and use of sulphonylureas, DPP-4i, and glitazones. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: We extracted data on patients with type 2 diabetes who initiated
      treatment with DPP-4i, thiazolidinediones, or sulphonylureas alone or in
      combination with metformin during an accrual time of 2 years. The endpoint was
      hospitalization for HF (HHF) occurring after the first 6 months of therapy, and
      the observation was extended for up to 4 years. A total of 127 555 patients were
      included, of whom 14.3% were on DPP-4i, 72.5% on sulphonylurea, 13.2% on
      thiazolidinediones, with average 70.7% being on metformin as combination therapy.
      Patients in the three groups differed significantly for baseline characteristics:
      age, sex, Charlson index, concurrent medications, and previous cardiovascular
      events. During an average 2.6-year follow-up, after adjusting for measured
      confounders, use of DPP-4i was associated with a reduced risk of HHF compared
      with sulphonylureas [hazard ratio (HR) 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62
      0.97; P = 0.026]. After propensity matching, the analysis was restricted to 39
      465 patients, and the use of DPP-4i was still associated with a lower risk of HHF
      (HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.52-0.94; P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: In a very large observational
      study, the use of DPP-4i was associated with a reduced risk of HHF when compared
      with sulphonylureas.

PMID- 26112892
TI  - Biochemical characterization of FIKK8--A unique protein kinase from the malaria
      parasite Plasmodium falciparum and other apicomplexans.
AB  - FIKKs are protein kinases with distinctive sequence motifs found exclusively in
      Apicomplexa. Here, we report on the biochemical characterization of Plasmodium
      falciparum FIKK8 (PfFIKK8) and its Cryptosporidium parvum orthologue (CpFIKK) -
      the only member of the family predicted to be cytosolic and conserved amongst non
      Plasmodium parasites. Recombinant protein samples of both were catalytically
      active. We characterized their phosphorylation ability using an enzymatic assay
      and substrate specificities using an arrayed positional scanning peptide library.
      Our results show that FIKK8 targets serine, preferably with arginine in the +3
      and -3 positions. Furthermore, the soluble and active FIKK constructs in our
      experiments contained an N-terminal extension (NTE) conserved in FIKK8
      orthologues from other apicomplexan species. Based on our results, we propose
      that this NTE is an integral feature of the FIKK subfamily. 

PMID- 26112893
TI  - Plasma pharmacokinetics of ceftiofur metabolite desfuroylceftiofur cysteine
      disulfide in holstein steers: application of nonlinear mixed-effects modeling.
AB  - Eight clinically normal and drug-naive Holstein steers were dosed with ceftiofur
      sodium at 2.2 mg/kg body weight intramuscularly. Doses were given at 24-h
      intervals for 5 days. Prior to the first dose and after all injections, blood
      samples were collected serially for determination of plasma concentrations of one
      of ceftiofur's main metabolites, desfuroylceftiofur cysteine disulfide (DCCD). A
      nonlinear mixed-effect model was used to analyze the plasma concentration data. A
      stochastic approximation expectation maximization (SAEM) algorithm in MONOLIX
      version 4.2.2 was used to approximate the likelihood of the nonlinear mixed
      effect model and to estimate the population parameters. In addition, simulation
      studies were conducted to justify the model and demonstrate how to interpret the
      model parameters given different scenarios. 

PMID- 26112895
TI  - Testes transcriptome profiles of the anadromous fish Coilia nasus during the
      onset of spermatogenesis.
AB  - RNA-Seq technology has been widely applied to transcriptomics, genomics and
      functional gene study. Here, we performed de novo transcriptome sequencing to
      produce 23,842,172 clean reads representing a total of 4,815,798,404 (4.8 Gb)
      nucleotides from comprehensive transcript dataset for testis of Coilia nasus.
      Over 20 million Illumina reads were assembled into 194,636 unigenes, and 42,642
      annotated genes were predicted by Blastx and ESTScan, respectively. Applying
      Blast analysis and functional annotation (e.g., GO, COG, SwissProt and KEGG)
      using the assembled gene models from catalogs of other species, we have sampled
      an extensive and diverse expressed gene catalog for C. nasus representing a large
      proportion of the genes involved in the onset of spermatogenesis. The results
      will provide a general clue to the potential spermatogenesis molecular mechanisms
      for this species.

PMID- 26112894
TI  - Supplementation of tributyrin improves the growth and intestinal digestive and
      barrier functions in intrauterine growth-restricted piglets.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) neonates suffer from
      growth restriction. Tributyrin (TB), a pro-drug of butyrate, can facilitate the
      growth of animals. This study was to investigate the effects of TB
      supplementation on the growth of IUGR neonatal piglets. METHODS: Sixteen IUGR and
      8 NBW (normal body weight) neonatal piglets were chosen, weaned at 7th day and
      fed basic milk diets (NBW and IUGR group) or the basic diets supplemented with
      0.1% tributyrin (IT group, IUGR piglets fed with tributyrin) until day 21 (n =
      8). The body weights of the piglets on days 0, 7, 10, 14, 17, and 20 were
      measured. The digestive enzyme activity, intestinal morphology, immunoglobulin
      levels and gene expression of IgG, FcRn and GPR41 in the small intestines were
      analyzed. RESULTS: The body weights of the piglets in the IUGR and IT group were
      similar, and both were lower than the NBW group on days 10 and 14. However, after
      day 17, the IT group exhibited improved (P < 0.05) body weights compared to that
      of the IUGR group. The piglets were sacrificed on day 21. Compared with the NBW
      piglets, IUGR impaired the development of immune organs and small intestines,
      impaired the intestinal villus morphology, decreased (P < 0.05) most of the
      tested intestinal digestive enzyme activities, decreased (P < 0.05) the ileal
      sIgA and IgG levels, and down-regulated (P < 0.05) the intestinal IgG and GPR41
      expression. Piglets in the IT group exhibited a better-developed (P < 0.05)
      spleen and small intestines, improved intestinal villus morphology, increased (P
      < 0.05) intestinal villus surface areas, enhanced (P < 0.05) digestive enzyme
      activities, and up-regulated (P < 0.05) expression of IgG and GPR41 mRNA compared
      to those of the IUGR group. CONCLUSIONS: TB supplementation improves the growth
      and the intestinal digestive and barrier functions in IUGR piglets during the
      suckling period.

PMID- 26112896
TI  - A first insight into the spleen transcriptome of the notothenioid fish
      Lepidonotothen nudifrons: Resource description and functional overview.
AB  - In this study, we describe a de novo sequencing and assembly of the spleen
      transcriptome of Lepidonotothen nudifrons, a notothenioid fish widely distributed
      around the Antarctic Peninsula and the Scotia Arc. Sequences were generated on an
      Illumina MiSeq system and assembled to a total of 112,477 transcripts. Putative
      functional annotation was possible for more than 34% of the transcripts. This
      data will be relevant for future studies targeting the erythrocyte turnover,
      oxygen transport mechanism and immune system, which are key functional traits to
      investigate cold adaptation and thermal sensitivity of Antarctic notothenioids. 

PMID- 26112897
TI  - RNA-Seq-based transcriptome analysis of Korean rose bitterling (Rhodeus uyekii)
      exposed to synthetic estrogen 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2).
AB  - The potential impact of natural and synthetic estrogens on aquatic ecosystems has
      become a subject of great interest in recent years. One synthetic estrogen, 17
      alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2), is present in municipal sewage discharges and
      causes gonad alterations in various fish species. To understand the possible
      damage caused by EE2, male Rhodeus uyekii were exposed to 100 ng/L EE2 for 7
      days. RNA-Seq was performed to assess the effects of EE2 on gene expression in
      hepatic and skin tissues. The analysis revealed that EE2 induced the expression
      of various genes, including sex hormone genes, anti-Mullerian hormone,
      vitellogenin, and estrogen receptor alpha; cancer genes, breast cancer anti
      estrogen resistance protein 3, caveolin 2, and Smad2; and apoptotic genes, p53,
      Bcl-2, TNF-alpha, and WDR36. These results suggest that the synthetic estrogen
      EE2 disturbs the endocrine system and regulates both carcinogenic and apoptotic
      gene expressions in R. uyekii.

PMID- 26112899
TI  - Transitioning home: A four-stage reintegration hospital discharge program for
      adolescents hospitalized for eating disorders.
AB  - PURPOSE: Treatment for adolescents with eating disorders (ED) is multidimensional
      and extends after hospitalization. After participating in a four-step
      reintegration plan, treatment success including post-discharge community and
      social reintegration were examined from perspectives of patients, family members,
      and healthcare providers. DESIGN AND METHODS: Six pairs of patients and parents,
      and seven parents without their children were interviewed 2 to 30 months
      following discharge. RESULTS: All but two adolescents were enrolled in, or had
      completed school. Five worked in addition to school, and three completed army or
      national service. Twelve were receiving therapeutic care in the community.
      PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Adolescents with ED can benefit from a systematic
      reintegration program, and nurses should incorporate this into care plans.

PMID- 26112898
TI  - Imaging-based screening: maximizing benefits and minimizing harms.
AB  - Advanced imaging technologies play a central role in screening asymptomatic
      patients. However, the balance between imaging-based screening's potential
      benefits versus risks is sometimes unclear. Radiologists will have to address
      ongoing concerns, including high false-positive rates, incidental findings
      outside the organ of interest, overdiagnosis, and potential risks from radiation
      exposure. In this article, we provide a brief overview of these recurring
      controversies and suggest the following as areas that radiologists should focus
      on in order to tip the balance toward more benefits and less harms for patients
      undergoing imaging-based screening: interpretive variability, abnormal finding
      thresholds, and personalized, risk-based screening. 

PMID- 26112900
TI  - Inactivation of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases by Peracids Correlates with the
      Hydrocarbon Chain Length.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Protein tyrosine phosphatases are crucial enzymes controlling
      numerous physiological and pathophysiological events and can be regulated by
      oxidation of the catalytic domain cysteine residue. Peracids are highly oxidizing
      compounds, and thus may induce inactivation of PTPs. The aim of the present study
      was to evaluate the inhibitory effect of peracids with different length of
      hydrocarbon chain on the activity of selected PTPs. METHODS: The enzymatic
      activity of human CD45, PTP1B, LAR, bacterial YopH was assayed under the cell
      free conditions, and activity of cellular CD45 in human Jurkat cell lysates. The
      molecular docking and molecular dynamics were performed to evaluate the peracids
      binding to the CD45 active site. RESULTS: Here we demonstrate that peracids
      reduce enzymatic activity of recombinant CD45, PTP1B, LAR, YopH and cellular
      CD45. Our studies indicate that peracids are more potent inhibitors of CD45 than
      hydrogen peroxide (with an IC50 value equal to 25 nM for peroctanoic acid and 8
      uM for hydrogen peroxide). The experimental data show that the inactivation
      caused by peracids is dependent on hydrocarbon chain length of peracids with
      maximum inhibitory effect of medium-chain peracids (C8-C12 acyl chain), which
      correlates with calculated binding affinities to the CD45 active site.
      CONCLUSION: Peracids are potent inhibitors of PTPs with the strongest inhibitory
      effect observed for medium-chain peracids.

PMID- 26112901
TI  - Correlation between senescence-associated beta-galactosidase expression in
      articular cartilage and disease severity of patients with knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - AIM: The purposes of this study were to investigate senescence-associated beta
      galactosidase (SA-beta-Gal) levels in articular cartilage of knee osteoarthritis
      (OA) and the relationship with severity of the disease. METHODS: All the 50
      cartilage tissues, including normal (controls) and OA cartilage were ascribed to
      four groups of normal, mild lesions, moderate lesions and severe lesions on the
      basis of the modified Mankin score. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess the
      SA-beta-Gal expression in articular cartilage. RESULTS: No SA-beta-Gal staining
      was observed in the normal articular cartilage samples. SA-beta-Gal staining was
      found in a subset of the chondrocytes close to the lesion site of mild, moderate
      and severe damaged knee OA cartilage. The percentage of SA-beta-Gal-positive
      chondrocytes in articular cartilage was 0% in controls, 13.00 +/- 5.77% in mild
      lesions, 31.65 +/- 6.91% in moderate lesions and 51.95 +/- 6.21% in severe
      lesions. SA-beta-Gal expression in mild lesions, moderate lesions and severe
      lesions was higher compared with that of controls (P < 0.0001). SA-beta-Gal
      expression in moderate lesions and severe lesions were higher with respect to
      mild lesion samples (P < 0.0001). SA-beta-Gal expression in severe lesions was
      elevated compared with those of moderate lesions (P < 0.0001). Subsequent
      analysis showed that articular cartilage SA-beta-Gal levels correlated with
      severity of disease (Spearman's rho = 0.94, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: SA-beta-Gal
      expression in articular cartilage is associated with progressive knee OA joint
      damage and is a potential indictor of disease severity.

PMID- 26112902
TI  - The combined treatment with novel platinum(II) complex and anti-MUC1 increases
      apoptotic response in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
AB  - New strategy of cancer's targeting treatment is combining monoclonal antibodies
      with chemotherapeutic agents. An important goal of targeted therapy appears to be
      a transmembrane glycoprotein type I-mucin 1 (MUC1), which is overexpressed in
      tumors of epithelial origin, especially in breast cancer. The goal of the study
      was to check the effect of monoclonal antibody against MUC1 with novel
      platinum(II) complex (Pt12) on selected aspects of apoptosis in human MDA-MB-231
      breast cancer cells. The number of apoptotic and necrotic cells was measured
      using annexin V binding assay. The decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential
      (MMP) and DNA fragmentation was analyzed. Finally, the influence of novel
      platinum(II) complex (Pt12) used with anti-MUC1 on the concentration of selected
      markers of apoptosis such as Bax, caspase-8, -9, and caspase-3 was performed
      using ELISA. The results from combined treatment were compared with those
      obtained using monotherapy. In our study, we proved that anti-MUC1 used in
      combination with Pt12 strongly induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell
      line. The effect was stronger than treatment with Pt12, cisplatin, anti-MUC1, and
      anti-MUC1 used with cisplatin. We also observed the highest decrease of MMP and
      the strongest DNA fragmentation after such a combined treatment. The results
      obtained from ELISA showed increased concentration of Bax, caspases-8, -9, -3
      compared to monotherapy. Our study proved that Pt12 together with anti-MUC1
      strongly induced apoptosis in estrogen-negative breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB
      231). The apoptosis may go through extrinsic pathway associated with caspase-8 as
      well as intrinsic pathway connected with caspase-9. 

PMID- 26112903
TI  - Angiotensin II directly impairs adipogenic differentiation of human preadipose
      cells.
AB  - Angiotensin II reduces adipogenic differentiation of preadipose cells present in
      the stroma-vascular fraction of human adipose tissue, which also includes several
      cell types. Because of the ability of non-adipose lineage cells in the stroma
      vascular fraction to respond to angiotensin II, it is not possible to
      unequivocally ascribe the anti-adipogenic response to a direct effect of this
      hormone on preadipose cells. Therefore, we used the human Simpson-Golabi-Behmel
      syndrome (SGBS) preadipocyte cell strain to investigate the consequences of
      angiotensin II treatment on adipogenic differentiation under serum-free
      conditions, by assessing expression of typical adipocyte markers perilipin and
      fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), at the transcript and protein level.
      Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed that perilipin and FABP4
      transcripts were, respectively, reduced to 0.33 +/- 0.07 (P < 0.05) and 0.41 +/-
      0.19-fold (P < 0.05) in SGBS cells induced to adipogenic differentiation in the
      presence of angiotensin II. Western Blot analysis corroborated reduction of the
      corresponding proteins to 0.23 +/- 0.21 (P < 0.01) and 0.46 +/- 0.30-fold (P <
      0.01) the respective controls without angiotensin II. Angiotensin II also
      impaired morphological changes associated with early adipogenesis. Hence, we
      demonstrated that angiotensin II is able to directly reduce adipogenic
      differentiation of SGBS preadipose cells. 

PMID- 26112904
TI  - Synergistic anticancer effects of combined gamma-tocotrienol and oridonin
      treatment is associated with the induction of autophagy.
AB  - gamma-Tocotrienol and oridonin are natural phytochemicals that display potent
      anticancer activity. Studies showed that combined treatment with subeffective
      doses of gamma-tocotrienol with oridonin resulted in synergistic autophagic and
      apoptotic effects in malignant +SA, but not normal CL-S1 mouse mammary epithelial
      cells in vitro. Specifically, combined treatment with low doses of gamma
      tocotrienol (8 uM) and oridonin (2 uM) for 24 h resulted in synergistic
      inhibition of +SA mammary cancer cells viability. This combination significantly
      enhanced the expression of autophagy cellular markers including the conversion of
      LC3B-I to LC3B-II, beclin-1, Atg3, Atg7, Atg5-Atg12, LAMP-1 and cathepsin-D, and
      pretreatment with the autophagy inhibitors 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or bafilomycin
      A1 (Baf1) blocked these effects. Furthermore, blockade of gamma-tocotrienol and
      oridonin-induced autophagy with 3-MA or Baf1 induced a modest, but significant
      reduction in cytotoxicity resulting from the combined treatment of these
      phytochemicals. The anticancer effects of combination treatment was also
      associated with a large suppression in Akt/mTOR mitogenic signaling and
      corresponding increase in the levels of apoptotic cellular marker including
      cleaved caspase-3 and PARP, and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in these tumor cells. These
      effects were also found to be selective against cancer cells, since similar
      combined treatment with gamma-tocotrienol and oridonin did not induce autophagy
      or reduce viability of normal mouse CL-S1 mammary epithelial cells. These
      findings indicate that combined gamma-tocotrienol and oridonin-induced autophagy
      plays a role in mediating the synergistic anticancer effects of these
      phytochemicals. 

PMID- 26112905
TI  - Myricetin inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in
      gastric cancer cells.
AB  - Myricetin is a flavonoid that is abundant in fruits and vegetables and has
      protective effects against cancer and diabetes. However, the mechanism of action
      of myricetin against gastric cancer (GC) is not fully understood. We researched
      myricetin on the proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle in GC HGC-27 and
      SGC7901 cells, to explore the underlying mechanism of action. Cell Counting Kit
      (CCK)-8 assay, Western blotting, cell cycle analysis, and apoptosis assay were
      used to evaluate the effects of myricetin on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and
      the cell cycle. To analyze the binding properties of ribosomal S6 kinase 2 (RSK2)
      with myricetin, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis was performed. CCK8
      assay showed that myricetin inhibited GC cell proliferation. Flow cytometry
      analysis showed that myricetin induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in GC
      cells. Western blotting indicated that myricetin influenced apoptosis and cell
      cycle arrest of GC cells by regulating related proteins. SPR analysis showed
      strong binding affinity of RSK2 and myricetin. Myricetin bound to RSK2, leading
      to increased expression of Mad1, and contributed to inhibition of HGC-27 and
      SGC7901 cell proliferation. Our results suggest the therapeutic potential of
      myricetin in GC. 

PMID- 26112907
TI  - Kinetics and mechanism of the reaction of perfluoro propyl vinyl ether (PPVE,
      C3F7OCH=CH2) with OH: assessment of its fate in the atmosphere.
AB  - Absolute rate coefficients for the reaction between OH radicals and perfluoro
      propyl vinyl ether (PPVE) were obtained using the technique of pulsed laser
      photolysis with the detection of OH radicals by laser induced fluorescence. Rate
      coefficients were measured over a range of temperatures (212-298 K) and at either
      50 or 200 Torr bath-gas (N2 or N2/O2). The temperature dependence of the rate
      coefficient is given by k1(212-298 K) = (4.88 +/- 0.49) * 10(-13) exp[(564 +/-
      10)/T] cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) with a value at room temperature of (3.4 +/- 0.3)
      * 10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1). No pressure dependence was observed,
      indicating that the reaction is at the high pressure limit under atmospheric
      conditions. The accuracy of the rate coefficient obtained was enhanced by on-line
      optical absorption measurements of PPVE at 184.95 nm using a value of
      sigma(184.95 nm) = (5.64 +/- 0.28) * 10(-18) cm(2) molecule(-1) determined in
      this work. An atmospheric lifetime of a few days for PPVE was calculated.
      Extensive quantum chemical calculations as a complement to the experimental work
      are presented in order to determine its probable tropospheric degradation
      mechanism.

PMID- 26112908
TI  - Temperature-independent polymer optical fiber evanescent wave sensor.
AB  - Although the numerous advantages of polymer optical fibers have been exploited in
      the fields of sensors and telecommunications, such fibers still experience a
      critical problem: the temperature dependency. Therefore, we explored the
      temperature-independent operation of a polymer fiber-optic evanescent wave sensor
      immersed in distilled water. We investigated variations in the surface
      morphology, deformation trajectory, refractive index, and weight of the fiber
      sensing region with varying water temperature. We also examined the spectral
      transmission and transmitted light intensity of fibers subjected to a heating
      cooling treatment. We observed that the light-transmission modes and sensitivity
      of the sensor were affected by changes in the surface morphology, diameter, and
      refractive index of the sensing region caused by changes in temperature. The
      transmitted light intensity of the sensor was maintained at a constant level
      after five cycles of the heating-cooling treatment, after which the fibers
      exhibited a smooth surface, low refractive index, and large fiber diameter.
      Consequently, we utilized the heating-cooling-treated fiber to realize a
      temperature-independent, U-shaped polymer fiber-optic evanescent wave sensor. The
      temperature independence was evaluated using glucose solutions in the range of 10
      to 70  degrees C. The fabricated sensor showed significant temperature
      independence and high degree of consistency in measuring solutions. 

PMID- 26112906
TI  - SVVYGLR motif of the thrombin-cleaved N-terminal osteopontin fragment enhances
      the synthesis of collagen type III in myocardial fibrosis.
AB  - Osteopontin (OPN) is involved in various physiological processes such as
      inflammatory and wound healing. However, little is known about the effects of OPN
      on these tissues. OPN is cleaved by thrombin, and cleavage of the N-terminal
      fragment exposes a SVVYGLR sequence on its C-terminus. In this study, we examined
      the effects of the thrombin-cleaved OPN fragments on fibroblasts and myocardial
      fibrosis, particularly the role of the SVVYGLR sequence. The recombinant thrombin
      cleaved OPN fragments (N-terminal fragment [N-OPN], C-terminal fragment [C-OPN],
      and the N-terminal fragment lacking the SVVYGLR sequence [DeltaSV N-OPN]) were
      added to fibroblasts, and the cellular motility, signal activity, and production
      of collagen were evaluated. A sustained-release gel containing an OPN fragment or
      SVVYGLR peptide was transplanted into a rat model of ischemic cardiomyopathy and
      the quantities and ratio of collagen type I (COL I) and type III (COL III) were
      estimated. N-OPN significantly promoted fibroblast migration. Smad signal
      activity, expression of smooth muscle actin (SMA), and the production of COL III
      were enhanced by N-OPN and SVVYGLR peptide. Conversely, DeltaSV N-OPN and C-OPN
      had no effect. In vivo, the expression level of N-OPN was associated with COL III
      distribution, and the COL III/COL I ratio was significantly increased by the
      sustained-release gel containing N-OPN or SVVYGLR peptide. The cardiac function
      was also significantly improved by the N-OPN- or SVVYGLR peptide-released gel
      treatment. The N-terminal fragment of thrombin-cleaved OPN-induced Smad signal
      activation, SMA expression, and COL III production, and its SVVYGLR sequence
      influences this function. 

PMID- 26112909
TI  - Flexible selection of a single treatment incorporating short-term endpoint
      information in a phase II/III clinical trial.
AB  - Seamless phase II/III clinical trials in which an experimental treatment is
      selected at an interim analysis have been the focus of much recent research
      interest. Many of the methods proposed are based on the group sequential
      approach. This paper considers designs of this type in which the treatment
      selection can be based on short-term endpoint information for more patients than
      have primary endpoint data available. We show that in such a case, the familywise
      type I error rate may be inflated if previously proposed group sequential methods
      are used and the treatment selection rule is not specified in advance. A method
      is proposed to avoid this inflation by considering the treatment selection that
      maximises the conditional error given the data available at the interim analysis.
      A simulation study is reported that illustrates the type I error rate inflation
      and compares the power of the new approach with two other methods: a combination
      testing approach and a group sequential method that does not use the short-term
      endpoint data, both of which also strongly control the type I error rate. The new
      method is also illustrated through application to a study in Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26112911
TI  - Complex host genetic susceptibility to Staphylococcus aureus infections.
AB  - Understanding of the host genetic susceptibility to carriage of, and infections,
      due to Staphylococcus aureus, a nosocomial pathogen, is still in its nascent
      stages. Mouse models show variable susceptibility to S. aureus infections across
      mouse strains and disease models with roles for signaling pathways involving Toll
      like receptors (TLR-1, TLR-2, and TLR-6), interleukins (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IL
      13), chemokines [CXC ligand (CXCL)-1 and CXCL-2], and T helper (Th)1/Th2
      responses. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for carriage in humans
      identified SNPs in IL4, DEFB1, CRP, and VDR for persistent nasal carriage. NR3C1
      haplotypes may either enhance risk or provide protection from colonization. GWASs
      for all S. aureus diseases have suggested roles for DAPK3, a kinase, and XRN1, a
      nuclease, while CDON could have a role in complicated bacteremia. More studies
      are needed to identify host susceptibility genes along with confirmation from
      functional assays. 

PMID- 26112910
TI  - Musical training, individual differences and the cocktail party problem.
AB  - Are musicians better able to understand speech in noise than non-musicians?
      Recent findings have produced contradictory results. Here we addressed this
      question by asking musicians and non-musicians to understand target sentences
      masked by other sentences presented from different spatial locations, the
      classical 'cocktail party problem' in speech science. We found that musicians
      obtained a substantial benefit in this situation, with thresholds ~6 dB better
      than non-musicians. Large individual differences in performance were noted
      particularly for the non-musically trained group. Furthermore, in different
      conditions we manipulated the spatial location and intelligibility of the masking
      sentences, thus changing the amount of 'informational masking' (IM) while keeping
      the amount of 'energetic masking' (EM) relatively constant. When the maskers were
      unintelligible and spatially separated from the target (low in IM), musicians and
      non-musicians performed comparably. These results suggest that the
      characteristics of speech maskers and the amount of IM can influence the
      magnitude of the differences found between musicians and non-musicians in
      multiple-talker "cocktail party" environments. Furthermore, considering the task
      in terms of the EM-IM distinction provides a conceptual framework for future
      behavioral and neuroscientific studies which explore the underlying sensory and
      cognitive mechanisms contributing to enhanced "speech-in-noise" perception by
      musicians. 

PMID- 26112912
TI  - Lokiarchaeota: eukaryote-like missing links from microbial dark matter?
AB  - Identification and genome sequencing of novel organismal groups can reduce the
      gap between the sequenced minority and the unexplored majority. The recent
      discovery of phylum Lokiarchaeota promises understanding of biological history.
      Here we inquire if Lokiarchaeota truly represent ancient eukaryotic ancestors or
      just microbial dark matter of expanding archaeal diversity. 

PMID- 26112913
TI  - Intracranial Injuries from Dog Bites in Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Infants are especially at risk for intracranial injuries from
      dog bites due to their small stature and thin skull. Only 21 case reports have
      been published in the literature. We aim to add knowledge and treatment
      recommendations based on a more substantial sample. METHODS: Ten pediatric
      patients with a penetrating skull injury as a result of a dog bite, treated at
      our institution between 1992 and 2010, were identified and analyzed
      descriptively. A literature review of the 21 case reports was also conducted.
      RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent complications
      from hemorrhage or infections. Based on our results, we recommend obtaining a
      head CT for all victims sustaining injuries to the head, early use of broad
      spectrum antibiotics, debridement and irrigation of tissue, and follow-up to
      identify late infectious complications.

PMID- 26112915
TI  - En bloc pancreaticoduodenectomy and colectomy for locally advanced right-sided
      colon cancer - a video vignette.

PMID- 26112916
TI  - Environmental drivers of phototrophic biofilms in an Alpine show cave (SW-Italian
      Alps).
AB  - The proliferation of lampenflora is a major threat for the conservation of show
      caves, since phototrophic organisms cause physical, chemical and aesthetic damage
      to speleothems. In this paper we examine the environmental factors influencing
      the presence and the growth of the three main photosynthetic groups composing
      phototrophic biofilms in the Bossea show cave (SW-Italian Alps). The presence and
      the primary production of cyanobacteria, diatoms and green algae were detected
      with BenthoTorch(r), an instrument for in situ measurement of chlorophyll a
      concentration that has never been used before in caves. By means of different
      techniques of regression analysis, we highlighted the response of the three
      photosynthetic groups to different environmental factors. Illuminance proved to
      be the main factor influencing positively both the probability of the presence
      and the productivity of the three groups. The presence of seeping water on the
      substrate and the distance from the cave entrance proved to play an important
      role in determining patterns of colonization. By means of GIS techniques, we
      provide thematic maps of the cave, providing a representation of pattern of the
      density of the three examined photosynthetic groups within different areas of the
      cave. The same approach may apply to other show caves, aiming at providing
      suggestions for the cave management (i.e. cleaning of the cave walls and
      positioning of artificial lights) and reduce impact caused by tourism. 

PMID- 26112914
TI  - Chronobiology of bipolar disorder: therapeutic implication.
AB  - Multiple lines of evidence suggest that psychopathological symptoms of bipolar
      disorder arise in part from a malfunction of the circadian system, linking the
      disease with an abnormal internal timing. Alterations in circadian rhythms and
      sleep are core elements in the disorders, characterizing both mania and
      depression and having recently been shown during euthymia. Several human genetic
      studies have implicated specific genes that make up the genesis of circadian
      rhythms in the manifestation of mood disorders with polymorphisms in molecular
      clock genes not only showing an association with the disorder but having also
      been linked to its phenotypic particularities. Many medications used to treat the
      disorder, such as antidepressant and mood stabilizers, affect the circadian
      clock. Finally, circadian rhythms and sleep researches have been the starting
      point of the developing of chronobiological therapies. These interventions are
      safe, rapid and effective and they should be considered first-line strategies for
      bipolar depression. 

PMID- 26112917
TI  - [Blood donation: Representations and issues associated with blood product
      collection].
AB  - In order to answer to its aim of standardised self-sufficiency, the Etablissement
      francais du sang (main French national platform for blood donation) needs to know
      well the donors, what moves them, what motivates them, and the meaning that they
      give to their action. This knowledge allows the EFS to better understand the
      different sensitivities among donors, and therefore to improve the strategy
      regarding loyalty or/and newcomers. In this paper we follow, without attempting
      to be fully exhaustive, the evolution of the research regarding blood donation.
      The aim is to highlight the role played by social and historical representations
      regarding donation in general. In a given community, its norms, and its values
      influence both the image of donors as well as the meaning attached to the act
      itself of donation. Moreover, these norms have also influenced the way that
      research has tried to analyse this topic. The initial studies conducted in this
      field tried generally to understand the meaning and the symbolism attached to the
      act of blood donation. Later on, researchers started to focus on the assessment
      of notions such as generosity, and then solidarity. Nowadays, research is more
      focused on describing the population that gives blood. They are more scrutinised
      through their socio-demographic traits (who they are) than through the specific
      study of how they donate, the reasons behind the decision to act and the notion
      of satisfaction.

PMID- 26112918
TI  - Apical extrusion of sodium hypochlorite activated with two laser systems and
      ultrasonics: a spectrophotometric analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of
      ultrasonically or laser (Nd:YAG or diode) activated irrigation on the irrigating
      solution extrusion compared to non-activated syringe irrigation. METHODS:
      Extracted mandibular premolar teeth (n = 48) with single canals were
      instrumented. The teeth were secured through the lid of an Eppendorf tube filled
      with 1.0 mL distilled water to collect the apically extruded irrigating solution.
      The teeth were randomly divided into four groups: non-activated syringe
      irrigation, diode laser, Nd:YAG laser and passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI)
      using 2% NaOCl. The irrigating solution extruded through the apical foramen was
      collected in the Eppendorf tube and evaluated by a chemical reaction with using a
      spectrophotometer. The data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc
      test (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: All the groups showed apically extruded irrigating
      solution. There were significant differences among the groups (p < 0.05). Nd:YAG
      laser activated irrigation showed greater extrusion (p < 0.05), while the non
      activated syringe irrigation showed less extrusion (p < 0.05). Only the
      difference between diode laser and PUI was not statistically significant (p >
      0.05). CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the researchers
      concluded that non-activated syringe irrigation caused less apically extruded
      irrigating solution than PUI and LAI using Nd:YAG or diode lasers.

PMID- 26112919
TI  - Effect of moderate exercise-induced heat stress on carotid wave intensity.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Exercise disrupts the interaction between the left ventricle and
      the vasculature, as measured by wave intensity (WI) analysis. However, the effect
      of exercise-induced heat stress on WI amplitude is unknown. WI measures are
      calibrated using brachial or carotid artery blood pressure, but the influence of
      calibration method on WI outcomes is unknown. PURPOSE: (1) To compare WI analysis
      during low and moderate exercise-induced heat stress; (2) to examine differences
      in carotid WI analysis based on calibration method. METHODS: Eleven healthy,
      young men (22 +/- 3 years) performed intermittent exercise in moderate- and low
      heat stress conditions. WI was assessed pre- and post-exercise on the right
      carotid artery, and calibrated with brachial and carotid blood pressures.
      RESULTS: A main effect of time was found for W1 when calibrated by brachial, but
      not carotid pressure. A time-by-condition interaction was observed for late
      systolic/early diastolic function (W2) in both brachial (p = 0.047) and carotid
      calibration methods (p = 0.042), where W2 increased following exercise-induced
      moderate-heat stress but decreased following low-heat stress. The elastic modulus
      exhibited a significant time-by-condition interaction (brachial p = 0.039;
      carotid p = 0.044), increasing following moderate-heat stress but decreasing
      following low-heat stress. Calibrations using carotid blood pressure
      significantly reduced WI amplitudes compared with brachial calibrations (p <
      0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Arterial-ventricular coupling is affected in different ways
      following moderate and low exercise-induced heat stress. Wave amplitudes were
      lower (~13 %) following carotid calibration compared with brachial.

PMID- 26112920
TI  - The Prehospital Sepsis Screen: A Test in Search of an Application?

PMID- 26112922
TI  - Neutrophils Increase Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Invasion through an Invadopodia
      Dependent Pathway.
AB  - Neutrophils have recently been shown to promote invasion and correlate with a
      poor prognosis in different cancers, including head and neck squamous cell
      carcinomas. In this study, we analyze the effects of neutrophils in the invasion
      of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) using a combination of conditioned media,
      direct and indirect coculture of human peripheral blood neutrophils, and UMSCC47
      cells (OSCC cell line). Invasion and matrix degradation were determined using a
      modified in vitro invasion assay and an invadopodia assay, respectively. UMSCC47
      and neutrophil cocultures or conditioned media from cocultures increased UMSCC47
      invasion, invadopodia formation, and matrix degradation. Further analysis
      revealed an increase in TNFalpha and IL8 in supernatants of cocultures compared
      with neutrophil or UMSCC47 cultures alone and that inhibition of TNFalpha and IL8
      significantly decreased OSCC invasion. Our results show that neutrophils increase
      the invasiveness of OSCC through the activation of invadopodia and matrix
      degradation, suggesting a paracrine activation loop between the two cells.
      Importantly, the presence of neutrophils in the oral environment may modulate the
      clinical behavior of OSCC.

PMID- 26112921
TI  - Extracellular Vesicles Present in Human Ovarian Tumor Microenvironments Induce a
      Phosphatidylserine-Dependent Arrest in the T-cell Signaling Cascade.
AB  - The identification of immunosuppressive factors within human tumor
      microenvironments, and the ability to block these factors, would be expected to
      enhance patients' antitumor immune responses. We previously established that an
      unidentified factor, or factors, present in ovarian tumor ascites fluids
      reversibly inhibited the activation of T cells by arresting the T-cell signaling
      cascade. Ultracentrifugation of the tumor ascites fluid has now revealed a pellet
      that contains small extracellular vesicles (EV) with an average diameter of 80
      nm. The T-cell arrest was determined to be causally linked to phosphatidylserine
      (PS) that is present on the outer leaflet of the vesicle bilayer, as a depletion
      of PS-expressing EV or a blockade of PS with anti-PS antibody significantly
      inhibits the vesicle-induced signaling arrest. The inhibitory EV were also
      isolated from solid tumor tissues. The presence of immunosuppressive vesicles in
      the microenvironments of ovarian tumors and our ability to block their inhibition
      of T-cell function represent a potential therapeutic target for patients with
      ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26112923
TI  - Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor as a Target in the Redirected T-cell
      Therapy for Cancer.
AB  - Adoptive transfer of T cells engineered to express chimeric immunoreceptors is an
      effective strategy to treat hematologic cancers; however, the use of this type of
      therapy for solid cancers, such as ovarian cancer, remains challenging because a
      safe and effective immunotherapeutic target has not yet been identified. Here, we
      constructed and evaluated a novel redirected T-cell-based immunotherapy targeting
      human follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), a highly conserved molecule
      in vertebrate animals with expression limited to gonadal tissues, ovarian cancer,
      and cancer-associated vasculature. Receptor ligand-based anti-FSHR
      immunoreceptors were constructed that contained small binding fragments from the
      ligand for FSHR, FSH, fused to T-cell transmembrane and T-cell signaling domains.
      Human T cells transduced to express anti-FSHR immunoreceptors were specifically
      immunoreactive against FSHR-expressing human and mouse ovarian cancer cell lines
      in an MHC-nonrestricted manner and mediated effective lysis of FHSR-expressing
      tumor cells, but not FSHR-deficient targets, in vitro. Similarly, the outgrowth
      of human ovarian cancer xenografts in immunodeficient mice was significantly
      inhibited by the adoptive transfer of FSHR-redirected T cells. Our experimental
      observations show that FSHR is a promising immunotherapeutic target for ovarian
      cancer and support further exploration of FSHR-targeted immune therapy approaches
      for patients with cancer.

PMID- 26112924
TI  - Selective and sensitive liquid chromatographic determination method of 5
      hydroxyindoles with fluorous and fluorogenic derivatization.
AB  - A liquid chromatographic (LC) method with improved selectivity for the
      simultaneous determination of 5-hydroxyindoles (5-HIs; 5-hydroxytryptophan, 5
      hydroxytryptamine, N-acetyl-5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid,
      and 5-hydroxytryptophol) is described. This method involves precolumn
      derivatization with 4-(3',3',4',4',5',5',6',6',7',7',8',8',9',9',10',10',10'
      heptadecafluorodecyl)benzylamine (HFBA) and separation of the derivatives using a
      fluorous LC column. In this study, stable benzoxazole derivatives of 5-HIs with
      HFBA have been obtained by a simple derivatization procedure; their fluorescent
      properties enabled highly sensitive detection. In addition, only the HFBA
      derivatives of 5-HIs has been selectively retained on the fluorous LC column via
      fluorous interaction whereby perfluoroalkyl compounds show affinities with each
      other, while the non-fluorous compounds did not. The HFBA derivatives were
      separated within 30 min and the detection limits for 5-HIs in a 20-MUL injection
      volume were 1.2-14 fmol (S/N=3). Furthermore, this method was applied to the
      analysis of 5-HIs in the human plasma from healthy subjects.

PMID- 26112925
TI  - Liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for screening
      in vitro drug metabolites in humans: investigation on seven phenethylamine-based
      designer drugs.
AB  - Phenethylamine-based designer drugs are prevalent within the new psychoactive
      substance market. Characterisation of their metabolites is important in order to
      identify suitable biomarkers which can be used for better monitoring their
      consumption. Careful design of in vitro metabolism experiments using subcellular
      liver fractions will assist in obtaining reliable outcomes for such purposes. The
      objective of this study was to stepwise investigate the in vitro human metabolism
      of seven phenethylamine-based designer drugs using individual families of
      enzymes. This included para-methoxyamphetamine, para-methoxymethamphetamine, 4
      methylthioamphetamine, N-methyl-benzodioxolylbutanamine, benzodioxolylbutanamine,
      5-(2-aminopropyl) benzofuran and 6-(2-aminopropyl) benzofuran. Identification and
      structural elucidation of the metabolites was performed using liquid
      chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The targeted drugs
      were mainly metabolised by cytochrome P450 enzymes via O-dealkylation as the
      major pathway, followed by N-dealkylation, oxidation of unsubstituted C atoms and
      deamination (to a small extent). These drugs were largely free from Phase II
      metabolism. Only a limited number of metabolites were found which was consistent
      with the existing literature for other phenethylamine-based drugs. Also, the
      metabolism of most of the targeted drugs progressed at slow rate. The
      reproducibility of the identified metabolites was assessed through examining
      formation patterns using different incubation times, substrate and enzyme
      concentrations. Completion of the work has led to a set of metabolites which are
      representative for specific detection of these drugs in intoxicated individuals
      and also for meaningful evaluation of their use in communities by wastewater
      based drug epidemiology. 

PMID- 26112926
TI  - Global identification and quantitative analysis of chemical constituents in
      traditional Chinese medicinal formula Qi-Fu-Yin by ultra-high performance liquid
      chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.
AB  - Qi-Fu-Yin (QFY), a classical traditional Chinese medicine formula, is proven to
      have significant neuroprotective effects by modern pharmacological studies.
      However, the chemical constituents of QFY have not been fully explored. In this
      study, an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole
      time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF MS) was developed for
      comprehensive analysis of chemical constituents in QFY. By using characteristic
      ions and fragmentation rules, a reliable identification of 156 compounds was
      described here, including 69 triterpene saponins, 23 oligosaccharide esters, 22
      flavanoids, 9 alkaloids, 9 phenolic acids, 8 phthalides, 7 phenylethanoid
      glycosides, 3 xanthones, 3 sesquiterpene lactones, 2 ionones and 1 iridoid
      glycoside. Twenty-six major compounds were then determined in a single run by
      UHPLC coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (QQQ MS) with fast
      positive/negative polarity switching. It allows for the acquisition of MS data in
      both ionization modes from a single run. The proposed method was then validated
      in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision and recovery. The overall recoveries
      for 26 analytes ranged from 91.35% to 109.58%, with RSDs ranging from 0.82% to
      4.83%. In addition, the content of 26 analytes in QFY prepared by five batches of
      herbal materials was also analyzed. These results demonstrated that our present
      method was effective and reliable for comprehensive quality evaluation of QFY.
      Meanwhile, the study might provide the chemical evidence for revealing the
      material basis of its therapeutic effects. 

PMID- 26112927
TI  - Determination of abacavir, tenofovir, darunavir, and raltegravir in human plasma
      and saliva using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for the determination of
      abacavir (ABC), tenofovir (TFV), darunavir (DRV), and raltegravir (RAL) in human
      plasma and saliva was developed and validated to investigate the applicability of
      saliva as an appropriate specimen for therapeutic drug monitoring. As internal
      standards, TFV was chosen for ABC, ABC was chosen for TFV, RAL for DRV, and DRV
      for RAL. Sample preparation involved protein precipitation with acetonitrile,
      evaporation of solvent using a centrifugal evaporator, and reconstitution by
      dissolving the residue in mobile phase. Liquid chromatography was performed on a
      C18 reverse phase column (1.5 * 50 mm, 5 MUm) isocratically at a flow rate of 0.2
      mL/min using 5mM formic acid-3% (v/v) acetonitrile as the mobile phase for ABC
      and TFV and 5mM formic acid-35% (v/v) acetonitrile as the mobile phase for DRV
      and RAL. The run time was 6 min, and the retention time was approximately 2.0 min
      for TFV, 2.5 min for RAL, and 4-4.5 min for ABC and DRV. Analytes were detected
      using tandem mass spectrometry in positive electrospray ionization mode. The
      precursor/product ion transitions (m/z) were 287.3/191.2 for ABC, 288.5/176.2 for
      TFV, 548.3/392.3 for DRV, and 445.3/109.5 for RAL, and were monitored on a triple
      quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in the multiple reaction monitoring mode.
      The linearity of the assay was assessed in the range 1-10,000 ng/mL for all four
      drugs. Within-run and between-run mean accuracy, precision, and the extraction
      recovery for all drugs were -14.5-18.1%, 1.2-13.1%, and 86.0-111.1%,
      respectively. The proposed assay is sufficiently sensitive and accurate to
      quantify these drugs in plasma and saliva, and is suitable for investigating the
      relationship between drug concentrations in plasma and saliva.

PMID- 26112928
TI  - A robust hybrid model integrating enhanced inputs based extreme learning machine
      with PLSR (PLSR-EIELM) and its application to intelligent measurement.
AB  - In this paper, a robust hybrid model integrating an enhanced inputs based extreme
      learning machine with the partial least square regression (PLSR-EIELM) was
      proposed. The proposed PLSR-EIELM model can overcome two main flaws in the
      extreme learning machine (ELM), i.e. the intractable problem in determining the
      optimal number of the hidden layer neurons and the over-fitting phenomenon.
      First, a traditional extreme learning machine (ELM) is selected. Second, a method
      of randomly assigning is applied to the weights between the input layer and the
      hidden layer, and then the nonlinear transformation for independent variables can
      be obtained from the output of the hidden layer neurons. Especially, the original
      input variables are regarded as enhanced inputs; then the enhanced inputs and the
      nonlinear transformed variables are tied together as the whole independent
      variables. In this way, the PLSR can be carried out to identify the PLS
      components not only from the nonlinear transformed variables but also from the
      original input variables, which can remove the correlation among the whole
      independent variables and the expected outputs. Finally, the optimal relationship
      model of the whole independent variables with the expected outputs can be
      achieved by using PLSR. Thus, the PLSR-EIELM model is developed. Then the PLSR
      EIELM model served as an intelligent measurement tool for the key variables of
      the Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) process and the High Density Polyethylene
      (HDPE) process. The experimental results show that the predictive accuracy of
      PLSR-EIELM is stable, which indicate that PLSR-EIELM has good robust character.
      Moreover, compared with ELM, PLSR, hierarchical ELM (HELM), and PLSR-ELM, PLSR
      EIELM can achieve much smaller predicted relative errors in these two
      applications. 

PMID- 26112929
TI  - Optimal performance of networked control systems under the packet dropouts and
      channel noise.
AB  - The optimal tracking performance of single-input single-output (SISO) discrete
      time networked control systems (NCSs) with the packet dropouts and channel noise
      is studied in this paper. The communication channel is characterized by three
      parameters: the packet dropouts, channel noise and the encoding and decoding. The
      explicit expression of the optimal tracking performance is obtained by using the
      spectral factorization. It is shown that the optimal tracking performance
      dependents on the nonminimum phase zeros, unstable poles of the given plant, as
      well as the packet dropout probability, channel noise and the encoding and
      decoding. The optimal tracking performance is improved by two-parameter
      compensator. Finally, a typical example is given to illustrate the theoretical
      results. 

PMID- 26112930
TI  - Three years of antibiotic consumption evaluation in French nursing homes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We had for aim to assess antibiotic consumption and to better
      understand their use in nursing homes so as to target messages on relevant
      practice procedures sent to prescribers. DESIGN: The MedQual network asked
      nursing homes with in-house pharmacies to participate in a retrospective
      collection of yearly antibiotic consumption data with an Excel((r)) spread sheet
      according to the Health Ministry recommendations. RESULTS: Fifty-two nursing
      homes participated in 2011, 2012, and 74 in 2013, accounting for 10% of the Pays
      de la Loire region's nursing homes and 15% of beds. The medians of total
      antibiotic consumption in daily-defined dose for 1000 patient-days were
      respectively 39 (32.4-49.0), 39.3 (34.4-52.9), and 44.8 (33.6-55.4). There was no
      significant difference between 2011 and 2013. Penicillins (J01C) were the most
      commonly used class with a median of 25.7 [IQ 18.8; 33.8] in 2011 and 30.4 [IQ
      23.6; 41.3] in 2013. Quinolones (J01M) were the second most commonly used class
      with a median of 4.6 [IQ 2.9; 5.9] in 2011 and 3.8 [IQ 2.3; 6.5] in 2013,
      followed by the other beta-lactams (J01D) with a median of 2.5 [IQ 1.7; 4.5] in
      2011 and 2,8 [IQ 1.7; 3.8] in 2013. CONCLUSION: The monitoring of antibiotic
      consumption in nursing homes in the Pays de la Loire Region since 2011 has
      allowed identifying inappropriate use and helped improve practices. No increase
      of overall consumption was observed in nursing homes but the distribution
      according to antibiotic class changed. The current objective is to extend this
      monitoring and to send personalized messages to prescribers.

PMID- 26112931
TI  - Implementing diabetes self-management education (DSME) in a Nigerian population:
      perceptions of practice nurses and dieticians.
AB  - Hyperglycaemic complication is the most common cause of hospitalization amongst
      diabetes patients in Nigeria. Research showed that diabetes self-management
      education (DSME) assists in controlling hyperglycaemia in diabetes patients. We
      assessed the opinions of practice nurses and dieticians on implementing DSME in a
      Nigerian population. 517 nurses and dieticians completed a self-administered
      questionnaire tool. Results showed that the majority of the participants agreed
      that DSME in a Nigerian population will assist patients (88.3%) and assist to
      reduce diabetes complications (91.4%). While only 34% of all participants
      believed that their establishments were prepared to implement DSME, a large
      proportion of the participants agreed that their work places do not have enough
      qualified health personnel (62.4%), educational facilities (65.8%) and economic
      resources (65.6%) to embark on DSME. These constitute significant barriers for
      effective DSME and demand that strategic investment in human and material
      resources for DSME is needed in this population of a developing country. 

PMID- 26112932
TI  - The conceptual and clinical problems of paraneoplastic syndrome in oncology and
      internal medicine.
AB  - Symptomatology of oncological diseases consists not only of local symptoms caused
      by the primary malignancy or its metastases, but also by general systemic signs
      that are not directly connected with the tumor. These symptoms are mostly
      associated with auto-immunity or endocrine influences. In many cases, the source
      of paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) is unknown. Nearly 15% of oncological patients
      demonstrate these syndromes but it is diagnosed much more rarely. The survey of
      the numerous PNS is offered. The significance of the PNS differs for oncologists
      and other physicians who encounter it in their practice. The reason of those
      differences, as well as the connection between PNS and cancer toxicity is
      discussed. The experience of antitoxic therapy (hemosorption, lymphosorption,
      enterosorption) used in our clinic in the previous years is overviewed. 

PMID- 26112933
TI  - Overview on association of different types of leukemias with radiation exposure.
AB  - Exposure to ionizing radiation is associated with increasing risk of various
      types of hematological malignancies. The results of major studies on association
      of leukemias and radiation exposure of large populations in Japan and in Ukraine
      are analyzed. The patterns of different types of leukemia in 295 Chernobyl clean
      up workers diagnosed according to the criteria of up-to-date World Health
      Organization classification within 10-25 years following Chernobyl catastrophe
      are summarized. In fact, a broad spectrum of radiation-related hematological
      malignancies has been revealed both in Life Span Study in Japan and in study of
      Chernobyl clean-up workers in Ukraine. The importance of the precise diagnosis of
      tumors of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues according to up-to-date
      classifications for elucidating the role of radiation as a causative factor of
      leukemias is emphasized. Such studies are of high importance since according to
      the recent findings, radiation-associated excess risks of several types of
      leukemias seem to persist throughout the follow-up period up to 55 years after
      the radiation exposure.

PMID- 26112934
TI  - Synergic carcinostatic effects of ascorbic acid and hyperthermia on Ehrlich
      ascites tumor cell.
AB  - AIM: In this study, we evaluated the carcinostatic effects of combined ascorbic
      acid (AsA) and a capacitive-resistive electric transfer (CRet) hyperthermic
      apparatus-induced hyperthermic treatment on Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) cells.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: EAT cells were exposed to various AsA (0-10 mM)
      concentrations for 1 h; they subsequently underwent CRet treatment for 15 min at
      42  degrees C. Cell viability was assessed by the WST-8 assay 24 h after the
      combined treatment. Reactive oxygen species involvement was evaluated using
      catalase and tempol; caspase-3/7 activation was determined by their fluorescent
      substrates; cell proliferation were estimated by time-lapse observation. The
      effect on the cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Combined AsA
      and CRet treatment synergistically suppressed cell viability compared with either
      treatment alone, and these synergistically carcinostatic effects were evident
      even at noncytotoxic concentrations of AsA alone (<= 2 mM). The carcinostatic
      effects of combined AsA and CRet treatment were attenuated in a dose-dependent
      manner by catalase addition, but not by the superoxide anion radical scavenger
      tempol. Time-lapse observation revealed that combined AsA and CRet treatment
      activated caspase-3/7 at 10-24 h after treatment, accompanied by significant cell
      growth suppression. Cell cycle analysis revealed that the rate of sub-G1-phase
      (apoptotic) cells was drastically increased at 12 h and 24 h, and that the G2/M
      phase cells gradually increased at 6-24 h after treatment. CONCLUSION: These
      results indicate that combined AsA and CRet treatment synergistically inhibits
      EAT cell growth through G2/M arrest and apoptosis induction via H2O2 generation
      at lower AsA concentrations; this carcinostatic effect cannot be exerted by AsA
      alone.

PMID- 26112935
TI  - Assessment of gold nanoparticle effect on prostate cancer LNCaP cells.
AB  - In recent years gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have received considerable attention
      for various biomedical applications including diagnostics and targeted drug
      delivery. However, more research is still needed to characterize such aspects of
      their use in clinical oncology as permeability, retention and functional effect
      on tumor cells. AIMS: This study was designed to describe the effect of non
      functionalized AuNPs on LNCaP prostate cancer cells growth. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      LNCaP cells were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium containing AuNPs covered by
      polyvinylpyrrolidone of average size 26.4 nm (10.0 MUg/ml). Counts of cells were
      calculated and their morphology was examined. RESULTS: AuNPs conglomerates have
      been visualized in cultured cells. After 4-day incubation in presence of AuNPs
      significant retardation of LNCaP cells growth was observed both in 5alpha
      dihydrotestosterone stimulated and non-stimulated cultures. No morphological
      changes of live LNCaP cells were seen in any experiment. CONCLUSION: Given
      absence of morphological changes in live cells and dribble and relatively
      constant numbers of dead cells, it was concluded that inhibitory effect of AuNPs
      on LNCaP cells growth was caused by alterations of proliferation.

PMID- 26112936
TI  - Aberrant expression of selenium-containing glutathione peroxidases in clear cell
      renal cell carcinomas.
AB  - AIM: To find putative diagnostic markers for clear cell renal cell carcinomas
      (ccRCC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR),
      bisulfite treatment, methylation-specific PCR, analysis on cBioPortal for Cancer
      Genomics. RESULTS: We have found that expression of GPX1, GPX3, and GPX4 genes
      was decreased in ccRCC. We have shown that the number of alanine (GCG) repeats at
      the amino terminus of the GPX1 protein is variable. It was reported earlier that
      an allele that possess 5 alanine repeats is associated with the increased cancer
      risk. According to the obtained data, the allele with the 5 alanine repeats was
      also present in a group of healthy donors. Moreover, the frequency of alleles
      with repeats was similar among ccRCC patients and healthy individuals. We found
      that decreased expression of GPXs genes was not associated with promoter
      methylation. To provide other explanation, an analysis on the gene copy number
      was performed. We have found the heterozygous deletions for GPX1 gene,
      amplification for GPX3 gene, and no change in gene copy number for GPX4.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the hypothesis that GPX1, GPX3, and GPX4 genes may
      play a role in ccRCC cancerogenesis and therefore they might be considered as
      putative diagnostic markers for ccRCC.

PMID- 26112937
TI  - Prognostic significance of MDM2 gene expression in childhood neuroblastoma.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the association of MDM2 expression at the mRNA levels in
      neuroblastoma with clinical features and unfavorable disease factors to determine
      the possibility of it usage as a prognostic marker of neuroblastoma. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Total RNA and DNA were extracted from tumor tissue samples of total
      91 neuroblastoma patients (mean age: 39.45 +/- 4.81 months). MDM2 mRNA levels
      were detected with Q-PCR. TP53 gene deletion was detected with FISH method. MYCN
      amplification was detected with -Q-PCR analysis in fresh tumor samples and FISH
      in FFPE samples. RESULTS: We investigated the association of MDM2 mRNA expression
      with clinical outcome in neuroblastoma patients (n = 91). Kaplan - Meier curves
      showed a significant association of high MDM2 expression with poor event-free
      survival (p < 0.001). Clinical outcome of patients without MYCN amplification
      with low MDM2 expression was associated with better event-free survival than with
      high MDM2 expression (p < 0.001). Overexpression of MDM2 can be used as
      significant prognostic marker for patient stratification on risk groups and
      treatment optimization. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the high expression
      of MDM2 at mRNA levels is an important factor of neuroblastoma prognosis. It may
      be a valuable additional molecular marker in guiding specific therapy in MYCN non
      amplified NB patients without TP53 gene deletion.

PMID- 26112938
TI  - Isolectins of phytohemagglutinin are able to induce apoptosis in HEp-2 carcinoma
      cells in vitro.
AB  - AIM: To study the effects of total phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and its isolectins on
      cell death and apoptosis in human HEp-2 carcinoma cells and to analyze the
      possible molecular mechanisms of lectin induced apoptosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The commercial preparation of the kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) lectins and
      HEp-2 cells were used. Apoptosis index was determined using acridine orange and
      ethidium bromide staining. The expression levels of apoptosis mediator cleaved
      caspase-3 and proapoptotic Bax protein were studied by Western blot analysis. The
      gene expression levels were analyzed by qPCR. RESULTS: PHA and its isolectins
      induced apoptosis in HEp-2 cells accompanied by the increased expression of
      caspase-3 cleaved form, with PHA-E being the most effective. The treatment of HEp
      2 cells with PHA or its isolectins resulted in a marked increase of Bax on both
      mRNA and protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: PHA and its isolectins were shown to induce
      the apoptosis in human HEp-2 carcinoma cells via increasing proapoptotic protein
      Bax and activating caspases-3.

PMID- 26112939
TI  - Pharmacological effect of aminoferrocene in mice with L1210 leukemia.
AB  - AIM: To study the cytostatic and some biological effects of aminoferrocene using
      mice with L1210 lymphoid leukemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experiments were
      performed on BDF1 male mice (DBA/2, female * C57Bl/6, male) with transplantable
      L1210 lymphoid leukemia. Determination of antitumor activity of Benzyl-Fc Boron
      (Bn), it was injected intraperitoneally 6 times daily, starting on day 2 after
      L1210 leukemia cell transplantation. Doses of Bn such as 26; 260 and 2600 MUg/kg
      were used. The determination of intracellular content of cardiolipin, thiols,
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) and also analysis of Annexin V positivity and
      mitochondrial transmembrane potential (JC-1 staining) were performed with use of
      flow cytometry. The levels of "free iron" complexes, transferrin active forms and
      the rate of NO generation were measured by EPR-specroscopy. RESULTS: Six daily
      injections of Bn at a dose of 26 MUg/kg resulted in an increased survival of mice
      with L1210 leukemia by 28% (p < 0.05). Bn led to an increase of apoptotic cells
      number and ROS amount in leukemia cells. Besides, Bn caused a decrease of
      cardiolipin and nonprotein thiol compounds content. The membrane electrochemical
      potential of cell mitochondria was decreased also after Bn administration.
      Studies using EPR-spectroscopy revealed a significant increase in a level of
      "free iron", content of transferrin active species and generation rate of NO by
      inducible NO-synthase in L1210 cells after aminoferrocene administration.
      CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that Benzyl-Fc Boron can be promising candidate for
      realizing a new strategy of anticancer therapy with the use of ROS-inducing
      agents.

PMID- 26112940
TI  - Effect of dichloroacetate on Lewis lung carcinoma growth and metastasis.
AB  - A hallmark of malignancy is excessive tumor glycolysis, even in the presence of
      oxygen, which causes lactacidosis in the tumor microenvironment and favors tumor
      cell proliferation and survival. For this reason antimetabolic agents which
      target tumor cell metabolism are being researched extensively as promising
      anticancer drugs. AIM: To study the effect of lactacidosis on survival of Lewis
      lung carcinoma (LLC) cells at the conditions of nutritional substrate deficiency
      in vitro and evaluate antitumor and antimetastatic activity against LLC/R9 in
      vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: LLC variant LLC/R9 was used as experimental tumor
      model. Tumor cell viability was determined using trypan blue staining. Apoptosis
      level was counted with the use of Hoechst 33258 dye. Lactate content in the tumor
      tissue was evaluated by enzyme method with the use of lactate dehydrogenase.
      Reactive oxygen species was determined using 2.7-dichlorofluorescein diacetate.
      Effects of dichloroacetate (DCA) on the growth and metastasis of LLC/R9 were
      analyzed by routine procedures. Evaluation of DCA effect toward electron
      transport chain (ETC) components was performed using EPR. RESULTS: It has been
      shown that at the conditions of lactacidosis and glucose deficiency, LLC/R9 cell
      viability in vitro was higher by 30% (p < 0.05) and apoptosis level was triply
      lower (p < 0.05) than these indices at the conditions of glucose deficiency only.
      In mice with transplanted LLC/R9 tumors treated for 3 weeks per os with DCA at
      the total dose of 1.5 g/kg of body weight starting from the next day after tumor
      transplantation, the primary tumor volume was just by 30% lower than that in
      control group. At the same time, the number and volume of lung metastases in
      animals treated with DCA were by 59% (p < 0.05) and 94% (p < 0.05) lower,
      respectively, than these indices in the control group. DCA treatment resulted in
      nearly 30% increase (p < 0.05) of lactate content in tumor tissue compared to
      that in the control, but did not affect significantly the levels of heme iron
      complexes with NO (at g med = 2.007) in mitochondrial ETC proteins and Fe-S
      cluster proteins (at g = 1.94) in tumor cells. CONCLUSIONS: It has been shown
      that lactacidosis significantly promoted LLC/R9 cell survival at the conditions
      of glucose deficiency in vitro. If LLC/R9 developed in vivo, DCA as the compound
      with antilactacidosis activity did not suppress significantly the primary tumor
      growth but exerted significant antimetastatic activity.

PMID- 26112941
TI  - Cytotoxic activity of immune cells following administration of xenogeneic cancer
      vaccine in mice with melanoma B-16.
AB  - AIM: To study the effects of xenogeneic cancer vaccine (XCV) developed on the
      basis of nervous tissue antigen from rat embryo of late gestation period and
      protein-containing metabolite of Bacillus subtilis with molecular weight of 70
      kDa, on specific and unspecific antitumor reactions of cellular and humoral
      chains of immune system, and to analyze possible mechanisms of its antimetastatic
      action. MATERIALS AND METHODS: XCV was administered triply with 3-day intervals
      after surgical removal of experimental melanoma V-16 in C57Bl/6 mice. Cytotoxic
      activity (CTA) of splenocytes against target cells K-562 as well as CTA of
      splenocytes, peritoneal macrophages (PM) and blood serum against melanoma V-16
      target cells were determined using MTT test. The content of circulating immune
      complexes (CIC) in blood serum was evaluated by precipitation reaction. RESULTS:
      Immunologic effects of XCV vaccination in experimental animals with surgically
      removed melanoma B-16 in comparison with similarly treated unvaccinated mice were
      as follows: prevention of medium molecular weight CIC accumulation in blood serum
      during all observation period, significant increase (r < 0.05) of CTA of
      effectors of unspecific antitumor immunity (natural killer cells - NK - by 25.5
      +/- 1.7 vs 12.5 +/- 5.4%, and PM - by 37.3 +/- 0.6 vs 32.0 +/- 0.9%,
      respectively) at 37(th) day after the surgery, and also preservation of
      functional activity of specific cytotoxic lymphocytes at the level of intact
      control. CONCLUSION: The results of the study allow propose that antimetastatic
      effect of XCV vaccination could be based on increased CTA of NK and PM, and
      preservation of CTL functional activity at late terms after surgical removal of B
      16 primary tumors.

PMID- 26112942
TI  - Prevention of myelosuppression by combined treatment with enterosorbent and
      granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.
AB  - Hematotoxicity and its complication are the prominent limiting factors for
      rational treatment of malignancies. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)
      is used to increase granulocyte production. It has been shown previously that
      enterosorption causes prominent myeloprotective activity also. Still, no trial
      was performed to combine both of them. AIM: To study the influence of combination
      of enterosorption and pharmaceutical analogue of naturally occurring G-CSF
      (filgrastim) on bone marrow protection and the growth of grafted tumor in a case
      of injection of melphalan (Mel). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mel injections were used
      for promotion of bone marrow suppression in rats. Carbon granulated enterosorbent
      C2 (IEPOR) was used for providing of enteral sorption detoxifying therapy.
      Filgrastim was used to increase white blood cells (WBC) count. RESULTS: The
      simultaneous usage of enterosorption and filgrastim had maximum effectiveness for
      restoring of all types of blood cells. WBC count was higher by 138.3% compared
      with the Mel group. The increase of platelets count by 98.5% was also observed.
      In the group (Mel + C2 + filgrastim) the absolute neutrophils count was twofold
      higher, in comparison with rats of Mel group. CONCLUSION: Simultaneous
      administration of G-CSF-analogue and carbonic enterosorbent C2 is a perspective
      approach for bone marrow protection, when the cytostatic drug melphalan is used.
      Such combination demonstrates prominent positive impact on restoring of all types
      of blood cells and had no influence on the antitumor efficacy.

PMID- 26112943
TI  - Use of elastography for cervical cancer diagnostics.
AB  - The aim of the study was to investigate the use of elastography for cervical
      cancer diagnostics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ultrasonic study with use of
      sonoelastography involved 87 patients with cervical pathology (cervicitis, n =
      11; dysplasia, n = 14; cervical cancer, n = 62). RESULTS: At non-malignant
      pathology elastic types of elastograms prevailed while the tumors were
      characterized by images of stiff type formations. Present study has demonstrated
      an effectiveness of sonoelastography for valuation of tumor process invasion
      levels. At detection of tumor invasion into parametrium, the test sensitivity
      increased from 77.1 to 91.4%, specificity - from 85.1 to 96.2%, accuracy - from
      80.6 to 93.5%; in case of tumor invasion into vagina these parameters
      correspondently changed: from 75.0 to 83.3%, from 76.9 to 88.4%, from 75.8 to
      85.4%, respectively; and in case of uterus: from 82.9 to 85.3%, from 85.7 to
      95.2%, from 83.8 to 88.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Inclusion of elastography
      into ultrasound examination of cervical pathologies could significantly improve
      diagnostic quality of the method.

PMID- 26112944
TI  - Lapatinib-based therapy for women with advanced/metastatic HER2 positive breast
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lapatinib alone or in combination with other agents, mostly
      capecitabine is used for patients with advanced/metastatic HER2 positive breast
      cancer (HER2(+)BC) after progression on trastuzumab based therapy. Here we report
      our experience with lapatinib based therapy in this setting. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: 67 consecutive patients received lapatinib based therapy. 58 (86.6%)
      received lapatinib + capecitabine (LC), 7 (10.4%) with other agents and 2 (3.0%)
      as single agent lapatinib. Data was collected from patients' records
      retrospectively. RESULTS: Objective response to lapatinib based therapy in 64
      evaluable patients was 64.0% in all patients and 64.0% in patients who received
      LC. Median progression free survival and overall survival were 10 and 27 months
      in all patients and 10 and 17 months in patients who received LC, respectively.
      16 (24.0%) patients had dose delay > 1 week and/or dose reduction. CONCLUSION:
      Lapatinib based therapy is an effective treatment for women with
      advanced/metastatic HER2(+)BC after prior exposure to trastuzumab. It yields
      meaningful response rates, progression free and overall survival. Some patients
      require dose adjustments.

PMID- 26112945
TI  - Effect of polyamine metabolism inhibitors on Lewis lung carcinoma growth and
      metastasis.
AB  - AIM: To study the influence of polyamine metabolism inhibitors on the growth,
      metastasis and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity of Lewis lung carcinoma.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experiments were performed on female mice C57Bl/6 with
      Lewis lung carcinoma. Nomega-hydroxy-nor-arginine (nor-NOHA) and alpha
      difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) were used as arginase and ODC inhibitors,
      correspondently. Inhibition of tumor growth was calculated by comparison of tumor
      volume in the treated and control groups. The average number of metastases per
      animal in the group and the average volume of pulmonary metastases per animal in
      the group have been determined. Determination of ODC - the key enzyme of the
      polyamine synthesis - in the samples of experimental tumors was performed by
      method of Luqman S. RESULTS: Administration of DFMO or it's combination with nor
      NOHA resulted in the decrease of tumor growth rate, number and volume of lung
      metastases and was accompanied with reduced ODC activity in tumor tissue.
      CONCLUSION: Modifiers of polyamine metabolism may be considered as promising
      targeted cancer therapy.

PMID- 26112946
TI  - Survival rates of familial and sporadic prostate cancer patients.
AB  - AIM: To compare cancer-specific survival rates for familial and sporadic prostate
      cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Gleason score and age at diagnosis of
      familial group and sporadic group were compared by chi(2) and t-test. Cancer
      specific survival rates were analyzed by the Kaplan - Meier method and compared
      by log-rank test. Statistically significant level was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS:
      Among 1175 prostate cancer patients, familial group consisted of 215 (18.3%)
      patients, the sporadic group consisted of 960 (81.7%) patients. The familial
      group patient's mean age at diagnosis (58.9 years old, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) 57.8-60.1) was significantly younger than that of sporadic group patients
      (67.2 years old, 95% CI 66.7-67.6) (p < 0.0001). Comparing Gleason score between
      familial group and sporadic group revealed no statistically significant
      difference. The analysis showed that 92% (95% CI 0.88-0.97) of familial group
      patients had a 10-year cancer-specific survival rates, which was a significantly
      better outcome than that of sporadic group with 69% (95% CI 0.60-0.78) 10-year
      cancer-specific survival rates (p = 0.0237). CONCLUSION: The study data
      demonstrate statistically significant difference between familial group and
      sporadic group concerning age and cancer-specific survival rates, but not Gleason
      score.

PMID- 26112947
TI  - Paraganglioma-like dermal melanocytic tumor: a rare skin lesion.

PMID- 26112948
TI  - Valentyn Leonidovych Ganul.

PMID- 26112949
TI  - Sergiy Petrovych Osinsky (1945-2015).

PMID- 26112950
TI  - Rs7193343 polymorphism in zinc finger homeobox 3 (ZFHX3) gene and atrial
      fibrillation: an updated meta-analysis of 10 case-control comparisons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The previous genome-wide studies have shown that rs7193343 single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in zinc finger homeobox 3 (ZFHX3) gene correlate
      with risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the distribution of this SNP
      differs significantly among various populations. The present study was to
      investigate whether combined evidence shows the association between ZFHX3
      rs7193343 SNP and the risk of AF in various populations. METHODS: A systematic
      search of all studies published through Dec 2014 was conducted using the Medline,
      Embase, WanFang, ScienceDirect, CNKI, and OVID databases. The case-control
      studies that evaluated an association between rs7193343 SNP and risk of AF were
      identified. The association between the ZFHX3 rs7193343 SNP and AF susceptibility
      was assessed using genetic models. RESULTS: We collected 10 comparisons from six
      studies for rs7193343 SNP, including 1037 cases and 4310 controls in Asian, 5583
      cases and 38215 controls in Caucasian, and then performed an updated meta
      analysis and subgroup analysis based on ethnicity. In overall population, the
      occurrence of AF was found to be associated with T-allelic of rs7193343 SNP in
      ZFHX3 (OR =1.17, 95% CI 1.10-1.26). In subgroup analysis, we observed there was
      significant association between T-allele of rs7193343 and risk of AF in Caucasian
      subgroups (OR =1.20, 95% CI 1.12-1.30), but no statistically significance (OR =
      1.07, 95% CI 0.92-1.24) in Asian population. CONCLUSION: In Caucasian population,
      genetic variant rs7193343 SNP is associated with risk of AF in Caucasian
      population. However, no association is found in Asian population based on the
      current evidence. Further studies with larger sample size involving case-control
      populations with multiple ethnics are still required in the future.

PMID- 26112952
TI  - High resolution map of caenorhabditis elegans gap junction proteins.

PMID- 26112951
TI  - The molecular mechanism of the effect of sulfur dioxide inhalation on the
      potassium and calcium ion channels in rat aortas.
AB  - This study investigated the molecular mechanism of the effect of sulfur dioxide
      (SO2) on the expression of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium ion
      (K(+); KATP) channel, big-conductance calcium ion (Ca(2+))-activated K(+) (BKCa)
      channel, and L-type (L-Ca(2+)) channel subunits in rat aortas with quantitative
      reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. The
      results showed that the messenger RNA and protein levels of the KATP channel
      subunits Kir6.1, Kir6.2, and sulfonylurea receptor 2B (SUR2B) of rat aortas were
      significantly increased by SO2 at 14 mg/m(3), whereas the levels of SUR2A were
      not changed. SO2 at all the treated concentrations markedly raised the expression
      of the BKCa channel subunits alpha and beta1. SO2 at 14 mg/m(3) significantly
      decreased the expression of the L-Ca(2+) channel Cav1.2 and Cav1.3. The
      histological examination of rat aorta tissues showed moderate injury of tunica
      media in the presence of SO2 at 14 mg/m(3). These suggest that SO2 can activate
      the KATP and BKCa channels by upregulating the expression of Kir6.1, Kir6.2,
      SUR2B, BKCa alpha, and BKCa beta1, while inhibit the L-Ca(2+) channels by
      downregulating the expression of Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 in rat aortas. The molecular
      mechanism of SO2-induced vasorelaxant effect might be linked to the changes in
      expression of these channel subunits, which plays an important role in the
      pathogenesis of SO2-associated cardiovascular diseases. 

PMID- 26112955
TI  - On the feasibility of growth-coupled product synthesis in microbial strains.
AB  - Enforcing obligate coupling of growth with synthesis of a desired product has
      become a key principle for metabolic engineering of microbial production strains.
      Various methods from stoichiometric and constraint-based modeling have been
      developed to calculate intervention strategies by which a given microorganism can
      only grow if it synthesizes a desired compound as a mandatory by-product.
      However, growth-coupled synthesis is not necessarily feasible for every compound
      of a metabolic network and no rigorous criterion is currently known to test
      feasibility of coupled product and biomass formation (before searching for
      suitable intervention strategies). In this work, we show which properties a
      network must fulfill such that strain designs guaranteeing coupled biomass and
      product synthesis can exist at all. In networks without flux bounds, coupling is
      feasible if and only if an elementary mode exists that leads to formation of both
      biomass and product. Setting flux boundaries leads to more complicated
      inhomogeneous problems. Making use of the concept of elementary (flux) vectors, a
      generalization of elementary modes, a criterion for feasibility can also be
      derived for this situation. We applied our criteria to a metabolic model of
      Escherichia coli and determined for each metabolite, whether its net production
      can be coupled with biomass synthesis and calculated the maximal (guaranteed)
      coupling yield. The somewhat surprising result is that, under aerobic conditions,
      coupling is indeed possible for each carbon metabolite of the central metabolism.
      This also holds true for most metabolites under anaerobic conditions but
      consideration of ATP maintenance requirements implies infeasibility of coupling
      for certain compounds. On the other hand, ATP maintenance may also increase the
      maximal coupling yield for some metabolites. Overall, our work provides important
      insights and novel tools for a central problem of computational strain design. 

PMID- 26112956
TI  - An ensemble-guided approach identifies ClpP as a major regulator of transcript
      levels in nitric oxide-stressed Escherichia coli.
AB  - The importance of NO(?) to immunity is highlighted by the diversity of pathogens
      that require NO(?)-defensive systems to establish infections. Proteases have been
      identified to aid pathogens in surviving macrophage attack, inspiring us to
      investigate their role during NO(?) stress in Escherichia coli. We discovered
      that the elimination of ClpP largely impaired NO(?) detoxification by E. coli.
      Using a quantitative model of NO(?) stress, we employed an ensemble-guided
      approach to identify the underlying mechanism. Iterations of in silico analyses
      and corresponding experiments identified the defect to result from deficient
      transcript levels of hmp, which encodes NO(?) dioxygenase. Interestingly, the
      defect was not confined to hmp, as DeltaclpP imparted widespread perturbations to
      the expression of NO(?)-responsive genes. This work identified a target for anti
      infective therapies based on disabling NO(?) defenses, and demonstrated the
      utility of model-based approaches for exploring the complex, systems-level stress
      exerted by NO(?). 

PMID- 26112957
TI  - The influence of chronic health problems and work-related factors on loss of paid
      employment among older workers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With an ageing society and increasing retirement ages, it is
      important to understand how employability can be promoted in older workers with
      health problems. The current study aimed to determine whether (1) different
      chronic health problems predict transitions from paid employment to disability
      benefits, unemployment and early retirement, and (2) how work-related factors
      modify these associations. METHODS: Self-report questionnaire data was used from
      the Dutch longitudinal Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation
      with 3 years of follow-up (2010-2013), among employees aged 45-64 years (N=8149).
      The influence of baseline chronic health problems and work-related factors on
      transitions from paid employment to disability benefits, unemployment and early
      retirement during follow-up was estimated in a competing risks proportional
      hazards model. Relative excess risk of transitions due to the interaction between
      chronic health problems and work-related factors was assessed. RESULTS: Severe
      headache, diabetes mellitus and musculoskeletal, respiratory, digestive and
      psychological health problems predicted an increased risk of disability benefits
      (HR range 1.78-2.79). Circulatory (HR=1.35) and psychological health problems
      (HR=2.58) predicted unemployment, and musculoskeletal (HR=1.23) and psychological
      health problems (HR=1.57) predicted early retirement. Work-related factors did
      not modify the influence of health problems on unemployment or early retirement.
      Psychosocial work-related factors, especially autonomy, modified the influence of
      health problems on disability benefits. Specifically, among workers with health
      problems, higher autonomy, higher support and lower psychological job demands
      reduced the risk of disability benefits by 82%, 49%, and 11%, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: All health problems affected disability benefits to a similar
      extent, but psychological health problems especially predicted unemployment and
      early retirement. For older workers with health problems, promoting an optimal
      work environment has the potential to contribute to sustainable employment.

PMID- 26112958
TI  - Expression and significance of cortactin and HDAC6 in human prostatic foamy gland
      carcinoma.
AB  - Cortactin, the cytoplasmic substrate of HDAC6, is known to play an actin
      cytoskeletal regulatory role which is implicated in the motility of cancer cells,
      and thus in cancer progression. Its activity is found to be regulated by HDAC6.
      However, the significance of cortactin and HDAC6 remains unclear in uncommon
      histologic variant human prostatic foamy gland carcinoma (PfCa). In this study,
      we aimed to identify the expression and potential role of cortactin and HDAC6 in
      PfCa. Therefore, 16 PfCa specimens containing 48 foci with distinctive lesions
      were collected to identify the status of cortactin and HDAC6 by
      immunohistochemistry. Their correlation between clinicopathological
      characteristics and prognostic values were further analysed. The effect of
      cortactin and HDAC6 on prostate cancer cell migration and invasion was then
      evaluated in IA8 cells. The results showed that expression of cortactin and HDAC6
      was significantly higher in PfCa foci, compared to that of high-grade prostatic
      intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) foci and benign foci (P < 0.05). Cortactin and
      HDAC6 were associated with poor prognosis of patients with PfCa (P < 0.05).
      Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed HDAC6 level was a significant
      prognostic factor for survival of patients with PfCa (beta = 1.200, Wald value =
      7.282, P = 0.007, 95% CI = 1.389-7.941, P < 0.01, beta > 0). Both knocking down
      cortactin and inhibition of HDAC6 activity with tubacin reduced in vitro
      migration and invasion ability of IA8 cells substantially. Furthermore, HDAC6 has
      prognostic value for patients with PfCa. Dysregulation of cortactin and HDAC6 is
      implicated in the invasiveness and migration of prostate cancer cells.

PMID- 26112959
TI  - Clinical and Molecular Cytogenetic Characterization of a de novo Interstitial
      1p31.1p31.3 Deletion in a Boy with Moderate Intellectual Disability and Severe
      Language Impairment.
AB  - Interstitial 1p deletions are rare events. Very few cases of 1p31.1p31.3
      deletions characterized by variable phenotypes have been reported. No clear
      genotype-phenotype correlation has been determined yet. We present a child with a
      de novo interstitial 1p31.1p31.3 deletion, identified by array CGH, associated
      with intellectual disability and severe language impairment. The deleted region
      contains 20 OMIM genes, but we focused on GADD45A (MIM 126335; growth arrest- and
      DNA damage-inducible gene), LRRC7 (MIM 614453; leucine-rich repeat-containing
      protein 7), and NEGR1 (MIM 613173; neuronal growth regulator 1). We discuss
      whether these genes play a role in determining the phenotype of our patient in
      order to investigate the possibility of a genotype-phenotype correlation. 

PMID- 26112961
TI  - Microbiological assay for the analysis of certain macrolides in pharmaceutical
      dosage forms.
AB  - Clarithromycin (CLA) and roxithromycin (ROX) are macrolide antibiotics with an
      expanded spectrum of activity that are commercially available as tablets. A
      microbiological assay, applying the cylinder-plate method and using a strain of
      Micrococcus luteus ATCC 9341 as test organism, has been used and validated for
      the quantification of two macrolide drugs; CLA and ROX in pure and pharmaceutical
      formulations. The validation of the proposed method was carried out for
      linearity, precision, accuracy and specificity. The linear dynamic ranges were
      from 0.1 to 0.5MUg/mL for both compounds. Logarithmic calibration curve was
      obtained for each macrolide (r>0.989) with statistically equal slopes varying
      from 3.275 to 4.038, and a percentage relative standard deviation in the range of
      0.24-0.92%. Moreover, the method was applied successfully for the assay of the
      studied drugs in pharmaceutical tablet dosage forms. Recovery from standard
      addition experiments in commercial products was 94.71-96.91% regarding
      clarithromycin and 93.94-98.12% regarding roxithromycin, with a precision (%RSD)
      1.32-2.11%. Accordingly, this microbiological assay can be used for routine
      quality control analysis of titled drugs in tablet formulations. 

PMID- 26112962
TI  - [Familial severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and sudden cardiac death].

PMID- 26112960
TI  - Characterisation of Dermanyssus gallinae glutathione S-transferases and their
      potential as acaricide detoxification proteins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) facilitate detoxification of drugs
      by catalysing the conjugation of the reduced glutathione (GSH) to electrophilic
      xenobiotic substrates and therefore have a function in multi-drug resistance. As
      a result, knowledge of GSTs can inform both drug resistance in, and novel
      interventions for, the control of endo- and ectoparasite species. Acaricide
      resistance and the need for novel control methods are both pressing needs for
      Dermanyssus gallinae, a highly economically important haematophagous ectoparasite
      of poultry. METHODS: A transcriptomic database representing D. gallinae was
      examined and 11 contig sequences were identified with GST BlastX identities. The
      transcripts represented by 3 contigs, designated Deg-GST-1, -2 and -3, were fully
      sequenced and further characterized by phylogenetic analysis. Recombinant
      versions of Deg-GST-1, -2 and -3 (rDeg-GST) were enzymically active and acaricide
      binding properties of the rDeg-GSTs were established by evaluating the ability of
      selected acaricides to inhibit the enzymatic activity of rDeg-GSTs. RESULTS: 6 of
      the identified GSTs belonged to the mu class, followed by 3 kappa, 1 omega and 1
      delta class molecules. Deg-GST-1 and -3 clearly partitioned with orthologous mu
      class GSTs and Deg-GST-2 partitioned with delta class GSTs. Phoxim, permethrin
      and abamectin significantly inhibited rDeg-GST-1 activity by 56, 35 and 17%
      respectively. Phoxim also inhibited rDeg-2-GST (14.8%) and rDeg-GST-3 (20.6%)
      activities. CONCLUSIONS: Deg-GSTs may have important roles in the detoxification
      of pesticides and, with the increased occurrence of acaricide resistance in this
      species worldwide, Deg-GSTs are attractive targets for novel interventions.

PMID- 26112963
TI  - Chrysin attenuates cardiomyocyte apoptosis and loss of intermediate filaments in
      a mouse model of mitoxantrone cardiotoxicity.
AB  - Chrysin (CHR) is a natural flavonoid and is present in high concentration in
      honey, propolis and many plant extracts. The aim of the present study was to
      evaluate the effects of CHR to reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis and loss of
      intermediate filaments in a mouse model of mitoxantrone cardiotoxicity.
      Morphology of the cardiomyocytes was determined by optic and transmission
      electron microscopy and biochemistry methods. The expression of Bcl-2, Bax and
      Caspase-3 were assessed by immunofluorecence. Tunel assay was used to assess
      apoptosis in cardiomyocytes. In addition, the distribution of desmin protein was
      evaluated using immunohistochemistry. Our results show that MTX treatment
      significantly increased serum levels of creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB),
      indicator of cardiac injury and withdrawn under CHR protection. Expression levels
      of Bcl-2 decreased, while those of Bax and caspase-3 increased following MTX
      treatment. 50 mg/kg of daily CHR intake reduced Bax and caspase-3
      immunopositivity and restored Bcl-2 levels to a value comparable to the control.
      TUNEL (+) cardiomyocyte nuclei of MTX group showed typical signs of apoptosis
      which almost completely disappeared in response to 50 mg/kg CHR treatment. In
      parallel, an irregular distribution and a weak expression of desmin is associated
      with MTX induced cardiotoxic effects which was also restored by CHR treatment. In
      conclusion chrysin inhibits MTX-triggered cardiomyocyte apoptosis via multiple
      pathways, including decrease of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3 expression
      along with preservation of the desmin disarray. 

PMID- 26112964
TI  - Clinical factors indicating short nasal bone overlap.
AB  - CONCLUSION: It is important to take adequate precautions when performing
      septoplasty for elderly patients. OBJECTIVE: Septoplasty is the treatment of
      choice for deviation of the nasal septum. Saddle nose is a rare complication
      caused by damage to the keystone area. In this area, the nasal bone overlaps the
      upper lateral cartilages, so careful attention is needed when performing
      septoplasty to patients with short nasal bone overlap. Therefore, the factors
      associated with short nasal bone overlap were investigated to allow adequate
      precautions to be taken during surgery. METHOD: Computed tomography (CT)
      including the paranasal sinus region was performed in 177 patients. Data
      including sex, age, and the primary disease were obtained from their medical
      records. The degree of septal deviation and the bone overlap distance in the
      midline were measured using CT. RESULT: It was found that advancing age was
      significantly associated with shorter bone overlap distance in the midline. There
      was no significant association between the degree of septal deviation and nasal
      bone overlap distance in the midline. Furthermore, there was no significant
      difference in the overlap distance between nasal sinus diseases and other
      diseases, and between sexes.

PMID- 26112965
TI  - Phylogenetic Analysis Supports a Link between DUF1220 Domain Number and Primate
      Brain Expansion.
AB  - The expansion of DUF1220 domain copy number during human evolution is a dramatic
      example of rapid and repeated domain duplication. Although patterns of
      expression, homology, and disease associations suggest a role in cortical
      development, this hypothesis has not been robustly tested using phylogenetic
      methods. Here, we estimate DUF1220 domain counts across 12 primate genomes using
      a nucleotide Hidden Markov Model. We then test a series of hypotheses designed to
      examine the potential evolutionary significance of DUF1220 copy number expansion.
      Our results suggest a robust association with brain size, and more specifically
      neocortex volume. In contradiction to previous hypotheses, we find a strong
      association with postnatal brain development but not with prenatal brain
      development. Our results provide further evidence of a conserved association
      between specific loci and brain size across primates, suggesting that human brain
      evolution may have occurred through a continuation of existing processes. 

PMID- 26112966
TI  - Comparative Analysis of the Shared Sex-Determination Region (SDR) among Salmonid
      Fishes.
AB  - Salmonids present an excellent model for studying evolution of young sex
      chromosomes. Within the genus, Oncorhynchus, at least six independent sex
      chromosome pairs have evolved, many unique to individual species. This variation
      results from the movement of the sex-determining gene, sdY, throughout the
      salmonid genome. While sdY is known to define sexual differentiation in
      salmonids, the mechanism of its movement throughout the genome has remained
      elusive due to high frequencies of repetitive elements, rDNA sequences, and
      transposons surrounding the sex-determining regions (SDR). Despite these
      difficulties, bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library clones from both
      rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon containing the sdY region have been reported.
      Here, we report the sequences for these BACs as well as the extended sequence for
      the known SDR in Chinook gained through genome walking methods. Comparative
      analysis allowed us to study the overlapping SDRs from three unique salmonid Y
      chromosomes to define the specific content, size, and variation present between
      the species. We found approximately 4.1 kb of orthologous sequence common to all
      three species, which contains the genetic content necessary for masculinization.
      The regions contain transposable elements that may be responsible for the
      translocations of the SDR throughout salmonid genomes and we examine potential
      mechanistic roles of each one. 

PMID- 26112969
TI  - Sexual Violence Among Middle School Students: The Effects of Gender and Dating
      Experience.
AB  - Sexual violence has been increasingly recognized as a social, rather than
      strictly individual or family, problem. Unfortunately, providers and policymakers
      remain divided on the scope and causes of sexual violence, which limits their
      capacity to develop theory- and evidence-based responses. Such limitations are
      particularly pronounced in regards to children and adolescents. These youth are
      rarely addressed in the literature, and when they are, scholars tend to focus on
      adult victimization of children rather than children's victimization of their
      peers. This study investigates the prevalence of unwanted sexual contact among
      middle students. Data are from a sample of 1,371 students attending New York City
      public middle schools. Drawing from current antiviolence curricula and scholarly
      literature on sexual violence, gender and dating experience are used as
      predictors of victimization and perpetration; race, age, and prior exposure to
      antiviolence programming are included as controls. Data reveal that, while boys'
      violence towards girls comprises a substantial proportion of sexual violence in
      this population, same-sex violence and girls' violence towards boys are also
      prevalent. Analyses conclude with recommendations for future antiviolence
      programming based on these patterns.

PMID- 26112970
TI  - The Value of Incorporating Measures of Relationship Concordance When Constructing
      Profiles of Intimate Partner Homicides: A Descriptive Study of IPH Committed
      Within London, 1998-2009.
AB  - This article presents a profile of intimate partner homicides (IPH) committed
      within London incorporating a gendered comparison of the perpetrators'
      relationships. Data was sourced from the original police files for offenses
      committed in the capital between 1998 and 2009 ( N = 207; 173 male and 34 female
      perpetrators). In common with other international descriptive studies, the
      results indicate comparative differences between partners according to
      perpetrator gender in terms of age profiles, employment status, experience of
      mental health issues, intoxication at time of killing, and possession of criminal
      convictions. Gender-based IPH descriptive studies have tended to focus on a
      collation of either victim or perpetrator or relationship characteristics, often
      in isolation from one another. Assessments of how parties interact within fatal
      relationships are invariably absent, and yet, it is the relationship that forms
      the backdrop against which the fatal acts are perpetrated. This study, therefore,
      not only provides an insight into the profile of IPH committed within London
      where none had previously existed but also demonstrates the advantages of
      incorporating relationship concordance measures. The inclusion of such measures
      when researching IPH assists homicide investigators in understanding the dynamics
      taking place within the cohort of fatal relationships they police. It also
      provides researchers a useful platform to enhance understanding of this crucial
      aspect, for it is the relationship itself which is what defines IPH and
      distinguishes as a unique subset of homicide.

PMID- 26112968
TI  - Modulation of the molecular spintronic properties of adsorbed copper corroles.
AB  - The ability to modulate the spin states of adsorbed molecules is in high demand
      for molecular spintronics applications. Here, we demonstrate that the spin state
      of a corrole complex can be tuned by expanding its fused ring as a result of the
      modification to the d-pi interaction between the metal and ligand. A
      bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene-fused copper corrole can readily be converted into a
      tetrabenzocorrole radical on an Au(111) substrate during the sublimation process.
      In the scanning tunnelling spectroscopy spectrum, a sharp Kondo resonance appears
      near the Fermi level on the corrole ligand of the tetrabenzocorrole molecule. In
      contrast, a non-fused-ring-expanded copper corrole molecule, copper 5,10,15
      triphenylcorrole, shows no such Kondo feature. Mapping of the Kondo resonance
      demonstrates that the spin distribution of the tetrabenzocorrole molecule can be
      further modified by the rotation of the meso-aryl groups, in a manner that could
      lead to applications in molecular spintronics. 

PMID- 26112971
TI  - Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Immigrants to the United States.
AB  - A growing number of studies have examined the "immigrant paradox" with respect to
      health behaviors in the United States. However, little research attention has
      been afforded to the study of adverse childhood experiences (ACE; neglect,
      physical and sexual abuse, and witnessing violence) among immigrants in the
      United States. The present study, using Waves I and II data from the National
      Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), aims to address
      these gaps by comparing forms of ACE of first- and second-generation immigrants
      with native-born American adults in the United States. We also examined the
      latent structure of ACE among immigrants and conducted analyses to assess the
      psychiatric correlates of identified latent classes. With the exception of
      neglect, the prevalence of ACE was markedly higher among native-born Americans
      and second-generation immigrants compared with first-generation immigrants. Four
      latent classes were identified-limited adverse experience ( n = 3,497), emotional
      and physical abuse ( n = 1,262), family violence ( n = 358), and global adversity
      ( n = 246). The latter three classes evinced greater likelihood of being
      diagnosed with a mood, anxiety, personality, and substance use disorder, and to
      report violent and non-violent antisocial behavior. Consistent with prior
      research examining the associations between the immigrant paradox and health
      outcomes, results suggest that first-generation immigrants to the United States
      are less likely to have experienced physical and sexual abuse and witness
      domestic violence. However, likely due to cultural circumstances, first
      generation immigrants were more likely to report experiences that are deemed
      neglectful by Western standards.

PMID- 26112967
TI  - How Did Arthropod Sesquiterpenoids and Ecdysteroids Arise? Comparison of Hormonal
      Pathway Genes in Noninsect Arthropod Genomes.
AB  - The phylum Arthropoda contains the largest number of described living animal
      species, with insects and crustaceans dominating the terrestrial and aquatic
      environments, respectively. Their successful radiations have long been linked to
      their rigid exoskeleton in conjunction with their specialized endocrine systems.
      In order to understand how hormones can contribute to the evolution of these
      animals, here, we have categorized the sesquiterpenoid and ecdysteroid pathway
      genes in the noninsect arthropod genomes, which are known to play important roles
      in the regulation of molting and metamorphosis in insects. In our analyses, the
      majority of gene homologs involved in the biosynthetic, degradative, and
      signaling pathways of sesquiterpenoids and ecdysteroids can be identified,
      implying these two hormonal systems were present in the last common ancestor of
      arthropods. Moreover, we found that the "Broad-Complex" was specifically gained
      in the Pancrustacea, and the innovation of juvenile hormone (JH) in the insect
      linage correlates with the gain of the JH epoxidase (CYP15A1/C1) and the key
      residue changes in the binding domain of JH receptor ("Methoprene-tolerant").
      Furthermore, the gain of "Phantom" differentiates chelicerates from the other
      arthropods in using ponasterone A rather than 20-hydroxyecdysone as molting
      hormone. This study establishes a comprehensive framework for interpreting the
      evolution of these vital hormonal pathways in these most successful animals, the
      arthropods, for the first time. 

PMID- 26112972
TI  - The Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire: Validation Among a Portuguese
      Sample of Incarcerated Juvenile Delinquents.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the
      Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ) among a forensic sample of
      incarcerated male juvenile offenders ( N = 221). The Portuguese version of the
      RPQ demonstrated promising psychometric properties, namely, in terms of factor
      structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and
      concurrent validity that generally justifies its use among this population.
      Statistically significant associations were found with conduct disorder, age of
      criminal onset, age of first problem with the law, crime seriousness, physical
      violence use in committing crimes, alcohol use, cannabis use, cocaine/heroin use,
      and having unprotected sex. The findings provide additional support for the
      extension of the RPQ across different cultures, ethnic groups, and samples.

PMID- 26112973
TI  - Track My Health: a mobile application that allows patients to monitor their
      health.

PMID- 26112974
TI  - How Normal is a 'Normal' Heart in Fetuses and Infants with Down Syndrome?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital heart disease is present in 44-56% of fetuses with Down
      syndrome (DS). There are, however, signs that hearts in DS without apparent
      structural heart defects also differ from those in the normal population. We
      aimed to compare the atrioventricular (AV) septum and valves in 3 groups: DS
      without AV septal defect (DS no-AVSD), DS with AVSD (DS AVSD) and control hearts.
      METHODS: The ventricular septum, membranous septum and AV valves were examined
      and measured in histological sections of 15 DS no-AVSD, 8 DS AVSD and 34 control
      hearts. In addition, the ventricular septum length was measured on ultrasound
      images of fetal (6 DS AVSD, 9 controls) and infant (10 DS no-AVSD, 10 DS AVSD, 10
      controls) hearts. RESULTS: The membranous septum was 3 times larger in DS no-AVSD
      fetuses compared to control fetuses, and valve dysplasia was frequently (64%)
      observed. The ventricular septum was shorter in patients with DS both with and
      without AVSD, as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: DS no-AVSD hearts are
      not normal as they have a larger membranous septum, shorter ventricular septum
      and dysplasia of the AV valves as compared to control hearts.

PMID- 26112975
TI  - Optimizing parameters of an open-source airway segmentation algorithm using
      different CT images.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) helps physicians locate and diagnose
      pathological conditions. In some conditions, having an airway segmentation method
      which facilitates reconstruction of the airway from chest CT images can help
      hugely in the assessment of lung diseases. Many efforts have been made to develop
      airway segmentation algorithms, but methods are usually not optimized to be
      reliable across different CT scan parameters. METHODS: In this paper, we present
      a simple and reliable semi-automatic algorithm which can segment tracheal and
      bronchial anatomy using the open-source 3D Slicer platform. The method is based
      on a region growing approach where trachea, right and left bronchi are cropped
      and segmented independently using three different thresholds. The algorithm and
      its parameters have been optimized to be efficient across different CT scan
      acquisition parameters. The performance of the proposed method has been evaluated
      on EXACT'09 cases and local clinical cases as well as on a breathing pig lung
      phantom using multiple scans and changing parameters. In particular, to
      investigate multiple scan parameters reconstruction kernel, radiation dose and
      slice thickness have been considered. Volume, branch count, branch length and
      leakage presence have been evaluated. A new method for leakage evaluation has
      been developed and correlation between segmentation metrics and CT acquisition
      parameters has been considered. RESULTS: All the considered cases have been
      segmented successfully with good results in terms of leakage presence. Results on
      clinical data are comparable to other teams' methods, as obtained by evaluation
      against the EXACT09 challenge, whereas results obtained from the phantom prove
      the reliability of the method across multiple CT platforms and acquisition
      parameters. As expected, slice thickness is the parameter affecting the results
      the most, whereas reconstruction kernel and radiation dose seem not to
      particularly affect airway segmentation. CONCLUSION: The system represents the
      first open-source airway segmentation platform. The quantitative evaluation
      approach presented represents the first repeatable system evaluation tool for
      like-for-like comparison between different airway segmentation platforms. Results
      suggest that the algorithm can be considered stable across multiple CT platforms
      and acquisition parameters and can be considered as a starting point for the
      development of a complete airway segmentation algorithm.

PMID- 26112976
TI  - Preparation and Characterization of Monomodal Grapevine Virus A Capsid Protein.
AB  - Grapevine virus A (GVA), a flexible filament of approximately 800 nm in length is
      composed of capsid subunits that spontaneously assembles around a positive sense
      genomic RNA. In addition to encapsidation, plant viruses capsid proteins (CPs)
      participate in other processes throughout infection and GVA CP is involved in
      cell-to-cell translocation of the virus. A protocol was developed to obtain low
      molecular weight GVA-CP that is not prone to aggregation and spontaneous assembly
      and this was characterized by circular dichroism and dynamic light scattering.
      These results indicate the suitably of GVA-CP for X-ray crystallographic and NMR
      studies that should lead to the elucidation of the first three-dimensional
      structure of a flexible filamentous virus from the Betaflexiviridae family. 

PMID- 26112977
TI  - Phosphoproteins with Stability Against All Urinary Phosphatases as Potential
      Biomarkers in Urine.
AB  - Urine, by accumulating all kinds of changes, was proposed to be a better source
      for biomarker discovery. As one of the most common post-translational
      modifications, phosphorylation plays a vital role in many biological activities.
      However, the urine phosphoproteome has been largely neglected due to the low
      abundance of phosphoproteins and the presence of various phosphatases in urine.
      The low level of background phosphorylation in urine is actually advantageous, as
      urinary phosphopeptides/proteins that are stable to the phosphatases present in
      urine have the potential to serve as valuable disease biomarkers. Using a TiO2
      enrichment strategy, this study aimed to create a comprehensive proteomic profile
      of human urinary phosphoproteins and to characterize the changes in the urine
      phosphoproteome after incubation of urine with renal carcinoma cell lysates. In
      total, 106 urine phosphorylation sites corresponding to 64 proteins, including 80
      previously unidentified human urine protein phosphorylation sites, were
      identified by mass spectrometry. Fifteen phosphopeptides, together averaging 47%
      of the total phosphopeptides, were found in samples from three individuals.
      Cellular proteins are potential source of biomarker in urine phosphorylated
      proteins. Addition of renal carcinoma cellular proteins to urine did not
      significantly change the phosphorylation level of urine proteins. But there were
      still a few phosphopeptides from cell lysates survived urinary phosphatases; such
      phosphopeptides represent potential biomarkers in urine. 

PMID- 26112978
TI  - Construction and long term preservation of clonal transgenic silkworms using a
      parthenogenetic strain.
AB  - For the functional analysis of insect genes as well as for the production of
      recombinant proteins for biomedical use, clonal transgenic silkworms are very
      useful. We examined if they could be produced in the parthenogenetic strain that
      had been maintained for more than 40years as a female line in which embryogenesis
      is induced with nearly 100% efficiency by a heat shock treatment of unfertilized
      eggs. All individuals have identical female genotype. Silkworm transgenesis
      requires injection of the DNA constructs into the non-diapausing eggs at the
      preblastodermal stage of embryogenesis. Since our parthenogenetic silkworms
      produce diapausing eggs, diapause programing was eliminated by incubating ovaries
      of the parthenogenetic strain in standard male larvae. Chorionated eggs were
      dissected from the implants, activated by the heat shock treatment and injected
      with the transgene construct. Several transgenic individuals occurred in the
      daughter generation. Southern blotting analysis of two randomly chosen transgenic
      lines VTG1 and VTG14 revealed multiple transgene insertions. Insertions found in
      the parental females were transferred to the next generation without any changes
      in their sites and copy numbers, suggesting that transgenic silkworms can be
      maintained as clonal strains with homozygous transgenes. Cryopreservation was
      developed for the storage of precious genotypes. As shown for the VTG1 and VTG14
      lines, larval ovaries can be stored in DMSO at the temperature of liquid
      nitrogen, transferred to Grace's medium during defrosting, and then implanted
      into larvae of either sex of the standard silkworm strains C146 and w1-pnd.
      Chorionated eggs, which developed in the implants, were dissected and activated
      by the heat shock to obtain females (nearly 100% efficiency) or by a cold shock
      to induce development to both sexes in 4% of the eggs. It was then possible to
      establish bisexual lines homozygous for the transgene. 

PMID- 26112979
TI  - The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and related complications in a nationally
      representative sample of adults aged 50 and over in the Republic of Ireland.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the prevalence of diagnosed Type 2 diabetes and its related
      complications in a nationally representative sample of older adults in the
      Republic of Ireland. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of a population-based
      sample of adults aged >= 50 years from the first wave of The Irish Longitudinal
      Study on Ageing (TILDA), (2009-2011). Diagnosed Type 2 diabetes prevalence was
      estimated by self-report or the use of oral hypoglycaemic agents. The prevalence
      of microvascular and macrovascular complications was determined by self-report.
      RESULTS: Diagnosed Type 2 diabetes prevalence was 8.4% [95% confidence interval
      (CI): 7.8-9.0%] and was higher among men [10.3% (95% CI: 9.4-11.2%)] than women
      [6.6% (95% CI: 5.9-7.5%)]; P <= 0.001. Among participants with diagnosed Type 2
      diabetes, the overall prevalence of microvascular complications was 26.0% (95%
      CI: 22.4-30.0%) with no evidence of gender-specific differences (P = 0.7). The
      overall prevalence of macrovascular complications was 15.1% (95% CI: 12.2-18.4%)
      and was higher among men [17.8% (95% CI: 14.3-23.1%)] than women [11.4% (95% CI:
      7.7-16.4%)]; P <= 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of a national diabetes
      register, these findings provide a robust estimate of the national prevalence of
      diagnosed Type 2 diabetes and level of complications among adults aged 50 years
      and over in Ireland.

PMID- 26112980
TI  - Hyperglycemia and liver ischemia reperfusion injury: a role for the advanced
      glycation endproduct and its receptor pathway.
AB  - Although pretransplant diabetes is a risk factor for mortality post-liver
      transplant, the underlying mechanism has not been fully defined. In a murine
      liver partial warm ischemia model, we addressed the question of how
      diabetes/hyperglycemia impacted tissue inflammatory injuries against ischemia
      reperfusion (IR), focusing on the advanced glycation endproduct (AGE) and its
      receptor (RAGE) pathway. Our results showed that hepatocellular injury was
      exacerbated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice against IR, in association
      with hyper-inflammatory immune activation in livers. Serum levels of AGEs, but
      not HMGB1, were increased in diabetic mice in response to liver IR. Both RAGE
      antagonist peptides and small interfering RNA alleviated liver injuries and
      inhibited inflammatory immune activation against IR in diabetic, but not normal,
      mice. Kupffer cells (KCs)/macrophages, but not hepatocytes, from diabetic mice
      expressed significantly higher levels of RAGE, leading to their hyper
      inflammatory responsiveness to both TLR ligands and AGEs. In vitro, hyperglycemia
      increased macrophage RAGE expression and enhanced their TLR responses. Our
      results demonstrated that activation of the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in KCs was
      responsible for hyper-inflammatory immune responses and exacerbated
      hepatocellular injuries in diabetic/hyperglycemic hosts against liver IR. 

PMID- 26112981
TI  - [Clinical assessment of olfactory performance - why patient interviews are not
      enough : A report on lessons learned in planning studies with anosmic patients].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Olfactory dysfunction and loss of smell are mostly associated
      with an immense decrease in the quality of life. The aim of the presented study
      was to report on particularities in the acquisition of patients with olfactory
      dysfunction. METHODS: During July 2011 and May 2014 we were contacted by 300
      potential patients with self-reported loss of smell, 95 (54 female, 41 male, mean
      age 53) of which were invited for clinical testing after phone interviews.
      RESULTS: Clinical smell testing revealed 46 patients with anosmia, 38 with
      hyposmia, and 11 with normosmia. Self-assessment of olfactory function only
      correlated with clinical scores if patients had nearly no olfactory function
      left. The ability of self-assessment of olfactory function was independent of age
      or sex. Further, most patients were not able to report on the reason for or the
      duration of their olfactory dysfunction. DISCUSSION: Our report shows that
      patients with olfactory dysfunction are hardly ever ably to assess their grade of
      performance reduction. Awareness among patients with a reduced sense of smell is
      of great general importance, since it can be an indicator of neurodegenerative
      diseases. This should especially be noted for patients older than 50 who are not
      able to indicate a reason for their loss of smell.

PMID- 26112982
TI  - The End of the International Reference Pricing System?
AB  - All 28 EU member states except Sweden and the UK apply international reference
      pricing (IRP), international price comparison, external reference pricing or
      cross-reference pricing. The attractiveness of using prices of other countries as
      a benchmark for decisions within a national price control is obvious. Alternative
      models for price and reimbursement decision making such as value-based pricing
      (VBP), i.e. cost-effectiveness analyses, are more complicated. However, IRP
      provides incentives for stakeholders to take action not in line with optimal
      (welfare-maximizing) pricing. IRP is costly for two reasons. First, manufacturers
      are incentivised to limit or delay access to new innovative treatments in
      countries with small markets and/or a low income, which can be costly in terms of
      loss of health. Second, all countries also experience a loss of welfare (health)
      because IRP reduces the opportunities for differential pricing (Ramsey pricing),
      i.e. using the fact that the ability and willingness to pay differs between
      countries. Thus, IRP results in less sales revenue to finance research and
      development of new innovative drugs. We can now observe that payers and
      manufacturers are engaged in different types of risk-sharing schemes, price
      volume negotiations, payback arrangements, confidential discounts, coverage with
      evidence developments, etc., all with the purpose of returning to the old model
      of price discrimination and Ramsey pricing. Shortly, real prices for use in IRP
      systems will cease to exist and, thus, we expect to soon see the end of IRP, a
      new system for price discrimination and an increasing demand for VBP. 

PMID- 26112983
TI  - The contribution of PCR testing to influenza and pertussis notifications in
      Australia.
AB  - Influenza and pertussis are the two most common vaccine-preventable infections
      notified in Australia. We assessed the role of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
      diagnosis in influenza and pertussis cases notified to the Australian National
      Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). There were a total of 2 10 786
      notified influenza cases (2001-2013) and 2 55 866 notified pertussis cases (1991
      2013). After 1 January 2007, the majority of influenza and pertussis
      notifications were PCR-based (80.5% and 59.6%, respectively). Before 31 December
      2006, PCR-based notifications were limited (29.1% and 11.7%, respectively). By
      2013, PCR-based notifications had largely replaced all other diagnostic methods,
      with the exception of serology-based notifications in pertussis cases in adults
      aged ? 25 years.

PMID- 26112984
TI  - Vasodilator stress with adenosine and the gender preponderance for tolerability
      and manifestation of adverse symptoms: Is there a physiological basis?

PMID- 26112985
TI  - Intensification of ammonia removal from waste water in biologically active
      zeolitic ion exchange columns.
AB  - The use of nitrification filters for the removal of ammonium ion from waste-water
      is an established technology deployed extensively in municipal water treatment,
      in industrial water treatment and in applications such as fish farming. The
      process involves the development of immobilized bacterial films on a solid
      packing support, which is designed to provide a suitable host for the film, and
      allow supply of oxygen to promote aerobic action. Removal of ammonia and nitrite
      is increasingly necessary to meet drinking water and discharge standards being
      applied in the US, Europe and other places. Ion-exchange techniques are also
      effective for removal of ammonia (as the ammonium ion) from waste water and have
      the advantage of fast start-up times compared to biological filtration which in
      some cases may take several weeks to be fully operational. Here we explore the
      performance of ion exchange columns in which nitrifying bacteria are cultivated,
      with the goal of a "combined" process involving simultaneous ion-exchange and
      nitrification, intensified by in-situ aeration with a novel membrane module.
      There were three experimental goals. Firstly, ion exchange zeolites were
      characterized and prepared for comparative column breakthrough studies for
      ammonia removal. Secondly effective in-situ aeration for promotion of nitrifying
      bacterial growth was studied using a number of different membranes including
      polyethersulfone (PES), polypropylene (PP), nylon, and polytetra-fluoroethylene
      (PTFE). Thirdly the breakthrough performance of ion exchange columns filled with
      zeolite in the presence of aeration and in the presence of nitrifying bacteria
      was determined to establish the influence of biomass, and aeration upon
      breakthrough during ammonium ion uptake. The methodology adopted included
      screening of two types of the naturally occuring zeolite clinoptilolite for
      effective ammonia removal in continuous ion-exchange columns. Next, the
      performance of fixed beds of clinoptilolite in the presence of nitrifying
      bacteria is compared to that in columns in which only ion exchange is occurring.
      The aeration performance of each of the chosen membranes was compared
      experimentally using a newly developed membrane support module which is also
      described. Comparison of ammonia removal in columns equipped with in-situ
      aeration using each membrane was undertaken and the breakthrough characteristics
      determined. The results showed that ammonia removal in the presence of the
      nitrifiers was significantly intensified. Column operation with membrane aeration
      showed further enhancement of ammonia removal. The greatest enhancement was
      observed in the case of the polyethersulfone membrane (PES). It is concluded that
      combined nitrification and ion-exchange is significantly intensified in packed
      columns by in-situ aeration using a novel membrane module. There is significant
      potential for extending the ion-exchange cycle time and thus potential cost
      reduction. 

PMID- 26112986
TI  - The use of gene arrays and corresponding connectivity mapping (Cmap) to identify
      novel anti-ageing ingredients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The need for effective 'anti-ageing' treatments, in particular for the
      management of photodamaged skin, prompted us to develop a novel method to
      identify new active ingredients. The model utilized a gene profiling study with
      corresponding connectivity mapping (Cmap) to identify novel anti-ageing compounds
      using all-trans retinoic acid (RA) as the lead compound due to its beneficial
      effect on photodamaged skin and skin firmness. METHOD: A vehicle-controlled
      clinical study including nine healthy Caucasian female volunteers aged 57 +/- 7
      (mean +/- SEM) exhibiting photodamage on their lower outer forearms was
      conducted. The volunteers applied RA once daily on photodamaged skin for 7 days,
      and biopsies were subjected to Affymetrix gene arrays. Connectivity mapping
      (Cmap), examining hundreds of gene expression profiles, was run on the gene
      signature of RA-treated photodamaged skin to identify small bioactive compounds.
      RESULTS: Affymetrix gene array identified 19 genes significantly differentially
      expressed after application of RA. Corresponding Cmap analysis revealed six
      natural bioactive compounds including N-acetyl aspartic acid (A-A-A) showing
      similar activity to RA on the differentially expressed genes identified.
      CONCLUSION: Based on RA mimicking gene array activity, potential use within
      skincare on molecular size, safety assessment and sourcing, we identified the
      natural amino acid, A-A-A as a potential candidate to treat ageing skin.

PMID- 26112987
TI  - cAMP-mediated secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in developing airway
      smooth muscle.
AB  - Moderate hyperoxic exposure in preterm infants contributes to subsequent airway
      dysfunction and to risk of developing recurrent wheeze and asthma. The regulatory
      mechanisms that can contribute to hyperoxia-induced airway dysfunction are still
      under investigation. Recent studies in mice show that hyperoxia increases brain
      derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a growth factor that increases airway smooth
      muscle (ASM) proliferation and contractility. We assessed the mechanisms
      underlying effects of moderate hyperoxia (50% O2) on BDNF expression and
      secretion in developing human ASM. Hyperoxia increased BDNF secretion, but did
      not alter endogenous BDNF mRNA or intracellular protein levels. Exposure to
      hyperoxia significantly increased [Ca2+]i responses to histamine, an effect
      blunted by the BDNF chelator TrkB-Fc. Hyperoxia also increased ASM cAMP levels,
      associated with reduced PDE4 activity, but did not alter protein kinase A (PKA)
      activity or adenylyl cyclase mRNA levels. However, 50% O2 increased expression of
      Epac2, which is activated by cAMP and can regulate protein secretion. Silencing
      RNA studies indicated that Epac2, but not Epac1, is important for hyperoxia
      induced BDNF secretion, while PKA inhibition did not influence BDNF secretion. In
      turn, BDNF had autocrine effects of enhancing ASM cAMP levels, an effect
      inhibited by TrkB and BDNF siRNAs. Together, these novel studies suggest that
      hyperoxia can modulate BDNF secretion, via cAMP-mediated Epac2 activation in ASM,
      resulting in a positive feedback effect of BDNF-mediated elevation in cAMP
      levels. The potential functional role of this pathway is to sustain BDNF
      secretion following hyperoxic stimulus, leading to enhanced ASM contractility and
      proliferation.

PMID- 26112988
TI  - Oncogenic acidic nuclear phosphoproteins ANP32C/D are novel clients of heat shock
      protein 90.
AB  - The acidic nuclear phosphoproteins (ANP32A-H) are an evolutionarily conserved
      family of proteins with diverse and sometimes opposing cellular functions. Here
      we show that the oncogenic family members ANP32C and ANP32D are associated in
      complexes containing the molecular chaperone Hsp90. The oncogenic ANP32C protein
      appears to be highly unstable with a rapid degradation (t1/2>30 min) occurring
      upon treatment of cells with cycloheximide. ANP32C was also found to be
      associated with oncogenic Hsp90 complexes by virtue of its ability to interact
      and be immunoprecipitated by the Hsp90 inhibitor PU-H71. Further studies treating
      cells with the Hsp90 inhibitors PU-H71 and 17-AAG showed atypical increased
      protein stability and prevention of ANP32C degradation compared to the Hsp90
      client AKT. Cells overexpressing ANP32C or its mutant ANP32CY140H showed enhanced
      sensitivity to treatment with PU-H71 as demonstrated by CCK-8 and colony
      formation assays. Our results highlight that certain malignancies with ANP32C/D
      overexpression or mutation might be specifically targeted using Hsp90 inhibitors.

PMID- 26112989
TI  - Cirrhotic Multiorgan Syndrome.
AB  - Patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension are at an increased risk of the
      development of circulatory dysfunction that may potentially result in multiple
      organ failure. Apart from the liver, this may involve the heart, lungs, kidneys,
      the immune system, the adrenal glands, and other organ systems. As the disease
      progresses, the circulation becomes hyperdynamic, and signs of cardiac,
      pulmonary, and renal dysfunction are observed, in addition to reduced survival.
      Infections and an altered cardiac function known as cirrhotic cardiomyopathy may
      be precipitators for the development of other complications such as hepatorenal
      syndrome. In patients with chronic organ dysfunction, various precipitating
      events may induce an acute-on-chronic renal failure and acute-on-chronic liver
      failure that negatively affect the prognosis. Future research on the
      pathophysiologic mechanisms of the complications and the precipitating factors is
      essential to understand the basics of the treatment of these challenging
      conditions. The aim of the present review is to focus on the development and
      precipitating factors of various organ failures in patients with decompensated
      cirrhosis. 

PMID- 26112992
TI  - Lung Involvement in Rheumatic Disease: Introduction.

PMID- 26112990
TI  - Interactions of Hepatitis B Virus Infection with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver
      Disease: Possible Mechanisms and Clinical Impact.
AB  - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major etiology of chronic liver disease
      worldwide. In the past decade, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has
      emerged as a common liver disorder in general population. Accordingly, the
      patient number of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) concomitant with NAFLD grows rapidly.
      The present article reviewed the recent studies aiming to explore the
      relationship between CHB and NAFLD from different aspects, including the relevant
      pathogenesis of CHB and NAFLD, the intracellular molecular mechanisms overlaying
      HBV infection and hepatic steatosis, and the observational studies with animal
      models and clinical cohorts for analyzing the coincidence of the two diseases. It
      is concluded that although numerous cross-links have been suggested between the
      molecular pathways in HBV infection and NAFLD pathogenesis, regarding whether HBV
      infection can substantially interfere with the occurrence of NAFLD or vice versa
      in the patients, there is still far from a conclusive agreement. 

PMID- 26112994
TI  - Impact of type 2 diabetes on the gene expression of bone-related factors at sites
      receiving dental implants.
AB  - This study evaluated the influence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on the gene
      expression of bone-related factors in alveolar bone tissue from sites designated
      to receive dental implants. Bone biopsies were harvested from sites of planned
      implants for 19 systemically healthy patients and 35 patients with T2DM (17 with
      better-controlled T2DM (glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels <=8%) and 18 with
      poorly controlled T2DM (HbA1c levels >8%)). The mRNA levels of tumour necrosis
      factor alpha, transforming growth factor beta, receptor activator of the nuclear
      factor kappa B ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), runt-related transcription
      factor 2, alkaline phosphatase, bone sialoprotein (BSP), type I collagen (COL-I),
      and osteocalcin were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain
      reaction. T2DM up-regulates RANKL levels and the ratio of RANKL/OPG, whereas it
      down-regulates COL-I and BSP expression (P<0.05). Higher mRNA levels of RANKL/OPG
      were observed in the poorly controlled T2DM patients compared to those with
      better-controlled T2DM and systemically healthy patients (P<0.05). A lower amount
      of COL-I and BSP was detected in the biopsies from individuals with poorly
      controlled T2DM compared to systemically healthy patients (P<0.05). In
      conclusion, RANKL, RANKL/OPG, COL-I, and BSP are negatively affected in
      diabetics. Additionally, the patient's glycaemic status appears to modulate bone
      related genes in a different manner.

PMID- 26112991
TI  - Fibrosis Regression Explains Differences in Outcome in HIV-/HCV-Coinfected
      Patients with Cirrhosis After Sustained Virological Response.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Fibrosis regression (FR) after sustained virological
      response (SVR) should produce a better outcome in hepatitis C (HCV)-/HIV
      coinfected patients with liver cirrhosis, but there are no specific data in this
      issue. METHODS: We compared the incidence rate (IR) and the time to develop a
      liver complication and death in 133 cirrhotic patients according to SVR or/and
      FR. RESULTS: Of 42 patients with SVR, 23 (55%) had FR, in comparison with only 14
      of the 91 (15%) without SVR. During a follow-up of 6.8 years (916.8 person
      years), the IR of death, liver-related death, and liver-related complications
      were 2.45, 0.61, and 1.22 per 100 persons/year among SVR/FR, and 7.6, 5.9, and
      6.81 among non-SVR without FR (p < 0.01), respectively. SVR patients without FR
      had also a lower rate of liver-related complications (1.78 vs 3.25; p = 0.02),
      but a worse IR of death (5.36) and liver-related death (2.68) than non-SVR
      patients with FR (1.3, and 0.65; p < 0.01). Moreover, FR was associated with less
      hospital admissions and decreasing alpha-fetoprotein levels. In Cox analysis,
      only FR was associated with a lower risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio, HR
      0.36; 95% CI 0.15-0.86), and liver-related death (HR 0.15; 95% CI 0.03-0.65),
      whereas both FR (HR 0.09; 95% CI 0.03-0.3, p < 0.01) and SVR (HR 0.24; 95% CI
      0.07-0.87) decreased the risk of liver-related complications. CONCLUSION:
      Fibrosis regression after SVR is associated with the highest reduction in death
      of any cause, liver-related mortality, and liver-related complications in HIV
      /HCV-coinfected patients with cirrhosis.

PMID- 26112995
TI  - No differences in morphological characteristics between hyperplastic condyle and
      class III condyle.
AB  - The aim of this research was to compare the condylar morphology of patients with
      unilateral condylar hyperplasia (UCH) and patients with a class III skeletal
      relationship using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). A prospective study was
      conducted on patients with facial asymmetry attending the division of oral and
      maxillofacial surgery of the study university in Chile. Fifteen patients with UCH
      and 15 with a class III skeletal relationship were selected. Linear measurements
      of the condylar processes were obtained at a scale of 1:1 using the software Ez3D
      Viewer Plus. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the paired t-test were used,
      considering P<0.05. Patients with UCH presented statistical differences between
      the hyperplastic condyle and non-hyperplastic condyle for anteroposterior and
      mediolateral diameters, condylar neck length, and ramus height. Patients with a
      class III skeletal relationship showed no differences between the right and left
      sides; the morphology of their condyles was similar to the condyles with
      hyperplasia and presented statistical differences when compared with the non
      hyperplastic condyles (one-way ANOVA, P<0.05). The condylar morphology of UCH
      patients could be related to the development of a class III skeletal
      relationship. These findings provide an insight into the possibility of some
      class III patients presenting bilateral condylar hyperplasia.

PMID- 26112996
TI  - Amino Acids Attenuate Insulin Action on Gluconeogenesis and Promote Fatty Acid
      Biosynthesis via mTORC1 Signaling Pathway in trout Hepatocytes.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Carnivores exhibit poor utilization of dietary carbohydrates and
      glucose intolerant phenotypes, yet it remains unclear what are the causal factors
      and underlying mechanisms. We aimed to evaluate excessive amino acids (AAs)
      induced effects on insulin signaling, fatty acid biosynthesis and glucose
      metabolism in rainbow trout and determine the potential involvement of mTORC1 and
      p38 MAPK pathway. METHODS: We stimulated trout primary hepatocytes with different
      AA levels and employed acute administration of rapamycin to inhibit mTORC1
      activation. RESULTS: Increased AA levels enhanced the phosphorylation of
      ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K1), S6, and insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1)
      on Ser(302) but suppressed Akt and p38 phosphorylation; up-regulated the
      expression of genes related to gluconeogenesis and fatty acid biosynthesis.
      mTORC1 inhibition not only inhibited the phosphorylation of mTORC1 downstream
      targets, but also blunted IRS-1 Ser(302) phosphorylation and restored excessive
      AAs-suppressed Akt phosphorylation. Rapamycin also inhibited fatty acid
      biosynthetic and gluconeogenic gene expression. CONCLUSION: High levels of AAs up
      regulate hepatic fatty acid biosynthetic gene expression through an mTORC1
      dependent manner, while attenuate insulin-mediated repression of gluconeogenesis
      through elevating IRS-1 Ser(302) phosphorylation, which in turn impairs Akt
      activation and thereby weakening insulin action. We propose that p38 MAPK
      probably also involves in these AAs-induced metabolic changes.

PMID- 26112997
TI  - Development and applications of the LFDFT: the non-empirical account of ligand
      field and the simulation of the f-d transitions by density functional theory.
AB  - Ligand field density functional theory (LFDFT) is a methodology consisting of non
      standard handling of DFT calculations and post-computation analysis, emulating
      the ligand field parameters in a non-empirical way. Recently, the procedure was
      extended for two-open-shell systems, with relevance for inter-shell transitions
      in lanthanides, of utmost importance in understanding the optical and magnetic
      properties of rare-earth materials. Here, we expand the model to the calculation
      of intensities of f -> d transitions, enabling the simulation of spectral
      profiles. We focus on Eu(2+)-based systems: this lanthanide ion undergoes many
      dipole-allowed transitions from the initial 4f(7)((8)S7/2) state to the final
      4f(6)5d(1) ones, considering the free ion and doped materials. The relativistic
      calculations showed a good agreement with experimental data for a gaseous Eu(2+)
      ion, producing reliable Slater-Condon and spin-orbit coupling parameters. The
      Eu(2+) ion-doped fluorite-type lattices, CaF2:Eu(2+) and SrCl2:Eu(2+), in sites
      with octahedral symmetry, are studied in detail. The related Slater-Condon and
      spin-orbit coupling parameters from the doped materials are compared to those for
      the free ion, revealing small changes for the 4f shell side and relatively
      important shifts for those associated with the 5d shell. The ligand field scheme,
      in Wybourne parameterization, shows a good agreement with the phenomenological
      interpretation of the experiment. The non-empirical computed parameters are used
      to calculate the energy and intensity of the 4f(7)-4f(6)5d(1) transitions,
      rendering a realistic convoluted spectrum. 

PMID- 26112998
TI  - Successful Treatment of Primary Cutaneous Mucormycosis Complicating Anti-TNF
      Therapy with a Combination of Surgical Debridement and Oral Posaconazole.
AB  - Lipid formulations of amphotericin B remain the first-line antifungal therapy for
      invasive mucormycosis. Posaconazole is an alternative for salvage therapy, but
      its use as primary therapy is not recommended due to the paucity of clinical
      data. Here we describe the case of a 57-year-old diabetic woman receiving
      etanercept and prednisone for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis who developed
      primary cutaneous mucormycosis after a minor gardening injury. Infection was
      successfully treated with aggressive surgical debridement followed by a 6-week
      course of the new delayed-release tablet formulation of posaconazole and
      temporary withholding of anti-TNF treatment. Primary antifungal therapy with
      posaconazole can be considered in selected cases of cutaneous mucormycosis.

PMID- 26112999
TI  - High thermopower of mechanically stretched single-molecule junctions.
AB  - Metal-molecule-metal junction is a promising candidate for thermoelectric
      applications that utilizes quantum confinement effects in the chemically defined
      zero-dimensional atomic structure to achieve enhanced dimensionless figure of
      merit ZT. A key issue in this new class of thermoelectric nanomaterials is to
      clarify the sensitivity of thermoelectricity on the molecular junction
      configurations. Here we report simultaneous measurements of the thermoelectric
      voltage and conductance on Au-1,4-benzenedithiol (BDT)-Au junctions mechanically
      stretched in-situ at sub-nanoscale. We obtained the average single-molecule
      conductance and thermopower of 0.01 G0 and 15 MUV/K, respectively, suggesting
      charge transport through the highest occupied molecular orbital. Meanwhile, we
      found the single-molecule thermoelectric transport properties extremely-sensitive
      to the BDT bridge configurations, whereby manifesting the importance to design
      the electrode-molecule contact motifs for optimizing the thermoelectric
      performance of molecular junctions. 

PMID- 26113000
TI  - Effect of variation in hemorheology between human and animal blood on the binding
      efficacy of vascular-targeted carriers.
AB  - Animal models are extensively used to evaluate the in vivo functionality of novel
      drug delivery systems (DDS). However, many variations likely exist in vivo
      between the animals and human physiological environment that significantly alter
      results obtained with animal models relative to human system. To date, it is not
      clear if the variation in hemorheology and hemodynamics between common animal and
      human models affect the functionality of DDS. This study investigates the role of
      hemorheology of humans and various animal models in dictating the binding
      efficiency of model vascular-targeted carriers (VTCs) to the wall in
      physiological blood flows. Specifically, the adhesion of sLe(A)-coated nano- and
      micro-spheres to inflamed endothelial cells monolayers were conducted via a
      parallel plate flow chamber assay with steady and disturbed red blood cells
      (RBCs)-in-buffer and whole blood flows of common animal models. Our results
      suggest that the ratio of carrier size to RBC size dictate particle binding in
      blood flow. Additionally, the presence of white blood cells affects the trend of
      particle adhesion depending on the animal species. Overall, this work sheds light
      on some deviation in VTC vascular wall interaction results obtained with in vivo
      animal experimentation from expected outcome and efficiency in vivo in human. 

PMID- 26113001
TI  - Charged supramolecular assemblies of surfactant molecules in gas phase.
AB  - The aim of this review is to critically analyze recent literature on charged
      supramolecular assemblies formed by surfactant molecules in gas phase. Apart our
      specific interest on this research area, the stimuli to undertake the task arise
      from the widespread theoretical and applicative benefits emerging from a
      comprehensive view of this topic. In fact, the study of the formation, stability,
      and physicochemical peculiarities of non-covalent assemblies of surfactant
      molecules in gas phase allows to unveil interesting aspects such as the role of
      attractive, repulsive, and steric intermolecular interactions as driving force of
      supramolecular organization in absence of interactions with surrounding medium
      and the size and charge state dependence of aggregate structural and dynamical
      properties. Other interesting aspects worth to be investigated are joined to the
      ability of these assemblies to incorporate selected solubilizates molecules as
      well as to give rise to chemical reactions within a single organized structure.
      In particular, the incorporation of large molecules such as proteins has been of
      recent interest with the objective to protect their structure and functionality
      during the transition from solution to gas phase. Exciting fall-out of the study
      of gas phase surfactant aggregates includes mass and energy transport in the
      atmosphere, origin of life and simulation of supramolecular aggregation in the
      interstellar space. Moreover, supramolecular assemblies of amphiphilic molecules
      in gas phase could find remarkable applications as atmospheric cleaning agents,
      nanosolvents and nanoreactors for specialized chemical processes in confined
      space. Mass spectrometry techniques have proven to be particularly suitable to
      generate these assemblies and to furnish useful information on their size, size
      polydispersity, stability, and structural organization. On the other hand
      molecular dynamics simulations have been very useful to rationalize many
      experimental findings and to furnish a vivid picture of the structural and
      dynamic features of these aggregates. Thus, in this review, we will focus on the
      most important achievements gained in recent years by both these investigative
      tools.

PMID- 26113002
TI  - Dural carotid-cavernous fistula presenting with confusion and expressive aphasia.
AB  - We report a patient who presented with confusion and expressive aphasia at the
      onset of a cortical venous reflux (CVR) related to a known dural carotid
      cavernous fistula (DCCF). CVR and venous congestion are rare findings in a DCCF,
      however, it is important to recognize these findings early to reduce the
      associated risks of venous hemorrhage and infarction. To our knowledge, no
      previous report has described an association of expressive aphasia with CVR from
      a DCCF. This patient highlights the potential for venous congestion secondary to
      CVR from a DCCF presenting with a constellation of symptoms, including confusion
      and expressive aphasia with corresponding MRI findings. Clinicians should
      consider a DCCF in the differential diagnosis of this clinical presentation, with
      corroborative imaging findings. 

PMID- 26113003
TI  - Hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy for benign intracranial tumours of the
      cavernous sinus.
AB  - We present our experience with hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HSRT)
      using 15 fractions to treat benign conditions of the cavernous sinus (CS) and
      emphasise the outcome in terms of cranial nerve (CN) function and toxicity for
      long term safety and efficacy. We performed a retrospective review of
      prospectively collected data on 112 patients with benign tumours of the CS
      treated with HSRT between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2009. While all tumours
      involved the CS, a separate analysis was undertaken for meningiomas and pituitary
      adenomas. The median follow-up was 77 months (range: 2.3-177). Fifty-seven
      patients (51%) had a diagnosis of meningioma and 55 (49%) had pituitary adenomas.
      Prior to HSRT, 82 patients (73%) underwent microsurgery. The median tumour volume
      was 6.6 cm(3) for meningiomas and 3.4 cm(3) for pituitary adenomas (interquartile
      range: 2.8-7.9), and the mean prescribed dose was 38 Gy (range: 37.5-40.0) to the
      tumour margin, delivered in 15 fractions. After HSRT, 57% of all preexisting
      cranial neuropathies either resolved or improved and 38% remained stable, whereas
      5% deteriorated. The diagnosis of meningioma was the only variable associated
      with recovery of cranial neuropathy (p<0.001). Permanent CN complications
      occurred in three patients (3%). The 5 and 10 year actuarial freedom from
      progression for patients with meningiomas was 98% and 93%, respectively, and for
      patients with pituitary adenomas this was 96% and 96%, respectively. We
      demonstrate low rates of CN morbidity after HSRT and the possibility of
      resolution or improvement in CN function for common histologies involving the CS.

PMID- 26113004
TI  - Intraventricular foramen of Monro cavernous malformation.
AB  - We present a 64-year-old woman who was evaluated after being found unresponsive.
      Imaging revealed a foramen of Monro cavernoma resulting in hydrocephalus.
      Supratentorial cavernomas are most frequently found in the cerebral cortex, and
      although ventricular cavernomas do occur, they are rarely located in the foramen
      of Monro. Foramen of Monro cavernomas are extremely dangerous, requiring
      aggressive management when identified. 

PMID- 26113005
TI  - Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement with a sutureless valve through a
      right anterior mini-thoracotomy versus transcatheter aortic valve implantation in
      high-risk patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare early outcomes and mid-term
      survival of high-risk patients undergoing minimally invasive aortic valve
      replacement through right anterior mini-thoracotomy (RT) with sutureless valves
      versus patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for
      severe aortic stenosis. METHODS: From October 2008 to March 2013, 269 patients
      with severe aortic stenosis underwent either RT with perceval S sutureless valves
      (n = 178 patients, 66.2%) or TAVI (n = 91, 33.8%: 44 transapical and 47 trans
      femoral). Of these, 37 patients undergoing RT with the perceval S valve were
      matched to a TAVI group by the propensity score. RESULTS: Baseline
      characteristics were similar in both groups (mean age 79 +/- 6 years) and the
      median logistic EuroSCORE was 14% (range 9-20%). In the matched group, the in
      hospital mortality rate was 8.1% (n = 3) in the TAVI group and 0% in the RT group
      (P = 0.25). The incidence rate of stroke was 5.4% (n = 2) versus 0% in the TAVI
      and RT groups (P = 0.3). In the TAVI group, 37.8% (n = 14) had mild paravalvular
      leakage (PVL) and 27% (n = 10) had moderate PVL, whereas 2.7% (n = 1) had mild
      PVL in the RT group (P < 0.001). One- and 2-year survival rates were 91.6 vs
      78.6% and 91.6 vs 66.2% in patients undergoing RT with the perceval S sutureless
      valve compared with those undergoing TAVI, respectively (P = 0.1). CONCLUSIONS:
      Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement with perceval S sutureless valves
      through an RT is associated with a trend of better early outcomes and mid-term
      survival compared with TAVI.

PMID- 26113006
TI  - Extended resection of sarcomas involving the mediastinum: a 15-year experience?.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Sarcomas involving the mediastinum are rare and aggressive tumours
      with a poor prognosis. We reviewed our experience to evaluate outcomes and
      survival for patients who undergo surgical resection. METHODS: A retrospective
      review of 35 patients who underwent resection of sarcomas that involved the
      mediastinum at a single institution over a 15-year period was conducted. RESULTS:
      Fifteen patients (43%) had sarcomas originating from the great vessels, 15 (43%)
      the heart and 5 (15%) the chest wall. The most common subtype was leiomyosarcoma
      (n = 10, 29%). Twenty patients (57%) underwent resection of primary tumours, 11
      (31%) of metastases and 4 (11%) of recurrences. Sixteen patients (46%) had Stage
      IV disease. An R0 resection was achieved in 17 patients (49%). Fourteen (40%) had
      an R1 resection and 4 (11%) an R2. Thirty cases (85%) were performed on
      cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Twenty-three patients (65%) required resection of
      adjacent structures. Eight cases (23%) were performed on an urgent basis.
      Morbidity and mortality were 37 and 6%, respectively. Overall median survival was
      33 months (range 7-171 months). Median overall survival for Stage IV disease was
      5 months compared with 27 months for all others (P = 0.26). Two-, 5- and 10-year
      survivals for the cohort were 50, 35 and 25%, respectively. Incomplete resection
      was associated with poor long-term survival. Median survival was 101 months for
      R0, 21 months for R1 and 9 months for R2 resection. CONCLUSIONS: CPB and
      concomitant resection of intrathoracic structures may be required for local
      tumour control in sarcomas that involve the mediastinum, and should not be
      considered contraindications to resection as they may offer the best opportunity
      for prolonged survival in selected cases.

PMID- 26113008
TI  - High Expressions of Lgr5 and ALDH1 in Primary Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Correlate
      with Advanced Tumor Stage and Grade as well as Poor Prognosis of the Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to investigate the clinical role of aldehyde
      dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) and leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled
      receptor 5 (Lgr5) expressions in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and their
      prognostic significance. METHODS: One hundred primary EOC samples were obtained
      for immunohistochemical analysis of ALDH1 and Lgr5 expressions. Correlation
      analysis was performed between ALDH1 or Lgr5 and clinical factors. RESULTS: High
      expression of ALDH1 and Lgr5 was identified in 71 and 55 cases of EOC tissues,
      respectively. The ALDH1 and Lgr5 expressions in EOC tissues were significantly
      higher as compared to the normal ovaries and benign ovarian tumors. High
      expression of ALDH1 and Lgr5 was strongly correlated with advanced International
      Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages, higher tumor grades, and
      poor overall survival of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Lgr5 and ALDH1 were highly
      expressed in EOC tissues, and correlated with different FIGO operation
      pathological stages and tumor grades, clinical outcome, and with each other. The
      combined use of ALDH1 and Lgr5 might be useful for the diagnosis and prognosis
      prediction of EOC patients. (c) 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

PMID- 26113007
TI  - Is arch form influenced by sagittal molar relationship or Bolton tooth-size
      discrepancy?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Orthodontic patients show high prevalence of tooth-size discrepancy.
      This study investigates the possible association between arch form, clinically
      significant tooth-size discrepancy, and sagittal molar relationship. METHODS:
      Pretreatment orthodontic casts of 230 Saudi patients were classified into one of
      three arch form types (tapered, ovoid, and square) using digitally scanned images
      of the mandibular arches. Bolton ratio was calculated, sagittal molar
      relationship was defined according to Angle classification, and correlations were
      analyzed using ANOVA, chi-square, and t-tests. RESULTS: No single arch form was
      significantly more common than the others. Furthermore, no association was
      observed between the presence of significant Bolton discrepancy and the sagittal
      molar relationship or arch form. Overall Bolton discrepancy is significantly more
      prevalent in males. CONCLUSIONS: Arch form in a Saudi patient group is
      independent of gender, sagittal molar relationship, and Bolton discrepancy.

PMID- 26113009
TI  - Half-peroneus-longus-tendon graft augmentation for unqualified hamstring tendon
      graft of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In some situations, harvested hamstring tendon grafts are not
      qualified for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. This study aimed
      to present a reinforcing method with additional half peroneus longus tendon (half
      PLT) graft augmentation. METHODS: Eight cases underwent ACL reconstruction with
      unqualified hamstring tendon grafts (diameter <7 mm) and were salvaged by
      additional half-PLT graft augmentation. The pivot shift test and KT-1000 tests
      were performed 3 years after surgery. Functional evaluation of subjective
      International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Lysholm scores was also
      done. In addition, Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI) scores were used to
      evaluate the function of the ankle donor site. RESULTS: The diameter of
      unqualified four-strand hamstring tendon grafts was 6.2 mm on average (range, 6.0
      6.5 mm). The average diameter of hamstring grafts with half-PLT augmentation was
      9.6 mm (range, 9.5-10.0 mm). The pivot shift test was negative in all patients.
      No significant differences between normal and abnormal knees were found by KT
      1000. The average IKDC score was 86.0 (range, 83 to 89), and the average Lysholm
      score was 84.4 (range, 80-90). The average FADI score for the donor sites of half
      PLT was 135.8 (range, 134-136). CONCLUSIONS: Additional half-PLT can successfully
      and safely reinforce unqualified hamstring tendon grafts for ACL reconstruction.

PMID- 26113010
TI  - Novel Insights into Osteoarthritis Joint Pathology from Studies in Mice.
AB  - Osteoarthritis causes tremendous individual suffering and staggering societal
      costs, but due to our limited understanding of the underlying molecular and
      cellular mechanisms, our avenues for treating this disease are very restricted.
      Recent years have seen a drastic increase in the use of genetically modified mice
      to characterize the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis. Many new players and
      mechanisms driving osteoarthritis pathogenesis have been elucidated, some of
      which might be strong candidates as therapeutic targets for the human disease.
      The current review summarizes key findings (selected subjectively by the authors)
      from mouse osteoarthritis studies over recent years. 

PMID- 26113011
TI  - RS3PE: Clinical and Research Development.
AB  - Remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema or RS3PE is a
      rare elderly-onset rheumatic syndrome. Although there are overlapping clinical
      manifestations between RS3PE, elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis, and polymyalgia
      rheumatica, RS3PE has distinct characteristics. RS3PE can be associated with
      neoplasia and various rheumatic conditions, suggesting that it may be
      heterogeneous, and is considered as a paraneoplastic rheumatic disease. The
      pathogenesis of RS3PE may involve vascular endothelial growth factor and
      infection in RS3PE based upon limited data. Patients with RS3PE without
      concomitant malignancy respond well to small doses of glucocorticoids and carry
      good prognosis. 

PMID- 26113012
TI  - HCV Treatments and Their Integration Into Rheumatology.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been associated with distinct rheumatic syndromes
      including arthritis, sialadenitis, and cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CV). The
      therapy of these HCV-associated syndromes includes antiviral therapy with or
      without the addition of immunosuppressives while clinical response is mainly seen
      in patients who clear the virus after antiviral therapy. Despite significant
      therapeutic advances, existing antiviral therapies with interferon-a (IFNa)-based
      schemes achieve viral eradication only in approximately half the patients.
      Recently, oral antivirals that target specific HCV proteins referred as direct
      acting antivirals (DAAs) have been developed and approved. Short-term (12-24
      weeks) combination schemes with or without IFN ("IFN-free" regimens) including
      these inhibitors clear the virus in more than 90 % of treated patients. Here, we
      review current therapeutic options in HCV-associated rheumatic syndromes and the
      potential role of the newly available antivirals in an integrated therapeutic
      approach.

PMID- 26113013
TI  - Imaging in Giant Cell Arteritis.
AB  - Much progress has been made in the use of imaging as a diagnostic tool in giant
      cell arteritis (GCA), which assists in the management of patients where the
      initial diagnosis is unclear. This includes patients with atypical cranial
      symptoms, or with predominantly systemic, constitutional or limb symptoms.
      Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging are capable of visualising both the
      cranial and extracranial large vessel circulation, with vessel wall thickening
      and stenotic lesions being visualised. Computed tomographic angiography is
      helpful in visualising the aorta for aneurysm complicating GCA but can also
      detect vessel wall thickening in established large vessel vasculitis. PET-CT is a
      very sensitive test for early vascular inflammation in extracranial large vessel
      vasculitis, before aneurysmal or stenotic lesions have developed, of use in the
      patient with unexplained constitutional symptoms. The place of imaging in the
      follow-up of GCA is being investigated, and repeated imaging may be useful in
      select cases. Generally, vascular abnormalities become less defined once
      glucocorticoid treatment has been started, and therefore, imaging studies must be
      conducted early as part of a GCA fast-track assessment. 

PMID- 26113014
TI  - Implementation of Functional Genomics for Bench-to-Bedside Transition in
      Osteoarthritis.
AB  - Collaborative work has led to the identification of robust osteoarthritis
      susceptibility genes. The translation of these gene deviations towards underlying
      biological mechanisms remains challenging yet necessary to allow the transition
      of these results in drug development and to applications in the clinic. Besides
      the availability of disease-relevant tissues which will contribute to a deeper
      insight into ongoing pathophysiological processes as result of the gene
      deviations, availability of respective cells will be key to establish in vitro
      models to further characterize genetic variants at a transcriptional and
      functional level. To allow exploration of effective use of drugs and biologicals
      such findings should eventually be further tested in in vivo models. In this
      review, we discuss possibilities for the implementation of an effective
      functional genomic pipeline for bench-to-bedside translation of identified
      susceptibility loci. 

PMID- 26113015
TI  - Targeting male mosquito mating behaviour for malaria control.
AB  - Malaria vector control relies heavily on the use of Long-Lasting Insecticidal
      Nets (LLINs) and Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS). These, together with the
      combined drug administration efforts to control malaria, have reduced the death
      toll to less than 700,000 deaths/year. This progress has engendered real
      excitement but the emergence and spread of insecticide resistance is challenging
      our ability to sustain and consolidate the substantial gains that have been made.
      Research is required to discover novel vector control tools that can supplement
      and improve the effectiveness of those currently available. Here, we argue that
      recent and continuing progress in our understanding of male mating biology is
      instrumental in the implementation of new approaches based on the release of
      either conventional sterile or genetically engineered males. Importantly, further
      knowledge of male biology could also lead to the development of new
      interventions, such as sound traps and male mass killing in swarms, and
      contribute to new population sampling tools. We review and discuss recent
      advances in the behavioural ecology of male mating with an emphasis on the
      potential applications that can be derived from such knowledge. We also highlight
      those aspects of male mating ecology that urgently require additional study in
      the future. 

PMID- 26113017
TI  - Cancer as a risk factor for stroke in atrial fibrillation patients receiving long
      term oral anticoagulant therapy.

PMID- 26113016
TI  - Diastolic dysfunction in spontaneous type 2 diabetes rhesus monkeys: a study
      using echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diastolic heart failure is a common and deadly complication of
      diabetes mellitus, with the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy as one of the
      key determinants of the disease's complex pathology. The cause of the association
      is unknown and has no approved therapy strategies as of yet. However significant
      advances in this area may come from studies on suitable animal models. METHODS: A
      total of 25 male rhesus monkeys (12-16 years, 9-13 kg) were enrolled. Fifteen of
      them were diagnosed as spontaneous type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, FPG >= 104
      mg/dl, HbA1c: 4.7-5.5 %, diabetes duration: 1-4 years). The other 10 monkeys were
      non-diabetic (ND, FPG < 90 mg/dl). Echocardiography and cardiac magnetic
      resonance were used for evaluating the cardiac structure and function. One T2DM
      monkey with impaired diastolic function and another ND monkey were both
      sacrificed to gain the necessary pathology and protein expression studies
      displayed here. RESULTS: Six out of 15 T2DM rhesus monkeys were diagnosed with
      diastolic dysfunction (DD) by echocardiography. Additionally, no abnormalities
      were found in the group which we determined as the ND monkeys. The six DD monkeys
      all showed low e' velocity and decreased e'/a' ratio, among which three of them
      showing decreased E/A ratio and the other 3 having elevated E/A ratio, this
      appears to be similar to the impaired relaxation pattern and pseudonormal pattern
      found in human patients respectively. The EF and FS of monkeys with pseudonormal
      pattern decreased significantly compared with ND subjects. A CMR study showed
      that LVID at end systole of 5 DD monkeys is significantly longer than that of 3
      ND monkeys. Of great interest, myocardium lesions and mitochondria impairments
      and increased expression of AGEs and caspase-3 were found in a sacrificed DD
      subject. CONCLUSION: The changes in the imaging and physiological markers of
      spontaneous T2DM rhesus monkeys are similar to those key markers found in human
      type 2 diabetes and diastolic dysfunction. This monkey model could help the
      medical community and us to understand the pathology of this debilitating disease
      and serve as a beginning to explore important measures to prevent and treat
      diabetic cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26113018
TI  - Could MicroRNA polymorphisms influence warfarin dosing? A pharmacogenetics study
      on mir133 genes.
AB  - MicroRNAs are small single stranded molecules that play a crucial role in
      regulation of physiological and pathological processes. Recent studies showed
      that VKORC1 gene contains an highly evolutionary conserved binding site for mir
      133. Moreover, in human hepatocytes mir-133 is constitutively co-expressed with
      VKORC1. Since VKORC1 protein is the target of warfarin treatment, the aim of this
      study was to verify if genetic variations in MIR133A1, MIR133A2 and MIR133B could
      contribute to warfarin dose variability. By direct sequencing, we identified 4
      SNPs in MIR133A2 gene and 1 SNP in MIR133B gene. Three SNPs in MIR133A2 were in
      complete linkage disequilibrium and correlated with warfarin dose: indeed, for
      each SNP, patients carrying the GA or AA genotype required a MWWD significantly
      higher than the wildtype genotype (P=0.019). We also inferred the haplotypes in
      MIR133A2 gene. The GC haplotype required a MWWD significantly lower than AT
      haplotype (P=0.012). The multiple linear regression analysis confirmed that
      rs45547937 (as tag SNP) in MIR133A2 could be involved in warfarin dosing
      variability, (P=0.016). These results seem to suggest that also polymorphisms in
      miRNA precursors may potentially affects drug response variability. 

PMID- 26113019
TI  - Evaluating Abdominal and Lower-Back Muscle Activity While Performing Core
      Exercises on a Stability Ball and a Dynamic Office Chair.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of a dynamic
      office chair to activate the core muscles while participants performed exercises
      sitting on the chair compared to a stability ball. BACKGROUND: Prolonged sitting
      has become an accepted part of the modern office. However, epidemiological
      evidence suggests that sedentary postures are linked to many adverse effects on
      health. The concept of dynamic or active sitting is intended to promote movement
      while sitting to reduce the time spent in prolonged, static postures. METHODS:
      Sixteen participants performed four pelvic rotation exercises (front-back, side
      side, circular, and leg lift) on both a dynamic office chair and a stability
      ball. Muscle activity from 12 torso muscles were evaluated with surface
      electromyography. RESULTS: For all exercises, trunk muscle activity on the chair
      was comparable to that on a stability ball. The right external oblique was the
      only muscle to produce greater peak activity (p = .019) when using the ball
      compared to the chair (21.4 +/- 14.0 percent maximal voluntary excitations (%MVE)
      and 14.7 +/- 10.8 %MVE for the ball and chair, respectively). The left thoracic
      erector spinae produced greater average activity (p = .044) on the chair than on
      the ball. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that this dynamic sitting approach
      could be an effective tool for core muscle activation while promoting movement
      and exercise while sitting at work. APPLICATION: Muscle activations on the
      dynamic chair are comparable to those on a stability ball, and dynamic office
      chairs can promote movement and exercise while sitting at work.

PMID- 26113020
TI  - The Diagnostic Performance of the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale for Detecting
      Delirium in Older Emergency Department Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Delirium is frequently missed in older emergency department (ED)
      patients. Brief (<2 minutes) delirium assessments have been validated for the ED,
      but some ED health care providers may consider them to be cumbersome. The
      Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) is an observational scale that
      quantifies level of consciousness and takes less than 10 seconds to perform. The
      authors sought to explore the diagnostic accuracy of the RASS for delirium in
      older ED patients. METHODS: This was a preplanned analysis of a prospective
      observational study designed to validate brief delirium assessments for the ED.
      The study was conducted at an academic ED and enrolled patients who were 65 years
      or older. Patients who were non-English-speaking, deaf, blind, comatose or had
      end-stage dementia were excluded. A research assistant (RA) and a physician
      performed the RASS at the time of enrollment. Within 3 hours, a consultation
      liaison psychiatrist performed his or her comprehensive reference standard
      assessment for delirium using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
      Disorders Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria. Sensitivities,
      specificities, and likelihood ratios with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs)
      were calculated. RESULTS: Of 406 enrolled patients, 50 (12.3%) had delirium
      diagnosed by the consult-liaison psychiatrist reference rater. When performed by
      the RA, a RASS other than 0 (RASS > 0 or < 0) was 84.0% sensitive (95% CI = 73.8%
      to 94.2%) and 87.6% specific (95% CI = 84.2% to 91.1%) for delirium. When
      performed by physician, a RASS other than 0 was 82.0% sensitive (95% CI = 71.4%
      to 92.6%) and 85.1% specific (95% CI = 81.4% to 88.8%) for delirium. Using a RASS
      > +1 or < -1 as the cutoff, the specificity improved to approximately 99% for
      both raters at the expense of sensitivity; the sensitivities were 22.0% (95% CI =
      10.5% to 33.5%) and 16.0% (95% CI = 5.8% to 25.2%) in the RAs and physician
      raters, respectively. The positive likelihood ratio was 19.6 (95% CI = 6.5 to
      59.1) when performed by the RA and 57.0 (95% CI = 7.3 to 445.9) when performed by
      the physician, indicating that a RASS > +1 or < -1 strongly increased the
      likelihood of delirium. The weighted kappa was 0.63, indicating moderate
      interobserver reliability. CONCLUSIONS: In older ED patients, a RASS other than 0
      has very good sensitivity and specificity for delirium as diagnosed by a
      psychiatrist. A RASS > +1 or < -1 is nearly diagnostic for delirium, given the
      very high positive likelihood ratio.

PMID- 26113021
TI  - The mobility gap between older men and women: the embodiment of gender.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To present the study design and baseline results of the longitudinal
      International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS) on gender differences in physical
      performance and mobility disability prevalence in five diverse societies.
      METHODS: Data are from surveys on random samples of people aged 65-74 years at
      Canadian (Kingston, Ontario; Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec), Mediterranean (Tirana,
      Albania) and Latin American sites (Natal, Brazil; Manizales, Colombia) (N=1995).
      Mobility disability was defined as reporting difficulty in walking 400m or
      climbing stairs. Activities of daily living (ADL) disability was based on any
      self-reported difficulty in five mobility-related ADLs. The short physical
      performance battery (SPPB) was used to assess physical performance. Poisson
      regression models were fitted to estimate prevalence ratios. RESULTS: Age
      adjusted prevalence of low SPPB, mobility disability and ADL disability were
      higher in women than in men in all sites except for Kingston. After adjustment
      for education and income, gender differences in SPPB and ADL disability
      attenuated or disappeared in Saint-Hyacinthe and Manizales but remained large in
      Tirana and Natal and mobility disability remained more frequent in women than in
      men at all sites except Kingston. After further adjustment by chronic conditions
      and depressive symptoms, gender differences in mobility remained large at all
      sites except Kingston but only in Tirana did women have significantly poorer
      physical performance than men. DISCUSSION: Results provide evidence for gender as
      a risk factor to explain poorer physical function in women and suggest that
      moving toward gender equality could attenuate the gender gap in physical function
      in old age.

PMID- 26113022
TI  - Effect of a single injection of autologous conditioned serum (ACS) on tendon
      healing in equine naturally occurring tendinopathies.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Autologous blood-derived biologicals, including autologous
      conditioned serum (ACS), are frequently used to treat tendinopathies in horses
      despite limited evidence for their efficacy. The purpose of this study was to
      describe the effect of a single intralesional injection of ACS in naturally
      occurring tendinopathies of the equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT)
      on clinical, ultrasonographic, and histological parameters. METHODS: Fifteen
      horses with 17 naturally occurring tendinopathies of forelimb SDFTs were examined
      clinically and ultrasonographically (day 0). Injured tendons were randomly
      assigned to the ACS-treated group (n = 10) receiving a single intralesional ACS
      injection or included as controls (n = 7) which were either untreated or injected
      with saline on day 1. All horses participated in a gradually increasing exercise
      programme and were re-examined nine times at regular intervals until day 190.
      Needle biopsies were taken from the SDFTs on days 0, 36 and 190 and examined
      histologically and for the expression of collagen types I and III by
      immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In ACS-treated limbs lameness decreased
      significantly until day 10 after treatment. Swelling (scores) of the SDFT region
      decreased within the ACS group between 50 and 78 days after treatment.
      Ultrasonographically, the percentage of the lesion in the tendon was
      significantly lower and the echogenicity of the lesion (total echo score) was
      significantly higher 78 and 106 days after intralesional ACS injection compared
      to controls. Histology revealed that, compared to controls, tenocyte nuclei were
      more spindle-shaped 36 days after ACS injection. Immunohistochemistry showed that
      collagen type I expression significantly increased between days 36 and 190 after
      ACS injection. CONCLUSIONS: Single intralesional ACS injection of equine SDFTs
      with clinical signs of acute tendinopathy contributes to an early significant
      reduction of lameness and leads to temporary improvement of ultrasonographic
      parameters of repair tissue. Intralesional ACS treatment might decrease
      proliferation of tenocytes 5 weeks after treatment and increase their
      differentiation as demonstrated by elevated collagen type I expression in the
      remodelling phase. Potential enhancement of these effects by repeated injections
      should be tested in future controlled clinical investigations.

PMID- 26113024
TI  - Homomorphic plant sex chromosomes are coming of age.
AB  - Sex chromosomes are a very peculiar part of the genome that have evolved
      independently in many groups of animals and plants (Bull ). Major research
      efforts have so far been focused on large heteromorphic sex chromosomes in a few
      animal and plant species (Chibalina & Filatov ; Zhou & Bachtrog ; Bellott et al.
      ; Hough et al. ; Zhou et al. ), while homomorphic (cytologically
      indistinguishable) sex chromosomes have largely been neglected. However, this
      situation is starting to change. In this issue, Geraldes et al. () describe a
      small (~100 kb long) sex-determining region on the homomorphic sex chromosomes of
      poplars (Populus trichocarpa and related species, Fig. ). All species in Populus
      and its sister genus Salix are dioecious, suggesting that dioecy and the sex
      chromosomes, if any, should be relatively old. Contrary to this expectation,
      Geraldes et al. () demonstrate that the sex-determining region in poplars is of
      very recent origin and probably evolved within the genus Populus only a few
      million years ago. 

PMID- 26113023
TI  - iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics analysis of rice leaves infected by Rice
      stripe virus reveals several proteins involved in symptom formation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rice plants infected by Rice stripe virus (RSV) usually leads to
      chlorosis and death of newly emerged leaves. However, the mechanism of RSV
      induced these symptoms was not clear. METHODS: We used an iTRAQ approach for a
      quantitative proteomics comparison of non-infected and infected rice leaves. RT
      qPCR and Northern blot analyses were performed for assessing the transcription of
      candidate genes. RESULTS: As a whole, 681 (65.8% downregulated, 34.2% upregulated
      infected vs. non-infected) differentially accumulated proteins were identified. A
      bioinformatics analysis indicated that ten of these regulated proteins are
      involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis and three in cell death processes.
      Subsequent RT-qPCR results showed that downregulation of magnesium chelatase was
      due to reduced expression levels of the genes encoding subunits CHLI and CHLD,
      which resulted in chlorophyll reduction involved in leaf chlorosis. Three
      aspartic proteases expressed higher in RSV-infected leaves than those in the
      control leaves, which were also implicated in RSV-induced cell death. Northern
      blot analyses of CHLI and p0026h03.19 confirmed the RT-qPCR results. CONCLUSIONS:
      The magnesium chelatase and aspartic proteases may be associated with RSV-induced
      leaf chlorosis and cell death, respectively. The findings may yield new insights
      into mechanisms underlying rice stripe disease symptom formation.

PMID- 26113025
TI  - Auditory-neurophysiological responses to speech during early childhood: Effects
      of background noise.
AB  - Early childhood is a critical period of auditory learning, during which children
      are constantly mapping sounds to meaning. But this auditory learning rarely
      occurs in ideal listening conditions-children are forced to listen against a
      relentless din. This background noise degrades the neural coding of these
      critical sounds, in turn interfering with auditory learning. Despite the
      importance of robust and reliable auditory processing during early childhood,
      little is known about the neurophysiology underlying speech processing in
      children so young. To better understand the physiological constraints these
      adverse listening scenarios impose on speech sound coding during early childhood,
      auditory-neurophysiological responses were elicited to a consonant-vowel syllable
      in quiet and background noise in a cohort of typically-developing preschoolers
      (ages 3-5 yr). Overall, responses were degraded in noise: they were smaller, less
      stable across trials, slower, and there was poorer coding of spectral content and
      the temporal envelope. These effects were exacerbated in response to the
      consonant transition relative to the vowel, suggesting that the neural coding of
      spectrotemporally-dynamic speech features is more tenuous in noise than the
      coding of static features-even in children this young. Neural coding of speech
      temporal fine structure, however, was more resilient to the addition of
      background noise than coding of temporal envelope information. Taken together,
      these results demonstrate that noise places a neurophysiological constraint on
      speech processing during early childhood by causing a breakdown in neural
      processing of speech acoustics. These results may explain why some listeners have
      inordinate difficulties understanding speech in noise. Speech-elicited auditory
      neurophysiological responses offer objective insight into listening skills during
      early childhood by reflecting the integrity of neural coding in quiet and noise;
      this paper documents typical response properties in this age group. These
      normative metrics may be useful clinically to evaluate auditory processing
      difficulties during early childhood. 

PMID- 26113026
TI  - Hartmann's procedure and laparoscopic reversal versus primary anastomosis and
      ileostomy closure for left colonic perforation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Emergency surgical strategies for acute left-sided colonic perforation
      are evolving preferring primary anastomosis (PA) with ileostomy to Hartmann's
      procedure (HP) based on the morbidity and reversal rates. However, HP is still
      commonly performed. Hartmann's reversal is associated with considerable
      morbidity. It is of interest whether laparoscopic reversal results in a lower
      morbidity as retrospective data suggest. Here, we compared the combined morbidity
      rates for two surgical strategies: strategy A, HP followed by laparoscopic
      reversal, and strategy B, sigmoid resection with PA followed by ileostomy
      closure. METHODS: Prospectively collected data of all consecutive patients
      undergoing HP for benign left-sided colonic perforation between 2010 and 2014
      were retrospectively compared to data of patients undergoing PA. Groups were
      matched for age and Charlson comorbidity index. Additionally, patients were
      analyzed for American Society of Anesthesiologists score, body mass index, and
      peritonitis stage. End points were morbidity, operation time, reversal rate, time
      to reversal, and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: The study included 32 patients
      for whom Hartmann's reversal was planned, along with 32 matched patients who
      underwent PA and diverting ileostomy. Median age was 75 and 72 years, Charlson
      score was 6 (4-9) and 6 (5-7), and patients classified by the American Society of
      Anesthesiologists (ASA) higher than III were 81 % in both groups. Combined major
      morbidity rates were 21 % for strategy A and 20 % for strategy B (p = 1.0).
      Combined comprehensive complication index was 16.4 +/- 14.1 and 12.3 +/- 19.1 (p
      = 0.08). HP reversal by laparoscopy was achieved in 71 %. The colostomy reversal
      rate was 75 % compared to ileostomy closure rate of 88 % (p = 0.34). CONCLUSIONS:
      Laparoscopic Hartmann's reversal is achievable in a high proportion of patients.
      Strategy B tends to have lower overall morbidity; meanwhile, major morbidity
      seems to be similar. Yet, in critically ill patients and in the absence of
      expertise of the surgeon on call, HP followed by elective laparoscopic reversal
      represents a viable alternative.

PMID- 26113027
TI  - Rational pharmacotherapy (RPT) in goutology: Define the serum uric acid target &
      treat-to-target patient cohort and review on urate lowering therapy (ULT)
      applying synthetic drugs.
AB  - A gout revolution is at hand as can be seen from the number of publications and
      our recent increase in a better understanding of gout regarding imaging,
      regarding pathogenetic involvement of crystals, cells and cytokines, as well as
      regarding new pharmacotherapeutic options. We should now focus on rational
      pharmacotherapy to significantly improve gout care. With modern combinations of
      xanthine oxidase inhibition PLUS uricosuric all serum urate concentrations can be
      targeted. The pharmacotherapeutic literature of synthetic urate lowering
      treatment is reviewed and a plea is given for rational pharmacotherapy combining
      different modes of action aiming at the rheumatologically predefined optimal
      serum urate concentrations instead of a more reluctant approach to just lower a
      serum urate to any lower level with a fixed dose allopurinol. 

PMID- 26113028
TI  - Consumption of and satisfaction with health care among opioid users with chronic
      non-malignant pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although persons with chronic pain are frequent users of the health
      care system, they report poor satisfaction with health care services.
      Participants with persistent opioid use in Nord-Trondelag Health Study (HUNT)3
      report severe pain in spite of treatment. The aim of the study was to test the
      hypothesis that subjects with persistent opioid use have both a higher
      consumption of health care services and a poorer satisfaction than the remaining
      subjects reporting chronic pain. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was based on
      linkage of self-reported data from the substudy (10,238 were invited, 6927 met
      the inclusion criteria) of health care use in HUNT3; a population-based health
      survey during the years 2006-2008 and the complete national registers of the
      Norwegian Prescription Database and the Cancer Registry of Norway. Patients with
      chronic pain are stratified according to the level of opioid use as persistent
      users of opioids, intermittent users, and persons not using opioids. RESULTS:
      Persons with chronic non-malignant pain reported a higher consumption of all
      health care services compared to the control group. Consumption of health care
      services increased with increasing level of opioid use. Persons with persistent
      opioid use were highly satisfied with all health care services, although less
      satisfied than persons without chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS: Combined with previous
      findings of high levels of pain in spite of opioid treatment, the present
      findings indicate that symptomatic relief is not a prerequisite for patient
      satisfaction. The study shows higher patient satisfaction compared to previous
      studies.

PMID- 26113029
TI  - Drug-induced skin reactions: a pathologist viewpoint.
AB  - Cutaneous drug reactions are common adverse effects that occur in about 2-3% of
      the hospitalized patients. They have both immunologic and non-immunologic
      underlying mechanisms. These reactions are clinically and histologically similar
      to dermatoses. Their significant clinical indicators include: history of drug
      intake, atypical clinical features and improvement after cessation of the
      offending drugs. Their diagnostic histological clues include the presence of
      mixed histological patterns, apoptotic keratinocytes, eosinophils (dermis and
      epidermis), papillary dermal edema and extravasations of erythrocytes. However,
      no single clinical or histological feature is specific of drug eruptions. This
      work attempts to classify the histomorphologic reactions to various drugs in
      defined categories for assistance in morphologic diagnosis. 

PMID- 26113030
TI  - Acute corneal toxicity of latanoprost with different preservatives.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the corneal toxicity of Xalatan and three latanoprost
      generics using transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) and scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM). METHODS: Corneal TER changes after a 60-s exposure to Xalatan
      (latanoprost 0.005% preserved with 0.02% BAC), and latanoprost generics
      (Latanoprost PF BAC free, Latanoprost Nitten SB containing sodium benzoate and
      Latanoprost Towa containing 0.01% BAC with sodium chloride polysorbate 80 as
      additive) were measured in living rabbits. Corneal damage was also examined by
      SEM. Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS) was used as a control. RESULTS: There
      was a significant decrease in the corneal TER after exposure of the cornea to
      Xalatan (p < 0.01) and all latanoprost generics (p < 0.01: Latanoprost PF, p <
      0.05: Latanoprost Nitten SB, Latanoprost Towa) as compared to HBSS. All
      latanoprost generics showed less TER decrease in the corneal TER as compared to
      Xalatan (p < 0.01). SEM revealed that superficial cells of Xalatan-treated
      corneas were damaged and exhibited degenerated microvilli. Conversely, the
      superficial cells of corneas exposed to HBSS or all latanoprost generics appeared
      normal and had normal microvilli under SEM examinations. CONCLUSION: The corneal
      toxicity of Xalatan is greater than that of latanoprost generics. Xalatan
      contains 0.02% BAC, which may be responsible for the corneal toxicity.

PMID- 26113032
TI  - Post-traumatic osteonecrosis of the proximal humerus.
AB  - Post-traumatic osteonecrosis of the proximal humerus represents a challenging
      problem to the surgeon. It is commonly seen following multi-fragmentary fractures
      of the proximal humerus which may affect the long-term functional recovery after
      such injuries. This review summarises the current evidence on risk factors,
      reasons why estimating its epidemiology is difficult, the vascular supply of the
      humeral head, classification, and management options. 

PMID- 26113031
TI  - Relation between E/e' ratio and NT-proBNP levels in elderly patients with
      symptomatic severe aortic stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Symptoms in the elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and
      co-morbidities seem to lack in specificity. Therefore, objective parameters for
      increased left ventricular(LV) filling pressures are needed. The aim of this
      study was to investigate the correlation between the septal, lateral and average
      E/e' ratio and the value of the N-terminal pro-hormone of brain natriuretic
      peptide (NT-proBNP). METHODS: Two-hundred-fifty consecutive symptomatic patients
      (mean age 80 +/- 8 years, 52% men) with severe AS underwent transthoracic
      echocardiography and NT-proBNP measurement. RESULTS: In the overall population
      the septal E/e' (r = 0,459, r(2) = 0,21, P <0,0001), lateral E/e' (r = 0,322,
      r(2) = 0,10, P <0,0001), and the average E/e' (r = 0,432, r(2) = 0,18, P <0,0001)
      were all significantly correlated to NT-proBNP. After the exclusion of patients
      with confounders (more than mild aortic or mitral regurgitation, severe renal
      dysfunction, obesity or severe COPD) the septal E/e' (r = 0,584, r(2) = 0,34, P
      <0,0001), lateral E/e' (r = 0,377, r(2) = 0,14, P <0,0001), and the average E/e'
      (r = 0,487, r(2) = 0,24, P <0,0001) were all significantly better correlated to
      NT-proBNP. In obese patients no significant correlations were seen. Previous
      bypass surgery did not alter the correlations. CONCLUSIONS: In elderly patients
      with severe symptomatic AS there is a significant correlation between the E/e'
      ratio and NT-proBNP, in particular after exclusion of confounders. The
      correlation was best for the septal E/e' ratio and was preserved in patients with
      a history of bypass surgery.

PMID- 26113033
TI  - Using a modified Pauwels method to predict the outcome of femoral neck fracture
      in relatively young patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pauwels classification has long been used in femoral neck fracture to
      measure the inclination of the fracture line and is still widely used. In recent
      years, however, some studies have contested the reliability of this measurement
      method. This study investigates modified measurement method to assess the
      inclination angle with assisted parameters to evaluate the correlation between
      the different angles and the incidences of loss of reduction, nonunion and
      avascular necrosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to
      analyse the clinical data of 209 relatively young patients (between 20 and 60
      years old) with intracapsular femoral neck fracture fixed by inverted triangular
      screws between January 2004 and December 2010, including 111 males and 98
      females, with an average age of 47.08+/-9.93 years. Using the modified
      measurement method, the pre-operative inclination angles of patients with
      intracapsular femoral neck fracture were analyzed. The measured angles were
      classified into three types: type I, <30 degrees; type II, 30-50 degrees; and
      type III, >50 degrees. RESULTS: With regard to loss of reduction, nonunion and
      avascular necrosis, there were no significant differences with respect to age,
      sex and fracture side. However, there were significant differences with respect
      to fracture type, reduction quality and different modified Pauwels types. In the
      multiple regression analysis, the factors associated with loss of reduction were
      the fracture type (odds ratio [OR]=7.22), reduction quality (anatomic vs
      unacceptable reduction, OR=0.11; acceptable vs unacceptable reduction, OR=0.23),
      and modified Pauwels type (type II vs type III, OR=0.36). The factors associated
      with fracture nonunion were the fracture type (OR=9.43), reduction quality
      (acceptable vs unacceptable reduction, OR=0.17) and modified Pauwels type (type
      II vs type III, OR=0.22). And the factors associated with avascular necrosis were
      the modified Pauwels type (type I vs type III, OR=0.15; type II vs type III,
      OR=0.36). CONCLUSIONS: A displaced fracture, poor reduction quality and high
      modified Pauwels type are noted risk factors for loss of reduction and fracture
      nonunion in the post-operative follow up of intracapsular femoral neck fracture.
      The modified Pauwels type is also noted a risk factor for avascular necrosis.
      Thus, this modified method is a useful tool for correcting the deficiencies of
      traditional Pauwels classification and predicting the outcome of femoral neck
      fractures.

PMID- 26113034
TI  - What is the underlying mechanism for the failure mode observed in the proximal
      femoral locking compression plate? A biomechanical study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recently, several cases of clinical failure have been reported for the
      Proximal Femoral Locking Compression Plate (PF-LCP). The current study was
      designed to explore biomechanically the underlying mechanism and to determine
      whether the observed failure was due to technical error on insertion or to
      implant design. METHODS: A foam block model simulating an unstable
      intertrochanteric fracture was created for 3 study groups with 6 specimens each.
      Group C was correctly instrumented according to the manufacturer's guidelines. In
      Group P and Group A, the first or second proximal screw was placed with a
      posterior or anterior off-axis orientation by 2 degrees  measured in the
      transversal plane, respectively. Each construct was cyclically tested until
      failure using a test setup and protocol simulating complex axial and torsional
      loading. Radiographs were taken prior to and after the tests. Force, number of
      cycles to failure and failure mode were compared. RESULTS: A screw deviation of 2
      degrees  from the nominal axis led to significantly earlier construct failure in
      Group P and Group A in comparison to Group C. The failure mode was characterised
      by loosening of the off-axis screw due to disengagement with the plate, resulting
      in loss of construct stiffness and varus collapse of the fracture. CONCLUSIONS:
      In our biomechanical test setup, the clinical failure modes observed with the PF
      LCP were reproducible. A screw deviation of 2 degrees  from the nominal axis
      consistently led to the failure. This highlights how crucial is the accurate
      placement of locking screws in the proximal femur.

PMID- 26113035
TI  - Customized versus Population-Based Birth Weight References for Predicting Fetal
      and Neonatal Undernutrition.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to construct a model of customized birth
      weight curves based on a Spanish population and to compare the ability of this
      customized model to our population-based chart to predict a neonatal ponderal
      index (PI) <10th percentile. METHODS: We developed a model that can predict the
      10th percentile for a fetus according to gestational age and gender as well as
      maternal weight, height, and age. We compared the ability of this customized
      model to that of our own population-based model to predict a neonatal PI <10th
      percentile. Data from a large database were used (32,854 live newborns, from 1993
      through 2012). Only singleton pregnancies with a gestational age at delivery of
      32-42 weeks were included. RESULTS: In the entire pregnant population, the
      customized method was superior to the population-based method for detecting
      newborns with a PI <10th percentile (sensitivity: 55 vs. 40.96%; specificity:
      99.6 vs. 91.23%; positive predictive value: 11.49 vs. 9.55%, and negative
      predictive value: 98.84 vs. 98.55%, respectively). In pregnant women with a BMI
      >90th percentile, the sensitivity was 75%, compared to 50% in the population
      based method. In pregnant women with a height >90th percentile, the sensitivity
      was almost as high as in the population-based method (61.53 vs. 33.33%).
      CONCLUSION: The customized birth weight curve is superior to the population-based
      method for the detection of newborns with a PI <10th percentile. This is
      especially the case in women in the higher scales of height and weight as well as
      in preterm babies.

PMID- 26113036
TI  - Specificity and catalysis hardwired at the RNA-protein interface in a
      translational proofreading enzyme.
AB  - Proofreading modules of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are responsible for enforcing
      a high fidelity during translation of the genetic code. They use strategically
      positioned side chains for specifically targeting incorrect aminoacyl-tRNAs.
      Here, we show that a unique proofreading module possessing a D-aminoacyl-tRNA
      deacylase fold does not use side chains for imparting specificity or for
      catalysis, the two hallmark activities of enzymes. We show, using three distinct
      archaea, that a side-chain-stripped recognition site is fully capable of solving
      a subtle discrimination problem. While biochemical probing establishes that RNA
      plays the catalytic role, mechanistic insights from multiple high-resolution
      snapshots reveal that differential remodelling of the catalytic core at the RNA
      peptide interface provides the determinants for correct proofreading activity.
      The functional crosstalk between RNA and protein elucidated here suggests how
      primordial enzyme functions could have emerged on RNA-peptide scaffolds before
      recruitment of specific side chains. 

PMID- 26113037
TI  - H2 S restores the cardioprotection from ischemic post-conditioning in isolated
      aged rat hearts.
AB  - This study explored the mechanisms underlying the recovery of myocardial
      protection from ischemic post-conditioning (PC) by exogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2
      S) in aged rat hearts. We observed that ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) inhibited the
      phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and
      promoted phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in both
      young hearts and aged hearts. PC up-regulated ERK1/2 phosphorylations and down
      regulated p38 MAPK and JNK phosphorylations. Exogenous H2 S further enhanced the
      role of PC in the young hearts. In the aged hearts, PC failed to affect all these
      3 MAPK members, while co-treatment with exogenous H2 S-induced ERK1/2 and reduced
      p38 MAPK and JNK phosphorylations. These results suggest that exogenous H2 S
      recovers PC-induced cardioprotection via MAPK pathway in the aged hearts. 

PMID- 26113038
TI  - Residential exposure to traffic noise and risk for non-hodgkin lymphoma among
      adults.
AB  - Exposure to traffic noise may result in stress and sleep disturbances, which have
      been associated with impairment of the immune system. People with weakened immune
      systems are known to have a higher risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). We aimed
      to determine whether traffic noise was associated with risk for NHL in a
      nationwide case-control study. We identified 2753 cases aged 30-84 years with a
      primary diagnosis of NHL in Denmark between 1992 and 2010. For each case we
      selected two random population controls, matched on sex and year of birth. Road
      traffic and railway noise were calculated, and airport noise was estimated for
      all present and historical residential addresses of cases and controls from 1987
      to 2010. Associations between traffic noise and risk for NHL were estimated using
      conditional logistic regression, adjusted for disposable income, education,
      cohabiting status and comorbidity. We found that a 5-year time-weighted mean of
      road traffic noise above 65 dB was associated with an 18% higher risk for NHL
      (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.37) when compared to road traffic noise
      below 55 dB, whereas for exposure between 55 and 65 dB no association was found
      (odds ratio: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.88-1.08). In analyzes of NHL subtypes, we found no
      association between road traffic noise and risk for T-cell lymphoma, whereas
      increased risks for B-cell lymphoma and unspecified lymphomas were observed at
      exposures above 65 dB. In conclusion, our nationwide study may indicate that high
      exposure to traffic noise is associated with higher NHL risk.

PMID- 26113039
TI  - Out of the shadows and into the spotlight: Social blunders fuel fear of self
      exposure in social anxiety disorder.
AB  - In a study designed to clarify and extend previous research on social blunders in
      social anxiety, 32 participants with social anxiety disorder (SAD), 25 anxious
      control (AC) participants with anxiety disorders other than SAD, and 25 healthy
      control (HC) participants with no history of anxiety problems estimated the costs
      of hypothetical blunders committed by either themselves or by others.
      Participants with SAD rated the costs of their own imagined blunders as highly
      inflated relative to both AC and HC participants. In contrast, for blunders
      participants imagined others committing, only SAD and healthy control
      participants' cost estimates differed from one another. Moreover, concerns about
      revealing self-flaws--and, in particular, about appearing socially incompetent-
      accounted for significant, unique variance in SAD participants' exaggerated cost
      estimates of self blunders, over and above symptoms of social anxiety and
      depression. These results enhance our understanding of how and why socially
      anxious individuals negatively appraise social blunders and help to clarify the
      potential function and role of social mishap exposures in the treatment of SAD.

PMID- 26113040
TI  - Mammary epithelial cell phagocytosis downstream of TGF-beta3 is characterized by
      adherens junction reorganization.
AB  - After weaning, during mammary gland involution, milk-producing mammary epithelial
      cells undergo apoptosis. Effective clearance of these dying cells is essential,
      as persistent apoptotic cells have a negative impact on gland homeostasis, future
      lactation and cancer susceptibility. In mice, apoptotic cells are cleared by the
      neighboring epithelium, yet little is known about how mammary epithelial cells
      become phagocytic or whether this function is conserved between species. Here we
      use a rat model of weaning-induced involution and involuting breast tissue from
      women, to demonstrate apoptotic cells within luminal epithelial cells and
      epithelial expression of the scavenger mannose receptor, suggesting conservation
      of phagocytosis by epithelial cells. In the rat, epithelial transforming growth
      factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling is increased during involution, a pathway known
      to promote phagocytic capability. To test whether TGF-beta enhances the
      phagocytic ability of mammary epithelial cells, non-transformed murine mammary
      epithelial EpH4 cells were cultured to achieve tight junction impermeability,
      such as occurs during lactation. TGF-beta3 treatment promoted loss of tight
      junction impermeability, reorganization and cleavage of the adherens junction
      protein E-cadherin (E-cad), and phagocytosis. Phagocytosis correlated with
      junction disruption, suggesting junction reorganization is necessary for
      phagocytosis by epithelial cells. Supporting this hypothesis, epithelial cell E
      cad reorganization and cleavage were observed in rat and human involuting mammary
      glands. Further, in the rat, E-cad cleavage correlated with increased gamma
      secretase activity and beta-catenin nuclear localization. In vitro, pharmacologic
      inhibitors of gamma-secretase or beta-catenin reduced the effect of TGF-beta3 on
      phagocytosis to near baseline levels. However, beta-catenin signaling through
      LiCl treatment did not enhance phagocytic capacity, suggesting a model in which
      both reorganization of cell junctions and beta-catenin signaling contribute to
      phagocytosis downstream of TGF-beta3. Our data provide insight into how mammary
      epithelial cells contribute to apoptotic cell clearance, and in light of the
      negative consequences of impaired apoptotic cell clearance during involution, may
      shed light on involution-associated breast pathologies. 

PMID- 26113041
TI  - HIPK2 restricts SIRT1 activity upon severe DNA damage by a phosphorylation
      controlled mechanism.
AB  - Upon severe DNA damage a cellular signalling network initiates a cell death
      response through activating tumour suppressor p53 in association with
      promyelocytic leukaemia (PML) nuclear bodies. The deacetylase Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1)
      suppresses cell death after DNA damage by antagonizing p53 acetylation. To
      facilitate efficient p53 acetylation, SIRT1 function needs to be restricted. How
      SIRT1 activity is regulated under these conditions remains largely unclear. Here
      we provide evidence that SIRT1 activity is limited upon severe DNA damage through
      phosphorylation by the DNA damage-responsive kinase HIPK2. We found that DNA
      damage provokes interaction of SIRT1 and HIPK2, which phosphorylates SIRT1 at
      Serine 682 upon lethal damage. Furthermore, upon DNA damage SIRT1 and HIPK2
      colocalize at PML nuclear bodies, and PML depletion abrogates DNA damage-induced
      SIRT1 Ser682 phosphorylation. We show that Ser682 phosphorylation inhibits SIRT1
      activity and impacts on p53 acetylation, apoptotic p53 target gene expression and
      cell death. Mechanistically, we found that DNA damage-induced SIRT1 Ser682
      phosphorylation provokes disruption of the complex between SIRT1 and its
      activator AROS. Our findings indicate that phosphorylation-dependent restriction
      of SIRT1 activity by HIPK2 shapes the p53 response.

PMID- 26113042
TI  - The LIM protein Ajuba promotes adipogenesis by enhancing PPARgamma and p300/CBP
      interaction.
AB  - Adipocytes play a vital role in energy homeostasis and adipogenesis is a
      hierarchically regulated cellular differentiation process, in which the precursor
      mesenchymal stem cells are differentiated into mature adipocytes. Here, we report
      Ajuba is an important regulator of adipocyte differentiation by functioning as an
      obligate co-activator of PPARgamma. Ajuba binds the DNA-binding domain of
      PPARgamma via its preLIM region in a ligand-independent manner. Depletion of
      Ajuba in 3T3-L1 cells decreases PPARgamma target gene expression and results in
      delayed adipogenic differentiation. Conversely, stable overexpression of Ajuba in
      3T3-L1 cells increases PPARgamma target gene expression and accelerates
      adipogenic differentiation. Mechanistic investigations demonstrate that Ajuba
      recruits p300/CBP via its LIM domain and facilitates p300/CBP binding to
      PPARgamma. Moreover, Ajuba, PPARgamma, p300/CBP can cooperatively occupy the
      PPARgamma target promoters and concomitantly increases histone acetylation at
      these loci. Collectively, these data suggest that Ajuba is a co-activator
      constitutively associated with PPARgamma and may be a potential therapeutic
      target for PPARgamma-mediated metabolic disorders.

PMID- 26113044
TI  - Efficacy of sclerotherapy with radio-opaque foam guided by digital subtraction
      angiography for the treatment of complex venous malformations of the head and
      neck.
AB  - Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of sclerotherapy using radio-opaque foam and
      guided by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for complex venous malformations
      in the head and neck in 11 selected patients between 2011 and 2013. The
      sclerosing foam was manufactured by the classic Tessari method and consisted of
      air, 1% polidocanol, and radio-opaque media iopromide (Ultravist((r))300) in a
      ratio of 7:2:1. We recorded the site and size of the lesion, time and duration of
      treatment, and therapeutic response. The lesions were on the face, cheek,
      temporal region, parotid region, neck, tongue, floor of the mouth, parapharyngeal
      space, and soft palate. The sclerosing foam was radio-opaque under DSA, and the
      mean (range) dose was 21 (3-65) ml. A mean (range) of 4 (2-7) treatments was
      required, and 10 of the 11 patients responded well. In 4 of the 11 cases the
      lesion resolved completely and in 6 there was a good response. Only one lesion
      recurred. Early complications included immediate swelling in injected areas,
      snoring, and pain on swallowing, but there were no air emboli or signs of
      cutaneous necrosis, and the complications were self-limiting. DSA-guided
      sclerotherapy with radio-opaque foam was safe and effective for the treatment of
      complex vascular malformations of the head and neck.

PMID- 26113045
TI  - Lichenoid eruption associated with use of an e-cigarette.

PMID- 26113043
TI  - KLF4 regulates adult lung tumor-initiating cells and represses K-Ras-mediated
      lung cancer.
AB  - Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in both men and
      women worldwide. To identify novel factors that contribute to lung cancer
      pathogenesis, we analyzed a lung cancer database from The Cancer Genome Atlas and
      found that Kruppel-like Factor 4 (KLF4) expression is significantly lower in
      patients' lung cancer tissue than in normal lung tissue. In addition, we
      identified seven missense mutations in the KLF4 gene. KLF4 is a transcription
      factor that regulates cell proliferation and differentiation as well as the self
      renewal of stem cells. To understand the role of KLF4 in the lung, we generated a
      tamoxifen-induced Klf4 knockout mouse model. We found that KLF4 inhibits lung
      cancer cell growth and that depletion of Klf4 altered the differentiation pattern
      in the developing lung. To understand how KLF4 functions during lung
      tumorigenesis, we generated the K-ras(LSL-G12D/+);Klf4(fl/fl) mouse model, and we
      used adenovirus-expressed Cre to induce K-ras activation and Klf4 depletion in
      the lung. Although Klf4 deletion alone or K-ras mutation alone can trigger lung
      tumor formation, Klf4 deletion combined with K-ras mutation significantly
      enhanced lung tumor formation. We also found that Klf4 deletion in conjunction
      with K-ras activation caused lung inflammation. To understand the mechanism
      whereby KLF4 is regulated during lung tumorigenesis, we analyzed KLF4 promoter
      methylation and the profiles of epigenetic factors. We found that Class I histone
      deacetylases (HDACs) are overexpressed in lung cancer and that HDAC inhibitors
      induced expression of KLF4 and inhibited proliferation of lung cancer cells,
      suggesting that KLF4 is probably repressed by histone acetylation and that HDACs
      are valuable drug targets for lung cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26113046
TI  - Endoscopic management of osteomas of the forehead.
AB  - Transcutaneous resection is the most common technique for the removal of facial
      lesions. In recent years, endoscopic techniques have been used in aesthetic
      surgery of the face, and have achieved good results. We know of few descriptions
      of this approach. We describe 9 patients who had endoscopic removal of osteomas
      of the forehead through a single 3 cm incision of the midline, which was
      concealed 2 cm behind the hairline.

PMID- 26113047
TI  - Lymph Node Yield in Colon Cancer: Individuals Can Make the Difference.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the influence of individual surgeons and pathologists on
      examining an adequate (i.e. >=10) number of lymph nodes in colon cancer resection
      specimens. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The number of lymph nodes was evaluated in
      surgically treated patients for colon cancer at our hospital from 2008 through
      2010, excluding patients who had received neo-adjuvant treatment. The patient
      group consisted of 156 patients with a median age of 73 (interquartile range
      (IQR) 63-82 years) and a median of 12 lymph nodes per patient (IQR 8-15). In 106
      patients (67.9%), 10 or more nodes were histopathologically examined. RESULTS: At
      univariate analysis, the examination of >=10 nodes was influenced by tumour size
      (p = 0.05), tumour location (p = 0.015), type of resection (p = 0.034),
      individual surgeon (p = 0.023), and pathologist (p = 0.005). Neither individual
      surgeons nor pathologists did statistically and significantly influence the
      chance of finding an N+ status. Age (p = 0.044), type of resection (p = 0.007),
      individual surgeon (p = 0.012) and pathologist (p = 0.004) were independent
      prognostic factors in a multivariate model for finding >=10 nodes. CONCLUSION:
      Though cancer staging was not affected in this study, individual efforts by
      surgeons and pathologists play a critical role in achieving optimal lymph node
      yield through conventional methods.

PMID- 26113048
TI  - Site-specific analysis of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the head and neck: A
      retrospective 10-year observation.
AB  - CONCLUSION: B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL) in the head and neck most
      commonly affected the oropharynx and the cervical lymph node in sexagenarian
      patients, with more than 70% of these cases being diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
      (DLBCL). Accordingly, B-NHL should be considered one of the most important
      differential diagnoses of head and neck malignancies. OBJECTIVES: It has
      previously been reported that the majority of head and neck malignant lymphomas
      are B-NHLs. This analysis aimed to assess the site-specific profiles of B-NHL of
      the head and neck. METHODS: The medical records of patients with B-NHL of the
      head and neck diagnosed between January 2004 and December 2013 were
      retrospectively reviewed. The clinical parameters of these patients, including
      age, sex, site distribution, and histopathologic sub-type, were analyzed.
      RESULTS: A total of 153 cases (95 males; 58 females) were included in this
      analysis (male-to-female ratio = 1.64:1). The patient age at the time of
      diagnosis ranged from 30-92 years (median = 68 years). The oropharynx was the
      most commonly affected site (40.5%), followed by the cervical lymph nodes
      (33.3%). The most common histopathologic sub-type was DLBCL (71.9%), followed by
      follicular lymphoma (11.1%), and extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa
      associated lymphoid tissue (9.2%).

PMID- 26113049
TI  - Diagnostic Value of Different Systematic Prostate Biopsy Methods in the Detection
      of Prostate Cancer with Ultrasonographic Hypoechoic Lesions--A Comparative Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess if a less extended biopsy in the transperineal approach is
      sufficient for detection of prostate cancer (PC) in patients with hypoechoic
      lesions. METHODS: This was a prospective study of 167 consecutive patients with
      prostate hypoechoic lesion and who underwent transperineal ultrasound (TPUS)
      guided 12-core and hypoechoic lesion core biopsy between January 2012 and
      February 2013. RESULTS: PC was detected in 64.1% (107/167) of patients. The PC
      detection rate of the 12-core prostate biopsy scheme was the highest, but when
      including the hypoechoic lesion core, there was no difference between the 6- and
      12-core schemes (all p > 0.05), irrespective of prostate volume or prostate
      specific antigen levels (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A more limited biopsy scheme
      could be sufficient for the detection of PC if the hypoechoic lesion is sampled.

PMID- 26113051
TI  - Is onset of lactation delayed in women with diabetes in pregnancy? A systematic
      review.
AB  - AIM: To determine if women with diabetes in pregnancy have a delayed onset of
      lactation through a systematic review of the literature. METHODS: We searched
      databases including MEDLINE, Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL Plus and PsychINFO
      for articles assessing diabetes in pregnancy and lactogenesis. Thirty-one
      articles were screened and 10 articles were included in the systematic review. We
      extracted data on diabetes in pregnancy and onset of lactation (secretory
      activation or lactogenesis II). RESULTS: The 10 studies examining the association
      between women with diabetes in pregnancy and delayed onset of lactation reported
      a significant delay in women with diabetes compared with women without diabetes.
      Two studies assessed the impact of metabolic control on lactogenesis, and found
      an association between poorer metabolic control and delayed onset of lactation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although this review has found evidence of an association between
      women experiencing diabetes during pregnancy and delayed onset of lactation, the
      presence of many potential confounding factors need to be acknowledged.

PMID- 26113050
TI  - Putative calcium-binding domains of the Caenorhabditis elegans BK channel are
      dispensable for intoxication and ethanol activation.
AB  - Alcohol modulates the highly conserved, voltage- and calcium-activated potassium
      (BK) channel, which contributes to alcohol-mediated behaviors in species from
      worms to humans. Previous studies have shown that the calcium-sensitive domains,
      RCK1 and the Ca(2+) bowl, are required for ethanol activation of the mammalian BK
      channel in vitro. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, ethanol activates the
      BK channel in vivo, and deletion of the worm BK channel, SLO-1, confers strong
      resistance to intoxication. To determine if the conserved RCK1 and calcium bowl
      domains were also critical for intoxication and basal BK channel-dependent
      behaviors in C. elegans, we generated transgenic worms that express mutated SLO-1
      channels predicted to have the RCK1, Ca(2+) bowl or both domains rendered
      insensitive to calcium. As expected, mutating these domains inhibited basal
      function of SLO-1 in vivo as neck and body curvature of these mutants mimicked
      that of the BK null mutant. Unexpectedly, however, mutating these domains singly
      or together in SLO-1 had no effect on intoxication in C. elegans. Consistent with
      these behavioral results, we found that ethanol activated the SLO-1 channel in
      vitro with or without these domains. By contrast, in agreement with previous in
      vitro findings, C. elegans harboring a human BK channel with mutated calcium
      sensing domains displayed resistance to intoxication. Thus, for the worm SLO-1
      channel, the putative calcium-sensitive domains are critical for basal in vivo
      function but unnecessary for in vivo ethanol action. 

PMID- 26113052
TI  - Dissemination of clonally related multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in
      Ireland.
AB  - In October 2012, an outbreak of gentamicin-resistant, ciprofloxacin non
      susceptible extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella
      pneumoniae occurred in a neonatal intensive care unit in Ireland. In order to
      determine whether the outbreak strain was more widely dispersed in the country,
      137 isolates of K. pneumoniae with this resistance phenotype collected from 17
      hospitals throughout Ireland between January 2011 and July 2013 were examined.
      ESBL production was confirmed phenotypically and all isolates were screened for
      susceptibility to 19 antimicrobial agents and for the presence of genes encoding
      bla TEM, bla SHV, bla OXA, and bla CTX-M; 22 isolates were also screened for bla
      KPC, bla NDM, bla VIM, bla IMP and bla OXA-48 genes. All isolates harboured bla
      SHV and bla CTX-M and were resistant to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, nalidixic
      acid, amoxicillin-clavulanate, and cefpodoxime; 15 were resistant to ertapenem,
      seven to meropenem and five isolates were confirmed as carbapenemase producers.
      Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of all isolates identified 16 major clusters,
      with two clusters comprising 61% of the entire collection. Multilocus sequence
      typing of a subset of these isolates identified a novel type, ST1236, a single
      locus variant of ST48. Data suggest that two major clonal groups, ST1236/ST48
      (CG43) and ST15/ST14 (CG15) have been circulating in Ireland since at least
      January 2011. 

PMID- 26113053
TI  - Current controversies in the management of metastatic colorectal cancer.
AB  - The factors affecting the decisions for the treatment for patients with
      metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) are related to the patient, the tumor, and
      the treatment itself. Both cetuximab and panitumumab are anti-EGFR monoclonal
      antibody options for patients with RAS wild-type tumors. Several trials comparing
      these agents with bevacizumab are analyzed in this paper. The liver is the most
      common site of metastases in patients with CRC, and perioperative chemotherapy
      has been shown to yield benefits in this setting. In the second-line treatment
      for mCRC, maintenance with bevacizumab after progression following first-line
      treatment is convenient in some groups of patients with mCRC. Also, aflibercept
      has demonstrated benefits in response rate, progression-free survival, and
      overall survival in second-line treatment, whereas regorafenib provides benefits
      to patients progressing on all standard therapies. Several novel therapeutic
      options for patients with mCRC are under development, and these are discussed. 

PMID- 26113054
TI  - AT-101 inhibits hedgehog pathway activity and cancer growth.
AB  - PURPOSE: AT-101 is considered as a putative pan-inhibitor of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2
      family protein members acting as a BH3 mimetic. It is currently being
      investigated in phase I/II clinical trial in various types of cancers. In this
      study, using a series of in vitro and in vivo assays, we evaluated the effect of
      AT-101 on the hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway activity and its anticancer
      ability. RESULTS: We found that AT-101 obviously blocked the Hh signaling pathway
      activity in response to ShhN-conditioned medium (ShhN CM). This inhibitory
      effect, to some extent, displayed selectivity against Hh signaling pathway.
      Furthermore, we identified that AT-101 potentially acted on smoothened (Smo) by
      sharing the same binding site with cyclopamine, a classical Hh signaling pathway
      inhibitor. Taking advantage of the patch+/-; p53-/- mouse medulloblastoma model,
      we observed that AT-101 significantly suppressed the Hh-driven medulloblastoma
      growth in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that AT-101
      significantly and selectively inhibits Hh pathway activity by potentially
      targeting Smo and consequently suppresses the growth of Hh-driven cancer.
      Therefore, this study reveals a novel molecular mechanism responsible for the
      anticancer action of AT-101 and contributes to the further development of AT-101
      as an anticancer drug.

PMID- 26113055
TI  - Platform Therapy Compared with Natalizumab for Multiple Sclerosis: Relapse Rates
      and Time to Relapse Among Propensity Score-Matched US Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) registry data, primarily from Europe, suggest
      that treatment with natalizumab delays time to relapse compared with platform
      therapy (interferon beta/glatiramer acetate). OBJECTIVE: This study uses US
      administrative claims data and propensity score matching (PSM) to compare relapse
      rates and time to relapse among patients with MS using either platform therapy or
      natalizumab. METHODS: Adults with MS receiving either platform therapy or
      natalizumab between January 1, 2009 and April 1, 2012 were identified in the
      Truven Health MarketScan((r)) Research Databases. Patients were included if they
      had 12 months of continuous enrollment both before and after the index date (the
      first claim for either drug cohort) and had 12 months of claims data suggesting
      consistent treatment adherence during the follow-up period. Characteristics used
      in PSM included demographics, selected comorbidities and concomitant medications,
      MS severity, baseline relapse rates, and expenditures. A relapse was defined as
      an MS-related hospitalization or corticosteroid use. RESULTS: A total of 882
      patients were matched. Relapse occurred among significantly fewer patients in the
      natalizumab group (26.5%) than platform therapy (35.5%, p < 0.001) (hazard ratio
      0.69; 95% CI 0.59-0.82). Relapses were also significantly later for those on
      natalizumab (308 vs 283 days without relapse, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Treatment
      with natalizumab was associated with a significantly lower risk and rate of MS
      relapse and longer MS relapse-free time compared with platform therapies.

PMID- 26113056
TI  - A Role for Histone H2B Variants in Endocrine-Resistant Breast Cancer.
AB  - Acquired resistance to aromatase inhibitors (AIs) remains a major clinical
      problem in the treatment of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. We
      and others have previously reported widespread changes in DNA methylation using
      breast cancer cell line models of endocrine resistance. Here, we show that the
      histone variant HIST1H2BE is hypomethylated in estrogen deprivation-resistant C4
      12 and long-term estrogen-deprived (LTED) cells compared with parental MCF-7
      cells. As expected, this hypomethylation associates with increased expression of
      HIST1H2BE in C4-12 and LTED cells. Both overexpression and downregulation of
      HIST1H2BE caused decreased proliferation in breast cancer cell lines suggesting
      the need for tightly controlled expression of this histone variant. Gene
      expression analysis showed varied expression of HIST1H2BE in a large panel of
      breast cancer cell lines, without restriction to specific molecular subtypes.
      Analysis of HIST1H2BE messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in ER+ AI-treated breast
      tumors showed significantly higher expression in resistant (n = 19) compared with
      sensitive (n = 37) tumors (p = 0.01). Using nanostring analysis, we measured
      expression of all 61 histone variants in endocrine-resistant and endocrine
      sensitive tumors. We found significant overexpression of 22 variant histone genes
      in tumors resistant to AI therapy. In silico The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)
      analysis showed frequent amplification of the HIST1 locus. In summary, our
      studies show, for the first time, that overexpression of histone variants might
      be important in endocrine response in ER+ breast cancer, and that overexpression
      is at least in part mediated via epigenetic mechanisms and amplifications. Future
      studies addressing endocrine response should include a potential role of these
      currently understudied histone variants.

PMID- 26113057
TI  - Snapshots of Conformational Changes Shed Light into the NtrX Receiver Domain
      Signal Transduction Mechanism.
AB  - Brucella abortus is an important pathogenic bacterium that has to overcome oxygen
      deficiency in order to achieve a successful infection. Previously, we proved that
      a two-component system formed by the histidine kinase NtrY and the response
      regulator NtrX is essential to achieve an adaptive response to low oxygen tension
      conditions. Even though the relevance of this signaling pathway has already been
      demonstrated in other microorganisms, its molecular activation mechanism has not
      yet been described in detail. In this article, we report the first crystal
      structures from different conformations of the NtrX receiver domain from B.
      abortus, and we propose a sequence of events to explain the structural
      rearrangements along the activation process. The analysis of the structures
      obtained in the presence of the phosphoryl group analog beryllofluoride led us to
      postulate that changes in the interface formed by the alpha4 helix and the beta5
      strand are important for the activation, producing a reorientation of the alpha5
      helix. Also, a biochemical characterization of the NtrX receiver domain enzymatic
      activities was performed, describing its autophosphorylation and
      autodephosphorylation kinetics. Finally, the role of H85, an important residue,
      was addressed by site-directed mutagenesis. Overall, these results provide
      significant structural basis for understanding the response regulator activation
      in this bacterial two-component system. 

PMID- 26113059
TI  - Temporal dynamics of repetition suppression to individual faces presented at a
      fast periodic rate.
AB  - Periodic presentation of visual stimuli leads to a robust electrophysiological
      response on the human scalp exactly at the periodic stimulation frequency, a
      response defined as a "steady-state visual evoked potential" (SSVEP, Regan,
      1966). However, recent studies have shown that SSVEPs over the (right) occipito
      temporal cortex are reduced when the same individual face is repeated at periodic
      rates of 3 to 9 Hz compared to when different faces are presented (Rossion,
      2014). Here, we characterized the temporal dynamics of this repetition
      suppression effect. We presented different face identities at a rate of 5.88 Hz
      (stimulus onset asynchrony of 170 ms) for 15 s, followed by the repetition of the
      exact same face at this rate for 35 s. Compared to a stimulation sequence with
      different faces only, there was a large and specific decrease of the 5.88 Hz
      response when the same face was repeated at that rate. This effect was observed
      over the left and right occipito-temporal cortex, but not over medial occipital
      electrode sites where SSVEPs are typically measured. In the right hemisphere,
      this decrease occurred abruptly, i.e., within half a second following the
      introduction of the same-identity stimulation, with no further decrease until the
      end of the stimulation. These observations indicate that the SSVEP recorded over
      high-level visual areas to periodic stimulation is not steady but rather adapts
      immediately and fully following the repetition of the same individual face,
      supporting a bottom-up, stimulus-driven account of repetition suppression
      effects.

PMID- 26113061
TI  - Family carers' experience of the need for admission of their relative with an
      intellectual disability to an Assessment and Treatment Unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is limited research that explores the experiences of family
      carers of individuals with an intellectual disability requiring admission to a
      specialist National Health Service Assessment and Treatment Unit. Accordingly,
      this study aimed to explore family carers' experience in respect of this
      phenomenon and their relationships with professionals at this time. METHODS:
      Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used. Six family carers (three
      mothers and three fathers) participated and were interviewed via the use of semi
      structured interviews. FINDINGS: Five major themes were developed to represent
      how carers made sense and gave meaning to their experience. They illustrate how
      this experience had a significant influence on their sense of value and self
      identity. It resulted in higher levels of anxiety, stress and uncertainty about
      the future of their relative and their identity as a carer. Significantly,
      professionals are identified as having a pivotal role in influencing how carers
      come to view their sense of self, identity, value and importance. CONCLUSION: The
      admission of their relative was a time of increased vulnerability for carers in
      respect of maintaining a sense of self-identity. Engaging with services and
      professionals had a major influence on situating them within the social structure
      that makes up the formal system of support. This had a pivotal role in
      influencing and determining how participants identified with their sense of self.

PMID- 26113060
TI  - Perinatal risk factors for acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Infectious etiologies have been hypothesized for acute leukemias because of their
      high incidence in early childhood, but have seldom been examined for acute
      myeloid leukemia (AML). We conducted the first large cohort study to examine
      perinatal factors including season of birth, a proxy for perinatal infectious
      exposures, and risk of AML in childhood through young adulthood. A national
      cohort of 3,569,333 persons without Down syndrome who were born in Sweden in 1973
      2008 were followed up for AML incidence through 2010 (maximum age 38 years).
      There were 315 AML cases in 69.7 million person-years of follow-up. We found a
      sinusoidal pattern in AML risk by season of birth (P < 0.001), with peak risk
      among persons born in winter. Relative to persons born in summer (June-August),
      incidence rate ratios for AML were 1.72 (95 % CI 1.25-2.38; P = 0.001) for winter
      (December-February), 1.37 (95 % CI 0.99-1.90; P = 0.06) for spring (March-May),
      and 1.27 (95 % CI 0.90-1.80; P = 0.17) for fall (September-November). Other risk
      factors for AML included high fetal growth, high gestational age at birth, and
      low maternal education level. These findings did not vary by sex or age at
      diagnosis. Sex, birth order, parental age, and parental country of birth were not
      associated with AML. In this large cohort study, birth in winter was associated
      with increased risk of AML in childhood through young adulthood, possibly related
      to immunologic effects of early infectious exposures compared with summer birth.
      These findings warrant further investigation of the role of seasonally varying
      perinatal exposures in the etiology of AML.

PMID- 26113062
TI  - The effectiveness of Colourful Semantics on narrative skills in children with
      intellectual disabilities in Sri Lanka.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children diagnosed with intellectual difficulties experience
      difficulties with narrative skills, due to limited syntactic knowledge. The
      Colourful Semantics approach with thematic roles and a colour coding system may
      encourage syntactic development in children experiencing intellectual
      disabilities. AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of using the Colourful Semantics
      approach to develop narrative skills in Sri Lankan Tamil-speaking children
      diagnosed with intellectual difficulties. METHODS: Thirty Sri Lankan Tamil
      speaking children identified with intellectual difficulties were included. The
      Colourful Semantics approach was offered twice a week for 6 weeks, facilitated by
      the class teachers. Pre- and post-intervention narrative skill assessments were
      undertaken and analysed for content and syntactic structures. RESULTS: The
      results indicate positive changes post-intervention on the qualitative and
      quantitative narrative skills measures undertaken on content and syntactic
      structures. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The Colourful Semantics approach is an
      effective therapy approach to support development of narrative skills in children
      with intellectual difficulties.

PMID- 26113063
TI  - Culture Moderates Biases in Search Decisions.
AB  - Prior studies suggest that people often search insufficiently in sequential
      search tasks compared with the predictions of benchmark optimal strategies that
      maximize expected payoff. However, those studies were mostly conducted in
      individualist Western cultures; Easterners from collectivist cultures, with their
      higher susceptibility to escalation of commitment induced by sunk search costs,
      could exhibit a reversal of this undersearch bias by searching more than
      optimally, but only when search costs are high. We tested our theory in four
      experiments. In our pilot experiment, participants generally undersearched when
      search cost was low, but only Eastern participants oversearched when search cost
      was high. In Experiments 1 and 2, we obtained evidence for our hypothesized
      effects via a cultural-priming manipulation on bicultural participants in which
      we manipulated the language used in the program interface. We obtained further
      process evidence for our theory in Experiment 3, in which we made sunk costs
      nonsalient in the search task-as expected, cross-cultural effects were largely
      mitigated. 

PMID- 26113065
TI  - Turbulent Times, Rocky Relationships: Relational Consequences of Experiencing
      Physical Instability.
AB  - What influences how people feel about and behave toward their romantic partners?
      Extending beyond features of the partners, relationship experiences, and social
      context, the current research examines whether benign, relationship-irrelevant
      factors-such as one's somatic experiences-can influence relationship perceptions
      and interpersonal behavior. Drawing on the embodiment literature, we propose that
      experiencing physical instability can undermine perceptions of relationship
      stability. Participants who experienced physical instability by sitting at a
      wobbly workstation rather than a stable workstation (Study 1), standing on one
      foot rather than two (Study 2), or sitting on an inflatable seat cushion rather
      than a rigid one (Study 3) perceived their romantic relationships to be less
      likely to last. Results were consistent with risk-regulation theory: Perceptions
      of relational instability were associated with reporting lower relationship
      quality (Studies 1-3) and expressing less affection toward the partner (Studies 2
      and 3). These findings indicate that benign physical experiences can influence
      perceptions of relationship stability, exerting downstream effects on
      consequential relationship processes. 

PMID- 26113064
TI  - Effects of Violent-Video-Game Exposure on Aggressive Behavior, Aggressive-Thought
      Accessibility, and Aggressive Affect Among Adults With and Without Autism
      Spectrum Disorder.
AB  - Recent mass shootings have prompted the idea among some members of the public
      that exposure to violent video games can have a pronounced effect on individuals
      with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Empirical evidence for or against this claim
      has been missing, however. To address this issue, we assigned adults with and
      without ASD to play a violent or nonviolent version of a customized first-person
      shooter video game. After they played the game, we assessed three aggression
      related outcome variables (aggressive behavior, aggressive-thought accessibility,
      and aggressive affect). Results showed strong evidence that adults with ASD,
      compared with typically developing adults, are not differentially affected by
      acute exposure to violent video games. Moreover, model comparisons provided
      modest evidence against any effect of violent game content whatsoever. Findings
      from this experiment suggest that societal concerns that exposure to violent
      games may have a unique effect on adults with autism are not supported by
      evidence. 

PMID- 26113066
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25339645.

PMID- 26113067
TI  - Topographic Diagnosis of Papillary Craniopharyngiomas: The Need for an Accurate
      MRI-Surgical Correlation.

PMID- 26113068
TI  - Longitudinal Mixed-Effect Model Analysis of the Association between Global and
      Tissue-Specific Brain Atrophy and Lesion Accumulation in Patients with Clinically
      Isolated Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relationship between lesion formation and brain
      atrophy development in the early phase of multiple sclerosis is unclear. We
      investigated the association between new lesion accumulation and brain atrophy
      progression in patients with clinically isolated syndrome over 48 months.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with clinically isolated syndrome (n = 210) were
      evaluated with 1.5T MR imaging at baseline and at 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 months as
      part of a multicenter observational study of early administration of
      intramuscular interferon beta-1a. Mixed-effect model analyses, adjusted for age,
      sex, and treatment status, investigated the association between accumulation of
      contrast-enhancing and T2 lesions and brain-volume percent changes in a 48-month
      period. RESULTS: In patients with clinically isolated syndrome, the average whole
      brain volume decreased 2.5%, the mean lateral ventricle volume increased 16.9%,
      and a mean of 7.7 new/enlarging T2 lesions accumulated over the follow-up period.
      Patients with clinically isolated syndrome who showed greater percentages of
      change in whole-brain, white and gray matter, cortical, and lateral ventricle
      volumes over the follow-up period had more severe lesion outcomes at baseline
      (all P < .007). There were significant associations between decreased individual
      brain-volume measures at baseline and greater percentages of change during follow
      up (P < .05). We found a significant association between the total cumulative
      number of new/enlarging T2 lesions and the evolution of whole-brain (P < .001),
      lateral ventricle (P = .007), gray matter and thalamic (P = .013), subcortical
      deep gray matter (P = .015), and cortical (P = .036) volumes over the follow-up
      period. CONCLUSIONS: Lesion accumulation and brain-volume changes occur
      simultaneously in the early phase of clinically isolated syndrome. More severe
      lesion and brain-volume outcomes at baseline were associated with greater
      development of brain atrophy over the follow-up period in patients with
      clinically isolated syndrome.

PMID- 26113069
TI  - Current Applications of MRI-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy in the
      Treatment of Brain Neoplasms and Epilepsy: A Radiologic and Neurosurgical
      Overview.
AB  - Minimally invasive stereotactic tumor ablation is a viable option for the
      treatment of benign and malignant intracranial lesions. Although surgical
      excision constitutes first-line therapy for various brain pathologies, it can
      cause irreversible neurologic deficits. Additionally, many patients who may
      benefit from surgery do not qualify as surgical candidates due to multiple
      comorbidities. Recent advancements in laser interstitial thermal therapy, namely
      the ability to monitor ablation in real-time under MR imaging, have improved the
      safety and efficacy of the procedure. MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal
      therapy is currently used as a minimally invasive treatment for brain metastases,
      radiation necrosis, glioma, and epilepsy. This article will discuss the
      principles, suggested indications, complications, and imaging characteristics of
      MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy as they pertain to the treatment of
      brain pathology.

PMID- 26113070
TI  - Timing-Invariant CT Angiography Derived from CT Perfusion Imaging in Acute
      Stroke: A Diagnostic Performance Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Timing-invariant (or delay-insensitive) CT angiography
      derived from CT perfusion data may obviate a separate cranial CTA in acute
      stroke, thus enhancing patient safety by reducing total examination time,
      radiation dose, and volume of contrast material. We assessed the diagnostic
      accuracy of timing-invariant CTA for detecting intracranial artery occlusion in
      acute ischemic stroke, to examine whether standard CTA can be omitted. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Patients with suspected ischemic stroke were prospectively enrolled
      and underwent CTA and CTP imaging at admission. Timing-invariant CTA was derived
      from the CTP data. Five neuroradiologic observers assessed all images for the
      presence and location of intracranial artery occlusion in a blinded and
      randomized manner. Sensitivity and specificity of timing-invariant CTA and
      standard CTA were calculated by using an independent expert panel as the
      reference standard. Interrater agreement was determined by using kappa
      statistics. RESULTS: We included 108 patients with 47 vessel occlusions. Overall,
      standard CTA and timing-invariant CTA provided similar high diagnostic accuracy
      for occlusion detection with a sensitivity of 96% (95% CI, 90%-100%) and a
      specificity of 100% (99%-100%) for standard CTA and a sensitivity of 98% (95% CI,
      94%-100%) and a specificity of 100% (95% CI, 100%-100%) for timing-invariant CTA.
      For proximal large-vessel occlusions, defined as occlusions of the ICA, basilar
      artery, and M1, the sensitivity and specificity were 100% (95% CI, 100%-100%) for
      both techniques. Interrater agreement was good for both techniques (mean kappa
      value, 0.75 and 0.76). CONCLUSIONS: Timing-invariant CTA derived from CTP data
      provides diagnostic accuracy similar to that of standard CTA for the detection of
      artery occlusions in acute stroke.

PMID- 26113072
TI  - Injury of the Contralateral Lower Ascending Reticular Activating System by an
      Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

PMID- 26113071
TI  - MRI Tractography of Corticospinal Tract and Arcuate Fasciculus in High-Grade
      Gliomas Performed by Constrained Spherical Deconvolution: Qualitative and
      Quantitative Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: MR imaging tractography is increasingly used to perform
      noninvasive presurgical planning for brain gliomas. Recently, constrained
      spherical deconvolution tractography was shown to overcome several limitations of
      commonly used DTI tractography. The purpose of our study was to evaluate WM tract
      alterations of both the corticospinal tract and arcuate fasciculus in patients
      with high-grade gliomas, through qualitative and quantitative analysis of
      probabilistic constrained spherical deconvolution tractography, to perform
      reliable presurgical planning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with
      frontoparietal high-grade gliomas were recruited and evaluated by using a 3T MR
      imaging scanner with both morphologic and diffusion sequences (60 diffusion
      directions). We performed probabilistic constrained spherical deconvolution
      tractography and tract quantification following diffusion tensor parameters:
      fractional anisotropy; mean diffusivity; linear, planar, and spherical
      coefficients. RESULTS: In all patients, we obtained tractographic reconstructions
      of the medial and lateral portions of the corticospinal tract and arcuate
      fasciculus, both on the glioma-affected and nonaffected sides of the brain. The
      affected lateral corticospinal tract and the arcuate fasciculus showed decreased
      fractional anisotropy (z = 2.51, n = 20, P = .006; z = 2.52, n = 20, P = .006)
      and linear coefficient (z = 2.51, n = 20, P = .006; z = 2.52, n = 20, P = .006)
      along with increased spherical coefficient (z = -2.51, n = 20, P = .006; z = 
      2.52, n = 20, P = .006). Mean diffusivity values were increased only in the
      lateral corticospinal tract (z = -2.53, n = 20, P = .006). CONCLUSIONS: In this
      study, we demonstrated that probabilistic constrained spherical deconvolution can
      provide essential qualitative and quantitative information in presurgical
      planning, which was not otherwise achievable with DTI. These findings can have
      important implications for the surgical approach and postoperative outcome in
      patients with glioma.

PMID- 26113073
TI  - Influence of facial skin ageing characteristics on the perceived age in a Russian
      female population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The desire for a youthful look remains a powerful motivator in the
      purchase of cosmetics by women globally. To develop an anti-ageing solution that
      targets the need of end consumers, it is critical to understand which signs of
      ageing really matter to them and which influence their age perception. To date,
      such research has not been performed in a Russian population. The aim of this
      work was to identify the signs of ageing that contribute the most to an 'older'
      or 'younger' look for Russian women aged 40 years old and above. METHODS: The age
      of 203 Russian female volunteers was estimated from their standard photographs by
      a total of 629 female naive assessors aged 20-65 years old. Perceived age data
      were related to 23 facial skin features previously measured using linear
      correlation coefficients. Differences in average severity of the correlating skin
      ageing features were evaluated between women perceived older and women perceived
      younger than their chronological age. Volunteers' responses to a ranking question
      on their key ageing skin concerns previously collected were analysed to provide
      an additional view on facial ageing from the consumer perspective. RESULTS: Nine
      facial skin ageing features were found to correlate the most with perceived age
      out of the 23 measured. Such results showed the importance of wrinkles in the
      upper part of the face (crow's feet, glabellar, under eye and forehead wrinkles),
      but also wrinkles in the lower half of the face associated with facial sagging
      (upper lip, nasolabial fold). Sagging was confirmed of key importance to female
      volunteers aged 41-65 years old who were mostly concerned by the sagging of their
      jawline, ahead of under eye and crow's feet wrinkle. The severity of
      hyperpigmented spots, red and brown, was also found to contribute to perceived
      age although to a weaker extent. CONCLUSION: By providing a clear view on the
      signs of ageing really matter to Russian women who are aged 40 years old and
      above, this research offers key information for the development of relevant anti
      ageing solutions specifically targeting their needs and their desire to achieve
      younger-looking skin.

PMID- 26113074
TI  - Recapitulation of in vivo-like paracrine signals of human mesenchymal stem cells
      for functional neuronal differentiation of human neural stem cells in a 3D
      microfluidic system.
AB  - Paracrine signals produced from stem cells influence tissue regeneration by
      inducing the differentiation of endogenous stem or progenitor cells. However,
      many recent studies that have investigated paracrine signaling of stem cells have
      relied on either two-dimensional transwell systems or conditioned medium culture,
      neither of which provide optimal culture microenvironments for elucidating the
      effects of paracrine signals in vivo. In this study, we recapitulated in vivo
      like paracrine signaling of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) to enhance
      functional neuronal differentiation of human neural stem cells (hNSCs) in three
      dimensional (3D) extracellular matrices (ECMs) within a microfluidic array
      platform. In order to amplify paracrine signaling, hMSCs were genetically
      engineered using cationic polymer nanoparticles to overexpress glial cell-derived
      neurotrophic factor (GDNF). hNSCs were cultured in 3D ECM hydrogel used to fill
      central channels of the microfluidic device, while GDNF-overexpressing hMSCs
      (GDNF-hMSCs) were cultured in channels located on both sides of the central
      channel. This setup allowed for mimicking of paracrine signaling between
      genetically engineered hMSCs and endogenous hNSCs in the brain. Co-culture of
      hNSCs with GDNF-hMSCs in the 3D microfluidic system yielded reduced glial
      differentiation of hNSCs while significantly enhancing differentiation into
      neuronal cells including dopaminergic neurons. Neuronal cells produced from hNSCs
      differentiating in the presence of GDNF-hMSCs exhibited functional neuron-like
      electrophysiological features. The enhanced paracrine ability of GDNF-hMSCs was
      finally confirmed using an animal model of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. This
      study demonstrates the presented 3D microfluidic array device can provide an
      efficient co-culture platform and provide an environment for paracrine signals
      from transplanted stem cells to control endogenous neuronal behaviors in vivo. 

PMID- 26113075
TI  - Lentiviral vector system for coordinated constitutive and drug controlled
      tetracycline-regulated gene co-expression.
AB  - Constitutive co-expression of cooperating transgenes using retroviral integrating
      vectors is frequently used for genetic modification of different cell types to
      establish therapeutic or cancer models. However, such approaches are unable to
      dissect the influence of dose, order and reversibility of transgene expression on
      the fate of newly developed therapeutic/malignant phenotypes. We present a
      modular lentiviral vector system, which provides expression of constitutive and
      inducible components. To demonstrate its functionality, we constitutively
      expressed the well-described transcription factor Meis1 followed by inducible co
      expression of collaborating partner Hoxa9 under the control of tetracycline
      responsive promoters in murine fibroblasts and primary hematopoietic progenitor
      cells (HPCs). Fluorescent markers to track transgene co-expression revealed
      tightly controlled, efficiently inducible and reversible but cell type dependent
      gene transfer over time. We demonstrated dose-dependent blockade of myeloid
      differentiation when both Meis1/Hoxa9 were concomitantly overexpressed in primary
      HPCs in vitro, but the absence of the transformed phenotype in non-induced
      samples or when Hoxa9 expression was down-regulated. This system combines the
      advantages of lentiviral gene transfer and the opportunity for drug-controlled co
      expression of multiple transgenes to dissect, among others, gene networks
      governing complex cell behavior, such as proto-oncogene dose-dependent
      leukemogenic pathways or collaborating mechanisms of genes enhancing competitive
      fitness of hematopoietic cells. 

PMID- 26113077
TI  - Conditioning with rabbit versus horse ATG dramatically alters clinical outcomes
      in identical twins with severe aplastic anemia transplanted with the same
      allogeneic donor.
AB  - Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) is a rare disorder leading to bone marrow failure,
      which if left untreated, is invariably fatal. Conventional therapies with
      immunosuppressive therapy or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      (HSCT) are highly effective. HSCT can offer a greater outcome in younger patients
      who have an available HLA match-related donor. Recent studies showing the
      addition of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) to the conditioning regimen improves
      engraftment and reduces the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).There are
      currently two ATG preparations in the USA, equine (or horse) and rabbit ATG.
      These agents are pharmacologically distinct, having significant differences in
      their pharmacokinetics and in vivo immunosuppressive effects [N Engl J Med
      365(5):430-438, 2011]. Here, we report a case of two monozygotic twins with
      constitutional SAA that evolved to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) who both
      underwent allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSC) from the
      same single HLA antigen mismatched sibling donor with the only difference in the
      transplant regimen being the type of ATG used in the preparative regimen; one
      twin received horse ATG and the other received rabbit ATG during conditioning.
      This report emphasizes that dramatic differences in donor T cell chimerism and
      clinical outcomes including GVHD can occur as a consequence of the type of ATG
      that is utilized in the transplant conditioning regimen. These differences
      highlight that these agents should not be considered interchangeable drugs when
      used in this setting. 

PMID- 26113078
TI  - Erratum: Family medicine model in Turkey: a qualitative assessment from the
      perspectives of primary care workers.

PMID- 26113076
TI  - Acute TNF-induced repression of cell identity genes is mediated by NFkappaB
      directed redistribution of cofactors from super-enhancers.
AB  - The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) plays a central role in
      low-grade adipose tissue inflammation and development of insulin resistance
      during obesity. In this context, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of
      activated B cells (NFkappaB) is directly involved and required for the acute
      activation of the inflammatory gene program. Here, we show that the major
      transactivating subunit of NFkappaB, v-rel avian reticuloendotheliosis viral
      oncogene homolog A (RELA), is also required for acute TNF-induced suppression of
      adipocyte genes. Notably, this repression does not involve RELA binding to the
      associated enhancers but rather loss of cofactors and enhancer RNA (eRNA)
      selectively from high-occupancy sites within super-enhancers. Based on these
      data, we have developed models that, with high accuracy, predict which enhancers
      and genes are repressed by TNF in adipocytes. We show that these models are
      applicable to other cell types where TNF represses genes associated with super
      enhancers in a highly cell-type-specific manner. Our results propose a novel
      paradigm for NFkappaB-mediated repression, whereby NFkappaB selectively
      redistributes cofactors from high-occupancy enhancers, thereby specifically
      repressing super-enhancer-associated cell identity genes. 

PMID- 26113079
TI  - Three-dimensional observation of Virchow-Robin spaces in the basal ganglia and
      white matter and their relevance to idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Virchow-Robin spaces (VRS) are brain perivascular spaces containing
      perforating arteries. Although enlarged VRS are associated with various disorders
      such as Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular disease, and head trauma, their
      functional role remains unclear. Using highly fluid-sensitive magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) sequences, fine morphological features of VRS and their relevance
      to idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) were investigated. METHODS:
      Three-dimensional constructive interference in steady state (3D-CISS) on 3 Tesla
      MRI was applied to 29 individuals. The morphology and number of VRS in the basal
      ganglia and white matter were compared between 20 patients with iNPH and nine age
      matched controls. The VRS number per hemisphere was classified into three grades:
      few, moderate, and abundant. RESULTS: Virchow-Robin spaces in the basal ganglia
      were curved, irregularly sized and shaped, and communicated with the
      cerebrospinal fluid in the subarachnoid space; they contained perforating
      arteries. VRS in the white matter were straight, smooth, homogeneously sized and
      shaped, and did not penetrate the cortex. Arteries were not seen in VRS of the
      white matter. White matter VRS were sparse in patients with iNPH. In contrast,
      basal ganglia VRS positively correlated with age. Postoperatively after shunt
      surgery, VRS in the white matter were mildly decreased in diameter, but not in
      number. No significant changes were noted in basal ganglia VRS. CONCLUSIONS: The
      present study revealed different morphological features of VRS in the basal
      ganglia and white matter. VRS in the basal ganglia were seen as genuine
      perivascular spaces; while neither communication with subarachnoid spaces nor
      arteries were seen in white matter VRS, even by 3D-CISS sequences and high
      resolution magnetic resonance angiography on 3T-MRI. White matter VRS were sparse
      in patients with iNPH and they were mildly decreased in diameter, but did not
      change in number after surgery. At present, it remains unclear whether the white
      matter VRS are dilated interstitial fluid spaces or cerebral amyloid angiopathy,
      or both. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the functional role of VRS in
      normal subjects and patients with iNPH.

PMID- 26113080
TI  - Improving search efficiency for systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy:
      an exploratory study to assess the viability of limiting to MEDLINE, EMBASE and
      reference checking.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing numbers of systematic reviews evaluating the diagnostic
      test accuracy of technologies are being published. Currently, review teams tend
      to apply conventional systematic review standards to identify relevant studies
      for inclusion, for example sensitive searches of multiple bibliographic
      databases. There has been little evaluation of the efficiency of searching only
      one or two such databases for this type of review. The aim of this study was to
      assess the viability of an approach that restricted searches to MEDLINE, EMBASE
      and the reference lists of included studies. METHODS: A convenience sample of
      nine Health Technology Assessment (HTA) systematic reviews of diagnostic test
      accuracy, with 302 included citations, was analysed to determine the number and
      proportion of included citations that were indexed in and retrieved from MEDLINE
      and EMBASE. An assessment was also made of the number and proportion of citations
      not retrieved from these databases but that could have been identified from the
      reference lists of included citations. RESULTS: 287/302 (95 %) of the included
      citations in the nine reviews were indexed across MEDLINE and EMBASE. The
      reviews' searches of MEDLINE and EMBASE accounted for 85 % of the included
      citations (256/302). Of the forty-six (15 %) included citations not retrieved by
      the published searches, 24 (8 %) could be found in the reference lists of
      included citations. Only 22/302 (7 %) of the included citations were not found by
      the proposed, more efficient approach. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed approach would
      have accounted for 280/302 (93 %) of included citations in this sample of nine
      systematic reviews. This exploratory study suggests that there might be a case
      for restricting searches for systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy
      studies to MEDLINE, EMBASE and the reference lists of included citations. The
      conduct of such reviews might be rendered more efficient by using this approach.

PMID- 26113081
TI  - Bronchopulmonary Neuroendocrine Neoplasms and Their Precursor Lesions in Multiple
      Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The prevalence and clinical behavior of bronchopulmonary
      neuroendocrine tumors (bNET) associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1
      (MEN1) are not well defined. This study aimed to determine the prevalence,
      potential precursor lesions and prognosis of bNET in patients with MEN1. METHODS:
      A database of 75 prospectively collected MEN1 cases was retrospectively analyzed
      for bNET. Patient characteristics, imaging and treatment were evaluated.
      Resection specimens of operated patients were reassessed by two specialized
      pathologists. Available CT scans of the whole cohort were reviewed to determine
      the prevalence of bronchopulmonary nodules. RESULTS: Five of the 75 MEN1 patients
      (6.6%; 2 male, 3 female) developed histologically confirmed bNET after a median
      follow-up of 134 months. The median age at diagnosis of bNET was 47 years (range
      31-67), and all patients were asymptomatic. Four patients underwent anatomic lung
      resections with lymphadenectomy; the remaining patient with multiple lesions had
      only a wedge resection of the largest bNET. Tumor sizes ranged from 7 to 32 mm in
      diameter, and all bNET were well differentiated. Two patients had lymph node
      metastases. Two of 4 reevaluated resection specimens revealed multifocal bNET,
      and 3 specimens showed tumorlets (up to 3) associated with multifocal areas of a
      neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia within the subsegmental bronchi. One bNET-related
      death (1.3%) occurred during long-term follow-up. Review of the available CT
      scans of the patients without proven bNET revealed small bronchopulmonary lesions
      (>=3 mm) in 16 of 53 cases (30.2%). CONCLUSIONS: bNET in MEN1 might be more
      common than previously recognized. Their natural course seems to be rather
      benign. Multifocal tumorlets and multifocal neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia might
      represent their precursor lesions.

PMID- 26113082
TI  - Detection of residual rifampicin in urine via fluorescence quenching of gold
      nanoclusters on paper.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rifampicin or rifampin (R) is a common drug used to treat inactive
      meningitis, cholestatic pruritus and tuberculosis (TB), and it is generally
      prescribed for long-term administration under regulated dosages. Constant
      monitoring of rifampicin is important for controlling the side effects and
      preventing overdose caused by chronic medication. In this study, we present an
      easy to use, effective and less costly method for detecting residual rifampicin
      in urine samples using protein (bovine serum albumin, BSA)-stabilized gold
      nanoclusters (BSA-Au NCs) adsorbed on a paper substrate in which the
      concentration of rifampicin in urine can be detected via fluorescence quenching.
      The intensity of the colorimetric assay performed on the paper-based platforms
      can be easily captured using a digital camera and subsequently analyzed. RESULTS:
      The decreased fluorescence intensity of BSA-Au NCs in the presence of rifampicin
      allows for the sensitive detection of rifampicin in a range from 0.5 to 823
      ug/mL. The detection limit for rifampicin was measured as 70 ng/mL. The BSA-Au
      NCs were immobilized on a wax-printed paper-based platform and used to conduct
      real-time monitoring of rifampicin in urine. CONCLUSION: We have developed a
      robust, cost-effective, and portable point-of-care medical diagnostic platform
      for the detection of rifampicin in urine based on the ability of rifampicin to
      quench the fluorescence of immobilized BSA-Au NCs on wax-printed papers. The
      paper-based assay can be further used for the detection of other specific
      analytes via surface modification of the BSA in BSA-Au NCs and offers a useful
      tool for monitoring other diseases.

PMID- 26113083
TI  - Oncogenic G Protein GNAQ Induces Uveal Melanoma and Intravasation in Mice.
AB  - GNAQ and GNA11 are heterotrimeric G protein alpha subunits, which are mutated in
      a mutually exclusive pattern in most cases of uveal melanoma, one of the most
      aggressive cancers. Here we introduce the first transgenic mouse model of uveal
      melanoma, which develops cancers induced by expression of oncogenic GNAQ(Q209L)
      under control of the Rosa26 promoter. Disease penetrance is 100% by 3 months of
      age, with 94% of mice also developing lung tumors. In this model, the Yap protein
      of the Hippo pathway is activated in the eyes, and blood vessels near the lesions
      in the head and lungs exhibit melanocytic invasion. While full transcription
      levels are not necessary for GNAQ(Q209L) to transform mouse melanocytes, we
      obtained suggestive evidence of a selective advantage for increased GNAQ(Q209L)
      expression in human tumors. Intriguingly, enforced expression of GNAQ(Q209L)
      progressively eliminated melanocytes from the interfollicular epidermis in
      adults, possibly explaining the near absence of GNAQ(Q209) mutations in human
      epithelial melanomas. The mouse model also exhibited dermal nevi and melanocytic
      neoplasms of the central nervous system, accompanied by impaired hearing and
      balance, identifying a novel role for GNAQ in melanocyte-like cells of the inner
      ear. Overall, this model offers a new tool to dissect signaling by oncogenic GNAQ
      and to test potential therapeutics in an in vivo setting where GNAQ(Q209L)
      mutations contribute to both the initiation and metastatic progression of uveal
      melanoma.

PMID- 26113085
TI  - Nivolumab and Urelumab Enhance Antitumor Activity of Human T Lymphocytes
      Engrafted in Rag2-/-IL2Rgammanull Immunodeficient Mice.
AB  - A current pressing need in cancer immunology is the development of preclinical
      model systems that are immunocompetent for the study of human tumors. Here, we
      report the development of a humanized murine model that can be used to analyze
      the pharmacodynamics and antitumor properties of immunostimulatory monoclonal
      antibodies (mAb) in settings where the receptors targeted by the mAbs are
      expressed. Human lymphocytes transferred into immunodeficient mice underwent
      activation and redistribution to murine organs, where they exhibited cell-surface
      expression of hCD137 and hPD-1. Systemic lymphocyte infiltrations resulted in a
      lethal CD4(+) T cell-mediated disease (xenograft-versus-host disease), which was
      aggravated when murine subjects were administered clinical-grade anti-hCD137
      (urelumab) and anti-hPD-1 (nivolumab). In mice engrafted with human colorectal HT
      29 carcinoma cells and allogeneic human peripheral blood mononuclear cells
      (PBMC), or with a patient-derived gastric carcinoma and PBMCs from the same
      patient, we found that coadministration of urelumab and nivolumab was sufficient
      to significantly slow tumor growth. Correlated with this result were increased
      numbers of activated human T lymphocytes producing IFNgamma and decreased numbers
      of human regulatory T lymphocytes in the tumor xenografts, possibly explaining
      the efficacy of the therapeutic regimen. Our results offer a proof of concept for
      the use of humanized mouse models for surrogate efficacy and histology
      investigations of immune checkpoint drugs and their combinations.

PMID- 26113084
TI  - Therapeutic Targeting of the Warburg Effect in Pancreatic Cancer Relies on an
      Absence of p53 Function.
AB  - The "Warburg effect" describes a peculiar metabolic feature of many solid tumors,
      namely their increased glucose uptake and high glycolytic rates, which allow
      cancer cells to accumulate building blocks for the biosynthesis of
      macromolecules. During aerobic glycolysis, pyruvate is preferentially metabolized
      to lactate by the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase-A (LDH-A), suggesting a possible
      vulnerability at this target for small-molecule inhibition in cancer cells. In
      this study, we used FX11, a small-molecule inhibitor of LDH-A, to investigate
      this possible vulnerability in a panel of 15 patient-derived mouse xenograft
      (PDX) models of pancreatic cancer. Unexpectedly, the p53 status of the PDX tumor
      determined the response to FX11. Tumors harboring wild-type (WT) TP53 were
      resistant to FX11. In contrast, tumors harboring mutant TP53 exhibited increased
      apoptosis, reduced proliferation indices, and attenuated tumor growth when
      exposed to FX11. [18F]-FDG PET-CT scans revealed a relative increase in glucose
      uptake in mutant TP53 versus WT TP53 tumors, with FX11 administration
      downregulating metabolic activity only in mutant TP53 tumors. Through a
      noninvasive quantitative assessment of lactate production, as determined by 13C
      magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of hyperpolarized pyruvate, we confirmed
      that FX11 administration inhibited pyruvate-to-lactate conversion only in mutant
      TP53 tumors, a feature associated with reduced expression of the TP53 target gene
      TIGAR, which is known to regulate glycolysis. Taken together, our findings
      highlight p53 status in pancreatic cancer as a biomarker to predict sensitivity
      to LDH-A inhibition, with regard to both real-time noninvasive imaging by 13C MRS
      as well as therapeutic response.

PMID- 26113086
TI  - A Polymer-Based Antibody-Vinca Drug Conjugate Platform: Characterization and
      Preclinical Efficacy.
AB  - Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) are an emerging drug class that uses antibodies to
      improve cytotoxic drug targeting for cancer treatment. ADCs in current clinical
      trials achieve a compromise between potency and physicochemical/pharmacokinetic
      properties by conjugating potent cytotoxins directly to an antibody at a 4:1 or
      less stoichiometric ratio. Herein, we report a novel, polyacetal polymer-based
      platform for creating ADC that use poly-1-hydroxymethylethylene hydroxymethyl
      formal (PHF), also known as Fleximer. The high hydrophilicity and polyvalency
      properties of the Fleximer polymer can be used to produce ADC with high drug
      loading without compromising physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties.
      Using trastuzumab and a vinca drug derivative to demonstrate the utility of this
      platform, a novel Fleximer-based ADC was prepared and characterized in vivo. The
      ADC prepared had a vinca-antibody ratio of 20:1. It exhibited a high antigen
      binding affinity, an excellent pharmacokinetic profile and antigen-dependent
      efficacy, and tumor accumulation in multiple tumor xenograft models. Our findings
      illustrate the robust utility of the Fleximer platform as a highly differentiated
      alternative to the conjugation platforms used to create ADC currently in clinical
      development.

PMID- 26113087
TI  - Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase Contributes to Pancreatic Tumorigenesis by
      Inducing Tumor-Related Gene Mutations.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) develops via an accumulation of various
      gene mutations. The mechanism underlying the mutations in PDAC development,
      however, is not fully understood. Recent insight into the close association
      between the mutation pattern of various cancers and specific mutagens led us to
      investigate the possible involvement of activation-induced cytidine deaminase
      (AID), a DNA editing enzyme, in pancreatic tumorigenesis. Our immunohistochemical
      findings revealed AID protein expression in human acinar ductal metaplasia,
      pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia, and PDAC. Both the amount and intensity of
      the AID protein expression increased with the progression from precancerous to
      cancerous lesions in human PDAC tissues. To further assess the significance of
      ectopic epithelial AID expression in pancreatic tumorigenesis, we analyzed the
      phenotype of AID transgenic (AID Tg) mice. Consistent with our hypothesis that
      AID is involved in the mechanism of the mutations underlying pancreatic
      tumorigenesis, we found precancerous lesions developing in the pancreas of AID Tg
      mice. Using deep sequencing, we also detected Kras and c-Myc mutations in our
      analysis of the whole pancreas of AID Tg mice. In addition, Sanger sequencing
      confirmed the presence of Kras, c-Myc, and Smad4 mutations, with the typical
      mutational footprint of AID in precancerous lesions in AID Tg mice separated by
      laser capture microdissection. Taken together, our findings suggest that AID
      contributes to the development of pancreatic precancerous lesions by inducing
      tumor-related gene mutations. Our new mouse model without intentional
      manipulation of specific tumor-related genes provides a powerful system for
      analyzing the mutations involved in PDAC.

PMID- 26113088
TI  - Vaccine hesitancy and unfalsifiability.

PMID- 26113089
TI  - Oral health outcomes.

PMID- 26113090
TI  - Stainless steel crowns.

PMID- 26113091
TI  - Author's response.

PMID- 26113092
TI  - Unsatisfied patients.

PMID- 26113093
TI  - Authors' response.

PMID- 26113094
TI  - Selection bias.

PMID- 26113095
TI  - Author's response.

PMID- 26113096
TI  - Authors' response.

PMID- 26113097
TI  - Caries classification.

PMID- 26113098
TI  - Fracture resistance of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing
      ceramic crowns cemented on solid abutments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Because no information was found in the dental literature regarding
      the fracture resistance of all-ceramic crowns using CEREC (Sirona) computer-aided
      design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) system on solid abutments, the
      authors conducted a study. METHODS: Sixty synOcta (Straumann) implant replicas
      and regular neck solid abutments were embedded in acrylic resin and randomly
      assigned (n = 20 per group). Three types of ceramics were used: feldspathic,
      CEREC VITABLOCS Mark II (VITA); leucite, IPS Empress CAD (Ivoclar Vivadent); and
      lithium disilicate, IPS e.max CAD (Ivoclar Vivadent). The crowns were fabricated
      by the CEREC CAD-CAM system. After receiving glaze, the crowns were cemented with
      RelyX U200 (3M ESPE) resin cement under load of 1 kilogram. For each ceramic, one
      half of the specimens were subjected to the fracture resistance testing in a
      universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 1 millimeter per minute, and
      the other half were subjected to the fractured resistance testing after 1,000,000
      cyclic fatigue loading at 100 newtons. RESULTS: According to a 2-way analysis of
      variance, the interaction between the material and mechanical cycling was
      significant (P = .0001). According to a Tukey test (alpha = .05), the fracture
      resistance findings with or without cyclic fatigue loading were as follows,
      respectively: CEREC VITABLOCKS Mark II (405 N/454 N) was statistically lower than
      IPS Empress CAD (1169 N/1240 N) and IPS e.max CAD (1378 N/1025 N) (P < .05). The
      IPS Empress CAD and IPS e.max CAD did not differ statistically (P > .05).
      According to a t test, there was no statistical difference in the fracture
      resistance with and without cyclic fatigue loading for CEREC VITABLOCS Mark II
      and IPS Empress CAD (P > .05). For IPS e.max CAD, the fracture resistance without
      cyclic fatigue loading was statistically superior to that obtained with cyclic
      fatigue loading (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The IPS Empress CAD and IPS e.max CAD
      showed higher fracture resistance compared with CEREC VITABLOCS Mark II. The
      cyclic fatigue loading negatively influenced only IPS e.max CAD. PRACTICAL
      IMPLICATIONS: The CEREC VITABLOCS Mark II, IPS Empress CAD, and IPS e.max CAD
      ceramic crowns cemented on solid abutments showed sufficient resistance to
      withstand normal chewing forces.

PMID- 26113100
TI  - Evidence-based clinical practice guideline on the nonsurgical treatment of
      chronic periodontitis by means of scaling and root planing with or without
      adjuncts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A panel of experts convened by the American Dental Association
      Council on Scientific Affairs presents an evidence-based clinical practice
      guideline on nonsurgical treatment of patients with chronic periodontitis by
      means of scaling and root planing (SRP) with or without adjuncts. METHODS: The
      authors developed this clinical practice guideline according to the American
      Dental Association's evidence-based guideline development methodology. This
      guideline is founded on a systematic review of the evidence that included 72
      research articles providing clinical attachment level data on trials of at least
      6 months' duration and published in English through July 2014. The strength of
      each recommendation (strong, in favor, weak, expert opinion for, expert opinion
      against, and against) is based on an assessment of the level of certainty in the
      evidence for the treatment's benefit in combination with an assessment of the
      balance between the magnitude of the benefit and the potential for adverse
      effects. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS: For patients with chronic
      periodontitis, SRP showed a moderate benefit, and the benefits were judged to
      outweigh potential adverse effects. The authors voted in favor of SRP as the
      initial nonsurgical treatment for chronic periodontitis. Although systemic
      subantimicrobial-dose doxycycline and systemic antimicrobials showed similar
      magnitudes of benefits as adjunctive therapies to SRP, they were recommended at
      different strengths (in favor for systemic subantimicrobial-dose doxycycline and
      weak for systemic antimicrobials) because of the higher potential for adverse
      effects with higher doses of antimicrobials. The strengths of 2 other
      recommendations are weak: chlorhexidine chips and photodynamic therapy with a
      diode laser. Recommendations for the other local antimicrobials (doxycycline
      hyclate gel and minocycline microspheres) were expert opinion for.
      Recommendations for the nonsurgical use of other lasers as SRP adjuncts were
      limited to expert opinion against because there was uncertainty regarding their
      clinical benefits and benefit-to-adverse effects balance. Note that expert
      opinion for does not imply endorsement but instead signifies that evidence is
      lacking and the level of certainty in the evidence is low.

PMID- 26113099
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis on the nonsurgical treatment of chronic
      periodontitis by means of scaling and root planing with or without adjuncts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on nonsurgical
      treatment of patients with chronic periodontitis by means of scaling and root
      planing (SRP) with or without adjuncts. METHODS: A panel of experts convened by
      the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs conducted a search
      of PubMed (MEDLINE) and Embase for randomized controlled trials of SRP with or
      without the use of adjuncts with clinical attachment level (CAL) outcomes in
      trials at least 6 months in duration and published in English through July 2014.
      The authors assessed individual study bias by using the Cochrane Risk of Bias
      Tool and conducted meta-analyses to obtain the summary effect estimates and their
      precision and to assess heterogeneity. The authors used funnel plots and Egger
      tests to assess publication bias when there were more than 10 studies. The
      authors used a modified version of the US Preventive Services Task Force methods
      to assess the overall level of certainty in the evidence. RESULTS: The panel
      included 72 articles on the effectiveness of SRP with or without the following:
      systemic antimicrobials, a systemic host modulator (subantimicrobial-dose
      doxycycline), locally delivered antimicrobials (chlorhexidine chips, doxycycline
      hyclate gel, and minocycline microspheres), and a variety of nonsurgical lasers
      (photodynamic therapy with a diode laser, a diode laser, neodymium:yttrium
      aluminum-garnet lasers, and erbium lasers). CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL
      IMPLICATIONS: With a moderate level of certainty, the panel found approximately a
      0.5-millimeter average improvement in CAL with SRP. Combinations of SRP with
      assorted adjuncts resulted in a range of average CAL improvements between 0.2 and
      0.6 mm over SRP alone. The panel judged the following 4 adjunctive therapies as
      beneficial with a moderate level of certainty: systemic subantimicrobial-dose
      doxycycline, systemic antimicrobials, chlorhexidine chips, and photodynamic
      therapy with a diode laser. There was a low level of certainty in the benefits of
      the other included adjunctive therapies. The panel provides clinical
      recommendations in the associated clinical practice guideline.

PMID- 26113101
TI  - Differences in disinfection protocols for root canal treatments between general
      dentists and endodontists: A Web-based survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine whether differences exist
      in disinfection protocols between endodontists and general dentists. METHODS: The
      authors sent an invitation to participate in a Web-based survey to 950 dentists
      affiliated with the Spanish Board of Dentistry. Participants responded to 9
      questions about irrigation protocols and other factors related to disinfection
      during root canal therapy. RESULTS: A total of 238 (25.05%) study participants
      successfully completed and returned the surveys. Among these participants, 50%
      were general dentists and 50% were endodontists. The authors found no
      statistically significant differences in respondents' first choice of an irrigant
      solution (that is, sodium hypochlorite), but they noted statistically significant
      differences in the protocols used by general dentists and by endodontists in
      relation to the concentration of sodium hypochlorite (P = .0003), the use and
      type of irrigant used to remove the smear layer (P = 5.39 * 10(-10)), the use of
      adjuncts to irrigation (P = 5.98 * 10(-8)), the enlargement of the apical
      preparation when shaping a necrotic tooth (P = .001), and the maintenance of
      apical patency throughout the debridement and shaping procedure (P = .04).
      CONCLUSIONS: General dentists and endodontists embrace different disinfection
      protocols. The results of the survey demonstrated that endodontists keep up to
      date with protocols published in the literature, whereas general dentists use
      protocols learned during their dental training. Both groups of clinicians should
      be aware of the importance of disinfection techniques and their relationship to
      treatment outcomes. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Controlling microorganisms during a
      root canal treatment, especially in cases with necrotic pulp, is essential to
      improve treatment outcomes. Clinicians should update their protocols and also
      consider referring patients to a specialist when their protocols are based on
      traditional techniques, especially in those cases with necrotic pulp.

PMID- 26113102
TI  - Intraoral mass in the posterior maxillary vestibule.

PMID- 26113103
TI  - Limited evidence suggests no difference in implant failure rates among people
      with or without diabetes.

PMID- 26113104
TI  - What the ADA can learn from the NBA.

PMID- 26113105
TI  - Managing measles in dental practice: A forgotten foe makes a comeback.

PMID- 26113106
TI  - An analytical approach to adding an associate.

PMID- 26113107
TI  - Whose patient is he?

PMID- 26113108
TI  - Introduction: brain tumor immunotherapy.

PMID- 26113109
TI  - Cigarette Smoke and Estrogen Signaling in Human Airway Smooth Muscle.
AB  - AIMS: Cigarette smoke (CS) in active smokers and second-hand smoke exposure
      exacerbate respiratory disorders such as asthma and chronic bronchitis. While
      women are known to experience a more asthmatic response to CS than emphysema in
      men, there is limited information on the mechanisms of CS-induced airway
      dysfunction. We hypothesize that CS interferes with a normal (protective)
      bronchodilatory role of estrogens, thus worsening airway contractility. METHODS:
      We tested effects of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on 17beta-estradiol (E2)
      signaling in enzymatically-dissociated bronchial airway smooth muscle (ASM)
      obtained from lung samples of non-smoking female patients undergoing thoracic
      surgery. RESULTS: In fura-2 loaded ASM cells, CSE increased intracellular calcium
      ([Ca(2+)]i) responses to 10uM histamine. Acute exposure to physiological
      concentrations of E2 decreased [Ca(2+)]i responses. However, in 24h exposed CSE
      cells, although expression of estrogen receptors was increased, the effect of E2
      on [Ca(2+)]i was blunted. Acute E2 exposure also decreased store-operated Ca(2+)
      entry and inhibited stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) phosphorylation:
      effects blunted by CSE. Acute exposure to E2 increased cAMP, but less so in 24h
      CSE-exposed cells. 24h CSE exposure increased S-nitrosylation of ERalpha.
      Furthermore, 24h CSE-exposed bronchial rings showed increased bronchoconstrictor
      agonist responses that were not reduced as effectively by E2 compared to non-CSE
      controls. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that CS induces dysregulation of
      estrogen signaling in ASM, which could contribute to increased airway
      contractility in women exposed to CS.

PMID- 26113110
TI  - HIV-1 infection, but not syphilis or HBV infection, is a strong risk factor for
      anorectal condyloma in Asian population: a prospective colonoscopy screening
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between anorectal precancerous lesions,
      including condyloma, and sexually transmitted infections (STI) in Asian
      population. METHODS: This prospective study enrolled 2677 patients who underwent
      high-resolution colonoscopy for anorectal cancer screening. Anorectal lesions
      were diagnosed based on endoscopic findings and confirmed by biopsy. The
      association of HIV-1 infection, syphilis, and HBV infection with anorectal lesion
      was estimated by multivariate logistic regression. In HIV-1-infected patients
      (n=244), anal canal HPV-DNA was screened and genotyped. RESULTS: Although no
      malignancy was identified, anorectal condyloma was diagnosed in 32 (1.2%) male
      patients. 41% of anorectal condyloma cases had no specific lower GI symptoms.
      Multivariate analysis identified HIV-1 infection, but not syphilis or HBV
      infection, as an independent significant factor for condyloma (OR: 176.5, 95%CI
      22.52-1383, p<0.001). In HIV-1 infected patients, positive type 16/18 HPV-DNA
      (OR: 4.766, 95%CI 1.838-12.36, p=0.001), lower CD4 cell count (per 100/MUl
      decrement, OR: 1.056, 95%CI 1.056-1.587, p=0.013), and current smoking (OR:
      3.828, 95%CI 1.486-9.857, p=0.005) were independently associated with anorectal
      condyloma. CONCLUSIONS: HIV-1 infection, but not syphilis or HBV infection, was
      identified as a strong risk for anorectal condyloma. Anal HPV 16/18 was highly
      prevalent in patients with HIV-1 infection, especially in those with condyloma.

PMID- 26113111
TI  - Do oxidized zirconium femoral heads reduce polyethylene wear in cemented THAs? A
      blinded randomized clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Charnley low-friction torque total hip arthroplasty (THA) remains the
      gold standard in THA. The main cause for failure is wear of the socket. Highly
      crosslinked polyethylene (HXLPE) has been associated with reduced wear rates.
      Also, oxidized zirconium has shown in vitro reduced wear rates. However, to our
      knowledge, there are no data comparing oxidized zirconium femoral heads with
      metal heads against HXLPE or ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)
      when 22.25-mm bearings were used, which was the same size that performed so well
      in Charnley-type THAs. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We hypothesized that after a minimal 4
      year followup (1) use of HXLPE would result in lower radiographic wear than
      UHMWPE when articulating with a stainless steel head or with an oxidized
      zirconium head; (2) use of oxidized zirconium would result in lower radiographic
      wear than stainless steel when articulating with UHMWPE and HXLPE; and (3) there
      would be no difference in terms of Merle d'Aubigne scores between the bearing
      couple combinations. METHODS: One hundred patients were randomized to receive
      cemented THA with either oxidized zirconium or a stainless steel femoral head.
      UHMWPE was used in the first 50 patients, whereas HXLPE was used in the next 50
      patients. There were 25 patients in each of the four bearing couple combinations.
      All other parameters were identical in both groups. Complete followup was
      available in 86 of these patients. Femoral head penetration was measured using a
      validated computer-assisted method dedicated to all-polyethylene sockets.
      Clinical results were compared between the groups using the Merle d'Aubigne
      score. RESULTS: In the UHMWPE series, the median steady-state penetration rate
      from 1 year onward was 0.03 mm/year (range, 0.003-0.25 mm/year) in the oxidized
      zirconium group versus 0.11 mm/year (range, 0.03-0.29 mm/year) in the metal group
      (difference of medians 0.08, p < 0.001). In the HXLPE series, the median steady
      state penetration rate from 1 year onward was 0.02 mm/year (range, -0.32 to 0.07
      mm/year) in the oxidized zirconium group versus 0.05 mm/year (range, -0.39 to
      0.11 mm/year) in the metal group (difference of medians 0.03, p < 0.001). The
      Merle d'Aubigne scores were no different between the groups with a median of 18
      in each of the groups (range, 16-18). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated
      femoral head penetration was reduced by oxidized zirconium when compared with
      metal on both UHMWPE and HXLPE. However, apart the metal-UHMWE group, all other
      groups had a steady-state penetration rate well below the osteolysis threshold
      with a low difference between groups that might not be clinically important at
      this point. Longer-term followup is needed to warrant whether wear reduction will
      generate less occurrence of osteolysis and aseptic loosening. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Level II, therapeutic study.

PMID- 26113112
TI  - Pioglitazone Identifies a New Target for Aneurysm Treatment: Role of Egr1 in an
      Experimental Murine Model of Aortic Aneurysm.
AB  - Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor x03B3; agonists have been shown to
      inhibit angiotensin II (AngII)-induced experimental abdominal aortic aneurysms.
      Macrophage infiltration to the vascular wall is an early event in this pathology,
      and therefore we explored the effects of the peroxisome proliferator-activated
      receptor x03B3; agonist pioglitazone on AngII-treated macrophages. Using
      microarray-based expression profiling of phorbol ester-stimulated THP-1 cells, we
      found that a number of aneurysm-related gene changes effected by AngII were
      modulated following the addition of pioglitazone. Among those genes, polycystic
      kidney disease 1 (PKD1) was significantly up-regulated (multiple testing
      corrected p < 0.05). The analysis of the PKD1 proximal promoter revealed a
      putative early growth response 1 (EGR1) binding site, which was confirmed by
      chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and quantitative PCR. Further analysis of
      publicly available ChIP-sequencing data revealed that this putative binding site
      overlapped with a conserved EGR1 binding peak present in 5 other cell lines.
      Quantitative real-time PCR showed that EGR1 suppressed PKD1, while AngII
      significantly up-regulated PKD1, an effect counteracted by pioglitazone.
      Conversely, in EGR1 short hairpin RNA lentivirally transduced THP-1 cells,
      reduced EGR1 led to a significant up-regulation of PKD1, especially after
      treatment with pioglitazone. In vivo, deficiency of Egr1 in the haematopoietic
      compartment of mice completely abolished the incidence of CaCl2-induced aneurysm
      formation. 

PMID- 26113113
TI  - Myeloproliferative neoplasm patient symptom burden and quality of life: evidence
      of significant impairment compared to controls.
AB  - The myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) including polycythaemia vera (PV),
      essential thrombocythaemia and primary myelofibrosis (PMF) are rare diseases
      contributing to significant morbidity. Symptom management is a prime treatment
      objective but current symptom assessment tools have not been validated compared
      to the general population. The MPN-symptom assessment form (MPN-SAF), a reliable
      and validated clinical tool to assess MPN symptom burden, was administered to MPN
      patients (n = 106) and, for the first time, population controls (n = 124) as part
      of a UK case-control study. Mean symptom scores were compared between patients
      and controls adjusting for potential confounders. Mean patient scores were
      compared to data collected by the Mayo Clinic, USA on 1,446 international MPN
      patients to determine patient group representativeness. MPN patients had
      significantly higher mean scores than controls for 25 of the 26 symptoms measured
      (P < 0.05); fatigue was the most common symptom (92.4% and 78.1%, respectively).
      Female MPN patients suffered worse symptom burden than male patients (P < 0.001)
      and substantially worse burden than female controls (P < 0.001). Compared to the
      Mayo clinic patients, MPN-UK patients reported similar symptom burden but lower
      satiety (P = 0.046). Patients with PMF reported the worst symptom burden (88.3%);
      significantly higher than PV patients (P < 0.001). For the first time we report
      quality of life was worse in MPN-UK patients compared with controls (P < 0.001).

PMID- 26113115
TI  - Incorporating excluded solvent volume and physical dipoles for computing
      solvation free energy.
AB  - The solvation free energy described using the Born equation depends on the solute
      charge, solute radius, and solvent dielectric constant. However, the dielectric
      polarization derived from Gauss's law used in the Born equation differs from that
      obtained from molecular dynamics simulations. Therefore, the adjustment of Born
      radii is insufficient for fitting the solvation free energy to various solute
      conformations. In order to mimic the dielectric polarization surrounding a solute
      in molecular dynamics simulations, the water molecule in the first coordination
      shell is modeled as a physical dipole in a van der Waals sphere, and the
      intermediate water is treated as a bulk solvent. The electric dipole of the first
      shell water is modeled as positive and negative surface charge layers with fixed
      charge magnitudes, but with variable separation distance as derived from the
      distributions of hydrogen and oxygen atoms of water dictated by their
      orientational distribution functions. An equation that describes the solvation
      free energy of ions using this solvent scheme with a TIP3P water model is
      derived, and the values of the solvation free energies of ions estimated from
      this derived equation are found to be similar to those obtained from the
      experimental data. 

PMID- 26113114
TI  - Sphingosine kinase 1 activation enhances epidermal innate immunity through
      sphingosine-1-phosphate stimulation of cathelicidin production.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ceramide metabolite, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), regulates
      multiple cellular functions in keratinocytes (KC). We recently discovered that
      production of a key innate immune element, cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide
      (CAMP), is stimulated via a NF-kappaB-dependent mechanism that is activated by
      S1P when S1P is generated by sphingosine kinase (SPHK) 1. OBJECTIVE: We
      investigated whether pharmacological modulation of SPHK1 activity, using a novel
      synthetic SPHK1 activator, (S)-methyl 2-(hexanamide)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)
      propanoate (MHP), stimulates CAMP expression. METHODS: MHP-mediated changes in
      both S1P and CAMP downstream mediators were analyzed in normal cultured human KC
      by qRT-PCR, Western immunoblot, ELISA, confocal microscopy for
      immunohistochemistry, HPLC and ESI-LC/MS/MS, and microbial pathogen
      invasion/colonization in a human epidermal organotypic model. RESULTS: Treatment
      with MHP directly activated SPHK1 and increased cellular S1P content in normal
      cultured human KC. Because MHP did not inhibit S1P lyase activity, which
      hydrolyses S1P, augumented S1P levels could be attributed to increased synthesis
      rather than blockade of S1P degradation. Next, we found that exogenous MHP
      significantly stimulated CAMP mRNA and protein production in KC, increases that
      were significantly suppressed by siRNA directed against SPHK1, but not by a
      scrambled control siRNA. NF-kappaB activation, assessed by nuclear translocation
      of NF-kappaB, occurred in cells following incubation with MHP. Conversely,
      pretreatment with a specific inhibitor of SPHK1 decreased MHP-induced nuclear
      translocation of NF-kappaB, and significantly attenuated the MHP-mediated
      increase in CAMP production. Finally, topical MHP significantly suppressed
      invasion of the virulent Staphylococcus aureus into murine skin explants.
      CONCLUSION: MHP activation of SPHK1, a target enzyme of CAMP production, can
      stimulate innate immunity.

PMID- 26113116
TI  - Theoretical investigation of the mechanism for the cycloaddition of CO2 to
      epoxides catalyzed by a magnesium(II) porphyrin complex.
AB  - The cycloaddition of CO2 to epoxides, catalyzed by Mg(TPP)/TBAI (TPP =
      tetraphenylporphyrin; TBAI = tetrabutylammonium iodide), was investigated using
      DFT methods. Epoxides with various substituents were studied to explore steric
      and electronic effects on the reaction mechanism. Computational results show that
      the cycloaddition proceeds according to a much easier mechanism in the presence
      of Mg(TPP) and TBAI than the mechanism that takes place when Mg(TPP) is used as
      the catalyst. A preference for the epoxide ring-opening to occur at the methine
      (Calpha) or methylene (Cbeta) carbon was noted. The ring-closing step leading to
      the formation of a five-membered carbonate is predicted to determine the reaction
      rate. For alkyl-substituted epoxides, the beta pathway is favorable since steric
      factors are dominant; for epoxides with a strongly electron-donating group and
      styrene oxide, the reaction is mainly controlled by electronic factors and
      proceeds along the alpha pathway. When the epoxide has a strongly electron
      withdrawing group (CF3), both steric and electronic effects play important roles.
      The calculated reactivity of epoxides with CO2 catalyzed by Mg(TPP)/TBAI is in
      good agreement with that observed experimentally. 

PMID- 26113117
TI  - Acquired lymphoedema and cutaneous lymphangiectasia of abdominal skin following
      bilateral breast reduction and abdominoplasty.
AB  - We report two cases where the combination of breast reduction surgery and
      abdominoplasty led to lymphatic congestion clinically manifesting as lymphoedema
      and acquired cutaneous lymphangiectasia over the abdomen. These associations have
      not been previously reported, and clinicians need to be aware of them to obtain
      patients' consent for the procedure and to assist diagnosis and early
      intervention.

PMID- 26113118
TI  - Association between health literacy and medical care costs in an integrated
      healthcare system: a regional population based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low health literacy is associated with higher health care utilization
      and costs; however, no large-scale studies have demonstrated this in the Veterans
      Health Administration (VHA). This research evaluated the association between
      veterans' health literacy and their subsequent VHA health care costs across a
      three-year period. METHODS: This retrospective study used a Generalized Linear
      Model to estimate the relative association between a patient's health literacy
      and VHA medical costs, adjusting for covariates. Secondary data sources included
      electronic health records and administrative data in the VHA (e.g., Medical and
      DCG SAS Datasets and DSS-National Data Extracts). Health literacy assessments and
      identifiers were electronically retrieved from the originating health system.
      Demographic and cost data were retrieved from the VHA centralized databases for
      the corresponding patients who had VHA use in all three years. RESULTS: In a
      study of 92,749 veterans with service utilization from 2007-2009, average per
      patient cost for those with inadequate and marginal health literacy was
      significantly higher ($31,581 [95 % CI: $30,186 - $32,975]; $23,508 [95 % CI:
      $22,749 - $24,268]) than adequate health literacy ($17,033 [95 % CI: $16,810 -
      $17,255]). Estimated three-year cost associated with veterans' with marginal and
      inadequate health literacy was $143 million dollars more than those with adequate
      health literacy. CONCLUSIONS: Analyses suggest when controlling for other person
      level factors within the VHA integrated healthcare system, lower health literacy
      is a significant independent factor associated with increased health care
      utilization and costs. This study confirms the association of lower health
      literacy with higher medical service utilization and pharmacy costs for veterans
      enrolled in the VHA. Confirmation of higher costs of care associated with lower
      health literacy suggests that interventions might be designed to remediate health
      literacy needs and reduce expenditures. These analyses suggest 17.2 % (inadequate
      & marginal) of the Veterans in this population account for almost one-quarter (24
      %) of VA medical and pharmacy cost for this 3-year period. Meeting the needs of
      those with marginal and inadequate health literacy could produce potential
      economic savings of approximately 8 % of total costs for this population.

PMID- 26113119
TI  - Transthoracic Doppler for detection of stenoses in the three main coronary
      arteries by use of stenotic to prestenotic velocity ratio and aliased coronary
      flow.
AB  - AIMS: Our aim was to determine the feasibility and accuracy of diagnosing
      significant coronary artery stenoses using peak stenotic to prestenotic velocity
      ratio (pSPVR) measurements when compared with results from quantitative coronary
      angiography and coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) assessed by transthoracic
      echocardiography (TTE). METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred and eight patients
      scheduled for coronary angiography were studied using transthoracic Doppler
      echocardiography. Stenoses were identified by local colour aliasing by colour
      flow Doppler, and further evaluated by pSPVR, using a pSPVR of >=2.0 as a cut-off
      for significant stenosis. When pSPVR could not be measured, local mosaic coronary
      flow pattern at Nyquist limit >=0.48 m/s was used. Sixty-five lesions suggestive
      of stenosis were found by TTE. Combining findings of pSPVR >=2.0 and local mosaic
      flow at Nyquist limit >=0.48 m/s, the sensitivity and specificity of
      demonstrating significant stenoses (diameter stenosis, 50-99%) in the left main
      coronary artery (LM), left anterior descending coronary (LAD), left circumflex
      coronary (Cx), and right coronary artery (RCA) were 75 and 98%, 74 and 95%, 40
      and 87%, and 34 and 98%, respectively. The pSPVR did not differ significantly
      between arteries with reduced and normal CFVR, with a cut-off of CFVR <2.0.
      CONCLUSIONS: Findings of pSPVR >=2.0 or localized colour flow aliasing are useful
      in the non-invasive diagnosis of significant coronary disease in the three main
      coronary arteries, with high specificity for detecting significant stenoses.
      These findings showed high sensitivity for identifying significant stenoses in
      the LM and LAD, but showed lower ability to detect those lesions in the Cx and
      RCA.

PMID- 26113120
TI  - Cardiac involvement in female Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy carriers in
      comparison to their first-degree male relatives: a comparative cardiovascular
      magnetic resonance study.
AB  - AIMS: Duchenne (DMD) and Becker (BMD) muscular dystrophies are X-linked recessive
      disorders associated with both skeletal myopathy and progressive cardiomyopathy
      in males. Female DMD/BMD carriers (DMDc/BMDc) are mostly free of skeletal muscle
      symptoms, but they are also prone to cardiomyopathy. The aim of the current study
      was to characterize the frequency, pattern, and extent of cardiomyopathy in
      female DMD/BMD carriers (DMDc/BMDc) in comparison to their first-degree male MD
      relatives. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-six (age 44 +/- 14 years) female MD
      carriers (20 DMDc and 16 BMDc) constituted the 'MD carrier group' and were
      prospectively enrolled. All MD carriers underwent a complete CMR study comprising
      cine- and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging. In 22 of these women
      ('female MD carrier comparison group', 7 DMD and 15 BMD), at least one first
      degree male relative with a previously established diagnosis of MD underwent the
      same CMR protocol and was assigned to the 'male MD comparison group' (n = 24, 6
      DMD and 18 BMD). In the total MD carrier group, 17 (47%) MD carriers had at least
      one pathological CMR finding [5 (14%) with a reduced left ventricular ejection
      fraction (LV-EF) and 16 (44%) with the presence of LGE]. All LGE-positive
      patients (n = 16) showed non-ischaemic LGE with subepicardial involvement of the
      LV lateral free wall being the most frequent pattern (13/16, 81%). Compared with
      BMDc, DMDc demonstrated more frequently a pathological CMR result (65 vs. 19%; P
      = 0.008)--in spite of being significantly younger (40 +/- 11 vs. 50 +/- 16 years,
      P = 0.038). In the male MD comparison group, the same LGE pattern as in female
      carriers was seen, but with a significantly higher prevalence of cardiac
      abnormalities compared with their female carrier relatives constituting the
      female MD comparison group (75 vs. 27%; P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Cardiac
      involvement is a frequent finding in female carriers of DMD, but less frequently
      observed in carriers of BMD. Those DMDc and BMDc with cardiac involvement
      demonstrate the same myocardial fibrosis pattern as their male counterparts with
      overt disease.

PMID- 26113121
TI  - Immediate and short-term effect of balloon mitral valvuloplasty on global and
      regional biventricular function: a two-dimensional strain echocardiographic
      study.
AB  - AIM: To assess the effect of balloon mitral valvuloplasty (BMV) on global and
      regional ventricular functions using 2D strain. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-two
      patients with mitral stenosis (MS) and 30 healthy subjects underwent full
      echocardiographic examinations, including left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle
      (RV) regional and global longitudinal strain (GLS) measurements. In MS patients,
      measurements were repeated within 24 h and 3 months after BMV. Patients with MS
      had lower LV and RV GLS compared with control group (-16.5 +/- 2.7% vs. -21.0 +/-
      1.5) and (-18.3 +/- 4.7 vs. -19.8 +/- 1.3), respectively. Significant decrease
      was noted in the basal and septal segments compared with the apical LV segments
      and RV free wall. BMV resulted in significant improvement in LV and RV GLS within
      24 h post-BMV compared with baseline values (P = 0.0001 and 0.0002,
      respectively), an improvement which was maintained after 3 months. There was
      significant positive correlation between both LV and RV GLS at baseline and
      mitral valve mean pressure gradient and RV systolic pressure and significant
      inverse correlation between LV GLS and MVA. CONCLUSION: MS patients have
      subclinical LV and RV systolic dysfunction by GLS despite normal ejection
      fraction and fractional area change. BMV results in marked improvement in LV and
      RV GLS immediately post-BMV with trend towards normalization at follow-up after 3
      months. A mixed aetiology theory involving a myocardial as well as a haemodynamic
      factor is believed to be the cause for this subclinical biventricular dysfunction
      and its improvement at short-term follow-up post-BMV.

PMID- 26113122
TI  - A cooperative approach to animal disease response activities: Analytical
      hierarchy process (AHP) and vvIBD in California poultry.
AB  - Very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDv) was first detected in the
      United States at the end of 2008. Since its detection, Federal and State animal
      health officials, the poultry industry and the research/academic community have
      led response activities through a collaborative effort. By June 2011, much still
      remained unknown regarding the basic epidemiology and ecology of vvIBD in
      California, although there were a number of potential activities to fill this
      information gap. Available resources limited the ability to pursue all the
      activities, and responsible parties and stakeholders recognized the need to
      prioritize the activities. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is a useful multi
      criteria decision making methodology that incorporates qualitative information
      (in the form of judgments) with available quantitative information. This is
      especially useful when there is very limited quantitative information, such as in
      the situation with vvIBD in California. A commercial package that allows ready
      use of the AHP model was utilized for prioritizing activities, incorporating
      input from members from the three stakeholder groups: State and Federal animal
      health officials, poultry industry, and research/academia. Based on their inputs
      on 17 potential activities, the participants identified three priority
      activities; specifically determination of risk factors for re-emergence or re
      introduction at affected premises, development of a laboratory diagnostic test to
      screen for segment B of the vvIBDV genome and surveillance of other potential
      reservoirs (mealworms, rodents, beetles). In order to evaluate the ability of the
      AHP to respond to differences, a sensitivity analysis was done in order to
      evaluate changes in prioritization of activities. Changes in prioritization were
      noted demonstrating the plasticity of the model under different conditions.
      However, a 50% increase or decrease in weighting was necessary to affect the
      order of the three highest scoring activities. The use of a tool such as the AHP
      enables the development of a transparent, repeatable and flexible decision
      process, which can be useful in certain animal health response situations
      including the re-emergence of a previously eliminated disease or the introduction
      of a foreign animal disease. 

PMID- 26113124
TI  - Stakeholders' engagement with Ebola therapy research in resource limited
      settings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa is the
      largest in history. As of February 18(th) 2015, 23,258 cases of EVD have been
      cumulatively reported from Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone,
      Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States of America resulting in more than
      9,000 deaths. It is therefore exigent to develop prevention and treatment
      therapies for EVD. DISCUSSION: Several new EVD treatments are in clinical
      development at this time. Based on lessons learned, four critical processes need
      to be implemented before clinical trials begin. First, all global EVD research
      need to be coordinated to promote data sharing and synergistic overlap, while
      reducing unnecessary duplication of efforts. The World Health Organization is
      well-placed to undertake such an endeavor. Second, governments of affected
      nations where trials are being proposed need to lead discussions regarding
      immediate access to any proven medications for epidemics. Also, governments need
      to leverage international resources to support and expand existing national
      expertise to jointly conduct high-caliber clinical research; and resources must
      be used to enhance local technical skills and expand existing personnel. Third,
      ethics committees must review protocols, monitor the research process, and work
      closely with research scientists to insure the ethical integrity of research
      throughout the trials. Fourth, community advisory boards (CAB) need to be formed,
      linked with existing community leadership structures and organized in conjunction
      with trial implementation. These community structures should work together with
      ethics committees to facilitate the study design, informed consent process, and
      study implementation. We must facilitate communication and mutual understanding
      between trial communities and research teams, and promote positive collaborations
      between all stakeholders engaged in EVD research. The community engagement
      process for EVD research is crucial to address myths and misconceptions, and to
      promote study volunteers' understanding of the research details. The
      collaboration between all stakeholders is crucial for continued long term
      partnership to address EVD outbreak and none of the stakeholders should be left
      behind in ongoing efforts to develop EVD therapies.

PMID- 26113123
TI  - Acute and subchronic exposure to air particulate matter induces expression of
      angiotensin and bradykinin-related genes in the lungs and heart: Angiotensin-II
      type-I receptor as a molecular target of particulate matter exposure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Particulate matter (PM) adverse effects on health include lung and
      heart damage. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) and kallikrein-kinin (KKS)
      endocrine systems are involved in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases
      and have been found to impact lung diseases. The aim of the present study was to
      evaluate whether PM exposure regulates elements of RAAS and KKS. METHODS: Sprague
      Dawley rats were acutely (3 days) and subchronically (8 weeks) exposed to coarse
      (CP), fine (FP) or ultrafine (UFP) particulates using a particulate concentrator,
      and a control group exposed to filtered air (FA). We evaluated the mRNA of the
      RAAS components At1, At2r and Ace, and of the KKS components B1r, B2r and Klk-1
      by RT-PCR in the lungs and heart. The ACE and AT1R protein were evaluated by
      Western blot, as were HO-1 and gammaGCSc as indicators of the antioxidant
      response and IL-6 levels as an inflammation marker. We performed a binding assay
      to determinate AT1R density in the lung, also the subcellular AT1R distribution
      in the lungs was evaluated. Finally, we performed a histological analysis of
      intramyocardial coronary arteries and the expression of markers of heart gene
      reprogramming (Acta1 and Col3a1). RESULTS: The PM fractions induced the
      expression of RAAS and KKS elements in the lungs and heart in a time-dependent
      manner. CP exposure induced Ace mRNA expression and regulated its protein in the
      lungs. Acute and subchronic exposure to FP and UFP induced the expression of At1r
      in the lungs and heart. All PM fractions increased the AT1R protein in a size
      dependent manner in the lungs and heart after subchronic exposure. The AT1R lung
      protein showed a time-dependent change in subcellular distribution. In addition,
      the presence of AT1R in the heart was accompanied by a decrease in HO-1, which
      was concomitant with the induction of Acta1 and Col3a1 and the increment of IL-6.
      Moreover, exposure to all PM fractions increased coronary artery wall thickness.
      CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that exposure to PM induces the expression of RAAS and
      KKS elements, including AT1R, which was the main target in the lungs and the
      heart.

PMID- 26113125
TI  - Impact of overactive bladder on quality of life and resource use: results from
      Korean Burden of Incontinence Study (KOBIS).
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the impact of overactive bladder (OAB) on quality of life
      (QOL), resource use and productivity loss in patients recruited from six
      hospitals in Korea. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey recruited 625 OAB
      patients between July to December 2013. Patients were categorised into four
      groups based on the average number of urinary incontinence (UI) episodes over the
      past three days (0, 1, 2-3 and >=4 UI/day). QOL was measured using the
      Incontinence-Specific Quality of Life Instrument (I-QOL), the Overactive Bladder
      Questionnaire (OAB-q), and a generic health-related utility instrument (EQ-5D).
      Information on hospital and clinic visit frequency, and continence pads use were
      also collected. Work productivity was assessed using the Work Productivity and
      Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire. Between group differences were assessed
      using ANOVA. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to examine the
      independent effects of OAB symptoms on QOL. RESULTS: Severity of UI showed a
      significant linear relationship with QOL, with clinically meaningful differences
      between each UI severity category. Compared to the dry category, patients in the
      most severe category (>=4 UI/day) had significantly lower I-QOL scores (69.8 vs
      42.6; p < 0.0001), greater symptom bother on the OAB-q (30.4 vs 64.6; p <
      0.0001), and poorer EQ-5D utility (0.848 vs 0.742; p < 0.001). Multivariable
      analyses showed that UI severity, frequency, urgency, and nocturia are
      independently associated with poorer QOL. Incontinence severity is also
      significantly associated with cost of incontinence pads (p < 0.0001), and a
      greater interference with work and regular activities (p = 0.001), however, no
      significant difference in hospital and clinic visits were observed. CONCLUSION:
      Severity of UI is a key contributor to the disease burden of OAB in Korean
      patients, even after taking into account the impact of other symptoms associated
      with OAB.

PMID- 26113126
TI  - The Dan Young Neonatal Surgical Unit audit: an audit of admissions and mortality
      rates pre- and post-amalgamation.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: (1) To record the number of Index Surgical Cases (ISCs)
      admitted to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC) Yorkill in 2012-2014. (2)
      To investigate if the amalgamation of the neonatal intensive care unit with the
      Dan Young Neonatal Surgical Unit in 2008 has impacted on the number of admissions
      and deaths. METHOD AND RESULTS: Data were collected from the ward admission books
      and the BadgerNet UK database. Reason for admission and outcome was recorded.
      Nonsurgical cases were categorised as 'miscellaneous'.The total number of
      admissions per year and the number of miscellaneous cases have been increasing
      since the amalgamation. There were no clinically significant differences in the
      number of babies with each ISC. The death rate was 1.8% in 2012, 2.9% in 2013 and
      2.6% 2014. CONCLUSIONS: The unit now admits more miscellaneous babies and this
      has caused an increase in total admissions. Although the total number of deaths
      has increased, the death rates as a percentage of total admissions have now
      plateaued after an initial rise at the time of union. There has been no
      significant increase in the number of ISC deaths. Thus, it appears that the
      amalgamation has affected survival outcomes in the short term only.

PMID- 26113127
TI  - Risk and regulation in research.

PMID- 26113128
TI  - Animal research through a lens: transparency on animal research.

PMID- 26113131
TI  - Statement from the European Society of Vascular Surgery and the World Federation
      of Vascular Surgery Societies: Transatlantic Inter-Society Consensus Document
      (TASC) III and International Standards for Vascular Care (ISVaC).

PMID- 26113130
TI  - Robert B. Rutherford 29 July 1931-22 November 2013.

PMID- 26113134
TI  - Truncating mutation in intracellular phospholipase A1 gene (DDHD2) in hereditary
      spastic paraplegia with intellectual disability (SPG54).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSP), a group of genetically
      heterogeneous neurological disorders with more than 56 documented loci (SPG1-56),
      are described either as uncomplicated (or pure), or complicated where in addition
      to spasticity and weakness of lower extremeties, additional neurological symptoms
      are present, including dementia, loss of vision, epilepsy, mental retardation and
      ichthyosis. We identified a large consanguineous family of Indian descent with
      four affected members with childhood onset HSP (SPG54), presenting with upper and
      lower limb spasticity, mental retardation and agenesis of the corpus callosum.
      RESULTS: A common region of homozygosity on chromosome 8 spanning seven megabases
      (Mb) was identified in the affected individuals using the Illumina human cytoSNP
      12 DNA Analysis BeadChip Kit. Exome sequencing identified a homozygous stop gain
      mutation (pR287X) in the phospholipase A1 gene DDHD2, in the affected
      individuals, resulting in a premature stop codon and a severely truncated protein
      lacking the SAM and DDHD domains crucial for phosphoinositide binding and
      phospholipase activity. CONCLUSION: This mutation adds to the knowledge of HSP,
      suggests a possible founder effect for the pR287X mutation, and adds to the list
      of genes involved in lipid metabolism with a role in HSP and other
      neurodegenerative disorders.

PMID- 26113135
TI  - Symptom Experience and Quality of Life in Children after Sport-Related Head
      Injuries: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sports are a major cause of concussions, and little is known about
      the symptom experience and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in children who
      remain symptomatic for over 3 months following such head injuries. METHODS: A
      cross-sectional study of children aged 10-18 years was performed who were
      referred to the Neurosurgery Clinic at our centre following a head injury.
      Symptom experience was measured using the modified Concussion Symptom Scale, and
      HRQL was measured using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). The
      Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Test (ImPACT) was administered
      to assess neurocognitive and neurobehavioural sequelae. RESULTS: Symptoms with
      the highest mean symptom scores on a Likert scale of 0-6 in 35 children at the
      time of assessment included headaches (3.1), poor concentration (2.7), memory
      problems (2.1), fatigue (2.1) and sensitivity to noise (2.0). Compared with
      normative data, children in this study had ImPACT summary scores between the 28th
      and 38th percentiles and a comparably low Cognitive Efficiency Index score. Mean
      scores for females were consistently statistically significantly lower (p < 0.05)
      than for males across all of the HRQL domains. Trouble falling asleep and memory
      problems explained 62% of the variance in the PedsQL total scores. CONCLUSIONS:
      Children continue to experience many symptoms at least 3 months following sport
      related head injuries that significantly impact their HRQL and neurocognitive
      abilities.

PMID- 26113136
TI  - Vps26B-retromer negatively regulates plasma membrane resensitization of PAR-2.
AB  - Retromer is a trimeric complex composed of Vps26, Vps29, and Vps35 and has been
      shown to be involved in trafficking and sorting of transmembrane proteins within
      the endosome. The Vps26 paralog, Vps26B, defines a distinct retromer complex
      (Vps26B-retromer) in vivo and in vitro. Although endosomally associated, Vps26B
      retromer does not bind the established retromer transmembrane cargo protein,
      cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-M6PR), indicating it has a
      distinct role to retromer containing the Vps26A paralog. In the present study we
      use the previously established Vps26B-expressing HEK293 cell model to address the
      role of Vps26B-retromer in trafficking of the protease activated G-protein
      coupled receptor PAR-2 to the plasma membrane. In these cells there is no
      apparent defect in the initial activation of the receptor, as evidenced by
      release of intracellular calcium, ERK1/2 signaling and endocytosis of activated
      receptor PAR-2 into degradative organelles. However, we observe a significant
      delay in plasma membrane repopulation of the protease activated G protein-coupled
      receptor PAR-2 following stimulation, resulting in a defect in PAR-2 activation
      after resensitization. Here we propose that PAR-2 plasma membrane repopulation is
      regulated by Vps26B-retromer, describing a potential novel role for this complex.

PMID- 26113137
TI  - Scaling of cerebral blood perfusion in primates and marsupials.
AB  - The evolution of primates involved increasing body size, brain size and
      presumably cognitive ability. Cognition is related to neural activity, metabolic
      rate and rate of blood flow to the cerebral cortex. These parameters are
      difficult to quantify in living animals. This study shows that it is possible to
      determine the rate of cortical brain perfusion from the size of the internal
      carotid artery foramina in skulls of certain mammals, including haplorrhine
      primates and diprotodont marsupials. We quantify combined blood flow rate in both
      internal carotid arteries as a proxy of brain metabolism in 34 species of
      haplorrhine primates (0.116-145 kg body mass) and compare it to the same analysis
      for 19 species of diprotodont marsupials (0.014-46 kg). Brain volume is related
      to body mass by essentially the same exponent of 0.70 in both groups. Flow rate
      increases with haplorrhine brain volume to the 0.95 power, which is significantly
      higher than the exponent (0.75) expected for most organs according to 'Kleiber's
      Law'. By comparison, the exponent is 0.73 in marsupials. Thus, the brain
      perfusion rate increases with body size and brain size much faster in primates
      than in marsupials. The trajectory of cerebral perfusion in primates is set by
      the phylogenetically older groups (New and Old World monkeys, lesser apes) and
      the phylogenetically younger groups (great apes, including humans) fall near the
      line, with the highest perfusion. This may be associated with disproportionate
      increases in cortical surface area and mental capacity in the highly social,
      larger primates.

PMID- 26113138
TI  - Analysing avian eggshell pigments with Raman spectroscopy.
AB  - Avian eggshells are variable in appearance, including coloration. Here, we
      demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy can provide accurate diagnostic information
      about major eggshell constituents, including the pigments biliverdin and
      protoporphyrin IX. Eggshells pigmented with biliverdin showed a series of pigment
      diagnostic Raman peaks under 785 nm excitation. Eggshells pigmented with
      protoporphyrin IX showed strong emission under 1064 nm and 785 nm excitation,
      whereas resonance Raman spectra (351 nm excitation) showed a set of
      protoporphyrin IX informative peaks characteristic of protoporphyrin IX. As
      representative examples, we identified biliverdin in the olive green eggshells of
      elegant crested tinamous (Eudromia elegans) and in the blue eggshells of extinct
      upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus). This study encourages the wider use of Raman
      spectroscopy in pigment and coloration research and highlights the value of this
      technique for non-destructive analyses of museum eggshell specimens.

PMID- 26113139
TI  - siRNA transfection in larvae of the barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite.
AB  - RNA interference (RNAi) provides an efficient and specific technique for
      functional genomic studies. Yet, no successful application of RNAi has been
      reported in barnacles. In this study, siRNA against p38 MAPK was synthesized and
      then transfected into A. amphitrite larvae at either the nauplius or cyprid
      stage, or at both stages. Effects of siRNA transfection on the p38 MAPK level
      were hardly detectable in the cyprids when they were transfected at the nauplius
      stage. In contrast, larvae that were transfected at the cyprid stage showed lower
      levels of p38 MAPK than the blank and reagent controls. However, significantly
      decreased levels of phosphorylated p38 MAPK (pp38 MAPK) and reduced settlement
      rates were observed only in 'double transfections', in which larvae were exposed
      to siRNA solution at both the nauplius and cyprid stages. A relatively longer
      transfection time and more larval cells directly exposed to siRNA might explain
      the higher efficiency of double transfection experiments.

PMID- 26113140
TI  - Mating for male-derived prostaglandin: a functional explanation for the increased
      fecundity of mated female crickets?
AB  - Direct benefits are considered to be the driving force of high female mating
      rates, yet species in which females do not receive material resources from males
      still experience increased fitness from mating frequently. One hypothesis
      suggests that substances within the ejaculate may boost survival or offspring
      production. If these materials are limiting to females, they will require
      continual renewal via mating and could provide a functional understanding of how
      high mating rates lead to increased female fitness. Using the Texas field
      cricket, Gryllus texensis, we investigated the sexual transfer of prostaglandin
      E2, an important mediator of invertebrate reproduction. We determined that like
      other gryllid species, males include significant quantities of prostaglandin E2
      (PGE2) and its precursor molecule, arachidonic acid (AA), within the
      spermatophore. These components are passed to females during copulation and then
      stored within the spermatheca. We then tested the novel hypothesis that PGE2 is
      ephemerally available after mating and that females must frequently mate to
      maintain access to this limiting compound. We found that PGE2 within the
      spermatheca is indeed depleted through time, with only a small amount remaining 1
      week after mating, but that its presence can be maintained at high quantities and
      for prolonged periods of time by remating. Our results support the hypothesis
      that high female mating rates increase the amount and availability of PGE2
      throughout the breeding season, which could explain the positive relationship
      between female mating rate and fecundity.

PMID- 26113141
TI  - Haltere mechanosensory influence on tethered flight behavior in Drosophila.
AB  - In flies, mechanosensory information from modified hindwings known as halteres is
      combined with visual information for wing-steering behavior. Haltere input is
      necessary for free flight, making it difficult to study the effects of haltere
      ablation under natural flight conditions. We thus used tethered Drosophila
      melanogaster flies to examine the relationship between halteres and the visual
      system, using wide-field motion or moving figures as visual stimuli. Haltere
      input was altered by surgically decreasing its mass, or by removing it entirely.
      Haltere removal does not affect the flies' ability to flap or steer their wings,
      but it does increase the temporal frequency at which they modify their wingbeat
      amplitude. Reducing the haltere mass decreases the optomotor reflex response to
      wide-field motion, and removing the haltere entirely does not further decrease
      the response. Decreasing the mass does not attenuate the response to figure
      motion, but removing the entire haltere does attenuate the response. When flies
      are allowed to control a visual stimulus in closed-loop conditions, haltereless
      flies fixate figures with the same acuity as intact flies, but cannot stabilize a
      wide-field stimulus as accurately as intact flies can. These manipulations
      suggest that the haltere mass is influential in wide-field stabilization, but
      less so in figure tracking. In both figure and wide-field experiments, we observe
      responses to visual motion with and without halteres, indicating that during
      tethered flight, intact halteres are not strictly necessary for visually guided
      wing-steering responses. However, the haltere feedback loop may operate in a
      context-dependent way to modulate responses to visual motion. 

PMID- 26113142
TI  - Small intestinal hydrolysis of plant glucosides: higher glucohydrolase activities
      in rodents than passerine birds.
AB  - Glycosides are a major group of plant secondary compounds characterized by one or
      more sugars conjugated to a lipophilic, possibly toxic aglycone, which is
      released upon hydrolysis. We compared small intestinal homogenate hydrolysis
      activity of three rodent and two avian species against four substrates: amygdalin
      and sinigrin, two plant-derived glucosides, the sugar lactose, whose hydrolysis
      models some activity against flavonoid and isoflavonoid glucosides, and the
      disaccharide sugar maltose (from starch), used as a comparator. Three new
      findings extend our understanding of physiological processing of plant
      glucosides: (1) the capacity of passerine birds to hydrolyze plant glucosides
      seems relatively low, compared with rodents; (2) in this first test of
      vertebrates' enzymic capacity to hydrolyze glucosinolates, sinigrin hydrolytic
      capacity seems low; (3) in laboratory mice, hydrolytic activity against lactose
      resides on the enterocytes' apical membrane facing the intestinal lumen, but
      activity against amygdalin seems to reside inside enterocytes. 

PMID- 26113143
TI  - Characterising multi-level effects of acute pressure exposure on a shallow-water
      invertebrate: insights into the kinetics and hierarchy of the stress response.
AB  - Hydrostatic pressure is an important, ubiquitous, environmental variable of
      particular relevance in the marine environment. However, it is widely overlooked
      despite recent evidence that some marine ectotherms may be demonstrating climate
      driven bathymetric range shifts. Wide-ranging effects of increased hydrostatic
      pressure have been observed from the molecular through to the behavioural level.
      Still, no study has simultaneously examined these multiple levels of organisation
      in a single experiment in order to understand the kinetics, hierarchy and
      interconnected nature of such responses during an acute exposure, and over a
      subsequent recovery period. Here, we quantify the transcription of a set of
      previously characterised genes during and after acute pressure exposure in adults
      of the shrimp Palaemonetes varians. Further, we perform respiratory rate and
      behavioural analysis over the same period. Increases in expression of genes
      associated with stress and metabolism were observed during and after high
      pressure exposure. Respiratory rate increased during exposure and into the
      recovery period. Finally, differential behaviour was observed under elevated
      hydrostatic pressure in comparison to ambient pressure. Characterising
      generalised responses to acute elevated pressure is a vital precursor to longer
      term, acclimation-based pressure studies. Results provide a novel insight into
      what we term the overall stress response (OSR) to elevated pressure; a concept
      that we suggest to be applicable to other environmental stressors. We highlight
      the importance of considering more than a single component of the stress response
      in physiological studies, particularly in an era where environmental multi
      stressor studies are proliferating. 

PMID- 26113144
TI  - Opportunities and limitations of bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow FDG-PET in
      lymphoma.
AB  - Bone marrow involvement in lymphoma may have prognostic and therapeutic
      consequences. Bone marrow biopsy (BMB) is the established method for the
      evaluation of the bone marrow. (18)F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission
      tomography (FDG-PET) plays an important role in lymphoma staging, but its value
      in the assessment of the bone marrow and whether it can replace BMB is still a
      topic of debate and investigation. The purpose of this scientific communication
      is to provide an evidence-based overview about the opportunities and limitations
      of BMB and FDG-PET in the evaluation of the bone marrow in patients with
      lymphoma. This article first reviews the basic properties, opportunities and
      limitations of BMB and bone marrow FDG-PET, and then focuses on the clinical
      utility of BMB and bone marrow FDG-PET in three major lymphoma subtypes including
      Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and follicular lymphoma.

PMID- 26113145
TI  - Change in pelvic organ support during pregnancy and the first year postpartum: a
      longitudinal study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe changes in pelvic organ support from mid pregnancy until 1
      year postpartum among nulliparous pregnant women, and to examine whether delivery
      route affects changes in pelvic organ support. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.
      SETTING: Akershus University Hospital in Norway. POPULATION: A cohort of 300
      nulliparous pregnant women included at mid-pregnancy. METHODS: Pelvic organ
      support assessed at 21 and 37 weeks of gestation, and again at 6 weeks, 6 months,
      and 12 months postpartum, by the use of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification
      (POP-Q) system. Linear mixed model was used to assess longitudinal change in
      pelvic organ support. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of anatomic POP. Change
      in POP-Q variables over time and between delivery groups. RESULTS: The prevalence
      of anatomic POP ranged from 0 to 10%. Vaginal POP-Q points made a cranial shift
      from mid to late pregnancy, a caudal shift following delivery, and again a
      cranial shift after 6 weeks postpartum. Postpartum change was present following
      both vaginal and caesarean deliveries, but was more pronounced following vaginal
      delivery. The perineal body and genital hiatus became longer from mid to late
      pregnancy, and shortened after 6 weeks postpartum. At 12 months postpartum all
      POP-Q points, except cervix, had recovered to baseline in the vaginal delivery
      group. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of anatomic POP was low in this cohort. There
      was change in pelvic organ support both during pregnancy and following vaginal as
      well as caesarean delivery. The short-term ability to recover was good after the
      first pregnancy and delivery. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Pelvic organ support changes
      during pregnancy. A contribution to the risk of POP?

PMID- 26113146
TI  - The initial stage of reversal learning is impaired in mice hemizygous for the
      vesicular glutamate transporter (VGluT1).
AB  - Behavioral flexibility is a complex cognitive function that is necessary for
      survival in changeable environments. Patients with schizophrenia or Parkinson's
      disease often suffer from cognitive rigidity, reducing their capacity to function
      in society. Patients and rodent models with focal lesions in the prefrontal
      cortex (PFC) show similar rigidity, owing to the loss of PFC regulation of
      subcortical reward circuits involved in behavioral flexibility. The vesicular
      glutamate transporter (VGluT1) is preferentially expressed at modulatory
      synapses, including PFC neurons that project to components of the reward circuit
      (such as the nucleus accumbens, NAc). VGluT1(+/-) mice display behavioral
      phenotypes matching many symptoms of schizophrenia, and VGluT1 expression is
      reduced in the PFC of patients with schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. Thus,
      it appears likely that VGluT1-expressing synapses from PFC play a key role in
      behavioral flexibility. To examine this hypothesis, we studied behavioral
      flexibility in VGluT1(+/-) mice by testing reversal learning in a visual
      discrimination task. Here, we show that VGluT1(+/-) mice acquired the initial
      visual discrimination at the same rate as controls. However, they failed to
      suppress responses to the previously rewarded stimulus following reversal of
      reward contingencies. Thus, our genetic disruption of modulatory glutamatergic
      signaling, including that arising from PFC, appears to have impaired the first
      stage of reversal learning (extinguishing responses to previously rewarded
      stimuli). Our data show that this deficit stems from a preservative phenotype.
      These findings suggest that glutamatergic regulation from the cortex is important
      for behavioral flexibility and the disruption of this pathway may be relevant in
      diseases such as schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26113147
TI  - Sound Pressure Levels in 2 Veterinary Intensive Care Units.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intensive care units (ICUs) in human hospitals are consistently noisy
      environments with sound levels sufficient to substantially decrease sleep
      quality. Sound levels in veterinary ICUs have not been studied previously, but
      environmental sound has been shown to alter activity in healthy dogs. HYPOTHESIS:
      Veterinary ICUs, like those in human medicine, will exceed international
      guidelines for hospital noise. ANIMALS: NA. METHODS: Prospective, observational
      study performed consecutively and simultaneously over 4 weeks in 2 veterinary
      ICUs. Conventional A-weighted sound pressure levels (equivalent continuous level
      [a reflection of average sound], the sound level that is exceeded 90% of the
      recording period time [reflective of background noise], and maximum sound levels)
      were continuously recorded and the number of spikes in sound >80 dBA were
      manually counted. RESULTS: Noise levels were comparable to ICUs in human
      hospitals. The equivalent continuous sound level was higher in ICU1 than in ICU2
      at every time point compared, with greatest differences observed on week day
      (ICU1, 60.1 +/- 3.7 dBA; ICU2, 55.9 +/- 2.5 dBA, P < .001) and weekend nights
      (ICU1, 59.9 +/- 2.4 dBA; ICU2, 53.4 +/- 1.7 dBA, P < .0001) reflecting a 50%
      difference in loudness. Similar patterns were observed for the maximum and
      background noise levels. The number of sound spikes was up to 4 times higher in
      ICU1 (162.3 +/- 84.9 spikes) than in ICU2 (40.4 +/- 12.2 spikes, P = .001).
      CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: These findings show that sound in veterinary
      ICUs is loud enough to potentially disrupt sleep in critically ill veterinary
      patients.

PMID- 26113148
TI  - Comparative analyses of plastid and AFLP data suggest different colonization
      history and asymmetric hybridization between Betula pubescens and B. nana.
AB  - Birches (Betula spp.) hybridize readily, confounding genetic signatures of
      refugial isolation and postglacial migration. We aimed to distinguish
      hybridization from range-shift processes in the two widespread and cold-adapted
      species B. nana and B. pubescens, previously shown to share a similarly east-west
      structured variation in plastid DNA (pDNA). We sampled the two species throughout
      their ranges and included reference samples of five other Betula species and
      putative hybrids. We analysed 901 individual plants using mainly nuclear high
      resolution markers (amplified fragment length polymorphisms; AFLPs); a subset of
      64 plants was also sequenced for two pDNA regions. Whereas the pDNA variation as
      expected was largely shared between B. nana and B. pubescens, the two species
      were distinctly differentiated at AFLP loci. In B. nana, both the AFLP and pDNA
      results corroborated the former pDNA-based hypothesis that it expanded from at
      least two major refugia in Eurasia, one south of and one east of the North
      European ice sheets. In contrast, B. pubescens showed a striking lack of
      geographic structuring of its AFLP variation. We identified a weak but
      significant increase in nuclear (AFLP) gene flow from B. nana into B. pubescens
      with increasing latitude, suggesting hybridization has been most frequent at the
      postglacial expansion front of B. pubescens and that hybrids mainly backcrossed
      to B. pubescens. Incongruence between pDNA and AFLP variation in B. pubescens can
      be explained by efficient expansion from a single large refugium combined with
      leading-edge hybridization and plastid capture from B. nana during colonization
      of new territory already occupied by this more cold-tolerant species. 

PMID- 26113149
TI  - Corrigendum.
AB  - The article Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) and Sir John Forbes (1787-1861):
      Neighbours in Old Burlington Street, Westminster (DOI: 10.1177/0967772013505051 )
      by Robin Agnew, which appeared in the Journal of Medical Biography Volume 23,
      Issue 2, included a date error. On page 95 of the issue, 'promulgated by
      Auenbrugger in 1876 [...]' should be 'promulgated by Auenbrugger in 1761 [...]'.

PMID- 26113150
TI  - Corrigendum.
AB  - The article A Memoir of Sir John Forbes (1787-1861) (DOI:
      10.1177/0967772013504859 ) by Robin Agnew, which appeared in the Journal of
      Medical Biography Volume 22, Issue 4, included a date error. On page 190 of the
      issue, 'Auenbrugger (1722-1821)' should be Auenbrugger (1722-1809)'.

PMID- 26113151
TI  - Photovoltaic properties of multilayered quantum dot/quantum rod-sensitized TiO2
      solar cells fabricated by SILAR and electrophoresis.
AB  - A multilayered semiconductor sensitizer structure composed of three differently
      sized CdSe quantum rods (QRs), labeled as Q530, Q575, Q590, were prepared and
      deposited on the surface of mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles by electrophoretic
      deposition (EPD) for photovoltaic applications. By varying the arrangement of
      layers as well as the time of EPD, the photoconversion efficiency was improved
      from 2.0% with the single layer of CdSe QRs (TiO2/Q590/ZnS) to 2.9% for
      multilayers (TiO2/Q590Q575/ZnS). The optimal EPD time was shorter for the
      multilayered structures. The effect of CdS quantum dots (QDs) deposited by
      successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) was also investigated. The
      addition of CdS QDs resulted in the enhancement of efficiency to 4.1% for the
      configuration (TiO2/CdS/Q590Q575/ZnS), due to increased photocurrent and
      photovoltage. Based on detailed structural, optical, and photoelectrical studies,
      the increased photocurrent is attributed to broadened light absorption while the
      increased voltage is due to a shift in the relevant energy levels. 

PMID- 26113152
TI  - From warm to cold: migration of Adelie penguins within Cape Bird, Ross Island.
AB  - Due to their sensitivity to environmental change, penguins in Antarctica are
      widely used as bio-indicators in paleoclimatic research. On the basis of bio
      element assemblages identified in four ornithogenic sediment profiles, we
      reconstructed the historical penguin population change at Cape Bird, Ross Island,
      for the past 1600 years. Clear succession of penguin population peaks were
      observed in different profiles at about 1400 AD, which suggested a high
      probability of migration within this region. The succession was most obviously
      marked by a sand layer lasting from 1400 to 1900 AD in one of the analyzed
      profiles. Multiple physical/chemical parameters indicated this sand layer was not
      formed in a lacustrine environment, but was marine-derived. Both isostatic
      subsidence and frequent storms under the colder climatic condition of the Little
      Ice Age were presumed to have caused the abandonment of the colonies, and we
      believe the penguins migrated from the coastal area of mid Cape Bird northward
      and to higher ground as recorded in the other sediment profiles. This migration
      was an ecological response to global climate change and possible subsequent
      geological effects in Antarctica. 

PMID- 26113153
TI  - Development and validation of the Medical Home Care Coordination Survey for
      assessing care coordination in the primary care setting from the patient and
      provider perspectives.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Community health centers are increasingly embracing the Patient
      Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model to improve quality, access to care, and
      patient experience while reducing healthcare costs. Care coordination (CC) is an
      important element of the PCMH model, but implementation and measurability of CC
      remains a problem within the outpatient setting. Assessing CC is an integral
      component of quality monitoring in health care systems. This study developed and
      validated the Medical Home Care Coordination Survey (MHCCS), to fill the gap in
      assessing CC in primary care from the perspectives of patients and their primary
      healthcare teams. METHODS: We conducted a review of relevant literature and
      existing care coordination instruments identified by bibliographic search and
      contact with experts. After identifying all care coordination domains that could
      be assessed by primary healthcare team members and patients, we developed a
      conceptual model. Potentially appropriate items from existing published CC
      measures, along with newly developed items, were matched to each domain for
      inclusion. A modified Delphi approach was used to establish content validity.
      Primary survey data was collected from 232 patients with care transition and/or
      complex chronic illness needs from the Community Health Center, Inc. and from 164
      staff members from 12 community health centers across the country via mail, phone
      and online survey. The MHCCS was validated for internal consistency, reliability,
      discriminant and convergent validity. This study was conducted at the Community
      Health Center, Inc. from January 15, 2012 to July 15, 2014. RESULTS: The 13-item
      MHCCS - Patient and the 32-item MHCCS - Healthcare Team were developed and
      validated. Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling was used to test the
      hypothesized domain structure. Four CC domains were confirmed from the patient
      group and eight were confirmed from the primary healthcare team group. All
      domains had high reliability (Cronbach's alpha scores were above 0.8).
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients experience the ultimate output of care coordination
      services, but primary healthcare staff members are best primed to perceive many
      of the structural elements of care coordination. The proactive measurement and
      monitoring of the core domains from both perspectives provides a richer body of
      information for the continuous improvement of care coordination services. The
      MHCCS shows promise as a valid and reliable assessment of these CC efforts.

PMID- 26113154
TI  - On the Possibility of Habitable Trojan Planets in Binary Star Systems.
AB  - Approximately 60% of all stars in the solar neighbourhood (up to 80% in our Milky
      Way) are members of binary or multiple star systems. This fact led to the
      speculations that many more planets may exist in binary systems than are
      currently known. To estimate the habitability of exoplanetary systems, we have to
      define the so-called habitable zone (HZ). The HZ is defined as a region around a
      star where a planet would receive enough radiation to maintain liquid water on
      its surface and to be able to build a stable atmosphere. We search for new
      dynamical configurations-where planets may stay in stable orbits-to increase the
      probability to find a planet like the Earth.

PMID- 26113156
TI  - Phenotypic plasticity of sun and shade ecotypes of Stellaria longipes in response
      to light quality signaling, gibberellins and auxin.
AB  - Stellaria longipes plant communities (ecotypes) occur in several environmentally
      distinct habitats along the eastern slopes of southern Alberta's Rocky Mountains.
      One ecotype occurs in a prairie habitat at ~1000 m elevation where Stellaria
      plants grow in an environment in which the light is filtered by taller
      neighbouring vegetation, i.e. sunlight with a low red to far-red (R/FR) ratio.
      This ecotype exhibits a high degree of phenotypic plasticity by increasing stem
      elongation in response to the low R/FR ratio light signal. Another Stellaria
      ecotype occurs nearby at ~2400 m elevation in a much cooler alpine habitat, one
      where plants rarely experience low R/FR ratio shade light. Stem elongation of
      plants is largely regulated by gibberellins (GAs) and auxin, indole-3-acetic acid
      (IAA). Shoots of the prairie ecotype plants show increased IAA levels under low
      R/FR ratio light and they also increase their stem growth in response to applied
      IAA. The alpine ecotype plants show neither response. Plants from both ecotypes
      produce high levels of growth-active GA1 under low R/FR ratio light, though they
      differ appreciably in their catabolism of GA1. The alpine ecotype plants exhibit
      very high levels of GA8, the inactive product of GA1 metabolism, under both
      normal and low R/FR ratio light. Alpine origin plants may de-activate GA1 by
      conversion to GA8 via a constitutively high level of expression of the GA2ox
      gene, thereby maintaining their dwarf phenotype and exhibiting a reduced
      phenotypic plasticity in terms of shoot elongation. In contrast, prairie plants
      exhibit a high degree of phenotypic plasticity, using low R/FR ratio light
      mediated changes in GA and IAA concentrations to increase shoot elongation,
      thereby accessing direct sunlight to optimize photosynthesis. There thus appear
      to be complex adaptation strategies for the two ecotypes, ones which involve
      modifications in the homeostasis of endogenous hormones. 

PMID- 26113155
TI  - Assembly of Slx4 signaling complexes behind DNA replication forks.
AB  - Obstructions to replication fork progression, referred to collectively as DNA
      replication stress, challenge genome stability. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae,
      cells lacking RTT107 or SLX4 show genome instability and sensitivity to DNA
      replication stress and are defective in the completion of DNA replication during
      recovery from replication stress. We demonstrate that Slx4 is recruited to
      chromatin behind stressed replication forks, in a region that is spatially
      distinct from that occupied by the replication machinery. Slx4 complex formation
      is nucleated by Mec1 phosphorylation of histone H2A, which is recognized by the
      constitutive Slx4 binding partner Rtt107. Slx4 is essential for recruiting the
      Mec1 activator Dpb11 behind stressed replication forks, and Slx4 complexes are
      important for full activity of Mec1. We propose that Slx4 complexes promote
      robust checkpoint signaling by Mec1 by stably recruiting Dpb11 within a discrete
      domain behind the replication fork, during DNA replication stress. 

PMID- 26113157
TI  - Transgenic poplar expressing the pine GS1a show alterations in nitrogen
      homeostasis during drought.
AB  - Transgenic hybrid poplars engineered to express ectopically the heterologous pine
      cytosolic GS1a display a number of significant pleiotropic phenotypes including
      enhanced growth, enhanced nitrogen use efficiency, and resistance to drought
      stress. The present study was undertaken in order to assess mechanisms whereby
      ectopic expression of pine GS1a in transgenic poplars results in enhanced
      agronomic phenotypes. Microarray analysis using the Agilent Populus whole genome
      array has allowed identification of genes differentially expressed between wild
      type (WT) and GS transgenics in four tissues (sink leaves, source leaves, stems,
      and roots) under three growth conditions (well-watered, drought, and recovery).
      Analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes in functional categories
      related to nitrogen metabolism show a trend of significant down-regulation in GS
      poplars compared to the WT, including genes encoding nitrate and nitrite
      reductases. The down-regulation of these genes was verified using qPCR, and
      downstream effects were further tested using NR activity assays. Results suggest
      that higher glutamine levels in GS transgenics regulate nitrate uptake and
      reduction. Transcript levels of nitrogen-related genes in leaves, including
      GS/GOGAT cycle enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase, GABA shunt enzymes,
      photorespiration enzymes, asparagine synthetase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase,
      isocitrate dehydrogenase, and PII, were also assessed using qPCR revealing
      significant differences between GS poplars and the WT. Moreover, metabolites
      related to these differentially expressed genes showed alterations in levels,
      including higher levels of GABA, hydroxyproline, and putrescine in the GS
      transgenic. These alterations in nitrogen homeostasis offer insights into
      mechanisms accounting for drought tolerance observed in GS poplars. 

PMID- 26113158
TI  - Melatonin in Arabidopsis thaliana acts as plant growth regulator at low
      concentrations and preserves seed viability at high concentrations.
AB  - Since the discovery of melatonin in plants, several roles have been described for
      different species, organs, and developmental stages. Arabidopsis thaliana, being
      a model plant species, is adequate to contribute to the elucidation of the role
      of melatonin in plants. In this work, melatonin was monitored daily by UHPLC
      MS/MS in leaves, in order to study its diurnal accumulation as well as the
      effects of natural and artificial light treatments on its concentration.
      Furthermore, the effects of exogenous application of melatonin to assess its role
      in seed viability after heat stress and as a regulator of growth and development
      of vegetative tissues were evaluated. Our results indicate that melatonin
      contents in Arabidopsis were higher in plants growing under natural radiation
      when compared to those growing under artificial conditions, and its levels were
      not diurnally-regulated. Exogenous melatonin applications prolonged seed
      viability after heat stress conditions. In addition, melatonin applications
      retarded leaf senescence. Its effects as growth promoter were dose and tissue
      dependent; stimulating root growth at low concentrations and decreasing leaf area
      at high doses. 

PMID- 26113159
TI  - Brassinosteroids are involved in controlling sugar unloading in Vitis vinifera
      'Cabernet Sauvignon' berries during veraison.
AB  - Sugar unloading in grape berries is a crucial step in the long-distance transport
      of carbohydrates from grapevine leaves to berries. Brassinosteroids (BRs) mediate
      many physiological processes in plants including carbohydrate metabolism. Here,
      'Cabernet Sauvignon' (Vitis vinifera L.) grape berries cultivated in clay loam
      fields were treated with an exogenous BR (24-epibrassinolide; EBR), a BR
      synthesis inhibitor (brassinazole; Brz), Brz + EBR (sprayed with EBR 24 h after a
      Brz treatment), and deionized water (control) at the onset of veraison. The EBR
      treatment sharply increased the soluble sugars content in the berries, but
      decreased it in the skins. The EBR and Brz + EBR treatments significantly
      promoted the activities of both invertases (acidic and neutral) and sucrose
      synthase (sucrolytic) at various stages of ripening. The mRNA levels of genes
      encoding sucrose metabolic invertase (VvcwINV), and monosaccharide (VvHT3, 4, 5
      and 6) and disaccharide (VvSUC12 and 27) transporters were increased by the EBR
      and/or Brz + EBR treatments. Generally, the effects of the Brz treatment on the
      measured targets contrasted with the effects of the EBR treatments. The EBR and
      Brz treatments inhibited the biosynthesis of the endogenous BRs 6
      deoxocastastarone and castasterone. Both EBR and Brz + EBR treatments increased
      the brassinolide contents, down-regulated the expression of genes encoding BRs
      biosynthetic enzymes BRASSINOSTEROID-6-OXIDASE and DWARF1, (VvBR6OX1 and VvDWF1)
      and induced BR receptor gene BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 (VvBRI1) expression in
      deseeded berries. Together, these results show that BRs are involved in
      controlling sugar unloading in grape berries during veraison. 

PMID- 26113160
TI  - Biochemical characterization of an isoprene synthase from Campylopus introflexus
      (heath star moss).
AB  - Each year, plants emit terragram quantities of the reactive hydrocarbon isoprene
      (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene) into the earth's atmosphere. In isoprene-emitting
      plants, the enzyme isoprene synthase (ISPS) catalyzes the production of isoprene
      from the isoprenoid intermediate dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMADP). While
      isoprene is emitted from all major classes of land plants, to date ISPSs from
      angiosperms only have been characterized. Here, we report the identification and
      initial biochemical characterization of a DMADP-dependent ISPS from the isoprene
      emitting bryophyte Campylopus introflexus (heath star moss). The partially
      purified C. introflexus ISPS (CiISPS) exhibited a Km for DMADP of 0.37 +/- 0.28
      mM, a pH optimum of 8.6 +/- 0.5, and a temperature optimum of 40 +/- 3  degrees C
      in vitro. Like ISPSs from angiosperms, the CiISPS required the presence of a
      divalent cation. However, unlike angiosperm ISPSs, the CiISPS utilized Mn(2+)
      preferentially over Mg(2+). Efforts are currently underway in our laboratory to
      further purify the CiISPS and clone the cDNA sequence encoding this novel enzyme.
      Our discovery of the first bryophyte ISPS paves the way for future studies
      concerning the evolutionary origins of isoprene emission in land plants and may
      help generate new bryophyte model systems for physiological and biochemical
      research on plant isoprene function. 

PMID- 26113161
TI  - Bisphenol A affects germination and tube growth in Picea meyeri pollen through
      modulating Ca2+ flux and disturbing actin-dependent vesicular trafficking during
      cell wall construction.
AB  - Bisphenol A (BPA), a widespread pollutant, is reportedly harmful to humans,
      animals and plants. However, the effect of BPA on plant pollen tube growth, as
      well as the mechanism involved, remains unclear. Here, we report that BPA
      significantly inhibited Picea meyeri pollen germination and tube elongation in a
      dose-dependent manner. Transmission electron microscopy showed that BPA was
      detrimental to organelles such as mitochondria and Golgi apparatus. Non-invasive
      detection revealed that BPA inhibited extracellular Ca(2+) influx and promoted
      intracellular Ca(2+) efflux at the pollen tube tip, thereby inducing a dissipated
      Ca(2+) gradient. Fluorescence labeling showed that BPA disorganized actin
      filaments (AFs), which subsequently led to abnormal vesicle trafficking.
      Furthermore, BPA reduced the activity of acid phosphatase, a typical exocytosis
      enzyme. Moreover, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis and subsequent
      fluorescence labeling revealed that BPA induced an abnormal deposition of cell
      wall components, including pectins and callose. Taken together, our results
      indicate that BPA, a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, disturbs Ca(2+) flux in
      P. meyeri pollen tubes, thus disrupting AF organization, resulting in abnormal
      actin-dependent vesicle trafficking and further affecting the deposition of cell
      wall components. These findings provide new insight into the mechanism of BPA
      toxicity in pollen tube tip growth. 

PMID- 26113162
TI  - An Early Warning Scoring System to Identify Septic Patients in the Prehospital
      Setting: The PRESEP Score.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective was to develop and evaluate an early sepsis detection
      score for the prehospital setting. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of
      consecutive patients who were admitted by emergency medical services (EMS) to the
      emergency department of the Jena University Hospital was performed. Because
      potential predictors for sepsis should be based on consensus criteria, the
      following parameters were extracted from the EMS protocol for further analysis:
      temperature, heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), oxygen saturation (SaO2 ),
      Glasgow Coma Scale score, blood glucose, and systolic blood pressure (sBP).
      Potential predictors were stratified based on inspection of Loess graphs.
      Backward model selection was performed to select risk factors for the final
      model. The Prehospital Early Sepsis Detection (PRESEP) score was calculated as
      the sum of simplified regression weights. Its predictive validity was compared to
      the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), the Robson screening tool, and the BAS
      90-30-90. RESULTS: A total of 375 patients were included in the derivation
      sample; 93 (24.8%) of these had sepsis, including 60 patients with severe sepsis
      and 12 patients with septic shock. Backward model selection identified
      temperature, HR, RR, SaO2 , and sBP for inclusion in the PRESEP score. Simplified
      weights were as follows: temperature > 38 degrees C = 4, temperature < 36 degrees
      C = 1, HR > 90 beats/min = 2, RR > 22 breaths/min = 1, SaO2 < 92% = 2, and sBP <
      90 mm Hg = 2. The cutoff value for a possible existing septic disease based on
      maximum Youden's index was >=4 (sensitivity 0.85, specificity 0.86, positive
      predictive value [PPV] 0.66, and negative predictive value [NPV] 0.95). The area
      under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the PRESEP score was
      0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.89 to 0.96) and was larger than the AUC of
      the MEWS (0.93 vs. 0.77, p < 0.001). The PRESEP score surpassed MEWS and BAS 90
      60-90 for sensitivity (0.74 and 0.62, respectively), specificity (0.75 and 0.83),
      PPV (0.45 and 0.51), and NPV (0.91 and 0.89). The Robson screening tool had a
      higher sensitivity and NPV (0.95 and 0.97), but its specificity and PPV were
      lower (0.43 and 0.32). CONCLUSIONS: The PRESEP score could be a valuable tool for
      identifying septic patients in the prehospital setting in the case of suspected
      infection. It should be prospectively validated.

PMID- 26113163
TI  - Superselective pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling angiography.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the utility of a novel non-contrast enhanced, vessel
      selective magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) approach based on superselective
      pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (ASL) for the morphologic assessment of
      intracranial arteries when compared to a clinically used time-of-flight (TOF)
      MRA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three sets of selective ASL angiographies (right and
      left internal carotid artery, basilar artery) as well as one TOF data set were
      obtained from each of the five volunteers included in this study on a clinical
      1.5T system. The depiction of arterial segments as well as their delineation was
      evaluated and independently analyzed by two radiologists. Additionally, the ASL
      angiography approach was performed in two patients suffering from arterio-venous
      malformations (AVM) in order to illustrate potential applications in a clinical
      setting. RESULTS: In both angiography techniques, intracranial arteries and their
      segments (distal branches up to A5 segments of the anterior cerebral arteries, M8
      segments of the middle cerebral arteries, and P5 segments of the posterior
      cerebral arteries) were continuously depicted with excellent inter-reader
      agreement (kappa>0.81). In AVM patients, reconstructed images of the TOF
      angiography presented similar information about the size and shape of the AVM as
      did superselective ASL angiography. In addition, the acquired ASL angiograms of
      selected vessels allowed assessing the blood supply of individually labeled
      arteries to the AVM which could also be confirmed by digital subtraction
      angiography. CONCLUSION: Superselective ASL angiography makes it possible to
      visualize arterial trees of selected vessels, thereby, providing information
      about the macrovascular blood supply and flow territories of intracranial
      arteries. Similar image quality is achieved when compared to clinically used TOF
      angiography with respect to the identification and delineation of arterial
      segments. Initial application of superselective ASL angiography in two patients
      with AVM's demonstrates the ability to gather additional important information
      about feeding vessels and blood supply.

PMID- 26113164
TI  - Potential risk of residual cancer cells in the surgical treatment of initially
      unresectable pancreatic carcinoma after chemoradiotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With development of chemoradiotherapy for pancreatic carcinoma,
      borderline resectable or initially unresectable cases sometimes become operable
      after long-term intensive chemoradiotherapy. However, there is no established
      strategy for adjuvant surgery with respect to whether the surgical resection
      should be extensive or downsized accordingly with diminished disease areas
      following response to chemoradiotherapy. METHODS: The clinical and pathological
      aspects of 18 patients with initially unresectable pancreatic cancer who
      underwent adjuvant surgery after chemo(radio)therapy in our department from 2007
      were evaluated. RESULTS: Overall survival from initial treatment was much better
      for patients with R0 resection than for patients with R1/2 resection. In two of
      three patients who had complete improvement of plexus (PL) invasion after
      chemo(radio)therapy, there had still remained pathological plexus invasion. It
      was shown that tumors did not shrink continuously from the tumor front, but parts
      remained discontinuously at the distal portion in the process of tumor regression
      by chemo(radio)therapy. CONCLUSIONS: In adjuvant surgery for patients with
      locally advanced pancreatic cancer, the potential risk of residual cancer in the
      regression area following chemoradiotherapy should be considered. Achieving R0
      resection will lead to an improved prognosis, and it is necessary to consider how
      well the extent of resection is after a favorable response to chemoradiotherapy.

PMID- 26113165
TI  - Failure to launch: the self-regulating Md-MYB10 R6 gene from apple is active in
      flowers but not leaves of Petunia.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: The Md - MYB10 R6 gene from apple is capable of self-regulating in
      heterologous host species and enhancing anthocyanin pigmentation, but the
      activity of MYB10 is dependent on endogenous protein partners. Coloured foliage
      due to anthocyanin pigments (bronze/red/black) is an attractive trait that is
      often lacking in many bedding, ornamental and horticultural plants. Apples (Malus
      * domestica) containing an allelic variant of the anthocyanin regulator, Md-MYB10
      R6 , are highly pigmented throughout the plant, due to autoregulation by MYB10
      upon its own promoter. We investigated whether Md-MYB10 R6 from apple is capable
      of functioning within the heterologous host Petunia hybrida to generate plants
      with novel pigmentation patterns. The Md-MYB10 R6 transgene (MYB10-R6 pro
      :MYB10:MYB10 term ) activated anthocyanin synthesis when transiently expressed in
      Antirrhinum rosea (dorsea) petals and petunia leaf discs. Stable transgenic
      petunias containing Md-MYB10 R6 lacked foliar pigmentation but had coloured
      flowers, complementing the an2 phenotype of 'Mitchell' petunia. The absence of
      foliar pigmentation was due to the failure of the Md-MYB10 R6 gene to self
      activate in vegetative tissues, suggesting that additional protein partners are
      required for Md-MYB10 to activate target genes in this heterologous system. In
      petunia flowers, where endogenous components including MYB-bHLH-WDR (MBW)
      proteins were present, expression of the Md-MYB10 R6 promoter was initiated,
      allowing auto-regulation to occur and activating anthocyanin production. Md-MYB10
      is capable of operating within the petunia MBW gene regulation network that
      controls the expression of the anthocyanin biosynthesis genes, AN1 (bHLH) and
      MYBx (R3-MYB repressor) in petals.

PMID- 26113166
TI  - The prevalence of HSV-2 infection in HIV-1 discordant couples.
AB  - We aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of HSV-2
      discordance and concordance in HIV-1-discordant couples. This study used the
      baseline data from a cohort study of HIV-1-discordant couples in Dehong
      prefecture of Yunnan province, China. Of 954 participating couples, 42.4% were
      affected by HSV-2, of which 20.4% were HSV-2-concordant positive, 7.6% were HSV-2
      discordant where the male was HSV-2 positive, and 14.4% were HSV-2 discordant
      where the female was HSV-2 positive. Compared to HSV-2-negative concordance, HSV
      2 discordance with an HSV-2-positive male spouse was significantly associated
      with characteristics of the male spouse, including Han ethnicity and being in a
      second marriage. HSV-2 discordance with an HSV-2-positive female spouse was
      significantly associated with characteristics of the female spouse, including Han
      ethnicity, having engaged in commercial sex, having a sexual relationship of <3
      years and being HIV-1 infected. Compared to HSV-2 discordance, HSV-2-positive
      concordance was significantly associated with an education level of middle school
      or higher for both spouses, a sexual relationship of ?3 years, more frequent sex
      and having an HIV-1-infected male spouse. The findings highlight the need for HSV
      2 prevention and treatment efforts to reduce HSV-2 transmission in this
      population, and emphasize the importance of implementing prevention interventions
      early in couples' relationships. 

PMID- 26113168
TI  - [Reproductive health care for women with spina bifida].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Few studies have focused on reproductive health care for women with
      spina bifida. This subject is rarely discussed, whether in patient groups or in
      the medical community. However, these patients need advice and a care that is
      appropriate to their condition. METHODS: In association with the spina bifida
      reference center of the University Hospital of Rennes, we have conducted a four
      year retrospective, observational study. Its aim was to analyze the
      characteristics of the patients' gynecological care and to adapt our practice to
      their needs. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients were included. We demonstrated an
      increased risk of precocious puberty, labia minora hypertrophy and genital
      prolapse. CONCLUSION: Some specific characteristics of the reproductive health
      care of patients with spina bifida are interesting to know. A study on a larger
      series of patients is needed to further analyze the obstetric, gynecological and
      sexological issues of these women.

PMID- 26113169
TI  - The effect of jugular bulb-vestibular aqueduct dehiscence on hearing and balance.
AB  - CONCLUSION: This study suggests that jugular bulb-vestibular aqueduct dehiscence
      (JBVAD) does not affect the hearing or balance functions of the inner ear.
      OBJECTIVES: Since JBVAD may cause impairment of the inner ear and induce hearing
      loss, tinnitus, and vertigo, this study was to investigate the effect of JBVAD on
      hearing and balance. METHOD: Patients undergoing temporal bone computed
      tomography (TBCT) scans from May 2013 to December 2013 at a tertiary referral
      hospital were reviewed. The topographic relationship between the jugular bulb
      (JB) and the vestibular aqueduct was assessed. The findings were classified as
      normal when there was always a bony structure between the two structures and as
      dehiscent when the bony coverage separating the two structures was absent.
      Clinical data were collected via electronic records and clinical follow-up.
      RESULTS: A total of 1313 out of 8325 patients were diagnosed with a HJB. Forty
      six patients showed JBVAD. The prevalence of dehiscence was 0.6% in patients
      undergoing temporal bone CT scans and 3.5% in patients with HJB. Of the 46
      patients with JBVAD, 23 (50%) had sensorineural hearing loss, three (6.5%) had
      tinnitus, and two (4.3%) had vertigo. The correlation between JBVAD and these
      clinical symptoms did not achieve statistical significance.

PMID- 26113170
TI  - Development and application of an automated algorithm to identify a window of
      consecutive days of accelerometer wear for large-scale studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some accelerometer studies ask participants to document in a daily
      log when the device was worn. These logs are used to inform the window of
      consecutive days to extract from the accelerometer for analysis. Logs can be
      missing or inaccurate, which can introduce bias in the data. To mitigate this
      bias, we developed a simple computer algorithm that used data within the
      accelerometer to identify the window of consecutive wear days. To evaluate the
      algorithm's performance, we compared how well it agreed to the window of days
      identified by visual inspection and participant logs. FINDINGS: Participants were
      older women (mean age 79 years) in a cohort study that aimed to examine the
      relationship of objective physical activity on cardiovascular health. The study
      protocol requested that participants wear an accelerometer 24 h per day over nine
      calendar days (to capture seven consecutive wear days) and to complete daily
      logs. A stratified sample with (n = 75) and without (n = 100) participant logs
      were selected. The Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health (OPACH)
      algorithm was applied to the accelerometer data to identify a window of up to
      seven consecutive wear days. Participant logs documented dates the device was
      first put on, worn, and removed. Using pre-established guidelines, two
      independent raters visually reviewed the accelerometer data and characterized the
      dates representing up to seven consecutive days of 24-h wear. Average agreement
      level between the two raters was 90%. The percent agreement was compared between
      the three methods. The OPACH algorithm and visual inspection had 83% agreement in
      identifying a window with the same total number of days, if one or more shifts in
      calendar dates were allowed. For visual inspection vs. logs and algorithm vs.
      logs, this agreement was 81 and 74%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The OPACH
      algorithm can be efficiently and readily applied in large-scale accelerometer
      studies for the identification of a window of consecutive days of accelerometer
      wear. This algorithm was comparable to visual inspection and participant logs and
      might provide a quicker and more cost-effective alternative to selecting which
      data to extract from the accelerometer for analysis. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00000611.

PMID- 26113171
TI  - Efficacy of Tailored Physical Activity or Chronic Pain Self-Management Programme
      on return to work for sick-listed citizens: A 3-month randomised controlled
      trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of 'Tailored Physical Activity'
      (TPA) and a 'Chronic Pain Self-management Programme' (CPSMP) compared with a
      reference group (REF) on return to work after 3 months as sick-listed citizens
      with pain related to the back or the upper body. METHODS: Using a randomised
      controlled trial design all participants (n= 141) received health guidance for
      1.5 hours and were randomised to TPA, CPSMP or REF. Characteristics of
      participants were collected from a questionnaire. The primary endpoint was
      proportion of participants returned to work as registered by the municipality and
      the co-primary endpoint was duration of the sickness absence period. Secondary
      outcomes consisted of pain, body mass index, aerobic capacity, grip strength,
      work ability and kinesiophobia. The trial was conducted in Sonderborg
      Municipality from March 2011 to October 2013. RESULTS: TPA was more effective on
      return to work than REF, while CPSMP only tended to be more effective than REF,
      and the primary outcome was the only between-groups significant difference. TPA
      participants also reached a highly significant reduction in pain from baseline to
      follow-up with no similar effect seen in CPSMP or REF. In contrast, no benefit of
      TPA and CPSMP was evident regarding work ability, kinesiophobia or physical
      capacity after 3 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that TPA
      is a promising intervention to facilitate return to work and reduce pain among
      sick-listed citizens with pain related to the back or upper body compared to REF.

PMID- 26113167
TI  - Controversies Around Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Clostridium
      difficile Infection.
AB  - Clostridium difficile infection is a major public health problem. However, in
      recent years the epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of C.
      difficile infection have undergone a significant change. The incidence of C.
      difficile has increased, not only in the healthcare sector but also in the
      community. Hospital-acquired infection and community-acquired disease have
      different risk factors, with the latter occurring in children and younger
      individuals without a history of antibiotic use or previous infections. From a
      clinician's perspective, a quick efficient diagnosis is required for patient
      treatment; however, the old method of using enzyme immunoassays is insensitive
      and not very specific. Recent literature around diagnostic testing for C.
      difficile infection suggests using PCR or a two-step algorithm to improve
      sensitivity and specificity. More failures and recurrence with metronidazole have
      led to treatment algorithms suggesting its use for mild infections and switching
      to vancomycin if there is no clinical improvement. Alternatively, if signs and
      symptoms suggest severe infection, then oral vancomycin is recommended as a first
      line agent. The addition of a new but costly agent, fidaxomicin, has seen some
      disparity between the European and North American guidelines with regard to when
      it should be used. Lastly, rapid developments and good results with fecal
      microbial transplantation have also left clinicians wondering about its place in
      therapy. This article reviews the literature around some of the recent
      controversies in the field of C. difficile infection. 

PMID- 26113172
TI  - Reported and intended behaviour towards those with mental health problems in the
      Czech Republic and England.
AB  - This is one of the first studies, which compares the level of stigmatizing
      behaviour in countries that used to be on the opposite sides of the Iron Curtain.
      The aim was to identify the prevalence of reported and intended stigmatizing
      behaviour towards those with mental health problems in the Czech Republic and to
      compare these findings with the findings from England. The 8-item Reported and
      Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS) was used to assess stigmatising behaviour among a
      representative sample of the Czech population (n=1797). Results were compared
      with the findings of an analogous survey from England (n=1720), which also used
      the RIBS. The extent of reported behaviour (i.e., past and present experiences
      with those with mental health problems) was lower in the Czech Republic than in
      England. While 12.7% of Czechs reported that they lived, 12.9% that they worked,
      and 15.3% that they were acquainted with someone who had mental health problems,
      the respective numbers for England were 18.5%, 26.3% and 32.5% (P<0.001 in each
      of these items). On the other hand, the extent of intended stigmatizing behaviour
      towards those with mental health problems is considerably higher in the Czech
      Republic. Out of maximum 20 points attached to possible responses to the RIBS
      items 5-8, Czechs had a lower total score (x=11.0, SD=4.0) compared to English
      respondents (x=16.1, SD=3.6), indicating lower willingness to accept a person
      with mental health problems (P<0.001). The prevalence of stigmatizing behaviour
      in the Czech Republic is worrying. Both, further research and evidence based anti
      stigma interventions, should be pursued in order to better understand and
      decrease stigmatizing behaviour in the Czech Republic and possibly across the
      post-communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe. 

PMID- 26113173
TI  - Comment on "Tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonist therapy for concomitant
      rheumatoid arthritis and hepatitis C virus infection: a case series study".

PMID- 26113175
TI  - Characteristics of commercial and traditional village poultry farming in Mali
      with a focus on practices influencing the risk of transmission of avian influenza
      and Newcastle disease.
AB  - We aimed at characterizing commercial and traditional village poultry farming in
      Mali, with a focus on practices influencing the risk of transmission of avian
      influenza and Newcastle disease. Surveys were conducted in 2009-2011 in a study
      area covering approximately 98% of the Malian poultry population. Among the 282
      commercial farms investigated, of which 64 had not been known by the government
      authorities, 83% were located within a 50km radius from the capitals of the
      country and regions and 54% had low biosecurity standard. Among the 152 randomly
      selected village household flocks investigated, characteristics were overall
      similar to those in other African countries but some differences were notable
      including a large flock size (median 44 poultry), a low presence of ducks and
      geese (11% and 1.1% of flocks, respectively), vaccination against Newcastle
      disease being common (49% of flocks), a low proportion of households selling sick
      and dead birds (0.7% and 0%, respectively) and limited cohabitation between
      poultry and humans at night. Our recommendations to limit the risk of disease
      transmission include (1) for commercial farms, to introduce compulsory farm
      registration and accreditation, to increase technical proficiency and access to
      credit for farms with low biosecurity, and to support poultry producer
      associations; (2) for village poultry, to promote better quarantine and
      management of sick and dead birds. Such detailed knowledge of country-specific
      characteristics of poultry production systems is essential to be able to develop
      more efficient disease risk management policies.

PMID- 26113174
TI  - A novel method to assess human population exposure induced by a wireless cellular
      network.
AB  - This paper presents a new metric to evaluate electromagnetic exposure induced by
      wireless cellular networks. This metric takes into account the exposure induced
      by base station antennas as well as exposure induced by wireless devices to
      evaluate average global exposure of the population in a specific geographical
      area. The paper first explains the concept and gives the formulation of the
      Exposure Index (EI). Then, the EI computation is illustrated through simple phone
      call scenarios (indoor office, in train) and a complete macro urban data long
      term evolution scenario showing how, based on simulations, radio-planning
      predictions, realistic population statistics, user traffic data, and specific
      absorption rate calculations can be combined to assess the index.
      Bioelectromagnetics. 36:451-463, 2015. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26113176
TI  - Upregulated expression of NKG2D and its ligands give potential therapeutic
      targets for patients with thymoma.
AB  - The activating receptor NKG2D (natural killer group 2, member D) of natural
      killer (NK) cells promotes tumor immune surveillance by targeting ligands
      selectively induced on cancer cells, and thus having an important role in
      antitumor immune response. Because these ligands are not widely expressed on
      healthy adult tissue, NKG2D ligands may present as useful target for
      immunotherapeutic approaches in cancer. In this study, to elucidate the role of
      NKG2D-NKG2D ligand interaction in thymoma tissues and to evaluate the potential
      role of NKG2D ligands as therapeutic target for thymoma, we examined the
      expression of NKG2D and its specific ligands: MICA (major histocompatibility
      complex class I chain-related protein A), MICB (major histocompatibility complex
      class I chain-related protein B) and ULBP (UL16-binding protein) in 36 thymomas
      (6 subtype A, 6 subtype AB, 8 subtype B1, 5 subtype B2, 6 subtype B3 and 5
      subtype C), 15 thymic atrophy and 8 thymic hyperplasia by immunohistochemistry
      and reverse transcription-real-time-PCR methods. We demonstrated that both mRNA
      and protein levels of NKG2D, MICA, MICB and ULBP were upregulated in six types of
      thymomas compared with those in atrophic thymus or proliferating thymus.
      Furthermore, the NKG2D ligands were found to be frequently coexpressed on thymoma
      cells. Furthermore, the expression of MICA, MICB and ULBP in subtype C was higher
      compared with those in subtype A, AB, B1, B2 and B3. Thus, we concluded that high
      expressions of NKG2D, MICA, MICB and ULBP1 were shown in patients with thymoma,
      and this may enhance the recognition function of NK cells to eliminate tumor
      cells. MICA, MICB and ULBP presented an attractive target for thymoma therapy.
      The abnormal expression of NKG2D, MICA, MICB and ULBP1 can provide us with
      evidence of the occurrence of thymoma and could also be used as a target in the
      treatment of thymoma. 

PMID- 26113177
TI  - Length of Barrett's oesophagus and cancer risk: implications from a large sample
      of patients with early oesophageal adenocarcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although it is well understood that the risk of oesophageal
      adenocarcinoma increases with Barrett length, transition risks for cancer
      associated with different Barrett lengths are unknown. We aimed to estimate
      annual cancer transition rates for patients with long-segment (>=3 cm), short
      segment (>=1 to <3 cm) and ultra-short-segment (<1 cm) Barrett's oesophagus.
      DESIGN: We used three data sources to estimate the annual cancer transition rates
      for each Barrett length category: (1) the distribution of long, short and ultra
      short Barrett's oesophagus among a large German cohort with newly diagnosed T1
      oesophageal adenocarcinoma; (2) population-based German incidence of oesophageal
      adenocarcinoma; and (3) published estimates of the population prevalence of
      Barrett's oesophagus for each Barrett length category. RESULTS: Among 1017
      patients with newly diagnosed T1 oesophageal adenocarcinoma, 573 (56%) had long
      segment, 240 (24%) short-segment and 204 (20%) ultra-short-segment Barrett's
      oesophagus. The base-case estimates for the prevalence of Barrett's oesophagus
      among the general population were 1.5%, 5% and 14%, respectively. The annual
      cancer transition rates for patients with long, short and ultra-short Barrett's
      oesophagus were 0.22%, 0.03% and 0.01%, respectively. To detect one cancer, 450
      patients with long-segment Barrett's oesophagus would need to undergo annual
      surveillance endoscopy; in short segment and ultra-short segment, the
      corresponding numbers of patients would be 3440 and 12,364. Similar results were
      obtained when applying US incidence data. CONCLUSIONS: The large number of
      patients, who need to undergo endoscopic surveillance to detect one cancer,
      raises questions about the value of surveillance endoscopy in patients with short
      segment or ultra-short segment of Barrett's oesophagus.

PMID- 26113178
TI  - In search for a disease-modifying treatment in irritable bowel syndrome.

PMID- 26113179
TI  - Adiabatic elimination-based coupling control in densely packed subwavelength
      waveguides.
AB  - The ability to control light propagation in photonic integrated circuits is at
      the foundation of modern light-based communication. However, the inherent
      crosstalk in densely packed waveguides and the lack of robust control of the
      coupling are a major roadblock toward ultra-high density photonic integrated
      circuits. As a result, the diffraction limit is often considered as the lower
      bound for ultra-dense silicon photonics circuits. Here we experimentally
      demonstrate an active control of the coupling between two closely packed
      waveguides via the interaction with a decoupled waveguide. This control scheme is
      analogous to the adiabatic elimination, a well-known procedure in atomic physics.
      This approach offers an attractive solution for ultra-dense integrated
      nanophotonics for light-based communications and integrated quantum computing. 

PMID- 26113180
TI  - Comparative analysis of procoagulant and fibrinogenolytic activity of crude
      protease fractions of turmeric species.
AB  - ETHNAOPHARMACOLOGIAL RELEVANCE: Turmeric rhizome is a traditional herbal
      medicine, which has been widely used as a remedy to stop bleeding on fresh cuts
      and for wound healing by the rural and tribal population of India. AIM OF THE
      STUDY: To validate scientific and therapeutic application of turmeric rhizomes to
      stop bleeding on fresh cuts and its role in wound healing process. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The water extracts of thoroughly scrubbed and washed turmeric rhizomes
      viz., Curcuma aromatica Salisb., Curcuma longa L., Curcuma caesia Roxb., Curcuma
      amada Roxb. and Curcuma zedoria (Christm.) Roscoe. were subjected to salting out
      and dialysis. The dialyzed crude enzyme fractions (CEFs) were assessed for
      proteolytic activity using casein as substrate and were also confirmed by
      caseinolytic zymography. Its coagulant activity and fibrinogenolytic activity
      were assessed using human citrated plasma and fibrinogen, respectively. The type
      of protease(s) in CEFs was confirmed by inhibition studies using specific
      protease inhibitors. RESULTS: The CEFs of C. aromatica, C. longa and C. caesia
      showed 1.89, 1.21 and 1.07 folds higher proteolytic activity, respectively,
      compared to papain. In contrast to these, C. amada and C. zedoria exhibited
      moderate proteolytic activity. CEFs showed low proteolytic activities compared to
      trypsin. The proteolytic activities of CEFs were confirmed by caseinolytic
      zymography. The CEFs of C. aromatica, C. longa and C. caesia showed complete
      hydrolysis of Aalpha, Bbeta and gamma subunits of human fibrinogen, while C.
      amada and C. zedoria showed partial hydrolysis. The CEFs viz., C. aromatica, C.
      longa, C. caesia, C. amada and C. zedoria exhibited strong procoagulant activity
      by reducing the human plasma clotting time from 172s (Control) to 66s, 84s 88s,
      78s and 90s, respectively. The proteolytic activity of C. aromatica, C. longa, C.
      caesia and C. amada was inhibited (>82%) by PMSF, suggesting the possible
      presence of a serine protease(s). However, C. zedoria showed significant
      inhibition (60%) against IAA and moderate inhibition (30%) against PMSF,
      indicating the presence of cysteine and serine protease(s). CONCLUSION: The CEFs
      of turmeric species exhibited strong procoagulant activity associated with
      fibrinogenolytic activity. This study provides the scientific credence to
      turmeric in its propensity to stop bleeding and wound healing process practiced
      by traditional Indian medicine.

PMID- 26113181
TI  - Ethnopharmacological knowledge of Shiraz and Fasa in Fars region of Iran for
      diabetes mellitus.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: This study provides ethnopharmacological
      knowledge of traditional herbal healers from Shiraz and Fasa in Fars region
      (Iran) for treatment of diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Field surveys
      were carried out during September 2013-February 2014 in Shiraz and Fasa. The data
      were collected through structured questionnaire in Persian. All plant species
      recorded for the treatment of diabetes mellitus were sampled. Samples were
      identified by a botanist and obtained a voucher specimens number and deposited in
      the Shiraz School of Pharmacy Herbarium. The information such as scientific name,
      family, local name, medicinal use(s), parts used and preparation method were
      provided. Literature review on available data about antidiabetic effect of the
      addressed plant species was done to highlight gaps in current knowledge and
      propose the next steps. RESULTS: In total, 50 informants were interviewed.
      Totally 39 plant species were recommended by herbal healers, of which 28 are
      native to Iran. The most recommended plants for diabetes were Trigonella foenum
      graecam (28 Attars), Securigera securidaca (22 Attars), Vaccinium arctostaphylos
      (18 Attars). The most abundant families were Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae and
      Apiaceae. Plant parts used were mainly seeds, flowers, leaves and fruits. The
      most usual preparation methods were decoction, powder and distillation. Around
      44% of all reported plants for diabetes are also in use for obesity management
      CONCLUSIONS: This study provided ethnopharmacological knowledge from Fars region
      in Iran for a specific disease and we have introduced important plant species
      which are recommended by local herbal healers for diabetes mellitus. For 23% of
      reported plants, clinical studies approved antidiabetic properties and for 61%,
      animal studies approved antidiabetic activity.

PMID- 26113182
TI  - Saussurea involucrata: A review of the botany, phytochemistry and
      ethnopharmacology of a rare traditional herbal medicine.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Saussurea involucrata Matsum. & Koidz. is an
      endangered species of the Asteraceae family, growing in the high mountains of
      central Asia. It has been, and is, widely used in traditional Uyghur, Mongolian
      and Kazakhstan medicine as well as in Traditional Chinese Medicine as Tianshan
      Snow Lotus (Chinese: ). In traditional medical theory, S. involucrata can promote
      blood circulation, thereby alleviating all symptoms associated with poor
      circulation. It also reputedly eliminates cold and dampness from the body,
      diminishes inflammation, invigorates, and strengthens Yin and Yang. It has long
      been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, cough with cold, stomach ache,
      dysmenorrhea, and altitude sickness in Uyghur and Chinese medicine. AIM OF THE
      REVIEW: To comprehensively summarize the miscellaneous research that has been
      done regarding the botany, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, biological
      activity, and toxicology of S. involucrata. METHOD: An extensive review of the
      literature was carried out. Apart from different electronic databases including
      SciFinder, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), ScienceDirect that
      were sourced for information, abstracts, full-text articles and books written in
      English and Chinese, including those traditional records tracing back to the Qing
      Dynasty. Pharmacopoeia of China and other local herbal records in Uighur,
      Mongolian and Kazakhstan ethnomedicines were investigated and compared for
      pertinent information. RESULTS: The phytochemistry of S. involucrata has been
      comprehensively investigated. More than 70 compounds have been isolated and
      identified; they include phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, coumarins, lignans,
      sesquiterpenes, steroids, ceramides, polysaccharides. Scientific studies on the
      biological activity of S. involucrata are equally numerous. The herb has been
      shown to have anti-neoplastic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-oxidative, anti
      fatigue, anti-aging, anti-hypoxic, neuroprotective and immunomodulating effects.
      Many have shown correlations to the traditional clinical applications in
      Traditional Chinese Medicine and medicines. The possible mechanisms of S.
      involucrata in treating various cancers are revealed in the article, these
      include inhibition of cancer cells by affecting their growth, adhesion,
      migration, aggregation and invasion, inhibition of epidermal growth factor
      receptor signaling in cancer cells, hindrance of cancer cell proliferation,
      causing cytotoxicity to cancer cells and promoting expression of tumor suppressor
      genes. Dosage efficacy is found to be generally concentration- and time
      dependent. However, studies on the correlation between particular chemical
      constituents and specific bioactivities are limited. CONCLUSION: In this review,
      we have documented the existing traditional uses of S. involucrata and summarized
      recent research into the phytochemistry and pharmacology of S. involucrata. Many
      of the traditional uses have been validated by phytochemical and modern
      pharmacological studies but there are still some areas where the current
      knowledge could be improved. Although studies have confirmed that S. involucrata
      has a broad range of bioactivities, further in-depth studies on the exact
      bioactive molecules and the mechanism of action are expected. Whether we should
      use this herb independently or in combination deserves to be clarified. The exact
      quality control as well as the toxicology studies is necessary to guarantee the
      stability and safety of the clinic use. The sustainable use of this endangered
      resource was also addressed. In conclusion, this review was anticipated to
      highlight the importance of S. involucrata and provides some directions for the
      future development of this plant.

PMID- 26113183
TI  - Effects of cell-cell contact and oxygen tension on chondrogenic differentiation
      of stem cells.
AB  - While cell condensation has been thought to enhance chondrogenesis, no direct
      evidence so far confirms that cell-cell contact itself increases chondrogenic
      differentiation of stem cells, since the change of cell-cell contact is usually
      coupled with those of other cell geometry cues and soluble factors in cell
      culture. The present study semi-quantitatively examined the effect of cell-cell
      contact in a decoupled way. We fabricated two-dimensional micropatterns with cell
      adhesive peptide arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) microdomains on a nonfouling
      poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were well
      localized on the microdomains for a long time. Based on our micropattern design,
      single MSCs or cell clusters with given cell numbers (1, 2, 3, 6 and 15) and a
      similar spreading area per cell were achieved on the same substrate, thus the
      interference of soluble factor difference from cell autocrine and that of cell
      spreading area were ruled out. After 9-day chondrogenic induction, collagen II
      was stained to characterize the chondrogenic induction results; the mRNA
      expression levels of SOX9, collagen II, aggrecan, HIF-1alpha and collagen I were
      also detected. The statistics confirmed unambiguously that the extent of the
      chondrogenic differentiation increased with cell-cell contact, and even a linear
      relation between differentiation extent and contact extent was established within
      the examined range. The cell-cell contact effect worked under both hypoxia (5%
      O2) and normoxia (21% O2) conditions, and the hypoxia condition promoted the
      chondrogenic induction of MSCs on adhesive microdomains more efficiently than the
      normoxia condition under the same cell-cell contact extents.

PMID- 26113186
TI  - Potential antibacterial activity of triazine dendrimer: Synthesis and
      controllable drug release properties.
AB  - A novel sustained release delivery system of ciprofloxacin was developed. The
      system consists of a viscosity enhancer plus a penetration enhancer to overcome
      penetration barriers and loss due to wash-out and thus achieve the desired
      ciprofloxacin ocular absorption. A macromolecule of piperazine core 1,3,5
      triazine dendrimer with eight molecules of ciprofloxacin drug as a surface moiety
      has been synthesized in five steps. Antibacterial activities of this compound
      have been investigated for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria like
      Staphylococcus aureus (mtcc 737), Bacillus subtilis (mtcc 2063), Escherichia coli
      (mtcc-443), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (mtcc 741) and Proteus mirabilis (mtcc425). It
      was observed that the influence of hydrophobic and hydrophilic balance per repeat
      unit of these dendrimer has profound effects for antibacterial activities. The
      MIC value of the compound very lower at 100 MUg/mL(-1) when compared with
      standard ciprofloxacin at 500 MUg/mL(-1). The compound (10) exhibits five times
      higher activity against tested organisms when compared with ciprofloxacin as
      standard. The structures of the dendrimers were determined by means of MALDI-TOF
      MS, NMR and IR studies. The in vitro release of ciprofloxacin from obtained
      dendrimer was investigated.

PMID- 26113184
TI  - Implications for Cardiac Function Following Rescue of the Dystrophic Diaphragm in
      a Mouse Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
AB  - Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by absence of the integral structural
      protein, dystrophin, which renders muscle fibres susceptible to injury and
      degeneration. This ultimately results in cardiorespiratory dysfunction, which is
      the predominant cause of death in DMD patients, and highlights the importance of
      therapeutic targeting of the cardiorespiratory system. While there is some
      evidence to suggest that restoring dystrophin in the diaphragm improves both
      respiratory and cardiac function, the role of the diaphragm is not well
      understood. Here using exon skipping oligonucleotides we predominantly restored
      dystrophin in the diaphragm and assessed cardiac function by MRI. This approach
      reduced diaphragmatic pathophysiology and markedly improved diaphragm function
      but did not improve cardiac function or pathophysiology, with or without
      exercise. Interestingly, exercise resulted in a reduction of dystrophin protein
      and exon skipping in the diaphragm. This suggests that treatment regimens may
      require modification in more active patients. In conclusion, whilst the diaphragm
      is an important respiratory muscle, it is likely that dystrophin needs to be
      restored in other tissues, including multiple accessory respiratory muscles, and
      of course the heart itself for appropriate therapeutic outcomes. This supports
      the requirement of a body-wide therapy to treat DMD. 

PMID- 26113187
TI  - Synthesis and evaluation of N-analogs of 1,2-diarylethane as Helicobacter pylori
      urease inhibitors.
AB  - Therapies based on urease inhibition are now seriously considered as the first
      line of treatment for infections caused by Helicobacter pylori. However, the
      present inhibitors are ineffective or unstable in highly acidic gastric juice.
      Here, we report a series of benzylanilines as effective inhibitors of H. pylori
      urease. Out of the obtained twenty-one compounds, N-(3,4-dihydroxybenzyl)-4
      nitroaniline (4) was evaluated in detail and shows promising features for
      development as anti-H. pylori agent. Excellent potency against urease in both
      cell-free extract and intact cell was observed at low concentrations of 4
      (IC50=0.62 +/- 0.04 and 1.92 +/- 0.09 MUM), which showed over 29- and 54-fold
      increase in potency with respect to the positive control AHA. The SAR analysis
      revealed that protection of 3,4-dihydroxy group of 4 as methoxy or changes of 4
      NO2 will result in a moderate to dramatic decrease in potency.

PMID- 26113188
TI  - BN/CC isosterism in borazaronaphthalenes towards phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A)
      inhibitors.
AB  - The application of BN/CC isosterism is explored as a method of expanding the
      scope of core scaffolds in biologically active compounds. The viability of
      potential drug candidates incorporating BN-heteroaromatic moieties was
      investigated through the synthesis of BN-substituted analogs to known
      phosphodiesterase (PDE10A) inhibitors, namely MP10 and a selection of N
      methylanilide analogs. These in some cases revealed unexpectedly potent and
      relatively stable derivatives, providing further support for the potential of BN
      incorporation in medicinal chemistry. 

PMID- 26113189
TI  - Dietary delivery: a new avenue for microRNA therapeutics?
AB  - Many people carefully monitor their food choices, adhering to the philosophy that
      'you are what you eat'. Recent research adds a new wrinkle to that old adage,
      suggesting that dietary small RNAs (sRNAs) can control the gene expression of the
      consumer and may provide an effective, noninvasive, and inexpensive therapy for
      many human diseases. 

PMID- 26113190
TI  - A simple, physiologically-based model of sea turtle remigration intervals and
      nesting population dynamics: Effects of temperature.
AB  - Variation in the yearly number of sea turtles nesting at rookeries can interfere
      with population estimates and obscure real population dynamics. Previous
      theoretical models suggested that this variation in nesting numbers may be driven
      by changes in resources at the foraging grounds. We developed a physiologically
      based model that uses temperatures at foraging sites to predict foraging
      conditions, resource accumulation, remigration probabilities, and, ultimately,
      nesting numbers for a stable population of sea turtles. We used this model to
      explore several scenarios of temperature variation at the foraging grounds,
      including one-year perturbations and cyclical temperature oscillations. We found
      that thermally driven resource variation can indeed synchronize nesting in groups
      of turtles, creating cohorts, but that these cohorts tend to break down over 5-10
      years unless regenerated by environmental conditions. Cohorts were broken down
      faster at lower temperatures. One-year perturbations of low temperature had a
      synchronizing effect on nesting the following year, while high temperature
      perturbations tended to delay nesting in a less synchronized way. Cyclical
      temperatures lead to cyclical responses both in nesting numbers and remigration
      intervals, with the amplitude and lag of the response depending on the duration
      of the cycle. Overall, model behavior is consistent with observations at nesting
      beaches. Future work should focus on refining the model to fit particular nesting
      populations and testing further whether or not it may be used to predict observed
      nesting numbers and remigration intervals. 

PMID- 26113191
TI  - Insect models of illumination-invariant skyline extraction from UV and green
      channels.
AB  - Experiments have shown that the skyline is an important visual cue for navigating
      insects. However, the comparison between two snapshots collected at different
      times of day is a complex task due to possible illumination changes. In this
      study we examine whether the information from two different color channels (UV
      and green, which are also available for many insects) can be used to obtain an
      illumination-invariant separation between the sky and ground. We collected UV and
      green images of seven different scenes over entire days, in which natural and
      artificial objects are visible in front of the sky. With the collected data we
      want to find answers to the following two questions: 'Does UV/green contrast
      vision increase the quality of separation compared to UV-only vision?' and 'What
      yields a better performance: separation methods based on a fixed threshold
      (global separation techniques) or separation methods which adapt the threshold
      dependent on the input image (local separation techniques)?' We implemented
      several linear separation techniques and found that UV/green contrast only
      marginally increases the quality of global separation in comparison to UV-only,
      and that local separation techniques are superior to global separation
      techniques. 

PMID- 26113192
TI  - When is emotional contagion adaptive?
AB  - Empathy plays an important role in animal social behavior. Since emotional
      contagion forms one of the bases of empathy, here we study conditions for
      emotional contagion to be adaptive, compared with other behavioral rules such as
      behavioral mimicry. We consider the situation where the focal individual
      (=observer) reacts to a behavior of another individual (=demonstrator). By
      emotional contagion one spontaneously copies the emotional state of the
      demonstrator and takes a behavior driven by that emotion. By behavioral mimicry,
      in contrast, one copies the behavior of the demonstrator itself. Through
      mathematical models we show that emotional contagion is adaptive when the
      environmental similarity between the demonstrator and the observer is
      intermediate. The advantage of adopting emotional contagion over behavioral
      mimicry increases when observing others' behavior is difficult or cognitively
      demanding. We show that emotional contagion is often a more flexible strategy
      than behavioral mimicry in order to cope with the living environment. In other
      words, emotional contagion often works as a better social learning strategy.
      These results suggest some ecological conditions that would favor the evolution
      of emotional contagion, and give a part of the explanations of why emotional
      contagion is frequently observed in group-living animals. 

PMID- 26113193
TI  - A geminivirus betasatellite damages the structural and functional integrity of
      chloroplasts leading to symptom formation and inhibition of photosynthesis.
AB  - Geminivirus infection often causes severe vein clearing symptoms in hosts.
      Recently a betasatellite has emerged as a key regulator of symptom induction. To
      understand the host-betasatellite interactions in the process of symptom
      development, a systematic study was carried out involving symptoms induced by a
      betasatellite associated with radish leaf curl disease (RaLCB) in Nicotiana
      benthamiana. It has been found that betaC1 protein localized to chloroplasts of
      host cells, and RaLCB lacking betaC1, which failed to produce symptoms, had no
      effect on chloroplast ultrastructure. Vein flecking induced by transiently
      expressed betaC1 was associated with chloroplast ultrastructure. In addition, the
      betasatellite down-regulates expression of genes involved in chlorophyll
      biosynthesis as well as genes involved in chloroplast development and plastid
      translocation. Interestingly, the expression of key host genes involved in
      chlorophyll degradation remains unaffected. Betasatellite infection drastically
      reduced the numbers of active reaction centres and the plastoquinol pool size in
      leaves exhibiting vein clearing symptoms. Betasatellite-mediated impediments at
      different stages of chloroplast functionality affect the photosynthetic
      efficiency of N. benthamiana. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the
      first evidence of a chloroplast-targeting protein encoded by a DNA virus which
      induces vein clearing and structurally and functionally damages chloroplasts in
      plants. 

PMID- 26113194
TI  - A comparison of light-harvesting performance of silicon nanocones and nanowires
      for radial-junction solar cells.
AB  - Silicon nanorod based radial-junction solar cells are competitive alternatives to
      traditional planar silicon solar cells. In various silicon nanorods, nanocone is
      always considered to be better than nanowire in light-absorption. Nevertheless,
      we find that this notion isn't absolutely correct. Silicon nanocone is indeed
      significantly superior over nanowire in light-concentration due to its continuous
      diameters, and thus resonant wavelengths excited. However, the concentrated light
      can't be effectively absorbed and converted to photogenerated carriers, since its
      propagation path in silicon nanocone is shorter than that in nanowire. The
      results provide critical clues for the design of silicon nanorod based radial
      junction solar cells. 

PMID- 26113195
TI  - Accuracy of Fetal Echocardiography in the Differential Diagnosis between Truncus
      Arteriosus and Pulmonary Atresia with Ventricular Septal Defect.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To report on the accuracy of fetal echocardiography in the
      distinction between truncus arteriosus communis (CAT) and pulmonary atresia with
      ventricular septal defect (PA-VSD) and to describe the association with
      extracardiac and chromosomal anomalies. METHODS: This was a retrospective study
      on 31 fetuses with a single arterial trunk overriding a VSD with a
      nonidentifiable right ventricle outflow tract with anterograde flow. Data on the
      type of cardiac defect, gestational age, characteristics of the arterial trunk
      valve, presence of additional vascular, chromosomal and extracardiac
      abnormalities and postnatal outcome were obtained. Misdiagnosed cases were
      reevaluated by four-dimensional spatiotemporal image correlation (4D-STIC)
      echocardiography. RESULTS: The overall diagnostic accuracy was 81% and increased
      to 93.5% with 4D-STIC. Chromosomal and extracardiac anomalies were detected in 40
      and 27%, respectively. In the PA-VSD group, patent ductus arteriosus and major
      aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs) were present in 70 and 50% of the
      cases, respectively, coexisting in 1 of 5 cases. MAPCAs were significantly
      associated with a right aortic arch and with a 22q11 microdeletion in 50% of
      cases. CONCLUSIONS: A prenatal distinction between CAT and PA-VSD can currently
      be achieved in most cases. MAPCAs should be actively searched for when PA-VSD is
      suspected, as they are associated with a higher risk of 22q11 microdeletion and
      potentially complicate postnatal treatment.

PMID- 26113196
TI  - Chronic total occlusion treated with coronary intervention by three-dimensional
      guidewire manipulation: an experimental study and clinical experience.
AB  - Three-dimensional (3D) wiring is one method for accurate guidewire control in
      chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions during manipulation of CTO-specific stiff
      guidewires. However, the construction of a mental 3D image is difficult. We
      propose the idea of image patterns to allow immediate construction of 3D images
      from the two perpendicular angles of the X-ray system detector and report a case
      of CTO treated with 3D wiring. 

PMID- 26113197
TI  - Reverse bent wiring with Crusade catheter can be a useful technique for
      penetrating an abrupt-type entry of coronary occlusion at branching ostium.
AB  - We encountered a case of chronic total in-stent occlusion which involving an
      abrupt-type entry at an obtuse marginal branching ostium. It is usually difficult
      to antegradely penetrate this kind of proximal fibrous cap. Therefore, we adopted
      a reverse bent wiring technique with a Crusade catheter and successfully
      completed all procedures. This technique is very simple but can be very effective
      in specific situations in daily percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Many
      PCI operators may empirically adopt this kind of wire manipulation technique.
      However, this kind of technique has never been officially reported to our
      knowledge. 

PMID- 26113199
TI  - Decadal-scale rates of reef erosion following El Nino-related mass coral
      mortality.
AB  - As the frequency and intensity of coral mortality events increase under climate
      change, understanding how declines in coral cover may affect the bioerosion of
      reef frameworks is of increasing importance. Here, we explore decadal-scale rates
      of bioerosion of the framework building coral Orbicella annularis by grazing
      parrotfish following the 1997/1998 El Nino-related mass mortality event at Long
      Cay, Belize. Using high-precision U-Th dating and CT scan analysis, we quantified
      in situ rates of external bioerosion over a 13-year period (1998-2011). Based
      upon the error-weighted average U-Th age of dead O. annularis skeletons, we
      estimate the average external bioerosion between 1998 and 2011 as 0.92 +/- 0.55
      cm depth. Empirical observations of herbivore foraging, and a nonlinear numerical
      response of parrotfish to an increase in food availability, were used to create a
      model of external bioerosion at Long Cay. Model estimates of external bioerosion
      were in close agreement with U-Th estimates (0.85 +/- 0.09 cm). The model was
      then used to quantify how rates of external bioerosion changed across a gradient
      of coral mortality (i.e., from few corals experiencing mortality following coral
      bleaching to complete mortality). Our results indicate that external bioerosion
      is remarkably robust to declines in coral cover, with no significant relationship
      predicted between the rate of external bioerosion and the proportion of O.
      annularis that died in the 1998 bleaching event. The outcome was robust because
      the reduction in grazing intensity that follows coral mortality was compensated
      for by a positive numerical response of parrotfish to an increase in food
      availability. Our model estimates further indicate that for an O. annularis
      dominated reef to maintain a positive state of reef accretion, a necessity for
      sustained ecosystem function, live cover of O. annularis must not drop below a ~5
      10% threshold of cover. 

PMID- 26113200
TI  - Daytime total sleep time relates to the association between acute traumatic brain
      injury and cognitive function recovery: Comment on Chiu et al. (2014).

PMID- 26113198
TI  - Serial changes of coronary endothelial function and arterial healing after
      paclitaxel-eluting stent implantation.
AB  - Several studies have shown coronary endothelial dysfunction and delayed arterial
      healing associated with first-generation drug-eluting stents. However, it remains
      unclear whether those issues persist for a longer term. We thus evaluated serial
      changes in endothelial function and intra-stent condition after paclitaxel
      eluting stents (PES) implantation. Eight patients with stable effort angina were
      assessed at 9 and over 24 months (1st and 2nd follow-up) after PES implantation.
      Endothelial function was evaluated with intracoronary infusion of acetylcholine
      (Ach). Vascular responses were quantitatively measured. Intra-stent condition was
      evaluated using angioscopy. We assessed (1) the degree of neointimal coverage
      over the stent (grade 0: no coverage to grade 3: full coverage); (2) presence of
      yellow intima inside the stent, and (3) existence of in-stent thrombus.
      Vasomotions proximal to the stent at 2nd follow-up significantly improved
      compared with 1st follow-up (p = 0.04), whereas vascular responses at the distal
      segment did not differ between 1st and 2nd follow-up (p = 0.19). From the
      angioscopic study, the average of coverage grading was comparable between the 2
      points (0.9 +/- 0.8 vs. 1.3 +/- 1.0, p = 0.20). In addition, the incidence of
      yellow intima and in-stent thrombus did not differ between 1st and 2nd follow-up
      (yellow intima; 50 vs. 37.5 %, p = 1.0, thrombus; 75 vs. 50 %, p = 0.61).
      Endothelial dysfunction and delayed healing with PES could attenuate gradually,
      but these issues may persist over 24 months in some patients.

PMID- 26113201
TI  - A Two-Phase Pathogenetic Model of Depression after Stroke.
AB  - Depression is among the major long-term complications of cerebral stroke.
      Occurring in about 30% of all stroke survivors, 'poststroke depression' (PSD) is
      known to be associated with prolonged recovery, reduced quality of life, and
      increased mortality. Research over the past 25 years has enlarged our knowledge
      about organic and psychosocial risk factors, but their interaction is still
      unclear. In this paper, we start by reviewing and discussing pathogenetic PSD
      models that were proposed in the 1980s and 1990s. Based on these earlier
      approaches and on longitudinal research published since that time, a biphasic
      model is proposed that reflects the current knowledge on the emergence of PSD.
      The model integrates premorbid, stroke-related and psychosocial risk factors
      contributing to the emergence of PSD within the first 2 years after stroke. The
      distinction between 'reactive' and 'organic' PSD has been dropped, and groups of
      well-documented predictors are recommended for future research. Finally, we will
      outline possible implications of the model for prevention and therapy. 

PMID- 26113202
TI  - Differential Proteomic Analysis of Syncytiotrophoblast Extracellular Vesicles
      from Early-Onset Severe Preeclampsia, using 8-Plex iTRAQ Labeling Coupled with 2D
      Nano LC-MS/MS.
AB  - AIMS: Previous studies have revealed that the increased shedding of
      syncytiotrophoblast extracellular vesicles (STBM) may lead to preeclampsia (PE).
      We aimed to identify the proteins carried by STBM and their potential
      pathological roles in early-onset severe PE. METHODS: In this study, we performed
      a differential proteomic analysis of STBM from early-onset severe PE patients,
      using iTRAQ isobaric tags and 2D nano LC-MS/MS. STBM were generated by the in
      vitro explant culture method, and then verified by electron microscopy and
      western blot analysis. RESULTS: A total of 18 533 unique peptides and 3 317
      proteins were identified, 3 292 proteins were quantified. We identified 194
      differentially expressed proteins in STBM from early-onset severe PE patients,
      122 proteins were up-regulated and 72 proteins were down-regulated. Further
      bioinformatics analysis revealed that mitochondrion, transmembrane transport and
      transmembrane transporter activity were the most abundant categories in gene
      ontology (GO) annotation. Glycolysis/ gluconeogenesis, citrate cycle, fatty acid
      elongation, steroid hormone biosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation were the
      five significantly represented pathways. Four differentially expressed proteins
      (siglec-6, calnexin, CD63 and S100-A8) related to inflammation, coagulation or
      immunoregulation were independently verified using western blot. CONCLUSIONS: The
      identification of key proteins carried by STBM may serve not only as a basis for
      better understanding and further exploring the etiology and pathogenesis of PE,
      but also as potential biomarkers and in providing targets for future therapy in
      PE, especially in early-onset severe PE(sPE).

PMID- 26113203
TI  - Development of a decision-making methodology to design a water quality monitoring
      network.
AB  - The number of water quality monitoring stations in the USA has decreased over the
      past few decades. Scarcity of observations can easily produce prediction
      uncertainty due to unreliable model calibration. An effective water quality
      monitoring network is important not only for model calibration and water quality
      prediction but also for resources management. Redundant or improperly located
      monitoring stations may cause increased monitoring costs without improvement to
      the understanding of water quality in watersheds. In this work, a decision-making
      methodology is proposed to design a water quality monitoring network by providing
      an adequate number of monitoring stations and their approximate locations at the
      eight-digit hydrologic unit codes (HUC8) scale. The proposed methodology is
      demonstrated for an example at the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), where
      salinity is a serious concern. The level of monitoring redundancy or scarcity is
      defined by an index, station ratio (SR), which represents a monitoring density
      based on water quality load originated within a subbasin. By comparing the number
      of stations from a selected target SR with the available number of stations
      including the actual and the potential stations, the suggested number of stations
      in each subbasin was decided. If monitoring stations are primarily located in the
      low salinity loading subbasins, the average actual SR tends to increase, and vice
      versa. Results indicate that the spatial distribution of monitoring locations in
      2011 is concentrated on low salinity loading subbasins, and therefore, additional
      monitoring is required for the high salinity loading subbasins. The proposed
      methodology shows that the SR is a simple and a practical indicator for
      monitoring density. 

PMID- 26113204
TI  - Temporal change and its spatial variety on land surface temperature and land use
      changes in the Red River Delta, Vietnam, using MODIS time-series imagery.
AB  - Temporal changes in the land surface temperature (LST) in urbanization areas are
      important for studying an urban heat island (UHI) and regional climate change.
      This study examined the LST trends under different land use categories in the Red
      River Delta, Vietnam, using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
      (MODIS) LST product (MOD11A2) and land cover type product (MCD12Q1) for 11 years
      (2002-2012). Smoothened time-series MODIS LST data were reconstructed by the
      Harmonic Analysis of Time Series (HANTS) algorithm. The reconstructed LST
      (maximum and minimum temperatures) was assessed using the hourly air temperature
      dataset in two land-based meteorological stations provided by the National
      Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Significant correlation was obtained between MODIS
      LST and the air temperature for the daytime (R (2) = 0.73, root mean square error
      [RMSE] = 1.66  degrees C) and night time (R (2) = 0.84, RMSE = 1.79  degrees C).
      Statistical analysis also showed that LST trends vary strongly depending on the
      land cover type. Forest, wetland, and cropland had a slight tendency to decline,
      whereas cropland and urban had sharper increases. In urbanized areas, these
      increasing trends are even more obvious. This is undeniable evidence of the
      negative impact of urbanization on a surface urban heat island (SUHI) and global
      warming. 

PMID- 26113205
TI  - Residual effect of pre-emergence herbicides on microbial activities in relation
      to mineralization of C, N and P in the Gangetic alluvial soil of West Bengal,
      India.
AB  - An experiment has been conducted under laboratory conditions to investigate the
      residual effect of three pre-emergence herbicides (thiobencarb, pendimethalin and
      pretilachlor) at fivefold field application rates (7.5, 10.0 and 2.5 kg a.i. ha(
      1), respectively), on the changes of microbial activities and some biochemical
      processes in the Gangetic alluvial soil of West Bengal. Application of herbicides
      in general significantly increased microbial biomass resulting in greater
      mineralization of C, N and P in soil. The highest stimulation of microbial
      biomass C was recorded with thiobencarb (24.4%) followed by pendimethalin
      (23.4%). Microbial biomass N was highly induced under pretilachlor (54.5%) and
      thiobencarb (52.7%), while the stimulation of microbial biomass P was at par in
      the herbicide-treated soils. Compared to untreated control, the highest amount of
      organic C was retained with thiobencarb followed by pendimethalin. A similar
      trend was recorded with thiobencarb for total N, while pendimethalin induced
      exchangeable NH4 (+) and soluble NO3 (-) to the highest extent (42.2 and 34.5%,
      respectively). Regarding the availability of P in soil, pretilachlor manifested
      greater stimulation (33.1%) than thiobencarb (21.6%) and pendimethalin (11.4%).
      As compared to untreated control, thiobencarb harboured maximum number of
      bacteria (107.9%), while pretilachlor exerted the highest stimulations towards
      the proliferations of actinomycetes (132.6%) and fungi (149.5%) in soil.

PMID- 26113206
TI  - [A 17-year-old female patient with lower abdominal pain for 2 years].

PMID- 26113207
TI  - Managing the safety of inhaled corticosteroids in COPD and the risk of pneumonia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are known to increase the risk of
      pneumonia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. To estimate the
      association between ICS and pneumonia among users of ICS relative to non-ICS
      users and to examine whether this risk is dose related, class related and what's
      its association with the pneumonia-mortality or overall mortality. AREAS COVERED:
      Through a comprehensive literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library,
      and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to February 2015, we identified randomized
      controlled trials of ICS therapy lasting at least 6 months. We conducted meta
      analyses to generate summary estimates comparing ICS with non-ICS treatment on
      the risk of pneumonia. EXPERT OPINION: ICS alone or in combination with long
      acting beta-agonists are associated with an increased risk of pneumonia but have
      no effect on pneumonia related mortality. It is important to identify those
      patients to benefit the most from ICS, as those with frequent exacerbations, a
      severe airway obstruction, a positive bronchodilator test or a sputum
      eosinophilia despite treatment.

PMID- 26113208
TI  - Switching STudy of Kidney TRansplant PAtients with Tremor to LCP-TacrO (STRATO):
      an open-label, multicenter, prospective phase 3b study.
AB  - Tremor is a common side effect of tacrolimus correlated with peak-dose drug
      concentration. LCPT, a novel, once-daily, extended-release formulation of
      tacrolimus, has a reduced Cmax with comparable AUC exposure, requiring a ~30%
      dose reduction vs. immediate-release tacrolimus. In this phase 3b study, kidney
      transplant recipients (KTR) on a stable dose of tacrolimus and with a reported
      clinically significant tremor were offered a switch to LCPT. Tremor pre- and
      seven d post-conversion was evaluated by independent, blinded movement disorder
      neurologists using the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin (FTM) scale and by an accelerometry
      device; patients completed the QUEST (quality of life in essential tremor) and
      the Patient Global Impression of Change. There were 38 patients in the mITT
      population. A statistically and clinically significant improvement in tremor (FTM
      score, amplitude as measured by the accelerometry device and QOL [p-values <
      0.05]) resulted post-conversion. Change in QUEST was significantly (p = 0.006)
      correlated (R = 0.44) with change in FTM; 78.9% of patients reported an
      improvement after switching to LCPT (p < 0.0005). To our knowledge this is the
      first trial in KTR that utilizes a sophisticated and reproducible measurement of
      tremor. Results suggest LCPT is associated with clinically meaningful improvement
      of hand tremor and may be an alternative management approach in lieu of further
      dose reduction of immediate-release tacrolimus for patients experiencing tremor.

PMID- 26113209
TI  - Glia-neuron interactions in the mammalian retina.
AB  - The mammalian retina provides an excellent opportunity to study glia-neuron
      interactions and the interactions of glia with blood vessels. Three main types of
      glial cells are found in the mammalian retina that serve to maintain retinal
      homeostasis: astrocytes, Muller cells and resident microglia. Muller cells,
      astrocytes and microglia not only provide structural support but they are also
      involved in metabolism, the phagocytosis of neuronal debris, the release of
      certain transmitters and trophic factors and K(+) uptake. Astrocytes are mostly
      located in the nerve fibre layer and they accompany the blood vessels in the
      inner nuclear layer. Indeed, like Muller cells, astrocytic processes cover the
      blood vessels forming the retinal blood barrier and they fulfil a significant
      role in ion homeostasis. Among other activities, microglia can be stimulated to
      fulfil a macrophage function, as well as to interact with other glial cells and
      neurons by secreting growth factors. This review summarizes the main functional
      relationships between retinal glial cells and neurons, presenting a general
      picture of the retina recently modified based on experimental observations. The
      preferential involvement of the distinct glia cells in terms of the activity in
      the retina is discussed, for example, while Muller cells may serve as progenitors
      of retinal neurons, astrocytes and microglia are responsible for synaptic
      pruning. Since different types of glia participate together in certain activities
      in the retina, it is imperative to explore the order of redundancy and to explore
      the heterogeneity among these cells. Recent studies revealed the association of
      glia cell heterogeneity with specific functions. Finally, the neuroprotective
      effects of glia on photoreceptors and ganglion cells under normal and adverse
      conditions will also be explored. 

PMID- 26113210
TI  - Evidence for an enduring ischaemic penumbra following central retinal artery
      occlusion, with implications for fibrinolytic therapy.
AB  - The rationale behind hyperacute fibrinolytic therapy for cerebral and retinal
      arterial occlusion is to rescue ischaemic cells from irreversible damage through
      timely restitution of tissue perfusion. In cerebral stroke, an anoxic tissue
      compartment (the "infarct core") is surrounded by a hypoxic compartment (the
      "ischaemic penumbra"). The latter comprises electrically-silent neurons that
      undergo delayed apoptotic cell death within 1-6 h unless salvaged by arterial
      recanalisation. Establishment of an equivalent hypoxic compartment within the
      inner retina following central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) isn't widely
      acknowledged. During experimental CRAO, electroretinography reveals 3 oxygenation
      based tissue compartments (anoxic, hypoxic and normoxic) that contribute 32%, 27%
      and 41% respectively to the pre-occlusion b-wave amplitude. Thus, once the anoxia
      survival time (~2 h) expires, the contribution from the infarcted posterior
      retina is irreversibly extinguished, but electrical activity continues in the
      normoxic periphery. Inbetween these compartments, an annular hypoxic zone (the
      "penumbra obscura") endures in a structurally-intact but functionally-impaired
      state until retinal reperfusion allows rapid recovery from electrical silence.
      Clinically, residual circulation of sufficient volume flow rate generates the
      heterogeneous fundus picture of "partial" CRAO. Persistent retinal venous
      hypoxaemia signifies maximal extraction of oxygen by an enduring "polar penumbra"
      that permeates or largely replaces the infarct core. On retinal reperfusion some
      days later, the retinal venous oxygen saturation reverts to normal and vision
      improves. Thus, penumbral inner retina, marginally oxygenated by the choroid or
      by residual circulation, isn't at risk of delayed apoptotic infarction (unlike
      hypoxic cerebral cortex). Emergency fibrinolytic intervention is inappropriate,
      therefore, once the duration of CRAO exceeds 2 h.

PMID- 26113212
TI  - Pharmacological approaches to retinitis pigmentosa: A laboratory perspective.
AB  - Retinal photoreceptors are highly specialized and performing neurons. Their
      cellular architecture is exquisitely designed to host a high concentration of
      molecules involved in light capture, phototransduction, electric and chemical
      signaling, membrane and molecular turnover, light and dark adaption, network
      activities etc. Such high efficiency and molecular complexity require a great
      metabolic demand, altogether conferring to photoreceptors particular
      susceptibility to external and internal insults, whose occurrence usually
      precipitate into degeneration of these cells and blindness. In Retinitis
      Pigmentosa, an impressive number of mutations in genes expressed in the retina
      and coding for a large varieties of proteins leads to the progressive death of
      photoreceptors and blindness. Recent advances in molecular tools have greatly
      facilitated the identification of the underlying genetics and molecular bases of
      RP leading to the successful implementation of gene therapy for some types of
      mutations, with visual restoration in human patients. Yet, genetic heterogeneity
      of RP makes mutation-independent approaches highly desirable, although many
      obstacles pave the way to general strategies for treating this complex disease,
      which remains orphan. The review will focus on treatments for RP based on
      pharmacological tools, choosing, among the many ongoing studies, approaches which
      rely on strong experimental evidence or rationale. For perspective treatments,
      new concepts are foreseen to emerge from basic studies elucidating the pathways
      connecting the primary mutations to photoreceptor death, possibly revealing
      common molecular targets for drug intervention. 

PMID- 26113213
TI  - Stem cell based therapies for age-related macular degeneration: The promises and
      the challenges.
AB  - Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among
      the elderly in developed countries. AMD is classified as either neovascular (NV
      AMD) or non-neovascular (NNV-AMD). Cumulative damage to the retinal pigment
      epithelium, Bruch's membrane, and choriocapillaris leads to dysfunction and loss
      of RPE cells. This causes degeneration of the overlying photoreceptors and
      consequential vision loss in advanced NNV-AMD (Geographic Atrophy). In NV-AMD,
      abnormal growth of capillaries under the retina and RPE, which leads to
      hemorrhage and fluid leakage, is the main cause of photoreceptor damage. Although
      a number of drugs (e.g., anti-VEGF) are in use for NV-AMD, there is currently no
      treatment for advanced NNV-AMD. However, replacing dead or dysfunctional RPE with
      healthy RPE has been shown to rescue dying photoreceptors and improve vision in
      animal models of retinal degeneration and possibly in AMD patients.
      Differentiation of RPE from human embryonic stem cells (hESC-RPE) and from
      induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-RPE) has created a potentially unlimited
      source for replacing dead or dying RPE. Such cells have been shown to incorporate
      into the degenerating retina and result in anatomic and functional improvement.
      However, major ethical, regulatory, safety, and technical challenges have yet to
      be overcome before stem cell-based therapies can be used in standard treatments.
      This review outlines the current knowledge surrounding the application of hESC
      RPE and iPSC-RPE in AMD. Following an introduction on the pathogenesis and
      available treatments of AMD, methods to generate stem cell-derived RPE, immune
      reaction against such cells, and approaches to deliver desired cells into the eye
      will be explored along with broader issues of efficacy and safety. Lastly,
      strategies to improve these stem cell-based treatments will be discussed. 

PMID- 26113211
TI  - Molecular pathogenesis of retinal and choroidal vascular diseases.
AB  - There are two major types of ocular neovascularization that affect the retina,
      retinal neovascularization (NV) and subretinal or choroidal NV. Retinal NV occurs
      in a group of diseases referred to as ischemic retinopathies in which damage to
      retinal vessels results in retinal ischemia. Most prevalent of these are diabetic
      retinopathy and retinal vein occlusions. Subretinal and choroidal NV occur in
      diseases of the outer retina and Bruch's membrane, the most prevalent of which is
      age-related macular degeneration. Numerous studies in mouse models have helped to
      elucidate the molecular pathogenesis underlying retinal, subretinal, and
      choroidal NV. There is considerable overlap because the precipitating event in
      each is stabilization of hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) which leads to
      upregulation of several hypoxia-regulated gene products, including vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiopoietin 2, vascular endothelial-protein
      tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP), and several others. Stimulation of VEGF signaling
      and suppression of Tie2 by angiopoietin 2 and VE-PTP are critical for sprouting
      of retinal, subretinal, and choroidal NV, with perturbation of Bruch's membrane
      also needed for the latter. Additional HIF-1-regulated gene products cause
      further stimulation of the NV. It is difficult to model macular edema in animals
      and therefore proof-of-concept clinical trials were done and demonstrated that
      VEGF plays a central role and that suppression of Tie2 is also important.
      Neutralization of VEGF is currently the first line therapy for all of the above
      disease processes, but new treatments directed at some of the other molecular
      targets, particularly stabilization of Tie2, are likely to provide additional
      benefit for subretinal/choroidal NV and macular edema. In addition, the
      chronicity of these diseases as well as the implication of VEGF as a cause of
      retinal nonperfusion and progression of background diabetic retinopathy make
      sustained delivery approaches for VEGF antagonists a priority. 

PMID- 26113215
TI  - Recombinant expression of four oxidoreductases in Phanerochaete chrysosporium
      improves degradation of phenolic and non-phenolic substrates.
AB  - Phanerochaete chrysosporium belongs to a group of lignin-degrading fungi that
      secretes various oxidoreductive enzymes, including lignin peroxidase (LiP) and
      manganese peroxidase (MnP). Previously, we demonstrated that the heterologous
      expression of a versatile peroxidase (VP) in P. chrysosporium recombinant strains
      is possible. However, the production of laccases (Lac) in this fungus has not
      been completely demonstrated and remains controversial. In order to investigate
      if the co-expression of Lac and VP in P. chrysosporium would improve the
      degradation of phenolic and non-phenolic substrates, we tested the constitutive
      co-expression of the lacIIIb gene from Trametes versicolor and the vpl2 gene from
      Pleurotus eryngii, and also the endogenous genes mnp1 and lipH8 by shock wave
      mediated transformation. The co-overexpression of peroxidases and laccases was
      improved up to five-fold as compared with wild type species. Transformant strains
      showed a broad spectrum in phenolic/non-phenolic biotransformation and a high
      percentage in synthetic dye decolorization in comparison with the parental
      strain. Our results show that the four enzymes can be constitutively expressed in
      a single transformant of P. chrysosporium in minimal medium. These data offer new
      possibilities for an easy and efficient co-expression of laccases and peroxidases
      in suitable basidiomycete species. 

PMID- 26113214
TI  - Antioxidant activity of some Moroccan marine microalgae: Pufa profiles,
      carotenoids and phenolic content.
AB  - In order to promote Moroccan natural resources, this study aims to evaluate the
      potential of microalgae isolated from Moroccan coastlines, as new source of
      natural antioxidants. Different extracts (ethanolic, ethanol/water and aqueous)
      obtained from 9 microalgae strains were screened for their in vitro antioxidant
      activity using DPPH free radical-scavenging assay. The highest antioxidant
      potentials were obtained in Dunalliela sp., Tetraselmis sp. and Nannochloropsis
      gaditana extracts. The obtained results indicate that ethanol extract of all
      microalgae strains exhibit higher antioxidant activity, when compared to water
      and ethanol/water extracts. Therefore, total phenolic and carotenoid content
      measurement were performed in active ethanol extracts. The PUFA profiles of
      ethanol extracts were also determined by GC/MS analysis. The studied microalgae
      strains displayed high PUFA content ranging from 12.9 to 76.9 %, total
      carotenoids content varied from 1.9 and 10.8mg/g of extract and total polyphenol
      content varied from 8.1 to 32.0mg Gallic acid Equivalent/g of extract weight. The
      correlation between the antioxidant capacities and the phenolic content and the
      carotenoids content were found to be insignificant, indicating that these
      compounds might not be major contributor to the antioxidant activity of these
      microalgae. The microalgae extracts exerting the high antioxidant activity are
      potential new source of natural antioxidants. 

PMID- 26113216
TI  - Engineering substrate specificity of succinic semialdehyde reductase (AKR7A5) for
      efficient conversion of levulinic acid to 4-hydroxyvaleric acid.
AB  - Engineering enzyme substrate specificity is a promising approach that can expand
      the applicability of enzymes for the biocatalytic production of industrial
      chemicals and fuels. In this study, succinic semialdehyde reductase (AKR7A5) was
      engineered for the conversion of levulinic acid to 4-hydroxyvaleric acid.
      Levulinic acid is a derivative of cellulosic biomass, and 4-hydroxyvaleric acid
      is a potential precursor to bio-polymers and fuels. Therefore, the enzymatic
      conversion of levulinic acid to 4-hydroxyvaleric acid is of special significance
      in that this conversion could provide a meaningful basis for the bio-production
      of useful chemicals from cellulosic biomass. In engineering the substrate
      specificity of the AKR7A5, a rational design approach with the aid of enzyme
      substrate interatomic contact analysis was applied. The Met13 residue was
      selected as a key mutation site, and substitutions of the residue with six
      hydrophobic amino acids were applied. As a result, four mutants with enhanced
      catalytic activity toward levulinic acid were obtained, and the most improved
      mutant, Met13Trp, exhibited a 7.0-fold increase in catalytic efficiency.
      Additionally, the structural effects of the positive mutations were investigated
      to analyze the structural basis for the enzyme substrate specificity with the
      target substrate. 

PMID- 26113217
TI  - A Novel Approach for Overcoming Drug Resistance in Breast Cancer Chemotherapy by
      Targeting new Synthetic Curcumin Analogues Against Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1
      (ALDH1A1) and Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 beta (GSK-3beta).
AB  - Breast cancer stem cells are well known to resist the traditional methods like
      chemo and radio therapy. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDHIA1) and glycogen synthase
      kinase-3 beta (GSK-3beta) are the two selected proteins for study, due to their
      overexpression and upregulation in breast cancer cells. Curcumin, the yellow
      pigment of the spice turmeric, is widely reported as an antioxidant and acts as a
      synergist along with traditional drugs. Under hypoxic conditions, it gets
      converted to free radical which causes apoptosis. Three naturally occurring
      curcuminoids, i.e. curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin along
      with five derivatives/analogues of curcumin, viz. 4,4'-di-O-(carboxy-methyl)
      curcumin, 4-O-(2-hydroxyethyl)curcumin, 4,4'-di-O-allyl-curcumin, 4,4'-di-O
      (acetyl)-curcumin, and 3,3'-bisdemethylcurcumin were synthesized and evaluated
      for their anti-breast cancer potential by docking simulation and assessment of
      their antioxidant character, studied via 2, 2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6
      sulfonic acid) (ABTS(.+)) radical cation scavenging assay, 2,2-diphenyl-1
      picrylhydrazyl (DPPH.) radical, and ferric reducing ability potential (FRAP)
      assay. A co-relation between structure and activity of curcuminoids/its analogues
      and derivatives has been worked out.

PMID- 26113218
TI  - Electrospun Polycaprolactone Membrane Incorporated with Biosynthesized Silver
      Nanoparticles as Effective Wound Dressing Material.
AB  - Biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) incorporated polycaprolactone (PCL)
      nanomembrane was prepared by electrospinning as a cost-effective nanocomposite
      for application as an antimicrobial agent against wound infection. The
      nanocomposite membrane was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)
      spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Scanning Electron microscopy
      (SEM). The hydrophilicity analysis of electrospun membranes as evaluated by water
      contact angle measurement showed the change of hydrophobicity of PCL to
      hydrophilic upon incorporation of silver nanoparticles. Better mechanical
      properties were also observed for PCL membrane due to the incorporation of silver
      nanoparticles and are highly supportive to explore its biomedical applications.
      Further antibacterial analysis of silver nanoparticle-incorporated PCL membrane
      against common wound pathogens coagulase-negative Staphylococcus epidermidis and
      Staphylococcus haemolyticus showed remarkable activity. As biosynthesized AgNPs
      are least explored for clinical applications, the current study is a promising
      cost-effective method to explore the development of silver nanoparticle-based
      electrospun nanocomposite to resist wound-associated infection. 

PMID- 26113219
TI  - Industrial Production of 2,3-Butanediol from the Engineered Corynebacterium
      glutamicum.
AB  - The platform chemical 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO) is a valuable product that can be
      converted into several petroleum-based chemicals via simple chemical reactions.
      Here, we produced 2,3-BDO with the non-pathogenic and rapidly growing
      Corynebacterium glutamicum. To enhance the 2,3-BDO production capacity of C.
      glutamicum, we introduced budA encoding acetolactate decarboxylase from
      Klebsiella pneumoniae, a powerful 2,3-BDO producer. Additionally, budB (encoding
      alpha-acetolactate synthase) and budC (encoding acetoin reductase) were
      introduced from K. pneumoniae to reinforce the carbon flux in the 2,3-BDO
      production. Because budC had a negative effect on 2,3-BDO production in C.
      glutamicum, the budB and budA introduced strain, SGSC102, was selected for 2,3
      BDO production, and batch culture was performed at 30  degrees C, 250 rpm and pH
      6.86 with pure glucose, molasses, and cassava powder as carbon substrates. After
      batch culture, significant amount of 2,3-BDO (18.9 and 12.0 g/L, respectively)
      was produced from 80 g/L of pure glucose and cassava powder. 

PMID- 26113220
TI  - Social network analysis of mating patterns in American black bears (Ursus
      americanus).
AB  - Nonrandom mating can structure populations and has important implications for
      population-level processes. Investigating how and why mating deviates from random
      is important for understanding evolutionary processes as well as informing
      conservation and management. Prior to the implementation of parentage analyses,
      understanding mating patterns in solitary, elusive species like bears was
      virtually impossible. Here, we capitalize on a long-term genetic data set
      collected from black bears (Ursus americanus) (N = 2422) in the Northern Lower
      Peninsula (NLP) of Michigan, USA. We identified mated pairs using parentage
      analysis and applied logistic regression (selection) models that controlled for
      features of the social network, to quantify the effects of individual
      characteristics, and spatial and population demographic factors on mating
      dynamics. Logistic regression models revealed that black bear mating was
      associated with spatial proximity of mates, male age, the time a pair had
      coexisted, local population density and relatedness. Mated pairs were more likely
      to contain older males. On average, bears tended to mate with nearby individuals
      to whom they were related, which does not support the existence of kin
      recognition in black bears. Pairwise relatedness was especially high for mated
      pairs containing young males. Restricted dispersal and high male turnover from
      intensive harvest mortality of NLP black bears are probably the underlying
      factors associated with younger male bears mating more often with female
      relatives. Our findings illustrate how harvest has the potential to disrupt the
      social structure of game species, which warrants further attention for
      conservation and management. 

PMID- 26113221
TI  - Towards Single Biomolecule Imaging via Optical Nanoscale Magnetic Resonance
      Imaging.
AB  - Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a physical marvel in which
      electromagnetic radiation is charged and discharged by nuclei in a magnetic
      field. In conventional NMR, the specific nuclei resonance frequency depends on
      the strength of the magnetic field and the magnetic properties of the isotope of
      the atoms. NMR is routinely utilized in clinical tests by converting nuclear
      spectroscopy in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and providing 3D, noninvasive
      biological imaging. While this technique has revolutionized biomedical science,
      measuring the magnetic resonance spectrum of single biomolecules is still an
      intangible aspiration, due to MRI resolution being limited to tens of
      micrometers. MRI and NMR have, however, recently greatly advanced, with many
      breakthroughs in nano-NMR and nano-MRI spurred by using spin sensors based on an
      atomic impurities in diamond. These techniques rely on magnetic dipole-dipole
      interactions rather than inductive detection. Here, novel nano-MRI methods based
      on nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond are highlighted, that provide a solution
      to the imaging of single biomolecules with nanoscale resolution in-vivo and in
      ambient conditions. 

PMID- 26113222
TI  - Usefulness of the Exhaled Breath Temperature Plateau in Asthma Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exhaled breath temperature (EBT) has recently been proposed as a
      noninvasive marker of bronchial inflammation in patients with asthma. However,
      the usefulness of EBT in everyday clinical practice is not well established.
      Results to date are contradictory and are mainly derived from small, pediatric
      populations. A comparison of results is further complicated by the use of
      different equipment and measurements. OBJECTIVE: We performed a comprehensive
      study to determine whether EBT is related to asthma control, disease severity,
      bronchial obstruction, or bronchial inflammation. METHODS: Sixty-nine patients on
      maintenance treatment for asthma were included in a cross-sectional study. At the
      same visit, we measured the EBT plateau (EBTp) using an X-halo Breath Thermometer
      (Delmedica, Singapore), the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), spirometry,
      and inflammatory cell count in induced sputum, and we administered the Asthma
      Control Test questionnaire. RESULTS: No significant differences were found
      between EBTp measurements and the level of asthma control, disease severity,
      bronchial obstruction, FeNO levels, or inflammatory asthma phenotypes. We found a
      significant difference between EBTp and gender. The EBTp was 34.07 degrees C (SD
      0.74) in women and 34.38 degrees C (0.46) in men (p = 0.038). We also found a
      significant correlation between EBTp measurements and the induced sputum
      eosinophil count (R = -0.348, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study
      do not support the usefulness of the EBTp in asthma management in routine
      clinical practice. Further research using standardized methods is needed to
      determine the potential use of the EBTp measurement in asthma management.

PMID- 26113223
TI  - Outcomes of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy without Radiation for Rectal Cancer.
AB  - AIM: The efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy without radiation (NAC) in the
      treatment of rectal cancer remains unclear. This retrospective study was aimed at
      determining the pathological complete response rate and short-term outcomes of
      NAC in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We
      collected data on 159 consecutive patients treated for rectal cancer (cT3/cT4a,
      cN+, and cM0 status) at five tertiary referral hospitals between 2005 and 2010.
      Pathological complete response (pCR) and safety were assessed as the main
      outcomes in 124 eligible patients comprising 15 who received NAC (NAC group) and
      109 who received no neoadjuvant chemotherapy (non-NAC group). RESULTS: In the NAC
      group, 2 patients (13.3%) achieved a pCR (95% confidence interval: 1.7-40.5%) and
      3 patients (20%) experienced grade 3/4 adverse events. No significant differences
      were found between the NAC and non-NAC groups in terms of short-term outcomes,
      including R0 proportion (100 vs. 96.3%, p = 0.45) and postoperative grade 3/4
      complications (13.3 vs. 18.4%, p = 0.63). CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant systemic
      chemotherapy without radiation appears to be safe, without worsening short-term
      outcomes, in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. A further study is
      needed to verify these findings in larger samples.

PMID- 26113224
TI  - Grey scale texture analysis of endobronchial ultrasound mini probe images for
      prediction of benign or malignant aetiology.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Expert analysis of endobronchial ultrasound mini probe
      (EBUS-MP) images has established subjective criteria for discriminating benign
      and malignant disease. Minimal data are available for objective analysis of these
      images. The aim of this study was to determine if greyscale texture analysis
      could differentiate between benign and malignant lung lesions. METHODS: Digital
      EBUS-MP images with a gain setting of 10/19 and contrast setting of 4/8 from 2007
      until 2012 inclusive were included. These images had an expert-defined region of
      interest (ROI) mapped. ROI were analysed for the following greyscale texture
      features: mean pixel value, difference between maximum and minimum pixel value,
      standard deviation of the mean pixel value, entropy, correlation, energy and
      homogeneity. Significant greyscale texture features differentiating benign from
      malignant disease were used by two physicians to assess a validation set.
      RESULTS: A total of 167 images were available. The first 85 lesions were used in
      the prediction set. Benign lesions had larger differences between maximum and
      minimum pixel values, larger standard deviations of the mean pixel values and
      higher entropy than malignant lesions (P < 0.0001 for all values). A total of 82
      peripheral lesions were in the validation set. Physician 1 correctly classified
      63/82 (76.8%) with a negative predictive value (NPV) for malignancy of 82% and
      positive predictive value (PPV) of 75%. Physician 2 correctly classified 62/82
      (75.6%) with a NPV of 100% and PPV of 71.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Greyscale texture
      analysis of EBUS-MP images can help establish aetiology with a high NPV for
      malignancy.

PMID- 26113225
TI  - Doppler of the middle cerebral artery for the assessment of fetal well-being.

PMID- 26113226
TI  - Helping providers interpret cell-free fetal DNA testing.

PMID- 26113227
TI  - The importance of the cerebroplacental ratio in the evaluation of fetal well
      being in SGA and AGA fetuses.
AB  - The cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) is emerging as an important predictor of adverse
      pregnancy outcome, and this has implications for the assessment of fetal well
      being in fetuses diagnosed as small for gestational age (SGA) and those
      appropriate for gestational age close to term. Interest in this assessment tool
      has been rekindled because of recent reports associating an abnormal ratio with
      adverse perinatal events and associated postnatal neurological outcome. Fetuses
      with an abnormal CPR that are appropriate for gestational age or have late-onset
      SGA (>34 weeks of gestation) have a higher incidence of fetal distress in labor
      requiring emergency cesarean delivery, a lower cord pH, and an increased
      admission rate to the newborn intensive care unit when compared with fetuses with
      a normal CPR. Fetuses with early-onset SGA (<34 weeks of gestation) with an
      abnormal CPR have a higher incidence of the following when compared with fetuses
      with a normal CPR: (1) lower gestational age at birth, (2) lower mean
      birthweight, (3) lower birthweight centile, (4) birthweight less than the 10th
      centile, (5) higher rate of cesarean delivery for fetal distress in labor, (6)
      higher rate of Apgar scores less than 7 at 5 minutes, (7) an increased rate of
      neonatal acidosis, (8) an increased rate of newborn intensive care unit
      admissions, (9) higher rate of adverse neonatal outcome, and (10) a greater
      incidence of perinatal death. The CPR is also an earlier predictor of adverse
      outcome than the biophysical profile, umbilical artery, or middle cerebral
      artery. In conclusion, the CPR should be considered as an assessment tool in
      fetuses undergoing third-trimester ultrasound examination, irrespective of the
      findings of the individual umbilical artery and middle cerebral artery
      measurements. A CPR calculator is available at
      http://www.ajog.org/pb/assets/raw/Health%20Advance/journals/ymob/CPR/index.htm.

PMID- 26113228
TI  - Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization in HIV
      infected patients in Barcelona, Spain: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colonization by community-associated methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has been found to be markedly more common in HIV
      infected individuals in the USA. Studies evaluating the prevalence MRSA
      colonization in HIV-infected populations in Europe are scarce. The aim of this
      study was to investigate the prevalence of MRSA colonization in a cohort of HIV
      infected patients in Barcelona, Spain. METHODS: Nasal and pharyngeal S. aureus
      carriage was assessed in a random sample of 190 patients from an outpatient HIV
      clinic. Nasal and pharyngeal swab specimens were obtained for staphylococcal
      culture from 190 and 110 patients respectively. All MRSA isolates were screened
      for Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes by PCR. Molecular characterization of
      MRSA isolates was performed by multilocus sequence typing. Data related to HIV
      infection, healthcare exposure, and previously described risk factors for MRSA
      were collected from medical records and a questionnaire administered to each
      patient. RESULTS: The patients' characteristics were as follows: male, 83 %;
      median (IQR) age, 45 (39-49) years; intravenous drug users, 39 %; men who have
      sex with men, 32 %; heterosexual, 26 %; CD4 count, 528/MUL (IQR 351-740); on
      antiretroviral therapy, 96 %; and undetectable plasma viral load, 80 %. Sixty
      five patients (34 %) were colonized by S. aureus. MRSA colonization was found in
      1 % and 2 % of nasal and pharyngeal samples respectively. No PVL positive MRSA
      strains were detected and all the MRSA isolates belonged to typical hospital
      acquired clones. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that CA-MRSA colonization is not
      currently a problem in HIV-infected individuals in our area.

PMID- 26113230
TI  - Skin protection behaviour and sex differences in melanoma location in patients
      with multiple primary melanomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have shown that sunscreen usage, sun
      protection measures and self-examination rates in patients with single primary
      melanomas (SPM) are similar to that in the general population. This study
      hypothesises that these rates would be different in a population with multiple
      primary melanomas (MPM). We further hypothesise that there would be a sex
      difference in melanoma location in patients with MPM. The objectives of this
      study were to determine skin protection measures, self-examinations and melanoma
      location in a cohort of patients with MPM. METHODS: A survey was conducted on 137
      patients with MPM examining their sun-protection measures, skin self-examination
      rates and medical and phenotypic characteristics. These data were combined with a
      review of their medical records to examine the patients' skin cancer history.
      RESULTS: Patients with MPM had higher rates of skin self-evaluation (74% vs 22%),
      sunscreen usage (70% vs 45%) and other sun-protection measures (95% vs 46%) than
      has been published for patients with a history of a SPM. We have also shown that
      women have a higher risk of developing melanomas on their arms (p < 0.01) and
      lower legs (p < 0.05) than men. CONCLUSIONS: This report showed the rates of skin
      self-examination, sunscreen usage and other sun-protection methods in patients
      with MPM is higher than in studies of patients with SPM. It also highlighted sex
      differences in terms of melanoma location for patients with MPM. Further studies
      to examine the cause of the differences in these forms of protective behaviour
      could help improve the utilisation of these important preventative measures in
      all patients.

PMID- 26113229
TI  - Cutaneous exposure to agglomerates of silica nanoparticles and allergen results
      in IgE-biased immune response and increased sensitivity to anaphylaxis in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The skin is a key route of human exposure to nanomaterials, which
      typically occurs simultaneously with exposure to other chemical and environmental
      allergen. However, little is known about the hazards of nanomaterial exposure via
      the skin, particularly when accompanied by exposure to other substances. RESULTS:
      Repeated topical treatment of both ears and the shaved upper back of NC/Nga mice,
      which are models for human atopic dermatitis (AD), with a mixture of mite extract
      and silica nanoparticles induced AD-like skin lesions. Measurements of ear
      thickness and histologic analyses revealed that cutaneous exposure to silica
      nanoparticles did not aggravate AD-like skin lesions. Instead, concurrent
      cutaneous exposure to mite allergens and silica nanoparticles resulted in the low
      level production of allergen-specific IgGs, including both the Th2-related IgG1
      and Th1-related IgG2a subtypes, with few changes in allergen-specific IgE
      concentrations and in Th1 and Th2 immune responses. In addition, these changes in
      immune responses increased the sensitivity to anaphylaxis. Low-level IgG
      production was induced when the mice were exposed to allergen-silica nanoparticle
      agglomerates but not when the mice exposed to nanoparticles applied separately
      from the allergen or to well-dispersed nanoparticles. CONCLUSIONS: Our data
      suggest that silica nanoparticles themselves do not directly affect the allergen
      specific immune response after concurrent topical application of nanoparticles
      and allergen. However, when present in allergen-adsorbed agglomerates, silica
      nanoparticles led to a low IgG/IgE ratio, a key risk factor of human atopic
      allergies. We suggest that minimizing interactions between nanomaterials and
      allergens will increase the safety of nanomaterials applied to skin.

PMID- 26113231
TI  - Pigment-dispersing factor signaling in the circadian system of Caenorhabditis
      elegans.
AB  - The neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) is important for the generation
      and entrainment of circadian rhythms in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster.
      Recently two pdf homologs, pdf-1 and pdf-2, and a PDF receptor, pdfr-1, have been
      found in Caenorhabditis elegans and have been implicated in locomotor activity.
      In this work, we have studied the role of the PDF neuropeptide in the circadian
      system of C. elegans and found that both pdf-1 and pdf-2 mutants affect the
      normal locomotor activity outputs. In particular, loss of pdf-1 induced circadian
      arrhythmicity under both light-dark (LD) and constant dark (DD) conditions. These
      defects can be rescued by a genomic copy of the pdf-1 locus. Our results indicate
      that PDF-1 is involved in rhythm generation and in the synchronization to LD
      cycles, as rhythmic patterns of activity rapidly disappear when pdf-1 mutants are
      recorded under both entrained and free-running conditions. The role of PDF-2 and
      the PDF receptors is probably more complex and involves the interaction between
      the two pdf paralogues found in the nematode. 

PMID- 26113232
TI  - Oral nifedipine versus intravenous labetalol for severe hypertension during
      pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral nifedipine is recommended along with labetalol and hydralazine
      for treatment of severe hypertension during pregnancy by most authorities.
      Although nifedipine is cheap and easily administered, the usage pattern among
      health care providers suggests a strong preference for labetalol despite lack of
      evidence for the same. OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy and safety of oral
      nifedipine for treatment of severe hypertension of pregnancy compared with
      intravenous labetalol. SEARCH STRATEGY: We systematically searched for articles
      comparing oral nifedipine with intravenous labetalol for the treatment of severe
      hypertension during pregnancy in any language, over Medline, Cochrane Central
      Register of Clinical Trials and Google Scholar from inception till February 2014.
      SELECTION CRITERIA: We included all RCTs that compared intravenous labetalol with
      oral nifedipine for treatment of severe hypertension during pregnancy, addressing
      relevant efficacy and safety outcomes. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Eligible
      studies were reviewed, and data were extracted onto a standard form. We used
      Cochrane review manager software for quantitative analysis. Data were analysed
      using a fixed effect model. MAIN RESULTS: The pooled analysis of seven trials
      (four from developing countries) consisting of 363 woman-infant pairs showed that
      oral nifedipine was associated with less risk of persistent hypertension (RR
      0.42, 95% CI 0.18-0.96) and reported maternal side effects (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.35
      0.94). However, on sensitivity analysis the outcome 'persistent hypertension' was
      no longer significant. Other outcomes did not reach statistical significance.
      CONCLUSION: Oral nifedipine is as efficacious and safe as intravenous labetalol
      and may have an edge in low resource settings. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Although
      studies to date are few in number and small, nifedipine shows promise for severe
      hypertension in pregnancy.

PMID- 26113233
TI  - Multilayered Thin Films from Boronic Acid-Functional Poly(amido amine)s As Drug
      Releasing Surfaces.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the potential of poly(amido amine)-based multilayered thin
      films in surface mediated drug release. METHODS: Multilayered thin films were
      prepared from copolymers of phenylboronic acid-functional poly(amido amine)s and
      chondroitin sulfate (ChS) in the presence of Alizarin Red S (ARS) as a reporter
      molecule. Multilayer buildup and ARS incorporation were evaluated with UV-vis
      spectroscopy. Glucose responsiveness of the multilayers was investigated.
      Finally, cellular uptake of ARS by COS-7 cells grown on the films was assessed.
      RESULTS: Multilayers based on alcohol containing polymers (ABOL-BA-PAA#ChS + ARS)
      displayed higher ARS incorporation than multilayers based on amine-containing
      polymers (DAB-BA-PAA#ChS + ARS). At physiological pH, a swift initial release of
      up to ~40% of the ARS content was observed during the first 12 h of incubation,
      followed by a much slower, gradual release of ARS. The multilayers were further
      evaluated by culturing COS-7 cells on top of multilayer-coated well plates.
      Cellular uptake of the fluorescent ARS-boronate ester was quantified through flow
      cytometry, and a maximum uptake of up to 30% was observed. Confocal microscopy
      confirmed the presence of ARS-boronate ester-containing particles in the nuclei
      of cells. CONCLUSIONS: The investigated multilayered thin films are effective in
      surface-mediated delivery of the model compound ARS. These multilayered surfaces
      are promising as drug-releasing delivery surface for coating stents, prostheses,
      and other implants.

PMID- 26113235
TI  - Potent Functional Immunogenicity of Plasmodium falciparum Transmission-Blocking
      Antigen (Pfs25) Delivered with Nanoemulsion and Porous Polymeric Nanoparticles.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate functional immunogenicity of CHrPfs25. a malaria
      transmission blocking vaccine antigen, using nanoemulsion and porous polymeric
      PLGA nanoparticles. METHODS: CHrPfs25 was formulated with nanoemulsions (NE) and
      poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles (PLGA-NP) and evaluated via IM route
      in mice. Transmission blocking efficacy of antibodies was evaluated by standard
      mosquito membrane feeding assay using purified IgG from immune sera.
      Physicochemical properties and stability of various formulations were evaluated
      by measuring poly-dispersity index, particle size and zeta potential. RESULTS:
      Mice immunized with CHrPfs25 using alum via IP and IM routes induced comparable
      immune responses. The highest antibody response was obtained with CHrPfs25
      formulated in 4% NE as compared to 8% NE and PLGA-NP. No further increases were
      observed by combining NE with MPL-A and chitosan. One hundred percent
      transmission blocking activity was demonstrated at 400 MUg/ml of IgG for alum
      groups (both routes IP and IM), 4% NE and NE-MPL-A. Purified IgG from various
      adjuvant groups at lower doses (100 MUg/mL) still exhibited >90% transmission
      blocking activity, while 52-81% blocking was seen at 50 MUg/mL. CONCLUSION:
      Results suggest that CHrPfs25 delivered in various adjuvants/nanoparticles
      elicited strong functional immunogenicity in pre-clinical studies in mice. We are
      now continuing these studies to develop effective vaccine formulations for
      further evaluation of immune correlates of relative immunogenicity of CHrPfs25 in
      various adjuvants and clinical trials.

PMID- 26113236
TI  - Intranasal H102 Peptide-Loaded Liposomes for Brain Delivery to Treat Alzheimer's
      Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: H102, a novel beta-sheet breaker peptide, was encapsulated into
      liposomes to reduce its degradation and increase its brain penetration through
      intranasal administration for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS:
      The H102 liposomes were prepared using a modified thin film hydration method, and
      their transport characteristics were tested on Calu-3 cell monolayers. The
      pharmacokinetics in rats' blood and brains were also investigated. Behavioral
      experiments were performed to evaluate the improvements on AD rats' spatial
      memory impairment. The neuroprotective effects were tested by detecting
      acetylcholinesterase (AchE), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and insulin
      degrading enzyme (IDE) activity and conducting histological assays. The safety
      was evaluated on rats' nasal mucosa and cilia. RESULTS: The liposomes prepared
      could penetrate Calu-3 cell monolayers consistently. After intranasal
      administration, H102 could be effectively delivered to the brain, and the AUC of
      H102 liposomes in the hippocampus was 2.92-fold larger than that of solution
      group. H102 liposomes could excellently ameliorate spatial memory impairment of
      AD model rats, increase the activities of ChAT and IDE and inhibit plaque
      deposition, even in a lower dosage compared with H102 intranasal solution. H102
      nasal formulations showed no toxicity on nasal mucosa. CONCLUSIONS: The H102
      loaded liposome prepared in this study for nasal administration is stable,
      effective and safe, which has great potential for AD treatment.

PMID- 26113237
TI  - Inhalable Clarithromycin Microparticles for Treatment of Respiratory Infections.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this work was to develop clarithromycin microparticles (CLARI
      MP) and evaluate their aerodynamic behavior, safety in bronchial cells and anti
      bacterial efficacy. METHODS: Microparticles containing clarithromycin were
      prepared as dry powder carrier for inhalation, using leucine and chitosan. CLARI
      MP were deposited on Calu-3 grown at air-interface condition, using the
      pharmaceutical aerosol deposition device on cell cultures (PADDOCC). Deposition
      efficacy, transport across the cells and cytotoxicity were determined. Anti
      antibacterial effect was evaluated against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia
      coli and Staphylococcus aureus. RESULTS: Microparticles were of spherical shape,
      smooth surface and size of about 765 nm. Aerosolization performance showed a fine
      particle fraction (FPF) of 73.3%, and a mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD)
      of 1.8 MUm. Deposition on Calu-3 cells using the PADDOCC showed that 8.7
      MUg/cm(2) of deposited powder were transported to the basolateral compartment
      after 24 h. The safety of this formulation is supported by the integrity of the
      cellular epithelial barrier and absence of toxicity, and the antimicrobial
      activity demonstrated for Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. CONCLUSIONS:
      The appropriate aerodynamic properties and the excellent deposition on Calu-3
      cells indicate that clarithromycin microparticles are suitable for administration
      via pulmonary route and are efficient to inhibit bacteria proliferation.

PMID- 26113238
TI  - Water-Hydrogel Binding Affinity Modulates Freeze-Drying-Induced Micropore
      Architecture and Skeletal Myotube Formation.
AB  - Freeze-dried hydrogels are increasingly used to create 3D interconnected
      micropores that facilitate biomolecular and cellular transports. However, freeze
      drying is often plagued by variance in micropore architecture based on polymer
      choice. We hypothesized that water-polymer binding affinity plays a significant
      role in sizes and numbers of micropores formed through freeze-drying, influencing
      cell-derived tissue quality. Poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels
      with alginate methacrylate (AM) were used due to AM's higher binding affinity for
      water than PEGDA. PEGDA-AM hydrogels with larger AM concentrations resulted in
      larger sizes and numbers of micropores than pure PEGDA hydrogels, attributed to
      the increased mass of water binding to the PEGDA-AM gel. Skeletal myoblasts
      loaded in microporous PEGDA-AM hydrogels were active to produce 3D muscle-like
      tissue, while those loaded in pure PEGDA gels were localized on the gel surface.
      We propose that this study will be broadly useful in designing and improving the
      performance of various microporous gels. 

PMID- 26113239
TI  - Locality preserving score for joint feature weights learning.
AB  - Locality preserving measurement criterion is frequently used for assessing the
      quality of features. However, locality preserving criterion based unsupervised
      feature selection algorithms have two widely acknowledged weaknesses: (1) The
      performance of feature selection heavily depends on the effectiveness of the
      similarity matrix, which is defined in the original space, and thus it is
      probably inconsistent with the one in the weighted space. (2) Greedy searching
      strategy neglects the correlation and redundancy among features. To alleviate
      these deficiencies, we propose a novel unsupervised feature selection algorithm
      by jointly learning adaptive nearest neighbors in the weighed space. An effective
      iterative algorithm is developed to solve the proposed formulation, where each
      iteration reduces to a convex subproblem which can be efficiently solved with
      some off-the-shelf toolboxes. The results of experiments on the UCI and face data
      sets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, for outperforming
      many state-of-the-art unsupervised and supervised feature selection methods in
      terms of classification accuracy. 

PMID- 26113240
TI  - Azacitidine treatment for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute
      myeloid leukemia with chromosome 3q abnormalities.
AB  - Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and myelodysplasia (MDS) with chromosome 3q
      abnormalities have a dismal outcome either untreated or with conventional
      treatments. Azacitidine (AZA) is now considered as the standard of care in high
      risk MDS and oligoblastic AML patients. The objective of this study was to
      evaluate the impact of azacitine treatment in this cytogenetic subgroup. We
      report here a multicentre retrospective study of 157 patients treated with AZA
      for AML/MDS with chromosome 3q abnormalities and 27 patients with isolated EVI-1
      overexpression. Median age was 65 years, 40 patients (25%) had inv(3)(q21q26.2)
      or t(3;3)(q21;q26.2), 36 patients (23%) had other balanced 3q26 rearrangements, 8
      patients (5%) had balanced 3q21 rearrangements and 73 patients (46%) had other 3q
      abnormalities. The overall response rate was 50% (29% CR). Median overall
      survival was 10.6 months. By multivariate analysis, patients with lower bone
      marrow blast counts, higher platelet counts, non-complex cytogenetics, and
      absence of prior treatment with intensive chemotherapy had a better outcome. 27
      patients were allo-transplanted and achieved a 21-month median OS. Balanced 3q21
      translocations were associated with a better response rate and overall survival.
      Outcome of patients with isolated EVI-1 overexpression was comparable to that of
      patients with chromosome 3q lesions. Thus, AML/MDS patients with 3q abnormalities
      appear to be a heterogeneous group in their response to AZA, and AZA may
      represent a suitable option in particular as a bridge to allogeneic
      transplantation.

PMID- 26113242
TI  - Colorimetric plasmon sensors with multilayered metallic nanoparticle sheets.
AB  - Colorimetric plasmon sensors for naked-eye detection of molecular recognition
      events have been proposed. Here, 3-layered Ag nanoparticle (NP) sheets on a Au
      substrate fabricated using the Langmuir-Schaefer method were utilized as the
      detection substrates. A drastic color change was observed following the binding
      of Au NPs via avidin-biotin interactions at less than 30% surface coverage. The
      color change was attributed not only to the localized surface plasmon resonance
      (LSPR) of the adsorbed Au NPs but also to the multiple light trapping effect
      derived from the stratified Au and Ag NPs, as predicted by a finite-difference
      time-domain (FDTD) simulation. This plasmonic multi-color has great potential in
      the development of simple and highly sensitive diagnostic systems. 

PMID- 26113241
TI  - Immediate Discharge and Home Treatment With Rivaroxaban of Low-risk Venous
      Thromboembolism Diagnosed in Two U.S. Emergency Departments: A One-year
      Preplanned Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The study hypothesis was that a target-specific anticoagulant would
      allow successful home treatment of selected patients with deep vein thrombosis
      (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosed in two urban emergency departments
      (EDs). METHODS: A protocol was established for treating low-risk DVT or PE
      patients with rivaroxaban and clinic, follow-up at both 2 to 5 weeks, and 3 to 6
      months. Patients were determined to be low-risk by using a modified version of
      the Hestia criteria, supplemented by additional criteria for patients with active
      cancer. Acceptable outcome rates were defined as venous thromboembolism (VTE)
      recurrence <= 2.1% or bleeding <= 9.4% during treatment. VTE recurrence required
      positive imaging of any VTE. The International Society of Thrombosis and
      Hemostasis definition of major or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding was used.
      RESULTS: From March 2013 through April 2014, a total of 106 patients were
      treated. Seventy-one (68%) had DVT, 30 (28%) had PE, and five (3%) had both,
      representing 51% of all DVTs and 27% of all PEs diagnosed in both EDs during the
      period of study. The 106 patients have been followed for a mean (+/-SD) of 389
      (+/-111) days (range = 213 to 594 days). No patient had VTE recurrence, and no
      patient had a major or clinically relevant bleeding event while on therapy (none
      of the 106, 0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0% to 3.4%). However, three
      patients 2.8% (95% CI = 1% to 8%) had recurrent DVT after cessation of therapy.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients diagnosed with VTE and immediately discharged from the ED
      while treated with rivaroxaban had a low rate of VTE recurrence and bleeding.

PMID- 26113243
TI  - Uncultivated thermophiles: current status and spotlight on 'Aigarchaeota'.
AB  - Meta-analysis of cultivation-independent sequence data shows that geothermal
      systems host an abundance of novel organisms, representing a vast unexplored
      phylogenetic and functional diversity among yet-uncultivated thermophiles. A
      number of thermophiles have recently been interrogated using metagenomic and/or
      single-cell genomic approaches, including members of taxonomic groups that
      inhabit both thermal and non-thermal environments, such as 'Acetothermia' (OP1)
      and 'Atribacteria' (OP9/JS1), as well as the exclusively thermophilic lineages
      'Korarchaeota', 'Calescamantes' (EM19), 'Fervidibacteria' (OctSpA1-106), and
      'Aigarchaeota' (HWCG-I). The 'Aigarchaeota', a sister lineage to the
      Thaumarchaeota, likely includes both hyperthermophiles and moderate thermophiles.
      They inhabit terrestrial, marine, and subsurface thermal environments and
      comprise at least nine genus-level lineages, several of which are globally
      distributed. 

PMID- 26113244
TI  - Determination of radiography requirement in wrist trauma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate predetermined physical
      examination and function tests recommended to identify severe injury among
      patients presenting with wrist injury to the emergency department and to
      establish a reliable clinical decision rule capable of determining the need for
      radiography in wrist injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a multicenter
      prospective derivation study of wrist injuries. All patients were assessed in
      terms of mechanism of trauma, inspection findings, heart rate, sensitivity at
      palpation, presence of pain with active movement, grasp strength, and functional
      tests using an examination form under main headings. Sensitivity, specificity,
      and positive and negative predictive values were expressed for each sign and each
      examination finding. RESULTS: One hundred nineteen adult patients were enrolled
      during the 6-month study period. Fracture was identified in 24.3% (n = 29).
      Presence of pain on the radial deviation, dorsal flexion, distal radioulnar
      drawer, and axial compression tests exhibited high sensitivity (82.8%, 89.7%,
      82.8%, and 86.2%, respectively) and high negative predictive values (88.6%,
      81.3%, 87.5%, and 93.6%, respectively) for wrist fracture. Sensitivity of 96.6%
      was observed when these 4 tests were evaluated together. CONCLUSIONS: The
      presence of one of these examination findings increases the likelihood of
      fracture and is adequate to recommend wrist radiography. In addition, there is a
      strong possibility of radiography being unnecessary if all 4 test results are
      negative in patients presenting with wrist injury, potentially preventing many
      nonessential radiographs being performed.

PMID- 26113245
TI  - Prognostic value of serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein A level at the
      initial ED presentation in elderly patients with CAP.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein A
      (PAPP-A) levels in surviving and nonsurviving elderly patients with community
      acquired pneumonia (CAP), investigating whether PAPP-A is correlated with CAP
      prediction scores and whether PAPP-A can successfully predict 28-day mortality
      rates in elderly patients. METHODS: This prospective, observational, single
      center, cross-sectional study was conducted at the emergency department (ED) of
      Celal Bayar University Hospital in Manisa, Turkey, between January and September
      2014. All patients underwent follow-up evaluations 28 days after admission. The
      end point was defined as all-cause mortality. RESULTS: A total of 100 elderly
      patients (mean age, 77.3 +/- 7.6 years [range, 65-94 years]); 60% men) with CAP
      were enrolled in this study. All-cause mortality at the 28-day follow-up
      evaluation was 22%. Admission PAPP-A levels were significantly higher in
      nonsurvivors compared with 28-day survivors (10.3 +/- 4.5 vs 3.8 +/- 2.6 ng/mL, P
      < .001). A significant and positive correlation between admission PAPP-A levels
      and pneumonia severity index; confusion, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate,
      blood pressure, and age 75 years or older; and confusion, urea, respiratory rate,
      blood pressure, and age older than 65 years scores was found (r = .440, P < .001;
      r = .395, P < .001; and r = .359, P < .001, respectively). Moreover, we
      determined that the optimal PAPP-A cutoff for predicting 28-day mortality at the
      time of ED admission was 5.1 ng/mL, with 77.3% sensitivity and 77.9% specificity.
      CONCLUSIONS: Serum PAPP-A level is valuable for predicting mortality and the
      severity of the disease among elderly patients with CAP at ED admission. Thus,
      PAPP-A might play a further role in the clinical assessment of the severity of
      CAP.

PMID- 26113246
TI  - Association between cervical spine and skull-base fractures and blunt
      cerebrovascular injury.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Blunt cerebrovascular injuries (BCVI) are associated with high
      morbidity and mortality and can lead to neurological deficits. The established
      criteria for patients undergoing CT angiography (CTA) for BCVI are broad, and can
      expose patients to radiation unnecessarily. This study aimed to examine the
      prevalence of BCVI in patients on CTA and determine presentations associated with
      the highest rates of BCVI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: With IRB approval, patients
      were selected for CTA screening for BCVI according to a predefined set of
      criteria at our hospital between 2007 and 2010. Patients were identified from our
      institution's trauma database. CTAs were retrospectively reviewed for BCVI
      including vasospasm and dissection. Electronic medical records were reviewed for
      clinical presentation and hospital course. RESULTS: Of 432 patients, vasospasm (n
      = 10) and/or dissection (n = 36) were found in 46 patients (10.6%). BCVI was
      associated with cervical spine and/or skull-base fracture in 40/46 patients (87%,
      P < 0.0001). Significant correlations were seen between dissection and fracture
      in 31/36 patients (86.2%, p < 0.0001) and between BCVI and both neurological
      deficits and fractures (27/44, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: BCVI was significantly
      associated with cervical and/or skullbase fractures and neurological deficits
      with coexistent fractures. Patients with these injuries should be prioritized for
      rapid CTA evaluation for BCVI. KEY POINTS: * CTA screening is important to
      identify patients with underlying BCVI * Cervical spine and/or skullbase
      fractures were significantly associated with BCVI * BCVI may occur in up to 11%
      of patients with blunt trauma injuries.

PMID- 26113247
TI  - Chikungunya and dengue virus infections during pregnancy: seroprevalence,
      seroincidence and maternal-fetal transmission, southern Thailand, 2009-2010.
AB  - Limited information is available on the seroprevalence of chikungunya virus
      (CHIKV) infection and maternal-fetal transmission incidence of CHIKV and dengue
      virus (DENV) infections during the 2008-2009 CHIKV outbreak in southern Thailand.
      A community-based post-epidemic seroprevalence study was conducted in parturient
      women admitted to the Thepa District Hospital in Songkhla Province, Thailand, for
      delivery from November 2009 to May 2010. The women were tested for chikungunya
      (CHIK) IgM/IgG and dengue (DEN) IgM/IgG. Cord blood samples were also tested for
      CHIK IgM or DEN IgM in women who tested positive for CHIK IgM or DEN IgM,
      respectively. The seroprevalence of CHIKV infection (CHIK IgM or IgG positive)
      was 227/319 (71.2%) with pre-outbreak seroprevalence (IgM-/IgG+) of 43.6% and the
      seroprevalence of DENV infection was 288/319 (90.3%). Complications during
      pregnancy, newborn outcomes and congenital anomalies were not different in those
      who had recent, remote or no CHIKV infections. None of the newborns whose mothers
      were CHIK or DEN IgM positive had cord blood positive for both CHIK and DEN IgM.
      In conclusion, both CHIKV and DENV are endemic in southern Thailand; during the
      recent CHIKV outbreak CHIK seroprevalence increased from 43.6% to 71.2%. 

PMID- 26113248
TI  - Item Development and Face Validity of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient Priorities
      in Pharmacological Interventions Outcome Measures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The assessment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is dominated by core sets
      and indices that have been developed by RA professionals. Previous research
      developed a set of eight priority treatment outcomes generated by patients to
      complement the professionally developed core sets for RA. OBJECTIVE: This study
      aimed to facilitate quantitative measurement of these outcomes. METHODS: Two
      consultation meetings with patient research partners diagnosed with RA (n = 18)
      were held to identify face validity in existing instruments (Phase 1) at the
      Bristol Royal Infirmary. Where validated measures did not exist, new numerical
      rating scales (NRS) were constructed and discussed at two focus groups with
      patients diagnosed with RA (n = 8) at the Bristol Royal Infirmary and the Royal
      National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (Phase 2). Feedback on the stem
      question, time frame, anchors and layout was recorded and transcribed verbatim.
      RESULTS: Of the eight priorities, existing NRS for pain, activities of daily
      living and fatigue were voted as acceptable (Phase 1), but new NRS were required
      for five priorities. The partners strongly recommended that the three separate
      domains of severity, effect and ability to cope in each measurement area be
      assessed, as in the existing validated fatigue NRS. Focus group participants
      (Phase 2) made significant contributions to the phrasing of questions, for
      example how to ensure 'mobility' could be uniformly understood and how changes in
      valued activities be judged appropriately. CONCLUSION: Through extensive patient
      feedback, 24 NRS were constructed based on priorities identified by patients and
      encompassing domains where existing questionnaires contain many more items and do
      not address three important concepts endorsed by patients: severity, effect and
      coping. The Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient Priorities in Pharmacological
      Interventions patient-reported outcome measures are now ready for the evaluation
      of comprehension, construct validity and sensitivity through an observational
      study.

PMID- 26113249
TI  - Patient-Centered Research to Support the Development of the Symptoms of Major
      Depressive Disorder Scale (SMDDS): Initial Qualitative Research.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Content valid, patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures of major
      depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms are needed to assess MDD treatment benefit.
      While a range of questionnaires are currently available to evaluate aspects of
      depression from the patient's perspective, their comprehensiveness and
      qualitative development histories are unclear. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this
      study was to describe the process and results of the preliminary qualitative
      development of a new symptom-based PRO measure intended to assess treatment
      benefit in MDD clinical trials. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted
      with adult MDD patients in the USA who recently experienced a major depressive
      episode. Experienced interviewers conducted concept elicitation (CE) and
      cognitive interviews using semi-structured interview guides. The CE interview
      guide was used to elicit spontaneous reports of symptom experiences along with
      probing to further explore and confirm concepts. The cognitive interview guide
      was developed to evaluate concept relevance, understandability, and structure of
      the draft items, and to facilitate further instrument refinement. RESULTS: Forty
      patients participated in the CE interviews. A total of 3022 symptom codes,
      representing 84 different concepts were derived from the transcripts. Data from
      the CE interviews were considered alongside existing literature and clinical
      expert opinion during an item-generation process, leading to development of a
      preliminary version of the Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder Scale (SMDDS).
      Fifteen patients participated in three waves of cognitive interviews, during
      which the SMDDS was further refined. CONCLUSIONS: The SMDDS is a 35-item PRO
      measure intended for use as an endpoint in MDD clinical trials to support medical
      product labeling. The SMDDS uses a 7-day recall period and verbal rating scales.
      It was developed in accordance with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s
      PRO Guidance and best practices. Qualitative interviews have provided evidence
      for content validity. Future quantitative studies will confirm the SMDDS's
      measurement properties and support FDA qualification.

PMID- 26113250
TI  - The readiness of the national health laboratory system in supporting care and
      treatment of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Strong health laboratory systems and networks capable of providing
      high quality services are critical components of the health system and play a key
      role in routine diagnosis, care, treatment and disease surveillance. This study
      aimed to assess the readiness of the national health laboratory system (NHLS) and
      its capacity to support care and treatment of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania. METHODS: A
      documentary review was performed to assess the structure of the health system
      with reference to the status and capacity of the NHLS to support HIV diagnosis.
      Key informant interviews were also held with laboratory staff in all levels of
      the health care delivery system in four regions with different levels of HIV
      prevalence. Information sought included availability and utilization of
      laboratory guidelines, quality and the capacity of laboratories for diagnosis of
      HIV. RESULTS: The findings indicate that a well-established NHLS was in place.
      However, the coordination of HIV laboratory services was found to be weak. Forty
      six respondents were interviewed. In most laboratories, guidelines for HIV
      diagnosis were available but health care providers were not aware of their
      availability. Utilization of the guidelines for HIV diagnosis was higher at
      national level than at the lower levels. The low level of awareness and
      utilization of guidelines was associated with inadequate training and
      supervision. There was a shortage of human resource, mostly affecting the primary
      health care level of the system and this was associated with inequity in
      employment and training opportunities. Laboratories in public health facilities
      were better staffed and had more qualified personnel than private-owned
      laboratories. CONCLUSION: Tanzania has a well established national health
      laboratory network sufficient to support HIV care and treatment services.
      However, laboratories at the primary health care level are constrained by
      inadequate resources and operate within a limited capacity. Improving the
      laboratory capacity in terms of number of qualified personnel, staff training on
      the national guidelines, laboratory diagnostic tools and coordination should be
      given a higher priority.

PMID- 26113251
TI  - Infant death associated with maternal methamphetamine use during pregnancy and
      delivery: A case report.
AB  - The case described in this report is of a male infant who was found dead in a
      closet. His mother delivered the infant in the kitchen, left him wrapped in a
      towel, and called emergency medical services 4days after the delivery. At the
      autopsy, the growth suggests a full-term delivery, significant pathological
      findings were not observed, and the infant was estimated to be stillborn. After
      the autopsy, the police investigation discovered that the mother used a stimulant
      during the pregnancy and shortly before the rupture of the membrane.
      Toxicological analysis showed 1.60mg/L of methamphetamine in the blood, strongly
      suggesting that the fetal death was associated with this acute intoxication. Thus
      far, only a few cases of infant deaths have been reported in association with
      methamphetamine intoxication. The present case showed the highest blood
      concentration of methamphetamine compared to the past infant cases with this
      intoxication. 

PMID- 26113252
TI  - Outcomes of consonant-vowel monosyllable perception and word recognition after
      cochlear implantation in elderly Japanese patients.
AB  - CONCLUSION: Performance in consonant-vowel (CV) monosyllable speech perception
      after cochlear implantation (CI) in the elderly (>= 65 years) is equivalent to
      that of young adults (18-64 years). Present data in the Japanese language
      supported the indication for CI in the elderly. Word recognition after CI was
      significantly lower in the elderly than young adults. OBJECTIVE: This study
      compared outcomes of monosyllable perception and word recognition after CI
      between elderly patients and young adults with post-lingual deafness. Age-related
      differences in CV monosyllable speech perception in Japanese were examined.
      METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 137 patients with post-lingual deafness
      who underwent CI at Okayama University Hospital during 1992-2014 [young adults
      aged 18-64 years (n = 96) and elderly aged >= 65 years (n = 41) at implantation]
      was conducted. CV monosyllable speech perception post-CI was compared among age
      groups (18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80-89). CV monosyllable
      perception and word recognition scores post-CI were compared between the elderly
      and young adults. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in CV monosyllable
      speech perception among age groups. CV monosyllable speech perception in the
      elderly (61.4 +/- 25.5%) did not differ from that of young adults (65.9 +/-
      24.8%). Word recognition scores were significantly lower in the elderly (64.3 +/-
      28.1%) than young adults (80.4 +/- 25.9%) (p < 0.05).

PMID- 26113253
TI  - Acute kidney injury after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

PMID- 26113254
TI  - Nuclear polarization by optical pumping in InP:Fe above liquid nitrogen
      temperature.
AB  - Hyperpolarized nuclear spins are observed in optically pumped iron-doped InP from
      70K to 140K. (31)P NMR was carried out at 9.28T (159.8MHz) during optical
      excitation with circularly polarized light, using a laser diode (lambda~830nm) as
      a source. The enhancement of the nuclear spin polarization by optical pumping at
      70K is estimated to be about 34 for those nuclei in the region of the sample
      absorbing light. This enhancement decreases with increasing temperature. As the
      direction of the enhanced nuclear spin polarization is found parallel or
      antiparallel to the travelling direction of the sigma(+) or sigma(-), the contact
      hyperfine interaction is dominant compared to the dipolar hyperfine interaction. 

PMID- 26113255
TI  - Luminescent sensing and imaging of oxygen: fierce competition to the Clark
      electrode.
AB  - Luminescence-based sensing schemes for oxygen have experienced a fast growth and
      are in the process of replacing the Clark electrode in many fields. Unlike
      electrodes, sensing is not limited to point measurements via fiber optic
      microsensors, but includes additional features such as planar sensing, imaging,
      and intracellular assays using nanosized sensor particles. In this essay, I
      review and discuss the essentials of (i) common solid-state sensor approaches
      based on the use of luminescent indicator dyes and host polymers; (ii) fiber
      optic and planar sensing schemes; (iii) nanoparticle-based intracellular sensing;
      and (iv) common spectroscopies. Optical sensors are also capable of multiple
      simultaneous sensing (such as O2 and temperature). Sensors for O2 are produced
      nowadays in large quantities in industry. Fields of application include sensing
      of O2 in plant and animal physiology, in clinical chemistry, in marine sciences,
      in the chemical industry and in process biotechnology. 

PMID- 26113256
TI  - Utility of the INECO frontal screening (IFS) in the detection of executive
      dysfunction in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
AB  - Several studies have reported that about 65 % of patients with relapsing
      remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) suffer from cognitive impairment, with
      executive dysfunction being the most frequently described. Even if several
      executive screening tests have been designed to specifically detect executive
      deficits, few studies have investigated their ability to tackle such dysfunction
      particularly in multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of the present study was to
      evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the INECO frontal screening (IFS) in
      the detection of executive dysfunction in patients with relapsing-remitting MS
      (RRMS). 54 patients with RRMS were included in the study. 34 presented executive
      dysfunction while 20 did not. 32 control subjects matched for age, sex, and
      educational level were also included. All were evaluated with the IFS and with a
      battery of classical executive tests. A patient was considered to have executive
      dysfunction if he/she scored a one and a half standard deviation below the
      control mean in at least one of the classical executive tests. Sensitivity and
      specificity of the IFS in its ability to detect executive dysfunction in MS was
      analyzed. Using a cut-off of 25.5 points, sensitivity of the IFS was 73.53 %, and
      specificity 78.13 % in differentiating controls from MS patients with executive
      dysfunction. The IFS showed excellent concurrent validity with executive tasks.
      The IFS can be considered a brief, easy-to-administer, cost-less tool for the
      detection of executive dysfunction in patients with RRMS. 

PMID- 26113257
TI  - Properties of ultrathin cholesterol and phospholipid layers surrounding silicon
      carbide nanotube: MD simulations.
AB  - Computer simulation technique was used to study the dynamics of cholesterol and
      POPC phospholipid molecules forming a thin layer on the surface of the carbon and
      silicon-carbide nanotubes. Each nanotube was surrounded by an ultra-thin film
      formed by n lipid molecules, where n varies from 15 to 50. All studies were done
      for five temperatures, including physiological one (T=260, 285, 310, 335 and
      360K). The influence of a nanotube on the dynamics of cholesterol or phospholipid
      molecules in a layer is presented and discussed. The water is ubiquitous in all
      biological milieus, where the cholesterol or lipids occur. Thus, simulations were
      performed in a water environment. Moreover, to show different behavior of lipids
      in systems with water the results were compared with the samples without it. The
      dynamical and structural observables, such as the mean square displacement,
      diffusion coefficient, radial distribution function, and activation energy were
      calculated to qualitatively investigate the behavior of cholesterol and
      phospholipid molecules in the layers. We observed remarkable differences between
      the cholesterol dynamics depending whether the ultrathin film surrounds carbon or
      silicon-carbide nanotube and whether the water environment appeared. 

PMID- 26113258
TI  - Mimicking the niche: cytokines expand muscle stem cells.
AB  - Muscle stem cells (MuSCs) have long been considered to be potential therapeutic
      vehicles for diseases of muscle such as muscular dystrophies. A recent study
      published in Cell Research by Fu et al. reveals that recapitulating in vitro the
      in vivo microenvironment of MuSCs that occurs during muscle regeneration might be
      a major step towards translation. 

PMID- 26113259
TI  - Copycat innate lymphoid cells dampen gut inflammation.
AB  - The mechanisms whereby the gut mucosa tolerates trillions of commensal bacteria
      without developing inflammation remain poorly understood. A recent Science
      article reveals that gut innate lymphoid cells constrain inflammatory T cell
      responses to commensal bacteria by adopting a strategy usually deployed by thymic
      epithelial cells to negatively select self-reactive T cells. 

PMID- 26113260
TI  - Sustainability and dynamics of outcrop-to-outcrop hydrothermal circulation.
AB  - Most seafloor hydrothermal circulation occurs far from the magmatic influence of
      mid-ocean ridges, driving large flows of water, heat and solutes through volcanic
      rock outcrops on ridge flanks. Here we create three-dimensional simulations of
      ridge-flank hydrothermal circulation, flowing between and through seamounts, to
      determine what controls hydrogeological sustainability, flow rate and preferred
      flow direction in these systems. We find that sustaining flow between outcrops
      that penetrate less-permeable sediment depends on a contrast in transmittance
      (the product of outcrop permeability and the area of outcrop exposure) between
      recharging and discharging sites, with discharge favoured through less
      transmissive outcrops. Many simulations include local discharge through outcrops
      at the recharge end of an outcrop-to-outcrop system. Both of these
      characteristics are observed in the field. In addition, smaller discharging
      outcrops sustain higher flow rates than larger outcrops, which may help to
      explain how so much lithospheric heat is extracted globally by this process. 

PMID- 26113261
TI  - Different post label delay cerebral blood flow measurements in patients with
      Alzheimer's disease using 3D arterial spin labeling.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate cerebral blood flow (CBF) in patients with Alzheimer's
      disease (AD) using a three-dimensional pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling
      (PCASL). We aimed to study the effects of different post label delay on the
      resulting CBF maps and to investigate the characteristics and clinical
      applications of brain perfusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen AD patients and
      nineteen healthy control subjects were recruited. 3D PCASL was performed using a
      3.0 T MR scanner. ASL was performed twice with different post label delays (PLD).
      Comparisons of CBF were made between AD patients and healthy control subjects
      respectively with PLD of 1.5 s and PLD of 2.5 s. Relationship between the CBF
      values and cognition was investigated using correlation analysis. A receiver
      operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated for CBF measurements in
      posterior cingulate region. RESULT: AD patients with PLD of 1.5 s showed lower
      CBF values primarily in bilateral temporal lobes, precuneus, middle and posterior
      cingulate gyri, left inferior parietal gyrus, left angular gyrus and left
      superior frontal gyrus. Lowered cerebral values were also observed in similar
      regions with PLD of 2.5 s, but the clusters of voxel were smaller. CBF values
      were associated with cognition scores in most of gyri mentioned above.
      CONCLUSION: Hypoperfusion areas were observed in AD patients. PLD of 1.5s was
      sufficient to display CBF. Considering the complicated AD pathology, multiple
      PLDs are strongly recommended.

PMID- 26113262
TI  - Nebulized colistin for treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by
      multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria: we still need to straighten out the
      dose!

PMID- 26113263
TI  - Early assessment of implementing evidence-based brief therapy interventions among
      secondary service psychiatric therapists.
AB  - This implementation study was part of the Ostrobothnia Depression Study, in
      Finland, which covered implementation of motivational interviewing (MI) and
      behavioral activation (BA) within regional public psychiatric secondary care. It
      aimed to evaluate the mid-term progress of implementation and related factors.
      Altogether, 80 therapists had been educated through the implementation program by
      the point of the mid-term evaluation. Eligible information for evaluation was
      gathered using two questionnaires (q1, q2) with a one-year interval. A total of
      45 of the 80 therapists completed q1, 30 completed q2, and 24 completed both
      questionnaires. Professional education was the only background factor associated
      with adopting the interventions (q1: p=0.059, q2: p=0.023), with higher education
      indicating greater activity. On the basis of trends such as changes in overall
      usefulness score from q1 to q2, the most involved therapists were slightly more
      likely to adopt MI/BA. Our experience so far suggests that encouraging staff to
      begin using new interventions during education is very important. The
      Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was found to be a useful tool
      for constructing the evaluation. 

PMID- 26113264
TI  - Functional annotation of HOT regions in the human genome: implications for human
      disease and cancer.
AB  - Advances in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and large-scale sequencing
      studies have resulted in an impressive and growing list of disease- and trait
      associated genetic variants. Most studies have emphasised the discovery of
      genetic variation in coding sequences, however, the noncoding regulatory effects
      responsible for human disease and cancer biology have been substantially
      understudied. To better characterise the cis-regulatory effects of noncoding
      variation, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the genetic variants in HOT
      (high-occupancy target) regions, which are considered to be one of the most
      intriguing findings of recent large-scale sequencing studies. We observed that
      GWAS variants that map to HOT regions undergo a substantial net decrease and
      illustrate development-specific localisation during haematopoiesis. Additionally,
      genetic risk variants are disproportionally enriched in HOT regions compared with
      LOT (low-occupancy target) regions in both disease-relevant and cancer cells.
      Importantly, this enrichment is biased toward disease- or cancer-specific cell
      types. Furthermore, we observed that cancer cells generally acquire cancer
      specific HOT regions at oncogenes through diverse mechanisms of cancer
      pathogenesis. Collectively, our findings demonstrate the key roles of HOT regions
      in human disease and cancer and represent a critical step toward further
      understanding disease biology, diagnosis, and therapy. 

PMID- 26113265
TI  - Citrullination of myofilament proteins in heart failure.
AB  - AIMS: Citrullination, the post-translational conversion of arginine to citrulline
      by the enzyme family of peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs), is associated with
      several diseases, and specific citrullinated proteins have been shown to alter
      function while others act as auto-antigens. In this study, we identified
      citrullinated proteins in human myocardial samples, from healthy and heart
      failure patients, and determined several potential functional consequences.
      Further we investigated PAD isoform cell-specific expression in the heart.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: A citrullination-targeted proteomic strategy using data
      independent (SWATH) acquisition method was used to identify the modified cardiac
      proteins. Citrullinated-induced sarcomeric proteins were validated using two
      dimensional gel electrophoresis and investigated using biochemical and functional
      assays. Myocardial PAD isoforms were confirmed by RT-PCR with PAD2 being the
      major isoform in myocytes. In total, 304 citrullinated sites were identified that
      map to 145 proteins among the three study groups: normal, ischaemia, and dilated
      cardiomyopathy. Citrullination of myosin (using HMM fragment) decreased its
      intrinsic ATPase activity and inhibited the acto-HMM-ATPase activity.
      Citrullinated TM resulted in stronger F-actin binding and inhibited the acto-HMM
      ATPase activity. Citrullinated TnI did not alter the binding to F-actin or acto
      HMM-ATPase activity. Overall, citrullination of sarcomeric proteins caused a
      decrease in Ca(2+) sensitivity in skinned cardiomyocytes, with no change in
      maximal calcium-activated force or hill coefficient. CONCLUSION: Citrullination
      unique to the cardiac proteome was identified. Our data indicate important
      structural and functional alterations to the cardiac sarcomere and the
      contribution of protein citrullination to this process.

PMID- 26113266
TI  - Ultrastructure of the intercellular space in adult murine ventricle revealed by
      quantitative tomographic electron microscopy.
AB  - AIMS: Progress in tissue preservation (high-pressure freezing), data acquisition
      (tomographic electron microscopy, TEM), and analysis (image segmentation and
      quantification) have greatly improved the level of information extracted from
      ultrastructural images. Here, we combined these methods and developed analytical
      tools to provide an in-depth morphometric description of the intercalated disc
      (ID) in adult murine ventricle. As a point of comparison, we characterized the
      ultrastructure of the ID in mice heterozygous-null for the desmosomal gene
      plakophilin-2 (PKP2; mice dubbed PKP2-Hz). METHODS AND RESULTS: Tomographic EM
      images of thin sections of adult mouse ventricular tissue were processed by image
      segmentation analysis. Novel morphometric routines allowed us to generate the
      first quantitative description of the ID intercellular space based on three
      dimensional data. We show that complex invaginations of the cell membrane
      significantly increased the total ID surface area. In addition, PKP2-Hz samples
      showed increased average intercellular spacing, ID surface area, and membrane
      tortuosity, as well as reduced number and length of mechanical junctions compared
      with control. Finally, we observed membranous structures reminiscent of
      junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum at the ID, which were significantly more
      abundant in PKP2-Hz hearts. CONCLUSION: We have developed a systematic method to
      characterize the ultrastructure of the intercellular space in the adult murine
      ventricle and have provided a quantitative description of the structure of the
      intercellular membranes and of the intercellular space. We further show that PKP2
      deficiency associates with ultrastructural defects. The possible importance of
      the intercellular space in cardiac behaviour is discussed.

PMID- 26113273
TI  - Inguinal seroma prevention after superficial circumflex iliac artery perforator
      flap harvest using non-microsurgical lympho-venous shunt.

PMID- 26113274
TI  - A systematic review of animal models for experimental neuroma.
AB  - Peripheral neuromas can result in an unbearable neuropathic pain and functional
      impairment. Their treatment is still challenging, and their optimal management is
      to be defined. Experimental research still plays a major role, but - although
      numerous neuroma models have been proposed on different animals - there is still
      no single model recognised as being the reference. Several models show advantages
      over the others in specific aspects of neuroma physiopathology, prevention or
      treatment, making it unlikely that a single model could be of reference. A
      reproducible and standardised model of peripheral neuroma would allow better
      comparison of results from different studies. We present a systematic review of
      the literature on experimental in vivo models, analysing advantages and
      disadvantages, specific features and indications, with the goal of providing
      suggestions to help their standardisation. Published models greatly differ in the
      animal and the nerve employed, the mechanisms of nerve injury and the evaluation
      methods. Specific experimental models exist for terminal neuromas and neuromas in
      continuity (NIC). The rat is the most widely employed animal, the rabbit being
      the second most popular model. NIC models are more actively researched, but it is
      more difficult to generate such studies in a reproducible manner. Nerve
      transection is considered the best method to cause terminal neuromas, whereas
      partial transection is the best method to cause NIC. Traditional histomorphology
      is the historical gold-standard evaluation method, but immunolabelling, reverse
      transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and proteomics are gaining
      increasing popularity. Computerised gait analysis is the gold standard for motor
      recovery evaluation, whereas mechanical testing of allodynia and hyperalgesia
      reproducibly assesses sensory recovery. This review summarises current knowledge
      on experimental neuroma models, and it provides a useful tool for defining
      experimental protocols. Furthermore, it could help future research to define
      standard experimental model(s) of peripheral neuromas, allowing better comparison
      of results and improvement of our understanding of such a complex disease. 

PMID- 26113275
TI  - The use of epidermal grafting for the management of acute wounds in the
      outpatient setting.

PMID- 26113276
TI  - Second intercostal internal mammary artery perforator (IMAP) fasciocutaneous flap
      as an alternative choice for the treatment of deep sternal wound infections
      (DSWI).
AB  - Sternal wound infections after sternotomy are associated with high morbidity,
      high mortality and escalating treatment costs. Repeated radical debridement -
      with the removal of any hardware - and wound conditioning are the prerequisites
      for reconstruction. Muscle and, less frequently, omentum flaps are usually used
      for reconstruction. However, these flaps are associated with considerable donor
      site morbidity, long operation times and aesthetic impairment. Fasciocutaneous
      flaps seem to be an alternative. This study presents our experience of using the
      second intercostal mammary artery fasciocutaneous perforator flap for defect
      closure in nine patients (mean age: 70.2 years). Following a retrospective chart
      review, we assessed data on patient demographics, the type of cardiac surgery,
      the prevalence of deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) risk factors, identified
      pathogens, surgery duration, hospitalization tim patients had undergone coronary
      artery bypass surgery, and two had valve replacements. The mean duration of
      surgery (121.4 +/- 39 min) was short. The patients had a mean body mass index
      (BMI) of 32.8 +/- 4.9 kg/m(2). An average flap size of 124 +/- 22 cm(2)
      sufficiently covered and obliterated each defect. One mediastinal haematoma
      required revision surgery. One wound dehiscence at the flap and two at the donor
      site were managed conservatively. Our experience reveals that a fasciocutaneous
      flap based on the second intercostal perforator of the internal mammary artery
      can be an alternative, quick-to-prepare flap for covering sternal defects. In
      adipose patients, it has sufficient bulk, and it is large enough to cover common
      sternal wounds. It also has low complication and morbidity rates, and it achieves
      an aesthetically pleasing result.

PMID- 26113277
TI  - Use of serratus fascia in stratticeTM and implant based breast reconstruction.

PMID- 26113278
TI  - Prominent ear correction: An effective technique for marking the cartilage with a
      needle and ink.

PMID- 26113279
TI  - Manson's point: A facial landmark to identify the facial artery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The anatomy of the facial artery, its tortuosity, and branch
      patterns are well documented. To date, a reliable method of identifying the
      facial artery, based on surface landmarks, has not been described. The purpose of
      this study is to characterize the relationship of the facial artery with several
      facial topographic landmarks, and to identify a location where the facial artery
      could predictably be identified. METHODS: Following institutional review board
      approval, 20 hemifacial dissections on 10 cadaveric heads were performed.
      Distances from the facial artery to the oral commissure, mandibular angle,
      lateral canthus, and Manson's point were measured. Distances were measured and
      confirmed clinically using Doppler examination in 20 hemifaces of 10 healthy
      volunteers. RESULTS: Manson's point identifies the facial artery with 100%
      accuracy and precision, within a 3 mm radius in both cadaveric specimens and
      living human subjects. Cadaveric measurements demonstrated that the facial artery
      is located 19 mm +/- 5.5 from the oral commissure, 31 mm +/- 6.8 from the
      mandibular angle, 92 mm +/- 8.0 from the lateral canthus. Doppler examination on
      healthy volunteers (5 male, 5 female) demonstrated measurements of 18 mm +/- 4.0,
      50 mm +/- 6.4, and 79 mm +/- 8.2, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The identification
      of the facial artery is critical for the craniofacial surgeon in order to avoid
      inadvertent injury, plan for local flaps, and in preparation of a recipient
      vessel for free tissue microvascular reconstruction. Manson's point can aid the
      surgeon in consistently indentifying the facial artery.

PMID- 26113280
TI  - Deep branch of the superficial circumflex iliac artery for backup.

PMID- 26113281
TI  - Does a mineral wristband affect balance? A randomized, controlled, double-blind
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Having good balance is a facilitating factor in the performance of
      everyday activities. Good balance is also essential in various sport activities
      in order to both get results and prevent injury. A common measure of balance is
      postural sway, which can be measured both antero-posteriorly and medio-laterally.
      There are several companies marketing wristbands whose intended function is to
      improve balance, strength and flexibility. Randomized controlled trials have
      shown that wristbands with holograms have no effect on balance but studies on
      wristbands with minerals seem to be lacking. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was
      to investigate if the mineral wristband had any effect on postural sway in a
      group of healthy individuals. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, double-blind
      study. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study group consisted of 40 healthy persons.
      Postural sway was measured antero-posteriorly and medio-laterally on a force
      plate, to compare: the mineral wristband, a placebo wristband, and without any
      wristband. The measurements were performed for 30 s, in four situations: with
      open eyes and closed eyes, standing on a firm surface and on foam. Analyses were
      made with multilevel technique. RESULTS: The use of wristband with or without
      minerals did not alter postural sway. Closed eyes and standing on foam both
      prolonged the dependent measurement, irrespective if it was medio-lateral or
      antero-posterior. Wearing any wristband (mineral or placebo) gave a small (0.22
      0.36 mm/s) but not statistically significant reduction of postural sway compared
      to not wearing wristband. CONCLUSION: This study showed no effect on postural
      sway by using the mineral wristband, compared with a placebo wristband or no
      wristband. Wearing any wristband at all (mineral or placebo) gave a small but not
      statistically significant reduction in postural sway, probably caused by sensory
      input.

PMID- 26113282
TI  - Hashimoto's thyroiditis and papillary thyroid cancer: polyglandular hints.

PMID- 26113284
TI  - Optimal radiation fractionation for low-grade gliomas: Insights from a
      mathematical model.
AB  - We study optimal radiotherapy fractionations for low-grade glioma using
      mathematical models. Both space-independent and space-dependent models are
      studied. Two different optimization criteria have been developed, the first one
      accounting for the global effect of the tumor mass on the disease symptoms and
      the second one related to the delay of the malignant transformation of the tumor.
      The models are studied theoretically and numerically using the method of feasible
      directions. We have searched for optimal distributions of the daily doses dj in
      the standard protocol of 30 fractions using both models and the two different
      optimization criteria. The optimal results found in all cases are minor
      deviations from the standard protocol and provide only marginal potential gains.
      Thus, our results support the optimality of current radiation fractionations over
      the standard 6 week treatment period. This is also in agreement with the
      observation that minor variations of the fractionation have failed to provide
      measurable gains in survival or progression free survival, pointing out to a
      certain optimality of the current approach. 

PMID- 26113283
TI  - Circadian redox oscillations and metabolism.
AB  - Circadian rhythms are 24h oscillations in physiology and behavior which allow
      organisms to anticipate and adapt to daily demands associated with the day/night
      cycle. The currently accepted model of the molecular clockwork is described as a
      transcriptional process composed of negative regulatory feedback loops. However,
      ample evidence underlines the important contribution of non-transcriptional and
      metabolic oscillations to cellular timekeeping. We summarize recent evidence
      pointing to the relationship between the transcriptional oscillator and metabolic
      redox state, with particular emphasis on the potential nodes of interaction. We
      highlight the intrinsic difficulty in segregating these two tightly coupled and
      interdependent processes, in living systems, and how disruption of their
      synchronicity impacts upon (patho)physiological processes as diverse as
      cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, aging, and cancer. 

PMID- 26113285
TI  - Impact of the hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) pro582ser polymorphism
      and its gene expression on diabetic foot ulcers.
AB  - AIM: Adaptation to low oxygen tension (hypoxia) in cells and tissues leads to the
      transcriptional induction of series of genes and the primary factor mediating
      this response is the hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha. This study was designed in
      order to examine the HIF-1alpha gene polymorphism, p582s (rs11549465) in Exon-12
      of HIF-1alpha gene in diabetic subjects with and without foot ulcers (DFU) and to
      find its expression under these pathological conditions. METHODS: A total of 224
      subjects from our tertiary care centre were included, which consists of healthy
      controls (N=66), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (N=79) and T2DM with foot ulcers
      (DFU) (N=79). Allelic and genotypic comparisons between the different groups were
      evaluated by PCR-RFLP. The gene expression studies on selected samples (N=15 of
      each group) were done by Semi-quantitative real time PCR. RESULTS AND
      DISCUSSIONS: Genotype analysis showed a significant increase in presence of 'T'
      allele in T2DM & DFU when compared to that of control subjects. Allele wise
      analysis showed a higher frequency of 'T' allele in the T2DM (62.03%) when
      compared to that of control subjects (53.79%). Interestingly, semi-quantitative
      RT-PCR results showed decreased expression of HIF-1alpha gene on DFU when
      compared to that of T2DM and control subjects. CONCLUSION: Our findings predict
      that there is an association of HIF-1alpha gene polymorphism on foot ulcer
      patients when compare to that of healthy controls. Semi-quantitative real time
      studies showed decreased HIF-1alpha gene expression on foot ulcer patients
      suggesting its possible role on the pathogenesis.

PMID- 26113286
TI  - Prediction of plasma caffeine concentrations in young adolescents following
      ingestion of caffeinated energy drinks: a Monte Carlo simulation.
AB  - The fast-growing consumption of caffeinated energy drinks (CEDs) is linked to
      increasing reports of caffeine intoxication in adolescents. There is limited data
      available regarding plasma caffeine concentrations in this population after CED
      intake and the potential implications for caffeine-related toxicity. This study
      was an in silico population pharmacokinetic analysis of caffeine. Population
      pharmacokinetic model of oral caffeine was derived from a previous study of
      healthy male volunteers. Maximal plasma caffeine concentration (C max) profiles
      following ingestion of one or two servings of popular CEDs were predicted using
      Monte Carlo simulation and available population body weight data of 10-15-year
      old Korean adolescents. Caffeine C max values were positively correlated with the
      amount of caffeine ingested in CEDs and negatively correlated with body weight.
      The median (range) C max profiles varied from a low of 1.2 (0.5-2.6) mg/L to a
      concentration that is potentially associated with harmful caffeine-related
      effects of 25.4 (8.1-55.6) mg/L. A subgroup of female 10-11-year-old subjects
      exhibited the highest caffeine exposure profiles. CONCLUSION: These data indicate
      that CED ingestion can increase the risk of serious caffeine intoxication in
      young adolescents, particularly those with low body mass. WHAT IS KNOWN: *
      Excessive consumption of caffeine can lead to serious caffeine intoxication. *
      The risk of potential harmful caffeine intoxication after ingestion of
      caffeinated energy drinks (CED) has not been adequately evaluated in adolescents.
      WHAT IS NEW: * Predicted maximal plasma caffeine concentration profiles of
      adolescents with lower body weights showed an overlap with the ingested caffeine
      concentrations obtained from documented fatalities. * The present simulation
      based pharmacokinetic analysis demonstrates that CED ingestion could lead to
      potentially serious caffeine intoxication in this cohort.

PMID- 26113287
TI  - Structural, energetic, and dynamic insights into the abnormal xylene separation
      behavior of hierarchical porous crystal.
AB  - Separation of highly similar molecules and understanding the underlying mechanism
      are of paramount theoretical and practical importance, but visualization of the
      host-guest structure, energy, or dynamism is very difficult and many details have
      been overlooked. Here, we report a new porous coordination polymer featuring
      hierarchical porosity and delicate flexibility, in which the three structural
      isomers of xylene (also similar disubstituted benzene derivatives) can be
      efficiently separated with an elution sequence inversed with those for
      conventional mechanisms. More importantly, the separation mechanism is
      comprehensively and quantitatively visualized by single-crystal X-ray
      crystallography coupled with multiple computational simulation methods, in which
      the small apertures not only fit best the smallest para-isomer like molecular
      sieves, but also show seemingly trivial yet crucial structural alterations to
      distinguish the meta- and ortho-isomers via a gating mechanism, while the large
      channels allow fast guest diffusion and enable the structural/energetic effects
      to be accumulated in the macroscopic level. 

PMID- 26113288
TI  - Increased Umbilical Artery Pulsatility Index in Third-Trimester Fetuses with
      Trisomy 21.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the umbilical arterial Doppler flow patterns in late third
      trimester fetuses with trisomy 21. METHODS: This is a retrospective study on
      fetuses with trisomy 21 that were evaluated after 33 weeks' gestation at the
      Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the University of Tuebingen, Germany.
      The umbilical and the middle cerebral artery (UA and ACM) pulsatility index (PI)
      measurements and the abdominal circumference were transformed into z-values.
      RESULTS: Forty-two fetuses met the study criteria. The mean gestational age at
      the time of the first and the second visit was 35.0 and 36.6 weeks, respectively.
      The mean UA PI was 1.31 and 1.38, which corresponds to z-values of 2.20 and 2.70.
      In 24 (57.1%) cases, both PI measurements were above the 95th centile. A linear
      regression analysis demonstrated that the mean of both UA PI was not dependent on
      the abdominal circumference or on any other examined maternal and pregnancy
      characteristics. The mean ACM PI at the first and the second visit was 1.62 and
      1.48, respectively, corresponding to mean z-values of -0.59 and -0.75, and in
      none of the cases was it below the 5th centile. CONCLUSION: In half of the third
      trimester fetuses with trisomy 21, the resistance in the UA is increased - even
      in the absence of placental insufficiency.

PMID- 26113289
TI  - The moral imperative to continue gene editing research on human embryos.

PMID- 26113290
TI  - Digital volume correlation and micro-CT: An in-vitro technique for measuring full
      field interface micromotion around polyethylene implants.
AB  - Micromotion around implants is commonly measured using displacement-sensor
      techniques. Due to the limitations of these techniques, an alternative approach
      (DVC-MUCT) using digital volume correlation (DVC) and micro-CT (MUCT) was
      developed in this study. The validation consisted of evaluating DVC-MUCT based
      micromotion against known micromotions (40, 100 and 150 MUm) in a simplified
      experiment. Subsequently, a more clinically realistic experiment in which a
      glenoid component was implanted into a porcine scapula was carried out and the
      DVC-MUCT measurements during a single load cycle (duration 20 min due to scanning
      time) was correlated with the manual tracking of micromotion at 12 discrete
      points across the implant interface. In this same experiment the full-field DVC
      MUCT micromotion was compared to the full-field micromotion predicted by a
      parallel finite element analysis (FEA). It was found that DVC-MUCT micromotion
      matched the known micromotion of the simplified experiment (average/peak
      error=1.4/1.7 MUm, regression line slope=0.999) and correlated with the
      micromotion at the 12 points tracked manually during the realistic experiment
      (R(2)=0.96). The DVC-MUCT full-field micromotion matched the pattern of the full
      field FEA predicted micromotion. This study showed that the DVC-MUCT technique
      provides sensible estimates of micromotion. The main advantages of this technique
      are that it does not damage important parts of the specimen to gain access to the
      bone-implant interface, and it provides a full-field evaluation of micromotion as
      opposed to the micromotion at just a few discrete points. In conclusion the DVC
      MUCT technique provides a useful tool for investigations of micromotion around
      plastic implants.

PMID- 26113291
TI  - Factors that influence muscle shear modulus during passive stretch.
AB  - Although elastography has been increasingly used for evaluating muscle shear
      modulus associated with age, sex, musculoskeletal, and neurological conditions,
      its physiological meaning is largely unknown. This knowledge gap may hinder data
      interpretation, limiting the potential of using elastography to gain insights
      into muscle biomechanics in health and disease. We derived a mathematical model
      from a widely-accepted Hill-type passive force-length relationship to gain
      insight about the physiological meaning of resting shear modulus of skeletal
      muscles under passive stretching, and validated the model by comparing against
      the ex-vivo animal data reported in our recent work (Koo et al. 2013). The model
      suggested that resting shear modulus of a slack muscle is a function of specific
      tension and parameters that govern the normalized passive muscle force-length
      relationship as well as the degree of muscle anisotropy. The model also suggested
      that although the slope of the linear shear modulus-passive force relationship is
      primarily related to muscle anatomical cross-sectional area (i.e. the smaller the
      muscle cross-sectional area, the more the increase in shear modulus to result in
      the same passive muscle force), it is also governed by the normalized passive
      muscle force-length relationship and the degree of muscle anisotropy. Taken
      together, although muscle shear modulus under passive stretching has a strong
      linear relationship with passive muscle force, its actual value appears to be
      affected by muscle's mechanical, material, and architectural properties. This
      should be taken into consideration when interpreting the muscle shear modulus
      values.

PMID- 26113292
TI  - Strategic Targets in Acne: The Comedone Switch in Question.
AB  - The sequence of events and mechanisms leading to the development of the primary
      acne lesion, the comedone, is revisited. Recent knowledge obtained both from
      lineage tracing experiments in the mouse and the pilosebaceous response to
      xenobiotics in humans provides robust models for further understanding key
      biological events at the cellular roots of comedogenesis. The focus is set on the
      LRIG1+ sebaceous stem cells in the isthmus of the pilosebaceous duct. The master
      switch that transforms a normally functioning sebaceous gland into a
      microcomedone and the hierarchy of factors involved in this process are reviewed.
      The key strategic target in acne care appears to be the naive pilosebaceous
      follicle that is not involved yet in the acne cycle. The prevention of the
      comedone switch implies that the key switching factors are adequately controlled
      in the long term.

PMID- 26113293
TI  - Human circulating plasma DNA significantly decreases while lymphocyte DNA damage
      increases under chronic occupational exposure to low-dose gamma-neutron and
      tritium beta-radiation.
AB  - The blood plasma of healthy people contains cell-fee (circulating) DNA (cfDNA).
      Apoptotic cells are the main source of the cfDNA. The cfDNA concentration
      increases in case of the organism's cell death rate increase, for example in case
      of exposure to high-dose ionizing radiation (IR). The objects of the present
      research are the blood plasma and blood lymphocytes of people, who contacted
      occupationally with the sources of external gamma/neutron radiation or internal
      beta-radiation of tritium N = 176). As the controls (references), blood samples
      of people, who had never been occupationally subjected to the IR sources, were
      used (N = 109). With respect to the plasma samples of each donor there were
      defined: the cfDNA concentration (the cfDNA index), DNase1 activity (the DNase1
      index) and titre of antibodies to DNA (the Ab DNA index). The general DNA damage
      in the cells was defined (using the Comet assay, the tail moment (TM) index). A
      chronic effect of the low-dose ionizing radiation on a human being is accompanied
      by the enhancement of the DNA damage in lymphocytes along with a considerable
      cfDNA content reduction, while the DNase1 content and concentration of antibodies
      to DNA (Ab DNA) increase. All the aforementioned changes were also observed in
      people, who had not worked with the IR sources for more than a year. The ratio
      cfDNA/(DNase1*Ab DNA * TM) is proposed to be used as a marker of the chronic
      exposure of a person to the external low-dose IR. It was formulated the
      assumption that the joint analysis of the cfDNA, DNase1, Ab DNA and TM values may
      provide the information about the human organism's cell resistivity to chronic
      exposure to the low-dose IR and about the development of the adaptive response in
      the organism that is aimed, firstly, at the effective cfDNA elimination from the
      blood circulation, and, secondly - at survival of the cells, including the cells
      with the damaged DNA.

PMID- 26113294
TI  - Metoprolol Inhibits Cardiac Apoptosis and Fibrosis in a Canine Model of Chronic
      Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
AB  - AIMS: Emerging evidence suggested that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was
      independently associated with the development of heart failure. In this study, we
      explored the influence of chronic OSA on left ventricular structural remodeling
      in canines, and the potential therapeutical role of metoprolol. METHODS: Chronic
      OSA model was established by stopping the ventilator and closing the airway for 4
      h/day apnea-ventilation cycles every other day for 12 weeks while metoprolol (5
      mg. kg(-1). day(-1)) were administered continuously. Norepinephrine concentration
      was measured by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Transmission electron
      microscopy, Hematoxylin and eosin, TUNEL and Masson trichrome staining were
      employed to detect the morphology, apoptosis and fibrosis of cardiomyocytes.
      Protein expression of apoptosis and fibrosis-related factors including apoptosis
      inducing factor (AIF), caspase 3, Bcl-2, Bax, alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha
      SMA), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), and p38 mitogen-activated
      protein kinase (MAPK) were examined by Western blotting. RESULTS: Norepinephrine
      concentration was markedly increased in chronic OSA dogs and reduced by
      metoprolol. Both the apoptotic ratio and collagen volume fraction were
      significantly increased in left ventricular myocytes of chronic OSA dogs, and was
      reversed by metoprolol. Moreover, chronic OSA-induced upregulation of AIF,
      cleaved caspase 3, Bax, alpha-SMA, and TGF-beta1 as well as downregulation of Bcl
      2 was markedly recovered by metoprolol, which was mediated by p38 MAPK.
      CONCLUSION: Metoprolol protects against chronic OSA-induced cardiac apoptosis and
      fibrosis in left ventricular myocytes of canines, which may provide new potential
      strategy for drug therapy of OSA.

PMID- 26113295
TI  - Supporting quality public and patient engagement in health system organizations:
      development and usability testing of the Public and Patient Engagement Evaluation
      Tool.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Only rudimentary tools exist to support health system organizations
      to evaluate their public and patient engagement (PPE) activities. This study
      responds to this gap by developing a generic evaluation tool for use in a wide
      range of organizations. METHODS: The evaluation tool was developed through an
      iterative, collaborative process informed by a review of published and grey
      literature and with the input of Canadian PPE researchers and practitioners. Over
      a 3-year period, structured e-mail, telephone and face-to-face exchanges,
      including a modified Delphi process, were used to produce an evaluation tool that
      includes core principles of high-quality engagement, expected outcomes for each
      principle and three unique evaluation questionnaires that were tested and revised
      with input from 65 end users. RESULTS: The tool is structured around four core
      principles of 'quality engagement': (i) integrity of design and process; (ii)
      influence and impact; (iii) participatory culture; and (iv) collaboration and
      common purpose. Three unique questionnaires were developed to assess each of
      these four evaluation domains from the following perspectives: (i) those who
      participate in PPE activities; (ii) those who plan, execute or sponsor PPE
      activities within organizations; and (iii) those who provide the leadership and
      capacity for PPE within their organizations. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first known
      collaboration of researchers and practitioners in the co-design of a
      comprehensive PPE evaluation tool aimed at three distinct respondent groups and
      for use in a wide range of health system organization settings.

PMID- 26113296
TI  - Simulation studies of circular muscle contraction, longitudinal muscle
      shortening, and their coordination in esophageal transport.
AB  - On the basis of a fully coupled active musculomechanical model for esophageal
      transport, we aimed to find the roles of circular muscle (CM) contraction and
      longitudinal muscle (LM) shortening in esophageal transport, and the influence of
      their coordination. Two groups of studies were conducted using a computational
      model. In the first group, bolus transport with only CM contraction, only LM
      shortening, or both was simulated. Overall features and detailed information on
      pressure and the cross-sectional area (CSA) of mucosal and the two muscle layers
      were analyzed. In the second group, bolus transport with varying delay in CM
      contraction or LM shortening was simulated. The effect of delay on esophageal
      transport was studied. For cases showing abnormal transport, pressure and CSA
      were further analyzed. CM contraction by itself was sufficient to transport
      bolus, but LM shortening by itself was not. CM contraction decreased the CSA and
      the radius of the muscle layer locally, but LM shortening increased the CSA.
      Synchronized CM contraction and LM shortening led to overlapping of muscle CSA
      and pressure peaks. Advancing LM shortening adversely influenced bolus transport,
      whereas lagging LM shortening was irrelevant to bolus transport. In conclusion,
      CM contraction generates high squeezing pressure, which plays a primary role in
      esophageal transport. LM shortening increases muscle CSA, which helps to
      strengthen CM contraction. Advancing LM shortening decreases esophageal
      distensibility in the bolus region. Lagging LM shortening no longer helps
      esophageal transport. Synchronized CM contraction and LM shortening seems to be
      most effective for esophageal transport. 

PMID- 26113297
TI  - Hepatic TLR4 signaling in obese NAFLD.
AB  - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease occurs frequently in the setting of metabolic
      syndrome, but the factors leading to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are not
      fully understood. This study investigated Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling
      in human liver with the goal of delineating whether activation of this pathway
      segregates those with nonalcoholic fatty liver from those with NASH. Experiments
      were performed using liver biopsy tissue obtained from class III obese subjects
      undergoing bariatric surgery, and extended to an immortalized human hepatocyte
      HepaRG cell line and primary human hepatocytes. The bacterial endotoxin
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and total free fatty acid levels were significantly
      increased in plasma of NASH patients. TLR4 mRNA levels were significantly
      increased in subjects with NASH compared with NAFL as was interferon regulatory
      factor (IRF) 3 in the myeloid differentiation factor 88-independent signaling
      pathway. In HepaRG cells, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) nuclear translocation
      and functional activity increased following treatment with the fatty acid,
      palmitate, and following exposure to LPS compared with hepatocytes stimulated
      with a lipogenic treatment that induced de novo lipogenesis. Palmitate and LPS
      induction of NF-kappaB activity was partially attenuated by chemical- or small
      interfering RNA-mediated inhibition of TLR4. Expression of TLR4 and its
      downstream mediators was upregulated with palmitate and LPS. Similar results were
      observed using primary human hepatocytes from a lean donor. Interestingly, NF
      kappaB activity assays showed obese donor hepatocytes were resistant to chemical
      TLR4 inhibition. In conclusion, TLR4 expression is upregulated in a large cohort
      of NASH patients, compared with those with NAFL, and this occurs within the
      setting of increased LPS and fatty acids. 

PMID- 26113299
TI  - Electrical neuromodulation at acupoint ST36 normalizes impaired colonic motility
      induced by rectal distension in dogs.
AB  - Electroacupuncture (EA) has been shown to improve impaired gastric motility and
      slow waves in both humans and animals. However, its effects on colonic motility
      have rarely been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      effects and underlying mechanisms of EA on impaired colonic motility induced by
      rectal distension (RD)in dogs. Colon contractions and transit were measured in
      various sessions with and without EA in hound dogs chronically placed with a
      colonic cannula. Colonic contractile activity was assessed by motility index
      (MI). Autonomic functions were determined by the spectral analysis of the heart
      rate variability derived from the electrocardiogram. It was found 1) RD
      suppressed colonic motility by 40.5% (10.8 +/- 0.9 with RD vs. 6.4 +/- 0.8 at
      baseline, P < 0.002). EA at ST36 normalized colonic contractions suppressed by RD
      (12.9 +/- 2.8, P < 0.002 vs. RD and P = 0.1 vs. control). 2) Administration of
      atropine blocked the ameliorating effect of EA on colon motility. 3) RD also
      delayed colonic transit (65.0 +/- 2.0% with RD vs. 86.0 +/- 1.9% without RD, P <
      0.001) that was restored with EA (84.0 +/- 1.9%, P = 0.178 vs. control). 4) EA
      increased vagal activity suppressed by RD (0.37 +/- 0.07 with RD + EA vs. 0.09 +/
      0.03 with RD without EA, P < 0.001). In conclusion, RD inhibits colonic
      contractions and delays colonic transit in dogs; EA at ST36 restores the RD
      induced impairment in both colonic contraction and transit by enhancing vagal
      activity and mediated via the cholinergic pathway. 

PMID- 26113298
TI  - Impact of SCP-2/SCP-x gene ablation and dietary cholesterol on hepatic lipid
      accumulation.
AB  - While a high-cholesterol diet induces hepatic steatosis, the role of
      intracellular sterol carrier protein-2/sterol carrier protein-x (SCP-2/SCP-x)
      proteins is unknown. We hypothesized that ablating SCP-2/SCP-x [double knockout
      (DKO)] would impact hepatic lipids (cholesterol and cholesteryl ester),
      especially in high-cholesterol-fed mice. DKO did not alter food consumption, and
      body weight (BW) gain decreased especially in females, concomitant with hepatic
      steatosis in females and less so in males. DKO-induced steatosis in control-fed
      wild-type (WT) mice was associated with 1) loss of SCP-2; 2) upregulation of
      liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP); 3) increased mRNA and/or protein
      levels of sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBP1 and SREBP2) as well
      as increased expression of target genes of cholesterol synthesis (Hmgcs1 and
      Hmgcr) and fatty acid synthesis (Acc1 and Fas); and 4) cholesteryl ester
      accumulation was also associated with increased acyl-CoA cholesterol
      acyltransferase-2 (ACAT2) in males. DKO exacerbated the high-cholesterol diet
      induced hepatic cholesterol and glyceride accumulation, without further
      increasing SREBP1, SREBP2, or target genes. This exacerbation was associated both
      with loss of SCP-2 and concomitant downregulation of Ceh/Hsl, apolipoprotein B
      (ApoB), MTP, and/or L-FABP protein expression. DKO diminished the ability to
      secrete excess cholesterol into bile and oxidize cholesterol to bile acid for
      biliary excretion, especially in females. This suggested that SCP-2/SCP-x affects
      cholesterol transport to particular intracellular compartments, with ablation
      resulting in less to the endoplasmic reticulum for SREBP regulation, making more
      available for cholesteryl ester synthesis, for cholesteryl-ester storage in lipid
      droplets, and for bile salt synthesis and/or secretion. These alterations are
      significant findings, since they affect key processes in regulation of sterol
      metabolism. 

PMID- 26113301
TI  - [Imaging in pediatric urology].
AB  - BACKGROUND: For many years, sonography and the intravenous pyelogram (IVP) were
      the most important examination methods for the evaluation of the urinary tract in
      children. Both methods have their pros and cons: sonography provides ideal
      visualization of normal kidneys and the evaluation of the pelvicalyceal system.
      For detection or exclusion of renal scarring, however, this method is not well
      suited. It provides no information regarding kidney function. METHODS: With an
      IVP, it is possible to evaluate urinary excretion and, thus, indirectly assess
      kidney function. As this examination method involves radiation exposure and the
      necessity of a contrast agent, it should be avoided in the examination of
      children. The CT is an excellent examination method that can diagnose nearly all
      urological diseases in children or answer urological questions; however, a CT
      scan applies the highest radiation dose of all discussed methods. For this
      reason, examination via MRI is of increasing importance in uroradiology.
      Initially only the T2 sequences for the visualization of the urinary tract in
      children were applied. CONCLUSION: The current technical developments as well as
      the use of the contrast agent gadolinium and the antidiuretic agent furosemide
      allow an all-in-one evaluation of the kidneys and urinary tract.

PMID- 26113300
TI  - [Testosterone in the management of metastatic prostate cancer].
AB  - Background Among all cancer types, prostate cancer (PCa) is the most prevalent
      cancer and is the third-leading cause of cancer-related death in men. The
      biologic function of the prostate is decisively influenced by testosterone and
      its metabolic product dihydrotestosterone. However, there is general uncertainty
      about the role of testosterone in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer
      (mCRPC). For many years, the androgen hypothesis had been accepted to explain the
      correlation between testosterone levels and the development or progression of
      PCa. However, extensive study analyses revealed contradictory results, leading to
      a reconsideration of the androgen hypothesis. High serum testosterone levels do
      not predispose to PCa development and low serum testosterone levels are not
      protective. The importance of testosterone levels in patients with mCRPC has been
      shown in several registration studies with new drugs, such as abiraterone acetate
      and enzalutamide. There is growing evidence suggesting a prognostic role of
      testosterone levels in mCRPC. 

PMID- 26113302
TI  - [German validation of the Acute Cystitis Symptom Score].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Uzbek version of the Acute Cystitis Symptom Score (ACSS) was
      developed as a simple self-reporting questionnaire to improve diagnosis and
      therapy of women with acute cystitis (AC). The purpose of this work was to
      validate the ACSS in the German language. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ACSS
      consists of 18 questions in four subscales: (1) typical symptoms, (2)
      differential diagnosis, (3) quality of life, and (4) additional circumstances.
      Translation of the ACSS into German was performed according to international
      guidelines. For the validation process 36 German-speaking women (age: 18-90
      years), with and without symptoms of AC, were included in the study.
      Classification of participants into two groups (patients or controls) was based
      on the presence or absence of typical symptoms and significant bacteriuria (>=
      10(3) CFU/ml). Statistical evaluations of reliability, validity, and predictive
      ability were performed. ROC curve analysis was performed to assess sensitivity
      and specificity of ACSS and its subscales. The Mann-Whitney's U test and t-test
      were used to compare the scores of the groups. RESULTS: Of the 36 German-speaking
      women (age: 40 +/- 19 years), 19 were diagnosed with AC (patient group), while 17
      women served as controls. Cronbach's alpha for the German ACSS total scale was
      0.87. A threshold score of >= 6 points in category 1 (typical symptoms)
      significantly predicted AC (sensitivity 94.7%, specificity 82.4%). There were no
      significant differences in ACSS scores in patients and controls compared to the
      original Uzbek version of the ACSS. CONCLUSION: The German version of the ACSS
      showed a high reliability and validity. Therefore, the German version of the ACSS
      can be reliably used in clinical practice and research for diagnosis and
      therapeutic monitoring of patients suffering from AC.

PMID- 26113303
TI  - A perspective on the evolution of germ-cell development and germinal mosaics of
      deleterious mutations.
AB  - In many animals a small number of primordial germ cells (PGCs) are set aside
      early in development, mitosis and mitochondrial DNA syntheses are arrested,
      transcription is stopped or reduced, and the PGCs migrate later to the emerging
      gonads and become germ cells. What could be the evolutionary advantage of
      sequestering non-dividing PGCs early in development? A commonly cited advantage
      is a reduction in the number of new deleterious mutations that would occur if
      there were additional divisions in PGCs early in development. We would like to
      add to this advantage the fact that these additional mutations in PGCs give rise
      to germinal mosaics (i.e., premeiotic clusters of mutation) in multiple progeny
      of the same individual, thus having a larger detrimental effect on the
      evolutionary fitness of their carriers. Here, we reviewed published studies
      providing evidence that germinal mosaics of deleterious mutant alleles are not
      rare, occur for all types of genetic damage, and have been observed in all tested
      organisms and in nature. We propose the hypothesis that PGC sequestration during
      early animal development may have evolved in part in response to selection for
      preventing the occurrence of premeiotic clusters of deleterious mutant alleles,
      and describe a series of predictions that would allow the assessment of the
      potential role of germinal mosaics on the evolution of PGC sequestration. 

PMID- 26113304
TI  - Emerging drugs for the treatment of bone metastasis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Bone metastases are virtually incurable resulting in significant
      disease morbidity, reduced quality of life and mortality. Bone provides a unique
      microenvironment whose local interactions with tumor cells offer novel targets
      for therapeutic interventions. Increased understanding of the pathogenesis of
      bone disease has led to the discovery and clinical utility of bone-targeted
      agents other than bisphosphonates and denosumab, currently, the standard of care
      in this setting. AREAS COVERED: In this review, we present the recent advances in
      molecular targeted therapies focusing on therapies that inhibit bone resorption
      and/or stimulate bone formation and novel anti-tumoral agents that exerts
      significant effects on skeletal metastases, nowadays available in clinical
      practice or in phase of development. EXPERT OPINION: New emergent bone target
      therapies radium-223, mTOR inhibitors, anti-androgens have demonstrated the
      ability to increase overall survival in bone metastatic patients, other
      compounds, such as ET-1 and SRC inhibitors, up to now failed to clearly confirm
      in clinical trials their promising preclinical data.

PMID- 26113305
TI  - Orf virus inhibits interferon stimulated gene expression and modulates the
      JAK/STAT signalling pathway.
AB  - Interferons (IFNs) play a critical role as a first line of defence against viral
      infection. Activation of the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activation of
      transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway by IFNs leads to the production of IFN
      stimulated genes (ISGs) that block viral replication. The Parapoxvirus, Orf virus
      (ORFV) induces acute pustular skin lesions of sheep and goats and is
      transmissible to man. The virus replicates in keratinocytes that are the immune
      sentinels of skin. We investigated whether or not ORFV could block the expression
      of ISGs. The human gene GBP1 is stimulated exclusively by type II IFN while MxA
      is stimulated exclusively in response to type I IFNs. We found that GBP1 and MxA
      were strongly inhibited in ORFV infected HeLa cells stimulated with IFN-gamma or
      IFN-alpha respectively. Furthermore we showed that ORFV inhibition of ISG
      expression was not affected by cells pretreated with adenosine N1-oxide (ANO), a
      molecule that inhibits poxvirus mRNA translation. This suggested that new viral
      gene synthesis was not required and that a virion structural protein was
      involved. We next investigated whether ORFV infection affected STAT1
      phosphorylation in IFN-gamma or IFN-alpha treated HeLa cells. We found that ORFV
      reduced the levels of phosphorylated STAT1 in a dose-dependent manner and was
      specific for Tyr701 but not Ser727. Treatment of cells with sodium vanadate
      suggested that a tyrosine phosphatase was responsible for dephosphorylating STAT1
      p. ORFV encodes a factor, ORFV057, with homology to the vaccinia virus structural
      protein VH1 that impairs the JAK/STAT pathway by dephosphorylating STAT1. Our
      findings show that ORFV has the capability to block ISG expression and modulate
      the JAK/STAT signalling pathway. 

PMID- 26113306
TI  - Decreased neutralizing antigenicity in IBV S1 protein expressed from mammalian
      cells.
AB  - We evaluated the antigenicity of recombinant infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) S1
      protein expressed in mammalian cells. Recombinant S1 was expressed as a secreted
      protein fused with a trimerization motif peptide, then purified using Ni
      Sepharose. The purified protein was analyzed by Western blotting, mixed with oil
      adjuvant, and administered to 29-day-old specific-pathogen-free chickens. Six
      weeks after immunization, anti-IBV neutralizing titer and anti-S1 ELISA titer
      were determined; immunized chickens then were inoculated with IBV via the trachea
      and ciliary activity was observed. Results showed that the recombinant S1 protein
      was highly glycosylated, and the neutralizing antigenicity of recombinant S1
      protein was lower than that of inactivated virus. However, anti-S1 ELISA
      indicated that the recombinant S1 protein induced antibodies against S1. These
      results suggest that the recombinant S1 may retain non-neutralizing epitopes but
      have unnatural glycosylation pattern and conformation, resulting in lacking
      neutralizing conformational epitopes. In conclusion, the neutralizing
      antigenicity of recombinant S1 protein expressed from mammalian cells was
      decreased, and was not sufficient to induce neutralizing antibodies. 

PMID- 26113307
TI  - An analysis of original research contributions toward FDA-approved drugs.
AB  - Academic researchers shaped the landscape of drug discovery for nearly two
      centuries, and their efforts initiated programs for more than half of the US Food
      and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved new molecular entities (NMEs). During the
      first 50 years of the 20th century, contributions from industry-based discovery
      programs steadily increased, stabilizing near half of all first publications for
      NMEs. Although academia and industry have made similar contributions to the
      discovery of FDA-approved NMEs, there remains a substantial difference in the gap
      to-approval; on average, industry NMEs are 12 years closer to market at the time
      of the first publication. As more drug discovery efforts shift from industry to
      academia, including high-throughput screening resources, academia could have an
      increasingly crucial role in drug discovery. 

PMID- 26113308
TI  - [Body weight and food consumption scores in adolescents from northeast Brazil].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of excess
      weight and analyze eating habits in relation to cardiovascular disease in
      adolescents from the city of Vitoria de Santo Antao, state of Pernambuco,
      northeast Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with male and
      female students (10-19 years old) enrolled at public and private schools in
      Vitoria de Santo Antao. Sociodemographic, anthropometric and lifestyle variables
      were collected. Food consumption was evaluated using a food frequency
      questionnaire and subsequently converted to monthly intake pattern scores,
      obtaining the intake distribution for a group of foods associated with the risk
      of developing cardiovascular disease and for a group of protective foods. The
      significance level for the statistical tests was set at 5.0%. RESULTS: The sample
      consisted of 2,866 students. The female gender accounted for 54.2% of the sample,
      and median age was 14 years (interquartile range: 12 to 16 years). The food
      intake scores showed greater dispersion in the group of protective foods (51.1%).
      Higher median scores for consumption of risk foods were found among adolescents
      whose mothers had more than nine years of schooling (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Excess weight was prevalent among the students analyzed. The consumption of risk
      foods was only associated with maternal schooling, which shows the need for
      nutritional interventions directed at families, regardless of socioeconomic
      status.

PMID- 26113309
TI  - Protective Effects of Zinc Against Acute Arsenic Toxicity by Regulating
      Antioxidant Defense System and Cumulative Metallothionein Expression.
AB  - Arsenic (As), a toxic metalloid, is one of the major global concerns. The
      toxicity resulting from As exposure is linked to the generation of reactive
      oxygen intermediates during their redox cycling and metabolic activation
      processes that cause lipid peroxidation (LPO). Zinc (Zn), a redox-inactive metal,
      helps to maintain cellular functions because of its prominent role in antioxidant
      network through multiple mechanisms. The present study, therefore, explores the
      effectiveness of administered Zn to combat against acute As toxicity by analysis
      of antioxidant defense status, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, histological
      profile, MT expression, and elemental status in rat liver. To achieve this goal,
      four experimental groups, one control and three receiving different metal
      supplementations, were chosen (group 1, control; group 2, Zn supplemented; group
      3, As substituted; group 4, Zn + As supplemented). The levels of reduced
      glutathione (GSH) and activities of glutathione reductase (GR) and ALP were
      lowered, whereas LPO levels and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were
      elevated with no significant change in catalase (CAT) activity. Histopathological
      changes were also observed in the As substituted group in comparison to the
      control. Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis showed decrease in Fe
      and S concentration in rat liver after As intoxication, whereas As was below
      detection limit, i.e., <1 ppm. Zn administration almost restored the
      antioxidants, ALP activity, histopathological changes, and elemental status. A
      cumulative increase in MT expression was found with the combined treatment of Zn
      and As. Also, Zn alone caused no significant change in the antioxidant defense
      system. It can be concluded that restoration of antioxidant activity and
      increased MT expression are the two independent protective mechanisms of Zn to
      reduce acute As toxicity. 

PMID- 26113310
TI  - The Effect of Exposure to Cd and Pb in the Form of a Drinking Water or Feed on
      the Accumulation and Distribution of These Metals in the Organs of Growing Wistar
      Rats.
AB  - The degree of accumulation and distribution of Cd and Pb in the organs of young
      animals compared to the amount taken in with water or feed have not been
      thoroughly investigated yet. The experiment aimed to verify whether the source of
      toxic metals (feed, drinking water) administered to growing rats orally has an
      influence on the degree of accumulation of Cd and Pb in the organs (brain,
      spleen, lungs, heart, liver and kidneys). The rats received Cd and/or Pb
      respectively in the amount of 7 mg and/or 50 mg per 1 kg of feed or per 1 L of
      distilled water. The rats' organs accumulated in total about 0.5 % Cd and about
      0.71 % Pb consumed with water and about 0.46 % Cd and about 0.63 % Pb taken in
      with feed. More than 60 % of Cd and more than 70 % of Pb absorbed by the studied
      organs was accumulated in the liver, and more than 30 % of Cd and 26-29 % of Pb
      in the kidneys and less than 1 % in other organs. The relationship between the
      distribution percentage of Cd in the studied organs can be presented as: liver >
      kidneys > brain > lungs > heart > spleen. The relationship between the
      distribution percentage of Pb can be presented as: liver > kidneys > brain >
      spleen > heart > lungs. Significantly (P < 0.05), more Cd and Pb were accumulated
      in total in the organs of rats receiving the metals in drinking water. 

PMID- 26113311
TI  - Papillary Tumor of the Pineal Region: A Distinct Molecular Entity.
AB  - Papillary tumor of the pineal region (PTPR) is a neuroepithelial brain tumor,
      which might pose diagnostic difficulties and recurs often. Little is known about
      underlying molecular alterations. We therefore investigated chromosomal copy
      number alterations, DNA methylation patterns and mRNA expression profiles in a
      series of 24 PTPRs. Losses of chromosome 10 were identified in all 13 PTPRs
      examined. Losses of chromosomes 3 and 22q (54%) as well as gains of chromosomes
      8p (62%) and 12 (46%) were also common. DNA methylation profiling using Illumina
      450k arrays reliably distinguished PTPR from ependymomas and pineal parenchymal
      tumors of intermediate differentiation. PTPR could be divided into two subgroups
      based on methylation pattern, PTPR group 2 showing higher global methylation and
      a tendency toward shorter progression-free survival (P = 0.06). Genes
      overexpressed in PTPR as compared with ependymal tumors included SPDEF, known to
      be expressed in the rodent subcommissural organ. Notable SPDEF protein expression
      was encountered in 15/19 PTPRs as compared with only 2/36 ependymal tumors, 2/19
      choroid plexus tumors and 0/23 samples of other central nervous system (CNS)
      tumor entities. In conclusion, PTPRs show typical chromosomal alterations as well
      as distinct DNA methylation and expression profiles, which might serve as useful
      diagnostic tools. 

PMID- 26113312
TI  - Smart Probe for Tracing Cancer Therapy: Selective Cancer Cell Detection, Image
      Guided Ablation, and Prediction of Therapeutic Response In Situ.
AB  - Integrated diagnosis and therapy systems that can offer traceable cancer therapy
      are in high demand for personalized medicine. Herein, a pH-responsive polymeric
      probe containing tetraphenylsilole (TPS) with aggregation-induced emission
      characteristics and pheophorbide A (PheA) photosensitizer (PS) with aggregation
      caused quenching property for tracing the whole process of cancer therapy is
      reported. At physiological conditions (pH 7.4), the probe self-assembles into
      nanoparticles (NPs), which show weak fluorescence of PheA with low phototoxicity,
      but strong green fluorescence from TPS for probe self-tracking. Upon uptake by
      cancer cells and entrapment in lysosomes (pH 5.0), the NPs disassemble to yield
      weak emission of TPS but strong red fluorescence of PheA with restored
      phototoxicity for PS activation monitoring. Upon light irradiation, the generated
      reactive oxygen species can cause lysosomal disruption to trigger cell apoptosis.
      Meanwhile, the probe leaks to the cytoplasm (pH 7.2), where the TPS fluorescence
      is restored for in situ visualization of the therapeutic response. The probe
      design thus represents a novel strategy for traceable cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26113313
TI  - Population pharmacokinetics of infliximab in patients with inflammatory bowel
      disease: potential implications for dosing in clinical practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infliximab (IFX) is effective in the treatment of inflammatory bowel
      diseases (IBD). Currently, IFX is administered at fixed doses and intervals;
      however, costs are high and optimisation is necessary. Several publications
      indicate that IFX should be dosed on trough levels >=3.0 mg/L. For optimising IFX
      dosing, the use of a pharmacokinetic model is important. Population
      pharmacokinetics of IFX have been described earlier; however, these models were
      not used for dose optimising. AIMS: To develop a pharmacokinetic model for IFX in
      IBD patients that can be used for dose-optimisation of IFX and to predict serum
      trough levels in this population. METHODS: An observational retrospective study
      was performed in 42 IFX-treated IBD patients. Serum samples were drawn before
      infusion at T = 0, 2, 6, 14, 22 and 54 weeks and analysed for IFX and antibodies
      against IFX (ATI). Relevant covariates were recorded and a population
      pharmacokinetic model was developed. RESULTS: Individual plots created using the
      final model showed good correspondence between observed and model predicted
      values. Serum levels were influenced by ATI, disease activity, sex and albumin.
      Our results show that in patients without ATI target trough levels >=3.0 mg/L can
      be achieved by increasing dosing intervals from 8 to 12 weeks combined with a
      dose increase. This results in a reduction of 33% in concomitant costs.
      CONCLUSIONS: In IBD patients without ATI, trough level dosing based on longer
      intervals can reduce IFX therapy-related visits to the hospital with one-third.
      Trough level based dose intensification should always be justified by disease
      activity parameters.

PMID- 26113314
TI  - Portal/Superior Mesenteric Vein Reconstruction during Pancreatic Resection Using
      a Cryopreserved Arterial Homograft.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Portal-superior mesenteric vein (PV/SMV) resection during pancreatic
      resection has been widely applied in clinical practice. METHODS: From a
      prospective data base of pancreatic resections, patients undergoing PV/SMV
      resection and reconstruction with a cryopreserved arterial homograft were
      extracted with the aim of evaluating the safety, feasibility and reproducibility
      of the procedure. Data regarding patient demographics, preoperative staging,
      surgery, histopathology and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Five
      patients were extracted in the last year. Indications for this technique were
      type IV-V degree of vein involvement and a 3.5 cm median length of vein
      infiltration. Median operative and clamping times were satisfactory (385 and 27
      min, respectively), postoperative outcomes were good and there was no graft
      infection, thrombosis or stenosis occurred postoperatively and during the follow
      up period. CONCLUSION: The use of a cryopreserved arterial homograft for PV/SMV
      reconstruction after pancreatic resection seems to be a feasible, safe and easily
      reproducible surgical technique in high-volume specialized centers and can be
      added to the pool of surgical solutions in selected patients.

PMID- 26113315
TI  - Vascular Calcification Progression Is an Independent Predictor of Mortality in
      Patients on Haemodialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We previously reported that vascular calcification (VC) score was
      associated with mortality in patients on haemodialysis (HD) and that a high serum
      level of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-23 were the
      only factors associated with VC progression. AIM: To assess the impact of VC
      progression on HD patient survival. METHODS: The study cohort including 85 HD
      patients studied between 2006 and 2007 and between 2009 and 2010 was divided into
      patients with VC progression (PG+, n = 38) and no-progression (PG-, n = 47),
      based on VC scores measured twice at 3-year intervals (VC1 and VC2). Patients
      were followed during 3 additional years. RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier analysis
      determined that PG+ displayed increased mortality (hazard ratio (HR): 2.4; 95%
      confidence interval (CI): 1.12-4.8; p = 0.03). This result was confirmed using a
      Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age, dialysis duration, the VC1
      score, and the mean FGF-23 and iPTH serum levels (HR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.12-6.6; p =
      0.02). CONCLUSION: VC progression is associated with poor survival in patients on
      HD, irrespective of a patient's baseline VC score.

PMID- 26113316
TI  - Bullous pemphigoid after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
AB  - Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune skin disorder characterized by
      subepidermal blisters due to deposit of autoantibody against dermal basement
      membrane protein. It has been reported that BP can occur after allogeneic
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We describe a patient with BP
      having autoantibody against BP180 after unrelated-donor HSCT against T
      lymphoblastic leukemia. The patient was treated with steroid leading to complete
      resolution of BP, but T lymphoblastic leukemia progressed rapidly after steroid
      hormone treatment. Given that immunosuppressant may reduce graft-versus-tumor
      effect, immunomodulatory agents such as nicotinamide and tetracycline,
      erythromycin, and immunoglobulin may be appropriate as soon as typical blister
      lesions are seen after HSCT. 

PMID- 26113317
TI  - Current incidence of clinical kernicterus in preterm infants in Japan.
AB  - Clinical kernicterus in preterm infants has recently been reported in Japan,
      diagnosed on the basis of clinical findings during the neonatal and infancy
      periods. We investigated the incidence of clinical kernicterus in preterm infants
      <30 weeks gestational age (GA) based on a nationwide survey conducted in 233
      certified educational facilities for neonatologists. The numbers of infants
      admitted and infants who died within 14 days after birth during 2011, and the
      number of infants who subsequently developed clinical kernicterus, were recorded.
      A total of 2720 infants were analyzed, representing 59% (2720/4623) of all
      preterm live births <30 weeks GA in Japan in 2011. Of these, 159 (5.8%) died
      within 14 days after birth, similar to the national rate. Five infants developed
      clinical kernicterus in infancy (5/2720, 0.18%). The current incidence of
      clinical kernicterus in Japan is therefore estimated at 1.8 per 1000 live births
      <30 weeks GA.

PMID- 26113318
TI  - Management of intestinal bleeding with single-dose cyclophosphamide in Henoch
      Schonlein purpura.
AB  - In these case series, we report on six children (3 girls, 3 boys) aged 5-13 years
      with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) who developed severe gastrointestinal (GI)
      bleeding resistant to both 2 mg/kg or pulse (10-30 mg/kg) i.v.
      methylprednisolone. All patients responded to single-dose (500 mg/m(2) ) i.v.
      cyclophosphamide (CPA) and none of them developed new GI bleeding after CPA
      treatment. No patients required surgical intervention. Single high-dose CPA may
      be beneficial in HSP with severe GI involvement, in which bleeding is non
      responsive to high-dose steroids.

PMID- 26113319
TI  - Cat-scratch disease with severe pleuritis in a 6-year-old girl.
AB  - We present the case of a 6-year-old girl with cat-scratch disease (CSD), who
      developed severe pleuritis without lymphadenitis. Bartonella henselae DNA was
      detected on real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of whole blood.
      This is the first report of CSD diagnosed on real-time PCR using whole blood. 

PMID- 26113320
TI  - Pyoderma gangrenosum with systemic and pulmonary involvement in a toddler.

PMID- 26113321
TI  - Painless lumps in the proximal interphalangeal joints in tricho-rhino-phalangeal
      syndrome type 1.

PMID- 26113322
TI  - Racial differences of the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion: Reply.

PMID- 26113323
TI  - Macroscopic hematuria caused by congenital portosystemic shunt and concomitant
      nutcracker syndrome.
AB  - Nutcracker syndrome (NCS) is an uncommon vascular abnormality that causes a
      variety of symptoms that range from asymptomatic microscopic hematuria to severe
      pelvic congestion. Congenital portosystemic shunt (CPSS) is an extremely rare
      anomaly that causes serious complications. Many cases of NCS and CPSS that have
      presented separately have been reported, but no cases of concomitant NCS and CPSS
      have been reported. We present a case of intermittent macroscopic hematuria in a
      patient with both NCS and CPSS. We diagnosed NCS on pressure gradient between the
      left renal vein (LRV) and the inferior vena cava. The presence of CPSS, which
      emerged from the LRV and connected to the extrahepatic portal vein, was confirmed
      on computed tomography. The interaction between NCS and CPSS resulted in mild
      intermittent macroscopic hematuria only, rather than the more common symptoms
      that occur when NCS or CPSS present separately. 

PMID- 26113324
TI  - Chloroplast Biogenesis.

PMID- 26113325
TI  - BVA President celebrates creativity and innovation in Wales.

PMID- 26113326
TI  - Advanced Practitioner applications open for 2015.

PMID- 26113327
TI  - Referral practices express concern about potential restrictions on choice.

PMID- 26113328
TI  - Getting veterinary history 'out of the cupboards'.

PMID- 26113329
TI  - RCVS seeks views on revised Day 1 skills for veterinary nurses.

PMID- 26113330
TI  - FDA introduces 'final rule' on use of antibiotics in feed.

PMID- 26113331
TI  - Longer hours trialled for professional standards advice line.

PMID- 26113332
TI  - Advert highlights dangers of leaving dogs in hot cars.

PMID- 26113333
TI  - Pig disease charter launched.

PMID- 26113334
TI  - Cat videos leave viewers feline fine.

PMID- 26113335
TI  - Women in veterinary leadership.

PMID- 26113336
TI  - What is the true risk of imported dogs to the UK?

PMID- 26113337
TI  - Cross-border transport of rescue dogs may spread rabies in Europe.
AB  - Harmonisation of regulations in the European Union and the European Economic
      Area, as of January 1, 2012, has led to an increase in the number of rescue dogs
      imported to Norway from Eastern European countries, in particular Romania. Today
      the only requirements for dogs entering Norway are rabies vaccination and
      prophylactic Echinococcus multilocularis treatment. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the antibody levels to rabies virus in vaccinated rescue dogs and to
      examine if the dogs had sufficient antibody response according to the recommended
      titre >=0.5 IU/ml by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). A
      significant proportion (53%, 95% CI (41% to 65%)) of imported rescue dogs from
      Eastern Europe were found to have inadequate titres after rabies vaccination.
      Moreover, 41 per cent of the dogs had antibody levels below or equal to 0.2
      IU/ml, and among these, 14 dogs had titres <=0.1 IU/ml, which is considered
      negative in the fluorescent antibody virus neutralisation assay. This study
      indicates that the present regulation increases the risk of introducing rabies
      from member states where rabies is still prevalent to countries considered free
      from rabies. 

PMID- 26113338
TI  - Towards a scholarship of primary health care.

PMID- 26113339
TI  - Ethical work climates in veterinary practices.

PMID- 26113343
TI  - Ensuring animal welfare is at the heart of research.

PMID- 26113344
TI  - Diary of a parliamentary intern.

PMID- 26113347
TI  - Susceptibility to antimicrobials of mastitis-causing Staphylococcus aureus,
      Streptococcus uberis and Str. dysgalactiae from New Zealand and the USA as
      assessed by the disk diffusion test.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of three common
      mastitis pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus uberis and Str.
      dysgalactiae) isolated from milk samples from New Zealand and the USA. METHODS: A
      total of 182 S. aureus, 126 Str. uberis and 89 Str. dysgalactiae isolates from
      New Zealand (107, 106 and 41, respectively) and the USA (75, 20 and 48,
      respectively) were assessed using the disk diffusion test. RESULTS:
      Susceptibility varied among the bacterial species. All isolates were susceptible
      to the amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination. Resistance to lincomycin was most
      frequent (susceptibility of 8.6%) across all species. Non-susceptible (i.e.
      resistant or intermediate) isolates of S. aureus were identified for the three
      non-isoxazolyl penicillins (amoxicillin, ampicillin and penicillin: 20.6% and
      36.0%) and lincomycin (99.9% and 94.6%) for NZ and the USA, respectively.
      Resistance to erythromycin (5.3%) and tetracyclines (6.7%) was detected only in
      isolates from the USA. There were differences in susceptibility between Str.
      uberis and Str. dysgalactiae; all streptococcal isolates demonstrated resistance
      to aminoglycosides (neomycin 52.4% and streptomycin 27.9%) and enrofloxacin
      (28%). Resistance of Str. dysgalactiae to tetracycline was almost 100.0% and to
      oxytetracycline 89.9%. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Most of the isolates
      tested were susceptible to most of the antimicrobials commonly used for treatment
      of bovine mastitis, with the exception of the lincosamides. Susceptibility to a
      selected class-representative antimicrobial and at the genus level should be
      interpreted with caution. Differences between NZ and the USA confirm the value of
      national surveys to determine the susceptibility patterns of mastitis pathogens.

PMID- 26113348
TI  - Surgical and postoperative events during permanent fistulation of sheep rumen by
      the Schalk and Amadon method.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe and report on the course of events during and after
      surgical fistulation of sheep rumen by the Schalk and Amadon method and on
      improvements to address current trends in animal health, care and welfare.
      METHODS: A permanent re-entry fistula was created in 13 sheep using a method in
      which a fold of rumen is exteriorised and held by a metal clamp. Following
      surgery, sheep were monitored daily for any abnormalities for 4 weeks, then
      weekly for 6 months. RESULTS: Permanent fistulation was achieved in all 13 sheep;
      2 sheep had minor complications: one during the surgery (rumen perforation) and
      one on the day after surgery (slipping of the metal clamp), but both recovered
      within 48 h with treatment. Over the 4 weeks post-surgery, 7 sheep had mildly
      elevated rectal temperatures, which resolved with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
      drugs, systemic antibiotics and/or topical antiseptic cream. There was an 8-day
      variation among sheep in the time from surgery to creation of the fistula.
      CONCLUSION: Rumen fistulation of sheep by the Schalk and Amadon method, as
      described here, is a comparatively simple, safe and ethical procedure, with
      minimal effect on or complications for the animal.

PMID- 26113349
TI  - In vivo characterisation of two Australian isolates of Marek's disease virus
      including pathology, viral load and neuropathotyping based on clinical signs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the pathogenicity of Australian Marek's disease virus
      (MDV) isolate MPF23 (1985) against the reference strain MPF57 based on pathology,
      viral load and neuropathotyping on the basis of clinical signs. PROCEDURE: Two
      MDV challenge isolates (MPF57 or MPF23) were administered to unvaccinated
      specific-pathogen free (SPF) layer chicks on day 5 after hatch at three challenge
      doses (500, 2000 or 8000 plaque-forming units (pfu)/chick). Mortality, body
      weight, immune organ weights, MDV load in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and
      clinical signs were measured to 56 days post challenge (dpc). RESULTS: MPF23 was
      the more pathogenic of the two viruses, inducing higher mortality (81% vs 62%)
      and incidence of MD lesions (100% vs 76%). MPF23 induced earlier, more sustained
      and more severe neurological signs in the period 26-56 dpc. However, there were
      few differences during the 0-23 dpc used in the neuropathotyping classification
      under test. The observed pattern during this earlier period classified both
      viruses as neuropathotype B, consistent with a very virulent pathotype. MDV load
      in PBL at 7 and 44 dpc did not differ between virus isolates, but the load at 7
      dpc was significantly and negatively associated with time to euthanasia or death.
      CONCLUSION: MPF23 appears to be as, or more, virulent than the MDV strains
      isolated over the subsequent two decades. The neuropathotyping system developed
      in the USA did not clearly differentiate between the two isolates under test;
      however, extension of the period of assessment of clinical signs beyond 26 dpc
      did reveal clear differences.

PMID- 26113350
TI  - Cutaneous and systemic mycoses from infection with Lecanicillium spp. in captive
      Guthega skinks (Liopholis guthega).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Guthega skinks have been listed as critically endangered and are
      considered particularly vulnerable to extinction because of their isolation and
      restricted distribution. There is no information on their captive husbandry, or
      the diseases that affect them. CASE REPORT: Cutaneous and systemic mycosis from
      infection with Lecanicillium spp. was diagnosed in a captive colony of Guthega
      skinks (Liopholis guthega). Infection resulted in the death of five lizards.
      Diagnosis of infection was confirmed using a combination of histopathology,
      fungal culture and DNA sequencing from all affected animals. An additional four
      similarly affected individuals were successfully treated with a combination of
      voriconazole (10 mg/kg PO once daily) and shallow baths of benzalkonium chloride
      and polyhexamethylene biguanide hydrochloride (F10) (1 : 250, 20 min once daily).
      This is the first report of Lecanicillium spp. infection in reptiles.

PMID- 26113351
TI  - Concurrent idiopathic vestibular syndrome and facial nerve paralysis in a cat.
AB  - CASE REPORT: A 4-year-old male neutered Domestic Medium-hair cat was referred for
      right head tilt and ataxia of 2 weeks duration. On examination it was determined
      that the cat had right facial nerve paralysis and peripheral vestibular signs.
      Haematology and serum biochemical testing were performed in addition to magnetic
      resonance imaging of the brain and ears, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. An
      underlying condition was not identified. A diagnosis of idiopathic vestibular
      syndrome and concurrent idiopathic right facial nerve paralysis was consequently
      made. The cat was re-evaluated over the following weeks and was determined to
      have complete resolution of clinical signs within 7 weeks. CONCLUSION: Vestibular
      dysfunction and concurrent facial nerve paralysis have previously been reported
      in the cat, but not of an idiopathic nature.

PMID- 26113352
TI  - Suspected intramedullary bone infarct subsequent to tibial plateau levelling
      osteotomy in a dog.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bone infarction is a syndrome associated with disruption to the
      medullary blood supply of a long bone and may present as either a cause of
      lameness or, more commonly, an incidental finding. Bone infarction is a known
      complication of total hip replacement in the dog and may be associated with
      several other systemic diseases. CASE REPORT: A 3-year-old female desexed
      Labrador Retriever presented for acute lameness 4 weeks following tibial plateau
      levelling osteotomy (TPLO). Subsequent radiographs revealed an increase in
      medullary bone opacity, radiographically consistent with a medullary bone
      infarction. The lesion was followed with serial radiographs and appeared to
      spontaneously resolve. CONCLUSION: This is the first reported case of bone
      infarction following TPLO in the dog. Bone infarction should be considered as an
      unlikely but potential complication of TPLO.

PMID- 26113353
TI  - Serological evidence of Neospora caninum in alpacas from eastern Australia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate if there was any serological
      evidence of Neospora caninum in alpaca populations in south-eastern Australia.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Serum samples from 100 alpacas were collected from four
      farms. All serum samples were screened for N. caninum antibodies using a
      commercially available competitive ELISA. Of the 100 alpacas sampled, 3 were
      suspect seropositive for N. caninum. CONCLUSION: There is natural N. caninum
      seroprevalence in alpacas in south-eastern Australia; however, it remains
      undetermined whether or not this infection is currently contributing to
      reproductive failure in alpacas in Australia.

PMID- 26113354
TI  - How do we know when an animal is happy?

PMID- 26113355
TI  - Using free flaps for reconstruction during infections by mucormycosis: A case
      report and a structured review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mucormycosis is a very rare infection caused by fungi from the order
      Mucorales, it rarely involves the skin. We report a case of necrotizing fasciitis
      of the upper limb which required an aggressive surgical debridement, antifungal
      therapy and coverage of the defect with a free DIEP flap, a review of the
      literature was also done regarding indications of reconstruction with free flaps.
      CASE PRESENTATION: Here we present a case of cutaneous mucormycosis of the right
      upper limb in a 49-year-old immunocompetent woman after having an open fracture
      associated with massive contamination during a motor vehicle collision. In early
      postoperative period, she had multiple skin necrotic lesions. Serial surgical
      debridements were performed and ended up with interscapular-thoracic amputation
      associated with a total mastectomy. Following diagnosis confirmation of
      mucormycosis infection, the patient was started on antifungal therapy for several
      months. After disease control, the large defect was successfully covered by a
      DIEP flap. CONCLUSION: Cutaneous mucormycosis requires antifungal therapy along
      with aggressive debridement, reconstruction by a free flap seems to be a good
      solution to cover these large defects.

PMID- 26113356
TI  - Invasive therapies for primary postpartum haemorrhage: a population-based study
      in France.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics, management, and outcomes of women
      undergoing invasive therapies for primary postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). DESIGN: A
      population-based observational study. SETTING: All 106 maternity units of six
      French regions. POPULATION: A total of 146 781 women delivering between 2004 and
      2006. METHODS: Prospective identification of women with PPH managed with invasive
      therapies, including uterine suture, pelvic vessel ligation, arterial
      embolisation, and hysterectomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rate of use and failure
      rate of invasive therapies, with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). RESULTS: An
      invasive therapy was used in 296 of 6660 women with PPH (4.4%, 95% CI 4.0-5.0),
      and in 0.2% of deliveries (95% CI 0.18-0.23). A hysterectomy was performed in
      72/6660 women with PPH (1.1%, 95% CI 0.8-1.4%), and in 0.05% of deliveries (95%
      CI 0.04-0.06). A conservative invasive therapy was used in 262 women, including
      183 (70%) who underwent arterial embolisation and 79 (30%) who had conservative
      surgery as the first-line therapy. Embolisation was more frequently used after
      vaginal than caesarean delivery, and when arterial embolisation was available on
      site. The failure rate of conservative invasive therapies was 41/262 (15.6%, 95%
      CI 11.5-20.6) overall, and was higher after surgical than after embolisation
      procedures, in particular for vaginal deliveries. CONCLUSIONS: Both maternal
      mortality as a result of obstetric haemorrhage and the rate of invasive therapies
      used for PPH are high in France. These findings suggest flaws in the initial
      management of PPH and/or the inadequate use of invasive procedures. TWEETABLE
      ABSTRACT: Maternal mortality as a result of haemorrhage and the rate of invasive
      therapies used for PPH are high in France.

PMID- 26113358
TI  - Ro/SSA autoantibody-positive pregnancy: reactions to serial fetal Doppler
      echocardiographic surveillance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The risk for congenital heart block (CHB) associated with maternal
      Ro/SSA autoantibodies is low, but the possibility of treating early stages of
      disease has seen the introduction of Doppler echocardiographic surveillance
      programs with serial examinations during the CHB susceptibility weeks of
      pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to understand how Ro/SSA autoantibody
      positive women having undergone Doppler echocardiographic surveillance programs
      and giving birth to children without CHB experienced their pregnancy and frequent
      ultrasound examinations. METHODS: A validated questionnaire based on data from an
      interview-study was distributed to Ro/SSA-positive women supervised with Doppler
      examinations during their pregnancy (n = 100). RESULTS: The response rate was
      79%. The majority of the women (61%) reported that the increased number of
      ultrasound examinations influenced their pregnancy, but in a positive way, with
      qualified information and additional support from health care personnel in
      conjunction with the examinations. Further, the visits to the clinic provided
      opportunities to see the ultrasound picture of the expected infant. However, one
      third of the women also reported stress in relation to the examinations.
      CONCLUSIONS: Fetal echocardiographic surveillance holds many and predominantly
      positive effects for Ro/SSA-positive women during pregnancy in addition to the
      medical advantages.

PMID- 26113357
TI  - Surgery induced hypopituitarism in acromegalic patients: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis of the results.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hypopituitarism is a possible complication of the surgical treatment of
      acromegaly. However, there is a wide variability in the incidence rates of
      surgery-induced hypopituitarism. The purpose of this study was the systematic
      collection and synthesis of information on the incidence rates of
      hypopituitarism, panhypopituitarism, specific axis deficiencies and diabetes
      insipidus after surgery for acromegaly treatment. METHODS: We systematically
      reviewed all the papers that have reported pituitary deficits after surgery for
      acromegaly published up until December 2014, in the PubMed database. We
      identified 92 studies enrolling 6988 patients. A meta-analysis was performed to
      evaluate the incidence rates. We also performed several subgroup analyses to
      evaluate the impact of both surgical technique, and treatment prior to surgery,
      on the results. RESULTS: The weighted incidence rates were 12.79 % for
      hypopituitarism (95 % CI 9.88-16.00 %), 2.50 % for panhypopituitarism (95 % CI
      1.24-4.15 %), 6.50 % for ACTH deficiency (95 % CI 4.07-9.44 %), 4.39 % for TSH
      deficiency (95 % CI 2.99-6.04 %), 6.70 % for FSH/LH deficiency (95 % CI 3.89
      10.17 %), 14.95 % for GH deficiency (95 % CI 7.25-24.64 %), 10.05 % for transient
      (95 % CI 7.18-13.33 %) and 2.42 % for permanent diabetes insipidus (95 % CI 1.70
      3.27 %). CONCLUSION: Our study provides new data on the incidence rates of
      hypopituitarism, specific pituitary axis deficiencies and diabetes insipidus
      after surgical treatment of acromegaly. Somatotroph function appears to be more
      prone to deficit than the other axes. However, there is a high heterogeneity
      between studies and several factors may influence the incidence of
      hypopituitarism.

PMID- 26113359
TI  - Borderline tuberculoid leprosy in childhood onset systemic lupus erythematosus
      patient.
AB  - Leprosy is a contagious and chronic systemic granulomatous disease caused by the
      bacillus Mycobacterium leprae. To our knowledge, no case of leprosy in a
      childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (c-SLE) patient has been reported.
      For a period of 31 years, 312 c-SLE patients were followed at the Pediatric
      Rheumatology Unit of our University Hospital. One of them (0.3%) had tuberculoid
      leprosy skin lesions during the disease course and is here reported. A 10-year
      old boy from Northwest of Brazil was diagnosed with c-SLE based on malar rash,
      photosensitivity, oral ulcers, lymphopenia, proteinuria, positive antinuclear
      antibodies, anti-double-stranded DNA, anti-Sm and anti-Ro/SSA autoantibodies. He
      was treated with prednisone, hydroxychloroquine and intravenous cyclophosphamide,
      followed by mycophenolate mofetil. At 12-years-old, he presented asymmetric skin
      lesions characterized by erythematous plaques with elevated external borders and
      hypochromic center with sensory loss. Peripheral nerve involvement was not
      evidenced. No history of familial cases of leprosy was reported, although the
      region where the patient resides is considered to be endemic for leprosy. Skin
      biopsy revealed a well-defined tuberculoid form. A marked thickening of nerves
      was observed, often destroyed by granulomas, without evidence of Mycobacterium
      leprae bacilli. At that time, the SLEDAI-2K score was 4 and he had been receiving
      prednisone 15 mg/day, hydroxychloroquine 200 mg/day and mycophenolate mofetil 3
      g/day. Paucibacillary treatment for leprosy with dapsone and rifampicine was also
      introduced. In conclusion, we have reported a rare case of leprosy in the course
      of c-SLE. Leprosy should always be considered in children and adolescents with
      lupus who present skin abnormalities, particularly with hypoesthesic or
      anesthesic cutaneous lesions. 

PMID- 26113360
TI  - Alternations of salivary antioxidant enzymes in systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with chronic systemic
      inflammation. Oxidative stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of SLE. An
      increase in free radicals or an impaired antioxidant defense system in SLE causes
      oxidative stress. Therefore, oxidative damage plays an important role in the
      pathogenesis of SLE. Variations in antioxidant activity have been previously
      studied in serum of patients with this disease. However, salivary factors have
      not been evaluated. Considering that saliva, the noninvasive biological fluid,
      could be a reflection of the state of health, the purpose of this study was
      evaluation of peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)
      activity in the saliva of patients with SLE. During the course of the practical
      part of the project, 30 patients with SLE and 30 healthy controls were selected
      to donate their saliva samples. After centrifugation of un-stimulated saliva,
      biological activity of POD, CAT and SOD were evaluated on their appropriate
      substrates using spectrophotometric methods and the results were statistically
      analyzed. The results showed that activities of antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT
      were significantly reduced in saliva of SLE patients as compared to controls. The
      results suggest that antioxidant status was impaired in the saliva of SLE
      patients, and antioxidant status of saliva could be one of the non-invasive
      markers for SLE. 

PMID- 26113361
TI  - Autoimmune thyroid disease in a cohort of Malaysian SLE patients: frequency,
      clinical and immunological associations.
AB  - Autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD) has been associated with other systemic
      autoimmune diseases. To date, there is limited data on thyroid disorders and
      autoimmune thyroid disease in Malaysia. The frequency of ATD among 189 systemic
      lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients was 6.3%, with 2.6% in the hyperthyroid group
      and 3.7% in the hypothyroid group. Hypothyroidism developed at a much younger
      mean age (24.3 years), suggesting that SLE might be a predisposing factor for the
      development of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. There was a higher rate of thyroid
      peroxidase antibody (TPO) positivity compared with anti-thyroglobulin antibody
      (Tg) in the hyperthyroid subgroup. This study also demonstrated a greater
      proportion of ATD patients who demonstrated high titres (>= 1:6400) of TPO
      compared with high titres of Tg. Although there was an association between ATD
      and the presence of anti-Ro/SSA and/or anti-La/SSB antibodies, the absence of
      sicca symptoms and negative Schirmer's tests suggest a lack of association with
      secondary Sjogren's syndrome. A novel association between ATD and
      antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) was detected in our cohort. Hence we propose that
      patients affected by APS be routinely screened for ATD.

PMID- 26113362
TI  - Osteoporosis imaging: effects of bone preservation on MDCT-based trabecular bone
      microstructure parameters and finite element models.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is defined as a skeletal disorder characterized by
      compromised bone strength due to a reduction of bone mass and deterioration of
      bone microstructure predisposing an individual to an increased risk of fracture.
      Trabecular bone microstructure analysis and finite element models (FEM) have
      shown to improve the prediction of bone strength beyond bone mineral density
      (BMD) measurements. These computational methods have been developed and validated
      in specimens preserved in formalin solution or by freezing. However, little is
      known about the effects of preservation on trabecular bone microstructure and
      FEM. The purpose of this observational study was to investigate the effects of
      preservation on trabecular bone microstructure and FEM in human vertebrae.
      METHODS: Four thoracic vertebrae were harvested from each of three fresh human
      cadavers (n=12). Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) images were obtained
      at baseline, 3 and 6 month follow-up. In the intervals between MDCT imaging, two
      vertebrae from each donor were formalin-fixed and frozen, respectively. BMD,
      trabecular bone microstructure parameters (histomorphometry and fractal
      dimension), and FEM-based apparent compressive modulus (ACM) were determined in
      the MDCT images and validated by mechanical testing to failure of the vertebrae
      after 6 months. RESULTS: Changes of BMD, trabecular bone microstructure
      parameters, and FEM-based ACM in formalin-fixed and frozen vertebrae over 6
      months ranged between 1.0-5.6% and 1.3-6.1%, respectively, and were not
      statistically significant (p>0.05). BMD, trabecular bone microstructure
      parameters, and FEM-based ACM as assessed at baseline, 3 and 6 month follow-up
      correlated significantly with mechanically determined failure load (r=0.89-0.99;
      p<0.05). The correlation coefficients r were not significantly different for the
      two preservation methods (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Formalin fixation and freezing up
      to six months showed no significant effects on trabecular bone microstructure and
      FEM-based ACM in human vertebrae and may both be used in corresponding in-vitro
      experiments in the context of osteoporosis.

PMID- 26113363
TI  - Erythropoietin therapy after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation has no
      impact on long-term survival.

PMID- 26113364
TI  - Transcriptional slippage in the positive-sense RNA virus family Potyviridae.
AB  - The family Potyviridae encompasses ~30% of plant viruses and is responsible for
      significant economic losses worldwide. Recently, a small overlapping coding
      sequence, termed pipo, was found to be conserved in the genomes of all
      potyvirids. PIPO is expressed as part of a frameshift protein, P3N-PIPO, which is
      essential for virus cell-to-cell movement. However, the frameshift expression
      mechanism has hitherto remained unknown. Here, we demonstrate that
      transcriptional slippage, specific to the viral RNA polymerase, results in a
      population of transcripts with an additional "A" inserted within a highly
      conserved GAAAAAA sequence, thus enabling expression of P3N-PIPO. The slippage
      efficiency is ~2% in Turnip mosaic virus and slippage is inhibited by mutations
      in the GAAAAAA sequence. While utilization of transcriptional slippage is well
      known in negative-sense RNA viruses such as Ebola, mumps and measles, to our
      knowledge this is the first report of its widespread utilization for gene
      expression in positive-sense RNA viruses. 

PMID- 26113365
TI  - Deficiency in mTORC1-controlled C/EBPbeta-mRNA translation improves metabolic
      health in mice.
AB  - The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a central regulator of
      physiological adaptations in response to changes in nutrient supply. Major
      downstream targets of mTORC1 signalling are the mRNA translation regulators p70
      ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1p70) and the 4E-binding proteins (4E-BPs).
      However, little is known about vertebrate mRNAs that are specifically controlled
      by mTORC1 signalling and are engaged in regulating mTORC1-associated physiology.
      Here, we show that translation of the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta
      (C/EBPbeta) mRNA into the C/EBPbeta-LIP isoform is suppressed in response to
      mTORC1 inhibition either through pharmacological treatment or through calorie
      restriction. Our data indicate that the function of 4E-BPs is required for
      suppression of LIP. Intriguingly, mice lacking the cis-regulatory upstream open
      reading frame (uORF) in the C/EBPbeta-mRNA, which is required for mTORC1
      stimulated translation into C/EBPbeta-LIP, display an improved metabolic
      phenotype with features also found under calorie restriction. Thus, our data
      suggest that translational adjustment of C/EBPbeta-isoform expression is one of
      the key processes that direct metabolic adaptation in response to changes in
      mTORC1 activity. 

PMID- 26113367
TI  - Reduced C/EBPbeta-LIP translation improves metabolic health.

PMID- 26113368
TI  - Thickness-dependent phase boundary in Sm-doped BiFeO3 piezoelectric thin films on
      Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates.
AB  - Sm-doped BiFeO3 thin films were fabricated on platinized silicon substrates via a
      sol-gel method. Sm contents and thicknesses were varied in a wide range to
      investigate their effects on the phase structure and piezoelectricity. X-ray
      diffraction and Raman spectroscopy experiments revealed a rhombohedral to
      orthorhombic phase transition and the co-existence of both phases in a certain
      compositional vicinity. It is found that the proportion of a rhombohedral phase
      increased with film thickness at the compositions corresponding to the phase
      transition boundary, indicating the influence of the film thickness on the phase
      structure. The phase transition phenomenon and film thickness effect on the
      boundary were also studied by piezoresponse force microscopy. Based on the
      structure analysis and piezoelectric characterization results, a phase diagram of
      thickness versus composition was proposed, in which the morphotropic phase
      boundary was located at 9% to 11% in thinner Sm-doped films and shifted towards
      the Sm-rich side with increasing thickness. 

PMID- 26113366
TI  - Parasite-induced ER stress response in hepatocytes facilitates Plasmodium liver
      stage infection.
AB  - Upon infection of a mammalian host, Plasmodium parasites first replicate inside
      hepatocytes, generating thousands of new parasites. Although Plasmodium intra
      hepatic development represents a substantial metabolic challenge to the host
      hepatocyte, how infected cells respond to and integrate this stress remains
      poorly understood. Here, we present proteomic and transcriptomic analyses,
      revealing that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident unfolded protein response
      (UPR) is activated in host hepatocytes upon Plasmodium berghei infection. The
      expression of XBP1s--the active form of the UPR mediator XBP1--and the liver
      specific UPR mediator CREBH is induced by P. berghei infection in vivo.
      Furthermore, this UPR induction increases parasite liver burden. Altogether, our
      data suggest that ER stress is a central feature of P. berghei intra-hepatic
      development, contributing to the success of infection.

PMID- 26113369
TI  - The Emergency Medicine Debate on tPA for Stroke: What Is Best for Our Patients?
      Efficacy in the First Three Hours.

PMID- 26113371
TI  - Adaptive Landscapes of Resistance Genes Change as Antibiotic Concentrations
      Change.
AB  - Most studies on the evolution of antibiotic resistance are focused on selection
      for resistance at lethal antibiotic concentrations, which has allowed the
      detection of mutant strains that show strong phenotypic traits. However, solely
      focusing on lethal concentrations of antibiotics narrowly limits our perspective
      of antibiotic resistance evolution. New high-resolution competition assays have
      shown that resistant bacteria are selected at relatively low concentrations of
      antibiotics. This finding is important because sublethal concentrations of
      antibiotics are found widely in patients undergoing antibiotic therapies, and in
      nonmedical conditions such as wastewater treatment plants, and food and water
      used in agriculture and farming. To understand the impacts of sublethal
      concentrations on selection, we measured 30 adaptive landscapes for a set of TEM
      beta-lactamases containing all combinations of the four amino acid substitutions
      that exist in TEM-50 for 15 beta-lactam antibiotics at multiple concentrations.
      We found that there are many evolutionary pathways within this collection of
      landscapes that lead to nearly every TEM-genotype that we studied. While it is
      known that the pathways change depending on the type of beta-lactam, this study
      demonstrates that the landscapes including fitness optima also change
      dramatically as the concentrations of antibiotics change. Based on these results
      we conclude that the presence of multiple concentrations of beta-lactams in an
      environment result in many different adaptive landscapes through which pathways
      to nearly every genotype are available. Ultimately this may increase the
      diversity of genotypes in microbial populations. 

PMID- 26113370
TI  - Enzyme assays for synthesis and degradation of 2-5As and other 2'-5'
      oligonucleotides.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 5'-triphosphorylated, 2'-5'-linked oligoadenylate
      polyribonucleotides (2-5As) are central to the interferon-induced antiviral 2-5A
      system. The 2-5As bind and activate the RNase L, an endoRNase degrading viral and
      cellular RNA leading to inhibition of viral replication. The 2-5A system is
      tightly controlled by synthesis and degradation of 2-5As. Whereas synthesis is
      mediated by the 2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetase family of enzymes, degradation
      seems to be orchestrated by multiple enzyme nucleases including phosphodiesterase
      12, the ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 and the A-kinase
      anchoring protein 7. RESULTS: Here we present assay tools for identification and
      characterization of the enzymes regulating cellular 2-5A levels. A procedure is
      described for the production of 2'-5' oligoadenylates, which are then used as
      substrates for development and demonstration of enzyme assays measuring
      synthetase and nuclease activities, respectively. The synthetase assays produce
      only a single reaction product allowing for very precise kinetic assessment of
      the enzymes. We present an assay using dATP and the A(pA)3 tetramer core as
      substrates, which requires prior isolation of A(pA)3. A synthetase assay using
      either of the dNTPs individually together with NAD(+) as substrates is also
      presented. The nuclease reactions make use of the isolated 2'-5' oligoadenylates
      in producing a mixture of shorter reaction products, which are resolved by ion
      exchange chromatography to determine the enzyme activities. A purified human 2'
      5' oligoadenylate synthetase and a purified human phosphodiesterase 12 along with
      crude extracts expressing those proteins, are used to demonstrate the assays.
      CONCLUSIONS: This paper comprises an assay toolbox for identification and
      characterization of the synthetases and nucleases regulating cellular 2-5A
      levels. Assays are presented for both enzyme families. The assays can also be
      used to address a broader cellular role of the OAS enzymes, based on the multiple
      substrate specificity intrinsic to these proteins.

PMID- 26113372
TI  - Shifting hepatitis B virus genotypes of acute hepatitis B patients in northeast
      Japan.
AB  - It has been reported that acute hepatitis B (AHB) patients with genotype A HBV
      (HBV/A) have been increasing since the 1990s in metropolitan areas in Japan.
      However, little is known about the trends of HBV genotypes in AHB patients in
      northeast Japan where genotype B HBV (HBV/B) prevails more than in other areas.
      In this study, we aimed to clarify the changes in the HBV genotypes and clinical
      characteristics of AHB patients in this area. HBV genotypes were determined by
      direct sequencing (n = 125) or enzyme immunoassay (n = 9) using serum samples
      from AHB patients including fulminant hepatitis in 1987-2014. Among 134 patients,
      26 (19%), 33 (25%), and 75 (56%) patients were infected with HBV of genotypes A,
      B, and C, respectively. HBV/A emerged from 2001 and the percentage was increased
      gradually up to 48% in 2010-2014, whereas HBV/B was reduced from 40% in 1987-1994
      to 10% in 2010-2014. Phylogenetic analysis showed that three major subgenotype A2
      strains had come into this area serially. The levels of HBV DNA and prothrombin
      time were higher in HBV/A patients than other genotypes. This study could not
      show significant difference in the HBsAg-positive period among genotypes nor the
      effect of nucleoside analogues to shorten the HBsAg-positive period. A higher
      level of initial HBV DNA was associated with late disappearance of HBsAg. In
      conclusion, the percentage of HBV/A in AHB patients has been increasing in
      northeast Japan since 2001, which is later than metropolitan areas, whereas that
      of HBV/B is decreasing.

PMID- 26113373
TI  - Characterization of Cytomegalovirus Breakthrough Events in a Phase 2 Prophylaxis
      Trial of Letermovir (AIC246, MK 8228).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The efficacy of different letermovir (AIC246, MK8228) doses (60, 120,
      and 240 mg/day) against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) was evaluated in a recent
      phase 2b dose-range-finding prophylaxis study in stem-cell transplant recipients.
      Here we report the genotypic and phenotypic characterization of 15 viral
      breakthroughs considered to be virological failures. METHODS: Direct sequencing
      of an HCMV open reading frame UL56 region that included amino acids 230-370 and
      thus encompassed all known letermovir resistance mutations was followed by marker
      transfer experiments to assess the impact of the identified sequence
      polymorphisms on viral fitness and susceptibility to letermovir. RESULTS: UL56
      genotyping was successful for 12 of 15 patients. Six amino acid substitutions
      were detected in 5 patients. In 1 subject from the 60-mg-dose group, the known
      letermovir resistance mutation V236M was identified subsequent to a wild-type
      viremic episode. The remaining 5 sequence variants (L134V, S227I, Q228H, R410G,
      and D414N) were shown to be inert with regard to letermovir susceptibility, thus
      representing natural polymorphisms. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings represent the first
      case of a letermovir resistance mutation emerging in the clinic, apparently
      because of a suboptimal prophylactic dose (60 mg/day). This is in agreement with
      the trial's efficacy analyses, findings of which suggest that letermovir doses of
      60 mg/day and 120 mg/day are suboptimal for prophylaxis whereas a dose of 240
      mg/day appears to achieve complete suppression of viremia.

PMID- 26113374
TI  - Cerebral Palsy and Polymorphism of the Chemokine CCL18 in Very Preterm Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prematurity and hereditary factors predispose to cerebral palsy (CP).
      Previously, low cord blood levels of the anti-inflammatory chemokine CCL18 have
      been found to be associated with risk of CP in preterm children. OBJECTIVES: To
      investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in
      CCL18 and susceptibility to CP, as well as the association between the SNPs and
      cord blood levels of CCL18. METHODS: The original population comprised very-low
      gestational-age (VLGA; <32 weeks) children from northern and central Finland (25
      cases, 195 controls). Five CCL18 SNPs were genotyped and examined for
      associations with CP and cord blood CCL18. The replication population comprised
      Caucasian VLGA children from southern Finland and Canada (23 cases, 248
      controls). RESULTS: In the original population, SNP rs2735835 was associated with
      CP; the minor allele A was underrepresented in cases compared to controls (OR =
      0.42, 95% CI: 0.21-0.83, p = 0.01). This association remained significant after
      adjustment for multiple testing and risk factors of CP, and after combining the
      original and replication populations (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.33-0.83, p = 0.005).
      Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) additively predicted CP. The Rs2015086 genotype
      was modestly associated with CCL18 concentration. CONCLUSIONS: A common CCL18
      polymorphism together with IVH had an additive influence on CP susceptibility.
      Developmentally regulated CCL18, confined to primates, may be involved in the
      complex sequence of events leading to brain injury and predisposition to CP
      phenotype.

PMID- 26113375
TI  - Astrocyte activation and neurotoxicity: A study in different rat brain regions
      and in rat C6 astroglial cells.
AB  - The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of rotenone on
      astrocytes activation, their viability and its effect on neuronal death in
      different brain regions. Rotenone was injected in rat brain by
      intracerebroventricularly (bilateral) route at dose of 6 MUg and 12 MUg. In vitro
      C6 cells were treated with rotenone at concentration of 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2
      MUM. Rotenone administration to rat brain caused significant astrocytes
      activation in frontal cortex, cerebellum, cerebellar nucleus, substantia nigra,
      hypothalamus and hippocampus regions of the rat brain. Rotenone administration
      also led to significant degeneration of cells in all the studied regions along
      with altered nuclear morphology assessed by hematoxylin-eosin and cresyl violet
      staining. Histological staining showed the significantly decreased number of
      cells in all the studied regions except cerebellar nucleus in dose and time
      dependant manner. Rotenone administration in the rat brain also caused
      significant decrease in glutathione levels and augmented nitrite levels. In vitro
      treatment of rotenone to astrocytic C6 cells caused significantly increased
      expression of glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP) and decreased viability in
      dose and time dependent manner. Rotenone treatment to C6 cells exhibited
      significant generation of reactive oxygen species, augmented nitrite level,
      impaired mitochondrial activity, apoptotic chromatin condensation and DNA damage
      in comparison to control cells. Findings showed that oxidative stress play a
      considerable role in rotenone induced astrocyte death that was attenuated with co
      treatment of antioxidant melatonin. In conclusion, results showed that rotenone
      caused significant astrocytes activation, altered nuclear morphology, biochemical
      alteration and apoptotic cell death in different rat brain regions. In vitro
      observations in C6 cells showed that rotenone treatment exhibited oxidative
      stress mediated apoptotic cell death, which was attenuated with co treatment of
      melatonin.

PMID- 26113376
TI  - Parascapular perforating flap to treat severe axillary hidradenitis suppurativa.

PMID- 26113378
TI  - Onychomadesis: A Rare Sequela of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease.

PMID- 26113377
TI  - Logarithmic spiral flap for circular or oval defects on the lateral surface of
      the nose and nasal ala: a series of 15 cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A large number of flaps, particularly rotation and transposition
      flaps, have been described for the closure of skin defects left by oncologic
      surgery of the nose. The logarithmic spiral flap is a variant of the rotation
      flap. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We present a series of 15 patients with different
      types of skin tumor on the nose. The skin defect resulting from excision of the
      tumor by micrographic surgery was reconstructed using various forms of the
      logarithmic spiral flap. There are 3 essential aspects to flap design:
      commencement of the pedicle at the upper or lower border of the wound, a width of
      the distal end of the flap equal to the vertical diameter of the defect, and a
      progressive increase in the radius of the spiral from the distal end of the flap
      to its base. RESULTS: The cosmetic and functional results of surgical
      reconstruction were satisfactory, and no patient required additional treatment to
      improve scar appearance. CONCLUSION: The logarithmic spiral flap is useful for
      the closure of circular or oval defects situated on the lateral surface of the
      nose and nasal ala. The flap initiates at one of the borders of the wound as a
      pedicle with a radius that increases progressively to create a spiral. We propose
      the logarithmic spiral flap as an excellent option for the closure of circular or
      oval defects of the nose.

PMID- 26113379
TI  - Predictive Role of Admission Lactate Level in Critically Ill Patients with Acute
      Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The predictive role of lactate in critically ill patients with acute
      upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) remains to be elucidated. OBJECTIVE: The
      primary objective of this study was to assess the value of lactate level on
      admission to predict in-hospital death in patients with UGIB admitted to the
      intensive care unit (ICU). The secondary objective was to assess whether lactate
      level adds predictive value to the clinical Rockall score in these patients.
      METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study that included 133 patients with
      acute UGIB admitted to the ICU. Inclusion criteria were age > 18 years and
      presence of UGIB on admission to the ICU. RESULTS: Mean age was 55.4 years old
      and 64.7% were male. The most common cause of gastrointestinal bleeding was
      peptic ulcer disease, followed by erosive esophagitis/gastritis. The in-hospital
      mortality was 22.6%. Median lactate level in survivors and nonsurvivors was 2.0
      (interquartile range [IQR] 1.2-4.2 mmol/L) and 8.8 (IQR 3.4-13.3 mmol/L; p <
      0.01), respectively. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area to predict
      in-hospital death for clinical Rockall score and lactate level (0.82) was
      significantly higher than the ROC area for the clinical Rockall score alone
      (0.69) (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In patients admitted to the ICU with acute UGIB,
      lactate level on admission has a high sensitivity but low specificity for
      predicting in-hospital death. Lactate level adds to the predictive value of the
      clinical Rockall score. Given its high sensitivity, lactate level can be used in
      addition to other prediction tools to predict outcomes in patients with UGIB.

PMID- 26113380
TI  - Child with Purpuric Rash on Feet.

PMID- 26113381
TI  - The vertical lobe of cephalopods: an attractive brain structure for understanding
      the evolution of advanced learning and memory systems.
AB  - In this review we show that the cephalopod vertical lobe (VL) provides a good
      system for assessing the level of evolutionary convergence of the function and
      organization of neuronal circuitry for mediating learning and memory in animals
      with complex behavior. The pioneering work of JZ Young described the
      morphological convergence of the VL with the mammalian hippocampus, cerebellum
      and the insect mushroom body. Studies in octopus and cuttlefish VL networks
      suggest evolutionary convergence into a universal organization of connectivity as
      a divergence-convergence ('fan-out fan-in') network with activity-dependent long
      term plasticity mechanisms. Yet, these studies also show that the properties of
      the neurons, neurotransmitters, neuromodulators and mechanisms of long-term
      potentiation (LTP) induction and maintenance are highly variable among different
      species. This suggests that complex networks may have evolved independently
      multiple times and that even though memory and learning networks share similar
      organization and cellular processes, there are many molecular ways of
      constructing them. 

PMID- 26113382
TI  - Facultative thermogenesis during brooding is not the norm among pythons.
AB  - Facultative thermogenesis is often attributed to pythons in general despite
      limited comparative data available for the family. While all species within
      Pythonidae brood their eggs, only two species are known to produce heat to
      enhance embryonic thermal regulation. By contrast, a few python species have been
      reported to have insignificant thermogenic capabilities. To provide insight into
      potential phylogenetic, morphological, and ecological factors influencing
      thermogenic capability among pythons, we measured metabolic rates and clutch
      environment temperature differentials at two environmental temperatures-python
      preferred brooding temperature (31.5  degrees C) and a sub-optimal temperature
      (25.5  degrees C)-in six species of pythons, including members of two major
      phylogenetic branches currently devoid of data on the subject. We found no
      evidence of facultative thermogenesis in five species: Aspidites melanocephalus,
      A. ramsayi, Morelia viridis, M. spilota cheynei, and Python regius. However, we
      found that Bothrochilus boa had a thermal metabolic sensitivity indicative of
      facultative thermogenesis (i.e., a higher metabolic rate at the lower
      temperature). However, its metabolic rate was quite low and technical challenges
      prevented us from measuring temperature differential to make conclusions about
      facultative endothermy in this species. Regardless, our data combined with
      existing literature demonstrate that facultative thermogenesis is not as
      widespread among pythons as previously thought. 

PMID- 26113383
TI  - Zero-inflated count models for longitudinal measurements with heterogeneous
      random effects.
AB  - Longitudinal zero-inflated count data arise frequently in substance use research
      when assessing the effects of behavioral and pharmacological interventions. Zero
      inflated count models (e.g. zero-inflated Poisson or zero-inflated negative
      binomial) with random effects have been developed to analyze this type of data.
      In random effects zero-inflated count models, the random effects covariance
      matrix is typically assumed to be homogeneous (constant across subjects).
      However, in many situations this matrix may be heterogeneous (differ by measured
      covariates). In this paper, we extend zero-inflated count models to account for
      random effects heterogeneity by modeling their variance as a function of
      covariates. We show via simulation that ignoring intervention and covariate
      specific heterogeneity can produce biased estimates of covariate and random
      effect estimates. Moreover, those biased estimates can be rectified by correctly
      modeling the random effects covariance structure. The methodological development
      is motivated by and applied to the Combined Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral
      Interventions for Alcohol Dependence (COMBINE) study, the largest clinical trial
      of alcohol dependence performed in United States with 1383 individuals.

PMID- 26113384
TI  - Distribution-free estimation of zero-inflated models with unobserved
      heterogeneity.
AB  - This paper presents a quasi-conditional likelihood method for the consistent
      estimation of both continuous and count data models with excess zeros and
      unobserved individual heterogeneity when the true data generating process is
      unknown. Monte Carlo simulation studies show that our zero-inflated quasi
      conditional maximum likelihood (ZI-QCML) estimator outperforms other methods and
      is robust to distributional misspecifications. We apply the ZI-QCML estimator to
      analyze the frequency of doctor visits.

PMID- 26113385
TI  - Cause-specific quantile residual life regression.
AB  - We propose a cause-specific quantile residual life regression where the cause
      specific quantile residual life, defined as the inverse of the cumulative
      incidence function of the residual life distribution of a specific type of events
      of interest conditional on a fixed time point, is log-linear in observable
      covariates. The proposed test statistic for the effects of prognostic factors
      does not involve estimation of the improper probability density function of the
      cause-specific residual life distribution under competing risks. The asymptotic
      distribution of the test statistic is derived. Simulation studies are performed
      to assess the finite sample properties of the proposed estimating equation and
      the test statistic. The proposed method is illustrated with a real dataset from a
      clinical trial on breast cancer.

PMID- 26113386
TI  - Modeling of correlated data with informative cluster sizes: An evaluation of
      joint modeling and within-cluster resampling approaches.
AB  - Joint modeling and within-cluster resampling are two approaches that are used for
      analyzing correlated data with informative cluster sizes. Motivated by a
      developmental toxicity study, we examined the performances and validity of these
      two approaches in testing covariate effects in generalized linear mixed-effects
      models. We show that the joint modeling approach is robust to the
      misspecification of cluster size models in terms of Type I and Type II errors
      when the corresponding covariates are not included in the random effects
      structure; otherwise, statistical tests may be affected. We also evaluate the
      performance of the within-cluster resampling procedure and thoroughly investigate
      the validity of it in modeling correlated data with informative cluster sizes. We
      show that within-cluster resampling is a valid alternative to joint modeling for
      cluster-specific covariates, but it is invalid for time-dependent covariates. The
      two methods are applied to a developmental toxicity study that investigated the
      effect of exposure to diethylene glycol dimethyl ether.

PMID- 26113387
TI  - Erythema multiforme after orf virus infection.

PMID- 26113388
TI  - The Psychiatrist as Leader-Teacher: Promoting Learning Beyond Residency.
AB  - In today's fast-paced, data-saturated, zero-tolerance practice environment,
      psychiatrists and other health care providers are expected to maintain clinical,
      fiscal, and administrative competence. The authors present a unique type of
      psychiatric leader-the leader-teacher-who incorporates teaching of these elements
      into day-to-day practice, enhancing lifelong learning for credentialed staff and
      increasing their confidence in managing complex clinical and administrative
      issues. Particular emphasis is placed on leader-teachers working in military
      environments. The article discusses the primary characteristics of this type of
      leader, including their tendency to (1) seek clarification, (2) distill
      information, (3) communicate guidance, and (4) catalogue products. The authors
      also address the advantages and disadvantages of being a leader-teacher and
      present several illustrative cases.

PMID- 26113389
TI  - Preoperative ultrasound ablation for borderline resectable pancreatic cancer: A
      report of 30 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Currently, extended resection and preoperative
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy are the two main modalities for improvement of the
      resection rate and R0 resection rate of borderline resectable pancreatic cancer.
      The past few years, however, have witnessed some progress in the treatment of
      unresectable pancreatic cancer with high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). The
      aim of this study is twofold: first, to evaluate the feasibility and safety of
      HIFU ablation as a preoperative adjuvant therapy for borderline resectable
      pancreatic cancer, and second, to conduct pathological analyses to verify the
      safety and effectiveness of HIFU treatment of pancreatic cancer. METHODS: From
      January 2011 to December 2012, 30 patients with borderline resectable pancreatic
      cancer underwent HIFU ablation by Haifu Model-JC200 Focused Ultrasound Tumor
      Therapeutic System prior to radical surgery. The effect of pre-operative HIFU
      ablation was evaluated by post-HIFU functional imaging results, operation time of
      radical surgery, blood loss volume, R0 resection rate, postoperative 1-year
      survival rate and Ca199 curve. Postoperative pathological specimens were obtained
      for histological examination. RESULTS: All 30 patients with borderline resectable
      pancreatic cancer had completed the treatments and follow-ups. Functional image
      assessment after HIFU treatment showed a mean tumor ablation rate of (61.5+/
      24.3)%. 28 patients underwent radical resection of pancreatic cancer 7-9 days
      after HIFU treatment (23 cases underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. 4 patients
      underwent pancreatectomy and 1 patient had total pancreatectomy). 7 patients
      underwent combined resection and reconstruction of portal-superior mesenteric
      vein (23.3%), with the resectability rate of 93.3%, the R0 resection rate of
      92.7%, and the 1-year survival rate of 96.7%. The biological coagulative necrosis
      regions identified by the postoperative pathological examination matched well
      with the necrosis foci identified by post-operative functional imaging.
      CONCLUSION: The effectiveness of HIFU ablation of pancreatic tumors, as well as
      interstitial tissues within he main vascular spaces was confirmed by post
      operative pathological examinations. Based on these observations, we conclude
      that preoperative HIFU ablation of borderline resectable pancreatic cancer can
      significantly improve the resection rate, R0 resection rate, and reduce the
      difficulty and risk of surgery. Therefore, HIFU may be a valuable pre-operative
      adjunct therapy for resectable pancreatic cancer. However, the safety and the
      efficacy on the improvement of the surgery need to established with future
      multicenter, randomized studies.

PMID- 26113390
TI  - Using microbubble sonographic contrast agent to enhance the effect of high
      intensity focused ultrasound for the treatment of uterine fibroids.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of the ultrasound contrast agent SonoVue in
      enhancing the ablative effects of Ultrasound-Guided high-intensity focused
      ultrasound (HIFU) on different sub-types of uterine fibroids. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In this study, 390 fibroids from 319 patients were retrospectively
      evaluated, among which 155 were treated with SonoVue and 235 were without SonoVue
      during HIFU ablation. The efficacy of HIFU was evaluated using magnetic resonance
      scanning (MRI) in all patients. RESULTS: The total ablation time to achieve the
      same non-perfused volume was significantly shortened with SonoVue. The average
      energy used and the acoustic energy for treating 1 mm(3) (EEF) was less when
      SonoVue is used as enhancing agent. The non-perfused volume (NPV) was measured by
      post-HIFU MRI and the mean fractional ablation was calculated. Mean NPV was 74%
      (range: 15%-100%) in the HIFU-only group and 75% (range: 17%-100%) in the HIFU+
      SonoVue group. However, for T2 MRI low intensity signal fibroids, NPV in the
      SonoVue group reached 83% (range: 20%-100%) that was significantly higher than in
      the HIFU-only group, which was 76% (range: 15%-100%). No differences in adverse
      events were observed between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations
      demonstrate that the use of therapeutic SonoVue during the HIFU procedure can
      significantly decrease the ablation time and the energy requirement for the
      treatment of the same fibroid volume in all types of fibroids.

PMID- 26113391
TI  - Acute kidney injury after transcatheter aortic valve replacement: a systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the risk of acute
      kidney injury (AKI) in patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve
      replacement (TAVR). METHODS: A literature search was performed using MEDLINE,
      EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and clinicaltrials.gov from
      inception through October, 2014. Studies that reported relative risks, ORs, or
      hazard ratios comparing the AKI risk in patients who underwent TAVR versus those
      who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement were included. We performed the
      pre-specified sensitivity analysis including only propensity score-based studies.
      Mortality risk was evaluated among the studies that reported AKI outcome. Pooled
      risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random
      effect, generic inverse variance method. RESULTS: Three randomized controlled
      trials (RCTs) with 1,852 patients and 14 cohort studies with 3,113 patients were
      analyzed to assess the AKI risk in patients undergoing TAVR. The pooled RRs of
      AKI in patients undergoing TAVR were 0.65 (95% CI 0.36-1.15, I(2) = 75%) in the
      analysis of RCTs and propensity score-based studies and 0.76 (95% CI 0.44-1.34,
      I(2) = 79%) in the analysis of observational studies. Sensitivity analysis in
      RCTs and propensity score-based studies using a standard AKI definition
      demonstrated a significant association between TAVR and lower AKI risk (RR 0.35,
      95% CI 0.25-0.50, I(2) = 0%). Our meta-analyses of RCTs and propensity score
      based studies did not find associations between TAVR and reduced risks of severe
      AKI requiring dialysis (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.38-1.79, I(2) = 63%). CONCLUSIONS: Our
      meta-analysis demonstrates an association between TAVR and lower AKI risk.

PMID- 26113392
TI  - BRCA1/2 Mutation-associated Breast Cancer, Wide Local Excision and Radiotherapy
      or Unilateral Mastectomy: A Systematic Review.
AB  - AIMS: BRCA1/2 mutation carriers show reduced apoptotic response to ionising
      radiation leading to recent debate about the safety of wide local excision and
      radiotherapy. The aim of the current study was to determine if BRCA1/2 mutation
      carriers with breast cancer undergoing wide local excision and radiotherapy show
      increased ipsilateral and contralateral breast tumour recurrence and reduced
      survival compared with unilateral mastectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following a
      detailed literature search, the methodology, populations, biases and outcomes of
      ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence, contralateral breast tumour recurrence and
      survival were evaluated for 25 articles. RESULTS: No differences in outcomes were
      found between wide local excision and mastectomy. BRCA1/2 mutation status was
      predictive of contralateral breast cancer only. Radiotherapy reduces the risk of
      ipsilateral recurrence and confers no increase in contralateral recurrence.
      CONCLUSION: BRCA1/2 mutation status does not preclude treatment with wide local
      excision and radiotherapy. Given the retrospective studies with inherent flaws
      and small patient numbers, further large prospective trials are required.

PMID- 26113393
TI  - Bipyramid-templated synthesis of monodisperse anisotropic gold nanocrystals.
AB  - Much of the interest in noble metal nanoparticles is due to their plasmonic
      resonance responses and local field enhancement, both of which can be tuned
      through the size and shape of the particles. However, both properties suffer from
      the loss of monodispersity that is frequently associated with various
      morphologies of nanoparticles. Here we show a method to generate diverse and
      monodisperse anisotropic gold nanoparticle shapes with various tip geometries as
      well as highly tunable size augmentations through either oxidative etching or
      seed-mediated growth of purified, monodisperse gold bipyramids. The conditions
      employed in the etching and growth processes also offer valuable insights into
      the growth mechanism difficult to realize with other gold nanostructures. The
      high-index facets and more complicated structure of the bipyramid lead to a wider
      variety of intriguing regrowth structures than in previously studied
      nanoparticles. Our results introduce a class of gold bipyramid-based
      nanoparticles with interesting and potentially useful features to the toolbox of
      gold nanoparticles. 

PMID- 26113394
TI  - Preparation by alkaline treatment and detailed characterisation of empty
      hepatitis B virus core particles for vaccine and gene therapy applications.
AB  - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) core (HBc) virus-like particles (VLPs) are one of the
      most powerful protein engineering tools utilised to expose immunological epitopes
      and/or cell-targeting signals and for the packaging of genetic material and
      immune stimulatory sequences. Although HBc VLPs and their numerous derivatives
      are produced in highly efficient bacterial and yeast expression systems, the
      existing purification and packaging protocols are not sufficiently optimised and
      standardised. Here, a simple alkaline treatment method was employed for the
      complete removal of internal RNA from bacteria- and yeast-produced HBc VLPs and
      for the conversion of these VLPs into empty particles, without any damage to the
      VLP structure. The empty HBc VLPs were able to effectively package the added DNA
      and RNA sequences. Furthermore, the alkaline hydrolysis technology appeared
      efficient for the purification and packaging of four different HBc variants
      carrying lysine residues on the HBc VLP spikes. Utilising the introduced lysine
      residues and the intrinsic aspartic and glutamic acid residues exposed on the
      tips of the HBc spikes for chemical coupling of the chosen peptide and/or nucleic
      acid sequences ensured a standard and easy protocol for the further development
      of versatile HBc VLP-based vaccine and gene therapy applications. 

PMID- 26113395
TI  - Identification and expression of an uncharacterized Ly-6 gene cluster in
      zebrafish Danio rerio.
AB  - The Ly-6/uPAR/CD59/neurotoxin superfamily (Ly-6SF) identified in most metazoan
      has been shown to play important roles in different biological processes
      including immunity, cellular adhesion, and cell signaling. Members of this
      superfamily contain one or more conserved domains known as Ly-6/uPAR (LU) domain,
      which harbors 8 or 10 conserved cysteine residues forming 4-5 disulfide bonds. In
      this study, we reported the identification of a novel zebrafish Ly-6 gene cluster
      on chromosome 21, which consists of seven genes ly21.1, ly21.2, ly21.3, ly21.4,
      ly21.5, ly21.6, and ly21.7 and their spatiotemporal expression pattern during
      development. All the seven genes possess features typical of the Ly-6/neurotoxin
      superfamily, and phylogenetic analysis shows that these genes form a single
      cluster branching form other members of Ly-6 family, suggesting that the seven
      genes evolved by an event of intra-chromosome gene duplication. However, deduced
      Ly21.1-7 proteins share little homology with Ly-6 family proteins from other
      species, no orthologs are identified in vertebrates, including teleosts, hinting
      that ly21.1-7 genes are evolutionarily a novel addition to zebrafish. Expression
      analyses show that maternal mRNAs of ly21.1-7 genes are detected during early
      developmental stages, but later in development, they exhibit tissue-specific
      expression. Except for ly21.2 which is expressed in the skin ionocytes, all the
      remaining six genes are mainly expressed in the developing brain. 

PMID- 26113397
TI  - Usability and Validity of a Battery of Computerised Cognitive Screening Tests for
      Detecting Cognitive Impairment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Computerised cognitive screening (CCS) has the potential to detect
      cognitive impairment in the community, which is important for the early diagnosis
      of dementia. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of
      older adults with dementia to engage with smart phone and tablet technologies and
      to determine the accuracy of a battery of CCS tasks to detect cognitive
      impairment in comparison with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). METHODS:
      Patients with mild-moderate dementia (n = 40) attending a university-linked day
      hospital and normal controls (n = 20) completed (i) a questionnaire detailing the
      frequency and breadth of their technology use, (ii) three commercially available
      CCS tasks, and (iii) the MoCA. RESULTS: The three CCS tasks were completed by 85%
      (n = 34) of the patients with dementia and all controls; only 4 reported the task
      as 'hard'. Those with dementia scored significantly lower on the CCS than
      controls (p < 0.001). CCS scores correlated with total MoCA scores (r = 0.78, p <
      0.01). Further, the CCS scores significantly predicted MoCA scores, controlling
      for the effects of age, gender, educational attainment, and frequency of
      technology use (beta = 0.71, p < 0.001), explaining 65.2% of the variance. Total
      CCS and MoCA scores (cut-off score <24) had similar sensitivity (94 and 95%,
      respectively) and accuracy (area under the curve 0.94 and 0.99, respectively, p =
      0.5) in discriminating dementia from controls, though the CSS had lower
      specificity (60 vs. 100% for the MoCA). CONCLUSION: The participants had little
      difficulty self-administering the CCS, which is an oft-cited barrier to
      computerised testing in this population. Our results support the criterion and
      construct validity of a CCS versus the commonly used MoCA. Although further
      research is required, CCS for cognitive impairment may be useful in the community
      and, by prompting referral to specialist services, could lead to an earlier
      diagnosis of dementia.

PMID- 26113396
TI  - Plant miRNAs: biogenesis, organization and origins.
AB  - MicroRNAs, or miRNAs, are posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression. A
      wealth of observations and findings suggest highly complex, multicomponent, and
      intermingled pathways governing miRNA biogenesis and miRNA-mediated gene
      silencing. Plant miRNA genes are usually found as individual entities scattered
      around the intergenic and-to a much lesser extent-intragenic space, while miRNA
      gene clusters, formed by tandem or segmental duplications, also exist in plant
      genomes. Genome duplications are proposed to contribute to miRNA family
      expansions, as well. Evolutionarily young miRNAs retaining extensive homology to
      their loci of origin deliver important clues into miRNA origins and evolution.
      Additionally, imprecisely processed miRNAs evidence noncanonical routes of
      biogenesis, which may affect miRNA expression levels or targeting capabilities.
      Majority of the knowledge regarding miRNAs comes from model plant species. As
      ongoing research progressively expands into nonmodel systems, our understanding
      of miRNAs and miRNA-related pathways changes which opens up new perspectives and
      frontiers in miRNA research. 

PMID- 26113398
TI  - A matter of scale: how emerging technologies are redefining our view of
      chromosome architecture.
AB  - The 3D folding of the genome and its relation to fundamental processes such as
      gene regulation, replication, and segregation remains one of the most puzzling
      and exciting questions in genetics. In this review, we describe how the use of
      new technologies is starting to revolutionize the field of chromosome
      organization, and to shed light on the mechanisms of transcription, replication,
      and repair. In particular, we concentrate on recent studies using genome-wide
      methods, single-molecule technologies, and super-resolution microscopy (SRM). We
      summarize some of the main concerns when employing these techniques, and discuss
      potential new and exciting perspectives that illuminate the connection between 3D
      genomic organization and gene regulation. 

PMID- 26113399
TI  - Enhanced serotonin and mesolimbic dopamine transmissions in a rat model of
      neuropathic pain.
AB  - In humans, affective consequences of neuropathic pain, ranging from depression to
      anxiety and anhedonia, severely impair quality of life and are a major disease
      burden, often requiring specific medications. Depressive- and anxiety-like
      behaviors have also been observed in animal models of peripheral nerve injury.
      Dysfunctions in central nervous system monoamine transmission have been
      hypothesized to underlie depressive and anxiety disorders in neuropathic pain. To
      assess whether these neurons display early changes in their activity that in the
      long-term might lead to chronicization, maladaptive plasticity and affective
      consequences, we carried out in vivo extracellular single unit recordings from
      serotonin neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and from dopamine neurons in
      ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the spared nerve injury (SNI) model of
      neuropathic pain in rats. Extracellular dopamine levels and the expression of
      dopamine D1, D2 receptors and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were measured in the
      nucleus accumbens. We report that, two weeks following peripheral nerve injury,
      discharge rate of serotonin DRN neurons and burst firing of VTA dopamine cells
      are enhanced, when compared with sham-operated animals. We also observed higher
      extracellular dopamine levels and reduced expression of D2, but not D1, receptors
      and TH in the nucleus accumbens. Our study confirms that peripheral neuropathy
      induces changes in the serotonin and dopamine systems that might be the early
      result of chronic maladaptation to persistent pain. The allostatic activation of
      these neural systems, which mirrors that already described as a consequence of
      stress, might lead to depression and anxiety previously observed in neuropathic
      animals but also an attempt to cope positively with the negative experience. 

PMID- 26113400
TI  - From unilateral to bilateral parkinsonism: Effects of lateralization on
      dyskinesias and associated molecular mechanisms.
AB  - The mechanisms underlying lateralization and progression of motor symptoms from
      unilateral to bilateral in Parkinson's disease (PD) remain to be elucidated. In
      addition, the molecular mechanisms involved in levodopa-induced dyskinesias
      (LIDs) depending on lateralization and disease progression from unilaterally to
      bilateral have not been described yet. We investigated motor symptoms, LIDs and
      associated striatal molecular markers expression after unilateral left or right,
      and after a sequential bilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced nigrostriatal
      lesions in rats. Sequentially bilateral lesioned animals showed a bilateral
      increase in striatal preproenkephalin (PPE) mRNA without changes in pre
      prodynorphin (PDyn) mRNA expression. The increase in dyskinesias when
      parkinsonism becomes bilateral was mostly due to an increase in orolingual
      dyskinesias associated to a increase in PDyn mRNA expression. Right lesion
      induces, or facilitates when first-done, a greater level of LIDs and an increase
      in striatal PPE and PDyn mRNAs in the second lesioned side. We describe a new
      striatal molecular pattern that appears when parkinsonism becomes bilateral and
      the relevance of the lateralization for the development of LIDs. 

PMID- 26113401
TI  - [Pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment
      options for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease].
AB  - Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the leading genetic cause
      of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide. Its prevalence is evaluated
      according to studies and population between 1/1000 and 1/4000 live births and it
      accounts for 6 to 8% of incident ESRD patients in developed countries. ADPKD is
      characterized by numerous cysts in both kidneys and various extrarenal
      manifestations that are detailed in this review. Clinico-radiological and genetic
      diagnosis are also discussed. Mutations in the PKD1 and PKD2 codifying for
      polycystin-1 (PC-1) and polycystin-2 (PC-2) are responsible for the 85 and 15% of
      ADPKD cases, respectively. In primary cilia of normal kidney epithelial cells, PC
      1 and PC-2 interact forming a complex involved in flow- and cilia-dependant
      signalling pathways where intracellular calcium and cAMP play a central role.
      Alteration of these multiple signal transduction pathways leads to cystogenesis
      accompanied by dysregulated planar cell polarity, excessive cell proliferation
      and fluid secretion, and pathogenic interactions of epithelial cells with an
      abnormal extracellular matrix. The mass effect of expanding cyst is responsible
      for the decline in glomerular filtration rate that occurs late in the course of
      the disease. For many decades, the treatment for ADPKD aims to lessen the
      condition's symptoms, limit kidney damage, and prevent complications. Recently,
      the development of promising specific treatment raises the hope to slow the
      growth of cysts and delay the disease. Treatment strategies targeting cAMP
      signalling such as vasopressin receptor antagonists or somatostatin analogs have
      been tested successfully in clinical trials with relative safety. Newer
      treatments supported by preclinical trials will become available in the next
      future. Recognizing early markers of renal progression (clinical, imaging, and
      genetic markers) to identify high-risk patients and multidrug approaches with
      synergistic effects may provide new opportunities for the treatment of ADPKD.

PMID- 26113404
TI  - Microglia and necroptosis: The culprits of neuronal cell death in multiple
      sclerosis.
AB  - Multiple Sclerosis is an inflammatory demyelinating and degenerative disease of
      the central nervous system in which activated microglia contribute to
      oligodendroglial, neuronal, and axonal damage. A recent study (summarized here)
      provided evidence for a role of necroptosis in MS brain tissue based on reduced
      caspase-8 and increased expression of cFLIP in microglial cells. In addition,
      activation of RIPK1, RIPK3, and MLKL (molecules characteristic of necroptosis)
      was demonstrated in cortical lesions from MS brain specimens. Defective caspase-8
      activity in microglia adds a new dimension to microglial role in MS and provides
      a potential therapeutic target in the progressive forms of the disease. 

PMID- 26113403
TI  - Decreased serum level of IL-7 in patients with active Graves' disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Graves' disease (GD) is a common autoimmune disease which is one of
      the major causes of hyperthyroidism. Interleukin 7 (IL-7) has been recently
      reported to play an important role in various autoimmune diseases, but its role
      in the pathogenesis of GD has not been assessed. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the levels of IL-7 and the soluble form of its receptor (sIL-7R) in the
      serum of GD patients, and to identify their association with disease activity.
      METHODS: A total of 37 GD patients were enrolled into the experimental group and
      16 individuals into the control group. All patients were further classified into
      three subgroups: a GD-active group (hyperthyroidism and TRAb (thyroid stimulating
      hormone receptor antibody) >7.5 U/L) (N=15), a GD-inactive group (euthyreosis and
      TRAb<1 U/L) (N=8), and other GD patients (euthyreosis and TRAb>1 U/L) (N=14).
      Concentrations of IL-7 and sIL-7R were assayed with ELISA. Additionally, the
      relationship between IL-7 and sIL-7R serum concentrations with disease activity
      (free triiodothyronine [FT3], free thyroxine [FT4], thyroid stimulating hormone
      [TSH] and TRAb) was also analyzed. RESULTS: The serum concentrations of IL-7 in
      GD-active patients were significantly lower than those of the control group as
      well as the GD-inactive and GD-other groups. The serum level of IL-7 in GD
      patients negatively correlated with FT4 and TRAb concentrations. Moreover, no
      significant difference was observed in the serum level of sIL-7R in GD patients
      compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that IL-7
      may play a role in the pathogenesis of GD and may be associated with its clinical
      activity. To this end, the serum level of IL-7 could be an additional diagnostic
      biomarker predictive of the disease and could be particularly valuable for TRAb
      negative GD patients.

PMID- 26113405
TI  - The effects of ovariectomy and LPS-induced endotoxemia on resistin levels in
      female rats.
AB  - Resistin is involved in the inflammatory response, as well as in insulin
      resistance. In rodents, resistin levels are partially regulated by ovarian
      hormones. Thus, ovariectomy-induced changes in resistin levels and their response
      to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic stress were evaluated. Ovariectomized
      (OVX) rats exhibited higher serum resistin concentrations and visceral and
      subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT) resistin mRNA levels than sham-operated
      (sham) rats under the saline-injected (basal) conditions. The serum resistin
      levels of the gonadal intact male rats were higher than those of the sham rats,
      whereas the serum resistin levels of the male and OVX rats did not differ. In
      both the sham and OVX rats, the serum resistin concentration and the resistin
      mRNA levels of WAT were increased by LPS injection. At 24h after the LPS
      injection, no difference was detected in the serum resistin concentrations or WAT
      mRNA resistin levels between the sham and OVX rats. These results suggest that
      ovarian hormones partially regulate the basal resistin levels of female rats. 

PMID- 26113402
TI  - GM-CSF: An immune modulatory cytokine that can suppress autoimmunity.
AB  - GM-CSF was originally identified as a colony stimulating factor (CSF) because of
      its ability to induce granulocyte and macrophage populations from precursor
      cells. Multiple studies have demonstrated that GM-CSF is also an immune
      modulatory cytokine, capable of affecting not only the phenotype of myeloid
      lineage cells, but also T-cell activation through various myeloid intermediaries.
      This property has been implicated in the sustenance of several autoimmune
      diseases like arthritis and multiple sclerosis. In contrast, several studies
      using animal models have shown that GM-CSF is also capable of suppressing many
      autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease, Type-1 diabetes, Myasthenia gravis
      and experimental autoimmune thyroiditis. Knockout mouse studies have suggested
      that the role of GM-CSF in maintaining granulocyte and macrophage populations in
      the physiological steady state is largely redundant. Instead, its immune
      modulatory role plays a significant role in the development or resolution of
      autoimmune diseases. This is mediated either through the differentiation of
      precursor cells into specialized non-steady state granulocytes, macrophages and
      dendritic cells, or through the modulation of the phenotype of mature myeloid
      cells. Thus, outside of myelopoiesis, GM-CSF has a profound role in regulating
      the immune response and maintaining immunological tolerance. 

PMID- 26113406
TI  - Impact of CARDIOrespiratory FITness on Arrhythmia Recurrence in Obese Individuals
      With Atrial Fibrillation: The CARDIO-FIT Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity begets atrial fibrillation (AF). Although cardiorespiratory
      fitness is protective against incident AF in obese individuals, its effect on AF
      recurrence or the benefit of cardiorespiratory fitness gain is unknown.
      OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the role of cardiorespiratory fitness
      and the incremental benefit of cardiorespiratory fitness improvement on rhythm
      control in obese individuals with AF. METHODS: Of 1,415 consecutive patients with
      AF, 825 had a body mass index >=27 kg/m(2) and were offered risk factor
      management and participation in a tailored exercise program. After exclusions,
      308 patients were included in the analysis. Patients underwent exercise stress
      testing to determine peak metabolic equivalents (METs). To determine a dose
      response, cardiorespiratory fitness was categorized as: low (<85%), adequate (86%
      to 100%), and high (>100%). Impact of cardiorespiratory fitness gain was
      ascertained by the objective gain in fitness at final follow-up (>=2 METs vs. <2
      METs). AF rhythm control was determined using 7-day Holter monitoring and AF
      severity scale questionnaire. RESULTS: There were no differences in baseline
      characteristics or follow-up duration between the groups defined by
      cardiorespiratory fitness. Arrhythmia-free survival with and without rhythm
      control strategies was greatest in patients with high cardiorespiratory fitness
      compared to adequate or low cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.001 for both). AF
      burden and symptom severity decreased significantly in the group with
      cardiorespiratory fitness gain >=2 METs as compared to <2 METs group (p < 0.001
      for all). Arrhythmia-free survival with and without rhythm control strategies was
      greatest in those with METs gain >=2 compared to those with METs gain <2 in
      cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiorespiratory
      fitness predicts arrhythmia recurrence in obese individuals with symptomatic AF.
      Improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness augments the beneficial effects of
      weight loss. (Evaluating the Impact of a Weight Loss on the Burden of Atrial
      Fibrillation [AF] in Obese Patients; ACTRN12614001123639).

PMID- 26113407
TI  - miR-33a suppresses the nuclear translocation of beta-catenin to enhance
      gemcitabine sensitivity in human pancreatic cancer cells.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers, partly
      due to its high level of drug resistance. beta-Catenin is critical for drug
      resistance in pancreatic cancer, which occurs through multiple mechanisms. Here,
      we observed that miR-33a targeted the 3'UTR of beta-catenin, inducing apoptosis
      and inhibiting the growth of human pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, gemcitabine
      (GEM) treatment enhanced beta-catenin expression by reducing miR-33a expression
      in a dose-dependent manner. GEM-resistant MiaPaCa-2(res) cells with a low level
      of miR-33a expression and high level of beta-catenin expression adopted spindle
      shaped morphologies, similar to their morphologies during the epithelial-to
      mesenchymal transition (EMT), and their normal morphologies were restored by miR
      33a overexpression. Furthermore, miR-33a downregulated beta-catenin nuclear
      translocation, decreasing the transcription of survivin, cyclin D1, and MDR-1,
      and the protein expression of slug, vimentin, and N-cadherin, thereby mediating
      sensitization to GEM. Thus, miR-33a might function as a tumor suppressor to
      downregulate beta-catenin expression, affecting cell growth, apoptosis, the EMT,
      and GEM resistance.

PMID- 26113408
TI  - High expression of CD39/ENTPD1 in malignant epithelial cells of human rectal
      adenocarcinoma.
AB  - The ectonucleotidase CD39 is pivotal in the conversion of immunostimulatory
      adenosine triphosphate (ATP) into immunosuppressive adenosine which potently
      inhibits host immune responses against cancer. This study investigated the
      expression level and prognostic significance of CD39 in human rectal
      adenocarcinoma. Our data demonstrated that CD39 staining strongly marked
      malignant epithelial cells where the protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression
      levels of CD39 were significantly increased compared with paracancerous controls.
      In addition to primary tumors, CD39 was also abundantly expressed in liver
      metastases and tumor-draining lymph nodes from metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma.
      Although patients with higher CD39 density in tumor cells were more likely to
      have favorable characteristics (early TNM and N stages) and overall survival, the
      singular parameter cannot be used as an independent factor for predicting
      patients' prognosis. Intriguingly, combined analysis of CD39 and CD73 expression
      was more efficient to foretell patient's outcome where patients with increased
      CD73 but decreased CD39 levels displayed a worst prognosis. Taken together, the
      current study revealed that malignant epithelial cells of human rectal
      adenocarcinoma strongly express CD39 that may play a potential role in the tumor
      invasion and metastasis. Although high expression of CD39 in tumor cells is
      correlated with favorable clinical outcome, the combination of CD39 and CD73
      expression may have a better prognostic value.

PMID- 26113409
TI  - Interaction between TNFR1 and TNFR2 dominates the clinicopathologic features of
      human hypopharyneal carcinoma.
AB  - Although the expression of tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNFRs) has been
      associated with clinicopathologic features of some other cancers, their roles in
      hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC) have not been documented. Forty
      five HPSCC specimens were analyzed for the expression of TNFR1 and TNFR2 and its
      relationship with clinicopathologic factors. Interaction between the two
      receptors and its effects on TNF-alpha was investigated by neutralizing TNFR1 and
      upregulation of TNFR2. The results indicated that, in HPSCC specimens, the
      expression of TNFR1 but not TNFR2 is associated with clinical staging, T stage,
      cervical lymph node metastasis, and histologic grade in HPSCC. In Fadu cells,
      when conjugating with its receptors, TNF-alpha mediates proliferation effects,
      and neutralizing TNFR1 and/or upregulating TNFR2 evokes proliferation-inhibiting
      and apoptosis-inducing effects and potentiates cisplatin (DDP)-induced growth
      inhibition and apoptosis induction. In conclusion, interaction of TNFR1 with
      TNFR2 determines the biological characters of HPSCC, and TNFR1 may dominate this
      process. Moreover, interaction between the two receptors plays important roles in
      determining the fates of HPSCC cells and thus may serve as a therapeutic target
      for developing new therapeutic strategies for HPSCC.

PMID- 26113410
TI  - High-mobility group nucleosome-binding protein 1 is a novel clinical biomarker in
      non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - The involvement of alarmin high-mobility group nucleosome-binding protein 1
      (HMGN1) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. To address the presence
      of HMGN1 in the serum of different stages of NSCLC patients and healthy controls,
      we enrolled a consecutive sample of adult serum at diagnosis and correlated it
      with clinicopathologic outcomes. A total of 100 NSCLC patients and 23 healthy
      volunteers were enrolled from January 2012 through December 2013. Serum HMGN1
      levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
      Additionally, HMGN1 levels in 50 NSCLC patients with early-stage disease who
      received curative pneumonectomy were correlated with survivals. Kaplan-Meier
      plots were used to analyze the data. The patients with NSCLC were characterized
      by significantly higher serum levels of HMGN1 (0.4585 +/- 0.0640 ng/ml) compared
      to those in healthy controls (0.3578 +/- 0.0304 ng/ml). The serum HMGN1 levels
      were 0.4027 +/- 0.0271 ng/ml, 0.4604 +/- 0.0328 ng/ml, 0.5408 +/- 0.0459 ng/ml,
      and 0.4213 +/- 0.0341 ng/ml in patients with TNM stages I, II, IV, and IV,
      respectively (p < 0.001). There were significant differences among four groups (p
      < 0.001). Additionally, a positive correlation between serum HMGN1 and tumor
      stage was found in local disease, while serum HMGN1 level in metastatic NSCLC
      patients was significantly decreased. The Kaplan-Meier plots showed that patients
      with high serum HMGN1 had a poorer overall survival (OS) after curative
      pneumonectomy than those with low serum HMGN1 (p = 0.019). Inflammation triggered
      by alarmins plays a role in NSCLC pathogenesis. HMGN1 can serve as a useful
      clinical parameter for evaluating disease progression and predicting the outcomes
      for early-stage patients with NSCLC undergoing pneumonectomy.

PMID- 26113411
TI  - Tuning the Electronic Structure of Anatase Through Fluorination.
AB  - A highly fluorinated anatase lattice has been recently reported, providing a new
      class of materials whose general chemical formula is Ti(1-x)?(x)X(4x)O(2-4x) (X(
      ) = F(-) or OH(-)). To characterise the complex structural features of the
      material and the different F environments, we here apply a computational
      screening procedure. After deriving a polarisable force-field from DFT
      simulations, we screen in a step-wise fashion a large number of possible
      configurations differing in the positioning of the titanium vacancies (?) and of
      the fluorine atoms. At each step only 10% of the configurations are retained. At
      the end of the screening procedure, a configuration is selected and simulated
      using DFT-based molecular dynamics. This allows us to analyse the atomic
      structure of the material, which is strongly disordered, leading to a strong
      decrease (by 0.8 eV) of the band gap compared to conventional anatase.

PMID- 26113412
TI  - Inflammatory Macrophages Promotes Development of Diabetic Encephalopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Diabetes and Alzheimer's disease are often associated with each
      other, whereas the relationship between two diseases is ill-defined. Although
      hyperglycemia during diabetes is a major cause of encephalopathy, diabetes may
      also cause chronic inflammatory complications including peripheral neuropathy.
      Hence the role and the characteristics of inflammatory macrophages in the
      development of diabetic encephalopathy need to be clarified. METHODS: Diabetes
      were induced in mice by i.p. injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Two weeks after
      STZ injection and confirmation of development of diabetes, inflammatory
      macrophages were eliminated by i.p. injection of 20ug saporin-conjugated antibody
      against a macrophage surface marker CD11b (saporin-CD11b) twice per week, while a
      STZ-treated group received injection of rat IgG of same frequency as a control.
      The effects of macrophage depletion on brain degradation markers, brain
      malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase, superoxidase anion-positive cells and nitric
      oxide (NO) were measured. RESULTS: Saporin-CD11b significantly reduced
      inflammatory macrophages in brain, without affecting mouse blood glucose, serum
      insulin, glucose responses and beta cell mass. However, reduced brain macrophages
      significantly inhibited the STZ-induced decreases in brain MDA, catalase and
      superoxidase anion-positive cells, and the STZ-induced decreases in brain NO.
      CONCLUSION: Inflammatory macrophages may promote development of diabetic
      encephalopathy.

PMID- 26113413
TI  - Combined Treatment of an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Rat Model with Recombinant
      GOT1 and Oxaloacetic Acid: A Novel Neuroprotective Treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: The sporadic form of the disease affects the majority of
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. The role of glutamate (Glu)
      excitotoxicity in ALS has been extensively documented and remains one of the
      prominent hypotheses of ALS pathogenesis. In light of this evidence, the
      availability of a method to remove excess Glu from brain and spinal cord
      extracellular fluids without the need to deliver drugs across the blood-brain
      barrier and with minimal or no adverse effects may provide a major therapeutic
      asset, which is the primary aim of this study. METHODS: The therapeutic efficacy
      of the combined treatment with recombinant Glu-oxaloacetate-transaminase (rGOT)
      and its co-factor oxaloacetic acid (OxAc) has been tested in an animal model of
      sporadic ALS. RESULTS: We found that OxAc/rGOT treatment provides significant
      neuroprotection to spinal cord motor neurons. It also slows down the development
      of motor weakness and prolongs survival. CONCLUSION: In this study we bring
      evidence that the administration of Glu scavengers to rats with sporadic ALS
      inhibited the massive death of spinal cord motor neurons, slowed the onset of
      motor weakness and prolonged survival. This treatment may be of high clinical
      significance for the future treatment of chronic neurodegenerative diseases.

PMID- 26113414
TI  - Transformation of apatite phosphorus and non-apatite inorganic phosphorus during
      incineration of sewage sludge.
AB  - The recovery of phosphorus from incinerated sewage sludge ash (SSA) is assumed to
      be economical. Transformation from non-apatite inorganic phosphorus (NAIP) to
      apatite phosphorus (AP), which has a higher bioavailability and more extensive
      industrial applications, was studied at 750-950 degrees C by sewage sludge
      incineration and model compound incineration with a calcium oxide (CaO) additive.
      Thermogravimetric differential scanning calorimetry analysis and X-ray
      diffraction measurements were used to analyze the reactions between NAIP with CaO
      and crystallized phases in SSA. High temperatures stimulated the volatilization
      of NAIP instead of AP. Sewage sludge incineration with CaO transformed NAIP into
      AP, and the percentage of AP from the total phosphorus reached 99% at 950 degrees
      C. Aluminum phosphate reacted with CaO, forming Ca2P2O7 and Ca3(PO4)2 at 750-950
      degrees C. Reactions between iron phosphate and CaO occurred at lower
      temperatures, forming Ca(PO3)2 before reaching 850 degrees C. 

PMID- 26113415
TI  - In-line coupling of an aptamer based miniaturized monolithic affinity
      preconcentration unit with capillary electrophoresis and Laser Induced
      Fluorescence detection.
AB  - A composite 30-cm capillary was prepared. The head of the capillary was a 1.5-cm
      original and miniaturized aptamer-based monolithic affinity support that was in
      line coupled to the end of the capillary used for capillary electrophoresis (CE)
      with laser induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. The device was used for the
      preconcentration, separation and quantification of ochratoxin A (OTA) as a test
      solute. The 1.5-cm preconcentration unit consists of a fritless affinity
      monolithic bonded with 5'-SH-modified oligonucleotide aptamers. A vinyl spacer
      was used for thiol-ene photoclick chemistry with a 5min irradiation at 365nm.
      Photografting allowed to confine the binding reaction to the desired silica
      monolithic segment, upstream the empty section of the CE capillary using an UV
      mask. The photografting procedure was optimized preparing 10-cm capillary
      monoliths for nano-LC. The retention factors of cationic solutes in ion-exchange
      nano-LC allowed to follow the aptamer binding on the monolith. The
      reproducibility of the photografting process was satisfactory with inter
      capillary variation lower than 10%. The aptamer bonding density can be increased
      by successive graftings of 100MUM aptamer concentration solution
      (5pmol/cm/grafting). The optimal conditions to successfully perform the in-line
      coupling (preconcentration, elution and separation of OTA) with the composite
      capillary were adjusted depending on individual requirements of each step but
      also insuring compatibility. Under optimized conditions, OTA was successfully
      preconcentrated and quantified down to 0.1pg (percolation of 2.65MUL of a 40ng/L
      OTA solution). A quantitative recovery of OTA (93+/-2%) was achieved in a single
      elution of 30pg percolated OTA amount. The reproducibility of the overall process
      was satisfactory with a relative standard deviation lower than 10% with
      negligible non-specific adsorption. This device was applied for the
      preconcentration and analysis of OTA in beer and wine at the ppb level within a
      total analysis time of 30min. 

PMID- 26113416
TI  - NPM1 mutation is associated with leukemia cutis in acute myeloid leukemia with
      monocytic features.

PMID- 26113417
TI  - Deregulation of Fas ligand expression as a novel cause of autoimmune
      lymphoproliferative syndrome-like disease.
AB  - Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome is frequently caused by mutations in
      genes involved in the Fas death receptor pathway, but for 20-30% of patients the
      genetic defect is unknown. We observed that treatment of healthy T cells with
      interleukin-12 induces upregulation of Fas ligand and Fas ligand-dependent
      apoptosis. Consistently, interleukin-12 could not induce apoptosis in Fas ligand
      deficient T cells from patients with autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome. We
      hypothesized that defects in the interleukin-12 signaling pathway may cause a
      similar phenotype as that caused by mutations of the Fas ligand gene. To test
      this, we analyzed 20 patients with autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome of
      unknown cause by whole-exome sequencing. We identified a homozygous nonsense
      mutation (c.698G>A, p.R212*) in the interleukin-12/interleukin-23 receptor
      component IL12RB1 in one of these patients. The mutation led to IL12RB1 protein
      truncation and loss of cell surface expression. Interleukin-12 and -23 signaling
      was completely abrogated as demonstrated by deficient STAT4 phosphorylation and
      interferon gamma production. Interleukin-12-mediated expression of membrane-bound
      and soluble Fas ligand was lacking and basal expression was much lower than in
      healthy controls. The patient presented with the classical symptoms of autoimmune
      lymphoproliferative syndrome: chronic non-malignant, non-infectious
      lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, elevated numbers of double-negative
      T cells, autoimmune cytopenias, and increased levels of vitamin B12 and
      interleukin-10. Sanger sequencing and whole-exome sequencing excluded the
      presence of germline or somatic mutations in genes known to be associated with
      the autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome. Our data suggest that deficient
      regulation of Fas ligand expression by regulators such as the interleukin-12
      signaling pathway may be an alternative cause of autoimmune lymphoproliferative
      syndrome-like disease. 

PMID- 26113418
TI  - Gradual increase in thrombogenicity of juvenile platelets formed upon offset of
      prasugrel medication.
AB  - In patients with acute coronary syndrome, dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin
      and a P2Y12 inhibitor like prasugrel is prescribed for one year. Here, we
      investigated how the hemostatic function of platelets recovers after
      discontinuation of prasugrel treatment. Therefore, 16 patients who suffered from
      ST-elevation myocardial infarction were investigated. Patients were treated with
      aspirin (100 mg/day, long-term) and stopped taking prasugrel (10 mg/day) after
      one year. Blood was collected at the last day of prasugrel intake and at 1, 2, 5,
      12 and 30 days later. Platelet function in response to ADP was normalized between
      five and 30 days after treatment cessation and in vitro addition of the
      reversible P2Y12 receptor antagonist ticagrelor fully suppressed the regained
      activation response. Discontinuation of prasugrel resulted in the formation of an
      emerging subpopulation of ADP-responsive platelets, exhibiting high expression of
      active integrin alphaIIbbeta3. Two different mRNA probes, thiazole orange and the
      novel 5'Cy5-oligo-dT probe revealed that this subpopulation consisted of juvenile
      platelets, which progressively contributed to platelet aggregation and thrombus
      formation under flow. During offset, juvenile platelets were overall more
      reactive than older platelets. Interestingly, the responsiveness of both juvenile
      and older platelets increased in time, pointing towards a residual inhibitory
      effect of prasugrel on the megakaryocyte level. In conclusion, the gradual
      increase in thrombogenicity after cessation of prasugrel treatment is due to the
      increased activity of juvenile platelets. 

PMID- 26113420
TI  - Impact of red cell distribution width on future risk of cancer and all-cause
      mortality among cancer patients - the Tromso Study.

PMID- 26113419
TI  - Long-term outcome of a phase 2 trial with nilotinib 400 mg twice daily in first
      line treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Nilotinib is a second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has been approved
      for the first-line treatment of chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia, based on
      the results of a prospective randomized study of nilotinib versus imatinib
      (ENESTnd). Apart from this registration study, very few data are currently
      available on first-line nilotinib treatment. We report here the long-term, 6-year
      results of the first investigator-sponsored, GIMEMA multicenter phase 2, single
      arm trial with nilotinib 400 mg twice daily as first-line treatment in 73
      patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia. Six-year overall survival
      and progression-free survival rates were 96%, with one death after progression to
      blast phase. At 6 years, 75% of the patients were still on nilotinib. The
      cumulative incidence of major molecular response was 98%; only one patient had a
      confirmed loss of major molecular response. The cumulative incidence of deep
      molecular response (MR 4.0) was 76%. Deep molecular response was stable (>= 2
      years) in 34% of these patients. Cardiovascular adverse events, mainly due to
      arterial thrombosis, occurred in 11/73 patients (15%), after 24 to 76 months of
      therapy. They were more frequent in elderly patients, and in those with baseline
      cardiovascular risk factors. None was fatal, although there was a relevant
      morbidity. This is the study with the longest follow-up of a high dose of
      nilotinib (400 mg twice daily): it highlights the high efficacy and the
      cardiovascular toxicity of the drug (CTG.NCT.00481052).

PMID- 26113421
TI  - Management of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase overexpression: inhibit the enzyme
      or reduce nicotinamide intake? Reply to Zhou S, Li D, Zhou Y [letter].

PMID- 26113422
TI  - In Search of Global Health Justice: A Need to Reinvigorate Institutions and Make
      International Law.
AB  - The recent outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has killed thousands of people,
      including healthcare workers. African responses have been varied and largely
      ineffective. The WHO and the international community's belated responses have yet
      to quell the epidemic. The crisis is characteristic of a failure to properly
      comply with the International Health Regulations 2005. More generally, it stems
      from a failure of international health justice as articulated by a range of legal
      institutions and instruments, and it should prompt us to question the state and
      direction of approaches to the governance of global public health. This paper
      queries what might be done to lift global public health as a policy arena to the
      place of prominence that it deserves. It argues that there are at least two
      critical reasons for the past, present and easily anticipated future failings of
      the global public health regime. After exploring those, it then articulates a new
      way forward, identifying three courses of action that might be adopted in
      realising better health outcomes and global health justice, namely value,
      institutional and legal reform. 

PMID- 26113423
TI  - Enhancing cancer targeting and anticancer activity by a stimulus-sensitive
      multifunctional polymer-drug conjugate.
AB  - Undesirable physicochemical properties, low tumor targeting, insufficient cell
      internalization, acquired drug resistance, and severe side effects significantly
      limit the applications of anticancer drugs. In this study, to improve the tumor
      targeting and drug efficacy of the poorly water-soluble drug, doxorubicin (DOX),
      a novel drug delivery platform (PEG-ppTAT-DOX) was developed, which contained a
      polyethylene glycol (PEG), a matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2)-sensitive peptide
      linker (pp), a cell penetrating peptide (TAT), and a model drug (doxorubicin).
      The prepared drug platform possessed several key features, including: (i) the
      nanoparticle formation via the self-assembly; (ii) prevention of the non-specific
      interaction via the PEGylation; (iii) tumor targeting via the MMP2-mediated PEG
      deshielding and exposure of the TAT; (iv) the TAT-mediated cell internalization;
      (v) the TAT-induced endosomal escape; (vi) the inhibition of P-glycoprotein
      mediated drug efflux; and (vii) the TAT-medicated nuclear translocation. These
      cooperative functions ensured the improved tumor targetability, enhanced tumor
      cell internalization, improved intracellular distribution, and potentiated
      anticancer activity. Compared to the multi-component nanocarriers, the proposed
      simple but multifunctional polymer-drug conjugate might have greater potential
      for tumor-targeted drug delivery and enhanced chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26113424
TI  - A venous thromboembolism risk assessment model for patients with Cushing's
      syndrome.
AB  - Cushing's syndrome (CS) is associated with an incidence of venous thromboembolism
      (VTE) about ten times higher than in the normal population. The aim of our study
      was to develop a model for identifying CS patients at higher risk of VTE. We
      considered clinical, hormonal, and coagulation data from 176 active CS patients
      and used a forward stepwise logistic multivariate regression analysis to select
      the major independent risk factors for thrombosis. The risk of VTE was calculated
      as a 'CS-VTE score' from the sum of points of present risk factors. VTE developed
      in 20 patients (4 pulmonary embolism). The group of CS patients with VTE were
      older (p < 0.001) and had more cardiovascular events (p < 0.05), infections and
      reduced mobility (both p < 0.001), higher midnight plasma cortisol levels (p <
      0.05), and shorter APTT (p < 0.01) than those without. We identified six major
      independent risk factors for VTE: age >=69 years and reduced mobility were given
      two points each, whereas acute severe infections, previous cardiovascular events,
      midnight plasma cortisol level >3.15 times the normality and shortened APTT were
      given one point each. A CS-VTE score <2 anticipated no risk of VTE; a CS-VTE
      score of two mild risk (10 %); a CS-VTE score of three moderate risk (46 %); a CS
      VTE score >=4 high risk (85 %). Considering a score >=3 as predictive of VTE, 94
      % of the patients were correctly classified. A simple score helps stratify the
      VTE risk in CS patients and identify those who could benefit from
      thromboprophylaxis.

PMID- 26113425
TI  - Functional imaging for pheochromocytoma-paraganglioma: a step closer to
      understanding its place in clinical practice.

PMID- 26113426
TI  - Ethanol-wet bonding technique: Clinical versus laboratory findings.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the microtensile bond strength (MUTBS) and
      nanoleakage (NL) of dentin bonded interfaces produced with ethanol-wet and water
      wet bonding protocols under clinical and laboratory conditions. METHODS: The
      sample was composed of forty primary second molars in advanced exfoliation
      process. Occlusal cavities were prepared leaving a flat dentin surface on the
      pulpal floor. In half of the teeth, the water-wet protocol was followed using a
      three-step etch-and-rinse adhesive. In the other half, dentin was dehydrated with
      ascending ethanol solutions (50%, 70%, 80%, 95% and 3*100%), 15s each for the
      ethanol-bonding protocol. An experimental hydrophobic primer was used, followed
      by the neat adhesive application. Resin build-ups were prepared, stored for 24h,
      sectioned into sticks and tested in tensile mode (0.5mm/min). NL was performed
      for all groups. The MUTBS and NL data were submitted to two-way ANOVA and
      Kruskall-Wallis tests, respectively (alpha=0.05). RESULTS: Under clinical
      conditions, the highest MUTBS was observed for the water-wet bonding while under
      the laboratory setting, the highest MUTBS was obtained for the ethanol-wet
      bonding. Increased NL was observed in the water-wet bonding groups irrespective
      of the bonding condition. SIGNIFICANCE: The immediate benefits of the ethanol
      bonding observed in the laboratory setting was not confirmed when the same
      protocol was performed in vivo. However, as reduced nanoleakage was seen in
      adhesive interfaces produced with the ethanol-wet bonding technique, suggests
      that the hybrid layer may be more resistant to degradation.

PMID- 26113427
TI  - Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fiber reinforced dental composites:
      Effect of fiber surface treatment on mechanical properties of the composites.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Poor interfacial adhesion between the fibers and resin matrix in the
      ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber reinforced composites
      (FRCs) is the main drawback of the composites. This study aims to evaluate the
      effect of corona and silane surface treatment of the fibers on the mechanical
      properties of the UHMWPE FRCs. METHODS: UHMWPE fibers were exposed to corona
      discharges for different periods of time (0s, 5s, 7s). The surface
      characteristics of the UHMWPE fibers were investigated by attenuated total
      reflectance Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), atomic force
      microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nanoindentation
      technique. The flexural strength and flexural modulus of the FRCs made of the
      treated fibers were determined on 2mm*2mm*25mm specimens. The fracture toughness
      (the critical stress intensity factor, KIC) of the composites was also evaluated
      using a three-point single edge notch beam (SENB) bending technique. Statistical
      analysis of the data was performed with ANOVA and the Tukey's post-hoc test. The
      fiber-resin interface and the fracture surface were investigated using SEM.
      RESULTS: The change in the surface mechanical properties and chemistry of the
      corona treated UHMWPE fibers were monitored. The fibers exposed to corona for 5s
      showed higher surface nanohardness. In the FRCs, the specimens reinforced with 5s
      corona treated silanized fibers showed higher mechanical properties (flexural
      modulus, flexural strength, and fracture toughness), SEM images revealed a better
      adhesion between the resin and fibers after 5s fiber corona treatment and
      silanization. SIGNIFICANCE: Corona and silane treatment of UHMWPE fibers provide
      dental FRCs with improved mechanical properties.

PMID- 26113428
TI  - The global threat of antimicrobial resistance--The need for standardized
      surveillance tools to define burden and develop interventions.

PMID- 26113429
TI  - Association between physical activity, participation in Physical Education
      classes, and social isolation in adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between physical activity, participation in
      Physical Education classes, and indicators of social isolation among adolescents.
      METHODS: This was an epidemiological study based on secondary analysis of data
      from a representative sample of students (14-19 years) from public high schools
      (n=4,207). Data were collected through the questionnaire Global School-based
      Student Health Survey. The independent variables were the level of physical
      activity and enrollment in Physical Education classes, while the dependent
      variables were two indicators of social isolation (feeling of loneliness and
      having few friends). Descriptive and inferential procedures were used in the
      statistical analysis. RESULTS: Most of the adolescents were classified as
      insufficiently active (65.1%) and reported not attending Physical Education
      classes (64.9%). Approximately two in each ten participants reported feeling of
      loneliness (15.8%) and, in addition, about one in each five adolescents reported
      have only one friend (19.5%). In the bivariate analysis, a significantly lower
      proportion of individuals reporting social isolation was observed among
      adolescents who referred higher enrollment in Physical Education classes. After
      adjustment for confounding variables, binary logistic regression showed that
      attending Physical Education classes was identified as a protective factor in
      relation to the indicator of social isolation 'having few friends,' but only for
      girls. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that participation in Physical Education
      classes is associated with reduced social isolation among female adolescents.

PMID- 26113430
TI  - The antenna of a burrowing dragonfly larva, Onychogomphus forcipatus (Anisoptera,
      Gomphidae).
AB  - The larva of the dragonfly Onychogomphus forcipatus (Anisoptera, Gomphidae) has a
      burrowing lifestyle and antennae composed of four short and broad segments
      (scape, pedicel and a two-segmented flagellum). The present ultrastructural
      investigation revealed that different sensilla and one gland are located on the
      antenna. There is a great diversity of mechanoreceptors of different kinds. In
      particular club-shaped sensilla, sensilla chaetica, and tree-like sensilla show
      the typical structure of bristles, the most common type of mechanoreceptors,
      usually responding to direct touch, while numerous long thin thorny trichoid
      sensilla show a morphology recalling the structure of filiform hair
      mechanoreceptors. The latter ones are presumably important in larval Odonata for
      current detection and rheotactic orientation, especially in a burrowing species.
      On the smooth apical cuticle of the second flagellar segment, three structures
      are visible: (1) a small ellipsoidal pit hosting a convoluted peg, the morphology
      of which resembles that of a typical chemoreceptor (even if pores are lacking),
      (2) a couple of small pits (not investigated under TEM), and (3) one wide
      depression with spherical structures, the internal morphology of which lets us
      assume that it is a gland with unknown function. This is the first report of an
      antennal gland in palaeopteran insects. 

PMID- 26113431
TI  - Uncovering head gland diversity in neotropical Polistinae wasps (Hymenoptera,
      Vespidae): comparative analysis and description of new glands.
AB  - Exocrine glands are involved in several wasp colony activities; however, the
      number of known glands in the Vespidae is rather low when compared to other
      social insect groups. The aim of this study is to survey the head of Neotropical
      social wasps and to provide a detailed comparative study of the glands found in
      the Polistinae. A total of 33 species distributed over 13 genera were studied
      with serial histological sections of the head, excluding the labiomaxillary
      complex. Additionally, the exoskeleton was explored using scanning electron
      microscopy looking for associated modifications. A total of eleven exocrine
      glands were observed, five are structures recorded for the first time for the
      Hymenoptera, three are new records for the Polistinae and three are previously
      known organs. The glands studied are: ocellar gland I, ocellar gland II,
      periocular gland, subantennal gland, hypopharyngeal gland, clypeal gland,
      posterobasal genal gland, ectal mandibular gland, mesal mandibular gland,
      intramandibular gland I, and intramandibular gland II. The widespread
      distribution of most of these glands suggests an origin prior to the evolution of
      the Polistinae. Our results highlight the importance of detailed morphological
      studies to unveil the significance of chemical communication in one of the most
      characteristic groups of social animals. 

PMID- 26113432
TI  - Effectiveness of sofosbuvir-based regimens in genotype 1 and 2 hepatitis C virus
      infection in 4026 U.S. Veterans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Real-world effectiveness data are needed to inform hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) treatment decisions. AIM: To assess sustained virological response (SVR) of
      sofosbuvir (SOF)-based regimens in routine medical practice. METHODS:
      Observational, intent-to-treat cohort analysis of genotype 1 and 2 HCV-infected
      veterans initiating SOF-based regimens with recommended treatment duration of 12
      weeks. RESULTS: Four thousand and twenty-six veterans with genotype 1 (N = 3203)
      and genotype 2 (N = 823) comprise the cohort. SVR rates for genotype 1 were 66.8%
      for SOF + peginterferon + ribavirin (RBV), 75.3% for SOF + simeprevir (SIM),
      74.1% for SOF + SIM + RBV and for genotype 2 were 79.0% for SOF + RBV. Genotype 1
      patients were less likely to achieve SVR with BMI >=30 (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.49
      0.84, P < 0.001), a history of decompensated liver disease (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.36
      0.71, P < 0.001), treatment experience (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.48-0.71, P < 0.001),
      APRI >2 (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.36-0.55, P < 0.001) and with SOF + PEG + RBV compared
      with SOF + SIM (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.40-0.62, P < 0.001). Age, sex, race/ethnicity,
      diabetes and genotype subtype did not predict SVR. Odds of achieving SVR with SOF
      + SIM + RBV did not differ compared with SOF + SIM (OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.75-1.44, P
      = 0.86). Genotype 2 patients were less likely to achieve SVR with prior treatment
      experience (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.35-0.88, P = 0.009) and APRI >2 (OR 0.39, 95% CI
      0.25-0.62, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this real-world cohort, SVR rates were
      lower than in clinical trials. Genotype 1 and 2 HCV-infected patients with
      advanced liver disease by APRI >2 or FIB-4 > 3.25 were significantly less likely
      to achieve SVR. For genotype 1, a SOF + SIM +/- RBV regimen was associated with a
      higher likelihood of SVR.

PMID- 26113433
TI  - Anti-Social Behaviors Associated with Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use among Male
      Adolescents.
AB  - Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) have been linked to a range of problematic
      behaviors, but AAS use is still sometimes portrayed as more benign than other
      forms of classical drug abuse. To address this issue, we compared the prevalence
      of anti-social behaviors among adolescent AAS users, non-AAS illicit drug users,
      and drug non-users. We examined 3 waves (2004, 2008, and 2012) of self-reported
      cross-sectional data from a secondary school survey conducted in Stockholm,
      Sweden (total n = 19,773; response percentage, 79.6%). Across all survey years,
      the risk ratios for virtually all measured anti-social behaviors were
      significantly higher among AAS users compared to non-AAS illicit drug users and
      to drug non-users. 

PMID- 26113434
TI  - TB vaccines; promoting rapid and durable protection in the lung.
AB  - TB vaccine discovery has focused on IFN-gamma both for the selection of antigens
      and vaccine delivery strategies. Recent breakthroughs in our understanding of the
      requirements for immunological memory and the expression of immunity to TB in the
      lung now provide a framework for reconsidering that strategy. We will discuss the
      status of the TB vaccine field, recent insights into the role of central memory
      cells and the potential of tissue-resident memory cells in vaccine promoted
      protection against TB. 

PMID- 26113436
TI  - Longitudinal association between neighborhood cohesion and depressive mood in old
      age: A Japanese prospective study.
AB  - Despite increasing evidence of the relationship between neighborhood cohesion and
      depressive mood, little is known about this longitudinal association in old age.
      This study examined the association between perceived neighborhood cohesion and
      depressive mood and the stress-buffering effect of perceived neighborhood
      cohesion on depressive mood among older Japanese people using the 2010 (baseline)
      and 2012 (follow-up) Hatoyama Cohort Study datasets. We analyzed 655 participants
      aged 65-84 at baseline. Although perceived neighborhood cohesion at baseline was
      not associated with depressive mood at follow-up, high neighborhood cohesion
      partially offset the deleterious effect of anticipated daily stressors on
      depressive mood. This effect was stronger for long-term residents of the
      neighborhood. Interventions to strengthen neighborhood cohesion may help reduce
      the deleterious effect of stressors on older residents' depressive mood. 

PMID- 26113435
TI  - Potential of carbon nanotubes in algal biotechnology.
AB  - A critical mass of knowledge is emerging on the interactions between plant cells
      and engineered nanomaterials, revealing the potential of plant nanobiotechnology
      to promote and support novel solutions for the development of a competitive
      bioeconomy. This knowledge can foster the adoption of new methodological
      strategies to empower the large-scale production of biomass from commercially
      important microalgae. The present review focuses on the potential of carbon
      nanotubes (CNTs) to enhance photosynthetic performance of microalgae by (i)
      widening the spectral region available for the energy conversion reactions and
      (ii) increasing the tolerance of microalgae towards unfavourable conditions
      occurring in mass production. To this end, current understanding on the
      mechanisms of uptake and localization of CNTs in plant cells is discussed. The
      available ecotoxicological data were used in an attempt to assess the feasibility
      of CNT-based applications in algal biotechnology, by critically correlating the
      experimental conditions with the observed adverse effects. Furthermore, main
      structural and physicochemical properties of single- and multi-walled CNTs and
      common approaches for the functionalization and characterization of CNTs in
      biological environment are presented. Here, we explore the potential that
      nanotechnology can offer to enhance functions of algae, paving the way for a more
      efficient use of photosynthetic algal systems in the sustainable production of
      energy, biomass and high-value compounds.

PMID- 26113437
TI  - Newborn screening blood spot analysis in the UK: influence of spot size, punch
      location and haematocrit.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In dried blood spot analysis, punch location and variations in applied
      sample volume and haematocrit can produce different measured concentrations of
      analytes. We investigated the magnitude of these effects in newborn screening in
      the UK. METHODS: Heparinized blood spiked with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH),
      phenylalanine, tyrosine, leucine, methionine, octanoyl carnitine (C8), and
      immunoreactive trypsinogen (IRT) was spotted onto filter paper: (i) at a constant
      haematocrit of 50% at various volumes, and (ii) at a range of haematocrits using
      a constant volume. Subpunches (3.2 mm) of the dried blood spots were then
      analysed. RESULTS: Compared with a central punch from a 50 uL blood spot with 50%
      haematocrit, 10 uL spots can have significantly lower measured concentrations of
      all analytes, with decreases of 15% or more observed for leucine, methionine,
      phenylalanine, and tyrosine. Punching at the edge of a spot can increase measured
      concentrations up to 35%. Higher haematocrit decreased measured TSH and C8 yet
      increased amino acids and IRT by 15% compared with 50% haematocrit. Lower
      haematocrits had the opposite effect, but only with higher concentrations of some
      analytes. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in blood spot size, haematocrit and punch
      location substantially affect measured concentrations for analytes used in the UK
      newborn screening programme, and this could affect false positive and negative
      rates. To minimize analytical bias, these variables should be controlled or
      adjusted for where possible.

PMID- 26113439
TI  - Impact of bread making on fructan chain integrity and effect of fructan enriched
      breads on breath hydrogen, satiety, energy intake, PYY and ghrelin.
AB  - Recently, there has been considerable interest in the satiety inducing properties
      of inulin type fructans (ITF) as a tool for weight management. As a staple food,
      breads provide an excellent vehicle for ITF supplementation however the integrity
      of the ITF chains and properties upon bread making need to be assessed. Breads
      enriched with 12% fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and 12% inulin were baked and the
      degree of polymerisation of fructans extracted from the breads were compared to
      those of pure compounds. An acute feeding study with a single blind cross-over
      design was conducted with 11 participants to investigate the effect of ITF
      enriched breads on breath hydrogen, self-reported satiety levels, active ghrelin,
      total PYY and energy intake. Size exclusion chromatography indicated that little
      or no depolymerisation of inulin occurred during bread making, however, there was
      evidence of modest FOS depolymerisation. Additionally, ITF enriched breads
      resulted in increased concentrations of exhaled hydrogen although statistical
      significance was reached only for the inulin enriched bread (p = 0.001). There
      were no significant differences between bread types in reported satiety (p =
      0.129), plasma active ghrelin (p = 0.684), plasma PYY (p = 0.793) and energy
      intake (p = 0.240). These preliminary results indicate that inulin enriched bread
      may be a suitable staple food to increase ITF intake. Longer intervention trials
      are required to assess the impact of inulin enriched breads on energy intake and
      body weight. 

PMID- 26113440
TI  - Antiferromagnetically Coupled Dimeric Dodecacopper Supramolecular Architectures
      of Macrocyclic Ligands with a Symmetrical MU6-BO3(3-) Central Moiety.
AB  - Reactions between 2,6-diformyl-4-alkyl(R)-phenol (R = CH3 or C(CH3)3) and 1,3
      diamino-2-hydroxypropane (1,3-DAP) in the presence of copper(II) salts
      (Cu(BF4)2.6H2O, Cu(ClO4)2.6H2O/H3BO3/Ar) and triethylamine (TEA) in a single pot
      result in self-assembly of dimeric dodecacopper supramolecular architectures of
      30-membered hexatopic macrocyclic ligands (H6L4 and H6L5) with unique and
      fascinating structures having the BO3(3-) anion as the central species bonded to
      all six copper centers in a symmetrical fashion (MU6-BO3(3-)). A number of
      closely related macrocyclic hexacopper complexes are reported: {[Cu6(L4)(MU6
      BO3)(MU-H2O)(C3H7NO)2(BF4)][BF4]2.3C3H7NO}2 (1) (DMF = C3H7NO), {[Cu6(L4)(MU6
      BO3)(MU-C3H7NO)3][ClO4]3.3C3H7NO}2 (2), {[Cu6(L5)(MU6-BO3)(MU
      OH)(H2O)3(C3H7NO)][BF4]2.6C3H7NO.4C2H5OH.2H2O}2 (3), {[Cu6(L5)(MU6-BO3)(MU
      CH3OH)(CH3OH)2][ClO4]3.10H2O}2 (4), and {[Cu6(L5)(MU6-BO3)(MU-CH3CO2)(MU
      CH3O)(CH3OH)][BF4].13CH3OH.8H2O}2 (5). A polymeric side product
      {[Cu2(H2L2)(CH3OH)(BF4)][BF4]}n (6), involving a 2 + 2 macrocyclic ligand, was
      also isolated and structurally characterized. Complex 6 involves dinuclear
      copper(II) units linked through BF4(-) anions to form a novel 1D single-chain
      polymeric coordination compound. This appears to be the first report in which a
      central BO3(3-) species is linked to six copper(II) ions held together by a
      single macrocyclic ligand through three MU1,1-O(BO3(3-)) and three MU1,3-O(BO3(3
      )) bridges. In complexes 1-5 the BO3(3-) is present in the center of the
      macrocyclic cavity and is bonded to all six metal centers arranged in a benzene
      like hexagonal array. In the hexagonal array there are alternate double (MU
      alkoxide and MU1,3-O(BO3(3-))) and (MU-phenoxide and MU1,1-O(BO3(3-))) bridges
      between the Cu(II) centers. The symmetrical hexa-bridging nature of MU6-BO3(3-)
      is unprecedented in transition metal complex chemistry, and along with alkoxide
      and phenoxide bridges in the equatorial plane provides effective pathways for an
      overall antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between six copper(II) centers. In
      1, 3, and 5 the BO3(3-) moiety is produced in one step (synthetic) by an unusual
      copper(II)-macrocycle complex catalyzed hydrolysis of BF4(-) ion in methanol. In
      2 and 4 the central species (BO3(3-)) comes from boric acid (H3BO3) which is
      added to reaction mixture of Cu(ClO4)2/H6L4/H6L5 under inert conditions to
      confirm the identity of the central species. 

PMID- 26113441
TI  - Emodin prevents intima thickness via Wnt4/Dvl-1/beta-catenin signaling pathway
      mediated by miR-126 in balloon-injured carotid artery rats.
AB  - Neointimal proliferation after vascular injury is a key mechanism of restenosis,
      a major cause of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty failure and artery bypass
      occlusion. Emodin, an anthraquinone with multiple physiological activities, has
      been reported to inhibit proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs)
      that might cause intimal arterial thickening. Thus, in this study, we established
      a rat model of balloon-injured carotid artery and investigated the therapeutic
      effect of emodin and its underlying mechanism. Intimal thickness was analyzed by
      hematoxylin and eosin staining. Expression of Wnt4, dvl-1, beta-catenin and
      collagen was determined by immunohistochemistry and/or western blotting. The
      proliferation of VSMC was evaluated by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and electron microscopy. MicroRNA levels were
      quantified by real-time quantitative PCR. Emodin relieved injury-induced artery
      intimal thickness. Results of western blots and immunohistochemistry showed that
      emodin suppressed expression of signaling molecules Wnt4/Dvl-1/beta-catenin as
      well as collagen protein in the injured artery. In addition, emodin enhanced
      expression of an artery injury-related microRNA, miR-126. In vitro, MTT assay
      showed that emodin suppressed angiotensin II (AngII)-induced proliferation of
      VSMCs. Emodin reversed AngII-induced activation of Wnt4/Dvl-1/beta-catenin
      signaling by increasing expression of miR-126 that was strongly supported by
      transfection of mimic or inhibitor for miR-126. Emodin prevents intimal
      thickening via Wnt4/Dvl-1/beta-catenin signaling pathway mediated by miR-126 in
      balloon-injured carotid artery of rats. 

PMID- 26113442
TI  - Is there a "magic" hemoglobin number? Clinical decision support promoting
      restrictive blood transfusion practices.
AB  - Blood transfusion has been identified as one of the most frequently performed
      therapeutic procedures, with a significant percentage of transfusions identified
      to be inappropriate. Recent key clinical trials in adults have provided Level 1
      evidence to support restrictive red blood cell (RBC) transfusion practices.
      However, some advocates have attempted to identify a "correct" Hb threshold for
      RBC transfusion; whereas others assert that management of anemia, including
      transfusion decisions, must take into account clinical patient variables, rather
      than simply one diagnostic laboratory test. The heterogeneity of guidelines for
      blood transfusion by a number of medical societies reflects this controversy.
      Clinical decision support (CDS) uses a Hb threshold number in a smart Best
      Practices Alert (BPA) upon physician order, to trigger a concurrent utilization
      self-review for whether blood transfusion therapy is appropriate. This review
      summarizes Level 1 evidence in seven key clinical trials in adults that support
      restrictive transfusion practices, along strategies made possible by CDS that
      have demonstrated value in improving blood utilization by promoting restrictive
      transfusion practices.

PMID- 26113443
TI  - Prevalence of human papillomavirus types in cervical cancerous and precancerous
      lesions of Ecuadorian women.
AB  - Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection
      worldwide and it is responsible for most cases of uterine cancer. In Ecuador
      there is limited information about HPV types (and variants) in cancerous lesions;
      however, identifying the type-specific HPV prevalence in cervical lesions of
      women living in Ecuador is important to better predict the impact of HPV
      prophylactic vaccination in this country. We studied the prevalence of HPV types
      in cervical cancerous or precancerous lesions from 164 Ecuadorian women and found
      that 86.0% were HPV positive. The most common types were HPV16 (41.8%) and HPV58
      (30.5%). Interestingly, HPV18 was detected only in 2.8% of the HPV-positive
      samples. Fifteen DNA sequences (genes E6 and L1) from 16 samples positive for
      HPV16 belonged to the European lineage, considered one of the least carcinogenic
      lineages, and 1 (6.25%) to the Asian-American lineage. Similar analysis in 12
      HPV58 positive samples showed that 10 (83.3%) sequences grouped in sublineage A2,
      which belongs to the oldest HPV58 lineage, 1 belonged to A3 and 1 to lineage C.
      This study suggests that the currently used HPV vaccines (bivalent and
      tetravalent) may have lower effectiveness in Ecuador than in other geographic
      locations where HPV18 is more prevalent.

PMID- 26113445
TI  - Sleep promotes analogical transfer in problem solving.
AB  - Analogical problem solving requires using a known solution from one problem to
      apply to a related problem. Sleep is known to have profound effects on memory and
      information restructuring, and so we tested whether sleep promoted such
      analogical transfer, determining whether improvement was due to subjective memory
      for problems, subjective recognition of similarity across related problems, or by
      abstract generalisation of structure. In Experiment 1, participants were exposed
      to a set of source problems. Then, after a 12-h period involving sleep or wake,
      they attempted target problems structurally related to the source problems but
      with different surface features. Experiment 2 controlled for time of day effects
      by testing participants either in the morning or the evening. Sleep improved
      analogical transfer, but effects were not due to improvements in subjective
      memory or similarity recognition, but rather effects of structural generalisation
      across problems. 

PMID- 26113444
TI  - More than one way to see it: Individual heuristics in avian visual computation.
AB  - Comparative pattern learning experiments investigate how different species find
      regularities in sensory input, providing insights into cognitive processing in
      humans and other animals. Past research has focused either on one species'
      ability to process pattern classes or different species' performance in
      recognizing the same pattern, with little attention to individual and species
      specific heuristics and decision strategies. We trained and tested two bird
      species, pigeons (Columba livia) and kea (Nestor notabilis, a parrot species), on
      visual patterns using touch-screen technology. Patterns were composed of several
      abstract elements and had varying degrees of structural complexity. We developed
      a model selection paradigm, based on regular expressions, that allowed us to
      reconstruct the specific decision strategies and cognitive heuristics adopted by
      a given individual in our task. Individual birds showed considerable differences
      in the number, type and heterogeneity of heuristic strategies adopted. Birds'
      choices also exhibited consistent species-level differences. Kea adopted
      effective heuristic strategies, based on matching learned bigrams to stimulus
      edges. Individual pigeons, in contrast, adopted an idiosyncratic mix of
      strategies that included local transition probabilities and global string
      similarity. Although performance was above chance and quite high for kea, no
      individual of either species provided clear evidence of learning exactly the rule
      used to generate the training stimuli. Our results show that similar behavioral
      outcomes can be achieved using dramatically different strategies and highlight
      the dangers of combining multiple individuals in a group analysis. These
      findings, and our general approach, have implications for the design of future
      pattern learning experiments, and the interpretation of comparative cognition
      research more generally. 

PMID- 26113446
TI  - Cue-independent forgetting by intentional suppression - Evidence for inhibition
      as the mechanism of intentional forgetting.
AB  - People are able to intentionally forget unwanted memories through voluntary
      suppression, as revealed by the Think/No-think (TNT) paradigm. However, the
      nature of intentional forgetting is controversial. Findings that forgetting is
      independent of retrieval cues suggest that inhibitory control underlies
      intentional forgetting, but this result is also in line with an interference
      account. To resolve this controversy, we have directly contrasted the cue
      independent characteristic of suppression versus interference. A double-cue
      paradigm was used, in which two different cues were associated with the same
      target during initial memory formation. Only one cue-target association received
      further interference/suppression training. In the test phase, when both cues were
      used to retrieve the target, we found that interference caused memory impairment
      that was restricted to the trained cue-target association, while suppression
      induced forgetting that generalized to the independent cue-target association.
      Therefore, the effect of suppression differs from that of interference. The cue
      independent forgetting by voluntary suppression indicates that the target memory
      itself is inhibited, providing evidence that the underlying mechanism of
      suppression-induced forgetting is inhibitory control. 

PMID- 26113447
TI  - Language exposure facilitates talker learning prior to language comprehension,
      even in adults.
AB  - Adults show a native language advantage for talker identification, which has been
      interpreted as evidence that phonological knowledge mediates talker learning.
      However, infants also show a native language benefit for talker discrimination,
      suggesting that sensitivity to linguistic structure due to systematic language
      exposure promotes talker learning, even in the absence of functional phonological
      knowledge or language comprehension. We tested this hypothesis by comparing two
      groups of English-monolingual adults on their ability to learn English and French
      voices. One group resided in Montreal with regular exposure to spoken French; the
      other resided in Storrs, Connecticut and did not have French exposure. Montreal
      residents showed faster learning and better retention for the French voices
      compared to their Storrs-residing peers. These findings demonstrate that
      systematic exposure to a foreign language bolsters talker learning in that
      language, expanding the gradient effect of language experience on talker learning
      to perceptual learning that precedes sentence comprehension. 

PMID- 26113449
TI  - Rhetorical features facilitate prosodic processing while handicapping ease of
      semantic comprehension.
AB  - Studies on rhetorical features of language have reported both enhancing and
      adverse effects on ease of processing. We hypothesized that two explanations may
      account for these inconclusive findings. First, the respective gains and losses
      in ease of processing may apply to different dimensions of language processing
      (specifically, prosodic and semantic processing) and different types of fluency
      (perceptual vs. conceptual) and may well allow for an integration into a more
      comprehensive framework. Second, the effects of rhetorical features may be
      sensitive to interactions with other rhetorical features; employing a feature
      separately or in combination with others may then predict starkly different
      effects. We designed a series of experiments in which we expected the same
      rhetorical features of the very same sentences to exert adverse effects on
      semantic (conceptual) fluency and enhancing effects on prosodic (perceptual)
      fluency. We focused on proverbs that each employ three rhetorical features:
      rhyme, meter, and brevitas (i.e., artful shortness). The presence of these target
      features decreased ease of conceptual fluency (semantic comprehension) while
      enhancing perceptual fluency as reflected in beauty and succinctness ratings that
      were mainly driven by prosodic features. The rhetorical features also predicted
      choices for persuasive purposes, yet only for the sentence versions featuring all
      three rhetorical features; the presence of only one or two rhetorical features
      had an adverse effect on the choices made. We suggest that the facilitating
      effects of a combination of rhyme, meter, and rhetorical brevitas on perceptual
      (prosodic) fluency overcompensated for their adverse effects on conceptual
      (semantic) fluency, thus resulting in a total net gain both in processing ease
      and in choices for persuasive purposes. 

PMID- 26113448
TI  - Poor judgment of distance between nociceptive stimuli.
AB  - Although pain is traditionally assumed to be poorly localized, recent work
      indicates that spatial acuity for nociception is surprisingly high. Here we
      investigated whether the nervous system can also accurately estimate the distance
      between two nociceptive stimuli. Estimating distance implies a metric
      representation of spatial relations, a property that underlies abilities such as
      perceiving the size of external objects. We presented pairs of simultaneous
      nociceptive or non-nociceptive somatosensory stimuli, and asked participants to
      judge the distance between them. Judgments of distance between nociceptive
      stimuli were much worse than judgments of distance between non-nociceptive
      tactile stimuli, even on skin regions where spatial acuity for nociception
      exceeded spatial acuity for touch. Control experiments ruled out explanations
      based on inaccurate localization of double nociceptive stimuli. Thus, the nervous
      system poorly represents the distance between two nociceptive stimuli. The
      dissociation between high spatial acuity and poor distance judgment in the
      nociceptive system may reflect a specialization for computing accurate spatial
      representations useful to protect the body, rather than to perceive the size of
      external objects. 

PMID- 26113450
TI  - miR-181a promotes G1/S transition and cell proliferation in pediatric acute
      myeloid leukemia by targeting ATM.
AB  - PURPOSE: Abnormal expression of miRNAs is intimately related to a variety of
      human cancers. The purpose of this study is to confirm the expression of miR-181a
      and elucidate its physiological function and mechanism in pediatric acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML). METHODS: Pediatric AML patients and healthy controls were
      enrolled, and the expression of miR-181a and ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)
      in tissues were examined using quantitative PCR. Moreover, cell proliferation and
      cell cycle were evaluated in several cell lines (HL60, NB4 and K562) by using
      flow cytometry after transfected with miR-181a mimics and inhibitors, or ATM
      siRNA and control siRNA. Finally, ATM as the potential target protein of miR-181a
      was examined. RESULTS: We found that miR-181a was significantly increased in
      pediatric AML, which showed an inverse association with ATM expression.
      Overexpressed miR-181a in cell lines significantly enhanced cell proliferation,
      as well as increased the ratio of S-phase cells by miR-181a mimics transfection
      in vitro. Luciferase activity of the reporter construct identified ATM as the
      direct molecular target of miR-181a. ATM siRNA transfection significantly
      enhanced cell proliferation and increased the ratio of S-phase cells in vitro.
      CONCLUSION: The results revealed novel mechanism through which miR-181a regulates
      G1/S transition and cell proliferation in pediatric AML by regulating the tumor
      suppressor ATM, providing insights into the molecular mechanism in pediatric AML.

PMID- 26113451
TI  - How staging of thin melanoma is changed after the introduction of TNM 7th
      edition: a population-based analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In 2009, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) incorporated
      the tumor mitotic rate in the melanoma pathological TNM staging system. To
      investigate the effect of this change on the pT1 substaging of primary cutaneous
      melanomas, we reclassified the cases collected by a cancer registry according to
      the 6th and the 7th editions of AJCC melanoma staging. METHODS: Patients with
      pathological T1 melanoma diagnosed in the period 2000-2008 were selected from
      Tuscan Cancer Registry. The histological reports were reviewed and pT1 melanomas
      classified according to both the 6th and the 7th editions of the AJCC staging
      system. The shift of melanomas between pT1 substages was analyzed. RESULTS: Among
      the 242 pT1 melanomas collected in the study period and with mitotic index
      available, there were 202 (83 % of all pT1) and 175 (72 %) pT1a, according to the
      6th and the 7th editions of the AJCC melanoma staging, respectively. When the 7th
      edition was used, 20 % of all pT1a melanomas shifted to pT1b, and 32 % of all
      pT1b melanomas shifted to pT1a. A poor level agreement between the two TNM
      staging systems, measured by the Cohen's kappa coefficient, was found (K = 0.37).
      CONCLUSIONS: The addition of mitotic activity to the pathological staging
      resulted in an increase in pT1b proportion and in a change in the classification
      of some cases. This modification could influence the clinical approach, with a
      different use of the sentinel lymph node biopsy, and underlines the role of
      mitosis evaluation in the management of thin melanoma patients.

PMID- 26113452
TI  - Determination of sex-based differences in serum gamma-linolenic [corrected] acid
      and dihomo-gamma-linolenic [corrected] acid using gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - Because serum unsaturated fatty acids can provide useful information on disease
      diagnosis, the simultaneous determination of several fatty acids in small volumes
      of human serum would be beneficial for clinical applications. In the present
      study, serum fatty acids were extracted with n-heptane/chloroform from 10MUL of
      serum collected from 26 healthy Japanese subjects (11 men, ages 23-37 years; 15
      women, ages 18-37 years) after deproteinization with perchloric acid,
      derivatization to their methyl ester using p-toluenesulfonic acid as an acid
      catalyst, and subsequent separation and measurement by gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry (GC-MS) in the selected ion monitoring mode. Nine types of fatty
      acids (palmitoleic acid [PLA], oleic acid [OA], linoleic [corrected] acid [LA],
      gamma-linolenic acid [GLA], alpha-linolenic acid [ALA], dihomo-GLA [DGLA],
      arachidonic acid [AA], eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA], and docosahexaenoic acid
      [DHA]) were analyzed in the serum within 35 min by GC-MS. The concentrations of
      these fatty acids in serum ranged from 3.64+/-0.38MUM (GLA) to 413+/-26.3 MUM
      (LA). Among these nine fatty acids, GLA and DGLA levels were significantly lower
      in women than in men (p=0.0034 and 0.0012, respectively), suggesting that there
      may be sex-based differences in the biosynthetic production or metabolic
      processes of GLA and DGLA in humans.

PMID- 26113453
TI  - LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantification of 11 compounds of Ginkgo
      biloba extract in lysates of mesangial cell cultured by high glucose.
AB  - The mesangial cell (MC) cultured with high glucose has been used to observe the
      protective effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) against diabetic nephropathy
      (DN), but the compounds interacting with cell are still unknown, which may be
      potential bioactive components. Based on this, the determination of GBE in MC
      lysates was proposed by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in this study. The MC was cultured with normal or high
      glucose with GBE for 4, 8, 12, 16, 24 and 48h. The harvested cell was extracted
      with 40% acetic acid in water and further analyzed by LC-MS/MS. All the
      validation data including linearity, intra-day and inter-day precision, limit of
      detection and quantification, matrix effect, and stability were within the
      required limits. The validated method was successfully applied to quantify 11
      compounds of GBE in cell lysates. The results showed that high glucose prolonged
      the peak time of all observed 11 compounds and peak concentrations of bilobalide,
      ginkgolide C, ginkgolide B, quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin and
      genkwanin in cell lysates, which hinted that these compounds may be the potential
      bioactive components of GBE with preventive effect against DN. 

PMID- 26113454
TI  - Characterization of Chinese rice wine taste attributes using liquid
      chromatographic analysis, sensory evaluation, and an electronic tongue.
AB  - To evaluate the taste characteristics of Chinese rice wine, wine samples sourced
      from different vintage years were analyzed using liquid chromatographic analysis,
      sensory evaluation, and an electronic tongue. Six organic acids and seventeen
      amino acids were measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
      Five monosaccharides were measured using anion-exchange chromatography. The
      global taste attributes were analyzed using an electronic tongue (E-tongue). The
      correlations between the 28 taste-active compounds and the sensory attributes,
      and the correlations between the E-tongue response and the sensory attributes
      were established via partial least square discriminant analysis (PLSDA). E-tongue
      response data combined with linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were used to
      discriminate the Chinese rice wine samples sourced from different vintage years.
      Sensory evaluation indicated significant differences in the Chinese rice wine
      samples sourced from 2003, 2005, 2008, and 2010 vintage years in the sensory
      attributes of harmony and mellow. The PLSDA model for the taste-active compounds
      and the sensory attributes showed that proline, fucose, arabinose, lactic acid,
      glutamic acid, arginine, isoleucine, valine, threonine, and lysine had an
      influence on the taste characteristic of Chinese rice wine. The Chinese rice wine
      samples were all correctly classified using the E-tongue and LDA. The electronic
      tongue was an effective tool for rapid discrimination of Chinese rice wine. 

PMID- 26113455
TI  - A simple high performance liquid chromatography method for quantitatively
      determining the reduced form of peroxiredoxin 2 and the mass spectrometric
      analysis of its oxidative status.
AB  - Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are a family of thiol peroxidases, which have been
      suggested to serve as biomarkers for diseases caused by oxidative stress. In this
      study, we established a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for
      quantifying the amount of Prx2 in red blood cells (RBCs). RBC proteins were
      separated using HPLC, and a single peak was detected that matched that produced
      by recombinant Prx2. Under improved conditions, the calibration curve for Prx2
      (reduced form) was linear over the range of 0.5-20.0MUg with a correlation
      coefficient of 0.999. The minimum detectable level of the recombinant Prx2 was
      0.2MUg, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 per 20MUl of injection volume. SDS-PAGE
      and mass spectrometric analysis showed that the proteins comprising the peak were
      almost exclusively Prx2. Further high-resolution analysis using nanoLC-MS/MS
      demonstrated that the oxidation sensitive, Cys-51 was carbamidomethylated by
      iodoacetamide-alkylation during in-gel digestion but was not modified with
      sulfinic acid (-SO2H) or sulfonic acid (-SO3H). These results indicated that the
      separated Prx2 was the reduced form and not the hyperoxidized form. These basic
      experiments allowed us to determine the relative amounts of native Prx2 in RBCs
      taken from healthy subjects. The average levels of Prx2 in male and female
      subjects were 7.28ng/mg and 8.29ng/mg, respectively, and no significant
      difference was observed between the sexes. Therefore, the HPLC method with UV
      detection described herein offers a convenient method to quantitatively determine
      the levels of reduced form of Prx2 and its oxidative decrease in human RBCs. 

PMID- 26113456
TI  - Linkage of sleep-disordered breathing and acute aortic dissection with patent
      false lumen.
AB  - Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is known as a cardiovascular risk factor and has
      high prevalence in hypertension, which is a major risk factor of aortic
      dissection (AD). However, the impact of SDB on AD has not been fully clarified.
      The aim of this study is to elucidate the impact of SDB on AD, especially on the
      type of false lumen in AD. We enrolled twenty-three consecutive patients with
      acute AD (mean age: 66 +/- 13 years). All subjects were evaluated by an
      ambulatory polygraphic sleep monitoring within 1 month from the onset. AD was
      evaluated by axial images of computed tomography. We comparatively analyzed SDB
      and AD. 35 % of the subjects presented severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index: AHI
      >=30). The patent false lumen group showed significantly higher systolic and
      diastolic blood pressure (BP) on arrival and AHI, and lower percutaneous oxygen
      saturation (SaO2) compared with those in the thrombosed false lumen group. The
      prevalence of severe SDB was higher in the patent false lumen group (60 vs 15 %,
      p = 0.039). Systolic BP on arrival was significantly correlated with AHI (r =
      0.457, p = 0.033) and the minimum SaO2 (r = -0.537, p = 0.010). The present study
      revealed close linkage between SDB and AD, and a high prevalence of SDB among AD
      patients. Severe SDB was related to the development of AD, especially for the
      patent false lumen type through highly elevated BP which might be easily evoked
      in the presence of severe SDB. Repetitive occurrence of intrathoracic negative
      pressure also might influence the repair or closure of false lumen of AD,
      although the present analysis did not reach statistical significance. 

PMID- 26113457
TI  - Axillary artery cannulation provides balanced cerebral oxygenation.
AB  - Deterioration of cerebral performance remains a major problem after cardiac
      surgery. Axillary artery cannulation can improve clinical outcome, but some
      experimental series show a malperfusion of the right hemisphere. The aim of our
      clinical study was to analyze the intraoperative investigation of cerebral
      oxygenation in two different arterial cannulation sites by use of near-infrared
      spectroscopic oximetry (NIRO). We compared retrospectively the cerebral
      saturation of 20 patients with aortic cannulation (group AoC) and 20 patients
      with right axillary artery cannulation (group AxC) during either valve, coronary
      artery bypass graft (CABG), combined procedures, or aortic surgery. Patients were
      monitored with bihemispheric NIRO (NIRO-200, Hamamatsu, Herrsching, Germany). The
      oxygenation data were calculated as tissue oxygenation index (TOI). And the
      cardiopulmonary bypass time was considered with special regard to potentially
      dangerous phases for cerebral desaturation like the starting of the
      extracorporeal circulation (ECC), cross-clamping, rewarming phase, aortic
      declamping, and stopping of ECC. Patients were then postoperatively evaluated by
      a standardized neurological examination. During the entire CPB time and the
      specific phases potentially at risk for cerebral desaturation, no statistically
      significant drop of cerebral oxygenation (>20 % for >60 s) was detected after
      aortic and right axillary artery cannulation, respectively. Furthermore, no
      significant difference in TOI was found comparing the left and right hemisphere
      in each group. Postoperatively 2 transient confusional syndromes (CS) were
      observed after aortic and 3 CS after axillary artery cannulation. Right axillary
      artery cannulation provides balanced cerebral oxygenation in both hemispheres
      during extracorporeal circulation and its specific phases potentially at risk for
      cerebral malperfusion. It might therefore reduce the risk of neurological injury
      by reduction of solid embolization and maintenance of balanced cerebral
      oxygenation. 

PMID- 26113458
TI  - Does reducing ischemia time justify to catheterize firstly the culprit artery in
      every primary PCI?
AB  - No consensus exists about which coronary artery should be firstly catheterized in
      primary PCIs. Initial catheterization of the "culprit artery" could reduce
      reperfusion time. However, complete knowledge of coronary anatomy could modify
      revascularization strategy. The objective of the study was to analyze this issue
      in ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing primary PCI. PCIs were
      performed in 384 consecutive patients. Choice of ipsilateral approach (IA):
      starting with a guiding catheter for the angiography and PCI of the "culprit
      artery", or contralateral approach (CA): starting with a diagnostic catheter for
      the "non-culprit artery" and completing the angiography and PCI of the culprit
      with a guiding catheter was left to the operator. Differences between two
      approaches regarding reperfusion time, acute events or revascularization
      strategies were analyzed. There were no differences between two approaches
      regarding reperfusion time or clinical events. When the left coronary artery was
      responsible, IA was more frequent (76.4 vs 22.6 %), but when it was the right
      coronary artery, CA was preferred (20 vs 80 %); p < 0.0001. With CA, bare metal
      stents (BMS) were more used than drug eluting (DES) (60.8 vs 39.2 %) inversely
      than with IA (BMS 41.3 vs DES 59.7 %; p < 0.0001). With CA there were more
      patients with left main or multivessel disease in which revascularization was
      completed with non-urgent surgery (4.13 vs 2.4 %, p < 0.0001). Initial CA does
      not involve higher reperfusion time. Furthermore, overall knowledge of coronary
      anatomy offers more options in revascularization strategy and may imply a change
      in management. Despite the need to individualize each case, contralateral
      approach may be the first option with the exception of unstable patients. 

PMID- 26113459
TI  - Mucosal immunization of BALB/c mice with DNA vaccines encoding the SEN1002 and
      SEN1395 open reading frames of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis induces
      protective immunity.
AB  - Salmonella Enteritidis is the main cause of foodborne salmonellosis worldwide.
      The limited effectiveness of current interventions against this pathogen has been
      the main incentive to develop new methods for the efficient control of this
      infection. To investigate the use of DNA vaccines against S. Enteritidis in
      humans, immune responses stimulated by two plasmids containing the genes
      designated SEN1002, located in the pathogenicity island SPI-19 and encoding a Hcp
      protein involved in transport mechanisms, and SEN1395, located in the genomic
      island PhiSE14 and encoding a protein of a new superfamily of lysozymes, were
      evaluated. Humoral and cellular responses following intranasal immunization of
      two groups of BALB/c mice with the plasmids pV1002 and pV1395 plus adjuvant were
      evaluated and it was observed that the IgG2a/IgG1 ratios were sixfold higher than
      control groups. Both plasmids stimulated specific secretory IgA production.
      Increased proliferation of lymphocytes and IFN-gamma production were detected in
      both experimental groups. DNA-vaccinated mice developed protective immunity
      against a virulent strain of S. Enteritidis, with nearly 2 logs of protection
      level compared to the negative control values in the spleen. Therefore, DNA
      vaccines are efficient at stimulating cellular and humoral immune responses at
      systemic and mucosal levels. 

PMID- 26113460
TI  - Using secure messaging to update medications list in ambulatory care setting.
AB  - This study analyzed patient adoption of secure messaging to update medication
      list in an ambulatory care setting. The objective was to establish demographic
      differences between users and non-users of secure messaging for medications list
      update. Efficiency of secure messaging for the updates was compared to fax and
      telephone based updates. METHODS: The study used a retrospective, cross-sectional
      study of patient medical records and pharmacy call logs at Mayo Clinic, Arizona
      from December 2012 to May 2013, approximately one year after organizing a
      pharmacy call center for medication updates. A subgroup analysis during a 2-week
      period was used to measure time to complete update. MAIN MEASURES: Main dependent
      variable is the frequency of medication list updates over the study duration.
      Technician time required for the update was also utilized. RESULTS: A total of
      22,495 outpatient visits were drawn and 18,702 unique patients were included in
      the primary analysis. A total of 402 unique patients were included in sub-group
      analysis. Secure message response rate (49.5%) was statistically significantly
      lower than that for phone calls (54.8%, p<0.001). Time to complete the update was
      significantly higher for faxed medication lists (Wilcoxon rank-sum tests,
      p<0.001) when compared to those for secure message or phone. CONCLUSIONS: Around
      50% of the patients respond to medication update requests before office visit
      when contacted using phone calls and secure messages. Given the demographic
      differences between users and non-users of patient portal, mixed mode
      communication with patients is likely to be the norm for the foreseeable future
      in outpatient settings.

PMID- 26113461
TI  - Perceptions of the feasibility and acceptability of a smartphone application for
      the treatment of binge eating disorders: Qualitative feedback from a user
      population and clinicians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Binge eating, a major public health problem, is characterized by
      recurrent episodes of out-of-control eating in which an individual consumes an
      unusually large amount of food in a discrete time period. Limitations of existing
      treatments for binge eating (both in-person psychotherapy and guided self-help)
      indicate that smartphone applications (apps) may be an ideal alternative or
      enhancement. An app for binge eating could aid treatment dissemination,
      engagement, and/or compliance. However, no research to date has examined user
      perceptions of a therapeutic app for binge eating, which is critical for
      development. OBJECTIVES: The purposes of the current study were to conceptualize
      a potential app for binge eating and obtain feedback regarding feasibility and
      acceptability from target users (i.e., individuals with binge eating) and
      clinicians specializing in the treatment of binge eating. METHODS: Our team
      conceptualized a smartphone app that contained self-help material, functions to
      monitor behavior, and provisions of in-the-moment interventions. We presented
      this app (e.g., feature explanations, mock screen shots) through phone interviews
      with clinicians who specialize in the treatment of binge eating (n=10), and focus
      groups with individuals experiencing binge eating (n=11). Participants were asked
      to discuss customization, user burden, terminology, attrition, data
      visualization, comprehensiveness, reminders, feasibility, acceptability, and
      perceived effectiveness of the proposed app. Thematic analyses were conducted
      from qualitative data (e.g., audio recordings and interview notes) obtained via
      the focus groups and interviews. RESULTS: Results indicated that our proposed app
      would be highly feasible and acceptable to users and clinicians, though concerns
      about the degree of personalization and customizability were noted. CONCLUSIONS:
      The current study details highly specific feedback and ideas regarding essential
      app features from target users and clinicians. This information is critical for
      the development of future apps to treat binge eating. Ways in which data obtained
      from the current study may be generalized to the development of therapeutic apps
      for other psychological disorders is discussed.

PMID- 26113462
TI  - NHI-PharmaCloud in Taiwan--A preliminary evaluation using the RE-AIM framework
      and lessons learned.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this article is to present the preliminary impact of a
      medication monitoring program, PharmaCloud, in Taiwan and analyze the embedded
      factors that have contributed to the performance thereof. This article also
      compared PharmaCloud with similar international programs in order to draw lessons
      learned. METHODS: The five domains of the RE-AIM framework - reach,
      effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance - were examined using
      qualitative and quantitative data. A difference-in-differences model was applied
      to analyze the quantitative impact of PharmaCloud on drug utilization and drug
      expenses. The qualitative impact was evaluated by document analysis based on
      field reports from the participating medical institutions. RESULTS: Reach and
      adoption: although all of the major hospitals adopted PharmaCloud and some of the
      hospitals had high inquiry rates, more time and incentives are needed to raise
      the overall inquiry rate. Effectiveness: during the study period of 3 months, the
      number of medications per prescription declined in the intervention group was
      0.15 more than that of the general population, and the drug expense per person
      declined in the intervention group was NT $567 (US $18.9) more than that of the
      general population. The potential savings could be between 2% and 5% of the total
      pharmaceutical expenditure. Medication duplication was found to have decreased
      more in the intervention group. IMPLEMENTATION: a variety of innovations in care
      delivery are being developed in which the pharmacists play a more significant
      role. Maintenance: the embedded National Health Insurance would lend strong
      support for PharmaCloud to grow and thrive. CONCLUSION: PharmaCloud owes its
      effectiveness to the embedded National Health Insurance (NHI) program, which is
      universal and provides a comprehensive benefit package including more than 16,000
      prescription drugs. An effective medication program is one that operates under
      the principle of universality and comprehensiveness, facilitates innovations, and
      has a substantial level of interoperability with the intra-hospital health
      information systems.

PMID- 26113463
TI  - Microarray Analysis in Glioblastomas.
AB  - Microarray analysis in glioblastomas is done using either cell lines or patient
      samples as starting material. A survey of the current literature points to
      transcript-based microarrays and immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based tissue
      microarrays as being the preferred methods of choice in cancers of neurological
      origin. Microarray analysis may be carried out for various purposes including the
      following: i. To correlate gene expression signatures of glioblastoma cell lines
      or tumors with response to chemotherapy (DeLay et al., Clin Cancer Res
      18(10):2930-2942, 2012). ii. To correlate gene expression patterns with
      biological features like proliferation or invasiveness of the glioblastoma cells
      (Jiang et al., PLoS One 8(6):e66008, 2013). iii. To discover new tumor
      classificatory systems based on gene expression signature, and to correlate
      therapeutic response and prognosis with these signatures (Huse et al., Annu Rev
      Med 64(1):59-70, 2013; Verhaak et al., Cancer Cell 17(1):98-110, 2010). While
      investigators can sometimes use archived tumor gene expression data available
      from repositories such as the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus to answer their
      questions, new arrays must often be run to adequately answer specific questions.
      Here, we provide a detailed description of microarray methodologies, how to
      select the appropriate methodology for a given question, and analytical
      strategies that can be used. Experimental methodology for protein microarrays is
      outside the scope of this chapter, but basic sample preparation techniques for
      transcript-based microarrays are included here.

PMID- 26113464
TI  - Extreme ultraviolet imaging of three-dimensional magnetic reconnection in a solar
      eruption.
AB  - Magnetic reconnection, a change of magnetic field connectivity, is a fundamental
      physical process in which magnetic energy is released explosively, and it is
      responsible for various eruptive phenomena in the universe. However, this process
      is difficult to observe directly. Here, the magnetic topology associated with a
      solar reconnection event is studied in three dimensions using the combined
      perspectives of two spacecraft. The sequence of extreme ultraviolet images
      clearly shows that two groups of oppositely directed and non-coplanar magnetic
      loops gradually approach each other, forming a separator or quasi-separator and
      then reconnecting. The plasma near the reconnection site is subsequently heated
      from ~1 to >=5 MK. Shortly afterwards, warm flare loops (~3 MK) appear underneath
      the hot plasma. Other observational signatures of reconnection, including plasma
      inflows and downflows, are unambiguously revealed and quantitatively measured.
      These observations provide direct evidence of magnetic reconnection in a three
      dimensional configuration and reveal its origin. 

PMID- 26113466
TI  - Tumor Suppressor Activity of Klotho in Breast Cancer Is Revealed by Structure
      Function Analysis.
AB  - Klotho is a transmembrane protein containing two internal repeats, KL1 and KL2,
      both displaying significant homology to members of the beta-glycosidase family.
      Klotho is expressed in the kidney, brain, and various endocrine tissues, but can
      also be cleaved and act as a circulating hormone. Klotho is an essential cofactor
      for binding of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) to the FGF receptor and can
      also inhibit the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) pathway. Data from a wide
      array of malignancies indicate klotho as a tumor suppressor; however, the
      structure-function relationships governing its tumor suppressor activities have
      not been deciphered. Here, the tumor suppressor activities of the KL1 and KL2
      domains were examined. Overexpression of either klotho or KL1, but not of KL2,
      inhibited colony formation by MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, in vivo
      administration of KL1 was not only well tolerated but significantly slowed tumor
      formation in nude mice. Further studies indicated that KL1, but not KL2,
      interacted with the IGF-1R and inhibited the IGF-1 pathway. Based on computerized
      structural modeling, klotho constructs were generated in which critical amino
      acids have been mutated. Interestingly, the mutated proteins retained their tumor
      suppressor activity but showed reduced ability to modulate FGF23 signaling. These
      data indicate differential activity of the klotho domains, KL1 and KL2, in breast
      cancer and reveal that the tumor suppressor activities of klotho can be dissected
      from its physiologic activities. IMPLICATIONS: These findings pave the way for a
      rational design of safe klotho-based molecules for the treatment of breast
      cancer.

PMID- 26113465
TI  - Using an in-vitro biofilm model to assess the virulence potential of bacterial
      vaginosis or non-bacterial vaginosis Gardnerella vaginalis isolates.
AB  - Gardnerella vaginalis is the most common species found in bacterial vaginosis
      (BV). However, it is also present in a significant proportion of healthy women
      and G. vaginalis vaginal colonization does not always lead to BV. In an effort to
      better understand the differences between G. vaginalis isolated from women with a
      positive (BV) versus a negative (non-BV) diagnosis of BV, we compared the
      virulence potential of 7 BV and 7 non-BV G. vaginalis isolates and assessed the
      virulence factors related to biofilm formation, namely: initial adhesion and
      cytotoxic effect, biofilm accumulation, susceptibility to antibiotics, and
      transcript levels of the known vaginolysin, and sialidase genes. Furthermore, we
      also determined the ability of G. vaginalis to displace lactobacilli previously
      adhered to HeLa cells. Our results showed that non-BV strains were less virulent
      than BV strains, as suggested by the lower cytotoxicity and initial adhesion to
      Hela cells. Significant differences in expression of known virulence genes were
      also detected, further suggesting a higher virulence potential of the BV
      associated G. vaginalis. Importantly, we demonstrated that BV associated G.
      vaginalis were able to displace pre-coated vaginal protective lactobacilli and we
      hypothesize this to be a trigger for BV development. 

PMID- 26113467
TI  - How can we detect the low risk patients for ischemic etiology in heart failure
      population?

PMID- 26113469
TI  - Supernormal conduction revealed by extremely late atrial extrasystole during
      phase 3 right bundle branch block.

PMID- 26113468
TI  - Clinical outcomes of multiple chronic total occlusions in coronary arteries
      according to three therapeutic strategies: Bypass surgery, percutaneous
      intervention and medication.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limited data exist regarding clinical outcomes of multiple chronic
      total occlusions (CTOs) according to therapeutic strategies, coronary artery
      bypass grafting (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and medical
      treatment (MT). METHODS: From March 2003 to February 2012, a total of 2024
      patients with at least one CTO were enrolled in retrospective, single-center
      registry. 393 patients with at least two CTOs were categorized based on the
      intention-to-treat principle. Propensity-score matching was performed. The
      primary outcome was major adverse cardiac and cerebral events (MACCE). RESULTS:
      Of 393 patients with multiple CTOs, 169 patients (43%) were referred for CABG,
      130 (33%) for PCI, and 94 (24%) for MT. Median overall follow-up duration was
      46.5 (interquartile range 22.7 to 74.6) months. After propensity-score matching
      analysis, CABG had lower rates of MACCE when compared with PCI (HR=0.43, 0.21
      0.85, P=0.01) and MT (HR=0.10, 0.04-0.27, P<0.01). Rates of repeat
      revascularization was significantly lower in CABG, compared with PCI (HR=0.05,
      0.01-0.40, P<0.01) and MT (HR=0.01, 0.00-0.54, P=0.02). CABG had similar rates of
      cardiac death compared with PCI group (HR=0.97, 0.37-2.53, P=0.95), but had
      significantly lower rates of cardiac death compared with MT (HR=0.24, 0.08-0.75,
      P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: For management of multiple CTOs, MT alone was associated
      with higher incidence of cardiac death and MACCE compared with CABG. PCI was
      associated with higher incidence of MACCE, as driven by higher repeat
      revascularization rate. These findings suggest that CABG might be associated with
      better clinical outcome and considered as the preferred treatment strategy in
      patients with multiple CTOs.

PMID- 26113470
TI  - Impact of type of intervention for aortic valve replacement on heart rate
      variability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is known that coronary heart surgery leads to varying degrees of
      cardiac autonomic derangement, clinically detectable as depression of heart rate
      variability (HRV) parameters. Few studies report that also surgical replacement
      of the aortic valve (SAVR) may lead to HRV abnormalities, while very little is
      known about the autonomic effects obtained after less invasive aortic valve
      replacement techniques. The study aimed to evaluate HRV after SAVR and to compare
      it with two less invasive techniques, transapical (TaAVI) and tranfemoral (TfAVI)
      aortic valve implant. METHODS: Time-domain heart rate variability (HRV)
      parameters have been studied by 24-h Holter ECG in 129 patients after SAVR, in 63
      patients after TfAVI and in 19 patients after TaAVI. RESULTS: All HRV parameters
      were significantly depressed in SAVR, while they were almost completely preserved
      in TfAVI patients; TaAVI cases showed a somehow intermediate behaviour [(SDNN
      respectively: 71.0+/-34.9 vs 95.9+/-29.5 (p<0.001) vs 84.4+/-32.6ms (p=ns)]. Mean
      heart rate during the 24-h Holter was 8% higher in SAVR patients than in both
      TfAVI and TaAVI patients. The reported results were not correlated with
      echocardiographic ejection fraction, or presence of abnormal glucose metabolism,
      or degree of anaemia or treatment with beta-blockers. CONCLUSIONS: SAVR leads to
      profound depression of some cardiac autonomic parameters, while less invasive
      procedures allow better preservation of HRV. In particular TfAVI does not induce
      any significant deterioration of HRV parameters and seems to be the strategy of
      valve implant with less impact on the cardiovascular autonomic system.

PMID- 26113471
TI  - Non-obstructive prosthetic heart valve thrombosis (NOPVT): Really a benign
      entity?
AB  - AIMS: To assess the effectiveness of different treatment strategies in patients
      with non-obstructive prosthetic valve thrombosis (NOPVT) during hospitalization
      and long-term follow-up. METHODS: NOPVT was diagnosed by transesophageal
      echocardiography. Resolution was defined as the disappearance or reduction of the
      thrombus under anticoagulation. All cases were first managed with optimization of
      anticoagulation. At discharge, patients received oral anticoagulation (OAC) alone
      or OAC and antiplatelet therapy (double treatment). Adverse events were defined
      as cardiovascular death, recurrence, thromboembolic events or major bleeding.
      RESULTS: From 1997 to 2012, 47 patients (mean age: 65years; women: 60%) were
      diagnosed with NOPVT (mitral valve: 97%). Previous poor anticoagulation control
      was documented in 66% of patients. Twenty-one patients (45%) were treated with
      unfractionated heparin (UFH), especially those with thrombus size >10mm (19/21).
      Optimization of OAC was performed in the remaining patients. Treatment failed in
      13 (27.6%) patients, mostly in those who received UFH (10/13), requiring surgery
      (53.8%) or fibrinolysis (30.7%). Forty-two patients survived and, at discharge,
      44% of patients received OAC alone and 56% the double treatment. At follow-up
      (median 23months; range 0.03-116months), 59.5% of patients presented
      cardiovascular events, however no differences in outcome were observed with
      double treatment or OAC alone (p=0.385). CONCLUSIONS: NOPVT is a high-risk
      complication, not only during hospitalization but also during follow-up.
      Optimization of anticoagulation is efficient in most patients except in thrombi
      >=10mm treated with UFH. The double treatment does not prevent adverse events or
      complications during follow-up.

PMID- 26113472
TI  - Mitochondrial m-calpain opens the mitochondrial permeability transition pore in
      ischemia-reperfusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore
      (mPTP) is involved in ischemia-reperfusion injury. Isoforms of Ca(2+)-activated
      cysteine proteases, calpains, are implicated in the development of myocardial
      infarction in ischemia-reperfusion. Growing evidence has revealed the presence of
      calpains in the mitochondria. We aimed to characterize mitochondrial calpains in
      the rat heart and to investigate the roles of calpains in mPTP opening after
      ischemia-reperfusion. METHODS AND RESULTS: Western blotting analysis showed the
      expression of MU-calpain, m-calpain and calpain 10 in mitochondria isolated from
      male Sprague-Dawley rats, but casein zymography detected only m-calpain activity.
      Subcellular fractionation of mitochondria demonstrated the distribution of m
      calpain to the matrix fraction. Addition of >500MUM of Ca(2+) to isolated
      mitochondria induced mitochondrial swelling, reflecting mPTP opening, and calpain
      activation. Ca(2+)-induced mitochondrial swelling was inhibited partially by the
      calpain inhibitor calpeptin. These results support a partial contribution of
      calpain in the opening of the mPTP. The addition of Ca(2+) to the mitochondria
      induced inactivation of complex I of the electron transport chain, and cleavage
      of the ND6 complex I subunit, which were inhibited by calpeptin. Mitochondria
      isolated from rat hearts that underwent 30min of coronary occlusion followed by
      30min of reperfusion showed activation of mitochondrial calpains, ND6 cleavage,
      complex I inactivation, and mPTP opening, which were inhibited by pretreatment
      with calpain inhibitor 1. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated for the first time the
      presence of mitochondrial matrix m-calpain, and its contribution to complex I
      inactivation and mPTP opening after postischemic reperfusion in the rat heart.

PMID- 26113473
TI  - Human endothelial colony forming cells from adult peripheral blood have enhanced
      sprouting angiogenic potential through up-regulating VEGFR2 signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs), a subtype of endothelial
      progenitor cells, have been studied as a promising cellular source for
      therapeutic angiogenesis. Although ECFCs are very similar to mature endothelial
      cells, details regarding the role of ECFCs during angiogenesis are not known. We
      compared the cellular and angiogenic properties of ECFCs and mature endothelial
      cells (HUVECs). METHODS: HUVECs were used as control. Quantitative RT-PCR,
      western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometric analyses and
      angiogenic cytokine array were performed. 3D-microfluidic angiogenesis assay
      system was adopted for in vitro angiogenic potential. In vivo angiogenic
      potential was assessed by Matrigel plug assay. RESULTS: ECFCs had higher
      expression of activated endothelial tip cell markers (Dll4, CXCR4, CD34, and
      VCAM1) and arterial genes (DLL4 and CX40), but lower expression of venous and
      lymphatic genes (COUP-TFII and PROX1). In 3D-microfluidic angiogenesis assay
      system, ECFCs induced robust sprouting vascular structures. Co-cultivation of
      both ECFCs and HUVECs gave rise to lumen-formed hybrid vascular structures, with
      the resulting ECFCs predominantly localized to the tip portion. This finding
      suggests that the ECFC has a role as a sprouting endothelial tip cell.
      Interestingly, VEGF-A phosphorylated VEGFR2 and its downstream signaling
      molecules more strongly in ECFCs than in HUVECs. Even small amount of VEGF-A
      successfully induced the sprouting angiogenesis of ECFCs. Finally, co
      administration of ECFCs and human dermal fibroblasts successfully induced lumen
      formed maturated neovessels in vivo. CONCLUSION: ECFCs derived from adult
      peripheral blood had enhanced sprouting angiogenic potential in vitro and in vivo
      through up-regulation of the VEGFR2 signaling pathway.

PMID- 26113474
TI  - Spot urine albumin to creatinine ratio outperforms novel acute kidney injury
      biomarkers in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication in patients
      hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and is associated with in
      hospital and long-term morbidity and mortality. We prospectively assessed the
      diagnostic performance of spot urine albumin to creatinine ratio (uACR) in an
      adequately sized multicenter cohort of patients admitted to hospital with AMI. We
      further compared uACR to novel renal injury associated biomarkers regarding their
      diagnostic ability. METHODS: We enrolled 805 consecutive patients presenting with
      acute ST-elevation and non-ST elevation AMI. Patients were assessed for presence
      of AKI at 48h post-admission and at hospital discharge using the Acute Kidney
      Injury Network (AKIN), the Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative [Risk, Injury and
      Failure (RIFLE)] criteria and the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes
      (KDIGO) criteria. Blood and urine sampling for neutrophil gelatinase-associated
      lipocalin (NGAL), interleukin-18 (IL-18), cystatin-C, and uACR assessment was
      performed during admission. RESULTS: The predictive accuracy of uACR was good
      (Area Under the Curve (AUC), 0.725; 95% CI 0.676-0.774) and was better compared
      to urine NGAL (P=0.007), urine (P<0.001) and plasma Cystatin-C (P=0.001). ROC
      analysis identified concentrations of >=66.7MUg/mg as having the best diagnostic
      accuracy. The use of uACR exhibited good discriminating ability independent to
      possible cofounders and additive regarding the use of novel biomarkers.
      CONCLUSIONS: The use of uACR can easily be applied in the clinical setting,
      allows for robust risk assessment and offers the potential to improve the
      management of AMI patients at risk for acute kidney injury.

PMID- 26113475
TI  - Urocortin 2 protects heart and kidney structure and function in an ovine model of
      acute decompensated heart failure: Comparison with dobutamine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal dysfunction is a frequent complication and crucial determinant
      of outcome in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). The aim of the study was
      to assess urocortin 2 (Ucn2) as a short-term therapy in ADHF with a focus on its
      renal effects. Comparison was made with dobutamine to distinguish effects beyond
      pure inotropism. METHODS: Sheep with ADHF received a 2-day infusion of a vehicle
      control, Ucn2 or dobutamine (n=6/grp). RESULTS: Compared to controls, Ucn2 and
      dobutamine produced matched improvements in cardiac contractility and output and
      arterial pressure, whereas reductions in central venous and left atrial pressures
      were greater with Ucn2. Both agents comparably repressed ADHF-activated hormone
      systems with the exception of the natriuretic peptides, which fell significantly
      during dobutamine but not Ucn2. While Ucn2 and dobutamine increased creatinine
      clearance and urine volume similarly, only Ucn2 induced a significant
      natriuresis. Ucn2 also decreased collagen deposition in the heart and kidney and
      suppressed gene expression of collagen-1, transforming growth factor-beta1,
      components of the angiotensin system (angiotensinogen, angiotensin-converting
      enzyme, type-1 receptor) and markers of hypertrophy (GATA binding protein-4, beta
      myosin heavy chain), apoptosis (caspase3) and inflammation/injury (interleukin
      18, cystatin C, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, kidney injury
      molecule-1) in these tissues, while increasing cardiac natriuretic peptide mRNA.
      In contrast, dobutamine produced reduced or opposite effects on expression of
      these factors. CONCLUSIONS: Ucn2 administration in ADHF has favorable effects on
      hemodynamics, the natriuretic peptides and tissue mediators of inflammation,
      fibrosis, apoptosis and hypertrophy that stand in contrast to dobutamine. These
      data support Ucn2's potential as a renoprotective therapeutic in this setting.

PMID- 26113476
TI  - Pre-operative growth differentiation factor 15 as a novel biomarker of acute
      kidney injury after cardiac bypass surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pre-operative GDF-15 plasma levels significantly improve the
      prognostic value of the EuroSCORE for mortality after cardiac surgery. However,
      despite the strong correlation between GDF-15 and renal function, no data are
      available regarding the potential interest of pre-operative GDF-15 levels to
      improve the prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac artery bypass
      graft (CABG) surgery. METHODS: All patients operated on by 2 surgeons for CABG
      surgery at our university hospital from September 2011 to March 2013 were
      screened for participation in this prospective, observational study. EXCLUSION
      CRITERIA: age <18years or >80years, previous atrial fibrillation/flutter,
      previous severe renal failure, previous cardiac surgery, emergency surgery. AKI
      was defined according to KDIGO criteria. GDF-15 levels in plasma were measured
      before induction and 12h after surgery. RESULTS: 134 patients were included in
      this study. 42 (31%) developed post-operative AKI. AKI patients had a
      significantly higher pre-operative log-GDF-15 level (OR=3.64; 95% CI=1.41-9.40,
      p=0.008), a lower pre-operative eGFR (OR=0.98; 95% CI=0.96-0.99; p=0.026), and
      most often underwent on-pump surgery (OR=2.60; 95% CI=1.14-5.96, p=0.024). On ROC
      curves, GDF-15 before induction was found to be the best pre-operative biomarker
      to predict AKI (AUC=0.83; CI=0.75-0.89), compared with eGFR (AUC=0.67; 95%
      CI=0.59-0.75), p=0.003 and NT-proBNP (AUC=0.62; CI=0.51-0.72), p<0.001. Pre
      operative GDF-15 was also significantly better than the EuroSCORE in predicting
      AKI (AUC 0.62, 95% CI=0.54-0.70), p<0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-operative GDF-15
      plasma levels are associated with post-operative AKI in CABG patients. If
      confirmed in larger cohorts, pre-operative GDF-15 may be of value to improve pre
      operative risk stratification among candidates for surgery.

PMID- 26113477
TI  - Cluster headache: a quasi-rare disorder needing a reappraisal.

PMID- 26113478
TI  - Discrepancy between guidelines for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation and
      practice patterns in primary care. The nationwide French AFIGP survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: General practitioners (GPs) play a pivotal role in the long-term
      management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), including anticoagulant
      prophylaxis for stroke prevention. AIMS: To investigate the antithrombotic
      prescription behaviours of GPs in France and compare them with the European
      Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for stroke prevention, and to identify the
      major determinants of use of antithrombotic therapy. METHODS: We conducted a
      cross-sectional survey, using data from the French Longitudinal Patient Database,
      on the use of antithrombotic treatments for stroke prevention in 15,623 patients
      (>=18years of age) with AF who attended at least one GP consultation between July
      2010 and June 2011. Data were collected on patient baseline characteristics,
      stroke risk factors, and prescription of antithrombotic drugs. RESULTS: The mean
      age was 74.6+/-11.1years, 59.5% were men, and 83.1% had a CHADS2 score>=1. Over
      half (52.6%) of the patients with a CHADS2 score>=1 received a vitamin K
      antagonist (alone or in combination with an antiplatelet), 19.3% received aspirin
      alone, and 23.4% received no antithrombotic therapy; 3.6% of the patients
      received dual antiplatelet therapy and 1.1% clopidogrel alone. Over half of the
      patients (56.3%) were treated in accordance with the ESC 2010 guidelines. Of the
      remaining patients, 19.4% received no treatment, 13.0% were inadequately treated,
      and 11.2% were over-treated. Factors associated with antithrombotic treatment
      were anti-arrhythmic therapy, higher stroke risk, presence of atherothrombotic
      disease, and use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Female gender was
      associated with a lower likelihood of antithrombotic treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In
      this large French study, approximately 45% of thromboembolic high-risk patients
      were either not treated or inadequately treated. Better compliance with evidence
      based guidelines is needed to reduce the burden of stroke in the AF population.

PMID- 26113479
TI  - Fully bioresorbable drug-eluting coronary scaffolds: A review.
AB  - Following the development of stents, then drug-eluting stents (DES),
      bioresorbable scaffolds are proposed as a third evolution in coronary
      angioplasty, aiming to reduce the incidence of restenosis and stent thrombosis
      and to restore vascular physiology. At least 16 such devices are currently under
      development, but published clinical data were available for only three of them in
      September 2014. The first device is Abbott's BVS((r)), a poly-L-lactic acid
      (PLLA)-based everolimus-eluting device, which has been tested in a registry and
      two non-randomized trials. Clinical results seem close to what is expected from a
      modern DES, but possibly with more post-procedural side-effects. Two randomized
      trials versus DES are underway. This device is already marketed in many European
      countries. The second device is Elixir's DESolve((r)), a PLLA-based novolimus
      eluting device, which has been evaluated in two single-arm trials. Results are
      not widely different from those expected from a DES. The third device is
      Biotronik's DREAMS((r)), a metallic magnesium-based paclitaxel-eluting device,
      which has been assessed in an encouraging single-arm trial; its second version is
      currently undergoing evaluation in a single-arm trial. The available results
      suggest that the technological and clinical development of bioresorbable
      scaffolds is not yet complete: their possible clinical benefits are still unclear
      compared with third-generation DES; the impact of arterial physiology restoration
      has to be assessed over the long term; and their cost-effectiveness has to be
      established. From the perspective of a health technology assessment, there is no
      compelling reason to hasten the clinical use of these devices before the results
      of ongoing randomized controlled trials become available. 

PMID- 26113480
TI  - Platelet effect of prasugrel and ticagrelor in patients with ST-segment elevation
      myocardial infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that ticagrelor 90mg twice daily
      provides stronger platelet inhibition than prasugrel 10mg once daily in acute
      coronary syndrome patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.
      OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of ticagrelor 90 mg twice daily and prasugrel
      10mg once daily on platelet reactivity in patients with ST-segment elevation
      myocardial infarction (STEMI), using: the VerifyNow((r)) P2Y12 (VN-P2Y12) assay,
      expressed in P2Y12 reaction units (PRU); measurement of the vasodilator
      stimulated phosphoprotein platelet reactivity index (VASP-PRI; %); and light
      transmission aggregometry (LTA), expressed as residual platelet aggregation (RPA;
      %). METHODS: Platelet reactivity was evaluated prospectively using the three
      assays 30 days after primary PCI in 118 patients with STEMI on a maintenance dose
      of prasugrel 10mg once daily (n=60) or ticagrelor 90mg twice daily (n=58).
      RESULTS: On-treatment platelet reactivity, assessed by the VN-P2Y12 assay, was
      lower for ticagrelor compared with prasugrel (20.91 +/- 4.59 PRU vs. 43.50+/-6.98
      PRU; P=0.008) but was not significantly different when using the more specific
      VASP-PRI assay (13.05 +/- 1.61% vs. 17.44 +/- 1.97%; P=0.09) or RPA assessed by
      LTA (10.49 +/- 1.44% vs. 7.20 +/- 1.27%; P=0.09). CONCLUSIONS: The difference in
      platelet reactivity between ticagrelor and prasugrel varies according to the
      platelet function test in patients with STEMI. The differences observed may be
      related more to the tests than to the drugs used.

PMID- 26113481
TI  - A critical appraisal of the guidelines from France, the UK, Europe and the USA
      for the management of hypertension in adults.
AB  - Hypertension is the leading cause of death in developed countries; its management
      is the subject of guidelines that are regularly reviewed and updated. However,
      the guidelines from France, the UK, Europe and the USA differ. Some
      recommendations are graded, whereas others are not. All recommendations emphasize
      the role of alternative methods for clinical measurement of blood pressure, such
      as ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) or self-measurement. The UK
      guideline recommends that the diagnosis of hypertension should be established by
      ABPM. The USA guideline recommends a target of <= 150/90 mmHg for patients aged
      >60 years. The French guideline recommends that the target blood pressure remains
      at <140/90 mmHg, with <150 mmHg for patients aged >80 years. Systolic blood
      pressure between 130 and 139 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure <90 mmHg are
      recommended for diabetic patients and those with chronic kidney disease. The
      French Society of Hypertension (SFHTA) guideline is unique in recommending a
      dedicated consultation to announce the diagnosis to the patient. In the French
      and European guidelines, diuretics, beta-blockers, calcium antagonists,
      angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II type 1 receptor
      blockers (ARBs) remain indicated as first-line therapy for hypertension; if the
      target blood pressure is not achieved, they recommend combining two active
      substances. The UK guideline recommends ACE inhibitors or ARBs as first-line
      therapy for patients aged <55 years; calcium antagonists are advised for patients
      aged >55 years and for black patients. The USA guideline advises treating non
      black patients, including those with diabetes, with thiazides, calcium
      antagonists, ACE inhibitors or ARBs; for black patients, including those with
      diabetes, it recommends thiazide and calcium antagonists.

PMID- 26113482
TI  - Decreased serum cell-free DNA levels in rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recent studies have demonstrated that serum/plasma DNA and RNA molecules
      in addition to proteins can serve as biomarkers. Elevated levels of these nucleic
      acids have been found not only in acute, but also in chronic conditions,
      including autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to assess cell-free DNA
      (cfDNA) levels in sera of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients compared to
      controls. METHODS: cfDNA was extracted from sera of patients with early and
      established RA, relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients (RRMS) and
      healthy subjects, and its concentration was determined by quantitative PCR using
      two amplicons, Alu115 and beta-actin205, corresponding to Alu repetitive elements
      and the beta-actin single-copy gene, respectively. Serum DNase activity was
      measured by a single radial enzyme diffusion method. RESULTS: Reduced levels of
      cfDNA were observed in patients with established RA in comparison with healthy
      controls, early RA patients and RRMS patients. There were no significant
      differences in cfDNA concentration between healthy controls, early RA and RRMS
      patients. Total DNase activity appeared to be similar in the sera of all tested
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that cfDNA levels are strongly
      reduced in the sera of established RA patients, which is not caused by changes in
      DNase activity. Measurement of cfDNA can distinguish established RA patients from
      early RA patients. Thus, cfDNA may serve as a biomarker in RA.

PMID- 26113483
TI  - Structural and Physical Basis for Anti-IgE Therapy.
AB  - Omalizumab, an anti-IgE antibody, used to treat severe allergic asthma and
      chronic idiopathic urticaria, binds to IgE in blood or membrane-bound on B
      lymphocytes but not to IgE bound to its high (FcepsilonRI) or low (CD23) affinity
      receptor. Mutagenesis studies indicate overlapping FcepsilonRI and omalizumab
      binding sites in the Cepsilon3 domain, but crystallographic studies show
      FcepsilonRI and CD23-binding sites that are far apart, so how can omalizumab
      block IgE from binding both receptors? We report a 2.42-A omalizumab-Fab
      structure, a docked IgE-Fc/omalizumab-Fab structure consistent with available
      experimental data, and the free energy contributions of IgE residues to binding
      omalizumab, CD23, and FcepsilonRI. These results provide a structural and
      physical basis as to why omalizumab cannot bind receptor-bound IgE and why
      omalizumab-bound IgE cannot bind to CD23/FcepsilonRI. They reveal the key IgE
      residues and their roles in binding omalizumab, CD23, and FcepsilonRI. 

PMID- 26113484
TI  - Functional (psychogenic) movement disorders associated with normal scores in
      psychological questionnaires: A case control study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Functional movement disorders (FMDs) fall within the broader category
      called functional neurological symptom disorder (FNSD). New DSM-5 criteria for
      FNSD no longer require the presence of a 'psychological conflict' suggesting that
      some patients with FMD may not have obvious psychological comorbidity. We studied
      patients with FMD in comparison to patients with a neurological movement disorder
      (MD) and healthy controls (HC) to identify whether there is a subgroup of
      patients with FMD who have normal psychological test scores. METHODS: We assessed
      self-rated measures of depression/anxiety (SCL-90), dissociation and personality
      disorder (PDQ-4) in patients attending neurological clinics and healthy controls.
      The proportion of patients scoring within normal ranges was determined, and the
      levels of somatic and psychological symptoms were compared between the three
      groups. RESULTS: Among the FMD group, 39% (20/51) scored within the normal range
      for all measures compared to 38% (13/34) of MD subjects and 89% (47/53) of
      healthy controls. There were no differences in overall scores in the SCL-90 and
      PDQ-4 between FMD and MD patients. FMD patients also did not differ from controls
      on a self-rated measure of personality pathology. CONCLUSION: Our data show that
      a substantial proportion of patients with FMD score within the normal range in
      psychological questionnaires, lending some support to the new DSM-5 criteria.

PMID- 26113485
TI  - [Medial knee osteoarthritis with juxta-articular tibial varus deformity: combined
      single condylar knee arthroplasty with open high tibial osteotomy].

PMID- 26113486
TI  - Does the level of socioeconomic deprivation at the location of cardiac arrest in
      an English region influence the likelihood of receiving bystander-initiated
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a leading cause of
      mortality. Administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by a bystander
      witnessing a cardiac arrest has been shown to increase the likelihood of return
      of spontaneous circulation and survival. This study analyses the association
      between the socioeconomic status of the location where a person suffers a cardiac
      arrest and the proportion of victims with OHCA receiving bystander CPR. METHODS:
      Retrospective analysis of all OHCAs occurring in North East England from 1
      January 2011 to 31 December 2011: data obtained from the North East Cardiac
      Arrest Network Registry. RESULTS: Of 3179 OHCAs with an attempt at resuscitation,
      623 patients received bystander-initiated CPR (19.6%). From quintile (Q) 1 to Q5
      (most deprived to least deprived), bystander-initiated CPR rates increased from
      14.5% to 23.3% (p for trend <0.001). Patients in the least deprived quintile were
      significantly more likely to receive bystander-initiated CPR when compared with
      those in the most deprived quintile (OR=1.78, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.39, p<=0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Increasing socioeconomic status at the location of cardiac arrest is
      positively associated with the likelihood of bystander CPR for OHCA in this
      region of England.

PMID- 26113487
TI  - Delays to initial reduction attempt are associated with higher failure rates in
      anterior shoulder dislocation: a retrospective analysis of factors affecting
      reduction failure.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Little is understood about the relationship between delay to
      treatment and initial reduction success for anterior shoulder dislocation. Our
      study examines whether delays to initial treatment, from injury and hospital
      presentation, are associated with higher reduction failure rates for anterior
      shoulder dislocation. METHODS: A retrospective database and chart review was
      performed for patients undergoing intravenous sedation for attempted reduction of
      anterior shoulder dislocation in the emergency department (ED). Stepwise
      regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of reduction failure.
      Key variables analysed were the duration of the wait in the ED, the interval
      between the time of injury and first intervention and the interval from time of
      injury to arrival at the ED. Possible confounding variables analysed included
      age, gender, dose of sedative agent, qualifications of the reducing physician and
      whether the dislocated shoulder was recurrent. RESULTS: The duration of the
      intervals from injury to first reduction attempt and from arrival at the ED to
      first reduction attempt were both independent predictors of a higher reduction
      failure rate (OR=1.07, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.13; OR=1.19, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.34). Every
      interval of 10 min increased the odds of a failed reduction attempt by 7% and
      19%, respectively. Overall, shoulder reduction was successful during the initial
      sedation event in 97 cases (92%) and unsuccessful in nine cases (8%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Delays to first reduction attempt either from the time of injury or
      within the ED are associated with a lower reduction success rate for anterior
      shoulder dislocations.

PMID- 26113488
TI  - The Sponsor Alliance Inventory: Assessing the Therapeutic Bond Between 12-Step
      Attendees and Their Sponsors.
AB  - AIMS: Within 12-step mutual-help organizations (MHOs), a sponsor plays a key
      recovery-specific role analogous to a 'lay therapist', serving as a role model,
      support and mentor. Research shows that attendees who have a sponsor have higher
      rates of abstinence and remission from substance use disorder (SUD), yet, while
      myriad formal psychotherapy studies demonstrate the therapeutic significance of
      the alliance between patients and professional clinicians on treatment outcomes,
      very little is known about the influence of the 'therapeutic alliance' between 12
      step members and their sponsor. Greater knowledge about this key 12-step
      relationship could help explain greater degrees of 12-step effects. To bridge
      this gap, this study sought to develop and test a measure assessing the 12-step
      sponsee-sponsor therapeutic alliance--the Sponsor Alliance Inventory (SAI).
      METHOD: Young adults (N = 302) enrolled in a prospective effectiveness study who
      reported having a 12-step sponsor during the study (N = 157) were assessed at
      treatment entry, and 3, 6 and 12 months later on the SAI, their 12-step MHO
      attendance, involvement and percent days abstinent (PDA). RESULTS: Principal axis
      extraction revealed a single, 10-item, internally consistent (alpha's >= 0.95)
      scale that explained the majority of variance and was largely invariant to
      primary substance, gender and time. Criterion validity was also supported with
      higher SAI scores predicting greater proximal 12-step attendance, involvement and
      PDA. CONCLUSION: The SAI may serve as a brief, valid measure to assess the degree
      of sponsee-sponsor 'therapeutic alliance' within 12-step communities and may help
      augment explanatory models estimating the effects of MHOs on recovery outcomes.

PMID- 26113489
TI  - Prediction of Long-Term Outcomes in Young Adults with a History of Adolescent
      Alcohol-Related Hospitalization.
AB  - AIMS: Empirical data concerning the long-term psychosocial development of
      adolescents admitted to inpatient treatment with alcohol intoxication (AIA) are
      lacking. The aim of this study was to identify the factors that, at the time of
      admission, predict future substance use, alcohol use disorders (AUD), mental
      health treatment, delinquency and life satisfaction. METHODS: We identified 1603
      cases of AIA treated between 2000 and 2007 in one of five pediatric departments
      in Germany. These former patients were invited to participate in a telephone
      interview. Medical records were retrospectively analyzed extracting potential
      variables predicting long-term outcomes. RESULTS: Interviews were conducted with
      277 individuals, 5-13 [mean 8.3 (SD 2.3)] years after treatment, with a response
      rate of 22.7%; of these, 44.8% were female. Mean age at the interview was 24.4
      (SD 2.2) years. Logistic and linear regression models revealed that being male,
      using illicit substances and truancy or runaway behavior in adolescence predicted
      binge drinking, alcohol dependence, use of illicit substances and poor general
      life satisfaction in young adulthood, explaining between 13 and 24% of the
      variance for the different outcome variables. CONCLUSIONS: This naturalistic
      study confirms that known risk factors for the development of AUD also apply to
      AIA. This finding facilitates targeted prevention efforts for those cases of AIA
      who need more than the standard brief intervention for aftercare.

PMID- 26113490
TI  - The Socioeconomic Differences in Alcohol-Related Harm and the Effects of Alcohol
      Prices on Them: A Summary of Evidence from Finland.
AB  - AIMS: We make a case study of Finland to study the connections between
      socioeconomic status, alcohol use, related harm and possibilities for
      intervention by means of alcohol pricing. METHODS: A review of Finnish studies on
      the topic. RESULTS: The socioeconomic differences in severe alcohol-related harm
      were great, and in the past two decades, these differences have widened. Alcohol
      related mortality has also strongly contributed to both the level and widening of
      socioeconomic differences in life expectancy. Both in 2004, when alcohol prices
      were abruptly cut, and in the longer term with more gradual changes in lowest
      prices of alcohol, the lowest socioeconomic groups were most affected in absolute
      but not so clearly in relative-terms, particularly among men. However, these
      effects are sometimes weak, not fully consistent by gender and across different
      measures of harm. CONCLUSIONS: The large and increasing socioeconomic differences
      in alcohol-related harm in Finland underline the importance of reducing these
      differences. The finding that particularly among men the impact of reduced
      alcohol prices on health has often in absolute terms been the greatest in the
      lower socioeconomic groups suggests that policies aimed at keeping the price of
      alcoholic beverages high may help to both minimize the overall level of alcohol
      related health problems and to reduce absolute inequalities.

PMID- 26113492
TI  - Brief report: Ethnic identity and aggression in adolescence: a longitudinal
      perspective.
AB  - Ethnic identity has been found to relate to many positive psychological outcomes,
      such as self-esteem and well-being, but little has been said about negative
      social outcomes such as aggression, nor have these relations been tested across
      time. The current study examined the concurrent and longitudinal relations
      between ethnic identity and peer nominated aggression at two time points with a
      two-year interval (8th and 10th grades) in a sample of 125 Israeli adolescents
      with an immigration background (56.8% girls). As hypothesized, ethnic identity
      related negatively to aggression at both T1 and T2. In addition, ethnic identity
      predicted a relative decrease in future aggression. Given these findings, the
      article suggests the importance of strengthening ethnic identity through
      interventions and educational programs. 

PMID- 26113491
TI  - Understanding Lay Assessments of Alcohol Use Disorder: Need for Treatment and
      Associated Stigma.
AB  - AIMS: Three-quarters of people with an alcohol use disorder in the USA never
      receive treatment. Our understandings of who receives care are informed by
      sociological perspectives, theories and models, each of which discuss the role of
      lay people's understanding of illness. However, comparatively little work has
      been done to unpack the cognitive processes underlying lay assessment. In the
      context of the Framework Integrating Normative Influences on Stigma (FINIS), we
      aim to understand key factors guiding lay people's stigmatizing attitudes,
      perceptions and assessments of alcohol use disorder behaviors. METHODS: Lay
      people read a vignette depicting a male or female adult with a diagnosable
      alcohol use disorder, along with either a causal life-event explanation for the
      alcohol use disorder behaviors or no explanation. They then made judgments of the
      need for treatment, psychological abnormality and the stigma they felt toward the
      person depicted. RESULTS: Causal life-event explanations decreased lay judgments
      of the need for treatment, psychological abnormality and stigma. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results suggest that the availability of a causal life-event explanation may have
      a complex effect on lay judgments, decreasing the likelihood of recommending
      treatment for alcohol use disorders, yet simultaneously reducing stigmatizing
      perceptions (and presumably social distance).

PMID- 26113493
TI  - Rational design and evolutional fine tuning of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for
      biomass breakdown.
AB  - Conferring biomass hydrolysis activity on yeast through genetic engineering has
      paved the way for the development of groundbreaking processes for producing
      liquid fuels and commodity chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass. However, the
      overproduction and misfolding of heterologous and endogenous proteins can trigger
      cellular stress, increasing the metabolic burden and retarding growth. Improving
      the efficiency of lignocellulosic breakdown requires engineering of yeast
      secretory pathway based on system-wide metabolic analysis as well as DNA
      constructs for enhanced cellulase gene expression with advanced molecular biology
      tools. Also, yeast is subjected to severe stress due to toxic compounds generated
      during lignocellulose pretreatment in consolidated saccharification and
      fermentation processes. The prospect for development of robust yeast strains
      makes combining evolutionary and rational engineering strategies. 

PMID- 26113495
TI  - Multiplexed detection of viral infections using rapid in situ RNA analysis on a
      chip.
AB  - Viral infections are a major cause of human disease, but many require molecular
      assays for conclusive diagnosis. Current assays typically rely on RT-PCR or
      ELISA; however, these tests often have limited speed, sensitivity or specificity.
      Here, we demonstrate that rapid RNA FISH is a viable alternative method that
      could improve upon these limitations. We describe a platform beginning with
      software to generate RNA FISH probes both for distinguishing related strains of
      virus (even those different by a single base) and for capturing large numbers of
      strains simultaneously. Next, we present a simple fluidic device for reliably
      performing RNA FISH assays in an automated fashion. Finally, we describe an
      automated image processing pipeline to robustly identify uninfected and infected
      samples. Together, our results establish RNA FISH as a methodology with potential
      for viral point-of-care diagnostics. 

PMID- 26113497
TI  - Corrigendum.
AB  - Kue, J., Thorburn, S., & Keon, K. L. (2015). Research challenges and lessons
      learned from conducting community-based research with the Hmong community. Health
      Promotion Practice, 16(3), 411-418. doi:10.1177/1524839914561515 The authors
      would like to note the following funding information for the above-mentioned
      article: The project described in the article was supported by Award Number
      R21CA139147 from the National Cancer Institute. The content is solely the
      responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official
      views of the National Cancer Institute or the National Institutes of Health. 

PMID- 26113496
TI  - A Community Health Worker Intervention for Diabetes Self-Management Among the
      Tz'utujil Maya of Guatemala.
AB  - Despite the high prevalence of diabetes in rural Guatemala, there is little
      education in diabetes self-management, particularly among the indigenous
      population. To address this need, a culturally relevant education intervention
      for diabetic patients was developed and implemented in two rural communities in
      Guatemala. An evaluative research project was designed to investigate if the
      structured, community-led diabetes self-management intervention improved selected
      health outcomes for participants. A one-group, pretest-posttest design was used
      to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational intervention by comparing
      measures of health, knowledge, and behavior in patients pre- and
      postintervention. A survey instrument assessed health beliefs and practices and
      hemoglobin A1c (HgA1c) measured blood glucose levels at baseline and 4 months
      post initiation of intervention (n = 52). There was a significant decrease (1.2%)
      in the main outcome measure, mean HgA1c from baseline (10.1%) and follow-up
      (8.9%; p = .001). Other survey findings were not statistically significant. This
      study illustrates that a culturally specific, diabetes self-management program
      led by community health workers may reduce HgA1c levels in rural populations of
      Guatemala. However, as a random sample was not feasible for this study, this
      finding should be interpreted with caution. Limitations unique to the setting and
      patient population are discussed in this article. 

PMID- 26113498
TI  - Detection of asymmetric glaucomatous damage using automated pupillography, the
      swinging flashlight method and the magnified-assisted swinging flashlight method.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of various methods of
      detecting a relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD) in patients with glaucoma
      related diagnoses. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients underwent RAPD evaluation using
      the swinging flashlight method (SFM), the magnifier-assisted SFM, and
      pupillography using the Konan RAPDx. Main outcome measures were sensitivity and
      specificity of three methods of RAPD evaluation in detecting visual field mean
      deviation (MD), cup to disc ratio (CDR), disc damage likelihood scale (DDLS), and
      retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) asymmetry. RESULTS: Eighty-one consecutive
      patients from the Wills Eye Hospital glaucoma service were enrolled, 60 with
      glaucoma and 21 with ocular hypertension or glaucoma suspect. Thirty-one percent
      of subjects had MD asymmetry>5 dB, 19.7% had CDR asymmetry>=0.20, 26.7% had DDLS
      asymmetry>=2, and 38.2% had RNFL asymmetry>10 microns. Sensitivity values for
      pupillography were 93.3% (95% CI, 68.1-99.8) for detecting MD asymmetry, 80.0%
      (95% CI, 51.9-95.7) for CDR asymmetry, 100.0% (95% CI, 73.5-100.0) for DDLS
      asymmetry, and 69.2% (95% CI, 38.6-90.9) for RNFL asymmetry. Specificity values
      were 41.2% (95% CI, 24.7-59.3) for detecting MD asymmetry, 32.8% (95% CI, 21.3
      46.0) for CDR asymmetry, 33.3% (95% CI, 18.0-51.8) for DDLS asymmetry, and 42.9%
      (95% CI, 21.8-66.0) for RNFL asymmetry. Pupillography amplitude score was
      correlated with MD asymmetry (r2=0.41, P<0.001) and area under the curve was
      0.84. CONCLUSION: Automated pupillography had higher sensitivity and lower
      specificity in detecting MD, CDR, DDLS, and RNFL asymmetry. Within the bounds of
      the cohort tested, this method had limited case-finding ability.

PMID- 26113499
TI  - New and emerging technologies for the treatment of inherited retinal diseases: a
      horizon scanning review.
AB  - The horizon scanning review aimed to identify new and emerging technologies in
      development that have the potential to slow or stop disease progression and/or
      reverse sight loss in people with inherited retinal diseases (IRDs). Potential
      treatments were identified using recognized horizon scanning methods. These
      included a combination of online searches using predetermined search terms,
      suggestions from clinical experts and patient and carer focus groups, and contact
      with commercial developers. Twenty-nine relevant technologies were identified.
      These included 9 gene therapeutic approaches, 10 medical devices, 5
      pharmacological agents, and 5 regenerative and cell therapies. A further 11
      technologies were identified in very early phases of development (typically phase
      I or pre-clinical) and were included in the final report to give a complete
      picture of developments 'on the horizon'. Clinical experts and patient and carer
      focus groups provided helpful information and insights, such as the availability
      of specialised services for patients, the potential impacts of individual
      technologies on people with IRDs and their families, and helped to identify
      additional relevant technologies. This engagement ensured that important areas of
      innovation were not missed. Most of the health technologies identified are still
      at an early stage of development and it is difficult to estimate when treatments
      might be available. Further, well designed trials that generate data on efficacy,
      applicability, acceptability, and costs of the technologies, as well as the long
      term impacts for various conditions are required before these can be considered
      for adoption into routine clinical practice. 

PMID- 26113501
TI  - Insertion of sequential glaucoma drainage implant in a piggyback manner.
AB  - PURPOSE: This pilot study, the first of its type, was conducted to determine the
      clinical outcome of a sequential glaucoma drainage implant (GDI) inserted in
      piggyback manner, that is into the bleb of a primary GDI. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective chart study with a minimum 1-year follow-up involving 16 eyes of 14
      uncontrolled glaucoma patients who had previously undergone sequential GDI
      performed using a technique to convert a one-plate into a two-plate implant
      system. Surgical success was defined as intraocular pressure (IOP) <21 mm Hg with
      at least a 30% reduction in IOP from baseline on two consecutive follow-up
      visits, IOP >5 mm Hg on two consecutive follow-up visits, and neither reoperation
      of glaucoma nor loss of light perception vision. RESULTS: The mean +/-SD baseline
      IOP was 29.2+/-5.2 mm Hg, and the mean postoperative IOP was 17.3+/-3.4 mm Hg,
      with a mean pressure drop of 39.4+/-10.4% (P<0.001). Life-table analysis showed
      an 88% success rate after 12 months of follow-up. The mean preoperative best
      corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.2+/-0.2 logMAR (Snellen equivalent 6/9.5),
      compared with 0.3+/-0.3 logMAR postoperatively (Snellen equivalent 6/12;
      P=0.497). Postoperative complications included a flat anterior chamber and
      choroidal detachment (one eye), uveitis and cataract (one eye), diplopia (one
      eye), and worsening of pre-existing pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (one eye).
      CONCLUSIONS: In glaucoma eyes with useful vision the piggyback GDI seems to
      provide a significant IOP lowering with minimal complications in patients in whom
      an initial GDI had failed to control the IOP.

PMID- 26113502
TI  - Diverse clinical phenotypes associated with a nonsense mutation in FAM161A.
AB  - PURPOSE: Mutations in the FAM161A gene have been reported in association with
      autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP) in several ethnic populations.
      This study aimed to assess the prevalence of FAM161A-related retinopathy in a
      British cohort and to characterise the phenotype associated with mutations in
      this gene. METHODS: The FAM161A coding region and intron-exon boundaries were
      screened by Sanger sequencing in 120 retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients (with
      likely autosomal recessive inheritance) in whom mutations in other known major RP
      genes have been ruled out by commercially available testing. Homozygosity mapping
      was performed in one consanguineous family, and high-throughput sequencing of
      candidate genes was performed to identify disease-associated changes. Clinical
      assessment of affected individuals included perimetry testing, fundus
      autofluorescence imaging, and optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: Two patients
      of British origin with a homozygous mutation in FAM161A (c.1309A>T, p.Arg437*)
      were identified by Sanger sequencing. Homozygosity mapping and subsequent high
      throughput sequencing analysis identified a further family of Pakistani origin
      with the same genotype. Clinical examination of affected members of these
      families revealed that this mutation was associated with a diverse clinical
      phenotype, ranging from mild disease with preservation of central acuity to
      severe visual impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Homozygosity for the c.1309A>T, p.Arg437*
      variant in FAM161A is a relatively common cause of arRP. The mutation occurs in
      diverse ethnic populations, associated with typical retinitis pigmentosa with
      disease onset usually in the second or third decade of life.

PMID- 26113500
TI  - A review of therapies for diabetic macular oedema and rationale for combination
      therapy.
AB  - Diabetic macular oedema (DMO) is responsible for significant visual impairment in
      diabetic patients. The primary cause of DMO is fluid leakage resulting from
      increased vascular permeability through contributory anatomical and biochemical
      changes. These include endothelial cell (EC) death or dysfunction, pericyte loss
      or dysfunction, thickened basement membrane, loss or dysfunction of glial cells,
      and loss/change of EC Glycocalyx. The molecular changes include increased
      reactive oxygen species, pro-inflammatory changes: advanced glycation end
      products, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, Complement 5-9 deposition and
      cytokines, which result in increased paracellular permeability, tight junction
      disruption, and increased transcellular permeability. Laser photocoagulation has
      been the mainstay of treatment until recently when pharmacological treatments
      were introduced. The current treatments for DMO target reducing vascular leak in
      the macula once it has occurred, they do not attempt to treat the underlying
      pathology. These pharmacological treatments are aimed at antagonising vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or non-VEGF inflammatory pathways, and include
      intravitreal injections of anti-VEGFs (ranibizumab, aflibercept or bevacizumab)
      or steroids (fluocinolone, dexamethasone or triamcinolone) as single therapies.
      The available evidence suggests that each individual treatment modality in DMO
      does not result in a completely dry macula in most cases. The ideal treatment for
      DMO should improve vision and improve morphological changes in the macular (eg,
      reduce macular oedema) for a significant duration, reduced adverse events,
      reduced treatment burden and costs, and be well tolerated by patients. This
      review evaluates the individual treatments available as monotherapies, and
      discusses the rationale and potential for combination therapy in DMO. A
      comprehensive review of clinical trials related to DMO and their outcomes was
      completed. Where phase III randomised control trials were available, these were
      referenced, if not available, phase II trials have been included. 

PMID- 26113503
TI  - Long-term outcomes of phakic patients with diabetic macular oedema treated with
      intravitreal fluocinolone acetonide (FAc) implants.
AB  - PURPOSE: Diabetic macular oedema (DMO) is a leading cause of blindness in working
      age adults. Slow-release, nonbioerodible fluocinolone acetonide (FAc) implants
      have shown efficacy in the treatment of DMO; however, the National Institute for
      Health and Care Excellence recommends that FAc should be used in patients with
      chronic DMO considered insufficiently responsive to other available therapies
      only if the eye to be treated is pseudophakic. The goal of this analysis was to
      examine treatment outcomes in phakic patients who received 0.2 MUg/day FAc
      implant. METHODS: This analysis of the phase 3 FAME (Fluocinolone Acetonide in
      Diabetic Macular Edema) data examines the safety and efficacy of FAc implants in
      patients who underwent cataract extraction before (cataract before implant (CBI)
      group) or after (cataract after implant (CAI) group) receiving the implant. The
      data were further examined by DMO duration. RESULTS: Best corrected visual acuity
      (BCVA) after 36 months was comparable in the CAI and CBI groups. Both the
      percentage of patients gaining >= 3 lines of vision and mean change in BCVA
      letter score were numerically greater in the CAI group. In addition, most
      patients who underwent cataract surgery experienced a net gain in BCVA from
      presurgery baseline as well as from original study baseline. CONCLUSIONS: These
      data support the use of 0.2 MUg/day FAc implants in phakic as well as in
      pseudophakic patients. These findings will serve as a pilot for design of future
      studies to evaluate the potential protective effect of FAc implants before
      cataract surgery in patients with DMO and cataract.

PMID- 26113504
TI  - Comparison of two- and three-point sutures for advancing the levator aponeurosis
      in Asian eyelids.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the functional and cosmetic outcomes of two- and three-point
      sutures for advancing the levator aponeurosis in blepharoptosis surgery on
      Asians. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study examined 60 Asian patients
      with blepharoptosis who had undergone advancement of the levator aponeurosis: 34
      patients (46 eyelids) had ptosis correction using the two-point suture technique
      and 26 patients (41 eyelids) had ptosis correction using the three-point suture
      technique. The postoperative marginal reflex distance (MRD1), lid height
      difference, and eyelid contour were evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-seven (79.4%) of
      the 34 patients in the two-point group and 19 (73.1%) of 26 patients in the three
      point group had a postoperative MRD1 of 2-4 mm, lids within 0.5 mm of each other,
      and a satisfactory eyelid contour; this difference was not significant. The rate
      of reoperation did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSION:
      Two- and three-point sutures for advancing the levator aponeurosis were equally
      effective for correcting blepharoptosis in Asians.

PMID- 26113505
TI  - Species-specific mercury bioaccumulation in a diverse fish community.
AB  - Mercury bioaccumulation models developed for fish provide insight into the
      sources and transfer of Hg within ecosystems. Mercury concentrations were
      assessed for 16 fish species of the western reach of Lake Diefenbaker,
      Saskatchewan, Canada. For top predators (northern pike, Esox Lucius; walleye,
      Sander vitreum), Hg concentrations were positively correlated to delta(15)N, and
      delta(15)N to fish age, suggesting that throughout life these fish fed on
      organisms with increasingly higher trophic values and Hg concentrations. However,
      fish mass and/or age were the principal parameters related to Hg concentrations
      for most species. For 9 common species combined, individual variation in Hg
      concentration was explained in declining order of importance by fish mass,
      trophic position (delta(15)N), and fish age. Delta (15)N value was not the
      leading variable related to Hg concentration for the assemblage, probably because
      of the longevity of lower--trophic-level species (3 species >= 20 yr),
      substantial overlap in Hg concentration and delta(15)N values for large-bodied
      fish up to 3000 g, and complex relationships between Hg concentration and
      delta(15)N among species. These results suggest that the quantity of food (and
      Hg) consumed each year and converted to fish mass, the quantity of Hg
      bioaccumulated over years and decades, and trophic position were significant
      determinants of Hg concentration in Lake Diefenbaker fish.

PMID- 26113506
TI  - Increased detection of Aedes albopictus in Belgium: no overwintering yet, but an
      intervention strategy is still lacking.
AB  - In 2013 and 2014, routine surveillance for invasive mosquito species was
      implemented in Belgium at 13 potential points of entry. Following the
      introduction of Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse 1895) to Belgium via a used
      tyre import company (Vrasene, Province of East Flanders) in July 2013, one female
      and 17 larvae were collected outdoors during a period of intensive surveillance
      in summer and autumn 2013, but no control measures were implemented. Although
      climatic conditions were suitable during the winter of 2013-2014, this
      reproducing population did not overwinter. Lack of genetic variation, incomplete
      diapause adaptation and egg desiccation due to long dry periods during diapause
      or competition with endemic species are possible reasons. More studies on the
      diapause/longevity of Ae. albopictus eggs in northern temperate climatic
      conditions and on the competition with endemic species in western and central
      Europe are warranted to assess the potential for this invasive mosquito to
      overwinter. Furthermore, following the detection of four Ae. albopictus larvae in
      a shipment of lucky bamboo at the port of Antwerp in August 2014, one female, one
      male, 11 pupae and six larvae were collected at the destined lucky bamboo company
      (Lochristi, Province of East Flanders) in autumn 2014. In this case, immediate
      control measures were successfully implemented at the nursery. Because of
      increasing threats and the absence of an invasive mosquito species control policy
      in Belgium, the need for a permanent vector surveillance and control plan has
      never been so high.

PMID- 26113507
TI  - Monitoring artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum: comparison of
      parasite clearance time by microscopy and real-time PCR and evaluation of
      mutations in Pfatpase6 gene in Odisha state of India.
AB  - Antimalarial drug resistance including artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium
      falciparum malaria is a major concern in combating malaria throughout the world.
      Delayed parasite clearance time (PCT) is indicative of emergence of artemisinin
      resistance. Herein, PCT has been monitored with the help of gold standard
      technique microscopy accompanied by a more sensitive real-time assay for academic
      purpose. After the administration of artemisinin based combination therapy,
      artesunate + sulfadoxine pyrimethamine (AS + SP), all the subjects were followed
      up to day 42 for monitoring the therapeutic efficacy of AS + SP in Bisra
      Community Health Centre (CHC), Sundergarh district in the state of Odisha in
      India. Further, representative samples were analyzed for L263E, E431K, A623E and
      S769N SNPs in Pfatpase6 gene and copy number polymorphisms in Pfmdr1 gene. Though
      all the samples were found parasite negative according to microscopy by the end
      of day 3 and attained adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) at
      the end of day 42, real-time PCR showed day 3 positivity in 12 of the total
      analyzed samples (n = 43). This was further validated by end-point diagnostic PCR
      and correlated with high initial parasite load. E431K mutation was observed in 2
      of the 12 samples (16.7 %) while the controls (n = 18) were all wild. L263E,
      A623E and S769N were wild in all the analyzed samples (n = 30). Pfmdr1 copy
      number analysis showed no change in the said trait. Conclusively, real-time PCR
      could support microscopy for better monitoring of PCT and may provide as an
      additional but useful research tool for artemisinin resistance studies.

PMID- 26113508
TI  - Efficacy of cyantraniliprole fly bait against housefly (Musca domestica L.) under
      laboratory conditions.
AB  - Novel and effective baits are needed to manage pest housefly populations and
      avoid the development of insecticide resistance. In this study, we bioassayed the
      efficacy of Zyrox(r), a novel fly bait containing a novel 0.5 % cyantraniliprole
      insecticide, to kill adult houseflies under laboratory conditions. We found that
      Zyrox(r) killed a significantly greater proportion of flies than the current
      competing fly bait, QuickBayt(r), after a 24-h exposure. The cumulative
      mortalities of houseflies were up to 96.36 % and 92.57 % for Zyrox(r) and 78.88 %
      and 68.76 % for QuickBayt(r) in no-choice and choice tests, respectively. Our
      results suggested that there was negligible behavioral resistance to both fly
      baits but revealed that Zyrox(r) appeared to work slower than QuickBayt(r) (at a
      3-h exposure, proportionally fewer flies were killed by Zyrox(r) than by
      QuickBayt(r)). Importantly, we found that the efficacy of Zyrox(r) did not
      diminish with the age of the bait (up to 90 days old). In actual knockdown time
      (KDT) feeding bioassay, the results showed that Zyrox(r) knocked down flies
      significantly slower (11.97 min for females; 12.30 min for males) than
      QuickBayt(r) (1.89 min for females; 2.24 min for males). These results reveal the
      high efficacy of Zyrox(r) bait to kill adult flies and suggest that it is a
      promising slow-action bait for management of houseflies.

PMID- 26113509
TI  - Spatial covariation of local abundance among different parasite species: the
      effect of shared hosts.
AB  - Within any parasite species, abundance varies spatially, reaching higher values
      in certain localities than in others, presumably reflecting the local
      availability of host resources or the local suitability of habitat
      characteristics for free-living stages. In the absence of strong interactions
      between two species of helminths with complex life cycles, we might predict that
      the degree to which their abundances covary spatially is determined by their
      common resource requirements, i.e. how many host species they share throughout
      their life cycles. We test this prediction using five trematode species, all with
      a typical three-host cycle, from multiple lake sampling sites in New Zealand's
      South Island: Stegodexamene anguillae, Telogaster opisthorchis, Coitocaecum
      parvum, Maritrema poulini, and an Apatemon sp. Pairs of species from this set of
      five share the same host species at either one, two, or all three life cycle
      stages. Our results show that when two trematode species share the same host
      species at all three life stages, they show positive spatial covariation in
      abundance (of metacercarial and adult stages) across localities. When they share
      hosts at two life stages, they show positive spatial covariation in abundance in
      some cases but not others. Finally, if two trematode species share only one host
      species, at a single life stage, their abundances do not covary spatially. These
      findings indicate that the extent of resource sharing between parasite species
      can drive the spatial match-mismatch between their abundances, and thus influence
      their coevolutionary dynamics and the degree to which host populations suffer
      from additive or synergistic effects of multiple infections. 

PMID- 26113510
TI  - First ultrastructural observations on gastritis caused by Physaloptera clausa
      (Spirurida: Physalopteridae) in hedgehogs (Erinaceus europeaus).
AB  - Ultrastructural changes of gastritis due to infection with Physaloptera clausa in
      12 fresh carcasses of euthanized European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus)
      collected from different part of Urmia, Iran, in which they were highly populated
      with this animal, six females and six males were subjected to detail necropsy
      with special reference to the stomach. Macroscopic changes of stomach were
      recorded and some of the worms collected. Based on number of parasites present in
      the stomach, they were divided into light infection, mild infection, and severe
      infection. Parasites were collected, and worms identification of the species was
      confirmed on the basis of light microscope examination with reference to keys.
      Tissues fixed in 3% glutaraldehyde, post-fixed in 1% osmium tetroxide and
      processed and plastic embedded; ultrathin sections of 60-70 nm were cut and
      stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate; electron microscopic observations
      showed that, in light infection some changes were observed in gastric cells such
      as dilatation and vesiculation of the endoplasmic reticulum, large numbers of
      lipid granules, mitochondrial swelling, nuclear chromatin margination, and some
      nucleus showed washed out appearance. Other cells showed some alterations in
      mitochondria, dilatation of smooth endoplasmic reticulum, loss of both free and
      bound ribosomes, vesiculation in cytoplasm, and increase Golgi apparatus and
      secretory vesicles. The inflammatory cells including lymphocytes, macrophages,
      mast cells, and predominantly eosinophils were identified. In moderate infection,
      the cellular pattern of gastric mucosa replaced with inflammatory cells. The
      marked increase of macrophages and other inflammatory cell was observed. A
      particular finding in our study was the presence of globule leukocyte in the
      moderate stage. Moreover, scant formation and distribution of collagen fibers as
      well as fibroblasts were also noted. In severe infection, the most obvious
      observation was marked distribution of collagen fibers around the mucosal cells.
      The fibroblastic cells with elongated nucleus and extensive indentation were
      noticed. In conclusion, the result of our study revealed P. clausa could be a
      cause of gastritis and according to cellular pattern of inflammatory reaction,
      with the increase of worm burden and development of infection, chronic gastritis
      was stabilized. Present investigation documented the ultrastructural changes
      during verminous gastritis in hedgehogs.

PMID- 26113511
TI  - Transcription Analysis of the Beta-Glucosidase Precursor in Wild-Type and l-4i
      Mutant Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae).
AB  - Lethal fourth-instar larvae (l-4i) mutant of Bombyx mori, a recently discovered
      novel mutant, die from energy depletion due to genetic mutation. Beta-glucosidase
      is a common digestive enzyme that hydrolyzes cellulose in the diet to provide
      energy. In this study, the mRNA expression profiles of B. mori beta-glucosidase
      precursor (BmpreBG) were characterized by reverse transcription polymerase chain
      reaction and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The transcription
      level of BmpreBG varied in different tissues and developmental stages, except in
      the pupa and moth, which are the no-diet period. Remarkably, the mRNA expression
      level of BmpreBG was sharply reduced in l-4i but not in the wild type, which
      suggested that the digestive function of the mutant was severely damaged. This
      was consistent with the l-4i phenotypic traits of not eating mulberries, lack of
      energy, and ultimate death. 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends showed, for the
      first time, that BmpreBG has a 160-bp 5'-untranslated region. These findings
      suggested that B. mori beta-glucosidase precursor was involved in the death
      process of l-4i mutant larvae. 

PMID- 26113512
TI  - Survival of Coelaenomenodera lameensis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Relation to
      the Physical Characteristics of Different Oil Palm (Elaeis sp.) Breeding
      Populations.
AB  - The edibility of different Elaeis sp. breeding populations present in Benin was
      tested for the leaf miner Coelaenomenodera lameensis Berti (Coleoptera:
      Chrysomelidae), a major oil palm pest in Africa. Experiments carried out in
      sleeves revealed the oviposition capacities of females and the mortality rates
      for the different developmental stages by comparing the populations found on two
      breeding populations of Elaeis oleifera (HBK) Cortes, four of Elaeis guineensis
      Jacquin and four (E. guineensis * E. oleifera) * E. guineensis backcrosses.
      Females laid their eggs similarly on all breeding populations, with a preference
      for the E. guineensis La Me origin. The average hatching rate reached 80% for the
      La Me origin as opposed to 28% for the Deli origin. The mortality rates for the
      larval instars were greater on E. oleifera, on certain backcrosses and on the
      Deli origin of E. guineensis. Development at the second- and third- larval
      instars was the most affected, with a mortality rate of three to five times
      greater than that seen on La Me. Epidermis and cuticle measurements indicated
      which breeding populations were suitable or unsuitable for the development of C.
      lameensis. E. guineensis, with its thin epidermis (12 um) and cuticle (2 um),
      proved to be highly susceptible to C. lameensis attacks. On the other hand, E.
      oleifera, which is very resistant, exhibited a thicker epidermis (17 um) and
      cuticle (4 um). The breeding populations were thus classified according to the
      positive or negative influence they exerted on the insect's egg laying and
      feeding.

PMID- 26113513
TI  - Aphicidal Activity of an Ageraphorone Extract From Eupatorium adenophorum Against
      Pseudoregma bambucicola (Homoptera: Aphididae, Takahashi).
AB  - The bamboo aphid, Pseudoregma bambucicola, is an important insect pest of bamboo
      that affects normal bamboo growth and induces sooty molds. The control of P.
      bambucicola involves the application of chemicals, such as imidacloprid, to which
      many species are resistant. In this study, we isolate a novel botanical pesticide
      (9-oxo-10,11-dehydro-ageraphorone) from an Eupatorium adenophorum(Asteraceae:
      Compositae) petroleum ether extract and test the aphicidal activity of this
      compound against P. bambucicola in laboratory bioassay and field-based
      experiments. This ageraphorone compound at a concentration of 2 mg/ml caused
      73.33% mortality (corrected mortality [Subtracted the mortality of the negative
      control]: 70%) of P. bambucicola by laboratory bioassay within 6 h. Even at lower
      concentrations, this compound caused greater 33% mortality (corrected mortality:
      30%) of aphids. Field experiments with naturally infested bamboo plants showed
      that two applications of 2 mg/ml ageraphorone to infested plants completely
      cleared infestations within 30 d. These effects were similar to those of the
      positive control (imidacloprid). These results reveal that 9-oxo-10,11-dehydro
      ageraphorone exhibits significant aphicidal activity against bamboo aphids. We
      suggest that future research be directed at developing this ageraphorone compound
      from E. adenophorum as an aphicidal agent for biocontrol.

PMID- 26113514
TI  - A cluster of invasive meningococcal disease revealed by the characterization of a
      novel serogroup B meningococcal clone.
AB  - The incidence of invasive infections due to Neisseria meningitidis in Israel is
      about 1/100 000 population annually. Three cases of meningococcal meningitis were
      reported in employees at a single plant; the first case appeared in March 2013
      and the second and third cases appeared in December, almost 9 months later. N.
      meningitidis serogroup B was isolated from cerebrospinal fluid samples.
      Multilocus sequence typing assigned the three meningococcal isolates to ST10418,
      a new sequence type and a member of the ST32 clonal complex. The clonality was
      confirmed by performance of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Post-exposure
      antibiotic prophylaxis was administered to close contacts of the first case. Upon
      the diagnosis of the additional two cases, post-exposure prophylaxis was
      administered to all the plant employees. This report demonstrates the importance
      of combining public health measures and advanced laboratory studies to confirm
      clonality and to prevent further disease spread in a closed setting. 

PMID- 26113515
TI  - Temperature affects the silicate morphology in a diatom.
AB  - Silica deposition by diatoms, a common component of the phytoplankton, has
      attracted considerable interest given the importance in ecology and materials
      science. There has recently been a great deal of research into the biological
      control of biosilicifcation, yet the in vivo physical and chemical effects have
      not been quantitatively investigated. We have grown the marine diatom
      Thalassiosira pseudonana in batch culture at three temperatures (14 degrees , 18
      degrees , and 23  degrees C). We observed three distinct temperature-dependent
      growth phases. The morphology of silica was investigated using scanning electron
      microscopy followed by image analysis and supervised learning. The silica in the
      valves of the same species showed different structures: a mesh-like pattern in
      silicon-rich cultures and a tree-like pattern in silicon-limited cultures.
      Moreover, temperature affected this silica pattern, especially in silicon-limited
      cultures. We conclude that cells grown at 14  degrees C and 18  degrees C divide
      more successfully in Si-limited conditions by developing a tree-like pattern
      (lower silicification).

PMID- 26113516
TI  - Developing new models of shared primary and specialist HIV care in the UK: a
      survey of current practice.
AB  - HIV care in the UK is led by hospital-based specialists with limited general
      practitioner (GP) involvement. As GPs have expertise in some non-microbial HIV
      associated co-morbidities (e.g. cardiovascular disease), and more people are
      disclosing their HIV status to their GPs, there could be benefits in sharing HIV
      care. We describe contemporary models of shared HIV care in relevant developed
      world settings to inform future shared HIV care in the UK. An interview survey of
      key informants was used to explore experiences and models of shared care, and
      identify promoting and inhibiting factors. We interviewed ten key informants from
      six shared care models. There were three broad categories of shared care, with
      varying degrees of GP involvement. Strong clinical leadership in primary care,
      good professional relationships and communication, and tailored GP training were
      facilitators. Barriers included stigma, confidentiality concerns, and low
      prevalence of HIV outside major conurbations. Contemporary shared HIV care models
      have emerged organically and seem to work when grounded in good collaboration
      between a small number of dedicated GPs and specialist units. We propose two
      models for further study which may only be feasible in high HIV caseload
      practices. User acceptability, clinical and cost effectiveness must be
      considered.

PMID- 26113517
TI  - Early syphilis affects markers of HIV infection.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate if early syphilis infection
      affects markers of HIV infection; CD4 T cells and viral load (VL). A
      retrospective study was performed on 160 HIV-positive patients (111 receiving
      antiretroviral therapy [ART] and 49 without ART). Early syphilis diagnosis was
      made in HIV patients during their follow-up at the HIV/AIDS Unit at a Greek
      Dermatology and Venereology Unit. The patients' blood tests were available at the
      time of diagnosis, as well as before and 12 weeks after early syphilis diagnosis.
      CD4 T cell counts and VL levels were measured. It was found that syphilis
      infection had a negative impact on the CD4 T cell counts in both groups, with
      reduced CD4 T cell counts observed in 84.6% (99/111) and 79.5% (39/49) of
      patients receiving and not receiving ART, respectively. After treatment for
      syphilis, CD4 T cell counts returned to pre-treatment levels in most patients,
      especially those receiving ART. There was a slight and transient VL increase.
      Patients receiving ART had a 27% increase in VL, compared to 71.4% among patients
      not receiving ART. Although the VL increase was slight (41-14,000 copies/ml) in
      the group under treatment, 4-5% (5/111) patients did not return to pre-treatment
      levels. Moreover, viral mutations associated with treatment resistance were
      identified in these patients. Early syphilis accelerates and complicates the
      progression of HIV infection. Early diagnosis and treatment of syphilis may
      prevent infection-associated complications in most instances. Consequently,
      prevention of syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections is of great
      importance for patients infected with HIV.

PMID- 26113518
TI  - A case of primary adrenal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in HIV.
AB  - Primary adrenal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in HIV is a very rare, highly
      aggressive extra-nodal lymphoma. There is only one previous case reported in the
      literature. Our patient presented with isolated bilateral adrenal masses with no
      lymphadenopathy or visceral involvement, which made the diagnosis challenging.

PMID- 26113519
TI  - Characterization of FSH signalling networks in bovine cumulus cells: a
      perspective on oocyte competence acquisition.
AB  - Understanding the mechanisms regulating oocyte developmental competence is
      essential to enhance the clinical efficiency of assisted reproduction. FSH
      orchestrates the acquisition of oocyte competence, both in vivo and in vitro.
      Multiple pathways are implicated in FSH signalling; however, their precise
      coordination remains unresolved. A robust system to investigate FSH signalling is
      oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) and we have previously demonstrated better
      bovine embryo development after FSH addition for the first 6 h during IVM. Using
      this model, we investigated FSH signalling in cumulus through transcriptomic and
      pharmacological tools. We demonstrate modulation of cumulus transcriptome by FSH
      mainly through protein kinase A (PKA) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) pathways.
      Differentially expressed transcripts were implicated in cumulus expansion,
      steroidogenesis, cell metabolism and oocyte competence. FSH required rouse
      sarcoma oncogene (SRC) for EGF receptor transactivation. PKA and EGF pathway
      crosstalk was investigated using extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2)
      phosphorylation as the functional end-point. FSH enhanced ERK1/2 activation by
      the EGF pathway with a simultaneous diminution through PKA. More specifically,
      FSH increased dual specific phosphatase (DUSP1) transcripts via PKA although
      DUSP1 protein did not change since EGF was required to prevent degradation. Our
      findings implicate FSH in PKA and EGF pathway activation, which interact to
      maintain appropriate levels of ERK1/2 phosphorylation and eventually cumulus
      expansion, metabolism and steroidogenesis. Moreover, considering the implication
      of the EGF pathway in GDF9 and BMP15 actions, our findings suggest that FSH may
      have a role in modulation of the cumulus response to oocyte-secreted factors.
      This information has implications for improvement of IVM and hence oocyte
      developmental competence. 

PMID- 26113521
TI  - FSH treatment of male idiopathic infertility improves pregnancy rate: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to comprehensively evaluate whether FSH
      administration to the male partner of infertile couples improves pregnancy rate,
      spontaneously and/or after assisted reproductive techniques (ART). METHODS: Meta
      analysis of controlled clinical trials in which FSH was administered for male
      idiopathic infertility, compared with placebo or no treatment. Randomization was
      not considered as an inclusion criterion. RESULTS: We found 15 controlled
      clinical studies (614 men treated with FSH and 661 treated with placebo or
      untreated). Concerning the type of FSH, eight studies used recombinant FSH,
      whereas seven studies used purified FSH. Nine studies evaluated spontaneous
      pregnancy rate, resulting in an overall odds ratio (OR) of about 4.5 (CI: 2.17
      9.33). Eight studies evaluated pregnancy rate after ART, showing a significant OR
      of 1.60 (CI: 1.08-2.37). Sub-dividing studies according to the FSH preparations
      (purified/recombinant), pregnancy rate improvement remained significant for each
      preparation. Eleven studies considered sperm quality after FSH treatment, finding
      a significant improvement of sperm concentration (2.66*10(6)/ml, CI: 0.47-4.84),
      but not of concentration of sperm with progressive motility (1.22*10(6)/ml, CI: 
      0.07 to 2.52). Three trials evaluated testicular volume, showing a non
      significant increase in men treated (1.35 ml, CI: -0.44 to 3.14). CONCLUSION: The
      results of controlled clinical trials available in the literature indicate an
      improvement of pregnancy rate after FSH administration to the male partner of
      infertile couples, both spontaneously and after ART. However, the heterogeneity
      of studies, the high risk of bias and the lack of precise criteria to guide FSH
      administration limit the strength of these results. Future studies should be
      designed to identify the markers of FSH response which are helpful in the
      decision-making process. Meanwhile, the use of FSH in the treatment of male
      infertility should be cautious.

PMID- 26113522
TI  - Mesenchymal stem cell implantation in knee osteoarthritis: an assessment of the
      factors influencing clinical outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several clinical studies have reported on cell-based treatment using
      mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for cartilage regeneration in knee osteoarthritis
      (OA). However, little is known about the factors that influence the clinical
      outcomes after surgery. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: This study aimed to investigate the
      clinical outcomes of MSC implantation in patients with knee OA and assess the
      factors that are associated with clinical outcomes. The hypothesis was that
      factors may exist that could influence clinical outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Case
      series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: A total of 49 patients (55 knees) were
      retrospectively evaluated after MSC implantation for knee OA. The inclusion
      criteria were patients who had an isolated full-thickness cartilage lesion and
      Kellgren-Lawrence OA grade 1 or 2. Clinical outcomes were measured with the
      International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Tegner activity score,
      and patients' overall satisfaction with the surgery. Statistical analyses were
      performed to determine the effect of different factors on the clinical outcome.
      RESULTS: The mean pre- and postoperative IKDC and Tegner activity scores
      significantly improved from 37.7 +/- 6.3 to 67.3 +/- 9.5 (IKDC) and from 2.2 +/-
      0.7 to 3.8 +/- 0.7 (Tegner) (P < .001 for both). Twenty-four patients reported
      their overall satisfaction with the surgery as excellent (43.6%), 17 as good
      (30.9%), 11 as fair (20.0%), and 3 as poor (5.5%). There were significant
      differences in clinical outcomes at the final follow-up among the age and lesion
      size groups (P < .05 for all). Multivariate analyses showed high prognostic
      significance related to patient age and lesion size, and scatter plots suggested
      a cutoff age of 60 years and a cutoff lesion size of 6.0 cm(2) for the optimum
      identification of poor clinical outcomes (P < .05 for both). CONCLUSION: The
      clinical outcomes of MSC implantation for knee OA are encouraging. Patient age
      and lesion size are important factors that affect clinical outcomes; thus, these
      may serve as a basis for preoperative surgical decisions. Cutoff points exist for
      the risk of clinical failure in patients older than 60 years and those with a
      lesion size larger than 6.0 cm(2).

PMID- 26113523
TI  - Identification and mapping stripe rust resistance gene YrLM168a using extreme
      individuals and recessive phenotype class in a complicate genetic background.
AB  - The identification and characterization of resistance genes effective against
      stripe rust of wheat is beneficial for modern wheat breeding programs. Molecular
      markers to such genes facilitate their deployment. The variety Milan has
      resistance that is effective against the predominant stripe rust races in the
      Sichuan region. Two resistant and two susceptible F8 lines from a cross between
      Milan and the susceptible variety Chuannong 16 were used to investigate
      inheritance of the Milan resistance. Three F2 populations were developed from
      crosses between the resistant lines and their susceptible sibling lines (LM168a *
      LM168c, LM168c * LM168a, LM168b * LM168d) and used for genetic analysis and
      molecular mapping of the genes for resistance. The stripe rust resistance in
      LM168a and LM168b was conferred by a single dominant gene, temporarily designated
      as YrLM168a. Forty-five extreme susceptible plants from the F2 families of LM168d
      * LM168b were genotyped with 836 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to map
      YrLM168a. YrLM168a was mapped in chromosome 6BL. The nearest flanking markers
      Xwmc756 and Xbarc146 were 4.6 and 4.6 cM away from the gene at both sides,
      respectively. The amplification results of twenty extreme resistant (IT 0) and
      susceptible (IT 4) F2 plants of LM168c * LM168a and LM168a * LM168c with marker
      Xwmc756 further validated the mapping results. The study suggested that extreme
      individuals and recessive phenotype class can be successfully used for mapping
      genes, which should be efficient and reliable. In addition, the flanking markers
      near YrLM168a should be helpful in marker-assisted breeding. 

PMID- 26113524
TI  - Treatment of emphysema using bronchoscopic lung volume reduction coil technology:
      an update on efficacy and safety.
AB  - In the last decade several promising bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR)
      treatments were developed and investigated. One of these treatments is BLVR
      treatment with coils. The advantage of this specific treatment is that it works
      independently of collateral flow, and also shows promise for patients with a more
      homogeneous emphysema disease distribution. Seven years ago, the very first
      patients were treated with BLVR coil treatment and currently large randomized,
      controlled trials are underway. The aim of this article is to review the
      available literature and provide an update on the current knowledge on the
      efficacy and safety of BLVR treatment with coils. 

PMID- 26113525
TI  - Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of urban particulate matter in mammalian cells.
AB  - Ambient air particulate matter (PM)-associated reactive oxygen species (ROS) have
      been linked to a variety of altered cellular outcomes. In this study, three
      different PM samples from diesel exhaust particles (DEPs), urban dust standard
      reference material SRM1649a and air collected in Manchester have been tested for
      their ability to oxidise DNA in a cell-free assay, to increase intracellular ROS
      levels and to induce CYP1A1 gene expression in mammalian cells. In addition, the
      cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of PM were assessed using the 3-(4,5
      dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and alkaline comet
      assay, respectively. All PM samples catalysed the Fenton reaction in a cell-free
      assay, but only DEP resulted in the generation of ROS as measured by
      dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate oxidation in mammalian cells. However, there
      was no evidence that increased ROS was a consequence of polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbon metabolism via CYP1A1 induction as urban dust, the Manchester dust
      samples but not DEP-induced CYP1A1 expression. Urban dust was more cytotoxic in
      murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) than the other PM samples and also induced
      expression of GADD45a in the GreenScreen Human Cell assay without S9 activation
      suggesting the presence of a direct-acting genotoxicant. Urban dust and DEP
      produced comparable levels of DNA damage, as assessed by the alkaline comet
      assay, in MEFs at higher levels than those induced by Manchester PM. In
      conclusion, results from the cytotoxic and genotoxic assays are not consistent
      with ROS production being the sole determinant of PM-induced toxicity. This
      suggests that the organic component can contribute significantly to this toxicity
      and that further work is required to better characterise the extent to which ROS
      and organic components contribute to PM-induced toxicity. 

PMID- 26113527
TI  - Invariance of measures to understand decision-making for pursuing living donor
      kidney transplant.
AB  - Living donor kidney transplant is the ideal treatment option for end-stage renal
      disease; however, the decision to pursue living donor kidney transplant is
      complex and challenging. Measurement invariance of living donor kidney transplant
      Decisional Balance and Self-Efficacy across gender (male/female), race
      (Black/White), and education level (no college/college or higher) were examined
      using a sequential approach. Full strict invariance was found for Decisional
      Balance and Self-Efficacy for gender and partial strict invariance was found for
      Decisional Balance and Self-Efficacy across race and education level. This
      information will inform tailored feedback based on these constructs in future
      intervention studies targeting behavior change among specific demographic
      subgroups.

PMID- 26113528
TI  - Forgiveness and health-related quality of life in older people: Adaptive
      cognitive emotion regulation strategies as mediators.
AB  - This study examined whether adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies
      mediate the relationship between forgiveness and health-related quality of life
      in a sample of 350 Spanish people aged 55 years and older. Positive refocusing
      and positive reappraisal strategies partially mediated the relation between
      forgiveness and mental health. Thus, focusing on planning partially mediated the
      relation between forgiveness and physical health. Our findings contribute to an
      emerging understanding of the underlying coping process between forgiveness and
      health outcomes and might provide preliminary insight for potential intervention
      for increasing quality of life via the promotion of forgiveness and adaptive
      coping in the elderly.

PMID- 26113529
TI  - Targeted immunotherapy in Hodgkin lymphoma.
AB  - In this issue of Blood, Rothe et al introduce a new principle of targeted Hodgkin
      lymphoma (HL) immunotherapy in their report from a phase 1 study of the
      bispecific anti-CD30/CD16A antibody construct AFM13.

PMID- 26113530
TI  - Toward optimizing pomalidomide therapy in MM patients.
AB  - In this issue of Blood, Sehgal et al report on the clinical and pharmacodynamics
      analysis of pomalidomide dosing strategies in multiple myeloma (MM) and their
      impact on immune activation and cereblon targets. The particular novelty of this
      study lies in the direct correlation of immune effects triggered by pomalidomide
      with clinical responses in MM patients. Results of this study will stimulate many
      additional studies.

PMID- 26113531
TI  - Ebf1 in DNA repair and leukemogenesis.
AB  - In this issue of Blood, Prasad et al provide evidence for a new role for the B
      lineage transcriptional regulator early B-cell factor 1 (Ebf1) during early B
      cell development and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).

PMID- 26113532
TI  - Arginine addiction in AML.
AB  - In this issue of Blood, Miraki-Moud et al demonstrate that the majority of acute
      myeloid leukemias (AMLs) have low expression of argininosuccinate synthetase-1
      (ASS1), rendering AML cell lines and primary AML blasts dependent on exogenous
      arginine and sensitized to arginine deprivation.

PMID- 26113533
TI  - CLEC-2: the inside story.

PMID- 26113534
TI  - Syk and tired of current chronic GVHD therapies.
AB  - In this issue of Blood, Flynn et al1 provide key data that lend further support
      to the development of clinical trials of spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) inhibition
      for more effective chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) treatment.

PMID- 26113535
TI  - Foxc2 enhances proliferation and inhibits apoptosis through activating Akt/mTORC1
      signaling pathway in mouse preadipocytes.
AB  - Forkhead box C2 (Foxc2) protein is a transcription factor in regulation of
      development, metabolism, and immunology. However, the regulatory mechanisms of
      Foxc2 on proliferation and apoptosis of preadipocytes are unclear. In this study,
      we found that high-fat-diet-induced obesity elevated the expression of Foxc2 and
      cyclin E after 6 weeks. Additionally, Foxc2 suppressed preadipocyte
      differentiation, increased cell counts and augmented G1-S transition of
      preadipocytes, along with the elevation of cyclin E expression and the reduction
      levels of p27 and p53. Furthermore, Foxc2 knockdown reduced early apoptotic cells
      with accompanying reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential and increased
      fragmentation of genomic DNA. We show that Foxc2 reduces the expression of Bax,
      caspase-9, and caspase-3 in both serum-starved and palmitic acid-induced cell
      apoptotic models, which confirms the anti-apoptotic role of Foxc2. Moreover, the
      protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)C1 signaling pathway
      and the ERK/mTORC1 signaling pathway were activated along with preadipocyte
      proliferation in response to Foxc2 overexpression, whereas apoptosis marker genes
      were downregulated during this process. Those effects were blocked by the
      interference of Foxc2 or signal pathways specific inhibitors. These data
      collectively reveal that Foxc2 enhances proliferation of preadipocytes and
      inhibits apoptosis of preadipocytes by activating the Akt/mTORC1 and ERK/mTORC1
      signaling pathways. 

PMID- 26113536
TI  - Insufficient glucose supply is linked to hypothermia upon cold exposure in high
      fat diet-fed mice lacking PEMT.
AB  - Mice that lack phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (Pemt(-/-) mice) are
      protected from high-fat (HF) diet-induced obesity. HF-fed Pemt(-/-) mice show
      higher oxygen consumption and heat production, indicating that more energy might
      be utilized for thermogenesis and might account for the resistance to diet
      induced weight gain. To test this hypothesis, HF-fed Pemt(-/-) and Pemt(+/+) mice
      were challenged with acute cold exposure at 4 degrees C. Unexpectedly, HF-fed
      Pemt(-/-) mice developed hypothermia within 3 h of cold exposure. In contrast,
      chow-fed Pemt(-/-) mice, possessing similar body mass, maintained body
      temperature. Lack of PEMT did not impair the capacity for thermogenesis in
      skeletal muscle or brown adipose tissue. Plasma catecholamines were not altered
      by Pemt genotype, and stimulation of lipolysis was intact in brown and white
      adipose tissue of Pemt(-/-) mice. HF-fed Pemt(-/-) mice also developed higher
      systolic blood pressure, accompanied by reduced cardiac output. Choline
      supplementation reversed the cold-induced hypothermia in HF-fed Pemt(-/-) mice
      with no effect on blood pressure. Plasma glucose levels were ~50% lower in HF-fed
      Pemt(-/-) mice compared with Pemt(+/+) mice. Choline supplementation normalized
      plasma hypoglycemia and the expression of proteins involved in gluconeogenesis.
      We propose that cold-induced hypothermia in HF-fed Pemt(-/-) mice is linked to
      plasma hypoglycemia due to compromised hepatic glucose production. 

PMID- 26113538
TI  - Campbell's Law: implications for health care.
AB  - Campbell's Law is a well-known social science dictum describing the potential ill
      effects of using a quantitative measure both as a target and an indicator to
      drive decision making. Campbell's Law states that using a measure in this way
      tends to distort its usefulness to achieve the desired goal while driving
      participants to adopt corrupt practices. There is evidence of Campbell's Law at
      play in various industries, including health care. Fortunately, the deleterious
      effects of Campbell's Law can be successfully mitigated. The two main mitigation
      strategies involve either keeping the goals of a functioning system separated
      from the metrics used to assess progress towards that goal, or ensuring the
      proper safeguards are in place to combat the corrupting pressures. 

PMID- 26113537
TI  - Manganese lipoxygenase of F. oxysporum and the structural basis for biosynthesis
      of distinct 11-hydroperoxy stereoisomers.
AB  - The biosynthesis of jasmonates in plants is initiated by 13S-lipoxygenase (LOX),
      but details of jasmonate biosynthesis by fungi, including Fusarium oxysporum, are
      unknown. The genome of F. oxysporum codes for linoleate 13S-LOX (FoxLOX) and for
      F. oxysporum manganese LOX (Fo-MnLOX), an uncharacterized homolog of 13R-MnLOX of
      Gaeumannomyces graminis. We expressed Fo-MnLOX and compared its properties to Cg
      MnLOX from Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Electron paramagnetic resonance and
      metal analysis showed that Fo-MnLOX contained catalytic Mn. Fo-MnLOX oxidized
      18:2n-6 mainly to 11R-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid (HPODE), 13S-HPODE, and
      9(S/R)-HPODE, whereas Cg-MnLOX produced 9S-, 11S-, and 13R-HPODE with high
      stereoselectivity. The 11-hydroperoxides did not undergo the rapid beta
      fragmentation earlier observed with 13R-MnLOX. Oxidation of [11S-(2)H]18:2n-6 by
      Cg-MnLOX was accompanied by loss of deuterium and a large kinetic isotope effect
      (>30). The Fo-MnLOX-catalyzed oxidation occurred with retention of the (2)H
      label. Fo-MnLOX also oxidized 1-lineoyl-2-hydroxy-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine.
      The predicted active site of all MnLOXs contains Phe except for Ser(348) in this
      position of Fo-MnLOX. The Ser348Phe mutant of Fo-MnLOX oxidized 18:2n-6 to the
      same major products as Cg-MnLOX. Our results suggest that Fo-MnLOX, with support
      of Ser(348), binds 18:2n-6 so that the proR rather than the proS hydrogen at C-11
      interacts with the metal center, but retains the suprafacial oxygenation
      mechanism observed in other MnLOXs. 

PMID- 26113539
TI  - Transcultural nursing promoting peace through practice and scholarship.

PMID- 26113540
TI  - Marginalized People Locked in "Chinese Handcuffs".

PMID- 26113542
TI  - Sepsis: Medical errors in Poland.
AB  - Health, safety and medical errors are currently the subject of worldwide
      discussion. The authors analysed medico-legal opinions trying to determine types
      of medical errors and their impact on the course of sepsis. The authors carried
      out a retrospective analysis of 66 medico-legal opinions issued by the Wroclaw
      Department of Forensic Medicine between 2004 and 2013 (at the request of the
      prosecutor or court) in cases examined for medical errors. Medical errors were
      confirmed in 55 of the 66 medico-legal opinions. The age of victims varied from 2
      weeks to 68 years; 49 patients died. The analysis revealed medical errors
      committed by 113 health-care workers: 98 physicians, 8 nurses and 8 emergency
      medical dispatchers. In 33 cases, an error was made before hospitalisation.
      Hospital errors occurred in 35 victims. Diagnostic errors were discovered in 50
      patients, including 46 cases of sepsis being incorrectly recognised and
      insufficient diagnoses in 37 cases. Therapeutic errors occurred in 37 victims,
      organisational errors in 9 and technical errors in 2. In addition to sepsis, 8
      patients also had a severe concomitant disease and 8 had a chronic disease. In 45
      cases, the authors observed glaring errors, which could incur criminal liability.
      There is an urgent need to introduce a system for reporting and analysing medical
      errors in Poland. The development and popularisation of standards for identifying
      and treating sepsis across basic medical professions is essential to improve
      patient safety and survival rates. Procedures should be introduced to prevent
      health-care workers from administering incorrect treatment in cases. 

PMID- 26113543
TI  - Appeals against detention in excessive security (outcomes of appeals against
      detention in conditions of excessive security in Scotland).
AB  - The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 introduced the right
      for patients in high-security psychiatric care to appeal against detention in
      conditions of excessive security. A previous study examined the first 100
      patients to appeal under this provision. In this study we compare them with the
      next cohort of 110 patients to lodge an appeal, finding, contrary to
      expectations, no change in patient characteristics or the outcome of their
      appeals. The clinical, legal and demographic features of successful and
      unsuccessful appellants, who made up 38% and 27% of the 110 patients,
      respectively, were also compared. Those patients with the support of their
      responsible medical officer and those already included on a transfer list had a
      significantly better chance of success (p = 0.00). It was also found that a
      history of excessive alcohol consumption was associated with successful appeals
      (p = 0.002). A diagnosis of learning disability was associated with unsuccessful
      appeals (p = 0.018), though the sub-sample was very small. These findings are
      important given the forthcoming extension of this right of appeal to other levels
      of security. 

PMID- 26113544
TI  - Non-terrorist suicidal death by oral explosion: A rare case from India.
AB  - Suicidal deaths involving explosives are rare. Their occurrence depends on both
      the availability of materials and the victim's expertise in handling explosive
      material. We report here a rare case from India of non-terrorist suicidal death
      involving explosives. The victim was around 25 years old, a blaster by
      occupation. He committed suicide by detonating dynamite in his mouth. The
      materials he used to operate this explosion were found near his body at the crime
      scene. There was characteristic bilateral symmetrical laceration around the oral
      cavity. Considering all the facts of the case in relation to history, location,
      nature, distribution and extent of injuries and recovered material at crime scene
      enables the cause and manner of death to be ascertained. 

PMID- 26113545
TI  - A mouse model recapitulating human monoclonal heavy chain deposition disease
      evidences the relevance of proteasome inhibitor therapy.
AB  - Randall-type heavy chain deposition disease (HCDD) is a rare disorder
      characterized by glomerular and peritubular amorphous deposits of a truncated
      monoclonal immunoglobulin heavy chain (HC) bearing a deletion of the first
      constant domain (CH1). We created a transgenic mouse model of HCDD using targeted
      insertion in the immunoglobulin kappa locus of a human HC extracted from a HCDD
      patient. Our strategy allows the efficient expression of the human HC in mouse B
      and plasma cells, and conditional deletion of the CH1 domain reproduces the major
      event underlying HCDD. We show that the deletion of the CH1 domain dramatically
      reduced serum HC levels. Strikingly, even with very low serum level of truncated
      monoclonal HC, histologic studies revealed typical Randall-type renal lesions
      that were absent in mice expressing the complete human HC. Bortezomib-based
      treatment resulted in a strong decrease of renal deposits. We further
      demonstrated that this efficient response to proteasome inhibitors mostly relies
      on the presence of the isolated truncated HC that sensitizes plasma cells to
      bortezomib through an elevated unfolded protein response (UPR). This new
      transgenic model of HCDD efficiently recapitulates the pathophysiologic features
      of the disease and demonstrates that the renal damage in HCDD relies on the
      production of an isolated truncated HC, which, in the absence of a LC partner,
      displays a high propensity to aggregate even at very low concentration. It also
      brings new insights into the efficacy of proteasome inhibitor-based therapy in
      this pathology. 

PMID- 26113546
TI  - A nephrology guide to reading and using systematic reviews of observational
      studies.
AB  - Systematic reviews are an ideal way of summarizing evidence from primary studies.
      While systematic reviews of randomized trials are broadly used to summarize
      benefits and harms of interventions, systematic reviews of observational studies
      are useful to summarize data on prevalence of risk factors in a population,
      distribution of outcomes or associations of different risk factors with outcomes.
      Also, systematic reviews can be useful to clarify potential reasons for
      conflicting data found in primary studies and explore sources of heterogeneity
      (variation in primary study data) to better understand epidemiological data and
      generate hypotheses for candidate interventions to improve outcomes. Summarizing
      data from observational studies in systematic reviews is a powerful tool to
      distil existing prognostic evidence in specific settings and inform patients and
      healthcare providers. In this article, we describe how to critically appraise the
      methods, interpret the results and apply the findings of a systematic review of
      observational (prognostic) studies.

PMID- 26113549
TI  - Research Trends in Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly From 2004 to 2013.
AB  - The purpose of this documentary analysis was to examine trends in research
      published in Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly (APAQ) over a 10-yr span. A
      total of 181 research articles published from 2004 to 2013 were coded and
      analyzed using the following categories: first-author country affiliation,
      theoretical framework, intervention, research methods, disability categories, and
      topical focus. Results indicate high frequencies of nonintervention and group
      design studies, as well as a low frequency of studies that describe a theoretical
      or conceptual framework. Trends in disability of participants and topical focus
      reflect current interests of researchers publishing in APAQ. While some scholars
      have suggested that changes in research on adapted physical activity would occur,
      the results of this analysis suggest that many of these categories remain largely
      unchanged for research published in APAQ. This study calls attention to
      similarities between the results of the current analysis and previous ones. 

PMID- 26113550
TI  - Coaches' Perceptions of Team Cohesion in Paralympic Sports.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate Paralympic coaches' perceptions of
      team cohesion. Seven head coaches of summer and winter Canadian Paralympic sport
      teams participated in the study. Four participants coached individual sports and
      3 coached team sports. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and
      analyzed using thematic analysis. The results addressed the coaches' perceptions
      of cohesion in the Paralympic sport setting and strategies used to foster
      cohesion with their teams. Participants described using techniques and strategies
      for enhancing cohesion that were similar to those in nondisability sport, such as
      task-related activities, goal setting, and regularly communicating with their
      athletes. They also listed how cohesion was distinct to the Paralympic setting,
      such as the importance of interpersonal activities to build social cohesion. The
      implications of these results for coaching athletes with a disability are also
      presented. 

PMID- 26113551
TI  - Application of the Transtheoretical Model to Physical Activity in Deaf
      Individuals.
AB  - The current study used the transtheoretical model (TTM) as a guiding theoretical
      framework to assess differences in processes of change, decisional balance, and
      self-efficacy among deaf individuals with different levels of physical activity.
      Overall, 146 participants (M age = 26.4 yr, SD = 4.28) completed anonymous
      questionnaires assessing the dimensions of the TTM, stages of change, processes
      of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy. Analysis of variance showed
      that both experiential and behavioral processes of change were higher in the
      preparation, action, and maintenance stages than in the other stages.
      Accordingly, the benefits of physical activity participation were stronger in the
      preparation stage, whereas the costs were more evident in the precontemplation
      stage. Finally, self-efficacy at the preparation stage was higher than in the
      other stages. The findings revealed how different stages of physical activity
      participation can be explained through the TTM, and the implications for physical
      activity intervention are discussed. 

PMID- 26113552
TI  - Psychological Preparation for Paralympic Athletes: A Preliminary Study.
AB  - Since the first Paralympics in 1960 there has been an increase in social and
      scientific interest in Paralympic athletes' personality, their preparation, and
      their sport results. During the last 20 yr, researchers and practitioners have
      been focused on psychological-skills programs for athletes with disabilities. The
      purpose of this article was to describe a psychological-preparation program for
      Israeli Paralympic athletes. Two subprograms, the learning-modification
      application approach and the Simulation Training Exercise Program, were adapted
      to athletes' disability and sport demands. Two case studies, from table tennis
      and sailing (Sonar 3-person keelboat), are described to demonstrate how
      systematic sport psychology preparation can be effectively integrated into the
      training process of Paralympic athletes. Some recommendations for Paralympic
      athletes are presented. 

PMID- 26113556
TI  - Private sector must improve customer experience, conference hears.

PMID- 26113553
TI  - Comparing the Well-Being of Para and Olympic Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review.
AB  - This systematic review included 12 studies that compared the well-being of Para
      and Olympic sport athletes. Meta-analyses revealed that Para athletes, compared
      with Olympic sport athletes, had lower levels of self-acceptance, indicated by
      athletic identity, d = 0.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.77, 0.16], and body
      image perceptions, d = 0.33, 95% CI [0.59, 0.07], and differed from Olympic sport
      athletes in terms of their motivation, indicated by a greater mastery-oriented
      climate, d = 0.74, 95% CI [0.46, 1.03]. Given an inability to pool the remaining
      data for meta-analysis, individual standardized mean differences were calculated
      for other dimensions of psychological and subjective well-being. The results have
      implications for professionals and coaches aiming to facilitate the well-being
      needs of athletes under their care. Future research would benefit from
      incorporating established models of well-being based on theoretical rationale
      combined with rigorous study designs.

PMID- 26113558
TI  - Hippocampal Dose With Radiosurgery for Multiple Intracranial Targets: The
      Rationale for Proactive Beam Shaping.
AB  - Stereotactic radiosurgery provides conformal treatment of intracranial lesions,
      but when multiple lesions are treated, cumulative dose to structures such as the
      hippocampi may be increased. We analyzed hippocampal dose for patients treated
      with radiosurgery for multiple brain metastases. We then investigated a means to
      minimize hippocampal dose. We randomly selected 8 patients treated with single
      session, frame-based radiosurgery for 6 to 12 intracranial metastases. Standard
      planning was employed to deliver 16 to 20 Gy to each lesion without hippocampal
      avoidance. Each case was replanned using the software's dynamic shaping function
      to minimize direct beam hippocampal irradiation, while maintaining conformality
      and target coverage. With standard planning, the maximum hippocampal dose varied
      from 0.8 to 9.0 Gy but was >3 Gy only when a lesion was <10 mm from the
      hippocampus. There was no clear correlation between hippocampal dose and the
      number or the total volume of lesions. Replanning with direct beam avoidance
      decreased the mean hippocampal dose by an average of 35% but increased treatment
      time by a mean of 20%. Sparing was most pronounced when the closest lesion was in
      close proximity to the hippocampus. This is the first study reporting hippocampal
      dose for multilesion intracranial radiosurgery. It illustrates that when multiple
      intracranial targets are treated with radiosurgery, substantial hippocampal dose
      can result. Active beam shielding and optimization can lower hippocampal dose,
      especially with lesions <10 mm from the hippocampus. These results raise the
      prospect that the risk of neurocognitive side effects may be further decreased
      with a hippocampal-sparing approach.

PMID- 26113557
TI  - pH-weighted molecular imaging of gliomas using amine chemical exchange saturation
      transfer MRI.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interstitial tissue acidosis resulting from abnormal perfusion and
      metabolism is a hallmark of cancer. The current study demonstrates that chemical
      exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI can be used as a noninvasive pH-weighted
      molecular imaging technique by targeting the chemical exchange between amine
      protons and protons in extracellular bulk water. METHODS: First, the sensitivity
      of amine CEST was validated in phantoms under a variety of conditions, including
      different magnetic field strengths, amino acid concentrations, and pH values.
      Amine CEST was compared with histology in both a preclinical GL261 intracranial
      glioma model at 7T and human patients at 3T. The association between physiologic
      and pH-weighted MRI was explored, along with the ability to predict time to
      progression to radiochemotherapy in 20 glioblastoma patients. RESULTS: z-Spectral
      asymmetry increased at 3 ppm (amine range) on CEST MRI with decreasing pH within
      the range observed in tumors for both 3T and 7T scanners. Lesions with acidic
      signatures showed active tumor and pseudopalisading tumor on histology and showed
      elevated FDOPA PET uptake, lactate on MR spectroscopy, and perfusion
      abnormalities. Patients with acidic lesions after surgery or stable/growing
      acidic lesions had a shorter time to progression following radiochemotherapy
      compared with patients with lesions demonstrating relatively low acidity (P <
      .001). CONCLUSION: Results suggest pH-weighted MRI may provide new insight into
      brain tumor physiology beyond traditional imaging technologies.

PMID- 26113559
TI  - Overexpression of TRIM25 in Lung Cancer Regulates Tumor Cell Progression.
AB  - Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide.
      Although great efforts and progressions have been made in the study of the lung
      cancer in the recent decades, the mechanism of lung cancer formation remains
      elusive. To establish effective therapeutic methods, new targets implied in lung
      cancer processes have to be identified. Tripartite motif-containing 25 has been
      associated with ovarian and breast cancer and is thought to positively promote
      cell growth by targeting the cell cycle. However, whether tripartite motif
      containing 25 has a function in lung cancer development remains unknown. In this
      study, we found that tripartite motif-containing 25 was overexpressed in human
      lung cancer tissues. Expression of tripartite motif-containing 25 in lung cancer
      cells is important for cell proliferation and migration. Knockdown of tripartite
      motif-containing 25 markedly reduced proliferation of lung cancer cells both in
      vitro and in vivo and reduced migration of lung cancer cells in vitro Meanwhile,
      tripartite motif-containing 25 silencing also increased the sensitivity of
      doxorubicin and significantly increased death and apoptosis of lung cancer cells
      by doxorubicin were achieved with knockdown of tripartite motif-containing 25. We
      also observed that tripartite motif-containing 25 formed a complex with p53 and
      mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2) in both human lung cancer tissues and in
      lung cancer cells and tripartite motif-containing 25 silencing increased the
      expression of p53. These results provide evidence that tripartite motif
      containing 25 contributes to the pathogenesis of lung cancer probably by
      promoting proliferation and migration of lung cancer cells. Therefore, targeting
      tripartite motif-containing 25 may provide a potential therapeutic intervention
      for lung cancer.

PMID- 26113560
TI  - A Call to Action to Bring Safer Parenteral Micronutrient Products to the U.S.
      Market.
AB  - The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) started an
      intensive review of commercially available parenteral vitamin and trace element
      (TE) products in 2009. The chief findings were that adult multi-TE products
      currently available in the United States (U.S.) provide potentially toxic amounts
      of manganese, copper, and chromium, and neonatal/pediatric multi-TE products
      provide potentially toxic amounts of manganese and chromium. The multivitamin
      products appeared safe and effective; however, a separate parenteral vitamin D
      product is needed for those patients on standard therapy who continue to be
      vitamin D depleted and are unresponsive to oral supplements. The review process
      also extended to parenteral choline and carnitine. Although choline and carnitine
      are not technically vitamins or trace elements, choline is an essential nutrient
      in all age groups, and carnitine is an essential nutrient in infants, according
      to the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine. A parenteral
      choline product needs to be developed and available. Efforts are currently under
      way to engage the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the parenteral
      nutrient industry so A.S.P.E.N.'s recommendations can become a commercial
      reality. 

PMID- 26113561
TI  - Nutrition Management of Cystic Fibrosis in the 21st Century.
AB  - Despite significant advancements made in life expectancy over the past century,
      cystic fibrosis remains a life-threatening genetic disease that affects the
      gastrointestinal tract, and it has significant impact on the nutrition status of
      those with the disease. Nutrition management includes a high-calorie/high-fat
      diet, pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, vitamin and mineral replacement, and
      enteral support as needed. As patients are living longer, clinicians may
      encounter patients with cystic fibrosis in obstetrician offices, endocrine
      clinics, or hospital settings, owing to lung transplantation or for treatment for
      distal intestinal obstruction syndrome. 

PMID- 26113562
TI  - Enteral Nutrition in Chronic Liver Disease: Translating Evidence Into Practice.
AB  - Malnutrition is prevalent in individuals with chronic liver disease and occurs as
      a result of inadequate nutrient intake, altered metabolism, and malabsorption.
      Although limited data show benefits of enteral nutrition (EN) in this population,
      patients with chronic liver disease often have inadequate oral intake and are
      potential candidates for EN. The goals of the EN, type and severity of liver
      disease, and access for EN will influence the decision to initiate EN. This paper
      summarizes EN studies in patients with liver disease and provides practical tips
      regarding patient selection, EN access, and EN formula choices. Two case studies
      illustrate the principles and challenges of providing EN to patients with
      cirrhosis. The paper concludes with suggested parameters for an EN feeding
      protocol and recommendations for future research. 

PMID- 26113563
TI  - Endovascular treatment of unruptured ophthalmic artery aneurysms: clinical
      usefulness of the balloon occlusion test in predicting vision outcomes after coil
      embolization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endovascular coil embolization for ophthalmic artery (OphA) aneurysms
      has the latent risk of occlusion of the OphA during the procedure, which can lead
      to loss of vision. We report clinical and angiographic results of endovascular
      treatment of OphA aneurysms together with the efficacy of the balloon occlusion
      test (BOT). METHODS: From August 2005 to December 2013, 31 consecutive patients
      with 33 OphA aneurysms were treated in our institution. The patients were
      classified into two groups according to the location of the OphA within the
      aneurysmal sac. The BOT was performed in 28 patients using a hypercompliant
      balloon before endovascular coiling. Collateral circulation between the external
      carotid artery and the OphA was examined and visual function tests were performed
      before and after treatment. Patient demographics, angiographic and clinical
      outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS: Among the 28 patients who underwent the BOT,
      intact collateral circulation was demonstrated in 26 (92.9%) patients and
      complete occlusion of the OphA was obtained in three patients after coiling.
      Retrograde filling of the OphA with choroidoretinal blush was observed on post
      procedural angiography and no specific visual symptoms were reported during the
      follow-up period. Complete embolization was achieved in 30 lesions (96.8%) and
      only five patients (16.1%) had minor recanalization. CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular
      treatment of OphA aneurysms can be performed safely and effectively in
      conjunction with BOT. The BOT may give useful information to predict visual
      outcome in patients whose OphA is likely to be threatened by the coiling
      procedure and to determine the optimal treatment strategy.

PMID- 26113564
TI  - Smokers are more likely to quit as smoking prevalence decreases, study shows.

PMID- 26113565
TI  - Breath of hospitality.
AB  - In this paper we outline the possibilities of an ethic of care based on our self
      affection and subjectivity in the ethical spaces between-two. In this we first
      refer to three Irigarayan concepts - breath, silence and listening from the third
      phase of her philosophy, and discuss them within the methodological framework of
      an ethics of intersubjectivity and interiority. Together with attentiveness, we
      analyse them as four categories of our ethical becoming. Furthermore, we argue
      that self-affection is based on our inchoate receptivity for the needs of the
      other(s) and is thus dialectical in its character. In this we critically confront
      some epistemological views of our ethical becoming. We wind up this paper with a
      proposal for an ethics towards two autonomous subjects, based on care and our
      shared ethical becoming - both as signs of our deepest hospitality towards the
      other.

PMID- 26113567
TI  - Parents, Teach Your Children Well.

PMID- 26113566
TI  - AARC Clinical Practice Guideline: Effectiveness of Pharmacologic Airway Clearance
      Therapies in Hospitalized Patients.
AB  - Aerosolized medications are used as airway clearance therapy to treat a variety
      of airway diseases. These guidelines were developed from a systematic review with
      the purpose of determining whether the use of these medications to promote airway
      clearance improves oxygenation and respiratory mechanics, reduces ventilator time
      and ICU stay, and/or resolves atelectasis/consolidation compared with usual care.
      Recombinant human dornase alfa should not be used in hospitalized adult and
      pediatric patients without cystic fibrosis. The routine use of bronchodilators to
      aid in secretion clearance is not recommended. The routine use of aerosolized N
      acetylcysteine to improve airway clearance is not recommended. Aerosolized agents
      to change mucus biophysical properties or promote airway clearance are not
      recommended for adult or pediatric patients with neuromuscular disease,
      respiratory muscle weakness, or impaired cough. Mucolytics are not recommended to
      treat atelectasis in postoperative adult or pediatric patients, and the routine
      administration of bronchodilators to postoperative patients is not recommended.
      There is no high-level evidence related to the use of bronchodilators,
      mucolytics, mucokinetics, and novel therapy to promote airway clearance in these
      populations. 

PMID- 26113568
TI  - Mechanical Insufflation-Exsufflation: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

PMID- 26113569
TI  - A Paradox Defined?

PMID- 26113570
TI  - Are New Airway Devices for Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy Really Needed?

PMID- 26113571
TI  - Are New Devices for Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy Really Needed? Yes.

PMID- 26113573
TI  - Endovascular repair of proximal para-anastomotic aneurysms after previous open
      abdominal aortic aneurysm reconstruction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety, efficacy and durability of endovascular repair
      for proximal para-anastomotic aneurysms after previous open abdominal aortic
      aneurysms prosthetic reconstruction and share our experience. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed the data of all patients with previous open abdominal
      aortic aneurysms prosthetic reconstruction who underwent endovascular repair for
      proximal para-anastomotic aneurysms between May 2003 and January 2013 in our
      center (Nuremberg South Hospital). Key clinical outcomes included technical
      success rate, peri-operative morbidity and mortality, mid-term complications,
      reinterventions and open conversion rates. RESULTS: Totally, 24 patients of
      proximal para-anastomotic aneurysm were treated by endovascular repair.
      Successful deployments of stent graft were achieved in all patients (100%).
      Median hospital stay was 6.7 days. One patient had minor type Ia endoleak and one
      patient developed wound infection. There were no early open conversions and
      deaths. During a median follow-up of 43 months (range, 7-67 months), computed
      tomography angiography revealed type Ia endoleaks in four patients (16.7%). The
      overall reintervention and open conversion rates during follow-up were 16.7%
      (4/24) and 4.2% (1/24), respectively. Estimates of freedom from reintervention
      were 91.7% at 1 year, 87.1% at 3 years and 80.9% at 5 years. There was
      significant difference in freedom from reintervention between proximal para
      anastomotic aneurysms patients treated with tube and unibody bifurcated stent
      grafts (p = 0.034). The cumulative mortality rate was 12.5% (3/24), actuarial
      analysis for all patients estimated survival rates of 95.8% at 1 year and 87.3%
      at 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Proximal para-anastomotic aneurysms are severe
      complications after abdominal aortic aneurysm open reconstruction. Closer follow
      up and prompt treatment are necessary. Endovascular treatment for proximal para
      anastomotic aneurysms is effective, safe and durable. Unibody bifurcated stent
      graft proved to be suitable for most proximal para-anastomotic aneurysms with
      various anatomical features.

PMID- 26113574
TI  - Protocol for prevention of spinal cord ischemia after thoracoabdominal aortic
      surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This manuscript was written to present a systemic protocol for the
      prevention, early detection, and treatment of spinal cord ischemia following open
      and endovascular thoracoabdominal aortic operations. METHODS: This protocol was a
      collaborative effort between surgeons, anesthesiologists and intensivists. It was
      implemented at our institution in November 2007. Nurses are trained to prevent,
      rapidly detect and ultimately aid in the treatment of spinal cord ischemia.
      RESULTS: Implementation of this protocol has aided in prevention, detection and
      treatment of spinal cord ischemia in patients after open and endovascular
      thoracoabdominal aortic operations. CONCLUSION: Standardized care and reliance on
      trained nursing staff to monitor for symptoms following thoracoabdominal aortic
      operations are safe and aid in the rapid detection, treatment and reversal of
      spinal cord ischemia.

PMID- 26113575
TI  - Fossil fuel companies and climate change: the case for divestment.

PMID- 26113576
TI  - Pakistan authorities trade blame as heatwave deaths exceed 800.

PMID- 26113577
TI  - Protective, elective lung irradiation in non-metastatic Ewing's sarcoma.
AB  - Ewing's sarcoma in childhood is a disease from family of the peripheral primitive
      neuroectodermal tumours. For a period of 16 y (1984-2000), 34 children with
      Ewing's sarcoma were treated and followed in our department. Twenty-seven of
      these patients were without distant metastases. Complex treatment was applied to
      all these patients-chemotherapy VACA (vincristine, actinomycin D,
      cyclophosphamide, adriamycin), local radiotherapy to a total dose of 50-56 Gy +/-
      surgery. After, a local tumour control was achieved in 11 children with non
      metastatic Ewing's sarcoma, elective whole lung irradiation to a total dose of 12
      15 Gy was applied. Our experience in these 11 patients with non-metastatic
      Ewing's sarcoma, in whom elective lung irradiation was applied, showed
      significant reduction in the lung metastases, improved free of disease survival
      and overall survival. The achieved good treatment results necessitate extending
      this treatment approach through defining the risk groups of patients, suitable
      for elective lung radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy in non-metastatic
      Ewing's sarcoma. 

PMID- 26113578
TI  - Internal exposure to uranium in a pooled cohort of gaseous diffusion plant
      workers.
AB  - Intakes and absorbed organ doses were estimated for 29 303 workers employed at
      three former US gaseous diffusion plants as part of a study of cause-specific
      mortality and cancer incidence in uranium enrichment workers. Uranium urinalysis
      data (>600 000 urine samples) were available for 58 % of the pooled cohort.
      Facility records provided uranium gravimetric and radioactivity concentration
      data and allowed estimation of enrichment levels of uranium to which workers may
      have been exposed. Urine data were generally recorded with facility department
      numbers, which were also available in study subjects' work histories. Bioassay
      data were imputed for study subjects with no recorded sample results (33 % of
      pooled cohort) by assigning department average urine uranium concentration.
      Gravimetric data were converted to 24-h uranium activity excretion using
      department average specific activities. Intakes and organ doses were calculated
      assuming chronic exposure by inhalation to a 5-um activity median aerodynamic
      diameter aerosol of soluble uranium. Median intakes varied between 0.31 and 0.74
      Bq d(-1) for the three facilities. Median organ doses for the three facilities
      varied between 0.019 and 0.051, 0.68 and 1.8, 0.078 and 0.22, 0.28 and 0.74, and
      0.094 and 0.25 mGy for lung, bone surface, red bone marrow, kidneys, and liver,
      respectively. Estimated intakes and organ doses for study subjects with imputed
      bioassay data were similar in magnitude. 

PMID- 26113579
TI  - Milestone Survival: A Potential Intermediate Endpoint for Immune Checkpoint
      Inhibitors.
AB  - Recent advancements in cancer immunotherapies offer diverse strategies for cancer
      treatment. Among the most promising approaches is the blockade of immune
      checkpoint molecules to activate antitumor immunity. With targeted
      immunotherapies of new mechanisms of action come greater challenges in study
      design and statistical analysis, as well as the need for refining clinical trial
      endpoints. The long-term survival and delayed clinical effects demonstrated by
      these therapies could result in substantial prolongation of study duration and
      loss of statistical power if these key attributes are not accounted for in the
      study design and statistical analyses. In the Brookings Conference on Clinical
      Cancer Research held in Washington, DC, in November 2013, several intermediate
      clinical endpoints, including milestone overall survival, were proposed for the
      evaluation of cancer immunotherapies to take into account the possibility of
      delayed treatment effect and to better characterize the clinical activity profile
      of such agents, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this manuscript,
      the use of milestone survival is described as a potential efficacy endpoint for
      immune checkpoint inhibitors in late-stage drug development that could
      potentially mitigate the challenge of accelerating the drug development process
      when the strength of this class of agents is derived from long-term follow-up. 

PMID- 26113581
TI  - An unusual cause of febrile hepatitis.
AB  - We describe the case of a 51-year-old man with recently diagnosed ulcerative
      colitis who developed fever and elevated liver enzymes as well as cholestasis a
      few weeks after starting treatment with mesalazine. As no obvious cause was found
      and fever persisted, liver biopsy was performed and revealed granulomatous
      hepatitis. The patient recovered completely after cessation of mesalazine, so
      that a drug-induced granulomatous hepatitis after exclusion of other differential
      diagnoses in an extensive work up was assumed. The present case demonstrates that
      even though drug-induced liver injury due to mesalazine is rare, it should be
      considered in unclear cases and lead to prompt discontinuation of mesalazine. 

PMID- 26113580
TI  - Body Mass Index, PAM50 Subtype, and Outcomes in Node-Positive Breast Cancer:
      CALGB 9741 (Alliance).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity at diagnosis is associated with poor prognosis in women with
      breast cancer, but few reports have been adjusted for treatment factors. METHODS:
      CALGB 9741 was a randomized trial of dose density and sequence of chemotherapy
      for node-positive breast cancer. All patients received doxorubicin,
      cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel, dosed by actual body weight. Height and weight
      at diagnosis were abstracted from patient records, and the PAM50 assay was
      performed from archived specimens using the NanoString platform. Relationships
      between body mass index (BMI), PAM50, and recurrence-free and overall survival
      (RFS and OS) were evaluated using proportional hazards regression, adjusting for
      number of involved nodes, estrogen receptor (ER) status, tumor size, menopausal
      status, drug sequence, and dose density. All statistical tests were two-sided.
      RESULTS: Baseline height and weight were available for 1909 of 2005 enrolled
      patients; 1272 additionally had subtype determination by PAM50. Median baseline
      BMI was 27.4kg/m(2). After 11 years of median follow-up, there were 619 RFS
      events and 543 deaths. Baseline BMI was a statistically significant predictor of
      RFS (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] for each five-unit increase in BMI = 1.08, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] = 1.02 to 1.14, P = .01) and OS (adjusted HR = 1.08, 95%
      CI = 1.01 to 1.14, P = .02) BMI and molecular phenotypes were independent
      prognostic factors for RFS, with no statistically significant interactions
      detected. CONCLUSIONS: BMI at diagnosis was a statistically significant
      prognostic factor in a group of patients receiving optimally dosed chemotherapy.
      Additional research is needed to determine the impact of weight loss on breast
      cancer outcomes and to evaluate whether this impact is maintained across tumor
      subtypes.

PMID- 26113582
TI  - Extensive gluteal haematoma after an intracapsular hip fracture in a patient on
      warfarin.
AB  - We describe a case of a patient on warfarin who developed an extensive haematoma
      after a hip hemiarthroplasty and was successfully treated with embolisation. This
      case highlights the importance of regular haematology input, careful
      consideration of a suitable surgical approach, close monitoring of postoperative
      wounds in patients on warfarin and the emerging role of embolisation. 

PMID- 26113583
TI  - Fulminant amoebic enteritis that developed in the perinatal period.
AB  - We present a case of a 30-year-old postpartum woman who delivered by caesarean
      section at 34 weeks. On postoperative day 9, she was admitted to our hospital in
      shock. Emergency abdominal surgery was performed. Massive purulent ascites
      collected in the abdominal cavity and was associated with intestinal necrosis,
      which extended from the ascending colon to one-third of the descending colon. The
      necrotic lesion was excised, and an artificial anus was constructed at the ileum
      end. A histological finding on the 15th day indicated the possibility of amoebic
      enteritis, and the patient was started on metronidazole therapy. The diarrhoea
      improved dramatically after metronidazole treatment was started. The patient was
      able to walk unassisted on the 45th day and was subsequently discharged. Amoebic
      enteritis has been thought to be epidemic in developing countries, but today, the
      incidence of amoebic enteritis as a sexually transmitted disease is increasing in
      developed countries.

PMID- 26113584
TI  - Paediatric feather duvet hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
AB  - A previously well 12-year-old boy was admitted with a second insidious episode of
      dyspnoea, dry cough, anorexia, weight loss and chest pain. At admission, he had
      an oxygen requirement, significantly impaired lung function and reduced exercise
      tolerance. Initial forced expiratory volume in 1 s was 26%; a 3 min exercise test
      stopped at 1 min 50 when saturations dropped to 85%. CT scan showed ground-glass
      nodularity with lymphadenopathy. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for Pneumocystis
      carinii pneumonia and viruses were negative, and microbiology results for the BAL
      were reported in the absence of histology. This is because at the time the BAL
      samples were collected, a lung biopsy was performed. The biopsy was consistent
      with hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Echo was normal and CT pulmonary angiography
      negative. After taking a thorough history, exposure to feather duvets prior to
      each episode was elicited. IgG of avian precipitants was raised at 10.6 mgA/L
      (normal <10 mgA/L). Clinical improvement began with avoidance of exposure, while
      the boy was an inpatient. Antigen avoidance continued on discharge. He continues
      to improve since discharge. The condition was diagnosed as hypersensitivity
      pneumonitis secondary to exposure to antigens from feather duvets.

PMID- 26113585
TI  - Neuroborreliosis: the Guillain-Barre mimicker.
AB  - A 34-year-old woman presented to the medical admissions unit with progressive
      ascending weakness of her limbs and areflexia. Diagnosis of Guillain-Barre
      syndrome was suspected and she was started on intravenous immunoglobulins. Owing
      to a poor initial response, further exploratory history revealed travel to the
      New Forest and a possible tick bite; subsequent investigations confirmed positive
      serology for antibodies against Borrelia. The patient's weakness improved with
      intravenous ceftriaxone for neuroborreliosis, a manifestation of Lyme disease.
      With inpatient neurorehabilitation, she made good recovery and was able to
      mobilise with a stick from being completely bed bound 6 weeks after completion of
      her antibiotics.

PMID- 26113586
TI  - Giant cell tumour--a very rare differential for a lytic lesion of the medial
      condyle of the humerous.
AB  - Tumours are rare around the elbow joint, and giant cell tumours are especially
      rare in this region. A single case report of a giant cell involving the distal
      humerous was found in the literature and none were found involving the isolated
      medial condyle. We present a rare case of a 22-year-old woman with progressively
      increasing painful swelling in her left elbow over a period of 6 months. A plain
      radiograph revealed an expansile epiphyseometaphyseal, radiolucent lesion in the
      medial end of the distal humerous, with the rim being thin but still intact. The
      MRI of the elbow revealed a solid lesion in the medial aspect of the elbow with
      no breach of cortex. Biopsy of the lesion revealed multinucleated giant cells
      along with mononuclear cells consistent with a diagnosis of giant cell tumour.
      Extended curettage with bone cement was performed through an anterior approach.
      There has been no recurrence of the tumour in 2 years of follow-up; the patient
      has a good range of elbow movements of 20-110 degrees .

PMID- 26113587
TI  - Hodgkin's lymphoma in an adolescent previously treated with surgical resection of
      third ventricular juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma.
AB  - We present a case of a 19-year-old man with cervical lymphadenopathy diagnosed
      with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma 9 years after gross total resection of a third
      ventricular juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma (JPA). Chemotherapy or radiation
      therapy was not a part of his initial JPA treatment. Owing to his two primary
      neoplasms, genetic testing was performed, which revealed heterozygous
      polymorphisms of unknown significance for CDH1 and p53, and negative BRAF
      mutation analysis. Our case reports development of classical Hodgkin's lymphoma
      after JPA in the absence of antecedent radiation and/or chemotherapy, and
      identifiable genetic predisposition.

PMID- 26113588
TI  - A rare case of subcapsular liver haematoma following laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy.
AB  - Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a commonly performed surgical procedure for the
      treatment of symptomatic cholelithiasis. As with all surgical procedures, it
      carries risk, with the most commonly reported complications including infection,
      bile leak and bleeding. One unusual complication is subcapsular liver haematoma,
      the diagnosis presented here. This is a rare occurrence; only a small number of
      cases have been reported in the literature and as yet no conclusive cause or
      management plan has been found. Iatrogenic liver trauma, the use of oral and
      intravenous non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and anticoagulants
      have all been named as possible contributing factors. Particularly, the use of
      ketorolac has been associated with four reported cases of subcapsular haematoma
      following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The case reported here refutes that
      hypothesis, as neither NSAIDs nor anticoagulants were used during the treatment
      of this patient. 

PMID- 26113589
TI  - Nodular trachea: tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica.
AB  - Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TPO) is a rare disorder characterised
      by development of cartilaginous and bony nodules in the trachea. It usually
      affects elderly males with total prevalence of disease reported to be around
      0.1%. Even though multiple theories and associations have been described, the
      exact cause of the disease remains unknown. Its presentation is non-specific with
      many cases being diagnosed incidentally. Chronic cough and dyspnoea are the most
      common presenting symptoms, but some cases may present with severe airway
      compromise. We present a case of a 70-year-old man with IgA lambda multiple
      myeloma, who was diagnosed with TPO by flexible bronchoscopy. 

PMID- 26113590
TI  - Hemosuccus pancreaticus: a rare complication of chronic pancreatitis.
AB  - Hemosuccus pancreaticus is a very rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding and it
      should be considered in every patient with history of chronic pancreatitis who
      presents with acute or intermittent gastrointestinal haemorrhage. A 54-year-old
      man with a history of chronic alcoholic pancreatitis was admitted to hospital for
      an acute exacerbation. During hospital stay, he presented with haematemesis and
      haemodynamic instability. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a blood clot
      on Vater papilla. CT investigation showed a 4 cm cephalopancreatic pseudocyst and
      angiography identified a large pseudoaneurysm of the right gastroepiploic artery,
      bleeding into the pseudocyst-hemosuccus pancreaticus. Microcoil transcatheter
      embolisation was performed with success.

PMID- 26113591
TI  - Osteolipoma of floor of the mouth.
AB  - Lipomas are benign soft tissue tumours composed mainly of mature adipose tissue.
      Histological variants of lipomas have been named according to the type of tissue
      present and they include fibrolipoma, angiolipoma, osteolipoma, chondrolipoma and
      others. Osteolipoma, a classic lipoma with osseous metaplasia, is a very rare
      histological variant. Owing to the rarity of oral osteolipomas, we report an
      uncommon case of osteolipoma located on the floor of the mouth of a 20-year-old
      female patient and include a review of the literature. 

PMID- 26113592
TI  - Spontaneous sphenopalatine pseudoaneurysm: recurrent epistaxis in a patient with
      cryptogenic vasculopathy.
AB  - We present a unique case of recurrent epistaxis secondary to a spontaneous
      sphenopalatine artery aneurysm in a young woman. This was investigated with an
      external carotid artery angiogram and subsequently treated successfully with
      endovascular embolisation of the aneurysm.

PMID- 26113593
TI  - A rare giant tubercle of Zuckerkandl with retrosternal extension encountered
      during total thyroidectomy.

PMID- 26113594
TI  - Xanthogranulomatous oophoritis mimicking malignancy: a diagnostic dilemma.
AB  - Xanthogranulomatous inflammation is a chronic condition in which the affected
      organ is replaced by lipid-filled macrophages with plasma cells, lymphocytes and
      neutrophils. It is very rare in the ovaries. A case of xanthogranulomatous
      oophoritis in a premenopausal multiparous woman presenting with abnormal uterine
      bleeding and adnexal mass whose clinical and imaging findings suggested
      malignancy is reported. 

PMID- 26113595
TI  - Gynaecomastia: an unusual presenting symptom of bladder cancer.
AB  - A 74-year-old man presented to the outpatient clinic with painful gynaecomastia.
      A detailed physical examination to sort out possible causes of the gynaecomastia,
      including intracranial tumour, liver cirrhosis, hyperthyroidism, and adrenal and
      testicular tumour, was negative. No offending agent was found in his medication
      list. A CT scan of the head and ultrasound of the scrotum did not show any mass
      lesion. His serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) and oestradiol
      levels were elevated. A CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis revealed bladder wall
      thickening with soft tissue mass. A cystoscopic biopsy confirmed transitional
      cell carcinoma with muscle invasion. The patient was started on chemotherapy but
      responded poorly. This case report describes the beta-hCG and oestradiol
      secreting transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder presenting as gynaecomastia
      in an older man. 

PMID- 26113596
TI  - Intravenous immunoglobulin for antibody-mediated keratolimbal allograft
      rejection.
AB  - A 33-year-old woman with congenital aniridia presented with decreased vision in
      her right eye. Slit lamp examination revealed diffuse conjunctivalisation of the
      ocular surface with mild subepithelial fibrosis consistent with aniridic
      keratopathy secondary to limbal stem cell deficiency. She underwent limbal stem
      cell transplantation with cadaver donor tissue (keratolimbal allograft (KLAL)
      surgery) and received systemic immunosuppression. Despite optimal combination
      immunosuppressive therapy managed by a renal transplant specialist, 2 weeks after
      the KLAL, the patient developed intractable eye pain, conjunctival injection,
      dilation of the KLAL graft blood vessels and limbal haemorrhages. There were no
      epithelial defects noted. Donor-specific antibody testing was positive, and
      intravenous immunoglobulin therapy was initiated. There was immediate symptomatic
      and objective improvement. Fifteen months postoperatively, the patient's vision
      was 20/400 with a stable corneal epithelium and no evidence of inflammation.

PMID- 26113597
TI  - Getting a handle on complicated migraine.
AB  - We describe a case of a 45-year-old man who presented with a transient syndrome
      consisting of headache with neurological deficits. Neuroimaging including brain
      angiography was normal. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis revealed an elevated
      protein and lymphocytic pleocytosis. The diagnosis of a syndrome of Headache and
      Neurological Deficits with CSF Lymphocytosis (HaNDL) was made after excluding all
      the other possible causes for the patient's presentation. He made an excellent
      recovery following a short course of naproxen sodium. 

PMID- 26113598
TI  - Vasotropic light-chain amyloidosis and ischaemic cholangiopathy.
AB  - A 75-year-old woman was incidentally found to have deranged liver function tests
      (LFTs). She was well, apart from 2 years of dyspnoea. Investigations had revealed
      atrial fibrillation and a right pleural effusion, without identified aetiology.
      On examination, the only finding was a palpable liver edge. Initial blood and
      ultrasound screening suggested no cause. The patient underwent liver biopsy.
      Microscopy showed kappa-immunoglobulin light chains deposited exclusively in
      portal tracts, within blood vessel and bile duct walls. This pattern, although
      unusual, raised the possibility of kappa-light chain disease. Serum
      electrophoresis was normal, as were serum immunoglobulin values. Serum
      concentrations of kappa-light chains were elevated and microscopy of aspirated
      bone marrow found light-chain deposits with 10% plasmacytosis. Serum amyloid P
      (SAP) scintigraphy demonstrated splenic uptake. Myeloma, kappa-light chain, with
      light-chain amyloidosis was diagnosed. The patient has responded well to
      cyclophosphamide, bortazomib and dexamethasone chemotherapy, and her LFTs are now
      nearly normal.

PMID- 26113599
TI  - Kozhikode doctors plan court action over claims by homeopaths.

PMID- 26113600
TI  - 15 YEARS OF PARAGANGLIOMA: The association of pituitary adenomas and
      phaeochromocytomas or paragangliomas.
AB  - The combination of pituitary adenomas (PA) and phaeochromocytomas (phaeo) or
      paragangliomas (PGL) is a rare event. Although these endocrine tumours may occur
      together by coincidence, there is mounting evidence that, in at least some cases,
      classical phaeo/PGL-predisposing genes may also play a role in pituitary
      tumorigenesis. A new condition that we termed '3Pas' for the association of PA
      with phaeo and/or PGL was recently described in patients with succinate
      dehydrogenase mutations and PAs. It should also be noted that the classical
      tumour suppressor gene, MEN1 that is the archetype of the PA-predisposing genes,
      is also rarely associated with phaeos in both mice and humans with MEN1 defects.
      In this report, we review the data leading to the discovery of 3PAs, other
      associations linking PAs with phaeos and/or PGLs, and the corresponding clinical
      and molecular genetics. 

PMID- 26113601
TI  - Non-small cell lung cancer cell survival crucially depends on functional insulin
      receptors.
AB  - Insulin plays an important role as a growth factor and its contribution to tumor
      proliferation is intensely discussed. It acts via the cognate insulin receptor
      (IR) but can also activate the IGF1 receptor (IGF1R). Apart from increasing
      proliferation, insulin might have additional effects in lung cancer. Therefore,
      we investigated insulin action and effects of IR knockdown (KD) in three (NCI
      H292, NCI-H226 and NCI-H460) independent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell
      lines. All lung cancer lines studied were found to express IR, albeit with marked
      differences in the ratio of the two variants IR-A and IR-B. Insulin activated the
      classical signaling pathway with IR autophosphorylation and Akt phosphorylation.
      Moreover, activation of MAPK was observed in H292 cells, accompanied by enhanced
      proliferation. Lentiviral shRNA IR KD caused strong decrease in survival of all
      three lines, indicating that the effects of insulin in lung cancer go beyond
      enhancing proliferation. Unspecific effects were ruled out by employing further
      shRNAs and different insulin-responsive cells (human pre-adipocytes) for
      comparison. Caspase assays demonstrated that IR KD strongly induced apoptosis in
      these lung cancer cells, providing the physiological basis of the rapid cell
      loss. In search for the underlying mechanism, we analyzed alterations in the gene
      expression profile in response to IR KD. A strong induction of certain cytokines
      (e.g. IL20 and tumour necrosis factor) became obvious and it turned out that
      these cytokines trigger apoptosis in the NSCLC cells tested. This indicates a
      novel role of IR in tumor cell survival via suppression of pro-apoptotic
      cytokines. 

PMID- 26113602
TI  - Development of pheochromocytoma in ceramide synthase 2 null mice.
AB  - Pheochromocytoma (PCC) and paraganglioma are rare neuroendocrine tumors of the
      adrenal medulla and sympathetic and parasympathetic paraganglia, for which
      mutations in ~15 disease-associated genes have been identified. We now document
      the role of an additional gene in mice, the ceramide synthase 2 (CerS2) gene.
      CerS2, one of six mammalian CerS, synthesizes ceramides with very-long (C22-C24)
      chains. The CerS2 null mouse has been well characterized and displays lesions in
      several organs including the liver, lung and the brain. We now demonstrate that
      changes in the sphingolipid acyl chain profile of the adrenal gland lead to the
      generation of adrenal medullary tumors. Histological analyses revealed that about
      half of the CerS2 null mice developed PCC by ~13 months, and the rest showed
      signs of medullary hyperplasia. Norepinephrine and normetanephrine levels in the
      urine were elevated at 7 months of age consistent with the morphological
      abnormalities found at later ages. Accumulation of ceroid in the X-zone was
      observed as early as 2 months of age and as a consequence, older mice displayed
      elevated levels of lysosomal cathepsins, reduced proteasome activity and reduced
      activity of mitochondrial complex IV by 6 months of age. Together, these findings
      implicate an additional pathway that can lead to PCC formation, which involves
      alterations in the sphingolipid acyl chain length. Analysis of the role of
      sphingolipids in PCC may lead to further understanding of the mechanism by which
      PCC develops, and might implicate the sphingolipid pathway as a possible novel
      therapeutic target for this rare tumor. 

PMID- 26113603
TI  - Fine mapping of the uterine leiomyoma locus on 1q43 close to a lncRNA in the RGS7
      FH interval.
AB  - Mutations in fumarate hydratase (FH) on chromosome 1q43 cause a rare cancer
      syndrome, hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC), but are rare
      in nonsyndromic and common uterine leiomyoma (UL) or fibroids. Studies suggested
      that variants in FH or in a linked gene may also predispose to UL. We re
      sequenced 2.3 Mb of DNA spanning FH in 96 UL cases and controls from the
      multiethnic NIEHS-uterine fibroid study, and in 18 HLRCC-associated UL probands
      from European families then selected 221 informative SNPs for follow-up
      genotyping. We report promising susceptibility associations with UL peaking at
      rs78220092 (P=7.0*10(-5)) in the RGS7-FH interval in African Americans. In race
      combined analyses and in meta-analyses (n=916), we identified promising
      associations with risk peaking upstream of a non-protein coding RNA (lncRNA)
      locus located in the RGS7-FH interval closer to RGS7, and associations with tumor
      size peaking in the distal phospholipase D family, member 5 (PLD5) gene at
      rs2654879 (P=1.7*10(-4)). We corroborated previously reported FH mutations in
      nine out of the 18 HLRCC-associated UL cases and identified two missense
      mutations in FH in only two nonsyndromic UL cases and one control. Our fine
      association mapping and integration of existing gene profiling data showing
      upregulated expression of the lncRNA and downregulation of PLD5 in fibroids, as
      compared to matched myometrium, suggest a potential role of this genomic region
      in UL pathogenesis. While the identified variations at 1q43 represent a potential
      risk locus for UL, future replication analyses are required to substantiate our
      observation. 

PMID- 26113604
TI  - A nude mouse model of obesity to study the mechanisms of resistance to aromatase
      inhibitors.
AB  - Obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer progression. Breast cancer patients
      who are overweight or obese or have excess abdominal fat have an increased risk
      of local or distant recurrence and cancer-related death. Hormone depletion
      therapies can also cause weight gain, exacerbating the risk for these patients.
      To understand the effect of obesity on hormone-dependent human breast cancer
      tumors, we fed ovariectomized athymic nude mice a diet containing 45% kcal fat
      and 17% kcal sucrose (high fat sucrose diet (HFSD)), 10% kcal fat (low fat diet
      (LFD)), or a standard chow diet (chow). The mice fed the HFSD developed metabolic
      abnormalities consistent with the development of obesity such as weight gain,
      high fasting blood glucose, and impaired glucose tolerance. These mice also
      developed hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. The obese mice also had a
      higher tumor growth rate compared to the lean mice. Furthermore, the obese mice
      showed a significantly reduced responsiveness to letrozole. To understand the
      role of obesity in this reduced responsiveness, we examined the effect of insulin
      on the growth of MCF-7Ca cells in response to estrogen or letrozole. The presence
      of insulin rendered MCF-7Ca cells less responsive to estrogen and letrozole.
      Exogenous insulin treatment of MCF-7Ca cells also resulted in increased p-Akt as
      well as ligand-independent phosphorylation of ERalpha. These findings suggest
      that diet-induced obesity may result in reduced responsiveness of tumors to
      letrozole due to the development of hyperinsulinemia. We conclude that obesity
      influences the response and resistance of breast cancer tumors to aromatase
      inhibitor treatment. 

PMID- 26113605
TI  - 15 YEARS OF PARAGANGLIOMA: Metabolism and pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma.
AB  - The discovery of SDHD as a pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma susceptibility gene was
      the prismatic event that led to all of the subsequent work highlighting the key
      roles played by mitochondria in the pathogenesis of these tumors and other solid
      cancers. Alterations in the function of tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes can
      cause accumulation of intermediate substrates and subsequent changes in cell
      metabolism, activation of the angiogenic pathway, increased reactive oxygen
      species production, DNA hypermethylation, and modification of the tumor
      microenvironment favoring tumor growth and aggressiveness. The elucidation of
      these tumorigenic mechanisms should lead to novel therapeutic targets for the
      treatment of the most aggressive forms of pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma. 

PMID- 26113606
TI  - 15 YEARS OF PARAGANGLIOMA: Genetics and mechanism of pheochromocytoma
      paraganglioma syndromes characterized by germline SDHB and SDHD mutations.
AB  - Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL) are rare neuroendocrine neoplasms
      that derive from small paraganglionic tissues which are located from skull base
      to the pelvic floor. Genetic predisposition plays an important role in
      development of PPGLs. Since the discovery of first mutations in the succinate
      dehydrogenase D (SDHD) gene, which encodes the smallest subunit of mitochondrial
      complex II (SDH), genetic studies have revealed a major role for mutations in SDH
      subunit genes, primarily in SDHB and SDHD, in predisposition to both familial and
      non-familial PPGLs. SDH-mutated PPGLs show robust expression of hypoxia induced
      genes, and genomic and histone hypermethylation. These effects occur in part
      through succinate-mediated inhibition of alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent
      dioxygenases. However, details of mechanisms by which SDH mutations activate
      hypoxic pathways and trigger subsequent neoplastic transformation remain poorly
      understood. Here, we present a brief review of the genetic and mechanistic
      aspects of SDH-mutated PPGLs. 

PMID- 26113607
TI  - The state-of-play and future of platinum drugs.
AB  - The year 2015 marks the 50th anniversary since the discovery of the anticancer
      potential of cisplatin and it remains just as useful now as it did back then,
      especially for the treatment of some endocrine-related cancers like ovarian and
      testicular carcinomas. Since its discovery, five other platin drugs have received
      approval in various countries. While several new platin drugs are in preclinical
      development, in the last decade only two new platin drugs have entered clinical
      trials, LA-12 and dicycloplatin, reflecting a shift in research focus from new
      drug design to improved formulations of already approved platin drugs. These
      formulations include their encapsulation with macrocycles to slow and prevent
      their degradation by proteins and peptides; their attachment to nanoparticles to
      passively target solid tumours through the enhanced permeability and retention
      effect and their coordination to important nutrients, proteins, antibodies and
      aptamers for active tumour targeting. These formulation methods have all shown
      potential but none have yet yielded a new marketable medicine containing a platin
      drug. The reasons for this are problems of consistent drug loading, controlling
      the location and timing of drug release and the inherent toxicity of some of the
      drug delivery vehicles. In addition to drug delivery, functional genomics is now
      playing an increasing role in predicting patients' responses to platin
      chemotherapy and their likelihood of experiencing severe side effects. 

PMID- 26113608
TI  - Characteristics and treatment of patients with G3 gastroenteropancreatic
      neuroendocrine neoplasms.
AB  - Data on gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) G3 (well
      differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NET G3) and neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC))
      are limited. We retrospectively study patients with NET G3 and NEC from eight
      European centers. Data examined included clinical and pathological
      characteristics at diagnosis, therapies and outcomes. Two hundred and four
      patients were analyzed (37 NET G3 and 167 NEC). Median age was 64 (21-89) years.
      Tumor origin included pancreas (32%) and colon-rectum (27%). The primary tumor
      was resected in 82 (40%) patients. Metastatic disease was evident at diagnosis in
      88% (liver metastases: 67%). Median Ki-67 index was 70% (30% in NET G3 and 80% in
      NEC; P<0.001). Median overall survival (OS) for all patients was 23 (95% CI: 18
      28) months and significantly higher in NET G3 (99 vs 17 months in NEC; HR=8.3;
      P<0.001). Platinum-etoposide first line chemotherapy was administered in 113
      (68%) NEC and 12 (32%) NET G3 patients. Disease control rate and progression free
      survival (PFS) were significantly higher in NEC compared to NET G3 (P<0.05),
      whereas OS was significantly longer in NET G3 (P=0.003). Second- and third-line
      therapies (mainly FOLFIRI and FOLFOX) were given in 79 and 39 of NEC patients;
      median PFS and OS were 3.0 and 7.6 months respectively after second-line and 2.5
      and 6.2 months after third-line chemotherapy. In conclusion, NET G3 and NEC are
      characterized by significant differences in Ki-67 index and outcomes. While
      platinum-based chemotherapy is effective in NEC, it seems to have limited value
      in NET G3. 

PMID- 26113610
TI  - Identification of occult tumors by whole-specimen mapping in solitary papillary
      thyroid carcinoma.
AB  - We undertook this study to estimate an accurate incidence and spread patterns of
      occult papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in patients with a preoperative
      diagnosis of solitary PTC by using whole-specimen mapping of all specimens after
      a total thyroidectomy. Enrolled prospectively in this whole-thyroid mapping study
      are 82 consecutive patients who underwent a total thyroidectomy under a
      preoperative diagnosis of solitary PTC. All thyroidectomy specimens were serially
      sectioned in 2 mm thickness and whole-thyroid mapping was carried out for
      additional foci of occult PTC. The frequencies of occult lesions detected in the
      whole and contralateral lobe were determined, and clinicopathologic factors
      associated with multifocality were assessed. Whole-thyroid mapping revealed 66
      occult PTC lesions missed by preoperative ultrasound in 37 (45.1%) of the 82
      patients. The great majority (92.5%) of the occult PTC was smaller than 3 mm in
      size and 25 patients (30.5%) had contralateral lesions. We found that the male
      sex was an independent predictor of multifocality (odds ratio (OR), 3.00; 95% CI,
      1.11-8.14), adjusting for preoperative findings. Analysis with pathologic
      parameters showed that the male sex (OR, 5.03; 95% CI, 1.68-15.08) and
      extrathyroidal extensions (OR, 3.03; 95% CI, 1.03-8.95) were associated with
      multifocal PTC. However, none of the clinicopathologic factors evaluated
      predicted contralateral PTC. Our study demonstrates the diagnostic limitations of
      ultrasound for the detection of multifocal PTC and the need to consider the
      possibility of occult lesions in the management of solitary PTC, especially in
      male patients. 

PMID- 26113609
TI  - mPGES-1 in prostate cancer controls stemness and amplifies epidermal growth
      factor receptor-driven oncogenicity.
AB  - There is evidence that an inflammatory microenvironment is associated with the
      development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa), although the determinants
      of intrinsic inflammation in PCa cells are not completely understood. Here we
      investigated whether expression of intrinsic microsomal PGE synthase-1 (mPGES-1)
      enhanced aggressiveness of PCa cells and might be critical for epidermal growth
      factor receptor (EGFR)-mediated tumour progression. In PCa, overexpression of
      EGFR promotes metastatic invasion and correlates with a high Gleason score, while
      prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) has been reported to modulate oncogenic EGFR-driven
      oncogenicity. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that mPGES-1 in human prostate
      tissues is correlated with EGFR expression in advanced tumours. In DU145 and PC-3
      cell lines expressing mPGES-1 (mPGES-1(SC) cells), we demonstrate that silencing
      or 'knock down' of mPGES-1 (mPGES-1(KD)) or pharmacological inhibition by MF63
      strongly attenuates overall oncogenic drive. Indeed, mPGES-1(SC) cells express
      stem-cell-like features (high CD44, beta1-integrin, Nanog and Oct4 and low CD24
      and alpha6-integrin) as well as mesenchymal transition markers (high vimentin,
      high fibronectin, low E-cadherin). They also show increased capacity to survive
      irrespective of anchorage condition, and overexpress EGFR compared to mPGES-1(KD)
      cells. mPGES-1 expression correlates with increased in vivo tumour growth and
      metastasis. Although EGFR inhibition reduces mPGES-1(SC) and mPGES-1(KD) cell
      xenograft tumour growth, we show that mPGES-1/PGE2 signalling sensitizes tumour
      cells to EGFR inhibitors. We propose mPGES-1 as a possible new marker of tumour
      aggressiveness in PCa. 

PMID- 26113612
TI  - Histologic, Clinical, and Radiologic Findings of Alveolar Bone Expansion and
      Osteomyelitis of the Jaws in Cats.
AB  - The objective of this study was to characterize clinical, radiologic, and
      histologic patterns of alveolar bone expansion and osteomyelitis in cats. Based
      on case materials submitted as surgical biopsy specimens, alveolar bone pathology
      was diagnosed in 28 cats. These cats had a total of 37 oral lesions with clinical
      and radiologic changes that involved bone and/or teeth, including periodontitis,
      bone expansion, tooth resorption, and/or chronic osteomyelitis; 32 lesions were
      evaluated by histopathology. Canine teeth were affected in 19 cats (27 affected
      teeth), with bilateral lesions in 5 (26.3%) cats. The caudal premolar and/or
      molar regions were affected in 10 cats (10 affected sites). All biopsy sites
      evaluated by a review of clinical images and/or radiographs had evidence of
      periodontitis. Clinical photographs showed expansion of alveolar bone in 13 of 16
      (81%) biopsy sites evaluated. Radiologically, rarifying osseous proliferation of
      alveolar bone was seen at 26 of 27 (96%) biopsy sites, and tooth resorption
      occurred at 15 of 18 (83%) sites. Histologically, the tissue samples from canine
      sites had compressed trabeculae of mature remodeled bone, loose fibrous stroma
      with paucicellular inflammation, and mild proliferation of woven bone. Tissue
      samples from the premolar/molar biopsy sites were often highly cellular with
      mixed lymphoplasmacytic and chronic suppurative inflammation, ulceration with
      granulation tissue, and robust proliferation of woven bone. Alveolar bone
      expansion and osteomyelitis in cats occurs in conjunction with periodontal
      inflammation and frequently with tooth resorption. 

PMID- 26113611
TI  - Endocrine Pancreas in Cats With Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - Pancreatic amyloidosis and loss of alpha and beta cells have been shown to occur
      in cats with diabetes mellitus, although the number of studies currently
      available is very limited. Furthermore, it is not known whether pancreatic islet
      inflammation is a common feature. The aims of the present study were to
      characterize islet lesions and to investigate whether diabetic cats have
      inflammation of the pancreatic islets. Samples of pancreas were collected
      postmortem from 37 diabetic and 20 control cats matched for age, sex, breed, and
      body weight. Histologic sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and
      Congo red; double labeled for insulin/CD3, insulin/CD20, insulin/myeloperoxidase,
      insulin/proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and glucagon/Ki67; and single labeled
      for amylin and Iba1. Mean insulin-positive cross-sectional area was approximately
      65% lower in diabetic than control cats (P = .009), while that of amylin and
      glucagon was similar. Surprisingly, amyloid deposition was similar between groups
      (P = .408). Proliferation of insulin- and glucagon-positive cells and the number
      of neutrophils, macrophages, and T (CD3) and B (CD20) lymphocytes in the islets
      did not differ. The presence of T and B lymphocytes combined tended to be more
      frequent in diabetic cats (n = 8 of 37; 21.6%) than control cats (n = 1 of 20;
      5.0%). The results confirm previous observations that loss of beta cells but not
      alpha cells occurs in diabetic cats. Islet amyloidosis was present in diabetic
      cats but was not greater than in controls. A subset of diabetic cats had
      lymphocytic infiltration of the islets, which might be associated with beta-cell
      loss. 

PMID- 26113613
TI  - Characterization of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Isolate US/Iowa/18984/2013
      Infection in 1-Day-Old Cesarean-Derived Colostrum-Deprived Piglets.
AB  - Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) was first recognized in North America in
      April 2013 and has since caused devastating disease. The objective of this study
      was to characterize disease and viral detection associated with an original North
      American PEDV isolate inoculated in neonatal piglets. Thirty-six 1-day-old
      cesarean-derived and colostrum-deprived piglets were randomly assigned to the
      control (n = 16) or challenged group (n = 20); the latter were orogastrically
      inoculated with 1 ml of US/Iowa/18984/2013 PEDV isolate titered at 1 * 10(3)
      plaque-forming units per milliliter. Rectal swabs were collected from all piglets
      prior to inoculation and every 12 hours postinoculation (hpi) thereafter, with 4
      control and 5 challenged piglets euthanized at 12, 24, 48, and 72 hpi. One piglet
      had a positive real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction test on rectal
      swab at 12 hpi, and all remaining piglets were positive thereafter, with highest
      viral quantities detected at 24 and 36 hpi. Diarrhea was evident in 30% and 100%
      of challenged piglets at 18 and 24 hpi, respectively. Viral antigen was detected
      in enterocytes by immunohistochemistry in the duodenum and ileum of piglets
      euthanized at 12 hpi and was apparent throughout the small intestine of all
      piglets thereafter, with villus height:crypt depth ratios consistently below 4:1.
      Viremia was confirmed in 18 of 20 pigs at euthanasia. Clinical disease was severe
      and developed rapidly following infection with an original North American PEDV
      isolate, with lesions, viremia, and antigen detection possible by 12 hpi. 

PMID- 26113615
TI  - Silent broken heart (Can shortness of breath be the only presentation of
      myocardial infarction?).
AB  - A 55-year-old previously healthy man was referred to our cardiology outpatient
      department (by the respiratory team) due to shortness of breath that started 2-3
      months prior. He suddenly became breathless after changing a car wheel with no
      other associated symptoms. Specifically, he denied ever having had chest pain.
      His breathlessness got gradually worse preventing him from performing simple
      everyday activities, such as climbing stairs, and a couple of weeks before
      presentation, the patient noticed ankle oedema. He was an ex-smoker and drank 3-4
      units of alcohol daily. There was a family history of hypertension. He worked as
      a contract manager in the construction industry. After clinical examination, a
      transthoracic echocardiogram was performed and the patient was admitted for
      further investigations. Clinical examination and investigation confirmed missed
      myocardial infarction with a complication of ventricular aneurysm. The patient
      was referred to cardiothoracic surgeons for surgical correction of the defect.

PMID- 26113614
TI  - Externalizing proneness and brain response during pre-cuing and viewing of
      emotional pictures.
AB  - Externalizing proneness, or trait disinhibition, is a concept relevant to
      multiple high-impact disorders involving impulsive-aggressive behavior. Its
      mechanisms remain disputed: major models posit hyperresponsive reward circuitry
      or heightened threat-system reactivity as sources of disinhibitory tendencies.
      This study evaluated alternative possibilities by examining relations between
      trait disinhibition and brain reactivity during preparation for and processing of
      visual affective stimuli. Forty females participated in a functional neuroimaging
      procedure with stimuli presented in blocks containing either pleasurable or
      aversive pictures interspersed with neutral, with each picture preceded by a
      preparation signal. Preparing to view elicited activation in regions including
      nucleus accumbens, whereas visual regions and bilateral amygdala were activated
      during viewing of emotional pictures. High disinhibition predicted reduced
      nucleus accumbens activation during preparation within pleasant/neutral picture
      blocks, along with enhanced amygdala reactivity during viewing of pleasant and
      aversive pictures. Follow-up analyses revealed that the augmented amygdala
      response was related to reduced preparatory activation. Findings indicate that
      participants high in disinhibition are less able to process implicit cues and
      mentally prepare for upcoming stimuli, leading to limbic hyperreactivity during
      processing of actual stimuli. This outcome is helpful for integrating findings
      from studies suggesting reward-system hyperreactivity and others suggesting
      threat-system hyperreactivity as mechanisms for externalizing proneness.

PMID- 26113616
TI  - Activation of the Endogenous Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System or Aldosterone
      Administration Increases Urinary Exosomal Sodium Channel Excretion.
AB  - Urinary exosomes secreted by multiple cell types in the kidney may participate in
      intercellular signaling and provide an enriched source of kidney-specific
      proteins for biomarker discovery. Factors that alter the exosomal protein content
      remain unknown. To determine whether endogenous and exogenous hormones modify
      urinary exosomal protein content, we analyzed samples from 14 mildly hypertensive
      patients in a crossover study during a high-sodium (HS, 160 mmol/d) diet and low
      sodium (LS, 20 mmol/d) diet to activate the endogenous renin-angiotensin
      aldosterone system. We further analyzed selected exosomal protein content in a
      separate cohort of healthy persons receiving intravenous aldosterone (0.7 MUg/kg
      per hour for 10 hours) versus vehicle infusion. The LS diet increased plasma
      renin activity and aldosterone concentration, whereas aldosterone infusion
      increased only aldosterone concentration. Protein analysis of paired urine
      exosome samples by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based
      multidimensional protein identification technology detected 2775 unique proteins,
      of which 316 exhibited significantly altered abundance during LS diet. Sodium
      chloride cotransporter (NCC) and alpha- and gamma-epithelial sodium channel
      (ENaC) subunits from the discovery set were verified using targeted multiple
      reaction monitoring mass spectrometry quantified with isotope-labeled peptide
      standards. Dietary sodium restriction or acute aldosterone infusion similarly
      increased urine exosomal gammaENaC[112-122] peptide concentrations nearly 20
      fold, which correlated with plasma aldosterone concentration and urinary Na/K
      ratio. Urine exosomal NCC and alphaENaC concentrations were relatively unchanged
      during these interventions. We conclude that urinary exosome content is altered
      by renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activation. Urinary measurement of
      exosomal gammaENaC[112-122] concentration may provide a useful biomarker of ENaC
      activation in future clinical studies. 

PMID- 26113617
TI  - Doctors and scientists urge Wellcome Trust to divest from fossil fuels.

PMID- 26113621
TI  - Don't ignore home grown medical systems.

PMID- 26113618
TI  - Genetic structure of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) in the Old World reveals
      a strong differentiation between eastern and western populations.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Date palms (Phoenix dactylifera, Arecaceae) are of great
      economic and ecological value to the oasis agriculture of arid and semi-arid
      areas. However, despite the availability of a large date palm germplasm spreading
      from the Atlantic shores to Southern Asia, improvement of the species is being
      hampered by a lack of information on global genetic diversity and population
      structure. In order to contribute to the varietal improvement of date palms and
      to provide new insights on the influence of geographic origins and human activity
      on the genetic structure of the date palm, this study analysed the diversity of
      the species. METHODS: Genetic diversity levels and population genetic structure
      were investigated through the genotyping of a collection of 295 date palm
      accessions ranging from Mauritania to Pakistan using a set of 18 simple sequence
      repeat (SSR) markers and a plastid minisatellite. KEY RESULTS: Using a Bayesian
      clustering approach, the date palm genotypes can be structured into two different
      gene pools: the first, termed the Eastern pool, consists of accessions from Asia
      and Djibouti, whilst the second, termed the Western pool, consists of accessions
      from Africa. These results confirm the existence of two ancient gene pools that
      have contributed to the current date palm diversity. The presence of admixed
      genotypes is also noted, which points at gene flows between eastern and western
      origins, mostly from east to west, following a human-mediated diffusion of the
      species. CONCLUSIONS: This study assesses the distribution and level of genetic
      diversity of accessible date palm resources, provides new insights on the
      geographic origins and genetic history of the cultivated component of this
      species, and confirms the existence of at least two domestication origins.
      Furthermore, the strong genetic structure clearly established here is a
      prerequisite for any breeding programme exploiting the effective polymorphism
      related to each gene pool.

PMID- 26113622
TI  - Vapor Store Owner Beliefs and Messages to Customers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is becoming increasingly
      popular but little is known about the role of the local vapor store in promoting
      use and influencing customer attitudes and beliefs about vaping. METHODS: Thirty
      three vapor store owners were interviewed about their personal beliefs and
      attitudes about e-cigarettes and what they told customers about the health impact
      of using e-cigarettes. Interviews were recorded then transcribed, coded, and
      analyzed for themes. RESULTS: Vapor store owners used the internet to obtain
      information about vaping, most often from YouTube and industry sources. Owners
      often did not have the training to critically evaluate research studies posted on
      the internet. Owners promoted vaping as a healthier alternative to smoking and
      often compared it to a medical treatment. Owners considered ingredients in the e
      liquid as safe to use if it was safe to eat and discussed other foods vapor
      ingredients were found in. Owners also discussed the safety of secondhand vapor.
      Owners described the health impact of nicotine in e-liquid by comparing nicotine
      to caffeine and promoted the nicotine in e-liquid as coming from vegetables
      rather than tobacco. Finally, owners talked about vaping as a habit rather than a
      continued addiction to nicotine. CONCLUSIONS: Local store owners are an important
      source of health information for current and potential e-cigarette users but
      their messages to customers may be based on incomplete or misinterpreted
      information. Understanding local store owner messages to customers in addition to
      internet-based messages is an important area for future public health research.

PMID- 26113620
TI  - Hippocampal Shape Abnormalities Predict Symptom Progression in Neuroleptic-Free
      Youth at Ultrahigh Risk for Psychosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hippocampal abnormalities have been widely studied in schizophrenia
      spectrum populations including those at ultrahigh risk (UHR) for psychosis. There
      have been inconsistent findings concerning hippocampal morphology prior to and
      during the transition to psychosis, and little is known about how specific
      subregions are related to the symptom progression. METHODS: A total of 80
      participants (38 UHR and 42 healthy controls) underwent a 3T MRI scan, as well as
      structured clinical interviews. Shape analysis of hippocampi was conducted with
      FSL/FIRST vertex analysis to yield a localized measure of shape differences
      between groups. A subgroup of the sample (24 UHR and 24 controls) also returned
      for a 12-month clinical follow-up assessment. RESULTS: The UHR group exhibited
      smaller hippocampal volumes bilaterally, and shape analysis revealed significant
      inversion in the left ventral posterior hippocampus in the UHR group. Greater
      inversion in this subregion was related to elevated symptomatology at baseline
      and increased positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and impaired tolerance to
      normal stress 12 months later. These results did not hold when left hippocampal
      volume was used as a predictor instead. DISCUSSION: This represents the first
      study to use vertex analysis in a UHR sample and results suggest that
      abnormalities in hippocampal shape appear to reflect underlying pathogenic
      processes driving the progression of illness. These findings suggest that
      examining shape and volume may provide an important new perspective for our
      conception of brain alterations in the UHR period.

PMID- 26113624
TI  - Hazy filling defect on coronary angiography: insights from optical coherence
      tomography.

PMID- 26113625
TI  - A 56 year old woman with syncope, weakness, and refractory hypotension.

PMID- 26113626
TI  - Will NICE guidance for employers improve workers' mental health?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
      has published guidance for employers on promoting mental wellbeing. A national
      audit in 2011 found wide variation between English National Health Service (NHS)
      trusts (organizations providing health care) in the implementation of this
      guidance, but it is not known whether fuller compliance with the guidance results
      in improved mental wellbeing of staff. AIMS: To explore whether there is an
      association between implementation of NICE guidance on mental wellbeing by NHS
      trusts in England and mental health outcomes as reported by staff. METHODS: A
      cross-sectional analysis relating mental health outcomes by trust from the NHS
      staff surveys in 2009 and 2010 to findings from the 2011 audit of compliance with
      NICE guidelines. RESULTS: NHS staff survey scores for mental health were
      significantly poorer in mental health and ambulance trusts than in acute trusts
      and mental health problems were significantly more frequent in London than in
      most other areas of England. Mental health scores tended to be better in trusts
      where the audit showed that staff health and wellbeing was a regular board agenda
      item, although not significantly so. There was no indication of better scores in
      trusts with policies on mental wellbeing or those that provided psychological
      therapies for staff. CONCLUSIONS: No clear relationship was found between
      implementation of the NICE guidance and self-reported mental health outcomes.
      There are several possible explanations for this finding which require further
      exploration.

PMID- 26113627
TI  - Use of Feedback-Oriented Online Exercises to Help Physiology Students Construct
      Well-Organized Answers to Short-Answer Questions.
AB  - Postsecondary education often requires students to use higher-order cognitive
      skills (HOCS) such as analysis, evaluation, and creation as they assess
      situations and apply what they have learned during lecture to the formulation of
      solutions. Summative assessment of these abilities is often accomplished using
      short-answer questions (SAQs). Quandary was used to create feedback-oriented
      interactive online exercises to help students strengthen certain HOCS as they
      actively constructed answers to questions concerning the regulation of 1)
      metabolic rate, 2) blood sugar, 3) erythropoiesis, and 4) stroke volume. Each
      exercise began with a SAQ presenting an endocrine dysfunction or a physiological
      challenge; students were prompted to answer between six and eight multiple-choice
      questions while building their answer to the SAQ. Student outcomes on the SAQ
      sections of summative exams were compared before and after the introduction of
      the online tool and also between subgroups of students within the posttool
      introduction population who demonstrated different levels of participation in the
      online exercises. While overall SAQ outcomes were not different before and after
      the introduction of the online exercises, once the SAQ tool had become available,
      those students who chose to use it had improved SAQ outcomes compared with those
      who did not. 

PMID- 26113628
TI  - Flipped-Class Pedagogy Enhances Student Metacognition and Collaborative-Learning
      Strategies in Higher Education But Effect Does Not Persist.
AB  - In flipped-class pedagogy, students prepare themselves at home before lectures,
      often by watching short video clips of the course contents. The aim of this study
      was to investigate the effects of flipped classes on motivation and learning
      strategies in higher education using a controlled, pre- and posttest approach.
      The same students were followed in a traditional course and in a course in which
      flipped classes were substituted for part of the traditional lectures. On the
      basis of the validated Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), we
      found that flipped-class pedagogy enhanced the MSLQ components critical thinking,
      task value, and peer learning. However, the effects of flipped classes were not
      long-lasting. We therefore propose repeated use of flipped classes in a
      curriculum to make effects on metacognition and collaborative-learning strategies
      sustainable. 

PMID- 26113629
TI  - Corrigendum to: Effectiveness of alcohol media literacy programmes: a systematic
      literature review.

PMID- 26113630
TI  - India's abortion law puts women at risk.

PMID- 26113631
TI  - Repetition Suppression in the Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus Predicts Tone Learning
      Performance.
AB  - Do individuals differ in how efficiently they process non-native sounds? To what
      extent do these differences relate to individual variability in sound-learning
      aptitude? We addressed these questions by assessing the sound-learning abilities
      of Dutch native speakers as they were trained on non-native tone contrasts. We
      used fMRI repetition suppression to the non-native tones to measure participants'
      neuronal processing efficiency before and after training. Although all
      participants improved in tone identification with training, there was large
      individual variability in learning performance. A repetition suppression effect
      to tone was found in the bilateral inferior frontal gyri (IFGs) before training.
      No whole-brain effect was found after training; a region-of-interest analysis,
      however, showed that, after training, repetition suppression to tone in the left
      IFG correlated positively with learning. That is, individuals who were better in
      learning the non-native tones showed larger repetition suppression in this area.
      Crucially, this was true even before training. These findings add to existing
      evidence that the left IFG plays an important role in sound learning and indicate
      that individual differences in learning aptitude stem from differences in the
      neuronal efficiency with which non-native sounds are processed.

PMID- 26113632
TI  - The impact of elevated carbon dioxide on the phosphorus nutrition of plants: a
      review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing attention is being focused on the influence of rapid
      increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration on nutrient cycling in ecosystems. An
      understanding of how elevated CO2 affects plant utilization and acquisition of
      phosphorus (P) will be critical for P management to maintain ecosystem
      sustainability in P-deficient regions. SCOPE: This review focuses on the impact
      of elevated CO2 on plant P demand, utilization in plants and P acquisition from
      soil. Several knowledge gaps on elevated CO2-P associations are highlighted.
      CONCLUSIONS: Significant increases in P demand by plants are likely to happen
      under elevated CO2 due to the stimulation of photosynthesis, and subsequent
      growth responses. Elevated CO2 alters P acquisition through changes in root
      morphology and increases in rooting depth. Moreover, the quantity and composition
      of root exudates are likely to change under elevated CO2, due to the changes in
      carbon fluxes along the glycolytic pathway and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. As a
      consequence, these root exudates may lead to P mobilization by the chelation of P
      from sparingly soluble P complexes, by the alteration of the biochemical
      environment and by changes to microbial activity in the rhizosphere. Future
      research on chemical, molecular, microbiological and physiological aspects is
      needed to improve understanding of how elevated CO2 might affect the use and
      acquisition of P by plants.

PMID- 26113633
TI  - Sugar composition of the pectic polysaccharides of charophytes, the closest algal
      relatives of land-plants: presence of 3-O-methyl-D-galactose residues.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: During evolution, plants have acquired and/or lost diverse
      sugar residues as cell-wall constituents. Of particular interest are primordial
      cell-wall features that existed, and in some cases abruptly changed, during the
      momentous step whereby land-plants arose from charophytic algal ancestors.
      METHODS: Polysaccharides were extracted from four charophyte orders
      [Chlorokybales (Chlorokybus atmophyticus), Klebsormidiales (Klebsormidium
      fluitans, K. subtile), Charales (Chara vulgaris, Nitella flexilis),
      Coleochaetales (Coleochaete scutata)] and an early-diverging land-plant
      (Anthoceros agrestis). 'Pectins' and 'hemicelluloses', operationally defined as
      extractable in oxalate (100  degrees C) and 6 m NaOH (37  degrees C),
      respectively, were acid- or Driselase-hydrolysed, and the monosaccharides
      analysed chromatographically. One unusual monosaccharide, 'U', was characterized
      by (1)H/(13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and also enzymically. KEY
      RESULTS: 'U' was identified as 3-O-methyl-D-galactose (3-MeGal). All pectins,
      except in Klebsormidium, contained acid- and Driselase-releasable galacturonate,
      suggesting homogalacturonan. All pectins, without exception, released rhamnose
      and galactose on acid hydrolysis; however, only in 'higher' charophytes
      (Charales, Coleochaetales) and Anthoceros were these sugars also efficiently
      released by Driselase, suggesting rhamnogalacturonan-I. Pectins of 'higher'
      charophytes, especially Chara, contained little arabinose, instead possessing 3
      MeGal. Anthoceros hemicelluloses were rich in glucose, xylose, galactose and
      arabinose (suggesting xyloglucan and arabinoxylan), none of which was
      consistently present in charophyte hemicelluloses. CONCLUSIONS: Homogalacturonan
      is an ancient streptophyte feature, albeit secondarily lost in Klebsormidium.
      When conquering the land, the first embryophytes already possessed
      rhamnogalacturonan-I. In contrast, charophyte and land-plant hemicelluloses
      differ substantially, indicating major changes during terrestrialization. The
      presence of 3-MeGal in charophytes and lycophytes but not in the 'intervening'
      bryophytes confirms that cell-wall chemistry changed drastically between major
      phylogenetic grades.

PMID- 26113634
TI  - The importance of associations with saprotrophic non-Rhizoctonia fungi among
      fully mycoheterotrophic orchids is currently under-estimated: novel evidence from
      sub-tropical Asia.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Most fully mycoheterotrophic (MH) orchids investigated to
      date are mycorrhizal with fungi that simultaneously form ectomycorrhizas with
      forest trees. Only a few MH orchids are currently known to be mycorrhizal with
      saprotrophic, mostly wood-decomposing, fungi instead of ectomycorrhizal fungi.
      This study provides evidence that the importance of associations between MH
      orchids and saprotrophic non-Rhizoctonia fungi is currently under-estimated.
      METHODS: Using microscopic techniques and molecular approaches, mycorrhizal fungi
      were localized and identified for seven MH orchid species from four genera and
      two subfamilies, Vanilloideae and Epidendroideae, growing in four humid and warm
      sub-tropical forests in Taiwan. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope natural
      abundances of MH orchids and autotrophic reference plants were used in order to
      elucidate the nutritional resources utilized by the orchids. KEY RESULTS: Six out
      of the seven MH orchid species were mycorrhizal with either wood- or litter
      decaying saprotrophic fungi. Only one orchid species was associated with
      ectomycorrhizal fungi. Stable isotope abundance patterns showed significant
      distinctions between orchids mycorrhizal with the three groups of fungal hosts.
      CONCLUSIONS: Mycoheterotrophic orchids utilizing saprotrophic non-Rhizoctonia
      fungi as a carbon and nutrient source are clearly more frequent than hitherto
      assumed. On the basis of this kind of nutrition, orchids can thrive in deeply
      shaded, light-limiting forest understoreys even without support from
      ectomycorrhizal fungi. Sub-tropical East Asia appears to be a hotspot for orchids
      mycorrhizal with saprotrophic non-Rhizoctonia fungi.

PMID- 26113635
TI  - When sexual meets apomict: genome size, ploidy level and reproductive mode
      variation of Sorbus aria s.l. and S. austriaca (Rosaceae) in Bosnia and
      Herzegovina.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Allopolyploidy and intraspecific heteroploid crosses are
      associated, in certain groups, with changes in the mating system. The genus
      Sorbus represents an appropriate model to study the relationships between ploidy
      and reproductive mode variations. Diploid S. aria and tetraploid apomictic S.
      austriaca were screened for ploidy and mating system variations within pure and
      sympatric populations in order to gain insights into their putative causalities.
      METHODS: Flow cytometry was used to assess genome size and ploidy level among 380
      S. aria s.l. and S. austriaca individuals from Bosnia and Herzegovina, with 303
      single-seed flow cytometric seed screenings being performed to identify their
      mating system. Pollen viability and seed set were also determined. KEY RESULTS:
      Flow cytometry confirmed the presence of di-, tri- and tetraploid cytotype
      mixtures in mixed-ploidy populations of S. aria and S. austriaca. No ploidy
      variation was detected in single-species populations. Diploid S. aria mother
      plants always produced sexually originated seeds, whereas tetraploid S. austriaca
      as well as triploid S. aria were obligate apomicts. Tetraploid S. aria preserved
      sexuality in a low portion of plants. A tendency towards a balanced 2m : 1p
      parental genome contribution to the endosperm was shared by diploids and
      tetraploids, regardless of their sexual or asexual origin. In contrast, most
      triploids apparently tolerated endosperm imbalance. CONCLUSIONS: Coexistence of
      apomictic tetraploids and sexual diploids drives the production of novel
      polyploid cytotypes with predominantly apomictic reproductive modes. The data
      suggest that processes governing cytotype diversity and mating system variation
      in Sorbus from Bosnia and Herzegovina are probably parallel to those in other
      diversity hotspots of this genus. The results represent a solid contribution to
      knowledge of the reproduction of Sorbus and will inform future investigations of
      the molecular and genetic mechanisms involved in triggering and regulating
      cytotype diversity and alteration of reproductive modes.

PMID- 26113636
TI  - Simultaneous determination of two amino bisphosphonates drugs by micellar
      electrokinetic chromatography.
AB  - A sensitive micellar electrokinetic chromatographic method with laser-induced
      fluorescence detection was developed for the determination of alendronate sodium
      (ALN) and pamidronate disodium (PAM) after derivatization with 4-chloro-7
      nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole. The developed method was first used for the
      determination of ALN and PAM in pharmaceutical preparations. After optimization,
      baseline separation of the analytes could be obtained in <10 min in a running
      buffer composed of 10 mM sodium borate and 30 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (pH 9.0)
      at a voltage of 15 kV with 25 degrees C cartridge temperature and the samples
      were injected by pressure (3447.5 Pa * 3 s). The method has linearity range of
      0.05-70 ug/mL for the analytes (correlation coefficients: 0.9995 and 0.9997), the
      detection limits were 4 and 10 ng/mL for ALN and PAM, respectively. In intraday
      precision experiment, the relative standard deviation (RSD) values for migration
      time were 0.30% (ALN) and 0.27% (PAM), and the RSD values for peak areas were
      1.19% (ALN) and 1.32% (PAM). The ranges of recovery were 95.5-101.8 and 94.6
      105.3% for ALN and PAM, respectively. This method is not only rapid and accurate
      but also has the potential to be used for the quality control in pharmaceutical
      preparations of the two drugs. 

PMID- 26113637
TI  - Circadian rhythms. Atomic-scale origins of slowness in the cyanobacterial
      circadian clock.
AB  - Circadian clocks generate slow and ordered cellular dynamics but consist of fast
      moving bio-macromolecules; consequently, the origins of the overall slowness
      remain unclear. We identified the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) catalytic region
      [adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase)] in the amino-terminal half of the clock
      protein KaiC as the minimal pacemaker that controls the in vivo frequency of the
      cyanobacterial clock. Crystal structures of the ATPase revealed that the slowness
      of this ATPase arises from sequestration of a lytic water molecule in an
      unfavorable position and coupling of ATP hydrolysis to a peptide isomerization
      with high activation energy. The slow ATPase is coupled with another ATPase
      catalyzing autodephosphorylation in the carboxyl-terminal half of KaiC, yielding
      the circadian response frequency of intermolecular interactions with other clock
      related proteins that influences the transcription and translation cycle. 

PMID- 26113638
TI  - NEUROSCIENCE. Natural light-gated anion channels: A family of microbial
      rhodopsins for advanced optogenetics.
AB  - Light-gated rhodopsin cation channels from chlorophyte algae have transformed
      neuroscience research through their use as membrane-depolarizing optogenetic
      tools for targeted photoactivation of neuron firing. Photosuppression of neuronal
      action potentials has been limited by the lack of equally efficient tools for
      membrane hyperpolarization. We describe anion channel rhodopsins (ACRs), a family
      of light-gated anion channels from cryptophyte algae that provide highly
      sensitive and efficient membrane hyperpolarization and neuronal silencing through
      light-gated chloride conduction. ACRs strictly conducted anions, completely
      excluding protons and larger cations, and hyperpolarized the membrane of cultured
      animal cells with much faster kinetics at less than one-thousandth of the light
      intensity required by the most efficient currently available optogenetic
      proteins. Natural ACRs provide optogenetic inhibition tools with unprecedented
      light sensitivity and temporal precision. 

PMID- 26113639
TI  - Plant science. Morphinan biosynthesis in opium poppy requires a P450
      oxidoreductase fusion protein.
AB  - Morphinan alkaloids from the opium poppy are used for pain relief. The direction
      of metabolites to morphinan biosynthesis requires isomerization of (S)- to (R)
      reticuline. Characterization of high-reticuline poppy mutants revealed a genetic
      locus, designated STORR [(S)- to (R)-reticuline] that encodes both cytochrome
      P450 and oxidoreductase modules, the latter belonging to the aldo-keto reductase
      family. Metabolite analysis of mutant alleles and heterologous expression
      demonstrate that the P450 module is responsible for the conversion of (S)
      reticuline to 1,2-dehydroreticuline, whereas the oxidoreductase module converts
      1,2-dehydroreticuline to (R)-reticuline rather than functioning as a P450 redox
      partner. Proteomic analysis confirmed that these two modules are contained on a
      single polypeptide in vivo. This modular assembly implies a selection pressure
      favoring substrate channeling. The fusion protein STORR may enable microbial
      based morphinan production. 

PMID- 26113640
TI  - Ice sheets. Reverse glacier motion during iceberg calving and the cause of
      glacial earthquakes.
AB  - Nearly half of Greenland's mass loss occurs through iceberg calving, but the
      physical mechanisms operating during calving are poorly known and in situ
      observations are sparse. We show that calving at Greenland's Helheim Glacier
      causes a minutes-long reversal of the glacier's horizontal flow and a downward
      deflection of its terminus. The reverse motion results from the horizontal force
      caused by iceberg capsize and acceleration away from the glacier front. The
      downward motion results from a hydrodynamic pressure drop behind the capsizing
      berg, which also causes an upward force on the solid Earth. These forces are the
      source of glacial earthquakes, globally detectable seismic events whose proper
      interpretation will allow remote sensing of calving processes occurring at
      increasing numbers of outlet glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica. 

PMID- 26113641
TI  - Circadian rhythms. A protein fold switch joins the circadian oscillator to clock
      output in cyanobacteria.
AB  - Organisms are adapted to the relentless cycles of day and night, because they
      evolved timekeeping systems called circadian clocks, which regulate biological
      activities with ~24-hour rhythms. The clock of cyanobacteria is driven by a three
      protein oscillator composed of KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC, which together generate a
      circadian rhythm of KaiC phosphorylation. We show that KaiB flips between two
      distinct three-dimensional folds, and its rare transition to an active state
      provides a time delay that is required to match the timing of the oscillator to
      that of Earth's rotation. Once KaiB switches folds, it binds phosphorylated KaiC
      and captures KaiA, which initiates a phase transition of the circadian cycle, and
      it regulates components of the clock-output pathway, which provides the link that
      joins the timekeeping and signaling functions of the oscillator. 

PMID- 26113643
TI  - Curriculum development: Preparing trainees to care for children and adolescents
      with psychiatric disorders.
AB  - Family physicians provide care for about one-third of the children and
      adolescents in the United States, many of whom present with psychological
      concerns. Family physicians often do not recognize these psychological disorders
      and therefore do not diagnose or treat them. This report describes the
      implementation of a curriculum designed to increase family medicine trainees'
      level of awareness that children/adolescents experience psychiatric conditions.
      This goal is achieved through the addition of a clinical child/adolescent
      psychologist faculty member, resident self-assessment of training needs and
      subsequent development of didactic presentations to address these needs. The
      curriculum relies on the acquisition of child/adolescent psychiatric screeners,
      development of child/adolescent-focused bibliotherapy materials, and the
      development of a longitudinal behavioral sciences curriculum. To facilitate the
      screening of child/adolescent psychiatric disorders, a comprehensive collection
      of age-appropriate psychiatric screeners were compiled and made readily available
      in all precepting areas. To assist with the identification of specific
      child/adolescent psychiatric deficit areas, family medicine resident physicians
      were presented with an inventory of child/adolescent psychiatric, psychosocial,
      and behavioral topics, based upon American Academy of Family Practice guidelines
      and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition
      psychiatric disorders, and self-selected training deficiencies. 

PMID- 26113642
TI  - HIV-1 ENVELOPE. Effect of the cytoplasmic domain on antigenic characteristics of
      HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein.
AB  - A major goal for HIV-1 vaccine development is the production of an immunogen to
      mimic native, functional HIV-1 envelope trimeric spikes (Env) on the virion
      surface. We lack a reliable description of a native, functional trimer, however,
      because of inherent instability and heterogeneity in most preparations. We
      describe here two conformationally homogeneous Envs derived from difficult-to
      neutralize primary isolates. All their non-neutralizing epitopes are fully
      concealed and independent of their proteolytic processing. Most broadly
      neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) recognize these native trimers. Truncation of
      their cytoplasmic tail has little effect on membrane fusion, but it diminishes
      binding to trimer-specific bnAbs while exposing non-neutralizing epitopes. These
      results yield a more accurate antigenic picture than hitherto possible of a
      genuinely untriggered and functional HIV-1 Env; they can guide effective vaccine
      development. 

PMID- 26113644
TI  - Loss of epigenetic silencing of the DUX4 transcription factor gene in
      facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.
AB  - Current genetic and molecular evidence best supports an epigenetic mechanism for
      facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), whereby de-repression of the D4Z4
      macrosatellite array leads to aberrant expression of the DUX4 transcription
      factor in skeletal muscle. This de-repression is triggered by either array
      contraction or (more rarely) by mutation of the SMCHD1 (structural maintenance of
      chromosomes flexible hinge domain containing 1) gene. Activation of DUX4 targets,
      including germline genes and several mammalian retrotransposons, then drives
      pathogenesis. A direct role for DUX4 mRNA in suppression of nonsense-mediated
      decay pathways has recently been demonstrated and may also contribute to muscle
      pathology. Loss of D4Z4 repression in FSHD is observed as hypomethylation of the
      array accompanied by loss of repressive chromatin marks. The molecular mechanisms
      of D4Z4 repression are poorly understood, but recent data have identified an
      Argonaute (AGO)-dependent siRNA pathway. Targeting this pathway by exogenous
      siRNAs could be a therapeutic strategy for FSHD.

PMID- 26113646
TI  - Digital PCR quantification of MGMT methylation refines prediction of clinical
      benefit from alkylating agents in glioblastoma and metastatic colorectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: O(6)-methyl-guanine-methyl-transferase (MGMT) silencing by promoter
      methylation may identify cancer patients responding to the alkylating agents
      dacarbazine or temozolomide. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated the prognostic
      and predictive value of MGMT methylation testing both in tumor and cell-free
      circulating DNA (cfDNA) from plasma samples using an ultra-sensitive two-step
      digital PCR technique (methyl-BEAMing). Results were compared with two
      established techniques, methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and Bs-pyrosequencing.
      RESULTS: Thresholds for MGMT methylated status for each technique were
      established in a training set of 98 glioblastoma (GBM) patients. The prognostic
      and the predictive value of MGMT methylated status was validated in a second
      cohort of 66 GBM patients treated with temozolomide in which methyl-BEAMing
      displayed a better specificity than the other techniques. Cutoff values of MGMT
      methylation specific for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) tissue samples were
      established in a cohort of 60 patients treated with dacarbazine. In mCRC, both
      quantitative assays methyl-BEAMing and Bs-pyrosequencing outperformed MSP,
      providing better prediction of treatment response and improvement in progression
      free survival (PFS) (P < 0.001). Ability of methyl-BEAMing to identify responding
      patients was validated in a cohort of 23 mCRC patients treated with temozolomide
      and preselected for MGMT methylated status according to MSP. In mCRC patients
      treated with dacarbazine, exploratory analysis of cfDNA by methyl-BEAMing showed
      that MGMT methylation was associated with better response and improved median PFS
      (P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Methyl-BEAMing showed high reproducibility, specificity
      and sensitivity and was applicable to formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues
      and cfDNA. This study supports the quantitative assessment of MGMT methylation
      for clinical purposes since it could refine prediction of response to alkylating
      agents.

PMID- 26113647
TI  - Does activity of anticancer drugs in advanced cancer always translates in
      effectivity in early-stage high-risk disease?

PMID- 26113645
TI  - Application of single-cell genomics in cancer: promise and challenges.
AB  - Recent advances in single-cell genomics are opening up unprecedented
      opportunities to transform cancer genomics. While bulk tissue genomic analysis
      across large populations of tumour cells has provided key insights into cancer
      biology, this approach does not provide the resolution that is critical for
      understanding the interaction between different genetic events within the
      cellular hierarchy of the tumour during disease initiation, evolution, relapse
      and metastasis. Single-cell genomic approaches are uniquely placed to
      definitively unravel complex clonal structures and tissue hierarchies, account
      for spatiotemporal cell interactions and discover rare cells that drive
      metastatic disease, drug resistance and disease progression. Here we present five
      challenges that need to be met for single-cell genomics to fulfil its potential
      as a routine tool alongside bulk sequencing. These might be thought of as being
      challenges related to samples (processing and scale for analysis), sensitivity
      and specificity of mutation detection, sources of heterogeneity (biological and
      technical), synergies (from data integration) and systems modelling. We discuss
      these in the context of recent advances in technologies and data modelling,
      concluding with implications for moving cancer research into the clinic.

PMID- 26113649
TI  - Flaws in the trial design of IFCT-0802.

PMID- 26113648
TI  - High anabolic potential of essential amino acid mixtures in advanced nonsmall
      cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Conventional nutritional supplements are not or only partly
      successful in inducing protein accretion in advanced cancer, suggesting an
      attenuated anabolic response. To prevent muscle wasting and its deleterious
      consequences, generating an anabolic response is crucial. Dietary essential amino
      acids (EAA) have anabolic properties in other wasting diseases; however, data in
      advanced cancer are lacking. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 13 patients with advanced
      nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (stage III and IV) and 11 healthy age-matched
      subjects, we measured protein synthesis and breakdown of the whole body, and net
      protein anabolism (difference between protein synthesis and breakdown) after
      intake of 14 g of free EAA with high leucine levels (EAA/leucine) versus a
      balanced amino acid mixture containing both EAA and non-EAA as present in whey
      protein, according to a randomized, double-blind, crossover design. RESULTS:
      Protein synthesis and net protein anabolism were higher after intake of the
      EAA/leucine than the balanced amino acid mixture (P < 0.001), independent of
      presence of cancer. A highly significant linear relationship between net protein
      anabolism and the amount of EAA available in the systemic circulation (R(2):
      0.85, P < 0.001) was found in both groups. The presence of muscle or recent
      weight loss, systemic inflammatory response, or length of survival did not
      influence this relationship. High leucine levels in the EAA/leucine mixture was
      of no anabolic benefit. CONCLUSIONS: There is no anabolic resistance or
      attenuated anabolic potential to intake of 14 g of EAA/leucine or balanced amino
      acid mixture in advanced (mainly stage III) NSCLC. The high anabolic potential of
      dietary EAA in cancer patients is independent of their nutritional status,
      systemic inflammatory response or disease trajectory, suggesting a key role of
      EAA in new nutritional approaches to prevent muscle loss, thereby improving
      outcome of patients with advanced cancer. CLINICALTRAILSGOV: NCT01172314.

PMID- 26113650
TI  - Inactivation of autophagy ameliorates glucocorticoid-induced and ovariectomy
      induced bone loss.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Autophagy has recently been shown to regulate osteoclast activity and
      osteoclast differentiation. Here, we aim to investigate the impact of autophagy
      inhibition as a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of osteoporosis
      in preclinical models. METHODS: Systemic bone loss was induced in mice by
      glucocorticoids and by ovariectomy (OVX). Autophagy was targeted by conditional
      inactivation of autophagy-related gene 7 (Atg7) and by treatment with chloroquine
      (CQ). Bone density was evaluated by microCT. The role of autophagy on
      osteoclastogenesis was analysed by osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption assays.
      The quantification of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand and
      osteoprotegerin proteins in cocultures was performed using ELISA whereas that of
      osteoclast and osteoblast differentiation markers was by qPCR. RESULTS: Selective
      deletion of Atg7 in monocytes from Atg7(fl/fl)_x_LysM-Cre mice mitigated
      glucocorticoid-induced and OVX-induced osteoclast differentiation and bone loss
      compared with Atg7(fl/fl) littermates. Pharmacological inhibition of autophagy by
      treatment with CQ suppressed glucocorticoid-induced osteoclastogenesis and
      protected mice from bone loss. Similarly, inactivation of autophagy shielded mice
      from OVX-induced bone loss. Inhibition of autophagy led to decreased osteoclast
      differentiation with lower expression of osteoclast markers such as NFATc1,
      tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, OSCAR and cathepsin K and attenuated bone
      resorption in vitro. In contrast, osteoblast differentiation was not affected by
      inhibition of autophagy. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacological or genetic inactivation of
      autophagy ameliorated glucocorticoid-induced and OVX-induced bone loss by
      inhibiting osteoclastogenesis. These findings may have direct translational
      implications for the treatment of osteoporosis, since inhibitors of autophagy
      such as CQ are already in clinical use.

PMID- 26113651
TI  - Editorial Commentary: A Chance to Change the Paradigm of Outcome Assessment of
      Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs.

PMID- 26113652
TI  - Desirability of Outcome Ranking (DOOR) and Response Adjusted for Duration of
      Antibiotic Risk (RADAR).
AB  - Clinical trials that compare strategies to optimize antibiotic use are of
      critical importance but are limited by competing risks that distort outcome
      interpretation, complexities of noninferiority trials, large sample sizes, and
      inadequate evaluation of benefits and harms at the patient level. The
      Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group strives to overcome these challenges
      through innovative trial design. Response adjusted for duration of antibiotic
      risk (RADAR) is a novel methodology utilizing a superiority design and a 2-step
      process: (1) categorizing patients into an overall clinical outcome (based on
      benefits and harms), and (2) ranking patients with respect to a desirability of
      outcome ranking (DOOR). DOORs are constructed by assigning higher ranks to
      patients with (1) better overall clinical outcomes and (2) shorter durations of
      antibiotic use for similar overall clinical outcomes. DOOR distributions are
      compared between antibiotic use strategies. The probability that a randomly
      selected patient will have a better DOOR if assigned to the new strategy is
      estimated. DOOR/RADAR represents a new paradigm in assessing the risks and
      benefits of new strategies to optimize antibiotic use. 

PMID- 26113654
TI  - Editorial Commentary: The Impact of Opiate Substitution Therapy and Highly Active
      Antiretroviral Therapy on Mortality Risk Among People Who Inject Drugs.

PMID- 26113653
TI  - Aspergillus Polymerase Chain Reaction: Systematic Review of Evidence for Clinical
      Use in Comparison With Antigen Testing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aspergillus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was excluded from the
      European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer/Mycoses Study
      Group (EORTC/MSG) definitions of invasive fungal disease because of limited
      standardization and validation. The definitions are being revised. METHODS: A
      systematic literature review was performed to identify analytical and clinical
      information available on inclusion of galactomannan enzyme immunoassay (GM-EIA)
      (2002) and beta-d-glucan (2008), providing a minimal threshold when considering
      PCR. Categorical parameters and statistical performance were compared. RESULTS:
      When incorporated, GM-EIA and beta-d-glucan sensitivities and specificities for
      diagnosing invasive aspergillosis were 81.6% and 91.6%, and 76.9% and 89.4%,
      respectively. Aspergillus PCR has similar sensitivity and specificity (76.8%
      88.0% and 75.0%-94.5%, respectively) and comparable utility. Methodological
      recommendations and commercial PCR assays assist standardization. Although all
      tests have limitations, currently, PCR is the only test with independent quality
      control. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that there is sufficient evidence that is at
      least equivalent to that used to include GM-EIA and beta-d-glucan testing, and
      that PCR is now mature enough for inclusion in the EORTC/MSG definitions.

PMID- 26113655
TI  - Widespread Bordetella parapertussis Infections-Wisconsin, 2011-2012: Clinical and
      Epidemiologic Features and Antibiotic Use for Treatment and Prevention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During October 2011-December 2012, concurrent with a statewide
      pertussis outbreak, 443 Bordetella parapertussis infections were reported among
      Wisconsin residents. We examined clinical features of patients with parapertussis
      and the effect of antibiotic use for treatment and prevention. METHODS: Patients
      with polymerase chain reaction results positive for B. parapertussis reported
      during October 2011-May 2012 were interviewed regarding presence and durations of
      pertussis-like symptoms and receipt of azithromycin treatment. Data regarding
      acute cough illnesses and receipt of azithromycin prophylaxis among parapertussis
      patient household members (HHMs) were also collected. Using multivariate repeated
      measures log-binomial regression analysis, we examined associations of treatment
      receipt by the HHM with the earliest illness onset and prophylaxis receipt among
      other HHMs with the presence of any secondary cough illnesses in the household.
      RESULTS: Among 218 patients with parapertussis, pertussis-like symptoms were
      frequently reported. Illness durations were significantly shorter among patients
      with treatment initiated 0-6 days after cough onset, compared with nonrecipients
      (median durations: 10 vs 19 days, P = .002). Among 361 HHMs from 120 households,
      compared with nonrecipients, prompt prophylaxis of HHMs was associated with no
      secondary cough illnesses (relative risk: 0.16; 95% confidence interval, .04
      .69). CONCLUSIONS: Bordetella parapertussis infection causes pertussis-like
      illness that might be misclassified as pertussis if B. parapertussis testing is
      not performed. Prompt treatment might shorten illness duration, and prompt HHM
      prophylaxis might prevent secondary illnesses. Further study is needed to
      evaluate antibiotic effectiveness for preventing parapertussis and to determine
      risks and benefits of antibiotic use.

PMID- 26113656
TI  - The Effects of Opioid Substitution Treatment and Highly Active Antiretroviral
      Therapy on the Cause-Specific Risk of Mortality Among HIV-Positive People Who
      Inject Drugs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prior studies indicated opioid substitution treatment (OST) reduces
      mortality risk and improves the odds of accessing highly active antiretroviral
      therapy (HAART); however, the relative effects of these treatments for human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive people who inject drugs (PWID) are unclear.
      We determine the independent and joint effects of OST and HAART on mortality, by
      cause, within a population of HIV-positive PWID initiating HAART. METHODS: Using
      a linked population-level database for British Columbia, Canada, we used time-to
      event analytic methods, including competing risks models, proportional hazards
      models with time-varying covariates, and marginal structural models, to identify
      the independent and joint effects of OST and HAART on all-cause as well as drug-
      and HIV-related mortality, controlling for covariates. RESULTS: Among 1727 HIV
      positive PWID, 493 (28.5%) died during a median 5.1 years (interquartile range,
      2.1-9.1) of follow-up: 18.7% due to drug-related causes, 55.8% due to HIV-related
      causes, and 25.6% due to other causes. Standardized mortality ratios were 12.2
      (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.8, 15.0) during OST and 30.0 (27.1, 33.1) during
      periods out of OST. Both OST (adjusted hazard, 0.34; 95% CI, .23, .49) and HAART
      (0.39 [0.31, 0.48]) decreased the hazard of all-cause mortality; however,
      individuals were at lowest risk of death when these medications were used jointly
      (0.16 [0.10, 0.26]). Both OST and HAART independently protected against HIV
      related death, drug-related death and death due to other causes. CONCLUSIONS:
      While both OST and HAART are life-saving treatments, joint administration is
      urgently needed to protect against both drug- and HIV-related mortality.

PMID- 26113658
TI  - Epidemiologic research with administrative databases: red herrings, false alarms
      and pseudo-epidemics.

PMID- 26113657
TI  - Cancer risk among parous women following assisted reproductive technology.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: Do women who give birth after assisted reproductive technology
      (ART) have an increased risk of cancer compared with women who give birth without
      ART? SUMMARY ANSWER: Without correction, the results indicate an increase in
      overall cancer risk, as well as a 50% increase in risk of CNS cancer for women
      giving birth after ART, however the results were not significant after correcting
      for multiple analyses. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Studies regarding the effects of
      hormonal treatments involved with ART on subsequent cancer risk have provided
      inconsistent results, and it has also been suggested that infertility itself
      could be a contributory factor. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A population-based
      cohort consisting of all women registered in the Medical Birth Registry of Norway
      as having given birth between 1 January 1984 and 31 December 2010 was assembled
      (n = 812 986). Cancers were identified by linkage to the Cancer Registry of
      Norway. Study subjects were followed from start of first pregnancy during the
      observational period until the first cancer, death, emigration, or 31 December
      2010. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Of the total study population (n
      = 806 248), 16 525 gave birth to a child following ART. Cox regression analysis
      computed hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) comparing cancer
      risk between ART women and non-ART women; for overall cancer, and for cervical,
      ovarian, uterine, central nervous system (CNS), colorectal and thyroid cancers,
      and for malignant melanoma. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: A total of 22
      282 cohort members were diagnosed with cancer, of which 338 were ART women and 21
      944 non-ART women. The results showed an elevated risk in one out of seven sites
      for ART women. The HR for cancer of the CNS was 1.50 (95% CI 1.03- 2.18), and
      among those specifically subjected to IVF (without ICSI) the HR was 1.83 (95% CI
      1.22-2.73). Analysis of risk of overall cancer gave an HR of 1.16 (95% CI 1.04
      1.29). Among those who had delivered only one child by the end of follow-up, the
      HR for ovarian cancer was 2.00 (95% CI 1.08-3.65), and for those nulliparous at
      entry the HR was 1.80 (95% CI 1.04-3.11). However, all findings became non
      significant after correcting for multiple analyses. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR
      CAUTION: The results of elevated risk of overall cancer and CNS cancer lost
      significance when adjusting for multiple analyses, implying an important
      limitation of the study. The follow-up time was relatively short, especially for
      ART women. In addition, as the cohort was relatively young, there were few
      incident cancers, especially for some rarer cancer forms, such as uterine cancer.
      Risk assessments according to different causes of infertility could not be done.
      WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: In light of the findings in the present
      study, further studies should be made on risk of CNS and ovarian cancer, and
      continued monitoring of all those treated with ART is encouraged. Our findings
      may only be generalizable to women who give birth after ART, and the risk for
      women who remain nulliparous after ART remains to be assessed. STUDY
      FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST: The study was funded by the Norwegian National
      Advisory Unit on Women's Health. All authors claim no competing interests.

PMID- 26113659
TI  - Assisted reproduction and cancer risk: how useful are national databases?

PMID- 26113660
TI  - The war on error.

PMID- 26113661
TI  - Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) regulation by hypoxia inducible factor
      1 alpha (HIF1A) starts and peaks during endometrial breakdown, not repair, in a
      mouse menstrual-like model.
AB  - STUDY QUESTION: How is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression
      regulated by hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1A) during menstruation?
      SUMMARY ANSWER: After progesterone (P4) withdrawal, HIF1A was activated and it
      directly up-regulated VEGF mRNA expression and this regulation was the highest
      during endometrium breakdown in the mouse menstrual-like model. WHAT IS KNOWN
      ALREADY: VEGF, an important angiogenic factor, is known to be essential for
      endometrial repair, particularly in angiogenesis and re-epithelialization.
      However, its upstream regulation has not been fully clarified. HIF1 is the first
      transcription factor response to hypoxia and is closely associated with
      angiogenesis; it is also an upstream regulator of VEGF mRNA. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE,
      DURATION: We investigated the changes in the expression of HIF1A and VEGF after
      P4 withdrawal and after HIF1A inhibition. The total number of mice used was 62.
      The treatment duration in the mouse menstrual-like model was 8 days.
      PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The mouse menstrual-like model and
      mouse and human decidual endometrial stromal cells were established to mimic
      menstruation. Protein and mRNA expressions of HIF1A and VEGF were investigated by
      immunohistochemistry, Western blot and quantitative PCR. The direct interaction
      between HIF1A and the Vegf promoter was also investigated by chromatin
      immunoprecipitation. HIF1A inhibition in vivo and in vitro was achieved by
      administration of an HIF1A inhibitor and by siRNA knockdown, respectively. MAIN
      RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: HIF1A was translocated to the nucleus from 8 to
      16 h after P4 withdrawal, while VEGF mRNA expression was the highest at 12 h.
      HIF1A directly bound to Vegf promoter during endometrial breakdown, which peaked
      at 12 h. HIF1A inhibition suppressed VEGF mRNA and protein expression in the
      mouse menstrual-like model and decidualized stromal cells. Inhibition of HIF1A
      also suppressed endometrial breakdown. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Although
      HIF1A regulation of VEGF mRNA was confirmed in the mouse menstrual-like model and
      decidual endometrium stromal cells, the functional regulation of VEGF protein was
      not further determined. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Here, we report that
      the functional regulation of VEGF was complicate in menstruation. We also report
      that HIF1A plays a key role in endometrial breakdown. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING
      INTERESTS: The National Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 30901608), the
      National Basic Research Program of China (2010CB530403) and the National Science
      and Technology Support Program (No. 2012BAI32B05). The authors have no conflicts
      of interest to disclose. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This study is not a clinical
      trial.

PMID- 26113662
TI  - Epithelioid Osteosarcoma of the Maxilla: A Case Report and Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Epithelioid osteosarcoma is an uncommon variant; only 4 cases have been reported
      in the jaw area, 2 of which were in the maxilla. A 22-year-old woman, in the
      eighth month of pregnancy, presented to the oral surgery clinic with a mass in
      the right maxilla that had rapidly expanded over the past 3 months. Computed
      tomography scans showed an ill-defined sclerotic destructive lesion that formed
      bone matrix in its soft tissue extension. Microscopic examination of the lesion
      revealed malignant epithelioid cells with osteoid deposits. The tumor cells were
      shown to have pale cytoplasm, vesicular nuclei, and prominent nucleoli and to
      undergo frequent mitosis. In addition, the tumor was positive for epithelial
      membrane antigen and vimentin and negative for AE1/AE3, Melan-A, CD30,
      synaptophysin, NSE, CD45, CD99, desmin, and myogenin. The final diagnosis was
      epithelioid osteosarcoma, which is a rare aggressive variant of osteosarcoma. Few
      cases of epithelioid osteosarcoma have been reported in the literature, and more
      studies are required to determine the clinical behavior of this tumor. 

PMID- 26113663
TI  - Malignant Melanoma With Osteoclast-Like Differentiation.
AB  - Osteoclast-like giant cells are frequently encountered in nonskeletal
      malignancies; however, the evidence to date suggests that they represent a tissue
      response to the lesion rather than neoplastic differentiation. We describe a case
      of metastatic melanoma demonstrating osteoclast-like differentiation in the lung.
      The lung nodule was diagnosed as a metastatic melanoma by histological features
      and confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Resection specimen showed numerous
      multinucleated giant cells exhibiting osteoclast-like morphology dispersed
      throughout the lesion. Both the neoplastic melanocytes and giant cells were
      reactive for HMB-45, Melan-A, and S100. In addition, the multinucleated
      neoplastic giant cells were also reactive for the monocyte/macrophage lineage
      markers CD68 and CD163, and alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme present in normal
      osteoclasts. The neoplastic melanocytes and the multinucleated neoplastic giant
      cells were also reactive for microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, a
      protein required for the development of both melanocytes and osteoclasts.
      Collectively, a co-expression of monocyte/macrophage markers along with
      melanocytic markers and alkaline phosphatase in the multinucleated neoplastic
      giant cells in metastatic melanoma suggest that malignant melanocytes are capable
      of differentiating into osteoclast-like cells and consequently aid invasion into
      various structures and eliciting the aggressive behavior. 

PMID- 26113664
TI  - Phyllodes Tumor of the Breast With Malignant Melanoma Component: A Case Report.
AB  - Phyllodes tumors of the breast display a wide variation in histological
      appearance and are classified into benign, borderline, and malignant categories
      based on a combination of histological parameters. These tumors may include a
      malignant heterologous component that is believed to originate through a process
      of multidirectional differentiation from a cancer stem cell. In these cases, the
      tumor is classified as a malignant phyllodes tumor. Among the heterologous
      elements that have been described in malignant phyllodes tumors are
      rhabdomyosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma, liposarcoma and angiosarcoma. We
      present the first case of a phyllodes tumor with a malignant melanoma component
      in the breast of a 71-year-old lady, discussing the clinical implications of this
      diagnosis. 

PMID- 26113665
TI  - Novel Pathologic Finding of Digital Soft Tissue Chondroma in a Child: A Case
      Report and Review of Literature.
AB  - Unlike osteochondromata that develop in the hand, soft tissue chondromata (STC)
      devoid of bone and tendinous attachments are exceedingly rare. They have been
      described in adult patients of middle age, though have not been previously
      reported in the pediatric population. We report the case of a 9-year-old female
      that presented with a tender digital mass 6 months following a minor hand injury.
      After an extensive workup, the mass was surgically excised and diagnosed as an
      STC. Our case is the first to identify a digital STC in a pediatric patient and
      expands on the pathologic differential diagnosis. While the true incidence in the
      pediatric population is unknown, STC should be included in the differential
      diagnosis when any patient, adult or child, presents with a digital mass. 

PMID- 26113666
TI  - Mediastinal Mature Teratoma With Malignant Carcinomatous Transformation (Somatic
      Type Malignancy) With Metastatic Course.
AB  - We report the case of a 76-year-old patient presenting with an anterior
      mediastinal heterogeneous mass. Surgical biopsy revealed a solid and cystic
      lesion filled with hair. Pathological examination showed an atypical papillary
      epithelial lining without other germ cell tumor or immature teratoma associated.
      The final diagnosis was a mature teratoma of the mediastinum with somatic-type
      malignancy (carcinomatous transformation). After 8-month follow-up, subcutaneous
      and lymph node metastatic lesions of the carcinomatous component were identified.
      Subtyping of the malignant component within germ cell tumors is an important
      challenge for therapeutic options and prognosis. 

PMID- 26113667
TI  - Thinking about Change: An Integrative Approach for Examining Cognition in a
      Changing World.
AB  - We are currently experiencing shifts in climate at rates not previously recorded.
      One important aspect of this change is a tendency toward extremes--extremes in
      temperature and moisture, both within and among years. Numerous studies focus on
      the physiological consequences of environmental change, especially in terms of
      ectothermic taxa's thermal regime and use of habitat. For many species, though,
      cognitive responses may be a means of response to environmental perturbation.
      However, the effects of environmental change on the general mechanisms of
      cognitive processes and their implications for larger phenomena are seldom
      examined. Moreover, at a larger scale, we do not fully understand the features of
      the environment that might select for cognitive enhancements or their mechanisms,
      making us unable to accurately predict which species might experience the most
      severe response to environmental change and in which environments. This symposium
      brought together scientists from numerous disciplines to examine the role of
      cognition in how organisms cope with changing environments. We cover topics from
      the perspectives of the physiological mechanisms underlying and driving cognition
      to the complexity of individual behavioral responses in changing environments to
      emergent large-scale processes influencing species' abilities to respond to such
      change. Our ultimate goals are to explore how animals use cognition to cope with
      rapid environmental change, how such coping mechanisms "scale up" to affect
      ecological and evolutionary patterns, and how we might determine which features
      of the environment have been (and will become) most important for the
      conservation of biodiversity.

PMID- 26113668
TI  - SSRI use and risk of fractures among perimenopausal women without mental
      disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were recently
      approved by the FDA to treat vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause. No
      prior study has directly examined whether fracture risk is increased among
      perimenopausal women who initiate SSRIs or among a population of women without
      mental disorders more generally. METHODS: Female patients without mental illness,
      aged 40-64 years, who initiated SSRIs were compared with a cohort who initiated
      H2 antagonists (H2As) or proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) in 1998-2010, using data
      from a claims database. Standardised mortality ratio weighting was applied using
      the propensity score odds of treatment to adapt the distribution of
      characteristics among patients starting H2A/PPIs to the distribution among SSRI
      initiators. Poisson regression estimated risk differences and Cox proportional
      hazards regression the RR of fractures among new users of SSRIs versus H2A/PPIs.
      Primary analyses allowed for a 6-month lag period (ie, exposure begins 6 months
      after initiation) to account for a hypothesised delay in the onset of any
      clinically meaningful effect of SSRIs on bone mineral density. RESULTS: Fracture
      rates were higher among the 137,031 SSRI initiators compared with the 236,294
      H2A/PPI initiators, with HRs (SSRI vs H2A/PPI) over 1, 2 and 5 years of 1.76 (95%
      CI 1.33 to 2.32), 1.73 (95% CI 1.33 to 2.24) and 1.67 (95% CI 1.30 to 2.14),
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SSRIs appear to increase fracture risk among middle
      aged women without psychiatric disorders, an effect sustained over time,
      suggesting that shorter duration of treatment may decrease fracture risk. Future
      efforts should examine whether this association pertains at lower doses.

PMID- 26113669
TI  - Depression and disability in people with podoconiosis: a comparative cross
      sectional study in rural Northern Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about depressive symptoms in podoconiosis despite the
      independent contribution of depression to worse health outcomes and disability in
      people with other chronic disorders. METHOD: Two-hundred and seventy-one
      individuals with podoconiosis and 268 healthy neighbours (individuals from the
      nearest household in any direction) were investigated for depressive symptoms
      using a validated Amharic version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).
      The WHO Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II) tool was used to measure
      disability. Logistic regression and zero inflated negative binomial regression
      were used to identify factors associated with elevated depressive symptoms, and
      disability, respectively. RESULTS: Among study participants with podoconiosis,
      12.6% (34/269) had high levels of depressive symptoms (scoring 5 or more points
      on the PHQ-9, on two assessments two weeks apart) compared to 0.7% (2/268) of
      healthy neighbours (p<0.001). Having podoconiosis and being older were
      significantly associated with increased odds of a high PHQ-9 score (adjusted odds
      ratios [AOR] 11.42; 95% CI: 2.44-53.44 and AOR 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00-1.08,
      respectively). Significant predictors of a higher disability score were having
      podoconiosis (WHODAS II multiplier value: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.39-1.58) and having a
      high PHQ-9 score (1.07; 95% CI: 1.06-1.08). CONCLUSION: We recommend integrating
      evidence-based treatments for depression into podoconiosis interventions.

PMID- 26113670
TI  - Objectively identified comorbidities in COPD: impact on pulmonary rehabilitation
      outcomes.

PMID- 26113671
TI  - Chymase: a multifunctional player in pulmonary hypertension associated with lung
      fibrosis.
AB  - Limited literature sources implicate mast-cell mediator chymase in the
      pathologies of pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis. However, there is
      no evidence on the contribution of chymase to the development of pulmonary
      hypertension associated with lung fibrosis, which is an important medical
      condition linked with increased mortality of patients who already suffer from a
      life-threatening interstitial lung disease.The aim of this study was to
      investigate the role of chymase in this particular pulmonary hypertension form,
      by using a bleomycin-induced pulmonary hypertension model.Chymase inhibition
      resulted in attenuation of pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis, as
      evident from improved haemodynamics, decreased right ventricular
      remodelling/hypertrophy, pulmonary vascular remodelling and lung fibrosis. These
      beneficial effects were associated with a strong tendency of reduction in mast
      cell number and activity, and significantly diminished chymase expression levels.
      Mechanistically, chymase inhibition led to attenuation of transforming growth
      factor beta1 and matrix-metalloproteinase-2 contents in the lungs. Furthermore,
      chymase inhibition prevented big endothelin-1-induced vasoconstriction of the
      pulmonary arteries.Therefore, chymase plays a role in the pathogenesis of
      pulmonary hypertension associated with pulmonary fibrosis and may represent a
      promising therapeutic target. In addition, this study may provide valuable
      insights on the contribution of chymase in the pulmonary hypertension context, in
      general, regardless of the pulmonary hypertension form. 

PMID- 26113672
TI  - Biomarkers to identify sputum eosinophilia in different adult asthma phenotypes.
AB  - Several biomarkers have been used to assess sputum eosinophilia in asthma. It has
      been suggested that the diagnostic accuracy of these biomarkers might differ
      between asthma phenotypes. We investigated the accuracy of biomarkers in
      detecting sputum eosinophilia (>=3%) in different adult asthma phenotypes.Levels
      of eosinophils in blood and sputum, exhaled nitric oxide fraction (FeNO) and
      total immunoglobulin (Ig)E from 336 adult patients, enrolled in three prospective
      observational clinical trials and recruited at five pulmonology outpatient
      departments, were analysed. Areas under the receiver operating characteristics
      curves (AUC) for detecting sputum eosinophilia were calculated and compared
      between severe and mild, obese and nonobese, atopic and nonatopic and (ex
      )smoking and never-smoking asthma patients.Sputum eosinophilia was present in 116
      patients (35%). In the total group the AUC was 0.83 (95% CI 0.78-0.87) for blood
      eosinophils, 0.82 (0.77-0.87) for FeNO and 0.69 (0.63-0.75) for total IgE. AUCs
      were similar for blood eosinophils and FeNO between different phenotypes. Total
      IgE was less accurate in detecting sputum eosinophilia in atopic and obese
      patients than in nonatopic and nonobese patients.Blood eosinophils and FeNO had
      comparable diagnostic accuracy (superior to total IgE) in identifying sputum
      eosinophilia in adult asthma patients, irrespective of asthma phenotype such as
      severe, nonatopic, obese and smoking-related asthma. 

PMID- 26113673
TI  - Airway bacteria and respiratory symptoms are common in ambulatory HIV-positive UK
      adults.

PMID- 26113674
TI  - Asthma, COPD and overlap syndrome: a longitudinal study in young European adults.
AB  - We compared risk factors and clinical characteristics, 9-year lung function
      change and hospitalisation risk across subjects with the asthma-chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap syndrome (ACOS), asthma or COPD
      alone, or none of these diseases.Participants in the European Community
      Respiratory Health Survey in 1991-1993 (aged 20-44 years) and 1999-2001 were
      included. Chronic airflow obstruction was defined as pre-bronchodilator forced
      expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/forced vital capacity<lower limit of normal on
      both occasions. Based on their history of respiratory symptoms, spirometry and
      risk factors, subjects were classified as having asthma alone (n=941), COPD alone
      (n=166), ACOS (n=218) and none of these (n=5659).Subjects with ACOS shared risk
      factors and clinical characteristics with subjects with asthma alone, but they
      had an earlier age of asthma onset. FEV1 change in the ACOS group (-25.9 mL.year(
      1)) was similar to that in the asthma group (-25.3 mL.year(-1)), and lower
      (p<0.001) than in the COPD group (-37.3 mL.year(-1)). ACOS was associated with
      the highest hospitalisation rate.Among young adults aged 20-44 years, ACOS seems
      to represent a form of severe asthma, characterised by more frequent
      hospitalisations, and to be the result of early-onset asthma that has progressed
      to fixed airflow obstruction.

PMID- 26113675
TI  - ERS task force statement: diagnosis and treatment of primary spontaneous
      pneumothorax.
AB  - Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) affects young healthy people with a
      significant recurrence rate. Recent advances in treatment have been variably
      implemented in clinical practice. This statement reviews the latest developments
      and concepts to improve clinical management and stimulate further research.The
      European Respiratory Society's Scientific Committee established a
      multidisciplinary team of pulmonologists and surgeons to produce a comprehensive
      review of available scientific evidence.Smoking remains the main risk factor of
      PSP. Routine smoking cessation is advised. More prospective data are required to
      better define the PSP population and incidence of recurrence. In first episodes
      of PSP, treatment approach is driven by symptoms rather than PSP size. The role
      of bullae rupture as the cause of air leakage remains unclear, implying that any
      treatment of PSP recurrence includes pleurodesis. Talc poudrage pleurodesis by
      thoracoscopy is safe, provided calibrated talc is available. Video-assisted
      thoracic surgery is preferred to thoracotomy as a surgical approach.In first
      episodes of PSP, aspiration is required only in symptomatic patients. After a
      persistent or recurrent PSP, definitive treatment including pleurodesis is
      undertaken. Future randomised controlled trials comparing different strategies
      are required. 

PMID- 26113676
TI  - Everolimus for the treatment of lymphangioleiomyomatosis: a phase II study.
AB  - Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a rare, progressive cystic lung disorder
      characterised by dysregulated activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)
      signalling.This was a phase IIa, multicentre, open-label study of the mTOR
      inhibitor everolimus (2.5 mg.day(-1) escalated to 10 mg.day(-1)) in 24 women with
      lymphangioleiomyomatosis. Primary endpoints were safety, pharmacokinetics and
      serum vascular endothelial growth factor-D (VEGF-D) levels; secondary endpoints
      were measures of lung function.Following 26 weeks of everolimus treatment, forced
      vital capacity exhibited stability, while forced expiration volume in 1 s
      improved from baseline, with mean changes (95% confidence interval) of 10 mL (
      111-132) and 114 mL (11-217), respectively; 6-min walk distance improved by 47 m.
      Median VEGF-D and collagen IV levels decreased from baseline, from 1730 pg.mL(-1)
      to 934.5 pg.mL(-1), and 103 ng.mL(-1) to 80.5 ng.mL(-1), respectively. Adverse
      events were mostly grade 1-2; mouth ulceration, headache, nausea, stomatitis and
      fatigue were common. Serious adverse events suspected to be treatment related
      included peripheral oedema, pneumonia, cardiac failure and Pneumocystis jirovecii
      infection. Everolimus blood levels increased dose proportionally.In this study,
      everolimus improved some measures of lung function and exercise capacity and
      reduced serum VEGF-D and collagen IV. Side effects were generally consistent with
      known toxicities of mTOR inhibitors, although some were severe.

PMID- 26113677
TI  - The striated muscles in pulmonary arterial hypertension: adaptations beyond the
      right ventricle.
AB  - Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal lung disease characterised by
      progressive remodelling of the small pulmonary vessels. The daily-life activities
      of patients with PAH are severely limited by exertional fatigue and dyspnoea.
      Typically, these symptoms have been explained by right heart failure. However, an
      increasing number of studies reveal that the impact of the PAH reaches further
      than the pulmonary circulation. Striated muscles other than the right ventricle
      are affected in PAH, such as the left ventricle, the diaphragm and peripheral
      skeletal muscles. Alterations in these striated muscles are associated with
      exercise intolerance and reduced quality of life. In this Back to Basics article
      on striated muscle function in PAH, we provide insight into the
      pathophysiological mechanisms causing muscle dysfunction in PAH and discuss
      potential new therapeutic strategies to restore muscle dysfunction. 

PMID- 26113678
TI  - Effects of ageing and smoking on pulmonary computed tomography scans using
      parametric response mapping.

PMID- 26113679
TI  - JAK-STAT pathway activation in COPD.

PMID- 26113680
TI  - Tuberculosis associates with both airflow obstruction and low lung function: BOLD
      results.
AB  - In small studies and cases series, a history of tuberculosis has been associated
      with both airflow obstruction, which is characteristic of chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease, and restrictive patterns on spirometry. The objective of the
      present study was to assess the association between a history of tuberculosis and
      airflow obstruction and spirometric abnormalities in adults.The study was
      performed in adults, aged 40 years and above, who took part in the multicentre,
      cross-sectional, general population-based Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease
      study, and had provided acceptable post-bronchodilator spirometry measurements
      and information on a history of tuberculosis. The associations between a history
      of tuberculosis and airflow obstruction and spirometric restriction were assessed
      within each participating centre, and estimates combined using meta-analysis.
      These estimates were stratified by high- and low/middle-income countries,
      according to gross national income.A self-reported history of tuberculosis was
      associated with airflow obstruction (adjusted odds ratio 2.51, 95% CI 1.83-3.42)
      and spirometric restriction (adjusted odds ratio 2.13, 95% CI 1.42-3.19).A
      history of tuberculosis was associated with both airflow obstruction and
      spirometric restriction, and should be considered as a potentially important
      cause of obstructive disease and low lung function, particularly where
      tuberculosis is common.

PMID- 26113681
TI  - Contribution of inflammation and impaired angiogenesis to the pathobiology of
      chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.
AB  - Deficient angiogenesis and systemic inflammation could be involved in the
      pathophysiology of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). We
      aimed to characterise the histopathology of pulmonary vascular lesions from 52
      CTEPH patients who underwent a pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) and investigate a
      potential link between clinical, biological and morphometric parameters.Collagen,
      elastin, fibrin, lipid, endothelial, smooth muscle and inflammatory cell content
      was investigated using immunohistochemistry. Qualitative changes were evaluated
      using severity scores. Circulating levels of inflammatory mediators were measured
      using ELISA.Neointima, thrombotic, recanalised and atherosclerotic lesions were
      found. Accumulation of macrophages, T-lymphocytes and neutrophils was found
      mainly in atherosclerotic and thrombotic lesions. Angiogenesis was observed in
      all kinds of lesions; low-scored angiogenesis predicted adverse outcome,
      including persistent pulmonary hypertension post-PEA, start of medical therapy
      and poor survival. C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-10, monocyte chemotactic
      protein-1, macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha and matrix metalloproteinase
      (MMP)-9 were significantly elevated in CTEPH patients. Plasma CRP and MMP-9
      levels correlated with neutrophil and macrophage accumulation,
      respectively.Enhanced systemic inflammation parallels local inflammatory cell
      infiltration in major pulmonary arteries at advanced stages of CTEPH. Impaired
      neovascularisation is associated with poor survival, start of medical treatment
      and persistent pulmonary hypertension post-PEA. These findings suggest that
      inflammation and impaired angiogenesis could contribute to the progression of the
      disease. 

PMID- 26113682
TI  - Performance of urine lipoarabinomannan assays for paediatric tuberculosis in
      Tanzania.
AB  - We evaluated the diagnostic performance of two tests based on the release of
      lipoarabinomannan (LAM) into the urine, the MTB-LAM-ELISA assay and the Determine
      TB-LAM-strip assay, in children with suspected tuberculosis (TB) in a high TB/HIV
      prevalence setting.In a prospective study, 132 children with suspected active TB
      were assigned to diagnostic subgroups. Urine samples were subjected to testing by
      both assays to ascertain sensitivity and specificity. Host factors associated
      with positive LAM results were investigated and LAM excretion monitored after
      antituberculous treatment initiation.18 (13.6%) children had culture-confirmed
      pulmonary TB. The assays' sensitivity was higher in HIV-positive versus HIV
      negative children: 70% (95% confidence interval 35-93%) versus 13% (0-53%) for
      MTB-LAM-ELISA and 50% (19-81%) versus 0% (0-37%) for Determine TB-LAM. In 35
      (27%) children with excluded active TB, both assays showed a specificity of 97.1%
      (85-100%). Proteinuria and low body mass index were independently associated with
      LAM positivity. In most patients, LAM excretion declined to zero during or at
      conclusion of antituberculous treatment.HIV/TB co-infected children might benefit
      from LAM-based tests to aid early TB diagnosis and subsequent positive impact on
      morbidity and mortality. Using LAM as a rule-in and treatment-monitoring tool may
      also show further potential. 

PMID- 26113683
TI  - Disruption of pulmonary lipid homeostasis drives cigarette smoke-induced lung
      inflammation in mice.
AB  - Overwhelming evidence links inflammation to the pathogenesis of smoking-related
      pulmonary diseases, especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
      Despite an increased understanding of the disease pathogenesis, mechanisms
      initiating smoking-induced inflammatory processes remain incompletely understood.
      To investigate the mechanisms that initiate and propagate smoke-induced
      inflammation, we used a well-characterised mouse model of cigarette smoke
      exposure, mice deficient for interleukin (IL)-1alpha, IL-1beta and Toll-like
      receptor 4, and antibodies blocking granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating
      factor (GM-CSF). Studies were also pursued using intranasal delivery of human
      oxidised low-density lipoprotein (hOxLDL), a source of oxidised lipids, to
      investigate the inflammatory processes associated with impaired lipid
      homeostasis. We found that cigarette smoke exposure rapidly led to lipid
      accumulation in pulmonary macrophages, a defining feature of foam cells, which in
      turn released high levels of IL-1alpha. In smoke-exposed IL-1alpha-deficient
      mice, phospholipids accumulated in the bronchoalveolar lavage, a phenomenon also
      observed when blocking GM-CSF. Intranasal administration of hOxLDL led to lipid
      accumulation in macrophages and initiated an inflammatory process that mirrored
      the characteristics of cigarette smoke-induced inflammation. These findings
      identify a link between lipid accumulation in macrophages, inflammation and
      damaged surfactant, suggesting that the response to damaged pulmonary surfactant
      is a central mechanism that drives cigarette smoke-induced inflammation. Further
      investigations are required to explore the role of distorted lipid homeostasis in
      the pathogenesis of COPD.

PMID- 26113684
TI  - Reversal of central sleep apnoea with change from methadone to buprenorphine
      naloxone: a case report.

PMID- 26113685
TI  - The impact of obstructive sleep apnoea on the aorta.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has been shown to be a causal factor in the
      pathogenesis of vascular dysfunction and hypertension, conditions which can
      promote dilation and subsequent aortic dissection and rupture. The objective of
      this review is to summarise the current literature on the possible association
      between OSA and aortic disease and delineate the underlying mechanisms.Relevant
      studies were found by searching for terms including "obstructive sleep apnoea" in
      combination with "aortic aneurysm, dissection, and dilation" in the MEDLINE and
      EMBASE databases.Observational studies consistently reported that OSA is highly
      prevalent among patients with aortic aneurysms and aortic dissections. Patients
      with co-occurring OSA and Marfan's syndrome as well as patients at the more
      severe end of the spectrum of OSA seem to be especially vulnerable to aortic
      disease.Several mechanisms are discussed concerning the link between OSA and
      aortic disease: nocturnal negative intrathoracic pressure surges leading to
      mechanical stretching of the aorta and ultimately aortic distension; arousal
      induced reflex sympathetic activation with subsequent hypertension; and
      intermittent hypoxia associated with autonomic nervous system activation and
      consequently increased oxidative stress. Further well controlled studies are
      needed in order to define the exact role of OSA as a risk factor for aortic
      disease. 

PMID- 26113686
TI  - Safety and efficacy of auto-titrating noninvasive ventilation in COPD and
      obstructive sleep apnoea overlap syndrome.

PMID- 26113687
TI  - Bosentan added to sildenafil therapy in patients with pulmonary arterial
      hypertension.
AB  - The safety and efficacy of adding bosentan to sildenafil in pulmonary arterial
      hypertension (PAH) patients was investigated.In this prospective, double-blind,
      event-driven trial, symptomatic PAH patients receiving stable sildenafil (>=20 mg
      three times daily) for >=3 months were randomised (1:1) to placebo or bosentan
      (125 mg twice daily). The composite primary end-point was the time to the first
      morbidity/mortality event, defined as all-cause death, hospitalisation for PAH
      worsening or intravenous prostanoid initiation, atrial septostomy, lung
      transplant, or PAH worsening. Secondary/exploratory end-points included change in
      6-min walk distance and World Health Organization functional class at 16 weeks,
      change in N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) over time, and all
      cause death.Overall, 334 PAH patients were randomised to placebo (n=175) or
      bosentan (n=159). A primary end-point event occurred in 51.4% of patients
      randomised to placebo and 42.8% to bosentan (hazard ratio 0.83, 97.31% CI 0.58
      1.19; p=0.2508). The mean between-treatment difference in 6-min walk distance at
      16 weeks was +21.8 m (95% CI +5.9-37.8 m; p=0.0106). Except for NT-proBNP, no
      difference was observed for any other end-point. The safety profile of bosentan
      added to sildenafil was consistent with the known bosentan safety profile.In
      COMPASS-2, adding bosentan to stable sildenafil therapy was not superior to
      sildenafil monotherapy in delaying the time to the first morbidity/mortality
      event.

PMID- 26113688
TI  - Linking clinical phenotypes of chronic lung allograft dysfunction to changes in
      lung structure.
AB  - Chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) remains the major barrier to long-term
      success after lung transplantation. This report compares gross and microscopic
      features of lungs removed from patients receiving a redo-transplant as treatment
      for CLAD. Lungs donated by patients with either the bronchiolitis obliterans
      syndrome (BOS) or restrictive allograft syndrome (RAS) phenotype of CLAD and
      appropriate control lungs (eight per group) were air-inflated, frozen solid and
      kept frozen while a multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) was obtained. The
      lung was then cut into 2-cm thick transverse slices and sampled for micro-CT and
      histopathology. The MDCT showed reduced lung volume with increased lung weight
      and density in RAS versus BOS and control (p<0.05). Although pre-terminal
      bronchioles were obstructed in both phenotypes, RAS lungs showed a reduction of
      pre-terminal bronchioles (p<0.01). Micro-CT and matched histopathology showed
      that RAS was associated with reduced numbers of terminal bronchioles/lung
      compared to BOS and controls (p<0.01), with expansion of the interstitial
      compartment and obliteration of the alveolar airspaces by fibrous connective
      tissue. RAS is associated with greater destruction of both pre-terminal and
      terminal bronchioles. Additionally, the interstitial compartments are expanded
      and alveolar airspaces are obliterated by accumulation of fibrous connective
      tissue.

PMID- 26113689
TI  - Bacterial community composition and diversity in an ancestral ant fungus
      symbiosis.
AB  - Fungus-farming ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Attini) exhibit some of the most
      complex microbial symbioses because both macroscopic partners (ants and fungus)
      are associated with a rich community of microorganisms. The ant and fungal
      microbiomes are thought to serve important beneficial nutritional and defensive
      roles in these symbioses. While most recent research has investigated the
      bacterial communities in the higher attines (e.g. the leaf-cutter ant genera Atta
      and Acromyrmex), which are often associated with antibiotic-producing
      Actinobacteria, very little is known about the microbial communities in basal
      lineages, labeled as 'lower attines', which retain the ancestral traits of
      smaller and more simple societies. In this study, we used 16S amplicon
      pyrosequencing to characterize bacterial communities of the lower attine ant
      Mycocepurus smithii among seven sampling sites in central Panama. We discovered
      that ant and fungus garden-associated microbiota were distinct from surrounding
      soil, but unlike the situation in the derived fungus-gardening ants, which show
      distinct ant and fungal microbiomes, microbial community structure of the ants
      and their fungi were similar. Another surprising finding was that the abundance
      of actinomycete bacteria was low and instead, these symbioses were characterized
      by an abundance of Lactobacillus and Pantoea bacteria. Furthermore, our data
      indicate that Lactobacillus strains are acquired from the environment rather than
      acquired vertically.

PMID- 26113691
TI  - A 50-year-old man with dysuria.

PMID- 26113692
TI  - Solving reproducibility.

PMID- 26113694
TI  - INFECTIOUS DISEASES. Surviving Ebola survival.

PMID- 26113695
TI  - GENETICS. An enhanced view of gene control.

PMID- 26113696
TI  - OPTICS. Breaking the light barrier.

PMID- 26113697
TI  - Q&A. Tapping a nuclear test ban treasure-trove.

PMID- 26113698
TI  - The cancer test.

PMID- 26113699
TI  - Mission controller.

PMID- 26113700
TI  - Alan Stern's worldly ventures.

PMID- 26113701
TI  - SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY. Self-correction in science at work.

PMID- 26113703
TI  - ECOLOGY. Ecological communities by design.

PMID- 26113702
TI  - SCIENTIFIC STANDARDS. Promoting an open research culture.

PMID- 26113704
TI  - MICROBIOTA. Mother's littlest helpers.

PMID- 26113705
TI  - MATERIALS SCIENCE. Bearing down on hydrogen.

PMID- 26113706
TI  - BIOGEOCHEMISTRY. Who can cleave DMSP?

PMID- 26113707
TI  - OPTICS. Topology, spin, and light.

PMID- 26113708
TI  - GENE REGULATION. A HUSH for transgene expression.

PMID- 26113709
TI  - Applying antibiotics lessons to antivirals.

PMID- 26113710
TI  - Response-Applying antibiotics lessons to antivirals.

PMID- 26113711
TI  - China legitimizes ivory, again.

PMID- 26113712
TI  - FUNGAL BIOGEOGRAPHY. Comment on "Global diversity and geography of soil fungi".
AB  - Tedersoo et al. (Research Article, 28 November 2014, p. 1078) present a
      compelling study regarding patterns of biodiversity of fungi, carried out at a
      scale unprecedented to date for fungal biogeographical studies. The study
      demonstrates strong global biogeographic patterns in richness and community
      composition of soil fungi. What concerns us with the study is what we do not see.
      Unfortunately, this study underestimates the fungal diversity of one key group of
      soil fungi due to reliance on a single primer with known flaws. 

PMID- 26113713
TI  - ANIMAL COGNITION. Comment on "Number-space mapping in the newborn chick resembles
      humans' mental number line".
AB  - Rugani et al. (Reports, 30 January 3015, p. 534) tested 3-day-old domestic chicks
      using an innovative experimental setup and demonstrate the presence of the mental
      number line. We raise concerns regarding this conclusion by highlighting the
      possible loopholes in the experimental design and the data analysis procedures.
      We further suggest auxiliary experiments that can substantiate the authors'
      claim. 

PMID- 26113714
TI  - ANIMAL COGNITION. Comment on "Number-space mapping in the newborn chick resembles
      humans' mental number line".
AB  - Rugani et al. (Reports, 30 January 2015, p. 534) presented evidence that domestic
      chicks employ a "mental number line." I argue that the hypothesis testing used to
      support this claim unjustifiably assumes that domestic chicks are unbiased when
      choosing between identical stimuli presented to their left and right. 

PMID- 26113715
TI  - ANIMAL COGNITION. Response to Comments on "Number-space mapping in the newborn
      chick resembles humans' mental number line".
AB  - Mangalam and Karve raise concerns on whether our results demonstrate a mental
      number line, suggesting auxiliary experiments. Further data analyses show that
      their methodological concerns are not founded. Harshaw suggests that a side bias
      could have affected our results. We show that this concern is also unfounded. 

PMID- 26113716
TI  - APPLIED OPTICS. Overcoming Kerr-induced capacity limit in optical fiber
      transmission.
AB  - Nonlinear optical response of silica imposes a fundamental limit on the
      information transfer capacity in optical fibers. Communication beyond this limit
      requires higher signal power and suppression of nonlinear distortions to prevent
      irreversible information loss. The nonlinear interaction in silica is a
      deterministic phenomenon that can, in principle, be completely reversed. However,
      attempts to remove the effects of nonlinear propagation have led to only modest
      improvements, and the precise physical mechanism preventing nonlinear
      cancellation remains unknown. We demonstrate that optical carrier stability plays
      a critical role in canceling Kerr-induced distortions and that nonlinear wave
      interaction in silica can be substantially reverted if optical carriers possess a
      sufficient degree of mutual coherence. These measurements indicate that fiber
      information capacity can be notably increased over previous estimates. 

PMID- 26113717
TI  - OPTICS. Quantum spin Hall effect of light.
AB  - Maxwell's equations, formulated 150 years ago, ultimately describe properties of
      light, from classical electromagnetism to quantum and relativistic aspects. The
      latter ones result in remarkable geometric and topological phenomena related to
      the spin-1 massless nature of photons. By analyzing fundamental spin properties
      of Maxwell waves, we show that free-space light exhibits an intrinsic quantum
      spin Hall effect-surface modes with strong spin-momentum locking. These modes are
      evanescent waves that form, for example, surface plasmon-polaritons at vacuum
      metal interfaces. Our findings illuminate the unusual transverse spin in
      evanescent waves and explain recent experiments that have demonstrated the
      transverse spin-direction locking in the excitation of surface optical modes.
      This deepens our understanding of Maxwell's theory, reveals analogies with
      topological insulators for electrons, and offers applications for robust spin
      directional optical interfaces.

PMID- 26113718
TI  - 3D LITHOGRAPHY. Atomic gold-enabled three-dimensional lithography for silicon
      mesostructures.
AB  - Three-dimensional (3D) mesostructured semiconductors show promising properties
      and applications; however, to date, few methods exist to synthesize or fabricate
      such materials. Metal can diffuse along semiconductor surfaces, and even trace
      amounts can change the surface behavior. We exploited the phenomena for 3D
      mesoscale lithography, by showing one example where iterated deposition-diffusion
      incorporation of gold over silicon nanowires forms etchant-resistant patterns.
      This process is facet-selective, producing mesostructured silicon spicules with
      skeletonlike morphology, 3D tectonic motifs, and reduced symmetries. Atom-probe
      tomography, coupled with other quantitative measurements, indicates the existence
      and the role of individual gold atoms in forming 3D lithographic resists.
      Compared to other more uniform silicon structures, the anisotropic spicule
      requires greater force for detachment from collagen hydrogels, suggesting
      enhanced interfacial interactions at the mesoscale. 

PMID- 26113719
TI  - HIGH-PRESSURE PHYSICS. Direct observation of an abrupt insulator-to-metal
      transition in dense liquid deuterium.
AB  - Eighty years ago, it was proposed that solid hydrogen would become metallic at
      sufficiently high density. Despite numerous investigations, this transition has
      not yet been experimentally observed. More recently, there has been much interest
      in the analog of this predicted metallic transition in the dense liquid, due to
      its relevance to planetary science. Here, we show direct observation of an abrupt
      insulator-to-metal transition in dense liquid deuterium. Experimental
      determination of the location of this transition provides a much-needed benchmark
      for theory and may constrain the region of hydrogen-helium immiscibility and the
      boundary-layer pressure in standard models of the internal structure of gas-giant
      planets. 

PMID- 26113720
TI  - CORAL REEFS. Genomic determinants of coral heat tolerance across latitudes.
AB  - As global warming continues, reef-building corals could avoid local population
      declines through "genetic rescue" involving exchange of heat-tolerant genotypes
      across latitudes, but only if latitudinal variation in thermal tolerance is
      heritable. Here, we show an up-to-10-fold increase in odds of survival of coral
      larvae under heat stress when their parents come from a warmer lower-latitude
      location. Elevated thermal tolerance was associated with heritable differences in
      expression of oxidative, extracellular, transport, and mitochondrial functions
      that indicated a lack of prior stress. Moreover, two genomic regions strongly
      responded to selection for thermal tolerance in interlatitudinal crosses. These
      results demonstrate that variation in coral thermal tolerance across latitudes
      has a strong genetic basis and could serve as raw material for natural selection.

PMID- 26113721
TI  - PHOTOSYNTHESIS. A 12 A carotenoid translocation in a photoswitch associated with
      cyanobacterial photoprotection.
AB  - Pigment-protein and pigment-pigment interactions are of fundamental importance to
      the light-harvesting and photoprotective functions essential to oxygenic
      photosynthesis. The orange carotenoid protein (OCP) functions as both a sensor of
      light and effector of photoprotective energy dissipation in cyanobacteria. We
      report the atomic-resolution structure of an active form of the OCP consisting of
      the N-terminal domain and a single noncovalently bound carotenoid pigment. The
      crystal structure, combined with additional solution-state structural data,
      reveals that OCP photoactivation is accompanied by a 12 angstrom translocation of
      the pigment within the protein and a reconfiguration of carotenoid-protein
      interactions. Our results identify the origin of the photochromic changes in the
      OCP triggered by light and reveal the structural determinants required for
      interaction with the light-harvesting antenna during photoprotection. 

PMID- 26113722
TI  - MARINE SULFUR CYCLE. Identification of the algal dimethyl sulfide-releasing
      enzyme: A missing link in the marine sulfur cycle.
AB  - Algal blooms produce large amounts of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a volatile with a
      diverse signaling role in marine food webs that is emitted to the atmosphere,
      where it can affect cloud formation. The algal enzymes responsible for forming
      DMS from dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) remain unidentified despite their
      critical role in the global sulfur cycle. We identified and characterized Alma1,
      a DMSP lyase from the bloom-forming algae Emiliania huxleyi. Alma1 is a
      tetrameric, redox-sensitive enzyme of the aspartate racemase superfamily.
      Recombinant Alma1 exhibits biochemical features identical to the DMSP lyase in E.
      huxleyi, and DMS released by various E. huxleyi isolates correlates with their
      Alma1 levels. Sequence homology searches suggest that Alma1 represents a gene
      family present in major, globally distributed phytoplankton taxa and in other
      marine organisms. 

PMID- 26113723
TI  - BRAIN CIRCUITS. A parvalbumin-positive excitatory visual pathway to trigger fear
      responses in mice.
AB  - The fear responses to environmental threats play a fundamental role in survival.
      Little is known about the neural circuits specifically processing threat-relevant
      sensory information in the mammalian brain. We identified parvalbumin-positive
      (PV(+)) excitatory projection neurons in mouse superior colliculus (SC) as a key
      neuronal subtype for detecting looming objects and triggering fear responses.
      These neurons, distributed predominantly in the superficial SC, divergently
      projected to different brain areas, including the parabigeminal nucleus (PBGN),
      an intermediate station leading to the amygdala. Activation of the PV(+) SC-PBGN
      pathway triggered fear responses, induced conditioned aversion, and caused
      depression-related behaviors. Approximately 20% of mice subjected to the fear
      conditioning paradigm developed a generalized fear memory. 

PMID- 26113724
TI  - STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY. A Cas9-guide RNA complex preorganized for target DNA
      recognition.
AB  - Bacterial adaptive immunity uses CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short
      palindromic repeats)-associated (Cas) proteins together with CRISPR transcripts
      for foreign DNA degradation. In type II CRISPR-Cas systems, activation of Cas9
      endonuclease for DNA recognition upon guide RNA binding occurs by an unknown
      mechanism. Crystal structures of Cas9 bound to single-guide RNA reveal a
      conformation distinct from both the apo and DNA-bound states, in which the 10
      nucleotide RNA "seed" sequence required for initial DNA interrogation is
      preordered in an A-form conformation. This segment of the guide RNA is essential
      for Cas9 to form a DNA recognition-competent structure that is poised to engage
      double-stranded DNA target sequences. We construe this as convergent evolution of
      a "seed" mechanism reminiscent of that used by Argonaute proteins during RNA
      interference in eukaryotes. 

PMID- 26113726
TI  - The health of those who study health.

PMID- 26113725
TI  - RNA BIOCHEMISTRY. Factor-dependent processivity in human eIF4A DEAD-box helicase.
AB  - During eukaryotic translation initiation, the small ribosomal subunit, assisted
      by initiation factors, locates the messenger RNA start codon by scanning from the
      5' cap. This process is powered by the eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A), a
      DEAD-box helicase. eIF4A has been thought to unwind structures formed in the
      untranslated 5' region via a nonprocessive mechanism. Using a single-molecule
      assay, we found that eIF4A functions instead as an adenosine triphosphate
      dependent processive helicase when complexed with two accessory proteins, eIF4G
      and eIF4B. Translocation occurred in discrete steps of 11 +/- 2 base pairs,
      irrespective of the accessory factor combination. Our findings support a memory
      less stepwise mechanism for translation initiation and suggest that similar
      factor-dependent processivity may be shared by other members of the DEAD-box
      helicase family. 

PMID- 26113727
TI  - EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT. BMP gradients: A paradigm for morphogen-mediated
      developmental patterning.
AB  - Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) act in dose-dependent fashion to regulate cell
      fate choices in a myriad of developmental contexts. In early vertebrate and
      invertebrate embryos, BMPs and their antagonists establish epidermal versus
      central nervous system domains. In this highly conserved system, BMP antagonists
      mediate the neural-inductive activities proposed by Hans Spemann and Hilde
      Mangold nearly a century ago. BMPs distributed in gradients subsequently function
      as morphogens to subdivide the three germ layers into distinct territories and
      act to organize body axes, regulate growth, maintain stem cell niches, or signal
      inductively across germ layers. In this Review, we summarize the variety of
      mechanisms that contribute to generating reliable developmental responses to BMP
      gradients and other morphogen systems. 

PMID- 26113729
TI  - Zika: another sexually transmitted infection?

PMID- 26113728
TI  - HEART DEVELOPMENT. Integration of Bmp and Wnt signaling by Hopx specifies
      commitment of cardiomyoblasts.
AB  - Cardiac progenitor cells are multipotent and give rise to cardiac endothelium,
      smooth muscle, and cardiomyocytes. Here, we define and characterize the
      cardiomyoblast intermediate that is committed to the cardiomyocyte fate, and we
      characterize the niche signals that regulate commitment. Cardiomyoblasts express
      Hopx, which functions to coordinate local Bmp signals to inhibit the Wnt pathway,
      thus promoting cardiomyogenesis. Hopx integrates Bmp and Wnt signaling by
      physically interacting with activated Smads and repressing Wnt genes. The
      identification of the committed cardiomyoblast that retains proliferative
      potential will inform cardiac regenerative therapeutics. In addition, Bmp signals
      characterize adult stem cell niches in other tissues where Hopx-mediated
      inhibition of Wnt is likely to contribute to stem cell quiescence and to explain
      the role of Hopx as a tumor suppressor. 

PMID- 26113731
TI  - Ascending-to-descending aortic bypass graft for type B aortic interruption.

PMID- 26113730
TI  - How long-distance truck drivers and villagers in rural southeastern Tanzania
      think about heterosexual anal sex: a qualitative study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore ideas of truck drivers and villagers from rural Tanzania
      about heterosexual anal sex (HAS) and the associated health risks. METHODS:
      Qualitative study using 8 in-depth interviews (IDIs) and 2 focus group
      discussions (FGDs) with truck drivers and 16 IDIs and 4 FGDs with villagers from
      the Morogoro region. Study participants included 24 women and 46 men. Data
      analysis was performed thematically employing standard qualitative techniques.
      RESULTS: Reasons why men would practice HAS included sexual pleasure, the belief
      that anal sex is safer than vaginal sex, alternative sexual practice, exploration
      and proof of masculinity. Reasons why women would practice HAS included financial
      need, retaining a partner, alternative for sex during menses, pregnancy
      prevention and beauty enhancement because HAS is believed to 'fatten the female
      buttocks'. Most participants believed that condoms are not needed during HAS.
      This was linked to the ideas that infections only 'reside in wet places' (vagina)
      and that the anus is not 'conducive' for condom use; condoms reduce 'dryness' and
      'friction' (pleasure) and may 'get stuck inside'. CONCLUSIONS: The study
      participants reported practices and ideas about HAS that put them at risk for HIV
      and sexually transmitted infections. Greater attention to education about HAS is
      urgently needed in Tanzania, where this sexual practice is still regarded as a
      taboo. This study offers useful information that could be included in sex
      education programmes.

PMID- 26113732
TI  - Utility of a preloaded fenestrated graft in thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair.
AB  - An 84-year-old man with a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm was treated using a
      fenestrated stent graft with a preloaded guidewire system under local anesthesia.
      He suffered from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We successfully
      placed 4 bridging stent grafts for perfusion of the celiac artery, superior
      mesenteric artery, and bilateral renal arteries via the 4 fenestrations. A
      preloaded wire system was used to insert a catheter into the celiac artery from
      the left brachial artery. Our findings indicate that a fenestrated stent graft
      with a preloaded wire system may expand the indication for treating
      thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms in high-risk patients. 

PMID- 26113733
TI  - Non-aneurysmal abdominal aortic rupture in a patient with Marfan syndrome.
AB  - Aortic rupture in the presence of aneurysmal disease is well understood and
      extensively described in the literature. However, aortic rupture in a non
      aneurysmal aorta is far less common. In the few reported cases, perforations are
      believed to result from a penetrating atheromatous ulcer of the aorta. We
      describe a rare case of non-aneurysmal aortic rupture in a 68-year-old man with
      Marfan syndrome and a history of proximal aortic surgery. The urgent need for
      hemorrhage control precluded any consideration of an endovascular repair. 

PMID- 26113734
TI  - Unusual bronchial foreign body.
AB  - We present an unusual case of bronchial foreign body in an adult who presented
      with bronchiectasis more than two decades later. The patient was unaware of his
      accidental aspiration of the foreign body, and the final diagnosis was made
      intraoperatively. 

PMID- 26113735
TI  - Cell salvage during coronary artery bypass surgery and allogenic blood exposure.
AB  - AIM: Our primary aim was to assess the impact of intraoperative cell saver usage
      on patient exposure to allogenic blood transfusion during elective coronary
      artery bypass. The secondary endpoint was the impact of cell savage on the units
      of blood and blood products transfused perioperatively. METHODS: A prospective
      observational cohort study with a historical cohort as a control group was
      performed in a single tertiary care center. One hundred and twenty-four patients
      undergoing primary on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting were included.
      Intraoperative cell salvage was performed in 60 patients (study group) but not in
      the control group (n = 64). Transfusion data, intensive care unit stay, hospital
      stay, and postoperative complications were evaluated in the cell saver and
      control groups. RESULTS: The number of patients exposed to allogenic red blood
      cell transfusion was significantly less in the study group (55% vs. 82.8%; p =
      0.001) and the units per patient was also less in the study group (1.10 +/- 1.7
      vs. 2.25 +/- 2.289 units; p = 0.002). However, there was no significant
      difference in terms of units of purified plasma fraction, platelets, or
      cryoprecipitate transfused. Intensive care unit stay, total hospital stay, number
      of reexplorations, complications, readmissions, and 28-day mortality were similar
      in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative cell salvage with a cell saver in
      patients undergoing primary elective coronary artery bypass decreases the
      proportion of patients exposed to allogenic red cell transfusions and the number
      of units of red blood cells transfused.

PMID- 26113736
TI  - Analytical imprecision of lactate dehydrogenase in primary serum tubes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed high frequency of duplicate errors of lactate
      dehydrogenase (LDH) measurement in primary lithium-heparin blood tubes. We hence
      evaluated imprecision of LDH testing and frequency of replicate errors in primary
      serum samples centrifuged at two different speeds. METHODS: Serum samples were
      collected from 15 healthy subjects and centrifuged at either 1300 g or 2000 g.
      Serum LDH was then measured on Beckman Coulter AU5800 using the International
      Federation of Clinical Chemistry-recommended procedure. Complete blood cell count
      of top layer of serum supernatant was also performed using Advia 2120.
      Imprecision was calculated as coefficient of variation of 10 replicates of each
      serum tube, whereas the frequency of replicate errors was compared to the
      desirable specifications for imprecision. RESULTS: Mean LDH values were slightly
      but significantly higher in serum samples centrifuged at 2000 g rather than 1300
      g, whereas blood cell counts were similar. The mean imprecision of LDH was more
      than double in samples centrifuged at 2000 g than in those centrifuged at 1300 g
      (8% versus 3%). The percentage of replicate measurements exceeding the desirable
      specifications was more than threefold higher in samples centrifuged at 2000 g
      than in those centrifuged at 1300 g (30% versus 9%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The
      lower frequency of replicated errors in LDH measurement observed using serum
      samples centrifuged according to manufacturer's instruction suggests that assay
      precision in serum is better if samples are centrifuged at 1300 g rather than
      2000 g when the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry-recommended
      procedure is used.

PMID- 26113737
TI  - The role of the clinical biochemist in detection of zinc-induced copper
      deficiency.
AB  - A middle-aged woman with neutropenia and ataxia was found to have raised plasma
      zinc and profoundly low plasma copper concentrations. When found that she had
      been prescribed 135 mg zinc/day for seven years, a diagnosis of zinc-induced
      copper deficiency was made. After the zinc prescription was stopped, her copper
      and zinc concentrations and neutropenia normalized but she only had partial
      improvement in neurological status. The diagnosis of zinc-induced copper
      deficiency can be facilitated by the laboratory through measurement of plasma
      zinc concentration in patients with a low plasma copper concentration. 

PMID- 26113738
TI  - Improving clinical outcomes - towards patient-centred laboratory medicine.
AB  - Hard evidence of the specific contribution made by laboratory testing to patient
      outcomes and the delivery of health care is not easy to obtain. An understanding
      of the value of laboratory medicine, how that value can be measured and the
      various factors that influence it is vital to ensuring that laboratory services
      are provided and used optimally to improve patient care. To maximise the value of
      laboratory medicine, work is required to improve the utilisation of existing and
      new biomarkers, develop standard protocols for prospective patient-centred
      studies of biomarker clinical effectiveness or extra-analytical process
      effectiveness, benchmark existing and new tests in specified clinical situations
      with commonly accepted effectiveness measures, and define new roles for
      laboratory professionals that are focussed on optimising patient outcomes by
      adding value throughout the total testing process. This requires effective
      collaboration with clinical staff and a determination to accept patient outcome
      and patient experience as the primary measure of laboratory performance. 

PMID- 26113739
TI  - Secrets from the microbiome: molecular biology meets microbiology meets
      histopathology...meets clinical biochemistry.
AB  - The microbiome is the collective term used to describe the bacteria, viruses,
      fungi and archaea that reside on and in the human body. The majority of these
      organisms are found within the large bowel. Mounting evidence suggests that
      changes in the microbiome may be associated with the development of colorectal
      cancer, a disease which affects 1.3 million people a year worldwide. Using
      colorectal cancer as an example, this article presents the inter-specialty
      collaborative approach to microbiome research and discusses the key role that
      clinical biochemistry is likely to play. 

PMID- 26113740
TI  - Percutaneous transhepatic portal embolization using foam ethanolamine oleate and
      carbon dioxide (CO2): a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Percutaneous transhepatic portal embolization (PTPE) can induce
      atrophy of the embolized- and hypertrophy of the residual area. These effects are
      advantageous in patients scheduled for extended hepatectomy. PURPOSE: To evaluate
      the clinical safety and effectiveness of foam sclerotherapy with foam
      ethanolamine oleate (EO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) for PTPE before hepatectomy.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed sclerotherapy for PTPE in 15 patients with:
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HHC; n = 9), bile duct carcinoma (n = 5), or metastatic
      liver tumor from colon cancer (n = 1). The foam contained 5% EO iopamidol (EOI)
      and CO2 at a 1:2 ratio. We compared the percentage of the pre- and post-PTPE
      future liver remnant (FLR) volumes and calculated the percent FLR volume (%FLR)
      increase after PTPE. RESULTS: The amount of EOI used (range, 14-20 mL; median,
      16.8 mL) was based on the volume of the target portal vein. Technical success was
      achieved in 14 of 15 patients (93%); the other patient presented with computed
      tomography evidence of recanalization 1 week after PTPE. The FLR volume before
      and after portal vein embolization was 599 +/- 342 and 691 +/- 318 cm(3),
      respectively (P < 0.01); the mean %FLR volume increase was 29.5%. There was no
      significant difference in the mean platelet count, total bilirubin, total
      aspartate aminotransferase, and total creatinine before and after PTPE. One
      patient suffered intra-abdominal bleeding that required transcatheter arterial
      embolization. No other patients developed major complications higher than grade
      3. CONCLUSION: Sclerotherapy using foam EOI and CO2 is clinically safe and
      effective for PTPE before hepatectomy.

PMID- 26113741
TI  - Regional dGEMRIC analysis in patients at risk of osteoarthritis provides
      additional information about activity related changes in cartilage structure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previously, a positive effect of exercise on cartilage structure was
      indicated with delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of
      cartilage (dGEMRIC). However, in that study only one full-thickness region of
      interest (ROI) in the medial femoral condyle was analyzed. PURPOSE: To improve
      the knowledge about exercise effects on cartilage structure by re-analyzing
      previous images with regional dGEMRIC analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty
      patients (age range, 38-50 years) with a previous medial meniscus resection were
      divided into three groups according to self-reported change in physical activity
      (PA) level in a 4-month exercise intervention study: Group I (n = 11), increased
      PA level; Group II (n = 13), no change in PA level; and Group III (n = 6),
      reduced PA level. dGEMRIC index was analyzed at inclusion and after 4 months.
      Anterior (less load) and posterior (more load) ROIs of medial and lateral femoral
      condyles were analyzed, as well as superficial and deep cartilage regions.
      RESULTS: Group I increased the dGEMRIC index in the posterior cartilage (P =
      0.004). The increase was larger in the lateral (P = 0.005) than the medial
      compartment in both superficial and deep cartilage regions. The dGEMRIC index did
      not change in Group II. In Group III, the dGEMRIC index decreased in the medial
      posterior cartilage (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: In patients with a previous medial
      meniscectomy, the beneficial effect of exercise varies between different
      locations within the joint, the largest improvement being observed in lateral
      posterior cartilage, i.e. the load-bearing cartilage in the compartment without a
      meniscus lesion. The effects of exercise do not seem to vary with cartilage
      depth.

PMID- 26113742
TI  - Magnetic resonance arthrography of the hip: prevalence of diagnoses not suspected
      by the referring physician and correlation with clinical examination and pain
      score.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance arthrography (MRA) of the hip is the most
      sensitive imaging modality for intra-articular pathologies such as labral tears.
      PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence of non-suspected pathologies revealed by hip
      MRA and correlate them to physical examination/pain level. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      All hip MRAs (2011-2013) were retrospectively evaluated for intra- and extra
      articular pathologies in consensus by two readers. A clinical score (0-7)/pain
      score (0-10) was calculated for each patient based on orthopedic test results
      extracted from referral forms/a telephone questionnaire. Patients were divided
      into four groups according to MRA findings: intra-articular expected (targeted)
      pathology only; intra-articular targeted and additional non-targeted (unexpected)
      pathology; non-targeted pathology; and no pathology. Pathologies
      prevalence/clinical score/pain score were compared between the groups. RESULTS: A
      total of 229 MRAs were included (127 men, 102 women; mean age, 36.5 +/- 14.17
      years): 111(48.4%) patients had solely intra-articular targeted pathology.
      Significant non-targeted pathologies were detected in 76 (33%) patients (targeted
      and non-targeted, 51; non-targeted only 25). No significant pathology was
      detected in 42 patients (18%). Mean physical examination score was 2.77 +/- 1.77,
      range 0-7. There was no significant difference or correlation (r = 0.017, P =
      0.804) between the clinical scores of the different MRA pathology groups. Pain
      score (143 patients) was significantly higher in the non-targeted pathology group
      compared to the targeted and non-targeted group (P = 0.04) and to the no
      pathology group (P = 0.04). There was no correlation between the physical
      examination score and the pain score (r = 0.017, P = 0.804). CONCLUSION:
      Unsuspected non-targeted pathologies were detected in 33% of hip MRA. Physical
      examination/pain level could not differentiate between patients.

PMID- 26113743
TI  - Realistic Survival Outcomes After Vasopressor Use in the Intensive Care Unit.
AB  - AIM: Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) have significantly increased
      mortality rates. Frequently, clinicians are called upon to help families make
      decisions regarding aggressiveness of care. Having a realistic expectation of
      outcome is critical for these discussions. This article looked at survival and
      outcomes following initiation of vasopressors. METHODS: All patients admitted to
      the ICU between January and June 2011were included. Patients were classified into
      those who had been started on vasopressors (VP+) and those who had not (VP-).
      Outcomes of these groups including survival were calculated and compared.
      RESULTS: A total of 1023 patients were included: 169 in the VP+ group and 854 in
      the VP- group. The survival rate in the VP+ group was 29.6% compared to 92.0% in
      the VP- group. This was both clinically and statistically significant (P < .001).
      CONCLUSION: Patients started on vasopressors in the ICU have very poor outcomes.
      Being able to quantify this accurately is important to clinicians having
      discussions with family members.

PMID- 26113744
TI  - Digital inclusion: The concept and strategies for people with mental health
      difficulties.

PMID- 26113746
TI  - Vardeman, S. B. and Morris, M. D. (2013), "Majority Voting by Independent
      Classifiers can Increase Error Rates," The American Statistician, 67, 94-96:
      Comment by Baker, Xu, Hu, and Huang and Reply.

PMID- 26113745
TI  - Cell proliferation is reduced in the hippocampus in schizophrenia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The molecular and cellular basis of structural and functional
      abnormalities of the hippocampus found in schizophrenia is currently unclear.
      Postnatal neurogenesis contributes to hippocampal function in animal models and
      is correlated with hippocampal volume in primates. Reduced hippocampal cell
      proliferation has been previously reported in schizophrenia, which may contribute
      to hippocampal dysfunction. METHOD: We measured the cell proliferation marker,
      Ki67, in post-mortem hippocampal tissue from patients with schizophrenia (n = 10)
      and matched controls (n = 16). Ki67-labelled cells were counted within the
      dentate gyrus and hilus on sections taken from the anterior hippocampus. RESULTS:
      We replicated the finding of a significant reduction in Ki67+ cells/mm2 in
      schizophrenia cases compared to controls (t24 = 2.1, p = 0.023). In our
      relatively small sample, we did not find a relationship between Ki67+ cells and
      age overall, or between Ki67 + cells and duration of illness or antipsychotic
      treatment in people with schizophrenia. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm that
      reduced hippocampal cell proliferation may be present in schizophrenia. Restoring
      hippocampal neurogenesis may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment
      of hippocampal dysfunction in schizophrenia.

PMID- 26113747
TI  - Methods for Handling Missing Secondary Respondent Data.
AB  - Secondary respondent data are underutilized because researchers avoid using these
      data in the presence of substantial missing data. We reviewed, critically
      evaluated, and tested potential solutions to this problem. Five strategies of
      dealing with missing partner data are reviewed: complete case analysis, inverse
      probability weighting, correction with a Heckman selection model, maximum
      likelihood estimation, and multiple imputation. Two approaches were used to
      evaluate the performance of these methods. First, we used data from the National
      Survey of Fertility Barriers (N = 1,666) to estimate a model predicting marital
      quality based on characteristics of women and their husbands. Second, we
      conducted a simulation based on these data testing the five methods and compared
      the results to estimates where the true value was known. We found that the
      maximum likelihood and multiple imputation methods were advantageous because they
      allow researchers to utilize all of the available information as well as produce
      less biased and more efficient estimates.

PMID- 26113748
TI  - Handling Missing Values in Longitudinal Panel Data With Multiple Imputation.
AB  - This article offers an applied review of key issues and methods for the analysis
      of longitudinal panel data in the presence of missing values. The authors
      consider the unique challenges associated with attrition (survey dropout),
      incomplete repeated measures, and unknown observations of time. Using simulated
      data based on 4 waves of the Marital Instability Over the Life Course Study (n =
      2,034), they applied a fixed effect regression model and an event-history
      analysis with time-varying covariates. They then compared results for analyses
      with nonimputed missing data and with imputed data both in long and in wide
      structures. Imputation produced improved estimates in the event-history analysis
      but only modest improvements in the estimates and standard errors of the fixed
      effects analysis. Factors responsible for differences in the value of imputation
      are examined, and recommendations for handling missing values in panel data are
      presented.

PMID- 26113749
TI  - Perceptions of Cancer Clinical Research Among African American Men in North
      Carolina.
AB  - ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors are grateful to the men and women who participated
      in our Focus Groups and shared with us their very personal cancer experience.
      Their insight is valuable, and will inform and improve cancer care for future
      generations. The authors thank the Greensboro area Community Research Advocates -
      especially April Durr, Elvira Mebane, Marie McAdoo, Kathy Norcott, and Cindy
      Taylor - who assisted in the conduct of the study, including interpretation of
      results. They also thank Gratia Wright of First Research Group for her expertise
      in moderating and executing all of the focus groups, and Lindsey Haynes-Maslow
      for her assistance in responding to reviewer comments. The study was funded as a
      part of the Carolina Community Network program, funded by a grant from the
      National Cancer Institute (U01-CA114629). This study was reviewed and approved by
      the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of North Carolina at
      Chapel Hill. OBJECTIVE: The problem of cancer health disparities is substantial.
      Clinical trials are widely advocated as a means of reducing disparities and
      bringing state-of-the-art care to the broader community, where most cancer care
      is delivered. This study sought to develop a better understanding of why
      disproportionately few African American men enroll in clinical trials given their
      substantial cancer burden. DESIGN: This study applied community-based
      participatory research (CBPR) methods to design and conduct four focus groups of
      African American male cancer survivors and their caregivers in North Carolina.
      RESULTS: Among major themes, participants expressed confusion about the
      relationship between clinical trials, treatment, and research: signifying patient
      confusion and misinterpretation of common clinical trial terminology. Social
      norms including gender barriers and generational differences remain problematic;
      participants often reported that men do not talk about health issues, are
      unwilling to go to the doctor, and exhibit misapprehension and distrust regarding
      trials. Participants perceived this misunderstanding as detrimental to community
      health and expressed the need for more clarity in clinical trials information and
      a more fundamental social openness and communication about cancer detection and
      treatment. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate the importance of clinical trial
      education in both traditional provider referral to trials and also in general
      patient navigation. To dispel pervasive misapprehension regarding placebos,
      clinical trial information should emphasize the role of standard care in modern
      cancer treatment trials. Many participants described willingness to participate
      in a trial upon physician recommendation, suggesting merit in improving patient
      physician communication through culturally competent terminology and trial
      referral systems.

PMID- 26113752
TI  - JANOS SZENTAGOTHAI. 31 October 1912 - 8 September 1994: Elected ForMemRs 20 April
      1978.
AB  - Janos Szentagothai was an eminent, creative and renowned neuroscientist, who made
      pioneering and seminal discoveries contributing to our current understanding of
      brain functions. His vision of the brain as a network of specific populations of
      nerve cells, each engaging in selective operations and self-organizing into
      modules, has provided the framework and stimulus for generations of
      neuroscientists. His irrepressible curiosity and enthusiasm for the beauty in the
      organization of the brain never faded. He had a towering intellect and was a
      great humanist. Szentagothai was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1912 and died in
      his native city in 1994. He was educated and worked in Hungary. During the six
      decades of his scientific activity, he made remarkably original and lasting
      contributions to the neurosciences, including the exploration of basic
      architectural features of many brain areas, the functional-anatomical bases of
      elementary brain operations such as reflex arcs, the vestibulo-ocular system, the
      brain control of hormonal regulation, general organizational principles of the
      neuraxis, the organization of the cerebellum and the modular organization of the
      neocortex. He left for posterity not only his discoveries, which have stood the
      test of time, but also a vigorous school of pupils as well as a large number of
      friends and admirers. Thanks to him neuroscience is one of the strongest
      scientific fields in Hungary today.

PMID- 26113751
TI  - [Regulation of uterine blood flow. II. Functions of estrogen and estrogen
      receptor alpha/beta in genomic and non-genomic actions of the uterine
      endothelium].
AB  - Pregnancy is marked by changes and cardiovascular adaptations that are important
      for the maintenance and growth of the placenta and fetus. During this period, the
      uterine vascular adaptations manifest changes that can be classified as short or
      long term and they related to adaptations for vasodilation, angiogenic or
      remodeling. Estrogen and the classical estrogen receptors (ERs), ER-alpha and ER
      beta, have been shown to be partially responsible for facilitating this dramatic
      increase in uterine blood flow needed during pregnancy. This literature review
      discusses the basis for structural diversity and functional selectivity of ERs by
      estrogen, the role of ERs on the genomic and non-genomic effects in endothelial
      cells of uterine arteries (UAEC). These themes integrate scientific knowledge
      about the molecular regulation of UAEC to maintain the physiological increase in
      uteroplacental perfusion observed during normal pregnancy.

PMID- 26113750
TI  - [Regulation of uterine blood flow. I. Functions of estrogen and estrogen receptor
      alpha/beta in the uterine vascular endothelium during pregnancy].
AB  - Estrogen and classical estrogen receptors (ERs), ER-alpha and ER-beta, have been
      shown to be partially responsible for short and long term uterine endothelial
      adaptations during pregnancy. The molecular and structural differences, together
      with the various effects caused by these receptors in cells and tissues, suggest
      that their function varies depending upon estrogen and estrogen receptor
      signaling. In this review, we discuss the role of estrogen and its classic
      receptors in the cardiovascular adaptations during pregnancy and the expression
      of ERs in vivo and in vitro in the uterine artery endothelium during the ovarian
      cycle and pregnancy, while comparing their expression in arterial endothelium
      from reproductive and non-reproductive tissues. These themes integrate current
      knowledge of this broad scientific field with various interpretations and
      hypothesis that related estrogenic effects by either one or both ERs. This review
      also includes the relationship with vasodilator and angiogenic adaptations
      required to modulate the dramatic physiological increase to the uteroplacental
      perfusion observed during normal pregnancy.

PMID- 26113753
TI  - Conscious Control over Action.
AB  - The extensive involvement of nonconscious processes in human behaviour has led
      some to suggest that consciousness is much less important for the control of
      action than we might think. In this article I push against this trend, developing
      an understanding of conscious control that is sensitive to our best models of
      overt (that is, bodily) action control. Further, I assess the cogency of various
      zombie challenges-challenges that seek to demote the importance of conscious
      control for human agency. I argue that though nonconscious contributions to
      action control are evidently robust, these challenges are overblown.

PMID- 26113754
TI  - Detector Calibration factor for interstitial in-vivo light dosimetry using
      isotropic detectors with scattering tip.
AB  - Isotropic detectors with spherical scattering tips are commonly used for in-vivo
      dosimetry of light fluence rate during photodynamic therapy (PDT). These
      detectors are typically calibrated in-air. It has been well established that the
      response of an isotropic detector is a function of the refractive index (n) of
      the surrounding medium when it is surrounded by an infinite medium of uniform n.
      However, there are few, if any, studies of the isotropic detector response when
      the detector is placed in a secondary medium, such as air, before it is placed
      inside the infinite uniform medium. This condition often arises when one places
      the isotropic detector inside an air-filled catheter which is then inserted into
      a turbid medium, such as tissue. We have performed theoretical and experimental
      studies to determine the correction factors in water (n = 1.33), which has a
      refractive index similar to that of tissue (n = 1.4). We found that the resulting
      correction factor is almost the same (within 20%) as the correction factor for
      the outermost medium (the water) rather than the immediate medium surrounding the
      isotropic detector (air). The detector correction factor is also a function of
      the index of refraction of the probe material. For a 1-mm diameter probe from
      CardioFocus, the detector correction factor varied from 1 (in air) to 1.09 (at
      air-water interface) to 1.49 (completely submerged in water). At the air-water
      interface the spherical bulb of the isotropic detector is placed half in air and
      half in water. For a 0.5-mm diameter probe from the same company, it varied from
      1 (in air) to 1.32 (at air-water interface) to 1.87 (in water). For a 0.3-mm
      diameter probe from the same company, it varied from 1 (in air) to 1.32 (at air
      water interface) to 1.71 (in water). We have also found that the detector
      response changes by less than 10% when the detector position is varied from
      touching the catheter wall closest to the light source, to not touching, to
      touching the catheter wall farthest from the light source. The calibration
      factors between individual isotropic detectors of the same type varied within 5%
      for all detector types. Thus mean correction factor can be used for each
      individual isotropic detector of the same type.

PMID- 26113755
TI  - Study of light fluence rate distribution in photodynamic therapy using finite
      element method.
AB  - In photodynamic therapy (PDT), it is desirable to determine the light fluence
      distribution accurately for treatment planning. Earlier studies have shown
      heterogeneous distribution of optical properties in patients' prostates.
      Finiteelement method (FEM) is suitable for dealing with heterogeneous media and
      irregular geometries. Cylindrical diffusing fibers (CDFs) were modeled as linear
      sources of finite lengths, using the same parameters as those used in the
      treatments. Meshes were generated in the three-dimensional (3D) prostate
      geometry, reconstructed using transrectal ultrasound images of the prostate.
      Heterogeneous optical properties measured in the prostate were applied in the
      calculation and the refractive-index mismatch boundary condition was studied.
      Compared with the measurements, the FEM calculations using heterogeneous optical
      properties show better agreements than those using homogeneous optical
      properties.

PMID- 26113756
TI  - A Macro-Monte Carlo method for the simulation of diffuse light transport in
      tissue.
AB  - The Monte Carlo (MC) method of calculating light distributions in turbid media
      such as tissue has become the gold standard, especially in complex geometries and
      heterogeneous tissue. The utility of the MC method, however, is limited by is
      computational intensity. In an effort to reduce the time needed for MC
      calculations, we have adapted a macro-Monte Carlo (MMC) method (Neuenschwander,
      et al. 1995, Phys. Med. Biol. 40, 543-574) to the solution of tissue optics
      problems. Traditional MC routines trace individual photons step-by-step through
      the tissue. Instead, the MMC approach relies on a data set consisting of spheres
      in which the light absorbed in each voxel is pre-calculated using a traditional
      MC routine. At each MMC step, the pre-calculated absorbed light dose in the
      appropriate sphere, aligned to the current position and direction of the sphere,
      is recorded in the dose matrix. The position and direction of the photon exiting
      the sphere are chosen from the exit distribution of the pre-calculated sphere,
      and the process is repeated. By choosing the size of the pre-calculated sphere
      appropriately, arbitrarily complex boundary geometries can be simulated. We
      compare the accuracy and calculation time of the MMC method with a traditional MC
      algorithm for a variety of tissue optical properties and geometries. We find that
      the MMC algorithm can increase the speed of calculation by as much as two orders
      of magnitude, depending on the optical properties being simulated, without a
      significant loss in accuracy.

PMID- 26113757
TI  - Diffuse reflectance spectra measured in vivo in human tissues during Photofrin
      mediated pleural photodynamic therapy.
AB  - Optimal delivery of light in photodynamic therapy (PDT) requires not only optimal
      placement and power of light sources, but knowledge of the dynamics of light
      propagation in the tissue being treated and in the surrounding normal tissue, and
      of their respective accumulations of sensitizer. In an effort to quantify both
      tissue optical properties and sensitizer distribution, we have measured
      fluorescence emission and diffuse reflectance spectra at the surface of a variety
      of tissue types in the thoracic cavities of human patients. The patients studied
      here were enrolled in Phase II clinical trials of Photofrin-mediated PDT for the
      treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and cancers with pleural effusion.
      Patients were given Photofrin at dose of 2 mg per kg body weight 24 hours prior
      to treatment. Each patient received surgical resection of the affected lung and
      pleura. Patients received intracavity PDT at 630nm to a dose of 30 J/cm2, as
      determined by isotropic detectors sutured to the cavity walls. We measured the
      diffuse reflectance spectra before and after PDT in various positions within the
      cavity, including tumor, diaphragm, pericardium, skin, and chest wall muscle in 5
      patients. The measurements we acquired using a specially designed fiber optic
      based probe consisting of one fluorescence excitation fiber, one white light
      delivery fiber, and 9 detection fibers spaced at distances from 0.36 to 7.8 mm
      from the source, all of which are imaged via a spectrograph onto a CCD, allowing
      measurement of radially-resolved diffuse reflectance and fluorescence spectra.
      The light sources for these two measurements (a 403-nm diode laser and a halogen
      lamp, respectively) were blocked by computer-controlled shutters, allowing
      sequential fluorescence, reflectance, and background acquisition. The diffuse
      reflectance was analyzed to determine the absorption and scattering spectra of
      the tissue and from these, the concentration and oxygenation of hemoglobin and
      the local drug uptake. The total hemoglobin concentration in normal tissues
      varied from 50 to 300 MUM, and the oxygen saturation was generally above 60%. One
      tumor measured exhibited higher hemoglobin concentration and lower saturation.

PMID- 26113758
TI  - In-vivo light dosimetry of interstitial PDT of human prostate.
AB  - We report results of in-vivo light dosimetry of light fluence (rate) in human
      prostate during photodynamic therapy (PDT). Measurements were made in-vivo at the
      treatment wavelength (732nm) in 15 patients in three to four quadrants using
      isotropic detectors placed inside catheters inserted into the prostate. The
      catheter positions are determined using a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) unit
      attached to a rigid template with 0.5-cm resolution. Cylindrical diffusing fibers
      with various lengths are introduced into the catheters to cover the entire
      prostate gland. For the last four patients, distributions of light fluence rate
      along catheters were also measured using a computer controlled step motor system
      to move multiple detectors to different distances (with 0.1 mm resolution). To
      predict the light fluence rate distribution, a kernel-based model was used to
      calculate light fluence rate using either (a) the mean optical properties
      (assuming homogeneous optical properties) for all patients or (b) using
      distributions of optical properties measured for latter patients. Standard
      deviations observed between the calculations and measurements were 56% and 34%
      for (a) and (b), respectively. The study shows that due to heterogeneity of
      optical properties significant variations of light fluence rate were observed
      both intra and inter prostates. However, if one assume a mean optical properties
      (MUa = 0.3 cm-1, MUs' = 14 cm-1), one can predict the light fluence rate to
      within a maximum error 200% for 80% of the cases and a mean error of 105%. To
      improve the prediction of light fluence rate further would require determination
      of distribution of optical properties.

PMID- 26113759
TI  - Modeling light fluence rate distribution in optically heterogeneous prostate
      photodynamic therapy using a kernel method.
AB  - To accurately calculate light fluence rate distribution for light dosimetry in
      prostate photodynamic therapy (PDT), heterogeneity of optical properties has to
      be taken into account. Previous study has shown that a finite-element method
      (FEM) can be an efficient tool to deal with the optical heterogeneity. However,
      the calculation speed of the FEM is not suitable for real time treatment
      planning. In this paper, two kernel models are developed. Because the kernels are
      based on analytic solutions of the diffusion equation, calculations are much
      faster. We derived our extensions of kernel from homogeneous medium to
      heterogeneous medium assuming spherically symmetrical heterogeneity of optical
      properties. The kernel models are first developed for a point source and then
      extended for a linear source, which is considered a summation of point sources
      uniformly spaced along a line. The kernel models are compared with the FEM
      calculation. In application of the two kernel models to a heterogeneous prostate
      PDT case, both kernel models give improved light fluence rate results compared
      with those derived assuming homogeneous medium. In addition, kernel model 2
      predicts reasonable light fluence rates and is deemed suitable for treatment
      planning.

PMID- 26113760
TI  - Two-dimensional/three dimensional Hybrid Interstitial Diffuse Optical Tomography
      of Human Prostate during Photodynamic Therapy: Phantom and Clinical Results.
AB  - We have developed an efficient Levenberg-Marquardt iterative algorithm utilizing
      a three-dimensional field measurements coupled to a two-dimensional optical
      property reconstruction scheme. This technique takes advantage of accurate
      estimation of light distribution in 3D forward calculation and reduced problem
      size and less computation time in 2D inversion. Important advances in terms of
      improving algorithm efficiency and accuracy include use of an iterative general
      minimum residual method (GMRES) for computing the field solutions, application of
      the dual mesh scheme and adjoint method for Jacobian construction, and
      implementation of normalization scheme to reduce the absorption-scattering cross
      talk. The synthetic measurement data were calculated for a cubic phantom
      containing a single absorption anomaly and a single scattering anomaly. The model
      had a background of MUa=0.03mm-1 and MUs'=1.4mm-1. The absorption and scattering
      anomalies have the MUa = 0.06 mm-1 and MUs' = 2.0 mm-1. Five sources and 72
      detectors are used per slice. A typical human prostate is composed of 6 slices.
      The reconstruction images successfully recover the both anomalies with good
      localization. Experiment data from tissue simulated phantom are also presented.
      The clinical DOT imaging was performed before photodynamic therapy based on the
      protocol. The preliminary results showed the reconstructed prostate MUa varied
      between 0.025 and 0.07 mm-1 and MUs' ranged from 1.1 to 2 mm-1. These results
      show that this new 2D-3D hybrid algorithm consistently outperform the 2D-2D or 3D
      3D counterparts.

PMID- 26113761
TI  - Integrated light dosimetry system for prostate photodynamic therapy.
AB  - A light dosimetry system is developed for prostate PDT, which integrates four
      main components: a light fluence rate calculation engine, an optimization tool
      for treatment planning, a light delivery system, and an in vivo light fluence
      rate measurement system. Three-dimensional light fluence rate distribution in a
      prostate is calculated using a kernel algorithm, which takes into account of
      heterogeneous optical properties. A Cimmino optimization algorithm is used to
      optimize the parameters of the cylindrical diffusing fibers (CDFs) to generate
      uniform PDT dose (or light fluence rate under uniform drug distribution) to cover
      the heterogeneous prostate. The light delivery system is composed of a 12-channel
      beamsplitter and the intensities of each channel (i.e., source) are controlled
      individually by programmable motorized attenuators. Our tests show that the light
      fluence rate calculation is fast and the accuracy is close to that of a finite
      element method model, and the approach that uses the treatment CDFs to determine
      optical properties, improves the accuracy of light fluence rate prediction. The
      light delivery system allows real time control of the light source intensities
      for both PDT dosimetry and PDT light delivery. Integrating the fast light fluence
      rate calculation, optimization, instant source intensity adjustment, and in vivo
      light fluence rate measurement, the dosimetry system is suitable for prostate
      PDT.

PMID- 26113762
TI  - Interstitial diffuse optical tomography using an adjoint model with linear
      sources.
AB  - An improved interstitial diffuse optical tomography (iDOT) system has been
      developed to characterize the optical properties of prostate gland during the
      photodynamic therapy (PDT). Multiple cylindrical light diffusers with different
      lengths (instead of point sources used in an earlier version) and isotropic
      detectors are introduced interstitially in the prostate gland in-vivo. During the
      data acquisition, linear sources and detectors are stepping into prostate
      sequentially controlled by a motorized system. A computerized multi-channel
      attenuator system is developed to automatically control the power strength of
      each linear source and on times to speed up data acquisition. Three dimensional
      optical properties are obtained by solving the inverse problem of steady-state
      diffusion equation based on an adjoint model with Moore-Penrose scheme. The
      convergence, accuracy and the speed of the algorithms are tested in mathematical
      phantoms and in prostate simulating phantoms with known optical properties. For
      comparison, the optical properties of tissue simulating phantoms are also
      reconstructed using iDOT with multiple isotropic point sources. Data acquisition
      time in iDOT using linear sources is at least 10 times faster than using the
      point sources with the total data acquisition time to be less than 1 minutes.
      Reconstruction results showed both algorithms can successfully recover the
      optical properties. Reconstruction using linear sources/detectors acquisition
      mode is 20 times faster than the point sources/detectors method (30 minutes vs. 4
      hours on a 3.4 GHz Pentium PC with 4 GB memory). We have demonstrated that linear
      source/detector acquisition mode out-performs the point-source mode, and is more
      practical to be implemented in the clinical settings.

PMID- 26113763
TI  - Experimental Strategy to Discover Microbes with Gluten-degrading Enzyme
      Activities.
AB  - Gluten proteins contained in the cereals barley, rye and wheat cause an
      inflammatory disorder called celiac disease in genetically predisposed
      individuals. Certain immunogenic gluten domains are resistant to degradation by
      mammalian digestive enzymes. Enzymes with the ability to target such domains are
      potentially of clinical use. Of particular interest are gluten-degrading enzymes
      that would be naturally present in the human body, e.g. associated with resident
      microbial species. This manuscript describes a selective gluten agar approach and
      four enzyme activity assays, including a gliadin zymogram assay, designed for the
      selection and discovery of novel gluten-degrading microorganisms from human
      biological samples. Resident and harmless bacteria and/or their derived enzymes
      could potentially find novel applications in the treatment of celiac disease, in
      the form of a probiotic agent or as a dietary enzyme supplement.

PMID- 26113764
TI  - An information-theoretic approach to designing the plane spacing for multifocal
      plane microscopy.
AB  - Multifocal plane microscopy (MUM) is a 3D imaging modality which enables the
      localization and tracking of single molecules at high spatial and temporal
      resolution by simultaneously imaging distinct focal planes within the sample. MUM
      overcomes the depth discrimination problem of conventional microscopy and allows
      high accuracy localization of a single molecule in 3D along the z-axis. An
      important question in the design of MUM experiments concerns the appropriate
      number of focal planes and their spacings to achieve the best possible 3D
      localization accuracy along the z-axis. Ideally, it is desired to obtain a 3D
      localization accuracy that is uniform over a large depth and has small numerical
      values, which guarantee that the single molecule is continuously detectable.
      Here, we address this concern by developing a plane spacing design strategy based
      on the Fisher information. In particular, we analyze the Fisher information
      matrix for the 3D localization problem along the z-axis and propose spacing
      scenarios termed the strong coupling and the weak coupling spacings, which
      provide appropriate 3D localization accuracies. Using these spacing scenarios, we
      investigate the detectability of the single molecule along the z-axis and study
      the effect of changing the number of focal planes on the 3D localization
      accuracy. We further review a software module we recently introduced, the
      MUMDesignTool, that helps to design the plane spacings for a MUM setup.

PMID- 26113765
TI  - Monte Carlo simulation of inverse geometry x-ray fluoroscopy using a modified MC
      GPU framework.
AB  - Scanning-Beam Digital X-ray (SBDX) is a technology for low-dose fluoroscopy that
      employs inverse geometry x-ray beam scanning. To assist with rapid modeling of
      inverse geometry x-ray systems, we have developed a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation
      tool based on the MC-GPU framework. MC-GPU version 1.3 was modified to implement
      a 2D array of focal spot positions on a plane, with individually adjustable x-ray
      outputs, each producing a narrow x-ray beam directed toward a stationary photon
      counting detector array. Geometric accuracy and blurring behavior in
      tomosynthesis reconstructions were evaluated from simulated images of a 3D
      arrangement of spheres. The artifact spread function from simulation agreed with
      experiment to within 1.6% (rRMSD). Detected x-ray scatter fraction was simulated
      for two SBDX detector geometries and compared to experiments. For the current
      SBDX prototype (10.6 cm wide by 5.3 cm tall detector), x-ray scatter fraction
      measured 2.8-6.4% (18.6-31.5 cm acrylic, 100 kV), versus 2.1-4.5% in MC
      simulation. Experimental trends in scatter versus detector size and phantom
      thickness were observed in simulation. For dose evaluation, an anthropomorphic
      phantom was imaged using regular and regional adaptive exposure (RAE) scanning.
      The reduction in kerma-area-product resulting from RAE scanning was 45% in
      radiochromic film measurements, versus 46% in simulation. The integral kerma
      calculated from TLD measurement points within the phantom was 57% lower when
      using RAE, versus 61% lower in simulation. This MC tool may be used to estimate
      tomographic blur, detected scatter, and dose distributions when developing
      inverse geometry x-ray systems.

PMID- 26113766
TI  - Comparison of Specificity and Sensitivity of AMH and FSH in Diagnosis of
      Premature Ovarian Failure.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anti-Mullerian hormone represents the primitive follicular number
      and ovarian age. Low level of AMH is in relation to early menopausal state and
      decreased ovarian reserve. AMH level changes occur prior to FSH level in
      representing ovarian failure. The aim of this study is to compare sensitivity and
      specificity of AMH with FSH in diagnosis of POF. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This
      descriptive study is done on 96 patients referred to Dr. Rasekh Clinic. Serum
      level of AMH and FSH was measured at Day 3 (3rd day of menstrual cycle) and data
      were analyzed through SPSS 21 software. RESULTS: Results of AMH and FSH serum
      level indicate that AMH has more sensitivity (80% versus 28.57%) and almost equal
      specificity (78.89% versus 78.65%) compared with FSH. Also negative predictive
      value of AMH (98.61%) and FSH (87.5%) is different. But positive predictive value
      is the same (17.39%). Diagnostic accuracy of AMH is more than FSH and has
      significant differences. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, AMH
      serum level is more sensitive than FSH serum level. Also AMH has more negative
      predictive value. Besides, this hormone can be measured at any time of menstrual
      cycle, against FSH. AMH seems to be more useful in early diagnosis of POF.

PMID- 26113767
TI  - Infrared, Raman, and Ultraviolet Absorption Spectra and Theoretical Calculations
      and Structure of 2,3,5,6-Tetrafluoropyridine in its Ground and Excited Electronic
      States.
AB  - Infrared and Raman spectra of 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoropyridine (TFPy) were recorded
      and vibrational frequencies were assigned for its S0 electronic ground states. Ab
      initio and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to complement
      the experimental work. The lowest electronic excited state of this molecule was
      investigated with ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy and theoretical CASSCF
      calculations. The band origin was found to be at 35,704.6 cm-1 in the ultraviolet
      absorption spectrum. A slightly puckered structure with a barrier to planarity of
      30 cm-1 was predicted by CASSCF calculations for the S1(pi,pi*) state. Lower
      frequencies for the out-of-plane ring bending vibrations for the electronic
      excited state result from the weaker bonding within the pyridine ring.

PMID- 26113768
TI  - Adenosine Receptors: The Contributions by John W. Daly.
AB  - John Daly played an important role in defining adenosine receptors as an
      important target for drug discovery. His systematic work characterized the
      effects of adenosine analogues on cyclic AMP in the brain that were antagonized
      by methylxanthines. He also played a decisive role in establishing these
      receptors as bona fide biochemical entities and contributed to the discovery of
      receptor heterogeneity. This brief review will cover some of his important early
      discoveries in the pharmacology and medicinal chemistry of adenosine receptors.

PMID- 26113769
TI  - Life-Span Differences in the Uses and Gratifications of Tablets: Implications for
      Older Adults.
AB  - This study extends Uses and Gratifications theory by examining the uses and
      gratifications of a new technological device, the tablet computer, and
      investigating the differential uses and gratifications of tablet computers across
      the life-span. First, we utilized a six-week tablet training intervention to
      adapt and extend existing measures to the tablet as a technological device. Next,
      we used paper-based and online surveys (N=847), we confirmed four main uses of
      tablets: 1) Information Seeking, 2) Relationship Maintenance, 3) Style, 4)
      Amusement and Killing time, and added one additional use category 5)
      Organization. We discovered differences among the five main uses of tablets
      across the life-span, with older adults using tablets the least overall.
      Builders, Boomers, GenX and GenY all reported the highest means for information
      seeking. Finally, we used a structural equation model to examine how uses and
      gratifications predicts hours of tablet use. The study provides limitations and
      suggestions for future research and marketers. In particular, this study offers
      insight to the relevancy of theory as it applies to particular information and
      communication technologies and consideration of how different periods in the life
      span affect tablet motivations.

PMID- 26113770
TI  - Making Full Use of the Longitudinal Design of the Current Population Survey:
      Methods for Linking Records Across 16 Months.
AB  - Data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) are rarely analyzed in a way that
      takes advantage of the CPS's longitudinal design. This is mainly because of the
      technical difficulties associated with linking CPS files across months. In this
      paper, we describe the method we are using to create unique identifiers for all
      CPS person and household records from 1989 onward. These identifiers-available
      along with CPS basic and supplemental data as part of the on-line Integrated
      Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS)-make it dramatically easier to use CPS data
      for longitudinal research across any number of substantive domains. To facilitate
      the use of these new longitudinal IPUMS-CPS data, we also outline seven different
      ways that researchers may choose to link CPS person records across months, and we
      describe the sample sizes and sample retention rates associated with these seven
      designs. Finally, we discuss a number of unique methodological challenges that
      researchers will confront when analyzing data from linked CPS files.

PMID- 26113771
TI  - Check-All-That-Apply (CATA), Sorting, and Polarized Sensory Positioning (PSP)
      with Astringent Stimuli.
AB  - Multiple rapid sensory profiling techniques have been developed as more efficient
      alternatives to traditional sensory descriptive analysis. Here, we compare the
      results of three rapid sensory profiling techniques - check-all-that-apply
      (CATA), sorting, and polarized sensory positioning (PSP) - using a diverse range
      of astringent stimuli. These rapid methods differ in their theoretical basis,
      implementation, and data analyses, and the relative advantages and limitations
      are largely unexplored. Additionally, we were interested in using these methods
      to compare varied astringent stimuli, as these compounds are difficult to
      characterize using traditional descriptive analysis due to high fatigue and
      potential carry-over. In the CATA experiment, subjects (n=41) were asked to rate
      the overall intensity of each stimulus as well as to endorse any relevant terms
      (from a list of 13) which characterized the sample. In the sorting experiment,
      subjects (n=30) assigned intensity-matched stimuli into groups 1-on-1 with the
      experimenter. In the PSP experiment, (n=41) subjects first sampled and took notes
      on three blind references ('poles') before rating each stimulus for its
      similarity to each of the 3 poles. Two-dimensional perceptual maps from
      correspondence analysis (CATA), multidimensional scaling (sorting), and multiple
      factor analysis (PSP) were remarkably similar, with normalized RV coefficients
      indicating significantly similar plots, regardless of method. Agglomerative
      hierarchical clustering of all data sets using Ward's minimum variance as the
      linkage criteria showed the clusters of astringent stimuli were approximately
      based on the respective class of astringent agent. Based on the descriptive CATA
      data, it appears these differences may be due to the presence of side tastes such
      as bitterness and sourness, rather than astringent sub-qualities per se. Although
      all three methods are considered 'rapid,' our prior experience with sorting
      suggests it is best performed 1:1 with the experimenter, which makes sorting
      relatively less efficient than CATA or PSP. Based on the evaluation criteria used
      here, the choice of method depends on the time constraints of the experimenter
      and the need for descriptive terms to understand the sensory space of the
      samples. Accordingly, we recommend a mixed approach that combines CATA with a
      subsequent PSP task so that the product space can be well characterized before
      choosing poles for PSP.

PMID- 26113772
TI  - Working with communities to improve their eye health.

PMID- 26113773
TI  - How to empower communities to take action on improving eye health.

PMID- 26113775
TI  - Diseases at the back of the eye.

PMID- 26113774
TI  - Techniques to encourage people to take better care of their eye health.

PMID- 26113776
TI  - Improving quality by improving safety.

PMID- 26113777
TI  - Increasing sustainable cataract services in sub-Saharan Africa: an experimental
      initiative.

PMID- 26113778
TI  - The uncorrected refractive error challenge.

PMID- 26113780
TI  - Ensuring proper and safe use of the cryotherapy machine.

PMID- 26113779
TI  - Giving a health talk.

PMID- 26113781
TI  - Using a case study approach to document 'preferred practices' in mass drug
      administration for trachoma.

PMID- 26113782
TI  - PPP1R12A Copy Number Is Associated with Clinical Outcomes of Stage III CRC
      Receiving Oxaliplatin-Based Chemotherapy.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the correlation between PPP1R12A gene copy number and
      clinical outcomes of oxaliplatin-based regimen in stage III colorectal cancer
      (CRC). METHODS: A total of 139 paraffin-embedded tissue samples of stage III CRC
      patients who received oxaliplatin-based treatment after radical surgery were
      recruited. Genomic DNA was extracted and purified from paraffin-embedded
      sections. Quantitative PCR methods were used to detect the relative copy number
      (RCN) of PPP1R12A. RESULTS: Statistical analysis demonstrated that low PPP1R12A
      RCN was associated with poor RFS (HR = 2.186, 95% CI: 1.293-3.696; P = 0.003) and
      OS (HR = 2.782, 95% CI: 1.531-5.052; P < 0.001). Additionally, when patients were
      stratified according to subgroups of stage III and tumor location, poor RFS and
      OS were also observed in the low PPP1R12A RCN group with significance (RFS: IIIB
      HR = 2.870, P < 0.001; colon HR = 1.910, P = 0.037; OS: IIIB HR = 3.527, P <
      0.001; IIIC HR = 2.662, P = 0.049; rectum HR = 4.229, P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Our
      findings suggest the copy number of PPP1R12A can independently predict recurrence
      and overall survival of stage III colorectal cancer patients receiving
      oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy.

PMID- 26113784
TI  - Erratum: Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Outcomes in Korea Derived from the
      Korean Brain Rehabilitation Centers' Online Database System for the Years 2007 to
      2011.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 644 in vol. 30, PMID: 25931798.]. 

PMID- 26113783
TI  - Serum Levels of IL-1 beta , IL-6, TGF- beta , and MMP-9 in Patients Undergoing
      Carotid Artery Stenting and Regulation of MMP-9 in a New In Vitro Model of THP-1
      Cells Activated by Stenting.
AB  - Inflammation plays an important role in the pathophysiological process after
      carotid artery stenting (CAS). Monocyte is a significant source of inflammatory
      cytokines in vascular remodeling. Telmisartan could reduce inflammation. In our
      study, we first found that, after CAS, the serum IL-1beta, IL-6, TGF-beta, and
      MMP-9 levels were significantly increased, but only MMP-9 level was elevated no
      less than 3 months. Second, we established a new in vitro model, where THP-1
      monocytes were treated with the supernatants of human umbilical vein endothelial
      cells (HUVECs) that were scratched by pipette tips, which mimics monocytes
      activated by mechanical injury of stenting. The treatment enhanced THP-1 cell
      adhesion, migration and invasion ability, and the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and
      Elk-1 and MMP-9 expression were significantly increased. THP-1 cells pretreated
      with PD98095 (ERK1/2 inhibitor) attenuated the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and Elk
      1 and upregulation of MMP-9, while pretreatment with telmisartan merely decreased
      the phosphorylation of Elk-1 and MMP-9 expression. These results suggested that
      IL-1beta, IL-6, TGF-beta, and MMP-9 participate in the pathophysiological process
      after CAS. Our new in vitro model mimics monocytes activated by stenting. MMP-9
      expression could be regulated through ERK1/2/Elk-1 pathway, and the protective
      effects of telmisartan after stenting are partly attributed to its MMP-9
      inhibition effects via suppression of Elk-1. 

PMID- 26113785
TI  - Reducing Obesity Among People With Disabilities.
AB  - Achieving healthy weight for people with disabilities in the United States is a
      challenge. Obesity rates for adults and children with disabilities are
      significantly higher than for those without disabilities, with differences
      remaining even when controlling for other factors. Reasons for this disparity
      include lack of healthy food options for many people with disabilities living in
      restrictive environments, difficulty with chewing or swallowing food, medication
      use contributing to changes in appetite, physical limitations that can reduce a
      person's ability to exercise, constant pain, energy imbalance, lack of accessible
      environments in which to exercise or fully participate in other activities, and
      resource scarcity among many segments of the disability population. In order for
      there to be a coordinated national effort to address this issue, a framework
      needs to be developed from which research, policy, and practice can emerge. This
      paper reviews existing literature and presents a conceptual model that can be
      used to inform such a framework, provides examples of promising practices, and
      discusses challenges and opportunities moving forward.

PMID- 26113786
TI  - Non-locking Tetrahedral Finite Element for Surgical Simulation.
AB  - To obtain a very fast solution for finite element models used in surgical
      simulations low order elements such as the linear tetrahedron or the linear under
      integrated hexahedron must be used. Automatic hexahedral mesh generation for
      complex geometries remains a challenging problem, and therefore tetrahedral or
      mixed meshes are often necessary. Unfortunately the standard formulation of the
      linear tetrahedral element exhibits volumetric locking in case of almost
      incompressible materials. In this paper we extend the average nodal pressure
      tetrahedral element proposed by Bonet and Burton for a better handling of
      multiple material interfaces. The new formulation can handle multiple materials
      in a uniform way, with better accuracy, while requiring only a small additional
      computation effort. We discuss some implementation issues and show how easy an
      existing TLED (Total Lagrangian Explicit Dynamics) algorithm can be modified in
      order to support the new element formulation. The performance evaluation of the
      new element shows the clear improvement in reaction forces and displacements
      predictions compared to the average nodal pressure element in case of models
      consisting of multiple materials.

PMID- 26113787
TI  - Internet-based adherence interventions for treatment of chronic disorders in
      adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment adherence is a ubiquitous challenge in medicine,
      particularly in the adolescent population with chronic disorders. Web-based
      adherence interventions may be particularly useful in adolescents, due to their
      familiarity with and frequent use of the Internet. OBJECTIVE: To review web-based
      interventions used to improve adherence to medication in adolescent patients with
      chronic disorders. METHODS: A PubMed search was performed for full-text, English,
      clinical trials in adolescents using keywords "adherence" or "compliance",
      "Internet" or "web", and "treatment" from inception until November 2014. Articles
      were selected if they involved using the Internet to provide support to
      adolescents to help improve their adherence to treatment, excluding those focused
      on solely providing medical services through the Internet and articles focusing
      on preventative care, rather than treatment of an illness. RESULTS: Fourteen
      studies were found concentrating on chronic adolescent disorders. Interventions
      included online surveys, physician chat lines, monitoring programs, and
      interactive programs. All interventions experienced either greater improvement in
      adherence or another disease control measure or no statistically significant
      difference compared with the control group (in-clinic visits). LIMITATIONS: Few
      clinical trials studying web-based interventions to improve adherence in
      adolescents were found. Due to not having one standard outcome measured in all of
      the studies, it was also difficult comparing the effectiveness of the
      interventions. CONCLUSION: Web-based interventions play a role in improving
      adherence in adolescents with chronic disorders by being more time saving and
      cost effective compared with in-clinic visits. Further research focusing on
      adherence interventions using the Internet is necessary to determine the ideal
      ways of utilizing the Internet to improve adherence in adolescents with chronic
      disorders.

PMID- 26113788
TI  - Control of Inflammatory Responses: a New Paradigm for the Treatment of Chronic
      Neuronal Diseases.
AB  - The term 'inflammation' was first introduced by Celsus almost 2000 years ago.
      Biological and medical researchers have shown increasing interest in inflammation
      over the past few decades, in part due to the emerging burden of chronic and
      degenerative diseases resulting from the increased longevity that has arisen
      thanks to modern medicine. Inflammation is believed to play critical roles in the
      pathogenesis of degenerative brain diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and
      Parkinson's disease. Accordingly, researchers have sought to combat such diseases
      by controlling inflammatory responses. In this review, we describe the endogenous
      inflammatory stimulators and signaling pathways in the brain. In particular, our
      group has focused on the JAK-STAT pathway, identifying anti-inflammatory targets
      and testing the effects of various anti-inflammatory drugs. This work has shown
      that the JAK-STAT pathway and its downstream are negatively regulated by
      phosphatases (SHP2 and MKP-1), inhibitory proteins (SOCS1 and SOCS3) and a
      nuclear receptor (LXR). These negative regulators are controlled at various
      levels (e.g. transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational).
      Future study of these proteins could facilitate the manipulation of the
      inflammatory response, which plays ubiquitous, diverse and ambivalent roles under
      physiological and pathological conditions. 

PMID- 26113791
TI  - Aberrant Thalamocortical Synchrony Associated with Behavioral Manifestations in
      Git1 (-/-) Mice.
AB  - Cross-talk between the thalamus and cortex has been implicated in attention but
      its pathogenic role in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains
      unknown. Here, I demonstrate that Git1 (-/-) mice, previously proposed as an
      animal model for ADHD, show abnormal theta oscillation in the thalamus. Multi
      electrode recordings revealed that Git1 (-/-) mice have hyper-synchrony of neural
      activities between the thalamus and cortex. The abnormal thalamic oscillation and
      thalamocortical synchrony in Git1 (-/-) mice were markedly reduced by
      amphetamine. In addition, ethosuximide ameliorates abnormal thalamic oscillation
      and ADHD-like hyperactivity shown in Git1 (-/-) mice. My study suggests critical
      roles of GIT1 and thalamocortical neural circuitry in ADHD. 

PMID- 26113790
TI  - miR-Let7A Modulates Autophagy Induction in LPS-Activated Microglia.
AB  - Microglia regulate the secretion of various immunomediators in central nervous
      system diseases. Microglial autophagy is the crucial process for cell's survival
      and cytokine productions. Recent studies have reported that several microRNAs are
      involved in the autophagy system. miR-Let7A is such a microRNA that plays a role
      in various inflammation responses, and is magnified as a key modulator
      particularly in the autophagy system. In present study, we investigated whether
      miR-Let7A is involved in autophagy in activating microglia. Overexpression of miR
      Let7A in LPS-stimulated BV2 microglial cells promoted the induction of the
      autophagy related factors such as LC3II, Beclin1, and ATG3. Our results suggest a
      potential role of miR-Let7A in the autophagy process of microglia during CNS
      inflammation. 

PMID- 26113789
TI  - Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the selective loss of dopaminergic
      neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) with motor and nonmotor
      symptoms. Defective mitochondrial function and increased oxidative stress (OS)
      have been demonstrated as having an important role in PD pathogenesis, although
      the underlying mechanism is not clear. The etiopathogenesis of sporadic PD is
      complex with variable contributions of environmental factors and genetic
      susceptibility. Both these factors influence various mitochondrial aspects,
      including their life cycle, bioenergetic capacity, quality control, dynamic
      changes of morphology and connectivity (fusion, fission), subcellular
      distribution (transport), and the regulation of cell death pathways.
      Mitochondrial dysfunction has mainly been reported in various non-dopaminergic
      cells and tissue samples from human patients as well as transgenic mouse and
      fruit fly models of PD. Thus, the mitochondria represent a highly promising
      target for the development of PD biomarkers. However, the limited amount of
      dopaminergic neurons prevented investigation of their detailed study. For the
      first time, we established human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT)
      immortalized wild type, idiopathic and Parkin deficient mesenchymal stromal cells
      (MSCs) isolated from the adipose tissues of PD patients, which could be used as a
      good cellular model to evaluate mitochondrial dysfunction for the better
      understanding of PD pathology and for the development of early diagnostic markers
      and effective therapy targets of PD. In this review, we examine evidence for the
      roles of mitochondrial dysfunction and increased OS in the neuronal loss that
      leads to PD and discuss how this knowledge further improve the treatment for
      patients with PD. 

PMID- 26113792
TI  - Growth Differentiation Factor 15 Expression in Astrocytes After Excitotoxic
      Lesion in the Mouse Hippocampus.
AB  - Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is, a member of the transforming growth
      factor beta (TGF-beta) superfamily of proteins. Although GDF15 is well
      established as a potent neurotrophic factor for neurons, little is known about
      its role in glial cells under neuropathological conditions. We monitored GDF15
      expression in astrocyte activation after a kainic acid (KA)-induced
      neurodegeneration in the ICR mice hippocampus. In control, GDF15 immunoreactivity
      (IR) was evident in the neuronal layer of the hippocampus; however, GDF15
      expression had increased in activated astrocytes throughout the hippocampal
      region at day 3 after the treatment with KA. LPS treatment in astrocytes
      dramatically increased GDF15 expression in primary astrocytes. In addition, LPS
      treatment resulted in the decrease of the IkappaB-alpha degradation and increase
      of the phosphorylation level of RelA/p65. These results indicate that GDF15 has a
      potential link to NF-kappaB activation, making GDF15 a valuable target for
      modulating inflammatory conditions. 

PMID- 26113793
TI  - Curcumin Ameliorates Functional and Structural Abnormalities in Cisplatin-induced
      Neuropathy.
AB  - Peripheral neuropathy is one of the major side effects of cisplatin; however,
      effective treatments are lacking. Curcumin is a polyphenol found in the root of
      Curcuma longa and has been shown neuroprotective against several neurological
      diseases. Nevertheless, its effects on cisplatin neuropathy remain unclear. This
      study aimed to clarify this issue by inducing neuropathy in the rats with
      intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin 2 mg/kg twice a week for 5 consecutive
      weeks. Curcumin 200 mg/kg/day was given by gavage to a group of cisplatin-treated
      rats during these five weeks. The results showed that cisplatin induced thermal
      hypoalgesia in the 5(th) week which could be prevented by curcumin. In the 5(th)
      and 8(th) weeks, sciatic motor nerve conduction velocity was reduced in the
      cisplatin compared with the control groups. Curcumin significantly attenuated
      this deficit. Morphometric analysis of L4 dorsal root ganglia from the cisplatin
      group revealed nuclear and nucleolar atrophy including loss of neurons in the
      8(th) week. These alterations were significantly blocked by curcumin. Moreover,
      curcumin also ameliorated the reduced myelin thickness in the sciatic nerve of
      cisplatin-treated rats. Taken together, our findings suggest the favorable
      effects of curcumin on both functional and structural abnormalities in cisplatin
      neuropathy. Future studies are needed to clarify the exact underlying mechanisms.

PMID- 26113794
TI  - The Effect of Human Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a
      Collagenase-Induced Intracerebral Hemorrhage Rat Model.
AB  - Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is one of the devastating types of stroke. Human
      umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) have potential
      benefits in recovery from brain damage following ICH. This study aimed to
      identify the beneficial effects of hUCB-MSCs and investigate whether they have
      anti-inflammatory effects on the ICH brain via neurotrophic factors or cytokines.
      hUCB-MSCs were transplanted into a collagenase-induced ICH rat model. At 2, 9,
      16, and 30 days after ICH, rotarod and limb placement tests were performed to
      measure behavioral outcomes. ICH rats were sacrificed to evaluate the volume of
      lesion using H&E staining. Immunostaining was performed to investigate
      neurogenesis, angiogenesis, and anti-apoptosis at 4 weeks after transplantation.
      Inflammatory factors (TNF-alpha, COX-2, microglia, and neutrophils) were analyzed
      by immunofluorescence staining, RT-PCR, and Western blot at 3 days after
      transplantation. hUCB-MSCs were associated with neurological benefits and
      reduction in lesion volume. The hUCB-MSCs-treated group tended to reveal high
      levels of neurogenesis, angiogenesis, and anti-apoptosis (significant for
      angiogenesis). The expression levels of inflammatory factors tended to be reduced
      in the hUCB-MSCs-treated group compared with the controls. Our study suggests
      that hUCB-MSCs may improve neurological outcomes and modulate inflammation
      associated immune cells and cytokines in ICH-induced inflammatory responses. 

PMID- 26113796
TI  - Balo's Concentric Sclerosis Mimicking Cerebral Tuberculoma.
AB  - Balo's concentric sclerosis (BCS) is considered a rare variant of multiple
      sclerosis, which often mimics an intracranial neoplasm or abscess. We report the
      case of a 21-year-old woman presenting with BCS while undergoing treatment for
      pulmonary tuberculosis. Initial brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings
      were similar to those for cerebral tuberculoma, multiple metastases, or
      abscesses. However, the pathognomonic concentric sclerosis characteristic of BCS
      was seen on MRI. The antemortem confirmatory diagnosis of BCS was made by follow
      up MRI and a brain biopsy. It is suggested that BCS should be included in the
      differential diagnosis of cerebral tuberculoma, especially in developing
      countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis. 

PMID- 26113795
TI  - Chronic Antidepressant Treatment in Normal Mice Induces Anxiety and Impairs
      Stress-coping Ability.
AB  - Antidepressants are clinically used for patients with major depression.
      Antidepressant treatments in certain groups of patients are effective for
      relieving depression as well as anxiety disorder. However, it is not clearly
      known whether the use of current antidepressants in healthy persons is beneficial
      for upcoming depression- and anxiety-inducing life events. To address this
      question, normal mice were intraperitoneally administered with imipramine or
      fluoxetine for more than 2 weeks, and behaviors related to anxiety and depression
      were evaluated. Mice treated with imipramine or fluoxetine for more than 14 days
      exhibited significantly decreased immobility time in the forced swim test and
      tail suspension test, but these mice exhibited enhanced anxiety in several
      behavioral tests. Furthermore, chronic antidepressant treatments followed by sub
      threshold level of stress in normal mice profoundly aggravated antidepressant
      induced anxiety-like behaviors without further affecting depression-related
      behaviors. Chronic antidepressant treatments followed by sub-threshold level of
      stress produced swollen vesicles and ulcerations on the lips as well as a watery
      and inflammatory nose. Mice given chronic antidepressant treatments displayed
      intestinal abnormalities evidenced by a highly enlarged and inflamed small
      intestine full of defecation materials. These results suggest that chronic
      antidepressant treatment in normal mice provokes anxiety-like behaviors and
      impairs their stress-coping ability. 

PMID- 26113797
TI  - Letter to the Editor: Hypothesis: Somatic Mosaicism and Parkinson Disease.

PMID- 26113799
TI  - Retention of the Cluster Core Structure during Ligand Exchange Reactions of
      Carboxylato-Substituted Metal Oxo Clusters.
AB  - The exchange of the carboxylato ligands of Zr4O2(methacrylato)12 in reactions
      with carboxylic acids proceeds with retention of the composition and structure of
      the cluster core. This was concluded from exchange/re-exchange experiments and
      from comparison of the IR bands of the cluster core of the original and ligand
      exchanged clusters. The IR bands were assigned on the basis of DFT calculations.
      Scrambling reactions between two Zr4O2(OOCR)12 clusters with different
      carboxylato ligands are a new way to prepare mixed-ligand oxo clusters.

PMID- 26113800
TI  - Rare earth element geochemistry of outcrop and core samples from the Marcellus
      Shale.
AB  - In this work, the geochemistry of the rare earth elements (REE) was studied in
      eleven outcrop samples and six, depth-interval samples of a core from the
      Marcellus Shale. The REE are classically applied analytes for investigating
      depositional environments and inferring geochemical processes, making them of
      interest as potential, naturally occurring indicators of fluid sources as well as
      indicators of geochemical processes in solid waste disposal. However, little is
      known of the REE occurrence in the Marcellus Shale or its produced waters, and
      this study represents one of the first, thorough characterizations of the REE in
      the Marcellus Shale. In these samples, the abundance of REE and the fractionation
      of REE profiles were correlated with different mineral components of the shale.
      Namely, samples with a larger clay component were inferred to have higher
      absolute concentrations of REE but have less distinctive patterns. Conversely,
      samples with larger carbonate fractions exhibited a greater degree of
      fractionation, albeit with lower total abundance. Further study is necessary to
      determine release mechanisms, as well as REE fate-and-transport, however these
      results have implications for future brine and solid waste management
      applications. 

PMID- 26113801
TI  - Effect of Matrine on HPAC cell migration by down-regulating the expression of MT1
      MMP via Wnt signaling.
AB  - AIM: This study sought to explore the exact mechanism of Matrine inhibited
      migration and invasion of human pancreatic cancer cells. METHODS: HPAC or Capan-1
      cells were cultured in completed RPMI-1640 medium, contained with 50 MUg/ml
      Matrine or 0.05 MUg/ml docetaxel, respectively. Cell viability was evaluated by
      spectrophotometric analysis using MTT assay. Wound healing assay and transwell
      approach were used to detect the effects of Matrine on HPAC cell migration and
      invasion. Western Blot and RT-PCR were performed to detect the expressions of MT1
      MMP, Wnt and beta-Catenin. CHIP assay was used to detect whether the MT1-MMP
      transcription activity correlated with Wnt signaling pathway. RESULTS: MTT
      results indicated that cell proliferration was inhibited by Matrine at a range of
      concentrations, especially at high dose. We further found that Matrine treatment
      significantly induced cell migration and invasion decreased. Interestingly, the
      expression of MT1-MMP decreased evidently upon Matrine treatment, paralleled with
      the expressions of Wnt and beta-Catenin detected by Western Blot and RT-PCR
      assay. Further analysis of MT1-MMP transcription activity revealed that Matrine
      reduced the expression of MT1-MMP mediated by Wnt signaling pathway. CONCLUSION:
      Matrine play a vital role in inhibiting HPAC cellular migration and invasion
      through down-regulating the expression of MT1-MMP via Wnt signaling pathway.

PMID- 26113802
TI  - Retraction: Hypericin-mediated photodynamic therapy induces apoptosis of myoloma
      SP2/0 cells depended on caspase activity in vitro.

PMID- 26113803
TI  - Nur77 deficiency leads to systemic inflammation in elderly mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nur77, an orphan member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, has been
      implicated in the regulation of inflammation. However, the in vivo function of
      Nur77 remains largely unexplored. In the current study, we investigated the role
      of Nur77 in inflammation and immunity in mice. FINDINGS: We found that elderly 8
      month-old Nur77-deficient mice (Nur77(-/-)) developed systemic inflammation.
      Compared to wild-type (WT) mice (Nur77(+/+)), Nur77(-/-) mice showed
      splenomegaly, severe infiltration of inflammatory cells in several organs
      including liver, lung, spleen and kidney, increased hyperplasia of fibrous tissue
      in the lung and enlargement of kidney glomeruli. Additionally, Nur77(-/-) mice
      had increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and immunoglobulin, and
      elicited pro-inflammatory M1-like polarization in macrophages as revealed by
      increased expression of CXCL11 and INDO, and decreased expression of MRC1.
      CONCLUSIONS: These in vivo observations provide evidence for a pivotal role for
      Nur77 in the regulation of systemic inflammation and emphasize the pathogenic
      significance of Nur77 in vivo.

PMID- 26113804
TI  - Retrospective cohort analysis comparing the incidence of deep vein thromboses
      between peripherally-inserted and long-term skin tunneled venous catheters in
      hemato-oncology patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The introduction of central venous catheters has advanced medical
      care, particularly in hemato-oncology. However these can be associated with an
      increased thrombotic risk. Previous studies have compared the rate of thrombotic
      events between peripherally- inserted (PICCs) and long term skin tunneled
      catheters (LTSTCs) noting fewer complications associated with the latter, though
      this has rarely translated into clinical practice. The objectives of our study
      was to compare the cumulative incidence of thrombotic events between peripherally
      inserted and long term skin tunneled venous catheters. PATIENTS/METHODS: We
      performed a retrospective, single center cohort analysis of patients with
      hematological malignancies who had either a PICC or LTSTC line inserted between
      January 2010 through January 2013. Cumulative incidences of thrombotic events
      were compared between the two groups, and post-thrombotic complications were also
      examined. RESULTS: 346 patients had a PICC inserted with cumulative incidence of
      symptomatic thrombosis of 5.8%, while 237 patients had a LTSTC inserted with a
      cumulative incidence of 1.7% (p = 0.003). Post-thrombotic complication rates,
      particularly infection, were higher in the PICC group compared to the LTSTC group
      (p = 0.597). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that the incidence of thrombotic
      events in hemato-oncology patients was significantly lower in those who had a
      LTSTC compared to PICC line. As the use of central venous lines increases in
      hemato-oncology patient care, a randomized trial comparing PICCs and LTSTCs is
      necessary to address which venous access is most appropriate in this cohort of
      patients, with minimal risk of morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 26113806
TI  - "Jeder Mensch hat einen Name": Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Human Experiments
      under National Socialism.
AB  - This paper considers whether it is right to identify by name victims of
      experiments abused either for psychiatric research, or for other types of
      experimentation in psychiatric hospitals and institutions. Similar questions
      arise as to whether it is possible to identify any of the persons for whom brains
      and other body parts were held for medical research and teaching.

PMID- 26113805
TI  - Rhabdomyolysis and exercise-associated hyponatremia in ultra-bikers and ultra
      runners.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH), rhabdomyolysis and renal
      failure appear to be a unique problem in ultra-endurance racers. METHODS: We
      investigated the combined occurrence of EAH and rhabdomyolysis in seven different
      ultra-endurance races and disciplines (i.e. multi-stage mountain biking, 24-h
      mountain biking, 24-h ultra-running and 100-km ultra-running). RESULTS: Two
      (15.4%) ultra-runners (man and woman) from hyponatremic ultra-athletes (n = 13)
      and four (4%) ultra-runners (four men) from the normonatremic group (n = 100)
      showed rhabdomyolysis following elevated blood creatine kinase (CK) levels >
      10,000 U/L without the development of renal failure and the necessity of a
      medical treatment. Post-race creatine kinase, plasma and urine creatinine
      significantly increased, while plasma [Na(+)] and creatine clearance decreased in
      hyponatremic and normonatremic athletes, respectively. The percentage increase of
      CK was higher in the hyponatremic compared to the normonatremic group (P < 0.05).
      Post-race CK levels were higher in ultra-runners compared to mountain bikers (P <
      0.01), in faster normonatremic (P < 0.05) and older and more experienced
      hyponatremic ultra-athletes (P < 0.05). In all finishers, pre-race plasma [K(+)]
      was related to post-race CK (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Hyponatremic ultra-athletes
      tended to develop exercise-induced rhabdomyolysis more frequently than
      normonatremic ultra-athletes. Ultra-runners tended to develop rhabdomyolysis more
      frequently than mountain bikers. We found no association between post-race plasma
      [Na(+)] and CK concentration in both hypo- and normonatremic ultra-athletes.

PMID- 26113807
TI  - Robust estimation of group-wise cortical correspondence with an application to
      macaque and human neuroimaging studies.
AB  - We present a novel group-wise registration method for cortical correspondence for
      local cortical thickness analysis in human and non-human primate neuroimaging
      studies. The proposed method is based on our earlier template based registration
      that estimates a continuous, smooth deformation field via sulcal curve
      constrained registration employing spherical harmonic decomposition of the
      deformation field. This pairwise registration though results in a well-known
      template selection bias, which we aim to overcome here via a group-wise approach.
      We propose the use of an unbiased ensemble entropy minimization following the use
      of the pairwise registration as an initialization. An individual deformation
      field is then iteratively updated onto the unbiased average. For the
      optimization, we use metrics specific for cortical correspondence though all of
      these are straightforwardly extendable to the generic setting: The first focused
      on optimizing the correspondence of automatically extracted sulcal landmarks and
      the second on that of sulcal depth property maps. We further propose a robust
      entropy metric and a hierarchical optimization by employing spherical harmonic
      basis orthogonality. We also provide the detailed methodological description of
      both our earlier work and the proposed method with a set of experiments on a
      population of human and non-human primate subjects. In the experiment, we have
      shown that our method achieves superior results on consistency through
      quantitative and visual comparisons as compared to the existing methods. 

PMID- 26113808
TI  - Melanocortin receptor accessory proteins in adrenal disease and obesity.
AB  - Melanocortin receptor accessory proteins (MRAPs) are regulators of the
      melanocortin receptor family. MRAP is an essential accessory factor for the
      functional expression of the MC2R/ACTH receptor. The importance of MRAP in
      adrenal gland physiology is demonstrated by the clinical condition familial
      glucocorticoid deficiency type 2. The role of its paralog melanocortin-2-receptor
      accessory protein 2 (MRAP2), which is predominantly expressed in the hypothalamus
      including the paraventricular nucleus, has recently been linked to mammalian
      obesity. Whole body deletion and targeted brain specific deletion of the Mrap2
      gene result in severe obesity in mice. Interestingly, Mrap2 complete knockout
      (KO) mice have increased body weight without detectable changes to food intake or
      energy expenditure. Rare heterozygous variants of MRAP2 have been found in humans
      with severe, early-onset obesity. In vitro data have shown that Mrap2 interaction
      with the melanocortin-4-receptor (Mc4r) affects receptor signaling. However, the
      mechanism by which Mrap2 regulates body weight in vivo is not fully understood
      and differences between the phenotypes of Mrap2 and Mc4r KO mice may point toward
      Mc4r independent mechanisms. 

PMID- 26113809
TI  - Insights into the physiological role of CNS regeneration inhibitors.
AB  - The growth inhibitory nature of injured adult mammalian central nervous system
      (CNS) tissue constitutes a major barrier to robust axonal outgrowth and
      functional recovery following trauma or disease. Prototypic CNS regeneration
      inhibitors are broadly expressed in the healthy and injured brain and spinal cord
      and include myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), the reticulon family member
      NogoA, oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein (OMgp), and chondroitin sulfate
      proteoglycans (CSPGs). These structurally diverse molecules strongly inhibit
      neurite outgrowth in vitro, and have been most extensively studied in the context
      of nervous system injury in vivo. The physiological role of CNS regeneration
      inhibitors in the naive, or uninjured, CNS remains less well understood, but has
      received growing attention in recent years and is the focus of this review. CNS
      regeneration inhibitors regulate myelin development and axon stability,
      consolidate neuronal structure shaped by experience, and limit activity-dependent
      modification of synaptic strength. Altered function of CNS regeneration
      inhibitors is associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, suggesting crucial
      roles in brain development and health. 

PMID- 26113811
TI  - The effects of neuron morphology on graph theoretic measures of network
      connectivity: the analysis of a two-level statistical model.
AB  - We developed a two-level statistical model that addresses the question of how
      properties of neurite morphology shape the large-scale network connectivity. We
      adopted a low-dimensional statistical description of neurites. From the neurite
      model description we derived the expected number of synapses, node degree, and
      the effective radius, the maximal distance between two neurons expected to form
      at least one synapse. We related these quantities to the network connectivity
      described using standard measures from graph theory, such as motif counts,
      clustering coefficient, minimal path length, and small-world coefficient. These
      measures are used in a neuroscience context to study phenomena from synaptic
      connectivity in the small neuronal networks to large scale functional
      connectivity in the cortex. For these measures we provide analytical solutions
      that clearly relate different model properties. Neurites that sparsely cover
      space lead to a small effective radius. If the effective radius is small compared
      to the overall neuron size the obtained networks share similarities with the
      uniform random networks as each neuron connects to a small number of distant
      neurons. Large neurites with densely packed branches lead to a large effective
      radius. If this effective radius is large compared to the neuron size, the
      obtained networks have many local connections. In between these extremes, the
      networks maximize the variability of connection repertoires. The presented
      approach connects the properties of neuron morphology with large scale network
      properties without requiring heavy simulations with many model parameters. The
      two-steps procedure provides an easier interpretation of the role of each modeled
      parameter. The model is flexible and each of its components can be further
      expanded. We identified a range of model parameters that maximizes variability in
      network connectivity, the property that might affect network capacity to exhibit
      different dynamical regimes. 

PMID- 26113810
TI  - Effect of human immunodeficiency virus on blood-brain barrier integrity and
      function: an update.
AB  - The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a diffusion barrier that has an important role
      in maintaining a precisely regulated microenvironment protecting the neural
      tissue from infectious agents and toxins in the circulating system. Compromised
      BBB integrity plays a major role in the pathogenesis of retroviral associated
      neurological diseases. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection in the
      Central Nervous System (CNS) is an early event even before the serodiagnosis for
      HIV positivity or the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART), resulting in
      neurological complications in many of the infected patients. Macrophages,
      microglia and astrocytes (in low levels) are the most productively/latently
      infected cell types within the CNS. In this brief review, we have discussed about
      the effect of HIV infection and viral proteins on the integrity and function of
      BBB, which may contribute to the progression of HIV associated neurocognitive
      disorders. 

PMID- 26113813
TI  - Not so bad: avoidance and aversive discounting modulate threat appraisal in
      anterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortex.
AB  - The dorsal anterior cingulate (adACC) and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC)
      play a central role in the discrimination and appraisal of threatening stimuli.
      Yet, little is known about what specific features of threatening situations
      recruit these regions and how avoidance may modulate appraisal and activation
      through prevention of aversive events. In this investigation, 30 healthy adults
      underwent functional neuroimaging while completing an avoidance task in which
      responses to an Avoidable CS+ threat prevented delivery of an aversive stimulus,
      but not to an Unavoidable CS+ threat. Extinction testing was also completed where
      CSs were presented without aversive stimulus delivery and an opportunity to
      avoid. The Avoidable CS+ relative to the Unavoidable CS+ was associated with
      reductions in ratings of negative valence, fear, and US expectancy and
      activation. Greater regional activation was consistently observed to the
      Unavoidable CS+ during avoidance, which declined during extinction. Individuals
      exhibiting greater aversive discounting-that is, those more avoidant of immediate
      monetary loss compared to a larger delayed loss-also displayed greater activation
      to the Unavoidable CS+, highlighting aversive discounting as a significant
      individual difference variable. These are the first results linking adACC/dmPFC
      reactivity to avoidance-based reductions of aversive events and modulation of
      activation by individual differences in aversive discounting. 

PMID- 26113812
TI  - Brain computer interface learning for systems based on electrocorticography and
      intracortical microelectrode arrays.
AB  - A brain-computer interface (BCI) system transforms neural activity into control
      signals for external devices in real time. A BCI user needs to learn to generate
      specific cortical activity patterns to control external devices effectively. We
      call this process BCI learning, and it often requires significant effort and
      time. Therefore, it is important to study this process and develop novel and
      efficient approaches to accelerate BCI learning. This article reviews major
      approaches that have been used for BCI learning, including computer-assisted
      learning, co-adaptive learning, operant conditioning, and sensory feedback. We
      focus on BCIs based on electrocorticography and intracortical microelectrode
      arrays for restoring motor function. This article also explores the possibility
      of brain modulation techniques in promoting BCI learning, such as electrical
      cortical stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and optogenetics.
      Furthermore, as proposed by recent BCI studies, we suggest that BCI learning is
      in many ways analogous to motor and cognitive skill learning, and therefore skill
      learning should be a useful metaphor to model BCI learning. 

PMID- 26113814
TI  - Rapid prefrontal cortex activation towards aversively paired faces and enhanced
      contingency detection are observed in highly trait-anxious women under
      challenging conditions.
AB  - Relative to healthy controls, anxiety-disorder patients show anomalies in
      classical conditioning that may either result from, or provide a risk factor for,
      clinically relevant anxiety. Here, we investigated whether healthy participants
      with enhanced anxiety vulnerability show abnormalities in a challenging affective
      conditioning paradigm, in which many stimulus-reinforcer associations had to be
      acquired with only few learning trials. Forty-seven high and low trait-anxious
      females underwent MultiCS conditioning, in which 52 different neutral faces (CS+)
      were paired with an aversive noise (US), while further 52 faces (CS-) remained
      unpaired. Emotional learning was assessed by evaluative (rating), behavioral (dot
      probe, contingency report), and neurophysiological (magnetoencephalography)
      measures before, during, and after learning. High and low trait-anxious groups
      did not differ in evaluative ratings or response priming before or after
      conditioning. High trait-anxious women, however, were better than low trait
      anxious women at reporting CS+/US contingencies after conditioning, and showed an
      enhanced prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation towards CS+ in the M1 (i.e., 80-117
      ms) and M170 time intervals (i.e., 140-160 ms) during acquisition. These effects
      in MultiCS conditioning observed in individuals with elevated trait anxiety are
      consistent with theories of enhanced conditionability in anxiety vulnerability.
      Furthermore, they point towards increased threat monitoring and detection in
      highly trait-anxious females, possibly mediated by alterations in visual working
      memory. 

PMID- 26113815
TI  - Commentary: Feedback stabilizes propagation of synchronous spiking in cortical
      neural networks.

PMID- 26113816
TI  - A kinematic model for 3-D head-free gaze-shifts.
AB  - Rotations of the line of sight are mainly implemented by coordinated motion of
      the eyes and head. Here, we propose a model for the kinematics of three
      dimensional (3-D) head-unrestrained gaze-shifts. The model was designed to
      account for major principles in the known behavior, such as gaze accuracy,
      spatiotemporal coordination of saccades with vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR),
      relative eye and head contributions, the non-commutativity of rotations, and
      Listing's and Fick constraints for the eyes and head, respectively. The internal
      design of the model was inspired by known and hypothesized elements of gaze
      control physiology. Inputs included retinocentric location of the visual target
      and internal representations of initial 3-D eye and head orientation, whereas
      outputs were 3-D displacements of eye relative to the head and head relative to
      shoulder. Internal transformations decomposed the 2-D gaze command into 3-D eye
      and head commands with the use of three coordinated circuits: (1) a saccade
      generator, (2) a head rotation generator, (3) a VOR predictor. Simulations
      illustrate that the model can implement: (1) the correct 3-D reference frame
      transformations to generate accurate gaze shifts (despite variability in other
      parameters), (2) the experimentally verified constraints on static eye and head
      orientations during fixation, and (3) the experimentally observed 3-D
      trajectories of eye and head motion during gaze-shifts. We then use this model to
      simulate how 2-D eye-head coordination strategies interact with 3-D constraints
      to influence 3-D orientations of the eye-in-space, and the implications of this
      for spatial vision. 

PMID- 26113817
TI  - Electron microscopic tomography reveals discrete transcleft elements at
      excitatory and inhibitory synapses.
AB  - Electron microscopy has revealed an abundance of material in the clefts of
      synapses in the mammalian brain, and the biochemical and functional
      characteristics of proteins occupying synaptic clefts are well documented.
      However, the detailed spatial organization of the proteins in the synaptic clefts
      remains unclear. Electron microscope tomography provides a way to delineate and
      map the proteins spanning the synaptic cleft because freeze substitution
      preserves molecular details with sufficient contrast to visualize individual
      cleft proteins. Segmentation and rendering of electron dense material connected
      across the cleft reveals discrete structural elements that are readily classified
      into five types at excitatory synapses and four types at inhibitory synapses.
      Some transcleft elements resemble shapes and sizes of known proteins and could
      represent single dimers traversing the cleft. Some of the types of cleft elements
      at inhibitory synapses roughly matched the structure and proportional frequency
      of cleft elements at excitatory synapses, but the patterns of deployments in the
      cleft are quite different. Transcleft elements at excitatory synapses were often
      evenly dispersed in clefts of uniform (18 nm) width but some types show
      preference for the center or edges of the cleft. Transcleft elements at
      inhibitory synapses typically were confined to a peripheral region of the cleft
      where it narrowed to only 6 nm wide. Transcleft elements in both excitatory and
      inhibitory synapses typically avoid places where synaptic vesicles attach to the
      presynaptic membrane. These results illustrate that elements spanning synaptic
      clefts at excitatory and inhibitory synapses consist of distinct structures
      arranged by type in a specific but different manner at excitatory and inhibitory
      synapses. 

PMID- 26113819
TI  - Pervasive Computing Technologies to Continuously Assess Alzheimer's Disease
      Progression and Intervention Efficacy.
AB  - Traditionally, assessment of functional and cognitive status of individuals with
      dementia occurs in brief clinic visits during which time clinicians extract a
      snapshot of recent changes in individuals' health. Conventionally, this is done
      using various clinical assessment tools applied at the point of care and relies
      on patients' and caregivers' ability to accurately recall daily activity and
      trends in personal health. These practices suffer from the infrequency and
      generally short durations of visits. Since 2004, researchers at the Oregon Center
      for Aging and Technology (ORCATECH) at the Oregon Health and Science University
      have been working on developing technologies to transform this model. ORCATECH
      researchers have developed a system of continuous in-home monitoring using
      pervasive computing technologies that make it possible to more accurately track
      activities and behaviors and measure relevant intra-individual changes. We have
      installed a system of strategically placed sensors in over 480 homes and have
      been collecting data for up to 8 years. Using this continuous in-home monitoring
      system, ORCATECH researchers have collected data on multiple behaviors such as
      gait and mobility, sleep and activity patterns, medication adherence, and
      computer use. Patterns of intra-individual variation detected in each of these
      areas are used to predict outcomes such as low mood, loneliness, and cognitive
      function. These methods have the potential to improve the quality of patient
      health data and in turn patient care especially related to cognitive decline.
      Furthermore, the continuous real-world nature of the data may improve the
      efficiency and ecological validity of clinical intervention studies. 

PMID- 26113820
TI  - Socio-cognitive profiles for visual learning in young and older adults.
AB  - It is common wisdom that practice makes perfect; but why do some adults learn
      better than others? Here, we investigate individuals' cognitive and social
      profiles to test which variables account for variability in learning ability
      across the lifespan. In particular, we focused on visual learning using tasks
      that test the ability to inhibit distractors and select task-relevant features.
      We tested the ability of young and older adults to improve through training in
      the discrimination of visual global forms embedded in a cluttered background.
      Further, we used a battery of cognitive tasks and psycho-social measures to
      examine which of these variables predict training-induced improvement in
      perceptual tasks and may account for individual variability in learning ability.
      Using partial least squares regression modeling, we show that visual learning is
      influenced by cognitive (i.e., cognitive inhibition, attention) and social
      (strategic and deep learning) factors rather than an individual's age alone.
      Further, our results show that independent of age, strong learners rely on
      cognitive factors such as attention, while weaker learners use more general
      cognitive strategies. Our findings suggest an important role for higher-cognitive
      circuits involving executive functions that contribute to our ability to improve
      in perceptual tasks after training across the lifespan. 

PMID- 26113818
TI  - Implications of mitochondrial dynamics on neurodegeneration and on hypothalamic
      dysfunction.
AB  - Mitochondrial dynamics is a term that encompasses the movement of mitochondria
      along the cytoskeleton, regulation of their architecture, and connectivity
      mediated by tethering and fusion/fission. The importance of these events in cell
      physiology and pathology has been partially unraveled with the identification of
      the genes responsible for the catalysis of mitochondrial fusion and fission.
      Mutations in two mitochondrial fusion genes (MFN2 and OPA1) cause
      neurodegenerative diseases, namely Charcot-Marie Tooth type 2A and autosomal
      dominant optic atrophy (ADOA). Alterations in mitochondrial dynamics may be
      involved in the pathophysiology of prevalent neurodegenerative conditions.
      Moreover, impairment of the activity of mitochondrial fusion proteins
      dysregulates the function of hypothalamic neurons, leading to alterations in food
      intake and in energy homeostasis. Here we review selected findings in the field
      of mitochondrial dynamics and their relevance for neurodegeneration and
      hypothalamic dysfunction. 

PMID- 26113821
TI  - A new paradigm for muscle contraction.
AB  - For the past 60 years, muscle contraction had been thought to be governed
      exclusively by the contractile filaments, actin, and myosin. This thinking
      explained most observations for concentric and isometric, but not for eccentric
      muscle contractions. Just over a decade ago, we discovered that eccentric
      contractions were associated with a force that could not be assigned to actin and
      myosin, but was at least in part associated with the filamentous protein titin.
      Titin was found to bind calcium upon activation, thereby increasing its
      structural stability, and thus its stiffness and force. Furthermore, there is
      increasing evidence that the proximal part of titin binds to actin in an
      activation- and force-dependent manner, thereby shortening its free length, thus
      increasing its stiffness and force. Therefore, we propose that muscle contraction
      involves three filaments, actin, myosin and titin, and that titin regulates force
      by binding calcium and by shortening its spring length by binding to actin. 

PMID- 26113823
TI  - Perceived mathematical ability under challenge: a longitudinal perspective on sex
      segregation among STEM degree fields.
AB  - Students' perceptions of their mathematics ability vary by gender and seem to
      influence science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degree choice.
      Related, students' perceptions during academic difficulty are increasingly
      studied in educational psychology, suggesting a link between such perceptions and
      task persistence. Despite interest in examining the gender disparities in STEM,
      these concepts have not been considered in tandem. In this manuscript, we
      investigate how perceived ability under challenge-in particular in mathematics
      domains-influences entry into the most sex-segregated and mathematics-intensive
      undergraduate degrees: physics, engineering, mathematics, and computer science
      (PEMC). Using nationally representative Education Longitudinal Study of 2002
      (ELS) data, we estimate the influence of perceived ability under challenging
      conditions on advanced high school science course taking, selection of an
      intended STEM major, and specific major type 2 years after high school.
      Demonstrating the importance of specificity when discussing how gender influences
      STEM career pathways, the intersecting effects of gender and perceived ability
      under mathematics challenge were distinct for each scientific major category.
      Perceived ability under challenge in secondary school varied by gender, and was
      highly predictive of selecting PEMC and health sciences majors. Notably, women's
      12th grade perceptions of their ability under mathematics challenge increased
      their probability of selecting PEMC majors over and above biology. In addition,
      gender moderated the effect of growth mindset on students' selection of health
      science majors. Perceptions of ability under challenge in general and verbal
      domains also influenced retention in and declaration of certain STEM majors. The
      implications of these results are discussed, with particular attention to access
      to advanced scientific coursework in high school and interventions aimed at
      enhancing young women's perceptions of their ability, in particular in response
      to the potentially inhibiting influence of stereotype threat on their pathways to
      scientific degrees. 

PMID- 26113822
TI  - Social and Cultural Elements Associated with Neurocognitive Dysfunctions in
      Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2 Patients.
AB  - Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2 (SCA2) is a rare genetic disorder producing
      cerebellar degeneration and affecting motor abilities. Neuroimaging studies also
      show neurodegeneration in subcortical and cortical regions related to emotional
      and social processes. From social neuroscience, it is suggested that motor and
      social abilities can be influenced by particular cultural dynamics so, culture is
      fundamental to understand the effect of brain-related alterations. Here, we
      present the first analysis about the cultural elements related to the SCA2
      disorder in 15 patients previously evaluated with neuroimaging and psychometric
      instruments, and their nuclear relationships distributed in six geographical and
      cultural regions in Mexico. Ethnographic records and photographic and video
      archives about the quotidian participant's routine were obtained from the
      patients, their relatives and their caregivers. The information was categorized
      and interpreted taking into consideration cultural issues and patients' medical
      files. Our analyses suggest that most of the participants do not understand the
      nature of the disease and this misunderstanding favors magic and non-medical
      explanations. Patients' testimonies suggest a decrease in pain perception as well
      as motor alterations that may be related to interoceptive dysfunctions.
      Relatives' testimonies indicate patients' lack of social and emotional interests
      that may be related to frontal, temporal, and cerebellar degeneration. In
      general, participants use their religious beliefs to deal with the disease and
      only a few of them trust the health system. Patients and their families are
      either openly rejected and ignored, tolerated or even helped by their community
      accordingly to different regional traits. We propose that ethnography can provide
      social representations to understand the patients' alterations, to formulate
      neurobiological hypotheses, to develop neurocognitive interventions, and to
      improve the medical approach to the disease. 

PMID- 26113824
TI  - Emotional and social competencies and perceptions of the interpersonal
      environment of an organization as related to the engagement of IT professionals.
AB  - There is a dearth of research focused on the engagement of information technology
      (IT) professionals. This study analyzed the relationship between emotional and
      social competencies and the quality of the IT professional's perceptions of the
      interpersonal environment in an organization as they relate to employee
      engagement. Validated instruments were used and data was collected from 795 IT
      professionals in North America to quantitatively analyze the relationship between
      emotional and social competencies, role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE), with the
      quality of the IT professional's perceptions of the interpersonal environment,
      and those perceptions with employee engagement. The study results indicate that
      specific emotional and social competencies and RBSE relate differently to the
      quality of the perceptions of the interpersonal environment. The study also
      reveals how the quality of the IT professional's perceptions of the interpersonal
      environment relates to how much they engage in the organization. The findings
      indicate that the relationship between achievement orientation and the perceived
      interpersonal environment was positive and the relationship between influencing
      others and the perceived interpersonal environment was negative. Understanding
      such relationships offers much needed insight to practitioners and can benefit
      organizations that wish to increase the engagement of their IT professionals. The
      findings also can support practitioners to more effectively select and develop
      talent with the desired motives and traits. By doing so, organizations can
      experience increased employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention, resulting
      in higher productivity, quality, and profitability. 

PMID- 26113825
TI  - GraphoGame - a catalyst for multi-level promotion of literacy in diverse
      contexts.
AB  - GraphoGame (GG) is originally a technology-based intervention method for
      supporting children with reading difficulties. It is now known that children who
      face problems in reading acquisition have difficulties in learning to
      differentiate and manipulate speech sounds and consequently, in connecting these
      sounds to corresponding letters. GG was developed to provide intensive training
      in matching speech sounds and larger units of speech to their written
      counterparts. GG has been shown to benefit children with reading difficulties and
      the game is now available for all Finnish school children for literacy support.
      Presently millions of children in Africa fail to learn to read despite years of
      primary school education. As many African languages have transparent writing
      systems similar in structure to Finnish, it was hypothesized that GG-based
      training of letter-sound correspondences could also be effective in supporting
      children's learning in African countries. In this article we will describe how GG
      has been developed from a Finnish dyslexia prevention game to an intervention
      method that can be used not only to improve children's reading performance but
      also to raise teachers' and parents' awareness of the development of reading
      skill and effective reading instruction methods. We will also provide an overview
      of the GG activities in Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Namibia, and the potential
      to promote education for all with a combination of scientific research and mobile
      learning. 

PMID- 26113826
TI  - Visual perception of order-disorder transition.
AB  - Our experience with the natural world, as composed of ordered entities, implies
      that perception captures relationships between image parts. For instance,
      regularities in the visual scene are rapidly identified by our visual system.
      Defining the regularities that govern perception is a basic, unresolved issue in
      neuroscience. Mathematically, perfect regularities are represented by symmetry
      (perfect order). The transition from ordered configurations to completely random
      ones has been extensively studied in statistical physics, where the amount of
      order is characterized by a symmetry-specific order parameter. Here we applied
      tools from statistical physics to study order detection in humans. Different sets
      of visual textures, parameterized by the thermodynamic temperature in the
      Boltzmann distribution, were designed. We investigated how much order is required
      in a visual texture for it to be discriminated from random noise. The performance
      of human observers was compared to Ideal and Order observers (based on the order
      parameter). The results indicated a high consistency in performance across human
      observers, much below that of the Ideal observer, but well-approximated by the
      Order observer. Overall, we provide a novel quantitative paradigm to address
      order perception. Our findings, based on this paradigm, suggest that the
      statistical physics formalism of order captures regularities to which the human
      visual system is sensitive. An additional analysis revealed that some order
      perception properties are captured by traditional texture discrimination models
      according to which discrimination is based on integrated energy within maps of
      oriented linear filters. 

PMID- 26113827
TI  - Intransparent German number words complicate transcoding - a translingual
      comparison with Japanese.
AB  - Superior early numerical competencies of children in several Asian countries have
      (amongst others) been attributed to the higher transparency of their number word
      systems. Here, we directly investigated this claim by evaluating whether Japanese
      children's transcoding performance when writing numbers to dictation (e.g.,
      "twenty five" -> 25) was less error prone than that of German-speaking children -
      both in general as well as when considering language-specific attributes of the
      German number word system such as the inversion property, in particular. In line
      with this hypothesis we observed that German-speaking children committed more
      transcoding errors in general than their Japanese peers. Moreover, their error
      pattern reflected the specific inversion intransparency of the German number-word
      system. Inversion errors in transcoding represented the most prominent error
      category in German-speaking children, but were almost absent in Japanese-speaking
      children. We conclude that the less transparent German number-word system
      complicates the acquisition of the correspondence between symbolic Arabic numbers
      and their respective verbal number words. 

PMID- 26113828
TI  - Effects of auditory information on self-motion perception during simultaneous
      presentation of visual shearing motion.
AB  - Recent studies have found that self-motion perception induced by simultaneous
      presentation of visual and auditory motion is facilitated when the directions of
      visual and auditory motion stimuli are identical. They did not, however, examine
      possible contributions of auditory motion information for determining direction
      of self-motion perception. To examine this, a visual stimulus projected on a
      hemisphere screen and an auditory stimulus presented through headphones were
      presented separately or simultaneously, depending on experimental conditions. The
      participant continuously indicated the direction and strength of self-motion
      during the 130-s experimental trial. When the visual stimulus with a horizontal
      shearing rotation and the auditory stimulus with a horizontal one-directional
      rotation were presented simultaneously, the duration and strength of self-motion
      perceived in the opposite direction of the auditory rotation stimulus were
      significantly longer and stronger than those perceived in the same direction of
      the auditory rotation stimulus. However, the auditory stimulus alone could not
      sufficiently induce self-motion perception, and if it did, its direction was not
      consistent within each experimental trial. We concluded that auditory motion
      information can determine perceived direction of self-motion during simultaneous
      presentation of visual and auditory motion information, at least when visual
      stimuli moved in opposing directions (around the yaw-axis). We speculate that the
      contribution of auditory information depends on the plausibility and information
      balance of visual and auditory information. 

PMID- 26113829
TI  - Lost or fond? Effects of nostalgia on sad mood recovery vary by attachment
      insecurity.
AB  - Nostalgia involves a fond recollection of people and events lost to time. Growing
      evidence indicates that nostalgia may ameliorate negative affective states such
      as loneliness and boredom. However, the effect of nostalgia on sadness is
      unknown, and there is little research on how social connectedness might impact
      nostalgia's effects. Grounded in a theoretical framework whereby people with
      lower levels of attachment insecurity benefit more from nostalgia, we exposed
      participants to a mortality-related sad mood and then randomly assigned them to
      reflect on a nostalgic or an ordinary event memory. We examined changes in mood
      and electrodermal activity (EDA) and found that nostalgic versus ordinary event
      memories led to a blunted recovery from sad mood, but that this effect was
      moderated by degree of attachment insecurity, such that participants with low
      insecurity benefited from nostalgia whereas people with high insecurity did not.
      These findings suggest that nostalgia's benefits may be tied to the degree of
      confidence one has in one's social relationships. 

PMID- 26113830
TI  - The effect of relationship quality on individual perceptions of social
      responsibility in the US.
AB  - Social responsibility (SR) has been of continuing interest in the U.S. and around
      the world. Organizations make a wide variety of SR decisions that represent
      differing viewpoints. While a number of definitions of SR exist, many of these
      definitions indicate that SR decisions may be viewed as existing of various
      facets, such as legal/regulatory, financial/economic, ethical, environmental, and
      voluntary. While drivers of SR have been proposed, there has been limited
      research at a micro-level on how individuals perceive SR activities by the
      organizations where they work. Based on a prior qualitative study (Thornton and
      Byrd, 2013) that found SR decisions are related to several traits and influenced
      by relationships, a model was proposed and tested in this research. The traits
      found relevant in the qualitative research were conscientiousness, especially in
      the sense of being responsible, and self-efficacy. Relationship quality was
      assessed based on positive and negative emotional attractors as proposed in
      intentional change theory. Perceptions of individuals in management and non
      management showed that relationship quality mediated the effect of
      conscientiousness and general self-efficacy on the SR. Because there are multiple
      facets, the author made use of Carroll's (1991) pyramid of SR to identify
      activities that business owners and managers consider relevant. The findings
      indicate that conscientiousness is related to specific SR activities in the areas
      of legal/regulatory, ethical and discretionary dimensions while general self
      efficacy is related to financial/economic and legal/regulatory dimensions. The
      presence of relationship quality enhanced the effects of both conscientiousness
      and general self-efficacy on the various SR dimensions. This suggests that
      individuals perceived SR activities along different traits and that enhancing
      these traits might improve perceptions of SR decisions. 

PMID- 26113831
TI  - Commentary on: Labels, cognomes, and cyclic computation: an ethological
      perspective.

PMID- 26113833
TI  - Auditory evoked potential: a proposal for further evaluation in children with
      learning disabilities.
AB  - The information presented in this paper demonstrates the author's experience in
      previews cross-sectional studies conducted in Brazil, in comparison with the
      current literature. Over the last 10 years, auditory evoked potential (AEP) has
      been used in children with learning disabilities. This method is critical to
      analyze the quality of the processing in time and indicates the specific neural
      demands and circuits of the sensorial and cognitive process in this clinical
      population. Some studies with children with dyslexia and learning disabilities
      were shown here to illustrate the use of AEP in this population. 

PMID- 26113832
TI  - Current insights in the development of children's motor imagery ability.
AB  - Over the last two decades, the number of studies on motor imagery in children has
      witnessed a large expansion. Most studies used the hand laterality judgment
      paradigm or the mental chronometry paradigm to examine motor imagery ability. The
      main objective of the current review is to collate these studies to provide a
      more comprehensive insight in children's motor imagery development and its age of
      onset. Motor imagery is a form of motor cognition and aligns with forward (or
      predictive) models of motor control. Studying age-related differences in motor
      imagery ability in children therefore provides insight in underlying processes of
      motor development during childhood. Another motivation for studying age-related
      differences in motor imagery is that in order to effectively apply motor imagery
      training in children (with motor impairments), it is pertinent to first establish
      the age at which children are actually able to perform motor imagery. Overall,
      performance in the imagery tasks develops between 5 and 12 years of age. The age
      of motor imagery onset, however, remains equivocal, as some studies indicate that
      children of 5 to 7 years old can already enlist motor imagery in an implicit
      motor imagery task, whereas other studies using explicit instructions revealed
      that children do not use motor imagery before the age of 10. From the findings of
      the current study, we can conclude that motor imagery training is potentially a
      feasible method for pediatric rehabilitation in children from 5 years on. We
      suggest that younger children are most likely to benefit from motor imagery
      training that is presented in an implicit way. Action observation training might
      be a beneficial adjunct to implicit motor imagery training. From 10 years of age,
      more explicit forms of motor imagery training can be effectively used. 

PMID- 26113834
TI  - A longitudinal study of the emerging self from 9 months to the age of 4 years.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate if children's early responsiveness
      toward social partners is developmentally related to their growing concept of
      self, as reflected in their mirror self-recognition (MSR) and delayed self
      recognition (DSR). Thus, a longitudinal study assessed infants' responsiveness
      (e.g., smiling, gaze) toward social partners during the still-face (SF) task and
      a social imitation game and related it to their emerging MSR and DSR. Thereby,
      children were tested at regular time points from 9 months to 4 years of age.
      Results revealed significant predictive relations between children's
      responsiveness toward a social partner in the SF task at 9 months and their MSR
      at 24 months. Further, interindividual differences in children's awareness of and
      responsiveness toward being imitated in a social imitation game at 12 months
      proved to be the strongest predictor of children's DSR at 4 years, while some
      additional variance was explained by MSR at 24 months and verbal intelligence.
      Overall, findings suggest a developmental link between children's early awareness
      of and responsiveness toward the social world and their later ability to form a
      concept of self. 

PMID- 26113836
TI  - Bilingual children weigh speaker's referential cues and word-learning heuristics
      differently in different language contexts when interpreting a speaker's intent.
AB  - Past research has investigated how children use different sources of information
      such as social cues and word-learning heuristics to infer referential intents.
      The present research explored how children weigh and use some of these cues to
      make referential inferences. Specifically, we examined how switching between
      languages known (familiar) or unknown (unfamiliar) to a child would influence his
      or her choice of cue to interpret a novel label in a challenging disambiguation
      task, where a pointing cue was pitted against the mutual exclusivity (ME)
      principle. Forty-eight 3-and 4-years-old English-Mandarin bilingual children
      listened to a story told either in English only (No-Switch), English and Mandarin
      (Familiar-Switch), English and Japanese (Unfamiliar-Switch), or English and
      English-sounding nonsense sentences (Nonsense-Switch). They were then asked to
      select an object (from a pair of familiar and novel objects) after hearing a
      novel label paired with the speaker's point at the familiar object, e.g., "Can
      you give me the blicket?" Results showed that children in the Familiar-Switch
      condition were more willing to relax ME to follow the speaker's point to pick the
      familiar object than those in the Unfamiliar-Switch condition, who were more
      likely to pick the novel object. No significant differences were found between
      the other conditions. Further analyses revealed that children in the Unfamiliar
      Switch condition looked at the speaker longer than children in the other
      conditions when the switch happened. Our findings suggest that children weigh
      speakers' referential cues and word-learning heuristics differently in different
      language contexts while taking into account their communicative history with the
      speaker. There are important implications for general education and other
      learning efforts, such as designing learning games so that the history of
      credibility with the user is maintained and how learning may be best scaffolded
      in a helpful and trusting environment. 

PMID- 26113835
TI  - Motor interference in interactive contexts.
AB  - Action observation and execution share overlapping neural substrates, so that
      simultaneous activation by observation and execution modulates motor performance.
      Previous literature on simple prehension tasks has revealed that motor influence
      can be two-sided: facilitation for observed and performed congruent actions and
      interference for incongruent actions. But little is known of the specific
      modulations of motor performance in complex forms of interaction. Is it possible
      that the very same observed movement can lead either to interference or
      facilitation effects on a temporally overlapping congruent executed action,
      depending on the context? To answer this question participants were asked to
      perform a reach-to-grasp movement adopting a precision grip (PG) while: (i)
      observing a fixation cross, (ii) observing an actor performing a PG with
      interactive purposes, (iii) observing an actor performing a PG without
      interactive purposes. In particular, in the interactive condition the actor was
      shown trying to pour some sugar on a large cup located out of her reach but close
      to the participant watching the video, thus eliciting in reaction a complementary
      whole-hand grasp. Notably, fine-grained kinematic analysis for this condition
      revealed a specific delay in the grasping and reaching components and an
      increased trajectory deviation despite the observed and executed movement's
      congruency. Moreover, early peaks of trajectory deviation seem to indicate that
      socially relevant stimuli are acknowledged by the motor system very early. These
      data suggest that interactive contexts can determine a prompt modulation of
      stimulus-response compatibility effects. 

PMID- 26113837
TI  - The juggling paradigm: a novel social neuroscience approach to identify
      neuropsychophysiological markers of team mental models.
AB  - Since the discovery of the mirror neuron system in the 1980s, little, if any,
      research has been devoted to the study of interactive motor tasks (Goldman,
      2012). Scientists interested in the neuropsychophysiological markers of joint
      motor action have relied on observation paradigms and passive tasks rather than
      dynamic paradigms and interactive tasks (Konvalinka and Roepstorff, 2012). Within
      this research scenario, we introduce a novel research paradigm that uses
      cooperative juggling as a platform to capture peripheral (e.g., skin conductance,
      breathing and heart rates, electromyographic signals) and central
      neuropsychophysiological (e.g., functional connectivity within and between
      brains) markers underlying the notion of team mental models (TMM). We discuss the
      epistemological and theoretical grounds of a cooperative juggling paradigm, and
      propose testable hypotheses on neuropsychophysiological markers underlying TMM.
      Furthermore, we present key methodological concerns that may influence peripheral
      responses as well as single and hyperbrain network configurations during joint
      motor action. Preliminary findings of the paradigm are highlighted. We conclude
      by delineating avenues for future research. 

PMID- 26113838
TI  - The relationship between the development of response inhibition and intelligence
      in preschool children.
AB  - Building on the theoretical framework that intellectual behavior relies on one's
      ability to process both task-relevant and task-irrelevant information, this study
      aimed to empirically investigate the association of response inhibition with
      intelligence in preschool children's development. In a sample of 152 typically
      developing children aged between 3.6 and 6.6 years, we found evidence that
      suggests that inhibitory control is linked to age-related differences in
      intelligence. Stop-signal inhibition improved at a rate similar to the age
      related changes in Verbal IQ. Components of variance analyses revealed that stop
      signal reaction time predicted a larger proportion of the age-related variance in
      children's verbal intelligence than non-age-related variance. Results are
      discussed with respect to possible explanations for this intriguing relationship
      between response inhibition and the verbal aspects of intelligence. 

PMID- 26113839
TI  - The numerology of gender: gendered perceptions of even and odd numbers.
AB  - Do numbers have gender? Wilkie and Bodenhausen (2012) examined this issue in a
      series of experiments on perceived gender. They examined the perceived gender of
      baby faces and foreign names. Arbitrary numbers presented with these faces and
      names influenced their perceived gender. Specifically, odd numbers connoted
      masculinity, while even numbers connoted femininity. In two new studies (total N
      = 315), we further examined the gendering of numbers. The first study examined
      explicit ratings of 1-digit numbers. We confirmed that odd numbers seemed
      masculine while even numbers seemed feminine. Although both men and women showed
      this pattern, it was more pronounced among women. We also examined whether this
      pattern holds for automatic as well as deliberated reactions. Results of an
      Implicit Association Test showed that it did, but only among the women. The
      implicit and explicit patterns of numerical gender ascription were moderately
      correlated. The second study examined explicit perceptions of 2-digit numbers.
      Again, women viewed odd numbers as more masculine and less feminine than even
      numbers. However, men viewed 2-digit numbers as relatively masculine, regardless
      of whether they were even or odd. These results indicate that women and men
      impute gender to numbers in different ways and to different extents. We discuss
      possible implications for understanding how people relate to and are influenced
      by numbers in a variety of real-life contexts. 

PMID- 26113840
TI  - SDQ: discriminative validity and diagnostic potential.
AB  - The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was designed to screen for
      behavioral problems in youths based on cutoff points that favor the instrument's
      diagnostic sensitivity. The present study aimed to analyze the discriminative
      validity of the SDQ to identify behavioral difficulties and prosocial resources
      in school-age children compared with the diagnostic data collected by the
      corresponding sections of the Development and Well-being Assessment (DAWBA). In
      addition, new cutoff points that value specificity were defined for the SDQ
      scales, exploring its diagnostic potential. This study was conducted in Brazil
      and assessed a community convenience sample that consisted of 120 children aged 6
      12 years who were not under psychological/psychiatric treatment. The mothers of
      the participants also completed a sociodemographic questionnaire. Descriptive
      statistics were used to clinically characterize the sample. A ROC curve was used
      to assess the discriminant validity of the SDQ, and new cutoff points were
      established to maximize the instrument's specificity. The new cutoff points
      enabled a significant increase in specificity without a significant loss of
      sensitivity, which favors approaches based on measures of screening and diagnosis
      yet does not damage the instrument's screening capacity. The following increases
      were observed: 100% for the depressive disorder scale (cutoff point = 7), 95.1%
      for the generalized anxiety disorder scale (cutoff point = 7), 46.6% for the
      conduct disorder scale (cutoff point = 6), 19.2% for the hyperactive disorder
      scale (cutoff point = 8), and 27.6% for the antisocial personality disorder scale
      (cutoff point = 6). A cutoff point of 8 was applied to the prosocial behavior
      scale, which exhibited a 62.1% increase in specificity. The use of more specific
      cutoff points generated more accurate results and favored SDQ's use, particularly
      in contexts of care that require more precise and faster procedures for
      identification of problems. 

PMID- 26113841
TI  - Neurological Impairment Linked with Cortico-Subcortical Infiltration of Diffuse
      Low-Grade Gliomas at Initial Diagnosis Supports Early Brain Plasticity.
AB  - Diffuse low-grade gliomas (DLGG) are slow-growing brain tumors that in spite of
      an indolent behavior at onset show a continuous expansion over time and
      inevitably transform into malignant gliomas. Extensive tumor resections may be
      performed with preservation of neurological function due to neuroplasticity that
      is induced by the slow tumor growth. However, DLGG prefer to migrate along
      subcortical pathways, and white matter plasticity is considerably more limited
      than gray matter plasticity. Whether signs of functional decompensating white
      matter that may be found as early as at disease presentation has not been
      systematically studied. Here, we examined 52 patients who presented with a DLGG
      at the time of radiological diagnosis. We found a significant correlation between
      neurological impairment and eloquent cortico-subcortical tumor localization, but
      not between neurological function and tumor volume. These results suggest that
      even small tumors invading white matter pathways may lack compensatory mechanisms
      for functional reorganization already at disease presentation. 

PMID- 26113842
TI  - The presence of Epstein-Barr virus significantly impacts the transcriptional
      profile in immunodeficiency-associated Burkitt lymphoma.
AB  - Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive neoplasm derived from mature, antigen
      experienced B-lymphocytes. Three clinical/epidemiological variants have been
      recognized, named sporadic, endemic and immunodeficiency-associated BL (ID-BL).
      Although they are listed within a unique entity in the current WHO
      Classification, recent evidence indicated genetic and transcriptional differences
      among the three sub-groups. Further, the presence of latently persisting Epstein
      Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with specific features in endemic and
      sporadic cases. In this study, we explored for the first time whether EBV
      infection could be related with a specific molecular profile in immunodeficiency
      associated cases. We studied 30 BL cases, including nine occurring in HIV
      positive patients (5 EBV-positive and 4 EBV-negative) by gene and microRNA
      (miRNA) expression profiling. We found that ID-BL presented with different
      profiles based on EBV presence. Specifically, 252 genes were differentially
      expressed, some of them being involved in intracellular signaling and apoptosis
      regulation. Furthermore, 28 miRNAs including both EBV-encoded (N = 18) and
      cellular (N = 10) ones were differentially regulated. Of note, genes previously
      demonstrated to be targeted by such miRNA were consistently found among
      differentially expressed genes, indicating the relevant contribution of miRNA to
      the molecular profile of the examined cases. Grippingly, 17 out of the 252
      differentially expressed genes turned out to be potentially targeted by both
      cellular and EBV-encoded miRNA, suggesting a complex interaction and not
      excluding a potential synergism. In conclusion, we documented transcriptional
      differences based on the presence of EBV in ID-BL, and suggested a complex
      interaction between cellular and viral molecules in the determination of the
      global molecular profile of the tumor. 

PMID- 26113843
TI  - From genome to toxicity: a combinatory approach highlights the complexity of
      enterotoxin production in Bacillus cereus.
AB  - In recent years Bacillus cereus has gained increasing importance as a food
      poisoning pathogen. It is the eponymous member of the B. cereus sensu lato group
      that consists of eight closely related species showing impressive diversity of
      their pathogenicity. The high variability of cytotoxicity and the complex
      regulatory network of enterotoxin expression have complicated efforts to predict
      the toxic potential of new B. cereus isolates. In this study, comprehensive
      analyses of enterotoxin gene sequences, transcription, toxin secretion and
      cytotoxicity were performed. For the first time, these parameters were compared
      in a whole set of B. cereus strains representing isolates of different origin
      (food or food poisoning outbreaks) and of different toxic potential
      (enteropathogenic and apathogenic) to elucidate potential starting points of
      strain-specific differential toxicity. While toxin gene sequences were highly
      conserved and did not allow for differentiation between high and low toxicity
      strains, comparison of nheB and hblD enterotoxin gene transcription and Nhe and
      Hbl protein titers revealed not only strain-specific differences but also
      incongruence between toxin gene transcripts and toxin protein levels. With one
      exception all strains showed comparable capability of protein secretion and so
      far, no secretion patterns specific for high and low toxicity strains were
      identified. These results indicate that enterotoxin expression is more complex
      than expected, possibly involving the orchestrated interplay of different
      transcriptional regulator proteins, as well as posttranscriptional and
      posttranslational regulatory mechanisms plus additional influences of
      environmental conditions. 

PMID- 26113844
TI  - Examination of clinical and environmental Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates by
      multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and multiple-locus variable-number tandem
      repeat analysis (MLVA).
AB  - Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a leading cause of seafood-borne infections in the US.
      This organism has a high genetic diversity that complicates identification of
      strain relatedness and epidemiological investigations. However, sequence-based
      analysis methods are promising tools for these identifications. In this study,
      Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) and Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem
      Repeat Analysis (MLVA) was performed on 58 V. parahaemolyticus isolates (28 of
      oyster and 30 of clinical origin), to identify differences in phylogeny. The
      results obtained by both methods were compared to Pulsed-Field Gel
      Electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns determined in a previous study. Forty-one unique
      sequence types (STs) were identified by MLST among the 58 isolates. Almost half
      of the isolates (22) belonged to a new ST and added to the MLST database. A ST
      could not be generated for 5 (8.6%) isolates, primarily due to an untypable recA
      locus. Analysis with eBURST did not identify any clonal complex among the strains
      analyzed and revealed 37 singeltons with 4 of them forming 2 groups (1 of them
      SLV, and the other a DLV). An established MLVA assay, targeting 12 total genes
      through three separate 4-plex PCRs, was successfully adapted to high resolution
      melt (HRM) analysis with faster and easier experimental setup; resulting in 58
      unique melt curve patterns. HRM-MLVA was capable of differentiating isolates
      within the same PFGE cluster and having the same ST. Conclusively, combining the
      three methods PFGE, MLST, and HRM-MLVA, for the phylogenetic analysis of V.
      parahaemolyticus resulted in a high resolution subtyping scheme for V.
      parahaemolyticus. This scheme will be useful as a phylogenetic research tool and
      as an improved method for outbreak investigations for V. parahaemolyticus. 

PMID- 26113846
TI  - Genetic Manipulation of NK Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy: Techniques and
      Clinical Implications.
AB  - Given their rapid and efficient capacity to recognize and kill tumor cells,
      natural killer (NK) cells represent a unique immune cell to genetically reprogram
      in an effort to improve the outcome of cell-based cancer immunotherapy. However,
      technical and biological challenges associated with gene delivery into NK cells
      have significantly tempered this approach. Recent advances in viral transduction
      and electroporation have now allowed detailed characterization of genetically
      modified NK cells and provided a better understanding for how these cells can be
      utilized in the clinic to optimize their capacity to induce tumor regression in
      vivo. Improving NK cell persistence in vivo via autocrine IL-2 and IL-15
      stimulation, enhancing tumor targeting by silencing inhibitory NK cell receptors
      such as NKG2A, and redirecting tumor killing via chimeric antigen receptors, all
      represent approaches that hold promise in preclinical studies. This review
      focuses on available methods for genetic reprograming of NK cells and the
      advantages and challenges associated with each method. It also gives an overview
      of strategies for genetic reprograming of NK cells that have been evaluated to
      date and an outlook on how these strategies may be best utilized in clinical
      protocols. With the recent advances in our understanding of the complex
      biological networks that regulate the ability of NK cells to target and kill
      tumors in vivo, we foresee genetic engineering as an obligatory pathway required
      to exploit the full potential of NK-cell based immunotherapy in the clinic. 

PMID- 26113845
TI  - The ins and outs of RND efflux pumps in Escherichia coli.
AB  - Infectious diseases remain one of the principal causes of morbidity and mortality
      in the world. Relevant authorities including the WHO and CDC have expressed
      serious concern regarding the continued increase in the development of multidrug
      resistance among bacteria. They have also reaffirmed the urgent need for
      investment in the discovery and development of new antibiotics and therapeutic
      approaches to treat multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria. The extensive use of
      antimicrobial compounds in diverse environments, including farming and
      healthcare, has been identified as one of the main causes for the emergence of
      MDR bacteria. Induced selective pressure has led bacteria to develop new
      strategies of defense against these chemicals. Bacteria can accomplish this by
      several mechanisms, including enzymatic inactivation of the target compound;
      decreased cell permeability; target protection and/or overproduction; altered
      target site/enzyme and increased efflux due to over-expression of efflux pumps.
      Efflux pumps can be specific for a single substrate or can confer resistance to
      multiple antimicrobials by facilitating the extrusion of a broad range of
      compounds including antibiotics, heavy metals, biocides and others, from the
      bacterial cell. To overcome antimicrobial resistance caused by active efflux,
      efforts are required to better understand the fundamentals of drug efflux
      mechanisms. There is also a need to elucidate how these mechanisms are regulated
      and how they respond upon exposure to antimicrobials. Understanding these will
      allow the development of combined therapies using efflux inhibitors together with
      antibiotics to act on Gram-negative bacteria, such as the emerging globally
      disseminated MDR pathogen Escherichia coli ST131 (O25:H4). This review will
      summarize the current knowledge on resistance-nodulation-cell division efflux
      mechanisms in E. coli, a bacteria responsible for community and hospital-acquired
      infections, as well as foodborne outbreaks worldwide. 

PMID- 26113847
TI  - Type I Interferon Elevates Co-Regulatory Receptor Expression on CMV- and EBV
      Specific CD8 T Cells in Chronic Hepatitis C.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) readily sets up persistence in a large fraction of
      infected hosts. Mounting epidemiological and immunological evidence suggest that
      HCV's persistence could influence immune responses toward unrelated pathogens and
      vaccines. Nonetheless, the fundamental contribution of the inflammatory milieu
      during persistent HCV infection in impacting immune cells specific for common
      pathogens such as CMV and EBV has not been fully studied. As the co-regulatory
      receptors PD-1, Tim-3, and 2B4 have all been shown to be vital in regulating
      CD8(+) T cell function, we assessed their expression on CMV/EBV-specific CD8(+) T
      cells from patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and healthy controls ex vivo
      and upon stimulation with virus-specific peptides in vitro. Total and CMV/EBV
      specific CD8(+) T cells expressing PD-1, Tim-3, and 2B4 were highly enriched in
      patients with CHC compared to healthy individuals ex vivo. In vitro peptide
      stimulation further potentiated the differential co-regulatory receptor
      expression of PD-1, Tim-3, and 2B4, which then culminated in an enhanced
      functionality of CMV/EBV-specific CD8(+) T cells in CHC patients. Comprehensively
      analyzing plasma cytokines between the two cohorts, we observed that not only was
      IFNalpha-2a dominant among 21 other inflammatory mediators elevated in CHC
      patients but it also correlated with PD-1 and Tim-3 expressions ex vivo.
      Importantly, IFNalpha-2a further caused upregulation of these markers upon in
      vitro peptide stimulation. Finally, we could prospectively study patients
      receiving novel IFN-free antiviral therapy. Here, we observed that treatment
      induced clearance of HCV resulted in a partial reversion of the phenotype of
      CMV/EBV-specific CD8(+) T cells in patients with CHC. These data reveal an
      alteration of the plasma concentrations of IFNalpha-2a together with other
      inflammatory mediators during CHC, which appeared to pervasively influence co
      regulatory receptor expression on CMV/EBV-specific CD8(+) T cells. 

PMID- 26113848
TI  - Carbohydrates in Cyberspace.

PMID- 26113849
TI  - Dynamic transcriptional profiling provides insights into tuberous root
      development in Rehmannia glutinosa.
AB  - Rehmannia glutinosa, an herb of the Scrophulariaceae family, is widely cultivated
      in the Northern part of China. The tuberous root has well-known medicinal
      properties; however, yield and quality are threatened by abiotic and biotic
      stresses. Understanding the molecular process of tuberous root development may
      help identify novel targets for its control. In the present study, we used
      Illumina sequencing and de novo assembly strategies to obtain a reference
      transcriptome that is relevant to tuberous root development. We then conducted
      RNA-seq quantification analysis to determine gene expression profiles of the
      adventitious root (AR), thickening adventitious root (TAR), and the developing
      tuberous root (DTR). Expression profiling identified a total of 6794
      differentially expressed unigenes during root development. Bioinformatics
      analysis and gene expression profiling revealed changes in phenylpropanoid
      biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, and plant hormone biosynthesis
      during root development. Moreover, we identified and allocated putative functions
      to the genes involved in tuberous root development, including genes related to
      major carbohydrate metabolism, hormone metabolism, and transcription regulation.
      The present study provides the initial description of gene expression profiles of
      AR, TAR, and DTR, which facilitates identification of genes of interest.
      Moreover, our work provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying
      tuberous root development and may assist in the design and development of
      improved breeding schemes for different R. glutinosa varieties through genetic
      manipulation. 

PMID- 26113850
TI  - RNA based viral silencing suppression in plant pararetroviruses.
AB  - The 35S promoter of cauliflower mosaic virus and that of other plant
      pararetroviruses gives rise to an RNA, which is both a pre-genome and a
      polycistronic mRNA. The 600 nucleotide long very structured leader of this RNA is
      also transcribed separately. The resulting 8S RNA is then converted to a double
      strand giving rise to a huge set of siRNAs, which suppress silencing. In this
      Mini-Review I discuss how this versatile stretch of 600 nts constitutes a
      masterpiece of evolution. 

PMID- 26113851
TI  - Factors influencing somatic embryogenesis, regeneration, and Agrobacterium
      mediated transformation of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) cultivar TME14.
AB  - Routine production of large numbers of transgenic plants is required to fully
      exploit advances in cassava biotechnology and support development of improved
      germplasm for deployment to farmers. This article describes an improved, high
      efficiency transformation protocol for recalcitrant cassava cultivar TME14
      preferred in Africa. Factors that favor production of friable embryogenic calli
      (FEC) were found to be use of DKW medium, crushing of organized embryogenic
      structures (OES) through 1-2 mm sized metal wire mesh, washing of crushed OES
      tissues and short exposure of tyrosine to somatic embryos; and transformation
      efficiency was enhanced by use of low Agrobacterium density during co
      cultivation, co-centrifugation of FEC with Agrobacterium, germination of
      paramomycin resistant somatic embryos on medium containing BAP with gradual
      increase in concentration and variations of the frequency of subculture of
      cotyledonary-stage embryos on shoot elongation medium. By applying the optimized
      parameters, FEC were produced for cassava cultivar TME14 and transformed using
      Agrobacterium strain LBA4404 harboring the binary vector pCAMBIA2301. About 70-80
      independent transgenic lines per ml settled cell volume (SCV) of FEC were
      regenerated on selective medium. Histochemical GUS assays confirmed the
      expression of gusA gene in transformed calli, somatic embryos and transgenic
      plants. The presence and integration of the gusA gene were confirmed by PCR and
      Southern blot analysis, respectively. RT-PCR analysis of transgenic plants
      confirmed the expression of gusA gene. This protocol demonstrates significantly
      enhanced transformation efficiency over existing cassava transformation protocols
      and could become a powerful tool for functional genomics and transferring new
      traits into cassava. 

PMID- 26113852
TI  - Current insights into hormonal regulation of microspore embryogenesis.
AB  - Plant growth regulator (PGR) crosstalk and interaction with the plant's genotype
      and environmental factors play a crucial role in microspore embryogenesis (ME),
      controlling microspore-derived embryo differentiation and development as well as
      haploid/doubled haploid plant regeneration. The complexity of the PGR network
      which could exist at the level of biosynthesis, distribution, gene expression or
      signaling pathways, renders the creation of an integrated model of ME-control
      crosstalk impossible at present. However, the analysis of the published data
      together with the results received recently with the use of modern analytical
      techniques brings new insights into hormonal regulation of this process. This
      review presents a short historical overview of the most important milestones in
      the recognition of hormonal requirements for effective ME in the most important
      crop plant species and complements it with new concepts that evolved over the
      last decade of ME studies. 

PMID- 26113854
TI  - Plant signaling networks involving Ca(2+) and Rboh/Nox-mediated ROS production
      under salinity stress.
AB  - Salinity stress, which induces both ionic and osmotic damage, impairs plant
      growth and causes severe reductions in crop yield. Plants are equipped with
      defense responses against salinity stress such as regulation of ion transport
      including Na(+) and K(+), accumulation of compatible solutes and stress-related
      gene expression. The initial Ca(2+) influx mediated by plasma membrane ion
      channels has been suggested to be crucial for the adaptive signaling. NADPH
      oxidase (Nox)-mediated production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has also been
      suggested to play crucial roles in regulating adaptation to salinity stress in
      several plant species including halophytes. Respiratory burst oxidase homolog
      (Rboh) proteins show the ROS-producing Nox activity, which are synergistically
      activated by the binding of Ca(2+) to EF-hand motifs as well as Ca(2+)-dependent
      phosphorylation. We herein review molecular identity, structural features and
      roles of the Ca(2+)-permeable channels involved in early salinity and osmotic
      signaling, and comparatively discuss the interrelationships among spatiotemporal
      dynamic changes in cytosolic concentrations of free Ca(2+), Rboh-mediated ROS
      production, and downstream signaling events during salinity adaptation in planta.

PMID- 26113853
TI  - Quantitative description of ion transport via plasma membrane of yeast and small
      cells.
AB  - Modeling of ion transport via plasma membrane needs identification and
      quantitative understanding of the involved processes. Brief characterization of
      main ion transport systems of a yeast cell (Pma1, Ena1, TOK1, Nha1, Trk1, Trk2,
      non-selective cation conductance) and determining the exact number of molecules
      of each transporter per a typical cell allow us to predict the corresponding ion
      flows. In this review a comparison of ion transport in small yeast cell and
      several animal cell types is provided. The importance of cell volume to surface
      ratio is emphasized. The role of cell wall and lipid rafts is discussed in
      respect to required increase in spatial and temporary resolution of measurements.
      Conclusions are formulated to describe specific features of ion transport in a
      yeast cell. Potential directions of future research are outlined based on the
      assumptions. 

PMID- 26113856
TI  - Single cell-type comparative metabolomics of epidermal bladder cells from the
      halophyte Mesembryanthemum crystallinum.
AB  - One of the remarkable adaptive features of the halophyte Mesembryanthemum
      crystallinum are the specialized modified trichomes called epidermal bladder
      cells (EBC) which cover the leaves, stems, and peduncle of the plant. They are
      present from an early developmental stage but upon salt stress rapidly expand due
      to the accumulation of water and sodium. This particular plant feature makes it
      an attractive system for single cell type studies, with recent proteomics and
      transcriptomics studies of the EBC establishing that these cells are
      metabolically active and have roles other than sodium sequestration. To continue
      our investigation into the function of these unusual cells we carried out a
      comprehensive global analysis of the metabolites present in the EBC extract by
      gas chromatography Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF) and identified 194
      known and 722 total molecular features. Statistical analysis of the metabolic
      changes between control and salt-treated samples identified 352 significantly
      differing metabolites (268 after correction for FDR). Principal components
      analysis provided an unbiased evaluation of the data variance structure.
      Biochemical pathway enrichment analysis suggested significant perturbations in 13
      biochemical pathways as defined in KEGG. More than 50% of the metabolites that
      show significant changes in the EBC, can be classified as compatible solutes and
      include sugars, sugar alcohols, protein and non-protein amino acids, and organic
      acids, highlighting the need to maintain osmotic homeostasis to balance the
      accumulation of Na(+) and Cl(-) ions. Overall, the comparison of metabolic
      changes in salt treated relative to control samples suggests large alterations in
      M. crystallinum epidermal bladder cells. 

PMID- 26113855
TI  - The olive knot disease as a model to study the role of interspecies bacterial
      communities in plant disease.
AB  - There is an increasing interest in studying interspecies bacterial interactions
      in diseases of animals and plants as it is believed that the great majority of
      bacteria found in nature live in complex communities. Plant pathologists have
      thus far mainly focused on studies involving single species or on their
      interactions with antagonistic competitors. A bacterial disease used as model to
      study multispecies interactions is the olive knot disease, caused by Pseudomonas
      savastanoi pv. savastanoi (Psv). Knots caused by Psv in branches and other aerial
      parts of the olive trees are an ideal niche not only for the pathogen but also
      for many other plant-associated bacterial species, mainly belonging to the genera
      Pantoea, Pectobacterium, Erwinia, and Curtobacterium. The non-pathogenic
      bacterial species Erwinia toletana, Pantoea agglomerans, and Erwinia oleae, which
      are frequently isolated inside the olive knots, cooperate with Psv in modulating
      the disease severity. Co-inoculations of these species with Psv result in bigger
      knots and better bacterial colonization when compared to single inoculations.
      Moreover, harmless bacteria co-localize with the pathogen inside the knots,
      indicating the formation of stable bacterial consortia that may facilitate the
      exchange of quorum sensing signals and metabolites. Here we discuss the possible
      role of bacterial communities in the establishment and development of olive knot
      disease, which we believe could be taking place in many other bacterial plant
      diseases. 

PMID- 26113857
TI  - A cupin domain-containing protein with a quercetinase activity (VdQase) regulates
      Verticillium dahliae's pathogenicity and contributes to counteracting host
      defenses.
AB  - We previously identified rutin as part of potato root responses to its pathogen
      Verticillium dahliae. Rutin was directly toxic to the pathogen at doses greater
      than 160 MUM, a threshold below which many V. dahliae pathogenicity-related genes
      were up-regulated. We identified and characterized a cupin domain-containing
      protein (VdQase) with a dioxygenase activity and a potential role in V. dahliae
      potato interactions. The pathogenicity of VdQase knock-out mutants generated
      through Agrobacterium tumefasciens-mediated transformation was significantly
      reduced on susceptible potato cultivar Kennebec compared to wild type isolates.
      Fluorescence microscopy revealed a higher accumulation of flavonols in the stems
      of infected potatoes and a higher concentration of rutin in the leaves in
      response to the VdQase mutants as compared to wild type isolates. This, along
      with the HPLC characterization of high residual and non-utilized quercetin in
      presence of the knockout mutants, indicates the involvement of VdQase in the
      catabolism of quercetin and possibly other flavonols in planta. Quantification of
      Salicylic and Jasmonic Acids (SA, JA) in response to the mutants vs. wild type
      isolates revealed involvement of VdQase in the interference with signaling,
      suggesting a role in pathogenicity. It is hypothesized that the by-product of
      dioxygenation 2-protocatechuoylphloroglucinolcarboxylic acid, after dissociating
      into phloroglucinol and protocatechuoyl moieties, becomes a starting point for
      benzoic acid and SA, thereby interfering with the JA pathway and affecting the
      interaction outcome. These events may be key factors for V. dahliae in countering
      potato defenses and becoming notorious in the rhizosphere. 

PMID- 26113858
TI  - Trichoderma reesei FS10-C enhances phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil by
      Sedum plumbizincicola and associated soil microbial activities.
AB  - This study aimed to explore the effects of Trichoderma reesei FS10-C on the
      phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil by the hyperaccumulator Sedum
      plumbizincicola and on soil fertility. The Cd tolerance of T. reesei FS10-C was
      characterized and then a pot experiment was conducted to investigate the growth
      and Cd uptake of S. plumbizincicola with the addition of inoculation agents in
      the presence and absence of T. reesei FS10-C. The results indicated that FS10-C
      possessed high Cd resistance (up to 300 mg L(-1)). All inoculation agents
      investigated enhanced plant shoot biomass by 6-53% of fresh weight and 16-61% of
      dry weight and Cd uptake by the shoots by 10-53% compared with the control. All
      inoculation agents also played critical roles in increasing soil microbial
      biomass and microbial activities (such as biomass C, dehydrogenase activity and
      fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis activity). Two inoculation agents accompanied by
      FS10-C were also superior to the inoculation agents, indicating that T. reesei
      FS10-C was effective in enhancing both Cd phytoremediation by S. plumbizincicola
      and soil fertility. Furthermore, solid fermentation powder of FS10-C showed the
      greatest capacity to enhance plant growth, Cd uptake, nutrient release, microbial
      biomass and activities, as indicated by its superior ability to promote
      colonization by Trichoderma. The solid fermentation powder of FS10-C might serve
      as a suitable inoculation agent for T. reesei FS10-C to enhance both the
      phytoremediation efficiency of Cd-contaminated soil and soil fertility. 

PMID- 26113862
TI  - Transvaginal Drainage of Pelvic Abscesses and Collections Using Transabdominal
      Ultrasound Guidance.
AB  - Objectives. To evaluate clinical outcomes following transvaginal catheter
      placement using transabdominal ultrasound guidance for management of pelvic fluid
      collections. Methods. A retrospective review was performed for all patients who
      underwent transvaginal catheter drainage of pelvic fluid collections utilizing
      transabdominal ultrasound guidance between July 2008 and July 2013. 24
      consecutive patients were identified and 24 catheters were placed. Results. The
      mean age of patients was 48.1 years (range = 27-76 y). 88% of collections were
      postoperative (n = 21), 8% were from pelvic inflammatory disease (n = 2), and 4%
      were idiopathic (n = 1). Of the 24 patients, 83% of patients (n = 20) had
      previously undergone a hysterectomy and 1 patient (4%) was pregnant at the time
      of drainage. The mean volume of initial drainage was 108 mL (range = 5 to 570).
      Catheters were left in place for an average of 4.3 days (range = 1-17 d).
      Microbial sampling was performed in all patients with 71% (n = 17) returning a
      positive culture. All collections were successfully managed percutaneously. There
      were no technical complications. Conclusions. Transvaginal catheter drainage of
      pelvic fluid collections using transabdominal ultrasound guidance is a safe and
      clinically effective procedure. Appropriate percutaneous management can avoid the
      need for surgery. 

PMID- 26113861
TI  - A Robust and Fast Computation Touchless Palm Print Recognition System Using LHEAT
      and the IFkNCN Classifier.
AB  - Mobile implementation is a current trend in biometric design. This paper proposes
      a new approach to palm print recognition, in which smart phones are used to
      capture palm print images at a distance. A touchless system was developed because
      of public demand for privacy and sanitation. Robust hand tracking, image
      enhancement, and fast computation processing algorithms are required for
      effective touchless and mobile-based recognition. In this project, hand tracking
      and the region of interest (ROI) extraction method were discussed. A sliding
      neighborhood operation with local histogram equalization, followed by a local
      adaptive thresholding or LHEAT approach, was proposed in the image enhancement
      stage to manage low-quality palm print images. To accelerate the recognition
      process, a new classifier, improved fuzzy-based k nearest centroid neighbor
      (IFkNCN), was implemented. By removing outliers and reducing the amount of
      training data, this classifier exhibited faster computation. Our experimental
      results demonstrate that a touchless palm print system using LHEAT and IFkNCN
      achieves a promising recognition rate of 98.64%. 

PMID- 26113860
TI  - Novel R tools for analysis of genome-wide population genetic data with emphasis
      on clonality.
AB  - To gain a detailed understanding of how plant microbes evolve and adapt to hosts,
      pesticides, and other factors, knowledge of the population dynamics and
      evolutionary history of populations is crucial. Plant pathogen populations are
      often clonal or partially clonal which requires different analytical tools. With
      the advent of high throughput sequencing technologies, obtaining genome-wide
      population genetic data has become easier than ever before. We previously
      contributed the R package poppr specifically addressing issues with analysis of
      clonal populations. In this paper we provide several significant extensions to
      poppr with a focus on large, genome-wide SNP data. Specifically, we provide
      several new functionalities including the new function mlg.filter to define clone
      boundaries allowing for inspection and definition of what is a clonal lineage,
      minimum spanning networks with reticulation, a sliding-window analysis of the
      index of association, modular bootstrapping of any genetic distance, and analyses
      across any level of hierarchies. 

PMID- 26113859
TI  - Targeting ATM-deficient CLL through interference with DNA repair pathways.
AB  - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common form of leukemia in the
      Western world and accounts for approximately 30% of adult leukemias and 25% of
      non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The median age at diagnosis is 72 years. During recent
      years numerous genetic aberrations have been identified that are associated with
      an aggressive course of the disease and resistance against genotoxic
      chemotherapies. The DNA damage-responsive proapoptotic ATM-CHK2-p53 signaling
      pathway is frequently mutationally inactivated in CLL either through large
      deletions on chromosome 11q (ATM) or 17p (TP53), or through protein-damaging
      mutations. Here, we focus on the role of ATM signaling for the immediate DNA
      damage response, DNA repair and leukemogenesis. We further discuss novel
      therapeutic concepts for the targeted treatment of ATM-defective CLLs. We
      specifically highlight the potential use of PARP1 and DNA-PKcs inhibitors for the
      treatment of ATM-mutant CLL clones. Lastly, we briefly discuss the current state
      of genetically engineered mouse models of the disease and emphasize the use of
      these preclinical tools as a common platform for the development and validation
      of novel therapeutic agents. 

PMID- 26113863
TI  - Parkinsonism and Sjogren's Syndrome: A Fortuitous Association or a Shared
      Immunopathogenesis?
AB  - Background. The Sjogren Syndrome (SS) can include various manifestations of
      central nervous system impairment. Extrapyramidal signs are known to be very rare
      and unusually discovered on early onset in this pathology. Observation. A 46-year
      old woman with a history of progressive Parkinsonism for 6 years and a normal
      brain magnetic resonance imaging was partially improved with levodopa therapy.
      The later discovery of a sicca syndrome led to performing of further
      investigations, which revealed the presence of anti-SSA antibodies and a
      sialoadenitis of grade 4 according to Chisholm's classification on labial
      salivary gland biopsy. The diagnosis of primary SS was established and the
      adjunction of corticotherapy has remarkably improved Parkinson's signs without
      use of other immunosuppressive agents. Conclusion. Based on these findings, we
      discuss the hypothesis of either a causal link between SS and Parkinsonism or a
      fortuitous association of two distinct pathologies with or without a shared
      immunopathogenesis. 

PMID- 26113864
TI  - Treatment of Oroantral Communication Using the Lateral Palatal Sliding Flap
      Technique.
AB  - Herein, we present a case of oroantral communication that was to be treated with
      clinical examination, tomography, and prototyping. A patient presented with
      oroantral communication with purulent exudation for 4 months, since the
      displacement of the dental implant and O-ring component to the maxillary sinus.
      Tomographic examination and prototyping revealed a 5 mm bone gap. The patient
      underwent local washes and antibiotic therapy. After local palpation, a bone
      defect detected by prototyping was suspected to be greater than that observed.
      For the surgery, a communication tunnel was made, and the bone defect was found
      to be 12 mm in diameter. A pedicle flap was raised on the palate, followed by
      sliding and suturing. No complications were observed during the postoperative
      period, and the suture was removed after a week. Four months later, communication
      did not resume, and the patient did not complain of pain, foul smelling, or
      purulent discharge and was satisfied with the outcome. The findings of this case
      suggest that the lateral sliding flap can be used as an efficient technique for
      closing oroantral communications. An accurate clinical examination is a critical
      tool that can be used instead of tomography and prototyping, which can be
      misleading. 

PMID- 26113867
TI  - Effect of Sterols Isolated from Myrtillocactus geometrizans on Growth Inhibition
      of Colon and Breast Cancer Cells.
AB  - Objective. To explore the effect of peniocerol and macdougallin on HCT-15 and MCF
      7 cells proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and PARP cleavage. Methods. HCT-15
      and MCF-7 cells were treated with various concentrations of peniocerol and
      macdougallin (10-80 MUM) during 24 or 48 h. Crystal Violet Assay was used to
      evaluate the inhibition effect. Cell cycle regulation was examined by a propidium
      iodide method. Cell apoptosis was detected through both Annexin-V FLUOS/PI double
      labeled cytometry assays and Western blot was applied to assess PARP cleavage.
      Results. Peniocerol and macdougallin induced growth inhibition and apoptosis in
      vitro in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Moreover, peniocerol and macdougallin
      induced arrest of cell cycle-dependent manner and increased the proportion of
      cells in G0/G1 phase. PARP cleavage in HCT-15 and MCF-7 cells was induced by
      treatment with peniocerol and macdougallin after 36 hours. Conclusions. Our
      results showed that the mechanism of cytotoxicity displayed by peniocerol and
      macdougallin is related to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in both cell lines.
      This is a significant observation because it helps to understand the way some
      oxysterols isolated from Myrtillocactus geometrizans develop their biological
      activities against cancer cells. 

PMID- 26113865
TI  - Making Blood: The Haematopoietic Niche throughout Ontogeny.
AB  - Approximately one-quarter of all cells in the adult human body are blood cells.
      The haematopoietic system is therefore massive in scale and requires exquisite
      regulation to be maintained under homeostatic conditions. It must also be able to
      respond when needed, such as during infection or following blood loss, to produce
      more blood cells. Supporting cells serve to maintain haematopoietic stem and
      progenitor cells during homeostatic and pathological conditions. This coalition
      of supportive cell types, organised in specific tissues, is termed the
      haematopoietic niche. Haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells are generated in a
      number of distinct locations during mammalian embryogenesis. These stem and
      progenitor cells migrate to a variety of anatomical locations through the
      conceptus until finally homing to the bone marrow shortly before birth. Under
      stress, extramedullary haematopoiesis can take place in regions that are
      typically lacking in blood-producing activity. Our aim in this review is to
      examine blood production throughout the embryo and adult, under normal and
      pathological conditions, to identify commonalities and distinctions between each
      niche. A clearer understanding of the mechanism underlying each haematopoietic
      niche can be applied to improving ex vivo cultures of haematopoietic stem cells
      and potentially lead to new directions for transplantation medicine. 

PMID- 26113866
TI  - Electronic Health Record Analysis of the Primary Care of Adults with Intellectual
      and Other Developmental Disabilities.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Adults with intellectual and other developmental
      disabilities (IDD) are at risk for sub-optimal primary health care. Electronic
      Health Record (EHR) analyses are an under-utilized resource for studying the
      health and primary care of this population. METHODS: This was a case-control EHR
      analysis of adults with IDD provided primary care through the Cleveland Clinic
      between 2005 and 2008. The IDD cohort was identified by relevant ICD-9 codes in
      problem list and encounter diagnoses. A comparison cohort matched by age, sex,
      race, and insurance was also specified. Demographic, health and health service
      characteristics of the two cohorts were compared. FINDINGS: The IDD cohort
      consisted of 1267 individuals, mean age 39 years, 54% male, 78% Caucasian. Age,
      sex, racial, and health insurance characteristics were similar in the 2534
      individuals in the comparison cohort. Individuals with IDD were significantly
      more likely to carry diagnoses of epilepsy, constipation, osteoporosis, obesity,
      and hyperlipidemia; but were significantly less likely to bear diagnoses of
      hypertension, diabetes, osteoarthritis, heart failure, coronary heart disease,
      and COPD. Despite a lower mean BMI, individuals with IDD were more likely to be
      labeled obese. Only genetic consultation rates were higher in the IDD cohort.
      DISCUSSION: Health services research related to persons with IDD is becoming more
      feasible as large health systems adopt EHRs. Further analyses from this dataset
      will investigate whether variations in disease rates in adults with IDD represent
      true differences in disease prevalence versus disparities in health care.

PMID- 26113868
TI  - Effects on Liver Lipid Metabolism of the Naturally Occurring Dietary Flavone
      Luteolin-7-glucoside.
AB  - Disruptions in whole-body lipid metabolism can lead to the onset of several
      pathologies such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cardiovascular
      diseases (CVDs). The present study aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms
      behind the lipid-lowering effects of the flavone luteolin-7-glucoside (L7G) which
      we previously showed to improve plasma lipid profile in rats. L7G is abundant in
      plant foods of Mediterranean diet such as aromatic plants used as herbs. Results
      show that dietary supplementation with L7G for one week induced the expression of
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha) and of its target
      gene carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT-1) in rat liver. L7G showed a
      tendency to decrease the hepatic expression of sterol regulatory element-binding
      protein-1 (SREBP-1), without affecting fatty acid synthase (FAS) protein levels.
      Although SREBP-2 and LDLr mRNA levels did not change, the expression of HMG CoA
      reductase (HMGCR) was significantly repressed by L7G. L7G also inhibited this
      enzyme's in vitro activity in a dose dependent manner, but only at high and not
      physiologically relevant concentrations. These results add new evidence that the
      flavone luteolin-7-glucoside may help in preventing metabolic diseases and
      clarify the mechanisms underlying the beneficial health effects of diets rich in
      fruits and vegetables. 

PMID- 26113869
TI  - Therapeutic Touch Has Significant Effects on Mouse Breast Cancer Metastasis and
      Immune Responses but Not Primary Tumor Size.
AB  - Evidence-based integrative medicine therapies have been introduced to promote
      wellness and offset side-effects from cancer treatment. Energy medicine is an
      integrative medicine technique using the human biofield to promote well-being.
      The biofield therapy chosen for study was Therapeutic Touch (TT). Breast cancer
      tumors were initiated in mice by injection of metastatic 66cl4 mammary carcinoma
      cells. The control group received only vehicle. TT or mock treatments were
      performed twice a week for 10 minutes. Two experienced TT practitioners
      alternated treatments. At 26 days, metastasis to popliteal lymph nodes was
      determined by clonogenic assay. Changes in immune function were measured by
      analysis of serum cytokines and by fluorescent activated cells sorting (FACS) of
      immune cells from the spleen and lymph nodes. No significant differences were
      found in body weight gain or tumor size. Metastasis was significantly reduced in
      the TT-treated mice compared to mock-treated mice. Cancer significantly elevated
      eleven cytokines. TT significantly reduced IL-1-a, MIG, IL-1b, and MIP-2 to
      control/vehicle levels. FACS demonstrated that TT significantly reduced specific
      splenic lymphocyte subsets and macrophages were significantly elevated with
      cancer. Human biofield therapy had no significant effect on primary tumor but
      produced significant effects on metastasis and immune responses in a mouse breast
      cancer model. 

PMID- 26113871
TI  - Maternal intravenous fluids and postpartum breast changes: a pilot observational
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current breastfeeding initiation rate in Canada is approximately
      87%. By one month, about 21% of women have stopped breastfeeding. Engorgement and
      edema in breast tissue can lead to breastfeeding challenges which may contribute
      to early weaning. The aims of this pilot research study were to explore the
      relationship between intrapartum intravenous fluids given to mothers and
      postpartum breast swelling in the first 10 days postpartum and to determine if a
      larger study was warranted and feasible. METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal,
      observational cohort pilot study with repeated measures and a within-subjects
      design was completed. Participants were first time mothers who have a single,
      healthy newborn and had a spontaneous vaginal birth. Daily data collection from
      admission into the study until postpartum day 10 took place. Descriptive
      statistics are reported and linear regression analysis was used to model the
      relationship between IV therapy and postpartum breast edema. RESULTS: Women who
      received intravenous fluids during labour had higher levels of breast edema
      postpartum and rated their breasts as firmer and more tender than women who did
      not receive intravenous fluids. Participants who had intravenous fluids described
      patterns of fullness that appeared to be related to edema as opposed to fullness
      associated with engorgement and lactogenesis II. CONCLUSIONS: The findings
      demonstrate that mothers in this pilot study who received intravenous fluids in
      labour and postpartum had higher levels of breast edema. These results suggest a
      larger study is warranted to more fully examine the effects of intravenous fluids
      on postpartum breast swelling.

PMID- 26113870
TI  - Children and youth with 'unspecified injury to the head': implications for
      traumatic brain injury research and surveillance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The case definition for traumatic brain injury (TBI) often includes
      'unspecified injury to the head' diagnostic codes. However, research has shown
      that the inclusion of these codes leads to false positives. As such, it is
      important to determine the degree to which inclusion of these codes affect the
      overall numbers and profiles of the TBI population. The objective of this paper
      was to profile and compare the demographic and clinical characteristics,
      intention and mechanism of injury, and discharge disposition of hospitalized
      children and youth aged 19 years and under using (1) an inclusive TBI case
      definition that included 'unspecified injury to the head' diagnostic codes, (2) a
      restricted TBI case definition that excluded 'unspecified injury to the head
      'diagnostic codes, and (3) the 'unspecified injury to the head' only case
      definition. METHODS: The National Ambulatory Care Reporting System and the
      Discharge Abstract Database from Ontario, Canada, were used to identify cases
      between fiscal years 2003/04 and 2009/10. RESULTS: The rate of TBI episodes of
      care using the inclusive case definition for TBI (2,667.2 per 100,000) was 1.65
      times higher than that of the restricted case definition (1,613.3 per 100,000).
      'Unspecified injury to the head' diagnostic codes made up of 39.5 % of all cases
      identified with the inclusive case definition. Exclusion of 'unspecified injury
      to the head' diagnostic code in the TBI case definition resulted in a
      significantly higher proportion of patients in the intensive care units (p <
      .0001; 18.5 % vs. 22.2 %) and discharged to a non-home setting (p < .0001; 9.9 %
      vs. 11.6 %). CONCLUSION: Inclusion of 'unspecified injury to the head' diagnostic
      codes resulted in significant changes in numbers, healthcare use, and causes of
      TBI. Careful consideration of the inclusion of 'unspecified injury to the head'
      diagnostic codes in the case definition of TBI for the children and youth
      population is important, as it has implications for the numbers used for policy,
      resource allocation, prevention, and planning of healthcare services. This paper
      can inform future work on reaching consensus on the diagnostic codes for defining
      TBI in children and youth.

PMID- 26113872
TI  - Biases underlying species detection using fluorescent amplified-fragment length
      polymorphisms yielded from roots.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Roots of different plant species are typically morphologically
      indistinguishable. Of the DNA-based techniques, fluorescent amplified-fragment
      length polymorphisms (FAFLPs) are considered reliable, high throughput,
      inexpensive methods to identify roots from mixed species samples. False
      negatives, however, are not uncommon and their underlying causes are poorly
      understood. We investigated several sources of potential biases originating in
      DNA extraction and amplification. Specifically, we examined the effects of sample
      storage, tissue, and species on DNA yield and purity, and the effects of DNA
      concentration and fragment size on amplification of three non-coding chloroplast
      regions (trnT-trnL intergenic spacer, trnL intron, and trnL-trnF intergenic
      spacer). RESULTS: We found that sample condition, tissue and species all affected
      DNA yield. A single freeze-thaw reduces DNA yield, DNA yield is less for roots
      than shoots, and species vary in the amount of DNA yielded from extractions. The
      effects of template DNA concentration, species identity, and their interaction on
      amplicon yield differed across the three chloroplast regions tested. We found
      that the effect of species identity on amplicon production was generally more
      pronounced than that of DNA concentration. Though these factors influenced DNA
      yield, they likely do not have a pronounced effect on detection success of
      fragments and only underscore the restriction on the use of FAFLPs for measuring
      species presence rather than their abundance. However, for two of the regions
      tested-the trnT-trnL intergenic spacer and the trnL intron-size-based fragment
      competition occurred and the likelihood of detection was higher for smaller than
      larger fragments. This result reveals a methodological bias when using FAFLPs.
      CONCLUSIONS: To avoid potential bias with the use of FAFLPs, we recommend users
      check for the disproportionate absence of species detected belowground versus
      aboveground as a function of fragment size, and explore other regions, aside from
      the trnT-trnL intergenic spacer and trnL intron, for amplification.

PMID- 26113873
TI  - Electrical Neuroimaging with Irrotational Sources.
AB  - This paper discusses theoretical aspects of the modeling of the sources of the
      EEG (i.e., the bioelectromagnetic inverse problem or source localization
      problem). Using the Helmholtz decomposition (HD) of the current density vector
      (CDV) of the primary current into an irrotational (I) and a solenoidal (S) part
      we show that only the irrotational part can contribute to the EEG measurements.
      In particular we present for the first time the HD of a dipole and of a pure
      irrotational source. We show that, for both kinds of sources, I extends all over
      the space independently of whether the source is spatially concentrated (as the
      dipole) or not. However, the divergence remains confined to a region coinciding
      with the expected location of the sources, confirming that it is the divergence
      rather than the CDV that really defines the spatial extension of the generators,
      from where it follows that an irrotational source model (ELECTRA) is always
      physiologically meaningful as long as the divergence remains confined to the
      brain. Finally we show that the irrotational source model remains valid for the
      most general electrodynamics model of the EEG in inhomogeneous anisotropic
      dispersive media and thus far beyond the (quasi) static approximation. 

PMID- 26113874
TI  - Lost in chemical space? Maps to support organometallic catalysis.
AB  - Descriptors calculated from molecular structures have been used to map different
      areas of chemical space. A number of applications for such maps can be
      identified, ranging from the fine-tuning and optimisation of catalytic activity
      and compound properties to virtual screening of novel compounds, as well as the
      exhaustive exploration of large areas of chemical space by automated
      combinatorial building and evaluation. This review focuses on organometallic
      catalysis, but also touches on other areas where similar approaches have been
      used, with a view to assessing the extent to which chemical space has been
      explored. Graphical abstractCartoon representation of a chemical space map. 

PMID- 26113875
TI  - Dietary compounds galangin and myricetin suppress ovarian cancer cell
      angiogenesis.
AB  - Galangin and myricetin are flavonoids isolated from vegetables and fruits which
      exhibit anti-proliferative activity in human cancer cells. In this study, their
      anti-angiogenic effects were investigated with in vitro (HUVEC) and in vivo (CAM)
      models, which showed that galangin and myricetin inhibited angiogenesis induced
      by OVCAR-3 cells. The molecular mechanisms through which galangin and myricetin
      suppress angiogenesis were also studied. It was observed that galangin and
      myricetin inhibited secretion of the key angiogenesis mediator vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and decreased levels of p-Akt, p-70S6K and
      hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) proteins in A2780/CP70 and OVCAR-3
      cells. Transient transfection experiments showed that galangin and myricetin
      inhibited secretion of VEGF by the Akt/p70S6K/ HIF-1alpha pathway. Moreover, a
      novel pathway, p21/HIF-1alpha/VEGF, was found to be involved in the inhibitory
      effect of myricetin on angiogenesis in OVCAR-3 cells. These data suggest that
      galangin and myricetin might serve as potential anti-angiogenic agents in the
      prevention of ovarian cancers dependent on new blood vessel networks.

PMID- 26113876
TI  - Wanderer, an interactive viewer to explore DNA methylation and gene expression
      data in human cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) offers a multilayered view of genomics
      and epigenomics data of many human cancer types. However, the retrieval of
      expression and methylation data from TCGA is a cumbersome and time-consuming
      task. RESULTS: Wanderer is an intuitive Web tool allowing real time access and
      visualization of gene expression and DNA methylation profiles from TCGA. Given a
      gene query and selection of a TCGA dataset (e.g., colon adenocarcinomas), the Web
      resource provides the expression profile, at the single exon level, and the DNA
      methylation levels of HumanMethylation450 BeadChip loci inside or in the vicinity
      of the queried gene. Graphic and table outputs include individual and summary
      data as well as statistical tests, allowing the comparison of tumor and normal
      profiles and the exploration along the genomic locus and across tumor
      collections. CONCLUSIONS: Wanderer offers a simple interface to straightforward
      access to TCGA data, amenable to experimentalists and clinicians without
      bioinformatics expertise. Wanderer may be accessed at http://maplab.cat/wanderer.

PMID- 26113877
TI  - Widespread intron retention diversifies most cancer transcriptomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Somatic mutations affecting components of the RNA splicing machinery
      occur with high frequencies across many tumor types. These mutations give rise to
      distinct alterations in normal splice site and exon recognition, such as unusual
      3' splice site preferences, that likely contribute to tumorigenesis. METHODS: We
      analyzed genome-wide patterns of RNA splicing across 805 matched tumor and normal
      control samples from 16 distinct cancer types to identify signals of abnormal
      cancer-associated splicing. RESULTS: We found that abnormal RNA splicing,
      typified by widespread intron retention, is common across cancers even in the
      absence of mutations directly affecting the RNA splicing machinery. Almost all
      liquid and solid cancer types exhibited frequent retention of both alternative
      and constitutive introns relative to control normal tissues. The sole exception
      was breast cancer, where intron retention typified adjacent normal rather than
      cancer tissue. Different introns were preferentially retained in specific cancer
      types, although a small subset of introns enriched for genes encoding RNA
      splicing and export factors exhibited frequent retention across diverse cancers.
      The extent of intron retention correlated with the presence of IDH1 and IDH2
      mutations in acute myeloid leukemia and across molecular subtypes in breast
      cancer. Many introns that were preferentially retained in primary cancers were
      present at high levels in the cytoplasmic mRNA pools of cancer cell lines.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that abnormal RNA splicing is a common
      characteristic of cancers even in the absence of mutational insults to the
      splicing machinery, and suggest that intron-containing mRNAs contribute to the
      transcriptional diversity of many cancers.

PMID- 26113878
TI  - Synthesis of a hexasaccharide partial sequence of hyaluronan for click chemistry
      and more.
AB  - In the present work, the synthesis of a hexasaccharide partial sequence of
      hyaluronan equipped with a terminal azido moiety is reported. This hexasaccharide
      can be used for the attachment on surfaces by means of click chemistry and after
      suitable deprotection for biophysical studies. 

PMID- 26113879
TI  - DNA display of glycoconjugates to emulate oligomeric interactions of glycans.
AB  - Glycans (carbohydrate portion of glycoproteins and glycolipids) frequently exert
      their function through oligomeric interactions involving multiple carbohydrate
      units. In efforts to recapitulate the diverse spatial arrangements of the
      carbohydrate units, assemblies based on hybridization of nucleic acid conjugates
      have been used to display simplified ligands with tailored interligand distances
      and valences. The programmability of the assemblies lends itself to a
      combinatorial display of multiple ligands. Recent efforts in the synthesis and
      applications of such conjugates are discussed. 

PMID- 26113880
TI  - Special Issue on: Twelfth International Conference on Ontologies, Databases, and
      Applications of Semantics.

PMID- 26113881
TI  - Direct Electrochemical Addressing of Immobilized Alcohol Dehydrogenase for the
      Heterogeneous Bioelectrocatalytic Reduction of Butyraldehyde to Butanol.
AB  - Modified electrodes using immobilized alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes for the
      efficient electroreduction of butyraldehyde to butanol are presented as an
      important step for the utilization of CO2-reduction products. Alcohol
      dehydrogenase was immobilized, embedded in an alginate-silicate hybrid gel, on a
      carbon felt (CF) electrode. The application of this enzyme to the reduction of an
      aldehyde to an alcohol with the aid of the coenzyme nicotinamide adenine
      dinucleotide (NADH), in analogy to the final step in the natural reduction
      cascade of CO2 to alcohol, has been already reported. However, the use of such
      enzymatic reductions is limited because of the necessity of providing expensive
      NADH as a sacrificial electron and proton donor. Immobilization of such
      dehydrogenase enzymes on electrodes and direct pumping of electrons into the
      biocatalysts offers an easy and efficient way for the biochemical recycling of
      CO2 to valuable chemicals or alternative synthetic fuels. We report the direct
      electrochemical addressing of immobilized alcohol dehydrogenase for the reduction
      of butyraldehyde to butanol without consumption of NADH. The selective reduction
      of butyraldehyde to butanol occurs at room temperature, ambient pressure and
      neutral pH. Production of butanol was detected by using liquid-injection gas
      chromatography and was estimated to occur with Faradaic efficiencies of around 40
      %.

PMID- 26113882
TI  - Broken vows and the next generation: Recognizing and helping when parental
      divorce is a spiritual trauma.
AB  - Recent national surveys show that older youth who have experienced parental
      divorce tend to disengage from organized religion but feel as close to God as
      peers from intact families. In this paper, we offer a conceptual model and
      concrete guidelines to help adults engage in sensitive, yet direct, dialogues
      with older youth about the spiritual dimensions of parental divorce. Based on a
      recent line of empirical research on the role of religion and spirituality for
      post-divorce adjustment, we argue that parental divorce can be experienced as a
      spiritual trauma where the event is interpreted as a sacred loss and desecration,
      and can also trigger painful spiritual struggles. Yet youth can also draw upon
      adaptive religious/spiritual methods to cope with the transition. We illustrate
      these psychospiritual processes using quotes from a study of college students who
      had experienced a parental divorce within the prior five years. We end with a
      list of questions that parents, pastoral counselors, clergy, and mental health
      professionals can draw upon to explore the intersection of faith and divorce with
      adolescents.

PMID- 26113883
TI  - Mental health literacy among secondary school students in North and Central
      Uganda: a qualitative study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There has been limited effort to explore young people's perceptions
      about mental illness in Uganda. For mental health programs targeting young people
      to succeed, it is important to incorporate their understanding of mental illness,
      their perceptions about causes of mental illness and their attitudes about
      mentally ill people. The objective of this study was to explore the mental health
      of young people in secondary schools in Northern and Central Uganda. SUBJECTS AND
      METHODS: This was a qualitative study where 24 focus group discussions (FGDs)
      were held with young people in secondary schools. Respondents aged 14-24 years
      were purposively selected from 4 secondary schools in the two regions. During the
      FGDs, young people's perceptions and understanding of three areas listed below
      were explored: meaning of mental health/mental illness; causes of mental illness
      and attitudes toward mental illness. Data management and analysis was done with
      the help of Atlas.ti, a-qualitative-analysis software. Thematic analysis approach
      was employed. RESULTS: FGD participants used concepts like a sound and normal
      mind, right thinking, normal behavior and normal thoughts to define mental
      health. Mental illness on the other hand was defined as loss of sense of reality,
      malfunctioning of the brain, impaired thinking and bizarre behavior. Young people
      attributed mental illness to; substance abuse (Marijuana, alcohol), witnessing
      traumatic events (seeing ones your relatives being killed, or being forced to
      participate in killing-frequently mentioned by young people in Northern Uganda);
      witch craft, effect of physical illness e.g. HIV/epilepsy, thinking too much,
      accidents and genetic explanations. They had mixed opinions about interacting
      with mentally ill individuals. Unpredictability and dangerousness were known to
      be a recurrent theme among people with negative views about mentally ill.
      Nonetheless, some FGD participants believed that the level of interaction with
      mentally ill persons depended on familiarity with mental illness and the severity
      of the symptoms. Similarly, there were mixed opinions regarding mental illness
      and work. Three main clusters of responses emerged. These were: i) "mentally ill
      people should not work"; ii) "mentally ill people should work but.."; iii)
      "mentally ill people should work like everyone else". CONCLUSIONS: Findings point
      to key gaps in the knowledge and attitudes of young people that need to be
      targeted by young-people-focused-interventions for mental health. In order for
      such interventions to succeed, young people must be able to recognize and respond
      appropriately to signs of distress, reduced functioning, and other early signs of
      poor mental health.

PMID- 26113884
TI  - A New Type of Electron Relay Station in Proteins: Three-Piece S:Pi?S<->S?Pi:S
      Resonance Structure.
AB  - A type of relay station for electron transfer in proteins, three-piece five
      electron bonding, is introduced in this paper, which is also first proposed here.
      The ab initio calculations predict the formation of S:Pi?S<->S?Pi:S resonance
      binding with an aromatic ring located in the middle of two sulfur-containing
      groups, which may participate in electron-hole transport in proteins. These
      special structures can lower the local ionization energies to capture electron
      holes efficiently and may be easily formed and broken because of their proper
      binding energies. In addition, the UV-vis spectra provide evidence of the
      formations of the three-piece five-electron binding. The cooperation of three
      adjacent pieces may be advantage to promote electron transfer a longer distance.

PMID- 26113885
TI  - Silver-Overgrowth-Induced Changes in Intrinsic Optical Properties of Gold
      Nanorods: From Noninvasive Monitoring of Growth Kinetics to Tailoring Internal
      Mirror Charges.
AB  - We investigate the effect of surfactant-mediated, asymmetric silver overgrowth of
      gold nanorods on their intrinsic optical properties. From concentration-dependent
      experiments, we established a close correlation of the extinction in the
      UV/vis/NIR frequency range and the morphological transition from gold nanorods to
      Au@Ag cuboids. Based on this correlation, a generic methodology for in situ
      monitoring of the evolution of the cuboid morphology was developed and applied in
      time-dependent experiments. We find that growth rates are sensitive to the
      substitution of the surfactant headgroup by comparison of
      benzylhexadecyldimethylammonium chloride (BDAC) with hexadecyltrimethylammonium
      chloride (CTAC). The time-dependent overgrowth in BDAC proceeds about 1 order of
      magnitude slower than in CTAC, which allows for higher control during silver
      overgrowth. Furthermore, silver overgrowth results in a qualitatively novel
      optical feature: Upon excitation inside the overlap region of the interband
      transition of gold and intraband of silver, the gold core acts as a retarding
      element. The much higher damping of the gold core compared to the silver shell in
      Au@Ag cuboids induces mirror charges at the core/shell interface as shown by
      electromagnetic simulations. Full control over the kinetic growth process
      consequently allows for precise tailoring of the resonance wavelengths of both
      modes. Tailored and asymmetric silver-overgrown gold nanorods are of particular
      interest for large-scale fabrication of nanoparticles with intrinsic metamaterial
      properties. These building blocks could furthermore find application in optical
      sensor technology, light harvesting, and information technology.

PMID- 26113886
TI  - [Bladder tumor in young patients: about 36 cases].

PMID- 26113887
TI  - [Sinonasal Hemangiopericytoma: diagnostic and therapeutic challenge].

PMID- 26113888
TI  - Conjunctival epidermoid carcinoma: a case report.

PMID- 26113889
TI  - Neglected rupture of the quadriceps tendon in a patient with chronic renal
      failure (case report and review of the literature).
AB  - Spontaneous ruptures of the quadriceps tendon are infrequent injuries, it is seen
      primarily in patients with predisposing diseases such as gout, rheumatoid
      arthritis and chronic renal failure. A 32-year-old man had a history of end stage
      renal disease and received regular hemodialysis treatment for more than 5 years.
      He was admitted in our service for total functional impotence of the right lower
      limb with knee pain after a common fall two months ago. The radiogram showed a
      ''patella baja" with suprapatellar calcifications. The ultrasound and MRI showed
      an aspect of rupture of the quadriceps tendon in its proximal end with retraction
      of 3 cm. Quadriceps tendon repair was performed with a lengthening plasty, and
      the result was satisfactory after a serial rehabilitation program. The diagnosis
      of quadriceps tendon ruptures needs more attention in patients with predisposing
      diseases. They should not be unknown because the treatment of neglected lesions
      is more difficult. We insist on the early surgical repair associated with early
      rehabilitation that can guarantee recovery of good active extension. 

PMID- 26113890
TI  - Importance of extending the use of polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of
      venereal syphilis in a blood transfusion center in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Due to the existence of a variety of types of non-venereal syphilis
      caused by the related T. pallidum, regular serological testing such as Rapid
      Plasma Reagin (RPR) and Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassay Technique
      (CMIA) are often unable to differentiate venereal syphilis from the non- venereal
      one, hence, the interest in the use of molecular biology testing for a
      confirmation diagnosis of syphilis caused by Treponema pallidum subspecies
      pallidum. OBJECTIVE: The study is designed to assess the effectiveness of PCR
      testing and serological methods in the diagnosis of Treponema pallidum subsp
      pallidum among blood donors in Burkina Faso. METHODS: The study included 6375
      samples of volunteer blood donors from the regional blood transfusion center of
      Ouagadougou (CRTS/O). Among samples, 183 positive and 59 negative in RPR were
      analyzed to detect antibodies anti-T. pallidum subsp pallidum with a immunoassay
      method (CMIA) and were confirmed using the Polymerase Chain Reaction testing.
      RESULTS: In RPR, we obtained a prevalence rate of 2.9% (183/6375) for
      treponematosis. From the 183 RPR+ specimen, 108 (59%) were found CMIA+ and 11
      (6%) were confirmed PCR+. While the 59 pattern RPR-; 31 (52.5%) were CMIA +
      including 3 (5.1%) tested PCR+. Seventy-five (75) samples RPR + /CMIA-; 2 (2.7%)
      were confirmed positive by PCR. All 28 samples RPR-/CMIA- were confirmed negative
      by PCR. CONCLUSION: PCR testing confirmed a low distribution of T. pallidum subsp
      pallidum in comparison to serological methods. Cross-reactions, existence of non
      venereal treponemal or immunological scars could account for the discrepancy
      between the results obtained.

PMID- 26113891
TI  - [Severe head and neck cellulitis, risk factors and severity criteria].

PMID- 26113892
TI  - [Results of tubal plasty: ruslts of a Tunisian study].

PMID- 26113893
TI  - Implementing primary health care-based PMTCT interventions: operational
      perspectives from Muhima cohort analysis (Rwanda).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In countries with high burden of HIV, major programmatic challenges
      have been identified to preventing new infections among children and scaling up
      of treatment for pregnant mothers. We initiated this study to examine operational
      approaches that were used to enhance implementation of PMTCT interventions in
      Muhima health Centre (Kigali/Rwanda) from 2007 to 2010. METHODS: The prospective
      cohort study was conducted at Muhima health centre. A sample size of 656 was the
      minimum number required for the study. The main outcome was cumulative incidence
      of mother - to - child transmission of HIV-1 measured at 6 weeks of life among
      live born children. RESULTS: Among the 679 live born babies and followed up in
      this study, the overall cumulative rate of HIV-1 mother - to - child transmission
      observed was 3.2% at 6 weeks of age after birth. Disclosure of HIV status to
      partner was significantly associated with HIV-1 status of infants at 6 weeks of
      age (non-disclosure of HIV status adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 4.68, CI 1.39 to
      15.77, p. CONCLUSION: The Muhima type of decentralized health facility offered an
      appropriate platform for implementation of PMTCT interventions, with the
      following operational features: family - centered approach; integrated service
      delivery for PMTCT/MCH interventions, task shifting; subsidized membership fees
      for people living with HIV, allowing for access to the community-based health
      insurance benefits.

PMID- 26113894
TI  - Assessing the prevalence of spina bifida and encephalocele in a Kenyan hospital
      from 2005-2010: implications for a neural tube defects surveillance system.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neural tube defects such as anencephaly, spina bifida, and
      encephalocele are congenital anomalies of the central nervous system. Data on the
      prevalence of neural tube defects in Kenya are limited. This study characterizes
      and estimates the prevalence of spina bifida and encephalocele reported in a
      referral hospital in Kenya from 2005-2010. METHODS: Cases were defined as a
      diagnosis of spina bifida or encephalocele. Prevalence was calculated as the
      number of cases by year and province of residence divided by the total number of
      live-births per province. RESULTS: From a total of 6,041 surgical records; 1,184
      (93%) had reported diagnosis of spina bifida and 88 (7%) of encephalocele.
      Estimated prevalence of spina bifida and encephalocele from 2005-2010 was 3.3
      [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 3.1-3.5] cases per 10,000 live-births. The highest
      prevalence of cases were reported in 2007 with 4.4 (95% CI: 3.9-5.0) cases per
      10,000 live-births. Rift Valley province had the highest prevalence of spina
      bifida and encephalocele at 6.9 (95% CI: 6.3-7.5) cases per 10,000 live-births
      from 2005-2010. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of spina bifida and encephalocele is
      likely underestimated, as only patients seeking care at the hospital were
      included. Variations in regional prevalence could be due to referral patterns and
      healthcare access. Implementation of a neural tube defects surveillance system
      would provide a more thorough assessment of the burden of neural tube defects in
      Kenya.

PMID- 26113895
TI  - [Erythroblastic acute leukemia: report of seven cases].

PMID- 26113896
TI  - Fetal nuchal translucency scan in Nigeria.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the performance of first trimester nuchal translucency
      scan screening among pregnant women in Nigeria. METHODS: A prospective
      observational and questionnaire based study involving 510 pregnant women between
      11(+0) and 13(+6) weeks. Routine counselling and nuchal translucency measurement
      was conducted using the FMF, London guidelines. Chorionic villous sampling was
      done at NT >= 2.5 mm or >= 95th centile. RESULTS: Five hundred and ten out of 542
      (94.1%) were analysed, mainly referred by health care workers (87.2%) and from
      predominantly private facilities (94.3%). The number of NT scans performed
      increased in successive years with corresponding decrease in the mean scanning
      time. Scan was successfully completed at first attempt in (96.5%), with mean
      scanning time of 28.3 minutes. Nuchal translucency increases with gestational but
      not maternal age. The median and 95th centile at 11(+0) week was 1.2mm and 1.7 mm
      and at 13(+6) weeks was 1.5 mm and 2.2 mm. Using a cut-off of >= 2.5 mm or >=
      95th centile, 17 (3.3%) screened positive. Three out of the 17 had invasive
      testing and 2 (DR = 66.7%) were confirmed trisomy 21, with a false positive rate
      of 5.9%. Although majority (86.4%) were willing to have invasive testing, only
      few (3 or 17.6%) of the high risk group had testing. CONCLUSION: The study
      demonstrated that NT scan is feasible as a screening tool in pregnancy in
      Nigeria. Measures of improving utilization include wider dissemination of
      information, provision of dedicated NT clinics and manpower training.

PMID- 26113897
TI  - [Pseudotumoral form of chronic eosinophilic pneumopathy of fatal outcome].

PMID- 26113898
TI  - [Tetraplegia revealing a severe pneumococcal meningomyelitis: about a case and
      literature review].

PMID- 26113899
TI  - [Prevalence and factors associated with HIV and viral hepatitis B and C in the
      city of Bafoussam in Cameroon].

PMID- 26113900
TI  - [Incomplete small bowel volvulus on common mesentery--a severe and rare
      complication in adults: report of 1 case].

PMID- 26113901
TI  - [False traumatic intracranial arterial aneurysm].

PMID- 26113903
TI  - [Sacrococcygeal teratoma: report of a case].

PMID- 26113902
TI  - [Impact of antiretroviral therapy on the biological profile of HIV positive
      children followed-up at Yaounde University Hospital in Cameroon].

PMID- 26113907
TI  - [Septic neuromeningeal metastases following a pneumococcal otitis].

PMID- 26113906
TI  - [Squamous cell carcinomas of the scrotum: about 7 cases with review of the
      literature].

PMID- 26113905
TI  - [Change in stature after pseudo-puberty early by 11beta hydroxylase deficiency in
      a girl of 7 years: report of a case and review of literature].

PMID- 26113904
TI  - [Cold thoracic parietal abscess in immunocompetent individuals].

PMID- 26113908
TI  - [Anterior transverse route in osteosynthesis of a type III fracture of the
      coronoid process in an adolescent: report of a case and literature review].

PMID- 26113909
TI  - [Conjoined nerve root: about a case].

PMID- 26113910
TI  - [Incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic infection with hepatitis B].

PMID- 26113911
TI  - [Valvular heart disease in hospitals in Lome (Togo)].

PMID- 26113912
TI  - [Strangulated obturator hernia: about two cases].

PMID- 26113913
TI  - [Primitive omental appendagitis: a rare cause of abdominal pain].

PMID- 26113914
TI  - [Dorsal liposarcoma: a rare clinical presentation].

PMID- 26113915
TI  - [Study of knowledge, attitudes and practices in social reintegration of women
      victims of obstetric fistula: region of the far-North, Cameroon].

PMID- 26113916
TI  - [Traumatic section of nonpregnant uterus in a highway traffic accident: report of
      a case].

PMID- 26113917
TI  - [Rare ovarian tumors: report of a series of 11 cases of malignant non-epithelial
      ovarian tumors].

PMID- 26113918
TI  - [Isolated latent scaphoid dislocation in children: report of a case].

PMID- 26113919
TI  - Patterns and obstacles to oral antidiabetic medications adherence among type 2
      diabetics in Ismailia, Egypt: a cross section study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diabetes is a costly and increasingly common chronic disease.
      Effective management of diabetes to achieve glycemic control improves patient
      quality of life. Adherence rates to drug regimens in patients with type 2
      diabetes are relatively low and vary widely between populations. There are many
      factors that could affect patient adherence to drug therapy. The aim of the
      present study was assessing patterns and obstacles to adherence of type 2
      diabetic patients to their oral hypoglycemic drugs. METHODS: The present work is
      a descriptive cross section study, carried on type 2 diabetic patients who were
      on oral hypoglycemic drugs. Data concerning adherence to drugs was assessed using
      measure treatment adherence scale (MTA). RESULTS: A total of 372 (55.59% males
      and 44.41% females) patients with type-2 diabetes fulfilled the inclusion
      criteria and included in the study. Among the participants, 26.1% were found to
      have good adherence, 47.9% had a fair adherence, and 26% had poor adherence.
      CONCLUSION: The overall rate of medication adherence among the diabetic patients
      population was suboptimal and non-acceptable. Evaluation of adherence is vital
      for patients with diabetes in order to determine factors and barriers affecting
      the adherence and to manage them.

PMID- 26113920
TI  - Dural tear of unusual cause.
AB  - Epidural analgesia is highly recommended in cancer anorectal surgery. In addition
      to the fight against pain it provides some benefit in allowing early
      rehabilitation of patients. One of the risks of this practice is the dural tear
      creating a cerebrospinal fluid leak (CSF) in the epidural space (EPD). Clinical
      features the typical positional headache, a procession of various more or less
      severe symptoms: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, visual or hearing impairment or
      radicular pain. We report a dural of unusual cause secondary of the obstruction
      of tuohy catheter by vertebral cartilage. 

PMID- 26113921
TI  - Recurrent testicular torsion after orchidopexy.

PMID- 26113922
TI  - [A randomized controlled trial: effect of wearing high-heeled shoes on the lower
      appendicular skeleton].

PMID- 26113923
TI  - Supporting early career health investigators in Kenya: A qualitative study of
      HIV/AIDS research capacity building.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Strategies to transfer international health research training
      programs to sub-Saharan African institutions focus on developing cadres of local
      investigators who will lead such programs. Using a critical leadership theory
      framework, we conducted a qualitative study of one program to understand how
      collaborative training and research can support early career investigators in
      Kenya toward the program transfer goal. METHODS: We used purposive sampling
      methods and a semi-structured protocol to conduct in-depth interviews with US (N
      = 5) and Kenyan (N = 5) independent investigators. Transcripts were coded using a
      two-step process, and then compared with each other to identify major themes.
      RESULTS: A limited local research environment, funding needs and research career
      mentorship were identified as major influences on early career researchers.
      Institutional demands on Kenyan faculty to teach rather than complete research
      restricted investigators' ability to develop research careers. This was coupled
      with lack of local funding to support research. Sustainable collaborations
      between Kenyan, US and other international investigators were perceived to
      mitigate these challenges and support early career investigators who would help
      build a robust local research environment for training. CONCLUSION: Mutually
      beneficial collaborations between Kenyan and US investigators developed during
      training mitigate these challenges and build a supportive research environment
      for training. In these collaborations, early career investigators learn how to
      navigate the complex international research environment to build local HIV
      research capacity. Shared and mutually beneficial resources within international
      research collaborations are required to support early career investigators and
      plans to transfer health research training to African institutions.

PMID- 26113924
TI  - Dislocation of a revision total knee arthroplasty: rare but serious complication.

PMID- 26113925
TI  - [Antenatal diagnosis of iniencephaly].

PMID- 26113926
TI  - Cutaneous sarcoidosis simulating porokeratosis of Mibelli.
AB  - We report a skin localization of systemic sarcoidosis, which presented with
      lesions that resemble porokeratosis of Mibelli. Skin biopsy showed non-caseating
      sarcoidal granuloma. Whereas cutaneous sarcoidosis is present in up to one-third
      of cases and may present with a wide variety of lesions, our presentation is
      uncommon. Partial remission was obtained with hydroxychloroquine and prednisone. 

PMID- 26113927
TI  - Evaluation of HIV antigen/antibody combination ELISAs for diagnosis of HIV
      infection in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Enzygnost
      HIV Integral II antigen/antibody combination ELISAs in order to formulate HIV
      ELISA testing algorithms for the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Tanzania.
      METHODS: This was a laboratory-based evaluation of Enzygnost HIV Integral II
      Antibody/ Antigen, Murex HIV antigen/antibody and Vironostika HIV Uniform II
      antigen/antibody conducted between October 2011 and May 2012. RESULTS: A total of
      600 blood samples were included in the evaluation. A total of 209/596 (35.1%)
      serum samples were confirmed HIV positive. Of these, the prevalence of HIV
      infection was 2.3% (3/130), 2.3% (3/127), 2.2% (3/139) and 100% (200/200) for VCT
      clients, ANC attendees, blood donors and CTC patients, respectively. Three
      hundred and eighty seven (64.9%) were HIV negative samples. Sensitivity was 100%
      (95% CI; 98.3-100%) for all the three HIV ELISAs. The specificity for the
      Enzygnost HIV Integral II and Murex was 100% (95% CI; 99.1-100%). The final
      specificity at repeat testing was 99.5% (95% CI; 98.2-99.9%) for Vironostika.
      Enzygnost HIV Integral II detected HIV infection seven days since first bleed.
      CONCLUSION: Initial testing using either Vironostika or Murex HIV
      antigen/antibody combination ELISA followed by testing of reactive samples on the
      Enzygnost HIV Integral II gave a sensitivity and specificity of 100% with reduced
      window period. Combination of two HIV antigen/antibody combination ELISAs can be
      used as an alternative confirmatory testing strategy for screening of donated
      blood at the National and Zonal blood transfusion centres and in lab diagnosis of
      HIV infection.

PMID- 26113929
TI  - [Posttraumatic hematoma of the Iliopsoas muscle with femoral nerve palsy: about a
      case report and review of literature].

PMID- 26113928
TI  - Healthcare-associated infections in a Tunisian university hospital: from analysis
      to action.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Our study was conducted, in university hospital center (UHC) Farhat
      Hached of Sousse (city in Tunisian center-east), within healthcare-associated
      infections (HAI) epidemiological surveillance (ES) program, based, among others,
      on HAI regular prevalence surveys. Our objectives are to resituate HAI prevalence
      rate and to identify their risk factors (RF) in order to adjust, in our hospital,
      prevention programs. METHODS: It is a transversal descriptive study, including
      all patients who had been hospitalized for at least 48 hours, measuring
      prevalence of HAI a "given day", with only one passage by service. Risk factors
      were determined using Epiinfo 6.0, by uni-varied analysis, then, logistic
      regression stepwise descending for the variables whose p. RESULTS: The study
      focused on 312 patients. Infected patients prevalence was 12.5% and that of HAI
      was 14.5%. Infections on peripheral venous catheter (PVC) dominated (42.2%) among
      all HAI identified. HAI significant RF were neutropenia (p < 10(-4)) for
      intrinsic factors, and PVC for extrinsic factors (p = 0,003). CONCLUSION:
      Predominance of infections on PVC should be subject of specific prevention
      actions, including retro-information strategy, prospective ES, professional
      practices evaluation and finally training and increasing awareness of health
      personnel with hygiene measures. Finally, development of a patient safety culture
      with personnel ensures best adherence to hygiene measures and HAI prevention.

PMID- 26113930
TI  - [A case of neglected fracture dislocation of the elbow with preservation of elbow
      function].

PMID- 26113931
TI  - [Morel-Lavallee syndrome: an entity not to ignore].

PMID- 26113932
TI  - [Contribution of computed tomography in the diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis
      about 496 cases in Abidjan].

PMID- 26113933
TI  - [Management of complications of arteriovenous fistulas for chronic hemodialysis].

PMID- 26113934
TI  - [Giant myxoma of the left atrium appended to the mitral valve].

PMID- 26113935
TI  - [Tibial valgization osteotomy by medial opening-wedge filled with cement for
      femorotibial 38 varus-valgus gonarthrosis].

PMID- 26113936
TI  - Coats disease.

PMID- 26113937
TI  - [Broncholithiasis: a rare complication of pulmonary tuberculosis].

PMID- 26113938
TI  - Tuberous sclerosis complex presenting as pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis--a
      clinicoradiological diagnosis.
AB  - Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) manifests predominantly as a neurocutaneous
      disorder. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare pulmonary manifestation of
      TSC. Imaging evaluation plays an important role in the assessment of patients
      with tuberous sclerosis complex. In newly diagnosed patients, it helps not only
      to confirm the diagnosis of TSC, but also helps in identifying clinically
      significant complications. We describe the radiological findings in lungs and
      other organs in a middle aged female with TSC. 

PMID- 26113939
TI  - [Amniotic bands syndrome and its diagnostic difficulties and management in
      Burkina Faso].

PMID- 26113940
TI  - Prevalence of premarital sexual practice and associated factors among
      undergraduate health science students of Madawalabu University, Bale Goba, South
      East Ethiopia: institution based cross sectional study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Several studies in Sub- Saharan Africa have documented high and
      increasing premarital sexual activities among adolescents. Younger people face
      social, peer and cultural pressure to engage in premarital sex. As a result,
      significant numbers of adolescents are involved in sexual activities at an early
      age which exposes them to the risk of unintended pregnancy, early marriage,
      abortion and STIs/HIV/AIDS. This study was conducted to determine Prevalence of
      premarital sexual practice and associated factors among Health science students
      of Madawalabu University, Ethiopia. METHODS: A Descriptive cross sectional survey
      was employed and three hundred twenty four students were randomly selected after
      proportional allocation according to their level of education. Data were
      collected by a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS Version
      16. A stepwise logistic regression with forward method was used to identify
      independent predictors of premarital sexual practices at 95% CI and P value less
      than 0.05. RESULTS: Of respondents 181 (59.9%) who had a boy or girl friends;
      about 129 (42.7%) have had premarital sexual intercourse. Out of sexually active
      respondents, 85 (66.4%) had one sexual partner, 44 (33.6%) had two or more sexual
      partners. The average age of starting sexual intercourses was 18.4 +/- 2.14
      years. Sixty three (20.9%) of respondents reported tobacco smoking and 117
      (38.7%) reported consumption of alcohol consumption. CONCLUSION: Alcohol use,
      boarding, sex, educational level and discussion about sexuality were
      significantly associated with premarital sexual intercourses. So, there is the
      need to step up Reproductive health club at the university to bring behavior
      change among the students in order to detain the usual consequences of premarital
      sexual practices and risky sexual behavior.

PMID- 26113941
TI  - [Primary osteosarcoma of the thigh: about a case].

PMID- 26113942
TI  - [A retrospective study of ovarian cancer with a median follow of 42 months].

PMID- 26113943
TI  - [Unusual multifocal osteoarthritis tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient].

PMID- 26113944
TI  - [Pregnancy in chronic hemodialysis].

PMID- 26113945
TI  - Foreign aid or foreign investments: call for a paradigm shift in mentality and
      nomenclature.
AB  - Funding for health care programs has over the years been an important challenge
      for health and health care services. However with the advent of financing, part
      of this problem was resolved. Through these investments, lives were saved, many
      destinies recovered and some obsolete systems reengineered. Major proofs of these
      expenditures are number of people reached and sometimes number of sites
      opened/supported, which in several cases, are not entirely verifiable.
      Sustainable development from these funds is limited, and far and in between. This
      is despite the fact that supports for health care and health care services have
      been ongoing for more than 60 years. As long as these funds are seen as aids to
      developing countries, they will continue to fail to achieve their primary
      objectives. But looking at these as investments in supported countries will
      significantly improve the outcome, health system impacts, as well as engineer
      sustainable health system strengthening and improvement. Such a re-branding will
      reduce the politics of support, improve effectiveness and efficiency in the use
      of the resources, and empower receiving nations towards better health systems. 

PMID- 26113946
TI  - [Recurrent lupus enteritis improved by Azathioprine].

PMID- 26113947
TI  - Jugular vein thrombosis due to Behcet disease.

PMID- 26113948
TI  - [Obstructive colloid cyst of the third ventricle].

PMID- 26113949
TI  - [Lateral condylar fracture of the femur associated with sagittal vertical
      ipsilateral fracture of the patella].

PMID- 26113950
TI  - The role of cytokines as inflammatory mediators in preeclampsia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study is to determine the concentrations of IL-6, TNF alpha,
      and C reactive protein (CRP) in women with severe preeclampsia, and compare with
      those of gestational age- matched normotensive pregnant women and to correlate
      CRP levels with markers of organ damage in women with preeclampsia. METHODS: This
      was a case control study of fifty women with severe preeclampsia and fifty
      gestational age matched pregnant women with normal blood pressure. The women were
      drawn from The Antenatal Clinic of The Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Severe
      pre eclampsia was defined as systolic blood pressure >= 160 mmHg and/or diastolic
      blood pressure >= 110 mmHg and >= 2 + of proteinuria. After obtaining an informed
      consent, each participant completed a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire
      sought information on socio-demographic and clinical data. From each participant,
      mid-stream urine was collected for urinalysis and culture, and blood sample was
      collected for biochemical analysis. Comparisons of continuous variables and
      categorical variables were done using the Student's t test and Chi square test
      respectively. Correlation analysis was used to determine the associations between
      variables. Statistical significance was set at P. RESULTS: The women were similar
      in their socio demographic characteristics. There was a statistically significant
      difference in the systolic blood pressure (p < 0.0001), diastolic blood pressure
      ( p < 0.0001), uric acid ( p < 0.0001), AST ( p < 0.0001), ALP ( p < 0.0001),
      creatinine ( p < 0.0013), GGT ( p < 0.005), IL 6 ( p < 0.021), CRP ( p < 0.0002),
      and TNF alpha ( p < 0.023), between the group with severe preeclampsia and the
      group with normal blood pressure. This study also reports a significant
      association between CRP and systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure,
      uric acid AST and ALP (p. CONCLUSION: The inflammatory cytokines, IL6, TNF alpha
      and CRP are elevated in severe preeclampsia and may mediate some of the clinical
      manifestations of the disorder. A role may exist for anti inflammatory agents in
      the management of women with preeclampsia.

PMID- 26113951
TI  - [Epidemiologic, clinical and pathologic aspects of melanoma CHU Yalgado
      Ouedraogo, Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)].

PMID- 26113952
TI  - Cholera: a comparison of the 2008-9 and 2010 outbreaks in Kadoma City, Zimbabwe.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Kadoma City experienced cholera outbreaks in 2008-9, and 2010,
      affecting 6,393 and 123 people, respectively. A study was conducted to compare
      epidemiology of the cholera outbreaks. METHODS: A descriptive cross sectional
      study was conducted, analyzing line list data for the 2 outbreaks. Proportions,
      means were generated and compared using the Chi Square test at 5% level of
      significance. RESULTS: Cholera cases were similar by gender and age, with the 20
      30 years group being most affected. Rimuka township contributed 80% and 100% of
      city cases in 2008-9 and 2010, respectively, p value = 0.000. In 2008-9, 91% of
      cholera cases presented within 2 days compared to 98% in 2010. Delay seeking
      treatment increased from 58% to 73% (p value = 0.001), with gender, and place
      equally affected. The 2010 outbreak evolved faster, resulting in higher
      proportion being managed in CTU. CFR was 2% in 2008-9, and 3.3% in 2010 (p value
      =0.31). CONCLUSION: The 2008-9 and 2010 cholera outbreaks were similar by age and
      gender. Rimuka Township was most affected by the outbreaks. There was worsening
      of delay seeking treatment. The 2010 outbreak was more rapid, leading to early
      opening of CTC. CFR was consistently above 1%.

PMID- 26113953
TI  - Chokeberry Anthocyanin Extract as Pancreatic beta-Cell Protectors in Two Models
      of Induced Oxidative Stress.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of a chokeberry
      anthocyanin extract (CAE) on pancreatic beta-cells (betaTC3) exposed to hydrogen
      peroxide- (H2O2-) and high glucose- (HG-) induced oxidative stress conditions. In
      order to quantify individual anthocyanins high performance liquid chromatography
      (HPLC) coupled to photodiode array (PDA) was used. The identification of the
      fragment ion pattern of anthocyanins was carried out by electrospray ionization
      mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS). The results showed that physiologically achievable
      concentrations of CAE (1, 5, and 10 MUM) protect betaTC3 against H2O2- and HG
      induced cytotoxicity. Antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD),
      catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were increased in pancreatic
      beta-cells pretreated with CAE compared to cells exposed to the prooxidant
      agents. GSH levels initially reduced after exposure to H2O2 and HG were restored
      by pretreatment with CAE. Insulin secretion in betaTC3 cells was enhanced by CAE
      pretreatment. CAE restored the insulin pool and diminished the intracellular
      reactive oxygen species level in glucose-induced stress condition in betaTC3
      cells. These results demonstrate that anthocyanins from CAE were biologically
      active, showing a secretagogue potential and an antioxidative protection of
      enzymatic systems, conferring protection against H2O2 and glucose toxicity in
      betaTC3 cells. 

PMID- 26113955
TI  - PTSD and Sexual Orientation: An Examination of Criterion A1 and Non-Criterion A1
      Events.
AB  - This large-scale cross-sectional study compared posttraumatic stress disorder
      (PTSD) prevalence among White, Black, and Latino lesbian, gay and bisexual
      individuals (LGBs; n = 382) and compared them with heterosexual individuals (n =
      126). Building on previous research, we relaxed the criteria of the Diagnostic
      and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric
      Association, 1994), allowing non-Criterion A1 events such as ending a
      relationship, unemployment, homelessness, and separation from parents to qualify,
      and we assessed differences in PTSD prevalence between standard DSM-IV criteria
      and the relaxed criteria. Findings revealed that participants reporting a non
      Criterion A1 event were more likely than those reporting a Criterion A1 event to
      have symptoms diagnosable as PTSD. There was no significant difference in either
      DSM-IV or relaxed Criterion A1 PTSD prevalence between lesbian and gay, and
      heterosexual individuals or between bisexual and heterosexual individuals.
      Compared with White LGBs, Black and Latino LGBs had higher prevalence of PTSD
      with the relaxed Criterion A1 definition, but this was statistically significant
      only for Latinos.

PMID- 26113954
TI  - Optimisation of an Advanced Oxidation Protein Products Assay: Its Application to
      Studies of Oxidative Stress in Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) are reportedly elevated in the plasma
      of patients with a number of diseases, including diabetes mellitus, that involve
      oxidative stress. However, the accurate measurement of AOPP in human plasma is
      hampered by the formation of a precipitate following the addition of potassium
      iodide and glacial acetic acid according to the published assay procedure. Here
      we describe a modification of the AOPP assay which eliminates interference by
      precipitation and provides a robust, reliable, and reproducible protocol for the
      measurement of iodide oxidising capacity in plasma samples (intra-assay CV 1.7
      5.3%, interassay CV 5.3-10.5%). The improved method revealed a significant
      association of AOPP levels with age (p < 0.05) and hypertension (p = 0.01) in
      EDTA-anticoagulated plasma samples from 52 patients with diabetes and 38
      nondiabetic control subjects, suggesting a possible link between plasma oxidising
      capacity and endothelial and/or vascular dysfunction. There was no significant
      difference between AOPP concentrations in diabetic (74.8 +/- 7.2 MUM chloramine T
      equivalents) and nondiabetic (75.5 +/- 7.0 MUM chloramine T equivalents)
      individuals. 

PMID- 26113956
TI  - Machine Learning Predictions of Molecular Properties: Accurate Many-Body
      Potentials and Nonlocality in Chemical Space.
AB  - Simultaneously accurate and efficient prediction of molecular properties
      throughout chemical compound space is a critical ingredient toward rational
      compound design in chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Aiming toward this
      goal, we develop and apply a systematic hierarchy of efficient empirical methods
      to estimate atomization and total energies of molecules. These methods range from
      a simple sum over atoms, to addition of bond energies, to pairwise interatomic
      force fields, reaching to the more sophisticated machine learning approaches that
      are capable of describing collective interactions between many atoms or bonds. In
      the case of equilibrium molecular geometries, even simple pairwise force fields
      demonstrate prediction accuracy comparable to benchmark energies calculated using
      density functional theory with hybrid exchange-correlation functionals; however,
      accounting for the collective many-body interactions proves to be essential for
      approaching the "holy grail" of chemical accuracy of 1 kcal/mol for both
      equilibrium and out-of-equilibrium geometries. This remarkable accuracy is
      achieved by a vectorized representation of molecules (so-called Bag of Bonds
      model) that exhibits strong nonlocality in chemical space. In addition, the same
      representation allows us to predict accurate electronic properties of molecules,
      such as their polarizability and molecular frontier orbital energies.

PMID- 26113958
TI  - Combination Therapy for Gliomas Using Temozolomide and Interferon-Beta Secreting
      Human Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Malignant gliomas are the most common primary tumors of the central
      nervous system and the prognosis of patients with gliomas is poor. The
      combination of interferon-bata (IFN-beta) and temozolomide (TMZ) has shown
      significant additive antitumor effects in human glioma xenograft models.
      Considering that the poor survival of patients with human malignant gliomas
      relates partly to the inability to deliver therapeutic agents to the tumor, the
      tropism of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for malignant
      gliomas can be exploited to therapeutic advantages. We investigated the
      combination effects of TMZ and MSCs that secrete IFN-beta on gliomas. METHODS: We
      engineered human MSCs to secret mouse IFN-beta (MSC-IFN-beta) via adenoviral
      transduction and confirmed their secretory capacity using enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assays. In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to
      determine the effects of the combined TMZ and MSC-IFN-beta treatment. RESULTS: In
      vitro, the combination of MSC-IFN-beta and TMZ showed significantly enhanced
      antitumor effects in GL26 mouse glioma cells. In vivo, the combined MSC-IFN-beta
      and TMZ therapy significantly reduced the tumor size and improved the survival
      rates compared to each treatment alone. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that
      MSCs can be used as an effective delivery vehicle so that the combination of MSC
      IFN-beta and TMZ could be considered as a new option for the treatment of
      malignant gliomas.

PMID- 26113957
TI  - Understanding the Treatment Strategies of Intracranial Germ Cell Tumors: Focusing
      on Radiotherapy.
AB  - Intracranial germ cell tumors (ICGCT) occur in 2-11% of children with brain
      tumors between 0-19 years of age. For treatment of germinoma, relatively low
      radiation doses with or without chemotherapy show excellent 10 year survival rate
      of 80-100%. Past studies showed that neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with focal
      radiotherapy resulted in unacceptably high rates of periventricular tumor
      recurrence. The use of generous radiation volume which covers the whole
      ventricular space with later boost treatment to primary site is considered as
      standard treatment of intracranial germinomas. For non-germinomatous germ cell
      tumors (NGGCT), 10-year overall survival rate is still much inferior than that of
      intracranial germinoma despite intensive chemotherapy and high-dose radiotherapy.
      Craniospinal radiotherapy combined with cisplatin-based chemotherapy provides the
      best treatment outcome for NGGCT; 60-70% of overall survival rate. There is a
      debate on the surgical role whether surgery can contribute to improved treatment
      outcome of NGGCT when added to combined chemoradiotherapy. Because higher dose of
      radiotherapy is required for treatment of NGGCT than for germinoma, it is tested
      whether whole ventricular irradiation can replace craniospinal irradiation in
      intermediate risk group of NGGCT to minimize radiation-related late toxicity in
      the recent studies. To minimize the treatment-related neural deficit and late
      sequelae while maintaining long-term survival rate of ICGCT patients, optimized
      administration of chemotherapy and radiotherapy should be selected. Use of
      technically upgraded radiotherapy modalities such as intensity-modulated
      radiotherapy or proton beam therapy is expected to bring an improved
      neurocognitive outcome with longitudinal assessment of the patients. 

PMID- 26113959
TI  - Overexpressions of Vimentin and Integrins in Human Metastatic Spine Tumors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To comparatively investigate the expression of several integrins in
      specimens of human bone metastases and degenerative bone tissue. METHODS:
      Degenerative cancellous tissue was obtained from a sample of human degenerative
      spine. Thirteen human specimens were obtained from metastatic spine tumors, whose
      primary cancer was colon cancer (n=3), hepatocellular cancer (n=3), lung cancer
      (n=4), and breast cancer (n=3). The expression of vimentin and integrins alphav,
      beta1, and beta3 was assessed in metastatic and degenerative specimens by
      immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain
      reaction (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining showed that vimentin
      and integrin alphav was broadly expressed in all tissues examined. By contrast,
      integrin beta1 was weakly expressed only in 38.4% (5/13) of tissues. Integrin
      beta3 was consistently negative in all cases examined. qRT-PCR analysis showed
      that vimentin gene expression was higher in all metastatic specimens, as compared
      to degenerative bone. The gene expression of integrin alphav in breast specimen
      was significantly higher than others (p=0.045). The gene expression of integrin
      beta1 was also higher in all metastatic specimens than in degenerative bone
      tissue. The gene expression of integrin beta3 was variable. CONCLUSION: Spinal
      metastatic tumors have mesenchymal characteristics such as increased expression
      of vimentin. The increased expression of integrin alphav and beta1 in spine
      metastatic tumors suggests that adhesive molecules such as integrin may have
      implications for the prevention of spine metastasis.

PMID- 26113960
TI  - The Neuroprotective Effect of Kefir on Spinal Cord Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in
      Rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The main causes of spinal cord ischemia are a variety of vascular
      pathologies causing acute arterial occlusions. We investigated neuroprotective
      effects of kefir on spinal cord ischemia injury in rats. METHODS: Rats were
      divided into three groups : 1) sham operated control rats; 2) spinal cord
      ischemia group fed on a standard diet without kefir pretreatment; and 3) spinal
      cord ischemia group fed on a standard diet plus kefir. Spinal cord ischemia was
      performed by the infrarenal aorta cross-clamping model. The spinal cord was
      removed after the procedure. The biochemical and histopathological changes were
      observed within the samples. Functional assessment was performed for neurological
      deficit scores. RESULTS: The kefir group was compared with the ischemia group, a
      significant decrease in malondialdehyde levels was observed (p<0.05). Catalase
      and superoxide dismutase levels of the kefir group were significantly higher than
      ischemia group (p<0.05). In histopathological samples, the kefir group is
      compared with ischemia group, there was a significant decrease in numbers of dead
      and degenerated neurons (p<0.05). In immunohistochemical staining, hipoxia
      inducible factor-1alpha and caspase 3 immunopositive neurons were significantly
      decreased in kefir group compared with ischemia group (p<0.05). The neurological
      deficit scores of kefir group were significantly higher than ischemia group at 24
      h (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that kefir pretreatment in spinal cord
      ischemia/reperfusion reduced oxidative stress and neuronal degeneration as a
      neuroprotective agent. Ultrastructural studies are required in order for kefir to
      be developed as a promising therapeutic agent to be utilized for human spinal
      cord ischemia in the future.

PMID- 26113961
TI  - Comparative Analysis of Endovascular Stroke Therapy Using Urokinase, Penumbra
      System and Retrievable (Solitare) Stent.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Higher reperfusion rates have been established with endovascular
      treatment for acute ischemic stroke patients. There are limited data on the
      comparative performance of mechanical thrombectomy devices. This study aimed to
      analyse the efficacy and safety of the stent retriever device (Solitaire stent)
      by comparing procedure time, angiographic outcome, complication rate and long
      term clinical outcome with previous chemical thrombolysis and mechanical
      thrombectomy using penumbra system. METHODS: A retrospective single-center
      analysis was undertaken of all consecutive patients who underwent chemical
      thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy using Penumbra or Solitaire stent
      retriever from March 2009 to March 2014. Baseline characteristics, rate of
      successful recanalization (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score 2b
      3), symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, procedure time, mortality and
      independent functional outcomes (mRS <=2) at 3 month were compared across the
      three method. RESULTS: Our cohort included 164 patients, mechanical thrombectomy
      using stent retriever device had a significant impact on recanalization rate and
      functional independence at 3 months. In unadjusted analysis mechanical
      thrombectomy using Solitaire stent retriever showed higher recanalization rate
      than Penumbra system and chemical thrombolysis (75% vs. 64.2% vs. 49.4%, p=0.03)
      and higher rate of functional independence at 3 month (53.1% vs. 37.7% vs. 35.4%,
      p=0.213). In view of the interrelationships between all predictors of variables
      associated with a good clinical outcome, when the chemical thrombolysis was used
      as a reference, in multiple logistic regression analysis, the use of Solitaire
      stent retriever showed higher odds of independent functional outcome [odds ratio
      (OR) 2.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96-7.17; p=0.061] in comparison with
      penumbra system (OR 1.57, 95% CI 0.63-3.90; p=0.331). CONCLUSION: Our initial
      data suggest that mechanical thrombectomy using stent retriever is superior to
      the mechanical thrombectomy using penumbra system and conventional chemical
      thrombolysis in achieving higher rates of reperfusion and better outcomes.
      Randomized clinical trials are needed to establish the actual benefit to specific
      patient populations.

PMID- 26113962
TI  - Morphometric Study of the Anterior Thalamoperforating Arteries.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the morphometry of the anterior thalamoperforating
      arteries (ATPA). METHODS: A microanatomical study was performed in 79 specimens
      from 42 formalin-fixed adult cadaver brains. The origins of the ATPAs were
      divided into anterior, middle, and posterior segments according to the crowding
      pattern. The morphometry of the ATPAs, including the premammillary artery (PMA),
      were examined under a surgical microscope. RESULTS: The anterior and middle
      segments of the ATPAs arose at mean intervals of 1.75+/-1.62 mm and 5.86+/-2.05
      mm from the internal carotid artery (ICA), and the interval between these
      segments was a mean of 3.17+/-1.64 mm. The posterior segment arose at a mean
      interval of 2.43+/-1.46 mm from the posterior cerebral artery (PCA), and the
      interval between the middle and posterior segments was a mean of 3.45+/-1.39 mm.
      The mean numbers of perforators were 2.66+/-1.19, 3.03+/-1.84, and 1.67+/-0.98 in
      the anterior, middle, and posterior segments, respectively. The PMA originated
      from the middle segment in 66% of cases. A perforator-free zone was located >2 mm
      from the ICA in 30.4% and >2 mm from the PCA in 67.1% of cases. CONCLUSION: Most
      perforators arose from the anterior and middle segments, within the anterior two
      thirds of the posterior communicating artery (PCoA). The safest perforator-free
      zone was located closest to the PCA. These anatomical findings may be helpful to
      verify safety when treating lesions around the PCoA and in the interpeduncular
      fossa.

PMID- 26113963
TI  - A Retrospective Analysis of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Revision Cases of a Single
      Institute.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt complication is a major obstacle in
      the management of hydrocephalus. To study the differences of VP shunt
      complications between children and adults, we analyzed shunt revision surgery
      performed at our hospital during the past 10 years. METHODS: Patients who had
      undergone shunt revision surgery from January 2001 to December 2010 were
      evaluated retrospectively by chart review about age distribution, etiology of
      hydrocephalus, and causes of revision. Patients were grouped into below and above
      20 years old. RESULTS: Among 528 cases of VP shunt surgery performed in our
      hospital over 10 years, 146 (27.7%) were revision surgery. Infection and
      obstruction were the most common causes of revision. Fifty-one patients were
      operated on within 1 month after original VP shunt surgery. Thirty-six of 46
      infection cases were operated before 6 months after the initial VP shunt.
      Incidence of shunt catheter fracture was higher in younger patients compared to
      older. Two of 8 fractured catheters in the younger group were due to
      calcification and degradation of shunt catheters with fibrous adhesion to
      surrounding tissue. CONCLUSION: The complications of VP shunts were different
      between children and adults. The incidence of shunt catheter fracture was higher
      in younger patients. Degradation of shunt catheter associated with surrounding
      tissue calcification could be one of the reasons of the difference in facture
      rates.

PMID- 26113964
TI  - A Ruptured Dermoid Cyst of the Cavernous Sinus Extending into the Posterior
      Fossa.
AB  - Supratentorial dermoid cysts are uncommon to develop in the cavernous sinus. We
      present a ruptured dermoid cyst of the cavernous sinus extending into the
      posterior fossa. The patient was a 32-year-old female who complained occipital
      headache, blurred vision, and tinnitus over 4 years. Brain magnetic resonance
      (MR) imaging revealed an enhanced tumor in the right cavernous sinus extending
      into the right temporal base and the posterior fossa with findings of ruptured
      cyst. Surgical resection was performed, and pathological findings were confirmed
      to be a dermoid cyst. We report a second case with ruptured dermoid cyst of the
      cavernous sinus extending into the posterior fossa. 

PMID- 26113965
TI  - Bone Cement Dislodgement: One of Complications Following Bone Cement Augmentation
      Procedures for Osteoporotic Spinal Fracture.
AB  - Bone cement augmentation procedures have been getting more position as a
      minimally invasive surgical option for osteoporotic spinal fractures. However,
      complications related to these procedures have been increasingly reported. We
      describe a case of bone cement dislodgement following cement augmentation
      procedure for osteoporotic spinal fracture by reviewing the patient's medical
      records, imaging results and related literatures. A 73-year-old woman suffering
      back and buttock pain following a fall from level ground was diagnosed as an
      osteoporotic fracture of the 11th thoracic spine. Percutaneous kyphoplasty was
      performed for this lesion. Six weeks later, the patient complained of a
      recurrence of back and buttock pain. Radiologic images revealed superior
      dislodgement of bone cement through the 11th thoracic superior endplate with
      destruction of the lower part of the 10th thoracic spine. Staged anterior and
      posterior fusion was performed. Two years postoperatively, the patient carries on
      with her daily living without any significant disability. Delayed bone cement
      dislodgement can occur as one of complications following bone cement augmentation
      procedure for osteoporotic spinal fracture. It might be related to the presence
      of intravertebral cleft, lack of interdigitation of bone cement with the
      surrounding trabeculae, and possible damage of endplate during ballooning
      procedure. 

PMID- 26113966
TI  - Spontaneous Spinal Subdural Hematoma with Simultaneous Cranial Subarachnoid
      Hemorrhage.
AB  - Spontaneous spinal subdural hematoma is reported at a rare level of incidence,
      and is frequently associated with underlying coagulopathy or those receiving
      anticoagulant or antiplatelet agents; some cases accompany concomitant
      intracranial hemorrhage. The spontaneous development of spinal subdural
      hemorrhage (SDH) is a neurological emergency; therefore, early diagnosis, the
      discontinuation of anticoagulant, and urgent surgical decompression are required
      to enable neurological recovery. In this report, we present a simultaneous spinal
      subdural hematoma and cranial subarachnoid hemorrhage, which mimicked an
      aneurysmal origin in a female patient who had been taking warfarin due to aortic
      valve replacement surgery. 

PMID- 26113967
TI  - Delayed Pneumocephalus Following Fluoroscopy Guided Cervical Interlaminar
      Epidural Steroid Injection: A Rare Complication and Anatomical Considerations.
AB  - Cervical epidural steroid injection is indicated for radicular symptoms with or
      without axial neck pain. Complications are rare but can be serious. Here, we
      report the case of a 54-year-old man with cervical radicular pain who was treated
      with cervical epidural steroid injection. Injection was administered twice under
      fluoroscopic guidance with the loss-of-resistance technique using air to confirm
      the epidural space. After the second procedure, the patient complained of severe
      persistent headache and was diagnosed with pneumocephalus on brain computed
      tomography. The patient returned home without any neurological complication,
      after a few days of conservative treatment. Though, a fluoroscopic guidance
      cervical epidural injection is also known to diminish the risk of complications.
      Physicians should always keep in mind that it does not guarantee safety,
      particularly in the cervical region, related to its anatomical considerations. 

PMID- 26113968
TI  - Infrequent Hemorrhagic Complications Following Surgical Drainage of Chronic
      Subdural Hematomas.
AB  - Chronic subdural hematomas mainly occur amongst elderly people and usually
      develop after minor head injuries. In younger patients, subdural collections may
      be related to hypertension, coagulopathies, vascular abnormalities, and substance
      abuse. Different techniques can be used for the surgical treatment of symptomatic
      chronic subdural hematomas : single or double burr-hole evacuation, with or
      without subdural drainage, twist-drill craniostomies and classical craniotomies.
      Failure of the brain to re-expand, pneumocephalus, incomplete evacuation, and
      recurrence of the fluid collection are common complications following these
      procedures. Acute subdural hematomas may also occur. Rarely reported hemorrhagic
      complications include subarachnoid, intracerebral, intraventricular, and remote
      cerebellar hemorrhages. The causes of such uncommon complications are difficult
      to explain and remain poorly understood. Overdrainage and intracranial
      hypotension, rapid brain decompression and shift of the intracranial contents,
      cerebrospinal fluid loss, vascular dysregulation and impairment of venous outflow
      are the main mechanisms discussed in the literature. In this article we report
      three cases of different post-operative intracranial bleeding and review the
      related literature. 

PMID- 26113969
TI  - Unusual Position and Presentation of Frontobasal Meningoencephalocela.
AB  - We wish to show our experiance with threating a rare congenital brain
      malformation-encephalocele. It is a protusion of brain matter with greater
      incidence in the Far East. Our case is even more curious because of the site of
      occurrence-frontobasal. Most of encephalocele occur in the occipital region. In
      this article we report a case of a 57-year-old woman, without deformations on the
      face, which had epileptic seizures and in spite of receiving antiepileptic drug.
      She was also frequently treated for sinusitis. She never had rhinoliquorrhea, nor
      was she diagnosed to have meningitis. In the last few years she had difficulty
      breathing on her right nostril. After she was diagnosed with encephalocele and
      treated surgically her recovery was complete and she is without the seizures. 

PMID- 26113970
TI  - Conformationally Strained trans-Cyclooctene with Improved Stability and Excellent
      Reactivity in Tetrazine Ligation.
AB  - Computation has guided the design of conformationally-strained dioxolane-fused
      trans-cyclooctene (d-TCO) derivatives that display excellent reactivity in the
      tetrazine ligation. A water soluble derivative of 3,6-dipyridyl-s-tetrazine
      reacts with d-TCO with a second order rate k2 366,000 (+/- 15,000) M-1s-1 at 25 
      degrees C in pure water. Furthermore, d-TCO derivatives can be prepared easily,
      are accessed through diastereoselective synthesis, and are typically crystalline
      bench-stable solids that are stable in aqueous solution, blood serum, or in the
      presence of thiols in buffered solution. GFP with a genetically encoded tetrazine
      containing amino acid was site-specifically labelled in vivo by a d-TCO
      derivative. The fastest bioorthogonal reaction reported to date [k2 3,300,000 (+/
      40,000) M-1s-1 in H2O at 25  degrees C] is described herein with a cyclopropane
      fused trans-cyclooctene. d-TCO derivatives display rates within an order of
      magnitude of these fastest trans-cyclooctene reagents, and also display enhanced
      stability and aqueous solubility.

PMID- 26113971
TI  - Sex differences of leukocytes DNA methylation adjusted for estimated cellular
      proportions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: DNA methylation, which is most frequently the transference of a
      methyl group to the 5-carbon position of the cytosine in a CpG dinucleotide,
      plays an important role in both normal development and diseases. To date, several
      genome-wide methylome studies have revealed sex-biased DNA methylation, yet no
      studies have investigated sex differences in DNA methylation by taking into
      account cellular heterogeneity. The aim of the present study was to investigate
      sex-biased DNA methylation on the autosomes in human blood by adjusting for
      estimated cellular proportions because cell-type proportions may vary by sex.
      METHODS: We performed a genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of the peripheral
      leukocytes in two sets of samples, a discovery set (49 males and 44 females) and
      a replication set (14 males and 10 females) using Infinium HumanMethylation450
      BeadChips for 485,764 CpG dinucleotides and then examined the effect of sex on
      DNA methylation with a multiple linear regression analysis after adjusting for
      age, the estimated 6 cell-type proportions, and the covariates identified in a
      surrogate variable analysis. RESULTS: We identified differential DNA methylation
      between males and females at 292 autosomal CpG site loci in the discovery set
      (Bonferroni-adjusted p < 0.05). Of these 292 CpG sites, significant sex
      differences were also observed at 98 sites in the replication set (p < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings provided further evidence that DNA methylation may
      play a role in the differentiation or maintenance of sexual dimorphisms. Our
      methylome mapping of the effects of sex may be useful to understanding the
      molecular mechanism involved in both normal development and diseases.

PMID- 26113972
TI  - Co-administration with DNA encoding papillomavirus capsid proteins enhances the
      antitumor effects generated by therapeutic HPV DNA vaccination.
AB  - BACKGROUND: DNA vaccines have emerged as attractive candidates for the control of
      human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated malignancies. However, DNA vaccines suffer
      from limited immunogenicity and thus strategies to enhance DNA vaccine potency
      are needed. We have previously demonstrated that for DNA vaccines encoding HPV-16
      E7 antigen (CRT/E7) linkage with calreticulin (CRT) linked enhances both the E7
      specific CD8(+) T cell immune responses and antitumor effects against E7
      expressing tumors. In the current study, we aim to introduce an approach to
      elicit potent CD4(+) T cell help for the enhancement of antigen-specific CD8(+) T
      cell immune responses generated by CRT/E7 DNA vaccination by using co
      administration of a DNA vector expressing papillomavirus major and minor capsid
      antigens, L1 and L2. RESULT: We showed that co-administration of vectors
      containing codon-optimized bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) L1 and L2 in
      combination with DNA vaccines could elicit enhanced antigen-specific CD8(+) in
      both CRT/E7 and ovalbumin (OVA) antigenic systems. We also demonstrated that co
      administration of vectors expressing BPV-1 L1 and/or L2 DNA with CRT/E7 DNA led
      to the generation of L1/L2-specific CD4(+) T cell immune responses and L1
      specific neutralizing antibodies. Furthermore, we showed that co-administration
      with DNA encoding BPV1 L1 significantly enhances the therapeutic antitumor
      effects generated by CRT/E7 DNA vaccination. In addition, the observed
      enhancement of CD8(+) T cell immune responses by DNA encoding L1 and L2 was also
      found to extend to HPV-16 L1/L2 system. CONCLUSION: Our strategy elicits both
      potent neutralizing antibody and therapeutic responses and may potentially be
      extended to other antigenic systems beyond papillomavirus for the control of
      infection and/or cancer.

PMID- 26113973
TI  - Pharmacokinetic analysis of the chronic administration of the inert gases Xe and
      Ar using a physiological based model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: New gas therapies using inert gases such as xenon and argon are being
      studied, which would require chronically administered repeating doses. The
      pharmacokinetics of this type of administration has not been addressed in the
      literature. METHODS: A physiologically based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) model for
      humans, pigs, mice, and rats has been developed to investigate the unique aspects
      of the chronic administration of inert gas therapies. The absorption,
      distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) models are as follows: absorption
      in all compartments is assumed to be perfusion limited, no metabolism of the
      gases occurs, and excretion is only the reverse process of absorption through the
      lungs and exhaled. RESULTS: The model has shown that there can be a residual
      dose, equivalent to constant administration, for chronic repeated dosing of xenon
      in humans. However, this is not necessarily the case for small animals used in
      pre-clinical studies. CONCLUSIONS: The use of standard pharmacokinetics
      parameters such as area under the curve would be more appropriate to assess the
      delivered dose of chronic gas administration than the gas concentration in the
      delivery system that is typically reported in the scientific literature because
      species and gas differences can result in very different delivered doses.

PMID- 26113974
TI  - Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Salmonella isolates in
      association with hygienic status from butcher shops in Gondar town, Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Salmonella has been recognized as a major cause of food borne illness
      associated with meat products worldwide. The wide spread of antimicrobial
      resistant Salmonella has been a serious global human and animal health problem.
      The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence and antimicrobial
      susceptibility pattern of Salmonella isolates from butcher shops of Gondar town,
      Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to June,
      2013 in Gondar town. After receiving written consent from the study participants,
      raw meat and swab samples from butcher shops' utensils and meat handlers were
      collected and tested using standard bacteriological methods. The isolates were
      identified using colony characteristics, Gram-reaction, biochemical reaction and
      sugar tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed using Kirby-Bauer
      disc diffusion method. Check list was used to record general hygienic conditions
      and practices in the butcher shops. The data was entered and analyzed using SPSS
      version 20.0. RESULTS: Butcher shop premises and utensils sanitation and
      personnel's hygiene were poor. The overall prevalence of Salmonella was 17.3 %.
      Salmonella was detected in 32 (35.6 %) meat samples, 13 (23.2 %) hand swabs, 5
      (9.1 %) knife swabs, and 3 (5.6 %) chopping board surface swabs. Of the total 53
      Salmonella isolates subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility test, 47 (88.7 %),
      35 (62.3 %), 19 (35.8 %), 17 (32.1 %) and 16 (30.2 %) of them exhibited
      resistance to Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Nitrofuranthoin, Tetracycline, and
      Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprime, respectively. Furthermore; 15 (28.3 %) of the
      isolates were multidrug-resistant from which highest isolation was recorded from
      meat samples and 40 (75.5 %) isolates of Salmonella showed resistance to two or
      more antimicrobial agents tested. Interestingly, all of the isolates were
      susceptible to Gentamycin and Ceftriaxone. CONCLUSION: The general sanitary
      condition of the butcher shops and utensils used and personnel hygiene were not
      to the recommended standards. Contamination of meat, knives, and meat handlers
      hand with Salmonella was found high. Furthermore; multidrug-resistant Salmonella
      is circulating in the butchers' shop which is strong enough to warrant the
      revision of butcher shops sanitation policy and treatment regimen for infections
      implicated by Salmonella in the study area. Further in-depth study including
      serotyping and antimicrobial resistant gene identification is recommended.

PMID- 26113975
TI  - Athletic equipment microbiota are shaped by interactions with human skin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Americans spend the vast majority of their lives in built
      environments. Even traditionally outdoor pursuits, such as exercising, are often
      now performed indoors. Bacteria that colonize these indoor ecosystems are
      primarily derived from the human microbiome. The modes of human interaction with
      indoor surfaces and the physical conditions associated with each surface type
      determine the steady-state ecology of the microbial community. RESULTS: Bacterial
      assemblages associated with different surfaces in three athletic facilities,
      including floors, mats, benches, free weights, and elliptical handles, were
      sampled every other hour (8 am to 6 pm) for 2 days. Surface and equipment type
      had a stronger influence on bacterial community composition than the facility in
      which they were housed. Surfaces that were primarily in contact with human skin
      exhibited highly dynamic bacterial community composition and non-random co
      occurrence patterns, suggesting that different host microbiomes-shaped by
      selective forces-were being deposited on these surfaces through time. However,
      bacterial assemblages found on the floors and mats changed less over time, and
      species co-occurrence patterns appeared random, suggesting more neutral community
      assembly. CONCLUSIONS: These longitudinal patterns highlight the dramatic
      turnover of microbial communities on surfaces in regular contact with human skin.
      By uncovering these longitudinal patterns, this study promotes a better
      understanding of microbe-human interactions within the built environment.

PMID- 26113976
TI  - Gut resistome development in healthy twin pairs in the first year of life.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The early life of the human host marks a critically important time
      for establishment of the gut microbial community, yet the developmental
      trajectory of gut community-encoded resistance genes (resistome) is unknown. We
      present a longitudinal study of the fecal antibiotic resistome of healthy
      amoxicillin-exposed and antibiotic-naive twins and their mothers during the first
      year of life. RESULTS: We extracted metagenomic DNA (mgDNA) from fecal samples
      collected from three healthy twin pairs at three timepoints (1 or 2 months, 6 or
      7 months, and 11 months) and from their mothers (collected at delivery). The
      mgDNA was used to construct metagenomic expression libraries in an Escherichia
      coli host. These libraries were screened for antibiotic resistance, and
      functionally selected resistance genes were sequenced and annotated. A diverse
      fecal resistome distinct from the maternal resistome was apparent by 2 months of
      age, and infants' fecal resistomes included resistance to clinically important
      broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics (e.g., piperacillin-tazobactam, aztreonam,
      cefepime) not found in their mothers. Dissemination of resistance genes among
      members of a given family was positively correlated with sharing of those same
      resistance genes between unrelated families, potentially identifying within
      family sharing as a marker of resistance genes emerging in the human community at
      large. Finally, we found a distinct developmental trajectory for a community
      encoded function: chloramphenicol resistance. All study subjects at all
      timepoints harbored chloramphenicol resistance determinants, but multidrug efflux
      pumps (rarely found in mothers) were the primary effectors of chloramphenicol
      resistance in young infants. Chloramphenicol acetyltransferases were more common
      in mothers than in infants and were found in nearly all the infants at later
      timepoints. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that healthy 1-2-month-old infants'
      gut microbes harbor clinically relevant resistance genes distinct from those of
      their mothers, and that family-specific shared environmental factors early in
      life shape resistome development.

PMID- 26113977
TI  - One-step femtosecond laser patterning of light-trapping structure on dye
      sensitized solar cell photoelectrodes?.
AB  - Light-trapping patterns were constructed in TiO2 photoelectrodes for dye
      sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by a one-step femtosecond laser structuring method
      that utilized ablation to create patterns at the surface of nanostructured TiO2
      films. As a result, much more light was trapped in the photoelectrodes. Grating
      and orthogonal-grid patterns were studied, and the light trapping performance was
      optimized through the adjustment of pattern spacing, which was easily realized in
      the laser ablation process. With a 5-MUm-spacing orthogonal-grid pattern, DSSCs
      showed a highest photon-to-electron conversion efficiency of 9.32% under AM 1.5G,
      a 13.5% improvement compared to the same cell without laser ablation. This simple
      and universal laser ablation method could be used to process many kinds of
      nanomaterials, and could be applied for various devices with nanostructures.

PMID- 26113978
TI  - Immune monitoring technology primer: immunosequencing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Profiling of the immune receptor repertoire is becoming increasingly
      relevant to the understanding and clinical management of cancer, autoimmunity,
      aging, and infectious disease. FINDINGS: A platform technology is described that
      provides comprehensive immune receptor profiling. CONCLUSION: Immunosequencing is
      a platform technology that allows the enumeration, specification and
      quantification of each and every B-and/or T-cell in any biologic sample of
      interest. It is based on bias-controlled multiplex PCR and high throughput
      sequencing and is highly accurate, standardized, and sensitive.

PMID- 26113979
TI  - TSH-secreting pituitary adenoma: benefits of pre-operative octreotide.
AB  - TSH-secreting pituitary adenomas are rare and the optimal investigation and
      management is uncertain. We describe a case of a 43 year-old woman with a TSH
      secreting pituitary adenoma, highlighting diagnostic testing and our use, pre
      operatively of somatostatin analogue therapy, which induced biochemical
      euthyroidism and a reduction in tumour size. LEARNING POINTS: The differential
      diagnosis of the syndrome of inappropriate TSH secretion is non-thyroidal
      illness, medications, assay interference due to heterophilic antibodies, thyroid
      hormone resistance and TSH-secreting pituitary adenoma.TRH stimulation test and
      triiodothyronine suppression test assist in differentiating thyroid hormone
      resistance and TSH-secreting pituitary adenoma.Somatostatin analogue therapy can
      induce biochemical euthyroidism and reduce tumour size.

PMID- 26113980
TI  - Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors with transformation to insulinoma: an unusual
      presentation of a rare disease.
AB  - Approximately 35% of the pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) are functional,
      the most common of which is an insulinoma. Rarely can initially nonfunctioning
      tumor undergo biological transformation to a hormone-secreting tumor with
      subsequent changes in the clinical picture. We present here three unique patients
      with long-standing pNETs who developed life-threatening hyperinsulinemic
      hypoglycemia along with tumor progression. In two of the patients, everolimus
      (Afinitor) was administered in an attempt to control both tumor growth and
      hypoglycemia. In two cases everolimus therapy resulted in the abolishment of
      hypoglycemia and induced significant tumor regression; however these beneficial
      responses were transient. These cases highlight the exceptional ability of pNETs
      to change biological behavior in parallel with disease progression. Our
      experience concurs with recently published studies demonstrating the utility of
      everolimus for the control of both hypoglycemia and tumor progression. LEARNING
      POINTS: Nonfunctional pNET can gain new features such as insulin secretion with
      related morbidity.Gain of function in a previously nonfunctional pNET signifies
      tumor progression and is usually associated with poor prognosis.Everolimus proved
      to be a viable treatment for hypoglycemia in insulinoma patients and was also
      proven highly effective in the patients presented here.As disease progresses, the
      effect of everolimus on hypoglycemia wanes. We report for the first time the
      development of hypoglycemia during everolimus treatment.

PMID- 26113981
TI  - Adrenal insufficiency in a child following unilateral excision of a dual-hormone
      secreting phaeochromocytoma.
AB  - Phaeochromocytomas are a rare clinical entity, with dual hormone-secreting
      lesions particularly uncommon, seen in <1%. ACTH is the most common hormone co
      produced, and is potentially lethal if not diagnosed. We present the case of a
      previously well 10-year-old boy, who presented acutely with a hypertensive crisis
      and was found to have a unilateral, non-syndromic phaeochromocytoma. Medical
      stabilization of his hypertension was challenging, and took 3 weeks to achieve,
      before proceeding to unilateral adrenalectomy. Post-operatively the child
      experienced severe fatigue and was subsequently confirmed to have adrenal
      insufficiency. He improved markedly with hydrocortisone replacement therapy,
      which is ongoing 6 months post-operatively. In retrospect this likely represents
      unrecognized, sub-clinical ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome secondary to an
      ACTH/or precursor dual-hormone secreting phaeochromocytoma. At follow-up, his
      hypertension had resolved, there was no biochemical evidence of recurrence of the
      phaeochromocytoma, and genetic analysis was indicative of a sporadic lesion.
      LEARNING POINTS: Dual hormone secreting phaeochromocytomas with ACTH/or a
      precursor may cause secondary adrenal insufficiency following surgical
      removal.The concurrent features of Cushing's syndrome can be mild and easily
      overlooked presenting diagnostic and management pitfalls.As concomitant syndromes
      of hormone excess are rare in phaeochromocytomas; the diagnosis requires a high
      index of suspicion.Serial/diurnal cortisol levels, ACTH measurement +/- low dose
      dexamethasone suppression (when clinically stable, appropriate adrenergic
      blockade in place, and well supervised), can all be considered as needed.

PMID- 26113982
TI  - Association between prehospital vitamin D status and incident acute respiratory
      failure in critically ill patients: a retrospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We hypothesise that low 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels before
      hospitalisation are associated with increased risk of acute respiratory failure.
      DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Medical and Surgical Intensive care
      units of two Boston teaching hospitals. PATIENTS: 1985 critically ill adults
      admitted between 1998 and 2011. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
      RESULTS: The exposure of interest was prehospital serum 25(OH)D categorised as
      <=10 ng/mL, 11-19.9 ng/mL, 20-29.9 ng/mL and >=30 ng/mL. The primary outcome was
      acute respiratory failure excluding congestive heart failure determined by
      International Classification of Diseases Ninth Edition (ICD-9) coding and
      validated against the Berlin Definition of acute respiratory sistress syndrome.
      Association between 25(OH)D and acute respiratory failure was assessed using
      logistic regression, while adjusting for age, race, sex, Deyo-Charlson Index and
      patient type (medical vs surgical). In the cohort, the mean age was 63 years, 45%
      were male and 80% were white; 25(OH)D was <=10 ng/mL in 8% of patients, 11-19.9
      ng/mL in 24%, 20-29.9 ng/mL in 24% and >=30 ng/mL in 44% of patients. Eighteen
      per cent (n=351) were diagnosed with acute respiratory failure. Compared to
      patients with 25(OH)D >=30 ng/mL, patients with lower 25(OH)D levels had
      significantly higher adjusted odds of acute respiratory failure (<=10 ng/mL,
      OR=1.84 (95% CI 1.22 to 2.77); 11-19.9 ng/mL, OR=1.60 (95% CI 1.19 to 2.15); 20
      29.9 ng/mL, OR=1.37 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.86)). CONCLUSIONS: Prehospital 25(OH)D was
      associated with the risk of acute respiratory failure in our critically ill
      patient cohort.

PMID- 26113983
TI  - Recommendations for management of diabetes during Ramadan: update 2015.
AB  - Since the first ADA working group report on the recommendations for management of
      diabetes during Ramadan in 2005 and our update in 2010, we received many
      inquiries asking for regular updates on information regarding education,
      nutritional habits and new oral and injectable agents that may be useful for the
      management of patients with diabetes during Ramadan. Patients can be stratified
      into their risk of hypoglycemia and/or complications prior to the start of the
      fasting period of Ramadan. Those at high risk of hypoglycemia and with multiple
      diabetic complications should be advised against prolonged fasting. Even in the
      lower hypoglycemia risk group, adverse effects may still occur. In order to
      minimize adverse side effects during fasting in patients with diabetes and
      improve or maintain glucose control, education and discussion of glucose
      monitoring and treatment regimens should occur several weeks prior to Ramadan.
      Agents such as metformin, thiazolidinediones and dipeptidyl peptidase-4
      inhibitors appear to be safe and do not need dose adjustment. Most sulfonylureas
      may not be used safely during Ramadan except with extreme caution; besides, older
      agents, such as chlorpropamide or glyburide, should not be used. Reduction of the
      dosage of sulfonylurea is needed depending on the degree of control prior to
      fasting. Misconceptions and local habits should be addressed and dealt with in
      any educational intervention and therapeutic planning with patients with
      diabetes. In this regard, efforts are still needed for controlled prospective
      studies in the field of efficacy and safety of the different interventions during
      the Ramadan Fast. 

PMID- 26113984
TI  - Impact of an individualized type 2 diabetes education program on clinical
      outcomes during Ramadan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if individualized education before Ramadan results in a
      safer fast for people with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Patients with type 2
      diabetes who received care from participating clinics in Egypt, Iran, Jordan and
      Saudi Arabia and intended to fast during Ramadan 2014 were prospectively studied.
      Twelve clinics participated. Individualized education addressed meal planning,
      physical activity, blood glucose monitoring and acute metabolic complications and
      when deemed necessary, provided an individualized diabetes treatment plan.
      RESULTS: 774 people met study criteria, 515 received individualized education and
      259 received usual care. Those who received individualized education were more
      likely to modify their diabetes treatment plan during Ramadan (97% vs 88%,
      p<0.0001), to perform self-monitoring of blood glucose at least twice daily
      during Ramadan (70% vs 51%, p<0.0001), and to have improved knowledge about
      hypoglycemic signs and symptoms (p=0.0007). Those who received individualized
      education also reduced their body mass index (-1.1+/-2.4 kg/m(2) vs -0.2+/-1.7
      kg/m(2), p<0.0001) and glycated haemoglobin (-0.7+/-1.1% vs -0.1+/-1.3%,
      p<0.0001) during Ramadan compared those who received usual care. There were more
      mild (77% vs 67%, p=0.0031) and moderate (38% vs 19%, p<0.0001) hypoglycemic
      events reported by participants who received individualized education than those
      who received usual care, but fewer reported severe hypoglycemic events during
      Ramadan (23% vs 34%, p=0.0017). CONCLUSIONS: This individualized education and
      diabetes treatment program helped patients with type 2 diabetes lose weight,
      improve glycemic control and achieve a safer fast during Ramadan.

PMID- 26113986
TI  - Shared decision-making in selection of prosthetic aortic valve.

PMID- 26113985
TI  - Capsaicin may have important potential for promoting vascular and metabolic
      health.
AB  - Capsaicin, the phytochemical responsible for the spiciness of peppers, has the
      potential to modulate metabolism via activation of transient receptor potential
      vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptors, which are found not only on nociceptive sensory
      neurons, but also in a range of other tissues. TRPV1 activation induces calcium
      influx, and in certain tissues this is associated with increased activation or
      expression of key proteins such as endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS),
      uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2), KLF2, PPARdelta, PPARgamma, and LXRalpha. The
      calcium influx triggered by TRPV1 activation in endothelial cells mimics the
      impact of shear stress in this regard, activating and increasing the expression
      of eNOS-but also increasing expression of cox-2, thrombomodulin, and nrf2
      responsive antioxidant enzymes, while decreasing expression of proinflammatory
      proteins. Hence, dietary capsaicin has favourably impacted endothelium-dependent
      vasodilation in rodents. TRPV1-mediated induction of LXRalpha in foam cells
      promotes cholesterol export, antagonising plaque formation. Capsaicin-mediated
      activation of TRPV1-expressing neurons in the gastrointestinal tract promotes
      sympathetically mediated stimulation of brown fat, raising metabolic rate. The
      increased expression of UCP2 induced by TRPV1 activation exerts a protective
      antioxidant effect on the liver in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and on
      vascular endothelium in the context of hyperglycaemia. In rodent studies,
      capsaicin-rich diets have shown favourable effects on atherosclerosis, metabolic
      syndrome, diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver, cardiac hypertrophy,
      hypertension and stroke risk. Clinically, ingestion of capsaicin-or its less
      stable non-pungent analogue capsiate-has been shown to boost metabolic rate
      modestly. Topical application of capsaicin via patch was found to increase
      exercise time to ischaemic threshold in patients with angina. Further clinical
      studies with capsaicin administered in food, capsules, or via patch, are needed
      to establish protocols that are tolerable for most patients, and to evaluate the
      potential of capsaicin for promoting vascular and metabolic health. 

PMID- 26113987
TI  - Thrombus aspiration in STEMI revisited: impact on coronary microcirculation?

PMID- 26113988
TI  - BAFF (B cell activating factor) transcript level in peripheral blood of patients
      with SLE is associated with same-day disease activity as well as global activity
      over the next year.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Quantitating gene expression is a potential method of developing
      biomarkers in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Because of the known
      pathological role of B cell activating factor (BAFF) in SLE, we explored the
      association between BAFF gene expression and clinical activity in SLE. METHODS: A
      total of 275 patients with SLE completed this phase of a prospective
      observational study. At entry into the study, the BAFF gene expression levels
      were determined in peripheral blood RNA. Serum concentration of BAFF protein was
      also measured. We then determined clinical associations with SLE disease history,
      SLE activity on the same day and SLE activity over the course of the next year.
      RESULTS: Elevated BAFF gene expression was associated with a history of more
      leucopenia and serologically with more autoantibodies (anti-dsDNA, anti-Sm, anti
      Ro, anti-La and anti-RNP) and low complement. Patients with higher amounts of
      BAFF transcript had higher measured levels of clinical disease activity. Initial
      high levels of BAFF gene expression also predicted increased disease activity
      over the course of the next year. In contrast, serum concentration of BAFF
      protein was not strongly associated with same-day global disease activity or with
      future disease activity. CONCLUSIONS: BAFF gene expression level is associated
      with clinical and serological SLE activity on the same day and predictive of
      clinical activity over the next year. BAFF gene expression is a better measure
      and predictor of SLE disease activity than the serum BAFF protein level.

PMID- 26113990
TI  - Evaluation of Idiopathic Choroidal Neovascularization with Indocyanine Green
      Angiography in Patients Undergoing Bevacizumab Therapy.
AB  - Purpose. To examine the clinical implications of change in choroidal
      neovascularization (CNV) size on indocyanine green (ICG) angiography in subjects
      with idiopathic CNV undergoing bevacizumab therapy. Methods. The charts of
      subjects with an idiopathic CNV treated by a modified PRN regimen with
      intravitreal bevacizumab over a 12-month period were retrospectively reviewed.
      Results. There were 34 subjects included in the analysis. Baseline CNV sizes of
      less than 1.0 mm(2) on ICG angiography correlated with complete CNV resolution (P
      = 0.0404), fewer injections delivered (P = 0.0002), and better Snellen visual
      acuity (P = 0.0098) at 12 months. Subjects that experienced a 33% or more
      reduction in CNV size on ICG angiography at 2 months had complete CNV resolution
      (P = 0.0047) and fewer injections (P < 0.0001) at 12 months compared to subjects
      that did not experience a 33% or more reduction in CNV size on ICG angiography at
      2 months. Conclusions. Smaller baseline CNV size on ICG angiography resulted in
      better visual acuity and fewer injections at 12 months, and a reduction of 33% or
      more in CNV size after 2 months may predict a better clinical course in subjects
      with idiopathic CNV undergoing bevacizumab therapy. 

PMID- 26113991
TI  - Ahmed Glaucoma Valve Implantation for Refractory Glaucoma in a Tertiary Hospital
      in Brazil.
AB  - Purpose. To evaluate the efficacy of Ahmed Glaucoma Valve (AGV) implantation in
      patients with refractory glaucoma in a tertiary hospital in Brazil. Methods.
      Retrospective case series of patients who underwent AGV implantation. Primary
      outcome was to assess the rate of failure, which was defined as intraocular
      pressure (IOP) in two consecutive visits greater than 18 or lower than 5 mmHg
      (criterion 1) or IOP greater than 15 or lower than 5 mmHg (criterion 2). The
      secondary outcome was to investigate risk factors for failure. Results. 112 eyes
      from 108 patients underwent AGV implantation between 2000 and 2012. Mean follow
      up time was 2.54 (+/-1.52) years. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed
      cumulative probabilities of success of 80.3%, 68.2%, and 47.3% at 1, 3, and 5
      years using 18 mmHg as endpoint. When adopting 15 mmHg as endpoint, cumulative
      success rates were 80.3%, 60.7%, and 27.3% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively.
      Multivariate analysis with generalized estimating equations revealed that African
      American ancestry and early hypertensive phase were risk factors for failure (P =
      0.001 and P = 0.002, resp.). Conclusion. A success rate of approximately 50% was
      obtained 5 years after the implantation of an AGV. African American ancestry and
      early hypertensive phase were associated with increased risk of failure. 

PMID- 26113992
TI  - Pressure Measurement Techniques for Abdominal Hypertension: Conclusions from an
      Experimental Model.
AB  - Introduction. Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) measurement is an indispensable tool
      for the diagnosis of abdominal hypertension. Different techniques have been
      described in the literature and applied in the clinical setting. Methods. A
      porcine model was created to simulate an abdominal compartment syndrome ranging
      from baseline IAP to 30 mmHg. Three different measurement techniques were
      applied, comprising telemetric piezoresistive probes at two different sites
      (epigastric and pelvic) for direct pressure measurement and intragastric and
      intravesical probes for indirect measurement. Results. The mean difference
      between the invasive IAP measurements using telemetric pressure probes and the
      IVP measurements was -0.58 mmHg. The bias between the invasive IAP measurements
      and the IGP measurements was 3.8 mmHg. Compared to the realistic results of the
      intraperitoneal and intravesical measurements, the intragastric data showed a
      strong tendency towards decreased values. The hydrostatic character of the IAP
      was eliminated at high-pressure levels. Conclusion. We conclude that intragastric
      pressure measurement is potentially hazardous and might lead to inaccurately low
      intra-abdominal pressure values. This may result in missed diagnosis of elevated
      abdominal pressure or even ACS. The intravesical measurements showed the most
      accurate values during baseline pressure and both high-pressure plateaus. 

PMID- 26113993
TI  - Social Interaction and Collaboration among Oncology Nurses.
AB  - Collaboration is a complex process influenced by organizational, professional,
      interpersonal, and personal factors. Research has demonstrated that collaboration
      may also be influenced by social factors. Nurses spend much of their time working
      in collaborative teams, yet little is known about how they socially interact in
      practice. This qualitative case study explored nurse perceptions of social
      interaction in relation to collaboration. Data were collected using telephone
      interviews and documentary reviews from fourteen oncology nurses employed at one
      cancer center in Canada. Thematic analysis revealed two themes: knowing you is
      trusting you and formal and informal opportunities. Nurses reported that social
      interaction meant getting to know someone personally as well as professionally.
      Social interaction was enacted inside of work during breaks/meals and outside of
      work at planned events. Social interaction was facilitated by having a long-term
      current and/or previous professional and personal relationship. The barriers to
      social interaction included a lack of time to get to know each other, workload
      issues, and poor interpersonal skills. Findings suggest that social interaction
      is an important factor in the collaborative relationship among oncology nurses.
      Nurse leaders need to promote social interaction opportunities and facilitate
      educational sessions to improve social and interpersonal skills. 

PMID- 26113989
TI  - Rational Combinations of Targeted Agents in AML.
AB  - Despite modest improvements in survival over the last several decades, the
      treatment of AML continues to present a formidable challenge. Most patients are
      elderly, and these individuals, as well as those with secondary, therapy-related,
      or relapsed/refractory AML, are particularly difficult to treat, owing to both
      aggressive disease biology and the high toxicity of current chemotherapeutic
      regimens. It has become increasingly apparent in recent years that coordinated
      interruption of cooperative survival signaling pathways in malignant cells is
      necessary for optimal therapeutic results. The modest efficacy of monotherapy
      with both cytotoxic and targeted agents in AML testifies to this. As the complex
      biology of AML continues to be elucidated, many "synthetic lethal" strategies
      involving rational combinations of targeted agents have been developed.
      Unfortunately, relatively few of these have been tested clinically, although
      there is growing interest in this area. In this article, the preclinical and,
      where available, clinical data on some of the most promising rational
      combinations of targeted agents in AML are summarized. While new molecules should
      continue to be combined with conventional genotoxic drugs of proven efficacy,
      there is perhaps a need to rethink traditional philosophies of clinical trial
      development and regulatory approval with a focus on mechanism-based, synergistic
      strategies. 

PMID- 26113995
TI  - Successful Ultrasound-Guided Femoral Nerve Blockade and Catheterization in a
      Patient with Von Willebrand Disease.
AB  - Peripheral nerve blockade (PNB) is superior to neuraxial anesthesia and/or opioid
      therapy for perioperative analgesia in total knee replacement (TKR). Evidence on
      the safety of PNB in patients with coagulopathy is lacking. We describe the first
      documented account of continuous femoral PNB for perioperative analgesia in a
      patient with Von Willebrand Disease (vWD). Given her history of opioid tolerance
      and after an informative discussion, a continuous femoral PNB was planned for in
      this 34-year-old female undergoing TKR. A Humate-P intravenous infusion was
      started and the patient was positioned supinely. Using sterile technique with
      ultrasound guidance, a Contiplex 18 Gauge Tuohy needle was advanced in plane
      through the fascia iliaca towards the femoral nerve. A nerve catheter was
      threaded through the needle and secured without complications. Postoperatively, a
      levobupivacaine femoral catheter infusion was maintained, and twice daily Humate
      P intravenous infusions were administered for 48 hours; enoxaparin
      thromboprophylaxis was initiated thereafter. The patient was discharged
      uneventfully on postoperative day 4. Given documentation of delayed, unheralded
      bleeding from PNB in coagulopathic patients, we recommend individualized PNB in
      vWD patients. Multidisciplinary team involvement is required to guide factor
      supplementation and thromboprophylaxis, as is close follow-up to elicit signs of
      bleeding throughout the delayed postoperative period. 

PMID- 26113996
TI  - Instant Stent-Accentuated Three-Dimensional Optical Coherence Tomography Guided
      Selection of Proper Distal Cell for Side Branch Dilatation in Bifurcation
      Stenting.
AB  - In the bifurcation stenting, the distal rewiring for the side branch
      postdilatation confirmed by two-dimensional modalities may not lead to favorable
      results in some cases. If there are two distal cells divided by the link bridging
      from the carina, the rewiring through the larger distal cell may be recommended
      for the side branch postdilatation. Detailed confirmation of the rewired cell by
      the intraprocedural instant stent-accentuated three-dimensional optical coherence
      tomography is important. 

PMID- 26113994
TI  - KV7 Channels Regulate Firing during Synaptic Integration in GABAergic Striatal
      Neurons.
AB  - Striatal projection neurons (SPNs) process motor and cognitive information. Their
      activity is affected by Parkinson's disease, in which dopamine concentration is
      decreased and acetylcholine concentration is increased. Acetylcholine activates
      muscarinic receptors in SPNs. Its main source is the cholinergic interneuron that
      responds with a briefer latency than SPNs during a cortical command. Therefore,
      an important question is whether muscarinic G-protein coupled receptors and their
      signaling cascades are fast enough to intervene during synaptic responses to
      regulate synaptic integration and firing. One of the most known voltage dependent
      channels regulated by muscarinic receptors is the KV7/KCNQ channel. It is not
      known whether these channels regulate the integration of suprathreshold
      corticostriatal responses. Here, we study the impact of cholinergic muscarinic
      modulation on the synaptic response of SPNs by regulating KV7 channels. We found
      that KV7 channels regulate corticostriatal synaptic integration and that this
      modulation occurs in the dendritic/spines compartment. In contrast, it is
      negligible in the somatic compartment. This modulation occurs on sub- and
      suprathreshold responses and lasts during the whole duration of the responses,
      hundreds of milliseconds, greatly altering SPNs firing properties. This
      modulation affected the behavior of the striatal microcircuit. 

PMID- 26113997
TI  - Diagnostic Challenge in a Patient with Severe Anion Gap Metabolic Acidosis.
AB  - The approach to the patient with acute renal failure and elevated anion and
      osmolal gap is difficult. Differential diagnoses include toxic alcohol ingestion,
      diabetic or starvation ketoacidosis, or 5-oxoproline acidosis. We present a 76
      year-old female with type 2 diabetes mellitus, who was found at home in a
      confused state. Laboratory analysis revealed serum pH 6.84, bicarbonate 5.8
      mmol/L, pCO2 29 mmHg, anion gap 22.2 mmol/L, osmolal gap 17.4 mOsm/kg, elevated
      beta-hydroxybutyrate (4.2 mmol/L), random blood sugar 213 mg/dL, creatinine 2.1
      mg/dL, and potassium 7.5 mmol/L with no electrocardiogram (EKG) changes.
      Fomepizole and hemodialysis were initiated for presumed ethylene glycol or
      methanol ingestion. Drug screens returned negative for ethylene glycol, alcohols,
      and acetaminophen, but there were elevated urine levels of acetone (11 mg/dL).
      The acetaminophen level was negative, and 5-oxoproline was not analyzed. After 5
      days in the intensive care unit (ICU), her mental status improved with supportive
      care. She was discharged to a nursing facility. Though a diagnosis was not
      established, our patient's presentation was likely due to starvation ketosis
      combined with chronic acetaminophen ingestion. Acetone ingestion is less likely.
      Overall, our case illustrates the importance of systematically approaching an
      elevated osmolal and anion gap metabolic acidosis. 

PMID- 26113998
TI  - Endocrine Aspects of 4H Leukodystrophy: A Case Report and Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Introduction. 4H leukodystrophy is an autosomal recessive RNA polymerase III
      related leukodystrophy, characterized by hypomyelination, with or without
      hypodontia (or other dental abnormalities) and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.
      Case Presentation. We describe a 28-year-old female who presented with primary
      amenorrhea at the age of 19. She had a history of very mild neurological and
      dental abnormalities. She was found to have hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and
      magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed hypomyelination. The diagnosis of
      4H leukodystrophy was made. She was subsequently found to have mutations in the
      POLR3B gene, which encodes the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase III. She
      wished to become pregnant and failed to respond to pulsatile GnRH but achieved
      normal follicular growth and ovulation with subcutaneous gonadotropin therapy.
      Discussion. Patients with 4H leukodystrophy may initially present with
      hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, particularly if neurological and dental
      manifestations are subtle. Making the diagnosis has important implications for
      prognosis and management. Progressive neurologic deterioration is expected, and
      progressive endocrine dysfunction may occur. Patients with 4H leukodystrophy
      should be counseled about disease progression and about this disease's autosomal
      recessive inheritance pattern. In those who wish to conceive, ovulation induction
      may be achieved with subcutaneous gonadotropin therapy, but pulsatile GnRH does
      not appear to be effective. 

PMID- 26113999
TI  - Carnitine Deficiency and Pregnancy.
AB  - We present two cases of carnitine deficiency in pregnancy. In our first case,
      systematic screening revealed L-carnitine deficiency in the first born of an
      asymptomatic mother. In the course of her second pregnancy, maternal carnitine
      levels showed a deficiency as well. In a second case, a mother known with
      carnitine deficiency under supplementation was followed throughout her pregnancy.
      Both pregnancies had an uneventful outcome. Because carnitine deficiency can have
      serious complications, supplementation with carnitine is advised. This
      supplementation should be continued throughout pregnancy according to plasma
      concentrations. 

PMID- 26114000
TI  - Xanthogranulomatous Salpingooophoritis: The Youngest Documented Case Report.
AB  - Background. Xanthogranulomatous inflammation is an uncommon affection of the
      female genital tract. The youngest case reported of xanthogranulomatous
      salpingooophoritis in literature was by Shilpa et al. in 2013 in an eighteen-year
      old female. Case Report. We report a case of 2-year-old female child with right
      sided xanthogranulomatous salpingooophoritis presented as mass in abdomen. This
      is a case report of the youngest documented case of xanthogranulomatous
      salpingooophoritis in literature. As per abdominal examination, there was
      generalized distention of abdomen and a mass was palpable which was arising out
      of pelvis more on the right side. The ultrasonography (USG) abdomen and pelvis
      revealed a thick-walled mass measuring 9.2 cm * 6.0 cm * 7.6 cm in pelvis. We did
      right salpingooophorectomy of the patient. On histopathology, the diagnosis of
      xanthogranulomatous salpingooophoritis was confirmed. Conclusion. Clinical
      presentation, radiological appearance, and gross features of xanthogranulomatous
      lesions of ovary can mimic neoplastic lesions and lead to misdiagnosis. Though,
      it is very rare in pediatric age group, xanthogranulomatous salpingooophoritis as
      one of the differential diagnoses should be kept in mind while dealing with
      tuboovarian masses in this age group. 

PMID- 26114001
TI  - Gonococcal Chorioamnionitis with Antepartum Fetal Death In Utero.
AB  - We report the case of a patient who developed gonococcal chorioamnionitis
      resulting in stillbirth at 28 + 4 weeks of pregancy. As this infection is rare
      and potentially serious, questions remain regarding occurrence and screening for
      Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection. 

PMID- 26114002
TI  - Malignant Triton Tumors in Sisters with Clinical Neurofibromatosis Type 1.
AB  - Malignant triton tumors (MTTs) are rare and aggressive sarcomas categorized as a
      subgroup of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs). MTTs arise from
      Schwann cells of peripheral nerves or existing neurofibromas and have elements of
      rhabdomyoblastic differentiation. We report the occurrence of MTTs in two
      sisters. The first patient is a 36-year-old female who presented with left sided
      chest wall swelling. She also had clinical features consistent with
      neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). Debulking of the mass showed high-grade
      malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor with skeletal muscle differentiation
      (MTT). The patient was treated with ifosfamide and adriamycin along with
      radiation. Four years after treatment, she still has no evidence of disease
      recurrence. Her sister subsequently presented to us at the age of 42 with left
      sided lateral chest wall pain. Imaging showed a multicompartmental
      retroperitoneal cystic mass with left psoas involvement. The tumor was resected
      and, similarly to her sister, it showed high-grade malignant peripheral nerve
      sheath tumor with rhabdomyoblastic differentiation (MTT). The patient was started
      on chemotherapy and radiation as described above. 

PMID- 26114003
TI  - A New Variant of Posterior Canal Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo: A
      Nonampullary or Common Crus Canalolithiasis.
AB  - Clockwise or counterclockwise, rotational, upbeating nystagmus is seen in
      patients with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo during left or
      right head-hanging test, respectively. Rotating of nystagmus in opposite
      direction to the ear tested or even reversal of initial positioning rotational
      nystagmus is not usual and has never been reported before. We propose a new
      variant of posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo due to unusual
      behavior and location of the otoliths inside the membranous labyrinth. Unexpected
      rotational direction may lead to confusion about the site. The examiner should be
      aware of this abnormal or atypical variant of posterior canal benign paroxysmal
      positional vertigo. 

PMID- 26114004
TI  - Visualizing Central Vessels of Hepatic Angiomyolipoma Devoid of Fat Using a 2D
      Multi-Breath-Hold Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging.
AB  - Epithelioid hepatic angiomyolipoma (Epi-HAML) is a rare benign mesenchymal tumor
      with malignant potential. Most of Epi-HAML contains no or only a minimal amount
      of adipose tissue and poses a diagnostic challenge. Central vessels are
      characteristic imaging finding of Epi-HAML, which usually were displayed by
      dynamic contrast imaging. In this paper, we displayed the central vessels of Epi
      HAML invisible on conventional MR images using a new developed abdominal
      susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI). To the best of our knowledge, this is the
      first description for the role of SWI in characterization of Epi-HAML. 

PMID- 26114005
TI  - Filiform Polyposis Secondary to Colonic Tuberculosis Presenting as Acute Colo
      Colonic Intussusception.
AB  - Filiform polyposis represents a rare but recognised manifestation on the varied
      spectrum of histopathology in colonic tuberculosis. We report a case of filiform
      polyposis secondary to colonic tuberculosis presenting as colo-colonic
      intussusception diagnosed on an abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan. The
      patient required urgent hemicolectomy and defunctioning ileostomy. Examination of
      the resected bowel lesions revealed filiform polyposis. Induced sputum samples
      from the patient grew Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The patient recovered well from
      the surgery and received treatment for tuberculosis. At last follow-up, he was
      awaiting the reversal of his ileostomy. The protean nature of histological
      findings in colonic tuberculosis and other current diagnostic challenges are
      discussed. The importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for colonic
      tuberculosis and instituting early treatment is highlighted in this case. 

PMID- 26114006
TI  - Huge Intravascular Tumor Extending to the Heart: Leiomyomatosis.
AB  - Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) is a rare neoplasm characterized by
      histologically benign-looking smooth muscle cell tumor mass, which is growing
      within the intrauterine and extrauterine venous system. In this report we aimed
      to present an unusual case of IVL, which is originating from iliac vein and
      extended throughout to right cardiac chambers. A 49-year-old female patient, who
      was treated with warfarin sodium due to right iliac vein thrombosis, was admitted
      to our department with intermittent dyspnea, palpitation, and dizziness. Physical
      examination was almost normal except bilateral pretibial edema. On magnetic
      resonance venography, there was an intravenous mass, which is originated from
      right internal iliac vein and extended into the inferior vena cava. Transthoracic
      echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography revealed a huge mass
      extending from the inferior vena cava through the right atrium, with obvious
      venous occlusion. Thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic MR showed an intravascular
      mass, which is concordant with leiomyomatosis. Surgery was performed through
      median sternotomy. A huge mass with 25-cm length and 186-gr weight was excised
      through right atrial oblique incision, on beating heart with cardiopulmonary
      bypass. Histopathologic assessment was compatible with IVL. Exact strategy for
      the surgical treatment of IVL is still controversial. We used one-stage approach,
      with complete resection of a huge IVL extending from right atrium to right iliac
      vein. In such cases, high recurrence rate is a significant problem; therefore it
      should be kept in mind. 

PMID- 26114007
TI  - Unusual Variant of Coronal Bladder Duplication Associated with Glans Diphallia: A
      Case Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Bladder duplication is a rare congenital anomaly which occurs in the sagittal or
      coronal plane and it can be associated with other anomalies. It has been
      previously classified as complete duplication of the bladder and urethra or
      incomplete duplication with two bladders and common urethra. However, complete
      duplication of bladder with a single urethra has been rarely reported. Herein, we
      present a patient with a different variation of bladder duplication in the
      coronal plane with two urethras originating from the main bladder and associated
      glans diphallia. 

PMID- 26114008
TI  - Trisacryl Gelatin Microembolism and Metastases in the Lung after Renal Artery
      Embolization and Nephrectomy for Renal Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - This is the first report, to our knowledge, of widespread, histologically
      confirmed trisacryl gelatin pulmonary microembolism after renal artery
      embolization (RAE). In addition, this is the first report of lung involvement by
      both metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and an embolic agent used for RAE. The
      patient was a 63-year-old woman who recently presented with both dyspnea on
      exertion and productive cough. Her past medical history included clear cell RCC,
      which was treated with preoperative trisacryl gelatin microsphere RAE and right
      nephrectomy 9 years earlier. Computed tomography of the chest showed multiple
      lung nodules, a mass-like density in the left lower lobe, and mediastinal and
      hilar lymphadenopathy. Wedge resections of the lung showed multiple foci of
      metastatic RCC and extensive involvement of the muscular pulmonary arteries by
      trisacryl gelatin microspheres. 

PMID- 26114009
TI  - Visualizing a protein's sugars.

PMID- 26114011
TI  - Modifiable Risk Factors Affecting Outcomes: The Truth About Obesity.

PMID- 26114012
TI  - Treatment Considerations for the Management of Patients With Hormone Receptor
      Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer.
AB  - Breast cancer is among the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States.
      Despite treatment, 30% to 40% of women with early-stage or localized invasive
      breast cancer will eventually develop metastatic disease. Women with metastatic
      breast cancer (MBC) are living longer lives with the advent of new therapies.
      Currently, treatment for MBC can consist of a variety of approaches including
      chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and hormonal therapy, with disease-related,
      treatment-related, and patient-related factors guiding the selection and
      sequencing of these agents. In addition to controlling disease progression,
      strategies to improve or maintain quality of life are particularly important. For
      women with hormone receptor-positive disease, hormonal therapy is typically the
      first-line treatment of choice given the overall efficacy and favorable safety
      profiles of these agents; additional lines of other hormonal therapies are often
      administered upon disease progression. Other factors that must be considered by
      the practitioner to achieve optimal outcomes for the patient with MBC include the
      presence of comorbid illness and the educational, psychosocial, and supportive
      care needs of the patient. 

PMID- 26114010
TI  - Cell totipotency: molecular features, induction, and maintenance.
AB  - In mammals, pluripotent stem cells can give rise to every cell type of embryonic
      lineage, and hold great potential in regenerative medicine and disease modeling.
      Guided by the mechanism underlying pluripotency, pluripotent stem cells have been
      successfully induced through manipulating the transcriptional and epigenetic
      networks of various differentiated cell types. However, the factors that confer
      totipotency, the ability to give rise to cells in both embryonic and extra
      embryonic lineages, still remain poorly understood. It is currently unknown
      whether totipotency can be induced and maintained in vitro. In this review, we
      summarize the current progress in the field, with the aim of providing a
      foundation for understanding the mechanisms that regulate totipotency.

PMID- 26114013
TI  - Improving Palliative Cancer Care.
AB  - Over a decade ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) presented Ensuring Quality
      Cancer Care in the United States, with recommendations for change (IOM, 1999).
      However, barriers to integrating palliative care (PC) to achieve high-quality
      care in cancer still remain. As novel therapeutic agents evolve, patients are
      living longer, and advanced cancer is now considered a chronic illness. In
      addition to complex symptom concerns, patients and family caregivers are burdened
      with psychological, social, and spiritual distress. Furthermore, data show that
      PC continues to be underutilized and inaccessible, and current innovative models
      of integrating PC into standard cancer care lack uniformity. The aim of this
      article is to address the existing barriers in implementing PC into our cancer
      care delivery system and discuss how the oncology advanced practice nurse plays
      an essential role in providing high-quality cancer care. We also review the IOM
      recommendations; highlight the work done by the National Consensus Project in
      promoting quality PC; and discuss a National Cancer Institute-funded program
      project currently conducted at a National Comprehensive Cancer Center,
      "Palliative Care for Quality of Life and Symptoms Concerns in Lung Cancer," which
      serves as a model to promote high-quality care for patients and their families. 

PMID- 26114014
TI  - Using Technology to Advance Cancer Survivorship Programs.

PMID- 26114015
TI  - Ibrutinib in Relapsed or Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic
      Leukemia.

PMID- 26114016
TI  - Clinical Management of Pancreatic Cancer.

PMID- 26114017
TI  - Use of Radiographic Criteria to Predict Outcomes Following Surgery for Pancreatic
      Cancer.

PMID- 26114018
TI  - Human Herpesvirus-6 Encephalitis After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

PMID- 26114019
TI  - Cancer Prediction Nomograms for Advanced Practitioners in Oncology.

PMID- 26114020
TI  - How Do You Triage Abdominal Pain in a Patient With Ovarian Cancer?

PMID- 26114021
TI  - Dual shear wave induced laser speckle contrast signal and the improvement in
      shear wave speed measurement.
AB  - Shear wave speed is quantitatively related to tissue viscoelasticity. Previously
      we reported shear wave tracking at centimetre depths in a turbid optical medium
      using laser speckle contrast detection. Shear wave progression modulates
      displacement of optical scatterers and therefore modulates photon phase and
      changes the laser speckle patterns. Time-resolved charge-coupled device (CCD)
      based speckle contrast analysis was used to track shear waves and measure the
      time-of-flight of shear waves for speed measurement. In this manuscript, we
      report a new observation of the laser speckle contrast difference signal for dual
      shear waves. A modulation of CCD speckle contrast difference was observed and
      simulation reproduces the modulation pattern, suggesting its origin. Both
      experimental and simulation results show that the dual shear wave approach
      generates an improved definition of temporal features in the time-of-flight
      optical signal and an improved signal to noise ratio with a standard deviation
      less than 50% that of individual shear waves. Results also show that dual shear
      waves can correct the bias of shear wave speed measurement caused by shear wave
      reflections from elastic boundaries. 

PMID- 26114022
TI  - 4-D reconstruction of fluorescence molecular tomography using re-assembled
      measurement data.
AB  - Challenges remain in the reconstruction of dynamic (4-D) fluorescence molecular
      tomography (FMT). In our previous work, we implemented a fully 4-D FMT
      reconstruction approach using Karhunen-Loeve (KL) transformation. However, in the
      reconstruction processes, the input data were scan-by-scan fluorescence
      projections. As a result, the reconstruction interval is limited by the data
      acquisition time for scanning one circle projections, leading to a long time
      (typically >1 min). In this paper, we propose a new method to reduce the
      reconstruction interval of dynamic FMT imaging, which is achieved by re
      assembling the acquired fluorescence projection sequence. Further, to eliminate
      the temporal correlations within measurement data, the re-assembled projection
      sequence is reconstructed by the KL-based method. The numerical simulation and in
      vivo experiments are performed to evaluate the performance of the method. The
      experimental results indicate that after re-assembling measurement data, the
      reconstruction interval can be greatly reduced (~2.5 sec/frame). In addition, the
      proposed re-assembling method is helpful for improving reconstruction quality of
      the KL-based method. 

PMID- 26114023
TI  - Accessing to arteriovenous blood flow dynamics response using combined laser
      speckle contrast imaging and skin optical clearing.
AB  - Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) shows a great potential for monitoring
      blood flow, but the spatial resolution suffers from the scattering of tissue.
      Here, we demonstrate the capability of a combination method of LSCI and skin
      optical clearing to describe in detail the dynamic response of cutaneous
      vasculature to vasoactive noradrenaline injection. Moreover, the superior
      resolution, contrast and sensitivity make it possible to rebuild arteries-veins
      separation and quantitatively assess the blood flow dynamical changes in terms of
      flow velocity and vascular diameter at single artery or vein level. 

PMID- 26114024
TI  - Attenuated infrared neuron stimulation response in cochlea of deaf animals may
      associate with the degeneration of spiral ganglion neurons.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesize that degenerated spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in
      guinea pigs reduces auditory brainstem responses evoked by pulsed infrared
      stimulation. BACKGROUND: Pulsed infrared laser excitation can directly evoke
      physiological responses in neuronal and other excitable cells in vivo and in
      vitro. Laser pulses could benefit patients with cochlear implants to stimulate
      the auditory system. METHODS: Pulsed infrared lasers were used to study evoked
      optical auditory brainstem responses (oABRs) in normal hearing and deafened
      animals. Aslo, the morphology and anatomy of SGNs in normal hearing and deafened
      guinea pigs were compared. RESULTS: By recording oABRs evoked by varying infrared
      laser pulse durations, it is suggested that degeneration of SGNs in deafened
      guinea pigs was associated with an elevated oABR threshold and with lower
      amplitudes. Moreover, oABR threshold decreased while amplitudes increased in both
      normal hearing and deafened animals as the pulse duration prolonged. Electron
      microscopy revealed that SGNs in deafened guinea pigs had swollen and vacuolar
      mitochondria, as well as demyelinated soma and axons. CONCLUSION: Infrared laser
      pulses can stimulate SGNs to evoke oABRs in guinea pigs. Deafened guinea pigs
      have elevated thresholds and smaller amplitude responses, likely a result of
      degenerated SGNs. Short pulse durations are more suitable to evoke responses in
      both normal hearing and deafened animals.

PMID- 26114025
TI  - Diffuse optical tomography using the one-way radiative transfer equation.
AB  - We present a computational study of diffuse optical tomography using the one-way
      radiative transfer equation. The one-way radiative transfer is a simplification
      of the radiative transfer equation to approximate the transmission of light
      through tissues. The major simplification of this approximation is that the
      intensity satisfies an initial value problem rather than a boundary value
      problem. Consequently, the inverse problem to reconstruct the absorption and
      scattering coefficients from transmission measurements of scattered light is
      simplified. Using the initial value problem for the one-way radiative transfer
      equation to compute the forward model, we are able to quantitatively reconstruct
      the absorption and scattering coefficients efficiently and effectively for simple
      problems and obtain reasonable results for complicated problems. 

PMID- 26114026
TI  - Co-localized confocal Raman spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography (CRS
      OCT) for depth-resolved analyte detection in tissue.
AB  - We report the development of a combined confocal Raman spectroscopy (CRS) and
      optical coherence tomography (OCT) instrument (CRS-OCT) capable of measuring
      analytes in targeted biological tissues with sub-100-micron spatial resolution.
      The OCT subsystem was used to measure depth-resolved tissue morphology and guide
      the acquisition of chemically-specific Raman spectra. To demonstrate its utility,
      the instrument was used to accurately measure depth-resolved, physiologically
      relevant concentrations of Tenofovir, a microbicide drug used to prevent the
      sexual transmission of HIV, in ex vivo tissue samples. 

PMID- 26114027
TI  - Acceleration of dynamic fluorescence molecular tomography with principal
      component analysis.
AB  - Dynamic fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) is an attractive imaging
      technique for three-dimensionally resolving the metabolic process of fluorescent
      biomarkers in small animal. When combined with compartmental modeling, dynamic
      FMT can be used to obtain parametric images which can provide quantitative
      pharmacokinetic information for drug development and metabolic research. However,
      the computational burden of dynamic FMT is extremely huge due to its large data
      sets arising from the long measurement process and the densely sampling device.
      In this work, we propose to accelerate the reconstruction process of dynamic FMT
      based on principal component analysis (PCA). Taking advantage of the compression
      property of PCA, the dimension of the sub weight matrix used for solving the
      inverse problem is reduced by retaining only a few principal components which can
      retain most of the effective information of the sub weight matrix. Therefore, the
      reconstruction process of dynamic FMT can be accelerated by solving the smaller
      scale inverse problem. Numerical simulation and mouse experiment are performed to
      validate the performance of the proposed method. Results show that the proposed
      method can greatly accelerate the reconstruction of parametric images in dynamic
      FMT almost without degradation in image quality. 

PMID- 26114028
TI  - Dynamic structure and protein expression of the live embryonic heart captured by
      2-photon light sheet microscopy and retrospective registration.
AB  - We present an imaging and image reconstruction pipeline that captures the dynamic
      three-dimensional beating motion of the live embryonic zebrafish heart at
      subcellular resolution. Live, intact zebrafish embryos were imaged using 2-photon
      light sheet microscopy, which offers deep and fast imaging at 70 frames per
      second, and the individual optical sections were assembled into a full 4D
      reconstruction of the beating heart using an optimized retrospective image
      registration algorithm. This imaging and reconstruction platform permitted us to
      visualize protein expression patterns at endogenous concentrations in zebrafish
      gene trap lines. 

PMID- 26114029
TI  - Influence of defocus on quantitative analysis of microscopic objects and
      individual cells with digital holography.
AB  - Digital holography offers a unique method for studying microscopic objects using
      quantitative measurements of the optical phase delays of transmitted light. The
      optical phase may be integrated across the object to produce an optical volume
      measurement, a parameter related to dry mass by a simple scaling factor. While
      digital holography is useful for comparing the properties of microscopic objects,
      especially cells, we show here that quantitative comparisons of optical phase can
      be influenced by the focal plane of the measurement. Although holographic images
      can be refocused digitally using Fresnel propagation, ambiguity can result if
      this aspect is not carefully controlled. We demonstrate that microscopic objects
      can be accurately profiled by employing a digital refocusing method to analyze
      phase profiles of polystyrene microspheres and red blood cells. 

PMID- 26114030
TI  - Sensitive surface enhanced Raman scattering multiplexed detection of matrix
      metalloproteinase 2 and 7 cancer markers.
AB  - A surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) based platform was developed for
      sensitive multiplexed detection of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) (MMP-2 and MMP
      7) with low limit of detection and high specificity. Detection is based on the
      virtue of enzymatic reaction where a peptide can be cleaved only by its
      corresponding enzyme. The platform comprises two components, a specialized SERS
      based bimetallic-film-over-nanosphere (BMFON) substrate and gold nanoparticles
      (AuNPs). The two components were functionalized such that binding between the two
      would occur through biotin-avidin-biotin complexation. Binding is hindered by MMP
      peptide chains conjugated onto the surfaces of the substrate and AuNPs, and can
      be removed only by cleaving the peptide chains with corresponding enzymes. Since
      AuNP binding sites become free after the peptides are cleaved, the number of
      binding sites for AuNPs onto the substrate would increase. By tagging the AuNPs,
      concentrations of MMP-specific enzymes can be quantified through examining
      intensities of signature SERS peaks of the tags. This cleave-and-bind mechanism
      was first validated by individual detection and quantification of MMP-2 and MMP
      7. The platform was demonstrated to be able to sensitively detect concentrations
      of specific enzymes ranging from 1 ng/mL to 40 ug/mL, with close correlation
      between SERS intensity and concentrations. Finally, the multiplexed detection of
      MMP-2 and MMP-7 was demonstrated. The multiplexity of this platform provides a
      robust way to analyze diseases associated with MMP-2 and MMP-7 enzymes. Our work
      can be further developed as a clinical diagnostic tool to detect other MMP
      proteinase in bio-fluids samples, widening the number of biomarkers needed to
      characterize diseases better. 

PMID- 26114031
TI  - Extended output phasor representation of multi-spectral fluorescence lifetime
      imaging microscopy.
AB  - In this paper, we investigate novel low-dimensional and model-free
      representations for multi-spectral fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (m
      FLIM) data. We depart from the classical definition of the phasor in the complex
      plane to propose the extended output phasor (EOP) and extended phasor (EP) for
      multi-spectral information. The frequency domain properties of the EOP and EP are
      analytically studied based on a multiexponential model for the impulse response
      of the imaged tissue. For practical implementations, the EOP is more appealing
      since there is no need to perform deconvolution of the instrument response from
      the measured m-FLIM data, as in the case of EP. Our synthetic and experimental
      evaluations with m-FLIM datasets of human coronary atherosclerotic plaques show
      that low frequency indexes have to be employed for a distinctive representation
      of the EOP and EP, and to reduce noise distortion. The tissue classification of
      the m-FLIM datasets by EOP and EP also improves with low frequency indexes, and
      does not present significant differences by using either phasor. 

PMID- 26114032
TI  - Imaging translucent cell bodies in the living mouse retina without contrast
      agents.
AB  - The transparency of most retinal cell classes typically precludes imaging them in
      the living eye; unless invasive methods are used that deploy extrinsic contrast
      agents. Using an adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) and
      capitalizing on the large numerical aperture of the mouse eye, we enhanced the
      contrast from otherwise transparent cells by subtracting the left from the right
      half of the light distribution in the detector plane. With this approach, it is
      possible to image the distal processes of photoreceptors, their more proximal
      cell bodies and the mosaic of horizontal cells in the living mouse retina. 

PMID- 26114033
TI  - An adaptive optics imaging system designed for clinical use.
AB  - Here we demonstrate a new imaging system that addresses several major problems
      limiting the clinical utility of conventional adaptive optics scanning light
      ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO), including its small field of view (FOV), reliance on
      patient fixation for targeting imaging, and substantial post-processing time. We
      previously showed an efficient image based eye tracking method for real-time
      optical stabilization and image registration in AOSLO. However, in patients with
      poor fixation, eye motion causes the FOV to drift substantially, causing this
      approach to fail. We solve that problem here by tracking eye motion at multiple
      spatial scales simultaneously by optically and electronically integrating a wide
      FOV SLO (WFSLO) with an AOSLO. This multi-scale approach, implemented with fast
      tip/tilt mirrors, has a large stabilization range of +/- 5.6 degrees . Our method
      consists of three stages implemented in parallel: 1) coarse optical stabilization
      driven by a WFSLO image, 2) fine optical stabilization driven by an AOSLO image,
      and 3) sub-pixel digital registration of the AOSLO image. We evaluated system
      performance in normal eyes and diseased eyes with poor fixation. Residual image
      motion with incremental compensation after each stage was: 1) ~2-3 arc minutes,
      (arcmin) 2) ~0.5-0.8 arcmin and, 3) ~0.05-0.07 arcmin, for normal eyes.
      Performance in eyes with poor fixation was: 1) ~3-5 arcmin, 2) ~0.7-1.1 arcmin
      and 3) ~0.07-0.14 arcmin. We demonstrate that this system is capable of reducing
      image motion by a factor of ~400, on average. This new optical design provides
      additional benefits for clinical imaging, including a steering subsystem for
      AOSLO that can be guided by the WFSLO to target specific regions of interest such
      as retinal pathology and real-time averaging of registered images to eliminate
      image post-processing. 

PMID- 26114034
TI  - Mapping conduction velocity of early embryonic hearts with a robust fitting
      algorithm.
AB  - Cardiac conduction maturation is an important and integral component of heart
      development. Optical mapping with voltage-sensitive dyes allows sensitive
      measurements of electrophysiological signals over the entire heart. However,
      accurate measurements of conduction velocity during early cardiac development is
      typically hindered by low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements of action
      potentials. Here, we present a novel image processing approach based on least
      squares optimizations, which enables high-resolution, low-noise conduction
      velocity mapping of smaller tubular hearts. First, the action potential trace
      measured at each pixel is fit to a curve consisting of two cumulative normal
      distribution functions. Then, the activation time at each pixel is determined
      based on the fit, and the spatial gradient of activation time is determined with
      a two-dimensional (2D) linear fit over a square-shaped window. The size of the
      window is adaptively enlarged until the gradients can be determined within a
      preset precision. Finally, the conduction velocity is calculated based on the
      activation time gradient, and further corrected for three-dimensional (3D)
      geometry that can be obtained by optical coherence tomography (OCT). We validated
      the approach using published activation potential traces based on computer
      simulations. We further validated the method by adding artificially generated
      noise to the signal to simulate various SNR conditions using a curved simulated
      image (digital phantom) that resembles a tubular heart. This method proved to be
      robust, even at very low SNR conditions (SNR = 2-5). We also established an
      empirical equation to estimate the maximum conduction velocity that can be
      accurately measured under different conditions (e.g. sampling rate, SNR, and
      pixel size). Finally, we demonstrated high-resolution conduction velocity maps of
      the quail embryonic heart at a looping stage of development. 

PMID- 26114035
TI  - In vivo quantitation of injected circulating tumor cells from great saphenous
      vein based on video-rate confocal microscopy.
AB  - The number of circulating tumor cell (CTC) in the peripheral blood of cancer
      patients can be a valuable biomarker for cancer diagnosis and treatment
      monitoring. In this study, we implemented a custom-design video-rate confocal
      microscopy system in capable of direct visualization of fast flowing CTC at great
      saphenous vein (GSV) of a live animal model in vivo. Continuous acquisition of
      video-rate images at GSV revealed the highly dynamic time-dependent changes in
      the number of intravenously injected circulating tumor cells. By extracting a
      calibration factor through the hemocytometric analysis of intravenously injected
      long-circulating red blood cells, we established a novel quantitation method for
      CTC in whole body blood in vivo. 

PMID- 26114036
TI  - Unified approach for bioluminescence, Cerenkov, beta, X and gamma rays imaging.
AB  - The goal of this work is to demonstrate that a CCD-based system can be used as a
      unified device which allows visible, beta, X and gamma rays imaging. A system
      composed of a CCD coupled with lens mounted on a black light-tight box and a high
      resolution intensifying screen for the radiations conversion were used. In order
      to investigate the detection of different type of radiations in vitro and in vivo
      experiments were performed. The comparison of the results obtained with our
      prototype and those obtained with dedicated commercial devices showed a good
      agreement. 

PMID- 26114037
TI  - Electrically tunable lens speeds up 3D orbital tracking.
AB  - 3D orbital particle tracking is a versatile and effective microscopy technique
      that allows following fast moving fluorescent objects within living cells and
      reconstructing complex 3D shapes using laser scanning microscopes. We
      demonstrated notable improvements in the range, speed and accuracy of 3D orbital
      particle tracking by replacing commonly used piezoelectric stages with
      Electrically Tunable Lens (ETL) that eliminates mechanical movement of objective
      lenses. This allowed tracking and reconstructing shape of structures extending
      500 microns in the axial direction. Using the ETL, we tracked at high speed
      fluorescently labeled genomic loci within the nucleus of living cells with
      unprecedented temporal resolution of 8ms using a 1.42NA oil-immersion objective.
      The presented technology is cost effective and allows easy upgrade of scanning
      microscopes for fast 3D orbital tracking. 

PMID- 26114038
TI  - Adaptive-optics SLO imaging combined with widefield OCT and SLO enables precise
      3D localization of fluorescent cells in the mouse retina.
AB  - Adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO) has recently been used to
      achieve exquisite subcellular resolution imaging of the mouse retina. Wavefront
      sensing-based AO typically restricts the field of view to a few degrees of visual
      angle. As a consequence the relationship between AO-SLO data and larger scale
      retinal structures and cellular patterns can be difficult to assess. The retinal
      vasculature affords a large-scale 3D map on which cells and structures can be
      located during in vivo imaging. Phase-variance OCT (pv-OCT) can efficiently image
      the vasculature with near-infrared light in a label-free manner, allowing 3D
      vascular reconstruction with high precision. We combined widefield pv-OCT and SLO
      imaging with AO-SLO reflection and fluorescence imaging to localize two types of
      fluorescent cells within the retinal layers: GFP-expressing microglia, the
      resident macrophages of the retina, and GFP-expressing cone photoreceptor cells.
      We describe in detail a reflective afocal AO-SLO retinal imaging system designed
      for high resolution retinal imaging in mice. The optical performance of this
      instrument is compared to other state-of-the-art AO-based mouse retinal imaging
      systems. The spatial and temporal resolution of the new AO instrumentation was
      characterized with angiography of retinal capillaries, including blood-flow
      velocity analysis. Depth-resolved AO-SLO fluorescent images of microglia and cone
      photoreceptors are visualized in parallel with 469 nm and 663 nm reflectance
      images of the microvasculature and other structures. Additional applications of
      the new instrumentation are discussed. 

PMID- 26114039
TI  - Second-harmonic generation microscopy of photocurable polymer intrastromal
      implants in ex-vivo corneas.
AB  - A custom adaptive-optics (AO) multiphoton microscope was used to visualize the
      corneal stroma after the insertion of a photocurable polymer material. A lamellar
      pocket was created and a certain amount of polymer in liquid form was injected.
      This turned into a rigid film after UV irradiation. Intact eyes were used as
      control. Tomographic and regular second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy
      images were recorded from both control and corneas with polymer implants. In
      control corneas, the SHG signal decreased uniformly with depth. However, treated
      corneas exhibited an abrupt loss of SHG signal at the implant location. The use
      of AO increased the SHG levels and improved the visualization of the stroma, not
      only at deeper corneal layers but also beneath the implant. Moreover, the absence
      of SHG signal from the implant allowed its geometrical characterization
      (thickness and location). This technique offers a potential tool for non-invasive
      analysis of morphological changes in the cornea after surgery or treatment, and
      might be useful in future clinical environments. 

PMID- 26114040
TI  - Optimizing light transport in scintillation crystals for time-of-flight PET: an
      experimental and optical Monte Carlo simulation study.
AB  - Achieving excellent timing resolution in gamma ray detectors is crucial in
      several applications such as medical imaging with time-of-flight positron
      emission tomography (TOF-PET). Although many factors impact the overall system
      timing resolution, the statistical nature of scintillation light, including
      photon production and transport in the crystal to the photodetector, is typically
      the limiting factor for modern scintillation detectors. In this study, we
      investigated the impact of surface treatment, in particular, roughening select
      areas of otherwise polished crystals, on light transport and timing resolution. A
      custom Monte Carlo photon tracking tool was used to gain insight into changes in
      light collection and timing resolution that were observed experimentally: select
      roughening configurations increased the light collection up to 25% and improved
      timing resolution by 15% compared to crystals with all polished surfaces.
      Simulations showed that partial surface roughening caused a greater number of
      photons to be reflected towards the photodetector and increased the initial rate
      of photoelectron production. This study provides a simple method to improve
      timing resolution and light collection in scintillator-based gamma ray detectors,
      a topic of high importance in the field of TOF-PET. Additionally, we demonstrated
      utility of our Monte Carlo simulation tool to accurately predict the effect of
      altering crystal surfaces on light collection and timing resolution. 

PMID- 26114041
TI  - Miniaturized magnetic-driven scanning probe for endoscopic optical coherence
      tomography.
AB  - We designed and implemented a magnetic-driven scanning (MDS) probe for endoscopic
      optical coherence tomography (OCT). The probe uses an externally-driven tiny
      magnet in the distal end to achieve unobstructed 360-degree circumferential
      scanning at the side of the probe. The design simplifies the scanning part inside
      the probe and thus allows for easy miniaturization and cost reduction. We made a
      prototype probe with an outer diameter of 1.4 mm and demonstrated its capability
      by acquiring OCT images of ex vivo trachea and artery samples from a pigeon. We
      used a spectrometer-based Fourier-domain OCT system and the system sensitivity
      with our prototype probe was measured to be 91 dB with an illumination power of
      850 MUW and A-scan exposure time of 1 ms. The axial and lateral resolutions of
      the system are 6.5 MUm and 8.1 MUm, respectively. 

PMID- 26114042
TI  - Controlled light field concentration through turbid biological membrane for
      phototherapy.
AB  - Laser propagation through a turbid rat dura mater membrane is shown to be
      controllable with a wavefront modulation technique. The scattered light field can
      be refocused into a target area behind the rat dura mater membrane with a 110
      times intensity enhancement using a spatial light modulator. The efficient laser
      intensity concentration system is demonstrated to imitate the phototherapy for
      human brain tumors. The power density in the target area is enhanced more than
      200 times compared with the input power density on the dura mater membrane, thus
      allowing continued irradiation concentration to the deep lesion without damage to
      the dura mater. Multibeam inputs along different directions, or at different
      positions, can be guided to focus to the same spot behind the membrane, hence
      providing a similar gamma knife function in optical spectral range. Moreover,
      both the polarization and the phase of the input field can be recovered in the
      target area, allowing coherent field superposition in comparison with the linear
      intensity superposition for the gamma knife. 

PMID- 26114043
TI  - Miniature, minimally invasive, tunable endoscope for investigation of the middle
      ear.
AB  - We demonstrate a miniature, tunable, minimally invasive endoscope for diagnosis
      of the auditory system. The probe is designed to sharply image anatomical details
      of the middle ear without the need for physically adjusting the position of the
      distal end of the endoscope. This is achieved through the addition of an
      electrowetted, tunable, electronically-controlled lens to the optical train.
      Morphological imaging is enabled by scanning light emanating from an optical
      coherence tomography system. System performance was demonstrated by imaging part
      of the ossicular chain and wall of the middle ear cavity of a normal mouse.
      During the experiment, we electronically moved the plane of best focus from the
      incudo-stapedial joint to the stapedial artery. Repositioning the object plane
      allowed us to image anatomical details of the middle ear beyond the depth of
      field of a static optical system. We also demonstrated for the first time to our
      best knowledge, that an optical system with an electrowetted, tunable lens may be
      successfully employed to measure sound-induced vibrations within the auditory
      system by measuring the vibratory amplitude of the tympanic membrane in a normal
      mouse in response to pure tone stimuli. 

PMID- 26114044
TI  - Gated STED microscopy with time-gated single-photon avalanche diode.
AB  - Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy provides fluorescence imaging
      with sub-diffraction resolution. Experimentally demonstrated at the end of the
      90s, STED microscopy has gained substantial momentum and impact only in the last
      few years. Indeed, advances in many fields improved its compatibility with
      everyday biological research. Among them, a fundamental step was represented by
      the introduction in a STED architecture of the time-gated detection, which
      greatly reduced the complexity of the implementation and the illumination
      intensity needed. However, the benefits of the time-gated detection came along
      with a reduction of the fluorescence signal forming the STED microscopy images.
      The maximization of the useful (within the time gate) photon flux is then an
      important aspect to obtain super-resolved images. Here we show that by using a
      fast-gated single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), i.e. a detector able to rapidly
      (hundreds picoseconds) switch-on and -off can improve significantly the signal-to
      noise ratio (SNR) of the gated STED image. In addition to an enhancement of the
      image SNR, the use of the fast-gated SPAD reduces also the system complexity. We
      demonstrate these abilities both on calibration and biological sample. The
      experiments were carried on a gated STED microscope based on a STED beam
      operating in continuous-wave (CW), although the fast-gated SPAD is fully
      compatible with gated STED implementations based on pulsed STED beams. 

PMID- 26114046
TI  - Dermatopathology: An abridged compendium of words. A discussion of them and
      opinions about them. Part 8 (P-S).

PMID- 26114045
TI  - Photothermal optical lock-in optical coherence tomography for in vivo imaging.
AB  - Photothermal OCT (PTOCT) provides high sensitivity to molecular targets in
      tissue, and occupies a spatial imaging regime that is attractive for small animal
      imaging. However, current implementations of PTOCT require extensive temporal
      sampling, resulting in slow frame rates and a large data burden that limit its in
      vivo utility. To address these limitations, we have implemented optical lock-in
      techniques for photothermal optical lock-in OCT (poli-OCT), and demonstrated the
      in vivo imaging capabilities of this approach. The poli-OCT signal was assessed
      in tissue-mimicking phantoms containing indocyanine green (ICG), an FDA approved
      small molecule that has not been previously imaged in vivo with PTOCT. Then, the
      effects of in vivo blood flow and motion artifact were assessed and attenuated,
      and in vivo poli-OCT was demonstrated with both ICG and gold nanorods as contrast
      agents. Experiments revealed that poli-OCT signals agreed with optical lock-in
      theory and the bio-heat equation, and the system exhibited shot noise limited
      performance. In phantoms containing biologically relevant concentrations of ICG
      (1 ug/ml), the poli-OCT signal was significantly greater than control phantoms
      (p<0.05), demonstrating sensitivity to small molecules. Finally, in vivo poli-OCT
      of ICG identified the lymphatic vessels in a mouse ear, and also identified low
      concentrations (200 pM) of gold nanorods in subcutaneous injections at frame
      rates ten times faster than previously reported. This work illustrates that
      future in vivo molecular imaging studies could benefit from the improved
      acquisition and analysis times enabled by poli-OCT. 

PMID- 26114047
TI  - Infiltrating basal cell carcinoma: a stellate peri-tumor dermatoscopy pattern as
      a clue to diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infiltrating basal cell carcinoma (BCC) has associated features that
      may be readily identified using dermatoscopy. OBJECTIVE: Investigate a stellate
      dermatoscopy pattern extending from the peripheral margin of infiltrating BCC.
      METHODS: A total of 741 consecutive cases of BCC were assessed retrospectively
      using non-polarized dermatoscopy. Following histopathologic examination, cases
      were categorized into six different BCC subtypes. Infiltrating cases numbered
      107. This stellate feature was defined as a geometric star shaped pattern
      extending outwards from the circumferential peripheral edge of the tumor, and
      identified by white lines, vessels or uneven skin surface morphology. The
      percentages of infiltrating subtype within the tumor mass and tumor depth were
      compared, with and without the stellate pattern. RESULTS: Infiltrating BCC
      displayed the stellate pattern more than other BCC subtypes. Concordance between
      the two observers was almost perfect for white lines: Kappa coefficient of 0.87
      (95% CI: 0.0.79-0.95) P<0.01 and substantial for vessels: Kappa coefficient of
      0.71 95% CI: 0.59-0.84) P<0.01. Folds were only recorded in infiltrating cases
      (n=3). Compared to other BCC subtypes the stellate pattern had a sensitivity of
      31.7% and specificity of 94.1%. A higher mean fraction of the tumor mass
      containing infiltrating subtype was found when comparing stellate pattern
      observed to stellate pattern not observed (P<0.01). No statistically significant
      association was found between the tumor depth with and without the stellate
      pattern. CONCLUSION: This study found a higher incidence of the stellate pattern
      within infiltrating BCC compared to the other BCC subtypes. As the percentage of
      the infiltrating subtype within the tumors increased the incidence of the
      stellate pattern also increased.

PMID- 26114048
TI  - Regarding a dermatoscopic pattern for infiltrating basal cell carcinoma.

PMID- 26114050
TI  - Dermoscopic patterns in patients with a clinical diagnosis of onychomycosis
      results of a prospective study including data of potassium hydroxide (KOH) and
      culture examination.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis is the most common nail disease, representing 50% of
      cases affecting the nail apparatus. The diagnosis is made by clinical examination
      along with the KOH exam of the nail and culture of the sample. However, not all
      dermatologists have access to a mycology lab. OBJECTIVE: To determine the
      correlation between KOH examination and dermoscopic patterns in patients with
      clinical diagnosis of onychomycosis. PATIENTS/METHODS: A descriptive, open,
      observational, prospective, cross-sectional study of 178 patients with clinical
      suspicion of onychomycosis was conducted. All patients underwent clinical
      examination, dermoscopy with a DermLite PHOTO dermatoscope (3Gen, San Juan
      Capistrano, CA, USA), KOH assessment and culture analysis. The most frequent
      dermoscopic patterns were identified and their correlation with the clinical
      subtype of onychomycosis was analyzed. RESULTS: The study included 178 patients
      with clinical suspicion of onychomycosis. Of these, 155 (87.1%) had positive
      direct KOH examination for onychomycosis. Eighty-seven patients (56.13%)
      presented with clinical onychomycosis pattern of total dystrophic onychomycosis
      (TDO), 67 (43.23%) with distal lateral subungual onychomycosis (DLSO), 1 (0.65%)
      with trachyonychia). Dermoscopic patterns of onychomycosis showed the following
      frequencies: the spiked pattern was present in 22 patients (14.19%), longitudinal
      striae pattern in 51 patients (32.9%) and linear edge pattern in 21 patients
      (13.55%). We identified a pattern described as "distal irregular termination" in
      41 patients with TDO and 26 with DLSO. CONCLUSIONS: This is the fist study
      conducted in a Mexican population that uses dermoscopy as a diagnostic tool along
      with the KOH examination for the diagnosis of onychomycosis. Dermoscopy may be
      used as an important diagnostic tool when evaluating nail disease. However, it
      should not be used as the only diagnostic criteria for onychomycosis.

PMID- 26114051
TI  - Dermoscopic patterns in active and regressive lichen planus and lichen planus
      variants: a morphological study.

PMID- 26114049
TI  - Trends in dermoscopy use in the UK: results from surveys in 2003 and 2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dermoscopy is a useful tool to aid diagnosis of pigmented and non
      pigmented skin lesions, as well as many other dermatological conditions. Use of
      dermoscopy is increasing worldwide, but to date, there are no reported data on
      attitudes of dermatologists in the United Kingdom (UK) towards dermoscopy.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine current attitudes of UK dermatologists towards dermoscopy
      and assess how these attitudes have changed over the last decade. METHODS: In
      October 2012, an online survey was sent to members of British Association of
      Dermatologists over a 12-week period. Data were subsequently compared with data
      from a similar UK nationwide paper questionnaire distributed to members in 2003.
      RESULTS: The 2003 survey collected 292 responses (uptake 42%), and in 2012 there
      were 209 responses (22%), predominantly from consultants and registrars. In 2012,
      86% respondents reported increased use of dermoscopy over the previous decade
      with 98.5% of respondents reporting regular clinical use of dermoscopy, compared
      with 54% in 2003. Overall, 81% respondents in 2012 had received dermoscopy
      training, mainly from UK-based courses (62% of respondents) but increasingly via
      Internet-based resources (30% vs. 7% in 2003). However, 39% respondents lacked
      confidence when making a diagnosis based on their interpretation of dermoscopy
      findings. CONCLUSIONS: Over the last decade, use of dermoscopy has increased
      amongst UK dermatologists and the majority of respondents now employ dermoscopy
      in daily clinical practice. However, the use of dermoscopy in the dermatology
      community overall is not known and for those individuals there is a continued
      need for education.

PMID- 26114052
TI  - Appeasement never works.

PMID- 26114053
TI  - Trichilemmoma in continuity with pigmented basal cell carcinoma; with
      dermatoscopy and dermatopathology.
AB  - A case of trichilemmoma in continuity with a pigmented basal cell carcinoma is
      presented with dermatoscopy and dermatopathology. The distinction between the two
      lesions was evident dermatoscopically and was confirmed dermatopathologically.
      While trichilemmoma has been reported in association with basal cell carcinoma
      and dermatoscopy images of four previous cases of trichilemmoma have been
      published, no previous dermatoscopy image has been published of trichilemmoma
      associated with basal cell carcinoma. 

PMID- 26114054
TI  - Malignant cylindroma in a patient with Brooke-Spiegler syndrome.
AB  - Malignant cylindroma (cylindromatous carcinoma, cylindrocarcinoma) is the
      malignant counterpart of benign cylindroma. It is a rare neoplasm, more often
      developing in the setting of multiple preexisting benign neoplasms. Herein we
      present an additional case of malignant transformation of the cylindroma
      diagnosed in an 83-year-old patient with known Brooke-Spiegler syndrome. 

PMID- 26114055
TI  - Keratotic papules of palms and soles.

PMID- 26114056
TI  - Metaphoric and descriptive terminology in dermoscopy: Lessons from the cognitive
      sciences.

PMID- 26114057
TI  - Dermoscopic findings in a case of reactive perforating collagenosis.

PMID- 26114058
TI  - Benign dermoscopic parallel ridge pattern in plantar hyperpigmentation due to
      capecitabine.
AB  - We report the case of a 37-year-old woman (phototype II) who presented at our
      outpatient clinic with a two-month history of hyperpigmented plantar macules.
      Medical history revealed that the patient had taken capecitabine in the past
      three months as adjuvant chemotherapy for recurrent breast cancer. Dermoscopic
      examination of the plantar macules showed parallel ridge pattern with
      pigmentation in the furrows without obliteration of eccrine gland apertures.
      Besides in acral melanoma, parallel ridge pattern can also be observed in benign
      plantar lesions, such as congenital or acquired acral nevi, subcorneal
      hemorrhage, dye-related pigmentation and drug-induced hyperpigmentation,
      especially in patients with phototypes III-VI. The few reported cases of
      capecitabine-induced hyperpigmentation have been associated with hand and foot
      syndrome in patients with phototypes IV-V and palmar as well as plantar
      involvement. 

PMID- 26114059
TI  - Painful purple nodule on the right thigh.

PMID- 26114060
TI  - A pigmented lesion with yellow-white globular-like structures-Answer.

PMID- 26114061
TI  - "Tape dermatoscopy": constructing a low-cost dermatoscope using a mobile phone,
      immersion fluid and transparent adhesive tape.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Medical professionals and indeed the general public have an
      increasing interest in the acquisition of dermatoscopic images of suspect or
      ambiguous skin lesions. To this end, good dermatoscopic image quality and low
      costs are important considerations. OBSERVATIONS: Images of seven lesions
      (seborrheic keratosis, melanoma in-situ, blue and dermal nevus, basal cell
      carcinoma and two squamous cell carcinomas) were taken. A novel technique of
      "tape dermatoscopy" involved: Using immersion fluid (i.e., water, olive oil,
      disinfectant spray) placed on the flat or slightly elevated lesion;Covering the
      lesion with transparent adhesive tape with lateral tension;Using ambient indoor
      or outdoor lighting for illumination (rather than flash photography);Positioning
      a photographic device at an angle of approximately 45 degrees  from the side of
      the lesion to avoid light reflection;Recording a focused image with a mobile
      phone or digital camera at a distance of approximately 25-30 cm from the lesion;
      andEnlarging the image on the screen of the device. Essential dermatoscopic
      features enabling a correct diagnosis were visible in 6 of the 7 lesions. 'Tape
      dermatoscopy" images of the lesions were compared to standard dermatoscopy (using
      a Fotofinder handyscope(r) in combination with a mobile phone). The latter
      confirmed the dermatoscopic features in six of seven lesions. CONCLUSIONS AND
      RELEVANCE: "Tape dermatoscopy" images can be recorded by medical personnel and
      even the general public without a dermatoscope. However, the limitations of this
      method are that images may be unfocused, exophytic tumors may be difficult to
      assess, excess pressure on tumoral blood vessels may lead to compression
      artefact, dermatoscopic features that are only visible under polarized light are
      unable to be detected (particularly "crystalline" or "chrysalis" structures) and
      tumors in certain anatomic locations may be difficult to assess (e.g., edges of
      nose, ears [demonstrated in one case], nails). Comparative prospective studies
      are necessary in order to test reproducibility of these preliminary findings, to
      establish special indications for the technique, and to develop guidelines for
      its effective use.

PMID- 26114062
TI  - Understanding the importance of dermatology training in undergraduate medical
      education.

PMID- 26114063
TI  - Review of Hayes' Practical Skin Cancer Surgery.

PMID- 26114064
TI  - Complete regression of a melanocytic nevus after epilation with diode laser
      therapy.
AB  - The use of lasers and intense pulsed light (IPL) technology has become an
      established practice in dermatology and aesthetic medicine. The use of laser
      therapy and IPL in the treatment of pigmented melanocytic lesions is a
      controversial issue. We report clinical, dermoscopic and histological changes of
      a completely regressed pigmented melanocytic nevus after hair removal treatment
      with the LightSheerTM Diode Laser (Lumenis Ltd, Yokneam, Israel). 

PMID- 26114065
TI  - Segmental neurofibromatosis presenting with congenital excessive skin folds.
AB  - Segmental neurofibromatosis (SNF) is a rare type of neurofibromatosis (NF-1)
      resulting from post-zygotic somatic mutations in the neurofibromin gene that
      leads to mosaicism. Reported manifestations of SNF include neurofibromas,
      freckling, or cafe-au-lait spots limited to a single body region or limb. We
      present a 5-month-old male referred to our clinic for evaluation of congenital
      excessive skin folds on the back. A mildly erythematous, poorly demarcated soft
      plaque was noted, consisting of excessive skin folds. A cluster of light brown
      hyperpigmented macules was seen overlying the plaque. A punch biopsy of the
      plaque confirmed a diagnosis of neurofibroma. Further investigation ruled out
      other manifestations of NF-1. The early onset of our patient's neurofibroma and
      its gross appearance with redundant skin folds are all unusual features. To our
      knowledge, congenital excessive skin folds found in a single tumor have not been
      previously described in the literature as a manifestation of SNF. Clinicians
      should be educated about the possibility of congenital localized skin folds in
      association with SNF in order to identify the disease in infancy and monitor any
      changes in neurofibroma pathology. 

PMID- 26114066
TI  - Radiation-induced basal cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The treatment of tinea capitis using radiotherapy was introduced at
      the beginning of the twentieth century. A variety of cancers including basal cell
      carcinoma (BCC) are seen years after this treatment. OBJECTIVE: We sought to
      determine the clinical characteristics of BCCs among irradiated patients.
      METHODS: The clinical records of all patients with BCC in a clinic in north of
      Iran were reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 58 cases of BCC, 29 had positive history for
      radiotherapy in their childhood. Multiple BCCs were seen in 79.3% and 10.3% of
      patients with history and without history of radiotherapy, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: X-ray radiation is still a major etiologic factor in developing BCC
      in northern Iran. Patients with positive history for radiotherapy have higher
      rate of recurrence.

PMID- 26114067
TI  - Proton pump inhibitor-induced Sweet's syndrome: report of acute febrile
      neutrophilic dermatosis in a woman with recurrent breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sweet's syndrome, also referred to as acute febrile neutrophilic
      dermatosis, can either occur as an idiopathic disorder or associated with another
      condition, including cancer, or induced by exposure to a drug. Proton pump
      inhibitors selectively inhibit gastric parietal cell H+-K+-adenosine
      triphosphatase and are most commonly used for the treatment of gastroesophageal
      reflux disease. PURPOSE: Proton pump inhibitor-associated Sweet's syndrome is
      described in a woman with recurrent breast cancer. METHODS: PubMed was used to
      search the following terms, separately and in combination: acute febrile
      neutrophilic dermatosis, breast cancer, malignancy, paraneoplastic, proton pump
      inhibitor, and Sweet's syndrome. All papers were reviewed and relevant
      manuscripts, along with their reference citations, were evaluated. RESULTS:
      Proton pump inhibitors have previously been associated with cutaneous adverse
      reactions including maculopapular rash, subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus
      and toxic epidermal necrolysis. However, drug-induced Sweet's syndrome has not
      been observed in patients receiving proton pump inhibitors. The reported woman
      developed Sweet's syndrome after initial exposure and subsequent repeat challenge
      to proton pump inhibitors; subsequent studies also observed recurrence of her
      breast cancer presenting as metastases to her stomach and bone. CONCLUSIONS: Drug
      induced Sweet's syndrome has most commonly been associated with granulocyte
      colony stimulating factor in oncology patients. Malignancy-associated Sweet's
      syndrome has been observed in patients with solid tumors, including breast
      cancer. Confirmation of proton pump inhibitor-induced Sweet's syndrome, by repeat
      challenge with another medication in the same class of drug, was observed in a
      woman with breast cancer; although the subsequent discovery of recurrent breast
      cancer presenting as gastric mucosa and vertebral metastases also raises the
      possibility of concurrent paraneoplastic Sweet's syndrome, her Sweet's syndrome
      symptoms and lesions resolved without recurrence while her recurrent metastatic
      visceral malignancy persisted. In summary, medication-associated Sweet's syndrome
      can occur in oncology patients and proton pump inhibitors should be added to the
      list of medications associated with the potential to cause drug-induced Sweet's
      syndrome.

PMID- 26114068
TI  - Nab-paclitaxel-associated photosensitivity: report in a woman with non-small cell
      lung cancer and review of taxane-related photodermatoses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Taxanes [paclitaxel, nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane, Celgene Corp, USA),
      and docetaxel]-used in the treatment of lung, breast, and head and neck cancers
      have been associated with cutaneous adverse effects, including photodermatoses.
      PURPOSE: We describe a woman with non-small cell lung cancer who developed a
      photodistributed dermatitis associated with her nab-paclitaxel therapy and review
      photodermatoses in patients receiving taxanes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      features of a woman with a nab-paclitaxel-associated photodistributed dermatitis
      are presented and the literature on nab-paclitaxel-associated photosensitivity is
      reviewed. RESULTS: Our patient developed nab-paclitaxel-associated
      photodistributed dermatitis on the sun-exposed surfaces of her upper extremities,
      which was exacerbated with each course of nab-paclitaxel. Biopsies revealed an
      interface dermatitis and laboratory studies were negative for lupus erythematosus
      and dermatomyositis. Her condition improved following topical corticosteroid
      cream application and strict avoidance of sunlight. CONCLUSION: Chemotherapy can
      be associated with adverse mucocutaneous events, including dermatoses on sun
      exposed areas of the skin. Paclitaxel and nab-paclitaxel have both been
      associated with photodermatoses, including dermatitis, erythema multiforme,
      onycholysis, and subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Strict avoidance of sun
      exposure, topical or oral corticosteroids, and/or discontinuation of the drug
      results in improvement with progressive resolution of symptoms and skin lesions.
      Development of photodermatoses is not an absolute contraindication to continuing
      chemotherapy, provided that the cutaneous condition resolves with dermatosis
      directed treatment and the patient avoids sun exposure.

PMID- 26114069
TI  - Infantile perianal pyramidal protrusion: a case report with dermoscopy and
      ultrasound findings.
AB  - Infantile perianal pyramidal protrusion, it is a rare benign cutaneous condition
      described in relatively recent times. It is considered to be under-reported in
      the pediatric literature because it is often mistaken for other conditions. The
      unawareness of this lesion may be responsible for an excessive concern both in
      physician and in parents, which leads to overly aggressive and unnecessary
      treatments. Thus its recognition has many implications regarding proper
      management and treatment. We report a typical presentation of IPPP in which the
      diagnosis was based on the use of non-invasive diagnostic tools and in particular
      of dermoscopy and ultrasonography. 

PMID- 26114070
TI  - Frontotemporal hairline recession in a postmenopausal woman.

PMID- 26114071
TI  - Tinea capitis caused by Trichophyton tonsurans presenting as an obscure patchy
      hair loss due to daily antifungal shampoo use.
AB  - Tinea capitis is unusual and often misdiagnosed in healthy adults. We report a
      case of a healthy woman with a several-year history of asymptomatic, bizarre
      shaped, non-scarring alopecia. She had used over-the-counter ketoconazole shampoo
      regularly for a long time. An initial potassium hydroxide preparation showed
      negative result for fungal organism. The scalp biopsy revealed endothrix
      infection, and dermoscopic examination demonstrated the comma hair and corkscrew
      hair signs. The fungal culture showed Trichophyton tonsurans. The daily use of
      antifungal shampoo could be the important factor to conceal clinical and
      laboratory findings for diagnosis of T. tonsurans tinea capitis in our case,
      which required high clinical suspicion and histopathology and dermoscopic
      examinations. 

PMID- 26114073
TI  - Cherry Picking in the 'Aina: Inequalities of Access to Dermatologic Care in
      Hawai'i.
AB  - There is evidence that people who are insured by Medicaid have difficulty
      accessing health care from private providers. This study documents access to
      dermatology care for a hypothetical patient insured by Medicaid in the State of
      Hawai'i. Posing as young Medicaid patient with a changing mole, we called all
      dermatologists listed on the American Academy of Dermatology website and
      requested an appointment to be seen. Only 23% of dermatologists contacted accept
      all Medicaid plans and an additional 12% accept some. Thus 65% of dermatologists
      called do not provide specialist care to Hawai'i's Medicaid population. 

PMID- 26114074
TI  - A Serendipitous Find: A Case of Cholangiocarcinoma Identified Incidentally After
      Acute Liver Injury Due to Cascara sagrada Ingestion.
AB  - The use of anthranoid laxatives such as Cascara sagrada can, in rare instances,
      produce a hepatitis that resolves with discontinuation of the offending
      supplement. However, the clinical presentation of abdominal pain, jaundice, clay
      colored stools, and darkening urine can mimic the presentation of a variety of
      hepatobiliary illnesses, including cholangiocarcinoma. This case report describes
      a local patient diagnosed with an extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma following
      workup for an acute hepatitis due to ingestion of large quantities of Cascara
      sagrada. 

PMID- 26114075
TI  - Ethnic Differences in Withdrawal of Life Support After Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
AB  - Minorities are less likely to decide on withdrawal of life support (WOLS) after
      acute severe illness. However, the decision-making process for WOLS after
      intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) among Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders
      (NHOPI) has not been described. To address this gap in the literature, a
      retrospective study was conducted on consecutive spontaneous ICH patients
      admitted to a tertiary center in Honolulu between 2006 and 2010. The occurrence
      of WOLS and time-to-WOLS were the outcome measures. Unadjusted and multivariable
      logistic regression models were performed to determine associations between NHOPI
      ethnicity and WOLS. This study assessed 396 patients (18% NHOPI, 63% Asians, 15%
      non-Hispanic whites [NHW], 4% others) with ICH. NHOPI was associated with lower
      rate of WOLS than NHW in the univariate analysis (OR 0.35, 95% CI: 0.15, 0.80).
      However, NHOPI ethnicity was no longer significant when adjusted for age (OR
      0.59, 95% CI: 0.25, 1.43) and in the fully adjusted model (OR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.20,
      2.39). Although NHOPI with ICH were initially perceived to have less WOLS
      compared to NHW, this observed difference was largely driven by the younger age
      of NHOPI rather than from underlying cultural differences that are inherent to
      their ethnicity. 

PMID- 26114076
TI  - Biostatistics and Data Management Core at the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns
      School of Medicine.

PMID- 26114077
TI  - Toward a Trauma-Informed System of Care in Hawai'i's Adult Mental Health
      Division.

PMID- 26114079
TI  - Optimization of phase contrast in bimodal amplitude modulation AFM.
AB  - Bimodal force microscopy has expanded the capabilities of atomic force microscopy
      (AFM) by providing high spatial resolution images, compositional contrast and
      quantitative mapping of material properties without compromising the data
      acquisition speed. In the first bimodal AFM configuration, an amplitude feedback
      loop keeps constant the amplitude of the first mode while the observables of the
      second mode have not feedback restrictions (bimodal AM). Here we study the
      conditions to enhance the compositional contrast in bimodal AM while imaging
      heterogeneous materials. The contrast has a maximum by decreasing the amplitude
      of the second mode. We demonstrate that the roles of the excited modes are
      asymmetric. The operational range of bimodal AM is maximized when the second mode
      is free to follow changes in the force. We also study the contrast in trimodal
      AFM by analyzing the kinetic energy ratios. The phase contrast improves by
      decreasing the energy of second mode relative to those of the first and third
      modes. 

PMID- 26114080
TI  - Probing fibronectin-antibody interactions using AFM force spectroscopy and
      lateral force microscopy.
AB  - The first experiment showing the effects of specific interaction forces using
      lateral force microscopy (LFM) was demonstrated for lectin-carbohydrate
      interactions some years ago. Such measurements are possible under the assumption
      that specific forces strongly dominate over the non-specific ones. However,
      obtaining quantitative results requires the complex and tedious calibration of a
      torsional force. Here, a new and relatively simple method for the calibration of
      the torsional force is presented. The proposed calibration method is validated
      through the measurement of the interaction forces between human fibronectin and
      its monoclonal antibody. The results obtained using LFM and AFM-based classical
      force spectroscopies showed similar unbinding forces recorded at similar loading
      rates. Our studies verify that the proposed lateral force calibration method can
      be applied to study single molecule interactions. 

PMID- 26114081
TI  - Nano-contact microscopy of supracrystals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Highly ordered three-dimensional colloidal crystals (supracrystals)
      comprised of 7.4 nm diameter Au nanocrystals (with a 5% size dispersion) have
      been imaged and analysed using a combination of scanning tunnelling microscopy
      and dynamic force microscopy. RESULTS: By exploring the evolution of both the
      force and tunnel current with respect to tip-sample separation, we arrive at the
      surprising finding that single nanocrystal resolution is readily obtained in
      tunnelling microscopy images acquired more than 1 nm into the repulsive (i.e.,
      positive force) regime of the probe-nanocrystal interaction potential. Constant
      height force microscopy has been used to map tip-sample interactions in this
      regime, revealing inhomogeneities which arise from the convolution of the tip
      structure with the ligand distribution at the nanocrystal surface. CONCLUSION:
      Our combined STM-AFM measurements show that the contrast mechanism underpinning
      high resolution imaging of nanoparticle supracrystals involves a form of
      nanoscale contact imaging, rather than the through-vacuum tunnelling which
      underpins traditional tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy.

PMID- 26114082
TI  - Addition of Zn during the phosphine-based synthesis of indium phospide quantum
      dots: doping and surface passivation.
AB  - Zinc-doped InP(Zn) colloidal quantum dots (QDs) with narrow size distribution and
      low defect concentration were grown for the first time via a novel phosphine
      synthetic route and over a wide range of Zn doping. We report the influence of Zn
      on the optical properties of the obtained quantum dots. We propose a mechanism
      for the introduction of Zn in the QDs and show that the incorporation of Zn atoms
      into the InP lattice leads to the formation of Zn acceptor levels and a
      luminescence tail in the red region of the spectra. Using photochemical etching
      with HF, we confirmed that the Zn dopant atoms are situated inside the InP
      nanoparticles. Moreover, doping with Zn is accompanied with the coverage of the
      QDs by a zinc shell. During the synthesis Zn myristate covers the QD nucleus and
      inhibits the particle growth. At the same time the zinc shell leads to an
      increase of the luminescence quantum yield through the reduction of phosphorous
      dangling bonds. A scenario for the growth of the colloidal InP(Zn) QDs was
      proposed and discussed. 

PMID- 26114083
TI  - PATHOGENESIS OF HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA DEVELOPMENT IN NON ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER
      DISEASE.
AB  - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is being recognized as an increasingly
      important contributor to the burden of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide.
      It is often accompanied by obesity and diabetes mellitus and is believed to be
      the hepatic representation of the metabolic syndrome. HCC development in NAFLD is
      multifactorial and complex. It is dependent on not only the well-described
      mechanisms noted in chronic liver injury, but also on the molecular derangements
      associated with obesity and dysmetabolism. These include adipocyte remodeling,
      adipokine secretion, lipotoxicity and insulin resistance. Recent advances focus
      on the importance of the gut-liver axis in accelerating the process of
      oncogenesis in NAFLD. The farnesoid X nuclear receptor (FXR) has been
      demonstrated to have important metabolic effects and its pharmacological
      activation by obeticholic acid has been recently reported to produce histological
      improvement in NASH. It is hoped that delineating the mechanisms of hepatic
      fibrosis and oncogenesis in NASH will lead to enhanced strategies for cancer
      prevention, surveillance and therapy in this population.

PMID- 26114084
TI  - PTEN sequence analysis in endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma in
      Slovak women.
AB  - Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a protein that acts as a tumor
      suppressor by dephosphorylating the lipid second messenger phosphatidylinositol
      3,4,5-trisphosphate. Loss of PTEN function has been implicated in the
      pathogenesis of a number of different tumors, particularly endometrial carcinoma
      (ECa). ECa is the most common neoplasia of the female genital tract. Our study
      evaluates an association between the morphological appearance of endometrial
      hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma and the degree of PTEN alterations. A total
      of 45 endometrial biopsies from Slovak women were included in present study.
      Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples with simple hyperplasia (3),
      complex hyperplasia (5), atypical complex hyperplasia (7), endometrioid
      carcinomas G1 (20) and G3 (5), and serous carcinoma (5) were evaluated for the
      presence of mutations in coding regions of PTEN gene, the most frequently mutated
      tumor suppressor gene in endometrial carcinoma. 75% of the detected mutations
      were clustered in exons 5 and 8. Out of the 39 mutations detected in 24 cases, 20
      were frameshifts and 19 were nonsense, missense, or silent mutations. Some
      specimens harboured more than one mutation. The results of current study on
      Slovak women were compared to a previous study performed on Polish population.
      The two sets of results were similar. 

PMID- 26114085
TI  - Radiographic Comparison of Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion Versus Traditional
      Fusion Approaches: Analysis of Sagittal Contour Change.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lateral approach to lumbar fusion has been gaining popularity in
      recent years. With increasing awareness of the significance of sagittal balance
      restoration in spinal surgery, it is important to investigate the potential of
      this relatively new approach in correcting sagittal deformities in comparison to
      conventional approaches. The aim of this study was to evaluate sagittal contour
      changes seen in lateral lumbar interbody fusion and compare them with
      radiographic changes in traditional approaches to lumbar fusion. METHODS: Lumbar
      fusion procedures from January 2008 to December 2009 were reviewed. Four
      approaches were compared: anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF), lateral lumbar
      interbody fusion (LLIF), transforaminal interbody fusion (TLIF) and posterior
      spinal fusion (PSF). Standing pre-operative and 6-week post-operative radiographs
      were measured in terms of operative level, suprajacent and subjacent level, and
      regional lumbar lordosis (L1-S1) as well as operative level anterior (ADH) and
      posterior disc heights (PDH). T-test was used to analyze differences between and
      within different approaches (alpha=0.05). RESULTS: A total of 147 patients
      underwent lumbar fusion at 212 levels. Mean operative level segmental lordosis
      change after each procedure is as follows: ALIF 3.8 +/- 6.6 degrees  (p < 0.01);
      LLIF 3.2 +/- 3.6 degrees  (p<0.01); TLIF 1.9 +/- 3.9 degrees  (p<0.01); and PSF
      0.7 +/- 2.9 degrees  (p =0.13). Overall lumbar lordosis change after each
      procedure is as follows: ALIF 4.2 +/- 5.8 degrees  (p < 0.01); LLIF 2.5 +/- 4.1
      degrees  (p<0.01); TLIF 2.1 +/- 6.0 (p = 0.02); PSF -0.5 +/- 6.2 degrees  (p =
      0.66). There were no significant changes in the supradjcent and subjacent level
      lordosis in all approaches except in ALIF where a significant decrease in
      supradjecent level lordosis was seen. Mean ADH and PDH significantly increased
      for all approaches except in PSF where PDH decreased post-operatively.
      CONCLUSION: LLIF has the ability to improve sagittal contour as well as other
      interbody approaches and is superior to posterioronly approach in disc height
      restoration. However, ALIF provides the greatest amount of segmental and overall
      lumbar lordosis correction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: This is a Level III study.
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Regional lordosis correction may be effectively achieved with
      LLIF. This approach is a good addition to a surgeon's armamentarium in
      maintenance or restoration of normal lumbar sagittal alignment.

PMID- 26114086
TI  - Full Endoscopic Spinal Surgery Techniques: Advancements, Indications, and
      Outcomes.
AB  - Advancements in both surgical instrumentation and full endoscopic spine
      techniques have resulted in positive clinical outcomes in the treatment of
      cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine pathologies. Endoscopic techniques impart
      minimal approach related disruption of non-pathologic spinal anatomy and function
      while concurrently maximizing functional visualization and correction of
      pathological tissues. An advanced understanding of the applicable functional
      neuroanatomy, in particular the neuroforamen, is essential for successful
      outcomes. Additionally, an understanding of the varying types of disc prolapse
      pathology in relation to the neuroforamen will result in more optimal surgical
      outcomes. Indications for lumbar endoscopic spine surgery include disc
      herniations, spinal stenosis, infections, medial branch rhizotomy, and interbody
      fusion. Limitations are based on both non spine and spine related findings. A
      high riding iliac wing, a more posteriorly located retroperitoneal cavity, an
      overly distal or proximally migrated herniated disc are all relative contra
      indications to lumbar endoscopic spinal surgery techniques. Modifications in
      scope size and visual field of view angulation have enabled both anterior and
      posterior cervical decompression. Endoscopic burrs, electrocautery, and focused
      laser technology allow for the least invasive spinal surgical techniques in all
      age groups and across varying body habitus. Complications include among others,
      dural tears, dysesthsia, nerve injury, and infection. 

PMID- 26114087
TI  - Surgical management of Giant Lumbar Extradural Schwannoma: Report of 3 cases.
AB  - Standard surgical approach for extradural paraspinal tumours has been through a
      unilateral facetectomy, inter-transverse or retroperitoneal approach. Some of
      these approaches destabilise the spine and consequently require a fusion
      procedure. Access to these tumours through a minimal access route can decrease
      tissue damage, fasten post-operative recovery and obviate the need for a
      concomitant fusion procedure. However, proper case selection and adequate pre
      operative planning are important in choosing cases for a minimally invasive
      approach. We discuss three cases of giant extradural, paraspinal schwannomas. One
      case that was associated with listhesis along with the tumour situated more
      anteriorly and embedded in the psoas muscle was managed by lateral
      retroperitoneal route with simultaneous interbody graft followed by posterior
      interspinous stabilising device. The other two cases were managed by minimal
      access route using a 22mm fixed tubular retractor, one by a paramedian approach
      and one by far lateral approach. The technique and merits of the procedure are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26114088
TI  - Ninety-day readmissions after degenerative cervical spine surgery: A single
      center administrative database study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unplanned hospital readmissions result in significant clinical and
      financial burdens to patients and the healthcare system. Readmission rates and
      causes have been investigated using large administrative databases which have
      certain limitations in data reporting and coding. The objective of this study was
      to provide a description of 90 day post-discharge readmissions following surgery
      for common degenerative cervical spine pathologies at a large-volume tertiary
      hospital. The study also compared the readmission rates of patients who underwent
      anterior- and posterior-approach procedures. METHODS: The administrative records
      from a single-center, high-volume tertiary institution were queried using ICD-9
      codes for common cervical pathology over a three year period to determine the
      rate and causes of readmissions within the 90 days following the index surgery.
      RESULTS: A total of 768 patients underwent degenerative cervical spine surgery
      during the three year study period. Within 90 days of discharge, 24 (3.13%)
      patients were readmitted; 16 (2.06%) readmissions were planned for lumbar
      surgery; 8 (1.04%) readmissions were unplanned. 640 patients underwent procedures
      involving an anterior approach and 128 patients underwent procedures involving a
      posterior approach. There were 14 (2.17%) planned readmissions in the anterior
      group and 2 (1.5%) in the posterior group. The unplanned readmission rate was
      0.63% (4 patients) and 3.13% (4 patients) in the anterior and posterior groups,
      respectively. (p=0.0343). CONCLUSION: The 90 day post-discharge unplanned
      readmission rate that followed elective degenerative cervical spine surgery was
      1.04%. The unplanned readmission rate associated with posterior-approach
      procedures (3.13%) was significantly higher than that of anterior-approach
      procedures (0.63%). LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

PMID- 26114089
TI  - Spinous Process splitting Laminectomy: Clinical outcome and Radiological analysis
      of extent of decompression.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Spinous process splitting laminectomy (SPSL) is a useful technique
      in achieving adequate decompression for lumbar canal stenosis, has the advantage
      of simultaneously decompressing multiple levels and minimising injury to the
      paraspinal muscles. Some concern has been expressed over the efficacy of this
      technique in decompressing lateral recesses. This study was undertaken to assess
      the clinical outcome of SPSL technique and radiologically assess the extent of
      decompression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-nine consecutive patients treated by
      SPSL for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis were methodically assessed for
      demographic data, clinical findings, Pre- and post-op VAS, JOA scores and spinal
      canal dimensions on imaging. Surgical technique for SPSL is described. RESULTS:
      The mean age of the patients was 66.9 yrs. The mean follow-up was 7.3 months. The
      mean pre- and post-operative VAS scores were 7.8 and 3.7, respectively. The mean
      pre- and post-operative JOA scores were 6.3 and 11.2, respectively. The mean JOA
      recovery rate was 57.3%. 77% of the patients were in the 'good' or 'excellent'
      McNab's grades at follow-up. Radiologic results were assessed separately at the
      118 levels decompressed by the SPSL technique. The ratio increase for the spinal
      canal dimensions on post-operative images were as follows - Interfacet distance
      116.6%; Effective AP distance-67.6%; Right lateral recess depth-165.1%; Right
      lateral recess angle-145.5%; Left lateral recess depth-149.3%; Left lateral
      recess angle-133.6%; Cross-sectional spinal canal area-163.8%. There was no
      worsening of pre-existing degenerative listhesis or scoliosis in any case.
      CONCLUSION: SPSL achieves effective central and lateral recess decompression, at
      the same time minimising injury to the paraspinal muscles thus reducing post
      operative pain and aiding in quicker mobilisation and recovery. It is an
      effective tool to treat multiple level spinal stenosis, especially in elderly
      patients who have pre-existing spinal deformities which can precipitate into
      frank instability after conventional procedures.

PMID- 26114090
TI  - Fellowship and Practice Composition Affect Surgical Decision Making in Patients
      with Adult Degenerative Scoliosis: Spinal Deformity versus Degenerative Spinal
      Surgeons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For the Adult Degenerative Scoliosis (ADS) patient with
      radiculopathy, there is no clear data in the literature to guide the spine
      surgeon's decision making in choosing between limited decompression alone, short
      segment fusion, or longer arthrodesis of the deformity. This study investigates
      the differences in operative planning, for patients with ADS and radiculopathy,
      between two groups of spine surgeons based on fellowship experience and practice
      composition. METHODS: Six Degenerative Spine surgeons (Group 1) and 6 Spinal
      Deformity surgeons (Group 2) were shown 7 cases of patients with ADS and
      radiculopathy. Surgeons completed a questionnaire detailing their planned
      operative intervention including the number of fusion levels, if any, approach,
      choice of bone graft, and interbody device. Pearson Correlation was used to
      investigate the association between fellowship training, practice composition,
      number of levels fused, and other variables. Intraclass correlation (ICC)
      analysis was used to investigate the internal consistency among the groups.
      RESULTS: There was a direct correlation between fellowship deformity experience
      and practice composition (r=0.75, p<0.01), and between deformity practice
      composition and the number of planned fusion levels (r=0.90, p<0.001). Group 1
      surgeons fused a mean 3.7 vertebral levels (range 0-6.7), while Group 2 surgeons
      fused a mean 10.8 levels (range 4-16.5). Group 2 surgeons fused a significantly
      greater number of levels for each case than degenerative surgeons on paired
      student t-test (p=0.002). Group 1 surgeons chose decompression alone more
      commonly than deformity surgeons (p<0.05). Group 2 surgeons had significantly
      higher group consistency by ICC analysis (p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Fellowship and
      practice composition influence the physician's surgical planning in ADS. There is
      a lack of standardized treatment paradigms for the management of radiculopathy in
      patients with ADS.

PMID- 26114091
TI  - Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care Annotated Bibliography.
AB  - Long-term cancer survivorship care is a relatively new and rapidly advancing
      field of research. Increasing cancer survivorship rates have created a huge
      population of long-term cancer survivors whose cancer-specific needs challenge
      healthcare infrastructure and highlight a significant deficit of knowledge and
      guidelines in transitional care from treatment to normalcy/prolonged
      survivorship. As the paradigm of cancer care has changed from a fixation on the
      curative to the maintenance on long-term overall quality of life, so to, has the
      delineation of responsibility between oncologists and primary care physicians
      (PCPs). As more patients enjoy long-term survival, PCPs play a more comprehensive
      role in cancer care following acute treatment. To this end, this annotated
      bibliography was written to provide PCPs and other readers with an up-to-date and
      robust base of knowledge on long-term cancer survivorship, including definitions
      and epidemiological information as well as specific considerations and
      recommendations on physical, psychosocial, sexual, and comorbidity needs of
      survivors. Additionally, significant information is included on survivorship
      care, specifically Survivorship Care Plans (SPCs) and their evolution,
      utilization by oncologists and PCPs, and current gaps, as well as an introduction
      to patient navigation programs. Given rapid advancements in cancer research, this
      bibliography is meant to serve as current baseline reference outlining the state
      of the science.

PMID- 26114092
TI  - Mental health interventions in schools 1: Mental health interventions in schools
      in high-income countries.
AB  - Mental health services embedded within school systems can create a continuum of
      integrative care that improves both mental health and educational attainment for
      children. To strengthen this continuum, and for optimum child development, a
      reconfiguration of education and mental health systems to aid implementation of
      evidence-based practice might be needed. Integrative strategies that combine
      classroom-level and student-level interventions have much potential. A robust
      research agenda is needed that focuses on system-level implementation and
      maintenance of interventions over time. Both ethical and scientific
      justifications exist for integration of mental health and education: integration
      democratises access to services and, if coupled with use of evidence-based
      practices, can promote the healthy development of children.

PMID- 26114094
TI  - Spatial Separation of Plk1 Phosphorylation and Activity.
AB  - Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is one of the major kinases controlling mitosis and
      cell division. Plk1 is first recruited to the centrosome in S phase, then appears
      on the kinetochores in late G2, and at the end of mitosis, it translocates to the
      central spindle. Activation of Plk1 requires phosphorylation of T210 by Aurora A,
      an event that critically depends on the co-factor Bora. However, conflicting
      reports exist as to where Plk1 is first activated. Phosphorylation of T210 is
      first observed at the centrosomes, but kinase activity seems to be restricted to
      the nucleus in the earlier phases of G2. Here, we demonstrate that Plk1 activity
      manifests itself first in the nucleus using a nuclear FRET-based biosensor for
      Plk1 activity. However, we find that Bora is restricted to the cytoplasm and that
      Plk1 is phosphorylated on T210 at the centrosomes. Our data demonstrate that
      while Plk1 activation occurs on centrosomes, downstream target phosphorylation by
      Plk1 first occurs in the nucleus. We discuss several explanations for this
      surprising separation of activation and function. 

PMID- 26114095
TI  - Corrigendum: "Training Global Oncologists: Addressing the Global Cancer Control
      Problem".
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 80 in vol. 5, PMID: 25905040.]. 

PMID- 26114093
TI  - The promise and challenge of ovarian cancer models.
AB  - The complexity and heterogeneity of ovarian cancer cases are difficult to
      reproduce in in vitro studies, which cannot adequately elucidate the molecular
      events involved in tumor initiation and disease metastasis. It has now become
      clear that, although the multiple histological subtypes of ovarian cancer are
      being treated with similar surgical and therapeutic approaches, they are in fact
      characterized by distinct phenotypes, cell of origin, and underlying key genetic
      and genomic alterations. Consequently, the development of more personalized
      treatment methodologies, which are aimed at improving patient care and prognosis,
      will greatly benefit from a better understanding of the key differences between
      various subtypes. To accomplish this, animal models of all histotypes need to be
      generated in order to provide accurate in vivo platforms for research and the
      testing of targeted treatments and immune therapies. Both genetically engineered
      mouse models (GEMMs) and xenograft models have the ability to further our
      understanding of key mechanisms facilitating tumorigenesis, and at the same time
      offer insight into enhanced imaging and treatment modalities. While genetic
      models may be better suited to examine oncogenic functions and interactions
      during tumorigenesis, patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) are likely a superior
      model to assess drug efficacy, especially in concurrent clinical trials, due to
      their similarity to the tumors from which they are derived. Genetic and avatar
      models possess great clinical utility and have both benefits and limitations.
      Additionally, the laying hen model, which spontaneously develops ovarian tumors,
      has inherent advantages for the study of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and
      recent work champions this model especially when assessing chemoprevention
      strategies. While high-grade ovarian serous tumors are the most prevalent form of
      EOC, rarer ovarian cancer variants, such as small cell ovarian carcinoma of the
      hypercalcemic type and transitional cell carcinoma, or non-epithelial tumors,
      including germ cell tumors, will also benefit from the generation of improved
      models to advance our understanding of tumorigenic mechanisms and the development
      of selective therapeutic options.

PMID- 26114096
TI  - Diagnosis and History Taking in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Dealing
      with the Challenges.

PMID- 26114097
TI  - Can biological structures be natural and sustainable capsules?

PMID- 26114098
TI  - Comparisons between Arabidopsis thaliana and Drosophila melanogaster in relation
      to Coding and Noncoding Sequence Length and Gene Expression.
AB  - There is a continuing interest in the analysis of gene architecture and gene
      expression to determine the relationship that may exist. Advances in high-quality
      sequencing technologies and large-scale resource datasets have increased the
      understanding of relationships and cross-referencing of expression data to the
      large genome data. Although a negative correlation between expression level and
      gene (especially transcript) length has been generally accepted, there have been
      some conflicting results arising from the literature concerning the impacts of
      different regions of genes, and the underlying reason is not well understood. The
      research aims to apply quantile regression techniques for statistical analysis of
      coding and noncoding sequence length and gene expression data in the plant,
      Arabidopsis thaliana, and fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to determine if a
      relationship exists and if there is any variation or similarities between these
      species. The quantile regression analysis found that the coding sequence length
      and gene expression correlations varied, and similarities emerged for the
      noncoding sequence length (5' and 3' UTRs) between animal and plant species. In
      conclusion, the information described in this study provides the basis for
      further exploration into gene regulation with regard to coding and noncoding
      sequence length. 

PMID- 26114099
TI  - Subchronic Arsenic Exposure Induces Anxiety-Like Behaviors in Normal Mice and
      Enhances Depression-Like Behaviors in the Chemically Induced Mouse Model of
      Depression.
AB  - Accumulating evidence implicates that subchronic arsenic exposure causes cerebral
      neurodegeneration leading to behavioral disturbances relevant to psychiatric
      disorders. However, there is still little information regarding the influence of
      subchronic exposure to arsenic-contaminated drinking water on mood disorders and
      its underlying mechanisms in the cerebral prefrontal cortex. The aim of this
      study is to assess the effects of subchronic arsenic exposure (10 mg/LAs2O3 in
      drinking water) on the anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in normal mice and
      in the chemically induced mouse model of depression by reserpine pretreatment.
      Our findings demonstrated that 4 weeks of arsenic exposure enhance anxiety-like
      behaviors on elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field test (OFT) in normal mice,
      and 8 weeks of arsenic exposure augment depression-like behaviors on tail
      suspension test (TST) and forced swimming test (FST) in the reserpine pretreated
      mice. In summary, in this present study, we demonstrated that subchronic arsenic
      exposure induces only the anxiety-like behaviors in normal mice and enhances the
      depression-like behaviors in the reserpine induced mouse model of depression, in
      which the cerebral prefrontal cortex BDNF-TrkB signaling pathway is involved. We
      also found that eight weeks of subchronic arsenic exposure are needed to enhance
      the depression-like behaviors in the mouse model of depression. These findings
      imply that arsenic could be an enhancer of depressive symptoms for those patients
      who already had the attribute of depression. 

PMID- 26114100
TI  - Biochemical and Molecular Phylogenetic Study of Agriculturally Useful Association
      of a Nitrogen-Fixing Cyanobacterium and Nodule Sinorhizobium with Medicago sativa
      L.
AB  - Seed inoculation with bacterial consortium was found to increase legume yield,
      providing a higher growth than the standard nitrogen treatment methods. Alfalfa
      plants were inoculated by mono- and binary compositions of nitrogen-fixing
      microorganisms. Their physiological and biochemical properties were estimated.
      Inoculation by microbial consortium of Sinorhizobium meliloti T17 together with a
      new cyanobacterial isolate Nostoc PTV was more efficient than the single
      rhizobium strain inoculation. This treatment provides an intensification of the
      processes of biological nitrogen fixation by rhizobia bacteria in the root
      nodules and an intensification of plant photosynthesis. Inoculation by bacterial
      consortium stimulates growth of plant mass and rhizogenesis and leads to
      increased productivity of alfalfa and to improving the amino acid composition of
      plant leaves. The full nucleotide sequence of the rRNA gene cluster and partial
      sequence of the dinitrogenase reductase (nifH) gene of Nostoc PTV were deposited
      to GenBank (JQ259185.1, JQ259186.1). Comparison of these gene sequences of Nostoc
      PTV with all sequences present at the GenBank shows that this cyanobacterial
      strain does not have 100% identity with any organisms investigated previously.
      Phylogenetic analysis showed that this cyanobacterium clustered with high
      credibility values with Nostoc muscorum. 

PMID- 26114101
TI  - Phyloproteomic Analysis of 11780 Six-Residue-Long Motifs Occurrences.
AB  - How is it possible to find good traits for phylogenetic reconstructions? Here, we
      present a new phyloproteomic criterion that is an occurrence of simple motifs
      which can be imprints of evolution history. We studied the occurrences of 11780
      six-residue-long motifs consisting of two randomly located amino acids in 97
      eukaryotic and 25 bacterial proteomes. For all eukaryotic proteomes, with the
      exception of the Amoebozoa, Stramenopiles, and Diplomonadida kingdoms, the number
      of proteins containing the motifs from the first group (one of the two amino
      acids occurs once at the terminal position) made about 20%; in the case of motifs
      from the second (one of two amino acids occurs one time within the pattern) and
      third (the two amino acids occur randomly) groups, 30% and 50%, respectively. For
      bacterial proteomes, this relationship was 10%, 27%, and 63%, respectively. The
      matrices of correlation coefficients between numbers of proteins where a motif
      from the set of 11780 motifs appears at least once in 9 kingdoms and 5 phyla of
      bacteria were calculated. Among the correlation coefficients for eukaryotic
      proteomes, the correlation between the animal and fungi kingdoms (0.62) is higher
      than between fungi and plants (0.54). Our study provides support that animals and
      fungi are sibling kingdoms. Comparison of the frequencies of six-residue-long
      motifs in different proteomes allows obtaining phylogenetic relationships based
      on similarities between these frequencies: the Diplomonadida kingdoms are more
      close to Bacteria than to Eukaryota; Stramenopiles and Amoebozoa are more close
      to each other than to other kingdoms of Eukaryota. 

PMID- 26114102
TI  - A Novel Injectable Magnesium/Calcium Sulfate Hemihydrate Composite Cement for
      Bone Regeneration.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: . A novel injectable magnesium/calcium sulfate hemihydrate (Mg/CSH)
      composite with improved properties was reported here. METHODS: Composition,
      setting time, injectability, compressive strength, and bioactivity in simulated
      body fluid (SBF) of the Mg/CSH composite were evaluated. Furthermore, the
      cellular responses of canine bone marrow stromal cells (cBMSCs) and bone
      formation capacity after the implantation of Mg/CSH in tibia defects of canine
      were investigated. RESULTS: Mg/CSH possessed a prolonged setting time and
      markedly improved injectability and mechanical property (p < 0.05). Mg/CSH
      samples showed better degradability than CSH in SBF after 21 days of soaking (p <
      0.05). Moreover, the degrees of cell attachment, proliferation, and capability of
      osteogenic differentiation on the Mg/CSH specimens were higher than those on CSH,
      without significant cytotoxicity and with the increased proliferation index, ALP
      activity, and expression levels of integrin beta1 and Coll I in cBMSCs (p <
      0.05). Mg/CSH enhanced the efficiency of new bone formation at the tibia defect
      area, including the significantly elevated bone mineral density, bone area
      fraction, and Coll I expression level (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results
      implied that this new injectable bone scaffold exhibited promising prospects for
      bone repair and had a great potential in bone tissue engineering.

PMID- 26114103
TI  - Molecular Systematics of the Phoxinin Genus Pteronotropis (Otophysi:
      Cypriniformes).
AB  - The genus Pteronotropis is widely distributed along the gulf slope of eastern
      North America from Louisiana to Florida and rivers in South Carolina along the
      Atlantic slope. Pteronotropis have very distinctive, flamboyant coloration. The
      habitats most frequently associated with these species include heavily vegetated
      backwater bayous to small sluggish or flowing tannin-stained streams. Although
      Pteronotropis is recognized as a valid genus, no phylogenetic analysis of all the
      species has corroborated its monophyly. In recent years, four additional species
      have been either described or elevated from synonymy: P. merlini, P.
      grandipinnis, P. stonei, and P. metallicus, with the wide-ranging P.
      hypselopterus complex. To examine relationships within this genus and test its
      monophyly, phylogenetic analyses were conducted using two nuclear genes,
      recombination activating gene 1, RAG1, and the first intron of S7 ribosomal
      protein gene in both maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses. In no analysis was
      Pteronotropis, as currently recognized, recovered as monophyletic without the
      inclusion of the currently recognized Notropis harperi, herein referred to as
      Pteronotropis. Two major clades are supported: one inclusive of P. hubbsi, P.
      welaka, and P. harperi and the second inclusive of P. signipinnis, P.
      grandipinnis, P. hypselopterus plus P. merlini sister to P. euryzonus, and P.
      metallicus plus P. stonei. 

PMID- 26114104
TI  - Structural and Population Polymorphism of RT-Like Sequences in Avian Schistosomes
      Trichobilharzia szidati (Platyhelminthes: Digenea: Schistosomatidae).
AB  - Recently we developed the genus-specific markers of the avian schistosomes of the
      genus Trichobilharzia, the causative agents of human cercarial dermatitis. The 7
      novel genome sequences of T. franki, T. regenti, and T. szidati revealed
      similarity with genome repeat region of African schistosome Schistosoma mansoni.
      In the present work we analyzed the 37 new T. szidati sequences to study
      intragenome variability and host specificity for the parasite from three
      localities of East Europe. DNAs were isolated from cercariae or single sporocysts
      obtained from 6 lymnaeid snails Lymnaea stagnalis and L. palustris from Belarus
      and Russia. All sequences formed three diverged groups, one of which consists of
      the sequences with multiple deletions; other groups involved two paralogous
      copies with stop codons and frameshift mutations. Strong association between
      geographical distribution and snail host specificity cannot be established. All
      studied sequences have homology with the reverse transcriptase domain (RT) of
      Penelope-like elements (PLE) of S. mansoni and S. japonicum and new members of RT
      family were identified. We proposed that three diverged groups RT sequences of T.
      szidati are results of duplication or transposition of PLE during parasite
      evolution. Implications of the retroelement dynamics in the life history of avian
      schistosomes are discussed. 

PMID- 26114105
TI  - Signs of Selection in Synonymous Sites of the Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Gene of
      Baikal Oilfish (Comephoridae) by mRNA Secondary Structure Alterations.
AB  - Studies over the past decade have shown a significant role of synonymous
      mutations in posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression, which is
      particularly associated with messenger RNA (mRNA) secondary structure
      alterations. Most studies focused on prokaryote genomes and the nuclear genomes
      of eukaryotes while little is known about the regulation of mitochondrial DNA
      (mtDNA) gene expression. This paper reveals signs of selection in synonymous
      sites of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (Cytb) of Baikal oilfish or
      golomyankas (Comephoridae) directed towards altering the secondary structure of
      the mRNA and probably altering the character of mtDNA gene expression. Our
      findings are based on comparisons of intraspecific genetic variation patterns of
      small golomyanka (Comephorus dybowski) and two genetic groups of big golomyanka
      (Comephorus dybowskii). Two approaches were used: (i) analysis of the
      distribution of synonymous mutations between weak-AT (W) and strong-GC (S)
      nucleotides within species and groups in accordance with mutation directions from
      central to peripheral haplotypes and (ii) approaches based on the predicted mRNA
      secondary structure. 

PMID- 26114106
TI  - New Developments in the Use of Biologics and Other Modalities in the Management
      of Lateral Epicondylitis.
AB  - Lateral epicondylitis is a common source of elbow pain. Though it is often a self
      limited condition, refractory lateral epicondylitis can lead to problems with
      activities of daily living and sometimes requires sick leave from work. Therefore
      prompt treatment is essential. Histopathologic studies have suggested that
      lateral epicondylitis is a tendinopathy, associated with apoptosis and autophagy,
      rather than a tendonitis associated with inflammation. Although corticosteroids
      have been used for short-term treatment, recent studies have suggested that they
      are not helpful and may even be harmful and delay healing in the treatment of
      lateral epicondylitis. Researchers have recently begun to investigate the use of
      biologics as potential treatment options for lateral epicondylitis. Autologous
      blood preparations including platelet rich plasma (PRP) and autologous whole
      blood injections (ABIs) have been proposed in order to deliver growth factors and
      other nutrients to the diseased tendon. Stem cell therapies have also been
      suggested as a method of improving tendon healing. This review discusses the
      current evidence for the use of PRP, ABI, and stem cell therapies for treatment
      of lateral epicondylitis. We also review the evidence for nonbiologic treatments
      including corticosteroids, prolotherapy, botulinum toxin A, and nitric oxide. 

PMID- 26114107
TI  - Comparative Analysis of Apicoplast-Targeted Protein Extension Lengths in
      Apicomplexan Parasites.
AB  - In general, the mechanism of protein translocation through the apicoplast
      membrane requires a specific extension of a functionally important region of the
      apicoplast-targeted proteins. The corresponding signal peptides were detected in
      many apicomplexans but not in the majority of apicoplast-targeted proteins in
      Toxoplasma gondii. In T. gondii signal peptides are either much diverged or their
      extension region is processed, which in either case makes the situation different
      from other studied apicomplexans. We propose a statistic method to compare
      extensions of the functionally important regions of apicoplast-targeted proteins.
      More specifically, we provide a comparison of extension lengths of orthologous
      apicoplast-targeted proteins in apicomplexan parasites. We focus on results
      obtained for the model species T. gondii, Neospora caninum, and Plasmodium
      falciparum. With our method, cross species comparisons demonstrate that, in
      average, apicoplast-targeted protein extensions in T. gondii are 1.5-fold longer
      than in N. caninum and 2-fold longer than in P. falciparum. Extensions in P.
      falciparum less than 87 residues in size are longer than the corresponding
      extensions in N. caninum and, reversely, are shorter if they exceed 88 residues. 

PMID- 26114108
TI  - A Database of Plastid Protein Families from Red Algae and Apicomplexa and
      Expression Regulation of the moeB Gene.
AB  - We report the database of plastid protein families from red algae, secondary and
      tertiary rhodophyte-derived plastids, and Apicomplexa constructed with the novel
      method to infer orthology. The families contain proteins with maximal sequence
      similarity and minimal paralogous content. The database contains 6509 protein
      entries, 513 families and 278 nonsingletons (from which 230 are paralog-free, and
      among the remaining 48, 46 contain at maximum two proteins per species, and 2
      contain at maximum three proteins per species). The method is compared with other
      approaches. Expression regulation of the moeB gene is studied using this database
      and the model of RNA polymerase competition. An analogous database obtained for
      green algae and their symbiotic descendants, and applications based on it are
      published earlier. 

PMID- 26114109
TI  - A Novel Restraining Device for Small Animal Imaging Exams: Validation in Rabbits.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop, validate, and patent a Restraining Device for Small Animal
      Imaging Exams (RDSAIE) that allows exams to be comfortably conducted without
      risks to animals and professionals. METHODS: A RDSAIE with a mobile cover and
      shelf was built with transparent acrylic material. A total of six anesthetized
      rabbits were used to perform the following imaging exams of the skull: Cone Beam
      Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Scintigraphy. RESULTS: The
      device showed great functionality and full visibility of the animal behavior,
      which remained fully stabilized and immobilized in either the horizontal or
      vertical position without the need for a person to remain in the test room to
      assist them. The procedures were performed without difficulty, and images of good
      resolution and without artifacts were obtained. CONCLUSION: The RDSAIE is
      comfortable, safe, efficient, and ergonomic. It allows the easy placement of
      animals in different body positions, including the vertical, the maintenance of
      postural stability, and full visibility. It may be constructed for animals
      heavier than 4 kg and it is adaptable for translational studies in anima nobile.

PMID- 26114110
TI  - Phylogeography of Pteronotropis signipinnis, P. euryzonus, and the P.
      hypselopterus Complex (Teleostei: Cypriniformes), with Comments on Diversity and
      History of the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Streams.
AB  - The cyprinid genus Pteronotropis is endemic to southeastern Gulf of Mexico and
      Atlantic Ocean of North America. Never before has the genus been demonstrated to
      be monophyletic. We investigate both the phylogenetic relationships and the
      phylogeography of some species in the genus using mitochondrial ND2 sequences. In
      no analysis is the genus resolved as monophyletic if Notropis harperi is not
      included in the genus. Biogeographic and phylogeographic evaluations are
      conducted with Pteronotropis, including P. signipinnis, P. euryzonus, and the P.
      hypselopterus complex. Patterns of relationships and population genetic analyses
      support divergences within multiple clades both at the species level and within
      species that are tied to abiotic changes in the region. Replicated patterns
      across clades are observed, as well as patterns previously found in other taxa.
      Pteronotropis hypselopterus is likely not a natural grouping as populations from
      some drainages form clades more closely related to other species of the genus.
      The general patterns of relationships indicate likely cryptic species not
      currently recognized. Finally, the patterns of species relationships and clades
      and population structuring within species serve as another example of replicated
      divergences in the biodiversity east and west of the Mobile Bay. 

PMID- 26114111
TI  - The Variability of the Order Burkholderiales Representatives in the Healthcare
      Units.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: The order Burkholderiales became more abundant in the
      healthcare units since the late 1970s; it is especially dangerous for intensive
      care unit patients and patients with chronic lung diseases. The goal of this
      investigation was to reveal the real variability of the order Burkholderiales
      representatives and to estimate their phylogenetic relationships. METHODS: 16S
      rDNA and genes of the Burkholderia cenocepacia complex (Bcc) Multi Locus Sequence
      Typing (MLST) scheme were used for the bacteria detection. RESULTS: . A huge
      diversity of genome size and organization was revealed in the order
      Burkholderiales that may prove the adaptability of this taxon's representatives.
      The following variability of the Burkholderiales in Russian healthcare units has
      been revealed: Burkholderiaceae (Burkholderia, Pandoraea, and Lautropia),
      Alcaligenaceae (Achromobacter), and Comamonadaceae (Variovorax). The Burkholderia
      genus was the most diverse and was represented by 5 species and 16 sequence types
      (ST). ST709 and 728 were transmissible and often encountered in cystic fibrosis
      patients and in hospitals. A. xylosoxidans was estimated by 15 genotypes. The
      strains of first and second ones were the most numerous. CONCLUSIONS:
      Phylogenetic position of the genus Lautropia with smaller genome is ambiguous.
      The Bcc MLST scheme is applicable for all Burkholderiales representatives for
      resolving the epidemiological problems.

PMID- 26114112
TI  - Advanced Glycation End Products Enhance Macrophages Polarization into M1
      Phenotype through Activating RAGE/NF-kappaB Pathway.
AB  - Atherosclerotic lesions are accelerated in patients with diabetes. M1
      (classically activated in contrast to M2 alternatively activated) macrophages
      play key roles in the progression of atherosclerosis. Since advanced glycation
      end products (AGEs) are major pathogenic factors and active inflammation inducers
      in diabetes mellitus, this study assessed the effects of AGEs on macrophage
      polarization. The present study showed that AGEs significantly promoted
      macrophages to express IL-6 and TNF-alpha. M1 macrophage markers such as iNOS and
      surface markers including CD11c and CD86 were significantly upregulated while M2
      macrophage markers such as Arg1 and CD206 remained unchanged after AGEs
      stimulation. AGEs significantly increased RAGE expression in macrophages and
      activated NF-kappaB pathway, and the aforementioned effects were partly abolished
      by administration of anti-RAGE antibody or NF-kappaB inhibitor PDTC. In
      conclusion, our results suggest that AGEs enhance macrophage differentiation into
      proinflammatory M1 phenotype at least partly via RAGE/NF-kappaB pathway
      activation. 

PMID- 26114113
TI  - Lengths of Orthologous Prokaryotic Proteins Are Affected by Evolutionary Factors.
AB  - Proteins of the same functional family (for example, kinases) may have
      significantly different lengths. It is an open question whether such variation in
      length is random or it appears as a response to some unknown evolutionary driving
      factors. The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate existence of factors
      affecting prokaryotic gene lengths. We believe that the ranking of genomes
      according to lengths of their genes, followed by the calculation of coefficients
      of association between genome rank and genome property, is a reasonable approach
      in revealing such evolutionary driving factors. As we demonstrated earlier, our
      chosen approach, Bubble-sort, combines stability, accuracy, and computational
      efficiency as compared to other ranking methods. Application of Bubble Sort to
      the set of 1390 prokaryotic genomes confirmed that genes of Archaeal species are
      generally shorter than Bacterial ones. We observed that gene lengths are affected
      by various factors: within each domain, different phyla have preferences for
      short or long genes; thermophiles tend to have shorter genes than the soil
      dwellers; halophiles tend to have longer genes. We also found that species with
      overrepresentation of cytosines and guanines in the third position of the codon
      (GC3 content) tend to have longer genes than species with low GC3 content. 

PMID- 26114114
TI  - Association between ANKK1 (rs1800497) and LTA (rs909253) Genetic Variants and
      Risk of Schizophrenia.
AB  - Limited research has assessed associations between schizophrenia and genetic
      variants of the ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 (ANKK1) and
      lymphotoxin-alpha (LTA) genes among individuals of Middle Eastern ancestry. Here
      we present the first association study investigating the ANKK1 rs1800497 (T>C)
      and LTA rs909253 (A>G) single-nucleotide polymorphisms in an Egyptian population.
      Among 120 patients with DSM-IV and PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale)
      assessments of schizophrenia and 100 healthy controls, we determined the
      genotypes for the polymorphisms using endonuclease digestion of amplified genomic
      DNA. Results confirmed previous findings from different ethnic populations, in
      that the rs1800497 and rs909253 polymorphisms were both associated with risk of
      schizophrenia. Differences between the genotypes of cases and controls were
      strongly significant (P = 0.0005 for rs1800497 and P = 0.001 for rs909253). The
      relative risk to schizophrenia was 1.2 (P = 0.01) for the C allele and 0.8 (P =
      0.04) for the G allele. The CC, GG, and combined CC/AA genotypes were all more
      frequent in cases than in controls. These results support an association between
      ANKK1 and LTA genetic markers and vulnerability to schizophrenia and show the
      potential influence of just one copy of the mutant C or G allele in the Egyptian
      population. 

PMID- 26114115
TI  - Multi-Leu PACE4 Inhibitor Retention within Cells Is PACE4 Dependent and a
      Prerequisite for Antiproliferative Activity.
AB  - The overexpression as well as the critical implication of the proprotein
      convertase PACE4 in prostate cancer progression has been previously reported and
      supported the development of peptide inhibitors. The multi-Leu peptide, a PACE4
      specific inhibitor, was further generated and its capability to be uptaken by
      tumor xenograft was demonstrated with regard to its PACE4 expression status. To
      investigate whether the uptake of this inhibitor was directly dependent of PACE4
      levels, uptake and efflux from cancer cells were evaluated and correlations were
      established with PACE4 contents on both wild type and PACE4-knockdown cell lines.
      PACE4-knockdown associated growth deficiencies were established on the knockdown
      HepG2, Huh7, and HT1080 cells as well as the antiproliferative effects of the
      multi-Leu peptide supporting the growth capabilities of PACE4 in cancer cells. 

PMID- 26114116
TI  - Molecular Biogeography of Tribe Thermopsideae (Leguminosae): A Madrean-Tethyan
      Disjunction Pattern with an African Origin of Core Genistoides.
AB  - Thermopsideae has 45 species and exhibits a series of interesting biogeographical
      distribution patterns, such as Madrean-Tethyan disjunction and East Asia-North
      America disjunction, with a center of endemism in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau
      (QTP) and Central Asia. Phylogenetic analysis in this paper employed maximum
      likelihood using ITS, rps16, psbA-trnH, and trnL-F sequence data; biogeographical
      approaches included BEAST molecular dating and Bayesian dispersal and vicariance
      analysis (S-DIVA). The results indicate that the core genistoides most likely
      originated in Africa during the Eocene to Oligocene, ca. 55-30 Ma, and dispersed
      eastward to Central Asia at ca. 33.47 Ma. The origin of Thermopsideae is inferred
      as Central Asian and dated to ca. 28.81 Ma. Ammopiptanthus is revealed to be a
      relic. Birth of the ancestor of Thermopsideae coincided with shrinkage of the
      Paratethys Sea at ca. 30 Ma in the Oligocene. The Himalayan motion of QTP uplift
      of ca. 20 Ma most likely drove the diversification between Central Asia and North
      America. Divergences in East Asia, Central Asia, the Mediterranean, and so forth,
      within Eurasia, except for Ammopiptanthus, are shown to be dispersals from the
      QTP. The onset of adaptive radiation at the center of the tribe, with
      diversification of most species in Thermopsis and Piptanthus at ca. 4-0.85 Ma in
      Tibet and adjacent regions, seems to have resulted from intense northern QTP
      uplift during the latter Miocene to Pleistocene.

PMID- 26114117
TI  - Ethnomedicinal Evaluation of Medicinal Plants Used against Gastrointestinal
      Complaints.
AB  - Aim of the present study was to document ethnomedicinal plants used against
      gastrointestinal complaints in five selected remote regions of Pakistan and to
      select potential medicinal plants for further in vitro and in vivo investigation.
      Data on ethnomedicinal plants and ethnographic profile of respondents was
      documented using semistructured questionnaires. The present study revealed
      utilization of 52 medicinal plants for the treatment of different
      gastrointestinal infections in studied regions. Apiaceae was the most dominant
      family reported to be used for the treatment of these infections (4 plants).
      Among all the plant parts fruit (24%), whole plants and leaves (23% each) were
      the most preferred plant parts used by the healers. Dosage of recipe was found to
      be related with the age of the patient. Highest degree of informant consensus was
      reported for vomiting, nausea (0.92 each), abdominal pain (0.9), and diarrhea
      (0.89). Withania coagulans scored highest FL value (86%) followed by Mentha
      longifolia and Melia azadirachta ranked second with FL value (75% each). Young
      generation was found to possess little traditional knowledge about utilizing
      plant recipes against these infections. Plants with high Fic and FL values should
      be subjected for further phytochemical and pharmacological investigation for
      scientific validation. 

PMID- 26114118
TI  - miR-1322 Binding Sites in Paralogous and Orthologous Genes.
AB  - We searched for 2,563 microRNA (miRNA) binding sites in 17,494 mRNA sequences of
      human genes. miR-1322 has more than 2,000 binding sites in 1,058 genes with
      DeltaG/DeltaG m ratio of 85% and more. miR-1322 has 1,889 binding sites in CDSs,
      215 binding sites in 5' UTRs, and 160 binding sites in 3' UTRs. From two to 28
      binding sites have arranged localization with the start position through three
      nucleotides of each following binding site. The nucleotide sequences of these
      sites in CDSs encode oligopeptides with the same and/or different amino acid
      sequences. We found that 33% of the target genes encoded transcription factors.
      miR-1322 has arranged binding sites in the CDSs of orthologous MAMLD1, MAML2, and
      MAML3 genes. These sites encode a polyglutamine oligopeptide ranging from six to
      47 amino acids in length. The properties of miR-1322 binding sites in orthologous
      and paralogous target genes are discussed. 

PMID- 26114119
TI  - Effects of Atrazine on the Development of Neural System of Zebrafish, Danio
      rerio.
AB  - By comparative analysis of histomorphology and AChE activity, the changes of
      physiological and biochemical parameters were determined in zebrafish embryos and
      larvae dealt with atrazine (ATR) at different concentrations (0.0001, 0.001,
      0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/L). This study showed that the development of the sarcomere
      and the arrangement of white muscle myofibers were affected by ATR significantly
      and the length of sarcomere shortened. Further analysis of the results showed
      that the AChE activity in juvenile fish which was treated with ATR was
      downregulated, which can indicate that the innervation efficiency to the muscle
      was impaired. Conversely, the AChE activity in zebrafish embryos which was
      treated with ATR was upregulated. A parallel phenomenon showed that embryonic
      primary sensory neurons (Rohon-Beard cells), principally expressing AChE in
      embryos, survived the physiological apoptosis. These phenomena demonstrated that
      the motor integration ability of the zebrafish was damaged by ATR which can
      disturb the development of sensory neurons and sarcomere and the innervations of
      muscle. 

PMID- 26114120
TI  - Diabetes Remission after Nonsurgical Intensive Lifestyle Intervention in Obese
      Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - Partial or complete remission from type 2 diabetes was recently observed after
      bariatric surgeries. Limited data is available about the possibility of inducing
      diabetes remission through intensive weight reduction. We retrospectively
      evaluated diabetes remissions after one year of the Weight Achievement and
      Intensive Treatment (Why WAIT) program, a 12-week intensive program for diabetes
      weight management in real-world clinical practice. Among 120 obese patients with
      type 2 diabetes who completed the program, 88 patients returned for follow-up at
      one year. Nineteen patients (21.6%) had major improvement in their glycemic
      control, defined as achieving an A1C <6.5% after one year. Four patients (4.5%)
      achieved either partial or complete diabetes remission defined as A1C <6.5% and
      <5.7%, respectively, on no antihyperglycemic medications for one year; 2 achieved
      partial remission (2.3%) and 2 achieved complete remission (2.3%). At the time of
      intervention, patients who achieved diabetes remission had shorter diabetes
      duration (<5 years) and lower A1C (<8%) and were treated with fewer than 2 oral
      medications. They achieved a weight reduction of >7% after 12 weeks. These
      results indicate that a subset of obese patients with type 2 diabetes is
      appropriate for intensive lifestyle intervention with the aim of inducing
      diabetes remission. 

PMID- 26114121
TI  - Optimal Hemoglobin A1c Levels for Screening of Diabetes and Prediabetes in the
      Japanese Population.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) to
      identify individuals with diabetes and prediabetes in the Japanese population. A
      total of 1372 individuals without known diabetes were selected for this study. A
      75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was used to diagnose diabetes and
      prediabetes. The ability of HbA1c to detect diabetes and prediabetes was
      investigated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The kappa
      (kappa) coefficient was used to test the agreement between HbA1c categorization
      and OGTT-based diagnosis. ROC analysis demonstrated that HbA1c was a good test to
      identify diabetes and prediabetes, with areas under the curve of 0.918 and 0.714,
      respectively. Optimal HbA1c cutoffs for diagnosing diabetes and prediabetes were
      6.0% (sensitivity 83.7%, specificity 87.6%) and 5.7% (sensitivity 60.6%,
      specificity 72.1%), respectively, although the cutoff for prediabetes showed low
      accuracy (67.6%) and a high false-negative rate (39.4%). Agreement between HbA1c
      categorization and OGTT-based diagnosis was low in diabetes (kappa = 0.399) and
      prediabetes (kappa = 0.324). In Japanese subjects, the HbA1c cutoff of 6.0% had
      appropriate sensitivity and specificity for diabetes screening, whereas the
      cutoff of 5.7% had modest sensitivity and specificity in identifying prediabetes.
      Thus, HbA1c may be inadequate as a screening tool for prediabetes.

PMID- 26114122
TI  - Secretory Products of Trichinella spiralis Muscle Larvae and Immunomodulation:
      Implication for Autoimmune Diseases, Allergies, and Malignancies.
AB  - Trichinella spiralis has the unique ability to make itself "at home" by creating
      and hiding in a new type of cell in the host body that is the nurse cell. From
      this immunologically privileged place, the parasite orchestrates a long-lasting
      molecular cross talk with the host through muscle larvae excretory-secretory
      products (ES L1). Those products can successfully modulate parasite-specific
      immune responses as well as responses to unrelated antigens (either self or
      nonself in origin), providing an anti-inflammatory milieu and maintaining
      homeostasis. It is clear, based on the findings from animal model studies, that
      T. spiralis and its products induce an immunomodulatory network (which
      encompasses Th2- and Treg-type responses) that may allow the host to deal with
      various hyperimmune-associated disorders as well as tumor growth, although the
      latter still remains unclear. This review focuses on studies of the molecules
      released by T. spiralis, their interaction with pattern recognition receptors on
      antigen presenting cells, and subsequently provoked responses. This paper also
      addresses the immunomodulatory properties of ES L1 molecules and how the induced
      immunomodulation influences the course of different experimental inflammatory and
      malignant diseases. 

PMID- 26114123
TI  - NK and NKT Cell Depletion Alters the Outcome of Experimental Pneumococcal
      Pneumonia: Relationship with Regulation of Interferon-gamma Production.
AB  - Background. Natural killer (NK) and natural killer T (NKT) cells contribute to
      the innate host defense but their role in bacterial sepsis remains controversial.
      Methods. C57BL/6 mice were infected intratracheally with 5 * 10(5) cfu of
      Streptococcus pneumoniae. Animals were divided into sham group (Sham); pretreated
      with isotype control antibody (CON) group; pretreated with anti-asialo GM1
      antibody (NKd) group; and pretreated with anti-CD1d monoclonal antibody (NKTd)
      group before bacterial challenge. Serum and tissue samples were analyzed for
      bacterial load, cytokine levels, splenocyte apoptosis rates, and cell
      characteristics by flow cytometry. Splenocyte miRNA expression was also analyzed
      and survival was assessed. Results. NK cell depletion prolonged survival. Upon
      inhibition of NKT cell activation, spleen NK (CD3-/NK1.1+) cells increased
      compared to all other groups. Inhibition of NKT cell activation led to higher
      bacterial loads and increased levels of serum and splenocyte IFN-gamma.
      Splenocyte miRNA analysis showed that miR-200c and miR-29a were downregulated,
      while miR-125a-5p was upregulated, in anti-CD1d treated animals. These changes
      were moderate after NK cell depletion. Conclusions. NK cells appear to contribute
      to mortality in pneumococcal pneumonia. Inhibition of NKT cell activation
      resulted in an increase in spleen NK (CD3-/NK1.1+) cells and a higher IFN-gamma
      production, while altering splenocyte miRNA expression. 

PMID- 26114125
TI  - A Review of Myiasis in Iran and a New Nosocomial Case from Tehran, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Due to various climatic conditions in different parts of Iran,
      presenting of various kinds of human myiasis is expected. Despite of a few case
      series, most papers related to myiasis are case reports originated from various
      parts of Iran. This study discusses on different clinical features of myiasis in
      Iran and description of one case from Tehran as a representative to nosocomial
      infection in Iran. METHODS: The information needed for this descriptive study was
      derived mainly from the digital library of Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
      The larvae have been identified with observing on posterior spiracles, spines of
      their body and anal tubercles. RESULTS: Total number of reported myiasis cases
      from Iran is 77 which can be categorized clinically as furuncular, wound,
      ophthalmic, auricular, nasopharyngeal, oral, intestinal and genitourinary. Based
      on parasitological features, all myiasis agents in Iran are belonging to
      Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Oestridae and Syrphidae flies. The case which is
      reporting in this paper can be mentioned as representative of nosocomial myiasis
      which it seems to be underreported because of some medicolegal reasons.
      CONCLUSION: Low number of investigations on various aspects of human myiasis, as
      well as incuriosity to report of the cases in disease reporting system of health
      minister, made the myiasis as a neglected disease.

PMID- 26114126
TI  - Seroepidemiologic Survey of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis in Tehran and Alborz
      Provinces of Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A two year seroepidemiological study was designed to find out the
      seroprevalence and risk factors of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) among
      stray and owned dogs in Tehran and Alborz Provinces of Iran. METHODS: Blood
      samples of 602 dogs living in 11 counties of Tehran and Alborz Provinces were
      taken by venipuncture in 2008-2010. After separation of blood sera, anti
      leishmanial antibodies were detected by direct agglutination test (DAT). RESULTS:
      Overall, of the 408 and 194 serum samples collected randomly from dogs in 11
      localities in Tehran and Alborz Provinces, 18/408 (4.41%) and 12/194 (6.18%)
      respectively were found positive. Among the localities, Shemiran in Tehran
      Province and Karaj In Alborz Province had the highest prevalence rates. No
      statistically significant differences were found between sex and living place but
      there was significant difference between living status (owned or stray) and CVL
      infection of dogs in Alborz Province (P= 0.018). The highest seroprevalence
      (7.5%) was found in dogs aged 3 to 5 years old. Only 20% of the seropositive dogs
      were symptomatic. CONCLUSION: Concerning possible human infections in Tehran and
      Alborz Provinces, both symptomatic and asymptomatic seropositive dogs should be
      considered as a risk.

PMID- 26114124
TI  - The Lung Immune Response to Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (Lung Immunity to
      NTHi).
AB  - Haemophilus influenzae is divided into typeable or nontypeable strains based on
      the presence or absence of a polysaccharide capsule. The typeable strains (such
      as type b) are an important cause of systemic infection, whilst the nontypeable
      strains (designated as NTHi) are predominantly respiratory mucosal pathogens.
      NTHi is present as part of the normal microbiome in the nasopharynx, from where
      it may spread down to the lower respiratory tract. In this context it is no
      longer a commensal and becomes an important respiratory pathogen associated with
      a range of common conditions including bronchitis, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, and
      particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. NTHi induces a strong
      inflammatory response in the respiratory tract with activation of immune
      responses, which often fail to clear the bacteria from the lung. This results in
      recurrent/persistent infection and chronic inflammation with consequent lung
      pathology. This review will summarise the current literature about the lung
      immune response to nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae, a topic that has important
      implications for patient management. 

PMID- 26114127
TI  - Molecular Survey on Detection of Leishmania Infection in Rodent Reservoirs in
      Jahrom District, Southern Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ZCL) is endemic in many parts of
      Iran. Recently its incidence is considerable in different parts of Jahrom
      district, in Fars Province, southern Iran. The aims of our study were to
      investigate the prevalence of leishmania infection, and identify and characterize
      the Leishmania species present, among the rodents by molecular methods in a new
      endemic focus of ZCL, in an urban and rural area of the Jahrom district, Fars
      Province, southern Iran. METHODS: From May to November 2010), 55 rodents in four
      regions of Jahrom focus were caught and checked for leishmania infection by the
      microscopical examination of liver, spleen, ears, and footpads' smears. RESULTS:
      Overall 18 Meriones persicus, 15 Tatera indica, 14 Mus musculus, and 8 Rattus
      rattus were caught. Totally, four (16.5%) and two (13.3%) of the Me. persicus and
      Ta. indica, but only one of Mu. musculus and Ra. rattus were found smear-positive
      for leishmania amastigotes, respectively. In the nested-PCR assay 8 (14.6%)
      smears were found positive for Leishmania major, none was found positive for any
      other Leishmania species. Sequencing based detection of Leishmania confirmed the
      microscopic and PCR findings. All positive specimens were shown 95-96% similarity
      with L. major Friedlin. CONCLUSION: Tatera indica and Me. persicus are
      incriminated as the main 'reservoir' hosts of L. major in the rural area of
      Jahrom, moreover, Mu. musculus and Ra. rattus have the minor but remarkable role
      in the maintenance of the disease in the urban regions of Jahrom focus.

PMID- 26114128
TI  - Chemical Composition, Larvicidal and Repellency Properties of Cionura erecta (L.)
      Griseb. Against Malaria Vector, Anopheles stephensi Liston (Diptera: Culicidae).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Application of plant derivatives have been suggested as alternative
      sources for mosquito control. METHODS: The root essential oil and methanol
      extract of Cionura erecta (L.) Griseb was tested under laboratory conditions for
      larvicidal and skin repelleny activities against Anopheles stephensi. The
      chemical compositions of essential oils were analyzed using gas chromatography-
      mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Among the five concentrations tested, the 320 ppm of
      essential oil and 1280 ppm of methanolic extract had the most toxic effects
      yielding 100% mortality. The LC50 values of C. erecta for both essential oil and
      methanolic extract were 77.30 and 250.38 ppm, respectively. A total of 19
      compounds were identified in essential oil of root. The major components were
      detected in root essential oil including Cedren-9-one (7.89%), alpha cadinol
      (5.67%), eugenol (4.02%) and alpha muurolene (3.58%). The protection time of 50%
      solution of essential oil against bites of An. stephensi was 2.28 hour on white
      rabbit and the ED50 and ED90 values of the essential oil were 10.12 and 23.01 ppm
      respectively. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that C. erecta oil has a potential
      source as larvicidal and repellency properties against An.stephensi.

PMID- 26114129
TI  - Efficacy of Different Sampling Methods of Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in
      Endemic Focus of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Kashan District, Isfahan Province,
      Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the efficiency and
      practicality of seven trapping methods for adult phlebotominae sand flies. The
      results of this investigation provide information to determine the species
      composition and nocturnal activity pattern of different sand fly species.
      METHODS: The study was carried out in both plain region (about 5km far from
      northeast) and mountainous region (about 40km far from southwest of Kashan City).
      Seven traps were selected as sampling methods and sand flies were collected
      during 5 interval times starting July to September 2011 and from 8:00PM to 6:00AM
      in outdoors habitats. The traps include: sticky traps (4 papers for 2 hours),
      Disney trap, Malaise, CDC and CO2 light traps, Shannon traps (black and white
      nets) and animal-baited trap. RESULTS: A total of 1445 sand flies belonging to 15
      species of Phlebotomus spp. and five of Sergentomyia spp. were collected. Females
      and males comprised 44.91% and 55.09% of catches, respectively. Of the collected
      specimens, Se. sintoni was found to be the most prevalent (37.86%) species, while
      Ph. papatasi, accounted for 31.76% of the sand flies. CONCLUSION: Disney trap and
      sticky traps exhibited the most productivity than other traps. In addition, in
      terms of the efficiency of sampling method, these two trapping methods appeared
      to be the most productive for both estimating the number of sand flies and the
      species composition in the study area.

PMID- 26114130
TI  - Fauna and Larval Habitats of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of West Azerbaijan
      Province, Northwestern Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several important diseases are transmitted by mosquitoes. Despite of
      the potential of the occurrence of some mosquito-borne diseases such as West
      Nile, dirofilariasis and malaria in the region, there is no recent study of
      mosquitoes in West Azerbaijan Province. The aim of this investigation was to
      study the fauna, composition and distribution of mosquitoes and the
      characteristics of their larval habitats in this province. METHODS: Larvae and
      adult collections were carried out from different habitats using the standard
      methods in twenty five localities of seven counties across West Azerbaijan
      Province. RESULTS: Overall, 1569 mosquitoes including 1336 larvae and 233 adults
      were collected from 25 localities. The details of geographical properties were
      recorded. Five genera along with 12 species were collected and identified
      including: Anopheles claviger, An. maculipennis s.l., An. superpictus, Culex
      pipiens, Cx. theileri, Cx. modestus, Cx. hortensis, Cx. mimeticus, Culiseta
      Longiareolata, Ochlerotatus caspius s.l., Oc. geniculatus and Uranotaenia
      unguiculata. This is the first record of Oc. geniculatus in the province.
      CONCLUSION: Due to the geographical location of the West Azerbaijan Province, it
      comprises different climatic condition which provides suitable environment for
      the establishment of various species of mosquitoes. The solidarity geographical,
      cultural and territorial exchanges complicate the situation of the province and
      its vectors as a threat for future and probable epidemics of mosquito-borne
      diseases.

PMID- 26114131
TI  - Differential Larval Toxicity and Oviposition Altering Activity of Some Indigenous
      Plant Extracts against Dengue and Chikungunya Vector Aedes albopictus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mosquitoes are well known as vectors of several disease causing
      pathogens. The extensive use of synthetic insecticides in the mosquito control
      strategies resulted to the development of pesticide resistance and fostered
      environmental deterioration. Hence in recent years plants become alternative
      source of mosquito control agents. The present study assessed the larvicidal and
      oviposition altering activity of six different plants species-Alstonia scholaris,
      Callistemon viminalis, Hyptis suaveolens, Malvastrum coromandelianum, Prosopis
      juliflora, Vernonia cinerea against Aedes albopictus mosquito in laboratory.
      METHODS: Leaf extracts of all the six plants species in five different solvents
      of various polarities were used in the range of 20-400ppm for larval bioassay and
      50,100 and 200ppm for cage bioassay (for the study of oviposition behavior)
      against Ae. albopictus. The larval mortality data were recorded after 24 h and
      subjected to Probit analysis to determine the lethal concentrations (LC50), while
      OAI (Oviposition activity index) was calculated for oviposition altering activity
      of the plant extracts. RESULTS: Vernonia cinerea extract in acetone and C.
      viminalis extract in isopropanol were highly effective against Aedes albopictus
      larvae with LC50 value 64.57, 71.34ppm respectively. Acetone extract of P.
      juliflora found to be strong oviposition-deterrent which inhibited >2 fold egg
      laying (OAI-0.466) at 100ppm. CONCLUSION: Vernonia cinerea and C. viminallis leaf
      extracts have the potential to be used as larvicide and P. juliflora as an
      oviposition-deterrent for the control of Ae. albopictus mosquito.

PMID- 26114132
TI  - Distribution of Anopheles culicifacies and Detection of its Sibling Species E
      from Madhya Pradesh: Central India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anopheles culicifacies is an important vector of malaria in Southeast
      Asia, contributing to almost 70% of malaria cases in India. It exists as a
      complex of five morphologically indistinguishable species A, B, C, D and E with
      varied geographical distribution patterns. In India, 8% of the total population
      of Madhya Pradesh (Central India) contributes about 30% of total malaria cases,
      60% of total falciparum cases and 50% of malaria deaths. An. culicifacies is the
      major malaria vector in this state. Vector control mainly relies on the proper
      identification and distribution of vector species exists in a particular area.
      The present study was carried out to identify the distribution of An.
      culicifacies sibling species in certain endemic district of Central India, Madhya
      Pradesh. METHODS: The An. culicifacies mosquitoes collected from the study
      districts were identified morphologically. The genomic DNA was isolated from the
      mosquitoes and subjected to Allele specific PCR targeting D3 domain of 28S
      ribosomal DNA. RESULTS: The mean prevalence of An. culicifacies during the study
      period was in the range of 8-120 per man per hour (PMH). From the study areas
      species B was identified from Jabalpur, Chindwara and Hoshangabad, Species C from
      Hoshangabad only, Species D from Narsinghpur and Khandwa and sibling species E
      from Mandla, Chindwara and Hoshangabad respectively. CONCLUSION: This is the
      first report to detect species E from Madhya Pradesh region which necessitate for
      reconsideration of species distribution of each An. culicifacies sibling species
      that would enable to develop required vector control strategies.

PMID- 26114133
TI  - Biodiversity of Aquatic Insects of Zayandeh Roud River and Its Branches, Isfahan
      Province, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aquatic insects are the major groups of arthropods that spend some
      parts of their life cycle in the water. These insects play an important role for
      transmission of some human and animal diseases. There is few information about
      the aquatic insects fauna of Iran. METHODS: To study the aquatic insects fauna,
      adult, nymphal and larval collections were carried out from different habitats
      using the standard technique in Zayandeh Roud River, Isfahan Province,central
      Iran, during summer 2011. RESULTS: In total, 741 speimens of aquatic insects were
      collected and morphologically identified. They include 7 families and 12 genera
      representing 2 Orders. The order of Diptera (92.31%) and Coleoptera (7.69%). The
      families Culicidae, Syrphidae and Chironomidae from Diptera order, Gyrinidae,
      Dytiscidae, Haliplidae, Hydrophilidae from Coleoptera order were identified.
      CONCLUSION: Some aquatic insects play an important role for transmission of human
      and animal diseases. These insects also are important for biological control.
      Therefore ecological study on aquatic insects can provide information about
      ecology of insects in an area for any decision making.

PMID- 26114134
TI  - Anaplasma Infection in Ticks, Livestock and Human in Ghaemshahr, Mazandaran
      Province, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anaplasmosis is an important issue for animal breeders in terms of
      economic losses as well as a health concern to human. Ticks are considered as the
      main vector of this disease. Lack of documented information about Anaplasma
      species in Iran was the scope of this study to determine the population of ticks
      and the presence of Anaplasma in ticks, domestic ruminants and also human beings
      in northern Iran. METHODS: A total of 101 unengorged hard ticks, 78 domestic
      ruminants and 40 human blood samples collected from Ghaemshahr, Mazandaran
      Province, northern Iran were tested by nested PCR against 16s rRNA gene of
      Anaplasma species. RESULTS: Positive PCR was found in 50 ticks, 28 sheep, 2
      cattle, one goat, and 10 human specimens. Sequence analysis of the PCR products
      confirmed presence of A. ovis in two Rhipicephalus sanguineus and two Ixodes
      ricinus ticks, one human and 4 sheep samples. Moreover one Boophilus annulatus
      tick and one sheep sample were infected with A. bovis. Furthermore one sample of
      sheep was infected with A. centrale. CONCLUSION: This study is the first report
      of tick infection to A. ovis, A. bovis and human infection to A. ovis in Iran.
      The result of this study is a survey of Anaplasma infections from ticks, domestic
      animals and human in Iran which help to have appropriate prevention measures for
      anaplasmosis.

PMID- 26114135
TI  - Mosquito Fauna (Diptera: Culicidae) of Hamedan County, Western Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify and determine the larval and adult
      mosquitoes (Culicidae) fauna in Hamedan County, western Iran. METHODS: It was a
      cross-sectional study which took place in four area of the Hamedan County.
      Sampling methods for larvae, pupae and adults were dipping, hand catch, night
      catch and total catch. Larvae and adult mosquitoes collected and were sent to
      laboratory of Medical Entomology, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences,
      Hamedan, Iran for further identification to species level to determination of
      fauna. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version19. RESULTS: Three
      genera and eight species of family Culicidae were collected and identified in
      Hamedan County, Hamedan Province, West Iran, during May to October 2013. These
      species included: Culex theileri, Cx. pipiens, Cx. antennatus, Culiseta
      subochrea, Cs. langiareolata, Anopheles superpictus, An. maculipennis and An.
      stephensi. The species Cx. antennatus and An. stephensi were reported for the
      first time in Hamedan County. CONCLUSION: An. stephensi and Cx. antennatus caught
      had not been previously recorded in Hamedan Province. Due to vast agricultural
      activities in the province which provides suitable environment for the
      establishment of various species of mosquitoes and since many of them are
      potential vectors of human and domesticated animal pathogens, their ecology needs
      to be studied extensively.

PMID- 26114136
TI  - Species Diversity and Distribution of Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Zabol County,
      Eastern Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ticks are important vectors of human and animal pathogens. They are
      considered as main vectors for transmission of many viral, bacterial, rickettsial
      and parasitical pathogens. The aim of the present study was to find out species
      diversity of ticks, which infested the domestic ruminants in Zabol County,
      Eastern Iran in 2012. METHODS: Ticks were selected randomly from sheep, goats,
      cattle and camels. The ticks were collected from the body of infested animals and
      stored in 70% ethanol, then transported to the laboratory of Zabol University of
      Medical Sciences. Following examinations under stereomicroscope, ticks were
      identified using available taxonomic keys. RESULTS: In this study, a total number
      of 469 adult ticks (381 males and 88 females) were collected. Ticks were
      classified into 2 genera and 9 species including: Hyalomma dromedarii (17.3%),
      Hy. schulzei (1.8%), Hy. marginatum (0.5%), Hy. anatolicum excavatum (12.60%),
      Hy. anatolicum anatolicum (11.2%), Hy. asiaticum asiaticum (11.0%), Rhipicephalus
      sanguineus (21.2%), Rh. bursa (10.2%) and Rh. turacunis (13.911%). The frequency
      of genus Hyalomma (54.6%) was higher than Rhipicephalus. Rh. sanguineus was the
      predominant tick species and accounted for 21.26% of the ticks. The ratio of
      males was more than the female ticks. CONCLUSION: Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus
      species are commonly distributed in the study area. Further investigations are
      needed to identify the role of above tick species as vectors of pathogenic
      organisms.

PMID- 26114137
TI  - First Palaearctic Record of the Bird Parasite Passeromyia heterochaeta (Diptera:
      Muscidae) from the Iranian Persian Gulf Islands.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Passeromyia is a muscid genus previously known from the Old World
      Afrotropical and Oriental regions and eastwards from Australia and the West
      Pacific. The genus is known from nest-dwelling larvae which may be parasites of
      the nestlings. This study was aimed to identify of the Passeromyia species in the
      Iranian Persian Gulf Islands. METHODS: The flies were collected during April 2010
      to March 2011 on the 4 Iranian Persian Gulf islands, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb,
      Abu-Mousa and Qeshm with fly bottle trap and entomological net. RESULTS: During
      this sampling, 18 representatives of P. heterochaeta, a species with free-living
      haematophagous larvae, have been collected. The species is reported herein from
      Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, Abu-Mousa and Qeshm islands. CONCLUSIONS: This is the
      first Palaearctic record of the species as well as the first report of the genus
      Passeromyia from the Palaearctic Region.

PMID- 26114138
TI  - First Record of the Mediterranean Recluse Spider Loxosceles rufescens (Araneae:
      Sicariidae) from Iran.
AB  - Loxosceles rufescens, commonly known as the Mediterranean Recluse or
      Mediterranean Fiddle-Back Spider is recorded from Iran for the first time. The
      genus Loxosceles contains 103 accepted species, two of them (including L.
      rufescens) are cosmopolitan. All Loxosceles species tested so far possess
      necrotic venoms, which is a unique characteristic among the Order Araneae.
      Considering this characteristic, it is of medical importance to determine a
      specific geographical distribution of these spiders. Collecting methods include
      visual inspection and direct hand collecting. All of the specimens were collected
      in Tehran. Six specimens of both sexes were collected from parks, houses and
      apartments. The characteristics of the genus, which are the unique arrangement of
      six eyes in three diads, the violin shaped mark on the cephalothorax, and the
      short tibia of adult male palpi with narrow base and it's embolus which is about
      as long as the width of the globular bulb were observed and recorded. Having the
      cytotoxicity of the venom and its urban distribution in mind, L. rufescens is
      probably among the more important spider species of Iran. Since there are no
      reports of loxoscelism from Iran, we assume that the bites are either infrequent
      or misdiagnosed. Therefore further studies are needed to clarify the medical
      importance degree of this species. 

PMID- 26114139
TI  - Endoparasites of Wild Rodents in Southeastern Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was aimed to collect wild rodents for endoparasites
      determination in some parts of Sistan and Baluchistan Province, southeastern Iran
      nearby Pakistan and Afghanistan countries. METHODS: A total of 100 wild rodents
      were captured alive with cage traps. Various samples were collected from blood
      and feces, also impression smear prepared from different organs. The samples were
      prepared by formalin-ether or stained with Giemsa, after that were examined under
      microscope. RESULTS: All the caught rodents (47 Tatera indica, 44 Meriones
      hurriana, 5 Gerbilus nanus and 4 Meriones libycus) were studied for endoparasites
      emphasizing to their zoonotic aspects. Endoparasites including Spirurida,
      Hymenolepis diminuta, Hymenolepis nana feraterna, Trichuris trichiura, Skerjabino
      taenia, Trichostrongylus spp, Entamoeba muris, Chilomastix mesnili and Leishmania
      spp were parasitologically identified. CONCLUSION: Among 9 genera or species of
      the identified parasites at least 5 of them have zoonotic and public health
      importance.

PMID- 26114140
TI  - Assessing the Susceptibility Status of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in a
      Dirofilariasis Focus, Northwestern Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mosquitoes are considered as the vectors of dirofilariasis and some
      vector borne disease in Iran. The objective of this study was to determine the
      susceptibility level of the vectors to various insecticides recommended by WHO
      for any control measures in an endemic area in northwestern Iran. METHODS:
      Mosquito larval and adult collections were carried out using different methods
      provided by WHO including dipping and hand catch techniques. The susceptibility
      level was assessed to DDT 4%, malathion 5%, propoxur 0.1%, deltamethrin 0.05% and
      lambda-cyhalothrin 0.05%. RESULTS: Totally, 749 adults and 5060 larvae of
      Culicidae mosquitoes were collected comprising seven species of adult and larvae,
      including: Anopheles claviger, An. maculipennis, An. sacharovi, Culex hortensis,
      Cx. pipiens, Cx. theileri and Culiseta longiaerolata. Frequency of larvae and
      adults of An. maculipennis was very low, so susceptibility tests on this species
      did not performed. Results showed that Cx. theileri, Cs. longiaerolata and Cx.
      pipiens were resistant to DDT 4%, lambda-cyhalothrin 0.05%, and propoxur 0.1%
      whereas found tolerant to deltamethrin 0.05% and malathion 5%. The LT50 and LT90
      values for five insecticides were calculated. CONCLUSION: We suggest the same
      study in different parts of the world to obtain the data due to bionomic and
      susceptibility status of dirofilariasis vectors. This information will help the
      health authorities for monitoring and evaluation of control measures.

PMID- 26114141
TI  - Susceptibility of Culicidae Mosquitoes to Some Insecticides Recommended by WHO in
      a Malaria Endemic Area of Southeastern Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: According to the national strategy plan on monitoring of insecticides
      resistance, this study was carried out to determine the base line susceptibility
      of the Culicidae mosquitoes to the WHO-recommended insecticides in an endemic
      focus of malaria in southeastern Iran. METHODS: Larval collection was carried out
      by dipping method and adult collection occurred by suction tube from January to
      December 2010. The susceptibility test was assessed to DDT 4 %, malathion 5 %,
      propoxur 0.1 %, deltamethrin 0.05 %, lambda-cyhalothrin 0.05 %, and cyfluthrin
      0.15 % at different interval times (discriminative dose) followed by 24 h
      recovery period. The LT50 and LT90 values were calculated for plotting the
      regression line using Microsoft office Excel software ver. 2007. RESULTS:
      Anopheles stephensi was quite resistant to DDT and showed susceptible or tolerant
      to other insecticides. The LT50 and LT90 values to DDT in this species were
      29.07, and 98.26 minutes, respectively. Anopheles culicifacies and Anopheles
      dthali were found susceptible or tolerant to insecticides. Culex pipiens was
      found resistance to DDT, propoxur, lambda-cyhalothrin and cyfluthrin whereas
      observed susceptible to malathion and tolerant to deltamethrin. Ochlerotatus
      caspius sl. was resistant to DDT, whereas found susceptible to other
      insecticides. Culisita longiareolata was susceptible to deltamethrin, whereas
      tolerant to other insecticides. The LT50 and LT90 values of Cs. longiareolata to
      DDT were 17.82, and 51.26 minutes. CONCLUSION: We suggested the same study in
      different parts of the country for monitoring and evaluation of control measures.

PMID- 26114142
TI  - Aerobic Bacterial Community of American Cockroach Periplaneta americana,a Step
      toward Finding Suitable Paratransgenesis Candidates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cockroaches mechanically spread pathogenic agents, however, little is
      known about their gut microbiota. Identification of midgut microbial community
      helps targeting novel biological control strategies such as paratransgenesis.
      Here the bacterial microbiota of Periplaneta americana midgut, were identified
      and evaluated for finding proper paratransgenesis candidate. METHODS: Midgut of
      specimens were dissected and cultivated in different media. The bacterial
      isolates were then identified using the phenotypic and 16S-rRNA sequencing
      methods. RESULTS: The analytical profile index (API) kit showed presence of 11
      bacterial species including: Escherichia coli, Shigella flexineri, Citrobacter
      freundii, E. vulneris, Enterobacter cloacae, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, Y.
      intermedia, Leclericia adecarboxylata, Klebsiella oxytoca, K. planticola, and
      Rahnella aquatilis in the cockroach midguts. The first three species are
      potentially symbiotic whereas others are transient. The conventional plating
      method revealed presence of only four isolates of Salmonella, E. coli, and
      Proteus which in three cases mismatched with API and 16S-rRNA genotyping. The API
      correctly identified the four isolates as Shigella flexneri, Citrobacter
      freundii, and E. coli (n= 2). 16S-rRNA sequence analysis confirmed the API
      results; however the C. freundii sequence was identical with C. murliniae
      indicating lack of genetic variation in the gene between these two closely
      related species. CONCLUSION: A low number of potentially symbiotic bacteria were
      found in the American cockroach midguts. Among them Enterobacter cloacae is a
      potential candidate for paratransgenesis approach whereas other bacteria are
      pathogens and are not useful for the approach. Data analysis showed that
      identification levels increase from the conventional to API and to genotyping
      respectively.

PMID- 26114143
TI  - The Fauna and Ecology of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Western Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to obtain new data which would be valuable
      to develop programs for future planning of mosquito controls in in western Iran.
      METHODS: Larvae and adult collections were carried out from different habitats
      using standard dipping and animal baited trap methods during May, June and July
      2012 in two provinces (Kurdistan and Kermanshah) in the west of Iran.
      Characteristics of breeding places were studied based on the habitat type (River
      edge, Ground pool), water conditions (clear or turbid, stagnant or running),
      vegetation (With or without vegetation), water temperature, sunlight exposure
      (full or partial sunlight) and so on. RESULTS: Overall, 4081 third- and fourth
      instars larvae and 2013 Adult were collected. Five genera and eleven species of
      the family Culicidae were identified. Mosquitoes collected in larval and adult
      stages including, Anopheles maculipennis s.l. (4.1%, 4.42%), An. superpictus
      (1.35%,1.39%), An. turkhudi (1.75%,1.68%), Aedes vexans (2.5%, 8.78%), Culex
      hortensis (1.59%, 1.04%), Cx. mimeticus (5%, 2.38%), Cx. pipiens (16.5%, 8.15%),
      Cx. theileri (10%, 46.4%), Culiseta longiareolata (24%, 4.27%), and Cs. subochrea
      (24%, 4.27%) and Ochlerotatus caspius s.l. (9.1%, 21.46%). Culiseta longiareolata
      and Cs. subochrea found predominant species in larval collection, whereas Culex
      theileri was dominant in Adult collection. Anopheles turkhudi is reported for the
      first time in Kermanshah Province. CONCLUSION: Due to the geographical location
      of the two provinces, extensively studies with emphasis on mosquito ecology, to
      having comprehensive and up to date information is essential.

PMID- 26114144
TI  - Species Composition and Seasonal Activities of Malaria Vectors in an Area at
      Reintroduction Prevention Stage, Khuzestan, South-Western Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The most part of Iran become malaria-free region and fall in
      prevention of re-introduction stage. These regions however are struggling with
      imported of malaria cases where malaria vectors exist. Therefore, understanding
      the situation of mosquito vectors is crucial. This study was carried out to find
      out the present situation of malaria vectors and malaria transmission potential
      in a malaria-free area. METHODS: The study was conducted in a malaria free area,
      Izeh County, Khuzestan Province during 12 months in 2011-2012. Five villages,
      including 2 in highlands and 3 in plain area, were selected randomly. The
      mosquito sampling methods were conducted using spray sheet and hand catch
      collection methods from indoor/outdoors, window trap and larvae collections.
      RESULTS: In total, 3352 female Anopheles were captured, 1826 mosquito from
      highland and 1526 from plain areas. Five species, An. stephensi, An. fluviatilis
      s.l., An. dthali, An. superpictus and An. pulcherrimus were identified. The
      seasonal activities were started from April to March. The abdominal conditions of
      collected mosquitoes from indoor/outdoor places pointed to exophilic propensity
      of An. fluviatilis.l. s.l. and endophilic behaviour for rest of the vectors. The
      results of window trap also confirmed these behaviors. The larval habitats of
      four species were widely dispersed and included spring, margin of rivers,
      irrigation channels, stagnant water and rice filed. CONCLUSION: Understanding the
      present situation of malaria vectors in free-malaria area is crucial particularly
      where is struggling with imported cases. The results of present study can be
      expanded to other area of northern Khuzestan for malaria vector control planning
      in reintroduction prevention stage.

PMID- 26114145
TI  - Resistance Mechanisms of Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae) to Temephos.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anopheles stephensi is a sub-tropical species and has been considered
      as one of the most important vector of human malaria throughout the Middle East
      and South Asian region including the malarious areas of southern Iran. Current
      reports confirmed An. stephensi resistance to temephos in Oman and India.
      However, there is no comprehensive research on mechanisms of temephos resistance
      in An. stephensi in the literature. This study was designed in order to clarify
      the enzymatic and molecular mechanisms of temephos resistance in this species.
      METHODS: Profile activities of alpha- and beta-esterases, mixed function oxidase
      (MFO), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), insensitive acetylcholinesterase, and
      para-nitrophenyl acetate (PNPA)-esterase enzymes were tested for An. stephensi
      strain with resistance ratio of 15.82 to temephos in comparison with susceptible
      strain. RESULTS: Results showed that the mean activity of alpha-EST, GST and AChE
      enzymes were classified as altered indicating metabolic mechanisms have
      considerable role in resistance of An. stephensi to temephos. Molecular study
      using PCR-RFLP method to trace the G119S mutation in ACE-1 gene showed lack of
      the mutation responsible for organophosphate insecticide resistance in the
      temephos-selected strain of An. stephensi. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the
      altered enzymes but not targets site insensitivity of ACE-1 are responsible for
      temephos resistance in An. stephensi in south of Iran.

PMID- 26114146
TI  - Morphological and Genotypic Variations among the Species of the Subgenus Adlerius
      (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotomus) in Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Female sand flies of subgenus Adlerius are considered as probable
      vectors of visceral leishmaniasis in Iran. The objective of this study was to
      determine the morphological and genotypic variations in the populations of this
      subgenus in the country. METHODS: Sand flies collected using sticky traps from 17
      provinces during 2008-2010. The morphometric measurements were conducted with an
      Ocular Micrometer. Data was analyzed by SPSS. The Cytb gene was used to estimate
      population genetic diversity and identify the female specimens. UPGMA phenetic
      tree was used for DNA haplotypes of Cytb gene. RESULTS: Six species of subgenus
      Adlerius identified from which one species, P. (Adlerius) kabulensis, is new
      record. The identification key is provided for males. Results revealed the
      molecular systematic in the species of subgenus Adlerius and determine the
      relationship of three females of P. comatus, P. balcanicus and P. halepensis.
      CONCLUSION: The positions of three females and the males in the UPGMA tree are
      correct and the similarities among them confirm our results. The branches of each
      species are not genetically distinct which justify the overlapping morphological
      characters among them. Molecular sequencing of Cytb-mtDNA haplotypes can be used
      for female identification for different species of subgenus Adlerius in Iran.

PMID- 26114147
TI  - Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) as a Source of Ectoparasites in Urban-suburban
      Areas of Northwest of Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hedgehogs are small, nocturnal mammals which become popular in the
      world and have important role in transmission of zoonotic agents. Thus, the
      present study aimed to survey ectoparasite infestation from April 2010 to
      December 2011 in urban and suburban parts of Urmia and Tabriz Cities, Northwest
      of Iran. METHODS: A total number of 84 hedgehogs (40 females and 44 males) were
      examined. They have been carefully inspected for ectoparasites and collected
      arthropods were stored in 70% ethanol solution. The identification of arthropods
      was carried out using morphological diagnostic keys. RESULTS: The occurrence of
      ticks on hedgehogs was 23 (67.7%) with Rhipicephalus turanicus in Urmia and 11
      (22%) as well as 1(2%) with Rh. turanicus and Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum in
      Tabriz, respectively. One flea species, Archaeopsylla erinacei, was found with
      prevalence of 19 (55.9%) and 27 (54%) in Urmia and Tabriz Cities, respectively.
      Prevalence of infestation with Rh. turanicus and A. erinacei were not different
      (P> 0.05) between sexes of hedgehogs in two study areas. Highest prevalence of
      tick and flea infestation was in June in Urmia, whereas it was observed in August
      in Tabriz. Both tick and flea parasitizing hedgehogs showed seasonal difference
      in prevalence (P< 0.05) in Urmia, but it was not detected in Tabriz (P> 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: The result showed the high occurrence of ectoparasites in hedgehog
      population and according to the zoonotic potential of these animals as vector of
      some agents further studies are needed to investigate in different parts of Iran.

PMID- 26114148
TI  - Biological Activities and Composition of Ferulago carduchorum Essential Oil.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ferulago carduchorum Boiss and Hausskn belongs to the Apiaceae
      family. This plant grows in west part of Iran that local people added it to dairy
      and oil ghee to delay expiration date and give them a pleasant taste. The aim of
      this study was to investigate the antioxidant, antimicrobial, acetyl
      cholinesterase inhibition, cytotoxic, larvicidal activities and composition of
      essential oil of F. carduchorum. METHODS: Acetyl cholinesterase (AChE)
      inhibitory, larvicidal activities and chemical composition of essential oil of F.
      carduchorum were investigated. Besides, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic
      activities of essential oil were tested using DPPH, microdilution method and MTT
      assay, respectively. RESULTS: The major components of essential oil were (z)-beta
      ocimene (43.3%), alpha-pinene (18.23%) and bornyl acetate (3.98%). Among 43
      identified components, monoterpenes were the most compounds (84.63%). The
      essential oil had noticeable efficiency against Candida albicans (MIC= 2340 MUg
      ml(-1)) and it was effective against Anopheles stephensi with LC50 and LC90
      values of 12.78 and 47.43 ppm, respectively. The essential oil could inhibit AChE
      (IC50= 23.6 MUl ml(-1)). The essential oil showed high cytotoxicity on T47D, HEP
      G2 and HT-29 cell lines (IC50< 2 MUg ml(-1)). CONCLUSION: The essential oil of F.
      carduchorum collected from west of Iran had anti-Candida, larvicidal and
      cytotoxicity effects and should be further investigated in others in vitro and in
      vivo experimental models.

PMID- 26114149
TI  - Homology Modeling and Conformational Epitope Prediction of Envelope Protein of
      Alkhumra Haemorrhagic Fever Virus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to generate in silico 3D-structure of the
      envelope protein of AHFV using homology modeling method to further predict its
      conformational epitopes and help other studies to investigate its structural
      features using the model. METHODS: A 3D-structure prediction was developed for
      the envelope protein of Alkhumra haemorrhagic fever virus (AHFV), an emerging
      tick-borne flavivirus, based on a homology modeling method using M4T and Modweb
      servers, as the 3D-structure of the protein is not available yet. Modeled
      proteins were validated using Modfold 4 server and their accuracies were
      calculated based on their RSMDs. Having the 3D predicted model with high quality,
      conformational epitopes were predicted using DiscoTope 2.0. RESULTS: Model
      generated by M4T was more acceptable than the Modweb-generated model. The global
      score and P-value calculated by Modfold 4 ensured that a certifiable model was
      generated by M4T, since its global score was almost near 1 which is the score for
      a high resolution X-ray crystallography structure. Furthermore, itsthe P-value
      was much lower than 0.001 which means that the model is completely acceptable.
      Having 0.46 A rmsd, this model was shown to be highly accurate. Results from
      DiscoTope 2.0 showed 26 residues as epitopes, forming conformational epitopes of
      the modeled protein. CONCLUSION: The predicted model and epitopes for envelope
      protein of AHFV can be used in several therapeutic and diagnostic approaches
      including peptide vaccine development, structure based drug design or diagnostic
      kit development in order to facilitate the time consuming experimental epitope
      mapping process.

PMID- 26114150
TI  - A Case of Secondary Ophthalmomyiasis Caused by Chrysomya bezziana (Diptera:
      Calliphoridae).
AB  - Myiasis is the invasion of vertebrates' tissue by the larvae of a fly of the
      order Diptera. The objective of this paper is to present a rare case of secondary
      myiasis of ocular infestation by Chrysomya bezziana. A 55-year-old female from
      Sar village of Mazandaran Province, northern Iran), referred to Khatam Al-Anbia
      Hospital of Mashhad with extensive destruction of left orbital cavity. Existence
      of larvae was the major complaint in recent months. Some live larvae were removed
      from her destructed left eye. Primary diagnosis was myiasis of left upper lid
      (LUL) and suspected recurrent Basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The laboratory
      diagnosis was done in parasitology lab of Imam Reza Hospital of Mashhad and
      collected larvae were identified and confirmed to be larvae of the C. bezziana
      (Diptera: Calliphoridae). It is a case report of secondary ophtalmiomyiasis due
      to C. bezziana of a patient lives in Mazandaran Province. 

PMID- 26114151
TI  - Nymphal Linguatulosis in Indian Crested Porcupines (Histrix Indica) in Southwest
      of Iran.
AB  - Linguatula serrata is one of the important zoonotic parasites. Carnivores serve
      as definitive host. The larvae existed in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), liver,
      lungs, etc of intermediate herbivores. The definitive host becomes infected by
      ingesting viscera containing the infective nymphal stage. Humans may be infected
      with Linguatula either by ingestion of nymphs resulting in a condition called
      nasopharyngeal linguatulosis or Halzoun syndrome or by ingestion of infective
      eggs which develop in internal organs resulting in visceral linguatulosis. Indian
      crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) is a common rodent in Middle East. Based on
      some tradition, consumption of Histrix meat and viscera is common in some parts
      of Iran. The present study reports the occurrence of Linguatula serrata nymph in
      H. indica as a new intermediate host from southwest of Iran. 

PMID- 26114152
TI  - Pharmacoeconomics of Antimalarials in Private-for-Profit (PFP) Drug-Outlets in
      Gulu and Kitgum Towns, Northern Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinically-diagnosed malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and
      mortality in Uganda accounting for 25 to 40% of outpatients, 15 to 20% of all
      hospital admissions, and 9 to 14% of all hospital deaths. This situation was
      exacerbated by The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion in northern Uganda
      which completely ran down the health care system. While malaria remains the
      number one killer disease in northern Uganda, antimalarials are lacking in the
      public health facilities. Consequently, Private-for-profit drug-outlets have come
      up to help bridge the gap. However, the cost-effectiveness and treatment outcome
      ratings of antimalarials are not clear. Objective: To assess the
      pharmacoeconomics of malaria treatment in Private-for-profit (PFP) drug-outlets
      in Gulu Municipality and Kitgum Town Council. METHODOLOGY: This was a descriptive
      cross-sectional study sites were registered drug outlets. Study participants were
      drug-outlet owners, their employees, and malaria patients. We employed both
      purposive and random sampling methods to select the study participants. Data were
      collected using questionnaires and analysed using the SPSS computer package.
      RESULTS: Up to 91.1% of the respondents indicated that antimalarials are
      expensive. The prices varied from less than 5,000 to over 20,000 Ugandan
      shillings per dose (Exchange rate: 1$ = Ush 2,650). Fansidar and chloroquine were
      rated as being relatively cheap and ACTs expensive (Ush 11,000 to 15,000).
      Duration of treatment, frequency of administration, needles and syringes, raised
      the cost of some medicines. Most patients preferred cheap medicines (76.2%);
      those with low administration frequencies (77.5%); and those with short treatment
      duration (95%). Most patients (80.9%) buy antimalarials without testing, while
      66.6% do not buy full doses. CONCLUSION: The cost benefit analysis of the use of
      antimalarials is unfavourable. The unit price of the medicines, their irrational
      use and the lack of professionals in the outlets together add up to high overall
      costs and poor treatment outcomes.

PMID- 26114153
TI  - Circulating endocannabinoids during hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A
      pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is a stressful and
      rigorous medical procedure involving significant emotional and immune challenges.
      The endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling system is involved in regulation of both the
      immune system and emotional reactivity, yet little is known about its function
      during HCT. We investigated the role of the eCB signaling system in a group of
      HCT recipients. METHODS: A total of 19 HCT recipients were enrolled and provided
      psychosocial data and blood samples at three peri-transplant time points: prior
      to transplant, hospital discharge, and approximately 100 days post-transplant.
      Psychosocial factors, inflammatory molecules, and the eCBs were determined and
      assessed for changes over this period and association with each other. RESULTS:
      HCT recipients demonstrated significant changes over the peri- transplant period
      in inflammatory molecules and psychosocial functioning, but not in circulating
      concentrations of the eCBs. Associations among these variables were most likely
      to be present pre-transplant and least likely to be present immediately post
      transplant, with depressive symptoms and inflammation most significantly
      associated. The eCB 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) was significantly, positively
      associated with both interleukin (IL)-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) and
      negatively associated with depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The eCB signaling
      system may have alternative sources and regulatory mechanisms in addition to the
      immune system. Given the significant associations with inflammatory molecules and
      depressive symptoms in the peri- transplant period, it is important to better
      understand this system and its potential implications in the setting of complex
      and stressful medical procedures such as HCT.

PMID- 26114154
TI  - RhoA, a novel tumor suppressor or oncogene as a therapeutic target?

PMID- 26114156
TI  - Current perspectives on FOXA1 regulation of androgen receptor signaling and
      prostate cancer.
AB  - FOXA1 (also known as hepatocyte nuclear factor 3alpha, or HNF-3alpha) is a
      protein of the FKHD family transcription factors. FOXA1 has been termed as a
      pioneer transcription factor due to its unique ability of chromatin remodeling in
      which the chromatin can be decompacted to allow genomic access by nuclear hormone
      receptors, including androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen receptor (ER). In this
      review, we discuss our current understanding of FOXA1 regulation of prostatic and
      non-prostatic AR-chromatin targeting. We present an updated model wherein
      FOXA1:AR equilibrium in the nuclei defines prostatic AR binding profile, which is
      perturbed in prostate cancer with FOXA1 and/or AR de-regulation. Finally, we
      discuss recent efforts in exploring new horizons of AR-independent functions of
      FOXA1 in prostate cancer and interesting directions to pursue in future studies.

PMID- 26114155
TI  - Pancreatic cancer stromal biology and therapy.
AB  - Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies. Significant progresses
      have been made in understanding of pancreatic cancer pathogenesis, including
      appreciation of precursor lesions or premalignant pancreatic intraepithelial
      neoplasia (PanINs), description of sequential transformation from normal
      pancreatic tissue to invasive pancreatic cancer and identification of major
      genetic and epigenetic events and the biological impact of those events on
      malignant behavior. However, the currently used therapeutic strategies targeting
      tumor epithelial cells, which are potent in cell culture and animal models, have
      not been successful in the clinic. Presumably, therapeutic resistance of
      pancreatic cancer is at least in part due to its drastic desmoplasis, which is a
      defining hallmark for and circumstantially contributes to pancreatic cancer
      development and progression. Improved understanding of the dynamic interaction
      between cancer cells and the stroma is important to better understanding
      pancreatic cancer biology and to designing effective intervention strategies.
      This review focuses on the origination, evolution and disruption of stromal
      molecular and cellular components in pancreatic cancer, and their biological
      effects on pancreatic cancer pathogenesis.

PMID- 26114158
TI  - Latent and Active Tuberculosis Infection Increase Immune Activation in
      Individuals Co-Infected with HIV.
AB  - In recent years, chronic immune activation and systemic inflammation have emerged
      as hallmarks of HIV disease progression and mortality. Several studies indicate
      that soluble inflammatory biomarkers (sCD14, IL-6, IL-8, CRP and hyaluronic
      acid), as well as surface markers of T-cell activation (CD38, HLA-DR)
      independently predict progression to AIDS and mortality in HIV-infected
      individuals. While co-infections have been shown to contribute to immune
      activation, the impact of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), which is widely
      endemic in the areas most affected by the global AIDS epidemic, has not been
      evaluated. We hypothesized that both active and latent states of Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis co-infection contribute to elevated immune activation as measurable
      by these markers. In HIV-infected individuals with active, but not latent TB, we
      found elevated levels of soluble markers associated with monocyte activation.
      Interestingly, T-cell activation was elevated individuals with both latent and
      active TB. These results suggest that in the highly TB- and HIV-endemic settings
      of southern Africa, latent TB-associated T-cell activation may contribute to HIV
      disease progression and exacerbate the HIV epidemic. In addition, our findings
      indicate that aggressive campaigns to treat LTBI in HIV-infected individuals in
      high-burden countries will not only impact TB rates, but may also slow HIV
      progression.

PMID- 26114157
TI  - NKCC1 and NKCC2: The pathogenetic role of cation-chloride cotransporters in
      hypertension.
AB  - This review summarizes the data on the functional significance of ubiquitous
      (NKCC1) and renal-specific (NKCC2) isoforms of electroneutral sodium, potassium
      and chloride cotransporters. These carriers contribute to the pathogenesis of
      hypertension via regulation of intracellular chloride concentration in vascular
      smooth muscle and neuronal cells and via sensing chloride concentration in the
      renal tubular fluid, respectively. Both NKCC1 and NKCC2 are inhibited by
      furosemide and other high-ceiling diuretics widely used for attenuation of
      extracellular fluid volume. However, the chronic usage of these compounds for the
      treatment of hypertension and other volume-expanded disorders may have diverse
      side-effects due to suppression of myogenic response in microcirculatory beds.

PMID- 26114159
TI  - The Moderating Role of Smoking Amount Per Day on the Relations Between Anxiety
      Sensitivity, Smoking Dependence, and Cognitive-Affective Aspects of Smoking Among
      Treatment Seeking Smokers.
AB  - The current study examined the moderating effects of smoking amount per day on
      the relation between anxiety sensitivity and nicotine dependence, cigarette
      smoking outcome expectancies, and reasons for quitting smoking among 465 adult,
      treatment-seeking smokers (48% female; Mage = 36.6, SD = 13.5). Smoking amount
      per day moderated the relation between anxiety sensitivity and nicotine
      dependence, smoking expectancies for negative consequences and appetite control
      as well as intrinsic reasons for quitting. However, no moderating effect was
      evident for negative reinforcement expectancies. The form of the significant
      interactions indicated across dependent variables lower levels of smoking amount
      per day suppressed the relation between anxiety sensitivity and smoking related
      dependent variable, such that the positive relation of anxiety sensitivity to
      smoking dependence and cognitive-affective aspects of smoking is weaker in
      heavier smokers and more robust in lighter smokers.

PMID- 26114160
TI  - Cumulative effects of common genetic variants on risk of sudden cardiac death.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies and candidate-gene based approaches
      have identified multiple common variants associated with increased risk of sudden
      cardiac death (SCD). However, the independent contribution of these individual
      loci to disease risk is modest. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cumulative effects
      of genetic variants previously associated with SCD risk. METHODS: A total of 966
      SCD cases from the Oregon-Sudden Unexpected Death Study and 1,926 coronary artery
      disease controls from the Wellcome Trust Case-Control Consortium were
      investigated. We generated genetic risk scores (GRS) for each trait composed of
      variants previously associated with SCD or with abnormalities in specific
      electrocardiographic traits such as QRS duration, QTc interval and heart rate.
      GRSs were calculated using a weighted approach based on the number of risk
      alleles weighted by the beta coefficients derived from the original studies. We
      also compared the highest and lowest quintiles for the GRS composed of SCD SNPs.
      RESULTS: Increased cumulative risk was observed for a GRS composed of 14 SCD-SNPs
      (OR=1.17 [1.05-1.29], P = 0.002). The risk for SCD was 1.5 fold higher in the
      highest quintile when compared to the lowest quintile (OR = 1.46[1.11-1.92]). We
      did not observe significant associations with SCD for SNPs that determine
      electrocardiographic traits. CONCLUSIONS: A modest but significant effect on SCD
      risk was identified for a GRS composed of 14 previously associated SCD SNPs.
      While next generation sequencing methodology will continue to identify additional
      novel variants, these findings represent proof of concept for the additive
      effects of gene variants on SCD risk.

PMID- 26114162
TI  - Effect of Diamond Bur Grit Size on Composite Repair.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study investigated the effect of diamond bur grit size on the
      repair bond strength of fresh and aged resin composites. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Blocks of microhybrid composite (Opallis, FGM) were stored in distilled water at
      37 degrees C for 24 h (fresh composite) or subjected to 5000 thermal cycles (aged
      composite). The surfaces were roughened using diamond-coated, flame-shaped
      carbide burs with medium grit (#3168), fine grit (#3168F), or extra-fine grit
      (#3168FF). The control group underwent no surface treatment. Surface roughness,
      water contact angle, and surface topography by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
      were evaluated (n = 3). Samples were restored with resin composite and sectioned
      into beam-shaped specimens, which were subjected to microtensile bond testing.
      Failure modes were classified using a stereomicroscope. Data were statistically
      analyzed using the Student- Newman-Keuls test and two-way ANOVA, with
      significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Higher surface roughness was observed for
      groups treated with the medium- and fine-grit burs; aged composites were rougher
      than fresh composites. The water contact angle formed on the aged composite was
      lower than that on the fresh composite. The highest repair bond strength was
      observed for the fine-grit bur group, and the lowest was recorded for control.
      Interfacial failures were more predominant. SEM images showed that the surfaces
      treated with fine- and extra-fine-grit burs had a more irregular topography.
      CONCLUSION: Surface roughening of fresh or aged resin composites with diamond
      burs improved retention of the repair material. Fine-grit burs generally
      performed better than medium- and extra-fine-grit burs.

PMID- 26114161
TI  - Effect of Unblinding on Participants' Perceptions of Risk and Confidence in a
      Large Double-Blind Clinical Trial of Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Blinding patients to treatment regimen is an important component of
      high-quality randomized clinical trials, although concern exists about how
      receipt of a placebo will affect participants' views, particularly among patients
      with cancer. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether unblinding of random assignment to
      placebo vs experimental agent in a large adjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy
      randomized clinical trial was associated with perception of greater chance of
      cancer recurrence and lower confidence in the decision to participate in the
      trial in participants who were randomized to placebo compared with those
      randomized to experimental therapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Serial
      telephone-based prospective survey substudy of all Eastern Cooperative Oncology
      Group Protocol 5103 (ECOG5103) participants enrolling between January 5 and June
      8, 2010. In ECOG5103, patients were randomized to receive standard adjuvant
      chemotherapy for breast cancer with either placebo or bevacizumab for either
      approximately 6 or approximately 12 months. Treatment assignment was unblinded by
      24 weeks, and then patients were surveyed. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Trial
      participants' self-reported perceived risk of recurrence and confidence in study
      participation. RESULTS: Of 571 patients in this substudy who started protocol
      therapy, 550 were still in the study at unblinding and 492 (89%) responded to the
      unblinding survey. At unblinding, 336 of 477 (70%) believed that they had at most
      a small risk of breast cancer recurrence, and 342 of 480 (71%) reported
      perceiving at most a small risk of serious problem with therapy; most reported
      feeling very informed (421 of 483 [87%]) and having high levels of confidence in
      their study participation (420 of 483 [87%]). The 102 participants who learned
      that they had been randomized to placebo did not have greater perception of
      chance of recurrence (P = .48) or fear of recurrence (P = .69), feel less
      informed (P = .86), or have lower confidence in trial participation (P = .31)
      compared with the 390 participants who had been randomized to experimental
      therapy. Patients who learned that they had been randomized to bevacizumab
      perceived higher risk of having a serious problem caused by treatment (P = .01).
      CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In a placebo-controlled, double-blind randomized
      clinical trial of chemotherapy for breast cancer, unblinding to randomization
      allocation did not significantly affect most participants' views except for
      chance of a serious problem from experimental treatment, regardless of receipt of
      placebo or experimental anticancer therapy along with standard chemotherapy.

PMID- 26114164
TI  - Bond Strength of Resin Composite to Dentin with Different Adhesive Systems:
      Influence of Relative Humidity and Application Time.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of relative humidity and application time
      on bond strength to dentin of different classes of adhesive systems. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A total of 360 extracted human molars were ground to mid-coronal
      dentin. The dentin specimens were treated with one of six adhesive systems
      (Syntac Classic, OptiBond FL, Clearfil SE Bond, AdheSE, Xeno Select, or
      Scotchbond Universal), and resin composite (Filtek Z250) was applied to the
      treated dentin surface under four experimental conditions (45% relative
      humidity/application time according to manufacturers' instructions; 45% relative
      humidity/reduced application time; 85% relative humidity/application time
      according to manufacturers' instructions; 85% relative humidity/reduced
      application time). After storage (37 degrees C, 100% humidity, 24 h), shear bond
      strength (SBS) was measured and data analyzed with nonparametric ANOVA followed
      by Kruskal-Wallis tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests with Bonferroni-Holm correction
      for multiple testing (level of significance: alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: Increased
      relative humidity and reduced application time had no effect on SBS for Clearfil
      SE Bond and Scotchbond Universal (p = 1.00). For Syntac Classic, OptiBond FL,
      AdheSE, and Xeno Select there was no effect on SBS of reduced application time of
      the adhesive system (p >= 0.403). However, increased relative humidity
      significantly reduced SBS for Syntac Classic, OptiBond FL, and Xeno Select
      irrespective of application time (p <= 0.003), whereas for AdheSE, increased
      relative humidity significantly reduced SBS at recommended application time only
      (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Generally, increased relative humidity had a detrimental
      effect on SBS to dentin, but reduced application time had no effect.

PMID- 26114163
TI  - Influence of Curing Units and Indirect Restorative Materials on the Hardness of
      Two Dual-curing Resin Cements Evaluated by the Nanoindentation Test.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the hardness of a dual-curing self-adhesive resin cement
      (RelyX U200) and a conventional dual-curing resin cement (RelyX ARC) cured with
      different light curing units of different wavelengths (Elipar Freelight 2 LED
      [430 to 480 nm, conventional], Bluephase LED [380 to 515 nm, polywave], AccuCure
      3000 Laser [488 nm]) by means of the nanoindentation test. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Bovine incisors were cleaned and then sectioned at the cementoenamel junction to
      remove the crown. After embedding in acrylic, dentin surfaces of the specimens
      were exposed and ground flat to standardize the surfaces. To simulate clinically
      placing indirect restorations, ceramic (IPS e.maxPress/Ivoclar Vivadent) or
      indirect composite resin (SR Adoro/Ivoclar Vivadent) slabs were cemented on
      dentin surfaces. The specimens were sectioned longitudinally at low speed under
      constant irrigation and then polished. In the positive control group, the cement
      was light cured without the interposition of indirect restorative material; in
      the negative control group, after the indirect restorative material was cemented,
      no light curing was performed, allowing only chemical polymerization of the
      cement. All specimens were stored in distilled water at 37 degrees C for 7 days.
      Nanoindentadion hardness of the cement layer was measured under a 100-mN load.
      Data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey's test (p < 0.05).
      RESULTS: Although the self-adhesive cement is technically simple, conventional
      cement showed the best polymerization performance. The polywave LED technology
      did not differ significantly from other light-curing units. The hardness of the
      resin cements evaluated was negatively influenced by the interposition of an
      indirect restorative material; only the LEDs were able to maintain the same
      degree of cement polymerization when an indirect restorative material was used.
      CONCLUSION: The photoactivation step is required during the cementation of
      indirect restorations to ensure adequate polymerization of dual-curing resin
      cements.

PMID- 26114165
TI  - Bonding Effectiveness to Differently Sandblasted Dental Zirconia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of different mechanical pre-treatments on the
      bond durability to dental zirconia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fully sintered IPS
      e.max ZirCAD (Ivoclar Vivadent) blocks were randomly assigned to one of 4 groups:
      (1) kept as-sintered (control), (2) sandblasted with 50-MUm Al2O3(Danville), or
      tribochemically silica sandblasted using (3) CoJet (3M ESPE) and (4) SilJet
      (Danville). The zirconia specimens were additionally pre-treated chemically using
      a 10-MDP/silane ceramic primer (Clearfil Ceramic Primer, Kuraray Noritake). Two
      identically pre-treated zirconia blocks were bonded together using resin
      composite cement (RelyX Ultimate, 3M ESPE). The specimens were trimmed at the
      interface to a cylindrical hourglass shape and stored in distilled water (7 days,
      37 degrees C), after which they were randomly tested as is or subjected to
      additional mechanical aging involving cyclic tensile stress (10 N, 10 Hz, 10,000
      cycles). Subsequently, the microtensile bond strength was determined and SEM
      fractographic analysis performed. RESULTS: Weibull analysis revealed the highest
      Weibull scale and shape parameters when zirconia was tribochemically silica
      sandblasted using either CoJet or SilJet. The Weibull shape parameter of Al2O3
      sandblasted zirconia was significantly reduced upon mechanical aging, but not
      when zirconia was tribochemically silica sandblasted. CONCLUSION: The mechanical
      surface pre-treatment of zirconia using tribochemical silica sandblasting (CoJet,
      SilJet) resulted in the most favorable bond durability of a resin-composite
      cement (RelyX Ultimate) to dental zirconia before and after aging.

PMID- 26114166
TI  - An unusual cause of bleeding from the duodenum: pyogenic granuloma.

PMID- 26114167
TI  - Endoscopic resection of a giant colonic lipoma causing severe anemia.

PMID- 26114168
TI  - Gastric Kaposi sarcoma in a double lung-transplanted patient.

PMID- 26114169
TI  - The helix sign in the peritoneal encapsulation syndrome: a new sign in a rare
      cause of bowel obstruction?

PMID- 26114171
TI  - Liver elastography - where are we now?

PMID- 26114170
TI  - Anemia in inflammatory bowel diseases is much more than levels of hemoglobin.

PMID- 26114172
TI  - The disappointing performance of the new "Magnetic Sphincters": a wrong idea or a
      wrong realization?

PMID- 26114174
TI  - Coping strategies and irrational beliefs as mediators of the health-related
      quality of life impairments in irritable bowel syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic and disabling
      gastrointestinal disorder. Although considerable research has underlined the
      influence of coping mechanisms as the determinants of the quality of life (QOL),
      only limited data are available regarding the specific coping mechanisms used by
      IBS patients to manage illness in daily life. Irrational cognitions are known to
      emerge in stressful situations such as chronic diseases, and it has been proposed
      to have implications in the QOL. The aim of this study was to explore the
      relationship between coping styles and irrational beliefs in predicting the
      effects of IBS symptoms on the health-related QOL (HRQOL). METHODS: A cross
      sectional study was performed at two tertiary gastroenterology centers. A sample
      of 70 consecutive IBS patients and 55 healthy controls was studied. All
      participants completed the Brief Cope Inventory, the Dysfunctional Attitudes
      Scale, the Short-Form Health Survey and a demographic questionnaire. RESULTS: All
      the HRQOL scores of the group with IBS were significantly lower than the HRQOL
      scores of the healthy group [Pillai's trace V = 0.404, F(8, 116) = 9.833, p <
      0.001]. Irritable bowel syndrome patients used more problem-focused coping and
      avoidant-oriented coping than healthy subjects. The impact of IBS symptoms on
      HRQOL distress is mediated by irrational beliefs and avoidant oriented coping.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the role of irrational cognition and coping
      mechanisms in patients with IBS. The results underline the importance of the
      evaluation of psychological aspects of IBS with the possibility of having more
      tailored treatments for these patients.

PMID- 26114173
TI  - A single biopsy is valid for genetic diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis
      regardless of tissue preservation or location in the esophagus.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: A new gene expression profile test may distinguish
      eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), but
      the optimal tissue preparation and biopsy location are unknown. We aimed to
      determine if formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) and RNA-later (RNAL)
      preserved specimens from newly diagnosed EoE patients have equivalent gene
      expression scores and whether scores vary by esophageal biopsy location. METHODS:
      We analyzed prospectively collected and banked esophageal biopsies from EoE
      patients and GERD controls. Paired FFPE and RNAL samples from the distal, mid,
      and proximal esophagus were used. RNA was extracted, and gene expression for a
      previously constructed 96 gene panel was quantified with a summary expression
      score. Scores were compared between EoE and GERD patients, between FFPE and RNAL
      samples, and between the different esophageal locations. RESULTS: A total of 72
      samples, representing paired FFPE and RNAL specimens from 9 EoE cases and 3 GERD
      controls, were analyzed. Overall median gene expression scores were similar
      between FFPE and RNAL (238 vs 227; p=0.64), correlation was excellent between
      FFPE and RNAL (Spearman's rho=0.90; p<0.001), and there were no differences by
      biopsy level. Median gene scores distinguished EoE from controls (134 vs 402;
      p=0.02), and overall agreement between preservation methods and EoE case status
      was perfect (kappa=1.0; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Gene expression scores were
      equivalent in FFPE and RNAL, and were also similar across three esophageal
      locations. This implies that a single biopsy in either FFPE or RNAL from anywhere
      in the esophagus may have the potential for genetic diagnosis of EoE.

PMID- 26114175
TI  - Does infliximab short infusion have a beneficial impact on the quality of life in
      patients with inflammatory bowel diseases? A single centre prospective
      evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Infliximab (IFX) is an anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha agent
      used in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) therapy. Usually, it is administered
      over a 2-hour intravenous infusion. However, shortening the infusion duration to
      1 hour has proved to be feasible and safe. In the present study we evaluated
      whether shortening the IFX infusion could affect the patients' quality of life
      (QoL) compared to the standard protocol. METHODS: Subjects affected by IBD
      receiving IFX were prospectively recruited. The main criterion to shorten the
      infusion was the absence of IFX-related adverse reactions during the previous
      three 2-h infusions. For each patient, demographic, clinical and anthropometric
      data were collected. A questionnaire investigating their
      overall/job/social/sexual QoL was administered. Ordinal regression was performed
      with odds ratios (OR) for significant independent variables. RESULTS: Eighty-one
      patients were included (46 with ulcerative colitis - UC, 35 with Crohn's disease 
      CD). Sixteen received the 2-h infusion due to previous adverse reactions, and
      the remaining 65 underwent the 1-h schedule. Shortening the infusion to 1 hour
      determined a better QoL (OR=0.626). However, the QoL was negatively influenced by
      age (OR=1.023), female sex (OR=2.04) and severe disease activity (OR=7.242). One
      hour IFX infusion induced a better outcome on work (OR=0.588) and social
      (OR=0.643) QoL. Long-standing disease was correlated with a slightly better
      sexual QoL (OR=0.93). Conversely, older age (OR=1.046), severe clinical score
      (OR=15.579), use of other immunomodulators (OR=3.693) and perianal CD (OR=3.265)
      were related to an unsatisfactory sexual life. The total number of infusions
      (OR=0.891), proctitis (OR=0.062) or pancolitis (OR=0.1) minimized the perception
      of infusion-related side effects. CONCLUSION: The 1-h short infusion improves
      overall, social and job QoL, so that, when indicated, it should be recommended.

PMID- 26114176
TI  - Opportunistic colorectal cancer screening using colonoscopy. Comparative results
      between two historical cohorts in Bucharest, Romania.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Even though Romania has one of the highest incidence and
      mortality in colorectal cancer (CRC) in Europe, there is currently no organized
      screening program. We aimed to assess the results of our opportunistic CRC
      screening using colonoscopy. METHODS: A single center retrospective study to
      include all opportunistic screening colonoscopies performed in two 18 month
      periods (2007-2008 and 2012-2013) was designed. All asymptomatic individuals
      without a personal or family history of adenoma or CRC and with complete
      colonoscopy performed in these two time periods were included. RESULTS: We
      included 1,807 individuals, 882 in the first period, 925 in the second period.
      There were 389 individuals aged below 50, 1,351 between 50 and 75 and 67 older
      than 75 years. There were 956 women (52.9%), with a mean age of 58.5 (median 59,
      range 23-97). The detection rates were 12.6% for adenomas (6.1% for advanced
      adenoma) and 3.4% for adenocarcinoma. Adenoma incidence (4.9% in subjects under
      50, 14.7% in those aged 50 to 75, and 16.4% in those older than 75, p<0.0001) and
      size (6.3mm in subjects younger than 50, 9.2mm in those 50 to 75 and 10.8mm in
      those older than 75, p=0.015) significantly increased with age. Adenoma incidence
      increased in the second period (14.8% vs. 10.3%, p=0.005), while adenoma size
      decreased in the second period (8.4mm vs. 10mm, p=0.006). There were no procedure
      related complications. CONCLUSIONS: The neoplasia detection rate was 16% (12.6%
      adenoma, 3.4% adenocarcinoma). Adenoma incidence and size increased with age in
      both cohorts. In the second screening period significantly more and smaller
      adenomas were detected.

PMID- 26114177
TI  - Early Achievable Severity (EASY) index for simple and accurate expedite risk
      stratification in acute pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is one of the most common diseases of the
      gastrointestinal tract associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The
      assessment of severity is crucial in the management of the disease. Current
      methods of risk stratification in AP have a limited value, as they provide little
      additional information thus delaying appropriate patient care. Early recognition
      of severe disease may prevent serious adverse events and improve patient
      management as well as overall clinical outcome. METHODS/DESIGN: The EASY trial is
      an observational, multicenter, prospective cohort study for establishing a
      simple, easy and accurate clinical scoring system for early prognostication of
      AP. Evaluation of simple attainable potential prognostic parameters obtained at
      admission (or not later than 6-12 hours afterwards) from patients diagnosed with
      AP will be performed to assess their potential correlation with the disease
      severity. The selected parameters that show the strongest correlation with severe
      disease course will be further utilized as potential early severity prognostic
      markers for prospective new patient stratification. Comparison of patients'
      clinical course with the obtained results of early risk stratification may
      validate the utilized parameters as prognostic markers. The trial has been (i)
      discussed and (ii) accepted in a distinguished international scientific meeting,
      (ii) receiving the relevant ethical approval (TUKEB: 30595-1/2014/EKU), (ii)
      registered at the ISRCTN registry which is a primary clinical trial registry
      recognized by WHO (Trial registration number: ISRCTN10525246). CONCLUSION: The
      EASY trial is designed to develop a simple and accurate clinical scoring system
      that can stratify patients with AP during the first 6-12 hours of hospitalization
      according to their risk for severe disease course.

PMID- 26114178
TI  - Coagulation Parameters in Wilson Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder of
      copper metabolism. Alterations of copper metabolism have been associated with
      changes in coagulation factors. The aim of the present study was the analysis of
      coagulation factors in WD patients. METHODS: 100 patients attending a tertiary WD
      outpatient clinic were analyzed in a prospective cross sectional cohort study.
      Out of peripheral venous blood samples coagulation factors were assessed
      including: full blood count, INR, partial thromboplastin time (PTT), clotting
      factors II, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, von Willebrand factor/-antigen,
      fibrinogen, antithrombin III, protein S, protein C, activated protein C (APC)
      resistance. Subgroup analyses of the blood tests were performed for sex, initial
      clinical presentation, WD treatment and liver function. RESULTS: Subgroup
      analysis by liver function showed decreased levels of factors II, V, VII and X.
      Subgroup analysis by gender or clinical course of the disease did not reveal
      significant coagulation changes. In patients treated with trientine significantly
      decreased levels of factors II, VII and antithrombin III and increased von
      Willebrand factor/-antigen levels were detected. Factor VIII levels were
      significantly reduced in patients receiving zinc. CONCLUSION: Although
      significant differences of some coagulation parameters in subgroup analysis were
      found, no clinically relevant alterations of the coagulation system in WD
      patients could be detected.

PMID- 26114179
TI  - Efficacy of Interferon A-2b monotherapy in Beta-thalassemics with chronic
      hepatitis C.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Monotherapy with standard or pegylated interferon (PegIFN)
      remains the first-line treatment for HCV infection in patients with thalassemia
      major (betaTM), although its long-term impact is still unknown. We aimed to
      assess the efficacy of IFN-a2b/PegIFN-a2b (one or multiple treatment sessions)
      and the predictors for sustained virological response (SVR) in HCV-infected
      betaTM patients. METHODS: Between 11/1992 and 12/2013 [median follow-up: 165.5
      months (8-237)], 48 betaTM HCV-infected patients [19 males, median age: 22 years
      (12-45)], received IFN-a2b (n=34) or PegIFN-a2b (n=14). Twenty-three patients
      (47.9%) had a previous splenectomy; 13/40 (32.5%) patients had Ishak stage >/=4
      and 21/40 (52.5%) had siderosis grade 3-4. HCV-genotype was available in 36
      patients (genotype 1: 47.2%, 2: 5.6%, 3: 25%, and 4: 22%). IL28B genotype was
      determined in 37 patients by means of in-house real-time PCR (CC: 27%, CT: 62.2%,
      TT: 10.8%). RESULTS: Totally, 15/48 (31.3%) achieved SVR following the first
      treatment and 18/48 (37.5%) after multiple courses. Splenectomy (p=0.01) and
      fibrosis grade >/=4 (p<0.05) were negative predictors for SVR (first course),
      whereas splenectomy (p<0.05) and age >18 (p<0.02) for SVR after multiple courses.
      In HCV-genotype 1/4 (n=25), none of the patients with CT or TT IL28B genotype
      achieved SVR compared to 50% of the CC patients (p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS:
      Interferon is an effective therapeutic option in HCV-infected betaTM patients.
      IL28B genotype was a strong predictor for SVR, together with splenectomy, age and
      fibrosis.

PMID- 26114180
TI  - Non-invasive distinction of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease using urinary
      volatile organic compound analysis: early results.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is the commonest
      cause of chronic liver disease in the western world. Current diagnostic methods
      including Fibroscan have limitations, thus there is a need for more robust non
      invasive screening methods. The gut microbiome is altered in several
      gastrointestinal and hepatic disorders resulting in altered, unique gut
      fermentation patterns, detectable by analysis of volatile organic compounds
      (VOCs) in urine, breath and faeces. We performed a proof of principle pilot study
      to determine if progressive fatty liver disease produced an altered urinary VOC
      pattern; specifically NAFLD and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). METHODS: 34
      patients were recruited: 8 NASH cirrhotics (NASH-C); 7 non-cirrhotic NASH; 4
      NAFLD and 15 controls. Urine was collected and stored frozen. For assay, the
      samples were defrosted and aliquoted into vials, which were heated to 40+/-0.1
      degrees C and the headspace analyzed by FAIMS (Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility
      Spectroscopy). A previously used data processing pipeline employing a Random
      Forrest classification algorithm and using a 10 fold cross validation method was
      applied. RESULTS: Urinary VOC results demonstrated sensitivity of 0.58 (0.33 -
      0.88), but specificity of 0.93 (0.68 - 1.00) and an Area Under Curve (AUC) 0.73
      (0.55 - 0.90) to distinguish between liver disease and controls. However,
      NASH/NASH-C was separated from the NAFLD/controls with a sensitivity of 0.73
      (0.45 - 0.92), specificity of 0.79 (0.54 - 0.94) and AUC of 0.79 (0.64 - 0.95),
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggests that urinary VOCs detection
      may offer the potential for early non-invasive characterisation of liver disease
      using 'smell prints' to distinguish between NASH and NAFLD.

PMID- 26114181
TI  - Overview of biological therapy in ulcerative colitis: current and future
      directions.
AB  - The treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) has changed over the last decade. It is
      extremely important to optimize the therapies which are available nowadays and
      commonly used in daily clinical practice, as well as to stimulate the search for
      more powerful drugs for the induction and maintenance of sustained and durable
      remission, thus preventing further complications. Therefore, it is mandatory to
      identify the patients' prognostic variables associated with an aggressive
      clinical course and to test the most potent therapies accordingly. To date, the
      conventional therapeutic approach based on corticosteroids, salicylates
      (sulfasalazine, 5-aminosalicylic acid) or immunosuppressive agents is commonly
      used as a first step to induce and to maintain remission. However, in recent
      years, knowledge of new pathogenetic mechanisms of ulcerative colitis have
      allowed us to find new therapeutic targets leading to the development of new
      treatments that directly target proinflammatory mediators, such as TNF-alpha,
      cytokines, membrane migration agents, cellular therapies. The aim of this review
      is to provide the most significant data regarding the therapeutic role of drugs
      in UC and to give an overview of biological and experimental drugs that will
      become available in the near future. In particular, we will analyse the role of
      these drugs in the treatment of acute flare and maintenance of UC, as well as its
      importance in mucosal healing and in treating patients at a high risk of relapse.

PMID- 26114182
TI  - Review of computed tomographic colonography from a surgeon's perspective.
AB  - New research has addressed many of the early concerns of computed tomographic
      colonography (CTC) and these studies are now beginning to shape clinical
      practices. A review of the literature demonstrates that the sensitivity of CTC in
      screening for large polyps (>/= 1cm) or cancers in the large intestine is as high
      as that of conventional optical colonoscopy, however, the sensitivity decreases
      with the diameter of the polyp. Despite this, CTC is well tolerated, more
      acceptable to patients than optical colonoscopy and therefore may improve
      colorectal cancer screening compliance. This review not only describes the
      diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity of CTC, and the evolving role of CTC as a
      primary colon cancer screening option, but also the recent studies that have
      demonstrated the additional value of CTC utilization for practicing clinicians. 

PMID- 26114183
TI  - The role of Skp2 and its substrate CDKN1B (p27) in colorectal cancer.
AB  - Colorectal cancer is one of the most frequent cancers worldwide, having the
      fourth mortality rate among cancers in both sexes. Numerous studies are
      investigating the signalling pathways and different factors involved in the
      development and progression of colorectal cancer. It has recently been shown that
      the S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) overexpression plays an important
      role in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. We review the role of Skp2 and its
      ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in colorectal cancer. The F-box protein Skp2, a
      component of the SCF (Skp1-Cullin 1-F-box) E3 ubiquitin-ligase complex, has been
      shown to regulate cellular proliferation, cancer progression and metastasis by
      targeting several cell cycle regulators for ubiquitination and subsequent 26S
      proteasome degradation. The best known protein substrate of the Skp2 is the
      cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (CDKN1B), also known as p27Kip1.
      Overexpression of Skp2 and loss of CDKN1B (p27) was strongly associated with
      aggressive tumor behavior and poor clinical outcome in a variety of cancers,
      including colorectal cancer. An efficient interaction between Skp2 and CDKN1B
      (p27) requires the presence of an essential activator of the SCF-Skp2 complex,
      the cyclin-dependent kinase subunit 1 (Cks1) cofactor. Alterations in the Skp2,
      Cks1 and CDKN1B (p27) expression have major effects on colorectal carcinogenesis
      and may serve as an important and independent prognostic marker. Furthermore, we
      highlight that Skp2 may be a promising therapeutic target for colorectal cancer,
      and development of Skp2 inhibitors would have a great impact on colorectal cancer
      therapy. 

PMID- 26114184
TI  - Premalignant and malignant lesions of the heterotopic pancreas in the esophagus:
      a case report and review of the literature.
AB  - Heterotopic pancreas is a congenital pathology of the gastrointestinal tract,
      particularly rare in the esophagus. Both symptomatology and findings during
      preoperative examinations are non-specific and therefore do not often lead to an
      accurate diagnosis, which is usually revealed only by histopathological
      assessment of a resected specimen. We report an unusual case of a patient
      suffering from severe dysphagia caused by heterotopic pancreas in the distal
      esophagus with chronic inflammation and foci of premalignant changes. This
      article also reviews 14 adult cases of heterotopic pancreas in the esophagus
      previously reported in the literature, with the aim of determining the clinical
      features of this disease and possible complications including rare premalignant
      lesions and malignant transformation. Especially with regard to those
      complications, we suggest that both symptomatic and incidentally found
      asymptomatic lesions should be resected. 

PMID- 26114185
TI  - Primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor after 4 years tumor-free follow-up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumour (PHNET) is a very rare
      disease. The liver represents the preferential site for neuroendocrine tumors'
      metastases. CASE PRESENTATION: A 45-year old Caucasian female who presented with
      nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, accompanied by diffuse abdominal pain was found to
      have on contrast-enhanced computer tomography an encapsulated, partially cystic
      liver mass. The patient underwent an uneventful left atypical hepatic resection.
      Histopatological and immunohistochemical examination revealed a slowly growing
      (G1) hepatic neuroendocrine tumour. Post surgery, the specific neuroendocrine
      markers (serum Chromogranin A and 24h urinary 5 hydroxy-indolacetic acid) were
      within normal range. Further functional imaging investigations were performed. No
      other lesions were found making probable the diagnosis of PHNET. The patient is
      presently after 4 years of follow-up with no local recurrence or distant
      metastases. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of PHNET is a medical challenge that
      requires a thorough long term follow-up in order to exclude an occult primary
      neuroendocrine tumour.

PMID- 26114186
TI  - A case of primary pancreatic non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma mimicking autoimmune
      pancreatitis.
AB  - Non Hodgkin lymphoma frequently involves the gastrointestinal tract, in
      particular the stomach and the small bowel. Rarely, it can also be a cause of
      pancreatic masses. Clinical presentation is often non-specific and may overlap
      with other pancreatic conditions such as carcinoma, neuroendocrine tumours and
      autoimmune pancreatitis. We report a case of primary pancreatic lymphoma in a
      young woman with jaundice, fever and abdominal pain mimicking autoimmune
      pancreatitis. Clinical evaluation included the abdominal Computed Tomography
      scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy that
      revealed a large duodenal mass. Endoscopic biopsies were performed and eventually
      histological examination was coherent with a diagnosis of primary pancreatic
      lymphoma. 

PMID- 26114187
TI  - Nephrotic syndrome after infliximab treatment in a patient with ulcerative
      colitis.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-targeted therapies are increasingly used to treat a
      variety of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. They are now used worldwide, and
      this class of medication has revolutionized the treatment of these diseases and
      the quality of life for patients but it also poses risk of developing various
      side effects including infections, exacerbation of some neurological
      manifestations, cutaneous lesions or induces antibody production. Renal
      complications are uncommon and poorly recognized. This report describes a
      probable case of infliximab-induced focal segmental glomerulosclerosis clinically
      presented as a severe nephrotic syndrome in a patient with ulcerative colitis. 

PMID- 26114189
TI  - Clinical decompensation after achieving SVR with sofosbuvir, daclatasvir and
      ribavirin in a patient with recurrent HCV post-liver transplant.

PMID- 26114188
TI  - Primary peritoneal serous psammocarcinoma: a case report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psammocarcinomas (PCas) are rare epithelial tumors, usually
      originating in the ovaries or the peritoneum. These tumors are morphologically
      characterized by extensive psammomatous calcifications, invasiveness and low
      grade cytological features. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a 54-year-old
      woman who was referred to our department with an umbilical tumor and increasing
      abdominal girth. The patient had had an umbilical hernia for more than 20 years.
      The CA 125 level was normal. The CT scan showed small peritoneal nodules at the
      level of the Douglas pouch, including the posterior wall of the uterus, and the
      entire colon, as well as large nodules located on the caecum and the sigmoid
      colon. We performed partial enterectomy, total colectomy with ileo-rectal
      anastomosis, omentectomy, total histerectomy and bilateral adnexectomy, pelvic
      peritonectomy of the Douglas pouch. Pathology findings were consistent with
      F.I.G.O. stage IIIC peritoneal PCa. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy
      with Taxol and Carboplatin. To date, twelve months after surgery, the follow-up
      shows no evidence of disease. CONCLUSION: Standardized treatment protocols are
      hindered by the rarity of the PCas. However, literature concludes that optimal
      debulking is mandatory, whereas the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy remains to
      be elucidated.

PMID- 26114190
TI  - Serum intestinal-fatty acid binding protein as a biomarker for refractory celiac
      disease.

PMID- 26114191
TI  - Mesalamine-induced fever: an important reminder to prescribers.

PMID- 26114192
TI  - The hypoglycemic effect of a polysaccharide (GLP) from Gracilaria lemaneiformis
      and its degradation products in diabetic mice.
AB  - Gracilaria lemaneiformis is cultivated on a large scale in China for industrial
      production of agarose, a natural polysaccharide, which has been shown to have
      many beneficial bioactivities such as antitumor, antiviral antioxidant
      activities, etc. In the present study, the hypoglycemic and antioxidant effects
      of a polysaccharide extracted from Gracilaria lemaneiformis (GLP; Mw, 121.89 kDa)
      and its chemically degraded products (GLP1 and GLP2: Mw, 57.02 and 14.29 kDa,
      respectively) were investigated in alloxan-induced diabetic mice. The
      intragastric administration of GLP, GLP1 and GLP2 for 21 days induced an obvious
      decrease (P < 0.05) in blood glucose levels in comparison with untreated diabetic
      mice. Furthermore, GLP, GLP1 and GLP2 caused evident increases (P < 0.05) in both
      ant i-oxidase (SOD and GSH-Px) activities and the total antioxidant capacity (T
      AOC) and a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the level of malondialdehyde (MDA)
      in the liver, pancreas and kidney of diabetic mice. Even though GLP, GLP1 and
      GLP2 did not show any significant difference in the structure and sulfation
      levels, GLP1 demonstrated more potent effects than GLP and GLP2 at the same dose.
      Histopathological examination of the pancreas and kidney revealed that the
      damaged tissues induced by alloxan were repaired to a certain degree after the
      treatments of GLP, GLP1 and GLP2. 

PMID- 26114193
TI  - A glucose biosensor based on glucose oxidase immobilized on three-dimensional
      porous carbon electrodes.
AB  - A novel glucose biosensor was developed by immobilizing glucose oxidase (GOD) on
      a three-dimensional (3D) porous kenaf stem-derived carbon (3D-KSC) which was
      firstly proposed as a novel supporting material to load biomolecules for
      electrochemical biosensing. Here, an integrated 3D-KSC electrode was prepared by
      using a whole piece of 3D-KSC to load the GOD molecules for glucose biosensing.
      The morphologies of integrated 3D-KSC and 3D-KSC/GOD electrodes were
      characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron
      microscopy (TEM). The SEM results revealed a 3D honeycomb macroporous structure
      of the integrated 3D-KSC electrode. The TEM results showed some microporosities
      and defects in the 3D-KSC electrode. The electrochemical behaviors and
      electrocatalytic performance of the integrated 3D-KSC/GOD electrode were
      evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The
      effects of pH and scan rates on the electrochemical response of the biosensor
      have been studied in detail. The glucose biosensor showed a wide linear range
      from 0.1 mM to 14.0 mM with a high sensitivity of 1.73 MUA mM(-1) and a low
      detection limit of 50.75 MUM. Furthermore, the glucose biosensor exhibited high
      selectivity, good repeatability and reproducibility, and good stability. 

PMID- 26114194
TI  - Ionic liquid-based zwitterionic organic polymer monolithic column for capillary
      hydrophilic interaction chromatography.
AB  - In the current study, a novel ionic liquid-based zwitterionic organic polymer
      monolithic column was developed by copolymerizing 1-vinyl-3-(butyl-4-sulfonate)
      imidazolium, acrylamide and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide in a quaternary porogenic
      solvent consisting of formamide, dimethyl sulphoxide, polyethylene glycol 8000
      and polyethylene glycol 10,000 for capillary hydrophilic interaction
      chromatography. The monolithic stationary phase was optimized by adjusting the
      amount of monomer in the polymerization solution along with the composition of
      porogenic solvent. The optimized monolith exhibited excellent selectivity and
      favorable retention for nucleosides and benzoic acid derivatives. The primary
      factors affecting the separation efficiency of the monolithic column (including
      acetonitrile content, pH, and buffer salt concentration in the mobile phase) have
      been thoroughly evaluated. Excellent reproducibility of the retention times for
      five nucleosides was achieved, with relative standard deviations of run-to-run (n
      = 3), column-to-column (n = 3) and batch-to-batch (n = 3) in the range of 0.18
      0.48%, 2.33-4.20% and 3.07-6.50%, respectively.

PMID- 26114195
TI  - A new aluminium-ion battery with high voltage, high safety and low cost.
AB  - A new kind of Al-ion battery with carbon paper as the cathode, high-purity Al
      foil as the anode and ionic liquid as the electrolyte is proposed in this work.
      The significance of the presented battery is going to be an extremely high
      average voltage plateau of ca. 1.8 V vs. Al(3+)/Al. 

PMID- 26114196
TI  - Challenging Plasma Cholesterol as a Risk Factor for  Cardiovascular Disease.

PMID- 26114197
TI  - [Brucellosis is endemic].

PMID- 26114198
TI  - [Appendicitis: perforation risks in the elderly].

PMID- 26114199
TI  - [Sarcocystosis epidemic].

PMID- 26114200
TI  - [Tungiasis present since the Incas].

PMID- 26114201
TI  - Nursing research: Nurses know best.

PMID- 26114202
TI  - I2/KI-Mediated Oxidative N-N Bond Formation for the Synthesis of 1,5-Fused 1,2,4
      Triazoles from N-Aryl Amidines.
AB  - An I2/KI-mediated oxidative N-N bond formation reaction is described. This new
      and environmentally benign approach allows for the convenient synthesis of a
      variety of 1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyridines and other 1,5-fused 1,2,4-triazoles
      from readily available N-aryl amidines in an efficient and scalable fashion. 

PMID- 26114206
TI  - Temperature Dependence of Hydroxymethyl Group Rotamer Populations in
      Cellooligomers.
AB  - Empirical force fields for computer simulations of carbohydrates are often
      implicitly assumed to be valid also at temperatures different from room
      temperature for which they were optimized. Herein, the temperature dependence of
      the hydroxymethyl group rotamer populations in short oligosaccharides is
      investigated using molecular dynamics simulations and NMR spectroscopy. Two
      oligosaccharides, viz., methyl beta-cellobioside and beta-cellotetraose were
      simulated using three different carbohydrate force fields (CHARMM C35, GLYCAM06,
      and GROMOS 56Acarbo) in combination with different water models (SPC, SPC/E, and
      TIP3P) using replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations. For comparison,
      hydroxymethyl group rotamer populations were investigated for methyl beta
      cellobioside and cellopentaose based on measured NMR (3)JH5,H6 coupling
      constants, in the latter case by using a chemical shift selective NMR-filter.
      Molecular dynamics simulations in combination with NMR spectroscopy show that the
      temperature dependence of the hydroxymethyl rotamer population in these short
      cellooligomers, in the range 263-344 K, generally becomes exaggerated in
      simulations when compared to experimental data, but also that it is dependent on
      simulation conditions, and most notably properties of the water model. 

PMID- 26114207
TI  - Guideline on aspects of cancer-related venous thrombosis.
AB  - The guideline was drafted by a writing group identified by the Haemostasis and
      Thrombosis Task Force of the British Committee for Standards in Haematology
      (BCSH). All the authors are consultants in haematology in the UK. A search was
      performed of PubMed and Embase using the term 'cancer' combined with
      'thrombosis', 'treatment', 'prophylaxis' and 'clinical presentation'. The search
      covered articles published up until December 2014. Only human studies were
      included and articles not written in English were excluded. References in recent
      reviews were also examined. The writing group produced the draft guideline, which
      was subsequently revised by consensus by members of the Haemostasis and
      Thrombosis Task Force of the BCSH and the BCSH executive. The guideline was then
      reviewed by the sounding board of the British Society for Haematology (BSH). This
      comprises 50 or more members of the BSH who have reviewed the guidance and
      commented on the content and application to the UK setting. The 'GRADE' system
      was used to quote levels and grades of evidence, details of which can be found
      at:
      http://www.bcshguidelines.com/BCSH_PROCESS/EVIDENCE_LEVELS_AND_GRADES_OF_RECOMMEN
      ATION/43_GRADE.html. The objective of this guideline is to provide healthcare
      professionals with clear guidance on the prevention and management of venous
      thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with cancer and to advise on an approach to
      screening for cancer in patients with unprovoked VTE in whom cancer was not
      initially suspected based on clinical grounds. 

PMID- 26114208
TI  - Liposomal hydrogel formulation for transdermal delivery of pirfenidone.
AB  - CONTEXT: Pirfenidone (PFD) is an anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory agent
      indicated for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The current
      oral administration of PFD has several limitations including first pass
      metabolism and gastrointestinal irritation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is
      to investigate the feasibility of transdermal delivery of PFD using liposomal
      carrier system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PFD-loaded liposomes were prepared using
      soy phosphatidylcholine (SPC) and sodium cholate (SC). Encapsulation efficiency
      (EE) of PFD in liposomes was optimized using different preparation techniques
      including thin film hydration (TFH) method, direct injection method (DIM) and
      drug encapsulation using freeze-thaw cycles. In vitro drug release study was
      performed using dialysis membrane method. The skin permeation studies were
      performed using excised porcine ear skin model in a Franz diffusion cell
      apparatus. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The average particle size and zeta-potential
      of liposomes were 191 +/- 4.1 nm and -40.4 +/- 4.5 mV, respectively. The
      liposomes prepared by TFH followed by 10 freeze-thaw cycles showed the greatest
      EE of 22.7 +/- 0.63%. The optimized liposome formulation was incorporated in
      hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) hydrogel containing different permeation
      enhancers including oleic acid (OA), isopropyl myristate (IPM) and propylene
      glycol (PG). PFD-loaded liposomes incorporated in hydrogel containing OA and IPM
      showed the greatest flux of 10.9 +/- 1.04 MUg/cm(2)/h across skin, which was 5
      fold greater compared with free PFD. The cumulative amount of PFD permeated was
      344 +/- 28.8 MUg/cm(2) with a lag time of 2.3 +/- 1.3 h. CONCLUSION: The hydrogel
      formulation containing PFD-loaded liposomes can be developed as a potential
      transdermal delivery system.

PMID- 26114209
TI  - Simultaneous pharmacokinetics evaluation of human cytochrome P450 probes,
      caffeine, warfarin, omeprazole, metoprolol and midazolam, in common marmosets
      (Callithrix jacchus).
AB  - 1. Pharmacokinetics of human cytochrome P450 probes (caffeine, racemic warfarin,
      omeprazole, metoprolol and midazolam) composite, after single intravenous and
      oral administrations at doses of 0.20 and 1.0 mg kg(-1), respectively, to four
      male common marmosets were investigated. 2. The plasma concentrations of caffeine
      and warfarin decreased slowly in a monophasic manner but those of omeprazole,
      metoprolol and midazolam decreased extensively after intravenous and oral
      administrations, in a manner that approximated those as reported for
      pharmacokinetics in humans. 3. Bioavailabilities were ~100% for caffeine and
      warfarin, but <25% for omeprazole and metoprolol. Bioavailability of midazolam
      was 4% in marmosets, presumably because of contribution of marmoset P450 3A4
      expressed in small intestine and liver, with a high catalytic efficiency for
      midazolam 1'-hydroxylation as evident in the recombinant system. 4. These results
      suggest that common marmosets, despite their rapid clearance of some human P450
      probe substrates, could be an experimental model for humans and that marmoset
      P450s have functional characteristics that differ from those of human and/or
      cynomolgus monkey P450s in some aspects, indicating their importance in modeling
      in P450-dependent drug metabolism studies in marmosets and of further studies. 

PMID- 26114210
TI  - Nucleobase Recognition by Truncated alpha-Hemolysin Pores.
AB  - The alpha-hemolysin (alphaHL) protein nanopore has been investigated previously
      as a base detector for the strand sequencing of DNA and RNA. Recent findings have
      suggested that shorter pores might provide improved base discrimination. New work
      has also shown that truncated-barrel mutants (TBM) of alphaHL form functional
      pores in lipid bilayers. Therefore, we tested TBM pores for the ability to
      recognize bases in DNA strands immobilized within them. In the case of TBMDelta6,
      in which the barrel is shortened by ~16 A, one of the three recognition sites
      found in the wild-type pore, R1, was almost eliminated. With further mutagenesis
      (Met113 -> Gly), R1 was completely removed, demonstrating that TBM pores can
      mediate sharpened recognition. Remarkably, a second mutant of TBMDelta6 (Met113 
      > Phe) was able to bind the positively charged beta-cyclodextrin, am7betaCD,
      unusually tightly, permitting the continuous recognition of individual nucleoside
      monophosphates, which would be required for exonuclease sequencing mediated by
      nanopore base identification. 

PMID- 26114211
TI  - Transfusion in CMV seronegative T-depleted allogeneic stem cell transplant
      recipients with CMV-unselected blood components results in zero CMV transmissions
      in the era of universal leukocyte reduction: a U.K. dual centre experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To establish rates of cytomegalovirus (CMV) transmission with use of
      CMV-unselected (CMV-U), leukocyte-reduced blood components transfused to CMV
      seronegative patient/CMV-seronegative donor (CMV neg/neg) allogeneic stem cell
      transplantation (SCT) recipients including those receiving T-depleted grafts.
      BACKGROUND: CMV infection remains a major cause of morbidity following SCT. CMV
      seronegative SCT recipients are particularly at risk of transfusion transmitted
      CMV (TT-CMV) and until recently they have received blood components from CMV
      seronegative donors with significant resource implications. Although leukocyte
      reduction of blood components is reported to minimise risk of TT-CMV, its
      efficacy in high-risk situations, such as in T-depleted transplant recipients, is
      unknown. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the incidence of TT-CMV in CMV
      neg/neg allogeneic SCT recipients transfused with CMV-U, leukocyte-reduced blood
      components in two transplantation centres in the UK. Patients were monitored for
      CMV infection by weekly CMV polymerase chain reaction testing. Leukocyte
      reduction of blood components was in accordance with current UK standards.
      RESULTS: Among 76 patients, including 59 receiving in vivo T-depletion, no
      episodes of CMV infection were detected. Patients were transfused with 1442 CMV
      unselected, leukocyte-reduced components, equating to 1862 donor exposures.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm the safety of leukocyte reduction as a strategy
      in preventing TT-CMV in high-risk allogeneic SCT recipients.

PMID- 26114212
TI  - Response to Roig-Romero.

PMID- 26114213
TI  - Improving assessment in small fiber neuropathy.
AB  - Interval measures at the impairment level addressing symptoms and at the
      activity/participation level addressing daily and social restrictions have not
      been developed for small fiber neuropathy (SFN). We developed an SFN-specific
      Rasch-built overall disability scale (SFN-RODS(c)), an activity/participation
      scale at the interval level. A preliminary SFN-RODS containing 146
      activity/participation items was assessed twice (reliability studies) in 238
      patients with SFN. The ordinal-based 13-item SFN-symptoms inventory questionnaire
      (SFN-SIQ(c)) and pain-visual-analogue-scale were also assessed (validity
      studies). The pre-SFN-RODS and SFN-SIQ data were subjected to the Rasch analyses.
      The pre-SFN-RODS did not meet Rasch model expectations. Based on requirements,
      such as misfit statistics, differential item functioning, and local dependency,
      items were systematically removed and model fit improved. Finally, a 32-item SFN
      RODS(c) scale was constructed that fulfilled all Rasch requirements,
      demonstrating acceptable reliability and validity scores. The 13-item SFN-SIQ(c)
      was successfully transformed to an interval Rasch-built measure fulfilling
      model's requirements. In conclusion, the 32-item SFN-RODS(c) is a disease
      specific interval measure suitable for detecting activity limitations and
      participation restrictions in patients with SFN. The 13-item SFN-SIQ(c) was
      transformed through Rasch to an interval measure. The use of these scales is
      recommended in future clinical interventional trials involving patients with SFN.

PMID- 26114214
TI  - The Feasibility of Collecting Patient Reported Pain Data Using a System Delivered
      Across Four Modes of Technology.

PMID- 26114215
TI  - Metrics for Assessing the Quality of Groundwater Used for Public Supply, CA, USA:
      Equivalent-Population and Area.
AB  - Data from 11,000 public supply wells in 87 study areas were used to assess the
      quality of nearly all of the groundwater used for public supply in California.
      Two metrics were developed for quantifying groundwater quality: area with high
      concentrations (km(2) or proportion) and equivalent-population relying upon
      groundwater with high concentrations (number of people or proportion).
      Concentrations are considered high if they are above a human-health benchmark.
      When expressed as proportions, the metrics are area-weighted and population
      weighted detection frequencies. On a statewide-scale, about 20% of the
      groundwater used for public supply has high concentrations for one or more
      constituents (23% by area and 18% by equivalent-population). On the basis of both
      area and equivalent-population, trace elements are more prevalent at high
      concentrations than either nitrate or organic compounds at the statewide-scale,
      in eight of nine hydrogeologic provinces, and in about three-quarters of the
      study areas. At a statewide-scale, nitrate is more prevalent than organic
      compounds based on area, but not on the basis of equivalent-population. The
      approach developed for this paper, unlike many studies, recognizes the importance
      of appropriately weighting information when changing scales, and is broadly
      applicable to other areas.

PMID- 26114216
TI  - Influence of Surgical Technique, Performance Status, and Peritonitis Exposure on
      Surgical Site Infection in Acute Complicated Diverticulitis: A Matched Case
      Control Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute generalized peritonitis secondary to complicated diverticulitis
      is a life-threatening condition; the standard treatment is surgery. Despite
      advances in peri-operative care, this condition is accompanied by a high peri
      operative complication rate (22%-25%). No definitive evidence is available to
      recommend a preferred surgical technique in patients with Hinchey stage III/IV
      disease. METHODS: A matched case-control study enrolling patients from four
      surgical units at Italian university hospital was planned to assess the most
      appropriate surgical treatment on the basis of patient performance status and
      peritonitis exposure, with the aim of minimizing the surgical site infection
      (SSI). A series of 1,175 patients undergoing surgery for Hinchey III/IV
      peritonitis in 2003-2013 were analyzed. Cases (n=145) were selected from among
      those patients who developed an SSI. THE CASE: control ratio was 1:3. Cases and
      control groups were matched by age, gender, body mass index, and Hinchey grade.
      We considered three surgical techniques: T1=Hartman's procedure; T2=sigmoid
      resection, anastomosis, and ileostomy; and T3=sigmoid resection and anastomosis.
      Six scoring systems were analyzed to assess performance status; subsequently,
      patients were divided into low, mild, and high risk (LR, MR, HR) according to the
      system producing the highest area under the curve. We classified peritonitis
      exposition as P1=<12 h; P2=12-24 h; P3=>24 h. Univariable and multivariable
      analyses were performed. RESULTS: The Apgar scoring system defined the risk
      groups according to performance status. Lowest SSI risk was expected when
      applying T3 in P1 (OR=0.22), P2 (OR=0.5) for LR and in P1 (OR=0.63) for MR; T2 in
      P2 (OR=0.5) in LR and in P1 (OR=0.61) in MR; T1 in P3 (OR=0.56) in LR; in P2
      (OR=0.63) and P3 (OR=0.54) in MR patients, and in each P subgroup
      (OR=0.93;0.97;1.01) in HR. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-operative assessment based on Apgar
      scoring system integrated with peritonitis exposure in complicated diverticulitis
      may offer a ready-to-use tool for reducing SSI-related complications and applying
      appropriate treatment, reducing the need for disabling ostomy.

PMID- 26114217
TI  - The lubrication performance of the ceramic-on-ceramic hip implant under starved
      conditions.
AB  - Lubrication plays an important role in the clinical performance of the ceramic-on
      ceramic (CoC) hip implant in terms of reducing wear and avoiding squeaking. All
      the previous lubrication analyses of CoC hip implants assumed that synovial fluid
      was sufficiently supplied to the contact area. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the lubrication performance of the CoC hip implant under starved
      conditions. A starved lubrication model was presented for the CoC hip implant.
      The model was solved using multi-grid techniques. Results showed that the fluid
      film thickness of the CoC hip implant was affected by fluid supply conditions:
      with the increase in the supplied fluid layer, the lubrication film thickness
      approached to that of the fully blooded solution; when the available fluid layer
      reduced to some level, the fluid film thickness considerably decreased with the
      supplying condition. The above finding provides new insights into the lubrication
      performance of hip implants. 

PMID- 26114218
TI  - The Effect of Tai Chi Chuan on Obstacle Crossing Strategy in Older Adults.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Tai Chi Chuan on the
      strategies of obstacle-crossing behavior in older adults aged over 65 years.
      Fifteen Tai Chi group (TCG) participants were compared with 15 general group (GG)
      participants. Kinematic parameters (by Vicon motion analysis system) and ground
      reaction forces (by Kistler force plates) were synchronously recorded. A two-way
      mixed-design ANOVA (alpha = 0.05) was used to test the effects of the group and
      the obstacle height. The TCG performed significantly faster stride velocities,
      longer stride lengths, and shorter stride times than GG while crossing the
      obstacles. TCG could also produce significantly larger forward ground reaction
      forces to propel the body and were able to make a significantly greater flexion
      angle of the hip of the leading leg compared with the GG. It was concluded that
      the TCG adopted a different strategy with GG to cross the obstacles and completed
      the crossing behavior more effectively. 

PMID- 26114219
TI  - Differential susceptibility of primary cultured human skin cells to hypericin PDT
      in an in vitro model.
AB  - Skin cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, and its incidence rate in South
      Africa is increasing. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been shown to be an
      effective treatment modality, through topical administration, for treatment of
      non-melanoma skin cancers. Our group investigates hypericin-induced PDT (HYP-PDT)
      for the treatment of both non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers. However, a
      prerequisite for effective cancer treatments is efficient and selective targeting
      of the tumoral cells with minimal collateral damage to the surrounding normal
      cells, as it is well established that cancer therapies have bystander effects on
      normal cells in the body, often causing undesirable side effects. The aim of this
      study was to investigate the cellular and molecular effects of HYP-PDT on normal
      primary human keratinocytes (Kc), melanocytes (Mc) and fibroblasts (Fb) in an in
      vitro tissue culture model which represented both the epidermal and dermal
      cellular compartments of human skin. Cell viability analysis revealed a
      differential cytotoxic response to a range of HYP-PDT doses in all the human skin
      cell types, showing that Fb (LD50=1.75MUM) were the most susceptible to HYP-PDT,
      followed by Mc (LD50=3.5MUM) and Kc (LD50>4MUM HYP-PDT) These results correlated
      with the morphological analysis which displayed distinct morphological changes in
      Fb and Mc, 24h post treatment with non-lethal (1MUM) and lethal (3MUM) doses of
      HYP-PDT, but the highest HYP-PDT doses had no effect on Kc morphology.
      Fluorescent microscopy displayed cytoplasmic localization of HYP in all the 3
      skin cell types and additionally, HYP was excluded from the nuclei in all the
      cell types. Intracellular ROS levels measured in Fb at 3MUM HYP-PDT, displayed a
      significant 3.8 fold (p<0.05) increase in ROS, but no significant difference in
      ROS levels occurred in Mc or Kc. Furthermore, 64% (p<0.005) early apoptotic Fb
      and 20% (p<0.05) early apoptotic Mc were evident; using fluorescence activated
      cell sorting (FACS), 24h post 3MUM HYP-PDT. These results depict a differential
      response to HYP-PDT by different human skin cells thus highlighting the efficacy
      and indeed, the potential bystander effect of if administered in vivo. This study
      contributes toward our knowledge of the cellular response of the epidermis to
      photodynamic therapies and will possibly enhance the efficacy of future
      photobiological treatments. 

PMID- 26114220
TI  - A randomised trial to demonstrate the effectiveness of electronic messages on sun
      protection behaviours.
AB  - Message exposure is effective at changing a variety of health behaviours. Our aim
      was to improve sun protection habits of a volunteer sample. We conducted a
      randomised, non-blinded, investigator-initiated trial (from 1st June to 31st
      August in 2011) on the effect of an electronic text-message system on sun
      protection behaviours. The assessments of 149 healthy volunteer participants took
      place at the Clinical Department of Dermatology and Allergology at the University
      of Szeged in Hungary. Psychological and medical assessments were also made. Total
      motivation scores for adherence to sunscreen use improved at a nearly significant
      level (t=-1.954, p=0.054). The intervention group used sunscreens more often than
      the other groups according to their sun exposure diaries (F=8.173, p<0.05) and
      their interview results (F=3.44, p<0.05). Using electronic messages offers an
      effective method to improve sun protection behaviours. Our intervention is a cost
      effective method and it can easily be implemented at worksites. 

PMID- 26114221
TI  - Nanostructured composite material graphite/TiO2 and its antibacterial activity
      under visible light irradiation.
AB  - The paper addresses laboratory preparation, characterization and in vitro
      evaluation of antibacterial activity of graphite/TiO2 nanocomposites. Composites
      graphite/TiO2 with various ratio of TiO2 nanoparticles (30wt.%, and 50wt.%) to
      graphite were prepared using a thermal hydrolysis of titanylsulfate in the
      presence of graphite particles, and subsequently dried at 80 degrees C. X-ray
      powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and Raman microspectroscopy
      served as phase-analytical methods distinguishing anatase and rutile phases in
      the prepared composites. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy techniques
      were used for characterization of morphology of the prepared samples. A developed
      modification of the standard microdilution test was used for in vitro evaluation
      of daylight induced antibacterial activity, using four common human pathogenic
      bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis
      and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Antibacterial activity of the graphite/TiO2
      nanocomposites could be based mainly on photocatalytic reaction with subsequent
      potential interaction of reactive oxygen species with bacterial cells. During the
      antibacterial activity experiments, the graphite/TiO2 nanocomposites exhibited
      antibacterial activity, where differences in the onset of activity and activity
      against bacterial strains were observed. The highest antibacterial activity
      evaluated as minimum inhibitory concentration was observed against P. aeruginosa
      after 180min of irradiation. 

PMID- 26114222
TI  - Biochemical traits and proteomic changes in postharvest flowers of medicinal
      chrysanthemum exposed to enhanced UV-B radiation.
AB  - The article studied UV-B effects on biochemical traits and proteomic changes in
      postharvest flowers of medicinal chrysanthemum. The experiment about UV-B effects
      on biochemical traits in flowers included six levels of UV-B treatments (0 (UV0),
      50 (UV50), 200 (UV200), 400 (UV400), 600 (UV600) and 800 (UV800) MUWcm(-2)).
      UV400, UV600 and UV800 treatments significantly increased the contents of
      hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde and UV-B absorbing compounds, and the activity
      of phenylalanine ammonia lyase enzyme over the control. The contents of
      chlorogenic acid and flavone in flowers were significantly increased by UV-B
      treatments (except for UV50 and UV800). Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was
      utilized to analyze proteomic changes in flowers with or without UV-B radiation.
      Results indicated that 43 protein spots (>1.5-fold difference in volume) were
      detected, including 19 spots with a decreasing trend and 24 spots with an
      increasing trend, and 19 differentially expressed protein spots were successfully
      indentified by MALDI-TOF MS. The indentified proteins were classified based on
      functions, the most of which were involved in photosynthesis, respiration,
      protein biosynthesis and degradation and defence. An overall assessment using
      biochemical and differential proteomic data revealed that UV-B radiation could
      affect biochemical reaction and promote secondary metabolism processes in
      postharvest flowers. 

PMID- 26114224
TI  - Moho topography, ranges and folds of Tibet by analysis of global gravity models
      and GOCE data.
AB  - The determination of the crustal structure is essential in geophysics, as it
      gives insight into the geohistory, tectonic environment, geohazard mitigation,
      etc. Here we present the latest advance on three-dimensional modeling
      representing the Tibetan Mohorovicic discontinuity (topography and ranges) and
      its deformation (fold), revealed by analyzing gravity data from GOCE mission. Our
      study shows noticeable advances in estimated Tibetan Moho model which is superior
      to the results using the earlier gravity models prior to GOCE. The higher quality
      gravity field of GOCE is reflected in the Moho solution: we find that the Moho is
      deeper than 65 km, which is twice the normal continental crust beneath most of
      the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, while the deepest Moho, up to 82 km, is located in
      western Tibet. The amplitude of the Moho fold is estimated to be ranging from -9
      km to 9 km with a standard deviation of ~2 km. The improved GOCE gravity derived
      Moho signals reveal a clear directionality of the Moho ranges and Moho fold
      structure, orthogonal to deformation rates observed by GPS. This geophysical
      feature, clearly more evident than the ones estimated using earlier gravity
      models, reveals that it is the result of the large compressional tectonic
      process.

PMID- 26114223
TI  - Progressive decline in tacrolimus clearance after renal transplantation is
      partially explained by decreasing CYP3A4 activity and increasing haematocrit.
AB  - AIMS: The long-term disposition of tacrolimus following kidney transplantation is
      characterized by a gradual decrease in dose requirements and increase in dose
      corrected exposure. This phenomenon has been attributed to a progressive decline
      in cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) activity, although this has never been
      demonstrated in vivo. METHODS: Sixty-five tacrolimus- and 10 cyclosporine-treated
      renal transplant recipients underwent pharmacokinetic testing at day 7 and months
      1, 3, 6 and 12 after transplantation, including 8-h area under the concentration
      time curve (AUC) for tacrolimus or cyclosporine and assessment of CYP3A4 activity
      using oral and intravenous midazolam (MDZ) drug probes. RESULTS: Tacrolimus
      clearance decreased gradually throughout the entire first year but only in
      CYP3A5*3/*3 homozygous recipients (25.6 +/- 11.1 l h(-1) at day 7; 17 +/- 9.1 l
      h(-1) at month 12; P < 0.001). In mixed model analysis, decreasing CYP3A4
      activity, measured by apparent oral MDZ clearance (924 +/- 443 ml min(-1) at day
      7 vs. 730 +/- 344 ml min(-1) at month 1; P < 0.001), explained 55.4% of the
      decline in tacrolimus clearance in the first month. CYP3A4 activity decreased by
      18.9 ml min(-1) for every milligram of methylprednisolone dose tapering within
      the first month; beyond this point it remained stable. A gradual rise in
      haematocrit throughout the entire first year explained 31.7% of the decrease in
      tacrolimus clearance in the first month and 23.6% of the decrease between months
      1 and 12. Cyclosporine clearance did not change over time. CONCLUSIONS: The
      maturation of tacrolimus disposition in the first year after renal
      transplantation observed in CYP3A5*3/*3 homozygous patients can partly be
      explained by a (steroid tapering-related) decline in CYP3A4 activity and a
      progressive increase in haematocrit.

PMID- 26114225
TI  - Extraction and Quantitation of Ketones and Aldehydes from Mammalian Cells Using
      Fluorous Tagging and Capillary LC-MS.
AB  - The extraction and quantitation of carbonyl metabolites from cell lysate was
      accomplished using a carbonyl-reactive fluorous tag and capillary liquid
      chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (capLC-MS). Selective fluorous
      tagging for ketones and aldehydes provided a 30-fold increase in sensitivity
      using electrospray ionization MS. Separation of fluorous tagged carbonyl resulted
      in good separation of all components, and tandem MS was able to differentiate
      structural carbonyl isomers. The average limit of detection for carbonyl
      standards was 37 nM (range 1.5-250 nM), with linearity of R(2) > 0.99.
      Reproducibility for metabolites in cell lysate averaged 9% RSD. Human aortic
      endothelial cells (HAECs) were exposed to varying levels of glucose, and their
      carbonyl metabolite levels were quantified. Significant metabolite changes were
      seen in glycolysis and the propanoate pathway from a glucose challenge. Using an
      untargeted approach, 120 carbonyl metabolites were found to change in
      hyperglycemic HAECs. From this list of compounds, multiple metabolites from the
      pentose phosphate and tryptophan metabolic pathways were discovered. This system
      provides excellent sensitivity and quantitation of carbonyl metabolites without
      the need for isotope standards or labels. 

PMID- 26114226
TI  - Quantitative Dose Dependency Analysis of Whole-Brain CT Perfusion Imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: To quantitatively assess whether decreasing total radiation dose of the
      image acquisition protocol has an effect on cerebral CT perfusion values in
      patients with acute stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was
      approved by the institutional ethics committee, and informed consent was waived.
      Twenty consecutive patients with ischemic stroke who underwent CT perfusion
      imaging with a 320-detector row CT scanner were included. A standard acquisition
      protocol was used, which was started 5 seconds after injection of a contrast
      agent, with a scan at 200 mAs, followed after 4 seconds by 13 scans, one every 2
      seconds, at 100 mAs, and then five scans, one every 5 seconds, at 75 mAs. The
      total examination had an average effective dose of 5.0 mSv. For each patient, a
      patient-specific digital perfusion phantom was constructed to simulate the same
      protocol at a lower total dose (0.5-5.0 mSv, with stepped doses of 0.5 mSv). The
      lowest setting for which the maximum mean difference remained within 5% of the
      reference standard (at 5.0 mSv) was marked as the optimal setting. At the optimal
      setting, Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to assess correlations
      with the reference values, and paired t tests were performed to compare the
      means. RESULTS: At 2.5 mSv, the maximum mean differences in values from those of
      the reference standard were 4.5%, 5.0%, and 1.9%, for cerebral blood flow,
      cerebral blood volume, and mean transit time, respectively. Pearson correlation
      coefficients of perfusion values for white matter and gray matter were 0.864
      0.917, and all differences were significant (P < .0001). Paired t tests showed no
      significant differences between the reference standard and optimal settings (P =
      .089-.923). CONCLUSION: The total dose of a clinical cerebral CT perfusion
      protocol can be lowered to 2.5 mSv, with only minor quantitative effects on
      perfusion values. Dose reduction beyond this point resulted in overestimation of
      perfusion values.

PMID- 26114227
TI  - AIBp regulates mitotic entry and mitotic spindle assembly by controlling
      activation of both Aurora-A and Plk1.
AB  - We previously reported that Aurora-A and the hNinein binding protein AIBp
      facilitate centrosomal structure maintenance and contribute to spindle formation.
      Here, we report that AIBp also interacts with Plk1, raising the possibility of
      functional similarity to Bora, which subsequently promotes Aurora-A-mediated Plk1
      activation at Thr210 as well as Aurora-A activation at Thr288. In kinase assays,
      AIBp acts not only as a substrate but also as a positive regulator of both Aurora
      A and Plk1. However, AIBp functions as a negative regulator to block
      phosphorylation of hNinein mediated by Aurora-A and Plk1. These findings suggest
      a novel AIBp-dependent regulatory machinery that controls mitotic entry.
      Additionally, knockdown of hNinein caused failure of AIBp to target the
      centrosome, whereas depletion of AIBp did not affect the localization of hNinein
      and microtubule nucleation. Notably, knockdown of AIBp in HeLa cells impaired
      both Aurora-A and Plk1 kinase, resulting in phenotypes with multiple spindle pole
      formation and chromosome misalignment. Our data show that depletion of AIBp
      results in the mis-localization of TACC3 and ch-TOG, but not CEP192 and CEP215,
      suggesting that loss of AIBp dominantly affects the Aurora-A substrate to cause
      mitotic aberrations. Collectively, our data demonstrate that AIBp contributes to
      mitotic entry and bipolar spindle assembly and may partially control
      localization, phosphorylation, and activation of both Aurora-A and Plk1 via
      hNinein during mitotic progression. 

PMID- 26114228
TI  - Depression rating scales in Parkinson's disease: A critical review updating
      recent literature.
AB  - Depression is a prominent non-motor symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD).
      Assessing depression in PD remains a challenge due to the overlap of somatic
      symptoms between depression and PD. Other neuropsychiatric manifestations
      associated with PD, such as cognitive decline, also complicate assessment of
      depression. Therefore it is critical to investigate the validity of depression
      rating scales for use in PD. This will allow evaluation of observer- and self
      report instruments to be administered in neurologically ill geriatric populations
      such as PD, and identification of appropriate scales to use in cognitively
      challenged PD patients. The present review includes all studies examining the
      validity of depression rating scales in PD. It discusses the usefulness of 13
      depression rating scales in PD. The clinician-rated and widely used HAMD-17 and
      the self-report GDS scales are recommended for screening and measuring severity
      of depression in PD. The GDS-15 may be a preferred choice due to its brevity and
      ease of use design for older adults. Other valid and reliable instruments to use
      in PD include self-rated scales, such as the HADS-D, HDI, and the BDI, and the
      observer-report, MADRS. The CSDD displayed satisfactory validity and reliability
      for identification of PD patients with and without dementia. The PHQ-2, PHQ-10,
      SDS, CES-D, UPDRS-Depression item, IDS-SR, and IDS-C each showed some evidence of
      validity or reliability, however further research on the psychometric properties
      of these scales when used in a PD population are required. 

PMID- 26114234
TI  - Peer support and additional information in group medical consultations (GMCs) for
      BRCA1/2 mutation carriers: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Group medical consultations (GMCs) provide individual medical visits
      in the presence of <= 7 peer- patients. This study evaluated the efficacy of GMCs
      in the yearly breast cancer surveillance of BRCA mutation carriers. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: This randomized controlled trial compared GMCs (intervention group, n =
      63) with individual medical visits (control group, n = 59). Between-group
      differences on the primary outcomes distress and empowerment, were analyzed one
      week and three months after the visit. Feasibility is evaluated in terms of
      demand, acceptability and practicability. RESULTS: No between-group differences
      were found on primary outcomes. More themes were discussed in GMCs. Seventy-five
      percent of GMC-participants experienced peer support. Carriers reported
      significantly higher satisfaction with individual visits. GMCs were less time
      efficient. CONCLUSION: This is the first GMC study which reports results in favor
      of individual visits. The hereditary nature of the condition differentiates our
      study population from earlier studied GMC groups. Even though most participants
      experienced peer support and received more information, the lower patient
      satisfaction may be explained by the lack of individual time with the clinician
      and disruption of normal surveillance routines. As the need for peer support and
      additional information is present in a substantial part of carriers, future
      research should study the process of peer support.

PMID- 26114235
TI  - Binding of Starch Fragments to the Starch Branching Enzyme: Implications for
      Developing Slower-Digesting Starch.
AB  - Molecular weight distributions of starch branches affect functional properties,
      which can be controlled by engineering starch branching enzymes (SBEs). Molecular
      dynamics and docking approaches are used to examine interactions between SBE and
      starch fragments. In the native protein, three residues formed stable
      interactions with starch fragments in the central binding region; these residues
      may play key roles in substrate recognition. Fragments containing 5-12 glucose
      units interacted more tightly with SBE than smaller fragments, suggesting a
      minimal functional fragment size of 5, agreeing with experiment. Effects of three
      different point mutations on interactions with maltopentaose in the central
      binding region correlated well with experiment. Simulations indicate that SBE may
      template formation of the crystalline lamellae characteristic of native starch,
      consistent with the observation that crystalline lamellae formed by starch in a
      plant, are not necessarily the state of lowest free energy. The methodology will
      help develop starches with optimized functional properties. 

PMID- 26114236
TI  - ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma presenting with hemophagocytic
      lymphohistiocytosis.

PMID- 26114229
TI  - Genome-wide association study of posttraumatic stress disorder in a cohort of
      Iraq-Afghanistan era veterans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that
      can develop after experiencing traumatic events. A genome-wide association study
      (GWAS) design was used to identify genetic risk factors for PTSD within a multi
      racial sample primarily composed of U.S. veterans. METHODS: Participants were
      recruited at multiple medical centers, and structured interviews were used to
      establish diagnoses. Genotypes were generated using three Illumina platforms and
      imputed with global reference data to create a common set of SNPs. SNPs that
      increased risk for PTSD were identified with logistic regression, while
      controlling for gender, trauma severity, and population substructure. Analyses
      were run separately in non-Hispanic black (NHB; n = 949) and non-Hispanic white
      (NHW; n = 759) participants. Meta-analysis was used to combine results from the
      two subsets. RESULTS: SNPs within several interesting candidate genes were
      nominally significant. Within the NHB subset, the most significant genes were
      UNC13C and DSCAM. Within the NHW subset, the most significant genes were TBC1D2,
      SDC2 and PCDH7. In addition, PRKG1 and DDX60L were identified through meta
      analysis. The top genes for the three analyses have been previously implicated in
      neurologic processes consistent with a role in PTSD. Pathway analysis of the top
      genes identified alternative splicing as the top GO term in all three analyses
      (FDR q < 3.5 * 10(-5)). LIMITATIONS: No individual SNPs met genome-wide
      significance in the analyses. CONCLUSIONS: This multi-racial PTSD GWAS identified
      biologically plausible candidate genes and suggests that post-transcriptional
      regulation may be important to the pathology of PTSD; however, replication of
      these findings is needed.

PMID- 26114237
TI  - Highly Uniform Perfluoropropane-Loaded Cerasomal Microbubbles As a Novel
      Ultrasound Contrast Agent.
AB  - Microbubbles are widely used as ultrasound contrast agents owing to their
      excellent echoing characteristics under ultrasound radiation. However, their
      short sonographic duration and wide size distribution still hinder their
      application. Herein, we present a hard-template approach to produce
      perfluoropropane-loaded cerasomal microbubbles (PLCMs) with uniform size and long
      sonographic duration. The preparation of PLCMs includes deposition of Si-lipids
      onto functionalized CaCO3 microspheres, removal of their CaCO3 cores and mild
      infusion of perfluoropropane. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that PLCMs
      had excellent echoing characteristics under different ultrasound conditions. More
      importantly, PLCMs could be imaged for much longer than SonoVue (commercially
      used microbubbles) under the same ultrasound parameters and concentrations. Our
      results demonstrated that PLCMs have great potential for use as a novel contrast
      agent in ultrasound imaging.

PMID- 26114238
TI  - Contrasting association of circulating sCD14 with insulin sensitivity in non
      obese and morbidly obese subjects.
AB  - SCOPE: In experimental studies, moderate to high concentrations of sCD14 (serum
      cluster of differentiation 14 protein) prevent lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced
      systemic inflammation, while low concentrations may promote inflammation. Given
      that metabolic endotoxemia is thought to initiate high-fat diet-induced insulin
      resistance, we explored the association between sCD14 concentrations and insulin
      sensitivity in humans. METHODS AND RESULTS: Healthy non-obese (n = 12, BMI 26 +/-
      5y), obese (n = 11, BMI 33.45 +/- 3.2) and morbidly obese participants (n = 38,
      BMI 45 +/- 7) underwent measurement of body composition (dual energy X-ray
      absorptiometry) and a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp to measure insulin
      sensitivity (M value). Circulating sCD14 concentrations were measured by ELISA.
      Non-obese participants had lower circulating sCD14 concentrations compared to
      obese (p = 0.03). Circulating sCD14 concentrations were positively associated
      with percent body fat, waist circumference and white blood cell count and
      negatively associated with insulin sensitivity. In contrast, circulating sCD14
      were positively associated with insulin sensitivity in morbidly obese
      participants. In regression analysis, insulin sensitivity (r = 0.52, p = 0.004)
      and fasting triglycerides (r = 0.49, p = 0.005) contributed independently to
      circulating sCD14 variance after controlling for age, sex and BMI in these
      morbidly obese subjects. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that circulating
      sCD14 concentrations, through its compensatory (in non-obese subjects) or
      buffering role (in morbidly obese subjects), could exert an important role in
      modulating insulin sensitivity.

PMID- 26114239
TI  - Rapid Asymmetric Transfer Hydroformylation (ATHF) of Disubstituted Alkenes Using
      Paraformaldehyde as a Syngas Surrogate.
AB  - As an alternative to conventional asymmetric hydroformylation (AHF), asymmetric
      transfer hydroformylation (ATHF) by using formaldehyde as a surrogate for syngas
      is reported. A catalyst derived from commercially available [Rh(acac)(CO)2 ]
      (acac=acetylacetonate) and 1,2-bis[(2S,5S)-2,5-diphenylphospholano]ethane(1,5
      cyclooctadiene) (Ph-BPE) stands out in terms of both activity and
      enantioselectivity. Remarkably, not only are high selectivities achievable, the
      reactions are very simple to perform, and higher enantioselectivity (up to 96 %
      ee) and/or turnover frequencies than those achievable by using the same catalyst
      (or other leading catalysts) can be obtained by using typical conditions for AHF.

PMID- 26114240
TI  - A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of aripiprazole lauroxil in
      acute exacerbation of schizophrenia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of
      aripiprazole lauroxil, a novel long-acting injectable atypical antipsychotic, for
      the treatment of schizophrenia. METHOD: An international multicenter, randomized,
      double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted between December 2011 and
      March 2014. Patients (N = 623) aged 18 to 70 years with schizophrenia (DSM-IV-TR
      criteria), experiencing an acute exacerbation, were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio
      to receive gluteal intramuscular injection of aripiprazole lauroxil 441 mg,
      aripiprazole lauroxil 882 mg, or matching placebo once monthly for 12 weeks. The
      primary efficacy outcome was change in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale
      (PANSS) total score from baseline to day 85. The Clinical Global Impressions
      Improvement scale (CGI-I) score at day 85 was the secondary efficacy outcome.
      Safety and tolerability were assessed. RESULTS: The PANSS total score (mean +/-
      standard error [SE]) improved significantly from baseline to day 85 in the
      aripiprazole lauroxil 441 mg and 882 mg groups, with placebo-adjusted differences
      of -10.9 +/- 1.8 (P < .001) and -11.9 +/- 1.8 (P < .001), respectively.
      Significant (P <= .004) improvements in both active treatment groups were
      demonstrated as early as day 8 and continued throughout the treatment period. The
      proportion of patients who were very much or much improved on the CGI-I was
      significantly greater with aripiprazole lauroxil 441 mg and 882 mg treatment
      versus placebo (P < .001). The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were
      insomnia, akathisia, headache, and anxiety. The incidence of injection site
      reactions was low, predominantly described as injection site pain, and was
      associated with the first injection. CONCLUSIONS: Aripiprazole lauroxil
      demonstrated robust efficacy for treatment of patients experiencing acute
      exacerbation of schizophrenia. The improvement in psychotic symptoms was
      statistically significant and clinically meaningful. Symptom improvement occurred
      rapidly after initiation of aripiprazole lauroxil treatment and was maintained
      throughout the study. Both aripiprazole lauroxil 441 mg and 882 mg doses were
      well tolerated. These results support aripiprazole lauroxil as an important new
      treatment option for schizophrenia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov
      identifier: NCT01469039; Clinicaltrialsregister.eu identifier: 2012-003445-15.

PMID- 26114241
TI  - The Tibial Slope in Patients With Achondroplasia: Its Characterization and
      Possible Role in Genu Recurvatum Development.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genu recurvatum, a posterior resting position of the knee, is a
      common lower extremity deformity in patients with achondroplasia and has been
      thought to be secondary to ligamentous laxity. To the best of our knowledge, the
      role of the tibial slope has not been investigated, and no studies describe the
      tibial slope in patients with achondroplasia. Our goals were to characterize the
      tibial slope in children and adults with achondroplasia, explore its possible
      role in the development of genu recurvatum, and compare the tibial slope in
      patients with achondroplasia to that in the general population. METHODS: We
      reviewed 252 lateral knee radiographs of 130 patients with achondroplasia seen at
      our clinic from November 2007 through September 2013. Patients were excluded if
      they had previous lower extremity surgery or radiographs with extreme rotation.
      We analyzed patient demographics and, on all radiographs, the tibial slope. We
      then compared the mean tibial slope to norms in the literature. Tibial slopes >90
      degrees had an anterior tibial slope and received a positive prefix. Statistical
      analysis included intraclass and interclass reliability, Pearson correlation
      coefficient, and the Student t tests (significance, P<0.05). RESULTS: The overall
      mean tibial slope for the 252 knees was +1.32+/-7 degrees, which was
      significantly more anterior than the normal slopes reported in the literature for
      adults (7.2 to 10.7 degrees, P=0.0001) and children (10 to 11 degrees, P=0.0001).
      The Pearson correlation coefficient for mean tibial slope and age showed negative
      correlations of -0.4011 and -0.4335 for left and right knees, respectively. This
      anterior tibial slope produces proximal and posterior vector force components,
      which may shift the knee posteriorly in weightbearing. CONCLUSIONS: The mean
      tibial slope is significantly more anterior in patients with achondroplasia than
      in the general population; however, this difference diminishes as patients' age.
      An anterior tibial slope may predispose to a more posterior resting knee
      position, also known as genu recurvatum. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV
      retrospective case series.

PMID- 26114242
TI  - Presentation of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: The Bigger the Kid, the Bigger
      the Curve.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is our clinical suspicion that children with higher body mass
      index (BMIs) who are diagnosed with scoliosis tend to have larger curves on
      presentation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of BMI on
      severity of curve at initial presentation of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
      METHODS: This is a retrospective, descriptive cohort study of consecutive
      patients age 10 or greater referred to a single large tertiary care center with
      concern for spinal asymmetry. Patients were separated into 3 BMI categories as
      measured on the presenting visit: normal weight->=5th and <85th percentile,
      overweight->=85th and <95th percentile, and obese->=95th percentile. In addition
      to demographic information, data collected included BMI, curve magnitude, curve
      location, Risser stage, and where or by whom spinal asymmetry was noted. RESULTS:
      A total of 150 patients, 50 in each the normal weight, overweight, and obese
      categories, were included in this study. Average curve at presentation for normal
      weight patients was 18.1 degrees, for overweight patients 23.9 degrees (P=0.02),
      and for obese patients 24.5 degrees (P=0.02). As compared with the normal weight
      group, odds ratio of presenting with a curve of 40 degrees or above was 10.8 for
      the overweight group (95% confidence interval, 1.3-88.5, P=0.03) and 12.2 for the
      obese group (95% confidence interval, 1.5-99.8, P=0.02). Assuming a cut-off of 45
      degrees as surgical range, no normal weight patients presented in surgical range
      (0%), but 7/50 (14%, P=0.01) overweight and 8/50 (16%, P<0.01) obese patients
      did. Moreover, higher BMI patients were significantly more likely to present at a
      higher degree of skeletally maturity, with an average Risser of 1.8 for normal
      weight patients, 2.7 (P=0.01) for overweight patients, and 2.9 (P=0.01) for obese
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obese patients with adolescent idiopathic
      scoliosis present at significantly larger curve magnitudes and significantly
      higher degrees of skeletal maturity. Moreover, these patients were significantly
      more likely to present with very large curves and, in our study, all patients
      presenting with a surgical range curve were either overweight or obese. LEVEL OF
      EVIDENCE: Level III-Retrospective case-control.

PMID- 26114243
TI  - Integrated Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Suxian County, South China.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to assess soil heavy metal contamination and the
      potential risk for local residents in Suxian county of Hunan Province, southern
      China. Soil, rice and vegetable samples from the areas near the mining industrial
      districts were sampled and analyzed. The results indicate that the anthropogenic
      mining activities have caused local agricultural soil contamination with As, Pb,
      Cu and Cd in the ranges of 8.47-341.33 mg/kg, 19.91-837.52 mg/kg, 8.41-148.73
      mg/kg and 0.35-6.47 mg/kg, respectively. GIS-based mapping shows that soil heavy
      metal concentrations abruptly diminish with increasing distance from the
      polluting source. The concentrations of As, Pb, Cu and Cd found in rice were in
      the ranges of 0.02-1.48 mg/kg, 0.66-5.78 mg/kg, 0.09-6.75 mg/kg, and up to 1.39
      mg/kg, respectively. Most of these concentrations exceed their maximum
      permissible levels for contaminants in foods in China. Heavy metals accumulate to
      significantly different levels between leafy vegetables and non-leafy vegetables.
      Food consumption and soil ingestion exposure are the two routes that contribute
      to the average daily intake dose of heavy metals for local adults. Moreover, the
      total hazard indices of As, Pb and Cd are greater than or close to the safety
      threshold of 1. Long-term As, Pb and Cd exposure through the regular consumption
      of the soil, rice and vegetables in the investigated area poses potential health
      problems to residents in the vicinity of the mining industry. 

PMID- 26114245
TI  - The Role of Sister Cities' Staff Exchanges in Developing "Learning Cities":
      Exploring Necessary and Sufficient Conditions in Social Capital Development
      Utilizing Proportional Odds Modeling.
AB  - In the last half century former international adversaries have become cooperators
      through networking and knowledge sharing for decision making aimed at improving
      quality of life and sustainability; nowhere has this been more striking then at
      the urban level where such activity is seen as a key component in building
      "learning cities" through the development of social capital. Although mega-cities
      have been leaders in such efforts, mid-sized cities with lesser resource
      endowments have striven to follow by focusing on more frugal sister city type
      exchanges. The underlying thesis of our research is that great value can be
      derived from city-to-city exchanges through social capital development. However,
      such a study must differentiate between necessary and sufficient conditions. Past
      studies assumed necessary conditions were met and immediately jumped to
      demonstrating the existence of structural relationships by measuring networking
      while further assuming that the existence of such demonstrated a parallel
      development of cognitive social capital. Our research addresses this lacuna by
      stepping back and critically examining these assumptions. To accomplish this goal
      we use a Proportional Odds Modeling with a Cumulative Logit Link approach to
      demonstrate the existence of a common latent structure, hence asserting that
      necessary conditions are met. 

PMID- 26114246
TI  - Dermal desmoplastic fibroblastoma presenting as a large sacral mass.
AB  - Desmoplastic fibroblastoma (collagenous fibroma) is a rare and recently
      recognised benign tumour. Most desmoplastic fibroblastomas arise in the
      subcutaneous tissue or skeletal muscle. Involvement of the dermis is extremely
      rare. We describe an unusual case of dermal desmoplastic fibroblastoma presenting
      as a large sacral mass in a 16-year-old male. An awareness of this entity is
      necessary to avoid confusion with other benign and malignant soft tissue
      neoplasms.

PMID- 26114244
TI  - Quantification of Protozoa and Viruses from Small Water Volumes.
AB  - Large sample volumes are traditionally required for the analysis of waterborne
      pathogens. The need for large volumes greatly limits the number of samples that
      can be processed. The aims of this study were to compare extraction and detection
      procedures for quantifying protozoan parasites and viruses from small volumes of
      marine water. The intent was to evaluate a logistically simpler method of sample
      collection and processing that would facilitate direct pathogen measures as part
      of routine monitoring programs. Samples were collected simultaneously using a
      bilayer device with protozoa capture by size (top filter) and viruses capture by
      charge (bottom filter). Protozoan detection technologies utilized for recovery of
      Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. were qPCR and the more traditional
      immunomagnetic separation-IFA-microscopy, while virus (poliovirus) detection was
      based upon qPCR versus plaque assay. Filters were eluted using reagents
      consistent with the downstream detection technologies. Results showed higher mean
      recoveries using traditional detection methods over qPCR for Cryptosporidium (91%
      vs. 45%) and poliovirus (67% vs. 55%) whereas for Giardia the qPCR-based methods
      were characterized by higher mean recoveries (41% vs. 28%). Overall mean
      recoveries are considered high for all detection technologies. Results suggest
      that simultaneous filtration may be suitable for isolating different classes of
      pathogens from small marine water volumes. More research is needed to evaluate
      the suitability of this method for detecting pathogens at low ambient
      concentration levels. 

PMID- 26114247
TI  - Theoretical studies of the dependence of EPR parameters on local structure for
      the tetragonal Er(3+) centres in YVO4 and ScVO4.
AB  - The dependences of the EPR parameters on the local distortion parameters
      Deltatheta and DeltaR as well as the crystal-field parameters have been studied
      by diagonalizing the 364*364 complete energy matrices for a tetragonal Er(3+)
      centre in the YVO4 and ScVO4 crystals. The results show that the local distortion
      angle Deltatheta and the fourth-order crystal-field parameter A4 are most
      sensitive to the EPR g-factors g// and g?, whereas the local distortion length
      DeltaR and the second-order parameter A2 are less sensitive to the g-factors.
      Furthermore, we found that the abnormal EPR g-factors for the Er(3+) ion in the
      ScVO4 may be ascribed to the stronger nephelauxetic effect and covalent bonding
      effect, as a result of an expanded local distortion for the Er(3+) centre in the
      ScVO4 crystal. Simultaneously, the contributions of the J-J mixing effects from
      the terms of excited states to the EPR parameters have been evaluated
      quantitatively. 

PMID- 26114248
TI  - The transformation of nepheline and albite into sodalite in pegmatitic
      mariupolite of the Oktiabrski Massif (SE Ukraine).
AB  - Sodalite, Na8Al6Si6Cl2, from a pegmatitic variety of mariupolite in the
      Oktiabrski Massif (SE Ukraine) was studied using electron microprobe, electron
      microscopy, spectroscopic cathodoluminescence and Raman techniques to determine
      its growth history during the evolution of the host rock. Three generations of
      the mineral were distinguished: (1) the oldest forms patches with a pink-violet
      cathodoluminescence colour, (2) a younger one, with a dark blue colour, forms the
      matrix of the crystals, and (3) the youngest generation forms veins with light
      blue cathodoluminescence in the older sodalite generations; all are undoubtedly
      secondary phases formed during the post-magmatic evolution of the host rock. The
      close spatial association of the sodalite with coexisting albite, nepheline,
      natrolite and K-feldspar, forming inclusions in each other, and the embayed
      contacts of sodalite with nepheline and albite, and the patchy appearance of
      sodalite under CL, together suggest that the two older sodalite varieties formed
      from the conversion of nepheline and albite under the action of Na-, Cl- and Al
      bearing, but Si undersaturated basic fluids released during cooling of the host.
      The excess of SiO2 (aq.) released as a result of albite metasomatism could be
      accommodated by natrolite occurring as tiny inclusions within the sodalite
      crystals. The youngest, veinlet, generation was probably formed via a fluid
      mediated dissolution-recrystallization process, perhaps simultaneously with the
      coexisting veins of natrolite. 

PMID- 26114249
TI  - Metabolic plasticity of human T cells: Preserved cytokine production under
      glucose deprivation or mitochondrial restriction, but 2-deoxy-glucose affects
      effector functions.
AB  - The strong link between T-cell metabolism and effector functions is well
      characterized in the murine system but hardly investigated in human T cells.
      Therefore, we analyzed glycolytic and mitochondrial activity in correlation to
      function in activated human CD4 and CD8 T cells. Glycolysis was barely detectable
      upon stimulation but accelerated beyond 24 h, whereas mitochondrial activity was
      elevated immediately in both T-cell populations. Glucose deprivation or
      mitochondrial restriction reduced proliferation, had only a transient impact on
      "on-blast formation" and no impact on viability, IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10
      production, whereas TNF was reduced. Similar results were obtained in bulk T
      cells and T-cell subsets. Elevated respiration under glucose restriction
      demonstrated metabolic flexibility. Administration of the glycolytic inhibitor 2
      deoxy-glucose suppressed both glycolysis and respiration and exerted a strong
      impact on cytokine production that persisted for IFN-gamma after removal of 2
      deoxy-glucose. Taken together, glycolytic or mitochondrial restriction alone
      compromised proliferation of human T cells, but barely affected their effector
      functions. In contrast, effector functions were severely affected by 2-deoxy
      glucose treatment. 

PMID- 26114250
TI  - Lateralized Odontoid in Plain Film Radiography: Sign of Fractures? A Comparison
      Study with MDCT.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate X-ray standards for the detection of odontoid fractures.
      SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Cervical spine fractures are a common finding in
      emergency medicine, accounting for 1-3% of injuries. Involvement of the C1/C2
      complex is found in 25% of cases, affecting the odontoid peg in 55-80%. Regarding
      the consequences of missed fractures, radiographic techniques built the
      groundwork for further treatment procedures. As standardized X-ray measurements
      have not been established, the incidence of unrecognized cervical spine fracture
      is expected to be up to 20%. The establishment of X-ray-based guidelines is also
      limited by the presumed low specificity and sensitivity of distance measurements
      caused by rotational distortion which leads to a rising popularity of CT.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: 79 (age 60 +/- 26 yrs) patients with lateralization of the
      odontoid process on conventional plain film radiography (anteroposterior,
      lateral, and open mouth odontoid process view projection) were examined. The
      distance between the odontoid process and lateral mass of C1, angles of vertical
      odontoid line and basis of C2 were measured in the ap view. In the lateral view,
      dorsal alignment and atlantodental distance were assessed. MDCT examinations were
      used as a reference. Discriminatory power test was applied to assess
      significance. RESULTS: 8/79 (10.1%) odontoid process fractures were found.
      Diagnosis was achieved on conventional radiographs in 6 patients. Neither
      distance and angle measurements between odontoid and C1 nor the dorsal alignment
      of the vertebral bodies differed significantly between healthy and affected
      patients. CONCLUSION: Decentralization of the odontoid process is not necessarily
      an indirect sign for its fracture. In patients with suspected injury of the
      odontoid process, an MDCT scan might be the method of choice to rule out a
      fracture. KEY POINTS: Due to the wide physiological variety of odontoid process
      position, even a detailed metric analysis of cervical alignment and odontoid
      process angulation in X-ray scans is not able to facilitate the diagnosis of
      odontoid process fractures. In the case of cervical spine trauma, which
      necessitate medical imaging, a primary MDCT scan should be the method of choice.

PMID- 26114251
TI  - Prostate Imaging--An Update.
AB  - New technical and clinical developments of sonography and magnetic resonance
      imaging include improved detection, localization and staging as well as active
      surveillance of prostate cancer. Multiparametric MRI can best answer these
      typical clinical questions. However, ultrasound elastography seems to be suitable
      for the detection of significant prostate cancer as well. The structured
      reporting system for multiparametric MRI of the prostate according to PI-RADS
      Version 1 led to improved and reproducible diagnosis of prostate cancer. The new
      PI-RADS Version 2 aims to minimize the limitations of Version 1 and make PI-RADS
      standardization more globally acceptable. KEY POINTS: The detection, staging, and
      active monitoring of prostate cancer are common clinical questions. The best
      method for answering these questions is multiparametric MRI. Ultrasound
      elastography also seems to be suitable for the detection of significant prostate
      cancer. The new PI-RADS Version 2 claims to eliminate the limitations of PI-RADS
      Version 1 and to allow globally recognized standardized diagnostic reporting.

PMID- 26114252
TI  - ["Needles and pins". Self injury behavior by ingestion of numerous unusual sharp
      foreign bodies].

PMID- 26114253
TI  - [Rare clinical course of epididymo-orchitis with subtotal testicular infarct].

PMID- 26114254
TI  - [Cephalocele of the petrous apex: a rare etiology of trigeminal neuralgia].

PMID- 26114255
TI  - Advances in ion mobility-mass spectrometry instrumentation and techniques for
      characterizing structural heterogeneity.
AB  - Over the last decade, the field of ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) has
      experienced dramatic growth in its application toward ion structure
      characterization. Enabling advances in instrumentation during this time period
      include improved conformation resolution and ion sensitivity. Such advances have
      rendered IM-MS a powerful approach for characterizing samples presenting a
      diverse array of ion structures. The structural heterogeneity that can be
      interrogated by IM-MS techniques now ranges from samples containing mixtures of
      small molecules exhibiting a variety of structural types to those containing very
      large protein complexes and subcomplexes. In addition to this diversity, IM-MS
      techniques have been used to probe spontaneous and induced structural
      transformations occurring in solution or the gas phase. To support these
      measurement efforts, significant advances have been made in theoretical methods
      aimed at translating IM-MS data into structural information. These efforts have
      ranged from providing more reliable trial structures for comparison to the
      experimental measurements to dramatically reducing the time required to calculate
      collision cross sections for such structures. In this short review, recent
      advances in developments in IM-MS instrumentation, techniques, and theory are
      discussed with regard to their implications for characterization of gas- and
      solution-phase structural heterogeneity. 

PMID- 26114256
TI  - Characterization of Mn-resistant endophytic bacteria from Mn-hyperaccumulator
      Phytolacca americana and their impact on Mn accumulation of hybrid penisetum.
AB  - Three hundred Mn-resistant endophytic bacteria were isolated from the Mn
      hyperaccumulator, Phytolacca americana, grown at different levels of Mn (0, 1,
      and 10mM) stress. Under no Mn stress, 90%, 92%, and 11% of the bacteria produced
      indole acetic acid (IAA), siderophore, and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate
      (ACC) deaminase, respectively. Under Mn stress, 68-94%, 91-92%, and 21-81% of the
      bacteria produced IAA, siderophore, and ACC deaminase, respectively. Greater
      percentages of ACC deaminase-producing bacteria were found in the Mn-treated P.
      americana. Furthermore, the ratios of IAA- and siderophore-producing bacteria
      were significantly higher in the Mn treated plant leaves, while the ratio of ACC
      deaminase-producing bacteria was significantly higher in the Mn treated-roots.
      Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, Mn-resistant bacteria were affiliated
      with 10 genera. In experiments involving hybrid penisetum grown in soils treated
      with 0 and 1000mgkg(-1) of Mn, inoculation with strain 1Y31 was found to increase
      the root (ranging from 6.4% to 18.3%) and above-ground tissue (ranging from 19.3%
      to 70.2%) mass and total Mn uptake of above-ground tissues (64%) compared to the
      control. Furthermore, inoculation with strain 1Y31 was found to increase the
      ratio of IAA-producing bacteria in the rhizosphere and bulk soils of hybrid
      penisetum grown in Mn-added soils. The results showed the effect of Mn stress on
      the ratio of the plant growth-promoting factor-producing endophytic bacteria of
      P. americana and highlighted the potential of endophytic bacterium as an inoculum
      for enhanced phytoremediation of Mn-polluted soils by hybrid penisetum plants. 

PMID- 26114257
TI  - Assessment of heavy metal pollution and human health risk in urban soils of steel
      industrial city (Anshan), Liaoning, Northeast China.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the concentrations and health risk of
      heavy metals in urban soils from a steel industrial district in China. A total of
      115 topsoil samples from Anshan city, Liaoning, Northeast China were collected
      and analyzed for Cr, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Ni. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo),
      pollution index (PI), and potential ecological risk index (PER) were calculated
      to assess the pollution level in soils. The hazard index (HI) and carcinogenic
      risk (RI) were used to assess human health risk of heavy metals. The average
      concentration of Cr, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Ni were 69.9, 0.86, 45.1, 213, 52.3, and
      33.5mg/kg, respectively. The Igeo and PI values of heavy metals were in the
      descending order of Cd>Zn>Cu>Pb>Ni>Cr. Higher Igeo value for Cd in soil indicated
      that Cd pollution was moderate. Pollution index indicated that urban soils were
      moderate to highly polluted by Cd, Zn, Cu, and Pb. The spatial distribution maps
      of heavy metals revealed that steel industrial district was the contamination
      hotspots. Principal component analysis (PCA) and matrix cluster analysis
      classified heavy metals into two groups, indicating common industrial sources for
      Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd. Matrix cluster analysis classified the sampling sites into
      four groups. Sampling sites within steel industrial district showed much higher
      concentrations of heavy metals compared to the rest of sampling sites, indicating
      significant contamination introduced by steel industry on soils. The health risk
      assessment indicated that non-carcinogenic values were below the threshold
      values. The hazard index (HI) for children and adult has a descending order of
      Cr>Pb>Cd>Cu>Ni>Zn. Carcinogenic risks due to Cr, Cd, and Ni in urban soils were
      within acceptable range for adult. Carcinogenic risk value of Cr for children is
      slightly higher than the threshold value, indicating that children are facing
      slight threat of Cr. These results provide basic information of heavy metal
      pollution control and environment management in steel industrial regions. 

PMID- 26114258
TI  - A method to measure the ozone penetration factor in residences under infiltration
      conditions: application in a multifamily apartment unit.
AB  - Recent experiments have demonstrated that outdoor ozone reacts with materials
      inside residential building enclosures, potentially reducing indoor exposures to
      ozone or altering ozone reaction byproducts. However, test methods to measure
      ozone penetration factors in residences (P) remain limited. We developed a method
      to measure ozone penetration factors in residences under infiltration conditions
      and applied it in an unoccupied apartment unit. Twenty-four repeated measurements
      were made, and results were explored to (i) evaluate the accuracy and
      repeatability of the new procedure using multiple solution methods, (ii) compare
      results from 'interference-free' and conventional UV absorbance ozone monitors,
      and (iii) compare results against those from a previously published test method
      requiring artificial depressurization. The mean (+/-s.d.) estimate of P was 0.54
      +/- 0.10 across a wide range of conditions using the new method with an
      interference-free monitor; the conventional monitor was unable to yield
      meaningful results due to relatively high limits of detection. Estimates of P
      were not clearly influenced by any indoor or outdoor environmental conditions or
      changes in indoor decay rate constants. This work represents the first known
      measurements of ozone penetration factors in a residential building operating
      under natural infiltration conditions and provides a new method for widespread
      application in buildings.

PMID- 26114259
TI  - TYPE 2 DIABETES IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: A META-ANALYSIS OF
      PREVALENCE ESTIMATES AND PREDICTORS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with depression may be at increased risk of type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2DM), which is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and premature
      mortality. We aimed to clarify the prevalence and predictors of T2DM in patients
      with major depressive disorder (MDD) and where possible compare the prevalence of
      T2DM in those with MDD versus general population controls. METHODS: We searched
      major electronic databases until December 2014 for studies reporting T2DM
      prevalence in patients with MDD. Two independent authors extracted data and
      completed methodological quality appraisal in accordance with the meta-analysis
      of observational studies in epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. A random effects
      meta-analysis was utilized. RESULTS: The initial electronic database search
      resulted in 145 valid hits and 16 publications with clearly defined MDD (n =
      15,8834; 31% male; mean age = 39-78 years) met the eligibility criteria. The
      overall prevalence of T2DM was 8.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.3-10.2%).
      Mean age of the MDD sample predicted a higher prevalence of T2DM (beta = 0.0411;
      95% CI = 0.0032-0.079, P = .03; R2 = .22). A comparative meta-analysis revealed
      people with MDD (n = 154,366) had a higher risk of T2DM versus general controls
      (n = 2,098,063; relative risk [RR] = 1.49; 95% CI = 1.29-1.72; P < 0.001, N =
      10). The RR (N = 3) focusing on age- and gender-matched general population
      controls (n = 103,555) was 1.36 (95% CI = 1.28-1.44; P < 0.001, n [MDD] =
      10,895). CONCLUSIONS: T2DM is significantly more common in people with MDD
      compared with the general population. The current meta-analysis indicates that
      action is needed in order to curb the diabetes epidemic in this high-risk
      population.

PMID- 26114260
TI  - Study of the influence of over-the-counter vitamin supplement intake on urine
      fluorescence to optimize cancer detection by fluorescence cystoscopy.
AB  - Fluorescence cystoscopy (FC) efficiently enhances the detection and improves the
      therapeutic management of early bladder cancer. During an FC, about 150 ml of
      water is needed to inflate the bladder. The water is quickly diluted by urine
      which can be fluorescent. If this bladder washout fluid (BWF) becomes
      fluorescent, the FC images are frequently degraded. Unfortunately, it is unclear
      which elements of the diet may contribute to this background fluorescence. We
      propose to start this exploration with over-the-counter (OTC) vitamin
      supplements. To this end, we measured excitation-emission matrices of urine
      samples and the kinetics of modifications of urine fluorescence obtained from
      nine healthy volunteers before, during, and after intake of a commercially
      available OTC vitamin supplement. The pharmacokinetics shows that the BWF
      fluorescence values reach a maximum 8 to 10 h after vitamin intake. They decrease
      in the half-day that follows and reach values close to baseline ~1 day afterward.
      Based on these results, we conclude that, in order to avoid degradations of
      fluorescence images, it is likely best that the intake of OTC vitamin supplements
      be avoided during the week preceding an FC.

PMID- 26114261
TI  - Erratum: Clozapine-Related Negative Myoclonus Associated With Urinary Tract
      Infection.

PMID- 26114263
TI  - Photochemical behavior of antibiotics impacted by complexation effects of
      concomitant metals: a case for ciprofloxacin and Cu(II).
AB  - Many water bodies, especially those adjacent to aquaculture and livestock
      breeding areas, are contaminated by both antibiotics and transition metals.
      However, the effects of the interaction between antibiotics and transition metals
      on the environmental behavior and the ecotoxicology of antibiotics are largely
      unknown. We hypothesized that antibiotics may coordinately bind with metal ions,
      and this complexation may affect the environmental photochemical behavior of
      antibiotics. We took ciprofloxacin (CIP) and Cu(ii) as a case, and employed
      simulated sunlight experiments and density functional theory calculations to
      investigate the underlying reaction mechanisms. The results showed that
      monovalent cationic ciprofloxacin (H2CIP(+)) that is predominant in the normal pH
      range (6-9) of surface waters can chelate with hydrated Cu(ii) to form
      [Cu(H2CIP)(H2O)4](3+). Compared with H2CIP(+), [Cu(H2CIP)(H2O)4](3+) has
      different molecular orbitals, and atomic charge distribution. As a result,
      [Cu(H2CIP)(H2O)4](3+) showed dissimilar light absorption properties, slower
      direct photolytic rates, lower (1)O2 generation ability and weaker reactivity
      towards (1)O2. Due to the Cu(ii) complexation, the apparent photodegradation of
      H2CIP(+) was inhibited, and the photolytic pathways and product distribution were
      altered. This study implies that for an accurate ecological risk assessment of
      antibiotics under transition metal co-contamination conditions, the effects of
      metal complexation should be considered.

PMID- 26114265
TI  - Analysis of suspended solids transport processes in primary settling tanks.
AB  - The paper shows the results of a long-term research comprising FLUENT-based
      numerical modeling, in situ measurements and laboratory tests to analyze
      suspended solids (SS) transport processes in primary settling tanks (PSTs). The
      investigated PST was one of the rectangular horizontal flow PSTs at a large
      municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of a capacity of 500,000 population
      equivalent. Many middle-sized and large WWTPs are equipped with such PSTs. The
      numerical PST model was calibrated and validated based on the results of
      comprehensive in situ flow and SS concentration measurements from low (5 m/h) up
      to quite high surface overflow rates of 9.5 and 13.0 m/h and on settling and
      other laboratory tests. The calibrated and validated PST model was also
      successfully used for evaluation of some slight modifications of the inlet
      geometry (removing lamellas, installing a flocculation 'box', shifting the inlet
      into a 'bottom-near' or into a 'high' position), which largely affect PST
      behavior and performance. The investigations provided detailed insight into the
      flow and SS transport processes within the investigated PST, which strongly
      contributes to hydrodynamically driven design and upgrading of PSTs. 

PMID- 26114264
TI  - Lichenoid reaction as a potential immune response marker of intratreatment
      histological response during successful vismodegib treatment for a giant basal
      cell carcinoma.
AB  - We report an 83 year-old patient with a 13 * 7.5 cm(2) basal cell carcinoma (BCC)
      successfully treated with the combination of vismodegib and minimal surgery. On
      Day 109, a 0.9 cm papule suspicious for residual BCC was seen centrally within a
      large pink atrophic plaque. This lesion was excised; pathology confirmed BCC with
      negative surgical margins. Simultaneously, suspecting noncontiguous histologic
      response, we performed 21 biopsies at the periphery of the pretreatment tumor
      location. Seventeen (17/21, 81%) revealed lichenoid dermatitis. No tumor was seen
      on any. We believe the lichenoid dermatitis observed is a novel finding for two
      reasons. First, it may be considered a marker of a positive intratreatment
      response. This may help guide clinicians on the optimal treatment duration of
      vismodegib to maximize efficacy and mitigate side effects. Second, we think it
      suggests an additional mechanism of vismodegib action, possibly via local immune
      effects. Further investigations are warranted. 

PMID- 26114266
TI  - Evaluation of hydraulic performance indices for retention ponds.
AB  - Comprehensive hydraulic analysis of sediment retention ponds is commonly achieved
      through interpretation of residence time distribution and derivation of indices
      associated with short-circuiting and mixing. However, the availability of various
      indices indicates the need for careful selection of the most appropriate indices.
      This study compares some of the commonly used hydraulic performance indices,
      together with a new short-circuiting index, tau5, for five different flow regimes
      in a model sediment retention pond. The results show that tau5 was the best
      measure for short-circuiting. Among the mixing indices, only the Morril index
      correctly represented the physical behaviour of the experiments. In addition, two
      hydraulic efficiency indices, lambda and a moment index (MI) were assessed and
      showed a good correlation with the short-circuiting and mixing indices, but MI
      was more reproducible than lambda. Based on these results, this study recommends
      using tau5, Morril index and MI for analysis of hydraulic performance in sediment
      retention ponds. 

PMID- 26114267
TI  - Influence of pH on hexavalent chromium reduction by Fe(II) and sulfide compounds.
AB  - Batch experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of pH on Cr(VI)
      reduction with Fe(II), sulfide and mixtures of Fe(II) and sulfide at pH 3.0-12.0.
      The results showed that Fe(II) could reduce Cr(VI) with a high removal of nearly
      100% in the pH range of 3.0-9.0, while the reduction of Cr(VI) decreased to
      approximately 60% considering the oxygenation of Fe(II) at pH 12.0. The reaction
      between Cr(VI) and sulfide, however, was largely pH dependent. H2S was the main
      sulfide species with the Cr(VI) removal of ~80% at pH < 7.0, while sulfide mainly
      existed in the forms as HS(-) or S(2-) at pH >= 7.0, which had very limited
      removal of Cr(VI) (no more than 10%). The Cr(VI) removal by the mixtures of
      Fe(II) and sulfide was also compared with the sum of separate ones at different
      pH values. The sum of Cr(VI) removal by single Fe(II) and S(-II) was similar to
      that by the mixtures at pH 3.0-5.0 and pH 12.0, while the removal of Cr(VI) by
      the mixtures was observed to be more effective than the sum of the single-species
      removals at pH 7.0-9.0; the promoting effect was primarily attributed to the
      catalysis of ferric ion generated during the reduction process. 

PMID- 26114268
TI  - Unexpected toxicity to aquatic organisms of some aqueous bisphenol A samples
      treated by advanced oxidation processes.
AB  - In this study, photocatalytic and catalytic wet-air oxidation (CWAO) processes
      were used to examine removal efficiency of bisphenol A from aqueous samples over
      several titanate nanotube-based catalysts. Unexpected toxicity of bisphenol A
      (BPA) samples treated by means of the CWAO process to some tested species was
      determined. In addition, the CWAO effluent was recycled five- or 10-fold in order
      to increase the number of interactions between the liquid phase and catalyst.
      Consequently, the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis
      indicated higher concentrations of some toxic metals like chromium, nickel,
      molybdenum, silver, and zinc in the recycled samples in comparison to both the
      single-pass sample and the photocatalytically treated solution. The highest
      toxicity of five- and 10-fold recycled solutions in the CWAO process was observed
      in water fleas, which could be correlated to high concentrations of chromium,
      nickel, and silver detected in tested samples. The obtained results clearly
      demonstrated that aqueous samples treated by means of advanced oxidation
      processes should always be analyzed using (i) chemical analyses to assess removal
      of BPA and total organic carbon from treated aqueous samples, as well as (ii) a
      battery of aquatic organisms from different taxonomic groups to determine
      possible toxicity. 

PMID- 26114270
TI  - Influence of denitrification reactor retention time distribution (RTD) on
      dissolved oxygen control and nitrogen removal efficiency.
AB  - Low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO) are usually found in biological
      anoxic pre-denitrification reactors, causing a reduction in nitrogen removal
      efficiency. Therefore, the reduction of DO in such reactors is fundamental for
      achieving good nutrient removal. The article shows the results of an experimental
      study carried out to evaluate the effect of the anoxic reactor hydrodynamic model
      on both residual DO concentration and nitrogen removal efficiency. In particular,
      two hydrodynamic models were considered: the single completely mixed reactor and
      a series of four reactors that resemble plug-flow behaviour. The latter prove to
      be more effective in oxygen consumption, allowing a lower residual DO
      concentration than the former. The series of reactors also achieves better
      specific denitrification rates and higher denitrification efficiency. Moreover,
      the denitrification food to microrganism (F:M) ratio (F:MDEN) demonstrates a
      relevant synergic action in both controlling residual DO and improving the
      denitrification performance. 

PMID- 26114269
TI  - Oxidative treatment of fentanyl compounds in water by sodium bromate combined
      with sodium sulphite.
AB  - As narcotic analgesics, fentanyl compounds have been commonly produced and widely
      used during surgical procedures. The residual and waste of fentanyl compounds
      have potential harmful impacts on the environment and human health. The oxidative
      degradation of fentanyl compounds by sodium bromate mixed systems was studied.
      Factors influencing the oxidation reaction, including molar ratio of
      NaBrO3/H(+)/SO3(2-), molar ratio of NaBrO3/fentanyl and pH, were investigated.
      Fentanyl, carfentanil and 3-methylfentanyl were able to be completely degraded in
      30 minutes by a NaBrO3 mixed system under optimum conditions, the molar ratio of
      NaBrO3/H(+)/SO3(2-) equal to 20:3:10, the molar ratio of NaBrO3:fentanyl
      compounds 50:1 and pH = 4. Sufentanil was only able to be degraded by 74% under
      the same conditions. The degradation products of the fentanyl compounds detected
      and identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry suggested several possible
      degradation pathways. 

PMID- 26114271
TI  - Optimizing the recovery of copper from electroplating rinse bath solution by
      hollow fiber membrane.
AB  - This study aimed to recover and remove copper from industrial model wastewater
      solution by non-dispersive solvent extraction (NDSX). Two mathematical models
      were developed to simulate the performance of an integrated extraction-stripping
      process, based on the use of hollow fiber contactors using the response surface
      method. The models allow one to predict the time dependent efficiencies of the
      two phases involved in individual extraction or stripping processes. The optimal
      recovery efficiency parameters were determined as 227 g/L of H2SO4 concentration,
      1.22 feed/strip ratio, 450 mL/min flow rate (115.9 cm/min. flow velocity) and 15
      volume % LIX 84-I concentration in 270 min by central composite design (CCD). At
      these optimum conditions, the experimental value of recovery efficiency was
      95.88%, which was in close agreement with the 97.75% efficiency value predicted
      by the model. At the end of the process, almost all the copper in the model
      wastewater solution was removed and recovered as CuSO4.5H2O salt, which can be
      reused in the copper electroplating industry. 

PMID- 26114272
TI  - Ammonia and phenol removal in an internal-circulate sequencing batch airlift
      reactor.
AB  - An internal-circulate sequencing batch airlift reactor (IC-SBAR) has been
      developed to evaluate the efficiency of phenol and ammonia removal in treating
      synthetic wastewater. This study examined the effect of operation cycle on this
      system. Results showed that above 97.0% removal efficiencies of ammonia and
      phenol were achieved, which indicated that ammonia and phenol removals were not
      related to operation cycle. The average removal efficiency of 91.7% for chemical
      oxygen demand (COD) was achieved when the static/aerobic/settling time was 240
      min/440 min/40 min. It was found that COD removal efficiency increased due to the
      time of operation cycle being prolonged. The average removal efficiencies of
      total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) were 65.8, 69.3 and 68.9% when average TIN
      concentrations were 78.0, 97.6 and 88.4 mg/L, respectively, in the influent. A
      cycle study showed that most phenol was degraded by aerobic microbes. Increasing
      the static time from 120 to 240 min resulted in the accumulation of NO2(-)-N,
      which indicated that the structures of the nitrifying bacterial community were
      changed. 

PMID- 26114273
TI  - Treatment of high organic content wastewater from food-processing industry with
      the French vertical flow constructed wetland system.
AB  - This study aimed at determining the treatment performances of a full-scale
      vertical flow constructed wetlands designed to treat wastewater from a food
      processing industry (cookie factory), and to study the influence of the organic
      loading rate. The full-scale treatment plant was designed with a first vertical
      stage of 630 m2, a second vertical stage of 473 m2 equipped with a recirculation
      system and followed by a final horizontal stage of 440 m2. The plant was
      commissioned in 2011, and was operated at different loading rates during 16
      months for the purpose of this study. Treatment performances were determined by
      24 hour composite samples. The mean concentration of the raw effluent was 8,548
      mg.L(-1) chemical oxygen demand (COD), 4,334 mg.L(-1) biochemical oxygen demand
      (BOD5), and 2,069 mg.L(-1) suspended solids (SS). Despite low nutrients content
      with a BOD5/N/P ratio of 100/1.8/0.5, lower than optimum for biological
      degradation (known as 100/5/1), mean removal performances were very high with 98%
      for COD, 99% for BOD5 and SS for the two vertical stages. The increasing of the
      organic load from 50 g.m(-2).d(-1) COD to 237 g.m(-2).d(-1) COD (on the first
      stage) did not affect removal performances. The mean quality of effluent reached
      French standards (COD < 125 mg.L(-1), BOD5 < 25 mg.L(-1), SS < 35 mg.L(-1)). 

PMID- 26114274
TI  - Modelling GAC adsorption of biologically pre-treated process water from
      hydrothermal carbonization.
AB  - Granular-activated carbon (GAC) adsorption of biologically pre-treated process
      waters from hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of different materials was
      investigated. Overall, isotherms showed that most of the dissolved organic
      substances are strongly adsorbable while the non-adsorbable fractions are small.
      The equilibrium data were modelled by using five fictive components to represent
      the organic matter. Mean film transfer coefficients and mean intraparticle
      diffusivities were derived from short-column and batch kinetic test data,
      respectively. Breakthrough curves in GAC columns could be predicted
      satisfactorily by applying the film-homogeneous diffusion model and using the
      equilibrium and kinetic parameters determined from batch tests. Thus, the
      approach is suited to model GAC adsorption of HTC process water under technical
      scale conditions. 

PMID- 26114275
TI  - The use of palm kernel shell (PKS) as substrate material in vertical-flow
      engineered wetlands for septage treatment in Malaysia.
AB  - In this study, the treatment of septage (originating from septic tanks) was
      carried out in a pilot-scale, two-staged, vertical-flow engineered wetland
      (VFEW). Palm kernel shells (PKS) were incorporated as part of the VFEW's
      substrate (B-PKS), to compare its organic matter (OM) and nitrogen (N) removal
      efficiency against wetlands with only sand substrates (B-SD). The results
      revealed satisfactory OM removal with >90% reduction efficiencies at both
      wetlands B-PKS and B-SD. No increment of chemical oxygen demand (COD)
      concentration was observed in the effluent of B-PKS. Ammonia load removal
      efficiencies were comparable (>91% and 95% in wetland B-PKS and B-SD,
      respectively). However, nitrate accumulation was observed in the effluent of B-SD
      where PKS was absent. This was due to the limited denitrification in B-SD, as
      sand is free of carbon. A lower nitrate concentration was associated with higher
      COD concentration in the effluent at B-PKS. This study has shown that the use of
      PKS was effective in improving the N removal efficiency in engineered wetlands. 

PMID- 26114276
TI  - Removal of humic acid from composted hog waste by the white-rot fungus,
      Phanerochaete chrysosporium.
AB  - The potential hazards of humic acid (HA) associated with hog waste effluent,
      coupled with increasing awareness of environmental problems, have prompted many
      countries to control disposal of effluents into water bodies and to maximize
      removal of HA. Here we employed the white-rot fungus, Phanerochaete
      chrysosporium, to degrade the HA in composted hog waste effluent, evaluated by
      the response surface method. Preliminary experiments demonstrate that pH,
      temperature and quantity of inoculum are significant variables determining
      success of the fungus. In total, 13 experiments were conducted with three
      variables designated as A (pH), B (temperature) and C (inoculum amount). The
      optimal conditions for reduction of HA by P. chrysosporium are pH 6, 31.5 degrees
      C and an inoculum quantity of 5.86 g. Predicted and experimental results exhibit
      strong agreement, indicating efficiency in the model obtained by response surface
      method. Therefore, P. chrysosporium is an effective micro-organism for removal of
      HA from composted hog waste effluent. 

PMID- 26114277
TI  - Long-term effects of engineered nanoparticles on enzyme activity and functional
      bacteria in wastewater treatment plants.
AB  - The pervasive use of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) in a wide range of fields
      raises concerns about their potential environmental impacts. Previous studies
      confirmed that some NPs had already entered wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).
      Wastewater nutrient removal depends on the metabolisms of activated sludge
      bacteria and their related key enzymes. Therefore, this study compared the
      possible influences of Al2O3, SiO2, TiO2, and ZnO NPs on the key enzymes
      activities and microbial community structures involved in wastewater treatment
      facilities. It was found that long-term exposure to these NPs significantly
      affected the microbial communities and changed the relative abundances of key
      functional bacteria, such as ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Also, the gene
      expressions and catalytic activities of essential enzymes, such as ammonia
      monooxygenase, nitrite oxidoreductase, nitrate reductase, and nitrite reductase,
      were decreased, which finally resulted in a lower efficiency of biological
      nitrogen removal. 

PMID- 26114278
TI  - Reduction of start-up time through bioaugmentation process in microbial fuel
      cells using an isolate from dark fermentative spent media fed anode.
AB  - An electrochemically active bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa IIT BT SS1 was
      isolated from a dark fermentative spent media fed anode, and a bioaugmentation
      technique using the isolated strain was used to improve the start-up time of a
      microbial fuel cell (MFC). Higher volumetric current density and lower start-up
      time were observed with the augmented system MFC-PM (13.7 A/m(3)) when compared
      with mixed culture MFC-M (8.72 A/m(3)) during the initial phase. This enhanced
      performance in MFC-PM was possibly due to the improvement in electron transfer
      ability by the augmented strain. However, pure culture MFC-P showed maximum
      volumetric current density (17 A/m(3)) due to the inherent electrogenic
      properties of Pseudomonas sp. An electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS)
      study, along with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight
      (MALDI-TOF) analysis, supported the influence of isolated species in improving
      the MFC performance. The present study indicates that the bioaugmentation
      strategy using the isolated Pseudomonas sp. can be effectively utilized to
      decrease the start-up time of MFC. 

PMID- 26114279
TI  - Bacterial community involved in the nitrogen cycle in a down-flow sponge-based
      trickling filter treating UASB effluent.
AB  - The bacterial community composition of a down-flow sponge-based trickling filter
      treating upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) effluent was investigated by
      pyrosequencing. Bacterial community composition considerably changed along the
      reactor and over the operational period. The dominant phyla detected were
      Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Planctomycetes. The abundance of
      denitrifiers decreased from the top to the bottom and it was consistent with the
      organic matter concentration gradients. At lower loadings (organic and nitrogen
      loading rates), the abundance of anammox bacteria was higher than that of the
      ammonium-oxidizing bacteria in the upper portion of the reactor, suggesting that
      aerobic and anaerobic ammonium oxidation occurred. Nitrification occurred in all
      the compartments, while anammox bacteria prominently appeared even in the
      presence of high organic carbon to ammonia ratios (around 1.0-2.0 gCOD gN(-1)).
      The results suggest that denitrifiers, nitrifiers, and anammox bacteria coexisted
      in the reactor; thus, different metabolic pathways were involved in ammonium
      removal in the post-UASB reactor sponge-based. 

PMID- 26114280
TI  - Anaerobic digestion of wastewater from the fruit juice industry: experiments and
      modeling.
AB  - Anaerobic digestion of wastewater from the fruit juice industry was carried out
      in a batch digester. To study the effect of the pH values as well as the nutrient
      medium on the fermentation process, different parameters were monitored under
      mesophilic temperature, such as cumulative biogas volume, chemical oxygen demand
      (COD), total sugar, and biomass growth. It was found that for all cases, the COD
      concentration decreased with time. The lowest value reached was obtained when the
      nutrient medium was added; it was about 110 g/L after 480 h. In such cases, the
      COD removal reached about 80%; the highest cumulative biogas volume of about
      5,515.8 NmL was reached after 480 h testing; and the lowest value reached was
      about 2,862.3 NmL in the case of peach-substrate containing sodium sulfite. The
      addition of nutrient medium improved the cumulative biogas production as well as
      the COD abatement. Measurement of the biogas composition highlighted three
      gaseous components, namely, methane (56.52%), carbon dioxide (20.14%), and
      hydrogen sulfide (23.34%). The modified Gompertz equation and the first-order
      kinetic model were used to describe the cumulative biogas production and the
      organic matter removal, respectively. A good agreement was found between
      simulated and experimental data. 

PMID- 26114281
TI  - Presence and persistence of wastewater pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 in
      hydroponic reactors of treatment wetland species.
AB  - Treatment wetlands (TWs) efficiently remove many pollutants including a several
      log order reduction of pathogens from influent to effluent; however, there is
      evidence to suggest that pathogen cells are sequestered in a subsurface wetland
      and may remain viable months after inoculation. Escherichia coli is a common
      pathogen in domestic and agricultural wastewater and the O157:H7 strain causes
      most environmental outbreaks in the United States. To assess attachment of E.
      coli to the TW rhizosphere, direct measurements of E. coli levels were taken.
      Experiments were performed in chemostats containing either Teflon nylon as an
      abiotic control or roots of Carex utriculata or Schoenoplectus acutus. Flow of
      simulated wastewater through the chemostat was set to maintain a 2 hour residence
      time. The influent was inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 containing DsRed
      fluorescent protein. Root samples were excised and analyzed via epifluorescent
      microscopy. E. coli O157:H7 was detected on the root surface at 2 hours after
      inoculation, and were visible as single cells. Microcolonies began forming at 24
      hours post-inoculation and were detected for up to 1 week post-inoculation. Image
      analysis determined that the number of microcolonies with >100 cells increased 1
      week post-inoculation, confirming that E. coli O157:H7 is capable of growth
      within biofilms surrounding wetland plant roots. 

PMID- 26114282
TI  - High strength domestic wastewater treatment with submerged forward osmosis
      membrane bioreactor.
AB  - Forward osmosis membranes are less prone to fouling with high rejection of salts,
      and the osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) can be considered as an innovative
      membrane technology for wastewater treatment. In this study, a submerged OMBR
      having a cellulose triacetate membrane, with the active layer facing the feed
      solution configuration, was operated at different organic loading rates (OLRs),
      i.e., 0.4, 1.2 and 2.0 kg-COD/(m(3).d) with chemical oxygen demand (COD)
      concentrations of 200 mg/L, 600 mg/L and 1,000 mg/L, respectively, to evaluate
      the performance on varying wastewater strengths. High organic content with
      sufficient amount of nutrients enhanced the biomass growth. High OLR caused more
      extrapolymeric substances production and less dewaterability. However, no
      significant differences in fouling trends and flux rates were observed among
      different OLR operational conditions. 

PMID- 26114283
TI  - Evaluation of the simultaneous biogas upgrading and treatment of centrates in a
      high-rate algal pond through C, N and P mass balances.
AB  - The simultaneous capture of CO2 from biogas and removal of carbon and nutrients
      from diluted centrates in a 180 L high-rate algal pond (HRAP) interconnected to a
      2.5 L absorption column were evaluated using a C, N and P mass balance approach.
      The experimental set-up was operated indoors at 75 MUE/m(2).s for 24 h/d at 20
      days of hydraulic retention time for 2 months of steady state, and supported a C
      CO2 removal in the absorption column of 55 +/- 6%. Carbon fixation into biomass
      only accounted for 9 +/- 2% of the total C input, which explains the low biomass
      productivity recorded in the HRAP. In this context, the low impinging light
      intensity along with the high turbulence in the culture broth entailed a C
      stripping as CO2 of 49 +/- 5% of the total carbon input. Nitrification was the
      main NH4(+) removal mechanism and accounted for 47 +/- 2% of the inlet N-NH4(+),
      while N removal as biomass represented 14 +/- 2% of the total nitrogen input. A
      luxury P uptake was recorded, which resulted in a P-PO4(-3) biomass content over
      structural requirements (2.5 +/- 0.1%). Phosphorus assimilation corresponded to a
      77 +/- 2% of the inlet dissolved P-PO4(-3) removed. 

PMID- 26114284
TI  - Organic pollution removal from coke plant wastewater using coking coal.
AB  - Coke plant wastewater (CPW) is an intractable chemical wastewater, and it
      contains many toxic pollutants. This article presents the results of research on
      a semi-industrial adsorption method of coking wastewater treatment. As a sorbent,
      the coking coal (CC) was a dozen times less expensive than active carbon. The
      treatment was conducted within two scenarios, as follows: (1) adsorption after
      biological treatment of CPW with CC at 40 g L(-1); the chemical oxygen demand
      (COD) removal was 75.66%, and the concentration was reduced from 178.99 to 43.56
      mg L(-1); (2) given an adsorption by CC of 250 g L(-1) prior to the biological
      treatment of CPW, the eliminations of COD and phenol were 58.08% and 67.12%,
      respectively. The CC that adsorbed organic pollution and was returned to the
      coking system might have no effect on both coke oven gas and coke. 

PMID- 26114285
TI  - Corrigendum: Water Science and Technology 71 (4), 487-494: Full-scale phosphorus
      recovery from digested waste water sludge in Belgium - part I: technical
      achievements and challenges.

PMID- 26114286
TI  - Is Strain Elastography (IO-SE) Sufficient for Characterization of Liver Lesions
      before Surgical Resection--Or Is Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) Necessary?
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of IO-SE in comparison to IO-CEUS for
      the differentiation between malignant and benign liver lesions. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: In a retrospective diagnostic study IO-CEUS and SE examinations of 49
      liver lesions were evaluated and compared to histopathological examinations.
      Ultrasound was performed using a multifrequency linear probe (6-9 MHz). The loops
      of CEUS were evaluated up to 5 min. The qualitative characterization of IO-SE was
      based on a color coding system (blue = hard, red = soft). Stiffness of all
      lesions was quantified by a specific scaling of 0-6 (0 = low, 6 = high) using 7
      ROIs (2 central, 5 peripheral). RESULTS: All malignant lesions displayed a
      characteristic portal venous washout and could be diagnosed correctly by IO-CEUS.
      3/5 benign lesions could not be characterized properly either by IO-CEUS or IO-SE
      prior to resection. Thus for IO-CEUS sensitivity, specificity, positive and
      negative predictive value and accuracy were 100%, 40%, 94%, 100% and 94%. Lesion
      sizes were between 8 and 59 mm in diameter. Regarding the IO-SE, malignant
      lesions showed a marked variability. In qualitative analysis, 31 of the malignant
      lesions were blue colored denoting overall induration. Thirteen malignant lesions
      showed an inhomogenous color pattern with partial indurations. Two of the benign
      lesions also displayed overall induration. The other benign lesions showed an
      inhomogenous color mapping. Calculated sensitivity of the SE was 70.5%,
      specificity 60%, PPV 94%, NPV 18.75%, and accuracy 69%. CONCLUSION: IO-CEUS is
      useful for localization and characterization of liver lesions prior to surgical
      resection whereas IO-SE provided correct characterization only for a limited
      number of lesions.

PMID- 26114288
TI  - Correction: Paracoccidioides brasiliensis Interferes on Dendritic Cells
      Maturation by Inhibiting PGE2 Production.

PMID- 26114287
TI  - Differences in the Faecal Microbiome in Schistosoma haematobium Infected Children
      vs. Uninfected Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several infectious diseases and therapeutic interventions cause gut
      microbe dysbiosis and associated pathology. We characterised the gut microbiome
      of children exposed to the helminth Schistosoma haematobium pre- and post
      treatment with the drug praziquantel (PZQ), with the aim to compare the gut
      microbiome structure (abundance and diversity) in schistosome infected vs.
      uninfected children. METHODS: Stool DNA from 139 children aged six months to 13
      years old; with S. haematobium infection prevalence of 27.34% was extracted at
      baseline. 12 weeks following antihelminthic treatment with praziqunatel, stool
      DNA was collected from 62 of the 139 children. The 16S rRNA genes were sequenced
      from the baseline and post-treatment samples and the sequence data, clustered
      into operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The OTU data were analysed using
      multivariate analyses and paired T-test. RESULTS: Pre-treatment, the most
      abundant phyla were Bacteroidetes, followed by Firmicutes and Proteobacteria
      respectively. The relative abundance of taxa among bacterial classes showed
      limited variation by age group or sex and the bacterial communities had similar
      overall compositions. Although there were no overall differences in the
      microbiome structure across the whole age range, the abundance of 21 OTUs varied
      significantly with age (FDR<0.05). Some OTUs including Veillonella,
      Streptococcus, Bacteroides and Helicobacter were more abundant in children <= 1
      year old compared to older children. Furthermore, the gut microbiome differed in
      schistosome infected vs. uninfected children with 27 OTU occurring in infected
      but not uninfected children, for 5 of these all Prevotella, the difference was
      statistically significant (p <0.05) with FDR <0.05. PZQ treatment did not alter
      the microbiome structure in infected or uninfected children from that observed at
      baseline. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences in the gut microbiome
      structure of infected vs. uninfected children and the differences were refractory
      to PZQ treatment.

PMID- 26114289
TI  - Orthodenticle Is Required for the Expression of Principal Recognition Molecules
      That Control Axon Targeting in the Drosophila Retina.
AB  - Parallel processing of neuronal inputs relies on assembling neural circuits into
      distinct synaptic-columns and layers. This is orchestrated by matching
      recognition molecules between afferent growth cones and target areas. Controlling
      the expression of these molecules during development is crucial but not well
      understood. The developing Drosophila visual system is a powerful genetic model
      for addressing this question. In this model system, the achromatic R1-6
      photoreceptors project their axons in the lamina while the R7 and R8
      photoreceptors, which are involved in colour detection, project their axons to
      two distinct synaptic-layers in the medulla. Here we show that the conserved
      homeodomain transcription factor Orthodenticle (Otd), which in the eye is a main
      regulator of rhodopsin expression, is also required for R1-6 photoreceptor
      synaptic-column specific innervation of the lamina. Our data indicate that otd
      function in these photoreceptors is largely mediated by the recognition molecules
      flamingo (fmi) and golden goal (gogo). In addition, we find that otd regulates
      synaptic-layer targeting of R8. We demonstrate that during this process, otd and
      the R8-specific transcription factor senseless/Gfi1 (sens) function as
      independent transcriptional inputs that are required for the expression of fmi,
      gogo and the adhesion molecule capricious (caps), which govern R8 synaptic-layer
      targeting. Our work therefore demonstrates that otd is a main component of the
      gene regulatory network that regulates synaptic-column and layer targeting in the
      fly visual system. 

PMID- 26114290
TI  - Larvae and Nests of Six Aculeate Hymenoptera (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) Nesting in
      Reed Galls Induced by Lipara spp. (Diptera: Chloropidae) with a Review of Species
      Recorded.
AB  - Wetland species of aculeate Hymenoptera are poorly known, even though many of
      them may serve as diagnostic or flagship species in nature conservation. Here we
      examined 6,018 galls induced >=1 year prior their collection by the chloropid
      flies Lipara spp. The galls were collected at 34 sites in Central Europe. We
      examined 1,389 nests (4,513 individuals) of nine species, part of which were
      parasitized by one dipteran and two chrysidid parasitoid species. We describe the
      nests of seven dominant species and larvae of four species (Pemphredon fabricii,
      Trypoxylon deceptorium, Hoplitis leucomelana and Hylaeus pectoralis) and two
      parasitoids (Trichrysis cyanea and Thyridanthrax fenestratus, both in nests of
      Pemphredon fabricii and Trypoxylon deceptorium). All the species, but H.
      pectoralis, preferred robust galls at very thin stalks (induced typically by
      Lipara lucens) over the narrow galls on thick stalks. The larvae of P. fabricii
      and T. deceptorium resembled strongly their sibling species (Pemphredon lethifer
      and Trypoxylon attenuatum sensu lato, respectively). The larvae of T. fenestratus
      showed features different from those previously described. By hatching set of
      another 10,583 galls induced by Lipara spp. >=1 year prior their collection, we
      obtained 4,469 individuals of 14 nesting hymenopteran species, two
      cleptoparasites, three chrysidid and one dipteran parasitoid. Of these species,
      four new nesting species have been recorded for the first time in galls induced
      by Lipara spp.: Chelostoma campanularum, Heriades rubicola, Pseudoanthidium
      lituratum and Hylaeus incongruus. We also provide first records of their nest
      cleptoparasites Stelis breviuscula and Stelis ornatula, and the parasitoid
      Holopyga fastuosa generosa. Thyridanthrax fenestratus formed strong populations
      in nests of Pemphredon fabricii and Trypoxylon deceptorium, which are both newly
      recorded hosts for T. fenestratus. The descriptions provided here allow for the
      first time to identify the larvae of the most widespread central European
      aculeate hymenopteran reed gall specialists. 

PMID- 26114292
TI  - Structure-Function Analysis of PPP1R3D, a Protein Phosphatase 1 Targeting
      Subunit, Reveals a Binding Motif for 14-3-3 Proteins which Regulates its
      Glycogenic Properties.
AB  - Protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is one of the major protein phosphatases in
      eukaryotic cells. It plays a key role in regulating glycogen synthesis, by
      dephosphorylating crucial enzymes involved in glycogen homeostasis such as
      glycogen synthase (GS) and glycogen phosphorylase (GP). To play this role, PP1
      binds to specific glycogen targeting subunits that, on one hand recognize the
      substrates to be dephosphorylated and on the other hand recruit PP1 to glycogen
      particles. In this work we have analyzed the functionality of the different
      protein binding domains of one of these glycogen targeting subunits, namely
      PPP1R3D (R6) and studied how binding properties of different domains affect its
      glycogenic properties. We have found that the PP1 binding domain of R6 comprises
      a conserved RVXF motif (R102VRF) located at the N-terminus of the protein. We
      have also identified a region located at the C-terminus of R6 (W267DNND) that is
      involved in binding to the PP1 glycogenic substrates. Our results indicate that
      although binding to PP1 and glycogenic substrates are independent processes,
      impairment of any of them results in lack of glycogenic activity of R6. In
      addition, we have characterized a novel site of regulation in R6 that is involved
      in binding to 14-3-3 proteins (RARS74LP). We present evidence indicating that
      when binding of R6 to 14-3-3 proteins is prevented, R6 displays hyper-glycogenic
      activity although is rapidly degraded by the lysosomal pathway. These results
      define binding to 14-3-3 proteins as an additional pathway in the control of the
      glycogenic properties of R6. 

PMID- 26114293
TI  - Correction: Modeling of In-Utero and Intra-Partum Transmissions to Evaluate the
      Efficacy of Interventions for the Prevention of Perinatal HIV.

PMID- 26114291
TI  - De Novo Regulatory Motif Discovery Identifies Significant Motifs in Promoters of
      Five Classes of Plant Dehydrin Genes.
AB  - Plants accumulate dehydrins in response to osmotic stresses. Dehydrins are
      divided into five different classes, which are thought to be regulated in
      different manners. To better understand differences in transcriptional regulation
      of the five dehydrin classes, de novo motif discovery was performed on 350
      dehydrin promoter sequences from a total of 51 plant genomes. Overrepresented
      motifs were identified in the promoters of five dehydrin classes. The Kn dehydrin
      promoters contain motifs linked with meristem specific expression, as well as
      motifs linked with cold/dehydration and abscisic acid response. KS dehydrin
      promoters contain a motif with a GATA core. SKn and YnSKn dehydrin promoters
      contain motifs that match elements connected with cold/dehydration, abscisic acid
      and light response. YnKn dehydrin promoters contain motifs that match abscisic
      acid and light response elements, but not cold/dehydration response elements.
      Conserved promoter motifs are present in the dehydrin classes and across
      different plant lineages, indicating that dehydrin gene regulation is likely also
      conserved. 

PMID- 26114294
TI  - Phenformin Induces Cell Cycle Change, Apoptosis, and Mesenchymal-Epithelial
      Transition and Regulates the AMPK/mTOR/p70s6k and MAPK/ERK Pathways in Breast
      Cancer Cells.
AB  - Breast cancer remains a world-wide challenge, and additional anti-cancer
      therapies are still urgently needed. Emerging evidence has demonstrated the
      potent anti-tumor effect of biguanides, among which phenformin was reported to
      potentially be a more active anti-cancer agent than metformin. However, little
      attention has been given to the role of phenformin in breast cancer. In this
      study, we reveal the role of phenformin in cell death of the MCF7, ZR-75-1, MDA
      MB-231 and SUM1315 breast cancer cell lines. The respective IC50 values of
      phenformin in MCF7, ZR-75-1, MDA-MB-231 and SUM1315 cells were 1.184+/-0.045 mM,
      0.665+/-0.007 mM, 2.347+/-0.010 mM and 1.885+/-0.015 mM (mean+/- standard error).
      Phenformin induced cell cycle change and apoptosis in breast cancer cells via the
      AMPK/mTOR/p70s6k and MAPK/ERK pathways. Interestingly, phenformin induced MET
      (mesenchymal-epithelial transition) and decreased the migration rate in breast
      cancer cell lines. Furthermore, our results suggest that phenformin inhibits
      breast cancer cell metastasis after intracardiac injection into nude mice. Taken
      together, our study further confirms the potential benefit of phenformin in
      breast cancer treatment and provides novel mechanistic insight into its anti
      cancer activity in breast cancer. 

PMID- 26114295
TI  - Estimating Gestational Age in Late Presenters to Antenatal Care in a Resource
      Limited Setting on the Thai-Myanmar Border.
AB  - Estimating gestational age in resource-limited settings is prone to considerable
      inaccuracy because crown-rump length measured by ultrasound before 14 weeks
      gestation, the recommended method for estimating gestational age, is often
      unavailable. Judgements regarding provision of appropriate obstetric and neonatal
      care are dependent on accurate estimation of gestational age. We determined the
      accuracy of the Dubowitz Gestational Age Assessment, a population-specific
      symphysis-fundal height formula, and ultrasound biometry performed between 16 and
      40 weeks gestation in estimating gestational age using pre-existing data from
      antenatal clinics of the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit on the Thai-Myanmar border,
      where malaria is endemic. Two cohorts of women who gave birth to live singletons
      were analysed: 1) 250 women who attended antenatal care between July 2001 and May
      2006 and had both ultrasound crown-rump length (reference) and a Dubowitz
      Gestational Age Assessment; 2) 975 women attending antenatal care between April
      2007 and October 2010 who had ultrasound crown-rump length, symphysis-fundal
      measurements, and an additional study ultrasound (biparietal diameter and head
      circumference) randomly scheduled between 16 and 40 weeks gestation. Mean
      difference in estimated newborn gestational age between methods and 95% limits of
      agreement (LOA) were determined from linear mixed-effects models. The Dubowitz
      method and the symphysis-fundal height formula performed well in term newborns,
      but overestimated gestational age of preterms by 2.57 weeks (95% LOA: 0.49, 4.65)
      and 3.94 weeks (95% LOA: 2.50, 5.38), respectively. Biparietal diameter
      overestimated gestational age by 0.83 weeks (95% LOA: -0.93, 2.58). Head
      circumference underestimated gestational age by 0.39 weeks (95% LOA: -2.60,
      1.82), especially if measured after 24 weeks gestation. The results of this study
      can be used to quantify biases associated with alternative methods for estimating
      gestational age in the absence of ultrasound crown-rump length to inform critical
      clinical judgements in this population, and as a point of reference elsewhere. 

PMID- 26114296
TI  - "Attacks" or "Whistling": Impact of Questionnaire Wording on Wheeze Prevalence
      Estimates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Estimates of prevalence of wheeze depend on questionnaires. However,
      wording of questions may vary between studies. We investigated effects of
      alternative wording on estimates of prevalence and severity of wheeze, and
      associations with risk factors. METHODS: White and South Asian children from a
      population-based cohort (UK) were randomly assigned to two groups and followed up
      at one, four and six years (1998, 2001, 2003). Parents were asked either if their
      child ever had "attacks of wheeze" (attack group, N=535), or "wheezing or
      whistling in the chest" (whistling group, N=2859). All other study aspects were
      identical, including questions about other respiratory symptoms. RESULTS:
      Prevalence of wheeze ever was lower in the attack group than in the whistling
      group for all surveys (32 vs. 40% in white children aged one year, p<0.001).
      Prevalence of other respiratory symptoms did not differ between groups. Wheeze
      tended to be more severe in the attack group. The strength of association with
      risk factors was comparable in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The wording of
      questions on wheeze can affect estimates of prevalence, but has less impact on
      measured associations with risk factors. Question wording is a potential source
      of between-study-heterogeneity in meta-analyses.

PMID- 26114297
TI  - Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Universal Vaccination of Adults Aged 60 Years with
      23-Valent Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine versus Current Practice in Brazil.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of introducing universal
      vaccination of adults aged 60 years with the 23-valent pneumococcal
      polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) into the National Immunization Program (NIP) in
      Brazil. METHODS: Economic evaluation using a Markov model to compare two
      strategies: (1) universal vaccination of adults aged 60 years with one dose of
      PPV23 and 2) current practice (vaccination of institutionalized elderly and
      elderly with underlying diseases). The perspective was from the health system and
      society. Temporal horizon was 10 years. Discount rate of 5% was applied to costs
      and benefits. Clinical syndromes of interest were invasive pneumococcal disease
      (IPD) including meningitis, sepsis and others and pneumonia. Vaccine efficacy
      against IPD was obtained from a meta-analysis of randomized control trials and
      randomized studies, whereas vaccine effectiveness against pneumonia was obtained
      from cohort studies. Resource utilization and costs were obtained from the
      Brazilian Health Information Systems. The primary outcome was cost per life year
      saved (LYS). Univariate and multivariate sensitivity analysis were performed.
      RESULTS: The universal vaccination strategy avoided 7,810 hospitalizations and
      514 deaths, saving 3,787 years of life and costing a total of USD$31,507,012 and
      USD$44,548,180, respectively, from the health system and societal perspective.
      The universal immunization would result in ICERs of USD$1,297 per LYS, from the
      perspective of the health system, and USD$904 per LYS, from the societal
      perspective. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that universal vaccination of adults
      aged 60 years with the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) is a
      very cost-effective intervention for preventing hospitalization and deaths for
      IPD and pneumonia is this age group in Brazil.

PMID- 26114299
TI  - Correction: Estrogen Receptor beta2 Induces Hypoxia Signature of Gene Expression
      by Stabilizing HIF-1alpha in Prostate Cancer.

PMID- 26114298
TI  - Cortical and Subcortical Grey and White Matter Atrophy in Myotonic Dystrophies
      Type 1 and 2 Is Associated with Cognitive Impairment, Depression and Daytime
      Sleepiness.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Central nervous system involvement is one important clinical aspect
      of myotonic dystrophy type 1 and 2 (DM1 and DM2). We assessed CNS involvement DM1
      and DM2 by 3T MRI and correlated clinical and neuocognitive symptoms with brain
      volumetry and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). METHODS: 12 patients with juvenile
      or classical DM1 and 16 adult DM2 patients underwent 3T MRI, a thorough
      neurological and neuropsychological examination and scoring of depression and
      daytime sleepiness. Volumes of brain, ventricles, cerebellum, brainstem, cervical
      cord, lesion load and VBM results of the patient groups were compared to 33
      matched healthy subjects. RESULTS: Clinical symptoms were depression (more
      pronounced in DM2), excessive daytime sleepiness (more pronounced in DM1),
      reduced attention and flexibility of thinking, and deficits of short-term memory
      and visuo-spatial abilities in both patient groups. Both groups showed
      ventricular enlargement and supratentorial GM and WM atrophy, with prevalence for
      more GM atrophy and involvement of the motor system in DM1 and more WM reduction
      and affection of limbic structures in DM2. White matter was reduced in DM1 in the
      splenium of the corpus callosum and in left-hemispheric WM adjacent to the pre-
      and post-central gyrus. In DM2, the bilateral cingulate gyrus and subgyral medio
      frontal and primary somato-sensory WM was affected. Significant structural
      functional correlations of morphological MRI findings (global volumetry and VBM)
      with clinical findings were found for reduced flexibility of thinking and atrophy
      of the left secondary visual cortex in DM1 and of distinct subcortical brain
      structures in DM2. In DM2, depression was associated with brainstem atrophy,
      Daytime sleepiness correlated with volume decrease in the middle cerebellar
      peduncles, pons/midbrain and the right medio-frontal cortex. CONCLUSION: GM and
      WM atrophy was significant in DM1 and DM2. Specific functional-structural
      associations related morphological changes to cognitive impairment, depression
      and daytime sleepiness, partly indicating involvement of complex neuronal
      networks.

PMID- 26114300
TI  - The Molecular and Genetic Basis of Repeatable Coevolution between Escherichia
      coli and Bacteriophage T3 in a Laboratory Microcosm.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the genomic changes that underlie
      coevolution between Escherichia coli B and bacteriophage T3 when grown together
      in a laboratory microcosm. We also sought to evaluate the repeatability of their
      evolution by studying replicate coevolution experiments inoculated with the same
      ancestral strains. We performed the coevolution experiments by growing
      Escherichia coli B and the lytic bacteriophage T3 in seven parallel continuous
      culture devices (chemostats) for 30 days. In each of the chemostats, we observed
      three rounds of coevolution. First, bacteria evolved resistance to infection by
      the ancestral phage. Then, a new phage type evolved that was capable of infecting
      the resistant bacteria as well as the sensitive bacterial ancestor. Finally, we
      observed second-order resistant bacteria evolve that were resistant to infection
      by both phage types. To identify the genetic changes underlying coevolution, we
      isolated first- and second-order resistant bacteria as well as a host-range
      mutant phage from each chemostat and sequenced their genomes. We found that first
      order resistant bacteria consistently evolved resistance to phage via mutations
      in the gene, waaG, which codes for a glucosyltransferase required for assembly of
      the bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Phage also showed repeatable evolution,
      with each chemostat producing host-range mutant phage with mutations in the phage
      tail fiber gene T3p48 which binds to the bacterial LPS during adsorption. Two
      second-order resistant bacteria evolved via mutations in different genes involved
      in the phage interaction. Although a wide range of mutations occurred in the
      bacterial waaG gene, mutations in the phage tail fiber were restricted to a
      single codon, and several phage showed convergent evolution at the nucleotide
      level. These results are consistent with previous studies in other systems that
      have documented repeatable evolution in bacteria at the level of pathways or
      genes and repeatable evolution in viruses at the nucleotide level. Our data are
      also consistent with the expectation that adaptation via loss-of-function
      mutations is less constrained than adaptation via gain-of-function mutations. 

PMID- 26114301
TI  - Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Pathogenesis-Related Protein Gene
      (GmPRP) with Induced Expression in Soybean (Glycine max) during Infection with
      Phytophthora sojae.
AB  - Pathogenesis-related proteins (PR proteins) play crucial roles in the plant
      defense system. A novel PRP gene was isolated from highly resistant soybean
      infected with Phytophthora sojae (P. sojae) and was named GmPRP (GenBank
      accession number: KM506762). The amino acid sequences of GmPRP showed identities
      of 74%, 73%, 72% and 69% with PRP proteins from Vitis vinifera, Populus
      trichocarpa, Citrus sinensis and Theobroma cacao, respectively. Quantitative real
      time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) data showed that the expression of GmPRP
      was highest in roots, followed by the stems and leaves. GmPRP expression was
      upregulated in soybean leaves infected with P. sojae. Similarly, GmPRP expression
      also responded to defense/stress signaling molecules, including salicylic acid
      (SA), ethylene (ET), abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA). GmPRP was
      localized in the cell plasma membrane and cytoplasm. Recombinant GmPRP protein
      exhibited ribonuclease activity and significant inhibition of hyphal growth of P.
      sojae 1 in vitro. Overexpression of the GmPRP gene in T2 transgenic tobacco and
      T2 soybean plants resulted in enhanced resistance to Phytophthora nicotianae (P.
      nicotianae) and P. sojae race 1, respectively. These results indicated that the
      GmPRP protein played an important role in the defense of soybean against P. sojae
      infection. 

PMID- 26114303
TI  - Therapeutic and nutraceutical potential of rosmarinic acid-Cytoprotective
      properties and pharmacokinetic profile.
AB  - Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a natural polyphenolic antioxidant derived from many
      common herbal plants. This compound displays several important biological
      properties, including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial,
      antidepressant, anticarcionogenic, and chemopreventive properties. The importance
      of its activities and its possible application in processed foods as a natural
      antioxidant has reached a new interest levels in recent years. The health effects
      of this polyphenol depend greatly on both its intakes and bioavailability. This
      review focuses on the importance of RA as a dietary supplement, and summarizes
      its pharmacokinetics and metabolism, including the factors that limit its oral
      bioavailability which leads to a lower therapeutic action. Further experimental
      investigations are needed to optimize and enhance the oral bioavailability of
      this natural compound which consequently will help increasing therapeutic
      efficacy of RA in vivo.

PMID- 26114302
TI  - Structural Basis of Specific Recognition of Non-Reducing Terminal N
      Acetylglucosamine by an Agrocybe aegerita Lectin.
AB  - O-linked N-acetylglucosaminylation (O-GlcNAcylation) is a reversible post
      translational modification that plays essential roles in many cellular pathways.
      Research in this field, however, is hampered by the lack of suitable probes to
      identify, accumulate, and purify the O-GlcNAcylated proteins. We have previously
      reported the identification of a lectin from the mushroom Agrocybe aegerita,
      i.e., Agrocybe aegerita lectin 2, or AAL2, that could bind terminal N
      acetylglucosamine with higher affinities and specificity than other currently
      used probes. In this paper, we report the crystal structures of AAL2 and its
      complexes with GlcNAc and GlcNAcbeta1-3Galbeta1-4GlcNAc and reveal the structural
      basis of GlcNAc recognition by AAL2 and residues essential for the binding of
      terminal N-acetylglucosamine. Study on AAL2 may enable us to design a protein
      probe that can be used to identify and purify O-GlcNAcylated proteins more
      efficiently. 

PMID- 26114304
TI  - Domino One-Pot Process for the Synthesis of Isobenzofuran-1(3H)-ones via [Cu]
      Catalysis Using Water as the Green Solvent.
AB  - An efficient domino one-pot strategy via [Cu]-catalyzed intermolecular
      "cyanation" of o-bromobenzyl alcohols -> in situ intramolecular "nucleophilic
      attack" -> "hydrolysis" is presented, for the synthesis of isobenzofuran-1(3H)
      ones. Significantly, the reaction is successfully carried out under
      environmentally benign conditions, using water as sole green solvent. 

PMID- 26114305
TI  - N-Coordinated Tin(II) Trifluoromethanesulfonates and Their Reactions with
      Transition Metal Carbonyls.
AB  - The syntheses of the compounds [L(1)SnCl][M(CO)5(SnCl3)] (3, M = W; 4, M = Cr),
      [L(1)SnCl]OTf (5), [L(1)SnCl][W(CO)5(SnCl2OTf)] (6), [L(1)SnOTf][OTf] (7), and
      [L(2)Sn(OTf)2] (8) with L(1) = {2,6-[(CH3)C?N(C6H3-2,6-(i)Pr2)2]C5H3N} (DIMPY)
      and L(2) = {2-[(CH3)C?N(C6H3-2,6-(i)Pr2)]-6-(CH3O)}C5H3N) is reported. The
      compounds were characterized by elemental analyses, (1)H, (13)C, (19)F, and
      (119)Sn NMR spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and single
      crystal X-ray diffraction analyses (3.1.5C7H8, 5.CH2Cl2, 7.C7H8, 8). For
      compounds 7 and 8, the experimental work is accompanied by density functional
      theory calculations.

PMID- 26114306
TI  - Quinoa: Nutritional, functional, and antinutritional aspects.
AB  - We have prepared a review of the physical-chemical composition and the functional
      and anti-nutritional properties of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.). It is a
      plant of the Chenopodiaceae family, originally from the Andean regions, adaptable
      to different types of soils and climatic conditions. Its composition has
      attracted the attention of scientific community for its high nutritional value,
      being rich in proteins, lipids, fibers, vitamins, and minerals, with an
      extraordinary balance of essential amino acids. It is also gluten-free, a
      characteristic that enables its use by celiac patients. In spite of all these
      attributes, quinoa is not widely used by consumers due to the high cost of
      imported grain and little knowledge of its benefits. More studies are required to
      increase knowledge about this "pseudo-cereal" to demonstrate its functional and
      nutritional benefits and to study its anti-nutritional effects, since it presents
      high commercial value and excellent nutritional quality.

PMID- 26114307
TI  - Discovery of nitroaryl urea derivatives with antiproliferative properties.
AB  - A series of urea derivatives bearing nitroaryl moiety has been synthesized and
      assayed for their potential antiproliferative activities. Some of the tested
      compounds displayed activity in RK33 laryngeal cancer cells and TE671
      rhabdomyosarcoma cells while being generally less toxic to healthy HSF human
      fibroblasts cells. One compound was demonstrated to be a moderate CDK2 inhibitor
      with IC50 = 14.3 uM. Its structure was solved by an X-ray crystallography and
      molecular modelling was performed to determine structure-activity relationship.
      Obtained compounds constitute novel structures and generally demonstrated greater
      cytotoxicity in comparison to cisplatin. This study offers new structural motifs
      with potential for further development. 

PMID- 26114308
TI  - 1-Substituted carbamoyl and thiocarbamoyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazoles as possible
      cytotoxic and antimicrobial agents.
AB  - Two series of 1-substituted carbamoyl and thiocarbomoyl derivatives were prepared
      by either treating the corresponding pyrazole with the appropriate isocyanate and
      isothiocyanate respectively, or alternatively by condensing the appropriate
      diketone with the proper substituted semicarbazide or thiosemicarbazide. The
      structures of the prepared compounds were fully determined by analytical and
      spectral methods. Preliminary biological screening of the prepared compounds
      revealed significant antibacterial and cytotoxic activities for some compounds.
      Compounds 4a2 and 4a3 were found to be the most active against the human colon
      carcinoma HT29 (11.8 and 7.5 MUg/mL, respectively) and human breast cancer MCF 7
      (3.4 and 2.6 MUg/mL, respectively) cell lines. The structure-activity
      relationship (SAR) and in silico drug relevant properties (HBD, HBA, tPSA, cLog
      P, molecular weight, % ABS, drug-likeness and drug score) further confirmed that
      the compounds are potential lead compounds for future drug discovery study. 

PMID- 26114309
TI  - Synthesis of 3,4-dihydro-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxylic acid 1,1-dioxides and
      their evaluation as ligands for NMDA receptor glycine binding site.
AB  - A series of 2-substituted 3,4-dihydro-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxylic acid 1,1
      dioxides were synthesized and evaluated for their affinity to the glycine binding
      site of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. The binding affinity was
      determined by the displacement of radioligand [(3)H]MDL-105,519 from rat cortical
      membrane preparations. The most attractive structures in the search for
      prospective NMDA receptor ligands were identified to be 2-arylcarbonylmethyl
      substituted 3,4-dihydro-2H-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxylic acid 1,1-dioxides. It
      has been demonstrated for the first time that the replacement of NH group in the
      ligand by sp(3) CH2 is tolerated. This finding may pave the way for previously
      unexplored approaches for designing new ligands of the NMDA receptor. 

PMID- 26114310
TI  - Further in vitro biological activity evaluation of amino-, thio- and ester
      derivatives of avarol.
AB  - The acetylcholinesterase inhibitory and/or antitumour activities of amino-, thio-
      and ester-derivatives of avarol selected were evaluated for the first time at in
      vitro conditions. Avarol-3',4'-dithioglycol (1) and avarol-4'
      (3)mercaptopropionic acid (3) were shown to be the best inhibitors of the enzyme
      tested (0.50 ug and IC50 0.05 mM and 0.50 ug and IC50 0.12 mM, respectively),
      while 4'-tryptamine-avarone (9) and avarol-3'-(3)mercaptopropionic acid (2)
      exhibited the highest cytotoxicity against the human breast T-47D cancer cell
      line (IC50 0.66 ug/mL and 1.25 ug/mL, respectively). According to experimental
      data obtained, the sesquiterpenoid hydroquinone structure of bioactive avarol
      derivatives may inspire development of new pharmacologically useful substances to
      be used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and/or human breast tumour. 

PMID- 26114315
TI  - The no-touch rubber hand paradigm and mirror-touch sensation: Support for the
      self-other theory of mirror-touch synesthesia.
AB  - We thoroughly enjoyed Ward and Banissy's Discussion Paper on mirror-touch
      synesthesia. The authors contrast two theories for explaining this phenomenon-the
      Threshold Theory and their Self-Other Theory. Ward and Banissy note that the Self
      Other Theory garners support from studies that have tested individuals with
      mirror-touch synesthesia using the rubber hand paradigm. In this Commentary, we
      provide further support for the Self-Other Theory by drawing on findings from
      control participants without mirror-touch synesthesia tested with two different
      no-touch rubber hand paradigms-one paradigm makes it easier while the other makes
      it more difficult to make the self-other distinction. 

PMID- 26114311
TI  - Short Communication: HIV-1 Variants That Use Mouse CCR5 Reveal Critical
      Interactions of gp120's V3 Crown with CCR5 Extracellular Loop 1.
AB  - The CCR5 coreceptor amino terminus and extracellular (ECL) loops 1 and 2 have
      been implicated in HIV-1 infections, with species differences in these regions
      inhibiting zoonoses. Interactions of gp120 with CD4 and CCR5 reduce constraints
      on metastable envelope subunit gp41, enabling gp41 conformational changes needed
      for infection. We previously selected HIV-1JRCSF variants that efficiently use
      CCR5(Delta18) with a deleted amino terminus or CCR5(HHMH) with ECL2 from an
      NIH/Swiss mouse. Unexpectedly, the adaptive gp120 mutations were nearly
      identical, suggesting that they function by weakening gp120's grip on gp41 and/or
      by increasing interactions with ECL1. To analyze this and further wean HIV-1 from
      human CCR5, we selected variants using CCR5(HMMH) with murine ECL1 and 2
      sequences. HIV-1JRCSF mutations adaptive for CCR5(Delta18) and CCR5(HHMH) were
      generally maladaptive for CCR5(HMMH), whereas the converse was true for
      CCR5(HMMH) adaptations. The HIV-1JRCSF variant adapted to CCR5(HMMH) also weakly
      used intact NIH/Swiss mouse CCR5. Our results strongly suggest that HIV-1JRCSF
      makes functionally critical contacts with human ECL1 and that adaptation to
      murine ECL1 requires multiple mutations in the crown of gp120's V3 loop. 

PMID- 26114316
TI  - The sweet side of YAP/TAZ.

PMID- 26114317
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the mysid shrimp, Neomysis japonica
      (Crustacea, Malacostraca, Mysida).
AB  - In this study, we determined the mitogenome sequence of Neomysis japonica
      (Crustacea, Malacostraca, Mysida), which is the first complete mitogenome
      sequence in the order Mysida. The mitogenome of N. japonica is 17,652 bp in
      length and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), 2
      ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), and a control region (CR). Mitogenome analysis of N.
      japonica revealed a novel gene order that included inversions in three PCGs and
      five tRNAs, compared with H. americanus, the ancestral pancrustacean ground
      pattern. The results will be useful for the detailed study of mitogenome
      evolution and the phylogenetic relationships among the orders in the class
      Malacostraca. As seen from the phylogenetic tree, N. japonica belongs to the
      order Mysida within Malacostraca.

PMID- 26114318
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA deletions detected by Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe
      Amplification.
AB  - The genetic diagnosis algorithm for mitochondrial (mt) diseases starts looking
      for deletions and common mutations in mtDNA. MtDNA's special features, such as
      large and variable genome copies, heteroplasmy, polymorphisms, and its
      duplication in the nuclear genome as pseudogenes (NUMTs), make it vulnerable to
      diagnostic misleading interpretations. Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe
      Amplification (MLPA) is used to detect copy number variations in nuclear genes
      and its application on mtDNA has not been widely spread. We report three Kearns
      Sayre Syndrome patients and one Chronic Progressive External Ophthalmoplegia
      adult, whose diagnostic mtDNA deletions were detected by MLPA using a very low
      amount of DNA. This managed to "dilute" the NUMT interference as well as enhance
      MLPA's efficiency. By this report, we conclude that when MLPA is performed upon a
      reduced amount of DNA, it can detect effectively mtDNA deletions. We propose MLPA
      as a possible first step method in the diagnosis of mt diseases.

PMID- 26114319
TI  - Sequencing and analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome in Anopheles
      culicifacies species B (Diptera: Culicidae).
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Anopheles culicifacial species B
      was sequenced in this study. The length of the mitochondrial genome is 15 330 bp,
      which contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and
      a non-coding control region. The gene order and the gene composition are
      consistent with those previously reported for other mosquito species. The
      initiation codon of the PCGs complies with the ATN rule except for COI using TCG
      and ND5 using GTG as a start codon, and the termination codon is TAA or
      imcomplete, an only T. The total base composition is 40.4% A, 38.1% T, 12.4% C,
      and 9.1% G. The phylogenetic tree based on the sequences of 13 protein-coding
      genes showed that these species were classified into two clades, corresponding to
      the subgenus Cellia and subgenus Nyssorhynchus. An. culicifacies species B of
      Myzomyia Series was clustered with An. gambiae of Pyretophorus Series with a high
      bootstrap value of 100%. The complete mitogenome data can provide a basis for
      molecular identification and phylogenetic studies of mosquito species.

PMID- 26114320
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of an Antarctic moss Syntrichia filaris
      (Mull.Hal.) R.H. Zander.
AB  - The mitogenome of the Syntrichia filaris (GenBank accession number KP984758) has
      a total length of 106,343 bp and consists of 40 protein-coding genes, 3 ribosomal
      RNA (rRNA) and 24 transfer RNA. The mitochondrial structure and gene order was
      similar to other Bryophytes. Phylogenetic tree based on the combined analysis of
      amino acid sequences of 31 mitochondrial genes common in S. filaris, 17 Bryophyta
      and 3 Marchantiophyta, was well congruent with traditional species relationship
      of the moss order Pottiales.

PMID- 26114321
TI  - The complete chloroplast genome of salt cress (Eutrema salsugineum).
AB  - The complete chloroplast (cp) sequence of the salt cress (Eutrema salsugineum), a
      plant well-adapted to salt stress, was presented in this study. The circular
      molecule is 153,407 bp in length and exhibit a typical quadripartite structure
      containing an 83,894 bp large single copy (LSC) region, a 17,607 bp small single
      copy (SSC) region, and the two 25,953 bp inverted repeats (IRs). The salt cress
      cp genome contains 135 known genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 8
      ribosomal RNA genes, and 40 tRNA genes; 21 of these are located in the inverted
      repeat region. As expected, phylogenetic analysis support the idea that E.
      salsugineum is sister to Brassiceae species within the Brassicaceae family.

PMID- 26114322
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Wenxian Knobby Newt Tylototriton
      wenxianensis (Amphibia: Caudata).
AB  - We newly sequenced the mitochondrial genome of Tylototriton wenxianensis. The
      total length of the T. wenxianensis mitogenome is 16 265 bp, with GenBank
      accession number KR733683. It consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two
      ribosomal RNA genes (rRNA), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNA), and one control region
      (CR). Most of the genes are encoded on the H-strand, except for eight tRNA and
      ND6, which are encoded on the L-strand. Our mitogenomic phylogenetic tree showed
      that the relationships among the genera Tylototriton, Echinotriton, and
      Pleurodeles were well supported, and which is consistent with the previous
      molecular phylogeny.

PMID- 26114323
TI  - Complete mitogenomes of Guinean angelfish (Holacanthus africanus) and Rock beauty
      (Holacanthus tricolor) (Teleostei: Pomacanthidae).
AB  - In this study, we used the next-generation sequencing method to deduce two
      complete mitogenomes of Guinean angelfish (Holacanthus africanus) and Rock beauty
      (Holacanthus tricolor) for the first time. The assembled mitogenome, consisting
      of 16,819 bp and 16,625 bp in length, shows 87% similarity with each other. Both
      mitogenomes follow the typical vertebrate arrangement, including 13 protein
      coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs genes, and a non-coding control
      region of D-loop. The D-loop contains 1107 bp in H. africanus and 905 bp in H.
      tricolor and is located between tRNA-Pro and tRNA-Phe. The overall GC content is
      46.2% for H. africanus and 45.6% for H. tricolor. The complete mitogenome of
      Guinean angelfish and Rock beauty deduced in this study provides essential and
      important DNA molecular data for further phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis
      for marine angelfish.

PMID- 26114324
TI  - Complete chloroplast genome of the Oriental white oak: Quercus aliena Blume.
AB  - The complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of the Oriental white oak: Quercus
      aliena Blume, the first sequenced member of the section Quercus, is reported in
      this study. The length of cp genome size is 160,921 bp, with 36.9% GC content. A
      pair of 25,841 bp inverted repeat regions (IRs) is separated by a 90,258 bp large
      single copy region (LSC) and an 18,980 bp small single copy region (SSC). This
      genome contains 115 unique genes, including 89 coding genes, four rRNA genes, and
      39 tRNA genes. Border analysis of cp genome of Quercus aliena and other 10 most
      closely related cp genomes revealed that most Fagaceae species have high
      similarity either in structure or distribution of these genes except for
      Trigonobalanus doichangensis.

PMID- 26114325
TI  - Sequencing and analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome of Aedes albopictus
      (Diptera: Culicidae) in China.
AB  - The complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of the Aedes albopictus
      (Diptera: Culicidae) is presented using traditional Sanger sequencing. Its
      mitogenome are 16,660 bp in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22
      transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and a non-coding A + T
      rich region. As in other insects, most mitochondrial genes are encoded on the
      heavy strand, except for ND5, ND4, ND4L, ND1, two rRNA and eight tRNA genes,
      which are encoded on the light strand. The overall base composition on heavy
      strand was as follows - A: 40.1%, G: 8.2%, C: 11.9%, T: 39.8% and the A + T
      content 79.9%. The results of phylogenetic analyzes showed that the Ae.
      albopictus has closed relationship with the family Culicidae and order Diptera.

PMID- 26114326
TI  - Relationships between Cardiorespiratory and Muscular Fitness with Cardiometabolic
      Risk in Adolescents.
AB  - This study examined the independent relationships between cardiorespiratory and
      muscular fitness with cardiometabolic risk in adolescents. Subjects were 192
      adolescents (118 boys), aged 15-17.5 years. The 2 m multi-stage fitness test
      assessed cardiorespiratory fitness and the counter movement jump assessed
      muscular fitness. Additional measures included interleukin-6, C-reactive protein,
      adiponectin, fibrinogen and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. Regression
      analysis revealed that cardiorespiratory fitness was negatively related to
      cardiometabolic risk (beta = -0.014, p < 0.001). With additional adjustment for
      muscular fitness the relationship remained significant (beta = -0.015, p <
      0.001). Muscular fitness was negatively related to cardiometabolic risk (beta = 
      0.021, p < 0.001) and remained significant after adjustment for cardiorespiratory
      fitness. Participants in the least-fit quartile for both cardiorespiratory and
      muscular fitness had significantly poorer cardiometabolic risk scores than those
      in the other quartiles. Findings revealed that muscular and cardiorespiratory
      fitness are significantly associated with cardiometabolic risk independently of
      one another. 

PMID- 26114327
TI  - Radiation Dose-Rate Effects on Gene Expression in a Mouse Biodosimetry Model.
AB  - In the event of a nuclear accident or radiological terrorist attack, there will
      be a pressing need for biodosimetry to triage a large, potentially exposed
      population and to assign individuals to appropriate treatment. Exposures from
      fallout are likely, resulting in protracted dose delivery that would, in turn,
      impact the extent of injury. Biodosimetry approaches that can distinguish such
      low-dose-rate (LDR) exposures from acute exposures have not yet been developed.
      In this study, we used the C57BL/6 mouse model in an initial investigation of the
      impact of low-dose-rate delivery on the transcriptomic response in blood. While a
      large number of the same genes responded to LDR and acute radiation exposures,
      for many genes the magnitude of response was lower after LDR exposures. Some
      genes, however, were differentially expressed (P < 0.001, false discovery rate
      <5%) in mice exposed to LDR compared with mice exposed to acute radiation. We
      identified a set of 164 genes that correctly classified 97% of the samples in
      this experiment as exposed to acute or LDR radiation using a support vector
      machine algorithm. Gene expression is a promising approach to radiation
      biodosimetry, enhanced greatly by this first demonstration of its potential for
      distinguishing between acute and LDR exposures. Further development of this
      aspect of radiation biodosimetry, either as part of a complete gene expression
      biodosimetry test or as an adjunct to other methods, could provide vital triage
      information in a mass radiological casualty event. 

PMID- 26114329
TI  - Defining the Biological Effectiveness of Components of High-LET Track Structure.
AB  - During space travel, astronauts are exposed to a wide array of high-linear energy
      transfer (LET) particles, with differing energies and resulting biological
      effects. Risk assessment of these exposures carries a large uncertainty
      predominantly due to the unique track structure of the particle's energy
      deposition. The complex damage elicited by high charge and energy (HZE) particles
      results from both lesions along the track core and from energetic electrons,
      delta rays, generated as a consequence of particle traversal. To better define
      how cells respond to this complex radiation exposure, a normal hTERT immortalized
      skin fibroblast cell line was exposed to a defined panel of particles carefully
      chosen to tease out track structure effects. Phosphorylation kinetics for several
      key double-strand break (DSB) response proteins (gamma-H2AX, pATF2 and pSMC1)
      were defined after exposure to ten different high-LET radiation qualities and one
      low-LET radiation (X ray), at two doses (0.5-2 Gy) and time points (2 and 24 h).
      The results reveal that the lower energy particles (Fe 300, Si 93 and Ti 300
      MeV/u), with a narrower track width and higher number and intensity of delta
      rays, cause the highest degree of persistent damage response. The persistent
      gamma-H2AX signal at lower energies suggests that damage from these exposures are
      more difficult to resolve, likely due to the greater complexity of the associated
      DNA lesions. However, different kinetics were observed for the solely ATM
      mediated phosphorylations (pATF2 and pSMC1), revealing a shallow induction at
      early times and a higher level of residual phosphorylation compared to gamma
      H2AX. The differing phospho-protein profiles exhibited, compared to gamma-H2AX,
      suggests additional functions for these proteins within the cell. The strong
      correspondence between the predicted curves for energy deposition per nucleosome
      for each ion/energy combination and the persistent levels of gamma-H2AX indicates
      that the nature of energy distribution defines residual levels of gamma-H2AX, an
      indicator of unrepaired DSBs. Our results suggest that decreasing the energy of a
      particle results in more complex damage that may increase genomic instability and
      increase the risk of carcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26114328
TI  - Examining the Effects of External or Internal Radiation Exposure of Juvenile Mice
      on Late Morbidity after Infection with Influenza A.
AB  - A number of investigators have suggested that exposure to low-dose radiation may
      pose a potentially serious health risk. However, the majority of these studies
      have focused on the short-term rather than long-term effects of exposure to fixed
      source radiation, and few have examined the effects of internal contamination.
      Additionally, very few studies have focused on exposure in juveniles, when organs
      are still developing and could be more sensitive to the toxic effects of
      radiation. To specifically address whether early-life radiation injury may affect
      long-term immune competence, we studied 14-day-old juvenile pups that were either
      5 Gy total-body irradiated or injected internally with 50 MUCi soluble (137)Cs,
      then infected with influenza A virus at 26 weeks after exposure. After influenza
      infection, all groups demonstrated immediate weight loss. We found that
      externally irradiated, infected animals failed to recover weight relative to age
      matched infected controls, but internally (137)Cs contaminated and infected
      animals had a weight recovery with a similar rate and degree as controls.
      Externally and internally irradiated mice demonstrated reduced levels of club
      cell secretory protein (CCSP) message in their lungs after influenza infection.
      The externally irradiated group did not recover CCSP expression even at the two
      week time point after infection. Although the antibody response and viral titers
      did not appear to be affected by either radiation modality, there was a slight
      increase in monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 expression in the lungs of
      externally irradiated animals 14 days after influenza infection, with increased
      cellular infiltration present. Notably, an increase in the number of regulatory T
      cells was seen in the mediastinal lymph nodes of irradiated mice relative to
      uninfected mice. These data confirm the hypothesis that early-life irradiation
      may have long-term consequences on the immune system, leading to an altered
      antiviral response. 

PMID- 26114330
TI  - Serum Amyloid A as a Biomarker for Radiation Exposure.
AB  - There is a need for minimally invasive biomarkers that can accurately and quickly
      quantify radiation exposure. Radiation-responsive proteins have applications in
      clinical medicine and for mass population screenings after a nuclear or
      radiological incident where the level of radiation exposure and exposure pattern
      complicate medical triage for first responders. In this study, we evaluated the
      efficacy of the acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) as a biomarker for
      radiation exposure using plasma from irradiated mice. Ten-week-old female C57BL6
      mice received a 1-8 Gy single whole-body or partial-body dose from a Pantak X-ray
      source at a dose rate of 2.28 Gy/min. Plasma was collected by mandibular or
      cardiac puncture at 6, 24, 48 and 72 h or 1-3 weeks postirradiation. SAA levels
      were determined using a commercially available ELISA assay. Data was pooled to
      generate SAA MUg/ml threshold values correlating plasma SAA levels with radiation
      dose. SAA levels were statistically significant over control at all exposures
      between 2 and 8 Gy at 24 h postirradiation but not at 6, 48 and 72 h or 1-3 weeks
      postirradiation. SAA levels at 1 Gy were not significantly elevated over control
      at all time points. Total-body-irradiated (TBI) SAA levels at 24 h were used to
      generate a dose prediction model that successfully differentiated TBI mice into
      dose received cohorts of control/1 Gy and >= 2 Gy groups with a high degree of
      accuracy in a blind study. Dose prediction of partial-body exposures based on the
      TBI model correlated increasing predictive accuracy with percentage of body
      exposure to radiation. Our findings indicate that plasma SAA levels might be a
      useful biomarker for radiation exposure in a variety of total- and partial-body
      irradiation settings.

PMID- 26114331
TI  - Effects of Switching from Timolol to Brimonidine in Prostaglandin Analog and
      Timolol Combination Therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy and safety of switching from timolol 0.5% to
      brimonidine 0.1% in patients with glaucoma treated with a prostaglandin analog
      (PGA) and timolol combination. METHODS: This prospective, open-label multicenter
      study enrolled patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension who were
      being treated with a PGA and timolol. After baseline measurements, timolol was
      switched to brimonidine 0.1%, and patients were followed for 12 weeks. Patients
      visited at 4 and 12 weeks after switching. The main outcome measure was the
      change in intraocular pressure (IOP). For safety evaluations, hyperemia,
      formation of conjunctival follicles, superficial punctate keratopathy as a local
      side effect, blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR) were evaluated. RESULTS:
      One hundred seven patients participated in this study. Among them, 103 patients
      completed the study. The IOP values at baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks after the
      transition were 15.7 +/- 2.7, 14.3 +/- 2.8, and 14.0 +/- 2.8 mmHg, respectively.
      IOP was significantly reduced at 4 and 12 weeks compared with baseline (p<0.001).
      There were no significant changes in hyperemia or follicle formation. The
      superficial punctate keratopathy score was significantly reduced at 12 weeks
      compared with baseline (p<0.05). Systolic and diastolic BP values were
      significantly reduced and HR significantly increased after switching (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Switching from timolol 0.5% to brimonidine 0.1% may not change IOP in
      the combination use of timolol 0.5% and a PGA and was well tolerated by patients
      without severe ocular or systemic side effects.

PMID- 26114332
TI  - Synergetic catalytic effect of Cu2-xSe nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide
      coembedded in electrospun nanofibers for the reduction of a typical refractory
      organic compound.
AB  - A new heterogeneous catalytic composite composed of nonstoichiometric Cu2-xSe
      nanoparticles (NPs) with high copper deficiency and graphene oxide (GO) is
      prepared by coembedding in electrospun nanofibers of a poly(vinylpyrrolidone)
      (PVP) support, wherein GO in the nanofibers is converted into reduced GO (rGO)
      via heat treatment. The as-prepared composite Cu2-xSe/rGO/PVP nanofibers have
      demonstrated superior catalytic activity toward the reduction of a refractory
      organic compound by taking 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as an example. In the presence of
      NaBH4, the Cu2-xSe/rGO/PVP nanofibers display a synergetic effect between Cu2-xSe
      and rGO in PVP nanofibers compared to their independent components or
      corresponding nanofibers. Furthermore, the Cu2-xSe/rGO/PVP nanofibers exhibit a
      favorable water-stable property via heat treatment to solidify the hydrophilic
      PVP matrix, which makes the composite display good reusability, stability in
      aqueous solution, and separability from a water medium. This work not only
      presents a direct, convenient, and effective approach to doping semiconductor
      nanomaterials into polymer nanofibers but also provides fundamental routes for
      further investigations about the synergetic effect between different materials
      based on the platform of electrospun nanofibers. 

PMID- 26114333
TI  - The Use of Vacuum-Assisted Closure and GranuFoam Silver(r) Dressing in the
      Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcer.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of
      vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) and GranuFoam Silver(r) dressing (KCI, San Antonio,
      TX) compared with conventional GranuFoam(r) dressing in the management of
      diabetic foot ulcers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-one consecutive patients
      treated with conventional or silver-coated foam dressing were reviewed
      retrospectively. The wound duration was 6 mo. Group 1 (n=10) received
      conventional foam dressing (GranuFoam) and group 2 (n=11) received silver-coated
      foam dressing (GranuFoam Silver). The wound surface area, duration of treatment,
      bacteriology, and recurrence were compared between the groups. The mean age of
      the patients was 61.70+/-10.52 y in group 1 and 67.27+/-11.28 y in group 2.
      RESULTS: In group 1, the average surface area of the wounds was 45.30+/-46.96 cm2
      and 18.40+/-23.48 cm2 in the pre-treatment and post-treatment periods,
      respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between two
      measurements (p=0.005). Average duration of the treatment was 25.50+/-27.13 d in
      this group. In group 2, average surface area of the wounds in the pre-treatment
      and post-treatment periods were 41.55+/-36.03 cm2 and 7.64+/-3.91 cm2,
      respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between two
      measurements (p=0.003). Average duration of the treatment was 10.09+/-3.51 d in
      this group. The patients treated with silver-impregnated polyurethane foam
      dressing had reduced recurrence (2 vs. 7 wounds, p=0.030) and increased number of
      the culture-negative cases at the end of the treatment. CONCLUSION: With the
      results of the study, it was concluded that VAC GranuFoam silver dressing can be
      superior to conventional GranuFoam dressing in reducing the recurrence rate of
      infected diabetic foot ulcers.

PMID- 26114334
TI  - Development of Plate Reader and On-Line Microfluidic Screening to Identify
      Ligands of the 5-Hydroxytryptamine Binding Protein in Venoms.
AB  - The 5-HT3 receptor is a ligand-gated ion channel, which is expressed in the
      nervous system. Its antagonists are used clinically for treatment of
      postoperative- and radiotherapy-induced emesis and irritable bowel syndrome. In
      order to better understand the structure and function of the 5-HT3 receptor, and
      to allow for compound screening at this receptor, recently a serotonin binding
      protein (5HTBP) was engineered with the Acetylcholine Binding Protein as
      template. In this study, a fluorescence enhancement assay for 5HTBP ligands was
      developed in plate-reader format and subsequently used in an on-line microfluidic
      format. Both assay types were validated using an existing radioligand binding
      assay. The on-line microfluidic assay was coupled to HPLC via a post-column split
      which allowed parallel coupling to a mass spectrometer to collect MS data. This
      high-resolution screening (HRS) system is well suitable for compound mixture
      analysis. As a proof of principle, the venoms of Dendroapsis polylepis,
      Pseudonaja affinis and Pseudonaja inframacula snakes were screened and the
      accurate masses of the found bioactives were established. To demonstrate the
      subsequent workflow towards structural identification of bioactive proteins and
      peptides, the partial amino acid sequence of one of the bioactives from the
      Pseudonaja affinis venom was determined using a bottom-up proteomics approach. 

PMID- 26114336
TI  - Interactions of borderline personality disorder and anxiety disorders over 10
      years.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This report examines the relationship of DSM-IV borderline personality
      disorder (BPD) to anxiety disorders using data on the reciprocal effects of
      improvement or worsening of BPD and anxiety disorders over the course of 10
      years. METHOD: We reliably and prospectively assessed borderline patients (n =
      164) with DSM-IV-defined co-occurring generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; n = 42),
      panic disorder with agoraphobia (n = 39), panic disorder without agoraphobia (n=
      36), social phobia (n = 48), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; n = 36), and
      posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; n = 88) annually over a period of 10 years
      between 1997 and 2009. We used proportional hazards regression analyses to assess
      the effects of monthly improvement or worsening of BPD and anxiety disorders on
      each other's remission and relapse the following month. RESULTS: BPD improvement
      significantly predicted remission of GAD (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.65, P <.05) and
      PTSD (HR = 0.57, P < .05), whereas BPD worsening significantly predicted social
      phobia relapse (HR = 1.87, P < .05). The course of anxiety disorders did not
      predict BPD remission or relapse, except that worsening PTSD significantly
      predicted BPD relapse (HR = 1.90, P < .05). CONCLUSION: BPD negatively affects
      the course of GAD, social phobia, and PTSD. In contrast, the anxiety disorders,
      aside from PTSD, had little effect on BPD course. For GAD and social phobia,
      whose course BPD unidirectionally influences, we suggest prioritizing treatment
      for BPD, whereas BPD should be treated concurrently with panic disorders, OCD, or
      PTSD. We discuss state/trait issues in the context of our findings.

PMID- 26114335
TI  - A Highly Specific Monoclonal Antibody for Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A-Cleaved
      SNAP25.
AB  - Botulinum neurotoxin type-A (BoNT/A), as onabotulinumtoxinA, is approved globally
      for 11 major therapeutic and cosmetic indications. While the mechanism of action
      for BoNT/A at the presynaptic nerve terminal has been established, questions
      remain regarding intracellular trafficking patterns and overall fate of the
      toxin. Resolving these questions partly depends on the ability to detect BoNT/A's
      location, distribution, and movement within a cell. Due to BoNT/A's high potency
      and extremely low concentrations within neurons, an alternative approach has been
      employed. This involves utilizing specific antibodies against the BoNT/A-cleaved
      SNAP25 substrate (SNAP25197) to track the enzymatic activity of toxin within
      cells. Using our highly specific mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb) against
      SNAP25197, we generated human and murine recombinant versions (rMAb) using
      specific backbone immunoglobulins. In this study, we validated the specificity of
      our anti-SNAP25197 rMAbs in several different assays and performed side-by-side
      comparisons to commercially-available and in-house antibodies against SNAP25. Our
      rMAbs were highly specific for SNAP25197 in all assays and on several different
      BoNT/A-treated tissues, showing no cross-reactivity with full-length SNAP25. This
      was not the case with other reportedly SNAP25197-selective antibodies, which were
      selective in some, but not all assays. The rMAbs described herein represent
      effective new tools for detecting BoNT/A activity within cells. 

PMID- 26114337
TI  - Exploiting Oligo(amido amine) Backbones for the Multivalent Presentation of
      Coiled-Coil Peptides.
AB  - The investigation of coiled coil formation for one mono- and two divalent peptide
      polymer conjugates is presented. Through the assembly of the full conjugates on
      solid support, monodisperse sequence-defined conjugates are obtained with defined
      positions and distances between the peptide side chains along the polymeric
      backbone. A heteromeric peptide design was chosen, where peptide K is attached to
      the polymer backbone, and coiled-coil formation is only expected through
      complexation with the complementary peptide E. Indeed, the monovalent peptide K
      polymer conjugate displays rapid coiled-coil formation when mixed with the
      complementary peptide E sequence. The divalent systems show intramolecular
      homomeric coiled-coil formation on the polymer backbone despite the peptide
      design. Interestingly, this intramolecular assembly undergoes a conformational
      rearrangement by the addition of the complementary peptide E leading to the
      formation of heteromeric coiled coil-polymer aggregates. The polymer backbone
      acts as a template bringing the covalently bound peptide strands in close
      proximity to each other, increasing the local concentration and inducing the
      otherwise nonfavorable formation of intramolecular helical assemblies. 

PMID- 26114338
TI  - Kasabach-Merritt syndrome, kaposiform haemangioendothelioma and platelet
      blockade.

PMID- 26114339
TI  - Neurofibromatosis type 1: neurofibromas and sex.

PMID- 26114340
TI  - Development of anti-migraine therapeutics using the capsaicin-induced dermal
      blood flow model.
AB  - The efficacy of calcitonin gene-related peptide (receptor) (CGRP-(R)) blocking
      therapeutics in the treatment of acute migraine headache provided proof-of
      concept for the involvement of CGRP in the pathophysiology of this disorder. One
      of the major hurdles for the development of any class of drugs, including CGRP
      blocking therapeutics, is the early clinical development process during which
      toxic and inefficacious compounds need to be eliminated as early as possible in
      order to focus on the most promising molecules. At this stage, human models
      providing proof of target engagement, combined with safety and tolerability
      studies, are extremely valuable in focusing on those therapeutics that have the
      highest engagement from the lowest exposure. They guide the go/no-go decision
      making, establish confidence in the candidate molecule by de-risking toxicity and
      safety issues and thereby speed up the early clinical development. In this review
      the focus is on the so called 'capsaicin model' as a typical example of a target
      engagement biomarker used as a human model for the development of CGRP blocking
      therapeutics. By applying capsaicin onto the skin, TRPV1 channels are activated
      and a CGRP-mediated increase in dermal blood flow can be quantified with laser
      Doppler perfusion imaging. Effective CGRP blocking therapeutics in turn, display
      blockade of this response. The translation of this biomarker model from animals
      to humans is discussed as well as the limitations of the assay in predicting the
      efficacy of anti-migraine drugs. 

PMID- 26114341
TI  - Inguinal Herniation of a Transplant Ureter: Lessons Learned From a Case of "Water
      Over the Bridge".
AB  - Inguinal herniation of the transplant ureter is rare, and there is a paucity of
      reports in the literature. Herniation is usually secondary to implanting a long
      redundant ureter and may be precipitated by its course over the spermatic cord.
      Most often, there is loss of the allograft owing to delayed presentation and
      chronic ureteric obstruction. Here, we report a case of inguinal herniation of a
      transplant ureter with obstruction and graft dysfunction. A 72-year-old man
      presented 9 years after deceased-donor kidney transplant, with progressive graft
      dysfunction and a symptomatic right inguinal hernia. A nephrostogram and
      subsequent surgery confirmed herniation of a loop of transplant ureter into the
      inguinal canal with a proximal dilated ureter and hydronephrosis. A long and
      redundant ureter had been anastomosed "over" the spermatic cord to the bladder
      during the original operation. The ureter was shortened by excising the distal
      segment, and the proximal dilated ureter was anastomosed to the bladder passing
      it "underneath" the spermatic cord. We used a Vicryl (polyglactin 910) mesh to
      repair the hernia. The graft function improved to baseline levels after the
      nephrostomy and remained stable after the surgery. This case emphasizes the need
      to keep the ureter short, and the importance of passing it underneath the
      spermatic cord before anastomosing to the bladder. Transplant and general
      surgeons should be aware of such presentations of graft dysfunction with inguinal
      hernia to avoid delayed diagnosis and graft loss. 

PMID- 26114342
TI  - Ultrasound of the Fetal Veins Part 3: The Fetal Intracerebral Venous System.
AB  - The study of the intracerebral venous system in the fetus can only be achieved by
      means of high-resolution ultrasound equipment with sensitive color Doppler. In
      the past two decades, there has been a growing interest in the ultrasound
      examination of the fetal brain with few studies reporting on the brain
      vasculature during various stages of gestation. In comparison to other fetal
      venous systems, reports on the assessment of the fetal cerebral venous system are
      still scarce. This article presents a review on the fetal intracranial venous
      system with detailed discussions on the anatomy of the superficial and deep
      cerebral veins. Color Doppler of the main fetal cerebral veins to include the
      superior sagittal sinus, the straight sinus, the vein of Galen, the internal
      cerebral veins, the transverse sinuses and others is also discussed. Furthermore,
      this article highlights abnormal clinical conditions such as aneurysm of the vein
      of Galen, thrombosis of the dural sinus and variation in the course of some veins
      such as the straight sinus and falcine sinus. The role of pulsed Doppler
      examination in normal and growth-restricted fetuses is also discussed. 

PMID- 26114343
TI  - Gastric Lesions: Demonstrated by Transabdominal Ultrasound After Oral
      Administration of an Echoic Cellulose-Based Gastric Ultrasound Contrast Agent.

PMID- 26114344
TI  - Prenatal Diagnosis of Anomalies of the Corpus Callosum over a 13-Year Period.
AB  - Purpose: The clinical use of detailed fetal neurosonography has increased over
      the past decade. This retrospective study explored the spectrum and frequency of
      different forms of corpus callosum anomalies (CCAs) in a level III center
      setting. Materials and Methods: Between 1999 and 2012, 48 907 detailed second and
      third trimester scans were performed. Among them, 140 (0.29 %) cases of CCA were
      diagnosed. We differentiated between complete and partial agenesis, hypoplastic
      corpus callosum (CC) and isolated and non-isolated forms. Results: The 140 cases
      with CCA included 107 with complete agenesis (76 %), 20 with partial agenesis (14
      %) and 13 with a hypoplastic CC (9 %). Of them, 29 % (41/140) were isolated and
      71 % (99/140) were non-isolated cases. Analysis of three time periods
      demonstrated an increase in the diagnosis of all types of CCA (1999 - 2004: n =
      26; 2005 - 2008: n = 32; 2009 - 2012: n = 82), whereas the ratio between isolated
      and non-isolated types remained stable. The median gestational age at diagnosis
      was 25.0 weeks and did not change over the years. Non-isolated forms were
      associated with additional non-chromosomal cerebral anomalies in 22.2 % (22/99),
      extracerebral non-chromosomal malformations in 40.4 % (40/99), aneuploidies in
      21.2 % (21/99), and syndromes in 16.2 % (16/99). All aneuploid fetuses except one
      showed cerebral or extracerebral malformations. Conclusion: The rise in prenatal
      diagnosis of CCA reflects the increased use of systematic fetal neurosonography
      over the years. Despite an overall increase in diagnosed cases, the relationship
      between isolated CCAs and complex forms remained stable. Since the percentage of
      coexisting anomalies is high, a detailed assessment by a specialist is
      recommended.

PMID- 26114345
TI  - Diagnosis of toxic alcohols: limitations of present methods.
AB  - CONTEXT: Methanol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, and propylene glycol
      intoxications are associated with cellular dysfunction and an increased risk of
      death. Adverse effects can develop quickly; thus, there is a need for methods for
      rapidly detecting their presence. OBJECTIVE: To examine the value and limitations
      of present methods to diagnose patients with possible toxic alcohol exposure.
      METHODS: I searched MEDLINE for articles published between 1969 and 2014 using
      the terms: toxic alcohols, serum osmolality, serum osmol gap, serum anion gap,
      metabolic acidosis, methanol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene
      glycol, and fomepizole. Each article was reviewed for additional references.
      RESULTS: The diagnosis of toxic alcohol exposure is often made on the basis of
      this history and physical findings along with an increase in the serum osmol and
      anion gaps. However, an increase in the osmol and/or anion gaps is not always
      present. Definitive detection in blood requires gas or liquid chromatography,
      laborious and expensive procedures which are not always available. Newer methods
      including a qualitative colorimetric test for detection of all alcohols or
      enzymatic tests for a specific alcohol might allow for more rapid diagnosis.
      CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to toxic alcohols is associated with cellular dysfunction
      and increased risk of death. Treatment, if initiated early, can markedly improve
      outcome, but present methods of diagnosis including changes in serum osmol and
      anion gap, and use of gas or liquid chromatography have important limitations.
      Development of more rapid and effective tests for detection of these
      intoxications is essential for optimal care of patients.

PMID- 26114346
TI  - Acute behavioural disturbance associated with phenibut purchased via an internet
      supplier.
AB  - CONTEXT: Toxicity from recreational substances marketed for other purposes is a
      well-documented clinical entity. We present two cases of phenibut toxicity
      procured via the internet. CASE DETAILS: A 20-year-old female presented to the
      emergency department (ED) having used phenibut the prior day. The main finding
      was a decreased level of consciousness, however when roused she became delirious.
      Supportive care only was required with no specific intervention. The patient made
      a full recovery over a 24-hour period and admitted to use of phenibut purchased
      online. Plasma phenibut concentration was 29.7 MUg/ml. A 38-year-old male
      presented to ED with an agitated delirium. The prior evening he had used
      tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, alcohol and phenibut, the latter purchased via the
      internet. His behavioural state had a suboptimal response to parenteral sedation.
      He was subsequently intubated for airway protection in the context of ongoing
      sedation to optimally manage his behavioural state. Post extubation the next
      morning he admitted using phenibut. Plasma phenibut concentration was 36.5
      MUg/ml. DISCUSSION: Altered mental status was the predominant manifestation of
      phenibut toxicity in these cases. Clinicians to be aware of how phenibut toxicity
      may present as the internet has widened access to such substances.

PMID- 26114347
TI  - The efficacy of prophylactic antibiotics in the management of children with
      kerosene-associated pneumonitis: a double-blind randomised controlled trial.
AB  - CONTEXT: Hydrocarbons, especially kerosene (paraffin), are the most common agents
      causing childhood poisoning in low and middle income countries (LMICs).
      Aspiration of kerosene causes an inflammatory sterile chemical pneumonitis, which
      may increase susceptibility to secondary lower respiratory tract bacterial
      infection. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of prophylactic antibiotics in
      the management of kerosene-associated pneumonitis in children and to identify
      risk factors associated with severity or outcome. METHODS: A double-blind placebo
      controlled trial of prophylactic antibiotics in the management of kerosene
      associated pneumonitis of children presenting to a referral hospital was
      performed from July 2010 to September 2011. Sequential children with a history of
      kerosene ingestion and mild respiratory illness were randomised to receive
      placebo or amoxicillin. Each child was followed-up at Day 3 and Day 5 post
      ingestion. The primary outcome measure was the number of treatment failures in
      each group, defined as any child who deteriorated within this time, necessitating
      a change in treatment regimen. Secondary outcome measures were length of hospital
      stay and symptoms and signs at follow-up. RESULTS: Seventy-four patients were
      enrolled. Thirty-five (47%) received placebo and 39 (53%) active treatment. There
      was no significant difference in treatment failures between placebo (3/35, 9%;
      95% CI, 3-22) and active (2/39, 5%; 95% CI, 1-17) groups (relative risk, 0.60;
      95% CI, 0.11-3.37). The median length of hospital stay was identical (placebo 0.5
      days; IQR, 0-1.0 and active 0.5 days; IQR, 0.5-1.0). Symptoms and signs at Days 3
      and 5 post-ingestion were similar. The only significant risk factor for treatment
      failure was residence in formal housing. Clinical severity at presentation was
      similar for treatment successes and failures. CONCLUSION: Prophylactic
      antibiotics do not improve the outcome in children with mild respiratory illness
      after kerosene ingestion.

PMID- 26114348
TI  - Effect of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure and vascular reactivity in
      nitric oxide synthase inhibition-induced hypertension model.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the effect of oral magnesium supplementation
      (Mg-supp) on blood pressure (BP) and possible mechanism in nitric oxide synthase
      (NOS) inhibition-induced hypertension model. Hypertension and/or Mg-supp were
      created by N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (25 mg/kg/day by drinking water) and
      magnesium-oxide (0.8% by diet) for 6 weeks. Systolic BP was measured weekly by
      tail-cuff method. The effects of hypertension and/or Mg-supp in thoracic aorta
      and third branch of mesenteric artery constriction and relaxation responses were
      evaluated. NOS-inhibition produced a gradually developing hypertension and the
      magnitude of the BP was significantly attenuated after five weeks of Mg-supp. The
      increased phenylephrine-induced contractile and decreased acetylcholine (ACh)
      induced dilation responses were found in both artery segments of hypertensive
      groups. Mg-supp was restored ACh-relaxation response in both arterial segments
      and also Phe-constriction response in thoracic aorta but not in mesenteric
      arteries. The contributions of NO, prostaglandins and K(+) channels to the
      dilator response of ACh were similar in the aorta of all the groups. The
      contribution of the NO to the ACh-mediated relaxation response of mesenteric
      arteries was suppressed in hypertensive rats, whereas this was corrected by Mg
      supp. The flow-mediated dilation response of mesenteric arteries in hypertensive
      rats failed and could not be corrected by Mg-supp. Whereas, vascular eNOS protein
      and magnesium levels were not changed and plasma nitrite levels were reduced in
      hypertensive rats. The results of this study showed that Mg-supp lowered the
      arterial BP in NOS-inhibition induced hypertension model by restoring the agonist
      induced relaxation response of the arteries.

PMID- 26114349
TI  - Circulating miR-21 and eNOS in subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with
      hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship of miR-21,
      nitric oxide (NOx) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) with subclinical
      atherosclerosis in carotid arteries by measuring carotid intima media thickness
      (CIMT) in patients with hypertension and healthy controls. DESIGN AND METHODS: A
      total of 28 hypertensive and 28 healthy controls were enrolled. MiR-21 expression
      was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and NOx, and eNOS levels
      were measured by ELISA assay. CIMT was evaluated by ultrasonography and CIMT >=
      0.8 mm was accepted as increased CIMT (iCIMT). RESULTS: C-reactive protein (CRP)
      level, plasma miR-21 expression level and CIMT were found to be significantly
      higher in the hypertension group when compared to the control group (p = 0.009, p
      = 0.002 and p < 0.001, respectively). NOx and eNOS levels were significantly
      lower in the hypertension group compared to the control group (p < 0.001, both).
      MiR-21 level was positively correlated with the clinical systolic blood pressure,
      clinical diastolic blood pressure, CRP and CIMT. MiR-21 was also negatively
      correlated with NOx and eNOS. Eighteen patients with hypertension had iCIMT. MiR
      21 and CRP levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001), whereas
      NOx and eNOS levels were significantly lower in patients with iCIMT (p < 0.001,
      both). CONCLUSION: The decreased levels of NOx and eNOS found in this study
      indicate the co-existence of endothelial dysfunction and hypertension once more.
      In the absence of microalbuminuria, the increased miR-21 expression in patients
      with iCIMT made us conclude that this miRNA might be involved in the early stages
      of atherosclerotic process in hypertensive patients.

PMID- 26114350
TI  - Arterial stiffness is increased in healthy subjects with a positive family
      history of hypertension.
AB  - A positive family history of hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular
      diseases. We investigated the value of pulse wave velocity (PWV) in healthy
      subjects with a positive family history of hypertension. 255 healthy subjects
      (M/F: 75/180) were divided into two groups according to without (group 1) or with
      (group 2) a positive family history of hypertension. Carotid-femoral pulse wave
      velocity (CF-PWV) was measured by Complior apparatus. Our results showed that CF
      PWV was significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 (7.90 +/- 1.31 versus
      7.32 +/- 1.15 m/s, p < 0.001). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was
      significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2. Multiple linear regressions
      showed that age, family history, GLU, and MAP were independent influencing
      factors of CF-PWV in the entire study group. Our present study showed PWV is
      significantly higher in healthy subjects with a positive family history of
      hypertension. Family history might play an important role in this process.

PMID- 26114351
TI  - Ideal cardiovascular health behaviors and factors prevent the development of
      hypertension in prehypertensive subjects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Seven ideal health metrics were defined by AHA to monitor
      cardiovascular health. This study aimed to investigate the impact of ideal
      cardiovascular health behaviors and factors on the development of hypertension in
      prehypertensive subjects. METHODS: Thirty-two thousand eight-hundred and eighty
      seven participants with prehypertension were included in the study after
      excluding for preexisting stroke, myocardial infarction or malignancy. Cox
      proportional hazards regression was used to calculate hazard ratios and 95%
      confidence intervals [CI] for the development of hypertension. RESULTS: During a
      follow-up of 52.2 months, 15,500 prehypertensive participants developed
      hypertension. The cumulative incidence of hypertension decreased with the number
      of ideal health metrics increased. It was 78.61%, 71.08%, 63.15%, 56.07% and
      61.62% in prehypertensive individuals carrying <= 1, 2, 3, 4 and >= 5 ideal
      health behaviors or factors, respectively. After adjustment for age, gender,
      family history of hypertension, alcohol consumption, resting heart rate, plasma
      triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, the risk ratios of incident
      hypertension in the subjects who carried 2, 3, 4, and >= 5 ideal health metrics
      were 0.833 (95%CI: 0.789-0.880), 0.710 (95%CI: 0.672-0.749), 0.604 (95%CI: 0.568
      0.642), and 0.581 (95%CI: 0.524-0.643), respectively, in comparison to those with
      <= 1 ideal health metric. A similar trend was also observed in male and female
      populations. Poor health metrics, including body mass index, diet (salt intake),
      physical activity, total cholesterol, and smoking, were predictors for the
      development of hypertension in prehypertensive individuals. CONCLUSION: Ideal
      cardiovascular health behaviors and factors are protective factors to prevent the
      progression from prehypertension to hypertension.

PMID- 26114352
TI  - The impact of metabolic syndrome and hypertension on medical costs of patients
      with acute myocardial infarction at hospital.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to find out the impact of metabolic syndrome (MS) and
      hypertension on medical costs of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
      at hospital. METHODS: Patients with AMI at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University
      during January 2011 to May 2013 were separated into four groups according to
      whether with MS or history of hypertension. Comparison of medical costs,
      complication rate and cost-effectiveness ratio were analyzed. RESULTS: We found
      that total costs, each day costs, medical treatment costs, chemical examination
      costs and drug costs were significantly different in four groups. In variance
      analysis, MS led to high medical costs without significance. Hypertension was a
      significant factor influencing medical costs and lead to low medical costs. In
      multiple linear regression, we found that body mass index (BMI) and percutaneous
      coronary intervention (PCI) were important predictors of total costs and each day
      costs. With higher BMI and utilization rate of PCI, medical costs were increased.
      Trend of total costs in four groups is similar to that of the rate of PCI
      utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Metabolic syndrome has no impact on medical costs
      because of discordance in MS components. Hypertension will lead to lower PCI
      utilization rate, which results in less medical costs and bad hospital outcomes.

PMID- 26114353
TI  - Associations between blood pressure responses to acute stress and impaired renal
      function and serum uric acid level.
AB  - The study aimed to examine correlations between blood pressure (BP) responses to
      direct laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation and parameters of renal function,
      serum uric acid (SUA) level, and mean preoperative BP. Fifty-four patients (>= 40
      years) who were scheduled for oral surgery were analyzed. General anesthesia was
      induced by the rapid sequence method without opioid analgesics. Systolic and
      diastolic BP (SBP, DBP) in the operation room were measured when an
      electrocardiogram, a BP cuff, and a pulse oximetry probe were attached to the
      patients (T1) and immediately after the trachea was intubated (T2). The DeltaSBP
      was defined as the difference between SBP at T2 and T1. The increasing rate of
      SBP (DeltaSBPr) was defined as DeltaSBP/SBP at T1. SBP at T2 was associated with
      increasing age (R = 0.44), serum creatinine (R = 0.32), SUA (R = 0.30), mean
      preoperative SBP and DBP (R = 0.54 and 0.37, respectively), and reduced estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (R = -0.44). Serum creatinine and SUA were
      positively associated, and eGFR was negatively associated with DeltaSBP (R =
      0.36, 0.34, and -0.29) and DeltaSBPr (R = 0.39, 0.37, and -0.29). Multivariate
      regression analysis revealed that age and mean preoperative SBP was independently
      associated with SBP at T2, and serum creatinine was independently associated with
      DeltaSBP and DeltaSBPr. These findings suggested that elevated serum creatinine
      level, as well as elevated preoperative BP level, was associated with enhanced BP
      responses to acute stress in middle-aged to elderly patients.

PMID- 26114354
TI  - Resveratrol via activation of AMPK lowers blood pressure in DOCA-salt
      hypertensive mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Resveratrol, a phytoalexin, is reported to activate AMP-activated
      protein kinase (AMPK) in vascular cells. Activation of AMPK induces
      vasorelaxation to lower blood pressure (BP). Whether resveratrol via activation
      of AMPK decreases, BP remains unknown. METHODS: Male wild-type (WT) mice and mice
      deficient in AMPKalpha2 (AMPKalpha2(-/-)) were fed with resveratrol (400 mg/kg).
      After 7 d, mice were implanted with deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt (150
      mg/kg) for 35 d. BP was detected by the radiotelemetry method. Vessel contraction
      was determined by organ chamber. Active RhoA, Rho-associated kinase (ROCK)
      activity, phosphorylations of myosin light chain (MLC), and myosin phosphatase
      targeting subunit 1 (MYPT1) were assayed by western blot. RESULTS: Implantation
      of DOCA-salt dramatically increased systemic BPs (systolic BP and diastolic BP)
      in WT and AMPKalpha2(-/-) mice. However, treatment of resveratrol significantly
      decreased systemic BP in WT mice but not in AMPKalpha2(-/-) mice. In the organ
      chamber study, resveratrol inhibited agonist-induced vessel relaxation in WT mice
      aortas. Loss of AMPKalpha2 or AMPK inhibition by compound C reversed resveratrol
      suppressed vasoconstriction in isolated mice aortas. In cultured vascular smooth
      muscle cells (VSMCs), activation of AMPK by resveratrol inhibited phenylephrine
      enhanced MLC phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Resveratrol
      via activation of AMPK lowers BP in DOCA-hypertensive mice through an
      AMPK/RhoA/ROCK2/MLCMLC pathway.

PMID- 26114355
TI  - Relationship between white blood cells and hypertension in Chinese adults: the
      Cardiometabolic Risk in Chinese (CRC) study.
AB  - Increased blood pressure was associated with increased white blood cell count
      (adjusted p < 0.001) in a community-based health examination survey of adults in
      China (n = 39 282; aged 18-93 years). Adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence
      intervals) for hypertension across white blood cell count quintiles were 1.00,
      0.99 (0.89-1.09), 1.11 (1.01-1.22), 1.09 (0.99-1.20), and 1.19 (1.08-1.31) (p for
      trend < 0.001). Body mass index and white blood cell count had an additive effect
      on systolic blood pressure (p for interaction = 0.047). Therefore, white blood
      cell count could independently predict hypertension in Chinese adults. 

PMID- 26114356
TI  - Prehypertension status, cardiometabolic risks, and decreased baroreflex
      sensitivity are linked to sympathovagal imbalance in salt-preferring individuals.
AB  - Salt preference has been reported to cause sympathovagal imbalance (SVI) and
      prehypertension. We investigated the role of inflammation, insulin resistance
      (IR), hyperlipidemia, and oxidative stress (OS) in genesis of SVI and
      cardiovascular (CV) risks in salt-preferring prehypertensives. The subjects were
      divided into no-salt-preferring (NSP, n = 87) and salt-preferring (SP, n = 89)
      group based on their preference for salted food. Body mass index (BMI), blood
      pressure (BP) variability parameters including baroreflex sensitivity (BRS),
      heart rate variability (HRV) indices, autonomic function tests, IR, lipid risk
      factors, inflammatory and OS markers, and renin were measured in both the groups.
      Based on the contribution of various cardiometabolic risks to low-frequency-high
      frequency (LF-HF) ratio of HRV, the marker of SVI was assessed by multiple
      regression analysis. Prediction of prehypertension status by the LF-HF ratio was
      assessed by bivariate logistic regression. BMI, heart rate, BP parameters,
      cardiac output, total peripheral resistance, LF-HF ratio, IR, atherogenic index,
      inflammatory, and OS markers were significantly increased, and BRS was
      significantly decreased in the SP group compared with the NSP group. There was an
      independent association of IR, atherogenic index, markers of inflammation and OS,
      and BRS with the LF-HF ratio in SP subjects, and the LF-HF ratio had significant
      prediction of prehypertension status in these subjects. It was concluded that IR,
      low-grade inflammation, atherogenic lipid profile, and OS contribute to SVI in SP
      subjects. Decreased BRS (the marker of CV risk) is linked to SVI, and SVI
      predicts prehypertension status in SP subjects.

PMID- 26114357
TI  - Sugar and artificially sweetened soda consumption linked to hypertension: a
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The risk of hypertension (HTN) in patients who regularly
      drink soda is controversial. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess
      the associations between consumption of sugar and artificially sweetened soda and
      HTN. METHODS: A literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE and
      Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception through January 2015.
      Studies that reported relative risks, odd ratios or hazard ratios comparing the
      risk of HTN in patients consuming a significant amount of either sugar or
      artificially sweetened soda versus those who did not consume soda were included.
      Pooled risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a
      random-effect, generic inverse variance method. RESULTS: Eight studies were
      included in our analysis to assess the association between consumption of sugar
      sweetened soda and HTN. The pooled RR of HTN in patients consuming sugar
      sweetened soda was 1.12 (95% CI, 1.03-1.23). Four studies were selected to assess
      the association between consumption of artificially sweetened soda and HTN. The
      pooled RR of HTN in patients consuming artificially sweetened soda was 1.15 (95%
      CI, 1.11-1.19). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates statistically significant
      associations between both sugar and artificially sweetened soda consumption and
      HTN. This finding may impact clinical management and primary prevention of HTN.

PMID- 26114358
TI  - Cytomegalovirus: Unusual Etiology of Lung Pseudotumor.

PMID- 26114359
TI  - Mercury uptake and phytotoxicity in terrestrial plants grown naturally in the
      Gumuskoy (Kutahya) mining area, Turkey.
AB  - This study investigated mercury (Hg) uptake and transport from the soil to
      different plant parts by documenting the distribution and accumulation of Hg in
      the roots and shoots of 12 terrestrial plant species, all of which grow naturally
      in surface soils of the Gumuskoy Pb-Ag mining area. Plant samples and their
      associated soils were collected and analyzed for Hg content by ICP-MS. Mean Hg
      values in the soils, roots, and shoots of all plants were 6.914, 460, and 206 ug
      kg(-1), respectively and lower than 1. The mean enrichment factors for the roots
      (ECR) and shoots (ECS) of these plants were 0.06 and 0.09, respectively and lower
      than 1. These results show that the roots of the studied plants prevented Hg from
      reaching the aerial parts of the plants. The mean translocation factor (TLF) was
      1.29 and higher than 1. The mean TLF values indicated that all 12 plant species
      had the ability to transfer Hg from the roots to the shoots but that transfer was
      more efficient in plants with higher ECR and ECS. Therefore, these plants could
      be useful for the biomonitoring of environmental pollution and for rehabilitating
      areas contaminated by Hg. 

PMID- 26114361
TI  - Remember the Jones Criteria?

PMID- 26114360
TI  - Molecular mechanisms of green tea polyphenols with protective effects against
      skin photoaging.
AB  - Whereas green tea has historically been consumed in high quantities in Northeast
      Asia, its popularity is also increasing in many Western countries. Green tea is
      an abundant source of plant polyphenols exhibiting numerous effects that are
      potentially beneficial for human health. Accumulating evidence suggests that
      green tea polyphenols confer protective effects on the skin against ultraviolet
      (UV) irradiation-induced acceleration of skin aging, involving antimelanogenic,
      antiwrinkle, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects as well as prevention of
      immunosuppression. Melanin pigmentation in the skin is a major defense mechanism
      against UV irradiation, but pigmentation abnormalities such as melasma, freckles,
      senile lentigines, and other forms of melanin hyperpigmentation can also cause
      serious health and aesthetic issues. Furthermore, UV irradiation initiates the
      degradation of fibrillar collagen and elastic fibers, promoting the process of
      skin aging through deep wrinkle formation and loss of tissue elasticity. UV
      irradiation-induced formation of free radicals also contributes to accelerated
      photoaging. Additionally, immunosuppression caused by UV irradiation plays an
      important role in photoaging and skin carcinogenesis. In this review, we
      summarize the current literature regarding the antimelanogenic, antiwrinkle,
      antioxidant, and immunosuppression preventive mechanisms of green tea polyphenols
      that have been demonstrated to protect against UV irradiation-stimulated skin
      photoaging, and gauge the quality of evidence supporting the need for clinical
      studies using green tea polyphenols as anti-photoaging agents in novel
      cosmeceuticals.

PMID- 26114362
TI  - A 16-Year-Old Boy with Bilateral Hand and Foot Cramping and Numbness.

PMID- 26114363
TI  - Family Transitions: The Birth of a Two-Child Family.
AB  - I remember the morning we discovered we were expecting our second child. I was a
      second-year pediatric resident starting my rotation in the pediatric intensive
      care unit. I had just given birth to our first child 14 months earlier and was
      still overwhelmed, yet amazed, by the process of becoming a parent. Certainly we
      had always hoped for more than one child but this one was coming 9 months sooner
      than our grand plan. Being an older, nontraditional medical student, I was
      already significantly older than my colleagues in residency. I wondered anxiously
      how I was going to explain to my residency director and my fellow residents, who
      so graciously covered for me on my first maternity leave, that I was pregnant,
      yet again. Thankfully, 9 months later our second son was born healthy and
      vigorous. In those long, yet short 9 months, we discovered that our material
      needs would drastically change. We contemplated a new car that would accommodate
      two car seats safely and comfortably, and anticipated finding the room, in an
      already cramped living space, for both a toddler bed and a crib. Perhaps most
      important at the time, our nanny, who already did a wonderful job of caring for
      our eldest child, happily accepted the opportunity to now take care of both our
      children, at an additional cost.

PMID- 26114364
TI  - An 18-Month-Old Boy with Diarrhea and an Elevated Biochemical Parameter.

PMID- 26114365
TI  - A 14-Year-Old Girl with Slurred Speech, Aggressive Behavior, and Seizures.

PMID- 26114366
TI  - Pediatric Rheumatology.

PMID- 26114367
TI  - Demystifying the Positive Antinuclear Antibody Test in Children: A Clinical
      Review.
AB  - A 15-year-old girl presented with knee pain, associated with a positive
      antinuclear antibody (ANA). She denied joint swelling or morning stiffness and
      remained physically active despite the pain. A physical examination was
      unremarkable except for articular hypermobility. Laboratory results were also
      unremarkable. Therefore, the positive ANA was determined to be nonspecific, and
      not concerning. In the evaluation of children with musculoskeletal complaints,
      unusual rash, or fatigue, an ANA assessment is frequently considered. When is
      this test most likely to be useful? What is the appropriate follow up for a
      positive result? Which results are concerning for an autoimmune process? This
      article reviews the literature to address these practical concerns. Understanding
      the indications for ordering an ANA, and the correct interpretation of a positive
      ANA, may reduce unnecessary referrals and costly tests. Moreover, the
      misperception that a positive ANA indicates a rheumatologic disease can cause
      significant patient and parental anxiety.

PMID- 26114368
TI  - Juvenile Fibromyalgia: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Treatment.
AB  - A 14-year-old boy presented with months of severe widespread musculoskeletal
      pain. He was profoundly fatigued and unable to attend school. Laboratory
      evaluation, including complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel,
      inflammatory markers, and thyroid function, was unrevealing. Physical examination
      was also normal except for multiple tender points. The patient was diagnosed with
      juvenile primary fibromyalgia syndrome and referred for multidisciplinary
      treatment including physical therapy, exercise, and counseling, and his daily
      functioning gradually improves. Juvenile fibromyalgia is a complex syndrome that
      often severely limits patients' activities and can impede normal adolescent
      development. Effective treatment requires an understanding of the biologic,
      psychologic, and social factors contributing to the perpetuation of chronic pain.
      The author reviews the diagnostic criteria, pathophysiology, and treatment of
      juvenile fibromyalgia. Medications, particularly antidepressants and
      anticonvulsants, can be useful adjuncts to therapy. However, multimodal pain
      management including intensive physical therapy, exercise, counseling, and sleep
      hygiene is most effective in treating fibromyalgia.

PMID- 26114369
TI  - Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Complicated by Macrophage Activation
      Syndrome.
AB  - Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is characterized by a large range
      of extra-articular manifestations in addition to joint inflammation. The child
      with sJIA usually presents with a spiking fever pattern, evanescent rash, and
      arthralgias/arthritis. Other features often present are lymphadenopathy,
      hepatosplenomegaly, and polyserositis. The systemic manifestations are frequently
      more prominent and severe than the arthritis. Laboratory studies reflect systemic
      inflammation with significant anemia, and elevation of acute phase reactants,
      platelets, and white blood cell count. Ferritin level is often strikingly high.
      The treatment of sJIA has evolved over the past decade with the improved
      understanding of the role of specific inflammatory cytokines in this disease. The
      medications employed to treat sJIA directly inhibit the actions of these
      cytokines. A major cause of morbidity and mortality of children with sJIA is the
      development of macrophage activation syndrome, which can cause unremitting
      fevers, pancytopenia, coagulopathy, and hepatic dysfunction.

PMID- 26114370
TI  - Great Vessels of Children: Takayasu's Arteritis.
AB  - Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a granulomatous, large vessel vasculitis affecting
      primarily the aorta and its main branches. It is characterized by inflammation in
      the blood vessel wall, leading to either luminal occlusion or dilatation with
      aneurysm formation. The etiology of TA is unknown, but there seems to be a strong
      role for cell-mediated autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of this disease. TA most
      commonly presents in young women in their second and third decades of life, but
      has been reported in children as young as age 2 years. The symptoms can range
      from vague systemic complaints to catastrophic stroke. Angiography remains the
      gold standard for diagnosis, although computed tomography angiography and
      magnetic resonance angiography have been used as well. Corticosteroids are first
      line therapy, with various cytotoxic medications being used in refractory
      disease. Biologic agents targeting cytokines that are involved in disease
      pathogenesis have also been used successfully. In this article, we describe a
      patient with TA who responded to therapy with infliximab, an inhibitor of tumor
      necrosis factor.

PMID- 26114371
TI  - Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Children.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized
      by the presence of antinuclear antibodies and other autoantibodies, as well as a
      clinical course that is characterized by flares and remissions. The clinical
      presentation is diverse, ranging from a mild disease characterized by rash and
      arthritis to a severe life-threatening disease involving multiple organs.
      Approximately 25% of children with SLE have neuropsychiatric manifestations of
      SLE, which are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Neuropsychiatric
      symptoms may be the initial presentation of SLE in children. The mortality rate
      is relatively low, but morbidity may be significant and permanent damage can
      occur. This article discusses the importance, known pathophysiologic mechanisms,
      clinical approach, and evidence-based therapeutic options for the diagnosis and
      management of neuropsychiatric lupus erythematosus in children and adolescents.

PMID- 26114372
TI  - Dimensional Reduction From 2D Layer to 1D Band for Germanophosphates Induced by
      the "Tailor Effect" of Fluoride.
AB  - The "tailor effect" of fluoride, exclusively as a terminal rather than a bridge,
      was applied successfully to design low-dimensional structures in the system of
      transition metal germanophosphates for the first time. Two series of new
      compounds with low-dimensional structures are reported herein.
      K[M(II)Ge(OH)2(H0.5PO4)2] (M = Fe, Co) possess flat layered structures built from
      single chains of edge-sharing M(II)O6 and GeO6 octahedra interconnected by HPO4
      tetrahedra. Their fluorinated derivatives, K4[M(II)Ge2F2(OH)2(PO4)2(HPO4)2].2H2O
      (M = Fe, Co), exhibit band structures of two four-membered ring germanium
      phosphate single chains sandwiched by M(II)O6 octahedra via corner-sharing. Both
      of these structures contain anionic chains of the condensation of four-membered
      rings built from alternating GeO4Phi2 (Phi = F, OH) octahedra and PO4 tetrahedra
      via sharing common GeO4Phi2 (Phi = F, OH) octahedra, the topology of which is the
      same as that of the mineral krohnkite [Na2Cu(SO4)2.2H2O]. Note that the switch
      from the two-dimensional layered structure to the one-dimensional band structure
      was performed simply by the addition of a small amount of KF.2H2O to the reaction
      mixture. This structural alteration arises from the incorporation of one terminal
      F atom to the coordination sphere of Ge, which breaks the linkage between the
      transition metal and germanium octahedra in the layer to form the band structure.

PMID- 26114373
TI  - Use of Caprylic Acid in Broiler Chickens: Effect on Campylobacter jejuni.
AB  - The effect of caprylic acid (CA) on Campylobacter jejuni in chickens was
      evaluated using two approaches: dietary supplementation or surface treatment of
      chilled chicken carcasses. To analyze the dietary effect of CA, individually
      housed broiler chickens (n = 48) were artificially infected with C. jejuni VFU612
      (10(6) colony-forming units [CFU]/bird) on the 21st and 35th days of life.
      Dietary CA (2.5 and 5 g/kg of feed, fed throughout the entire experiment)
      significantly decreased C. jejuni shedding (p<0.05). However, the effect only
      lasted for 3-7 days after infection. The numbers of Campylobacter shed by the
      positive control birds reached its maximum on the 37th day of life, while on that
      same day, both Treatment I and Treatment II groups shed significantly lower
      (p<0.05) numbers of Campylobacter (by 0.8 and 1.8 log10 CFU/g, respectively).
      Also, peak shedding was delayed by 1 day in both treated groups. After euthanasia
      of each chicken on the 42nd day of life, no differences in Campylobacter counts
      in the crop, gizzard, ileum, and cecum were found between the positive control
      and the treated groups (p>0.05). Surface contamination of the chilled chicken
      halves was performed with C. jejuni VFU612 (clinical isolate) and CCM6214
      (collection strain). Surface treatment with CA at 1.25 and 2.5 mg/mL for 1 min
      significantly reduced C. jejuni VFU612 contamination of chicken skin (p<0.05) by
      0.29-0.53 and 1.14-1.58 log10 CFU/g of skin, respectively. Counts of C. jejuni
      CCM6214 were reduced by 0.68-1.65 log10 CFU/g of skin). In conclusion, dietary CA
      affected numbers of C. jejuni in the gastrointestinal contents of chickens,
      whereas surface treatment reduced C. jejuni contamination in processed chicken
      carcasses.

PMID- 26114376
TI  - Morphologically Aligned Cation-Exchange Membranes by a Pulsed Electric Field for
      Reverse Electrodialysis.
AB  - A low-resistance ion-exchange membrane is essential to achieve the high
      performance energy conversion or storage systems. The formation methods for low
      resistance membranes are various; one of the methods is the ion channel alignment
      of an ion-exchange membrane under a direct current (DC) electric field. In this
      study, we suggest a more effective alignment method than the process with the DC
      electric field. First, an ion-exchange membrane was prepared under a pulsed
      electric field [alternating current (AC) mode] to enhance the effectiveness of
      the alignment. The membrane properties and the performance in reverse
      electrodialysis (RED) were then examined to assess the membrane resistance and
      ion selectivity. The results show that the membrane electrical resistance (MER)
      had a lower value of 0.86 Omega cm(2) for the AC membrane than 2.13 Omega cm(2)
      observed for the DC membrane and 4.30 Omega cm(2) observed for the pristine
      membrane. Furthermore, RED achieved 1.34 W/m(2) of maximum power density for the
      AC membrane, whereas that for the DC membrane was found to be 1.14 W/m(2) [a RED
      stack assembled with CMX, used as a commercial cation-exchange membrane (CEM),
      showed 1.07 W/m(2)]. Thereby, the novel preparation process for a remarkable low
      resistance membrane with high ion selectivity was demonstrated. 

PMID- 26114374
TI  - Obesity is associated with race/sex disparities in diabetes and hypertension
      prevalence, but not cardiovascular disease, among HIV-infected adults.
AB  - Race/sex differences are observed in cardiometabolic disease (CMD) risk and
      prevalence in the context of treated, chronic HIV infection, and these
      differences could be exacerbated by disparities in obesity prevalence. We sought
      to determine the effect of obesity on these disparities among people living with
      HIV. Prevalence of CMD (dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disorders, hypertension,
      diabetes, chronic kidney disease) was determined for patients seen at the
      University of Alabama at Birmingham HIV clinic between 7/2010 and 6/2011. Staged
      logistic regression was used to examine the impact of race/sex on comorbidities
      adjusting for key confounders including/excluding obesity (body mass index >=30
      kg/m(2)). Of 1,800 participants, 77% were male, 54% were black, and 25% were
      obese. Obesity prevalence differed by race/sex: black women 49%, black men 24%,
      white women 24%, white men 15% (p<0.01). Compared to white men, other groups had
      reduced odds for dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disorders (p<0.01). Black men
      had increased odds for hypertension and chronic kidney disease, while black women
      had a nearly 2-fold increased odds for diabetes and hypertension (all at p<0.01).
      The associations of black women with diabetes and hypertension were attenuated
      when obesity was included in the models. Other group differences remained
      significant. Disparities in obesity prevalence do not explain race/sex
      differences in all CMD among people with HIV. Obesity accounted for associations
      with diabetes/hypertension for black women, who may benefit from weight reduction
      to decrease disease risk. Further investigations into the etiology and treatment
      of CMD in people living with HIV should consider unique race/sex treatment
      issues. 

PMID- 26114377
TI  - Bilateral Asymmetry in Upper Extremities Is More Pronounced in Distal Compared to
      Proximal Joints.
AB  - The authors' aim was to compare spatial and temporal accuracy in proximal versus
      distal joints in upper extremities. Given the morphological differences in
      corticospinal and corticomotoneuronal projections for proximal and distal
      muscles, they hypothesized that bilateral asymmetry would be larger for distal
      than for proximal joints. Twelve participants performed isolated flexion
      extension movements with the shoulders and index fingers. Angular range of motion
      of finger and shoulder movements was kept constant. The results showed
      significant bilateral asymmetry for both proximal and distal joints for both
      spatial and temporal accuracy. More importantly, bilateral asymmetry was
      significantly larger for the index fingers than for the shoulders for both
      spatial and temporal variables, as hypothesized. These results at the behavioral
      level pave the way for further studies that combine direct measures of neural
      activation with behavioral measures to further illuminate the potential link
      between bilateral communication and laterality effects in motor performance. 

PMID- 26114378
TI  - Topical Bevacizumab for the Treatment of Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy and safety of topical bevacizumab treatment in
      patients with ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN). METHODS: Six eyes of 6
      patients with primary OSSN confirmed by impression cytology received topical 5
      mg/mL bevacizumab 4 times daily for a period of 8 weeks. Patients were evaluated
      in 2-week intervals. Digital photography images were obtained at each visit and
      changes in the size of the lesions were analyzed by image analysis software.
      RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 66 +/- 13 (+/- SD) years. Four tumors
      were nasal in origin and 2 tumors were temporal. The mean reduction observed in
      the lesion area was 43% +/- 24.2% (range, 20%-71%) in the first month and 68% +/-
      29.7% (range, 42%-100%) in the second month when compared with the baseline area.
      Four patients required tumor excision at the end of the treatment period.
      Surgical treatment was not necessary in 2 patients due to complete disappearance
      of the tumor, which was confirmed by impression cytology. The visual acuity was
      stable in all patients and no systemic or visual side effects were observed
      during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Topical bevacizumab is effective as a
      neoadjuvant therapy combined with surgical excision for the treatment of OSSN.
      Topical bevacizumab may be used before surgery to decrease the size of the
      excision. Excision may be unnecessary in responsive patients.

PMID- 26114379
TI  - Morning stiffness response with delayed-release prednisone after ineffective
      course of immediate-release prednisone.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess morning stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients
      switched from immediate-release (IR) to delayed-release (DR) prednisone. METHOD:
      Circadian Administration of Prednisone in Rheumatoid Arthritis-1 (CAPRA-1) is a
      12-week, randomized, multicentre, active-controlled study of morning stiffness
      that consisted of a double-blind phase and a 9-month open-label extension.
      Patients receiving IR prednisone with no significant improvement after the double
      blind study were switched to DR prednisone. Morning stiffness duration and median
      absolute and relative changes in pain and global assessment were evaluated (3, 6,
      and 9 months). RESULTS: In patients switched from IR to DR prednisone (n=110),
      statistically significant reductions in morning stiffness occurred over 3 months
      and were sustained for 9 months. Absolute reduction of morning stiffness was ~50
      min with >40% relative reduction at each visit. Interleukin (IL)-6 levels were
      reduced by the same amount. Statistically significant and clinically meaningful
      mean reductions in morning stiffness were maintained at >67 min at each visit
      along with significant improvements in pain and patient global assessment. There
      was no evidence of tachyphylaxis seen over the 9-month study. CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients receiving disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and IR
      prednisone who had not had significant reductions in morning stiffness
      demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements
      when switched to DR prednisone.

PMID- 26114380
TI  - Intracellular cascade FRET for temperature imaging of living cells with polymeric
      ratiometric fluorescent thermometers.
AB  - Intracellular temperature plays a prominent role in cellular functions and
      biochemical activities inside living cells, but effective intracellular
      temperature sensing and imaging is still in its infancy. Herein, thermoresponsive
      double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBCs)-based fluorescent thermometers were
      fabricated to investigate their application in intracellular temperature imaging.
      Blue-emitting coumarin monomer, CMA, green-emitting 7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole
      (NBD) monomer, NBDAE, and red-emitting rhodamine B monomer, RhBEA, were
      copolymerized separately with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) to afford dye-labeled
      PEG-b-P(NIPAM-co-CMA), PEG-b-P(NIPAM-co-NBDAE), and PEG-b-P(NIPAM-co-RhBEA).
      Because of the favorable fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) potentials
      between CMA and NBDAE, NBDAE and RhBEA, as well as the slight tendency between
      CMA and RhBEA fluorophore pairs, three polymeric thermometers based on
      traditional one-step FRET were fabricated by facile mixing two of these three
      fluorescent DHBCs, whereas exhibiting limited advantages. Thus, two-step cascade
      FRET among three polymeric fluorophores was further interrogated, in which NBD
      acted as a bridging dye by transferring energy from CMA to RhBEA. Through the
      delicate optimization of the molar contents of three polymeric components, a ~8.4
      fold ratio change occurred in the temperature range of 20-44  degrees C, and the
      detection sensitivity improved significantly, reached as low as ~0.4  degrees C,
      which definitely outperformed other one-step FRET thermometers in the
      intracellular temperature imaging of living cells. To our knowledge, this work
      represents the first example of polymeric ratiometric thermometer employing
      thermoresponsive polymer-based cascade FRET mechanism. 

PMID- 26114381
TI  - Red, green, blue equals 1, 2, 3: Digit-color synesthetes can use structured digit
      information to boost recall of color sequences.
AB  - Digit-color synesthetes report experiencing colors when perceiving letters and
      digits. The conscious experience is typically unidirectional (e.g., digits elicit
      colors but not vice versa) but recent evidence shows subtle bidirectional
      effects. We examined whether short-term memory for colors could be affected by
      the order of presentation reflecting more or less structure in the associated
      digits. We presented a stream of colored squares and asked participants to report
      the colors in order. The colors matched each synesthete's colors for digits 1-9
      and the order of the colors corresponded either to a sequence of numbers (e.g.,
      [red, green, blue] if 1 = red, 2 = green, 3 = blue) or no systematic sequence.
      The results showed that synesthetes recalled sequential color sequences more
      accurately than pseudo-randomized colors, whereas no such effect was found for
      the non-synesthetic controls. Synesthetes did not differ from non-synesthetic
      controls in recall of color sequences overall, providing no evidence of a general
      advantage in memory for serial recall of colors.

PMID- 26114382
TI  - Testing Refrigeration Trucks for the Emergency Evacuation of Companion Animals.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to quantify the changes in oxygen (O2) and carbon
      dioxide (CO2) in sealed refrigerator trucks scheduled to be used for transporting
      companion animals (dogs and cats) during an emergency evacuation. A total of 122
      nonhuman animals (total weight = 1,248 kg) housed in individual crates were
      loaded into a 16-m refrigeration truck. Once they were loaded, the doors were
      closed and the percentages of O2 and CO2 were measured every 5 min by O2 and CO2
      analyzers, and they were used to quantify the changes in gas pressure in the
      sealed truck. CO2 had a much higher-than-predicted increase, and O2 had a higher
      than-predicted decrease. These 2 pressures in combination with the functionality
      of the respiratory system will limit the animal's ability to load O2, and over
      time, they will initiate asphyxia or suffocation. Over time, the partial pressure
      of oxygen (PO2) in the sealed truck will decrease, causing hypoxia, and the
      partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO2) will increase, causing hypercapnia.

PMID- 26114383
TI  - RhoB is a component of the human cytomegalovirus assembly complex and is required
      for efficient viral production.
AB  - Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV), an ubiquitous beta-herpesvirus, is a significant
      pathogen that causes medically severe diseases in immunocompromised individuals
      and in congenitally infected neonates. RhoB belongs to the family of Rho GTPases,
      which regulates diverse cellular processes. Rho proteins are implicated in the
      entry and egress from the host cell of mainly alpha- and gamma-herpesviruses,
      whereas beta-herpesviruses are the least studied in this regard. Here, we studied
      the role of RhoB GTPase during HCMV lytic infection. Microscopy analysis, both in
      fixed and live infected cells showed that RhoB was translocated to the assembly
      complex/compartment (AC) of HCMV, a cytoplasmic zone in infected cells where many
      viral structural proteins are known to accumulate and assembly of new virions
      takes place. Furthermore, RhoB was localized at the AC even when the expression
      of the late HCMV AC proteins was inhibited. At the very late stages of infection,
      cellular projections were formed containing RhoB and HCMV virions, potentially
      contributing to the successful viral spread. Interestingly, the knockdown of RhoB
      in HCMV-infected cells resulted in a significant reduction of the virus titer and
      could also affect the accumulation of AC viral proteins at this subcellular
      compartment. RhoB knockdown also affected actin fibers' structure. Actin
      reorganization was observed at late stages of infection originating from the
      viral AC and surrounding the cellular projections, implying a potential interplay
      between RhoB and actin during HCMV assembly and egress. In conclusion, our
      results demonstrate for the first time that RhoB is a constituent of the viral AC
      and is required for HCMV productive infection. 

PMID- 26114384
TI  - Effect of pH on the Aggregation of alpha-syn12 Dimer in Explicit Water by Replica
      Exchange Molecular Dynamics Simulation.
AB  - The dimeric structure of the N-terminal 12 residues drives the interaction of
      alpha-synuclein protein with membranes. Moreover, experimental studies indicated
      that the aggregation of alpha-synuclein is faster at low pH than neutral pH.
      Nevertheless, the effects of different pH on the structural characteristics of
      the alpha-syn12 dimer remain poorly understood. We performed 500 ns temperature
      replica exchange molecular dynamics (T-REMD) simulations of two alpha-syn12
      peptides in explicit solvent. The free energy surfaces contain ten highly
      populated regions at physiological pH, while there are only three highly
      populated regions contained at acidic pH. The anti-parallel beta-sheet
      conformations were found as the lowest free energy state. Additionally, these
      states are nearly flat with a very small barrier which indicates that these
      states can easily transit between themselves. The dimer undergoes a disorder to
      order transition from physiological pH to acidic pH and the alpha-syn12 dimer at
      acidic pH involves a faster dimerization process. Further, the Lys6-Asp2 contact
      may prevent the dimerization. 

PMID- 26114385
TI  - Meta-Analysis of miR-146a Polymorphisms Association with Coronary Artery Diseases
      and Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - Coronary artery disease (CAD) and ischemic stroke (IS) are manifestations of
      atherosclerosis, with a high death rate. miR-146a is a microRNA that participates
      in the progress of CAD and IS. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the
      precursor of miR-146a, rs2910164, was found to be associated with the risks of
      CAD and IS. However, the results were inconsistent and inconclusive. A meta
      analysis was performed to assess the relationship of rs2910164 and CAD as well as
      IS susceptibility. The database Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of
      Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI),
      and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) were searched for related
      studies. Crude odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were used to investigate
      the strength of the association by random- or fixed-effect model. A total of
      eight studies, with 3138 cases and 3097 controls were identified for the meta
      analysis. The results shows that rs2910164 is associated with the risk of CAD
      significantly in allelic model (OR = 0.86), homozygous model (OR = 0.70),
      heterozygous model (OR = 0.80) and dominant model (OR = 0.76). The subjects
      carrying the GG genotype, GG + GC genotype or G allele are at lower risks of CAD.
      For the susceptibility of IS, there are no significant associations between
      rs2910164 and total studies. However, in subgroup analysis by sample size and
      ethnicity, the GG, GG + GC and G allele of rs2910164 are found to be associated
      with higher risks of IS in large sample size group and in Koreans, under
      homozygous and dominant models. In conclusion, the current meta-analysis suggests
      lower risks of CAD for GG, GG + GC genotype and G allele of rs2910164, while
      rs2910164 is not associated with the risk of IS. Thus rs2910164 might be
      recommended as a predictor for susceptibility of CAD, but not IS. 

PMID- 26114386
TI  - Evidence for P-Glycoprotein Involvement in Cell Volume Regulation Using Coulter
      Sizing in Flow Cytometry.
AB  - The regulation of cell volume is an essential function that is coupled to a
      variety of physiological processes such as receptor recycling, excitability and
      contraction, cell proliferation, migration, and programmed cell death. Under
      stress, cells undergo emergency swelling and respond to such a phenomenon with a
      regulatory volume decrease (RVD) where they release cellular ions, and other
      osmolytes as well as a concomitant loss of water. The link between P
      glycoprotein, a transmembrane transporter, and cell volume regulation is
      controversial, and changes in cells volume are measured using microscopy or
      electrophysiology. For instance, by using the patch-clamp method, our team
      demonstrated that chloride currents activated in the RVD were more intense and
      rapid in a breast cancer cell line overexpressing the P-glycoprotein (P-gp). The
      Cell Lab Quanta SC is a flow cytometry system that simultaneously measures
      electronic volume, side scatter and three fluorescent colors; altogether this
      provides unsurpassed population resolution and accurate cell counting. Therefore,
      here we propose a novel method to follow cellular volume. By using the Coulter
      type channel of the cytometer Cell Lab Quanta SC MPL (multi-platform loading), we
      demonstrated a role for the P-gp during different osmotic treatments, but also a
      differential activity of the P-gp through the cell cycle. Altogether, our data
      strongly suggests a role of P-gp in cell volume regulation. 

PMID- 26114387
TI  - Gene-Diet Interaction between SIRT6 and Soybean Intake for Different Levels of
      Pulse Wave Velocity.
AB  - Soybean is a common food for the Chinese people. We aimed to investigate the risk
      for brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) with inflammatory-related SNPs and
      soybean. baPWV was measured, and 16 inflammatory-related SNPs located on ADIPOQ,
      CDH13, SIRT3, SIRT6, CXCL12, CXCR4, NOS1, PON1 and CDKN2B were genotyped in 1749
      Chinese participants recruited from various communities. ADIPOQ rs12495941 (GT/TT
      vs. GG: crude OR = 1.27, p = 0.044) and SIRT6 rs107251 (CT/TT vs. CC: crude OR =
      0.74, p = 0.009) were associated with abnormal baPWV (baPWV >= 1700 cm/s). After
      adjustment for conventional environmental risk factors, rs12495941 was associated
      with abnormal baPWV (GT/TT vs. GG: adjusted OR = 1.43, p = 0.011), but the
      association between rs107251 and abnormal baPWV was not significant (CT/TT vs.
      CC: adjusted OR = 0.83, p = 0.173). The interaction between rs107251 and soybean
      intake for different levels of baPWV was statistically significant (p = 0.017).
      Compared with a high level of soybean intake, a low level of soybean intake can
      significantly decrease the risk of abnormal baPWV in individuals of rs107251
      CT/TT genotypes (<= 100 vs. > 100 g/week: adjusted OR = 0.542, p = 0.003). In
      this study, associations between ADIPOQ rs12495941, SIRT6 rs107251 and baPWV, as
      well as an interaction between SIRT6 rs107251 and soybean intake for different
      levels of baPWV were found.

PMID- 26114388
TI  - Atrazine Triggers DNA Damage Response and Induces DNA Double-Strand Breaks in MCF
      10A Cells.
AB  - Atrazine, a pre-emergent herbicide in the chloro-s-triazine family, has been
      widely used in crop lands and often detected in agriculture watersheds, which is
      considered as a potential threat to human health. Although atrazine and its
      metabolites showed an elevated incidence of mammary tumors in female Sprague
      Dawley (SD) rats, no molecular evidence was found relevant to its carcinogenesis
      in humans. This study aims to determine whether atrazine could induce the
      expression of DNA damage response-related proteins in normal human breast
      epithelial cells (MCF-10A) and to examine the cytotoxicity of atrazine at a
      molecular level. Our results indicate that a short-term exposure of MCF-10A to an
      environmentally-detectable concentration of atrazine (0.1 ug/mL) significantly
      increased the expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (TNFR1) and
      phosphorylated Rad17 in the cells. Atrazine treatment increased H2AX
      phosphorylation (gammaH2AX) and the formation of gammaH2AX foci in the nuclei of
      MCF-10A cells. Atrazine also sequentially elevated DNA damage checkpoint proteins
      of ATM- and RAD3-related (ATR), ATRIP and phospho-Chk1, suggesting that atrazine
      could induce DNA double-strand breaks and trigger the DNA damage response ATR
      Chk1 pathway in MCF-10A cells. Further investigations are needed to determine
      whether atrazine-triggered DNA double-strand breaks and DNA damage response ATR
      Chk1 pathway occur in vivo. 

PMID- 26114389
TI  - Structure and Principal Components Analyses Reveal an Intervarietal Fusion in
      Malaysian Mistletoe Fig (Ficus deltoidea Jack) Populations.
AB  - Genetic structure and biodiversity of the medicinal plant Ficus deltoidea have
      rarely been scrutinized. To fill these lacunae, five varieties, consisting of 30
      F. deltoidea accessions were collected across the country and studied on the
      basis of molecular and morphological data. Molecular analysis of the accessions
      was performed using nine Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers, seven of
      which were detected as polymorphic markers. ISSR-based clustering generated four
      clusters supporting the geographical distribution of the accessions to some
      extent. The Jaccard's similarity coefficient implied the existence of low
      diversity (0.50-0.75) in the studied population. STRUCTURE analysis showed a low
      differentiation among the sampling sites, while a moderate varietal
      differentiation was unveiled with two main populations of F. deltoidea. Our
      observations confirmed the occurrence of gene flow among the accessions; however,
      the highest degree of this genetic interference was related to the three
      accessions of FDDJ10, FDTT16 and FDKT25. These three accessions may be the
      genetic intervarietal fusion points of the plant's population. Principal
      Components Analysis (PCA) relying on quantitative morphological characteristics
      resulted in two principal components with Eigenvalue >1 which made up 89.96% of
      the total variation. The cluster analysis performed by the eight quantitative
      characteristics led to grouping the accessions into four clusters with a
      Euclidean distance ranged between 0.06 and 1.10. Similarly, a four-cluster
      dendrogram was generated using qualitative traits. The qualitative
      characteristics were found to be more discriminating in the cluster and PCA
      analyses, while ISSRs were more informative on the evolution and genetic
      structure of the population. 

PMID- 26114391
TI  - Trends in aptamer selection methods and applications.
AB  - Aptamers are target specific ssDNA, RNA or peptide sequences generated by an in
      vitro selection and amplification method called SELEX (Systematic Evolution of
      Ligands by EXponential Enrichment), which involves repetitive cycles of binding,
      recovery and amplification steps. Aptamers have the ability to bind with a
      variety of targets such as drugs, proteins, heavy metals, and pathogens with high
      specificity and selectivity. Aptamers are similar to monoclonal antibodies
      regarding their binding affinities, but they offer a number of advantages over
      the existing antibody-based detection methods, which make the aptamers promising
      diagnostic and therapeutic tools for future biomedical and analytical
      applications. The aim of this review article is to provide an overview of the
      recent advancements in aptamer screening methods along with a concise description
      of the major application areas of aptamers including biomarker discovery,
      diagnostics, imaging and nanotechnology. 

PMID- 26114390
TI  - Ginsenoside Rd Protects SH-SY5Y Cells against 1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium Induced
      Injury.
AB  - Ginsenoside Rd (GSRd), one of the main active monomer compounds from the medical
      plant Panax ginseng, has been shown to promote neuronal survival in models of
      ischemic cerebral damage. As an extending study, here we examined whether GSRd
      could exert a beneficial effect in an experimental Parkinson disease (PD) model
      in vitro, in which SH-SY5Y cells were injured by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium
      (MPP+), an active metabolic product of the classical Parkinsonian toxin1-methyl-4
      phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Our results, from the addition of
      different concentrations of GSRd (1, 10 and 50 MUM), showed that GSRd at 1 and 10
      MUM could significantly attenuate MPP+-induced cell death. This protective effect
      may be ascribed to its ability to reduce intracellular reactive oxygen species
      levels, enhance antioxidant enzymatic activities, preserve the activity of
      respiratory complex I, stabilize the mitochondrial membrane potential and
      increase intracellular ATP levels. Additionally, the PI3K/Akt survival-signaling
      pathway was also involved in the protective effect of GSRd. Finally, using a
      mouse PD model in vivo, we also found that GSRd obviously reversed the loss of
      tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells in substanitia nigra induced by MPTP. Thus,
      our findings demonstrated that GSRd showed a significant neuro-protective effect
      against experimental PD models, which may involve its antioxidant effects and
      mitochondrial function preservation. 

PMID- 26114392
TI  - Corrosion chemistry closing comments: opportunities in corrosion science
      facilitated by operando experimental characterization combined with multi-scale
      computational modelling.
AB  - Recent advances in characterization tools, computational capabilities, and
      theories have created opportunities for advancement in understanding of solid
      fluid interfaces at the nanoscale in corroding metallic systems. The Faraday
      Discussion on Corrosion Chemistry in 2015 highlighted some of the current needs,
      gaps and opportunities in corrosion science. Themes were organized into several
      hierarchical categories that provide an organizational framework for corrosion.
      Opportunities to develop fundamental physical and chemical data which will enable
      further progress in thermodynamic and kinetic modelling of corrosion were
      discussed. These will enable new and better understanding of unit processes that
      govern corrosion at the nanoscale. Additional topics discussed included scales,
      films and oxides, fluid-surface and molecular-surface interactions, selected
      topics in corrosion science and engineering as well as corrosion control.
      Corrosion science and engineering topics included complex alloy dissolution,
      local corrosion, and modelling of specific corrosion processes that are made up
      of collections of temporally and spatially varying unit processes such as
      oxidation, ion transport, and competitive adsorption. Corrosion control and
      mitigation topics covered some new insights on coatings and inhibitors. Further
      advances in operando or in situ experimental characterization strategies at the
      nanoscale combined with computational modelling will enhance progress in the
      field, especially if coupling across length and time scales can be achieved
      incorporating the various phenomena encountered in corrosion. Readers are
      encouraged to not only to use this ad hoc organizational scheme to guide their
      immersion into the current opportunities in corrosion chemistry, but also to find
      value in the information presented in their own ways. 

PMID- 26114393
TI  - Effects of N-Acetylcysteine Addition to University of Wisconsin Solution on the
      Rate of Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Adult Orthotopic Liver Transplant.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: One of the main concerns in liver transplant is the prolonged
      ischemia time, which may lead to primary graft nonfunction or delayed function. N
      acetylcysteine is known as a hepato-protective agent in different studies, which
      may improve human hepatocyte viability in steatotic donor livers. This study
      investigated whether N-acetylcysteine can decrease the rate of ischemia
      reperfusion syndrome and improve short-term outcome in liver transplant
      recipients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a double-blind, randomized, control
      clinical trial of 115 patients. Between April 2012 and January 2013, patients
      with orthotopic liver transplant were randomly divided into 2 groups; in 49 cases
      N-acetylcysteine was added to University of Wisconsin solution as the
      preservative liquid (experimental group), and in 66 cases standard University of
      Wisconsin solution was used (control group). We compared postreperfusion
      hypotension, inotrope requirement before and after portal reperfusion,
      intermittent arterial blood gas analysis and potassium measurement, pathological
      review of transplanted liver, in-hospital complications, morbidity, and
      mortality. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the groups
      regarding time to hepatic artery reperfusion, hospital stay, vascular
      complications, inotrope requirement before and after portal declamping, and blood
      gas analysis. Hypotension after portal reperfusion was significantly more common
      in experimental group compared with control group (P = .005). Retransplant and in
      hospital mortality were comparable between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Preservation
      of the liver inside Univer-sity of Wisconsin solution plus N-acetylcysteine did
      not change the rate of ischemia reperfusion injury and short-term outcome in
      liver transplant recipients.

PMID- 26114394
TI  - Examining the association between posttraumatic stress disorder and attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the
      relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and
      posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). DATA SOURCES: We reviewed literature
      through PubMed and PsycINFO without a specified date range, utilizing the search
      (posttraumatic stress disorder OR PTSD) AND (ADHD OR attention deficit
      hyperactivity disorder OR ADD OR attention deficit disorder OR hyperkinetic
      syndrome OR minimal brain dysfunction). References from relevant articles were
      reviewed. STUDY SELECTION: We identified 402 articles; 28 met criteria. We
      included original human research in English that operationalized diagnoses of
      ADHD and PTSD, evaluated the relationship between the disorders, and included
      controls. We excluded articles that failed to differentiate ADHD or PTSD from
      nonspecific or subsyndromal deficits or failed to compare their relationship.
      DATA EXTRACTION: We extracted sample size, age, diagnostic methods, design,
      referral status, control type, and number of subjects with and without ADHD and
      PTSD alone and combined. We computed meta-analyses for 22 studies examining ADHD
      in PTSD and PTSD in ADHD using a random effects model and meta-analytic
      regression. We assessed for heterogeneity and publication bias and adjusted for
      intrastudy clustering. RESULTS: The relative risk (RR) for PTSD in ADHD was 2.9
      (P < .0005); in samples using healthy controls, the RR was 3.7 (P = .001); and in
      samples using traumatized controls, the RR was 1.6 (P = .003). The RR for ADHD in
      PTSD was 1.7 (P < .0005); in samples using traumatized controls, the RR was 2.1
      (P < .0005). The association was not significant in samples using psychiatric
      controls. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate a bidirectional association between ADHD
      and PTSD, suggesting clinical implications and highlighting the need for
      neurobiological research that examines the mechanisms underlying this connection.

PMID- 26114395
TI  - Decay in survival motor neuron and plastin 3 levels during differentiation of
      iPSC-derived human motor neurons.
AB  - Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disease caused by mutations in
      Survival Motor Neuron 1 (SMN1), leading to degeneration of alpha motor neurons
      (MNs) but also affecting other cell types. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)
      derived human MN models from severe SMA patients have shown relevant phenotypes.
      We have produced and fully characterized iPSCs from members of a discordant
      consanguineous family with chronic SMA. We differentiated the iPSC clones into
      ISL-1+/ChAT+ MNs and performed a comparative study during the differentiation
      process, observing significant differences in neurite length and number between
      family members. Analyses of samples from wild-type, severe SMA type I and the
      type IIIa/IV family showed a progressive decay in SMN protein levels during iPSC
      MN differentiation, recapitulating previous observations in developmental
      studies. PLS3 underwent parallel reductions at both the transcriptional and
      translational levels. The underlying, progressive developmental decay in SMN and
      PLS3 levels may lead to the increased vulnerability of MNs in SMA disease.
      Measurements of SMN and PLS3 transcript and protein levels in iPSC-derived MNs
      show limited value as SMA biomarkers. 

PMID- 26114397
TI  - Umbilical Microflora, Antiseptic Skin Preparation, and Surgical Site Infection in
      Abdominal Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSI) following abdominal surgery are
      frequent and a major cause of postoperative morbidity and prolonged hospital
      stay. Besides antibiotic prophylaxis, antiseptic skin preparation is an important
      measure to prevent SSI. METHODS: Here we prospectively analyzed the effectiveness
      of antiseptic skin preparation in a cohort of 93 patients undergoing laparotomy,
      with special emphasis on the umbilical region. RESULTS: The microflora of the
      umbilicus contained a large number of resident (mostly staphylococci species and
      corynebacteria) and transient germs (including enterococci species). Following
      antiseptic skin preparation, bacteria could still be cultured from 24.7% of the
      patients' umbilici. In case of postoperative SSI, only one of seven SSI was
      caused by the microorganism that was present in the umbilicus before and after
      skin preparation. CONCLUSION: Antiseptic skin preparation fails to completely
      eradicate the microflora of the umbilical region in one quarter of the patients.
      However, at least in abdominal surgery, the vast majority of SSI are caused by
      intra-abdominal contamination rather than the skin microflora.

PMID- 26114398
TI  - Avoiding overfitting in the analysis of high-dimensional data with artificial
      neural networks (ANNs).
AB  - Complex data analysis is becoming more easily accessible to analytical chemists,
      including natural computation methods such as artificial neural networks (ANNs).
      Unfortunately, in many of these methods, inappropriate choices of model
      parameters can lead to overfitting. This study concerns overfitting issues in the
      use of ANNs to classify complex, high-dimensional data (where the number of
      variables far exceeds the number of specimens). We examine whether a parameter
      rho, equal to the ratio of the number of observations in the training set to the
      number of connections in the network, can be used as an indicator to forecast
      overfitting. Networks possessing different rho values were trained using as
      inputs either raw data or scores obtained from principal component analysis
      (PCA). A primary finding was that different data sets behave very differently.
      For data sets with either abundant or scant information related to the proposed
      group structure, overfitting was little influenced by rho, whereas for
      intermediate cases some dependence was found, although it was not possible to
      specify values of rho which prevented overfitting altogether. The use of a tuning
      set, to control termination of training and guard against overtraining, did not
      necessarily prevent overfitting from taking place. However, for data containing
      scant group-related information, the use of a tuning set reduced the likelihood
      and magnitude of overfitting, although not eliminating it entirely. For other
      data sets, little difference in the nature of overfitting arose from the two
      modes of termination. Small data sets (in terms of number of specimens) were more
      likely to produce overfit ANNs, as were input layers comprising large numbers of
      PC scores. Hence, for high-dimensional data, the use of a limited number of PC
      scores as inputs, a tuning set to prevent overtraining and a test set to detect
      and guard against overfitting are recommended. 

PMID- 26114399
TI  - Postherpetic Wolf's isotopic response: possible contribution of resident memory T
      cells to the pathogenesis of lichenoid reaction.

PMID- 26114400
TI  - How effective and acceptable is Web 2.0 Balint group participation for general
      practitioners and general practitioner registrars in regional Australia? A pilot
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: General practitioners (GPs) and general practice registrars report
      work-related stress. Balint groups may improve coping mechanisms. However,
      attendance at a face-to-face Balint group is difficult for rural doctors due to
      distance constraints. The study aim was to evaluate online Balint groups for
      rural doctors and determine effect size for a full-scale trial. DESIGN: A mixed
      methods approach, including a pre-post controlled trial and thematic analysis of
      qualitative data. SETTING: Rural primary care. PARTICIPANTS: Thirteen GPs and 8
      general practice registrars completed the study. INTERVENTIONS: Balint groups
      were delivered over 8-9 fortnightly online sessions. GPs and GP registrars
      participated in separate groups. Data were collected on work-related affect,
      psychological medicine skills and professional isolation using the Warr's Work
      Related Affect Scale, the Psychological Medicine Inventory, and a professional
      isolation scale. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change scores on Warr's Work-Related
      Affect Scale, the Psychological Medicine Inventory, and a professional isolation
      scale. RESULTS: Balint participants' scores were significantly higher post
      intervention on the Psychological Medicine Inventory (mean 6.49 (+/-0.20) versus
      5.43 (+/-0.26); P < 0.01) and Warr's Work-Related Affect (mean 4.09 (+/-0.09)
      versus 3.60 (+/-0.12); P < 0.01) scales than control group scores. Effect size on
      these scales ranged from 0.46 to 0.50. The greatest challenge was technical
      problems related to insufficient broadband speed. CONCLUSIONS: Online Balint
      groups appear to improve rural doctors' psychological medicine skills and work
      related affect. New data on effect size will inform a full-scale trial. Improved
      national broadband infrastructure may enhance online support opportunities for
      rural doctors.

PMID- 26114401
TI  - Safety assessment of a novel active ingredient, acetyl aspartic acid, according
      to the EU Cosmetics Regulation and the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety
      guidelines.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Acetyl aspartic acid (A-A-A) was proposed as a new novel active
      ingredient for use in cosmetics. The safety of A-A-A was assessed by following an
      in-house-developed 'New Ingredient Testing Strategy', which was designed in
      accordance with the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) notes of
      guidance and the requirements of Annex I of the EU Cosmetics Regulation. The aim
      of the project was to determine whether A-A-A was safe for use in cosmetics and
      to determine a maximum permitted safe level in the formulations. METHODS: A
      literature review was conducted, consulting over 40 different information
      sources. This highlighted a number of gaps which required testing data. A-A-A was
      tested for phototoxicity according to OECD test guideline 432, skin irritation
      according to OECD test guideline 439 and eye irritation according to OECD test
      guideline 437. Dermal absorption of A-A-A was measured according to OECD test
      guideline 428 and was used to calculate the margin of safety (MoS). Finally, A-A
      A was tested in a human repeat insult patch test (HRIPT) and a 14-day in-use
      tolerance study. RESULTS: A-A-A was non-phototoxic and was non-irritating to skin
      and eyes in in vitro testing. Dermal absorption was calculated to be 5%. The MoS
      for A-A-A was 351, at a level of 5%, for all cosmetic product types, indicating
      no systemic safety toxicity concern. A-A-A at 5% under occlusive patch on a panel
      of 50 adult volunteers induced no skin irritation or allergic reaction in the
      HRIPT study. Finally, repeated application of A-A-A to the periocular area, twice
      per day for 14 days, in 21 female volunteers, demonstrated that 1% A-A-A was well
      tolerated following dermatological and ophthalmological assessment in a cosmetic
      formulation. CONCLUSION: A-A-A was assessed as safe by the cosmetic safety
      assessor for use in cosmetics at a level of 5% in all cosmetic product types, in
      line with the requirements of the EU Cosmetics Regulation and in accordance with
      the SCCS notes of guidance.

PMID- 26114402
TI  - Effect of bioreduced graphene oxide on anaerobic biotransformation of
      nitrobenzene in an anaerobic reactor.
AB  - Bioreduced graphene oxide (BRGO) has been proven to be capable of accelerating
      nitrobenzene (NB) biotransformation by anaerobic sludge (AS). To realize its
      application, in the present study, two continuous anaerobic reactors (R1 with
      BRGO/AS composite; R2 with AS) were employed to treat NB-containing wastewater
      during a long-term run. Compared with R2, the start-up time of R1 was shortened
      from 70 to 45 d and R1 exhibited better removal efficiency (87% of R1 and 74% of
      R2 with an influent NB concentration of 200 mg L(-1) at hydraulic retention time
      = 24 h, NaCl = 3%). Moreover, R1 exhibited better stability with over 81% NB
      removal efficiency within 90 d. Further study demonstrated that the presence of
      BRGO facilitated microorganisms to secrete extracellular polymeric substances,
      resulting in the higher electrochemical and dehydrogenase activities of R1
      compared with those of R2. 

PMID- 26114404
TI  - Novel Therapy With Ramelteon for Hypoactive Delirium: A Case Report.

PMID- 26114403
TI  - Experimental design and analysis and their reporting: new guidance for
      publication in BJP.

PMID- 26114396
TI  - Gold Nanoparticles for In Vitro Diagnostics.

PMID- 26114405
TI  - Intracellular distribution of cadmium during the growth of Abortiporus biennis on
      cadmium-amended media.
AB  - Heavy metals are difficult to remediate and traditional remedial processes are
      expensive, so bioremediation technology using bacteria, fungi, or plants is of
      interest. Many studies have demonstrated that basidiomycetes fungi are able to
      growth under heavy metals stress. In this study the distribution of cadmium (Cd)
      in Abortiporus biennis cells was studied. Cd accumulated especially within
      cytoplasm and its presence caused changes in the cytoplasm appearance, which
      became denser in comparison to the cytoplasm of control cells. Vacuolization of
      cytoplasm and periplasmic region in A. biennis cells was also observed. The
      growth rate of A. biennis was inhibited up to 75% during the growth on medium
      amended with 1 mmol/L cadmium oxide. The presence of Cd in growing media
      inhibited oxalic acid secretion by A. biennis, but oxalate concentration
      increased together with elevated Cd concentration in growing medium. The
      influence of initial pH of growing media on the accumulation of Cd by A. biennis
      was also observed. The highest accumulation of Cd in mycelium was detected during
      A. biennis growth on media with a pH of 6. Studies addressing metals uptake by
      fungi and metal distribution in fungal cells may allow these organisms to be
      applied in bioremediation processes more effectively or to be used as
      bioindicators of contaminated environmental pollutions.

PMID- 26114406
TI  - Screening of herbaceous plants for peat-enhanced rehabilitation of contaminated
      soil with oily sludge.
AB  - A batch pot experiment using nine herbaceous species were conducted for peat
      enhanced rehabilitation of contaminated soil with oily sludge in the initial
      contents of 0%, 1.3%, 7.4%, and 12.2%, respectively. The results showed that
      petroleum hydrocarbons removal, plant growth indices and enzyme activities varied
      depending on plant species and oil contents. Cotton, ryegrass and tall fescue
      were effective in the rehabilitation of oily sludge contaminated soils. The total
      petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal ranged from 30.0% to 40.0% after 170 days of
      treatment. Plant biomass was shown to be the preferred indicator for screening
      phytoremediation plant because it was closely correlated with TPH removal and
      enzyme activities. Peat-enhanced plant rehabilitation could be a good strategy
      for the treatment of oily sludge contaminated saline soils. 

PMID- 26114407
TI  - [Editorial].

PMID- 26114408
TI  - [Progesterone for Prevention of Preterm Birth--Evidence-based Indications].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevention and treatment of preterm birth remains an unsolved
      problem in modern obstetrics. Progesterone has a variety of actions on the
      myometrium and the cervix, among others inhibition of myometrial contractility
      and a cervix strengthening effect by inhibiting the production of proinflammatory
      cytokines and prostaglandins as well as by reducing the synthesis of proteins,
      which play a crucial role in initiating labour. Consequently, progesterone may be
      a promising candidate for the prevention of preterm birth. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      We searched PubMed from 1956 to August 2014 using a combination of key words and
      text words related to preterm birth and progesterone. ('progesterone',
      progestins, 17-OHPC). The aim of the literature search was to determine evidence
      based indications for the use of progesterone in the prevention of preterm birth.
      RESULTS: (i) Patients with a singleton pregnancy and history of preterm birth
      should receive vaginal progesterone daily (200 mg capsule or 90 mg containing
      gel) from 16+0 to 36+0 weeks of gestation (alternatively 250 mg intramuscular 17
      OHPC weekly): level of evidence 1a, grade of recommendation ++ . Prophylactic
      progesterone reduces the incidence of preterm birth <34 and <37 weeks of
      gestation and perinatal mortality significantly. (ii) Patients with singleton
      pregnancies and a sonographically short cervix (<=25 mm) before 24 weeks of
      gestation should receive vaginal progesterone daily (200 mg capsule or 90 mg
      containing gel) until 36+6 weeks of gestation: level of evidence 1a, grade of
      recommendation ++ . Prophylactic progesterone leads to a significant reduction in
      the incidence of preterm birth <28, <33, and <35 weeks of gestation and is
      associated with a significant reduction of neonatal morbidity. (III) There is a
      lack of evidence to recommend vaginal progesterone or intramuscular 17-OHPC for
      primary tocolysis or for "adjunctive" tocolysis (in combination with conventional
      tocolytic agents). (IV) There is a growing body of evidence that vaginal
      progesterone (400 mg/day) after successful tocolysis ("maintenance therapy") is a
      promising option for prolongation of pregnancy: level of evidence 1b, grade of
      recommendation +. (V) Data from the literature are insufficient to recommend
      progesterone in patients with preterm rupture of membranes or in the
      perioperative management of patients requiring transvaginal cervical cerclage.
      (VI) The vaginal administration of progesterone is well-tolerated by the patients
      and has only minor maternal side effects, whereas intramuscular injections of 17
      OHPC are associated with a significant higher rate of side effects (e. g. local
      pain, nausea, diarrhoea). It is mandatory to inform patients on the off-label use
      of progesterone in pregnancy. DISCUSSION: Prophylactic progesterone
      administration is an evidence-based method for the prevention of preterm birth in
      women with a previous preterm birth and in pregnant women with a sonographically
      short cervix (<=25 mm) before 24 weeks of gestation. Vaginal progesterone is
      favoured over intramuscularly applied 17-OHPC, especially because of the lower
      rate of maternal side effects. Whether progesterone is an effective approach for
      the treatment of preterm birth as a tocolytic agent (primary, adjunctive) or for
      maintenance therapy after arrest of preterm labour has to be shown in further
      well-designed randomised and controlled trials with adequate statistical power.

PMID- 26114410
TI  - First human challenge testing of a pneumococcal vaccine. Double-blind randomized
      controlled trial.
AB  - RATIONALE: New vaccines are urgently needed to protect the vulnerable from
      bacterial pneumonia. Clinical trials of pneumonia vaccines are slow and costly,
      requiring tens of thousands of patients. Studies of pneumococcal vaccine efficacy
      against colonization have been proposed as a novel method to down-select between
      vaccine candidates. OBJECTIVES: Using our safe and reproducible experimental
      human pneumococcal colonization model, we aimed to determine the effect of 13
      valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) on colonization. METHODS: A total of
      100 healthy participants aged 18-50 years were recruited into this double-blind
      randomized placebo-controlled trial. They were randomly assigned to PCV (n = 49)
      or hepatitis A (control, n = 50) vaccination and inoculated with 80,000 CFU/100
      MUl of Streptococcus pneumoniae (6B) per naris. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
      Participants were followed up for 21 days to determine pneumococcal colonization
      by culture of nasal wash. The PCV group had a significantly reduced rate of 6B
      colonization (10% [5 of 48]) compared with control subjects (48% [23 of 48])
      (risk ratio, 0.22; confidence interval, 0.09-0.52; P < 0.001). Density of
      colonization was reduced in the PCV group compared with the control group
      following inoculation. The area under the curve (density vs. day) was
      significantly reduced in the PCV compared with control group (geometric mean, 259
      vs. 11,183; P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: PCV reduced pneumococcal colonization rate,
      density, and duration in healthy adults. The experimental human pneumococcal
      colonization model is a safe, cost-effective, and efficient method to determine
      the protective efficacy of new vaccines on pneumococcal colonization; PCV
      provides a gold standard against which to test these novel vaccines. Clinical
      trial registered with ISRCTN: 45340436.

PMID- 26114411
TI  - Diffusion imaging of the vertebral bone marrow.
AB  - Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) of the vertebral bone marrow is a clinically
      important tool for the characterization of bone-marrow pathologies and, in
      particular, for the differentiation of benign (osteoporotic) and malignant
      vertebral compression fractures. DWI of the vertebral bone marrow is, however,
      complicated by some unique MR and tissue properties of vertebral bone marrow. Due
      to both the spongy microstructure of the trabecular bone and the proximity of the
      lungs, soft tissue, or large vessels, substantial magnetic susceptibility
      variations occur, which severely reduce the magnetic field homogeneity as well as
      the transverse relaxation time T*2 , and thus complicate MRI in particular with
      echoplanar imaging (EPI) techniques. Therefore, alternative diffusion-weighting
      pulse sequence types such as single-shot fast-spin-echo sequences or segmented
      EPI techniques became important alternatives for quantitative DWI of the
      vertebral bone marrow. This review first describes pulse sequence types that are
      particularly important for DWI of the vertebral bone marrow. Then, data from 24
      studies that made diffusion measurements of normal vertebral bone marrow are
      reviewed; summarizing all results, the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of
      normal vertebral bone marrow is typically found to be between 0.2 and 0.6 * 10-3 
      mm2 /s. Finally, DWI of vertebral compression fractures is discussed. Numerous
      studies demonstrate significantly greater ADCs in osteoporotic fractures
      (typically between 1.2 and 2.0 * 10-3  mm2 /s) than in malignant fractures or
      lesions (typically 0.7-1.3 * 10-3  mm2 /s). Alternatively, several studies used
      the (qualitative) image contrast of diffusion-weighted acquisitions for
      differentiation of lesion etiology: a very good lesion differentiation can be
      achieved, particularly with diffusion-weighted steady-state free precession
      sequences, which depict malignant lesions as hyperintense relative to normal
      appearing vertebral bone marrow, in contrast to hypointense or isointense
      osteoporotic lesions. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26114412
TI  - In vitro and in vivo effects of melatonin on sister chromatid exchange in human
      blood lymphocytes exposed to hypoxia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Many studies have shown that melatonin (MLT) has an anti-genotoxic
      effect in various tissues and cell lines. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the anti-genotoxic effect of MLT on normal human peripheral
      lymphocytes by assessing sister chromatid exchange (SCE) in vitro and in vivo.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells were treated with 50 and 200 MUM of MLT. The human
      volunteers (n = 20) for the in vivo study were administered a single dose of 3 mg
      MLT daily for 2 weeks. After sufficient time for its clearance, 1.5 mg of MLT
      daily was then administered to the same volunteers at same the period. RESULTS:
      Our results demonstrated the anti-genotoxic effect of MLT in human blood
      lymphocyte in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, hypoxia increased the SCE frequency
      compared to the control and both doses of MLT significantly decreased the SCE
      frequency in the hypoxic cells (p < 0.001). In vivo, oral administration of 3 mg
      MLT significantly increased the frequency of SCE, yet a small increase of SCE by
      hypoxia was found. Oral administration of 1.5 mg MLT showed no DNA damage but it
      had an anti-genotoxic effect. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: MLT may prove useful for
      reducing the genotoxic effects of hypoxia in peripheral lymphocytes and suggest
      its possible role for ischemic diseases.

PMID- 26114413
TI  - 1,1'-Bis(pyrazol-3-yl)ferrocene: A Clip Ligand That Forms Supramolecular
      Aggregates and Prismatic Hexanuclear Coinage Metal Complexes.
AB  - Two ferrocene derivatives with appended pyrazole substituents, namely, 1,1'-bis(5
      methyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)ferrocene (H2LH) and 1,1'-bis(5-trifluoromethyl-1H-pyrazol
      3-yl)ferrocene (H2LF), were synthesized. In solid state they form distinct H
      bonded dimers with orthogonal (H2LH, C2 symmetry) or antiparallel (H2LF, C2h
      symmetry) arrangement of the two ferrocene/pyrazole hybrid molecules.
      Supramolecular dimerization was also detected in solution at low temperatures,
      though diffusion-ordered spectroscopy and variable-temperature NMR spectroscopy
      revealed several dynamic processes. Redox potentials of the ferrocene derivatives
      are affected by the nature of the pyrazole substituent (Me, CF3). In their
      deprotonated form [LR]2-, both ferrocene/pyrazole hybrids serve as ligands and
      form oligonuclear CuI, AgI, and AuI complexes that were identified by matrix
      assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. X-ray crystallography
      revealed the structures of Cu6L3H and Ag6L3F, which both contain two parallel and
      eclipsed [M(MU-pz)]3 metallamacrocycles (M = Cu, Ag) linked by three ferrocene
      units. MI...MI distances between the two triangular M3N6 decks are shorter in
      Ag6L3F (3.28-3.30 vs 3.44-3.51 A in the case of Cu6L3H), indicating substantial
      intramolecular closed-shell Ag(d10)-Ag(d10) interactions. However, Cu6L3H
      features close intermolecular Cu...Cu contacts as short as 3.37 A. Mossbauer data
      for both the ligands and complexes were collected, and electrochemical properties
      were measured; preliminary luminescence data are reported.

PMID- 26114414
TI  - Scholarly productivity and national institutes of health funding of foundation
      for anesthesia education and research grant recipients: insights from a
      bibliometric analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) grant
      program provides fellows and junior faculty members with grant support to
      stimulate their careers. The authors conducted a bibliometric analysis of
      recipients of FAER grants since 1987. METHODS: Recipients were identified in the
      FAER alumni database. Each recipient's affiliation was identified using an
      Internet search (keyword "anesthesiology"). The duration of activity,
      publications, publication rate, citations, citation rate, h-index, and National
      Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for each recipient were obtained using the
      Scopus (Elsevier, USA) and NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools
      (National Institutes of Health, USA) databases. RESULTS: Three hundred ninety
      seven individuals who received 430 FAER grants were analyzed, 79.1% of whom
      currently hold full-time academic appointments. Recipients published 19,647
      papers with 548,563 citations and received 391 NIH grants totaling $448.44
      million. Publications, citations, h-index, the number of NIH grants, and amount
      of support were dependent on academic rank and years of activity (P < 0.0001).
      Recipients who acquired NIH grants (40.3%) had greater scholarly output than
      those who did not. Recipients with more publications were also more likely to
      secure NIH grants. Women had fewer publications and lower h-index than men, but
      there were no gender-based differences in NIH funding. Scholarly output was
      similar in recipients with MD and PhD degrees versus those with MD degrees alone,
      but recipients with MD and PhD degrees were more likely to receive NIH funding
      than those with MDs alone. CONCLUSION: Most FAER alumni remain in academic
      anesthesiology and have established a consistent record of scholarly output that
      appears to exceed reported productivity for average faculty members identified in
      previous studies.

PMID- 26114415
TI  - Small tidal volumes, positive end-expiratory pressure, and lung recruitment
      maneuvers during anesthesia: good or bad?

PMID- 26114416
TI  - Continuous variable transformation in anesthesia: useful clinical shorthand, but
      threat to research.

PMID- 26114417
TI  - Economic and Time-Sensitive Issues Surrounding CCS: A Policy Analysis.
AB  - Are the existing global policies on combating global warming via the carbon
      capture and storage (CCS) method significant enough to curtail the temperature
      rise on time? We argue that it is already too late to have any reliance on CCS.
      The current status of CCS is that it is plagued by technical uncertainties,
      infrastructure, financial, and regulatory issues. The technology is far from
      maturity and, hence, commercialization. Simulations conducted in this work
      suggest that the relevance of CCS is completely defied if the annual emission
      growth rate is in excess of 2% between the years of 2015 and 2040. At such a
      growth rate, the annual emissions reduction between 2040 and 2100 will need to be
      in the vicinity of 5.5% by the year 2100. Considering an average annual emissions
      growth rate of 2.5% over the past decade, it seems unlikely that the emissions
      could be contained to a 2% growth level. CCS in its current shape and form is at
      odds with the economics of its implementation and the time in hand with which to
      play a significant role in a carbon mitigation strategy. There is an urgent need
      to rethink policies and strategies to combat global warming to at least some
      degree. 

PMID- 26114418
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26114419
TI  - Sweet cherries from farm to table: A review.
AB  - In order to enable long-distance transportation and ensure that the fruit
      presents the requisite quality on arrival at markets, the cherry industry for
      direct consumption needs to prolong post-harvest shelf life. Sweet cherries are
      highly perishable, non-climacteric fruits with shelf life of 7-14 days in cold
      storage. Their shelf life is shortened by loss of firmness, color and flavor,
      stem discoloration, desiccation and mould growth. Various factors such as harvest
      time, proper handling and cooling practices and above all packaging, greatly
      influence the shelf life of cherries. One of the areas of research that has shown
      promise, and had success, is modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). It is one of
      the fastest growing packaging technologies and has many advantages for different
      food products. Properly designed modified atmosphere packs can be exploited to
      lower respiration rates and thus ripening of fruits which results in least
      changes in physiochemical parameters of sweet cherries during postharvest
      storage. This paper intended to review a broad spectrum of studies dealt with the
      use of MAP for preservation of sweet cherries cultivars with an interest for
      future research work.

PMID- 26114420
TI  - Bioavailability of beta-cryptoxanthin is greater from pasteurized orange juice
      than from fresh oranges - a randomized cross-over study.
AB  - SCOPE: Orange fruits and products thereof represent important dietary sources of
      carotenoids, particularly beta-cryptoxanthin. Since previous studies reported a
      positive effect of vegetable processing on carotenoid absorption, our objective
      was to compare the bioavailability of beta-cryptoxanthin from either fresh navel
      oranges (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) or pasteurized orange juice. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: The study was designed as a randomized 2-way cross-over study. Twelve
      volunteers consumed two meals delivering 744 MUg of beta-cryptoxanthin from
      either fresh navel oranges or pasteurized orange juice. Eight blood samples were
      collected over 9.5 h after test meal consumption and analyzed using HPLC-DAD.
      Additionally, carotenoid bioaccessibility was assessed after in vitro digestion
      of the same test foods. beta-cryptoxanthin bioavailability from pasteurized
      orange juice was 1.8-fold higher than from fresh oranges (P = 0.011). Similarly,
      mean absorption of the non-dose adjusted carotenoids lutein (P = 0.301),
      zeaxanthin (P = 0.216), and zeinoxanthin (P = 0.090) were slightly higher from
      orange juice, although not reaching statistical significance. The in vitro
      digestion revealed a 5.3-fold higher bioaccessibility of beta-cryptoxanthin from
      orange juice. Dietary fiber contents in the test foods were inversely associated
      with carotenoid bioavailability. CONCLUSION: Orange juice represents a more
      bioavailable source of beta-cryptoxanthin than fresh oranges.

PMID- 26114421
TI  - Comparison of bacterial leakage resistance of various root canal filling
      materials and methods: Confocal laser-scanning microscope study.
AB  - This study evaluated the bacterial leakage resistance and root canal lining
      efficacy of various root canal filling materials and methods by using confocal
      laser-scanning microscope (CLSM). Sixty extracted human premolars with mature
      apex and single root canal were randomly divided into 2 control groups and 4
      experimental groups. Group CW was filled with continuous wave technique using
      gutta-percha and AH Plus sealer. Group GC was coated with AH-Plus sealer and then
      obturated with soften GuttaCore. Group GF was obturated using GuttaFlow and gutta
      percha. Group EM was filled with EndoSeal MTA and gutta-percha using ultrasonic
      vibration. The AH-Plus, GuttaFlow, and EndoSeal were labeled with Hoechst 33342
      to facilitate fluorescence. The obturated root tip was incubated with
      Carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE)-stained E. faecalis for 14
      days. CLSM was performed to evaluate the sealer distribution and bacterial
      leakage for the apical 1-, 2-, 3-mm specimens. Statistically significant
      differences were determined by 1-way ANOVA with Tukey's post-hoc test and
      Pearson's correlation analysis. Group EM showed the better sealer distribution
      score than the other groups (p < 0.05). Group CW and group GC exhibited the less
      bacterial leakage than the group GF, while group EM showed the similar bacterial
      leakage score with the groups CW and GC. There was no significant correlation
      between the sealer distribution and bacterial leakage (p > 0.05). Under the
      conditions of this study, different root canal filling materials and methods
      showed different efficacy for canal distribution and bacterial leakage
      resistance.

PMID- 26114422
TI  - Studies on the Formation of Maillard and Caramelization Products from Glucosamine
      Incubated at 37  degrees C.
AB  - This experiment compared the in vitro degradation of glucosamine (GlcN), N
      acetylglucosamine, and glucose in the presence of NH3 incubated at 37  degrees C
      in phosphate buffer from 0.5 to 12 days. The reactions were monitored with UV-vis
      absorption and fluorescence emission spectroscopies, and the main products of
      degradation, quinoxaline derivatives of alpha-dicarbonyl compounds and
      condensation products, were determined using UHPLC-UV and Orbitrap mass
      spectrometry. GlcN produced two major dicarbonyl compounds, glucosone and 3
      deoxyglucosone, ranging from 709 to 3245 mg/kg GlcN and from 272 to 4535 mg/kg
      GlcN, respectively. 3,4-Dideoxyglucosone-3-ene, glyoxal, hydroxypyruvaldehyde,
      methylglyoxal, and diacetyl were also detected in lower amounts compared to
      glucosone and 3-deoxyglucosone. Several pyrazine condensation products resulting
      from the reaction between dicarbonyls and GlcN were also identified. This study
      determined that GlcN is a significantly unstable molecule producing a high level
      of degradation products at 37  degrees C. 

PMID- 26114423
TI  - The Relationship between Personality Dimensions and Resiliency to Environmental
      Stress in Orange-Winged Amazon Parrots (Amazona amazonica), as Indicated by the
      Development of Abnormal Behaviors.
AB  - Parrots are popular companion animals, but are frequently relinquished because of
      behavioral problems, including abnormal repetitive behaviors like feather
      damaging behavior and stereotypy. In addition to contributing to pet
      relinquishment, these behaviors are important as potential indicators of
      diminished psychological well-being. While abnormal behaviors are common in
      captive animals, their presence and/or severity varies between animals of the
      same species that are experiencing the same environmental conditions. Personality
      differences could contribute to this observed individual variation, as they are
      known risk factors for stress sensitivity and affective disorders in humans. The
      goal of this study was to assess the relationship between personality and the
      development and severity of abnormal behaviors in captive-bred orange-winged
      Amazon parrots (Amazona amazonica). We monitored between-individual behavioral
      differences in enrichment-reared parrots of known personality types before,
      during, and after enrichment deprivation. We predicted that parrots with higher
      scores for neurotic-like personality traits would be more susceptible to
      enrichment deprivation and develop more abnormal behaviors. Our results partially
      supported this hypothesis, but also showed that distinct personality dimensions
      were related to different forms of abnormal behavior. While neuroticism-like
      traits were linked to feather damaging behavior, extraversion-like traits were
      negatively related to stereotypic behavior. More extraverted birds showed
      resiliency to environmental stress, developing fewer stereotypies during
      enrichment deprivation and showing lower levels of these behaviors following re
      enrichment. Our data, together with the results of the few studies conducted on
      other species, suggest that, as in humans, certain personality types render
      individual animals more susceptible or resilient to environmental stress.
      Further, this susceptibility/resiliency can have a long-term effect on behavior,
      as evidenced by behavioral changes that persisted despite re-enrichment. Ours is
      the first study evaluating the relationship between personality dimensions,
      environment, and abnormal behaviors in an avian species. 

PMID- 26114424
TI  - Overexpression of RhoH Permits to Bypass the Pre-TCR Checkpoint.
AB  - RhoH, an atypical small Rho-family GTPase, critically regulates thymocyte
      differentiation through the coordinated interaction with Lck and Zap70.
      Therefore, RhoH deficiency causes defective T cell development, leading to a
      paucity of mature T cells. Since there has been no gain-of-function study on RhoH
      before, we decided to take a transgenic approach to assess how the overexpression
      of RhoH affects the development of T cells. Although RhoH transgenic (RhoHtg)
      mice expressed three times more RhoH protein than wild-type mice, beta-selection,
      positive, and negative selection in the thymus from RhoHtg mice were unaltered.
      However, transgenic introduction of RhoH into Rag2 deficient mice resulted in the
      generation of CD4+ CD8+ (DP) thymocytes, indicating that overexpression of RhoH
      could bypass beta-selection without TCRbeta gene rearrangement. This was
      confirmed by the in vitro development of DP cells from Rag2-/-RhoHtg DN3 cells on
      TSt-4/Dll-1 stroma in an Lck dependent manner. Collectively, our results indicate
      that an excess amount of RhoH is able to initiate pre-TCR signaling in the
      absence of pre-TCR complexes.

PMID- 26114425
TI  - Reproductive Mode and the Evolution of Genome Size and Structure in
      Caenorhabditis Nematodes.
AB  - The self-fertile nematode worms Caenorhabditis elegans, C. briggsae, and C.
      tropicalis evolved independently from outcrossing male-female ancestors and have
      genomes 20-40% smaller than closely related outcrossing relatives. This pattern
      of smaller genomes for selfing species and larger genomes for closely related
      outcrossing species is also seen in plants. We use comparative genomics,
      including the first high quality genome assembly for an outcrossing member of the
      genus (C. remanei) to test several hypotheses for the evolution of genome
      reduction under a change in mating system. Unlike plants, it does not appear that
      reductions in the number of repetitive elements, such as transposable elements,
      are an important contributor to the change in genome size. Instead, all
      functional genomic categories are lost in approximately equal proportions. Theory
      predicts that self-fertilization should equalize the effective population size,
      as well as the resulting effects of genetic drift, between the X chromosome and
      autosomes. Contrary to this, we find that the self-fertile C. briggsae and C.
      elegans have larger intergenic spaces and larger protein-coding genes on the X
      chromosome when compared to autosomes, while C. remanei actually has smaller
      introns on the X chromosome than either self-reproducing species. Rather than
      being driven by mutational biases and/or genetic drift caused by a reduction in
      effective population size under self reproduction, changes in genome size in this
      group of nematodes appear to be caused by genome-wide patterns of gene loss, most
      likely generated by genomic adaptation to self reproduction per se. 

PMID- 26114426
TI  - Expression of the Kynurenine Pathway in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells:
      Implications for Inflammatory and Neurodegenerative Disease.
AB  - The kynurenine pathway is a fundamental mechanism of immunosuppression and
      peripheral tolerance. It is increasingly recognized as playing a major role in
      the pathogenesis of a wide variety of inflammatory, neurodegenerative and
      malignant disorders. However, the temporal dynamics of kynurenine pathway
      activation and metabolite production in human immune cells is currently unknown.
      Here we report the novel use of flow cytometry, combined with ultra high
      performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, to
      sensitively quantify the intracellular expression of three key kynurenine pathway
      enzymes and the main kynurenine pathway metabolites in a time-course study. This
      is the first study to show that up-regulation of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO
      1), kynurenine 3-monoxygenase (KMO) and quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase
      (QPRT) is lacking in lymphocytes treated with interferon gamma. In contrast,
      peripheral monocytes showed a significant elevation of kynurenine pathway enzymes
      and metabolites when treated with interferon gamma. Expression of IDO-1, KMO and
      QPRT correlated significantly with activation of the kynurenine pathway
      (kynurenine:tryptophan ratio), quinolinic acid concentration and production of
      the monocyte derived, pro-inflammatory immune response marker: neopterin. Our
      results also describe an original and sensitive methodological approach to
      quantify kynurenine pathway enzyme expression in cells. This has revealed further
      insights into the potential role of these enzymes in disease processes. 

PMID- 26114427
TI  - Metabolomic Analysis of the Skeletal Muscle of Mice Overexpressing PGC-1alpha.
AB  - Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma coactivator 1alpha (PGC
      1alpha) is a coactivator of various nuclear receptors and other transcription
      factors whose expression increases in the skeletal muscle during exercise. We
      have previously made transgenic mice overexpressing PGC-1alpha in the skeletal
      muscle (PGC-1alpha-Tg mice). PGC-1alpha upregulates the expression of genes
      associated with red fibers, mitochondrial function, fatty acid oxidation, and
      branched chain amino acid (BCAA) degradation. However, global analyses of the
      actual metabolic products have not been investigated. In this study, we conducted
      metabolomic analysis of the skeletal muscle in PGC-1alpha-Tg mice by capillary
      electrophoresis with electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
      Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis showed clearly
      distinguishable changes in the metabolites between PGC-1alpha-Tg and wild-type
      control mice. Changes were observed in metabolite levels of various metabolic
      pathways such as the TCA cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, nucleotide synthesis,
      purine nucleotide cycle, and amino acid metabolism, including BCAA and beta
      alanine. Namely, metabolic products of the TCA cycle increased in PGC-1alpha-Tg
      mice, with increased levels of citrate (2.3-fold), succinate (2.2-fold), fumarate
      (2.8-fold), and malate (2.3-fold) observed. Metabolic products associated with
      the pentose phosphate pathway and nucleotide biosynthesis also increased in PGC
      1alpha-Tg mice. Meanwhile, BCAA levels decreased (Val, 0.7-fold; Leu, 0.8-fold;
      and Ile, 0.7-fold), and Glu (3.1-fold) and Asp (2.2-fold) levels increased.
      Levels of beta-alanine and related metabolites were markedly decreased in PGC
      1alpha-Tg mice. Coordinated regulation of the TCA cycle and amino acid
      metabolism, including BCAA, suggests that PGC-1alpha plays important roles in
      energy metabolism. Moreover, our metabolomics data showing the activation of the
      purine nucleotide pathway, malate-aspartate shuttle, as well as creatine
      metabolism, which are known to be active during exercise, further suggests that
      PGC-1alpha regulates metabolism in exercise. Thus, we demonstrated the roles of
      PGC-1alpha in the skeletal muscle at the metabolite level. 

PMID- 26114428
TI  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Response and Resistance to Cold Atmospheric
      Pressure Plasma Is Linked to the Redox-Active Molecule Phenazine.
AB  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen displaying high
      antibiotic resistance. Its resistance is in part due to its outstanding ability
      to form biofilms on a range of biotic and abiotic surfaces leading to difficult
      to-treat, often long-term infections. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a new,
      promising antibacterial treatment to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Plasma
      is ionized gas that has antibacterial properties through the generation of a mix
      of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), excited molecules, charged
      particles and UV photons. Our results show the efficient removal of P. aeruginosa
      biofilms using a plasma jet (kINPen med), with no viable cells detected after 5
      min treatment and no attached biofilm cells visible with confocal microscopy
      after 10 min plasma treatment. Because of its multi-factorial action, it is
      widely presumed that the development of bacterial resistance to plasma is
      unlikely. However, our results indicate that a short plasma treatment (3 min) may
      lead to the emergence of a small number of surviving cells exhibiting enhanced
      resistance to subsequent plasma exposure. Interestingly, these cells also
      exhibited a higher degree of resistance to hydrogen peroxide. Whole genome
      comparison between surviving cells and control cells revealed 10 distinct
      polymorphic regions, including four belonging to the redox active, antibiotic
      pigment phenazine. Subsequently, the interaction between phenazine production and
      CAP resistance was demonstrated in biofilms of transposon mutants disrupted in
      different phenazine pathway genes which exhibited significantly altered
      sensitivity to CAP. 

PMID- 26114430
TI  - A Modelling Framework to Assess the Effect of Pressures on River Abiotic Habitat
      Conditions and Biota.
AB  - River biota are affected by global reach-scale pressures, but most approaches for
      predicting biota of rivers focus on river reach or segment scale processes and
      habitats. Moreover, these approaches do not consider long-term morphological
      changes that affect habitat conditions. In this study, a modelling framework was
      further developed and tested to assess the effect of pressures at different
      spatial scales on reach-scale habitat conditions and biota. Ecohydrological and
      1D hydrodynamic models were used to predict discharge and water quality at the
      catchment scale and the resulting water level at the downstream end of a study
      reach. Long-term reach morphology was modelled using empirical regime equations,
      meander migration and 2D morphodynamic models. The respective flow and substrate
      conditions in the study reach were predicted using a 2D hydrodynamic model, and
      the suitability of these habitats was assessed with novel habitat models. In
      addition, dispersal models for fish and macroinvertebrates were developed to
      assess the re-colonization potential and to finally compare habitat suitability
      and the availability/ability of species to colonize these habitats. Applicability
      was tested and model performance was assessed by comparing observed and predicted
      conditions in the lowland Treene River in northern Germany. Technically, it was
      possible to link the different models, but future applications would benefit from
      the development of open source software for all modelling steps to enable fully
      automated model runs. Future research needs concern the physical modelling of
      long-term morphodynamics, feedback of biota (e.g., macrophytes) on abiotic
      habitat conditions, species interactions, and empirical data on the hydraulic
      habitat suitability and dispersal abilities of macroinvertebrates. The modelling
      framework is flexible and allows for including additional models and
      investigating different research and management questions, e.g., in climate
      impact research as well as river restoration and management.

PMID- 26114429
TI  - Dietary Lipid Levels Influence Lipid Deposition in the Liver of Large Yellow
      Croaker (Larimichthys crocea) by Regulating Lipoprotein Receptors, Fatty Acid
      Uptake and Triacylglycerol Synthesis and Catabolism at the Transcriptional Level.
AB  - Ectopic lipid accumulation has been observed in fish fed a high-lipid diet.
      However, no information is available on the mechanism by which dietary lipid
      levels comprehensively regulate lipid transport, uptake, synthesis and catabolism
      in fish. Therefore, the present study aimed to gain further insight into how
      dietary lipids affect lipid deposition in the liver of large yellow
      croaker(Larimichthys crocea). Fish (150.00+/-4.95 g) were fed a diet with a low
      (6%), moderate (12%, the control diet) or high (18%) crude lipid content for 10
      weeks. Growth performance, plasma biochemical indexes, lipid contents and gene
      expression related to lipid deposition, including lipoprotein assembly and
      clearance, fatty acid uptake and triacylglycerol synthesis and catabolism, were
      assessed. Growth performance was not significantly affected. However, the hepato
      somatic and viscera-somatic indexes as well as plasma triacylglycerol, non
      esterified fatty acids and LDL-cholesterol levels were significantly increased in
      fish fed the high-lipid diet. In the livers of fish fed the high-lipid diet, the
      expression of genes related to lipoprotein clearance (LDLR) and fatty acid uptake
      (FABP11) was significantly up-regulated, whereas the expression of genes involved
      in lipoprotein assembly (apoB100), triacylglycerol synthesis and catabolism
      (DGAT2, CPT I) was significantly down-regulated compared with fish fed the
      control diet, and hepatic lipid deposition increased. In fish fed the low-lipid
      diet, the expression of genes associated with lipoprotein assembly and clearance
      (apoB100, LDLR, LRP-1), fatty acid uptake (CD36, FATP1, FABP3) and
      triacylglycerol synthesis (FAS) was significantly increased, whereas the
      expression of triacylglycerol catabolism related genes (ATGL, CPT I) was reduced
      compared with fish fed the control diet. However, hepatic lipid content in fish
      fed the low-lipid diet decreased mainly due to low dietary lipid intake. In
      summary, findings of this study provide molecular insight into the role of lipid
      deposition in the liver in response to different dietary lipid contents. 

PMID- 26114431
TI  - Marine invertebrate lipases: Comparative and functional genomic analysis.
AB  - Lipases are key enzymes involved in lipid digestion, storage and mobilization of
      reserves during fasting or heightened metabolic demand. This is a highly
      conserved process, essential for survival. The genomes of five marine
      invertebrate species with distinctive digestive system were screened for the six
      major lipase families. The two most common families in marine invertebrates, the
      neutral an acid lipases, are also the main families in mammals and insects. The
      number of lipases varies two-fold across analyzed genomes. A high degree of
      orthology with mammalian lipases was observed. Interestingly, 19% of the marine
      invertebrate lipases have lost motifs required for catalysis. Analysis of the lid
      and loop regions of the neutral lipases suggests that many marine invertebrates
      have a functional triacylglycerol hydrolytic activity as well as some acid
      lipases. A revision of the expression profiles and functional activity on
      sequences in databases and scientific literature provided information regarding
      the function of these families of enzymes in marine invertebrates. 

PMID- 26114432
TI  - Correction: cocor: A Comprehensive Solution for the Statistical Comparison of
      Correlations.

PMID- 26114433
TI  - Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Treated Periodontitis: A Population-Based
      Follow-Up Study from Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to identify the long-term major
      adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in treated periodontitis patients in Taiwan.
      METHODS: From the National Health Insurance Research Database (2001-2010), adult
      patients (>= 18 years) with treated periodontitis were identified. Comparison was
      made between patients with mild form and severe form of treated periodontitis
      after propensity score matching. The primary end point was the incidence of MACE.
      RESULTS: A total of 32,504 adult patients with treated periodontitis were
      identified between 2001 and 2010. After propensity score matching, 27,146
      patients were preserved for comparison, including 13,573 patients with mild form
      and 13,573 patients with severe form of treated periodontitis. During follow-up,
      728 individuals in mild treated periodontitis group and 1,206 individuals in
      severe treated periodontitis group had at least 1 MACE event. After adjustment
      for gender, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, severe treated
      periodontitis was associated with a mildly but significantly increased risk of
      MACE among older patients > 60 years of age (incidence rate ratio, 1.26; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.08-1.46). No association was found among younger patients
      <= 60 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Severe form of treated periodontitis was
      associated with an increased risk of MACE among older Taiwanese patients, but not
      among younger Taiwanese patients. We should put more efforts on the improvement
      of periodontal health to prevent further MACE.

PMID- 26114435
TI  - Correction: Indian Plant Germplasm on the Global Platter: An Analysis.

PMID- 26114434
TI  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa MifS-MifR Two-Component System Is Specific for alpha
      Ketoglutarate Utilization.
AB  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, metabolically versatile opportunistic
      pathogen that elaborates a multitude of virulence factors, and is extraordinarily
      resistant to a gamut of clinically significant antibiotics. This ability, in
      part, is mediated by two-component regulatory systems (TCS) that play a crucial
      role in modulating virulence mechanisms and metabolism. MifS (PA5512) and MifR
      (PA5511) form one such TCS implicated in biofilm formation. MifS is a sensor
      kinase whereas MifR belongs to the NtrC superfamily of transcriptional regulators
      that interact with RpoN (sigma54). In this study we demonstrate that the mifS and
      mifR genes form a two-gene operon. The close proximity of mifSR operon to poxB
      (PA5514) encoding a beta-lactamase hinted at the role of MifSR TCS in regulating
      antibiotic resistance. To better understand this TCS, clean in-frame deletions
      were made in P. aeruginosa PAO1 creating PAO?mifS, PAO?mifR and PAO?mifSR. The
      loss of mifSR had no effect on the antibiotic resistance profile. Phenotypic
      microarray (BioLOG) analyses of PAO?mifS and PAO?mifR revealed that these mutants
      were unable to utilize C5-dicarboxylate alpha-ketoglutarate (alpha-KG), a key
      tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediate. This finding was confirmed using growth
      analyses, and the defect can be rescued by mifR or mifSR expressed in trans.
      These mifSR mutants were able to utilize all the other TCA cycle intermediates
      (citrate, succinate, fumarate, oxaloacetate or malate) and sugars (glucose or
      sucrose) except alpha-KG as the sole carbon source. We confirmed that the mifSR
      mutants have functional dehydrogenase complex suggesting a possible defect in
      alpha-KG transport. The inability of the mutants to utilize alpha-KG was rescued
      by expressing PA5530, encoding C5-dicarboxylate transporter, under a regulatable
      promoter. In addition, we demonstrate that besides MifSR and PA5530, alpha-KG
      utilization requires functional RpoN. These data clearly suggests that P.
      aeruginosa MifSR TCS is involved in sensing alpha-KG and regulating its transport
      and subsequent metabolism. 

PMID- 26114436
TI  - Retention in HIV Care and Predictors of Attrition from Care among HIV-Infected
      Adults Receiving Combination Anti-Retroviral Therapy in Addis Ababa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient retention in chronic HIV care is a major challenge following
      the rapid expansion of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in Ethiopia.
      OBJECTIVE: To describe the proportion of patients who are retained in HIV care
      and characterize predictors of attrition among HIV-infected adults receiving cART
      in Addis Ababa. METHOD: A retrospective analysis was conducted among 836
      treatment naive patients, who started cART between May 2009 and April 2012.
      Patients were randomly selected from ten health-care facilities, and their
      current status in HIV care was determined based on routinely available data in
      the medical records. Patients lost to follow-up (LTFU) were traced by telephone.
      Kaplan-Meier technique was used to estimate survival probabilities of retention
      and Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to identify the predictors
      of attrition. RESULTS: Based on individual patient data from the medical records,
      nearly 80% (95%CI: 76.7, 82.1) of the patients were retained in care in the first
      3 and half years of antiretroviral therapy. After successfully tracing more than
      half of the LTFU patients, the updated one year retention in care estimate became
      86% (95% CI: 83.41%, 88.17%). In the multivariate Cox regression analyses, severe
      immune deficiency at enrolment in care/or at cART initiation and 'bed-ridden' or
      'ambulatory' functional status at the start of cART predicted attrition.
      CONCLUSION: Retention in HIV care in Addis Ababa is comparable with or even
      better than previous findings from other resource-limited as well as EU/USA
      settings. However, measures to detect and enroll patients in HIV care as early as
      possible are still necessary.

PMID- 26114437
TI  - Crystal Structure, Cytotoxicity and Interaction with DNA of Zinc (II) Complexes
      with o-Vanillin Schiff Base Ligands.
AB  - Two new zinc complexes, Zn(HL1)2 (1) and [Zn2(H2L2)(OAc)2]2 (2) [H2L1 = Schiff
      base derived from o-vanillin and (R)-(+)-2-amino-3-phenyl-1-propanol, H3L2 =
      Schiff base derived from o-vanillin and 2-amino-2-ethyl-1,3-propanediol], have
      been synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental
      analyses, TG analyses, solid fluorescence, IR, UV-Vis and circular dichroism
      spectra. The structural analysis shows that complex 1 has a right-handed double
      helical chain along the crystallographic b axis. A homochiral 3D supramolecular
      architecture has been further constructed by intermolecular C-H... pi, O-H...O
      and C-H...O interactions. Complex 2 includes two crystallographically independent
      binuclear zinc molecules. The two binuclear zinc molecules are isostructural. The
      2-D sheet supramolecular structure was formed by intermolecular hydrogen bonding
      interaction. The fluorescence of ligands and complexes in DMF at room temperature
      are studied. The interactions of two complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) are
      investigated using UV-Vis, CD and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results show
      that complex 1 exhibits higher interaction with CT-DNA than complex 2. In
      addition, in vitro cytotoxicity of the complexes towards four kinds of cancerous
      cell lines (A549, HeLa, HL-60 and K562) were assayed by the MTT method.
      Investigations on the structures indicated that the chirality and nuclearity of
      zinc complexes play an important role on cytotoxic activity. 

PMID- 26114438
TI  - Practical guidance and considerations for transitioning patients from
      oxcarbazepine or carbamazepine to eslicarbazepine acetate--Expert opinion.
AB  - There is currently a lack of guidance on methodology and special considerations
      for transitioning patients from oxcarbazepine (OXC) or carbamazepine (CBZ) to
      eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL), if deemed clinically necessary. An advisory panel
      of epilepsy experts was convened to share their experience on the use of
      adjunctive ESL in clinical practice and to provide practical recommendations to
      help address this gap. When changing over from OXC to ESL, an OXC:ESL dose ratio
      of 1:1 should be employed to calculate the ESL target dose, and the changeover
      can take place overnight. No changes to comedication are required. Since CBZ has
      a different mechanism of action to ESL and is a stronger inducer of cytochrome
      P450 (CYP) enzymes, the transitioning of patients from CBZ to ESL requires
      careful consideration on a patient-by-patient basis. In general, a CBZ:ESL dose
      ratio of 1:1.3 should be employed to calculate the ESL target dose, and patients
      should be transitioned over a minimum period of 1-2weeks. Special considerations
      include adjustment of titration schedule and target dose in elderly patients and
      those with hepatic or renal impairment and potential adjustment of comedications
      metabolized by CYP enzymes. In summary, due to structural distinctions between
      ESL, OXC, and CBZ, which affect mechanism of action and tolerability, there are
      clinical situations in which it may be appropriate to consider transitioning
      patients from OXC or CBZ to ESL. Changing patients over from OXC to ESL is
      generally more straightforward than transitioning patients from CBZ to ESL, which
      requires careful consideration. 

PMID- 26114440
TI  - Therapeutic effect of methotrexate encapsulated in cationic liposomes (EndoMTX)
      in comparison to free methotrexate in an antigen-induced arthritis study in vivo.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cationic lipid complexes bind to angiogenic endothelial cells of
      solid tumours and microvessels of chronic inflammatory tissue. Methotrexate (MTX)
      is one of the drugs used in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA); it is
      applied systemically but can have serious side-effects. The aim of this study was
      to investigate the impact of MTX encapsulated in cationic liposomes (EndoMTX) in
      comparison to treatment with free MTX. METHOD: We used an antigen-induced
      arthritis (AiA) model and investigated the leucocyte- and platelet-endothelial
      cell interaction in arthritic female C57/Bl6 mice and in healthy controls. The
      arthritic animals were divided into four different groups receiving either
      trehalose, free MTX, EndoMTX placebo, or EndoMTX. These parameters and functional
      capillary density (FCD) were measured and assessed by intravital microscopy
      (IVM). We controlled clinical parameters such as the knee joint diameter (KJD)
      throughout the observation period. RESULTS: Animals treated with EndoMTX showed a
      significant and superior reduction in leucocyte- and platelet-endothelial cell
      interaction, FCD, and KJD. Free MTX or empty liposomes also showed a reduction in
      these parameters but not to a significant level. FCD decreased in the EndoMTX
      group in comparison to using free drugs or empty carrier-like liposomes.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the advantage of using MTX encapsulated in
      cationic liposomes in contrast to free and generic MTX, with a higher efficacy in
      anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic abilities. Targeting with cationic
      liposomes may be a promising treatment option and should be elucidated in further
      experiments regarding dose reduction and side-effects due to MTX usage.

PMID- 26114439
TI  - Phenotype of normal spirometry in an aging population.
AB  - RATIONALE: In aging populations, the commonly used Global Initiative for Chronic
      Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) may misclassify normal spirometry as respiratory
      impairment (airflow obstruction and restrictive pattern), including the
      presumption of respiratory disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
      [COPD]). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the phenotype of normal spirometry as defined by
      a new approach from the Global Lung Initiative (GLI), overall and across GOLD
      spirometric categories. METHODS: Using data from COPDGene (n = 10,131; ages 45
      81; smoking history, >=10 pack-years), we evaluated spirometry and multiple
      phenotypes, including dyspnea severity (Modified Medical Research Council grade 0
      4), health-related quality of life (St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire total
      score), 6-minute-walk distance, bronchodilator reversibility (FEV1 % change),
      computed tomography-measured percentage of lung with emphysema (% emphysema) and
      gas trapping (% gas trapping), and small airway dimensions (square root of the
      wall area for a standardized airway with an internal perimeter of 10 mm).
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 5,100 participants with GLI-defined normal
      spirometry, GOLD identified respiratory impairment in 1,146 (22.5%), including a
      restrictive pattern in 464 (9.1%), mild COPD in 380 (7.5%), moderate COPD in 302
      (5.9%), and severe COPD in none. Overall, the phenotype of GLI-defined normal
      spirometry included normal adjusted mean values for dyspnea grade (0.8), St.
      George's Respiratory Questionnaire (15.9), 6-minute-walk distance (1,424 ft [434
      m]), bronchodilator reversibility (2.7%), % emphysema (0.9%), % gas trapping
      (10.7%), and square root of the wall area for a standardized airway with an
      internal perimeter of 10 mm (3.65 mm); corresponding 95% confidence intervals
      were similarly normal. These phenotypes remained normal for GLI-defined normal
      spirometry across GOLD spirometric categories. CONCLUSIONS: GLI-defined normal
      spirometry, even when classified as respiratory impairment by GOLD, included
      adjusted mean values in the normal range for multiple phenotypes. These results
      suggest that among adults with GLI-defined normal spirometry, GOLD may
      misclassify normal phenotypes as having respiratory impairment.

PMID- 26114441
TI  - Nonlinear processes reinforce extreme Indian Ocean Dipole events.
AB  - Under global warming, climate models show an almost three-fold increase in
      extreme positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD) events by 2100. These extreme pIODs
      are characterised by a westward extension of cold sea surface temperature
      anomalies (SSTAs) which push the downstream atmospheric convergence further west.
      This induces severe drought and flooding in the surrounding countries, but the
      processes involved in this projected increase have not been fully examined. Here
      we conduct a detailed heat budget analysis of 19 models from phase 5 of the
      Coupled Model Intercomparison Project and show that nonlinear zonal and vertical
      heat advection are important for reinforcing extreme pIODs. Under greenhouse
      warming, these nonlinear processes do not change significantly in amplitude, but
      the frequency of occurrences surpassing a threshold increases. This is due to the
      projected weakening of the Walker circulation, which leads to the western
      tropical Indian Ocean warming faster than the east. As such, the magnitude of
      SSTAs required to shift convection westward is relatively smaller, allowing these
      convection shifts to occur more frequently in the future. The associated changes
      in wind and ocean current anomalies support the zonal and vertical advection
      terms in a positive feedback process and consequently, moderate pIODs become more
      extreme-like. 

PMID- 26114442
TI  - Peak oxygen uptake, ventilatory efficiency and QRS-duration predict event free
      survival in patients late after surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) have an increased
      long-term risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Risk stratification in
      this population is difficult. Initial evidence suggests that cardiopulmonary
      exercise testing (CPET) may be helpful to risk-stratify patients with repaired
      ToF. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 875 patients after surgical repair for ToF
      (358 females, age 25.5 +/- 11.7 year, range 7-75 years) who underwent CPET
      between 1999 and 2009. During a mean follow-up of 4.1 +/- 2.6 years after CPET,
      30 patients (3.4%) died or had sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT). 225
      patients (25.7%) had other cardiac related events (emergency admission, surgery,
      or catheter interventions). On multivariable Cox regression-analysis, %predicted
      peak oxygen uptake (VO2 %) (p=0.001), resting QRS duration (p=0.030) and age
      (p<0.001) emerged as independent predictors of mortality or sustained VT.
      Patients with a peak VO2 <= 65% of predicted and a resting QRS duration >= 170 ms
      had a 11.4-fold risk of death or sustained VT. Ventilatory efficiency expressed
      as VE/VCO2 slope (p<0.001), peak VO2 % (p=.001), QRS duration (p=.001) and age
      (p=0.046) independently predicted event free survival. VE/VCO2 slope >= 31.0,
      peak VO2 % <= 65% and QRS duration >= 170 ms were the cut-off points with best
      sensitivity and specificity to detect an unfavorable outcome. CONCLUSIONS: CPET
      is an important predictive tool that may assist in the risk stratification of
      patients with ToF. Subjects with a poor exercise capacity in addition to a
      prolonged QRS duration have a substantially increased risk for death or sustained
      ventricular tachycardia, as well as for cardiac-related hospitalizations.

PMID- 26114443
TI  - Impaired two-dimensional global longitudinal strain of left ventricle predicts
      adverse long-term clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

PMID- 26114444
TI  - Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and myopericarditis: Unraveling the inflammatory
      hypothesis.

PMID- 26114445
TI  - Characterization of the Burkholderia mallei tonB Mutant and Its Potential as a
      Backbone Strain for Vaccine Development.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this study, a Burkholderia mallei tonB mutant (TMM001) deficient
      in iron acquisition was constructed, characterized, and evaluated for its
      protective properties in acute inhalational infection models of murine glanders
      and melioidosis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Compared to the wild-type,
      TMM001 exhibits slower growth kinetics, siderophore hyper-secretion and the
      inability to utilize heme-containing proteins as iron sources. A series of animal
      challenge studies showed an inverse correlation between the percentage of
      survival in BALB/c mice and iron-dependent TMM001 growth. Upon evaluation of
      TMM001 as a potential protective strain against infection, we found 100% survival
      following B. mallei CSM001 challenge of mice previously receiving 1.5 x 10(4) CFU
      of TMM001. At 21 days post-immunization, TMM001-treated animals showed
      significantly higher levels of B. mallei-specific IgG1, IgG2a and IgM when
      compared to PBS-treated controls. At 48 h post-challenge, PBS-treated controls
      exhibited higher levels of serum inflammatory cytokines and more severe
      pathological damage to target organs compared to animals receiving TMM001. In a
      cross-protection study of acute inhalational melioidosis with B. pseudomallei,
      TMM001-treated mice were significantly protected. While wild type was cleared in
      all B. mallei challenge studies, mice failed to clear TMM001.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Although further work is needed to prevent chronic
      infection by TMM001 while maintaining immunogenicity, our attenuated strain
      demonstrates great potential as a backbone strain for future vaccine development
      against both glanders and melioidosis.

PMID- 26114446
TI  - Synthesis of New Styrylquinoline Cellular Dyes, Fluorescent Properties, Cellular
      Localization and Cytotoxic Behavior.
AB  - New styrylquinoline derivatives with their photophysical constants are described.
      The synthesis was achieved via Sonogashira coupling using the newly developed
      heterogeneous nano-Pd/Cu catalyst system, which provides an efficient synthesis
      of high purity products. The compounds were tested in preliminary fluorescent
      microscopy studies to in order to identify their preferable cellular
      localization, which appeared to be in the lipid cellular organelles. The
      spectroscopic properties of the compounds were measured and theoretical TD-DFT
      calculations were performed. A biological analysis of the quinolines that were
      tested consisted of cytotoxicity assays against normal human fibroblasts and
      colon adenocarcinoma cells. All of the compounds that were studied appeared to be
      safe and indifferent to cells in a high concentration range. The presented
      results suggest that the quinoline compounds that were investigated in this study
      may be valuable structures for development as fluorescent dyes that could have
      biological applications. 

PMID- 26114447
TI  - Caffeine ameliorates high energy diet-induced hepatic steatosis: sirtuin 3 acts
      as a bridge in the lipid metabolism pathway.
AB  - The beneficial effect of caffeine-containing food on non-alcoholic fatty liver
      disease (NAFLD) has been widely reported. The aim of this study was to explore
      the effect of caffeine on hepatic steatosis. C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned
      to a normal diet or a high energy diet (HED). Caffeine was given to HED mice by
      oral gavage. Body weights, lipids in the liver and liver damage were measured.
      Meanwhile, cAMP, SIRT3 or AMPK inhibitors were treated respectively before
      incubation with caffeine in oleate-treated HepG2 cells. SIRT3 was further
      silenced by siRNA to confirm the results. Caffeine significantly decreased the
      mass of fat tissues, lipids, ALT and AST levels in the liver of HED-treated mice.
      Caffeine increased the transformation of ADP to ATP and activated the
      cAMP/CREB/SIRT3/AMPK/ACC pathway in the liver. Nile red staining demonstrated
      that suppression of cAMP, SIRT3 or AMPK in oleate-treated HepG2 cells
      counteracted the effect of caffeine. Moreover, knocking down SIRT3 could down
      regulate AMPK and ACC phosphorylation by caffeine. These results demonstrate that
      caffeine could improve HED-induced hepatic steatosis by promoting lipid
      metabolism via the cAMP/CREB/SIRT3/AMPK/ACC pathway. SIRT3 functioned as a
      molecular bridge connecting caffeine and lipid metabolism. 

PMID- 26114449
TI  - The role of sexual abuse on functional neuroimaging markers associated with major
      depressive disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Victims of child sexual abuse can develop depression and other mental
      health conditions that follow them well into adulthood. This study aimed to
      clarify the role of sexual abuse (SA) on functional imaging markers associated
      with MDD. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients with MDD only; and 13 patients with both
      MDD and SA and 43 healthy controls performed emotional attention shifting tasks
      during fMRI session. Clinical diagnoses were made by consultant psychiatrists
      based on the DSM-IV-TR criteria and diagnoses were confirmed using SCID-I.
      Magnetic resonance images were obtained with a Philips Achieva 3 Tesla MRI
      scanner. Short form childhood trauma questionnaire, Hamilton Rating Scale for
      Depression and Beck's Depression Inventory were also employed. Data were analysed
      with Statistical Parametric Mapping 8 (SPM8). RESULTS: Using the contrast
      judgment of emotion minus judgment of geometry following emotional neutral
      stimuli, patients with MDD showed significantly reduced activation in comparison
      to healthy controls in the area of the right fusiform gyrus. With the contrast
      judgment of emotion minus judgment of geometry following emotional negative
      stimuli, participants with MDD and SA showed significantly higher activation in
      the area of the left inferior parietal lobe in comparison to participants with
      MDD without SA. CONCLUSIONS: The history of sexual abuse affects functional
      neuroimaging markers associated with major depressive disorder.

PMID- 26114448
TI  - Ensemble Methods for MiRNA Target Prediction from Expression Data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: microRNAs (miRNAs) are short regulatory RNAs that are involved in
      several diseases, including cancers. Identifying miRNA functions is very
      important in understanding disease mechanisms and determining the efficacy of
      drugs. An increasing number of computational methods have been developed to
      explore miRNA functions by inferring the miRNA-mRNA regulatory relationships from
      data. Each of the methods is developed based on some assumptions and constraints,
      for instance, assuming linear relationships between variables. For such reasons,
      computational methods are often subject to the problem of inconsistent
      performance across different datasets. On the other hand, ensemble methods
      integrate the results from individual methods and have been proved to outperform
      each of their individual component methods in theory. RESULTS: In this paper, we
      investigate the performance of some ensemble methods over the commonly used miRNA
      target prediction methods. We apply eight different popular miRNA target
      prediction methods to three cancer datasets, and compare their performance with
      the ensemble methods which integrate the results from each combination of the
      individual methods. The validation results using experimentally confirmed
      databases show that the results of the ensemble methods complement those obtained
      by the individual methods and the ensemble methods perform better than the
      individual methods across different datasets. The ensemble method,
      Pearson+IDA+Lasso, which combines methods in different approaches, including a
      correlation method, a causal inference method, and a regression method, is the
      best performed ensemble method in this study. Further analysis of the results of
      this ensemble method shows that the ensemble method can obtain more targets which
      could not be found by any of the single methods, and the discovered targets are
      more statistically significant and functionally enriched. The source codes,
      datasets, miRNA target predictions by all methods, and the ground truth for
      validation are available in the Supplementary materials.

PMID- 26114450
TI  - Disseminated skin involvement in HIV-associated Burkitt lymphoma: a rare clinical
      feature with poor prognosis.

PMID- 26114451
TI  - Method for quantification of oils and sebum levels on skin using the
      Sebumeter((r)).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Sebumeter((r)) is widely used in both cosmetic and medical
      research, for measuring changes in sebum levels on skin. It is commonly reported
      that the units correlated to a mass of sebum on the skin in MUg cm(-2) ; however,
      validation for this has not been published. Also, its use for assessing the
      presence of other oily materials which are widely utilized in topical skincare
      products on skin has not been widely discussed. Determining a calibration scale
      and whether the response of the device is linear with the level of oils present
      enables quantification of the output of the device, and would validate the device
      for claims substantiation. METHODS: Different doses of a variety of oily
      materials (paraffin oil, white soft paraffin, capric-caprylic triglyceride,
      350cSt silicone fluid and synthetic sebum) were applied to skin, and the
      Sebumeter((r)) used to collect and quantify them. The mass per square centimetre
      of the oily material delivered to the skin was then compared to the
      Sebumeter((r)) output to develop calibration curves for the different materials.
      Measurements were carried out on a single volunteer as this work was to verify
      the concept of quantitative oil assessment using the device. RESULTS: A linear
      correlation between the mass of the oily material and the Sebumeter((r)) output
      was seen for all the materials tested. However, the absolute response of the
      device was different for each material, and the output values did not directly
      give the mass of material on the skin in MUg cm(-2) . As part of the calibration,
      it was also demonstrated that to remove all the oily material from a given area
      of the skin required multiple 30-s applications of the Sebumeter((r)) cartridge.
      CONCLUSIONS: The Sebumeter((r)) is a precise analytical instrument capable of
      quantitative measurement of deposition of oily materials onto skin from topical
      products (down to the MUg cm(-2) level), as well as its traditional use of
      measuring sebum levels. However, the output values do not directly correlate with
      the mass of oil present, and generation of a calibration curve is necessary for
      any ingredient of interest to produce quantitative data for claim support and
      formulation development.

PMID- 26114452
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26114454
TI  - Healthy Habits for Children: Leveraging Existing Evidence to Demonstrate Value.
AB  - Healthy habits is a psychoeducational construct that refers to the preventive
      practice of analyzing and then adapting the sleep, physical, and eating routines
      of children in ways that enhance health and well-being. This approach is based on
      evidence that demonstrates the positive therapeutic value of engaging in
      proactive, healthful behaviors. In addressing healthy habits, occupational
      therapy practitioners have an opportunity to contribute to the Triple Aim of
      health care reform while demonstrating the value of occupational therapy in
      educational, medical, community, and other settings. 

PMID- 26114456
TI  - Self-Administered, Home-Based SMART (Sensorimotor Active Rehabilitation Training)
      Arm Training: A Single-Case Report.
AB  - This single-case, mixed-method study explored the feasibility of self
      administered, home-based SMART (sensorimotor active rehabilitation training) Arm
      training for a 57-yr-old man with severe upper-limb disability after a right
      frontoparietal hemorrhagic stroke 9 mo earlier. Over 4 wk of self-administered,
      home-based SMART Arm training, the participant completed 2,100 repetitions
      unassisted. His wife provided support for equipment set-up and training
      progressions. Clinically meaningful improvements in arm impairment (strength),
      activity (arm and hand tasks), and participation (use of arm in everyday tasks)
      occurred after training (at 4 wk) and at follow-up (at 16 wk). Areas for
      refinement of SMART Arm training derived from thematic analysis of the
      participant's and researchers' journals focused on enabling independence,
      ensuring home and user friendliness, maintaining the motivation to persevere,
      progressing toward everyday tasks, and integrating practice into daily routine.
      These findings suggest that further investigation of self-administered, home
      based SMART Arm training is warranted for people with stroke who have severe
      upper-limb disability. 

PMID- 26114455
TI  - Forced Aerobic Exercise Enhances Motor Recovery After Stroke: A Case Report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previously, we demonstrated that forced aerobic exercise (FE)
      increases the pattern of neural activation in Parkinson's disease. We sought to
      evaluate whether FE, when coupled with repetitive task practice, could promote
      motor recovery poststroke. METHOD: A 46-yr-old man with ischemic stroke exhibited
      chronic residual upper-extremity deficits, scoring 35/66 on the Fugl-Meyer
      Assessment (FMA) at baseline. He completed 24 training sessions comprising 45 min
      of FE on a motorized stationary bicycle followed by 45 min of upper-extremity
      repetitive task practice. RESULTS: From baseline to end of treatment, the FMA
      score improved by 20 points, perceived level of recovery on the Stroke Impact
      Scale increased by 20 percentage points, and cardiovascular function measured by
      peak oxygen uptake improved 30%. These improvements persisted 4 wk after the
      intervention ceased. CONCLUSION: FE may be a safe and feasible rehabilitation
      approach to augment recovery of motor and nonmotor function while improving
      aerobic fitness in people with chronic stroke.

PMID- 26114458
TI  - Correlational Research to Examine the Relation Between Attachment and Sensory
      Modulation in Young Children.
AB  - This study investigated whether a relation exists between attachment and sensory
      modulation in young children. Participants were 68 children ages 3-6 yr recruited
      through the local community. Caregivers were asked to complete a standardized
      behavioral inventory of sensory modulation patterns, and parent-child
      interactions were observed in their home. The evaluator categorized these
      interactions on the basis of items related to attachment security and dependency.
      Results revealed modest correlations between attachment and sensory modulation:
      rs(66)=.28, p=.02. The capacity to predict sensory modulation function by
      attachment characteristics and the capacity to predict attachment characteristics
      by sensory modulation function was significant but small (p<.05). These findings
      supporting a relation between attachment and sensory modulation should be
      considered when assessing and planning treatment of children with problems in one
      or both of these areas.

PMID- 26114457
TI  - Assessment of Autism Symptoms During the Neonatal Period: Is There Early Evidence
      of Autism Risk?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To define neonatal social characteristics related to autism risk.
      METHOD: Sixty-two preterm infants underwent neonatal neurobehavioral testing. At
      age 2 yr, participants were assessed with the Modified Checklist for Autism in
      Toddlers and Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition.
      RESULTS: Positive autism screening was associated with absence of gaze aversion,
      chi=5.90, p=01, odds ratio=5.05, and absence of endpoint nystagmus, chi=4.78,
      p=.02, odds ratio=8.47. Demonstrating gaze aversion was related to better
      language outcomes, t(55)=-3.07, p<=.003. Displaying endpoint nystagmus was
      related to better language outcomes, t(61)=-3.06, p=.003, cognitive outcomes,
      t(63)=-5.04, p<.001, and motor outcomes, t(62)=-2.82, p=.006. CONCLUSION:
      Atypical social interactions were not observed among infants who later screened
      positive for autism. Instead, the presence of gaze aversion and endpoint
      nystagmus was related to better developmental outcomes. Understanding early
      behaviors associated with autism may enable early identification and lead to
      timely therapy activation to improve function.

PMID- 26114459
TI  - Hand Strength, Handwriting, and Functional Skills in Children With Autism.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish hand strength development trends in children with autism
      and to investigate correlations between grip and pinch strength, components of
      handwriting, and functional activities in children with and without autism.
      METHOD: Fifty-one children were divided into two groups: typically developing
      children and children on the autism spectrum. Each child completed testing for
      pinch and grip strength, handwriting legibility, pencil control, and independence
      in functional activities. RESULTS: The children with autism followed the same
      strength development trends as the typically developing children. Grip strength
      correlated with pencil control in both groups and with handwriting legibility in
      the typically developing children but not in the children with autism. Grip and
      pinch strength correlated with independence with functional activities in both
      groups. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that grip and pinch strength are
      important components in developing pencil control, handwriting legibility, and
      independence with functional fine motor tasks.

PMID- 26114460
TI  - Sensory Processing and Sleep in Typically Developing Infants and Toddlers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between sensory processing patterns and
      sleep problems in typically developing infants and toddlers. METHOD: A
      retrospective chart review of 177 infants and toddlers from a community
      occupational therapy sleep clinic included descriptive and correlational analyses
      of data from the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile and Brief Infant Sleep
      Questionnaire. RESULTS: More than half of participants (55%) demonstrated a
      pattern of increased sensory processing in one or more quadrants, with
      sensitivity being most common (36%). We found small but significant correlations
      between increased seeking and shorter daytime sleep duration (r=-.24, p=.002) and
      between increased sensitivity and longer time to settle to sleep (r=.27, p<.001).
      CONCLUSION: This study adds to recent literature linking sensory processing
      patterns to sleep problems and is the first to demonstrate this relationship in
      young, typically developing children. Results support the role of occupational
      therapy in addressing sleep difficulties in children.

PMID- 26114461
TI  - Sensory Sensitivity and Strategies for Coping With Pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to investigate the relationship between sensory
      processing styles and use of pain coping strategies in an experimental setting to
      understand individual differences in pain coping. METHOD: A cross-sectional
      design was used with a convenience sample of 116 healthy adults. Measures of
      sensory processing style and mood state were collected before participation in a
      cold pressor pain-inducement task, and measures of coping strategies were
      collected afterward. Multiple regression models were constructed to examine
      relationships between sensory processing and coping strategies. RESULTS: Sensory
      sensitivity and sensation avoiding were significantly associated with higher
      levels of catastrophizing. Sensation seeking was linked with active coping
      strategies, such as coping self-statements. Low registration was not
      significantly associated with any particular coping strategy after controlling
      for salient variables. CONCLUSION: This study highlights associations between
      sensory processing and pain coping strategies, which may inform more tailored
      approaches to clinical practice for people in pain.

PMID- 26114462
TI  - Hurricane Sandy, Disaster Preparedness, and the Recovery Model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hurricane Sandy was the second largest and costliest hurricane in U.S.
      history to affect multiple states and communities. This article describes the
      lived experiences of 24 occupational therapy students who lived through Hurricane
      Sandy using the Recovery Model to frame the research. METHOD: Occupational
      therapy student narratives were collected and analyzed using qualitative methods
      and framed by the Recovery Model. Directed content and thematic analysis was
      performed using the 10 components of the Recovery Model. RESULTS: The 10
      components of the Recovery Model were experienced by or had an impact on the
      occupational therapy students as they coped and recovered in the aftermath of the
      natural disaster. CONCLUSION: This study provides insight into the lived
      experiences and recovery perspectives of occupational therapy students who
      experienced Hurricane Sandy. Further research is indicated in applying the
      Recovery Model to people who survive disasters.

PMID- 26114463
TI  - Habits of the Sensory System and Mental Health: Understanding Sensory Dissonance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In occupational therapy, research has studied sensory function
      predominantly in relation to sensory disorders. There is a gap in the literature
      exploring how sensory experiences affect mental health. This study sought to
      provide a phenomenological understanding of how people relate experiences of
      sensory dissonance to their mental health. METHOD: Ten immigrants from Latin
      America participated in semistructured interviews and video observations of their
      occupational behavior. RESULTS: Participants' experiences of sensory dissonance
      provoked negative mental states and distress. Participants reported poor mental
      health following sensory experiences that were incongruent with their habits of
      sensing. They also intentionally used sensory anchors to induce positive mental
      states and connect with past occupational experiences. CONCLUSION: Occupational
      therapy practitioners should be mindful of how sensory environments can
      facilitate or impede intervention. Practitioners are encouraged to harness
      clients' sensory habits and use sensory anchors as a form of sensory scaffolding
      to facilitate therapeutic gains.

PMID- 26114464
TI  - Living Legends: Effectiveness of a Program to Enhance Sense of Purpose and
      Meaning in Life Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We investigated the therapeutic benefits (i.e., sense of purpose and
      meaning in life) of the Living Legends program, which includes life review
      writing and an intergenerational exchange, compared with life review writing
      alone, for community-dwelling older adults. METHOD: This study was a randomized
      controlled trial with a connected qualitative component. We analyzed quantitative
      data using independent-samples t tests and written descriptions of program
      experiences using Collaizi's qualitative methodology; we then used a
      triangulation protocol to integrate the qualitative and quantitative data.
      RESULTS: For participants in the writing workshop plus intergenerational
      exchange, sense of purpose and meaning in life increased significantly (p<.0001)
      compared with those in the writing workshop alone. Qualitative themes revealed
      additional program benefits. CONCLUSION: Living Legends enhanced participants'
      sense of purpose and meaning in life, a factor known to prevent cognitive loss
      and disability, compared with life review writing alone.

PMID- 26114465
TI  - Factors Affecting Readiness for Low Vision Interventions in Older Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify factors that facilitate and inhibit readiness
      for low vision interventions in people with vision loss, conceptualized as
      readiness for change in the way they perform daily activities. METHOD: We
      conducted 10 semistructured interviews with older adults with low vision and
      analyzed the results using grounded theory concepts. RESULTS: Themes involving
      factors that facilitated change included desire to maintain or regain
      independence, positive attitude, and presence of formal social support. Themes
      related to barriers to change included limited knowledge of options and activity
      not a priority. Themes that acted as both barriers and facilitators were informal
      social support and community resources. CONCLUSION: This study provides insight
      into readiness to make changes in behavior and environment in older adults with
      vision loss. Study findings can help occupational therapy practitioners practice
      client-centered care more effectively and promote safe and satisfying daily
      living activity performance in this population.

PMID- 26114466
TI  - P-Drive: Implementing an Assessment of On-Road Driving in Clinical Settings and
      Investigating Its Internal and Predictive Validity.
AB  - We investigated (1) the psychometric properties of data gathered with the
      Performance Analysis of Driving Ability (P-Drive), an on-road assessment; (2) P
      Drive's predictive validity in relation to a summed decision of passing or
      failing a medical driving evaluation; and (3) the success of implementing P
      Drive. Drivers (N=99) with neurological impairment referred for a driving
      evaluation were observed on road and scored using P-Drive. Results showed
      evidence of person response validity and internal validity. P-Drive separated the
      drivers into four different strata (reliability coefficient=.92). A cutoff raw
      score of 81 was optimal, with sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 92%. Although
      only 9 occupational therapists (of 19 initially trained) contributed data for
      analysis, 17 reported using the assessment. Data gathered with P-Drive yielded
      evidence of excellent psychometric properties. Moreover, P-Drive was implemented
      successfully in clinical settings, although initial training to full
      implementation took longer than 1 yr.

PMID- 26114467
TI  - Upper-Limb Rehabilitation With Adaptive Video Games for Preschool Children With
      Developmental Disabilities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study used a novel device to make video games accessible to
      children with developmental disabilities (DD) by modifying the training software
      and interfaces to enhance motor training. METHOD: In the pretest-posttest design,
      20 children (13 boys, 7 girls; mean age=5.2 yr) with DD received adaptive upper
      limb motor rehabilitation consisting of fifteen 30-min individual sessions 3
      times per week for 5 wk. RESULTS: Improvement in Beery-Buktenica Developmental
      Test of Visual Motor Integration and Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, Second
      Edition, scores for children with DD indicated significant differences between
      pretest and posttest. CONCLUSION: The rehabilitation device modified for the
      needs of children with DD is effective in improving visual-motor performance of
      children with DD.

PMID- 26114468
TI  - Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI): An Effective Outcome
      Measure for Handwriting Interventions for Kindergarten, First-Grade, and Second
      Grade Students?
AB  - We determined whether a widely used assessment of visual-motor skills, the Beery
      Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI), is appropriate
      for use as an outcome measure for handwriting interventions. A two-group pretest
      posttest design was used with 207 kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade
      students. Two well-established handwriting measures and the VMI were administered
      pre- and postintervention. The intervention group participated in the Size
      Matters Handwriting Program for 40 sessions, and the control group received
      standard instruction. Paired and independent-samples t tests were used to analyze
      group differences. The intervention group demonstrated significant improvements
      on the handwriting measures, with change scores having mostly large effect sizes.
      We found no significant difference in change scores on the VMI, t(202)=1.19,
      p=.23. Results of this study suggest that the VMI may not detect changes in
      handwriting related to occupational therapy intervention.

PMID- 26114469
TI  - Exploring Occupational Therapists' Perceptions of the Usefulness of
      Musculoskeletal Sonography in Upper-Extremity Rehabilitation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the potential utility of musculoskeletal sonographic
      imaging in upper-extremity rehabilitation. METHOD: Two occupational therapists in
      an outpatient hand rehabilitation clinic were recruited by convenience, were
      trained in the use of sonography, and implemented sonographic imaging in their
      clinical practice. Qualitative data were obtained during and after the
      implementation period by means of questionnaires and interviews. Data collection,
      analysis, and interpretation were completed in an iterative process that
      culminated in a thematic analysis of the therapists' perceptions. RESULTS: The
      data indicate four potential areas of utility for musculoskeletal sonography in
      upper-extremity rehabilitation: (1) mastering anatomy and pathology, (2)
      augmenting clinical reasoning, (3) supplementing intervention, and (4) building
      evidence. CONCLUSION: Numerous potential uses were identified that would benefit
      both therapist and client. Further exploration of complexities and efficacy for
      increasing patient outcomes is recommended to determine best practices for the
      use of musculoskeletal sonography in upper-extremity rehabilitation.

PMID- 26114470
TI  - Research Opportunities in the Area of Adults With Neurodegenerative Diseases.
AB  - The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Evidence-Based Practice
      Project has developed a table summarizing the research opportunities on adults
      with neurodegenerative diseases. The table provides an overview of the current
      available evidence on interventions within the scope of occupational therapy
      practice and is based on the systematic reviews from the AOTA Evidence-Based
      Practice Guidelines Series. Researchers, students, and clinicians can use this
      information in developing innovative research to answer important questions
      within the occupational therapy field. 

PMID- 26114472
TI  - Direct conversion of mouse fibroblasts to GABAergic neurons with combined medium
      without the introduction of transcription factors or miRNAs.
AB  - Degeneration or loss of GABAergic neurons frequently may lead to many
      neuropsychiatric disorders such as epilepsy and autism spectrum disorders. So far
      no clinically effective therapies can slow and halt the progression of these
      diseases. Cell-replacement therapy is a promising strategy for treatment of these
      neuropsychiatric diseases. Although increasing evidence showed that mammalian
      somatic cells can be directly converted into functional neurons using specific
      transcription factors or miRNAs via virus delivery, the application of these
      induced neurons is potentially problematic, due to integration of vectors into
      the host genome, which results in the disruption or dysfunction of nearby genes.
      Here, we show that mouse fibroblasts could be efficiently reprogrammed into
      GABAergic neurons in a combined medium composed of conditioned medium from
      neurotrophin-3 modified Olfactory Ensheathing Cells (NT3-OECs) plus SB431542,
      GDNF and RA. Following 3 weeks of induction, these cells derived from fibroblasts
      acquired the morphological and phenotypical GABAerigic neuronal properties, as
      demonstrated by the expression of neuronal markers including Tuj1, NeuN,
      Neurofilament-L, GABA, GABA receptors and GABA transporter 1. More importantly,
      these converted cells acquired neuronal functional properties such as synapse
      formation and increasing intracellular free calcium influx when treated with
      BayK, a specific activator of L-type calcium channel. Therefore, our findings
      demonstrate for the first time that fibroblasts can be directly converted into
      GABAergic neurons without ectopic expression of specific transcription factors or
      miRNA. This study may provide a promising cell source for the application of cell
      replacement therapy in neuropsychiatric disorders.

PMID- 26114473
TI  - RNase P Ribozymes Inhibit the Replication of Human Cytomegalovirus by Targeting
      Essential Viral Capsid Proteins.
AB  - An engineered RNase P-based ribozyme variant, which was generated using the in
      vitro selection procedure, was used to target the overlapping mRNA region of two
      proteins essential for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication: capsid assembly
      protein (AP) and protease (PR). In vitro studies showed that the generated
      variant, V718-A, cleaved the target AP mRNA sequence efficiently and its activity
      was about 60-fold higher than that of wild type ribozyme M1-A. Furthermore, we
      observed a reduction of 98%-99% in AP/PR expression and an inhibition of 50,000
      fold in viral growth in cells with V718-A, while a 75% reduction in AP/PR
      expression and a 500-fold inhibition in viral growth was found in cells with M1
      A. Examination of the antiviral effects of the generated ribozyme on the HCMV
      replication cycle suggested that viral DNA encapsidation was inhibited and as a
      consequence, viral capsid assembly was blocked when the expression of AP and PR
      was inhibited by the ribozyme. Thus, our study indicates that the generated
      ribozyme variant is highly effective in inhibiting HCMV gene expression and
      blocking viral replication, and suggests that engineered RNase P ribozyme can be
      potentially developed as a promising gene-targeting agent for anti-HCMV therapy. 

PMID- 26114474
TI  - Genome, Proteome and Structure of a T7-Like Bacteriophage of the Kiwifruit Canker
      Phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae.
AB  - Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae is an economically significant pathogen
      responsible for severe bacterial canker of kiwifruit (Actinidia sp.).
      Bacteriophages infecting this phytopathogen have potential as biocontrol agents
      as part of an integrated approach to the management of bacterial canker, and for
      use as molecular tools to study this bacterium. A variety of bacteriophages were
      previously isolated that infect P. syringae pv. actinidiae, and their basic
      properties were characterized to provide a framework for formulation of these
      phages as biocontrol agents. Here, we have examined in more detail phiPsa17, a
      phage with the capacity to infect a broad range of P. syringae pv. actinidiae
      strains and the only member of the Podoviridae in this collection. Particle
      morphology was visualized using cryo-electron microscopy, the genome was
      sequenced, and its structural proteins were analysed using shotgun proteomics.
      These studies demonstrated that phiPsa17 has a 40,525 bp genome, is a member of
      the T7likevirus genus and is closely related to the pseudomonad phages phiPSA2
      and gh-1. Eleven structural proteins (one scaffolding) were detected by
      proteomics and phiPsa17 has a capsid of approximately 60 nm in diameter. No genes
      indicative of a lysogenic lifecycle were identified, suggesting the phage is
      obligately lytic. These features indicate that phiPsa17 may be suitable for
      formulation as a biocontrol agent of P. syringae pv. actinidiae. 

PMID- 26114475
TI  - NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation by Viroporins of Animal Viruses.
AB  - Viroporins are a group of low-molecular-weight proteins containing about 50-120
      amino acid residues, which are encoded by animal viruses. Viroporins are involved
      in several stages of the viral life cycle, including viral gene replication and
      assembly, as well as viral particle entry and release. Viroporins also play an
      important role in the regulation of antiviral innate immune responses, especially
      in inflammasome formation and activation, to ensure the completion of the viral
      life cycle. By reviewing the research progress made in recent years on the
      regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by viroporins of animal viruses, we aim to
      understand the importance of viroporins in viral infection and to provide a
      reference for further research and development of novel antiviral drugs. 

PMID- 26114477
TI  - Malthusian Parameters as Estimators of the Fitness of Microbes: A Cautionary Tale
      about the Low Side of High Throughput.
AB  - The maximum exponential growth rate, the Malthusian parameter (MP), is commonly
      used as a measure of fitness in experimental studies of adaptive evolution and of
      the effects of antibiotic resistance and other genes on the fitness of planktonic
      microbes. Thanks to automated, multi-well optical density plate readers and
      computers, with little hands-on effort investigators can readily obtain hundreds
      of estimates of MPs in less than a day. Here we compare estimates of the relative
      fitness of antibiotic susceptible and resistant strains of E. coli, Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus based on MP data obtained with automated
      multi-well plate readers with the results from pairwise competition experiments.
      This leads us to question the reliability of estimates of MP obtained with these
      high throughput devices and the utility of these estimates of the maximum growth
      rates to detect fitness differences. 

PMID- 26114478
TI  - Neuroendocrine differentiation in breast carcinoma: clinicopathological features
      and outcome.
AB  - AIMS: Primary neuroendocrine (NE) breast carcinoma (BC) is an entity with a wide
      range of prevalence and poorly defined clinical behaviour. We evaluated the
      prevalence, clinicopathological features and clinical outcome of NEBC. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining for synaptophysin and chromogranin A
      was performed on whole sections from 1232 consecutive cases of invasive BC. We
      divided NEBC into focal (10-49% positive cells) and diffuse (>=50% positive
      cells) and compared the outcome of patients with NEBC with strictly matched non
      NEBC. A total of 128 BC showed NE differentiation (10.4%): 84 diffuse (6.8%) and
      44 focal (3.6%). NE differentiation showed a significant association with T4
      stage (P = 0.001), solid-papillary and mucinous histotype (P < 0.0001), G2
      grading (P = 0.002), positive oestrogen receptor (ER) (P = 0.003) and
      progesterone receptor (PR) (P = 0.002). Almost 90% of NEBC were ER(+) /HER2(-)
      and more than half ER(+) /HER2(-) /Ki67>=14%. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that
      patients with NEBC showed worse disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.04) compared
      to matched non-NEBC. We did not find significant differences regarding
      clinicopathological features, DFS and CSS between diffuse and focal
      neuroendocrine BC. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that NEBC represents 7
      10% of invasive BC and that NE differentiation does not affect the prognosis of
      BC in terms of CSS.

PMID- 26114476
TI  - Plant Translation Factors and Virus Resistance.
AB  - Plant viruses recruit cellular translation factors not only to translate their
      viral RNAs but also to regulate their replication and potentiate their local and
      systemic movement. Because of the virus dependence on cellular translation
      factors, it is perhaps not surprising that many natural plant recessive
      resistance genes have been mapped to mutations of translation initiation factors
      eIF4E and eIF4G or their isoforms, eIFiso4E and eIFiso4G. The partial functional
      redundancy of these isoforms allows specific mutation or knock-down of one
      isoform to provide virus resistance without hindering the general health of the
      plant. New possible targets for antiviral strategies have also been identified
      following the characterization of other plant translation factors (eIF4A-like
      helicases, eIF3, eEF1A and eEF1B) that specifically interact with viral RNAs and
      proteins and regulate various aspects of the infection cycle. Emerging evidence
      that translation repression operates as an alternative antiviral RNA silencing
      mechanism is also discussed. Understanding the mechanisms that control the
      development of natural viral resistance and the emergence of virulent isolates in
      response to these plant defense responses will provide the basis for the
      selection of new sources of resistance and for the intelligent design of
      engineered resistance that is broad-spectrum and durable. 

PMID- 26114480
TI  - Phytoremediation potential of Lemna minor L. for heavy metals.
AB  - Phytoremediation potential of L. minor for cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb),
      and nickel (Ni) from two different types of effluent in raw form was evaluated in
      a glass house experiment using hydroponic studies for a period of 31 days. Heavy
      metals concentration in water and plant sample was analyzed at 3, 10, 17, 24, and
      31 day. Removal efficiency, metal uptake and bio-concentration factor were also
      calculated. Effluents were initially analyzed for physical, chemical and
      microbiological parameters and results indicated that municipal effluent (ME) was
      highly contaminated in terms of nutrient and organic load than sewage mixed
      industrial effluent (SMIE). Results confirmed the accumulation of heavy metals
      within plant and subsequent decrease in the effluents. Removal efficiency was
      greater than 80% for all metals and maximum removal was observed for nickel (99%)
      from SMIE. Accumulation and uptake of lead in dry biomass was significantly
      higher than other metals. Bio-concentration factors were less than 1000 and
      maximum BCFs were found for copper (558) and lead (523.1) indicated that plant is
      a moderate accumulator of both metals. Overall, L. minor showed better
      performance from SMIE and was more effective in extracting lead than other
      metals. 

PMID- 26114481
TI  - Unconventional Heavy Oil Growth and Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
AB  - Enormous global reserves of unconventional heavy oil make it a significant
      resource for economic growth and energy security; however, its extraction faces
      many challenges especially on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water consumption,
      and recently, social acceptability. Here, we question whether it makes sense to
      extract and use unconventional heavy oil in spite of these externalities. We
      place unconventional oils (oil sands and oil shale) alongside shale gas, coal,
      lignite, wood and conventional oil and gas, and compare their energy intensities
      and life cycle GHG emissions. Our results reveal that oil shale is the most
      energy intensive fuel among upgraded primary fossil fuel options followed by in
      situ-produced bitumen from oil sands. Lignite is the most GHG intensive primary
      fuel followed by oil shale. Based on future world energy demand projections, we
      estimate that if growth of unconventional heavy oil production continues
      unabated, the incremental GHG emissions that results from replacing conventional
      oil with heavy oil would amount to 4-21 Gt-CO2eq GtCO2eq over four decades (2010
      by 2050). However, prevailing socio-economic, regional and global energy
      politics, environmental and technological challenges may limit growth of heavy
      oil production and thus its GHG emissions contributions to global fossil fuel
      emissions may be smaller. 

PMID- 26114479
TI  - Context-Dependent Functional Divergence of the Notch Ligands DLL1 and DLL4 In
      Vivo.
AB  - Notch signalling is a fundamental pathway that shapes the developing embryo and
      sustains adult tissues by direct communication between ligand and receptor
      molecules on adjacent cells. Among the ligands are two Delta paralogues, DLL1 and
      DLL4, that are conserved in mammals and share a similar structure and sequence.
      They activate the Notch receptor partly in overlapping expression domains where
      they fulfil redundant functions in some processes (e.g. maintenance of the crypt
      cell progenitor pool). In other processes, however, they appear to act
      differently (e.g. maintenance of foetal arterial identity) raising the questions
      of how similar DLL1 and DLL4 really are and which mechanism causes the apparent
      context-dependent divergence. By analysing mice that conditionally overexpress
      DLL1 or DLL4 from the same genomic locus (Hprt) and mice that express DLL4
      instead of DLL1 from the endogenous Dll1 locus (Dll1Dll4ki), we found functional
      differences that are tissue-specific: while DLL1 and DLL4 act redundantly during
      the maintenance of retinal progenitors, their function varies in the presomitic
      mesoderm (PSM) where somites form in a Notch-dependent process. In the anterior
      PSM, every cell expresses both Notch receptors and ligands, and DLL1 is the only
      activator of Notch while DLL4 is not endogenously expressed. Transgenic DLL4
      cannot replace DLL1 during somitogenesis and in heterozygous Dll1Dll4ki/+ mice,
      the Dll1Dll4ki allele causes a dominant segmentation phenotype. Testing several
      aspects of the complex Notch signalling system in vitro, we found that both
      ligands have a similar trans-activation potential but that only DLL4 is an
      efficient cis-inhibitor of Notch signalling, causing a reduced net activation of
      Notch. These differential cis-inhibitory properties are likely to contribute to
      the functional divergence of DLL1 and DLL4. 

PMID- 26114482
TI  - Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness in Adult Chinese: The Beijing Eye Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To measure peripapillary choroidal thickness (PPCT) and to assess its
      associations. METHODS: The population-based cross-sectional Beijing Eye Study
      2011 included 3468 participants. Detailed medical and ophthalmic examinations
      were performed. We measured PPCT by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography
      (SD-OCT) with a 3.4-mm scan circle centered on the optic nerve head. RESULTS:
      Peripapillary choroidal thickness measurements were available for 3060 (88.2%)
      study participants with a mean age of 64.4 +/- 9.6 years (range, 50-93 years).
      Mean global PPCT was 134 +/- 53 MUm (range, 35-348 MUm). Peripapillary choroid
      was thickest in the superior region (155 +/- 60 MUm), followed by the temporal
      region (144 +/- 75 MUm; P < 0.001); nasal region (139 +/- 55 MUm; P < 0.001); and
      inferior region (110 +/- 45 MUm; P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, thicker
      PPCT was associated with younger age (P < 0.001; standardized coefficient beta: 
      0.33; correlation coefficient B: -1.95; 95% confidence interval (CI): -2.25, 
      1.65); shorter axial length (P < 0.001; beta: -0.11; B: -5.39; 95% CI: -7.85, 
      2.93); smaller parapapillary alpha zone (P = 0.01; beta: -0.06; B: -5.46; 95% CI:
      -9.73, -1.19); and smaller beta zone (P < 0.001; beta: -0.14; B: -8.29; 95% CI: 
      11.12, -5.46); better best corrected visual acuity (logMAR; P = 0.002; beta: 
      0.05; B: -14.75; 95% CI: -28.59, -0.91), and higher prevalence of early age
      related macular degeneration (P = 0.04; beta: 0.05; B: 9.11; 95% CI: 0.42, 17.80)
      and intermediate age-related macular degeneration (P = 0.001; beta: 0.08; B:
      10.90; 95% CI: 4.46, 17.33). It was not significantly (all P > 0.05) associated
      with blood pressure, blood concentration of lipids, intraocular pressure and
      prevalence of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusions. The
      decrease of PPCT with longer axial length occurred predominantly in the temporal
      region. CONCLUSIONS: Peripapillary choroidal thickness is thickest superiorly and
      thinnest inferiorly. It decreases by 2 MUm per year of life and by 5 MUm per
      diopter of myopia. Thinner PPCT is correlated with larger parapapillary alpha and
      beta zones. The association of thinner PPCT with lower best corrected visual
      acuity may warrant further study.

PMID- 26114483
TI  - Behavioral Training as New Treatment for Adult Amblyopia: A Meta-Analysis and
      Systematic Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: New behavioral treatment methods, including dichoptic training,
      perceptual learning, and video gaming, have been proposed to improve visual
      function in adult amblyopia. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of these methods
      to investigate the factors involved in amblyopia recovery and their clinical
      significance. METHODS: Mean and individual participant data meta-analyses were
      performed on 24 studies using the new behavioral methods in adults. Studies were
      identified using PubMed, Google Scholar, and published reviews. RESULTS: The new
      methods yielded a mean improvement in visual acuity of 0.17 logMAR with 32%
      participants achieving gains >= 0.2 logMAR, and a mean improvement in stereo
      sensitivity of 0.01 arcsec-1 with 42% of participants improving >=2 octaves. The
      most significant predictor of treatment outcome was visual acuity at the onset of
      treatment. Participants with more severe amblyopia improved more on visual acuity
      and less on stereo sensitivity than those with milder amblyopia. Better initial
      stereo sensitivity was a predictor of greater gains in stereo sensitivity
      following treatment. Treatment type, amblyopia type, age, and training duration
      did not have any significant influence on visual and stereo acuity outcomes.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our analyses showed that some participants may benefit from the new
      treatments; however, clinical trials are required to confirm these findings.
      Despite the diverse nature of the new behavioral methods, the lack of significant
      differences in visual and stereo sensitivity outcomes among them suggests that
      visual attention-a common element among the varied treatment methods-may play an
      important role in amblyopia recovery.

PMID- 26114484
TI  - How Many Visual Fields Are Required to Precisely Predict Future Test Results in
      Glaucoma Patients When Using Different Trend Analyses?
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the minimum number of visual field (VF) tests required to
      precisely predict future VF results using ordinary least squares linear
      regression (OLSLR), quadratic regression, exponential regression, logistic
      regression, and M-estimator robust regression model. METHODS: Series of 15 VFs
      (Humphrey Field Analyzer 24-2 SITA standard) were analyzed from 247 eyes of 155
      open-angle glaucoma patients. Future point-wise (PW) VF results and mean VF
      sensitivities were predicted with varying numbers of VFs in each regression
      method. RESULTS: In PW-OLSLR, as expected, the minimum absolute prediction error
      was obtained using the maximum number of VFs in the regression (14 VFs); mean
      absolute prediction error was equal to 2.4 +/- 0.9 dB. Ten VFs were required to
      reach the 95% confidence interval (CI) of the minimum absolute prediction error.
      Prediction errors associated with the exponential and quadratic regression models
      were significantly larger than those from PW-OLSLR, whereas errors from logistic
      regression were not significantly smaller than those from PW-OLSLR; however, the
      absolute prediction error from the M-estimator robust regression model was
      significantly smaller than those associated with PW-OLSLR (P < 0.01, paired
      Wilcoxon test). Like PW-OLSLR, 10 VFs were needed to obtain the minimum absolute
      prediction error of mean VF sensitivity, but there were no significant
      differences in errors using the different regression methods. CONCLUSIONS:
      Approximately 10 VFs, are needed to achieve an accurate prediction of PW VF
      sensitivity and mean sensitivity. Prediction error of PW VF sensitivity can be
      significantly minimized using the M-estimator robust regression model compared
      with conventional OLSLR.

PMID- 26114485
TI  - Associations Between Topical Ophthalmic Corticosteroids and Central Serous
      Chorioretinopathy: A Taiwanese Population-Based Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the association between central serous chorioretinopathy
      (CSCR) and topical ophthalmic corticosteroid use. METHODS: Data were collected
      from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000, containing randomly
      selected medical claim data from 23 million residents in Taiwan. The study cohort
      comprised all patients diagnosed with CSCR between January 2001 and December 2010
      (n = 2921) with a control group of patients (n = 17,526) matched to study
      patients according to age, sex, geographic region, and date of index medical
      care. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and corticosteroid use (topical
      ophthalmic, oral, nasal spray, injected, and inhaled) within 1 year before CSCR
      diagnosis were examined using univariate logistic regression. Student's t-test
      was used for continuous variables. Adjusted logistic regression was used to
      compare the odds ratio (OR) of the prognosis of CSCR patients with that of
      controls. RESULTS: In CSCR patients, we observed an increased prevalence of
      topical ophthalmic corticosteroid use (OR 6.328, 95% confidence interval [CI]
      5.786-6.921, P < 0.0001). After adjusting for age, sex, geographic location of
      the patient's residence, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, chronic
      renal disease, peptic ulcer, psychiatric disease, allergic respiratory disease,
      coronary artery disease, and corticosteroid use, conditional logistic regression
      analysis showed that CSCR patients were more likely to have used topical
      ophthalmic corticosteroids recently than the controls (OR 6.036, 95% CI 5.512
      6.610, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Results strongly support an association between
      recent topical ophthalmic corticosteroid use and CSCR. Thus, patients who require
      ophthalmic corticosteroids should be advised of the associated risk of developing
      CSCR.

PMID- 26114486
TI  - Expression of Angiogenic MicroRNAs in Endothelial Progenitor Cells From Type 1
      Diabetic Patients With and Without Diabetic Retinopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: MicroRNA (miR) expression in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in type
      1 diabetes (DM1) and its relation with different stages of diabetic retinopathy
      (DR) have not been reported to date. Our aim was to analyze miR-222, miR-221, and
      miR-126 expression in EPCs from DM1 patients with and without DR. METHODS: We
      included 41 patients with DR, 35 without DR, and 38 controls. Blood was collected
      for flow cytometry and EPC culture. Total RNA was extracted and purified and real
      time quantitative PCR was performed for miR expression in cultured EPCs. Relative
      changes in miR expression were analyzed with the 2-DeltaDeltaCT method. RESULTS:
      Circulating EPCs were reduced and miR-126 expression was increased in DM1
      compared to controls (0.030 [interquartile range [IQR], 0.020-0.050] vs. 0.060
      [IQR, 0.030-0.110], P = 0.004; 1.740 [IQR, 0.890-4.120] vs. 0.990 [IQR, 0.487
      3.015], P = 0.047 respectively) without differences between patients with and
      without DR. Patients with DR had higher expression of miR-221 than those without
      DR (1.405 [IQR, 0.820-2.867] vs. 0.915 [IQR, 0.507-1.292], P = 0.019) without
      differences among degrees of DR. Circulating EPCs were reduced in patients on
      statins (0.010 [IQR, 0.010-0.050] vs. 0.045 [IQR, 0.020-0.087], P = 0.008), and
      miR-221 expression increased in patients on angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)
      inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) II (1.430 [IQR, 1.160-2.705] vs.
      1.000 [IQR, 0.520-1.330], P = 0.021) compared to those without treatment.
      MicroRNA-126 expression was associated with body mass index (BMI; rho = -0.267, P
      = 0.026) and diastolic blood pressure (rho = -0.267, P = 0.034). MicroRNA-221 was
      associated with triglyceride concentration (rho = 0.296, P = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS:
      Circulating EPCs were reduced and miR-126 expression was increased in DM1
      compared to controls. Patients with DR had higher expression of miR-221 than
      those without DR. The identification of biomarkers of diabetic complications
      might be useful for monitoring disease progression and potential therapeutic
      targets.

PMID- 26114487
TI  - Atypical Cadherin Fat1 Is Required for Lens Epithelial Cell Polarity and
      Proliferation but Not for Fiber Differentiation.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Fat family of atypical cadherins, originally identified in
      Drosophila, play diverse roles during embryogenesis and adult tissue maintenance.
      Among four mammalian members, Fat1 is essential for kidney and muscle
      organization, and is also essential for eye development; Fat1 knockout causes
      partial penetrant microphthalmia or anophthalmia. To account for the partial
      penetrance of the Fat1 phenotype, involvement of Fat4 in eye development was
      assessed. Lens phenotypes in Fat1 and 4 knockouts were also examined. METHODS:
      Fat1 and Fat4 mRNA expression was examined by in situ hybridization. Knockout
      phenotypes of Fat1 and Fat4 were analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and
      immunofluorescent staining. RESULTS: We found Fat4 knockout did not affect eye
      induction or enhance severity of Fat1 eye defects. Although Fat1 and Fat4 mRNAs
      are similarly expressed in the lens epithelial cells, only Fat1 knockout caused a
      fully penetrant lens epithelial cell defect, which was apparent at embryonic day
      14.5 (E14.5). The columnar structure of the lens epithelial cells was disrupted
      and in some regions cell aggregates were formed. In these multilayered regions,
      apical cell junctions were fragmented and the apical-basal polarity was lost. EdU
      incorporation assay also showed enhanced proliferation in the lens epithelial
      cells. Interestingly, these defects were found mainly in the central zone of the
      epithelial layer. The lens epithelial cells of the germinative zone maintained
      their normal morphology and fiber differentiation occurred normally at the
      equator. CONCLUSIONS: These observations indicate that Fat1 is essential for lens
      epithelial cell polarity and proliferation but not for terminal differentiation.

PMID- 26114488
TI  - Regulation of Endothelin-1-Induced Trabecular Meshwork Cell Contractility by
      Latanoprostene Bunod.
AB  - PURPOSE: Previous in vivo studies demonstrated that latanoprostene bunod (LBN), a
      nitric oxide (NO)-donating prostaglandin F2alpha receptor agonist, results in
      greater intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering than latanoprost. The present series
      of investigations compared the effects of LBN and latanoprost on primary human
      trabecular meshwork cell (HTMC) contractility and underlying signaling pathways
      to determine whether LBN might mediate this additional IOP lowering via the
      conventional outflow pathway. METHODS: The effect of LBN (1-100 MUM) on HTMC cGMP
      levels was determined by ELISA with or without the soluble guanylate cyclase
      (sGC) inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ). Endothelin-1
      (ET-1) was used to induce HTMC contractility. To determine the effect of LBN on
      myosin light chain-2 (MLC-2) phosphorylation, HTMCs were pretreated with 10 to 60
      MUM LBN for 1 hour and then ET-1 for 5 minutes. MLC-2 phosphorylation was
      determined by Western blotting. Effects of LBN (30 and 45 MUM) on ET-1-induced
      filamentous (F)-actin cytoskeletal stress fibers and the focal adhesion
      associated protein vinculin were determined by confocal microscopy. ET-1-induced
      HTMC monolayer resistance in the presence of LBN (45 MUM) was determined by
      electrical cell substrate impedance sensing, as an indicator of cell
      contractility. Latanoprost and SE 175 (an NO donor which releases NO on reductive
      transformation within the cells) were used as comparators in all studies.
      RESULTS: LBN (1-100 MUM) significantly increased cGMP levels in a dose-dependent
      manner, with a half maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 1.5 +/- 1.3 MUM,
      and with maximal effect similar to that of 100 MUM SE 175. In contrast,
      latanoprost caused a minimal increase in cGMP levels at 100 MUM only. The cGMP
      elevation induced by LBN or SE 175 was abolished by ODQ and was therefore sGC
      dependent. The two NO donors SE 175 and LBN elicited a reduction in ET-1-induced
      MLC-2 phosphorylation that was significantly greater than that mediated by
      latanoprost in HTMCs. SE 175 (100 MUM) and LBN (30 or 45 MUM) caused a dramatic
      reduction in ET-1-induced actin stress fibers and vinculin localization at focal
      adhesions, whereas 45 MUM latanoprost was without observable effect. SE 175
      reduced ET-1-induced increases in HTMC resistance in a dose-dependent manner. A
      synergistic effect on reduction of HTMC resistance was observed when latanoprost
      and SE 175 doses were given together. LBN significantly reduced ET-1-induced HTMC
      monolayer resistance increases to a greater extent than latanoprost, indicating a
      greater reduction in cell contractility with LBN. CONCLUSIONS: LBN, SE 175, and
      latanoprost caused relaxation of ET-1-contracted HTMCs. The effect on HTMC
      relaxation observed with LBN was significantly greater in magnitude than that
      observed with latanoprost or SE 175. Data indicate that the NO-donating moiety of
      LBN mediates HTMC relaxation through activation of the cGMP signaling pathway and
      a subsequent reduction in MLC-2 phosphorylation. These findings suggest that
      increased conventional outflow facility may mediate the additional IOP-lowering
      effects of LBN over that of latanoprost observed in in vivo studies.

PMID- 26114489
TI  - iTRAQ-Based Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Tear Fluid in a Rat Penetrating
      Keratoplasty Model With Acute Corneal Allograft Rejection.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a greater understanding of the mechanisms
      underlying acute corneal allograft rejection by identifying differentially
      expressed tear proteins at defined stages and discovering potentially important
      proteins involved in the process. METHODS: The isobaric tags for relative and
      absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (2DLC-MS/MS) technique was used to identify tear proteins showing
      significant alterations in a rat penetrating keratoplasty model at different time
      points. Bioinformatics technology was applied to analyze the significant
      proteins, and a potential protein was verified by Western blotting. RESULTS: A
      total of 269 proteins were quantified, and 118 proteins were considered to be
      significantly altered by at least 2.0- or 0.5-fold. For gene ontology
      annotations, the top enrichments were neurological disease, free radical
      scavenging, cell death and survival, and cell movement. For pathway analyses, the
      top enrichments were LXR/RXR activation, acute phase response signaling, clathrin
      mediated endocytosis signaling, and coagulation system. Coronin-1A was verified
      as a potential protein involved in the early stage of acute corneal allograft
      rejection. CONCLUSIONS: This study first demonstrates that tear proteomics is a
      powerful tool for better understanding of the mechanisms underlying acute corneal
      rejection, and that coronin-1A in tears might be closely related to allograft
      rejection.

PMID- 26114490
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26114491
TI  - Restoration of Outer Retinal Layers After Aflibercept Therapy in Exudative AMD:
      Prognostic Value.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the outer retinal layer (ellipsoid zone [EZ] and external
      limiting membrane [ELM]) changes following intravitreal aflibercept injections in
      eyes with treatment-naive exudative age-related macular degeneration (eAMD) and
      to correlate these changes with fluid response and visual improvement. METHODS: A
      retrospective case series of 50 treatment-naive eAMD eyes followed-up for 18
      months. All patients underwent regular comprehensive ophthalmic examinations. The
      presence of EZ disruption, ELM disruption, EZ swelling, subretinal hyper
      reflective exudation (SHE), central macular thickness (CMT), cystoid spaces,
      subretinal fluid, and pigmented epithelium detachment were evaluated by two
      different retinal specialists at baseline and final visits, and correlated with
      best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improvement. RESULTS: At 18 months, BCVA, EZ
      disruption, ELM disruption, EZ swelling and SHE improved significantly (P =
      0.001) at 18 months. Improvement of BCVA showed a statistically significant
      correlation with ELM restoration (P = 0.018), but not with EZ restoration (P =
      0.581). Swelling of the EZ decreased from 72% of the cases at baseline to 30% in
      18 months while SHE decreased from 52% to 6% in 18 months (P = 0.001). We
      observed a statistically significant (P = 0.001) reduction between the baseline
      and final value of CMT. CONCLUSIONS: Aflibercept is safe and effective in
      treating exudative AMD with the restoration of the outer retinal layers.
      Restoration of the EZ is not statistically correlated with the final BCVA, even
      though persistent EZ changes could be associated with irreversible decrease in
      vision. On the contrary, the final status of the ELM is directly correlated with
      final BCVA. Also, baseline changes in outer retinal layers, especially the ELM,
      appear to predict photoreceptor restoration and final BCVA, and must be
      comprehensively analyzed to enable and determine a future prognosis.

PMID- 26114492
TI  - Relationship Between Retinal Blood Flow and Serum Adiponectin Concentrations in
      Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study the relationship between retinal microcirculation and serum
      adiponectin, an important adipocytokine secreted by adipocytes, concentrations in
      patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Using a laser Doppler
      velocimetry system, we simultaneously measured the retinal blood flow (RBF)
      values and retinal vessel diameter and blood velocity in 64 consecutive Japanese
      patients (mean age +/- SD, 59.8 +/- 10.4 years) with type 2 diabetes with no or
      mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy. We compared the values with the RBF
      and serum adiponectin concentrations in these patients. The patients were divided
      into two groups based on sex (33 males, 31 females). RESULTS: The plasma
      adiponectin concentrations were correlated positively with the retinal vessel
      diameter (r = 0.480; P = 0.005), retinal blood velocity (r = 0.399; P = 0.02),
      and RBF (r = 0.518; P = 0.002) and correlated negatively with the retinal
      arterial vascular resistance (r = -0.598; P = 0.0002) in males, but not females,
      with type 2 diabetes with early-stage diabetic retinopathy. Multiple regression
      analysis showed that the plasma adiponectin level was independently and
      positively correlated with RBF and negatively correlated with retinal arterial
      vascular resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that a high concentration
      of serum adiponectin may be associated with increased RBF, probably via the
      increased blood velocity and dilated vessel diameter in males with type 2
      diabetes with early-phase diabetic retinopathy.

PMID- 26114493
TI  - Unique Variants in OPN1LW Cause Both Syndromic and Nonsyndromic X-Linked High
      Myopia Mapped to MYP1.
AB  - PURPOSE: MYP1 is a locus for X-linked syndromic and nonsyndromic high myopia.
      Recently, unique haplotypes in OPN1LW were found to be responsible for X-linked
      syndromic high myopia mapped to MYP1. The current study is to test if such
      variants in OPN1LW are also responsible for X-linked nonsyndromic high myopia
      mapped to MYP1. METHODS: The proband of the family previously mapped to MYP1 was
      initially analyzed using whole-exome sequencing and whole-genome sequencing.
      Additional probands with early-onset high myopia were analyzed using whole-exome
      sequencing. Variants in OPN1LW were selected and confirmed by Sanger sequencing.
      Long-range and second PCR were used to determine the haplotype and the first gene
      of the red-green gene array. Candidate variants were further validated in family
      members and controls. RESULTS: The unique LVAVA haplotype in OPN1LW was detected
      in the family with X-linked nonsyndromic high myopia mapped to MYP1. In addition,
      this haplotype and a novel frameshift mutation (c.617_620dup, p.Phe208Argfs*51)
      in OPN1LW were detected in two other families with X-linked high myopia. The
      unique haplotype cosegregated with high myopia in the two families, with a
      maximum LOD score of 3.34 and 2.31 at theta = 0. OPN1LW with the variants in
      these families was the first gene in the red-green gene array and was not present
      in 247 male controls. Reevaluation of the clinical data in both families with the
      unique haplotype suggested nonsyndromic high myopia. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      confirms the findings that unique variants in OPN1LW are responsible for both
      syndromic and nonsyndromic X-linked high myopia mapped to MYP1.

PMID- 26114494
TI  - High-dose oral intake of serotonin induces valvular heart disease in rabbits.

PMID- 26114495
TI  - Coronary artery fistulas and Brugada ECG pattern, a random association?

PMID- 26114496
TI  - Plasma miRNAs Effectively Distinguish Patients With Pancreatic Cancer From
      Controls: A Multicenter Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify plasma microRNA (miRNA) markers of pancreatic cancer
      (PC). BACKGROUND: Accurate pretreatment diagnosis of PC remains challenging,
      whether plasma miRNAs could be used as biomarkers in PC remains unknown. METHODS:
      In this multiphase multicenter study, peripheral blood samples were obtained
      preoperatively in 3 phases: the discovery phase [7 patients with PC, 6 patients
      with chronic pancreatitis (CP), and 5 healthy volunteers (N)], the preliminary
      validation phase (29 patients with PC, 16 patients with CP, and 31 N), and the
      large sample validation phase (156 patients with PC, 65 N, 57 patients with CP,
      27 patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and 58 patients with other
      pancreatic tumors). The diagnostic values of the miRNAs were assessed and
      compared with cancer antigen 19-9 (CA19-9). RESULTS: The discovery phase
      demonstrated that 29 miRNAs were dysregulated in the patients with PC compared
      with the controls. In the preliminary validation phase, 13 miRNAs were shown to
      be dysregulated in the patients with PC and were selected for validation in a
      multicenter trial. MiR-486-5p exhibited diagnostic value in discriminating
      patients with PC from normal subjects or patients with CP, with area under the
      curve values of 0.861 and 0.707, respectively. MiR-938 exhibited diagnostic value
      in differentiating patients with PC from those with CP, pancreatic neuroendocrine
      tumors, and patients with other pancreatic tumors, with area under the curve
      values of 0.693, 0.660, and 0.618, respectively. In addition, we demonstrated
      that the value of miR-486-5p in discriminating patients with PC from normal
      subjects or patients with CP was comparable with that of CA19-9 (P = 0.602 and P
      = 0.230). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified several plasma miRNAs potentially
      suitable for distinguishing patients with PC from normal subjects or patients
      with other pancreatic tumors.

PMID- 26114497
TI  - Mechanisms of Fatal Cardiotoxicity following High-Dose Cyclophosphamide Therapy
      and a Method for Its Prevention.
AB  - Observed only after administration of high doses, cardiotoxicity is the dose
      limiting effect of cyclophosphamide (CY). We investigated the poorly understood
      cardiotoxic mechanisms of high-dose CY. A rat cardiac myocardial cell line, H9c2,
      was exposed to CY metabolized by S9 fraction of rat liver homogenate mixed with
      co-factors (CYS9). Cytotoxicity was then evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2
      thiazolyl)!2,5-diphenyl!2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, lactate dehydrogenase
      release, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and incidence of apoptosis.
      We also investigated how the myocardial cellular effects of CYS9 were modified by
      acrolein scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC), antioxidant isorhamnetin (ISO), and
      CYP inhibitor beta-ionone (BIO). Quantifying CY and CY metabolites by means of
      liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry, we
      assayed culture supernatants of CYS9 with and without candidate cardioprotectant
      agents. Assay results for MTT showed that treatment with CY (125-500 MUM) did not
      induce cytotoxicity. CYS9, however, exhibited myocardial cytotoxicity when CY
      concentration was 250 MUM or more. After 250 MUM of CY was metabolized in S9 mix
      for 2 h, the concentration of CY was 73.6 +/- 8.0 MUM, 4-hydroxy-cyclophosphamide
      (HCY) 17.6 +/- 4.3, o-carboxyethyl-phosphoramide (CEPM) 26.6 +/- 5.3 MUM, and
      acrolein 26.7 +/- 2.5 MUM. Inhibition of CYS9-induced cytotoxicity occurred with
      NAC, ISO, and BIO. When treated with ISO or BIO, metabolism of CY was
      significantly inhibited. Pre-treatment with NAC, however, did not inhibit the
      metabolism of CY: compared to control samples, we observed no difference in HCY,
      a significant increase of CEPM, and a significant decrease of acrolein.
      Furthermore, NAC pre-treatment did not affect intracellular amounts of ROS
      produced by CYS9. Since acrolein seems to be heavily implicated in the onset of
      cardiotoxicity, any competitive metabolic processing of CY that reduces its
      transformation to acrolein is likely to be an important mechanism for preventing
      cardiotoxicity. 

PMID- 26114498
TI  - Abundant Rodent Furan-Derived Urinary Metabolites Are Associated with Tobacco
      Smoke Exposure in Humans.
AB  - Furan, a possible human carcinogen, is found in heat treated foods and tobacco
      smoke. Previous studies have shown that humans are capable of converting furan to
      its reactive metabolite, cis-2-butene-1,4-dial (BDA), and therefore may be
      susceptible to furan toxicity. Human risk assessment of furan exposure has been
      stymied because of the lack of mechanism-based exposure biomarkers. Therefore, a
      sensitive LC-MS/MS assay for six furan metabolites was applied to measure their
      levels in urine from furan-exposed rodents as well as in human urine from smokers
      and nonsmokers. The metabolites that result from direct reaction of BDA with
      lysine (BDA-N(alpha)-acetyllysine) and from cysteine-BDA-lysine cross-links (N
      acetylcysteine-BDA-lysine, N-acetylcysteine-BDA-N(alpha)-acetyllysine, and their
      sulfoxides) were targeted in this study. Five of the six metabolites were
      identified in urine from rodents treated with furan by gavage. BDA-N(alpha)
      acetyllysine, N-acetylcysteine-BDA-lysine, and its sulfoxide were detected in
      most human urine samples from three different groups. The levels of N
      acetylcysteine-BDA-lysine sulfoxide were more than 10 times higher than that of
      the corresponding sulfide in many samples. The amount of this metabolite was
      higher in smokers relative to that in nonsmokers and was significantly reduced
      following smoking cessation. Our results indicate a strong relationship between
      BDA-derived metabolites and smoking. Future studies will determine if levels of
      these biomarkers are associated with adverse health effects in humans. 

PMID- 26114500
TI  - An Evaluation of the Role the Internet Site Petfinder Plays in Cat Adoptions.
AB  - To better understand factors contributing to cat adoptions, this study was used
      to explore a possible association between an adoptable cat's popularity on
      Petfinder and the cat's length of availability for adoption at a managed-intake
      nonhuman animal shelter. This study was also used to examine factors associated
      with a cat's popularity on Petfinder and the percentage of adopters who visited
      Petfinder before making adoption decisions. One third of adopters surveyed
      visited Petfinder before adopting, and half of those had viewed their adopted
      cats' Petfinder profiles. The number of clicks per day that cats received on the
      site was negatively correlated with their length of availability. Age at adoption
      was positively correlated with length of availability and negatively correlated
      with number of clicks per day. Coat color was a strong predictor of number of
      clicks per day and length of availability. The only variable within the
      photographer's control significantly associated with number of clicks per day was
      whether the photos included toys. Although cats' physical characteristics are
      strong predictors of their popularity, strategic use of toys in cats' photographs
      may promote adoptions of cats who are typically overlooked. 

PMID- 26114501
TI  - MamA as a Model Protein for Structure-Based Insight into the Evolutionary Origins
      of Magnetotactic Bacteria.
AB  - MamA is a highly conserved protein found in magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), a
      diverse group of prokaryotes capable of navigating according to magnetic fields -
      an ability known as magnetotaxis. Questions surround the acquisition of this
      magnetic navigation ability; namely, whether it arose through horizontal or
      vertical gene transfer. Though its exact function is unknown, MamA surrounds the
      magnetosome, the magnetic organelle embedding a biomineralised nanoparticle and
      responsible for magnetotaxis. Several structures for MamA from a variety of
      species have been determined and show a high degree of structural similarity. By
      determining the structure of MamA from Desulfovibrio magneticus RS-1 using X-ray
      crystallography, we have opened up the structure-sequence landscape. As such,
      this allows us to perform structural- and phylogenetic-based analyses using a
      variety of previously determined MamA from a diverse range of MTB species across
      various phylogenetic groups. We found that MamA has remained remarkably constant
      throughout evolution with minimal change between different taxa despite sequence
      variations. These findings, coupled with the generation of phylogenetic trees
      using both amino acid sequences and 16S rRNA, indicate that magnetotaxis likely
      did not spread via horizontal gene transfer and instead has a significantly
      earlier, primordial origin. 

PMID- 26114503
TI  - Review of "It's All in Your Head: Context-Dependent Pain Processing in the
      Orbitofronal Cortex" by Sinha S, McGovern RA, Sheth SA, McKhann II, GM in
      Neurosurgery 76&colon;N10-N11, 2015.

PMID- 26114502
TI  - Treatment of Chronic Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis with
      Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate and Glatiramer Acetate Alters Expression of Heme
      Oxygenase-1.
AB  - We previously demonstrated that epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) synergizes with
      the immunomodulatory agent glatiramer acetate (GA) in eliciting anti-inflammatory
      and neuroprotective effects in the relapsing-remitting EAE model. Thus, we
      hypothesized that mice with chronic EAE may also benefit from this combination
      therapy. We first assessed how a treatment with a single dose of GA together with
      daily application of EGCG may modulate EAE. Although single therapies with a
      suboptimal dose of GA or EGCG led to disease amelioration and reduced CNS
      inflammation, the combination therapy had no effects. While EGCG appeared to
      preserve axons and myelin, the single GA dose did not improve axonal damage or
      demyelination. Interestingly, the neuroprotective effect of EGCG was abolished
      when GA was applied in combination. To elucidate how a single dose of GA may
      interfere with EGCG, we focused on the anti-inflammatory, iron chelating and anti
      oxidant properties of EGCG. Surprisingly, we observed that while EGCG induced a
      downregulation of the gene expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in affected CNS
      areas, the combined therapy of GA+EGCG seems to promote an increased HO-1
      expression. These data suggest that upregulation of HO-1 may contribute to
      diminish the neuroprotective benefits of EGCG alone in this EAE model.
      Altogether, our data indicate that neuroprotection by EGCG in chronic EAE may
      involve regulation of oxidative processes, including downmodulation of HO-1.
      Further investigation of the re-dox balance in chronic neuroinflammation and in
      particular functional studies on HO-1 are warranted to understand its role in
      disease progression. 

PMID- 26114505
TI  - Cranial Base and Posterior Cranial Vault Asymmetry After Open and Endoscopic
      Repair of Isolated Lambdoid Craniosynostosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that open cranial vault remodeling does
      not fully address the endocranial deformity. This study aims to compare
      endoscopic-assisted suturectomy with postoperative molding helmet therapy to
      traditional open reconstruction by quantifying changes in cranial base morphology
      and posterior cranial vault asymmetry. METHODS: Anthropometric measurements were
      made on pre- and 1-year postoperative three-dimensionally reconstructed computed
      tomography scans of 12 patients with unilateral lambdoid synostosis (8 open and 4
      endoscopic-assisted). Cranial base asymmetry was analyzed using: posterior fossa
      deflection angle (PFA), petrous ridge angle (PRA), mastoid cant angle (MCA), and
      vertical and anterior-posterior (A-P) displacement of external acoustic meatus
      (EAM). Posterior cranial vault asymmetry was quantified by volumetric analysis.
      RESULTS: Preoperatively, patients in the open and endoscopic groups were
      statistically equivalent in PFA, PRA, MCA, and A-P EAM displacement. At 1 year
      postoperatively, open and endoscopic patients were statistically equivalent in
      all measures. Mean postoperative PFA for the open and endoscopic groups was 6.6
      and 6.4 degrees, PRA asymmetry was 6.4 and 7.6%, MCA was 4.0 and 3.2 degrees,
      vertical EAM displacement was -2.3 and -2.3 millimeters, and A-P EAM displacement
      was 6.8 and 7.8 millimeters, respectively. Mean volume asymmetry was
      significantly improved in both open and endoscopic groups, with no difference in
      postoperative asymmetry between the 2 groups (P = 0.934). CONCLUSIONS: Patients
      treated with both open and endoscopic repair of lambdoid synostosis show
      persistent cranial base and posterior cranial vault asymmetry. The results of
      endoscopic-assisted suturectomy with postoperative molding helmet therapy are
      similar to those of open calvarial vault reconstruction.

PMID- 26114506
TI  - Total Auricular Rehabilitation: Combined Cosmetic and Functional Lateral Temporal
      Bone Reconstruction.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to describe 3 cases of total auricular
      rehabilitation, including the novel use of iliac crest bone grafts to support
      bone-anchored auricular prostheses. STUDY DESIGN: This study is a retrospective
      case series from a single institution. RESULTS: Three cases with large lateral
      temporal bone and soft tissue defects were successfully treated with total
      auricular rehabilitation. Rehabilitation included the following: soft tissue
      coverage with an anterolateral thigh microvascular free flap, iliac crest-free
      bone graft with staged placement of a bone-anchored auricular prosthesis into the
      bone graft, and audiologic rehabilitation with a bone-anchored hearing aid
      (BAHA). All of the cases with grafts and flaps survived and were without
      significant donor site morbidity. Bone-anchored hearing aid abutment skin
      overgrowth was seen in 2 cases and was revised under local anesthesia. All of the
      patients had expected functional recovery on postoperative audiologic testing.
      Each patient continues to consistently wear his/her auricular prosthesis and BAHA
      during 3 years of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Total auricular rehabilitation is a
      complex task involving reconstruction of extensive soft tissue defects, bony
      defects, and the hearing apparatus. Acceptable cosmetic and functional outcomes
      and high patient satisfaction is possible in committed patients.

PMID- 26114507
TI  - Clinical Implication of Heart Rate Variability in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
      Syndrome Patients.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common disease with the prevalence
      of approximately 10% in general population, and this disease entity is considered
      to be highly related with the development of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular
      diseases. In the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, maintaining the
      homeostasis of autonomic nervous system (ANS) is critical. To evaluate the
      homeostasis of ANS, heart rate variability (HRV) is commonly used. The object of
      this study was to evaluate the homeostasis of ANS using the parameters of HRV and
      to elucidate the correlation between the parameters and apnea-hypopnea index
      (AHI). METHODS: Retrospective review of 806 patients was performed and 164
      patients who were diagnosed as having OSAS by in-room polysomnography and met the
      criteria of age, sex, and body mass index were enrolled. The calculation of HRV
      parameters was executed using echocardiographic data from polysomnography.
      RESULTS: Between the control group (N = 81, AHI < 5) and OSAS patient group (N =
      83, AHI > 15), standard deviation of NN (SDNN) intervals, SDNN index, HRV
      triangular index, very low frequency (VLF), low frequency (LF), 5-minute total
      power (TP), and low-frequency to high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio showed significant
      differences. In the correlation analysis between AHI and HRV parameters, only
      LF/HF ratio was proven to be significant. CONCLUSIONS: Elucidating the imbalance
      of ANS in OSAS patients was feasible by HRV and its parameters.

PMID- 26114508
TI  - Comparison of Autogenous and Alloplastic Cranioplasty Materials Following Impact
      Testing.
AB  - Alloplastic materials are often used when significant defects exist. Benefits
      include no donor site morbidity, relative ease of use, limitless supply, and
      predictable durability. Depending on the type of alloplast, limitations include a
      persistent risk of extrusion and infection. Of particular interest in relation to
      cranioplasties is the ability of the material to provide neuroprotection. The
      integrity and neuroprotective properties of autologous bone flaps,
      polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and high-density porous polyethylene (PP) were
      evaluated following impact testing. Three groups of New Zealand white rabbits (N
      = 4) underwent a cranioplasty with either a bone flap, PMMA, or PP. In the
      control group (N = 4), the animals had no cranioplasty. At the end of the eighth
      week, an impact was delivered to the center of each cranioplasty. At necropsy
      each cranium and brain was evaluated grossly and histologically. There was a
      statistical significant difference among groups for the severity of the
      hemorrhage (P = 0.022) and the grade of cranioplasty disruption (P = 0.0045).
      Autologous bone was found to be the weakest of the materials tested. In this
      group severe injury resulted at much lower energy levels than was observed in the
      control, PMMA, or PP groups. Both PMMA and PP were resistant to fracture and
      disruption. PMMA provided the greatest neuroprotection, followed by PP.
      Autologous bone provided the least protection with cranioplasty disruption and
      severe brain injury occurring in every patient. Brain injury patterns correlated
      with the degree of cranioplasty disruption regardless of the cranioplasty
      material. Regardless of the energy of impact, lack of dislodgement generally
      resulted in no obvious brain injury. 

PMID- 26114509
TI  - Image-Guided Sinus Surgery in Sinonasal Pathologies With Skull Base/Orbital
      Erosion.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to review the use and outcomes of image
      guided sinus surgery (IGSS) in sinonasal pathologies with skull base/orbital
      erosion without intracranial or intraorbital extension. METHOD: A retrospective
      charts and medical records review was performed for 474 consecutive sinonasal
      surgeries performed by a single surgeon at tertiary, academic center from August
      2010 to December 2013. RESULT: Fourteen subjects (mean age 27 years; 8 men and 6
      women) were identified. Mucocele and tumor were the most common pathological
      indication for IGSS use in this case series. Orbital wall erosion was detected in
      57%, skull base in 29%, and both sites in 14%. The average blood loss was 80  mL,
      the average operative time was 190 minutes, and the average hospital stay was 3
      days. There was no major intra- or postoperative complications. Two patients
      required revision endoscopic sinus surgery. The mean follow-up was 14 months
      (range 8-36 months). CONCLUSION: Image-guided sinus surgery alone is safe and
      effective procedure for a variety of sinonasal pathologies with orbital and skull
      base erosion.

PMID- 26114510
TI  - Evaluation of Bone Height and Bone Mineral Density Using Cone Beam Computed
      Tomography After Secondary Bone Graft in Alveolar Cleft.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to assess the optimal timing of subsequent dental
      implant placement and orthodontics after alveolar bone grafting (ABG) in patients
      with unilateral complete clefts of the alveolar process. Iliac bone graft surgery
      was performed on 60 patients. Bone mineral density (BMD) and height of the ABG
      areas were assessed using cone beam computed tomography at 3 and 6 months
      postoperatively. The heights of the labial and palatal bone graft areas were
      classified using the modified Bergland classification. The study found that there
      was no change in BMD between 3 months (mean +/- SD: 406.51 +/- 71.28 Hounsfield
      units [HU]) and 6 months (409.53 +/- 46.37 HU; P = 0.381). Significant changes in
      the distribution of bone height classifications were observed in the labial and
      palatal sides of the ABG between 3 and 6 months (P = 0.025 for labial bone
      height, P = 0.008 for palatal bone height). These results indicate that the
      alveolar density remained stable between 3 and 6 months, whereas bone height
      level declined during that period after ABG, the latter indicating bone graft
      absorption over time. It is, therefore, suggested that subsequent orthodontic or
      dental implants be placed 3 months after ABG rather than at 6 months or later. 

PMID- 26114512
TI  - Evaluation of the Cortical Bone Reaction Around of Implants Using a Single-Use
      Final Drill: A Histologic Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to compare the cortical bone reaction
      following traditional osteotomy or the use of a single-use final drill in the
      osseointegration of implants in the tibia of rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For
      this study, 48 conical implants, of standard surface type and design and
      manufactured by the same company, were inserted into the tibiae of 12 rabbits and
      removed after 30 or 60 days for histologic analysis. Two test groups were
      prepared according to the drill sequence used for the osteotomy at the
      preparation sites: in the control group was used a conventional drill sequence
      with several uses, whereas the test group (tesG) used a single-use final drill.
      The bone-to-implant contact and qualitative factors of the resulting cortical
      bone were assessed. RESULTS: Both techniques produced good implant integration.
      Differences in the linear bone-to-implant contact were observed between the
      drilling procedures as time elapsed in vivo, with the tesG appearing to have
      clinical advantages. Both groups exhibited new bone in quantity and in quality;
      however, the tesG exhibited a higher level of new bone deposition than the
      control group. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, the findings
      suggest that the use of a single-use final drill leads to better and faster
      organization of the cortical bone area during the evaluated period and may avoid
      the possible problems that can be caused by worn drills.

PMID- 26114511
TI  - Poly-D-L-Lactic Acid Membranes for Bone Regeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: To histologically and histomorphometrically evaluate the
      biocompatibility and the biological properties of perforated and nonperforated
      poly-D-L-lactic acid (PDLLA) resorbable membranes, using a model of calvarial
      monocortical bone defects in domestic pigs. METHODS: A total of 6 10 * 10 * 10 
      mm circular calvarial bone defects were prepared in each of the 3 adult female
      large white domestic pigs and assigned to the following experimental groups:
      negative control, nonperforated membrane only, perforated membrane only, bone
      only, bone + nonperforated membrane, and bone + perforated membrane. The PDLLA
      membranes were fixed by PDLLA pins by means of an ultrasonic device. After 40
      days, bone blocks containing the defects were harvested and histologically
      processed. RESULTS: A close contact between the PDLLA devices and the surrounding
      bone was found, and no trace of inflammatory tissue or signs of infection were
      detected. Bone regeneration occurred from the preexisting bone with a centripetal
      pattern. Incomplete bone filling was found in empty defects, whereas all sites
      filled with bone showed a complete bone formation, irrespectively of the presence
      and the type of membrane used. CONCLUSION: PDLLA membranes and pins showed to be
      highly biocompatible toward bone tissue and to do not interfere with the bone
      healing process of monocortical calvaria defects in domestic pigs. No adjunctive
      effect of PDLLA membranes, irrespectively of their perforated/nonperforated
      structure, could be evidenced in terms of bone regeneration under the present
      experimental conditions. Further studies are needed to investigate the
      regenerative potential of such devices in other clinically relevant models.

PMID- 26114513
TI  - The Frequency of Decreased Visual Acuity in Orbital Fractures.
AB  - The aim of this systematic review is to summarize and evaluate the effect of
      orbital fractures (blowout fractures and nonblowout fractures) on visual acuity.
      In PubMed search and Scopus search, the terms "orbital fracture OR maxillofacial
      injury OR facial trauma OR craniofacial fracture," and "visual acuity OR
      functional outcome OR visual outcome OR improving document of visual acuity OR
      blindness OR optic nerve neuropathy" were used, which resulted in 1634 and 1152
      papers, respectively. Of the 2226 titles excluding 560 duplicated titles, 227
      abstracts were reviewed. Of the 227 abstracts reviewed, the authors found 56
      potentially relevant full-text articles, of which 5 studies met our inclusion
      criteria. The odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals from each study were
      abstracted. The statistical analysis was performed with review manager (The
      Nordic Cochrane Centre). A summary of 5 studies affirmed that 43 patients among
      532 orbital fractures (8.1%) had decreased visual acuity. Twelve patients among
      159 blowout fractures (7.5%) had decreased visual acuity. Thirty-one patients
      among 373 orbital fractures other than pure blowout fractures (8.3%) had
      decreased visual acuity. In orbital fractures other than pure blowout fractures,
      the frequency of decreased visual acuity was higher than pure blowout fractures
      (n = 532, odds ratio, 2.23, 95% confidence interval = 1.06-4.70). Surgeons should
      acknowledge this with patients before surgery.

PMID- 26114514
TI  - A Three-Dimensional Statistical Average Skull: Application of Biometric Morphing
      in Generating Missing Anatomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The utilization of three-dimensional modeling technology in
      craniomaxillofacial surgery has grown exponentially during the last decade.
      Future development, however, is hindered by the lack of a normative three
      dimensional anatomic dataset and a statistical mean three-dimensional virtual
      model. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a protocol to
      generate a statistical three-dimensional virtual model based on a normative
      dataset of adult skulls. METHOD: Two hundred adult skull CT images were reviewed.
      The average three-dimensional skull was computed by processing each CT image in
      the series using thin-plate spline geometric morphometric protocol. Our
      statistical average three-dimensional skull was validated by reconstructing
      patient-specific topography in cranial defects. The experiment was repeated 4
      times. In each case, computer-generated cranioplasties were compared directly to
      the original intact skull. The errors describing the difference between the
      prediction and the original were calculated. RESULTS: A normative database of 33
      adult human skulls was collected. Using 21 anthropometric landmark points, a
      protocol for three-dimensional skull landmarking and data reduction was developed
      and a statistical average three-dimensional skull was generated. Our results show
      the root mean square error (RMSE) for restoration of a known defect using the
      native best match skull, our statistical average skull, and worst match skull was
      0.58, 0.74, and 4.4  mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The ability to statistically
      average craniofacial surface topography will be a valuable instrument for
      deriving missing anatomy in complex craniofacial defects and deficiencies as well
      as in evaluating morphologic results of surgery.

PMID- 26114515
TI  - The Incidence and Topographic Distribution of Sutures Including Wormian Bones in
      Human Skulls.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Wormian Bones are accessory bones located within the cranial
      sutures and fontanelles. The present article examines the incidence of Wormian
      Bones and compares the number and topographic distribution between the sutures
      including Wormian Bones in skulls of West Anatolian Population. METHODS: One
      hundred fifty crania were examined. The parameters evaluated in the present study
      were as follows: the rate of skulls including Wormian Bones; the topographic
      distribution and frequencies of the sutures including Wormian Bones; the number
      of these sutures for each skull; the name and number of sutures that were
      bilaterally and symmetrically located on the right and left side of skull (paired
      sutures) and which coincidentally had Wormian Bones for each skull; the
      differences of frequencies between the paired sutures including Wormian Bones.
      RESULTS: The rate of skulls including Wormian Bones was determined as 59.3%. The
      maximum and minimum numbers of sutures, including Wormian Bones, were 6 in 1
      skull and 1 in each of 30 skulls, respectively. The maximum and minimum rates of
      sutures that had Wormian Bones were found in left lambdoid 40.7% and right
      occipitomastoid 1.3% sutures, respectively. There was only a significant
      difference between the rate of right and left squamous sutures (P = 0.04). Forty
      five skulls were including 55 pairs of bilaterally and symmetrically located
      sutures that coincidentally had Wormian Bones in each pair. Each of 35 skulls had
      1 pair of sutures including Wormian Bones and each of 10 skulls had 2 pairs.
      CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, the rate of Wormian Bones was determined as
      59.3% in West Anatolian Population. This incidence rate is considerably lower
      than the other reports, and it may be as a result of racial variations. These
      divergent bones were more frequently found in left lambdoid sutures (40.7%) and
      less frequently in right occipitomastoid sutures (1.3%). This study may guide the
      investigators dealing with the neurosurgery, orthopedy, radiology, anatomy, and
      anthropology in their practice.

PMID- 26114516
TI  - Impact of Injury Mechanisms on Patterns and Management of Facial Fractures.
AB  - Mechanisms causing facial fractures have evolved over time and may be predictive
      of the types of injuries sustained. The objective of this study is to examine the
      impact of mechanisms of injury on the type and management of facial fractures at
      our Level 1 Trauma Center. The authors performed an Institutional Review Board
      approved review of our network's trauma registry from 2006 to 2010, documenting
      age, sex, mechanism, Injury Severity Score, Glasgow Coma Scale, facial fracture
      patterns (nasal, maxillary/malar, orbital, mandible), and reconstructions.
      Mechanism rates were compared using a Pearson chi2 test. The database identified
      23,318 patients, including 1686 patients with facial fractures and a subset of
      1505 patients sustaining 2094 fractures by motor vehicle collision (MVC), fall,
      or assault. Nasal fractures were the most common injuries sustained by all
      mechanisms. MVCs were most likely to cause nasal and malar/maxillary fractures (P
      < 0.01). Falls were the least likely and assaults the most likely to cause
      mandible fractures (P < 0.001), the most common injury leading to surgical
      intervention (P < 0.001). Although not statistically significant, fractures
      sustained in MVCs were the most likely overall to undergo surgical intervention.
      Age, number of fractures, and alcohol level were statistically significant
      variables associated with operative management. Age and number of fractures
      sustained were associated with operative intervention. Although there is a
      statistically significant correlation between mechanism of injury and type of
      facial fracture sustained, none of the mechanisms evaluated herein are
      statistically associated with surgical intervention. Clinical Question/Level of
      Evidence: Therapeutic, III.

PMID- 26114517
TI  - Sir William Arbuthnot Lane and His Contributions to Plastic Surgery.
AB  - Surgical subspecialties were just emerging at the turn of the 20th Century,
      before this time, general surgeons had to adjust their operative skills to
      address disorders throughout the body. Sir William Arbuthnot Lane was a British
      surgeon, whose restless mind led him to wander throughout the field of general
      surgery and beyond. Although controversial, he advanced in the repair of cleft
      lip and palate, introduced the "no touch" operative technique, internal fixation
      of fractures, and is credited as the first surgeon to perform open massage of the
      heart. During The Great War, he established the British Plastic Surgery unit at
      Sidcup and delegated the care of facial and jaw injuries to young Major Harold
      Gillies. Lane later founded The New Health Society, an organization that
      stimulated the natural food movement. Sadly, in his latter years Lane's thinking
      drifted further away from with the times and his professional credibility waned.
      Nevertheless, Lane's variegated life is of sufficient interest to deserve
      reassessment. 

PMID- 26114518
TI  - Roles of Polycaprolactone Membrane on Guided Bone Formation in High-Speed
      Distraction of Experimental Design Cranium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this research was to investigate whether covering of the
      distracted cranial bone segment with a polycaprolactone (PCL) membrane (guided
      bone formation) would accelerate the process of osteogenesis in high-speed
      distraction of adult rabbit. METHODS: Eighteen 24-weeks old, 3.0 to 3.5  kg, male
      New Zealand rabbits underwent routine gradual cranium distraction (group 1),
      distraction at high speed without the membrane (group 2), and distraction at high
      speed with a PCL membrane covering the cranium at the distraction gap (group 3).
      Five days after the cranial osteotomy, the distraction process was initiated at 3
      mm per day (1.5  mm twice a day) in group 2 and group 3, and 1  mm per day (0.5 
      mm twice a day) in group 1 until 10  mm of length gain was achieved. At the
      consolidation 4 and 6 weeks, the bone mineral density was analyzed by a
      computerized tomography imaging protocol. The bone formation ratio of each group
      was compared with Hematoxylin and Eosin stain. The collagen formation of each
      group was analyzed by Massons' trichrome staining. RESULTS: Radiographic imaging
      and quantitative data indicated a significant increase in bone mineral density in
      group 1 and group 3 compared with group 2. Bone formation ratio in histologic
      analysis showed an increase in group 1 and group 3. Collagen synthesis in group 2
      was significantly increased in distraction gap. In group 3, collagen fibers were
      significantly decreased underneath the PCL membrane. CONCLUSIONS:
      Polycaprolactone membrane covering the bone distraction gap provides an
      environment for faster bone formation in high-speed distraction.

PMID- 26114519
TI  - Communications Between the Trigeminal Nerve and the Facial Nerve in the Face: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - The aim of the article is to elucidate the communications between the trigeminal
      nerve and facial nerve in the face. In a PubMed search, 328 studies were found
      using the terms 'trigeminal nerve, facial nerve, and communication.' The
      abstracts were read and 39 full-text articles were reviewed. Among them, 11
      articles were analyzed. In the studies using dissection, the maxillary branch
      (V2) had the highest frequency (95.0% +/- 8.0%) of communication with the facial
      nerve, followed by the mandibular branch (V3) (76.7% +/- 38.5%). The ophthalmic
      branch (V1) had the lowest frequency of communication (33.8% +/- 19.5%). In a
      Sihler stain, all of the maxillary branches and mandibular branches had
      communications with the facial nerve and 85.7% (12/14 hemifaces) of the
      ophthalmic branches had communications. The frequency of communications between
      the trigeminal nerve and facial nerve were significantly higher (P = 0.00, t
      test) in the studies using a Sihler stain (94.7% +/- 1.1%) than the studies using
      dissection (76.9 +/- 35.8). The reason for the significantly higher frequency of
      trigeminal-facial communication in the studies using a Sihler stain is because of
      the limitation of the Sihler stain itself. This technique cannot differentiate
      the motor nerves from sensory nerves at the periphery, and a crossover can be
      misinterpreted as communication near to nerve terminal.

PMID- 26114520
TI  - Speech and Speech-Related Quality of Life After Late Palate Repair: A Patient's
      Perspective.
AB  - Many patients with cleft palate deformities worldwide receive treatment at a
      later age than is recommended for normal speech to develop. The outcomes after
      late palate repairs in terms of speech and quality of life (QOL) still remain
      largely unstudied. In the current study, questionnaires were used to assess the
      patients' perception of speech and QOL before and after primary palate repair.
      All of the patients were operated at a cleft center in northeast India and had a
      cleft palate with a normal lip or with a cleft lip that had been previously
      repaired. A total of 134 patients (7-35 years) were interviewed preoperatively
      and 46 patients (7-32 years) were assessed in the postoperative survey. The
      survey showed that scores based on the speech handicap index, concerning speech
      and speech-related QOL, did not improve postoperatively. In fact, the
      questionnaires indicated that the speech became more unpredictable (P < 0.01) and
      that nasal regurgitation became worse (P < 0.01) for some patients after surgery.
      A total of 78% of the patients were still satisfied with the surgery and all of
      the patients reported that their self-confidence had improved after the
      operation. Thus, the majority of interviewed patients who underwent late primary
      palate repair were satisfied with the surgery. At the same time, speech and
      speech-related QOL did not improve according to the speech handicap index-based
      survey. Speech predictability may even become worse and nasal regurgitation may
      increase after late palate repair, according to these results. 

PMID- 26114521
TI  - The Supraorbital Keyhole Approach.
AB  - AIM: The major aim of the present anatomical study was to demonstrate the
      anatomical structures that can be visualized using the supraorbital keyhole
      approach, both endoscopically and microscopically, from an eyebrow incision to
      intracranial structures. Furthermore, it defines an optimal craniotomy for
      surgery. METHODS: Fine dissection was performed on each side of 5 formalin-fixed
      adult cadavers according to the surgical procedures of the supraorbital keyhole
      approach, and each step was documented both endoscopically and microscopically.
      Furthermore, the distance between the superior temporal line and the supraorbital
      notch/foramen was measured from the 10 total sides of the 5 cadavers and from the
      118 sides of the 59 autopsies. RESULTS: Tumors and aneurysms of the anterior
      cranial fossa can be visualized during the supraorbital keyhole approach. The
      average distance between the superior temporal line and the supraorbital
      notch/foramen was measured. The distance obtained from the autopsies on the 25
      females was 31.56 +/- 4.03  mm on the right side and 31.04 +/- 5.40  mm on the
      left side. The average distance obtained from the autopsies on the 34 males was
      34.00 +/- 4.59  mm on the right side and 33.59 +/- 5.41  mm on the left side.
      There was no statistically significant difference between right and left in the
      female and male autopsies or between sexes. CONCLUSIONS: This anatomical study
      showed that structures in the anterior and middle cranial fossa can be reached
      via the supraorbital keyhole craniotomy approach with minimal brain retraction
      and adequate exposure and with minimal craniotomy size.

PMID- 26114522
TI  - Trigeminal Neuralgia: Evaluation of the Relationship Between the Region of
      Neuralgic Manifestation and the Site of Neurovascular Compression Under
      Endoscopy.
AB  - This study aimed to evaluate the relationship among the pain region, branches of
      trigeminal nerve, and the neurovascular compression (NVC) location. A total of
      123 consecutive patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) underwent endoscope
      assisted microvascular decompression according to positive preoperative
      tomographic angiography. V2 alone was in 51 cases and V3 alone was in 64 cases.
      The location of NVC was classified into cranial, caudal, medial, or lateral
      sites. Some patients with multiple regions were recorded as medial + cranial,
      lateral + cranial, medial + caudal, and lateral + caudal. Twenty-eight (71.8%) of
      39 patients with TN (V2) had their NVC at the medial site of the nerve. Twenty
      seven (64.3%) of 42 patients with TN (V3) had their NVC at the lateral site of
      the nerve. There was a statistically significant difference (P = 0.0011 < 0.01,
      chi2 test). Sixteen (69.6%) of 23 patients with TN(V2) had their NVC at the
      cranial site of the nerve. Thirty-four (69.4%) of 49 patients with TN (V3) had
      their NVC at the caudal site of the nerve. There was no statistical difference (P
      = 0.3097 > 0.01). Evaluation of the relationship between the pain region and the
      NVC location by endoscopic images during microvascular decompression is more
      accurate. The second branch is mostly distributed in the medial area, and third
      branch is mainly distributed in the lateral area.

PMID- 26114523
TI  - High-Energy Traumatic Maxillofacial Injury.
AB  - High-energy blunt or penetrating impact leads to great variability in facial
      injury patterns. Although the mechanism, pattern, and distribution of forces
      vary, the resultant damage to hard and soft tissues requires dedicated planning
      and execution of debridement and reconstructive procedures. This article
      evaluates the initial management of patients sustaining high-energy facial impact
      injuries resulting in one or more comminuted or displaced facial fractures, with
      accompanying severe facial lacerations and/or soft tissue defects and avulsion
      injuries. Seventy-three patients met the criteria for high-energy traumatic
      injuries at Jackson Memorial/University of Miami Medical Center between 2003 and
      2013 and are included in this article. Thirty-nine patients sustained one or more
      gunshot wounds to the face, and 34 patients were involved in high-speed motor
      vehicle collisions; all patients met our criteria for high-energy trauma. The
      treatment protocol for these injuries involves meticulous surgical exploration
      and assessment, aggressive debridement, early definitive reduction/fixation, and
      reconstruction as necessary. 

PMID- 26114524
TI  - New Pattern of Sutural Synostosis Associated With TWIST Gene Mutation and Saethre
      Chotzen Syndrome: Peace Sign Synostosis.
AB  - The authors present a new and unique pattern of sutural fusion "peace sign
      synostosis" (PSS) characterized by synostosis of the metopic, bicoronal, and
      sagittal sutures and associated with abnormalities of the TWIST1 gene known to be
      associated with Saethre-Chotzen syndrome (SCS). To do so, we performed a
      retrospective review of patients with bicoronal, metopic, and at least partial
      anterior sagittal synostoses at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and
      Seattle Children's Hospital. Patients' demographics, genetic analysis,
      perioperative and clinic notes were reviewed. Five patients were identified with
      PSS and abnormalities of TWIST1 consistent with SCS. One patient, with the
      longest follow-up of 7 years, underwent 5 intracranial procedures and required a
      ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt. The remaining 4 patients underwent posterior
      cranial vault distraction as the initial procedure, followed by anterior cranial
      vault remodeling. Two patients required a VP shunt. To conclude, synostosis of
      the metopic, bicoronal, and sagittal sutures (PSS) appears to be associated with
      SCS and produces a characteristic skull morphology that can be readily identified
      on physical examination. Early data suggest a high rate of reoperation, increased
      necessity for a VP shunt, and potential complications. Of note, this novel
      phenotype had not been previously observed at our respective institutions,
      reported in the literature, or observed in association with TWIST1 abnormalities
      as described in association with SCS. 

PMID- 26114525
TI  - Assessment of the Facial Soft Tissue Thickness of the Patients Affected by
      Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the soft tissue thickness of the
      patients affected by unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and to compare the
      findings with a matched control group without cleft using cone beam computed
      tomography (CBCT). METHODS: The study sample consisted of 66 patients (31 women
      and 35 men) divided into 2 groups as UCLP group (34 patients; 23 men and 11
      women; 9 right sided and 25 left sided; mean age: 14.11 +/- 3.48 years) and
      control group (32 patients; 12 men and 20 women; mean age: 15.10 +/- 3.13 years)
      without any cleft. Angular angle between Nasion-A line and Nasion-B line (ANB),
      angle between Sella-Nasion line and Gonion-Menton line (SN-MP) and linear
      (glabella, nasion, rhinion, subnasale, labrale superius, stomion, labrale
      inferius, labiomentale, pogonion, and gnathion) measurements were done using
      CBCT. Student t test was performed to compare the variables between the groups.
      RESULTS: Soft tissue thickness values for men were higher in both groups, except
      for rhinion and glabella. Subnasale for women (P = 0.000), men (P = 0.006), and
      total samples (P = 0.000) and the variable of the labrale superius for men (P =
      0.047) and total samples (P = 0.040) were found to be statistically significantly
      thinner in the UCLP group. SN-MP had significant affect on subnasale thickness (R
      = 15.8; Beta = -0.397; P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Thickness of the subnasale and the
      labrale superius were found to be statistically significantly thinner in the UCLP
      group compared with the controls.

PMID- 26114526
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracy of Blood Glucose Measurements in Detecting Venous Compromise
      in Flaps.
AB  - Due to limitations of the current methods for monitoring flap circulation, newer
      methods with better diagnostic accuracy are needed. A drop in blood glucose
      levels within flap is a simple method that can be widely used; however, this
      method has been examined only in small cohorts. The objective of this study was
      to determine the diagnostic accuracy of blood glucose measurements within flaps
      in early detection of venous compromise. We sampled 127 pedicled and free flaps,
      including replants, performed on patients between 12 and 60 years of age. Within
      flap blood glucose measurements were performed using pinprick and a blood glucose
      meter at 0, 6, 12, 24 and 48  hours after operation. Daily examination for
      clinical signs of venous compromise was used to determine flap viability for up
      to 7th day after operation. Of the 127 flaps, 76 (60%) were performed on men and
      the mean age +/- standard deviation of the patients was 35.8 +/- 12.1 years. A
      cut-off value of 62  mg/dL was determined using a receiver operating
      characteristic curve. Using this cut-off value, the sensitivity and positive
      predictive values of within flap blood glucose for determining venous compromise
      were 90% and 91%, respectively, whereas the specificity and negative predictive
      values were 78% and 76%, respectively. The overall diagnostic accuracy of within
      flap blood glucose was 87%. We conclude that blood glucose measurement within
      flap has acceptable diagnostic accuracy and should be used for early detection of
      venous compromise.

PMID- 26114527
TI  - Shared Surgical Decision Making and Youth Resilience Correlates of Satisfaction
      With Clinical Outcomes.
AB  - The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with youth satisfaction
      with surgical procedures performed to address oral cleft or craniofacial
      conditions (CFCs). It was hypothesized that youth mental health, participation in
      decision making, perceived consequences of living with a CFC, and coping
      strategies would be associated with satisfaction with past surgeries. A total of
      203 youth between the ages of 11 and 18 years (mean age = 14.5, standard
      deviation = 2.0, 61% male participants, 78% oral cleft) completed a series of
      questionnaires measuring depression, self-esteem, participation in decision
      making, condition severity, negative and positive consequences of having a CFC,
      coping, and satisfaction with past surgeries. Multiple regression analysis using
      boot-strapping techniques found that youth participation in decision making,
      youth perception of positive consequences of having a CFC, and coping accounted
      for 32% of the variance in satisfaction with past surgeries (P < 0.001). Youth
      age, sex, and assessment of condition severity were not significantly associated
      with satisfaction with surgical outcome. Depression, self-esteem, and negative
      consequences of having a CFC were not associated with satisfaction with past
      surgeries. Youth should be actively involved in the decision for craniofacial
      surgery. Youth who were more satisfied with their surgical outcomes also viewed
      themselves as having gained from the experience of living with a CFC. They felt
      that having a CFC made them stronger people and they believed that they were more
      accepting of others and more in touch with others' feelings because of what they
      had been through. 

PMID- 26114528
TI  - Occurrence of Pneumatic Cavities Surrounding the Temporomandibular Joint.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence, the
      location, and the characteristics of the pneumatic cavities (PCAs) surrounding
      the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) by using cone-beam computed tomography.
      METHODS: A retrospective study was performed by using the three-dimensional data
      archives from Faculty of Dentistry, Bezmialem University, Istanbul, Turkey. The
      age and sex had been previously recorded for all of the patients. The location
      and the morphologic characteristics of the PCAs were documented. RESULTS:
      Pneumatic cavities were found in 18 patients (15%): 11 women (61%) and 7 men
      (39%). Eleven (57.9%) of the patients showed unilocular pneumatic air cells and 8
      (42.1%) of them showed multilocular ones. The unilateral-to-bilateral ratio was
      2.3:1. The age range was 8 to 76 years (mean 29.5 +/- 21.86 years), and the
      female-to-male ratio was 1.57:1. CONCLUSION: Cone-beam computed tomography
      provides images without superimposition that allows accurate and easy evaluation
      of the PCAs surrounding the TMJ. Our results suggest that the occurrence of PCAs
      is higher than has been previously reported; therefore, it is recommended for
      clinicians who are planning to perform TMJ surgery to think about the PCAs to
      understand the exact morphology for avoiding intraoperative complications.

PMID- 26114529
TI  - A Hypothesis for the Pathologic Mechanism of Idiopathic Exophthalmos Based on
      Computed Tomographic Evaluations.
AB  - The causes of idiopathic exophthalmos were still unknown. We used computed
      tomography to compare the orbital structures of patients with idiopathic
      exophthalmos and those of a healthy Japanese population. A total of 18 orbits
      (ranged 17-52 years) in idiopathic exophthalmos and 334 normal orbits (ranged 17
      59 years) were included. On computed tomography, the eyeball and orbit sizes,
      lateral wall thickness and length, perpendicular distance from the interzygomatic
      line to the medial orbital rim, and the nasal cavity width were measured. No
      significant differences in eyeball or orbit sizes were found between the
      idiopathic exophthalmos and control groups (P > 0.05). In contrast, the mean
      lateral wall thickness of the idiopathic exophthalmos group was significantly
      thicker than that of the control group (P < 0.01). The lateral wall length was
      shorter with significant difference (P < 0.05). The perpendicular distance and
      the width of the nasal cavity in the idiopathic exophthalmos group were longer
      with significant difference (P < 0.05). The cause of idiopathic exophthalmos is
      compression of orbital contents by the medial wall expansion. The force of
      expansion of medial wall also influences the zygoma according to Wolff law. 

PMID- 26114530
TI  - Severe Pediatric Midface Trauma: A Prospective Study of Growth and Development.
AB  - Severe pediatric facial trauma is characterized by multiple, comminuted, and
      unstable fractures, frequently necessitating operative intervention. Disruption
      of facial growth is a primary concern in the long-term sequelae of such
      conditions. Children suffering from midface fractures were followed over time in
      a long-term growth and development study. Lateral cephalograms at longest-term
      follow-up were traced, digitized, and averaged. Seven landmarks of the midface (A
      point, ANS, orbitale, bridge of nose, distal U6, upper lip, stomion superius)
      were identified for comparative measurements with age and sex-matched
      superimposed Bolton norms as controls. Differences in x and y axes between test
      and control metrics were measured. Clinical significance was defined as a 2-mm
      discrepancy from the norm. Statistical significance for each patient was
      determined using t tests of the x and y arrays of patient values versus normal
      controls. Seven patients met the inclusion criteria with mean age of 8.9 years at
      the time of injury. Mean cephalometric follow-up was 4.6 years (range 2-10
      years). Six out of 7 patients (86%) showed clinically significant impairment in
      growth in horizontal (29%), vertical (29%), or both planes (29%). T Tests
      confirmed statistical significance (P <= 0.05) for all clinically significant
      differences. Mean deficiency in growth for all landmarks was 3.7  mm (range -4.0
      to 13.7  mm) in the x axis and 2.9  mm (range -1.1 to 8.8  mm) in the y axis.
      Severe pediatric midface trauma often results in compromised bone growth and
      permanent facial deformity. New methodologies of management that better allow for
      growth are needed.

PMID- 26114531
TI  - Cyst Formation Following Rhinoplasty and Reconstruction With Diced Conchal
      Cartilage Wrapped in Mastoid Fascia Following Excision.

PMID- 26114532
TI  - The Effect of Subcutaneous Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection on Viability of
      Auricular Cartilage Grafts.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although cartilage grafts are frequently used for structural
      integrity and volume restoration, one of the main concerns dealing with cartilage
      grafting is gradual volume loss and unpredictable viability rates of cartilage
      grafts. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a well known platelet concentrate reported
      to enhance cartilage repair and stimulates chondrocyte proliferation and matrix
      biosynthesis. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of
      subcutaneous PRP injection on improving the viability of cartilage grafts.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six circular cartilage grafts were obtained from auricular
      cartilages of 6 New Zealand white rabbits. Cartilage grafts were prepared in 3
      forms: block, crushed, and crushed/wrapped with Surgicel (Surgical, Ethicon,
      Somerville, NJ). Grafts were placed to 6 dorsal subcutaneous pockets and pockets
      were closed. Autologous PRP was prepared and injected subcutaneously into the
      pockets of experiment groups. At the end of 8 weeks, cartilage grafts were
      removed. Cartilage mass reduction rates were measured. Resorption rates of
      cartilage grafts and formation of fibroelastic and bone tissue were
      microscopically evaluated. RESULTS: All of the cartilage grafts lost significant
      weight. Viability scores of block cartilages were higher than crushed cartilages.
      Although less weight loss rates and higher histopathologic scores were obtained
      in subcutaneously PRP injected cartilage graft groups, these results were not
      statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Although our study gives a new insight
      about increasing the viability of cartilage grafts, the subcutaneous PRP
      injection did not result in improving the viability of cartilage grafts in this
      experimental design.

PMID- 26114533
TI  - Deep Temporal Fascia Coverage of the Loading Weight in Paralytic Lagopthalmos
      Patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Use of a weight for lagopthalmos secondary to facial nerve
      paralysis is the standard technique for achieving effective eyelid closure.
      However, because of thin and mobile skin of the eyelid and closely opposed
      implant, there is increased risk of complications such as implant visibility,
      contour deformity, and implant extrusion. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE: The authors
      describe a surgical technique involving coverage of the implanted weight with
      contralateral deep temporal fascia. The deep temporal fascia serves as a hammock
      to give an interventional barrier to prevent dehiscence of the pocket and
      extrusion of the ocular implant. It also provides camouflage to the irregular
      borders of the gold weight. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Autologous coverage of gold
      weight with deep temporal fascia provides an effective solution to commonly
      associated complications with the gold weights. The use of contralateral temporal
      fascia preserves the ipsilateral temporalis muscle for future facial nerve
      reconstruction.

PMID- 26114534
TI  - Are Mesenchymal Stem Cells Implanted in Lip Defect Capable of Returning
      Orbicularis Oris Muscle Function?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the amount of orbicularis oris muscle
      formation and function after using scaffold-free cells and mesenchymal stem cells
      scaffold in repaired cleft lip of rats. METHODS: Forty male Wistar rats were
      used. A triangular cut (7 * 7 * 4  mm) was made on the upper lip of 30 rats and
      then divided into 3 equal groups. In the first group (control), the defected cuts
      were closed by routine surgical procedures. The second group consisted of cell
      scaffold and the third scaffold-free cells (5 * 5 * 3) in the area of the
      incision.Two months after restoration, muscle electromyography activity was
      examined alongside 10 normal rats and tissue samples were histologically
      examined. Data were analyzed statistically by SPSS software and ANOVA and the
      Kruskal-Wallis test. The significance level was considered at P < 0.05. RESULTS:
      Electromyography activity in second and third groups was not significantly
      different from each other and with normal muscle. The control group had, however,
      higher activity than normal muscle (P < 0.001). The amount of newly formed muscle
      tissue in the scaffold group had a clear statistical difference with the cell
      scaffold (P = 0.018) and control group (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the inflammatory
      reaction showed a significant statistical difference in the control and scaffold
      group (P = 0.001) and the scaffold and cell-scaffold groups (P = 0.007). There
      was no significant difference in the number of formed fibroblast cells and
      collagen tissue in the area between the 3 groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results of
      this study show that extracellular matrix scaffold can reduce tension in the
      repaired cleft lip area by increasing muscle formation and decreasing scar tissue
      contraction, confirming the benefits of this type of scaffold.

PMID- 26114535
TI  - Tips and Tricks in Transoral Robotic Surgery for Challenging Vascular Tumors.
AB  - Surgical removal of head-neck vascular neoplasms may have severe complications,
      although surgery remains a very important treatment modality. One of the most
      important aspects is to avoid the rupture of the tumor's capsule and to minimize
      functional complications, especially in the excision of benign tumors. The
      transoral robotic surgery allows removing lesions in challenging anatomical
      areas. Furthermore, the current robotic instrumentation does not allow a fine
      dissection of the structures and capsule rupture is a potential event. Here, the
      authors describe a minimally invasive technique using transoral robotic surgery
      for removal of vascular tumors in head-neck. Particular attention was given to
      the description of the diagnostic work up, the preoperative assessment and the
      surgical steps. No complications were encountered postoperatively. Transoral
      robotic surgery for vascular tumors appears to be a safe and feasible technique
      with minimal complications. 

PMID- 26114536
TI  - Management of Severe Microstomia in a Ten-Week-Old Infant.
AB  - Microstomia is rarely seen in pediatric patients, but usually results from burns,
      trauma, or caustic ingestions. There have been multiple studies reporting various
      techniques for oral commissure reconstruction, but few reports in infants. The
      authors present another modification of previous techniques of microstomia repair
      performed in a 10-week-old infant using multiple z-plasties and bilateral mucosal
      rhomboid flaps.

PMID- 26114537
TI  - Chin Wing Osteotomy for Bilateral Goldenhar Syndrome Treated by "Chin Wing
      Mentoplasty": Aesthetic, Functional, and Histological Considerations.
AB  - Various treatment strategies have been proposed to perform the aesthetic surgical
      correction of asymmetric deformities of the mandible. These techniques range from
      relatively simple to complex procedures including bimaxillary surgery associated
      with complex mandibular osteotomies. The authors describe a patient with grade
      III Goldenhar syndrome, treated by a "chin wing" mentoplasty as described by
      Triaca. These situations are classically treated with a bilateral sagittal splint
      osteotomy (BSSO) in combination with mentoplasty. However, because of a good
      occlusion with Angle's class I relation, slight imbalance of the occlusal plane
      with good function of the mouth opening, the patient refused to be treated with a
      BSSO, hence, a chin wing mentoplasty was performed. Size and stability of bone
      regeneration were evaluated by histological examination and dynamic-volume
      computed tomography (CT). Mature bone in the grafted areas was detected by
      histology and CT scan with stable results and a significant increase of facial
      aesthetics 1 year after surgery. The authors also demonstrated that the chin wing
      technique provided a little but significant breathing improvement as detected on
      CT scans and lateral X-ray cephalograms by measuring the breathing area. Chin
      wing mentoplasty is a moderately invasive technique that is able to improve the
      aesthetics of the face and patient breathing. 

PMID- 26114538
TI  - Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Improve Survival of Random Pattern Cutaneous Flaps in
      Radiation Damaged Skin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tissue ischemia and necrosis following surgery after radiotherapy on
      the skin and subcutaneous tissue are well known to all reconstructive surgeons.
      Nevertheless, there has been no report so far on local effects of adipose-derived
      stem cells (ADSCs) on random flap survival elevated in an irradiated rat dorsum.
      In this experimental study, we aimed to identify the effect of adipose tissue
      derived stem cell injection on random flap survival in irradiated tissues.
      METHODS: Adipose-derived stem cells were isolated from the groin region of
      Sprague-Dawley rats and expanded ex vivo for 3 passages. Animals were divided
      into 2: irradiated and nonirradiated and then again into ADSC injected and
      noninjected groups altogether 4 groups. After elevation of caudally based dorsal
      random skin flaps (10  cm long and 3  cm wide), Green fluorescent protein labeled
      ADSCs were then injected to the base of the pedicle. Radiotherapy was 20  Gy
      single dose applied during 8 weeks before surgery. At postoperative day 7, flap
      viability measurement and tissue harvest for histologic and immunocytochemical
      assessment were performed in all groups. RESULTS: We have observed increased flap
      viability in ADSCs injected irradiated group compared with control radiation
      group with small but not statistically significantly increase in vessel count per
      field. Mean survival rate of the flaps in groups A, B, C, and D were 40.46%,
      60.07%, 40.90%, and 56.13%, respectively. There was a statistically significant
      vessel count difference between group B and group A and also with group D (P <
      0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that ADSCs have a potential for
      enhancing the blood supply of random pattern skin flaps after radiation injury.
      This mechanism might be both neovascularization and vasodilation along with
      endothelial repair. Further studies are needed.

PMID- 26114539
TI  - The Microsurgical Anatomy of the Modified Presigmoid Trans-Partial Bony Labyrinth
      Approach.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the surgical techniques of the modified presigmoid
      trans-partial bony labyrinth approach and the advantages in the exposure of the
      petroclival region and in the treatment of lesions in this area. METHODS: Between
      April and October of 2012, a study on modification of the surgical approach was
      performed on 15 cadaveric heads. On the basis of the traditional presigmoid
      approach, semicircular canals, and the petrous apex were partially resected. The
      detailed conditions of the exposure of important structures of the petroclival
      region were recorded. RESULTS: This approach provided a large operational space
      from the petroclival region to the posterior cavernous sinus. The range of
      presigmoid exposure (horizontal direction) was (19.41 +/- 1.58)  mm, the exposure
      range of the inferior temporal (vertical direction) was (14.18 +/- 1.88)  mm, the
      maximum exposure angle of the slope center depression was (60.54 degrees  +/-
      6.93 degrees ), and the depth of operation was (55.87 +/- 4.34)  mm. The
      vertebral-basilar artery, anterior inferior cerebellar artery, superior
      cerebellar artery, ipsilateral III-X cranial nerves, contralateral VI cranial
      nerve, Meckel cave, and posterior cavernous sinus were well exposed. CONCLUSION:
      The modified presigmoid trans-partial bony labyrinth approach was able to achieve
      excellent exposure of deep surfaces of the petroclival region and the posterior
      part of the cavernous sinus and showed advantages including a large range of
      exposure, multiple axes of visualization, preservation of hearing and facial
      nerve function, and early devascularization of tumors.

PMID- 26114541
TI  - Use of Postoperative Palatal Obturator After Total Palatal Reconstruction With
      Radial Forearm Fasciocutaneous Free Flap.
AB  - A 67-year-old-male patient visited our hospital for a mass on the soft palate of
      approximately 5.0 * 6.0  cm in size. He was diagnosed with adenoid cystic
      carcinoma and reconstruction after total palate resection was planned. After
      ablative surgery, a radial forearm free flap procedure was successfully performed
      to cover the hard and soft palates. However, wound disruption occurred twice
      during the postoperative period. When a palate defect is reconstructed using a
      soft tissue free flap, flap drooping by gravitation and the flap itself can
      generate irregularity in the lower contour of the palate and, in the long-term,
      insufficiencies of velopharyngeal function, speech, and mastication. To
      complement such functional and aesthetic problems caused by flap drooping,
      conventional prosthetics and new operative techniques have been discussed.
      However, overcoming wound disruption caused by flap drooping in the acute
      postoperative period has not been discussed. In this case, the temporary use of a
      palatal obturator during the postoperative period was beneficial after soft
      tissue reconstruction of the palate.

PMID- 26114543
TI  - A task control theory of mirror-touch synesthesia.
AB  - Ward and Banissy's illuminating discussion of mirror-touch synesthesia (MTS)
      encourages research testing two alternatives to Threshold Theory: Their own Self
      Other Theory, and "Task Control Theory". MTS may be due to abnormal mirror
      activity plus a domain-general, rather than a specifically social, impairment in
      the ability to privilege processing of task-relevant over task-irrelevant
      information. 

PMID- 26114545
TI  - Phylogeny and synonymous codon usage pattern of Papaya ringspot virus coat
      protein gene in the sub-Himalayan region of north-east India.
AB  - Sub-Himalayan West Bengal is favorable for the production of several fruits and
      vegetables. Papaya is one of the common plants cultivated in the area. Most of
      the papaya plants of the area are susceptible to Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV).
      Coat protein genes of 6 PRSV isolates of the area were sequenced following RT
      PCR. Phylogenetic study of the PRSV isolates showed about 80%-90% similarity with
      Cuban isolates. The codon usage pattern of our isolates was also analyzed, along
      with several other isolates. PRSV isolates of our study showed a preference for 8
      putative optimal codons. Correspondence analysis of the genes of different
      isolates along the first 2 major axes were done, as the first 2 axes contributed
      more in shaping codon usage pattern. In the phylogenetic tree constructed by the
      neighbour-joining method, our isolates clustered together with the east Indian,
      north Indian, and Bangladeshi isolates. The diversity and codon usage pattern of
      the PRSV isolates of different regions were studied, and it was observed that the
      codon usage pattern of PRSV isolates is probably influenced by translational
      selection along with mutational bias. 

PMID- 26114544
TI  - Mouse Tafazzin Is Required for Male Germ Cell Meiosis and Spermatogenesis.
AB  - Barth syndrome is an X-linked mitochondrial disease, symptoms of which include
      neutropenia and cardiac myopathy. These symptoms are the most significant
      clinical consequences of a disease, which is increasingly recognised to have a
      variable presentation. Mutation in the Taz gene in Xq28 is thought to be
      responsible for the condition, by altering mitochondrial lipid content and
      mitochondrial function. Male chimeras carrying a targeted mutation of Taz on
      their X-chromosome were infertile. Testes from the Taz knockout chimeras were
      smaller than their control counterparts and this was associated with a disruption
      of the progression of spermatocytes through meiosis to spermiogenesis. Taz
      knockout ES cells also showed a defect when differentiated to germ cells in
      vitro. Mutant spermatocytes failed to progress past the pachytene stage of
      meiosis and had higher levels of DNA double strand damage and increased levels of
      endogenous retrotransposon activity. Altogether these data revealed a novel role
      for Taz in helping to maintain genome integrity in meiosis and facilitating germ
      cell differentiation. We have unravelled a novel function for the Taz protein,
      which should contribute to an understanding of how a disruption of the Taz gene
      results in the complex symptoms underlying Barth Syndrome. 

PMID- 26114546
TI  - Economic Assessment of FMDv Releases from the National Bio and Agro Defense
      Facility.
AB  - This study evaluates the economic consequences of hypothetical foot-and-mouth
      disease releases from the future National Bio and Agro Defense Facility in
      Manhattan, Kansas. Using an economic framework that estimates the impacts to
      agricultural firms and consumers, quantifies costs to non-agricultural activities
      in the epidemiologically impacted region, and assesses costs of response to the
      government, we find the distribution of economic impacts to be very significant.
      Furthermore, agricultural firms and consumers bear most of the impacts followed
      by the government and the regional non-agricultural firms. 

PMID- 26114547
TI  - Effective Delivery of Endogenous Antioxidants Ameliorates Diabetic Nephropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is thought to be partially due to the
      injury of renal cells and the renal micro-environment by free radicals. Free
      radial scavenging agents that inhibit free radical damage may well prevent the
      development of underlying conditions such as mesangial expansion (by inhibiting
      extracellular matrix expression) in these patients. METHODS: Using techniques for
      intra-cellular delivery of peptides, we made metallothionein (MT) and superoxide
      dismutase (SOD), potent endogenous antioxidants, readily transducible into cell
      membrane and tested their protective effect against the development of DN in
      OLETF rats. Herein, we study antioxidant peptides for their ability to prevent
      oxidative damage to primary rat mesangial cells (MCs), which are important
      constituents of renal glomeruli. RESULTS: Intraperitoneal administration of these
      antioxidants resulted in delivery to the kidney and decreased ROS and the
      expression of downstream signals in renal cells and postponed the usual
      progression to DN. In in vitro experiments, MT and SOD were efficiently
      transferred to MCs, and the increased removal of ROS by MT and SOD was
      proportional to the degree of scavenging enzymes delivered. MT and SOD decreased
      three major oxidative injuries (hyperglycemia, AGE and ROS exposure) and also
      injuries directly mediated by angiotensin II in MCs while changing downstream
      signal transduction. CONCLUSIONS: The protective effects of MT and SOD for the
      progression of DN in experimental animals may be associated with the scavenging
      of ROS by MT and SOD and correlated changes in signal transduction downstream.
      Concomitant administration of these antioxidant peptides may prove to be a new
      approach for the prevention and therapy of DN.

PMID- 26114548
TI  - A Comparative Transcriptome Analysis between Wild and Albino Yellow Catfish
      (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco).
AB  - Body colours are important and striking features for individual survival and
      reproductive success, in particular in vertebrates where mating behaviour and
      mate preference may be strongly influenced by non-normal phenotypes. Pigmentation
      disorders may be generated by disruption of one or many independent genes as well
      as by environmental factors. The first discovery of albino yellow catfish
      (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco Richardson) with golden skin colour from fish farms in
      China provides us valuable material to study the molecular mechanism underlying
      the abnormalities of pigmentation. In this study, transcriptome sequencing of fin
      tissues corresponding to the distinct body colours, wild type and mutant albino
      yellow catfish, were performed using Illumina sequencing technology. Based on
      next-generation sequencing technology and de novo assembly, we generated a
      transcriptome of P. fulvidraco. A number of genes differentially expressed
      between the wild types and albinos were identified, suggesting their contribution
      to the different phenotypes and fitness. However, non-synonymous mutations result
      from single nucleotide substitutions residing in coding regions may not
      contribute to such differences. Based on the high-throughput expression data
      generated for the two different types of P. fulvidraco, we found that alterations
      of expression pattern may be more common than non-synonymous mutations. The
      transcriptome of P. fulvidraco will be an invaluable resource for subsequent
      comparative genomics and evolutionary analyses of this economically important
      fish. 

PMID- 26114550
TI  - Therapeutic potential of abalone and status of bioactive molecules: A
      comprehensive review.
AB  - Marine organisms are increasingly being investigated as sources of bioactive
      molecules with therapeutic applications as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. In
      particular, nutraceuticals are gaining popularity worldwide owing to their
      therapeutic potential and incorporation in functional foods and dietary
      supplements. Abalone, a marine gastropod, contains a variety of bioactive
      compounds with anti-oxidant, anti-thrombotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial,
      and anti-cancer activities. For thousands of years different cultures have used
      abalone as a traditional functional food believing consumption provides health
      benefits. Abalone meat is one of the most precious commodities in Asian markets
      where it is considered a culinary delicacy. Recent research has revealed that
      abalone is composed of many vital moieties like polysaccharides, proteins, and
      fatty acids that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. A review of past
      and present research is presented with relevance to the therapeutic potential of
      bioactive molecules from abalone.

PMID- 26114549
TI  - Transcriptome-based identification of new anti-inflammatory and vasodilating
      properties of the n-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid in vascular endothelial
      cell under proinflammatory conditions [corrected].
AB  - SCOPE: High intakes of n-3 fatty acids exert anti-inflammatory effects and
      cardiovascular protection, but the underlying molecular basis is incompletely
      defined. By genome-wide analysis we searched for novel effects of docosahexaenoic
      acid (DHA) on gene expression and pathways in human vascular endothelium under
      pro-inflammatory conditions. METHODS AND RESULTS: Human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells were treated with DHA and then stimulated with interleukin(IL)
      1beta. Total RNA was extracted, and gene expression examined by DNA microarray.
      DHA alone altered the expression of 188 genes, decreasing 92 and increasing 96.
      IL-1beta changed the expression of 2031 genes, decreasing 997 and increasing
      1034. Treatment with DHA before stimulation significantly affected the expression
      of 116 IL-1beta-deregulated genes, counter-regulating the expression of 55 genes
      among those decreased and of 61 among those increased. Functional and network
      analyses identified immunological, inflammatory and metabolic pathways as the
      most affected. Newly identified DHA-regulated genes are involved in stemness,
      cellular growth, cardiovascular system function and cancer, and included
      cytochrome p450 4F2(CYP4F2), transforming growth factor(TGF)-beta2, Cluster of
      Differentiation (CD)47, caspase recruitment domain(CARD)11 and
      phosphodiesterase(PDE)5alpha. CONCLUSIONS: Endothelial exposure to DHA regulates
      novel genes and related pathways. Such unbiased identification should increase
      our understanding of mechanisms by which n-3 fatty acids affect human diseases.

PMID- 26114551
TI  - The Role of MDR-Acinetobacter baumannii in Orthopedic Surgical Site Infections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gram-positive microorganisms were the main causative organisms of
      orthopedic surgical site infections (SSI); however the rising incidence of
      multiple drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) infections in orthopedic
      operations causes a great concern because of their limited array of therapeutic
      options. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to remark the changing microbiology in
      orthopedic SSI and to evaluate the MDR CHROMagar Acinetobacter media for
      screening of MDR-AB. METHODS: Aspirated pus samples were collected from infected
      wounds of 100 patients in the orthopedics unit of El-Helal Hospital, samples were
      cultured on conventional media and MDR CHROMagar Acinetobacter media, the reveled
      MDR-AB colonies were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect
      blaOXA-51 like gene. RESULTS: Out of 100 infected wounds SSI cases represented
      90/100 (90%) according to CDC 2013 definitions. Staphylococcus aureus was the
      dominant organism 40/90 (44.4%) (P value 0.038), all S. aureus isolates were
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), followed by Klebsiella
      pneumoniae 22/90 (24.44%) and Acinetobacter 15/90 (16.67%). Implant was highly
      associated with SSI cases 80/90 (89%). Also, prolonged hospital stay>7 d was
      significantly associated with SSI 69/90 (77%) (p=0.001). CONCLUSION:
      Staphylococcus aureus was the main causative organism of orthopedic SSI (44.4%),
      whereas A. baumannii represented only (16.67%) of the causative organisms. MDR
      Acinetobacter CHROMagar reduced the turnaround time for screening of MDR-AB.

PMID- 26114552
TI  - Choosing the Most Effective Pattern Classification Model under Learning-Time
      Constraint.
AB  - Nowadays, large datasets are common and demand faster and more effective pattern
      analysis techniques. However, methodologies to compare classifiers usually do not
      take into account the learning-time constraints required by applications. This
      work presents a methodology to compare classifiers with respect to their ability
      to learn from classification errors on a large learning set, within a given time
      limit. Faster techniques may acquire more training samples, but only when they
      are more effective will they achieve higher performance on unseen testing sets.
      We demonstrate this result using several techniques, multiple datasets, and
      typical learning-time limits required by applications. 

PMID- 26114553
TI  - Development of novel core-shell dual-mesoporous silica nanoparticles for the
      production of high bioavailable controlled-release fenofibrate tablets.
AB  - Novel core-shell dual-mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSN) were successfully
      prepared as a carrier in order to improve the dissolution of fenofibrate and
      obtain an oral highly bioavailable controlled-release drug delivery system using
      the osmotic pump technology. Fenofibrate was loaded into DMSN by an adsorption
      method. The solid state properties of fenofibrate in DMSN, before and after drug
      loading, were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission
      electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis (BET),
      thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR),
      X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In
      vitro release tests showed that DMSN increased the dissolution rate of
      fenofibrate and produced zero-order release in push-pull osmotic pump tablets
      (OPT). The relative bioavailability of OPT was 186.9% in comparison with the
      commercial reference product. In summary, osmotic pump technology in combination
      with solid dispersion technology involving nanometer materials is a promising way
      for achieving the oral delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs. 

PMID- 26114554
TI  - Formulation, physicochemical characterization and in-vivo evaluation of ion
      sensitive metformin loaded-biopolymeric beads.
AB  - The demand on the controlled release of short acting antidiabetic drug, metformin
      (MT), has been increased dramatically. Thus, boosting the development of new
      sustained release formulations with contents of multi-micro-scaled particles.
      This paved the way for the preparation of MT-loaded Gellan gum (GG) microbeads
      through inotropic gelation technique. The prepared beads were characterized for
      the following parameters; yield and loading efficiency particle size, particles
      morphology and topography, swelling behavior, and in-vitro release studies. In
      view of any possible interactions, differential scanning calorimetry and infrared
      spectroscopy were performed. As an ultimate evaluation, the relative
      bioavailability of the sustained release beads was studied in healthy volunteers
      after oral administration in a fasted state compared to commercially available
      immediate and extended release tablets using a new validated HPTLC method for MT
      assay in urine. Results obtained revealed that the formulated Gellan beads were
      spherical in shape with less smooth surface in the micron range with high yield
      and entrapment efficiency. In-vitro release studies of the prepared beads were
      achieved up to 8 h. The prolonged release of MT can be explained through various
      factors among them; the swelling of the biopolymer and the ionic interaction
      between the drug and the GG. After oral administration, the AUC(0-24), t(1/2) and
      t(max) of the prepared beads were of 246.74 +/- 26.81 mg, 11.84 +/- 2.79 and 7.17
      +/- 1.75 h, respectively, demonstrating its bioequivalence to the marketed
      products. In conclusion, the formulated GG microbeads exhibit potentials as an
      oral sustained release MT system.

PMID- 26114555
TI  - Varicella-zoster virus encephalomyelitis with a prominent demyelinating
      component.
AB  - The histopathologic presentation of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection of the
      central nervous system is varied and is not well understood. Here we report a
      case of VZV encephalomyelitis with prominent demyelinating pathology in a patient
      with a history of follicular lymphoma treated with allogeneic stem cell
      transplantation. The patient presented with waxing and waning bilateral limb
      weakness and mental status changes. MRI showed leptomeningeal, peripheral spinal
      cord and periventricular cerebral white matter lesions in the brain, and
      polymerase chain reaction on cerebrospinal fluid detected VZV DNA. The patient
      expired from developing atrial fibrillation that rapidly progressed to
      ventricular fibrillation 10 days after admission to our hospital. Autopsy
      revealed macrophage-rich areas of demyelination in the spinal cord and cerebrum
      with relative preservation of axons associated with inclusion bodies and positive
      immunostaining for VZV. This case represents a rare example of VZV
      encephalomyelitis presenting with a predominantly demyelinating, "multiple
      sclerosis-like" pathology. The clinical and histopathologic findings and relevant
      literature are presented and discussed.

PMID- 26114557
TI  - A Practical Torque Estimation Method for Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous
      Machine in Electric Vehicles.
AB  - The torque output accuracy of the IPMSM in electric vehicles using a state of the
      art MTPA strategy highly depends on the accuracy of machine parameters, thus, a
      torque estimation method is necessary for the safety of the vehicle. In this
      paper, a torque estimation method based on flux estimator with a modified low
      pass filter is presented. Moreover, by taking into account the non-ideal
      characteristic of the inverter, the torque estimation accuracy is improved
      significantly. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through
      MATLAB/Simulink simulation and experiment. 

PMID- 26114556
TI  - Barriers and Potential Improvements for Needle and Syringe Exchange Programs
      (NSPs) in China: A Qualitative Study from Perspectives of Both Health and Public
      Security Sectors.
AB  - This study explores the acceptability, the barriers to the implementation of
      needle and syringe exchange programs (NSPs) and the potential improvement
      strategies in China from the perspectives of governmental health and public
      security officials. Purposive sampling was used for recruitment of participants
      who had been involved in NSPs implementation. Semi-Structured individual
      interviews were conducted in Mandarin to address three aspects of NSPs: (1)
      participants' attitudes towards NSPs, (2) participants' opinions on the
      effectiveness and barriers of NSPs, and (3) suggestions for improving the
      program. Content analysis was used to analyse the translated interview data. A
      total of 68 participants from 12 Hunan counties were interviewed (34 from each of
      the Bureau of Health and the Narcotic Division). Both groups recognised the
      importance and effectiveness of NSPs in HIV prevention, but public security
      officials regarded NSPs as a temporary intervention in place of punitive
      measures. Most health officials (32/34) regarded the main barriers to its
      implementation as administrative and structural, whereas participants from
      Narcotics Division (n=24) questioned the legitimacy of NSPs and concerned about
      the poor management of drug users' risk behaviours. Close cooperation between the
      health and public security sectors, engagement of the drug user community and an
      enabling policy environment were reportedly to be critical for potential
      improvements of NSPs in China. Misconceptions about NSPs encourage drug users'
      addictive behaviour, and an unclear leadership and insufficient support de
      motivate the participants from the Bureau of Health and the Narcotics Division to
      actively support the program implementation. 

PMID- 26114559
TI  - [Hemi-prosthesis in femoral neck Fracture in the Elderly--OP video and our
      results].
AB  - BACKGROUND: In geriatric patients with Pauwels II and III type femoral neck
      fractures, endoprosthesis is the therapy of choice. We want to demonstrate the
      operation technique of implantation of a hemiprosthesis (dual head prosthesis) by
      video in an 87-year-old female patient. In addition, we analyse the long-term
      results after surgery more than one year after endoprosthesis in patients with
      femoral neck fractures. METHOD: From 2007 to 2010, 219 public health insurance
      (AOK) patients with displaced femoral neck fractures were treated surgically at
      our hospital. This number of included patients puts us in the 97th percentile of
      all hospitals in Germany. Because the patients were publicly insured, all health
      information was available including completely retrospective post-hospital
      discharge as well as inpatient course and one-year mortality. RESULTS: There were
      77 % female and 23 % male patients in the study with an average age of 83.5
      years. In addition to the femoral neck injury, 19 % of the patients had an
      accompanying PCCL of 3, and 44 % had a PCCL of 4. 16 % suffered from heart
      failure, 23 % from diabetes, and 19 % from renal insufficiency. Time to surgery
      averaged one day post-injury. A dual head prosthesis (hemiprosthesis) was
      implanted in 81.4 % of cases, and a total joint prosthesis in 18.6 %. Average
      operative time skin to skin was 53 minutes. Average inpatient stay was 13 days.
      71 % of patients could ambulate independently on discharge. Of the remaining
      patients, two-thirds were already not ambulating independently prior to the
      fracture. Hospital mortality averaged 6 % (national average 8.1 %), and 30-day
      and 90-day mortality rates were 6 % and 16.3 %. Within one year, 22.2 % of
      patients had died (national average 26.8 %), with a natural mortality probability
      of 7.1 % for an age of 83.5 years. 11 patients were re-admitted, for
      contralateral prosthetic implantation (n = 6) or revision after periprosthetic
      fracture (n = 4). 54.6 % of patients were admitted to hospital during the year
      for other diseases (national average 53.8 %). CONCLUSION: Endoprosthesis
      placement for displaced femoral neck fractures is a common, safe procedure.
      However, patients are old and have comorbidities. Despite recent decreases in
      hospital mortality, the risk of death remains more than twice as high within one
      year than that for uninjured patients of the same age.

PMID- 26114560
TI  - [Editorial for the Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology].

PMID- 26114561
TI  - [Subtotal Segment Resection, Augmenting Angle-Stable Plate Osteosynthesis and
      Allogenic Bone Graft as Treatment Option for Juxtacortical Osteosarcoma in the
      Knee Region].
AB  - Juxtacortical osteosarcomas are a group of rare primary bone tumours. They differ
      from medullary osteosarcomas in their anatomic location (outside of the
      corticalis), low metastasis rate and better prognosis. The only evidence-based
      treatment of juxtacortical osteosarcomas is the wide surgical resection. In this
      technical report we will introduce a new surgical technique, including the
      subtotal resection of the tumour-bearing bone segment, defect reconstruction by
      means of an augmenting fixed-angle plate osteosynthesis and homologous cancellous
      bone graft. If necessary, a subsequent plastic coverage of the soft tissue defect
      was performed. The technique will be presented by means of three illustrated
      cases of young patients with juxtacortical osteosarcomas in the proximity of the
      knee joint. Following diagnostic confirmation by means of an incision biopsy and
      tumour staging, the three patients underwent this new surgical technique. In the
      postoperative follow-up and re-staging, two to seven years after surgery, all
      patients were under complete remission, had functionally restored knee joints
      (Karnofsky score 90 % or higher) and showed good aesthetic results. The surgical
      technique described may therefore be an adequate alternative to the complete
      resection of the tumour-bearing bone segment with prosthetic reconstruction and
      should be considered on the basis of the illustrated functional results in
      individual cases.

PMID- 26114562
TI  - [Modular Neck in Primary Total Hip Replacement--A Justifiable Risk?].
AB  - Modular necks are considered as a treatment option in primary total hip
      replacement aiming to allow a variable reconstruction of the hip joint. Concerns
      are related to increased failure and complication rates which may be associated
      with the additional modular interface. This interface is frequently affected by
      corrosion processes which may initiate premature failure of the entire implant.
      In this study the risk of modular necks as a clinical treatment option is
      evaluated. Based on register data and clinical studies modular necks should only
      be used with strict limitations for general treatment in primary total hip
      replacement.

PMID- 26114563
TI  - [Intraoperative Evaluation of Total Knee Arthroplasty: Anatomic and Kinematic
      Assessment with Trial Components].
AB  - The intraoperative use of trial components in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is of
      paramount importance to prevent inadequate ligament balance and to achieve
      optimal position of the definitive components. This review demonstrates an 8-step
      algorithm to assess the anatomy of the femoral, tibial and patellar component as
      well as the kinematics of the tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints. Trial
      components allow an easy assessment of the anatomic fit of the final implants.
      Upon the trials insertion, bone coverage and the component overhang should be
      evaluated. The femoral rotation should be assessed using the transepicondylar
      axis and for the tibial component rotation assessment, the tibial tuberosity
      would be the most reliable bony landmark. Addressing the patella, sizing and bone
      coverage should be thoroughly evaluated. In order to restore physiological
      kinematics the remnants of the meniscus rim can be used to determine the correct
      reconstruction of the joint line. A tight extension gap results in limited
      extension, whereas a tight or unbalanced flexion gap leads to "booking" or "spin
      out" of the inlay. The POLO test (pull-out, lift- off) allows an easy assessment
      of the posterior cruciate ligament tension and the size of the flexion gap as
      well. To prevent postoperative dislocation and overstuffing, specific tests for
      correct patellar positioning and tracking support should be performed. The
      anatomy and kinematics of total knee arthroplasty have to be evaluated by trial
      components on a routine basis before inserting the final implants in order to
      identify implant positioning errors and inadequate ligament balance.

PMID- 26114564
TI  - [Surgical Techniques for Patella Replacement in Cases of Deficient Bone Stock in
      Revision TKA].
AB  - The patella replacement in revision surgery is a challenge especially in cases of
      unsufficient bone stock. Depending on the extent of the bone defect, the
      following videos demonstrate different approaches: Video 1: bone sparing removal
      of the patella implant: onlay-type patella implants. Video 2: complete cortical
      bone rim of the patella, residual thickness between 6 to 10 mm: biconvex patella
      implant. Video 3 and 4: small defects of the cortical bone rim of the patella,
      residual thickness 1 to 5 mm (patella shell): gull-wing osteotomy, patella bone
      grafting techniques. Video 5: partial necrosis/defect of the patella shell with
      incomplete cortical bone rim: porous tantalum patella prosthesis. On account of
      the various surgical options for different bone defects of the patella,
      patellectomy and pure patelloplasty should be avoided to prevent functional
      shortcomings. 

PMID- 26114565
TI  - [Avoidance of Patello-Femoral Overstuffing].
AB  - Reconstruction of the patello-femoral compartment and by that avoidance of an
      overstuffing is one of the important steps for a successful TKA. A revision rate
      of around 15 % due to problems of the patello-femoral compartment demonstrates
      that this is not achieved in all cases. There can be many reasons for an
      overstuffing and also the symptoms can be very variable, showing sometimes a
      limited flexion, patello-femoral maltracking or anterior knee pain. Due to its
      relevance the following paper demonstrates the different reasons for a patello
      femoral overstuffing. Further possible solutions for avoidance of overstuffing
      are described. The reasons for patello-femoral overstuffing are multiple. The
      majority is caused on the femoral side, however additional patellar and tibial
      reasons exist. During positioning of the femora resection blocks, the distal
      resection plane (extension/flexion) as well as the AP block for sizing is
      crucial. For that a pre-op analysis and implant planning in the lateral view of
      the X-ray should be performed in order to optimise implant size and position. For
      the patella the correct resection height and plane are important to avoid an
      overstuffing. A lateral patella component position can be another reason for an
      overstuffing. In conclusion, it can be stated that an anatomic reconstruction of
      the patello-femoral compartment is an important part of TKA surgery. The
      avoidance of a patello-femoral overstuffing can be achieved by exact pre-op
      planning of the femoral component size and position, and by precise surgery with
      sufficient bone resection.

PMID- 26114566
TI  - [Management of Flexion Contracture in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty].
AB  - Flexion contracture is a common deformity of the arthritic knee. The present
      publication describes causes, clinical relevance and surgical technique in the
      presence of flexion contractures in total knee arthroplasty. Flexion contracture
      can be attributed to different causes. Basically it is a mismatch between flexion
      and extension gaps. Moderate and severe deformities have to be corrected by
      additional surgical interventions. In most cases soft tissue techniques with
      release of contracted structures, the removal of osteophytes and additional
      distal femoral bone resection are necessary. The goal of these interventions is
      to achieve full extension of the knee. During rehabilitation attention has to be
      paid to maintain it with intensive physical therapy. A remaining flexion
      contracture is associated with inferior functional outcome and persistent pain. 

PMID- 26114567
TI  - [Tips and Tricks for Mobile Bearing Medial Unicondylar Knee Replacement].
AB  - The term anteromedial osteoarthritis of the knee joint was first established in
      1991 by White et al. and describes an isolated osteoarthritis of the medial
      tibiofemoral compartment with intact posterior tibial cartilage in patients with
      a functionally intact anterior cruciate ligament and occurs in about 30 % of all
      patients with clinically relevant gonarthrosis. In these patients, there is the
      possibility for minimally invasive unicondylar knee arthroplasty. One of the most
      commonly used prosthesis with long-term experience is the Oxford Uni knee
      prosthesis (Biomet UK Limited, Swindon, UK). The most recent phase of development
      of this prosthesis focused on improving the reliability of the instruments
      (Microplasty) which allows a more reproducible execution of the operation to help
      eliminate early failure due to surgical errors. In the following article, the
      essential surgical steps of minimally invasive implantation of the Oxford Uni
      with the Microplasty instrumentation in a patient with severe anteromedial
      osteoarthritis of the knee joint are demonstrated and explained.

PMID- 26114568
TI  - [Pilon Fractures].
AB  - Pilon fractures are uncommon, representing approximately 5-10 % of all lower limb
      fractures. Pilon fractures are often associated with serious soft tissue injuries
      resulting in initial external fixation followed by internal fixation once the
      condition of the soft tissues has improved. Articular distal fractures of the
      tibia are classified as B3, C1, C2 and C3 fractures according to the AO
      Classification. Pilon fractures are usually the result of a high energy trauma. A
      low energy trauma such as a twisting injury of the ankle can also lead to a pilon
      fracture. Such low energy mechanisms of injury are rarely associated with
      significant soft tissue injury and can be immediately fixated internally. Pilon
      fractures are often associated with an unsatisfactory healing response. This is a
      result of a combination of factors including the severity of the trauma, the
      extent of the initial soft tissue injury and the accuracy of the articular
      surface reconstruction.

PMID- 26114569
TI  - Alopecia Areata Increases the Risk of Stroke: a 3-year Follow-Up Study.
AB  - The risk for stroke in alopecia areata (AA) patients is still unknown. This study
      aimed to investigate the risk for subsequent risk of a stroke in AA patients in a
      large-scale retrospective cohort study. We identified 3231 patients with AA
      included in the study group from 2004 to 2011 in the "Longitudinal Health
      Insurance Database 2000" in Taiwan. We randomly selected 16,155 matched patients
      as the comparison group. We individually tracked each patient for a 3-year period
      to identify patients who had received a diagnosis of stroke during the follow-up
      period. We found that incidence rates of stroke during the 3-year follow-up
      periods were 5.44 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.03~7.20) and 2.75 (95% CI =
      2.30 ~ 3.27) per 1000 person-years for patients with and those without AA,
      respectively. Cox proportional hazard regressions showed that the adjusted hazard
      ratio for stroke for those patients with AA was 1.61 (95% CI = 1.13 ~ 2.30)
      within the follow-up period compared to the controls. We concluded that patients
      with AA were associated with a higher risk of stroke in the 3-year follow-up
      period.

PMID- 26114572
TI  - Recent Progress on Man-Made Inorganic Nanomachines.
AB  - The successful development of nanoscale machinery, which can operate with high
      controllability, high precision, long lifetimes, and tunable driving powers, is
      pivotal for the realization of future intelligent nanorobots, nanofactories, and
      advanced biomedical devices. However, the development of nanomachines remains one
      of the most difficult research areas, largely due to the grand challenges in
      fabrication of devices with complex components and actuation with desired
      efficiency, precision, lifetime, and/or environmental friendliness. In this work,
      the cutting-edge efforts toward fabricating and actuating various types of
      nanomachines and their applications are reviewed, with a special focus on
      nanomotors made from inorganic nanoscale building blocks, which are introduced
      according to the employed actuation mechanism. The unique characteristics and
      obstacles for each type of nanomachine are discussed, and perspectives and
      challenges of this exciting field are presented. 

PMID- 26114573
TI  - Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Animal Bite Victims Attending an Anti
      rabies Health Center in Jimma Town, Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rabies is an important but preventable cause of death in Ethiopia. We
      assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of animal bite victims attending
      an anti-rabies health center in Jimma Town, Ethiopia. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: Between July 2012 and March 2013 a cross-sectional questionnaire was
      administered to 384 bite victims or their guardians in the case of minors (aged
      <15 years). Factors associated with knowledge, attitudes and practices were
      evaluated using generalized linear models. Almost all participants (99%) were
      aware that rabies was transmitted by the bite or lick of a rabid dog, however
      only 20.1% identified "germs" as the cause of disease. A majority of participants
      stated rabies could be prevented by avoiding dog bites (64.6%) and confining dogs
      (53.9%); fewer (41.7%) recognized vaccination of dogs/cats as an important
      preventive strategy. Regarding attitudes, most (91.1%) agreed that medical
      evaluation should be sought as soon as possible. However, most (75.0%) also
      believed that traditional healers could cure rabies. Rural residence (adjusted
      odds ratio [OR] = 2.1, p = 0.015) and Protestant religion (OR = 2.4, p = 0.041)
      were independently associated with this belief. Among 186 participants who owned
      dogs, only 9 (4.8%) had ever vaccinated their dog and more than 90% of
      respondents indicated that their dog was free-roaming or cohabitated with the
      family. Only 7.0% of participants applied correct first aid following exposure,
      and the majority (47.7%) reported that the animal was killed by the community
      following the incident. Female sex and Muslim religion were independently
      associated with higher and lower practices scores, respectively, due largely to
      differences in animal management practices following the incident.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Although respondents demonstrated reasonably sound
      knowledge of rabies and its transmission, attitudes and practices were
      inconsistent with rabies prevention. Culturally- and gender-sensitive activities
      that promote proper first aid and healthcare seeking behavior as well as
      appropriate animal management, particularly in rural areas, are needed to prevent
      deaths associated with rabies in this setting.

PMID- 26114571
TI  - Fungal Morphology, Iron Homeostasis, and Lipid Metabolism Regulated by a GATA
      Transcription Factor in Blastomyces dermatitidis.
AB  - In response to temperature, Blastomyces dermatitidis converts between yeast and
      mold forms. Knowledge of the mechanism(s) underlying this response to temperature
      remains limited. In B. dermatitidis, we identified a GATA transcription factor,
      SREB, important for the transition to mold. Null mutants (SREBDelta) fail to
      fully complete the conversion to mold and cannot properly regulate siderophore
      biosynthesis. To capture the transcriptional response regulated by SREB early in
      the phase transition (0-48 hours), gene expression microarrays were used to
      compare SREB? to an isogenic wild type isolate. Analysis of the time course
      microarray data demonstrated SREB functioned as a transcriptional regulator at 37
      degrees C and 22 degrees C. Bioinformatic and biochemical analyses indicated SREB
      was involved in diverse biological processes including iron homeostasis,
      biosynthesis of triacylglycerol and ergosterol, and lipid droplet formation.
      Integration of microarray data, bioinformatics, and chromatin immunoprecipitation
      identified a subset of genes directly bound and regulated by SREB in vivo in
      yeast (37 degrees C) and during the phase transition to mold (22 degrees C). This
      included genes involved with siderophore biosynthesis and uptake, iron
      homeostasis, and genes unrelated to iron assimilation. Functional analysis
      suggested that lipid droplets were actively metabolized during the phase
      transition and lipid metabolism may contribute to filamentous growth at 22
      degrees C. Chromatin immunoprecipitation, RNA interference, and overexpression
      analyses suggested that SREB was in a negative regulatory circuit with the bZIP
      transcription factor encoded by HAPX. Both SREB and HAPX affected morphogenesis
      at 22 degrees C; however, large changes in transcript abundance by gene deletion
      for SREB or strong overexpression for HAPX were required to alter the phase
      transition. 

PMID- 26114574
TI  - Impact of Childhood Abuse on the Risk of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Mainland
      Chinese Adolescents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Childhood abuse has been associated with significant increases in non
      suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors in adolescents; however, only general
      definitions of this risk indicator have been examined. This study identified
      relationships between specific forms of childhood abuse and NSSI in mainland
      Chinese adolescents. METHOD: A total of 14,221 cases were retained from an
      epidemiological study involving adolescents from junior and senior middle
      schools. Information relating to the perpetrator, perceived harm, timing of
      exposure to different types of childhood abuse, and NSSI were obtained. Logistic
      regression was used to analyze relationships between each form of childhood abuse
      and NSSI. RESULTS: Approximately 51.0% of the students reported at least one
      abusive childhood experience. Nearly one in four students (24.9%) reported that
      they had engaged in NSSI in the past 12 months. Each type of childhood abuse,
      occurring at any time within the first 16 years of life, especially in situations
      of continuous exposure, was significantly associated with NSSI. A significant
      graded relationship was found between number of abusive childhood experiences and
      NSSI. Students maltreated by parents or others were at high risk of engaging in
      NSSI, the risk was greater in students maltreated by both; students who had been
      exposed to childhood abuse with no perceived harm still demonstrated an elevated
      risk for NSSI. The pattern of associations did not vary by gender. CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings suggest that experiencing any of various forms of childhood abuse
      should be considered a risk factor for NSSI during adolescence. Further research
      should focus upon psychosocial, neural, and genetic factors that might moderate
      or mediate the onset of NSSI in adolescents who have experienced childhood abuse.

PMID- 26114575
TI  - Hybrid in Silico/in Vitro Approach for the Identification of Angiotensin I
      Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Peptides from Parma Dry-Cured Ham.
AB  - The bioactivity assessment of foodborne peptides is currently a research area of
      great relevance, and, in particular, several studies are devoted to the
      antihypertensive effects through the inhibition of angiotensin I converting
      enzyme (ACE). In the present work, a straightforward workflow to identify
      inhibitory peptides from food matrices is proposed, which involves a hybrid in
      vitro/in silico tandem approach. Parma dry-cured ham was chosen as case study. In
      particular, the advantage of using the hybrid approach to identify active
      sequences (in comparison to the experimental trials alone) has been pointed out.
      Specifically, fractions obtained by in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of ham
      samples of 18 and 24 months of aging have been assessed for ACE inhibition. At
      the same time, the released peptidomic profiles, which cannot be entirely
      evaluated by using in vitro assays, have been screened for the inhibition by
      using an in silico model. Then, to identify novel inhibitory sequences, a series
      of strong candidates have been synthesized and assessed for their inhibitory
      activity through in vitro assay. On the one hand, the use of computational
      simulations appeared to be an effective strategy to find active sequences, as
      confirmed by in vitro analysis. On the other hand, strong inhibitory sequences
      were identified for the first time in Parma dry-cured ham (e.g., LGL and SFVTT
      with IC50 values of 145 and 395 MUM, respectively), which is a product of
      international dietary and economic relevance. Therefore, these findings
      demonstrate the usefulness of in silico methodologies coupled to in vitro tests
      for the identification of potentially bioactive peptides, and they give an
      important contribution to the study of the overall nutritional value of Parma
      ham. 

PMID- 26114576
TI  - Annual Migration of Agrotis segetum (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): Observed on a Small
      Isolated Island in Northern China.
AB  - Migration behavior of the turnip moth, Agrotis segetum (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae),
      is not well known by far. Here, we present the data from an 11-year study on A.
      segetum by means of searchlight trapping and ovarian dissection on Beihuang (BH)
      Island, which located in the center of the Bohai Strait in northern China. The
      data showed a large number of A. segetum flight across the strait each year,
      which provides direct evidence that A. segetum is a long-distance migrant,
      migrating at least 40-60 km to reach the trapping site. The migration period
      during 2003-2013 ranged from 115 to 172 d. Among the catches, the proportion of
      females was significantly higher than that of males in each month from May to
      September. Ovarian dissection showed that the proportion of mated females and the
      proportion of sexually mature females was significantly higher than that of
      unmated females and sexually immature females in early summer, respectively, but
      conversely in autumn. The early summer populations migrate in a south-north
      direction, which might undertake a long-distance flight on several successive
      nights. The autumn populations migrate in a north-south direction, which might
      originate not far from the trapping site. Based on these findings, the migratory
      physiology of A. segetum was discussed.

PMID- 26114577
TI  - The association between protective behavioral strategies and alcohol-related
      problems: An examination of race and gender differences among college drinkers.
AB  - This study examined race and gender differences in use of specific types of
      protective behavioral strategies (PBS) and the moderating effects of race and
      gender on the relationship between PBS use and alcohol problems, controlling for
      alcohol use, among a large sample of Asian, Black, and White college drinkers.
      There were significant racial and gender differences in the types of PBS used.
      Moderation analyses indicated that PBS were more protective for women than men
      against experiencing alcohol-related problems. There were no significant race
      effects or race-by-gender interaction effects on alcohol problems. Implementing
      PBS may be beneficial for all college students. 

PMID- 26114578
TI  - Sensitive detection of lysosomal membrane permeabilization by lysosomal galectin
      puncta assay.
AB  - Lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) contributes to tissue involution,
      degenerative diseases, and cancer therapy. Its investigation has, however, been
      hindered by the lack of sensitive methods. Here, we characterize and validate the
      detection of galectin puncta at leaky lysosomes as a highly sensitive and easily
      manageable assay for LMP. LGALS1/galectin-1 and LGALS3/galectin-3 are best suited
      for this purpose due to their widespread expression, rapid translocation to leaky
      lysosomes and availability of high-affinity antibodies. Galectin staining marks
      individual leaky lysosomes early during lysosomal cell death and is useful when
      defining whether LMP is a primary or secondary cause of cell death. This
      sensitive method also reveals that cells can survive limited LMP and confirms a
      rapid formation of autophagic structures at the site of galectin puncta.
      Importantly, galectin staining detects individual leaky lysosomes also in
      paraffin-embedded tissues allowing us to demonstrate LMP in tumor xenografts in
      mice treated with cationic amphiphilic drugs and to identify a subpopulation of
      lysosomes that initiates LMP in involuting mouse mammary gland. The use of
      ectopic fluorescent galectins renders the galectin puncta assay suitable for
      automated screening and visualization of LMP in live cells and animals. Thus, the
      lysosomal galectin puncta assay opens up new possibilities to study LMP in cell
      death and its role in other cellular processes such as autophagy, senescence,
      aging, and inflammation. 

PMID- 26114579
TI  - A new method for determining the 3D spatial orientation of molar microwear.
AB  - Many types of behavioral and dietary information can be extracted from studies of
      tooth microwear. Some studies have even been successful at determining the
      overall directionality of microwear in order to establish gross masticatory
      movement (Williams et al., 2009, PNAS, 106, 11194-11199). However, microwear has
      never been successfully visualized in situ in 3 dimensions (3D), visualized
      virtually and quantified. The ability to accomplish this yields information on
      exact masticatory movement which can then be used to address any number of eco
      biological and physiological questions in extant and extinct organisms. In order
      to create 3D virtual reality (VR) representation of microwear, fossil molars from
      the Javanese Sangiran 7 (S7) Homo erectus tooth collection and from historic
      hunter/gatherer meta-populations were imaged, the microwear in 3 dimensions was
      extracted, this information was then placed back on VR representations of the
      molars and quantified. The methodology contained herein demonstrates the efficacy
      and importance of such a technique in determining gross masticatory movement in
      fossil and recent hominin molars. This methodology could, in theory, be applied
      to any organism which produces microwear on its dentition. Applications in the
      fields of dentistry, orthodontics, climatology and dietary and habitat
      reconstructions can also be envisioned.

PMID- 26114580
TI  - The Changing Strength and Nature of Fire-Climate Relationships in the Northern
      Rocky Mountains, U.S.A., 1902-2008.
AB  - Time-varying fire-climate relationships may represent an important component of
      fire-regime variability, relevant for understanding the controls of fire and
      projecting fire activity under global-change scenarios. We used time-varying
      statistical models to evaluate if and how fire-climate relationships varied from
      1902-2008, in one of the most flammable forested regions of the western U.S.A.
      Fire-danger and water-balance metrics yielded the best combination of calibration
      accuracy and predictive skill in modeling annual area burned. The strength of
      fire-climate relationships varied markedly at multi-decadal scales, with models
      explaining < 40% to 88% of the variation in annual area burned. The early 20th
      century (1902-1942) and the most recent two decades (1985-2008) exhibited strong
      fire-climate relationships, with weaker relationships for much of the mid 20th
      century (1943-1984), coincident with diminished burning, less fire-conducive
      climate, and the initiation of modern fire fighting. Area burned and the strength
      of fire-climate relationships increased sharply in the mid 1980s, associated with
      increased temperatures and longer potential fire seasons. Unlike decades with
      high burning in the early 20th century, models developed using fire-climate
      relationships from recent decades overpredicted area burned when applied to
      earlier periods. This amplified response of fire to climate is a signature of
      altered fire-climate-relationships, and it implicates non-climatic factors in
      this recent shift. Changes in fuel structure and availability following 40+ yr of
      unusually low fire activity, and possibly land use, may have resulted in
      increased fire vulnerability beyond expectations from climatic factors alone. Our
      results highlight the potential for non-climatic factors to alter fire-climate
      relationships, and the need to account for such dynamics, through adaptable
      statistical or processes-based models, for accurately predicting future fire
      activity. 

PMID- 26114581
TI  - HIV-1 genotypic drug resistance testing: digging deep, reaching wide?
AB  - For many years, population-based Sanger sequencing has been the golden standard
      for drug resistance testing within the routine follow-up of HIV-1 infected
      patients in resource-rich settings. Often, the data generated within this
      framework were subsequently used for research and surveillance purposes: to
      understand therapy response and to gain insights into epidemiological processes.
      Sanger sequencing was however ill suited for diagnostic and prognostic use in
      resource-limited settings (RLS) and therefore not broadly implemented. Next
      generation sequencing (NGS) technologies provide high-throughput approaches by
      the rapid acquisition of thousands to millions of short nucleotide sequences.
      Depending on the experimental design, the roll-out of NGS drug resistance testing
      at a larger scale is feasible, providing better characterization and
      understanding of the evolving population of viral variants within a patient and
      potentially improving the prognostic value of drug resistance testing. Whether
      the same will become true for RLS will largely depend on affordability and sample
      logistics, and this may affect other mutation-specific approaches. 

PMID- 26114582
TI  - Agreement between touch-screen and paper-based patient-reported outcomes for
      patients with fibromyalgia: a randomized cross-over reproducibility study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare data based on computerized and paper versions of health
      status questionnaires (HSQs) for sampling patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in
      patients with fibromyalgia (FM). In addition, to examine associations between
      patient characteristics (age, education, computer experience) and differences
      between versions. Finally, to evaluate the acceptability of computer-based
      questionnaires among patients with FM. METHOD: The study population comprised
      female patients diagnosed with FM. All patients completed six HSQs: the
      Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), the Major Depression Inventory (MDI),
      the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), the painDETECT questionnaire (PDQ),
      the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder
      Self-Assessment Questionnaire (GAD-10), both on paper and using a touch screen.
      One HSQ was tested at a time in a repeated randomized cross-over design. The two
      versions were completed with a 5-min interval and between each HSQ the
      participants had a 5-min break. Means, mean differences with 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs), medians, median differences, and intraclass correlation
      coefficients (ICCs) were calculated for all HSQs, including relevant subscales.
      Associations between patient characteristics and differences between versions
      were explored using Spearman's correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Twenty women,
      mean age 48.4 years, participated in the study. Except for one item, ICCs between
      touch-screen and paper versions of the HSQs examined indicated acceptable
      agreement (ICC = 0.71-0.99). Overall, mean and median differences revealed no
      differences between versions. No significant associations were observed for
      patient characteristics. None of the participants preferred paper questionnaires
      over computerized versions. CONCLUSIONS: The computerized HSQs using a touch
      screen gave comparable results to answers given on paper and were generally
      preferred by the participants.

PMID- 26114583
TI  - Amorphization and Directional Crystallization of Metals Confined in Carbon
      Nanotubes Investigated by in Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy.
AB  - The hollow core of a carbon nanotube (CNT) provides a unique opportunity to
      explore the physics, chemistry, biology, and metallurgy of different materials
      confined in such nanospace. Here, we investigate the nonequilibrium metallurgical
      processes taking place inside CNTs by in situ transmission electron microscopy
      using CNTs as nanoscale resistively heated crucibles having encapsulated metal
      nanowires/crystals in their channels. Because of nanometer size of the system and
      intimate contact between the CNTs and confined metals, an efficient heat transfer
      and high cooling rates (~10(13) K/s) were achieved as a result of a flash bias
      pulse followed by system natural quenching, leading to the formation of
      disordered amorphous-like structures in iron, cobalt, and gold. An intermediate
      state between crystalline and amorphous phases was discovered, revealing a memory
      effect of local short-to-medium range order during these phase transitions.
      Furthermore, subsequent directional crystallization of an amorphous iron nanowire
      formed by this method was realized under controlled Joule heating. High-density
      crystalline defects were generated during crystallization due to a confinement
      effect from the CNT and severe plastic deformation involved. 

PMID- 26114584
TI  - Disruption of thioredoxin metabolism enhances the toxicity of transforming growth
      factor beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) inhibition in KRAS-mutated colon cancer
      cells.
AB  - Transforming growth factor beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) is critical for
      survival of many KRAS mutated colorectal cancer cells, and TAK1 inhibition with
      5Z-7-oxozeaenol has been associated with oxidative stress leading to tumor cell
      killing. When SW 620 and HCT 116 human colon cancer cells were treated with 5uM
      5Z-7-oxozeaenol, cell viability, growth, and clonogenic survival were
      significantly decreased. Consistent with TAK1 inhibition being causally related
      to thiol-mediated oxidative stress, 10mM N-acetylcysteine (NAC) partially
      reversed the growth inhibitory effects of 5Z-7-oxozeaenol. In addition, 5Z-7
      oxozeaenol also increased steady-state levels of H2DCFDA oxidation as well as
      increased levels of total glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG).
      Interestingly, depletion of GSH using buthionine sulfoximine did not
      significantly potentiate 5Z-7-oxozeaenol toxicity in either cell line. In
      contrast, pre-treatment of cells with auranofin (Au) to inhibit thioredoxin
      reductase activity significantly increased levels of oxidized thioredoxin as well
      as sensitized cells to 5Z-7-oxozeaenol-induced growth inhibition and clonogenic
      cell killing. These results were confirmed in SW 620 murine xenografts, where
      treatment with 5Z-7-oxozeaenol or with Au plus 5Z-7-oxozeaenol significantly
      inhibited growth, with Au plus 5Z-7-oxozeaenol trending toward greater growth
      inhibition compared to 5Z-7-oxozeaenol alone. These results support the
      hypothesis that thiol-mediated oxidative stress is causally related to TAK1
      induced colon cancer cell killing. In addition, these results support the
      hypothesis that thioredoxin metabolism is a critical target for enhancing colon
      cancer cell killing via TAK1 inhibition and could represent an effective
      therapeutic strategy in patients with these highly resistant tumors. 

PMID- 26114585
TI  - Ancestral Chromatin Configuration Constrains Chromatin Evolution on
      Differentiating Sex Chromosomes in Drosophila.
AB  - Sex chromosomes evolve distinctive types of chromatin from a pair of ancestral
      autosomes that are usually euchromatic. In Drosophila, the dosage-compensated X
      becomes enriched for hyperactive chromatin in males (mediated by H4K16ac), while
      the Y chromosome acquires silencing heterochromatin (enriched for H3K9me2/3).
      Drosophila autosomes are typically mostly euchromatic but the small dot
      chromosome has evolved a heterochromatin-like milieu (enriched for H3K9me2/3)
      that permits the normal expression of dot-linked genes, but which is different
      from typical pericentric heterochromatin. In Drosophila busckii, the dot
      chromosomes have fused to the ancestral sex chromosomes, creating a pair of 'neo
      sex' chromosomes. Here we collect genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic data
      from D. busckii, to investigate the evolutionary trajectory of sex chromosomes
      from a largely heterochromatic ancestor. We show that the neo-sex chromosomes
      formed <1 million years ago, but nearly 60% of neo-Y linked genes have already
      become non-functional. Expression levels are generally lower for the neo-Y
      alleles relative to their neo-X homologs, and the silencing heterochromatin mark
      H3K9me2, but not H3K9me3, is significantly enriched on silenced neo-Y genes.
      Despite rampant neo-Y degeneration, we find that the neo-X is deficient for the
      canonical histone modification mark of dosage compensation (H4K16ac), relative to
      autosomes or the compensated ancestral X chromosome, possibly reflecting
      constraints imposed on evolving hyperactive chromatin in an originally
      heterochromatic environment. Yet, neo-X genes are transcriptionally more active
      in males, relative to females, suggesting the evolution of incipient dosage
      compensation on the neo-X. Our data show that Y degeneration proceeds quickly
      after sex chromosomes become established through genomic and epigenetic changes,
      and are consistent with the idea that the evolution of sex-linked chromatin is
      influenced by its ancestral configuration. 

PMID- 26114587
TI  - An Atlas of Network Topologies Reveals Design Principles for Caenorhabditis
      elegans Vulval Precursor Cell Fate Patterning.
AB  - The vulval precursor cell (VPC) fate patterning in Caenorhabditis elegans is a
      classic model experimental system for cell fate determination and patterning in
      development. Despite its apparent simplicity (six neighboring cells arranged in
      one dimension) and many experimental and computational efforts, the patterning
      strategy and mechanism remain controversial due to incomplete knowledge of the
      complex biology. Here, we carry out a comprehensive computational analysis and
      obtain a reservoir of all possible network topologies that are capable of VPC
      fate patterning under the simulation of various biological environments and
      regulatory rules. We identify three patterning strategies: sequential induction,
      morphogen gradient and lateral antagonism, depending on the features of the
      signal secreted from the anchor cell. The strategy of lateral antagonism, which
      has not been reported in previous studies of VPC patterning, employs a mutual
      inhibition of the 2 degrees  cell fate in neighboring cells. Robust topologies
      are built upon minimal topologies with basic patterning strategies and have more
      flexible and redundant implementations of modular functions. By simulated
      mutation, we find that all three strategies can reproduce experimental error
      patterns of mutants. We show that the topology derived by mapping currently known
      biochemical pathways to our model matches one of our identified functional
      topologies. Furthermore, our robustness analysis predicts a possible missing link
      related to the lateral antagonism strategy. Overall, we provide a theoretical
      atlas of all possible functional networks in varying environments, which may
      guide novel discoveries of the biological interactions in vulval development of
      Caenorhabditis elegans and related species. 

PMID- 26114588
TI  - Oxybutynin as a treatment for generalized hyperhidrosis: a randomized, placebo
      controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hyperhidrosis is a disorder that can impair quality of life.
      Localized treatments may be cumbersome and ineffective, and no systemic
      treatments have proven to be significantly beneficial. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate
      the effectiveness and tolerance of low-dose oxybutynin for hyperhidrosis.
      METHODS: We conducted a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. From
      June 2013 to January 2014, 62 patients with localized or generalized
      hyperhidrosis were enrolled. Oxybutynin was started at a dose of 2.5 mg per day
      and increased gradually to 7.5 mg per day. The primary outcome was defined as
      improvement of at least one point on the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale
      (HDSS). Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and tolerance were also reported.
      RESULTS: Most patients (83%) in our study had generalized hyperhidrosis.
      Oxybutynin was superior to placebo in improving the HDSS: 60% of patients treated
      with oxybutynin, compared with 27% of patients treated with placebo, improved at
      least one point on the HDSS (P = 0.009). The mean improvement in quality of life
      measured by DLQI was significantly better in the oxybutynin arm (6.9) than in the
      placebo arm (2.3). The most frequent side-effect was dry mouth, which was
      observed in 43% of the patients in the oxybutynin arm, compared with 11% in the
      placebo arm. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with low-dose oxybutynin is effective in
      reducing symptoms of hyperhidrosis in generalized or localized forms. Side
      effects were frequent but minor and mainly involved dry mouth.

PMID- 26114589
TI  - What explains DRG upcoding in neonatology? The roles of financial incentives and
      infant health.
AB  - We use the introduction of diagnosis related groups (DRGs) in German neonatology
      to study the determinants of upcoding. Since 2003, reimbursement is based inter
      alia on birth weight, with substantial discontinuities at eight thresholds. These
      discontinuities create incentives to upcode preterm infants into classes of lower
      birth weight. Using data from the German birth statistics 1996-2010 and German
      hospital data from 2006 to 2011, we show that (1) since the introduction of DRGs,
      hospitals have upcoded at least 12,000 preterm infants and gained additional
      reimbursement in excess of 100 million Euro; (2) upcoding rates are
      systematically higher at thresholds with larger reimbursement hikes and in
      hospitals that subsequently treat preterm infants, i.e. where the gains accrue;
      (3) upcoding is systematically linked with newborn health conditional on birth
      weight. Doctors and midwives respond to financial incentives by not upcoding
      newborns with low survival probabilities, and by upcoding infants with higher
      expected treatment costs. 

PMID- 26114590
TI  - DNA-based methodologies for the quantification of live and dead cells in
      formulated biocontrol products based on Pantoea agglomerans CPA-2.
AB  - Pantoea agglomerans strain CPA-2 is an effective biocontrol agent (BCA) against
      the major postharvest pathogens present on pome and citrus fruits. Dehydration,
      such as freeze-drying, spray-drying and fluidized bed drying is one of the best
      ways to formulate BCAs. In this work, the survival of CPA-2 cells after
      formulation was determined by dilution plating and molecular methods as qPCR
      alone and combined with a sample pretreatment with a propidium monoazide dye (PMA
      qPCR) and they were used to calculate treatment concentrations in efficacy trials
      on postharvest oranges. Furthermore, no significant differences in CPA-2 survival
      were observed as determined by dilution plating and PMA-qPCR after both the
      freeze drying and fluidized bed drying processes; however, an interesting
      significant difference was observed in the spray dried product comparing all
      quantitative methods. A difference of 0.48 and 2.17 log10 CFU or cells g/dw was
      observed among PMA-qPCR with qPCR and dilution plating, respectively. According
      to our study, dilution plating was shown to be an unreliable tool for monitoring
      the survival of CPA-2 after spray drying. In contrast, the combination of PMA and
      qPCR enabled a quick and unequivocal methodology to enumerate viable and VBNC CPA
      2 cells under stress-dried conditions. Efficacy trials showed that, after 3 days,
      spray drying formulation rehydrated with 10% non-fat skimmed milk (NFSM) was as
      effective as fresh cells to control Penicillium digitatum in oranges.

PMID- 26114591
TI  - Reduction of Salmonella enterica on the surface of eggshells by sequential
      treatment with aqueous chlorine dioxide and drying.
AB  - The synergistic effects of sequential treatments with chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and
      drying in killing Salmonella enterica on the surface of chicken eggshells were
      investigated. Initial experiments were focused on comparing lethalities of sodium
      hypochlorite (NaOCl) and ClO2. Eggs surface-inoculated with S. enterica in
      chicken feces as a carrier were immersed in water, NaOCl (50 or 200 MUg/mL), or
      ClO2 (50 or 200 MUg/mL) for 1 or 5 min. For 1-min treatments, lethal activities
      of sanitizers were not significantly different (P>0.05). However, after treatment
      with ClO2 for 5 min, reductions of S. enterica were significantly greater
      (P<=0.05) than reductions after treatment with water or NaOCl. The effect of
      treatment of eggs with ClO2 or NaOCl, followed by drying at 43% relative humidity
      and 25  degrees C for 24 and 48 h, were determined. Populations of S. enterica
      decreased during drying, regardless of the type of sanitizer treatment. ClO2
      treatment, compared to water or NaOCl treatments, resulted in additional
      reductions of ca. >1.3 log CFU/egg during drying. This indicates that sequential
      treatments with ClO2 and drying induced synergistic lethal effects against S.
      enterica on the surface of eggshells. These observations will be useful when
      selecting a sanitizer to control S. enterica on the surface of eggshells and
      designing an effective egg sanitization system exploiting the synergistic lethal
      effects of sanitizer and drying.

PMID- 26114586
TI  - Identification of Low-Risk Patients with Acute Symptomatic Pulmonary Embolism for
      Outpatient Therapy.
AB  - RATIONALE: Patients with acute symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) deemed to be
      at low risk for early complications might be candidates for partial or complete
      outpatient treatment. OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a clinical prediction
      rule that accurately identifies patients with PE and low risk of short-term
      complications and to compare its prognostic ability with two previously validated
      models (i.e., the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index [PESI] and the Simplified
      PESI [sPESI]) METHODS: Multivariable logistic regression of a large international
      cohort of patients with PE prospectively enrolled in the RIETE (Registro
      Informatizado de la Enfermedad TromboEmbolica) registry. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
      RESULTS: All-cause mortality, recurrent PE, and major bleeding up to 10 days
      after PE diagnosis were determined. Of 18,707 eligible patients with acute
      symptomatic PE, 46 (0.25%) developed recurrent PE, 203 (1.09%) bled, and 471
      (2.51%) died. Predictors included in the final model were chronic heart failure,
      recent immobilization, recent major bleeding, cancer, hypotension, tachycardia,
      hypoxemia, renal insufficiency, and abnormal platelet count. The area under
      receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI],
      0.75-0.78) for the RIETE score, 0.72 (95% CI, 0.70-0.73) for PESI (P < 0.05), and
      0.71 (95% CI, 0.69-0.73) for sPESI (P < 0.05). Our RIETE score outperformed the
      prognostic value of PESI in terms of net reclassification improvement (P <
      0.001), integrated discrimination improvement (P < 0.001), and sPESI (net
      reclassification improvement, P < 0.001; integrated discrimination improvement, P
      < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We built a new score, based on widely available variables,
      that can be used to identify patients with PE at low risk of short-term
      complications, assisting in triage and potentially shortening duration of
      hospital stay.

PMID- 26114592
TI  - Microbiological survey of raw and ready-to-eat leafy green vegetables marketed in
      Italy.
AB  - The presence of foodborne pathogens (Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes,
      Escherichia coli O157:H7, thermotolerant Campylobacter, Yersinia enterocolitica
      and norovirus) in fresh leafy (FL) and ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetable products,
      sampled at random on the Italian market, was investigated to evaluate the level
      of risk to consumers. Nine regional laboratories, representing 18 of the 20
      regions of Italy and in which 97.7% of the country's population resides, were
      involved in this study. All laboratories used the same sampling procedures and
      analytical methods. The vegetable samples were screened using validated real-time
      PCR (RT-PCR) methods and standardized reference ISO culturing methods. The
      results show that 3.7% of 1372 fresh leafy vegetable products and 1.8% of 1160
      "fresh-cut" or "ready-to-eat" (RTE) vegetable retailed in supermarkets or farm
      markets, were contaminated with one or more foodborne pathogens harmful to human
      health. 

PMID- 26114593
TI  - Diversity of black Aspergilli isolated from raisins in Argentina: Polyphasic
      approach to species identification and development of SCAR markers for
      Aspergillus ibericus.
AB  - Aspergillus section Nigri is a heterogeneous fungal group including some
      ochratoxin A producer species that usually contaminate raisins. The section
      contains the Series Carbonaria which includes the toxigenic species Aspergillus
      carbonarius and nontoxigenic Aspergillus ibericus that are phenotypically
      undistinguishable. The aim of this study was to examine the diversity of black
      aspergilli isolated from raisins and to develop a specific genetic marker to
      distinguish A. ibericus from A. carbonarius. The species most frequently found in
      raisins in this study were Aspergillus tubingensis (35.4%) and A. carbonarius
      (32.3%), followed by Aspergillus luchuensis (10.7%), Aspergillus japonicus
      (7.7%), Aspergillus niger (6.2%), Aspergillus welwitschiae (4.6%) and A. ibericus
      (3.1%). Based on inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) fingerprinting profiles of
      major Aspergillus section Nigri members, a sequence-characterized amplified
      region (SCAR) marker was identified. Primers were designed based on the conserved
      regions of the SCAR marker and were utilized in a PCR for simultaneous
      identification of A. carbonarius and A. ibericus. The detection level of the SCAR
      PCR was found to be 0.01 ng of purified DNA. The present SCAR-PCR is rapid and
      less cumbersome than conventional identification techniques and could be a
      supplementary strategy and a reliable tool for high-throughput sample analysis.

PMID- 26114594
TI  - Wait!!! No Steroids for this Asthma....
AB  - BACKGROUND: Strongyloides stercoralis (SS) is a parasite seen in certain parts of
      the USA and in people from other endemic areas. In these patients steroids might
      precipitate or exacerbate asthma. Apart from worsening of asthma, serious
      complications like hyperinfection syndrome and even death can occur in these
      patients if treated with steroids. Treatment is either ivermectin or albendazole
      based on severity of the disease. Clinicians have to be very careful when
      prescribing steroids in patients presenting with an exacerbation of asthma from
      areas endemic for Strongyloides stercoralis. CASE REPORT: A young woman with
      history of asthma presented with complaints of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain,
      wheezing, and dry cough. Physical examination revealed diffuse expiratory
      wheezing and mild diffuse abdominal pain without rebound or guarding. Laboratory
      results showed leukocytosis with eosinophilia. Stool studies showed Strongyloides
      stercoralis. Imaging revealed ground-glass opacities in the right upper and lower
      lobe along with an infiltrate in the lingular lobe on the left side. Bronchoscopy
      showed Strongyloides stercoralis. The patient was diagnosed with hyperinfection
      syndrome due to Strongyloides stercoralis most probably exacerbated by prednisone
      given for her asthma. Steroids were then discontinued and the patient was started
      on ivermectin. The patient improved with treatment. Repeat stool examination was
      negative for Strongyloides stercoralis. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians have to be very
      careful when prescribing steroids in patients presenting with an exacerbation of
      asthma who are from areas endemic for Strongyloides stercoralis and should test
      for it (preferably with serology test) before starting treatment.

PMID- 26114595
TI  - Effects of ensemble complexity and perceptual similarity on rapid averaging of
      hue.
AB  - The ability to extract the mean of features from a rapidly viewed, heterogeneous
      array of objects has been demonstrated for a number of different visual
      properties. Few studies have previously investigated the rapid averaging of
      color; those that did had insufficient stimulus control or inappropriate methods.
      This study reports three experiments that directly test observers' ability to
      extract the mean hue from a rapidly presented, multielement color ensemble. In
      Experiment 1, ensembles varied in number of elements and number of colors. It was
      found that averaging was harder for ensembles with more colors but that changing
      the number of elements had no effect on accuracy, supportive of a distributed
      attention account of rapid color averaging. Experiment 2a manipulated the hue
      range present in any single ensemble (varying the perceptual difference between
      ensemble elements) while still varying the number of colors. Range had a strong
      effect on ability to pick the mean hue. Experiment 2b found no effect of color
      categories on the accuracy or speed of mean selection. The results indicate that
      perceptual difference of elements is the dominant factor affecting ability to
      average rapidly seen color ensembles. Findings are discussed both in the context
      of perception and memory of multiple colors and ensemble perception generally. 

PMID- 26114596
TI  - Flux analysis of cholesterol biosynthesis in vivo reveals multiple tissue and
      cell-type specific pathways.
AB  - Two parallel pathways produce cholesterol: the Bloch and Kandutsch-Russell
      pathways. Here we used stable isotope labeling and isotopomer analysis to trace
      sterol flux through the two pathways in mice. Surprisingly, no tissue used the
      canonical K-R pathway. Rather, a hybrid pathway was identified that we call the
      modified K-R (MK-R) pathway. Proportional flux through the Bloch pathway varied
      from 8% in preputial gland to 97% in testes, and the tissue-specificity observed
      in vivo was retained in cultured cells. The distribution of sterol isotopomers in
      plasma mirrored that of liver. Sterol depletion in cultured cells increased flux
      through the Bloch pathway, whereas overexpression of 24-dehydrocholesterol
      reductase (DHCR24) enhanced usage of the MK-R pathway. Thus, relative use of the
      Bloch and MK-R pathways is highly variable, tissue-specific, flux dependent, and
      epigenetically fixed. Maintenance of two interdigitated pathways permits
      production of diverse bioactive sterols that can be regulated independently of
      cholesterol. 

PMID- 26114597
TI  - A mex3 homolog is required for differentiation during planarian stem cell lineage
      development.
AB  - Neoblasts are adult stem cells (ASCs) in planarians that sustain cell replacement
      during homeostasis and regeneration of any missing tissue. While numerous studies
      have examined genes underlying neoblast pluripotency, molecular pathways driving
      postmitotic fates remain poorly defined. In this study, we used transcriptional
      profiling of irradiation-sensitive and irradiation-insensitive cell populations
      and RNA interference (RNAi) functional screening to uncover markers and
      regulators of postmitotic progeny. We identified 32 new markers distinguishing
      two main epithelial progenitor populations and a planarian homolog to the MEX3
      RNA-binding protein (Smed-mex3-1) as a key regulator of lineage progression. mex3
      1 was required for generating differentiated cells of multiple lineages, while
      restricting the size of the stem cell compartment. We also demonstrated the
      utility of using mex3-1(RNAi) animals to identify additional progenitor markers.
      These results identified mex3-1 as a cell fate regulator, broadly required for
      differentiation, and suggest that mex3-1 helps to mediate the balance between ASC
      self-renewal and commitment. 

PMID- 26114599
TI  - Taking a Chance or Playing It Safe: Reframing Risk Assessment Within the
      Surgeon's Comfort Zone.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to explore how risk is perceived and
      experienced by the surgeon and how risk is actively managed in individual
      practice. BACKGROUND: Risk in surgery has been examined from system-wide and
      personality perspectives. Although these are important, little is known about the
      perspective of the individual surgeon. METHODS: A constructivist grounded theory
      study was conducted to explore surgeons' perspectives on risk in the context of
      their personal "Comfort Zones." Semistructured, 60-minute interviews were
      conducted with 18 surgeons who were purposively sampled for sex and subspecialty
      with a snowballing strategy applied to sample for differences in reputation
      (conservative vs aggressive). Data were collected and analyzed in an iterative
      manner until thematic saturation was reached. RESULTS: Surgeons described cases
      that were inside or outside of their personal comfort zones. When considering
      cases at the boundary of their comfort zones, participants described a variety of
      factors that could make them feel more or less comfortable. Specific strategies
      used to modulate this border were also described. Two perspectives on risk taking
      became apparent: the procedure-centric perspective described how surgeons viewed
      their colleagues whereas the surgeon-centric perspective described how surgeons
      viewed themselves. CONCLUSIONS: A framework for understanding surgeon's unique
      assessment of risk was elaborated. Increased awareness of the factors and
      strategies identified in this study can foster critical self-reflection by
      surgeons of their own risk assessments and those of their colleagues, and provide
      avenues for more explicit educational strategies for surgical training.

PMID- 26114598
TI  - Ventriculosternal Shunting for the Management of Hydrocephalus: Case Report of A
      Novel Technique.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Conventional cerebrospinal fluid diversion such as
      ventriculoperitoneal or ventriculoatrial shunting for the management of
      hydrocephalus is one of the commonest neurosurgical procedures. However, in
      selected patients, surgical options are limited when relative contraindications
      for these operations exist. A patient who underwent ventriculosternal shunting, a
      novel procedure, is presented with durable and successful outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To
      demonstrate the feasibility, durability, and safety of ventriculosternal shunting
      for the management of hydrocephalus. METHODS: A patient with end-stage renal
      failure and heart failure with recurrent pleural effusion suffered from post
      subarachnoid hemorrhage communicating hydrocephalus. Because of the need for
      continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and the risk of introducing excessive
      cardiac preloading, conventional shunting was relatively contraindicated.
      Ventriculosternal shunting was performed by adopting the cancellous matrix of the
      sternum as the anatomic receptacle for intraosseous cerebrospinal fluid
      absorption. After placement of the ventricular catheter in the usual manner, the
      distal end was inserted into the sternum. RESULTS: There was demonstrable
      clinical and radiological improvement in hydrocephalus by ventriculosternal
      shunting. Cerebrospinal fluid intraosseous absorption by this novel procedure
      translated into both physical and cognitive recovery. The procedure was
      tolerable, effective, and durable, with the patient suffering no complications 3
      years after the procedure. CONCLUSION: Ventriculosternal shunting for the
      management of hydrocephalus is a feasible, safe, and durable surgical treatment
      option for selected patients when conventional procedures are contraindicated.

PMID- 26114600
TI  - Wild jujube polysaccharides protect against experimental inflammatory bowel
      disease by enabling enhanced intestinal barrier function.
AB  - Dietary polysaccharides provide various beneficial effects for our health. We
      investigated the protective effects of wild jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. var.
      spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex H. F. Chou) sarcocarp polysaccharides (WJPs) against
      experimental inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by enabling enhanced intestinal
      barrier function. Colitis was induced in rats by the intrarectal administration
      of TNBS. We found that WJPs markedly ameliorated the colitis severity, including
      less weight loss, decreased disease activity index scores, and improved mucosal
      damage in colitis rats. Moreover, WJPs suppressed the inflammatory response via
      attenuation of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6 and MPO activity in colitis rats. And
      then, to determine the effect of WJPs on the intestinal barrier, we measured the
      effect of WJPs on the transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) and FITC
      conjugated dextran permeability in Caco-2 cell stimulation with TNF-alpha. We
      further demonstrated that the alleviation of WJPs to colon injury was associated
      with barrier function by assembly of tight junction proteins. Moreover, the
      effect of WJPs on TER was eliminated by the specific inhibitor of AMPK. AMPK
      activity was also up-regulated by WJPs in Caco-2 cell stimulation with TNF-alpha
      and in colitis rats. This study demonstrates that WJPs protect against IBD by
      enabling enhanced intestinal barrier function involving the activation of AMPK. 

PMID- 26114601
TI  - Additional patients with 4q deletion: Severe growth delay and polycystic kidney
      disease associated with 4q21q22 loss.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To the best of our knowledge, this is the third report concerning
      4q21q22 deletions. In this report, we describe the cases of two girls with 4q
      deletion and polycystic kidney disease. G-banding confirmed the deletion in one
      patient but not in the other. METHODS: We describe the cases of two girls with 4q
      deletion and polycystic kidney disease. Chromosomal deletions were mapped to 4q21
      22. One patient had a simple 4q contiguous gene deletion, whereas the other
      patient had a complicated chromosomal rearrangement. In patient 1, a smaller part
      of the 4q deletion was translocated to the 3p region. RESULTS: Fifty-four genes
      and 72 genes were deleted in patients 1 and 2, respectively. In both patients, 52
      genes were consistently deleted. CONCLUSION: The present two patients had a
      similar phenotype, including severe growth and developmental retardation, and a
      characteristic facial appearance. The loss of RPKG2 and RASGEF1B causes severe
      growth defect. PKD2 loss causes kidney cysts.

PMID- 26114602
TI  - Source Apportionment of Elemental Carbon in Beijing, China: Insights from
      Radiocarbon and Organic Marker Measurements.
AB  - Elemental carbon (EC) or black carbon (BC) in the atmosphere has a strong
      influence on both climate and human health. In this study, radiocarbon ((14)C)
      based source apportionment is used to distinguish between fossil fuel and biomass
      burning sources of EC isolated from aerosol filter samples collected in Beijing
      from June 2010 to May 2011. The (14)C results demonstrate that EC is consistently
      dominated by fossil-fuel combustion throughout the whole year with a mean
      contribution of 79% +/- 6% (ranging from 70% to 91%), though EC has a higher mean
      and peak concentrations in the cold season. The seasonal molecular pattern of
      hopanes (i.e., a class of organic markers mainly emitted during the combustion of
      different fossil fuels) indicates that traffic-related emissions are the most
      important fossil source in the warm period and coal combustion emissions are
      significantly increased in the cold season. By combining (14)C based source
      apportionment results and picene (i.e., an organic marker for coal emissions)
      concentrations, relative contributions from coal (mainly from residential
      bituminous coal) and vehicle to EC in the cold period were estimated as 25 +/- 4%
      and 50 +/- 7%, respectively, whereas the coal combustion contribution was
      negligible or very small in the warm period. 

PMID- 26114603
TI  - In vivo breath-hold (1) H MRS simultaneous estimation of liver proton density fat
      fraction, and T1 and T2 of water and fat, with a multi-TR, multi-TE sequence.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the intra-examination repeatability of proton density fat
      fraction (PDFF) and T1 and T2 of liver water and fat as estimated by a novel
      multi-repetition time (TR)-echo time (TE) (1) H magnetic resonance spectroscopy
      (MRS)-stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) sequence that acquires 32 spectra
      for a range of TRs and TEs in single breath-hold. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty
      seven subjects undergoing liver MRI examinations at 3T had three multi-TR-TE
      sequences acquired consecutively in a single session. This sequence was designed
      to allow accurate estimation of T1 and T2 of both water and fat, as well as PDFF,
      in a single breath-hold. A standard long-TR, multi-TE sequence was also acquired
      to allow comparison of estimated PDFF. Regression and interclass correlation
      (ICC) analyses were performed. RESULTS: There was strong agreement between PDFF
      estimated by the multi-TR-TE and long-TR, multi-TE sequences (slope 0.997;
      intercept -0.03; R = 0.997). The multi-TR-TE sequence had high repeatability for
      estimating PDFF (ICC = 0.999), water T2 (ICC = 0.920), water T1 (ICC = 0.845),
      and fat T2 (ICC = 0.760), and moderate repeatability for estimating fat T1 (ICC =
      0.556). CONCLUSION: A novel multi-TR-TE sequence can estimate PDFF and water and
      fat T1 and T2 in a single breath-hold. Refinement may be needed to improve
      repeatability for fat T1 estimation.

PMID- 26114604
TI  - Perceptual Biases in Relation to Paranormal and Conspiracy Beliefs.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that one's prior beliefs have a strong effect on
      perceptual decision-making and attentional processing. The present study extends
      these findings by investigating how individual differences in paranormal and
      conspiracy beliefs are related to perceptual and attentional biases. Two field
      studies were conducted in which visitors of a paranormal conducted a perceptual
      decision making task (i.e. the face/house categorization task; Experiment 1) or a
      visual attention task (i.e. the global/local processing task; Experiment 2). In
      the first experiment it was found that skeptics compared to believers more often
      incorrectly categorized ambiguous face stimuli as representing a house,
      indicating that disbelief rather than belief in the paranormal is driving the
      bias observed for the categorization of ambiguous stimuli. In the second
      experiment, it was found that skeptics showed a classical 'global-to-local'
      interference effect, whereas believers in conspiracy theories were characterized
      by a stronger 'local-to-global interference effect'. The present study shows that
      individual differences in paranormal and conspiracy beliefs are associated with
      perceptual and attentional biases, thereby extending the growing body of work in
      this field indicating effects of cultural learning on basic perceptual processes.

PMID- 26114605
TI  - Correction: Effective Am(III)/Eu(III) separations using 2,6-bis(1,2,4-triazin-3
      yl)pyridine (BTP) functionalised titania particles and hierarchically porous
      beads.
AB  - Correction for 'Effective Am(III)/Eu(III) separations using 2,6-bis(1,2,4-triazin
      3-yl)pyridine (BTP) functionalised titania particles and hierarchically porous
      beads' by J. Veliscek-Carolan et al., Chem. Commun., 2015, DOI:
      10.1039/c5cc03957f.

PMID- 26114606
TI  - Malignant sweat gland tumours: an update.
AB  - Cutaneous adnexal tumours can be a diagnostic challenge for the pathologist. This
      is particularly true in the case of tumours with sweat gland differentiation, due
      to a large number of rare entities, a multiplicity of names to designate the same
      neoplasms and consequent lack of consensus regarding their classification and
      nomenclature. In the traditional view, sweat gland tumours were divided into
      eccrine and apocrine. However, this has been challenged in recent years, and in
      fact many of these tumours may have both eccrine and apocrine variants. Some
      display more complex features and defy classification, due to the presence of
      other lines of differentiation, namely follicular and/or sebaceous (in the case
      of apocrine tumours, due to the close embryological relationship between apocrine
      glands, hair follicles and sebaceous glands). The present paper reviews and
      updates the basic concepts regarding the following malignant sweat gland tumours:
      apocrine carcinoma, porocarcinoma, hidradenocarcinoma, spiradenocarcinoma,
      cylindrocarcinoma, microcystic adnexal carcinoma and related entities, squamoid
      eccrine ductal carcinoma, digital papillary adenocarcinoma, primary cutaneous
      mucinous carcinoma, endocrine mucin-producing sweat gland carcinoma and primary
      cutaneous signet ring cell carcinoma. Particular emphasis is put in recent
      findings that may have implications in the diagnosis and management of these
      tumours. 

PMID- 26114607
TI  - Effects of high Zn and Pb concentrations on Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex.
      Steudel: Photosynthetic performance and metal accumulation capacity under
      controlled conditions.
AB  - The response of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex. Steudel to zinc (Zn) and
      lead (Pb) was studied separately in two hydroponic tests, during a three weeks
      experiment. The effects on ecophysiology and biomass partitioning were evaluated
      during the metal treatments and at the recovery, and total metal content and
      accumulation capacity in different plant organs were assessed. Zn and Pb had
      different effects on the overall measured parameters, highlighting different
      mechanism of action. In particular, Zn concentration was higher in roots and,
      being a micronutrient, it was translocated into leaves, producing a reduction of
      assimilation rate, stomatal conductance (-71.9 and -81.3% respect to the control
      plant respectively), and a strong down regulation of photosystems functionality
      both at PSII and PSI level. Otherwise, Pb was accumulated mainly in the more
      lignified tissue such as rhizomes, with slightly effect on gas exchange.
      Chlorophyll a fluorescence highlighted that Pb inhibits the electron transfer
      process at the PSI donor side, without recovery after the removal of the metal
      stress. Despite these physiological limitations, P. australis showed a high
      capacity to accumulate both metals, and only slight reduction of biomass, being
      therefore a suitable species for phytoremediation interventions. 

PMID- 26114608
TI  - Pregnant women's view on the Swedish internet resource Drugs and Birth Defects
      intended for health care professionals.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pregnant women often have questions concerning fetal effects of
      drugs but there is limited reliable information specifically intended for them.
      This study investigated how pregnant women perceive and value the scientific
      resource Drugs and Birth Defects (www.janusinfo.se/fosterpaverkan) and compared
      their opinions with those of health care professionals. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Electronic questionnaire study. Pregnant women were recruited at their regular
      visits, and health care professionals via e-mail, at 10 antenatal clinics.
      Altogether, 275 pregnant women, 38 midwives and 30 physicians participated.
      RESULTS: Among the pregnant women, 81% found the information valuable, 70% that
      it was easy to understand, and 92% that it strengthened information from the
      staff. Concerning anxiety for negative fetal effects, 68% of the women answered
      that the anxiety decreased or was not influenced by the texts and 22% that it
      increased. Among physicians and midwives, 44% saw risks associated with pregnant
      women reading the texts and 24% answered that they would fully recommend them to
      use the database. The corresponding figures among pregnant women were 17 and 65%,
      respectively (P < 0.001). The professionals preferred, to a greater extent than
      pregnant women did, lay people to use a special edition. CONCLUSIONS: The
      majority of pregnant women seem to benefit from using a scientific resource on
      fetal impact of drugs intended for health care professionals. Some women are more
      worried after having read the information, but most of them still find it
      valuable. It is important that pregnant women who use the database can reach a
      medical professional to discuss the contents.

PMID- 26114609
TI  - Muscle force compensation among synergistic muscles after fatigue of a single
      muscle.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine control strategies among
      synergistic muscles after fatigue of a single muscle. It was hypothesized that
      the compensating mechanism is specific for each fatigued muscle. METHODS: The
      soleus (SOL), gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) and medialis (GM) were fatigued in
      separate sessions on different days. In each experiment, subjects (n = 11)
      performed maximal voluntary contractions prior to and after fatiguing a single
      muscle (SOL, GL or GM) while the voluntary muscle activity and torque were
      measured. Additionally, the maximal single twitch torque of the plantarflexors
      and the maximal spinal reflex activity (H-reflex) of the SOL, GL and GM were
      determined. Fatigue was evoked using neuromuscular stimulation. RESULTS:
      Following fatigue the single twitch torque decreased by -20.1%, -19.5%, and 
      23.0% when the SOL, GL, or GM, have been fatigued. The maximal voluntary torque
      did not decrease in any session but the synergistic voluntary muscle activity
      increased significantly. Moreover, we found no alterations in spinal reflex
      activity. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that synergistic muscles compensate each
      other. Furthermore, it seems that self-compensating mechanism of the fatigued
      muscles occurred additionally. The force compensation does not depend on the
      function of the fatigued muscle.

PMID- 26114610
TI  - Bayesian Sensitivity Analysis of a Cardiac Cell Model Using a Gaussian Process
      Emulator.
AB  - Models of electrical activity in cardiac cells have become important research
      tools as they can provide a quantitative description of detailed and integrative
      physiology. However, cardiac cell models have many parameters, and how
      uncertainties in these parameters affect the model output is difficult to assess
      without undertaking large numbers of model runs. In this study we show that a
      surrogate statistical model of a cardiac cell model (the Luo-Rudy 1991 model) can
      be built using Gaussian process (GP) emulators. Using this approach we examined
      how eight outputs describing the action potential shape and action potential
      duration restitution depend on six inputs, which we selected to be the maximum
      conductances in the Luo-Rudy 1991 model. We found that the GP emulators could be
      fitted to a small number of model runs, and behaved as would be expected based on
      the underlying physiology that the model represents. We have shown that an
      emulator approach is a powerful tool for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis in
      cardiac cell models. 

PMID- 26114611
TI  - Protective Factors for Youth Exposed to Violence in Their Communities: A Review
      of Family, School, and Community Moderators.
AB  - This review provides a comprehensive investigation of the pattern and strength of
      findings in the literature regarding the environmental moderators of the
      relationship between exposure to community violence and mental health among
      children and adolescents. Twenty-nine studies met criteria for inclusion in our
      analysis of family, school, and community variables as moderators. Dependent
      variables included internalizing (e.g., anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress
      disorder) and externalizing symptoms (e.g., aggression, substance use). Effect
      sizes for the interactions of exposure to violence and potential moderators were
      summarized by their patterns of protective processes. The majority of studies in
      the literature examined family characteristics as moderators of the exposure to
      violence-symptom relationship, rather than school- or community-level factors.
      Our results indicated more consistent patterns for (a) close family relationships
      and social support for internalizing symptoms and (b) close family relationships
      for externalizing symptoms. Overall, the most common type of protective pattern
      was protective-stabilizing, in which youth with higher levels of the
      environmental attribute demonstrate relative stability in mental health despite
      exposure to violence. We found no consistent evidence that parental monitoring-a
      dimension inversely associated with exposure to violence in prior studies
      moderated the relationship between exposure to violence and symptoms. The study
      emphasizes the importance of strengthening family support for young people's
      exposure to community violence; more research is needed to provide a solid
      evidence base for the role of school and community-level protective factors for
      youth exposed to violence.

PMID- 26114613
TI  - About the goal of a goals' goal theory.

PMID- 26114614
TI  - A Question of Love and Trust? The Role of Relationship Factors in Adolescent
      Sexual Decision Making.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: While representing only 25% of the sexually active population, 50% of
      all new sexually transmitted infections occur among young people mostly because
      of inconsistent condom use. Critically, the majority of adolescent sexual
      activity takes place in the context of romantic relationships; thus, it is
      important to understand how relationship factors may influence decision making
      about the use of protection. METHODS: We used a mixed-method approach to
      investigate the extent to which relationship length, degree of trust or love in
      the relationship, and frequency of intercourse influence both perceptions of the
      probability of condom use and self-reported condom use in the context of
      relationships among a diverse sample of high-risk adolescents (age 12-19 yr).
      RESULTS: Participants were least likely to use condoms if they were in
      relationships with high trust or love and high frequency of intercourse.
      Importantly, sexual experience status was a strong moderator of primary effects.
      CONCLUSION: The perspective of motivated cognition provides a useful theoretical
      framework to better understand adolescent decision making about condom use,
      particularly for sexually experienced youth.

PMID- 26114615
TI  - How Valid Is the Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder When a Child Has Apraxia
      of Speech?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine if the Checklist for Autism Spectrum
      Disorder (CASD) was inadvertently overemphasizing autism symptoms in a population
      of children without autism. METHODS: Children noted with communication delays
      were referred to both a developmental pediatrician and a speech and language
      pathologist for an apraxia and autism evaluation. All children who underwent both
      autism and apraxia evaluations and met rule-in or rule-out criteria for both
      diagnoses were included in the study, resulting in a sample size of 30. RESULTS:
      Our results show that 63.6% of children initially diagnosed with autism also had
      apraxia, 36.8% of children initially diagnosed with apraxia also had autism,
      23.3% had neither, and 23.3% had both. Overall diagnostic accuracy for the CASD
      was 96.7%. Overall accuracy for the CASD for children without apraxia was 100%
      and accuracy for children with apraxia was 94.7%. Specificity for the CASD was
      100%, while sensitivity was 90.9%. The PPV was 100% and the NPV was 95.0%.
      CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the CASD does not overemphasize autism
      symptoms in a population of children without autism. It also shows that autism
      and apraxia are highly comorbid. Thus, it is important to monitor all children
      diagnosed with apraxia for signs of autism and all children diagnosed with autism
      for signs of apraxia. This will help identify children as early as possible and
      allow them access to services appropriate to their needs.

PMID- 26114616
TI  - Engineering Polyelectrolyte Capsules with Independently Controlled Size and
      Shape.
AB  - Polyelectrolyte capsules (PECs) are a promising delivery system that has the
      ability to carry a large payload of a variety of cargoes. Controlling PEC
      properties is critical to understanding and tuning their cellular uptake
      efficiency, kinetics, and mechanism as well as their biodistribution in the body.
      The lack of a method to independently engineer PEC size, shape, and chemistry
      impedes both basic understanding of how physicochemical parameters affect PEC
      behavior in drug delivery and other applications, and the ability to optimize
      parameters for best function. Here, we report the successful fabrication of PECs
      having constant surface chemistry with independently controlled size and shape by
      combining soft organic templates created by the particle stretching method and a
      modified layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition process. Changing the template
      dispersion solution during LBL deposition from water to ethanol allowed us to
      overcome previous issues with organic templates, such as aggregation and template
      removal. These results will contribute not only to the basic study of the role of
      capsule shape and size on its function but also to the optimization of capsule
      properties for drug or imaging carriers, sensors, reactors, and other
      applications. 

PMID- 26114617
TI  - Production of Calcaride A by Calcarisporium sp. in Shaken Flasks and Stirred
      Bioreactors.
AB  - Increased interest in marine resources has led to increased screening of marine
      fungi for novel bioactive compounds and considerable effort is being invested in
      discovering these metabolites. For compound discovery, small-scale cultures are
      adequate, but agitated bioreactors are desirable for larger-scale production.
      Calcarisporium sp. KF525 has recently been described to produce calcaride A, a
      cyclic polyester with antibiotic activity, in agitated flasks. Here, we describe
      improvements in the production of calcaride A in both flasks (13-fold
      improvement) and stirred bioreactors (200-fold improvement). Production of
      calcaride A in bioreactors was initially substantially lower than in shaken
      flasks. The cultivation pH (reduced from 6.8 to <5.4), carbon source (sucrose
      replacing glucose), C/N ratio and nature of mycelial growth (pellets or
      filaments) were important in improving calcaride A production. Up to 4.5 mg.g-1
      biomass (85 mg.L-1) calcaride A were produced in the bioreactor, which was only
      slightly less than in shaken flasks (14 mg.g-1, 100 mg.L-1). The results
      demonstrate that a scalable process for calcaride A production could be developed
      using an iterative approach with flasks and bioreactors. 

PMID- 26114618
TI  - Heme-nitrosyls: electronic structure implications for function in biology.
AB  - The question of why mammalian systems use nitric oxide (NO), a potentially
      hazardous and toxic diatomic, as a signaling molecule to mediate important
      functions such as vasodilation (blood pressure control) and nerve signal
      transduction initially perplexed researchers when this discovery was made in the
      1980s. Through extensive research over the past two decades, it is now well
      rationalized why NO is used in vivo for these signaling functions, and that heme
      proteins play a dominant role in NO signaling in mammals. Key insight into the
      properties of heme-nitrosyl complexes that make heme proteins so well poised to
      take full advantage of the unique properties of NO has come from in-depth
      structural, spectroscopic, and theoretical studies on ferrous and ferric heme
      nitrosyls. This Account highlights recent findings that have led to greater
      understanding of the electronic structures of heme-nitrosyls, and the
      contributions that model complex studies have made to elucidate Fe-NO bonding are
      highlighted. These results are then discussed in the context of the biological
      functions of heme-nitrosyls, in particular in soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC; NO
      signaling), nitrophorins (NO transport), and NO-producing enzymes. Central to
      this Account is the thermodynamic sigma-trans effect of NO, and how this relates
      to the activation of the universal mammalian NO sensor sGC, which uses a ferrous
      heme as the high affinity "NO detection unit". It is shown via detailed
      spectroscopic and computational studies that the strong and very covalent Fe(II)
      NO sigma-bond is at the heart of the strong thermodynamic sigma-trans effect of
      NO, which greatly weakens the proximal Fe-NHis (or Fe-SCys) bond in six
      coordinate ferrous heme-nitrosyls. In sGC, this causes the dissociation of the
      proximally bound histidine ligand upon NO binding to the ferrous heme, inducing a
      significant conformational change that activates the sGC catalytic domain for the
      production of cGMP. This, in turn, leads to vasodilation and nerve signal
      transduction. Studies on ferrous heme-nitrosyl model complexes have allowed for a
      quantification of this thermodynamic sigma-trans effect of NO, through the use of
      high-resolution crystal structures, binding constant studies, single-crystal
      vibrational spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. These
      studies have further identified the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) of
      the NO complexes as the key MO that mediates the thermodynamic sigma-trans effect
      of NO. In comparison to ferrous heme-nitrosyls, ferric heme-nitrosyls display
      thermodynamically much weaker Fe-NO bonds (from NO binding constants), but at the
      same time much stronger Fe-NO bonds in their ground states (from vibrational
      spectroscopy). Using spectroscopic investigations coupled to DFT calculations,
      this apparent contradiction has been rationalized with the involvement of at
      least three different electronic states in the binding/dissociation of NO to/from
      ferric hemes. This is of key significance for the release of NO from NO-producing
      enzymes like NOS, and further forms the basis for ferric hemes to serve as NO
      transporters in biological systems. 

PMID- 26114619
TI  - Factors affecting the perception of whole-body vibration of occupational drivers:
      an analysis of posture and manual materials handling and musculoskeletal
      disorders.
AB  - Due to the high cost of conducting field measurements, questionnaires are usually
      preferred for the assessment of physical workloads and musculoskeletal disorders
      (MSDs). This study compares the physical workloads of whole-body vibration (WBV)
      and awkward postures by direct field measurements and self-reported data of 45
      occupational drivers. Manual materials handling (MMH) and MSDs were also
      investigated to analyse their effect on drivers' perception. Although the
      measured values for WBV exposure were very similarly distributed among the
      drivers, the subjects' perception differed significantly. Concerning posture,
      subjects seemed to estimate much better when the difference in exposure was
      significantly large. The percentage of measured awkward trunk and head
      inclination were significantly higher for WBV-overestimating subjects than non
      overestimators; 77 and 80% vs. 36 and 33%. Health complaints in terms of thoracic
      spine, cervical spine and shoulder-arm were also significantly more reported by
      WBV-overestimating subjects (42, 67, 50% vs. 0, 25, 13%, respectively). Although
      more MMH was reported by WBV-overestimating subjects, there was no statistical
      significance in this study. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: Self-reported exposures of
      occupational drivers are affected by many other cofactors, and this can result in
      misinterpretations. A comparison between field measurement and questionnaire was
      used to highlight the factors affecting the perception of drivers for whole-body
      vibration (WBV) exposure. Posture and musculoskeletal disorders influenced the
      perception of the similarly WBV-exposed drivers significantly.

PMID- 26114620
TI  - Drug-drug interaction between clobazam and cannabidiol in children with
      refractory epilepsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Under an expanded access investigational new drug (IND) trial,
      cannabidiol (CBD) is being studied as a possible adjuvant treatment of refractory
      epilepsy in children. Of the 25 subjects in the trial, 13 were being treated with
      clobazam (CLB). Because CLB and CBD are both metabolized in the cytochrome P450
      (CYP) pathway, we predicted a drug-drug interaction, which we evaluate in this
      article. METHODS: Thirteen subjects with refractory epilepsy concomitantly taking
      CLB and CBD under IND 119876 were included in this study. Demographic information
      was collected for each subject including age, sex, and etiology of seizures, as
      well as concomitant antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). CLB, N-desmethylclobazam
      (norclobazam; nCLB), and CBD levels were measured over the course of CBD
      treatment. CLB doses were recorded at baseline and at weeks 4 and 8 of CBD
      treatment. Side effects were monitored. RESULTS: We report elevated CLB and nCLB
      levels in these subjects. The mean (+/- standard deviation [SD]) increase in CLB
      levels was 60 +/- 80% (95% confidence interval (CI) [-2-91%] at 4 weeks); the
      mean increase in nCLB levels was 500 +/- 300% (95% CI [+90-610%] at 4 weeks).
      Nine of 13 subjects had a >50% decrease in seizures, corresponding to a responder
      rate of 70%. The increased CLB and nCLB levels and decreases in seizure frequency
      occurred even though, over the course of CBD treatment, CLB doses were reduced
      for 10 (77%) of the 13 subjects. Side effects were reported in 10 (77%) of the 13
      subjects, but were alleviated with CLB dose reduction. SIGNIFICANCE: Monitoring
      of CLB and nCLB levels is necessary for clinical care of patients concomitantly
      on CLB and CBD. Nonetheless, CBD is a safe and effective treatment of refractory
      epilepsy in patients receiving CLB treatment.

PMID- 26114621
TI  - Dynamics of inflammation biomarkers C-reactive protein, leukocytes, neutrophils,
      and CD64 on neutrophils before and after major surgical procedures to recognize
      potential postoperative infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Major trauma and soft tissue injuries result in a substantial
      activation of systemic immune response and post-traumatic complications such as
      postoperative infections. The aim was to assess the dynamics of expressed
      inflammatory biomarkers after surgery and to detect possible postoperative
      infection. METHODS: A total of 229 patients were included and separated into
      three different groups, depending on the procedure they underwent (colorectal,
      maxillofacial, open heart surgery). Biomarkers CD64 on neutrophils, C-reactive
      protein (CRP), count of leucocytes and neutrophils were measured to detect
      postoperative infection. RESULTS: The values of all biomarkers after surgery were
      generally elevated and had then dropped 48 h after the procedure. The levels were
      dependent on the type of operation and showed higher levels after more serious
      procedures. In the patients with postoperative infections the values were
      considerably higher. Moreover, biomarkers' cut-off values for positive infection
      were higher from patients who underwent surgery, compared to the cut-off values
      from patients with no surgical procedure. CD64 index was the only biomarker that
      could predict postoperative infection (p < 0.001). Other biomarkers could not
      statistically predict the infection. CONCLUSIONS: Newly acquired postoperative
      infection is difficult to diagnose using just biomarkers due to the strong
      activation of immune response. CD64 index with its slightly higher cut-off (>
      1.27) is the only biomarker that could be used as a diagnostic tool to rapidly
      detect postoperative bacterial infection.

PMID- 26114623
TI  - Comments on the Article: "Meta-Analysis of Prevention of Surgical Site Infections
      after Incision Closure with Triclosan-Coated Sutures: Robustness to New
      Evidence".

PMID- 26114622
TI  - Nowhere to Go but Up: Impacts of Climate Change on Demographics of a Short-Range
      Endemic (Crotalus willardi obscurus) in the Sky-Islands of Southwestern North
      America.
AB  - Biodiversity elements with narrow niches and restricted distributions (i.e.,
      'short range endemics,' SREs) are particularly vulnerable to climate change. The
      New Mexico Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi obscurus, CWO), an SRE
      listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act within three sky islands of
      southwestern North America, is constrained at low elevation by drought and at
      high elevation by wildfire. We combined long-term recapture and molecular data
      with demographic and niche modeling to gauge its climate-driven status,
      distribution, and projected longevity. The largest population (Animas) is
      numerically constricted (N = 151), with few breeding adults (Nb = 24) and an
      elevated inbreeding coefficient (DeltaF = 0.77; 100 years). Mean home range (0.07
      km2) is significantly smaller compared to other North American rattlesnakes, and
      movements are within, not among sky islands. Demographic values, when gauged
      against those displayed by other endangered/Red-Listed reptiles [e.g., Loggerhead
      Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta)], are either comparable or markedly lower. Survival
      rate differs significantly between genders (female<male) and life history stages
      (juvenile<adult) while a steadily declining population trajectory (r = -0.20+/
      0.03) underscores the shallow predicted-time-to-extinction (17.09+/-2.05 years).
      Core habitat is receding upwards in elevation and will shift 750 km NW under
      conservative climate estimates. While survival is significantly impacted by
      wildfire at upper elevations, the extinction vortex is driven by small population
      demographics, a situation comparable to that of the European Adder (Vipera
      berus), a conservation icon in southern Sweden. Genetic rescue, a management
      approach successfully employed in similar situations, is ill advised in this
      situation due to climate-driven habitat change in the sky islands. CWO is a rare
      organism in a unique environment, with a conserved niche and a predisposition
      towards extinction. It is a bellwether for the eventual climate-driven collapse
      of the Madrean pine-oak ecosystem, one of Earth's three recognized megadiversity
      centers.

PMID- 26114624
TI  - Challenges associated in stability of food grade nanoemulsions.
AB  - Food grade nanoemulsions are being increasingly used in the food sector for their
      physico-chemical properties towards efficient encapsulation, entrapment of
      bioactive compounds, solubilization, targeted delivery, and bioavailability.
      Nanoemulsions are considered as one of the important vehicles for the sustained
      release of food bioactive compounds due to their smaller size (nm), increased
      surface area, and unique morphological characteristics. Nanoemulsification is an
      ideal technique for fabricating the bioactive compounds in a nano form. Formation
      and stabilization of nanoemulsion depends on the physi-cochemical characteristics
      of its constituents including oil phase, aqueous phase, and emulsifiers. This
      review is mainly focused on the instability mechanisms of nanoemulsion such as
      flocculation, Ostwald ripening, creaming, phase separation, coalescence, and
      sedimentation. Further, the major factors associated with these instability
      mechanisms like ionic strength, temperature, solubilization, particle size
      distribution, particle charge, pH strength, acid stability, and heat treatment
      are also discussed. Finally, safety issues of food grade nanoemulsions are
      highlighted.

PMID- 26114625
TI  - Quantifying Synergy, Thermostability, and Targeting of Cellulolytic Enzymes and
      Cellulosomes with Polymerization-Based Amplification.
AB  - We present a polymerization-based assay for determining the potency of
      cellulolytic enzyme formulations on pretreated biomass substrates. Our system
      relies on monitoring the autofluorescence of cellulose and measuring the
      attenuation of this fluorescent signal as a hydrogel consisting of poly(ethylene
      glycol) (PEG) polymerizes on top of the cellulose in response to glucose produced
      during saccharification. The one-pot method we present is label-free, rapid,
      highly sensitive, and requires only a single pipetting step. Using model enzyme
      formulations derived from Trichoderma reesei, Trichoderma longibrachiatum,
      Talaromyces emersonii and recombinant bacterial minicellulosomes from Clostridium
      thermocellum, we demonstrate the ability to differentiate enzyme performance
      based on differences in thermostability, cellulose-binding domain targeting, and
      endo/exoglucanase synergy. On the basis of its ease of use, we expect this
      cellulase assay platform to be applicable to enzyme screening for improved
      bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass. 

PMID- 26114626
TI  - Dissatisfaction with Veterinary Services Is Associated with Leopard (Panthera
      pardus) Predation on Domestic Animals.
AB  - Human-carnivore conflicts challenge biodiversity conservation and local
      livelihoods, but the role of diseases of domestic animals in their predation by
      carnivores is poorly understood. We conducted a human-leopard (Panthera pardus)
      conflict study throughout all 34 villages around Golestan National Park, Iran in
      order to find the most important conflict determinants and to use them in
      predicting the probabilities of conflict and killing of cattle, sheep and goats,
      and dogs. We found that the more villagers were dissatisfied with veterinary
      services, the more likely they were to lose livestock and dogs to leopard
      predation. Dissatisfaction occurred when vaccination crews failed to visit
      villages at all or, in most cases, arrived too late to prevent diseases from
      spreading. We suggest that increased morbidity of livestock makes them
      particularly vulnerable to leopard attacks. Moreover, conflicts and dog killing
      were higher in villages located closer to the boundaries of the protected area
      than in distant villages. Therefore, we appeal for improved enforcement and
      coordination of veterinary services in our study area, and propose several
      priority research topics such as veterinarian studies, role of wild prey in
      diseases of domestic animals, and further analysis of potential conflict
      predictors. 

PMID- 26114627
TI  - The effect of adaptive sports on employment among people with disabilities.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to analyse the role of adaptive sport in
      predicting employment for individuals with physical disabilities. METHOD: This
      study is cross-sectional. We collected survey data on employment and other
      covariates including education, age, age at disability onset, veteran status and
      athletic classification from 140 mobility impaired athletes who play either
      wheelchair rugby or wheelchair basketball. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-one
      participants were studied. Our analysis shows that playing an additional year of
      adaptive sport is associated with an approximately 4% increase in likelihood of
      employment. Education and duration of disability are found to be positive
      predictors of employment, while veteran status and severity of injury are
      negative predictors of employment. Age of disability onset is not found to be a
      predictor of employment when other controls are included. CONCLUSIONS: This
      result indicates that a substantial economic benefit would result from increased
      participation in adaptive sport, and therefore may justify additional funding to
      expand adaptive sport programs. Implications for Rehabilitation Employment rates
      are very low among individuals with physical disabilities, despite research
      indicating extensive benefits from employment. Participation in adaptive sport is
      associated with a higher likelihood of employment. Efforts to increase
      participation in adaptive sport could have a large economic benefit.

PMID- 26114628
TI  - Facilitating employment opportunities for adults with intellectual and
      developmental disability through parents and social networks.
AB  - PURPOSE: People with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) have
      historically had high unemployment and underemployment rates and continue to face
      significant barriers to attaining and sustaining employment. The purpose of this
      research, conducted in Ontario, Canada was to better understand the experiences
      of people with IDD gaining and keeping productivity roles. METHOD: We used
      qualitative semi-structured interviews with 74 participants with IDD and their
      families or caregivers as proxies regarding the employment of a person with IDD.
      We selected a sample of persons from three different geographic regions in
      Ontario, Canada, and analyzed data through coding methods consistent with a
      grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate the importance of
      parents and other members of social and family networks relative to connecting
      with work options and sustaining work over time, especially through continued
      advocacy and investment. Parents helped individuals with IDD negotiate the right
      job fit, though they often encountered challenges as a result of their efforts.
      CONCLUSION: Practitioners must understand how to support parents to be effective
      advocates for their adult children with IDD, assist them to develop and maintain
      their social networks and help them to avoid caregiver burnout. Implications for
      Rehabilitation People with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) face
      numerous challenges in indentifying work options and overcoming barriers to
      employment. Parents and other non-paid support members of social networks can be
      instrumental in ensuring that persons with IDD not only secure initial job
      placements, but also sustain employment and employment alternatives.
      Professionals that support persons with IDD can direct their efforts to helping
      persons with IDD develop strong social connections, as well as helping parents to
      prevent burnout.

PMID- 26114629
TI  - Delivery of high quality stroke and vision care: experiences of UK services.
AB  - PURPOSE: We sought to identify exemplars of high quality care provision from
      established stroke vision services. METHODS: We identified areas of high quality
      services across the UK, judged as having integrated stroke/vision care provision
      for stroke survivors. Healthcare professionals were selected to participate in
      1:1 interviews or focus groups. A strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats
      (SWOT) framework was used to lead the discussion in a semi-structured format.
      Thematic analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: Interviewees (n = 24) from 14 NHS
      Trusts included eye clinic managers, nurses, orthoptists, occupational therapists
      and physiotherapists. Identified strengths of their services included established
      communication, training provision for stroke team staff, "open access" for
      referrals, use of standardised screening/referral forms, provision of lay
      summaries and information sheets, patients assessed on the stroke unit with
      continued follow-up and initial visual assessments made within 1 week of stroke
      onset. Weaknesses included lack of funding, insufficient orthoptic cover, and
      time consuming retraining of stroke staff because of staff rotation and changes.
      Opportunities included increasing the number (or length) of orthoptic sessions
      and training of stroke staff. Perceived threats related to funding and increased
      appointment waiting times. CONCLUSIONS: Practical elements for improved stroke
      and vision care provision are highlighted which can be implemented with
      relatively little financial inputs. Implications for Rehabilitation Integrated
      vision services within stroke units can improve the detection of visual problems
      in stroke survivors leading to earlier visual rehabilitation. Orthoptists within
      core stroke teams are beneficial to the delivery of a high quality service. This
      study illustrates clear practical elements to support the provision of high
      quality integrated stroke and vision services. Relatively little financial inputs
      are required to fund such services but with larger potential to improve patient
      care.

PMID- 26114630
TI  - Peripheral Nerve Diffusion Tensor Imaging: Assessment of Axon and Myelin Sheath
      Integrity.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the potential of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
      parameters as in-vivo biomarkers of axon and myelin sheath integrity of the
      median nerve in the carpal tunnel as validated by correlation with
      electrophysiology. METHODS: MRI examinations at 3T including DTI were conducted
      on wrists in 30 healthy subjects. After manual segmentation of the median nerve
      quantitative analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA) as well as axial, radial and
      mean diffusivity (AD, RD, and MD) was carried out. Pairwise Pearson correlations
      with electrophysiological parameters comprising sensory nerve action potential
      (SNAP) and compound muscle action potential (CMAP) as markers of axon integrity,
      and distal motor latency (dml) and sensory nerve conduction velocity (sNCV) as
      markers of myelin sheath integrity were computed. The significance criterion was
      set at P=0.05, Bonferroni corrected for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: DTI
      parameters showed a distinct proximal-to-distal profile with FA, MD, and RD
      extrema coinciding in the center of the carpal tunnel. AD correlated with CMAP
      (r=0.50, p=0.04, Bonf. corr.) but not with markers of myelin sheath integrity. RD
      correlated with sNCV (r=-0.53, p=0.02, Bonf. corr.) but not with markers of axon
      integrity. FA correlated with dml (r=-0.63, p=0.002, Bonf. corr.) and sNCV
      (r=0.68, p=0.001, Bonf. corr.) but not with markers of axon integrity.
      CONCLUSION: AD reflects axon integrity, while RD (and FA) reflect myelin sheath
      integrity as validated by correlation with electrophysiology. DTI parameters
      consistently indicate a slight decrease of structural integrity in the carpal
      tunnel as a physiological site of median nerve entrapment. DTI is particularly
      sensitive, since these findings are observed in healthy participants. Our results
      encourage future studies to evaluate the potential of DTI in differentiating axon
      from myelin sheath injury in patients with manifest peripheral neuropathies.

PMID- 26114631
TI  - Reconstitution of TGFBR2-Mediated Signaling Causes Upregulation of GDF-15 in
      HCT116 Colorectal Cancer Cells.
AB  - Although inactivating frameshift mutations in the Transforming growth factor beta
      receptor type 2 (TGFBR2) gene are considered as drivers of microsatellite
      unstable (MSI) colorectal tumorigenesis, consequential alterations of the
      downstream target proteome are not resolved completely. Applying a click-it
      chemistry protein labeling approach combined with mass spectrometry in a MSI
      colorectal cancer model cell line, we identified 21 de novo synthesized proteins
      differentially expressed upon reconstituted TGFBR2 expression. One candidate
      gene, the TGF-beta family member Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15),
      exhibited TGFBR2-dependent transcriptional upregulation causing increased
      intracellular and extracellular protein levels. As a new TGFBR2 target gene it
      may provide a link between the TGF-beta branch and the BMP/GDF branch of SMAD
      mediated signaling. 

PMID- 26114633
TI  - [Laparoscopic Resection Rectopexy for the Treatment of External Rectal Prolapse].
AB  - Laparoscopic resection rectopexy is one of the surgical options for the treatment
      of external rectal prolapse. A standardised and reproducible procedure for this
      operation is a decisive advantage for such cases. The operation can be divided in
      11 substeps, so-called nodal points, which must be reached before further
      progress can be made and simplify the operation by dividing the procedure into
      substeps. This manuscript and the accompanying film demonstrate the standardised
      laparoscopic resection rectopexy as taught in the "Surgical Training Center
      Tubingen," and performed at the University Hospital of Tubingen. 

PMID- 26114634
TI  - [Gender-specific Differences--Reflections to Issue 3/2015 (EDITORIAL)].

PMID- 26114632
TI  - The Transmodulation of HER2 and EGFR by Substance P in Breast Cancer Cells
      Requires c-Src and Metalloproteinase Activation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Substance P (SP) is a pleiotropic cytokine/neuropeptide that enhances
      breast cancer (BC) aggressiveness by transactivating tyrosine kinase receptors
      like EGFR and HER2. We previously showed that SP and its cognate receptor NK-1
      (SP/NK1-R) signaling modulates the basal phosphorylation of HER2 and EGFR in BC,
      increasing aggressiveness and drug resistance. In order to elucidate the
      mechanisms responsible for NK-1R-mediated HER2 and EGFR transactivation, we
      investigated the involvement of c-Src (a ligand-independent mediator) and of
      metalloproteinases (ligand-dependent mediators) in HER2/EGFR activation. RESULTS
      AND DISCUSSION: Overexpression of NK-1R in MDA-MB-231 and its chemical inhibition
      in SK-BR-3, BT-474 and MDA-MB-468 BC cells significantly modulated c-Src
      activation, suggesting that this protein is a mediator of NK-1R signaling. In
      addition, the c-Src inhibitor 4-(4'-phenoxyanilino)-6,7-dimethoxyquinazoline
      prevented SP-induced activation of HER2. On the other hand, SP-dependent
      phosphorylation of HER2 and EGFR decreased substantially in the presence of the
      MMP inhibitor 1-10, phenanthroline monohydrate, and the dual inhibition of both c
      Src and MMP almost abolished the activation of HER2 and EGFR. Moreover, the use
      of these inhibitors demonstrated that this Src and MMP-dependent signaling is
      important to the cell viability and migration capacity of HER2+ and EGFR+ cell
      lines. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the transactivation of HER2 and EGFR
      by the pro-inflammatory cytokine/neuropeptide SP in BC cells is a c-Src and MMP
      dependent process.

PMID- 26114635
TI  - [Gender Aspects in Gastrointestinal Tumours and Their Prognosis in Regard to
      Multimodal Treatment Concepts].
AB  - Systematic analyses of gender effects in gastrointestinal malignancies are
      currently lacking, partly because sex and gender have not been used as
      stratification criteria in major studies on the topic. It is, however,
      indisputable that gastrointestinal tumours differ in risk factors, incidence and
      prognosis between the genders. This review summarises the most important findings
      on differences related to biological sex and sociocultural gender and discusses
      anatomic specifics with immediate significance for surgical interventions.
      Epidemiological differences in upper gastrointestinal malignancies are most
      prominent in regard to histological subtypes, directly affecting diagnostics,
      therapy, and prognosis. Women have a better prognosis in many of these tumour
      subtypes. For colorectal carcinoma, sex hormones, specifically oestrogens, appear
      to play a distinct role in tumourigenesis. Histopathological analysis of the
      expression of oestrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) in the tumour tissue has attracted
      interest since it was shown that women with low ERbeta expression have a better
      prognosis than men with comparable ERbeta status. Data on the higher incidence of
      right-sided colon carcinoma and non-polypoid neoplasms in women could lead to
      improved screening programmes. Men and women cite differing reasons for avoidance
      of screening colonoscopies, thus gender specific approaches could improve colon
      cancer prevention programmes. Data on differing bioavailability of 5-fluorouracil
      between the genders are useful to minimise adverse effects of chemotherapy and
      should be accounted for in dosage. Further systematic analysis of gender effects
      on gastrointestinal tumours is warranted and would be a substantial step towards
      personalised oncological surgery.

PMID- 26114636
TI  - [Are There Gender-Specific Differences in Complications Following Abdominal
      Surgery?].
AB  - Studies in mice indicate gender-specific differences in surgical complications
      with a distinct advantage for females. In patient care, however, gender has been
      an underrated aspect of complication management in abdominal surgery as far.
      Proven differences between the sexes regarding anatomy, hormonal regulation,
      constitutional polymorphisms, immune response and psychology suggest different
      types and incidence of complications and seem to justify studies on the topic.
      This review aims to compare a selection of current original articles reporting on
      complications following abdominal surgery separately for the genders. However,
      data in the literature are sparse and in part very heterogeneous. With data on
      colorectal carcinoma being most comprehensive, for stomach, oesophagus and
      finally pancreas fewer data can be found. Summing up all organ systems, the
      following cautious conclusions can be drawn. Men tend to suffer from
      postoperative complications more frequently. Men have more cases of anastomotic
      leakage, whereas women suffer from anastomotic stenosis more often. Currently,
      however, existing data do not justify any adaptation of patient management. Thus,
      taking gender aspects into account in designing new trials is paramount in order
      to obtain robust gender-specific data on incidence and types of complications.

PMID- 26114637
TI  - [Gender-Specific Differences in Liver Transplantation].
AB  - Liver transplantation is the treatment of choice for acute hepatic failure or
      endstage liver disease. Long-time outcome following liver transplantation has
      been increased as a result of improvements in surgical technique, perioperative
      management, organ procurement and immunuosuppression. Differences in liver
      disease, access and allocation to liver transplantation as outcome due to gender
      have been reported. This review highlights the important differences in the field
      of liver transplantation.

PMID- 26114638
TI  - [Reports of the DGT in Zentralblatt fur Chirurgie].

PMID- 26114639
TI  - [Multimodal Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with Cerebral Metastases].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of surgical treatment of lung cancer with brain metastases
      remains controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the long-term
      outcome and to identify potential prognostic factors in patients with cerebral
      metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: The data of patients who
      underwent a resection of oligometastatic NSCLC with brain metastases from January
      1999 to December 2012 were investigated retrospectively at a single institution.
      Multimodal treatment included resection or radiation surgery of the brain
      metastases at first, followed by systemic chemotherapy and the surgical treatment
      of the lung cancer finally. Survival, potential prognostic factors, response to
      chemotherapy as well as morbidity and mortality were investigated. RESULTS: A
      total of 105 patients with primary NSCLC and brain metastases was identified. Out
      of these, 26 patients (18 males, 8 females) were included in the study. Morbidity
      and mortality rates were 15 and 0 %, respectively. Lobectomies were performed in
      15 patients, pneumonectomy in 5 and sleeve lobectomy in 6 patients, respectively.
      The brain metastases were treated individually by resection (n = 12),
      stereotactic radiotherapy (n = 11) or whole brain radiotherapy in several
      combinations. Histological response to chemotherapy was proven in 9.1 %. The 2
      year survival rate was 50 % (median survival [MS], 26 months). There were no
      significant differences of the survival depending on the patients' age, gender,
      presence of lymph node metastases, number of the brain metastases, type of
      chemotherapy or response to chemotherapy. Adenocarcinoma as histology of the
      primary tumour showed a significantly better survival compared to squamous cell
      carcinoma (MS: 26 vs. 8 months; p = 0.034). Treatment of the brain metastases
      without any additional whole brain radiation was associated with inferior
      survival compared to patients with whole brain radiation (mean survival: 17 vs.
      73 months; p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Long-term survival is achievable in highly
      selected patients with NSCLC and cerebral metastasis by multimodal treatment
      including resection of the primary lung cancer. Patients with squamous cell
      carcinoma should be selected carefully for multimodal treatment. Treatment of the
      brain metastases without whole brain radiation should be avoided.

PMID- 26114640
TI  - Discovery of a non-cationic cell penetrating peptide derived from membrane
      interacting human proteins and its potential as a protein delivery carrier.
AB  - Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) are peptides that can be translocated into cells
      and used as a carrier platform for the intracellular uptake of cargo molecules.
      Subject to the source of CPP sequences and their positively charged nature, the
      cytotoxicity and immunogenicity of conventional CPPs needs to be optimized to
      expand their utility for biomedical applications. In addition to these safety
      issues, the stability of CPPs needs to be addressed since their positively
      charged residues are prone to interact with the biological milieu. As an effort
      to overcome these limitations of the current CPP technology, we isolated CPP
      candidate sequences and synthesized peptides from twelve isoforms of annexin, a
      family of membrane-interacting human proteins. The candidate screen returned a
      CPP rich in hydrophobic residues that showed more efficient cellular uptake than
      TAT-CPP. We then investigated the uptake mechanism, subcellular localization, and
      biophysical properties of the newly found CPP, verifying low cytotoxicity, long
      term serum stability, and non-immunogenicity. Finally, model proteins conjugated
      to this peptide were successfully delivered into mammalian cells both in vitro
      and in vivo, indicating a potential use of the peptide as a carrier for the
      delivery of macromolecular cargos. 

PMID- 26114642
TI  - Dynamic Model for Life History of Scyphozoa.
AB  - A two-state life history model governed by ODEs is formulated to elucidate the
      population dynamics of jellyfish and to illuminate the triggering mechanism of
      its blooms. The polyp-medusa model admits trichotomous global dynamic scenarios:
      extinction, polyps survival only, and both survival. The population dynamics
      sensitively depend on several biotic and abiotic limiting factors such as
      substrate, temperature, and predation. The combination of temperature increase,
      substrate expansion, and predator diminishment acts synergistically to create a
      habitat that is more favorable for jellyfishes. Reducing artificial marine
      constructions, aiding predator populations, and directly controlling the
      jellyfish population would help to manage the jellyfish blooms. The theoretical
      analyses and numerical experiments yield several insights into the nature
      underlying the model and shed some new light on the general control strategy for
      jellyfish. 

PMID- 26114641
TI  - Targeting of a Fixed Bacterial Immunogen to Fc Receptors Reverses the Anti
      Inflammatory Properties of the Gram-Negative Bacterium, Francisella tularensis,
      during the Early Stages of Infection.
AB  - Production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by innate immune cells at the early
      stages of bacterial infection is important for host protection against the
      pathogen. Many intracellular bacteria, including Francisella tularensis, the
      agent of tularemia, utilize the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, to evade the
      host immune response. It is well established that IL-10 has the ability to
      inhibit robust antigen presentation by dendritic cells and macrophages, thus
      suppressing the generation of protective immunity. The pathogenesis of F.
      tularensis is not fully understood, and research has failed to develop an
      effective vaccine to this date. In the current study, we hypothesized that F.
      tularensis polarizes antigen presenting cells during the early stages of
      infection towards an anti-inflammatory status characterized by increased
      synthesis of IL-10 and decreased production of IL-12p70 and TNF-alpha in an IFN
      gamma-dependent fashion. In addition, F. tularensis drives an alternative
      activation of alveolar macrophages within the first 48 hours post-infection, thus
      allowing the bacterium to avoid protective immunity. Furthermore, we demonstrate
      that targeting inactivated F. tularensis (iFt) to Fcgamma receptors (FcgammaRs)
      via intranasal immunization with mAb-iFt complexes, a proven vaccine strategy in
      our laboratories, reverses the anti-inflammatory effects of the bacterium on
      macrophages by down-regulating production of IL-10. More specifically, we
      observed that targeting of iFt to FcgammaRs enhances the classical activation of
      macrophages not only within the respiratory mucosa, but also systemically, at the
      early stages of infection. These results provide important insight for further
      understanding the protective immune mechanisms generated when targeting
      immunogens to Fc receptors. 

PMID- 26114643
TI  - Modelling Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus Dispersion from Marine Salmon
      Farms in the Discovery Islands, British Columbia, Canada.
AB  - Finite volume ocean circulation and particle tracking models are used to simulate
      water-borne transmission of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) among
      Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) farms in the Discovery Islands region of British
      Columbia, Canada. Historical simulations for April and July 2010 are carried out
      to demonstrate the seasonal impact of river discharge, wind, ultra-violet (UV)
      radiation, and heat flux conditions on near-surface currents, viral dispersion
      and survival. Numerical particles released from infected farm fish in accordance
      with IHNV shedding rates estimated through laboratory experiments are dispersed
      by model oceanic flows. Viral particles are inactivated by ambient UV radiation
      levels and by the natural microbial community at rates derived through laboratory
      studies. Viral concentration maps showing temporal and spatial changes are
      produced and combined with lab-determined minimum infectious dosages to estimate
      the infective connectivity among farms. Results demonstrate that neighbouring
      naive farms can become exposed to IHNV via water-borne transport from an IHNV
      diseased farm, with a higher risk in April than July, and that many events in the
      sequence of farm outbreaks in 2001-2002 are consistent with higher risks in our
      farm connectivity matrix. Applications to other diseases, transfers between
      farmed and wild fish, and the effect of vaccinations are also discussed. 

PMID- 26114644
TI  - Out-of-Plane Plasmonic Antennas for Raman Analysis in Living Cells.
AB  - Out-of-plane plasmonic nanoantennas protruding from the substrate are exploited
      to perform very sensitive surface enhanced Raman scattering analysis of living
      cells. Cells cultured on three-dimensional surfaces exhibit tight adhesion with
      nanoantenna tips where the plasmonic hot-spot resides. This fact provides
      observable cell adhesion sites combined with high plasmonic enhancement,
      resulting in an ideal system for Raman investigation of cell membranes. 

PMID- 26114645
TI  - Preserved Cerebral Microcirculation After Cardiac Arrest in a Rat Model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recent studies show that sublingual microcirculation is altered in
      patients resuscitated from CA. The objective of this study was to investigate
      whether the cerebral microcirculation is disturbed in the early post
      resuscitation period. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to either
      10 minutes of CA or uninterrupted circulation, and observed to 120 or 360 minutes
      after ROSC. At 120 and 360 minutes, cerebral microcirculation was evaluated by
      SDF microscopy through a craniectomy. Plasma samples were analyzed for
      endothelial adhesion molecules and inflammatory markers, and brains were fixated
      for histological analysis. RESULTS: Cerebral microcirculation, evaluated by TVD,
      PVD, PPV, and MFI did not differ between groups (p > 0.16). Plasma samples drawn
      360 minutes after ROSC displayed a significant increase in sE-selectin, sL
      selectin, sI-CAM1, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-10, and elastase compared to controls. In
      the CA animals, sE-selectin and elastase increased between 120 and 360 minutes
      after resuscitation (p < 0.007). Histological analysis revealed neuronal death in
      hippocampus layer CA1 360 min after resuscitation. CONCLUSION: When evaluated by
      SDF, the cerebral microcirculation appears unaffected in the early post-CA period
      despite hypotension, systemic inflammation, endothelial activation, and neuronal
      injury.

PMID- 26114646
TI  - Peptidoglycan Branched Stem Peptides Contribute to Streptococcus pneumoniae
      Virulence by Inhibiting Pneumolysin Release.
AB  - Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) colonizes the human nasopharynx and
      is a significant pathogen worldwide. Pneumolysin (Ply) is a multi-functional,
      extracellular virulence factor produced by this organism that is critical for
      pathogenesis. Despite the absence of any apparent secretion or cell surface
      attachment motifs, Ply localizes to the cell envelope of actively growing cells.
      We sought to characterize the consequences of this surface localization. Through
      functional assays with whole cells and subcellular fractions, we determined that
      Ply activity and its release into the extracellular environment are inhibited by
      peptidoglycan (PG) structure. The ability of PG to inhibit Ply release was
      dependent on the stem peptide composition of this macromolecule, which was
      manipulated by mutation of the murMN operon that encodes proteins responsible for
      branched stem peptide synthesis. Additionally, removal of choline-binding
      proteins from the cell surface significantly reduced Ply release to levels
      observed in a mutant with a high proportion of branched stem peptides suggesting
      a link between this structural feature and surface-associated choline-binding
      proteins involved in PG metabolism. Of clinical relevance, we also demonstrate
      that a hyperactive, mosaic murMN allele associated with penicillin resistance
      causes decreased Ply release with concomitant increases in the amount of branched
      stem peptides. Finally, using a murMN deletion mutant, we observed that increased
      Ply release is detrimental to virulence during a murine model of pneumonia. Taken
      together, our results reveal a novel role for branched stem peptides in
      pneumococcal pathogenesis and demonstrate the importance of controlled Ply
      release during infection. These results highlight the importance of PG
      composition in pathogenesis and may have broad implications for the diverse PG
      structures observed in other bacterial pathogens. 

PMID- 26114648
TI  - Characterization of the Dielectric Constant in the Trichoderma reesei Cel7B
      Active Site.
AB  - An attempt is made to evaluate the dielectric constant of the Trichoderma reesei
      Cel7B active site. Through kinetic measurements, the pKa value of the catalytic
      acid E201 is determined. Mutations (away from E201) with net charge changes are
      introduced to perturb the E201 pKa. It is shown that the mutation with a +1
      charge change (including G225R, G230R, and A335R) decreases the pKa of E201,
      whereas the mutation with a -1 charge change (including Q149E, A222D, G225D, and
      G230D) increases the pKa. This effect is consistent with the electrostatic
      interaction between the changed charge and the E201 side chain. The fitting of
      the experimental data yields an apparent dielectric constant of 25-80. Molecular
      dynamics simulations with explicit water molecules indicate that the high solvent
      accessibility of the active site contributes largely to the high dielectric
      constant. ONIOM calculations show that high dielectric constant benefits the
      catalysis through decreasing the energy of the transition state relative to that
      of the enzyme substrate complex. 

PMID- 26114649
TI  - First-Principles Thermochemistry for the Thermal Decomposition of Titanium
      Tetraisopropoxide.
AB  - The thermal decomposition of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) is investigated
      using quantum chemistry, statistical thermodynamics, and equilibrium composition
      analysis. A set of 981 Ti-containing candidate species are proposed
      systematically on the basis of the thermal breakage of bonds within a TTIP
      molecule. The ground state geometry, vibrational frequencies and hindrance
      potentials are calculated for each species at the B97-1/6-311+G(d,p) level of
      theory. Thermochemical data are computed by applying statistical thermodynamics
      and, if unknown, the standard enthalpy of formation is estimated using balanced
      reactions. Equilibrium composition calculations are performed under typical
      combustion conditions for premixed flames. The thermodynamically stable
      decomposition products for different fuel mixtures are identified. A strong
      positive correlation is found between the mole fractions of Ti species containing
      carbon and the TTIP precursor concentration. 

PMID- 26114647
TI  - PKC/ROS-Mediated NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation Is Attenuated by Leishmania Zinc
      Metalloprotease during Infection.
AB  - Parasites of the Leishmania genus infect and survive within macrophages by
      inhibiting several microbicidal molecules, such as nitric oxide and pro
      inflammatory cytokines. In this context, various species of Leishmania have been
      reported to inhibit or reduce the production of IL-1beta both in vitro and in
      vivo. However, the mechanism whereby Leishmania parasites are able to affect IL
      1beta production and secretion by macrophages is still not fully understood.
      Dependent on the stimulus at hand, the maturation of IL-1beta is facilitated by
      different inflammasome complexes. The NLRP3 inflammasome has been shown to be of
      pivotal importance in the detection of danger molecules such as inorganic
      crystals like asbestos, silica and malarial hemozoin, (HZ) as well as infectious
      agents. In the present work, we investigated whether Leishmania parasites
      modulate NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Using PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells, we
      demonstrate that Leishmania infection effectively inhibits macrophage IL-1beta
      production upon stimulation. In this context, the expression and activity of the
      metalloprotease GP63 - a critical virulence factor expressed by all infectious
      Leishmania species - is a prerequisite for a Leishmania-mediated reduction of IL
      1beta secretion. Accordingly, L. mexicana, purified GP63 and GP63-containing
      exosomes, caused the inhibition of macrophage IL-1beta production. Leishmania
      dependent suppression of IL-1beta secretion is accompanied by an inhibition of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) production that has previously been shown to be
      associated with NLRP3 inflammasome activation. The observed loss of ROS
      production was due to an impaired PKC-mediated protein phosphorylation.
      Furthermore, ROS-independent inflammasome activation was inhibited, possibly due
      to an observed GP63-dependent cleavage of inflammasome and inflammasome-related
      proteins. Collectively for the first time, we herein provide evidence that the
      protozoan parasite Leishmania, through its surface metalloprotease GP63, can
      significantly inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome function and IL-1beta production. 

PMID- 26114650
TI  - A reversed-phase HPLC-UV method developed and validated for simultaneous
      quantification of six alkaloids from Nicotiana spp.
AB  - A reversed-phase HPLC-UV method was developed, optimized, and validated for the
      separation and quantitation of six target alkaloids from leaves of Nicotiana
      species (nicotine, nornicotine, anatabine, anabasine, myosmine, and cotinine). A
      bidentate reversed-phase C18 column was used as stationary phase and an alkaline
      ammonium formate buffer and acetonitrile as mobile phase. The alkaloids were well
      separated in a short run time of 13min with mobile phase pH 10.5 and a small
      gradient of 9-13% acetonitrile, and detected using UV at 260nm. Peak parameters
      were acceptable for all six closely related alkaloids. The proposed method has
      enough linearity with correlation coefficient >0.999 within the investigated
      range for all tested alkaloids. Satisfactory precision was achieved for both
      intra- and inter-day assay, with RSD less than 2% for all alkaloid standards.
      Reproducibility was also within the acceptable range of RSD <2%. Limit of
      detection was 1.6MUg/mL for nicotine and below 1MUg/mL for all other alkaloids.
      The limit of quantification was 2.8 and 4.8MUg/mL for nornicotine and nicotine
      respectively, and below 2MUg/mL for all other alkaloids. The method was
      successfully applied for simultaneous analysis of alkaloids in leaves of
      Nicotiana benthamiana. 

PMID- 26114651
TI  - Determination and pharmacokinetic studies of artesunate and its metabolite in
      sheep plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - A rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to simultaneous
      quantify artesunate and its metabolite in sheep plasma. The plasma samples were
      prepared by liquid-liquid extraction. Chromatographic separation was achieved on
      a C18 column (250*4.6mm, 5MUm) using methanol: water (60:40, v/v) (the water
      included 1mM ammonium acetate, 0.1% formic acid, and 0.02% acetic acid) as the
      mobile phase. Mass detection was carried out using positive electrospray
      ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The calibration curve was linear
      from 1ng/mL to 400ng/mL (r(2)=0.9992 for artesunate, r(2)=0.9993 for its
      metabolite). The intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision were within the
      acceptable limits of +/-10% at all concentrations for both artesunate and its
      metabolite. The recoveries ranged from 92% to 98% at the three concentrations for
      both. In summary, the LC-MS/MS metho described herein was fully successfully
      applied to pharmacokinetic studies of artesunate nanoemulsion after intramuscular
      delivery to sheep. 

PMID- 26114652
TI  - Comparison of orthogonal chromatographic and lectin-affinity microarray methods
      for glycan profiling of a therapeutic monoclonal antibody.
AB  - The N-linked glycosylation of four lots of a marketed human therapeutic
      monoclonal antibody (mAb) was assessed by three orthogonal chromatographic
      methods and a commercial lectin microarray. For chromatography, the N-glycans
      were removed enzymatically from the mAbs using PNGase F. Native glycans were
      determined by HPAEC-PAD using a panel of 21 N-glycan standards and a multi-stage
      linear gradient eluent profile for sequential analyses of typical neutral and
      sialylated glycans in one chromatographic run. The monosaccharide contents of
      these glycans following acid hydrolysis were confirmed by HPAEC-PAD with
      monosaccharide standards. Glycosylation analysis by HILIC-FD after stoichiometric
      labelling with two different fluorescent tags (2-AA and 2-AB) enabled direct
      quantitation. The 2-AA- and 2-AB-labelled versions of the same glycan standard
      panel yielded distinctive separation profiles suitable for orthogonal
      identification of mAb glycans. Glycan profiling with the lectin microarray
      required partial denaturation of the intact mAbs to expose the sequestered Fc N
      glycans. Glycosylation fingerprints were obtained using a fluorescently labelled
      antibody directed against human IgG Fc. Fluorescence intensities from the
      fingerprints were deconvoluted with a proprietary algorithm to obtain semi
      quantitative "glycan structural class" information. Glycosylation analyses of the
      four mAb lots by these four methods, which separate and detect oligosaccharides
      according to different principles, provided complementary and corroboratory
      qualitative and quantitative information. The predominant N-linked structures
      were core-fucosylated asialo diantennary structures with varying galactosylation.
      There were also trace amounts of afucosyl and bisected glycans, but no detectable
      sialylation by any of the four methods. The therapeutic mAb demonstrated a high
      degree of consistency in the types and amounts of N-linked glycans in the four
      lots (<6% CV), and between all four analysis methods (<6% CV). The described
      methods are co-supported by the excellent quantitative agreement of their
      results, which is particularly notable considering the orthogonality of their
      separation and detection mechanisms. 

PMID- 26114653
TI  - Online polar two phase countercurrent chromatography*high performance liquid
      chromatography for preparative isolation of polar polyphenols from tea extract in
      a single step.
AB  - Herein, we report an on-line two-dimensional system constructed by counter
      current chromatography (CCC) coupling with preparative high-performance liquid
      chromatography (prep-HPLC) for the separation and purification of polar natural
      products. The CCC was used as the first dimensional isolation column, where an
      environmental friendly polar two-phase solvent system of isopropanol and 16%
      sodium chloride aqueous solution (1:1.2, v/v) was introduced for low toxicity and
      favorable resolution. In addition, by applying the stop-and-go flow technique,
      effluents pre-fractionated by CCC was further purified by a preparative column
      packed with octadecyl silane (ODS) as the second dimension. The interface between
      the two dimensions was comprised of a 6-port switching valve and an
      electronically controlled 2-position 10-port switching valve connected with two
      equivalent holding columns. To be highlighted here, this rationally designed
      interface for the purpose of smooth desalination, absorption and desorption,
      successfully solved the solvent compatibility problem between the two dimensional
      separation systems. The present integrated system was successfully applied in a
      one-step preparative separation and identification of 10 pure compounds from the
      water extracts of Tieguanyin tea (Chinese oolong tea). In short, all the results
      demonstrated that the on-line 2D CCC*LC method is an efficient and green approach
      for harvesting polar targets in a single step, which showed great promise in drug
      discovery. 

PMID- 26114654
TI  - Simultaneous determination of intracellular UDP-sugars in hyaluronic acid
      producing Streptococcus zooepidemicus.
AB  - Two chromatographic methods for the quantitative analysis of uridine diphosphate
      (UDP) sugars involved in hyaluronan pathway of Streptococcus zooepidemicus (SEZ)
      were developed and compared. The sample preparation protocol using centrifugation
      and extraction in hot ethanol was employed prior to the analyses. Separation was
      achieved using an anion exchange Spherisorb SAX column or a Shodex QA-825 column
      connected with a photodiode array (PDA) detector. To increase the throughput of
      the chromatography method employing the Spherisorb SAX column, the solid phase
      extraction (SPE) procedure was introduced. Method validation results displayed
      that limits of detection (LODs) of UDP-glucose (UDP-Glc), UDP-N-acetylglucosamine
      (UDP-GlcNAc) and UDP-glucuronic acid (UDP-GlcA) calculated according to QC Expert
      software were in the low micromolar range and the coefficient of correlation
      (R(2)) was above 0.997. However, the analytical technique using the Spherisorb
      SAX column resulted in 80-90% recoveries and low LODs (<=6.19MUM), the Shodex QA
      825 column showed better long-term stability and reproducible chromatographic
      properties (RSD<=5.60%). The Shodex QA-825 column was successfully used to
      monitor UDP-sugar levels during the growth rate of SEZ cells. 

PMID- 26114655
TI  - Targeted Overexpression of alpha-Synuclein by rAAV2/1 Vectors Induces Progressive
      Nigrostriatal Degeneration and Increases Vulnerability to MPTP in Mouse.
AB  - Mutations, duplication and triplication of alpha-synuclein genes are linked to
      familial Parkinson's disease (PD), and aggregation of alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn)
      in Lewy bodies (LB) is involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. The targeted
      overexpression of alpha-syn in the substantia nigra (SN) mediated by viral
      vectors may provide a better alternative to recapitulate the neurodegenerative
      features of PD. Therefore, we overexpressed human wild-type alpha-syn using
      rAAV2/1 vectors in the bilateral SN of mouse and examined the effects for up to
      12 weeks. Delivery of rAAV-2/1-alpha-syn caused significant nigrostriatal
      degeneration including appearance of dystrophic striatal neurites, loss of nigral
      dopaminergic (DA) neurons and dissolving nigral neuron bodies in a time-dependent
      manner. In addition, the alpha-syn overexpressed mice also developed significant
      deficits in motor function at 12 weeks when the loss of DA neurons exceeded a
      threshold of 50%. To investigate the sensitivity to neurotoxins in mice
      overexpressing alpha-syn, we performed an MPTP treatment with the subacute
      regimen 8 weeks after rAAV injection. The impact of the combined genetic and
      environmental insults on DA neuronal loss, striatal dopamine depletion, dopamine
      turnover and motor dysfunction was markedly greater than that of either alone.
      Moreover, we observed increased phosphorylation (S129), accumulation and nuclear
      distribution of alpha-syn after the combined insults. In summary, these results
      reveal that the overexpressed alpha-syn induces progressive nigrostriatal
      degeneration and increases the susceptibility of DA neurons to MPTP. Therefore,
      the targeted overexpression of alpha-syn and the combination with environmental
      toxins may provide valuable models for understanding PD pathogenesis and
      developing related therapies. 

PMID- 26114657
TI  - Alcohol Use and Older Maori in Aotearoa.
AB  - This study investigated alcohol use, hazardous and binge drinking prevalence, and
      their relationships to socio-demographic variables in community dwelling older
      Maori adults in New Zealand. Alcohol use, hazardous drinking, and binge drinking
      were assessed with the AUDIT-C in a cross-sectional postal survey of 1042 older
      Maori people randomly selected from the New Zealand Electoral Roll. A total of
      41.2% of all participants reported drinking at hazardous levels. Odds ratios from
      binomial logistic regression showed hazardous drinking was significantly more
      likely to occur among males, current smokers, and those with higher local self
      contained network scores. Binge drinking was reported by 19.6% of the sample,
      with odds ratios indicating that males, current smokers, and those with higher
      Maori cultural identification scores were significantly more likely to report
      binge drinking. The high rates of hazardous and binge drinking prevalence
      reported in the current study raise issues of concern when considering the health
      of older Maori people. Results indicate that social networks, gender, smoking
      status, and Maori cultural identification may influence hazardous and binge
      drinking alcohol use. However, limitations of the present study also highlight
      the need for more focused and in-depth research to be conducted with older Maori
      people to understand the sociocultural context in which alcohol use occurs. 

PMID- 26114656
TI  - Clarithromycin Attenuates Radiation-Induced Lung Injury in Mice.
AB  - Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is a common and unavoidable complication of
      thoracic radiotherapy. The current study was conducted to evaluate the ability of
      clarithromycin (CLA) to prevent radiation-induced pneumonitis, oxidative stress,
      and lung fibrosis in an animal model. C57BL/6J mice were assigned to control,
      irradiation only, irradiation plus CLA, and CLA only groups. Test mice received
      single thoracic exposures to radiation and/or oral CLA (100 mg/kg/day).
      Histopathologic findings and markers of inflammation, fibrosis, and oxidative
      stress were compared by group. On a microscopic level, CLA inhibited macrophage
      influx, alveolar fibrosis, parenchymal collapse, consolidation, and epithelial
      cell changes. The concentration of collagen in lung tissue was lower in
      irradiation plus CLA mice. Radiation-induced expression of tumor necrosis factor
      (TNF)-alpha, TNF receptor 1, acetylated nuclear factor kappa B, cyclooxygenase 2,
      vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, and matrix metallopeptidase 9 were also
      attenuated by CLA. Expression levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor
      2 and heme oxygenase 1, transforming growth factor-beta1, connective tissue
      growth factor, and type I collagen in radiation-treated lungs were also
      attenuated by CLA. These findings indicate that CLA ameliorates the deleterious
      effects of thoracic irradiation in mice by reducing pulmonary inflammation,
      oxidative damage, and fibrosis. 

PMID- 26114658
TI  - A novel autophagy/mitophagy inhibitor liensinine sensitizes breast cancer cells
      to chemotherapy through DNM1L-mediated mitochondrial fission.
AB  - Autophagy inhibition has been widely accepted as a promising therapeutic strategy
      in cancer, while the lack of effective and specific autophagy inhibitors hinders
      its application. Here we found that liensinine, a major isoquinoline alkaloid,
      inhibits late-stage autophagy/mitophagy through blocking autophagosome-lysosome
      fusion. This effect is likely achieved via inhibiting the recruitment of RAB7A to
      lysosomes but not to autophagosomes. We further investigated the effects of
      autophagy inhibition by liensinine on the therapeutic efficacy of
      chemotherapeutic drugs and found that cotreatment of liensinine markedly
      decreased the viability and increased apoptosis in breast cancer cells treated
      with various chemotherapeutic agents. Mechanistically, we found that inhibition
      of autophagy/mitophagy by liensinine enhanced doxorubicin-mediated apoptosis by
      triggering mitochondrial fission, which resulted from dephosphorylation and
      mitochondrial translocation of DNM1L. However, blocking
      autophagosome/mitophagosome formation by pharmacological or genetic approaches
      markedly attenuated mitochondrial fission and apoptosis in cells with
      combinatatorial treatment. Moreover, liensinine was synergized with doxorubicin
      to inhibit tumor growth in MDA-MB-231 xenograft in vivo. Our findings suggest
      that liensinine could potentially be further developed as a novel
      autophagy/mitophagy inhibitor, and a combination of liensinine with classical
      chemotherapeutic drugs could represent a novel therapeutic strategy for treatment
      of breast cancer. 

PMID- 26114660
TI  - Synthesis of Cycloprodigiosin Identifies the Natural Isolate as a Scalemic
      Mixture.
AB  - The enantiomers of the natural product cycloprodigiosin were prepared using an
      expedient five-step synthetic sequence that takes advantage of a Schollkopf
      Barton-Zard (SBZ) pyrrole annulation with a chiral isocyanoacetate and a
      nitrocyclohexene derivative. Using chiral HPLC and X-ray crystallographic
      analyses of the synthetically prepared material and natural isolate (isolated
      from the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas rubra), naturally occurring
      cycloprodigiosin was determined to be a scalemic mixture occurring in an
      enantiomeric ratio of 83:17 (R)/(S) at C4'. 

PMID- 26114661
TI  - Transcription profile of genes affected in response to pathological changes in
      drug-induced rat model of acute kidney injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to examine the changes in the
      expression profile of certain genes in rat model of gentamicin-induced acute
      kidney injury (AKI) and to see whether time period and routes of administration
      affect their expression levels. METHODS: Rat AKI model was established with
      gentamicin injection using two different routes of administration and two
      different time periods. The models were evaluated through histopathological
      observations. Renal specific genes were selected on the basis of their role
      during kidney injury. These genes were analyzed through reverse transcriptase
      (RT) PCR. RESULTS: Marked disorganization of normal structure of proximal and
      distal tubules was observed in all the gentamicin-treated groups. Many tubules
      showed loss of brush border and presence of intratubular protein casts. Changes
      in gene expression levels were observed for kidney injury molecule (KIM-1),
      osteopontin, bone morphogenic protein-7 (BMP-7), extracellular signal-regulated
      kinases (ERK), stem cell factor (SCF) and IL-7 receptor with different levels of
      significance in the renal injury groups studied depending on the time period and
      route of administration. CONCLUSION: Gene expression seems to be dependent partly
      on the type of injury, route of administration and time period after induction of
      injury. An improved mechanistic understanding of gene regulation pathways in AKI
      may provide basis for potential therapeutic development.

PMID- 26114662
TI  - EDTA conditioning of dentine promotes adhesion, migration and differentiation of
      dental pulp stem cells.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the effect of dentine conditioning on migration, adhesion and
      differentiation of dental pulp stem cells. METHODOLOGY: Dentine discs prepared
      from extracted human molars were pre-treated with EDTA (10%), NaOCl (5.25%) or H2
      O. Migration of dental pulp stem cells towards pre-treated dentine after 24 and
      48 h was assessed in a modified Boyden chamber assay. Cell adhesion was evaluated
      indirectly by measuring cell viability. Expression of mineralization-associated
      genes (COL1A1, ALP, BSP, DSPP, RUNX2) in cells cultured on pre-treated dentine
      for 7 days was determined by RT-qPCR. Nonparametric statistical analysis was
      performed for cell migration and cell viability data to compare different groups
      and time-points (Mann-Whitney U-test, alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: Treatment of
      dentine with H2 O or EDTA allowed for cell attachment, which was prohibited by
      NaOCl with statistical significance (P = 0.000). Furthermore, EDTA conditioning
      induced cell migration towards dentine. The expression of mineralization
      associated genes was increased in dental pulp cells cultured on dentine after
      EDTA conditioning compared to H2 O-pre-treated dentine discs. CONCLUSIONS: EDTA
      conditioning of dentine promoted the adhesion, migration and differentiation of
      dental pulp stem cells towards or onto dentine. A pre-treatment with EDTA as the
      final step of an irrigation protocol for regenerative endodontic procedures has
      the potential to act favourably on new tissue formation within the root canal.

PMID- 26114663
TI  - Association between Dopamine Receptor D2 (DRD2) Variations rs6277 and rs1800497
      and Cognitive Performance According to Risk Type for Psychosis: A Nested Case
      Control Study in a Finnish Population Sample.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is limited research regarding the association between genes and
      cognitive intermediate phenotypes in those at risk for psychotic disorders.
      METHODS: We measured the association between established psychosis risk variants
      in dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) and cognitive performance in individuals at age 23
      years and explored if associations between cognition and these variants differed
      according to the presence of familial or clinical risk for psychosis. The
      subjects of the Oulu Brain and Mind Study were drawn from the general population
      based Northern Finland 1986 Birth Cohort (NFBC 1986). Using linear regression, we
      compared the associations between cognitive performance and two candidate DRD2
      polymorphisms (rs6277 and rs1800497) between subjects having familial (n=61) and
      clinical (n=45) risk for psychosis and a random sample of participating NFBC 1986
      controls (n=74). Cognitive performance was evaluated using a comprehensive
      battery of tests at follow-up. RESULTS: Principal components factor analysis
      supported a three-factor model for cognitive measures. The minor allele of rs6277
      was associated with poorer performance on a verbal factor (p=0.003) but this did
      not significantly interact with familial or clinical risk for psychosis. The
      minor allele of rs1800497 was associated with poorer performance on a psychomotor
      factor (p=0.038), though only in those at familial risk for psychotic disorders
      (interaction p=0.049). CONCLUSION: The effect of two DRD2 SNPs on cognitive
      performance may differ according to risk type for psychosis, suggesting that
      cognitive intermediate phenotypes differ according to the type (familial or
      clinical) risk for psychosis.

PMID- 26114664
TI  - Bio-inspired synthesis of hybrid silica nanoparticles templated from elastin-like
      polypeptide micelles.
AB  - The programmed self-assembly of block copolymers into higher order nanoscale
      structures offers many attractive attributes for the development of new
      nanomaterials for numerous applications including drug delivery and biosensing.
      The incorporation of biomimetic silaffin peptides in these block copolymers
      enables the formation of hybrid organic-inorganic materials, which can
      potentially enhance the utility and stability of self-assembled nanostructures.
      We demonstrate the design, synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic elastin
      like polypeptide (ELP) diblock copolymers that undergo temperature-triggered self
      assembly into well-defined spherical micelles. Genetically encoded incorporation
      of the silaffin R5 peptide at the hydrophilic terminus of the diblock ELP leads
      to presentation of the silaffin R5 peptide on the coronae of the micelles, which
      results in localized condensation of silica and the formation of near
      monodisperse, discrete, sub-100 nm diameter hybrid ELP-silica particles. This
      synthesis method, can be carried out under mild reaction conditions suitable for
      bioactive materials, and will serve as the basis for the development and
      application of functional nanomaterials. Beyond silicification, the general
      strategies described herein may also be adapted for the synthesis of other
      biohybrid nanomaterials as well. 

PMID- 26114665
TI  - Comparison of HIV Virologic Failure Rates Between Patients with Variable
      Adherence to Three Antiretroviral Regimen Types.
AB  - Medication adherence is a major determinant of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment
      success and a significant challenge for HIV-positive patients, yet a well-defined
      adherence threshold to maintain virologic suppression on current ARV regimens
      remains unclear. The present study evaluated 1915 Kaiser Permanente Southern
      California HIV-positive patients on one of three regimen types: (1) emtricitabine
      tenofovir-efavirenz (FTC-TDF-EFV); (2) emtricitabine-tenofovir (FTC-TDF) and
      raltegravir (RAL); and (3) FTC-TDF and a boosted protease inhibitor, either
      darunavir (DRV) or atazanavir (ATV), to compare virologic failure rates between
      patients with varying levels of adherence to the regimens. Medication possession
      ratios (MPRs) were calculated to determine adherence, and HIV RNA PCR levels
      drawn 12-18 months after the initial pharmacy claim for the measured drug were
      used to determine virologic failure, which was defined as two consecutive HIV RNA
      PCR measurements >=200 copies/mL. Adherence was inversely related to virologic
      failure, with an 80-90% MPR threshold resulting in no more than 3.5% virologic
      failure rate. In comparison, >=90% MPR yielded no more that 1.1% virologic
      failure rate. Although the gold-standard adherence threshold for older ARV
      regimens has been 95%, an 80-90% MPR appears sufficient to maintain virologic
      suppression in patients treated with these three ARV regimen types.

PMID- 26114666
TI  - Numerical and comparative three-dimensional structural analysis of peripheral
      nerve fibres in epidermis of patients with atopic dermatitis.

PMID- 26114668
TI  - Much debated controversies of diffuse low-grade gliomas.

PMID- 26114671
TI  - Human feature-based attention consists of two distinct spatiotemporal processes.
AB  - In human and nonhuman primates, goal-directed behavior requires the selection of
      relevant pieces of information from the multitude of simultaneous sensory inputs.
      Feature-based attention (FBA) plays a crucial role in this selection by improving
      the neuronal representation of an attended stimulus feature. Of particular
      interest for understanding the neuronal mechanisms behind FBA is the processing
      fate of spatially unattended stimuli, either sharing the attended feature
      attribute or belonging to the attended or to a nonattended feature dimension.
      Using a wide range of cue/stimulus combinations, we investigated event-related
      potentials from the human brain, recorded under conditions of different feature
      attention but constant visual stimulation. We found that neural processing of
      visual stimuli sharing the dimension or the attribute of the attended target is
      associated with two distinct spatiotemporal processes, particularly prominent
      during the selection negativity period. Dimension-based modulation of neural
      signals first emerged over frontal electrode sites, and temporally preceded and
      accompanied attribute-specific FBA effects at occipital, parieto-occipital, and
      parietal electrodes. The findings suggest a process of FBA that not only
      increases responses of those neurons particularly tuned to the attended attribute
      but also modulates activity in the cortical module that is selective for the
      feature dimension to which the attended attribute belongs. 

PMID- 26114672
TI  - Ground-based inhibition: Suppressive perceptual mechanisms interact with top-down
      attention to reduce distractor interference.
AB  - Successful attentional function requires inhibition of distracting information
      (e.g., Deutsch & Deutsch, 1963). Similarly, perceptual segregation of the visual
      world into figure and ground entails ground suppression (e.g., Likova & Tyler,
      2008; Peterson & Skow, 2008). Here, we ask whether the suppressive processes of
      attention and perception-distractor inhibition and ground suppression-interact to
      more effectively insulate task performance from interfering information. We used
      a variant of the Eriksen flanker paradigm to assess the efficacy of distractor
      inhibition. Participants indicated the right/left orientation of a central arrow,
      which could be flanked by congruent, neutral, or incongruent stimuli. We
      manipulated the degree to which the ground region of a display was suppressed and
      measured the influence of this manipulation on the efficacy with which
      participants could inhibit responses from incongruent flankers. Greater ground
      suppression reduced the influence on target identification of interfering,
      incongruent information, but not that of facilitative, congruent information.
      These data are the first to show that distractor inhibition interacts with ground
      suppression to improve attentional function. 

PMID- 26114673
TI  - Interobject grouping facilitates visual awareness.
AB  - In organizing perception, the human visual system takes advantage of regularities
      in the visual input to perceptually group related image elements. Simple stimuli
      that can be perceptually grouped based on physical regularities, for example by
      forming an illusory contour, have a competitive advantage in entering visual
      awareness. Here, we show that regularities that arise from the relative
      positioning of complex, meaningful objects in the visual environment also
      modulate visual awareness. Using continuous flash suppression, we found that
      pairs of objects that were positioned according to real-world spatial
      regularities (e.g., a lamp above a table) accessed awareness more quickly than
      the same object pairs shown in irregular configurations (e.g., a table above a
      lamp). This advantage was specific to upright stimuli and abolished by stimulus
      inversion, meaning that it did not reflect physical stimulus confounds or the
      grouping of simple image elements. Thus, knowledge of the spatial configuration
      of objects in the environment shapes the contents of conscious perception. 

PMID- 26114674
TI  - Processing reafferent and exafferent visual information for action and
      perception.
AB  - A recent study suggests that reafferent hand-related visual information utilizes
      a privileged, attention-independent processing channel for motor control. This
      process was termed visuomotor binding to reflect its proposed function: linking
      visual reafferences to the corresponding motor control centers. Here, we ask
      whether the advantage of processing reafferent over exafferent visual information
      is a specific feature of the motor processing stream or whether the improved
      processing also benefits the perceptual processing stream. Human participants
      performed a bimanual reaching task in a cluttered visual display, and one of the
      visual hand cursors could be displaced laterally during the movement. We measured
      the rapid feedback responses of the motor system as well as matched perceptual
      judgments of which cursor was displaced. Perceptual judgments were either made by
      watching the visual scene without moving or made simultaneously to the reaching
      tasks, such that the perceptual processing stream could also profit from the
      specialized processing of reafferent information in the latter case. Our results
      demonstrate that perceptual judgments in the heavily cluttered visual environment
      were improved when performed based on reafferent information. Even in this case,
      however, the filtering capability of the perceptual processing stream suffered
      more from the increasing complexity of the visual scene than the motor processing
      stream. These findings suggest partly shared and partly segregated processing of
      reafferent information for vision for motor control versus vision for perception.

PMID- 26114675
TI  - Binocular correspondence and the range of fusible horizontal disparities in the
      central visual field.
AB  - Binocular disparities underlie precise stereoscopic depth perception but only
      over a finite range. At large disparities, objects appear diplopic, and depth
      perception is degraded. Measurements of the range of horizontal disparities for
      which single vision is experienced have previously been restricted to the
      horizontal plane of regard. We extended these mappings, in two experiments, to
      the upper and lower visual fields and eccentric meridians. In Experiment 1, we
      measured empirical corresponding points and fusional limits at identical
      elevations in the median plane for 20 participants. We observed a vertical shear
      in binocular correspondence consistent with a backward inclined empirical
      vertical horopter and the fusional range centered upon it. In Experiment 2, we
      mapped the vertical horopter and fusional limits for a second set of elevations
      in the median plane and at two additional eccentricities and found a similar
      pattern of results as in Experiment 1. For 23 of 25 participants in this study,
      we found that the relationship between measurements of the vertical horopter and
      fusional range is similar to the established relationship between Panum's
      fusional range and the horizontal horopter. Our data replicate previous findings
      that the vertical horopter is inclined top back. We are the first to illustrate
      that the fusional range of horizontal disparities is approximately centered upon
      the vertical horopter in the median plane and along eccentric meridians. 

PMID- 26114667
TI  - Separable Crossover-Promoting and Crossover-Constraining Aspects of Zip1 Activity
      during Budding Yeast Meiosis.
AB  - Accurate chromosome segregation during meiosis relies on the presence of
      crossover events distributed among all chromosomes. MutSgamma and MutLgamma
      homologs (Msh4/5 and Mlh1/3) facilitate the formation of a prominent group of
      meiotic crossovers that mature within the context of an elaborate chromosomal
      structure called the synaptonemal complex (SC). SC proteins are required for
      intermediate steps in the formation of MutSgamma-MutLgamma crossovers, but
      whether the assembled SC structure per se is required for MutSgamma-MutLgamma
      dependent crossover recombination events is unknown. Here we describe an
      interspecies complementation experiment that reveals that the mature SC is
      dispensable for the formation of Mlh3-dependent crossovers in budding yeast. Zip1
      forms a major structural component of the budding yeast SC, and is also required
      for MutSgamma and MutLgamma-dependent crossover formation. Kluyveromyces lactis
      ZIP1 expressed in place of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ZIP1 in S. cerevisiae cells
      fails to support SC assembly (synapsis) but promotes wild-type crossover levels
      in those nuclei that progress to form spores. While stable, full-length SC does
      not assemble in S. cerevisiae cells expressing K. lactis ZIP1, aggregates of K.
      lactis Zip1 displayed by S. cerevisiae meiotic nuclei are decorated with SC
      associated proteins, and K. lactis Zip1 promotes the SUMOylation of the SC
      central element protein Ecm11, suggesting that K. lactis Zip1 functionally
      interfaces with components of the S. cerevisiae synapsis machinery. Moreover, K.
      lactis Zip1-mediated crossovers rely on S. cerevisiae synapsis initiation
      proteins Zip3, Zip4, Spo16, as well as the Mlh3 protein, as do the crossovers
      mediated by S. cerevisiae Zip1. Surprisingly, however, K. lactis Zip1-mediated
      crossovers are largely Msh4/Msh5 (MutSgamma)-independent. This separation-of
      function version of Zip1 thus reveals that neither assembled SC nor MutSgamma is
      required for Mlh3-dependent crossover formation per se in budding yeast. Our data
      suggest that features of S. cerevisiae Zip1 or of the assembled SC in S.
      cerevisiae normally constrain MutLgamma to preferentially promote resolution of
      MutSgamma-associated recombination intermediates. 

PMID- 26114676
TI  - Expectations accelerate entry of visual stimuli into awareness.
AB  - How do expectations influence transitions between unconscious and conscious
      perceptual processing? According to the influential predictive processing
      framework, perceptual content is determined by predictive models of the causes of
      sensory signals. On one interpretation, conscious contents arise when predictive
      models are verified by matching sensory input (minimizing prediction error). On
      another, conscious contents arise when surprising events falsify current
      perceptual predictions. Finally, the cognitive impenetrability account posits
      that conscious perception is not affected by such higher level factors. To
      discriminate these positions, we combined predictive cueing with continuous flash
      suppression (CFS) in which the relative contrast of a target image gradually
      increases over time. In four experiments we established that expected stimuli
      enter consciousness faster than neutral or unexpected stimuli. These effects are
      difficult to account for in terms of response priming, pre-existing stimulus
      associations, or the attentional mechanisms that cause asynchronous temporal
      order judgments (of simultaneously presented stimuli). Our results further
      suggest that top-down expectations play a larger role when bottom-up input is
      ambiguous, in line with predictive processing accounts of perception. Taken
      together, our findings support the hypothesis that conscious access depends on
      verification of perceptual predictions. 

PMID- 26114677
TI  - Modulation of early ERPs by accurate categorization of objects in scenes.
AB  - The categorization of objects within natural scenes is carried out in a sequence
      of stages, which may build on the detection of perceptual regularities in the
      visual appearance of objects or may represent a more semantic level of
      categorization. Here, we examined the neural correlates of correct categorization
      of objects in scenes, using natural scenes which were equalized in color and
      spectral amplitude, and controlled in terms of spatial coherence. Event-related
      potentials (ERPs) were used to track the early stages of visual processing.
      Participants viewed degraded (phase-scrambled) versions of natural scenes and
      then categorized them as depicting animals or people. At an intermediate
      scrambling level, a negative-going occipitotemporal ERP modulation by
      categorization accuracy was observed, beginning approximately 150 ms after
      stimulus onset; at more degraded levels, no ERP modulation was observed. These
      results suggest that this early negative-going ERP modulation reflects processing
      of perceptual evidence which is predictive of later correct categorization, even
      when low-level differences in color, spectral amplitude, and spatial coherence
      are balanced or controlled. 

PMID- 26114679
TI  - Release of crowding by pattern completion.
AB  - In crowding, target perception deteriorates in the presence of flanking elements.
      Crowding is classically explained by low-level mechanisms such as pooling or
      feature substitution. However, we have previously shown that perceptual grouping
      between the target and flankers, rather than low-level mechanisms, determines
      crowding. There are many grouping cues that can determine crowding, such as low-
      and high-level feature similarity, low- and high-level pattern regularity, and
      good Gestalt. Here we show that pattern completion, another grouping cue that is
      important for crowding in foveal vision, is also important in peripheral vision.
      We also describe computer simulations that show how pattern completion, and
      crowding in general, can be partly explained by recurrent processing. 

PMID- 26114678
TI  - Single neural code for blur in subjects with different interocular optical blur
      orientation.
AB  - The ability of the visual system to compensate for differences in blur
      orientation between eyes is not well understood. We measured the orientation of
      the internal blur code in both eyes of the same subject monocularly by presenting
      pairs of images blurred with real ocular point spread functions (PSFs) of similar
      blur magnitude but varying in orientations. Subjects assigned a level of
      confidence to their selection of the best perceived image in each pair. Using a
      classification-images-inspired paradigm and applying a reverse correlation
      technique, a classification map was obtained from the weighted averages of the
      PSFs, representing the internal blur code. Positive and negative neural PSFs were
      obtained from the classification map, representing the neural blur for best and
      worse perceived blur, respectively. The neural PSF was found to be highly
      correlated in both eyes, even for eyes with different ocular PSF orientations
      (rPos = 0.95; rNeg = 0.99; p < 0.001). We found that in subjects with similar and
      with different ocular PSF orientations between eyes, the orientation of the
      positive neural PSF was closer to the orientation of the ocular PSF of the eye
      with the better optical quality (average difference was ~10 degrees ), while the
      orientation of the positive and negative neural PSFs tended to be orthogonal.
      These results suggest a single internal code for blur with orientation driven by
      the orientation of the optical blur of the eye with better optical quality. 

PMID- 26114680
TI  - Synchronous motion modulates animacy perception.
AB  - Visual motion serves as a cue for high-level percepts. The present study reports
      novel modulation of animacy perception through synchronous motion. A target dot
      moving along a random trajectory was presented. The trajectory was generated
      based on a variant of 1/f noise; hence, the dot could be perceived as animate.
      Participants were asked to rate the strength of perceived animacy and perceived
      intention from the target dot. Several task-irrelevant dots surrounding the
      target were also presented. Results indicated that perceived animacy and
      intention were drastically weakened when surrounding dots created synchronous
      motion with the target dot as compared to when surrounding dots did not create
      synchronous motion. A series of follow-up experiments replicated these results
      and revealed specific characteristics of this modulation. The present findings
      suggest synchronous visual motion serves as a strong modulator of animacy
      perception. 

PMID- 26114681
TI  - Weber's law in grasping.

PMID- 26114682
TI  - What determines the relationship between color naming, unique hues, and sensory
      singularities: Illuminations, surfaces, or photoreceptors?
AB  - The relationship between the sensory signal of the photoreceptors on one hand and
      color appearance and language on the other hand is completely unclear. A recent
      finding established a surprisingly accurate correlation between focal colors,
      unique hues, and so-called singularities in the laws governing how sensory
      signals for different surfaces change across illuminations. This article examines
      how this correlation with singularities depends on reflectances, illuminants, and
      cone sensitivities. Results show that this correlation holds for a large range of
      illuminants and for a large range of sensors, including sensors that are
      fundamentally different from human photoreceptors. In contrast, the spectral
      characteristics of the reflectance spectra turned out to be the key factor that
      determines the correlation between focal colors, unique hues, and sensory
      singularities. These findings suggest that the origins of color appearance and
      color language may be found in particular characteristics of the reflectance
      spectra that correspond to focal colors and unique hues. 

PMID- 26114684
TI  - Engaging patiently.

PMID- 26114683
TI  - Encoding attentional states during visuomotor adaptation.
AB  - We recently showed that visuomotor adaptation acquired under attentional
      distraction is better recalled under a similar level of distraction compared to
      no distraction. This paradoxical effect suggests that attentional state (e.g.,
      divided or undivided) is encoded as an internal context during visuomotor
      learning and should be reinstated for successful recall (Song & Bedard, 2015). To
      investigate if there is a critical temporal window for encoding attentional state
      in visuomotor memory, we manipulated whether participants performed the secondary
      attention-demanding task concurrently in the early or late phase of visuomotor
      learning. Recall performance was enhanced when the attentional states between
      recall and the early phase of visuomotor learning were consistent. However, it
      reverted to untrained levels when tested under the attentional state of the late
      phase learning. This suggests that attentional state is primarily encoded during
      the early phase of learning before motor errors decrease and reach an asymptote.
      Furthermore, we demonstrate that when divided and undivided attentional states
      were mixed during visuomotor adaptation, only divided attention was encoded as an
      internal cue for memory retrieval. Therefore, a single attentional state appears
      to be primarily integrated with visuomotor memory while motor error reduction is
      in progress during learning. 

PMID- 26114685
TI  - Oral cancer: Who best to detect oral cancer?

PMID- 26114686
TI  - Oral tuberculosis lesions.

PMID- 26114687
TI  - Jaw problems: Update on ARONJ.

PMID- 26114688
TI  - Sun bed dangers: Ain't no sunshine.

PMID- 26114689
TI  - Ulceration: More on aphthous ulceration.

PMID- 26114690
TI  - When Jonathan met Jimmy.

PMID- 26114691
TI  - NHS dentistry 'not fit for purpose' in 10 years' time.

PMID- 26114692
TI  - Waterloo and its dental legacy.

PMID- 26114694
TI  - Which? report finds one in three practices 'refusing new patients'.

PMID- 26114697
TI  - Biological agents: what they are, how they affect oral health and how they can
      modulate oral healthcare.
AB  - Biological agents - biologics, biologicals or biopharmaceuticals - are any
      medicinal product manufactured in, or extracted from, a biological source. They
      are often generated by DNA recombinant biotechnology and several dozen
      therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are now marketed for a variety of
      indications, increasingly in the management of inflammatory immune-mediated
      disorders, transplantation rejection and cancer treatments. Immunomodulatory mAbs
      are expensive, must be given by injection or infusion and can have adverse
      effects but are increasingly used and can be highly effective agents. This paper
      reviews these agents and their increasing relevance to oral science and
      healthcare. 

PMID- 26114702
TI  - A multicentre, multicycle audit of the prescribing practices of three paediatric
      dental departments in the North of England.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Odontogenic infections are frequently treated with antimicrobials.
      The inappropriate use of these medications has led to bacterial resistance and
      the development of species which are resistant to the antimicrobials currently
      available. This has serious implications for global public health. AIM: A
      multicycle clinical audit was carried out to compare the prescribing practices of
      three paediatric dental departments in the North of England. RESULTS: Results
      revealed deficiencies in prescribing practices in all three centres. Following
      education and the provision of an aide-memoire in subsequent cycles, improvements
      were seen in appropriateness of prescribing, increasing from 28% in the first
      cycle, to 71% in the third cycle.

PMID- 26114703
TI  - Predictive value of the admissions process and the UK Clinical Aptitude Test in a
      graduate-entry dental school.
AB  - AIM: To assess the association between admissions performance and the UK Clinical
      Aptitude Test (UKCAT), and subsequent achievement within a graduate-entry dental
      school. METHOD: The study was conducted at the University of Aberdeen Dental
      School between 2010 and 2014. Student demographics, pre-admission scores (PAS),
      Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) tariffs, multiple mini
      interview (MMI) grades, UKCAT scores and percentiles were correlated with
      academic performance reported as the University Common Assessment Scale (0-20).
      STATISTICS: Data were analysed by Pearson correlation and multiple regression
      (IBM((r)) SPSS((r)) Statistics 21). RESULTS: Data were obtained for 71 students
      (F: 44; M: 27). Student age, MMI, UKCAT scores and UKCAT percentiles demonstrated
      a correlation with CAS scores (r(2) = 0.119, P = 0.001, r(2) = 0.136, P = 0.001,
      r(2) = 0.077, P = 0.019 and r(2) = 0.118, P = 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:
      This study suggests that student age, candidate performance at MMI and the UKCAT
      might be a predictor of academic achievement for graduate-entry dental students.

PMID- 26114704
TI  - Reduction of temporomandibular joint dislocation: an ancient technique that has
      stood the test of time.
AB  - The first known recorded evidence for the reduction of a mandibular joint
      dislocation is documented in a papyrus dated to c. 1500 BC that originated from
      ancient Egypt. This same technique was later discussed by Hippocrates in Greece
      and the Hippocratic corpus is referred to in early Islamic writings. It is
      detailed in medieval European texts and eventually was incorporated into modern
      dental and medical practice. Today, mandibular joint dislocation is probably not
      that common but to be included in an important ancient Egyptian treatise,
      predominately concerned with trauma to the head and neck, could suggest it was a
      more frequent occurrence in antiquity. This could relate to the heavy tooth wear,
      frequent antemortem tooth loss and the related sequelae of severe malocclusion
      and overclosure evident in many surviving ancient Egyptian skulls. 

PMID- 26114705
TI  - Challenges facing NHS dental contract reforms: Pilot exit.
AB  - This article covers the move forwards from pilot to prototype in the National
      Health Service (NHS) dental contract reform in England. The current status of the
      pilot and prototype schemes are summarised and some of the challenges for those
      practices who will be exiting the pilots discussed. 

PMID- 26114721
TI  - Peter Davey.

PMID- 26114722
TI  - Denis Reid.

PMID- 26114723
TI  - Richard Gorham.

PMID- 26114726
TI  - Committee Opinion No. 640: Cell-free DNA Screening for Fetal Aneuploidy.
AB  - Noninvasive prenatal screening that uses cell-free DNA from the plasma of
      pregnant women offers tremendous potential as a screening method for fetal
      aneuploidy. A number of laboratories have validated different techniques for the
      use of cell-free DNA as a screening test for fetal aneuploidy. All tests have a
      high sensitivity and specificity for trisomy 18 and trisomy 21, regardless of
      which molecular technique is used. Women whose results are not reported,
      indeterminate, or uninterpretable (a "no call" test result) from cell-free DNA
      screening should receive further genetic counseling and be offered comprehensive
      ultrasound evaluation and diagnostic testing because of an increased risk of
      aneuploidy. Patients should be counseled that cell-free DNA screening does not
      replace the precision obtained with diagnostic tests, such as chorionic villus
      sampling or amniocentesis and, therefore, is limited in its ability to identify
      all chromosome abnormalities. Cell-free DNA screening does not assess risk of
      fetal anomalies such as neural tube defects or ventral wall defects. Patients who
      are undergoing cell-free DNA screening should be offered maternal serum alpha
      fetoprotein screening or ultrasound evaluation for risk assessment. The cell-free
      DNA screening test should not be considered in isolation from other clinical
      findings and test results. Management decisions, including termination of the
      pregnancy, should not be based on the results of the cell-free DNA screening
      alone. Patients should be counseled that a negative cell-free DNA test result
      does not ensure an unaffected pregnancy. Given the performance of conventional
      screening methods, the limitations of cell-free DNA screening performance, and
      the limited data on cost-effectiveness in the low-risk obstetric population,
      conventional screening methods remain the most appropriate choice for first-line
      screening for most women in the general obstetric population.

PMID- 26114724
TI  - Histone variants as emerging regulators of embryonic stem cell identity.
AB  - Dynamic regulation of chromatin structure is an important mechanism for balancing
      the pluripotency and cell fate decision in embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Indeed
      ESCs are characterized by unusual chromatin packaging, and a wide variety of
      chromatin regulators have been implicated in control of pluripotency and
      differentiation. Genome-wide maps of epigenetic factors have revealed a unique
      epigenetic signature in pluripotent ESCs and have contributed models to explain
      their plasticity. In addition to the well known epigenetic regulation through DNA
      methylation, histone posttranslational modifications, chromatin remodeling, and
      non-coding RNA, histone variants are emerging as important regulators of ESC
      identity. In this review, we summarize and discuss the recent progress that has
      highlighted the central role of histone variants in ESC pluripotency and ESC
      fate, focusing, in particular, on H1 variants, H2A variants H2A.X, H2A.Z and
      macroH2A and H3 variant H3.3. 

PMID- 26114727
TI  - Committee Opinion No. 641: Human Papillomavirus Vaccination.
AB  - Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with the development of anogenital
      cancer (including cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, and anal), oropharyngeal
      cancer, and genital warts. Human papillomavirus vaccination can significantly
      reduce the incidence of anogenital cancer and genital warts. Despite the benefits
      of HPV vaccines, only approximately one third of girls in the recommended age
      group have received all three vaccines. Compared with other vaccines recommended
      in the same age bracket, HPV vaccination rates in the United States are
      unacceptably low. It is crucial that obstetrician-gynecologists and other
      providers educate parents and patients on the benefits and safety of HPV
      vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American
      College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend routine vaccination with HPV
      vaccine for girls and boys. The nanovalent HPV vaccine is recommended by the
      Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and was licensed by the U.S. Food
      and Drug Administration in December 2014 for girls and boys aged 11-12 years.

PMID- 26114725
TI  - Intramolecular ex vivo Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) of
      Dihydropyridine Receptor (DHPR) beta1a Subunit Reveals Conformational Change
      Induced by RYR1 in Mouse Skeletal Myotubes.
AB  - The dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) beta1a subunit is essential for skeletal
      muscle excitation-contraction coupling, but the structural organization of beta1a
      as part of the macromolecular DHPR-ryanodine receptor type I (RyR1) complex is
      still debatable. We used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to probe
      proximity relationships within the beta1a subunit in cultured skeletal myotubes
      lacking or expressing RyR1. The fluorescein biarsenical reagent FlAsH was used as
      the FRET acceptor, which exhibits fluorescence upon binding to specific
      tetracysteine motifs, and enhanced cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) was used as the
      FRET donor. Ten beta1a reporter constructs were generated by inserting the CCPGCC
      FlAsH binding motif into five positions probing the five domains of beta1a with
      either carboxyl or amino terminal fused CFP. FRET efficiency was largest when
      CCPGCC was positioned next to CFP, and significant intramolecular FRET was
      observed for all constructs suggesting that in situ the beta1a subunit has a
      relatively compact conformation in which the carboxyl and amino termini are not
      extended. Comparison of the FRET efficiency in wild type to that in dyspedic
      (lacking RyR1) myotubes revealed that in only one construct (H458 CCPGCC beta1a 
      CFP) FRET efficiency was specifically altered by the presence of RyR1. The
      present study reveals that the C-terminal of the beta1a subunit changes
      conformation in the presence of RyR1 consistent with an interaction between the C
      terminal of beta1a and RyR1 in resting myotubes. 

PMID- 26114728
TI  - RNA sequencing supports distinct reactive oxygen species-mediated pathways of
      apoptosis by high and low size mass fractions of Bay leaf (Lauris nobilis) in HT
      29 cells.
AB  - Anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of Bay leaf (Laurus nobilis) in
      mammalian cancer and HT-29 adenocarcinoma cells have been previously attributed
      to effects of polyphenolic and essential oil chemical species. Recently, we
      demonstrated differentiated growth-regulating effects of high (HFBL) versus low
      molecular mass (LFBL) aqueous fractions of bay leaf and now confirm by
      comparative effects on gene expression, that HFBL and LFBL suppress HT-29 growth
      by distinct mechanisms. Induction of intra-cellular lesions including DNA strand
      breakage by extra-cellular HFBL, invoked the hypothesis that iron-mediated
      reactive oxygen species with capacity to penetrate cell membrane, were
      responsible for HFBL-mediated effects, supported by equivalent effects of HFBL in
      combination with gamma radiation. Activities of HFBL and LFBL were interpreted to
      reflect differentiated responses to iron-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS),
      occurring either outside or inside cells. In the presence of LFBL, apoptotic
      death was relatively delayed compared with HFBL. ROS production by LFBL mediated
      p53-dependent apoptosis and recovery was suppressed by promoting G1/S phase
      arrest and failure of cellular tight junctions. In comparison, intra-cellular
      anti-oxidant protection exerted by LFBL was absent for extra-cellular HFBL
      (likely polysaccharide-rich), which potentiated more rapid apoptosis by producing
      DNA double strand breaks. Differentiated effects on expression of genes
      regulating ROS defense and chromatic condensation by LFBL versus HFBL, were
      observed. The results support ferrous iron in cell culture systems and
      potentially in vivo, can invoke different extra-cellular versus intra-cellular
      ROS-mediated chemistries, that may be regulated by exogenous, including dietary
      species. 

PMID- 26114730
TI  - Mathematical Modeling of Nitrous Oxide Production during Denitrifying Phosphorus
      Removal Process.
AB  - A denitrifying phosphorus removal process undergoes frequent alternating
      anaerobic/anoxic conditions to achieve phosphate release and uptake, during which
      microbial internal storage polymers (e.g., Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)) could be
      produced and consumed dynamically. The PHA turnovers play important roles in
      nitrous oxide (N2O) accumulation during the denitrifying phosphorus removal
      process. In this work, a mathematical model is developed to describe N2O dynamics
      and the key role of PHA consumption on N2O accumulation during the denitrifying
      phosphorus removal process for the first time. In this model, the four-step
      anoxic storage of polyphosphate and four-step anoxic growth on PHA using nitrate,
      nitrite, nitric oxide (NO), and N2O consecutively by denitrifying polyphosphate
      accumulating organisms (DPAOs) are taken into account for describing all
      potential N2O accumulation steps in the denitrifying phosphorus removal process.
      The developed model is successfully applied to reproduce experimental data on N2O
      production obtained from four independent denitrifying phosphorus removal study
      reports with different experimental conditions. The model satisfactorily
      describes the N2O accumulation, nitrogen reduction, phosphate release and uptake,
      and PHA dynamics for all systems, suggesting the validity and applicability of
      the model. The results indicated a substantial role of PHA consumption in N2O
      accumulation due to the relatively low N2O reduction rate by using PHA during
      denitrifying phosphorus removal. 

PMID- 26114729
TI  - Disease state changes and safety of long-term donepezil hydrochloride
      administration in patients with Alzheimer's disease: interim results from the
      long-term, large-scale J-GOLD study in Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There have been very few long-term studies involving a large study
      population; existing studies usually have no more than a few hundred patients
      with Alzheimer's disease. For these reasons, there are no detailed investigations
      regarding changes in activities of daily living evaluated by the Functional
      Assessment Staging Test (FAST). METHODS: A long-term, large-scale observational
      study of donepezil hydrochloride (Aricept((r)); Eisai Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan) is
      currently in progress. Its objective is to investigate disease state changes
      associated with the long-term administration of this drug and its safety in
      patients with Alzheimer's disease. In this report, data collected over a maximum
      of 24 months were compiled. Efficacy was assessed using FAST and a cognitive
      function test (Mini-Mental State Examination or the Hasegawa's Dementia Scale
      Revised). RESULTS: The percentages of patients whose FAST stage improved or
      remained the same compared to at the start of donepezil hydrochloride
      administration (baseline) were 91.1% at 6 months, 83.0% at 12 months, 79.5% at 18
      months, and 74.8% at 24 months. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was
      conducted to investigate factors that affect the improvement and maintenance or
      exacerbation of FAST at 24 months. 'Independence level in the daily life of
      elderly with dementia' and 'duration of illness' were identified as variables
      that affected the improvement and maintenance or exacerbation of FAST. Cognitive
      function improved significantly at 12 weeks and at 6 months compared to baseline,
      maintained baseline levels at 12 months and at 18 months, and decreased
      significantly at 24 months compared to baseline. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest
      prospective study involving Alzheimer's disease patients in Japan, and we believe
      it is an important study that shows the reality of daily clinical practice.

PMID- 26114732
TI  - Correction: Facile rotation around a silicon-phosphorus double bond enabled
      through coordination to tungsten.
AB  - Correction for 'Facile rotation around a silicon-phosphorus double bond enabled
      through coordination to tungsten' by Nora C. Breit et al., Chem. Commun., 2015,
      DOI: 10.1039/c5cc04247j.

PMID- 26114731
TI  - Inter-study reproducibility of left ventricular torsion and torsion rate
      quantification using MR myocardial feature tracking.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To determine the inter-study reproducibility of MR feature tracking
      (MR-FT) derived left ventricular (LV) torsion and torsion rates for a combined
      assessment of systolic and diastolic myocardial function. METHODS: Steady-state
      free precession (SSFP) cine LV short-axis stacks were acquired at 9:00 (Exam A),
      9:30 (Exam B), and 14:00 (Exam C) in 16 healthy volunteers at 3 Tesla. SSFP
      images were analyzed offline using MR-FT to assess rotational displacement in
      apical and basal slices. Global peak torsion, peak systolic and peak diastolic
      torsion rates were calculated using different definitions ("twist", "normalized
      twist" and "circumferential-longitudinal (CL) shear angle"). Exam A and B were
      compared to assess the inter-study reproducibility. Morning and afternoon scans
      were compared to address possible diurnal variation. RESULTS: The different
      methods showed good inter-study reproducibility for global peak torsion
      (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]: 0.90-0.92; coefficient of variation
      [CoV]: 19.0-20.3%) and global peak systolic torsion rate (ICC: 0.82-0.84; CoV:
      25.9-29.0%). Conversely, global peak diastolic torsion rate showed little inter
      study reproducibility (ICC: 0.34-0.47; CoV: 40.8-45.5%). Global peak torsion as
      determined by the CL shear angle showed the best inter-study reproducibility
      (ICC: 0.90;CoV: 19.0%). MR-FT results were not measurably affected by diurnal
      variation between morning and afternoon scans (CL shear angle: 4.8 +/- 1.4
      degrees , 4.8 +/- 1.5 degrees , and 4.1 +/- 1.6 degrees  for Exam A, B, and C,
      respectively; P = 0.21). CONCLUSION: MR-FT based derivation of myocardial peak
      torsion and peak systolic torsion rate has high inter-study reproducibility as
      opposed to peak diastolic torsion rate. The CL shear angle was the most
      reproducible parameter independently of cardiac anatomy and may develop into a
      robust tool to quantify cardiac rotational mechanics in longitudinal MR-FT
      patient studies.

PMID- 26114733
TI  - Oxidative Stress in Caenorhabditis elegans: Protective Effects of Spartin.
AB  - Troyer syndrome is caused by a mutation in the SPG20 gene, which results in
      complete loss of expression of the protein spartin. We generated a genetic model
      of Troyer syndrome in worms to explore the locomotor consequences of a null
      mutation of the Caenorhabditis elegans SPG20 orthologue, F57B10.9, also known as
      spg-20. Spg-20 mutants showed decreased length, crawling speed, and thrashing
      frequency, and had a shorter lifespan than wild-type animals. These results
      suggest an age-dependent decline in motor function in mutant animals. The drug
      paraquat was used to induce oxidative stress for 4 days in the animals. We
      measured survival rate and examined locomotion by measuring crawling speed and
      thrashing frequency. After 4 days of paraquat exposure, 77% of wild-type animals
      survived, but only 38% of spg-20 mutant animals survived. Conversely, animals
      overexpressing spg-20 had a survival rate of 95%. We also tested lifespan after a
      1 hour exposure to sodium azide. After a 24 hour recovery period, 87% of wild
      type animals survived, 57% of spg-20 mutant animals survived, and 82% of animals
      overexpressing spg-20 survived. In the behavioral assays, spg-20 mutant animals
      showed a significant decrease in both crawling speed and thrashing frequency
      compared with wild-type animals. Importantly, the locomotor phenotype for both
      crawling and thrashing was rescued in animals overexpressing spg-20. The animals
      overexpressing spg-20 had crawling speeds and thrashing frequencies similar to
      those of wild-type animals. These data suggest that the protein F57B10.9/SPG-20
      might have a protective role against oxidative stress. 

PMID- 26114734
TI  - Kidney microcirculation response to adenosine stimulation in renal artery
      stenosis.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to assess the vasoconstrictive effects of adenosine
      in the kidney microcirculation in hypertensive patients with renal artery
      stenosis (RAS). Twelve patients with resistant hypertension and moderate RAS were
      selected for the study. In all patients, systolic, diastolic and mean
      translesional pressure gradients, distal pressure (Pd), aortic pressure (Pa) and
      Pd/Pa ratio were measured using a pressure guidewire at baseline and after
      intrarenal bolus administration of 400 MUg adenosine. We observed significant
      changes in mean translesional pressure gradient and systolic Pd after
      pharmacological stimulation. The results suggest that in hypertensive patients
      with RAS, vasomotor activity of the kidney microcirculation may be preserved. 

PMID- 26114735
TI  - Use of a high-sensitivity troponin T assay in the assessment and disposition of
      patients attending a tertiary Australian emergency department: a cross-sectional
      pilot study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We examined the disposition and outcomes of patients presenting to the
      ED with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome undergoing measurement of
      troponin T using a highly sensitive assay. METHODS: Troponin T (TnT) was measured
      in 204 consecutive patients (mean age = 65 [+/-18] years, 55% men) presenting to
      the ED with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome. RESULTS: Ninety-four
      patients predominantly had chest pain, 34 had dyspnoea and the remainder had
      various symptoms. Overall, 96 patients had TnT >14 ng/L (upper reference limit),
      of whom 31 were admitted to the cardiology service (26 had final cardiac
      diagnosis [five ST-elevation MI, 10 non-ST-elevation MI, one unstable angina and
      10 other cardiac]). Among these 96 patients, 41 had chronic kidney disease, 17
      had heart failure and seven had sepsis. At 30 days, death rates among patients
      who had TnT >14 ng/L with non-cardiac diagnoses and in patients who had TnT >14
      ng/L with a cardiac diagnosis were 6.6% and 2.9% (P = 0.652); no death and/or MI
      occurred in patients with normal TnT levels. At late follow up (median 6.8
      months) that was obtained in 189 (93% of 204) patients, four had MI and 14 died
      (three cardiac deaths). CONCLUSIONS: Despite high-sensitivity TnT assay having a
      high sensitivity and specificity for myocardial necrosis, the majority of
      unselected consecutive patients attending ED in whom TnT levels were elevated did
      not have an acute coronary syndrome. Our pilot study suggests that a larger study
      is needed to provide evidence to modify management algorithms.

PMID- 26114736
TI  - Equine allogeneic umbilical cord blood derived mesenchymal stromal cells reduce
      synovial fluid nucleated cell count and induce mild self-limiting inflammation
      when evaluated in an lipopolysaccharide induced synovitis model.
AB  - REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Improvement has been reported following intra
      articular (i.a.) injection of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in several
      species. These observations have led to the use of i.a. MSCs in equine practice
      with little understanding of the mechanisms by which perceived improvement
      occurs. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of i.a. allogeneic umbilical cord
      blood (CB-) derived MSCs using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced synovitis
      model. We hypothesised that i.a. CB-MSCs would reduce the inflammatory response
      associated with LPS injection. STUDY DESIGN: Randomised, blinded experimental
      study. METHODS: Feasibility studies evaluated i.a. LPS or CB-MSCs alone into the
      tarsocrural joint. In the principal study, middle carpal joint synovitis was
      induced bilaterally with LPS and then CB-MSCs were injected into one middle
      carpal joint. Lameness, routine synovial fluid analysis, and synovial fluid
      biomarkers were evaluated at 0, 8, 24, 48 and 72 h. RESULTS: LPS injection alone
      resulted in transient lameness and signs of inflammation. In joints untreated
      with LPS, injection of 30 million CB-MSCs resulted in mild synovitis that
      resolved without treatment. Mild (grade 1-2) lameness in the CB-MSC-treated limb
      was observed in 2 horses and severe lameness (grade 4) in the 3rd, 24 h post
      injection. Lameness did not correlate with synovitis induced by CB-MSC injection.
      Simultaneous injection of LPS and CB-MSCs resulted in significant reduction in
      synovial fluid total nucleated, neutrophil and mononuclear cell numbers compared
      with contralateral LPS-only joints. No difference was detected in other
      parameters associated with synovial fluid analysis or in synovial fluid
      biomarkers. The incidence of lameness was only different from baseline at 8 h,
      where horses were lame in CB-MSC limbs. CONCLUSIONS: Allogeneic CB-MSCs reduced
      synovial fluid cell populations and stimulated mild self-limiting inflammation in
      the synovitis model. Continued evaluation of the effects of i.a. CB-MSC therapy
      on synovitis in horses is needed to evaluate anti- and proinflammatory properties
      of CB-MSCs. Immediate interests are dose, timing of treatment, and treatment
      frequency.

PMID- 26114737
TI  - Relationship between prolactin, breast cancer risk, and antipsychotics in
      patients with schizophrenia: a critical review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A recent meta-analysis showed that breast cancer probably is more
      common in female patients with schizophrenia than in the general population
      (effect size = 1.25, P < 0.05). Increasing experimental and epidemiological data
      have alerted researchers to the influence of prolactin (PRL) in mammary
      carcinogenesis. We therefore investigated the possible relationship between
      antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia (HPRL) and breast cancer risk in female
      patients with schizophrenia. METHOD: A literature search (1950 until January
      2015), using the MEDLINE database, was conducted for English-language published
      clinical trials to identify and synthesize data of the current state of knowledge
      concerning breast cancer risk (factors) in women with schizophrenia and its
      (their) relationship between HPRL and antipsychotic medication. RESULTS: Although
      an increasing body of evidence supports the involvement of PRL in breast
      carcinogenesis, results of human prospective studies are limited, equivocal, and
      correlative (with risk ratios ranging from 0.70 to 1.9 for premenopausal women
      and from 0.76 to 2.03 for postmenopausal women). Moreover, these studies equally
      do not take into account the local production of PRL in breast epithelium,
      although amplification or overexpression of the local autocrine/paracrine PRL
      loop may be a more important mechanism in tumorigenesis. Until now, there is also
      no conclusive evidence that antipsychotic medication can increase the risk of
      breast malignancy and mortality. CONCLUSION: Other breast risk factors than PRL,
      such as nulliparity, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and unhealthy lifestyle
      behaviours (alcohol dependence, smoking, low physical activity), probably are of
      greater relevance in individual breast cancer cases within the population of
      female patients with schizophrenia.

PMID- 26114738
TI  - Efficacy of Deferasirox (Exjade(r)) in Modulation of Iron Overload in Patients
      with beta-Thalassemia Intermedia.
AB  - Because of insufficient erythropoiesis, peripheral hemolysis and increased
      gastrointestinal iron absorption, iron overload is still a matter of debate in
      beta-thalassemia intermedia (beta-TI) patients, which can be overcome using iron
      chelators. However, data on use of iron chelators in beta-TI patients is highly
      restricted. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of oral
      administration of deferasirox (Exjade((r)) or DFX) by assessment of serum
      ferritin levels in beta-TI patients. In this quasi-experimental study, 50 beta-TI
      patients with serum ferritin levels >1000 ng/mL were selected and received oral
      DFX for 12 consecutive months. Iron overload was measured by checking serum
      ferritin levels every 2 months and the results were compared with the baseline
      level. The mean serum ferritin was decreased during 1 year of chelation therapy
      without any toxic effect. Although the difference between baseline ferritin and
      ferritin levels at the end of second month was not remarkable (p = 0.88), a
      significant reduction in serum ferritin was observed after 4 (p = 0.01), 6 (p =
      0.001), 8 (p < 0.001), 10 (p < 0.001) and 12 months (p < 0.001) of chelation
      therapy compared to its baseline levels. There was no correlation between
      baseline ferritin levels and age (p = 0.574). In addition, no statistically
      significant difference was observed about change in serum ferritin levels after 6
      and also 12 months of therapy between patients who had undergone splenectomy and
      those who did not (p = 0.796 and 0.859, respectively). Iron chelation therapy
      with DFX is safe and effective in reducing serum ferritin levels in beta-TI
      patients who suffer from side effects of iron overload.

PMID- 26114739
TI  - A Mixed-Methods Study of Pain-related Quality of Life in Sickle Cell Vaso
      Occlusive Crises.
AB  - The quality of care for sickle cell disease patients hospitalized with a vaso
      occlusive crisis (VOC) is poor, resulting in staggeringly high healthcare
      resource utilization. To evaluate in-patient care for VOC, we conducted a mixed
      methods study of all adult sickle cell disease patients admitted with a VOC from
      2010-2012. We quantitatively assessed the quality of care for all patients, and
      qualitatively studied a subset of frequently admitted patients. In total, there
      were 182 admissions from 57 unique patients. The median length of stay was 6 days
      and the 30-day readmission rate was 34.0%. We identified red blood cell
      transfusion and patient controlled analgesia use as predictors of increased
      length of stay. Interestingly, unlike prior findings, younger patients (18-30
      years old) did not have increased healthcare resource utilization. Moreover,
      older age appeared to increase readmission rate and enhance the effect of patient
      controlled analgesia use on length of stay. Interviews of high healthcare
      resource utilizers revealed significant deficiencies in pain management and a
      strong desire for individualized care. This is the first study to examine in
      patient predictors of acute healthcare resource utilization in sickle cell
      disease patients and to correlate them with qualitative perspectives of high
      healthcare resource utilizers. 

PMID- 26114740
TI  - Optimal Manual Exchange Transfusion Protocol for Sickle Cell Disease: A
      Retrospective Comparison of Two Comprehensive Care Centers in the United Kingdom
      and Canada.
AB  - Chronic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is employed for a wide range of sickle
      cell disease complications, ranging from primary and secondary stroke prophylaxis
      to prevention of painful vaso-occlusive episodes. Currently different methods are
      employed by centers for chronic transfusion that include simple, automated and
      partial manual RBC exchange transfusion. A retrospective cohort study of two
      different manual RBC exchange transfusion methods was conducted between two
      comprehensive care centers in Toronto, ON, Canada and London, United Kingdom in
      19 and 21 sickle cell disease adults, respectively. London used a weight-based
      protocol, while Toronto used a unit-based method. Our results indicated that
      sickle cell disease patients utilizing a weight-based method are more often
      unable to achieve the prescribed Hb S (HBB: c.20A > T) target compared to the
      unit-based method (90.0 vs. 53.0% in the weight-based and unit-based methods,
      respectively, p = 0.0123). On multivariable logistic regression, none of the
      covariates examined was found to influence the ability to achieve the prescribed
      Hb S target after accounting for the exchange transfusion method. Mean interval
      of exchange sessions, session duration, total units of packed RBC, volume of
      blood used by body weight each year, the mean post exchange hematocrit [or packed
      cell volume (PCV)] and ferritin change were similar in both cohorts. In
      conclusion, the unit-based method was more effective at maintaining the
      prescribed Hb S target. 

PMID- 26114741
TI  - Novel 31.2 kb alpha0 Deletion in a Palestinian Family with alpha-Thalassemia.
AB  - A previously unknown alpha(0) deletion, designated - -(DANE), was found in three
      generations of a Danish family of Palestinian origin. Six patients were
      heterozygous and three patients had deletional Hb H (beta4) disease with a
      compound heterozygosity for the common -alpha(3.7) (rightward) deletion.
      Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) supplemented by repeated
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification identified the 5' and 3'
      breakpoints in the alpha-globin gene cluster. This novel 31.2 kb deletion
      (NG_000006.1: g.8800_40007del31208) leads to the removal of the HBZ, HBA2 and
      HBA1 genes. 

PMID- 26114743
TI  - Factors that Affect Nonurgent Emergency Department Visits in a Publicly Insured
      Pediatric Population: An Observational Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Publicly insured children have high rates of nonurgent emergency
      department visits (LAVs). The factors that drive consumption of these services
      are unknown. METHODS: Demographics, emergency department visits,
      hospitalizations, missed preventative care appointments, zip code, and asthma
      status as factors for LAVs were determined by univariate, multivariate, and
      classification/regression tree analysis. Subjects were publicly insured and
      received care between March 1 and December 31, 2011. RESULTS: A total of 4,387
      children were identified; 856 (19.5%) had at least 1 nonurgent and 1,173 (26.7%)
      had at least 1 urgent emergency department visit; 526 (12%) missed >=2 primary
      care appointments and 779 children had asthma. By univariate analysis, at least
      one high acuity emergency department visit, hospitalization during the study
      period, and asthma were directly associated with LAVs; age was inversely related.
      Multivariate and classification tree analyses identified children younger than
      31.5 months with at least 1 high acuity emergency department visit as the highest
      risk group (0.807 visits per patient; 95% confidence interval: 0.699-0.916, p <
      .00001). Missed appointments, asthma status, hospitalizations, zip code of
      residence, and gender were not significant factors. CONCLUSIONS: Young age and at
      least one high acuity emergency department visit are associated with high rates
      of nonurgent emergency department use among publicly insured children.

PMID- 26114745
TI  - Control Strategy Scenarios for the Alien Lionfish Pterois volitans in Chinchorro
      Bank (Mexican Caribbean): Based on Semi-Quantitative Loop Analysis.
AB  - Ecological and eco-social network models were constructed with different levels
      of complexity in order to represent and evaluate management strategies for
      controlling the alien species Pterois volitans in Chinchorro bank (Mexican
      Caribbean). Levins's loop analysis was used as a methodological framework for
      assessing the local stability (considered as a component of sustainability) of
      the modeled management interventions represented by various scenarios. The
      results provided by models of different complexity (models 1 through 4) showed
      that a reduction of coral species cover would drive the system to unstable
      states. In the absence of the alien lionfish, the simultaneous fishing of large
      benthic epifaunal species, adult herbivorous fish and adult carnivorous fish
      could be sustainable only if the coral species present high levels of cover
      (models 2 and 3). Once the lionfish is added to the simulations (models 4 and 5),
      the analysis suggests that although the exploitation or removal of lionfish from
      shallow waters may be locally stable, it remains necessary to implement
      additional and concurrent human interventions that increase the holistic
      sustainability of the control strategy. The supplementary interventions would
      require the implementation of programs for: (1) the restoration of corals for
      increasing their cover, (2) the exploitation or removal of lionfish from deeper
      waters (decreasing the chance of source/sink meta-population dynamics) and (3)
      the implementation of bans and re-stocking programs for carnivorous fishes (such
      as grouper) that increase the predation and competition pressure on lionfish
      (i.e. biological control). An effective control management for the alien lionfish
      at Chinchorro bank should not be optimized for a single action plan: instead, we
      should investigate the concurrent implementation of multiple strategies. 

PMID- 26114746
TI  - Use of hierarchical Bayesian framework in MTS studies to model different causes
      and novel possible forms of acquired MTS.
AB  - An integrative account of MTS could be cast in terms of hierarchical Bayesian
      inference. It may help to highlight a central role of sensory (tactile) precision
      could play in MTS. We suggest that anosognosic patients, with anesthetic
      hemisoma, can also be interpreted as a form of acquired MTS, providing additional
      data for the model. 

PMID- 26114747
TI  - Unexpected Changes in Functionality and Surface Coverage for Au Nanoparticle PEI
      Conjugates: Implications for Stability and Efficacy in Biological Systems.
AB  - Cationic polyethylenimine conjugated gold nanoparticles (AuNP-PEI) are a widely
      studied vector for drug delivery and an effective probe for interrogating NP-cell
      interactions. However, an inconsistent body of literature currently exists
      regarding the reproducibility of physicochemical properties, colloidal stability,
      and efficacy for these species. To address this gap, we systematically examined
      the preparation, stability, and formation mechanism of PEI conjugates produced
      from citrate-capped AuNPs. We considered the dependence on relative molar mass,
      Mr, backbone conformation, and material source. The conjugation mechanism of Au
      PEI was probed using attenuated total reflectance FTIR and X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy, revealing distinct fates for citrate when interacting with
      different PEI species. The differences in residual citrate, PEI properties, and
      sample preparation resulted in distinct products with differentiated stability.
      Overall, branched PEI (25 kDa) conjugates exhibited the greatest colloidal
      stability in all media tested. By contrast, linear PEI (25 kDa) induced
      agglomeration. Colloidal stability of the products was also observed to correlate
      with displaced citrate, which supports a glaring knowledge gap that has emerged
      regarding the role of this commonly used carboxylate species as a "place holder"
      for conjugation with ligands of broad functionalities. We observed an unexpected
      and previously unreported conversion of amine functional groups to quaternary
      ammonium species for 10 kDa branched conjugates. Results suggest that the AuNP
      surface catalyzes this conversion. The product is known to manifest distinct
      processes and uptake in biological systems compared to amines and may lead to
      unintentional toxicological consequences or decreased efficacy as delivery
      vectors. Overall, comprehensive physicochemical characterization (tandem
      spectroscopy methods combined with physical measurements) of the conjugation
      process provides a methodology for elucidating the contributing factors of
      colloidal stability and chemical functionality that likely influence the
      previously reported variations in conjugate properties and biological response
      models. 

PMID- 26114748
TI  - The Prognostic Impact of Histopathological Variants in Patients with Advanced
      Urothelial Carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study investigated the prognostic role of histopathological
      variants in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC) who were treated
      with systemic chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective
      analysis of patients with unresectable and/or metastatic UC who underwent
      systemic chemotherapy between January 1997 and December 2013 in Kaohsiung Chang
      Gung Memorial Hospital. Histopathological types were categorized as pure UC (PUC)
      and variants of UC (VUC). The overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival
      (PFS) were calculated using Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox proportional regression
      models. RESULTS: A total of 206 patients were enrolled; 53 of the patients
      (25.7%) had histopathological variants. The most common variant was squamous
      differentiation (68%). Compared with patients with PUC, patients with VUC
      significantly exhibited upper urinary tract origin (75% vs 52%, P = .008),
      chronic renal insufficiency (40% vs 23%, P = .03), and carboplatin-based
      chemotherapy (28% vs 10%, P = .003). According to univariate analysis, the median
      OS for PUC patients was significantly higher than that for VUC patients (15.9 vs
      11.3 months, P = .007). The median PFS for patients who received first-line
      chemotherapy was 6.1 and 3.8 months for PUC patients and VUC patients,
      respectively (P = .004). Multivariate analysis revealed that VUC (hazard ratio
      [HR] 1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-2.40, P = .006), an age <= 60 years
      (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.49-0.99, P = .045) and presence of visceral metastasis (HR
      1.54, 95% CI 1.11-2.13, P = .009) were independent factors facilitating OS
      prediction. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of histopathological variants indicates
      poor survival outcomes in patients with metastatic UC. Accordingly, VUC should be
      integrated into and considered an independent factor in a predictive model of
      survival.

PMID- 26114749
TI  - Chemosensory Perception of Predators by Larval Amphibians Depends on Water
      Quality.
AB  - The acquisition of sensory information by animals is central to species
      interactions. In aquatic environments, most taxa use chemical cues to assess
      predation risk and other key ecological factors. A number of laboratory studies
      suggest that anthropogenic pollutants can disrupt chemoreception, even when at
      low, non-toxic concentrations, but there are few tests of whether real-world
      variation in water quality affects chemoreception. Here we investigate whether
      chemosensory perception of predators by the gray treefrog, Hyla versicolor,
      depends on water quality. We evaluated the anti-predator response of anuran
      tadpoles housed in water collected from three sites that represent strong
      contrasts in the concentration and types of dissolved solids: de-chlorinated tap
      water, water from an impaired stream, and treated wastewater effluent. Behavioral
      assays were conducted in laboratory aquaria. Chemical cues associated with
      predation were generated by feeding tadpoles to dragonfly predators held in
      containers, and then transferring aliquots of water from dragonfly containers to
      experimental aquaria. Tadpoles housed in tap water responded to predator cues
      with an activity reduction of 49%. Tadpoles housed in stream water and wastewater
      effluent responded to predator cues by reducing activity by 29% and 24%
      respectively. The results of factorial ANOVA support the hypothesis that the
      response to predator cues depended on water type. These results show that
      alteration of the chemical environment can mediate chemical perception of
      predators in aquatic ecosystems. Because most aquatic species rely on
      chemoreception to gather information on the location of food and predators, any
      impairment of sensory perception likely has important ecological consequences. 

PMID- 26114750
TI  - Genetic and Non-Genetic Inheritance of Natural Antibodies Binding Keyhole Limpet
      Hemocyanin in a Purebred Layer Chicken Line.
AB  - Natural antibodies (NAb) are defined as antibodies present in individuals without
      known antigenic challenge. Levels of NAb binding keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH)
      in chickens were earlier shown to be heritable, and to be associated with
      survival. Selective breeding may thus provide a strategy to improve natural
      disease resistance. We phenotyped 3,689 white purebred laying chickens for KLH
      binding NAb of different isotypes around 16 weeks of age. Heritabilities of 0.12
      for the titers of total antibodies (IgT), 0.14 for IgM, 0.10 for IgA, and 0.07
      for IgG were estimated. We also estimated high, positive genetic, and moderate to
      high, positive phenotypic correlations of IgT, IgM, IgA, and IgG, suggesting that
      selective breeding for NAb can be done on all antibody isotypes simultaneously.
      In addition, a relatively substantial non-genetic maternal environmental effect
      of 0.06 was detected for IgM, which may reflect a transgenerational effect. This
      suggests that not only the genes of the mother, but also the maternal environment
      affects the immune system of the offspring. Breaking strength and early eggshell
      whiteness of the mother's eggs were predictive for IgM levels in the offspring,
      and partly explained the observed maternal environmental effects. The present
      results confirm that NAb are heritable, however maternal effects should be taken
      into account. 

PMID- 26114751
TI  - "Just Another Tool for Online Studies" (JATOS): An Easy Solution for Setup and
      Management of Web Servers Supporting Online Studies.
AB  - We present here "Just Another Tool for Online Studies" (JATOS): an open source,
      cross-platform web application with a graphical user interface (GUI) that greatly
      simplifies setting up and communicating with a web server to host online studies
      that are written in JavaScript. JATOS is easy to install in all three major
      platforms (Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux), and seamlessly pairs with a
      database for secure data storage. It can be installed on a server or locally,
      allowing researchers to try the application and feasibility of their studies
      within a browser environment, before engaging in setting up a server. All
      communication with the JATOS server takes place via a GUI (with no need to use a
      command line interface), making JATOS an especially accessible tool for
      researchers without a strong IT background. We describe JATOS' main features and
      implementation and provide a detailed tutorial along with example studies to help
      interested researchers to set up their online studies. JATOS can be found under
      the Internet address: www.jatos.org. 

PMID- 26114752
TI  - The Impact of Noninvasive Follicular Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma on
      Rates of Malignancy for Fine-Needle Aspiration Diagnostic Categories.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased recognition of the indolent nature of noninvasive
      follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (NFVPTC) along with greater
      insight into the molecular alterations of these tumors has prompted endocrine
      pathologists to question whether these tumors warrant a diagnosis of carcinoma.
      However, a change in terminology would affect the rates of malignancy of fine
      needle aspiration (FNA) diagnostic categories. Therefore, the aim of this study
      was to determine the percentage decrease in associated risk of malignancy for
      each FNA diagnostic category if NFVPTCs were no longer termed carcinomas.
      METHODS: We evaluated a cohort of 655 FNAs with subsequent resection specimens
      over a 22-month time period. The diagnoses of the preceding FNAs were recorded
      according to the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology. For cases
      with more than one preceding FNA, the FNA diagnosis associated with the highest
      risk of malignancy was identified. Slides for all resection specimens with a
      diagnosis of FVPTC were reviewed to identify noninvasive tumors. By definition,
      all of these tumors were encapsulated, partially encapsulated, or well
      circumscribed and lacked any indication of infiltrative growth, capsular
      penetration, or lymphovascular invasion. RESULTS: Our cohort of 655 FNAs with
      subsequent resection specimens included 53 (8.1%) nondiagnostic (ND), 167 (25.5%)
      benign, 97 (14.8%) atypia/follicular lesion of undetermined significance
      (AUS/FLUS), 88 (13.4%) suspicious for follicular neoplasm (SFN), 94 (14.4%)
      suspicious for malignancy (SUS), and 156 (23.8%) malignant cases (POS). Surgical
      resections demonstrated benign findings in 309 (47.2%) and malignant tumors in
      346 (52.8%), including 85 NFVPTCs accounting for 24.6% of malignancies. Our rates
      of malignancy for ND, benign, AUS/FLUS, SFN, SUS, and POS were 18.9%, 13.2%,
      39.2%, 45.5%, 87.2%, and 98.7%, respectively. If NFVPTC were no longer termed
      carcinoma, these rates would drop to 17.0% (10% decrease), 5.4% (59% decrease),
      21.6% (45% decrease), 37.5% (18% decrease), 45.7% (48% decrease), and 93.6% (5%
      decrease), respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that if terminology
      were changed and NFVPTCs were not considered carcinomas, the rates of malignancy
      for FNA diagnostic categories would be substantially decreased, with the most
      clinically significant decrease seen in the SUS category, which demonstrated a
      relative decrease of nearly 50%.

PMID- 26114753
TI  - Habitat Fragmentation Intensifies Trade-Offs between Biodiversity and Ecosystem
      Services in a Heathland Ecosystem in Southern England.
AB  - While habitat fragmentation represents a major threat to global biodiversity, its
      impacts on provision of ecosystem services are largely unknown. We analysed
      biodiversity value and provision of multiple ecosystem services in 110 fragments
      of lowland heathland ecosystems in southern England, in which vegetation dynamics
      have been monitored for over 30 years. Decreasing fragment size was found to be
      associated with a decrease in biodiversity and recreational values, but an
      increase in relative carbon storage, aesthetic value and timber value. The trade
      off between either biodiversity or recreational values with the other ecosystem
      services therefore became more pronounced as heathland size decreased. This was
      attributed to a higher rate of woody succession in smaller heathland fragments
      over the past three decades, and contrasting values of different successional
      vegetation types for biodiversity and provision of ecosystem services. These
      results suggest that habitat fragmentation can reduce the potential for
      developing "win win" solutions that contribute to biodiversity conservation while
      also supporting socio-economic development. Approaches to multi-purpose
      management of fragmented landscapes should therefore consider the potential trade
      offs in ecosystem services and biodiversity associated with fragmentation, in
      order to make an effective contribution to sustainable development. 

PMID- 26114754
TI  - LPS-Induced G-CSF Expression in Macrophages Is Mediated by ERK2, but Not ERK1.
AB  - Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) selectively stimulates
      proliferation and differentiation of neutrophil progenitors which play important
      roles in host defense against infectious agents. However, persistent G-CSF
      production often leads to neutrophilia and excessive inflammatory reactions.
      There is therefore a need to understand the mechanism regulating G-CSF
      expression. In this study, we showed that U0126, a MEK1/2 inhibitor, decreases
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated G-CSF promoter activity, mRNA expression and
      protein secretion. Using short hairpin RNA knockdown, we demonstrated that ERK2,
      and not ERK1, involves in LPS-induced G-CSF expression, but not LPS-regulated
      expression of TNF-alpha. Reporter assays showed that ERK2 and C/EBPbeta
      synergistically activate G-CSF promoter activity. Further chromatin
      immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays revealed that U0126 inhibits LPS-induced
      binding of NF-kappaB (p50/p65) and C/EBPbeta to the G-CSF promoter, but not their
      nuclear protein levels. Knockdown of ERK2 inhibits LPS-induced accessibility of
      the G-CSF promoter region to DNase I, suggesting that chromatin remodeling may
      occur. These findings clarify that ERK2, rather than ERK1, mediates LPS-induced G
      CSF expression in macrophages by remodeling chromatin, and stimulates C/EBPbeta
      dependent activation of the G-CSF promoter. This study provides a potential
      target for regulating G-CSF expression. 

PMID- 26114755
TI  - Hierarchical phrase-based grammatical analysis of language samples from Cantonese
      speaking children with and without autism.
AB  - The present study made a reference to Zhu Dexi's phrase-based grammar approach to
      analyse Cantonese utterances hierarchically into 14 syntactic structures (SS). A
      total of 68 speech samples from Cantonese-speaking children with and without
      Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were collected. The mean length of utterance in
      words (MLUw), the number of syntactic structures (NOSS), the number of different
      syntactic structures (NODSS) and the flexibility of syntactic structures (FSS) of
      the samples were calculated. Comparisons among four groups of typically
      developing (TD) children revealed that all the indexes show developmental changes
      across age stages. Comparisons between ASD subjects and their age-matched (AM)
      and MLUw-matched (MM) normal peers were done. MLUw, NOSS and NODSS and FSS could
      be used to distinguish autistic children from their AM normal peers, but only FSS
      could be used to distinguish ASD from MM groups qualitatively and quantitatively.
      The lack of production of SP, V1O/SV2 and Coord1Coord2 with low FSS may be one of
      the factors that will affect ASD children's further syntactic development. 

PMID- 26114756
TI  - Potential Role of Circulating microRNA-21 for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnosis:
      A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Circulating microRNA-21 (miR-21) is known to be aberrantly expressed
      in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, and this implies that microRNA-21 is
      a promising and novel indicator of HCC. However, a systematic evaluation of the
      performance of microRNA-21 as a diagnostic marker for HCC has yet to be
      conducted. Therefore, the test performance of circulating miR-21 for HCC was
      assessed in this study. METHODS: Three common international databases and a
      Chinese electronic database were used to search for literature on the diagnostic
      accuracy of microRNA-21 for HCC. The pooled results included the sensitivity and
      specificity of microRNA-21 for HCC detection and were analyzed with a random
      effect model. The area under summary receiver operating characteristic curve
      (AUC) was used to estimate overall test performance. RESULTS: A total of 339 HCC
      patients and 338 controls without HCC from four published studies were eligible
      for the meta-analysis and included in our study. The test performance of
      circulating miR-21 in HCC detection was assessed with the summary estimates of
      sensitivity and specificity, which were 81.2% (95% CI: 70.8% to 88.4%) and 84.8%
      (95% CI: 75.1% to 91.2%), respectively. The value of AUC was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87
      to 0.92). Significant inter-study heterogeneity was detected by our analysis, and
      sub-group analyses suggested that the type of control group was probably a source
      of heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: Our current findings suggested that circulating
      miR-21 can serve as a potential co-biomarker for early-stage HCC diagnosis.
      Thorough large-scale studies are needed to confirm the generalizability of our
      findings.

PMID- 26114758
TI  - Streptococcus oligofermentans Inhibits Streptococcus mutans in Biofilms at Both
      Neutral pH and Cariogenic Conditions.
AB  - Homeostasis of oral microbiota can be maintained through microbial interactions.
      Previous studies showed that Streptococcus oligofermentans, a non-mutans
      streptococci frequently isolated from caries-free subjects, inhibited the
      cariogenic Streptococcus mutans by the production of hydrogen peroxide (HP).
      Since pH is a critical factor in caries formation, we aimed to study the
      influence of pH on the competition between S. oligofermentans and S. mutans in
      biofilms. To this end, S. mutans and S. oligofermentans were inoculated alone or
      mixed at 1:1 ratio in buffered biofilm medium in a 96-well active attachment
      model. The single- and dual-species biofilms were grown under either constantly
      neutral pH or pH-cycling conditions. The latter includes two cycles of 8 h
      neutral pH and 16 h pH 5.5, used to mimic cariogenic condition. The 48 h biofilms
      were analysed for the viable cell counts, lactate and HP production. The last two
      measurements were carried out after incubating the 48 h biofilms in buffers
      supplemented with 1% glucose (pH 7.0) for 4 h. The results showed that S.
      oligofermentans inhibited the growth of S. mutans in dual-species biofilms under
      both tested pH conditions. The lactic acid production of dual-species biofilms
      was significantly lower than that of single-species S. mutans biofilms. Moreover,
      dual-species and single-species S. oligofermentans biofilms grown under pH
      cycling conditions (with a 16 h low pH period) produced a significantly higher
      amount of HP than those grown under constantly neutral pH. In conclusion, S.
      oligofermentans inhibited S. mutans in biofilms not only under neutral pH, but
      also under pH-cycling conditions, likely through HP production. S.
      oligofermentans may be a compelling probiotic candidate against caries. 

PMID- 26114757
TI  - Sequence-Specific Fidelity Alterations Associated with West Nile Virus
      Attenuation in Mosquitoes.
AB  - High rates of error-prone replication result in the rapid accumulation of genetic
      diversity of RNA viruses. Recent studies suggest that mutation rates are selected
      for optimal viral fitness and that modest variations in replicase fidelity may be
      associated with viral attenuation. Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are
      unique in their requirement for host cycling and may necessitate substantial
      genetic and phenotypic plasticity. In order to more thoroughly investigate the
      correlates, mechanisms and consequences of arbovirus fidelity, we selected
      fidelity variants of West Nile virus (WNV; Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) utilizing
      selection in the presence of a mutagen. We identified two mutations in the WNV
      RNA-dependent RNA polymerase associated with increased fidelity, V793I and G806R,
      and a single mutation in the WNV methyltransferase, T248I, associated with
      decreased fidelity. Both deep-sequencing and in vitro biochemical assays
      confirmed strain-specific differences in both fidelity and mutational bias. WNV
      fidelity variants demonstrated host-specific alterations to replicative fitness
      in vitro, with modest attenuation in mosquito but not vertebrate cell culture.
      Experimental infections of colonized and field populations of Cx. quinquefaciatus
      demonstrated that WNV fidelity alterations are associated with a significantly
      impaired capacity to establish viable infections in mosquitoes. Taken together,
      these studies (i) demonstrate the importance of allosteric interactions in
      regulating mutation rates, (ii) establish that mutational spectra can be both
      sequence and strain-dependent, and (iii) display the profound phenotypic
      consequences associated with altered replication complex function of
      flaviviruses. 

PMID- 26114759
TI  - Identification and electrophysiological evaluation of 2-methylbenzamide
      derivatives as Nav1.1 modulators.
AB  - Voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) are crucial to the initiation and propagation
      of action potentials (APs) in electrically excitable cells, and during the past
      decades they have received considerable attention due to their therapeutic
      potential. Here, we report for the first time the synthesis and the
      electrophysiological evaluation of 16 ligands based on a 2-methylbenzamide
      scaffold that have been identified as Nav1.1 modulators. Among these compounds,
      N,N'-(1,3-phenylene)bis(2-methylbenzamide) (3a) has been selected and evaluated
      in ex-vivo experiments in order to estimate the activation impact of such a
      compound profile. It appears that 3a increases the Nav1.1 channel activity
      although its overall impact remains moderate. Altogether, our preliminary results
      provide new insights into the development of small molecule activators targeting
      specifically Nav1.1 channels to design potential drugs for treating CNS diseases.

PMID- 26114760
TI  - Encapsulation of vegetable oils as source of omega-3 fatty acids for enriched
      functional foods.
AB  - Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (PUFAs), a functional component present in
      vegetable oils, are generally recognized as being beneficial to health. Omega-3
      PUFAs are rich in double bonds and unsaturated in nature; this attribute makes
      them highly susceptible to lipid oxidation and unfit for incorporation into long
      shelf life foods. The microencapsulation of oils in a polymeric matrix (mainly
      polysaccharides) offers the possibility of controlled release of the lipophilic
      functional ingredient and can be useful for the supplementation of foods with
      PUFAs. The present paper provides a literature review of different vegetable
      sources of omega-3 fatty acids, the functional effects of omega-3 fatty acids,
      different microencapsulation methods that can possibly be used for the
      encapsulation of oils, the properties of vegetable oil microcapsules, the effect
      of encapsulation on oxidation stability and fatty acid composition of vegetable
      oils, and the incorporation of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in
      foods.

PMID- 26114761
TI  - Incidence of and Risk Factors for Mastoiditis after Intensity Modulated
      Radiotherapy in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the incidence of and risk factors for mastoiditis after
      intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of pretreatment and follow-up
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data for 451 patients with NPC treated with IMRT
      at a single institution. The diagnosis of mastoiditis was based on MRI;
      otomastoid opacification was rated as Grade 0 (none), 1 (mild), 2 (moderate) or 3
      (severe) by radiologists blinded to clinical outcome. This study mainly focused
      on severe mastoiditis; patients were divided into three groups: the G0M (Grade 0
      mastoiditis before treatment) group, G1-2M (Grade 1 to 2 mastoiditis before
      treatment) group and G3M (Grade 3 mastoiditis before treatment) group. The
      software SAS9.3 program was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: For the entire
      cohort, the incidence of Grade 3 mastoiditis was 20% before treatment and 31%,
      19% and 17% at 3, 12 and 24 months after radiotherapy, respectively. In the G0M
      group, the incidence of severe mastoiditis was 0% before treatment and 23%, 15%
      and 13% at 3, 12 and 24 months after radiotherapy, respectively. Multivariate
      analysis revealed T category (OR=0.68, 95% CI = 0.469 to 0.984), time (OR=0.668,
      95% CI = 0.59 to 0.757) and chemotherapy (OR=0.598, 95% CI = 0.343 to 0.934) were
      independent factors associated with severe mastoiditis in the G0M group after
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Mastoiditis, as diagnosed by MRI, occurs as a progressive
      process that regresses and resolves over time in patients with NPC treated using
      IMRT.

PMID- 26114762
TI  - Development of a Novel Rabies Simulation Model for Application in a Non-endemic
      Environment.
AB  - Domestic dog rabies is an endemic disease in large parts of the developing world
      and also epidemic in previously free regions. For example, it continues to spread
      in eastern Indonesia and currently threatens adjacent rabies-free regions with
      high densities of free-roaming dogs, including remote northern Australia.
      Mathematical and simulation disease models are useful tools to provide insights
      on the most effective control strategies and to inform policy decisions. Existing
      rabies models typically focus on long-term control programs in endemic countries.
      However, simulation models describing the dog rabies incursion scenario in
      regions where rabies is still exotic are lacking. We here describe such a
      stochastic, spatially explicit rabies simulation model that is based on
      individual dog information collected in two remote regions in northern Australia.
      Illustrative simulations produced plausible results with epidemic characteristics
      expected for rabies outbreaks in disease free regions (mean R0 1.7, epidemic peak
      97 days post-incursion, vaccination as the most effective response strategy).
      Systematic sensitivity analysis identified that model outcomes were most
      sensitive to seven of the 30 model parameters tested. This model is suitable for
      exploring rabies spread and control before an incursion in populations of largely
      free-roaming dogs that live close together with their owners. It can be used for
      ad-hoc contingency or response planning prior to and shortly after incursion of
      dog rabies in previously free regions. One challenge that remains is model
      parameterisation, particularly how dogs' roaming and contacts and biting
      behaviours change following a rabies incursion in a previously rabies free
      population. 

PMID- 26114763
TI  - Swabbing Surgical Sites Does Not Improve the Detection of Staphylococcus aureus
      Carriage in High-Risk Surgical Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A major risk factor for the development of surgical site infections
      is Staphylococcus aureus carriage. Compared with non-carriers, S. aureus carriers
      have up to a 14-fold greater risk for post-surgical infections. Pre-operative
      screening for S. aureus carriage is controversial. Yet, targeted screening in
      high-risk patients or from clinically relevant sites may be beneficial. We aimed
      to determine whether S. aureus detection in high-risk surgical patients would be
      increased by culturing surgical sites, in addition to the nares, vs. nares-only
      culturing. METHODS: Adults undergoing pre-operative evaluations in orthopedic and
      neurosurgical clinics were eligible for participation. For each subject,
      specimens were collected from the anterior nares and from the proposed surgical
      site. Samples were inoculated onto methicillin-resistant S. aureus-selective
      chromogenic agar plates and blood agar plates. RESULTS: Of 150 subjects, 80
      (53.3%) were women and 70 (46.7%) men. The mean age was 61 years and 77/150
      (51.3%) had a BMI>=30. Culture results were available for 147/150 subjects. Of
      the 147 surgical site cultures, 54 (36.7%), 51 (34.7%), and 28 (19.0%) were
      collected from knee, hip, and lumbar sites, respectively; the remaining 14 (9.5%)
      were from cervical, thoracic, or infra-clavicular sites. Overall, 35/147 (23.8%)
      nasal cultures grew S. aureus; 29/147 (19.7%) grew methicillin-susceptible S.
      aureus (MSSA), and 6/147 (4.1%) grew methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Only
      2/147 (1.4%) surgical site cultures grew S. aureus; both grew MSSA and MSSA was
      cultured also from the nasal swabs of these subjects. Using nasal
      culture+surgical site culture as "true positive," the percentage of additional S.
      aureus carriers detected by the addition of surgical site screening was zero as
      compared to nasal screening alone. CONCLUSIONS: The detection of S. aureus
      carriage in high-risk surgical patients is not improved by swabbing surgical
      sites in addition to the nares.

PMID- 26114765
TI  - Sampling and Pooling Methods for Capturing Herd Level Antibiotic Resistance in
      Swine Feces using qPCR and CFU Approaches.
AB  - The aim of this article was to define the sampling level and method combination
      that captures antibiotic resistance at pig herd level utilizing qPCR antibiotic
      resistance gene quantification and culture-based quantification of antibiotic
      resistant coliform indicator bacteria. Fourteen qPCR assays for commonly detected
      antibiotic resistance genes were developed, and used to quantify antibiotic
      resistance genes in total DNA from swine fecal samples that were obtained using
      different sampling and pooling methods. In parallel, the number of antibiotic
      resistant coliform indicator bacteria was determined in the same swine fecal
      samples. The results showed that the qPCR assays were capable of detecting
      differences in antibiotic resistance levels in individual animals that the
      coliform bacteria colony forming units (CFU) could not. Also, the qPCR assays
      more accurately quantified antibiotic resistance genes when comparing individual
      sampling and pooling methods. qPCR on pooled samples was found to be a good
      representative for the general resistance level in a pig herd compared to the
      coliform CFU counts. It had significantly reduced relative standard deviations
      compared to coliform CFU counts in the same samples, and therefore differences in
      antibiotic resistance levels between samples were more readily detected. To our
      knowledge, this is the first study to describe sampling and pooling methods for
      qPCR quantification of antibiotic resistance genes in total DNA extracted from
      swine feces. 

PMID- 26114766
TI  - Oceanographic Conditions Limit the Spread of a Marine Invader along Southern
      African Shores.
AB  - Invasive species can affect the function and structure of natural ecological
      communities, hence understanding and predicting their potential for spreading is
      a major ecological challenge. Once established in a new region, the spread of
      invasive species is largely controlled by their dispersal capacity, local
      environmental conditions and species interactions. The mussel Mytilus
      galloprovincialis is native to the Mediterranean and is the most successful
      marine invader in southern Africa. Its distribution there has expanded rapidly
      and extensively since the 1970s, however, over the last decade its spread has
      ceased. In this study, we coupled broad scale field surveys, Ecological Niche
      Modelling (ENM) and Lagrangian Particle Simulations (LPS) to assess the current
      invaded distribution of M. galloprovincialis in southern Africa and to evaluate
      what prevents further spread of this species. Results showed that all
      environmentally suitable habitats in southern Africa have been occupied by the
      species. This includes rocky shores between Rocky Point in Namibia and East
      London in South Africa (approx. 2800 km) and these limits coincide with the steep
      transitions between cool-temperate and subtropical-warmer climates, on both west
      and southeast African coasts. On the west coast, simulations of drifting larvae
      almost entirely followed the northward and offshore direction of the Benguela
      current, creating a clear dispersal barrier by advecting larvae away from the
      coast. On the southeast coast, nearshore currents give larvae the potential to
      move eastwards, against the prevalent Agulhas current and beyond the present
      distributional limit, however environmental conditions prevent the establishment
      of the species. The transition between the cooler and warmer water regimes is
      therefore the main factor limiting the northern spread on the southeast coast;
      however, biotic interactions with native fauna may also play an important role. 

PMID- 26114764
TI  - Compliance to Cell Phone-Based EMA Among Latino Youth in Outpatient Treatment.
AB  - Outpatient treatment practices for adolescent substance users utilize
      retrospective self-report to monitor drug use. Cell phone-based ecological
      momentary assessment (CEMA) overcomes retrospective self-report biases and can
      enhance outpatient treatment, particularly among Latino adolescents, who have
      been understudied with regard to CEMA. This study explores compliance to text
      message-based CEMA with youth (n = 28; 93% Latino) in outpatient treatment.
      Participants were rotated through daily, random, and event-based CEMA strategies
      for 1-month periods. Overall compliance was high (>80%). Compliance decreased
      slightly over the study period and was less during random versus daily strategies
      and on days when alcohol use was retrospectively reported. Findings suggest that
      CEMA is a viable monitoring tool for Latino youth in outpatient treatment, but
      further study is needed to determine optimal CEMA strategies, monitoring time
      periods, and the appropriateness of CEMA for differing levels of substance use. 

PMID- 26114767
TI  - Interpregnancy Intervals in the United States: Data From the Birth Certificate
      and the National Survey of Family Growth.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe data on interpregnancy intervals (IPI), defined as the
      timing between a live birth and conception of a subsequent live birth, from a
      subset of jurisdictions that adopted the 2003 revised birth certificate. Because
      this information is available among revised jurisdictions only, the national
      representativeness of IPI and related patterns to the entire United States were
      assessed using the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). METHODS:
      Birth certificate data are based on 100% of births registered in 36 states and
      the District of Columbia that adopted the 2003 revised birth certificate in 2011
      (83% of 2011 U.S. births). The "Date of last live birth" item on the birth
      certificate was used to calculate months between the birth occurring in 2011 and
      the previous birth. These data were compared with pregnancy data from a
      nationally representative sample of women from the 2006-2010 NSFG. RESULTS:
      Jurisdiction-specific median IPI ranged from 25 months (Idaho, Montana, North
      Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wisconsin) to 32 months (California) using birth
      certificate data. Overall, the distribution of IPI from the birth certificate was
      similar to NSFG for IPI less than 18 months (30% and 29%), 18 to 59 months (50%
      and 52%), and 60 months or more (21% and 18%). Consistent patterns in IPI
      distribution by data source were seen by age at delivery, marital status,
      education, number of previous live births, and Hispanic origin and race, with the
      exception of differences in IPI of 60 months or more among non-Hispanic black
      women and women with a bachelor's degree or higher.

PMID- 26114768
TI  - Infrared Laser Spectroscopy of the L-Shaped Cl-HCl Complex Formed in Superfluid
      (4)He Nanodroplets.
AB  - Chlorine atoms, generated through the thermal decomposition of Cl2, are solvated
      in superfluid helium nanodroplets and clustered with HCl molecules. The H-Cl
      stretching modes of these clusters are probed via infrared laser spectroscopy. A
      band centered at ~2880.8 cm(-1) is assigned to the binary Cl-HCl complex on the
      basis of HCl pressure dependence and difference mass spectra. The band lies in
      the "free" HCl stretching region, implying that the complex is not hydrogen
      bound. Furthermore, the breadth of the band (~2 cm(-1) fwhm) is consistent with
      an assignment to a predominantly b-type component of the H-Cl stretch, as the
      dominant b-type selection rules and A rotational constant allow for high energy
      rotational excitations that efficiently couple to droplet excitations, resulting
      in fast rotational deactivation. Despite the lack of rotational fine structure,
      which would verify the assignment, the observed band is consistent with the
      stabilization of a weakly bound complex having an approximately L-shaped
      geometry. Frequency computations for a rigid, L-shaped complex reveal that the
      transition dipole moment vector points almost entirely along the b inertial axis;
      indeed, the signal-to-noise ratio in our experiment precluded the observation of
      an a-type component of the HCl stretching band for the complex. No bands were
      observed that could be assigned to a linear H-bonded Cl-HCl complex.
      Additionally, we located bands that are consistent with the formation of Cl2-HCl,
      Cl2-(HCl)2, and Cl-(HCl)2. Two vibrations of the Cl-(HCl)2 complex were found,
      and harmonic frequencies and intensities computed for a cyclic structure are
      consistent with the observations. 

PMID- 26114769
TI  - Correction: Exome Sequencing in an Admixed Isolated Population Indicates NFXL1
      Variants Confer a Risk for Specific Language Impairment.

PMID- 26114770
TI  - Quantitative Mass Density Image Reconstructed from the Complex X-Ray Refractive
      Index.
AB  - We demonstrate a new analytical X-ray computed tomography technique for
      visualizing and quantifying the mass density of materials comprised of low atomic
      number elements with unknown atomic ratios. The mass density was obtained from
      the experimentally observed ratio of the imaginary and real parts of the complex
      X-ray refractive index. An empirical linear relationship between the X-ray mass
      attenuation coefficient of the materials and X-ray energy was found for X-ray
      energies between 8 keV and 30 keV. The mass density image of two polymer fibers
      was quantified using the proposed technique using a scanning-type X-ray microbeam
      computed tomography system equipped with a wedge absorber. The reconstructed mass
      density agrees well with the calculated one. 

PMID- 26114771
TI  - Study of the forced degradation behavior of prasugrel hydrochloride by liquid
      chromatography with mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography with NMR
      detection and prediction of the toxicity of the characterized degradation
      products.
AB  - Prasugrel was subjected to forced degradation studies under conditions of
      hydrolysis (acid, base, and neutral), photolysis, oxidation, and thermal stress.
      The drug showed liability in hydrolytic as well as oxidative conditions,
      resulting in a total of four degradation products. In order to characterize the
      latter, initially mass fragmentation pathway of the drug was established with the
      help of mass spectrometry/time-of-flight, multiple stage mass spectrometry and
      hydrogen/deuterium exchange data. The degradation products were then separated on
      a C18 column using a stability-indicating volatile buffer method, which was later
      extended to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry studies. The latter
      highlighted that three degradation products had the same molecular mass, while
      one was different. To characterize all, their mass fragmentation pathways were
      established in the same manner as the drug. Subsequently, liquid chromatography
      nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy data were collected. Proton and
      correlation liquid chromatography with NMR spectroscopy studies highlighted
      existence of diastereomeric behavior in one pair of degradation products. Lastly,
      toxicity prediction by computer-assisted technology (TOPKAT) and deductive
      estimation of risk from existing knowledge (DEREK) software were employed to
      assess in silico toxicity of the characterized degradation products. 

PMID- 26114772
TI  - Trigeminal neuralgia: pleonasm and miscalculation.

PMID- 26114775
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26114777
TI  - Chelation for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that the severity of autism spectrum disorder
      (ASD) symptoms is positively correlated with the level of circulating or stored
      toxic metals, and that excretion of these heavy metals, brought about by the use
      of pharmaceutical chelating agents, results in improved symptoms. OBJECTIVES: To
      assess the potential benefits and adverse effects of pharmaceutical chelating
      agents (referred to as chelation therapy throughout this review) for autism
      spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the following
      databases on 6 November 2014: CENTRAL, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process,
      Embase, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature
      (CINAHL) and 15 other databases, including three trials registers. In addition we
      checked references lists and contacted experts. SELECTION CRITERIA: All
      randomised controlled trials of pharmaceutical chelating agents compared with
      placebo in individuals with ASD. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors
      independently selected studies, assessed them for risk of bias and extracted
      relevant data. We did not conduct a meta-analysis, as only one study was
      included. MAIN RESULTS: We excluded nine studies because they were non-randomised
      trials or were withdrawn before enrolment. We included one study, which was
      conducted in two phases. During the first phase of the study, 77 children with
      ASD were randomly assigned to receive seven days of glutathione lotion or placebo
      lotion, followed by three days of oral dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). Forty-nine
      children who were found to be high excreters of heavy metals during phase one
      continued on to phase two to receive three days of oral DMSA or placebo followed
      by 11 days off, with the cycle repeated up to six times. The second phase thus
      assessed the effectiveness of multiple doses of oral DMSA compared with placebo
      in children who were high excreters of heavy metals and who received a three-day
      course of oral DMSA. Overall, no evidence suggests that multiple rounds of oral
      DMSA had an effect on ASD symptoms. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: This review included
      data from only one study, which had methodological limitations. As such, no
      clinical trial evidence was found to suggest that pharmaceutical chelation is an
      effective intervention for ASD. Given prior reports of serious adverse events,
      such as hypocalcaemia, renal impairment and reported death, the risks of using
      chelation for ASD currently outweigh proven benefits. Before further trials are
      conducted, evidence that supports a causal link between heavy metals and autism
      and methods that ensure the safety of participants are needed.

PMID- 26114778
TI  - A new approach to determining net impulse and identification of its
      characteristics in countermovement jumping: reliability and validity.
AB  - Examining a countermovement jump (CMJ) force-time curve related to net impulse
      might be useful in monitoring athletes' performance. This study aimed to
      investigate the reliability of alternative net impulse calculation and net
      impulse characteristics (height, width, rate of force development, shape factor,
      and proportion) and validate against the traditional calculation in the CMJ.
      Twelve participants performed the CMJ in two sessions (48 hours apart) for test
      retest reliability. Twenty participants were involved for the validity
      assessment. Results indicated intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) of >=
      0.89 and coefficient of variation (CV) of <= 5.1% for all of the variables except
      for rate of force development (ICC = 0.78 and CV = 22.3%). The relationship
      between the criterion and alternative calculations was r = 1.00. While the
      difference between them was statistically significant (245.96 +/- 63.83 vs.
      247.14 +/- 64.08 N s, p < 0.0001), the effect size was trivial and deemed
      practically minimal (d = 0.02). In conclusion, variability of rate of force
      development will pose a greater challenge in detecting performance changes. Also,
      the alternative calculation can be used practically in place of the traditional
      calculation to identify net impulse characteristics and monitor and study
      athletes' performance in greater depth.

PMID- 26114779
TI  - Evaluation of the DSM-5 severity indicator for binge eating disorder in a
      clinical sample.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study tested the new DSM-5 severity criterion for binge eating
      disorder (BED) based on frequency of binge-eating in a clinical sample. This
      study also tested overvaluation of shape/weight as an alternative severity
      specifier. METHOD: Participants were 834 treatment-seeking adults diagnosed with
      DSM-5 BED using semi-structured diagnostic and eating-disorder interviews.
      Participants sub-grouped based on DSM-5 severity levels and on overvaluation of
      shape/weight were compared on demographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: Based
      on DSM-5 severity definitions, 331 (39.7%) participants were categorized as mild,
      395 (47.5%) as moderate, 83 (10.0%) as severe, and 25 (3.0%) as extreme. Analyses
      comparing three (mild, moderate, and severe/extreme) severity groups revealed no
      significant differences in demographic variables or body mass index (BMI).
      Analyses revealed significantly higher eating-disorder psychopathology in the
      severe/extreme than moderate and mild groups and higher depression in moderate
      and severe/extreme groups than the mild group; effect sizes were small.
      Participants characterized with overvaluation (N = 449; 54%) versus without
      overvaluation (N = 384; 46%) did not differ significantly in age, sex, BMI, or
      binge-eating frequency, but had significantly greater eating-disorder
      psychopathology and depression. The robustly greater eating-disorder
      psychopathology and depression levels (medium-to-large effect sizes) in the
      overvaluation group was observed without attenuation of effect sizes after
      adjusting for ethnicity/race and binge-eating severity/frequency. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our findings provide support for overvaluation of shape/weight as a severity
      specifier for BED as it provides stronger information about the severity of
      homogeneous groupings of patients than the DSM-5 rating based on binge-eating.

PMID- 26114781
TI  - Xylitol and caries prevention.
AB  - DATA SOURCES: Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register, the Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science
      Conference Proceedings, Proquest Dissertations and Theses, US National Institutes
      of Health Trials Register (http://clinicaltrials.gov) and the WHO Clinical Trials
      Registry Platform for ongoing trials. No language or year restrictions were used.
      STUDY SELECTION: Randomised controlled trials assessing the effects of xylitol
      products on dental caries in children and adults. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS:
      Two review authors independently screened the results of the electronic searches,
      extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Authors
      were contacted where possible for missing data or clarification where feasible.
      For continuous outcomes, means and standard deviations were used to obtain the
      mean difference and 95% confidence interval (CI). Continuous data was used to
      calculate prevented fractions (PF) and 95% CIs to summarise the percentage
      reduction in caries. For dichotomous outcomes, reported risk ratios (RR) and 95%
      CIs were used. As there were fewer than four studies included in the meta
      analysis, a fixed effect model was used. RESULTS: Ten studies were included with
      a total of 5903 participants. One study was assessed as being at low risk of
      bias, two were assessed as unclear risk of bias with seven at high risk of bias.
      Over 2.5-3 years, low quality evidence demonstrated that with 4216 children
      analysed, a fluoride toothpaste with 10% xylitol (exact dosage unsure) reduced
      caries by 13% when compared to a fluoride only toothpaste. (PF -0.13, 95% CI 
      0.18 to -0.08. Remaining evidence of the use of xylitol in children has risk of
      bias and uncertainty of effect and was therefore insufficient to determine a
      benefit from xylitol. Four studies reported that there were no adverse effects
      from any of the interventions. Two studies reported similar rates of adverse
      effects between study arms. The remaining studies either mentioned adverse
      effects but did not report any usable data, or did not mention them at all.
      Adverse effects include sores in the mouth, cramps, bloating, constipation,
      flatulence and loose stool or diarrhoea. CONCLUSIONS: Low quality evidence
      suggested that fluoride toothpaste containing xylitol may be more effective than
      fluoride-only toothpaste for preventing caries in the permanent teeth of
      children. The effect estimate should be interpreted with caution due to high risk
      of bias and the fact that it was derived from two studies that were carried out
      by the same authors in the same population. The remaining evidence was low to
      very low quality and is insufficient to determine whether any other xylitol
      containing products can prevent caries in infants, older children or adults.

PMID- 26114780
TI  - The Dimerization State of the Mammalian High Mobility Group Protein AT-Hook 2
      (HMGA2).
AB  - The mammalian high mobility group protein AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) is a chromosomal
      architectural transcription factor involved in cell transformation and
      oncogenesis. It consists of three positively charged "AT-hooks" and a negatively
      charged C-terminus. Sequence analyses, circular dichroism experiments, and gel
      filtration studies showed that HMGA2, in the native state, does not have a
      defined secondary or tertiary structure. Surprisingly, using combined approaches
      of 1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) chemical
      cross-linking, analytical ultracentrifugation, fluorescence resonance energy
      transfer (FRET), and mass spectrometry, we discovered that HMGA2 is capable of
      self-associating into homodimers in aqueous buffer solution. Our results showed
      that electrostatic interactions between the positively charged "AT-hooks" and the
      negatively charged C-terminus greatly contribute to the homodimer formation. 

PMID- 26114782
TI  - Mother-to-child transmission of Streptococcus mutans.
AB  - DATA SOURCES: PubMed, the Cochrane Library databases and the Virtual Health
      Library were searched from January 1950, with a manual search of the reference
      lists of the included studies. STUDY SELECTION: Duplicate papers, case reports,
      case series, descriptive studies, review articles, opinion articles and letters
      were excluded along with studies on children with oral defects, and ongoing
      preventative/restorative treatment and mothers who used antimicrobial substances.
      Two authors independently screened the title and abstract of all identified
      records, with consensus if required by a third author. A PECO (E= exposure)
      strategy was used to assess the eligibility of identified papers: observational
      human studies whose subjects were mother and child pairs; P contaminated by
      S.mutans; E comparison according to the presence and absence of S.mutans; C and
      whether there is vertical transmission (as defined by molecular analyses); O.
      DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Included studies were assessed for risk of bias.
      Two researchers extracted data on the methods, participants and outcomes, and the
      authors were contacted when it was necessary to clarify details. The percentage
      of transmission before and after the year 2000 was evaluated using the t-test and
      the molecular analysis technique was evaluated using ANOVA. A cumulative meta
      analysis based on the publication year was performed, combining studies that
      assessed mother/child bionomy (pairs) and presented the percentage of
      transmission. RESULTS: Thirty-six cross-sectional studies were included, with the
      age of the children varying among the studies from three weeks to 15 years. All
      but one of the studies confirmed the vertical transmission of S. mutans from
      mother to child by genetic methods. The pooled cumulative meta-analysis
      demonstrated vertical transmission of S. mutans from mother to child (p<0.01) and
      showed a tendency of reduction in the percentage of vertical transmission
      compared with the year the studies were published.There was no significant
      difference in the transmission rate according to the type of technique used
      (p=0.39; ANOVA test). Quality assessment found that twenty-eight studies had bias
      such as confounding factors. All of the studies included were cross-sectional
      studies and therefore none was randomised. There were no reports of blinding in
      the selected studies although some studies evaluated the testing accuracy and
      repeatability or calibration; all included microbiological repetition.
      CONCLUSIONS: There is scientific evidence of vertical transmission of S. mutans
      from mother to child as there was an association between S. mutans strains in
      mothers and their respective children.

PMID- 26114783
TI  - Maternal xylitol and mutans streptococci transmission.
AB  - DATA SOURCES: PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled
      Trials databases and the ClinicalTrials.gov registry were searched with related
      articles'. Experts were contacted and a manual search of reference lists was
      undertaken. STUDY SELECTION: Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials
      that evaluated the maternal use of xylitol gum on Mutans Streptococci (MS)
      colonisation in infants. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two independent reviewers
      performed data extraction with a third reviewer asked to resolve any
      disagreements. Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the quality of
      studies. Two reviewers independently appraised the methodological quality. The
      primary outcome measure was presence of MS in the saliva or plaque of infants,
      with the secondary outcome measure being occurrence of dental decay. RESULTS: 11
      studies published between 2000 and 2012 involving a total of 601 patients were
      included. Sample sizes ranged from 60 to 195 and the daily dose of xylitol
      consumption ranged from 1.95g to 5.28g. Follow-up ranged from six months to 120
      months. There was a significant difference between the two groups, with infants
      in the control group experiencing greater incidences of MS in their plaque or
      saliva. Risk ratios were 0.44 (95% CI: 0.08-2.40) at 6-9 months, 0.54 (95% CI:
      0.39-0.73) at 12-18 months, 0.60 (95% CI: 0.34-1.08) at 24 months, 0.56 (95% CI:
      0.40-0.79) at 36 months and 0.61 (95% CI: 0.48-0.76) at 60 months. Caries data
      could not be pooled. CONCLUSIONS: Xylitol consumption by mothers with high MS
      levels was associated with a significant reduction in the mother-to-child
      transmission of salivary MS. These findings are based on evidence that may have
      suffered from biases.

PMID- 26114784
TI  - Caries prevention - little evidence for use of chlorhexidine varnishes and gels.
AB  - DATA SOURCES: Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register, Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline, Embase and CINAHL. STUDY
      SELECTION: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of
      chlorhexidine-containing oral products with no treatment or placebo on dental
      caries, and comparing the effects of one chlorhexidine-containing oral product
      with another were considered. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two reviewers
      independently extracted trial data and assessed risk of bias. Owing to the
      clinical diversity of the included studies with respect to age, composition of
      intervention, and variation in outcome measures and follow-up, meta-analysis was
      not carried out. A narrative synthesis was presented. RESULTS: Eight trials were
      included. Six were at high risk of bias and two at unclear risk. Six trials
      compared chlorhexidine varnish with placebo or no treatment. Data from two trials
      (690 patients) one using 10% chlorhexidine varnish and the other, 40%, showed
      that this led to an increase in the DMFS increment in the varnish group of 0.53
      (95% CI; -0.47 to 1.53). Only one trial involving 496 patients and using 10%
      chlorhexidine varnish provided usable data for elevated mutans streptococci
      levels > 4 with RR 0.93 (95% CI; 0.80 to 1.07). Two trials (487 patients)
      compared 0.12% chlorhexidine gel with no treatment in the primary dentition. The
      presence of new caries gave rise to a 95% confidence interval that was compatible
      with either an increase or a decrease in caries incidence (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.36
      to 2.77). CONCLUSIONS: The authors found little evidence from the eight trials on
      varnishes and gels included in this review to either support or refute the
      assertion that chlorhexidine is more effective than placebo or no treatment in
      the prevention of caries or the reduction of mutans streptococci levels in
      children and adolescents. There were no trials on other products containing
      chlorhexidine such as sprays, toothpastes, chewing gums or mouthrinses. Further
      high quality research is required, in particular evaluating the effects on both
      the primary and permanent dentition and using other chlorhexidine-containing oral
      products.

PMID- 26114785
TI  - Insufficient evidence that slow-release fluoride devices reduce caries.
AB  - DATA SOURCES: Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline, Embase, US National Institutes
      of Health Trials Register and World Health Organisation (WHO) International
      Clinical Trials Registry Platform. STUDY SELECTION: Parallel randomised
      controlled trials (RCTs) of any type of slow-release fluoride device irrespective
      of publication status, language or blinding were considered. Split mouth studies
      were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Standard Cochrane methods were
      followed with at least two reviewers independently undertaking all the key steps.
      RESULTS: Only one trial which was considered to be at high risk of bias was
      included. The trial included 174 children with 132 available for two year
      examination. However statistical analysis was performed on only the 63 children
      (31 in intervention group, 32 in control group) who had retained the beads
      (retention rate was 47.7% at two years). Among these 63 children, caries
      increment was reported to be statistically significantly lower in the
      intervention group than in the control group (DMFT: mean difference -0.72, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) -1.23 to -0.21; DMFS: mean difference -1.52, 95% CI 
      2.68 to -0.36 (very low quality evidence)). Although this difference was
      clinically significant, it only holds true for those children who retained the
      fluoride beads; over 50% of the children did not retain the beads. Adverse
      effects were not reported. CONCLUSIONS: There is insufficient evidence to
      determine the caries-inhibiting effect of slow-release fluoride glass beads. The
      body of evidence available is of very low quality and there is a potential
      overestimation of benefit to the average child. The applicability of the findings
      to the wider population is unclear; the study had included children from a
      deprived area that had low levels of fluoride in drinking water, and were
      considered at high risk of carries. In addition, the evidence was only obtained
      from children who still had the bead attached at two years (48% of all available
      children); children who had lost their slow-release fluoride devices earlier
      might not have benefited as much from the devices.

PMID- 26114786
TI  - Adjunctive tests cannot replace scalpel biopsy for oral cancer diagnosis.
AB  - DATA SOURCES: Medline, the Cochrane Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies Register,
      the Cochrane Oral Health Groups Trials Register, Embase and MEDION. STUDY
      SELECTION: Two of the reviewers independently assessed titles abstracts and
      extracted data. Cross-sectional diagnostic test accuracy studies (or consecutive
      series) and randomised studies of diagnostic test accuracy that reported the
      diagnostic test accuracy of vital staining, oral cytology, light-based detection
      and oral spectroscopy, blood or saliva analysis used as an adjunct to
      conventional oral examination in detecting PMD or oral squamous cell carcinoma of
      the lip or oral cavity were considered. Scalpel, punch or fine needle aspiration
      biopsy with histological diagnosis was the reference test. DATA EXTRACTION AND
      SYNTHESIS: Study quality was assessed using a modified version of QUADAS-2. Meta
      analysis was used to combine the results of studies for each index test using the
      bivariate approach to estimate the expected values of sensitivity and
      specificity. Meta-regressionanalysis was undertaken to explore possible sources
      of heterogeneity. RESULTS: Forty-one studies, recruiting 4002 patients were
      included. No single study could be classified as being at low risk of bias across
      all domains. Fourteen studies evaluated vital staining, 13 studies oral cytology
      and 13 studies light-based detection or oral spectroscopy, while six studies
      assessed two combined index tests. There were no eligible diagnostic accuracy
      studies evaluating blood or salivary sample analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The overall
      quality of the included studies was poor. None of the adjunctive tests can be
      recommended as a replacement for the currently used standard of a scalpel biopsy
      and histological assessment. Given the relatively high values of the summary
      estimates of sensitivity and specificity for cytology, this would appear to offer
      the most potential. Combined adjunctive tests involving cytology warrant further
      investigation.

PMID- 26114787
TI  - Little evidence for the effectiveness of chemiluminescence and autofluorescent
      imaging devices as oral cancer screening adjuncts.
AB  - DATA SOURCES: Medline/PubMed. STUDY SELECTION: Primary studies where an optical
      device was used for investigation, screening or as a diagnostic tool for OSCC or
      OPMD were considered. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Data were abstracted by two
      reviewers independently and the biological plausibility, technical feasibility
      and diagnostic performance assessed. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies were included,
      13 involving the use of chemiluminescence and 12 using autofluorescence with some
      using both. Chemiluminescence showed sensitivity at detecting any OPMDs and oral
      cancer, but preferentially detects leukoplakia and may fail to spot red patches.
      The additive use of toluidine blue may improve specificity. Tissue
      autofluorescence is sensitive at detecting white, red and white and red patches,
      and the area of fluorescence visualisation loss often extends beyond the
      clinically visible lesion. However, in addition to OPMDs, it may detect
      erythematous lesions of benign inflammation resulting in false-positive test
      results. CONCLUSIONS: In agreement with previous reviews, there is inadequate
      evidence to draw valid conclusions on the effectiveness of chemiluminescence and
      autofluorescent imaging devices as screening adjuncts. There is limited evidence
      for their use in primary care, and these tools are better suited to specialist
      clinics in which there is a higher prevalence of disease and where experienced
      clinicians may better discriminate between benign and malignant lesions.

PMID- 26114788
TI  - Low level laser therapy may reduce risk of oral mucositis.
AB  - DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials
      (CENTRAL), CINHAL, Web of Science, Scopus, LILACS, Conference proceedings of the
      International Society of Paediatric Oncology, American Society of Clinical
      Oncology, American Society of Hematology, American Society of Pediatric
      Hematology and Oncology, and Multinational Association of Supportive Care in
      Cancer and the reference lists of identified studies. STUDY SELECTION: Two
      reviewers independently selected studies for inclusion with randomised controlled
      trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs being considered. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS:
      Data were extracted using a specifically developed form and study quality was
      assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Dichotomous outcomes data were
      synthesised using the risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).
      Continuous outcomes measured using different scales were synthesised using the
      standardised mean difference (SMD) while those using the same scale were
      synthesised using the weighted mean difference (WMD). RESULTS: Eighteen RCTs
      involving 1144 patients were included. Four trials were considered to be at low
      risk of bias across all domains. Prophylactic LLLT reduced the overall risk of
      severe mucositis (risk ratio (RR) 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.20 to
      0.67; P = 0.001). Compared to placebo/no therapy LLLT also reduced the following
      outcomes; severe mucositis at the time of anticipated maximal mucositis RR =
      0.34, (95% CI; 0.20 to 0.59); overall mean grade of mucositis SMD -1.49, (95% CI;
      -2.02 to -0.95); duration of severe mucositis WMD -5.32, 95% (CI; -9.45 to -1.19)
      and incidence of severe pain (RR 0.26, 95% CI; 0.18 to 0.37). CONCLUSIONS:
      Prophylactic LLLT reduced severe mucositis and pain in patients with cancer and
      HSCT recipients. Future research should identify the optimal characteristics of
      LLLT and determine feasibility in the clinical setting.

PMID- 26114789
TI  - Antibiotic use at dental implant placement.
AB  - DATA SOURCES: Cochrane Oral Health Groups Trial Register, Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE via OVID and EMBASE via OVID.
      Databases were searched with no language or date restrictions. STUDY SELECTION:
      Two authors independently reviewed the titles and the abstracts for inclusion.
      Disagreements were resolved by discussion. If needed, a third author was
      consulted. Included were randomised clinical trials with a follow-up of at least
      three months which evaluated the use of prophylactic antibiotic compared to no
      antibiotic or a placebo and examined different antibiotics of different doses and
      durations in patients undergoing dental implant placement. The outcomes were
      implant failure (considered as implant mobility, removal of implant due to bone
      loss or infection) and prosthesis failure (prosthesis could not be placed). DATA
      EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Standard Cochrane methodology procedures were followed.
      Risk of bias was completed independently and in duplicate by two review authors.
      Results were expressed as risk ratios (RRs) using a random-effects model for
      dichotomous outcomes with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The statistical unit was
      the participant and not the prosthesis or implant. Heterogeneity including both
      clinical and methodological factors was investigated. RESULTS: Six randomised
      clinical trials with 1162 participants were identified for the review. Three
      trials compared 2 g of preoperative amoxicillin versus placebo (927
      participants). One trial compared 3 g of preoperative amoxicillin versus placebo
      (55 participants). Another trial compared 1 g of preoperative amoxicillin plus
      500 mg four times a day for two days versus no antibiotic (80 participants). An
      additional trial compared four groups: (1) 2 g of preoperative amoxicillin; (2) 2
      g of preoperative amoxicillin plus 1 g twice a day for seven days; (3) 1 g of
      postoperative amoxicillin twice a day for seven days and (4) no antibiotics (100
      participants). The overall body of the evidence was considered moderate.The meta
      analysis of the six trials showed a statistically significant higher number of
      implant failures in the group not receiving antibiotics, RR= 0.33 (95% CI; 0.16
      to 0.67) P = 0.0002.The number needed to treat for one additional benefit outcome
      (NNTB) to prevent one person having an implant failure is 25 (95% CI; 14 to 100)
      based on an implant failure of 6% in participants not receiving antibiotics.There
      was borderline statistical significance for prosthesis failures (RR= 0.44 (95%CI;
      0.19 to 1.00) with no statistically significant differences for infections or
      adverse events. No conclusive information for the different durations of
      antibiotics could be determined. CONCLUSIONS: There is statistically significant
      evidence suggesting that a single dose of 2 g or 3 g of amoxicillin given orally
      is beneficial in reducing dental implant failure in ordinary conditions. No
      significant adverse events were reported. It is still unknown whether post
      operative antibiotics are beneficial and which antibiotic is more effective.

PMID- 26114790
TI  - Antibiotic prophylaxis for dental implant placement?
AB  - DATA SOURCES: Electronic searches without time or language restrictions were
      performed in PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane Oral Health Group trials
      Register. A vast manual search was done in many dental implant-related journals.
      Reference lists were scanned for possible additional studies. Ongoing clinical
      trials were also searched. STUDY SELECTION: Titles and abstracts of the reports
      identified were read independently by the three authors. Disagreements were
      resolved by discussion. Rejected studies were recorded with the reasons for
      exclusion. The inclusion criteria included clinical human studies, either
      randomised or not, comparing the implant failure/survival rates in any group of
      patients receiving antibiotic prophylaxis versus not receiving antibiotics prior
      to implant placement. Case reports and non-human studies were excluded. Implant
      failure was considered as complete loss of the implant. DATA EXTRACTION AND
      SYNTHESIS: Data were extracted by the authors. Study risk of bias was assessed.
      Implant failure and post-operative infection were the outcomes measured, both
      dichotomous outcomes. Results were expressed using fixed or a random effect model
      depending on the heterogeneity calculated using an I(2) statistical test. The
      estimate of relative effect was expressed in risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence
      interval. Number needed to treat (NNT) was calculated and sensitivity analysis
      was performed to detect differences among the studies considered to have high a
      risk of bias. RESULTS: Fourteen trials were included in the review and evaluated
      a total of 14,872 implants. Of the fourteen studies included in the review eight
      were randomised clinical trials, four were controlled clinical trials and two
      were retrospective studies. Seven studies had both patients and operators/outcome
      assessors blinded to the tested intervention. Nine studies had short follow-ups;
      six of them with a follow-up of four months, one of five months and two of six
      months.The antibiotic regimen was variable: seven studies did not use post-op
      antibiotics in all patients. Seven studies used amoxicillin as the antibiotic of
      choice. Ten studies had patients rinse with antimicrobial solutions as well.Among
      the fourteen studies, 8603 implants were placed in patients receiving
      antibiotics, 304 failures (3.53%) were recorded; 6269 implants were placed in
      patients not receiving antibiotics or receiving placebo, with 396 failures
      recorded (6.32%).From eight articles that provided the information about post
      operative infection there were 25 occurrences of infection in 1000 patients
      receiving antibiotics (2.5%) and 29 episodes in 770 patients not receiving
      antibiotics (3.8%).Some studies involved grafting procedures and a portion of the
      patients (in nine studies) were smokers.The test of overall effect for implant
      failure rate showed that the difference between the procedures with or without
      antibiotic is statistically significant: RR 0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI)
      0.41 to 0.75, p value 0.0002, a relative risk reduction (RRR) of 45% and the
      number needed to treat (NNT) of 50 (95% CI 33-100).For the post operative
      infection outcome, the results of the meta-analysis showed no statistically
      significant results; RR 0.84, 95 % confidence interval 0.49-1.44, and a p value
      of 0.52.The results did not differ in the sensitivity analysis when removing the
      high risk of bias studies. For the implant failure, the results were RR 0.37, 95%
      CI 0.19-0.72, p value 0.003, and for the 'post operative infection' outcome the
      results were RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.38-1.39. p value 0.33. The funnel plot to
      calculate publication bias showed asymmetry for the studies reporting implant
      failure, while the studies reporting post-operative infection the funnel plot did
      not show asymmetry. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence from the review suggests that a
      prophylactic antibiotic regimen reduces failure of dental implants placed under
      ordinary conditions. However, there are no apparent differences in the occurrence
      of post-operative infections in patients receiving or not receiving
      antibiotics.The results have to be interpreted with caution due to the presence
      of several cofounding factors in the studies.

PMID- 26114791
TI  - Review suggests higher failure rates for dental implants placed in fresh
      extraction sites.
AB  - DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials.
      Register databases supplemented by hand searching a range of dental implants
      related journals. STUDY SELECTION: Randomised and non-randomised studies
      comparing implant failure rates in any group of patients receiving dental
      implants being inserted in fresh extraction sockets compared to the insertion in
      healed sites were considered. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Study quality was
      assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS). Implant failure (complete loss
      of implant) and postoperative infection were the dichotomous outcomes measures
      evaluated, with marginal bone loss as a continuous outcome. RESULTS: Seventy
      three publications were included, five were randomised controlled trials, 26
      clinical controlled trials and 42 retrospective studies. The 73 studies included
      a total of 8241 dental implants inserted in fresh extraction sockets, with 330
      failures (4.00%), and 19,410 implants inserted in healed sites, with 599
      failures. A random effects meta-analysis (73 studies) found the relative risk of
      implant failures in fresh socket sites compared to healed sites was RR= 1.58 (95%
      CI; 1.27 1.95) for the maxilla only RR= 1.61 (95% CI; 0.97 2.66); mandible only
      RR= 2.15 (95% CI; 0.62-7.47). For implants supporting single crown restoration
      RR= 2.05 (95% CI; 1.36-3.11) and RR= 1.42 (95% CI; 0.71- 2.83) for those with a
      full arch prosthesis.There were 31 controlled studies (CCTs) and randomised
      controlled studies (RCTs) that included 2021 implants inserted in fresh sockets
      with 96 failures (4.75%) and 2759 implants were inserted in healed sites with 49
      failures (1.59%). The relative risk of implant failures in fresh socket sites
      compared to healed sites was RR= 2.27 (95% CI; 1.57-3.29). CONCLUSIONS: The
      results of the present review should be interpreted with caution due to the
      presence of uncontrolled confounding factors in the included studies, most of
      them not randomised trials. Within the limitations of the existing
      investigations, the present study suggests that the insertion of dental implants
      in fresh extraction sockets affects the implant failure rates.

PMID- 26114792
TI  - Large overjet may double the risk of dental trauma.
AB  - DATA SOURCES: Medline/PubMed, SCOPUS and Google Scholar. DATA EXTRACTION AND
      SYNTHESIS: Studies were split according to the type of teeth and the overjet
      threshold used, thus obtaining three subsets; primary teeth - overjet threshold 3
      4 mm; permanent teeth - overjet threshold 3-4 mm and permanent teeth - overjet
      threshold 6 +/- 1 mm. Pooled odds ratios for TDI were estimated for each dataset.
      RESULTS: Fifty-four studies were included involving patients from five
      continents. The adjusted pooled odds ratios were 2.31 (95%CI; 1.01-5.27) for
      primary teeth with 3-4 mm overjet; 2.01 (95%CI; 1.39-2.91) for permanent teeth
      with 3-4 mm overjet and 2.24 (95%CI; 1.56-3.21) for permanent teeth with 6 +/- 1
      mm overjet. CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis of observational studies
      showed that large overjet may double or even triple the risk for TDI to anterior
      primary and permanent teeth and that, at global level, large overjet is partly
      responsible for 100-300 million TDIs.

PMID- 26114793
TI  - The impact of malocclusion and its treatment on the oral health related quality
      of life of adults, assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14).
AB  - DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Medline and Embase via OVID were searched up to November
      2013. This was supplemented by a hand search of the reference lists of all
      relevant publications and recently published review articles. The search was
      restricted to the English language. STUDY SELECTION: Two review authors
      independently searched and selected the studies. Interventional or observational
      studies of individuals aged 15 years and above with either a malocclusion, or
      those who had undergone treatment for a malocclusion, were included. Studies must
      have included a control group without a malocclusion (for assessment of
      malocclusion impact), or a control group requiring treatment for correction of
      malocclusion (to assess the impact of treating malocclusion). Oral health related
      quality of life (OHRQoL) had to be measured using OHIP-14. DATA EXTRACTION AND
      SYNTHESIS: Two review authors independently carried out data abstraction and
      methodological quality assessment. Studies were divided into three groups based
      on the type of comparison groups; with and without malocclusion (independent
      design), the same group of individuals before and after treatment (pre-post
      design), and an orthodontically treated group with a group requiring treatment
      (treated-untreated groups design). For each group, data were pooled if the same
      type and details of OHIP-14 scores were reported. A Q test, I(2) test and random
      effects model were used. Begg and Egger tests and funnel plots were used to
      measure bias, including publication bias. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies were
      included; eleven studies had an independent design, ten studies were classed as
      pre-post studies, and four studies were categorised as demonstrating a treated
      untreated groups design. Data from four of the independently designed studies,
      which included a total of 892 patients, were pooled and a meta-analysis
      conducted. The data from three of the pre-post designed studies, with a total of
      110 patients, were also pooled in a separate meta-analysis. The standardised mean
      difference (SMD) in OHIP-14 total score in the independently designed studies was
      0.84 (95% CI: 0.25 to 1.43) and in the pre-post design group was 1.29 (95% CI:
      0.67 to 1.92). The studies in both meta-analyses demonstrated statistically
      significant levels of heterogeneity. There was also evidence of publication bias
      in the meta-analysis conducted using the independently designed studies.
      CONCLUSIONS: There are currently no high quality studies in the form of
      longitudinal or randomised controlled trials to assess the impact of malocclusion
      and its associated treatment on OHIP-14 scores respectively. Results from
      existing studies, which are predominantly cross-sectional, suggest that OHIP-14
      scores are significantly lower in individuals without a malocclusion, indicating
      higher levels of OHRQoL. Similarly, longitudinal studies have shown that OHIP-14
      scores are significantly lower after patients have received treatment for their
      malocclusion. The small number of trials, and their associated methodological
      concerns, limits the validity and reliability of the meta-analyses conducted, and
      the results obtained must be subjected to further scrutiny and confirmation.

PMID- 26114794
TI  - Chlorhexidine mouthwash more effective than dentifrice or gel.
AB  - DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled
      Trials (CENTRAL). STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or
      controlled clinical trials (CCTs) in adults 18 years of age comparing CHX DF/gel
      with CHX MW written in English or Dutch were considered. DATA EXTRACTION AND
      SYNTHESIS: Two reviewers independently selected studies, abstracted data and
      assessed risk of bias. Where possible, a meta-analysis was performed. Difference
      in means values between test and control at both baseline and end was calculated
      using a fixed-effects model. RESULTS: Five RCTs were included, four had a
      parallel design and one was a cross-over trial. Three studies showed a positive
      score in favour of the mouthwash. Three studies contributed to a meta-analysis of
      the effect on 'de novo' plaque formation. There was a difference in means of 0.27
      [95% CI: 0.14; 0.39] (P < 0.0001) in favour of CHX MW. One study assessed tooth
      staining finding more staining with the use of CHX MW compared to the CHX DF/gel.
      CONCLUSIONS: Chlorhexidine gel can be successfully formulated and will inhibit
      plaque growth to some degree, but not to the same extent, as a CHX MW. When CHX
      DF/gel is used in a non-brushing model, it is significantly less effective in
      plaque inhibition compared to CHX MW. Based on one study when CHX gel was applied
      with a finger after brushing, it is significantly more effective on plaque scores
      and the gingival index. The only brushing study also with a long follow-up showed
      that there is no significant difference between CHX DF and CHX MW. However, as a
      corollary, significantly more tooth discoloration was observed with the CHX MW.
      Altogether, the data show that when daily oral hygiene cannot be performed, CHX
      MW is the first product of choice.

PMID- 26114799
TI  - Effects of Pleiotrophin on endothelial and inflammatory cells: Pro-angiogenic and
      anti-inflammatory properties and potential role for vascular bio-prosthesis
      endothelialization.
AB  - PURPOSE: One of the limitations emerged with both synthetic and degradable
      vascular grafts is the lack of endothelialization after implantation that is
      known to be the main reason leading to unfavourable outcomes. It emerges the need
      to find new strategies to promote a rapid endothelialization of the scaffold.
      Pleiotrophin is a growth/differentiation cytokine for various cell type. We here
      evaluated the effect of Pleiotrophin on endothelial cells (EC), monocytes and
      macrophages that have been shown as key cells promoting neovascularization.
      MATERIAL/METHODS: EA.hy926 endothelial cells, THP-1 monocytes and PMA
      differentiated macrophages were treated with Pleiotrophin (10 and 100ng/ml).
      VEGF, Flk-1, Nrp-1, COX-2, ICAM-1 and TGFbeta expression were detected by Western
      Blot, IL-10, MCP-1 and TNFalpha levels by ELISA. Chemotaxis was performed in
      Boyden chambers. Wound healing was performed by scratch wound assay. RESULTS:
      Pleiotrophin induces in EC the expression of VEGF and its receptors Flk-1 and Nrp
      1 and improves the migratory capacity. In THP-1 monocytes, Pleiotrophin induces
      the expression of VEGF and its receptor Nrp-1 and decreases the levels of COX-2
      and TNFalpha. In PMA-differentiated macrophages COX-2 expression was
      significantly reduced by Pleiotrophin, while IL-10 and TGFbeta were increased.
      CONCLUSIONS: Pleiotrophin acts as an angiogenesis 'driver' by promoting the
      creation of a pro-angiogenic environment, a migratory behaviour in EC and a pro
      regenerative alternative phenotype in macrophages. Our results suggest that
      Pleiotrophin might be considered for vascular prosthesis engineering.

PMID- 26114800
TI  - A 2013/2014 northern hemisphere season surface antigen inactivated trivalent
      influenza vaccine--Assessing the immunogenicity and safety in an open label,
      uncontrolled study.
AB  - The present study evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of the 2013/2014
      trivalent surface antigen inactivated subunit seasonal influenza virus vaccine
      Fluvirin(r) in healthy adults (18 - <= 60 years) and elderly (>60 years). The
      vaccine contained 15 ug haemagglutinin protein from each of influenza
      A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like strain, A/Victoria/361/2011 (H3N2)-like
      strain and B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like strain (B/Yamagata) as recommended by the
      WHO in the 2013/2014 Northern Hemisphere season. Antibody response to each
      influenza antigen after vaccination was measured prior to vaccination and 21 d
      after by single radial hemolysis (SRH) assay or hemagglutination inhibition (HI)
      assay in accordance with Guidance CPMP/BWP/214/96. 125 subjects (61 adults and 64
      elderly) were enrolled in the study. Pre-vaccination protective antibody levels
      (SRH area >= 25 mm(2)) against A(H1N1), A(H3N2) and the B strain were detected in
      17%, 20% and 57% of adults and in 36%, 20% and 55% of elderly, respectively, Post
      vaccination, SRH area >= 25 mm(2) was detectable in 95%, 82% and 92% in adult and
      in 80%, 84% and 92% of the elderly subjects for A(H1N1), A(H3N2) and the B
      strain, respectively. Geometric mean ratio (GMR) was higher in adult subjects
      (2.62-7.62) than in elderly subjects (2.33-3.42). All three CHMP licensure
      criteria were met for all strains contained in the vaccine for both age groups.
      The most frequently reported solicited local and systemic reactions were pain at
      the injection side, headache and fatigue. In conclusion, the vaccine demonstrated
      a good immunogenicity and an acceptable safety profile in both adults and
      elderly.

PMID- 26114801
TI  - Deterministic control of mean alignment and elongation of neuron-like cells by
      grating geometry: a computational approach.
AB  - Neuron-like cells are driven by their surrounding environment through local
      topography. A causal mechanotransductive web of topography-force relationships
      influences and controls complex cellular phenomena such as growth and alignment.
      This work aimed to provide a computational framework able to model the behaviour
      of neuron-like (PC12) cells on gratings, accounting for the twofold ability of
      topographical cues to simultaneously align and enhance the growth of cells. In
      particular, starting from the mechanical behaviour of the growth cone and
      filopodia, the effect of grating geometry (e.g., the periodicity and the size of
      grooves and ridges) on the neuritic mean alignment angle and on the outgrowth
      rate of cells was explored through theoretical tools and combinatorial
      simulations, which were able to predict (R(2) > 0.9) experimental data in a time
      range of 72-120 hours. 

PMID- 26114802
TI  - MFN2 deletion of exons 7 and 8: founder mutation in the UK population.
AB  - Mitofusin 2 (MFN2) mutations are the most common cause of axonal Charcot-Marie
      Tooth disease (CMT2). The majority are inherited in an autosomal dominant manner
      but recessive and semi-dominant kindreds have also been described. We previously
      reported a deletion of exons 7 and 8 resulting in nonsense-mediated decay,
      segregating with disease when present in trans with another pathogenic MFN2
      mutation. Detailed clinical and electrophysiological data on a series of five
      affected patients from four kindreds and, when available, their parents and
      relatives were collected. MFN2 Sanger sequencing, multiplex ligation probe
      amplification, and haplotype analysis were performed. A severe early-onset CMT
      phenotype was seen in all cases: progressive distal weakness, wasting, and
      sensory loss from infancy or early childhood. Optic atrophy (four of five) and
      wheelchair dependency in childhood were common (four of five). All were compound
      heterozygous for a deletion of exons 7 and 8 in MFN2 with another previously
      reported pathogenic mutation (Phe216Ser, Thr362Met, and Arg707Trp). Carrier
      parents and relatives were unaffected (age range: 24-82 years). Haplotype
      analysis confirmed that the deletion had a common founder in all families. 

PMID- 26114803
TI  - Gap formation following climatic events in spatially structured plant
      communities.
AB  - Gaps play a crucial role in maintaining species diversity, yet how community
      structure and composition influence gap formation is still poorly understood. We
      apply a spatially structured community model to predict how species diversity and
      intraspecific aggregation shape gap patterns emerging after climatic events,
      based on species-specific mortality responses. In multispecies communities,
      average gap size and gap-size diversity increased rapidly with increasing mean
      mortality once a mortality threshold was exceeded, greatly promoting gap
      recolonization opportunity. This result was observed at all levels of species
      richness. Increasing interspecific difference likewise enhanced these metrics,
      which may promote not only diversity maintenance but also community invasibility,
      since more diverse niches for both local and exotic species are provided. The
      richness effects on gap size and gap-size diversity were positive, but only
      expressed when species were sufficiently different. Surprisingly, while
      intraspecific clumping strongly promoted gap-size diversity, it hardly influenced
      average gap size. Species evenness generally reduced gap metrics induced by
      climatic events, so the typical assumption of maximum evenness in many
      experiments and models may underestimate community diversity and invasibility.
      Overall, understanding the factors driving gap formation in spatially structured
      assemblages can help predict community secondary succession after climatic
      events. 

PMID- 26114804
TI  - Hydroboration of Arynes Formed by Hexadehydro-Diels-Alder Cyclizations with N
      Heterocyclic Carbene Boranes.
AB  - N-Heterocyclic carbene boranes (NHC-boranes) hydroborate arynes formed in situ by
      the hexadehydro-Diels-Alder (HDDA) reactions of triyne precursors. The reaction
      directly provides functionalized arylborane compounds. The unique feature of the
      NHC-boranes compared to other boranes is that they hydroborate only the aryne
      product and not the triyne precursor. 

PMID- 26114806
TI  - Differential inflammatory response of dental pulp explants and fibroblasts to
      saliva.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the inflammatory response of dental pulp fibroblasts and the
      respective explants to whole saliva. METHODOLOGY: Explants from human and porcine
      dental pulp tissue and isolated dental pulp fibroblasts were used to investigate
      the inflammatory response to sterile saliva. Cytokine and chemokine expression
      was assessed by RT-PCR. Western blot analysis and pharmacologic inhibitors were
      used to determine the involvement of signalling pathways. RESULTS: Dental pulp
      explants of human and porcine origin exposed to human saliva exhibited no major
      changes of IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA expression (P > 0.05). In contrast, isolated
      porcine and human dental pulp fibroblasts, when stimulated with human saliva,
      exhibited a vastly increased expression of IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA (P < 0.05). In pulp
      fibroblasts, saliva also increased the expression of other cytokines and
      chemokines via activation of NFkappaB, ERK and p38 signalling. Notably, a
      significantly reduced inflammatory response was elicited when pulp fibroblasts
      were transiently exposed to saliva. CONCLUSIONS: Saliva has a potential impact on
      inflammation of dental pulp fibroblasts in vitro but not when cells are embedded
      in the intrinsic extracellular matrix of the explant tissue.

PMID- 26114805
TI  - The Utility of Systolic and Diastolic Echocardiographic Parameters for Predicting
      Coronary Artery Disease Burden as Defined by the SYNTAX Score.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early identification of high-grade ischemia based on
      echocardiographic diastolic abnormalities may be clinically useful in the acute
      coronary syndrome (ACS) setting. This could provide the clinician with an
      awareness of the burden of coronary artery disease (CAD) before angiography is
      performed to allow for early intervention of suspected ischemic lesions. The
      objective of the study was to assess whether 2D transthoracic echocardiography
      (TTE)-derived tissue Doppler imaging parameters can predict the severity of CAD
      in comparison with the cardiac catheterization-derived SYNTAX score. METHODS: A
      retrospective study of 74 stable angina or patients with ACS was performed in
      2012 at a single tertiary care center. In all study subjects, TTE and angiography
      were performed within 6 months of each other without revascularization in the
      interim. RESULTS: The study population included a total of 74 patients (mean age
      67 +/- 12 years) with 77% presenting with an ACS. The median SYNTAX score was
      24.0 (6.0-35.0). The E-wave velocity was higher, and deceleration time (DT) was
      lower in the high SYNTAX group in comparison with the low/intermediate SYNTAX
      group (P = 0.045 and P = 0.001, respectively). Septal mitral annular S' was lower
      in the high SYNTAX group (P = 0.02). After multivariate analysis, E/A ratio (OR
      0.03, 95% 0.00-0.36, P = 0.0067), DT (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.89-0.97, P = 0.0001) and
      septal annular S'-wave velocity (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.16-0.71, P = 0.0038) remained
      strong predictors of a high SYNTAX score. CONCLUSION: Early identification of
      systolic and diastolic dysfunction based on echocardiographic parameters may be
      of important clinical significance for predicting CAD burden prior to invasive
      angiography.

PMID- 26114807
TI  - Diagnosis of tinea pedis by the Dermatophyte Test Strip.

PMID- 26114808
TI  - Latitudinal distributions of activities in atmospheric aerosols, deposition
      fluxes, and soil inventories of 7Be in the East Asian monsoon zone.
AB  - Activities of atmospheric aerosols, bulk deposition fluxes, and undisturbed soil
      inventories of (7)Be were investigated in China's East Asian monsoon zone at
      various latitudes ranging from 23.8 degrees N to 43.5 degrees N. The annual
      latitudinal distributions of (7)Be concentrations in aerosols follow a
      distribution pattern which looks similar to a normal distribution with the maxima
      occurring in the mid-latitude region. Simultaneous measurements of (7)Be at
      various latitudes suggest that atmospheric circulation may play an important role
      in the latitudinal distributions of (7)Be in surface air. Latitude and wet
      precipitation are the main factors controlling the bulk (7)Be depositional
      fluxes. Significant seasonal variations in (7)Be depositional fluxes in Beijing,
      a mid-latitude city, were observed with the highest flux in summer and the lowest
      in winter, whereas less seasonality were found in the high- and the low-latitude
      cities. The highest (7)Be inventory in undisturbed soils in summer also occurred
      at a mid-latitudinal area in the East Asian monsoon zone. Precipitation is the
      main factor controlling the (7)Be soil inventory in Qingdao with the highest
      values occurring in autumn followed by summer. 

PMID- 26114809
TI  - Sequence-activity relationship, and mechanism of action of mastoparan analogues
      against extended-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.
AB  - The treatment of some infectious diseases can currently be very challenging since
      the spread of multi-, extended- or pan-resistant bacteria has considerably
      increased over time. On the other hand, the number of new antibiotics approved by
      the FDA has decreased drastically over the last 30 years. The main objective of
      this study was to investigate the activity of wasp peptides, specifically
      mastoparan and some of its derivatives against extended-resistant Acinetobacter
      baumannii. We optimized the stability of mastoparan in human serum since the
      specie obtained after the action of the enzymes present in human serum is not
      active. Thus, 10 derivatives of mastoparan were synthetized. Mastoparan analogues
      (guanidilated at the N-terminal, enantiomeric version and mastoparan with an
      extra positive charge at the C-terminal) showed the same activity against
      Acinetobacter baumannii as the original peptide (2.7 MUM) and maintained their
      stability to more than 24 h in the presence of human serum compared to the
      original compound. The mechanism of action of all the peptides was carried out
      using a leakage assay. It was shown that mastoparan and the abovementioned
      analogues were those that released more carboxyfluorescein. In addition, the
      effect of mastoparan and its enantiomer against A. baumannii was studied using
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These results suggested that several
      analogues of mastoparan could be good candidates in the battle against highly
      resistant A. baumannii infections since they showed good activity and high
      stability. 

PMID- 26114810
TI  - Synthesis of 3,4-diaminobenzoyl derivatives as factor Xa inhibitors.
AB  - The coagulation factor Xa (FXa) plays a central role in the blood coagulation
      cascade. Recent studies have shown that FXa is a particularly attractive target
      for the development of oral antithrombotic agents. In view of the excellent
      pharmaceutical properties of 1,2-phenylenediamine-based FXa inhibitors and the
      reported structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis of FXa inhibitors, we
      designed and synthesized a series of 3,4-diaminobenzoyl-based FXa inhibitors.
      Intensive SAR studies on this new series led to the discovery of 3,4-dimethoxyl
      substituted compound 7b. 7b is a highly potent, selective, direct FXa inhibitor
      with excellent in vivo antithrombotic activity. 

PMID- 26114811
TI  - Synthesis, antiplasmodial activity and mechanistic studies of pyrimidine-5
      carbonitrile and quinoline hybrids.
AB  - A series of hybrids comprising of 5-cyanopyrimidine and quinoline moiety were
      synthesized and tested for in vitro antiplasmodial activity against NF54 and Dd2
      strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Hybrid bearing m-nitrophenyl substituent at C-4
      of pyrimidine displayed the highest antiplasmodial activity [IC50 = 56 nM]
      against the CQ(R) (Dd2) strain, which is four-fold greater than CQ. 

PMID- 26114812
TI  - Identification of N-acylhydrazone derivatives as novel lactate dehydrogenase A
      inhibitors.
AB  - Glycolysis is drastically increased in tumors and it is the main route to energy
      production with a minor use of oxidative phosphorylation. Among the key enzymes
      in the glycolytic process, LDH is emerging as one of the most interesting targets
      for the development of new inhibitors. In this context, in the present work, we
      carried out a virtual screening procedure followed by chemical modifications of
      the identified structures according to a "hit-to-lead" process. The effects of
      the new molecules were preliminary probed against purified human LDH-A. The
      compounds active at low micromolar level were additionally characterized for
      their activity on some cellular metabolic processes by using Raji human cell
      line. Within the series, 1 was considered the best candidate, and a more detailed
      characterization of its biological properties was performed. In Raji cells
      exposed to compound 1 we evidenced the occurrence of effects usually observed in
      cancer cells after LDH-A inhibition: reduced lactate production and NAD/NADH
      ratio, apoptosis. The flow cytometry analysis of treated cells also showed cell
      cycle changes compatible with effects exerted at the glycolytic level. Finally,
      in agreement with the data obtained with other inhibitors or by silencing LDH-A
      expression, compound 1 was found to increase Raji cells response to some commonly
      used chemotherapeutic agents. Taken together, all these finding are in support of
      the LDH-A inhibiting activity of compound 1. 

PMID- 26114813
TI  - Design, synthesis, nitric oxide release and antibacterial evaluation of novel
      nitrated ocotillol-type derivatives.
AB  - Nitric oxide (NO) and its auto-oxidation products are known to disrupt normal
      bacterial function and NO releasing molecules have the potential to be developed
      as antibacterial leads in drug discovery. We have designed and synthesized a
      series of novel nitrated compounds by combining NO releasing groups with
      ocotillol-type triterpenoids, which have previously demonstrated activity only
      against Gram-positive bacteria. The in vitro NO release capacity and
      antibacterial activity were sequentially evaluated and the data showed that most
      of the synthesized compounds could release nitric oxide. Compound 16a, 17a and
      17c, with nitrated aliphatic esters at C-3 position, displayed higher NO release
      than other analogues, correlating to their good antibacterial activity, in which
      17c demonstrated broad-spectrum activity against both Gram positive and -negative
      bacteria, as well as excellent synergism at sub-minimum inhibitory concentration
      when using with kanamycin and chloramphenicol. Furthermore, the epifluorescent
      microscopic study indicated that the ocotillol-type triterpenoid core may induce
      NO release on the bacterial membrane. Our results demonstrate that nitrated
      substitutions at C-3 of ocotillol-type derivatives could provide an approach to
      expand their antibacterial spectrum, and that ocotillol-type triterpenoids may
      also be developed as appropriate carriers for NO donors in antibacterial agent
      discovery with low cytotoxicity. 

PMID- 26114814
TI  - Positive attitude toward life, emotional expression, self-rated health, and
      depressive symptoms among centenarians and near-centenarians.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Favorable attitudes, emotions, personality characteristics, and self
      rated health have been associated with successful aging in late life. However,
      less is known regarding these constructs and their relationships to mental health
      outcomes in the oldest old persons. This study examined cross-sectional
      relationships of these psychological factors to depressive symptoms in
      centenarians and near-centenarians. METHODS: A selected sample of Ashkenazi
      Jewish older adults aged 98-107 (n = 54, 78% female) without significant
      cognitive impairment participated. Cognitive function was assessed by Mini-Mental
      Status Examination, positive attitude toward life and emotional expression by the
      Personality Outlook Profile Scale (POPS), self-rated health by participants'
      subjective rating of their present health, and depressive symptoms by the
      Geriatric Depression Scale. RESULTS: Results demonstrated inverse associations of
      the positive attitude toward life domain of the POPS and self-rated health with
      participants' levels of depressive symptoms even after adjusting for the effects
      of history of medical illnesses, cognitive function, and demographic variables.
      Additionally, participants with high levels of care showed higher levels of
      depressive symptoms. Path analysis supported the partially mediating role of
      positive attitude toward life in the relationship between self-rated health and
      depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: These findings emphasized the important roles of
      positive attitudes and emotions as well as self-rated health in mental health
      outcomes in the oldest old. Although, limited by its cross-sectional design,
      findings suggest these psychological factors may exert protective effects on
      mental health outcomes in advanced age.

PMID- 26114815
TI  - Hydroquinone and Quinone-Grafted Porous Carbons for Highly Selective CO2 Capture
      from Flue Gases and Natural Gas Upgrading.
AB  - Hydroquinone and quinone functional groups were grafted onto a hierarchical
      porous carbon framework via the Friedel-Crafts reaction to develop more efficient
      adsorbents for the selective capture and removal of carbon dioxide from flue
      gases and natural gas. The oxygen-doped porous carbons were characterized with
      scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder
      diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy.
      CO2, CH4, and N2 adsorption isotherms were measured and correlated with the
      Langmuir model. An ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) selectivity for the
      CO2/N2 separation of 26.5 (298 K, 1 atm) was obtained on the hydroquinone-grafted
      carbon, which is 58.7% higher than that of the pristine porous carbon, and a
      CO2/CH4 selectivity value of 4.6 (298 K, 1 atm) was obtained on the quinone
      grafted carbon (OAC-2), which represents a 28.4% improvement over the pristine
      porous carbon. The highest CO2 adsorption capacity on the oxygen-doped carbon
      adsorbents is 3.46 mmol g(-1) at 298 K and 1 atm. In addition, transient
      breakthrough simulations for CO2/CH4/N2 mixture separation were conducted to
      demonstrate the good separation performance of the oxygen-doped carbons in fixed
      bed adsorbers. Combining excellent adsorption separation properties and low heats
      of adsorption, the oxygen-doped carbons developed in this work appear to be very
      promising for flue gas treatment and natural gas upgrading. 

PMID- 26114816
TI  - Femtosecond-Assisted Arcuate Keratotomy for the Correction of Postkeratoplasty
      Astigmatism: Vector Analysis and Accuracy of Laser Incisions.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the clinical and refractive outcomes of femtosecond-assisted
      arcuate keratotomy in postkeratoplasty patients, and the accuracy of the
      incisions, using optical coherence tomography. METHODS: This is a retrospective
      study of patients with high postkeratoplasty astigmatism. Patients with a minimum
      of 4 diopters (D) of postkeratoplasty regular astigmatism were included. The main
      outcome measures were corrected distance visual acuity, keratometry, corneal
      topography, and the depth of corneal incisions. Arcuate keratotomy procedures
      were performed using the IntraLase Femtosecond laser. The depth of keratotomies
      was set to 75% of the thinnest pachymetry. RESULTS: Twenty eyes of 20 patients
      were recruited in this study. The mean age at surgery was 51 years, and the mean
      follow-up period was 17 +/- 7.9 months. The corrected distance visual acuity
      improved significantly from 20/60 preoperatively to 20/41 after surgery (P =
      0.004). The mean preoperative and postoperative spherical equivalents were -4.34
      +/- 2.91 D and -4.44 +/- 3.64 D, respectively (P = 0.49). The mean keratometric
      cylinder decreased from 9.45 +/- 2.97 D (range, 4.2-15.2 D) to 4.64 +/- 2.79 D
      (range, 1.4-11.8 D) (P < 0.001). There was no statistical difference between the
      mean surgical-induced astigmatism and the mean target-induced astigmatism (P =
      0.313). The mean difference between the scheduled and actual incision depth was
      10.5 +/- 22.2 MUm (P = 0.057). No complications occurred during the procedures.
      CONCLUSIONS: Femtosecond-assisted keratotomy seems to be a safe and efficient
      technique for the reduction of large amounts of corneal astigmatism. Although
      overcorrection and undercorrection may occur, the visual outcome is satisfactory.
      Optical coherence tomography analysis reports a good predictability of the depth
      of incisions.

PMID- 26114817
TI  - Intraoperative Optical Coherence Tomography for Enhanced Depth Visualization in
      Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty From the PIONEER Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) is a challenging procedure
      that often results in conversion to penetrating keratoplasty. Preservation of
      Descemet membrane (DM) relies on indirect visualization of surgical planes. We
      describe a technique for enhanced visualization of key steps in DALK with
      intraoperative optical coherence tomography. METHODS: Using a microscope-mounted
      spectral domain optical coherence tomography system, high-resolution images of
      various steps were obtained. RESULTS: Specifically, images were obtained of the
      trephination depth and proximity of the cannula tract to DM. Other key steps such
      as air cannula placement, assessment of the DM position and integrity after
      attempted big-bubble delivery, and assessment of graft-host apposition were
      readily visualized. The presence of intrastromal emphysema after air injection
      decreased visualization of deeper structures. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative optical
      coherence tomography allows visualization of depth-dependent anatomy and changes
      from specific surgical interventions during DALK not appreciated with the en face
      operating microscope view and has the potential to facilitate big-bubble
      delivery. Clinical Trial Registration-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique
      identifier: NCT02423161.

PMID- 26114818
TI  - Long-Term Results of the Boston Keratoprosthesis for Unilateral Corneal Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the results of unilateral implantation of a Boston
      keratoprosthesis (BKPro) in patients with good visual acuity in the fellow eye.
      METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 37 eyes of 37 patients who underwent an
      optical BKPro and had a preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/40
      or better in the fellow eye at Wills Eye Hospital from September 2005 to November
      2013 was performed. Patients were excluded if they had less than 1 year of
      postoperative follow-up. RESULTS: The mean follow-up after BKPro implantation was
      31.7 months (range, 12-78 months; SD, 21). Twenty-eight patients underwent a
      BKPro for failed penetrating keratoplasty, and 9 patients underwent a primary
      BKPro. The most common complications were elevated intraocular pressure and
      retroprosthetic membrane formation in 16 eyes (43%) each. The mean final BCVA
      (1.0 +/- 0.8 logMAR; median, 1.0 logMAR) was statistically better than the mean
      preoperative BCVA (1.8 +/- 0.2 logMAR; median, 1.8 logMAR) (P < 0.001). The
      probability of postoperative BCVA of 20/200 or better was 54.1% with an average
      45.1 +/- 4.7 (confidence interval: 35.9-54.3) months of follow-up. The
      probability of postoperative BCVA of 20/40 or better was 37.8% with an average
      51.8 +/- 4.9 (confidence interval: 42.0-61.5) months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS:
      Half of the patients in our study achieved the minimum visual acuity required for
      binocular functioning, whereas one-third of the patients achieved a BCVA somewhat
      similar to that of the contralateral eye. The complications were similar to those
      reported previously with good retention of the device. BKPro implantation is a
      reasonable option for patients with good vision in the fellow eye.

PMID- 26114819
TI  - Keratopathy in Autoimmune Polyendocrinopathy Syndrome Type 1.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the spectrum of phenotypes in patients with autoimmune
      polyendocrinopathy syndrome type 1 (APS1)-related keratopathy. METHODS: In this
      retrospective observational case series, 6 patients followed for APS1 were
      included. Data collected included family history, age at presentation, and
      systemic and ophthalmic manifestations. The 14 coding exons of the autoimmune
      regulator (AIRE) gene were sequenced. RESULTS: The age at the onset of
      keratopathy ranged from 4 to 20 years. The ocular symptoms varied from mild
      photophobia to severe pain, and visual acuity was from light perception to 20/20
      Snellen equivalent. Heterogeneous corneal involvement was observed, ranging from
      minimal superficial punctate staining to severe stromal scarring with deep
      corneal neovascularization. The severity of ophthalmic findings was uncorrelated
      to that of systemic manifestations. The genetic analyses identified 2 novel
      mutations (c.173C>A in exon 2 and c.892G>T in exon 8) and 4 known mutations
      (c.62C>T in exon 1, c.415C>T in exon 3, c.1096-1G>A in intron 9, and c.1193delC
      in exon 10) in the AIRE gene. In patients with identical AIRE mutations,
      including within a sib-pair, heterogeneous phenotypes were observed. CONCLUSIONS:
      Keratopathy can be an early and severe manifestation of APS1, which contributes
      to the global prognosis of the disease. Its mechanisms remain to be elucidated.

PMID- 26114820
TI  - Treatment of Refractory Keratitis After a Boston Type I Keratoprosthesis With
      Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report a patient with refractory keratitis after a Boston type I
      keratoprosthesis treated with corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL). METHODS: Case
      report. RESULTS: A 29-year-old man with a history of chemical burn in the left
      eye underwent keratoprosthesis implantation. He developed infectious keratitis 4
      months after surgery, which did not respond to topical antibiotics. The patient
      underwent corneal CXL with a shield covering the keratoprosthesis optic. Three
      weeks after CXL, the infiltration completely resolved. CONCLUSIONS: Corneal CXL
      might be beneficial in the treatment of refractory keratitis in patients with the
      Boston type I keratoprosthesis.

PMID- 26114821
TI  - Tear Film and Serum Prolidase Activity and Oxidative Stress in Patients With
      Keratoconus.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine and compare the serum and tear film prolidase activity (PA)
      between patients with keratoconus and healthy subjects. Also, we aimed to
      evaluate the serum oxidative stress level and the correlation with serum PA in
      patients with keratoconus. METHODS: This prospective, comparative clinical study
      included 31 patients with keratoconus and 33 age-matched and sex-matched control
      subjects. All participants underwent a detailed ophthalmologic examination. Serum
      and tear samples were obtained from all participants. Tears and serum PA and
      serum oxidative stress markers were measured. RESULTS: No significant differences
      in demographic characteristics were detected between groups (P > 0.05). The serum
      PA was significantly lower in the keratoconus group than in the control group
      (895.6 +/- 198.7 vs. 1145.9 +/- 285.4 U/L, P < 0.001). A tear film comparison
      showed that PA was lower in the keratoconus group than in the control group;
      however, this difference was not significant (3075.4 +/- 672.2 vs. 3225.8 +/-
      903.2 U.L-1.g-1 protein, P = 0.45). Oxidative stress markers, such as total
      oxidant status and oxidative stress index, were found to be significantly higher
      in the keratoconus group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The serum PA was found to be
      lower in patients with keratoconus than in the controls. Additionally, serum
      oxidative stress markers were found to be higher than those of the controls.
      Thus, prolidase and systemic oxidative stress may have a role in the pathogenesis
      of keratoconus.

PMID- 26114822
TI  - Comparison of Morphological and Functional Meibomian Gland Characteristics
      Between Daily Contact Lens Wearers and Nonwearers.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between daily
      soft contact lens (CL) wear and various signs of ocular involvement. We focused
      on comprehensive meibomian gland (MG) evaluation, including both functional and
      morphological parameters of the MGs. METHODS: The ocular surface and MG
      characteristics were evaluated in 41 daily soft CL users and 31 age-matched non
      lens wearers. We analyzed the MG function (meibum quality and meibum
      expressibility) and morphology (meibography) and evaluated lid margin
      alterations. We also correlated our findings with self-reported ocular symptoms
      and tear film abnormalities (tear film breakup time and Schirmer test values).
      RESULTS: CL use was associated with abnormal meibum quality [higher meibum
      quality score, odds ratio (OR) = 2.7, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.3-5.6, P =
      0.0057], more frequent bulbar (OR = 3.6, 95% CI, 1.5-8.2, P = 0.0028) and
      palpebral (OR = 2.4, 95% CI, 1.1-5.1, P = 0.028) conjunctival hyperemia, lid
      margin telangiectasia (OR = 6.0, 95% CI, 2.4-14.6, P < 0.00001), rounding (OR =
      9.3, 95% CI, 1.1-81.0, P = 0.04), notching (OR = 3.9, 95% CI, 1.2-12.4, P =
      0.019), hyperemia (OR = 4.3, 95% CI, 1.3-14.1, P = 0.015) of the posterior lid
      margin, orifice plugging (OR = 4.8, 95% CI, 1.3-17.1, P = 0.015), and
      retroplacement (OR = 0.8, 95% CI, 0.4-1.9, P = 0.037) after adjustment for age
      and sex in a logistic regression model. Lid margin abnormality and meibum quality
      scores strongly positively correlated with the duration of CL wear. These
      associations remained significant after adjustment for age and sex (P = 0.00003
      and P = 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: CL wear may predispose individuals to
      meibomian gland dysfunction, which is not usually investigated unless significant
      symptoms are present. Therefore, we recommend to routinely examine CL wearers for
      meibomian gland dysfunction manifestations and to introduce specific prophylaxis
      if required.

PMID- 26114823
TI  - Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography-Guided Management Algorithm for
      Descemet Membrane Detachment After Intraocular Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of anterior segment optical coherence tomography
      (ASOCT) in the detection and management of Descemet membrane detachment (DMD) in
      cases of persistent corneal edema after intraocular surgery. An ASOCT-guided new
      algorithm for the management of such DMDs is described. METHODS: Thirty-seven
      consecutive cases of persistent corneal edema of more than 2-week duration after
      intraocular surgery were included. All cases referred had no response to medical
      therapy. ASOCT was performed in all eyes. DMDs that were in the superior half of
      the cornea with a planar configuration alone were managed using intracameral air,
      and those with scrolled edges were managed using intracameral 14%
      perfluoropropane (C3F8). DMDs that were in the inferior half of the cornea with
      planar or scrolled edges were managed using intracameral C3F8 injection. The
      parameters evaluated were the type and morphology of DMD, resolution of DMD, and
      best-corrected visual acuity. RESULTS: Using ASOCT, DMD was found to be present
      in 25 eyes. All cases had planar edges, and 52% (13/25) cases had scrolled edges.
      In 48% (12/25) cases, DMD was peripheral. Descemetopexy with intracameral air or
      14% C3F8 gas showed resolution in all cases with the mean time to resolution
      being 16.0 +/- 7.1 days. CONCLUSIONS: ASOCT is a useful tool for timely
      diagnosis, characterization, and management of DMD in cases of nonresolving
      postoperative corneal edema. A new algorithm for intracameral injection of air or
      C3F8 in these cases helps to defer corneal transplantation.

PMID- 26114824
TI  - Subjective Discomfort Symptoms Are Related to Low Corneal Temperature in Patients
      With Evaporative Dry Eye.
AB  - PURPOSE: To measure the corneal temperature in patients with dry eye (DE) and to
      correlate the values with subjective discomfort symptoms. METHODS: Twenty-four
      patients with DE (scored as DEWS severity grade 2 to 3) and 15 age-matched normal
      control subjects were enrolled. Subjective symptoms of discomfort were scored
      with an Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire, and a 100-mm horizontal
      visual analog scale (VAS) technique was used to measure symptom intensity.
      Schirmer I test, tear film breakup time (TFBUT), and Oxford grade scoring were
      performed in all subjects. Dynamic infrared noncontact thermal imaging (Tomey TG
      1000) was used to measure the central corneal temperature (CCT). After training,
      subjects were asked to maintain their eyes forcedly open and to signal the
      discomfort onset time (DOT). The temperature was measured at eye opening (T0) and
      every second during 10 seconds of sustained eye opening (T10). The first
      discomfort sensation onset time (DOT) was also recorded. Temperature values were
      correlated with the clinical tests, Ocular Surface Disease Index, VAS, and DOT,
      and data were statistically evaluated (significance P < 0.05). RESULTS: The
      corneal temperature immediately after eye opening was significantly lower in
      patients with DE than in controls, in correlation to the subject age, VAS, and
      TFBUT. A 3-phase cooling profile in patients with DE and a point of highest
      decrease (HD) in both groups were identified. DOT occurred earlier in patients
      with DE than in controls (5.9 vs. 15.9 seconds) and was strongly correlated to
      the VAS, TFBUT, and CCT-HD. CONCLUSIONS: Subjective sensation of discomfort
      occurred earlier in patients with DE than in controls, in correlation to low
      corneal temperatures and enhanced tear evaporation.

PMID- 26114825
TI  - Supplementary, Sulcus-Fixated Intraocular Lens in the Treatment of Spherical and
      Astigmatic Refractive Errors in Pseudophakic Eyes After Keratoplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy, refractive outcomes, and complications of
      supplementary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in pseudophakic eyes after
      keratoplasty. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of pseudophakic
      postkeratoplasty eyes after implantation of a custom-designed, sulcus-fixated,
      supplementary "piggyback" IOL to correct refractive errors. The outcome measures
      included preoperative and postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity
      (UDVA), spectacle-corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), refractive correction,
      and complications. RESULTS: This study evaluated 10 eyes (10 patients) with
      previous penetrating or deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty with a mean follow-up
      period of 12.2 +/- 10.7 months (range, 2-33 months). All eyes showed improved
      UDVA postoperatively with 70% achieving >=20/40. Median UDVA (logarithm of the
      minimum angle of resolution) improved from 1.2 (20/280, range 20/70-20/2000)
      preoperatively to 0.3 (20/40, range 20/20-20/60) postoperatively at the latest
      follow-up visit (P < 0.01). Five eyes (50%) had improvement in CDVA by at least 1
      line of Snellen acuity with all eyes achieving >=20/40 and 70% achieving >=20/25.
      Median CDVA (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) was 0.2 (20/30, range
      20/20-20/50) preoperatively compared with 0.1 (20/25, range 20/20-20/40)
      postoperatively (P = 0.03). In 8 eyes that received toric secondary IOLs, the
      mean refractive astigmatism decreased by 84% from 5.7 diopters (D) (range, 4-9 D)
      to 0.9 D (range, 0.2-3.0 D) (P = 0.01). Postoperative refractive astigmatism was
      +/-1 D of predicted astigmatism for 7 of 8 eyes. No eyes lost any lines of UDVA
      or CDVA, and there were no keratoplasty rejection/failure events. CONCLUSIONS:
      Implantation of a supplementary, sulcus-based IOL is an effective approach to
      reduce spherical and astigmatic refractive errors in pseudophakic eyes after
      keratoplasty.

PMID- 26114826
TI  - Inhibitory Effect of Topical Aflibercept on Corneal Neovascularization in
      Rabbits.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the inhibitory effect of topical aflibercept [vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) trapR1R2] on corneal neovascularization (NV) in
      rabbits. METHODS: Corneal NV was induced in 24 eyes of 12 rabbits. Seven days
      after a silk suture in the corneal stroma, the rabbits were divided into 4 groups
      of 6 eyes each. Two groups were treated with topical aflibercept at 2 different
      concentrations: 2 mg/0.5 mL (0.1%, group 1) and 2 mg/5 mL (0.01%, group 2). The
      other 2 groups were treated with topical bevacizumab 2.5 mg/1 mL (0.1%, group 3)
      and topical balanced salt solution (group 4, control). The concentration of VEGF
      and placental growth factor (PIGF) messenger RNA (mRNA) was measured by reverse
      transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The surface area of NV was
      significantly smaller in the treatment groups compared with that of the control
      group. The expression of VEGF mRNA was 0.227 in 0.1% aflibercept (group 1), 0.811
      in 0.01% aflibercept (group 2), and 0.495 in 0.1% bevacizumab (group 3). There
      was a significant decrease in the VEGF concentration in all 3 treatment groups
      compared with the control group, 1.491 (P = 0.031, <0.05). In the 0.01%
      aflibercept group, the difference was less than that of the 0.1% aflibercept and
      0.1% bevacizumab groups. There was no significant difference in the 0.1%
      aflibercept and 0.1% bevacizumab groups. The expression of PIGF mRNA was 0.791 in
      0.1% aflibercept (group 1), 0.743 in 0.01% aflibercept (group 2), 1.194 in 0.1%
      bevacizumab (group 3), and 1.458 in the control group. The expression of PIGF
      mRNA was significantly decreased in the 0.1% aflibercept and 0.01% aflibercept
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Topical aflibercept may have an inhibitory effect on corneal
      NV in rabbits.

PMID- 26114827
TI  - Management and Prevention of Herpes Zoster Ocular Disease.
AB  - Herpes zoster (HZ) is caused by reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus
      (VZV) in people who have had chicken pox, usually resulting in a painful,
      unilateral, dermatomal, vesicular rash. Herpes zoster ophthalmicus occurs when
      the first division of cranial nerve V is involved. HZ is common, with
      approximately 1 million new cases per year in the United States, and occurs in 1
      in 3 persons. Although the rate of HZ increases with age, over half of all cases
      occur under the age of 60 years. Complications of herpes zoster ophthalmicus
      include eye disease, postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), and strokes. VZV has also been
      found in temporal arteritis biopsies. There is growing evidence that HZ is
      followed by chronic active VZV infection contributing to these complications. In
      view of this, and the efficacy of suppressive antiviral treatment in reducing
      recurrent herpes simplex keratitis, a randomized controlled trial of suppressive
      valacyclovir to reduce new or worsening anterior segment disease and/or PHN is
      needed. The zoster vaccine (ZV) is safe and effective in reducing the burden of
      illness, severity of PHN, and incidence of HZ. It is Centers for Disease Control
      and Prevention recommended for persons aged 60 years and above without impaired
      cellular immunity, and Food and Drug Administration approved for those aged 50
      and older. It is most effective in preventing HZ in recipients in their 50s.
      Because of underusage of the ZV, it has not impacted the epidemiology of the
      disease. Barriers to its use include cost, variable reimbursement, frozen
      storage, and lack of a strong recommendation by doctors. 

PMID- 26114828
TI  - Evolution of Endothelial Keratoplasty: Where Are We Headed?
AB  - In less than 10 years, the proportion of endothelial keratoplasty (EK) procedures
      has increased from less than 5% of the corneal grafts in the United States to
      over half. EK has made corneal grafts safer and provides better and more
      predictable visual results than standard full-thickness penetrating keratoplasty.
      Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty in particular has dramatically reduced
      the risk of rejection, allowing reduction in topical corticosteroid use,
      resulting in a lower incidence of steroid-induced intraocular pressure elevation.
      By removing the confounding effects of ocular surface disease, which is
      exacerbated by the sutures and anesthetic corneas associated with full-thickness
      grafts, EK has revealed that the greatest risk factor for graft failure is
      filtration surgery, particularly aqueous shunts. As the use of glaucoma filtering
      tubes continues to increase, they may become a leading cause of corneal
      decompensation. 

PMID- 26114829
TI  - Contemporary Treatment Paradigms in Keratoconus.
AB  - The past 20 years have witnessed an explosion in our knowledge of keratoconus,
      accompanied by a radical transformation of management options. A 2-hit hypothesis
      proposes an underlying genetic predisposition coupled with external environmental
      factors, including eye rubbing and atopy. The variable prevalence and natural
      history have been better defined including significant cone progression in middle
      age. Therefore, current management must include early diagnosis, regular
      monitoring, and treatment of environmental cofactors. Spectacles and contact
      lenses remain fundamental to the optical management of keratoconus. Intrastromal
      corneal ring segments have been increasingly used, providing improvement in the
      corneal shape, corrected visual acuity, and contact lens wear. However, like
      contact lenses, intrastromal corneal ring segments do not treat the underlying
      disease process. Therefore, current approaches must also consider treatments to
      minimize keratoconus progression. Fortunately, there is increasing evidence that
      corneal collagen crosslinking will halt or slow progression in most cases. Until
      relatively recently, penetrating keratoplasty was the preferred intervention for
      advanced keratoconus, with long-term success in the region of 90%; however, the
      greatest risk of failure remains endothelial allograft rejection. Deep anterior
      lamellar keratoplasty has emerged in the new millennium as a preferred approach
      to conserve the host endothelium and avoid rejection. Nonetheless, the overall
      superiority of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty compared with penetrating
      keratoplasty, in terms of optical and survival benefits, is still debated. This
      perspective provides an overview of our current knowledge of keratoconus and
      current management options. A step-ladder approach to managing keratoconus is
      outlined to provide the practitioner with a contemporary management paradigm. 

PMID- 26114831
TI  - Urine collection in young children.

PMID- 26114830
TI  - Obesity, but not metabolic syndrome, negatively affects outcome in bipolar
      disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Examine the effects of obesity and metabolic syndrome on outcome in
      bipolar disorder. METHOD: The Comparative Effectiveness of a Second Generation
      Antipsychotic Mood Stabilizer and a Classic Mood Stabilizer for Bipolar Disorder
      (Bipolar CHOICE) study randomized 482 participants with bipolar disorder in a 6
      month trial comparing lithium- and quetiapine-based treatment. Baseline variables
      were compared between groups with and without obesity, with and without abdominal
      obesity, and with and without metabolic syndrome respectively. The effects of
      baseline obesity, abdominal obesity, and metabolic syndrome on outcomes were
      examined using mixed effects linear regression models. RESULTS: At baseline,
      44.4% of participants had obesity, 48.0% had abdominal obesity, and 27.3% had
      metabolic syndrome; neither obesity, nor abdominal obesity, nor metabolic
      syndrome were associated with increased global severity, mood symptoms, or
      suicidality, or with poorer functioning or life satisfaction. Treatment groups
      did not differ on prevalence of obesity, abdominal obesity, or metabolic
      syndrome. By contrast, among the entire cohort, obesity was associated with less
      global improvement and less improvement in total mood and depressive symptoms,
      suicidality, functioning, and life satisfaction after 6 months of treatment.
      Abdominal obesity was associated with similar findings. Metabolic syndrome had no
      effect on outcome. CONCLUSION: Obesity and abdominal obesity, but not metabolic
      syndrome, were associated with less improvement after 6 months of lithium- or
      quetiapine-based treatment.

PMID- 26114833
TI  - Does the Concentration of Oxidative and Inflammatory Biomarkers Differ by
      Haptoglobin Genotype in Type 1 Diabetes?
AB  - The haptoglobin (Hp) 2 allele directly predicts coronary artery disease in type 1
      diabetes, potentially due to its decreased antioxidative/anti-inflammatory
      properties. We measured the concentrations of oxidative/inflammatory biomarkers
      (urinary 15-isoprostane F(2t) [IsoP], alpha- and gamma-tocopherol, tumor necrosis
      factor alpha [TNF-alpha], high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP], white
      blood cell [WBC] count, fibrinogen, and adiponectin) thrice during 20 years of
      follow-up among 454 individuals with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes (mean
      baseline age, 28 years and diabetes duration, 19 years). Differences in
      biomarkers by Hp were assessed both at baseline (i.e., the first time point of
      measurements) and over time (with mixed models). No differences by Hp were
      observed at baseline with the exception of a significant trend toward higher IsoP
      concentrations with the number of Hp 2 alleles (p=0.01). In multivariable mixed
      models, the concentrations of IsoP (beta=0.05, p=0.01) and WBC count (beta=0.20,
      p=0.06) overtime increased incrementally with the number of Hp 2 alleles. No
      other biomarker assessed related to Hp. Reported elevated IsoP and WBC count
      concentrations over time among Hp 2 allele carriers lead to the hypothesis that
      the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory capacity of the Hp 2 is inferior to that
      of the Hp 1 allele in type 1 diabetes.

PMID- 26114834
TI  - Automated analysis protocol for high resolution BOLD-fMRI mapping of the
      fingertip somatotopy in brodmann area 3b.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To introduce a standardized and automatized method for functional MRI
      (fMRI) examinations of the cortical sensory somatotopy in large samples for
      investigations of the fingertip somatotopy in the primary somatosensory cortex.
      METHODS: At 3 Tesla, T2* (spin-spin relaxation time) weighted images (gradient
      echo echo planar imaging, voxel size 1.5 * 1.5 * 2 mm3) were acquired during
      stimulation of the finger tips for thumb, index and middle finger on both hands,
      in a group of 18 healthy participants. In addition, structural T1 weighted
      (magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo, isotropic voxel size 1 mm) and MR
      angiography (time of flight, voxel size 0.26 * 0.26 * 0.5 mm3) images were
      recorded. Boundary based register served to combine movement correction and
      registration in FreeSurfer Functional analysis stream (FS-Fast), resulting in
      fine scale corrections, as revealed with FSL Possum (FSL FMRIB Software Library
      Physics-Oriented Simulated Scanner for Understanding MRI) simulations. Automated
      data analysis was achieved by inclusion of cytoarchitectonic probability maps for
      calculation of functional activation in Brodmann area 3b. Draining vessel
      artifacts were identified using the peak value approach and the MR-angiography.
      Distances were computed as the shortest connection within the gray matter.
      RESULTS: The fMRI somatotopic maps agreed with the expected fingertip somatotopy
      in 63% of the investigated subjects, an improvement of 34% compared with FS-Fast.
      Artifacts have been removed completely. Adjacent fingertips showed average
      distances of 8 +/- 4.3 mm, and between thumb and middle finger 13.4 +/- 4.8 mm
      was found. Distances for both hands were similar as expected from the
      characteristics of the fingertip spatial tactile resolution. CONCLUSION: The
      introduced evaluation procedure allowed automated analysis of the fingertip
      representation in excellent agreement with preceding results.

PMID- 26114835
TI  - An empirical assessment of the "healthy prisoner hypothesis".
AB  - Lower mortality among inmates, compared to the general population, is typically
      ascribed to access to health care during incarceration and the low risk of death
      due to homicide, accidents, and drug overdose. In this study, we test an
      alternative explanation based on selection of healthy individuals into jails and
      prisons-"the healthy prisoner hypothesis." According to this hypothesis, inmates
      have to be healthy to commit crimes and become incarcerated, which explains why
      they experience lower mortality than comparable segments of the general
      population. Using ten waves of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of
      Youth 1997, we compare individuals who become incarcerated the following year to
      those who do not on four measures of health-depression, self-rated health,
      functional limitations, and injury or illness requiring medical attention.
      Results from matched samples indicate that future inmates are hardly ever in
      significantly better health the year prior to their incarceration. These findings
      strongly suggest that the paradoxical mortality advantage of inmates is not due
      to health selection. 

PMID- 26114836
TI  - Clinical assessment of arterial stiffness with cardio-ankle vascular index:
      theory and applications.
AB  - Arterial stiffness is often assessed in clinical medicine, because it is not only
      an important factor in the pathophysiology of blood circulation but also a marker
      for the diagnosis and the prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. Many parameters
      have so far been proposed to quantitatively represent arterial stiffness and
      distensibility, such as pressure-strain elastic modulus (Ep), stiffness parameter
      (beta), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and vascular compliance (Cv). Among these, PWV
      has been most frequently applied to clinical medicine. However, this is dependent
      on blood pressure at the time of measurement, and therefore it is not appropriate
      as a parameter for the clinical evaluation of arterial stiffness, especially for
      the studies on hypertension. On the contrary, stiffness parameter beta is an
      index reflecting arterial stiffness without the influence of blood pressure.
      Recently, this parameter has been applied to develop a new arterial stiffness
      index called cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). Although this index is obtained
      from the PWV between the heart and the ankle, it is essentially similar to the
      stiffness parameter beta, and therefore it does not depend on blood pressure
      changes during the measurements. CAVI is being extensively used in clinical
      medicine as a measure for the evaluation of cardiovascular diseases and risk
      factors related to arteriosclerosis. In the present article, we will explain the
      theoretical background of stiffness parameter beta and the process to obtain
      CAVI. And then, the clinical utility of CAVI will be overviewed by reference to
      recent studies.

PMID- 26114837
TI  - Prevalence and prognosis of prodromal Alzheimer's disease as assessed by magnetic
      resonance imaging and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography in a
      community: reanalysis from the Osaki-Tajiri Project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dubois et al. proposed the criteria for prodromal Alzheimer's disease
      (AD) to detect dementia in its very early stage. Because detection requires
      magnetic resonance imaging and (18) F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission
      tomography (PET), the prevalence and prognosis have not been fully investigated.
      METHODS: Our database included 346 healthy participants (Clinical Dementia Rating
      (CDR) 0), 119 with questionable dementia (CDR 0.5), and 32 dementia participants
      (CDR 1+) and was applied to investigate the prevalence of prodromal AD. Forty
      four CDR 0.5 participants (37%) were randomly selected to undergo (18) F
      fluorodeoxyglucose-PET. The same percentage was applied to select 128 CDR 0 and
      12 CDR 1 + participants (total: n = 184) to calculate the prevalence. A
      neuroradiologist classified the PET images in a blinded manner based on the
      criteria of Silverman et al. Participants were considered to have prodromal AD if
      they exhibited 'parietal/temporal +/- frontal hypometabolism' (PET) with
      hippocampal atrophy (magnetic resonance imaging). RESULTS: Eighteen CDR 0.5
      participants (40.9%) met the criteria for prodromal AD, which was a prevalence
      rate of 9.8% among older adults aged >= 65 years. Thirteen prodromal AD
      participants (72%) converted to AD during the 5-year follow-up period.
      DISCUSSION: The concept and criteria for prodromal AD are useful for predicting
      which subjects in a community will convert to AD.

PMID- 26114838
TI  - Preference for language of instruction of an English language learner with
      autism.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To use a preference assessment to identify the preferred language of
      instruction (English or Spanish) for a child with autism living in a Spanish
      speaking home and receiving school services in English only. METHODS: We used a
      concurrent chains method to evaluate the participant's preference for English or
      Spanish instruction. Colored microswitches represented English instruction,
      Spanish instruction and no instruction (control). Switch presses resulted in
      instruction and reinforcement in either English or Spanish, or no instruction and
      no reinforcement. After session 10, switches were reprogrammed to control for
      color bias. RESULTS: The participant chose Spanish instruction most frequently.
      CONCLUSIONS: The participant preferred to receive instruction in Spanish. These
      data support previous research indicating the importance of child preference when
      individualizing educational programs for children with autism and that language
      of instruction is an important variable when working with children with autism
      who experience multiple languages across home and school.

PMID- 26114840
TI  - Design of Fe3O4@SiO2@Carbon Quantum Dot Based Nanostructure for Fluorescence
      Sensing, Magnetic Separation, and Live Cell Imaging of Fluoride Ion.
AB  - A robust reusable fluoride sensor comprised of a receptor in charge of the
      chemical recognition and a fluorophore responsible for signal recognition has
      been designed. Highly fluorescent carbon quantum dot (CD) and magnetically
      separable nickel ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) complex bound-silica
      coated magnetite nanoparticle (Fe3O4@SiO2-EDTA-Ni) have been used as fluorophore
      and fluoride ion receptor, respectively. The assay is based on the exchange
      reaction between the CD and F(-), which persuades the binding of fluoride to
      magnetic receptor. This method is highly sensitive, fast, and selective for
      fluoride ion in aqueous solution. The linear response range of fluoride (R(2) =
      0.992) was found to be 1-20 MUM with a minimum detection limit of 0.06 MUM.
      Excellent magnetic property and superparamagnetic nature of the receptor are
      advantageous for the removal and well quantification of fluoride ion. The
      practical utility of the method is well tested with tap water. Because of high
      sensitivity, reusability, effectivity, and biocompatibility, it exhibits great
      promise as a fluorescent probe for intracellular detection of fluoride. 

PMID- 26114839
TI  - The association between quitting smoking and weight gain: a systematic review and
      meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.
AB  - This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantify weight gain after
      smoking cessation and the difference in weight gain between quitters and
      continuing smokers. Five electronic databases were searched before January 2015.
      Population-based prospective cohort studies were included if they recorded the
      weight change of adult smokers from baseline (before smoking cessation) to follow
      up (at least 3 months after cessation). Thirty-five cohort studies were
      identified, including 63,403 quitters and 388,432 continuing smokers. The mean
      weight gain was 4.10 kg (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.69, 5.51) and body mass
      index (BMI) gain was 1.14 kg m(-2) (95% CI: 0.50, 1.79) among quitters. Compared
      with continuing smoking, quitting smoking was significantly associated with
      absolute weight (adjusted mean difference [MD]: 2.61 kg; 95% CI: 1.61, 3.60) and
      BMI gain (adjusted MD: 0.63 kg m(-2) ; 95% CI: 0.46, 0.80). Subgroup analyses
      using geographic region found that the difference in weight gain was considerably
      greater in studies from North America than from Asia. Follow-up length was
      identified as a source of heterogeneity, such that studies with longer follow-up
      showed greater difference in weight gain. Effective strategies are needed to
      encourage smokers to quit irrespective of potential weight gain and to help
      quitters avoid excess weight gain.

PMID- 26114841
TI  - Reliability of Ischemic Index Grading in Common Retinal Vascular Diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Retinal nonperfusion is closely associated with vision
      threatening complications such as neovascularization and macular edema. The
      purpose of this study is to investigate the reliability of a calculated ischemic
      index (ISI) by means of intergrader and intragrader agreement on ultrawide-field
      fluorescein angiography (UWFFA) in common retinal vascular diseases. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Eight trained graders evaluated 15 UWFFA images provided digitally and
      re-graded on a different day. They included five eyes with diabetic retinopathy
      (DR), five with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO), and five with central
      retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). To assess intergrader and intragrader agreement
      and variability among different diseases, the replicate inter- and intragrader
      standard deviations (SDs) and coefficients of variation (CVs) were calculated.
      RESULTS: Mean ISI was 46% for images of DR, 26% for images of BRVO, and 61.3% for
      images of CRVO. Combined intragrader and intergrader replicate SDs were 17.8% for
      DR, 3.8% for BRVO and 13.0% for CRVO. Combined intragrader and intergrader
      replicate coefficients of variation were 38.6% (percent of mean ISI) for DR,
      14.7% for BRVO, and 21.2% for CRVO. CONCLUSION: Intergrader and intragrader
      variability was high when assessing DR. This may be due to the chronic nature of
      DR progression, which can lead to patchy areas of ischemia. Intergrader and
      intragrader variability was better for CRVO and best for BRVO. This may be due to
      the acute or subacute nature of retinal vein occlusions.

PMID- 26114842
TI  - Centralized Reading Center Improves Quality in a Real-World Setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening is standard of
      care, but its utility diminishes unless high quality is maintained. This project
      describes the improvement in diagnostic accuracy achieved at a large health
      maintenance organization by implementing a centralized reading center. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: Data were extracted from the electronic health records of patients
      with diabetes who underwent DR screening between January 1, 2009, and December
      31, 2013, at 13 medical centers. Certified ophthalmic assistants and technicians
      were trained to read DR images under the supervision of a retinal specialist.
      This program was pilot-tested prior to full implementation. RESULTS: DR
      prevalence among the 13 centers in 2009 was 10.1%, far below the national
      average. After implementation, prevalence increased to 22.1%. The program also
      resulted in improved access to follow-up. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate the
      value of a reading center in decreasing diagnostic error and achieving other
      improvements in a real-world setting.

PMID- 26114843
TI  - Quality and Diagnostic Utility of Mydriatic Smartphone Photography: The
      Smartphone Ophthalmoscopy Reliability Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Establish quality and diagnostic utility of mydriatic
      smartphone ophthalmoscopy (SO) fundus images compared to fundus camera (FC)
      images. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this prospective, cross-sectional study, 94
      consecutive patients in an urban eye emergency department underwent SO and FC
      fundus imaging via one of three study arms: medical student 1 (MS1), medical
      student 2 (MS2), and ophthalmology resident (OR). Images of 188 eyes were graded
      for overall quality by two masked reviewers, and observed critical fundus
      findings were compared to dilated fundus examination documentation. RESULTS: SO
      images were higher quality in the OR arm than in the MS1 and MS2 arms (P < .017).
      There were no differences in FC image quality between photographers (all P >
      .328). In the OR arm, SO images detected 74.3% of critical fundus findings,
      whereas FC images detected 77.1%. CONCLUSION: SO produces fundus images
      approaching the quality and diagnostic utility of traditional FC photographs.

PMID- 26114844
TI  - Quantification of Change in Pigment Epithelial Detachment Volume and Morphology
      After Transition to Intravitreal Aflibercept in Eyes With Recalcitrant
      Neovascular AMD: 18-Month Results.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively evaluate the change in pigment
      epithelial detachment (PED) morphology on spectral-domain optical coherence
      tomography (SD-OCT) 18 months after the transition to intravitreal aflibercept in
      patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with PED
      recalcitrant to monthly intravitreal bevacizumab or ranibizumab. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Retrospective case series examining patients with neovascular AMD who
      had a persistent fibrovascular or serous PED on SD-OCT. PED volume was calculated
      by manually outlining the PED on individual OCT slices of the raster scan and
      multiplying by the pixel dimensions. RESULTS: Eleven eyes of 10 patients who had
      received an average of 25.7 +/- 20.1 (range: 6 to 70) prior bevacizumab or
      ranibizumab injections over a period of 26.6 +/- 19.8 months (range: 4 to 63)
      were included. PED volume decreased with aflibercept from 0.687 +/- 0.837 mm(3)
      to 0.562 +/- 0.705 mm(3) (P = .02), a decrease of 19% +/- 12.27%. CONCLUSION:
      After 18 months of aflibercept, recalcitrant PED volumes were reduced by 19%
      while preserving visual acuity in eyes with neovascular AMD.

PMID- 26114845
TI  - Current Infectious Endophthalmitis Rates After Intravitreal Injections of Anti
      Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Agents and Outcomes of Treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence and outcomes of infectious
      endophthalmitis after intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth
      factor (anti-VEGF) agents. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patient records at the Bascom
      Palmer Eye Institute (BPEI) from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2014, were
      reviewed. The largest commercial claims and encounters database in the U.S.
      (MarketScan) was utilized to calculate the population-based endophthalmitis rate
      for 2011 to 2013. RESULTS: The population-based rate of endophthalmitis after
      anti-VEGF injections for 2011 to 2013 was 391/740,757 (0.053%). BPEI's rate was
      20/121,285 (0.016%) during the study period: eight after bevacizumab (0.012%),
      six after ranibizumab (0.018%), and six after aflibercept (0.031%) injection.
      Nine BPEI cases (45%) were culture-positive: Streptococcus species (5), coagulase
      negative Staphylococcus (3), and non-anthracis Bacillus (1). Final visual acuity
      varied from 20/25 to no light perception. CONCLUSION: Endophthalmitis after anti
      VEGF injection was uncommon in our institution and in the population-based
      database. Treatment outcomes were variable but generally fared better in the
      culture-negative cases.

PMID- 26114846
TI  - Incontinentia Pigmenti: A Comprehensive Review and Update.
AB  - Incontinentia pigmenti (IP) is a rare syndrome with skin lesions, ocular
      abnormalities in the retina and elsewhere, central nervous system abnormalities,
      and teeth defects. The authors present an updated review of the literature,
      highlighting diagnosis, epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, and
      management of IP. IP is an X-linked dominant syndrome with an incidence of
      0.0025%; most patients are female. IP is caused by a mutation in the IKBKG gene,
      causing a loss of function of NF-kappabeta, leaving cells susceptible to
      apoptosis from intrinsic factors. The cardinal feature of IP is four stages of
      skin distinctive lesions. Of those with IP, 36.5% have detectable eye pathology
      and 60% to 90% of those have retinal issues. Peripheral avascularity and macular
      occlusive disease commonly occur. The authors performed a comprehensive review of
      Medline from 1947 to 2014. All papers mentioning IP in ophthalmologic journals
      were reviewed as well as applicable publications from other medical specialties.

PMID- 26114847
TI  - Ipilimumab-Associated Retinopathy.
AB  - Ipilimumab is a novel immunotherapeutic agent that improves survival in patients
      diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. With the rising incidence of melanoma, the
      use of this pharmacologic agent is increasing. However, ipilimumab can be
      associated with rare but serious systemic adverse events. While the mechanism of
      these systemic adverse events is immune-related dysfunction, the index case
      highlights a possible direct ocular adverse event associated with ipilimumab
      infusion resulting in bilateral serous retinal detachment. Close observation of
      ocular findings using multimodal imaging analysis can provide insights into
      possible pathophysiology of the condition and guide further management.

PMID- 26114848
TI  - Is Acute Zonal Occult Outer Retinopathy an Autoimmune Condition? A Case Report
      and Literature Review.
AB  - A 42-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis presented with focal decreased vision
      and photopsia in the left eye. Funduscopy and fluorescein angiography revealed
      focal chorioretinal atrophy, vascular attenuation, and bone spicules.
      Electroretinography revealed interocular reduction in b-wave amplitude, and
      Goldmann visual field perimetry studies revealed an inferior scotoma. The authors
      performed a literature review and conclude that the prevalence of acute zonal
      occult outer retinopathy in patients with autoimmune conditions may suggest that
      the condition is autoimmune in nature. Clinical history as well as funduscopic
      and retinal investigations are important in diagnosing acute zonal occult outer
      retinopathy.

PMID- 26114849
TI  - Multimodal Ultrawide-Field Imaging Features in Waardenburg Syndrome.
AB  - A 45-year-old woman was referred for bilateral irregular fundus pigmentation.
      Dilated fundus examination revealed irregular hypopigmentation posterior to the
      equator in both eyes, confirmed by fundus autofluorescence. A thickened choroid
      was seen on enhanced-depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography
      (EDI SD-OCT). Systemic evaluation revealed sensorineural deafness, telecanthus,
      and a white forelock. Further investigation revealed a first-degree relative with
      Waardenburg syndrome. Waardenburg syndrome is characterized by a group of
      features including telecanthus, a broad nasal root, synophrys of the eyebrows,
      piedbaldism, heterochromia irides, and deafness. Choroidal hypopigmentation is a
      unique feature that can be visualized with ultrawide-field fundus
      autofluorescence. The choroid may also be thickened and its thickness measured
      with EDI SD-OCT.

PMID- 26114850
TI  - Choroidal Involvement in Erdheim-Chester Disease.
AB  - Erdheim-Chester disease is a rare infiltrative disorder of non-Langerhans cell
      histiocytes, which affects multiple organs, including bone, heart, lungs, orbits,
      central nervous system (CNS), pituitary gland, and retroperitoneum. Bone
      affliction is almost universal in these patients and, to a lesser degree, the
      CNS, retroperitoneum, and other tissues. Eye involvement is typically retro
      orbital or periorbital. This case report describes a 48-year-old patient who
      presented with reduced vision in the left eye and no other complaints. Fundus
      examination revealed a choroidal mass in the macula. The authors believe that
      this might be the second case of choroidal involvement in Erdheim-Chester
      disease.

PMID- 26114851
TI  - Ocriplasmin-Induced Macular Hole Closure in the Absence of Vitreomacular Adhesion
      Release.
AB  - A 79-year-old man presented with a symptomatic, full-thickness macular hole with
      concurrent vitreomacular traction (VMT), stage 2. The patient was treated with a
      single injection of ocriplasmin. Within 1 week, the macular hole had closed, but
      there was persistence of vitreomacular traction. Two months after injection, the
      VMT released with sustained closure of the macular hole. The temporal course of
      macular hole closure antecedent to VMA release runs contrary to our current
      understanding of macular hole closure and warrants further research to decipher
      the mechanism by which ocriplasmin achieves its intended effect.

PMID- 26114852
TI  - Pars Plana Lensectomy After Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery.
AB  - The use of femtosecond laser during cataract surgery is increasing, as it may
      potentially improve accuracy, safety and refractive outcomes. However, posterior
      capsule rupture with retained lens material can occur, necessitating
      vitreoretinal intervention. The authors report the first videographically
      documented case of removal of retained lens material after femtosecond laser
      assisted cataract surgery.

PMID- 26114853
TI  - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.
AB  - The authors report a case series of five women with the diagnosis of polycystic
      ovary syndrome (PCOS) (n = 4) or a first-degree relative with PCOS (n = 1) who
      presented with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSR). This report is the first
      to correlate PCOS and CSR on clinical presentation. Patients with PCOS often
      exhibit physical evidence of elevated androgens, such as testosterone, which
      recently has been linked to CSR. The authors suggest that women with CSR be
      investigated for PCOS if indicated clinically. In addition, further studies
      should investigate the relationship between the two disorders.

PMID- 26114854
TI  - Effects of a Multi-Disciplinary Lifestyle Intervention on Cardiometabolic Risk
      Factors in Young Women with Abdominal Obesity: A Randomised Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Young women are under-represented in cardiovascular disease research,
      with obesity and cardiometabolic risk factor interventions generally targeting
      older adults. Furthermore, appropriate study designs for young women remain
      uncertain. This study aimed to assess the impact of a 12 week multi-disciplinary
      lifestyle intervention on cardiometabolic risk factors in premenopausal women
      with abdominal obesity. METHODS: Women aged 18-30 y with abdominal obesity [waist
      circumference (WC) >= 80 cm] were randomised to a 12 week lifestyle intervention
      (n = 26) of physical activity, nutrition education and cognitive behavioural
      therapy, or a wait-list control group (n = 17). Both groups completed
      anthropometric, biochemical, nutrition and fitness testing, at pre (0 weeks) and
      post (12 weeks), with intervention participants completed follow-up testing at 24
      weeks. RESULTS: Results from a linear mixed model showed no between-group
      differences, other than increased physical activity in the intervention group, at
      post. In the intervention group alone, positive within-group changes were
      observed in WC, waist-hip-ratio (WHR), waist-height-ratio (WHtR), resting heart
      rate, blood pressure, predicted VO2max, and total energy intake. Most changes
      were maintained at 24 weeks post-intervention. Similar within-group improvements
      were observed in control participants in WC, WHR, WHtR, and systolic blood
      pressure but no changes were detected in physical activity and nutrition.
      CONCLUSIONS: Cardiometabolic risk factors were decreased as a result of a
      lifestyle intervention in young women with abdominal obesity. It is difficult to
      describe observations in the control group without greater understanding of the
      behaviour of wait-list participants. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand
      Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12612001017819.

PMID- 26114855
TI  - Within-Match PlayerLoadTM Patterns During a Simulated Soccer Match: Potential
      Implications for Unit Positioning and Fatigue Management.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the acute alterations in triaxial accelerometry (PlayerLoad
      [PL(VM)]) and its individual axial planes (anteroposterior PlayerLoad [PL(AP)],
      mediolateral PlayerLoad [PL(ML)], and vertical PlayerLoad [PL(V)]) during a
      standardized 90-min soccer match-play simulation (SAFT90). Secondary aims of the
      study were to assess the test-retest reliability and anatomical location of the
      devices. METHODS: Semiprofessional (n = 5) and university (n = 15) soccer players
      completed 3 trials (1 familiarization, 2 experimental) of SAFT90. PlayerLoad and
      its individual planes were measured continuously using micromechanical-electrical
      systems (MEMS) positioned at the scapulae (SCAP) and near the center of mass
      (COM). RESULTS: There were no between-halves differences in PL(VM); however,
      within-half increases were recorded at the COM, but only during the 1st half at
      the SCAP. Greater contributions to PL(VM) were provided by PL(V) and PL(ML) when
      derived from the SCAP and COM, respectively. PL(VM) (COM 1451 +/- 168, SCAP 1029
      +/- 113), PL(AP) (COM 503 +/- 99, SCAP 345 +/- 61), PL(ML) (COM 712 +/- 124, SCAP
      348 +/- 61), and PL(V) (COM 797 +/- 184, SCAP 688 +/- 124) were significantly
      greater at the COM than at the SCAP. Moderate and high test-retest reliability
      was observed for PlayerLoad and its individual planes at both locations (ICC .80
      .99). CONCLUSIONS: PlayerLoad and its individual planes are reliable measures
      during SAFT90 and detected within-match changes in movement strategy when the
      unit was placed at the COM, which may have implications for fatigue management.
      Inferring alterations in lower-limb movement strategies from MEMS units
      positioned at the SCAP should be undertaken with caution.

PMID- 26114856
TI  - Squamosal Suture Craniosynostosis Due to Hyperthyroidism Caused by an Activating
      Thyrotropin Receptor Mutation (T632I).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital hyperthyroidism can be a cause of failure to thrive,
      hyperactivity, developmental delay, and craniosynostosis during infancy. Most
      commonly, the condition occurs in the setting of maternal autoimmune thyroid
      disease. Rarely, congenital hyperthyroidism can also occur secondary to
      activating mutations within the thyrotropin (TSH) receptor. PATIENT FINDINGS: A
      Hispanic male infant presented at age 6 months with severe thyrotoxicosis. At the
      time of presentation he was being evaluated for squamosal suture synostosis and
      he was noted to have significant developmental delays. SUMMARY: The patient's
      thyrotoxicosis was initially treated with antithyroid medication, and he
      subsequently underwent craniosynostosis repair leading to neurodevelopmental
      improvement. DNA from the patient and his parents was submitted for mutational
      analysis of exons 9 and 10 of the TSH receptor. He was found to carry a
      monoallelic transition 1895C>T in exon 10 that resulted in the substitution of
      threonine at position 632 by isoleucine (T32I). This mutation resulted in
      constitutive activation of the TSH receptor. Neither parent carried this mutation
      indicating that the child has acquired a de novo germline mutation. CONCLUSIONS:
      We report the first case of squamosal suture craniosynostosis in a patient with
      non-autoimmune hyperthyroidism. Squamosal suture craniosynotosis is rare, often
      has a subtle presentation, and should be considered in all patients with this
      condition because prompt treatment of hyperthyroidism and craniosynotosis repair
      can lead to normalization of neurodevelopment.

PMID- 26114857
TI  - What can errors tell us about specific language impairment deficits? Semantic and
      morphological cuing in a sentence completion task.
AB  - The lexical retrieval ability of children with specific language impairment (SLI)
      and children with typical language development was compared. Fifty Hebrew
      speaking children participated: 15 school-age with SLI, 20 typically developing,
      matched on age to the SLI group and 15 younger, typically developing matched on
      naming performance to the SLI group. Participants were tested in a sentence
      completion task with semantic cuing and with morphological cuing. SLI children
      performed poorer than the chronological-age group and similarly to the naming
      matched group. Error patterns showed a qualitative difference between the SLI and
      naming-matched groups. The results suggest that lexical retrieval of children
      with SLI is delayed and qualitatively different from that of typically developing
      children. 

PMID- 26114858
TI  - Time-scale dependency of host plant biomass- and trait-mediated indirect effects
      of deer herbivory on a swallowtail butterfly.
AB  - Despite recent attempts to quantify the relative strength of density- and trait
      mediated indirect effects, rarely has the issue been properly addressed at the
      population level. Most research is based on short-term small-scale experiments in
      which behavioural and/or physiological responses prevail. Here, we estimated the
      time-scales during which density- and trait-mediated effects manifest, as well as
      the strength of these effects, using an interaction chain with three organisms
      (deer-plant-butterfly). A hierarchical Bayesian model was performed by using a
      long-term data set of deer density in the Boso Peninsula, central Japan (where
      local densities differ spatially and temporally) as well as densities of the
      swallowtail butterfly Byasa alcinous and its host plant Aristolochia kaempferi.
      The time-scale effect of deer on plant quantity and quality was estimated
      according to the degree of carry-over effects. The negative influence on leaf
      density showed a temporal saturation pattern over the long term, while the
      positive influence on leaf quality due to resprouting of leaves after deer
      browsing showed no clear temporal trend. The net indirect effect changed from
      positive to negative with time, with the negative density-mediated effect
      becoming prominent in the long term. Our novel approach is widely applicable in
      assessing the dynamic impacts of wildlife if the spatio-temporal variability of
      expansion and/or invasion history is known. 

PMID- 26114859
TI  - Analyses of Developmental Rate Isomorphy in Ectotherms: Introducing the Dirichlet
      Regression.
AB  - Temperature drives development in insects and other ectotherms because their
      metabolic rate and growth depends directly on thermal conditions. However,
      relative durations of successive ontogenetic stages often remain nearly constant
      across a substantial range of temperatures. This pattern, termed 'developmental
      rate isomorphy' (DRI) in insects, appears to be widespread and reported
      departures from DRI are generally very small. We show that these conclusions may
      be due to the caveats hidden in the statistical methods currently used to study
      DRI. Because the DRI concept is inherently based on proportional data, we propose
      that Dirichlet regression applied to individual-level data is an appropriate
      statistical method to critically assess DRI. As a case study we analyze data on
      five aquatic and four terrestrial insect species. We find that results obtained
      by Dirichlet regression are consistent with DRI violation in at least eight of
      the studied species, although standard analysis detects significant departure
      from DRI in only four of them. Moreover, the departures from DRI detected by
      Dirichlet regression are consistently much larger than previously reported. The
      proposed framework can also be used to infer whether observed departures from DRI
      reflect life history adaptations to size- or stage-dependent effects of varying
      temperature. Our results indicate that the concept of DRI in insects and other
      ectotherms should be critically re-evaluated and put in a wider context,
      including the concept of 'equiproportional development' developed for copepods. 

PMID- 26114860
TI  - Donepezil Regulates 1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium-Induced Microglial Polarization
      in Parkinson's Disease.
AB  - 1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) induces microglial activation and degeneration
      of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons. Donepezil is a well-known acetylcholinesterase
      inhibitor used clinically to treat cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease
      (AD). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that MPP+ promotes
      microglial M1 polarization and suppresses M2 polarization and that this can be
      restored by donepezil. Results indicate that MPP+ treatment in microglial BV2
      cells promotes microglial polarization toward the M1 state. However, pretreatment
      with donepezil inhibited MPP+-induced M1 polarization in microglia by suppressing
      the release of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1beta, or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
      alpha. Importantly, we found that MPP+ inhibited microglial M2 polarization by
      suppressing expression of Arg-1, Fizz1, and Ym1, which was also rescued by
      pretreatment with donepezil. In addition, IL-4-mediated induction of anti
      inflammatory marker genes IL-10, IL-13, and transforming growth factor-beta2 (TGF
      beta2) were significantly attenuated by MPP+ in BV2 cells, which was restored by
      pretreatment with donepezil in a concentration-dependent manner. Mechanistically,
      we found that the addition of MPP+ reduced the intensity of phosphorylated signal
      transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) but not total STAT6 in IL-4
      stimulated BV2 cells. Importantly, pretreatment of microglial BV2 cells with
      donepezil 3 h prior to administration of MPP+ rescued the reduction of STAT6
      phosphorylation induced by MPP+. 

PMID- 26114861
TI  - Gender Differences in the Inheritance Mode of RYR2 Mutations in Catecholaminergic
      Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia Patients.
AB  - Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is one of the causes
      of sudden cardiac death in young people and results from RYR2 mutations in ~60%
      of CPVT patients. The inheritance of the RYR2 mutations follows an autosomal
      dominant trait, however, de novo mutations are often identified during familial
      analysis. In 36 symptomatic CPVT probands with RYR2 mutations, we genotyped their
      parents and confirmed the origin of the respective mutation. In 26 sets of
      proband and both parents (trio), we identified 17 de novo mutations (65.4%),
      seven from their mothers and only two mutations were inherited from their
      fathers. Among nine sets of proband and mother, five mutations were inherited
      from mothers. Four other mutations were of unknown origin. The inheritance of
      RYR2 mutations was significantly more frequent from mothers (n = 12, 34.3%) than
      fathers (n = 2, 5.7%) (P = 0.013). The mean ages of onset were not significantly
      different in probands between de novo mutations and those from mothers. Thus,
      half of the RYR2 mutations in our cohort were de novo, and most of the remaining
      mutations were inherited from mothers. These data would be useful for family
      analysis and risk stratification of the disease. 

PMID- 26114862
TI  - The dual targeting of EGFR and ErbB2 with the inhibitor Lapatinib corrects high
      glucose-induced apoptosis and vascular dysfunction by opposing multiple diabetes
      induced signaling changes.
AB  - The epidermal growth factor receptors, EGFR and EGFR2 (ErbB2), appear important
      mediators of diabetes-induced vascular dysfunction. We investigated whether
      targeted dual inhibition of EGFR and ErbB2 with Lapatinib would be effective in
      treating diabetes-induced vascular dysfunction in a rat model of type 1 diabetes.
      In streptozotocin-induced diabetes, chronic 4-week oral or acute, ex vivo,
      administration of Lapatinib prevented the development of vascular dysfunction as
      indicated by the attenuation of the hyper-reactivity of the diabetic mesenteric
      vascular bed (MVB) to norephinephrine without correcting hyperglycemia. Chronic
      in vivo or acute ex vivo Lapatinib treatment also significantly attenuated
      diabetes-induced increases in phosphorylation of EGFR, ErbB2, ERK1/2, AKT, ROCK2
      and IkB-alpha as well as normalized the reduced levels of phosphorylated FOXO3A,
      and eNOS (Ser1177) in the diabetic MVB. Similar results were observed in vascular
      smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) cultured in high glucose (25 mM) treated with
      Lapatinib or small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting the ErbB2 receptor.
      Lapatinib also prevented high glucose-induced apoptosis in VSMC. Thus, Lapatinib
      corrects hyperglycemia-induced apoptosis and vascular dysfunction with
      concomitant reversal of diabetes or high glucose-induced signaling changes in
      EGFR/ErbB2 and downstream signaling pathways implying that targeted dual
      inhibition of EGFR/ErbB2 might be an effective vasculoprotective treatment
      strategy in diabetic patients. 

PMID- 26114864
TI  - Fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease: A meta
      analysis of prospective cohort studies.
AB  - A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies was conducted to examine the
      relation between fruit and vegetables (FV) consumption and the risk of
      cardiovascular disease (CVD). We searched PubMed and EMBASE up to June 2014 for
      relevant studies. Pooled relative risks (RRs) were calculated and dose-response
      relationship was assessed. Thirty-eight studies, consisting of 47 independent
      cohorts, were eligible in this meta-analysis. There were 1,498,909 participants
      (44,013 CVD events) with a median follow-up of 10.5 years. The pooled RR (95%
      confidence interval) of CVD for the highest versus lowest category was 0.83 (0.79
      0.86) for FV consumption, 0.84 (0.79-0.88) for fruit consumption, and 0.87 (0.83
      0.91) for vegetable consumption, respectively. Dose-response analysis showed that
      those eating 800 g per day of FV consumption had the lowest risk of CVD. Our
      results indicate that increased FV intake is inversely associated with the risk
      of CVD. This meta-analysis provides strong support for the current
      recommendations to consume a high amount of FV to reduce CVD risk.

PMID- 26114863
TI  - Molecular Dynamics of Channelrhodopsin at the Early Stages of Channel Opening.
AB  - Channelrhodopsin (ChR) is a light-gated cation channel that responds to blue
      light. Since ChR can be readily expressed in specific neurons to precisely
      control their activities by light, it has become a powerful tool in neuroscience.
      Although the recently solved crystal structure of a chimeric ChR, C1C2, provided
      the structural basis for ChR, our understanding of the molecular mechanism of ChR
      still remains limited. Here we performed electrophysiological analyses and all
      atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, to investigate the importance of the
      intracellular and central constrictions of the ion conducting pore observed in
      the crystal structure of C1C2. Our electrophysiological analysis revealed that
      two glutamate residues, Glu122 and Glu129, in the intracellular and central
      constrictions, respectively, should be deprotonated in the photocycle. The
      simulation results suggested that the deprotonation of Glu129 in the central
      constriction leads to ion leakage in the ground state, and implied that the
      protonation of Glu129 is important for preventing ion leakage in the ground
      state. Moreover, we modeled the 13-cis retinal bound; i.e., activated C1C2, and
      performed MD simulations to investigate the conformational changes in the early
      stage of the photocycle. Our simulations suggested that retinal
      photoisomerization induces the conformational change toward channel opening,
      including the movements of TM6, TM7 and TM2. These insights into the dynamics of
      the ground states and the early photocycle stages enhance our understanding of
      the channel function of ChR. 

PMID- 26114865
TI  - Anterior Subcutaneous versus Submuscular Transposition of the Ulnar Nerve for
      Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To pool reliable evidences for the optimum anterior transposition
      technique in the treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome by comparing the clinical
      efficacy of subcutaneous and submuscular anterior ulnar nerve transposition.
      METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed MEDLINE, Cochrane
      Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, OVID AMED, EBSCO and potentially relevant
      surgical archives. Risk of bias of each included studies was evaluated according
      to Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The risk ratio (RR)
      and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for the clinical improvement in
      function compared to baseline. Heterogeneity was assessed across studies, and
      subgroup analysis was also performed based on the study type and follow-up
      duration. RESULTS: Three studies with a total of 352 participants were
      identified, and the clinically relevant improvement was used as the primary
      outcomes. Our meta-analysis revealed that no significant difference was observed
      between two comparison groups in terms of postoperative clinical improvement in
      those studies (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.25, P = 0.72). Meanwhile, subgroup
      analyses by study type and follow-up duration revealed the consistent results
      with the overall estimate. Additionally, the pre- and postoperative motor nerve
      conduction velocities were reported in two studies with a total of 326 patients,
      but we could not perform a meta-analysis because of the lack of concrete
      numerical value in one study. The quality of evidence for clinical improvement
      was 'low' or 'moderate' on the basis of GRADE approach. CONCLUSIONS: Based on
      small numbers of studies with relatively poor methodological quality, the limited
      evidence is insufficient to identify the optimum anterior transposition technique
      in the treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome. The results of the present study
      suggest that anterior subcutaneous and submuscular transposition might be equally
      effective in patients with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow. Therefore, more high
      quality randomized controlled trials with standardized clinical improvement
      metrics are required to further clarify this topic and to provide reproducible
      pre- and postoperative objective outcomes.

PMID- 26114866
TI  - Determinants of Low Birth Weight in Malawi: Bayesian Geo-Additive Modelling.
AB  - Studies on factors of low birth weight in Malawi have neglected the flexible
      approach of using smooth functions for some covariates in models. Such flexible
      approach reveals detailed relationship of covariates with the response. The study
      aimed at investigating risk factors of low birth weight in Malawi by assuming a
      flexible approach for continuous covariates and geographical random effect. A
      Bayesian geo-additive model for birth weight in kilograms and size of the child
      at birth (less than average or average and higher) with district as a spatial
      effect using the 2010 Malawi demographic and health survey data was adopted. A
      Gaussian model for birth weight in kilograms and a binary logistic model for the
      binary outcome (size of child at birth) were fitted. Continuous covariates were
      modelled by the penalized (p) splines and spatial effects were smoothed by the
      two dimensional p-spline. The study found that child birth order, mother weight
      and height are significant predictors of birth weight. Secondary education for
      mother, birth order categories 2-3 and 4-5, wealth index of richer family and
      mother height were significant predictors of child size at birth. The area
      associated with low birth weight was Chitipa and areas with increased risk to
      less than average size at birth were Chitipa and Mchinji. The study found support
      for the flexible modelling of some covariates that clearly have nonlinear
      influences. Nevertheless there is no strong support for inclusion of geographical
      spatial analysis. The spatial patterns though point to the influence of omitted
      variables with some spatial structure or possibly epidemiological processes that
      account for this spatial structure and the maps generated could be used for
      targeting development efforts at a glance. 

PMID- 26114867
TI  - Risk Factors for Low Birthweight in Zimbabwean Women: A Secondary Data Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low birth weight (LBW) remains the main cause of mortality and
      morbidity in infants, and a problem in the care of pregnant women world-wide
      particularly in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to describe
      the socio-demographic, nutritional, reproductive, medical and obstetrical risk
      factors for delivering a live LBW infant at Harare Maternity Hospital, Zimbabwe.
      METHODS: A secondary data analysis from data obtained through a questionnaire and
      delivery records was conducted. Linear regression models with a complimentary log
      log link function were used to estimate the relative risks for all LBW, term LBW
      and preterm LBW. RESULTS: The frequency of LBW was 16.7%. Lack of prenatal care
      (adjusted relative risk [ARR] 1.69, 95% CI 1.44, 1.98), mother's mid-arm
      circumference below 28.5 cm, (ARR 1.35, 95% CI 1.19, 1.54) and rural residence
      (ARR 1.22, 95% CI 1.04, 1.40) increased the risk of LBW. Eclampsia, anemia, and
      ante-partum hemorrhage, were associated with LBW (ARR 2.64, 95% CI 1.30, 5.35;
      ARR = 2.63, 95% CI 1.16, 5.97; and ARR = 2.39, 95% CI 1.55, 3.68), respectively.
      Malaria increased the risk of LBW (ARR = 1.89, 95% CI 1.21, 2.96). Prenatal care,
      infant sex, anemia, antepartum hemorrhage, premature rapture of membranes and
      preterm labor were associated with the three LBW categories. History of abortion
      or stillbirth, history of LBW, malaria, eclampsia, and placenta Previa, were
      associated with all LBW and preterm LBW, while pregnancy induced hypertension,
      and number of children alive were associated with all LBW and term LBW.
      CONCLUSIONS: LBW frequency remains high and is associated with nutritive,
      reproductive, medical and obstetrical factors. Preterm LBW and term LBW have
      similar and also different risk factors. Understanding the role of different risk
      factors in these different LBW categories is important if the goal is to reduce
      LBW frequency, and its complications, in Zimbabwe.

PMID- 26114869
TI  - Are Adiponectin and Leptin Good Predictors of Surgical Infection after Colorectal
      Surgery? A Prospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infections are the most frequent complication after colorectal
      surgery. It has been suggested that adipose tissue metabolism could be related to
      the risk of post-operative infection, but this could be partially related to the
      body-mass index. The aim of this study was to look for a relation between
      adipocytokine levels and the risk of post-operative infection and its type.
      METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted between March 2013 and March
      2014 in two French teaching hospitals. Pre-operative plasma levels of adiponectin
      and leptin were measured in consecutive patients undergoing elective colorectal
      surgery. All infections in the 30 d following surgery were recorded. RESULTS:
      Among the 142 patients included, 29 (20.4%) presented a post-operative infection:
      26 surgical site infections and three extra-abdominal infections. Adiponectin and
      leptin levels correlated weakly but substantially with the body mass index
      (rspearman=-0.26 and +0.31, respectively). While there was no substantial
      difference between patients with and those without post-operative infection for
      adiponectin, median pre-operative leptin was substantially greater in patients
      with post-operative infection (8.67 vs. 4.37 ng/mL, p=0.003). A substantial
      interaction was found between leptin and cancer. In patients operated on for
      cancer, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was
      lower than in patients with benign diseases (0.597 vs. 0.858, p=0.011). Similar
      results were observed for intra-abdominal infection and surgical site infection.
      CONCLUSION: Patients with greater levels of leptin before colorectal surgery have
      an increased risk of post-operative surgical infection. This effect is stronger
      in patients without cancer. Adiponectin levels are not related to the risk of
      infection in Western patients.

PMID- 26114868
TI  - Transcriptome Profile of the Response of Paracoccidioides spp. to a Camphene
      Thiosemicarbazide Derivative.
AB  - Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a systemic granulomatous human mycosis caused by
      fungi of the genus Paracoccidioides, which is geographically restricted to Latin
      America. Inhalation of spores, the infectious particles of the fungus, is a
      common route of infection. The PCM treatment of choice is azoles such as
      itraconazole, but sulfonamides and amphotericin B are used in some cases despite
      their toxicity to mammalian cells. The current availability of treatments
      highlights the need to identify and characterize novel targets for antifungal
      treatment of PCM as well as the need to search for new antifungal compounds
      obtained from natural sources or by chemical synthesis. To this end, we evaluated
      the antifungal activity of a camphene thiosemicarbazide derivative (TSC-C)
      compound on Paracoccidioides yeast. To determine the response of Paracoccidioides
      spp. to TSC-C, we analyzed the transcriptional profile of the fungus after 8 h of
      contact with the compound. The results demonstrate that Paracoccidioides lutzii
      induced the expression of genes related to metabolism; cell cycle and DNA
      processing; biogenesis of cellular components; cell transduction/signal; cell
      rescue, defense and virulence; cellular transport, transport facilities and
      transport routes; energy; protein synthesis; protein fate; transcription; and
      other proteins without classification. Additionally, we observed intensely
      inhibited genes related to protein synthesis. Analysis by fluorescence microscopy
      and flow cytometry revealed that the compound induced the production of reactive
      oxygen species. Using an isolate with down-regulated SOD1 gene expression (SOD1
      aRNA), we sought to determine the function of this gene in the defense of
      Paracoccidioides yeast cells against the compound. Mutant cells were more
      susceptible to TSC-C, demonstrating the importance of this gene in response to
      the compound. The results presented herein suggest that TSC-C is a promising
      candidate for PCM treatment. 

PMID- 26114870
TI  - 10q26.1 Microdeletion: Redefining the critical regions for microcephaly and
      genital anomalies.
AB  - Distal 10q deletion syndrome is a well-characterized chromosomal disorder
      consisting of neurodevelopmental impairment, facial dysmorphism, cardiac
      malformations, genital and urinary tract defects, as well as digital anomalies.
      Patients with interstitial deletions involving band 10q26.1 present a phenotype
      similar to the ones with the distal 10q deletion syndrome, which led to the
      definition of a causal 600 kb smallest region of overlap (SRO). In this report,
      we describe a male patient with an interstitial 4.5 Mb deletion involving
      exclusively the 10q26.1 segment. He had growth and psychomotor retardation,
      microcephaly, flat feet, micropenis, and cryptorchidism. The patient's deleted
      region does not overlap the 10q SRO. We reviewed the clinical phenotype of
      patients with similar deletions and suggest the presence of two new SROs, one
      associated with microcephaly, growth and psychomotor retardation, and the other
      associated to genital anomalies. Interestingly, we narrowed those regions to
      segments encompassing five and two genes, respectively. FGFR2, NSMCE4A, and ATE1
      were suggested as candidates for facial dysmorphism, growth cessation, and heart
      defects, respectively. WDR11 was linked to idiopathic hypogonadotropic
      hypogonadism and Kallmann syndrome. Its haploinsufficiency could play a crucial
      role in the genital anomalies of these patients.

PMID- 26114871
TI  - Phosphorylation of the Peptidoglycan Synthase PonA1 Governs the Rate of Polar
      Elongation in Mycobacteria.
AB  - Cell growth and division are required for the progression of bacterial
      infections. Most rod-shaped bacteria grow by inserting new cell wall along their
      mid-section. However, mycobacteria, including the human pathogen Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis, produce new cell wall material at their poles. How mycobacteria
      control this different mode of growth is incompletely understood. Here we find
      that PonA1, a penicillin binding protein (PBP) capable of transglycosylation and
      transpeptidation of cell wall peptidoglycan (PG), is a major governor of polar
      growth in mycobacteria. PonA1 is required for growth of Mycobacterium smegmatis
      and is critical for M. tuberculosis during infection. In both cases, PonA1's
      catalytic activities are both required for normal cell length, though loss of
      transglycosylase activity has a more pronounced effect than transpeptidation.
      Mutations that alter the amount or the activity of PonA1 result in abnormal
      formation of cell poles and changes in cell length. Moreover, altered PonA1
      activity results in dramatic differences in antibiotic susceptibility, suggesting
      that a balance between the two enzymatic activities of PonA1 is critical for
      survival. We also find that phosphorylation of a cytoplasmic region of PonA1 is
      required for normal activity. Mutations in a critical phosphorylated residue
      affect transglycosylase activity and result in abnormal rates of cell elongation.
      Together, our data indicate that PonA1 is a central determinant of polar growth
      in mycobacteria, and its governance of cell elongation is required for robust
      cell fitness during both host-induced and antibiotic stress. 

PMID- 26114874
TI  - Births: Preliminary Data for 2014.
AB  - Objectives-This report presents preliminary 2014 data on U.S. births. Births are
      shown by age, live-birth order, race, and Hispanic origin of mother. Data on
      marital status, cesarean delivery, preterm births, and low birthweight are also
      presented. 

PMID- 26114872
TI  - Acculturation and cigarette smoking in Hispanic women: A meta-analysis.
AB  - The present study was a random-effects model meta-analysis of 26 studies
      published between 1990 and 2010 (k = 32; n = 39,777) that (a) examined the
      association between acculturation and cigarette smoking in Hispanic women and (b)
      evaluated age, national origin, and measure and dimensionality (unidimensional
      vs. bidimensional) of acculturation as moderating variables. Results indicate a
      strong positive relationship and suggest larger effects of acculturation on
      cigarette smoking in women of Mexican descent as compared with women originating
      from other Latin American countries for current and lifetime smoking, as well as
      smoking overall. The effect of acculturation on cigarette smoking was larger in
      adults as compared with adolescents for current smoking and smoking overall. Few
      differences in effect size by measure or dimensionality of acculturation emerged.
      Results are discussed with regard to implications for future research and the
      measurement of acculturation.

PMID- 26114873
TI  - Role of IL13RA2 in Sunitinib Resistance in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mammalian target of rapamycin are
      well-known therapeutic targets for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Sunitinib is an
      agent that targets VEGF receptors and is considered to be a standard treatment
      for metastatic or unresectable clear cell RCC (ccRCC). However, ccRCC eventually
      develops resistance to sunitinib in most cases, and the mechanisms underlying
      this resistance are not fully elucidated. In the present study, we established
      unique primary xenograft models, KURC1 (Kyoto University Renal Cancer 1) and
      KURC2, from freshly isolated ccRCC specimens. The KURC1 xenograft initially
      responded to sunitinib treatment, however finally acquired resistance. KURC2
      retained sensitivity to sunitinib for over 6 months. Comparing gene expression
      profiles between the two xenograft models with different sensitivity to
      sunitinib, we identified interleukin 13 receptor alpha 2 (IL13RA2) as a candidate
      molecule associated with the acquired sunitinib-resistance in ccRCC. And patients
      with high IL13RA2 expression in immunohistochemistry in primary ccRCC tumor tends
      to have sunitinib-resistant metastatic site. Next, we showed that sunitinib
      sensitive 786-O cells acquired resistance in vivo when IL13RA2 was overexpressed.
      Conversely, shRNA-mediated knockdown of IL13RA2 successfully overcame the
      sunitinib-resistance in Caki-1 cells. Histopathological analyses revealed that
      IL13RA2 repressed sunitinib-induced apoptosis without increasing tumor
      vasculature in vivo. To our knowledge, this is a novel mechanism of developing
      resistance to sunitinib in a certain population of ccRCC, and these results
      indicate that IL13RA2 could be one of potential target to overcome sunitinib
      resistance. 

PMID- 26114875
TI  - Characteristics of the Delayed or Refusal Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients: A
      Longitudinal Population-Based Study in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The evidence indicated breast cancer was a cancer with high survival
      rate. However, there were still some breast cancer patients delaying or refusing
      therapy. So we conducted a cohort study to explore the relationship between
      characteristics of breast cancer patients and delay or refusal of therapy within
      four months after cancer diagnosed. METHODS: This was a retrospective national
      population-based study from 2004 to 2010 in Taiwan. This study included 35,095
      patients with new diagnosis breast cancer from Taiwan Cancer Registry Database.
      Several analysis methods, including t test, Chi-square test, generalized
      estimating equations of logistic regression analysis, and Cox proportional
      hazards model, were performed to explore the characteristics of these patients
      and the relative risk of mortality with delay or refusal of therapy. RESULTS: Our
      study showed that the overall survival rates were significantly different (p
      <0.05) between the breast cancer patients who delayed or refused therapy and
      those with treatment. The patients who delayed or refused therapy had lower 5
      year overall survival rate compared with the treated group. The related factors
      included age, Charlson comorbidity index, cancer staging (OR = 1.30-19.69; p
      <0.05), other catastrophic illnesses or injuries and the level of diagnostic
      hospitals. However, the patients with different income levels and degree of
      urbanization in living area were not statistically significant factors.
      CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that age and cancer staging were the main
      patient characteristics affecting whether the patients delayed or refused
      therapy. The delay or refusal of treatment was associated with the level of
      diagnosing hospital.

PMID- 26114877
TI  - Terahertz Spectroscopy and Solid-State Density Functional Theory Calculations of
      Cyanobenzaldehyde Isomers.
AB  - Spectral signatures in the terahertz (THz) frequency region are mainly due to
      bulk vibrations of the molecules. These resonances are highly sensitive to the
      relative position of atoms in a molecule as well as the crystal packing
      arrangement. To understand the variation of THz resonances, THz spectra (2-10
      THz) of three structural isomers: 2-, 3-, and 4-cyanobenzaldehyde have been
      studied. THz spectra obtained from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry
      of these isomers show that the resonances are distinctly different especially
      below 5 THz. For understanding the intermolecular interactions due to hydrogen
      bonds, four molecule cluster simulations of each of the isomers have been carried
      out using the B3LYP density functional with the 6-31G(d,p) basis set in
      Gaussian09 software and the compliance constants are obtained. However, to
      understand the exact reason behind the observed resonances, simulation of each
      isomer considering the full crystal structure is essential. The crystal structure
      of each isomer has been determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis for
      carrying out crystal structure simulations. Density functional theory (DFT)
      simulations using CRYSTAL14 software, utilizing the hybrid density functional
      B3LYP, have been carried out to understand the vibrational modes. The bond
      lengths and bond angles from the optimized structures are compared with the XRD
      results in terms of root-mean-square-deviation (RMSD) values. Very low RMSD
      values confirm the overall accuracy of the results. The simulations are able to
      predict most of the spectral features exhibited by the isomers. The results show
      that low frequency modes (<3 THz) are mediated through hydrogen bonds and are
      dominated by intermolecular vibrations. 

PMID- 26114876
TI  - Machine Learning Models and Pathway Genome Data Base for Trypanosoma cruzi Drug
      Discovery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by the
      eukaryotic parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. The current clinical and preclinical
      pipeline for T. cruzi is extremely sparse and lacks drug target diversity.
      METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the present study we developed a computational
      approach that utilized data from several public whole-cell, phenotypic high
      throughput screens that have been completed for T. cruzi by the Broad Institute,
      including a single screen of over 300,000 molecules in the search for chemical
      probes as part of the NIH Molecular Libraries program. We have also compiled and
      curated relevant biological and chemical compound screening data including (i)
      compounds and biological activity data from the literature, (ii) high throughput
      screening datasets, and (iii) predicted metabolites of T. cruzi metabolic
      pathways. This information was used to help us identify compounds and their
      potential targets. We have constructed a Pathway Genome Data Base for T. cruzi.
      In addition, we have developed Bayesian machine learning models that were used to
      virtually screen libraries of compounds. Ninety-seven compounds were selected for
      in vitro testing, and 11 of these were found to have EC50 < 10 MUM. We progressed
      five compounds to an in vivo mouse efficacy model of Chagas disease and validated
      that the machine learning model could identify in vitro active compounds not in
      the training set, as well as known positive controls. The antimalarial
      pyronaridine possessed 85.2% efficacy in the acute Chagas mouse model. We have
      also proposed potential targets (for future verification) for this compound based
      on structural similarity to known compounds with targets in T. cruzi.
      CONCLUSIONS/ SIGNIFICANCE: We have demonstrated how combining chemoinformatics
      and bioinformatics for T. cruzi drug discovery can bring interesting in vivo
      active molecules to light that may have been overlooked. The approach we have
      taken is broadly applicable to other NTDs.

PMID- 26114878
TI  - Reducing Lead on the Landscape: Anticipating Hunter Behavior in Absence of a Free
      Nonlead Ammunition Program.
AB  - Lead is a neurotoxin that has been documented to affect many forms of wildlife,
      and has been identified as a limiting factor in a population of California
      Condors in Northern Arizona. The Arizona Game and Fish Department provides
      vouchers for free nonlead ammunition to hunters selected to hunt within the
      distribution of California Condors, with the intention of having fewer lead-laden
      offal piles available to California Condors. Although wildlife agencies may
      reasonably assume voucher programs motivate hunters into choosing nonlead
      ammunition, the lead reduction efforts attributable to the voucher program has
      not been empirically quantified. Our intention was to compare a control group of
      hunters to a treatment group of hunters within California Condor occupied areas.
      Both groups received educational materials regarding the deleterious effects of
      lead, but the treatment group also received a voucher for a free initial box of
      ammunition. About half of the control group used nonlead ammunition, compared to
      about three-fourths of the treatment group. Prominent barriers to adoption of
      nonlead ammunition included a general difficulty of obtaining it, obtaining it in
      the desired caliber, and its costliness. Frequently mentioned motivations for
      using nonlead was the exhortation to use it by the Department, and the desire to
      aid California Condor recovery by hunters. The disparate compliance rates found
      herein confirm and quantify the success of nonlead ammunition voucher programs,
      but underscore the importance of working to increase the supply of nonlead
      ammunition with the end of facilitating its procurement and reducing its cost. 

PMID- 26114880
TI  - Development of nanotoxicology: implications for drug delivery and medical
      devices.
AB  - Current nanotoxicology research suffers from suboptimal in vitro models, lack of
      in vitro-in vivo correlations, variability within in vitro protocols, deficits in
      both material purity and physicochemical characterization. Reliable nanomaterial
      toxicity and mechanistic insights are required for health and toxicity risk
      assessments. Much in vitro toxicological data is inconclusive in designating
      whether nanomaterials for drug delivery and medical device implants are truly
      safe. A critique is presented to analyze the interface between toxicology and
      nanopharmaceuticals. Deficiencies of existing practices in toxicology are
      reviewed and useful emerging techniques (e.g., lab-on-a-chip, tissue engineering,
      atomic force microscopy, high-content analysis) are highlighted. Cross
      fertilization between disciplines will aid development of biocompatible delivery
      and implant platforms while improvements are being suggested for better
      translation of nanotoxicology. 

PMID- 26114879
TI  - AIM2 Drives Joint Inflammation in a Self-DNA Triggered Model of Chronic
      Polyarthritis.
AB  - Mice lacking DNase II display a polyarthritis-like disease phenotype that is
      driven by translocation of self-DNA into the cytoplasm of phagocytic cells, where
      it is sensed by pattern recognition receptors. While pro-inflammatory gene
      expression is non-redundantly linked to the presence of STING in these mice, the
      contribution of the inflammasome pathway has not been explored. To this end, we
      studied the role of the DNA-sensing inflammasome receptor AIM2 in this self-DNA
      driven disease model. Arthritis-prone mice lacking AIM2 displayed strongly
      decreased signs of joint inflammation and associated histopathological findings.
      This was paralleled with a reduction of caspase-1 activation and pro-inflammatory
      cytokine production in diseased joints. Interestingly, systemic signs of
      inflammation that are associated with the lack of DNase II were not dependent on
      AIM2. Taken together, these data suggest a tissue-specific role for the AIM2
      inflammasome as a sensor for endogenous DNA species in the course of a ligand
      dependent autoinflammatory condition. 

PMID- 26114881
TI  - Elution-extrusion counter-current chromatography for the separation of two pairs
      of isomeric monoterpenes from Paeoniae Alba Radix.
AB  - In this work, a simple and efficient protocol for the rapid separation of two
      pairs of isomeric monoterpenes from Paeoniae Alba Radix was developed by
      combining macroporous resin and elution-extrusion counter-current chromatography.
      The crude extract was firstly subjected to a D101 macroporous resin column eluted
      with water and a series of different concentrations of ethanol. Then, effluents
      of 30 and 95% ethanol were collected as sample 1 and sample 2 for further counter
      current chromatography purification. Finally, a pair of isomers, 96 mg of
      compound 1 and 48 mg of compound 2 with purities of 91.1 and 96.2%, respectively,
      was isolated from 200 mg of sample 1. The other pair of isomers, 14 mg of
      compound 3 and 8 mg of compound 4 with purities of 93.6 and 88.9%, respectively,
      was isolated from 48 mg of sample 2. Their purities were analyzed by high
      performance liquid chromatography, and their chemical structures were identified
      by mass spectrometry and (1) H NMR spectroscopy. Compared to a normal counter
      current chromatography separation, the separation time and solvent consumption of
      elution-extrusion counter-current chromatography were reduced while the
      resolutions were still good. The established protocol is promising for the
      separation of natural products with great disparity of content in herbal
      medicines. 

PMID- 26114885
TI  - The mechanics of American football cleats on natural grass and infill-type
      artificial playing surfaces with loads relevant to elite athletes.
AB  - This study quantified the mechanical interactions of 19 American football cleats
      with a natural grass and an infill-type artificial surface under loading
      conditions designed to represent play-relevant manoeuvres of elite athletes.
      Variation in peak forces and torques was observed across cleats when tested on
      natural grass (2.8-4.2 kN in translation, 120-174 Nm in rotation). A significant
      (p < 0.05) relationship was found between the peak force and torque on natural
      grass. Almost all of the cleats caused shear failure of the natural surface,
      which generated a divot following a test. This is a force-limiting cleat release
      mode. In contrast, all but one of the cleat types held fast in the artificial
      turf, resulting in force and torque limited by the prescribed input load from the
      test device (nom. 4.8 kN and 200 Nm). Only one cleat pattern, consisting of small
      deformable nubs, released on the artificial surface and generated force (3.9 kN)
      comparable to the range observed with natural grass. These findings (1) should
      inform the design of cleats intended for use on natural and artificial surfaces
      and (2) suggest a mechanical explanation for a higher lower-limb injury rate in
      elite athletes playing on artificial surfaces. 

PMID- 26114882
TI  - Abnormal Activation of BMP Signaling Causes Myopathy in Fbn2 Null Mice.
AB  - Fibrillins are large extracellular macromolecules that polymerize to form the
      backbone structure of connective tissue microfibrils. Mutations in the gene for
      fibrillin-1 cause the Marfan syndrome, while mutations in the gene for fibrillin
      2 cause Congenital Contractural Arachnodactyly. Both are autosomal dominant
      disorders, and both disorders affect musculoskeletal tissues. Here we show that
      Fbn2 null mice (on a 129/Sv background) are born with reduced muscle mass,
      abnormal muscle histology, and signs of activated BMP signaling in skeletal
      muscle. A delay in Myosin Heavy Chain 8, a perinatal myosin, was found in Fbn2
      null forelimb muscle tissue, consistent with the notion that muscle defects
      underlie forelimb contractures in these mice. In addition, white fat accumulated
      in the forelimbs during the early postnatal period. Adult Fbn2 null mice are
      already known to demonstrate persistent muscle weakness. Here we measured
      elevated creatine kinase levels in adult Fbn2 null mice, indicating ongoing
      cycles of muscle injury. On a C57Bl/6 background, Fbn2 null mice showed severe
      defects in musculature, leading to neonatal death from respiratory failure. These
      new findings demonstrate that loss of fibrillin-2 results in phenotypes similar
      to those found in congenital muscular dystrophies and that FBN2 should be
      considered as a candidate gene for recessive congenital muscular dystrophy. Both
      in vivo and in vitro evidence associated muscle abnormalities and accumulation of
      white fat in Fbn2 null mice with abnormally activated BMP signaling. Genetic
      rescue of reduced muscle mass and accumulation of white fat in Fbn2 null mice was
      accomplished by deleting a single allele of Bmp7. In contrast to other reports
      that activated BMP signaling leads to muscle hypertrophy, our findings
      demonstrate the exquisite sensitivity of BMP signaling to the fibrillin-2
      extracellular environment during early postnatal muscle development. New evidence
      presented here suggests that fibrillin-2 can sequester BMP complexes in a latent
      state. 

PMID- 26114883
TI  - PD-L1 and Survival in Solid Tumors: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Numerous agents targeting PD-L1/PD-1 check-point are in clinical
      development. However, the correlation between PD-L1 expression and prognosis of
      solid tumor is still in controversial. Here, we elicit a systematic review and
      meta-analysis to investigate the potential value of PD-L1 in the prognostic
      prediction in human solid tumors. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched for
      studies evaluating the expression of PD-L1 and overall survival (OS) of patients
      with solid tumors. Odds ratios (ORs) from individual studies were calculated and
      pooled by using a random-effect model, and heterogeneity and publication bias
      analyses were also performed. RESULTS: A total of 3107 patients with solid tumor
      from 28 published studies were included in the meta-analysis. The median
      percentage of solid tumors with PD-L1 overexpression was 52.5%. PD-L1
      overexpression was associated with worse OS at both 3 years (OR = 2.43, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) = 1.60 to 3.70, P < 0.0001) and 5 years (OR = 2.23, 95%
      CI = 1.40 to 3.55, P = 0.0008) of solid tumors. Among the tumor types, PD-L1 was
      associated with worse 3 year-OS of esophageal cancer, gastric cancer,
      hepatocellular carcinoma, and urothelial cancer, and 5 year-OS of esophageal
      cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest
      that expression of PD-L1 is associated with worse survival in solid tumors.
      However, the correlations between PD-L1 and prognosis are variant among different
      tumor types. More studies are needed to investigate the clinical value of PD-L1
      expression in prognostic prediction and treatment option.

PMID- 26114886
TI  - Determination of the degree of acetylation and the distribution of acetyl groups
      in chitosan by HPLC analysis of nitrous acid degraded and PMP labeled products.
AB  - Chitin is one of the most abundant polysaccharides on earth. It consists of
      repeating beta-1,4 linked N-acetylated glucosamine (A) units. Chitosan is an N
      deacetylated product of chitin. Chitosan and its derivatives have broad medical
      applications as drugs, nutraceuticals, or drug delivery agents. However, a
      reliable analytical method for quality control of medically used chitosans is
      still lacking. In current study, nitrous acid was used to cleave all glucosamine
      residues in chitosan into 2,5-anhydromannose (M) or M at the reducing end of di-,
      tri-, and oligosaccharides. PMP, i.e. 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone, was used to
      label all the Ms. Online UV detection allowed quantification of all M-containing
      UV peaks whereas online MS analysis directly identified 11 different kinds of
      mono-, di-, tri-, and oligosaccharides that correlated each oligosaccharide with
      specific UV peak after HPLC separation. The DA (degree of acetylation) for
      chitosans was calculated based on the A/(A+M) value derived from the UV data.
      This newly developed method had several advantages for quality control of
      chitosan: 1. the experimental procedures were extensively optimized; 2. the
      reliability of the method was confirmed by online LC-MS analysis; 3. the DA value
      was obtainable based on the UV data after HPLC analysis, which was comparableto
      that of (1)H NMR and conductometric titration analyses; 4. finally and most
      importantly, this method could be used to obtain the DA as well as chemical
      acetylation/deacetylation mechanisms for chitosan by any laboratory equipped with
      a HPLC and an online UV detector. 

PMID- 26114887
TI  - Synthesis of glycotriazololipids and observations on their self-assembly
      properties.
AB  - Various carbohydrate-anchored triazole-linked lipids prepared by solvent-free
      mechanochemical azide-alkyne click reaction, on analysis by TEM, have been found
      to spontaneously self-assemble in solvents leading to structures of interesting
      physicochemical attributes. Interestingly, analogous compounds based on different
      sugars (e.g., d-glucose, and d-galactose, as also d-lactose) assemble in patterns
      distinctly different from each other thus reiterating the fact that the structure
      of the sugar as well as that of the lipid are important factors that determine
      the size and shape of the supramolecular assembly formed. Besides, the molecular
      self-assembly was also found to be solvent-as well as temperature-dependent. 

PMID- 26114888
TI  - Host-microbe interactions as a driver of acclimation to salinity gradients in
      brown algal cultures.
AB  - Like most eukaryotes, brown algae live in association with bacterial communities
      that frequently have beneficial effects on their development. Ectocarpus is a
      genus of small filamentous brown algae, which comprises a strain that has
      recently colonized freshwater, a rare transition in this lineage. We generated an
      inventory of bacteria in Ectocarpus cultures and examined the effect they have on
      acclimation to an environmental change, that is, the transition from seawater to
      freshwater medium. Our results demonstrate that Ectocarpus depends on bacteria
      for this transition: cultures that have been deprived of their associated
      microbiome do not survive a transfer to freshwater, but restoring their
      microflora also restores the capacity to acclimate to this change. Furthermore,
      the transition between the two culture media strongly affects the bacterial
      community composition. Examining a range of other closely related algal strains,
      we observed that the presence of two bacterial operational taxonomic units
      correlated significantly with an increase in low salinity tolerance of the algal
      culture. Despite differences in the community composition, no indications were
      found for functional differences in the bacterial metagenomes predicted to be
      associated with algae in the salinities tested, suggesting functional redundancy
      in the associated bacterial community. Our study provides an example of how
      microbial communities may impact the acclimation and physiological response of
      algae to different environments, and thus possibly act as facilitators of
      speciation. It paves the way for functional examinations of the underlying host
      microbe interactions, both in controlled laboratory and natural conditions. 

PMID- 26114889
TI  - Non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs mediate dinitrogen fixation in biological soil
      crusts during early crust formation.
AB  - Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are key components of ecosystem productivity in
      arid lands and they cover a substantial fraction of the terrestrial surface. In
      particular, BSC N2-fixation contributes significantly to the nitrogen (N) budget
      of arid land ecosystems. In mature crusts, N2-fixation is largely attributed to
      heterocystous cyanobacteria; however, early successional crusts possess few N2
      fixing cyanobacteria and this suggests that microorganisms other than
      cyanobacteria mediate N2-fixation during the critical early stages of BSC
      development. DNA stable isotope probing with (15)N2 revealed that Clostridiaceae
      and Proteobacteria are the most common microorganisms that assimilate (15)N2 in
      early successional crusts. The Clostridiaceae identified are divergent from
      previously characterized isolates, though N2-fixation has previously been
      observed in this family. The Proteobacteria identified share >98.5% small subunit
      rRNA gene sequence identity with isolates from genera known to possess
      diazotrophs (for example, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Shigella and Ideonella). The
      low abundance of these heterotrophic diazotrophs in BSCs may explain why they
      have not been characterized previously. Diazotrophs have a critical role in BSC
      formation and characterization of these organisms represents a crucial step
      towards understanding how anthropogenic change will affect the formation and
      ecological function of BSCs in arid ecosystems. 

PMID- 26114890
TI  - A review of pregnancies complicated by congenital sacrococcygeal teratoma in the
      West Midlands region over an 18-year period: population-based, cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology and outcomes of sacrococcygeal teratoma
      (SCT) and identify the factors affecting prognosis in a population-based cohort.
      METHODS: Analyses of fetal SCTs from a population-based congenital anomaly
      register between 1995 and 2012, linked to regional datasets. A systematic
      literature review was performed for published studies on perinatal SCT (1995 to
      2012). RESULTS: Thirty-six confirmed SCT cases were identified, giving a total
      prevalence of 0.30 per 10 000 births (95%CI 0.20-0.39). Twenty-three cases
      (63.9%) were diagnosed prenatally. There were six false positive prenatal
      diagnoses, and the positive predictive value of ultrasound for SCT was 79.3%.
      Secondary complications in prenatally diagnosed cases were polyhydramnios
      (27.2%), fetal hydrops (9.1%) and rapidly growing tumour (54.0%). The perinatal
      (PNMR) and infant mortality rates were 333.3 per 1000 births and 285.7 per 1000
      live births, respectively. All stillbirths and infant deaths occurred in cases
      diagnosed prenatally. Factors associated with higher PNMR in registerable births
      were solid, vascular tumour composition (1000), polyhydramnios (667), premature
      delivery (667) and rapidly growing tumour (454). In the systematic review,
      prenatal hydrops fetalis and prematurity were the most morbid association in SCT.
      CONCLUSION: Prenatal ultrasound was relatively sensitive and specific in
      diagnosing SCT with good survival rates in live-born cases.

PMID- 26114891
TI  - Structural and Mechanical Improvements to Bone Are Strain Dependent with Axial
      Compression of the Tibia in Female C57BL/6 Mice.
AB  - Strain-induced adaption of bone has been well-studied in an axial loading model
      of the mouse tibia. However, most outcomes of these studies are restricted to
      changes in bone architecture and do not explore the mechanical implications of
      those changes. Herein, we studied both the mechanical and morphological adaptions
      of bone to three strain levels using a targeted tibial loading mouse model. We
      hypothesized that loading would increase bone architecture and improve cortical
      mechanical properties in a dose-dependent fashion. The right tibiae of female
      C57BL/6 mice (8 week old) were compressively loaded for 2 weeks to a maximum
      compressive force of 8.8N, 10.6N, or 12.4N (generating periosteal strains on the
      anteromedial region of the mid-diaphysis of 1700 MUepsilon, 2050 MUepsilon, or
      2400 MUepsilon as determined by a strain calibration), while the left limb served
      as an non-loaded control. Following loading, ex vivo analyses of bone
      architecture and cortical mechanical integrity were assessed by micro-computed
      tomography and 4-point bending. Results indicated that loading improved bone
      architecture in a dose-dependent manner and improved mechanical outcomes at 2050
      MUepsilon. Loading to 2050 MUepsilon resulted in a strong and compelling
      formation response in both cortical and cancellous regions. In addition, both
      structural and tissue level strength and energy dissipation were positively
      impacted in the diaphysis. Loading to the highest strain level also resulted in
      rapid and robust formation of bone in both cortical and cancellous regions.
      However, these improvements came at the cost of a woven bone response in half of
      the animals. Loading to the lowest strain level had little effect on bone
      architecture and failed to impact structural- or tissue-level mechanical
      properties. Potential systemic effects were identified for trabecular bone volume
      fraction, and in the pre-yield region of the force-displacement and stress-strain
      curves. Future studies will focus on a moderate load level which was largely
      beneficial in terms of cortical/cancellous structure and cortical mechanical
      function. 

PMID- 26114892
TI  - Identification of small molecule inhibitors of Zcchc11 TUTase activity.
AB  - The RNA-binding protein Lin28 regulates the expression of the let-7 family of
      microRNAs (miRNAs) during early embryonic development. Lin28 recruits the 3'
      terminal uridylyl transferase (TUTase) Zcchc11 (TUT4) and/or Zcchc6 (TUT7) to
      precursor let-7 RNA (pre-let-7) to selectively block let-7 biogenesis. Uridylated
      pre-let-7 is targeted for decay by the downstream exonuclease Dis3l2 thereby
      preventing processing to mature let-7. Activation of this oncogenic pathway via
      up-regulation of Lin28 expression promotes cellular transformation, drives
      tumorigenesis in mouse models, and is frequently observed in a wide variety of
      cancer. Recent proof-of-principle experiments showed that Zcchc11 knockdown
      inhibits the tumorigenicity of Lin28-expressing human cancer cells and
      established this enzyme as a possible new therapeutic target for human
      malignancies. However, there are currently no known pharmacological agents
      capable of targeting this novel enzyme. In this study we developed and applied a
      sensitive biochemical assay that monitors Zcchc11 activity. Using this assay we
      performed an automated high-throughput screen of ~ 15,000 chemicals to identify
      putative TUTase inhibitors. Several of these small molecules were validated as
      specific inhibitors of Zcchc11 activity. Our results demonstrate the feasibility
      of screening for TUTase inhibitors and present a relatively simple platform that
      can be exploited for future drug discovery efforts aimed at restoring let-7
      expression in cancer.

PMID- 26114894
TI  - Two Ene-Yne Metathesis Approaches to the Total Synthesis of Amphidinolide P.
AB  - The total synthesis of amphidinolide P was achieved through two different ene-yne
      metathesis approaches. In each approach, the metathesis step was performed at
      late stages in the synthesis with all other functionality present. By forging two
      successful pathways to the synthesis of 1, some of the strengths and weaknesses
      of metathesis-intensive synthetic strategies were identified. 

PMID- 26114895
TI  - Seasonal spatial heterogeneity of warming rates on the Tibetan Plateau over the
      past 30 years.
AB  - Based on temperature data from 79 meteorological stations, we estimate the
      warming rate by season on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) during 1984-2013. The warming
      rate was spatially heterogeneous across seasons over the past 30 years. The
      northern TP (NTP) experienced more warming than the southern TP (STP) (divided
      near 33  degrees N) in all seasons. The greatest north-south difference in
      warming was 0.70 +/- 0.11  degrees C for summer (June-August), while the smallest
      difference was 0.27 +/- 0.14  degrees C for the cold season (November-April).
      Such seasonal and spatial heterogeneity in the warming rate is consistent with
      the seasonal precipitation patterns of the NTP and the STP. One possible cause
      for this phenomenon is that more precipitation occurs in the STP than in the NTP
      (especially for summer), accompanied by more low cloud cover, which may have
      slowed the warming rate. Our results imply that dry regions on the TP will
      possibly experience greater temperature increase than wet regions under future
      global warming, and this will be more prominent in summer.

PMID- 26114893
TI  - Impairment measures versus inflammatory RODS in GBS and CIDP: a responsiveness
      comparison.
AB  - This study aimed to 'define responder' through the concept of minimum clinically
      important differences using the individually obtained standard errors (MCID-SE)
      and a heuristic 'external criterion' responsiveness method in patients with
      Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating
      polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). One hundred and fourteen newly diagnosed or
      relapsing patients (GBS: 55, CIDP: 59) were serially examined (1-year follow-up).
      The inflammatory Rasch-built overall disability scale (I-RODS), Rasch-transformed
      MRC sum score (RT-MRC), and Rasch-transformed modified-INCAT-sensory scale (RT
      mISS) were assessed. Being-a-responder was defined as having a MCID-SE cut-off
      >=1.96. Also, the correlations between patients' scores on each scale and the
      EuroQoL health-status 'thermometer' (external criterion) were determined (higher
      correlation indicated better responsiveness). In both diseases, the SEs showed a
      characteristic 'U'-shaped dynamic pattern across each scales' continuum. The
      number of patients showing a meaningful change were higher for the I-RODS > RT
      MRC > RT-mISS and were in GBS higher than CIDP patients. The MCID-SE concept
      using Rasch-transformed data demonstrated an individual pattern of 'being-a
      responder' in patients with immune-mediated neuropathies, and the findings were
      validated by the external criterion responsiveness method. The I-RODS showed
      greater responsiveness compared with the MRC and INCAT-sensory scales, and its
      use is therefore recommended in future trials in GBS and CIDP. 

PMID- 26114896
TI  - Incremental value of live/real time three-dimensional transesophageal
      echocardiography over the two-dimensional technique in the assessment of primary
      cardiac malignant fibrous histiocytoma.
AB  - We describe a case of primary cardiac malignant fibrous histiocytoma where
      live/real time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography added
      incremental value to the two-dimensional modalities. Specifically, the three
      dimensional technique allowed us to delineate the true extent and infiltration of
      the tumor, to identify characteristics of the tumor mass suggestive of its
      malignant nature, and to quantitatively assess the total tumor burden. 

PMID- 26114897
TI  - Mechanical Testing of a Synthetic Canine Gastrocnemius Tendon Implant.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test a polyethylene terephthalate prosthesis (STIF, Chenove,
      France) for gastrocnemius tendon repair in dogs (cadaver model). STUDY DESIGN: In
      vitro mechanical study. ANIMALS: Pelvic limbs (n = 8) from 4 recently
      euthanatized adult dogs (weighing 30-45 kg). METHODS: Proximally the implant was
      sutured at the myotendinous junction of the gastrocnemius and distally secured in
      a 4.5 mm blind ending tunnel in the medullary cavity of the calcaneus using an
      interference screw (STIF, Chenove, France). Proximal and distal fixation were
      tested independently using an electrodynamic testing machine (Electropuls 3000,
      Instron, UK). RESULTS: Mean +/- SD failure loads for the proximal fixation
      (266.13 +/- 43.88 N) was significantly less than for the distal fixation (649.25
      +/- 210.36 N; P = .042, paired t-test). Mean stiffness of the proximal and distal
      constructs were 19.08 +/- 8.16 N/mm and 139.76 +/- 24.51 N/mm, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Failure loads exceeded the values reported after experimental repair
      of chronic gastrocnemius tendon injuries using other methods involving suturing
      tendon to bone. Failure of this repair method clinically is predicted to occur
      proximally at the level of the myotendinous junction.

PMID- 26114898
TI  - Author guidelines in dermatological journals discourage the use of the CAse
      REport guidelines.

PMID- 26114899
TI  - Decadal re-evaluation of contaminant exposure and productivity of ospreys
      (Pandion haliaetus) nesting in Chesapeake Bay Regions of Concern.
AB  - The last large-scale ecotoxicological study of ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) in
      Chesapeake Bay was conducted in 2000-2001 and focused on U.S. EPA-designated
      Regions of Concern (ROCs; Baltimore Harbor/Patapsco, Anacostia/middle Potomac,
      and Elizabeth Rivers). In 2011-2012, ROCs were re-evaluated to determine spatial
      and temporal trends in productivity and contaminants. Concentrations of p,p'-DDE
      were low in eggs and below the threshold associated with eggshell thinning. Eggs
      from the Anacostia/middle Potomac Rivers had lower total PCB concentrations in
      2011 than in 2000; however, concentrations remained unchanged in Baltimore
      Harbor. Polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants declined by 40%, and five
      alternative brominated flame retardants were detected at low levels. Osprey
      productivity was adequate to sustain local populations, and there was no relation
      between productivity and halogenated contaminants. Our findings document
      continued recovery of the osprey population, declining levels of many persistent
      halogenated compounds, and modest evidence of genetic damage in nestlings from
      industrialized regions. 

PMID- 26114900
TI  - Induction of bacterial antibiotic resistance by mutagenic halogenated nitrogenous
      disinfection byproducts.
AB  - Halogenated nitrogenous disinfection byproducts (N-DBPs) raise concerns regarding
      their mutagenicity and carcinogenicity threatening public health. However,
      environmental consequence of their mutagenicity has received less attention. In
      this study, the effect of halogenated N-DBPs on bacterial antibiotic resistance
      (BAR) was investigated. After exposure to bromoacetamide (BAcAm),
      trichloroacetonitrile (TCAN) or tribromonitromethane (TBNM), the resistance of
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 to both individual and multiple antibiotics
      (ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, polymyxin B, rifampin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin +
      gentamicin and ciprofloxacin + tetracycline) was increased, which was
      predominantly ascribed to the overexpression of efflux pumps. The mechanism of
      this effect was demonstrated to be mutagenesis through sequencing and analyzing
      antibiotic resistance genes. The same induction phenomena also appeared in
      Escherichia coli, suggesting this effect may be universal to waterborne
      pathogens. Therefore, more attention should be given to halogenated N-DBPs, as
      they could increase not only genotoxicological risks but also epidemiological
      risks of drinking water.

PMID- 26114902
TI  - Novel Wire-on-Plate Electrostatic Precipitator (WOP-EP) for Controlling Fine
      Particle and Nanoparticle Pollution.
AB  - A new wire-on-plate electrostatic precipitator (WOP-EP), where discharge wires
      are attached directly on the surface of a dielectric plate, was developed to ease
      the installation of the wires, minimize particle deposition on the wires, and
      lower ozone emission while maintaining a high particle collection efficiency. For
      a lab-scale WOP-EP (width, 50 mm; height, 20 mm; length, 180 mm) tested at the
      applied voltage of 18 kV, experimental total particle collection efficiencies
      were found as high as 90.9-99.7 and 98.8-99.9% in the particle size range of 30
      1870 nm at the average air velocities of 0.50 m/s (flow rate, 30 L/min; residence
      time, 0.36 s) and 0.25 m/s (flow rate, 15 L/min; residence time, 0.72 s),
      respectively. Particle collection efficiencies calculated by numerical models
      agreed well with the experimental results. The comparison to the traditional wire
      in-plate EP showed that, at the same applied voltage, the current WOP-EP emitted
      1-2 orders of magnitude lower ozone concentration, had cleaner discharge wires
      after heavy particle loading in the EP, and recovered high particle collection
      efficiency after the grounded collection plate was cleaned. It is expected that
      the current WOP-EP can be scaled up as an efficient air-cleaning device to
      control fine particle and nanoparticle pollution. 

PMID- 26114903
TI  - The pretense debate.
AB  - In a number of publications, Alan Leslie and colleagues have developed a theory
      of the psychological mechanisms underlying pretense. This theory maintains that
      pretense is an early manifestation of "theory of mind" or "mindreading" - the
      capacity to attribute mental states to oneself and others. Nichols and Stich
      proposed an alternative theory of pretense on which pretense in young children
      does not require mindreading. Rather, they argued, young children have a
      behavioral understanding of pretense. In a lengthy critique, Friedman and Leslie
      made a persuasive case that the Nichols and Stich theory cannot account for the
      early emergence of children's capacity to engage in joint pretense and recognize
      pretense in others. In this paper, we set out a new "pretense game" theory of
      pretense that avoids the problems raised by Friedman and Leslie, and does not
      require that children who engage in joint pretense must have a theory of mind. We
      go on to argue that our pretense game theory can explain many of the facts about
      pretense that go unexplained in Leslie's theory. The central shortcoming of
      Leslie's theory is that it attempts to explain the production and recognition of
      pretense behavior by positing the existence of an innate concept, without
      explaining how this concept enables those who have it to recognize or produce
      pretense behavior. 

PMID- 26114901
TI  - Interference control training for PTSD: A randomized controlled trial of a novel
      computer-based intervention.
AB  - Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and debilitating condition
      characterized by persistent intrusive memories. Although effective treatments
      exist for PTSD, there is a need for development of alternative treatments.
      Diminished ability to control proactive interference may contribute to re
      experiencing symptoms and may be a novel intervention target. The present study
      tested an intervention designed to modify proactive interference control
      clinicaltrials.gov identifier: (NCT02139137). Forty-two women with PTSD were
      randomly assigned to a computerized cognitive training or a control condition.
      The impact of these programs on cognitive performance and symptoms was assessed.
      PTSD re-experiencing symptoms and interference control performance improved
      significantly more for individuals in the training group relative to those in the
      control group. Other PTSD and general distress symptoms improved equally over
      time in both groups. Cognitive training of this type may hold promise as a novel
      intervention for reducing PTSD symptoms, although the mechanism of action and
      implications for models of PTSD requires future study. 

PMID- 26114904
TI  - Simulating the cross-linguistic pattern of Optional Infinitive errors in
      children's declaratives and Wh- questions.
AB  - One of the most striking features of children's early multi-word speech is their
      tendency to produce non-finite verb forms in contexts in which a finite verb form
      is required (Optional Infinitive [OI] errors, Wexler, 1994). MOSAIC is a
      computational model of language learning that simulates developmental changes in
      the rate of OI errors across several different languages by learning compound
      finite constructions from the right edge of the utterance (Freudenthal, Pine,
      Aguado-Orea, & Gobet, 2007; Freudenthal, Pine, & Gobet, 2006a, 2009). However,
      MOSAIC currently only simulates the pattern of OI errors in declaratives, and
      there are important differences in the cross-linguistic patterning of OI errors
      in declaratives and Wh- questions. In the present study, we describe a new
      version of MOSAIC that learns from both the right and left edges of the
      utterance. Our simulations demonstrate that this new version of the model is able
      to capture the cross-linguistic patterning of OI errors in declaratives in
      English, Dutch, German and Spanish by learning from declarative input, and the
      cross-linguistic patterning of OI errors in Wh- questions in English, German and
      Spanish by learning from interrogative input. These results show that MOSAIC is
      able to provide an integrated account of the cross-linguistic patterning of OI
      errors in declaratives and Wh- questions, and provide further support for the
      view, instantiated in MOSAIC, that OI errors are compound-finite utterances with
      missing modals or auxiliaries. 

PMID- 26114905
TI  - Learning novel phonological neighbors: Syntactic category matters.
AB  - Novel words (like tog) that sound like well-known words (dog) are hard for
      toddlers to learn, even though children can hear the difference between them
      (Swingley & Aslin, 2002, 2007). One possibility is that phonological competition
      alone is the problem. Another is that a broader set of probabilistic
      considerations is responsible: toddlers may resist considering tog as a novel
      object label because its neighbor dog is also an object. In three experiments,
      French 18-month-olds were taught novel words whose word forms were phonologically
      similar to familiar nouns (noun-neighbors), to familiar verbs (verb-neighbors) or
      to nothing (no-neighbors). Toddlers successfully learned the no-neighbors and
      verb-neighbors but failed to learn the noun-neighbors, although both novel
      neighbors had a familiar phonological neighbor in the toddlers' lexicon. We
      conclude that when creating a novel lexical entry, toddlers' evaluation of
      similarity in the lexicon is multidimensional, incorporating both phonological
      and semantic or syntactic features. 

PMID- 26114907
TI  - The yield of colonic biopsy in the evaluation of chronic unexplained diarrhea.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In clinical practice, colonoscopy is widely used for the
      workup of chronic unexplained diarrhea. The aim of this study was to determine
      the yield of colonic biopsy in such an endeavor. METHODS: In a computerized
      database of 130 204 patients evaluated for chronic diarrhea, we tested the
      influence of biopsy site, number of tissue fragments, patient symptoms, and
      indication on the outcome of histopathologic evaluation. RESULTS: The population
      comprised 69% women and 31% men aged (mean+/-SD) 52.8+/-17.4 years. In 19% of
      patients, histopathological analysis revealed various types of mucosal lesion,
      the most common being microscopic colitis (8.6%), ulcerative colitis (2.2%),
      Crohn's disease (0.6%), active colitis (5.0%), diverticulitis (0.1%), and colonic
      ischemia (0.5%). In 29% of patients, the colonoscopy also revealed the presence
      of colon polyps. Endoscopists tended to take significantly more tissue samples
      from endoscopically visible lesions than for random biopsies of macroscopically
      normal-appearing mucosa. CONCLUSION: Overall, these associations suggest that
      specific diagnoses lead to more biopsies, rather than more biopsies leading to
      more diagnoses. Colonoscopy is a successful tool in the workup of chronic
      diarrhea, yielding a definitive diagnosis in almost one-fifth of all patients. As
      an added benefit, it also contributes to cancer prevention through the incidental
      findings of colonic neoplasm.

PMID- 26114906
TI  - A 12-Week Physical and Cognitive Exercise Program Can Improve Cognitive Function
      and Neural Efficiency in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled
      Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether a 12-week physical and cognitive exercise
      program can improve cognitive function and brain activation efficiency in
      community-dwelling older adults. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING:
      Kyoto, Japan. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling older adults (N = 48) were
      randomized into an exercise group (n = 24) and a control group (n = 24).
      INTERVENTION: Exercise group participants received a weekly dual task-based
      multimodal exercise class in combination with pedometer-based daily walking
      exercise during the 12-week intervention phase. Control group participants did
      not receive any intervention and were instructed to spend their time as usual
      during the intervention phase. MEASUREMENTS: The outcome measures were global
      cognitive function, memory function, executive function, and brain activation
      (measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging) associated with visual
      short-term memory. RESULTS: Exercise group participants had significantly greater
      postintervention improvement in memory and executive functions than the control
      group (P < .05). In addition, after the intervention, less activation was found
      in several brain regions associated with visual short-term memory, including the
      prefrontal cortex, in the exercise group (P < .001, uncorrected). CONCLUSION: A
      12-week physical and cognitive exercise program can improve the efficiency of
      brain activation during cognitive tasks in older adults, which is associated with
      improvements in memory and executive function.

PMID- 26114908
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of data on aspartate aminotransferase to platelets index
      might be false in the paper by Tafarel et al.

PMID- 26114909
TI  - Cirrhotic patients with large esophageal varices and older age have poor
      hemodynamic response to terlipressin.

PMID- 26114910
TI  - Bayesian network meta-analysis to evaluate interferon-free treatments in naive
      patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus infection.

PMID- 26114911
TI  - Oesophageal adenocarcinoma and atrophic gastritis.

PMID- 26114912
TI  - Response to: oesophageal adenocarcinoma and atrophic gastritis - different
      viewpoints on the junction.

PMID- 26114914
TI  - Word recognition in Alzheimer's disease: Effects of semantic degeneration.
AB  - Impairments of word recognition in Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been less widely
      investigated than impairments affecting word retrieval and production. In
      particular, we know little about what makes individual words easier or harder for
      patients with AD to recognize. We used a lexical selection task in which
      participants were shown sets of four items, each set consisting of one word and
      three non-words. The task was simply to point to the word on each trial. Forty
      patients with mild-to-moderate AD were significantly impaired on this task
      relative to matched controls who made very few errors. The number of patients
      with AD able to recognize each word correctly was predicted by the frequency, age
      of acquisition, and imageability of the words, but not by their length or number
      of orthographic neighbours. Patient Mini-Mental State Examination and
      phonological fluency scores also predicted the number of words recognized. We
      propose that progressive degradation of central semantic representations in AD
      differentially affects the ability to recognize low-imageability, low-frequency,
      late-acquired words, with the same factors affecting word recognition as
      affecting word retrieval.

PMID- 26114917
TI  - Black Carbon Contribution to Organic Carbon Stocks in Urban Soil.
AB  - Soil holds 75% of the total organic carbon (TOC) stock in terrestrial ecosystems.
      This comprises ecosystem-derived organic carbon (OC) and black carbon (BC), a
      recalcitrant product of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass.
      Urban topsoils are often enriched in BC from historical emissions of soot and
      have high TOC concentrations, but the contribution of BC to TOC throughout the
      urban soil profile, at a regional scale is unknown. We sampled 55 urban soil
      profiles across the North East of England, a region with a history of coal
      burning and heavy industry. Through combined elemental and thermogravimetic
      analyses, we found very large total soil OC stocks (31-65 kg m(-2) to 1 m),
      exceeding typical values reported for UK woodland soils. BC contributed 28-39% of
      the TOC stocks, up to 23 kg C m(-2) to 1 m, and was affected by soil texture. The
      proportional contribution of the BC-rich fraction to TOC increased with soil
      depth, and was enriched in topsoil under trees when compared to grassland. Our
      findings establish the importance of urban ecosystems in storing large amounts of
      OC in soils and that these soils also capture a large proportion of BC
      particulates emitted within urban areas. 

PMID- 26114916
TI  - Triclosan and prescription antibiotic exposures and enterolactone production in
      adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The gut microbiome plays an important role in the development of
      disease. The composition of the microbiome is influenced by factors such as mode
      of delivery at birth, diet and antibiotic use, yet the influence of environmental
      chemical exposures is largely unknown. The antimicrobial compound triclosan,
      found in many personal care products and widely detected in human urine, is an
      environmental exposure for which systemic microbiotic effects may be of
      particular interest. To investigate the relationship between triclosan and gut
      microflora, we assessed the association between triclosan and enterolactone, an
      intestinal metabolite that is produced via bacterial transformation of dietary
      lignans (seeds, nuts) and has known susceptibility to oral antibiotics. METHODS:
      We examined urinary triclosan and enterolactone for 2005-2008 U.S. National
      Health and Nutrition Examination Survey subjects, aged >=20 years (n=3041). We
      also examined the association between prescription antibiotic use and
      enterolactone to confirm its susceptibility to changes in bacterial composition
      of the body. Associations between natural log-transformed enterolactone and (1)
      detected vs. not detected (<2.3 ng/mL) triclosan, (2) triclosan quintiles (Q1
      Q5), and (3) any vs. no antibiotics were estimated with multiple linear
      regression, adjusting for sex, age, race, body mass index, poverty income ratio,
      education, fiber intake, bowel movement frequency, cotinine and creatinine
      (n=2441). RESULTS: Triclosan was detected in 80% of subjects (range: <2.3-3620
      ng/mL), while enterolactone was detected in >99% of subjects (range: <0.1-122,000
      ng/mL). After adjustment, enterolactone was not associated with triclosan (detect
      vs. non-detect: beta= 0.07 (95% CI: -0.15, 0.30); Q5 (>=104.5 ng/mL) vs. Q1
      (none): beta= 0.06 (95% CI: -0.21, 0.34)). In sex-stratified analyses, triclosan
      was associated with higher enterolactone in women (detect vs. non-detect: beta=
      0.31 (95% CI: -0.07, 0.70), but not men beta= -0.18 (95% CI: -0.47, 0.11).
      However, any antibiotic use (n=112), as compared to no antibiotic use, was
      associated with significantly lower enterolactone (beta=-0.78 (95%CI: -1.22, 
      0.36)), with no sex-specific effects. This association was driven by inverse
      associations with the following antibiotic classes: macrolide derivatives,
      quinolones, sulfonamides, and lincomycin derivatives. CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotics,
      but not triclosan, are negatively associated with urinary enterolactone.
      Antibiotics may reduce enterolactone by killing certain gut bacteria. At levels
      detected in the U.S., triclosan does not appear to be acting similarly, despite
      broad antimicrobial properties. Additional study of determinants of triclosan
      exposure and enterolactone production may be needed to better understand positive
      associations among women.

PMID- 26114918
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of algorithms to identify hepatitis C status, AIDS status,
      alcohol consumption and illicit drug use among patients living with HIV in an
      administrative healthcare database.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aims to develop and evaluate diagnostic algorithms for AIDS,
      hepatitis C status, alcohol abuse and illicit drug use in the administrative
      healthcare database of the Province of Quebec, Canada (Regie de l'assurance
      maladie du Quebec (RAMQ)). METHODS: We selected HIV-positive patients
      contributing to both the RAMQ database and a local clinical database, which was
      used as gold standard. We developed algorithms to identify the diagnoses of
      interest in RAMQ using data from hospital discharge summaries and medical and
      pharmaceutical claims databases. We estimated and compared sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive values and area under
      receiver operating curve for each algorithm. RESULTS: Four hundred twenty
      patients contributed to both databases. Prevalence of conditions of interest in
      the clinical database was as follows: AIDS 233 (55%), hepatitis C infection 105
      (25%), alcohol abuse 106 (25%), illicit drug use 144 (34%) and intravenous drug
      use 107 (25%). Sensitivity to detect AIDS, hepatitis C, alcohol abuse, illicit
      drug use and intravenous drug use was 46% [95%CI: 39-53], 26% [18-35], 50% [37
      57], 64% [55-72] and 70% [61-79], respectively. Specificity to detect these
      conditions was 91% [86-95], 97% [94-98], 92% [88-95], 95% [92-97] and 90% [87
      93], respectively. Positive predictive values were 87% [80-92], 71% [54-85], 68%
      [56-78], 87% [79-93] and 72% [62-80], respectively. Area under receiver operating
      curve varied from 0.62 [0.57-0.65] for hepatitis C to 0.80 [0.76-0.85] for
      intravenous drug use. CONCLUSIONS: Sensitivity was low to detect AIDS, alcohol
      abuse, illicit drug use and especially hepatitis C in RAMQ. Researchers must be
      aware of the potential for residual confounding and must consider additional
      methods to control for confounding.

PMID- 26114919
TI  - Technologies of the Self and Ethnographic Praxis.
AB  - The authors contributing to this special issue draw on Foucault's notion of
      technologies of the self: the means by which people operate on their own bodies
      and souls in pursuit of self-transformation, always according to particular
      regimes of value. Foucault's notion remains attractive to anthropology: the
      technologies are ethnographically visible, and they illustrate how power affects
      the intimate realms of social life. The authors in this issue take up three
      problems: (1) the process by which people craft new subjectivities, (2) the
      genealogy of the new technologies of the self now circulating in East Asia, and
      (3) the forms of governance and political rationality that they justify. The
      articles as a whole testify to the fruitful encounter between ethnographic praxis
      and Foucault's philosophical project. They also show how transnational movement
      and hybrid cultural forms inflect the strategies of governance associated with
      modern technologies of the self, especially those allied with biomedicine.

PMID- 26114920
TI  - Fried food and prostate cancer risk: systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - We performed systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies that
      investigated the potential association between fried food consumption and
      prostate cancer risk. Four case-control studies were finally selected for this
      systematic literature review, totaling 2579 cancer patients and 2277 matched
      controls. In two of these studies, the larger intake of fried food was associated
      with a 1.3- to 2.3-fold increased risk of prostate cancer, no significant
      association was found in another, whereas an inverse relationship was observed in
      the remaining. The meta-analysis of published data showed that larger intake of
      fried food was associated with a 35% (95% CI 17-57%) increased risk of prostate
      cancer. The results of this systematic literature review support the notion that
      larger intake of fried foods may have a role in increasing the risk of prostate
      cancer. 

PMID- 26114921
TI  - Word-finding impairment in veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
AB  - Approximately one quarter of 1991 Persian Gulf War Veterans experience cognitive
      and physiological sequelae that continue to be unexplained by known medical or
      psychological conditions. Difficulty coming up with words and names, familiar
      before the war, is a hallmark of the illness. Three Gulf War Syndrome subtypes
      have been identified and linked to specific war-time chemical exposures. The most
      functionally impaired veterans belong to the Gulf War Syndrome 2 (Syndrome 2)
      group, for which subcortical damage due to toxic nerve gas exposure is the
      suspected cause. Subcortical damage is often associated with specific complex
      language impairments, and Syndrome 2 veterans have demonstrated poorer vocabulary
      relative to controls. 11 Syndrome 1, 16 Syndrome 2, 9 Syndrome 3, and 14 age
      matched veteran controls from the Seabees Naval Construction Battalion were
      compared across three measures of complex language. Additionally, functional
      magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was collected during a covert category
      generation task, and whole-brain functional activity was compared between groups.
      Results demonstrated that Syndrome 2 veterans performed significantly worse on
      letter and category fluency relative to Syndrome 1 veterans and controls. They
      also exhibited reduced activity in the thalamus, putamen, and amygdala, and
      increased activity in the right hippocampus relative to controls. Syndrome 1 and
      Syndrome 3 groups tended to show similar, although smaller, differences than the
      Syndrome 2 group. Hence, these results further demonstrate specific impairments
      in complex language as well as subcortical and hippocampal involvement in
      Syndrome 2 veterans. Further research is required to determine the extent of
      language impairments in this population and the significance of altered
      neurologic activity in the aforementioned brain regions with the purpose of
      better characterizing the Gulf War Syndromes. 

PMID- 26114922
TI  - Distractor inhibition: Evidence from lateralized readiness potentials.
AB  - The present study investigated distractor inhibition on the level of stimulus
      representation. In a sequential distractor-to-distractor priming task
      participants had to respond to target letters flanked by distractor digits.
      Reaction time and stimulus-locked lateralized readiness potentials (S-LRPs) of
      probe responses were measured. Distractor-target onset asynchrony was varied. For
      RTs responses to probe targets were faster in the case of prime-distractor
      repetition compared to distractor changes indicating distractor inhibition.
      Benefits in RTs and the latency of S-LRP onsets for distractor repetition were
      also modulated by distractor-target onset asynchrony. For S-LRPs distractor
      inhibition was only present with a simultaneous onset of distractors and target.
      The results confirm previous results indicating inhibitory mechanisms of object
      based selective attention on the level of distractor representations. 

PMID- 26114923
TI  - Uric acid and skin microvascular function: the Maastricht study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Microvascular dysfunction has been suggested as a possible underlying
      mechanism for the association between uric acid and various diseases, such as
      hypertension, renal disease and cardiomyopathies. We therefore analysed the
      association between serum uric acid and skin microvascular function, a model of
      generalized microvascular function. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was
      performed in 610 individuals [51.8% men; mean age 58.7 +/- 8.6 years; 23.6% with
      type 2 diabetes (by design)] from The Maastricht Study. We assessed skin
      capillary density (capillaries/mm) by capillaroscopy at baseline, after 4 min of
      arterial occlusion, and after 2 min of venous congestion. Capillary recruitment
      after arterial occlusion and during venous congestion was expressed as the
      absolute change in capillary density after recruitment and as the percentage
      change in capillary density from baseline. RESULTS: Crude linear regression
      analyses showed that serum uric acid [per +1 standard deviation (SD) of 74
      MUmol/l] was not associated with baseline capillary density [beta = -0.21 (95%
      confidence interval, 95% CI -1.61 to 1.19) P = 0.765], while an inverse
      association was found between uric acid and absolute change in capillary density
      after arterial occlusion [beta = -1.15 (95% CI -2.36 to 0.06) P = 0.062] and
      during venous congestion [beta = -1.41 (95% CI -2.68 to -0.14) P = 0.029].
      However, after adjustment for sex, age and glucose metabolism status, these
      associations were no longer statistically significant. In addition, we found no
      association between uric acid and percentage capillary recruitment after arterial
      occlusion [beta = -1.66 (95% CI -3.97 to 0.65) P = 0.159] or during venous
      congestion [beta = -2.02 (95% CI -4.46 to 0.42) P = 0.104] in unadjusted
      analyses; multivariable analyses gave similar results. CONCLUSION: These results
      do not support the hypothesis that generalized microvascular dysfunction (as
      estimated in skin microcirculation) is the underlying mechanism for the
      association between uric acid and cardiovascular and renal diseases. The
      possibility that uric acid is associated with microvascular dysfunction in
      specific end-organs, for example heart or kidney, needs further investigation.

PMID- 26114924
TI  - Predicting the neural effect of switching from donepezil to galantamine based on
      single-photon emission computed tomography findings in patients with Alzheimer's
      disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A number of neuroimaging studies have addressed the specific effect
      of treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors on the frontal lobe in patients with
      Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the neural effects of cholinesterase
      inhibitors on both apathy and executive dysfunction remain unclear. We examined
      whether baseline regional cerebral blood flow, as determined by using single
      photon emission computed tomography, is capable of predicting changes in apathy
      and executive dysfunction in response to AD patients switching from donepezil to
      galantamine therapy. METHODS: We conducted a 24-week, prospective, open-label
      study of AD patients treated with galantamine who did not respond to previous
      treatment with donepezil. Single-photon emission computed tomography was
      performed at baseline, and behaviour and cognitive assessments including the Mini
      Mental State Examination, the Japanese version of the Alzheimer's Disease
      Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale, the Frontal Assessment Battery, the
      Neuropsychiatry Inventory Brief Questionnaire Form, and the Dysexecutive
      Questionnaire were conducted at three time points (baseline and after 12 and 24
      weeks of galantamine therapy). RESULTS: After galantamine therapy, the
      Neuropsychiatry Inventory Brief Questionnaire Form scores (apathy, irritability,
      and aberrant motor symptoms) and the Dysexecutive Questionnaire score improved
      significantly. The single-photon emission computed tomography findings showed
      that lower baseline regional cerebral blood flow values in several frontal areas,
      including the dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, the anterior
      cingulate, and the orbitofrontal cortex, predicted greater reductions in the
      score for apathy (distress) on the Neuropsychiatry Inventory Brief Questionnaire
      Form and the Dysexecutive Questionnaire score after patients switched from
      donepezil to galantamine therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that
      galantamine therapy, unlike donepezil, is characterized by a dual mechanism of
      action that may increase acetylcholine and the nicotinic receptor-modulation
      effect within the frontal lobe, both of which are associated with apathy and
      executive dysfunction in AD patients.

PMID- 26114925
TI  - Participation in extracurricular activities for children with and without
      siblings with autism spectrum disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the number, frequency, enjoyment and performance in
      extracurricular activities of siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders
      (ASD) to their typically developing (TD) peers, and to identify differences
      between actual and desired participation. METHODS: A case-control study with 30
      siblings of children with ASD and 30 siblings of TD children was conducted using
      the Paediatric Interest Profiles and a questionnaire. RESULTS: Siblings of
      children with ASD participated in fewer extracurricular activities than those
      with TD siblings. ASD symptoms were significantly associated with the sibling
      participating in fewer extracurricular activities. Children with TD siblings had
      higher enjoyment scores in relaxation activities than children with siblings with
      ASD. CONCLUSION: While results were mainly positive, some differences indicated
      that having a sibling with ASD may impact participation in extracurricular
      activities. Assessments of participation barriers, as well as support to minimise
      participation restrictions among siblings of children with ASD are required.

PMID- 26114926
TI  - Anion Recognition by Pyrylium Cations and Thio-, Seleno- and Telluro- Analogues:
      A Combined Theoretical and Cambridge Structural Database Study.
AB  - Pyrylium salts are a very important class of organic molecules containing a
      trivalent oxygen atom in a six-membered aromatic ring. In this manuscript, we
      report a theoretical study of pyrylium salts and their thio-, seleno- and telluro
      analogues by means of DFT calculations. For this purpose, unsubstituted 2,4,6
      trimethyl and 2,4,6-triphenyl cations and anions with different morphologies were
      chosen (Cl-, NO3- and BF4-). The complexes were characterized by means of natural
      bond orbital and "atoms-in-molecules" theories, and the physical nature of the
      interactions has been analyzed by means of symmetry-adapted perturbation theory
      calculations. Our results indicate the presence of anion-pi interactions and
      chalcogen bonds based on both sigma- and pi-hole interactions and the existence
      of very favorable sigma-complexes, especially for unsubstituted cations. The
      electrostatic component is dominant in the interactions, although the induction
      contributions are important, particularly for chloride complexes. The geometrical
      features of the complexes have been compared with experimental data retrieved
      from the Cambridge Structural Database. 

PMID- 26114927
TI  - Antibacterial Activity and Mechanism of Action of Sulfone Derivatives Containing
      1,3,4-Oxadiazole Moieties on Rice Bacterial Leaf Blight.
AB  - In this study, sulfone derivatives containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole moieties indicated
      good antibacterial activities against rice bacterial leaf blight caused by the
      pathogen Xanthomonas oryzaepv. pv. oryzae (Xoo). In particular, 2
      (methylsulfonyl)-5-(4-fluorobenzyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole revealed the best
      antibacterial activity against Xoo, with a half-maximal effective concentration
      (EC50) of 9.89 MUg/mL, which was better than those of the commercial agents of
      bismerthiazole (92.61 MUg/mL) and thiodiazole copper (121.82 MUg/mL). In vivo
      antibacterial activity tests under greenhouse conditions and field trials
      demonstrated that 2-(methylsulfonyl)-5-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole was
      effective in reducing rice bacterial leaf blight. Meanwhile, 2-(methylsulfonyl)-5
      (4-fluorophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole stimulate the increase in superoxide dismutase
      (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities in rice, causing marked enhancement of
      plant resistance against rice bacterial leaf blight. It could also improve the
      chlorophyll content and restrain the increase in the malondialdehyde (MDA)
      content in rice to considerably reduce the amount of damage caused by Xoo.
      Moreover, 2-(methylsulfonyl)-5-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole, at a
      concentration of 20 MUg/mL, could inhibit the production of extracellular
      polysaccharide (EPS) with an inhibition ratio of 94.52%, and reduce the gene
      expression levels of gumB, gumG, gumM, and xanA, with inhibition ratios of
      94.88%, 68.14%, 86.76%, and 79.21%, respectively. 

PMID- 26114929
TI  - Relationships Between Pacing Parameters and Performance of Elite Male 1500-m
      Swimmers.
AB  - PURPOSE: Pacing has a substantial effect on endurance performance. The authors
      characterize pacing and identify its parameters for optimal performance in 1500-m
      freestyle swimming. METHODS: Web sites provided 50-m lap and 1500-m race times
      for 330 swims of 24 elite male swimmers. Pacing for each swim was characterized
      with 7 parameters derived from a general linear model: linear and quadratic
      coefficients for the effect of lap number; reductions from predicted time for
      first, second, penultimate, and last laps; and lap-time variability. Scatter
      plots of race time vs each parameter for each swimmer were used to identify
      optimum values of parameters. RESULTS: Most scatterplots showed only weak
      relationships between the parameter and performance, but one-third to one-half of
      swimmers had an optimum value of the parameter that was substantially different
      from their mean value. A large improvement in performance time (1.4% +/- 0.9%,
      mean +/- SD) could be achieved generally by reversing the sign of the linear
      parameter to make the slowest lap occur earlier in the race. Small to moderate
      improvements might also accrue by changing the quadratic parameter, by making the
      first and second laps slower and the penultimate and last laps faster, and
      reducing lap-time variability. CONCLUSIONS: This approach to analysis of pacing
      may help improve performance in swimmers and other endurance athletes in sports
      with multiple laps, but data from many competitions are required.

PMID- 26114930
TI  - Colour polymorphism torn apart by opposing positive frequency-dependent
      selection, yet maintained in space.
AB  - Polymorphic warning signals in aposematic species are enigmatic because predator
      learning and discrimination should select for the most common coloration,
      resulting in positive frequency-dependent survival selection. Here, we
      investigated whether differential mating success could create sufficiently strong
      negative frequency-dependent selection for rare morphs to explain polymorphic
      (white and yellow) warning coloration in male wood tiger moths (Parasemia
      plantaginis). We conducted an experiment in semi-natural conditions where we
      estimated mating success for both white and yellow male moths under three
      different morph frequencies. Contrary to expectations, mating success was
      positively frequency-dependent: white morph males had high relative fitness when
      common, likewise yellow morph males had high relative fitness when instead they
      were common. We hence built a model parameterized with our data to examine
      whether polymorphism can be maintained despite two sources of positive frequency
      dependence. The model includes known spatial variation in the survival advantage
      enjoyed by the yellow morph and assumes that relative mating success follows our
      experimentally derived values. It predicts that polymorphism is possible under
      migration for up to approximately 20% exchange of individuals between
      subpopulations in each generation. Our results suggest that differential mating
      success combined with spatial variation in predator communities may operate as a
      selection mosaic that prevents complete fixation of either morph.

PMID- 26114931
TI  - Oligo(p-phenylene ethynylene) Electrolytes: A Novel Molecular Scaffold for
      Optical Tracking of Amyloids.
AB  - Finding new optical probes to detect and track amyloid protein aggregates is key
      to understanding and defeating the myriad of neurodegenerative and other diseases
      associated with these misfolded proteins. Herein we report that a series of
      fluorescent, soluble oligo(p-phenylene ethynylene)s (OPEs) are able to detect
      amyloids in vitro by massive binding-activated superluminescence, with low
      micromolar affinity and high selectivity for the amyloid conformer. The OPEs
      track the kinetics of amyloid fibril formation from native hen egg white lysozyme
      (HEWL) similarly to thioflavin T (ThT), and the dependence of binding affinity on
      OPE length supports the theory of a linear binding groove. We hypothesize, based
      on spectral properties, induced circular dichroism, and previous work in
      analogous systems, that the fluorescence turn-on mechanism is a combination of
      the reduction of static solvent-mediated quenching at the ethyl ester end groups
      of the phenylene ethynylene fluorophore and the formation of chiral J-type
      aggregates templated on the amyloid fibril surface. 

PMID- 26114932
TI  - The effects of narrow-band middle infrared radiation in enhancing the antitumor
      activity of paclitaxel.
AB  - Paclitaxel is used as an adjuvant to enhance the effectiveness of ionization
      radiation therapy; however, high-energy radiation often damages the healthy cells
      surrounding cancer cells. Low-energy, middle-infrared radiation (MIR) has been
      shown to prevent tissue damage, and recent studies have begun combining MIR with
      paclitaxel. However, the cytotoxic effects of this treatment combination remain
      unclear, and the mechanism underlying its effects on HeLa cells has yet to be
      elucidated. This study investigated the effectiveness of treating HeLa human
      cervical cancer cells with a combination of paclitaxel for 48 h in conjunction
      with narrow-band MIR from 3.0 to 5.0 MUm. This combined treatment significantly
      inhibited the growth of HeLa cells. Specifically, results from Annexin V-FITC/PI
      apoptosis detection and cell mitochondrial membrane potential analyses revealed
      an increase in apoptotic cell death and a collapse of mitochondrial membrane
      potential. One possible mechanism underlying cellular apoptosis is an increase in
      oxidative stress. These preliminary findings provide evidence to support the
      combination of narrow-band MIR with paclitaxel as an alternative approach in the
      treatment of human cervical cancer. 

PMID- 26114933
TI  - The importance of ATP-related compounds for the freshness and flavor of post
      mortem fish and shellfish muscle: A review.
AB  - ATP degradation is one of the most important biochemical changes in the post
      mortem muscle of fish and shellfish. This process has long been recognized as an
      accurate way to evaluate freshness of fish and shellfish product. This review
      updates and condenses the overall history and recent advances in understanding
      the role of ATP-related compounds in post-mortem fish and shellfish muscle
      including a discussion of key analytical methods, their use as a freshness
      indicator, their roles in flavor enhancement, the factors affecting their
      transitions, and the possible mechanisms responsible for their impact on flavor
      and freshness. Moreover, some challenges and future directions for research
      regarding ATP-related compounds in fish and shellfish flavor and freshness are
      presented. With increasing consumer demands for fresh products with extended
      shelf life, understanding the relationships between ATP-related compounds and
      their involvement in the freshness and umami taste is a prerequisite for assuring
      the high quality of fish and shellfish.

PMID- 26114935
TI  - Archaeal ribonuclease P proteins have potential for biotechnological applications
      where precise hybridization of nucleic acids is needed.
AB  - Fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based assay showed that archaeal
      ribonuclease P (RNase P) proteins significantly promoted DNA annealing and strand
      displacement. Moreover, we found that archaeal RNase P proteins could
      discriminate nucleotide exchanges in DNA chains via their activity accelerating
      DNA strand displacement, suggesting that they have potential for biotechnological
      application to genetic diagnosis. 

PMID- 26114934
TI  - Investigation of Toll-Like Receptor-2 (2258G/A) and Interferon Gamma (+874T/A)
      Gene Polymorphisms among Infertile Women with Female Genital Tuberculosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)
      coordinate with a diverse array of cellular programs through the transcriptional
      regulation of immunologically relevant genes and play an important role in immune
      system, reproductive physiology and basic pathology. Alterations in the functions
      of TLR2 2258G (guanine)/ A, IFN-gamma (+874T/A) and signalling molecules that
      result from polymorphisms are often associated with susceptibility or resistance,
      which may, in turn, establish the innate host response to various infectious
      diseases. Presently, we proposed to investigate the risk of common single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of TLR2 and IFN-gamma genes, for their effect on
      infertility in women with female genital tuberculosis (FGTB) and healthy women as
      controls. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Genotyping of TLR2 and IFN-gamma gene
      polymorphisms was performed by amplification refractory mutation system multi
      gene/multi-primer polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment
      length polymorphism in 175 FGTB patients and 100 healthy control women (HCW). The
      TLR2 polymorphism [adenine (A) allele] was observed in 57.7 and 58.0% of FGTB
      patients and HCW, respectively. The IFN-gamma (+874T/A) polymorphism (A allele)
      was significant in 74.3 and 71.0% of FGTB patients and HCW, respectively, while
      the odds ratios for the AA and TA genotypes for predisposition of FGTB were found
      to be 0.304 and 1.650 in HCW, respectively. The SNP of TLR2 was not associated
      with FGTB but the SNP of IFN-gamma was found to be associated with mycobacteria
      infections and to induce infertility. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: At present, we
      hypothesize that infertile women with FGTB and HCW without tuberculosis (TB) have
      identical frequency of TLR variants, which may be adequate in the production of
      IFN-gamma in response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections. Thus, the study
      appears to be the first of its kind reporting a mutation in the IFN-gamma gene
      [+874 T (thymine) to A] responsible for susceptibility to TB infections and
      further inducing infertility.

PMID- 26114936
TI  - Antiviral Limonoids Including Khayanolides from the Trang Mangrove Plant
      Xylocarpus moluccensis.
AB  - Eight new khayanolides, named thaixylomolins G-N (1-8), two new phragmalins (9
      and 10), and two new mexicanolides (11 and 12) were obtained from the seeds of
      the Trang mangrove plant Xylocarpus moluccensis. The absolute configurations of
      these limonoids, except for the stereocenter at C-6 of 11 and 12, were assigned
      by experimental and TDDFT calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra. The
      khayanolides may be classified into two subclasses, one of which has a C-2
      carbonyl and a 3beta-acetoxy group, whereas the other possesses a 2beta-acetoxy
      and a C-3 carbonyl function. Khayanolides, rearranged phragmalin-type limonoids,
      are reported for the first time from plants of the mangrove genus Xylocarpus. The
      structure of moluccensin J, a known 30-ketophragmalin containing a Delta(8(14))
      double bond, was revised to be a khayanolide, named thaixylomolin K. The
      antiviral activities of the isolates against pandemic influenza A virus (subtype
      H1N1) were tested by the assay of cytopathic effect inhibition. Three
      khayanolides, viz., thaixylomolins I, K, and M, exhibited moderate anti-H1N1
      activities. The most potent one, thaixylomolin I (IC50 = 77.1 +/- 8.7 MUM),
      showed stronger inhibitory activity than that of the positive control, ribavirin
      (IC50 = 185.9 +/- 16.8 MUM). 

PMID- 26114937
TI  - Homozygous 16p13.11 duplication associated with mild intellectual disability and
      urinary tract malformations in two siblings born from consanguineous parents.
AB  - The use of array-comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) in routine
      clinical work has allowed the identification of many new copy number variations
      (CNV). The 16p13.11 duplication has been implicated in various congenital
      anomalies and neurodevelopmental disorders, but it has also been identified in
      healthy individuals. We report a clinical observation of two brothers from
      related parents each carrying a homozygous 16p13.11 duplication. The propositus
      had mild intellectual disability and posterior urethral valves with chronic renal
      disease. His brother was considered a healthy child with only learning
      disabilities and poor academic performances. However, a routine medical
      examination at 25-years-old revealed a mild chronic renal disease and
      ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Furthermore, the father presented with a
      unilateral renal agenesis, thus it seemed that a "congenital anomalies of kidney
      and urinary tract" (CAKUT) phenotype segregated in this family. This may be
      related to the duplication, but we cannot exclude the involvement of additional
      genetic or non-genetic factors in the urological phenotype. Several cohort
      studies showed association between this chromosomal imbalance and different
      clinical manifestations, but rarely with CAKUT. The duplication reported here was
      similar to the larger one of 3.4 Mb previously described versus the more common
      of 1.6 Mb. It encompassed at least 11 known genes, including the five ohnologs
      previously identified. Our observation, in addition to expanding the clinical
      spectrum of the duplication provides further support to understanding the
      underlying pathogenic mechanism.

PMID- 26114938
TI  - Epidemiology of Imported Leishmaniasis in Italy: Implications for a European
      Endemic Country.
AB  - In the past decade, the number of imported leishmaniasis cases has increased in
      countries of Western Europe. The trend is associated with increasing travels,
      ecotourism activity, military operations and immigration. While in endemic
      countries leishmaniasis is usually well diagnosed, accurate patient history and
      parasite identification are necessary to distinguish between autochthonous and
      imported cases. This is particularly important, as new Leishmania
      species/genotypes may be introduced and transmitted by local phlebotomine vectors
      without appropriate surveillance, with unpredictable consequences. We report on
      the surveillance of imported leishmaniasis performed by the Leishmania
      Identification Reference Centre of Rome from 1986 through 2012, involving health
      care centres from 16/20 Italian regions. Suspected imported cases were analyzed
      and conclusions were based on clinical, epidemiological and diagnostic findings.
      Over the years, different parasite identification methods were employed,
      including MultiLocus Enzyme Electrophoresis and molecular techniques combining
      disease diagnosis (SSU rDNA nested-PCR) and Leishmania typing (nuclear repetitive
      sequence and ITS-1 PCR-RFLPs). A total of 105 imported cases were recorded
      (annual range: 0-20) of which 36 were visceral (VL) (16 HIV-coinfections) and 69
      cutaneous (CL) cases; 85 cases (52 CL) were from the Old World and 20 (17 CL)
      from the New World. Eight Leishmania species were identified, of which 7 were
      exotic to Italy. VL importation until 1995 was associated with the spread of
      Mediterranean Leishmania-HIV co-infections in early 1990s. Following the
      introduction of HAART treatment, such cases became occasional in Italians but
      relatively frequent among immigrants. In contrast, a steady increase of CL cases
      was observed from different areas of the Old and New Worlds, that in recent years
      included mainly immigrants 'visiting friends and relatives' and Italian tourists.
      This positive trend likely depends on better diagnosis and reporting; however, we
      suspect that many CL cases remained unrecognized. Given the relatively low
      incidence of leishmaniasis importation, the risk of introduction of exotic
      parasites appears limited, although the detection of anthroponotic species
      requires attention. 

PMID- 26114939
TI  - Drinking Among Native American and White Youths: The Role of Perceived
      Neighborhood and School Environment.
AB  - This study examined whether differences in the perceived neighborhood and school
      environments account for differences in drinking behavior among Native American
      and White youths. Findings indicate that being Native American was indirectly
      related to drinking through perceived school and community variables. Higher
      drinking rates among Native Americans appear to be accounted for by lower school
      involvement, weaker neighborhood antidrug norms, greater neighborhood
      disorganization, and lower levels of perceived police enforcement. Results of
      this study highlight the potential importance of perceived school and
      neighborhood environments in drinking behavior among youths. 

PMID- 26114941
TI  - Effect of Brood Age on Nestling Diet and Prey Composition in a Hedgerow
      Specialist Bird, the Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria.
AB  - The composition and quality of food provided to nestling birds influence their
      growth and development and offers key insight into the ecological requirements of
      birds. One bird species whose feeding ecology is poorly understood is the Barred
      Warbler (Sylvia nisoria), which utilizes semi-natural shrubby vegetation in
      agroecosystems. Because Barred Warbler nestlings vary greatly in body mass we
      hypothesised that diet and prey properties (size, diversity, taxonomic
      composition, and chitin content and resulting body hardness and digestibility)
      would differ as the nestlings aged. We quantified the diet based on faecal
      analysis, sampling faecal sacs from the nestlings pooled into three age classes:
      2-3 days old, 4-6 d old, and 7-9 d old. Nestlings were provided a wide diversity
      of food and a strong relationship existed between food characteristics and
      nestling age. The youngest nestlings (2-3 d old) had the lowest values of each
      dietary characteristic (diversity, number and total biomass of prey, and
      individual prey weight), that were significantly lower than the oldest nestlings
      (7-9 d old). Nestlings aged 4-6 d exhibited intermediate dietary characteristics.
      Differences in dietary composition of the six major food types showed marked
      differences between the individual broods and age categories. Percentages of the
      number and biomass of soft-bodied prey were highest in the diet of 2-3 d and 4-6
      d old nestlings, and decreased with increasing age, whereas the opposite trend
      was observed in the percentage of intermediately and heavily chitinised prey.
      Parent Barred Warblers probably preferentially select soft-bodied prey for the
      youngest nestlings, and satisfy the greater energy demands of the older ones by
      providing them with a greater variety of prey containing more chitin, as well as
      plant food. The provisioning of less-readily digestible prey to older nestlings
      suggests that as the quality of food decreases the quantity increases, implying
      that the youngest nestlings may be physiologically limited as regards their
      ability to digest more heavily chitinised prey. 

PMID- 26114940
TI  - Curcumin Improves Amyloid beta-Peptide (1-42) Induced Spatial Memory Deficits
      through BDNF-ERK Signaling Pathway.
AB  - Curcumin, the most active component of turmeric, has various beneficial
      properties, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effects.
      Previous studies have suggested that curcumin reduces the levels of amyloid and
      oxidized proteins and prevents memory deficits and thus is beneficial to patients
      with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying
      curcumin's effect on cognitive functions are not well-understood. In the present
      study, we examined the working memory and spatial reference memory in rats that
      received a ventricular injection of amyloid-beta1-42 (Abeta1-42), representing a
      rodent model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The rats treated with Abeta1-42
      exhibited obvious cognitive deficits in behavioral tasks. Chronic (seven
      consecutive days, once per day) but not acute (once a day) curcumin treatments
      (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) improved the cognitive functions in a dose-dependent
      manner. In addition, the beneficial effect of curcumin is accompanied by
      increased BDNF levels and elevated levels of phosphorylated ERK in the
      hippocampus. Furthermore, the cognition enhancement effect of curcumin could be
      mimicked by the overexpression of BDNF in the hippocampus and blocked by either
      bilateral hippocampal injections with lentiviruses that express BDNF shRNA or a
      microinjection of ERK inhibitor. These findings suggest that chronic curcumin
      ameliorates AD-related cognitive deficits and that upregulated BDNF-ERK signaling
      in the hippocampus may underlie the cognitive improvement produced by curcumin. 

PMID- 26114942
TI  - Listening to Puns Elicits the Co-Activation of Alternative Homophone Meanings
      during Language Production.
AB  - Recent evidence suggests that lexical-semantic activation spread during language
      production can be dynamically shaped by contextual factors. In this study we
      investigated whether semantic processing modes can also affect lexical-semantic
      activation during word production. Specifically, we tested whether the processing
      of linguistic ambiguities, presented in the form of puns, has an influence on the
      co-activation of unrelated meanings of homophones in a subsequent language
      production task. In a picture-word interference paradigm with word distractors
      that were semantically related or unrelated to the non-depicted meanings of
      homophones we found facilitation induced by related words only when participants
      listened to puns before object naming, but not when they heard jokes with
      unambiguous linguistic stimuli. This finding suggests that a semantic processing
      mode of ambiguity perception can induce the co-activation of alternative
      homophone meanings during speech planning.

PMID- 26114943
TI  - Understanding Collective Discontents: A Psychological Approach to Measuring
      Zeitgeist.
AB  - Over the last decade, several countries around the world developed a collective
      sense of doom and gloom: Their Zeitgeist could be characterized as one of
      decline. Paradoxically, in some countries, such as the Netherlands, this
      collective discontent with society seems to exist despite high levels of
      individual well-being. Current psychological research informs us about why
      individuals would feel unduly optimistic, but does not account for a collective
      sense of decline. The present research develops a novel operationalization of
      Zeitgeist, referred to as a general factor Z. We conceptualize Zeitgeist as a
      collective global-level evaluation of the state (and future) of society. Three
      studies confirm that perceptions of the same societal problems at the personal
      and collective level differed strongly. Across these studies we found support for
      a hypothesized latent factor Z, underlying collective-level perceptions of
      society. This Z-factor predicted people's interpretation of new information about
      society that was presented through news stories. These results provide a first
      step in operationalizing and (ultimately) understanding the concept of Zeitgeist:
      collectively shared ideas about society. Implications for policy are discussed. 

PMID- 26114945
TI  - A Fatty Acid Based Bayesian Approach for Inferring Diet in Aquatic Consumers.
AB  - We modified the stable isotope mixing model MixSIR to infer primary producer
      contributions to consumer diets based on their fatty acid composition. To
      parameterize the algorithm, we generated a 'consumer-resource library' of FA
      signatures of Daphnia fed different algal diets, using 34 feeding trials
      representing diverse phytoplankton lineages. This library corresponds to the
      resource or producer file in classic Bayesian mixing models such as MixSIR or
      SIAR. Because this library is based on the FA profiles of zooplankton consuming
      known diets, and not the FA profiles of algae directly, trophic modification of
      consumer lipids is directly accounted for. To test the model, we simulated
      hypothetical Daphnia comprised of 80% diatoms, 10% green algae, and 10%
      cryptophytes and compared the FA signatures of these known pseudo-mixtures to
      outputs generated by the mixing model. The algorithm inferred these simulated
      consumers were comprised of 82% (63-92%) [median (2.5th to 97.5th percentile
      credible interval)] diatoms, 11% (4-22%) green algae, and 6% (0-25%)
      cryptophytes. We used the same model with published phytoplankton stable isotope
      (SI) data for delta13C and delta15N to examine how a SI based approach resolved a
      similar scenario. With SI, the algorithm inferred that the simulated consumer
      assimilated 52% (4-91%) diatoms, 23% (1-78%) green algae, and 18% (1-73%)
      cyanobacteria. The accuracy and precision of SI based estimates was extremely
      sensitive to both resource and consumer uncertainty, as well as the trophic
      fractionation assumption. These results indicate that when using only two tracers
      with substantial uncertainty for the putative resources, as is often the case in
      this class of analyses, the underdetermined constraint in consumer-resource SI
      analyses may be intractable. The FA based approach alleviated the underdetermined
      constraint because many more FA biomarkers were utilized (n < 20), different
      primary producers (e.g., diatoms, green algae, and cryptophytes) have very
      characteristic FA compositions, and the FA profiles of many aquatic primary
      consumers are strongly influenced by their diets. 

PMID- 26114946
TI  - The Impact of Newer Biological Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs on
      Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A 12-Month Longitudinal Study in Rheumatoid
      Arthritis Patients Treated with Rituximab, Abatacept and Tociliziumab.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess whether treatment with one of three novel biological
      DMARDs; rituximab, abatacept or tocilizumab reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD)
      risk factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: This is an
      open, observational and prospective study with visits at baseline, 3, 6, and 12
      months. Patients were assigned to receive rituximab, abatacept or tocilizumab
      according to clinical indications assessed by an independent rheumatologist.
      Disease activity was quantified by the disease activity score (DAS28) and
      extensive ultrasonography. CVD risk was assessed by total cholesterol (TC), high
      density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), blood pressure and arterial stiffness
      measurements [pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx)]. Within
      group change in disease activity and CVD risk over 3 months was explored using
      paired samples bivariate tests. Predictors of change in CVD risk at 3 months were
      identified in linear regression models. Changes in CVD risk markers over the 12-
      month follow-up in patients receiving rituximab were assessed by mixed models
      repeated analyses. RESULTS: 24 patients on rituximab, 5 on abatacept and 7 on
      tocilizumab were included. At 3 months PWV was significantly reduced in the
      tocilizumab group only, but at 12 months rituximab patients showed a significant
      reduction in PWV. Reduced inflammation at 3 months was associated with increased
      TC and HDL-c in the entire cohort. CONCLUSION: Treatment with tocilizumab and
      rituximab reduces PWV, a marker of CVD risk, in patients with RA.

PMID- 26114947
TI  - TRIM30alpha Is a Negative-Feedback Regulator of the Intracellular DNA and DNA
      Virus-Triggered Response by Targeting STING.
AB  - Uncontrolled immune responses to intracellular DNA have been shown to induce
      autoimmune diseases. Homeostasis regulation of immune responses to cytosolic DNA
      is critical for limiting the risk of autoimmunity and survival of the host. Here,
      we report that the E3 ubiquitin ligase tripartite motif protein 30alpha
      (TRIM30alpha) was induced by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in
      dendritic cells (DCs). Knockdown or genetic ablation of TRIM30alpha augmented the
      type I IFNs and interleukin-6 response to intracellular DNA and DNA viruses.
      Trim30alpha-deficient mice were more resistant to infection by DNA viruses.
      Biochemical analyses showed that TRIM30alpha interacted with the stimulator of
      interferon genes (STING), which is a critical regulator of the DNA-sensing
      response. Overexpression of TRIM30alpha promoted the degradation of STING via K48
      linked ubiquitination at Lys275 through a proteasome-dependent pathway. These
      findings indicate that E3 ligase TRIM30alpha is an important negative-feedback
      regulator of innate immune responses to DNA viruses by targeting STING. 

PMID- 26114948
TI  - Orthocaspases are proteolytically active prokaryotic caspase homologues: the case
      of Microcystis aeruginosa.
AB  - Caspases are a family of cysteine-dependent proteases known to be involved in the
      process of programmed cell death in metazoans. Recently, cyanobacteria were also
      found to contain caspase-like proteins, but their existence has only been
      identified in silico up to now. Here, we present the first experimental
      characterisation of a prokaryotic caspase homologue. We have expressed the
      putative caspase-like gene MaOC1 from the toxic bloom-forming cyanobacterium
      Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806 in Escherichia coli. Kinetic characterisation
      showed that MaOC1 is an endopeptidase with a preference for arginine in the P1
      position and a pH optimum of 7.5. MaOC1 exhibited high catalytic rates with the
      kcat /KM value for Z-RR-AMC substrate of the order 10(6)  M(-1)  s(-1). In
      contrast to plant or metazoan caspase-like proteins, whose activity is calcium
      dependent or requires dimerisation for activation, MaOC1 was activated by
      autocatalytic processing after residue Arg219, which separated the catalytic
      domain and the remaining 55 kDa subunit. The Arg219Ala mutant was resistant to
      autoprocessing and exhibited no proteolytic activity, confirming that processing
      of MaOC1 is a prerequisite for its activity. Due to their structural and
      functional differences to other known caspase-like proteins, we suggest to name
      these evolutionary primitive proteins orthocaspases.

PMID- 26114949
TI  - Neuropsychological Profile of Children, Adolescents and Adults Experiencing
      Maltreatment: A Meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Few studies have attempted to describe the range of cognitive
      impairments affecting people who have experienced child maltreatment. The aim of
      this meta-analysis was to examine the neuropsychological profile of these people
      and to determine the cognitive impacts of maltreatment from childhood to
      adulthood. METHOD: Fifty-two publications from 1970 to 2013 were included.
      RESULTS: The affected cognitive domains were working memory (g = -.65), attention
      (g = -.63), intelligence (g = -.56) and speed of processing (g = -.49). The
      impact of maltreatment was greater in young children (g = -.71) and less
      pronounced in adults (g = -.26). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that exposure
      to maltreatment has an impact on specific cognitive processes, regardless of age.

PMID- 26114950
TI  - Advanced Evaluation Strategies for Protein-Imprinted Polymer Nanobeads.
AB  - Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic affinity matrices capable of
      selective binding a specific target molecule. A strategy for competitive
      selectivity studies is developed providing information on the selective binding
      properties of MIPs in complex matrices. Batch rebinding experiments entail the
      target protease, two other proteins, and MIP nanobeads. The protease is inhibited
      by addition of pepstatin thus quenching the degradation of the other proteins.
      The proteins are analyzed via sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel
      electrophoresis. The relevance of competitive selectivity studies for the
      evaluation of MIP performance is further emphasized by comparison to single
      protein rebinding experiments. 

PMID- 26114951
TI  - Real-time distortion correction of spiral and echo planar images using the
      gradient system impulse response function.
AB  - PURPOSE: MRI-guided interventions demand high frame rate imaging, making fast
      imaging techniques such as spiral imaging and echo planar imaging (EPI)
      appealing. In this study, we implemented a real-time distortion correction
      framework to enable the use of these fast acquisitions for interventional MRI.
      METHODS: Distortions caused by gradient waveform inaccuracies were corrected
      using the gradient impulse response function (GIRF), which was measured by
      standard equipment and saved as a calibration file on the host computer. This
      file was used at runtime to calculate the predicted k-space trajectories for
      image reconstruction. Additionally, the off-resonance reconstruction frequency
      was modified in real time to interactively deblur spiral images. RESULTS: Real
      time distortion correction for arbitrary image orientations was achieved in
      phantoms and healthy human volunteers. The GIRF-predicted k-space trajectories
      matched measured k-space trajectories closely for spiral imaging. Spiral and EPI
      image distortion was visibly improved using the GIRF-predicted trajectories. The
      GIRF calibration file showed no systematic drift in 4 months and was demonstrated
      to correct distortions after 30 min of continuous scanning despite gradient
      heating. Interactive off-resonance reconstruction was used to sharpen anatomical
      boundaries during continuous imaging. CONCLUSIONS: This real-time distortion
      correction framework will enable the use of these high frame rate imaging methods
      for MRI-guided interventions. Magn Reson Med 75:2278-2285, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26114952
TI  - Editors' note.

PMID- 26114954
TI  - A Generalizable Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Using Machine Learning for Feature
      Discovery.
AB  - This work describes a generalized method for classifying motor-related neural
      signals for a brain-computer interface (BCI), based on a stochastic machine
      learning method. The method differs from the various feature extraction and
      selection techniques employed in many other BCI systems. The classifier does not
      use extensive a-priori information, resulting in reduced reliance on highly
      specific domain knowledge. Instead of pre-defining features, the time-domain
      signal is input to a population of multi-layer perceptrons (MLPs) in order to
      perform a stochastic search for the best structure. The results showed that the
      average performance of the new algorithm outperformed other published methods
      using the Berlin BCI IV (2008) competition dataset and was comparable to the best
      results in the Berlin BCI II (2002-3) competition dataset. The new method was
      also applied to electroencephalography (EEG) data recorded from five subjects
      undertaking a hand squeeze task and demonstrated high levels of accuracy with a
      mean classification accuracy of 78.9% after five-fold cross-validation. Our new
      approach has been shown to give accurate results across different motor tasks and
      signal types as well as between subjects. 

PMID- 26114955
TI  - Three-Dimensional Muscle Architecture and Comprehensive Dynamic Properties of
      Rabbit Gastrocnemius, Plantaris and Soleus: Input for Simulation Studies.
AB  - The vastly increasing number of neuro-muscular simulation studies (with
      increasing numbers of muscles used per simulation) is in sharp contrast to a
      narrow database of necessary muscle parameters. Simulation results depend heavily
      on rough parameter estimates often obtained by scaling of one muscle parameter
      set. However, in vivo muscles differ in their individual properties and
      architecture. Here we provide a comprehensive dataset of dynamic (n = 6 per
      muscle) and geometric (three-dimensional architecture, n = 3 per muscle) muscle
      properties of the rabbit calf muscles gastrocnemius, plantaris, and soleus. For
      completeness we provide the dynamic muscle properties for further important shank
      muscles (flexor digitorum longus, extensor digitorum longus, and tibialis
      anterior; n = 1 per muscle). Maximum shortening velocity (normalized to optimal
      fiber length) of the gastrocnemius is about twice that of soleus, while plantaris
      showed an intermediate value. The force-velocity relation is similar for
      gastrocnemius and plantaris but is much more bent for the soleus. Although the
      muscles vary greatly in their three-dimensional architecture their mean pennation
      angle and normalized force-length relationships are almost similar. Forces of the
      muscles were enhanced in the isometric phase following stretching and were
      depressed following shortening compared to the corresponding isometric forces.
      While the enhancement was independent of the ramp velocity, the depression was
      inversely related to the ramp velocity. The lowest effect strength for soleus
      supports the idea that these effects adapt to muscle function. The careful
      acquisition of typical dynamical parameters (e.g. force-length and force-velocity
      relations, force elongation relations of passive components), enhancement and
      depression effects, and 3D muscle architecture of calf muscles provides valuable
      comprehensive datasets for e.g. simulations with neuro-muscular models,
      development of more realistic muscle models, or simulation of muscle packages. 

PMID- 26114956
TI  - Three Gorges Dam: Impact of Water Level Changes on the Density of Schistosome
      Transmitting Snail Oncomelania hupensis in Dongting Lake Area, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis remains an important public health issue in China and
      worldwide. Oncomelania hupensis is the unique intermediate host of schistosoma
      japonicum, and its change influences the distribution of S. japonica. The Three
      Gorges Dam (TGD) has substantially changed the ecology and environment in the
      Dongting Lake region. This study investigated the impact of water level and
      elevation on the survival and habitat of the snails. METHODS: Data were collected
      for 16 bottomlands around 4 hydrological stations, which included water, density
      of living snails (form the Anxiang Station for Schistosomiasis Control) and
      elevation (from Google Earth). Based on the elevation, sixteen bottomlands were
      divided into 3 groups. ARIMA models were built to predict the density of living
      snails in different elevation areas. RESULTS: Before closure of TGD, 7 out of 9
      years had a water level beyond the warning level at least once at Anxiang
      hydrological station, compared with only 3 out of 10 years after closure of TGD.
      There were two severe droughts that happened in 2006 and 2011, with much fewer
      number of flooding per year compared with other study years. Overall, there was a
      correlation between water level changing and density of living snails variation
      in all the elevations areas. The density of living snails in all elevations areas
      was decreasing after the TGD was built. The relationship between number of
      flooding per year and the density of living snails was more pronounced in the
      medium and high elevation areas; the density of living snails kept decreasing
      from 2003 to 2014. In low elevation area however, the density of living snails
      decreased after 2003 first and turned to increase after 2011. Our ARIMA
      prediction models indicated that the snails would not disappear in the Dongting
      Lake region in the next 7 years. In the low elevation area, the density of living
      snails would increase slightly, and then stabilize after the year 2017. In the
      medium elevation region, the change of the density of living snails would be more
      obvious and would increase till the year 2020. In the high elevation area, the
      density of living snails would remain stable after the year 2015. CONCLUSION: The
      TGD influenced water levels and reduced the risk of flooding and the density of
      living snails in the study region. Based on our prediction models, the density of
      living snails in all elevations tends to be stabilized. Control of S. japonica
      would continue to be an important task in the study area in the coming decade.

PMID- 26114957
TI  - Profound parental bias associated with chromosome 14 acquired uniparental disomy
      indicates targeting of an imprinted locus.
AB  - Acquired uniparental disomy (aUPD) is a common finding in myeloid malignancies
      and typically acts to convert a somatically acquired heterozygous mutation to
      homozygosity. We sought to identify the target of chromosome 14 aUPD (aUPD14), a
      recurrent abnormality in myeloid neoplasms and population cohorts of elderly
      individuals. We identified 29 cases with aUPD14q that defined a minimal affected
      region (MAR) of 11.2 Mb running from 14q32.12 to the telomere. Exome sequencing
      (n=7) did not identify recurrently mutated genes, but methylation-specific PCR at
      the imprinted MEG3-DLK1 locus located within the MAR demonstrated loss of
      maternal chromosome 14 and gain of paternal chromosome 14 (P<0.0001), with the
      degree of methylation imbalance correlating with the level of aUPD (r=0.76;
      P=0.0001). The absence of driver gene mutations in the exomes of three
      individuals with aUPD14q but no known haematological disorder suggests that
      aUPD14q may be sufficient to drive clonal haemopoiesis. Analysis of cases with
      both aUPD14q and JAK2 V617F (n=11) indicated that aUPD14q may be an early event
      in some cases but a late event in others. We conclude that aUPD14q is a recurrent
      abnormality that targets an imprinted locus and may promote clonal haemopoiesis
      either as an initiating event or as a secondary change. 

PMID- 26114958
TI  - A Land-Use Perspective for Birdstrike Risk Assessment: The Attraction Risk Index.
AB  - Collisions between aircraft and birds, birdstrikes, pose a serious threat to
      aviation safety. The occurrence of these events is influenced by land-uses in the
      surroundings of airports. Airports located in the same region might have
      different trends for birdstrike risk, due to differences in the surrounding
      habitats. Here we developed a quantitative tool that assesses the risk of
      birdstrike based on the habitats within a 13-km buffer from the airport. For this
      purpose, we developed Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) with binomial distribution
      to estimate the contribution of habitats to wildlife use of the study area,
      depending on season. These GLMs predictions were combined to the flight altitude
      of birds within the 13-km buffer, the airport traffic pattern and the severity
      indices associated with impacts. Our approach was developed at Venice Marco Polo
      International airport (VCE), located in northeast Italy and then tested at
      Treviso Antonio Canova International airport (TSF), which is 20 km inland.
      Results from the two airports revealed that both the surrounding habitats and the
      season had a significant influence to the pattern of risk. With regard to VCE,
      agricultural fields, wetlands and urban areas contributed most to the presence of
      birds in the study area. Furthermore, the key role of distance of land-uses from
      the airport on the probability of presence of birds was highlighted. The
      reliability of developed risk index was demonstrated since at VCE it was
      significantly correlated with bird strike rate. This study emphasizes the
      importance of the territory near airports and the wildlife use of its habitats,
      as factors in need of consideration for birdstrike risk assessment procedures.
      Information on the contribution of habitats in attracting birds, depending on
      season, can be used by airport managers and local authorities to plan specific
      interventions in the study area in order to lower the risk. 

PMID- 26114959
TI  - rMCP-2, the Major Rat Mucosal Mast Cell Protease, an Analysis of Its Extended
      Cleavage Specificity and Its Potential Role in Regulating Intestinal Permeability
      by the Cleavage of Cell Adhesion and Junction Proteins.
AB  - Mast cells of the rat intestinal mucosa express three chymotryptic enzymes named
      rMCP-2, -3 and 4. rMCP-2, the most abundant of these enzymes, has been shown to
      increase the permeability of the intestinal epithelium, most likely by cleavage
      of cell adhesion and junction proteins and thereby play a role in intestinal
      parasite clearance. However, no target for this effect has yet been identified.
      To address this question we here present its extended cleavage specificity. Phage
      display analysis showed that it is a chymase with a specificity similar to the
      corresponding enzyme in mice, mMCP-1, with a preference for Phe or Tyr in the P1
      position, and a general preference for aliphatic amino acids both upstream and
      downstream of the cleavage site. The consensus sequence obtained from the phage
      display analysis was used to screen the rat proteome for potential targets. A few
      of the most interesting candidate substrates were cell adhesion and cell junction
      molecules. To see if these proteins were also susceptible to cleavage in their
      native conformation we cleaved 5 different recombinant cell adhesion and cell
      junction proteins. Three potential targets were identified: the loop 1 of
      occludin, protocadherin alpha 4 and cadherin 17, which indicated that these
      proteins were at least partly responsible for the previously observed prominent
      role of rMCP-2 in mucosal permeability and in parasite clearance. 

PMID- 26114960
TI  - Silencing of DNase Colicin E8 Gene Expression by a Complex Nucleoprotein Assembly
      Ensures Timely Colicin Induction.
AB  - Colicins are plasmid-encoded narrow spectrum antibiotics that are synthesized by
      strains of Escherichia coli and govern intraspecies competition. In a previous
      report, we demonstrated that the global transcriptional factor IscR, co
      dependently with the master regulator of the DNA damage response, LexA, delays
      induction of the pore forming colicin genes after SOS induction. Here we show
      that IscR is not involved in the regulation of nuclease colicins, but that the
      AsnC protein is. We report that AsnC, in concert with LexA, is the key controller
      of the temporal induction of the DNA degrading colicin E8 gene (cea8), after DNA
      damage. We demonstrate that a large AsnC nucleosome-like structure, in
      conjunction with two LexA molecules, prevent cea8 transcription initiation and
      that AsnC binding activity is directly modulated by L asparagine. We show that L
      asparagine is an environmental factor that has a marked impact on cea8 promoter
      regulation. Our results show that AsnC also modulates the expression of several
      other DNase and RNase colicin genes but does not substantially affect pore
      forming colicin K gene expression. We propose that selection pressure has
      "chosen" highly conserved regulators to control colicin expression in E. coli
      strains, enabling similar colicin gene silencing among bacteria upon exchange of
      colicinogenic plasmids. 

PMID- 26114961
TI  - Effects of changes in intracellular iron pool on AlkB-dependent and AlkB
      independent mechanisms protecting E.coli cells against mutagenic action of
      alkylating agent.
AB  - An Escherichia coli hemH mutant accumulates protoporphyrin IX, causing
      photosensitivity of cells to visible light. Here, we have shown that
      intracellular free iron in hemH mutants is double that observed in hemH(+)
      strain. The aim of this study was to recognize the influence of this increased
      free iron concentration on AlkB-directed repair of alkylated DNA by analyzing
      survival and argE3 -> Arg(+) reversion induction after lambda>320 nm light
      irradiation and MMS-treatment in E. coli AB1157 hemH and alkB mutants. E.coli
      AlkB dioxygenase constitutes a direct single-protein repair system using non-hem
      Fe(II) and cofactors 2-oxoglutarate (2OG) and oxygen (O2) to initiate oxidative
      dealkylation of DNA/RNA bases. We have established that the frequency of MMS
      induced Arg(+) revertants in AB1157 alkB(+)hemH(-)/pMW1 strain was 40 and 26%
      reduced comparing to the alkB(+)hemH(-) and alkB(+)hemH(+)/pMW1, respectively. It
      is noteworthy that the effect was observed only when bacteria were irradiated
      with lambda>320 nm light prior MMS-treatment. This finding indicates efficient
      repair of alkylated DNA in photosensibilized cells in the presence of higher free
      iron pool and AlkB concentrations. Interestingly, a 31% decrease in the level of
      Arg(+) reversion was observed in irradiated and MMS-treated hemH(-)alkB(-) cells
      comparing to the hemH(+)alkB(-) strain. Also, the level of Arg(+) revertants in
      the irradiated and MMS treated hemH(-) alkB(-) mutant was significantly lower (by
      34%) in comparison to the same strain but MMS-treated only. These indicate AlkB
      independent repair involving Fe ions and reactive oxygen species. According to
      our hypothesis it may be caused by non-enzymatic dealkylation of alkylated dNTPs
      in E. coli cells. In in vitro studies, the absence of AlkB protein in the
      presence of iron ions allowed etheno(epsilon) dATP and epsilondCTP to
      spontaneously convert to dAMP and dCMP, respectively. Thus, hemH(-) intra
      cellular conditions may favor Fe-dependent dealkylation of modified dNTPs.

PMID- 26114962
TI  - The Effects of Irreversible Electroporation on the Achilles Tendon: An
      Experimental Study in a Rabbit Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the potential effects of irreversible electroporation
      ablation on the Achilles tendon in a rabbit model and to compare the
      histopathological and biomechanical changes between specimens following
      electroporation ablation and radiofrequency ablation. METHODS: A total of 140 six
      month-old male New Zealand rabbits were used. The animals were randomly divided
      into two groups, 70 in the radiofrequency ablation group and 70 in the
      electroporation group. In situ ablations were applied directly to the Achilles
      tendons of rabbits using typical electroporation (1800 V/cm, 90 pulses) and
      radiofrequency ablation (power control mode) protocols. Histopathological and
      biomechanical evaluations were performed to examine the effects of
      electroporation ablation and radiofrequency ablation over time. RESULTS: Both
      electroporation and radiofrequency ablation produced complete cell ablation in
      the target region. Thermal damage resulted in tendon rupture 3 days post
      radiofrequency ablation. In contrast, electroporation-ablated Achilles tendons
      preserved their biomechanical properties and showed no detectable rupture at this
      time point. The electroporation-ablated tendons exhibited signs of recovery,
      including tenoblast regeneration and angiogenesis within 2 weeks, and the
      restoration of their integral structure was evident within 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS:
      When applying electroporation to ablate solid tumors, major advantage could be
      that collateral damage to adjacent tendons or ligaments is minimized due to the
      unique ability of electroporation ablation to target the cell membrane. This
      advantage could have a significant impact on the field of tumor ablation near
      vital tendons or ligaments.

PMID- 26114963
TI  - Potential Clinical Uses of CDK Inhibitors: Lessons from Synthetic Lethality
      Screens.
AB  - Developments in genetic and genomic technology have produced vast quantities of
      data that are gradually yielding new insights into fundamental cellular and
      molecular processes. In particular, they have revealed some differences between
      normal and transformed cells that could potentially be exploited to develop
      targeted, personalized cancer therapies with unprecedented efficiencies. This
      review summarizes recent findings from synthetic lethality (SL) screens against
      cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) that can be targeted with small molecule kinase
      inhibitors. SL screens can be used to identify cancers sensitive to CDK
      inhibitors. Several SL partners of specific CDKs have been identified, including
      MYC, K-Ras, VHL, PI3K, and PARP, all of which are discussed in the review. CDK
      inhibitors have been in clinical trials for nearly 20 years and it has become
      clear that effective therapy using these compounds will require careful selection
      of patients with respect to the specific molecular phenotype of their disease. 

PMID- 26114965
TI  - Outcome measures in neuromuscular disease: is the world still flat?
AB  - Valid, responsive, and meaningful outcome measures for the measurement of the
      impairment, activity limitations, and quality of life in patients with
      neuromuscular disease are crucial to identify the natural history of disease and
      benefits of therapy in clinical practice and trials. Although understanding of
      many aspects of neuromuscular diseases has advanced dramatically, the development
      of outcome measures has received less attention. The scales developed from Rasch
      theory by the PeriNomS Group represent the biggest significant shift in thought
      in neuromuscular outcome measures for decades. There remain problems with many of
      them, and further developments are required. However, incorporating them into our
      outcome sets for daily use and in clinical trials will lead to the more efficient
      capture of meaningful change and will result in better assessment of individuals
      and groups of patients in both clinical trials and neurological practice. 

PMID- 26114964
TI  - A minimalist biosensor: Quantitation of cyclic di-GMP using the conformational
      change of a riboswitch aptamer.
AB  - Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a second messenger that is important in regulating
      bacterial physiology and behavior, including motility and virulence. Many
      questions remain about the role and regulation of this signaling molecule, but
      current methods of detection are limited by either modest sensitivity or
      requirements for extensive sample purification. We have taken advantage of a
      natural, high affinity receptor of c-di-GMP, the Vc2 riboswitch aptamer, to
      develop a sensitive and rapid electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) for c
      di-GMP quantitation that required minimal engineering of the RNA. 

PMID- 26114966
TI  - Plasmonic Toroidal Dipolar Response under Radially Polarized Excitation.
AB  - Plasmonic toroidal resonance has attracted growing interests because of its low
      loss electromagnetic properties and potential high sensitive nanophotonic
      applications. However, the realization in a metamaterial requires three
      dimensional complicated structural design so far. In this paper, we design a
      simple metal-dielectric-metal (MIM) sandwich nanostructure, which exhibits a
      strong toroidal dipolar resonance under radially polarized excitation. The
      toroidal dipole moment as the dominant contribution for the scattering is
      demonstrated by the mirror-image method and further analyzed by Lagrangian
      hybridization model. The proposed toroidal configuration also shows a highly
      tolerant for misalignment between the structure center and the incident light
      focus. Our study proves the way for the toroidal plasmonic application with the
      cylindrical vector beams. 

PMID- 26114967
TI  - Borinic Acid Catalyzed, Regioselective Chloroacylations and Chlorosulfonylations
      of 2,3-Epoxy Alcohols.
AB  - In the presence of a borinic acid derived catalyst, 2,3-epoxy alcohols undergo
      couplings with acyl and sulfonyl chlorides. This transformation directly
      generates O-acylated or O-sulfonylated chlorohydrin diols, with significant
      levels of regioselectivity for both the ring-opening and O-functionalization
      steps. 

PMID- 26114968
TI  - Percutaneous thermal ablation for primary hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Percutaneous thermal ablation using radiofrequency ablation
      (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) are both widely available curative treatments
      for hepatocellular carcinoma. Despite significant advances, it remains unclear
      which modality results in better outcomes. This meta-analysis of randomized
      controlled trials (RCT) and observational studies was undertaken to compare the
      techniques in terms of effectiveness and safety. METHODS: Electronic reference
      databases (Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane Central) were searched between January
      1980 and May 2014 for human studies comparing RFA and MWA. The primary outcome
      was the risk of local tumor progression (LTP). Secondary outcomes were complete
      ablation (CA), overall survival, and major adverse events (AE). The ORs were
      combined across studies using the random-effects model. RESULTS: Ten studies (two
      prospective and eight retrospective) were included, and the overall LTP rate was
      13.6% (176/1298). There was no difference in LTP rates between RFA and MWA [OR
      (95% CI): 1.01(0.67-1.50), P = 0.9]. The CA rate, 1- and 3-year overall survival
      and major AE were similar between the two modalities (P > 0.05 for all). In
      subgroup analysis, there was no difference in LTP rates according to study
      quality, but LTP rates were lower with MWA for treatment of larger tumors
      [1.88(1.10-3.23), P = 0.02]. There was no significant publication bias or inter
      study heterogeneity (I(2) < 50% and P > 0.1) observed in any of the measured
      outcomes. CONCLUSION: Overall, both RFA and MWA are equally effective and safe,
      but MWA may be more effective compared to RFA in preventing LTP when treating
      larger tumors. Well-designed, larger, multicentre RCTs are required to confirm
      these findings.

PMID- 26114969
TI  - Association of Gestational Age at Birth with Reasons for Subsequent
      Hospitalisation: 18 Years of Follow-Up in a Western Australian Population Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preterm infants are at a higher risk of hospitalisation following
      discharge from the hospital after birth. The reasons for rehospitalisation and
      the association with gestational age are not well understood. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective birth cohort study of all live, singleton infants born in Western
      Australia between 1st January 1980 and 31st December 2010, followed to 18 years
      of age. Risks of rehospitalisation following birth discharge by principal
      diagnoses were compared for gestational age categories (<32, 32-33, 34-36, 37-38
      weeks) and term births (39-41 weeks). Causes of hospitalisations at various
      gestational age categories were identified using ICD-based discharge diagnostic
      codes. RESULTS: Risk of rehospitalisation was inversely correlated with
      gestational age. Growth-related concerns were the main causes for
      rehospitalisation in the neonatal period (<1 month of age) for all gestational
      ages. Infection was the most common reason for hospitalisation from 29 days to 1
      year of age, and up to 5 years of age. Injury-related hospitalisations increased
      in prevalence from 5 years to 18 years of age. Risk of rehospitalisation was
      higher for all preterm infants for most causes. CONCLUSIONS: The highest risks of
      rehospitalisation were for infection related causes for most GA categories.
      Compared with full term born infants, those born at shorter GA remain vulnerable
      to subsequent hospitalisation for a variety of causes up until 18 years of age.

PMID- 26114970
TI  - Computed Tomography Determined Changes in Position of the Urogenital System After
      CO2 Insufflation to Determine Optimal Positioning for Abdominal Laparoscopy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes, using computed tomography (CT), in position of
      the urogenital system before and after CO2 abdominal insufflation for the most
      commonly used body positions to determine the optimal laparoscopic approach.
      STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. ANIMALS: Healthy intact female Beagles (n = 6)
      of similar age, weight, and body condition score. METHODS: Dogs had urinalysis,
      peripheral blood smear, and abdominal ultrasonography. Pre-insufflation (PrI) CT
      scans were performed in ventrodorsal routine (VDR), ventrodorsal Trendelenburg
      (VDT), left lateral (LL) and right lateral (RL) recumbency, and repeated post
      insufflation (PoI). Pre-determined measurements were made on PrI and PoI scans
      and differences compared. RESULTS: The position of the uterus and ovaries was
      mainly determined by gravitational effects and the attachment of the suspensory
      ligament. VDT provided best exposure of the uterine body. The kidneys remained in
      the non-dependent part of the abdomen when the dog was positioned in the opposite
      lateral position. The bladder remained in the ventral part of the abdomen in all
      positions. CONCLUSIONS: The best approach to the kidney and associated ovary and
      uterine horn would be the opposite lateral position to the side being approached.
      For ovariohysterectomy, this would require the dog to be rotated into each
      lateral position for the left and right uterine horn and ovary. VDT was best to
      access the bladder and uterine body.

PMID- 26114971
TI  - Prioritizing the global research agenda in psoriasis: an International Psoriasis
      Council Delphi consensus exercise.

PMID- 26114972
TI  - Resolution of Adsorption and Partition Components of Organic Compounds on Black
      Carbons.
AB  - Black carbons (BCs) may sequester non-ionic organic compounds by adsorption
      and/or partition to varying extents. Up to now, no experimental method has been
      developed to accurately resolve the combined adsorption and partition capacity of
      a compound on a BC. In this study, a unique "adsorptive displacement method" is
      introduced to reliably resolve the adsorption and partition components for a
      solute-BC system. It estimates the solute adsorption on a BC by the use of an
      adsorptive displacer to displace the adsorbed target solute into the solution
      phase. The method is validated by tests with uses of activated carbon as the
      model carbonaceous adsorbent, soil organic matter as the model carbonaceous
      partition phase, o-xylene and 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene as the reference solutes,
      and p-nitrophenol as the adsorptive displacer. Thereafter, the adsorption
      partition resolution was completed for the two solutes on selected model BCs:
      four biochars and two National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
      standard soots (SRM-2975 and SRM-1650b). The adsorption and partition components
      resolved for selected solutes with given BCs and their dependences upon solute
      properties enable one to cross-check the sorption data of other solutes on the
      same BCs. The resolved components also provide a theoretical basis for exploring
      the potential modes and extents of different solute uptakes by given BCs in
      natural systems. 

PMID- 26114973
TI  - Measurings.

PMID- 26114974
TI  - Do Sequential Compression Devices Really Reduce the Risk of Venous
      Thromboembolism in Plastic Surgery Patients?

PMID- 26114975
TI  - Reply: Chasing Michelangelo Buonarroti's Greatness.

PMID- 26114976
TI  - Endoscopic Thoracodorsal Neurectomy for Correction of Animation Deformity
      following Latissimus Dorsi-Based Breast Reconstruction.

PMID- 26114977
TI  - Follicular fluid alterations in endometriosis: label-free proteomics by MS(E) as
      a functional tool for endometriosis.
AB  - Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological condition that affects 10-32% of women
      of reproductive age and may lead to infertility. The study of protein profiles in
      follicular fluid may assist in elucidating possible biomarkers related to this
      disease. For this, follicular fluid samples were obtained from women with tubal
      factor or minimal male factor infertility who had pregnancy outcomes after in
      vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment (control group, n = 10), women with
      endometriosis (endometriosis group, n = 10), along with the endometrioma from
      these same patients were included (endometrioma group, n = 10). For proteomic
      analysis, samples were pooled according to their respective groups and normalized
      to protein content. Proteins were analyzed by in tandem mass spectrometry (MS(E))
      Spectra processing and the ProteinLynx Global Server v.2.5. was used for database
      searching. Data was submitted to the biological network analysis using Cytoscape
      2.8.2 with ClueGO plugin. As a result, 535 proteins were identified among all
      groups. The control group differentially or uniquely expressed 33 (6%) proteins
      and equal expression of 98 (18%) proteins was observed in the control and
      endometriosis groups of which 41 (7%) proteins were further identified and/or
      quantified. Six (1%) proteins were observed in both the endometriosis and
      endometrioma groups, but 212 (39%) proteins were exclusively identified and/or
      quantified in the endometrioma group. There were 9 (1%) proteins observed in both
      the control and endometrioma groups and there were 139 (25%) proteins common
      among all three groups. Distinct differences among the protein profiles in the
      follicular fluid of patients included in this study were found, identifying
      proteins related to the disease progression and IVF success. Thus, some pathways
      related to endometriosis are associated with the presence of specific proteins,
      as well as the absence of others. This study provides a first step to the
      development of more sensitive diagnostic tests and treatment.

PMID- 26114978
TI  - Conformance to Depression Process Measures of Medicare Part B Beneficiaries in
      Primary Care Settings.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate conformance to depression screening, management, and
      outcome quality indicators and to evaluate individual characteristics associated
      with conformance to these indicators. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using
      electronic health record (EHR) data. SETTING: Thirty-four clinics in one
      healthcare system. PARTICIPANTS: Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older with at
      least one primary care visit between September 2010 and August 2012 (N = 5,000).
      MEASUREMENTS: Seven measures, current as of 2013, were found for which all the
      necessary specifications were available in the EHR: general screening, screening
      within 4 months of diagnosis, screening after stroke, screening after heart
      disease, depression reassessment, depression response, and depression remission.
      Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to determine factors associated
      with conformance. RESULTS: Screening for depression in Medicare beneficiaries was
      low (17%). Conformance to measures varied from 10% for the depression response
      measure to 77% for the depression remission measure. In the adjusted regression
      analyses for the general screening (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.45, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) = 1.01-2.08), depression reassessment (AOR = 4.19, 95%
      CI = 1.16-15.19), and screening after heart disease (AOR = 5.57, 95% CI = 1.37
      22.57) measures, black participants were more likely to be given care that
      conformed to the numerator criteria than white participants. A strong site effect
      was found, with 90% of the depression screens being administered at three sites.
      CONCLUSION: Only a small proportion of Medicare beneficiaries received the
      recommended screening and follow-up care needed to conform to the quality
      measures for depression in the primary care setting. Further evaluation of
      measures of depression care should be conducted before these measures are
      implemented widely.

PMID- 26114979
TI  - Predictive Accuracy of Intraocular Lens Power Calculation: Comparison of Optical
      Low-Coherence Reflectometry and Immersion Ultrasound Biometry.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation
      using an optical low-coherence reflectometry (OLCR) biometer and to compare the
      results with those obtained with an immersion ultrasound biometry (IUB). METHODS:
      Biometric measurements were obtained with OLCR and IUB combined with automated
      keratometry before cataract surgery. The mean prediction error (MPE) and the mean
      absolute error (MAE) were calculated for five various IOL formulas (SRK II,
      SRK/T, Holladay, Hoffer Q, and Haigis), and the two different biometry methods
      were compared. RESULTS: Optical low-coherence reflectometry measured a slightly
      longer axial length (mean difference, 0.05 mm; P<0.001) and a shallow anterior
      chamber depth (mean difference, 0.12 mm; P<0.001). With OLCR, the MPEs (+/-SD)
      calculated by the SRK II, SRK/T, Holladay, Hoffer Q, and Haigis formulas were 
      0.04 +/- 0.53, -0.04 +/- 0.56, -0.03 +/- 0.53, -0.04 +/- 0.56, and -0.02 +/-
      0.56, respectively (P<0.0001). The mean differences (+/- SD) for MAE were
      statistically significant between OLCR and IUB; SRK II (0.47 +/- 0.44 vs. 0.61 +/
      0.49, P<0.0001), SRK/T (0.39 +/- 0.4 vs. 0.49 +/- 0.45, P=0.0004), Holladay
      (0.37 +/- 0.37 vs. 0.47 +/- 0.41, P<0.0001), Hoffer Q (0.4 +/- 0.39 vs. 0.5 +/-
      0.43, P<0.0001), and Haigis (0.4 +/- 0.39 vs. 0.7 +/- 0.51, P<0.0001).
      CONCLUSION: The OLCR produces a more predictable refractive outcome than IUB,
      with patients' spherical equivalent being more likely to be closer to their
      target refraction.

PMID- 26114980
TI  - Distress tolerance in social versus solitary college student drinkers.
AB  - Low distress tolerance has been an inconsistent predictor of alcohol-related
      consequences in college students, but its relationships to depression and coping
      motives for alcohol have received stronger support. Research on college students
      who drink heavily in isolation suggests that this population is more likely to
      have a greater number and severity of alcohol-related problems, depression, and
      coping motives. Solitary heavy drinkers were therefore hypothesized to have lower
      distress tolerance than other drinkers. This study examined differences in self
      reported and behavioral distress tolerance across two groups of university
      students: those who endorsed heavy solitary drinking (20.1%) versus those who
      endorsed other types of drinking. Students completed a self-report measure
      (Distress Intolerance Self-Report, or DISR) and behavioral measure of distress
      tolerance (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, or PASAT). Students who reported
      drinking heavily in isolation differed from other students on the DISR, F(1, 132)
      = 4.645, p = .033, eta(2) = .034, but not on the PASAT, F(1, 132) = 0.056, p =
      .813. These students also endorsed more coping motives for alcohol. Distress
      tolerance did not predict drinking consequences directly, yet a mediation model
      linking distress tolerance to consequences through coping motives supports
      previous findings of distress tolerance as a distal, indirect predictor of
      drinking problems. The unique characteristics of solitary binge drinkers and the
      significance of distress tolerance as an indirect predictor of alcohol-related
      consequences are discussed.

PMID- 26114982
TI  - GC/MS profiling, in vitro anti-leptospiral and haemolytic activities of
      Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf. used as a medicinal plant by Nicobarese of
      Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
AB  - Leaves of the plant Boesenbergia rotunda are used by the Nicobarese tribe of
      Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, to prepare traditional medicine for treating
      fever, headache and body ache. In the present investigation, methanol fraction of
      these leaves were analysed by GC/MS that revealed the presence of 25 compounds.
      The anti-leptospiral activity of methanol crude extract was determined by both
      microdilution and macrodilution methods. The MICs of the extract were tested
      against 24 pathogenic leptospiral strains and ranged between 62.5-125 MUg/mL in
      both microdilution and macrodilution. The range of MBCs was 250 and 500 MUg/mL in
      macrodilution and microdilution respectively. The crude extract was subjected to
      cytotoxic studies and found to have negligible or no haemolytic activity,
      exhibiting IC50 values of greater than 4 mg/mL. Further in vivo studies are
      needed to investigate the pharmacological and toxicological properties of
      Boesenbergia rotunda, before it can be considered as a new anti-leptospiral
      agent. 

PMID- 26114981
TI  - Friend or foe: Personal use and friends' use of protective behavioral strategies
      and spring break drinking.
AB  - The present study examined associations between use of protective behavioral
      strategies (PBS) by college students and their friends and drinking-related
      outcomes during Spring Break (SB). Moreover, this study examined the influence of
      friends' own PBS use on participants' PBS use during SB. Participants included
      college students (N = 694) and their nominated friends (N = 131) who were part of
      a larger study of SB drinking. Data were collected via web-based surveys that
      participants and friends took after SB, which assessed SB PBS, drinking, and
      related negative consequences. Results indicated that higher levels of Serious
      Harm Reduction (SHR) strategies and Limiting/Stopping (LS) strategies were
      associated with increased consumption, higher likelihood of experiencing any
      consequences, and an increased number of consequences. A different pattern
      emerged for Manner of Drinking (MD) strategy use; participants utilizing higher
      levels of MD strategies drank less and had fewer consequences. LS and MD
      strategies used by the participant's friends appeared to have less of an impact
      on the participant's drinking outcomes. However, greater friends' use of SHR
      strategies was associated with increased alcohol use by the participant, but not
      with consequences. Greater friends' use of SHR strategies was associated with
      greater SHR strategy use by the participant. Friends' LS and MD strategies were
      not associated with participant drinking, consequences, or PBS. These findings
      highlight the potential utility of interventions that focus on drinking behaviors
      on specific high-risk occasions for those at risk as well as for their friends.

PMID- 26114983
TI  - Spinal and Epidural Anesthesia in Patients With Recent Stable Fractures of
      Vertebral Column.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of central neuraxial block (CNB) in patients with spinal
      injuries with or without spinal cord injury continues to be a contentious issue
      due to paucity of evidence supporting or refuting its use. There are only a few
      case reports reporting the use of the technique in these patients. We performed a
      retrospective record review of patients who underwent neuraxial blockade for
      lower limb orthopedic surgery in the presence of coexisting recent spine injury
      (defined as spine injury within 1 month) to assess the occurrence of
      postoperative deterioration of spinal cord function or occurrence of new spinal
      cord dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The hospital records of patients with
      recent stable traumatic fractures of the vertebral column who underwent lower
      limb orthopedic surgery under CNB from January 2010 to December 2013 were
      reviewed. Data collected included age, sex, level of fracture, number of
      vertebrae injured, presence of neurological deficits, interval between injury and
      surgery, number of surgeries, level of CNB, number of vertebral segments between
      the site of injury and CNB, position of patient used for CNB and surgery, and
      perioperative adverse hemodynamic events. All patients underwent detailed
      postoperative neurological examination and any deterioration or occurrence of new
      spinal cord dysfunction was noted. RESULTS: Nineteen patients underwent 21 CNBs
      for lower limb orthopedic procedures. There were 12 men and 7 women.
      Thoracolumbar area (18/19) was the commonest site of fractures. Two patients had
      neurological deficits due to cervical spine trauma. More than 50% of the patients
      had multiple bone fractures and nearly 30% had associated nonorthopedic trauma.
      Six patients underwent surgery within the first week (4 to 7 d) after trauma. In
      80% of the patients, there was a gap of atleast 2 vertebrae between the level of
      injury and CNB administration. There were no perioperative adverse hemodynamic
      events requiring prolonged inotropic support. None of the patients had
      neurological deterioration or new changes. CONCLUSIONS: Spinal and epidural
      anesthesia in patients with recent stable fractures of the spine was not
      associated with adverse neurological events. The findings of this study may be
      particularly relevant to patients with recent stable vertebral fractures who
      require surgery but present with conditions that place them at high risk for
      general anesthesia.

PMID- 26114984
TI  - Venous Air Embolism: New Observations.

PMID- 26114985
TI  - Sudden Bradycardia and Hypotension in Neurosurgery: Trigeminocardiac Reflex (TCR)
      and More.

PMID- 26114986
TI  - Surgical site infections after abdominal surgery: incidence and risk factors. A
      prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abdominal surgeries have high rates of surgical site infections
      (SSIs), contributing to increased morbidity and mortality and costs for
      hospitalization. The aim of this study was to determine the SSI incidence rates
      and risk factors after abdominal surgeries. METHODS: This prospective cohort
      study included all patients undergoing abdominal surgeries between 2005 and 2007
      in the Western Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Israel. SSI incidence rates
      were calculated per 100 operations. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated for each
      risk factor using univariate and multivariate analyses by logistic regression
      models. RESULTS: Among 302 patients in the study cohort, the total SSI incidence
      rate was 22.2%. The univariate analysis defined 13 variables significantly
      associated with SSI: age > 60 years, lower functional status, diabetes mellitus,
      congestive heart failure, immunocompromising underlying disease, treatment with
      chemotherapy and other immunosuppressive medications, impaired immune system open
      cholecystectomy, laparotomy, an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score
      > 2, drain insertion, and 'dirty wound' classification. In multivariate
      regression analysis, treatment with immunosuppressive medications (OR = 2.5, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) = 1.099-143.443), open cholecystectomy (OR = 2.25, 95%
      CI = 2.242-40.109), and dirty wound classification (OR = 2.179, 95% CI = 3.80
      20.551) were significantly associated with SSI. CONCLUSIONS: The significant risk
      factors defined should be addressed preoperatively to decrease the risk for SSI.
      Wound surveillance in the post-discharge period is necessary for correct
      estimation of SSI rates.

PMID- 26114987
TI  - Paradoxical response preceding control of Scedosporium apiospermum mycetoma with
      posaconazole treatment.
AB  - Mycetoma is a chronic granulomatous infection that is difficult to treat, notably
      when due to fungi such as Scedosporium apiospermum. Recent antifungal agents
      could be an option, but cases are rarely reported, and none with posaconazole.
      Paradoxical responses, defined as initial clinical worsening despite appropriate
      treatment, are common in tuberculosis but rare in deep mycoses in non
      immunocompromised hosts. Hence, paradoxical responses in context other than
      mycobacterial infection in an immunocompromised host could provide insights into
      the pathophysiology and the optimal strategy for treatment. We report the first
      case of a mycetoma caused by S. apiospermum with bone involvement treated with
      posaconazole, and the paradoxical response observed at the beginning of the
      treatment. As with mycobacterial infections, a paradoxical response in deep
      mycosis could represent the earliest marker of therapeutic efficacy. 

PMID- 26114988
TI  - Low prevalence of peripheral arterial disease in a cross-sectional study of
      Danish HIV-infected patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) appear to
      be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The ankle-brachial index
      (ABI) is a well-established screening tool for peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
      and future cardiovascular events in the general population. However,
      controversies exist on the prevalence of PAD among HIV-infected patients. In this
      study we aimed to measure the prevalence of PAD among HIV-infected patients and
      compare the ABI with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and other known CVD
      risk predictors. METHODS: We prospectively included HIV-infected patients from an
      outpatient clinic at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Hvidovre University
      Hospital, Denmark. We assessed the ABI pre- and post-exercise with a threshold
      for PAD defined as ABI <= 0.9. All patients had cIMT measured at the far wall of
      the distal common carotid artery. RESULTS: Of 102 patients included (mean age 52
      years, 75% male, 94% receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), 33% active smokers),
      1 had a pre-exercise ABI <= 0.9 and in addition 3 patients had a post-exercise
      ABI <= 0.9. We found a poor correlation between ABI and traditional CVD risk
      factors other than body mass index. In contrast, a strong correlation was found
      between cIMT and traditional risk factors. Values of post-exercise ABI and cIMT
      were not correlated. The current ART did not influence ABI values. CONCLUSIONS:
      We found a low prevalence of PAD in HIV-infected patients. ABI did not correlate
      with CVD risk factors or cIMT. Based on these results ABI does not seem valuable
      as a screening tool for CVD among HIV-infected patients.

PMID- 26114989
TI  - Gait speed in older people: an easy test for detecting cognitive impairment,
      functional independence, and health state.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With ageing, physical and cognitive functions become impaired.
      Analyzing and determining the association between both functions can facilitate
      the prevention and diagnosis of associated problems. Some previous works have
      proposed batteries of physical performance tests to determine both physical and
      cognitive functions. However, only a few studies have used the gait speed (GS)
      test as a tool to evaluate parameters representative of health in the elderly
      such as functionality, mobility, independence, autonomy, and comorbidity.
      Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the association between
      physical and cognitive functions in older people (over 65 years old) and to
      detect the most appropriate physical test to assess cognitive impairment,
      functional independence, comorbidity, and perceived health in this population.
      METHODS: One hundred six older adults (38 men, 68 women) participated voluntarily
      in this cross-sectional study. To assess the physical function handgrip strength,
      GS, 30-s chair stand tests, and body composition analysis were performed. To
      evaluate cognitive function, the Mini-Mental State Examination, Barthel index,
      and Charlson index were employed. No significant differences (P >= 0.05) between
      sexes were found. RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis of the Mini-Mental State
      Examination and physical fitness variables, adjusted for age and sex, indicates
      that GS is a predictor of Mini-Mental State Examination score (R(2) = 0.138).
      CONCLUSION: The results showed that GS is an important predictor of functional
      capacity (physical and cognitive function) in adults over 65 years old.

PMID- 26114990
TI  - Cervicomedullary tumors in children.
AB  - OBJECT: Cervicomedullary tumors (CMTs) represent a heterogeneous group of
      intrinsic neoplasms that are typically low grade and generally carry a good
      prognosis. This single-institution study was undertaken to document the outcomes
      and current treatment philosophy for these challenging neoplasms. METHODS: The
      charts of all pediatric patients with CMTs who received treatment at St. Jude
      Children's Research Hospital between January 1988 and May 2013 were
      retrospectively reviewed. Demographic, surgical, clinical, radiological,
      pathological, and survival data were collected. Treatment-free survival and
      overall survival were estimated, and predictors of recurrence were analyzed.
      RESULTS: Thirty-one children (16 boys, 15 girls) with at least 12 months of
      follow-up data were identified. The median age at diagnosis was 6 years (range 7
      months-17 years) and the median follow-up was 4.3 years. Low-grade tumors (Grade
      I or II) were present in 26 (84%) patients. Thirty patients underwent either a
      biopsy alone or resection, with the majority of patients undergoing biopsy only
      (n = 12, 39%) or subtotal resection (n = 14, 45%). Only 4 patients were treated
      solely with resection; 21 patients received radiotherapy alone or in combination
      with other treatments. Recurrent tumor developed in 14 children (45%) and 4 died
      as a result of their malignancy. A high-grade pathological type was the only
      independent variable that predicted recurrence. The 5- and 10-year treatment-free
      survival estimates are 64.7% and 45.3%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year overall
      survival estimate is 86.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Children with CMTs typically have low
      grade neoplasms and consequently long-term survival, but high risk of recurrence.
      Therapy should be directed at achieving local tumor control while preserving and
      even restoring neurological function.

PMID- 26114991
TI  - Surgical treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in the United States from
      1997 to 2012: an analysis of 20,346 patients.
AB  - OBJECT: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) can cause substantial morbidity and
      may require surgical intervention. In this study, the authors aimed to evaluate
      US trends in operative AIS as well as patient comorbidities, operative approach,
      in-hospital complications, hospital length of stay (LOS), and hospital charges in
      the US for the period from 1997 to 2012. METHODS: Patients with AIS (ICD-9-CM
      diagnosis codes 737.30) who had undergone spinal fusion (ICD-9-CM procedure codes
      81.xx) from 1997 to 2012 were identified from the Kids' Inpatient Database.
      Parameters of interest included patient comorbidities, operative approach
      (posterior, anterior, or combined anteroposterior), in-hospital complications,
      hospital LOS, and hospital charges. RESULTS: The authors identified 20, 346
      patients in the age range of 0-21 years who had been admitted for AIS surgery in
      the defined study period. Posterior fusions composed 63.4% of procedures in 1997
      and 94.1% in 2012 (r = 0.95, p < 0.01). The mean number of comorbidities among
      all fusion groups increased from 3.0 in 1997 to 4.2 in 2012 (r = 0.92, p = 0.01).
      The percentage of patients with complications increased from 15.6% in 1997 to
      22.3% in 2012 (r = 0.78, p = 0.07). The average hospital LOS decreased from 6.5
      days in 1997 to 5.6 days in 2012 (r = -0.86, p = 0.03). From 1997 to 2012, the
      mean hospital charges (adjusted to 2012 US dollars) for surgical treatment of AIS
      more than tripled from $55,495 in 1997 to $177,176 in 2012 (r = 0.99, p < 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Over the 15-year period considered in this study, there was an
      increasing trend toward using posterior-based techniques for AIS corrective
      surgery. The number of comorbid conditions per patient and thus the medical
      complexity of patients treated for AIS have increased. The mean charges for the
      treatment of AIS have increased, with a national bill over $1.1 billion per year
      in 2012.

PMID- 26114992
TI  - SMARCE1 mutations in pediatric clear cell meningioma: case report.
AB  - Clear cell meningioma (CCM) is an uncommon variant of meningioma. The authors
      describe a case of a pediatric CCM localized to the lumbar spine. After
      resection, sequencing revealed an inactivating mutation in the SWI/SNF chromatin
      remodeling complex subunit SMARCE1, with loss of the second allele in the tumor.
      The authors present a literature review of this mutation that is associated with
      CCM and a family history of spine tumors. 

PMID- 26114993
TI  - Pediatric spinal injury in the US: epidemiology and disparities.
AB  - OBJECT: In the US, race and economic status have pervasive associations with
      mechanisms of injury, severity of injury, management, and outcomes of trauma. The
      goal of the current study was to examine these relationships on a large scale in
      the setting of pediatric spinal injury. METHODS: Admissions for spinal fracture
      without or with spinal cord injury (SCI), spinal dislocation, and SCI without
      radiographic abnormality were identified in the Kids' Inpatient Database (KID)
      and the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) registry for 2009. Patients ranged in
      age from birth up to 21 years. Data from the KID were used to estimate nationwide
      annual incidences. Data from the NTDB were used to describe patterns of injury in
      relation to age, race, and payor, with corroboration from the KID. Multiple
      logistic regression was used to model rates of mortality and spinal fusion.
      RESULTS: In 2009, the estimated incidence of hospital admission for spinal injury
      in the US was 170 per 1 million in the population under 21 years of age. The
      incidence of SCI was 24 per 1 million. Incidences varied regionally. Adolescents
      predominated. Patterns of injury varied by age, race, and payor. Black patients
      were more severely injured than patients of other races as measured by Injury
      Severity Scale scores. Among black patients with spinal injury in the NTDB, 23.9%
      suffered firearm injuries; only 1% of white patients suffered firearm injuries.
      The overall mortality rate in the NTDB was 3.9%. In a multivariate analysis that
      included a large panel of clinical and nonclinical factors, black race retained
      significance as a predictor of mortality (p = 0.006; adjusted OR 1.571 [1.141
      2.163]). Rates of spinal fusion were associated with race and payor in the NTDB
      data and with payor in the KID: patients with better insurance underwent spinal
      fusion at higher rates. CONCLUSIONS: The epidemiology of pediatric spinal injury
      in the US cannot be understood apart from considerations of race and economic
      status.

PMID- 26114994
TI  - Safety of neuroangiography and embolization in children: complication analysis of
      697 consecutive procedures in 394 patients.
AB  - OBJECT: The safe treatment of children using catheter-based angiography and
      embolization poses unique challenges because of the technical factors regarding
      the size and fragility of access and target vessels, as well as unique pediatric
      cerebrovascular pathologies. The complication rates for neurointerventional
      procedures in children have not been established. METHODS: The records of a
      consecutive cohort of pediatric patients who underwent neuroangiography and/or
      embolization between 2007 and 2013 were reviewed retrospectively to identify both
      intraprocedural and postprocedural complications. Demographic and clinical risk
      factors were analyzed with a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: The
      697 consecutive procedures consisted of 429 diagnostic angiograms and 268
      embolizations (mean age of patients 11.1 years; range 4 days to 18 years; 217
      females). There were 130 intracranial, 122 extracranial, and 16 spinal
      embolizations. Pathologies included 28 intracranial arteriovenous malformations
      (AVMs), 12 spinal AVMs, 19 aneurysms, 29 vein of Galen malformations, 29 dural
      arteriovenous fistulas, 96 extracranial AVMs, 39 tumors, 3 strokes, and 13
      others. Overall, 2 intraprocedural and 1 postprocedural complication (0.7%)
      occurred in the diagnostic group, all of which were nonneurological events. In
      the embolization group, 7 intraprocedural and 11 postprocedural complications
      (6.7%) were observed. Of these complications, 15 were nonneurological events
      (5.6%), 1 was a short-term neurological event (0.4%), and 2 were long-term
      neurological events (0.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Neither the technical challenges posed
      by children's access and target vessels nor the unique neuro-vascular pathologies
      seen in children need result in an elevated morbidity rate related to
      neuroangiography and embolization. At a dedicated high-volume center, the
      complication rates may be lower than those for comparable procedures performed in
      adults.

PMID- 26114995
TI  - Adverse outcomes of pregnancy in women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the
      most common liver disease in the world, but little is known about its potential
      association with pregnancy outcomes. We aimed to investigate pregnancy outcomes
      in NAFLD. METHODS: The Swedish Medical Birth Register (MBR) was used to identify
      births between 1992 and 2011 (N = 1 960 416). By linkage with the National
      Patient Register, we identified women with a diagnosis of NAFLD. The MBR was then
      used to identify outcomes: gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, Caesarean
      section, Apgar score <7 at 5 min, preterm birth (<37 weeks), low birth weight
      (<2500 g), infants born small for gestational age and congenital malformations.
      As controls, we used women with no diagnosis for NAFLD divided into two groups;
      with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Poisson regression was used to
      estimate relative risks (RRs) adjusted for maternal age, smoking status and body
      mass index at early pregnancy, parity and prepregnancy diabetes. RESULTS: We
      identified 110 pregnancies in women with NAFLD. Using women without a diagnosis
      of NAFLD or PCOS as controls; NAFLD was associated with gestational diabetes
      [adjusted RRs 2.78; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25-6.15], pre-eclampsia (aRR
      1.95; 95% CI 1.03-3.70), Caesarean section (aRR 1.52; 95% CI 1.19-1.94), preterm
      birth (aRR 2.50; 95% CI 1.38-4.55) and with low birth weight (aRR 2.40; 95% CI
      1.21-4.78). CONCLUSION: Women with a diagnosis of NAFLD prior to giving birth
      have increased risks for adverse pregnancy outcome independently of body mass
      index and diabetes, and should be carefully monitored during antenatal care.

PMID- 26114996
TI  - Case Management with a Diabetes Team Using Home Telemedicine: Acceptance of
      Treatment Recommendations by Primary Care Providers in IDEATel.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine (IDEATel)
      project demonstrated that a telemedicine intervention can improve glycemic,
      lipid, and blood pressure control. The focus of the current study was to evaluate
      factors associated with primary care providers' (PCPs') decision on whether to
      follow recommendations from the remote diabetes team in Upstate New York.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the intervention group, diabetes educators
      videoconferenced with patients monthly to download and review glucose and blood
      pressure readings, diabetes-related issues, and laboratory data. These were
      reviewed with an endocrinologist, and recommendations to change therapy were sent
      to the PCPs. At annual visits, participants completed the Diabetes Symptom
      Checklist-Type 2 symptom severity score and Impact of Telemedicine surveys.
      RESULTS: Factors that increase the acceptance rate of IDEATel recommendations
      included longer time in the study (p=0.0052), changing medication dose as opposed
      to starting or stopping a medication (p<0.0001), adjusting glucose-lowering
      agents compared with antihypertensive or antilipid medications (p<0.0001), higher
      total Diabetes Symptom Checklist-Type 2 symptom severity score (p=0.045), greater
      number of glucose readings submitted by participants (p=0.014), and high score on
      surveys measuring impact of telemedicine on patient's knowledge, adherence, and
      satisfaction (p=0.0023). CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations for change in glycemic
      control medications, delivered remotely by a diabetes team to PCPs, were better
      accepted over time. Results support the use of a team-based telemedicine program
      to help PCPs improve diabetes care.

PMID- 26114997
TI  - Oral Presence of Carbohydrate and Caffeine in Chewing Gum: Independent and
      Combined Effects on Endurance Cycling Performance.
AB  - The oral presence of carbohydrate (CHO) and caffeine (CAF) may independently
      enhance exercise performance, but their influence on performance during prolonged
      exercise is less known. AIM: To determine the independent and combined effects of
      CHO and CAF administered in chewing gum during a cycling time trial (TT) after
      prolonged exercise. METHOD: Eleven male cyclists (32.2 +/- 7.5 y, 74.3 +/- 6.8
      kg, 60.2 +/- 4.0 mL . kg-1 . min-1 VO2peak) performed 4 experimental trials
      consisting of 90-min constant-load cycling at 80% of their second ventilatory
      threshold (207 +/- 30 W), followed immediately by a 20-km TT. Under double
      blinded conditions, cyclists received placebo (PLA), CHO, CAF, or a combined
      CHO+CAF chewing gum at 0-, 5-, 10-, and 15-km points of the TT. RESULTS: Overall
      TT performance was similar across experimental and PLA trials (%mean difference
      +/- 90%CL 0.2% +/- 2.0%, 0.4% +/- 2.2%, 0.1% +/- 1.8% for CHO, CAF, and CHO+CAF).
      Compared with PLA, mean power output tended to be higher in the first 2 quarters
      of the TT with CHO (1.6% +/- 3.1% and 0.8% +/- 2.0%) and was substantially
      improved in the last 2 quarters during CAF and CHO+CAF trials (4.2% +/- 3.0% and
      2.0% +/- 1.8%). There were no differences in average heart rate (ES <0.2) and
      only small changes in blood glucose (ES 0.2), which were unrelated to
      performance. Blood lactate was substantially higher post-TT for CAF and CHO+CAF
      (ES >0.6). CONCLUSION: After prolonged constant-load cycling, the oral presence
      of CHO and CAF in chewing gum, independently or in combination, did not improve
      overall performance but did influence pacing.

PMID- 26114998
TI  - Canine olfaction and electronic nose detection of volatile organic compounds in
      the detection of cancer: a review.
AB  - Olfactory cancer detection shows promise as an affordable, precise, and
      noninvasive way to screen for cancer. This review focuses on two methods of
      olfactory cancer detection: first, the ability of canines to differentiate
      between cancerous and healthy individuals through the use of biological samples
      and second, electronic nose technology that uses chemical sensors to detect known
      biomarkers in exhaled breath. This review summarizes and critiques past research
      and outlines future directions to improve understanding of both canine olfaction
      and electronic nose technology. 

PMID- 26114999
TI  - The developmental race between maturing host plants and their butterfly herbivore
      - the influence of phenological matching and temperature.
AB  - Interactions between herbivorous insects and their host plants that are limited
      in time are widespread. Therefore, many insect-plant interactions result in a
      developmental race, where herbivores need to complete their development before
      plants become unsuitable, while plants strive to minimize damage from herbivores
      by outgrowing them. When spring phenologies of interacting species change
      asymmetrically in response to climate warming, there will be a change in the
      developmental state of host plants at the time of insect herbivore emergence. In
      combination with altered temperatures during the subsequent developmental period,
      this is likely to affect interaction strength as well as fitness of interacting
      species. Here, we experimentally explore whether the combined effect of
      phenological matching and thermal conditions influence the outcome of an insect
      host interaction. We manipulated both developmental stages of the host plants at
      the start of the interaction and temperature during the subsequent developmental
      period in a model system of a herbivorous butterfly, Anthocharis cardamines, and
      five of its Brassicaceae host plant species. Larval performance characteristics
      were favoured by earlier stages of host plants at oviposition as well as by
      higher developmental temperatures on most of the host species. The probability of
      a larva needing a second host plant covered the full range from no influence of
      either phenological matching or temperature to strong effects of both factors,
      and complex interactions between them. The probability of a plant outgrowing a
      larva was dependent only on the species identity. This study demonstrates that
      climatic variation can influence the outcome of consumer-resource interactions in
      multiple ways and that its effects differ among host plant species. Therefore,
      climate warming is likely to change the temporal match between larval and plant
      development in some plant species, but not in the others. This is likely to have
      important implications for host plant use and possibly influence competitive
      relationships.

PMID- 26115000
TI  - FEM simulation of tapered cap floating sleeve antenna for hepatocellular
      carcinoma therapy.
AB  - Malignant liver tumors are the sixth most common and deadly cancer in the world
      and the third most common cause of cancer mortality. Hepatocellular carcinoma
      (primary liver cancer) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide with one
      of the highest mortality rates. Microwave ablation (MWA) is a new, promising, and
      multidisciplinary technology designed to destroy unhealthy tissue of various
      natures by radiating electromagnetic waves with microwave antennas. The finite
      element method (FEM) has been used in the present work to generate the simulated
      models of tapered cap floating sleeve antenna for validation of its design
      concepts, because FEM allows modeling of complex geometries that cannot be solved
      by analytical methods or finite difference models. The performances have been
      evaluated in terms of objective metrics, ablation zone, antenna matching, power
      absorption and SAR pattern. 

PMID- 26115001
TI  - Fruit consumption and adiposity status in adults: A systematic review of current
      evidence.
AB  - The aim of this review was to update current understanding of the potential
      association between fruit consumption and adiposity status in adult populations.
      Electronic databases were searched from January 1, 1997 to the search date of
      August 15, 2014, retrieving 4382 abstracts that were reviewed for eligibility:
      randomized controlled trial (RCT) or prospective cohort (PC), published in
      English, assessing the effect of whole fruit or fruit juice consumption on
      adiposity in healthy adult populations. Quality ratings for the 11 included RCTs
      were either positive (n = 2), neutral (n = 8), or negative (n = 1), while the six
      included PCs were either positive (n = 4) or neutral (n = 2). Consumption of
      whole fruit was found to contribute to a reduced risk for long-term weight gain
      in middle-aged adults. Experimental trials suggest this beneficial effect of
      whole fruit is mediated by a reduction in total energy intake. Fruit juice,
      however, had an opposing effect, promoting weight gain over the long term. This
      review reinforces national food-based dietary guidelines, encouraging the
      consumption of whole fruits and replacing fruit juices with plain water, as part
      of a broader set of dietary strategies to reduce total dietary energy intake in
      adult populations.

PMID- 26115002
TI  - OMIP-026: Phenotypic analysis of B and plasma cells in rhesus macaques.

PMID- 26115003
TI  - Poly-Electrophilic Sesquiterpene Lactones from Vernonia amygdalina: New Members
      and Differences in Their Mechanism of Thiol Trapping and in Bioactivity.
AB  - In addition to known compounds, the leaves of Vernonia amygdalina afforded the
      new sesquiterpene lactones 14-O-methylvernolide (2), 3'-deoxyvernodalol (6), and
      vernomygdalin (8). These and related compounds were evaluated for modulation of a
      series of thiol trapping-sensitive transcription factors (NF-kappaB, STAT3, and
      Nrf2), involved in the maintenance of the chronic inflammatory condition typical
      of human degenerative diseases. Vernolide (1) emerged as a potent inhibitor of
      STAT3 and NF-kappaB and showed cytostatic activity toward the prostate cancer
      cell line DU45, arresting the cell cycle at the S phase. The exomethylene
      lactones are characterized by multiple Michael acceptor sites, as exemplified by
      vernolide (1) and vernodalol (5). By using the nuclear magnetic resonance-based
      cysteamine assay, the most reactive thiophilic site could be identified in both
      compounds, and competitive experiments qualified vernolide (1) as being more
      thiophilic than vernodalol (5), in agreement with the results of the
      pharmacological assays. 

PMID- 26115004
TI  - Pathways to Drinking Among Hispanic/Latino Adolescents: Perceived Discrimination,
      Ethnic Identity, and Peer Affiliations.
AB  - We examined whether discrimination experienced by Hispanic/Latino adolescents is
      associated (a) directly with adolescent alcohol use or (b) indirectly with
      adolescent alcohol use via mediation by ethnic identity and/or peer associations.
      Data were drawn from an NIAAA-funded randomized controlled trial evaluating the
      efficacy of a Guided-Self Change intervention for Hispanic/Latino youth with
      alcohol and interpersonal violence problems (R01 AA12180; see Wagner et al.,
      2014). The current sample included 371 Hispanic/Latino teenagers (mean age = 16.3
      years [SD = 1.37]; 38% female). Using structural equation modeling (SEM), results
      revealed that perceived discrimination was indirectly related to alcohol
      consumption through positive (non-drinking) peer affiliations. Additionally,
      ethnic identity was found to moderate the relationship between discrimination and
      positive peer affiliation. These findings further our understanding about how
      discrimination and ethnic identity interact, as well as provide directions for
      how the effectiveness of prevention models may be enhanced for reducing underage
      drinking among Hispanic/Latino adolescents. 

PMID- 26115005
TI  - The Association between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Metabolic Markers and Lipid
      Profiles.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between
      apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and metabolic markers and whether the elevated risk of
      Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is related to Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). METHODS:
      This cross-sectional study recruited 246 male bus drivers from one transportation
      company in Taiwan. Each participant was evaluated by a polysomnography (PSG) test
      and by blood lipids examination. Severity of OSA was categorized according to the
      apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). RESULTS: The results showed that a 73.3% prevalence
      of MetS in OSA (AHI > 15) and a 80.0% prevalence of MetS in severe OSA (AHI > 30)
      were found. After adjusting for confounding variables, an increased level of Body
      Mass Index (BMI) and two non-MetS cardiovascular risk factors, total
      cholesterol/HDL-C ratio and TG/HDL-C ratio was significantly associated with AHI
      in subjects with severe OSA. MetS was about three times to be present in subjects
      with severe OSA, even adjusted for BMI. CONCLUSIONS: The findings showed a high
      prevalence of MetS in OSA among professional drivers, especially in the severe
      group category. BMI was the major contributing factor to OSA. However, the
      present study did not find a sensitive clinical marker of a detrimental metabolic
      profile in OSA patients.

PMID- 26115006
TI  - Structural and Biochemical Characterization of AidC, a Quorum-Quenching Lactonase
      with Atypical Selectivity.
AB  - Quorum-quenching catalysts are of interest for potential application as
      biochemical tools for interrogating interbacterial communication pathways, as
      antibiofouling agents, and as anti-infective agents in plants and animals.
      Herein, the structure and function of AidC, an N-acyl-l-homoserine lactone (AHL)
      lactonase from Chryseobacterium, is characterized. Steady-state kinetics show
      that zinc-supplemented AidC is the most efficient wild-type quorum-quenching
      enzymes characterized to date, with a kcat/KM value of approximately 2 * 10(6) M(
      1) s(-1) for N-heptanoyl-l-homoserine lactone. The enzyme has stricter substrate
      selectivity and significantly lower KM values (ca. 50 MUM for preferred
      substrates) compared to those of typical AHL lactonases (ca. >1 mM). X-ray
      crystal structures of AidC alone and with the product N-hexanoyl-l-homoserine
      were determined at resolutions of 1.09 and 1.67 A, respectively. Each structure
      displays as a dimer, and dimeric oligiomerization was also observed in solution
      by size-exclusion chromatography coupled with multiangle light scattering. The
      structures reveal two atypical features as compared to previously characterized
      AHL lactonases: a "kinked" alpha-helix that forms part of a closed binding pocket
      that provides affinity and enforces selectivity for AHL substrates and an active
      site His substitution that is usually found in a homologous family of
      phosphodiesterases. Implications for the catalytic mechanism of AHL lactonases
      are discussed. 

PMID- 26115007
TI  - Estimating reflex responses in large populations of motor units by decomposition
      of the high-density surface electromyogram.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Reflex responses of single motor units have been used for the study
      of spinal circuitries but the methods employed are invasive and limited to the
      assessment of a relatively small number of motor units. We propose a new approach
      to investigate reflexes on individual motor units based on high-density surface
      electromyography (HDsEMG) decomposition. The decomposition of HDsEMG has been
      previously validated in voluntary isometric contractions but never during reflex
      activities. The use of HDsEMG decomposition for reflex studies at the individual
      motor unit level, during constant force contractions, with excitatory and
      inhibitory stimuli, was validated here by the comparison of results with
      concurrently recorded intramuscular EMG signals. The validation results showed
      that HDsEMG decomposition allows an accurate quantification of reflex responses
      for a large number of individual motor units non-invasively, for both excitatory
      and inhibitory stimuli. ABSTRACT: We propose and validate a non-invasive method
      that enables accurate detection of the discharge times of a relatively large
      number of motor units during excitatory and inhibitory reflex stimulations. High
      density surface electromyography (HDsEMG) and intramuscular EMG (iEMG) were
      recorded from the tibialis anterior muscle during ankle dorsiflexions performed
      at 5%, 10% and 20% of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) force, in nine
      healthy subjects. The tibial nerve (inhibitory reflex) and the peroneal nerve
      (excitatory reflex) were stimulated with constant current stimuli. In total, 416
      motor units were identified from the automatic decomposition of the HDsEMG. The
      iEMG was decomposed using a state-of-the-art decomposition tool and provided 84
      motor units (average of two recording sites). The reflex responses of the
      detected motor units were analysed using the peri-stimulus time histogram (PSTH)
      and the peri-stimulus frequencygram (PSF). The reflex responses of the common
      motor units identified concurrently from the HDsEMG and the iEMG signals showed
      an average disagreement (the difference between number of observed spikes in each
      bin relative to the mean) of 8.2 +/- 2.2% (5% MVC), 6.8 +/- 1.0% (10% MVC) and
      7.5 +/- 2.2% (20% MVC), for reflex inhibition, and 6.5 +/- 4.1%, 12.0 +/- 1.8%
      and 13.9 +/- 2.4%, for reflex excitation. There was no significant difference
      between the characteristics of the reflex responses, such as latency, amplitude
      and duration, for the motor units identified by both techniques. Finally, reflex
      responses could be identified at higher force (4 of the 9 subjects performed
      contraction up to 50% MVC) using HDsEMG but not iEMG, because of the difficulty
      in decomposing the iEMG at high forces. In conclusion, single motor unit reflex
      responses can be estimated accurately and non-invasively in relatively large
      populations of motor units using HDsEMG. This non-invasive approach may enable a
      more thorough investigation of the synaptic input distribution on active motor
      units at various force levels.

PMID- 26115010
TI  - Skeletal Metastasis of Unknown Primary Origin at the Initial Visit: A
      Retrospective Analysis of 286 Cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skeletal metastasis is a common metastatic event for several
      carcinomas, and the treatment for skeletal metastasis of unknown primary (SMUP)
      are a critical issue in cancer therapy. Making a diagnosis of the primary site is
      the most crucial step in the treatment of SMUP; however, the procedures are
      sometimes difficult and time-consuming, and the primary site often remains
      unknown. Therefore, to establish optimal diagnostic strategies and elucidate the
      overall survival rates of SMUP, we conducted this retrospective study. METHODS:
      We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data for 286 SMUP cases from a total of
      2,641 patients with skeletal metastases who were treated between 2002 and 2014 at
      our initiations. RESULTS: The primary sites were identified in 254/286 patients
      (88.8%), while 32 (11.2%) primary sites were not detected by our diagnostic
      strategies. Lung cancer was identified in 72 (25.2%) cases, and was the most
      frequently observed primary lesion. The median survival time of the SMUP patients
      was 20.0 months, while the median survival times of solitary bone metastasis
      cases and multi-bone metastasis cases were 39.0 months and 16.0 months,
      respectively. The median survival times of prostate cancer cases was over 120
      months, that of patients with primary lung cancers was 9.0 months and the median
      survival time of cases who were finally diagnosed with an unknown primary was
      11.0 months. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that our study would contribute to
      establishing an optimal strategy for diagnosing the primary site in SMUP
      patients, and our data provide definite indications for the survival times for
      different SMUP situations.

PMID- 26115011
TI  - Electrochemical and Infrared Spectroscopic Studies Provide Insight into Reactions
      of the NiFe Regulatory Hydrogenase from Ralstonia eutropha with O2 and CO.
AB  - The regulatory hydrogenase (RH) from Ralstonia eutropha acts as the H2-sensing
      unit of a two-component system that regulates biosynthesis of the energy
      conserving hydrogenases of the organism according to the availability of H2. The
      H2 oxidation activity, which was so far determined in vitro with artificial
      electron acceptors, has been considered to be insensitive to O2 and CO. It is
      assumed that bulky isoleucine and phenylalanine amino acid residues close to the
      NiFe active site "gate" gas access, preventing molecules larger than H2
      interacting with the active site. We have carried out sensitive electrochemical
      measurements to demonstrate that O2 is in fact an inhibitor of H2 oxidation by
      the RH, and that both H(+) reduction and H2 oxidation are inhibited by CO.
      Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the inhibitory effect of O2 arises due to
      interaction of O2 with the active site. Using protein film infrared
      electrochemistry (PFIRE) under H2 oxidation conditions, in conjunction with
      solution infrared measurements, we have identified previously unreported oxidized
      inactive and catalytically active reduced states of the RH active site. These
      findings suggest that the RH has a rich active site chemistry similar to that of
      other NiFe hydrogenases. 

PMID- 26115012
TI  - Forest Gaps Inhibit Foliar Litter Pb and Cd Release in Winter and Inhibit Pb and
      Cd Accumulation in Growing Season in an Alpine Forest.
AB  - AIMS: The release of heavy metals (such as Pb and Cd) from foliar litter play an
      important role in element cycling in alpine forest ecosystems. Although natural
      forest gaps could play important roles in the release of heavy metals from foliar
      litter by affecting the snow cover during the winter and solar irradiation during
      the growing season, few studies have examined these potential roles. The
      objectives of this study were to document changes in Pb and Cd dynamics during
      litter decomposition in the center of gaps and under closed canopies and to
      investigate the factors that controlled these changes during the winter and
      growing seasons. METHODS: Senesced foliar litter from six dominant species,
      including Kangding willow (Salix paraplesia), Masters larch (Larix mastersiana),
      Mingjiang fir (Abies faxoniana), Alpine azalea (Rhododendron lapponicum), Red
      birch (Betula albosinensis) and Mourning cypress (Sabina saltuaria), was placed
      in litterbags and incubated between the gap center and closed canopy conditions
      in an alpine forest in the eastern region of the Tibetan Plateau. The litterbags
      were sampled at the snow formation stage, snow coverage stage, snow melt stage
      and during the growing season. The Pb and Cd concentrations in the sampled foliar
      litter were determined by acid digestion (HNO3/HClO4). IMPORTANT FINDINGS: Over
      one year of decomposition, Pb accumulation and Cd release from the foliar litter
      occurred, regardless of the foliar litter species. However, Pb and Cd were both
      released from the foliar litter during the winter and accumulated during the
      growing season. Compared with the gap center and the canopy gap edge, the
      extended gap edge and the closed canopy showed higher Pb and Cd release rates in
      winter and higher Pb and Cd accumulation rates during the growing season,
      respectively. Statistical analyses indicate that the dynamics of Pb were
      significantly influenced by frequent freeze-thaw cycles in winter and appropriate
      hydrothermal conditions during the growing season, the dynamics of Cd were
      strongly influenced by species and the presence of a forest gap at different
      decomposition stages. These results show that forest gaps could inhibit Pb and Cd
      release from foliar litter in the alpine forest of western Sichuan. In addition,
      a decrease in the snow depth in the winter warming scenario would promote the
      release of Pb during foliar litter decomposition. There exist some difference
      that may be influenced by litter quality, microenvironment and microtopography
      during litter decomposition.

PMID- 26115013
TI  - Characterization of Endothelial Progenitor Cell Interactions with Human
      Tropoelastin.
AB  - The deployment of endovascular implants such as stents in the treatment of
      cardiovascular disease damages the vascular endothelium, increasing the risk of
      thrombosis and promoting neointimal hyperplasia. The rapid restoration of a
      functional endothelium is known to reduce these complications. Circulating
      endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are increasingly recognized as important
      contributors to device re-endothelialization. Extracellular matrix proteins
      prominent in the vessel wall may enhance EPC-directed re-endothelialization. We
      examined attachment, spreading and proliferation on recombinant human
      tropoelastin (rhTE) and investigated the mechanism and site of interaction. EPCs
      attached and spread on rhTE in a dose dependent manner, reaching a maximal level
      of 56+/-3% and 54+/-3%, respectively. EPC proliferation on rhTE was comparable to
      vitronectin, fibronectin and collagen. EDTA, but not heparan sulfate or lactose,
      reduced EPC attachment by 81+/-3%, while full attachment was recovered after add
      back of manganese, inferring a classical integrin-mediated interaction. Integrin
      alphaVbeta3 blocking antibodies decreased EPC adhesion and spreading on rhTE by
      39+/-3% and 56+/-10% respectively, demonstrating a large contribution from this
      specific integrin. Attachment of EPCs on N-terminal rhTE constructs N25 and N18
      accounted for most of this interaction, accompanied by comparable spreading. In
      contrast, attachment and spreading on N10 was negligible. alphaVbeta3 blocking
      antibodies reduced EPC spreading on both N25 and N18 by 45+/-4% and 42+/-14%,
      respectively. In conclusion, rhTE supports EPC binding via an integrin mechanism
      involving alphaVbeta3. N25 and N18, but not N10 constructs of rhTE contribute to
      EPC binding. The regulation of EPC activity by rhTE may have implications for
      modulation of the vascular biocompatibility of endovascular implants. 

PMID- 26115014
TI  - Pullulanase and Starch Synthase III Are Associated with Formation of Vitreous
      Endosperm in Quality Protein Maize.
AB  - The opaque-2 (o2) mutation of maize increases lysine content, but the low seed
      density and soft texture of this type of mutant are undesirable. Lines with
      modifiers of the soft kernel phenotype (mo2) called "Quality Protein Maize" (QPM)
      have high lysine and kernel phenotypes similar to normal maize. Prior research
      indicated that the formation of vitreous endosperm in QPM might involve changes
      in starch granule structure. In this study, we focused on analysis of two starch
      biosynthetic enzymes that may influence kernel vitreousness. Analysis of
      recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross of W64Ao2 and K0326Y revealed that
      pullulanase activity had significant positive correlation with kernel
      vitreousness. We also found that decreased Starch Synthase III abundance may
      decrease the pullulanase activity and average glucan chain length given the same
      Zpu1 genotype. Therefore, Starch Synthase III could indirectly influence the
      kernel vitreousness by affecting pullulanase activity and coordinating with
      pullulanase to alter the glucan chain length distribution of amylopectin,
      resulting in different starch structural properties. The glucan chain length
      distribution had strong positive correlation with the polydispersity index of
      glucan chains, which was positively associated with the kernel vitreousness based
      on nonlinear regression analysis. Therefore, we propose that pullulanase and
      Starch Synthase III are two important factors responsible for the formation of
      the vitreous phenotype of QPM endosperms. 

PMID- 26115015
TI  - Pre-Pregnancy Body Mass Index, Gestational Weight Gain, and Birth Weight: A
      Cohort Study in China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess whether pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) modify the
      relationship between gestational weight gain (GWG) and child birth weight
      (specifically, presence or absence of low birth weight (LBW) or presence of
      absence of macrosomia), and estimates of the relative risk of macrosomia and LBW
      based on pre-pregnancy BMI were controlled in Wuhan, China. METHODS: From June
      30, 2011 to June 30, 2013. All data was collected and available from the
      perinatal health care system. Logistic regression models were used to estimate
      the independent association among pregnancy weight gain, LBW, normal birth
      weight, and macrosomia within different pre-pregnancy BMI groups. We built
      different logistic models for the 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) Guidelines and
      Chinese-recommended GWG which was made from this sample. The Chinese-recommended
      GWG was derived from the quartile values (25th-75th percentiles) of weight gain
      at the time of delivery in the subjects which comprised our sample. RESULTS: For
      LBW children, using the recommended weight gain of the IOM and Chinese women as a
      reference, the OR for a pregnancy weight gain below recommendations resulted in a
      positive relationship for lean and normal weight women, but not for overweight
      and obese women. For macrosomia, considering the IOM's recommended weight gain as
      a reference, the OR magnitude for pregnancy weight gain above recommendations
      resulted in a positive correlation for all women. The OR for a pregnancy weight
      gain below recommendations resulted in a negative relationship for normal BMI and
      lean women, but not for overweight and obese women based on the IOM
      recommendations, significant based on the recommended pregnancy weight gain for
      Chinese women. Of normal weight children, 56.6% were above the GWG based on IOM
      recommendations, but 26.97% of normal weight children were above the GWG based on
      Chinese recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: A GWG above IOM recommendations might not
      be helpful for Chinese women. We need unified criteria to classify adult BMI and
      to expand the sample size to improve representation and to elucidate the
      relationship between GWG and related outcomes for developing a Chinese GWG
      recommendation.

PMID- 26115016
TI  - The Self-Assessment of Role-Performance and Activities of Daily Living Abilities
      (SARATM): Development and Clinical Utility of a Client-Centered Screening Tool
      and Outcome Measure.
AB  - This article describes the development and use of the Self-Assessment of Role
      performance and activities of daily living Abilities (SARATM), a standardized
      client-centered index of functional abilities. Developed in four phases, this
      article describes the initial development, pilot testing and revision,
      examination of psychometric properties, and finalization. Pilot studies found the
      SARATM to be reliable, valid, and responsive to change. The use of the SARATM in
      clinical practice and for outcome monitoring promotes client-centered goal
      setting and client-valued rehabilitation. It is a viable alternative to deficit
      focused measures. The SARATM is a promising new tool that warrants increased
      utilization and further research. 

PMID- 26115017
TI  - Cysteine scanning reveals minor local rearrangements of the horizontal helix of
      respiratory complex I.
AB  - The NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, respiratory complex I, couples electron
      transfer from NADH to ubiquinone with the translocation of protons across the
      membrane. The complex consists of a peripheral arm catalyzing the redox reaction
      and a membrane arm catalyzing proton translocation. The membrane arm is almost
      completely aligned by a 110 A unique horizontal helix that is discussed to
      transmit conformational changes induced by the redox reaction in a piston-like
      movement to the membrane arm driving proton translocation. Here, we analyzed such
      a proposed movement by cysteine-scanning of the helix of the Escherichia coli
      complex I. The accessibility of engineered cysteine residues and the flexibility
      of individual positions were determined by labeling the preparations with a
      fluorescent marker and a spin-probe, respectively, in the oxidized and reduced
      states. The differences in fluorescence labeling and the rotational flexibility
      of the spin probe between both redox states indicate only slight conformational
      changes at distinct positions of the helix but not a large movement. 

PMID- 26115019
TI  - Usefulness of Two Clinical Chorioamnionitis Definitions in Predicting Neonatal
      Infectious Outcomes: A Systematic Review (Podcast).

PMID- 26115018
TI  - Immediate postpartum insertion of intrauterine device for contraception.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Women who want to start intrauterine contraception (IUC) during the
      postpartum period might benefit from IUC insertion immediately after delivery.
      Postplacental insertion greatly reduces the risk of subsequent pregnancy and
      eliminates the need for a return visit to start contraception. Without the option
      of immediate insertion, many women may never return for services or may adopt
      less effective contraception. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to examine the outcomes of
      IUC insertion immediately after placenta delivery (within 10 minutes), especially
      when compared with insertion at other postpartum times. We focused on successful
      IUC placement (insertion), subsequent expulsion, and method use. SEARCH METHODS:
      We searched for trials until 1 April 2015. Sources included PubMed (MEDLINE), the
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), POPLINE, Web of
      Science, EMBASE, LILACS, ClinicalTrials.gov, and ICTRP. For the original review,
      the authors contacted investigators to identify other trials. SELECTION CRITERIA:
      We sought randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with at least one treatment arm
      that involved immediate IUC placement (i.e., within 10 minutes of placenta
      delivery). Comparison arms could have included early postpartum insertion (from
      10 minutes postplacental to hospital discharge) or standard insertion (during a
      postpartum visit). Trials could also have compared different IUC methods or
      insertion techniques. Delivery may have been vaginal or cesarean. Primary
      outcomes were placement (insertion), subsequent expulsion, and method use at
      study assessment. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: For dichotomous outcomes, we used
      the Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Earlier
      studies primarily reported results as life-table rates. We aggregated trials in a
      meta-analysis if they had similar interventions and outcome measures. A
      sensitivity analysis included studies with moderate or high quality evidence and
      sufficient outcome data. MAIN RESULTS: We included 15 trials. Seven studies
      reported from 2010 to 2014 were added to eight from the original 2001 review.
      Newer trials compared immediate postplacental insertion versus early (10 minutes
      to 48 hours) or standard insertion (during the postpartum visit). Of four with
      full reports, three were small trials. The other three studies had conference
      abstracts. The eight early trials examined immediate insertion of different
      devices or insertion techniques. Most studies were published in the 1980s, some
      with limited reporting.Our sensitivity analysis included trials with sufficient
      outcome data and moderate or high quality evidence. Four newer trials comparing
      insertion times met the inclusion criteria. Two studies used the levonorgestrel
      releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) after vaginal delivery. The other two
      trials placed IUC after cesarean section; one used the CuT 380A intrauterine
      device (IUD) and the other used the LNG-IUS.A pilot trial compared immediate
      insertion versus early or standard insertion. In groups comparing immediate
      versus early insertion (N = 30), all women had the LNG-IUS inserted. By six
      months, the groups had the same expulsion rate and did not differ significantly
      in IUC use.For immediate versus standard insertion, we conducted meta-analyses of
      four trials. Insertion rates did not differ significantly between study arms.
      However, the trial from Uganda showed insertion was more likely for the immediate
      group, although the estimate was imprecise. In the meta-analysis, expulsion by
      six months was more likely for the immediate group, but the confidence interval
      was wide (OR 4.89, 95% CI 1.47 to 16.32; participants = 210; studies = 4). IUC
      use at six months was more likely with immediate insertion than with standard
      insertion (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.01 to 4.09; participants = 243; studies = 4). Study
      arms did not differ in use at 3 or 12 months in individual small trials. AUTHORS'
      CONCLUSIONS: Recent trials compared different insertion times after vaginal or
      cesarean delivery. Evidence was limited because studies with full reports
      generally had small sample sizes. Overall, the quality of evidence was moderate;
      abstracts and older studies had limited reporting. Ongoing trials will add to the
      evidence, although some are small. Trials of adequate power are needed to
      estimate expulsion rates and side effects.The benefit of effective contraception
      immediately after delivery may outweigh the disadvantage of increased risk for
      expulsion. Frequent prenatal visits during the third trimester provide the
      opportunity to discuss effective contraceptive methods and desired timing for
      initiation. Clinical follow-up can help detect early expulsion, as can educating
      women about expulsion signs and symptoms.

PMID- 26115020
TI  - Midpregnancy Cervical Length in Nulliparous Women and its Association with
      Postterm Delivery and Intrapartum Cesarean Delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between midpregnancy cervical length and
      postterm delivery and cesarean delivery during labor. STUDY DESIGN: In a
      multicenter cohort study, cervical length was measured in low-risk singleton
      pregnancies between 16 and 22 weeks of gestation. From this cohort, we identified
      nulliparous women who delivered beyond 34 weeks and calculated cervical length
      quartiles. We performed logistic regression to compare the risk of postterm
      delivery and intrapartum cesarean delivery to cervical length quartiles, using
      the lowest quartile as a reference. We adjusted for induction of labor, maternal
      age, ethnicity, cephalic position, preexisting hypertension, and gestational age
      at delivery. RESULTS: We studied 5,321 nulliparous women. Women with cervical
      length in the 3rd and 4th quartile were more likely to deliver at 42(+0) to
      42(+6) weeks (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07
      3.79 and aOR 1.97, 95% CI 1.06-3.67, respectively). The frequency of intrapartum
      cesarean delivery increased with cervical length quartile from 9.4% in the 1st to
      14.9% in the 4th quartile (p = 0.01). This increase was only present in
      intrapartum cesarean delivery because of failure to progress and not because of
      fetal distress. CONCLUSION: The longer the cervix at midtrimester the higher the
      risk of both postterm delivery and intrapartum cesarean delivery.

PMID- 26115021
TI  - Dynamic PCr and pH imaging of human calf muscles during exercise and recovery
      using (31) P gradient-Echo MRI at 7 Tesla.
AB  - PURPOSE: Simultaneous acquisition of spatially resolved (31) P-MRI data for
      evaluation of muscle specific energy metabolism, i.e., PCr and pH kinetics.
      METHODS: A three-dimensional (3D) gradient-echo sequence for multiple frequency
      selective excitations of the PCr and Pi signals in an interleaved sampling scheme
      was developed and tested at 7 Tesla (T). The pH values were derived from the
      chemical shift-induced phase difference between the resonances. The achieved
      spatial resolution was ~2 mL with image acquisition time below 6 s. Ten healthy
      volunteers were studied performing plantar flexions during the delay between (31)
      P-MRI acquisitions, yielding a temporal resolution of 9-10 s. RESULTS: Signal
      from anatomically matched regions of interest had sufficient signal-to-noise
      ratio to allow single-acquisition PCr and pH quantification. The Pi signal was
      clearly detected in voxels of actively exercising muscles. The PCr depletions
      were in gastrocnemius 42 +/- 14% (medialis), 48 +/- 17% (lateralis) and in soleus
      20 +/- 11%. The end exercise pH values were 6.74 +/- 0.18 and 6.65 +/- 0.27 for
      gastrocnemius medialis and lateralis, respectively, and 6.96 +/- 0.12 for soleus
      muscle. CONCLUSION: Simultaneous acquisition of PCr and Pi images with high
      temporal resolution, suitable for measuring PCr and pH kinetics in exercise
      recovery experiments, was demonstrated at 7T. This study presents a fast
      alternative to MRS for quantifying energy metabolism of posterior muscle groups
      of the lower leg. Magn Reson Med 75:2324-2331, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc.

PMID- 26115022
TI  - Hemorrhagic intramedullary solitary fibrous tumor of the conus medullaris: case
      report.
AB  - The differential diagnosis of spinal tumors is guided by anatomical location and
      imaging characteristics. Diagnosis of rare tumors is made challenging by abnormal
      features. The authors present the case of a 47-year-old woman who presented with
      progressive subacute right lower-extremity weakness and numbness of the right
      thigh. Physical examination further revealed an extensor response to plantar
      reflex on the right and hyporeflexia of the right Achilles and patellar reflexes.
      Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine demonstrated an 8-mm
      intramedullary exophytic nodule protruding into a hematoma within the conus
      medullaris. Spinal angiography was performed to rule out an arteriovenous
      malformation, and resection with hematoma evacuation was completed. Pathological
      examination of the resected mass demonstrated a spindle cell neoplasm with dense
      bundles of collagen. Special immunostaining was performed and a diagnosis of
      solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) was made. SFTs are mesenchymally derived pleural
      neoplasms, which rarely present at other locations of the body, but have been
      increasingly described to occur as primary neoplasms of the spine and CNS. The
      authors believe that this case is unique in its rare location at the level of the
      conus, and also that this is the first report of a hemorrhagic SFT in the spine.
      Therefore, with this report the authors add to the literature the fact that this
      variant of an increasingly understood but heterogeneous tumor can occur, and
      therefore should be considered in the differential of clinically similar tumors. 

PMID- 26115023
TI  - Surgical outcomes of 156 spinal accessory nerve injuries caused by lymph node
      biopsy procedures.
AB  - OBJECT: Iatrogenic injuries to the spinal accessory nerve (SAN) are not uncommon
      during lymph node biopsy of the posterior cervical triangle (PCT). In this study,
      the authors review the operative techniques and surgical outcomes of 156 surgical
      repairs of the SAN following iatrogenic injury during lymph node biopsy
      procedures. METHODS: This retrospective study examines the authors' clinical and
      surgical experience with 156 patients with SAN injury between 1980 and 2012. All
      patients suffered iatrogenic SAN injuries during lymph node biopsy, with the vast
      majority (154/156, 98.7%) occurring in Zone I of the PCT. Surgery was performed
      on the basis of anatomical and electro-physiological findings at the time of the
      operation. The mean follow-up period was 24 months (range 8-44 months). RESULTS:
      Of the 123 patients who underwent graft or suture repair, 107 patients (87%)
      improved to Grade 3 functionality or higher using the Louisiana State University
      Health Science Center (LSUHSC) grading system. Neurolysis was performed in 29
      patients (19%) when the nerve was found in continuity with recordable nerve
      action potential (NAP) across the lesion. More than 95% of patients treated by
      neurolysis with positive NAP recordings recovered to LSUHSC Grade 3 or higher.
      Forty-one patients (26%) underwent end-to-end repair, while 82 patients (53%)
      underwent graft repair, and Grade 3 or higher recovery was assessed for 90% and
      85% of these patients, respectively. The average graft length used was 3.81 cm.
      Neurotization was performed in 4 patients, 2 of whom recovered to Grade 2 and 3,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SAN injuries present challenges for surgical
      exploration and repair because of the nerve's size and location in the PCT.
      However, through proper and timely intervention, patients with diminished or
      absent function achieved favorable functional outcomes. Surgeons performing lymph
      node biopsy procedures in Zone I of the PCT should be aware of the potential risk
      of injury to the SAN.

PMID- 26115024
TI  - Microvascular anatomy of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas: arteriovenous
      connections and their relationships with the dura mater.
AB  - OBJECT The microvascular anatomy of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs),
      especially the relationships of the vessels with the dura mater, has yet to be
      angiographically demonstrated in detail and proven histologically. METHODS From
      January 2012 through April 2014, a total of 7 patients with spinal dural AVFs in
      the thoracic region underwent open microsurgical obliteration at Tokyo
      Metropolitan Neurological Hospital. The microvascular anatomy of spinal dural
      AVFs was comprehensively assessed by using advanced microangiography, including
      3D computer graphics and intraoperative indocyanine green video angiography, and
      by histological findings. RESULTS The 2 microangiography techniques revealed the
      spatial course and in vivo blood flow of the meningeal vessels and their
      relationships with the dura mater in sufficient detail. The meningeal branch of
      the intercostal artery split into multiple meningeal vessels on the outer dural
      surface adjacent to the root sleeve. After crossing the dura mater to the inner
      dural surface, these vessels gathered and joined a single intradural draining
      vessel. On the inner dural surface, the single draining vessel was fed by the
      surrounding multiple meningeal vessels, which appeared to be caput medusae.
      Histological findings revealed that the structure of the meningeal branch of the
      intercostal artery corresponded to that of a normal artery. The structure of
      intradural draining vessels corresponded to that of a vein modified by retrograde
      arterial inflow. On the inner dural surface, more than 1 meningeal artery
      gathered and joined with the proximal radiculomedullary vein. CONCLUSIONS Spinal
      dural AVFs are located on the inner dural surface, where multiple direct AV
      connections between more than 1 meningeal feeding artery and a single proximal
      radiculomedullary vein occur at the site where the vein connects to the dura
      mater. 

PMID- 26115025
TI  - Minimally invasive resection of lumbar intraspinal synovial cysts via a
      contralateral approach: review of 13 cases.
AB  - OBJECT: The authors sought to determine patient-related outcomes after minimally
      invasive surgical (MIS) lumbar intraspinal synovial cyst excision via a tubular
      working channel and a contralateral facet-sparing approach. METHODS: All the
      patients with a symptomatic lumbar intraspinal synovial cyst who underwent
      surgery at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics with an MIS excision via
      a contralateral approach were treated between July 2010 and August 2014. There
      was a total of 13 cases. Each patient was evaluated with preoperative
      neurological examinations, lumbar spine radiography, MRI, and visual analog scale
      (VAS) scores. The patients were evaluated postoperatively with neurological
      examinations and VAS and Macnab scores. The primary outcomes were improvement in
      VAS and Macnab scores. Secondary outcomes were average blood loss, hospital stay
      duration, and operative times. RESULTS: There were 5 males and 8 females. The
      mean age was 66 years, and the mean body mass index was 28.5 kg/m(2). Sixty-nine
      percent (9 of 13) of the cysts were at L4-5. Most patients had low-back pain and
      radicular pain, and one-third of them had Grade 1 spondylolisthesis. The mean (+/
      SD) follow-up duration was 20.8 +/- 16.9 months. The mean Macnab score was 3.4
      +/- 1.0, and the VAS score decreased from 7.8 preoperatively to 2.9
      postoperatively. The mean operative time was 123 +/- 30 minutes, with a mean
      estimated blood loss of 44 +/- 29 ml. Hospital stay averaged 1.5 +/- 0.7 days.
      There were no complications noted in this series. CONCLUSIONS: The MIS excision
      of lumbar intraspinal synovial cysts via a contralateral approach offers
      excellent exposure to the cyst and spares the facet joint at the involved level,
      thus minimizing risk of instability, blood loss, operative time, and hospital
      stay. Prospective randomized trials with longer follow-up times and larger
      cohorts are needed to conclusively determine the superiority of the contralateral
      MIS approach over others, including open or ipsilateral minimally invasive
      surgery.

PMID- 26115026
TI  - Challenges in early operative approaches to intramedullary spinal cord tumors:
      Harvey Cushing's perspective.
AB  - Although Harvey Cushing was mostly known for his contributions to brain tumor
      surgery, he was also a pioneer in the development of spinal cord surgery. This
      lesser known facet of Cushing's career can provide a fresh and unique perspective
      into how the founders of neurosurgery surmounted early challenges in the field.
      The authors bring to light and examine for the first time Cushing's unpublished
      writing "Technique of Laminectomy" along with his first 3 documented
      intramedullary spinal cord tumor (IMSCT) cases at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The
      authors draw lessons from the challenges in pathological classification,
      preoperative diagnosis, tumor localization, and surgical technique of that time.
      Although Cushing's attempts at exploration and resection of IMSCT as described
      here were of limited success, his ability to adapt his clinical and surgical
      technique to the challenges of the time, as well as develop skills to
      successfully manipulate the spinal cord during these exploratory procedures
      without the patients incurring neurological damage, postoperative infection, or
      complications, is a testament to his determination to advance the field and his
      meticulous operative technique. In spite of the limitations imposed on the
      pioneer neurosurgeons, Harvey Cushing and his contemporaries persevered through
      many of the challenges and built an essential part of neurosurgery's common
      story.

PMID- 26115027
TI  - Rechecking the Centrality-Lethality Rule in the Scope of Protein Subcellular
      Localization Interaction Networks.
AB  - Essential proteins are indispensable for living organisms to maintain life
      activities and play important roles in the studies of pathology, synthetic
      biology, and drug design. Therefore, besides experiment methods, many
      computational methods are proposed to identify essential proteins. Based on the
      centrality-lethality rule, various centrality methods are employed to predict
      essential proteins in a Protein-protein Interaction Network (PIN). However,
      neglecting the temporal and spatial features of protein-protein interactions, the
      centrality scores calculated by centrality methods are not effective enough for
      measuring the essentiality of proteins in a PIN. Moreover, many methods, which
      overfit with the features of essential proteins for one species, may perform poor
      for other species. In this paper, we demonstrate that the centrality-lethality
      rule also exists in Protein Subcellular Localization Interaction Networks
      (PSLINs). To do this, a method based on Localization Specificity for Essential
      protein Detection (LSED), was proposed, which can be combined with any centrality
      method for calculating the improved centrality scores by taking into
      consideration PSLINs in which proteins play their roles. In this study, LSED was
      combined with eight centrality methods separately to calculate Localization
      specific Centrality Scores (LCSs) for proteins based on the PSLINs of four
      species (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Homo sapiens, Mus musculus and Drosophila
      melanogaster). Compared to the proteins with high centrality scores measured from
      the global PINs, more proteins with high LCSs measured from PSLINs are essential.
      It indicates that proteins with high LCSs measured from PSLINs are more likely to
      be essential and the performance of centrality methods can be improved by LSED.
      Furthermore, LSED provides a wide applicable prediction model to identify
      essential proteins for different species. 

PMID- 26115028
TI  - The potential of the riboSNitch in personalized medicine.
AB  - RNA conformation plays a significant role in stability, ligand binding,
      transcription, and translation. Single nucleotide variants (SNVs) have the
      potential to disrupt specific structural elements because RNA folds in a sequence
      specific manner. A riboSNitch is an element of RNA structure with a specific
      function that is disrupted by an SNV or a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP; or
      polymorphism; SNVs occur with low frequency in the population, <1%). The
      riboSNitch is analogous to a riboswitch, where binding of a small molecule rather
      than mutation alters the structure of the RNA to control gene regulation.
      RiboSNitches are particularly relevant to interpreting the results of genome-wide
      association studies (GWAS). Often GWAS identify SNPs associated with a phenotype
      mapping to noncoding regions of the genome. Because a majority of the human
      genome is transcribed, significant subsets of GWAS SNPs are putative
      riboSNitches. The extent to which the transcriptome is tolerant of SNP-induced
      structure change is still poorly understood. Recent advances in ultra high
      throughput structure probing begin to reveal the structural complexities of
      mutation-induced structure change. This review summarizes our current
      understanding of SNV and SNP-induced structure change in the human transcriptome
      and discusses the importance of riboSNitch discovery in interpreting GWAS results
      and massive sequencing projects.

PMID- 26115030
TI  - A Novel Locus for Ectodermal Dysplasia of Hair, Nail and Skin Pigmentation
      Anomalies Maps to Chromosome 18p11.32-p11.31.
AB  - Ectodermal dysplasias (EDs) are a large heterogeneous group of inherited
      disorders exhibiting abnormalities in ectodermally derived appendages such as
      hair, nails, teeth and sweat glands. EDs associated with reticulated pigmentation
      phenotype are rare entities for which the genetic basis and pathophysiology are
      not well characterized. The present study describes a five generation
      consanguineous Pakistani family segregating an autosomal recessive form of a
      novel type of ectodermal dysplasia. The affected members present with sparse and
      woolly hair, severe nail dystrophy and reticulate skin pigmentation. After
      exclusion of known gene loci related with other skin disorders, genome-wide
      linkage analysis was performed using Illumina HumanOmniExpress beadchip SNP
      arrays. We linked this form of ED to human chromosome 18p11.32-p11.31 flanked by
      the SNPs rs9284390 (0.113Mb) and rs4797100 (3.14 Mb). A maximum two-point LOD
      score of 3.3 was obtained with several markers along the disease interval. The
      linkage interval of 3.03 Mb encompassed seventeen functional genes. However,
      sequence analysis of all these genes did not discover any potentially disease
      causing-variants. The identification of this novel locus provides additional
      information regarding the mapping of a rare form of ED. Further research, such as
      the use of whole-genome sequencing, would be expected to reveal any pathogenic
      mutation within the disease locus. 

PMID- 26115029
TI  - Protective mAbs and Cross-Reactive mAbs Raised by Immunization with Engineered
      Marburg Virus GPs.
AB  - The filoviruses, which include the marburg- and ebolaviruses, have caused
      multiple outbreaks among humans this decade. Antibodies against the filovirus
      surface glycoprotein (GP) have been shown to provide life-saving therapy in
      nonhuman primates, but such antibodies are generally virus-specific. Many
      monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been described against Ebola virus. In
      contrast, relatively few have been described against Marburg virus. Here we
      present ten mAbs elicited by immunization of mice using recombinant mucin-deleted
      GPs from different Marburg virus (MARV) strains. Surprisingly, two of the mAbs
      raised against MARV GP also cross-react with the mucin-deleted GP cores of all
      tested ebolaviruses (Ebola, Sudan, Bundibugyo, Reston), but these epitopes are
      masked differently by the mucin-like domains themselves. The most efficacious
      mAbs in this panel were found to recognize a novel "wing" feature on the GP2
      subunit that is unique to Marburg and does not exist in Ebola. Two of these anti
      wing antibodies confer 90 and 100% protection, respectively, one hour post
      exposure in mice challenged with MARV. 

PMID- 26115031
TI  - Monolayers of poly-L-lysine on mica--Electrokinetic characteristics.
AB  - Physicochemical properties of poly-l-lysine and its monolayers on mica were
      thoroughly investigated by dynamic light scattering, electrokinetic methods and
      atomic force microscopy. The hydrodynamic diameter of PLL was equal to 25.5 nm
      within a wide range of pH and ionic strength. The electrophoretic measurements
      revealed that the molecules are positively charged for pH<10.5. By exploiting the
      electrophoretic mobility data, theelectrokinetic charge on the PLL molecules and
      their zeta potential were calculated. PLL monolayers of controlled coverage were
      deposited on mica under diffusion-controlled conditions by varying PLL bulk
      concentration and adsorption time. The electrokinetic characteristics of the
      monolayers were acquired in situ via streaming potential measurements. These
      studies allowed to uniquely determine the zeta potential of the monolayers as a
      function of pH and ionic strength. In this way the isoelectric point of the
      monolayers can be determined in a more convenient way compared to bulk
      measurements disturbed by the PLL molecule interactions. The stability of the
      monolayers under flow conditions was quantitatively evaluated via streaming
      potential measurements. The adsorption constant and the binding energy depth of
      PLL molecules were determined for different ionic strengths. These parameters
      indicate that the PLL monolayers remain stable over prolonged times.

PMID- 26115032
TI  - Immediate and Long-Term Outcome of Acute H2S Intoxication Induced Coma in
      Unanesthetized Rats: Effects of Methylene Blue.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute hydrogen sulfide (H2S) poisoning produces a coma, the outcome
      of which ranges from full recovery to severe neurological deficits. The aim of
      our study was to 1--describe the immediate and long-term neurological effects
      following H2S-induced coma in un-anesthetized rats, and 2--determine the
      potential benefit of methylene blue (MB), a compound we previously found to
      counteract acute sulfide cardiac toxicity. METHODS: NaHS was administered IP in
      un-sedated rats to produce a coma (n = 34). One minute into coma, the rats
      received MB (4 mg/kg i.v.) or saline. The surviving rats were followed clinically
      and assigned to Morris water maze (MWM) and open field testing then sacrificed at
      day 7. RESULTS: Sixty percent of the non-treated comatose rats died by pulseless
      electrical activity. Nine percent recovered with neurological deficits requiring
      euthanasia, their brain examination revealed major neuronal necrosis of the
      superficial and middle layers of the cerebral cortex and the posterior thalamus,
      with variable necrosis of the caudate putamen, but no lesions of the hippocampus
      or the cerebellum, in contrast to the typical distribution of post-ischemic
      lesions. The remaining animals displayed, on average, a significantly less
      effective search strategy than the control rats (n = 21) during MWM testing.
      Meanwhile, 75% of rats that received MB survived and could perform the MWM test
      (P<0.05 vs non-treated animals). The treated animals displayed a significantly
      higher occurrence of spatial search than the non-treated animals. However, a
      similar proportion of cortical necrosis was observed in both groups, with a
      milder clinical presentation following MB. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, in rats
      surviving H2S induced coma, spatial search patterns were used less frequently
      than in control animals. A small percentage of rats presented necrotic neuronal
      lesions, which distribution differed from post-ischemic lesions. MB dramatically
      improved the immediate survival and spatial search strategy in the surviving
      rats.

PMID- 26115034
TI  - Assessment of Double Outlet Right Ventricle Associated with Multiple
      Malformations in Pediatric Patients Using Retrospective ECG-Gated Dual-Source
      Computed Tomography.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of retrospective
      electrocardiographically (ECG)-gated dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) for
      the assessment of double outlet right ventricle (DORV) and associated multiple
      malformations in pediatric patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-seven patients
      <10 years of age with DORV underwent retrospective ECG-gated DSCT. The location
      of the ventricular septal defect (VSD), alignment of the two great arteries, and
      associated malformations were assessed. The feasibility of retrospective ECG
      gated DSCT in pediatric patients was assessed, the image quality of DSCT and the
      agreement of the diagnosis of associated malformations between DSCT and
      transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were evaluated, the diagnostic accuracies of
      DSCT and TTE were referred to surgical results, and the effective doses were
      calculated. RESULTS: Apart from DORV, 109 associated malformations were confirmed
      postoperatively. There was excellent agreement (kappa = 0.90) for the diagnosis
      of associated malformations between DSCT and TTE. However, DSCT was superior to
      TTE in demonstrating paracardiac anomalies (sensitivity, coronary artery
      anomalies: 100% vs. 80.00%, anomalies of great vessels: 100% vs. 88.57%, separate
      thoracic and abdominal anomalies: 100% vs. 76.92%, respectively). Combined with
      TTE, DSCT can achieve excellent diagnostic performance in intracardiac anomalies
      (sensitivity, 91.30% vs. 100%). The mean image quality score was 3.70 +/- 0.46
      (kappa = 0.76). The estimated mean effective dose was < 1 mSv (0.88 +/- 0.34
      mSv). CONCLUSIONS: Retrospective ECG-gated DSCT is a better diagnostic tool than
      TTE for pediatric patients with complex congenital heart disease such as DORV.
      Combined with TTE, it may reduce or even obviate the use of invasive cardiac
      catheterization, and thus expose the patients to a much lower radiation dose.

PMID- 26115033
TI  - Lead Exposure during Early Human Development and DNA Methylation of Imprinted
      Gene Regulatory Elements in Adulthood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lead exposure during early development causes neurodevelopmental
      disorders by unknown mechanisms. Epidemiologic studies have focused recently on
      determining associations between lead exposure and global DNA methylation;
      however, such approaches preclude the identification of loci that may alter human
      disease risk. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine whether
      maternal, postnatal, and early childhood lead exposure can alter the
      differentially methylated regions (DMRs) that control the monoallelic expression
      of imprinted genes involved in metabolism, growth, and development. METHODS:
      Questionnaire data and serial blood lead levels were obtained from 105
      participants (64 females, 41 males) of the Cincinnati Lead Study from birth to 78
      months. When participants were adults, we used Sequenom EpiTYPER assays to test
      peripheral blood DNA to quantify CpG methylation in peripheral blood leukocytes
      at DMRs of 22 human imprinted genes. Statistical analyses were conducted using
      linear regression. RESULTS: Mean blood lead concentration from birth to 78 months
      was associated with a significant decrease in PEG3 DMR methylation (beta = 
      0.0014; 95% CI: -0.0023, -0.0005, p = 0.002), stronger in males (beta = -0.0024;
      95% CI: -0.0038, -0.0009, p = 0.003) than in females (beta = -0.0009; 95% CI: 
      0.0020, 0.0003, p = 0.1). Elevated mean childhood blood lead concentration was
      also associated with a significant decrease in IGF2/H19 (beta = -0.0013; 95% CI: 
      0.0023, -0.0003, p = 0.01) DMR methylation, but primarily in females, (beta = 
      0.0017; 95% CI: -0.0029, -0.0006, p = 0.005) rather than in males, (beta = 
      0.0004; 95% CI: -0.0023, 0.0015, p = 0.7). Elevated blood lead concentration
      during the neonatal period was associated with higher PLAGL1/HYMAI DMR
      methylation regardless of sex (beta = 0.0075; 95% CI: 0.0018, 0.0132, p = 0.01).
      The magnitude of associations between cumulative lead exposure and CpG
      methylation remained unaltered from 30 to 78 months. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      provide evidence that early childhood lead exposure results in sex-dependent and
      gene-specific DNA methylation differences in the DMRs of PEG3, IGF2/H19, and
      PLAGL1/HYMAI in adulthood. CITATION: Li Y, Xie C, Murphy SK, Skaar D, Nye M,
      Vidal AC, Cecil KM, Dietrich KN, Puga A, Jirtle RL, Hoyo C. 2016. Lead exposure
      during early human development and DNA methylation of imprinted gene regulatory
      elements in adulthood. Environ Health Perspect 124:666-673;
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408577.

PMID- 26115035
TI  - Snakebites in Two Rural Districts in Lao PDR: Community-Based Surveys Disclose
      High Incidence of an Invisible Public Health Problem.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Lao PDR (Laos) is one of the least developed countries in Asia
      with an estimated 25% of the population living in poverty. It is the habitat of
      some highly venomous snakes and the majority of the population earns their living
      from agricultural activities. Under these circumstances the incidence of
      snakebites is expected to be high. METHODS: Two cross-sectional, community-based
      surveys were performed in Champone and Phin district, Savannakhet province, Lao
      PDR to estimate snakebite incidence. Multistage random sampling was used. In the
      first stage approximately 40% of all villages in each district were randomly
      selected. In the second stage 33% of all households in each village were randomly
      chosen. Members of the selected households were interviewed about snakebites
      during the previous 12 months. RESULTS: Thirty-five of 9856 interviewees reported
      a snakebite in a 12 month period in Champone district and 79 of 7150 interviewees
      in Phin district. The estimated incidence is 355 snakebites per 100,000 persons
      per year and 1105 per 100,000 in Champone and Phin district respectively. All
      snakebite victims received treatment by traditional healers or self-treatment at
      home and nobody went to a hospital. Incidence of snakebites, calculated on the
      basis of hospital records of 14 district hospitals and Savannakhet provincial
      hospital, ranged from 3 to 14 cases per 100,000 persons per year between 2012 and
      2014. CONCLUSION: Incidence of snakebites is high in rural communities in Laos
      with significant regional differences. Poverty most likely contributes
      significantly to the higher number of snakebites in Phin district. Hospital
      statistics profoundly underestimates snakebite incidence, because the majority of
      snakebite victims receive only treatment by traditional healers or self-treatment
      in their village. There is an urgent need to train medical staff and students in
      management of snakebite patients and make snake antivenom available to cope
      effectively with this important public health problem in order to prevent
      fatalities and disabilities.

PMID- 26115036
TI  - Determination of free and glucosidically-bound volatiles in plants. Two case
      studies: L-menthol in peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.) and eugenol in clove
      (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry).
AB  - This study arises from both the today's trend towards exploiting plant resources
      exhaustively, and the wide quantitative discrepancy between the amounts of
      commercially-valuable markers in aromatic plants and those recovered from the
      related essential oil. The study addresses the determination of both the
      qualitative composition and the exhaustive distribution of free and
      glucosidically-bound L-menthol in peppermint aerial parts (Mentha x piperita L.,
      Lamiaceae) and of eugenol in dried cloves (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. &
      L.M.Perry, Myrtaceae), two plants known to provide widely ranging essential oil
      yields. The two markers were investigated in essential oils and residual
      hydrodistillation waters, before and after enzymatic hydrolysis. Their amounts
      were related to those in the headspace taken as reference. The results showed
      that the difference between marker compound in headspace and in essential oil
      amounted to 22.8% for L-menthol in peppermint, and 16.5% for eugenol in cloves.
      The aglycones solubilised in the residual hydrodistillation waters were 7.2% of
      the headspace reference amount for L-menthol, and 13.3% for eugenol, respectively
      representing 9.3% and 15.9% of their amounts in the essential oil. The amount of
      L-menthol from its glucoside in residual hydrodistillation waters was 20.6% of
      that in the related essential oil, while eugenol from its glucoside accounted for
      7.7% of the amount in clove essential oil. The yield of L-menthol, after
      submitting the plant material to enzymatic hydrolysis before hydrodistillation,
      increased by 23.1%, and for eugenol the increase was 8.1%, compared to the amount
      in the respective conventional essential oils. This study also aimed to evaluate
      the reliability of recently-introduced techniques that are little applied, if at
      all, in this field. The simultaneous use of high-concentration-capacity sample
      preparation techniques (SBSE, and HS-SPME and in-solution SPME) to run quali
      quantitative analysis without sample manipulation, and direct LC-MS glucoside
      analysis, provided cross-validation of the results. 

PMID- 26115038
TI  - Codon-Optimized NADH Oxidase Gene Expression and Gene Fusion with Glycerol
      Dehydrogenase for Bienzyme System with Cofactor Regeneration.
AB  - NADH oxidases (NOXs) play an important role in maintaining balance of NAD+/NADH
      by catalyzing cofactors regeneration. The expression of nox gene from
      Lactobacillus brevis in Escherichia coli BL21 (BL21 (DE3)) was studied. Two
      strategies, the high AT-content in the region adjacent to the initiation codon
      and codon usage of the whole gene sequence consistent with the host, obtained the
      NOX activity of 59.9 U/mg and 73.3 U/mg (crude enzyme), with enhanced expression
      level of 2.0 and 2.5-folds, respectively. Purified NOX activity was 213.8 U/mg.
      Gene fusion of glycerol dehydrogenase (GDH) and NOX formed bifuctional multi
      enzymes for bioconversion of glycerol coupled with coenzyme regeneration. Kinetic
      parameters of the GDH-NOX for each substrate, glycerol and NADH, were calculated
      as Vmax(Glycerol) 20 MUM/min, Km(Glycerol) 19.4 mM, Vmax (NADH) 12.5 MUM/min and
      Km (NADH) 51.3 MUM, respectively, which indicated the potential application of
      GDH-NOX for quick glycerol analysis and dioxyacetone biosynthesis. 

PMID- 26115039
TI  - The Val30Met familial amyloid polyneuropathy specific Rasch-built overall
      disability scale (FAP-RODS((c)) ).
AB  - Familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is a chronic debilitating multi-organic
      disorder, mainly assessed using ordinal-based impairment measures. To date, no
      outcome measure at the activity and participation level has been constructed in
      FAP. The current study aimed to design an interval activity/participation scale
      for FAP through Rasch methodology. A preliminary FAP Rasch-built overall
      disability scale (pre-FAP-RODS) containing 146 activity/participation items was
      assessed twice (interval: 2-4 week; test-retest reliability) in 248 patients with
      Val30Met FAP examined in Porto, Portugal, of which 65.7% have received liver
      transplantation. An ordinal-based 24-item FAP-symptoms inventory questionnaire
      (FAP-SIQ) was also assessed (validity purposes). The pre-FAP-RODS and FAP-SIQ
      data were subjected to Rasch analyses. The pre-FAP-RODS did not meet model's
      expectations. On the basis of requirements such as misfit statistics,
      differential item functioning, and local dependency, items were systematically
      removed until a final 34-item FAP-RODS((c)) was constructed fulfilling all Rasch
      requirements. Acceptable reliability/validity scores were demonstrated. In
      conclusion, the 34-item FAP-RODS((c)) is a disease-specific interval measure
      suitable for detecting activity and participation restrictions in patients with
      FAP. The use of the FAP-RODS((c)) is recommended for future international
      clinical trials in patients with Val30Met FAP determining its responsiveness and
      its cross-cultural validation. Its expansion to other forms of FAP should also be
      focus of future clinical studies. 

PMID- 26115037
TI  - Mouse models of colorectal cancer as preclinical models.
AB  - In this review, we discuss the application of mouse models to the identification
      and pre-clinical validation of novel therapeutic targets in colorectal cancer,
      and to the search for early disease biomarkers. Large-scale genomic,
      transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling of colorectal carcinomas has led to the
      identification of many candidate genes whose direct contribution to
      tumourigenesis is yet to be defined; we discuss the utility of cross-species
      comparative 'omics-based approaches to this problem. We highlight recent progress
      in modelling late-stage disease using mice, and discuss ways in which mouse
      models could better recapitulate the complexity of human cancers to tackle the
      problem of therapeutic resistance and recurrence after surgical resection. 

PMID- 26115040
TI  - It's Not Easy Being Blue: Are There Olfactory and Visual Trade-Offs in Plant
      Signalling?
AB  - Understanding the signals used by plants to attract seed disperses is a pervasive
      quest in evolutionary and sensory biology. Fruit size, colour, and odour
      variation have long been discussed in the controversial context of dispersal
      syndromes targeting olfactory-oriented versus visually-oriented foragers. Trade
      offs in signal investment could impose important physiological constraints on
      plants, yet have been largely ignored. Here, we measure the reflectance and
      volatile organic compounds of a community of Malagasy plants and our results
      indicate that extant plant signals may represent a trade-off between olfactory
      and chromatic signals. Blue pigments are the most visually-effective--blue is a
      colour that is visually salient to all known seed dispersing animals within the
      study system. Additionally, plants with blue-reflecting fruits are less odiferous
      than plants that reflect primarily in other regions of the colour spectrum.

PMID- 26115042
TI  - Three-Component Functionalized Dihydropyridine Synthesis via a Formal Inverse
      Electron-Demand Hetero-Diels-Alder Reaction.
AB  - A mild three-component synthetic approach to versatile 2-amino-1,4
      dihydropyridines from terminal alkynes, sulfonyl azides, and N-sulfonyl-1-aza-1,3
      butadienes was successfully developed and relied on the in situ generation of
      metalated ynamide intermediates Ib to achieve a formal inverse electron-demand
      hetero-Diels-Alder reaction. Experimental results suggest that alkali metal
      cations (Li(+) and Cs(+) ions) might play a critical role to achieve the
      cycloaddition process. 

PMID- 26115041
TI  - SNP rs2057482 in HIF1A gene predicts clinical outcome of aggressive
      hepatocellular carcinoma patients after surgery.
AB  - Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) plays an important role in tumor
      growth and metastasis. Genetic variations of HIF1A gene have been shown to
      influence the developing risk and prognosis in many types of human malignancies.
      However, their association with clinical outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC) patients remains unclear. To investigate the predictive role of single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HIF1A gene in HCC patients' outcomes, we
      genotyped three functional SNPs (rs2057482, rs1957757 and rs2301113) in HIF1A
      gene and assessed their associations with clinicopathological parameters and
      prognosis of 492 surgical HCC patients. The patients with variant alleles (CT+TT)
      of SNP rs2057482 had a significantly lower recurrence risk when compared with
      patients with the CC genotype. In stratified analysis, the protective effect of
      rs2057482 CT+TT genotype was more evident in patients with adverse strata,
      compared with patients with favorable strata. Additionally, strong joint
      predictive effect between rs2057482 genotypes and AFP level, stage or
      differentiation were observed. Functional assay also indicated the significant
      effect of rs2057482 on gene expression. In conclusion, SNP rs2057482 in HIF1A
      gene is significantly associated with clinical outcomes of Chinese HCC patients
      after surgery, especially in those with aggressive status, which warrants further
      validation in other patient populations. 

PMID- 26115043
TI  - Correction: Genetic Mechanism of Human Neutrophil Antigen 2 Deficiency and
      Expression Variations.

PMID- 26115044
TI  - Efficacy and safety of bone marrow-derived cell transplantation for spinal cord
      injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.
AB  - PURPOSE: Bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) for clinical transplantation were
      carried out many years in treating spinal cord injury (SCI) without a clear
      conclusion. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of BMDC
      transplantation in treatment of SCI patients. METHOD: Electronic databases,
      including PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane library, were searched to
      identify clinical therapeutic trials studying the application of BMDC
      transplantation in SCI. RESULTS: Overall the quality of the 24 studies was low,
      including one Grade I level of evidence, six Grade II levels, three Grade III
      levels, and 14 Grade IV levels. With a maximum of six-yr follow-up, the procedure
      related complications were minor and temporary, without serious adverse events (p
      = 0, n = 594). AIS improvement rate was analyzed in favor of BMDCs 6.13 (95% CI,
      3.0-12.51; p < 0.001). In patient with complete (AIS A) and chronic SCI, the
      application of cell transplantation numbers between n * (10(7) -10(8) ) seemed to
      be more beneficial (p < 0.05 for all groups). CONCLUSIONS: Based on short-medium
      terms following up, BMDC transplantation appears to be safe and valid in SCI
      patients, more effective in chronic and complete injury. Nonetheless,
      prospective, randomized trials in larger cohorts are still needed.

PMID- 26115045
TI  - Clinicopathological Features and Prognosis of Metaplastic Breast Carcinoma:
      Experience of a Major Chinese Cancer Center.
AB  - Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare heterogeneous group of primary
      breast malignancies, with low hormone receptor expression and poor outcomes. To
      date, no prognostic markers for this tumor have been validated. The current study
      was undertaken to evaluate the clinicopathologic characteristics, the response to
      various therapeutic regimens and the prognosis of MBCs in a large cohort of
      patients from Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital in China. Ninety cases
      of MBCs diagnosed in our hospital between January 2000 and September 2014 were
      retrieved from the archives. In general, MBCs presented with larger size, a lower
      rate of lymph node metastasis, and demonstrated more frequent local
      recurrence/distant metastasis than 1,090 stage-matched cases of invasive
      carcinoma of no specific type (IDC-NST), independent of the status of estrogen
      receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
      expressions. The five-year disease-free survival (DFS) of MBC was significantly
      worse than IDC-NST. Using univariate analysis, lymph node metastasis, advanced
      clinical stage at diagnosis, high tumor proliferation rate assessed by Ki-67
      labeling, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpression/gene
      amplification were associated significantly with reduced DFS, while decreased OS
      was associated significantly with lymph node metastasis and EGFR
      overexpression/gene amplification. With multivariate analysis, lymph node status
      was an independent predictor for DFS, and lymph node status and EGFR
      overexpression/gene amplification were independent predictors for OS. Histologic
      subtyping and molecular subgrouping of MBCs were not significant factors in
      prognosis. We also found that MBCs were insensitive to neoadjuvant chemotherapy,
      routine chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. This study indicates that MBC is an
      aggressive type of breast cancer with poor prognosis, and that identification and
      optimization of an effective comprehensive therapeutic regimen is needed. 

PMID- 26115048
TI  - Correction: Dynamics and yielding of binary self-suspended nanoparticle fluids.

PMID- 26115049
TI  - Differentiated plasma cell myeloma presenting as a solitary spinal amyloidoma: a
      case report, possible pitfall and review to the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Solitary spinal amyloidoma is a rare entity. Amyloidomas consist of
      extracellular amyloid deposits with an insoluble beta-pleated proteinaceous
      material. Although amyloidomas are slow growing lesions, they may lead to a
      progressive spinal cord or nerve root compression. Moreover amyloidoma results in
      destruction of bone with consequence of progressive osteolysis. METHOD: This
      study is a case presentation and review of the literature and should point out
      the need to explore any underlying diseases to guarantee the best therapy for the
      affected patient. In this case report we present a female patient with high-level
      paraparesis and lumbar stenosis in L2-L3 with combined spondylolisthesis (ASIA
      Impairemet Scale C). Paraparesis increased shortly after lumbar osteosynthesis.
      Contrast-enhanced MRI of the thoracic spine revealed medullary compression at the
      D5 level due to an epidural and paraspinal mass with concomitant bone
      infiltration. Operative decompression followed. Histopathological examination
      initially revealed amyloidoma. Finally the lesion was classified as a plasma cell
      myeloma. RESULTS: Plasma cell myeloma may rarely present as a solitary amyloidoma
      in the initial pathological examination with the potential to cause spinal cord
      compression associated to osteolytic lesions of the spine. CONCLUSION: A thorough
      pathological work-up is mandatory in order to rule out differential diagnosis and
      exclude possible underlying diseases.

PMID- 26115047
TI  - Melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers in hairy cell leukaemia: a Surveillance,
      Epidemiology and End Results population analysis and the 30-year experience at
      Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
AB  - Few studies have examined melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) incidence
      rates after a diagnosis of hairy cell leukaemia (HCL). We assessed 267 HCL
      patients treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and
      Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data for melanoma and NMSC
      incidence rates after HCL. Incidence data from MSKCC patients demonstrated a 10
      year combined melanoma and NMSC skin cancer rate of 11.3%, melanoma 4.4% and NMSC
      6.9%. Molecular analysis of skin cancers from MSKCC patients revealed activating
      RAS mutations in 3/9 patients, including one patient with melanoma. Of 4750 SEER
      patients with HCL, 55 (1.2%) had a subsequent diagnosis of melanoma. Standardized
      incidence ratios (SIRs) did not show that melanoma was more common in HCL
      patients versus the general population (SIR 1.3, 95% CI 0.78-2.03). Analysis of
      SEER HCL patients diagnosed before and after 1990 (approximately before and after
      purine analogue therapy was introduced) showed no evidence of an increased
      incidence after 1990. A better understanding of any potential association between
      HCL and skin cancer is highly relevant given ongoing trials using BRAF
      inhibitors, such as vemurafenib, for relapsed HCL, as RAS-mutant skin cancers
      could be paradoxically activated in these patients. 

PMID- 26115050
TI  - Neck paraganglioma: head rotation maneuver on transcranial Doppler
      ultrasonography.

PMID- 26115052
TI  - Oceanic Sink and Biogeochemical Controls on the Accumulation of Polychlorinated
      Dibenzo-p-dioxins, Dibenzofurans, and Biphenyls in Plankton.
AB  - Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like
      polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) were measured in plankton samples from the
      Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans collected during the Malaspina
      circumnavigation cruise. The concentrations of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in plankton
      averaged 14 and 240 pg gdw(-1), respectively, but concentrations were highly
      variable. The global distribution of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs was not driven by
      proximity to continents but significantly correlated with plankton biomass, with
      higher plankton phase PCDD/F and dl-PCB concentrations at lower biomass. These
      trends are consistent with the interactions between atmospheric deposition,
      biomass dilution, and settling fluxes of organic matter in the water column
      (biological pump), as key processes driving POPs plankton phase concentrations in
      the global oceans. The application of a model of the air-water-plankton diffusive
      exchange reproduces in part the influence of biomass on plankton phase
      concentrations and suggests future modeling priorities. The estimated oceanic
      sink (Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans) due to settling fluxes of organic
      matter bound PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs is of 400 and 10,500 kg y(-1), respectively. The
      atmospheric inputs due to gross diffusive absorption and dry deposition are
      nearly 3 and 10 times larger for PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs, respectively, than the
      oceanic sink. These observations suggest that the coupling of atmospheric
      deposition with water column cycling supports and drives the accumulation of dl
      PCBs and PCDD/Fs in plankton from the global oligotrophic oceans. 

PMID- 26115051
TI  - Investigation of a Large Collection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacteriophages
      Collected from a Single Environmental Source in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.
AB  - Twenty two distinct bacteriophages were isolated from sewage water from five
      locations in the city of Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire over a two-year period, using a
      collection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains with diverse genotypes. The phages
      were characterized by their virulence spectrum on a panel of selected P.
      aeruginosa strains from cystic fibrosis patients and by whole genome sequencing.
      Twelve virions representing the observed diversity were visualised by electron
      microscopy. The combined observations showed that 17 phages, distributed into
      seven genera, were virulent, and that five phages were related to temperate
      phages belonging to three genera. Some showed similarity with known phages only
      at the protein level. The vast majority of the genetic variations among virulent
      phages from the same genus resulted from seemingly non-random horizontal transfer
      events, inside a population of P. aeruginosa phages with limited diversity. This
      suggests the existence of a single environmental reservoir or ecotype in which
      continuous selection is taking place. In contrast, mostly point mutations were
      observed among phages potentially capable of lysogenisation. This is the first
      study of P. aeruginosa phage diversity in an African city and it shows that a
      large variety of phage species can be recovered in a limited geographical site at
      least when different bacterial strains are used. The relative temporal and
      spatial stability of the Abidjan phage population might reflect equilibrium in
      the microbial community from which they are released. 

PMID- 26115053
TI  - Psoriasis and polycystic ovary syndrome: a new link in different phenotypes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Women affected by PCOS and psoriasis are more likely to have insulin
      resistance, hyperinsulinemia, reduced HDL cholesterol levels and a more severe
      degree of skin disease than those with psoriasis alone. The mechanism underlying
      this association between PCOS and psoriasis is currently unknown. The aim of the
      present study was to evaluate the features of psoriasis and the psoriasis
      severity scores in the different PCOS phenotypes and in age and body mass index
      (BMI)-matched psoriatic control patients. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study
      was performed on 150 psoriatic patients: 94 PCOS and 56 age- and BMI-matched
      controls. PCOS patients were diagnosed and divided into four phenotypes according
      to Rotterdam criteria: A - patients with complete phenotype with hyperandrogenism
      (H) plus oligoamenorrhea (O) plus polycystic ovary (PCO) on ultrasound
      examination; B - patients with H plus O (without PCO); C - patients with H plus
      PCO (ovulatory phenotype); D - patients with O plus PCO (without H). The
      patient's Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) as well as the Physician's
      Global Assessment (PGA) were calculated. A PASI score >=10 was correlated with
      common indicator of severe disease. A PGA >=4 was considered as a condition of
      moderate to severe disease. RESULTS: Among the four phenotypes investigated, the
      group with complete phenotype (H plus O plus PCO) had a higher prevalence of
      patients with patient's PASI >=10 compared to controls (Odds Ratio (OR) 4.71, 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) 1.59-13.95). The group with O plus PCO had a higher
      prevalence of patients with PGA >=4 compared to controls (OR 26.79, 95% CI 3.40
      211.02) while the ovulatory group had a lower prevalence of patients with PGA >=4
      (OR 0.06, 95% CI 0.01-0.51). CONCLUSIONS: The ovulatory phenotype displays a
      milder psoriasis form than other phenotypes while the phenotypes with
      oligoamenorrhea presented higher severity scores of disease than other phenotypes
      and control group.

PMID- 26115054
TI  - Thrombophilia and venous thromboembolism in pregnancy: a meta-analysis of genetic
      risk.
AB  - Three common polymorphic variants, namely Factor V Leiden (FVL), Prothrombin
      G20210A (PT G20210A) and Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) C677T are
      candidate genes for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pregnancy. We performed a
      literature review and meta-analysis of pertinent genetic association studies
      (GAS) in pregnancy, to quantify the genetic risk of VTE in pregnancy. We used the
      model-free approach of generalized odds ratio (ORG) to estimate gene-to-disease
      association and explored the mode of inheritance using the degree of dominance h
      index. Twelve case-control GAS studies provided the full genotype distributions
      for at least one candidate gene to assess the genetic risk. FVL was associated
      with a significant risk of VTE in pregnancy (ORG 7.28; 95% confidence interval
      5.53-9.58) and a dominant mode of inheritance (h=0.76), that is the effect of
      heterozygous carriers will lie close to the homozygous mutant genotype. PT
      G20210A mutation was also associated with a significant VTE risk (ORG 5.43; 95%
      CI 3.66-8.03) and had an over-dominant mode of inheritance (h=1.5), suggesting
      that the effect of heterozygous carriers may exceed that of homozygous mutant.
      MTHFR C677T had no association with VTE risk in pregnancy (ORG 1.24; 95% CI 0.88
      1.73). Our analysis provided robust data on VTE in pregnancy, relative to FVL and
      PT G20210A status and suggested that the genetic effects of heterozygous over
      homozygous carriers do not justify stratification of heterozygous as "lower risk"
      over homozygous mutants. On clinical grounds this may impact decisions to
      preferentially exclude heterozygous from anticoagulation prophylaxis. 

PMID- 26115055
TI  - Safety and efficacy of manual syringe infusion of distending media for
      hysteroscopic procedures: a case-control study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Adverse events associated with large volumes of distending media in
      hysteroscopic procedures can be life-threatening. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the safety and efficacy of manual syringe infusion (MI) of distending
      media for hysteroscopic procedures. STUDY DESIGN: Between January 2011 and
      December 2013, the medical records of all women who underwent hysteroscopic
      procedures using MI or the conventional pump-infusion method (PI, the control
      group) were reviewed. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test, the Chi-square test and the
      multivariate logistic regression analysis were employed for statistical analysis.
      RESULTS: The MI group (n=82) had a significantly lower average volume of infused
      fluid (1117 +/- 712 mL vs. 2216 +/- 1502 mL, respectively; p<0.001), less
      operative time (22.2 +/- 9.7 vs. 30.4 +/- 9.8 min, respectively; p<0.001) and
      lower postoperative abdominal pain scores (0.6 +/- 0.7 vs. 0.8 +/- 0.7,
      respectively; p=0.04) than the PI group (n=58). Subgroup analysis of women who
      underwent hysteroscopic myomectomy revealed a significantly lower amount of
      infused fluid for the MI group than for the PI group (1737 +/- 905 mL vs. 3441 +/
      1952 mL, respectively; p=0.001). Infused fluid amount (coefficient=0.08,
      p<0.001) was the only significant independent factor affecting fluid deficit,
      with a constant of 76.1. CONCLUSION: The MI method appears to be a safe and
      feasible method for delivering distending media during hysteroscopic procedures.

PMID- 26115057
TI  - Implementing a Lean Management System in Primary Care: Facilitators and Barriers
      From the Front Lines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although Lean management techniques are increasingly used in health
      care to improve quality and reduce costs, lessons about how to successfully
      implement this approach on the front lines of care delivery are not well
      documented. In this study, we highlight key facilitators and barriers to
      implementing Lean among frontline primary care providers. METHODS: This case
      study took place at a large, ambulatory care delivery system serving nearly 1
      million patients. In-depth interviews were conducted with primary care
      physicians, staff, and administrators to identify key factors impacting Lean
      redesigns in primary care. RESULTS: Overall, staff engagement and performance
      management, sensitivity to the professional values and culture of medicine, and
      perceived adequacy of organizational resources were critical when introducing
      Lean changes. Specific drivers of change included empowerment of staff at all
      levels, visual display of performance metrics, and a culture of innovation and
      collaboration. Barriers included physician resistance to standardized work,
      difficulty transferring management responsibilities to non-physician staff, and
      time and staffing required for participating in improvement efforts. CONCLUSION:
      Although Lean offers a new approach to delivering care, the implementation
      process itself is both complex and crucial to success. Understanding early
      facilitators and barriers can maximize Lean's, potential to improve health care
      delivery.

PMID- 26115056
TI  - Effects of low dose oral contraceptive pill containing
      drospirenone/ethinylestradiol in patients with endometrioma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Low dose oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) that contain synthetic
      estrogen and progestin are often used to relieve chronic pelvic pain associated
      with endometriosis. We sought to evaluate the efficacy of
      drospirenone/ethinylestradiol (DRSP/EE) with low-dose estrogen in treating
      endometrioma. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective clinical study in six hospitals and one
      clinic in Japan was conducted. Forty-nine 23- to 45-year-old patients who
      suffered from endometriosis-associated dysmenorrhea were included in the study.
      The primary endpoint was the change in size of ovarian endometrioma as measured
      by transvaginal ultrasonography. The secondary endpoint was the change in
      dysmenorrhea as evaluated by VAS (visual analog scale) scores before treatment
      and at 3 and 6 cycles of treatment. In addition, serum CA125, anti-mullerian
      hormone (AMH), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8 were evaluated after 6 cycles of
      treatment. RESULTS: The maximum diameter and volume of the ovarian endometrioma
      significantly decreased after 3 and 6 cycles compared with pretreatment. VAS
      scores of dysmenorrhea pain were also reduced after 1, 3 and 6 cycles. A
      significant correlation between the reduced size of the endometrioma and the
      decline of VAS scores was found. The levels of serum CA125 and AMH concentration
      were decreased after 6 cycles. No significant changes were observed in serum IL-6
      and IL-8. CONCLUSION: Low dose DRSP/EE therapy is a promising treatment not only
      to reduce the size of endometrioma but also for dysmenorrhea.

PMID- 26115058
TI  - Development and Validation of the CPO Scale, a New Instrument for Evaluation of
      Health Care Improvement Efforts.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate an instrument for guidance and evaluation of
      quality and safety improvement efforts in health care. CONTEXT: The instrument is
      based on the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle and the 3 fundamental improvement questions
      regarding aims, measurement, and change-making. METHODS: An interdisciplinary
      team of improvement experts developed the Change Process and Outcome (CPO) scale.
      After studying the improvement literature, the scale was tested and refined on a
      sample of 5 projects. The CPO evaluation process and classification system was
      developed when evaluating 189 of the quality improvement projects of the
      Norwegian Medical Association by their final reports. The scale was validated by
      applying statistical testing to the evaluation results. RESULTS: The final CPO
      scale consists of 13 process items and 7 outcome items. Interrater reliability
      ranged from 0.53 to 0.79, and test-retest reliability was 0.82. Factor analyses
      with Varimax rotation identified 2 significant process domains: Aims/change
      making and Measurement/reporting, with Cronbach alpha values 0.88 and 0.95,
      respectively. The classification system produced 3 performance levels:
      successful, promising, and uncertain. CONCLUSION: The CPO scale shows good
      internal consistency, reliability, and validity for evaluating the success of
      quality improvement initiatives.

PMID- 26115059
TI  - Organizing for Quality Improvement in Health Care: An Example From Childhood
      Obesity Prevention.
AB  - Children in rural areas face higher rates of obesity than children in urban
      areas, and their clinicians face challenges with preventing and managing obesity
      and translation of evidence into practice. We evaluated how the quality
      improvement (QI) intervention, Healthy Eating Active Living TeleHealth Community
      of Practice (HEALTH COP), at 7 rural California clinics addressed these
      challenges. Focus group interviews with QI team members assessed their
      experiences and factors related to adoption of key changes. Key challenges were
      clinician and staff buy-in, changing ingrained clinical practices, and motivating
      patient and families. Facilitators were top-down organizational requirements for
      QI, linkages to local QI resources, involvement of clinical champions, alignment
      with existing practices, incorporating a learning system connecting similar
      clinics, and clear and consistent communication channels. Evaluations of QI
      interventions should include not only measurement of effectiveness but also
      identification of factors associated with change and interactions with
      organizational processes and contexts. 

PMID- 26115060
TI  - Taking the Pulse of a Target Population: Assessing Change Readiness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Implementing change in a health care organization poses structural and
      cultural challenges. DESIGN: We developed a survey derived from an existing
      organizational change model and distributed it to the target population of an
      impending change initiative. RESULTS: The respondents (59.2% response rate)
      indicated that changes in communication protocols were necessary, believed that
      change would be possible, reported feeling supported during previous change
      efforts, and tended to think that their feedback had been valued in the past.
      CONCLUSIONS: The survey revealed that our target population was ready to change
      the ways in which it communicates about patient needs and care protocols. To
      increase the probability of successful implementation of an initiative to improve
      communication protocols on the unit, we will design our implementation strategy
      to provide both the process support and the training support that participants
      perceived to be lacking. IMPLICATIONS: By taking the "pulse" of the target
      population, change agents can identify more effective implementation strategies.

PMID- 26115061
TI  - Innovation in Stroke Care Quality: NIH Stroke Scale Change and Shewhart Charts.
AB  - Stroke care, admission through discharge, is a process that should lead to
      symptomatic improvement. Improvement or decline in conditions of patients with
      acute stroke during hospitalization can be measured by the National Institutes of
      Health Stroke Scale (NIH Stroke Scale or NIHSS) at both admission and discharge
      and may indicate the overall quality of acute stroke care for a patient and the
      stability of care in the system. Shewhart control charts were analyzed for 98
      patients with stroke admissions in a random sample at a tertiary care stroke
      center to determine the feasibility of examining the NIHSS score change to detect
      statistical control or identify excess variance in outcomes. The study sample
      showed a mean improvement of 1.33 points from admission to discharge on the
      NIHSS. Three statistical outliers were found. Excess statistical variation
      clustered within a specific stroke team's tenure suggested a need for targeted
      education and examination for process redesign. Using the NIHSS and the Shewhart
      control charts identified a systematic process flaw that could be targeted to
      improve stroke outcomes and move the delivery system toward statistical control. 

PMID- 26115062
TI  - Identifying Previously Undetected Harm: Piloting the Institute for Healthcare
      Improvement's Global Trigger Tool in the Veterans Health Administration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adverse event (AE) surveillance may be enhanced by the Institute for
      Healthcare Improvement's Global Trigger Tool (GTT). A pilot study of the GTT was
      conducted in one Veterans Health Administration (VA) facility to assess the
      rates, types, and harm of AEs detected and to examine the overlap in AE detection
      between the GTT and existing surveillance mechanisms. METHODS: GTT guidelines
      were followed and medical records were reviewed for 17 weeks of acute care
      hospitalizations. Investigators met monthly, first to adjudicate discordant
      reviewer categorizations of harm and later to categorize the AEs detected using
      standardized definitions. GTT-detected AEs were compared with incident reports,
      Patient Safety Indicators, and the VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program.
      RESULTS: Medical records were reviewed for 273 of 1980 eligible cases. Using the
      GTT, a total of 109 AEs were identified. More than 1 of 5 hospitalizations (21%)
      were associated with an AE. The majority of AEs detected (60%) were minor harms;
      there were no deaths attributable to medical care. Ninety-six of the 109 AEs
      (88%) were not detected by other measures. CONCLUSIONS: The GTT identified
      previously undetected AEs at one VA. The GTT has the potential to track AEs and
      guide quality improvement efforts in conjunction with existing AE surveillance
      mechanisms.

PMID- 26115063
TI  - A Qualitative Evaluation of Web-Based Cancer Care Quality Improvement Toolkit Use
      in the Veterans Health Administration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disease severity, complexity, and patient burden highlight cancer
      care as a target for quality improvement (QI) interventions. The Veterans Health
      Administration (VHA) implemented a series of disease-specific online cancer care
      QI toolkits. OBJECTIVES: To describe characteristics of the toolkits, target
      users, and VHA cancer care facilities that influenced toolkit access and use and
      assess whether such resources were beneficial for users. METHODS: Deductive
      content analysis of detailed notes from 94 telephone interviews with individuals
      from 48 VHA facilities. We evaluated toolkit access and use across cancer types,
      participation in learning collaboratives, and affiliation with VHA cancer care
      facilities. RESULTS: The presence of champions was identified as a strong
      facilitator of toolkit use, and learning collaboratives were important for
      spreading information about toolkit availability. Identified barriers included
      lack of personnel and financial resources and complicated approval processes to
      support tool use. CONCLUSIONS: Online cancer care toolkits are well received
      across cancer specialties and provider types. Clinicians, administrators, and QI
      staff may benefit from the availability of toolkits as they become more reliant
      on rapid access to strategies that support comprehensive delivery of evidence
      based care. Toolkits should be considered as a complement to other QI approaches.

PMID- 26115064
TI  - Causal Analysis of Emergency Department Delays.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improvement teams make causal inferences, but the methods they use
      are based on statistical associations. This article shows how data and
      statistical models can be used to help improvement teams make causal inferences
      and find the root causes of problems. METHODS: This article uses attribution
      data, competing risk survival analysis, and Bayesian network probabilities to
      analyze excessive emergency department (ED) stays within one hospital. We use
      data recorded by ED clinicians that attributed the cause of excessive ED stays to
      23 causes for the 70 049 ED visits between March 2011 and April 2014. We use
      competing risk survival analysis to identify contribution of each cause to the
      delay. We use Bayesian network models to analyze interaction among different
      causes of excessive stays and find the root causes of this problem. RESULTS: This
      article shows the utility of causal analysis to help improvement teams focus on
      the root causes of problems. For the example analyzed in the article, most causes
      for patients' excessive ED stays were related to the hospital operations outside
      the ED. Therefore, improvement projects inside the ED such as expanding ED,
      increasing staff at the ED, or improving operations are less likely to have a
      positive impact on reducing excessive ED stays. On the contrary, interventions
      that improve hospital occupancy (better discharge, expansion of beds, etc) or
      improve laboratory response times are more likely to result in positive outcomes.

PMID- 26115068
TI  - Effect of testicular spermatozoa on embryo quality and pregnancy in patients with
      non-obstructive azoospermia.
AB  - This study was performed to assess and compare the outcomes of testicular sperm
      extraction (TESE)-intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using spermatozoa from
      fresh and frozen testicular tissue from men with subgroups of non-obstructive
      azoospermia (NOA). A total of 110 cycles of TESE-ICSI were performed. Patients
      were classified into one of the following NOA subgroups: hypospermatogenesis
      (HS), maturation arrest (MA), or Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCO). Laboratory
      (fertilization, cleavage stage of embryo, and good quality embryo) and clinical
      (pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, implantation, and delivery) outcomes were
      assessed. No statistically significant differences were observed in any of the
      other measured parameters between the three subgroups of NOA. No significant
      differences in laboratory outcomes were observed between spermatozoa from fresh
      and frozen testicular spermatozoa; however, statistically significant differences
      were observed in the pregnancy and implantation rates between groups (p < 0.05).
      The outcomes of using spermatozoa retrieved from fresh testicular tissue in each
      of the three subgroups were also compared; although clinical outcomes showed low
      results, no significant differences were observed between the three subgroups.
      Similarly, no significant differences were observed in spermatozoa retrieved from
      frozen testicular tissue. Once spermatozoa have been successfully obtained,
      acceptable laboratory outcomes can be achieved for NOA, whether or not the
      spermatozoa are cryopreserved. However, satisfactory clinical outcomes may be
      more difficult to achieve as the results showed in each group of fresh and frozen
      testicular spermatozoa. Therefore, achieving acceptable clinical pregnancy
      results and efficient cryopreservation of testicular spermatozoa should be
      considered in patients with NOA.

PMID- 26115069
TI  - Effects of intensive lipid-lowering therapy on coronary plaques composition in
      patients with acute myocardial infarction: Assessment with serial coronary CT
      angiography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Statins have been shown to possess favourable effects on the
      cardiovascular system with stabilization of the vulnerable plaque. We sought to
      assess the effects of early aggressive statin treatment on plaque composition in
      patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), using serial assessment with
      coronary CT-angiography (CTA). METHODS: In a prospective randomized blinded
      endpoint trial patients with AMI were randomized to an intensive lipid lowering
      treatment receiving statin loading with 80 mg rosuvastatin followed by 40 mg
      daily or standard statin therapy according to current guidelines. Patients were
      assessed with CTA at baseline and after 12 months with evaluation of plaque
      volume and composition. RESULTS: In total, 140 patients with AMI were randomized
      and plaque composition was assessed in 96 patients. In the intensive care group
      LDL-level was median 1.3 [0.9; 1.5] mmol/l at 12 months follow-up and 2.0 [1.7;
      2.4] mmol/l in the usual care group, p < 0.001. Plaque volume increased over 12
      months with 43.5 (+/-225.8) mm(3) in the intensive care group and 19.1 (+/-190.2)
      mm(3) in the usual care group, p = 0.57. Plaque composition changed over 12
      months with an increase in total dense calcium volume by 11.1 (+/-39.6) mm(3),
      corresponding to a 23% increase, in the intensive care group and a decreased by 
      0.4 (+/-26.6) mm(3) in the usual care group, p < 0.001. Necrotic core volume
      increased 26.8 (+/-122.1) mm(3) in the intensive care group and 25.2 (+/-80.1)
      mm(3) in the usual care group, p = 0.94. CONCLUSIONS: Early aggressive lipid
      lowering therapy significantly increases dense calcium volume in patients with
      AMI.

PMID- 26115070
TI  - Reproducibility and biological variability of HDL's vascular functional assays.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent failures of clinical trials promoting HDL-elevating therapies
      have prompted research groups to focus on its functional activity in disease.
      Endothelial effects of HDL can be measured with in vitro cell assays. The
      reproducibility and biological relevance of these assays have not been explored
      both in healthy individuals and those at increased cardiovascular (CV) risk.
      METHODS: HDL dependent nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, superoxide (SO)
      production and serum paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) activity were measured in 35 healthy
      adults (34.37 24-49) and 8 patients (43.56 37-49) suffering from a chronic
      inflammatory condition (periodontitis-PD). Assay reproducibility was assessed by
      independent technicians on consecutive days to determine inter and intra analyser
      variability for each assay. The 35 healthy individuals were further divided into
      young (n = 16) and middle aged (n = 19) groups and compared with regards to HDL
      functions. Within-subject biological variation of HDL function was determined in
      a sub-group of 25 healthy volunteers at intervals of one day and 1 month, and in
      8 patients at intervals of one day and 1 week. Power curves were also generated
      to estimate the number of patients that would be required for HDL functional
      assays in a cross-over and parallel study design. RESULTS: NO bioavailability was
      the most reproducible assay in healthy adults (coefficient of variation = 1.72%,
      1.92 - intra and inter respectively) and PD patients (CV = 4.4% and 5.5%). All
      measures demonstrated no statistical difference between young and healthy middle
      aged population. No single assay demonstrated significant variations over time,
      indicating that within patient variations are negligible. Our power curves for NO
      bioavailability and PON-1 activity suggest that low number of patients will be
      required to detect significant differences in HDL function in a cross over and
      parallel study design. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that in vitro HDL
      functional assays are reliable and can be used to assess HDL functionality in
      healthy and diseased populations. NO bioavailability was the most reproducible
      assay, but PON-1 activity remains the most practical for application in clinical
      trials due to its capacity for scale.

PMID- 26115071
TI  - Determining the characteristics of human atherosclerosis: A difficult but
      indispensable task providing the direction and proof of concept for pioneering
      atherosclerosis research in animal models.

PMID- 26115072
TI  - Screening and treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia - Lessons from the past
      and opportunities for the future (based on the Anitschkow Lecture 2014).
AB  - In this review, we discuss the screening and treatment of familial
      hypercholesterolemia (FH), an autosomal dominant inherited disease, characterized
      by severely increased levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and
      increased risk for premature coronary heart disease (CHD). Genetic family based
      cascade screening for FH was shown to be cost-effective and a screening program
      with such an approach was carried out in the Netherlands from 1994 to 2014. Over
      64,000 persons have participated in this program of whom 40.3% were found to
      carry an FH causing mutation. We will discuss the results of this screening
      program, as well as the scientific opportunities it has provided. Currently,
      statins and ezetimibe are the only registered LDL-C lowering treatment options
      for FH patients. Many of them do not attain the treatment goals that are
      recommended by treatment guidelines. In this review, we will also provide a
      comprehensive overview of promising new modalities that could lower LDL-C in FH
      patients. 

PMID- 26115073
TI  - Effects of a Multimodal Exercise Program on Physical Function, Falls, and
      Injuries in Older Women: A 2-Year Community-Based, Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of multimodal supervised exercise on
      physical functioning, falls, and related injuries in older women. DESIGN: Two
      year randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Tampere, Finland. PARTICIPANTS: Women
      aged 70 to 80 who had fallen in the previous year (n = 409). INTERVENTION:
      Participants were randomly assigned to an exercise or control group
      (ClinicalTrial.gov NCT00986466). Exercisers participated in group exercise
      classes twice a week for 12 months and once a week for the subsequent 12 months
      and home exercises. Controls maintained their current physical activity.
      MEASUREMENTS: Physical functioning assessed at baseline and at 6-month intervals
      during the intervention. Falls and related injuries monitored with fall diaries.
      RESULTS: Intention-to-treat analyses showed that exercise led to significant
      improvements in physical functioning. Leg strength differed significantly between
      the groups (mean change: 14.1%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 8.0 to 20.2 in
      exercisers; 1.6%, 95% CI = -4.5 to 7.7 in controls; P < .001). Chair stand time
      also differed significantly between groups (7.4%, 95% CI 3.8 to 10.8% in
      exercisers; 2.4%, 95% CI = -1.6 to 6.2) in controls; P = .02). Between-group
      differences were significant for fast walking speed (P = .003) and probability of
      completing the backward walking test (P < .001), favoring exercisers. Timed Up
      and-Go and grip strength did not differ between groups. There was no difference
      in the total falls incidence rate ratio (IRR = 1.0, 95% CI = 0.79 to 1.26), but
      exercisers were less likely to have medically attended injurious falls (IRR =
      0.45, 95% CI = 0.27 to 0.78; P = .004). CONCLUSION: Twenty-four months of
      multimodal exercise enhanced physical functioning in women aged 70 to 80 with a
      history of falls. Although the total number of falls was not lower than in
      controls, the rate of medically attended injurious falls was more than 50% lower.

PMID- 26115074
TI  - Loss of Desmoglein 2 Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Crohn's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The intestinal epithelium of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) is
      characterized by defects in permeability and alterations in tight junction
      morphology sealing the paracellular cleft. Desmosomes are primarily considered to
      mediate strong intercellular cohesion. Because barrier properties of epithelial
      cells were shown to depend on the function of the desmosomal adhesion molecule
      desmoglein 2 (Dsg2), we here investigated the relevance of Dsg2 for CD. METHODS:
      Biopsies from the terminal ileum of 14 patients with CD and 12 healthy controls
      were investigated for changes in cell adhesion molecules. Two intestinal
      epithelial cell lines were used for functional studies. A tandem peptide
      modulating Dsg binding was applied to strengthen Dsg2 interaction. RESULTS: Dsg2
      but not the adherens junction molecule E-cadherin was strongly reduced in the
      mucosa of patients with CD. TNF-alpha, a central cytokine in CD pathogenesis, led
      to loss of cell cohesion and increased permeability in cultured epithelial cells,
      which was paralleled by loss of Dsg2 at cell borders, reduction of the tight
      junction component claudin-1, and upregulation of claudin-2. These effects were
      mediated at least in part by increased activity of p38MAPK because inhibition of
      this kinase restored intercellular adhesion and blunted the permeability increase
      induced by TNF-alpha. Importantly, stabilizing desmosomal adhesion through tandem
      peptide ameliorated loss of barrier functions and prevented claudin-2 increase.
      CONCLUSIONS: We show an important role of p38MAPK-mediated regulation of
      desmosomal adhesion resulting in upregulation of claudin-2 in CD. Our data
      suggest peptide-mediated strengthening of impaired Dsg2 adhesion as a novel
      therapeutic approach in CD.

PMID- 26115075
TI  - GPx2 Induction Is Mediated Through STAT Transcription Factors During Acute
      Colitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The selenoprotein glutathione peroxidase 2 (GPx2) is highly expressed
      in the gastrointestinal epithelium. During inflammatory bowel disease and
      colorectal cancer, GPx2 expression is enhanced. METHODS: We analyzed GPx2
      expression and transcriptional regulation during the different phases of dextran
      sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice and in cytokine-treated colorectal
      cancer cells. RESULTS: In the colon of DSS-treated mice, GPx2 was upregulated
      during the acute and recovery phase. In the latter, it was specifically localized
      in regenerating ki67-positive crypts next to ulcerations. In cultured cells,
      endogenous GPx2 expression and GPx2 promoter activity were enhanced by the anti
      inflammatory mediators 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) and
      interleukin-22 (IL-22), while it was unaffected by classical proinflammatory
      cytokines like IL-1beta. Induction of GPx2 expression by 15d-PGJ2 was mediated
      through Nrf2. In contrast, in DSS-treated Nrf2-KO mice GPx2 expression remained
      upregulated during recovery, which appeared to be independent of Nrf2. IL-22
      activates transcription factors of the signal transducers and activators of
      transcription (STAT) family. Therefore, we analyzed the GPx2 promoter for
      putative STAT-responsive elements and identified 4 of them. Point mutation of the
      binding element next to the transcription start completely abolished promoter
      activation after IL-22 treatment and after cotransfection of STAT expression
      plasmids. To show in vivo relevance of the obtained results, we performed
      immunohistochemistry for phospho-STAT3 and GPx2. Especially during acute colitis,
      GPx2 and nuclear STAT3 colocalized in inflamed areas. CONCLUSIONS: GPx2 is a
      novel target of STAT transcription factors. The upregulation of GPx2 by IL-22
      indicates that GPx2 might be important for the resolution of inflammation.

PMID- 26115076
TI  - Isolation and characterisation of three new anthraquinone secondary metabolites
      from Symplocos racemosa.
AB  - Three new anthraquinone secondary metabolites were isolated from Symplocos
      racemosa, a small tree of family symplocaceae. The structures of compounds (1-3)
      were elucidated to be 1,4-dihydroxy-6-(ethoxymethyl)-8-propylanthracene-9,10
      dione (1), 1,4-dihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)-8-butylanthracene-9,10-dione (2) and
      1,4-dihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)-8-propyl anthracene-9,10-dione (3) using their
      spectral data, i.e. through IR, UV, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR and two-dimensional (2D)
      NMR techniques including heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence, heteronuclear
      multiple bond correlation and correlation spectroscopy.

PMID- 26115077
TI  - Congenital Oculomotor Nerve Paresis With Isolated Cyclic Pupillary Spasms.
AB  - Cyclic oculomotor nerve paresis is a rare and usually congenital disorder. It is
      characterized by unilateral third nerve paresis with periodic spasms causing
      eyelid elevation, miosis, and contraction of 1 or more of the extraocular muscles
      innervated by the third nerve. We report a 20-month-old girl who presented
      initially with a congenital partial right third nerve paresis without ptosis. She
      subsequently developed isolated cyclic spasms of the pupil followed several
      months later by permanent partial ptosis. 

PMID- 26115079
TI  - CORRIGENDA.

PMID- 26115078
TI  - A double substitution induced Ca(Mg0.8, Al0.2)(Si1.8, Al0.2)O6:Eu(2+) phosphor
      for w-LEDs: synthesis, structure, and luminescence properties.
AB  - A double substitution induced blue-emitting phosphor Ca(Mg0.8, Al0.2)(Si1.8,
      Al0.2)O6:Eu(2+) (CMAS:Eu(2+)) was successfully synthesized by a solid-state
      reaction process, and its structure and luminescence properties were investigated
      in detail. The crystal structure and chemical composition of the CMAS matrix were
      analyzed and determined based on Rietveld refinements and Energy Dispersive
      Spectroscopy (EDS). The composition-optimized CMAS:Eu(2+) exhibited a strong blue
      light, centered at 446 nm upon excitation at 365 nm with the Commission
      Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.144, 0.113). Under 380 nm
      excitation, the PL emission intensity area of the optimized phosphor was found to
      be 46.95% of that of the commercial BaMgAl10O17:Eu(2+) (BAM:Eu(2+)) phosphor and
      the quantum efficiency of the phosphor is 41.32%. The temperature-dependent PL
      studies have been investigated which show the thermal stability of the
      CMAS:Eu(2+) phosphor compared with that of the CaMgSi2O6:Eu(2+) (CMS:Eu(2+))
      phosphor. 

PMID- 26115080
TI  - A survey on the current status of pediatric nursing human resources in Sichuan
      province of China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the status of pediatric nurses in Sichuan province of
      China, and to compare the status with the national standards. METHODS: This study
      used a convenience sample of hospitals with pediatric departments in Sichuan
      province. A list of hospitals was obtained from the Health and Family Planning
      Commission of Sichuan province. Fifty hospitals with pediatric departments were
      selected to receive questionnaires. Thirty-nine hospitals responded and 38
      responses were valid. Bed-to-nurse ratios were evaluated. The Wilcoxon signed
      rank test was used to compare the bed-to-nurse ratios among the studied hospitals
      and the Chinese national standard. RESULTS: In the 38 surveyed hospitals, the
      average bed-to-nurse ratio was 1:0.57 and the average physician-to-nurse ratio
      was 1:1.53. The average bed-to nurse ratio in the pediatric departments was
      1:0.51. The average bed-to-nurse ratio in the pediatric inpatient wards was
      1:0.40. There were significant differences in the average bed-to-nurse ratios in
      the pediatric departments (Z = -2.149, P = 0.032) and the pediatric inpatient
      wards (Z = -2.328, P = 0.020) between general hospitals and specialty hospitals.
      There were significant differences between the average bed-to-nurse ratios in
      tertiary-level hospitals (Z = -4.178, P < 0.0001) and the pediatric inpatient
      wards of the surveyed hospitals (Z = -4.518, P < 0.0001) and the national
      standard. CONCLUSION: There is a nursing shortage in tertiary-level hospitals and
      some grade-A specialty hospitals in Sichuan, China. The shortage is worse in
      pediatric inpatient wards, especially in the general hospitals and some grade-B
      specialty hospitals. Hospital administrations need to understand the situation
      and offer strategies to cope for routine nursing management as well as disaster
      management.

PMID- 26115081
TI  - Cognitive impairment before changes appear on [18F]-fluoro-D-glucose positron
      emission tomography images in a patient with possible early-stage cerebellar
      predominant multiple system atrophy.
AB  - Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a sporadic, rapidly progressive
      neurodegenerative disorder characterized by autonomic dysfunction combined with
      parkinsonism or cerebellar ataxia. Patients with MSA typically suffer from
      cognitive disorders and rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder. 18 F
      fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography is used to assess MSA. However,
      the relationship between the clinical features and findings on 18 F
      fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography in patients with MSA has not yet
      been investigated. Here we report a case of possible early-stage cerebellar-type
      MSA. We concluded that cerebellar-type MSA or other factors, such as rapid eye
      movement sleep behaviour disorder or obstructive sleep apnoea cognitive
      impairment, could appear before changes are visible on 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose
      positron emission tomography images. Additionally, we concluded that the
      cognitive impairment could derive from cerebellar-type MSA itself, not from other
      factors such as rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder or sleep apnoea
      syndrome.

PMID- 26115082
TI  - Effects of IGF2BP2, KCNQ1 and GCKR polymorphisms on clinical outcome in
      metastatic gastric cancer treated with EOF regimen.
AB  - AIM: The present study analyzed Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D)-related gene
      polymorphisms and their impacts on chemotherapeutic response and survival in
      patients with metastatic gastric cancer (MGC). PATIENTS & METHODS: This
      retrospective study enrolled 108 MGC patients treated with first-line EOF
      chemotherapy (epirubicin, oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil combination
      chemotherapy). Eleven single nucleotide polymorphisms of five T2D-related genes
      were determined. RESULTS: Among the 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms, three
      (IGF2BP2 rs4402960, IGF2BP2 rs6769511 and KCNQ1 rs163182) were significantly
      associated with disease control rate and two (GCKR rs780093 and rs780094) were
      significantly associated with progression-free and overall survival. CONCLUSION:
      Our results suggest IGF2BP2 and KCNQ1 polymorphisms might be independent
      predictors of chemotherapeutic response, while GCKR polymorphisms might be
      independent predictors of survival in MGC patients treated with first-line EOF
      chemotherapy. Original submitted 30 June 2014; revision submitted 15 April 2015.

PMID- 26115083
TI  - Pharmacogenetics in electroconvulsive therapy and adjunctive medications.
AB  - Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has shown apparent efficacy in treatment of
      patients with depression and other mental illnesses who do not respond to
      psychotropic medications or need urgent control of their symptoms.
      Pharmacogenetics contributes to an individual's sensitivity and response to a
      variety of drugs. Clinical insights into pharmacogenetics of ECT and adjunctive
      medications not only improves its safety and efficacy in the indicated patients,
      but can also lead to the identification of novel treatments in psychiatric
      disorders through understanding of potential molecular and biological mechanisms
      involved. In this review, we explore the indications of pharmacogenetics role in
      safety and efficacy of ECT and present the evidence for its role in patients with
      psychiatric disorders undergoing ECT. 

PMID- 26115084
TI  - Role of cytochrome P450 2C8*3 (CYP2C8*3) in paclitaxel metabolism and paclitaxel
      induced neurotoxicity.
AB  - AIM: The CYP2C8*3 allele has been suggested as a risk factor for paclitaxel
      induced neuropathy but the data hitherto published are conflicting. MATERIALS &
      METHODS: In total 435 patients were investigated with respect to maximum
      neuropathy grade and accumulated paclitaxel dose. The enzymatic properties of
      CYP2C8.3 variant were analyzed using heterologous mammalian HEK293 cell
      expression system. RESULTS: No significant association between CYP2C8*3 allele
      and neuropathy was found, although a trend was observed. The paclitaxel and
      amodiaquine metabolism by CYP2C8.3 were found similar to CYP2C8.1, whereas
      CYP2C8.3 was more efficient in the metabolism of rosiglitazone. CONCLUSION: These
      results indicate a difference in substrate specificity between CYP2C8.1 and
      CYP2C8.3; however, the CYP2C8*3 allele has no major impact on paclitaxel
      metabolism in vitro or of paclitaxel-induced neuropathy in vivo. Original
      submitted on 6 February 2015; revision submitted on 9 April 2015.

PMID- 26115085
TI  - Combined Treatment Effects Using Bioactive-Coated Implants and Ceramic Granulate
      in a Rabbit Femoral Condyle Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Resolution of peri-implant defects resulting from implant placement
      in the freshly extracted site demands for a bone graft substitute that stimulates
      bone regeneration and hence facilitates implant integration. In view of this, the
      addition of silica to hydroxyapatite (HASi) could enhance the bioactive behavior
      of ceramic materials and implant surfaces coated with bioactive ceramics might
      benefit the interaction between bone and implant. PURPOSE: To evaluate the bone
      response to implants coated with hydroxyapatite-silica (HASi) or hydroxyapatite
      (HA) and either or not combined with HASi and HA ceramic bone substitute
      particles, respectively, on bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and bone formation
      using a rabbit femoral condyle implant model with a gap design. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: A total of 32 custom-made, titanium implants (Ti: diameter 5 mm, length
      8 mm) with two-sided gaps were fabricated and coated with either HASi or HA using
      pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The implants were installed bilaterally in the
      femoral condyles of 16 New Zealand white rabbits. According to a randomization
      protocol, one gap of HASi-coated and HA-coated implants was filled with HASi
      particles and HA particles, respectively, and the other gap was left empty. After
      an implantation period of 8 weeks, the retrieved specimens were analyzed via
      histology and histomorphometry (i.e., bone to implant contact [BIC] and bone
      volume [BV]). RESULTS: The BIC and BV around the implants were analysed for HASi-
      and HA-coated implants with and without the use of HASi and HA bone substitute
      material. Comparison of HASi- and HA-coated implants showed similar BIC for HASi-
      (55.7 + 11.0) and HA-coated implants (50.3 + 19.7). When coated implants were
      combined with bone substitute materials, HASi-coated and particle-filled implants
      showed higher BIC (64.3 +/- 6.8%) compared with HA-coated and HA-filled implants
      (54.5 +/- 10.9%). Similarly, the BV within the region of interest showed
      significantly higher values for the HASi-coated and HASi-filled implants (21.1 +/
      1.7%) compared with HA-coated and HA-filled implants (12.8 +/- 4.9%).
      CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Within the limitations of this study, it
      can be concluded that silicon substitution in HA favors bone regeneration
      compared with HA, especially when used as bone substitute material. Further
      studies using different healing periods will elucidate the resorption pattern of
      HASi granules in comparison with HA.

PMID- 26115086
TI  - Hibiscus sabdariffa Leaf Extract Inhibits Human Prostate Cancer Cell Invasion via
      Down-Regulation of Akt/NF-kB/MMP-9 Pathway.
AB  - Hibiscus sabdariffa leaf has been previously shown to possess hypoglycemic,
      hypolipidemic, and antioxidant effects, and induce tumor cell apoptosis. However,
      the molecular mechanisms involved in the anticancer activity of H. sabdariffa
      leaf extract (HLE) are poorly understood. The object of the study was to examine
      the anti-invasive potential of HLE. First, HLE was demonstrated to be rich in
      polyphenols. The results of wound-healing assay and in vitro transwell assay
      revealed that HLE dose-dependently inhibited the migration and invasion of human
      prostate cancer LNCaP (lymph node carcinoma of the prostate) cells under non
      cytotoxic concentrations. Our results further showed that HLE exerted an
      inhibitory effect on the activity and expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-9
      (MMP-9). The HLE-inhibited MMP-9 expression appeared to be a consequence of
      nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) inactivation because its DNA-binding activity
      was suppressed by HLE. Molecular data showed all these influences of HLE might be
      mediated via inhibition of protein kinase B (PKB, also known as Akt)/NF-kB/MMP-9
      cascade pathway, as demonstrated by the transfection of Akt1 overexpression
      vector. Finally, the inhibitory effect of HLE was proven by its inhibition on the
      growth of LNCaP cells and the expressions of metastasis-related molecular
      proteins in vivo. These findings suggested that the inhibition of MMP-9
      expression by HLE may act through the suppression of the Akt/NF-kB signaling
      pathway, which in turn led to the reduced invasiveness of the cancer cells. 

PMID- 26115088
TI  - Assessing Shortened Field-Based Heart-Rate-Variability-Data Acquisition in Team
      Sport Athletes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the LnRMSSD and the LnRMSSD:RR values obtained during a 5-min
      stabilization period with the subsequent 5-min criterion period and to determine
      the time course for LnRMSSD and LnRMSSD:RR stabilization at 1-min analysis in
      elite team-sport athletes. PARTICIPANTS: 35 elite futsal players (23.9 +/- 4.5 y,
      174.2 +/- 4.0 cm, 74.0 +/- 7.5 kg, 1576.2 +/- 396.3 m in the Yo-Yo test level 1).
      METHODS: The RR-interval recordings were obtained using a portable heart-rate
      monitor continuously for 10 min in the seated position. The 2 dependent variables
      analyzed were LnRMSSD and LnRMSSD:RR. To calculate the magnitude of the
      differences between time periods, effect-size (ES) analysis was conducted. To
      assess the levels of agreement, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and
      Bland-Altman plots were used. RESULTS: The LnRMSSD and LnRMSSD:RR values obtained
      during the stabilization period (0-5 min) presented very large to nearly perfect
      ICCs with the values obtained during the criterion period (5-10 min), with
      trivial ESs. In the ultra-short-term analysis (ie, 1-min segments) the data
      showed slightly less accurate results, but only trivial to small differences with
      very large to nearly perfect ICCs were found. CONCLUSION: LnRMSSD and LnRMSSD:RR
      can be recorded in 5 min without traditional stabilization periods under resting
      conditions in team-sport athletes. The ultra-short-term analysis (1 min) also
      revealed acceptable levels of agreement with the criterion.

PMID- 26115087
TI  - Are You Sure? Confidence about the Satiating Capacity of a Food Affects
      Subsequent Food Intake.
AB  - Expectations about a food's satiating capacity predict self-selected portion
      size, food intake and food choice. However, two individuals might have a similar
      expectation, but one might be extremely confident while the other might be
      guessing. It is unclear whether confidence about an expectation affects
      adjustments in energy intake at a subsequent meal. In a randomized cross-over
      design, 24 subjects participated in three separate breakfast sessions, and were
      served a low-energy-dense preload (53 kcal/100 g), a high-energy-dense preload
      (94 kcal/100 g), or no preload. Subjects received ambiguous information about the
      preload's satiating capacity and rated how confident they were about their
      expected satiation before consuming the preload in its entirety. They were served
      an ad libitum test meal 30 min later. Confidence ratings were negatively
      associated with energy compensation after consuming the high-energy-dense preload
      (r = -0.61; p = 0.001). The same relationship was evident after consuming the low
      energy-dense preload, but only after controlling for dietary restraint, hunger
      prior to, and liking of the test meal (p = 0.03). Our results suggest that
      confidence modifies short-term controls of food intake by affecting energy
      compensation. These results merit consideration because imprecise caloric
      compensation has been identified as a potential risk factor for a positive energy
      balance and weight gain. 

PMID- 26115090
TI  - Reduction of Carbon Dioxide in Filtering Facepiece Respirators with an Active
      Venting System: A Computational Study.
AB  - During expiration, the carbon dioxide (CO2) levels inside the dead space of a
      filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) increase significantly above the ambient
      concentration. To reduce the CO2 concentration inside the dead space, we attach
      an active lightweight venting system (AVS) comprising a one-way valve, a blower
      and a battery in a housing to a FFR. The achieved reduction is quantified with a
      computational-fluid-dynamics model that considers conservation of mass, momentum
      and the dilute species, CO2, inside the FFR with and without the AVS. The results
      suggest that the AVS can reduce the CO2 levels inside the dead space at the end
      of expiration to around 0.4% as compared to a standard FFR, for which the CO2
      levels during expiration reach the same concentration as that of the expired
      alveolar air at around 5%. In particular, during inspiration, the average CO2
      volume fraction drops to near-to ambient levels of around 0.08% with the AVS.
      Overall, the time-averaged CO2 volume fractions inside the dead space for the
      standard FFR and the one with AVS are around 3% and 0.3% respectively. Further,
      the ability of the AVS to vent the dead-space air in the form of a jet into the
      ambient - similar to the jets arising from natural expiration without a FFR -
      ensures that the expired air is removed and diluted more efficiently than a
      standard FFR. 

PMID- 26115089
TI  - Novel human ABCC9/SUR2 brain-expressed transcripts and an eQTL relevant to
      hippocampal sclerosis of aging.
AB  - ABCC9 genetic polymorphisms are associated with increased risk for various human
      diseases including hippocampal sclerosis of aging. The main goals of this study
      were 1 > to detect the ABCC9 variants and define the specific 3' untranslated
      region (3'UTR) for each variant in human brain, and 2 > to determine whether a
      polymorphism (rs704180) associated with risk for hippocampal sclerosis of aging
      pathology is also associated with variation in ABCC9 transcript expression and/or
      splicing. Rapid amplification of ABCC9 cDNA ends (3'RACE) provided evidence of
      novel 3' UTR portions of ABCC9 in human brain. In silico and experimental studies
      were performed focusing on the single nucleotide polymorphism, rs704180. Analyses
      from multiple databases, focusing on rs704180 only, indicated that this risk
      allele is a local expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL). Analyses of RNA
      from human brains showed increased ABCC9 transcript levels in individuals with
      the risk genotype, corresponding with enrichment for a shorter 3' UTR which may
      be more stable than variants with the longer 3' UTR. MicroRNA transfection
      experiments yielded results compatible with the hypothesis that miR-30c causes
      down-regulation of SUR2 transcripts with the longer 3' UTR. Thus we report
      evidence of complex ABCC9 genetic regulation in brain, which may be of direct
      relevance to human disease. ABCC9 gene variants are associated with increased
      risk for hippocampal sclerosis of aging (HS-Aging--a prevalent brain disease with
      symptoms that mimic Alzheimer's disease). We describe novel ABCC9 variants in
      human brain, corresponding to altered 3'UTR length, which could lead to targeting
      by miR-30c. We also determined that the HS-Aging risk mutation is associated with
      variation in ABCC9 transcript expression.

PMID- 26115091
TI  - Regulation of Pro-Apoptotic Phosphorylation of Kv2.1 K+ Channels.
AB  - Caspase activity during apoptosis is inhibited by physiological concentrations of
      intracellular K+. To enable apoptosis in injured cortical and hippocampal
      neurons, cellular loss of this cation is facilitated by the insertion of Kv2.1 K+
      channels into the plasma membrane via a Zn2+/CaMKII/SNARE-dependent process. Pro
      apoptotic membrane insertion of Kv2.1 requires the dual phosphorylation of the
      channel by Src and p38 at cytoplasmic N- and C-terminal residues Y124 and S800,
      respectively. In this study, we investigate if these phosphorylation sites are
      mutually co-regulated, and whether putative N- and C-terminal interactions,
      possibly enabled by Kv2.1 intracellular cysteine residues C73 and C710, influence
      the phosphorylation process itself. Studies were performed with recombinant wild
      type and mutant Kv2.1 expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Using
      immunoprecipitated Kv2.1 protein and phospho-specific antibodies, we found that
      an intact Y124 is required for p38 phosphorylation of S800, and, importantly,
      that Src phosphorylation of Y124 facilitates the action of the p38 at the S800
      residue. Moreover, the actions of Src on Kv2.1 are substantially decreased in the
      non-phosphorylatable S800A channel mutant. We also observed that mutations of
      either C73 or C710 residues decreased the p38 phosphorylation at S800 without
      influencing the actions of Src on tyrosine phosphorylation of Kv2.1.
      Surprisingly, however, apoptotic K+ currents were suppressed only in cells
      expressing the Kv2.1(C73A) mutant but not in those transfected with Kv2.1(C710A),
      suggesting a possible structural alteration in the C-terminal mutant that
      facilitates membrane insertion. These results show that intracellular N-terminal
      domains critically regulate phosphorylation of the C-terminal of Kv2.1, and vice
      versa, suggesting possible new avenues for modifying the apoptotic insertion of
      these channels during neurodegenerative processes. 

PMID- 26115092
TI  - Cardiovascular Outcomes of Sitagliptin in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Acute
      Myocardial Infarction, a Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cardiovascular safety and efficacy of sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl
      peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, in type 2 diabetic patients after acute myocardial
      infarction (AMI) has so far remained uncertain. METHODS: We analyzed data from
      the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), a government-operated,
      population-based database, from March 1st, 2009 to December 31st, 2011. Type 2
      diabetic patients hospitalized for AMI were included in our study. We compared
      subjects using sitagliptin with comparison group to evaluate its cardiovascular
      safety and efficacy. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular
      death, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke. RESULTS: We identified a total
      of 3,282 type 2 diabetic patients hospitalized for AMI (mean follow-up 1.15
      years). Of these patients, 547 (16.7%) who were exposed to sitagliptin were
      defined as the sitagliptin group and 2,735 (83.3 %) who did not use sitagliptin
      were the comparison group. The incidence of primary composite cardiovascular
      outcomes was 9.50 per 100 person-years in the sitagliptin group and was 9.70 per
      100 person-years in the comparison group (hazard ratio (HR), 0.97; 95% CI, 0.73
      1.29, P=0.849). Compared to the non-sitagliptin group, the sitagliptin group had
      similar risks of all-cause mortality, hospitalization for heart failure (HF) or
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a HR of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.61-1.11,
      P=0.195), 0.93 (95% CI, 0.67-1.29, P=0.660), and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.75-1.14,
      P=0.473), respectively. CONCLUSION: The use of sitagliptin in type 2 diabetic
      patients with recent AMI was not associated with increased risk of adverse
      cardiovascular events.

PMID- 26115095
TI  - Reversible Fluorescent Nanoswitch Based on Carbon Quantum Dots Nanoassembly for
      Real-Time Acid Phosphatase Activity Monitoring.
AB  - A reversible fluorescence nanoswitch by integrating carbon quantum dots
      nanoassembly and pyrophosphate ion is developed, and a reliable real-time
      fluorescent assay for acid phosphatase (ACP) activity is established on the basis
      of the fluorescence nanoswitch. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) abundant in carboxyl
      groups on the surface, nickel(II) ion and pyrophosphate ion comprise the
      fluorescent nanoswitch, which operates in the following way: the nanoassembly
      consisting of CQDs and nickel ions can be triggered by pyrophosphate ion serving
      as an external stimulus. At the same time, the fluorescence nanoswitch switches
      between two fluorescence states (OFF and ON) accompanying shifts in their
      physical states aggregation and disaggregation. Based on the nanoswitch, the
      introduction of ACP leads to breakdown of pyrophosphate ions into phosphate ions
      and resultant fluorescence quenching due to catalytic hydrolysis of ACP toward
      pyrophosphate ions (PPi). Quantitative evaluation of ACP activity in a broad
      range from 18.2 U/L to 1300 U/L, with a detection limit of 5.5 U/L, can be
      achieved in this way, which endows the assay with sufficiently high sensitivity
      for practical detection in human serum and seminal plasma. 

PMID- 26115094
TI  - Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 Gene Mutation Is Associated with Prognosis in Clinical
      Low-Grade Gliomas.
AB  - Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 gene mutations are found in most World Health
      Organization grade II and III gliomas and secondary glioblastomas. Isocitrate
      dehydrogenase 1 mutations are known to have prognostic value in high-grade
      gliomas. However, their prognostic significance in low-grade gliomas remains
      controversial. We determined the predictive and prognostic value of isocitrate
      dehydrogenase 1 status in low-grade gliomas. The association of isocitrate
      dehydrogenase 1 status with clinicopathological and genetic factors was also
      evaluated. Clinical information and genetic data including isocitrate
      dehydrogenase 1 mutation, O 6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase promoter
      methylation, 1p/19q chromosome loss, and TP53 mutation of 417 low-grade gliomas
      were collected from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas database. Kaplan-Meier and
      Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to evaluate the
      prognostic effect of clinical characteristics and molecular biomarkers.
      Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 mutation was identified as an independent prognostic
      factor for overall, but not progression-free, survival. Notably, isocitrate
      dehydrogenase 1 mutation was found to be a significant prognostic factor in
      patients with oligodendrogliomas, but not in patients with astrocytomas.
      Furthermore, O 6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase promoter methylation (p =
      0.017) and TP53 mutation (p < 0.001), but not 1p/19q loss (p = 0.834), occurred
      at a higher frequency in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1-mutated tumors than in
      isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 wild-type tumors. Younger patient age (p = 0.041) and
      frontal lobe location (p = 0.010) were significantly correlated with isocitrate
      dehydrogenase 1 mutation. Chemotherapy did not provide a survival benefit in
      patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase 1-mutated tumors. Isocitrate dehydrogenase
      1 mutation was an independent prognostic factor in low-grade gliomas, whereas it
      showed no predictive value for chemotherapy response. Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1
      mutation was highly associated with O 6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase
      promoter methylation and TP53 mutation. 

PMID- 26115093
TI  - The Microbiota and Abundance of the Class 1 Integron-Integrase Gene in Tropical
      Sewage Treatment Plant Influent and Activated Sludge.
AB  - Bacteria are assumed to efficiently remove organic pollutants from sewage in
      sewage treatment plants, where antibiotic-resistance genes can move between
      species via mobile genetic elements known as integrons. Nevertheless, few studies
      have addressed bacterial diversity and class 1 integron abundance in tropical
      sewage. Here, we describe the extant microbiota, using V6 tag sequencing, and
      quantify the class 1 integron-integrase gene (intI1) in raw sewage (RS) and
      activated sludge (AS). The analysis of 1,174,486 quality-filtered reads obtained
      from RS and AS samples revealed complex and distinct bacterial diversity in these
      samples. The RS sample, with 3,074 operational taxonomic units, exhibited the
      highest alpha-diversity indices. Among the 25 phyla, Proteobacteria,
      Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes represented 85% (AS) and 92% (RS) of all reads.
      Increased relative abundance of Micrococcales, Myxococcales, and
      Sphingobacteriales and reduced pathogen abundance were noted in AS. At the genus
      level, differences were observed for the dominant genera Simplicispira and
      Diaphorobacter (AS) as well as for Enhydrobacter (RS). The activated sludge
      process decreased (55%) the amount of bacteria harboring the intI1 gene in the RS
      sample. Altogether, our results emphasize the importance of biological treatment
      for diminishing pathogenic bacteria and those bearing the intI1 gene that arrive
      at a sewage treatment plant. 

PMID- 26115096
TI  - Repeat Diagnoses of Bethesda Category III Thyroid Nodules: What To Do Next?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the malignancy rates of thyroid nodules repeatedly
      classified as Bethesda category III on fine needle aspiration (FNA), and to
      suggest management guidelines for these lesions. METHODS: This is a retrospective
      study that included 395 thyroid nodules categorized as Bethesda III undergone
      either surgery or ultrasound (US) follow-up. There were 67 nodules classified a
      second time as Bethesda category III on repeat FNA. We compared malignancy rates,
      clinicopathologic and ultrasonographic characteristics between direct surgery and
      repeat FNA groups and between the initial and repeat Bethesda category III
      groups, each. And in the repeat Bethesda III group, clinicopathologic and US
      variables were compared between benign and malignant nodules. RESULTS: Incidence
      of concurrent cancer, underlying thyroiditis and positive BRAF mutation were
      significantly higher in 142 nodules with direct surgery than 243 nodules with
      repeat FNA (p < 0.05). Of the 395 nodules with Bethesda category III cytology on
      initial FNA, the malignancy rate was 59.5%. In 67 nodules with repeat Bethesda
      III classification, however, the malignancy rate was 73.1% (p < 0.05). However,
      none of the variables were significantly different between the initial Bethesda
      category III group and the repeat Bethesda category III group (p > 0.05). In the
      repeat Bethesda category III group, solid consistency, irregular/microlobulated
      margins, nonparallel shape, and number of suspicious findings or "suspicious
      malignant" US assessments were associated with a high malignancy rate (p < 0.05).
      On multivariate logistic regression analysis, the factor associated with
      malignancy in the repeat Bethesda category III group was irregular/microlobulated
      margin (odds ratio = 15.576; 95% CI, 2.097-115.6804, p = 0.007) with a
      sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy
      of 81.6%, 83.3%, 93.0%, 62.5% and 82.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Thyroid
      nodules with repeated Bethesda category III classification and
      irregular/microlobulated margins on US are at increased risk of malignancy, and
      operative management should be considered as opposed to repeat FNA.

PMID- 26115097
TI  - Probing the Residual Structure of the Low Populated Denatured State of ADA2h
      under Folding Conditions by Relaxation Dispersion Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
      Spectroscopy.
AB  - The structural characterization of low populated states of proteins with accuracy
      comparable to that achievable for native states is important for understanding
      the mechanisms of protein folding and function, as well as misfolding and
      aggregation. Because of the transient nature of these low populated states, they
      are seldom detected directly under conditions that favor folding. The activation
      domain of human procarboxypeptidase A2 (ADA2h) is an alpha/beta-protein that
      forms amyloid fibrils at low pH, presumably initiated from a denatured state with
      a considerable amount of residual structure. Here we used Carr-Parcell-Meiboom
      Gill relaxation dispersion (CPMG RD) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
      spectroscopy to characterize the structure of the denatured state of the ADA2h
      I71V mutant under conditions that favor folding. Under these conditions, the
      lifetime of the denatured state of I71V ADA2h is on the order of milliseconds and
      its population is approximately several percent, which makes this mutant amenable
      to studies by CPMG RD methods. The nearly complete set of CPMG RD-derived
      backbone (15)N, (13)C, and (1)H NMR chemical shifts in the I71V ADA2h denatured
      state reveals that it retains a significant fraction (up to 50-60%) of nativelike
      alpha-helical structure, while the regions encompassing native beta-strands are
      structured to a much lesser extent. The nativelike alpha-helical structure of the
      denatured state can bring together hydrophobic residues on the same sides of
      alpha-helices, making them available for intra- or intermolecular interactions.
      CPMG RD data analysis thus allowed a detailed structural characterization of the
      ADA2h denatured state under folding conditions not previously achieved for this
      protein. 

PMID- 26115098
TI  - Effect of Ang-2-VEGF-A Bispecific Antibody in Renal Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - The blockade of VEGF pathway has been clinically validated as an initial
      treatment for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) has been
      indicated as a key regulator for angiogenesis escape. The effect of a novel
      bispecific antibody (A2V CrossMab) against both Ang-2 and VEGF was investigated
      in comparison with either factor. A2V CrossMab significantly reduced tumor
      volume, vessel density, and interstitial fluid pressure compared to either
      monotherapy of anti-VEGF or anti-Ang-2. Host-derived angiogenesis-related genes
      have been significantly down-regulated in A2V CrossMab group. These data
      demonstrate that A2V CrossMab has additive anti-tumor effect for the treatment of
      RCC. 

PMID- 26115099
TI  - A Systematic Literature Review of Studies Analyzing Inequalities in Health
      Expectancy among the Older Population.
AB  - AIM: To collect, organize and appraise evidence of socioeconomic and demographic
      inequalities in health and mortality among the older population using a summary
      measure of population health: Health Expectancy. METHODS: A systematic literature
      review was conducted. Literature published in English before November 2014 was
      searched via two possible sources: three electronic databases (Web of Science,
      Medline and Embase), and references in selected articles. The search was
      developed combining terms referring to outcome, exposure and participants,
      consisting in health expectancy, socioeconomic and demographic groups, and older
      population, respectively. RESULTS: Of 256 references identified, 90 met the
      inclusion criteria. Six references were added after searching reference lists of
      included articles. Thirty-three studies were focused only on gender-based
      inequalities; the remaining sixty-three considered gender along with other
      exposures. Findings were organized according to two leading perspectives: the
      type of inequalities considered and the health indicators chosen to measure
      health expectancy. Evidence of gender-based differentials and a socioeconomic
      gradient were found in all studies. A remarkable heterogeneity in the choice of
      health indicators used to compute health expectancy emerged as well as a non
      uniform way of defining same health conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Health expectancy is
      a useful and convenient measure to monitor and assess the quality of ageing and
      compare different groups and populations. This review showed a general agreement
      of results obtained in different studies with regard to the existence of
      inequalities associated with several factors, such as gender, education,
      behaviors, and race. However, the lack of a standardized definition of health
      expectancy limits its comparability across studies. The need of conceiving health
      expectancy as a comparable and repeatable measure was highlighted as fundamental
      to make it an informative instrument for policy makers.

PMID- 26115101
TI  - Heat Generation/Absorption Effects in a Boundary Layer Stretched Flow of Maxwell
      Nanofluid: Analytic and Numeric Solutions.
AB  - Analysis has been done to investigate the heat generation/absorption effects in a
      steady flow of non-Newtonian nanofluid over a surface which is stretching
      linearly in its own plane. An upper convected Maxwell model (UCM) has been
      utilized as the non-Newtonian fluid model in view of the fact that it can predict
      relaxation time phenomenon which the Newtonian model cannot. Behavior of the
      relaxations phenomenon has been presented in terms of Deborah number. Transport
      phenomenon with convective cooling process has been analyzed. Brownian motion
      "Db" and thermophoresis effects "Dt" occur in the transport equations. The
      momentum, energy and nanoparticle concentration profiles are examined with
      respect to the involved rheological parameters namely the Deborah number,
      source/sink parameter, the Brownian motion parameters, thermophoresis parameter
      and Biot number. Both numerical and analytic solutions are presented and found in
      nice agreement. Comparison with the published data is also made to ensure the
      validity. Stream lines for Maxwell and Newtonian fluid models are presented in
      the analysis. 

PMID- 26115100
TI  - Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Nef Inhibits Autophagy through Transcription
      Factor EB Sequestration.
AB  - HIV Nef acts as an anti-autophagic maturation factor through interaction with
      beclin-1 (BECN1). We report that exposure of macrophages to infectious or non
      infectious purified HIV induces toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8) and BECN1 dependent
      dephosphorylation and nuclear translocation of TFEB and that this correlates with
      an increase in autophagy markers. RNA interference for ATG13, TFEB, TLR8, or
      BECN1 inhibits this HIV-induced autophagy. However, once HIV establishes a
      productive infection, TFEB phosphorylation and cytoplasmic sequestration are
      increased resulting in decreased autophagy markers. Moreover, by 7 d post
      infection, autophagy levels are similar to mock infected controls. Conversely,
      although Nef deleted HIV similarly induces TFEB dephosphorylation and nuclear
      localization, and increases autophagy, these levels remain elevated during
      continued productive infection. Thus, the interaction between HIV and TLR8 serves
      as a signal for autophagy induction that is dependent upon the dephosphorylation
      and nuclear translocation of TFEB. During permissive infection, Nef binds BECN1
      resulting in mammalian target of rapamycin (MTOR) activation, TFEB
      phosphorylation and cytosolic sequestration, and the inhibition of autophagy. To
      our knowledge, this is the first report of a virus modulating TFEB localization
      and helps to explain how HIV modulates autophagy to promote its own replication
      and cell survival. 

PMID- 26115102
TI  - 2D light scattering static cytometry for label-free single cell analysis with
      submicron resolution.
AB  - Conventional optical cytometric techniques usually measure fluorescence or
      scattering signals at fixed angles from flowing cells in a liquid stream. Here we
      develop a novel cytometer that employs a scanning optical fiber to illuminate
      single static cells on a glass slide, which requires neither microfluidic
      fabrication nor flow control. This static cytometric technique measures two
      dimensional (2D) light scattering patterns via a small numerical aperture (0.25)
      microscope objective for label-free single cell analysis. Good agreement is
      obtained between the yeast cell experimental and Mie theory simulated patterns.
      It is demonstrated that the static cytometer with a microscope objective of a low
      resolution around 1.30 MUm has the potential to perform high resolution analysis
      on yeast cells with distributed sizes. The capability of the static cytometer for
      size determination with submicron resolution is validated via measurements on
      standard microspheres with mean diameters of 3.87 and 4.19 MUm. Our 2D light
      scattering static cytometric technique may provide an easy-to-use, label-free,
      and flow-free method for single cell diagnostics.

PMID- 26115103
TI  - Utilizing Radiofrequency Identification Technology to Improve Safety and
      Management of Blood Bank Supply Chains.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The importance of efficiency in the supply chain of perishable
      products, such as the blood products used in transfusion services, cannot be
      overstated. Many problems can occur, such as the outdating of products, inventory
      management issues, patient misidentification, and mistransfusion. The purpose of
      this article was to identify the benefits and barriers associated with
      radiofrequency identification (RFID) usage in improving the blood bank supply
      chain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The methodology for this study was a qualitative
      literature review following a systematic approach. The review was limited to
      sources published from 2000 to 2014 in the English language. Sixty-five sources
      were found, and 56 were used in this research study. RESULTS: According to the
      finding of the present study, there are numerous benefits and barriers to RFID
      utilization in blood bank supply chains. RFID technology offers several benefits
      with regard to blood bank product management, including decreased transfusion
      errors, reduction of product loss, and more efficient inventory management.
      Barriers to RFID implementation include the cost associated with system
      implementation and patient privacy issues. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an RFID
      system can be a significant investment. However, when observing the positive
      impact that such systems may have on transfusion safety and inventory management,
      the cost associated with RFID systems can easily be justified. RFID in blood bank
      inventory management is vital to ensuring efficient product inventory management
      and positive patient outcomes.

PMID- 26115105
TI  - Catch and release of concanavalin A by a mannose-immobilized photoaffinity PEGA
      resin coupled with a cleavable disulfide linker.
AB  - A photoaffinity PEGA resin containing mannose as a ligand and disulfide as a
      cleavable linker was prepared. The resin was crosslinked to concanavalin A, a
      binding protein of mannose, by UV irradiation, and the protein was subsequently
      released by cleavage of the disulfide linker. 

PMID- 26115106
TI  - Evidence-based regulation and accredited continuing medical education.

PMID- 26115104
TI  - Wolbachia Reduces the Transmission Potential of Dengue-Infected Aedes aegypti.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dengue viruses (DENV) are the causative agents of dengue, the world's
      most prevalent arthropod-borne disease with around 40% of the world's population
      at risk of infection annually. Wolbachia pipientis, an obligate intracellular
      bacterium, is being developed as a biocontrol strategy against dengue because it
      limits replication of the virus in the mosquito. The Wolbachia strain wMel, which
      has been introduced into the mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, has been shown to
      invade and spread to near fixation in field releases. Standard measures of
      Wolbachia's efficacy for blocking virus replication focus on the detection and
      quantification of virus in mosquito tissues. Examining the saliva provides a more
      accurate measure of transmission potential and can reveal the extrinsic
      incubation period (EIP), that is, the time it takes virus to arrive in the saliva
      following the consumption of DENV viremic blood. EIP is a key determinant of a
      mosquito's ability to transmit DENVs, as the earlier the virus appears in the
      saliva the more opportunities the mosquito will have to infect humans on
      subsequent bites. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used a non-destructive assay
      to repeatedly quantify DENV in saliva from wMel-infected and Wolbachia-free wild
      type control mosquitoes following the consumption of a DENV-infected blood meal.
      We show that wMel lengthens the EIP, reduces the frequency at which the virus is
      expectorated and decreases the dengue copy number in mosquito saliva as compared
      to wild-type mosquitoes. These observations can at least be partially explained
      by an overall reduction in saliva produced by wMel mosquitoes. More generally, we
      found that the concentration of DENV in a blood meal is a determinant of the
      length of EIP, saliva virus titer and mosquito survival.
      CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The saliva-based traits reported here offer more
      disease-relevant measures of Wolbachia's effects on the vector and the virus. The
      lengthening of EIP highlights another means, in addition to the reduction of
      infection frequencies and DENV titers in mosquitoes, by which Wolbachia should
      operate to reduce DENV transmission in the field.

PMID- 26115107
TI  - A rater training protocol to assess team performance.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Simulation-based methodologies are increasingly used to assess
      teamwork and communication skills and provide team training. Formative feedback
      regarding team performance is an essential component. While effective use of
      simulation for assessment or training requires accurate rating of team
      performance, examples of rater-training programs in health care are scarce. We
      describe our rater training program and report interrater reliability during
      phases of training and independent rating. METHODS: We selected an assessment
      tool shown to yield valid and reliable results and developed a rater training
      protocol with an accompanying rater training handbook. The rater training program
      was modeled after previously described high-stakes assessments in the setting of
      3 facilitated training sessions. Adjacent agreement was used to measure
      interrater reliability between raters. RESULTS: Nine raters with a background in
      health care and/or patient safety evaluated team performance of 42 in-situ
      simulations using post-hoc video review. Adjacent agreement increased from the
      second training session (83.6%) to the third training session (85.6%) when
      evaluating the same video segments. Adjacent agreement for the rating of overall
      team performance was 78.3%, which was added for the third training session.
      Adjacent agreement was 97% 4 weeks posttraining and 90.6% at the end of
      independent rating of all simulation videos. DISCUSSION: Rater training is an
      important element in team performance assessment, and providing examples of rater
      training programs is essential. Articulating key rating anchors promotes adequate
      interrater reliability. In addition, using adjacent agreement as a measure allows
      differentiation between high- and low-performing teams on video review.

PMID- 26115108
TI  - Development and validation of a trustworthy multisource feedback instrument to
      support nurse appraisals.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nurse appraisal is well established in the Western world because of
      its obvious educational advantages. Appraisal works best with many sources of
      information on performance. Multisource feedback (MSF) is widely used in business
      and in other clinical disciplines to provide such information. It has also been
      incorporated into nursing appraisals, but, so far, none of the instruments in use
      for nurses has been validated. We set out to develop an instrument aligned with
      the UK Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) and to evaluate its reliability and
      feasibility across a wide hospital-based nursing population. METHODS: The KSF
      framework provided a content template. Focus groups developed an instrument based
      on consensus. The instrument was administered to all the nursing staff in 2 large
      NHS hospitals forming a single trust in London, England. We used generalizability
      analysis to estimate reliability, response rates and unstructured interviews to
      evaluate feasibility, and factor structure and correlation studies to evaluate
      validity. RESULTS: On a voluntary basis the response rate was moderate (60%). A
      failure to engage with information technology and employment-related concerns
      were commonly cited as reasons for not responding. In this population, 11
      responses provided a profile with sufficient reliability to inform appraisal (G =
      0.7). Performance on the instrument was closely and significantly correlated with
      performance on a KSF questionnaire. DISCUSSION: This is the first contemporary
      psychometric evaluation of an MSF instrument for nurses. MSF appears to be as
      valid and reliable as an assessment method to inform appraisal in nurses as it is
      in other health professional groups.

PMID- 26115109
TI  - Predictors of attrition for a sexual assault forensic examiner (SAFE) blended
      learning training program.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Participant attrition is a major concern for online continuing
      education health care courses. The current study sought to understand what
      factors predicted health care professionals completing the online component of a
      sexual assault forensic examiner (SAFE) blended learning training program (12
      week online course and 2-day in-person clinical skills workshop). METHODS: The
      study used a Web-based survey to examine participant characteristics, motivation,
      and external barriers that may influence training completion. Hierarchical
      logistic regression was utilized to examine the predictors of training
      completion, while the Cox proportional hazards (Cox PH) regression model helped
      determine the factors associated with the timing of participant attrition.
      RESULTS: Results show that 79.3% of the enrolled professionals completed the
      online component. The study also found that clinicians who work in rural
      communities and those who were interested in a 2-day clinical skills workshop
      were more likely to complete the online course. In terms of when attrition
      occurred, we found that participants who were motivated by the 2-day clinical
      workshop, those who worked in a rural community, and participants interested in
      the training program because of its online nature were more likely to complete
      more of the online course. DISCUSSION: Blending an online course with a brief in
      person clinical component may serve as a motivator for completing an online
      course because it provides the opportunity to develop clinical skills while
      receiving immediate feedback. Participant attrition appears to be less of a
      concern for rural clinicians because this modality can reduce their barriers to
      accessing continuing education.

PMID- 26115110
TI  - Can didactic continuing education improve clinical decision making and reduce
      cost of quality? Evidence from a case study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Administration of human serum albumin (HSA) solutions for the
      resuscitation of critically ill patients remains controversial. The objective of
      this study was to assess the effect of continuing medical education (CME) on
      health care professionals' clinical decision making with regard to HSA
      administration and the costs of quality (COQ). A quasi-experimental study of time
      series association of CME intervention with COQ and use of HSA solution was
      conducted at the Surgery Department of the Hospital Valjevo, Serbia. The CME
      contained evidence-based criteria for HSA solution administration in surgical
      patients. The preintervention period was defined as January 2009 to May 2011. CME
      was provided in June 2011, with the postintervention period June 2011 to May
      2012. METHODS: Total mortality rate, the rate of nonsurgical mortality, the rate
      of surgical mortality, the rate of sepsis patient mortality, index of irrational
      use of HSA solutions, and number of hospital days per hospitalized patient were
      collected for each month as quality indicators. Statistical analysis was
      performed by multivariate autoregressive integrated moving average (MARIMA)
      modeling. The specification of the COQ was performed according to a traditional
      COQ model. RESULTS: The CME intervention resulted in an average monthly reduction
      of the hospital days per hospitalized patient, the rate of sepsis patient
      mortality, index of irrational use of HSA solutions, and COQ for $593,890.77 per
      year. DISCUSSION: Didactic CME presenting evidence-based criteria for HSA
      administration was associated with improvements in clinical decisions and COQ. In
      addition, this study demonstrates that models combining MARIMA and traditional
      COQ models can be useful in the evaluation of CME interventions aimed at reducing
      COQ.

PMID- 26115111
TI  - Effectiveness of test-enhanced learning in continuing health sciences education:
      a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing concerns over the effectiveness and quality of continuing
      medical education (CME) programs has encouraged educators to use theoretically
      driven empirical research to improve the educational value of these activities.
      Within cognitive psychology, theories of learning and knowledge acquisition, such
      as test-enhanced learning (TEL), may be used to enhance the effectiveness of CME
      protocols and delivery. The present study examined whether the pedagogical
      benefits of testing can be observed in practicing physicians. METHODS: A total of
      83 physicians were recruited following an education session on constipation
      management and were randomized to either (a) the test condition (n = 43), where
      learners wrote a short test consisting of 10 short-answer questions (SAQs), or
      (b) the study condition (n = 40), where learners studied the same information.
      Four weeks later, 56 (68%) physicians completed a final test with 10 new SAQs,
      with 27 being from the initial test condition and 29 belonging to the initial
      study condition. RESULTS: Performance on the final SAQ test was equivalent for
      both test (42.5%) and study-only (41.2%) conditions (p = .71). DISCUSSION: The
      null findings in the present study are inconsistent with previous research
      showing the pedagogical benefits of testing relative to studying. Given that most
      TEL research focuses on novice learners, who lack strong associative memory
      networks, it is possible that TEL is specific to novices and not generalizable to
      experts. Alternative explanations focus on the importance of repeated,
      distributed testing with feedback.

PMID- 26115112
TI  - A 3-armed randomized controlled trial of nurses' continuing education meetings on
      adverse drug reactions.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nurses' insufficient knowledge of adverse drug reactions is
      reported as a barrier to spontaneous reporting. Therefore, CE meetings could be
      utilized to enhance nurses' competencies. METHODS: In a 3-armed randomized
      controlled trial, 496 nurses, working in a tertiary medical center, were randomly
      allocated to a didactic lecture, brainstorming workshop, or the control group
      (delayed education). Similar instructors (2 clinical pharmacists) prepared and
      delivered the educational content to all 3 groups. Outcomes were
      declarative/procedural knowledge (primary outcome), participation rate, and
      satisfaction. Knowledge was evaluated using a validated researcher-made
      questionnaire in 3 time points: immediately before, immediately after, and 3
      months after each session. Participants' satisfaction was assessed immediately
      after each meeting via a standard tool. Data were analyzed using appropriate
      parametric and nonparametric tests. RESULTS: Rate of participation was 37.7% for
      the lecture group and 47.5% for the workshop group. The workshop participants
      were significantly more satisfied in comparison with the lecture group (p < .05).
      Mean knowledge scores were similar at baseline in the 3 study groups (43-47).
      Immediately after the meeting, knowledge was significantly higher in the lecture
      group (79.1 +/- 11.9 vs 73.7 +/- 11.3; p = .01). At the follow-up, knowledge
      scores of the lecture and workshop groups were similar, while significantly
      higher than the control group. However, the reduction of knowledge score was
      significantly higher in the lecture group (-13.0 +/- 15.9% vs -5.7 +/- 15.1%, p =
      .02). DISCUSSION: Educational interventions can improve nurses' knowledge of
      adverse drug reactions. Short-term learning could be achieved with lecture, but
      the retention of knowledge will be enhanced by simple interactive techniques.

PMID- 26115113
TI  - The impact of CME on physician performance and patient health outcomes: an
      updated synthesis of systematic reviews.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Since 1977, many systematic reviews have asked 2 fundamental
      questions: (1) Does CME improve physician performance and patient health
      outcomes? and (2) What are the mechanisms of action that lead to positive changes
      in these outcomes? The article's purpose is to synthesize the systematic review
      literature about CME effectiveness published since 2003. METHODS: We identified 8
      systematic reviews of CME effectiveness published since 2003 in which primary
      research studies in CME were reviewed and physicians' performance and/or patient
      health outcomes were included as outcome measures. RESULTS: Five systematic
      reviews addressed the question of "Is CME Effective?" using primary studies
      employing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or experimental design methods and
      concluded: (1) CME does improve physician performance and patient health
      outcomes, and (2) CME has a more reliably positive impact on physician
      performance than on patient health outcomes. The 8 systematic reviews support
      previous research showing CME activities that are more interactive, use more
      methods, involve multiple exposures, are longer, and are focused on outcomes that
      are considered important by physicians lead to more positive outcomes.
      DISCUSSION: Future research on CME effectiveness must take account of the wider
      social, political, and organizational factors that play a role in physician
      performance and patient health outcomes. We now have 39 systematic reviews that
      present an evidence-based approach to designing CME that is more likely to
      improve physician performance and patient health outcomes. These insights from
      the scientific study of CME effectiveness should be incorporated in ongoing
      efforts to reform systems of CME and health care delivery.

PMID- 26115114
TI  - Navigating knowledge to action: a conceptual map for facilitating translation of
      population health risk planning tools into practice.
AB  - A population health risk tool was created that estimates future diabetes risk and
      provides outputs that can inform practical and meaningful diabetes prevention
      strategies and support local decision making and planning. A project was designed
      to inform and understand knowledge translation and application of this novel tool
      in multiple health-related settings. Lacking published studies in this area, the
      authors conceived a conceptual map to guide the project that integrates and
      adapts elements from several planned action theories. This paper describes the
      rationale and basis for constructing the Population Health Planning Knowledge-to
      Action Model and elaborates on the 2 connected structures of the framework: the
      Tool Creation Path and the Action Cycle. Although created for an express purpose,
      this model has the potential to inform application of other tools. This work
      demonstrates how a research team can adapt and integrate existing frameworks to
      better align with novel real-world knowledge translation issues. Furthermore, the
      integration of a population risk tool to support health decision making
      highlights the interaction between continuing education and knowledge
      translation. 

PMID- 26115115
TI  - Ten steps for setting up an online journal club.
AB  - Journal clubs have an extensive history that dates back to the time of Sir
      William Osler. They provide a venue to discuss the latest medical literature
      among groups of peers and are an innovative method for translating knowledge into
      practice within individual institutions. With advances in social media, journal
      clubs are poised to take an evolutionary step by harnessing digital connectivity.
      Online journal clubs are uniting hundreds of medical practitioners from around
      the world under the banner of one cause: enhancing knowledge translation of the
      medical literature without the limitations of geography. This article describes
      10 steps for creating online journal clubs based on the experiences of a
      multidisciplinary team of clinicians and medical educators. 

PMID- 26115117
TI  - Correction: Imputation of the Rare HOXB13 G84E Mutation and Cancer Risk in a
      Large Population-Based Cohort.

PMID- 26115116
TI  - Assessing Vegetation Cover Dynamics Induced by Policy-Driven Ecological
      Restoration and Implication to Soil Erosion in Southern China.
AB  - In the aftermath of the severe droughts and floods at the end of the 20th
      century, the Chinese government launched several ecological restoration projects,
      including the Natural Forest Protection Program in 1998 and the Grain-for-Green
      Program in 1999, to promote afforestation and reforestation to reduce surface
      runoff and consequent soil erosion nationwide. However, it is still unclear how
      vegetation has changed in southern China since the launch of these programs. In
      this study, we used the MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) to analyze the
      vegetation cover dynamics in southern China from 2000 to 2009 and evaluate the
      resulting effects of controlling soil erosion. Our observations indicate that
      5.3% of the study area significantly increased and 0.98% significantly decreased
      in EVI value (p < 0.05). The spring EVI had largest increase in space. The
      conversions of croplands on steep slopes to forests resulting from national
      policies led to significant increases in EVI. The increase in EVI was not driven
      by annual average temperature and annual precipitation. By referencing ecological
      restoration statistical data and field observations, we showed that ecological
      restoration programs significantly improved vegetation cover in southern China.
      Increase in the area of farmland-converted forestlands has reduced soil erosion
      based upon monitoring sediment yields at hydrologic stations in the Yangtze
      River. This study displays the spatial patterns of trend in vegetation growth
      since the beginning of the 21st century in southern China and highlights the
      important role of China's afforestation program. 

PMID- 26115118
TI  - Asynchrony between Host Plant and Insects-Defoliator within a Tritrophic System:
      The Role of Herbivore Innate Immunity.
AB  - The effects of asynchrony in the phenology of spring-feeding insect-defoliators
      and their host plants on insects' fitness, as well as the importance of this
      effect for the population dynamics of outbreaking species of insects, is a
      widespread and well-documented phenomenon. However, the spreading of this
      phenomenon through the food chain, and especially those mechanisms operating this
      spreading, are still unclear. In this paper, we study the effect of seasonally
      declined leafquality (estimated in terms of phenolics and nitrogen content) on
      herbivore fitness, immune parameters and resistance against pathogen by using the
      silver birch Betula pendula--gypsy moth Lymantria dispar--nucleopolyhedrovirus as
      the tritrophic system. We show that a phenological mismatch induced by the delay
      in the emergence of gypsy moth larvae and following feeding on mature leaves has
      negative effects on the female pupal weight, on the rate of larval development
      and on the activity of phenoloxidase in the plasma of haemolymph. In addition,
      the larval susceptibility to exogenous nucleopolyhydrovirus infection as well as
      covert virus activation were both enhanced due to the phenological mismatch. The
      observed effects of phenological mismatch on insect-baculovirus interaction may
      partially explain the strong and fast fluctuations in the population dynamics of
      the gypsy moth that is often observed in the studied part of the defoliator area.
      This study also reveals some indirect mechanisms of effect related to host plant
      quality, which operate through the insect innate immune status and affect
      resistance to both exogenous and endogenous virus.

PMID- 26115120
TI  - How Do Indian Substance Users Perceive Stigma Towards Substance Use Vis-A-Vis
      Their Family Members?
AB  - Perceived stigma towards substance use may determine family members' willingness
      to help in the treatment process of a substance user. This study aimed to compare
      the perceived stigma towards substance use among Indian substance users and their
      family members. Fifty dyads each of alcohol- and opioid-dependent men and their
      family members were recruited through purposive sampling. Perceived stigma was
      assessed using Perceived Stigma of Substance Abuse Scale (PSAS) in both the
      dependent men and the family members. PSAS scores of patients and the family
      members correlated with each other in both the alcohol- and opioid-dependent
      groups. Being currently employed predicted higher PSAS scores among patients,
      while being unmarried predicted higher PSAS scores among family members. 

PMID- 26115119
TI  - The UL13 and US3 Protein Kinases of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Cooperate to Promote
      the Assembly and Release of Mature, Infectious Virions.
AB  - Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) encodes two bona fide serine/threonine
      protein kinases, the US3 and UL13 gene products. HSV-1 DeltaUS3 mutants replicate
      with wild-type efficiency in cultured cells, and HSV-1 DeltaUL13 mutants exhibit
      <10-fold reduction in infectious viral titers. Given these modest phenotypes, it
      remains unclear how the US3 and UL13 protein kinases contribute to HSV-1
      replication. In the current study, we designed a panel of HSV-1 mutants, in which
      portions of UL13 and US3 genes were replaced by expression cassettes encoding
      mCherry protein or green fluorescent protein (GFP), respectively, and analyzed
      DNA replication, protein expression, and spread of these mutants in several cell
      types. Loss of US3 function alone had largely negligible effect on viral DNA
      accumulation, gene expression, virion release, and spread. Loss of UL13 function
      alone also had no appreciable effects on viral DNA levels. However, loss of UL13
      function did result in a measurable decrease in the steady-state levels of two
      viral glycoproteins (gC and gD), release of total and infectious virions, and
      viral spread. Disruption of both genes did not affect the accumulation of viral
      DNA, but resulted in further reduction in gC and gD steady-state levels, and
      attenuation of viral spread and infectious virion release. These data show that
      the UL13 kinase plays an important role in the late phase of HSV-1 infection,
      likely by affecting virion assembly and/or release. Moreover, the data suggest
      that the combined activities of the US3 and UL13 protein kinases are critical to
      the efficient assembly and release of infectious virions from HSV-1-infected
      cells. 

PMID- 26115121
TI  - Viruses Occur Incorporated in Biogenic High-Mg Calcite from Hypersaline Microbial
      Mats.
AB  - Using three different microscopy techniques (epifluorescence, electronic and
      atomic force microscopy), we showed that high-Mg calcite grains in calcifying
      microbial mats from the hypersaline lake "La Salada de Chiprana", Spain, contain
      viruses with a diameter of 50-80 nm. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer
      analysis revealed that they contain nitrogen and phosphorus in a molar ratio of
      ~9, which is typical for viruses. Nucleic acid staining revealed that they
      contain DNA or RNA. As characteristic for hypersaline environments, the
      concentrations of free and attached viruses were high (>10(10) viruses per g of
      mat). In addition, we showed that acid treatment (dissolution of calcite)
      resulted in release of viruses into suspension and estimated that there were ~15
      * 10(9) viruses per g of calcite. We suggest that virus-mineral interactions are
      one of the possible ways for the formation of nano-sized structures often
      described as "nanobacteria" and that viruses may play a role in initiating
      calcification.

PMID- 26115122
TI  - The Effect of MicroRNA-124 Overexpression on Anti-Tumor Drug Sensitivity.
AB  - MicroRNAs play critical roles in regulating various physiological processes,
      including growth and development. Previous studies have shown that microRNA-124
      (miR-124) participates not only in regulation of early neurogenesis but also in
      suppression of tumorigenesis. In the present study, we found that overexpression
      of miR-124 was associated with reduced DNA repair capacity in cultured cancer
      cells and increased sensitivity of cells to DNA-damaging anti-tumor drugs,
      specifically those that cause the formation of DNA strand-breaks (SBs). We then
      examined which DNA repair-related genes, particularly the genes of SB repair,
      were regulated by miR-124. Two SB repair-related genes, encoding ATM interactor
      (ATMIN) and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1), were strongly affected by miR
      124 overexpression, by binding of miR-124 to the 3c-untranslated region of their
      mRNAs. As a result, the capacity of cells to repair DNA SBs, such as those
      resulting from homologous recombination, was significantly reduced upon miR-124
      overexpression. A particularly important therapeutic implication of this finding
      is that overexpression of miR-124 enhanced cell sensitivity to multiple DNA
      damaging agents via ATMIN- and PARP1-mediated mechanisms. The translational
      relevance of this role of miR-124 in anti-tumor drug sensitivity is suggested by
      the finding that increased miR-124 expression correlates with better breast
      cancer prognosis, specifically in patients receiving chemotherapy. These findings
      suggest that miR-124 could potentially be used as a therapeutic agent to improve
      the efficacy of chemotherapy with DNA-damaging agents. 

PMID- 26115123
TI  - The 26S Proteasome Degrades the Soluble but Not the Fibrillar Form of the Yeast
      Prion Ure2p In Vitro.
AB  - Yeast prions are self-perpetuating protein aggregates that cause heritable and
      transmissible phenotypic traits. Among these, [PSI+] and [URE3] stand out as the
      most studied yeast prions, and result from the self-assembly of the translation
      terminator Sup35p and the nitrogen catabolism regulator Ure2p, respectively, into
      insoluble fibrillar aggregates. Protein quality control systems are well known to
      govern the formation, propagation and transmission of these prions. However,
      little is known about the implication of the cellular proteolytic machineries in
      their turnover. We previously showed that the 26S proteasome degrades both the
      soluble and fibrillar forms of Sup35p and affects [PSI+] propagation. Here, we
      show that soluble native Ure2p is degraded by the proteasome in an ubiquitin
      independent manner. Proteasomal degradation of Ure2p yields amyloidogenic N
      terminal peptides and a C-terminal resistant fragment. In contrast to Sup35p,
      fibrillar Ure2p resists proteasomal degradation. Thus, structural variability
      within prions may dictate their ability to be degraded by the cellular
      proteolytic systems. 

PMID- 26115126
TI  - [Aortic valve endocarditis: diagnosis and therapy].

PMID- 26115125
TI  - [Community acquired pneumonia: antibiotic monotherapy is not inferior to
      combination therapy].

PMID- 26115127
TI  - [Symptomatic intracranial stenosis: pharmacological therapy is superior].

PMID- 26115128
TI  - [Sauna bathing is beneficial for cardiac health-the more, the better
      [corrected]].

PMID- 26115129
TI  - [COPD: pulmonary rehabilitation beneficial].

PMID- 26115130
TI  - [35-year-old patient with unclear oral finding].

PMID- 26115131
TI  - [Infectious disease medicine: change is not always progress].

PMID- 26115132
TI  - [Current strategies against multi-drug resistant organisms].
AB  - The global spread of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO) is a major threat to
      public health. Fighting MDRO spread requires a multi-faceted approach as
      summarized in the German Antibiotic Resistance Strategy (DART). In the hospital,
      this includes antibiotic stewardship concepts and strict infection control
      measures. Treatment of MDRO is sophisticated. Within the last years, several
      antibiotics with activity against MRSA were launched and facilitate an individual
      therapy according to site of infection and co-morbidities. In contrast, novel
      antibiotics against carbapenemase producing Gram-negatives are still lacking.
      Current studies have shown, that a colistin-based combination treatment can
      improve the prognosis in these patients. The following article reviews MDRO
      definitions, burden of disease, treatment options and general strategies against
      MDRO. 

PMID- 26115133
TI  - [Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia - a distinct entity].
AB  - Bacteremia caused by Methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) and Methicillin-resistant
      (MRSA) Staphyloccus aureus strains are common and severe infections associated
      with high mortality rates and specific characteristics in disease course,
      complications and therapy. In this review, we discuss current recommendations for
      the diagnosis and treatment of MSSA and MRSA bloodstream infections. We also
      highlight why infectious disease consultation improves the treatment and outcome
      of patients with SAB and should be considered as a standard of care. 

PMID- 26115134
TI  - [How to do a stress echocardiography?].
AB  - Stress echocardiography (SE) is a powerful functional imaging technique to assess
      cardiac performance under work conditions. The main indication is the detection
      of myocardial ischemia due to coronary artery disease (CAD), however it can also
      be used in patients with structural heart disease (e. g. valvular disease,
      hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy). Dynamic or pharmacological (dobutamine
      / adenosine) modalities are available to induce cardiac stress, basically
      depending on the clinical problem and the patient's ability to exercise. Exercise
      on a treadmill or a semi-supine bicycle is the most physiological way to induce
      stress. Dobutamine stimulation is useful in patients who are unable to exercise
      and for detection of viable myocardium in hypo- or akinetic segments. Adenosin
      induced hyperaemia causes steal effects in myocardial segments with significant
      CAD. Main limitations of SE are the need for an appropriate acoustic window and
      the user-dependent variability with regard to the interpretation of the results. 

PMID- 26115135
TI  - [77-year-old female with hyponatremia, pruritus and papulous exanthema].
AB  - HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: A 77 year old female patient was admitted for the
      evaluation of hyponatremia and a generalized papulous exanthema with severe
      pruritus. INVESTIGATIONS AND DIAGNOSIS: The syndrome of inappropriate
      antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) could be diagnosed as cause for
      hyponatremia. Biopsy of a soft tissue tumor revealed a T-cell lymphoma with
      widespread skelettal dissemination. TREATMENT AND COURSE: Chemotherapy caused a
      rapid response and improvement of general well-being. SIADH could be controlled
      by the specific vasopressin-2-receptor antagonist tolvaptan. CONCLUSIONS: In this
      patient, both the papulous exanthema and the SIADH are regarded as T-cell
      lymphoma-associated paraneoplastic syndromes.

PMID- 26115136
TI  - [Lung exercise: outpatient exercise program has long-term benefits on COPD].
AB  - The positive influence of regular physical training on the course of many chronic
      diseases in different fields is well documented. Especially for obstructive
      respiratory diseases the benefit of lung exercise is convincing. An overview will
      be given in this work how lung exercise can be an effective form of therapy for
      pulmonary diseases. Actually the evidence of the efficacy of physical activity is
      particularly overwhelming in obstructive pulmonary diseases. Several clinical
      trials showed an enhancement in endurance and exercise capacity, quality of life
      and a decrease of dyspnea and disease-related symptoms. However in comparison to
      other disease groups, the benefits and awareness and therefore a widespread
      dissemination is still insufficient. Regular physical activity is an important,
      effective and also cost-effective component of the therapy of respiratory
      diseases and is sometimes even superior to a drug therapy. Enough reason to share
      this kind of therapy with our patients with pulmonary diseases. 

PMID- 26115137
TI  - [Cardiac rehabilitation in patients with atrial fibrillation].
AB  - The course of cardiac rehabilitation is often altered due to episodes of
      paroxysmal, predominantly postoperative atrial fibrillation. In symptomatic
      patients, a TEE-guided cardioversion - preferential DC shock - is indicated. In
      patients with persistent / permanent atrial fibrillation, a heart rate up to 110
      / min and 170 / min at rest and during physical activity should, respectively, be
      tolerated. Therefore, training should not be quitted by heart rate but rather by
      load. The antithrombotic management is in addition a great task in treating
      patients with atrial fibrillation. With the exception of patients with a CHA2DS2
      VASc-Score < 1, oral anticoagulation is indicated. Atrial fibrillation has little
      impact on social aspects, whereas the underlying heart disease and drug treatment
      (oral anticoagulation) has an important impact. 

PMID- 26115138
TI  - [The lost art of abstaining: a consequence of industrialized health care].

PMID- 26115139
TI  - [Speaking the language of the patient].

PMID- 26115140
TI  - [GDF-15, MRproADM, CTproET1, and CTproAVP in patients with asymptomatic diastolic
      dysfunction].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The role of biomarkers in asymptomatic diastolic dysfunction (DD) has
      not been investigated so far. The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical
      associations and the diagnostic property of different biomarkers in patients with
      asymptomatic DD. METHODS: Within a population based observational study, healthy
      participants (50-85 years) with an LVEF >= 50 % and no cardiovascular risk factor
      were prospectively identified. Patients were classified as having either DD
      (grade >= 1, n = 103) or no DD (CON: n = 85). All patients underwent physical
      examination including medical history, six-minute-walk-testing, QoL (SF-36),
      comprehensive echocardiography and blood sampling to measure routine values and
      specified biomarkers (NTproBNP, MRproANP, GDF-15, MRproADM, CTproET1, CTproAVP).
      RESULTS: In the DD-group plasma concentration of GDF-15 (p = 0,002), MRproADM (p
      < 0,001), and CTproAVP (p = 0,003) were significantly higher than in the CON
      group. In contrast, NTproBNP (p = 0,390), MRproANP (p = 287), and CTproET1 (p =
      0,393) did not differ. GDF-15, MRproADM and CTproAVP were significantly
      associated with the presence of DD. However, the significance of the seen
      associations was lost after multiple adjustments. NTproBNP, MRproANP, and
      MRproADM were significantly related to E / e' as a continuous measure of
      diastolic function. The significance of the seen associations was lost after
      multiple adjustments. In ROC analyses, none of the investigated biomarkers was
      able to relevantly improve the diagnosis of DD. CONCLUSION: In patients with
      asymptomatic DD plasma concentrations of GDF-15, MRproADM and CT-proAVP were
      significantly higher when compared with controls. In contrast, NTproBNP, MRproANP
      and CTproET1 did not differ. After adjustment for age, sex, BMI and renal
      function, no significant association between DD or E / e' and different
      biomarkers could be observed. Furthermore, none of the investigated biomarkers
      was able to substantially improve the diagnosis of DD.

PMID- 26115141
TI  - [Extent of rationing and overprovision in stationary care: results of a
      nationwide survey of German hospitals].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Faced with economic pressure and with the insufficient funding of
      investments many hospitals are in deficit. However, there is little evidence
      whether these circumstances translate into rationing of services and which
      factors might be relevant in this context. Concerning the development of the
      number of patients it is also unclear, whether economic incentives lead to an
      overprovision of medical services. METHOD: Based on earlier studies and semi
      structured interviews with hospital executives professional group specific
      questionnaires were developed and sent to almost 5.000 chief physicians, hospital
      managers and directors of nursing. The response rate was 43 %. RESULTS: All
      respondents perceived considerable economic restrictions. In consequence, 46 % of
      chief physicians have rationed useful services or replaced them by cheaper less
      effective alternatives. Although rationing is a concern in all medical
      disciplines the intensity is modest. Moreover, the chief physicians perceived a
      tendency to overprovision - especially in orthopedy and cardiology. CONCLUSION:
      Due to financial restrictions of health funds and federal states the economic
      pressure will stay high. This implies political actions to prevent negative
      consequences for patient care.

PMID- 26115142
TI  - Primary Care: A New Context for the Scholarship of Practice Model.
AB  - Interest in the emerging role for occupational therapy in the primary care
      practice setting has increased due to implementation of the Patient Protection
      and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which intends to expand health care coverage to
      uninsured Americans while improving coordination of care, health outcomes, and
      cost savings. Expanding occupational therapy to encompass promotion of wellness
      and prevention in a primary care context provides an opportunity for occupational
      therapy. The purpose of this article is to describe the role of occupational
      therapy in primary care and how the Scholarship of Practice model can guide the
      development of occupation-based and evidence-based best practice in primary care.

PMID- 26115143
TI  - Exploring the Counteracting Mechanism of Trehalose on Urea Conferred Protein
      Denaturation: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study.
AB  - To provide the underlying mechanism of the inhibiting effect of trehalose on the
      urea denatured protein, we perform classical molecular dynamics simulations of N
      methylacetamide (NMA) in aqueous urea and/or trehalose solution. The site-site
      radial distribution functions and hydrogen bond properties indicate in binary
      urea solution the replacement of NMA-water hydrogen bonds by NMA-urea hydrogen
      bonds. On the other hand, in ternary urea and trehalose solution, trehalose does
      not replace the NMA-urea hydrogen bonds significantly; rather, it forms hydrogen
      bonds with the NMA molecule. The calculation of a preferential interaction
      parameter shows that, at the NMA surface, trehalose molecules are preferred and
      the preference for urea decreases slightly in ternary solution with respect to
      the binary solution. The exclusion of urea molecules in the ternary urea-NMA
      trehalose system causes alleviation in van der Waals interaction energy between
      urea and NMA molecules. Our findings also reveal the following: (a) trehalose and
      urea induced second shell collapse of water structure, (b) a reduction in the
      mean trehalose cluster size in ternary solution, and (c) slowing down of
      translational motion of solution species in the presence of osmolytes.
      Implications of these results for the molecular explanations of the counteracting
      mechanism of trehalose on urea induced protein denaturation are discussed. 

PMID- 26115144
TI  - Investigating interactions between early life stress and two single nucleotide
      polymorphisms in HSD11B2 on the risk of schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To examine the risk of schizophrenia in a Danish population after
      exposure to early life stress, and whether this risk is modified by DNA sequence
      variation, specifically two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs5479 and
      rs56303414) from the gene HSD11B2. This gene encodes the enzyme 11-beta
      hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 which converts active cortisol into inactive
      cortisone. METHODS: A two-stage analysis involving (1) a population-based cohort
      study, and (2) a nested case-control study using genotype information. Stage 1
      included 1,141,447 people; here, we calculated incidence rate ratios (IRR) for
      the risk of schizophrenia among children of mothers who experienced loss or
      serious illness of close relatives before, during, and after pregnancy. In stage
      2, we genotyped rs5479 and rs56303414 among 1275 schizophrenia cases and 1367
      controls, and investigated interactions between genotypes and early life stress
      on the risk of schizophrenia. RESULTS: In stage 1, no increased risk of
      schizophrenia was found in offspring after exposure during pregnancy, but
      offspring exposed to early life stress at age 0-2 years had a significantly
      increased risk of schizophrenia (adjusted IRR 1.18, 95% confidence interval 1.07
      1.31). For rs5479, the minor allele was nucleotide A, and the major allele was
      nucleotide C. No interaction was found between rs5479 and exposure during
      pregnancy. Individuals with the minor A allele of rs5479, however, had a
      significantly increased risk of schizophrenia after exposure to early life stress
      at age 3-9 years (adjusted IRR 2.06, 1.04-4.06). No interaction was found between
      rs56303414 and exposure in any of the time periods. CONCLUSION: No association
      was found between exposure to early life stress during pregnancy and
      schizophrenia in the offspring investigated, whereas individuals exposed to early
      life stress within the first two years of life had an increased risk. No
      interaction was found between HSD11B2 and exposure during pregnancy, but
      individuals with the A allele of rs5479 had an increased risk of schizophrenia
      after exposure at age 3-9 years.

PMID- 26115145
TI  - Thinking of attachments reduces noradrenergic stress response.
AB  - Although there is much evidence that activating mental representations of
      attachments figure is beneficial for psychological health and can reduce stress
      response, no research has directly investigated whether attachment activation can
      ameliorate hormonal stress response. This study investigated whether activating
      an attachment figure or a non-attachment figure following administration of a
      socially evaluated cold pressor test to elicit stress impacted on glucocorticoid
      and noradrenergic response. Participants (N = 61) provided baseline salivary
      samples, underwent a cold pressor test, then imagined an attachment or non
      attachment figure, and finally provided subsequent saliva samples. Participants
      who imagined a non-attachment figure had greater noradrenergic response following
      the stressor than those who imagined an attachment figure. These findings
      highlight that activating attachment representations can ameliorate the immediate
      noradrenergic stress response.

PMID- 26115146
TI  - Mobile phone-based interventions for improving contraception use.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Contraception provides significant benefits for women's and
      children's health, yet an estimated 225 million women had an unmet need for
      modern contraceptive methods in 2014. Interventions delivered by mobile phone
      have been demonstrated to be effective in other health areas, but their effects
      on use of contraception have not been established. OBJECTIVES: To assess the
      effects of mobile phone-based interventions for improving contraception use.
      SEARCH METHODS: We searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of client
      provider interventions delivered by mobile phone to improve contraception use
      compared with standard care or another intervention. We searched the electronic
      databases Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE,
      EMBASE, Global Health, PsycINFO, POPLINE, Africa-Wide Information and Latin
      American Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) from January 1993 to
      October 2014, as well as clinical trials registries, online mHealth resources and
      abstracts from key conferences. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials
      of mobile phone-based interventions to improve any form of contraception use
      amongst users or potential users of contraception. Outcome measures included
      uptake of contraception, measures of adherence, pregnancy and abortion. DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently screened titles and
      abstracts of studies retrieved using the search strategy and extracted data from
      the included studies. We calculated the Mantel-Haenszel risk ratio (RR) for
      dichotomous outcomes and the mean difference (MD) for continuous outcomes,
      together with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Differences in interventions and
      outcome measures did not permit us to undertake meta-analysis. MAIN RESULTS: Five
      RCTs met our inclusion criteria. Three trials aimed to improve adherence to a
      specific method of contraception amongst existing or new contraception users by
      comparing automated text message interventions versus standard care. Two trials
      aimed to improve both uptake and adherence, not limited to one method, in both
      users and non-users of contraception. No trials were at low risk of bias in all
      areas assessed.One trial in the USA reported improved self reported oral
      contraceptive (OC) continuation at six months from an intervention comprising a
      range of uni-directional and interactive text messages (RR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05 to
      1.35). One trial in Cambodia reported increased self reported use of effective
      contraception at four months post abortion from an intervention comprising
      automated interactive voice messages and phone counsellor support (RR 1.39, 95%
      CI 1.17 to 1.66).One feasibility trial in the USA reported a lower mean number of
      days between scheduled and completed attendance for the first but not subsequent
      Depo-Provera appointments using clinic records from an intervention comprising
      reminders and healthy self management text messages (mean difference (MD) -8.60
      days, 95% CI -16.74 to -0.46). Simple text message OC reminders had no effect on
      missed pills as assessed by electronic medication monitoring in a small trial in
      the USA (MD 0.5 missed pills, 95% CI -1.08 to 2.08). No effect on self reported
      contraception use was noted amongst isotretinoin users from an intervention that
      provided health information via two uni-directional text messages and mail (RR
      1.26, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.89). One trial assessed potential adverse effects of the
      intervention and reported no evidence of road traffic accidents or domestic
      abuse. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Our review provides limited evidence that
      interventions delivered by mobile phone can improve contraception use. Whilst
      evidence suggests that a series of interactive voice messages and counsellor
      support can improve post-abortion contraception, and that a mixture of uni
      directional and interactive daily educational text messages can improve OC
      adherence, the cost-effectiveness and long-term effects of these interventions
      remain unknown. Further high-quality trials are required to robustly establish
      the effects of interventions delivered by mobile phone to improve contraception
      use.

PMID- 26115147
TI  - A technique for implantation of the CentriMag left ventricular assist device to
      allow ambulation and rehabilitation in patients with heart failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The therapeutic options for heart failure include inotropic agents,
      intraaortic balloon pumps, and left ventricular assist devices (LVAD).
      Implantable LVADs are not appropriate for all patients. The short-term devices
      require patients to stay in bed, connected to cannulas, which are usually
      inserted using a median sternotomy. This approach requires a subsequent
      sternotomy, midline cannulas (which can make sitting difficult), and immobility.
      We began using a right thoracotomy with cannulas placed through intercostal
      spaces for selected patients in need of temporary LVAD support.  METHODS: This
      retrospective chart review examined our experience with CentriMag LVAD placement
      via right thoracotomy from August 2009 to June 2013. We reviewed the reasons for
      support, the degree of postoperative mobilization, and the outcomes of the
      patients treated in this manner. RESULTS: This approach was used in 6 patients.
      Four patients lacked financial or social support for a long-term, implantable
      LVAD. One patient was considered too ill to have an implantable LVAD placed, and
      one was treated with temporary support with hope for recovery from myocarditis. 
      Five of these 6 patients were able to walk soon after LVAD implantation and
      initiate rehabilitation.  One did not recover and had support withdrawn. Another
      suffered a stroke and had support withdrawn. Four of the 6 were transplanted
      successfully. CONCLUSIONS: CentriMag LVAD implantation via a right thoracotomy is
      a feasible approach that provides adequate hemodynamic support while allowing
      patients to ambulate, making subsequent cardiac transplantation less complicated
      by allowing the avoidance of a repeat sternotomy.

PMID- 26115148
TI  - Coronary embolism causing acute inferior wall and ventricular myocardial
      infarction in a patient with rheumatic valvular heart disease: treatment with
      thrombus aspiration.
AB  - An elderly man with rheumatic valvular heart disease and atrial fibrillation
      presented with acute myocardial infarction. A coronary angiogram revealed
      complete occlusion of the right coronary artery (RCA), and we therefore
      considered that a thrombus might have obstructed the ostium of the RCA. We used a
      guiding catheter and the syringe of an aspiration device to remove two large dark
      red thrombi. A subsequent angiogram revealed that blood flow through the RCA had
      recovered, and the endomembrane of the RCA was smooth, with no evidence of
      stenosis or residual thrombus. In this case, thrombus aspiration via a guiding
      catheter was efficacious for treating this type of coronary embolism. 

PMID- 26115149
TI  - Antibiotic therapy did not prevent the rupture of mycotic aneurysm of the
      superior mesenteric artery.
AB  - Mycotic aneurysm of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is a rare complication
      of infective endocarditis. We report a case with infective endocarditis involving
      the aortic valve complicated by multiple septic embolisms. The patient was
      treated with antibiotics for 6 weeks. During preparation for surgical treatment,
      the patient developed acute abdominal pain and was diagnosed with a ruptured SMA
      aneurysm, which was successfully treated with an emergency operation of aneurysm
      ligation. The aortic valve was replaced 17 days later and the patient recovered
      uneventfully. In conclusion, we present a rare case with infective endocarditis
      (IE) complicated by SMA aneurysm. Antibiotic treatment did not prevent the
      rupture of SMA aneurysm. Abdominal pain in a patient with a recent history of IE
      should be excluded with ruptured aneurysm. 

PMID- 26115150
TI  - Exclusion of thrombocytopenia as a contraindication for invasive radiofrequency
      ablation in a patient with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation by using magnesium
      anticoagulation instead of EDTA: another case of anticoagulant-induced pseudo
      thrombocytopenia.
AB  - Thrombocytopenia might be an exclusion criterion for invasive radiofrequency
      catheter ablation; therefore it is necessary to differentiate between pseudo
      thrombocytopenia and a low platelet count due to other etiologies.A 69-year-old
      female presented to the cardiology department with recurrent atrial fibrillation
      that was resistant to conventional drug treatment. The initial laboratory
      findings were within the normal ranges, except for low platelet counts that
      occurred without a specific bleeding history. The reason for thrombocytopenia was
      anticoagulant-induced in vitro aggregation of platelets in the presence of EDTA
      as well as in citrated blood samples. As recently communicated, magnesium
      anticoagulated blood samples prevent platelet aggregation in individuals with
      anticoagulant-associated pseudo-thrombocytopenia. Although its aggregation
      inhibiting effect is known from previous clinical observations, magnesium
      sulphate has not been introduced as an anticoagulant in analytical medicine.Based
      on our observations, blood anticoagulated with magnesium sulphate is recommended
      to verify low routine platelet counts before final clinical decisions are made. 

PMID- 26115151
TI  - Thrombocytopenia associated with Perceval sutureless aortic valve replacement in
      elderly patients: a word of caution.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to report for the first time the phenomenon
      of thrombocytopenia associated with the use of sutureless aortic valve
      replacements (AVR), and try to find an explanation for its occurrence. METHODS:
      The data was collected retrospectively for all patients who had sutureless AVR (7
      patients) and was compared to patients who underwent sutured AVR (22 patients) by
      the same surgeon between February 2012 and November 2013.  RESULTS:
      Cardiopulmonary bypass and cross-clamp durations were shorter in the sutureless
      group (96.4 min, 70.6 min) compared to the sutured group (128.3 min, 97.3 min),
      (P = .04, P = .003) respectively. Mean transvalvular gradients were lower in the
      sutureless group (mean = 9.6 mmHg) compared to the sutured group (mean = 17.3
      mmHg). Platelet levels were significantly lower in the Perceval patients compared
      to the Enable patients and sutured valves. Platelet transfusion was higher for
      sutureless valves (6.5 units versus 5.4 units for the sutured group, P = .63),
      especially the Perceval valve (7.6 units versus 5.3 for the Enable valve, P =
      .35), but was not statistically significant. Packed red blood cells (PRBCs)
      transfusion was significantly higher in the sutureless group (6 units versus 3.1
      for the sutured group, P = .002).  CONCLUSION: The implantation of sutureless
      aortic valves, especially the Perceval valve, was associated with a significant
      drop in platelet count postoperatively with slow recovery and higher PRBCs
      transfusion requirements. Extreme caution should be taken before the routine use
      of these valves in elderly patients who are already at risk of thrombocytopenia
      postoperatively.

PMID- 26115152
TI  - Oxygen fraction adjustment according to body surface area during extracorporeal
      circulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The inspiratory oxygen fraction (FiO2) is usually set between 60% and
      100% during conventional extracorporeal circulation (ECC). However, this strategy
      causes partial oxygen pressure (PaO2) to reach hyperoxemic levels (>180 mmHg).
      During anesthetic management of cardiothoracic surgery it is important to keep
      PaO2 levels between 80-180 mmHg. The aim of this study was to assess whether
      adjusting FiO2 levels in accordance with body temperature and body surface area
      (BSA) during ECC is an effective method for maintaining normoxemic PaO2 during
      cardiac surgery. METHODS: After approval from the Ethics Committee of the
      University of Acibadem, informed consent was given from 60 patients. FiO2
      adjustment strategies applied to the patients in the groups were as follows: FiO2
      levels were set as 0.21 * BSA during hypothermia and 0.21 * BSA + 10 during
      rewarming in Group I; 0.18 * BSA during hypothermia and 0.18 * BSA + 15 during
      rewarming in Group II; and 0.18 * BSA during hypothermia and variable with body
      temperature during rewarming in Group III. Arterial blood gas values and
      hemodynamic parameters were recorded before ECC (T1); at the 10th minute of cross
      clamp (T2); when the esophageal temperature (OT) reached 34 degrees C (T3); when
      OT reached 36 degrees C (T4); and just before the cessation of ECC (T5). RESULTS:
      Mean PaO2 was significantly higher in Group I than in Group II at T2 and T3 (P =
      .0001 and P = .0001, respectively); in Group I than in Group III at T1 (P = .02);
      and in Group II than in Group III at T2, T3, and T4 (P = .0001 for all). 
      CONCLUSION: Adjustment of FiO2 according to BSA rather than keeping it at a
      constant level is more appropriate for keeping PaO2 between safe level limits.
      However, since oxygen consumption of cells vary with body temperature, it would
      be appropriate to set FiO2 levels in concordance with the body temperature in the
      rewarming period.

PMID- 26115153
TI  - Off-pump pulmonary embolectomy.
AB  - Pulmonary embolism is a common clinical condition associated with high mortality.
      Surgical pulmonary embolectomy (SPE), despite having been in existence for over
      100 years, is generally regarded as an option of last resort with high mortality
      rates. Prompt recognition of predictors of mortality, such as right ventricular
      stress on echocardiography, helps decision-making for immediate surgical
      pulmonary embolectomy prior to development of significant circulatory collapse,
      with promising results.We present a 71-year-old male, with recent intracranial
      bleed and acute massive bilateral pulmonary embolism. The patient underwent
      successful off-pump surgical pulmonary embolectomy. 

PMID- 26115154
TI  - Surgical removal of guidewire entrapped within stent struts during percutaneous
      coronary angioplasty.
AB  - There has been a growing trend toward percutaneous coronary angioplasty for
      complex coronary artery lesions. Stent or guidewire break off or trapping within
      the coronary artery lumen is a rare complication, but it may have fatal
      consequences. In such cases, the entrapped device may be removed by either
      percutaneous route or surgical exploration. Here, we report a patient with
      guidewire entrapment within the struts of the intracoronary stent during primary
      percutaneous coronary angioplasty, which necessitated surgical removal and
      subsequent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). 

PMID- 26115155
TI  - Mitral valve replacement in an adult with left pulmonary agenesis.
AB  - Pulmonary agenesis is associated with the absence of pulmonary vessels, bronchi,
      or parenchyma. This condition usually occurs between the 4th and 5th week of
      gestation during the embryonic phase. Etiopathogenic factors associated with
      pulmonary agenesis are not fully understood. In the literature, genetic and
      teratogenic factors, viral infections, and vitamin-A deficiency are shown to be
      associated with pulmonary agenesis [Malcon 2012]. This condition may be seen
      unilaterally or bilaterally. Although the precise rate of incidence is unknown,
      it is estimated to occur in one of every 10,000 to 12,000 live births [Yetim
      2011]. There is a 1.3:1 female predominance with unilateral agenesis [Halilbasic
      2013]. 

PMID- 26115156
TI  - Primary cardiac synovial sarcoma originating from the mitral valve causing left
      ventricular outflow tract obstruction.
AB  - An 11-year-old boy was admitted due to different episodes of syncope and
      convulsion. Echocardiogram revealed a mass of 2 * 4 cm originating from the
      mitral subvalvular apparatus and more precisely from the antero-lateral papillary
      muscle, protruding in the left ventricle outflow tract causing intermittent
      obstruction. The patient underwent surgical excision of the left sided mass.
      Pathology confirmed the diagnosis of primary synovial sarcoma. At 6 months after
      the operation a small mass in the left ventricle of 1 * 1 cm was detected. The
      patient underwent reoperation consisting in radical resection of the subvalvular
      apparatus and mitral valve replacement. Histology confirmed that the mass was a
      cardiac synovial sarcoma. At 1 year after surgery the patient is doing well. 

PMID- 26115157
TI  - Asymptomatic right circumflex aortic arch associated with ventricular septal
      defect and biscuspid aortic valve.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Anomalies of the aortic arch are frequent congenital malformations,
      which rarely form partial or complete vascular rings. A rare form of vascular
      ring is the encircling, or circumflex, aortic arch. CASE REPORT: A 19-month-old
      boy, with no respiratory symptoms, was referred for ventricular septal defect
      (VSD) repair. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography confirmed
      the perimembranous VSD, a bicuspid aortic valve with normal function, and showed
      a right-sided ascending aorta, bifurcating to the left behind the esophagus and
      trachea above the tracheal bifurcation, with a left-sided descending aorta, a
      left ligamentum arteriosum and aberrant left subclavian artery, realizing a
      circumflex aortic arch. The child underwent successful VSD repair and ligamentum
      arteriosum division, with an uneventful postoperative course. CONCLUSIONS:
      Previous reports have described the association of circumflex aortic arch with
      VSD, but there is no previous report of its association with VSD and bicuspid
      aortic valve. Patients are usually symptomatic either preoperatively, or after
      VSD repair. For this reason, division of the ligamentum arteriosum, to open the
      vascular ring and free the trachea and esophagus from compression, should be
      performed in patients undergoing cardiac surgery for associated malformations.

PMID- 26115158
TI  - Insertion of the intraaortic balloon pump via the ascending aorta or the aortic
      arch using the HEARTSTRING Proximal Seal System.
AB  - PURPOSE: The HEARTSTRING Proximal Seal System is used to avoid aortic clamping to
      insert the intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) in the ascending aorta or the aortic
      arch. This technique is used when calcification or atheroma prevents side
      clamping of the ascending aorta or the aortic arch. DESCRIPTION: A vein graft or
      a small-caliber vascular prosthesis for the later insertion of the IABP is sewn
      to the ascending aorta or the aortic arch using the HEARTSTRING Proximal Seal
      System. EVALUATION: In our department, this technique is applied whenever
      insertion of the IABP is not feasible via the femoral arteries.  CONCLUSION: The
      technique allows the safe insertion of the IABP via the ascending aorta or the
      aortic arch.

PMID- 26115159
TI  - Ankaferd blood stopper decreases postoperative bleeding and number of
      transfusions in patients treated with clopidogrel: a double-blind, placebo
      controlled, randomized clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The risk of reoperation due to bleeding after open heart surgery is
      2.2%-4.2%. Patients who undergo reoperation have a two to six times greater
      mortality rate. Risk factors for reoperation include: older age, low body mass
      index, time on extracorporeal circulation, and emergency operations. In coronary
      artery bypass graft (CABG) patients who are treated preoperatively with
      antiplatelets, including clopidogrel, the source of postoperative bleeding may be
      difficult to detect. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness
      of local Ankaferd blood stopper (ABS) to prevent mediastinal bleeding in CABG
      patients who were treated with clopidogrel and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)
      preoperatively. METHODS: Twenty-five emergency CABG patients premedicated with
      clopidogrel and ASA as antiplatelet drugs were included in the study (Group 1).
      An additional twenty-five patients who were premedicated with the same
      antiplatelet agents were selected as a control group (Group 2). Preoperative
      clinical characteristics of the two groups were comparable. At the end of the
      surgery, 4-10 mL of ABS solution was sprayed on the mediastinal and epicardial
      tissue following protamine administration in Group1. We compared postoperative
      total mediastinal bleeding, reoperation rate and total blood and blood products
      transfused between the two groups. RESULTS: There was no mortality in either of
      the two groups. Mean postoperative bleeding was 430 mL in the ABS group, and 690
      mL in the CG group (P = .044). In the ICU, bleeding in groups 1 and 2 was 610 mL
      and 980 mL, respectively (P = .025); total bleeding from the mediastinum was 830
      mL and 1490 mL, respectively (P = .001) and the amount of autotransfusion was 210
      mL and 400 mL (P = .003). Total transfusion of PRBCs in the operating room in
      groups 1 and 2 was 0.3 and 0.8, respectively (P = .003). No patients in the ABS
      group needed surgical revision due to severe bleeding or cardiac tamponade.
      CONCLUSION: The use of local ABS reduces bleeding, transfusion requirements of
      packed red blood cells, platelets and total blood units in patients premedicated
      with clopidogrel and ASA undergoing emergent CABG .

PMID- 26115160
TI  - Cord Blood Methylmercury and Fetal Growth Outcomes in Baltimore Newborns:
      Potential Confounding and Effect Modification by Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Selenium,
      and Sex.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methylmercury (MeHg) may affect fetal growth; however, prior research
      often lacked assessment of mercury speciation, confounders, and interactions.
      OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to assess the relationship between MeHg and fetal
      growth as well as the potential for confounding or interaction of this
      relationship from speciated mercury, fatty acids, selenium, and sex. METHODS:
      This cross-sectional study includes 271 singletons born in Baltimore, Maryland,
      2004-2005. Umbilical cord blood was analyzed for speciated mercury, serum omega-3
      highly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 HUFAs), and selenium. Multivariable linear
      regression models controlled for gestational age, birth weight, maternal age,
      parity, prepregnancy body mass index, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, selenium,
      n-3 HUFAs, and inorganic mercury (IHg). RESULTS: Geometric mean cord blood MeHg
      was 0.94 MUg/L (95% CI: 0.84, 1.07). In adjusted models for ponderal index,
      betaln(MeHg) = -0.045 (g/cm(3)) * 100 (95% CI: -0.084, -0.005). There was no
      evidence of a MeHg * sex interaction with ponderal index. Contrastingly, there
      was evidence of a MeHg * n-3 HUFAs interaction with birth length [among low n-3
      HUFAs, betaln(MeHg) = 0.40 cm, 95% CI: -0.02, 0.81; among high n-3 HUFAs,
      betaln(MeHg) = -0.15, 95% CI: -0.54, 0.25; p-interaction = 0.048] and head
      circumference [among low n-3 HUFAs, betaln(MeHg) = 0.01 cm, 95% CI: -0.27, 0.29;
      among high n-3 HUFAs, betaln(MeHg) = -0.37, 95% CI: -0.63, -0.10; p-interaction =
      0.042]. The association of MeHg with birth weight and ponderal index was affected
      by n-3 HUFAs, selenium, and IHg. For birth weight, betaln(MeHg) without these
      variables was -16.8 g (95% CI: -75.0, 41.3) versus -29.7 (95% CI: -93.9, 34.6)
      with all covariates. Corresponding values for ponderal index were -0.030
      (g/cm(3)) * 100 (95% CI: -0.065, 0.005) and -0.045 (95% CI: -0.084, -0005).
      CONCLUSION: We observed an association of increased MeHg with decreased ponderal
      index. There is evidence for interaction between MeHg and n-3 HUFAs; infants with
      higher MeHg and n-3 HUFAs had lower birth length and head circumference. These
      results should be verified with additional studies.

PMID- 26115162
TI  - The influence of motivation on stress: is it stressful not to fit?
AB  - The present research elaborates on the regulatory fit hypothesis by investigating
      a biological stress marker in a motivational fit- and non-fit-situation. Recent
      stress theories lead to the assumption that the participants' stress level in fit
      situations remains constant or rather decreases, whereas under non-fit-conditions
      an increase of the stress activity is observed. We tested this hypothesis by
      assessment of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), a saliva-based stress marker presumed
      to reflect noradrenergic activity. The results indicated that participants in a
      fit-situation show a decrease in sAA, whereas participants in a non-fit-situation
      demonstrate a contrary effect with an increase in sAA. These findings extend the
      concept of regulatory fit by illustrating that there are differences in sAA
      activity depending on whether participants are in a fit-situation. The experience
      of regulatory fit appears to be associated with a reduction of stress. 

PMID- 26115161
TI  - HPA-axis stress reactivity in youth depression: evidence of impaired regulatory
      processes in depressed boys.
AB  - Given the link between youth depression and stress exposure, efforts to identify
      related biomarkers have involved examinations of stress regulation systems,
      including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Despite these vast
      efforts, the underlying mechanisms at play, as well as factors that may explain
      heterogeneity of past findings, are not well understood. In this study, we
      simultaneously examined separate components of the HPA-axis response (e.g.
      activation intensity, peak levels, recovery) to the Socially Evaluated Cold
      Pressor Test in a targeted sample of 115 youth (age 9-16), recruited to
      overrepresent youth with elevated symptoms of depression. Among youth who
      displayed a cortisol response to the task, depression symptoms were associated
      with higher peak responses but not greater rate of activation or recovery in boys
      only. Among those who did not respond to the task, depression symptoms were
      associated with greater cortisol levels throughout the visit in boys and girls.
      Results suggest that depression symptoms are associated with a more prolonged
      activation of the axis and impaired recovery to psychosocial stressors primarily
      in boys. We discussed two potential mechanistic explanations of the link between
      depression symptoms and the duration of activation: (1) inhibitory shift (i.e.
      point at which the ratio of inhibitory and excitatory input into the axis shifts
      from greater excitatory to greater inhibitory input) or (2) inhibitory threshold
      (i.e. level of cortisol exposure required to activate the axis' feedback
      inhibition system). 

PMID- 26115163
TI  - Urokinase receptor-deficient mice mount an innate immune response to and clarify
      respiratory viruses as efficiently as wild-type mice.
AB  - The plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is required for lung infiltration by
      innate immune cells in respiratory bacterial infections. In order to verify if
      this held true for respiratory viruses, wild type (WT) and uPAR knockout (uPAR(-/
      )) mice were inoculated intranasally with the human respiratory syncytial virus
      (HRSV) and the influenza A virus. At several days post-infection (dpi), viral
      titers in the lungs were determined while cell infiltrates in the bronchoalveolar
      lavage (BAL) were analyzed by flow cytometry. In the case of influenza A, body
      weight loss and mortality were also monitored. Only minor differences were
      observed between infected WT and uPAR(-/-) mice, primarily in influenza virus
      replication and pathology. These results indicate that uPAR does not play a major
      role in limiting virus replication or in orchestrating the innate immune response
      against HRSV or influenza infections in mice. This suggests that there are
      fundamental differences in the immune control of the viral infections studied
      here and those caused by bacteria.

PMID- 26115164
TI  - Lipid rafts both in cellular membrane and viral envelope are critical for PRRSV
      efficient infection.
AB  - Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) represents a
      significantly economical challenge to the swine industry worldwide. In this
      study, we investigated the importance of cellular and viral lipid rafts in PRRSV
      infection. First, we demonstrated that PRRSV glycoproteins, Gp3 and Gp4, were
      associated with lipid rafts during viral entry, and disruption of cellular lipid
      rafts inhibited PRRSV entry. We also showed the raft-location of CD163, which
      might contribute to the glycoproteins-raft association. Subsequently, raft
      disruption caused a significant reduction of viral RNA production. Moreover, Nsp9
      was shown to be distributed in rafts, suggesting that rafts probably serve as a
      platform for PRRSV replication. Finally, we confirmed that disassembly of rafts
      on the virus envelope may affect the integrity of PRRSV particles and cause the
      leakage of viral proteins, which impaired PRRSV infectivity. These findings might
      provide insights on our understanding of the mechanism of PRRSV infection.

PMID- 26115165
TI  - Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation is required for porcine
      epidemic diarrhea virus replication.
AB  - Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a highly enteropathogenic coronavirus
      of swine that causes acute enteritis with high mortality in nursery piglets. To
      date, the cellular factors involved in PEDV replication have not been well
      defined. The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) that serves as a
      critical component of cellular signal transduction pathways to modulate a variety
      of cellular functions has been shown to regulate several viral infections. In the
      present study, we found that PEDV activates ERK1/2 early in infection
      independently of viral replication. The PEDV-induced ERK1/2 activation resulted
      in the phosphorylation of its downstream substrate Elk-1 in infected cells.
      Treatment with ERK inhibitors or ERK1/2 knockdown significantly suppressed viral
      progeny production. Inhibition of ERK activation also diminished viral protein
      expression and genomic and subgenomic RNA transcription. These findings indicate
      that the ERK signaling pathway plays an important role in the PEDV life cycle and
      beneficially contributes to viral infection.

PMID- 26115166
TI  - Three cardiovirus Leader proteins equivalently inhibit four different
      nucleocytoplasmic trafficking pathways.
AB  - Cardiovirus infections inhibit nucleocytoplasmic trafficking by Leader protein
      induced phosphorylation of Phe/Gly-containing nucleoporins (Nups). Recombinant
      Leader from encephalomyocarditis virus, Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus
      and Saffold virus target the same subset of Nups, including Nup62 and Nup98, but
      not Nup50. Reporter cell lines with fluorescence mCherry markers for M9, RS and
      classical SV40 import pathways, as well as the Crm1-mediated export pathway, all
      responded to transfection with the full panel of Leader proteins, showing
      consequent cessation of path-specific active import/export. For this to happen,
      the Nups had to be presented in the context of intact nuclear pores and exposed
      to cytoplasmic extracts. The Leader phosphorylation cascade was not effective
      against recombinant Nup proteins. The findings support a model of Leader
      dependent Nup phosphorylation with the purpose of disrupting Nup-transportin
      interactions.

PMID- 26115167
TI  - Co-infection of influenza A viruses of swine contributes to effective shuffling
      of gene segments in a naturally reared pig.
AB  - Following the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, surveillance activities have been accelerated
      globally to monitor the emergence of novel reassortant viruses. However, the
      mechanism by which influenza A viruses of swine (IAV-S) acquire novel gene
      constellations through reassortment events in natural settings remains poorly
      understood. To explore the mechanism, we collected 785 nasal swabs from pigs in a
      farm in Thailand from 2011 to 2014. H3N2, H3N1, H1N1 and H1N2 IAVs-S were
      isolated from a single co-infected sample by plaque purification and showed a
      high degree of diversity of the genome. In particular, the H1N1 isolates,
      possessing a novel gene constellation previously unreported in Thailand,
      exhibited greater variation in internal genes than H3N2 IAVs-S. A pair of
      isolates, designated H3N2-B and H1N1-D, was determined to have been initially
      introduced to the farm. These results demonstrate that numerous IAVs-S with
      various gene constellations can be created in a single co-infected pig via
      reassortment.

PMID- 26115168
TI  - Update: Accidental drownings, Active Component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2005-2014.
AB  - Service members are at risk for unintentional drownings during training,
      occupational activities, and off-duty recreation. During 2005-2014, there were
      1,193 incident episodes of accidental drowning with a rate of 8.4 per 100,000
      person-years. Approximately one in six (n=162; 13.6%) of drowning episodes
      resulted in death. The overall incidence rate of accidental drowning decreased
      during the surveillance period; however, the death rate remained relatively
      stable. Incidence rates overall and death rates were relatively high among
      service members who were male, young, and in either the Navy or Marine Corps. The
      percentage of cases that were fatal was greatest among black, non-Hispanic
      service members. The results of this report may be useful to increase awareness
      regarding the ongoing risks and effects of drowning-related episodes among U.S.
      service members. 

PMID- 26115169
TI  - Risk of Mental Health Disorders Following an Initial Diagnosis of Postpartum
      Depression, Active Component, U.S. Armed Forces, 1998-2010.
AB  - Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the most common psychiatric conditions of
      the postpartum period. Several studies have found an association between PPD and
      other mental health disorders. The Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS) was
      used to identify a cohort of primiparous service women with PPD between 1998 and
      2010 and match them by month of delivery to a cohort of women without PPD. During
      the surveillance period, there were 5,203 incident cases of PPD with a crude rate
      of 44.9 per 1,000 person-years. Individuals in the PPD cohort, when compared to
      their matched controls, were at higher risk for subsequent depressive disorders
      (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 7.3 [95% CI: 5.2-10.3]), anxiety disorders (adjusted
      HR: 3.2 [95% CI: 2.5-4.0]), and bipolar disorders (adjusted HR: 4.7 [95% CI: 1.9
      11.9]). There were higher rates of these mental health diagnoses among
      individuals who eventually left service. Early screening, support, and treatment
      are essential during this vulnerable postpartum time frame to preserve the female
      fighting force. 

PMID- 26115170
TI  - Urinary Tract Infections in Active Component U.S. Armed Forces Women Before and
      After Routine Screening Pap Examination.
AB  - It has been suggested that Pap tests, when used as surrogate markers for routine
      pelvic examinations in asymptomatic women, may be associated with an increased
      short-term risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs). This retrospective cohort
      study used Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS) data from 2007 through 2013
      to compare the incidence of UTIs in active component women before and after
      receiving a routine screening Pap examination. The pre-Pap (baseline) UTI
      incidence rate in this cohort was 105.9 per 1,000 person-years (p-yrs) compared
      to 129.8 per 1,000 p-yrs post-Pap; the rate ratio was 1.23 (95% CI: 1.18-1.27).
      The adjusted relative risk of UTI post-Pap was 1.14 (95% CI: 1.10-1.18) and the
      adjusted percentage of UTIs attributable to a Pap test in the post-exposure
      period was 12.2% (95% CI: 9.1-15.2). Routine Pap tests, when used as a surrogate
      marker for pelvic examination, may be a modifiable risk factor for UTI in active
      component U.S. military women. 

PMID- 26115171
TI  - Diarrheal and Respiratory Illness Surveillance During US-RP Balikatan 2014.
AB  - Diarrheal and respiratory illness surveillance was conducted during the 2014
      Republic of the Philippines-U.S. Exercise Balikatan in the Philippines. Seven
      stool and three respiratory specimens that met the inclusion criteria were
      collected. Diarrhea stool specimens were tested with commercial enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay kits and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for 12
      viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens. Campylobacter, enterotoxigenic
      Escherichia coli (ETEC), and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) were
      detected in four of seven (57%), two of seven (29%), and four of seven (57%)
      specimens, respectively. There were co-infections of EPEC and ETEC in two cases
      and EPEC and Campylobacter spp. in one case. Respiratory samples were tested
      using RT-PCR. One of three samples was positive for influenza B. Laboratory-based
      surveillance is important in determining causative agents for illnesses
      experienced by military personnel during deployment. Development of vaccines for
      enteric diseases should be expedited to mitigate their impact on operational
      readiness. 

PMID- 26115172
TI  - The Importance of Integration of Stakeholder Views in Core Outcome Set
      Development: Otitis Media with Effusion in Children with Cleft Palate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Approximately 75% of children with cleft palate (CP) have Otitis
      Media with Effusion (OME) histories. Evidence for the effective management of OME
      in these children is lacking. The inconsistency in outcome measurement in
      previous studies has led to a call for the development of a Core Outcome Set
      (COS). Despite the increase in the number of published COS, involvement of
      patients in the COS development process, and methods to integrate the views of
      patients and health professionals, to date have been limited. METHODS AND
      FINDINGS: A list of outcomes measured in previous research was identified through
      reviewing the literature. Opinion on the importance of each of these outcomes was
      then sought from key stakeholders: Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeons,
      audiologists, cleft surgeons, speech and language therapists, specialist cleft
      nurses, psychologists, parents and children. The opinion of health professionals
      was sought in a three round Delphi survey where participants were asked to score
      each outcome using a bespoke online system. Parents and children were also asked
      to score outcomes in a survey and provided an in-depth insight into having OME
      through semi-structured interviews. The results of the Delphi survey, interviews
      and parent/patient survey were brought together in a final consensus meeting with
      representation from all stakeholders. A final set of eleven outcomes reached the
      definition of "consensus in" to form the recommended COS: hearing; chronic otitis
      media (COM); OME; receptive language skills; speech development; psycho social
      development; acute otitis media (AOM); cholesteatoma; side effects of treatment;
      listening skills; otalgia. CONCLUSIONS: We have produced a recommendation about
      the outcomes that should be measured, as a minimum, in studies of the management
      of OME in children with CP. The development process included input from key
      stakeholders and used novel methodology to integrate the opinion of healthcare
      professionals, parents and children.

PMID- 26115174
TI  - Variation in Population Synchrony in a Multi-Species Seabird Community: Response
      to Changes in Predator Abundance.
AB  - Ecologically similar sympatric species, subject to typical environmental
      conditions, may be expected to exhibit synchronous temporal fluctuations in
      demographic parameters, while populations of dissimilar species might be expected
      to show less synchrony. Previous studies have tested for synchrony in different
      populations of single species, and those including data from more than one
      species have compared fluctuations in only one demographic parameter. We tested
      for synchrony in inter-annual changes in breeding population abundance and
      productivity among four tern species on Coquet Island, northeast England. We also
      examined how manipulation of one independent environmental variable (predator
      abundance) influenced temporal changes in ecologically similar and dissimilar
      tern species. Changes in breeding abundance and productivity of ecologically
      similar species (Arctic Sterna paradisaea, Common S. hirundo and Roseate Terns S.
      dougallii) were synchronous with one another over time, but not with a species
      with different foraging and breeding behaviour (Sandwich Terns Thalasseus
      sandvicensis). With respect to changes in predator abundance, there was no clear
      pattern. Roseate Tern abundance was negatively correlated with that of large
      gulls breeding on the island from 1975 to 2013, while Common Tern abundance was
      positively correlated with number of large gulls, and no significant correlations
      were found between large gull and Arctic and Sandwich Tern populations. Large
      gull abundance was negatively correlated with productivity of Arctic and Common
      Terns two years later, possibly due to predation risk after fledging, while no
      correlation with Roseate Tern productivity was found. The varying effect of
      predator abundance is most likely due to specific differences in the behaviour
      and ecology of even these closely-related species. Examining synchrony in multi
      species assemblages improves our understanding of how whole communities react to
      long-term changes in the environment and suggests that changes in predator
      abundance may differentially affect populations of sympatric seabird species. 

PMID- 26115175
TI  - ssDNA Pairing Accuracy Increases When Abasic Sites Divide Nucleotides into Small
      Groups.
AB  - Accurate sequence dependent pairing of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) molecules
      plays an important role in gene chips, DNA origami, and polymerase chain
      reactions. In many assays accurate pairing depends on mismatched sequences
      melting at lower temperatures than matched sequences; however, for sequences
      longer than ~10 nucleotides, single mismatches and correct matches have melting
      temperature differences of less than 3 degrees C. We demonstrate that
      appropriately grouping of 35 bases in ssDNA using abasic sites increases the
      difference between the melting temperature of correct bases and the melting
      temperature of mismatched base pairings. Importantly, in the presence of
      appropriately spaced abasic sites mismatches near one end of a long dsDNA
      destabilize the annealing at the other end much more effectively than in systems
      without the abasic sites, suggesting that the dsDNA melts more uniformly in the
      presence of appropriately spaced abasic sites. In sum, the presence of
      appropriately spaced abasic sites allows temperature to more accurately
      discriminate correct base pairings from incorrect ones. 

PMID- 26115173
TI  - Association genetics in Populus reveals the interactions between Pt-miR397a and
      its target genes.
AB  - Recent studies have revealed associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) in microRNA (miRNA) genes and diseases. However, association studies to
      decipher the interactions between miRNAs and their target genes remain to be
      conducted. Here, we investigated the association of growth and wood traits with
      SNPs in Pt-miR397a and its targets, in 261 individuals from a natural population
      of Populus tomentosa. Of the 57 SNPs identified in Pt-miR397a, three strongly
      affect its secondary stability, and SNPs in target sites in Pt-LAC20 and Pt-HSP40
      changed the binding affinity of Pt-miR397a. Single-SNP association analysis
      revealed that SNPs in Pt-miR397a significantly associated with alpha-cellulose
      content and stem volume, and SNPs in target genes also associated with growth and
      wood-property traits. Multi-SNP association analysis with additive and dominant
      models found that SNPs in six potential target genes associated with at least one
      trait in common with Pt-miR397a, revealing a possible genetic interaction between
      Pt-miR397a and its targets. Furthermore, epistasis analysis revealed epistatic
      interactions between SNPs in Pt-miR397a and its target genes. Thus, our study
      indicated that SNPs in Pt-miR397a and six target genes affect wood formation and
      that association studies can reveal the interactions between miRNAs and their
      target genes. 

PMID- 26115176
TI  - Tissue distribution study of columbianadin and its active metabolite
      columbianetin in rats.
AB  - Columbianadin, one of the main bioactive constituents of the roots of Angelica
      pubescens Maxim. f. biserrata Shan et Yuan, has been found to possess obvious
      pharmacological effects in previous studies. In this study, a valid and sensitive
      reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was
      established and validated for the determination of columbianadin (CBN) and its
      active metabolite columbianetin (CBT) in rat tissue samples. Sample separation
      was performed on an RP-HPLC column using a mobile phase of MeOH-H2 O (75:25, v/v)
      at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The UV absorbance of the samples was measured at
      the wavelength 325 nm. The calibration curves for CBN were linear over the ranges
      of 0.5-20 ug/g for brain, testes and muscle, 1.0-10.0 ug/g for stomach and
      intestine, and 0.2-20.0 ug/g for heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney. The
      calibration curves for CBT were linear over the ranges of 0.5-25 ug/g for stomach
      and intestine, and 0.1-10.0 ug/g for heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney. The
      analysis method was successfully applied to a tissue distribution study of CBN
      and CBT after intravenous administration of CBN to rats. The results of this
      study indicated that CBN could be detected in all of the selected tissues after
      i.v. administration. CBN was distributed to rat tissues rapidly and could be
      metabolized to CBT in most detected tissues. Of the detected tissues, heart had
      the highest uptake of CBN, which suggested that heart might be one of the main
      target tissues of CBN. Concentrations of CBT were obviously higher in the
      digestive system than in other assayed tissues. The information provided by this
      research is very useful for gaining knowledge of the capacities of CBN and CBT to
      access different tissues.

PMID- 26115177
TI  - Emerging techniques for assisting and accelerating food freezing processes: A
      review of recent research progresses.
AB  - Freezing plays an important role in food preservation and the emergence of rapid
      freezing technologies can be highly beneficial to the food industry. This paper
      reviews some novel food freezing technologies, including high-pressure freezing
      (HPF), ultrasound-assisted freezing (UAF), electrically disturbed freezing (EF)
      and magnetically disturbed freezing (MF), microwave-assisted freezing (MWF), and
      osmo-dehydro-freezing (ODF). HPF and UAF can initiate ice nucleation rapidly,
      leading to uniform distribution of ice crystals and the control of their size and
      shape. Specifically, the former is focused on increasing the degree of
      supercooling, whereas the latter aims to decrease it. Direct current electric
      freezing (DC-EF) and alternating current electric freezing (AC-EF) exhibit
      different effects on ice nucleation. DC-EF can promote ice nucleation and AC-EF
      has the opposite effect. Furthermore, ODF has been successfully used for freezing
      various vegetables and fruit. MWF cannot control the nucleation temperature, but
      can decrease supercooling degree, thus decreasing the size of ice crystals. The
      heat and mass transfer processes during ODF have been investigated experimentally
      and modeled mathematically. More studies should be carried out to understand the
      effects of these technologies on food freezing process.

PMID- 26115178
TI  - Source Apportionment of Background PAHs in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (Alberta,
      Canada) Using Molecular Level Radiocarbon Analysis.
AB  - The downstream accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the
      Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), an ecologically important landscape, is a key issue
      of concern given the rapid development of the oil sands industry in Northern
      Alberta, Canada. In addition to PAHs derived from industrial activity (i.e., oil
      sands mining) within the Athabasca watershed, however, forest fires and erosion
      of fossil fuel deposits within both the Athabasca and Peace watersheds are two
      potentially important natural sources of PAHs delivered to the PAD. Consequently,
      evaluating the environmental impact of mining activities requires a quantitative
      understanding of natural, background PAHs. Here, we utilize molecular-level
      natural-abundance radiocarbon measurements on an amalgamated sediment record from
      a Peace River flood-susceptible oxbow lake in the northern Peace sector of the
      PAD to quantitatively discriminate sources of naturally occurring alkylated PAHs
      (fossil and modern biomass). A radiocarbon mass balance quantified a
      predominantly natural petrogenic source (93% petrogenic, 7% forest fire) for
      alkylated PAHs during the past ~50 years. Additionally, a significant petrogenic
      component determined for retene, a compound usually considered a biomarker for
      softwood combustion, suggests that its use as a unique forest fire indicator may
      not be suitable in PAD sediments receiving Peace watershed-derived fluvial
      inputs. 

PMID- 26115180
TI  - Acupuncture as a Treatment Modality in Dermatology: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Acupuncture is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine that has been
      used to treat a broad range of medical conditions, including dermatologic
      disorders. This systematic review aims to synthesize the evidence on the use of
      acupuncture as a primary treatment modality for dermatologic conditions. METHODS:
      A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register was
      performed. Studies were limited to clinical trials, controlled studies, case
      reports, comparative studies, and systematic reviews published in the English
      language. Studies involving moxibustion, electroacupuncture, or blood-letting
      were excluded. RESULTS: Twenty-four studies met inclusion criteria. Among these,
      16 were randomized controlled trials, 6 were prospective observational studies,
      and 2 were case reports. Acupuncture was used to treat atopic dermatitis,
      urticaria, pruritus, acne, chloasma, neurodermatitis, dermatitis herpetiformis,
      hyperhidrosis, human papillomavirus wart, breast inflammation, and facial
      elasticity. In 17 of 24 studies, acupuncture showed statistically significant
      improvements in outcome measurements compared with placebo acupuncture,
      alternative treatment options, and no intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture
      improves outcome measures in the treatment of dermatitis, chloasma, pruritus,
      urticaria, hyperhidrosis, and facial elasticity. Future studies should ideally be
      double-blinded and standardize the control intervention.

PMID- 26115179
TI  - Engineered Trehalose Permeable to Mammalian Cells.
AB  - Trehalose is a naturally occurring disaccharide which is associated with
      extraordinary stress-tolerance capacity in certain species of unicellular and
      multicellular organisms. In mammalian cells, presence of intra- and extracellular
      trehalose has been shown to confer improved tolerance against freezing and
      desiccation. Since mammalian cells do not synthesize nor import trehalose, the
      development of novel methods for efficient intracellular delivery of trehalose
      has been an ongoing investigation. Herein, we studied the membrane permeability
      of engineered lipophilic derivatives of trehalose. Trehalose conjugated with 6
      acetyl groups (trehalose hexaacetate or 6-O-Ac-Tre) demonstrated superior
      permeability in rat hepatocytes compared with regular trehalose, trehalose
      diacetate (2-O-Ac-Tre) and trehalose tetraacetate (4-O-Ac-Tre). Once in the cell,
      intracellular esterases hydrolyzed the 6-O-Ac-Tre molecules, releasing free
      trehalose into the cytoplasm. The total concentration of intracellular trehalose
      (plus acetylated variants) reached as high as 10 fold the extracellular
      concentration of 6-O-Ac-Tre, attaining concentrations suitable for applications
      in biopreservation. To describe this accumulation phenomenon, a diffusion
      reaction model was proposed and the permeability and reaction kinetics of 6-O-Ac
      Tre were determined by fitting to experimental data. Further studies suggested
      that the impact of the loading and the presence of intracellular trehalose on
      cellular viability and function were negligible. Engineering of trehalose
      chemical structure rather than manipulating the cell, is an innocuous, cell
      friendly method for trehalose delivery, with demonstrated potential for trehalose
      loading in different types of cells and cell lines, and can facilitate the wide
      spread application of trehalose as an intracellular protective agent in
      biopreservation studies. 

PMID- 26115181
TI  - Relationship Between a Standardized Tackling Proficiency Test and Match-Play
      Tackle Performance in Semiprofessional Rugby League Players.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study examined the relationships between tackling ability, playing
      position, muscle strength and power qualities, and match-play tackling
      performance in semiprofessional rugby league players. METHODS: Sixteen
      semiprofessional rugby league players (mean +/- SD age 23.8 +/- 1.9 y) underwent
      tests for muscle strength and power. Tackling ability of the players was tested
      using video analysis of a standardized 1-on-1 tackling drill. After controlling
      for playing position, players were divided into "good tackler" or "poor tackler"
      groups based on the median split of the results of the 1-on-1 tackling drill. A
      total of 4547 tackles were analyzed from video recordings of 23 matches played
      throughout the season. RESULTS: Maximal squat was significantly associated with
      tackling ability (rS = .71, P < .05) and with the proportion of dominant tackles
      (rS = .63, P < .01). Forwards performed more tackles (P = .013, ES = 1.49), with
      a lower proportion of missed tackles (P = .03, ES = 1.38) than backs. Good
      tacklers were involved in a larger proportion of dominant tackles and smaller
      proportion of missed tackles than poor tacklers. CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      demonstrate that lower-body strength contributes to more effective tackling
      performance during both a standardized tackling assessment and match play.
      Furthermore, players with good tackling ability in a proficiency test were
      involved in a higher proportion of dominant tackles and missed a smaller
      proportion of tackles during match play. These results provide further evidence
      of the practical utility of an off-field tackling assessment in supplying
      information predictive of tackling performance in competition.

PMID- 26115182
TI  - Pupillary light reflex to light inside the natural blind spot.
AB  - When a light stimulus covers the human natural blind spot (BS), perceptual
      filling-in corrects for the missing information inside the BS. Here, we examined
      whether a filled-in surface of light perceived inside the BS affects the size of
      the short-latency pupillary light reflex (PLR), a pupil response mediated by a
      subcortical pathway for unconscious vision. The PLR was not induced by a red
      surface that was physically absent but perceptually filled-in inside the BS in
      the presence of a red ring surrounding it. However, a white large disk covering
      the BS unexpectedly induced a larger PLR than a white ring surrounding the BS
      border did, even though these two stimuli must be equivalent for the visual
      system, and trial-by-trial percepts did not predict PLR size. These results
      suggest that some physiological mechanism, presumably the retinal cells
      containing the photopigment melanopsin, receives the light projected inside the
      BS and enhances PLR. 

PMID- 26115183
TI  - Emergency Department Overcrowding and Ambulance Turnaround Time.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to describe overcrowding in regional
      emergency departments in Seoul, Korea and evaluate the effect of crowdedness on
      ambulance turnaround time. METHODS: This study was conducted between January 2010
      and December 2010. Patients who were transported by 119-responding ambulances to
      28 emergency centers within Seoul were eligible for enrollment. Overcrowding was
      defined as the average occupancy rate, which was equal to the average number of
      patients staying in an emergency department (ED) for 4 hours divided by the
      number of beds in the ED. After selecting groups for final analysis, multi-level
      regression modeling (MLM) was performed with random-effects for EDs, to evaluate
      associations between occupancy rate and turnaround time. RESULTS: Between January
      2010 and December 2010, 163,659 patients transported to 28 EDs were enrolled. The
      median occupancy rate was 0.42 (range: 0.10-1.94; interquartile range (IQR): 0.20
      0.76). Overcrowded EDs were more likely to have older patients, those with normal
      mentality, and non-trauma patients. Overcrowded EDs were more likely to have
      longer turnaround intervals and traveling distances. The MLM analysis showed that
      an increase of 1% in occupancy rate was associated with 0.02-minute decrease in
      turnaround interval (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.03). In subgroup analyses limited to EDs
      with occupancy rates over 100%, we also observed a 0.03 minute decrease in
      turnaround interval per 1% increase in occupancy rate (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found wide variation in emergency department
      crowding in a metropolitan Korean city. Our data indicate that ED overcrowding is
      negatively associated with turnaround interval with very small practical
      significance.

PMID- 26115184
TI  - Carbon Dioxide Conversion to Methanol over Size-Selected Cu4 Clusters at Low
      Pressures.
AB  - The activation of CO2 and its hydrogenation to methanol are of much interest as a
      way to utilize captured CO2. Here, we investigate the use of size-selected Cu4
      clusters supported on Al2O3 thin films for CO2 reduction in the presence of
      hydrogen. The catalytic activity was measured under near-atmospheric reaction
      conditions with a low CO2 partial pressure, and the oxidation state of the
      clusters was investigated by in situ grazing incidence X-ray absorption
      spectroscopy. The results indicate that size-selected Cu4 clusters are the most
      active low-pressure catalyst for catalytic CO2 conversion to CH3OH. Density
      functional theory calculations reveal that Cu4 clusters have a low activation
      barrier for conversion of CO2 to CH3OH. This study suggests that small Cu
      clusters may be excellent and efficient catalysts for the recycling of released
      CO2. 

PMID- 26115185
TI  - Stabilization of Proteins and Noncovalent Protein Complexes during Electrospray
      Ionization by Amino Acid Additives.
AB  - Ionization of proteins and noncovalent protein complexes with minimal disturbance
      to their native structure presents a great challenge for biological mass
      spectrometry (MS). In living organisms, the native structure of intracellular
      proteins is commonly stabilized by solute amino acids (AAs) accumulated in cells
      at very high concentrations. Inspired by nature, we hypothesized that AAs could
      also pose a stabilizing effect on the native structure of proteins and
      noncovalent protein complexes during ionization. To test this hypothesis, here we
      explored MS response for various protein complexes upon the addition of free AAs
      at mM concentrations into the electrospray ionization (ESI) solution. Thermal
      activation of ESI droplets in the MS inlet capillary was employed as a model
      destabilizing factor during ionization. Our results indicate that certain AAs, in
      particular proline (Pro), pose considerable positive effect on the stability of
      noncovalent protein complexes in ESI-MS without affecting the signal intensity of
      protein ions and original protein-ligand equilibrium, even when added at the 20
      mM concentration. The data suggest that the degree of protein stabilization is
      primarily determined by the osmolytic and ampholytic characteristics of AA
      solutes. The highest stability and visibility of noncovalent protein complexes in
      ESI-MS are achieved using AA additives with neutral isoelectric point, moderate
      proton affinity, and unfavorable interaction with the native protein state.
      Overall, our results indicate that the simple addition of free amino acids into
      the working solution can notably improve the stability and accuracy of protein
      analysis by native ESI-MS. 

PMID- 26115186
TI  - Global Transcriptome Profiles of 'Meyer' Zoysiagrass in Response to Cold Stress.
AB  - A long green period is essential for a turfgrass species with high ornamental
      value and a wide area of use. Zoysiagrasses (Zoysia spp. Willd.) are perennial
      turfgrass species popular in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones,
      possessing many properties necessary to be economically useful turfgrass. They do
      not have a long green period because of cold sensitivity. A main focus in
      zoysiagrass research is to develop cold tolerant cultivars. Understanding the
      cold response in zoysiagrass is a fundamental area of research. In the present
      study, 'Meyer' zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica), a widely cultivated variety in the
      genus, is used. We employed RNA-Seq to investigate genome-wide gene expression
      profiles in leaves under cold stress (4 degrees C). Using the Illumina sequencing
      platform, we obtained approximately 206 million high-quality paired-end reads
      from three libraries (0 h, 2 h, and 72 h cold treatment at 4 degrees C). After de
      novo assembly and quantitative assessment, 46,412 unigenes were generated with an
      average length of 998 bp and an N50 of 1,522 bp. A total of 25,644 (55.2%)
      unigenes were annotated by alignment with public protein databases including NR,
      SwissProt, KEGG and KOG. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were investigated
      using the RPKM method. A total of 756 DEGs were identified between 0 h and 2 h
      cold treatment, with 522 up-regulated and 234 down-regulated; and 5327 DEGs were
      identified between 0 h and 72 h-cold treatment, with 2453 up-regulated and 2874
      down-regulated. The expression profile of 15 DEGs selected randomly was confirmed
      with qRT-PCR. The results suggest that cold stress can induce desiccation and
      oxidative stress, inhibit photosynthesis and substance transport. In response to
      the stress, genes involved in proline synthesis, in starch hydrolysis, in
      methionine and ascorbic acid metabolism, in SOD activity, and in DREBs response
      pathway were up-regulated. GA metabolism, ABA and JA stimulus response were
      affected under cold exposure. This is the first transcriptome sequencing of Z.
      japonica, providing a large set of sequence data as well as gene expression
      profiles under cold stress. It will improve our current understanding of the cold
      response of zoysiagrass and be beneficial in breeding research.

PMID- 26115187
TI  - Dynamics of JAK2 V617F allele burden of CD34+ haematopoietic progenitor cells in
      patients treated with ruxolitinib.

PMID- 26115188
TI  - Regional Anesthesia in Patients With Preexisting Neurologic Disease.
AB  - WHAT'S NEW: Since publication of initial recommendations in 2008, there is
      limited new information regarding the performance of regional anesthesia in
      patients with preexisting neurologic diseases. However, the strength of evidence
      has increased since 2008 regarding (1) the concern that diabetic nerves are more
      sensitive to local anesthetics and perhaps more susceptible to injury and (2) the
      concern that performing neuraxial anesthesia and analgesia in patients with
      preexisting spinal canal pathology may increase the risk of new or worsening
      neurologic symptoms. This increased evidence reinforces our initial
      recommendations. In addition, since the initial recommendations in 2008, the
      concept of postsurgical inflammatory neuropathy has been described and is
      potentially a contributor to postoperative neurologic dysfunction.

PMID- 26115189
TI  - Continuous Adductor Canal Versus Continuous Femoral Nerve Blocks: Relative
      Effects on Discharge Readiness Following Unicompartment Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We tested the hypothesis that, following unicompartment knee
      arthroplasty, a continuous adductor canal block decreases the time to reach 4
      discharge criteria compared with a continuous femoral nerve block. METHODS:
      Subjects were randomized to either an adductor canal or femoral perineural
      catheter (2-day ropivacaine 0.2% infusion) in an unmasked fashion. The primary
      outcome was the time to attain 4 discharge criteria: (1) adequate analgesia; (2)
      intravenous opioid independence; (3) ability to independently stand, walk 3 m,
      return, and sit down; and (4) ambulate 30 m. RESULTS: Subjects with an adductor
      canal catheter (n = 15) reached all 4 criteria in a median of 35 hours
      (interquartile range, 24-43 hours), compared with 40 hours (interquartile range,
      27-69 hours) for those with a femoral catheter (n = 15; Wilcoxon rank sum test: P
      = 0.46; log-rank test: P = 0.16). However, the percentages of subjects (adductor
      canal: femoral) who reached the 2 mobilization criteria were 27%:0% on
      postoperative day (POD) 0, 93%:53% on POD 1, and 100%:73% on POD 2. Of adductor
      canal subjects, 100% were discharge ready by POD 2, compared with only 73% of
      femoral subjects (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with a continuous femoral
      nerve block, a continuous adductor canal block did not appreciably decrease the
      median number of hours to overall discharge readiness, yet did decrease the
      number of discrete days until discharge readiness. These results are applicable
      to only unicompartment knee arthroplasty and must be considered preliminary
      because of the limited sample size of this pilot study.

PMID- 26115191
TI  - Human Parechovirus 3 Meningitis and Fatal Leukoencephalopathy.
AB  - Human parechovirus 3 (HPeV3) is a picornavirus associated with neurologic disease
      in neonates. Human parechovirus 3 infection of preterm and term infants is
      associated with seizures and destructive periventricular white matter lesions.
      Despite unremarkable cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), HPeV3 RNA can be amplified from
      CSF and nasopharyngeal and rectal swabs. We report pathologic findings in 2
      autopsy cases of infants with active HPeV3 infection. Both children were born
      approximately 1 month premature and were neurologically intact but, after a few
      weeks, developed seizures and radiologic evidence of white matter lesions.
      Neuropathologic examination demonstrated classic severe periventricular
      leukomalacia in the absence of an immune response. Human parechovirus 3 sequences
      were identified in RNA extracted from CSF, sera, and tissues. Human parechovirus
      3 in situ hybridization detection of infected cells was limited to meninges and
      associated blood vessels in addition to smooth muscle of pulmonary vessels.
      Ultrastructural evaluation of meninges demonstrated dense core structures
      compatible with picornavirus virions. These findings suggest that encephalopathic
      changes are secondary to infection of meninges and potential compromise of
      vascular perfusion. Thus, parechovirus infection of vascular smooth muscle may be
      a more general pathogenic process. 

PMID- 26115190
TI  - Remyelination After Cuprizone-Induced Demyelination Is Accelerated in Juvenile
      Mice.
AB  - Remyelination capacity decreases with age in adult mice, but data comparing
      remyelination capacity after toxic demyelination in developing mice versus adult
      mice are not available. We treated 3-week-old and adult C57BL/6 mice with
      cuprizone for 1 to 5 weeks and studied demyelination/remyelination and cellular
      reactions in the corpus callosum and motor cortex by histology,
      immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy. We compared results between the 2
      treated groups and age-matched controls. In juvenile mice, significant
      demyelination was detectable in the corpus callosum on Week 2 and in the motor
      cortex on Week 5. Oligodendrocyte loss, microglial activation, and acute axonal
      damage peaked on Week 2. Increased numbers of oligodendrocyte precursor cells
      were evident on Week 1, and remyelination was detectable on Week 3. Juvenile mice
      showed more rapid demyelination than adult mice, which may be related to greater
      vulnerability of oligodendrocytes, lower myelin content, or dose-dependent
      cuprizone effects. Earlier activation of microglia and proliferation of
      oligodendrocyte precursor cells probably contributed to accelerated remyelination
      and less pronounced axonal damage. Our data indicate that oligodendroglial
      regeneration and remyelination are enhanced in the maturing rodent brain compared
      with the young-adult rodent brain. 

PMID- 26115192
TI  - Lack of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Upregulation and Restrictive
      Infection by JC Virus Hamper Detection of Neurons by T Lymphocytes in the Central
      Nervous System.
AB  - The human polyomavirus JC (JCV) infects glial cells in immunosuppressed
      individuals, leading to progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Polyomavirus
      JC can also infect neurons in patients with JCV granule cell neuronopathy and JCV
      encephalopathy. CD8-positive T cells play a crucial role in viral containment and
      outcome in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, but whether CD8-positive T
      cells can also recognize JCV-infected neurons is unclear. We used
      immunohistochemistry to determine the prevalence of T cells in neuron-rich areas
      of archival brain samples from 77 patients with JCV CNS infections and 94 control
      subjects. Neurons predominantly sustained a restrictive infection with expression
      of JCV regulatory protein T antigen (T Ag), whereas glial cells were productively
      infected and expressed both T Ag and the capsid protein VP1. T cells were more
      prevalent near JCV-infected cells with intact nuclei expressing both T Ag and VP1
      compared with those expressing either protein alone. CD8-positive T cells also
      colocalized more with JCV-infected glial cells than with JCV-infected neurons.
      Major histocompatibility complex class I expression was upregulated in JCV
      infected areas but could only be detected in rare neurons interspersed with
      infected glial cells. These results suggest that isolated neurons harboring
      restrictive JCV infection do not upregulate major histocompatibility complex
      class I and thus may escape recognition by CD8-positive T cells. 

PMID- 26115193
TI  - Disrupting NOTCH Slows Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma Growth, Enhances
      Radiation Sensitivity, and Shows Combinatorial Efficacy With Bromodomain
      Inhibition.
AB  - NOTCH regulates stem cells during normal development and stemlike cells in
      cancer, but the roles of NOTCH in the lethal pediatric brain tumor diffuse
      intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) remain unknown. Because DIPGs express stem cell
      factors such as SOX2 and MYCN, we hypothesized that NOTCH activity would be
      critical for DIPG growth. We determined that primary DIPGs expressed high levels
      of NOTCH receptors, ligands, and downstream effectors. Treatment of the DIPG cell
      lines JHH-DIPG1 and SF7761 with the gamma-secretase inhibitor MRK003 suppressed
      the level of the NOTCH effectors HES1, HES4, and HES5; inhibited DIPG growth by
      75%; and caused a 3-fold induction of apoptosis. Short hairpin RNAs targeting the
      canonical NOTCH pathway caused similar effects. Pretreatment of DIPG cells with
      MRK003 suppressed clonogenic growth by more than 90% and enhanced the efficacy of
      radiation therapy. The high level of MYCN in DIPG led us to test sequential
      therapy with the bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 and MRK003, and we found that JQ1 and
      MRK003 inhibited DIPG growth and induced apoptosis. Together, these results
      suggest that dual targeting of NOTCH and MYCN in DIPG may be an effective
      therapeutic strategy in DIPG and that adding a gamma-secretase inhibitor during
      radiation therapy may be efficacious initially or during reirradiation. 

PMID- 26115194
TI  - Controlled Growth and the Maintenance of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells by
      Cultivation with Defined Medium on Extracellular Matrix-Coated Micropatterned
      Dishes.
AB  - Here, we introduce a new serum-free defined medium (SPM) that supports the
      cultivation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) on recombinant human
      vitronectin-N (rhVNT-N)-coated dishes after seeding with either cell clumps or
      single cells. With this system, there was no need for an intervening sequential
      adaptation process after moving hPSCs from feeder layer-dependent conditions. We
      also introduce a micropatterned dish that was coated with extracellular matrix by
      photolithographic technology. This procedure allowed the cultivation of hPSCs on
      199 individual rhVNT-N-coated small round spots (1 mm in diameter) on each 35-mm
      polystyrene dish (termed "patterned culture"), permitting the simultaneous
      formation of 199 uniform high-density small-sized colonies. This culture system
      supported controlled cell growth and maintenance of undifferentiated hPSCs better
      than dishes in which the entire surface was coated with rhVNT-N (termed "non
      patterned cultures"). Non-patterned cultures produced variable, unrestricted cell
      proliferation with non-uniform cell growth and uneven densities in which we
      observed downregulated expression of some self-renewal-related markers.
      Comparative flow cytometric studies of the expression of pluripotency-related
      molecules SSEA-3 and TRA-1-60 in hPSCs from non-patterned cultures and patterned
      cultures supported this concept. Patterned cultures of hPSCs allowed sequential
      visual inspection of every hPSC colony, giving an address and number in patterned
      culture dishes. Several spots could be sampled for quality control tests of
      production batches, thereby permitting the monitoring of hPSCs in a single
      culture dish. Our new patterned culture system utilizing photolithography
      provides a robust, reproducible and controllable cell culture system and
      demonstrates technological advantages for the mass production of hPSCs with
      process quality control. 

PMID- 26115195
TI  - MODIS Based Estimation of Forest Aboveground Biomass in China.
AB  - Accurate estimation of forest biomass C stock is essential to understand carbon
      cycles. However, current estimates of Chinese forest biomass are mostly based on
      inventory-based timber volumes and empirical conversion factors at the provincial
      scale, which could introduce large uncertainties in forest biomass estimation.
      Here we provide a data-driven estimate of Chinese forest aboveground biomass from
      2001 to 2013 at a spatial resolution of 1 km by integrating a recently reviewed
      plot-level ground-measured forest aboveground biomass database with geospatial
      information from 1-km Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
      dataset in a machine learning algorithm (the model tree ensemble, MTE). We show
      that Chinese forest aboveground biomass is 8.56 Pg C, which is mainly contributed
      by evergreen needle-leaf forests and deciduous broadleaf forests. The mean forest
      aboveground biomass density is 56.1 Mg C ha-1, with high values observed in
      temperate humid regions. The responses of forest aboveground biomass density to
      mean annual temperature are closely tied to water conditions; that is, negative
      responses dominate regions with mean annual precipitation less than 1300 mm y-1
      and positive responses prevail in regions with mean annual precipitation higher
      than 2800 mm y-1. During the 2000s, the forests in China sequestered C by 61.9 Tg
      C y-1, and this C sink is mainly distributed in north China and may be attributed
      to warming climate, rising CO2 concentration, N deposition, and growth of young
      forests. 

PMID- 26115197
TI  - Incorporating phosphorus cycling into global modeling efforts: a worthwhile,
      tractable endeavor.
AB  - 324 I. 324 II. 325 III. 326 IV. 327 328 References 328 SUMMARY: Myriad field,
      laboratory, and modeling studies show that nutrient availability plays a
      fundamental role in regulating CO2 exchange between the Earth's biosphere and
      atmosphere, and in determining how carbon pools and fluxes respond to climatic
      change. Accordingly, global models that incorporate coupled climate-carbon cycle
      feedbacks made a significant advance with the introduction of a prognostic
      nitrogen cycle. Here we propose that incorporating phosphorus cycling represents
      an important next step in coupled climate-carbon cycling model development,
      particularly for lowland tropical forests where phosphorus availability is often
      presumed to limit primary production. We highlight challenges to including
      phosphorus in modeling efforts and provide suggestions for how to move forward. 

PMID- 26115198
TI  - PETE Doctoral Institutions: Programs, Faculty, and Doctoral Students.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study of doctoral physical education teacher education (D
      PETE) programs was part of a longitudinal study that provided an extensive
      description of demographics including: (a) doctoral program characteristics, (b)
      faculty, and (c) doctoral students/graduates. METHOD: This trend study
      incorporated 3 data sets (2005-2006, 2008-2009, and 2011-2012) that described the
      characteristics of D-PETE programs. Academic heads of D-PETE programs provided
      demographic information on their doctoral students, faculty, and institutional
      characteristics for the 2005-2006, 2008-2009, and 2011-2012 academic years and
      selected summary data from 1996-1997 through 2011-2012. RESULTS/CONCLUSION: As a
      result of this longitudinal data collection, the following trends were revealed.
      First, there was a decrease in the number of D-PETE programs and an increase of
      nontenured and part-time pedagogy faculty. Second, initial teacher licensure
      programs remained in existence at the vast majority of D-PETE programs. Third,
      funding for doctoral students at D-PETE programs was decreasing. Fourth, racial
      composition of doctoral graduates and current doctoral students remained largely
      skewed toward Caucasians. Fifth, there was a slight decline in the percentage of
      doctoral graduates entering higher education, but employment rates were
      exceptionally high. Sixth, non-U.S. doctoral students and ABDs were marketable in
      the United States.

PMID- 26115196
TI  - Accelerating the Translation of Nanomaterials in Biomedicine.
AB  - Due to their size and tailorable physicochemical properties, nanomaterials are an
      emerging class of structures utilized in biomedical applications. There are now
      many prominent examples of nanomaterials being used to improve human health, in
      areas ranging from imaging and diagnostics to therapeutics and regenerative
      medicine. An overview of these examples reveals several common areas of synergy
      and future challenges. This Nano Focus discusses the current status and future
      potential of promising nanomaterials and their translation from the laboratory to
      the clinic, by highlighting a handful of successful examples. 

PMID- 26115199
TI  - Evaluation of Highly Porous Dental Implants in Postablative Oral and
      Maxillofacial Cancer Patients: A Prospective Pilot Clinical Case Series Report.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of new
      porous tantalum trabecular metal (PTTM)-enhanced titanium dental implants used
      for the prosthodontic rehabilitation of postablative cancer patients. First-year
      interim results of a prospective clinical case series are presented. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A total of 25 PTTM-enhanced titanium implants were placed in both
      maxillas and mandibles of 6 patients, who met specific inclusion criteria.
      Resonance frequency analysis was conducted, and implant stability was recorded in
      Implant Stability Quotient (ISQ) values at implant placement and after 2, 4, 6,
      and 12 months of functional loading. Bone levels were calculated by digitally
      measuring the distance from the implant shoulder to the first bone-to-implant on
      periapical radiographs taken at surgery and after 2, 4, 6, and 12 months of
      functioning. RESULTS: Cumulative implant survival was 100% (n = 25/25). At
      implant placement and the 2-, 4-, 6- and 12-month monitoring appointments, mean
      ISQ values were 72.14 +/- 5.61 (range = 50-81), 64.39 +/- 8.12 (range = 44-74),
      74.26 +/- 7.14 (range = 44-74), 76.84 +/- 7.65 (range = 60-83), and 78.13 +/-
      4.14 (range = 64-84), respectively, and mean crestal marginal bone loss was 0.19
      +/- 0.25, 0.22 +/- 0.4, 0.3 +/- 0.46, and 0.57 +/- 0.62 mm, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: PTTM-enhanced dental implants were clinically effective in the
      prosthetic rehabilitation of postoncological patients. Larger long-term follow-up
      studies will help to evaluate clinical efficacy of PTTM dental implants.

PMID- 26115200
TI  - Opening the cuebox: the information children and young adults generate and rely
      on when making inferences from memory.
AB  - We used a cue-generation and a cue-selection paradigm to investigate the cues
      children (9- to 12-year-olds) and young adults (17-year-olds) generate and select
      for a range of inferences from memory. We found that children generated more cues
      than young adults, who, when asked why they did not generate some particular
      cues, responded that they did not consider them relevant for the task at hand. On
      average, the cues generated by children were more perceptual but as informative
      as the cues generated by young adults. When asked to select the most informative
      of two cues, both children and young adults tended to choose a hidden (i.e., not
      perceptual) cue. Our results suggest a developmental change in the cuebox (i.e.,
      the set of cues used to make inferences from memory): New cues are added to the
      cuebox as more cues are learned, and some old, perceptual cues, although
      informative, are replaced with hidden cues, which, by both children and young
      adults, are generally assumed to be more informative than perceptual cues. 

PMID- 26115201
TI  - Severe childhood Guillain-Barre syndrome associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae
      infection: a case series.
AB  - We report seven children with recent Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and severe
      Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) that presented to two European medical centres from
      1992 to 2012. Severe GBS was defined as the occurrence of respiratory failure,
      central nervous system (CNS) involvement, or death. Five children had GBS, one
      Bickerstaff brain stem encephalitis (BBE), and one acute-onset chronic
      inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (A-CIDP). The five patients with severe
      GBS were derived from an original cohort of 66 children with GBS. In this cohort,
      17 children (26%) had a severe form of GBS and 47% of patients with M. pneumoniae
      infection presented with severe GBS. Of the seven patients in this case series,
      five were mechanically ventilated and four had CNS involvement (two were
      comatose). Most patients presented with non-specific clinical symptoms (nuchal
      rigidity and ataxia) and showed a rapidly progressive disease course (71%).
      Antibodies against M. pneumoniae were detected in all patients and were found to
      be intrathecally synthesised in two cases (GBS and BBE), which proves intrathecal
      infection. One patient died and only two patients recovered completely. These
      cases illustrate that M. pneumoniae infection in children can be followed by
      severe and complicated forms of GBS. Non-specific clinical features of GBS in
      such patients may predispose a potentially life-threatening delay in diagnosis. 

PMID- 26115202
TI  - Suicidal ideation in Chinese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease:
      a controlled study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: No study has been published on the prevalence of suicidal behaviour
      in older Chinese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This
      study examined the 1-year prevalence of suicidal ideation in older Chinese COPD
      patients and explored its demographic and clinical correlates. METHODS: A
      consecutive sample of 143 COPD patients and 211 matched control subjects were
      recruited and interviewed using structured, standardized instruments. RESULTS:
      The 1-year prevalence of suicidal ideation in COPD patients and controls were
      15.4% and 10.9%, respectively. In multivariate analyses, suicidal ideation was
      significantly associated with the severity of depressive symptoms in COPD
      patients. CONCLUSION: Suicidal ideation was not higher in COPD patients than in
      controls.

PMID- 26115203
TI  - Relationships Among Pain Quality, Pain Impact, and Overall Improvement in
      Patients with Postherpetic Neuralgia Treated with Gastroretentive Gabapentin.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of gastroretentive gabapentin (G-GR) and
      describe relationships among pain quality, pain impact, and overall-improvement
      scores in patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). METHODS: Analyses of
      integrated data from two Phase 3 studies in which PHN patients received once
      daily G-GR 1,800 mg (n = 356) or placebo (n = 363). Neuropathic pain scale (NPS)
      and brief pain inventory (BPI) were completed at baseline and Week 10; patients'
      global impression of change (PGIC) at Week 10. Regression analyses described
      relationships among changes in the NPS, BPI, and PGIC scores. RESULTS: Compared
      with placebo, G-GR patients had significant reductions from baseline in
      individual NPS measures except cold pain (P < 0.05); composite NPS scores (P <=
      0.003); BPI pain scores (P < 0.05); three individual (mood, sleep, and enjoyment
      of life) and the average of BPI interference scores (P < 0.05). Clinically
      significant improvements in BPI interference scores (except walking ability) were
      positively correlated with reductions in BPI and NPS pain (except dull and cold
      pain), and with improvements on the PGIC. Reductions in pain qualities at Week 2,
      especially in NPS pain intensity, were significant (P <= 0.0001) predictors of
      improvements in three BPI interference scores, total NPS score, and PGIC.
      CONCLUSIONS: For patients with PHN, G-GR provided significant improvements in
      multiple measures of pain quality and pain-related functional impairment. There
      was a positive correlation between pain relief and improvement in patient
      function, with reduction in pain intensity among predictors of improvements in
      patients' lives. Such comprehensive analyses give an insight into numerous
      factors that may contribute to better management of PHN.

PMID- 26115204
TI  - Feasibility study of using laser-generated neutron beam for BNCT.
AB  - The feasibility of using a laser-accelerated proton beam to produce a neutron
      source, via (p,n) reaction, for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) applications
      has been studied by MCNPX Monte Carlo code. After optimization of the target
      material and its thickness, a Beam Shaping Assembly (BSA) has been designed and
      optimized to provide appropriate neutron beam according to the recommended
      criteria by International Atomic Energy Agency. It was found that the considered
      laser-accelerated proton beam can provide epithermal neutron flux of ~2*10(6)
      n/cm(2) shot. To achieve an appropriate epithermal neutron flux for BNCT
      treatment, the laser must operate at repetition rates of 1 kHz, which is rather
      ambitious at this moment. But it can be used in some BNCT researches field such
      as biological research.

PMID- 26115205
TI  - (19)F(alpha,n) thick target yield from 3.5 to 10.0 MeV.
AB  - Using a target of PbF2, the thick-target yield from the (19)F(alpha,n) reaction
      was measured from E(alpha)=3.5-10 MeV. From these results, we infer the thick
      target neutron yields from targets of F2 and UF6 over this same alpha-particle
      energy range.

PMID- 26115206
TI  - An emergency bioassay method for (210)Po in urine.
AB  - A rapid method was developed to efficiently measure (210)Po in urine samples in
      an emergency situation. Polonium-210 in small urine samples (10 mL) was
      spontaneously deposited on a stainless steel disc in 1 M HCl at room temperature
      for 4 h in a polyethylene bottle. The metallic disc was then counted for 4 h by
      alpha spectrometry. The developed method allowed the preparation of large sample
      batch in a short time. The method meets the requirements for an emergency
      bioassay procedure.

PMID- 26115207
TI  - Enantioseparation characteristics of tadalafil and its intermediate on chitin
      derived chiral stationary phases.
AB  - Due to the low solubility and swelling properties of chitin bis(arylcarbamate) in
      most organic solvents, the chiral stationary phases (CSPs) prepared from chitin
      derivatives can be analyzed with a wide range of solvents. In order to develop
      new CSPs of chitin derivatives with halogen groups, chitin was derivatized with
      three different phenyl isocyanates to obtain chitin bis(4
      trifluoromethoxyphenylcarbamate), chitin bis(3-chloro-4-methylphenylcarbamate)
      and chitin bis(4-chloro-3-trifluoromethylphenylcarbamate). Then, the three chitin
      derivatives were coated on macroporous 3-aminopropyl-functionalized silica gel to
      obtain three CSPs 1-3 respectively. These CSPs showed good enantioseparation
      capabilities towards tadalafil and its intermediate. Therefore, these CSPs are
      potentially applied for the enantioseparation and determination of tadalafil and
      its intermediate. It was also found that the retention times of some enantiomers
      were prolonged in the presence of their diastereoisomers or structural analogues
      and as a result, the resolution was improved to some extent. Hence, in the
      enantioseparation of a compound with two chiral centers, the resolution is
      hopefully improved by adding a diastereoisomer or a structural analogue.

PMID- 26115208
TI  - Ophthalmic Diagnostic Tests and Ocular Findings in a Flock of Captive American
      Flamingos ( Phoenicopterus ruber ruber).
AB  - Seventeen adult captive American flamingos ( Phoenicopterus ruber ruber) (34
      eyes) underwent a complete ocular examination, including assessment of menace
      response, pupillary light reflexes, dazzle reflex, palpebral and corneal
      reflexes, fluorescein staining, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and direct
      ophthalmoscopy. Birds were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups for tear
      production and intraocular pressure measurements. Tear production was measured by
      modified Schirmer tear test I (n = 9 birds) or phenol red thread test (n = 8
      birds), and intraocular pressure was measured indirectly by applanation (Tonopen
      XL) (n = 9 birds) or rebound (TonoVet) (n = 8 birds) tonometry. Conjunctival swab
      samples were taken from one randomly selected eye of all 17 birds to identify
      surface ocular microbial flora via aerobic bacterial culture. Additionally, 3 of
      the 17 birds were anesthetized for bilateral B-mode ocular ultrasonography
      examination to obtain axial globe measurements. Results showed that the menace
      response and dazzle reflex were absent in all birds. Sixteen of the 17 birds were
      free of significant ocular disease; a small cataract and pigment on the anterior
      lens capsule were noted in one eye of one bird. Mean +/- SD tear production was
      12.3 +/- 4.5 mm/min (range, 4-20 mm/min) for modified Schirmer tear test I and
      24.2 +/- 4.4 mm/15 s (range, 14-30 mm/15 s) for phenol red thread test. Modified
      Schirmer tear test I measurements were significantly lower than phenol red thread
      measurements (P < .001). Mean intraocular pressure was 16.1 +/- 4.2 mm Hg (range,
      7-22 mm Hg) for Tonopen and 9.5 +/- 1.7 mm Hg (range, 7-13 mm Hg) for TonoVet.
      Tonopen measurements were significantly higher than TonoVet measurements (P <
      .001). An Enterococcus species (9/17 eyes; 53%) and a gram-positive coccus (7/17
      eyes; 41%) were the bacteria most commonly isolated from conjunctival swab
      samples. Mean B-mode ultrasonographic globe measurements of 6 eyes (3 birds) were
      axial globe length, 13.8 +/- 0.16 mm; anterior chamber depth, 1.75 +/- 0.05 mm;
      lens thickness, 4.6 +/- 0.06 mm; vitreous body depth, 6.95 +/- 0.10 mm; and
      pecten dimensions, 5.1 +/- 0.38 mm length, 2.2 +/- 0.14 mm width. In summary, the
      prevalence of ocular lesions was low in this population of captive American
      flamingos. Results obtained from 2 types of tear and intraocular pressure
      measurement tests were significantly different, indicating that a single type of
      each diagnostic test should be consistently used. A modification of the standard
      Schirmer tear test or use of phenol red thread test is recommended due to the
      small flamingo eye. 

PMID- 26115209
TI  - Histologic Evaluation of Critical Size Defect Healing With Natural and Synthetic
      Bone Grafts in the Pigeon ( Columba livia ) Ulna.
AB  - Fracture and bone segment loss are major clinical problems in birds. Achieving
      bone formation and clinical union in a fracture case is important for the
      survival of the bird. To evaluate the efficacy of bone grafts for defect healing
      in birds, 2 different bone grafts were investigated in the healing of a bone
      defect in 24 healthy pigeons ( Columba livia ). In each bird, a 1-cm critical
      size defect (CSD) was created in the left ulna, and the fracture was stabilized
      with external skeletal fixation (ESF). A graft of hydroxyapatite (HA) alone (n =
      12 birds) or demineralized bone matrix (DBM) combined with HA (n = 12 birds) was
      implanted in the CSD. The CSD healing was evaluated at 3 endpoints: 3, 6, and 12
      weeks after surgery. Four birds were euthanatized at each endpoint from each
      treatment group, and bone graft healing in the ulna CSD was evaluated by
      histologic examination. The CSD and graft implants were evaluated for quality of
      union, cortex development, and bone graft incorporation. Results showed no graft
      rejection in any bird, and all birds had connective tissue formation in the
      defect because of the bone graft application. These results suggest that bone
      defect healing can be achieved by a combination of osteoinductive and
      osteoconductive bone graft materials for clinical union and new bone regeneration
      in birds. The combination of DBM and HA resulted in a better quality bone graft
      (P < .05) than did HA alone, but there was no significant differences in cortex
      development or bone graft incorporation at 3, 6, or 12 weeks. From the results of
      this study, we conclude that HA bone grafts, alone or in combination with DBM,
      with external skeletal fixation is suitable and safe for bone defect and fracture
      treatment in pigeons. 

PMID- 26115210
TI  - Cockatiel Transition From a Seed-based to a Complete Diet.
AB  - To determine the effects of diet transition in cockatiels ( Nymphicus hollandicus
      ), 14 cockatiels were transitioned over a 12-day period from a seed diet to one
      of 2 commercial diets advertised as nutritionally complete. Before the
      transition, cockatiels were fed a seed-based diet for 30 days. The transition
      strategy consisted of gradually increasing the ratio of complete diet : seed
      based diet over the 12-day period. True amino acid digestibility determined on
      each complete diet (diets A and B) demonstrated that both diets contained highly
      digestible amino acids. Diets differed in ingredient composition and particle
      size, analyzed nutrients, and method of processing (baked or extruded). Daily
      feed intake of seed-based and complete diets was measured. Periodically
      throughout and after transition, body weights were measured, and blood samples
      were collected for hematologic testing and plasma biochemical analysis. All
      cockatiels accepted the transition strategy irrespective of complete diet.
      Cockatiels transitioned to diet A consumed significantly more of the complete
      diet and less of the seed-based diet during periods of measurement throughout
      transition. Total feed intake was significantly greater for cockatiels fed diet B
      for 33% of the measurement periods (P < .05). Body weight was generally not
      affected during or after transition (P > .05). Hematologic and plasma biochemical
      values did not differ between cockatiels fed the 2 complete diets (P > .05). It
      may be speculated that cockatiels were more accepting of diet A during
      transition, and diet A more efficiently maintained body weight. 

PMID- 26115211
TI  - Bilateral Granulomatous and Fibrinoheterophilic Otitis Interna due to Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa in a Captive Little Bustard ( Tetrax tetrax ).
AB  - A captive juvenile little bustard ( Tetrax tetrax ) was presented for acute onset
      of right head tilt and right circling. The bird failed to respond to supportive
      care and systemic antibiotic therapy. A bilateral granulomatous and
      fibrinoheterophilic otitis interna due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa was diagnosed
      postmortem by histopathologic examination and bacterial culture. In bustards,
      Pseudomonas species have been documented in the normal bacterial flora of the
      oropharynx and are frequently reported in upper respiratory tract infections.
      This is the first report of a peripheral vestibular syndrome due to P aeruginosa
      otitis interna in a bustard species. Pseudomonas aeruginosa should be included as
      a possible cause of otitis and peripheral vestibular syndrome in bustards. 

PMID- 26115212
TI  - Bilateral Malignant Seminomas in Two Unrelated, Aged Trumpeter Hornbills
      (Bycanistes buccinator).
AB  - Seminomas occur infrequently in birds. Two cases of bilateral malignant seminomas
      in unrelated trumpeter hornbills (Bycanistes buccinator) are described. Case 1
      was a 22-year-old trumpeter hornbill submitted for necropsy because of sudden
      death at a zoo in California. Postmortem examination revealed multiple masses
      within the body cavity, 2 of which replaced both testes. Case 2 was a 19-year-old
      trumpeter hornbill at a zoo in North Carolina that underwent exploratory surgery
      for a suspected gastrointestinal obstruction. Both testes were diffusely
      enlarged, compressing and replacing the adjacent kidneys. In both birds, the
      masses were composed of discrete, round to polyhedral cells, typical of
      seminomas. Examination of the ancestry of the hornbills showed they were
      unrelated to each other, suggesting a potential predisposition for these birds to
      develop seminomas. 

PMID- 26115214
TI  - Atrioventricular Dissociation and Congestive Heart Failure in a Ring-Necked
      Pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus ).
AB  - The aim of this clinical report was to describe a case of complete
      atrioventricular dissociation in a 9-month-old, male ring-necked pheasant (
      Phasianus colchicus ). The case was incidentally determined during the evaluation
      of electrocardiograms recorded from pheasants. There were no observed clinical
      symptoms in the bird before or after the electrocardiogram. The PR interval
      varied, and there was no association of the P waves and QRS complexes in the
      electrocardiogram. Although the ventricular rhythm was regular (130 beats/min),
      atrial rhythm was irregular (approximately 91 beats/min). Pathological
      examination showed there was left ventricular hypertrophy with degeneration of
      the mitral valve of the heart and well-marked congestion in the liver and lung. 

PMID- 26115213
TI  - Use of a Vascular Access Port for Antibiotic Administration in the Treatment of
      Pododermatitis in a Chicken.
AB  - Bacterial culture and susceptibility testing results of a wound on the plantar
      aspect of the foot of a 4-year-old, male chicken with a class IV pododermatitis
      revealed a multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli bacterium, sensitive to only a
      few antibiotics including ceftazidime. Concerns over the volume and frequency of
      antibiotic injections, combined with the likely duration of treatment, led to the
      use of a vascular access port to facilitate intravenous antimicrobial therapy.
      The port was placed and maintained for 5 months without complication, and the
      infection was resolved. This case illustrates the feasibility and application of
      a vascular port in an avian patient requiring long-term intravenous therapy. 

PMID- 26115215
TI  - Use of 3D Ultrasonography in Diagnosing Ovarian Adenocarcinoma in a Common Mynah
      ( Acridotheres tristis ).
AB  - A 12-year-old female common mynah ( Acridotheres tristis ) was examined because
      of dyspnea and coelomic enlargement. Abdominal radiographs revealed hepatomegaly
      and a coelomic mass of unknown origin. Both brightness mode (2-dimensional; 2D)
      and 3-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography were performed to identify the origin of
      the mass. Ultrasonographic findings distinguished the mass from the liver and
      revealed high vascularization of the mass and a moderate increase in echogenicity
      of the liver. Three-dimensional ultrasonographic histogram analysis of the mass
      was performed. The mynah was treated with supportive care but died after 3 days.
      Histopathologic examination showed ovarian adenocarcinoma, with concurrent mild
      to moderate hepatopathy. In diagnostic imaging using ultrasound in birds, 3D
      ultrasonography allows perspective images of the internal organs to be obtained
      and is potentially superior to 2D ultrasonography in evaluating irregularly
      shaped objects. 

PMID- 26115216
TI  - Measurement of Tear Production Using the Phenol Red Thread Test in the Common
      Mynah ( Acridotheres tristis ).
AB  - To evaluate tear production in the common mynah ( Acridotheres tristis ) using
      the phenol red thread test (PRTT) and to make a comparison of measurements with
      the PRTT placed in the fornices of lower and upper eyelids, tear production of
      both eyes in 22 healthy adult captive mynah birds was evaluated. After
      positioning of threads in the fornices of upper and lower eyelids, the PRTT
      values of the birds were 17.5 +/- 3.1 mm/15 s and 19.2 +/- 2.5 mm/15 s,
      respectively. A significant difference was found between PRTT values for upper
      eyelids and lower eyelids (P = 0.01). This study provides novel data for normal
      reference ranges of PRTT values in healthy common mynah birds and shows that a
      difference is found depending on where the PRTT thread is placed. 

PMID- 26115217
TI  - What Is Your Diagnosis? Coelomic Mass in a Mynah.

PMID- 26115221
TI  - Novel mechanism of transcriptional regulation of cell matrix protein through
      CREB.
AB  - The transcription mechanism(s) of renal cell matrix accumulation in diabetes does
      not explored. Phosphorylation of the transcription factor cAMP-responsive element
      binding protein (CREB) significantly increased in cells treated with high glucose
      (HG) compared to cell grown in normal glucose (NG). Cells pretreated with
      rapamycin before exposure to HG showed significant decrease phosphorylation of
      CREB, increase in AMPK activity and decrease protein/mRNA and promoter activity
      of fibronectin. In addition, cells transfected with siRNA against CREB showed
      significant increase in AMPK activity, decrease in protein/mRNA and promoter
      activity of fibronectin. Cells treated with HG showed nuclear localization of p
      CREB while pretreated cells with rapamycin reversed HG effect. Moreover, gel
      shift analysis shows increase binding of CREB to fibronectin promoter in cells
      treated with HG while cells pretreated with rapamycin reversed the effect of HG.
      Furthermore, db/db mice treated with rapamycin showed significant increase in
      AMPK activity, decrease in expression of p-CREB and protein/mRNA of fibronectin.
      Strong staining of fibronectin and p-CREB was detected in kidney cortex of db/db
      mice while treated mice with rapamycin reversed hyperglycemia effect. In summary,
      our data provide a novel mechanism of transcriptional regulation of fibronectin
      through CREB that may be used as therapeutic approach to prevent diabetes
      complications. 

PMID- 26115222
TI  - Active Degradation Explains the Distribution of Nuclear Proteins during Cellular
      Senescence.
AB  - The amount of cellular proteins is a crucial parameter that is known to vary
      between cells as a function of the replicative passages, and can be important
      during physiological aging. The process of protein degradation is known to be
      performed by a series of enzymatic reactions, ranging from an initial step of
      protein ubiquitination to their final fragmentation by the proteasome. In this
      paper we propose a stochastic dynamical model of nuclear proteins concentration
      resulting from a balance between a constant production of proteins and their
      degradation by a cooperative enzymatic reaction. The predictions of this model
      are compared with experimental data obtained by fluorescence measurements of the
      amount of nuclear proteins in murine tail fibroblast (MTF) undergoing cellular
      senescence. Our model provides a three-parameter stationary distribution that is
      in good agreement with the experimental data even during the transition to the
      senescent state, where the nuclear protein concentration changes abruptly. The
      estimation of three parameters (cooperativity, saturation threshold, and maximal
      velocity of the reaction), and their evolution during replicative passages shows
      that only the maximal velocity varies significantly. Based on our modeling we
      speculate the reduction of functionality of the protein degradation mechanism as
      a possible competitive inhibition of the proteasome. 

PMID- 26115224
TI  - Correction: Auxin-Mediated Transcriptional System with a Minimal Set of
      Components Is Critical for Morphogenesis through the Life Cycle in Marchantia
      polymorpha.

PMID- 26115225
TI  - Analytical methods for determination of anticoagulant rodenticides in biological
      samples.
AB  - Anticoagulant rodenticides belong to a heterogeneous group of compounds which are
      used to kill rodents. They bind to enzyme complexes responsible for recycling of
      vitamin K, thus producing impairment in coagulation process. Rodenticides are
      among the most common house hold toxicants and exhibit wide variety of toxicities
      in non-target species especially in human, dogs and cats. This article reviews
      published analytical methods reported in literature for qualitative and
      quantitative determination of anticoagulant rodenticides in biological specimens.
      These techniques include high performance liquid chromatography coupled with
      ultraviolet and florescence detectors, liquid chromatography electrospray
      ionization tandem mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography with high resolution
      tandem mass spectrometry, ultra performance liquid chromatography mass
      spectrometry, gas chromatography mass spectrometry, ion chromatography with
      fluorescence detection, ion chromatography electrospray ionization ion trap mass
      spectrometry and ion chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass
      spectrometry. 

PMID- 26115223
TI  - Trait Anticipatory Pleasure Predicts Effort Expenditure for Reward.
AB  - Research in motivation and emotion has been increasingly influenced by the
      perspective that processes underpinning the motivated approach of rewarding goals
      are distinct from those underpinning enjoyment during reward consummation. This
      distinction recently inspired the construction of the Temporal Experience of
      Pleasure Scale (TEPS), a self-report measure that distinguishes trait
      anticipatory pleasure (pre-reward feelings of desire) from consummatory pleasure
      (feelings of enjoyment and gratification upon reward attainment). In a university
      community sample (N = 97), we examined the TEPS subscales as predictors of (1)
      the willingness to expend effort for monetary rewards, and (2) affective
      responses to a pleasant mood induction procedure. Results showed that both
      anticipatory pleasure and a well-known trait measure of reward motivation
      predicted effort-expenditure for rewards when the probability of being rewarded
      was relatively low. Against expectations, consummatory pleasure was unrelated to
      induced pleasant affect. Taken together, our findings provide support for the
      validity of the TEPS anticipatory pleasure scale, but not the consummatory
      pleasure scale. 

PMID- 26115227
TI  - Carbon monoxide poisoning as a cause of death in Wuhan, China: A retrospective
      six-year epidemiological study (2009-2014).
AB  - Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a common cause of death globally, and case
      reports and empirical studies on CO poisoning are widely examined. However, to
      the authors' knowledge, CO poisoning deaths in the mainland China are scarcely
      studied. Therefore, this study aims to explore the incidence trend of CO
      poisoning deaths that occurred in Wuhan - a mega city in Central China - for a
      six-year period (2009-2014). This arguably is the first comprehensive study to
      provide an overall analysis of CO poisoning deaths that sampled the mainland
      Chinese population. Using the data provided by the legal physicians who are
      employed in nine districts of Wuhan, a total of 131 cases of CO poisoning that
      resulted in the death of 156 victims are collected. Out of the total, 76 cases
      (97 deaths) are classified as accidents, 49 cases (51 deaths) are suicides, three
      cases (four deaths) are homicides, one case (three deaths) is homicide-suicide,
      and one case (one death) is classified as undetermined. Male victims are found to
      be the dominant sex group (53.5%; N=83); with a mean age of 44.9 years, while
      female victims averagely aged 46.1 years. The highest death occurring month is in
      January, and followed by February and December. Coal or charcoal burning is found
      to be the major cause of suicide CO poisoning death (66.7%), while fire accident
      is the major cause of accidental CO poisoning death (60.8%) in Wuhan during the
      six-year period. 

PMID- 26115226
TI  - Gunshot residue preservation in seawater.
AB  - Little is known about the persistence of gunshot residue (GSR) in soft tissue and
      bones during decomposition in marine environments. For a better understanding,
      qualitative and quantitative data were obtained on GSR retention on soft tissue
      and bony gunshot wounds (GSWs). A quantity of 36 fleshed and 36 defleshed bovine
      ribs were shot at contact range with 0.22 calibre hollow point ammunition using a
      Stirling 0.22 calibre long rifle. Bone specimens in triplicate were placed in
      three environments: submerged, intertidal and in supralittoral zone. Sets of
      triplicates were recovered on day 3, 10, 24 and 38, and analysed with scanning
      electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX), and
      inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The SEM-EDX recorded GSR
      indicative particles surrounding the bullet entrance on all bone types (fleshed
      and defleshed) in all environments throughout the study. GSR-unique particles
      were only detected on the supralittoral bones. The ICP-MS analysis showed faster
      GSR loss on submerged than intertidal and supralittoral defleshed specimens.
      Fleshed specimens showed a faster GSR loss on intertidal than submerged and
      supralittoral specimens. In conclusion, the GSR disappeared faster from submerged
      and intertidal than non-submerged specimens. The difference of detection of GSR
      between analysed specimens (defleshed versus fleshed) disappeared upon
      defleshing. This study highlights the potential of finding evidence of GSR in a
      submerged body and the potential of microscopic and analytical methods for
      examining suspected GSW in highly decomposed bodies in marine habitats. 

PMID- 26115228
TI  - New, clear fusion from the cellular perspective: Measuring cellular fusion in
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae by flow cytometry.

PMID- 26115229
TI  - Superior vena cava flow and intraventricular haemorrhage in extremely preterm
      infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between superior vena cava flow (SVCF)
      measurements within the first 24 h of life, and development of intraventricular
      haemorrhage (IVH) in extremely preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN: Single centre
      retrospective cohort study of 108 preterm infants born less than 28 weeks'
      gestation. Main outcome measure was degree of IVH at day 7 postnatal age.
      RESULTS: The mean GA of the study group was 25.4 weeks. Mean SVCF was lower (75
      ml/kg/min) in infants later diagnosed with IVH (n = 46) compared to infants, who
      did not develop IVH (87.7 ml/kg/min, p = 0.055). PDA diameter was inversely
      associated with SVCF (p = 0.024) and reversal of flow in the descending aorta (p
      = 0.001). Sensitivity analysis did not confirm an independent association of SVCF
      with development of IVH [OR 0.990 (0.978-1.002), p = 0.115]. CONCLUSION: Our
      study describes early SVCF in extremely preterm infants is associated with the
      extent of ductal shunting, but insensitive in predicting IVH.

PMID- 26115230
TI  - Maternal and fetal HLA-G 14 bp gene polymorphism in pregnancy-induced
      hypertension, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restricted and normal
      pregnancies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Trophoblast expression of Human Leukocyte Antigene-G (HLA-G) is
      essential for feto-maternal immune tolerance and successful placentation. There
      is contradicting evidence on the relationship between HLA-G polymorphisms and
      preeclampsia (PE), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and pregnancy-induced
      hypertension (PIH). Here, we investigate the association between both maternal
      and fetal HLA-G 14 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism and obstetrical
      complications. METHODS: Clinical and genetic data of 282 women/fetuses (31 severe
      PE, 8 mild PE, 46 IUGR, 42 PIH and 155 controls) were analyzed both individually
      and jointly under a codominant, a dominant and a recessive model. RESULTS: HLA-G
      14 bp polymorphism was not associated with obstetrical complications, considering
      the mother and fetus genotypes both jointly and individually. CONCLUSIONS: With
      this study we filled several gaps occurring in previous studies: we analyzed a
      very well-defined population of PE, PIH and IUGR pregnancies, considering both
      fetal and maternal HLA-G 14 bp polymorphism, individually and jointly. Our
      findings showed that fetal and maternal HLA-G 14 bp genotypes are not associated
      with increased risk for the development of obstetrical complications, suggesting
      that this polymorphism has no immuno-modulatory role in the development of PE,
      PIH or IUGR.

PMID- 26115231
TI  - Perinatal outcomes in singleton pregnancies with a single umbilical artery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze perinatal outcomes in singleton pregnancies with a single
      umbilical artery (SUA) as an isolated finding with no other underlying disorders.
      METHODS: This retrospective observational study compared a group of pregnancies
      with SUA (n = 127) and a group with a normal 3-vessel umbilical cord (n = 27
      752). The study variables comprised maternal and obstetric characteristics and
      perinatal outcomes. RESULTS: The frequency of SUA was 0.45%. Pregnancies with SUA
      ended more frequently with cesarean delivery, and had a higher risk that the
      indication for cesarean delivery was non-reassuring fetal heart rate (NRFHR).
      Neonates in the SUA group had a lower weight for gestational age, and a higher
      risk of low umbilical cord blood pH. CONCLUSION: Obstetricians should monitor
      fetal growth closely in pregnancies with SUA, and be alert to NRFHR during labor
      and delivery.

PMID- 26115232
TI  - Effects of lower back pain on postural equilibrium and fall risk during the third
      trimester of pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of lower back pain (LBP) on postural
      equilibrium and fall risk during the third trimester pregnancy period by
      comparing postural stability between pregnant with LBP and pregnant without LBP
      control women. METHODS: The study population comprised 68 women of 24-35 years in
      the third trimester of pregnancy. They were divided into Groups 1 (n = 30) and 2
      (n = 38) according to the presence or absence of LBP, respectively. Postural
      stability were evaluated between groups using Tetrax Interactive Balance System
      posturography (Tetrax, Sunlight Medical Ltd, Tel Aviv, Israel) with eight sensory
      conditions. RESULTS: For eight different positions, pregnant patients with LBP
      showed significantly higher values of general stability index, Fourier
      transformation index (F1, F2-F4, F5-F6 and F7-F8) and fall index than controls.
      CONCLUSION: LBP has a negative effect on postural stability. Postural equilibrium
      decreases and fall risk increases in pregnant patients with LBP.

PMID- 26115235
TI  - Integrating research and practice: proceedings of the research track of the 2015
      Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions annual meeting.

PMID- 26115233
TI  - Engineered hydrophobic pocket of (S)-selective arylmalonate decarboxylase variant
      by simultaneous saturation mutagenesis to improve catalytic performance.
AB  - A bacterial arylmalonate decarboxylase (AMDase) catalyzes asymmetric
      decarboxylation of unnatural arylmalonates to produce optically pure (R)
      arylcarboxylates without the addition of cofactors. Previously, we designed an
      AMDase variant G74C/C188S that displays totally inverted enantioselectivity.
      However, the variant showed a 20,000-fold reduction in activity compared with the
      wild-type AMDase. Further studies have demonstrated that iterative saturation
      mutagenesis targeting the active site residues in a hydrophobic pocket of
      G74C/C188S leads to considerable improvement in activity where all positive
      variants harbor only hydrophobic substitutions. In this study, simultaneous
      saturation mutagenesis with a restricted set of amino acids at each position was
      applied to further heighten the activity of the (S)-selective AMDase variant
      toward alpha-methyl-alpha-phenylmalonate. The best variant
      (V43I/G74C/A125P/V156L/M159L/C188G) showed 9,500-fold greater catalytic
      efficiency kcat/Km than that of G74C/C188S. Notably, a high level of
      decarboxylation of alpha-(4-isobutylphenyl)-alpha-methylmalonate by the sextuple
      variant produced optically pure (S)-ibuprofen, an analgesic compound which showed
      2.5-fold greater activity than the (R)-selective wild-type AMDase.

PMID- 26115236
TI  - Relationship among knowledge acquisition, motivation to change, and self-efficacy
      in CME participants.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The relationship among an individual's sense of self-efficacy,
      motivation to change, barriers to change, and the implementation of improvement
      programs has been reported. This research reports the relationship among self
      efficacy, motivation to change, and the acquisition of knowledge in a continuing
      medical education (CME) activity. METHODS: The measure of individual sense of
      self-efficacy was a 4-item scale. The measure of motivation was a 6-item scale
      following on the work of Prochaska and colleagues. The knowledge acquisition was
      measured in a simple post measure. The participants were enrolled in a CME
      activity focused on HIV.  RESULTS: The CME activities had a significant effect on
      knowledge. Preliminary analysis demonstrates a relationship among the self
      efficacy measure, the motivation to change measure, and global intent to change.
      Specifically, as reported earlier, the sense of efficacy in effecting change in
      the practice environment is predictive of a high level of motivation to change
      that, in turn, is predictive of formation of intent to change practice patterns.
      Interestingly, there were also relationships among the self-efficacy measure, the
      motivation to change measure, and knowledge acquisition. Finally, as expected,
      there was a significant relationship between knowledge and intent to change
      practice.  DISCUSSION: Further inspection of the motivation to change construct
      suggests that it mediates the self-efficacy constructs' effect on intent as well
      as its effect on knowledge acquisition. This new finding suggests that the
      proximal construct motivation completely masks an important underlying causal
      relationship that appears to contribute to practice change as well as learning
      following CME-self-efficacy.

PMID- 26115234
TI  - Solution Structure of CCL19 and Identification of Overlapping CCR7 and PSGL-1
      Binding Sites.
AB  - CCL19 and CCL21 are chemokines involved in the trafficking of immune cells,
      particularly within the lymphatic system, through activation of CCR7. Concurrent
      expression of PSGL-1 and CCR7 in naive T-cells enhances recruitment of these
      cells to secondary lymphoid organs by CCL19 and CCL21. Here the solution
      structure of CCL19 is reported. It contains a canonical chemokine domain.
      Chemical shift mapping shows the N-termini of PSGL-1 and CCR7 have overlapping
      binding sites for CCL19 and binding is competitive. Implications for the
      mechanism of PSGL-1's enhancement of resting T-cell recruitment are discussed. 

PMID- 26115237
TI  - Knowledge transfer at point of care: investigating new strategies for
      implementing guideline recommendations.

PMID- 26115238
TI  - Comparative effectiveness in CME: evaluation of personalized and self-directed
      learning models.

PMID- 26115239
TI  - Context and terminology in continuing education: improving the use of
      interventions in quality improvement and research.

PMID- 26115240
TI  - Quality improvement education for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention in
      cancer.

PMID- 26115241
TI  - Competence assessments: to pair or not to pair, that is the question.

PMID- 26115242
TI  - A comprehensive process for identifying and managing conflicts of interest
      reduced perceived bias at a specialty society annual meeting.

PMID- 26115243
TI  - Preassessment of weight management practices by providers and patients from 2
      community primary care clinic networks.

PMID- 26115244
TI  - CME effectiveness: utilizing outcomes assessments of 600+ CME programs to
      evaluate the association between format and effectiveness.

PMID- 26115245
TI  - Overview of the 2015 Alliance Research Track.

PMID- 26115246
TI  - Tailoring CME with chart audits linked to individual physician performance to
      improve rheumatoid arthritis quality measures.

PMID- 26115247
TI  - Educational outcomes in the era of the Affordable Care Act: impact of
      personalized education about non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Affordable Care Act is moving medical care-and medical
      education-toward a quality-driven environment. Quality medical education must be
      available when the health care provider is ready to learn, provide feedback, and
      maximize translation of knowledge from desk to clinic. To best accomplish these
      goals, medical education must be personalized to clinicians' needs. Research has
      defined multiple knowledge/performance gaps among oncologists who manage advanced
      non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A study was conducted to determine the
      effectiveness with which a personalized learning approach for oncologists will
      diminish these gaps. METHODS: The authors undertook development, online
      distribution, and impact measurement of an NSCLC curriculum in which learners'
      responses to a preeducation self-assessment of knowledge, skills, and attitudes
      resulted in receipt of a personalized curriculum. Upon completion of the
      assessment, each learner received a personalized curriculum, which included up to
      5 distinct activities selected to address identified knowledge and practice gaps.
      Feedback was provided at the completion of each activity. RESULTS: Ninety-two
      oncologists completed an individualized learning plan. Analysis shows that
      completion of the learning plan was associated with a high effect size (d = .70).
      Significant increases were seen in oncologists' ability to correctly identify the
      rationale for determining histological subtype (13% increase), prevalence of
      genetic abnormalities (21% increase, p = .04), appropriate use of maintenance
      therapy (31% increase, p = .01), and appropriate treatment regimens for squamous
      cell carcinoma (19% increase, p = .003) and of adenocarcinoma (44% increase, p <
      .001). DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates the feasibility and impact of a
      personalized targeted curriculum for improving the competence of oncologists
      treating patients with advanced NSCLC.

PMID- 26115248
TI  - FORAGES AND PASTURES SYMPOSIUM: Use of marginal lands and fibrous byproducts in
      efficient beef and dairy production systems.

PMID- 26115249
TI  - FORAGES AND PASTURES SYMPOSIUM: Improving efficiency of production in pasture-
      and range-based beef and dairy systems.
AB  - Despite overall increased production in the last century, it is critical that
      grazing production systems focus on improving beef and dairy efficiency to meet
      current and future global food demands. For livestock producers, production
      efficiency is essential to maintain long-term profitability and sustainability.
      This continued viability of production systems using pasture- and range-based
      grazing systems requires more rapid adoption of innovative management practices
      and selection tools that increase profitability by optimizing grazing management
      and increasing reproductive performance. Understanding the genetic variation in
      cow herds will provide the ability to select cows that require less energy for
      maintenance, which can potentially reduce total energy utilization or energy
      required for production, consequently improving production efficiency and
      profitability. In the United States, pasture- and range-based grazing systems
      vary tremendously across various unique environments that differ in climate,
      topography, and forage production. This variation in environmental conditions
      contributes to the challenges of developing or targeting specific genetic
      components and grazing systems that lead to increased production efficiency.
      However, across these various environments and grazing management systems,
      grazable forage remains the least expensive nutrient source to maintain
      productivity of the cow herd. Beef and dairy cattle can capitalize on their
      ability to utilize these feed resources that are not usable for other production
      industries. Therefore, lower-cost alternatives to feeding harvested and stored
      feedstuffs have the opportunity to provide to livestock producers a sustainable
      and efficient forage production system. However, increasing production efficiency
      within a given production environment would vary according to genetic potential
      (i.e., growth and milk potential), how that genetic potential fits the respective
      production environment, and how the grazing management fits within those genetic
      parameters. Therefore, matching cow type or genetic potential to the production
      environment is and will be more important as cost of production increases. 

PMID- 26115250
TI  - FORAGES AND PASTURES SYMPOSIUM: Optimizing the use of fibrous residues in beef
      and dairy diets.
AB  - Increased corn prices over the past decade have altered land use away from
      traditional forage in favor of corn. Accordingly, beef and dairy producers have
      had to adopt nontraditional forage resources into their production systems, many
      of which have become available as a result of increased corn production. Corn
      residues have become more available due to increases in corn hectares and yield.
      The individual plant components (i.e., husk, leaf, and stem) vary in fiber
      digestibility (NDF digestibility estimates = 40.5, 31.4, and 0.6% +/- 0.8 for
      husk, leaf, and stalk, respectively). Stocking cattle to consume 3.6 kg
      forage/25.5 kg of grain allows cattle to graze selectively; selection of husks
      and leaves improves cattle performance. Byproducts of the wet and dry milling
      industries can be supplemented to calves grazing corn residues to provide protein
      and energy. Optimal gains were observed when these byproducts were supplemented
      at approximately 2.5 kg/d to 250-kg growing calves. Gestating beef cows do not
      require supplemental inputs when grazing corn residue, if stocked appropriately.
      Alkaline treatment of crop residues improves their feeding value. Concentrations
      of up to 20% harvested corn residue treated with calcium oxide can be included in
      finishing diets with an average of 1.3% reduction in G:F when diets contain 40%
      wet or modified distillers grains. Conversely, when untreated corn residues are
      included in similar finishing diets, G:F is reduced by 13.4%. Calcium oxide
      treated residues included in beef growing diets increases DMI and ADG without
      significant improvements in G:F. Calcium oxide treatment of corn residues has
      been evaluated in dairy diets by replacing corn or corn silage with variable
      results. Efficient use of nontraditional fiber sources, such as corn milling
      byproducts and corn residue, are critical to the future viability of ruminant
      animal production. 

PMID- 26115251
TI  - FORAGES AND PASTURES SYMPOSIUM: Improving soil health and productivity on
      grasslands using managed grazing of livestock.
AB  - Beyond grazing, managed grasslands provide ecological services that may offer
      economic incentives for multifunctional use. Increasing biodiversity of plant
      communities may maximize net primary production by optimizing utilization of
      available light, water, and nutrient resources; enhance production stability in
      response to climatic stress; reduce invasion of exotic species; increase soil OM;
      reduce nutrient leaching or loading in surface runoff; and provide wildlife
      habitat. Strategically managed grazing may increase biodiversity of cool-season
      pastures by creating disturbance in plant communities through herbivory,
      treading, nutrient cycling, and plant seed dispersal. Soil OM will increase
      carbon and nutrient sequestration and water-holding capacity of soils and is
      greater in grazed pastures than nongrazed grasslands or land used for row crop or
      hay production. However, results of studies evaluating the effects of different
      grazing management systems on soil OM are limited and inconsistent. Although
      roots and organic residues of pasture forages create soil macropores that reduce
      soil compaction, grazing has increased soil bulk density or penetration
      resistance regardless of stocking rates or systems. But the effects of the
      duration of grazing and rest periods on soil compaction need further evaluation.
      Because vegetative cover dissipates the energy of falling raindrops and plant
      stems and tillers reduce the rate of surface water flow, managing grazing to
      maintain adequate vegetative cover will minimize the effects of treading on water
      infiltration in both upland and riparian locations. Through increased diversity
      of the plant community with alterations of habitat structure, grazing systems can
      be developed that enhance habitat for wildlife and insect pollinators. Although
      grazing management may enhance the ecological services provided by grasslands,
      environmental responses are controlled by variations in climate, soil, landscape
      position, and plant community resulting in considerable spatial and temporal
      variation in the responses. Furthermore, a single grazing management system may
      not maximize livestock productivity and each of the potential ecological services
      provided by grasslands. Therefore, production and ecological goals must be
      integrated to identify the optimal grazing management system. 

PMID- 26115252
TI  - Some novel growth functions and their application with reference to growth in
      ostrich.
AB  - Four novel growth functions, namely, Pareto, extreme value distribution (EVD),
      Lomolino, and cumulative beta-P distribution (CBP), are derived, and their
      ability to describe ostrich growth curves is evaluated. The functions were
      compared with standard growth equations, namely, the monomolecular, Michaelis
      Menten (MM), Gompertz, Richards, and generalized MM (gMM). For this purpose, 2
      separate comparisons were conducted. In the first, all the functions were fitted
      to 40 individual growth curves (5 males and 35 females) of ostriches using
      nonlinear regression. In the second, performance of the functions was assessed
      when data from 71 individuals were composited (570 data points). This comparison
      was undertaken using nonlinear mixed models and considering 3 approaches: 1)
      models with no random effect, 2) random effect incorporated as the intercept, and
      3) random effect incorporated into the asymptotic weight parameter (Wf). The
      results from the first comparison showed that the functions generally gave
      acceptable values of R2 and residual variance. On the basis of the Akaike
      information criterion (AIC), CBP gave the best fit, whereas the Gompertz and
      Lomolino equations were the preferred functions on the basis of corrected AIC
      (AICc). Bias, accuracy factor, the Durbin-Watson statistic, and the number of
      runs of sign were used to analyze the residuals. CBP gave the best distribution
      of residuals but also produced more residual autocorrelation (significant Durbin
      Watson statistic). The functions were applied to sample data for a more
      conventional farm species (2 breeds of cattle) to verify the results of the
      comparison of fit among functions and their applicability across species. In the
      second comparison, analysis of mixed models showed that incorporation of a random
      effect into Wf gave the best fit, resulting in smaller AIC and AIC values
      compared with those in the other 2 approaches. On the basis of AICc, best fit was
      achieved with CBP, followed by gMM, Lomolino, and Richards functions,
      respectively. The exponential, MM, Pareto, and EVD equations produced negative
      values for initial weight (W0) if left unconstrained. The Gompertz equation, in
      spite of having a fixed inflection point and therefore being less flexible, gave
      accurate estimates of both W0 and Wf and an acceptable goodness of fit favored by
      having fewer parameters than the other sigmoidal functions. Nevertheless, all the
      sigmoidal functions appeared appropriate in describing the growth trajectory of
      male and female ostriches to a reasonable level of accuracy.

PMID- 26115253
TI  - Genetic evaluation using single-step genomic best linear unbiased predictor in
      American Angus.
AB  - Predictive ability of genomic EBV when using single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP)
      in Angus cattle was investigated. Over 6 million records were available on birth
      weight (BiW) and weaning weight (WW), almost 3.4 million on postweaning gain
      (PWG), and over 1.3 million on calving ease (CE). Genomic information was
      available on, at most, 51,883 animals, which included high and low EBV accuracy
      animals. Traditional EBV was computed by BLUP and genomic EBV by ssGBLUP and
      indirect prediction based on SNP effects was derived from ssGBLUP; SNP effects
      were calculated based on the following reference populations: ref_2k (contains
      top bulls and top cows that had an EBV accuracy for BiW >=0.85), ref_8k (contains
      all parents that were genotyped), and ref_33k (contains all genotyped animals
      born up to 2012). Indirect prediction was obtained as direct genomic value (DGV)
      or as an index of DGV and parent average (PA). Additionally, runs with ssGBLUP
      used the inverse of the genomic relationship matrix calculated by an algorithm
      for proven and young animals (APY) that uses recursions on a small subset of
      reference animals. An extra reference subset included 3,872 genotyped parents of
      genotyped animals (ref_4k). Cross-validation was used to assess predictive
      ability on a validation population of 18,721 animals born in 2013. Computations
      for growth traits used multiple-trait linear model and, for CE, a bivariate CE
      BiW threshold-linear model. With BLUP, predictivities were 0.29, 0.34, 0.23, and
      0.12 for BiW, WW, PWG, and CE, respectively. With ssGBLUP and ref_2k,
      predictivities were 0.34, 0.35, 0.27, and 0.13 for BiW, WW, PWG, and CE,
      respectively, and with ssGBLUP and ref_33k, predictivities were 0.39, 0.38, 0.29,
      and 0.13 for BiW, WW, PWG, and CE, respectively. Low predictivity for CE was due
      to low incidence rate of difficult calving. Indirect predictions with ref_33k
      were as accurate as with full ssGBLUP. Using the APY and recursions on ref_4k
      gave 88% gains of full ssGBLUP and using the APY and recursions on ref_8k gave
      97% gains of full ssGBLUP. Genomic evaluation in beef cattle with ssGBLUP is
      feasible while keeping the models (maternal, multiple trait, and threshold)
      already used in regular BLUP. Gains in predictivity are dependent on the
      composition of the reference population. Indirect predictions via SNP effects
      derived from ssGBLUP allow for accurate genomic predictions on young animals,
      with no advantage of including PA in the index if the reference population is
      large. With the APY conditioning on about 10,000 reference animals, ssGBLUP is
      potentially applicable to a large number of genotyped animals without
      compromising predictive ability. 

PMID- 26115254
TI  - Estimation of genetic parameters for udder traits in Hereford cattle.
AB  - The objective was to estimate genetic parameters for udder traits in Hereford
      cattle. American Hereford Association (AHA) members initially recorded an overall
      score based on all udder characteristics. In 2008, the Beef Improvement
      Federation established guidelines, which were subsequently adopted by the AHA,
      for evaluating udder suspension and teat size. Therefore, a female was scored for
      either overall score or udder suspension and teat size for a single lactation,
      and females may be evaluated for overall score for a parity and then for udder
      suspension and teat size at a later parity. In all cases, subjective scores were
      assigned at parturition and ranged from 1 to 9, with a score of 9 considered
      ideal. Records on 48,191 animals and a 3-generation pedigree with 126,814 animals
      were obtained from the AHA, Kansas City, MO. These records contained repeated
      observations for overall score (n = 73,469), suspension (n = 38,412), and teat
      size (n = 38,412). Because the distribution of scores for all traits peaked at 7,
      a linear approximation was used in the analysis. Data were modeled using a
      multiple-trait animal model with random effects of additive genetic and permanent
      environment, fixed effect of contemporary group (herd-year-season), and a linear
      covariate for age in days. Heritability estimates (SE) for overall score,
      suspension, and teat size were 0.32 (0.01), 0.32 (0.01), and 0.28 (0.01),
      respectively. Through genetic selection for these traits, beef producers could
      improve udder traits. Repeatability estimates (SE) for overall score, suspension,
      and teat size were 0.45 (0.005), 0.47 (0.01), and 0.44 (0.01), respectively.
      Producers should continue evaluating udder traits repeatedly throughout a cow's
      lifetime. The phenotypic correlation (SE) between suspension and teat size was
      0.64 (0.004) with 57% of records for suspension and teat size having the same
      score for both traits. The genetic correlations (SE) between teat size and
      suspension, overall score and teat size, and overall score and suspension were
      0.81 (0.01), 0.71 (0.03), and 0.69 (0.03), respectively, and selection for one
      trait should result in correlated responses in the other traits. In conclusion,
      traits were moderately repeatable with scores from a parity being informative for
      subsequent parities. Because overall score, udder suspension, and teat size were
      moderately heritable with strong, positive genetic correlations, genetic
      improvement for these traits can be achieved through selection.

PMID- 26115255
TI  - Estimation of the environmental dam-offspring correlation in beef cattle.
AB  - A long standing controversy in animal breeding is related to the strong negative
      estimates of the direct-maternal genetic correlation obtained when fitting data
      on maternally influenced traits. In this article, we focused on a model that
      introduces a new correlation parameter among dam-offspring records. The extant
      theory allows estimation of the parameter when dams have at most a single
      offspring. Our goal was to develop an inferential procedure in a more general
      setting. To do so, we applied a Bayesian approach and we showed that the
      estimation could be accomplished by introducing a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)
      step embedded into a regular Gibbs sampler program. The procedure was implemented
      by means of an MCMC algorithm known as the Griddy-Gibbs sampler, and a Fortran 90
      library was created to accomplish the task. The computer program is available
      from http://www.agro.uba.ar/catedras/mg_animal/software/RDBLK. With this tool at
      hand, we applied the inferential procedure to weaning weight records on beef
      cattle calves from an Argentinean Hereford herd, and we estimated the marginal
      distribution of the environmental dam-offspring correlation parameter. The
      distribution was unimodal and symmetric with a mean value of -0.14 (+/-0.03) and
      a 95% high posterior density interval between -0.20 and -0.07, indicating that
      the model placed a huge mass on negative values of the parameter. Noticeably, the
      magnitude of the direct-maternal genetic correlation diminished from -0.61 to 
      0.37 with respect to the standard maternal animal model. This result reinforces
      the idea that environmental covariances among dam-offspring records may bias the
      estimate of the direct-maternal genetic correlation.

PMID- 26115256
TI  - A comparison of alternative random regression and reaction norm models for whole
      genome predictions.
AB  - Whole genome prediction (WGP) based on high density SNP marker panels is known to
      improve the accuracy of breeding value (BV) prediction in livestock. However,
      these accuracies can be compromised when genotype by environment interaction
      (G*E) exists but is not accounted for. Reaction norm (RN) and random regression
      (RR) models have proven to be useful in accounting for G*E in pre-WGP evaluations
      by modeling BV as linear or higher order functions of environmental or temporal
      covariates. We extend these RR/RN models based on several alternative
      specifications for SNP-specific intercepts and linear slopes on environmental
      covariates. One specification is based on bivariate normality (BVN) of SNP
      specific intercepts and slopes, whereas 2 others, IW-BayesA and based on inverted
      Wishart (IW) extensions IW-BayesB, are, respectively, bivariate Student t
      extensions of currently popular models without (BayesA) or with (BayesB) variable
      selection. We highlight alternative specifications based on the square root free
      Cholesky decomposition (CD) of SNP-specific variance-covariance (VCV) matrices in
      an attempt to better differentially model environmentally sensitive from
      environmentally robust QTL. Two CD specifications were considered with (CD
      BayesB) or without (CD-BayesA) any variable selection on intercept and slope
      effects. We compared each of the 5 models based on an RN simulation study. Six
      scenarios were considered based on differences in overall genetic correlations
      between SNP-specific intercept and slope effects as well as on heritabilities and
      numbers of environmentally robust versus sensitive QTL. In most scenarios, IW
      BayesA had the greatest accuracy, whereas CD-BayesB exhibited the greatest
      accuracy in low complexity architectures (i.e., low number of QTL). In an RR
      application of a Duroc * Pietrain resource population at Michigan State
      University, 5,271 SNP markers and 928 F2 animals with known pedigree were
      analyzed for backfat thickness at wk 10, 13, 16, 19, and 22. SNP-based RR methods
      had a 2.5% greater (P < 0.0001) cross-validation accuracy for predicting
      phenotypes than the SNP-based conventional BayesA/BayesB and/or pedigree based RR
      BLUP; however, none of the proposed RR models had performances that were
      different from each other.

PMID- 26115257
TI  - Genomic prediction for tick resistance in Braford and Hereford cattle.
AB  - One of the main animal health problems in tropical and subtropical cattle
      production is the bovine tick, which causes decreased performance, hide
      devaluation, increased production costs with acaricide treatments, and
      transmission of infectious diseases. This study investigated the utility of
      genomic prediction as a tool to select Braford (BO) and Hereford (HH) cattle
      resistant to ticks. The accuracy and bias of different methods for direct and
      blended genomic prediction was assessed using 10,673 tick counts obtained from
      3,435 BO and 928 HH cattle belonging to the Delta G Connection breeding program.
      A subset of 2,803 BO and 652 HH samples were genotyped and 41,045 markers
      remained after quality control. Log transformed records were adjusted by a
      pedigree repeatability model to estimate variance components, genetic parameters,
      and breeding values (EBV) and subsequently used to obtain deregressed EBV.
      Estimated heritability and repeatability for tick counts were 0.19 +/- 0.03 and
      0.29 +/- 0.01, respectively. Data were split into 5 subsets using k-means and
      random clustering for cross-validation of genomic predictions. Depending on the
      method, direct genomic value (DGV) prediction accuracies ranged from 0.35 with
      Bayes least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) to 0.39 with BayesB
      for k-means clustering and between 0.42 with BayesLASSO and 0.45 with BayesC for
      random clustering. All genomic methods were superior to pedigree BLUP (PBLUP)
      accuracies of 0.26 for k-means and 0.29 for random groups, with highest accuracy
      gains obtained with BayesB (39%) for k-means and BayesC (55%) for random groups.
      Blending of historical phenotypic and pedigree information by different methods
      further increased DGV accuracies by values between 0.03 and 0.05 for direct
      prediction methods. However, highest accuracy was observed with single-step
      genomic BLUP with values of 0.48 for -means and 0.56, which represent,
      respectively, 84 and 93% improvement over PBLUP. Observed random clustering cross
      validation breed-specific accuracies ranged between 0.29 and 0.36 for HH and
      between 0.55 and 0.61 for BO, depending on the blending method. These moderately
      high values for BO demonstrate that genomic predictions could be used as a
      practical tool to improve genetic resistance to ticks and in the development of
      resistant lines of this breed. For HH, accuracies are still in the low to
      moderate side and this breed training population needs to be increased before
      genomic selection could be reliably applied to improve tick resistance.

PMID- 26115258
TI  - Genetic associations between scrotal circumference and female reproductive traits
      in Nelore cattle.
AB  - The objective of this study was to estimate genetic associations between scrotal
      circumference obtained at 12 (SC12; mean of 21.46 +/- 2.74 cm), 15 (SC15; mean of
      25.31 +/- 3.19 cm), and 18 mo of age (SC18; mean of 26.77 +/- 2.95 cm) and
      reproductive traits measured directly in heifers (age at first calving [AFC]:
      mean of 1,062.06 +/- 114.79 d; heifer pregnancy at 16 mo of age [HP]: mean of
      15.4 +/- 0.36%; and subsequent rebreeding of primiparous heifers [HR]: mean of
      27.1 +/- 0.44%) using Bayesian inference to evaluate the possible inclusion of
      these traits as selection criteria in beef cattle breeding programs. Genetic
      gains comparisons were also estimated. A total of 53,683 data of Nelore animals
      born between 1990 and 2006, obtained from the livestock archive of Agropecuaria
      Jacarezinho Ltda. (Valparaiso, Sao Paulo, Brazil), were analyzed. Two-trait
      analysis provided heritability estimates of 0.35 +/- 0.08, 0.40 +/- 0.04, 0.37 +/
      0.03, 0.21 +/- 0.01, 0.55 +/- 0.03, and 0.17 +/- 0.03 for SC12, SC15, SC18, AFC,
      HP, and HR, respectively. The genetic correlations between scrotal circumference
      and AFC, HP, and HR were -0.42 +/- 0.12, 0.43 +/- 0.13, and -0.13 +/- 0.17,
      respectively, for SC12; -0.25 +/- 0.07, 0.26 +/- 0.07, and -0.11 +/- 0.10,
      respectively, for SC15; and -0.22 +/- 0.06, 0.39 +/- 0.06, and 0.11 +/- 0.09,
      respectively, for SC18. The direct selection response for HP was 0.12%, but when
      HP is indirectly selected based on the scrotal circumferences, the gains on these
      correlated responses were higher (0.16, 0.16, and 0.22%) for selection based on
      SC12, SC15, and SC18, respectively. These findings suggest that the selection of
      animals for larger scrotal circumference, particularly at 12 mo of age, should
      result in higher rates of HP and younger AFC of Nelore females. 

PMID- 26115259
TI  - Genetic relationships between internal diseases diagnosed at slaughter and
      carcass traits in Japanese Black cattle.
AB  - The objective of this paper was to estimate the genetic parameters of certain
      internal diseases (multifocal necrosis in the liver [MNL], bovine abdominal fat
      necrosis [BFN], and inflammation of the large intestine [ILI]) and to investigate
      relationships between the internal diseases and carcass traits (carcass weight
      [CW], rib eye area [REA], rib thickness [RT], subcutaneous fat thickness, and
      beef marbling score [BMS]). Records of the internal diseases and the carcass
      traits of 5,788 Japanese Black cattle were used for this study. The data for all
      the diseases were recorded as binary data as to whether the disease was observed
      (1) or not (0). Genetic parameters were estimated using linear and threshold
      animal models. The prevalence rates of MNL, BFN, and ILI were 16.1, 23.0, and
      6.8%, respectively, and heritability estimates +/- posterior SD were 0.18 +/-
      0.06, 0.28 +/- 0.06, and 0.18 +/- 0.06, respectively. The genetic correlations of
      MNL with BFN and ILI were -0.23 (P = 0.19) and -0.49 (P < 0.05), respectively. In
      contrast, the correlation between BFN and ILI was positive and high (0.96; <
      0.05). The phenotypic correlations of the internal diseases with the carcass
      traits were weak and not different from 0 except for those of BFN and ILI with
      CW, REA, and RT, which were all negative (P < 0.05) and ranged from -0.21 (ILI
      and CW) to -0.05 (BFN and RT). The genetic correlations of MNL with the carcass
      traits were all weak and not significant. In contrast, the genetic correlations
      of BFN and ILI with CW, REA, and RT were all negative and significant (P < 0.05)
      between BFN and CW (-0.36) and between BFN and RT (-0.33). However, the genetic
      correlations for BFN and ILI with BMS were all positive at 0.21 P( = 0.16) and
      0.39 (P < 0.05), respectively. The estimated heritability of the internal
      diseases suggests that they can be genetically improved. Genetic relationships of
      BFN and ILI with meat quantity traits were favorable for beef cattle breeding,
      because lower disease liabilities were associated with improved CW, REA, and RT
      for BFN and ILI. However, rather strong and unfavorable genetic relationships
      were found between BFN or ILI and BMS, which is related to meat quality. This
      suggests that selection for animals with superior BMS would increasingly lead to
      animals with higher liability to the internal diseases.

PMID- 26115260
TI  - Relationships between day one piglet serum immunoglobulin immunocrit and
      subsequent growth, puberty attainment, litter size, and lactation performance.
AB  - Colostrum affects gut and uterine gland development in the neonatal piglet,
      suggesting that subsequent growth and reproductive performance may be affected.
      Measuring immunoglobulin in piglet serum using the immunoglobulin immunocrit on
      Day 1 of age provides a simple, inexpensive indication of the amount of colostrum
      acquired by the piglet in the first day of life. Relationships between serum
      immunoglobulin immunocrit measures and subsequent growth rates, age at puberty,
      incidence of puberty failure, litter size, and lactation performance were
      examined in pigs born and subsequently farrowing between 2009 and 2013.
      Immunoglobulin immunocrit measures were collected on 16,762 piglets on Day 1 of
      age. Of these piglets, BW measurements were available from 15,324 (7,684 males
      and 7,640 females) piglets at a range of ages from weaning to 200 d of age,
      allowing an assessment of growth rates. Age at puberty was recorded from a subset
      of 2,857 of the females after observing them for estrous behavior from
      approximately 170 to 250 d of age. To examine relationships between d 1
      immunocrit and puberty failure, gilts with immunocrit measures that failed to
      reach puberty (n = 119) were matched with littermate gilts with immunocrit
      measures that achieved puberty (n = 167). Similarly, number born alive was
      collected on a subset (n = 799) of females from first to fourth parities for
      which d 1 immunocrits were measured on them as neonates. Finally, d 1 immunocrit
      effect on adult lactational competence was assessed by measuring litter average
      (offspring of 440 females) and litter average piglet preweaning growth rate
      (offspring of 774 females) in females where d 1 immunocrits were available from
      them as neonates. Results indicated that low d 1 immunocrits were subsequently
      associated with reduced growth (P < 0.01), increased age at puberty (P < 0.01),
      reduced number born alive (P < 0.05), reduced litter average immunocrit (P <
      0.05), and reduced litter average preweaning growth rate during lactation (P <
      0.05). This suggests that management efforts to improve the amount of colostrum
      ingested by neonatal piglets would result in beneficial changes in production
      efficiency, particularly for gilts destined for the breeding herd. It also
      suggests that the immunoglobulin immunocrit can be useful in monitoring colostrum
      ingestion to maximize the beneficial effects of colostrum on subsequent
      performance.

PMID- 26115261
TI  - Long term vitamin A restriction improves meat quality parameters and modifies
      gene expression in Iberian pigs.
AB  - Vitamin A is a key regulator of gene expression, influencing adipogenesis and
      lipid metabolism in animal tissues. This experiment was conducted to assess the
      effect of dietary vitamin A level and administration time on productive traits,
      intramuscular fat (IMF) content in ham muscles, tissue fatty acid composition,
      and expression of a panel of adipogenic and lipogenic candidate genes in Iberian
      pigs. Sixty piglets of 16.3 kg (SD = 2.5 kg) live weight (LW) were either fed a
      vitamin A-enriched diet (10,000 IU vitamin A/kg; CONTROL, n = 20) or a diet
      without supplemented vitamin A, applied from 16.3 kg (SD = 2.5 kg; early
      restriction group, ER, n = 20) or from an average weight of 35.8 kg (SD = 3.1 kg;
      late restriction group, LR, n = 20). Two slaughters were performed when pigs
      reached the averaged weights of 101.4 (SD = 4.1 kg) and 157.9 kg LW (SD = 7 kg)
      and samples from liver, heart, and backfat were obtained in both sacrifice times.
      In addition, ham subcutaneous fat and Semimembranosus (SM) and Biceps Femoris
      (BF) muscles were sampled at the last sacrifice. Dietary vitamin A level produced
      no effect on carcass traits in any of the harvests, while a small effect was
      observed on fatty acid composition in backfat at 101.4 kg LW. However, at 157.9
      kg LW, the ER and LR groups showed higher MUFA content and lower SFA content in
      backfat, ham fat, and IMF (P < 0.01). In IMF, a decrease in n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio
      was observed in the restricted groups (P < 0.005). Intramuscular fat content in
      SM muscle was greater (P < 0.05) in the ER group than in the CONTROL and LR
      groups, while no difference was detected in BF muscle. Little effect of dietary
      vitamin A was observed in liver. Regarding changes in gene expression, ACSL4,
      CEBPB, and IGF1 genes were upregulated (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, and P < 0.05,
      respectively) in the ER group in hepatic tissue, whereas CRABPII and SCD genes
      were upregulated (P < 0.05) in the same group in adipose tissue. On the other
      hand, was downregulated ( < 0.05) in the ER group in adipose tissue. Results
      found in this experiment show that long-term restriction of dietary vitamin A has
      a positive effect on nutritional and sensorial parameters of ham meat. Moreover,
      gene expression results were consistent with the vitamin A transcriptional
      regulation of adipogenesis and lipogenesis and with the changes observed in meat
      and fat composition.

PMID- 26115262
TI  - Divergent selection for residual feed intake affects the transcriptomic and
      proteomic profiles of pig skeletal muscle.
AB  - Improving feed efficiency is a relevant strategy to reduce feed cost and
      environmental waste in livestock production. Selection experiments on residual
      feed intake (RFI), a measure of feed efficiency, previously indicated that low
      RFI was associated with lower feed intake, similar growth rate, and greater lean
      meat content compared with high RFI. To gain insights into the molecular
      mechanisms underlying these differences, 24 Large White females from 2 lines
      divergently selected for RFI were examined. Pigs from a low-RFI ("efficient") and
      high-RFI ("inefficient") line were individually fed ad libitum from 67 d of age
      (27 kg BW) to slaughter at 115 kg BW (n = 8 per group). Additional pigs of the
      high-RFI line were feed restricted to the daily feed intake of the ad libitum low
      RFI pigs (n = 8) to investigate the impact of selection independently of feed
      intake. Global gene and protein expression profiles were assessed in the LM
      collected at slaughter. The analyses involved a porcine commercial microarray and
      2-dimensional gel electrophoresis. About 1,000 probes were differentially
      expressed (P < 0.01) between RFI lines. Only 10% of those probes were also
      affected by feed restriction. Gene functional classification indicated a greater
      expression of genes involved in protein synthesis and a lower expression of genes
      associated with mitochondrial energy metabolism in the low-RFI pigs compared with
      the high-RFI pigs. At the protein level, 11 unique identified proteins exhibited
      a differential abundance (P < 0.05) between RFI lines. Differentially expressed
      proteins were generally not significantly affected by feed restriction.
      Mitochondrial oxidative proteins such as aconitase hydratase, ATP synthase
      subunit alpha, and creatine kinase S-type had a lower abundance in the low-RFI
      pigs, whereas fructose-biphosphate aldolase A and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
      dehydrogenase, 2 proteins involved in glycolysis, had a greater abundance in
      those pigs compared with high-RFI pigs. Antioxidant proteins such as superoxide
      dismutase and glutathione peroxidase 3 at the mRNA level and peroxiredoxin-6 at
      the protein level were also less expressed in LM of the most efficient pigs,
      likely related to lower oxidative molecule production. Collectively, both the
      transcriptomic and proteomic approaches revealed a lower oxidative metabolism in
      muscle of the low-RFI pigs and all these modifications were largely independent
      of differences in feed intake.

PMID- 26115263
TI  - Effects of dietary energy on sexual maturation and sperm production in Holstein
      bulls.
AB  - In prepubertal bulls and heifers of dairy and beef breeds, puberty can be induced
      to occur earlier than typical with targeted high-energy diets due to precocious
      activation of the endocrine mechanisms that regulate puberty. Precocious
      activation of puberty in bulls intended for use in the AI industry has the
      potential to hasten and perhaps increase sperm production. It was hypothesized
      that feeding bulls a high-energy diet beginning at 8 wk of age would advance the
      prepubertal rise in LH and lead to advanced testicular maturation and age at
      puberty. From 58 to 230 +/- 0.3 d of age, Holstein bulls received either a high
      energy diet (HE;n = 9; targeted ADG 1.5 kg/d) or a control diet (CONT;n = 10;
      targeted ADG 0.75 kg/d). Thereafter, all bulls were fed a similar diet. The HE
      treatment increased LH secretion at 125 d of age, testosterone concentrations
      from 181 to 210 d, and scrotal circumference (SC) from 146 to 360 d of age
      relative to the CONT treatment. Beginning at 241 +/- 5 d of age, semen collection
      (artificial vagina) was attempted every 14 d in bulls from the HE (n = 8) and
      CONT (n = 7) treatment until each bull attained puberty (ejaculate containing 50
      * 10 spermatozoa with 10% motility). To assess semen production as mature bulls,
      semen was collected thrice weekly beginning at 541 +/- 5 d of age until slaughter
      at 569 +/- 5 d of age. After slaughter, epididymal and testicular measurements
      were collected and testicular tissue was fixed to determine seminiferous tubule
      diameter. Age at puberty did not differ between treatments (310 +/- 35 d).
      Although testis and epididymal weight and testis volume were greater (P < 0.05)
      in the HE than the CONT treatment, sperm production of mature bulls did not
      differ between treatments. Diameter of seminiferous tubules also did not differ
      between treatments. We conclude that the HE advanced aspects of sexual maturation
      and increased testes size, but this was not reflected in hastened puberty or
      sperm production in the present experiment.

PMID- 26115264
TI  - Alteration of factors associated with hepatic gluconeogenesis in response to
      acute lipopolysaccharide in dairy goat.
AB  - Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a common pathogenic agent that causes many diseases
      and metabolic disorders. Hypoglycemia is often observed when animals are infected
      with LPS. To explore the influence of LPS on blood glucose and hepatic
      gluconeogenesis in goats, 12 goats were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: the
      LPS-treated group (60 MUg/kg BW of LPS; jugular vein injections) or the control
      group (saline vehicle; jugular vein injections). Blood samples were collected
      from jugular veins at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 h, and liver tissue samples were
      biopsied 8 h after the injections. The dynamic changes in blood glucose levels as
      well as key hepatic gluconeogenic enzyme mRNA and protein expression, ATP and ADP
      levels, and glutathione reductase (GR) activity were determined. The results
      showed that blood glucose levels in the LPS group were dramatically reduced after
      an initial, short-term increase. In liver tissue, the mRNA of key gluconeogenic
      enzymes, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PEPCK1;P < 0.05), fructose-1,6
      bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1;P < 0.01), pyruvate carboxylase (PCB;P < 0.05), and acyl
      CoA synthetase short-chain family member 3 (ACSS3; < 0.01), in the related
      pathways and PPAR-gamma coactivator 1alpha (PGC-1alpha;P < 0.05) were decreased
      in the LPS group compared with those in the control group, whereas glucose-6
      phosphatase (G6Pase-alpha) was not different (P > 0.05). The protein expression
      of PEPCK1 decreased (P < 0.01), whereas that of G6Pase-alpha increased (P < 0.05)
      significantly. The ratio of ADP to ATP ( < 0.05) and the activity of GR (P <
      0.01) were markedly increased in the LPS group compared with those in controls.
      This research showed that LPS markedly affects and reduces blood glucose in dairy
      goats. The crucial reasons for the marked change in blood glucose are the altered
      expression of key gluconeogenic enzymes in different pathways and of essential
      factors associated with gluconeogenesis in the liver.

PMID- 26115265
TI  - Effects of fat-enriched diet and methionine on insulin sensitivity in lactating
      cows.
AB  - The hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (EGC) technique was used to investigate the
      effects of calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids (LCFA-Ca) and rumen-protected
      Met (RPM) on insulin sensitivity in the peripheral tissues of lactating cows. Six
      multiparous Holstein cows were used in a 3 * 3 Latin square experiment in each 14
      d period. Dietary treatments were 0 (RPM0), 20 (RPM20), and 60 (RPM60) g/d of
      RPM, supplemented with a diet containing 1.5% of LCFA-Ca equal to 110% of the
      cows' ME requirement. And as a control for the 3 LCFA-Ca-containing diets, a
      dietary treatment without LCFA-Ca (Con) was also included. After a 10-d
      adaptation period, milk samples were collected for 4 d, and EGC experiments were
      performed on d 14 of each treatment period. Insulin solution was infused through
      a jugular vein catheter at a rate of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 milliunits.kg BW
      1.min-1 for 30 min and then at a rate of 0.5 milliunits.kg BW-1.min-1 for 60 min.
      Glucose solution was variably infused to maintain plasma glucose at steady state
      through the same catheter. Blood samples for measurements were taken using the
      contralateral catheter. Plasma total cholesterol, cholesterol ester, free
      cholesterol, and phospholipid concentrations in RPM0 and RPM20 were higher than
      those in Con, whereas the concentrations in RPM60 were low at the same degree of
      those in RPM0 (P < 0.05). Plasma Met concentration was greatest in RPM60 (P <
      0.05). In the EGC experiment, the glucose infusion rate was greater in RPM60 than
      in RPM0 and RPM20 and an effective concentration of insulin resulting in 50%
      maximal glucose infusion rate was lower in RPM60 compared with RPM0 (P < 0.05),
      indicating that insulin sensitivity was intensified in RPM60. Although the
      insulin sensitivity evaluated from the EGC data in RPM0, RPM20, and RPM60 was not
      different from Con, a slight decline was observed in RPM0 and insulin sensitivity
      in RPM60 was higher than Con. Our results from the EGC experiment demonstrated
      that the feeding RPM lead to increased insulin sensitivity, which suggests that
      dietary Met affects lipid metabolism via insulin action in lactating dairy cows
      fed a LCFA-Ca-containing diet.

PMID- 26115266
TI  - Proteomic analysis of white and yellow seminal plasma in turkeys (Meleagris
      gallopavo).
AB  - Yellow semen syndrome (YSS) is endemic within domestic turkey populations. Yellow
      semen is of lower quality and, when used for insemination, results in reduced
      fertility and hatchability. Little is known about the etiology of YSS. The aim of
      this study was to compare the proteome of white and yellow seminal plasma of
      turkeys using 1) 2-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) to
      quantify seminal plasma proteins and 2) matrix-assisted laser
      desorption/ionization mass spectrometry to identify the proteins that are
      differentially abundant in white and yellow seminal plasma. A total of 49 protein
      spots (30 upregulated and 19 downregulated) were differentially expressed in
      yellow seminal plasma compared with white seminal plasma. Transthyretin and serum
      albumin-like showed a 3-fold increase in seminal plasma from males with YSS, and
      the latter was validated using Western blot analysis. A 3-fold increase was
      observed for hemopexin-like and immunoglobulin light chain V-J-C region.
      Pantetheinase-like showed a 1.3-fold increase. Ovotransferrin, hepatocyte growth
      factor activator, cysteine-rich secretory protein 3-like, and ferritin heavy
      chain-like showed a significant decrease (at least a 1.3-fold decrease) in yellow
      semen. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the precise function of the
      above-mentioned proteins in YSS and to establish quality markers of turkey semen
      to predict the reproductive potential of individual turkeys. 

PMID- 26115267
TI  - Impact of puberty status and melengestrol acetate supplementation before the
      breeding period on reproductive efficiency of Bos indicus beef heifers.
AB  - Two experiments were designed to evaluate the impact of puberty status and the
      administration of melengestrol acetate (MGA) before onset of the breeding period
      on ovulatory responses (Exp. 1) and conception rate after AI performed on estrus
      detection during 10 d and the pregnancy rate through 80 d of breeding period
      (Exp. 2) of pasture-grazed beef heifers. In Exp. 1, heifers (15 pubertal and 15
      prepubertal) received 0.5 mg per heifer/d -1 of MGA over 14 d. No differences in
      the ovulatory responses were found 10 d after the MGA administration (pubertal =
      46.7% vs. prepubertal P = 53.3%; P = 0.72). In Exp. 2, 368 heifers were randomly
      assigned to groups according to pubertal status and the MGA treatment. All
      heifers were inseminated on estrus detection for up 10 d after MGA administration
      and following exposure to bulls between 20 and 80 d. The MGA-treated heifers
      exhibited a greater AI service rate than control heifers (72.1 vs. 41.6%;P <
      0.01); however, heifers receiving MGA had lower conception results following AI
      (51.6 vs. 71.4%; P = 0.01). In addition, MGA-treated heifers were more likely to
      have a corpus luteum in the middle of the breeding period (95.3 vs. 87.5%;P <
      0.01), although the Cox proportional hazard of pregnancy rate was similar (P =
      0.29) at the end of the breeding period. At onset of the breeding period,
      pubertal heifers presented a greater pregnancy rate following AI (pubertal P =
      42.2% vs. prepubertal P = 24.9%; P = 0.01). Therefore, pubertal heifers seem to
      have greater overall reproductive efficiency than prepubertal heifers,
      particularly at the beginning of the breeding period. Interestingly,
      administration of MGA before the onset of the breeding period increased AI
      service rate but did not alter the rate of pregnancy throughout the breeding
      period of pasture-grazed beef heifers.

PMID- 26115268
TI  - Influence of estrus at fixed-time artificial insemination on early embryonic
      development in beef cattle.
AB  - It has been repeatedly demonstrated that estrous expression before fixed-time AI
      (TAI) results in increased pregnancy success. Therefore, the objective of this
      experiment was to determine if preblastocyst embryonic developmental
      characteristics differed from heifers that did or did not exhibit estrus before
      TAI. Beef heifers (n = 113) were synchronized using the 5-d CO-Synch + controlled
      internal drug release device with TAI on d 0. Before TAI, estrous expression was
      assessed twice daily. On d 6, single embryos were collected and visually
      evaluated to determine quality (International Embryo Transfer Society standards;
      1-4, in which 1 = excellent/good and 4 = degenerate) and stage (1-9, in which 1 =
      unfertilized and 9 = expanded hatched blastocyst). Embryos were stained and
      evaluated to determine number of dead blastomeres, number of total blastomeres,
      and number of accessory sperm. Estrous expression before TAI did not affect the
      percent of embryos recovered (P = 0.59), number of dead cells (P = 0.99), or
      number of total cells (P = 0.25). However, heifers that exhibited estrus had
      increased mean (P = 0.03) and median accessory sperm numbers and (P = 0.01)
      percent live cells when compared with nonestrus heifers. Heifers that exhibited
      estrus also produced embryos that had a more advanced stage (P = 0.03) and
      improved quality (P = 0.04) when compared with those heifers not exhibiting
      estrus. When all heifers were evaluated, there was no correlation between
      circulating concentration of estradiol at TAI and embryo quality or embryo stage.
      There was a significant correlation between accessory sperm numbers and embryo
      quality (P = 0.01) and embryo stage (P < 0.01), such that as accessory sperm
      numbers increased, embryo quality and stage increased. In conclusion, exhibiting
      estrus before TAI resulted in improved embryo quality and advanced embryo stage
      on d 6 and increased the number of accessory sperm associated with the embryo.

PMID- 26115269
TI  - Effect of processing of rapeseed under defined conditions in a pilot plant on
      chemical composition and standardized ileal amino acid digestibility in rapeseed
      meal for pigs.
AB  - Five rapeseed meals (RSM) were produced from a single batch of rapeseed in a
      large-scale pilot plant under standardized conditions. The objective was to
      evaluate the effect of residence time in the desolventizer/toaster (DT) on
      chemical composition and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of AA in RSM.
      Four RSM, with 48, 64, 76, and 93 min residence time and using unsaturated steam
      in the DT, referred to as RSM48, RSM64, RSM76, and RSM93, respectively, and 1 low
      glucosinolate RSM, which was subjected to sequential treatment with unsaturated
      steam, saturated steam, and dry heat in the DT, referred to as low-GSL RSM, were
      assayed. Six barrows (average initial BW = 22 +/- 1 kg) were surgically fitted
      with a T-cannula at the distal ileum. Pigs were allotted to a 5 * 6 row * column
      design with 5 diets and 5 periods. The 5 RSM were included in a cornstarch-casein
      based basal diet. In addition, basal ileal endogenous losses and SID of AA
      originating from casein were determined at the conclusion of the experiment in 2
      additional periods by means of the regression method and using 3 graded levels of
      casein. The SID of AA in the 5 RSM was determined in difference to SID of AA
      originating from casein. The glucosinolates (GSL) were efficiently reduced,
      whereas NDF, ADF, ADL, and NDIN contents increased and reactive Lys (rLys) and
      Lys:CP ratio decreased as the residence time in the DT was increased from 48 to
      93 min. The SID of most AA in RSM linearly decreased (P < 0.05) as the residence
      time in the DT increased from 48 to 93 min. Moreover, there was a linear decrease
      (P < 0.05) in SID of AA with increasing NDF, ADF, ADL, and NDIN contents in these
      RSM, whereas SID of AA linearly decreased (P < 0.05) with decreasing levels of
      GSL and rLys and a decreasing Lys:CP ratio. The decrease (P < 0.05) in SID of AA
      amounted from 3 up to 6 (percentage units) for most AA, except for SID of Cys and
      Lys, which decreased by 10 and 11%-units (P < 0.05), respectively, as the
      residence time in the DT was increased from 48 to 93 min. The SID in low-GSL RSM
      was for CP and most AA similar to RSM93 but lower ( < 0.05) compared to RSM48. It
      can be concluded that time and energy-intensive heat treatment results in lower
      contents of SID AA in RSM together with a reduction in GSL levels. The feed
      industry would most likely benefit from a rapid and accurate prediction of SID of
      AA, for example, based on content of NDIN, GSL, rLys or on Lys:CP ratio, in
      different batches of RSM used for feed manufacturing.

PMID- 26115270
TI  - Regression analysis to predict growth performance from dietary net energy in
      growing-finishing pigs.
AB  - Data from 41 trials with multiple energy levels (285 observations) were used in a
      meta-analysis to predict growth performance based on dietary NE concentration.
      Nutrient and energy concentrations in all diets were estimated using the NRC
      ingredient library. Predictor variables examined for best fit models using Akaike
      information criteria included linear and quadratic terms of NE, BW, CP,
      standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys, crude fiber, NDF, ADF, fat, ash, and
      their interactions. The initial best fit models included interactions between NE
      and CP or SID Lys. After removal of the observations that fed SID Lys below the
      suggested requirement, these terms were no longer significant. Including dietary
      fat in the model with NE and BW significantly improved the G:F prediction model,
      indicating that NE may underestimate the influence of fat on G:F. The meta
      analysis indicated that, as long as diets are adequate for other nutrients (i.e.,
      Lys), dietary NE is adequate to predict changes in ADG across different dietary
      ingredients and conditions. The analysis indicates that ADG increases with
      increasing dietary NE and BW but decreases when BW is above 87 kg. The G:F ratio
      improves with increasing dietary NE and fat but decreases with increasing BW. The
      regression equations were then evaluated by comparing the actual and predicted
      performance of 543 finishing pigs in 2 trials fed 5 dietary treatments, included
      3 different levels of NE by adding wheat middlings, soybean hulls, dried
      distillers grains with solubles (DDGS; 8 to 9% oil), or choice white grease (CWG)
      to a corn-soybean meal-based diet. Diets were 1) 30% DDGS, 20% wheat middlings,
      and 4 to 5% soybean hulls (low energy); 2) 20% wheat middlings and 4 to 5%
      soybean hulls (low energy); 3) a corn-soybean meal diet (medium energy); 4) diet
      2 supplemented with 3.7% CWG to equalize the NE level to diet 3 (medium energy);
      and 5) a corn-soybean meal diet with 3.7% CWG (high energy). Only small
      differences were observed between predicted and observed values of ADG and G:F
      except for the low-energy diet containing the greatest fiber content (30% DDGS
      diet), where ADG and G:F were overpredicted by 3 to 6%. Therefore, the prediction
      equations provided a good estimation of the growth rate and feed efficiency of
      growing-finishing pigs fed different levels of dietary NE except for the pigs fed
      the low-energy diet containing the greatest fiber content. 

PMID- 26115271
TI  - Influence of dietary electrolyte balance on feed preference and growth
      performance of postweaned piglets.
AB  - A total of 672 male and female piglets (21 d postweaning; approximately 13 kg BW)
      were selected to be used in 3 different experiments to assess the influence of
      dietary electrolyte balance (dEB; Na + K - Cl, in mEq/kg of diet) on feed
      preference and growth performance. In Exp. 1, piglets were fed 4 isoenergetic
      diets differing in dEB level: 16, 133, 152, and 269 mEq/kg diets. Changes on dEB
      were obtained by changing the levels of sodium and chloride with calcium
      chloride, calcium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate. Piglets fed the 16 and 133
      mEq/kg diets achieved a greater ADG (P < 0.04), BW (P < 0.04), and apparent total
      tract digestibility of CP and Zn (P < 0.05) than did piglets fed the 269 mEq/kg
      diet. The 16 mEq/kg level also reduced blood total CO (P < 0.01), bicarbonate (P
      < 0.01), and base excess (P < 0.02) concentrations compared with the rest of the
      dietary treatments. Three diets differing in dEB were designed for Exp. 2 and 3: 
      16, 151, and 388 mEq/kg diets. In Exp. 2, greater ADFI (P = 0.03), BW (P = 0.02),
      ADG (P < 0.001), and G:F (P < 0.01) were observed for piglets fed the -16 mEq/kg
      diet than those fed the 388 mEq/kg diet. Subsequently, their short-term
      preference for these diets was assessed by using a 2-d choice-test protocol (30
      min). Piglets preferred (P < 0.001) the 388 mEq/kg diet to the -16 mEq/kg diet,
      independently of the dietary treatment they received before. Pigs also preferred
      (P < 0.001) the 151 mEq/kg diet when compared with the -16 mEq/kg diet.
      Experiment 3 assessed the long-term preference and short-term consumption of the 
      16 and 388 mEq/kg diets. Similar to Exp. 2, animals showed a greater (P < 0.001)
      intake of the 388 mEq/kg diet than they did of the -16 mEq/kg diet during both
      the preference (14 d) and 1-feeder (2 h) tests conducted. Results show that low
      rather than high dEB levels optimize growth performance of piglets. When they
      have the opportunity to choose, piglets are unable to select the diet that
      optimizes their performance, either in short- or in long-term preference tests,
      showing also a greater short-term consumption of high instead of low dEB levels.

PMID- 26115272
TI  - The effects of dietary verbascoside on blood and liver oxidative stress status
      induced by a high n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids diet in piglets.
AB  - Twenty-four weaned female Hypor piglets (10.9 +/- 0.1 kg mean BW) were used to
      evaluate the antioxidant effect of a natural extract, titrated in verbascoside,
      on blood and liver oxidative status in relation to a high intake of n-6 PUFA,
      inducing oxidative stress. Piglets were assigned to 1 of 3 experimental groups;
      the first group was fed a diet with 9% sunflower oil (T1) and the second received
      the sunflower oil diet supplemented with 5 mg of verbascoside/kg feed from
      Verbenaceae extract (Lippia spp.; T2). The third group was fed a control diet
      (CTR), in which an isoenergetic replacement of oil by starch was done. Blood
      samples were collected at the beginning and the end of the trial (30 d). At the
      end of the trial, the animals were slaughtered and the liver specimens were
      collected. Oxidative stress markers, including total antiradical activity,
      superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and catalase (CAT)
      activities, were determined in blood samples. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT),
      aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) plasma
      levels were also evaluated. Immunohistochemistry and western blot analyses were
      performed in liver to evaluate heat shock protein (Hsp) 70, Hsp90, and Kupffer
      and Ito cell activation. Liver activities of SOD, GPX, and CAT were also
      determined. Total antiradical activity in blood and red blood cells were affected
      (P < 0.01) by dietary treatments. The n-6 PUFA supplementation at a high dosage
      for 30 d induced oxidative stress, decreasing total antiradical activity in blood
      and red blood cells (CTR vs. T1 + T2; P < 0.01) and plasma CAT activity (CTR vs.
      T1 + T2; P = 0.088) and increasing ALT value (CTR vs. T1 + T2; P < 0.01). Also,
      in liver, the CAT and GPX activities tended to be lower in pigs fed n-6 PUFA
      diets than pigs fed a control diet (CTR vs. T1 + T2; = 0.090 and = 0.085,
      respectively). The liver samples presented a normal architecture and no Ito and
      Kupffer cell activations were observed. In liver, the SOD activity tended to be
      lower in the T1 group (P = 0.064) than in the CTR and T2 groups. Moreover, the
      level of Hsp70 was higher (P < 0.01) in the T1 group than the CTR and T2 groups.
      These data suggest that the dose of dietary verbascoside partially restores the
      antioxidant status of the liver without affecting the systemic responses to
      oxidative stress induced by a high-fat diet.

PMID- 26115273
TI  - Effect of type of fiber, site of fermentation, and method of analysis on
      digestibility of soluble and insoluble fiber in rabbits.
AB  - The effect of type of fiber, site of fermentation, method for quantifying
      insoluble and soluble dietary fiber, and their correction for intestinal mucin on
      fiber digestibility were examined in rabbits. Three diets differing in soluble
      fiber were formulated (8.5% soluble fiber, on DM basis, in the low soluble fiber
      [LSF] diet; 10.2% in the medium soluble fiber [MSF] diet; and 14.5% in the high
      soluble fiber [HSF] diet). They were obtained by replacing half of the dehydrated
      alfalfa in the MSF diet with a mixture of beet and apple pulp (HSF diet) or with
      a mix of oat hulls and soybean protein (LSF diet). Thirty rabbits with ileal T
      cannulas were used to determine ileal and fecal digestibility. Cecal
      digestibility was determined by difference between fecal and ileal digestibility.
      Insoluble fiber was measured as NDF, insoluble dietary fiber (IDF), and in vitro
      insoluble fiber, whereas soluble fiber was calculated as the difference between
      total dietary fiber (TDF) and NDF (TDF-NDF), IDF (TDF-IDF), and in vitro
      insoluble fiber (TDF-in vitro insoluble fiber). The intestinal mucin content was
      used to correct the TDF and soluble fiber digestibility. Ileal and fecal
      concentration of mucin increased from the LSF to the HSF diet group (P < 0.01).
      Once corrected for intestinal mucin, ileal and fecal digestibility of TDF and
      soluble fiber increased whereas cecal digestibility decreased (P < 0.01). Ileal
      digestibility of TDF increased from the LSF to the HSF diet group (12.0 vs.
      28.1%; P < 0.01), with no difference in the cecum (26.4%), resulting in a higher
      fecal digestibility from the LSF to the HSF diet group (P < 0.01). Ileal
      digestibility of insoluble fiber increased from the LSF to the HSF diet group
      (11.3 vs. 21.0%; P < 0.01), with no difference in the cecum (13.9%) and no effect
      of fiber method, resulting in a higher fecal digestibility for rabbits fed the
      HSF diet compared with the MSF and LSF diet groups (P < 0.01). Fecal
      digestibility of NDF was higher compared with IDF or in vitro insoluble fiber (P
      < 0.01). Ileal soluble fiber digestibility was higher for the HSF than for the
      LSF diet group (43.6 vs. 14.5%;P < 0.01) and fiber method did not affect it.
      Cecal soluble fiber digestibility decreased from the LSF to the HSF diet group
      (72.1 vs. 49.2%; P < 0.05). The lowest cecal and fecal soluble fiber
      digestibility was measured using TDF-NDF (P < 0.01). In conclusion, a correction
      for intestinal mucin is necessary for ileal TDF and soluble fiber digestibility
      whereas the selection of the fiber method has a minor relevance. The inclusion of
      sugar beet and apple pulp increased the amount of TDF fermented in the small
      intestine.

PMID- 26115274
TI  - Effects of ractopamine and arginine dietary supplementation for sows on growth
      performance and carcass quality of their progenies.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ractopamine (Rac) and
      Arg fed to pregnant sows from d 25 to 53 of gestation on fetal muscle development
      as well as the performance and carcass characteristics of the progeny. One
      hundred sows were divided into 4 treatments including a control diet, the control
      plus 1% Arg, the control plus 20 mg/kg Rac, and the control diet supplemented
      with both additives at the same levels as those used separately. During the
      farrowing process the data evaluated were the weight of placenta to calculate the
      placental efficiency and the number of piglets born alive, stillborn, and
      mummified. To evaluate the fiber number and area, 12 male piglets from each
      treatment were euthanized to harvest semitendinosus muscle. During the lactation,
      the preweaning mortality, weaned weights, and number of piglets weaned per litter
      were evaluated. After weaning, the pig performance was evaluated until the
      slaughter following the sow treatment. At end of finishing phase, 1 male pig of
      each treatment replicate was selected to evaluation the carcass and pork quality.
      All variables measured were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS and least
      squares means were compared using the Tukey test with P < 0.05. The control diet
      + supplementation of 1.0% of L-Arg + 20 mg/kg of ractopamine HCl from d 25 to 53
      of gestation (Arg+Rac) treatment had a greater number of stillborn piglets (P =
      0.014) than the control group. Piglet birth weights from sows fed Rac were 11%
      greater (P = 0.031) than those of piglets of the control treatment. The
      semitendinosus muscle fiber diameters of piglets at birth from sows that received
      Arg, Rac, and Arg+Rac were greater (P < 0.0001) than those of control piglets,
      and as consequence, the fiber number per square millimeter decreased (P <
      0.0001). The final nursery BW of progeny from sows fed Arg and Rac individually
      were greater (P = 0.010) than those of progeny of the control group. At 110 d of
      age, in the beginning of the finisher 1 phase, pigs from Arg-fed sows were 1.9 kg
      heavier (P = 0.010) than pigs from the Arg+Rac-fed sows. The HCW were 2.97 and
      1.64 kg heavier (P < 0.0001) for progeny of the Arg and Rac sows, respectively,
      compared with those of progeny of the control. In conclusion, the trial showed
      that the use of Rac for gestating sows increased the piglets' weight at birth.
      The size of muscular fiber was increased in the semitendinosus muscle of piglets
      originating from sows receiving Rac or Arg. However, the combination of both
      compounds did not have an additive effect in comparison with the control
      treatment but increased the stillbirth number.

PMID- 26115275
TI  - Xylanase increased the ileal digestibility of nonstarch polysaccharides and
      concentration of low molecular weight nondigestible carbohydrates in pigs fed
      high levels of wheat distillers dried grains with solubles.
AB  - The objective was to study the effect of a commercially available xylanase (CAX),
      an experimental xylanase (EX), and EX in combination with protease (EXP) on the
      degradation of nondigestible carbohydrates (NDC) and apparent ileal digestibility
      (AID) of nutrients in wheat distillers dried grains with solubles (wDDGS). The
      control and 3 enzyme diets contained 96% wDDGS supplemented with vitamins,
      minerals, L-lysine, and chromic oxide as a digestibility marker in addition to
      enzyme premix. Eight ileal cannulated pigs were fed 4 experimental diets
      containing 96% wDDGS-a control diet or 1 of 3 diets with CAX, EX, or EXP-in a
      double 4 * 4 Latin square design. The experimental period lasted 7 d; adaptation
      lasted 4 d, and the ileal digesta were collected for 8 h on d 5 and 7, when spot
      samples of feces were also collected. Digesta samples were analyzed for NDC,
      total and soluble nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP), low molecular weight (LMW)
      NDC, OM, CP, fat, starch, and marker. Compared with the control diet, addition of
      CAX, EX, and EXP increased the AID of arabinoxylan by 32 (P < 0.001), 28 (P =
      0.001), and 24% (P = 0.004), respectively. In addition, EXP increased the AID of
      noncellulosic polysaccharide glucose by 21% compared with the control (P =
      0.005). Compared with the control, addition of EX, EXP, and CAX decreased the
      concentration of soluble arabinoxylan in ileal digesta by 40 (P < 0.0001), 40 (P
      < 0.0001), and 21% (P = 0.022), respectively. Furthermore, addition of CAX, EXP,
      and EX increased the concentration of LMW arabinoxylan in ileal digesta by 40 (P
      = 0.0001), 36 (P = 0.0006), and 24% (P = 0.023), respectively, compared with the
      control. Addition of EX and EXP decreased the concentration of soluble NSP of
      ileal digesta by 25 (P = 0.001) and 26% (P < 0.001), respectively, compared with
      the control diet. Addition of CAX (P < 0.0001) and EXP (P = 0.013) increased the
      arabinose-to-xylose ratio in the insoluble arabinoxylan fraction in ileal digesta
      compared with the control diet, and CAX increased the uronic acid-to-xylose ratio
      of the ileal insoluble NSP fraction (P < 0.0001) compared with the control diet.
      Enzyme addition did not affect AID of OM, CP, starch, and fat (P > 0.3). In
      conclusion, addition of xylanases to wDDGS diets increased the ileal
      digestibility of NSP and generated LMW NDC components in the small intestine of
      pigs but did not affect ileal digestibility of nutrients in the current study.

PMID- 26115276
TI  - Effect of in vitro and in vivo 25-hydroxyvitamin D treatment on macrophages, T
      cells, and layer chickens during a coccidia challenge.
AB  - This article describes the in vitro and in vivo effects of a 25
      hydroxycholecalciferol (25[OH]D) treatment in layer hens during a mixed coccidia
      challenge. HD11 cells (chicken macrophage cell line) were treated in vitro with a
      coccidia antigen or in a medium supplemented with either 1,25
      dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25[OH]2D) or 25(OH)D. HD11 cells treated in vitro
      with 200 nM of 1,25(OH)2D had increased nitrite production (P < 0.01) compared
      with HD11 cells treated with 0 or 200 nM of 25(OH)D. Treating HD11 cells with
      25(OH)D decreased IL-10 mRNA by 1.7-fold, but 1,25(OH)2D treatment increased the
      amount of IL-10 mRNA by 2.7-fold (P < 0.01) compared with the group treated with
      0 nM of 25(OH)D. Post-coccidial antigen stimulation, 25(OH)D or 1,25(OH)2D
      treatment decreased (P < 0.01) 1alpha-hydroxylase mRNA amounts in HD11 cells.
      Stimulating primary T cells in vitro with Concanavalin A (Con-A) decreased (P =
      0.020) the 1alpha-hydroxylase mRNA amounts by 3-fold. ConA-B1-VICK cells (chicken
      T cell line) stimulated with 100 nM 1,25(OH)2D or with supernatants from HD11
      cells treated with 25(OH)D plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS) had 1.3-fold less (P <
      0.01) interferon (IFN)-gamma mRNA compared with the group treated with 25(OH)D.
      Layer birds were fed a basal diet supplemented with 25(OH)D at 6.25, 25, 50, or
      100 MUg/kg, and at 21 d of age orally challenged with 1 * 10(5) live coccidia
      oocysts. Compared with birds fed similar levels of 25(OH)D and unchallenged with
      the coccidia oocyst, birds challenged with the coccidia oocyst had 15% reduced BW
      gain in the groups supplemented with either 6.25, 25, or 50 MUg/kg of 25(OH)D,
      but only a 4% reduced BW gain in birds fed 100 MUg/kg of 25(OH)D (P < 0.01).
      Birds fed 100 MUg/kg 25(OH)D had decreased (P = 0.012) CD8+ cell percentages in
      cecal tonsils in both coccidial oocyst challenged and unchallenged birds,
      compared with birds fed 6.25 MUg/kg 25(OH) and unchallenged with coccidial
      oocysts. At 15 d post-coccidia challenge, birds fed 100 MUg/kg 25(OH)D and
      challenged with coccidial oocysts had 17% more CD4+CD25+ cells (P = 0.018) in the
      cecal tonsil compared with the birds fed 100 MUg/kg 25(OH)D and unchallenged with
      coccidial oocysts. At d 6 post-coccidia challenge, birds fed 100 MUg/kg 25(OH)D
      had a 3.5-fold increase (P < 0.01) in IL-10 mRNA amounts in the cecal tonsils
      compared with birds fed 6.25 MUg/kg 25(OH)D. In conclusion, supplementing birds
      with 100 MUg/kg 25(OH)D could be a nutritional strategy to reduce the production
      losses post-coccidia challenge.

PMID- 26115277
TI  - The effects of feeding sorghum dried distillers grains with solubles on finishing
      pig growth performance, carcass characteristics, and fat quality.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding sorghum dried
      distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) in grain sorghum- or corn-based diets on
      pig growth performance, carcass characteristics, and carcass fat quality. A total
      of 288 finishing pigs (BW 58.8 +/- 4.43 kg; Line TR 4 * 1050, PIC,
      Hendersonville, TN) were used in a 73-d study. Pigs were allotted to 1 of 6
      dietary treatments with 6 pens of 8 pigs per treatment. Treatments included grain
      sorghum-based diets with 0%, 15%, 30%, or 45% sorghum DDGS (29.0% CP, 7.2% ether
      extract); a grain sorghum-based diet with 30% corn DDGS (25.7% CP, 8.7% ether
      extract); and a corn-based diet with 30% corn DDGS. The diets were formulated to
      0.95%, 0.83%, and 0.71% standardized ileal digestible Lys in phases 1, 2, and 3,
      respectively, and were not balanced for energy. On d 73, a subsample of 72 pigs
      (1 barrow and 1 gilt/pen) was harvested at Kansas State University's Meats
      Laboratory. Carcass traits were calculated, as well as 10th-rib LM color,
      marbling and firmness, and fat color score. Fat samples from the 10th rib were
      collected and analyzed for fatty acid profile, which was used to calculate iodine
      value (IV). The remaining pigs were transported to a commercial packing plant
      (Triumph Foods, St. Joseph, MO) for carcass measurement and jowl IV
      determinations. Overall, increasing the dietary sorghum DDGS reduced (linear, P <
      0.01) ADG and increased (linear, P < 0.01) back fat IV. Pigs fed increasing
      sorghum DDGS had decreased 10th-rib fat a* (less red) and b* (less yellow; P <
      0.01 and 0.06, respectively). No differences were observed in growth performance
      or back fat IV among pigs fed corn- or grain sorghum-based diets with 30% corn
      DDGS. Pigs fed the grain sorghum-based diet with 30% corn DDGS had fat color that
      was more yellow (b*; P < 0.03) than that of pigs fed the grain sorghum-based diet
      with 30% sorghum DDGS. Pigs fed the grain sorghum-based diet with 30% sorghum
      DDGS also had decreased back fat IV (P < 0.01) and fat that was whiter (L*; P <
      0.02) than that of those fed the grain sorghum-based diet with corn DDGS. Pigs
      fed grain sorghum with 30% sorghum DDGS had lower (P < 0.01) back fat IV than
      pigs fed corn with 30% corn DDGS. Feeding a grain sorghum-based diet with
      increasing sorghum DDGS reduces ADG when diets are not balanced for energy but,
      when fed at 30% of the diet, produces firmer pork fat than feeding a corn-based
      diet with 30% corn DDGS, which may be preferred for pork export markets.

PMID- 26115278
TI  - Amino acid, phosphorus, and energy digestibility of Aspergillus niger fermented
      rapeseed meal fed to growing pigs.
AB  - Fermented rapeseed meal (FRSM) contains greater levels of protein and less
      glucosinolates, NDF, and phytic acid than rapeseed meal (RSM) and might be an
      attractive feedstuff for swine, but its nutritional value has been poorly
      characterized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional value of RSM
      fermented by for growing pigs. In Exp. 1, 6 barrows (21.20 +/- 1.47 kg initial
      BW) fitted with a T-cannula in the distal ileum were allotted to a repeated 3 * 3
      Latin square with 3 diets and 3 periods per square to determine the apparent
      ileal digestibility (AID) and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of CP and
      AA. A N-free diet and 2 diets containing RSM or FRSM as the only source of AA
      were formulated. Results indicated that there was no difference in AID and SID of
      CP and most AA between FRSM and RSM. However, the AID of 2 indispensable AA (Lys
      and Met) and 3 dispensable AA (Asp, Gly, and Tyr) were greater (P < 0.05) for
      FRSM than for RSM. The SID of only 2 dispensable AA (Gly and Tyr) were greater (P
      < 0.05) for FRSM than for RSM. In Exp. 2, 16 barrows (32.57 +/- 2.67 kg initial
      BW) were allotted to 2 diets formulated to contain RSM or FRSM as the sole source
      of P to determine the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of P. The ATTD
      and standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of P in FRSM were 72.10 and
      77.31%, respectively. These values were greater (P < 0.01) than in RSM (34.79 and
      41.34%, respectively). In Exp. 3, 24 growing barrows (32.23 +/- 1.33 kg initial
      BW) were fed 3 diets with 8 replicate pigs per diet to measure concentration of
      DE and ME of FRSM. A corn diet consisting of 98.40% corn was formulated and 2
      additional diets were formulated by mixing corn with 35% RSM or FRSM. The DE and
      ME in FRSM (2,887 and 2,650 kcal/kg of DM, respectively) were greater (P < 0.05)
      than those in RSM (2,609 and 2,328 kcal/kg of DM, respectively). In summary,
      solid-state fermentation of RSM by has a greater nutritional value than RSM and
      is a promising alternative high-quality protein source.

PMID- 26115279
TI  - Vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids independently attenuate plasma concentrations
      of proinflammatory cytokines and prostaglandin E3 in Escherichia coli
      lipopolysaccharide-challenged growing-finishing pigs.
AB  - This study tested the hypothesis that vitamin E (Vit E) and omega-3 fatty acids
      will additively attenuate the production of proinflammatory cytokines and PGE2 in
      immune system-stimulated growing-finishing pigs. A total of 80 mixed sex pigs
      weighing 50.7 +/- 0.76 kg (mean +/- SE) were blocked and stratified based on sex
      and BW to a 2 * 2 factorial design with the respective factors being 1) without
      and with 300 IU Vit E and 2) without and with 25% replacement of tallow to
      linseed oil as a source of n-3 fatty acids. Each treatment consisted of 4
      replicate pens with 5 pigs (3 barrows and 2 gilts) per pen. All pigs were
      challenged with an intramuscular injection of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS; O111:B4) twice weekly over the 6-wk experiment. After LPS challenge, pigs
      fed a diet supplemented with n-3 fatty acids had fewer (P < 0.05) white blood
      cells and tended to show both a reduced (P < 0.10) proportion of lymphocytes and
      IgG concentration compared with pigs fed a diet without any supplements.
      Supplementation of n-3 fatty acids reduced (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05) serum
      concentrations of cortisol and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha),
      respectively. The serum concentration of PGE2 was decreased (P < 0.05) with
      supplementation of both Vit E and n-3 fatty acids; however, the extent of the
      reduction was greater (P < 0.001) in pigs fed an n-3 fatty acid-supplemented
      diet. However, there were no additive effects of the combined supplementation of
      Vit E and n-3 fatty acids on serum concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines
      and PGE2. The results suggest that n-3 fatty acids independently attenuate
      production of TNF-alpha and PGE2 in immune system-stimulated growing-finishing
      pigs.

PMID- 26115280
TI  - Impact of dietary lipids on sow milk composition and balance of essential fatty
      acids during lactation in prolific sows.
AB  - Two studies were designed to determine the effects of supplementing diets with
      lipid sources of EFA (linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid) on sow milk composition
      to estimate the balance of EFA for sows nursing large litters. In Exp. 1, 30
      sows, equally balanced by parity (1 and 3 to 5) and nursing 12 pigs, were fed
      diets supplemented with 6% animal-vegetable blend (A-V), 6% choice white grease
      (CWG), or a control diet without added lipid. Diets were corn-soybean meal based
      with 8% corn distiller dried grains with solubles and 6% wheat middlings and
      contained 3.25 g standardized ileal digestible Lys/Mcal ME. Sows fed lipid
      supplemented diets secreted greater amounts of fat (P = 0.082; 499 and 559 g/d
      for control and lipid-added diets, respectively) than sows fed the control diet.
      The balance of EFA was computed as apparent ileal digestible intake of EFA minus
      the outflow of EFA in milk. For sows fed the control diet, the amount of linoleic
      acid secreted in milk was greater than the amount consumed, throughout lactation.
      This resulted in a pronounced negative balance of linoleic acid (-22.4, -38.0,
      and -14.1 g/d for d 3, 10, and 17 of lactation, respectively). In Exp. 2, 50
      sows, equally balanced by parity and nursing 12 pigs, were randomly assigned to a
      2 * 2 factorial arrangement of diets plus a control diet without added lipids.
      Factors included linoleic acid (2.1% and 3.3%) and alpha-linolenic acid (0.15%
      and 0.45%). The different concentrations of EFA were obtained by adding 4% of
      different mixtures of canola, corn, and flaxseed oils to diets. The n-6 to n-3
      fatty acid ratios in the diets ranged from 5 to 22. Increasing supplemental EFA
      increased (P < 0.001) milk concentrations of linoleic (16.7% and 20.8%, for 2.1%
      and 3.3% linoleic acid, respectively) and alpha-linolenic acid (P < 0.001; 1.1
      and 1.9% for 0.15 and 0.45% alpha-linolenic acid, respectively). Increasing
      supplemental EFA increased the estimated balance of alpha-linolenic acid (P <
      0.001; -0.2 and 5.3 g/d for 0.15% and 0.45% alpha-linolenic acid, respectively),
      but not linoleic acid (P = 0.14; -3.4 and 10.0 g/d for 2.1% and 3.3% linoleic
      acid, respectively). In conclusion, lipid supplementation to sow lactation diets
      improved milk fat secretion. The fatty acid composition of milk fat reflected the
      dietary supplementation of EFA. The net effect of supplemental EFA was to create
      a positive balance during lactation, which may prove to be beneficial for the
      development of nursing piglets and the subsequent reproduction of sows.

PMID- 26115281
TI  - Effect of dietary copper amount and source on copper metabolism and oxidative
      stress of weanling pigs in short-term feeding.
AB  - Forty-eight weanling barrows were used to determine the effects of amount and
      source of dietary Cu on Cu metabolism, oxidative stress in the duodenum, and VFA
      ratios in the cecum of weanling pigs in short-term feeding. At 21 d of age, newly
      weaned pigs were stratified by BW (7.03 +/- 1.20 kg) and equally assigned to 1 of
      the following dietary treatments: 1) control (5 mg supplemental Cu/kg diet from
      CuSO4), 2) 225 mg supplemental Cu/kg diet from CuSO4, or 3) 225 mg supplemental
      Cu/kg diet from tribasic Cu chloride (TBCC). Pigs were housed 2 pigs per pen and
      were fed a complex diet until harvest on d 11 and 12. During harvest, bile and
      liver were obtained for mineral analysis, and liver samples were obtained for
      analysis of mRNA expression of Cu regulatory proteins. Digesta of duodenum,
      proximal jejunum, and ileum were collected for soluble Cu analysis. Mucosal
      scrapings of duodenum, proximal jejunum, and ileum were obtained for analysis of
      mucosal Cu concentration and mRNA expression of Cu regulatory proteins. Duodenal
      mucosal scrapings were also collected for analysis of malondialdehyde (MDA). Pigs
      fed high Cu had markedly greater (P < 0.0001) Cu concentrations in the duodenal,
      proximal jejunal, and ileal mucosa than controls. Copper in the duodenal mucosa
      was greater (P = 0.003) in CuSO4 than TBCC pigs. Duodenal MDA concentrations were
      greater (P = 0.003) in CuSO4 vs. control pigs and tended (P = 0.06) to be greater
      than in TBCC pigs. Duodenal antioxidant 1 (Atox1) mRNA was downregulated (P <
      0.01) in pigs fed high Cu compared to controls and was not affected by Cu source.
      Compared with control pigs, those fed CuSO4 and TBCC had greater (P < 0.001)
      liver and bile Cu concentrations. Liver Cu was also greater (P = 0.0007) in TBCC
      than CuSO4-fed pigs. Hepatic Cu transporting beta-polypeptide ATPase (Atp7b) was
      upregulated (P = 0.02) in the Cu-supplemented pigs compared with controls and did
      not differ among Cu sources. The acetate:propionate ratio in cecal contents was
      much greater in pigs supplemented with 225 mg Cu/kg diet than in controls. When
      fed at 225 mg Cu/kg diet, TBCC may cause less oxidative stress in the duodenum
      than CuSO4. Feeding weanling pigs increased Cu resulted in modulation of duodenal
      and liver at the transcription level.

PMID- 26115282
TI  - Effect of the particle size of maize, rice, and sorghum in extruded diets for
      dogs on starch gelatinization, digestibility, and the fecal concentration of
      fermentation products.
AB  - The influence of rice, maize, and sorghum raw material particle size in extruded
      dry dog food on the digestibility of nutrients and energy and the fecal
      concentration of fermentation products was investigated. Three diets with similar
      nutrient compositions were formulated, each with 1 starch source. Before
      incorporation into diets, the cereals were ground into 3 different particle sizes
      (approximately 300, 450, and 600 um); therefore, a total of 9 diets were in a 3 *
      3 factorial arrangement (3 cereals and 3 particle sizes). Fifty-four beagle dogs
      (12.0 +/- 0.1 kg BW) were randomly assigned to the diets, with 6 dogs per diet.
      The digestibility was measured with the chromium oxide method. The data were
      evaluated with ANOVA considering the carbohydrate source, grinding effect, and
      interactions. The means were compared with the Tukey test and polynomial
      contrasts (P < 0.05). With the same grinding procedure, rice was reduced to
      smaller particles than other cereals. The cereal mean geometric diameter (MGD)
      was directly related to starch gelatinization (SG) during extrusion. For rice
      diets, the MGD and SG did not change nutrient digestibility (P > 0.05); only GE
      digestibility was reduced at the largest MGD (P < 0.01). For maize and sorghum
      diets, the total tract apparent nutrient digestibility was reduced for foods with
      greater MGD and less SG (P < 0.01). A linear reduction in nutrient digestibility
      according to cereal particle size was observed for sorghum (r2 < 0.72; P < 0.01).
      Higher concentrations of fecal total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were observed
      for sorghum diets (P < 0.05) than for other diets. The rice diets led to the
      production of feces with less lactate (P < 0.05). The increase in raw material
      MGD did not influence fecal SCFA for rice diets, but for the dogs fed maize and
      sorghum foods, an increase in propionate and butyrate concentrations were
      observed as MGD increased (P < 0.05). In conclusion, for dogs fed different
      particle sizes of the cereal starches in the extruded diets, the digestibility
      and fecal characteristics were affected, and this effect was ingredient
      dependent.

PMID- 26115283
TI  - Spray-dried chicken plasma improves intestinal digestive function and regulates
      intestinal selected microflora in weaning piglets.
AB  - One hundred forty-four 25-d-old weaning piglets with BW of 6.43 +/- 0.39 kg were
      used in a 28-d trail to evaluate the effects of dietary addition of spray-dried
      chicken plasma (SDCP) as a replacement for spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) on
      growth performance, nutrient digestibility, diarrhea incidence, small intestinal
      morphology, digestive enzyme activity, and microflora. Pigs were randomly
      allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments: 1) CON (control; a basal diet), 2) SDPP
      (containing 5% SDPP), 3) SDPP + SDCP (containing 2.5% SDPP and 2.5% SDCP), and 4)
      SDCP (containing 5% SDCP). Six pigs from each treatment were randomly selected to
      collect serum and intestinal samples. Compared with the CON group, both the SDPP
      and the SDPP + SDCP groups improved final BW of pigs (P < 0.05), but there were
      no differences among the SDPP, SDPP + SDCP, and SDCP groups. From d 1 to 14 and d
      15 to 28, pigs fed the SDPP and SDPP + SDCP diets had a greater (P < 0.05) ADG
      than pigs fed the CON diet. During the overall period, both ADG and ADFI of pigs
      in the SDPP and SDPP + SDCP groups were improved (P < 0.05) compared with pigs in
      the CON group. Furthermore, pigs fed diets containing SDPP or SDCP had a greater
      (P < 0.05) apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of CP, ether extract, Ca,
      and ash and less (P < 0.05) incidence of diarrhea than pigs fed the CON diet.
      However, no differences were observed for ATTD and diarrhea incidence between the
      SDPP and SDCP groups. Compared with the CON group, duodenal villus height and the
      ratio of villi to crypt were increased (P < 0.05) in the SDPP, SDPP + SDCP, and
      SDCP groups and jejunal crypt depth was decreased in the SDPP + SDCP and SDCP
      groups (P < 0.05). Pigs in the SDPP group had greater (P < 0.05) activities of
      amylase, maltase, and trypsin than pigs in the CON group. However, no significant
      differences were observed between the SDCP and SDPP groups. Additionally,
      inclusion of SDCP in diet decreased (P < 0.05) the population of Escherichia
      coli. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the addition of SDCP in
      pigs' diet had an effect similar to SDPP on improving growth performance through
      the promotion of the small intestinal development, increasing digestive enzymes
      activities, enhancing ATTD of nutrients, and decreasing diarrhea incidence.

PMID- 26115284
TI  - Effects of feed grade L-methionine on intestinal redox status, intestinal
      development, and growth performance of young chickens compared with conventional
      DL-methionine.
AB  - This study was conducted to test the effects of supplemental L-Met on redox
      status, gut development, and growth performance of young broiler chickens
      compared with DL-Met. A total of 888 (half male and half female) 1-d-old Ross 308
      chickens were weighed and randomly allotted to 7 treatments in a randomized
      complete block design for 21 d, including a basal diet (BD), the BD + 0.095% L
      Met or DL-Met, the BD + 0.190% L-Met or DL-Met, and the BD + 0.285% L-Met or DL
      Met (representing 60, 70, 80, and 90% of the Met + Cys requirement). Feed
      disappearance and BW were recorded every 7 d. Liver and duodenum samples were
      collected on d 0, 7, and 21 to measure redox status and intestine morphology. On
      d 7, chicks fed a diet supplemented with either 0.285% L-Met or 0.285% DL-Met had
      increased (P < 0.05) concentrations of glutathione (GSH) and reduced (P < 0.05)
      protein carbonyl (PC) and malonedialdehyde contents in duodenum mucosa compared
      with chicks fed the BD. Chicks fed a diet supplemented with 0.285% L-Met had
      greater (P < 0.05) villus width compared with chicks fed a diet supplemented with
      0.285% DL-Met. Chicks fed a diet supplemented with 0.285% L-Met had lower (P <
      0.05) crypt depth and greater (P < 0.05) villus height:crypt depth ratio compared
      with chicks fed a diet supplemented with 0.285% DL-Met or the BD. On d 21, chicks
      fed a diet supplemented with 0.285% L-Met had increased (P < 0.01) concentrations
      of GSH and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) but reduced (P < 0.05) PC content in
      duodenum mucosa compared with chicks fed a diet supplemented with 0.285% DL-Met
      and the BD. Chicks fed a diet supplemented with 0.285% L-Met had greater (P <
      0.05) villus height compared with chicks fed the BD. During the entire 21-d
      supplementation of either L-Met or DL-Met, ADG and G:F were enhanced (P < 0.01)
      compared with chicks fed the BD. Chicks fed diets supplemented with L-Met had
      greater (P < 0.05) ADG and G:F than chicks fed diets supplemented with DL-Met.
      The relative bioavailability of L-Met to DL-Met for ADG and G:F was 138.2 and
      140.7%, respectively. Overall, supplementation of either L-Met or DL-Met has
      beneficial effects on villus development in association with increased GSH
      production and levels of TAC and reduced protein oxidation in duodenum.
      Supplementation of L-Met served a better function on redox status and development
      of the gut of chicks compared with DL-Met. Chicks fed diets with L-Met had better
      growth response than chicks fed diets with DL-Met.

PMID- 26115285
TI  - Effects of dietary soybean meal concentration on growth and immune response of
      pigs infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.
AB  - An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of dietary soybean meal
      (SBM) concentration on the growth performance and immune response of pigs
      infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Four
      experimental treatments included a 2 * 2 factorial arrangement of 2 dietary SBM
      concentrations, 17.5% (LSBM) or 29% (HSBM), and 2 levels of PRRSV infection,
      uninfected sham or PRRSV infected. Sixty-four weanling pigs of split sex (21 d of
      age, 7.14 +/- 0.54 kg) were individually housed in disease containment chambers.
      Pigs were provided a common diet for 1 wk postweaning before being equalized for
      BW and sex and allotted to 4 treatment groups with 16 replicate pigs per group.
      Pigs were fed experimental diets for 1 wk before receiving either a sham
      inoculation (sterile PBS) or a 1 * 10 50% tissue culture infective dose of PRRSV
      at 35 d of age (0 d postinoculation, DPI). Pig BW and feed intake were recorded
      weekly, and rectal temperatures were measured daily beginning on 0 DPI. Blood was
      collected on 0, 3, 7, and 14 DPI for determination of serum PRRSV load,
      differential complete blood cell counts, and haptoglobin and cytokine
      concentrations. Infection with PRRSV increased (P < 0.01) rectal temperatures of
      pigs throughout the infection period, with no influence of dietary SBM
      concentration. Pigs in the PRRSV-infected group had lower (P < 0.01) ADFI and G:F
      from 0 to 14 DPI compared with uninfected pigs. In the PRRSV-infected group, pigs
      fed HSBM tended to have improved ADG (P = 0.06) compared with pigs fed LSBM,
      whereas there was no influence of SBM concentration on growth of pigs in the
      uninfected group. At 14 DPI, PRRSV-infected pigs fed HSBM had a lower serum PRRSV
      load (P < 0.05), a higher (P = 0.02) hematocrit value, and a tendency for greater
      hemoglobin concentration (P = 0.09) compared with pigs fed LSBM. Serum
      haptoglobin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations of PRRSV-infected pigs
      were lower (P < 0.05) in pigs fed HSBM at 3 and 14 DPI, respectively, than in
      pigs fed LSBM. Overall, increasing the dietary SBM concentration modulated the
      immune response and tended to improve the growth of nursery pigs during a PRRSV
      infection.

PMID- 26115286
TI  - Peanut cake as a substitute for soybean meal in the diet of goats.
AB  - This study aimed to test the hypothesis that peanut cake can substitute for
      soybean meal in the feed of ruminants on the basis of the intake, performance,
      digestion, and serum urea and glucose concentration in crossbred Boer *
      indigenous goat kids. Forty intact vaccinated and dewormed crossbred Boer *
      indigenous goat kids (average age = 5 mo, average BW = 15.6 +/- 2.7 kg) were
      used. The goats were fed Tifton-85 (Cynodon dactylon) hay and concentrate mixes
      of corn bran, soybean meal, premix mineral, and peanut cake substituted for
      soybean meal at rates of 0.0%, 33.33%, 66.67%, and 100%. The animals were
      confined for 62 d, and the digestibility trial was performed from d 27 to 31 of
      confinement. Samples of orts and feces were quantified and collected from each
      animal during this period. On the d 32 of confinement, a blood sample was taken
      from animals to measure urea N and glucose. Data were analyzed with a regression
      model. Substitution of soybean meal with peanut cake in the diet of the animals
      resulted in a reduction in intake of DM (P = 0.02), CP (P = 0.03), NDF (P =
      0.03), nonfiber carbohydrate (NFC; P = 0.01), and TDN (P = 0.02) and an increase
      in intake of ether extract (P < 0.001). The total and daily average weight gains
      decreased (P = 0.02) with substitution, whereas G:F was not influenced (P =
      0.11). With the exception of ether extract digestibility, which increased (P <
      0.001) with substitution, digestibility of DM (P = 0.13), OM (P = 0.18), CP (P =
      0.54), NDF (P = 0.20), and NFC (P = 0.73) was not influenced by diets. The
      concentration of serum urea N was influenced quadratically by the postprandial
      time for treatments with 33.33%, 66.67%, and 100.00% substitution. Peanut cake is
      not a complete, equal substitute for soybean meal in goat feed. However, peanut
      cake may represent an eventual replacer able to reduce goat producers' dependence
      on traditional ingredients in the feed of growing goat kids.

PMID- 26115287
TI  - A comparison of nitrogen utilization and urea metabolism between Tibetan and fine
      wool sheep.
AB  - To study metabolic adaptation to harsh foraging conditions, an experiment was
      conducted to characterize and quantify N utilization efficiency and urea
      metabolism in Tibetan and fine-wool sheep fed 4 levels of dietary N (11.0, 16.7,
      23.1, and 29.2 g N/kg DM) in 2 concurrent 4 * 4 Latin square designs. Urea
      kinetics were determined using continuous intrajugular infusions of 15N15N-urea.
      Urinary excretions of total N and urea N increased linearly (P < 0.001) with
      dietary N and were not different between breeds (P >= 0.37). Fecal N excretion
      increased with dietary N for Tibetan sheep but not for fine-wool sheep (linear
      dietary N * breed; P < 0.05). Nitrogen retention (both amount per day and
      percentage of N intake) increased with increasing dietary N concentration (P <
      0.001), and the rates of increase were greater in fine-wool than in Tibetan sheep
      (linear dietary N * breed and cubic dietary N * breed; P < 0.05). In Tibetan
      sheep, N retention as a percentage of intake was greatest for diets containing
      16.7 g N/kg DM, whereas it was maximal for fine-wool sheep when the diet
      contained 23.1 g N/kg DM. Urea N entry rate, urea N recycled to the
      gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and urea N returned to the ornithine cycle all
      increased with dietary N (P < 0.05), and all were greater in Tibetan than fine
      wool sheep for the 11.0 g N/kg DM diet but were greater in fine-wool than Tibetan
      sheep for the diet with 29.2 g N/kg DM (linear dietary N * breed; P < 0.05). Urea
      N excreted in feces, both amount and fraction of GIT entry rate, was less in
      Tibetan than fine-wool sheep for the 11.0 and 16.7 g N/kg DM diets but similar
      for diets with 23.1 or 29.2 g N/kg DM (linear dietary N * breed; P < 0.01). For
      the lowest-protein diet, the fraction of urea N production recycled to the GIT
      was greater in the Tibetan than fine-wool sheep (88% vs. 82%), but for the diet
      with 29.2 g N/kg DM it was greater for fine-wool than Tibetan sheep (46% vs. 39%;
      linear dietary N * breed; P < 0.05). Plasma urea N increased more rapidly in
      response to increasing dietary N concentration for fine-wool sheep than for
      Tibetan sheep (linear dietary N * breed; P < 0.05). Urea tubular load and the
      amount and percentage of urea reabsorbed by the kidney were greater in Tibetan
      than fine-wool sheep (P < 0.05). These results suggest that Tibetan sheep have
      mechanisms that allow them to utilize N more efficiently than the fine-wool sheep
      when dietary N is inadequate.

PMID- 26115288
TI  - Effect of concentrate feeder design on performance, eating and animal behavior,
      welfare, ruminal health, and carcass quality in Holstein bulls fed high
      concentrate diets.
AB  - A total of 240 Holstein bulls (121 +/- 2.0 kg initial BW; 99 +/- 1.0 d of age),
      from 2 consecutive fattening cycles, were randomly allocated in 1 of 6 pens and
      assigned to 1 of the 3 treatments consisting of different concentrate feeder
      designs: a control feeder with 4 feeding spaces (CF), a feeder with less
      concentrate capacity (CFL), and a single-space feeder with lateral protections
      (SF). Each pen had a straw feeder and a drinker. All animals were fed a high
      concentrate diet for ad libitum intake. Concentrate consumption was recorded
      daily using a computerized feeder, straw consumption was recorded weekly, and BW
      was recorded every 14 d. Animal behavior was registered on d 1, 3, 5, 8, and 14
      and every 28 d by scan sampling. Eating behavior at concentrate feeders was
      filmed on d 12, 125, and 206. On d 7, 120, and 204, samples of rumen contents
      were collected for measurement of pH and VFA and blood samples were obtained to
      analyze NEFA, haptoglobin, glucose, and insulin. Animals were slaughtered after
      223 d, and HCW and lesions of the rumen wall and liver were recorded. The
      accumulative concentrate consumption per animal tended (P = 0.09) to be greater
      with CF than with CFL and SF. Also, CV of concentrate consumption was greater (P
      < 0.01) for SF than for CF or CFL. However, feeder design did not influence the
      other performance and carcass data. Also, no differences among treatments in
      rumen wall evaluation and liver abscesses were observed. At 7 and 204 d of study,
      SF bulls had greater (P < 0.05) rumen pH compared with CF and CFL bulls. On d 7,
      the acetate to propionate ratio from SF was greater (P < 0.05) than for CFL or
      CF. At d 7, NEFA of SF were greater (P < 0.05) compared with CF and CFL. Bulls
      fed with CF have the greatest (P < 0.01) concentrate disappearance velocity
      followed by bulls fed with CFL and finally by bulls fed with SF, and this was
      associated with different feeding behaviors. Bulls on SF spent more time (P <
      0.05) eating straw and exhibited fewer (P < 0.05) displacements at concentrate
      feeder than CF and CFL bulls. The CFL bulls exhibited (P < 0.01) more attempted
      mounts and tended (P = 0.10) to exhibit more completed mounts than CF bulls. In
      conclusion, both alternative feeder designs (CFL and SF) are good strategies to
      reduce total concentrate consumption without impairing performance, rumen health,
      or animal welfare in Holstein bulls fed high-concentrate diets. However, at the
      beginning, there was evidence that animals fed using SF had problems with
      adaptation.

PMID- 26115289
TI  - Effects of twenty percent alkaline-treated corn stover without or with yucca
      extract on performance and nutrient mass balance of finishing steers fed modified
      distillers grains-based diets.
AB  - Two experiments were conducted with 192 steers each (during the winter [November
      to May] or summer [June to October]) to evaluate 3 diets with or without Yucca
      schidigera extract in a 3 * 2 factorial on steer growth performance and N mass
      balance. One factor was diet (DM basis): 1) 5% untreated corn stover, 51% corn,
      and 40% modified distillers grains plus solubles (MDGS; CON); 2) 20% calcium
      oxide-treated corn stover (CaO added at 5% of stover DM), 40% MDGS, and 36% corn
      (TRT); or 3) 20% untreated corn stover, 40% MDGS, and 36% corn (NONTRT). The
      other factor was dietary extract at 0 (NOYE) or 1.0 g/d per steer (YE). No
      interaction between diet and YE was detected (P > 0.51) for growth performance
      and carcass traits in winter and only for DMI in summer. Final BW, ADG, DMI, or
      G:F were not different (P >= 0.28) between cattle fed CON and TRT, whereas cattle
      fed NONTRT had lesser ADG, HCW, and G:F compared to CON and TRT in the winter
      experiment. During the summer, final BW and ADG tended to be greater (P >= 0.07)
      for CON compared to TRT. Cattle fed TRT had reduced (P < 0.01) G:F compared to
      CON. No difference was observed (P >= 0.36) between YE and NOYE in the winter
      experiment for performance or carcass traits. In the summer, cattle fed YE had
      greater (P < 0.02) HCW, ADG, and DMI compared to NOYE. In the summer experiment,
      cattle fed YE had greater (P < 0.01) N intake, N excretion, and amount of N lost
      (kg/steer) compared to NOYE, but no difference (P = 0.33) was observed for
      percentage of N volatilized (% of excretion). Diet had no effect (P > 0.18) on
      amount (kg/steer) or percentage of N volatized in the winter or summer. All diets
      had similar amounts (P > 0.13) of DM and OM removed from the pen surface in both
      summer and winter. Feeding CaO-treated corn stover as a partial grain replacement
      had no impact on performance in winter but decreased G:F in summer. Although high
      fiber diets increased the amount of OM on pen surfaces, they did not impact N
      volatilized. Feeding a Y. schidigera extract did not affect N balance or manure
      characteristics.

PMID- 26115290
TI  - Effect of vitamin E supplementation or alfalfa grazing on fatty acid composition
      and expression of genes related to lipid metabolism in lambs.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin E (VE)
      supplementation and alfalfa grazing during fattening on fatty acid composition
      and mRNA expression of genes related to lipid metabolism in the LM of Rasa
      Aragonesa light lambs. After weaning, 48 lambs were kept indoors and fed a
      commercial concentrate and a VE supplemented concentrate (480 mg DL-alpha
      tocopheryl acetate/kg DM) for 0 (control [CON]), 10 (VE10d), 20 (VE20d), and 30 d
      (VE30d) before slaughtering at 22 to 24 kg. Simultaneously, 8 unweaned lambs
      grazed in alfalfa (154 mg alpha-tocopherol/kg DM) paddocks with their dams and
      supplemented with the commercial concentrate (ALF). Immediately after slaughter,
      LM was sampled to determine gene expression. After 24 h of cooling at 4 degrees
      C, LM was extracted to determine intramuscular fat (IMF) content and fatty acid
      composition. The IMF content did not differ with the dietary treatment ( =
      0.212). Unweaned grazing alfalfa lambs had greater concentration of rumenic acid
      (C18:2 c9,t11; P < 0.001) and lower oleic acid (C18:1 c9; = 0.001) content and
      PUFA n-6:n-3 ratio (P < 0.001) but similar expression of genes implicated in
      lipid metabolism compared to the concentrate-fed lambs. Vitamin E supplementation
      did not modify muscle fatty acid composition; however, it increased the
      expression of FADS2 and ELOVL6, which are involved in desaturation of long-chain
      fatty acid and the elongation of SFA and MUFA. The results showed that a short
      period of VE supplementation, especially 10 (VE10d) and 20 d (VE20d), modified
      gene expression. Overall, the results showed that VE may be acting as a
      regulatory factor for transcriptional control of genes related to lipid
      metabolism in the muscle of Rasa Aragonesa light lambs (22-24 kg live weight and
      younger than 90 d old).

PMID- 26115292
TI  - Effect of precision feeding high- and low-quality forage with different rumen
      protein degradability levels on nutrient utilization by dairy heifers.
AB  - One approach to improving efficiency of protein and nitrogen use for optimal
      productivity in dairy heifers is to provide adequate levels of protein with
      differing rumen degradabilities. The objective of this experiment was to
      determine effects of manipulating RDP in diets of dairy heifers precision fed low
      and high-quality forage. Eight rumen-cannulated Holstein heifers (448 +/- 19 kg
      BW) were randomly used and assigned to an 85% forage diet with 2 forage
      qualities, low quality (LQ, 48% NDF) and high quality (HQ, 38% NDF), and to 4 RDP
      levels (62%, 68%, 74%, and 81% of CP as RDP) within forage quality administered
      according to a split-plot two 4 * 4 Latin square design (20-d periods). Similar N
      intake was provided (1.70 g N/kg BW0.75), and alterations of RDP levels were made
      by exchanging canola meal with heat-treated soy protein with slow-release urea.
      Heifers offered the HQ diet had greater apparent total tract DM and OM
      digestibilities than those fed the LQ diet. Apparent N digestibility tended to be
      higher for the HQ diet but was not affected by the levels of RDP in diets. No
      difference was observed for rumen VFA concentration between forage treatments,
      but acetate to propionate ratio was higher for LQ-fed heifers. No difference in
      rumen carbohydrate fermentation was detected with increasing levels of RDP.
      Feeding HQ forage improved DM, OM, and N apparent digestibility. Increasing RDP
      in LQ and HQ had no effects on apparent digestibility of any measured parameter
      or N dynamics in dairy heifers.

PMID- 26115291
TI  - Effect of rate of weight gain of steers during the stocker phase. IV. Rumen
      fermentation characteristics and expression of genes involved in substrate
      utilization for fatty acid synthesis in adipose tissues of growing-finishing beef
      cattle.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the impact of stocker production
      systems differing in growth rate on rumen fermentation characteristics and
      utilization of substrates for fatty acid synthesis in intramuscular (IM),
      subcutaneous (SC), and perirenal (PR) adipose tissues. Angus steers were assigned
      to 4 stocker cattle production systems in 2 consecutive years: 1) 1.0 kg/d of 40%
      CP cottonseed meal-based supplement while grazing dormant native range (CON), 2)
      ground corn/soybean meal-based supplement while grazing dormant native range fed
      at 1% of BW (CORN), 3) grazing wheat pasture at a high stocking rate to achieve a
      low rate of BW gain (LGWP), and 4) grazing wheat pasture at a low stocking rate
      for a high rate of BW gain (HGWP). Eight ruminally cannulated steers were used to
      determine rumen fermentation characteristics. Steers were harvested during the
      stocker phase at similar age (different carcass weight) in Exp. 1 (3
      steers/treatment) or at similar carcass weight in Exp. 2 (4 steers/treatment).
      Adipose tissues were analyzed for mRNA expression of genes involved in glucose
      (solute carrier family 2, member 4 [GLUT4], glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase
      [G6PDH], phosphofructokinase, muscle [PFKM], and pyruvate kinase 2, muscle
      [PK2]), lactate (lactate dehydrogenase B [LDHB]), and acetate (acetyl-CoA
      synthetase, cytosol [ACSS2]) utilization for fatty acid synthesis. The
      acetate:propionate ratio was least (P < 0.05) for HGWP steers, intermediate for
      CORN and LGWP steers, and greatest for CON steers. At similar age, LGWP and HGWP
      steers tended (F-test; P < 0.15) to have greater (P < 0.10) G6PDH and ACSS2 mRNA
      expression than CON and CORN steers in SC and PR but not IM adipose tissue.
      Expression of PFKM and PK2 mRNA tended (F-test; P < 0.15) to be greater (P <
      0.10) in HGWP than CON and LGWP steers in IM but not SC or PR adipose tissue. At
      similar HCW, expression of GLUT4 and G6PDH mRNA were greater (P < 0.10) in SC
      adipose tissue of LGWP and HGWP steers compared with CON and CORN steers but not
      in IM and PR adipose tissue. Expression of LDHB mRNA was lesser (P < 0.10) in SC
      adipose tissue but greater (P < 0.10) in PR adipose tissue of LGWP and HGWP
      steers compared with CON and CORN steers. These results indicate a shift toward
      glucose utilization in SC adipose tissue but a shift towards lactate utilization
      in PR adipose tissue. These results suggest that diet and changes in VFA profile
      can influence substrates utilized for fatty acid synthesis, but diet has a
      greater effect in SC than IM adipose tissue.

PMID- 26115293
TI  - Supplementation of monensin and Optimase to beef cows consuming low-quality
      forage during late gestation and early lactation.
AB  - Two experiments were designed to investigate the effects of feeding monensin
      and/or slow release urea with a fibrolytic feed enzyme (Optimase; Alltech, Inc.,
      Nicholasville, KY) on performance, milk production, calf growth performance, and
      blood metabolites in beef cows. Spring-calving cows and heifers were used in a
      completely randomized design in Exp. 1 (N = 84; 534 +/- 68 kg initial BW) and
      Exp. 2 (N = 107; 508 +/- 72 kg initial BW). Exp. 1 supplements were formulated to
      meet cow protein requirements and fed daily and included 1) cottonseed meal with
      no monensin (control); or 2) monensin added to control to supply 200 mg per head
      per d (MON). In Exp. 2, experimental supplements included 1) cottonseed
      meal/wheat middlings (CS) fed at a rate to provide adequate DIP and CP according
      to , 2) the CS plus soybean hulls and 61 g per cow per d Optimase (OPT), 3) the
      CS plus monensin to supply 200 mg per cow per d (MON2), and 4) OPT plus MON2
      (Combo). Cows were fed in last trimester through early lactation in Exp. 1 and
      during 2nd trimester in Exp. 2. Data were analyzed using the Mixed procedure in
      SAS with animal as the experimental unit. In Exp. 1, treatment did not affect cow
      BW or BCS change (P > 0.19). Calf birth BW was not affected by dam treatment (P =
      0.24); however, calves from dams consuming MON weighed more (P < 0.04) at d 45
      and at trial end. Calves also had greater (P = 0.04) ADG from birth to trial end.
      Milk production did not significantly differ among treatments (P > 0.41). In Exp.
      2, mean cow BW and BCS were similar (P > 0.35) among treatments on d 90. However,
      from d 0 to 54, cows assigned to the OPT supplement gained less BCS (P = 0.02)
      compared with cows assigned to the CS supplement. Cumulative BCS gain was greater
      (P < 0.01) for CS-fed cows than for cows fed the OPT and MON2 supplements,
      although it was not significantly different for cows fed the Combo supplement.
      These studies indicate that the influence of monensin on cow BW and BCS change is
      inconsistent. The potential for monensin supplementation to positively impact
      calf performance during early lactation seems to be clearer. Replacing a portion
      of oilseed N in the supplement with Optimase may marginally reduce cow
      performance. Further research is needed to determine both the effects of monensin
      and the implications of combining monensin with Optimase on forage intake and cow
      performance at various stages of production.

PMID- 26115294
TI  - The intake of thermally processed soybean reduces the feedlot period of lambs
      independently of roughage to concentrate ratio.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutrient intake and performance
      of feedlot lambs using 2 roughage to concentrate ratios and 2 types of soybean,
      whole (WS) or thermally processed (PS). Twenty male noncastrated market lambs
      weighting 23.26 +/- 2.18 kg were used. The design was completely randomized in a
      factorial arrangement of 2 * 2. Diets were formulated with 50:50 and 20:80 of
      roughage to concentrate ratio on DM, and the thermal processing was realized in
      an autoclave at 120 degrees C during 1 h. The end of the experimental period was
      determined by animal BCS, that is, the animals were slaughtered with a BCS
      between 3 and 3.5. The animals fed with 50% of roughage spent more time consuming
      feed (P < 0.01) and ruminating (P < 0.01). Thermally processed soybean provided
      more time consuming (P < 0.05) and less leisure time (P < 0.05) compared with WS.
      Diet with 20% of roughage provided increased ADG (P < 0.01) and better feed
      conversion (FC; P < 0.01). The utilization of PS resulted in decreased feedlot
      period (FP; P< 0.01), increased ADG (P < 0.05), decreased DMI (P < 0.01), and
      consequently better FC (P < 0.01). Diet with PS decreased the intake of ADF (P <
      0.01). There was interaction between the roughage to concentrate ratio and
      soybean, wherein the diet with 50% of roughage and WS provided increased intake
      of NDF (P < 0.05). The use of thermally processed soybean provided better
      performance of lambs, and when this feed is associated with higher concentrate
      proportion, it reduces the intake of fibrous fraction of the diet.

PMID- 26115295
TI  - Effect of grain type and processing index on growth performance, carcass quality,
      feeding behavior, and stress response of feedlot steers.
AB  - One hundred sixty crossbred steers (538 +/- 36 kg BW) were used in an 84-d
      experiment with a randomized block design to study the effects of wheat or barley
      grain processed to 2 different indices on growth performance, feeding behavior,
      carcass characteristics, stress, and temperament of finishing beef cattle.
      Treatments were a wheat-based diet (88.4% of diet DM; WH) and a barley-based diet
      (89% of diet DM; BA), processed to an index of either 75% (HI) or 85% (LO) of
      their original volume weight. Cattle were allocated to 16 feedlot pens (10
      animals per pen, 4 pens per treatment), 8 of which were equipped with the
      GrowSafe system for monitoring feeding behavior. Flight speed, hair, and saliva
      samples were collected on d 1, 28, 56, and 84 to determine temperament, acute,
      and chronic stress. All steers were slaughtered at the end of the experiment, and
      carcass quality was evaluated. Cattle fed WH had a lower (P < 0.05) meal length
      and frequency of visits per meal and tended (P = 0.10) to have a lower DMI, meal
      size, and feeding time than those fed BA. The LO processing index increased (P =
      0.05) DMI and reduced (P < 0.05) the G:F and the percentage of saleable meat of
      the carcass compared to HI. There was a trend (P = 0.09) for a grain * processing
      index interaction, where cattle fed BA-LO had a lower incidence of severe liver
      abscesses compared with cattle fed other treatments. Cattle fed WH had greater
      hair cortisol concentrations (P = 0.01) and flight speed (P < 0.01) than those
      fed BA. There was a trend (P = 0.07) for a grain * processing index interaction,
      where heifers fed WH-LO had a lower salivary cortisol than those fed other
      treatments. Results suggest that a LO processing index had a negative effect on
      feed efficiency and carcass performance and that the WH diet caused a range of
      effects on feed intake and behavior indicative of steers with greater
      excitability and chronic stress.

PMID- 26115296
TI  - Protection of polyunsaturated fatty acids against ruminal biohydrogenation: Pilot
      experiments for three approaches.
AB  - Three methods for protection of PUFA against biohydrogenation by ruminal
      microorganisms were evaluated. In method 1 a blend of ground flaxseed, calcium
      oxide, and molasses was processed through a dry extruder. In method 2, a blend of
      ground flaxseed, soybean meal, molasses, and baker's yeast was moistened and
      prewarmed, allowing enzymes from yeast to produce reducing sugars, and the
      mixture was subsequently processed through a dry extruder like in method 1. In
      method 3, ground flaxseed was embedded within a matrix of dolomitic lime hydrate
      (L-Flaxseed) as a protective barrier against biohydrogenation. Dolomitic lime was
      mixed with ground flaxseed, water was added, the mixture was blended in a high
      speed turbulizer, and the resulting material was then dried to form a granular
      matrix. Methods 1 and 2 were tested in 1 study (study 1), and method 3 was tested
      in 2 studies (studies 2 and 3). In study 1, 60 crossbred yearling steers (BW =
      475 +/- 55 kg) were used in a randomized complete block design experiment. Steers
      were fed for 12 d with a diet consisting of 48.73% steam-flaked corn, 35% wet
      corn gluten feed, 12% corn silage, and 4.27% vitamins and minerals (Control). For
      the other 4 treatments, a portion of wet corn gluten feed was replaced with 5% of
      unprocessed or extruded mixtures as described for methods 1 and 2. Steers were
      weighed, and jugular blood samples were taken for analysis of long-chain fatty
      acids (LCFA) on d 0 and 12 of the study. Both methods failed to improve
      resistance of PUFA against biohydrogenation (P > 0.1). In study 2, in situ fatty
      acid disappearance was evaluated for ground flaxseed (Flaxseed) or L-Flaxseed
      using 6 ruminally fistulated Holstein steers. The proportion of alpha-linolenic
      acid (ALA) that was resistant to ruminal biohydrogenation was approximately 2
      fold greater for L-Flaxseed than for Flaxseed (P < 0.05). In study 3, 45 steers
      (269 +/- 19.5 kg initial BW) were used in a randomized complete block design.
      Steers were fed diets containing 0% Flaxseed (No Flaxseed), and in treatments 2
      and 3, a portion of flaked corn was replaced with Flaxseed or L-Flaxseed. Animals
      were weighed and blood samples were taken on d 0, 7, and 14 of the study, and
      LCFA were analyzed. The use of L-Flaxseed in study 3 increased plasma
      concentrations of ALA to more than 4 times the level observed in cattle fed
      unprotected flaxseed, suggesting the dolomitic lime hydrate was effective as a
      protective barrier against biohydrogenation.

PMID- 26115297
TI  - Effects of various dietary lipid additives on lamb performance, carcass
      characteristics, adipose tissue fatty acid composition, and wool characteristics.
AB  - Tasco (Ascophyllum nodosum; TA) was compared to canola (CO), flax (FO), and
      safflower oils (SO) for effects on performance, carcass characteristics, and
      fatty acid profiles of adipose tissue in skirt muscle (SM), subcutaneous and
      perirenal adipose tissues, and wool production and quality characteristics of
      Canadian Arcott lambs. Fifty-six lambs were randomly assigned to dietary
      treatments (n = 14 per treatment). Diets consisted of a pelleted, barley-based
      finishing diet containing either TA, CO, FO, or SO (2% of dietary DM). Feed
      deliveries and orts were recorded daily. Lambs were weighed weekly and
      slaughtered once they reached >= 45 kg BW. Carcass characteristics, rumen pH, and
      liver weights were determined at slaughter. Wool yield was determined on mid-side
      patches of 100 cm2 shorn at d 0 and on the day before slaughter (d 105 or 140).
      Dye-bands were used to determine wool growth, micrometer and staple length.
      Adipose tissues and SM samples were taken at slaughter and analyzed for FA
      profiles. No effects were observed on intake, growth, or carcass characteristics.
      A greater (P = 0.02) staple strength of lambs fed CO was the only effect observed
      in wool. Flax oil increased total n-3 and decreased the n-6/n-3 ratio in tissue
      FA profiles (P < 0.001) in comparison to other diets. Tasco increased (P <=
      0.001) SFA/PUFA in all tissues, whereas concentrations of CLA c-9, t-11 were
      greatest with SO in all tissues (P <= 0.02), compared to other diets. These
      results suggest Tasco supplementation did not improve the n-3/n-6 or SFA/PUFA
      ratios of lamb adipose tissues compared to other dietary lipid additives.

PMID- 26115298
TI  - Determining the preference, in vitro digestibility, in situ disappearance, and
      grower period performance of steers fed a novel algae meal derived from
      heterotrophic microalgae.
AB  - A series of 3 experiments were conducted to determine the in vitro and in situ
      disappearance, preference, and performance of steers consuming increasing
      concentrations of a novel feedstuff called algae meal (ALG). In Exp. 1 and 2, 3
      ruminally cannulated steers (998 +/- 103 kg BW) and 4 treatments were utilized: a
      dry-rolled corn-based diet (CON), or 15% ALG (A15), 30% ALG (A30), or 45% ALG
      (A45) as a DM replacement of corn. Experiment 1 was performed as a 3 * 6
      unbalanced Latin square with six 5-d periods, and 6 paired diet combinations to
      determine steer preference, based on DMI for 4 h after feed delivery. Experiment
      2 was conducted as a 3 * 4 unbalanced Latin square with 3 diets fed each period
      and four 14-d periods to determine in situ disappearance of ALG, soyhulls, corn,
      and hay as ALG increased in the diet. Experiment 3 utilized 48 individually fed
      steers (292 +/- 22.4 kg; n = 12) in a 55-d grower trial, stratified by BW into 1
      of 4 dietary treatments: a control wet corn gluten feed-based diet with no ALG
      (ALG0), or 15% ALG (ALG15), 30% ALG (ALG30), or 45% ALG (ALG45) in place of wet
      corn gluten feed on a DM basis. Digestibility of ALG was greater (P < 0.001) than
      soyhulls at 24 h, but was similar (P = 0.82) at 48 h, with hay being least (P <
      0.001) digestible at 24 and 48 h. In Exp. 1, the proportion of total DM consumed
      by steers during the 4-h postfeeding was affected (P = 0.01) by paired diet
      combination. Steers preferred A15 or A30 diets over the A45 diet (P <= 0.008);
      however, no difference in preference between CON and A45 was noted (P = 0.76).
      Steers tended (P = 0.09) to prefer A30 over CON, but A15 and CON were not
      different (P = 0.75). No other paired diet combinations altered (P >= 0.23) DMI.
      In Exp. 2, inclusion of ALG in the diet did not affect (P >= 0.12) rate of, or
      overall in situ disappearance of, corn, soyhulls, or ALG. In Exp. 3, ADG tended (
      = 0.06) to increase as ALG increased in the diet. There was a linear increase ( <
      0.001) in DMI as ALG increased in the diet, and as a result, G:F linearly
      decreased ( = 0.01). In summary, ready consumption of the novel algae meal by
      steers and support of growth in steers at up to 45% of the diet suggest the algae
      meal is a viable feedstuff for ruminants.

PMID- 26115299
TI  - Accounting for uncertainty in the quantification of the environmental impacts of
      Canadian pig farming systems.
AB  - The objective of the study was to develop a life cycle assessment (LCA) for pig
      farming systems that would account for uncertainty and variability in input data
      and allow systematic environmental impact comparisons between production systems.
      The environmental impacts of commercial pig production for 2 regions in Canada
      (Eastern and Western) were compared using a cradle-to-farm gate LCA. These
      systems had important contrasting characteristics such as typical feed
      ingredients used, herd performance, and expected emission factors from manure
      management. The study used detailed production data supplied by the industry and
      incorporated uncertainty/variation in all major aspects of the system including
      life cycle inventory data for feed ingredients, animal performance, energy
      inputs, and emission factors. The impacts were defined using 5 metrics-global
      warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential (EP),
      abiotic resource use, and nonrenewable energy use-and were expressed per kilogram
      carcass weight at farm gate. Eutrophication potential was further separated into
      marine EP (MEP) and freshwater EP (FEP). Uncertainties in the model inputs were
      separated into 2 types: uncertainty in the data used to describe the system
      (alpha uncertainties) and uncertainty in impact calculations or background data
      that affects all systems equally (beta uncertainties). The impacts of pig
      production in the 2 regions were systematically compared based on the differences
      in the systems (alpha uncertainties). The method of ascribing uncertainty
      influenced the outcomes. In eastern systems, EP, MEP, and FEP were lower (P <
      0.05) when assuming that all uncertainty in the emission factors for leaching
      from manure application was beta. This was mainly due to increased EP resulting
      from field emissions for typical ingredients in western diets. When uncertainty
      in these emission factors was assumed to be alpha, only FEP was lower in eastern
      systems (P < 0.05). The environmental impacts for the other impact categories
      were not significantly different between the 2 systems, despite their
      aforementioned differences. In conclusion, a probabilistic approach was used to
      develop an LCA that systematically dealt with uncertainty in the data when
      comparing multiple environmental impacts measures in pig farming systems for the
      first time. The method was used to identify differences between Canadian pig
      production systems but can also be applied for comparisons between other
      agricultural systems that include inherent variation.

PMID- 26115300
TI  - Performance and carcass characteristics of commercial feedlot cattle from a study
      of vaccine and direct-fed microbial effects on Escherichia col O157:H7 fecal
      shedding.
AB  - The objective of this study was to quantify cattle performance and carcass
      characteristics associated with administration of a siderophore receptor and
      porin proteins-based vaccine (VAC) and a direct-fed microbial (DFM), which were
      originally evaluated for their impact on O157:H7 fecal shedding in a commercial
      feedlot population. Cattle (P = 17,148) were randomly allocated into 40 pens
      grouped by allocation dates into 10 complete blocks; pens within block were
      randomly allocated to control, VAC, DFM, or VAC + DFM treatment groups in a 2 * 2
      factorial design. The DFM (Bovamine) was fed daily at the labeled dose of 10
      cfu/animal of Lactobacillus acidophilus for the duration of the intervention
      period (mean = 86.6 d). The VAC cattle were vaccinated on Days 0 and 21 whereas
      unvaccinated cattle were not given a placebo or rehandled on Day 21. Data were
      analyzed using general and generalized linear mixed models that accounted for the
      study design. Main effects of DFM and VAC are reported as there were no
      significant treatment interactions for any of the outcomes evaluated. Vaccinated
      cattle had lower total weight gain (P < 0.01), ADG (P = 0.03), and cumulative DMI
      during the intervention period (P < 0.01) compared with unvaccinated cattle,
      whereas the DFM increased total weight gain (P = 0.03) and G:F (P = 0.05) during
      the intervention period. Daily DMI was decreased (P < 0.01) in vaccinated pens
      compared with unvaccinated pens during a 5-d period immediately following
      revaccination. After the intervention period was completed, cattle were sorted
      following the standard operating procedure for the feedlot and all cattle were
      fed the DFM from that point until harvest. Each steer was individually identified
      through harvest. At harvest, vaccinated cattle had more total days on feed (P <
      0.01) with a larger HCW (P = 0.01) than nonvaccinated cattle, whereas cattle not
      fed the DFM during the intervention period had a significantly larger HCW (P <
      0.01) than those fed the DFM during the intervention period. We conclude that the
      use of these DFM and vaccine products have differential and independent effects
      on cattle performance and carcass characteristics in a commercial feedlot
      setting. Although the magnitude of these effects may vary among production
      systems, a more comprehensive understanding of the potential production costs of
      preharvest food safety pathogen control programs is essential if such programs
      are to be fully adopted in the industry.

PMID- 26115301
TI  - Genome wide transcriptomic analysis identifies pathways affected by the infusion
      of Clostridium perfringens culture supernatant in the duodenum of broilers in
      situ.
AB  - Clostridium perfringens type A is the main etiological factor for necrotic
      enteritis, a multifactorial enteric disease that penalizes performance, health,
      and welfare of poultry. Lack of knowledge of host responses and disease
      pathogenesis is slowing down progress on developing therapies for disease
      control. A combined genomewide and targeted gene approach was used to investigate
      pathways and biological functions affected by the infusion of C. perfringens
      culture supernatant in the duodenum of broilers in 2 experiments. An in situ
      isolated loop of duodenum was prepared in anesthetized broilers of 3 wk of age
      (Exp. 1) and was infused either with crude C. perfringens culture supernatant (n
      = 7; treated), positive for necrotic enteritis B-like toxin (NetB) as determined
      by a cytotoxicity assay, or with a control preparation (n = 6; control). Birds
      were maintained alive for 1 h and then euthanized for tissue recovery. The use of
      the Affymetrix chicken genome array on RNA samples from loop tissue showed top
      biological functions affected by culture supernatant infusion included cell
      morphology, immune cell trafficking, and cell death; pathways affected included
      death receptor signaling, inflammatory response, and nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB
      signaling. In a second in situ study (Exp. 2), broilers were maintained alive for
      4 h to monitor temporal expression patterns of targeted genes. Duodenal tissue
      was removed at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 h post-infusion with culture supernatant (n = 9)
      or a control preparation (n = 5) for histology and gene expression analysis.
      Genes encoding proinflammatory cytokines, such as interferon gamma (IFNgamma),
      cell trafficking, such as neuroblastoma 1 (NBL1) and B cell CLL/Lymphoma 6
      (BCL6), and cell death, such as Fas cell surface death receptor (FAS) and GTPase
      IMAP family member 8 (GIMAP8), were differentially expressed in the duodenum of
      treated and control broilers (P < 0.05). We have demonstrated that C. perfringens
      culture supernatant (NetB positive) infusion resulted in histological and gene
      expression changes consistent with necrotic enteritis in the duodenum of
      broilers. In the absence of live bacteria, crude culture supernatant resulted in
      early immunomodulation, inflammation, and cell death in the duodenum. The
      pathways identified here can be targeted for the development of new drugs,
      vaccines, and novel therapies for necrotic enteritis in broilers.

PMID- 26115302
TI  - Technical note: Accuracy of an ear tag-attached accelerometer to monitor
      rumination and feeding behavior in feedlot cattle.
AB  - Early identification of sick cattle increases treatment success and decreases
      mortality. Continuous automated records of behavior can be used to identify sick
      cattle early in the disease process. The objective was to evaluate accuracy of an
      ear-attached accelerometer (SensOor) that quantified ear movements and estimated
      feeding and rumination time through a proprietary algorithm. Accelerometers were
      attached to the ear tag of 18 steers with an initial mean BW of 326 +/- 46 kg.
      The manufacturer's proprietary software was used to determine time spent
      "feeding," "ruminating," "active," and "resting." Direct visual observation was
      used to validate the accelerometer. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive
      values were calculated for rumination and feeding separately. Repeated measures
      were accounted for using mixed model logistic regression. Single minutes of
      either feeding or rumination in a run of other behavior minutes were changed to
      the preceding behavior. Accuracy and precision of hourly recorded feeding and
      rumination times were assessed using the concordance correlation coefficient
      adjusted for repeated measurements. Sensitivity and specificity were 95 and 76%
      for feeding and 49 and 96% for rumination, respectively. Concordance correlation
      between observations and the sensor were 0.79 (95% CI: 0.61 to 0.85) and 0.44
      (95% CI: 0.23 to 0.60) for feeding and rumination, respectively. There was large
      variability among steers, with concordance correlations ranging from 0.09 to 0.98
      for rumination time and from 0.58 to 0.96 for feeding time. We conclude that the
      accelerometer is a promising monitoring system for feeding behavior. 

PMID- 26115303
TI  - Comparison of feed additive technologies for preconditioning of weaned beef
      calves.
AB  - Our objective was to evaluate the response of weaned calves to different
      supplemental feed additives in a supplement to affect calf performance and
      mitigate stress response observed during weaning and preconditioning. At weaning
      in each of 2 yr, 160 Angus and Brangus calves (203 and 227 +/- 2.3 and 2.5 kg)
      were stratified by BW, sex, and breed and were randomly allotted to 1 of 4
      treatments ( = 40 calves/treatment): 1) supplement without feed additives
      (control, CON), 2) supplemented with chlortetracycline, 350 mg/d (CTC), 3)
      supplemented with monensin, 175 mg/d (RUM), and 4) supplemented with rumen
      modifier, 5 g/d (ACT). Calves were held by treatment in 1 of 4 drylot pens for 7
      d after weaning and were offered ad libitum access to hay and 2.27 kg/d of
      supplement before placement in one of thirty-two 0.8-ha pastures (5
      calves/pasture). On pasture calves were supplemented with 2.27 kg/d (yr 1) or
      supplemented at 1.0% BW (yr 2). Calf BW and blood samples were collected
      following weaning (d 0, 1, 4, 7, 11 in yr 1; d 0, 1, 3, 7, 14 in yr 2), at the
      conclusion of the preconditioning period (d 50, 51 in yr 2), and after
      transportation (d 52, 55, 59, 65 in yr 2) for analysis of acute phase protein
      (APP) concentrations. In yr 2, after 44 d on pasture, calves were loaded on 2
      semitrucks and transported for 24 h. On return, calves were placed in 4 pastures
      with hay and fed their respective supplements for 14 d. For each year, data were
      analyzed with the MIXED procedure of SAS. The model included the main effect of
      treatment, and pasture was the experimental unit. All variables quantified by day
      were analyzed using repeated measures. In yr 1, ACT and CTC had greater (P <0.05)
      52-d ADG than RUM, whereas CON was intermediate. However, in yr 2, over the 50-d
      postweaning period there was no difference (P = 0.20; 0.52 kg/d) in ADG response
      among treatments. After transportation, 7- and 14-d ADG were improved (P < 0.05)
      for ACT and CTC compared with CON and RUM. In both years, postweaning plasma
      concentrations of haptoglobin were similar (P > 0.05) among treatments; however
      an effect of day after transport (P < 0.001) was observed. Feed cost of gain and
      income over production cost (P >= 0.15; mean = $0.51/kg and $73.51, respectively)
      were not different among treatments. Use of supplemental additives may improve
      calf performance during a preconditioning period of this duration, but no
      additive was effective at mitigating stress postweaning. Additives were equally
      effective in supporting calf growth performance during a posttransportation
      period.

PMID- 26115304
TI  - Fatty acid metabolism in lambs fed citrus pulp.
AB  - In the present study, we have hypothesized that replacing barley with high
      proportions of dried citrus pulp in a concentrate-based diet for lambs could
      increase the intake of unsaturated fatty acids and could reduce the rate of the
      ruminal biohydrogenation of PUFA, with a consequent improvement of the
      intramuscular fatty acid composition. To test this hypothesis, 26 Comisana lambs
      were divided into 3 groups and for 56 d were fed a barley-based concentrate diet
      (CON; 8 lambs) or 2 diets in which barley was replaced with 24% (CIT24; 9 lambs)
      or 35% (CIT35; 9 lambs) dried citrus pulp. An overall improvement of the fatty
      acid composition of LM from lambs fed citrus pulp-containing diets was found. The
      PUFA/SFA ratio was lower (P < 0.05) in the LM from lambs in the CON group
      compared with both the CIT24 and CIT35 groups. The thrombogenic index was lower
      (P < 0.05) in meat from lambs fed the CIT35 diet compared with those fed the CON
      diet. The CIT35 diet increased the proportion of C20:5 n-3 in the LM (P < 0.05),
      whereas the CIT24 diet enhanced that of C22:6 -3 (P < 0.05) compared with the CON
      diet. Some of these results might be explained considering that feeding the CIT24
      and CIT35 diets increased the intake of total fatty acids (P < 0.05) and of C18:3
      n-3 (P < 0.01) compared with feeding the CON treatment. On the other hand,
      phenolic compounds present in citrus pulp could have inhibited the ruminal
      biohydrogenation of PUFA. This is supported by the fact that regardless of the
      level of inclusion in the diet, citrus pulp increased the proportion of rumenic
      acid (P < 0.001) in LM compared with the CON diet. The plasma from lambs fed both
      CIT24 and CIT35 diets had a greater percentage of vaccenic acid (VA; < 0.001)
      compared with that from lambs fed the CON diet, and the CIT35 diet increased the
      proportion of rumenic acid in plasma compared with the CON treatment (P < 0.05).
      In the ruminal fluid, stearic acid (SA) tended to decrease, and the sum of CLA
      tended to increase (P = 0.09) with increasing level of citrus pulp in the diets.
      Furthermore, the SA/(SA + VA) ratio tended to be lower (P = 0.10) in the ruminal
      fluid from lambs fed the CIT35 diet compared with that of the CON group. In
      conclusion, our results support the hypothesis that replacing barley with citrus
      pulp in the diet of growing lambs improves intramuscular fatty acid composition
      and underline the need for specific studies to clarify the mechanisms by which
      feeding citrus pulp affects the fatty acid metabolism in ruminants.

PMID- 26115305
TI  - Feedlot performance and carcass traits of hairbreed ewe lambs in response to
      zilpaterol hydrochloride and soybean oil supplementation.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of zilpaterol
      hydrochloride (ZH; 0 or 10 mg/lamb daily) and soybean oil (SBO; 0 or 6%)
      supplementation on feedlot performance, carcass traits, and wholesale cut yield
      of 32 Dorper * Pelibuey ewe lambs (30.55 +/- 2. 57 kg of initial BW). Lambs were
      blocked by BW and randomly assigned to treatments under a randomized complete
      block design with a 2 * 2 factorial arrangement. After a 34-d feeding period, all
      ewes were slaughtered. No ZH * SBO interactions were detected (P >= 0.11) for the
      variables evaluated. In the overall feeding period and first 17 d of experiment,
      feedlot performance was not affected (P >= 0.26) by ZH supplementation, but from
      d 18 to 34, ZH increased (P <= 0.03) total gain, ADG, and G:F without affecting
      DMI (P = 0.58). Also, ZH increased (P <= 0.02) HCW, cold carcass weight, dressing
      percentage, LM area, and leg perimeter. Lung weight as percentage of final BW
      decreased (P = 0.05) whereas other noncarcass components and wholesale cut yields
      were not affected (P >= 0.06) by ZH supplementation. Inclusion of SBO did not
      affect (P >= 0.08) feedlot performance or wholesale cut yields. The LM pH at 24 h
      postmortem as well as liver and peritoneum percentages were decreased (P <= 0.05)
      by SBO supplementation, but no other carcass characteristics or noncarcass
      components were affected (P >= 0.08) by SBO. In conclusion, feedlot performance
      and carcass characteristics were not altered by the interaction of ZH * SBO.
      However, ZH alone increased the growth of ewes during the last 17 d of the
      feeding period. Likewise, carcass characteristics of economic importance (i.e.,
      HCW, dressing percentage, LM area, and leg perimeter) increased with ZH
      supplementation. In general, feedlot performance, carcass traits, and wholesale
      cut yields were not altered by including 6% of SBO in the finishing diet of ewe
      lambs.

PMID- 26115306
TI  - Cow-calf reproductive, genetic, and nutritional management to improve the
      sustainability of whole beef production systems.
AB  - Optimizing efficiency in the cow-calf sector is an important step toward
      improving beef sustainability. The objective of the study was to use a model to
      identify the relative roles of reproductive, genetic, and nutritional management
      in minimizing beef production systems' environmental impact in an economically
      viable, socially acceptable manner. An economic and environmental diet optimizer
      was used to identify ideal nutritional management of beef production systems
      varying in genetic and reproductive technology use. Eight management scenarios
      were compared to a least cost baseline: average U.S. production practices (CON),
      CON with variable nutritional management (NUT), twinning cattle (TWN), early
      weaning (EW), sire selection by EPD using either on-farm bulls (EPD-B) or AI (EPD
      AI), decreasing the calving window (CW), or selecting bulls by EPD and reducing
      the calving window (EPD-CW). Diets to minimize land use, water use, and/or
      greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were optimized under each scenario. Increases in
      diet cost attributable to reducing environmental impact were constrained to less
      than stakeholder willingness to pay for improved efficiency and reduced
      environmental impact. Baseline land use, water use, and GHG emissions were 188 m,
      712 L, and 21.9 kg/kg HCW beef. The NUT scenario, which assessed opportunities to
      improve sustainability by altering nutritional management alone, resulted in a
      simultaneous 1.5% reduction in land use, water use, and GHG emissions. The CW
      scenario improved calf uniformity and simultaneously decreased land use, water
      use, and GHG emissions by 3.2%. Twinning resulted in a 9.2% reduction in the 3
      environmental impact metrics. The EW scenario allowed for an 8.5% reduction in
      the 3 metrics. The EPD-AI scenario resulted in an 11.1% reduction, which was
      comparable to the 11.3% reduction achieved by EPD-B in the 3 metrics. Improving
      genetic selection by using AI or by purchasing on-farm bulls based on their
      superior EPD demonstrated clear opportunity to improve sustainability. When
      genetic and reproductive technologies were adopted, up to a 12.4% reduction in
      environmental impact was achievable. Given the modeling assumptions used in this
      study, optimizing nutritional management while concurrently improving genetic and
      reproductive efficiency may be promising avenues to improve productivity and
      sustainability of U.S. beef systems. 

PMID- 26115307
TI  - Cattle grazing in semiarid forestlands: Habitat selection during periods of
      drought.
AB  - Climate change models are predicting increased frequency and severity of droughts
      in arid and semiarid environments, and these areas are responsible for much of
      the world's livestock production. Because cattle (Bos Taurus) grazing can impact
      the abundance, distribution, and ecological function of native plant and animal
      communities, it is important to understand how cattle might respond to
      increasingly arid conditions. Here, we evaluate changes in habitat selection by
      cattle across an 8-yr period as a function of rainfall and other environmental
      covariates. Using resource selection functions, we evaluated habitat selection
      based on 2 behaviors, stationary and mobile. Models revealed similarity in cattle
      habitat selection across years, with only modest changes in selection as a
      function of precipitation, despite marked seasonal and interannual differences in
      rainfall. Cattle preferred gentle slopes, forest edges, wet meadows, and areas
      near water as well as areas far from water on plateaus. Cattle avoided areas at
      intermediate distances from water, typically associated with steep slopes. As
      conditions became drier during the late season, cattle did not switch selection
      patterns but instead contracted their selection around water. Cattle also
      selected similar habitats whether they were mobile or stationary, possibly making
      microsite decisions therein. This consistent pattern of selection across years
      could be particularly problematic for riparian communities as climates become
      drier; however, it may also simplify cattle management, as range managers can
      focus vegetation monitoring efforts on riparian areas. Due to the uncertainty
      surrounding future climatic conditions, it is imperative that both range and
      wildlife managers develop long-term plans to continue managing these multiuse
      landscapes in an ecologically sustainable manner based on expected patterns of
      livestock grazing.

PMID- 26115308
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26115309
TI  - Reproducibility of Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis Measurements by DSA:
      Comparison of the NASCET and WASID Methods.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the intra- and inter-observer variability of the North
      American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET) and Warfarin-Aspirin
      Symptomatic Intracranial Disease (WASID) criteria for the evaluation of middle
      cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis using digital subtraction angiography (DSA).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: DSA images of 114 cases with 131 stenotic MCAs were
      retrospectively analyzed. Two radiologists and a researcher measured the degree
      of MCA stenosis independently using both NASCET and WASID methods. To determine
      intra-observer agreement, all the observers reevaluated the degree of MCA
      stenosis 4 weeks later. The linear relation and coefficient of variation (CV)
      between the measurements made by the two methods were assessed by correlation
      coefficient and multi-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA), respectively. Intra-
      and inter-observer variability of the two methods was evaluated by intraclass
      correlation coefficient (ICC), Spearman's R value, Pearson correlation
      coefficient and Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: Despite the fact that the degree of
      MCA stenosis measured by NASCET was lower than measured using the WASID method,
      there was good linear correlation between the measurements made by the two
      methods (for the mean measurements of the 3 observers, NASCET% = 0.891 * WASID% -
      1.89%; ICC, Spearman's R value and Pearson correlation were 0.874, 0.855, and
      0.874, respectively). The CVs of both intra- and inter-observer measurements of
      MCA stenosis using WASID were significantly lower than that using NASCET
      confirmed by the multi-factor ANOVA results, which showed only the measurement
      methods of MCA stenosis had significant effects on the CVs both in intra- and
      inter-observer measurements (both P values < 0.001). Intra-observer measurements
      showed good or excellent agreement with respect to WASID and NASCET evaluation
      (ICC, 0.656 to 0.817 and 0.635 to 0.761, respectively). Good agreement for the
      WASID evaluation (ICC, 0.592 to 0.628) and for the NASCET evaluation (ICC, 0.529
      to 0.568) was observed for inter-observer measurements. Bland-Altman plots
      demonstrated that the WASID method had better reproducibility and intra-observer
      agreement than NASCET method for evaluating MCA stenosis. CONCLUSION: Both NASCET
      and WASID methods have an acceptable level of agreement; however, the WASID
      method had better reproducibility for the evaluation of MCA stenosis, and thus
      the WASID method may serve as a standard for measuring the degree of MCA
      stenosis.

PMID- 26115315
TI  - Postdischarge Communication Between Home Health Nurses and Physicians:
      Measurement, Quality, and Outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To use natural language processing (NLP) of text from electronic
      medical records (EMRs) to identify failed communication attempts between home
      health nurses and physicians, to identify predictors of communication failure,
      and to assess the association between communication failure and hospital
      readmission. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Visiting Nurse Service
      of New York (VNSNY), the nation's largest freestanding home health agency.
      PARTICIPANTS: Medicare beneficiaries with congestive heart failure who received
      home health care from VNSNY after hospital discharge in 2008-09 (N = 5,698).
      MEASUREMENTS: Patient-level measures of communication failure and risk-adjusted
      30-day all-cause readmission. RESULTS: Identification of failed communication
      attempts using NLP had high external validity (kappa = 0.850, P < .001). A mean
      of 8% of communication attempts failed per episode of home care; failure rates
      were higher for black patients and lower for patients from higher median income
      ZIP codes. The association between communication failure and readmission was not
      significant with adjustment for patient, nurse, physician, and hospital factors.
      CONCLUSION: NLP of EMRs can be used to identify failed communication attempts
      between home health nurses and physicians, but other variables mostly explained
      the association between communication failure and readmission. Communication
      failures may contribute to readmissions in more-serious clinical situations, an
      association that this study may have been underpowered to detect.

PMID- 26115316
TI  - Saccharomyces cerevisiae Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 1A (eEF1A) Is Methylated at
      Lys-390 by a METTL21-Like Methyltransferase.
AB  - The human methyltransferases (MTases) METTL21A and VCP-KMT (METTL21D) were
      recently shown to methylate single lysine residues in Hsp70 proteins and in VCP,
      respectively. The yet uncharacterized MTase encoded by the YNL024C gene in
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae shows high sequence similarity to METTL21A and VCP-KMT,
      as well as to their uncharacterized paralogues METTL21B and METTL21C. Despite
      being most similar to METTL21A, the Ynl024c protein does not methylate yeast
      Hsp70 proteins, which were found to be unmethylated on the relevant lysine
      residue. Eukaryotic translation elongation factor eEF1A in yeast has been
      reported to contain four methylated lysine residues (Lys30, Lys79, Lys318 and
      Lys390), and we here show that the YNL024C gene is required for methylation of
      eEF1A at Lys390, the only of these methylations for which the responsible MTase
      has not yet been identified. Lys390 was found in a partially monomethylated state
      in wild-type yeast cells but was exclusively unmethylated in a ynl024cDelta
      strain, and over-expression of Ynl024c caused a dramatic increase in Lys390
      methylation, with trimethylation becoming the predominant state. Our results
      demonstrate that Ynl024c is the enzyme responsible for methylation of eEF1A at
      Lys390, and in accordance with prior naming of similar enzymes, we suggest that
      Ynl024c is renamed to Efm6 (Elongation factor MTase 6). 

PMID- 26115318
TI  - What is the ideal ablation therapy for Barrett's esophagus?

PMID- 26115317
TI  - Racial/ethnic differences in associations between neighborhood socioeconomic
      status, distress, and smoking among U.S. adults.
AB  - Neighborhood disadvantage may increase smoking by increasing distress, while
      neighborhood affluence may reduce smoking by increasing positive affect. We
      examined whether relationships between neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES)
      and daily smoking operated through distress and positive affect. Simultaneous
      multivariate path models used pooled cross-sectional data from the 2000 and 2005
      National Alcohol Surveys (15,963 respondents; weighted N = 10,753) and the 2000
      Decennial Census. Multiple groups analysis assessed differences by gender and
      race/ethnicity. Covariates included neighborhood immigrant concentration and
      individual-level demographics. In the full sample, neighborhood disadvantage
      significantly increased smoking and neighborhood affluence significantly
      decreased smoking, with no indirect paths through either distress or positive
      affect. Unique among Hispanics, affluence resulted in decreased smoking
      indirectly through reduced distress. Relationships between affect and smoking
      also varied by race/ethnicity, with no significant differences by gender.
      Interventions targeting neighborhood socioeconomic status and distress may help
      reduce smoking, particularly for racial/ethnic minorities.

PMID- 26115319
TI  - Per-rectal diclofenac decreases the risk of post-ERCP pancreatitis: What about
      intramuscular diclofenac?

PMID- 26115322
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26115323
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26115324
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26115325
TI  - Video Comment on Haapamaki C et al.

PMID- 26115326
TI  - Video Comment on Bove V et al.

PMID- 26115327
TI  - Video Comment on Attam R et al.

PMID- 26115328
TI  - Scoring System for Mortality in Patients Diagnosed with and Treated Surgically
      for Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma with a 20-Year Follow-Up.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is associated with an
      increased mortality. Few studies have constructed predictive models of all-cause
      mortality with a high discriminating power for patients with this disease that
      would enable us to determine which patients are more likely to die. OBJECTIVE: To
      construct a predictive model of all-cause mortality at 5, 10, 15 and 20 years for
      patients diagnosed with and treated surgically for DTC for use as a mobile
      application. DESIGN: We undertook a retrospective cohort study using data from
      1984 to 2013. SETTING: All patients diagnosed with and treated surgically for DTC
      at a general university hospital covering a population of around 200,000
      inhabitants in Spain. PARTICIPANTS: The study involved 201 patients diagnosed
      with and treated surgically for DTC (174, papillary; 27, follicular). EXPOSURES:
      Age, gender, town, family history, type of surgery, type of cancer, histological
      subtype, microcarcinoma, multicentricity, TNM staging system, diagnostic stage,
      permanent post-operative complications, local and regional tumor persistence,
      distant metastasis, and radioiodine therapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All-cause
      mortality. METHODS: A Cox multivariate regression model was constructed to
      determine which variables at diagnosis were associated with mortality. Using the
      model a risk table was constructed based on the sum of all points to estimate the
      likelihood of death. This was then incorporated into a mobile application.
      RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 8.8+/-6.7 years. All-cause mortality was 12.9%
      (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.3-17.6%). Predictive variables: older age, local
      tumor persistence and distant metastasis. The area under the ROC curve was 0.81
      (95% CI: 0.72-0.91, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study provides a practical
      clinical tool giving a simple and rapid indication (via a mobile application) of
      which patients with DTC are at risk of dying in 5, 10, 15 or 20 years.
      Nonetheless, caution should be exercised until validation studies have
      corroborated our results.

PMID- 26115330
TI  - Role for Occupational Therapy in Community Mental Health: Using Policy to Advance
      Scholarship of Practice.
AB  - Occupational therapists must be aware of professional and policy trends. More
      importantly, occupational therapists must be involved in efforts to influence
      policy both for the profession and for the people they serve (Bonder, 1987).
      Using the state of Illinois as an example, this article reviews the policies and
      initiatives that impact service decisions for persons with psychiatric
      disabilities as well as the rationale for including occupational therapy in
      community mental health service provision. Despite challenges in building a
      workforce of occupational therapists in the mental health system, this article
      makes the argument that the current climate of emerging policy and litigation
      combined with the supporting evidence provides the impetus to strengthen mental
      health as a primary area of practice. Implications for scholarship of practice
      related to occupational therapy services in community mental health programs for
      individuals with psychiatric disability are discussed. 

PMID- 26115329
TI  - Divergent Activity Profiles of Type 1 Ryanodine Receptor Channels Carrying
      Malignant Hyperthermia and Central Core Disease Mutations in the Amino-Terminal
      Region.
AB  - The type 1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1) is a Ca2+ release channel in the
      sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle and is mutated in several diseases,
      including malignant hyperthermia (MH) and central core disease (CCD). Most MH and
      CCD mutations cause accelerated Ca2+ release, resulting in abnormal Ca2+
      homeostasis in skeletal muscle. However, how specific mutations affect the
      channel to produce different phenotypes is not well understood. In this study, we
      have investigated 11 mutations at 7 different positions in the amino (N)-terminal
      region of RyR1 (9 MH and 2 MH/CCD mutations) using a heterologous expression
      system in HEK293 cells. In live-cell Ca2+ imaging at room temperature (~25 
      degrees C), cells expressing mutant channels exhibited alterations in Ca2+
      homeostasis, i.e., an enhanced sensitivity to caffeine, a depletion of Ca2+ in
      the ER and an increase in resting cytoplasmic Ca2+. RyR1 channel activity was
      quantitatively evaluated by [3H]ryanodine binding and three parameters
      (sensitivity to activating Ca2+, sensitivity to inactivating Ca2+ and attainable
      maximum activity, i.e., gain) were obtained by fitting analysis. The mutations
      increased the gain and the sensitivity to activating Ca2+ in a site-specific
      manner. The gain was consistently higher in both MH and MH/CCD mutations.
      Sensitivity to activating Ca2+ was markedly enhanced in MH/CCD mutations. The
      channel activity estimated from the three parameters provides a reasonable
      explanation to the pathological phenotype assessed by Ca2+ homeostasis. These
      properties were also observed at higher temperatures (~37  degrees C). Our data
      suggest that divergent activity profiles may cause varied disease phenotypes by
      specific mutations. This approach should be useful for diagnosis and treatment of
      diseases with mutations in RyR1. 

PMID- 26115331
TI  - Color Tuning in Red/Green Cyanobacteriochrome AnPixJ: Photoisomerization at C15
      Causes an Excited-State Destabilization.
AB  - Cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) are cyanobacterial phytochrome-like photoreceptors
      that carry a single or several GAF (cGMP phosphodiesterase/adenylyl cyclase/FhlA)
      domains in a repetitive manner. Unlike phytochromes that photoswitch between red
      absorbing 15Z Pr and far-red-absorbing 15E Pfr states, CBCRs exhibit a much wider
      spectral activity. One of the best-characterized CBCRs, the phototaxis regulator
      PixJ of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, AnPixJ can adopt two thermally stable
      photoreversible states, a red-absorbing dark state (Pr) and a green-absorbing
      photoproduct (Pg). Cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CP/MAS) NMR
      spectroscopy on AnPixJ assembled in vitro with uniformly (13)C- and (15)N-labeled
      phycocyanobilin (PCB) chromophore identifies changes of the electronic structure
      of the chromophore between the two states. Results are compared with the data
      from red- and far-red-absorbing forms of the complete sensory module of
      cyanobacterial phytochrome Cph1 aiming at a conceptual understanding of the
      distinct photoproduct (Pg vs Pfr) absorbances upon Pr photoconversion. The PCB
      chromophore in the Pr state of both photosensors exhibits very similar spectral
      features. The photoconversion of Cph1 and the red/green switching AnPixJ C15-Z/E
      photoisomerization result in a very similar chemical-shift difference
      (Deltadelta) pattern having, however, opposite sign. The persistence of this
      pattern confirms the identity of the photochemical isomerization process, while
      the difference in its sign demonstrates that the same electronic factors drive
      into opposite direction. It is proposed that the LUMO energy of the 15E
      photoproduct is stabilized in Cph1 but destabilized in AnPixJ leading to opposite
      color shifts upon phototransformation. 

PMID- 26115332
TI  - A Structurally and Functionally Biomimetic Biphasic Scaffold for Intervertebral
      Disc Tissue Engineering.
AB  - Tissue engineering offers high hopes for the treatment of intervertebral disc
      (IVD) degeneration. Whereas scaffolds of the disc nucleus and annulus have been
      extensively studied, a truly biomimetic and mechanically functional biphasic
      scaffold using naturally occurring extracellular matrix is yet to be developed.
      Here, a biphasic scaffold was fabricated with collagen and glycosaminoglycans
      (GAGs), two of the most abundant extracellular matrix components in the IVD.
      Following fabrication, the scaffold was characterized and benchmarked against
      native disc. The biphasic scaffold was composed of a collagen-GAG co-precipitate
      making up the nucleus pulposus-like core, and this was encapsulated in multiple
      lamellae of photochemically crosslinked collagen membranes comprising the annulus
      fibrosus-like lamellae. On mechanical testing, the height of our engineered disc
      recovered by ~82-89% in an annulus-independent manner, when compared with the 99%
      recovery exhibited by native disc. The annulus-independent nature of disc height
      recovery suggests that the fluid replacement function of the engineered nucleus
      pulposus core might mimic this hitherto unique feature of native disc. Biphasic
      scaffolds comprised of 10 annulus fibrosus-like lamellae had the best overall
      mechanical performance among the various designs owing to their similarity to
      native disc in most aspects, including elastic compliance during creep and
      recovery, and viscous compliance during recovery. However, the dynamic mechanical
      performance (including dynamic stiffness and damping factor) of all the biphasic
      scaffolds was similar to that of the native discs. This study contributes to the
      rationalized design and development of a biomimetic and mechanically viable
      biphasic scaffold for IVD tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26115333
TI  - LAHRI: Laparoscopic-Assisted Hydrostatic Reduction of Intussusception.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Intussusception is the most common cause of bowel obstruction
      in children from 3 months to 3 years of age. In the absence of peritonitis,
      initial treatment is either hydrostatic or pneumatic reduction. If these measures
      fail, operative intervention is required. In nonreducible cases, we propose the
      use of intraoperative hydrostatic enema to achieve or confirm reduction. In this
      study we describe a cohort of patients who have undergone laparoscopic-assisted
      hydrostatic reduction of intussusception (LAHRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is
      a retrospective cohort study of all patients undergoing LAHRI from the years 2011
      to 2013. We performed LAHRI in seven children 4 months to 2 years of age. All
      patients had ileocolic intussusception that failed initial reduction by
      radiographic enema. With the patient under general anesthesia, saline enema
      reduction was facilitated by direct laparoscopic visualization. RESULTS: In 2 of
      the 7 cases, intussusception reduction was visually confirmed in real time, and
      only a laparoscopic camera port was required. In 1 patient, the bowel was
      extensively dilated, requiring mini-laparotomy for visualization. The enema,
      however, reduced the intussusception without any need for manual reduction. In
      the remaining 4 cases, minimal laparoscopic manipulation was required after the
      enema failed to completely reduce the intussusceptum, but enema was used to
      confirm reduction. No child required bowel resection. CONCLUSIONS: In cases of
      failed reduction by contrast enema, we have demonstrated LAHRI to be a successful
      treatment modality. The technique has the advantage of little to no bowel
      manipulation and has evolved into one performed via a single umbilical port.

PMID- 26115334
TI  - Psychopharmacologic treatment of dissociative fugue and PTSD in an Ethiopian
      refugee.
AB  - Despite widespread awareness of their frequent co-occurrence, little is known
      about treatment of individuals with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
      and dissociative disorders. Patients with dissociative disorders do not respond
      well to standard exposure therapy, and few psychopharmacologic trials exist.
      Fluoxetine proved ineffective for depersonalization disorder, but paroxetine
      showed efficacy in decreasing dissociative symptoms in PTSD patients. 

PMID- 26115336
TI  - Risk Factors for Urinary Tract Infections in Cardiac Surgical Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Risk factors for catheter-associated urinary tract infections
      (CAUTIs) in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgical procedures have been well
      documented. However, the variables associated with CAUTIs in the cardiac surgical
      population have not been clearly defined. Therefore, the purpose of this study
      was to investigate risk factors associated with CAUTIs in patients undergoing
      cardiac procedures. METHODS: All patients undergoing cardiac surgery at a single
      institution from 2006 through 2012 (4,883 patients) were reviewed. Patients with
      U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) criteria for CAUTI were identified from
      the hospital's Quality Assessment database. Pre-operative, operative, and post
      operative patient factors were evaluated. Univariate and multivariable analyses
      were used to identify significant correlations between perioperative
      characteristics and CAUTIs. RESULTS: There were 55 (1.1%) documented CAUTIs in
      the study population. On univariate analysis, older age, female gender, diabetes
      mellitus, cardiogenic shock, urgent or emergent operation, packed red blood cell
      (PRBC) units transfused, and intensive care unit length of stay (ICU LOS) were
      all significantly associated with CAUTI [p<0.05]. On multivariable logistic
      regression, older age, female gender, diabetes mellitus, and ICU LOS remained
      significantly associated with CAUTI. Additionally, there was a significant
      association between CAUTI and 30-d mortality on univariate analysis. However,
      when controlling for common predictors of operative mortality on multivariable
      analysis, CAUTI was no longer associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: There are
      several identifiable risk factors for CAUTI in patients undergoing cardiac
      procedures. CAUTI is not independently associated with increased mortality, but
      it does serve as a marker of sicker patients more likely to die from other
      comorbidities or complications. Therefore, awareness of the high-risk nature of
      these patients should lead to increased diligence and may help to improve peri
      operative outcomes. Recognizing patients at high risk for CAUTI may lead to
      improved measures to decrease CAUTI rates within this population.

PMID- 26115335
TI  - Prenatal Phthalate, Perfluoroalkyl Acid, and Organochlorine Exposures and Term
      Birth Weight in Three Birth Cohorts: Multi-Pollutant Models Based on Elastic Net
      Regression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some legacy and emerging environmental contaminants are suspected
      risk factors for intrauterine growth restriction. However, the evidence is
      equivocal, in part due to difficulties in disentangling the effects of mixtures.
      OBJECTIVES: We assessed associations between multiple correlated biomarkers of
      environmental exposure and birth weight. METHODS: We evaluated a cohort of 1,250
      term (>= 37 weeks gestation) singleton infants, born to 513 mothers from
      Greenland, 180 from Poland, and 557 from Ukraine, who were recruited during
      antenatal care visits in 2002-2004. Secondary metabolites of diethylhexyl and
      diisononyl phthalates (DEHP, DiNP), eight perfluoroalkyl acids, and
      organochlorines (PCB-153 and p,p'-DDE) were quantifiable in 72-100% of maternal
      serum samples. We assessed associations between exposures and term birth weight,
      adjusting for co-exposures and covariates, including prepregnancy body mass
      index. To identify independent associations, we applied the elastic net penalty
      to linear regression models. RESULTS: Two phthalate metabolites (MEHHP, MOiNP),
      perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and p,p'-DDE were most consistently predictive of
      term birth weight based on elastic net penalty regression. In an adjusted,
      unpenalized regression model of the four exposures, 2-SD increases in natural log
      transformed MEHHP, PFOA, and p,p'-DDE were associated with lower birth weight: 
      87 g (95% CI: -137, -340 per 1.70 ng/mL), -43 g (95% CI: -108, 23 per 1.18
      ng/mL), and -135 g (95% CI: -192, -78 per 1.82 ng/g lipid), respectively; and
      MOiNP was associated with higher birth weight (46 g; 95% CI: -5, 97 per 2.22
      ng/mL). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that several of the environmental
      contaminants, belonging to three chemical classes, may be independently
      associated with impaired fetal growth. These results warrant follow-up in other
      cohorts.

PMID- 26115337
TI  - Effects of redox conditions on the control of arsenic mobility in shallow
      alluvial aquifers on the Venetian Plain (Italy).
AB  - The Venetian Plain is known for the occurrence of areas with high concentrations
      of arsenic in groundwater (greater than 400 MUg/L). The study area represents the
      typical residential, industrial and agricultural features of most Western
      countries and is devoid of hydrothermal, volcanic or anthropogenic sources of
      arsenic. The aim of the study is to model the arsenic mobilization and the water
      rock interaction by a complete hydrogeochemical investigation (analyses of
      filtered and unfiltered groundwater sediment mineralogy and geochemistry). The
      groundwater arsenic contamination and redox conditions are highly variable.
      Groundwaters with oxidizing and strongly reducing potentials have much lower
      arsenic concentrations than do mildly reducing waters. The grain size of the
      aquifer sediments includes gravels, sands and silty-clays. A continuous range of
      organic material concentrations is observed (from zero to 40%). The amount of
      sedimentary organic matter is highly correlated with the arsenic content of the
      sediments (up to 300 mg/kg), whereas no relationships are detectable between
      arsenic and other chemical parameters. The occurrence of arsenic minerals was
      observed as a peculiar feature under the scanning electron microscope. Arsenic
      and sulfur are the sole constituents of small tufts or thin crystals concentrated
      in small masses. These arsenic minerals were clearly observed in the peat
      sediments, in agreement with the geochemical modeling that requires very reducing
      conditions for their precipitation from the groundwater. The modeling suggests
      that, under oxidizing conditions, arsenic is adsorbed; moreover, a continuous
      decrease in the redox potential causes increasing desorption of arsenic. If the
      reducing conditions become more intense, the formation of As-S minerals would
      explain the lower concentration of arsenic measured in the strongly reducing
      groundwater. Even if As-sulfides are rare under low-temperature conditions, the
      anomalous abundance of reductants (organic matter) can locally stabilize As-S
      minerals, which can scavenge large quantities of groundwater arsenic.

PMID- 26115338
TI  - Salt in the wound: The interfering effect of road salt on acidified forest
      catchments.
AB  - Atmospheric acidic depositions have strongly altered the functioning and
      biodiversity of Central European forest ecosystems. Most impacts occurred until
      the end of the 20(th) century but the situation substantially improved thereafter
      caused by legal regulations in the late 1980's to reduce acidifying atmospheric
      pollution. Since then slow recovery from acidification has been observed in
      forested catchments and adjacent waters. However, trends of recovery are
      inconsistent and underlying mechanisms diminishing recovery are still poorly
      understood. We propose that the input of road salt can significantly affect
      acidity regime and acidification recovery of forest ecosystems. By comparing the
      discharge hydro-chemistry and plant community composition of springs fed by
      forested catchments with and without high levels of salt input over two decades
      we observed a significant suppression of recovery and elevated levels of nutrient
      leaching (K(+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+)) in highly salt contaminated catchments. We
      show that the pollution of near-surface groundwater (interflow) by road salt
      application can have lasting effects on ecosystem processes over distances of
      several hundred metres apart from the salt emitting road. 

PMID- 26115339
TI  - Impact assessment of emission management strategies of the pharmaceuticals
      Metformin and Metoprolol to the aquatic environment using Bayesian networks.
AB  - The issue of pharmaceuticals in the environment has caused increasing concern in
      the recent years and various strategies have been proposed to tackle this
      problem. This work describes a Bayesian network (BN)-based socio-ecological
      impact assessment of a set of measures aimed at reducing the entry of
      pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment. The measures investigated were
      selected across three sectors: public health market, environmental politics and
      drug design innovation. The BN model was developed for two drugs, Metformin and
      Metoprolol, and it models the distribution of the Predicted Environmental
      Concentration (PEC) values as a function of different measures. Results show that
      the sensitivity of the PEC for the two drugs to the measures investigated
      reflects the distinct drug characteristics, suggesting that in order to ensure
      the successful reduction of a broad range of substances, a spectrum of measures
      targeting the entire lifecycle of a pharmaceutical should be implemented.
      Furthermore, evaluation of two scenarios reflecting different emission management
      strategies highlights that the integrated implementation of a comprehensive set
      of measures across the three sectors results in a more extensive reduction of the
      contamination. Finally, the BN provides an initial forecasting tool to model the
      PEC of a drug as a function of a combination of measures in a context-specific
      manner and possible adaptations of the model are proposed. 

PMID- 26115340
TI  - Study on the Catalytic Activity of Noble Metal Nanoparticles on Reduced Graphene
      Oxide for Oxygen Evolution Reactions in Lithium-Air Batteries.
AB  - Among many challenges present in Li-air batteries, one of the main reasons of low
      efficiency is the high charge overpotential due to the slow oxygen evolution
      reaction (OER). Here, we present systematic evaluation of Pt, Pd, and Ru
      nanoparticles supported on rGO as OER electrocatalysts in Li-air cell cathodes
      with LiCF3SO3-tetra(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (TEGDME) salt-electrolyte
      system. All of the noble metals explored could lower the charge overpotentials,
      and among them, Ru-rGO hybrids exhibited the most stable cycling performance and
      the lowest charge overpotentials. Role of Ru nanoparticles in boosting oxidation
      kinetics of the discharge products were investigated. Apparent behavior of Ru
      nanoparticles was different from the conventional electrocatalysts that lower
      activation barrier through electron transfer, because the major contribution of
      Ru nanoparticles in lowering charge overpotential is to control the nature of the
      discharge products. Ru nanoparticles facilitated thin film-like or
      nanoparticulate Li2O2 formation during oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which
      decomposes at lower potentials during charge, although the conventional role as
      electrocatalysts during OER cannot be ruled out. Pt-and Pd-rGO hybrids showed
      fluctuating potential profiles during the cycling. Although Pt- and Pd-rGO
      decomposed the electrolyte after electrochemical cycling, no electrolyte
      instability was observed with Ru-rGO hybrids. This study provides the possibility
      of screening selective electrocatalysts for Li-air cells while maintaining
      electrolyte stability. 

PMID- 26115341
TI  - The Chemophytostabilisation Process of Heavy Metal Polluted Soil.
AB  - Industrial areas are characterised by soil degradation processes that are related
      primarily to the deposition of heavy metals. Areas contaminated with metals are a
      serious source of risk due to secondary pollutant emissions and metal leaching
      and migration in the soil profile and into the groundwater. Consequently, the
      optimal solution for these areas is to apply methods of remediation that create
      conditions for the restoration of plant cover and ensure the protection of
      groundwater against pollution. Remediation activities that are applied to large
      scale areas contaminated with heavy metals should mainly focus on decreasing the
      degree of metal mobility in the soil profile and metal bioavailability to levels
      that are not phytotoxic. Chemophytostabilisation is a process in which soil
      amendments and plants are used to immobilise metals. The main objective of this
      research was to investigate the effects of different doses of organic amendments
      (after aerobic sewage sludge digestion in the food industry) and inorganic
      amendments (lime, superphosphate, and potassium phosphate) on changes in the
      metals fractions in soils contaminated with Cd, Pb and Zn during
      phytostabilisation. In this study, the contaminated soil was amended with sewage
      sludge and inorganic amendments and seeded with grass (tall fescue) to increase
      the degree of immobilisation of the studied metals. The contaminated soil was
      collected from the area surrounding a zinc smelter in the Silesia region of
      Poland (pH 5.5, Cd 12 mg kg-1, Pb 1100 mg kg-1, Zn 700 mg kg-1). A plant growth
      experiment was conducted in a growth chamber for 5 months. Before and after plant
      growth, soil subsamples were subjected to chemical and physical analyses. To
      determine the fractions of the elements, a sequential extraction method was used
      according to Zeien and Brummer. Research confirmed that the most important
      impacts on the Zn, Cd and Pb fractions included the combined application of
      sewage sludge from the food industry and the addition of lime and potassium
      phosphate. Certain doses of inorganic additives decreased the easily exchangeable
      fraction from 50% to 1%. The addition of sewage sludge caused a decrease in
      fraction I for Cd and Pb. In combination with the use of inorganic additives, a
      mobile fraction was not detected and an easily mobilisable fraction was reduced
      by half. For certain combinations of metals, the concentrations were detected up
      to a few percent. The application of sewage sludge resulted in a slight decrease
      in a mobile (water soluble and easily exchangeable metals) fraction of Zn, but
      when inorganic additives were applied, this fraction was not detected. The
      highest degree of immobilisation of the tested heavy metals relative to the
      control was achieved when using both sewage sludge and inorganic additives at an
      experimentally determined dose. The sequential extraction results confirmed this
      result. In addition, the results proved that the use of the phytostabilisation
      process on contaminated soils should be supported. 

PMID- 26115342
TI  - Motilin Stimulates Gastric Acid Secretion in Coordination with Ghrelin in Suncus
      murinus.
AB  - Motilin and ghrelin constitute a peptide family, and these hormones are important
      for the regulation of gastrointestinal motility. In this study, we examined the
      effect of motilin and ghrelin on gastric acid secretion in anesthetized suncus
      (house musk shrew, Suncus murinus), a ghrelin- and motilin-producing mammal. We
      first established a gastric lumen-perfusion system in the suncus and confirmed
      that intravenous (i.v.) administration of histamine (1 mg/kg body weight)
      stimulated acid secretion. Motilin (0.1, 1.0, and 10 MUg/kg BW) stimulated the
      acid output in a dose-dependent manner in suncus, whereas ghrelin (0.1, 1.0, and
      10 MUg/kg BW) alone did not induce acid output. Furthermore, in comparison with
      the vehicle administration, the co-administration of low-dose (1 MUg/kg BW)
      motilin and ghrelin significantly stimulated gastric acid secretion, whereas
      either motilin (1 MUg/kg BW) or ghrelin (1 MUg/kg BW) alone did not significantly
      induce gastric acid secretion. This indicates an additive role of ghrelin in
      motilin-induced gastric acid secretion. We then investigated the pathways of
      motilin/motilin and ghrelin-stimulated acid secretion using receptor antagonists.
      Treatment with YM 022 (a CCK-B receptor antagonist) and atropine (a muscarinic
      acetylcholine receptor antagonist) had no effect on motilin or motilin-ghrelin co
      administration-induced acid output. In contrast, famotidine (a histamine H2
      receptor antagonist) completely inhibited motilin-stimulated acid secretion and
      co-administration of motilin and ghrelin induced gastric acid output. This is the
      first report demonstrating that motilin stimulates gastric secretion in mammals.
      Our results also suggest that motilin and co-administration of motilin and
      ghrelin stimulate gastric acid secretion via the histamine-mediated pathway in
      suncus. 

PMID- 26115343
TI  - The Influence of Casing-Sand Adhesion on Cementing Bond Strength.
AB  - In the petroleum industry, one of the most serious problems encountered during
      cementing is the failure at the bonding interface. Many measures including casing
      sand adhesion have been developed to improve cementing bond strength. However,
      due to the lack of detailed study of the technique, many questions remain. The
      primary goal of this study is to investigate the influence of casing-sand
      adhesion on cementing bond strength, and to optimize parameters. An orthogonal
      experiment and a supplementary experiment were conducted. The results indicated
      that casing-sand adhesion can improve the cementing bond strength. The priority
      orders of key factors are: sand grain size, sand coverage, adhesive curing
      temperature and adhesive curing time. The optimal parameters recommended for
      application are: 1.6mm~1.9mm sand grain size, 60%~70% sand coverage, 30 degrees C
      curing temperature and 60 hours curing time. 

PMID- 26115344
TI  - Obliquity Control On Southern Hemisphere Climate During The Last Glacial.
AB  - Recent paleoclimate reconstructions have challenged the traditional view that
      Northern Hemisphere insolation and associated feedbacks drove synchronous global
      climate and ice-sheet volume during the last glacial cycle. Here we focus on the
      response of the Patagonian Ice Sheet, and demonstrate that its maximum expansion
      culminated at 28,400 +/- 500 years before present (28.4 +/- 0.5 ka), more than
      5,000 years before the minima in 65  degrees N summer insolation and the formally
      defined Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) at 21,000 +/- 2,000 years before present. To
      investigate the potential drivers of this early LGM (eLGM), we simulate the
      effects of orbital changes using a suite of climate models incorporating
      prescribed and evolving sea-ice anomalies. Our analyses suggest that Antarctic
      sea-ice expansion at 28.5 ka altered the location and intensity of the Southern
      Hemisphere storm track, triggering regional cooling over Patagonia of 5  degrees
      C that extends across the wider mid-southern latitudes. In contrast, at the LGM,
      continued sea-ice expansion reduced regional temperature and precipitation
      further, effectively starving the ice sheet and resulting in reduced glacial
      expansion. Our findings highlight the dominant role that orbital changes can play
      in driving Southern Hemisphere glacial climate via the sensitivity of mid
      latitude regions to changes in Antarctic sea-ice extent.

PMID- 26115345
TI  - Development of microbial spoilage and lipid and protein oxidation in rabbit meat.
AB  - This experiment aimed to determine microbial spoilage and lipid and protein
      oxidation during aerobic refrigerated (4 degrees C) storage of rabbit meat. Forty
      male New Zealand white rabbits were slaughtered according to the Halal slaughter
      procedure. The hind limbs were used for microbial analysis while the Longissimus
      lumborum m. was used for determination of lipid and protein oxidation. Bacterial
      counts generally increased with aging time and the limit for fresh meat
      (10(8)cfu/g) was reached at d 7 postmortem. Significant differences in
      malondialdehyde content were observed after 3d of storage. The thiol
      concentration significantly decreased with increase in aging time. The band
      intensities of myosin heavy chain and troponin T significantly reduced with
      increased refrigerated storage while actin remained relatively stable. This study
      thus proposes protein oxidation as a potential deteriorative change in
      refrigerated rabbit meat along with microbial spoilage and lipid oxidation. 

PMID- 26115346
TI  - The use of atmospheric pressure plasma-treated water as a source of nitrite for
      emulsion-type sausage.
AB  - We investigated the possible use of atmospheric pressure plasma-treated water
      (PTW) as a nitrite source in curing process. Emulsion-type sausages were
      manufactured with PTW, celery powder containing nitrite, and synthetic sodium
      nitrite at a concentration of nitrite ion 70mgkg(-1). In terms of sausage
      quality, there were no noticeable effects of PTW on the total aerobic bacterial
      counts, color, and peroxide values of sausages compared with those of celery
      powder and sodium nitrite throughout 28days of storage at 4 degrees C. Sausage
      with added PTW had lower concentrations of residual nitrite compared to those of
      added celery powder and sodium nitrite during the storage period (P<0.05). The
      sensory properties of PTW-treated and sodium nitrite-treated sausages were not
      different, whereas the sausage with added celery powder received the lowest
      scores in taste and acceptability. From the results, it is concluded that PTW can
      be used as a nitrite source equivalent to a natural curing agent. 

PMID- 26115347
TI  - Predicting meat quality traits of ovine m. semimembranosus, both fresh and
      following freezing and thawing, using a hand held Raman spectroscopic device.
AB  - Complementary studies were conducted to determine the potential for a Raman
      spectroscopic hand held device to predict meat quality traits of fresh lamb m.
      semimembranosus (topside) after ageing and freezing/thawing. Spectra were
      collected from 80 fresh muscles at 24h and 5d PM, another 80 muscles were
      measured at 24h, 5d and following freezing/thawing. Shear force, cooking loss,
      sarcomere length, colour, particle size, collagen content, pH24, pHu, purge and
      thaw loss were also measured. Results indicated a potential to predict pHu
      (R(2)cv=0.59), pH24 (R(2)cv=0.48) and purge (R(2)cv=0.42) using spectra collected
      24h PM. L* could be predicted using spectra collected 24h (R(2)cv=0.33) or 5d PM
      (R(2)cv=0.33). This suggests that Raman spectroscopy is suited to identifying
      carcases which deviate from the normal metabolic processes and related meat
      quality traits. 

PMID- 26115348
TI  - Exposure to Deepwater Horizon Crude Oil Burnoff Particulate Matter Induces
      Pulmonary Inflammation and Alters Adaptive Immune Response.
AB  - The "in situ burning" of trapped crude oil on the surface of Gulf waters during
      the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill released numerous pollutants,
      including combustion-generated particulate matter (PM). Limited information is
      available on the respiratory impact of inhaled in situ burned oil sail
      particulate matter (OSPM). Here we utilized PM collected from in situ burn plumes
      of the DWH oil spill to study the acute effects of exposure to OSPM on pulmonary
      health. OSPM caused dose-and time-dependent cytotoxicity and generated reactive
      oxygen species and superoxide radicals in vitro. Additionally, mice exposed to
      OSPM exhibited significant decreases in body weight gain, systemic oxidative
      stress in the form of increased serum 8-isoprostane (8-IP) levels, and airway
      inflammation in the form of increased macrophages and eosinophils in
      bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Further, in a mouse model of allergic asthma, OSPM
      caused increased T helper 2 cells (Th2), peribronchiolar inflammation, and
      increased airway mucus production. These findings demonstrate that acute exposure
      to OSPM results in pulmonary inflammation and alteration of innate/adaptive
      immune responses in mice and highlight potential respiratory effects associated
      with cleaning up an oil spill. 

PMID- 26115350
TI  - Carotenoid deposition in plant and animal foods and its impact on
      bioavailability.
AB  - Over the past decades, an enormous body of literature dealing with the natural
      deposition of carotenoids in plant- and animal-based foods has accumulated.
      Prominent examples are the large solid-crystalline aggregates in carrots and
      tomatoes or the lipid-dissolved forms in dairy products and egg yolk. Latest
      research has identified lipid-dissolved forms in a rare number of plant foods,
      such as tangerine tomatoes and peach palm fruit (Bactris gasipaes Kunth). In
      addition, liquid-crystalline forms were assumed in so-called tubular chromoplasts
      of numerous fruits, e.g., in papaya, mango, and bell pepper. The bioavailability
      of carotenoids from fresh and processed foods strongly depends on their genuine
      deposition form, since their effective absorption to the human organism requires
      their liberation from the food matrix and subsequent solubilization into mixed
      micelles in the small intestine. Consequently, a broad overview about the natural
      array of carotenoid deposition forms should be helpful to better understand and
      modulate their bioavailability from foods. Furthermore, naturally highly
      bioavailable forms may provide biomimetic models for the improved formulation of
      carotenoids in food supplements. Therefore, this review paper presents scientific
      evidence from human intervention studies associating carotenoid deposition forms
      with their bioavailability, thus suggesting novel technological and dietary
      strategies for their enhanced absorption.

PMID- 26115349
TI  - The Role of Storage Lipids in the Relation between Fecundity, Locomotor Activity,
      and Lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster Longevity-Selected and Control Lines.
AB  - The contribution of insect fat body to multiple processes, such as development,
      metamorphosis, activity, and reproduction results in trade-offs between life
      history traits. In the present study, age-induced modulation of storage lipid
      composition in Drosophila melanogaster longevity-selected (L) and non-selected
      control (C) lines was studied and the correlation between total body fat mass and
      lifespan assessed. The trade-offs between fecundity, locomotor activity, and
      lifespan were re-evaluated from a lipid-related metabolic perspective. Fewer
      storage lipids in the L lines compared to the C lines supports the impact of body
      fat mass on extended lifespan. The higher rate of fecundity and locomotor
      activity in the L lines may increase the lipid metabolism and enhance the
      lipolysis of storage lipids, reducing fat reserves. The correlation between
      neutral lipid fatty acids and fecundity, as well as locomotor activity, varied
      across age groups and between the L and C lines. The fatty acids that correlated
      with egg production were different from the fatty acids that correlated with
      locomotor activity. The present study suggests that fecundity and locomotor
      activity may positively affect the lifespan of D. melanogaster through the
      inhibition of fat accumulation. 

PMID- 26115352
TI  - High Selectivity of Supported Ru Catalysts in the Selective CO Methanation-Water
      Makes the Difference.
AB  - The selectivity for CO methanation is a decisive aspect for the practical
      application of the methanation reaction for the removal of CO from CO2-rich H2
      fuel gases produced via hydrocarbon reforming. We show that increasing the water
      content in the feed gas, up to technically relevant levels of 30%, significantly
      increases the selectivity of supported Ru catalysts compared with operation in
      (almost) dry gas, while in operando EXAFS measurements reveal a gradual decrease
      in the Ru particle size with increasing amounts of water in the gas feed.
      Consequences of these findings and related IR spectroscopic data for the
      mechanistic understanding and practical applications are outlined. 

PMID- 26115351
TI  - Reasons for recent marijuana use in relation to use of other illicit drugs among
      high school seniors in the United States.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Studies show that illicit cannabis (marijuana) use is related to use
      of other illicit drugs and that reasons for use are related to frequency of
      marijuana use. However, research is needed to examine whether specific reasons
      for marijuana use are associated with use of other illicit drugs. METHODS: Data
      from recent marijuana-using high school seniors were examined from 12 cohorts of
      Monitoring the Future (Weighted n = 6481) to examine whether reasons for recent
      marijuana use are associated with use of eight other illicit drugs. RESULTS:
      Using "to experiment" decreased odds of reporting use of each drug and using to
      decrease effects of other drugs increased odds of reporting use of each drug. In
      multivariable models, using marijuana "to experiment" decreased the odds for
      reporting use of hallucinogens other than LSD and narcotics other than heroin.
      Using marijuana for "insight" increased the odds for use of hallucinogens other
      than LSD, and use due to "boredom" increased the odds for reporting use of powder
      cocaine and hallucinogens other than LSD. Using marijuana to increase effects of
      other drugs increased odds of reporting use of each of the eight drugs, and using
      it to decrease other drug effects increased odds of reporting use of crack,
      hallucinogens other than LSD, and amphetamine/stimulants. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      helped identify illicit marijuana users who are more likely to report use of
      other illicit drugs. Prevention efforts need to focus on students who report
      certain reasons for marijuana use as they may be at risk for use of other illicit
      drugs.

PMID- 26115355
TI  - Childhood and Adolescent nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma - A
      review of clinical outcome based on the histological variants.
AB  - Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (nLPHL) comprises approximately
      10-12% of all childhood Hodgkin lymphoma. As the majority have low stage disease
      recent years have seen a de-escalation of treatment intensity to avoid treatment
      related morbidity. This report evaluates treatment outcome in children with
      histopathological variants of nLPHL after therapy de-escalation. Biopsies from 60
      patients were reviewed and histology categorized as typical (n = 47; 78%) or
      variant nLPHL (n = 13; 22%). Furthermore, presence of immunoglobulin D (IgD)
      expression by the lymphocyte predominant (LP) cells was assessed in 41 patients.
      Treatment outcomes were compared according to treatment received and
      histopathology of nLPHL. Compared to typical nLPHL, children with variant nLPHL
      had higher stage disease at diagnosis (stage III: 3/13; 23% vs. 3/47; 6%, P =
      0.11), lower complete response rates (6/13; 46% vs. 38/47; 81%, P = 0.029) and
      higher relapse rates (2/13; 15% vs. 2/47; 4%, P = 0.20). Additionally, IgD
      expression by LP cells was associated with poorer treatment response and was more
      commonly seen in patients with variant nLPHL. (11/13; 85% vs. 15/28; 54%, P =
      0.08). Variant histology appears to be indicative of a poorer prognosis in
      patients with early stage disease, and may be an important factor to take into
      account when moving towards reduced intensity treatment for nLPHL.

PMID- 26115353
TI  - Spatio-temporal Dynamics and Mechanisms of Stress Granule Assembly.
AB  - Stress granules (SGs) are non-membranous cytoplasmic aggregates of mRNAs and
      related proteins, assembled in response to environmental stresses such as heat
      shock, hypoxia, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, chemicals (e.g. arsenite), and
      viral infections. SGs are hypothesized as a loci of mRNA triage and/or
      maintenance of proper translation capacity ratio to the pool of mRNAs. In brain
      ischemia, hippocampal CA3 neurons, which are resilient to ischemia, assemble SGs.
      In contrast, CA1 neurons, which are vulnerable to ischemia, do not assemble SGs.
      These results suggest a critical role SG plays in regards to cell fate decisions.
      Thus SG assembly along with its dynamics should determine the cell fate. However,
      the process that exactly determines the SG assembly dynamics is largely unknown.
      In this paper, analyses of experimental data and computer simulations were used
      to approach this problem. SGs were assembled as a result of applying arsenite to
      HeLa cells. The number of SGs increased after a short latent period, reached a
      maximum, then decreased during the application of arsenite. At the same time, the
      size of SGs grew larger and became localized at the perinuclear region. A minimal
      mathematical model was constructed, and stochastic simulations were run to test
      the modeling. Since SGs are discrete entities as there are only several tens of
      them in a cell, commonly used deterministic simulations could not be employed.
      The stochastic simulations replicated observed dynamics of SG assembly. In
      addition, these stochastic simulations predicted a gamma distribution relative to
      the size of SGs. This same distribution was also found in our experimental data
      suggesting the existence of multiple fusion steps in the SG assembly.
      Furthermore, we found that the initial steps in the SG assembly process and
      microtubules were critical to the dynamics. Thus our experiments and stochastic
      simulations presented a possible mechanism regulating SG assembly. 

PMID- 26115356
TI  - The Oral Tolerance as a Complex Network Phenomenon.
AB  - The phenomenon of oral tolerance refers to a local and systemic state of
      tolerance induced in the gut after its exposure to innocuous antigens. Recent
      findings have shown the interrelationship between cellular and molecular
      components of oral tolerance, but its representation through a network of
      interactions has not been investigated. Our work aims at identifying the causal
      relationship of each element in an oral tolerance network, and also to propose a
      phenomenological model that's capable of predicting the stochastic behavior of
      this network when under manipulation. We compared the changes of a "healthy"
      network caused by "knock-outs" (KOs) in two approaches: an analytical approach by
      the Perron Frobenius theory; and a computational approach, which we describe
      within this work in order to find numerical results for the model. Both
      approaches have shown the most relevant immunological components for this
      phenomena, that happens to corroborate the empirical results from animal models.
      Besides explain in a intelligible fashion how the components interacts in a
      complex manner, we also managed to describe and quantify the importance of KOs
      that hasn't been empirically tested. 

PMID- 26115357
TI  - DLISA: A DNAzyme-Based ELISA for Protein Enzyme-Free Immunoassay of Multiple
      Analytes.
AB  - A DNAzyme-based ELISA, termed DLISA, was developed as a novel protein enzyme
      free, triply amplified platform, combining a catalytic and molecular beacon
      (CAMB) system with a cation exchange reaction for ultrasensitive multiplex
      fluorescent immunosorbent assay. Classical ELISA, which employs protein enzymes
      as biocatalysts to afford amplified signals, suffers from poor stability caused
      by the irreversible denaturation of these enzymes under harsh conditions, such as
      heat and acidity. Compared with proteins, nucleic acids are more stable and
      adaptable, and they can be easily produced using a commercial DNA synthesizer.
      Moreover, the catalytic and cleavage activities of DNAzyme can be achieved in
      solution; thus, no enzyme immobilization is needed for detection. Taken together,
      these attributes suggest that a DNAzyme-based ELISA detection approach will be
      more robust than current ELISA assays. Importantly, the proposed triply amplified
      DLISA immunoassay method shows ultrasensitive detection of such targets as human
      IgG with a detection limit of 2 fg/mL (3 * 10(-17) M), which is well within the
      range of many important disease biomarkers. DLISA can also be used to construct a
      sensing array for simultaneous multiplexed detection. With these merits, this
      high-throughput, stable, simple, sensitive, and low-cost multiplex fluorescence
      immunoassay shows promise for applications in clinical diagnosis. 

PMID- 26115358
TI  - Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells for B-cell malignancies: a
      systematic review of efficacy and safety in clinical trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Administration of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified
      T cells for B-cell malignancies has been remarkably effective in recent clinical
      trials. To investigate the critical parameters affecting efficacy and evaluated
      the safety of using CAR T cells targeting CD19 in B-lineage malignancies. We
      performed a systematic review of reported phase I clinical trials using CAR T
      cells targeting CD19 in B-lineage malignancies. METHODS: We searched Medline and
      Embase for studies on anti-CD19 CAR-modified T cells in patients with B-cell
      malignancies in October 2014. Univariate analyses were performed using the Kaplan
      Meier method, and a Cox regression model was used to determine the independent
      prognostic factors of progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Six trials
      involving 50 patients were included in this review. After CAR T-cell infusion,
      the overall response rate was 48% (complete responses in 24%). The 6-month PFS
      and 1-year PFS were 43% and 27%, respectively. Statistically significant factors
      favorably influencing PFS were conditioning chemotherapy (P < 0.001), B-cell
      aplasia (P = 0.040), and durable persistence of CAR T cells (P = 0.013) in
      univariate analyses. After multivariate analysis, conditioning chemotherapy
      remained as an independent prognostic factor for PFS. The most common adverse
      events were fever, hypotension, rigor, fatigue, bacteremia, chill, dyspnea, and
      headache, but all were temporary and resolved. CONCLUSION: Anti-CD19 CAR-modified
      T cells have shown therapeutic efficacy in patients with B-lineage malignancies
      and were well tolerated in most patients. Conditioning chemotherapy is a
      prerequisite to improve the clinical outcome.

PMID- 26115359
TI  - Subacute Tissue Response to 3D Graphene Oxide Scaffolds Implanted in the Injured
      Rat Spinal Cord.
AB  - The increasing prevalence and high sanitary costs of lesions affecting the
      central nervous system (CNS) at the spinal cord are encouraging experts in
      different fields to explore new avenues for neural repair. In this context,
      graphene and its derivatives are attracting significant attention, although their
      toxicity and performance in the CNS in vivo remains unclear. Here, the subacute
      tissue response to 3D flexible and porous scaffolds composed of partially reduced
      graphene oxide is investigated when implanted in the injured rat spinal cord. The
      interest of these structures as potentially useful platforms for CNS regeneration
      mainly relies on their mechanical compliance with neural tissues, adequate
      biocompatibility with neural cells in vitro and versatility to carry
      topographical and biological guidance cues. Early tissue responses are thoroughly
      investigated locally (spinal cord at C6 level) and in the major organs (i.e.,
      kidney, liver, lung, and spleen). The absence of local and systemic toxic
      responses, along with the positive signs found at the lesion site (e.g., filler
      effect, soft interface for no additional scaring, preservation of cell
      populations at the perilesional area, presence of M2 macrophages), encourages
      further investigation of these materials as promising components of more
      efficient material-based platforms for CNS repair. 

PMID- 26115360
TI  - COMPLETE RESOLUTION OF LARGE RETINAL FOLD AFTER TRANSECTION OF RETROLENTAL
      MEMBRANE DURING LENS-SPARING VITRECTOMY FOR RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY: A 15-YEAR
      FOLLOW-UP.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe the long-term anatomical and visual outcomes of a patient
      with retinopathy of prematurity characterized by a prominent retinal fold
      adherent to the posterior lens capsule, treated by lens-sparing vitrectomy with
      surgical transection of the retrolental membrane. CASE SUMMARY: A premature
      infant was born at a gestational age of 25 weeks and birthweight of 636 g. She
      developed threshold retinopathy of prematurity bilaterally and was subsequently
      treated with laser ablative therapy. The left eye responded favorably, with
      regression of neovascularization; however, the right eye progressed to Stage 4A
      with a prominent retinal fold adherent to the posterior lens capsule. The patient
      underwent lens-sparing vitrectomy with dissection of the retrolental membrane at
      postmenstrual age of 44 weeks. At 15-year follow-up, the patient has maintained a
      best-corrected visual acuity of 20/60 and, of note, demonstrated complete
      resolution of the previous retinal fold. CONCLUSION: Surgical treatment for
      retinopathy of prematurity was considerably advanced by the introduction of lens
      sparing vitrectomy techniques; however, cases developing retrolental membranes
      often persisted with poor visual outcomes, and lensectomy is conventionally
      performed. However, in select cases of Stage 4A retinopathy of prematurity,
      careful transection of retrolental membranes during lens-sparing vitrectomy using
      the appropriate technique may provide very good anatomical and visual outcomes.

PMID- 26115361
TI  - Gender, Relationships, and Elder Abuse: Assessing Aggression in Mother-Daughter
      Dyads.
AB  - The older adult population is growing rapidly, and with it comes a national
      concern for elder abuse. Elder abuse is an intentional act of harm or failure to
      provide care by a person in a trusted relationship with the elder. One
      relationship is often overlooked in both research and clinical practice as having
      special significance for elder abuse-that of the adult daughter-elderly mother.
      However, recent studies suggest that there are gender differences in the use of
      aggression, which challenge standard assessments of abuse and may be important
      for assessing mother-daughter relationships. In this narrative review article,
      the authors review the relevant literature on female-to-female aggression, with
      an emphasis on its application to mother-daughter relationships and elder abuse.
      Measurement tools are evaluated in light of the state of the science. The authors
      conclude with specific recommendations for clinical practice. 

PMID- 26115362
TI  - Fuzzy Index to Evaluate Edge Detection in Digital Images.
AB  - In literature, we can find different metrics to evaluate the detected edges in
      digital images, like Pratt's figure of merit (FOM), Jaccard's index (JI) and
      Dice's coefficient (DC). These metrics compare two images, the first one is the
      reference edges image, and the second one is the detected edges image. It is
      important to mention that all existing metrics must binarize images before their
      evaluation. Binarization step causes information to be lost because an incomplete
      image is being evaluated. In this paper, we propose a fuzzy index (FI) for edge
      evaluation that does not use a binarization step. In order to process all
      detected edges, images are represented in their fuzzy form and all calculations
      are made with fuzzy sets operators and fuzzy Euclidean distance between both
      images. Our proposed index is compared to the most used metrics using synthetic
      images, with good results. 

PMID- 26115363
TI  - The WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX 3 gene PaWOX3 regulates lateral organ formation in
      Norway spruce.
AB  - In angiosperms, WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX 3 (WOX3) genes are required for the
      recruitment of founder cells from the lateral domains of shoot meristems that
      form lateral regions of leaves. However, the regulation of the formation of
      lateral organs in gymnosperms remains unknown. By using somatic embryos of Norway
      spruce (Picea abies) we have studied the expression and function of PaWOX3 during
      embryo development. The mRNA abundance of PaWOX3 was determined by quantitative
      real-time PCR, and the spatial expression of PaWOX3 was analysed by histochemical
      beta-glucuronidase (GUS) assays and in situ mRNA hybridization. To investigate
      the function of PaWOX3, we analysed how downregulation of PaWOX3 in RNA
      interference lines affected embryo development and morphology. PaWOX3 was highly
      expressed in mature embryos at the base of each cotyledon close to the junction
      between the cotyledons, and in the lateral margins of cotyledons and needles,
      separating them into an adaxial and an abaxial side. Downregulation of the
      expression of PaWOX3 caused defects in lateral margin outgrowth in cotyledons and
      needles, and reduced root elongation. Our data suggest that the WOX3 function in
      margin outgrowth in lateral organs is conserved among the seed plants, whereas
      its function in root elongation may be unique to gymnosperms. 

PMID- 26115364
TI  - Do Changes in Tympanic Temperature Predict Changes in Affective Valence During
      High-Intensity Exercise?
AB  - PURPOSE: Increased core (brain or body) temperature that accompanies exercise has
      been posited to play an influential role in affective responses to exercise.
      However, findings in support of this hypothesis have been equivocal, and most of
      the performed studies have been done in relation to anxiety. The aim of the
      present study was to investigate the effects of tympanic temperature on basic
      affect (i.e., pleasure-displeasure) in the course of a high-intensity exercise
      session. METHOD: One hundred seventy students performed a 10-min cycling exercise
      at an intensity of 80% to 85% of maximal heart rate. Heart rate, tympanic
      temperature, and self-reported pleasure (using the Feeling Scale [FS]) were
      measured twice during exercise at the end of the first minute (Min 1:00) and
      beginning of the last minute (Min 9:00). RESULTS: Small increases in tympanic
      temperature were noted from Min 1:00 to Min 9:00 (mean change value = +0.2
      degrees C). Meanwhile, the FS scores changed in the opposite direction (mean
      change value = - 0.2 units). However, changes in temperature only poorly
      predicted changes in pleasure-displeasure (R(2) = .05 for the linear regression,
      R(2) = .08 for the curvilinear regression). CONCLUSIONS: Slight elevated tympanic
      temperature occurred during the 10-min cycling exercise, but it had a negligible
      effect on changes in pleasure ratings. The possibility that tympanic temperature
      is not a valid indicator of core temperature during exercise is discussed.

PMID- 26115365
TI  - Evaluation of a Push-Pull Approach for Aedes aegypti (L.) Using a Novel
      Dispensing System for Spatial Repellents in the Laboratory and in a Semi-Field
      Environment.
AB  - The increase in insecticide resistant mosquito populations necessitates the
      exploration of novel vector control intervention measures. Push-pull strategies
      for insect control have been successful when used in integrated crop pest
      management. Through the combinatory use of deterring and attracting stimuli, the
      abundance of insect pests can be changed in a given area. A push-pull strategy
      might also significantly reduce human-vector contacts and augment existing
      mosquito control strategies, e.g. through the combination of an attractive
      trapping system and a potent spatial repellent. Our approach includes the BG
      Sentinel (BGS) trap in combination with catnip oil (Nepeta cataria), a known
      spatial repellent for Aedes aegypti. To impart a deterrent effect on mosquitoes
      at a distance, a homogenous and continuous dispersal of volatile repellent
      compounds is crucial. We have developed a repellent dispensing system that is
      easy to use and provides a homogenous dispersal of repellent in an air curtain.
      The use of five 9 V fans and custom-made repellent sachets containing 10% catnip
      essential oil created a repellent loaded air curtain that provided coverage of an
      area of 2 m2 (1.2 x 1.65 m). Air was sampled at four different heights in the
      curtain and analysed via thermal desorption (TD) and consecutive gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Nepetalactone, the main constituent of
      the oil, was detected in air at a concentration range of 80 to 100 MUg/m3 and the
      amounts were comparable at all four sampling positions. When a human volunteer
      was sitting behind the repellent curtain and a BGS trap was installed in front of
      the curtain in laboratory push-pull trials, Ae. aegypti landing collections
      decreased significantly by 50% compared to repellent-free controls. However, in a
      semi-field environment, comparable protective effects could not be achieved and
      further research on suitable repellent concentrations for outdoor implementation
      will be required. 

PMID- 26115366
TI  - Measuring Computed Tomography Scanner Variability of Radiomics Features.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the significance of
      interscanner variability in CT image radiomics studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      compared the radiomics features calculated for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      tumors from 20 patients with those calculated for 17 scans of a specially
      designed radiomics phantom. The phantom comprised 10 cartridges, each filled with
      different materials to produce a wide range of radiomics feature values. The
      scans were acquired using General Electric, Philips, Siemens, and Toshiba
      scanners from 4 medical centers using their routine thoracic imaging protocol.
      The radiomics feature studied included the mean and standard deviations of the CT
      numbers as well as textures derived from the neighborhood gray-tone difference
      matrix. To quantify the significance of the interscanner variability, we
      introduced the metric feature noise. To look for patterns in the scans, we
      performed hierarchical clustering for each cartridge. RESULTS: The mean CT
      numbers for the 17 CT scans of the phantom cartridges spanned from -864 to 652
      Hounsfield units compared with a span of -186 to 35 Hounsfield units for the CT
      scans of the NSCLC tumors, showing that the phantom's dynamic range includes that
      of the tumors. The interscanner variability of the feature values depended on
      both the cartridge material and the feature, and the variability was large
      relative to the interpatient variability in the NSCLC tumors for some features.
      The feature interscanner noise was greatest for busyness and least for texture
      strength. Hierarchical clustering produced different clusters of the phantom
      scans for each cartridge, although there was some consistent clustering by
      scanner manufacturer. CONCLUSIONS: The variability in the values of radiomics
      features calculated on CT images from different CT scanners can be comparable to
      the variability in these features found in CT images of NSCLC tumors. These
      interscanner differences should be considered, and their effects should be
      minimized in future radiomics studies.

PMID- 26115367
TI  - Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Local Tumor Staging
      in Patients With Primary Breast Cancer: A Comparison With Positron Emission
      Tomography/Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of integrated
      positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast
      for lesion detection and local tumor staging of patients with primary breast
      cancer in comparison to PET/computed tomography (CT) and MRI. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The study was approved by the local institutional review board. Forty
      nine patients with biopsy-proven invasive breast cancer were prospectively
      enrolled in our study. All patients underwent a PET/CT, and subsequently, a
      contrast-enhanced PET/MRI of the breast after written informed consent was
      obtained before each examination. Two radiologists independently evaluated the
      corresponding data sets (PET/CT, PET/MRI, and MRI) and were instructed to
      identify primary tumors lesions as well as multifocal/multicentric and bilateral
      disease. Furthermore, the occurrence of lymph node metastases was assessed, and
      the T-stage for each patient was determined. Histopathological verification of
      the local tumor extent and the axillary lymph node status was available for 30 of
      49 and 48 of 49 patients, respectively. For the remaining patients, a consensus
      characterization was performed for the determination of the T-stage and nodal
      status, taking into account the results of clinical staging, PET/CT, and PET/MRI
      examinations. Statistical analysis was performed to test for differences in
      diagnostic performance between the different imaging procedures. P values less
      than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: Positron
      emission tomography/MRI and MRI correctly identified 47 (96%) of the 49 patients
      with primary breast cancer, whereas PET/CT enabled detection of 46 (94%) of 49
      breast cancer patients and missed a synchronous carcinoma in the contralateral
      breast in 1 patient. In a lesion-by-lesion analysis, no significant differences
      could be obtained between the 3 imaging procedures for the identification of
      primary breast cancer lesions (P > 0.05). Positron emission tomography/MRI and
      MRI allowed for a correct identification of multifocal/multicentric disease in 3
      additional patients if compared with PET/CT. For the definition of the correct T
      stage, PET/MRI and MRI showed identical results and were correct in significantly
      more cases than PET/CT (PET/MRI and MRI, 82%; PET/CT, 68%; P < 0.05).
      Furthermore, the calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value,
      negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy for the detection of nodal
      positive patients (n = 18) were 78%, 94%, 88%, 88%, and 88% for PET/CT; 67%, 87%,
      75%, 82%, and 80% for MRI; and 78%, 90%, 82%, 88%, and 86% for PET/MRI,
      respectively. Differences between the imaging modalities were not statistically
      significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Integrated PET/MRI does not provide
      diagnostic advantages for local tumor staging of breast cancer patients in
      comparison to MRI alone. Positron emission tomography/MRI and MRI enable an
      improved determination of the local tumor extent in comparison to PET/CT, whereas
      all 3 imaging modalities offer a comparable diagnostic performance for the
      identification of axillary disease.

PMID- 26115368
TI  - Beta-adrenergic receptor agonist decreases VEGF levels through altered eNOS and
      PKC signaling in diabetic retina.
AB  - Vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) is increased in diabetic macular
      edema. Compound 49b, a novel beta-adrenergic receptor agonist, is protective in a
      type 1 diabetic rat model. We questioned whether Compound 49b could decrease VEGF
      levels, suggesting that Compound 49b may be effective against edema. Two-month
      diabetic rats received topical Compound 49b for 7 days only and/or insulin-like
      growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) siRNA. We also measured endothelial
      nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and protein kinase C (PKC)zeta and PKCdelta
      phosphorylation. Retinal endothelial cells (RECs) cultured in high glucose were
      treated with Compound 49b and IGFBP-3 siRNA for evaluation of the same signaling
      pathways. Compound 49b significantly decreased VEGF through increased IGFBP-3 in
      the diabetic retina. Compound 49b also reduced eNOS, PKCzeta and PKCdelta
      phosphorylation in the diabetic retina and REC. Compound 49b regulated a number
      of proteins involved in REC barrier properties. 

PMID- 26115369
TI  - Using Plant Functional Traits and Phylogenies to Understand Patterns of Plant
      Community Assembly in a Seasonal Tropical Forest in Lao PDR.
AB  - Plant functional traits reflect different evolutionary responses to environmental
      variation, and among extant species determine the outcomes of interactions
      between plants and their environment, including other plant species. Thus,
      combining phylogenetic and trait-based information can be a powerful approach for
      understanding community assembly processes across a range of spatial scales. We
      used this approach to investigate tree community composition at Phou Khao Khouay
      National Park (18 degrees 14'-18 degrees 32'N; 102 degrees 38'- 102 degrees
      59'E), Laos, where several distinct forest types occur in close proximity. The
      aim of our study was to examine patterns of plant community assembly across the
      strong environmental gradients evident at our site. We hypothesized that
      differences in tree community composition were being driven by an underlying
      gradient in soil conditions. Thus, we predicted that environmental filtering
      would predominate at the site and that the filtering would be strongest on
      sandier soil with low pH, as these are the conditions least favorable to plant
      growth. We surveyed eleven 0.25 ha (50x50 m) plots for all trees above 10 cm dbh
      (1221 individual trees, including 47 families, 70 genera and 123 species) and
      sampled soils in each plot. For each species in the community, we measured 11
      commonly studied plant functional traits covering both the leaf and wood economic
      spectrum traits and we reconstructed a phylogenetic tree for 115 of the species
      in the community using rbcL and matK sequences downloaded from Genebank (other
      species were not available). Finally we compared the distribution of trait values
      and species at two scales (among plots and 10x10m subplots) to examine trait and
      phylogenetic community structures. Although there was strong evidence that an
      underlying soil gradient was determining patterns of species composition at the
      site, our results did not support the hypothesis that the environmental filtering
      dominated community assembly processes. For the measured plant functional traits
      there was no consistent pattern of trait dispersion across the site, either when
      traits were considered individually or when combined in a multivariate analysis.
      However, there was a significant correlation between the degree of phylogenetic
      dispersion and the first principle component axis (PCA1) for the soil parameters.
      Moreover, the more phylogenetically clustered plots were on sandier soils with
      lower pH. Hence, we suggest that the community assembly processes across our site
      may reflect the influence of more conserved traits that we did not measure.
      Nevertheless, our results are equivocal and other interpretations are possible.
      Our study illustrates some difficulties in combining trait and phylogenetic
      approaches that may result from the complexities of integrating spatial and
      evolutionary processes that vary at different scales. 

PMID- 26115371
TI  - Recognition of fractional non-innocent feature of osmium coordinated 2,2'
      biimidazole or 2,2'-bis(4,5-dimethylimidazole) and their interactions with
      anions.
AB  - Mononuclear complexes [Os(II)(bpy)2(H2L1)](ClO4)2 ([](ClO4)2) and
      [Os(II)(bpy)2(H2L2)](ClO4)2 ([](ClO4)2) incorporating two free NH protons at the
      back face of the coordinated H2L, and deprotonated L(2-) bridged symmetric
      dinuclear complexes [(bpy)2Os(II)(MU-L1(2-))Os(II)(bpy)2)](ClO4)2 ([](ClO4)2) and
      [(bpy)2Os(II)(MU-L2(2-))Os(II)(bpy)2)](ClO4)2 ([](ClO4)2) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine,
      H2L1 = 2,2'-biimidazole and H2L2 = 2,2'-bis(4,5-dimethylimidazole)) have been
      characterised. Crystal structures of [](ClO4)2 and the meso (DeltaLambda)
      diastereomeric form of [](ClO4)2 have been determined. The crystal structure of
      [](ClO4)2 also reveals the hydrogen bonding interactions between its free acidic
      NH protons and the oxygen atoms of the perchlorate anion in the nearby asymmetric
      unit. Experimental and DFT/TD-DFT calculations have divulged the non-innocent
      feature of the doubly deprotonated L(2-) in (3+) and (3+), leading to the
      resonating formulation of {Os(II)(MU-L(2-))Os(III)} <-> {Os(II)(MU-L(-))Os(II)},
      instead of a simple mixed valent situation {Os(II)(MU-L(2-))Os(III)}. The
      dinuclear complexes (3+) and (3+) display one broad and moderately intense near
      IR transition near 1000 nm corresponding to a mixed Os(dpi)/L(pi) ->
      Os(dpi)/L(pi*) MLLMCT (metal/ligand to ligand/metal charge transfer) transition.
      Different experimental studies have also established the interaction of (2+) and
      (2+) with the selective anions. 

PMID- 26115370
TI  - Rasch-ionale for neurologists.
AB  - Outcome measures are considered the most important tools to monitor patients'
      outcome in both clinical and research settings. Measuring the clinical state of
      patients is a fundamental part of our daily clinical practice and research that
      sometimes is taken for granted. In peripheral neuropathies, there are many scales
      available, but most of these are at the ordinal level. This paper will
      systematically address the types of scales available (being nominal, ordinal,
      interval, or ratio data-based) in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. The
      differences between classical test theory-based and modern test method-based
      outcome measures will be addressed with emphasis on Rasch methodology. Various
      steps will be highlighted as part of the evaluation and construction of outcome
      measures using the Rasch method, with the aim to increase the knowledge and
      utility of this technique. We argue that Rasch-built outcome measures should be
      used for future studies in neuromuscular disorders and their method of
      construction could be easily extrapolated to other neurological illnesses. 

PMID- 26115372
TI  - Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Pain Distress
      Tolerance: A Preliminary Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pain remains a critical medical challenge. Current treatments target
      nociception without addressing affective symptoms. Medically intractable pain is
      sometimes treated with cingulotomy or deep brain stimulation to increase
      tolerance of pain-related distress. Transcranial direct current stimulation
      (tDCS) may noninvasively modulate cortical areas related to sensation and pain
      representations. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that cathodal
      ("inhibitory") stimulation targeting left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC)
      would increase tolerance to distress from acute painful stimuli vs anodal
      stimulation. METHODS: Forty healthy volunteers received both anodal and cathodal
      stimulation. During stimulation, we measured pain distress tolerance with three
      tasks: pressure algometer, cold pressor, and breath holding. We measured pain
      intensity with a visual-analog scale before and after each task. RESULTS: Mixed
      ANOVA revealed that mean cold pressor tolerance tended to be higher with cathodal
      vs anodal stimulation (P = 0.055) for participants self-completing the task.
      Pressure algometer (P = 0.81) and breath holding tolerance (P = 0.19) did not
      significantly differ. The pressure algometer exhibited a statistically
      significant order effect irrespective of stimulation polarity (all P < 0.008).
      Pain intensity ratings increased acutely after cold pressor and pressure
      algometer tasks (both P < 0.01), but not after breath holding (P = 0.099). Cold
      pressor pain ratings tended to rise less after cathodal vs anodal tDCS (P =
      0.072). CONCLUSIONS: Although our primary results were nonsignificant, there is a
      preliminary suggestion that cathodal tDCS targeting left dACC may increase pain
      distress tolerance to cold pressor. Pressure algometer results are consistent
      with task-related sensitization. Future studies are needed to refine this novel
      approach for pain neuromodulation.

PMID- 26115373
TI  - Effect of Different Adjuvants on Protection and Side-Effects Induced by
      Helicobacter suis Whole-Cell Lysate Vaccination.
AB  - Helicobacter suis (H. suis) is a widespread porcine gastric pathogen, which is
      also of zoonotic importance. The first goal of this study was to investigate the
      efficacy of several vaccine adjuvants (CpG-DNA, Curdlan, Freund's Complete and
      Incomplete, Cholera toxin), administered either subcutaneously or intranasally
      along with H. suis whole-cell lysate, to protect against subsequent H. suis
      challenge in a BALB/c infection model. Subcutaneous immunization with Freund's
      complete (FC)/lysate and intranasal immunization with Cholera toxin (CT)/lysate
      were shown to be the best options for vaccination against H. suis, as determined
      by the amount of colonizing H. suis bacteria in the stomach, although adverse
      effects such as post-immunization gastritis/pseudo-pyloric metaplasia and
      increased mortality were observed, respectively. Therefore, we decided to test
      alternative strategies, including sublingual vaccine administration, to reduce
      the unwanted side-effects. A CCR4 antagonist that transiently inhibits the
      migration of regulatory T cells was also included as a new adjuvant in this
      second study. Results confirmed that immunization with CT (intranasally or
      sublingually) is among the most effective vaccination protocols, but increased
      mortality was still observed. In the groups immunized subcutaneously with
      FC/lysate and CCR4 antagonist/lysate, a significant protection was observed.
      Compared to the FC/lysate immunized group, gastric pseudo-pyloric metaplasia was
      less severe or even absent in the CCR4 antagonist/lysate immunized group. In
      general, an inverse correlation was observed between IFN-gamma, IL-4, IL-17, KC,
      MIP-2 and LIX mRNA expression and H. suis colonization density, whereas lower IL
      10 expression levels were observed in partially protected animals. 

PMID- 26115374
TI  - Degree Correlations Optimize Neuronal Network Sensitivity to Sub-Threshold
      Stimuli.
AB  - Information processing in the brain crucially depends on the topology of the
      neuronal connections. We investigate how the topology influences the response of
      a population of leaky integrate-and-fire neurons to a stimulus. We devise a
      method to calculate firing rates from a self-consistent system of equations
      taking into account the degree distribution and degree correlations in the
      network. We show that assortative degree correlations strongly improve the
      sensitivity for weak stimuli and propose that such networks possess an advantage
      in signal processing. We moreover find that there exists an optimum in
      assortativity at an intermediate level leading to a maximum in input/output
      mutual information. 

PMID- 26115375
TI  - Comparing equilibrium and kinetic protein unfolding using time-resolved
      electrospray-coupled ion mobility mass spectrometry.
AB  - Protein unfolding intermediates are thought to play a critical role in
      conformational pathogenesis, acting as a 'gateway' to inactivation or pathogenic
      aggregation. Unfolding intermediates have long been studied either by populating
      partially-folded species at equilibrium using incresingly denaturing conditions,
      or by transiently populating 'kinetic' intermediates under fully denaturing
      conditions using a time-resolved approach (e.g. stopped-flow fluorescence).
      However, it is not clear that the folding intermediates populated under
      equilibrium conditions are comparable to intermediates transiently populated in
      kinetic experiments. In this work, we combine time-resolved electrospray (TRESI)
      with travelling wave Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) for the first time to
      directly compare equilibrium and kinetic unfolding intermediates of cytochrome c.
      Our results show a high degree of correlation between all species populated under
      these substantially different regimes. 

PMID- 26115376
TI  - Multifaceted control of adult SVZ neurogenesis by the vascular niche.
AB  - The subventricular zone is one of the 2 germinal niches of the adult brain where
      neural stem cells (NSC) generate new neurons and glia throughout life. NSC
      behavior is controlled by the integration of intrinsic signals and extrinsic cues
      provided by the surrounding microenvironment, or niche. Within the niche, the
      vasculature has emerged as a critical compartment, to which both neural stem
      cells and transit-amplifying progenitors are closely associated. A key function
      of the vasculature is to deliver blood-borne and secreted factors that promote
      proliferation and lineage progression of committed neural progenitors. We
      recently found that, in contrast to the established role of soluble cues,
      juxtacrine signals on vascular endothelial cells maintain neural stem cells in a
      quiescent and undifferentiated state through direct cell-cell interactions. In
      this perspective, we discuss how, through these apparently opposing signals, the
      vascular niche might coordinate stem cell decisions between maintenance and
      proliferation. 

PMID- 26115377
TI  - Enantioselective Metabolism and Interference on Tryptophan Metabolism of
      Myclobutanil in Rat Hepatocytes.
AB  - Myclobutanil, (RS)-2-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-(1H-1, 2, 4-triazol-1-ylmethyl)
      hexanenitrile is a widely used triazole fungicide. In this study,
      enantioselective metabolism and cytotoxicity were investigated in rat hepatocytes
      by chiral HPLC-MS/MS and the methyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, respectively.
      Furthermore, tryptophan metabolism disturbance in rat hepatocytes after
      myclobutanil exposure was also evaluated by target metabolomics method. The half
      life (t1/2) of (+)-myclobutanil was 10.66 h, whereas that for (-)-myclobutanil
      was 15.07 h. Such results indicated that the metabolic process of myclobutanil in
      rat hepatocytes was enantioselective with an enrichment of (-)-myclobutanil. For
      the cytotoxicity research, the calculated EC50 (12 h) values for rac
      myclobutanil, (+)- and (-)-myclobutanil were 123.65, 150.65 and 152.60 uM,
      respectively. The results of tryptophan metabolites profiling showed that the
      levels of kynurenine (KYN) and XA were both up-regulated compared to the control,
      suggesting the activation effect of the KYN pathway by myclobutanil and its
      enantiomers which may provide an important insight into its toxicity mechanism.
      The data presented here could be useful for the environmental hazard assessment
      of myclobutanil.

PMID- 26115378
TI  - Medical equipment libraries: implementation, experience and user satisfaction.
AB  - The hospital-wide pooling and sharing of certain types of medical equipment can
      lead to both significant improvements in patient safety and financial advantages
      when compared with a department or ward-level equipment ownership system. In
      September 2003, a Medical Equipment Loan Service (MELS) was established, focusing
      initially on infusion pumps. The aims and expected benefits included; improving
      availability of equipment for both patients and clinical users, managing and
      reducing clinical risk, reducing equipment diversity, improving equipment
      management and reducing the overall cost of equipment provision. A user survey
      was carried out in 2005 and repeated in 2011. The results showed wide and
      continued satisfaction with the service. The process and difficulties of
      establishing the service and its development to include additional types of
      equipment are described. The benefits of managing medical equipment which is in
      widespread general use, through a MELS as part of a Clinical Engineering
      Department, are presented. 

PMID- 26115379
TI  - Correction: Efficacy of Pneumococcal Nontypable Haemophilus influenzae Protein D
      Conjugate Vaccine (PHiD-CV) in Young Latin American Children: A Double-Blind
      Randomized Controlled Trial.

PMID- 26115380
TI  - Impact of allowing pharmacists to independently renew prescriptions: A population
      based study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To study the impact of a 2009 policy change in British Columbia (BC)
      that allowed pharmacists to independently renew certain prescriptions for chronic
      conditions. DESIGN: Population-based analysis. SETTING: BC, Canada. PARTICIPANTS:
      All residents of BC (more than 3.9 million). INTERVENTION: Prescription drug use
      data were collected from the PharmaNet database. This database contains a record
      of all ambulatory prescription drug dispensations in BC including a variable
      indicating whether a pharmacist renewed the prescription. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      We studied pharmaceutical and physician insurance claims datasets for all BC
      residents for 2 years following the 2009 policy change. We assessed the number
      and types of drugs renewed by pharmacists, and whether these complied with the
      policy. Further, we matched pharmacist-renewed prescriptions to equivalent
      potentially renewable prescriptions and assessed the impact on ambulatory
      physician visits. RESULTS: Over the first 2 years, pharmacists renewed 150,950
      prescriptions in BC. Almost one-half of these renewals did not appear to match
      the conditions set out in the new regulatory policy (n = 69,970, 47%). Those that
      did match the conditions (n = 80,980, 53%) represented a very small proportion of
      the 47 million prescriptions that pharmacists could have renewed (0.17%). The
      most frequently renewed medications were treatments for dyslipidemias,
      hypertension, diabetes, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Pharmacist-renewed
      prescriptions were preceded by a 30% relative decrease in ambulatory physician
      visits in the week before dispensing, but there was also a 17% relative increase
      in visits in the week following the pharmacist-renewed prescription. CONCLUSION:
      Overall, the use of pharmacist renewals was very low and one-half of the renewals
      were not policy-concordant. Pharmacist renewals were associated with the intended
      reductions in physician visits before dispensing, but there was also an
      unintended increase in visits after dispensing. These findings suggest that
      future policies such as this one need to be differently designed and closely
      monitored.

PMID- 26115381
TI  - Differences in reporting Pearl Indices in the United States and Europe: Focus on
      a 91-day extended-regimen combined oral contraceptive with low-dose ethinyl
      estradiol supplementation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Regulatory agencies in the United States (US) and Europe differ in
      requirements for defining pregnancies after the last dose of oral contraceptive,
      sometimes resulting in discrepant Pearl Indices (PIs) for the same product
      despite identical clinical data. This brief report highlights one such example, a
      91-day extended-regimen combined oral contraceptive (COC). METHODS: The US- and
      European-based PI methodologies were compared for a 91-day extended-regimen COC
      consisting of 84 days of active levonorgestrel/EE 150 MUg/30 MUg tablets,
      followed by seven days of EE 10 MUg tablets in place of placebo. CONCLUSIONS: At
      the times of approval of the 91-day extended-regimen COC in the US and Europe,
      the requirements for defining 'on-treatment' pregnancies differed (14-day vs. 2
      day rule, respectively). This difference resulted in a higher PI in the US- vs.
      European-based calculation (1.34 and 0.76, respectively). The differences in the
      PI should not be interpreted as the extended-regimen COC being less effective in
      preventing pregnancy in the US compared with Europe.

PMID- 26115382
TI  - Biomimetic modification of silicone tubes using sodium nitrite-collagen
      immobilization accelerates endothelialization.
AB  - Biomimetic coatings to increase endothelialization of blood-contacting materials
      in biomedical devices are promising to improve the biocompatibility of these
      devices. Although a stable extracellular matrix protein coating on a
      biomaterial's surface is a prerequisite for endothelial cell attachment, it also
      stimulates platelet adhesion. Therefore, antithrombotic additives, such as nitric
      oxide donors, to a stable protein coating might lead to successful
      endothelialization of a material's surface. We aimed to test whether immobilized
      bioactive nitrite and acidified nitrite-generating sodium nitrite-collagen
      conjugate on silicone tubes enhances endothelialization by increasing the number
      of endothelial cells as well as growth hormone production and by decreasing
      platelet adhesion. Stable collagen immobilization on acrylic acid-grafted
      silicone tubes decreased the water contact angle from 102 degrees  to 56 degrees
      . Initial 25 uM sodium nitrite in conjugate resulted in maximal growth hormone
      production (2.5-fold increase) and endothelial cell number (1.8-fold increase)
      after 2 days. A 95% confluent endothelial cell monolayer on sodium nitrite
      collagen conjugate coating was obtained after 6 days. Maximum (2.7-fold)
      inhibition of platelet adhesion was reached with initial 500 uM sodium nitrite in
      conjugate. Our data showing that sodium nitrite-collagen conjugate coating with
      25-50 uM sodium nitrite on silicone tubes increases the number of endothelial
      cells attached and inhibits platelet adhesion suggest that this coating is highly
      promising for use in blood-contacting parts of biomedical devices. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1311-1321,
      2016.

PMID- 26115383
TI  - Amino acid analysis using chromatography-mass spectrometry: An inter platform
      comparison study.
AB  - The analysis of amino acids has become a central task in many aspects. While
      amino acid analysis has traditionally mainly been carried out using either gas
      chromatography (GC) in combination with flame ionization detection or liquid
      chromatography (LC) with either post-column derivatization using ninhydrin or pre
      column derivatization using o-phthalaldehyde, many of today's analysis platforms
      are based on chromatography in combination with mass spectrometry (MS). While
      derivatization is mandatory for the GC-based analysis of amino acids, several LC
      platforms have emerged, particularly in the dawn of targeted metabolite profiling
      using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) coupled to MS,
      allowing the analysis of underivatized amino acids. Among the numerous analytical
      platforms available for amino acid analysis today, we here compare three
      prominent approaches, being GC-MS and LC-MS after amino acid derivatization using
      chloroformate and HILIC-MS of underivatized amino acids. We compare and discuss
      practical issues as well as performance characteristics, e.g., the use of (13)C
      labeled internal standards, of the different platforms and present data on their
      practical implementation in our laboratory. Finally, we compare the real-life
      applicability of all three platforms for a complex biological sample. While all
      three platforms are very-well suited for the analysis of complex biological
      samples they all show advantages and disadvantages for some analytes as discussed
      in detail in this manuscript. 

PMID- 26115384
TI  - Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates in Latin America.

PMID- 26115385
TI  - Focal Adhesion Proteins alpha- and beta-Parvin are Overexpressed in Human
      Colorectal Cancer and Correlate with Tumor Progression.
AB  - This study aims to address the role of focal adhesion proteins alpha- and beta
      parvin in human colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Expression of alpha- and beta-parvin
      was examined by immunohistochemistry and real-time RT-PCR in a series of human
      CRC. Parvins were overexpressed in CRC and their expression correlated
      significantly with tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, and disease stage. A
      significant positive correlation of parvins protein expression with
      overexpression of integrin-linked kinase, p-AKT, and nuclear beta-catenin, as
      well as with downregulation of E-cadherin was also observed. In conclusion,
      overexpression of alpha- and beta-parvin seems to be implicated in human
      colorectal cancer progression.

PMID- 26115389
TI  - Treatment of afferent limb syndrome: novel approach with endoscopic ultrasound
      guided creation of a gastrojejunostomy fistula and placement of lumen-apposing
      stent.

PMID- 26115388
TI  - Nucleophilic Hydroxylation in Water Media Promoted by a Hexa-Ethylene Glycol
      Bridged Dicationic Ionic Liquid.
AB  - Hexaethylene glycol bis(3-hexaethylene glycol imidazolium) dimesylate ionic
      liquid (hexaEG-DHIM) was designed and prepared as a highly efficient promoter for
      the nucleophilic hydroxylation of alkyl halides to the corresponding alcohol
      products in neat water media. It was observed that hexaEG-DHIM promoter enhanced
      the nucleophilicity of water significantly in the reaction. In addition, the
      hexaEG-DHIM could be reused several times without loss of activity. Moreover, the
      hydroxylation reactions of base-sensitive and/or polar alkyl halide substrates
      proceeded highly chemoselectively in excellent yields. 

PMID- 26115390
TI  - Stent migration into the peritoneal cavity following endoscopic ultrasound-guided
      hepaticogastrostomy.

PMID- 26115386
TI  - Effect of Structured Physical Activity on Sleep-Wake Behaviors in Sedentary
      Elderly Adults with Mobility Limitations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of structured physical activity on sleep-wake
      behaviors in sedentary community-dwelling elderly adults with mobility
      limitations. DESIGN: Multicenter, randomized trial of moderate-intensity physical
      activity versus health education, with sleep-wake behaviors prespecified as a
      tertiary outcome over a planned intervention period ranging from 24 to 30 months.
      SETTING: Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders Study. PARTICIPANTS:
      Community-dwelling persons aged 70 to 89 who were initially sedentary and had a
      Short Physical Performance Battery score less than 10 (N = 1,635). MEASUREMENTS:
      Sleep-wake behaviors were evaluated using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) (>=8
      defined insomnia), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) (>=10 defined daytime
      drowsiness), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (>5 defined poor sleep
      quality) administered at baseline and 6, 18, and 30 months. RESULTS: The
      randomized groups were similar in terms of baseline demographic variables,
      including mean age (79) and sex (67% female). Structured physical activity
      resulted in a significantly lower likelihood of having poor sleep quality
      (adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for PSQI >5 = 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) =
      0.68-0.94), including fewer new cases (aOR for PSQI >5 = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.54
      0.89), than health education but not in resolution of prevalent cases (aOR for
      PSQI <=5 = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.90-1.43). No significant intervention effects were
      observed for the ISI or ESS. CONCLUSION: Structured physical activity resulted in
      a lower likelihood of developing poor sleep quality (PSQI >5) over the
      intervention period than health education but had no effect on prevalent cases of
      poor sleep quality or on sleep-wake behaviors evaluated using the ISI or ESS.
      These results suggest that the benefit of physical activity in this sample was
      preventive and limited to sleep-wake behaviors evaluated using the PSQI.

PMID- 26115391
TI  - Endoscopic closure of tracheoesophageal fistula with submucosal dissection and a
      biosynthetic mesh.

PMID- 26115392
TI  - Microscopic (collagenous) colitis in a patient with a heart transplant.

PMID- 26115393
TI  - Hepatic subcapsular biloma complicating laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

PMID- 26115394
TI  - Effective use of the "clip-flap" method for the endoscopic submucosal dissection
      of a difficult-to-approach superficial gastric tumor.

PMID- 26115395
TI  - Closure of a cervical esophageal perforation with an over-the-scope clip.

PMID- 26115396
TI  - Endoscopic sclerotherapy with a high concentration of n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate for
      anastomotic varices after choledochojejunostomy.

PMID- 26115398
TI  - Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma: involvement of the gastrointestinal tract
      from the duodenum to the rectum.

PMID- 26115397
TI  - Definitive endoscopic pyloric exclusion with an over-the-scope clip.

PMID- 26115399
TI  - Hemospray rescue treatment of gastroenteric anastomotic bleeding.

PMID- 26115400
TI  - Heterotopic gastric mucosa mimicking a rectal submucosal tumor.

PMID- 26115401
TI  - Tracheo-esophageal fistula following spontaneous migration of a missed impacted
      denture.

PMID- 26115402
TI  - Innovative Technological Approach to Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak Response in
      Nigeria Using the Open Data Kit and Form Hub Technology.
AB  - The recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa has ravaged many
      lives. Effective containment of this outbreak relies on prompt and effective
      coordination and communication across various interventions; early detection and
      response being critical to successful control. The use of information and
      communications technology (ICT) in active surveillance has proved to be effective
      but its use in Ebola outbreak response has been limited. Due to the need for
      timeliness in reporting and communication for early discovery of new EVD cases
      and promptness in response; it became imperative to empower the response team
      members with technologies and solutions which would enable smooth and rapid data
      flow. The Open Data Kit and Form Hub technology were used in combination with the
      Dashboard technology and ArcGIS mapping for follow up of contacts, identification
      of cases, case investigation and management and also for strategic planning
      during the response. A remarkable improvement was recorded in the reporting of
      daily follow-up of contacts after the deployment of the integrated real time
      technology. The turnaround time between identification of symptomatic contacts
      and evacuation to the isolation facility and also for receipt of laboratory
      results was reduced and informed decisions could be taken by all concerned.
      Accountability in contact tracing was ensured by the use of a GPS enabled device.
      The use of innovative technologies in the response of the EVD outbreak in Nigeria
      contributed significantly to the prompt control of the outbreak and containment
      of the disease by providing a valuable platform for early warning and guiding
      early actions. 

PMID- 26115403
TI  - New Metrics for Evaluating Viral Respiratory Pathogenesis.
AB  - Viral pathogenesis studies in mice have relied on markers of severe systemic
      disease, rather than clinically relevant measures, to evaluate respiratory virus
      infection; thus confounding connections to human disease. Here, whole-body
      plethysmography was used to directly measure changes in pulmonary function during
      two respiratory viral infections. This methodology closely tracked with
      traditional pathogenesis metrics, distinguished both virus- and dose-specific
      responses, and identified long-term respiratory changes following both SARS-CoV
      and Influenza A Virus infection. Together, the work highlights the utility of
      examining respiratory function following infection in order to fully understand
      viral pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26115404
TI  - The Knowledge of Rehabilitation Professionals Concerning Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
      Disorders.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to explore rehabilitation professionals' knowledge
      regarding signs and symptoms, prevention, and intervention of fetal alcohol
      spectrum disorders (FASD). Participants were 111 rehabilitation practitioners
      (e.g., occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology
      practitioners) recruited through email using a quantitative online survey design
      with purposive, snowball sampling. Results showed the majority of participants'
      demonstrated accurate knowledge of the signs and symptoms of FASD. Since
      professionals who received formal education on FASD reported significantly higher
      feelings of preparedness to identify children with FASD and manage/coordinate
      intervention plans, this study suggests rehabilitation professionals may be
      better prepared to treat individuals with FASD if they participate in formal
      training. 

PMID- 26115405
TI  - Thermodynamic Functions of Solvation of Hydrocarbons, Noble Gases, and Hard
      Spheres in Tetrahydrofuran-Water Mixtures.
AB  - Thermodynamic solvation properties of mixtures of water with tetrahydrofuran at
      298 K are studied. The Gibbs free energies and enthalpies of solvation of n
      octane and toluene are determined experimentally. For molecular dynamics
      simulations of the binary solvent, we have modified a TraPPE-UA model for
      tetrahydrofuran and combined it with the SPC/E potential for water. The excess
      thermodynamic functions of neon, xenon, and hard spheres with two different radii
      are calculated using the particle insertion method. Simulated and real systems
      share the same characteristic trends for the thermodynamic functions. A maximum
      is present on dependencies of the enthalpy of solvation from the composition of
      solvent at 70-90 mol % water, making it higher than in both of the cosolvents. It
      is caused by a high enthalpy of cavity formation in the mixtures rich with water
      due to solvent reorganization around the cavity, which is shown by calculation of
      the enthalpy of solvation of hard spheres. Addition of relatively small amounts
      of tetrahydrofuran to water effectively suppresses the hydrophobic effect,
      leading to a quick increase of both the entropy and enthalpy of cavity formation
      and solvation of low polar molecules. 

PMID- 26115407
TI  - Antipsychotic treatment and the risk of hip fracture in subjects with
      schizophrenia: a 10-year population-based case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To investigate the association between antipsychotic treatment and
      risk of hip fracture in subjects with schizophrenia. METHOD: Among patients with
      schizophrenia (ICD-9-CM code 295), 605 cases with hip fracture and 2,828 matched
      controls were identified from 2002 to 2011 using the National Health Insurance
      Research Database in Taiwan. The authors conducted a nested case-control study to
      investigate the association between antipsychotic treatment and risk of hip
      fracture in subjects with schizophrenia. The modifiable effects of age and gender
      were evaluated by stratified analysis. In addition, the effects of antipsychotic
      use, antipsychotic classes, and receptor-binding profiles of antipsychotics,
      individually, on hip fracture were estimated, and potential confounding factors
      were adjusted in subsequent analysis. Conditional logistic regressions were
      applied to determine the effect of antipsychotic treatment on hip fracture.
      RESULTS: Current antipsychotic use was associated with an increased risk for hip
      fracture (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.61; 95% CI, 1.24-2.10). Among current
      users, new users had a higher risk of hip fracture (AOR = 4.28; 95% CI, 1.76
      10.36) than past users (AOR = 1.11; 95% CI, 0.79-1.56). In addition, a
      significant increased risk of hip fracture was noted in schizophrenia subjects
      with first-generation antipsychotic use (AOR = 1.59; 95%CI, 1.15-2.20) but not in
      those with second-generation antipsychotic use (AOR = 1.16; 95% CI, 0.91-1.48).
      CONCLUSIONS: These results extend previous findings and demonstrate an increased
      risk of hip fracture associated with antipsychotic use in schizophrenia subjects.
      Further investigation is needed to dissect the underlying mechanisms related to
      the effect of antipsychotic use on hip fracture in subjects at risk.

PMID- 26115406
TI  - Lipopolysaccharide-Induced CXCL10 mRNA Level and Six Stimulant-mRNA Combinations
      in Whole Blood: Novel Biomarkers for Bortezomib Responses Obtained from a
      Prospective Multicenter Trial for Patients with Multiple Myeloma.
AB  - To identify predictive biomarkers for clinical responses to bortezomib treatment,
      0.06 mL of each whole blood without any cell separation procedures was stimulated
      ex vivo using five agents, and eight mRNAs were quantified. In six centers,
      heparinized peripheral blood was prospectively obtained from 80 previously
      treated or untreated, symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM) patients with measurable
      levels of M-proteins. The blood sample was procured prior to treatment as well as
      2-3 days and 1-3 weeks after the first dose of bortezomib, which was
      intravenously administered biweekly or weekly, during the first cycle. Six
      stimulant-mRNA combinations; that is, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-granulocyte
      macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), LPS-CXCL chemokine 10 (CXCL10),
      LPS-CCL chemokine 4 (CCL4), phytohemagglutinin-CCL4, zymosan A (ZA)-GMCSF and ZA
      CCL4 showed significantly higher induction in the complete and very good partial
      response group than in the stable and progressive disease group, as determined by
      both parametric (t-test) and non-parametric (unpaired Mann-Whitney test) tests.
      Moreover, LPS-induced CXCL10 mRNA expression was significantly suppressed 2-3
      days after the first dose of bortezomib in all patients, as determined by both
      parametric (t-test) and non-parametric (paired Wilcoxon test) tests, whereas the
      complete and very good partial response group showed sustained suppression 1-3
      weeks after the first dose. Thus, pretreatment LPS-CXCL10 mRNA and/or the six
      combinations may serve as potential biomarkers for the response to bortezomib
      treatment in MM patients. 

PMID- 26115408
TI  - Patterns of Irregular Burials in Western Europe (1st-5th Century A.D.).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Irregular burials (IB--burials showing features that contrast with
      the majority of others in their geographic and chronological context) have been
      the focus of archaeological study because of their relative rarity and enigmatic
      appearance. Interpretations of IB often refer to supposed fear of the dead or to
      social processes taking place in time-specific contexts. However, a comprehensive
      and quantitative analysis of IB for various geographical contexts is still
      lacking, a fact that hampers any discussion of these burials on a larger scale.
      METHODS: Here, we collected a bibliographic dataset of 375 IB from both Britain
      and Continental Europe, altogether spanning a time period from the 1st to the 5th
      century AD. Each burial has been coded according to ten dichotomous variables,
      further analyzed by means of chi-squared tests on absolute frequencies, non
      metric multidimensional scaling, and cluster analysis. RESULTS: Even
      acknowledging the limits of this study, and in particular the bias represented by
      the available literature, our results point to interesting patterns.
      Geographically, IB show a contrast between Britain and Continental Europe,
      possibly related to historical processes specific to these regions. Different
      types of IB (especially prone depositions and depositions with the cephalic
      extremity displaced) present a series of characteristics and associations between
      features that permit a more detailed conceptualization of these occurrences from
      a socio-cultural perspective that aids to elucidate their funerary meaning.
      CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Altogether, the present work stresses the
      variability of IB, and the need to contextualize them in a proper archaeological
      and historical context. It contributes to the discussion of IB by providing a
      specific geographic and chronological frame of reference that supports a series
      of hypotheses about the cultural processes possibly underlying their occurrence.

PMID- 26115409
TI  - Surgery for Glioblastoma: Impact of the Combined Use of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid and
      Intraoperative MRI on Extent of Resection and Survival.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is rising evidence that in glioblastoma (GBM) surgery an
      increase of extent of resection (EoR) leads to an increase of patient's survival.
      Based on histopathological assessments tumor depiction of Gd-DTPA enhancement and
      5-aminolevulinic-acid-fluorescence (5-ALA) might be synergistic for
      intraoperative resection control. OBJECTIVE: To assess impact of additional use
      of 5-ALA in intraoperative MRI (iMRI) assisted surgery of GBMs on extent of
      resection (EoR), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).
      METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 33 patients with GBMs eligible for gross-total
      resection(GTR) and performed a combined approach using 5-ALA and iMRI. As a
      control group, we performed a retrospective matched pair assessment, based on 144
      patients with iMRI-assisted surgery. Matching criteria were, MGMT promotor
      methylation, recurrent surgery, eloquent location, tumor size and age. Only
      patients with an intended GTR and primary GBMs were included. We calculated
      Kaplan Mayer estimates to compare OS and PFS using the Log-Rank-Test. We used the
      T-test to compare volumetric results of EoR and the Chi-Square-Test to compare
      new permanent neurological deficits (nPND) and general complications between the
      two groups. RESULTS: Median follow up was 31 months. No significant differences
      between both groups were found concerning the matching criteria. GTR was achieved
      significantly more often (p <0.010) using 5-ALA&iMRI (100%) compared to iMRI
      alone (82%). Mean EoR was significantly (p<0.004) higher in 5-ALA&iMRI-group
      (99.7%) than in iMRI-alone-group (97.4%) Rate of complications did not differ
      significantly between groups (21% iMRI-group, 27%5-ALA&iMRI-group, p<0.518). nPND
      were found in 6% in both groups. Median PFS (6 mo resp.; p<0.309) and median OS
      (iMRI:17 mo; 5-ALA&iMRI-group: 18 mo; p<0.708)) were not significantly different
      between both groups. CONCLUSION: We found a significant increase of EoR when
      combining 5-ALA&iMRI compared to use of iMRI alone. Maximizing EoR did not lead
      to an increase of complications or neurological deficits if used with
      neurophysiological monitoring in eloquent lesions. No final conclusion can be
      drawn whether a further increase of EoR benefits patient's progression free
      survival and overall survival.

PMID- 26115411
TI  - Transperitoneal Laparoscopic Approach to the Perinephric Area in Children:
      Technical Report and Lessons Learned.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study presents a technical report of a standardized approach to the
      perinephric area in a series of pediatric patients, demonstrating that whatever
      renal or suprarenal surgery is planned, this can be approached and accomplished
      laparoscopically with an identical or very similar port triangulation, thus
      facilitating the learning curve within the same surgical team. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: All patients undergoing renal and adrenal gland surgery with a minimally
      invasive approach in the period from October 2008 to November 2013 were
      retrospectively reviewed and included in the study. Technical details and
      clinical outcomes are described. RESULTS: In total, 68 patients matched the
      inclusion criteria and were therefore retrospectively examined. No major
      intraoperative complication occurred. Two patients developed recurrent pelvic
      ureteric junction obstruction and were managed with double J stent positioning
      and laparoscopic dismembered pyeloplasty, respectively. Two patients presenting
      with adrenal mass experienced a moderate bleeding that could be treated
      conservatively. CONCLUSIONS: Thanks to the reproducibility of the procedure and
      on the grounds of the presented experience, we support the proposal that the
      transperitoneal laparoscopic approach to the kidney and the adrenal gland could
      represent a relatively easy and safe way to quickly achieve confidence and skill
      in the management of related diseases.

PMID- 26115410
TI  - Mechanisms Underlying Latent Disease Risk Associated with Early-Life Arsenic
      Exposure: Current Research Trends and Scientific Gaps.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Millions of individuals worldwide, particularly those living in rural
      and developing areas, are exposed to harmful levels of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in
      their drinking water. Inorganic As exposure during key developmental periods is
      associated with a variety of adverse health effects, including those that are
      evident in adulthood. There is considerable interest in identifying the molecular
      mechanisms that relate early-life iAs exposure to the development of these latent
      diseases, particularly in relationship to cancer. OBJECTIVES: This work
      summarizes research on the molecular mechanisms that underlie the increased risk
      of cancer development in adulthood that is associated with early-life iAs
      exposure. DISCUSSION: Epigenetic reprogramming that imparts functional changes in
      gene expression, the development of cancer stem cells, and immunomodulation are
      plausible underlying mechanisms by which early-life iAs exposure elicits latent
      carcinogenic effects. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence is mounting that relates early-life
      iAs exposure and cancer development later in life. Future research should include
      animal studies that address mechanistic hypotheses and studies of human
      populations that integrate early-life exposure, molecular alterations, and latent
      disease outcomes.

PMID- 26115413
TI  - Temporal Trends of In-Hospital Mortality in Patients Treated with Intra-Aortic
      Balloon Pumping: A Nationwide Population Study in Taiwan, 1998-2008.
AB  - Intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) is widely used for hemodynamic support in
      critical patients with cardiogenic shock (CS). We examined whether the in
      hospital mortality of patients in Taiwan treated with IABP has recently declined.
      We used Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to retrospectively
      review the in-hospital all-cause mortality of 9952 (7146 men [71.8%]) 18-year-old
      and older patients treated with IABP between 1998 and 2008. The mortality rate
      was 13.84% (n = 1377). The urbanization levels of the hospitals, and the number
      of days in the intensive care unit, of hospitalization, and of IABP treatment,
      and prior percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were associated with
      mortality. Seven thousand six hundred thirty-five patients (76.72%) underwent
      coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, and 576 (5.79%) underwent high
      risk PCI with IABP treatment. The number of patients treated with IABP
      significantly increased during this decade (ptrend < 0.0001), the in-hospital all
      cause mortality for patients treated with IABP significantly decreased (ptrend =
      0.0243), but the in-hospital all-cause mortality of patients who underwent CABG
      and PCI plus IABP did not decrease. In conclusion, the in-hospital mortality rate
      of IABP treatment decreased annually in Taiwan during the study period. However,
      high-risk patients who underwent coronary revascularization with IABP had a
      higher and unstable in-hospital mortality rate. 

PMID- 26115412
TI  - Matrix rigidity regulates the transition of tumor cells to a bone-destructive
      phenotype through integrin beta3 and TGF-beta receptor type II.
AB  - Cancer patients frequently develop skeletal metastases that significantly impact
      quality of life. Since bone metastases remain incurable, a clearer understanding
      of molecular mechanisms regulating skeletal metastases is required to develop new
      therapeutics that block establishment of tumors in bone. While many studies have
      suggested that the microenvironment contributes to bone metastases, the factors
      mediating tumors to progress from a quiescent to a bone-destructive state remain
      unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that the "soil" of the bone
      microenvironment, specifically the rigid mineralized extracellular matrix,
      stimulates the transition of the tumor cells to a bone-destructive phenotype. To
      test this hypothesis, we synthesized 2D polyurethane (PUR) films with elastic
      moduli ranging from the basement membrane (70 MPa) to cortical bone (3800 MPa)
      and measured expression of genes associated with mechanotransduction and bone
      metastases. We found that expression of Integrin beta3 (Ibeta3), as well as tumor
      produced factors associated with bone destruction (Gli2 and parathyroid hormone
      related protein (PTHrP)), significantly increased with matrix rigidity, and that
      blocking Ibeta3 reduced Gli2 and PTHrP expression. To identify the mechanism by
      which Ibeta3 regulates Gli2 and PTHrP (both are also known to be regulated by TGF
      beta), we performed Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and
      immunoprecipitation, which indicated that Ibeta3 co-localized with TGF-beta
      Receptor Type II (TGF-beta RII) on rigid but not compliant films. Finally,
      transplantation of tumor cells expressing Ibeta3 shRNA into the tibiae of athymic
      nude mice significantly reduced PTHrP and Gli2 expression, as well as bone
      destruction, suggesting a crucial role for tumor-produced Ibeta3 in disease
      progression. This study demonstrates that the rigid mineralized bone matrix can
      alter gene expression and bone destruction in an Ibeta3/TGF-beta-dependent
      manner, and suggests that Ibeta3 inhibitors are a potential therapeutic approach
      for blocking tumor transition to a bone destructive phenotype.

PMID- 26115414
TI  - Tigecycline in the Treatment of Patients with Necrotizing Skin and Soft Tissue
      Infections Due to Multiresistant Bacteria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Necrotizing skin and soft tissue infections (NSTI) form a group of
      aggressive diseases that require radical debridement for infection control.
      Simultaneously, a high-dose broad spectrum antibiotic regimen needs to be
      initiated with control of septic complications in the intensive care setting. The
      aim of this work is to analyze the efficacy and safety of tigecycline in a
      subpopulation of hospitalized, severely ill surgical NSTI patients who were
      documented in a large multicenter non-interventional study on tigecycline use in
      routine clinical practice. METHODS: A total of 1,025 patients with severe
      infections including complicated skin and soft-tissue infections (cSSTI, n=163;
      15,9%) were enrolled in a prospective multi-center non-interventional study.
      Patients were to receive an initial intravenous dose of 100 mg tigecycline,
      followed by 50 mg twice daily. Prospectively documented parameters included
      clinical findings, APACHE II score, microbiological and standard laboratory
      assessments, surgical measures, and clinical outcomes including adverse events.
      RESULTS: Of 163 patients were treated for cSSTI, with the largest subgroup being
      NSTI patients (n=50, 30.7% of all cSSTI, mean age 61 y, median APACHE II score
      20). Forty-eight NSTI patients (96%) had at least one comorbidity. In 80% of
      patients, the treatment was started after previous antibiotic treatment had
      failed and in 34% resistant pathogens were isolated (28% methicillin resistant
      Staphyloccocus aureus [MRSA], 4% extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase (ESBL)
      producing bacteria, and 2% vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE). Tigecycline
      was administered as a single agent in 32 patients; 17 received combination
      regimens. Data from one patient were not reported. Rates of clinical cure or
      improvement with tigecycline treatment were 90.2%. Two patients (4%) had drug
      related adverse events (one thrombocytopenia and one fever/chills); 10 patients
      (20%) died. CONCLUSIONS: Tigecycline alone or in combination therapy was an
      effective and safe antibiotic treatment in critically ill and antimicrobially pre
      treated patients with NSTI frequently caused by resistant pathogens.

PMID- 26115415
TI  - The Impact of IL28B Genotype and Liver Fibrosis on the Hepatic Expression of
      IP10, IFI27, ISG15, and MX1 and Their Association with Treatment Outcomes in
      Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C.
AB  - The strong impact of interleukin 28B (IL28B) polymorphisms on sustained
      virological response (SVR) after peginterferon and ribavirin treatment in
      patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is well-known. We investigated IL28B
      variability and hepatic expression of IP10, IFI27, ISG15, and MX1 in CHC
      patients, the relation of each with their clinical characteristics, and how they
      associated with responses to combined therapy. Genotyping and gene expression
      analysis were conducted in a selected cohort of treatment-naive patients who
      underwent interferon and ribavirin treatment. Differential expression of IP10,
      IFI27, ISG15, and MX1 genes was assessed from pretreatment liver biopsies using
      quantitative PCR. Histopathological evaluation of liver specimens was performed
      on the basis of the Scheuer's modified scale. We showed that hepatic IFI27,
      ISG15, and MX1 expression was lower in the IL28B CC 12979860 and TT rs8099917
      groups than in the CT-TT rs12979860 and TG-GG rs8099917 groups (P < 0.001). We
      found no differences in IP10 expression between the IL28B genotypes (P > 0.05);
      in contrast, IP10 expression was significantly affected by the progression of
      fibrosis (P = 0.007). We showed that the rs12979860 CC genotype was associated
      with successful treatment when compared to the rs12979860 CT-TT genotype (P =
      0.004). Additionally, the expression levels of IP10, IFI27 and ISG15, but not
      MX1, were significantly higher in non-SVR patients than in SVR patients. The
      effect of variation in IL28B on the results of IFN-based treatment may be
      associated with changes in IFI27 and ISG15, but not with IP10. Silencing of IP10
      is positive and independent from IL28B prediction of SVR, which is strongly
      associated with liver fibrosis in CHC patients. 

PMID- 26115416
TI  - Microelectromechanically tunable multiband metamaterial with preserved isotropy.
AB  - We experimentally demonstrate a micromachined reconfigurable metamaterial with
      polarization independent characteristics for multiple resonances in terahertz
      spectral region. The metamaterial unit cell consists of eight out-of-plane
      deformable microcantilevers placed at each corner of an octagon ring. The octagon
      shaped unit cell geometry provides the desired rotational symmetry, while the out
      of-plane movable cantilevers preserves the symmetry at different configurations
      of the metamaterial. The metamaterial is shown to provide polarization
      independent response for both electrical inductive-capacitive (eLC) resonance and
      dipolar resonance at all states of actuation. The proposed metamaterial has a
      switching range of 0.16 THz and 0.37 THz and a transmission intensity change of
      more than 0.2 and 0.7 for the eLC and dipolar resonances, respectively for both
      TE and TM modes. Further optimization of the metal layer thickness, provides an
      improvement of up to 80% modulation at 0.57 THz. The simultaneously tunable dual
      band isotropic metamaterial will enable the realization of high performance
      electro-optic devices that would facilitate numerous terahertz applications such
      as compressive terahertz imaging, miniaturized terahertz spectroscopy and next
      generation high speed wireless communication possible in the near future.

PMID- 26115418
TI  - Experimental and DFT Studies Explain Solvent Control of C-H Activation and
      Product Selectivity in the Rh(III)-Catalyzed Formation of Neutral and Cationic
      Heterocycles.
AB  - A range of novel heterocyclic cations have been synthesized by the Rh(III)
      catalyzed oxidative C-N and C-C coupling of 1-phenylpyrazole, 2-phenylpyridine,
      and 2-vinylpyridine with alkynes (4-octyne and diphenylacetylene). The reactions
      proceed via initial C-H activation, alkyne insertion, and reductive coupling, and
      all three of these steps are sensitive to the substrates involved and the
      reaction conditions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that C-H
      activation can proceed via a heteroatom-directed process that involves
      displacement of acetate by the neutral substrate to form charged intermediates.
      This step (which leads to cationic C-N coupled products) is therefore favored by
      more polar solvents. An alternative non-directed C-H activation is also possible
      that does not involve acetate displacement and so becomes favored in low polarity
      solvents, leading to C-C coupled products. Alkyne insertion is generally more
      favorable for diphenylacetylene over 4-octyne, but the reverse is true of the
      reductive coupling step. The diphenylacetylene moiety can also stabilize
      unsaturated seven-membered rhodacycle intermediates through extra interaction
      with one of the Ph substituents. With 1-phenylpyrazole this effect is sufficient
      to suppress the final C-N reductive coupling. A comparison of a series of seven
      membered rhodacycles indicates the barrier to coupling is highly sensitive to the
      two groups involved and follows the trend C-N(+) > C-N > C-C (i.e., involving the
      formation of cationic C-N, neutral C-N, and neutral C-C coupled products,
      respectively). 

PMID- 26115419
TI  - The nutritional role of free sialic acid, a human milk monosaccharide, and its
      application as a functional food ingredient.
AB  - N-Acetyl-d-neuraminic acid (NANA), more commonly known by its trivial name sialic
      acid, is an endogenous human and ubiquitous nutritional monosaccharide. As a
      bound sugar at the terminal positions of glycans NANA is known to play important
      roles in many biological events. The data that exist on the occurrence of the
      free monosaccharide in breast milk and nutrition, however, are less commonly
      discussed. In most foods of animal origin, sialic acid occurs as a mixture of
      NANA and N-glycolyl-d-neuraminic acid (NGNA), a hydroxylated derivative of NANA
      that is not found in humans. The dietary intake of NGNA has been identified as a
      risk factor for long-term adverse health effects. Therefore, we present summaries
      on the biochemistry, metabolism, bioavailability, and the data on NANA and NGNA
      levels that occur in diverse foods. Finally, we discuss the emerging data
      demonstrating that free NANA is linked to positive nutritional effects including
      pronounced antioxidative properties. These data and the extremely high safety
      profile of NANA justify dietary enrichment at levels that correspond to the
      dietary intake of NANA in infants through breast milk.

PMID- 26115420
TI  - The Effects of Doming of the Diaphragm in Subjects With Short-Hamstring Syndrome:
      A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - CONTEXT: Taking into account the complex structure of the diaphragm and its
      important role in the postural chain, the authors were prompted to check the
      effects of a diaphragm technique on hamstring flexibility. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate
      the effects of the doming-of-the-diaphragm (DD) technique on hamstrings
      flexibility and spine mobility. DESIGN: Randomized placebo-controlled trial.
      SETTING: University laboratory. PATIENTS: Sixty young adults with short-hamstring
      syndrome were included in this randomized clinical trial using a between-groups
      design. INTERVENTION: The sample was randomly allocated to a placebo group (n =
      30) or an intervention group (n = 30). Duration, position, and therapist were the
      same for both treatments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hamstring flexibility was
      assessed using the forward-flexion-distance (FFD) and popliteal-angle test (PAT).
      Spinal motion was evaluated using the modified Schober test and cervical range of
      movement. RESULTS: Two-way ANOVA afforded pre- to postintervention statistically
      significant differences (P < .001) in the intervention group compared with the
      placebo group for hamstring flexibility measured by the FFD (mean change 4.59 +/-
      5.66 intervention group vs 0.71 +/- 2.41 placebo group) and the PAT (mean change
      intervention group 6.81 +/- 8.52 vs placebo group 0.57 +/- 4.41). Significant
      differences (P < .05) were also found in the modified Schober test (mean change
      intervention group -1.34 +/- 3.95 vs placebo group 1.02 +/- 3.05) and cervical
      range of movement. Significant between-groups differences (P < .05) were also
      found in all the variables measured. CONCLUSIONS: The DD technique provides
      sustained improvement in hamstring flexibility and spine mobility.

PMID- 26115422
TI  - PAX5 alterations in genetically unclassified childhood Precursor B-cell acute
      lymphoblastic leukaemia.
AB  - Here, we report a high incidence of PAX5 abnormalities observed in 32/68 (47%) of
      patients with genetically unclassified childhood precursor B-cell acute
      lymphoblastic leukaemia (pre-B ALL). Various deletions, gains, mutations and
      rearrangements of PAX5 comprised 45%, 12%, 29% and 14%, respectively, of the
      abnormalities found. 28% of patients showed more than one abnormality of the
      gene, implying bi-allelic impairment of PAX5. Novel PAX5-RHOXF2, PAX5-ELK3 and
      PAX5-CBFA2T2 rearrangements, which lead to aberrant expression of PAX5, were also
      identified. PAX5 rearrangements demonstrated a complex mechanism of formation
      including concurrent duplications/deletions of PAX5 and its partner genes.
      Finally, the splice variant c.1013-2A>G, seen in two patients with loss of one
      PAX5 allele, was confirmed to be germ-line in one patient and somatic in the
      other. PAX5 alterations were also found to be clinically associated with a higher
      white blood cell count (P = 0.015). These findings contribute to the knowledge of
      PAX5 alterations and their role in the pathogenesis of pre-B ALL.

PMID- 26115421
TI  - Cytokine Kinetics in the First Week of Tuberculosis Therapy as a Tool to Confirm
      a Clinical Diagnosis and Guide Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many patients treated for tuberculosis (TB) in low and middle income
      countries are treated based on clinical suspicion without bacteriological
      confirmation. This is often due to lack of rapid simple accurate diagnostics and
      low healthcare provider confidence in the predictive value of current tests. We
      previously reported in an animal TB model that levels of host markers rapidly
      change in response to treatment initiation. METHODS: We assessed the potential of
      host biomarker kinetics of TB patients during the first two weeks of therapy to
      identify patients responding to treatment. Adult patients clinically diagnosed
      with and treated for TB, 29 in Nigeria and 24 in Nepal, were analyzed. RESULTS:
      Changes in concentrations of non-specific host biomarkers, particularly IP-10, in
      response to the first week of anti-TB therapy were strongly associated with
      bacteriological confirmation of TB. A decrease in IP-10 level of >300pg/ml
      between 0 and 7 days of treatment identified 75% of both smear-positive and smear
      negative culture positive patients and correctly excluded TB in all nine culture
      negative patients. CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring of early IP-10 responses to treatment
      could form the basis of a simplified assay and could help identify patients who
      were erroneously clinically diagnosed with TB or those infected with drug
      resistant strains on inappropriate treatment. We believe this approach may be
      particularly appropriate for difficult to diagnose patients, e.g. smear-negative
      HIV-positive, or those with extra-pulmonary TB, often treated without bacterial
      confirmation.

PMID- 26115423
TI  - Planning the International Competition Schedules for the Health of Elite
      Athletes: A 21-Year Retrospective Study Evaluating the Effectiveness and Economic
      Impact in an Olympic Sport.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The increased number of trips and competitions scheduled in the
      international agonistic calendars meets commercial demands while acting as a
      source of stress for the athletes. A model, developed in biathlons to monitor the
      so-called competition load, revealed an upward trend over time. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate, in a 21-year period, the effects of the International
      Biathlon Union's rescheduling of the competitive calendars to control the
      competition load, as well as its stability over time and the economic impact of
      this intervention. METHODS: For each season competition, the load factors from
      the international agonistic calendar (number of venues/events, competition
      days/distance) were considered, and the athletes' daily and maximal stress scores
      were calculated. The calendar rescheduling, which started in 2001, involved the
      length of competitions, number of resting days and frequency of travels. Data
      from the period pre (1994-2000) and post (2001-2007) the intervention, as well as
      follow-up (2008-2015), were compared and analyzed in relation to the federation's
      budget. RESULTS: The competition load and athletes' daily stress score
      progressively increased pre, plateaued post and remained stable in follow-up.
      Their annual variations within the final two periods were significantly lower
      than in the pre period, in spite of the higher average values. The maximal stress
      score decreased over time. The direct correlation between most of the competition
      load factors with the economic budget present in pre was lost in post and follow
      up. Similarly, the athletes' daily stress score had a stable trend in post and
      follow-up, while budget continued to increase. CONCLUSIONS: The management of an
      athlete's potential source of stress by an international federation stabilized
      the competition load over time, but it did not affect the budget. Furthermore, it
      uncoupled the relationship between the athlete's effort and federation income.

PMID- 26115424
TI  - Analysis of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells used for acute graft-versus
      host disease prophylaxis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are used for prophylaxis
      of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell
      transplantation (allo-HCT). Not all samples of MSC are efficient for aGvHD
      prevention. The suitability of MSCs for aGvHD prophylaxis was studied. METHODS:
      MSCs were derived from the bone marrow (BM) of HCT donor and cultivated for no
      more than three passages. The characteristics of donor BM samples including
      colony-forming unit fibroblast (CFU-F) concentration, growth parameters of MSCs,
      and the relative expression levels (REL) of different genes were analyzed. MSCs
      were injected intravenously precisely at the moment of blood cell reconstitution.
      RESULTS: MSCs infusion induced a significant threefold decrease in aGvHD
      development and improved overall survival compared with the standard prophylaxis
      group. In ineffective MSC samples (9.4%), a significant decrease in total cell
      production and the REL of CSF1, FGFR1, and PDGFRB was observed. In all studied BM
      samples, the cumulative MSC production and CFU-F concentrations decreased with
      age. The expression levels of FGFR2, PPARG, and VEGF differed by age.
      CONCLUSIONS: A universal single indicator for the prediction of MSC eligibility
      for aGvHD prophylaxis was not identified. A multiparameter mathematical model for
      selecting MSC samples effective for the prevention of aGvHD was proposed.

PMID- 26115431
TI  - Knowledge and Practices of Pediatricians Regarding Functional Constipation in the
      State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to analyze the knowledge, approaches, and
      practices of pediatricians participating in a regional pediatric conference
      regarding functional constipation (FC) to identify knowledge gaps. METHODS: Cross
      sectional regional study based on a semistructured questionnaire related to the
      Rome III criteria and the participant profiles. RESULTS: Of 400 questionnaires
      distributed, 264 (66.0%) were completed. Most pediatricians (76.7%) did not
      recognize the Rome III criteria, but the majority did recognize the following
      risk factors for FC: low-fiber diet (97.8%), family history (86.6%), onset of
      toilet training (76.4%), and weaning (62.4%). Foods considered high in fiber were
      oats (95.7%), leafy vegetables (95.3%), and wheat bran (93.2%). Digital rectal
      examination was not performed by 57.7% of nongastroenterologists. Complementary
      examinations were ordered in 27.5% and 72.5% of patients by general pediatricians
      and pediatric gastroenterologists, respectively, although the sample of
      gastroenterologists was not representative. The most prescribed drugs by
      nongastroenterologists were mineral oil (72.6%), magnesium hydroxide (52.1%),
      lactulose (41.0%), and polyethylene glycol (25.2%). Pediatric gastroenterologists
      prescribed magnesium hydroxide (91.7%), polyethylene glycol (91.7%), and mineral
      oil (58.3%). Most pediatricians (70.0%) considered the average treatment duration
      to be less than 1 year, although gastroenterologists considered it to be more
      than 1 year (54.6%). CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge of pediatricians regarding FC is
      inadequate. Constipation may not receive the public health attention it deserves
      within pediatric residency programs. The authors suggest that better education
      regarding FC should be included in medical school and residency program curricula
      to improve patient care.

PMID- 26115430
TI  - Genetic Changes to a Transcriptional Silencer Element Confers Phenotypic
      Diversity within and between Drosophila Species.
AB  - The modification of transcriptional regulation has become increasingly
      appreciated as a major contributor to morphological evolution. However, the role
      of negative-acting control elements (e.g. silencers) in generating morphological
      diversity has been generally overlooked relative to positive-acting "enhancer"
      elements. The highly variable body coloration patterns among Drosophilid insects
      represents a powerful model system in which the molecular alterations that
      underlie phenotypic diversity can be defined. In a survey of pigment phenotypes
      among geographically disparate Japanese populations of Drosophila auraria, we
      discovered a remarkable degree of variation in male-specific abdominal
      coloration. In testing the expression patterns of the major pigment-producing
      enzymes, we found that phenotypes uniquely correlated with differences in the
      expression of ebony, a gene required for yellow-colored cuticle. Assays of
      ebony's transcriptional control region indicated that a lightly pigmented strain
      harbored cis-regulatory mutations that caused correlated changes in its
      expression. Through a series of chimeric reporter constructs between light and
      dark strain alleles, we localized function-altering mutations to a conserved
      silencer that mediates a male-specific pattern of ebony repression. This suggests
      that the light allele was derived through the loss of this silencer's activity.
      Furthermore, examination of the ebony gene of D. serrata, a close relative of D.
      auraria which secondarily lost male-specific pigmentation revealed the parallel
      loss of this silencer element. These results demonstrate how loss-of-function
      mutations in a silencer element resulted in increased gene expression. We propose
      that the mutational inactivation of silencer elements may represent a favored
      path to evolve gene expression, impacting morphological traits. 

PMID- 26115432
TI  - Severe Erosive Esophagitis Associated With a Short Course of Ibuprofen.

PMID- 26115434
TI  - Excitation of Mesoscopic Plasmonic Tapers by Relativistic Electrons: Phase
      Matching versus Eigenmode Resonances.
AB  - We investigate the optical modes in three-dimensional single-crystalline gold
      tapers by means of electron energy-loss spectroscopy. At the very proximity to
      the apex, a broad-band excitation at all photon energies from 0.75 to 2 eV, which
      is the onset for interband transitions, is detected. At large distances from the
      apex, though, we observe distinct resonances with energy dispersions roughly
      proportional to the inverse local radius. The nature of these phenomena is
      unraveled by finite difference time-domain simulations of the taper and an
      analytical treatment of the energy loss in fibers. Our calculations and the
      perfect agreement with our experimental results demonstrate the importance of
      phase-matching between electron field and radiative taper modes in mesoscopic
      structures. The local taper radius at the electron impact location determines the
      selective excitation of radiative modes with discrete angular momenta. 

PMID- 26115435
TI  - Acute Effects of a Therapeutic Mobility Device on Physical Activity and Heart
      Rate in Children With Down Syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this feasibility study was to provide an opportunity to
      increase physical activity (PA) and heart rate (HR) for children with Down
      syndrome (DS) during unstructured group exercise utilizing a riding device called
      the Power Pumper(r). METHOD: Twenty-four children aged 5 to 7 years old
      participated in this case-control study, including 12 children with DS and 12
      children without DS. Those without DS participated as age-matched controls. A 30
      min unstructured PA session utilizing the Power Pumper was provided to both
      groups on 2 occasions. HR and PA were measured at baseline and during both
      sessions. RESULTS: For children with DS, findings revealed a statistically
      significant increase in time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), F(1, 15) =
      16.503, p < .010, ES = 0.76, and a nonsignificant increase in HR (ES = 0.41) when
      comparing exercise session performance to baseline. For children without DS,
      findings revealed statistically significant increases in time spent in MVPA, F(1,
      15) = 73.604, p < .010, ES = 0.94, and HR, F(1, 22) = 34.634, p < .010, ES =
      0.69, between exercise and baseline. Total MVPA approached the recommended 60 min
      following device use. PA and HR differences between baseline and exercise were
      greater in magnitude for children without DS. CONCLUSION: By participating in
      unstructured exercise in a social environment using the Power Pumper, children
      with DS engaged in higher-intensity PA accompanied by a nonsignificant
      physiological response in HR. These outcomes support PA guidelines recommended by
      the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. This device supports 1
      option for achieving 60 min of MVPA daily.

PMID- 26115433
TI  - Serum- and Glucocorticoid-Inducible Kinase-1 (SGK-1) Plays a Role in Membrane
      Trafficking in Caenorhabditis elegans.
AB  - The mammalian serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase SGK1 regulates the
      endocytosis of ion channels. Here we report that in C. elegans sgk-1 null
      mutants, GFP-tagged MIG-14/Wntless, the sorting receptor of Wnt, failed to
      localize to the basolateral membrane of intestinal cells; instead, it was mis
      sorted to lysosomes. This effect can be explained in part by altered sphingolipid
      levels, because reducing glucosylceramide biosynthesis restored the localization
      of MIG-14::GFP. Membrane traffic was not perturbed in general, as no obvious
      morphological defects were detected for early endosomes, the Golgi apparatus, and
      the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in sgk-1 null animals. The recycling of MIG
      14/Wntless through the Golgi might be partially responsible for the observed
      phenotype because the subcellular distribution of two plasma membrane cargoes
      that do not recycle through the trans-Golgi network (TGN) was affected to a
      lesser degree. Consistently, knockdown of the ArfGEF gbf-1 altered the
      distribution of SGK-1 at the basolateral membrane of intestinal cells. In
      addition, we found that sgk-1(RNAi) induced unfolded protein response in the ER,
      suggesting at least an indirect role of SGK-1 early in the secretory pathway. We
      propose that SGK-1 function is required for lipid homeostasis and that it acts at
      different intracellular trafficking steps. 

PMID- 26115436
TI  - Extracellular proteases are released by ciliates in defined seawater microcosms.
AB  - The biodegradation of proteins in seawater requires various proteases which are
      commonly thought to be mainly derived from heterotrophic bacteria. We, however,
      found that protists showed a high protease activity and continuously produced
      trypsin-type enzymes. The free-living marine heterotrophic ciliate Paranophrys
      marina together with an associated bacterium was isolated and used for microcosm
      incubation with different concentrations of killed bacteria as food for 10 days.
      The results showed that the co-existence of the ciliate with its associated
      bacterium produced a significant protease activity in both cell-associated and
      cell-free fractions while that in the associated bacterium only microcosm was
      negligible. The protease profiles are different between cell-associated and cell
      free fractions, and a trypsin-type enzyme hydrolyzing Boc-Val-Leu-Lys-MCA was
      detected throughout the period in the presence of ciliates. This suggests that
      ciliates release proteases into the surrounding environment which could play a
      role in protein digestion outside cells. It has been previously suggested that
      bacteria are the major transformers in seawater. We here present additional data
      which indicates that protists, or at least ciliates with their specific enzymes,
      are a potential player in organic matter degradation in water columns. 

PMID- 26115437
TI  - High MIP-1beta Levels in Plasma Predict Long-Term Immunological Nonresponse to
      Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV Infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: HIV-infected patients who fail to reconstitute their CD4 T-cell
      counts during suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) have increased risk of
      both AIDS-related and non-AIDS-related morbidity and mortality. Improved
      understanding of immunological nonresponse (INR) is necessary to enable earlier
      clinical intervention. METHODS: In a cohort of 112 HIV-infected patients starting
      ART, we performed a serial analysis of 32 plasma-soluble markers, assessed by
      multiplex cytokine and enzyme immunoassay. Samples were drawn pre-ART and during
      the first 3 years of treatment, with a final observation time of 8.4 years
      (interquartile range, 7.0-10.7 years) on ART. Long-term INR (LT-INR) was defined
      as failure to reach a CD4 T-cell count >350 cells per microliter. Marker
      stability was evaluated by parallel analysis of samples from ART-naive and HIV
      seronegative controls. RESULTS: Baseline CD4 T-cell counts predicted subsequent
      LT-INR (n = 15) [odds ratio, 1.10 (95% confidence interval: 1.01 to 1.19) pr. 10
      cells/MUL reduction in CD4 count, P = 0.030] in the cohort as a whole, but not in
      patients with baseline CD4 counts <200 cells per microliter (n = 78). LT-INR was
      best characterized by elevated plasma levels of the CC chemokine macrophage
      inflammatory protein 1beta (MIP-1beta), both at baseline (pre-ART) and during
      ART. In patients with baseline CD4 counts <200 cells per microliter, baseline MIP
      1beta predicted LT-INR [odds ratio 1.23 (95% confidence interval: 1.02 to 1.47)
      per 10 pg/mL increase in MIP-1beta, P = 0.029]. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated pre-ART
      levels of MIP-1beta identified LT-INR patients who started ART at CD4 counts
      <200. INR was characterized by persistently high MIP-1beta during suppressive
      ART. Thus, MIP-1beta may be of use for early identification of LT-INR.

PMID- 26115438
TI  - Incidence of HIV Infection in Young Gay, Bisexual, and Other YMSM: The P18 Cohort
      Study.
AB  - CONTENT: HIV infections continue to rise in a new generation of young gay,
      bisexual, and other young men who have sex with men (YMSM) despite 3 decades of
      HIV prevention and recent biomedical technologies to deter infection. OBJECTIVES:
      To examine the incidence of HIV and the demographic, behavioral, and structural
      factors associated with incident infections. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study.
      PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred YMSM who were aged 18-19 years at baseline. RESULTS: At
      baseline, 6 prevalent cases of HIV were detected. Over the course of 36 months
      and 6 additional waves of data collection, we identified 43 (7.2%) incident cases
      of HIV. Incident infections were marginally higher among those residing in
      neighborhoods with higher rates of HIV prevalence. Using Cox proportional hazards
      models, we detected that hazard ratios (HRs) for time to HIV seroconversion were
      significantly higher for black YMSM (HR = 7.46) and mixed/other race YMSM (HR =
      7.99), and older age at sexual debut with another man was associated with a lower
      risk of HIV seroconversion (HR = 0.50), whereas low perceived familial
      socioeconomic status was marginally associated with an increased risk for HIV
      seroconversion (HR = 2.45). CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the disparities
      for HIV that exist within the population of sexual minority men and suggest that
      we attend to behavioral, structural, and social conditions to effectively tailor
      HIV prevention for a new generation of YMSM with keen eyes to the conditions
      faced by racial and ethnic minority YMSM, which heightened their risk for
      acquiring HIV.

PMID- 26115439
TI  - Network Characteristics of People Who Inject Drugs Within a New HIV Epidemic
      Following Austerity in Athens, Greece.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Greece experienced an unprecedented increase in HIV cases among drug
      injectors in 2011 after economic crisis. Network-level factors are increasingly
      understood to drive HIV transmission in emerging epidemics. METHODS: We examined
      the relationship between networks, risk behaviors, and HIV serostatus among 1404
      people who inject drugs in Athens, Greece. We generated networks using the chain
      referral structure within a large HIV screening program. Network proportions, the
      proportion of a respondent's network with a given characteristic, were
      calculated. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the
      relationship between network proportions and individual HIV seroprevalence,
      injection frequency and unprotected sex. RESULTS: Of note, 1030 networks were
      generated. Respondent HIV seroprevalence was associated with greater proportions
      of network members who were HIV infected (ie, those with >= 50% of network
      members HIV positive vs. those with no network members HIV positive) (AOR: 3.11;
      95% CI: 2.10 to 4.62), divided drugs (AOR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.10 to 2.35), or
      injected frequently (AOR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.02 to 2.21). Homelessness was the only
      sociodemographic characteristic associated with a risk outcome measure--high
      frequency injecting (AOR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.93). These associations were
      weaker for more distal second- and third-degree networks and not present when
      examined within random networks. CONCLUSIONS: Networks are an independently
      important contributor to the HIV outbreak in Athens, Greece. Network associations
      were strongest for the immediate network, with residual associations for distal
      networks. Homelessness was associated with high-frequency injecting. Prevention
      programs should consider including network-level interventions to prevent future
      emerging epidemics.

PMID- 26115440
TI  - SPIDER OR NO SPIDER? NEURAL CORRELATES OF SUSTAINED AND PHASIC FEAR IN SPIDER
      PHOBIA.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Processes of phasic fear responses to threatening stimuli are thought
      to be distinct from sustained, anticipatory anxiety toward an unpredicted,
      potential threat. There is evidence for dissociable neural correlates of phasic
      fear and sustained anxiety. Whereas increased amygdala activity has been
      associated with phasic fear, sustained anxiety has been linked with activation of
      the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and
      the insula. So far, only a few studies have focused on the dissociation of neural
      processes related to both phasic and sustained fear in specific phobia. We
      suggested that first, conditions of phasic and sustained fear would involve
      different neural networks and, second, that overall neural activity would be
      enhanced in a sample of phobic compared to nonphobic participants. METHODS:
      Pictures of spiders and neutral stimuli under conditions of either predicted
      (phasic) or unpredicted (sustained) fear were presented to 28 subjects with
      spider phobia and 28 nonphobic control subjects during functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. RESULTS: Phobic patients revealed
      significantly higher amygdala activation than controls under conditions of phasic
      fear. Sustained fear processing was significantly related to activation in the
      insula and ACC, and phobic patients showed a stronger activation than controls of
      the BNST and the right ACC under conditions of sustained fear. Functional
      connectivity analysis revealed enhanced connectivity of the BNST and the amygdala
      in phobic subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the idea of distinct neural
      correlates of phasic and sustained fear processes. Increased neural activity and
      functional connectivity in these networks might be crucial for the development
      and maintenance of anxiety disorders.

PMID- 26115441
TI  - Needs Assessment for Research Use of High-Throughput Sequencing at a Large
      Academic Medical Center.
AB  - Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) methods are driving profound changes in
      biomedical research, with a growing impact on patient care. Many academic medical
      centers are evaluating potential models to prepare for the rapid increase in NGS
      information needs. This study sought to investigate (1) how and where sequencing
      data is generated and analyzed, (2) research objectives and goals for NGS, (3)
      workforce capacity and unmet needs, (4) storage capacity and unmet needs, (5)
      available and anticipated funding resources, and (6) future challenges. As a
      precursor to informed decision making at our institution, we undertook a
      systematic needs assessment of investigators using survey methods. We recruited
      331 investigators from over 60 departments and divisions at the University of
      Pittsburgh Schools of Health Sciences and had 140 respondents, or a 42% response
      rate. Results suggest that both sequencing and analysis bottlenecks currently
      exist. Significant educational needs were identified, including both investigator
      focused needs, such as selection of NGS methods suitable for specific research
      objectives, and program-focused needs, such as support for training an analytic
      workforce. The absence of centralized infrastructure was identified as an
      important institutional gap. Key principles for organizations managing this
      change were formulated based on the survey responses. This needs assessment
      provides an in-depth case study which may be useful to other academic medical
      centers as they identify and plan for future needs. 

PMID- 26115442
TI  - Outcome measures in MMN revisited: further improvement needed.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to provide an overview of the outcome measures
      (OMs) applied in clinical trials in multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) and to
      determine the responsiveness of a core set of selected OMs as part of the
      peripheral neuropathy outcome measures standardization (PeriNomS) study. The
      following OMs were serially applied in 26 patients with newly diagnosed or
      relapsing MMN, receiving intravenous immunoglobulin (assessments: T0/T3/T12
      months): 14 muscle pairs MRC (Medical Research Council) scale, the Neuropathy
      Impairment Scale motor-subset, a self-evaluation scale, grip strength, and MMN
      RODS(c) (Rasch-built overall disability scale). All data, except the grip
      strength, were subjected to Rasch analyses before determining responsiveness. For
      grip strength, responsiveness was examined using a combined anchor- (SF-36
      question-2) and distribution-based (1/2 * SD) minimum clinically important
      difference (MCID) techniques, determining the proportion of patients exceeding
      both the identified cut-offs. For the remaining scales, the magnitude of change
      for each patient on each scale was determined using the MCID related to the
      individual SE (responder definition: MCID-SE >= 1.96). Overall, a great
      assortment of measures has been used in MMN trials with different responsiveness
      definitions. For the selected OMs, responsiveness was poor and only seen in one
      fourth to one third of the patients, the grip strength being more responsive.
      Despite the efforts taken to standardize outcome assessment, further clinimetric
      responsiveness studies are needed in MMN. 

PMID- 26115443
TI  - Assessment of Myocardial Fibrosis in Mice Using a T2*-Weighted 3D Radial Magnetic
      Resonance Imaging Sequence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myocardial fibrosis is a common hallmark of many diseases of the
      heart. Late gadolinium enhanced MRI is a powerful tool to image replacement
      fibrosis after myocardial infarction (MI). Interstitial fibrosis can be assessed
      indirectly from an extracellular volume fraction measurement using contrast
      enhanced T1 mapping. Detection of short T2* species resulting from fibrotic
      tissue may provide an attractive non-contrast-enhanced alternative to directly
      visualize the presence of both replacement and interstitial fibrosis. OBJECTIVE:
      To goal of this paper was to explore the use of a T2*-weighted radial sequence
      for the visualization of fibrosis in mouse heart. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were
      studied with MI (n = 20, replacement fibrosis), transverse aortic constriction
      (TAC) (n = 18, diffuse fibrosis), and as control (n = 10). 3D center-out radial
      T2*-weighted images with varying TE were acquired in vivo and ex vivo (TE = 21
      MUs-4 ms). Ex vivo T2*-weighted signal decay with TE was analyzed using a 3
      component model. Subtraction of short- and long-TE images was used to highlight
      fibrotic tissue with short T2*. The presence of fibrosis was validated using
      histology and correlated to MRI findings. RESULTS: Detailed ex vivo T2*-weighted
      signal analysis revealed a fast (T2*fast), slow (T2*slow) and lipid (T2*lipid)
      pool. T2*fast remained essentially constant. Infarct T2*slow decreased
      significantly, while a moderate decrease was observed in remote tissue in post-MI
      hearts and in TAC hearts. T2*slow correlated with the presence of diffuse
      fibrosis in TAC hearts (r = 0.82, P = 0.01). Ex vivo and in vivo subtraction
      images depicted a positive contrast in the infarct co-localizing with the scar.
      Infarct volumes from histology and subtraction images linearly correlated (r =
      0.94, P<0.001). Region-of-interest analysis in the in vivo post-MI and TAC hearts
      revealed significant T2* shortening due to fibrosis, in agreement with the ex
      vivo results. However, in vivo contrast on subtraction images was rather poor,
      hampering a straightforward visual assessment of the spatial distribution of the
      fibrotic tissue.

PMID- 26115444
TI  - Aza-macrocyclic complexes of the Group 1 cations - synthesis, structures and
      density functional theory study.
AB  - The Group 1 complexes, [M(Me6[18]aneN6)][BAr(F)] (M = Li-Cs; Me6[18]aneN6 =
      1,4,7,10,13,16-hexamethyl-1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaazacyclooctadecane; BAr(F) =
      tetrakis{3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)-phenyl}borate), are obtained in high yield by
      reaction of the macrocycle with M[BAr(F)] in anhydrous CH2Cl2 solution, and
      characterised spectroscopically ((1)H, (13)C{(1)H}, (7)Li, (23)Na, and (133)Cs
      NMR), by microanalysis and, for M = Li, K, and Rb, by single crystal X-ray
      analysis. The structures show N6-coordination to the metal ion; the small ionic
      radius for Li(+) leads to a puckered conformation. In contrast, the K(+) ion fits
      well into the N6 plane, with the [BAr(F)](-) anions above and below, leading to
      two K(+) species in the asymmetric unit (a hexagonal planar [K(Me6[18]aneN6)](+)
      cation and a '[K(Me6[18]aneN6)(kappa(1)-BAr(F))2](-) anion', with long axial KF
      interactions). The Rb(+) ion sits above the N6 plane, with two long axial RbF
      interactions in one cation and two long, mutually cis RbF interactions in the
      other. The unusual sandwich cations, [M(Me3tacn)2](+) (M = Na, K; distorted
      octahedral, N6 donor set) and half-sandwich cations [Li(Me3tacn)(thf)](+)
      (distorted tetrahedron, N3O donor set), [Li(Me4cyclen)(OH2)](+), and
      [Na(Me4cyclen)(thf)](+) (both distorted square pyramids with N4O donor sets) were
      also prepared (Me3tacn = 1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane, Me4cyclen =
      1,4,7,10-tetramethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane). Density functional theory
      (DFT) calculations, using the BP86 and B3LYP functionals, show that the
      accessibility of the [M(Me3tacn)2](+) sandwich cations depends strongly on the
      M(+) ionic radius, such that it is sufficiently large to avoid steric clashing
      between the Me groups of the two rings, and small enough to avoid very acute N-M
      N chelate angles. The calculations also show that coordination to the Group 1
      cation involves significant donation of electron density from the p-orbitals on
      the N atoms of the macrocycle, rather than purely electrostatic interactions. 

PMID- 26115445
TI  - Association of IFNL3 and IFNL4 polymorphisms with liver-related mortality in a
      multiracial cohort of HIV/HCV-coinfected women.
AB  - African Americans coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) have lower
      liver-related mortality than Caucasians and Hispanics. While genetic
      polymorphisms near the IFNL3 and IFNL4 genes explain a significant fraction of
      racial differences in several HCV-related outcomes, the impact of these variants
      on liver-related mortality has not been investigated. We conducted a cohort study
      of HIV/HCV-coinfected women followed in the multicentre, NIH-funded Women's
      Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) to investigate whether 10 polymorphisms spanning the
      IFN-lambda region were associated with liver-related mortality by dominant,
      recessive or additive genetic models. We also considered whether these
      polymorphisms contributed to previously reported differences in liver-related
      death by race/ethnicity (ascertained by self-report and ancestry informative
      markers). Among 794 coinfected women, there were 471 deaths including 55 liver
      related deaths during up to 18 years of follow-up. On adjusted analysis,
      rs12980275 GG genotype compared to AG+AA hazards ratios [(HR) 0.36, 95% CI 0.14
      0.90, P = 0.029] and rs8109886 AA genotype compared to CC+AC (HR 0.67, 95% CI
      0.45-0.99, P = 0.047) were most strongly associated with liver-related death
      although these associations were no longer significant after adjusting for
      race/ethnicity (HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.16-1.04, P = 0.060 and HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.51
      1.19, P = 0.25, respectively). African American women had persistently lower
      liver-related death independent of IFN-lambda variants (HRs <= 0.44, P values <=
      0.04). The lower risk of death among African American HIV/HCV-coinfected women is
      not explained by genetic variation in the IFN-lambda region suggesting, that
      other genetic, behavioural and/or environmental factors may contribute to
      racial/ethnic differences in liver-related mortality. 

PMID- 26115446
TI  - Understanding Confounding Effects in Linguistic Coordination: An Information
      Theoretic Approach.
AB  - We suggest an information-theoretic approach for measuring stylistic coordination
      in dialogues. The proposed measure has a simple predictive interpretation and can
      account for various confounding factors through proper conditioning. We revisit
      some of the previous studies that reported strong signatures of stylistic
      accommodation, and find that a significant part of the observed coordination can
      be attributed to a simple confounding effect--length coordination. Specifically,
      longer utterances tend to be followed by longer responses, which gives rise to
      spurious correlations in the other stylistic features. We propose a test to
      distinguish correlations in length due to contextual factors (topic of
      conversation, user verbosity, etc.) and turn-by-turn coordination. We also
      suggest a test to identify whether stylistic coordination persists even after
      accounting for length coordination and contextual factors.

PMID- 26115448
TI  - Genetically encoded voltage indicators for large scale cortical imaging come of
      age.
AB  - Electrical signals are fundamental to cellular sensing, communication and
      motility. In the nervous system, information is represented as receptor, synaptic
      and action potentials. Understanding how brain functions emerge from these
      electrical signals is one of the ultimate challenges in neuroscience and requires
      a methodology to monitor membrane voltage transients from large numbers of cells
      at high spatio-temporal resolution. Optical voltage imaging holds longstanding
      promises to achieve this, and has gained a fresh powerful momentum with the
      development of genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs). With a focus on
      neuroimaging studies on intact mouse brains, we highlight recent advances in this
      field. 

PMID- 26115447
TI  - Near-infrared fluorescent proteins engineered from bacterial phytochromes.
AB  - Near-infrared fluorescent proteins (NIR FPs), photoactivatable NIR FPs and NIR
      reporters of protein-protein interactions developed from bacterial phytochrome
      photoreceptors (BphPs) have advanced non-invasive deep-tissue imaging. Here we
      provide a brief guide to the BphP-derived NIR probes with an emphasis on their in
      vivo applications. We describe phenotypes of NIR FPs and their photochemical and
      intracellular properties. We discuss NIR FP applications for imaging of various
      cell types, tissues and animal models in basic and translational research. In
      this discussion, we focus on NIR FPs that efficiently incorporate endogenous
      biliverdin chromophore and therefore can be used as straightforward as GFP-like
      proteins. We also overview a usage of NIR FPs in different imaging platforms,
      from planar epifluorescence to tomographic and photoacoustic technologies. 

PMID- 26115449
TI  - Aminophylline Injection Alleviates Pain in Postdural Puncture Headache.

PMID- 26115450
TI  - The Role of Transposable Elements in the Origin and Evolution of MicroRNAs in
      Human.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial regulators of gene expression at the post
      transcriptional level in eukaryotes via targeting gene 3'-untranslated regions.
      Transposable elements (TEs) are considered as natural origins of some miRNAs.
      However, what miRNAs are and how these miRNAs originate and evolve from TEs
      remain unclear. We identified 409 TE-derived miRNAs (386 overlapped with TEs and
      23 un-overlapped with TEs) which are derived from TEs in human. This indicates
      that the TEs play important roles in origin of miRNAs in human. In addition, we
      found that the proportions of miRNAs derived from TEs (MDTEs) in human are more
      than other vertebrates especially non-mammal vertebrates. Furthermore, we
      classified MDTEs into three types and found that TE head or tail sequences along
      with adjacent genomic sequences contribute to generation of human miRNAs. Our
      current study will improve the understanding of origin and evolution of human
      miRNAs. 

PMID- 26115452
TI  - Histogram Analysis of Apparent Diffusion Coefficients for Occult Tonsil Cancer in
      Patients with Cervical Nodal Metastasis from an Unknown Primary Site at
      Presentation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore the added value of histogram analysis of apparent diffusion
      coefficient (ADC) values over magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and fluorine 18
      ((18)F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed
      tomography (CT) for the detection of occult palatine tonsil squamous cell
      carcinoma (SCC) in patients with cervical nodal metastasis from a cancer of an
      unknown primary site. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The institutional review board
      approved this retrospective study, and the requirement for informed consent was
      waived. Differences in the bimodal histogram parameters of the ADC values were
      assessed among occult palatine tonsil SCC (n = 19), overt palatine tonsil SCC (n
      = 20), and normal palatine tonsils (n = 20). One-way analysis of variance was
      used to analyze differences among the three groups. Receiver operating
      characteristic curve analysis was used to determine the best differentiating
      parameters. The increased sensitivity of histogram analysis over MR imaging and
      (18)F-FDG PET/CT for the detection of occult palatine tonsil SCC was evaluated as
      added value. RESULTS: Histogram analysis showed statistically significant
      differences in the mean, standard deviation, and 50th and 90th percentile ADC
      values among the three groups (P < .0045). Occult palatine tonsil SCC had a
      significantly higher standard deviation for the overall curves, mean and standard
      deviation of the higher curves, and 90th percentile ADC value, compared with
      normal palatine tonsils (P < .0167). Receiver operating characteristic curve
      analysis showed that the standard deviation of the overall curve best delineated
      occult palatine tonsil SCC from normal palatine tonsils, with a sensitivity of
      78.9% (15 of 19 patients) and a specificity of 60% (12 of 20 patients). The added
      value of ADC histogram analysis was 52.6% over MR imaging alone and 15.8% over
      combined conventional MR imaging and (18)F-FDG PET/CT. CONCLUSION: Adding ADC
      histogram analysis to conventional MR imaging can improve the detection
      sensitivity for occult palatine tonsil SCC in patients with a cervical nodal
      metastasis originating from a cancer of an unknown primary site.

PMID- 26115453
TI  - U.S. National Diagnostic Reference Levels: Closing the Gap.

PMID- 26115451
TI  - White Matter Changes of Neurite Density and Fiber Orientation Dispersion during
      Human Brain Maturation.
AB  - Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies of human brain development have
      consistently shown widespread, but nonlinear increases in white matter anisotropy
      through childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. However, despite its
      sensitivity to changes in tissue microstructure, DTI lacks the specificity to
      disentangle distinct microstructural features of white and gray matter. Neurite
      orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) is a recently proposed multi
      compartment biophysical model of brain microstructure that can estimate non
      collinear properties of white matter, such as neurite orientation dispersion
      index (ODI) and neurite density index (NDI). In this study, we apply NODDI to 66
      healthy controls aged 7-63 years to investigate changes of ODI and NDI with brain
      maturation, with comparison to standard DTI metrics. Using both region-of
      interest and voxel-wise analyses, we find that NDI exhibits striking increases
      over the studied age range following a logarithmic growth pattern, while ODI
      rises following an exponential growth pattern. This novel finding is consistent
      with well-established age-related changes of FA over the lifespan that show
      growth during childhood and adolescence, plateau during early adulthood, and
      accelerating decay after the fourth decade of life. Our results suggest that the
      rise of FA during the first two decades of life is dominated by increasing NDI,
      while the fall in FA after the fourth decade is driven by the exponential rise of
      ODI that overcomes the slower increases of NDI. Using partial least squares
      regression, we further demonstrate that NODDI better predicts chronological age
      than DTI. Finally, we show excellent test-retest reliability of NODDI metrics,
      with coefficients of variation below 5% in all measured regions of interest. Our
      results support the conclusion that NODDI reveals biologically specific
      characteristics of brain development that are more closely linked to the
      microstructural features of white matter than are the empirical metrics provided
      by DTI. 

PMID- 26115454
TI  - A Method for Remotely Sensing Vital Signs of Human Subjects Outdoors.
AB  - After chemical or nuclear leakage or explosions, finding survivors is a huge
      challenge. Although human bodies can be found by smart vehicles and drones
      equipped with cameras, it is difficult to verify if the person is alive or dead
      this way. This paper describes a continuous wave radar sensor for remotely
      sensing the vital signs of human subjects. Firstly, a compact and portable 24 GHz
      Doppler radar system is designed to conduct non-contact detection of respiration
      signal. Secondly, in order to improve the quality of the respiration signals, the
      self-correlation and adaptive line enhancer (ALE) methods are proposed to
      minimize the interferences of any moving objects around the human subject.
      Finally, the detection capabilities of the radar system and the signal processing
      method are verified through experiments which show that human respiration signals
      can be extracted when the subject is 7 m away outdoors. The method provided in
      this paper will be a promising way to search for human subjects outdoors. 

PMID- 26115455
TI  - Creating TUIs Using RFID Sensors--A Case Study Based on the Literacy Process of
      Children with Down Syndrome.
AB  - Teaching children with intellectual disabilities is a big challenge for most
      parents and educators. Special education teachers use learning strategies to
      develop and enhance motivation for complex learning tasks. Literacy acquisition
      is an essential and life-long skill for a child with intellectual disabilities.
      In this context, technology can support specific strategies that will help
      children learn to read. This paper introduces a Tangible User Interface (TUI)
      system based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to support
      literacy for children with Down syndrome. Our proposed system focuses on the
      integration of RFID tags in 3D printed objects and low cost toys. The paper
      describes the experience of using some materials covering the tags and the
      different problems related to the material and distance of radio wave
      propagation. The results of a preliminary evaluation in a special education
      institution showed that the system helps to improve the interaction between
      teachers and children. The use of a TUI seems to give a physical sensory
      experience to develop literacy skills in children with Down syndrome. 

PMID- 26115457
TI  - Mass and Force Sensing of an Adsorbate on a Beam Resonator Sensor.
AB  - The mass sensing superiority of a micro-/nano-mechanical resonator sensor over
      conventional mass spectrometry has been, or at least is being firmly established.
      Because the sensing mechanism of a mechanical resonator sensor is the shifts of
      resonant frequencies, how to link the shifts of resonant frequencies with the
      material properties of an analyte formulates an inverse problem. Besides the
      analyte/adsorbate mass, many other factors, such as position and axial force, can
      also cause the shifts of resonant frequencies. The in situ measurement of the
      adsorbate position and axial force is extremely difficult if not impossible,
      especially when an adsorbate is as small as a molecule or an atom. Extra
      instruments are also required. In this study, an inverse problem of using three
      resonant frequencies to determine the mass, position and axial force is
      formulated and solved. The accuracy of the inverse problem solving method is
      demonstrated, and how the method can be used in the real application of a
      nanomechanical resonator is also discussed. Solving the inverse problem is
      helpful to the development and application of a mechanical resonator sensor for
      two reasons: reducing extra experimental equipment and achieving better mass
      sensing by considering more factors. 

PMID- 26115456
TI  - Non-Invasive Optical Sensor Based Approaches for Monitoring Virus Culture to
      Minimize BSL3 Laboratory Entry.
AB  - High titers of infectious viruses for vaccine and diagnostic reference panel
      development are made by infecting susceptible mammalian cells. Laboratory
      procedures are strictly performed in a Bio-Safety Level-3 (BSL3) laboratory and
      each entry and exit involves the use of  disposable Personnel Protective
      Equipment (PPE) to observe cell culture conditions. Routine PPE use involves
      significant recurring costs. Alternative non-invasive optical sensor based
      approaches to remotely monitor cell culture may provide a promising and cost
      effective approach to monitor infectious virus cultures resulting in lower
      disruption and costs. We report here the monitoring of high titer cultures of
      Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) and Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV-2)
      remotely with the use of optical oxygen sensors aseptically placed inside the
      cell culture vessel. The replacement of culture media for cell and virus
      propagation and virus load monitoring was effectively performed using this
      fluorescent sensor and resulted in half the number of visits to the BSL3 lab
      (five versus ten). 

PMID- 26115458
TI  - Two-Port Approach Compared to Standard Laparoscopic Radical Cystectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Two-port laparoscopic radical cystectomy (LRC) using a
      multichannel platform through the umbilicus and one additional 10-mm in the right
      iliac fossa has been recently described. We compare the perioperative and early
      results of this technique with a cohort of patients simultaneously treated in our
      institution with four-port LRC and a 7 to 10 cm midline incision. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A matched-pair study comparing perioperative outcomes, postoperative
      visual analog pain scale (VAPS), and morbidity of two-port (n=30) and four-port
      (n=30) LRC. Preoperative and perioperative data analyzed and compared included
      demographics, type of urinary diversion, operative time, blood loss, transfusion
      requirements, decrease in serum hemoglobin, operative complications, analgesic
      needs, length of stay, number of nodes removed, and other pathologic information.
      Complications in the first 3 months were evaluated according to the Clavien-Dindo
      classification. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two
      groups regarding patient age, gender, body-mass index, American Society of
      Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, Charlson comorbidity index, tumor stage, percent
      of positive nodes, positive margin rate, number of nodes retrieved, proportion of
      neobladders, secondary carcinoma in situ, incidental prostate cancer, or need of
      systemic chemotherapy. Median operative time was 20 minutes higher in the two
      port procedure, but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.2).
      Estimated blood loss and differential hemoglobin change were lower in the two
      port technique (each p=0.03), but no difference was detected regarding the
      intraoperative or postoperative transfusion rate. Length of hospital stay was
      also equivalent. Differences were not observed either in the number or severity
      of complications. VAPS at days 2, 3, and 5 was significantly lower for two-port
      LRC (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Two-port LRC performed through an umbilical platform
      and an accessory 10-mm port seems technically equivalent to standard four-port
      LRC. Perioperative outcomes regarding hospital stay and complications are
      tantamount. Diminished blood loss and, especially, less postoperative pain favor
      the reduced-port approach in this complex urologic minimally invasive procedure.

PMID- 26115459
TI  - A Rodent Model of Chikungunya Virus Infection in RAG1 -/- Mice, with Features of
      Persistence, for Vaccine Safety Evaluation.
AB  - Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a positive sense, single stranded RNA virus in the
      genus Alphavirus, and the etiologic agent of epidemics of severe arthralgia in
      Africa, Asia, Europe and, most recently, the Americas. CHIKV causes chikungunya
      fever (CHIK), a syndrome characterized by rash, fever, and debilitating, often
      chronic arthritis. In recent outbreaks, CHIKV has been recognized to manifest
      more neurologic signs of illness in the elderly and those with co-morbidities.
      The syndrome caused by CHIKV is often self-limited; however, many patients
      develop persistent arthralgia that can last for months or years. These
      characteristics make CHIKV not only important from a human health standpoint, but
      also from an economic standpoint. Despite its importance as a reemerging disease,
      there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment to prevent CHIK. Many studies
      have begun to elucidate the pathogenesis of CHIKF and the mechanism of persistent
      arthralgia, including the role of the adaptive immune response, which is still
      poorly understood. In addition, the lack of an animal model for chronic infection
      has limited studies of CHIKV pathogenesis as well as the ability to assess the
      safety of vaccine candidates currently under development. To address this
      deficiency, we used recombination activating gene 1 (RAG1-/-) knockout mice,
      which are deficient in both T and B lymphocytes, to develop a chronic CHIKV
      infection model. Here, we describe this model as well as its use in evaluating
      the safety of a live-attenuated vaccine candidate. 

PMID- 26115460
TI  - Nicotine replacement therapy, tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes in
      pharmacies in St. Louis, Missouri.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare availability of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT),
      tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in pharmacies in St.
      Louis, MO. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study, on-site store audits of 322 pharmacies.
      SETTING: St. Louis, MO. PARTICIPANTS: 242 eligible community pharmacies located
      in the study area. INTERVENTION: Pharmacies were visited by trained research
      assistants who conducted a 5- to 10-minute store audit using a paper-based data
      collection tool. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Availability, accessibility, and pricing
      of NRT as a function of neighborhood poverty rate and proportion of black
      residents as well as availability of tobacco products and e-cigarettes. RESULTS:
      NRT availability decreased as neighborhood poverty rate increased (P = 0.02).
      Availability without pharmacy personnel assistance also decreased with increasing
      poverty rate (r = -0.19; 95% CI = -0.06, -0.31) and higher percentage of black
      residents (r = -0.18; 95% CI = -0.06, -0.31). Prices were lower in neighborhoods
      with higher poverty rates (P = 0.02) and a higher percentage of black residents
      (P = 0.03). E-cigarettes were available in 43% of pharmacies, and their
      availability and price did not differ by poverty rate or percentage of black
      residents. CONCLUSION: Low access to NRT might perpetuate smoking disparities in
      disadvantaged and racially diverse neighborhoods. Study data support policies to
      ensure equal NRT access to reduce disparities.

PMID- 26115461
TI  - Investigating changes in the gas-phase conformation of Antithrombin III upon
      binding of Arixtra using traveling wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS).
AB  - We validate the utility of ion mobility to measure protein conformational changes
      induced by the binding of glycosaminoglycan ligands, using the well characterized
      system of Antithrombin III (ATIII) and Arixtra, a pharmaceutical agent with
      heparin (Hp) activity. Heparin has been used as a therapeutic anticoagulant drug
      for several decades through its interaction with ATIII, a serine protease
      inhibitor that plays a central role in the blood coagulation cascade. This
      interaction induces conformational changes within ATIII that dramatically enhance
      the ATIII-mediated inhibition rate. Arixtra is the smallest synthetic Hp
      containing the specific pentasaccharide sequence required to bind with ATIII.
      Here we report the first travelling wave ion mobility mass spectrometry (TWIMS)
      investigation of the conformational changes in ATIII induced by its interaction
      with Arixtra. Native electrospray ionization mass spectrometry allowed the gentle
      transfer of the native topology of ATIII and ATIII-Arixtra complex. IM
      measurements of ATIII and ATIII-Arixtra complex showed a single structure, with
      well-defined collisional cross section (CCS) values. An average 3.6% increase in
      CCS of ATIII occurred as a result of its interaction with Arixtra, which agrees
      closely with the theoretical estimation of the change in CCS based on protein
      crystal structures. A comparison of the binding behavior of ATIII under both
      denaturing and non-denaturing conditions confirmed the significance of a folded
      tertiary structure of ATIII for its biological activity. A Hp oligosaccharide
      whose structure is similar to Arixtra but missing the 3-O sulfo group on the
      central glucosamine residue showed a dramatic decrease in binding affinity
      towards ATIII, but no change in the mobility behavior of the complex, consistent
      with prior studies that suggested that 3-O sulfation affects the equilibrium
      constant for binding to ATIII, but not the mode of interaction. In contrast,
      nonspecific binding by a Hp tetrasaccharide showed more complex mobility
      behavior, suggesting more promiscuous interactions with ATIII. The effect of
      collisional activation of ATIII and ATIII-Arixtra complex were also assessed,
      revealing that the binding of Arixtra provided ATIII with additional stability
      against unfolding. Overall, our results validate the capability of TWIMS to
      retain the significant features of the solution structure of a protein
      carbohydrate complex so that it can be used to study protein conformational
      changes induced by the binding of glycosaminoglycan ligands. 

PMID- 26115462
TI  - Forceps versus snare polypectomies in colorectal cancer screening: are we
      adhering to the guidelines?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: European guidelines for quality assurance in
      colorectal cancer screening recommend snare resection for polyps > 5 mm. The aim
      of this study was to investigate polypectomy technique according to lesion size
      and shape, and to assess adherence of endoscopists enrolled in the national
      quality assurance program to the European guidelines. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This
      cohort study included screening colonoscopies performed between 2007 and 2013
      within a quality assurance program in Austria. Resection technique was analyzed
      according to lesion characteristics and endoscopy facility (private practices,
      hospitals, outpatient clinics) before publication of the EU guidelines (2007 -
      2010) and adherence to the guidelines after publication (2011 - 2013). All
      surveillance colonoscopies and examinations with missing data were excluded.
      RESULTS: A total of 128 969 screening colonoscopies performed by 278 endoscopy
      units were included. The polyp detection rate was 39.6 % (n = 47 797) and 95.6 %
      of polyps were resected. Of polyps >= 5 mm, 46.0 % were resected using forceps
      and were therefore not treated in accordance with the guidelines. Forceps
      polypectomy of lesions 5 - 10 mm and > 10 mm decreased significantly in hospitals
      after implementation of the guidelines (both P < 0.0001). In private practices,
      there was no difference in forceps usage for polyps of 5 - 10 mm (P = 0.41)
      before and after the guidelines, and for polyps > 10 mm forceps usage even
      increased (P < 0.0001). Endoscopists' forceps removal rates for polyps >= 5 mm
      correlated significantly with respective adenoma detection rates (P = 0.0007, r p
      - 0.187) and cecal intubation rates (P = 0.0001, r p  - 0.303). Among
      endoscopists in private practices, internists had slightly lower forceps removal
      rates for polyps >= 5 mm than surgeons, both before (47.2 % vs. 50.7 %; P =
      0.014) and after publication of the guidelines (51.9 % vs. 53.5 %; P = 0.161).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the importance of the European guidelines. The
      inclusion of adequate resection technique as a quality indicator in colorectal
      cancer screening programs is recommended.

PMID- 26115463
TI  - Transient aphasias after left hemisphere resective surgery.
AB  - OBJECT: Transient aphasias are often observed in the first few days after a
      patient has undergone resection in the language-dominant hemisphere. The aims of
      this prospective study were to characterize the incidence and nature of these
      aphasias and to determine whether there are relationships between location of the
      surgical site and deficits in specific language domains. METHODS: One hundred ten
      patients undergoing resection to the language-dominant hemisphere participated in
      the study. Language was evaluated prior to surgery and 2-3 days and 1 month
      postsurgery using the Western Aphasia Battery and the Boston Naming Test. Voxel
      based lesion-symptom mapping was used to identify relationships between the
      surgical site location assessed on MRI and deficits in fluency, information
      content, comprehension, repetition, and naming. RESULTS: Seventy-one percent of
      patients were classified as aphasic based on the Western Aphasia Battery 2-3 days
      postsurgery, with deficits observed in each of the language domains examined.
      Fluency deficits were associated with resection of the precentral gyrus and
      adjacent inferior frontal cortex. Reduced information content of spoken output
      was associated with resection of the ventral precentral gyrus and posterior
      inferior frontal gyrus (pars opercularis). Repetition deficits were associated
      with resection of the posterior superior temporal gyrus. Naming deficits were
      associated with resection of the ventral temporal cortex, with midtemporal and
      posterior temporal damage more predictive of naming deficits than anterior
      temporal damage. By 1 month postsurgery, nearly all language deficits were
      resolved, and no language measure except for naming differed significantly from
      its presurgical level. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that transient aphasias
      are very common after left hemisphere resective surgery and that the precise
      nature of the aphasia depends on the specific location of the surgical site. The
      patient cohort in this study provides a unique window into the neural basis of
      language because resections are discrete, their locations are not limited by
      vascular distribution or patterns of neurodegeneration, and language can be
      studied prior to substantial reorganization.

PMID- 26115464
TI  - Kinetic evaluation of low-grade gliomas in adults before and after treatment with
      CCNU alone.
AB  - OBJECT: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of CCNU chemotherapy
      alone on low-grade glioma (LGG) growth dynamics. METHODS: The authors measured
      the evolution of the mean tumor diameter (MTD) in adult patients with LGG before
      (n=28 patients) and after (n=38 patients) CCNU administration. RESULTS: Natural
      (spontaneous) growth of LGG in the present study was 4.3 mm/year (range 2.1-6.6
      mm/year). The median MTD decrease after CCNU was 5.1 mm/year (range 1-8.9
      mm/year). MTD decrease was noted in 30 patients (late decrease in 4 patients, and
      ongoing decrease in 24 patients with oligodendroglial tumors and 2 with
      astrocytic tumors). The median duration it took for the MTD to decrease after
      initiation of CCNU treatment was 619 days (1038 days for oligodendroglial tumors
      vs 377 days for astrocytic tumors; p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: These results show that
      CCNU as a single agent has a significant impact on LGG tumor growth. The impact
      of CCNU seems to be comparable to the previously reported impact of temozolomide
      therapy and of combined procarbazine, CCNU, and vincristine chemotherapy.

PMID- 26115465
TI  - Editorial: Not everything that matters can be measured and not everything that
      can be measured matters.

PMID- 26115466
TI  - Editorial: Clip or coil? Six years of follow-up in BRAT.

PMID- 26115467
TI  - The Barrow Ruptured Aneurysm Trial: 6-year results.
AB  - OBJECT: The authors report the 6-year results of the Barrow Ruptured Aneurysm
      Trial (BRAT). This ongoing randomized trial, with the final goal of a 10-year
      follow-up, compares the safety and efficacy of surgical clip occlusion and
      endovascular coil embolization in patients presenting with subarachnoid
      hemorrhage (SAH) from a ruptured aneurysm. The 1- and 3-year results of this
      trial have been previously reported. METHODS: In total, 500 patients with an SAH
      met the entry criteria and were enrolled in the study. Of these patients, 471
      were randomly assigned to the treatments: 238 to surgical clipping and 233 to
      endovascular coiling. Six patients who died before treatment and 57 patients with
      nonaneurysmal SAHs were excluded, leaving a total of 408 patients who underwent
      clipping (209 assigned) or coiling (199 assigned). Whether to treat patients
      within the assigned group or to cross over patients to the other group was at the
      discretion of the treating physician; 38% (75/199) of the patients assigned to
      coiling were crossed over to clipping and 1.9% (4/209) assigned to clipping were
      crossed over to coiling. The outcome data were collected by a dedicated nurse
      practitioner. The primary outcome analysis was based on the assigned treatment
      group; poor outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score > 2 and
      was independently adjudicated. Six years after randomization, 336 (82%) of 408
      patients who had been treated were available for examination. RESULTS: On the
      basis of an mRS score of > 2, and similar to the results at the 3-year follow-up,
      no significant difference in outcomes (p = 0.24) was detected between the 2
      treatment groups. Complete aneurysm obliteration at 6 years was achieved in 96%
      (111/116) of the clipping group and in 48% (23/48) of the coiling group (p <
      0.0001). In the period between the 3- and 6-year follow-ups, 3 additional
      patients assigned to coiling and none assigned to clipping received retreatment,
      for overall retreatment rates of 4.6% (13/280) for clipping and 16.4% (21/128)
      for coiling (p < 0.0001). When aneurysm location was considered, the 6-year
      results continued to match the previously reported results, with no difference in
      outcome for anterior circulation aneurysms at most time points. Of the anterior
      circulation aneurysms assigned to coiling treatment, 42% (70/168) were crossed
      over to clipping treatment. The outcomes for posterior circulation aneurysms
      continued to favor coiling. The randomization process was unexpectedly skewed,
      with 18 of 21 treated aneurysms of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery
      (PICA) being assigned to clipping, but even when PICA aneurysms were removed from
      the analysis, outcomes for the posterior circulation aneurysms still favored
      coiling. CONCLUSIONS: Although BRAT was statistically underpowered to detect
      small differences, these results suggest little difference in outcome between the
      2 treatments for anterior circulation aneurysms. This was not the case for the
      posterior circulation aneurysms, where coil embolization appeared to provide a
      sustained advantage over clipping. Aneurysm obliteration rates in BRAT were
      significantly lower and retreatment rates significantly higher in the patients
      undergoing coiling than in those undergoing clipping. However, despite the fact
      that retreatment rates were higher after coiling, no recurrent hemorrhages were
      known to have occurred in patients undergoing coiling in BRAT who were followed
      up for 6 years. Sufficient questions remain about the relative benefits of the 2
      treatment modalities to warrant further well-designed randomized trials.

PMID- 26115468
TI  - Skull base chondrosarcoma radiosurgery: report of the North American Gamma Knife
      Consortium.
AB  - OBJECT: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a potentially important option for
      patients with skull base chondrosarcomas. The object of this study was to analyze
      the outcomes of SRS for chondrosarcoma patients who underwent this treatment as a
      part of multimodality management. METHODS: Seven participating centers of the
      North American Gamma Knife Consortium (NAGKC) identified 46 patients who
      underwent SRS for skull base chondrosarcomas. Thirty-six patients had previously
      undergone tumor resections and 5 had been treated with fractionated radiation
      therapy (RT). The median tumor volume was 8.0 cm3 (range 0.9-28.2 cm3), and the
      median margin dose was 15 Gy (range 10.5-20 Gy). Kaplan-Meier analysis was used
      to calculate progression-free and overall survival rates. RESULTS: At a median
      follow-up of 75 months after SRS, 8 patients were dead. The actuarial overall
      survival after SRS was 89% at 3 years, 86% at 5 years, and 76% at 10 years. Local
      tumor progression occurred in 10 patients. The rate of progression-free survival
      (PFS) after SRS was 88% at 3 years, 85% at 5 years, and 70% at 10 years. Prior RT
      was significantly associated with shorter PFS. Eight patients required salvage
      resection, and 3 patients (7%) developed adverse radiation effects. Cranial nerve
      deficits improved in 22 (56%) of the 39 patients who deficits before SRS.
      Clinical improvement after SRS was noted in patients with abducens nerve
      paralysis (61%), oculomotor nerve paralysis (50%), lower cranial nerve
      dysfunction (50%), optic neuropathy (43%), facial neuropathy (38%), trochlear
      nerve paralysis (33%), trigeminal neuropathy (12%), and hearing loss (10%).
      CONCLUSIONS: Stereotactic radiosurgery for skull base chondrosarcomas is an
      important adjuvant option for the treatment of these rare tumors, as part of a
      team approach that includes initial surgical removal of symptomatic larger
      tumors.

PMID- 26115469
TI  - Trigeminal neuralgia caused by fibrous bands: case illustration.

PMID- 26115471
TI  - The academic productivity and impact of the University of Toronto Neurosurgery
      Program as assessed by manuscripts published and their number of citations.
AB  - OBJECT: Recent works have assessed academic output across neurosurgical programs
      using various analyses of accumulated citations as a proxy for academic activity
      and productivity. These assessments have emphasized North American neurosurgical
      training centers and have largely excluded centers outside the United States.
      Because of the long tradition and level of academic activity in neurosurgery at
      the University of Toronto, the authors sought to compare that program's
      publication and citation metrics with those of established programs in the US as
      documented in the literature. So as to not rely on historical achievements that
      may be of less relevance, they focused on recent works, that is, those published
      in the most recent complete 5-year period. METHODS: The authors sought to make
      their data comparable to existing published data from other programs. To this
      end, they compiled a list of published papers by neurosurgical faculty at the
      University of Toronto for the period from 2009 through 2013 using the Scopus
      database. Individual author names were disambiguated; the total numbers of papers
      and citations were compiled on a yearly basis. They computed a number of indices,
      including the ih(5)-index (i.e., the number of citations the papers received over
      a 5-year period), the summed h-index of the current faculty over time, and a
      number of secondary measures, including the ig(5), ie(5), and i10(5)-indices.
      They also determined the impact of individual authors in driving the results
      using Gini coefficients. To address the issue of author ambiguity, which can be
      problematic in multicenter bibliometric analyses, they have provided a source
      dataset used to determine the ih(5) index for the Toronto program. RESULTS: The
      University of Toronto Neurosurgery Program had approximately 29 full-time
      surgically active faculty per year (not including nonneurosurgical faculty) in
      the 5-year period from 2009 to 2013. These faculty published a total of 1217
      papers in these 5 years. The total number of citations from these papers was
      13,434. The ih(5)-index at the University of Toronto was 50. CONCLUSIONS: On the
      basis of comparison with published bibliometric data of US programs, the
      University of Toronto ranks first in terms of number of publications, number of
      citations, and ih(5)-index among neurosurgical programs in North America and most
      likely in the world.

PMID- 26115470
TI  - Five-year institutional bibliometric profiles for 103 US neurosurgical residency
      programs.
AB  - OBJECT: Various bibliometric indices based on the citations accumulated by
      scholarly articles, including the h-index, g-index, e-index, and Google's i10
      index, may be used to evaluate academic productivity in neurological surgery. The
      present article provides a comprehensive assessment of recent academic publishing
      output from 103 US neurosurgical residency programs and investigates
      intradepartmental publishing equality among faculty members. METHODS: Each
      institution was considered a single entity, with the 5-year academic yield of
      every neurosurgical faculty member compiled to compute the following indices:
      ih(5), cumulative h, ig(5), ie(5), and i10(5) (based on publications and
      citations from 2009 through 2013). Intradepartmental comparison of productivity
      among faculty members yielded Gini coefficients for publications and citations.
      National and regional comparisons, institutional rankings, and intradepartmental
      publishing equality measures are presented. RESULTS: The median numbers of
      departmental faculty, total publications and citations, ih(5), summed h, ig(5),
      ie(5), i10(5), and Gini coefficients for publications and citations were 13, 82,
      716, 12, 144, 23, 16, 17, 0.57, and 0.71, respectively. The top 5 most
      academically productive neurosurgical programs based on ih(5)-index were
      University of California, San Francisco, University of California, Los Angeles,
      University of Pittsburgh, Brigham & Women's Hospital, and Johns Hopkins
      University. The Western US region was most academically productive and displayed
      greater intradepartmental publishing equality (median ih[5]-index = 18, median
      Ginipub = 0.56). In all regions, large departments with relative
      intradepartmental publishing equality tend to be the most academically
      productive. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified the ih(5)-index
      as the only independent predictor of intradepartmental publishing equality
      (Ginipub <= 0.5 [OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.20-1.40, p = 0.03]). CONCLUSIONS: The ih(5)
      index is a novel, simple, and intuitive metric capable of accurately comparing
      the recent scholarly efforts of neurosurgical programs and accurately predicting
      intradepartmental publication equality. The ih(5)-index is relatively insensitive
      to factors such as isolated highly productive and/or no longer academically
      active senior faculty, which tend to distort other bibliometric indices and mask
      the accurate identification of currently productive academic environments.
      Institutional ranking by ih(5)-index may provide information of use to faculty
      and trainee applicants, research funding institutions, program leaders, and other
      stakeholders.

PMID- 26115472
TI  - Development of a 3D-printed external ventricular drain placement simulator:
      technical note.
AB  - In this paper, the authors present a physical model developed to simulate
      accurate external ventricular drain (EVD) placement with realistic haptic and
      visual feedbacks to serve as a platform for complete procedural training.
      Insertion of an EVD via ventriculostomy is a common neurosurgical procedure used
      to monitor intracranial pressures and/or drain CSF. Currently, realistic training
      tools are scarce and mainly limited to virtual reality simulation systems. The
      use of 3D printing technology enables the development of realistic anatomical
      structures and customized design for physical simulators. In this study, the
      authors used the advantages of 3D printing to directly build the model geometry
      from stealth head CT scans and build a phantom brain mold based on 3D scans of a
      plastinated human brain. The resultant simulator provides realistic haptic
      feedback during a procedure, with visualization of catheter trajectory and fluid
      drainage. A multiinstitutional survey was also used to prove content validity of
      the simulator. With minor refinement, this simulator is expected to be a cost
      effective tool for training neurosurgical residents in EVD placement. 

PMID- 26115473
TI  - Edema following Gamma Knife radiosurgery for parasagittal and parafalcine
      meningiomas.
AB  - OBJECT: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has been shown to offer a high
      probability of tumor control for Grade I meningiomas. However, SRS can sometimes
      incite edema or exacerbate preexisting edema around the targeted meningioma. The
      current study evaluates the incidence, timing, and degree of edema around
      parasagittal or parafalcine meningiomas following SRS. METHODS: A retrospective
      review was undertaken of a prospectively maintained database of patients treated
      with Gamma Knife radiosurgery at the University of Virginia Health System. All
      patients with WHO Grade I parafalcine or parasagittal meningiomas with at least 6
      months of clinical follow-up were identified, resulting in 61 patients included
      in the study. The median radiographic follow-up was 28 months (range 6-158
      months). Rates of new or worsening edema were quantitatively assessed using
      volumetric analysis; edema indices were computed as a function of time following
      radiosurgery. Statistical methods were used to identify favorable and unfavorable
      prognostic factors for new or worsening edema. RESULTS: Progression-free survival
      at 2 and 5 years was 98% and 90%, respectively, according to Kaplan-Meier
      analysis. After SRS, new peritumoral edema occurred or preexisting edema worsened
      in 40% of treated meningiomas. The median time to onset of peak edema was 36
      months post-SRS. Persistent and progressive edema was associated with 11 tumors,
      and resection was undertaken for these lesions. However, 20 patients showed
      initial edema progression followed by regression at a median of 18 months after
      radiosurgery (range 6-24 months). Initial tumor volume greater than 10 cm3,
      absence of prior resection, and higher margin dose were significantly (p<0.05)
      associated with increased risk of new or progressive edema after SRS.
      CONCLUSIONS: Stereotactic radiosurgery offers a high rate of tumor control in
      patients with parasagittal or parafalcine meningiomas. However, it can lead to
      worsening peritumoral edema in a minority of patients. Following radiosurgery,
      transient edema occurs earlier than persistent and progressive edema.
      Longitudinal follow-up of meningioma patients after SRS is required to detect and
      appropriately treat transient as well as progressive edema.

PMID- 26115474
TI  - Gruber, Gradenigo, Dorello, and Vail: key personalities in the historical
      evolution and modern-day understanding of Dorello's canal.
AB  - A century ago an ambitious young anatomist in Rome, Primo Dorello, who sought to
      understand the cause of abducent nerve palsy that often occurred in patients with
      severe middle ear infections, conducted intricate studies on the intracranial
      course of the nerve. In his findings, he identified that the abducent nerve
      passes through a narrow sinus near the apex of the petrous bone, which formed an
      osteofibrous canal. Dorello suggested that in this enclosed region the abducent
      nerve may be particularly vulnerable to compression due to the vascular edema
      accompanying the infection. Although his work was widely appreciated, it was not
      well received by all. Interestingly, Giuseppe Gradenigo, one of the most
      prominent Italian otologists of the early 20th century, who was known for his
      work on a triad of symptoms (Gradenigo's syndrome) that accompanies petrous
      apicitis, a result of severe middle ear infections, was obstinate in his
      criticism of Dorello's findings. Thus a scientific duel began, with a series of
      correspondence between these two academics-one who was relatively new to the
      otological community (Dorello) and one who was well reputed in that community
      (Gradenigo). The disagreement ultimately ebbed in 1909, when Dorello published a
      report in response to Gradenigo's criticisms and convinced Gradenigo to change
      his views. Today Dorello's canal is widely recognized as a key landmark in skull
      base surgery of the petroclival region and holds clinical significance due to its
      relation to the abducent nerve and surrounding vascular structures. Yet, although
      academics such as Dorello and Gradenigo are recognized for their work on the
      canal, it is important not to forget the others throughout history who have
      contributed to the modern-day understanding of this anatomical structure. In
      fact, although the level of anatomical detail found in Dorello's work was
      previously unmatched, the first description of the canal was made by the
      experienced Austrian anatomist Wenzel Leopold Gruber in 1859, almost 50 years
      prior to Dorello's landmark publication. Another critical figure in building the
      understanding of Dorello's canal was Harris Holmes Vail, a young otolaryngologist
      from Harvard Medical School, who in 1922 became the first person to describe
      Dorello's canal in the English language. Vail conducted his own detailed
      anatomical studies on cadavers, and his publication not only reaffirmed Dorello's
      findings but also immortalized the eponym used today-"Dorello's canal." In this
      article the authors review the life and contributions of Gruber, Dorello,
      Gradenigo, and Vail, four men who played a critical role in the discovery of
      Dorello's canal and paved the way toward the current understanding of the canal
      as a key clinical and surgical entity. 

PMID- 26115476
TI  - Multifunctional Supramolecular Hybrid Materials Constructed from Hierarchical
      Self-Ordering of In Situ Generated Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) Nanoparticles.
AB  - A synergistic approach is described to engineer supramolecular hybrid materials
      based on metal-organic frameworks, encompassing HKUST-1 nanoparticles formed in
      situ, coexisting with an electrically conducting gel fiber network. The following
      findings are made: i) multistimuli-responsive structural transformation via
      reversible sol-gel switching and ii) radical conversion of a soft hybrid gel into
      a mechanically malleable, viscoelastic matter.

PMID- 26115477
TI  - An unusual urticarial eruption: Familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome.
AB  - This is a case of a 26-year-old Caucasian woman with a lifelong history of an
      episodic urticaria associated with arthralgia, precipitated by exposure to cold.
      She had no other significant past medical history. She reported several family
      members with a history of very similar episodic eruptions without definitive
      diagnoses. An examination showed an urticarial eruption over her limbs with no
      other systemic findings. A baseline full blood examination, serology and
      autoimmune screen were normal. A skin biopsy was consistent with urticaria, with
      dermal oedema and a perivascular infiltrate. Following genetic testing, she was
      found to be heterozygous for a mutation, p.Ala439Val in the NLRP3 gene, known to
      cause familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome (FCAS), which typically presents
      with urticaria, conjunctivitis and arthralgia, as described in this patient. FCAS
      is one subtype of a group of conditions known as cryopyrin-associated periodic
      syndromes (CAPS). CAPS are rare, autosomal dominant inherited conditions with a
      spectrum of phenotypes, characterised by increased interleukin-1beta release with
      subsequent local and systemic proinflammatory and pyrogenic effects. 

PMID- 26115478
TI  - Inhibition of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 3 Reduces Migration of
      Gastric Cancer Cells.
AB  - Angiogenesis induced by proangiogenic molecules such as vascular endothelial
      growth factor (VEGF) is a key process in the progression and metastasis of
      gastric cancer. In this study, we investigated the role of VEGF-C/VEGF receptor 3
      (VEGFR3) axis in cell proliferation and migration/invasion of human gastric
      cancer cells (hGCCs). VEGF-C did not enhance cell proliferation but increased
      cell migration/invasion by approximately ~50% in hGCCs (AGS and SNU-484). MAZ51,
      a VEGFR3 inhibitor, reduced the VEGF-C-induced increase in migration/invasion by
      ~30% (p < 0.05). These results suggest that VEGFR3 could be a therapeutic target
      for reducing the metastasis of gastric cancer cells. 

PMID- 26115475
TI  - Nuclear membrane diversity: underlying tissue-specific pathologies in disease?
AB  - Human 'laminopathy' diseases result from mutations in genes encoding nuclear
      lamins or nuclear envelope (NE) transmembrane proteins (NETs). These diseases
      present a seeming paradox: the mutated proteins are widely expressed yet
      pathology is limited to specific tissues. New findings suggest tissue-specific
      pathologies arise because these widely expressed proteins act in various
      complexes that include tissue-specific components. Diverse mechanisms to achieve
      NE tissue-specificity include tissue-specific regulation of the expression, mRNA
      splicing, signaling, NE-localization and interactions of potentially hundreds of
      tissue-specific NETs. New findings suggest these NETs underlie tissue-specific NE
      roles in cytoskeletal mechanics, cell-cycle regulation, signaling, gene
      expression and genome organization. This view of the NE as 'specialized' in each
      cell type is important to understand the tissue-specific pathology of NE-linked
      diseases. 

PMID- 26115479
TI  - DLK1 is a novel inflammatory inhibitor which interferes with NOTCH1 signaling in
      TLR-activated murine macrophages.
AB  - Delta-like protein 1 (DLK1) is a noncanonical ligand that inhibits NOTCH1
      receptor activity and regulates multiple differentiation processes. In
      macrophages, NOTCH signaling increases TLR-induced expression of key pro
      inflammatory mediators. We have investigated the role of DLK1 in macrophage
      activation and inflammation using Dlk1-deficient mice and Raw 264.7 cells
      overexpressing Dlk1. In the absence of Dlk1, NOTCH1 expression is increased and
      the activation of macrophages with TLR3 or TLR4 agonists leads to higher
      production of IFN-beta and other pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-alpha,
      IL-12, and IL-23. The expression of key proteins involved in IFN-beta signaling,
      such as IRF3, IRF7, IRF1, or STAT1, as well as cRel, or RelB, which are
      responsible for the generation of IL-12 and IL-23, is enhanced in Dlk1 KO
      macrophages. Consistently, Dlk1 KO mice are more sensitive to LPS-induced
      endotoxic shock. These effects seem to be mediated through the modulation of
      NOTCH1 signaling. TLR4 activation reduces DLK1 expression, whereas increases
      NOTCH1 levels. In addition, DLK1 expression diminishes during differentiation of
      human U937 cells to macrophages. Overall, these results reveal a novel role for
      DLK1 as a regulator of NOTCH-mediated, pro-inflammatory macrophage activation,
      which could help to ensure a baseline level preventing constant tissue
      inflammation. 

PMID- 26115480
TI  - Matching Pursuit with Asymmetric Functions for Signal Decomposition and
      Parameterization.
AB  - The method of adaptive approximations by Matching Pursuit makes it possible to
      decompose signals into basic components (called atoms). The approach relies on
      fitting, in an iterative way, functions from a large predefined set (called
      dictionary) to an analyzed signal. Usually, symmetric functions coming from the
      Gabor family (sine modulated Gaussian) are used. However Gabor functions may not
      be optimal in describing waveforms present in physiological and medical signals.
      Many biomedical signals contain asymmetric components, usually with a steep rise
      and slower decay. For the decomposition of this kind of signal we introduce a
      dictionary of functions of various degrees of asymmetry--from symmetric Gabor
      atoms to highly asymmetric waveforms. The application of this enriched dictionary
      to Otoacoustic Emissions and Steady-State Visually Evoked Potentials demonstrated
      the advantages of the proposed method. The approach provides more sparse
      representation, allows for correct determination of the latencies of the
      components and removes the "energy leakage" effect generated by symmetric
      waveforms that do not sufficiently match the structures of the analyzed signal.
      Additionally, we introduced a time-frequency-amplitude distribution that is more
      adequate for representation of asymmetric atoms than the conventional time
      frequency-energy distribution.

PMID- 26115482
TI  - Using Range-Wide Abundance Modeling to Identify Key Conservation Areas for the
      Micro-Endemic Bolson Tortoise (Gopherus flavomarginatus).
AB  - A widespread biogeographic pattern in nature is that population abundance is not
      uniform across the geographic range of species: most occurrence sites have
      relatively low numbers, whereas a few places contain orders of magnitude more
      individuals. The Bolson tortoise Gopherus flavomarginatus is endemic to a small
      region of the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico, where habitat deterioration threatens
      this species with extinction. In this study we combined field burrows counts and
      the approach for modeling species abundance based on calculating the distance to
      the niche centroid to obtain range-wide abundance estimates. For the Bolson
      tortoise, we found a robust, negative relationship between observed burrows
      abundance and distance to the niche centroid, with a predictive capacity of 71%.
      Based on these results we identified four priority areas for the conservation of
      this microendemic and threatened tortoise. We conclude that this approach may be
      a useful approximation for identifying key areas for sampling and conservation
      efforts in elusive and rare species. 

PMID- 26115484
TI  - Land Use/Cover Change in the Middle Reaches of the Heihe River Basin over 2000
      2011 and Its Implications for Sustainable Water Resource Management.
AB  - The Heihe River Basin (HRB) is a typical arid inland river basin in northwestern
      China. From the 1960s to the 1990s, the downstream flow in the HRB declined as a
      result of large, artificial changes in the distribution of water and land and a
      lack of effective water resource management. Consequently, the ecosystems of the
      lower reaches of the basin substantially deteriorated. To restore these degraded
      ecosystems, the Ecological Water Diversion Project (EWDP) was initiated by the
      Chinese government in 2000. The project led to agricultural and ecological
      changes in the middle reaches of the basin. In this study, we present three
      datasets of land use/cover in the middle reaches of the HRB derived from Landsat
      TM/ETM+ images in 2000, 2007 and 2011. We used these data to investigate changes
      in land use/cover between 2000 and 2011 and the implications for sustainable
      water resource management. The results show that the most significant land
      use/cover change in the middle reaches of the HRB was the continuous expansion of
      farmland for economic interests. From 2000 to 2011, the farmland area increased
      by 12.01%. The farmland expansion increased the water resource stress; thus,
      groundwater was over-extracted and the ecosystem was degraded in particular
      areas. Both consequences are negative and potentially threaten the sustainability
      of the middle reaches of the HRB and the entire river basin. Local governments
      should therefore improve the management of water resources, particularly
      groundwater management, and should strictly control farmland reclamation. Then,
      water resources could be ecologically and socioeconomically sustained, and the
      balance between upstream and downstream water demands could be ensured. The
      results of this study can also serve as a reference for the sustainable
      management of water resources in other arid inland river basins. 

PMID- 26115483
TI  - Prenatal Exposure to NO2 and Ultrasound Measures of Fetal Growth in the Spanish
      INMA Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Air pollution exposure during pregnancy has been associated with
      impaired fetal growth. However, few studies have measured fetal biometry
      longitudinally, remaining unclear as to whether there are windows of special
      vulnerability. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate the impact of nitrogen
      dioxide (NO2) exposure on fetal and neonatal biometry in the Spanish INMA study.
      METHODS: Biparietal diameter (BPD), femur length (FL), abdominal circumference
      (AC), and estimated fetal weight (EFW) were evaluated for up to 2,478 fetuses in
      each trimester of pregnancy. Size at 12, 20, and 34 weeks of gestation and growth
      between these points, as well as anthropometry at birth, were assessed by SD
      scores derived using cohort-specific growth curves. Temporally adjusted land-use
      regression was used to estimate exposure to NO2 at home addresses for up to 2,415
      fetuses. Associations were investigated by linear regression in each cohort and
      subsequent meta-analysis. RESULTS: A 10-MUg/m(3) increase in average exposure to
      NO2 during weeks 0-12 was associated with reduced growth at weeks 0-12 in AC (
      2.1%; 95% CI: -3.7, -0.6) and EFW (-1.6%; 95% CI: -3.0, -0.3). The same exposure
      was inversely associated with reduced growth at weeks 20-34 in BPD (-2.6%; 95%
      CI: -3.9, -1.2), AC (-1.8%; 95% CI: -3.3, -0.2), and EFW (-2.1%; 95% CI: -3.7, 
      0.2). A less consistent pattern of association was observed for FL. The negative
      association of this exposure with BPD and EFW was significantly stronger in
      smoking versus nonsmoking mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal exposure to NO2 in early
      pregnancy was associated with reduced fetal growth based on ultrasound measures
      of growth during pregnancy and measures of size at birth.

PMID- 26115485
TI  - A Geographic Mosaic of Climate Change Impacts on Terrestrial Vegetation: Which
      Areas Are Most at Risk?
AB  - Changes in climate projected for the 21st century are expected to trigger
      widespread and pervasive biotic impacts. Forecasting these changes and their
      implications for ecosystem services is a major research goal. Much of the
      research on biotic responses to climate change has focused on either projected
      shifts in individual species distributions or broad-scale changes in biome
      distributions. Here, we introduce a novel application of multinomial logistic
      regression as a powerful approach to model vegetation distributions and potential
      responses to 21st century climate change. We modeled the distribution of 22 major
      vegetation types, most defined by a single dominant woody species, across the San
      Francisco Bay Area. Predictor variables included climate and topographic
      variables. The novel aspect of our model is the output: a vector of relative
      probabilities for each vegetation type in each location within the study domain.
      The model was then projected for 54 future climate scenarios, spanning a
      representative range of temperature and precipitation projections from the CMIP3
      and CMIP5 ensembles. We found that sensitivity of vegetation to climate change is
      highly heterogeneous across the region. Surprisingly, sensitivity to climate
      change is higher closer to the coast, on lower insolation, north-facing slopes
      and in areas of higher precipitation. While such sites may provide refugia for
      mesic and cool-adapted vegetation in the face of a warming climate, the model
      suggests they will still be highly dynamic and relatively sensitive to climate
      driven vegetation transitions. The greater sensitivity of moist and low
      insolation sites is an unexpected outcome that challenges views on the location
      and stability of climate refugia. Projections provide a foundation for
      conservation planning and land management, and highlight the need for a greater
      understanding of the mechanisms and time scales of potential climate-driven
      vegetation transitions. 

PMID- 26115486
TI  - Validation of Genotyping-By-Sequencing Analysis in Populations of Tetraploid
      Alfalfa by 454 Sequencing.
AB  - Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) is a relatively low-cost high throughput
      genotyping technology based on next generation sequencing and is applicable to
      orphan species with no reference genome. A combination of genome complexity
      reduction and multiplexing with DNA barcoding provides a simple and affordable
      way to resolve allelic variation between plant samples or populations. GBS was
      performed on ApeKI libraries using DNA from 48 genotypes each of two
      heterogeneous populations of tetraploid alfalfa (Medicago sativa spp. sativa):
      the synthetic cultivar Apica (ATF0) and a derived population (ATF5) obtained
      after five cycles of recurrent selection for superior tolerance to freezing (TF).
      Nearly 400 million reads were obtained from two lanes of an Illumina HiSeq 2000
      sequencer and analyzed with the Universal Network-Enabled Analysis Kit (UNEAK)
      pipeline designed for species with no reference genome. Following the application
      of whole dataset-level filters, 11,694 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci
      were obtained. About 60% had a significant match on the Medicago truncatula
      syntenic genome. The accuracy of allelic ratios and genotype calls based on GBS
      data was directly assessed using 454 sequencing on a subset of SNP loci scored in
      eight plant samples. Sequencing depth in this study was not sufficient for
      accurate tetraploid allelic dosage, but reliable genotype calls based on diploid
      allelic dosage were obtained when using additional quality filtering. Principal
      Component Analysis of SNP loci in plant samples revealed that a small proportion
      (<5%) of the genetic variability assessed by GBS is able to differentiate ATF0
      and ATF5. Our results confirm that analysis of GBS data using UNEAK is a reliable
      approach for genome-wide discovery of SNP loci in outcrossed polyploids. 

PMID- 26115488
TI  - Seeking the best training model for difficult conversations in neonatology.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We hypothesize that a formal simulation curriculum prepares
      neonatology fellows for difficult conversations better than traditional
      didactics. METHODS: Single-center neonatology fellowship graduates from 1999 to
      2013 were sent a retrospective web-based survey. Some had been exposed to a
      Difficult Conversations curriculum (simulation group), others had not (no
      simulation group). The simulation group participated in one workshop annually,
      consisting of lecture, simulation, and debriefing. Scenarios were customized to
      year of training. Epoch comparisons were made between the simulation and no
      simulation groups. RESULTS: Self-rated baseline effectiveness at discussing
      difficult topics was not different. The simulation group reported more supervised
      family meetings and feedback after fellow-led meetings. Simulations were rated
      very positively. The simulation group reported increased comfort levels.
      Strategic pause and body positioning were specific communication skills more
      frequently acquired in the simulation group. In both groups, the highest ranked
      contributors to learning were mentor observation and clinical practice. In the
      simulation group, simulation and debriefing outranked didactics or other
      experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Simulation-based workshops improve communication skills
      in high stakes conversations. However, they do not substitute for mentor
      observation and experience. Establishing a structured simulation-based difficult
      conversations curriculum refines vital communication skills necessary for the
      high stakes conversations neonatologists direct in clinical practice.

PMID- 26115487
TI  - Differential miRNA Expression in Cells and Matrix Vesicles in Vascular Smooth
      Muscle Cells from Rats with Kidney Disease.
AB  - Vascular calcification is a complex process and has been associated with aging,
      diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although there have been several studies
      that examine the role of miRNAs (miRs) in bone osteogenesis, little is known
      about the role of miRs in vascular calcification and their role in the
      pathogenesis of vascular abnormalities. Matrix vesicles (MV) are known to play in
      important role in initiating vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) calcification. In
      the present study, we performed miRNA microarray analysis to identify the
      dysregulated miRs between MV and VSMC derived from CKD rats to understand the
      role of post-transcriptional regulatory networks governed by these miRNAs in
      vascular calcification and to uncover the differential miRNA content of MV. The
      percentage of miRNA to total RNA was increased in MV compared to VSMC. Comparison
      of expression profiles of miRNA by microarray demonstrated 33 miRs to be
      differentially expressed with the majority (~ 57%) of them down-regulated. Target
      genes controlled by differentially expressed miRNAs were identified utilizing two
      different complementary computational approaches Miranda and Targetscan to
      understand the functions and pathways that may be affected due to the production
      of MV from calcifying VSMC thereby contributing to the regulation of genes by
      miRs. We found several processes including vascular smooth muscle contraction,
      response to hypoxia and regulation of muscle cell differentiation to be enriched.
      Signaling pathways identified included MAP-kinase and wnt signaling that have
      previously been shown to be important in vascular calcification. In conclusion,
      our results demonstrate that miRs are concentrated in MV from calcifying VSMC,
      and that important functions and pathways are affected by the miRs dysregulation
      between calcifying VSMC and the MV they produce. This suggests that miRs may play
      a very important regulatory role in vascular calcification in CKD by controlling
      an extensive network of post-transcriptional targets. 

PMID- 26115489
TI  - Amniotic fluid as a source of multipotent cells for clinical use.
AB  - Amniotic fluid cells (AFC) from 2nd trimester amniocentesis have been found to be
      a source of multipotent stem cells which might overcome the limitations of
      expansion, histocompatibility, tumorigenesis, and ethical issues associated with
      using human embryonic cells, umbilical cord, cord blood, bone marrow, and induced
      pluripotent cells. Previous work by our group and others demonstrated
      multipotency and the ability to grow well in culture. However, all these studies
      were done in media containing fetal calf serum. We sought to observe the
      properties of AFC grown in serum-free media as that would be required for
      clinical transplantation in humans. Fresh samples were obtained from three
      patients, and each sample divided into a culture whose cells were not exposed to
      fetal calf serum, and the other half into a standard culture medium containing
      fetal calf serum. Doubling time and stem cell marker expression by flow cytometry
      were assessed. Differentiation to neural, osteoid, and chondrogenic lineages was
      induced using appropriate media and confirmed by fluorescent microscopy,
      histology, and immunohistochemistry. There were no statistically significant
      differences between cells grown serum-free and in standard media in any of these
      parameters. The data supports the possibility of clinical use of AFC in stem cell
      transplantation. 

PMID- 26115490
TI  - Adolescent health and medicine: a global perspective on training adolescent
      health professionals.

PMID- 26115491
TI  - Adolescent medicine and health: a good investment.

PMID- 26115492
TI  - Accreditation of Adolescent Medicine as a pediatric sub-specialty: the Canadian
      experience and lessons learned.
AB  - The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (Royal College) has an
      extensive process for recognizing new specialties and subspecialties. Among other
      requirements, the process requests that the applicants demonstrate that
      sufficient scientific breadth and depth exists within the proposed field, that a
      unique field of clinical practice exists, and that there is a societal need for
      individuals with this distinct area of specialization. In 2004, a group of
      adolescent medicine specialists from across Canada started the application
      process for the field to become an accredited pediatric subspecialty. A 3-year
      process was undertaken to demonstrate the need for accreditation of this new and
      emerging discipline. In 2007, Adolescent Medicine became the 63rd discipline and
      a sub-specialty of Pediatrics. This paper provides an overview of the process
      that led to the accreditation of Adolescent Medicine by the Royal College and
      offers insights into the lessons learned from this Canadian experience. 

PMID- 26115493
TI  - Adolescent and young adult medicine in Australia and New Zealand: towards
      specialist accreditation.
AB  - In Australia and New Zealand, a critical mass of academic and clinical leadership
      in Adolescent Medicine has helped advance models of clinical services, drive
      investments in teaching and training, and strengthen research capacity over the
      past 30 years. There is growing recognition of the importance of influencing the
      training of adult physicians as well as paediatricians. The Royal Australasian
      College of Physicians (RACP) is responsible for overseeing all aspects of
      specialist physician training across the two countries. Following advocacy from
      adolescent physicians, the RACP is advancing a three-tier strategy to build
      greater specialist capacity and sustain leadership in adolescent and young adult
      medicine (AYAM). The first tier of the strategy supports universal training in
      adolescent and young adult health and medicine for all basic trainees in
      paediatric and adult medicine through an online training resource. The second and
      third tiers support advanced training in AYAM for specialist practice, based on
      an advanced training curriculum that has been approved by the RACP. The second
      tier is dual training; advanced trainees can undertake 2 years training in AYAM
      and 2 years training in another area of specialist practice. The third tier
      consists of 3 years of advanced training in AYAM. The RACP is currently seeking
      formal recognition from the Australian Government to have AYAM accredited, a
      process that will be subsequently undertaken in New Zealand. The RACP is
      expectant that the accreditation of specialist AYAM physicians will promote
      sustained academic and clinical leadership in AYAM to the benefit of future
      generations of young Australasians. 

PMID- 26115494
TI  - The foundations of interdisciplinary fellowship training in adolescent medicine
      in the United States.
AB  - The field of adolescent medicine, having developed from the specialty of
      Pediatrics, encompasses a holistic and developmental approach from its very
      origin. While its foundations were in medicine, early leaders in the field
      emphasized the importance of mental health care as well as nutrition, public
      health, and social justice. As the specialty became further established in the US
      with the creation of an academic society, board certification and training
      program accreditation, the interdisciplinary nature of adolescent medicine
      practice and training became formalized. This formal recognition brought with it
      strict guidelines with regards training and board certification. Despite the
      often Byzantinian training requirements, an interdisciplinary approach forms the
      core of adolescent medicine practice, and the incorporation of interdisciplinary
      training is a necessity for graduate medical education programs in the field of
      adolescent medicine. 

PMID- 26115495
TI  - A different training model for adolescent medicine: a PhD program in Turkey,
      where adolescent medicine is not currently a sub-specialty at this stage.
AB  - Adolescent medicine is currently not a certified subspecialty by the Ministry of
      Health in Turkey. Until recently, no subspecialty education was available for
      pediatricians interested in pursuing a career in this field. To compensate for
      the lack of training opportunities in the field, to meet the needs of adolescents
      and to increase research and strengthen scientific knowledge in the area of
      adolescent medicine, a doctoral program was established in 2004 by the Division
      of Adolescent Medicine under the Institute of Child Health at Hacettepe
      University in Ankara. This paper discusses the opportunities provided by the
      program, describing the pros and cons of such a course and what the program aims
      to achieve. This unique program provides pediatricians with extended
      postgraduate, subspecialty education in adolescent health care. We believe that
      the adolescent medicine PhD program at Hacettepe University could be a model for
      educating health care professionals in this field in other countries where there
      are not established fellowship programs. 

PMID- 26115496
TI  - LEAH interdisciplinary training program.
AB  - This article describes the Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH)
      interdisciplinary training program in the United States. The Maternal and Child
      Health Bureau authorized by legislation provides monies to train leaders in
      adolescent health through a competitive grant process. Currently, seven academic
      medical centers have funding to provide leadership in adolescent health (LEAH)
      training in five core disciplines: medicine, nursing, psychology, social work and
      nutrition. LEAH training programs both ensure high clinical competence in core
      disciplines serving adolescents and prepare trainees for leadership positions in
      adolescent health and public health care realms. Together, these programs trained
      almost 1000 long-term trainees across these five disciplines, and graduates from
      these programs are working in 45 of the 50 states within the United States. About
      90% of these graduates are working with maternal and child/adolescent health
      populations, and almost all have held leadership positions in the areas of public
      health, advocacy, public policy, academic medical centers and/or clinical care
      settings. 

PMID- 26115497
TI  - The globalization of training in adolescent health and medicine: one size does
      not fit all.
AB  - Adolescent medicine across the globe is practiced within a variety of healthcare
      models, with the shared vision of the promotion of optimal health outcomes for
      adolescents. In the past decade, there has been a call for transformation in how
      health professionals are trained, with recommendations that there be adoption of
      a global outlook, a multiprofessional perspective and a systems approach that
      considers the connections between education and health systems. Many individuals
      and groups are now examining how best to accomplish this educational reform.
      There are tensions between the call for globally accepted standards of education
      models and practice (a one-size fits all approach) and the need to promote the
      ability for education practices to be interpreted and transformed to best suit
      local contexts. This paper discusses some of the key considerations for
      'importing' training program models for adolescent health and medicine, including
      the importance of cultural alignment and the utilization of best evidence and
      practice in health professions education. 

PMID- 26115498
TI  - Opportunities and challenges in adolescent health training abroad: trainees'
      experience and perspective.
AB  - As the global adolescent population increases and as there is enhanced
      recognition internationally of the unique nature of the adolescent period, the
      need for specialized training in adolescent medicine for international physicians
      becomes more apparent. There are challenges in securing placement in an
      adolescent medicine fellowship program, as well as, on acceptance, challenges
      with acculturation to a new setting, socially, academically and clinically.
      During fellowship, international medical graduates (IMGs) are exposed to new
      opportunities such as learning best-practices and being mentored by experienced
      advocates and clinicians in the field of adolescent health and medicine. This
      paper considers recommendations for improving adolescent medicine fellowship
      programs with a focus on IMGs. 

PMID- 26115499
TI  - Training international medical graduate clinical fellows: the challenges and
      opportunities for adolescent medicine programs.
AB  - Adolescent medicine achieved accreditation status first in the United States in
      1994 and then in Canada in 2008 and even if it is not an accredited subspecialty
      in most other Western nations, it has still become firmly established as a
      distinct discipline. This has not necessarily been the case in some developing
      countries, where even the recognition of adolescence as a unique stage of human
      development is not always acknowledged. The program at SickKids in Toronto has
      prided itself in treating its international medical graduates (IMG) clinical
      fellows the same as their Canadian subspecialty residents by integrating them
      seamlessly into the training program. Although this approach has been laudable to
      a great extent, it may have fallen short in formally acknowledging and addressing
      the challenges that the IMG trainees have had to overcome. Moving forward,
      faculty must be trained and supports instituted that are geared specifically
      towards these challenges. This must be done on a formal basis to ensure both the
      success of the trainees as well as the overall enrichment of the fellowship
      training programs. 

PMID- 26115500
TI  - Adolescent health in South America.
AB  - Since the 1950s, a significant amount of work has been done on behalf of the
      comprehensive health of young people in South America. This article focuses on
      the regional process of training health professionals to work with this age
      group. There are countries in which the growth of adolescent health training has
      been significant, others that have made progress but still have a narrower offer
      of teaching activities, and a few where only very basic and limited training is
      available. Latin American professional associations, scientific societies, and
      international organizations have also contributed to the education of the
      adolescent health work force. Although the training in the region has advanced in
      some countries to the point that there is specialization in adolescent medicine,
      much remains to be done. Certain regional conditions have contributed to the
      education of providers in adolescent care. The most important has been the
      existence of professionals who have been highly motivated to improve the health
      of young people. They have worked very hard and with great commitment to achieve
      this goal. There have also been important obstacles to educating professionals in
      adolescent care. Aside from the usual lack of funding, barriers have existed in
      the health care system and its providers, as well as the training entities and
      because of certain South American conditions. Finally, this article describes the
      regional adolescent medicine programs and the status of recognition of this
      specialty, and addresses the opportunities and challenges for adolescent health
      training. 

PMID- 26115501
TI  - Adolescent health in Asia: insights from Singapore.
AB  - The introduction of adolescent medicine as a medical subspecialty in Singapore
      was a welcome in an evolving health care system that is unique in terms of both
      efficiency, in financing and the results achieved in community health outcomes.
      The Ministry of Health (MOH) already recognized the need to accommodate the
      health care concerns related to adolescent psychosocial health risk behaviors and
      an increased prevalence of young people living with chronic illness. The
      challenge for the pioneer team of physicians trained in adolescent medicine was
      to develop and sustain a model of care that integrated (i) core clinical services
      that include quality measures of care to adolescents; (ii) professional
      development and capacity building needing an expansive teaching agenda at every
      level of health education; (iii) strong inter-sectorial collaborations within
      hospital and community partners; and (iv) robust research and evaluation
      strategies that keep clinical practice relevant and evidence based. 

PMID- 26115502
TI  - Adolescent health in the Caribbean region: insights from the Jamaican experience.
AB  - Adolescent health in Jamaica and the wider English-speaking Caribbean has over
      the past three decades advanced in achieving improved healthcare services for
      adolescents. The path taken to achieve success thus far is reviewed - including a
      historical perspective on the services offered, revision of the relevant policy
      and legislation frameworks, improved service delivery through education and
      training of relevant stakeholders and providers, improved youth participation,
      and sustained involvement of advocates. 

PMID- 26115503
TI  - The role of Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine in training of health
      professionals.
AB  - The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) was created by health
      professionals committed to identifying and better addressing the health needs of
      adolescents and young adults, and this work has continued for nearly 50 years.
      The society initially focused primarily on clinical education, but has evolved to
      include educational activities providing clinical, research, policy, advocacy,
      and professional development content. Strategies have included high-quality
      annual meetings designed to meet the educational needs of its multi-disciplinary
      membership, publishing an internationally recognized journal, and developing
      strategic collaborations to advocate for legitimacy of the field and reform in
      health profession education. Historically, SAHM has been most successful at
      increasing specialized training in the United States among physicians, and
      primarily pediatricians, likely driven by the nuances of the development of
      adolescent medicine in this country. Successes are often linked to strategic
      collaborations with other professional organizations, and have been facilitated
      by federally funded initiatives to improve adolescent and young adult health.
      Recent efforts to improve professional training are focused on the use of
      technology, and SAHM is also currently exploring strategies to directly reach
      adolescents, young adults, and their parents. As the society becomes increasingly
      multidisciplinary and international, members have extraordinary opportunities to
      learn from each other, build upon lessons learned, and collaborate. Descriptions
      of the history of SAHM's training-focused efforts, selected highlights, and
      current priorities will be used to illustrate this long-standing commitment to
      the training of health professionals. 

PMID- 26115504
TI  - Structural Nested Mean Models to Estimate the Effects of Time-Varying Treatments
      on Clustered Outcomes.
AB  - In assessing the efficacy of a time-varying treatment structural nested models
      (SNMs) are useful in dealing with confounding by variables affected by earlier
      treatments. These models often consider treatment allocation and repeated
      measures at the individual level. We extend SNMMs to clustered observations with
      time-varying confounding and treatments. We demonstrate how to formulate models
      with both cluster- and unit-level treatments and show how to derive
      semiparametric estimators of parameters in such models. For unit-level
      treatments, we consider interference, namely the effect of treatment on outcomes
      in other units of the same cluster. The properties of estimators are evaluated
      through simulations and compared with the conventional GEE regression method for
      clustered outcomes. To illustrate our method, we use data from the treatment arm
      of a glaucoma clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of two commonly used
      ocular hypertension medications. 

PMID- 26115506
TI  - Introducing the New Editor of Arthritis & Rheumatology, Richard J. Bucala, MD,
      PhD.

PMID- 26115505
TI  - Effects of 1-Methylnicotinamide (MNA) on Exercise Capacity and Endothelial
      Response in Diabetic Mice.
AB  - 1-Methylnicotinamide (MNA), which was initially considered to be a biologically
      inactive endogenous metabolite of nicotinamide, has emerged as an anti-thrombotic
      and anti-inflammatory agent with the capacity to release prostacyclin (PGI2). In
      the present study, we characterized the effects of MNA on exercise capacity and
      the endothelial response to exercise in diabetic mice. Eight-week-old db/db mice
      were untreated or treated with MNA for 4 weeks (100 mg.kg-1), and their exercise
      capacity as well as NO- and PGI2-dependent response to endurance running were
      subsequently assessed. MNA treatment of db/db mice resulted in four-fold and
      three-fold elevation of urine concentrations of MNA and its metabolites (Met-2PY
      + Met-4PY), respectively (P<0.01), but did not affect HbA1c concentration,
      fasting glucose concentration or lipid profile. However, insulin sensitivity was
      improved (P<0.01). In MNA-treated db/db mice, the time to fatigue for endurance
      exercise was significantly prolonged (P<0.05). Post-exercise Delta6-keto
      PGF1alpha (difference between mean concentration in the sedentary and exercised
      groups) tended to increase, and post-exercise leukocytosis was substantially
      reduced in MNA-treated animals. In turn, the post-exercise fall in plasma
      concentration of nitrate was not affected by MNA. In conclusion, we demonstrated
      for the first time that MNA improves endurance exercise capacity in mice with
      diabetes, and may also decrease the cardiovascular risk of exercise. 

PMID- 26115509
TI  - Allergen-induced early and late asthmatic responses to inhaled seasonal and
      perennial allergens.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The allergen bronchoprovocation (ABP) test is a validated model to
      study asthma pathophysiology and response to treatments. The inhibitory effect of
      agents on the allergen-induced late asthmatic response (LAR) is a predictor of
      their efficacy in asthma treatment. However, it is difficult to predict the
      magnitude of a LAR, which may vary according to immune responsiveness and the
      type of allergen used for ABP. AIM: To determine the relationship between the
      magnitudes of early asthmatic response (EAR) and LAR in mild asthmatic subjects
      according to the type of allergen inhaled and its determinants. METHODS: This is
      a retrospective analysis of a large database of ABPs, all performed with a common
      standardized methodology. Patients were either challenged with house dust mites
      (HDMs), animals or pollens allergens. EAR was defined as a >= 20% fall in forced
      expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 ) < 3 h following ABP and LAR as a >= 15% fall in
      FEV1 between 3 and 7 h post-ABP. The ratio of EAR % fall in FEV1 /LAR % fall in
      FEV1 was compared between the groups of subjects according to the allergen used
      for ABP. RESULTS: Data from 290 subjects were analysed: 87 had an isolated EAR
      and 203 had a dual response (EAR + LAR). Dual responders had a significantly
      lower baseline PC20 , a more marked fall in FEV1 at EAR, and a trend towards
      higher baseline sputum eosinophil percentages. The ratio of EAR over LAR was
      significantly lower in HDM compared with pollen ABP, indicating a larger LAR for
      a similar EAR. No correlations were observed between the ratio of EAR over LAR
      and the various parameters recorded in the different groups analysed. CONCLUSION:
      Different mechanisms may be involved in modulating the magnitude of the LAR,
      according to the type of allergen. HDM seems to induce a stronger LAR than
      pollens, animal allergens being intermediary in this regard.

PMID- 26115508
TI  - A Pilot Study of Circulating Endothelial and Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells in
      Children With Sarcomas.
AB  - Utilizing a multiparametric flow cytometry protocol, we assessed various cell
      types implicated in tumor angiogenesis that were found circulating in the
      peripheral blood of children with sarcomas (cases) based on their cell surface
      antigen expression. Circulating endothelial cells (CECs), endothelial colony
      forming cells (ECFCs), and the ratio of 2 distinct populations of circulating
      hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (CHSPCs), the proangiogenic CHSPCs
      (pCHSPCs) and nonangiogenic CHSPCs (nCHSPCs) were enumerated. Multiparametric
      flow cytometry was analyzed in cases at baseline and at 4 additional timepoints
      until the end of treatment and levels compared with each other and with healthy
      controls. At all timepoints, cases had significantly lower levels of CECs, but
      elevated ECFCs and a pCHSPC:nCHSPC ratio compared with controls (all P-values
      <0.05). There was no significant difference in any of the cell types analyzed
      based on tumor histology, stage (localized vs. metastatic), or tumor size. After
      treatment, only the CECs among the complete responders were significantly lower
      at end of therapy (P<0.01) compared with nonresponders, whereas the ECFCs among
      all cases significantly increased (P<0.05) compared with baseline. No decline in
      the pCHSPC:nCHSPC ratio was observed despite tumor response. On the basis of
      these results, a validation of CECs as prognostic biomarker is now warranted. 

PMID- 26115510
TI  - Cancer Associated Fibroblast-Derived Hepatocyte Growth Factor Inhibits the
      Paclitaxel-Induced Apoptosis of Lung Cancer A549 Cells by Up-Regulating the
      PI3K/Akt and GRP78 Signaling on a Microfluidic Platform.
AB  - Tumor stroma and growth factors provide a survival environment to tumor cells and
      can modulate their chemoresistance by dysregulating several signal pathways. In
      this study, we fabricated a three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic chip using
      polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to investigate the impact of hepatocyte growth factor
      (HGF) from cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) on the Met/PI3K/AKT activation,
      glucose regulatory protein (GRP78) expression and the paclitaxel-induced A549
      cell apoptosis. With a concentration gradient generator, the assembled chip was
      able to reconstruct a tumor microenvironment in vitro. We found high levels of
      HGF in the supernatants of CAF and the CAF matrix from the supernatants of
      activated HFL1 fibroblasts or HGF enhanced the levels of Met, PI3K and AKT
      phosphorylation and GRP78 expression in A549 cells cultured in a 3D cell chamber,
      which was abrogated by anti-HGF. Inhibition of Met attenuated the CAF matrix
      enhanced PI3K/AKT phosphorylation and GRP78 expression while inhibition of PI3K
      reduced GRP78 expression, but not Met phosphorylation in A549 cells. Inhibition
      of GRP78 failed to modulate the CAF matrix-enhanced Met/PI3K/AKT phosphorylation
      in A549 cells. Furthermore, inhibition of PI3K or GRP78 enhanced spontaneous and
      paclitaxel-induced A549 cell apoptosis. Moreover, treatment with the CAF matrix
      inhibited spontaneous and medium or high dose of paclitaxel-induced A549 cell
      apoptosis. Inhibition of PI3K or GRP78 attenuated the CAF matrix-mediated
      inhibition on paclitaxel-induced A549 cell apoptosis. Our data indicated that HGF
      in the CAF matrix activated the Met/PI3K/AKT and up-regulated GRP78 expression,
      promoting chemoresistance to paclitaxel-mediated apoptosis in A549 cells. Our
      findings suggest that the microfluidic system may represent an ideal platform for
      signaling research and drug screening. 

PMID- 26115512
TI  - Heavy metal release due to aging effect during zero valent iron nanoparticles
      remediation.
AB  - Zero valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) represent a promising agent for
      environmental remediation. Nevertheless, their application presents some
      limitations regarding their rapid oxidation and aggregation in the media. The aim
      of this study was to determine the effect that nZVI aging has in heavy metal
      remediation in water. Contaminants studied were Zn, Cd, Ni, Cu and Cr, which are
      typical elements found in ground and wastewater. Results show a high contaminant
      removal capacity by the nZVI in the first 2 h of reaction. Nevertheless, for
      longer reaction times, some of the metal ions that had already been adsorbed in
      the nZVI were delivered to the water. Cd and Ni show the maximum delivery
      percentages (65 and 27% respectively after 21 days of contact time). The starting
      delivery time was shortened when applying lower nZVI amounts. No re-dissolution
      of Cr was observed in any circumstance because it was the only element
      incorporated into the nanoparticles core, as TEM images showed. Contaminant
      release from nZVI is probably due to nanoparticles oxidation caused by aging,
      which produced a pH decrease and nZVI surface crystallization. 

PMID- 26115511
TI  - The Prognostic Role of Para-Aortic Lymph Nodes in Patients with Colorectal
      Cancer: Is It Regional or Distant Disease?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Visible para-aortic lymph nodes of >=2 mm in size are common
      metastatic patterns of colorectal cancer (CRC) seen on imaging. Their prognostic
      value, however, remains inconclusive. We aimed to assess the prognostic role of
      visible para-aortic lymph nodes (PALNs). METHODS: Patients with confirmed
      pathologic diagnosis of CRC were enrolled. Correlations among clinicopathologic
      variables were analyzed using the chi2 test. The Cox proportional hazards model
      was applied for univariate and multivariate analyses. Survival was estimated
      using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. A prognostic model for visible
      PALNs in CRC patients was established. RESULTS: In total, 4527 newly diagnosed
      CRC patients were enrolled. Patients with visible PALNs had inferior overall
      survival compared to those without visible PALNs (5-year overall survival, 67%
      vs. 76%, P = 0.015). Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) (hazard ratio = 1.865, P =
      0.015); nodal disease (pN+) status (hazard ratio = 2.099, P = 0.006); elevated
      preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels (hazard ratio = 2.263, P
      < 0.001); and visible PALNs >=10 mm (hazard ratio = 1.638, P = 0.031) were
      independent prognostic factors for patients with visible PALNs. If each
      prognostic factor scored one point, 5-year overall survival of lower- (prognostic
      score 0-1), intermediate- (prognostic score 2), and high- (prognostic score 3-4)
      risk groups were, 78%. 54%, and 25% respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The
      prognostic model, which included LVI, pN+ status, preoperative serum CEA level,
      and the size of visible PALNs, could effectively distinguish the outcome of
      patients with visible PALNs.

PMID- 26115513
TI  - COMBINED MIRTAZAPINE AND SSRI TREATMENT OF PTSD: A PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Combined treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
      (SSRI) plus mirtazapine has shown superior efficacy in some studies of
      depression, but has not been studied in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
      This study aimed to assess acceptability of combined sertraline plus mirtazapine
      treatment for PTSD and to estimate its effect size relative to sertraline plus
      placebo. METHODS: Thirty-six adults with PTSD were randomized to 24 weeks of
      double-blind treatment with sertraline plus mirtazapine or sertraline plus
      placebo. Outcomes were analyzed with mixed effects models. RESULTS: The combined
      treatment group showed a significantly greater remission rate (P = .042) and
      improvement in depressive symptoms (P = .023) than the sertraline plus placebo
      group. There were no significant group differences in the two primary outcomes of
      treatment retention and PTSD severity, or in other secondary outcomes (sleep
      impairment, sexual functioning, quality of life, and physical and mental
      functioning), but the combined treatment group showed numerical advantages on all
      of these outcomes, and effect sizes relative to sertraline plus placebo ranged
      from small to moderate (d = .26-.63). Both treatments were well-tolerated, with
      significantly increased appetite but not weight gain in the combined treatment
      group. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that combined treatment of PTSD with
      sertraline plus mirtazapine may have clinically meaningful advantages in
      symptomatic improvement, relative to SSRI treatment alone, and acceptable
      tolerability. Combined treatment with an SSRI plus mirtazapine in PTSD deserves
      additional study as initial treatment or as an augmentation strategy for
      nonresponders to an SSRI.

PMID- 26115515
TI  - A Cycling Movement Based System for Real-Time Muscle Fatigue and Cardiac Stress
      Monitoring and Analysis.
AB  - In this study, we defined a new parameter, referred to as the cardiac stress
      index (CSI), using a nonlinear detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) of heart rate
      (HR). Our study aimed to incorporate the CSI into a cycling based fatigue
      monitoring system developed in our previous work so the muscle fatigue and
      cardiac stress can be both continuously and quantitatively assessed for subjects
      undergoing the cycling exercise. By collecting electrocardiogram (ECG) signals,
      the DFA scaling exponent alpha was evaluated on the RR time series extracted from
      a windowed ECG segment. We then obtained the running estimate of alpha by
      shifting a one-minute window by a step of 20 seconds so the CSI, defined as the
      percentage of all the less-than-one alpha values, can be synchronously updated
      every 20 seconds. Since the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale is
      considered as a convenient index which is commonly used to monitor subjective
      perceived exercise intensity, we then related the Borg RPE scale value to the CSI
      in order to investigate and quantitatively characterize the relationship between
      exercise-induced fatigue and cardiac stress. Twenty-two young healthy
      participants were recruited in our study. Each participant was asked to maintain
      a fixed pedaling speed at a constant load during the cycling exercise.
      Experimental results showed that a decrease in DFA scaling exponent alpha or an
      increase in CSI was observed during the exercise. In addition, the Borg RPE scale
      and CSI were positively correlated, suggesting that the factors due to cardiac
      stress might also contribute to fatigue state during physical exercise. Since the
      CSI can effectively quantify the cardiac stress status during physical exercise,
      our system may be used in sports medicine, or used by cardiologists who carried
      out stress tests for monitoring heart condition in patients with heart diseases. 

PMID- 26115514
TI  - Motor and Sensory Deficits in the teetering Mice Result from Mutation of the
      ESCRT Component HGS.
AB  - Neurons are particularly vulnerable to perturbations in endo-lysosomal transport,
      as several neurological disorders are caused by a primary deficit in this
      pathway. In this report, we used positional cloning to show that the
      spontaneously occurring neurological mutation teetering (tn) is a single
      nucleotide substitution in hepatocyte growth factor-regulated tyrosine kinase
      substrate (Hgs/Hrs), a component of the endosomal sorting complex required for
      transport (ESCRT). The tn mice exhibit hypokenesis, muscle weakness, reduced
      muscle size and early perinatal lethality by 5-weeks of age. Although HGS has
      been suggested to be essential for the sorting of ubiquitinated membrane proteins
      to the lysosome, there were no alterations in receptor tyrosine kinase levels in
      the central nervous system, and only a modest decrease in tropomyosin receptor
      kinase B (TrkB) in the sciatic nerves of the tn mice. Instead, loss of HGS
      resulted in structural alterations at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), including
      swellings and ultra-terminal sprouting at motor axon terminals and an increase in
      the number of endosomes and multivesicular bodies. These structural changes were
      accompanied by a reduction in spontaneous and evoked release of acetylcholine,
      indicating a deficit in neurotransmitter release at the NMJ. These deficits in
      synaptic transmission were associated with elevated levels of ubiquitinated
      proteins in the synaptosome fraction. In addition to the deficits in neuronal
      function, mutation of Hgs resulted in both hypermyelinated and dysmyelinated
      axons in the tn mice, which supports a growing body of evidence that ESCRTs are
      required for proper myelination of peripheral nerves. Our results indicate that
      HGS has multiple roles in the nervous system and demonstrate a previously
      unanticipated requirement for ESCRTs in the maintenance of synaptic transmission.

PMID- 26115517
TI  - Spatial variation and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in
      surface sediments from the Yangtze Estuary, China.
AB  - The spatial distributions and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
      in surface sediments from the Yangtze Estuary were systematically analyzed. The
      results indicated significant spatial variations. The mean of ?PAHs in different
      sampling times in a year varied from 128.5 +/- 51.4 to 307.8 +/- 108.9 ng g(-1).
      Samples collected during the flood season showed higher PAH concentrations and
      larger PAH fluctuations compared with those collected during the dry season. This
      variation was mainly ascribed to the change in the river flow rate. Higher values
      of ?PAHs were observed in the inner estuary than the adjacent coastal area over a
      year because of diffusion and degradation effects. Analysis of PAH abundance
      revealed a predominant proportion of light PAHs with two to three rings, with
      phenanthrene being the most abundant. Based on principal component analysis,
      vehicular emissions, coal and biomass combustion were the main sources of PAHs. 

PMID- 26115516
TI  - Grip strength comparison in immune-mediated neuropathies: Vigorimeter vs. Jamar.
AB  - The Jamar dynamometer and Vigorimeter have been used to assess grip strength in
      immune-mediated neuropathies, but have never been compared to each other.
      Therefore, we performed a comparison study between these two devices in patients
      with immune-mediated neuropathies. Grip strength data were collected in 102 cross
      sectional stable and 163 longitudinal (new diagnoses or changing condition)
      patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), chronic inflammatory demyelinating
      polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), gammopathy-related polyneuropathy (MGUSP), and
      multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN). Stable patients were assessed twice
      (validity/reliability studies). Longitudinal patients were assessed 3-5 times
      during 1 year. Responsiveness comparison between the two tools was examined using
      combined anchor-/distribution-based minimum clinically important difference
      (MCID) techniques. Patients were asked to indicate their preference for the Jamar
      or Vigorimeter. Both tools correlated highly with each other (rho = 0.86, p <
      0.0001) and showed good intra-class correlation coefficients (Jamar [Right/Left
      hands]: ICC 0.997/0.96; Vigori: ICC 0.95/0.98). Meaningful changes were
      comparable between the two instruments, being higher in GBS compared to CIDP
      patients. In MGUSP/MMN poor responsiveness was seen. Significant more patients
      preferred the Vigorimeter. In conclusion, validity, reliability, and
      responsiveness aspects were comparable between the Jamar dynamometer and
      Vigorimeter. However, based on patients' preference, the Vigorimeter is
      recommended in future studies in immune-mediated neuropathies. 

PMID- 26115518
TI  - Peer effects on obesity in a sample of European children.
AB  - This study analyzes peer effects on childhood obesity using data from the first
      two waves of the IDEFICS study, which applies several anthropometric and other
      measures of fatness to approximately 14,000 children aged two to nine
      participating in both waves in 16 regions of eight European countries. Peers are
      defined as same-sex children in the same school and age group. The results show
      that peer effects do exist in this European sample but that they differ among
      both regions and different fatness measures. Peer effects are larger in Spain,
      Italy, and Cyprus--the more collectivist regions in our sample--while waist
      circumference generally gives rise to larger peer effects than BMI. We also
      provide evidence that parental misperceptions of their own children's weight goes
      hand in hand with fatter peer groups, supporting the notion that in making such
      assessments, parents compare their children's weight with that of friends and
      schoolmates.

PMID- 26115519
TI  - Increased Maternal and Cord Blood Betatrophin in Gestational Diabetes.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the study was to compare maternal and cord blood levels of
      betatrophin--a new peptide potentially controlling beta cell growth--as well as
      in its mRNA expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue
      and placental tissue obtained from pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance
      (NGT) and gestational diabetes (GDM). METHODS: Serum betatrophin and irisin
      concentrations were measured by ELISA in 93 patients with GDM and 97 women with
      NGT between 24 and 28 week of gestation. Additionally, maternal and cord blood
      betatrophin and irisin, as well as their genes (C19orf80 and Fndc5) expression
      were evaluated in 20 patients with GDM and 20 women with NGT at term. RESULTS: In
      both groups, serum betatrophin concentrations were significantly higher in the
      patients with GDM than in the controls (1.91 [1.40-2.60] ng/ml vs 1.63 [1.21
      2.22] ng/ml, p=0.03 and 3.45 [2.77-6.53] ng/ml vs 2.78 [2.16-3.65] ng/ml, p=0.03,
      respectively). Cord blood betatrophin levels were also higher in the GDM than in
      the NGT group (20.43 [12.97-28.80] ng/ml vs 15.06 [10.11-21.36] ng/ml, p=0.03).
      In both groups betatrophin concentrations in arterial cord blood were
      significantly higher than in maternal serum (p=0.0001). Serum irisin levels were
      significantly lower in the patients with GDM (1679 [1308-2171] ng/ml) than in the
      healthy women between 24 and 28 week of pregnancy (1880 [1519-2312] ng/ml,
      p=0.03). Both C19orf80 and Fndc5 mRNA expression in fat and placental tissue did
      not differ significantly between the groups studied. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      suggest that an increase in maternal and cord blood betatrophin might be a
      compensatory mechanism for enhanced insulin demand in GDM.

PMID- 26115520
TI  - Prospective Randomized Trial Comparing Hepatic Venous Outflow and Renal Function
      after Conventional versus Piggyback Liver Transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This randomized prospective clinical trial compared the hepatic
      venous outflow drainage and renal function after conventional with venovenous
      bypass (n = 15) or piggyback (n = 17) liver transplantation. METHODS: Free
      hepatic vein pressure (FHVP) and central venous pressure (CVP) measurements were
      performed after graft reperfusion. Postoperative serum creatinine (Cr) was
      measured daily on the first week and on the 14th, 21st and 28th postoperative
      days (PO). The prevalence of acute renal failure (ARF) up to the 28th PO was
      analyzed by RIFLE-AKIN criteria. A Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) approach
      was used for comparison of longitudinal measurements of renal function. RESULTS:
      FHVP-CVP gradient > 3 mm Hg was observed in 26.7% (4/15) of the patients in the
      conventional group and in 17.6% (3/17) in the piggyback group (p = 0.68). Median
      FHVP-CVP gradient was 2 mm Hg (0-8 mmHg) vs. 3 mm Hg (0-7 mm Hg) in conventional
      and piggyback groups, respectively (p = 0.73). There is no statistically
      significant difference between the conventional (1/15) and the piggyback (2/17)
      groups regarding massive ascites development (p = 1.00). GEE estimated marginal
      mean for Cr was significantly higher in conventional than in piggyback group
      (2.14 +/- 0.26 vs. 1.47 +/- 0.15 mg/dL; p = 0.02). The conventional method
      presented a higher prevalence of severe ARF during the first 28 PO days (OR =
      3.207; 95% CI, 1.010 to 10.179; p = 0.048). CONCLUSION: Patients submitted to
      liver transplantation using conventional or piggyback methods present similar
      results regarding venous outflow drainage of the graft. Conventional with
      venovenous bypass technique significantly increases the harm of postoperative
      renal dysfunction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov
      https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01707810.

PMID- 26115522
TI  - Association of the New York State Marriage Equality Act With Changes in Health
      Insurance Coverage.

PMID- 26115521
TI  - Total Hepatitis B Core Antigen Antibody, a Quantitative Non-Invasive Marker of
      Hepatitis B Virus Induced Liver Disease.
AB  - Non invasive immunologic markers of virus-induced liver disease are unmet needs.
      We tested the clinical significance of quantitative total and IgM-anti-HBc in
      well characterized chronic-HBsAg-carriers. Sera (212) were obtained from 111
      HBsAg-carriers followed-up for 52 months (28-216) during different phases of
      chronic-HBV-genotype-D-infection: 10 HBeAg-positive, 25 inactive-carriers (HBV
      DNA<=2000IU/ml, ALT<30U/L), 66 HBeAg-negative-CHB-patients and 10 with HDV-super
      infection. In 35 patients treated with Peg-IFN+/-nucleos(t)ide-analogues (NUCs)
      sera were obtained at baseline, end-of-therapy and week-24-off-therapy and in 22
      treated with NUCs (for 60 months, 42-134m) at baseline and end-of-follow-up.
      HBsAg and IgM-anti-HBc were measured by Architect-assays (Abbott, USA); total
      anti-HBc by double-antigen-sandwich-immune-assay (Wantai, China); HBV-DNA by
      COBAS-TaqMan (Roche, Germany). Total-anti-HBc were detectable in all sera with
      lower levels in HBsAg-carriers without CHB (immune-tolerant, inactive and HDV
      superinfected, median 3.26, range 2.26-4.49 Log10 IU/ml) versus untreated-CHB
      (median 4.68, range 2.76-5.54 Log10 IU/ml), p<0.0001. IgM-anti-HBc positive using
      the chronic-hepatitis-cut-off" (0.130-S/CO) were positive in 102 of 212 sera
      (48.1%). Overall total-anti-HBc and IgM-anti-HBc correlated significantly
      (p<0.001, r=0.417). Total-anti-HBc declined significantly in CHB patients with
      response to Peg-IFN (p<0.001) and in NUC-treated patients (p<0.001); the lowest
      levels (median 2.68, range 2.12-3.08 Log10 IU/ml) were found in long-term
      responders who cleared HBsAg subsequently. During spontaneous and therapy-induced
      fluctuations of CHB (remissions and reactivations) total- and IgM-anti-HBc
      correlated with ALT (p<0.001, r=0.351 and p=0.008, r=0.185 respectively). Total
      anti-HBc qualifies as a useful marker of HBV-induced-liver-disease that might
      help to discriminate major phases of chronic HBV infection and to predict
      sustained response to antivirals. 

PMID- 26115525
TI  - Galvanic corrosion of nitinol under deaerated and aerated conditions.
AB  - Various studies have examined the corrosion rate of nitinol generally under
      deaerated conditions. Likewise, galvanic corrosion studies have typically
      involved deaerated solutions. This work addressed the effect of galvanic coupling
      on the corrosion current of electropolished nitinol in phosphate buffered saline
      and 0.9% sodium chloride under dearated and aerated conditions for times up to 24
      h. Tests were performed on nitinol alone and coupled with MP35N in both the
      mechanically polished and passivated conditions. Aeration and galvanic coupling
      were found to have relatively little effect, indicating that the corrosion
      current is controlled by the anodic reaction. The current can be attributed
      entirely to Ni(2+) dissolution, which appears to be governed by solid-state mass
      transport of Ni(2+) through the passive oxide film. Because corrosion of EP
      nitinol is controlled by the anodic reaction, contact between EP nitinol and
      MP35N or other biomedical Co-Cr alloys is unlikely to result in significant
      galvanic effects in vivo. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res
      Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1322-1327, 2016.

PMID- 26115524
TI  - Water Channels Aquaporin 4 and -1 Expression in Subependymoma Depends on the
      Localization of the Tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We analyzed aquaporin 4 and -1 expression in subependymomas, benign
      and slow growing brain tumors WHO grade I. Ten subependymoma cases were
      investigated, five of the fossa inferior and five of the fossa superior. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: Using immunohistochemistry, we observed different aquaporin
      expression patterns depending on localization: aquaporin 4 and -1 were detected
      in infratentorial subependymomas in the entire tumor tissue. In contrast,
      supratentorial subependymomas revealed aquaporin 4 and -1 expression only in
      border areas of the tumor. PCR analyses however showed no difference in aquaporin
      4 expression between all subependymomas independent of localization but at higher
      levels than in normal brain. In contrast, aquaporin 1 RNA levels were found to be
      higher only in infratentorial samples compared to supratentorial and normal brain
      samples. The reason for the different distribution pattern of aquaporin 4 in
      subependymomas still remains unclear. On the cellular level, aquaporin 4 was
      redistributed on the surface of the tumor cells, and in freeze fracture replicas
      no orthogonal arrays of particles were found. This was similar to our previous
      findings in malignant glioblastomas. From these studies, we know that
      extracellular matrix molecules within the tumor like agrin and its receptor alpha
      dystroglycan are involved in forming orthogonal arrays of particles. In
      subependymomas neither agrin nor alpha-dystroglycan were detected around blood
      vessels. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, we show in this study that in the benign
      subependymomas aquaporins 1 and 4 are dramatically redistributed and upregulated.
      We speculate that extracellular environments of infra- and supratentorial
      subependymomas are different and lead to different distribution patterns of
      aquaporin 4 and -1.

PMID- 26115523
TI  - Access and Attitudes to HPV Vaccination amongst Hard-To-Reach Populations in
      Kenya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan Africa bears the greatest burden of cervical cancer.
      Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes to prevent the disease will
      need to reach vulnerable girls who may not be able access health and screening
      services in the future. We conducted formative research on facilitators and
      barriers to HPV vaccination and potential acceptability of a future HPV
      vaccination programme amongst girls living in hard-to-reach populations in Kenya.
      METHODS: Stakeholder interviews with Ministry of Health staff explored barriers
      to and support for the uptake of HPV vaccination. A situation assessment was
      conducted to assess community services in Maasai nomadic pastoralist communities
      in Kajiado County and in Korogocho informal settlement in Nairobi city, followed
      by focus group discussions (n=14) and semi-structured interviews (n=28) with
      health workers, parents, youth, and community and religious leaders. These
      covered marriage, knowledge of cervical cancer and HPV, factors that might
      inhibit or support HPV vaccine uptake and intention to accept HPV vaccine if a
      programme was in place. RESULTS: Reported challenges to an HPV vaccination
      programme included school absenteeism and drop-out, early age of sex and
      marriage, lack of parental support, population mobility and distance from
      services. Despite little prior knowledge of cervical cancer and HPV, communities
      were interested in receiving HPV vaccination. Adequate social mobilisation and
      school-based vaccination, supplemented by out-reach activities, were considered
      important facilitating factors to achieve high coverage. There was some support
      for a campaign approach to vaccine delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Given the high level of
      support for a vaccine against cervical cancer and the experience of reaching
      pastoralist and slum-dwellers for other immunizations, implementing an HPV
      vaccine programme should be feasible in such hard-to-reach communities. This may
      require additional delivery strategies in addition to the standard school-based
      delivery, with vaccine offered at multiple venues, potentially through a campaign
      approach.

PMID- 26115526
TI  - Bioelectrochemically-assisted anaerobic composting process enhancing compost
      maturity of dewatered sludge with synchronous electricity generation.
AB  - Bioelectrochemically-assisted anaerobic composting process (AnCBE) with dewatered
      sludge as the anode fuel was constructed to accelerate composting of dewatered
      sludge, which could increase the quality of the compost and harvest electric
      energy in comparison with the traditional anaerobic composting (AnC). Results
      revealed that the AnCBE yielded a voltage of 0.60 +/- 0.02 V, and total COD
      (TCOD) removal reached 19.8 +/- 0.2% at the end of 35 d. The maximum power
      density was 5.6 W/m(3). At the end of composting, organic matter content (OM)
      reduction rate increased to 19.5 +/- 0.2% in AnCBE and to 12.9 +/- 0.1% in AnC.
      The fuzzy comprehensive assessment (FCA) result indicated that the membership
      degree of class I of AnCBE compost (0.64) was higher than that of AnC compost
      (0.44). It was demonstrated that electrogenesis in the AnCBE could improve the
      sludge stabilization degree, accelerate anaerobic composting process and enhance
      composting maturity with bioelectricity generation.

PMID- 26115527
TI  - Protozoan grazing reduces the current output of microbial fuel cells.
AB  - Several experiments were conducted to determine whether protozoan grazing can
      reduce current output from sediment microbial fuel cells. When marine sediments
      were amended with eukaryotic inhibitors, the power output from the fuel cells
      increased 2-5-fold. Quantitative PCR showed that Geobacteraceae sequences were
      120 times more abundant on anodes from treated fuel cells compared to untreated
      fuel cells, and that Spirotrichea sequences in untreated fuel cells were 200
      times more abundant on anode surfaces than in the surrounding sediments. Defined
      studies with current-producing biofilms of Geobacter sulfurreducens and pure
      cultures of protozoa demonstrated that protozoa that were effective in consuming
      G. sulfurreducens reduced current production up to 91% when added to G.
      sulfurreducens fuel cells. These results suggest that anode biofilms are an
      attractive food source for protozoa and that protozoan grazing can be an
      important factor limiting the current output of sediment microbial fuel cells.

PMID- 26115528
TI  - Optimization of a wet microalgal lipid extraction procedure for improved lipid
      recovery for biofuel and bioproduct production.
AB  - Methods to convert microalgal biomass to bio based fuels and chemicals are
      limited by several processing and economic hurdles. Research conducted in this
      study modified/optimized a previously published procedure capable of extracting
      transesterifiable lipids from wet algal biomass. This optimization resulted in
      the extraction of 77% of the total transesterifiable lipids, while reducing the
      amount of materials and temperature required in the procedure. In addition,
      characterization of side streams generated demonstrated that: (1) the C/N ratio
      of the residual biomass or lipid extracted (LE) biomass increased to 54.6 versus
      10.1 for the original biomass, (2) the aqueous phase generated contains nitrogen,
      phosphorous, and carbon, and (3) the solid precipitate phase was composed of up
      to 11.2 wt% nitrogen (70% protein). The ability to isolate algal lipids and the
      possibility of utilizing generated side streams as products and/or feedstock
      material for downstream processes helps promote the algal biorefinery concept.

PMID- 26115529
TI  - Optimization of process configuration and strain selection for microalgae-based
      biodiesel production.
AB  - A mathematical model was developed for the design of microalgae-based biodiesel
      production system by systematically integrating all the production stages and
      strain properties. Through the hypothetical case study, the model suggested the
      most economical system configuration for the selected microalgae strains from the
      available processes at each stage, thus resulting in the cheapest biodiesel
      production cost, S$2.66/kg, which is still higher than the current diesel price
      (S$1.05/kg). Interestingly, the microalgae strain properties, such as lipid
      content, effective diameter and productivity, were found to be one of the major
      factors that significantly affect the production cost as well as system
      configuration. 

PMID- 26115530
TI  - Spatially Confined Hybridization of Nanometer-Sized NiFe Hydroxides into Nitrogen
      Doped Graphene Frameworks Leading to Superior Oxygen Evolution Reactivity.
AB  - Nanometer-sized hydroxide active centers are uniformly and strongly hybridized
      into a graphene framework by means of defect-anchored nucleation and spatially
      confined growth, resulting in a superior electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution
      reaction. This family of strongly coupled complexes and the topology-assisted
      fabrication strategy is expected to open up new avenues of research. It sheds
      light on a novel branch of advanced nano-architectured materials.

PMID- 26115531
TI  - Subwavelength Gold Grating as Polarizers Integrated with InP-Based InGaAs
      Sensors.
AB  - There are currently growing needs for polarimetric imaging in infrared
      wavelengths for broad applications in bioscience, communications and agriculture,
      etc. Subwavelength metallic gratings are capable of separating transverse
      magnetic (TM) mode from transverse electric (TE) mode to form polarized light,
      offering a reliable approach for the detection in polarization way. This work
      aims to design and fabricate subwavelength gold gratings as polarizers for InP
      based InGaAs sensors in 1.0-1.6 MUm. The polarization capability of gold gratings
      on InP substrate with pitches in the range of 200-1200 nm (fixed duty cycle of
      0.5) has been systematically studied by both theoretical modeling with a finite
      difference time-domain (FDTD) simulator and spectral measurements. Gratings with
      200 nm lines/space in 100-nm-thick gold have been fabricated by electron beam
      lithography (EBL). It was found that subwavelength gold gratings directly
      integrated on InP cannot be applied as good polarizers, because of the existence
      of SPP modes in the detection wavelengths. An effective solution has been found
      by sandwiching the Au/InP bilayer using a 200 nm SiO2 layer, leading to
      significant improvement in both TM transmission and extinction ratio. At 1.35
      MUm, the improvement factors are 8 and 10, respectively. Therefore, it is
      concluded that the Au/SiO2/InP trilayer should be a promising candidate of near
      infrared polarizers for the InP-based InGaAs sensors. 

PMID- 26115532
TI  - Treatment preferences of psychotherapy patients with chronic PTSD.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patient treatment preference may moderate treatment effect in major
      depressive disorder (MDD) studies. Little research has addressed preference in
      posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); almost none has assessed actual patients'
      PTSD psychotherapy preferences. From a 14-week trial of chronic PTSD comparing
      prolonged exposure, relaxation therapy, and interpersonal psychotherapy, we
      report treatment preferences of the 110 randomized patients, explore preference
      correlates, and assess effects on treatment outcome. METHOD: Patients recruited
      between 2008 and 2013 with chronic DSM-IV PTSD (Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale
      [CAPS] score >= 50) received balanced, scripted psychotherapy descriptions
      prerandomization and indicated their preferences. Analyses assessed relationships
      of treatment attitudes to demographic and clinical factors. We hypothesized that
      patients randomized to preferred treatments would have better outcomes, and to
      unwanted treatment worse outcomes. RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients (79%) voiced
      treatment preferences or disinclinations: 29 (26%) preferred prolonged exposure,
      29 (26%) preferred relaxation therapy, and 56 (50%) preferred interpersonal
      psychotherapy (Cochran Q = 18.46, P < .001), whereas 29 (26%) were disinclined to
      prolonged exposure, 18 (16%) to relaxation therapy, and 3 (3%) to interpersonal
      psychotherapy (Cochran Q = 22.71, P < .001). Several baseline clinical variables
      correlated with treatment preferences. Overall, treatment
      preference/disinclination did not predict change in CAPS score, treatment
      response, or dropout. Comorbidly depressed patients receiving unwanted treatment
      had worse final CAPS scores. CONCLUSION: These exploratory findings are the first
      relating patients' PTSD psychotherapy preferences to outcome. Despite
      explanations emphasizing prolonged exposure's greater empirical support, patients
      significantly preferred interpersonal psychotherapy. Preference subtly affected
      psychotherapy outcome; depression appeared an important moderator of the effect
      of unwanted treatment on outcome. Potential biases to avoid in future research
      are discussed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00739765.

PMID- 26115533
TI  - Prevention of peritendinous adhesions with electrospun polyethylene
      glycol/polycaprolactone nanofibrous membranes.
AB  - Postoperative adhesion formation is the major complication that could occur after
      acute tendon surgery. The application of an anti-adhesive membrane at the post
      surgical site is deemed as a potential way to solve this problem by preventing
      adhesive fibrotic tissue development. In this study, we fabricated electrospun
      composite poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/poly(caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibrous
      membrane (NFM) to prevent peritendinous adhesions, which could act as a barrier
      between the tendon and surrounding tissues, without interrupting mass transfer
      and normal tendon gliding. PCL/PEG NFMs of 0% PEG (PCL), 25% PEG (25PECL), 50%
      PEG (50PECL) and 75% PEG (75PECL) were prepared and characterized for physico
      chemical properties. The PCL NFM shows the lowest protein permeability while
      25PECL NFM exhibited the largest fiber diameter, smallest pore size and the
      largest ultimate stress and strain. The 75PECL NFM had the lowest water contact
      angle and the highest Young's modulus. In vitro cell adhesion and migration
      experiments with fibroblasts indicate that all NFMs could prevent cell
      penetration, with 75PECL NFM having the least cell attachment. In vivo
      application of 75PECL NFM on the repaired site of rabbit flexor tendon rupture
      model demonstrated improved efficacy compared with the PCL NFM and a commercial
      anti-adhesion barrier (SeprafilmTM), from gross observation, histological
      analysis and functional assays. We concluded that 75PECL NFM could function as an
      effective anti-adhesion membrane after tendon surgery in a clinical setting. 

PMID- 26115534
TI  - Interaction of poloxamine block copolymers with lipid membranes: Role of
      copolymer structure and membrane cholesterol content.
AB  - Interactions of X-shaped poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) (PEO-PPO)
      block copolymers with cell membranes were investigated recording the pi-A
      isotherms of monolayer systems of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine
      (DPPC):cholesterol 100:0; 80:20 and 60:40 mol ratio and evaluating the capability
      of the copolymers to trigger haemolysis or to protect from haemolytic agents.
      Four varieties of poloxamine (Tetronic 904, 908, 1107 and 1307) were chosen in
      order to cover a wide range of EO and PO units contents and molecular weights,
      and compared to a variety of poloxamer (Pluronic P85). The pi-A isotherms
      revealed that the greater the content in cholesterol, the stronger the
      interaction of the block copolymers with the lipids monolayer. The interactions
      were particularly relevant at low pressures and low lipid proportions, mimicking
      the conditions of damaged membranes. Relatively hydrophobic copolymers bearing
      short PEO blocks (e.g., T904 and P85) intercalated among the lipids expanding the
      surface area (DeltaGexc) but not effectively sealing the pores. These varieties
      showed haemolytic behavior. Oppositely, highly hydrophilic copolymers bearing
      long PEO blocks (e.g., T908, T1107 and T1307) caused membrane contraction and
      outer leaflet sealing due to strong interactions of PEO with cholesterol and
      diamine core with phospholipids. These later varieties were not haemolytic and
      exerted a certain protective effect against spontaneous haemolysis for both
      intact erythrocytes and cholesterol-depleted erythrocytes. 

PMID- 26115535
TI  - Monocyclic and bicyclic monoterpenes in air of German daycare centers and human
      biomonitoring in visiting children, the LUPE 3 study.
AB  - To investigate the assumed association between indoor air pollution with
      monoterpenes (MTps) and the internal MTp exposure of occupants, a comparative
      study was performed in daycare centers in two federal states of Germany. Three
      well-known monoterpenoid air pollutants, viz. alpha-pinene (alphaPN), Delta(3)
      carene (CRN), and R-limonene (LMN), were measured in indoor air in 45 daycare
      centers. Additionally, urine samples of 222 children visiting these facilities
      were collected in the evening after a full-day stay. Altogether 11 MTp
      metabolites were analyzed in the urine samples using a novel highly sensitive and
      selective gas chromatographic-tandem-mass spectrometric procedure. The medians
      (95th percentiles) of the MTp levels in indoor air were 9.1 MUg m(-3) (94 MUg m(
      3)) for LMN, 2.6 MUg m(-3) (13 MUg m(-3)) for alphaPN, and <1.0 MUg m(-3) (3.2
      MUg m(-3)) for CRN. None of the day care centers exceeded the German health
      precaution or hazard guide value. In spite of the low MTp air exposure, the urine
      analyses revealed an exposure to the three monoterpenes in almost all children.
      The median levels of MTp metabolites in urine were 0.11 mg L(-1) for LMN-8,9-OH,
      0.10 mg L(-1) for LMN-1,2-OH, 49 MUg L(-1) for PA, 2.9 MUg L(-1) for POH, 5.2 MUg
      L(-1) for tCAR, and 4.1 MUg L(-1) for cCAR (LMN metabolites), 7.2 MUg L(-1) for
      MYR, 19 MUg L(-1) for tVER, and 19 MUg L(-1) for cVER (alphaPN metabolites), as
      well as 8.2 MUg L(-1) for CRN-10-COOH (CRN metabolite). Statistically significant
      and strong correlations among the urinary metabolites of each MTp were found.
      Moreover, statistical associations between LMN metabolites and the LMN indoor air
      levels were revealed. However, the weakness of the associations indicates a
      considerable impact of other MTp sources, e.g. diet and consumer products, on the
      internal exposure.

PMID- 26115536
TI  - Towards a non-animal risk assessment for anti-androgenic effects in humans.
AB  - Toxicology testing is undergoing a transformation from a system based on high
      dose studies in laboratory animals to one founded primarily on in vitro methods
      that evaluate changes in normal cellular signalling pathways using human-relevant
      cells or tissues. We review the tools and approaches that could be used to
      develop a non-animal safety assessment for anti-androgenic effects in humans,
      with a focus on the molecular initiating events (MIEs) that human disorders
      indicate critical for normal functioning of the hypothalamus-pituitary-testicular
      (HPT) axis. In vitro test systems exist which can be used to characterize the
      effects of test chemicals on some MIEs such as androgen receptor antagonism,
      inhibition of steroidogenic enzymes or 5alpha-reductase inhibition. When used
      alongside information describing the pharmacokinetics of a specific chemical
      exposure, these could be used to inform a pathways-based safety assessment.
      However, some parts of the HPT axis such as events occurring in the hypothalamus
      or pituitary are not well represented by accepted in vitro methods. In vitro
      tools to characterize perturbations in these events need to be developed before a
      fully integrated model of the HPT axis can be described. Knowledge gaps also
      exist which prevent us from using in vitro data to predict the type and severity
      of in vivo effect(s) that could arise from a given level of in vitro anti
      androgenic activity. This means that more work is needed to reliably link an MIE
      with an adverse outcome. However, especially for chemicals with low anti
      androgenic activity, human exposure data can be used to put in vitro mode of
      action data into context for risk-based safety decision-making. 

PMID- 26115538
TI  - Selection and Evaluation of Reference Genes for Reverse Transcription
      Quantitative PCR Expression Studies in a Thermophilic Bacterium Grown under
      Different Culture Conditions.
AB  - The phylum Deinococcus-Thermus is a deeply-branching lineage of bacteria widely
      recognized as one of the most extremophilic. Members of the Thermus genus are of
      major interest due to both their bioremediation and biotechnology potentials.
      However, the molecular mechanisms associated with these key metabolic pathways
      remain unknown. Reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is a high
      throughput means of studying the expression of a large suite of genes over time
      and under different conditions. The selection of a stably-expressed reference
      gene is critical when using relative quantification methods, as target gene
      expression is normalized to expression of the reference gene. However, little
      information exists as to reference gene selection in extremophiles. This study
      evaluated 11 candidate reference genes for use with the thermophile Thermus
      scotoductus when grown under different culture conditions. Based on the combined
      stability values from BestKeeper and NormFinder software packages, the following
      are the most appropriate reference genes when comparing: (1) aerobic and
      anaerobic growth: TSC_c19900, polA2, gyrA, gyrB; (2) anaerobic growth with varied
      electron acceptors: TSC_c19900, infA, pfk, gyrA, gyrB; (3) aerobic growth with
      different heating methods: gyrA, gap, gyrB; (4) all conditions mentioned above:
      gap, gyrA, gyrB. The commonly-employed rpoC does not serve as a reliable
      reference gene in thermophiles, due to its expression instability across all
      culture conditions tested here. As extremophiles exhibit a tendency for
      polyploidy, absolute quantification was employed to determine the ratio of
      transcript to gene copy number in a subset of the genes. A strong negative
      correlation was found to exist between ratio and threshold cycle (CT) values,
      demonstrating that CT changes reflect transcript copy number, and not gene copy
      number, fluctuations. Even with the potential for polyploidy in extremophiles,
      the results obtained via absolute quantification indicate that relative
      quantification is appropriate for RT-qPCR studies with this thermophile. 

PMID- 26115539
TI  - The principles of whole-cell modeling.
AB  - Whole-cell models which comprehensively predict how phenotypes emerge from
      genotype promise to enable rational bioengineering and precision medicine. Here,
      we outline the key principles of whole-cell modeling which have emerged from our
      work developing bacterial whole-cell models: single-cellularity; functional,
      genetic, molecular, and temporal completeness; biophysical realism including
      temporal dynamics and stochastic variation; species-specificity; and model
      integration and reproducibility. We also outline the whole-cell model
      construction process, highlighting existing resources. Numerous challenges remain
      to achieving fully complete models including developing new experimental tools to
      more completely characterize cells and developing a strong theoretical
      understanding of hybrid mathematics. Solving these challenges requires
      collaboration among computational and experimental biologists, biophysicists,
      biochemists, applied mathematicians, computer scientists, and software engineers.

PMID- 26115540
TI  - Correction: Mapping of Replication Origins in the X Inactivation Center of Vole
      Microtus levis Reveals Extended Replication Initiation Zone.

PMID- 26115537
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of bisphenol A in humans following a single oral administration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human exposures to bisphenol A (BPA) are widespread. The current
      study addresses uncertainties regarding human pharmacokinetics of BPA. OBJECTIVE:
      To reduce uncertainties about the metabolism and excretion of BPA in humans
      following oral administration. METHODS: We exposed six men and eight women to 100
      MUg/kg bw of deuterated BPA (d6-BPA) by oral administration and conducted blood
      and urine analysis over a three day period. The use of d6-BPA allowed
      administered d6-BPA to be distinguished from background native (unlabeled) BPA.
      We calculated the rate of oral absorption, serum elimination, half-life, area
      under the curve (AUC), urinary excretion, and metabolism to glucuronide and
      sulfate conjugates. RESULTS: Mean serum total (unconjugated and conjugated) d6
      BPA Cmax of 1711 nM (390 ng/ml) was observed at Tmax of 1.1 +/- 0.50h.
      Unconjugated d6-BPA appeared in serum within 5-20 min of dosing with a mean Cmax
      of 6.5 nM (1.5 ng/ml) observed at Tmax of 1.3 +/- 0.52 h. Detectable blood levels
      of unconjugated or total d6-BPA were observed at 48 h in some subjects at
      concentrations near the LOD (0.001-0.002 ng/ml). The half-times for terminal
      elimination of total d6-BPA and unconjugated d6-BPA were 6.4 +/- 2.0 h and 6.2 +/
      2.6h, respectively. Recovery of total administered d6-BPA in urine was 84-109%.
      Most subjects (10 of 14) excreted >90% as metabolites within 24h. CONCLUSIONS:
      Using more sensitive methods, our study expands the findings of other human oral
      pharmacokinetic studies. Conjugation reactions are rapid and nearly complete with
      unconjugated BPA comprising less than 1% of the total d6-BPA in blood at all
      times. Elimination of conjugates into urine largely occurs within 24h.

PMID- 26115541
TI  - Meeting Report: International Symposium on the Genetics of Aging and Life History
      II.
AB  - The second International Symposium on the Genetics of Aging and Life History was
      held at the campus of Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology
      (DGIST), Daegu, South Korea, from May 14 to 16, 2014. Many leading scientists in
      the field of aging research from all over the world contributed to the symposium
      by attending and presenting their recent work and thoughts. The aim of the
      symposium was to stimulate international collaborations and interactions among
      scientists who work on the biology of aging. In the symposium, the most recent
      and exciting work on aging research was presented, covering a wide range of
      topics, including the genetics of aging, age-associated diseases, and cellular
      senescence. The work was conducted in various organisms, includingC. elegans,
      mice, plants, and humans. Topics covered in the symposium stimulated discussion
      of novel directions for future research on aging. The meeting ended with a
      commitment for the third International Symposium on the Genetics of Aging and
      Life History, which will be held in 2016. 

PMID- 26115543
TI  - Reexamining Interstage Home Monitoring After the Norwood Operation.

PMID- 26115542
TI  - Metabolomics analysis identifies novel plasma biomarkers of cystic fibrosis
      pulmonary exacerbation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease is characterized by infection,
      inflammation, lung function decline, and intermittent pulmonary exacerbations.
      However, the link between pulmonary exacerbation and lung disease progression
      remains unclear. Global metabolomic profiling can provide novel mechanistic
      insight into a disease process in addition to putative biomarkers for future
      study. Our objective was to investigate how the plasma metabolomic profile
      changes between CF pulmonary exacerbation and a clinically well state. METHODS:
      Plasma samples and lung function data were collected from 25 CF patients during
      hospitalization for a pulmonary exacerbation and during quarterly outpatient
      clinic visits. In collaboration with Metabolon, Inc., the metabolomic profiles of
      matched pair plasma samples, one during exacerbation and one at a clinic visit,
      were analyzed using gas and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.
      Compounds were identified by comparison to a library of standards. Mixed effects
      models that controlled for nutritional status and lung function were used to test
      for differences and principal components analysis was performed. RESULTS: Our
      population had a median age of 27 years (14-39) and had a median FEV1 % predicted
      of 65% (23-105%). 398 total metabolites were identified and after adjustment for
      confounders, five metabolites signifying perturbations in nucleotide
      (hypoxanthine), nucleoside (N4-acetylcytidine), amino acid (N-acetylmethionine),
      carbohydrate (mannose), and steroid (cortisol) metabolism were identified.
      Principal components analysis provided good separation between the two clinical
      phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide putative metabolite biomarkers for
      future study and allow for hypothesis generation about the pathophysiology of CF
      pulmonary exacerbation.

PMID- 26115545
TI  - Surgical Anatomy of the Whole Facial Nerve for Enabling Craniofacial and
      Regenerative Medicine Translational Research in Swine.

PMID- 26115544
TI  - Segmental Aortic Stiffness in Children and Young Adults With Connective Tissue
      Disorders: Relationships With Age, Aortic Size, Rate of Dilation, and Surgical
      Root Replacement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aortic diameter is an imperfect predictor of aortic complications in
      connective tissue disorders (CTDs). Novel indicators of vascular phenotype
      severity such as aortic stiffness and vertebral tortuosity index have been
      proposed. We assessed the relation between aortic stiffness by cardiac MRI,
      surgical root replacement, and rates of aortic root dilation in children and
      young adults with CTDs. METHODS AND RESULTS: Retrospective analysis of cardiac
      MRI data on children and young adults with a CTD was performed to derive aortic
      stiffness measures (strain, distensibility, and beta-stiffness index) at the
      aortic root, ascending aorta, and descending aorta. Vertebral tortuosity index
      was calculated as previously described. Rate of aortic root dilation before
      cardiac MRI was calculated as change in echocardiographic aortic root diameter z
      score per year. In 83 CTD patients (median age, 24 years; range, 1-55; 17% <18
      years of age; 60% male), ascending aorta distensibility was reduced in comparison
      with published normative values: median z score, -1.93 (range, -8.7 to 1.3;
      P<0.0001 versus normals). Over a median follow-up period of 2.7 years, there were
      no aortic dissections or deaths, but 16 of 83 (19%) patients underwent surgical
      aortic root replacement. In multivariable analysis, lower aortic root strain
      (P=0.05) and higher vertebral tortuosity index (P=0.01) were independently
      associated with aortic root replacement. Lower ascending aorta strain (P=0.02)
      was associated with a higher rate of aortic root dilation. CONCLUSIONS: Higher
      aortic stiffness is associated with higher rates of surgical aortic replacement
      and aortic root dilation in children and young adults with CTDs.

PMID- 26115546
TI  - Eptifibatide Salvage of Arterial Anastomotic Thrombosis in Lower Extremity Free
      Flap Reconstruction: A Case Report.

PMID- 26115547
TI  - In Situ Deactivation of Interleukin-6 Enhances Early Peripheral Nerve
      Regeneration in a Murine Injury Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systemic alteration of interleukin-6 (IL-6) influences peripheral
      nerve regeneration. We investigated the potential influences of in situ (at the
      coaptation site) IL-6 modulation in a peripheral-nerve-transection/sciatic-nerve
      graft in vivo model. METHODS: We quantified the elongation of regenerating axons,
      the number of arborizing axons, and the number of branches per arborizing axon 7
      days after the injury in mice expressing axonal fluorescent proteins (thy-1-YFP
      mice). Sciatic nerves from nonexpressing mice (C57Bl6 or IL-6(-/-) mice) were
      grafted into those expressing yellow fluorescent protein. We altered the in situ
      IL-6 concentration by loading a topical gelatin sponge with an inhibiting IL-6
      receptor antibody or IL-6 combined with a soluble IL-6 receptor. Sciatic nerves
      from IL-6(-/-) mice were grafted into an additional group. The contralateral sham
      operated side served as control in all the groups. RESULTS: Axonal elongation
      increased significantly with the in situ application of the IL-6 receptor
      antibody, while topical IL-6 significantly reduced the regeneration distance. The
      number of arborizing axons increased significantly in nerves grafted from IL-6(-/
      ) mice, whereas branches per arborizing axons remained stable. CONCLUSION: In
      situ IL-6 receptor inhibition and IL-6(-/-) nerve grafting enhance early
      peripheral nerve regeneration in an acute murine injury model.

PMID- 26115548
TI  - Exogenous malic and acetic acids reduce cadmium phytotoxicity and enhance cadmium
      accumulation in roots of sunflower plants.
AB  - There is increasing evidence showing that low molecular weight organic acids
      (LMWOA) are involved in heavy metal resistance mechanisms in plants. The aim of
      this study was to investigate the effects of exogenous malic (MA) or acetic (AA)
      acids on the toxicity and accumulation of cadmium (Cd) in sunflower (Helianthus
      annuus L.). For this purpose, plants were grown in hydroponics under controlled
      conditions. Single Cd stress (5 MUM Cd for 14 days) induced strong phytotoxic
      effects, as indicated by a decrease in all growth parameters, concentration of
      photosynthetic pigments, and root activity, as well as a high level of hydrogen
      peroxide (H2O2) accumulation. Exogenous MA or AA (250 or 500 MUM) applied to the
      Cd-containing medium enhanced the accumulation of Cd by the roots and limited Cd
      translocation to the shoots. Moreover, the MA or AA applied more or less reduced
      Cd phytotoxicity by increasing the growth parameters, photosynthetic pigment
      concentrations, decreasing accumulation of H2O2, and improving the root activity.
      Of the studied organic acids, MA was much more efficient in mitigation of Cd
      toxicity than AA, probably by its antioxidant effects, which were stronger than
      those of AA. Plant response to Cd involved decreased production of endogenous
      LMWOA, probably as a consequence of severe Cd toxicity. The addition of MA or AA
      to the medium increased endogenous accumulation of LMWOA, especially in the
      roots, which could be beneficial for plant metabolism. These results imply that
      especially MA may be involved in the processes of Cd uptake, translocation, and
      tolerance in plants. 

PMID- 26115549
TI  - Overexpression of two R2R3-MYB genes from Scutellaria baicalensis induces
      phenylpropanoid accumulation and enhances oxidative stress resistance in
      transgenic tobacco.
AB  - MYB proteins are involved in many significant physiological and biochemical
      processes, including regulation of primary and secondary metabolism, flavonoid
      biosynthesis, response to various biotic and abiotic stresses, hormone synthesis
      and signal transduction. The functions of R2R3-MYB proteins in Scutellaria
      baicalensis Georgi under abiotic stress, however, has not been elucidated. To
      study the molecular mechanism by which MYB2 and MYB7 respond to abiotic stress in
      S. baicalensis, we analyzed the phenylpropanoid content, growth phenotype,
      antioxidant enzyme activity and flavonoid synthesis-associated gene expression in
      SbMYB2 or SbMYB7-overexpressing transgenic tobacco plants after treatment with
      NaCl, mannitol and abscisic acid (ABA). The transgenic tobacco showed a higher
      fresh weight than did the wild type (WT) tobacco. In contrast, antioxidant enzyme
      activity and flavonoid synthesis-related gene expression were markedly higher in
      WT tobacco after treatment with NaCl, mannitol and ABA, as compared to transgenic
      plants, This is likely because increased phenylpropanoid accumulation in
      transgenic tobacco plants played a central role in abiotic stress resistance.
      These results indicate that overexpression of SbMYB2 or SbMYB7 increased
      phenylpropanoid accumulation and enhanced NaCl, mannitol and ABA stresses
      tolerance in transgenic tobacco. 

PMID- 26115550
TI  - Amplified and localized photoswitching of TiO2 by micro- and nanostructuring.
AB  - Fast photoswitching of wetting properties is important for the development of
      micro/nanofluidic systems and lab-on-a-chip devices. Here, we show how
      structuring the surface amplifies photoswitching properties. Atomic layer
      deposited titanium dioxide (TiO2) has phototunable hydrophilic properties due to
      its surface chemistry, but microscale overhang pillars and additional nanoscale
      topography can override the chemistry and make the surface superhydrophobic.
      Three switching processes are achieved simply by controlling the UV exposure
      time: from (1) rolling superhydrophobic to sticky superhydrophobic (Cassie-Baxter
      to Wenzel), (2) superhydrophobic to hydrophilic, and (3) superhydrophobic to
      superhydrophilic after 1, 5, and 10 min of UV exposure, respectively. We report
      the fastest reversible switching to date: 1 min of UV exposure is enough to
      promote a rolling-to-sticky transition, and mild heating (30 min at 60  degrees
      C) is sufficient for recovery. This performance is caused by a combination of the
      photoswitching properties of TiO2, the micropillar overhang geometry, and surface
      nanostructuring. We demonstrate that the switching also can be performed locally
      by introducing microwriting under a water droplet. 

PMID- 26115551
TI  - Low frequency of drug-resistant virus did not affect the therapeutic efficacy in
      daclatasvir plus asunaprevir therapy in patients with chronic HCV genotype-1
      infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The efficacy of a direct-acting antiviral agent (DAA) is compromised
      by the development of drug resistance. The associations between resistance
      associated virus (RAV) and therapeutic outcomes have not been well-understood.
      METHODS: A total of 30 patients with HCV genotype-1b were enrolled and treated
      for 24 weeks with asunaprevir (ASV) and daclatasvir (DCV). Viral sequences in non
      structural (NS) regions 3 and 5A in serum and liver tissue before treatment were
      examined with direct sequencing, next-generation sequencing (NGS) and the PCR
      invader method to evaluate the importance of drug-resistance in the prediction of
      the outcomes of ASV plus DCV therapy. RESULTS: Of 30 patients (22 treatment-naive
      patients, 2 interferon-intolerant patients and 6 non-responders), 25 patients
      (83.3%) achieved sustained virological response (SVR) 24 weeks after the
      treatment. Viral breakthrough occurred in three treatment-naive patients and one
      non-responder. One treatment-naive patient experienced viral relapse. Among 25
      patients without RAV, 24 obtained SVR, whereas 5 patients had RAV with a 1.3 to
      88% frequency, resulting in various therapeutic outcomes. As for HCV
      compartments, similar RAVs were detected in serum and liver tissue for a patient
      obtaining SVR despite HCV NS5A Y93H and another developed viral breakthrough
      although no RAV was detected. Direct sequencing could not detect RAVs in low
      frequency (1.3 to 12%) for three of four patients. CONCLUSIONS: Low frequency of
      RAVs might not affect the outcomes of ASV plus DCV therapy. Deep sequencing and
      PCR-invader methods can detect clinically significant RAVs for ASV plus DCV
      therapy.

PMID- 26115552
TI  - Anodic, cathodic, and annihilation electrochemiluminescence emissions from
      hydrophilic conjugated polymer dots in aqueous medium.
AB  - Hydrophilic poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV)
      conjugated polymer dots (CP-dots) capped by Triton X-100 were synthesized. For
      the first time, the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emission of CP-dots was
      investigated in aqueous solution. At the glassy carbon/water interface, the CP
      dots have excellent and multichannel ECL properties, such as having annihilation
      ECL activity in the absence of coreactants, and give bright anodic and cathodic
      ECL emission (590 nm) in the presence of tri-n-propylamine (TPrA) and
      peroxydisulfate (S2O8(2-)), respectively. The versatile ECL properties of the
      hydrophilic CP-dots combined with their low cytotoxicity, good biocompatibility,
      and easy bioconjugation may suggest promising applications of this new type of
      ECL nanomaterial in novel biosensing and bioimaging, and new types of light
      emitting devices. 

PMID- 26115553
TI  - Phonons and elasticity in critically coordinated lattices.
AB  - Much of our understanding of vibrational excitations and elasticity is based upon
      analysis of frames consisting of sites connected by bonds occupied by central
      force springs, the stability of which depends on the average number of neighbors
      per site z. When z  <  zc  ~  2d, where d is the spatial dimension, frames are
      unstable with respect to internal deformations. This pedagogical review focuses
      on the properties of frames with z at or near zc, which model systems like
      randomly packed spheres near jamming and network glasses. Using an index theorem,
      N0  -NS  =  dN  -NB relating the number of sites, N, and number of bonds, NB, to
      the number, N0, of modes of zero energy and the number, NS, of states of self
      stress, in which springs can be under positive or negative tension while forces
      on sites remain zero, it explores the properties of periodic square, kagome, and
      related lattices for which z  =  zc and the relation between states of self
      stress and zero modes in periodic lattices to the surface zero modes of finite
      free lattices (with free boundary conditions). It shows how modifications to the
      periodic kagome lattice can eliminate all but trivial translational zero modes
      and create topologically distinct classes, analogous to those of topological
      insulators, with protected zero modes at free boundaries and at interfaces
      between different topological classes. 

PMID- 26115554
TI  - Vortex-aligned fullerene nanowhiskers as a scaffold for orienting cell growth.
AB  - A versatile method for the rapid fabrication of aligned fullerene C60
      nanowhiskers (C60NWs) at the air-water interface is presented. This method is
      based on the vortex motion of a subphase (water), which directs floating C60NWs
      to align on the water surface according to the direction of rotational flow.
      Aligned C60NWs could be transferred onto many different flat substrates, and, in
      this case, aligned C60NWs on glass substrates were employed as a scaffold for
      cell culture. Bone forming human osteoblast MG63 cells adhered well to the
      C60NWs, and their growth was found to be oriented with the axis of the aligned
      C60NWs. Cells grown on aligned C60NWs were more highly oriented with the axis of
      alignment than when grown on randomly oriented nanowhiskers. A study of cell
      proliferation on the C60NWs revealed their low toxicity, indicating their
      potential for use in biomedical applications. 

PMID- 26115555
TI  - Iron impurities as the active sites for peroxidase-like catalytic reaction on
      graphene and its derivatives.
AB  - We established four kinds of good dispersing systems of graphene and its
      derivatives with different structural characteristics to estimate their
      peroxidase-like activity. Besides graphene oxide (GO), it is demonstrated that
      defect-free graphene, low-oxygen graphene, and iron(III)-doped graphene oxide (GO
      Fe) are all capable of H2O2 activation to oxidize peroxidase substrates. As for
      defect-free graphene, the dispersibility in reaction medium exerts great impact
      on its catalytic activity and our further judgements concerning the nature of
      active sites. Improved stability and further exfoliation of defect-free graphene
      in reaction medium are beneficial to the access of reactants to active sites on
      the basal planes and enhance its peroxidase-like activity, which is superior to
      that of low-oxygen graphene and much higher than that of GO. In addition, their
      peroxidase-like activity can be greatly inhibited by the addition of iron
      chelators. Interestingly, the introduction of trace ferric ions into GO does not
      lead to an apparent change except for remarkable increase of its peroxidase-like
      activity. Therefore, we propose that the observed iron impurities rather than the
      doped nonmetallic heteroatoms play an important role in the peroxidase-like
      activity of graphene and its derivatives. In this light, saturated iron(III) was
      immobilized onto the oxygen-donor coordination of GO to immensely promote its
      activity. The peroxidase-like activity of the prepared GO-Fe was systematically
      evaluated by using 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine and pyrogallol as peroxidase
      substrates and was compared to that of horseradish peroxidase and hemin. As a
      result, GO-Fe shows excellent peroxidase-like catalytic activity, which is
      comparable to that of hemin. Furthermore, GO-Fe was used for the quantitative
      detection of H2O2 and glucose. 

PMID- 26115556
TI  - A time to serve.

PMID- 26115557
TI  - MyPlate celebrates 4 years.

PMID- 26115559
TI  - What is translational research? Concepts and applications in nutrition and
      dietetics.
AB  - This monograph is tenth in a series of articles focused on research design and
      analysis, and provides an overview of translational research concepts.
      Specifically, this article presents models and processes describing translational
      research, defines key terms, discusses methodological considerations for speeding
      the translation of nutrition research into practice, illustrates application of
      translational research concepts for nutrition practitioners and researchers, and
      provides examples of translational research resources and training opportunities.
      To promote the efficiency and translation of evidence-based nutrition guidelines
      into routine clinical-, community-, and policy-based practice, the dissemination
      and implementation phases of translational research are highlighted and
      illustrated in this monograph. 

PMID- 26115560
TI  - A randomized trial on the effects of 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and
      Korean diet patterns on cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese
      adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dietary patterns that are considered healthy (eg, the Dietary
      Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet and Mediterranean diet) may be more
      successful in reducing typical cardiovascular disease risks compared to dietary
      patterns considered unhealthy (eg, energy-dense diets such as the typical
      American diet). OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the effects of a Korean diet, the
      2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), and a typical American diet on
      cardiometabolic risk factors, including lipid levels and blood pressure, in
      overweight, non-Asian individuals in the United States with elevated low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol. DESIGN/INTERVENTION: The study was a three-period
      crossover, controlled-feeding study from January 2012 to May 2012. Thirty-one
      subjects were randomly allocated to one of six possible sequential orders for
      consuming the three diets for 4 weeks, each separated by a 10-day break. Data
      analysis included 27 subjects on the Korean diet periods and 29 in the DGA and
      typical American diet periods. Subjects remained weight stable. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: Lipid profile, blood pressure, insulin, glucose, and 24-hour urinary
      sodium were determined at baseline and at the end of each diet period.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: The additive main effects multiplicative
      interactions model was used to test for a subject by diet interaction.
      Differences among diets were determined using a mixed-models procedure (PROC
      MIXED) with random intercept for each subject. RESULTS: Total cholesterol and low
      density lipoprotein cholesterol significantly decreased on Korean (P<0.0001 and
      P<0.01, respectively) and DGA (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively) diets, but not on
      the typical American diet. Although an unfavorable outcome, high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol significantly decreased on all three diets (Korean:
      P<0.0001; DGA: P<0.0001; typical American: P<0.05). No diet had a significant
      effect on serum triglycerides, but a slight increase in triglycerides in the
      Korean and decrease in the DGA resulted in a significant difference between these
      two diets (P<0.01). All three diets caused modest decreases in systolic and
      diastolic blood pressure, which reached statistical significance for DGA only
      (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). No diet had significant effect on fasting
      insulin, whereas fasting glucose decreased significantly on the Korean (P<0.01)
      and typical American (P<0.05) diets only. Urinary sodium output decreased
      significantly on DGA (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: After a 4-week feeding period,
      Korean and DGA diet patterns resulted in positive changes in cardiovascular
      disease risk factors.

PMID- 26115562
TI  - Communications at the academy: where strategy and trending conspire to shape
      history.

PMID- 26115561
TI  - Practice paper of the academy of nutrition and dietetics: principles of
      productivity in food and nutrition services: applications in the 21st century
      health care reform era.
AB  - Food and nutrition services, along with the health care organizations they serve,
      are becoming increasingly complex. These complexities are driven by sometimes
      conflicting (if not polarizing) human, department, organization, and environment
      factors and will require that managers shift how they think about and approach
      productivity in the context of the greater good of the organization and, perhaps,
      even society. Traditional, single-factor approaches to productivity measurements,
      while still valuable in the context of departmental trend analysis, are of
      limited value when assessing departmental performance in the context of an
      organization's goals and values. As health care continues to change and new
      models of care are introduced, food and nutrition services managers will need to
      consider innovative approaches to improve productivity that are consistent with
      their individual health care organization's vision and mission. Use of process
      improvement tools such as Lean and Six Sigma as strategies for evaluating and
      improving food and nutrition services efficiency should be considered. 

PMID- 26115563
TI  - Is vinegar an effective treatment for glycemic control or weight loss?

PMID- 26115564
TI  - The TGF-beta superfamily in dendritic cell biology.
AB  - The TGF-beta superfamily consists of a large group of pleiotropic cytokines that
      are involved in the regulation of many developmental, physiological and
      pathological processes. Dendritic cells are antigen-presenting cells that play a
      key role in innate and adaptive immune responses. Dendritic cells have a complex
      relationship with the TGF-beta cytokine superfamily being both source and targets
      for many of these cytokines. Some TGF-beta family members are expressed by
      dendritic cells and modulate immune responses, for instance through the induction
      of T cell polarization. Others play a crucial role in the development and
      function of the different dendritic cell subsets. This review summarizes the
      current knowledge on the role of TGF-beta family cytokines in dendritic cell
      biology, focusing on TGF-beta as well as on other, less characterized, members of
      these important immune mediators. 

PMID- 26115565
TI  - Targeting ion channels in cystic fibrosis.
AB  - Mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene
      cause a characteristic defect in epithelial ion transport that plays a central
      role in the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis (CF). Hence, pharmacological
      correction of this ion transport defect by targeting of mutant CFTR, or
      alternative ion channels that may compensate for CFTR dysfunction, has long been
      considered as an attractive approach to a causal therapy of this life-limiting
      disease. The recent introduction of the CFTR potentiator ivacaftor into the
      therapy of a subgroup of patients with specific CFTR mutations was a major
      milestone and enormous stimulus for seeking effective ion transport modulators
      for all patients with CF. In this review, we discuss recent breakthroughs and
      setbacks with CFTR modulators designed to rescue mutant CFTR including the common
      mutation F508del. Further, we examine the alternative chloride channels TMEM16A
      and SLC26A9, as well as the epithelial sodium channel ENaC as alternative targets
      in CF lung disease, which remains the major cause of morbidity and mortality in
      patients with CF. Finally, we will focus on the hurdles that still need to be
      overcome to make effective ion transport modulation therapies available for all
      patients with CF irrespective of their CFTR genotype. 

PMID- 26115567
TI  - European Code against Cancer 4th Edition: Alcohol drinking and cancer.
AB  - Alcohol consumption is the third leading risk factor for disease and mortality in
      Europe. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs provide
      strengthened evidence that the consumption of alcoholic beverages is causally
      associated with cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver,
      colorectum and female breast, even for low and moderate alcohol intakes. The risk
      of cancer increases in a dose-dependent manner, and the higher the amount of
      alcohol consumed, the higher the risk of developing cancer. Several biological
      mechanisms explain the carcinogenicity of alcohol; among them, ethanol and its
      genotoxic metabolite acetaldehyde play a major role. Taking all this evidence
      into account, a recommendation of the 4th edition of the European Code against
      Cancer (ECAC) is: "If you drink alcohol of any type, limit your intake. Not
      drinking alcohol is better for cancer prevention." 

PMID- 26115568
TI  - Frozen with fear: Conditioned suppression in a virtual reality model of human
      anxiety.
AB  - Freezing-like topographies of behavior are elicited in conditioned suppression
      tasks whereby appetitive behavior is reduced by presentations of an aversively
      conditioned threat cue relative to a safety cue. Conditioned suppression of
      operant behavior by a Pavlovian threat cue is an established laboratory model of
      quantifying the response impairment seen in anxiety disorders. Little is known
      however about how different response topographies indicative of conditioned
      suppression are elicited in humans. Here, we refined a novel virtual reality (VR)
      paradigm in which presentations of a threat cue of unpredictable duration
      occurred while participants performed an operant response of shooting and
      destroying boxes searching for hidden gold. The VR paradigm detected significant
      suppression of response topographies (shots, hits and breaks) for a Pavlovian
      threat cue relative to a safety cue and novel cue presentations. Implications of
      the present findings for translational research on appetitive and aversive
      conflict in anxiety disorders are discussed. 

PMID- 26115566
TI  - Divergent brain functional network alterations in dementia with Lewy bodies and
      Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - The clinical phenotype of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is different from
      Alzheimer's disease (AD), suggesting a divergence between these diseases in terms
      of brain network organization. To fully understand this, we studied functional
      networks from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in cognitively
      matched DLB and AD patients. The DLB group demonstrated a generalized lower
      synchronization compared with the AD and healthy controls, and this was more
      severe for edges connecting distant brain regions. Global network measures were
      significantly different between DLB and AD. For instance, AD showed lower small
      worldness than healthy controls, while DLB showed higher small-worldness (AD <
      controls < DLB), and this was also the case for global efficiency (DLB > controls
      > AD) and clustering coefficient (DLB < controls < AD). Differences were also
      found for nodal measures at brain regions associated with each disease. Finally,
      we found significant associations between network performance measures and global
      cognitive impairment and severity of cognitive fluctuations in DLB. These results
      show network divergences between DLB and AD which appear to reflect their
      neuropathological differences.

PMID- 26115569
TI  - Dynamics of foraging trails in the Neotropical termite Velocitermes heteropterus
      (Isoptera: Termitidae).
AB  - Foraging behavior in termites varies with the feeding habits of each species but
      often occurs through the formation of well-defined trails that connect the nest
      to food sources in species that build structured nests. We studied the formation
      of foraging trails and the change in caste ratio during foraging in the termite
      Velocitermes heteropterus. This species is widespread in Cerrado vegetation where
      it builds epigeal nests and forages in open-air at night. Our aim was to
      understand the processes involved in the formation of foraging trails, from the
      exploration of new unmarked areas to the recruitment of individuals to food and
      the stabilization of traffic on the trails, as well as the participation of the
      different castes during these processes. Foraging trails were videotaped in the
      laboratory and the videos were then analyzed both manually and automatically to
      assess the flow of individuals and the caste ratio on the trails as well as to
      examine the spatial organization of traffic over time. Foraging trails were
      composed of minor workers, major workers, and soldiers. The flow of individuals
      on the trails gradually increased from the beginning of the exploration of new
      areas up to the discovery of the food. The caste ratio remained constant
      throughout the foraging excursion: major workers, minor workers and soldiers
      forage in a ratio of 8:1:1, respectively. The speed of individuals was
      significantly different among castes, with major workers and soldiers being
      significantly faster than minor workers. Overall, our results show that foraging
      excursions in V. heteropterus may be divided in three different phases,
      characterized by individual speeds, differential flows and lane segregation. 

PMID- 26115570
TI  - Verruculides A and B, two new protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitors from an
      Indonesian ascidian-derived Penicillium verruculosum.
AB  - Two new merosesquiterpenes, verruculides A (1) and B (2), were isolated from a
      culture broth of the Indonesian ascidian-derived Penicillium verruculosum
      TPU1311, together with three known congeners, chrodrimanins A (3), B (4), and H
      (5). The structures of 1 and 2 were assigned on the basis of their spectroscopic
      data (1D and 2D NMR, HRMS, UV, CD, and IR). Compound 2 had a linear sesquiterpene
      moiety and was considered to be the derivative of the biosynthetic precursor for
      1 and 3-5. Compounds 1, 3, and 5 inhibited the activity of protein tyrosine
      phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) with IC50 values of 8.4, 8.5, and 14.9 MUM, respectively.
      Compound 2 showed 40% inhibition at 23.1 MUM, while 4 was not active at 20.7 MUM.

PMID- 26115571
TI  - Cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors as anticancer drugs.
AB  - Sustained proliferative capacity is a hallmark of cancer. In mammalian cells
      proliferation is controlled by the cell cycle, where cyclin-dependent kinases
      (CDKs) regulate critical checkpoints. CDK4 and CDK6 are considered highly
      validated anticancer drug targets due to their essential role regulating cell
      cycle progression at the G1 restriction point. This review provides an overview
      of recent advances on cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors in general with special
      emphasis on CDK4 and CDK6 inhibitors and compounds under clinical evaluation.
      Chemical structures, structure activity relationships, and relevant preclinical
      properties will be described. 

PMID- 26115572
TI  - New geranylated flavanones from the fruits of Paulownia catalpifolia Gong Tong
      with their anti-proliferative activity on lung cancer cells A549.
AB  - Three new geranylated flavanones, named as paucatalinone A (1), B (2), and
      isopaucatalinone B (3), were isolated from the fruits of Paulownia catalpifolia
      Gong Tong (Scrophulariaceae). Their structures were well determined by means of
      IR, MS, 1D and 2D NMR, and CD techniques. Paucatalinone A (1) is the first sample
      as a dimeric geranylated flavanone derivative isolated from natural products.
      Paucatalinone A (1) displayed good antiproliferative effects on human lung cancer
      cells A549 and resulted in a clear increase of the percentage of cells in G1
      phase and a decrease in the percentage of cells in S and G2/M phases in
      comparison with control cells. 

PMID- 26115574
TI  - A highly selective fluorescent probe for direct detection and isolation of mouse
      embryonic stem cells.
AB  - Stem cell research has gathered immense attention in the past decade due to the
      remarkable ability of stem cells for self-renewal and tissue-specific
      differentiation. Despite having numerous advancements in stem cell isolation and
      manipulation techniques, there is a need for highly reliable probes for the
      specific detection of live stem cells. Herein we developed a new fluorescence
      probe (CDy9) with high selectivity for mouse embryonic stem cells. CDy9 allows
      the detection and isolation of intact stem cells with marginal impact on their
      function and capabilities. 

PMID- 26115575
TI  - Hide and seek: Identification and confirmation of small molecule protein targets.
AB  - Target identification and confirmation for small molecules is often the rate
      limiting step in drug discovery. A robust method to identify proteins addressed
      by small molecules is affinity chromatography using chemical probes. These
      usually consist of the compound of interest equipped with a linker molecule and a
      proper tag. Recently, methods emerged that allow the identification of protein
      targets without prior functionalization of the small molecule of interest. The
      digest offers an update on the newest developments in the area of target
      identification with special focus on confirmation techniques. 

PMID- 26115573
TI  - Initial optimization and series evolution of diaminopyrimidine inhibitors of
      interleukin-1 receptor associated kinase 4.
AB  - IRAK4 plays a key role in TLR/IL-1 signaling. Previous efforts identified a
      series of aminopyrimidine IRAK4 inhibitors that possess good potency, but modest
      kinase selectivity. Exploration of substituents at the C-2 and C-5 positions
      generated compounds that maintained IRAK4 potency and improved kinase
      selectivity. Additionally, it was found that the pyrimidine core could be
      replaced with a pyridine and still retain potency and kinase selectivity. The
      optimization efforts led to compound 26 which had an IRAK4 IC50 of 0.7 nM, an
      IC50 of 55 nM on THP-1 cells stimulated with LPS, a TLR4 agonist, and greater
      than 100-fold selectivity versus 96% of a panel of 306 kinases.

PMID- 26115576
TI  - Identification of a new p53/MDM2 inhibitor motif inspired by studies of
      chlorofusin.
AB  - Previous studies on the natural product chlorofusin have shown that the full
      peptide and azaphilone structure are required for inhibition of the interaction
      between MDM2 and p53. In the current work, we utilized the cyclic peptide as a
      template and introduced an azidonorvaline amino acid in place of the
      ornithine/azaphilone of the natural product and carried out click chemistry with
      the resulting peptide. From this small library the first ever non-azaphilone
      containing chlorofusin analog with MDM2/p53 activity was identified. Further
      studies then suggested that the simple structure of the Fmoc-norvaline amino acid
      that had undergone a click reaction was also able to inhibit MDM2/p53
      interaction. This is an example where studies of a natural product have led to
      the serendipitous identification of a new small molecule inhibitor of a protein
      protein interaction. 

PMID- 26115577
TI  - Synthesis and biological evaluation of N-cyclopropylbenzamide-benzophenone
      hybrids as novel and selective p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK)
      inhibitors.
AB  - A series of hybrid molecules consisting of benzophenones and N-cyclopropyl-3
      methylbenzamides were synthesized and biologically evaluated as novel p38 mitogen
      activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors. In particular, we found that compound
      10g displayed potent p38alpha MAPK inhibitory activity (IC50=0.027 MUM), high
      kinase selectivity, and significant anti-inflammatory activity in THP-1 monocyte
      cells.

PMID- 26115578
TI  - Efficacy and safety of beclomethasone dipropionate nasal aerosol in children with
      perennial allergic rhinitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) nasal aerosol (non-aqueous) is
      approved for management of seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) in
      adolescents and adults. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of BDP
      nasal aerosol at 80 MUg/day in children with PAR. METHODS: This 12-week, phase 3,
      double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study randomized 547 children
      (4-11 years old) with PAR to once-daily BDP nasal aerosol at 80 MUg/day or
      placebo. The primary end point was change from baseline in average morning and
      evening reflective total nasal symptom score (rTNSS) during the first 6 weeks of
      treatment in patients 6 to 11 years old. Changes from baseline in average morning
      and evening instantaneous TNSS (iTNSS) in children 6 to 11 years old and average
      rTNSS and iTNSS in children 4 to 11 years old were assessed during the first 6
      weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Improvements were significantly greater with BDP
      nasal aerosol than with placebo during the first 6 weeks of treatment in children
      6 to 11 years old in average morning and evening rTNSS and iTNSS (mean treatment
      difference -0.66 [P = .002] and -0.58 [P = .004], respectively). Improvements in
      average morning and evening rTNSS and iTNSS also were significantly greater in
      patients 4 to 11 years receiving BDP nasal aerosol than with placebo during the
      first 6 weeks of treatment (P = .002 and P = .004, respectively). Similar
      improvements were seen during 12 weeks of treatment. The safety profile of BDP
      nasal aerosol was comparable to that of placebo. CONCLUSION: The BDP nasal
      aerosol at 80 MUg/day in children 4 to 11 years old was well tolerated and
      effective in controlling nasal symptoms of PAR. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT01783548.

PMID- 26115579
TI  - Surgical treatment of periprosthetic femoral fractures following hip
      arthroplasty: our institutional experience.
AB  - PURPOSE: Periprosthetic fractures are one of the most serious complications after
      hip replacement. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the clinical
      outcome of surgical treatment of periprosthetic femoral fractures following total
      hip arthroplasty using treatment algorithm of the Vancouver classification.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty six periprosthetic femoral fractures operated on
      during the period December 2004-September 2013 were followed-up retrospectively.
      There were 40 women and 16 men with mean age at the time of surgery 64.7 years
      (41-88 years). The mean follow-up for the group was 5 years (range, 1-10 years).
      Periprosthetic fractures were classified according to the Vancouver
      classification. The clinical evaluation was performed with the Harris hip score,
      the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and
      Short Form 8 (SF-8). Bone healing, implant survival, pain, function and
      complications were recorded. Bone healing and implant stability were evaluated
      clinically and on plain radiographs. RESULTS: Uneventful bone healing was
      achieved in 52 cases. In two fractures (one type B1, one type C) nonunion and
      plate failure occurred. Two cemented stems were revised for aseptic loosening 6.5
      and 7 years after fracture fixation. Uncontrollable prosthesis infection and
      sepsis in a rheumatoid (immunocompromised) patient required disarticulation of
      the involved extremity. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Periprosthetic femoral
      fractures are difficult to treat and require complex treatment approach according
      to risk assessment, fracture type, implant stability, bone stock and medical
      status of the patient. Using a treatment protocol of the Vancouver classification
      we obtained satisfactory outcome.

PMID- 26115580
TI  - Expanding indications of the horizontal belt plate: a technical note.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the standard treatment for articular fractures usually
      involves open anatomic reduction and internal fixation with the concept of
      absolute stability, achieving adequate fracture stabilisation in multifragmentary
      patterns is always challenging. Several anatomical implants were developed to
      increase stabilisation and improve clinical outcomes in articular fractures.
      However modern implants, especially in developing countries, are expensive and
      not always available for routine use. Horizontal rafting plate has recently
      emerged as an alternative technique to treat complex tibial plateau fractures
      using simple implants that function as a large washer. OBJECTIVE: This technical
      note aims to describe horizontal belt plate use for treatment of periarticular
      fractures including the tibial plateau, thereby expanding its initial indication.
      CONCLUSION: Horizontal belt plate is an effective, safe, and inexpensive
      treatment alternative for complex articular fractures. However, the surgeon must
      carefully analyse the fracture pattern to verify if the horizontal belt plate can
      be used alone or with traditional techniques.

PMID- 26115582
TI  - Lives without imagery - Congenital aphantasia.

PMID- 26115581
TI  - Prognostic factors of health-related quality of life in patients after tibial
      plafond fracture. A pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tibial plafond fractures are a uncommon injury, and the outcomes
      described in literature are generally poor. The purposes were to determine the
      effect of the tibial plafond fractures on general health-related quality of life,
      and to examine the factors that influence these outcomes. METHODS: Retrospective
      study of 43 patients with average age of 45.6 (range 18-69) years who were also
      invited for a clinical and radiological reassessment. The primary outcome measure
      was quality of life assessed by the Short Form-36 questionnaire. Visual analogue
      scale for pain, and motion of both ankle and subtalar joints were also assessed.
      Radiological evaluation was performed to assess bone healing, fracture reduction
      quality, and tibial alignment. RESULTS: The mean follow-up at last visit was 8.1
      (range, 4-12) years. Patients who had suffered plafond fracture had significantly
      poorer quality of life compared with age- and gender-matched general population
      of our country regardless of the treatment method used. Multivariate analyses
      showed that the age had influence on the emotional outcomes, educational level
      and fracture pattern on physical outcomes, and marital status, fracture reduction
      quality, and ankle motion on both physical and mental component summaries.
      CONCLUSION: Tibial plafond fractures have a significant negative impact on
      general health-related quality of life regardless of the operative treatment used
      which reflects injury severity. In addition, psychosocial characteristics of
      patients may influence the outcomes.

PMID- 26115583
TI  - Parenchymal cystatin C focal deposits and glial scar formation around brain
      arteries in Hereditary Cystatin C Amyloid Angiopathy.
AB  - Hereditary Cystatin C Amyloid Angiopathy (HCCAA) is an amyloid disorder in
      Icelandic families caused by an autosomal dominant mutation in the cystatin C
      gene. Mutant cystatin C forms amyloid deposits in brain arteries and arterioles
      which are associated with changes in the arterial wall structure, notably
      deposition of extracellular matrix proteins. In this post-mortem study we
      examined the neuroinflammatory response relative to the topographical
      distribution of cystatin C deposition, and associated haemorrhages, in the
      leptomeninges, cerebrum, cerebellum, thalamus, and midbrain of HCCAA patients.
      Cystatin C was deposited in all brain areas, grey and white matter alike, most
      prominently in arteries and arterioles; capillaries and veins were not, or
      minimally, affected. We also observed perivascular deposits and parenchymal focal
      deposits proximal to affected arteries. This study shows for the first time, that
      cystatin C does not exclusively form CAA and perivascular amyloid but also focal
      deposits in the brain parenchyma. Haemorrhages were observed in all patients and
      occurred in all brain areas, variable between patients. Microinfarcts were
      observed in 34.6% of patients. The neuroinflammatory response was limited to the
      close vicinity of affected arteries and perivascular as well as parenchymal focal
      deposits. Taken together with previously reported arterial accumulation of
      extracellular matrix proteins in HCCAA, our results indicate that the central
      nervous system pathology of HCCAA is characterised by the formation of a glial
      scar within and around affected arteries.

PMID- 26115584
TI  - Chronic constant light-induced hippocampal late-phase long-term potentiation
      impairment in vitro is attenuated by antagonist of D1/D5 receptors.
AB  - Previous study reported that chronic constant light exposure caused hippocampus
      dependent long-term memory deficit. However, the underlying cellular mechanism of
      this impairment is still unclear. Multiple lines of evidence indicated that long
      term potentiation (LTP) is a cellular model for memory formation. Here we found
      that, by recording of field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) in vitro,
      chronic constant light (CCL, 3 weeks) exposure impaired the late long-term
      potentiation (L-LTP), but not early long-term potentiation (E-LTP) and basal
      transmission in Schaffer collateral (SC)-CA1 synapses of hippocampal slices from
      rats. Because L-LTP depends on D1/D5 receptors, we examined whether interference
      of D1/D5 receptors can modulate L-LTP of CCL rats. Bath application of D1/D5
      receptors antagonist SCH23390 (1MUM) blocked L-LTP in control rats and attenuated
      the impaired L-LTP in CCL rats. In contrast, pre-incubation of D1/D5 receptors
      agonist SKF38393 (25MUM) occluded further L-LTP in control rats while exacerbated
      the L-LTP impairment in CCL rats. These results suggested that CCL-induced L-LTP
      impairment can be modulated by D1/D5 receptors. Our findings may contribute to
      the further understanding of synaptic plasticity mechanism underlying hippocampal
      long-term memory impairment induced by circadian rhythm disruption.

PMID- 26115585
TI  - Endothelial NOS activation induces the blood-brain barrier disruption via ER
      stress following status epilepticus.
AB  - The blood-brain barrier (BBB) maintains the unique brain microenvironment, which
      is separated from the systemic circulating system. Since the endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) is an important cell organelle that is responsible for protein
      synthesis, the correct folding and sorting of proteins contributing to cell
      survivals, ER stress is a potential cause of cell damage in various diseases.
      Therefore, it would be worthy to explore the the relationship between the ER
      stress and BBB disruption during vasogenic edema formation induced by
      epileptogenic insults. In the present study, we investigated the roles of ER
      stress in vasogenic edema and its related events in rat epilepsy models provoked
      by pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE). SE-induced eNOS activation
      induces BBB breakdown via up-regulation of GRP78 expression and dysfunction of
      SMI-71 (an endothelial BBB marker) in the piriform cortex (PC). In addition,
      caveolin-1 peptide (an eNOS inhibitor) effectively attenuated GRP78 expression
      and down-regulation of SMI-71. Taken together, our findings suggest that eNOS
      mediated ER stress may participate in SE-induced vasogenic edema formation.
      Therefore, the modulation of ER stress may be a considerable strategy for therapy
      in impairments of endothelial cell function.

PMID- 26115586
TI  - Colocalization of cannabinoid receptor 1 with somatostatin and neuronal nitric
      oxide synthase in rat brain hippocampus.
AB  - Somatostatin (SST), a growth hormone inhibitory peptide, is expressed in
      different parts of the brain and functions as a neurotransmitter and
      neuromodulator. In the central nervous system (CNS), SST inhibits Ca(2+) influx
      and regulates neuronal excitability in the hippocampus, the brain region which
      plays a major role in seizure, as well as cognitive and memory function. Much
      like SST, cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1 receptor) is also widely distributed in the
      CNS, associated with memory function ad exerts inhibitory effects on seizure. It
      is unknown whether overlapping functional activities of SST and CB1 receptor are
      also associated with coexpression in the hippocampus. In the present study, we
      determined the colocalization between SST and CB1 receptor in adult rat brain
      hippocampus. In the CNS, the majority of SST positive interneurons coexpress
      neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Accordingly, colocalization studies were
      also performed to determine whether nNOS positive neurons display comparable
      colocalization with CB1 receptor. The findings suggested that SST and nNOS are
      expressed in most interneurons whereas CB1 receptor is present in both
      interneurons and projection neurons in hippocampal regions. The distinct neuronal
      populations either expressing CB1 receptor, SST and nNOS alone or colocalization
      were observed in a region specific manner. Taken together, the observations
      described here anticipate the possibility of crosstalk between somatostatin
      subtypes and CB1 receptor in regulation of physiological activities in the
      hippocampus.

PMID- 26115587
TI  - Configurationally-Coupled Protonation of Polyproline-7.
AB  - Structure and dynamics regulate protein function, but much less is known about
      how biomolecule-solvent interactions affect the structure-function relationship.
      Even less is known about the thermodynamics of biomolecule-solvent interactions
      and how such interactions influence conformational entropy. When transferred from
      propanol into 40:60 propanol:water under acidic conditions, a remarkably slow
      protonation reaction coupled with the conversion of the polyproline-I helix (PPI,
      having all cis-configured peptide bonds) into polyproline-II (PPII, all trans)
      helix is observed in this work. Kinetics and equilibrium measurements as a
      function of temperature allow determination of the thermochemistry and insight
      into how proton transfer is regulated in this system. For the proton-transfer
      process, PPI(+)(PrOH) + H3O(+) -> PPII(2+)(PrOH/aq) + H2O, we determine DeltaG = 
      20 +/- 19 kJ.mol(-1), DeltaH = -75 +/- 14 kJ.mol(-1), and DeltaS= -188 +/- 48
      J.mol(-1).K(-1) for the overall reaction, and values of DeltaG(?) = 91 +/- 3
      kJ.mol(-1), DeltaH(?) = 84 +/- 9 kJ.mol(-1), and DeltaS(?) = -23 +/- 31 J.mol(
      1).K(-1) for the transition state. For a minor process, PPI(+)(PrOH) ->
      PPII(+)(PrOH/aq) without protonation, we determine DeltaG = -9 +/- 20 kJ.mol(-1),
      DeltaH = 64 +/- 14 kJ.mol(-1), and DeltaS= 247 +/- 50 J.mol(-1).K(-1). This
      thermochemistry yields DeltaG = -10 +/- 29 kJ.mol(-1), DeltaH = -139 +/- 20
      kJ.mol(-1), and DeltaS= -435 +/- 70 J.mol(-1).K(-1) for PPII(+)(PrOH/aq) + H3O(+)
      -> PPII(2+)(PrOH/aq) +H2O. The extraordinarily slow proton transfer appears to be
      an outcome of configurational coupling through a PPI-like transition state.

PMID- 26115588
TI  - The development of depressive symptoms during medical internship stress predicts
      worsening vascular function.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to prospectively determine whether the onset of internship
      stress and any subsequent depression alters physiological markers of early
      vascular disease METHODS: We explored potential mechanisms linking stress and
      depression to vascular disease in a prospective cohort of 37 participants exposed
      to medical internship stress, an established precipitant of depressive
      symptomatology. RESULTS: Change in depressive symptom score from baseline over
      one year of internship stress was inversely correlated with change in the
      reactive hyperemia index (RHI), a measure of peripheral endothelial function
      (r=0.41, p=0.01). The change in depressive symptoms in the first six months of
      internship was similarly related to change in RHI over one year (r=0.38, p=0.02).
      While the development of depressive symptoms did not significantly impact changes
      in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), EPCs did significantly decrease with the
      year of internship stress (11.9 to 3.4cells/ml blood; p=0.01). CONCLUSION:
      Endothelial function may be a critical link between stress, depression, and
      cardiovascular disease and a feasible surrogate outcome for prospective studies.

PMID- 26115589
TI  - Physiological and performance effects of carbohydrate gels consumed prior to the
      extra-time period of prolonged simulated soccer match-play.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The physiological and performance effects of carbohydrate-electrolyte
      gels consumed before the 30min extra-time period of prolonged soccer-specific
      exercise were investigated. DESIGN: Randomised, double-blind, crossover. METHODS:
      Eight English Premier League academy soccer players performed 120min of soccer
      specific exercise on two occasions while consuming fluid-electrolyte beverages
      before exercise, at half-time and 90min. Carbohydrate-electrolyte (0.7+/-0.1gkg(
      1) BM) or energy-free placebo gels were consumed ~5min before extra-time. Blood
      samples were taken before exercise, at half-time and every 15min during exercise.
      Physical (15-m and 30-m sprint speed, 30-m sprint maintenance and countermovement
      jump height) and technical (soccer dribbling) performance was assessed throughout
      each trial. RESULTS: Carbohydrate-electrolyte gels improved dribbling precision
      (+29+/-20%) and raised blood glucose concentrations by 0.7+/-0.8mmoll(-1) during
      extra-time (both p<0.01). Supplementation did not affect sprint velocities (15m
      and 30m), 30-m sprint maintenance or dribbling speed as reductions compared to 0
      15min values occurred at 105-120min irrespective of trial (all p<0.05). Plasma
      osmolality and blood sodium concentrations increased post-exercise vs. the
      opening 15min (p<0.05) but no effect of supplementation existed. Selected markers
      of physical performance (jump height, 30-m sprint velocity and 30-m repeated
      sprint maintenance) also reduced by >3% during half-time (all p<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Carbohydrate-electrolyte gel ingestion raised blood glucose
      concentrations and improved dribbling performance during the extra-time period of
      simulated soccer match-play. Supplementation did not attenuate reductions in
      physical performance and hydration status that occurred during extra-time.

PMID- 26115590
TI  - Moderate-severely bothersome vasomotor symptoms are associated with lowered
      psychological general wellbeing in women at midlife.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The extent to which menopause influences wellbeing is unclear. We
      investigated the association between moderate-severely bothersome vasomotor
      symptoms (VMS) and psychological general wellbeing in women, aged 40-65 years,
      taking into account socio-demographic and lifestyle factors. STUDY DESIGN/MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: This was a cross-sectional survey of 2020 Australian women,
      aged 40-65 years, recruited from the community between July 2013 and March 2014.
      Wellbeing was assessed by the Psychological and General Wellbeing questionnaire
      (PGWB) and VMS by the Menopause-specific Quality of Life Questionnaire. RESULTS:
      Moderate-severely bothersome VMS had a strong significant negative association
      with psychological general wellbeing [regression coefficient (beta)=-8.17, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) -10.90 to -5.45]. Socio-demographic factors associated
      with lower wellbeing included being un-partnered (beta=-2.80, 95% CI -4.74 to 
      0.86), obese (beta=-5.46, 95% CI -7.24 to -3.68) and a smoker (beta=-3.47, 95% CI
      -6.10 to -0.84). Older age (beta=0.29, 95% CI 0.06-0.42) and participation in
      paid and/or volunteer work (beta=2.72, 95% CI 0.61-4.82) were positively
      associated with wellbeing. For those with insecure housing, being a carer was
      associated with better wellbeing. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate-severely bothersome VMS
      are significantly and independently negatively associated with psychological
      general wellbeing in women at midlife. This is an important consideration when
      assessing psychological wellbeing in women during this life phase.

PMID- 26115592
TI  - Caregiver profiles and determinants of caregiving burden in Ghana.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Due to the growing elderly population, the high cost of care in Ghana
      and low coverage of the National Health Insurance Scheme, demands for family
      caregiving have become more imperative in Ghana than ever before. Many caregivers
      experience high burdens, yet literature on caregiving in Ghana is lacking. This
      study examined caregiver profiles and determinants of the burden of caregiving in
      Ghana. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: This study used data from
      Wave 1 of the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on Global Ageing and Adult
      Health (2007-2008). In total, 238 caregivers were analysed in the study. The
      burden of caregiving was measured using the WHO Impact of Caregiving Scale.
      Independent sample t-tests, correlations and analysis of variance were used to
      investigate associations between background characteristics and the burden of
      caregiving. Linear regression was used to examine determinants of the burden of
      caregiving. RESULTS: The mean age of caregivers was 61 years (standard deviation
      14.5), and the male:female ratio was approximately equal. On average,
      approximately two adults per household required care. Less than five percent of
      caregivers received financial, emotional, health, physical and personal care
      support. Place of residence, provision of financial, health and physical support
      to care recipients, and receipt of financial, physical and health support were
      significant determinants of the burden of caregiving. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      found a mismatch between the number of people needing care and the number of
      people providing care. In order to improve the health of caregivers and care
      recipients, there is a need to provide financial support for caregivers. In
      addition, pro-caregiving government programmes and policies should be
      established.

PMID- 26115591
TI  - Low-dose 17-beta-estradiol cream for vaginal atrophy in a cohort without
      prolapse: Serum levels and vaginal response including tissue biomarkers
      associated with tissue remodeling.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Describe the effect of 50 mcg vaginal 17-beta-estradiol (E2) cream on
      vaginal maturation, serum estrogen levels, atrophic symptoms, and biomarkers of
      oxidative stress and tissue remodeling in postmenopausal women without prolapse.
      METHODS: Seventeen women, 65 years or older, applied intravaginal E2 cream
      nightly for eight weeks, then twice weekly for eight weeks. Vaginal biopsies,
      serial blood draws, and atrophic symptoms were obtained at baseline, eight, and
      sixteen weeks. Changes in atrophic symptoms, vaginal maturation indices (VMI),
      and serum E2 were measured. Immunohistochemical staining characterized levels of
      transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), nuclear factor kappa B (NFKB),
      inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS),
      and thrombospondin (TSP). RESULTS: Serum E2 levels (pg/ml) were unchanged from
      baseline (mean (SD)) 7.7 (3.3) to eight 9.7 (5.7) and sixteen 8.7 (5.8) (p=0.24)
      weeks. VMI (mean (SD)) improved from baseline 34.2 (18.3) to eight 56.7 (13.1)
      and sixteen 54.5 (11.3) (p<0.001) weeks with no difference between eight and
      sixteen weeks. Vaginal dryness (p=0.03) and itching (p=0.02) improved. Tissue
      biomarker levels did not change (TGF-beta p=0.35, NFKB p=0.74, eNOS p=0.80, iNOS
      p=0.24, TSP p=0.80). DISCUSSION: Vaginal E2 improved atrophic symptoms and VMI
      without elevating serum E2. Tissue remodeling biomarkers did not change.

PMID- 26115593
TI  - High dose of TNF-alpha suppressed osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp
      stem cells by activating the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling.
AB  - Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) were a clonogenic, highly proliferative cells
      capable of self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation including chondrocytes,
      adipocytes, neural cells and osteoblasts, which make it an attractive choice for
      bone regeneration and repair of craniofacial defects. Recent studies showed that
      tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) may affect osteoclastogenesis and bone
      formation. However, the effect and mechanism of TNF-alpha on DPSCs is not clear.
      In this study, we found that low dose TNF-alpha promoted mineralization and high
      dose TNF-alpha suppressed osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs. Levels of ALP,
      Osteopontin, Osteocalcin, Osterix and Runx2 were up-regulated in DPSCs treated
      with TNF-alpha at low concentration, while down-regulated in DPSCs treated with
      TNF-alpha at high concentration. Blockade of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling reversed
      the inhibitory effect observed on osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs treated
      with TNF-alpha at high concentration. In addition, we did not detect any
      proliferative effect of TNF-alpha on DPSCs by cell cycle and cell counts
      analysis. In summary, our data suggested that high concentration TNF-alpha
      suppressed mineralization and mineralization-related gene expressions through the
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in DPSCs. Our findings may provide a foundation for
      autologous transplantation of DPSCs. 

PMID- 26115594
TI  - Passage of time judgements.
AB  - The article discusses passage of time judgements (POTJs), judgements about how
      fast time seems to pass in some situation or during some event. It is argued that
      POTJs should be distinguished from duration judgements, and that the relation
      between the two remains to be identified. The article discusses (a) POTJs in
      laboratory situations and in the real world, (b) "feel judgements", the statement
      that a duration "feels longer" than a person knows it to be, (c) distortions of
      passage of time in emergency situations, (d) passage of time and ageing, and (e)
      determinants of POTJs, particularly the roles of information-processing/attention
      and arousal. 

PMID- 26115595
TI  - Impacts on silkworm larvae midgut proteomics by transgenic Trichoderma strain and
      analysis of glutathione S-transferase sigma 2 gene essential for anti-stress
      response of silkworm larvae.
AB  - Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that have major impacts on humans as
      agriculture pests. The midgut is considered an important target for insect
      control. In the present study, 10 up-regulated, 18 down-regulated, and one newly
      emerged protein were identified in the transgenic Trichoderma-treated midgut
      proteome. Proteins related to stress response, biosynthetic process, and
      metabolism process were further characterized through quantitative real-time PCR
      (qPCR). Of all the identified proteins, the glutathione S-transferase sigma 2
      (GSTs2) gene displayed enhanced expression when larvae were fed with Trichoderma
      wild-type or transgenic strains. Down regulation of GSTs2 expression by RNA
      interference (RNAi) resulted in inhibition of silkworm growth when larvae were
      fed with mulberry leaves treated with the transgenic Trichoderma strain. Weight
      per larva decreased by 18.2%, 11.9%, and 10.7% in the untreated control, ddH2O,
      and GFP dsRNA groups, respectively, at 24h, while the weight decrease was higher
      at 42.4%, 28.8% and 32.4% at 72 h after treatment. Expression of glutathione S
      transferase omega 2 (GSTo2) was also enhanced when larvae were fed with mulberry
      leaves treated with the transgenic Trichoderma strain. These results indicated
      that there was indeed correlation between enhanced expression of GSTs2 and the
      anti-stress response of silkworm larvae against Trichoderma. This study
      represents the first attempt at understanding the effects of transgenic organisms
      on the midgut proteomic changes in silkworm larvae. Our findings could not only
      broaden the biological control targets of insect at the molecular level, but also
      provide a theoretical foundation for biological safety evaluation of the
      transgenic Trichoderma strain.

PMID- 26115596
TI  - Essential role of constitutive androstane receptor in Ginkgo biloba extract
      induced liver hypertrophy and hepatocarcinogenesis.
AB  - Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) is commonly used as a herbal supplement. The National
      Toxicology Program (NTP) study of GBE reported clear evidence of
      hepatocarcinogenicity in mice. To clarify the mode of action (MOA) for
      hepatocarcinogenesis by GBE, we investigated the involvement of the constitutive
      androstane receptor (CAR) in hepatocarcinogenesis induced by GBE using CAR
      knockout (CARKO) and wild type (WT) mice. We used the same lot of GBE that was
      used for the NTP study. In 1-week GBE dietary treatment, hepatocellular DNA
      replication was increased in WT mice but not in CARKO mice. In 4- or 13-week
      treatment, greater hepatic Cyp2b10 induction and hepatocellular hypertrophy were
      observed in WT mice, whereas these effects of GBE were much smaller in CARKO
      mice. In a two-stage hepatocarcinogenesis model initiated by diethylnitrosamine,
      27-week treatment with GBE resulted in an increase of eosinophilic altered foci
      and adenomas in WT mice. By contrast, foci and adenomas were clearly less evident
      in CARKO mice. These results indicate that GBE-induced hepatocarcinogenesis is
      mainly CAR-mediated. Since CAR-mediated MOA for hepatocarcinogenesis in rodents
      is considered to be qualitatively implausible for humans, our findings would be
      helpful to evaluate the carcinogenic characterization of GBE to humans.

PMID- 26115597
TI  - Effectiveness of activated carbon and Egyptian montmorillonite in the protection
      against deoxynivalenol-induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in rats.
AB  - This study was conducted to prepare and characterize activated carbon (AC) and to
      evaluate its protective effect against deoxynivalenol (DON) toxicity in rats
      compared to Egyptian montmorillonite (EM). AC was prepared using a single-step
      chemical activation with phosphoric acid (H3PO4). The resulted AC has a high
      surface area and a high total pore volume. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided
      into 6 groups (n = 10) and treated for 3 weeks as follow: the control group, the
      groups fed AC or EM-supplemented diet (0.5% w/w), the group treated orally with
      DON (5 mg/kg b.w.) and the groups fed AC or EM-supplemented diet and treated with
      DON. Blood and liver samples were collected for different analyses. Treatment
      with DON increased liver function enzymes, lipid peroxidation, tumor necrosis
      factor alpha, DNA fragmentation, decreased hepatic glutathione content, up
      regulating mRNA Fas and TNF-alpha genes expression and increased micronucleated
      polychromatic erythrocytes and normochromatic erythrocytes in bone marrow. Co
      treatment of DON plus AC or EM succeeded to normalize the levels of the
      biochemical parameters, reduced the cytotoxicity of bone marrow and ameliorated
      the hepatic genotoxicity. Moreover, AC was more effective than EM and has a high
      affinity to adsorb DON and to reduce its cytotoxicity and genotoxicity.

PMID- 26115598
TI  - Genotoxicity evaluation of metformin and glimepiride by micronucleus assay in
      exfoliated urothelial cells of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.
AB  - Micronucleus (MN) assay was performed on the exfoliated urothelial cells to
      detect the genotoxic effects of the anti-hyperglycemic drugs, metformin and
      glimepiride in T2DM patients and to use it as a biomarker for DNA damage by
      assessing the frequency of micronuclei in the exfoliated urothelial cells. A
      total of 201 subjects (147 T2DM patients & 54 Normal cases) were selected from
      diverse age groups (25-75 years) and the mean MN frequency was examined per 1000
      cells in all the subjects. Relative to the control group (5.02 +/- 1.01), an
      increased MN frequency was observed in females (26.15 +/- 2.15) when compared to
      males (23.08 +/- 2.09) in T2DM patients. Further analysis showed that there was a
      profound increase in the number of MN in the patients using metformin alone
      (23.02 +/- 4.44), or combination of metformin & glimepiride (24.98 +/- 2.87) than
      to the subjects using glimepiride alone (17.52 +/- 3.28). It has been proven by
      this simple, reliable and non-invasive method that metformin has a potential role
      in causing genotoxicity and that the MN observed in exfoliated urothelial cells
      could be used as a reliable biomarker in monitoring the genotoxic risk of the
      anti-hyperglycemic drugs.

PMID- 26115599
TI  - Flow cytometry evaluation of in vitro cellular necrosis and apoptosis induced by
      silver nanoparticles.
AB  - Particles possess unique properties in the nanoscale, e.g., enhanced catalytic
      activity, high surface area, and light emission/absorption properties, that might
      result in interference with colorimetric in vitro cytotoxicity assays such as
      MTT, XTT or MTS. Alternatively, assays that do not use spectrophotometric
      detection, such as trypan blue exclusion or flow cytometry (FC) based assays, are
      less likely to be influenced by nanoparticle interference. The aim of this study
      was to evaluate FC assays to assess the cytotoxicity of three different sizes
      (10, 100, or 200 nm) of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) at different mass
      concentrations (1, 25, or 50 ug/ml) in L-929 fibroblast cells. After 4 h and 24 h
      exposure, cell necrosis and apoptosis were assessed using 7-AAD and Annexin V
      dyes, respectively, with FC. The data indicate that cell necrosis and apoptosis
      in AgNP-exposed fibroblasts depends on dose, exposure time, and AgNP size. The
      data indicate that AgNPs produced a dose- and time-dependent decrease in cell
      viability; however, 10 nm AgNPs were significantly more toxic than larger-sized
      particles. Thus, standard FC assays can be utilized to assess apoptosis and
      necrosis in response to nanomaterial exposure. 

PMID- 26115600
TI  - Immunohistochemical localization of GABAergic key molecules in the main olfactory
      bulb of the Korean roe deer, Capreolus pygargus.
AB  - Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) negatively regulates the excitatory activity of
      neurons and is a predominant neurotransmitter in the nervous system. The
      olfactory bulb, the main center in the olfactory system, is modulated by
      inhibitory interneurons that use GABA as their main neurotransmitter. The present
      study aimed to evaluate GABAergic transmission in the main olfactory bulb (MOB)
      of the Korean roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) by examining the immunohistochemical
      localization of GABAergic key molecules, including glutamic acid decarboxylase
      (GAD), vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT), GABA transporters (GATs; GAT-1 and GAT
      3), and potassium sodium chloride co-transporter 2 (KCC2). GAD, VGAT, and KCC2
      were expressed in the glomerular layer (GL), external plexiform layer (ePL),
      mitral cell layer (ML), and granule cell layer (GrL). Intense GAT-1 expression
      was observed in the GL; GAT-1 expression was discernible in the ePL, ML, and GrL.
      However, intense GAT-3 expression was extensively observed in all layers of the
      MOB. These results suggest that substantial GABAergic synapses are present in the
      GL, ePL, ML, and GrL. Furthermore, the released GABA may be removed by GAT-1 and
      GAT-3 in the GL, and the majority of GABA, which is present in the ePL to GrL,
      may undergo reuptake by GAT-3. This is the first morphological and descriptive
      study of GABAergic transmission in the MOB of Korean roe deer. 

PMID- 26115601
TI  - Contributions of attention and elaboration to associative encoding in young and
      older adults.
AB  - Episodic memory declines during healthy aging, with a particular reduction in the
      ability to encode associations. We investigated the role of alternating
      attentional focus between two items of a pair in order to generate associative
      links, as well as working memory based elaborative processes in this age-related
      memory deficit. While their eye gaze behavior and ERPs were recorded, 19 young
      and 22 elderly (64-79 years) participants used interactive imagery to encode
      pairs of spatially separated objects. In a subsequent recognition test, older
      adults showed a larger reduction in associative than item memory, relative to
      young adults. For both age groups the number of eye gaze transitions between
      objects at encoding was correlated with associative recognition performance,
      suggesting that alternating attentional focus between items aids the generation
      of relational links necessary to encode associative memories. However, the
      relative time course of eye gaze transitions over the encoding interval for
      trials that were subsequently retrieved vs. forgotten differed between age
      groups. Furthermore, the ERPs of older adults exhibited strongly reduced frontal
      slow wave "subsequent memory effects", suggesting that they engaged to a lesser
      extent in working memory-based elaboration of the associative link. Based on
      these results, we propose that older adults exhibit a reduced tendency to
      generate and elaborate on internal representations of inter-item associative
      links. Rather, they use a less effective encoding strategy that disproportionally
      relies on the external stimulus display, resulting in lower associative memory
      performance. 

PMID- 26115602
TI  - Does the speaker matter? Online processing of semantic and pragmatic information
      in L2 speech comprehension.
AB  - The present study investigated how pragmatic information is integrated during L2
      sentence comprehension. We put forward that the differences often observed
      between L1 and L2 sentence processing may reflect differences on how various
      types of information are used to process a sentence, and not necessarily
      differences between native and non-native linguistic systems. Based on the idea
      that when a cue is missing or distorted, one relies more on other cues available,
      we hypothesised that late bilinguals favour the cues that they master during
      sentence processing. To verify this hypothesis we investigated whether late
      bilinguals take the speaker's identity (inferred by the voice) into account when
      incrementally processing speech and whether this affects their online
      interpretation of the sentence. To do so, we adapted Van Berkum, J.J.A., Van den
      Brink, D., Tesink, C.M.J.Y., Kos, M., Hagoort, P., 2008. J. Cogn. Neurosci.
      20(4), 580-591, study in which sentences with either semantic violations or
      pragmatic inconsistencies were presented. While both the native and the non
      native groups showed a similar response to semantic violations (N400), their
      response to speakers' inconsistencies slightly diverged; late bilinguals showed a
      positivity much earlier than native speakers (LPP). These results suggest that,
      like native speakers, late bilinguals process semantic and pragmatic information
      incrementally; however, what seems to differ between L1 and L2 processing is the
      time-course of the different processes. We propose that this difference may
      originate from late bilinguals' sensitivity to pragmatic information and/or their
      ability to efficiently make use of the information provided by the sentence
      context to generate expectations in relation to pragmatic information during L2
      sentence comprehension. In other words, late bilinguals may rely more on speaker
      identity than native speakers when they face semantic integration difficulties.

PMID- 26115603
TI  - Re-establishing the disrupted sensorimotor loop in deafferented and deefferented
      people: The case of spinal cord injuries.
AB  - Acting efficiently in the world depends on the activity of motor and
      somatosensory systems, the integration of which is necessary for the proper
      functioning of the sensorimotor loop (SL). Profound alterations of SL functioning
      follow spinal cord injury (SCI), a condition that brings about a disconnection of
      the body from the brain. Such disconnection creates a substantial deprivation of
      somatosensorial inputs and motor outputs. Consequent somatic deficits and motor
      paralysis affect the body below the lesion level. A complete restoration of
      normal functions of the SL cannot be expected until basic neuroscience has found
      a way to re-establish the interrupted neural connectivity. Meanwhile, studies
      should focus on the development of technical solutions for dealing with the
      disruption of the sensorimotor loop. This review discusses the structural and
      functional adaptive reorganization of the brain after SCI, and the maladaptive
      mechanisms that impact on the processing of body related information, which alter
      motor imagery strategies and EEG signals. Studies that show how residual
      functions (e.g. face tactile sensitivity) may help people to restore a normal
      body image are also reviewed. Finally, data on how brain and residual body
      signals may be used to improve brain computer interface systems is discussed in
      relation to the issue of how such systems may help SCI people to re-enter the
      world and interact with objects and other individuals. 

PMID- 26115604
TI  - A Swarm Optimization approach for clinical knowledge mining.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Rule-based classification is a typical data mining
      task that is being used in several medical diagnosis and decision support
      systems. The rules stored in the rule base have an impact on classification
      efficiency. Rule sets that are extracted with data mining tools and techniques
      are optimized using heuristic or meta-heuristic approaches in order to improve
      the quality of the rule base. In this work, a meta-heuristic approach called Wind
      driven Swarm Optimization (WSO) is used. The uniqueness of this work lies in the
      biological inspiration that underlies the algorithm. METHODS: WSO uses Jval, a
      new metric, to evaluate the efficiency of a rule-based classifier. Rules are
      extracted from decision trees. WSO is used to obtain different permutations and
      combinations of rules whereby the optimal ruleset that satisfies the requirement
      of the developer is used for predicting the test data. The performance of various
      extensions of decision trees, namely, RIPPER, PART, FURIA and Decision Tables are
      analyzed. The efficiency of WSO is also compared with the traditional Particle
      Swarm Optimization. RESULTS: Experiments were carried out with six benchmark
      medical datasets. The traditional C4.5 algorithm yields 62.89% accuracy with 43
      rules for liver disorders dataset where as WSO yields 64.60% with 19 rules. For
      Heart disease dataset, C4.5 is 68.64% accurate with 98 rules where as WSO is
      77.8% accurate with 34 rules. The normalized standard deviation for accuracy of
      PSO and WSO are 0.5921 and 0.5846 respectively. CONCLUSION: WSO provides accurate
      and concise rulesets. PSO yields results similar to that of WSO but the novelty
      of WSO lies in its biological motivation and it is customization for rule base
      optimization. The trade-off between the prediction accuracy and the size of the
      rule base is optimized during the design and development of rule-based clinical
      decision support system. The efficiency of a decision support system relies on
      the content of the rule base and classification accuracy.

PMID- 26115605
TI  - [NaCl 0.9 % for volume substitution : blessing or curse?].
AB  - The nonphysiological high chloride content of 0.9 % saline causes hyperchloremic
      acidosis and rapidly reduces renal perfusion in healthy volunteers-negative
      affects not seen with balanced crystalloids with low chloride content. Evidence
      from recently published studies strongly suggests that 0.9 % saline negatively
      effects outcome in surgical and critically ill patients. Major complications are
      the increased incidence of acute kidney injury and need for renal replacement
      therapy, as well as higher postoperative in-hospital mortality. Although
      implemented as the gold standard in many clinical guidelines, there are currently
      no data supporting the use of 0.9 % saline instead of modern balanced
      crystalloids. This is also and even particularly true for patients with
      hypokalemia and acute or chronic kidney injury. In-house training is an effective
      tool for sustainably raising the awareness of this issue among nursing and
      medical staff, and identifying alternative strategies to the use of NaCl 0.9 % in
      clinical practice. 

PMID- 26115606
TI  - Water-soluble benzodiazepine prodrug/enzyme combinations for intranasal rescue
      therapies.
AB  - Benzodiazepines (BZDs), including diazepam (DZP) and midazolam (MDZ), are drugs
      of choice for rapid treatment of seizure emergencies. Current approved use of
      these drugs involves administration via either intravenous or rectal routes. The
      former requires trained medical personnel, while the latter is socially
      unacceptable for many patients and caregivers. In recent years, efforts have been
      made to formulate BZDs for nasal administration. Because of the low solubility of
      these molecules, organic vehicles have been used to solubilize the drugs in the
      nasal products under development. However, organic solvents are irritating,
      potentially resulting in injury to nasal tissue. Here we report preliminary
      studies supporting a strategy in which water-soluble BZD prodrugs and a suitable
      converting enzyme are coadministered in an aqueous vehicle. Diazepam and
      midazolam prodrugs were synthesized and were readily converted to their active
      forms by a protease from Aspergillus oryzae. Using a permeation assay based on
      monolayers of Madin-Darby canine kidney II-wild type cells, we found that
      enzymatically produced BZDs could be maintained at high degrees of
      supersaturation, enabling faster transport across the membrane than can be
      achieved using saturated solutions. This strategy not only obviates the need for
      organic solvents, but it also suggests more rapid absorption and earlier peak
      concentrations than can be otherwise achieved. This article is part of a Special
      Issue entitled "Status Epilepticus". 

PMID- 26115607
TI  - Evidence for immunomodulation and apoptotic processes induced by cationic
      polystyrene nanoparticles in the hemocytes of the marine bivalve Mytilus.
AB  - Polymeric nanoparticles can reach the marine environment from different sources
      as weathering of plastic debris and nanowaste. Nevertheless, few data are
      available on their fate and impact on marine biota. Polystyrene nanoparticles (PS
      NPs) can be considered as a model for studying the effects of nanoplastics in
      marine organisms: recent data on amino-modified PS NPs (PS-NH2) toxicity in sea
      urchin embryos underlined that marine invertebrates can be biological targets of
      nanoplastics. Cationic PS NPs have been shown to be toxic to mammalian cells,
      where they can induce apoptotic processes; however, no information is available
      on their effects and mechanisms of action in the cells of marine organisms. In
      this work, the effects of 50 nm PS-NH2 were investigated in the hemocytes of the
      marine bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis. Hemocytes were exposed to different
      concentrations (1, 5, 50 MUg/ml) of PS-NH2 suspension in ASW. Clear signs of
      cytoxicity were evident only at the highest concentrations (50 MUg/ml). On the
      other hand, a dose dependent decrease in phagocytic activity and increase in
      lysozyme activity were observed. PS-NH2 NPs also stimulated increase in
      extracellular ROS (reactive oxygen species) and NO (nitric oxide) production,
      with maximal effects at lower concentrations. Moreover, at the highest
      concentration tested, PS-NH2 NPs induced apoptotic process, as evaluated by Flow
      cytometry (Annexin V binding and mitochondrial parameters). The results
      demonstrate that in marine invertebrates the immune function can represent a
      significant target for PS-NPs. Moreover, in Mytilus hemocytes, PS-NH2 NPs can act
      through mechanisms similar to those observed in mammalian cells. Further research
      is necessary on specific mechanisms of toxicity and cellular uptake of
      nanoplastics in order to assess their impact on marine biota. 

PMID- 26115608
TI  - Resurgence of canine parvovirus 2a strain in the domestic dog population from
      Argentina.
AB  - Ninety-three rectal swab samples were taken, from dogs suspected of canine
      parvovirus (CPV) infection and analyzed by PCR. A fragment of the VP2 gene, was
      amplified in 41 (44%) of them, resulting CPV positive samples. Sequencing
      analysis of these PCR products showed that 37 samples (90.2%) belonged to the
      CPV2c type, whereas four samples (9.8%) were identified as CPV2a, which has not
      been found since 2008. It was also found that 24 out of 37 CPV2c samples (65%),
      carried the mutation Thr440Ala, whereas this mutation was absent in the four
      CPV2a strains reported herein. Using phylogenetic analysis of the full length VP2
      gene, which was amplified by PCR in six local samples, it was seen that CPV2a
      Argentine strains reported in this study, were genetically closer to a previous
      local CPV2a isolate (year 2003) and to a South African CPV2a strain, than to any
      of the recently reported Uruguayan CPV2a strains. The results obtained in this
      work, together with those reported previously in Uruguay strongly suggest that,
      in spite of the geographical proximity, wild type CPV strains undergo different
      evolutive pathways in each country, resulting in the prevalence of different
      strains in related dog populations. Further extensive epidemiological studies are
      needed in order to improve the understanding of CPV evolution. 

PMID- 26115609
TI  - Rapid and specific detection of Yam mosaic virus by reverse-transcription
      recombinase polymerase amplification.
AB  - Yam mosaic virus (YMV; genus Potyvirus) is considered to cause the most
      economically important viral disease of yams (Dioscorea spp.) in West Africa
      which is the dominant region for yam production globally. Yams are a vegetatively
      propagated crop and the use of virus-free planting material forms an essential
      component of disease control. Current serological and PCR-based diagnostic
      methods for YMV are time consuming involving a succession of target detection
      steps. In this study, a novel assay for specific YMV detection is described that
      is based on isothermal reverse transcription-recombinase polymerase amplification
      (RT-exoRPA). This test has been shown to be reproducible and able to detect as
      little as 14 pg/MUl of purified RNA obtained from an YMV-infected plant, a
      sensitivity equivalent to that obtained with the reverse transcription-polymerase
      chain reaction (RT-PCR) in current general use. The RT-exoRPA assay has, however,
      several advantages over the RT-PCR; positive samples can be detected in less than
      30 min, and amplification only requires a single incubation temperature (optimum
      37 degrees C). These features make the RT-exoRPA assay a promising candidate for
      adapting into a field test format to be used by yam breeding programmes or
      certification laboratories.

PMID- 26115610
TI  - Mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysm after adjuvant therapy with bacillus Calmette
      Guerin in patients with urothelial bladder cancer: a rare but misinterpreted
      complication.
AB  - Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) therapy is often associated with side effects. The
      most feared is disseminated sepsis that may occur rarely with the development of
      mycotic aortic aneurysms. Twenty cases of patients treated with intravesical BCG
      complicated by mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysm have been reported in the
      literature, including 2 cases of the present study. Delayed vascular work-up
      represents a critical aspect. Mycotic aneurysms evidence a rapid progression.
      Primary care physicians and urologists should be sensitized to recognize
      unspecified symptoms such as potential clinical manifestations of a mycotic
      abdominal aortic aneurysm, even several months or years after BCG therapy. 

PMID- 26115611
TI  - Mycotic Saccular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in an Infant after Cardiac
      Catheterization: A Case Report.
AB  - Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are a rare entity in the pediatric population.
      Children with mycotic (infectious) AAA in particular are at risk of life
      threatening rupture due to their rapid expansion coupled with aortic wall
      thinning and deterioration. Here, we present the case of a 10-month-old infant
      with prior 2-staged repair for hypoplastic left heart syndrome that was
      incidentally discovered to have a mycotic AAA on abdominal ultrasound (US) for
      evaluation of renovascular hypertension. Before the time of evaluation with US,
      the infant had developed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia 3
      days after cardiac catheterization with percutaneous thoracic aortic balloon
      angioplasty. She had normal aortic contours on contrasted computed tomography
      scan of the abdomen approximately 2 weeks before the aforementioned US
      evaluation. This infant subsequently underwent open aneurysmorrhaphy with
      cryopreserved vein patch angioplasty with resolution of her aneurysmal segment. 

PMID- 26115612
TI  - Open Surgical Repair of Aortoiliac Aneurysm, Left Pelvic Kidney and Right Kidney
      Malposition with Aberrant Vascularization, and Compressive Syndrome.
AB  - We present the case of a 65-year-old male patient with aortoiliac aneurysm
      associated with a congenital left pelvic kidney vascularized by left common iliac
      artery and right malposition kidney vascularized by 2 aberrant arteries, which
      sprout from the aneurysm. In addition, the patient had right iliacofemoral vein
      thrombosis caused by right iliac artery aneurysm compression. We faced the
      challenge of treating the patient while preserving renal function. 

PMID- 26115613
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of adalimumab in Crohn's disease.

PMID- 26115614
TI  - Cloning, purification and characterization of a thermostable beta-galactosidase
      from Bacillus licheniformis strain KG9.
AB  - A thermo&mdash; and alkalitolerant Bacillus licheniformis KG9 isolated from
      Ta&#351;l&#305;dere hot water spring in Batman/Turkey was found to produce a
      thermostable &#946;&mdash;galactosidase. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the
      16S rRNA gene from B. licheniformis strain KG9 was 99.9% identical to that of the
      genome sequenced B. licheniformis strain DSM 13. Analysis of the B. licheniformis
      DSM 13 genomic sequence revealed four putative &#946;&mdash;galactosidase genes.
      PCR primers based on the genome sequence of strain DSM 13 were used to isolate
      the corresponding &#946;&mdash;galactosidase genes from B. licheniformis strain
      KG9. The calculated molecular weights of the &#946;&mdash;galactosidases I, II,
      III, and IV using sequencing data were 30, 79, 74, and 79 kDa, respectively. The
      genes were inserted into an expression vector and recombinant
      &#946;&mdash;galactosidase was produced in Escherichia coli. Of the four
      &#946;&mdash;galactosidase genes identified in strain KG9, three of them were
      expressed as active, intracellular enzymes in E. coli. One of the recombinant
      enzymes, &#946;&mdash;galactosidase III, was purified and characterized. Optimal
      temperature and pH was determined to be at 60 oC and pH 6.0, respectively. Km was
      determined to be 1.3 mM and 13.3 mM with oNPG
      (ortho&mdash;nitrophenyl&mdash;&#946;&mdash;D&mdash;galactopyranoside) and
      lactose as substrates, respectively, and Vmax was measured to 1.96 &#956;mol/min
      and 1.55 &#956;mol/min with oNPG and lactose, respectively. 

PMID- 26115615
TI  - Re: Too hot to handle? Hot water bottle injuries in Sydney, Australia.

PMID- 26115616
TI  - Management of late extraneural recurrence of medulloblastoma without high-dose
      chemotherapy.

PMID- 26115617
TI  - Renal transplantation in infants.
AB  - Renal transplantation (RTx) has become an accepted mode of therapy in infants
      with severe renal failure. The major indications are structural abnormalities of
      the urinary tract, congenital nephrotic syndrome, polycystic diseases, and
      neonatal kidney injury. Assessment of these infants needs expertise and time as
      well as active treatment before RTx to ensure optimal growth and development, and
      to avoid complications that could lead to permanent neurological defects. RTx can
      be performed already in infants weighing around 5 kg, but most operations occur
      in infants with a weight of 10 kg or more. Perioperative management focuses on
      adequate perfusion of the allograft and avoidance of thrombotic and other
      surgical complications. Important long-term issues include rejections,
      infections, graft function, growth, bone health, metabolic problems,
      neurocognitive development, adherence to medication, pubertal maturation, and
      quality of life. The overall outcome of infant RTx has dramatically improved,
      with long-term patient and graft survivals of over 90 and 80 %, respectively. 

PMID- 26115618
TI  - Adiponectin in children and young adults with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adiponectin is an adipokine that is elevated in kidney disease.
      Evidence suggests that adiponectin exerts a direct effect on the podocyte and may
      play a role in the pathogenesis of proteinuria. The objectives of this study were
      to characterize serum and urine adiponectin levels over time in patients with
      focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and to evaluate the role of baseline
      levels of adiponectin as a predictor of clinical remission. METHODS: This was a
      study of 60 individuals, ages 3-38 years, with steroid-resistant FSGS enrolled in
      the FSGS clinical trial. Serial measurements of serum and urine adiponectin were
      obtained at baseline and 26 and 52 weeks. RESULTS: Participants were of mean age
      19.4 +/- 10.2 years (50% male, 33% black). Serum adiponectin (baseline mean 14.3
      +/- 6.6 MUg/ml) and urine adiponectin:creatinine (Uadp/cr) (baseline mean 126.8
      +/- 178.9 MUg/ml) directly correlated with proteinuria at all time points (r =
      0.37-0.81; all p < 0.05). Proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, and hyperlipidemia were
      significant independent predictors of greater serum adiponectin and Uadp/cr in
      multivariate analysis. Lower tertiles of baseline serum adiponectin were
      associated with greater response to treatment at 52 weeks when adjusted for age,
      sex, body mass index (BMI) z score, and estimated glomerular filtration rate
      (eGFR) [odds ratio (OR) 0.48; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.26-0.91, p = 0.023).
      For log Uadp/cr, the OR for remission was 0.43 (95% CI 0.21-0.89, p = 0.02) at 52
      weeks. However, when baseline urine protein:creatinine was added to the models,
      the relationships were no longer significant. CONCLUSIONS: Serum and urine
      adiponectin levels were directly associated with proteinuria and paralleled
      changes in proteinuria over time in children and young adults with FSGS. Although
      baseline adiponectin was lower in responders, response to treatment in patients
      with FSGS was not associated with serum and urine adiponectin levels but, rather,
      was related to proteinuria.

PMID- 26115619
TI  - Russell Wallace Chesney MD-a fond farewell.

PMID- 26115621
TI  - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder Under Treatment Outcomes Research
      (AUTOR): a European observational study in pediatric subjects.
AB  - The ADHD Under Treatment Observational Research (AUTOR) study was a European
      prospective, observational study that assessed factors associated with changes in
      ADHD severity, estimated change from baseline in quality of life (QoL), and
      characterized changes in ADHD symptoms over a 2-year period as a function of
      baseline treatment. The primary objective was to identify factors associated with
      worsening in ADHD severity during a 2-year follow-up period for subjects aged 6
      17 years, who were receiving the same pharmacotherapy for 3-8 months before
      enrollment and had a Clinical Global Impression (CGI)-ADHD-Severity score of
      mild/lower and a CGI-ADHD-Improvement score of improved/very much improved.
      Multivariate logistic regression examined the association of factors with
      worsening in ADHD. Mixed-model repeated measures regression analyzed QoL in terms
      of change from baseline in CHIP-CE PRF scores. There were 704 subjects analyzed.
      Variables associated with worsening ADHD severity were parental occupation,
      poorer school outcomes, and use of psychoeducation; baseline treatment was not
      significant. Among the secondary objectives, initial use of atomoxetine (vs.
      stimulants) was associated with a significant improvement on the CHIP-CE PRF
      total score, with an adjusted treatment difference of -6.0 (95 % CI -7.9, -4.1)
      at 24 months. Additionally, the odds of stability (CGI-ADHD-S <= 3 over the 2
      year period) were significantly lower for subjects initially responding to
      stimulants compared with atomoxetine (OR 0.5; 95 % CI 0.3, 0.8). ADHD symptom
      worsening was associated with initial use of psychoeducation, parental
      occupation, and poorer school outcomes. Response to initial treatment with
      atomoxetine was associated with improved QoL over 2 years. 

PMID- 26115622
TI  - Detection of Novel Mutation in Ccm3 Causes Familial Cerebral Cavernous
      Malformations.
AB  - Cerebral cavernous malformations are vascular lesions that usually involve brain
      micro-vessels. They can occur both in a sporadic form and familial one. Causes of
      familial forms are mutations at three loci: CCM1/KRIT1, CCM2/MGC4607, and
      CCM3/PDCD10. Here, we describe a novel CCM3 missense mutation (c.422T>G) detected
      in two Greek brothers showing multiple lesions at magnetic resonance imaging; to
      date, only the youngest is symptomatic. Bioinformatics tools showed this novel
      variant causes a loss of function in Pdcd10 protein due to its localization in
      the eighth helix and, particularly, affects Leu141, a highly conserved amino
      acid. Roles of Pdcd10 in angiogenesis regulation and its association with early
      development of cerebral cavernous malformations were also considered.

PMID- 26115623
TI  - LPS-Primed Release of HMGB-1 from Cortical Astrocytes is Modulated Through
      PI3K/AKT Pathway.
AB  - Studies have shown that LPS-preconditioned tolerant state could protect against
      brain injury to subsequent challenges. We hypothesized astrocytes were directly
      involved in the readjustment to confer neuroprotective effects with LPS
      pretreatment. High-mobility group box 1(HMGB-1) from LPS-preconditioned
      astrocytes, presumably serving as a positive regulator, might contribute to the
      favorable preconditioned effects. Furthermore, a potential cellular pathway
      (PI3K/AKT pathway), has been proposed for the active regulation of LPS-primed
      reactive astrocytes to secrete HMGB-1. In the present study, we used a low
      concentration of LPS to directly prime the astrocytes in vitro, and the
      subsequent astrocytic reactions, including cytokine secretion, the expression of
      transcription factors, and the release of HMGB-1 were examined after the blockade
      of the PI3K pathway. The data showed that LPS preconditioning could reduce some
      capacity of astrocytes to subsequent challenge in vitro. PI3K/AKT pathway was
      partially involved in the modulation of the release HMGB-1 from reactive
      astrocytes. These findings offer direct evidence supporting the flexible roles of
      astrocytes in mediating LPS-primed neuroprotection, and highlight additional
      targets for future attempts to modify the protective effects of astrocytes
      through LPS preconditioning. 

PMID- 26115624
TI  - Ligustilide Ameliorates Inflammatory Pain and Inhibits TLR4 Upregulation in
      Spinal Astrocytes Following Complete Freund's Adjuvant Peripheral Injection.
AB  - Ligustilide is a major component of Radix Angelica Sinensis and reported to have
      anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive effects. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has
      been shown to be expressed in the spinal cord and be involved in inflammatory
      pain and neuropathic pain. Whether ligustilide can inhibit spinal TLR4 expression
      in inflammatory pain is still unknown. In the present study, we intravenously
      injected ligustilide daily for 4 days, with the first injection given at 1 h
      before complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) injection. We tested the analgesic effect
      of ligustilide by behavioral test and checked the expression and distribution of
      TLR4 in the spinal cord by real-time quantitative PCR, Western blot, and
      immunofluorescence. Our data showed that repeated daily intravenous treatment
      with ligustilide alleviated CFA-induced heat hyperalgesia and mechanical
      allodynia. The same treatment also inhibited CFA-induced TLR4 mRNA and protein
      increase in the spinal cord. Immunofluorescence double staining showed that TLR4
      was predominantly expressed in spinal astrocytes. In primary cultured astrocytes,
      ligustilide dose-dependently reduced lipopolysaccharide-induced upregulation of
      TLR4 mRNA expression. These data indicate that ligustilide treatment reduces TLR4
      expression in spinal astrocytes and is an effective therapy for inflammatory
      pain.

PMID- 26115625
TI  - Recovery of motor coordination after exercise is correlated to enhancement of
      brain-derived neurotrophic factor in lactational vanadium-exposed rats.
AB  - Lactational exposure to vanadium can reduce the locomotor activity in adult
      animals. In this study, we investigated whether lactational vanadium exposure
      impairs the motor coordination and whether exercise ameliorates this dysfunction.
      Sprague-Dawley dams were treated with or without vanadium during lactation. The
      weaned male offspring were trained to treadmill running for 5 weeks and then
      examined their motor coordination on a rotarod. The neuroprotective effect of
      exercise was evaluated by the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in plasma
      and cerebellum. The results demonstrated that vanadium-exposed rats exhibited
      impaired motor coordination and reduced plasma and cerebellar BDNF levels.
      Treadmill running during childhood-adolescence prevented the impaired motor
      coordination in the lactational vanadium-exposed rats. The beneficial effect of
      treadmill running on motor coordination in the vanadium-exposed rats was
      correlated to the normalization of plasma and cerebellar BDNF levels, as well as
      the increased TrkB phosphorylation in the cerebellum. The result suggests that
      exercise may prevent the impairment of motor coordination in the lactational
      vanadium-exposed rats. 

PMID- 26115620
TI  - Biomechanical assessment in models of glaucomatous optic neuropathy.
AB  - The biomechanical environment within the eye is of interest in both the
      regulation of intraocular pressure and the loss of retinal ganglion cell axons in
      glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Unfortunately, this environment is complex and
      difficult to determine. Here we provide a brief introduction to basic concepts of
      mechanics (stress, strain, constitutive relationships) as applied to the eye, and
      then describe a variety of experimental and computational approaches used to
      study ocular biomechanics. These include finite element modeling, direct
      experimental measurements of tissue displacements using optical and other
      techniques, direct experimental measurement of tissue microstructure, and
      combinations thereof. Thanks to notable technical and conceptual advances in all
      of these areas, we are slowly gaining a better understanding of how tissue
      biomechanical properties in both the anterior and posterior segments may
      influence the development of, and risk for, glaucomatous optic neuropathy.
      Although many challenging research questions remain unanswered, the potential of
      this body of work is exciting; projects underway include the coupling of clinical
      imaging with biomechanical modeling to create new diagnostic tools, development
      of IOP control strategies based on improved understanding the mechanobiology of
      the outflow tract, and attempts to develop novel biomechanically-based
      therapeutic strategies for preservation of vision in glaucoma. 

PMID- 26115626
TI  - Association between two promoter polymorphisms (rs1893219 and rs1893220) of MC2R
      gene and intracerebral hemorrhage in Korean population.
AB  - The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has an important role in the
      pathogenesis of stroke. We investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) of melanocortin 2 receptor (MC2R), also known as adrenocorticotropic
      hormone (ACTH) receptor, were associated with the development of intracerebral
      hemorrhage (ICH) in Korean population. Two promoter SNPs [rs1893219 (-853A/G) and
      rs1893220 (-759G/T)] were genotyped in 145 ICH patients and 331 control subjects
      using direct sequencing. Multiple logistic regression models were used to
      determine odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals, and p-values. Two SNPs were
      associated with the development of ICH (rs1893219, p=0.003 in log-additive model,
      p=0.023 in dominant model, p=0.002 in recessive model; rs1893220, p=0.005 in log
      additive model, p=0.021 in dominant model, p=0.003 in recessive model). The
      frequencies of the G allele of rs1893219 and the T allele of rs1893220 were
      decreased in ICH group compared to control group (p=0.003 and p=0.004,
      respectively). The frequencies of the AG and GT haplotypes comprised of rs1893219
      and rs1893220 were also significantly different between the ICH and control
      groups (p=0.0026 and p=0.0034, respectively). These data suggest that the MC2R
      gene may contribute to the development of ICH. 

PMID- 26115627
TI  - Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the BDNF gene and suicide in the Slovenian
      sample.
AB  - In recent years, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and sequence variations
      within and near the BDNF gene have been studied for associations with various
      psychiatric disorders, including suicidal behavior. Since our previous work on
      completed suicide in Slavic population showed an association of the functional
      single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs6265 in the BDNF gene, we decided to
      extend the investigation and test additional SNPs in the BDNF gene, rs7124442,
      rs10767664, rs962369, rs12273363, rs908867, rs1491850, and rs1491851, for
      association with completed suicide. Our study subjects were Caucasians, and
      included 486 suicide completers and 289 controls. The case/control comparisons of
      allele, genotype and haplotype frequency distributions were performed by means of
      Pearson's X(2) tests. Analyses of allele and genotype frequency distributions of
      the sudied SNPs did not reveal any significant differences between the controls
      and suicide completers. Haplotype analysis (rs7124442-rs10767664-rs962369
      rs12273363-rs908867) showed an association of the haplotype C-A-T-C-C
      (p(corr)=0.038) with completed suicide, indicating that these SNPs on a haplotype
      level may play a role in completed suicide phenotype in our study sample.

PMID- 26115628
TI  - Management of Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients with Chronic Lung Disease.
AB  - Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a common complication of chronic pulmonary
      diseases, especially in advanced disease, and is associated with greater
      mortality and worse clinical course. Patients with symptoms that exceed those
      expected by their pulmonary disease should be further evaluated by
      echocardiography. Confirmatory right heart catheterization is indicated in those
      conditions where the results of the hemodynamic assessment will determine
      treatment options. The treatment of choice for patients who are hypoxemic and
      have pulmonary hypertension associated with chronic lung disease is long-term
      oxygen therapy. Conventional vasodilators or drugs approved for pulmonary
      arterial hypertension are not recommended in patients with mild-to-moderate PH
      because they may impair gas exchange and because there is a lack of evidence
      supporting their efficacy. Patients with severe PH should be considered for
      referral to a center with expertise in PH and lung diseases. Ideally, these
      patients should be included in randomized controlled trials to determine which
      patients are more likely to derive benefit and which therapies are most likely to
      be successful. 

PMID- 26115629
TI  - Quality of Life in Treatment-Resistant Hypertension.
AB  - Treatment-resistant hypertension (TRH) is an increasingly common and clinically
      challenging hypertension phenotype associated with adverse impact on
      cardiovascular events and death. Recent evidence, although limited, suggests that
      TRH may also adversely affect health-related quality of life (HrQoL) and other
      patient-reported outcomes. However, the precise mechanisms for this link remain
      unknown. A number of recent studies focusing on both the general hypertensive
      population and those with TRH suggest that patient awareness of difficult-to
      control blood pressure, chronically elevated blood pressure levels, and the use
      of aggressive medication regimens with attendant cumulative adverse effects may
      play significant roles. This review summarizes the existing literature on HrQoL
      in persons with TRH, highlights literature from the general hypertensive
      population with relevance to TRH, and discusses important remaining questions
      regarding HrQoL in persons with TRH. 

PMID- 26115630
TI  - Antibody-drug conjugates for cancer therapy: The technological and regulatory
      challenges of developing drug-biologic hybrids.
AB  - Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a new class of therapeutic agents that
      combine the targeting ability of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with small molecule
      drugs. The combination of a mAb targeting a cancer-specific antigen with a
      cytotoxin has tremendous promise as a new type of targeted cancer therapy. Two
      ADCs have been approved and many more are in clinical development, suggesting
      that this new class of drugs is coming to the forefront. Because of their unique
      nature as biologic-small drug hybrids, ADCs are challenging to develop, from both
      the scientific and regulatory perspectives. This review discusses both these
      aspects in current practice, and surveys the current state of the art of ADC drug
      development. 

PMID- 26115631
TI  - Efficacy of and risk of bleeding during pegylated interferon plus ribavirin
      treatment in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with pretreatment thrombocytopenia.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of and the risk of major
      bleeding during pegylated interferon (peg-IFN)/ribavirin (RBV) treatment among
      human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected patients
      according to the pretreatment platelet count. Two hundred and seventy-four
      HCV/HIV-coinfected, previously naive individuals with compensated cirrhosis
      enrolled in one Spanish prospective cohort who received peg-IFN/RBV were included
      in this study. The frequency of severe bleeding and sustained virological
      response (SVR) rate were compared between patients with a pretreatment platelet
      count <=70,000/mm(3) and >70,000/mm(3), respectively. Sixty-one (22 %) patients
      had a baseline platelet count <=70,000/mm(3). The median (Q1-Q3) pretreatment
      platelet count was 58,000 (49,000-65,000) cells/mm(3) in the platelet <=70,000
      group and 129,000 (102,500-166,000) cells/mm(3) in the platelet >70,000 group (p
      < 0.0001). Seventeen (28 %) subjects of the platelet <=70,000 group and 71 (33 %)
      patients of the platelet >70,000 group achieved SVR (p = 0.4). Only 2 (3.2 %)
      patients in the platelet <=70,000 group developed a severe hemorrhagic event,
      specifically esophageal variceal bleeding. The efficacy of therapy with peg
      IFN/RBV in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with low pretreatment platelet counts is
      comparable to that found in the overall subset of subjects with compensated
      cirrhosis. The frequency of severe hemorrhagic events related with this therapy
      is low in this population.

PMID- 26115632
TI  - Genome-wide identification and characterization of five MyD88 duplication genes
      in Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) and expression changes in response to
      bacterial challenge.
AB  - Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) is a pivotal adaptor in the TLR/IL-1R
      signaling pathway, which plays an important role in activating the innate immune
      system. Although MyD88 genes have been identified in a variety of species, they
      have not been systematically characterized in scallops. In this study, five MyD88
      genes were identified in Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis), PyMyD88-1,
      PyMyD88-2a, PyMyD88-2b, PyMyD88-3 and PyMyD88-4, which consisted of two pairs of
      tandem duplications located on the same chromosome. To our knowledge, this is the
      largest number of MyD88 genes found in an invertebrate. Phylogenetic and protein
      structural analyses were carried out to determine the identities and evolutionary
      relationships of these genes. PyMyD88s have highly conserved structures compared
      to MyD88 genes from other invertebrate species, except for PyMyD88-4, which
      contains only a DD domain, suggesting the evolutionarily conserved form of this
      particular gene member. We investigated the expression profiles of PyMyD88 genes
      at different developmental stages and in healthy adult tissues and hemocytes
      after Micrococcus luteus and Vibrio anguillarum infection using quantitative real
      time PCR (qRT-PCR). The expression of most PyMyD88s was significantly induced in
      the acute phase (3-6 h) after infection with both gram-positive (M. luteus) and
      gram-negative (V. anguillarum) bacteria, with much more dramatic changes in
      PyMyD88 expression being observed after V. anguillarum challenge. Collectively,
      the abundance of MyD88s and their specific expression patterns provide insight
      into their versatile roles in the response of the bivalve innate immune system to
      gram-negative bacterial pathogens.

PMID- 26115634
TI  - Bortezomib: A Review in Mantle Cell Lymphoma in Previously Untreated Patients
      Unsuitable for Stem-Cell Transplantation.
AB  - Bortezomib (Velcade((r))) is a proteasome inhibitor that is approved for the
      treatment of multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). This article
      reviews the efficacy and tolerability of bortezomib in combination with
      rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and prednisone (VR-CAP) in the treatment
      of previously untreated MCL unsuitable for stem-cell transplantation, and
      overviews the pharmacology of bortezomib. In the large, randomized, assessor
      blinded, multinational LYM-3002 trial, induction therapy with VR-CAP improved
      progression-free survival significantly more than R-CHOP (rituximab,
      cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone) after a median follow
      up of 40 months in patients with newly diagnosed MCL ineligible or not considered
      for stem-cell transplantation. Complete response and certain other secondary
      endpoints were improved significantly more with VR-CAP than R-CHOP. Overall
      survival data were not mature at the time of assessment. The improved efficacy
      with VR-CAP was accompanied by an increased incidence of grade 3 or higher
      adverse events, particularly haematological adverse events. 

PMID- 26115633
TI  - Cloning and characterization of a novel hemocyanin variant LvHMCV4 from shrimp
      Litopenaeus vannamei.
AB  - Recently, we found 3 variants of hemocyanin subunit with higher molecular weight
      in shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (Named as LvHMCV1-3). In this study, a novel L.
      vannamei hemocyanin variant (Named as LvHMCV4) was further cloned and
      characterized. Bioinformatic analysis predicted that LvHMCV4 contains one open
      reading frame of 2137 bp and encodes a polypeptide of 678 amino acids. It shares
      84-99% cDNA sequences identity to that of the classical form of L. vannamei
      hemocyanin (LvHMC, AJ250830.1) and LvHMCV1-3. LvHMCV4 possesses a conserved
      structure characteristic of the hemocyanin family and can be clustered into one
      branch along with other arthropod hemocyanins in a phylogenetic tree. Further,
      the full-length DNA of LvHMCV4 contains 2660 bp and two introns, which are
      located at the 80-538 bp and 2063-2227 bp regions, respectively. In addition, the
      mRNA transcript of LvHMCV4 was expressed highly in the hepatopancreas, lymphoid,
      brain and hemocytes, and weakly in the heart, intestine and gill, while no
      expression was found in the muscle, stomach and gut. Infection by Escherichia
      coli K12, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio fluvialis,
      Streptococcus pyogenes or Staphylococcus aureus up-regulated significantly
      LvHMCV4 mRNA expression in the hepatopancreas. Furthermore, the recombinant
      protein of LvHMCV4 (rLvHMCV4) was prepared, which showed agglutination activities
      against six pathogenic bacteria at concentrations ranging from 15.6 to 125
      MUg/ml. When co-injected with V. parahaemolyticus in L.vannamei, rLvHMCV4
      significantly increased the survival rate after 48 h injection. Together, these
      studies suggested that hemocyanin variant, LvHMCV4, might be involved in shrimp
      resistance to pathogenic infection.

PMID- 26115635
TI  - Application of gold nanoparticles for gastrointestinal cancer theranostics: A
      systematic review.
AB  - Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are readily synthesised structures that absorb light
      strongly to generate thermal energy which induces photothermal destruction of
      malignant tissue. This review examines the efficacy, potential challenges and
      toxicity from in vitro and in vivo applications of GNPs in oesophageal, gastric
      and colon cancers. A systematic literature search of Medline, Embase, Web of
      Science and Cochrane databases was performed using PRISMA guidelines. Two hundred
      and eighty-four papers were reviewed with sixteen studies meeting the inclusion
      criteria. The application of GNPs in eleven in vivo rodent studies with GI
      adenocarcinoma demonstrated excellent therapeutic outcomes but poor corroboration
      in terms of the cancer cells used, photothermal irradiation regimes, fluorophores
      and types of nanoparticles. There is compelling evidence of the translational
      potential of GNPs to be complimentary to surgery and feasible in the photothermal
      therapy of GI cancer but reproducibility and standardisation require development
      prior to GI cancer clinical trials. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: Gold nanoparticles
      are one of the most potentially useful nanoparticles. This is especially true in
      cancer therapeutics because of their photothermal properties. In this
      comprehensive article, the authors reviewed the application and efficacy of gold
      nanoparticles in both the diagnosis and treatment of GI cancers. This review
      should provide a stimulus for researchers to further develop and translate these
      nanoparticles into future clinical trials.

PMID- 26115636
TI  - Time-controlled phagocytosis of asymmetric liposomes: Application to
      phosphatidylserine immunoliposomes binding HIV-1 virus-like particles.
AB  - Macrophage immune functions such as antibody-mediated phagocytosis are strongly
      impaired in individuals affected by HIV-1. Nevertheless, infected macrophages are
      still able to phagocytose apoptotic cells. For this reason, we recently developed
      antibody-decorated phosphatidylserine (PS)-containing liposomes that bind HIV-1
      virus-like particles and, by mimicking apoptotic cells, are efficiently
      internalized by macrophages. In the context of an in vivo application, it would
      be extremely important to initially protect immunoliposomes from macrophages, in
      order to provide enough time to redistribute through the body and achieve maximum
      virus binding. To this end, we have designed asymmetric immunoliposomes in which
      the PS is initially confined to the inner leaflet and thus cannot be recognized
      by macrophages. Spontaneous PS flip-flop to the outer surface leads to a time
      delay in internalization by macrophages in vitro. Such a delay can be fine-tuned
      by altering the molecular composition of the immunoliposomes. FROM THE CLINICAL
      EDITOR: In the fight against HIV-1, macrophage plays an important role.
      Ironically, the phagocytic functions of these cells are often impaired by HIV-1.
      In this interesting article, the authors described the development of asymmetric
      liposomes, which would bind HIV-1 with prolonged systemic circulation, such that
      the clearance of virus by macrophages is enhanced. This system represents a
      promising effective approach to utilize the phagocytic capability of macrophages.

PMID- 26115637
TI  - Mesoporous silica nanoparticle delivery of chemically modified siRNA against
      TWIST1 leads to reduced tumor burden.
AB  - Growth and progression of solid tumors depend on the integration of multiple pro
      growth and survival signals, including the induction of angiogenesis. TWIST1 is a
      transcription factor whose reactivation in tumors leads to epithelial to
      mesenchymal transition (EMT), including increased cancer cell stemness, survival,
      and invasiveness. Additionally, TWIST1 drives angiogenesis via activation of IL-8
      and CCL2, independent of VEGF signaling. In this work, results suggest that
      chemically modified siRNA against TWIST1 reverses EMT both in vitro and in vivo.
      siRNA delivery with a polyethyleneimine-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticle
      (MSN) led to reduction of TWIST1 target genes and migratory potential in vitro.
      In mice bearing xenograft tumors, weekly intravenous injections of the siRNA
      nanoparticle complexes resulted in decreased tumor burden together with a loss of
      CCL2 suggesting a possible anti-angiogenic response. Therapeutic use of TWIST1
      siRNA delivered via MSNs has the potential to inhibit tumor growth and
      progression in many solid tumor types. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: Tumor
      progression and metastasis eventually lead to patient mortality in the clinical
      setting. In other studies, it has been found that TWIST1, a transcription factor,
      if reactivated in tumors, would lead to downstream events including angiogenesis
      and result in poor prognosis in cancer patients. In this article, the authors
      were able to show that when siRNA against TWIST1 was delivered via mesoporous
      silica nanoparticle, there was tumor reduction in an in-vivo model. The results
      have opened up a new avenue for further research in this field.

PMID- 26115638
TI  - Interaction of titanium dioxide nanoparticles with glucose on young rats after
      oral administration.
AB  - Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) have a broad application prospect in
      replace with TiO2 used as a food additive, especially used in sweets.
      Understanding the interaction of TiO2 NPs with sugar is meaningful for health
      promotion. We used a young animal model to study the toxicological effect of
      orally administrated TiO2 NPs at doses of 0, 2, 10 and 50 mg/kg per day with or
      without daily consumption of 1.8 g/kg glucose for 30 days and 90 days. The
      results showed that oral exposure to TiO2 NPs and TiO2 NPs+glucose both induced
      liver, kidney, and heart injuries as well as changes in the count of white and
      red blood cells in a dose, time and gender-dependent manner. The toxicological
      interactions between orally-administrated TiO2 NPs and glucose were evident, but
      differed among target organs. These results suggest that it is necessary to limit
      dietary co-exposure to TiO2 NPs and sugar. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR:
      Nanotechnology has gained entrance in the food industry, with the presence of
      nanoparticles now in many food items. Despite this increasing trend, the
      potential toxic effects of these nanoparticles to human remain unknown. In this
      article, the authors studied titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs), which are
      commonly used as food additive, together with glucose. The findings of possible
      adverse effects on liver, kidney, and heart might point to a rethink of using
      glucose and TiO2 NPs combination.

PMID- 26115640
TI  - Mitochondrial superoxide reduction and cytokine secretion skewing by carbon
      nanotube scaffolds enhance ex vivo expansion of human cord blood hematopoietic
      progenitors.
AB  - In this study, we report that surface functional groups of single walled carbon
      nanotubes (f-SWCNT) are critical for mediating survival and ex vivo expansion of
      hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) in human umbilical cord blood
      (UCB). In comparison to amide (-O-NH2) and polyethylene-glycol (-PEG)
      functionalized SWCNT, carboxylic acid (-COOH) variants gave optimal viability
      support which correlated with maximal reduction of lethal mitochondrial
      superoxides in HSPC. Cytokine array illustrated that f-SWCNT-COOH maintained
      higher proportion of HSPC associated cytokines and minimal level of
      differentiation promoting factors. Transplantation of f-SWCNT-COOH expanded
      grafts in sub-lethally irradiated immunodeficient mice resulted in higher
      engraftment of HSPC in bone marrow compared to control when they were co
      transplanted with non-expanded cells from the same UCB. Expanded grafts mediated
      higher survival rate of mice compared to non-expanded grafts due to lower graft
      versus-host-disease which is likely a consequence of proportion of immune cells
      in the grafts. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is a
      potential source of hematopoietic stem and progenitor (HSPC) cells. One major
      hurdle for its clinical use is the insufficient yield of cell number. The authors
      in this study elegantly demonstrated the importance of various functional groups
      on single-walled carbon nanotubes (f-SWCNT) in enhancing ex vivo expansion of
      HSPC in UCB. The findings may pave a way for having UCB as a source for HSPC for
      clinical use in the future.

PMID- 26115641
TI  - In vitro experiments showing enhanced release of doxorubicin from Doxil(r) in the
      presence of ammonia may explain drug release at tumor site.
AB  - The anticancer nanodrug Doxil(r), a pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD),
      accumulates at the tumor site due to the enhanced permeability and retention
      effect. However, the mechanism of doxorubicin release from the liposome within
      the tumor is unknown. We propose that ammonia produced at the tumor site by
      glutaminolysis enhances release. Using tumor cells in culture, we show that PLD,
      when ammonia is present, kills tumor cells with an efficacy similar to that of
      free doxorubicin, while PLD without ammonia and ammonia without PLD have very
      poor cytotoxicity. We confirm in tumor mouse models that ammonium/ammonia levels
      measured at the tumors are in the millimolar range, much higher than in the
      plasma of these mice. This is a new concept of stimulus-response, therapeutically
      efficacious drug release in tumors, with ammonia derived from tumor cell
      glutaminolysis acting as the stimulus. There may also be additional
      microenvironment-related variables that influence therapeutic efficacy. FROM THE
      CLINICAL EDITOR: The use of liposomal platform as a drug carrier has brought
      success to Doxil. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism of drug release at tumor
      site and subsequent tumor killing was largely unknown. In this article, the
      authors demonstrated in their experiments that higher ammonia level in the tumor
      environment was the main mechanism for drug release.

PMID- 26115639
TI  - Movement of magnetic nanoparticles in brain tissue: mechanisms and impact on
      normal neuronal function.
AB  - Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been used as effective vehicles for targeted
      delivery of theranostic agents in the brain. The advantage of magnetic targeting
      lies in the ability to control the concentration and distribution of therapy to a
      desired target region using external driving magnets. In this study, we
      investigated the behavior and safety of MNP motion in brain tissue. We found that
      MNPs move and form nanoparticle chains in the presence of a uniform magnetic
      field, and that this chaining is influenced by the applied magnetic field
      intensity and the concentration of MNPs in the tissue. Using electrophysiology
      recordings, immunohistochemistry and fluorescent imaging we assessed the
      functional health of neurons and neural circuits and found no adverse effects
      associated with MNP motion through brain tissue. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: Much
      research has been done to test the use of nanocarriers for gaining access across
      the blood brain barrier (BBB). In this respect, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are
      one of the most studied candidates. Nonetheless, the behavior and safety of MNP
      once inside brain tissue remains unknown. In this article, the authors thus
      studied this very important subject.

PMID- 26115642
TI  - Nano-enabled drug delivery systems for brain cancer and Alzheimer's disease:
      research patterns and opportunities.
AB  - "Tech mining" applies bibliometric and text analytic methods to scientific
      literature of a target field. In this study, we compare the evolution of nano
      enabled drug delivery (NEDD) systems for two different applications - viz., brain
      cancer (BC) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) - using this approach. In this process,
      we derive research intelligence from papers indexed in MEDLINE. Review by domain
      specialists helps understand the macro-level disease problems and pathologies to
      identify commonalities and differences between BC and AD. Results provide a fresh
      perspective on the developmental pathways for NEDD approaches that have been used
      in the treatment of BC and AD. Results also point toward finding future solutions
      to drug delivery issues that are critical to medical practitioners and
      pharmaceutical scientists addressing the brain. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: Drug
      delivery to brain cells has been very challenging due to the presence of the
      blood-brain barrier (BBB). Suitable and effective nano-enabled drug delivery
      (NEDD) system is urgently needed. In this study, the authors utilized "tech
      mining" tools to describe and compare various choices of delivery system
      available for the diagnosis, as well as treatment, of brain cancer and
      Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26115643
TI  - [Occupational chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Legal aspects and practical
      management].
AB  - The existence of occupational chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) is
      now well established. Since 1989, several regulations have been progressively
      introduced, allowing compensation for some cases of occupational COPD. Following
      a brief review of the main occupational causes of COPD, the authors describe the
      present context for compensation in France and the procedures to be followed to
      ensure that patient's interests are supported. 

PMID- 26115644
TI  - Two fatal tiger attacks in zoos.
AB  - Two captive tiger attacks are presented that took place in Cologne and Munster
      zoos. Both attacks occurred when the handlers, intent on cleaning the enclosures,
      entered whilst the tigers accidently retained access to the location, and thus
      defended their territory against the perceived intruders. Both victims suffered
      fatal neck injuries from the bites. At Munster, colleagues managed to lure the
      tiger away from its victim to enable treatment, whilst the Cologne zoo tiger had
      to be shot in order to allow access to be gained. Whilst it was judged that human
      error led to the deaths of the experienced zookeepers, the investigation in
      Munster was closed as no third party was found to be at fault, whereas the
      Cologne zoo director was initially charged with being negligent. These charges
      were subsequently dismissed as safety regulations were found to be up to date. 

PMID- 26115645
TI  - Integrating pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.

PMID- 26115646
TI  - Early growth response gene (EGR)-1 regulates leukotriene D4-induced cytokine
      transcription in Hodgkin lymphoma cells.
AB  - Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) has a unique pathological feature characterized
      by a minority of malignant Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg (H-RS) cells surrounded by
      numerous inflammatory cells. Cysteinyl-leukotrienes (CysLTs) are produced by
      eosinophils, macrophages and mast cells in the HL tumor microenvironment. In the
      present study we have explored the signal transduction pathways leading to
      leukotriene (LT) D4 induced expression of cytokines in the Hodgkin lymphoma cell
      line L1236 and KM-H2. Stimulation of L1236 and KM-H2 cells with LTD4 led to a
      concentration- and time-dependent increase at the transcriptional level of tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, chemokine (C-C
      motif) ligand 3 (CCL3) and CCL4. The expression of several transcription factors
      was induced upon stimulation of Hodgkin cell lines with LTD4. Among these, EGR-1
      was required for cytokine production. Inhibition of EGR-1 expression using shEGR
      1 transduced by lentivirus led to suppression of the expression of TNF-alpha and
      IL-6. The effect of LTD4 on the expression of transcription factors and cytokines
      were also blocked by the specific CysLT1 receptor antagonist zafirlukast. These
      results demonstrate that EGR-1 plays a critical role in LTD4-induced cytokine
      transcription in Hodgkin cell lines. 

PMID- 26115647
TI  - Validation of a tandem mass spectrometry method using combined extraction of 37
      oxylipins and 14 endocannabinoid-related compounds including prostamides from
      biological matrices.
AB  - There is a clinical need for more relevant coverage of bioactive lipids using
      smaller sample volumes. Therefore, we have validated a tandem mass spectrometry
      method for combined solid phase extraction of 37 compounds in the oxylipin (OxL)
      and 14 in the endocannabinoid (eCB) metabolome, as well as prostamides. The
      limits of quantification (LOQ) for compounds in the eCB metabolome were in the
      range 0.5-1000 fg on column, intraday accuracy and precision ranges (%) were 83
      125 and 0.3-17, respectively, and interday accuracy and precision ranges (%) were
      80-119 and 1.2-20, respectively, dependent upon the compound and the
      concentration studied. Corresponding values for OxL were 0.5 fg-4.2 pg on column
      (LOQ), 85-115% (inter- and intraday accuracy) and <5% (precision). The combined
      extraction method was successfully applied to tissues, cell extracts, human
      plasma and milk samples. A deeper study of levels in elk, pig and cow brain, as
      well as cow heart and liver revealed tissue and species-specific elevation of
      eicosanoids: arachidonate diols, 20-HETE and 12(S)-HEPE (cow liver), LTB4 (cow
      brain), and monohydroxy metabolites (HETEs), epoxides and 5-oxo-ETE in elk brain,
      which might be caused by factors of stress and/or post-mortem reactions in the
      tissues.

PMID- 26115648
TI  - Adult Congenital Heart Disease in Pregnancy.
AB  - With the success of modern surgical techniques for congenital heart disease, the
      population of women of childbearing age with congenital heart disease is growing.
      Because of the significant hemodynamic load of pregnancy, labor, and delivery,
      women with congenital heart disease require preconceptual risk assessment and
      expert multidisciplinary care throughout pregnancy. The aim of this review is to
      discuss the management of cardiovascular, obstetric, and fetal care issues that
      are commonly encountered during pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease.

PMID- 26115649
TI  - Pregnancy in Women With Solid-Organ Transplants: A Review.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Advances in solid-organ transplantation have allowed many women to
      reach reproductive potential, and pregnancy is no longer a rarity for these
      women. OBJECTIVE: To identify (1) potential complications to allograft function
      posed by pregnancy, (2) expected perinatal outcomes in women with solid-organ
      transplants, (3) risks of potential immunosuppressant regimens, (4) safety of
      lactation, and (5) contraceptive options for women with solid-organ transplants.
      EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Single-center, registry data, and previous systematic
      reviews were evaluated in women with solid-organ transplants to identify the
      objectives of this review. In addition, recommendations from public health
      organizations were examined in regard to safety of medications and contraceptive
      methods. RESULTS: Women with solid-organ transplants are at risk for premature
      birth, low birth weight, cesarean delivery, and hypertensive disorders of
      pregnancy. Most immunosuppressant regimens are safe; however, mycophenolate
      mofetil should be avoided. Lactation with tacrolimus, cyclosporine, azathioprine,
      and prednisone appears safe. Long-acting reversible contraceptive methods are
      safe and effective for transplant recipients. CONCLUSIONS: Many successful
      pregnancies have been achieved in women following transplantation; however,
      optimal perinatal outcomes require stable allograft function. RELEVANCE: As more
      women are becoming pregnant after organ transplantation, a review of obstetric
      recommendations and perinatal outcome is warranted.

PMID- 26115650
TI  - The prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing among survivors of acute pulmonary
      embolism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with prothrombotic
      effects that could lead to venous thromboembolic diseases. OBJECTIVE: The
      objective of this study is to clarify the prevalence of SDB among survivors of
      pulmonary embolism (PE). METHODS: One hundred six consecutive PE patients were
      prospectively evaluated by portable monitoring (PM). Nocturnal polysomnography
      was performed in all subjects who were diagnosed by PM to have an apnoea
      hypopnoea index (AHI) > 15/h or evidence of increased daytime sleepiness.
      RESULTS: The overall SDB prevalence in the study population was 58.5 %. Mild
      obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) was diagnosed in 35.8 % of patients. Of the
      subjects, 12.3 % suffered from moderate OSA. In 10.4 % of study participants, OSA
      was found to be severe. High-risk PE was significantly more frequent among
      subjects with an AHI > 15/h (p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: OSA is a common comorbidity
      of PE and possibly represents an additional risk factor for hemodynamic
      instability in PE patients.

PMID- 26115652
TI  - Arteriovenous shunts and capillary blush as an early sign of basal ganglia
      infarction after successful mechanical intra-arterial thrombectomy in ischaemic
      stroke.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Recent studies indicate an interest in early infarct assessment,
      mainly using post-interventional perfusion imaging. This work evaluated two
      specific angiographic signs for infarct prediction in the basal ganglia
      immediately after successful mechanical intra-arterial thrombectomy. METHODS: In
      this retrospective study, 57 consecutive patients (mean +/- SD age 67 +/- 15
      years) with acute occlusion of the proximal anterior circulation who underwent
      mechanical thrombectomy of the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery were
      included. Two separate angiographic signs, early venous drainage and capillary
      blush, were identified and analysed regarding their statistical significance for
      infarct prediction within the basal ganglia. RESULTS: Four patients were excluded
      due to parenchymal haemorrhage. Forty-four of 53 patients developed infarction of
      the basal ganglia. Sensitivity/specificity were 93%/27%, respectively, for the
      capillary blush sign and 88%/63%, respectively, for the early venous drainage
      sign. Combining both signs increased the sensitivity and specificity to 88% and
      81%, respectively, and increased the positive predictive value to 95%.
      CONCLUSIONS: Both angiographic signs seem to predict the irreversible damage of
      tissue in the basal ganglia reliably despite successful recanalization of the
      middle cerebral artery in patients with ischaemic stroke. KEY POINTS: *
      Evaluation of success in neurointerventional procedures is mainly based on
      recanalization rates. * Two separate angiographic signs can predict infarction
      immediately after proximal MCA recanalization. * Combining both signs increases
      their specificity.

PMID- 26115651
TI  - The effect of partial sleep deprivation on computer-based measures of fitness to
      drive.
AB  - PURPOSE: Using a partial sleep deprivation paradigm, the aim of the study was to
      investigate the sensitivity of a computer-based test battery of fitness to drive
      to detect impairments related to sleepiness. METHODS: Forty-seven healthy
      subjects (34 females, mean age 26.0 +/- 6.8 years) participated in a
      counterbalanced within-subject design of two conditions: (i) normal night sleep
      and (ii) partial sleep deprivation (PSD) with 4 h time in bed. For the assessment
      of fitness to drive, we used a validated traffic psychological test battery.
      Moreover, well-established measures of sleepiness highly responsive to sleep
      deprivation were applied: the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), pupillography
      (Pupil Unrest Index (PUI) as physiological sleepiness indicator) and two
      sustained attention tasks (psychomotor Vigilance Task and Mackworth Clock Test).
      RESULTS: Subjective and physiological sleepiness were significantly increased
      after PSD, accompanied by large (d > 1.50 for KSS) and medium (d = 0.55 for PUI)
      effect sizes. Sleepiness-related performance decrements were found in both
      sustained attention tasks (d = 0.59-0.77). Assessing driving-related ability, PSD
      induced decrements only in the test domain Reaction Test (reaction time d = 0.54
      and motor time d = 0.45). All other subtests-as well as the overall judgement of
      fitness to drive-were not significantly affected by PSD. CONCLUSION: In contrast
      to established tests of sustained attention and subjective sleepiness, computer
      based test batteries of fitness to drive might lack sensitivity to core aspects
      of sleepiness as they mainly consist of short and stimulating subtests.
      Therefore, tasks that require sustained attention should be an essential part of
      traffic psychological test batteries when sleepiness is a potential issue.

PMID- 26115653
TI  - Combined reading of Contrast Enhanced and Diffusion Weighted Magnetic Resonance
      Imaging by using a simple sum score.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To improve specificity of breast MRI by integrating Apparent Diffusion
      Coefficient (ADC) values with contrast enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) using a simple sum
      score. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of a consecutive series of patients
      referred to breast MRI at 1.5 T for further workup of breast lesions. Reading
      results of CE-MRI were dichotomized into score 1 (suspicious) or 0 (benign).
      Lesion's ADC-values (in *10-3 mm2/s) were assigned two different scores: ADC2:
      likely malignant (score +1, ADC <= 1), indeterminate (score 0, ADC >1- <= 1.4)
      and likely benign (score -1, ADC > 1.4) and ADC1: indeterminate (score 0, ADC <=
      1.4) and likely benign (score -1, ADC > 1.4). Final added CE-MRI and ADC scores
      >0 were considered suspicious. Reference standard was histology and imaging
      follow-up of >24 months. Diagnostic parameters were compared using McNemar tests.
      RESULTS: A total of 150 lesions (73 malignant) were investigated. Reading of CE
      MRI showed a sensitivity of 100 % (73/73) and a specificity of 81.8 % (63/77).
      Additional integration of ADC scores increased specificity (ADC2/ADC1, P =
      0.008/0.001) without causing false negative results. CONCLUSION: Using a simple
      sum score, ADC-values can be integrated with CE-MRI of the breast, improving
      specificity. The best approach is using one threshold to exclude cancer. KEY
      POINTS: ADC is used to assign levels of suspicion to breast lesions. ADC values
      >1.4 *10 (-3)   mm (2) /s are likely benign and effectively rule out malignancy.
      ADC values below <=1*10 (-3)   mm (2) /s) are likely malignant but may be false
      positive. CE-MRI (+1: suspicious, 0: benign) and ADC (0: indeterminate, -1:
      benign) scores are added. Sum scores >0 should be biopsied.

PMID- 26115654
TI  - Imaging of mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis testis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the imaging findings in a series of patients with
      mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis. METHODS: We reviewed clinical data,
      imaging findings and follow-up information in a series of 10 pathology-proven
      cases of mesothelioma (all had US; 2 had MR) of the tunica vaginalis. RESULTS: A
      variety of patterns could be observed, the most common (5/10) being a hydrocele
      with parietal, solid and hypervascular vegetations; one patient had a septated
      hydrocele with hypervascular walls; one had multiple, solid nodules surrounded by
      a small, physiological quantity of fluid; one a cystic lesion with thick walls
      and vegetations compressing the testis; two had a solid paratesticular mass. MR
      showed multiple small nodules on the surface of the tunica vaginalis in one case
      and diffuse thickening and vegetations in the other one; lesions had low signal
      intensity on T2-w images and were hypervascular after contrast injection.
      CONCLUSIONS: A preoperative diagnosis of mesotheliomas presenting as solid
      paratesticular masses seems very difficult with imaging. On the contrary, the
      diagnosis must be considered in patients in whom a hydrocele with parietal
      vegetations is detected, especially if these show high vascularity. KEY POINTS:
      Mesotheliomas of the tunica vaginalis are rare, often challenging to diagnose
      preoperatively. Most common finding is a complex hydrocele with hypervascular
      parietal vegetations. Septated hydrocele, nodules without hydrocele, a thick
      walled paratesticular cyst are less common. Preoperative diagnosis may allow
      aggressive surgical approach and, possibly, a better prognosis.

PMID- 26115655
TI  - Muscle MRI findings in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is characterized by
      extremely variable degrees of facial, scapular and lower limb muscle involvement.
      Clinical and genetic determination can be difficult, as molecular analysis is not
      always definitive, and other similar muscle disorders may have overlapping
      clinical manifestations. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Whole-body muscle MRI examination
      for fat infiltration, atrophy and oedema was performed to identify specific
      patterns of muscle involvement in FSHD patients (30 subjects), and compared to a
      group of control patients (23) affected by other myopathies (NFSHD). RESULTS: In
      FSHD patients, we detected a specific pattern of muscle fatty replacement and
      atrophy, particularly in upper girdle muscles. The most frequently affected
      muscles, including paucisymptomatic and severely affected FSHD patients, were
      trapezius, teres major and serratus anterior. Moreover, asymmetric muscle
      involvement was significantly higher in FSHD as compared to NFSHD patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, muscle MRI is very sensitive for identifying a
      specific pattern of involvement in FSHD patients and in detecting selective
      muscle involvement of non-clinically testable muscles. Muscle MRI constitutes a
      reliable tool for differentiating FSHD from other muscular dystrophies to direct
      diagnostic molecular analysis, as well as to investigate FSHD natural history and
      follow-up of the disease. KEY POINTS: Muscle MRI identifies a specific pattern of
      muscle involvement in FSHD patients. Muscle MRI may predict FSHD in asymptomatic
      and severely affected patients. Muscle MRI of upper girdle better predicts FSHD.
      Muscle MRI may differentiate FSHD from other forms of muscular dystrophy. Muscle
      MRI may show the involvement of non-clinical testable muscles.

PMID- 26115656
TI  - Implementation of an electronic fingerprint-linked data collection system: a
      feasibility and acceptability study among Zambian female sex workers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient identification within and between health services is an
      operational challenge in many resource-limited settings. When following HIV risk
      groups for service provision and in the context of vaccine trials, patient
      misidentification can harm patient care and bias trial outcomes. Electronic
      fingerprinting has been proposed to identify patients over time and link patient
      data between health services. The objective of this study was to determine 1) the
      feasibility of implementing an electronic-fingerprint linked data capture system
      in Zambia and 2) the acceptability of this system among a key HIV risk group:
      female sex workers (FSWs). METHODS: Working with Biometrac, a US-based company
      providing biometric-linked healthcare platforms, an electronic fingerprint-linked
      data capture system was developed for use by field recruiters among Zambian FSWs.
      We evaluated the technical feasibility of the system for use in the field in
      Zambia and conducted a pilot study to determine the acceptability of the system,
      as well as barriers to uptake, among FSWs. RESULTS: We found that implementation
      of an electronic fingerprint-linked patient tracking and data collection system
      was feasible in this relatively resource-limited setting (false fingerprint
      matching rate of 1/1000 and false rejection rate of <1/10,000) and was acceptable
      among FSWs in a clinic setting (2% refusals). However, our data indicate that
      less than half of FSWs are comfortable providing an electronic fingerprint when
      recruited while they are working. The most common reasons cited for not providing
      a fingerprint (lack of privacy/confidentiality issues while at work, typically at
      bars or lodges) could be addressed by recruiting women during less busy hours, in
      their own homes, in the presence of "Queen Mothers" (FSW organizers), or in the
      presence of a FSW that has already been fingerprinted. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      have major implications for key population research and improved health services
      provision. However, more work needs to be done to increase the acceptability of
      the electronic fingerprint-linked data capture system during field recruitment.
      This study indicated several potential avenues that will be explored to increase
      acceptability.

PMID- 26115657
TI  - Long-term results of therapeutic local anesthesia (neural therapy) in 280
      referred refractory chronic pain patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Can the application of local anesthetics (Neural Therapy, NT) alone
      durably improve pain symptoms in referred patients with chronic and refractory
      pain? If the application of local anesthetics does lead to an improvement that
      far exceeds the duration of action of local anesthetics, we will postulate that a
      vicious circle of pain in the reflex arcs has been disrupted (hypothesis).
      METHODS: Case series design. We exclusively used procaine or lidocaine. The
      inclusion criteria were severe pain and chronic duration of more than three
      months, pain unresponsive to conventional medical measures, written referral from
      physicians or doctors of chiropractic explicitly to NT. Patients with improvement
      of pain who started on additional therapy during the study period for a reason
      other than pain were excluded in order to avoid a potential bias. Treatment
      success was measured after one year follow-up using the outcome measures of pain
      and analgesics intake. RESULTS: 280 chronic pain patients were included; the most
      common reason for referral was back pain. The average number of consultations per
      patient was 9.2 in the first year (median 8.0). After one year, in 60 patients
      pain was unchanged, 52 patients reported a slight improvement, 126 were
      considerably better, and 41 pain-free. At the same time, 74.1% of the patients
      who took analgesics before starting NT needed less or no more analgesics at all.
      No adverse effects or complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The good long
      term results of the targeted therapeutic local anesthesia (NT) in the most
      problematic group of chronic pain patients (unresponsive to all evidence based
      conventional treatment options) indicate that a vicious circle has been broken.
      The specific contribution of the intervention to these results cannot be
      determined. The low costs of local anesthetics, the small number of consultations
      needed, the reduced intake of analgesics, and the lack of adverse effects also
      suggest the practicality and cost-effectiveness of this kind of treatment.
      Controlled trials to evaluate the true effect of NT are needed.

PMID- 26115658
TI  - Global analyses of TetR family transcriptional regulators in mycobacteria
      indicates conservation across species and diversity in regulated functions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mycobacteria inhabit diverse niches and display high metabolic
      versatility. They can colonise both humans and animals and are also able to
      survive in the environment. In order to succeed, response to environmental cues
      via transcriptional regulation is required. In this study we focused on the TetR
      family of transcriptional regulators (TFTRs) in mycobacteria. RESULTS: We used
      InterPro to classify the entire complement of transcriptional regulators in 10
      mycobacterial species and these analyses showed that TFTRs are the most abundant
      family of regulators in all species. We identified those TFTRs that are conserved
      across all species analysed and those that are unique to the pathogens included
      in the analysis. We examined genomic contexts of 663 of the conserved TFTRs and
      observed that the majority of TFTRs are separated by 200 bp or less from
      divergently oriented genes. Analyses of divergent genes indicated that the TFTRs
      control diverse biochemical functions not limited to efflux pumps. TFTRs
      typically bind to palindromic motifs and we identified 11 highly significant
      novel motifs in the upstream regions of divergently oriented TFTRs. The C
      terminal ligand binding domain from the TFTR complement in M. tuberculosis showed
      great diversity in amino acid sequence but with an overall architecture common to
      other TFTRs. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that mycobacteria depend on TFTRs
      for the transcriptional control of a number of metabolic functions yet the
      physiological role of the majority of these regulators remain unknown.

PMID- 26115661
TI  - Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank Statistics.

PMID- 26115659
TI  - The prognostic impact of mutations in spliceosomal genes for myelodysplastic
      syndrome patients without ring sideroblasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mutations in genes that are part of the splicing machinery for
      myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), including MDS without ring sideroblasts (RS),
      have been widely investigated. The effects of these mutations on clinical
      outcomes have been diverse and contrasting. METHODS: We examined a cohort of 129
      de novo MDS patients, who did not harbor RS, for mutations affecting three
      spliceosomal genes (SF3B1, U2AF1, and SRSF2). RESULTS: The mutation rates of
      SF3B1, U2AF1, and SRSF2 were 7.0 %, 7.8 %, and 10.1 %, respectively. Compared
      with previously reported results, these rates were relatively infrequent. The
      SRSF2 mutation strongly correlated with old age (P < 0.001), while the mutation
      status of SF3B1 did not affect overall survival (OS), progression-free survival
      (PFS), or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) transformation. In contrast, MDS patients
      with mutations in U2AF1 or SRSF2 exhibited inferior PFS. The U2AF1 mutation was
      associated with inferior OS in low-risk MDS patients (P = 0.035). The SRSF2
      mutation was somewhat associated with AML transformation (P = 0.083). CONCLUSION:
      Our findings suggest that the frequencies of the SF3B1, U2AF1, and SRSF2 splicing
      gene mutations in MDS without RS were relatively low. We also demonstrated that
      the U2AF1 and SRSF2 mutations were associated with an unfavorable prognostic
      impact in MDS patients without RS.

PMID- 26115662
TI  - Detecting Adaptive Evolution in Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis Using the
      Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Model.
AB  - Phylogenetic comparative analysis is an approach to inferring evolutionary
      process from a combination of phylogenetic and phenotypic data. The last few
      years have seen increasingly sophisticated models employed in the evaluation of
      more and more detailed evolutionary hypotheses, including adaptive hypotheses
      with multiple selective optima and hypotheses with rate variation within and
      across lineages. The statistical performance of these sophisticated models has
      received relatively little systematic attention, however. We conducted an
      extensive simulation study to quantify the statistical properties of a class of
      models toward the simpler end of the spectrum that model phenotypic evolution
      using Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes. We focused on identifying where, how, and why
      these methods break down so that users can apply them with greater understanding
      of their strengths and weaknesses. Our analysis identifies three key determinants
      of performance: a discriminability ratio, a signal-to-noise ratio, and the number
      of taxa sampled. Interestingly, we find that model-selection power can be high
      even in regions that were previously thought to be difficult, such as when tree
      size is small. On the other hand, we find that model parameters are in many
      circumstances difficult to estimate accurately, indicating a relative paucity of
      information in the data relative to these parameters. Nevertheless, we note that
      accurate model selection is often possible when parameters are only weakly
      identified. Our results have implications for more sophisticated methods inasmuch
      as the latter are generalizations of the case we study. 

PMID- 26115660
TI  - Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Evidence for Development of Prefrontal
      Engagement in Working Memory in Early Through Middle Childhood.
AB  - The neural underpinnings of working memory are hypothesized to develop
      incrementally across preschool and early school age, coinciding with the rapid
      maturation of executive function occurring during this period. This study
      investigates the development of prefrontal cortex function between the ages of 3
      and 7. Children (n = 68) participated in a novel spatial working memory task
      while their middle and lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) was monitored using
      functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We found increased activation of
      the LPFC when comparing working memory to rest. Greater LPFC increase was noted
      for longer compared with shorter delay periods. Increase in LPFC activation,
      accuracy, and response speed were positively correlated with child age,
      suggesting that developmental changes in prefrontal function might underlie
      effective development of executive function in this age range.

PMID- 26115663
TI  - Quantifying the risks of non-oncology phase I research in healthy volunteers:
      meta-analysis of phase I studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To quantify the frequency and seriousness of adverse events in non
      oncology phase I studies with healthy participants. DESIGN: Meta-analysis of
      individual, healthy volunteer level data. SETTING: Phase I studies with healthy
      volunteers conducted between September 2004 and March 2011 at Pfizer's three
      dedicated phase I testing sites in Belgium, Singapore, and the United States.
      These included studies in which drug development was terminated. PARTICIPANTS:
      11,028 participants who received the study drug in 394 distinct non-oncology
      phase I studies, which involved 4620 unique individuals. A total of 2460 (53.2%)
      participants were involved in only one study, whereas others participated in two
      or more studies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Adverse events classified as mild,
      moderate, and severe as well as serious adverse events-defined by the Food and
      Drug Administration as events that result in death, a life threatening event,
      admission to hospital, prolongation of existing hospital stay, a persistent or
      major disability, or a congenital anomaly or birth defect. Pfizer researchers of
      phase I trials determined adverse events, and serious adverse events were those
      filed with the FDA. RESULTS: Overall, 4000 (36.3%) participants who received the
      study drug experienced no adverse events and 7028 (63.7%) experienced 24,643
      adverse events. Overall, 84.6% (n=20,840) of adverse events were mild and 1.0%
      (n=255) were severe. 34 (0.31%) serious adverse events occurred among the 11,028
      participants who received the study agent, with no deaths or life threatening
      events. Of the 34 serious adverse events, 11 were related to the study drug and
      seven to study procedures, whereas 16 were unrelated to a study drug or
      procedure, including four that occurred when the participant was receiving a
      placebo. Overall, 24.1% (n=5947) of adverse events were deemed to be unrelated to
      the study drug. With a total of 143 (36%) studies involving placebo, 10.3%
      (n=2528) of all adverse events occurred among participants receiving placebo. The
      most common adverse events were headache (12.2%, n=3017), drowsiness (9.8%,
      n=2410), and diarrhea (6.9%, n=1698). Research on drugs for neuropsychiatric
      indications had the highest frequency of adverse events (3015 per 1000
      participants). CONCLUSION: Among 11,028 healthy participants who received study
      drug in non-oncology phase I studies, the majority (85%) of adverse events were
      mild. 34 (0.31%) serious adverse events occurred, with no life threatening events
      or deaths. Half of all adverse events were related to the study drug or to
      procedures. Extrapolation of these data to other types of phase I studies,
      especially with biological agents, may not be warranted.

PMID- 26115664
TI  - Social movements and public health advocacy in action: the UK people's health
      movement.
AB  - There are growing calls within public health for researchers and practitioners
      working to improve and protect the public's health to become more involved in
      politics and advocacy. Such a move takes practitioners and researchers beyond the
      traditional, evidence-based public health paradigm, raising potential dilemmas
      and risks for those who undertake such work. Drawing on the example of the
      People's Health Movement, this short paper argues that advocacy and social
      movements are an essential component of public health's efforts to achieve great
      health equity. It outlines how the Scottish branch of the People's Health
      Movement sought to overcome potential tensions between public health evidence and
      advocacy by developing a regional manifesto for health via transparent and
      democratic processes which combine empirical and experiential evidence. We
      suggest that this is an illustrative example of how potential tensions between
      public health research and advocacy can be overcome, through bottom-up movements
      of solidarity and action.

PMID- 26115666
TI  - Migraine as a predictor of mortality: The HUNT study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is conflicting evidence for the association between migraine
      and increased mortality risk. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      relationship between migraine and non-migrainous headache, and all-cause
      mortality and cardiovascular mortality. METHODS: In this prospective population
      based cohort study from Norway, we used baseline data from the second Nord
      Trondelag Health Survey (HUNT2), performed between 1995 and 1997 in the County of
      Nord-Trondelag. These data were linked with a comprehensive mortality database
      with follow-up through the year 2011. A total of 51,853 (56% of invited) people
      were categorized based on their answers to the headache questions in HUNT2
      (headache free, migraine or non-migrainous headache). Hazard ratios (HRs) of
      mortality during a mean of 14.1 years of follow-up were estimated using Cox
      regression. RESULTS: During the follow-up period 9408 died, 4321 of these from
      cardiovascular causes. There was no difference in all-cause mortality between
      individuals with migraine and non-migrainous headache compared to those without
      headache or between headache status and mortality by cardiovascular disease.
      There was, however, among men with migraine without aura a reduced risk of death
      by cardiovascular diseases (HR 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.56-0.93). This
      relationship was not evident in women. CONCLUSION: In this large, prospective
      cohort study there was no evidence for a higher all-cause mortality or
      cardiovascular mortality among individuals with migraine.

PMID- 26115667
TI  - Systems modelling and simulation in health service design, delivery and decision
      making.
AB  - The ever increasing pressures to ensure the most efficient and effective use of
      limited health service resources will, over time, encourage policy makers to turn
      to system modelling solutions. Such techniques have been available for decades,
      but despite ample research which demonstrates potential, their application in
      health services to date is limited. This article surveys the breadth of
      approaches available to support delivery and design across many areas and levels
      of healthcare planning. A case study in emergency stroke care is presented as an
      exemplar of an impactful application of health system modelling. This is followed
      by a discussion of the key issues surrounding the application of these methods in
      health, what barriers need to be overcome to ensure more effective
      implementation, as well as likely developments in the future. 

PMID- 26115665
TI  - INTERACTING DISCIPLINES: Cardiac natriuretic peptides and obesity: perspectives
      from an endocrinologist and a cardiologist.
AB  - Since their discovery in 1981, the cardiac natriuretic peptides (cNP) atrial
      natriuretic peptide (also referred to as atrial natriuretic factor) and brain
      natriuretic peptide have been well characterised in terms of their renal and
      cardiovascular actions. In addition, it has been shown that cNP plasma levels are
      strong predictors of cardiovascular events and mortality in populations with no
      apparent heart disease as well as in patients with established cardiac pathology.
      cNP secretion from the heart is increased by humoral and mechanical stimuli. The
      clinical significance of cNP plasma levels has been shown to differ in obese and
      non-obese subjects. Recent lines of evidence suggest important metabolic effects
      of the cNP system, which has been shown to activate lipolysis, enhance lipid
      oxidation and mitochondrial respiration. Clinically, these properties lead to
      browning of white adipose tissue and to increased muscular oxidative capacity. In
      human association studies in patients without heart disease higher cNP
      concentrations were observed in lean, insulin-sensitive subjects. Highly elevated
      cNP levels are generally observed in patients with systolic heart failure or high
      blood pressure, while obese and type-2 diabetics display reduced cNP levels.
      Together, these observations suggest that the cNP system plays a role in the
      pathophysiology of metabolic vascular disease. Understanding this role should
      help define novel principles in the treatment of cardiometabolic disease.

PMID- 26115668
TI  - Pain in Community-Dwelling Elderly African Americans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examines the type, severity, and correlates of pain among
      underserved elderly African Americans. METHOD: This cross-sectional study
      includes 400 non-institutionalized underserved aged African Americans, recruited
      from 16 African American churches located in South Los Angeles. RESULTS: Two
      thirds of our participants reported a level of pain of 5 or higher (on a scale of
      0-10) for at least one of the pain items. Participants with severe level of pain
      showed a higher level of insomnia, depression, and deficiency in activity of
      daily living as well as a lower level of memory function and quality of physical
      and mental health. Also, level of pain is a statistically significant correlate
      of office-based physician visits and emergency department admission. CONCLUSION:
      Our findings encourage multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary interventions to
      include pharmacotherapy, psychological support, and physical rehabilitation,
      specifically on neuropathic pain among aged African Americans with multiple
      chronic conditions.

PMID- 26115669
TI  - Stapedectomy Effects on Tinnitus: Relationship of Change in Loudness to Change in
      Severity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To relate poststapedectomy change in tinnitus loudness to change in
      tinnitus severity. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, within-subjects. SETTING: A single
      otology and neurotology subspecialty referral practice. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      Forty-nine subjects undergoing stapedectomy completed the study between January
      2012 and October 2013. Tinnitus instruments, audiometric data, and demographic
      information were collected prior to and 1 and 6 months after surgery. Tinnitus
      loudness was assessed using an 11-point (0 = none; 5 = conversation level; 10 =
      jet engine) visual analog scale, and severity was measured using the validated
      Tinnitus Functional Index. The relationship between change in tinnitus loudness
      and change in tinnitus severity was evaluated using linear regression and
      receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. RESULTS: A linear regression
      model of change in tinnitus loudness averaged for both ears on a visual analog
      scale (DeltaVASavg) versus change in Tinnitus Functional Index score (DeltaTFI)
      showed a strong correlation (DeltaTFI = 9.35 *DeltaVASavg; R = 0.64; P < .001).
      An ROC analysis identified DeltaVASavg between 1.5 and 2.0 as the optimal
      threshold for predicting a clinically significant change in tinnitus severity
      (DeltaTFI >= 13), with sensitivity and specificity of approximately 0.62 and a
      positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.64. CONCLUSION: For poststapedectomy
      patients, a VAS loudness change by 1.5 to 2.0 points averaged for both ears in
      bilateral tinnitus or ~3 points in unilateral tinnitus has a PPV ~0.64 for a
      clinically significant change in tinnitus severity.

PMID- 26115670
TI  - A Clinical Study of Pharyngolaryngectomy with Total Esophagectomy: Postoperative
      Complications, Countermeasures, and Prognoses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patients with advanced hypopharyngeal or cervical esophageal cancer
      have a comparatively high risk of also developing thoracic esophageal cancer.
      Pharyngolaryngectomy with total esophagectomy is highly invasive, and few reports
      about it exist. We examined the postoperative complications and respective
      countermeasures and prognoses of patients who underwent pharyngolaryngectomy with
      total esophagectomy. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING:
      Department of Head and Neck Oncology, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese
      Foundation for Cancer Research, Japan. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We examined the
      postoperative complications and respective countermeasures and prognoses of 40
      patients who underwent pharyngolaryngectomy with total esophagectomy in our
      hospital. RESULTS: Postoperative complications were observed in 23 patients
      (57.5%) and consisted of 8 groups: tracheal region necrosis in 5 patients; neck
      abscess formation/wound infection in 5; fistula in 4; tracheostomy suture leakage
      in 2; ileus in 2; lymphorrhea in 2; pulmonary complications in 2; and other
      complications, including hemothorax, tracheoinnominate artery fistula, temporary
      cardiac arrest due to intraoperative mediastinum operation, methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus enteritis, and sepsis, in 1 patient each. A lethal
      complication-brachiocephalic vein hemorrhage due to tracheostomy suture leakage
      and hemorrhagic shock due to tracheoinnominate artery fistula-occurred in 2 (5%)
      patients. The crude 5-year survival rate was 48.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Serious
      postoperative complications were related to tracheostomaplasty. Although
      pharyngolaryngectomy with total esophagectomy is highly invasive, we believe that
      our outlined treatment method is the most appropriate for cases of advanced
      hypopharyngeal or cervical esophageal cancer that also requires concurrent
      surgery for esophageal cancer.

PMID- 26115671
TI  - Junctional abnormalities in human airway epithelial cells expressing F508del
      CFTR.
AB  - Cystic fibrosis (CF) has a profound impact on airway physiology. Accumulating
      evidence suggests that intercellular junctions are impaired in CF. We examined
      changes to CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) function, tight
      junctions, and gap junctions in NuLi-1 (CFTR(wt/wt)) and CuFi-5
      (CFTR(DeltaF508/DeltaF508)) cells. Cells were studied at air-liquid interface
      (ALI) and compared with primary human bronchial epithelial cells. On the basis of
      fluorescent lectin binding, the phenotype of the NuLi-1 and CuFi-5 cells at week
      8 resembled that of serous, glycoprotein-rich airway cells. After week 7, CuFi-5
      cells possessed 130% of the epithelial Na(+) channel activity and 17% of the CFTR
      activity of NuLi-1 cells. In both cell types, expression levels of CFTR were
      comparable to those in primary airway epithelia. Transepithelial resistance of
      NuLi-1 and CuFi-5 cells stabilized during maturation in ALI culture, with
      significantly lower transepithelial resistance for CuFi-5 than NuLi-1 cells. We
      also found that F508del CFTR negatively affects gap junction function in the
      airway. NuLi-1 and CuFi-5 cells express the connexins Cx43 and Cx26. While both
      connexins were properly trafficked by NuLi-1 cells, Cx43 was mistrafficked by
      CuFi-5 cells. Cx43 trafficking was rescued in CuFi-5 cells treated with 4
      phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA), as assessed by intracellular dye transfer. 4-PBA
      treated CuFi-5 cells also exhibited an increase in forskolin-induced CFTR
      mediated currents. The Cx43 trafficking defect was confirmed using IB3-1 cells
      and found to be corrected by 4-PBA treatment. These data support the use of NuLi
      1 and CuFi-5 cells to examine the effects of F508del CFTR expression on tight
      junction and gap junction function in the context of serous human airway cells. 

PMID- 26115672
TI  - Severe pulmonary hypertension is associated with altered right ventricle
      metabolic substrate uptake.
AB  - In severe pulmonary hypertension (SPH), prior studies have shown an increase in
      right ventricle (RV) uptake of glucose, but it is unclear whether there is a
      change in the relative utilization of fatty acids. We hypothesized that in the RV
      in SPH, as in left ventricular (LV) failure, there is altered substrate
      utilization, with increased glucose uptake and decreased fatty acid uptake. SPH
      was induced in rats by treatment with the VEGF receptor inhibitor SU5416 and 3 wk
      of hypoxia (10% FiO2 ), followed by an additional 4 wk of normoxia (SU-Hx group).
      Control rats were treated with carboxymethylcellulose vehicle and 7 wk of
      normoxia (CMC-Nx group). The rodents then underwent positron emission tomography
      with sequential administration of two radiotracers, 2-deoxy-2
      [(18)F]fluoroglucose ((18)F-FDG) and 14-(R,S)-[(18)F]fluoro-6-thia-heptadecanoic
      acid ((18)F-FTHA), analogs of glucose and fatty acid, respectively. Five CMC-Nx
      and 3 SU-Hx rats completed the entire experimental protocol. In the RV, there was
      a mild increase in (18)F-FDG uptake (1.35-fold, P = 0.085) and a significant
      decrease in (18)F-FTHA uptake (-2.1-fold, P < 0.05) in the SU-Hx rats relative to
      the CMC-Nx rats. In the LV, SU-Hx rats had less uptake of both radiotracers
      compared with CMC-Nx rats. Less RV fatty acid uptake in SPH was corroborated by
      decreased fatty acid transporters and enzymes in the RV tissue, and specifically
      a decrease in lipoprotein lipase. In the RV in rats with SPH, there is a major
      shift in metabolic substrate preference, largely due to decreased fatty acid
      uptake. 

PMID- 26115673
TI  - Leucine supplementation improves leptin sensitivity in high-fat diet fed rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported the favorable effect of leucine
      supplementation on insulin resistance or insulin sensitivity. However, whether or
      not leucine supplementation improves leptin sensitivity remains unclear. DESIGN:
      Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with either a high-fat diet (HFD)
      or HFD supplemented with 1.5, 3.0, and 4.5% leucine for 16 weeks. At the end of
      the experiment, serum leptin level was measured by ELISA, and leptin receptor
      (ObR) in the hypothalamus was examined by immunohistochemistry. The protein
      expressions of ObR and leptin-signaling pathway in adipose tissues were detected
      by western blot. RESULTS: No significant differences in body weight and
      food/energy intake existed among the four groups. Serum leptin levels were
      significantly lower, and ObR expression in the hypothalamus and adipose tissues
      was significantly higher in the three leucine groups than in the control group.
      These phenomena suggested that leptin sensitivity was improved in the leucine
      groups. Furthermore, the expressions of JAK2 and STAT3 (activated by ObR) were
      significantly higher, and that of SOCS3 (inhibits leptin signaling) was
      significantly lower in the three leucine groups than in the control group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Leucine supplementation improves leptin sensitivity in rats on HFD
      likely by promoting leptin signaling.

PMID- 26115675
TI  - Cortical superficial siderosis: detection and clinical significance in cerebral
      amyloid angiopathy and related conditions.
AB  - Cortical superficial siderosis describes a distinct pattern of blood-breakdown
      product deposition limited to cortical sulci over the convexities of the cerebral
      hemispheres, sparing the brainstem, cerebellum and spinal cord. Although cortical
      superficial siderosis has many possible causes, it is emerging as a key feature
      of cerebral amyloid angiopathy, a common and important age-related cerebral small
      vessel disorder leading to intracerebral haemorrhage and dementia. In cerebral
      amyloid angiopathy cohorts, cortical superficial siderosis is associated with
      characteristic clinical symptoms, including transient focal neurological
      episodes; preliminary data also suggest an association with a high risk of future
      intracerebral haemorrhage, with potential implications for antithrombotic
      treatment decisions. Thus, cortical superficial siderosis is of relevance to
      neurologists working in neurovascular, memory and epilepsy clinics, and
      neurovascular emergency services, emphasizing the need for appropriate blood
      sensitive magnetic resonance sequences to be routinely acquired in these clinical
      settings. In this review we focus on recent developments in neuroimaging and
      detection, aetiology, prevalence, pathophysiology and clinical significance of
      cortical superficial siderosis, with a particular emphasis on cerebral amyloid
      angiopathy. We also highlight important areas for future investigation and
      propose standards for evaluating cortical superficial siderosis in research
      studies. 

PMID- 26115674
TI  - Neurorestoration after traumatic brain injury through angiotensin II receptor
      blockage.
AB  - See Moon (doi:10.1093/awv239) for a scientific commentary on this
      article.Traumatic brain injury frequently leads to long-term cognitive problems
      and physical disability yet remains without effective therapeutics. Traumatic
      brain injury results in neuronal injury and death, acute and prolonged
      inflammation and decreased blood flow. Drugs that block angiotensin II type 1
      receptors (AT1R, encoded by AGTR1) (ARBs or sartans) are strongly
      neuroprotective, neurorestorative and anti-inflammatory. To test whether these
      drugs may be effective in treating traumatic brain injury, we selected two
      sartans, candesartan and telmisartan, of proven therapeutic efficacy in animal
      models of brain inflammation, neurodegenerative disorders and stroke. Using a
      validated mouse model of controlled cortical impact injury, we determined
      effective doses for candesartan and telmisartan, their therapeutic window,
      mechanisms of action and effect on cognition and motor performance. Both
      candesartan and telmisartan ameliorated controlled cortical impact-induced injury
      with a therapeutic window up to 6 h at doses that did not affect blood pressure.
      Both drugs decreased lesion volume, neuronal injury and apoptosis, astrogliosis,
      microglial activation, pro-inflammatory signalling, and protected cerebral blood
      flow, when determined 1 to 3 days post-injury. Controlled cortical impact-induced
      cognitive impairment was ameliorated 30 days after injury only by candesartan.
      The neurorestorative effects of candesartan and telmisartan were reduced by
      concomitant administration of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor
      gamma (PPARgamma, encoded by PPARG) antagonist T0070907, showing the importance
      of PPARgamma activation for the neurorestorative effect of these sartans. AT1R
      knockout mice were less vulnerable to controlled cortical impact-induced injury
      suggesting that the sartan's blockade of the AT1R also contributes to their
      efficacy. This study strongly suggests that sartans with dual AT1R blocking and
      PPARgamma activating properties have therapeutic potential for traumatic brain
      injury. 

PMID- 26115676
TI  - Experimental subarachnoid haemorrhage results in multifocal axonal injury.
AB  - The great majority of acute brain injury results from trauma or from disorders of
      the cerebrovasculature, i.e. ischaemic stroke or haemorrhage. These injuries are
      characterized by an initial insult that triggers a cascade of injurious cellular
      processes. The nature of these processes in spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage
      is poorly understood. Subarachnoid haemorrhage, a particularly deadly form of
      intracranial haemorrhage, shares key pathophysiological features with traumatic
      brain injury including exposure to a sudden pressure pulse. Here we provide
      evidence that axonal injury, a signature characteristic of traumatic brain
      injury, is also a prominent feature of experimental subarachnoid haemorrhage.
      Using histological markers of membrane disruption and cytoskeletal injury
      validated in analyses of traumatic brain injury, we show that axonal injury also
      occurs following subarachnoid haemorrhage in an animal model. Consistent with the
      higher prevalence of global as opposed to focal deficits after subarachnoid
      haemorrhage and traumatic brain injury in humans, axonal injury in this model is
      observed in a multifocal pattern not limited to the immediate vicinity of the
      ruptured artery. Ultrastructural analysis further reveals characteristic axonal
      membrane and cytoskeletal changes similar to those associated with traumatic
      axonal injury. Diffusion tensor imaging, a translational imaging technique
      previously validated in traumatic axonal injury, from these same specimens
      demonstrates decrements in anisotropy that correlate with histological axonal
      injury and functional outcomes. These radiological indicators identify a fibre
      orientation-dependent gradient of axonal injury consistent with a barotraumatic
      mechanism. Although traumatic and haemorrhagic acute brain injury are generally
      considered separately, these data suggest that a signature pathology of traumatic
      brain injury-axonal injury-is also a functionally significant feature of
      subarachnoid haemorrhage, raising the prospect of common diagnostic, prognostic,
      and therapeutic approaches to these conditions. 

PMID- 26115678
TI  - Kinetic changes of regulatory B10 cells in collagen-induced arthritis could be
      regulated by cytokines IFN-gamma and TGF-beta1.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The status of B10 cells in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has
      not been consistently reported. In this study, we observed the kinetic changes of
      the B10 cells in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice and the influence of
      multiple cytokines on the B10 cells to investigate the potential mechanism
      underlying the changes of B10 cells. METHODS: The kinetic changes of frequency
      and function of the CD19(+)CD1d(hi)CD5(+) cells in splenic cells were observed
      during the complete progress of CIA mice. The kinetic changes of cytokines IL-4,
      IL-6, IL-17A, IL-18, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and TGF-beta1 were also detected. Then
      influence of these cytokines on the status of B10 cells was investigated both in
      vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: The frequency and suppressive ability of the
      CD19(+)CD1d(hi)CD5(+) cells increased to its peak on the 14th day while gradually
      decreased subsequently. IFN-gamma showed a similar tendency with the
      CD19(+)CD1d(hi)CD5(+) cells, whereas IL-6, IL-17A, IL-18, TNF-alpha, and TGF
      beta1 reached its peak on the 28-35th day. In addition, IFN-gamma up-regulated
      while TGF-beta1 down-regulated the frequency and function of the
      CD19(+)CD1d(hi)CD5(+) cells both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: The B10 cells
      in CIA mice could be regulated by IFN-gamma and TGF-beta1, suggesting that the
      status of B10 cells in RA may be influenced by the balance of pro-inflammatory
      and anti-inflammatory factors, and the impaired B10 cells could be recovered in
      vitro by adequate treatment before being used for a therapeutic method in
      clinical practice.

PMID- 26115679
TI  - Tackling antibiotic resistance in febrile neutropenia: current challenges with
      and recommendations for managing infections with resistant Gram-negative
      organisms.
AB  - Multidrug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) have emerged as important
      pathogens and a serious challenge in the management of neutropenic patients
      worldwide. The great majority of infections are caused by the Enterobacteriaceae
      (especially Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp.) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and
      less frequently Acinetobacter spp. and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. A broader
      spectrum empiric antibiotic regimen is usually recommended in patients with a
      history of prior bloodstream infection caused by a MDR GNB, in those colonized by
      a MDR GNB, and if MDR GNBs are frequently isolated in the initial blood cultures.
      In any situation, de-escalation to standard empiric regimen is advised if
      infection with MDR GNB is not documented. 

PMID- 26115677
TI  - Intrinsic signature of essential tremor in the cerebello-frontal network.
AB  - Essential tremor is a movement disorder characterized by tremor during voluntary
      movements, mainly affecting the upper limbs. The cerebellum and its connections
      to the cortex are known to be involved in essential tremor, but no task-free
      intrinsic signatures of tremor related to structural cerebellar defects have so
      far been found in the cortical motor network. Here we used voxel-based
      morphometry, tractography and resting-state functional MRI at 3 T to compare
      structural and functional features in 19 patients with essential tremor and
      homogeneous symptoms in the upper limbs, and 19 age- and gender-matched healthy
      volunteers. Both structural and functional abnormalities were found in the
      patients' cerebellum and supplementary motor area. Relative to the healthy
      controls, the essential tremor patients' cerebellum exhibited less grey matter in
      lobule VIII and less effective connectivity between each cerebellar cortex and
      the ipsilateral dentate nucleus. The patient's supplementary motor area exhibited
      (i) more grey matter; (ii) a lower amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation of the
      blood oxygenation level-dependent signal; (iii) less effective connectivity
      between each supplementary motor area and the ipsilateral primary motor hand
      area, and (iv) a higher probability of connection between supplementary motor
      area fibres and the spinal cord. Structural and functional changes in the
      supplementary motor area, but not in the cerebellum, correlated with clinical
      severity. In addition, changes in the cerebellum and supplementary motor area
      were interrelated, as shown by a correlation between the lower amplitude of low
      frequency fluctuation in the supplementary motor area and grey matter loss in the
      cerebellum. The structural and functional changes observed in the supplementary
      motor area might thus be a direct consequence of cerebellar defects: the
      supplementary motor area would attempt to reduce tremor in the motor output by
      reducing its communication with M1 hand areas and by directly modulating motor
      output via its corticospinal projections.See Raethjen and Muthuraman
      (doi:10.1093/brain/awv238) for a scientific commentary on this article. 

PMID- 26115680
TI  - Intraneural perineurioma of the digital nerve: a case report.

PMID- 26115681
TI  - Measurements of surgeons' exposure to ionizing radiation dose: comparison of
      conventional and mini C-arm fluoroscopy.
AB  - This study was performed to measure the equivalent scattered radiation dose
      delivered to susceptible organs while simulating orthopaedic surgery using
      conventional and mini C-arm fluoroscopy. In addition, shielding effects on the
      thyroid, thymus, and gonad, and the direct exposure delivered to the patient's
      hands were also compared. A conventional and mini C-arms were installed in an
      operating room, and a hand and an operator phantom were used to simulate a
      patient's hand and a surgeon. Photoluminescence dosimeters were used to measure
      the equivalent dose by scattered radiation arriving at the thyroid, thymus, and
      gonad on a whole-body phantom in the position of the surgeon. Equivalent
      scattered radiation doses were measured in four groups: (1) unshielded
      conventional C-arm group; (2) unshielded mini C-arm group; (3) lead-shielded
      conventional C-arm group; and (4) lead-shielded mini C-arm group. Equivalent
      scattered radiation doses to the unshielded group were significantly lower in the
      mini C-arm group than those in the conventional C-arm group for all organs. The
      gonad in the lead-shielded conventional C-arm group showed the highest equivalent
      dose among operator-susceptible organs, and radiation dose was reduced by
      approximately 96% compared with that in the unshielded group. Scattered radiation
      was not detected in any susceptible organ in the lead-shielded mini C-arm group.
      The direct radiation dose to the hand phantom measured from the mini C-arm was
      significantly lower than that measured from the conventional C-arm. The results
      show that the equivalent scattered radiation dose to the surgeon's susceptible
      organs and the direct radiation dose to a patient's hand can be decreased
      significantly by using a mini C-arm rather than a conventional C-arm. However,
      protective lead garments, such as a thyroid shield and apron, should be applied
      to minimize radiation exposure to susceptible organs, even during use of mini C
      arm fluoroscopy. 

PMID- 26115682
TI  - In vivo flexor tendon forces generated during different rehabilitation exercises.
AB  - We measured in vivo forces in the flexor digitorum profundus and the flexor
      digitorum superficialis tendons during commonly used rehabilitation manoeuvres
      after flexor tendon repair by placing a buckle force transducer on the tendons of
      the index finger in the carpal canal during open carpal tunnel release of 12
      patients. We compared peak forces for each manoeuvre with the reported strength
      of a flexor tendon repair. Median flexor digitorum profundus force (24 N) during
      isolated flexor digitorum profundus flexion and median flexor digitorum
      superficialis force (13 N) during isolated flexor digitorum superficialis flexion
      were significantly higher than during the other manoeuvres. Significantly higher
      median forces were observed in the flexor digitorum superficialis with the wrist
      at 30 degrees  flexion (6 N) compared with the neutral wrist position (5 N).
      Median flexor digitorum profundus forces were significantly higher during active
      finger flexion (6 N) compared with place and hold (3 N). Place and hold and
      active finger flexion with the wrist in the neutral position or tenodesis
      generated the lowest forces; isolated flexion of these tendons generated higher
      forces along the flexor tendons. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III (controlled trial without
      randomization).

PMID- 26115683
TI  - Poor outcomes from use of the Artelon(r) biodegradable implant for the treatment
      of thumb carpo-metacarpal joint and scapho-trapezio-trapezoid osteoarthritis: a
      short report and brief review of literature.

PMID- 26115684
TI  - The role of proprioception and neuromuscular stability in carpal instabilities.
AB  - Carpal stability has traditionally been defined as dependent on the articular
      congruity of joint surfaces, the static stability maintained by intact ligaments,
      and the dynamic stability caused by muscle contractions resulting in a
      compression of joint surfaces. In the past decade, a fourth factor in carpal
      stability has been proposed, involving the neuromuscular and proprioceptive
      control of joints. The proprioception of the wrist originates from afferent
      signals elicited by sensory end organs (mechanoreceptors) in ligaments and joint
      capsules that elicit spinal reflexes for immediate joint stability, as well as
      higher order neuromuscular influx to the cerebellum and sensorimotor cortices for
      planning and executing joint control. The aim of this review is to provide an
      understanding of the role of proprioception and neuromuscular control in carpal
      instabilities by delineating the sensory innervation and the neuromuscular
      control of the carpus, as well as descriptions of clinical applications of
      proprioception in carpal instabilities. 

PMID- 26115685
TI  - Visualization of RelB expression and activation at the single-cell level during
      dendritic cell maturation in Relb-Venus knock-in mice.
AB  - RelB is activated by the non-canonical NF-kappaB pathway, which is crucial for
      immunity by establishing lymphoid organogenesis and B-cell and dendritic cell
      (DC) maturation. To elucidate the mechanism of the RelB-mediated immune cell
      maturation, a precise understanding of the relationship between cell maturation
      and RelB expression and activation at the single-cell level is required.
      Therefore, we generated knock-in mice expressing a fusion protein between RelB
      and fluorescent protein (RelB-Venus) from the Relb locus. The Relb(Venus/Venus)
      mice developed without any abnormalities observed in the Relb(-/-) mice, allowing
      us to monitor RelB-Venus expression and nuclear localization as RelB expression
      and activation. Relb(Venus/Venus) DC analyses revealed that DCs consist of RelB(
      ), RelB(low) and RelB(high) populations. The RelB(high) population, which
      included mature DCs with projections, displayed RelB nuclear localization,
      whereas RelB in the RelB(low) population was in the cytoplasm. Although both the
      RelB(low) and RelB(-) populations barely showed projections, MHC II and co
      stimulatory molecule expression were higher in the RelB(low) than in the RelB(-)
      splenic conventional DCs. Taken together, our results identify the RelB(low)
      population as a possible novel intermediate maturation stage of cDCs and the
      Relb(Venus/Venus) mice as a useful tool to analyse the dynamic regulation of the
      non-canonical NF-kappaB pathway.

PMID- 26115686
TI  - Mutagenesis study to disrupt electrostatic interactions on the twofold symmetry
      interface of Escherichia coli bacterioferritin.
AB  - Ferritins and other cage proteins have been utilized as models to understand the
      fundamentals of protein folding and self-assembly. The bacterioferritin (BFR)
      from Escherichia coli, a maxi-ferritin made up of 24 subunits, was chosen as the
      basis for a mutagenesis study to investigate the role of electrostatic
      intermolecular interactions mediated through charged amino acids. Through
      structural and computational analyses, three charged amino acids R30, D56 and E60
      which involved in an electrostatic interaction network were mutated to the
      opposite charge. Four mutants, R30D, D56R, E60H and D56R-E60H, were expressed,
      purified and characterized. All of the mutants fold into alpha-helical
      structures. Consistent with the computational prediction, they all show a lowered
      thermostability; double mutant D56R-E60H was found to be 16 degrees C less stable
      than the wild type. Except for the mutant E60H, all the other mutations
      completely shut down the formation of protein cages to favour the dimer state in
      solution. The mutants, however, retain their ability to form cage-like
      nanostructures in the dried, surface immobilized conditions of transmission
      electron microscopy. Our findings confirm that even a single charge-inversion
      mutation at the 2-fold interface of BFR can affect the quaternary structure of
      its dimers and their ability to self-assemble into cage structures. 

PMID- 26115687
TI  - Expression, purification and enzymatic characterization of a recombinant human
      ubiquitin-specific protease 47.
AB  - In this study, the physicochemical and enzymatic properties of recombinant human
      ubiquitin (Ub)-specific protease (USP) 47, a novel member of the C19 family of de
      ubiquitinating enzymes (DUB), were characterized for the first time. Recombinant
      human USP47 was expressed in a baculovirus expression system and purified to
      homogeneity. The purified protein was shown to be a monomeric protein with a
      molecular mass of ~146 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel
      electrophoresis. USP47 released Ub from Ub-aminoacyl-4-metheylcoumaryl-7-amide
      and Ub-tagged granzyme B. The substitution of the potential nucleophile Cys109
      with Ser severely abrogated the Ub-releasing activity of USP47, indicating that
      USP47 is indeed a cysteine DUB. An assay using Ub dimer substrates showed that
      the enzyme cleaved a variety of isopeptide bonds between 2 Ub molecules,
      including the Lys48- and Lys63-linked isopeptide bonds. USP47 also released a Ub
      moiety from Lys48- and Lys63-linked polyUb chains. Of the inhibitors tested, N
      ethylmaleimide, Zn ion and Ub aldehyde revealed a dose-dependent inhibition of
      USP47. In this study, clear differences in the enzymatic properties between USP47
      and USP7 (the most closely related proteins among DUBs) were also found.
      Therefore, our results suggest that USP47 may play distinct roles in Ub-mediated
      cellular processes via DUB activity. 

PMID- 26115688
TI  - Subtype-independent near full-length HIV-1 genome sequencing and assembly to be
      used in large molecular epidemiological studies and clinical management.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: HIV-1 near full-length genome (HIV-NFLG) sequencing from plasma is
      an attractive multidimensional tool to apply in large-scale population-based
      molecular epidemiological studies. It also enables genotypic resistance testing
      (GRT) for all drug target sites allowing effective intervention strategies for
      control and prevention in high-risk population groups. Thus, the main objective
      of this study was to develop a simplified subtype-independent, cost- and labour
      efficient HIV-NFLG protocol that can be used in clinical management as well as in
      molecular epidemiological studies. METHODS: Plasma samples (n=30) were obtained
      from HIV-1B (n=10), HIV-1C (n=10), CRF01_AE (n=5) and CRF01_AG (n=5) infected
      individuals with minimum viral load >1120 copies/ml. The amplification was
      performed with two large amplicons of 5.5 kb and 3.7 kb, sequenced with 17
      primers to obtain HIV-NFLG. GRT was validated against ViroSeqTM HIV-1 Genotyping
      System. RESULTS: After excluding four plasma samples with low-quality RNA, a
      total of 26 samples were attempted. Among them, NFLG was obtained from 24 (92%)
      samples with the lowest viral load being 3000 copies/ml. High (>99%) concordance
      was observed between HIV-NFLG and ViroSeqTM when determining the drug resistance
      mutations (DRMs). The N384I connection mutation was additionally detected by NFLG
      in two samples. CONCLUSIONS: Our high efficiency subtype-independent HIV-NFLG is
      a simple and promising approach to be used in large-scale molecular
      epidemiological studies. It will facilitate the understanding of the HIV-1
      pandemic population dynamics and outline effective intervention strategies.
      Furthermore, it can potentially be applicable in clinical management of drug
      resistance by evaluating DRMs against all available antiretrovirals in a single
      assay.

PMID- 26115689
TI  - Gill paracellular permeability and the osmorespiratory compromise during exercise
      in the hypoxia-tolerant Amazonian oscar (Astronotus ocellatus).
AB  - In the traditional osmorespiratory compromise, fish increase their effective gill
      permeability to O2 during exercise or hypoxia, and in consequence suffer
      unfavorable ionic and osmotic fluxes. However oscars, which live in the
      frequently hypoxic ion-poor waters of the Amazon, actually decrease ionic fluxes
      across the gills during acute hypoxia without changing gill paracellular
      permeability, and exhibit rapid paving over of the mitochondrial-rich cells
      (MRCs). But what happens during prolonged exercise? Gill paracellular
      permeability, ionic fluxes, and gill morphology were examined in juvenile oscars
      at rest and during aerobic swimming. Initial validation tests with urinary
      catheterized fish quantified drinking, glomerular filtration, and urinary flow
      rates, and confirmed that measurements of gill paracellular permeability as
      [(3)H]PEG-4000 clearances were the same in efflux and influx directions, but far
      lower than previously measured in comparably sized trout. Although the oscars
      achieved a very similar proportional increase (90%) in oxygen consumption (MO2)
      to trout during steady-state swimming at 1.2 body lengths sec(-1), there was no
      increase in gill paracellular permeability, in contrast to trout. However, oscars
      did exhibit increased unidirectional Na(+) efflux and net K(+) rates during
      exercise, but no change in drinking rate. There were no changes in MRC numbers or
      exposure, or other alterations in gill morphology during exercise. A substantial
      interlamellar cell mass (ILCM) that covered the lamellae to a depth of 30% was
      unchanged by 4 h of swimming activity. We conclude that a low branchial
      paracellular permeability which can be dissociated from changes in O2 flux, as
      well as the presence of the ILCM, may be adaptive in limiting ionoregulatory
      costs for a species endemic to ion-poor, frequently hypoxic waters.

PMID- 26115690
TI  - Long-term effect of pulsed high-intensity laser therapy in the treatment of post
      mastectomy pain syndrome: a double blind, placebo-control, randomized study.
AB  - We assess the long-term effect of pulsed high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) in
      the treatment of the post-mastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS). A total of 61 women
      participated in this study (30 in the laser group and 31 in the placebo laser
      group), with a mean age of 53.56 +/- 1.11 years. Patients who were randomly
      assigned to the laser group received HILT three times per week for 4 weeks, plus
      a routine physical therapy program (RPTP). The placebo laser group received
      placebo HILT plus RPTP. The outcomes measured were pain level by visual analog
      scale (VAS), shoulder range of motion (ROM), and quality of life (QOL).
      Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA with repeated measures to compare the
      differences between baseline and post-treatment measurements and after 12 weeks
      of follow-up for both groups. The level of statistical significance was set at P
      < 0.05. Shoulder ROM significantly increased in the laser group after 4 weeks of
      treatment and after 12 weeks of follow-up compared with the placebo group. VAS
      results showed a significant decrease post-treatment in the laser group relative
      to the placebo group, and QOL results showed a significant improvement in the
      laser group compared with the placebo group and still improved after 12 weeks of
      follow-up. HILT combined with an RPTP appears to be more effective in patients
      with PMPS than a placebo laser procedure with RPTP. 

PMID- 26115691
TI  - Evidence for and characterization of nervous necrosis virus infection in Pacific
      cod (Gadus macrocephalus).
AB  - A mortality rate higher than 90% was observed in a larva-rearing facility for
      Pacific cod, Gadus macrocephalus, in China. Larvae showing clinical signs of
      infection were collected. Initial suspicion of nervous necrosis virus (NNV)
      infection was confirmed by sequencing, absolute quantification real-time PCR (A
      qPCR), and electron microscopy. The nucleotide sequence of RNA2 was 1,375 bases
      long (GenBank no. KM576685), coding for a single ORF corresponding to the capsid
      protein from residues 21 to 1034. Phylogenetic analysis of the capsid protein
      sequence showed that PCNNV belongs to the barfin flounder NNV (BFNVV) genotype.
      An amino acid sequence alignment revealed 39 differences between the cold- and
      warm-resistant viral groups, suggesting that PCNNV evolved under temperature
      selection. The 3-D structure of the predicted capsid protein was modeled to
      identify potential epitopes, and the gene was expressed in Escherichia coli,
      yielding a protein with a molecular mass of 55 kDa. During PCNNV outbreaks, the
      viral copy number was found to reach 10(7) per ng of total RNA, which could be
      considered the lethal copy number of NNV in cod. The gonads, eggs, fertilized
      eggs and asymptomatic cod fry were all positive for PCNNV, indicating viral
      vertical transmission as the main source of the viral load. The amount of virus
      in the apparent healthy fry or survivors seemed to decrease gradually with
      development. These results might lead to efficient diagnostic methods to help
      farmers select NNV-free broodfish for cod breeding.

PMID- 26115692
TI  - Detection, discrimination and quantitation of 22 bluetongue virus serotypes using
      real-time RT-PCR with TaqMan MGB probes.
AB  - Bluetongue virus (BTV) is the etiological agent of bluetongue (BT) disease, a
      noncontagious insect-transmitted disease of international importance. To date, 26
      BTV serotypes have been recognized worldwide. Methods to discriminate BTV
      serotypes in clinical samples are essential to epidemiological surveillance
      efforts and BTV vaccination programs. The BTV VP2 major outer capsid protein,
      encoded by genomic segment 2 (Seg-2), is the most highly variable BTV protein and
      is the primary determinant of the virus serotype. Here, we report the development
      of rapid and reliable real-time RT-PCR assays to detect and discriminate 22 BTV
      serotypes on the basis of VP2-encoding genomic sequences. Serotype-specific
      primers and probes detected only the targeted BTV serotype and displayed no cross
      amplification of off-target BTV serotypes or other closely related Reoviridae and
      Bunyaviridae family members. The real-time RT-PCR assays developed were highly
      sensitive, and the majority of serotype-specific reactions could detect template
      when present at >=10 copies. These BTV serotype-specific real-time RT-PCR assays
      represent a rapid, sensitive, and reliable method for the identification,
      differentiation and quantification of 22 BTV serotypes. 

PMID- 26115694
TI  - The Effects of Biodiesel and Crude Oil on the Foraging Behavior of Rusty
      Crayfish, Orconectes rusticus.
AB  - Environmental pollutants, such as crude oil and other petroleum-based fuels,
      inhibit and limit an organism's ability to perceive a chemical stimulus. Despite
      the increased use of alternative fuels, such as biodiesel, there have been few
      studies investigating the impact of these chemicals on the behavior of aquatic
      organisms. The purpose of this study was to compare the sublethal effects of
      biodiesel and crude oil exposure on chemically mediated behaviors in a freshwater
      keystone species. Crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) were tested on their ability to
      respond appropriately to a positive chemical stimulus within a Y-maze choice
      paradigm. Behavior was quantified by measuring time spent finding an odor source,
      duration of time spent at the odor source, percentage of crayfish that found the
      odor source, and percentage of crayfish that chose the correct arm of the arena.
      Results indicated negative impacts of both biodiesel and crude oil on the ability
      of crayfish to locate the food source. However, there were no significant
      differences between behavioral performances when crayfish were exposed to crude
      oil compared with biodiesel. Thus, biodiesel and crude oil have equally negative
      effects on the chemosensory behavior of crayfish. These findings indicate that
      biodiesel has the potential to have similar negative ecological impacts as other
      fuel source toxins. 

PMID- 26115693
TI  - Hepatitis A and E Viruses in Wastewaters, in River Waters, and in Bivalve
      Molluscs in Italy.
AB  - Several studies have reported the detection of hepatitis A (HAV) and E (HEV)
      virus in sewage waters, indicating a possibility of contamination of aquatic
      environments. The objective of the present study was to assess the occurrence of
      HAV and HEV in different water environments, following the route of contamination
      from raw sewage through treated effluent to the surface waters receiving
      wastewater discharges . Bivalve molluscan shellfish samples were also analyzed,
      as sentinel of marine pollution. Samples were tested by RT-PCR nested type in the
      VP1/2A junction for HAV, and in the ORF1 and ORF2 regions for HEV. Hepatitis A
      RNA was detected in 12 water samples: 7/21 (33.3%) raw sewage samples, 3/21
      (14.3%) treated sewage samples, and 2/27 (7.4%) river water samples. Five
      sequences were classified as genotype IA, while the remaining 7 sequences
      belonged to genotype IB. In bivalves, HAV was detected in 13/56 samples (23.2%),
      12 genotype IB and one genotype IA. Whether the presence of HAV in the matrices
      tested indicates the potential for waterborne and foodborne transmission is
      unknown, since infectivity of the virus was not demonstrated. HEV was detected in
      one raw sewage sample and in one river sample, both belonging to genotype 3.
      Sequences were similar to sequences detected previously in Italy in patients with
      autochthonous HEV (no travel history) and in animals (swine). To our knowledge,
      this is the first detection of HEV in river waters in Italy, suggesting that
      surface water can be a potential source for exposure .

PMID- 26115695
TI  - The effect of pupil dilation on AL-Scan biometric parameters.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pupil dilation on the
      parameters of the AL-Scan (Nidek Co., Ltd, Gamagori, Japan). We compared the
      measurements of axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), central corneal
      keratometry reading, pupil diameter, and intraocular lens (IOL) power of 72 eyes
      of 72 healthy volunteers and patients scheduled for cataract surgery before and
      45 min after instillation of cyclopentolate hydrochloride 1 % using the AL-Scan.
      Intraobserver repeatability was assessed by taking three consecutive recordings
      of ACD and AL. Only ACD readings were significantly different between predilation
      and postdilation (P < 0.001). The difference of the other measurements between
      two sessions was not statistically significant (P > 0.001). Only two cases in the
      study demonstrated changes in IOL power higher than 0.5 D. The intraobserver
      repeatability of both devices was good (CV values for ACD and AL were 0.16 and
      0.20 %, respectively). Dilated pupil size did not affect the measurement of IOL
      power using the A-Scan optical biometer, but increase in ACD after dilation
      should be taken into account when performing refractive surgeries in which ACD is
      very important such as phakic anterior chamber IOL implantation. 

PMID- 26115696
TI  - Early Childhood Trajectories of Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Traits:
      The Role of Fearlessness and Psychopathic Personality Dimensions.
AB  - Children with early onset of conduct problems (CP) are at risk for long lasting
      psychosocial problems, especially if CP co-occurs with callous-unemotional (CU)
      traits. Joint trajectories of CP and CU traits during early childhood were
      identified using data from the SOFIA study, following 2031 children
      longitudinally from ages 3-5 to 5-7 years. The results showed that children
      exhibiting stable high CP and CU traits were characterized by high levels of
      fearlessness, and psychopathic traits, including grandiose-deceitfulness, and
      impulsivity, need for stimulation. Children with decreasing or increasing CP and
      CU traits were characterized by decreases and increases respectively in their
      levels of fearlessness and psychopathic traits. Children high on CP and low on CU
      traits exhibited lower levels of these dimensions. Thus, stability and change of
      fearlessness and psychopathic traits are associated with stability and change in
      CP and CU traits, making these temperamental and personality traits promising
      target candidates for early intervention. 

PMID- 26115698
TI  - MAFB as a novel regulator of human adipose tissue inflammation.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Dysregulated expression of metabolic and inflammatory genes is a
      prominent consequence of obesity causing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
      Finding causative factors is essential to understanding progression of these
      pathologies and discovering new therapeutic targets. The transcription factor V
      maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homologue B (MAFB) is highly
      expressed in human white adipose tissue (WAT). However, its role in the
      regulation of WAT function is elusive. We aimed to characterise MAFB expression
      and function in human WAT in the context of obesity and insulin resistance.
      METHODS: MAFB mRNA expression was evaluated in human WAT from seven cohorts with
      large inter-individual variation in BMI and metabolic features. Insulin-induced
      adipocyte lipogenesis and lipolysis were measured and correlated with MAFB
      expression. MAFB regulation during adipogenesis and the effects of MAFB
      suppression in human adipocytes was investigated. MAFB regulation by TNF-alpha
      was examined in human primary adipocytes and THP-1 monocytes/macrophages.
      RESULTS: MAFB expression in human adipocytes is upregulated during adipogenesis,
      increases with BMI in WAT, correlates with adverse metabolic features and is
      decreased after weight loss. MAFB downregulation decreases proinflammatory gene
      expression in adipocytes and interferes with TNF-alpha effects. Interestingly,
      MAFB is differentially regulated by TNF-alpha in adipocytes (suppressed) and THP
      1 cells (upregulated). Further, MAFB is primarily expressed in WAT
      macrophages/monocytes and its expression correlates with macrophage and
      inflammatory markers. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Our findings indicate that MAFB
      is a regulator and a marker of adipose tissue inflammation, a process that
      subsequently causes insulin resistance.

PMID- 26115699
TI  - Human Extraintestinal Sarcocystosis: What We Know, and What We don't Know.
AB  - There are over 150 known Sarcocystis species, and at least one is capable of
      infecting and causing disease in man. Extraintestinal (muscular) sarcocystosis
      and intestinal sarcocystosis are the two known manifestations of disease in
      humans. In this series of six cases and review, we focus on the invasive
      extraintestinal ("muscular") form of sarcocystosis in humans. This disease, which
      until recently was rarely described, has become relevant particularly as an
      imported condition in travelers due to a recent series of outbreaks reported from
      Malaysia. Human intestinal sarcocystosis is ubiquitous across the globe. However,
      absolute numbers of probable and particularly confirmed cases are few, with only
      several hundred described to date. Characteristically, patients exhibit signs and
      symptoms either 1-2 weeks after exposure, or after 4-8 weeks. Whether people
      remain asymptomatic or develop disease apparently depends on the infecting
      species, host factors, and the inoculum size. The definitive host(s) remain
      uncertain, and identification of the animal reservoir(s) requires further
      research. A better understanding of the epidemiology of the disease, as well as
      its immunological determinants, is hampered by the lack of reliable serological
      diagnostic methods. Additionally, DNA seems to be contained very effectively
      within the encysted parasite, thereby rendering PCR detection unreliable.
      Physicians should suspect the condition in patients with suggestive symptoms and
      a possible history of exposure. Surveillance networks for imported infectious
      diseases are formidable tools to help detect and localize outbreaks. 

PMID- 26115697
TI  - Traumatic and Adverse Attachment Childhood Experiences are not Characteristic of
      OCD but of Depression in Adolescents.
AB  - We investigated whether adverse attachment experience might contribute to the
      development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We interviewed 100
      adolescents, 25 each with primary OCD, depressive disorder (DD), OCD plus DD and
      general population controls (CTRs) using the adult attachment interview to assess
      attachment experiences (AEs), including traumatic and adverse AE (TAE).
      Adolescents with OCD, OCD+DD and DD had little evidence of secure base/safe haven
      parental behaviour and their childhood attachment needs judged to be rejected as
      compared to the controls. Overprotection was not characteristic of OCD, and
      parents using the child for their own needs (elevated levels of involving/role
      reversal) occurred only in DD, with low levels in OCD, OCD+DD and CTR. Traumatic
      experiences, often multiple, and/or attachment related were reported
      significantly more often in the DD group, and was less common in OCD+DD, CTR and
      particularly in the OCD group. In OCD, little TAE was reported and adverse AE
      were less serious and seem unlikely to contribute directly to OCD aetiology. In
      DD and to some degree in OCD+DD serious AE/TAE may have some etiological
      significance for the depressive states. 

PMID- 26115700
TI  - A 2015 Update on Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: New Insights on Its Prevention,
      Diagnosis, and Treatment.
AB  - Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), an infection of the lower respiratory
      tract which occurs in association with mechanical ventilation, is one of the most
      common causes of nosocomial infection in the intensive care unit (ICU). VAP
      causes significant morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients including
      increased duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU stay and hospitalization.
      Current knowledge for its prevention, diagnosis and management is therefore
      important clinically and is the basis for this review. We discuss recent changes
      in VAP surveillance nomenclature incorporating ventilator-associated conditions
      and ventilator-associated events, terms recently proposed by the Centers for
      Disease Control. To the extent possible, we rely predominantly on data from
      randomized control trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses. 

PMID- 26115701
TI  - Prevalence, Nature, Severity and Risk Factors for Prescribing Errors in Hospital
      Inpatients: Prospective Study in 20 UK Hospitals.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It has been suggested that doctors in their first year of post
      graduate training make a disproportionate number of prescribing errors.
      OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the prevalence of prescribing errors made
      by first-year post-graduate doctors with that of errors by senior doctors and non
      medical prescribers and to investigate the predictors of potentially serious
      prescribing errors. METHODS: Pharmacists in 20 hospitals over 7 prospectively
      selected days collected data on the number of medication orders checked, the
      grade of prescriber and details of any prescribing errors. Logistic regression
      models (adjusted for clustering by hospital) identified factors predicting the
      likelihood of prescribing erroneously and the severity of prescribing errors.
      RESULTS: Pharmacists reviewed 26,019 patients and 124,260 medication orders;
      11,235 prescribing errors were detected in 10,986 orders. The mean error rate was
      8.8 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 8.6-9.1) errors per 100 medication orders.
      Rates of errors for all doctors in training were significantly higher than rates
      for medical consultants. Doctors who were 1 year (odds ratio [OR] 2.13; 95 % CI
      1.80-2.52) or 2 years in training (OR 2.23; 95 % CI 1.89-2.65) were more than
      twice as likely to prescribe erroneously. Prescribing errors were 70 % (OR 1.70;
      95 % CI 1.61-1.80) more likely to occur at the time of hospital admission than
      when medication orders were issued during the hospital stay. No significant
      differences in severity of error were observed between grades of prescriber.
      Potentially serious errors were more likely to be associated with prescriptions
      for parenteral administration, especially for cardiovascular or endocrine
      disorders. CONCLUSION: The problem of prescribing errors in hospitals is
      substantial and not solely a problem of the most junior medical prescribers,
      particularly for those errors most likely to cause significant patient harm.
      Interventions are needed to target these high-risk errors by all grades of staff
      and hence improve patient safety.

PMID- 26115702
TI  - SNX15 Regulates Cell Surface Recycling of APP and Abeta Generation.
AB  - Amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of
      Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is generated from amyloid-beta precursor protein
      (APP) through sequential proteolytic cleavages by beta-site APP cleaving enzyme 1
      (BACE1) and gamma-secretase. Trafficking dysregulation of APP, BACE1, and gamma
      secretase may affect Abeta generation and disease pathogenesis. Sorting nexin 15
      (SNX15) is known to regulate protein trafficking. Here, we report that SNX15 is
      abundantly expressed in mouse neurons and astrocytes. In addition, we show that
      although not affecting the protein levels of APP, BACE1, and gamma-secretase
      components and the activity of BACE1 and gamma-secretase, overexpression and
      downregulation of SNX15 reduce and promote Abeta production, respectively.
      Furthermore, we find that overexpression of SNX15 increases APP protein levels in
      cell surface through accelerating APP recycling, whereas downregulation of SNX15
      has an opposite effect. Finally, we show that exogenous expression of human SNX15
      in the hippocampal dentate gyrus by adeno-associated virus (AAV) infection can
      significantly reduce Abeta pathology in the hippocampus and improve short-term
      working memory in the APPswe/PSEN1dE9 double transgenic AD model mice. Together,
      our results suggest that SNX15 regulates the recycling of APP to cell surface
      and, thus, its processing for Abeta generation.

PMID- 26115703
TI  - Prenatal Exposure of Cypermethrin Induces Similar Alterations in Xenobiotic
      Metabolizing Cytochrome P450s and Rate-Limiting Enzymes of Neurotransmitter
      Synthesis in Brain Regions of Rat Offsprings During Postnatal Development.
AB  - Oral administration of low doses of cypermethrin to pregnant Wistar rats led to a
      dose-dependent differences in the induction of xenobiotic-metabolizing cytochrome
      P450s (CYPs) messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein in brain regions isolated from the
      offsprings postnatally at 3 weeks that persisted up to adulthood. Similar
      alterations were observed in the expression of rate-limiting enzymes of
      neurotransmitter synthesis in brain regions of rat offsprings. These persistent
      changes were associated with alterations in circulating levels of growth hormone
      (GH), cognitive functions, and accumulation of cypermethrin and its metabolites
      in brain regions of exposed offsprings. Though molecular docking studies failed
      to identify similarities between the docked conformations of cypermethrin with
      CYPs and neurotransmitter receptors, in silico analysis identified regulatory
      sequences of CYPs in the promoter region of rate-limiting enzymes of
      neurotransmitter synthesis. Further, rechallenge of the prenatally exposed
      offsprings at adulthood with cypermethrin (p.o. 10 mg/kg * 6 days) led to a
      greater magnitude of alterations in the expression of CYPs and rate-limiting
      enzymes of neurotransmitter synthesis in different brain regions. These
      alterations were associated with a greater magnitude of decrease in the
      circulating levels of GH and cognitive functions in rechallenged offsprings. Our
      data has led us to suggest that due to the immaturity of CYPs in fetus or during
      early development, even the low-level exposure of cypermethrin may be sufficient
      to interact with the CYPs, which in turn affect the neurotransmission processes
      and may help in explaining the developmental neurotoxicity of cypermethrin.

PMID- 26115705
TI  - UVA illumination-induced optical coupling between tryptophan and natural
      dissolved organic matter.
AB  - Exposure of tryptophan (Trp) in aqueous solutions to UVA radiation resulted in
      decrease of Trp (C1) but generated an unknown fluorescent component (C2) with
      fluorescence emission maxima extending into wavelength range characteristic of
      humic substance (HS)-like material. The intensity of the two components (C1 and
      C2) could be operationally fit to linear functions of the illumination time t
      (0~40 h). However, C1 and C2 decreased and increased nonlinearly respectively in
      a mixture (Trp mixed with a reference sample of natural organic matter, i.e.,
      NOM) which was exposed to the same UVA illumination, and the change of both C1
      and C2 was faster than that in the absence of NOM. Moreover, the UV-Vis
      absorption maximum (ex = 278 nm) of Trp was faster removed for the mixture (after
      5 h) than for Trp solutions without NOM (after 20 h). These observations
      suggested NOM-facilitated photobleaching of Trp and photoproduction of a new FDOM
      component under UVA illumination. Meanwhile, the fluorescence of the NOM in the
      absence of Trp was well represented by two HS-like components which decayed
      monotonically upon exposure to UVA light, while the photoinduced decay became
      nonmonotonic in the presence of Trp, and one component even increased with
      illumination during certain time window, indicating Trp-facilitated production of
      HS-like fluorescence signatures from NOM. The findings show that UVA-induced
      optical signature changes of tryptophan and HS-like materials are coupled and
      highlight the potential impact of absorption of solar UVA light by natural
      dissolved organic matter (DOM) on using the optical signatures to trace sources
      and sinks of DOM.

PMID- 26115704
TI  - E-cadherin and Src associate with extradesmosomal Dsg3 and modulate desmosome
      assembly and adhesion.
AB  - Desmosomes provide strong intercellular cohesion essential for the integrity of
      cells and tissues exposed to continuous mechanical stress. For desmosome
      assembly, constitutively synthesized desmosomal cadherins translocate to the cell
      cell border, cluster and mature in the presence of Ca(2+) to stable cell
      contacts. As adherens junctions precede the formation of desmosomes, we
      investigated in this study the relationship between the classical cadherin E
      cadherin and the desmosomal cadherin Desmoglein 3 (Dsg3), the latter of which is
      indispensable for cell-cell adhesion in keratinocytes. By using autoantibodies
      from patients with the blistering skin disease pemphigus vulgaris (PV), we showed
      in loss of function studies that E-cadherin compensates for effects of desmosomal
      disassembly. Overexpression of E-cadherin reduced the loss of cell cohesion
      induced by PV autoantibodies and attenuated activation of p38 MAPK. Silencing of
      E-cadherin abolished the localization of Dsg3 at the membrane and resulted in a
      shift of Dsg3 from the cytoskeletal to the non-cytoskeletal protein pool which
      conforms to the notion that E-cadherin regulates desmosome assembly.
      Mechanistically, we identified a complex consisting of extradesmosomal Dsg3, E
      cadherin, beta-catenin and Src and that the stability of this complex is
      regulated by Src. Moreover, Dsg3 and E-cadherin are phosphorylated on tyrosine
      residues in a Src-dependent manner and Src activity is required for recruiting
      Dsg3 to the cytoskeletal pool as well as for desmosome maturation towards a
      Ca(2+)-insensitive state. Our data provide new insights into the role of E
      cadherin and the contribution of Src signaling for formation and maintenance of
      desmosomal junctions.

PMID- 26115706
TI  - A trench study to assess transfer of pesticides in subsurface lateral flow for a
      soil with contrasting texture on a sloping vineyard in Beaujolais.
AB  - Subsurface lateral flow in both texture-contrast soils and catchments with
      shallow bedrock is suspected to be a non-point source of contamination of
      watercourses by pesticides used in agriculture. As a case study, the north of the
      Beaujolais region (eastern France) provides a favorable environment for such
      contamination due to its agro-pedo-climatic conditions. Environments seen in the
      Beaujolais region include intense viticulture, permeable and shallow soils, steep
      hillslopes, and storms that occur during the periods of pesticide application.
      Watercourse contamination by pesticides has been widely observed in this region,
      and offsite pesticide transport by subsurface lateral flow is suspected to be
      involved in diffuse and chronic presence of pesticides in surface water. In order
      to confirm and quantify the potential role of such processes in pesticide
      transfer, an automated trench system has been designed. The trench was set up on
      a steep farmed hillslope in a texture-contrast soil. It was equipped with a
      tipping bucket flow meter and an automatic sampler to monitor pesticide
      concentrations in lateral flow at fine resolution, by means of a flow-dependent
      sampling strategy. Four pesticides currently used in vine growing were studied to
      provide a range of mobility properties: one insecticide (chlorpyrifos-methyl) and
      three fungicides (spiroxamine, tebuconazole, and dimethomorph). With this system,
      it was possible to study pesticide concentration dynamics in the subsurface
      lateral flow, generated by substantial rainfall events following pesticide
      applications. The experimental design ascertained to be a suitable method in
      which to monitor subsurface lateral flow and related transfer of pesticides. 

PMID- 26115708
TI  - Pronounced response of papillary craniopharyngioma to treatment with vemurafenib,
      a BRAF inhibitor.

PMID- 26115707
TI  - Impact of gsp mutations in somatotroph pituitary adenomas on growth hormone
      response to somatostatin analogs: a meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Somatic mutations in the GNAS1 gene, which encodes the alpha-subunit
      of G stimulatory proteins (gsp), are frequently detected in somatotroph pituitary
      tumors and have been associated to specific clinical and histopathological
      characteristics. However, the question whether the presence of a somatic gsp
      mutation affects the response to somatostatin analog treatment remains
      unresolved. DESIGN: Following a literature search, we performed a meta-analysis,
      including 8 eligible studies, in order to estimate the effect of gsp mutation on
      the percent reduction of growth hormone (GH) levels during an acute octreotide
      suppression test (OST). A total of 310 patients with acromegaly [126 gsp (+) and
      184 gsp (-)] were included in the analysis. RESULTS: The presence of the gsp
      mutation was related with a greater reduction in GH levels on OST [Weighted Mean
      Difference (WMD): 9.08 % (95 % CI, 2.73, 15.42); p = 0.005; random effects
      model]. There was significant heterogeneity for this effect estimate (I(2) = 58
      %, p value for heterogeneity = 0.02). A sensitivity analysis after exclusion of a
      study with different methodology of OST provided similar estimates [WMD: 6.93 %
      (95 % CI, 1.40, 12.46); p = 0.01], albeit with no significant heterogeneity (I(2)
      = 35 %, p value for heterogeneity = 0.16). CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis
      suggests a role for gsp mutation as a prognostic factor of treatment response to
      somatostatin analogs.

PMID- 26115710
TI  - [Introduction].

PMID- 26115709
TI  - Impact of selective pituitary gland incision or resection on hormonal function
      after adenoma or cyst resection.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: With the resection of pituitary lesions, the anterior pituitary gland
      often obstructs transsphenoidal access to the lesion. In such cases, a gland
      incision and/or partial gland resection may be required to obtain adequate
      exposure. We investigate this technique and determine the associated risk of post
      operative hypopituitarism. METHODS: All patients who underwent surgical resection
      of a pituitary adenoma or Rathke cleft cyst (RCC) between July 2007 and January
      2013 were analyzed for pre- and post-operative hormone function. The cohort of
      patients with gland incision/resection were compared to a case-matched control
      cohort of pituitary surgery patients. Total hypophysectomy patients were excluded
      from outcome analysis. RESULTS: Of 372 operations over this period, an anterior
      pituitary gland incision or partial gland resection was performed in 79 cases
      (21.2 %). These include 53 gland incisions, 12 partial hemi-hypophysectomies and
      14 resections of thinned/attenuated anterior gland. Diagnoses included 64
      adenomas and 15 RCCs. New permanent hypopituitarism occurred in three patients
      (3.8 %), including permanent DI (3) and growth hormone deficiency (1). There was
      no significant difference in the rate of worsening gland dysfunction nor gain of
      function. Compared to a control cohort, there was a significantly lower incidence
      of transient DI (1.25 vs. 11.1 %, p = 0.009) but no significant difference in
      permanent DI (3.8 vs. 4.0 %) in the gland incision group. CONCLUSION: Selective
      gland incisions and gland resections were performed in over 20 % of our cases.
      This technique appears to minimize traction on compressed normal pituitary gland
      during removal of large lesions and facilitates better visualization and removal
      of cysts, microadenomas and macroadenomas.

PMID- 26115711
TI  - [The molecular machinery of neurotransmitter secretion].

PMID- 26115712
TI  - [The genes and proteins which control the process of secretion].

PMID- 26115713
TI  - [The source of membrane fusion in the cell].

PMID- 26115714
TI  - [Contribution of synaptic release mechanisms to the building of sensory maps].
AB  - Numerous neurotransmitters have been implicated in neurodevelopmental processes.
      In addition, developing neurons show an abundance of vesicles in the growth
      cones, and express proteins of the SNARE complex early on. This has led to
      propose a role for vesicular fusion machinery in axonal growth and synapse
      formation. However, as the molecular machinery of vesicular fusion started to
      unveil, and knockouts for the major proteins of this complex were generated, it
      came as a surprise that none of these proteins was essential for the construction
      of brain architecture, although they were crucial for vital functions of the
      organism, leading to early mortality of exocytosis mutants. Because of this early
      death, conditional ablation of these genes in well-defined neuronal populations
      was necessary to study their role at later stages of neural circuit development,
      when activity-dependent mechanisms are best defined. Early studies showed that
      mutants of Munc18-1, a gene essential for both constitutive and calcium triggered
      release, were required for target dependent cell survival but not for axon growth
      or early refinement of topographic targeting, at least in the retinotectal
      system. Conditional knockout of the Rim1 and Rim2 genes allowed to interrogate
      more specifically the role of calcium-triggered release. Rims (rab interacting
      molecules) play a key role in the assembly of calcium channels and their coupling
      to the SNARE complex alters calcium-triggered release with little effect on
      constitutive release. When Rim1/Rim2 genes were ablated in the thalamus, layer IV
      neurons failed to organize into barrel structures, and to form the characteristic
      asymmetric distribution of their dendrites. More surprisingly, thalamocortical
      axons still organized in precise topographic maps and formed well differentiated
      synapses despite considerable reduction of calcium-induced synaptic release.
      However, this reduction in release probability altered axon targeting in the
      visual system where axons from both eyes compete for the same target. Thus,
      genetic tools targeting the exocytosis machinery are allowing to dissect more
      precisely the contribution of synaptic and non-synaptic mechanisms to activity
      dependent circuit wiring. 

PMID- 26115715
TI  - [Phosphoinositides: lipidic essential actors in the intracellular traffic].
AB  - Phosphoinositides (PPIn) are lipids involved in the vesicular transport of
      proteins between the different intracellular compartments. They act by recruiting
      and/or activating effector proteins and are thus involved in crucial cellular
      functions including vesicle budding, fusion and dynamics of membranes and
      regulation of the cytoskeleton. Although they are present in low concentrations
      in membranes, their activity is essential for cell survival and needs to be
      tightly controlled. Therefore, phosphatases and kinases specific of the various
      cellular membranes can phosphorylate/dephosphorylate their inositol ring on the
      positions D3, D4 and/or D5. The differential phosphorylation determines the
      intracellular localisation and the activity of the PPIn. Indeed, non
      phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) is the basic component of the PPIn
      and can be found in all eukaryotic cells at the cytoplasmic face of the ER, the
      Golgi, mitochondria and microsomes. It can get phosphorylated on position D4 to
      obtain PtdIns4P, a PPIn enriched in the Golgi compartment and involved in the
      maintenance of this organelle as well as anterograde and retrograde transport to
      and from the Golgi. PtdIns phosphorylation on position D3 results in PtdIns3P
      that is required for endosomal transport and multivesicular body (MVB) formation
      and sorting. These monophosphorylated PtdIns can be further phosphorylated to
      produce bisphophorylated PtdIns. Thus, PtdIns(4,5)P2, mainly produced by PtdIns4P
      phosphorylation, is enriched in the plasma membrane and involved in the
      regulation of actin cytoskeleton and endocytosis. PtdIns(3,5)P2, mainly produced
      by PtdIns3P phosphorylation, is enriched in late endosomes, MVBs and the
      lysosome/vacuole and plays a role in endosome to vacuole transport. PtdIns(3,4)P2
      is absent in yeast, cells and mainly produced by PtdIns4P phosphorylation in
      human cells; PtdIns(3,4)P2 is localised in the plasma membrane and plays an
      important role as a second messenger by recruiting specific protein kinases (Akt
      and PDK1). Finally the triple phosphorylated PPIn, PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 also absent in
      yeast, is produced by the phosphorylation of PtdIns(3,4)P2 and localized at the
      plasma membrane of human cells where it binds proteins via their PH domain.
      Interaction partners include members of the Arf (ADP-ribosylation factors)
      family, PDK1 (Phosphoinositide Dependent Kinase 1) and Akt. Therefore this last
      PPIn is essential for the control of cell proliferation and its deregulation
      leads to the development of numerous cancers. In conclusion, the regulation of
      PPIn phosphorylation/dephosphorylation is complex and needs to be very precisely
      regulated. Indeed phosphatases and kinases allow the maintenance of the
      equilibrium between the different forms. PPIn play a crucial role in numerous
      cellular functions and a loss in their synthesis or regulation results in severe
      genetic diseases. 

PMID- 26115716
TI  - [The ESCRT complex: from endosomal transport to the development of multicellular
      organisms].
AB  - Since its discovery more than 50 years ago, the endo-lysosomal system has emerged
      as a central integrator of different cellular activities. This vesicular
      trafficking apparatus governs processes as diverse as the transduction of stimuli
      by growth factor receptors, the recycling and secretion of signaling molecules
      and the regulation of cellular homeostasis through autophagy. Accordingly,
      dysfunctions of the vesicular transport machinery have been linked to a growing
      number of pathologies. In this review we take the "Endosomal Sorting Complex
      Required for Transport" (ESCRT) as an example to illustrate the multiple
      functions of an evolutionarily conserved endosomal transport machinery. We
      describe the major concepts that have emerged from the study of this machinery at
      the level of the development and the physiology of multi-cellular organisms. In
      particular, we highlight the essential contributions of ESCRT proteins on the
      regulation of three biological processes: the endocytic regulation of cell
      signaling, autophagy and its role in neuronal morphogenesis and finally the
      biogenesis and function of extracellular vesicles. 

PMID- 26115718
TI  - Comprehensive analysis of SAUR gene family in citrus and its transcriptional
      correlation with fruitlet drop from abscission zone A.
AB  - Small auxin-up RNA (SAUR) gene family is large, and the members of which can be
      rapidly induced by auxin and encode highly unstable mRNAs. SAUR genes are
      involved in various developmental and physiological processes, such as leaf
      senescence, fruitlet abscission, and hypocotyl development. However, their modes
      of action in citrus remain unknown. Hereby, a systematic analysis of SAUR gene
      family in citrus was conducted through a genome-wide search. In this study, a
      total of 70 SAUR genes, referred to as CitSAURs, have been identified in citrus.
      The evolutionary relationship and the intro-exon organization were analyzed,
      revealing strong gene conservation and the expansion of particular functional
      genes during plant evolution. Expression analysis showed that the major of
      CitSAUR genes were expressed in at least one tissue and showed distinctive
      expression levels, indicating the SAUR gene family play important roles in the
      development and growth of citrus organs. However, there were more than 20 CitSAUR
      genes such as CitSARU36, CitSAUR37, and CitSAUR54 exhibiting very low expression
      level in all tissue tested. Twenty-three out of 70 CitSAUR genes were responded
      to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) treatment, of which just CitSAUR19 was down
      regulated. Additionally, 14 CitSAUR genes exhibited distinct changes during
      fruitlet abscission, however just 5 of them including CitSAUR06, CitSAUR08,
      CitSAUR44, CitSAUR61, and CitSAUR64 were associated with fruitlet abscission. The
      current study provides basic information for the citrus SAUR gene family and will
      pave the way for deciphering the precise role of SAURs in citrus development and
      growth as well as fruitlet abscission.

PMID- 26115717
TI  - Intradiploic growing skull fracture: review of mechanisms and literature.
AB  - PURPOSE: A rare case of intradiploic growing fracture of the occipital bone is
      presented. Examination of this case and literature review was carried out to find
      significant specific features of such a rare condition. CASE: A 4-year-old boy
      was operated on for a huge occipital intradiploic growing skull fracture. His
      medical history, surgical management, and postoperative course are presented.
      LITERATURE REVIEW: A computer literature search using the Medline database
      revealed 31 well-documented cases. CONCLUSIONS: Special attention must be paid to
      skull fractures in childhood when occurring near CSF large spaces, especially if
      ventricle enlargement, suggesting that hydrocephalus is present. Surgeons should
      evaluate hydrocephalus before treating such lesions in order to improve surgical
      result and postoperative clinical evolution.

PMID- 26115719
TI  - Evaluation of cytotoxicity, morphological alterations and oxidative stress in
      Chinook salmon cells exposed to copper oxide nanoparticles.
AB  - The current study is aimed to study cytotoxicity and oxidative stress mediated
      changes induced by copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) in Chinook salmon cells
      (CHSE-214). To this end, a number of biochemical responses are evaluated in CHSE
      214 cells which are as follows [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyltetrazoliumbromide] MTT, neutral red uptake (NRU), lactate dehydrogenase
      (LDH), protein carbonyl (PC), lipid peroxidation (LPO), oxidised glutathione
      (GSSG), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione
      sulfo-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), 8-Hydroxy-2'
      deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), respectively. The 50%
      inhibition concentration (IC50) of CuO NPs to CHSE-214 cells after 24 h exposure
      was found to be 19.026 MUg ml(-1). Viability of cells was reduced by CuO NPs, and
      the decrease was dose dependent as revealed by the MTT and NRU assay. CHSE-214
      cells exposed to CuO NPs induced morphological changes. Initially, cells started
      to detach from the surface (12 h), followed by polyhedric, fusiform appearance
      (19 h) and finally the cells started to shrink. Later, the cells started losing
      their cellular contents leading to their death only after 24 h. LDH, PC, LPO,
      GSH, GPx, GST, SOD, CAT, 8-OHdG and ROS responses were seen significantly
      increased with the increase in the concentration of CuO NPs when compared to
      their respective controls. However, significant decrease in GSSG was perceptible
      in CHSE-214 cells exposed to CuO NPs in a dose-dependent manner. Our data
      demonstrated that CuO NPs induced cytotoxicity in CHSE-214 cells through the
      mediation of oxidative stress. The current study provides a baseline for the CuO
      NPs-mediated cytotoxic assessment in CHSE-214 cells for the future studies.

PMID- 26115720
TI  - Reference gene selection for real-time quantitative PCR analysis on ovarian
      cryopreservation by vitrification in mice.
AB  - PURPOSE: To ensure the correct interpretation of the results of quantitative real
      time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) from ovarian
      tissue cryopreserved by vitrification, it is critical to normalize expression
      levels to a reference gene with stable messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the
      vitrified/warmed ovarian tissue. The aim of this work was to identify suitable
      reference genes for qRT-PCR analysis during ovarian cryopreservation by
      vitrification. METHODS: GeNorm, NormFinder, comparative Delta-CT, and BestKeeper
      were used to analyze the expression and stability of the 14 reference genes
      GAPDH, ABL1, ACTB, CDKN1A, GPER, GUSB, HPRT1, HSP90AB1, IPO8, PPIA, RPL4, RPL30,
      TBP, and UPAR. RESULTS: Our results indicated that ACTB and RPL4 were relatively
      stable reference genes in vitrified/warmed ovaries.

PMID- 26115721
TI  - Effect of eccentric contraction on satellite cell activation in human vastus
      lateralis muscle.
AB  - We compared the time-course of satellite cell (SC) activation between eccentric
      and concentric contractions in the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle after step
      exercise. Young adults participated in a 30-min step up/down exercise which
      mainly involved concentric contractions with the right VL muscle and eccentric
      contractions with the left VL muscle. The concentric and eccentric contraction
      phases of the VL muscles were identified by changes in the electromyogram (EMG)
      and knee joint angle. Biopsy samples were taken from both VL muscles at three
      time periods: before the exercise and 2 and 5 days after the exercise. We found
      that the numbers of SCs were significantly increased in the type IIa fibers of
      the left VL at 2 and 5 days after the exercise. The expression of both hepatocyte
      growth factor (HGF) and myogenic differentiation 1 (MyoD) mRNA had significantly
      increased in the left VL at 2 and 5 days after the exercise and in the right VL
      at 5 days after the exercise. The expression of transient receptor potential
      canonical (TRPC) 1 mRNA also increased in the left VL at 2 days after exercise.
      These results indicate that eccentric contraction can effectively activate SC
      proliferation for up to 5 days after exercise. Similar changes in HGF, MyoD and
      TRPC1 mRNA expression suggest that HGF/c-Met signal activation through cation
      influx has a major impact on skeletal muscle SC activation in response to
      eccentric exercise.

PMID- 26115722
TI  - Eight proteins play critical roles in RCC with bone metastasis via mitochondrial
      dysfunction.
AB  - Most kidney cancers are renal cell carcinomas (RCC). RCC lacks early warning
      signs and 70 % of patients with RCC develop metastases. Among them, 50 % of
      patients having skeletal metastases developed a dismal survival of less than 10 %
      at 5 years. Therefore, exploring the key driving proteins and pathways involved
      in RCC bone metastasis could benefit patients' therapy and prolong their
      survival. We examined the difference between the OS-RC-2 cells and the OS-RC-2
      BM5 cells (subpopulation from OS-RC-2) of RCC with proteomics. Then we employed
      Western-blot, immunohistochemistry and the clinical database (oncomine) to screen
      and verify the key proteins and then we analyzed the functions and the related
      pathways of selected key proteins with system biology approaches. Our proteomic
      data revealed 26 significant changed spots (fold change <0.5 and >1.9, P < 0.05)
      between two cells. The Western blotting results validated for these identified
      spots were consistent with the proteomics'. From the public clinical database, 23
      out of 26 proteins were connected with RCC metastases and 9 out of 23 with
      survival time directly (P < 0.05). Finally, only 8 out of 9 proteins had
      significantly positive results in tissues of RCC patients with bone metastasis
      compared with primary tumor (P < 0.05). System biology analyzing results showed
      these eight proteins mainly distributed in oxidative phosphorylation which
      indicates that mitochondria dysfunction played the critical role to regulate
      cells metastasis. Our article used a variety of experimental techniques to find
      eight proteins which abnormally regulated mitochondrial function to achieve a
      successful induction for RCC metastasis to bone.

PMID- 26115723
TI  - Image quality at low tube voltage (70 kV) and sinogram-affirmed iterative
      reconstruction for computed tomography in infants with congenital heart disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lower tube voltage has advantages for CT angiography, such as
      improved contrast OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the image quality of low-voltage (70 kV)
      CT for congenital heart disease and the ability of sinogram-affirmed iterative
      reconstruction to improve image quality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-six
      children with congenital heart disease (median age: 109 days) were examined using
      dual-source CT. Scans were performed at 80 kV and 70 kV in 21 and 25 children,
      respectively. A nonionic iodinated contrast medium (300 mg I/ml) was used for the
      80-kV protocol. The contrast medium was diluted to 75% (225 mgI/mL) with saline
      for the 70-kV protocol. Image noise was measured in the two protocols for each
      group by extracting the standard deviations of a region of interest placed on the
      descending aorta. We then determined whether sinogram-affirmed iterative
      reconstruction reduced the image noise at 70 kV. RESULTS: There was more noise at
      70 kV than at 80 kV (29 +/- 12 vs 20 +/- 4.8; P < 0.01). Sinogram-affirmed
      iterative reconstruction with grade 4 strength settings improved the noise (20 +/
      5.9; P < 0.01) for the 70-kV group. CONCLUSION: Sinogram-affirmed iterative
      reconstruction improved the image quality of CT in congenital heart disease.

PMID- 26115724
TI  - Reply to Dr. Vazquez et al. regarding current methods for reducing
      intussusception: external manual reduction with US assistance.

PMID- 26115725
TI  - Survival and Growth of the Marine Polychaete, Neanthes arenaceodentata, Following
      Laboratory Exposure to Copper-Spiked Sediment.
AB  - Juvenile marine polychaetes, Neanthes arenaceodentata, were exposed for 28 days
      to copper (Cu)-spiked sediment at six concentrations ranging from 48.3 to 2380 mg
      Cu/kg dry sediment, plus control. Survival was reduced (p <= 0.05) at
      concentrations >=1190 mg Cu/kg. Growth was inhibited at Cu concentrations >=506
      mg Cu/kg. Dose-response relationships yielded LC10 and LC50 estimates of 514 and
      1230 mg Cu/kg, respectively. The growth effect EC50 estimate was 409 mg Cu/kg.
      Ranges for the no observable effect concentration and lowest observable effect
      concentration were 506-1190 mg Cu/kg for survival, and 230-506 mg Cu/kg for
      growth. Pore water concentrations of Cu were 38.7-65.8 ug Cu/L in exposures where
      toxic effects were observed, compared to a range of 15.1-22.4 ug Cu/L in
      exposures where significant effects were not evident. The results of the study
      were compared with empirical and mechanistic sediment quality guidelines for the
      protection of benthic organisms. 

PMID- 26115726
TI  - Toxic Metals in Pelagic, Benthic and Demersal Fish Species from Mediterranean FAO
      Zone 37.
AB  - Fish represents a nutrient-rich food but, at the same time, is one of the most
      important contributor to the dietary intake of heavy metals. The aim of this
      study was to assess residual levels of Pb, Cd and Hg in different species, caught
      from FAO zones 37 1.3 and 37 2.2, particularly small pelagic, benthic and
      demersal fishes. The results obtained showed the absence of toxic metal in fishes
      from FAO zone 37 1.3. Relating to FAO zone 37 2.2, instead, in all samples we
      observed the absence of Pb, small concentrations of Cd (0.081+/-0.022 mg/kg) and
      higher Hg residual levels (0.252+/-0.033 mg/kg). Particularly, the trend of Cd
      contamination was similar in all species whereas Hg showed high levels in
      demersal, intermediate in pelagic and low in benthic species. However, only Cd
      concentrations exceed the MRL in mackerel, mullet, sea-bream fishes, according to
      Regulation CE n. 629/2008 and n. 488/2014.

PMID- 26115727
TI  - Current Treatment of Dyslipidemia: A New Paradigm for Statin Drug Use and the
      Need for Additional Therapies.
AB  - Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in most countries,
      with the high prevalence currently driven by dual epidemics of obesity and
      diabetes. Statin drugs, the most effective, evidence-based agents to prevent and
      treat this disease, have a central role in management and are advised in all
      published guidelines. The 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart
      Association (ACC/AHA) cholesterol and assessment guidelines ('new ACC/AHA
      guidelines') emphasized global cardiovascular (CV) risk reduction as opposed to
      targeting low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, stressed the use of
      statins in two dose intensities, utilized a new risk calculator using pooled
      cohort equations, and lowered the risk cutoff for initiation of statin therapy.
      Although there were major strengths of the new ACC/AHA guidelines, substantial
      controversy followed their release, particulars of which are discussed in this
      review. They were generally regarded as improvements in an ongoing transition
      using evidenced-based data for maximum patient benefit. Several guidelines, other
      than the ACC/AHA guidelines, currently provide practitioners with choices, some
      depending on practice locations. Cholesterol control with statin drugs is used in
      all paradigms. However, some patients respond inadequately, approximately 15% are
      intolerant, and other factors prevent attaining cholesterol goals in as many as
      40% of patients. Even after treatment, substantial residual risk for ongoing
      major events remains. Another readily available modality that can rival statin
      drugs in effectiveness is vast improvement in diet and lifestyle within the
      general population; however, despite great effort, existing programs to implement
      such changes have failed. Hence, despite unrivaled success, there is great need
      for additional drugs to prevent and treat CHD, whether as monotherapy or in
      combination with statin drugs. New American guidelines do not discuss or
      recommend any nonstatin drugs for CHD, and the US FDA has moved away from
      approving drugs based solely on changes in surrogates in the absence of clinical
      outcomes trials. Both have significantly altered the realities of developing
      pharmacotherapies and cardiology practice.

PMID- 26115728
TI  - Trelagliptin: First Global Approval.
AB  - Trelagliptin (Zafatek((r))) is an orally active dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4
      inhibitor developed by Takeda and approved in Japan for the treatment of type 2
      diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Unlike other approved agents of its class, which are
      usually administered once daily, trelagliptin can be administered once weekly.
      Phase II development of trelagliptin was discontinued in the USA and EU, as
      Takeda considered that the costs associated with obtaining approval in these
      markets were prohibitive. This article summarizes the milestones in the
      development of trelagliptin leading to this first approval for T2DM. 

PMID- 26115729
TI  - Clinical Challenges of Fecal Incontinence in the Elderly.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Fecal incontinence (FI) is underreported, yet it is quite
      commonly experienced by the elderly patient. FI confers a significant direct and
      indirect burden on patients, their caregivers, and the health-care system. Due to
      the presence of multiple comorbid medical conditions in patients over 65 years of
      age and the number of medications taken by elderly patients, FI management poses
      several challenges to the treating physician. We emphasize the importance of a
      comprehensive history and physical exam with specific attention to diet, physical
      activity, cognitive function, medications, and comorbidities specific to patients
      in this age group. Symptomatic conservative therapy should be the first step in
      management. Evaluation of the underlying pathology causing FI and more invasive
      treatments should be considered in selected patients who are cognitively intact
      and can tolerate these procedures.

PMID- 26115731
TI  - Outcomes are improving for patients with carotid stenosis.

PMID- 26115730
TI  - APOE epsilon4 and lipid levels affect risk of recurrent nonlobar intracerebral
      hemorrhage.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Genetic variants epsilon2/epsilon4 within the APOE gene are
      established risk factors for lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Published
      preliminary data suggest a potential role for APOE epsilon4 in risk of nonlobar
      ICH. We therefore investigated the role of APOE in recurrent nonlobar ICH, and
      sought to clarify whether effects of APOE on circulating lipids mediate this
      association. METHODS: Three hundred sixty-three survivors of nonlobar ICH were
      followed prospectively for ICH recurrence, with APOE genotype determined at
      enrollment. All participants had clinical, demographic, and laboratory data
      captured at time of index ICH and during follow-up. Using a multivariate model,
      we performed association and interaction analyses of the relationships among APOE
      genotype, lipid levels, and recurrent nonlobar ICH. RESULTS: We observed 29
      nonlobar ICH recurrences among 363 survivors. APOE epsilon4 was associated with
      recurrent nonlobar ICH (hazard ratio = 1.31; 95% confidence interval = 1.02-2.69;
      p = 0.038) after adjustment for age/sex/ethnicity and cardiovascular risk
      factors. Increasing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were associated with
      decreased risk of recurrent nonlobar ICH (p = 0.027), as were decreasing HDL
      levels (p = 0.046). LDL levels modified the association of APOE epsilon4 with
      recurrent nonlobar ICH (mediation p < 0.05). No associations were identified
      between APOE epsilon2 and recurrent nonlobar ICH. CONCLUSION: APOE epsilon4 is
      associated with recurrent ICH in nonlobar brain regions, providing further
      evidence for its causal role in ICH unrelated to cerebral amyloid angiopathy. LDL
      levels modulated this effect, suggesting that circulating lipid levels may
      mediate a portion of the role of APOE epsilon4 in nonlobar ICH.

PMID- 26115732
TI  - Neuroanatomical foundations of naming impairments across different neurologic
      conditions.
AB  - The ability to name objects or abstract entities is an essential feature of
      speech and language, being commonly considered a central component of normal
      neurologic function. For this reason, the bedside testing of naming performance
      is part of the neurologic examination, especially since naming impairments can
      signify the early onset of a progressive disease or the occurrence of a more
      established problem. Modern neuroscience research suggests that naming relies on
      specific and distributed networks that operate in concert to support various
      processing stages, spanning from object recognition to spoken words. Likewise,
      studies evaluating the types of naming impairments in patients with neurologic
      conditions have contributed to the understanding of acquired forms of naming
      impairments and the underlying stages during normal language processing. In this
      article, we review the neurobiological mechanisms supporting naming, with a focus
      on the clinical application of these concepts. We provide an overview of the
      stages of cognitive processing that are hypothesized to support naming. For each
      stage, we explore the evidence revealing its neural basis, drawing parallels to
      clinical syndromes that commonly disrupt each stage. We review the patterns of
      naming impairment across various neurologic conditions, including classic
      language disorders, such as poststroke aphasia or primary progressive aphasia, as
      well as other diseases where language impairments may be subtle but helpful for
      the appropriate diagnosis. In this context, we provide a structured and practical
      guide for the bedside naming assessments rooted in modern neuroscience, aimed at
      supporting the evaluation and diagnosis of neurologic conditions that affect
      language. 

PMID- 26115733
TI  - Electroclinical spectrum of the neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses associated with
      CLN6 mutations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical and neurophysiologic patterns of patients
      with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses associated with CLN6 mutations. METHODS: We
      reviewed the features of 11 patients with different ages at onset. RESULTS:
      Clinical disease onset occurred within the first decade of life in 8 patients and
      in the second and third decades in 3. All children presented with progressive
      cognitive regression associated with ataxia and pyramidal and extrapyramidal
      signs. Recurrent seizures, visual loss, and myoclonus were mostly reported after
      a delay from onset; 7 children were chairbound and had severe dementia less than
      4 years from onset. One child, with onset at 8 years, had a milder course. Three
      patients with a teenage/adult onset presented with a classic progressive
      myoclonic epilepsy phenotype that was preceded by learning disability in one. The
      EEG background was slow close to disease onset in 7 children, and later showed
      severe attenuation; a photoparoxysmal response (PPR) was present in all. The 3
      teenage/adult patients had normal EEG background and an intense PPR. Early
      attenuation of the electroretinogram was seen only in children with onset younger
      than 5.5 years. Somatosensory evoked potentials were extremely enlarged in all
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: In all patients, multifocal myoclonic jerks and seizures
      were a key feature, but myoclonic seizures were an early and prominent sign in
      the teenage/adult form only. Conversely, the childhood-onset form was
      characterized by initial and severe cognitive impairment coupled with
      electroretinogram and EEG attenuation. Cortical hyperexcitability, shown by the
      PPR and enlarged somatosensory evoked potentials, was a universal feature.

PMID- 26115734
TI  - Temporal trends in safety of carotid endarterectomy in asymptomatic patients:
      systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To systematically review temporal changes in perioperative safety of
      carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in asymptomatic individuals in trial and registry
      studies. METHODS: The MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched using the terms
      "carotid" and "endarterectomy" and "asymptomatic" from 1947 to August 23, 2014.
      Articles dealing with 50%-99% stenosis in asymptomatic individuals were included
      and low-volume studies were excluded. The primary endpoint was 30-day stroke or
      death and the secondary endpoint was 30-day all-cause mortality. Statistical
      analysis was performed using random-effects meta-regression for registry data and
      for trial data graphical interpretation alone was used. RESULTS: Six trials (n =
      4,431 procedures) and 47 community registries (n = 204,622 procedures) reported
      data between 1983 and 2013. Registry data showed a significant decrease in
      postoperative stroke or death incidence over the period 1991-2010, equivalent to
      a 6% average proportional annual reduction (95% credible interval [CrI] 4%-7%; p
      < 0.001). Considering postoperative all-cause mortality, registry data showed a
      significant 5% average proportional annual reduction (95% CrI 3%-9%; p < 0.001).
      Trial data showed a similar visual trend. CONCLUSIONS: CEA is safer than ever
      before and high-volume registry results closely mirror the results of trials. New
      benchmarks for CEA are a stroke or death risk of 1.2% and a mortality risk of
      0.4%. This information will prove useful for quality improvement programs, for
      health care funders, and for those re-examining the long-term benefits of
      asymptomatic revascularization in future trials.

PMID- 26115735
TI  - Selenoprotein biosynthesis defect causes progressive encephalopathy with elevated
      lactate.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to decipher the molecular genetic basis of disease in a
      cohort of children with a uniform clinical presentation of neonatal irritability,
      spastic or dystonic quadriplegia, virtually absent psychomotor development,
      axonal neuropathy, and elevated blood/CSF lactate. METHODS: We performed whole
      exome sequencing of blood DNA from the index patients. Detected compound
      heterozygous mutations were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Structural
      predictions and a bacterial activity assay were performed to evaluate the
      functional consequences of the mutations. Mass spectrometry, Western blotting,
      and protein oxidation detection were used to analyze the effects of selenoprotein
      deficiency. RESULTS: Neuropathology indicated laminar necrosis and severe loss of
      myelin, with neuron loss and astrogliosis. In 3 families, we identified a
      missense (p.Thr325Ser) and a nonsense (p.Tyr429*) mutation in SEPSECS, encoding
      the O-phosphoseryl-tRNA:selenocysteinyl-tRNA synthase, which was previously
      associated with progressive cerebellocerebral atrophy. We show that the mutations
      do not completely abolish the activity of SEPSECS, but lead to decreased
      selenoprotein levels, with demonstrated increase in oxidative protein damage in
      the patient brain. CONCLUSIONS: These results extend the phenotypes caused by
      defective selenocysteine biosynthesis, and suggest SEPSECS as a candidate gene
      for progressive encephalopathies with lactate elevation.

PMID- 26115736
TI  - Unraveling the neuroimaging predictors for motor dysfunction in long-standing
      multiple sclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To find the strongest neuroimaging predictors for motor dysfunction
      using conventional and quantitative imaging measures focusing on the
      corticospinal tract (CST) in a large cohort of patients with long-standing
      multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a wide spectrum
      of neuroimaging measures at the whole-brain, cervical, and CST level were
      analyzed in 195 patients with MS and 54 healthy controls. Motor function was
      assessed using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), 9-Hole Peg Test,
      Timed 25-Foot Walk Test, and Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale. Associations
      between damage in different parts of the motor system and motor functioning were
      assessed using stepwise linear regression. RESULTS: Patients had an average
      disease duration of 19.98 (+/-6.99) years and a median EDSS score of 4 (range:
      1.0-8.0). EDSS score was associated with number of infratentorial and cervical
      cord lesions, lesion volume in the CST, and mean upper cervical cord area
      (adjusted R(2) = 0.403). Timed 25-Foot Walk Test score was associated with number
      of infratentorial lesions and cerebellar volume (adjusted R(2) = 0.150), 9-Hole
      Peg Test score with number of infratentorial lesions and thickness of the cortex
      connected to the CST (adjusted R(2) = 0.245), and Multiple Sclerosis Walking
      Scale with number of infratentorial and cervical lesions, thickness of the cortex
      connected to the CST, and mean upper cervical cord area (adjusted R(2) = 0.354).
      CONCLUSIONS: Motor dysfunction in MS has a complex substrate that cannot be
      ascribed to a single neuroimaging finding, but is the consequence of
      infratentorial and spinal cord damage, as well as damage in the CST.

PMID- 26115737
TI  - Surgical resection strategies for locally advanced pancreatic cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite all improvements in tumor diagnostics and treatment,
      pancreatic cancer is still the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in
      the Western world. It is mostly diagnosed at a locally advanced or metastasized
      stage because of the lack of early symptoms. A radical margin-free surgical
      resection offers the only potential cure for locoregional disease. Over the last
      decades, several surgical strategies and techniques have evolved to optimize
      oncologic radical resections and thus to improve long-term outcome of patients.
      PURPOSE: The purpose of this review was to describe the various surgical
      strategies and techniques for locally advanced pancreatic cancer and to evaluate
      their influence on long-term outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Locally advanced pancreatic
      cancer should not generally be deemed unresectable. Various surgical techniques
      offer a good chance of margin-free tumor resection, even if surrounding organs or
      vessels are involved. Because of potentially higher peri- and postoperative
      morbidity rates, patients should be selected properly and are best treated in
      specialized high-volume centers.

PMID- 26115738
TI  - Sodium/iodide symporter gene transfection increases radionuclide uptake in human
      cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells.
AB  - The sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) is involved in iodide uptake and has been used
      for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer. Transfection of the NIS gene
      in A549 human lung cancer cells can induce radioactive iodine ((131)I) and
      radioactive technetium ((99m)Tc) uptake. The aim of the present study was to
      assess the role of NIS in (99m)Tc and (131)I uptake by the A549/DDP human
      cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cell line. To do so, recombinant adenovirus,
      adenovirus-enhanced green fluorescent protein-human NIS (Ad-eGFP-hNIS) and Ad
      eGFP-rat NIS (Ad-eGFP-rNIS) vectors were established. These vectors were
      transfected into A549/DDP cells and xenograft tumors in nude mice. Assessment of
      (99m)Tc and (131)I uptake was performed. Results showed that the transfection
      efficiency of Ad-eGFP-hNIS and Ad-eGFP-rNIS in A549/DDP cells was at least 90 %
      in all experiments, and that the uptake ability of (99m)Tc and (131)I was highly
      enhanced (14-18 folds for (99m)Tc, and 12-16 folds for (131)I). However, the
      radionuclide concentration in transfected NIS genes' A549/DDP cells reached a
      plateau within 30-60 min, indicating that NIS transport led rapidly to (99m)Tc
      and (131)I saturation in cells. In xenograft tumor models, uptake of (99m)TcO4 (
      ) was obviously higher in the hNIS and rNIS groups compared with controls. In
      conclusion, these results support the hypothesis that A549/DDP cells can
      effectively uptake (99m)Tc and (131)I when transfected with the hNIS and rNIS
      gene. The rNIS or hNIS gene could be used as an effective method for the
      effective delivery of radioactive products to specific tissues for imagery and/or
      treatment.

PMID- 26115739
TI  - Evaluation of right atrial dysfunction in patients with corrected tetralogy of
      Fallot using 3D speckle-tracking echocardiography. Insights from the CSONGRAD
      Registry and MAGYAR-Path Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent studies, alterations in ventricular deformations were
      demonstrated in adult patients with corrected tetralogy of Fallot by three
      dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography. The present study was designed to
      assess three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography-derived right atrial
      volumetric and strain parameters in corrected tetralogy of Fallot. METHODS: A
      total of 17 patients with corrected tetralogy of Fallot were included in the
      study. Their results were compared with 18 age- and gender-matched healthy
      controls. Complete two-dimensional echocardiography and three-dimensional speckle
      tracking echocardiography were performed in all cases. RESULTS: Significantly
      increased right atrial volumes respecting heart cycle were detected in patients
      with corrected tetralogy of Fallot. Total and passive atrial emptying fractions
      proved to be significantly decreased in patients with corrected tetralogy of
      Fallot (26.4 +/- 12.4 % vs. 39.1 +/- 8.8 %, p = 0.001 and 11.2 +/- 6.8 % vs. 19.8
      +/- 9.0 %, p = 0.003, respectively). Global and mean segmental peak longitudinal
      (17.3 +/- 9.2 % vs. 30.8 +/- 11.2 %, p = 0.0007 and 20.6 +/- 10.7 % vs. 34.4 +/-
      10.5 %, p = 0.0005) and area strains (20.1 +/- 17.6 % vs. 41.0 +/- 19.8 %, p =
      0.004 and 28.1 +/- 19.8 % vs. 49.1 +/- 19.7 %, p = 0.004) as well as global
      radial peak strain (-9.1 +/- 5.1 % vs. -15.0 +/- 10.0 %, p = 0.05) were reduced
      in patients with corrected tetralogy of Fallot compared with controls.
      CONCLUSIONS: The complexity of right atrial dysfunction can be demonstrated by
      three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in patients with corrected
      tetralogy of Fallot.

PMID- 26115740
TI  - Target lesion calcification and risk of adverse outcomes in patients with drug
      eluting stents. A meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies focusing on the relationship between calcified lesions and
      adverse outcomes in the drug-eluting stent (DES) era have presented inconsistent
      conclusions. The aim of this study was to assess the association between target
      lesion calcification and adverse outcomes in patients undergoing DES
      implantation. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted on Medline (Ovid SP,
      1946 to 28 February 2014), Embase (Ovid SP, 1974 to 28 February 2014), and the
      Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM, 1978 to 28 February 2014). Abstracts
      from the 2012 and 2013 scientific meetings of the American College of Cardiology
      and American Heart Association were manually searched. Hazard ratios (HRs) were
      pooled using a fixed or random effects model in the context of heterogeneity.
      RESULTS: A total of 13 studies comprising 66,361 patients were included. Target
      lesion calcification was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality
      (HR = 1.41; 95 % CI = 1.27-1.56), cardiac death (HR = 1.97; 95 % CI = 1.68-2.31),
      myocardial infarction (HR = 1.33; 95 % CI = 1.13-1.57), target lesion
      revascularization (TLR; HR 1.47, 95 % CI 1.18-1.83), stent thrombosis (HR 1.63,
      95 % CI 1.36-1.96), and major cardiovascular events (HR 1.37, 95 % CI 1.19-1.58).
      The results proved robust in subgroup analyses for TLR and stent thrombosis.
      CONCLUSION: Calcified target lesions are risk factors for adverse outcomes in the
      DES era. Further studies focusing on comprehensive therapy in patients with
      coronary calcification are urgently needed.

PMID- 26115741
TI  - [Incidence of constipation in patients with outpatient opioid therapy].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Constipation is a common complication in patients with opioid
      therapy. Additionally, patient-related risk factors also contribute to the
      development of constipation and these factors have to be integrated into an
      individualized treatment plan. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the
      incidence of constipation in patients with opioid therapy in an outpatient
      setting and to analyze the risk factors that contribute to the development of
      constipation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted
      in two university affiliated outpatient departments at the Charite hospital in
      Berlin. The trial included all consecutively treated patients with opioid therapy
      of at least 4 weeks duration. The study was conducted from January 2013 to August
      2013. Constipation was defined according to the Rome III criteria. RESULTS: Out
      of 1166 screened patients, altogether 171 patients were included with a median
      duration of opioid therapy of 5 years. The most common diagnoses were back pain,
      musculoskeletal pain and neuropathic pain. In 14% of the treated patients
      symptoms of constipation were detected and another 35% needed laxatives for
      symptom control resulting in an overall incidence of constipation of 49%. The
      remaining 51% of the patients did not use any laxatives and did not experience
      symptoms of constipation. Age and dosing of opioid therapy significantly
      increased the risk of consipation but duration of opioid therapy was not related
      to the incidence of constipation. DISCUSSION: The incidence of constipation in
      this population remains high although a relevant number of patients were
      intermittently free of symptoms without using laxatives. An individualized
      therapy plan and patient education seem to be important elements to control
      opioid-associated constipation.

PMID- 26115742
TI  - Does Stigma Towards Mental Illness Affect Initial Perceptions of Peer Providers?
AB  - Peers (i.e. people with lived experience of mental illness and/or addictions) are
      being hired in large numbers to offer support for people with serious mental
      illnesses, but little is known about how peer providers are viewed. The goal of
      this study was to measure reactions towards actors posed as peer providers. Half
      of study participants interacted with an actor portraying a psychiatrist and half
      interacted with an actor portraying a peer provider. Ratings such as liking,
      feeling comfortable, as well as time spent talking were measured. Participants
      did not report preferring actors in either condition and did not talk more or
      have less silence with actors in either condition. Participants also were equally
      willing to see actors portraying peer providers again in the future and recommend
      them to a family member. Among participants who had received mental health
      services, there was a trend towards viewing actors portraying peer providers as
      more friendly and effective. These positive initial perceptions suggest that
      stigma towards people with mental illness does not taint the initial perception
      of peer providers. 

PMID- 26115743
TI  - [Caring communes and locally responsible communities. Model approaches to
      securing successful aging and care in the neighborhood].
AB  - BACKGROUND: This article reports on two projects both concerned with how to
      initiate and support independent and satisfying aging in community settings and
      how to promote social participation in neighborhood solidarity in the future. The
      community plays an important role in this context, supporting independent living,
      social connectedness and individual well-being in old age. AIM: Against the
      background of demographic and social changes and the related social challenges,
      the pilot projects focused on the problems of how the process of aging, which
      from an individual perspective can be seen as a life period with declining
      mobility and reduced options for action, can be influenced in a positive way.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: The article describes the key experiences in the context of
      the two pilot projects entitled "VEGA-locally responsible communities and
      individual well-being in old age" and "Care mix in locally responsible
      communities". It focuses on the process results and identifies potential barriers
      to the implementation of the projects. In addition, this article also emphasizes
      the opportunities and advantages of social networking in local communities.
      RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Based on the action research approach, neighborhood
      specific results and need-based concepts have been developed, which have led to
      various subproject pathways for implementation. Among other results it was
      important that social networking and supportive neighborhood structures could be
      established, which are important conditions for sustainable anchoring in the
      residential quarter. Another important result was the fact that the communities
      as well as the different generations in the residential quarter were sensitized
      and activated for the topic "aging and well-being with social connectedness in
      local communities".

PMID- 26115744
TI  - [Successful aging in social environment and neighborhood].

PMID- 26115745
TI  - Arthrodesis of proximal inter-phalangeal joint for hammertoe: intramedullary
      device options.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Proximal inter-phalangeal (PIP) joint arthrodesis today represents
      the standard treatment for structured hammertoes; however, recently, a lot of new
      intramedullary devices for the fixation of this arthrodesis have been introduced.
      The purpose of this work is to look at the currently available devices and to
      perform a review of the present literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature
      search of PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar databases, considering works
      published up until September 2014 and using the keywords: hammertoe, arthrodesis,
      PIP joint, fusion, intramedullary devices, and K-wire, was performed. The
      published papers were included in the present study only if they met the
      following inclusion criteria: English articles, arthrodesis of PIP joints for
      hammertoes with new generation intramedullary devices, series with n > 10.
      Studies using absorbable pins or screws that are considered as another kind of
      fixation that involved more than one articulation, as well as comments, letters
      to the editor, or newsletters were excluded. RESULTS: Nine publications were
      included. Of the patients' reports, 93-100 % were good or excellent concerning
      satisfaction. Radiological arthrodesis was achieved in 60.5-100 % of cases. Three
      of the publications compared the new devices with the K-wire. Of these three
      articles, two employed the traditional technique and one the buried technique.
      The AOFAS score, evaluated in three publications, showed a delta of 19, 45 and 58
      points. Major complications, which required a secondary surgical revision, were
      between 0 and 8.6 %. The complications of the K-wire and the new devices were
      similar; also the reoperation rate was close to equal (maximal difference 2 %).
      On the other hand, these kinds of devices definitely have a higher price,
      compared to the K-wire. CONCLUSION: The use of these new devices provides good
      results; however, their high price is currently a problem. For this reason, cost
      benefit studies seem to be necessary to justify their use as standard treatment.

PMID- 26115746
TI  - Preventing lower back pain among caregivers.

PMID- 26115747
TI  - Neurobiological research in child and adolescent psychiatry: does the pendulum
      swing back to more attention on developmental psychopathology?

PMID- 26115748
TI  - Reappraisal of the clinical implications of adenosine triphosphate in terms of
      the prediction of reconnection sites in cases with electrical isolation of the
      pulmonary veins.
AB  - PURPOSE: Dormant conduction (DC) induced by intravenous adenosine triphosphate
      (ATP) after pulmonary vein (PV) isolation (PVI) could predict subsequent PV
      reconnection (RC) sites. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between
      the DC and RC sites during the long-term follow-up. METHODS: Ninety-one
      consecutive patients (62 males; mean age, 62 +/- 11 years) with symptomatic
      persistent (n = 18) or paroxysmal (n = 73) atrial fibrillation (AF) who underwent
      PVI were included in this study. After a successful PVI, we administered ATP to
      reveal the DC sites. In total, DC sites were observed in 46 (51%) patients, and
      all were left un-ablated after marking or tagging all of them using fluoroscopic
      images and a three-dimensional (3D) mapping system. After the follow-up period
      (14.8 +/- 3.6 months), AF recurred in 29 (32%) patients, all of whom had a DC in
      the initial ablation session, and underwent redo sessions. We divided the DC
      sites into three groups; in group A, the RC sites differed from the DC sites, in
      group B, the RC sites were identical to the DC sites, and in group C, the RC
      sites involved both DC and other sites. RESULTS: As a result, 20 (69%), 3
      (11.5%), and 6 (19.5%) patients belonged to groups A, B, and C, respectively.
      Statistical analyses comparing the agreement between DC and the RC sites yielded
      a weak relationship. CONCLUSIONS: DC sites implying RC sites had a weak
      agreement, and other options to predict RC sites will be required to improve the
      clinical benefit of CA of AF.

PMID- 26115750
TI  - Intractable Diarrhea in Two Brothers: Late Diagnosis of Tufting Enteropathy in
      Adolescence.

PMID- 26115749
TI  - Psoriasiform Skin Lesions Are Caused by Anti-TNF Agents Used for the Treatment of
      Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists used for the treatment of
      inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been associated with the development of
      psoriasiform skin lesions. We assessed the demographic and clinical
      characteristics associated with and outcomes of patients with anti-TNF-induced
      psoriasiform lesions. METHODS: Patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative
      colitis (UC) receiving treatment with anti-TNF therapy (infliximab, adalimumab,
      or certolizumab pegol) at a tertiary referral center were identified using an IRB
      approved clinical data repository. Patients that developed psoriasiform skin
      lesions after initiation of anti-TNF therapy were included as cases. A group of
      anti-TNF-treated patients without drug-related psoriasiform lesions were
      identified as controls. The association between demographic and clinical
      variables and psoriasiform lesions was assessed using Chi-square analyses and
      multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Five hundred twenty-one patients with
      IBD undergoing treatment with anti-TNF therapy were identified; of these, 18
      (3.5%) had psoriasiform lesions (16 CD and 2 UC). Seventy-two patients were
      identified as controls. Lesions developed a mean of 58 weeks (range 4-240 weeks)
      after starting anti-TNF therapy. The majority of patients were female and
      Caucasian (63 and 78%, respectively). Thirty-nine percent of patients had upper
      tract disease location. Forty-five patients (50%) were current or former smokers.
      Location of psoriasiform lesions included palmo-plantar (53%), trunk (47%), and
      scalp (53%), with 88% reporting involvement of >=2 locations. Treatment of
      psoriasiform lesions was instituted with topical therapy in eight patients and
      systemic therapy (+/- phototherapy) in five patients. Discontinuation of anti-TNF
      therapy was recommended in nine patients (50%); of those, three were retreated
      with a second anti-TNF agent and all had recurrence of psoriasiform lesions. When
      adjusted for multiple variables, upper GI tract disease was significantly
      associated with psoriasiform lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-TNF-induced psoriasiform
      lesions developed in 3.5% of patients with IBD at a tertiary referral center.
      Similar to prior published studies, most patients were female, had involvement of
      the palmo-plantar and scalp regions, and did not have severe IBD activity. The
      presence of upper tract disease was associated with the development of
      psoriasiform lesions. Skin lesions led to discontinuation of anti-TNF therapy in
      50% of patients. Based upon these results, IBD providers should educate patients
      about this adverse effect, refer to dermatology for treatment, and discuss
      alternative IBD therapeutic options early if a severe psoriasiform rash develops.

PMID- 26115752
TI  - Modulation of the intestinal microbiota and morphology of tilapia, Oreochromis
      niloticus, following the application of a multi-species probiotic.
AB  - The intestinal microbiota and morphology of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were
      investigated after the application of a multi-species probiotic containing
      Lactobacillus reuteri, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium and Pediococcus
      acidilactici (AquaStar((r)) Growout). Tilapia (55.03 +/- 0.44 g) were fed either
      a control diet or a probiotic diet (control diet supplemented with AquaStar((r))
      Growout at 5 g kg(-1)). After four and eight weeks, culture-dependent analysis
      showed higher levels of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), enterococci and Bacillus spp.
      in the mucosa and digesta of fish fed AquaStar((r)) Growout. At week four,
      polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE)
      revealed a higher similarity within the probiotic fed replicates than replicates
      of the control group; after eight weeks, the compositional dissimilarity of the
      microbiome profiles between the groups was greater than the dissimilarities
      within each group (P < 0.05). High-throughput sequencing revealed that the
      probiotic treatment significantly reduced the number of operational taxonomic
      units and species richness in the digesta. Significantly higher proportions of
      reads belonging to Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria were detected in the control
      group whereas the probiotic-fed fish displayed a significantly higher abundance
      of reads assigned to the Firmicutes (which accounted for >99 % of reads).
      Bacillus, Cetobacterium and Mycobacterium were the dominant genera in the digesta
      of control fish whereas Bacillus, Enterococcus and Pediococcus were the largest
      constituents in probiotic-fed fish. The addition of AquaStar((r)) Growout to
      tilapia diets led to increased populations of intraepithelial leucocytes, a
      higher absorptive surface area index and higher microvilli density in the
      intestine. These data suggest that AquaStar((r)) Growout can modulate both the
      intestinal microbiota and morphology of tilapia.

PMID- 26115751
TI  - Infectious Gastroenteritis as a Risk Factor for Tropical Sprue and Malabsorption:
      A Case-Control Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have linked an increase in functional and
      pathological gastrointestinal (GI) disorders following antecedent infectious
      gastroenteritis (IGE), yet studies of other chronic GI disorders such as tropical
      sprue (TS) and intestinal malabsorption (IM) are lacking. This study was
      performed to evaluate the association between documented IGE and the risk of TS
      and IM using a matched case-control study. METHODS: The odds of IGE (exposure)
      among subjects with TS and IM were compared to the odds of exposure in matched
      controls. Data were obtained from the Defense Medical Surveillance System.
      Incidence was estimated based on the number of active duty military personnel,
      and conditional logistic regression models were used to evaluate the relationship
      between IGE and TS/IM while adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: The
      overall incidence of TS and IM was 0.24 and 1.98 per 100,000 person-years,
      respectively. After adjusting for important covariates, prior IGE was associated
      with an increase in the odds of TS (odds ratio (OR) 36.64) and IM (OR 3.93) (p <
      0.001). Other covariates demonstrating an increased risk were being of Caucasian
      race, having greater than high school education, and service in military branches
      other than the Army. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study demonstrates the first
      significant estimates that a case of antecedent IGE is associated with an
      increased risk of TS and IM in an active duty military population. Ultimately,
      acquisition of TS or IM has the potential to decrease operational efficiency,
      which may have a significant impact on deployed military missions.

PMID- 26115753
TI  - Epigenetics as an emerging tool for improvement of fungal strains used in
      biotechnology.
AB  - Filamentous fungi are today a major source of industrial biotechnology for the
      production of primary and secondary metabolites, as well as enzymes and
      recombinant proteins. All of them have undergone extensive improvement strain
      programs, initially by classical mutagenesis and later on by genetic
      manipulation. Thereby, strategies to overcome rate-limiting or yield-reducing
      reactions included manipulating the expression of individual genes, their
      regulatory genes, and also their function. Yet, research of the last decade
      clearly showed that cells can also undergo heritable changes in gene expression
      that do not involve changes in the underlying DNA sequences (=epigenetics). This
      involves three levels of regulation: (i) DNA methylation, (ii) chromatin
      remodeling by histone modification, and (iii) RNA interference. The demonstration
      of the occurrence of these processes in fungal model organisms such as
      Aspergillus nidulans and Neurospora crassa has stimulated its recent
      investigation as a tool for strain improvement in industrially used fungi. This
      review describes the progress that has thereby been obtained. 

PMID- 26115754
TI  - Enhancing the utilization of host trehalose by fungal trehalase improves the
      virulence of fungal insecticide.
AB  - Entomopathogenic fungi proliferate in insect hemolymph by using host nutrients
      after penetrating the cuticle. To improve the virulence of the locust specific
      fungus, Metarhizium acridum, we genetically modified the fungus to overexpress
      ATM1, an endogenous hydrolase of trehalose, which is the main carbon source in
      insect hemolymph. Compared with the wild-type strain, Metarhizium acridum
      overexpressing ATM1 gene secreted more acid trehalase into locust hemolymph. The
      trehalose concentrations in locusts infected with the ATM1-overexpressing strain
      were 5.5 and 6.1 mmol/l, lower than that in locusts infected with the wild-type
      strain at 3 and 5 days post-inoculation, representing 44.5 and 60.7 % reduction,
      respectively. Correspondingly, overexpressing ATM1 accelerated the growth of
      Metarhizium acridum in host hemolymph, and the dose causing 50 % mortality (LD50)
      of the ATM1-overexpressing strain was reduced by 8.3-fold compared with the wild
      type strain, suggesting that increasing the utilization of host nutrients by
      pathogens could be a promising way to improve the virulence of biopesticides
      based on parasites of pests.

PMID- 26115755
TI  - Screening risk areas for sediment and phosphorus losses to improve placement of
      mitigation measures.
AB  - Identification of vulnerable arable areas to phosphorus (P) losses is needed to
      effectively implement mitigation measures. Indicators for source (soil test P,
      STP), potential mobilization by erosion (soil dispersion), and transport (unit
      stream power length-slope, LS) risks were used to screen the vulnerability to
      suspended solids (SS) and P losses in two contrasting catchments regarding
      topography, soil textural distribution, and STP. Soils in the first catchment
      ranged from loamy sand to clay loam, while clay soils were dominant in the second
      catchment. Long-term SS and total P losses were higher in the second catchment in
      spite of significantly lower topsoil STP. A higher proportion of areas in the
      second catchment were identified with higher risk due to the significantly higher
      risk of overland flow generation (LS) and a significantly higher mobilization
      risk in the soil dispersion laboratory tests. A simple screening method was
      presented to improve the placement of mitigation measures. 

PMID- 26115756
TI  - Dissolution of Commercially Available Mesalamine Formulations at Various pH
      Levels.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mesalamine (5-aminosalicylic acid; 5-ASA) is recommended first-line
      therapy for mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis. Many mesalamine formulations
      employ a pH-dependent release mechanism designed to maximize drug release in the
      colon. This study compared the in vitro release of 5-ASA from six commercially
      available mesalamine formulations at pH levels similar to those typically
      encountered in the human gastrointestinal tract. METHODS: The release of 5-ASA
      from six mesalamine formulations [Mesalazin-Kohlpharma (Kohlpharma, Germany),
      Mesalazin-Eurim (Eurimpharm, Germany), Mesalazina-Faes (Faes Farma, Spain),
      Mesalazine EC (Actavis B.V., Netherlands), Mesalazine EC 500 PCH (Pharmachemie
      B.V., Netherlands); multimatrix mesalamine (Shire US Inc., USA)] was monitored
      separately at three different pH levels [1.0 (2 h), 6.4 (1 h), and 7.2 (8 h)]
      using United States Pharmacopeia dissolution apparatus II. The dissolution
      percentage was calculated as a mean of 12 units for each formulation. RESULTS: At
      pH 1.0 and 6.4, <1 % of 5-ASA release was observed for each of the mesalamine
      formulations tested. At pH 7.2, complete release of 5-ASA occurred within 1 h for
      Mesalazine EC and Mesalazine EC 500 PCH, and within 2 h for Mesalazin-Kohlpharma,
      Mesalazin-Eurim, and Mesalazina-Faes; complete release of 5-ASA from multimatrix
      mesalamine occurred within 7 h. Little variability in rate of 5-ASA dissolution
      was observed between tablets of each formulation. CONCLUSION: At pH 7.2, 5-ASA
      release profiles were variable among the commercially available mesalamine
      formulations that were tested.

PMID- 26115757
TI  - Human Flesh Search Engine and Online Privacy.
AB  - Human flesh search engine can be a double-edged sword, bringing convenience on
      the one hand and leading to infringement of personal privacy on the other hand.
      This paper discusses the ethical problems brought about by the human flesh search
      engine, as well as possible solutions. 

PMID- 26115758
TI  - An acute bout of aerobic exercise can protect immediate offline motor sequence
      gains.
AB  - The present study examined the efficacy of a short bout of moderately intensive
      exercise to protect knowledge of a newly acquired motor sequence. Previous work
      revealed that sleep-dependent offline gains in motor sequence performance are
      reduced by practicing an alternative motor sequence in close temporal proximity
      to the original practice with the target motor sequence. In the present work, a
      brief bout of exercise was inserted at two different temporal locations between
      practice of a to-be-learned motor sequence and the interfering practice that
      occurred 2 h later. At issue was whether exposure to exercise could reduce the
      impact of practice with the interfering task which was expected to be manifest as
      reemergence of offline gain observed in the case in which the learner is not
      exposed to the interfering practice. Acute exercise did influence the interfering
      quality of practice with an alternative motor sequence resulting in the return of
      broad offline gain. However, this benefit was immediate, emerging on the initial
      test trial, only when exercise was experienced some time after the original
      period of motor sequence practice and just prior to practice with the interfering
      motor sequence. Thus, while exercise can contribute to post-practice
      consolidation, there appears to be a fragile interplay between spontaneous memory
      consolidation occurring after task practice and the consolidation processes
      induced via exercise. 

PMID- 26115759
TI  - Myoepithelial Carcinoma of the Nasopharynx: Report of a Rare Case and a Review of
      the Literature.
AB  - Salivary gland carcinomas are very rare in the nasopharynx, with the most
      frequent histologic types being adenoid cystic carcinoma, mucoepidermoid
      carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, not otherwise specified. Myoepithelial carcinoma
      (MECA) is a rare tumor of the salivary glands, and there are only three
      previously reported cases of nasopharyngeal MECA. The case presented is the
      fourth reported case of MECA in the nasopharynx. Due to the morphologic
      heterogeneity of MECA, immunohistochemistry is indispensable in ascertaining the
      diagnosis. MECA is a locally aggressive tumor, but the long-term prognosis of
      this tumor in the nasopharynx remains uncertain. In our case the tumor was
      unresectable and the patient was given chemo-radiotherapy. Despite this, residual
      tumor was seen on nasoscopy 5 months after initial diagnosis and was documented
      on a re-biopsy which displayed the same histomorphologic features as the original
      tumor. 

PMID- 26115761
TI  - Potential programming of selected cardiometabolic risk factors at childhood by
      maternal polyunsaturated fatty acid availability in the MEFAB cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that long-chain polyunsaturated fatty
      acid (LCPUFA) availability in utero could program later health. OBJECTIVE: The
      objective of the study was to explore whether prenatal LCPUFA availability could
      be involved in programming cardiometabolic disease risk at childhood. METHODS:
      Data of 242 mother-child pairs from the Maastricht Essential Fatty Acid Birth
      (MEFAB) cohort were used. Multi-variable linear regression analysis was applied
      to identify associations between maternal LCPUFA concentrations around weeks 11,
      22 and 32 of pregnancy and at time of delivery and cardiometabolic risk factors
      of their children (glucose metabolism, blood lipids, and blood pressure) at age
      7. RESULTS: Maternal eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) at week 11 of pregnancy was
      negatively associated with children's glucose (B=-0.34mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.56, 
      0.12). Positive associations were found between maternal linoleic acid (18:2n-6)
      at time of delivery and children's proinsulin (B=0.25pmol/L; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.41);
      maternal 3-docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3) at week 11 and children's total
      cholesterol (B=1.23mmol/L; 95% CI: 0.45, 2.01) and low-density-lipoprotein
      cholesterol (B=1.12mmol/L; 95% CI: 0.42, 1.82); and maternal osbond acid (22:5n
      6) at week 22 and tetracosadienoic acid (24:2n-6) at week 32 and children's
      diastolic blood pressure (B=16.86mmHg; 95% CI: 7.63, 26.08 and B=17.75mmHg; 95%
      CI: 6.37, 29.94, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that maternal
      omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids may be of particular importance in relation to
      children's glucose metabolism and blood pressure, whereas omega-3 (n-3) fatty
      acids seem particularly related to blood lipids at childhood. In general, the
      strength of the associations appeared stronger with fatty acid concentrations in
      early pregnancy compared to late pregnancy.

PMID- 26115760
TI  - The Use of Green Leaf Membranes to Promote Appetite Control, Suppress Hedonic
      Hunger and Loose Body Weight.
AB  - On-going research aims at answering the question, which satiety signal is the
      most potent or which combination of satiety signals is the most potent to stop
      eating. There is also an aim at finding certain food items or food additives that
      could be used to specifically reduce food intake therapeutically. Therapeutic
      attempts to normalize body weight and glycaemia with single agents alone have
      generally been disappointing. The success of bariatric surgery illustrates the
      rationale of using several hormones to treat obesity and type-2-diabetes. We have
      found that certain components from green leaves, the thylakoids, when given
      orally have a similar rationale in inducing the release of several gut hormones
      at the same time. In this way satiety is promoted and hunger suppressed, leading
      to loss of body weight and body fat. The mechanism is a reduced rate of
      intestinal lipid hydrolysis, allowing the lipolytic products to reach the distal
      intestine and release satiety hormones. The thylakoids also regulate glucose
      uptake in the intestine and influences microbiota composition in the intestine in
      a prebiotic direction. Using thylakoids is a novel strategy for treatment and
      prevention of obesity. 

PMID- 26115762
TI  - Psychological effects of calisthenic exercises on neuroinflammatory and rheumatic
      diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of calisthenic
      exercises on psychological status in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS)
      and multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: This study comprised 40 patients diagnosed
      with AS randomized into two exercise groups (group 1 = hospital-based, group 2 =
      home-based) and 40 patients diagnosed with MS randomized into two exercise groups
      (group 1 = hospital-based, group 2 = home-based). RESULTS: The exercise programme
      was completed by 73 participants (hospital-based = 34, home-based = 39). Mean age
      was 33.75 +/- 5.77 years. After the 8-week exercise programme in the AS group,
      the home-based exercise group showed significant improvements in erythrocyte
      sedimentation rates (ESR). The hospital-based exercise group showed significant
      improvements in terms of the Bath AS Metrology Index (BASMI) and Hospital Anxiety
      and Depression Scale-Anxiety (HADS-A) scores. After the 8-week exercise programme
      in the MS group, the home-based and hospital-based exercise groups showed
      significant improvements in terms of the 10-m walking test, Berg Balance Scale
      (BBS), HADS-A, and MS international Quality of Life (MusiQoL) scores. There was a
      significant improvement in the hospital-based and a significant deterioration in
      the home-based MS patients according to HADS-Depression (HADS-D) score.
      CONCLUSION: The positive effects of exercises on neurologic and rheumatic chronic
      inflammatory processes associated with disability should not be underestimated.

PMID- 26115763
TI  - Two-step production of gamma-aminobutyric acid from cassava powder using
      Corynebacterium glutamicum and Lactobacillus plantarum.
AB  - Production of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) from crop biomass such as cassava in
      high concentration is desirable, but difficult to achieve. A safe
      biotechnological route was investigated to produce GABA from cassava powder by C.
      glutamicum G01 and L. plantarum GB01-21. Liquefied cassava powder was first
      transformed to glutamic acid by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation
      with C. glutamicum G01, followed by biotransformation of glutamic acid to GABA
      with resting cells of L. plantarum GB01-21 in the reaction medium. After
      optimizing the reaction conditions, the maximum concentration of GABA reached
      80.5 g/L with a GABA productivity of 2.68 g/L/h. This is the highest yield ever
      reported of GABA production from cassava-derived glucose. The bioprocess provides
      the added advantage of employing nonpathogenic microorganisms, C. glutamicum and
      L. plantarum, in microbial production of GABA from cassava biomass, which can be
      used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. 

PMID- 26115765
TI  - Anticancer activity of pyrithione zinc in oral cancer cells identified in small
      molecule screens and xenograft model: Implications for oral cancer therapy.
AB  - Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients diagnosed in late stages have
      limited chemotherapeutic options, underscoring the great need for development of
      new anticancer agents for more effective disease management. We aimed to identify
      novel anticancer agents for OSCC using quantitative high throughput assays for
      screening six chemical libraries consisting of 5170 small molecule inhibitors. In
      depth characterization resulted in identification of pyrithione zinc (PYZ) as the
      most effective cytotoxic agent inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing
      apoptosis in OSCC cells in vitro. Further, treatment with PYZ reduced colony
      forming, migration and invasion potential of oral cancer cells in a dose
      dependent manner. PYZ treatment also led to altered expression of several key
      components of the major signaling pathways including PI3K/AKT/mTOR and WNT/beta
      catenin in OSCC cells. In addition, treatment with PYZ also reduced expression of
      14-3-3zeta, 14-3-3sigma, cyclin D1, c-Myc and pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), proteins
      identified in our earlier studies to be involved in development and progression
      of OSCCs. Importantly, PYZ treatment significantly reduced tumor xenograft volume
      in immunocompromised NOD/SCID/Crl mice without causing apparent toxicity to
      normal tissues. Taken together, we demonstrate in vitro and in vivo efficacy of
      PYZ in OSCC. In conclusion, we identified PYZ in HTS assays and demonstrated in
      vitro and in vivo pre-clinical efficacy of PYZ as a novel anticancer therapeutic
      candidate in OSCC. 

PMID- 26115764
TI  - Tamoxifen induces a pluripotency signature in breast cancer cells and human
      tumors.
AB  - Tamoxifen is the treatment of choice in estrogen receptor alpha breast cancer
      patients that are eligible for adjuvant endocrine therapy. However, ~50% of
      ERalpha-positive tumors exhibit intrinsic or rapidly acquire resistance to
      endocrine treatment. Unfortunately, prediction of de novo resistance to endocrine
      therapy and/or assessment of relapse likelihood remain difficult. While several
      mechanisms regulating the acquisition and the maintenance of endocrine resistance
      have been reported, there are several aspects of this phenomenon that need to be
      further elucidated. Altered metabolic fate of tamoxifen within patients and
      emergence of tamoxifen-resistant clones, driven by evolution of the disease
      phenotype during treatment, appear as the most compelling hypotheses so far. In
      addition, tamoxifen was reported to induce pluripotency in breast cancer cell
      lines, in vitro. In this context, we have performed a whole transcriptome
      analysis of an ERalpha-positive (T47D) and a triple-negative breast cancer cell
      line (MDA-MB-231), exposed to tamoxifen for a short time frame (hours), in order
      to identify how early pluripotency-related effects of tamoxifen may occur. Our
      ultimate goal was to identify whether the transcriptional actions of tamoxifen
      related to induction of pluripotency are mediated through specific ER-dependent
      or independent mechanisms. We report that even as early as 3 hours after the
      exposure of breast cancer cells to tamoxifen, a subset of ERalpha-dependent genes
      associated with developmental processes and pluripotency are induced and this is
      accompanied by specific phenotypic changes (expression of pluripotency-related
      proteins). Furthermore we report an association between the increased expression
      of pluripotency-related genes in ERalpha-positive breast cancer tissues samples
      and disease relapse after tamoxifen therapy. Finally we describe that in a small
      group of ERalpha-positive breast cancer patients, with disease relapse after
      surgery and tamoxifen treatment, ALDH1A1 (a marker of pluripotency in epithelial
      cancers which is absent in normal breast tissue) is increased in relapsing
      tumors, with a concurrent modification of its intra-cellular localization. Our
      data could be of value in the discrimination of patients susceptible to develop
      tamoxifen resistance and in the selection of optimized patient-tailored
      therapies.

PMID- 26115767
TI  - Discovery of precursor and mature microRNAs and their putative gene targets using
      high-throughput sequencing in pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus).
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, endogenous non-coding RNAs that
      negatively regulate gene expression, resulting in the silencing of target mRNA
      transcripts through mRNA cleavage or translational inhibition. MiRNAs play
      significant roles in various biological and physiological processes in plants.
      However, the miRNA-mediated gene regulatory network in pineapple, the model
      tropical non-climacteric fruit, remains largely unexplored. Here, we report a
      complete list of pineapple mature miRNAs obtained from high-throughput small RNA
      sequencing and precursor miRNAs (pre-miRNAs) obtained from ESTs. Two small RNA
      libraries were constructed from pineapple fruits and leaves, respectively, using
      Illumina's Solexa technology. Sequence similarity analysis using miRBase revealed
      579,179 reads homologous to 153 miRNAs from 41 miRNA families. In addition, a
      pineapple fruit transcriptome library consisting of approximately 30,000 EST
      contigs constructed using Solexa sequencing was used for the discovery of pre
      miRNAs. In all, four pre-miRNAs were identified (MIR156, MIR399, MIR444 and
      MIR2673). Furthermore, the same pineapple transcriptome was used to dissect the
      function of the miRNAs in pineapple by predicting their putative targets in
      conjunction with their regulatory networks. In total, 23 metabolic pathways were
      found to be regulated by miRNAs in pineapple. The use of high-throughput
      sequencing in pineapples to unveil the presence of miRNAs and their regulatory
      pathways provides insight into the repertoire of miRNA regulation used
      exclusively in this non-climacteric model plant. 

PMID- 26115766
TI  - Mitigation of cerebellar neuropathy in globoid cell leukodystrophy mice by AAV
      mediated gene therapy.
AB  - Globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD) is an autosomal recessive, lysosomal storage
      disease caused by deficiency of the enzyme galactocerebrosidase (GALC). The
      absence of GALC activity leads to the accumulation of the toxic substance
      psychosine and the preferential loss of myelinating cells in the central and
      peripheral nervous systems. Profound demyelination, astrogliosis and axonopathy
      are the hallmarks of the pathogenesis of GLD, and cerebellar ataxia is one of the
      dominant manifestations in adolescents and adults affected with GLD. To date,
      studies regarding cerebellar degeneration in GLD are limited. In this study, the
      efficacy of cerebellum-targeted gene therapy on the cerebellar neuropathology in
      twitcher mice (a murine model of GLD) has been validated. We observed
      degeneration of Purkinje cells, Bergmann glia, and granule cells in addition to
      astrocytosis and demyelination in the cerebellum of the twitcher mice.
      Ultrastructural analysis revealed dark cell degeneration and disintegration of
      the cellular composition of Purkinje cells in untreated twitcher mice. In
      addition, the expressions of neurotrophic factors CNTF, GDNF and IGF-I were up
      regulated and the expression of BDNF was down-regulated. Intracerebellar-mediated
      gene therapy efficiently corrected enzymatic deficiency by direct transduction to
      Purkinje cells and cross-correction in other cell types in the cerebellum,
      leading to the amelioration of both neuroinflammation and demyelination. The
      population, dendritic territory, and axonal processes of Purkinje cells remained
      normal in the cerebellum of treated twitcher mice, where radial fibers of
      Bergmann glia spanned the molecular layer and collateral branches ensheathed the
      dendritic processes of Purkinje cells. Moreover, the aberrant expressions of
      neurotrophic factors were mitigated in the cerebellum of treated twitcher mice,
      indicating the preservation of cellular function in addition to maintaining the
      neuronal architecture. The life span of the treated twitcher mice was
      significantly prolonged and their neurobehavioral performance was improved. Taken
      together, our findings underscore the complexity of cerebellar neurodegeneration
      in GLD and highlight the potential effectiveness of gene therapy in mitigating
      neuropathological deficits in GLD and other neurodegenerative disorders in which
      Purkinje cells are involved. 

PMID- 26115768
TI  - Role of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in neurodegeneration.
AB  - The recent discovery of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), an epigenetic modifier
      and oxidation product of 5-methylcytosine (5mC), has broadened the scope and
      understanding of neural development and neurodegenerative diseases. By virtue of
      their functional groups, 5mC and 5hmC exert opposite effects on gene expression;
      the former is generally associated with gene silencing whereas the latter is
      mainly involved in up-regulation of gene expression affecting the cellular
      processes such as differentiation, development, and aging. Although DNA
      methylation plays an important role in normal neural development and
      neuroprotection, an altered pathway due to complex interaction with environmental
      and genetic factors may cause severe neurodegeneration. The levels of 5hmC in
      brain increase progressively from birth until death, while in patients with
      neurodegenerative disorders, the levels are found to be highly compromised. This
      article discusses the recent developments in the area of hydroxymethylation, with
      particular emphasis on the role of 5hmC in neurodegenerative diseases including
      Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's diseases and Huntington's disease. We have also
      included recent findings on the role of 5hmC in brain tumors (gliomas). Despite
      compelling evidence on the involvement of 5hmC in neurodegeneration, it is yet to
      be established whether this epigenetic molecule is the cause or the effect of the
      onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. 

PMID- 26115769
TI  - Molecular cloning, sequence characteristics, and tissue expression analysis of
      ECE1 gene in Tibetan pig.
AB  - Low air pressure and low oxygen partial pressure at high altitude seriously
      affect the survival and development of human beings and animals. ECE1 is a
      recently discovered gene that is involved in anti-hypoxia, but the full-length
      cDNA sequence has not been obtained. For a better understanding of the structure
      and function of the ECE1 gene and to study its effect in Tibetan pig, the cDNA of
      the ECE1 gene from the muscle of Tibetan pig was cloned, sequenced and
      characterized. The ECE1 full-length cDNA sequence consists of 2262 bp coding
      sequence (CDS) that encodes 753 amino acids with a molecular mass of 85,449 kD, 2
      bp 5'UTR and 1507 bp 3'UTR. In addition, the phylogenetic tree analysis revealed
      that the Tibetan pig ECE1 has a closer genetic relationship and evolution
      distance with the land mammals ECE1. Furthermore, analysis by qPCR showed that
      the ECE1 transcript is constitutively expressed in the 10 tissues tested: the
      liver, subcutaneous fat, kidney, muscle, stomach, heart, brain, spleen, pancreas,
      and lung. These results serve as a foundation for further insight into the
      Tibetan pig ECE1 gene.

PMID- 26115770
TI  - IGFBP7 promotes hemocyte proliferation in small abalone Haliotis diversicolor,
      proved by dsRNA and cap mRNA exposure.
AB  - Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) binds IGFs with a low
      affinity, but in contrast, recognizes insulin with a high affinity. Many studies
      show that IGFBP7 involves several cellular processes of vertebrates and functions
      as a tumor suppressor gene in different tumors. However, the function of IGFBP7
      in invertebrates is unclear. In this research, we studied the function of IGFBP7
      in the proliferation of small abalone Haliotis diversicolor hemocytes by exposure
      to dsRNA or cap mRNA of saIGFBP7. We found that exposure to dsRNA or cap mRNA of
      saIGFBP7 could significantly affect the mRNA and protein expression of IGFBP7 in
      cultured small abalone hemocytes (p<0.05). There was a significant increase in
      hemocyte density and the number of adherent hemocytes after exposure to cap mRNA
      of saIGFBP7 (p<0.05). Similarly, exposure to dsRNA of saIGFBP7 could
      significantly decrease the hemocyte density and the number of adherent hemocytes
      (p<0.05). These findings suggest that IGFBP7 increases hemocyte growth. It is the
      first time to report the effect of IGFBP7 on the proliferation of marine
      invertebrate cells. 

PMID- 26115771
TI  - Genome-wide identification of turnip mosaic virus-responsive microRNAs in non
      heading Chinese cabbage by high-throughput sequencing.
AB  - Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) is the most prevalent viral pathogen infecting most
      cruciferous plants. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are around 22 nucleotides long non-protein
      coding RNAs that play key regulatory roles in plants. Recent research findings
      show that miRNAs are involved in plant-virus interaction. However we know little
      about plant defense and viral offense system networks throughout microRNA
      regulation pathway. In this study, two small RNA libraries were constructed based
      on non-heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis L. Makino,
      NHCC) leaves infected by TuMV and healthy leaves, and sequenced using the
      Illumina-Solexa high-throughput sequencing technology. A total of 86 conserved
      miRNAs belonging to 25 known miRNA families and 45 novel ones were identified.
      Among them, twelve conserved and ten new miRNAs were validated by real-time
      fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR). Differential expression analysis showed
      that 42 miRNAs were down-regulated and 27 miRNAs were up-regulated in response to
      TuMV stress. A total of 271 target genes were predicted using a bioinformatics
      approach, these genes are mainly involved in growth and resistance to various
      stresses. We further selected 13 miRNAs and their corresponding target genes to
      explore their expression pattern under TuMV and/or cold (4 degrees C) stresses,
      and the results indicated that some of the identified miRNAs could link TuMV
      response with cold response of NHCC. The characterization of these miRNAs could
      contribute to a better understanding of plant-virus interaction throughout
      microRNA regulation pathway. This can lead to finding new approach to defend
      virus infection using miRNA in Chinese cabbage.

PMID- 26115772
TI  - Classification and Tie2 mutations in spinal and soft tissue vascular anomalies.
AB  - Vascular anomalies included hemangiomas and vascular malformations (VMs). VMs are
      mediated by mutations in the endothelial cell-specific receptor tyrosine kinase
      Tie2 (TEK),which is essential for angiogenesis and vascular stabilization. We
      identified five types of Tie2 mutations in 80 patients with soft tissue or spinal
      VMs by PCR including the previously detected missense mutations 2690A>G (Y897C),
      2740C>T (L914F), 2743C>T (R915C), and two nonsense mutations 2763G>A, 2688C>T, we
      identified Tie2 mutation in primary spinal VMs for the first time. Tie2 mutations
      were found to be absent in 33 patients with hemangiomas and DNA samples of VMs.
      In addition, we showed that Tie2 mRNA expression in spinal VMs was similar to
      soft tissue VMs, but obviously lower than infant hemangiomas (P<0.01). This study
      provides new insights into spinal VMs, the association of Tie2 and vascular
      anomalies needs to be further discussed. 

PMID- 26115773
TI  - Frequency domain analysis of cerebral near infrared spectroscopy signals during
      application of an impedance threshold device in spontaneously ventilating
      volunteers.
AB  - Currently available near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) devices are unable to
      discriminate between arterial and venous blood, a potential source of artifact.
      The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that oscillations in NIR
      signals at the respiratory and cardiac frequency could be attributed to venous
      and arterial blood, respectively, and thereby isolated. After written informed
      consent was obtained, a two-wavelength NIRS device was placed over the left
      frontal cortex in 20 volunteers. After 5 min of unimpeded spontaneous
      ventilation, an impedance threshold device (ITD, average resistance-7 cm H2O) was
      applied and an additional two minutes of data recorded. Tissue saturation (StO2)
      calculated at the ventilatory and cardiac frequencies was compared to non
      pulsatile StO2, before and after application of the ITD using spectral peak and
      power algorithms. The ITD increased non-pulsatile cerebral saturation by 3.6 %.
      The ITD had no discernable effect on pulsatile estimates of StO2 at either the
      ventilatory or cardiac frequencies. StO2 estimated at the NIRS spectral peak from
      0.75 to 1.75 Hz was 24 % higher than non-pulsatile StO2 (p = 0.0013). There were
      no other significant differences between pulsatile and non-pulsatile algorithms
      in the estimation of StO2. In 64 % of cases, both the low (ventilator) and high
      (cardiac) frequency estimates of StO2 were either both larger or both smaller
      than non-pulsatile StO2, suggesting that they were interrogating the same
      vascular bed. Frequency domain analysis cannot reliably separate NIRS waveforms
      into arterial and venous components. 

PMID- 26115775
TI  - Data Synthesis in Meta-Analysis may Conclude Differently on Cognitive Effect From
      Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation.

PMID- 26115774
TI  - Comparison of electrical velocimetry and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for
      the non-invasive determination of cardiac output.
AB  - A novel algorithm of impedance cardiography referred to as electrical velocimetry
      (EV) has been introduced for non-invasive determination of cardiac output (CO).
      Previous validation studies yielded diverging results and no comparison with the
      non-invasive gold standard cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) has been
      performed. We therefore aimed to prospectively assess the accuracy and
      reproducibility of EV compared to CMR. 152 consecutive stable patients undergoing
      CMR were enrolled. EV measurements were taken twice before or after CMR in supine
      position and averaged over 20 s (AESCULON((r)), Osypka Medical, Berlin, Germany).
      Bland-Altman analysis showed insufficient agreement of EV and CMR with a mean
      bias of 1.2 +/- 1.4 l/min (bias 23 +/- 26 %, percentage error 51 %).
      Reproducibility was high with 0.0 +/- 0.3 l/min (bias 0 +/- 8 %, percentage error
      15 %). Outlier analysis revealed gender, height, CO and stroke volume (SV) by CMR
      as independent predictors for larger variation. Stratification of COCMR in
      quintiles demonstrated a good agreement for low values (<4.4 l/min) with bias
      increasing significantly with quintile as high as 3.1 +/- 1.1 l/min (p < 0.001).
      Reproducibility was not affected (p = 0.71). Subgroup analysis in patients with
      arrhythmias (p = 0.19), changes in thoracic fluid content (p = 0.51) or left
      heart failure (p = 0.47) could not detect significant differences in accuracy. EV
      showed insufficient agreement with CMR and good reproducibility. Gender, height
      and increasing CO and SV were associated with increased bias while not affecting
      reproducibility. Therefore, absolute values should not be used interchangeably in
      clinical routine. EV yet may find its place for clinical application with further
      investigation on its trending ability pending. 

PMID- 26115778
TI  - PubMLST.org--The new home for the Borrelia MLSA database.

PMID- 26115776
TI  - Concordance Between BeamF3 and MRI-neuronavigated Target Sites for Repetitive
      Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is a common target for
      repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in major depression, but the
      conventional "5 cm rule" misses DLPFC in >1/3 cases. Another heuristic, BeamF3,
      locates the F3 EEG site from scalp measurements. MRI-guided neuronavigation is
      more onerous, but can target a specific DLPFC stereotaxic coordinate directly.
      The concordance between these two approaches has not previously been assessed.
      OBJECTIVE: To quantify the discrepancy in scalp site between BeamF3 versus MRI
      guided neuronavigation for left DLPFC. METHODS: Using 100 pre-treatment MRIs from
      subjects undergoing left DLPFC-rTMS, we localized the scalp site at minimum
      Euclidean distance from a target MNI coordinate (X - 38 Y + 44 Z + 26) derived
      from our previous work. We performed nasion-inion, tragus-tragus, and head
      circumference measurements on the same subjects' MRIs, and applied the BeamF3
      heuristic. We then compared the distance between BeamF3 and MRI-guided scalp
      sites. RESULTS: BeamF3-to-MRI-guided discrepancies were <0.65 cm in 50% of
      subjects, <0.99 cm in 75% of subjects, and <1.36 cm in 95% of subjects. The angle
      from midline to the scalp site did not differ significantly using MRI-guided
      versus BeamF3 methods. However, the length of the radial arc from vertex to
      target site was slightly but significantly longer (mean 0.35 cm) with MRI
      guidance versus BeamF3. CONCLUSIONS: The BeamF3 heuristic may provide a
      reasonable approximation to MRI-guided neuronavigation for locating left DLPFC in
      a majority of subjects. A minor optimization of the heuristic may yield
      additional concordance.

PMID- 26115779
TI  - CaM and CML emergence in the green lineage.
AB  - Calmodulin (CaM) is a well-studied calcium sensor that is ubiquitous in all
      eukaryotes and contributes to signaling during developmental processes and
      adaptation to environmental stimuli. Among eukaryotes, plants have a remarkable
      variety of CaM-like proteins (CMLs). The expansion of genomic data sets offers
      the opportunity to explore CaM and CML evolution among the green lineage from
      algae to land plants. Database analysis indicates that a striking diversity of
      CaM and CMLs evolved in angiosperms during terrestrial colonization and reveals
      the emergence of new CML classes throughout the green lineage that correlate with
      the acquisition of novel biological traits. Here, we speculate that expansion of
      the CML family was driven by selective pressures to process environmental signals
      efficiently as plants adapted to land environments. 

PMID- 26115777
TI  - Preliminary results of the Spanish Association of Urology National Registry in
      Active Surveillance for prostate cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To present a National Registry of patients with prostate cancer as
      monitored through active surveillance, with the intention of testing the
      hypothesis that cancer-specific mortality in very low-risk and low-risk patients
      is less than 5% at 15 years. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A multicentre observational
      study (AEU-PIEM/2014/0001) sponsored by the Spanish Association of Urology was
      conducted using their platform for multicentre studies. The clinical-pathological
      inclusion criteria were as follows: cT1a-cT3a, PSA <= 20 ng/ml, initial minimum
      biopsy of 10 cores, number of affected cores <= 3, 1st Gleason score of 3 and 2nd
      Gleason score <= 4 and a known prostate volume (in cc). A unified follow-up was
      not established for all recruiting centres; however, a survey was conducted that
      reflects the follow-up characteristics based on a number of tangible parameters
      that allow for their comparison. With the same philosophy of flexibility, the use
      of certain biomarkers and multiparametric MRI was not considered necessary for
      inclusion. RESULTS: We describe the Registry's characteristics and possibilities,
      as well as the preliminary results from the 324 patients included in its first 5
      months of operation in the 15 recruiting centres. We also report the clinical
      pathological variables, biomarkers, radiodiagnosis technique and quality-of-life
      questionnaires considered for the database, as well as the possibilities for
      indefinite follow-up, remaining open to any active treatment recognized in
      clinical guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: The AEU-PIEM/2014/0001 represents an extremely
      useful tool for all Spanish urologists for multicentre clinical research. The
      registry will undoubtedly enable the dissemination of active surveillance of our
      patients in a more coordinated manner, thus maintaining the advantages of
      optimised opportunistic screening for prostate cancer without resulting in
      overtreatment.

PMID- 26115780
TI  - MicroProteins: small size-big impact.
AB  - MicroProteins (miPs) are short, usually single-domain proteins that, in analogy
      to miRNAs, heterodimerize with their targets and exert a dominant-negative
      effect. Recent bioinformatic attempts to identify miPs have resulted in a list of
      potential miPs, many of which lack the defining characteristics of a miP. In this
      opinion article, we clearly state the characteristics of a miP as evidenced by
      known proteins that fit the definition; we explain why modulatory proteins
      misrepresented as miPs do not qualify as true miPs. We also discuss the
      evolutionary history of miPs, and how the miP concept can extend beyond
      transcription factors (TFs) to encompass different non-TF proteins that require
      dimerization for full function. 

PMID- 26115781
TI  - Plant cutin genesis: unanswered questions.
AB  - The genesis of cutin, the main lipid polymer present in the biosphere, has
      remained elusive for many years. Recently, two main approaches have attempted to
      explain the process of cutin polymerization. One describes the existence of an
      acyltransferase cutin synthase enzyme that links activated monomers of cutin in
      the outer cell wall, while the other shows that plant cutin is the final result
      of an extracellular nonenzymatic self-assembly and polymerizing process of cutin
      monomers. In this opinion article, we explain both models and suggest that they
      could be pieces of a more complex biological scenario. We also highlight their
      different characteristics and current limitations, and suggest a potential
      synergism of both hypotheses. 

PMID- 26115782
TI  - Assessment of microtubule depolymerization property of flavonoids isolated from
      Tanacetum gracile in breast cancer cells by biochemical and molecular docking
      approach.
AB  - The chemical investigation of the bioactive nonpolar fractions of Tanacetum
      gracile afforded two flavonoid analogues namely, 5-hydroxy-3,6,7,3',4'
      pentamethoxyflavone (1) and 5,4'-dihydroxy-3,6,7,3',4'-tetramethoxyflavone (2)
      which were identical to the previously reported artemetin and chrysosplenetin
      respectively. The structure of the compounds was elucidated on the basis of
      spectroscopic evidences and they showed significant cytotoxic activity against
      human breast cancer cells (MCF-7 and T47D). Mechanism based study showed that the
      compounds modulated microtubule depolymerization by activating mitotic spindle
      checkpoint. Molecular docking at the colchicine binding pocket revealed that the
      compounds bind at alpha-beta interfacial site of tubulin, correlating binding
      interactions with probable inhibition mechanism. The study reveals important
      observations to generate improved flavonoids that leads to cell apoptosis. The
      compounds were also evaluated for absorption, metabolism and toxicity by online
      webserver admetSAR. The significant microtubule disassembling property and less
      toxicity paves way for consideration of the compounds as chemopreventive agents. 

PMID- 26115783
TI  - Loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and glutathione depletion are not
      sufficient to account for induction of apoptosis by carbonyl cyanide 4
      (trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone in human leukemia K562 cells.
AB  - Carbonyl cyanide 4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone (FCCP), an uncoupler of
      mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, inhibits cell proliferation and induces
      cell death with apoptotic features. It was reported that the cytotoxic effects of
      FCCP are preceded by a rapid glutathione (GSH) depletion with a subsequent loss
      of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsi). The GSH depletion was
      suggested as the cause of apoptosis in FCCP treated cells. This conclusion was
      further supported by the finding that all adverse effects of FCCP including cell
      death can be prevented by N-acetylcysteine (NAC) a precursor of GSH synthesis
      (Han and Park, 2011). Here, we argue that neither loss of DeltaPsi nor GSH
      depletion is sufficient to account for induction of apoptosis in FCCP treated
      leukemia K562 cells. Indeed, the lowest concentration of FCCP that brings about
      the permanent loss of DeltaPsi and the extensive decrease in GSH level induces
      cell death in minor population of cells. Only much higher concentrations of FCCP,
      that exceed the range to achieve permanent collapse of DeltaPsi, induce extensive
      apoptosis. The low proapoptotic activity of FCCP could be explained by
      hyperactivation of protein kinase B/Akt. A detailed LC/MS/MS analysis of cell
      extracts revealed extensive formation of FCCP adducts with GSH. This effect could
      explain the mechanism of GSH depletion, which is currently unknown. Although NAC
      induces an increase in the GSH pool, this effect is not crucial for abrogation of
      FCCP cytotoxicity. Indeed, the presence of NAC in the growth medium causes a
      rapid clearance of FCCP due to its quantitative conversion into the FCCP-NAC
      adduct, which is the real cause of abrogated FCCP cytotoxicity. 

PMID- 26115784
TI  - Lipidomic fatty acid profile and global gene expression pattern in mammary gland
      of rats that were exposed to lard-based high fat diet during fetal and lactation
      periods associated to breast cancer risk in adulthood.
AB  - The persistent effects of animal fat consumption during pregnancy and nursing on
      the programming of breast cancer risk among female offspring were studied here.
      We have previously found that female offspring of rat dams that consumed a lard
      based high-fat (HF) diet (60% fat-derived energy) during pregnancy, or during
      pregnancy and lactation, were at a reduced risk of developing mammary cancer. To
      better understand the unexpected protective effects of early life lard exposure,
      we have applied lipidomics and nutrigenomics approaches to investigate the fatty
      acid profile and global gene expression patterns in the mammary tissue of the
      female offspring. Consumption of this HF diet during gestation had few effects on
      the mammary tissue fatty acids profile of young adult offspring, while exposure
      from gestation throughout nursing promoted significant alterations in the fatty
      acids profile. Major differences were related to decreases in saturated fatty
      acids (SFA) and increases in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs),
      monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and conjugated linolenic acid (CLA)
      concentrations. In addition several differences in gene expression patterns by
      microarray analysis between the control and in utero or in utero and during
      lactation HF exposed offspring were identified. Differential dependency network
      (DDN) analysis indicated that many of the genes exhibited unique connections to
      other genes only in the HF offspring. These unique connections included Hrh1
      Ythdf1 and Repin1-Elavl2 in the in utero HF offspring, and Rnf213-Htr3b and Klf5
      Chrna4 in the in utero and lactation HF offspring, compared with the control
      offspring. We conclude that an exposure to a lard-based HF diet during early life
      changes the fatty acid profile and transcriptional network in mammary gland in
      young adult rats, and these changes appear to be consistent with reduced mammary
      cancer risk observed in our previous study. 

PMID- 26115785
TI  - New approaches for understanding the nuclear force balance in living, adherent
      cells.
AB  - Cytoskeletal forces are transmitted to the nucleus to position and shape it.
      Linkages mediated by the LINC (linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) complex
      transfer these forces to the nuclear envelope. Nuclear position and shape can be
      thought to be determined by a balance of cytoskeletal forces generated by
      microtubule motors that shear the nuclear surface, actomyosin forces that can
      pull, push and shear the nucleus, and intermediate filaments that may passively
      resist nuclear decentering and deformation. Parsing contributions of these
      different forces to nuclear mechanics is a very challenging task. Here we review
      new approaches that can be used in living cells to probe and understand the
      nuclear force balance. 

PMID- 26115786
TI  - [Problematic Internet use among teenagers in Sfax, Tunisia].
AB  - Use of the Internet in Tunisian society and especially among teenagers has
      increased in recent years. While the use of Internet is primarily intended for
      research and communication, the Internet has also become an important part of
      teenager's life. Most people use the Internet in healthy and productive ways.
      However, some teenagers develop a problematic use of the Internet, which is a
      condition also known by the term of "Internet addiction". In Tunisia, the
      literature does not report data on problematic Internet use prevalence among
      Tunisian teenagers. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the
      prevalence of problematic Internet use among teenagers, in the urban area of
      Sfax. METHODS: This transversal study was carried out between the 15th January
      and the 15th February 2009. Participants were 600, first to third grade secondary
      school students, aged 14 to 20. They were recruited from seven secondary schools
      randomly selected in the urban area in Sfax City. The self-administered Young's 8
      item questionnaire was used in this survey. Participants who scored five or more
      can be considered problematic Internet users. Finally, 587 valid data samples
      were collected, 263 (44%) males and 324 (56%) females. Eighty-five percent of the
      participants were in the 15-17 age range. The mean age was 16 years (+/-1.26).
      RESULTS: The prevalence of problematic Internet use was 18.05% (total of 587
      students). The sex-ratio was 0.75. The problematic Internet use was not
      correlated with sex. The average time of Internet use per day among problematic
      Internet users was 4.5hours (+/-2.84) against 1.02hours (+/-1.56) among non
      problematic Internet users (P=0.000). DISCUSSION: In this study, the prevalence
      of problematic Internet use was higher than that reported in previous studies.
      Two facts can explain this: first, the use of the only self-administered
      questionnaire does not distinguish between a simple abuse and a problematic
      Internet use. A psychiatric examination is essential to support the diagnosis of
      problematic Internet use. Second, this study was conducted exclusively in an
      urban area where access to the Internet is easier than in rural areas. This study
      was not representative of teenagers in Sfax. The gender difference was consistent
      with the findings of prior research, as was the average time of Internet use per
      day among problematic Internet users. CONCLUSION: This study shows that
      problematic Internet use is frequent in our teenage population. A preventive
      outreach for youths, their families and health professionals is needed to limit
      the extension of this problem among young people. The existence of misuse of the
      Internet should not lead to avoiding this media. Reflections on how to moderate
      the relationship with the Internet are necessary; especially since Internet
      becomes an essential medium of information and communication. The current lack of
      Internet education in school curricula is also a shortage to fulfil.

PMID- 26115787
TI  - [Healing garden: Primary concept].
AB  - Since ancient times the relationship between mankind and plants occupies medicine
      and philosophy. From the first tablets of herbal medicine to Asclepius gardens,
      those of cloisters and bimaristans to cosmological gardens in Asia, from the
      largest public park to asylum institutions of the nineteenth century, the garden
      is proposed as a place of care, a promoter of restoration of the human being. If
      the advent of technology and drugs have for a time relegated it to the level of
      empirical care, results in neuroscience ultimately provide it on a scientific
      basis. The early evolutionary theories, the Savanah theory from Orians, the
      biophilia hypothesis from Wilson, are relayed by the famous Ulrich' study showing
      the positive influence of a view of nature through the window on the recovery of
      in patients. Mechanisms leading stress regulation, level of attention and
      organisation, focus and fascination, are recognized at the origin of restoration
      processes. Human capacities to respond to the recuperating function of a natural
      environment connect to grounded behaviour for adaptation to natural selection
      process and survival. The mechanisms of our immune system are essential to
      maintain our vitality. Phyto-resonance, felt or unconsciously perceived in
      appearance, according to Shepard is an emotion that structures well beyond the
      archaic behaviour. Recovery, in terms of phenomenological experience of the
      presence, is a philosophical demonstration of the environmental i.e.
      multisensory, spatial and temporal approach. Its emotional and affective
      experience connects to the vitality and creativity. The phyto-resonance
      hypothesis according to the Konrad Neuberger's point of view induces strategies
      catering to all levels of the organisation of the human being. It confirms the
      multidisciplinary nature of hortitherapy and places the mechanism of
      relationships between man and plant at the centre of discipline. It is also a
      source of inspiration and inexhaustible work for caregivers. The phenomenological
      approach of the therapeutic garden is an art of hospitality, human relationships
      and care. The garden opens the door to our interiority and prepares the
      interpersonal meeting. The experience of presence, mobilizing internal resources,
      is an opening to the possibilities of the living world, allows entry into a slow
      but promising time. The reintroduction and rehabilitation of the garden setting
      in residential care is necessary. These benefits are open to all for a better
      efficacy of care. 

PMID- 26115788
TI  - Three Turkish families with different transthyretin mutations.
AB  - Transthyretin (TTR)-related hereditary amyloidosis, also called familial amyloid
      polyneuropathy (FAP), is a rare autosomal dominant systemic disorder that
      presents with progressive axonal sensory, autonomic and/or motor neuropathies.
      The present report describes three families with three different TTR mutations
      who were followed from 1995 to 2014. Only one of these families expressed the
      Val30Met mutation, which is the most common mutation in endemic regions; all
      members of this family had late disease onset but varied severities and clinical
      presentations of the disease. The second family expressed the Thr49Ser mutation,
      which has not been well documented previously. Our limited experience obtained
      from these patients indicates that this mutation presents with autonomic
      neuropathy but a greater degree of cardiac involvement, especially fatal heart
      failure. The third mutation, Glu54Lys, has been identified as a cause of severe
      familial amyloid polyneuropathy; the family members with this mutation exhibited
      severe motor and autonomic neuropathy, early vitreous opacity, and fatal heart
      failure. Three of the patients with the Val30Met mutation were treated with
      tafamidis for longer than one year and cessation of the polyneuropathy resulted.
      However, a short trial of tafamidis in two patients with the Glu54Lys mutation,
      who showed severe systemic and neurological involvement, did not gain any
      clinical benefits. 

PMID- 26115789
TI  - Discrete Global but No Focal Gray Matter Volume Reductions in Unmedicated Adult
      Patients With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gray matter reduction mainly in the anterior cingulate cortex, the
      basal ganglia, and the cerebellum has been reported in attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Yet, respective data remain contradictory
      and inconclusive. To clarify if structural alteration in these brain areas can be
      verified in a large cohort of adult patients and if a history of stimulant
      medication has an effect on brain structure, magnetic resonance imaging was
      performed in the context of a clinical trial on the efficacy of group
      psychotherapy, clinical management, methylphenidate, and placebo (Comparison of
      Methylphenidate and Psychotherapy in Adult ADHD Study Trial). METHODS: Between
      January 2007 and August 2010, 1480 patients from seven study centers across
      Germany, aged 18 to 58, were prescreened; 518 were assessed for eligibility; 433
      were randomized; and 187 were eligible for neuroimaging. The control group
      included 121 healthy volunteers. Structural magnetic resonance imaging data sets
      were acquired. Following strict quality control, 131 patient and 95 control data
      sets could be analyzed. All patients were unmedicated for at least 6 months. The
      established method of voxel-based morphometry (VBM8 segmentation and
      diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponentiated lie normalization)
      was used to assess global and regional brain volumes. RESULTS: Patients displayed
      subtle global cerebral volume reductions. There was no evidence of regional gray
      matter volume abnormalities. The inattentive ADHD subtype was linked to smaller
      volumes in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. A history of previous
      medication did not modulate brain volumes. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD in adulthood is
      associated with global rather than regional volumetric abnormalities. Previous
      use of stimulant medication does not seem to modify subsequent brain volumes in a
      significant way.

PMID- 26115791
TI  - Challenges affecting access to cesarean delivery and strategies to overcome them
      in low-income countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most maternal deaths occur in low-income countries where access to
      appropriate medical care is restricted. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate rates of cesarean
      deliveries and identify barriers to this mode of delivery in low-income
      countries. SEARCH STRATEGY: A review of Medline and PubMed was performed to
      identify reports published in English or French using the keywords "cesarean
      section," "maternal mortality," and "developing countries." SELECTION CRITERIA:
      Studies investigating the obstacles to cesarean delivery and plans to overcome
      them in low-income countries were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data
      from included studies were extracted and analyzed. MAIN RESULTS: Studies from 16
      countries in Sub-Saharan Africa were included. The average rate of cesarean
      delivery was 3.6% (range 1.5%-7.1%). The rate was negatively correlated with the
      maternal mortality ratio (r=-0.63; P=0.005), neonatal mortality rate (r=-0.81;
      P<0.001), and infant mortality rate (r=-0.80; P<0.001). Major barriers to
      achieving higher rates of cesarean deliveries include poverty, limited access to
      healthcare services, and a shortage of skilled providers. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal
      and infant mortality rates could be lowered by increasing access to cesarean
      delivery. Additional education of patients and providers, establishment of more
      heath facilities, and governmental support of obstetric care could help to reach
      this goal.

PMID- 26115792
TI  - Effects of alloying on oxidation and dissolution corrosion of the surface of
      gamma-Fe(111): a DFT study.
AB  - Effects of alloying elements in popular steels on the oxidation and dissolution
      corrosion of the surface of gamma-Fe(111) have been investigated by performing
      density functional theory calculations within the local density approximation.
      First, the segregation of alloying atoms as well as preferential adsorption sites
      for oxygen and water were carefully examined, and it was found that all of the
      alloying elements considered had a tendency to segregate to the surface, and that
      the most preferred adsorption sites were the hexagonal closed packed (hcp) site
      and the top site for oxygen and water, respectively. The adsorption energies that
      characterized the tendency for oxygen or water to be adsorbed on the alloy
      surface showed that all ten alloying elements (especially Cr, Si, and Cu) were
      able to inhibit the adsorption of oxygen, and that all of the alloying elements
      except for Nb, Mo, and Ti inhibited water adsorption. The electrode potentials,
      which indicate the electrochemical stabilities of the surfaces of the alloys,
      suggested that all of these alloying elements (especially Cr, Mo, and Si) were
      able to suppress the adsorption of oxygen and water on the investigated surfaces,
      except for Nb and Ti in the case of water adsorption. Density of states analysis
      further indicated that all ten alloying elements (especially Cr, Si, Mo, and Cu)
      enhanced the corrosion resistance of the fcc Fe substrate, except for Nb and Ti
      with respect to dissolution corrosion. 

PMID- 26115790
TI  - Anhedonia, Reduced Cocaine Reward, and Dopamine Dysfunction in a Rat Model of
      Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) co-occurs with substance use
      disorders at high rates, but the neurobiological basis of this relationship is
      largely unknown. PTSD and drug addiction each involve dysregulation of brain
      reward circuitry; therefore, the identification of pathology of the mesolimbic
      dopamine system may aid in understanding their functional relationship. Dopamine
      reward dysfunction also may be relevant to the mechanisms underlying the PTSD
      symptoms of anhedonia and emotional numbing. METHODS: Single-prolonged stress
      (SPS) was used as a rat model of PTSD, and a series of behavioral and
      neuropharmacologic assays were applied to assess the impact of SPS on reward,
      cocaine intake, and components of the striatal dopamine system. RESULTS: Exposure
      to SPS increased anhedonia-like behaviors and decreased the rewarding properties
      of cocaine compared with control handling. Altered cocaine intake during extended
      access self-administration sessions was observed in rats exposed to SPS, further
      suggesting a difference in the reinforcing properties of cocaine following severe
      stress. SPS reduced tissue content of dopamine and its metabolites in the
      striatum, as well as altered striatal dopamine transporter and D2, but not D1,
      receptor densities. CONCLUSIONS: These results support a role for altered
      dopaminergic transmission in reduced reward function in PTSD. Pathology of the
      dopamine system and the degradation of reward processes may contribute to PTSD
      symptomology and have implications for co-occurring psychiatric disorders such as
      substance abuse or depression.

PMID- 26115793
TI  - Spanish-Portuguese consensus statement on use of daylight-mediated photodynamic
      therapy with methyl aminolevulinate in the treatment of actinic keratosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Daylight-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a new type of PDT
      that is as effective as conventional PDT in grade 1 and 2 actinic keratosis but
      with fewer adverse effects, resulting in greater efficiency. The climatic
      conditions in the Iberian Peninsula require an appropriately adapted consensus
      protocol. OBJECTIVE: We describe a protocol for the treatment of grade 1 and 2
      actinic keratosis with daylight-mediated PDT and methyl aminolevulinate (MAL)
      adapted to the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Spanish and
      Portuguese patients and the climatic conditions of both countries. METHODS:
      Twelve dermatologists from different parts of Spain and Portugal with experience
      in the treatment of actinic keratosis with PDT convened to draft a consensus
      statement for daylight-mediated PDT with MAL in these countries. Based on a
      literature review and their own clinical experience, the group developed a
      recommended protocol. RESULTS: According to the recommendations adopted, patients
      with multiple grade 1 and 2 lesions, particularly those at risk of developing
      cancer, are candidates for this type of therapy. Daylight-mediated PDT can be
      administered throughout the year, although it is not indicated at temperatures
      below 10 degrees C or at excessively high temperatures. Likewise, therapy should
      not be administered when it is raining, snowing, or foggy. The procedure is
      simple, requiring application of a sunscreen with a protection factor of at least
      30 based exclusively on organic filters, appropriate preparation of the lesions,
      application of MAL without occlusion, and activation in daylight for 2hours.
      CONCLUSION: This consensus statement represents a practical and detailed
      guideline to achieve maximum effectiveness of daylight-mediated PDT with MAL in
      Spain and Portugal with minimal adverse effects.

PMID- 26115794
TI  - Census of Centers That Perform Mohs' Micrographic Surgery in Spain and
      Description of Their Activity: A Feasibility Study for the Mohs' Micrographic
      Surgery Registry of the Foundation of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and
      Venereology.

PMID- 26115795
TI  - Bevacizumab in newly diagnosed ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26115796
TI  - Pembrolizumab versus investigator-choice chemotherapy for ipilimumab-refractory
      melanoma (KEYNOTE-002): a randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with melanoma that progresses on ipilimumab and, if
      BRAF(V600) mutant-positive, a BRAF or MEK inhibitor or both, have few treatment
      options. We assessed the efficacy and safety of two pembrolizumab doses versus
      investigator-choice chemotherapy in patients with ipilimumab-refractory melanoma.
      METHODS: We carried out a randomised phase 2 trial of patients aged 18 years or
      older from 73 hospitals, clinics, and academic medical centres in 12 countries
      who had confirmed progressive disease within 24 weeks after two or more
      ipilimumab doses and, if BRAF(V600) mutant-positive, previous treatment with a
      BRAF or MEK inhibitor or both. Patients had to have resolution of all ipilimumab
      related adverse events to grade 0-1 and prednisone 10 mg/day or less for at least
      2 weeks, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or
      1, and at least one measurable lesion to be eligible. Using a centralised
      interactive voice response system, we randomly assigned (1:1:1) patients in a
      block size of six to receive intravenous pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg every
      3 weeks or investigator-choice chemotherapy (paclitaxel plus carboplatin,
      paclitaxel, carboplatin, dacarbazine, or oral temozolomide). Randomisation was
      stratified by ECOG performance status, lactate dehydrogenase concentration, and
      BRAF(V600) mutation status. Individual treatment assignment between pembrolizumab
      and chemotherapy was open label, but investigators and patients were masked to
      assignment of the dose of pembrolizumab. We present the primary endpoint at the
      prespecified second interim analysis of progression-free survival in the
      intention-to-treat population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov,
      number NCT01704287. The study is closed to enrolment but continues to follow up
      and treat patients. FINDINGS: Between Nov 30, 2012, and Nov 13, 2013, we enrolled
      540 patients: 180 patients were randomly assigned to receive pembrolizumab 2
      mg/kg, 181 to receive pembrolizumab 10 mg/kg, and 179 to receive chemotherapy.
      Based on 410 progression-free survival events, progression-free survival was
      improved in patients assigned to pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.45
      0.73; p<0.0001) and those assigned to pembrolizumab 10 mg/kg (0.50, 0.39-0.64;
      p<0.0001) compared with those assigned to chemotherapy. 6-month progression-free
      survival was 34% (95% CI 27-41) in the pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg group, 38% (31-45)
      in the 10 mg/kg group, and 16% (10-22) in the chemotherapy group. Treatment
      related grade 3-4 adverse events occurred in 20 (11%) patients in the
      pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg group, 25 (14%) in the pembrolizumab 10 mg/kg group, and 45
      (26%) in the chemotherapy group. The most common treatment-related grade 3-4
      adverse event in the pembrolizumab groups was fatigue (two [1%] of 178 patients
      in the 2 mg/kg group and one [<1%] of 179 patients in the 10 mg/kg group,
      compared with eight [5%] of 171 in the chemotherapy group). Other treatment
      related grade 3-4 adverse events include generalised oedema and myalgia (each in
      two [1%] patients) in those given pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg; hypopituitarism,
      colitis, diarrhoea, decreased appetite, hyponatremia, and pneumonitis (each in
      two [1%]) in those given pembrolizumab 10 mg/kg; and anaemia (nine [5%]), fatigue
      (eight [5%]), neutropenia (six [4%]), and leucopenia (six [4%]) in those assigned
      to chemotherapy. INTERPRETATION: These findings establish pembrolizumab as a new
      standard of care for the treatment of ipilimumab-refractory melanoma. FUNDING:
      Merck Sharp & Dohme.

PMID- 26115798
TI  - The place of PD-1 inhibitors in melanoma management.

PMID- 26115799
TI  - [Radiological evaluation of congenital tumors].
AB  - In this article, we consider tumors that are diagnosed during pregnancy or in the
      first three months of life. This is a heterogeneous group of neoplasms with
      special biological and epidemiological characteristics that differentiate them
      from tumors arising in children or adults. In the last two decades, the prenatal
      detection of congenital tumors has increased due to the generalized use of
      prenatal sonographic screening. Advances in imaging techniques, especially in
      fetal magnetic resonance imaging, have enabled improvements in the diagnosis,
      follow-up, clinical management, and perinatal treatment of these tumors. This
      image-based review of the most common congenital tumors describes their
      histologic types, locations, and characteristics on the different imaging
      techniques used. 

PMID- 26115800
TI  - Cytotoxicity of anthraquinones from the roots of Pentas schimperi towards multi
      factorial drug-resistant cancer cells.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Multidrug resistance in cancer represents a major problem in
      chemotherapy. The present study was designed to assess the cytotoxicity of
      anthraquinones from Pentas schimperi, namely damnacanthal (1), damnacanthol (2),
      3-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl anthraquinone (3) and schimperiquinone B (4) against
      nine drug-sensitive and multidrug resistant (MDR) cancer cell lines. METHODS: The
      resazurin reduction assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the above
      compounds, whilst caspase-Glo assay was used to detect the activation of caspases
      enzymes by compounds 1 and 2. Cell cycle, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP)
      and levels of reactive oxygen species were all analyzed via flow cytometry.
      RESULTS: Anthraquinones 1 and 2 displayed cytotoxic effects with IC50 values
      below 81 MUM on all the nine tested cancer cell lines whilst 3 and 4 displayed
      selective activities. The recorded IC50 values for compounds 1 and 2 ranged from
      3.12 MUM and 12.18 MUM (towards leukemia CCRF-CEM cells) and from 30.32 MUM and
      80.11 MUM (towards gliobastoma U87MG.DeltaEGFR cells) respectively, and from 0.20
      MUM (against CCRF-CEM cells) to 195.12 MUM (against CEM/ADR5000 cells) for
      doxorubicin. Compounds 1 and 2 induced apoptosis in CCRF-CEM leukemia cells,
      mediated by the disruption of the MMP and increase in ROS production.
      CONCLUSIONS: Anthraquinones from Pentas schimperi and mostly 1 and 2 are
      potential cytotoxic natural products that deserve more investigations to develop
      novel antineoplastic drugs against multifactorial drug resistant cancers.

PMID- 26115801
TI  - The Utility of Dual-Energy Computed Tomographic Angiography for the Evaluation of
      Brain Aneurysms After Surgical Clipping: A Prospective Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this prospective study was to compare a novel dual
      energy computed tomographic angiography (DECTA) method for postoperative
      assessment of clipped brain aneurysms to detect aneurysm remnants and parent
      artery patency, with catheter-based digital subtraction angiography (DSA).
      METHODS: Patients who underwent microsurgical cerebral aneurysm repair were
      prospectively evaluated after surgery by both DECTA and conventional DSA. CTA was
      performed using a novel dual-energy method with single source and fast
      kilovoltage switching (Gemstone Spectral Imaging [GSI]). DSA was performed using
      biplanar cerebral angiography. An experienced neuroradiologist and a
      neurosurgeon, both blinded to the original radiologic results, reviewed the
      images. RESULTS: On DSA, 8 of 15 aneurysms (53%) had a remnant after clipping.
      All of these remnants were <2 mm except for 1. The only residual aneurysm >2 mm
      was clearly detected by GSI CTA. Of those 7 DSA-confirmed <2-mm remnants, 5 were
      detected by GSI CTA. Metal artifacts compromised the image quality in 2 patients.
      The sensitivity and specificity of GSI CTA for remnant aneurysm <2-mm detection
      in single clip-treated patients were 100%. In all patients, these were 71.4 % and
      100%, respectively. GSI CTA was 100% sensitive and 77% specific to detect parent
      vessel compromise, with associated positive and negative predictive values of 60%
      and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: DECTA is a promising noninvasive alternative
      to conventional catheter-based angiography for identification of aneurysm
      remnants and assessment of adjacent arteries after surgical clipping of brain
      aneurysms treated by 2 or fewer clips. It allows for a more rapid image
      acquisition than DSA, is more cost effective, and is widely available at clinical
      centers.

PMID- 26115802
TI  - Aqueduct Stent Placement: Indications, Technique, and Clinical Experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Complicated hydrocephalus, such as trapped fourth ventricle, is
      challenging. Aqueduct stent placement is a possible alternative to the
      conventional multiple shunts approach. This article discusses the indications,
      techniques, and clinical experiences of aqueduct stent placement. METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed a series of 10 consecutive patients with hydrocephalus
      and had aqueduct stent placement between February 2009 and May 2014. The clinical
      and imaging data were collected and the indications, technique, and clinical
      experience of aqueduct stent placement were analyzed and discussed. RESULTS:
      Among the 10 patients (mean age, 38 years; range, 5 months-69 years), 8 patients
      harbored an obstructive hydrocephalus caused by aqueductal obstruction. The
      underlying pathology consisted of intraventricular tumor in 3 patients,
      intraventricular cysticercosis in 2, and membranous or inflammatory obstruction
      in 3 patients. Two patients presented with trapped fourth ventricle, which
      resulted from Dandy-Walker malformation and shunt placement, respectively.
      Aqueduct stents were placed endoscopically in 8 patients, whereas the other 2
      were placed microscopically. There were no deaths due to aqueduct stent
      placement. Postoperatively, all of the patients showed improvement or resolution
      of their symptoms. After an average follow-up period of 27 months (range, 1-51
      months), recurrence of aqueductal obstruction has not been observed. In 1
      patient, there was a complication of transient oculomotor paralysis after
      aqueduct stent placement. A stent migration was observed in 1 patient after
      remaining stable for 4 years. CONCLUSIONS: Aqueduct stent placement is
      technically feasible and can be useful in selected patients either with endoscopy
      or open surgery.

PMID- 26115803
TI  - Prognostic Factors in the Operative Management of Sacral Chordomas.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Surgical resection of sacral chordomas offers the best long-term
      prognosis but has high rates of local recurrence, metastases, and mortality. Most
      prognostic studies are limited by low patient numbers, variation in treatment,
      follow-up, and prognostic variables studied. The objective of this study was to
      identify factors associated with recurrence, metastasis, and survival. METHODS:
      Retrospective review of 58 patients undergoing sacrectomy for chordoma with a
      mean age of 63 years (range: 41-80 years) and a mean follow-up of 45.3 months
      (range: 2-144 months). Data on prognostic variables and outcomes were collected.
      Forty-two patients underwent a combined anterior and posterior approach and 16
      underwent a posterior-only approach. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients (44.8%) died
      during follow-up. Kaplan-Meier estimates for 5- and 10-year survival were 62% and
      26%, respectively. Local recurrence occurred in 32 patients (51.7%) and
      metastases in 19 (32.7%). Adequacy of resection margins was the most important
      predictor of disease recurrence, metastases, and survival. Tumors >8 cm were
      associated with significantly increased risk of metastases and reduced survival
      (P < 0.05). Dedifferentiated disease and infiltration of the sacroiliac joints
      and/or adjacent musculature were also associated with reduced survival. Median
      survival was 23 months for patients with gluteus maximus invasion, 66 months for
      gluteus maximus and piriformis invasion, 67 months for piriformis invasion, and
      90 months for patients with no muscle invasion. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with
      inadequate resection margins, tumors >8 cm, sacroiliac joint and/or musculature
      infiltration, and dedifferentiated disease have significantly worse oncologic
      outcomes. Involvement of gluteus maximus alone confers a higher risk of
      metastases and local recurrence than involvement of piriformis and gluteus
      maximus, or piriformis alone.

PMID- 26115804
TI  - Improvement of Long-term Results with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy
      for Central Nervous System Germinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy in
      the treatment of central nervous system germinomas in 38 patients who received
      definitive treatment and were followed-up >5 years between 1980 and 2009.
      METHODS: The median age at diagnosis and follow-up period were 16.5 years and
      128.3 months, respectively. Treatment was irradiation alone or adjuvant platinum
      based chemotherapy followed by reduced-dose local irradiation. Seven patients
      progressed at 12.9-133.9 months and 1 died of disease 89.3 months after therapy
      initiation. RESULTS: The treatment strategies were divided into 3 groups: group A
      (1980-1988, n = 5), whole brain with local irradiation; group B (1989-2002, n =
      16), chemotherapy with or without reduced irradiation dose; and group C (2003
      2009, n = 17): neoadjuvant chemotherapy (3 courses) followed by 30.6 Gy of whole
      ventricle irradiation for patients with localized complete response, and
      additional local boost of 19.8 Gy for others. There were 7 recurrent cases, all
      in group B. The progression-free survival was significantly longer in groups A
      and C versus group B (P < 0.001). Decreased Karnofsky performance status was
      observed in 2 (40%), 6 (37.5%), and 0 cases in groups A-C, respectively. The main
      reasons for the good results in group C might be the neoadjuvant chemotherapy
      with whole ventricle radiotherapy and introduction of neuroendoscopy, especially
      for pineal lesions, resulting in a substantial reduction of time from the
      diagnosis to first treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Chemotherapy followed by whole
      ventricle radiotherapy, with or without local boost, and with use of
      neuroendoscopy results in good disease control without late complications in
      patients with germinomas.

PMID- 26115805
TI  - Experimental left pneumonectomy in pigs: procedure and management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Because there is no detailed description of procedures and
      perioperative management of major pulmonary resections in swine, we reviewed our
      experience to delineate the most effective practice in performing left
      pneumonectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analysis of 11 consecutive left
      pneumonectomies. Animal data, operative reports, anesthesia records, and
      perioperative facts were evaluated. Follow-up information until postoperative day
      60, methods of care-taking, therapy administration, and all the stabling aspects
      were systematically assessed. The investigation was aimed at highlighting those
      procedural steps or details which make the difference in optimizing the available
      resources (animals, instruments, and personnel). No statistical analysis was
      performed considering data characteristics and the descriptive nature of
      information. RESULTS: Surgery requires a median time of 2 h and 16 min; two
      operators and one anesthesiologist represent the basic team. Circulators' number
      depends on goals to accomplish. The most straightforward procedure requires
      careful dissection of the pulmonary ligament (limited view), pulmonary veins (low
      variability), pulmonary artery (delicate), and finally bronchus (no variability
      observed). The key factors for good anesthesia management have been identified:
      sedation by caregivers, preoxygenation before induction of general anesthesia,
      high respiratory rates with low tidal volume after pneumonectomy, and noninvasive
      ventilation after extubation. Antibiotic prophylaxis has been performed.
      Postoperative care must be continuous until animals are able to stand up,
      afterward "preventive noncurative," and always animal friendly. Ideas for
      minimally stressful therapy administration are helpful. CONCLUSIONS: After the
      delineation of this methodology, the compliance to a routine practice allowed us
      to reduce time, stress, and cost; quality and quantity of possible research
      increased.

PMID- 26115806
TI  - Long-term therapy with sorafenib is associated with pancreatic atrophy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the short-term adverse effects of sorafenib are well known,
      few data exist on long-term toxicity. The objective of the present study was to
      investigate the prevalence of pancreatic atrophy among a cohort of patients with
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who were treated with sorafenib for >=2 y.
      METHODS: Between March 2007 and December 2013, 31 patients with HCC who were
      treated with sorafenib for >=2 y were identified. The effect of pancreatic
      atrophy and enhancement on incidence of adverse events, tumor response, and
      overall survival (OS) were assessed. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients with HCC were
      treated with sorafenib for >=2 y and met inclusion criteria; 11 patients (35.5%)
      were Barcelona-clinic liver cancer stage B, whereas 20 patients (64.5%) were
      Barcelona-clinic liver cancer stage C. Median duration of treatment with
      sorafenib was 35.2 mo. Pancreatic atrophy and a decrease in pancreatic
      enhancement occurred in 24 patients (77.4%) and 15 patients (48.4%),
      respectively. On the basis of the modified response evaluation criteria in solid
      tumors, four patients (12.9%) had a complete response, 10 patients (32.3%) had a
      partial response, and 17 patients (54.8%) had stable disease. Patients treated
      with sorafenib with pancreatic atrophy had a median OS of 49.4 mo (95% confidence
      interval, 41.2-57.5 mo) compared with 31.2 mo (95% confidence interval, 25.7-36.7
      mo) among patients who did not develop pancreatic atrophy (P = 0.009). In
      contrast, survival was not associated with decreased versus normal enhancement of
      the pancreas (OS, 47.7 mo versus 41.7 mo, respectively; P = 0.739). CONCLUSIONS:
      Pancreatic atrophy occurred in many HCC patients after 2 y of treatment with
      sorafenib. Patients who experienced pancreatic atrophy had a better tumor
      response and OS.

PMID- 26115807
TI  - Intraoperative fluorescence image-guided pulmonary segmentectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The intraoperative color and fluorescence-merged imaging system
      (ICFIS) is a new technology that may aid the demarcation of intersegmental
      borders during pulmonary segmentectomy. This study was performed to validate, for
      the first time, image-guided segmentectomy using ICFIS and to find the optimal
      dosage of fluorescent dye to ensure safe and sustained imaging during surgery.
      METHODS: Nine rabbits were subjected to pulmonary segmentectomy. These
      constituted three groups of three rabbits each. After ligation of the segmental
      pulmonary artery supplying the targeted segment, the rabbits were injected
      intravenously with indocyanine green (ICG) at a concentration of 0.3, 0.6, or 3.0
      mg/kg, depending on their group assignment. The optimal dose was determined from
      the rabbit study and then used to guide ICFIS during pulmonary segmentectomy in
      five pigs. RESULTS: The fluorescent signal contrast ratios of the targeted area
      to the normal lung using ICG concentrations of 0.3, 0.6, or 3.0 mg/kg were 1.9 +/
      0.25, 2.0 +/- 0.17, and 2.1 +/- 0.06, respectively. The mean ICG washout times
      were 1, 3, and 6 min, respectively. Proceeding with an ICG concentration of 0.6
      mg/kg, the mean washout time was found to be longer in pigs (15 min). This
      provided adequate time for successful ICFIS-guided segmentectomy in all five
      pigs, without the requirement for additional procedures for intersegmental plane
      demarcation. CONCLUSIONS: ICG image-guided segmentectomy using ICFIS enabled
      immediate visualization of the intersegmental planes. The washout time using the
      ICG dose determined in this study was long enough to ensure that visualization
      was sustained throughout the surgery.

PMID- 26115808
TI  - Benchmarking statewide trauma mortality using Agency for Healthcare Research and
      Quality's patient safety indicators.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improving clinical outcomes of trauma patients is a challenging
      problem at a statewide level, particularly if data from the state's registry are
      not publicly available. Promotion of optimal care throughout the state is not
      possible unless clinical benchmarks are available for comparison. Using publicly
      available administrative data from the State Department of Health and the Agency
      for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) patient safety indicators (PSIs), we
      sought to create a statewide method for benchmarking trauma mortality and at the
      same time also identifying a pattern of unique complications that have an
      independent influence on mortality. METHODS: Data for this study were obtained
      from State of Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. Adult trauma
      patients were identified as having International Classification of Disease ninth
      edition codes defined by the state. Multivariate logistic regression was used to
      create a predictive inpatient expected mortality model. The expected value of
      PSIs was created using the multivariate model and their beta coefficients
      provided by the AHRQ. Case-mix adjusted mortality results were reported as
      observed to expected (O/E) ratios to examine mortality, PSIs, failure to prevent
      complications, and failure to rescue from death. RESULTS: There were 50,596
      trauma patients evaluated during the study period. The overall fit of the
      expected mortality model was very strong at a c-statistic of 0.93. Twelve of 25
      trauma centers had O/E ratios <1 or better than expected. Nine statewide PSIs had
      failure to prevent O/E ratios higher than expected. Five statewide PSIs had
      failure to rescue O/E ratios higher than expected. The PSI that had the strongest
      influence on trauma mortality for the state was PSI no. 9 or perioperative
      hemorrhage or hematoma. Mortality could be further substratified by PSI
      complications at the hospital level. CONCLUSIONS: AHRQ PSIs can have an integral
      role in an adjusted benchmarking method that screens at risk trauma centers in
      the state for higher than expected mortality. Stratifying mortality based on
      failure to prevent PSIs may identify areas of needed improvement at a statewide
      level.

PMID- 26115809
TI  - Endovascular management of traumatic peripheral arterial injuries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic injuries to peripheral arterial vessels are increasingly
      managed with endovascular techniques. Early small series have suggested that
      endovascular therapy is feasible and decreases operative blood loss, but these
      data are limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and
      outcomes of endovascular management of nonaortic arterial trauma. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We reviewed records of traumatic nonaortic arterial injuries presenting
      at an urban level 1 trauma center from December 2009-July 2013. Patients
      undergoing treatment in interventional radiology and patients whose injuries
      occurred >72 h before presentation were excluded. Demographics, indicators of
      injury severity, operative blood loss, transfusion requirements, and clinical
      outcome were compared between patients undergoing endovascular and open
      management using appropriate inferential statistics. RESULTS: During the study
      period, 17 patients underwent endovascular interventions and 20 had open surgery.
      There were 19 upper extremity and/or thoracic outlet arterial injuries, 15 lower
      extremity injuries and 11 pelvic injuries. Endovascular cases were completed
      using a vascular imaging C-arm in a standard operating room. Estimated blood loss
      during the primary procedure was significantly lower with endovascular management
      (150 versus 825 cc, P < 0.001). No differences were observed between cohorts in
      age, injury severity score, intensive care unit length of stay, arterial pH,
      transfusion requirements, inpatient complication rate, or mortality. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our experience with endovascular management demonstrates its feasibility with
      commonly available tools. Operative blood loss may be significantly decreased
      using endovascular techniques. Further study is needed to refine patient
      selection criteria and to define long-term outcomes.

PMID- 26115810
TI  - Intraoperative radiocolloid injection for sentinel node biopsy postneoadjuvant
      chemotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study sought to determine significance of radiocolloid injection
      timing for sentinel node biopsy (SNB) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective comparison of intraoperative (IRCI) and
      preoperative (PRCI) radiocolloid injection for SNB was performed in breast cancer
      patients who had completed NAC. The sentinel node identification rate (SNIDR) was
      tested for noninferiority by a two-proportion z-test. The differences between
      clinical demographics, pathologic demographics, and SNIDR were evaluated by
      Fisher exact test. The difference in the number of sentinel nodes removed was
      analyzed by two-sample t-test. RESULTS: In the 6-y study period, 120 SNB were
      performed after NAC: 84 received PRCI and 36 received IRCI. The two groups were
      similar except there were fewer clinical T2 and more clinical T3 and T4 with IRCI
      (P = 0.0008). The SNIDR was 92.9% with PRCI and 80.6% with IRCI. By two
      proportion z-test, IRCI was not "noninferior" (P = 0.5179). By Fisher exact test,
      the SNIDR of the two groups did not differ. The SNIDR differs only in patients
      who experience T downstaging (100% versus 80%, P = 0.0173). The mean number of
      lymph nodes removed was higher with IRCI: 3.38 versus 2.49 nodes (P = 0.0068).
      There were more positive SNB with IRCI: 32.1% versus 55.2%, (P = 0.0432). The
      incidence of nontherapeutic axillary dissection was similar between the two
      groups (3.6% for PRCI versus 5.6% for IRCI). CONCLUSIONS: IRCI for SNB after NAC
      may be inferior to PRCI.

PMID- 26115811
TI  - Differential impact of obesity and diabetes mellitus on survival after liver
      resection for colorectal cancer metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data on the potential effect of obesity and diabetes mellitus on
      survival after liver resection due to colorectal cancer (CRC) metastases are very
      limited. METHODS: Patients undergoing liver resection for CRC metastases in a
      European institution in 2004-2011 were retrospectively enrolled. Relevant data,
      such as body mass index, extent of resection, chemotherapy, and perioperative
      outcome, were collected from medical records. The relation of obesity and
      diabetes mellitus with overall and disease-free survival was assessed using
      adjusted Cox models. RESULTS: Thirty of 207 patients (14.4%) included in the
      study were obese (BMI >=30 kg/m(2)) and 25 (12%) had diabetes mellitus. Major
      hepatectomy was performed in 46%. Although both obese patients and those with
      diabetes had higher American Society of Anesthesiologist scores (P < 0.05 for
      both), neither obesity nor diabetes was significantly related to primary tumor
      characteristics, liver metastasis features, extent or radicality of resection,
      extrahepatic disease at hepatectomy, preoperative or postoperative oncologic
      therapy, or perioperative outcome (P > 0.05 for all). Patients were followed up
      for a median of 39 mo posthepatectomy (interquartile range, 13-56 mo). After
      adjustment for confounders, obesity was an independent predictor of improved
      (hazard ratio, 0.305, 95% confidence interval, 0.103-0.902) and diabetes of worse
      overall survival (hazard ratio, 3.298, 95% confidence interval, 1.306-8.330).
      Obese patients with diabetes had also worse disease-free survival compared with
      the rest of the cohort (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: After hepatectomy for CRC
      metastases, obesity does not seem to be associated to poor outcome while diabetes
      mellitus has a negative impact on prognosis.

PMID- 26115812
TI  - The University of the West Indies Clinical Epidemiology Unit: collaborating to
      improve health.

PMID- 26115813
TI  - Good reliability and validity for a new utility instrument measuring the birth
      experience, the Labor and Delivery Index.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To validate the Labor and Delivery Index (LADY-X), a new delivery
      specific utility measure. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: In a test-retest design,
      women were surveyed online, 6 to 8 weeks postpartum and again 1 to 2 weeks later.
      For reliability testing, we assessed the standard error of measurement (S.E.M.)
      and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). For construct validity, we
      tested hypotheses on the association with comparison instruments (Mackey
      Childbirth Satisfaction Rating Scale and Wijma Delivery Experience
      Questionnaire), both on domain and total score levels. We assessed known-group
      differences using eight obstetrical indicators: method and place of birth,
      induction, transfer, control over pain medication, complications concerning
      mother and child, and experienced control. RESULTS: The questionnaire was
      completed by 308 women, 257 (83%) completed the retest. The distribution of LADY
      X scores was skewed. The reliability was good, as the ICC exceeded 0.80 and the
      S.E.M. was 0.76. Requirements for good construct validity were fulfilled: all
      hypotheses for convergent and divergent validity were confirmed, and six of eight
      hypotheses for known-group differences were confirmed as all differences were
      statistically significant (P-values: <0.001-0.023), but for two tests, difference
      scores did not exceed the S.E.M. CONCLUSION: The LADY-X demonstrates good
      reliability and construct validity. Despite its skewed distribution, the LADY-X
      can discriminate between groups. With the preference weights available, the LADY
      X might fulfill the need for a utility measure for cost-effectiveness studies for
      perinatal care interventions.

PMID- 26115797
TI  - Standard chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab for women with newly diagnosed
      ovarian cancer (ICON7): overall survival results of a phase 3 randomised trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ICON7 trial previously reported improved progression-free
      survival in women with ovarian cancer with the addition of bevacizumab to
      standard chemotherapy, with the greatest effect in patients at high risk of
      disease progression. We report the final overall survival results of the trial.
      METHODS: ICON7 was an international, phase 3, open-label, randomised trial
      undertaken at 263 centres in 11 countries across Europe, Canada, Australia and
      New Zealand. Eligible adult women with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer that was
      either high-risk early-stage disease (International Federation of Gynecology and
      Obstetrics [FIGO] stage I-IIa, grade 3 or clear cell histology) or more advanced
      disease (FIGO stage IIb-IV), with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
      performance status of 0-2, were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to
      standard chemotherapy (six 3-weekly cycles of intravenous carboplatin [AUC 5 or
      6] and paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) of body surface area) or the same chemotherapy
      regimen plus bevacizumab 7.5 mg per kg bodyweight intravenously every 3 weeks,
      given concurrently and continued with up to 12 further 3-weekly cycles of
      maintenance therapy. Randomisation was done by a minimisation algorithm
      stratified by FIGO stage, residual disease, interval between surgery and
      chemotherapy, and Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup group. The primary endpoint was
      progression-free survival; the study was also powered to detect a difference in
      overall survival. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered as
      an International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial, number ISRCTN91273375.
      FINDINGS: Between Dec 18, 2006, and Feb 16, 2009, 1528 women were enrolled and
      randomly assigned to receive chemotherapy (n=764) or chemotherapy plus
      bevacizumab (n=764). Median follow-up at the end of the trial on March 31, 2013,
      was 48.9 months (IQR 26.6-56.2), at which point 714 patients had died (352 in the
      chemotherapy group and 362 in the bevacizumab group). Our results showed evidence
      of non-proportional hazards, so we used the difference in restricted mean
      survival time as the primary estimate of effect. No overall survival benefit of
      bevacizumab was recorded (restricted mean survival time 44.6 months [95% CI 43.2
      45.9] in the standard chemotherapy group vs 45.5 months [44.2-46.7] in the
      bevacizumab group; log-rank p=0.85). In an exploratory analysis of a predefined
      subgroup of 502 patients with poor prognosis disease, 332 (66%) died (174 in the
      standard chemotherapy group and 158 in the bevacizumab group), and a significant
      difference in overall survival was noted between women who received bevacizumab
      plus chemotherapy and those who received chemotherapy alone (restricted mean
      survival time 34.5 months [95% CI 32.0-37.0] with standard chemotherapy vs 39.3
      months [37.0-41.7] with bevacizumab; log-rank p=0.03). However, in non-high-risk
      patients, the restricted mean survival time did not differ significantly between
      the two treatment groups (49.7 months [95% CI 48.3-51.1]) in the standard
      chemotherapy group vs 48.4 months [47.0-49.9] in the bevacizumab group; p=0.20).
      An updated analysis of progression-free survival showed no difference between
      treatment groups. During extended follow-up, one further treatment-related grade
      3 event (gastrointestinal fistula in a bevacizumab-treated patient), three grade
      2 treatment-related events (cardiac failure, sarcoidosis, and foot fracture, all
      in bevacizumab-treated patients), and one grade 1 treatment-related event
      (vaginal haemorrhage, in a patient treated with standard chemotherapy) were
      reported. INTERPRETATION: Bevacizumab, added to platinum-based chemotherapy, did
      not increase overall survival in the study population as a whole. However, an
      overall survival benefit was recorded in poor-prognosis patients, which is
      concordant with the progression-free survival results from ICON7 and GOG-218, and
      provides further evidence towards the optimum use of bevacizumab in the treatment
      of ovarian cancer. FUNDING: The National Institute for Health Research through
      the UK National Cancer Research Network, the Medical Research Council, and Roche.

PMID- 26115814
TI  - Mysterious hexagonal pyramids on the surface of Pyrobaculum cells.
AB  - In attempts to induce putative temperate viruses, we UV-irradiated cells of the
      hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum oguniense. Virus replication could not be
      detected; however, we observed the development of pyramidal structures with 6
      fold symmetry on the cell surface. The hexagonal basis of the pyramids was
      continuous with the cellular cytoplasmic membrane and apparently grew via the
      gradual expansion of the 6 triangular lateral faces, ultimately protruding
      through the S-layer. When the base of these isosceles triangles reached
      approximately 200 nm in length, the pyramids opened like flower petals. The
      origin and function of these mysterious nanostructures remain unknown. 

PMID- 26115816
TI  - Expectation conversations about the very predictable events in advanced dementia.

PMID- 26115815
TI  - Novel endomorphin-1 analogs with C-terminal oligoarginine-conjugation display
      systemic antinociceptive activity with less gastrointestinal side effects.
AB  - In recent study, in order to improve the bioavailability of endomorphin-1 (EM-1),
      we designed and synthesized a series of novel EM-1 analogs by replacement of L
      Pro(2) by beta-Pro, D-Ala or Sar, together with C-terminal oligoarginine
      conjugation. Our results indicated that the introduction of D-Ala and beta-Pro in
      position 2, along with oligoarginine-conjugation, didn't significantly decrease
      the MU-affinity and in vitro bioactivity, and the enhancement of arginine
      residues did not markedly influence the MU-affinity of these analogs. All analogs
      displayed a significant enhancement of stability, which may be due to increased
      resistance to proline-specific enzymatic degradation. Moreover, following
      intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration, analogs 1, 2, 4 and 5 produced
      significant antinociception and increased duration of action, with the ED50
      values being about 1.8- to 4.2-fold less potent than that of EM-1. In addition,
      our results indicated that no significant antinociceptive activity of EM-1 was
      seen following subcutaneous (s.c.) injection, whereas analogs 1, 2, 4 and 5 with
      equimolar dose induced significant and prolonged antinociception by an opioid and
      central mechanism. Herein, we further examined the gastrointestinal transit and
      colonic propulsive latencies of EM-1 and its four analogs administered centrally
      and peripherally. I.c.v. administration of EM-1 and analogs 1, 2, 4 and 5
      significantly delayed gastrointestinal transit and colonic bead propulsion in
      mice, but the inhibitory effects induced by these analogs were largely
      attenuated. It is noteworthy that no significant gastrointestinal side effects
      induced by these four analogs were observed after s.c. administration. Our
      results demonstrated that combined modifications of EM-1 with unnatural amino
      acid substitutions and oligoarginine-conjugation gave an efficient strategy to
      improve the analgesic profile of EM-1 analogs but with less gastrointestinal side
      effects when administered peripherally.

PMID- 26115817
TI  - Effectiveness of Robot Paro in Intramural Psychogeriatric Care: A Multicenter
      Quasi-Experimental Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Together with care professionals, specific psychogeriatric care
      applications were developed for the seal robot Paro. OBJECTIVES: This study aims
      to evaluate the outcomes of the developed Paro interventions, applying the robot
      in psychogeriatric care. DESIGN: A multicenter quasi-experimental time series
      ABAB study (n = 91) with within-subject comparison was conducted to assess both
      the short-term effects of the Paro interventions for therapeutic applications,
      and the facilitation of daily care activities by care providers. SETTING: Small
      scale care units (8-10 residents each), spread over 6 different locations, in 3
      Dutch care institutions for intramural psychogeriatric care. PARTICIPANTS: A
      total of 91 patients with dementia, in all stages of dementia. INTERVENTION: Two
      user-centered intervention types were applied, one for therapeutic purposes and
      one for the facilitation of daily care activities. MEASUREMENTS: Effectiveness
      was measured with a goal attainment scale (IPPA) and a mood scale (Coop/Wonca),
      by means of a registration form. RESULTS: A total of 106 user-specific
      interventions were defined for 91 participants; 71 participants completed the
      study, 14 were men and 57 were women. All interventions combined show a
      significant effect (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Paro should be seen as a tool for care
      staff and not as a replacement of care. Successful implementation of Paro in
      daily intramural psychogeriatric care practice can increase the quality of care
      and the quality of life for the elderly.

PMID- 26115818
TI  - Response to the Letter to the Editor by Aaron Spital, "Is This Elderly Patient
      Dehydrated? Diagnostic Accuracy of Hydration Assessment Using Physical Signs,
      Urine, and Saliva Markers".

PMID- 26115819
TI  - Syncope: Definition, Epidemiology, and Classification.
AB  - Major progress has been made during the last 2 decades on the different aspects
      of syncope. Most of the progress is the consequence of the acceptance of a clear
      definition of what is and what is not syncope. However, although this definition
      is widely accepted by physicians who are "specialists" in syncope, it still
      remains unknown or challenged by many other physicians. This lack of awareness
      leads to multiple useless, costly, and painful examinations. The next step is
      therefore to disseminate the knowledge of this definition and the strategy for
      diagnosis of syncope. 

PMID- 26115820
TI  - Initial Clinical Evaluation.
AB  - The initial evaluation of patients with transient loss of consciousness (LOC)
      comprises a detailed medical history, physical examination, and 12-lead
      electrocardiogram. Because there are many causes of syncopal and nonsyncopal LOC,
      an adequate method of taking the clinical history, which is the cornerstone of
      diagnosing patients with transient LOC, should be used. 

PMID- 26115821
TI  - The Value of Tilt Testing and Autonomic Nervous System Assessment.
AB  - Tilt testing for the investigation of syncope was introduced in 1986. Since then,
      it has propagated worldwide as a routine test to determine the cause of transient
      loss of consciousness when that event has not been diagnosed by history,
      including that of a witness, physical examination, supine and erect blood
      pressures, and 12-lead electrocardiogram. Tilt testing allows reproduction of
      syncope with monitoring of physiologic parameters including electrocardiogram,
      beat-to-beat blood pressure, electroencephalogram, and middle cerebral artery
      blood-flow velocity. As a result, much has been learned about syncope.

PMID- 26115822
TI  - Value of Ambulatory Electrocardiographic Monitoring in Syncope.
AB  - Implantable loop recorders (ILRs) continuously monitor electrocardiographic
      signals and perform real-time analysis of heart rhythm for up to 36 months. ILRs
      are used to evaluate transitory loss of consciousness from possible arrhythmic
      origin, particularly unexplained syncope, and to evaluate difficult cases of
      epilepsy and unexplained falls, although current indications for their
      application in these areas are less clearly defined. This article analyzes the
      current indications for ILRs according the European Society of Cardiology
      guidelines on the management of syncope and the European Heart Rhythm Association
      guidelines on the use of implantable and external electrocardiogram loop
      recorders, and their limitations. 

PMID- 26115823
TI  - Value of EP Study and Other Cardiac Investigations.
AB  - With the advent of implantable loop recorders capable of prolonged
      electrocardiographic monitoring, and following studies demonstrating the benefit
      of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy in subgroups of patients with
      structural heart disease and depressed left ventricular function, the role of
      invasive cardiac electrophysiologic (EP) studies in patients with unexplained
      syncope has been substantially reduced. Nonetheless, in select high-risk patients
      presenting with unexplained syncope, EP studies still play an important role in
      identifying a diagnosis in these patients and assessing long-term risk of
      mortality.

PMID- 26115824
TI  - How to Differentiate Syncope from Seizure.
AB  - Convulsive syncope is a common cause of misdiagnosis in patients who present with
      a transient loss of consciousness. This misdiagnosis contributes significantly to
      the numbers of patients with a questionable diagnosis of epilepsy, and to those
      with apparently drug-resistant epilepsy. The most important step to an accurate
      diagnosis is a fastidious history. Inducing syncope with tilt table testing and
      documenting heart rate changes during events with implantable loop recorders have
      proved to be useful. These suggest the need for closer and ongoing collaboration
      among neurologists and cardiologists to provide optimal care for patients with
      the diagnostic dilemma of syncope or epileptic seizures. 

PMID- 26115825
TI  - Risk Stratification of Patients Presenting with Transient Loss of Consciousness.
AB  - Important goals in the initial evaluation of patients with transient loss of
      consciousness include determining whether the episode was syncope and choosing
      the venue for subsequent care. Patients who have high short-term risk of adverse
      outcomes need prompt hospitalization for diagnosis and/or treatment, whereas
      others may be safely referred for outpatient evaluation. This article summarizes
      the most important available risk assessment studies and points out key
      differences among the existing recommendations. Current risk stratification
      methods cannot replace critical assessment by an experienced physician, but they
      do provide much needed guidance and offer direction for future risk
      stratification consensus development.

PMID- 26115826
TI  - Syncope in Children and Adolescents.
AB  - Most strategies for managing syncope in children reflect data from studies
      involving the adult population. In the future, there will be a great need for
      studies in children and adolescents suffering from recurrent syncope. To date,
      there has been no Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy for
      neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS), the most common cause of syncope in both adults
      and children. None of the clinical trials of pharmacotherapy in NCS has shown
      benefit over placebo. NCS should be considered a chronic condition, and the aim
      of the therapy should be to decrease recurrence of syncope rather than to
      completely eliminate it.

PMID- 26115827
TI  - Syncope in the Older Person.
AB  - Syncope in the older person carries a high morbidity, mortality, and health
      economic burden. While neurally mediated disorders and orthostatic hypotension
      account for the majority of syncopal episodes in this age group, around a third
      of causes are cardiac, predominantly arrhythmic. Clinicians need to be aware of
      the management of potential comorbid issues such as osteoporosis and cognitive
      impairment and if not in a position to act on them, ensure that appropriate
      specialist help is sought. Further work is needed to understand the
      pathophysiology and hence the management of syncope in the older patient, with
      ongoing studies helping to tease out some of the treatment controversies.

PMID- 26115828
TI  - Syncope as a Warning Symptom of Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes.
AB  - Clinical evaluation of syncope in the athlete remains a challenge. Although
      benign mechanisms predominate, syncope may be arrhythmic and precede SCD.
      Exercise-induced syncope should be regarded as an important alarming symptom of
      an underlying cardiac disease predisposing to arrhythmic cardiac arrest. All
      athletes with syncope require a focused and detailed workup for underlying
      cardiac causes, either structural or electrical. Major aim is to identify
      athletes at risk and to protect them from SCD. Athletes with potentially life
      threatening etiologies of syncope should be restricted from competitive sports. 

PMID- 26115829
TI  - Syncope in Hereditary Arrhythmogenic Syndromes.
AB  - Since the discovery of the first mutation causing long QT syndrome (LQTS) in
      1995, the field of hereditary arrhythmogenic syndromes has expanded greatly.
      Today, these syndromes include LQTS, Brugada syndrome, catecholaminergic
      polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, and short QT syndrome. There is also
      evidence suggesting that the newly described malignant early repolarization
      syndrome also has a genetic cause.

PMID- 26115830
TI  - Syncope and Idiopathic (Paroxysmal) AV Block.
AB  - Syncope due to idiopathic AV block is characterized by: 1) ECG documentation
      (usually by means of prolonged ECG monitoring) of paroxysmal complete AV block
      with one or multiple consecutive pauses, without P-P cycle lengthening or PR
      interval prolongation, not triggered by atrial or ventricular premature beats nor
      by rate variations; 2) long history of recurrent syncope without prodromes; 3)
      absence of cardiac and ECG abnormalities; 4) absence of progression to persistent
      forms of AV block; 5) efficacy of cardiac pacing therapy. The patients affected
      by idiopathic AV block have low baseline adenosine plasma level values and show
      an increased susceptibility to exogenous adenosine. The APL value of the patients
      with idiopathic AV block is much lower than patients affected by vasovagal
      syncope who have high adenosine values. 

PMID- 26115831
TI  - Syncope in Patients with Organic Heart Disease.
AB  - Patients with syncope and organic heart disease remain a small but important
      subset of those patients who experience transient loss of consciousness. These
      patients require thoughtful and complete evaluation in an attempt to better
      understand the mechanism of syncope and its relationship to the underlying
      disease, and to diagnose and treat both properly. The goal is to reduce the risk
      of further syncope, to improve long-term outcomes with respect to arrhythmic and
      total mortality, and to improve patients' quality of life. 

PMID- 26115832
TI  - Syncope and Driving.
AB  - The occurrence of syncope while driving has obvious implications for personal and
      public safety. Neurally mediated syncope is the most common type of syncope in
      general and, thereby, also while driving. The presence of structural heart
      disease (reduced ejection fraction, previous myocardial infarction, significant
      congenital heart disease) potentially leads to high risk and should determine
      driving restrictions pending clarification of underlying heart disease and
      etiology of syncope. The clinical approach to syncope evaluation and
      recommendations for driving should not differ, whether or not the syncopal spell
      occurred while driving. 

PMID- 26115833
TI  - Therapy for Syncope.
AB  - The diagnostic process in patients with syncope is not always easy and includes a
      detailed clinical history, physical examination and baseline electrocardiogram;
      according to the results of these initial approaches, some additional tests must
      be performed. Using this strategy, the cause of syncope is diagnosed in 60% to
      80% of patients; in the remaining patients, risk stratification can be
      established to identify those patients at risk of having cardiac events or death
      at midterm follow-up. This article reviews the treatment of patients with syncope
      according to the different causes. 

PMID- 26115834
TI  - The Role of the Syncope Management Unit.
AB  - Syncope is a common symptom, experienced by 15% of persons less than 18 years old
      and up to 23% of elderly nursing home residents, so it is important to consider
      optimizing strategies for the management of these patients. The strategy selected
      will inevitably differ from place to place. However, an organized structure
      offers more cost-effective care. This article discusses possible health care
      delivery models for syncope management and reviews the current status of the
      organization of syncope care, to show the value of a multidisciplinary approach
      to the organized management of patients with syncope.

PMID- 26115835
TI  - beta-Amyloid binding in elderly subjects with declining or stable episodic memory
      function measured with PET and [11C]AZD2184.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cognitive decline has been suggested as an early marker for later onset
      of Alzheimer's disease. We therefore explored the relationship between decline in
      episodic memory and beta-amyloid using positron emission tomography (PET) and
      [(11)C]AZD2184, a radioligand with potential to detect low levels of amyloid
      deposits. METHODS: Healthy elderly subjects with declining (n = 10) or stable (n
      = 10) episodic memory over 15 years were recruited from the population-based
      Betula study and examined with PET. Brain radioactivity was measured after
      intravenous administration of [(11)C]AZD2184. The binding potential BP ND was
      calculated using linear graphical analysis with the cerebellum as reference
      region. RESULTS: The binding of [(11)C]AZD2184 in total grey matter was generally
      low in the declining group, whereas some binding could be observed in the stable
      group. Mean BP ND was significantly higher in the stable group compared to the
      declining group (p = 0.019). An observation was that the three subjects with the
      highest BP ND were ApoE epsilon4 allele carriers. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that
      cognitive decline in the general population does not seem to stand by itself as
      an early predictor for amyloid deposits.

PMID- 26115836
TI  - Modulation of L-type Ca2+ channel activity by neuronal nitric oxide synthase and
      myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity in cardiac myocytes from hypertensive rat.
AB  - Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is important in cardiac protection in
      diseased heart. Recently, we have reported that nNOS is associated with
      myofilament Ca(2+) desensitization in cardiac myocytes from hypertensive rats. So
      far, the effect of myofilament Ca(2+) desensitization or nNOS on L-type Ca(2+)
      channel activity (I(Ca)) in cardiac myocyte is unclear. Here, we examined nNOS
      regulation of I(Ca) in left ventricular (LV) myocytes from sham and angiotensin
      II (Ang II)-induced hypertensive rats. Our results showed that basal I(Ca) was
      not different between sham and hypertension (from -60 to +40 mV, 0.1 Hz). S
      methyl-L-thiocitrulline (SMTC), a selective nNOS inhibitor, increased peak I(Ca)
      similarly in both groups. However, chelation of intracellular Ca(2+) [Ca(2+)]i
      with BAPTA increased I(Ca) and abolished SMTC-augmentation of I(Ca) only in
      hypertension. Myofilament Ca(2+) desensitization with butanedione monoxime (BDM),
      a myosin ATPase inhibitor, decreased I(Ca) in both groups but to a greater extent
      in hypertension. Intracellular BAPTA or nNOS inhibition reinstated I(Ca) in the
      presence of BDM to the basal level, suggesting Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation of
      I(Ca) by nNOS and greater vulnerability in hypertension. Increasing stimulation
      frequencies (2, 4 and 8 Hz) attenuated myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity in sham and
      reduced peak ICa in both groups. Nevertheless, SMTC or BAPTA exerted no effect on
      I(Ca) at high frequencies in either group. These results suggest that nNOS
      attenuates I(Ca) via Ca(2+)-dependent mechanism and the vulnerability is greater
      in hypertension subject to myofilament Ca(2+) desensitization. nNOS or [Ca(2+)]i
      does not affect I(Ca) at high stimulation frequencies. The results were
      recapitulated with computer simulation.

PMID- 26115837
TI  - Fluoxetine suppresses calcium signaling in human T lymphocytes through depletion
      of intracellular calcium stores.
AB  - Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as fluoxetine, have recently been
      shown to exert anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. Although the
      effects on cytokine secretion, proliferation and viability of T lymphocytes have
      been extensively characterized, little is known about the mechanism behind these
      effects. It is well known that Ca(2+) signaling is an important step in the
      signaling transduction pathway following T cell receptor activation. Therefore,
      we investigated if fluoxetine interferes with Ca(2+) signaling in Jurkat T
      lymphocytes. Fluoxetine was found to suppress Ca(2+) signaling in response to T
      cell receptor activation. Moreover, fluoxetine was found to deplete intracellular
      Ca(2+) stores, thereby leaving less Ca(2+) available for release upon IP3- and
      ryanodine-receptor activation. The Ca(2+)-modifying effects of fluoxetine are not
      related to its capability to block the serotonin transporter, as even a large
      excess of 5HT did not abolish the effects. In conclusion, these data show that
      fluoxetine decreases IP3- and ryanodine-receptor mediated Ca(2+) release in
      Jurkat T lymphocytes, an effect likely to be at the basis of the observed
      immunosuppression. 

PMID- 26115838
TI  - Research priorities in mesothelioma: A James Lind Alliance Priority Setting
      Partnership.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the UK, despite the import and use of all forms of asbestos being
      banned more than 15 years ago, the incidence of mesothelioma continues to rise.
      Mesothelioma is almost invariably fatal, and more research is required, not only
      to find more effective treatments, but also to achieve an earlier diagnosis and
      improve palliative care. Following a debate in the House of Lords in July 2013, a
      package of measures was agreed, which included a James Lind Alliance Priority
      Setting Partnership, funded by the National Institute for Health Research. The
      partnership brought together patients, carers, health professionals and support
      organisations to agree the top 10 research priorities relating to the diagnosis,
      treatment and care of patients with mesothelioma. METHODS: Following the
      established James Lind Alliance priority setting process, mesothelioma patients,
      current and bereaved carers, and health professionals were surveyed to elicit
      their concerns regarding diagnosis, treatment and care. Research questions were
      generated from the survey responses, and following checks that the questions were
      currently unanswered, an interim prioritisation survey was conducted to identify
      a shortlist of questions to take to a final consensus meeting. FINDINGS: Four
      hundred and fifty-three initial surveys were returned, which were refined into 52
      unique unanswered research questions. The interim prioritisation survey was
      completed by 202 responders, and the top 30 questions were taken to a final
      meeting where mesothelioma patients, carers, and health professionals prioritised
      all the questions, and reached a consensus on the top 10. INTERPRETATION: The top
      10 questions cover a wide portfolio of research (including assessing the value of
      immunotherapy, individualised chemotherapy, second-line treatment and immediate
      chemotherapy, monitoring patients with pleural thickening, defining the
      management of ascites in peritoneal mesothelioma, and optimising follow-up
      strategy). This list is an invaluable resource, which should be used to inform
      the prioritisation and funding of future mesothelioma research.

PMID- 26115839
TI  - The impact of clinical characteristics on outcomes from maintenance therapy in
      non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review with meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Although maintenance therapy has been a routine treatment paradigm
      for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), there is currently lack of
      direct evidence to identify patients most likely to benefit from maintenance
      therapy for advanced NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Trials comparing maintenance
      therapy with placebo or observation in NSCLC were identified. The primary
      endpoint was overall survival (OS) in trial population and predefined subgroups.
      Other endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS) in trial population and
      predefined subgroups, toxicities and health-related quality of life (QoL).
      RESULTS: 13 trials with 4960 patients were identified. Maintenance therapy
      yielded a statistically significant but clinically modest improvement in OS
      (hazard ratio [HR], 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78-0.89, P<0.001),
      without significant difference between switch and continuation strategy (HR, 0.83
      vs. 0.86; Pinteraction=0.631). Patients with performance status (PS) of 0 derived
      more PFS benefit (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.45-0.61) than those with PS of 1 (HR, 0.69;
      95% CI, 0.63-0.76; Pinteraction=0.002). Patients with adenocarcinoma derived more
      PFS benefit (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.46-0.64) than those with squamous cell carcinoma
      (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.68-1.06; Pinteraction=0.001). Patients with activating
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations derived more survival benefit
      than those with wild-type EGFR tumors in terms of OS (HR, 0.53 vs. 0.85,
      Pinteraction=0.086) and PFS (HR, 0.20 vs. 0.80, Pinteraction=0.003). Response to
      first-line therapy did not significantly predict additional benefit from
      maintenance therapy. Toxicities occurred more frequently in patients treated with
      maintenance therapy but health-related QoL was not adversely affected by
      maintenance therapy. CONCLUSION: Maintenance therapy with either a continuation
      or a switch strategy yields a statistically significant but clinically modest
      improvement in OS for patients with advanced NSCLC. Factors that may predict
      benefit from maintenance therapy (tumor histology, PS, or EGFR mutation status),
      as well as economic considerations should be taken into account before initiating
      maintenance therapy.

PMID- 26115840
TI  - Stigma- and non-stigma-related treatment barriers to mental healthcare reported
      by service users and caregivers.
AB  - Delayed treatment seeking for people experiencing symptoms of mental illness is
      common despite available mental healthcare. Poor outcomes are associated with
      untreated mental illness and caregivers may eventually need to seek help on the
      service user's behalf. More attention has recently focused on the role of stigma
      in delayed treatment seeking. This study aimed to establish the frequency of
      stigma- and non-stigma-related treatment barriers reported by 202 service users
      and 80 caregivers; to compare treatment barriers reported by service users and
      caregivers; and to investigate demographic predictors of reporting stigma-related
      treatment barriers. The profile of treatment barriers differed between service
      users and caregivers. Service users were more likely to report stigma-related
      treatment barriers than caregivers across all stigma-related items. Service users
      who were female, had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or with GCSEs (UK
      qualifications usually obtained at age 16) were significantly more likely to
      report stigma-related treatment barriers. Caregivers who were female or of Black
      ethnicities were significantly more likely to report stigma-related treatment
      barriers. Multifaceted approaches are needed to reduce barriers to treatment
      seeking for both service users and caregivers, with anti-stigma interventions
      being of particular importance for the former group.

PMID- 26115841
TI  - Health-related quality of life in posttraumatic stress disorder: 4 years follow
      up study of individuals exposed to urban violence.
AB  - Evidence suggests that Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is associated with
      substantially reduced Health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to
      explore the impact of PTSD symptoms in HRQoL and its predictors in individuals
      exposed to urban violence. We follow-up a cohort of 267 individuals exposed to
      urban violence, derived from an epidemiological survey and clinical cases from an
      outpatient program of victims of violence, with and without PTSD, by assessing
      symptoms and other measures at two intervals, approximately 4 years apart. PTSD
      symptom severity was associated with poorer quality of life at baseline and at
      follow-up. Higher levels of depression and anxiety, new trauma experiences, more
      traumas in childhood and more PTSD arousal symptoms were all predictors of lower
      HRQoL over time. Results strongly suggest the need to assess HRQoL in addition to
      symptoms in order to assess the true severity of PTSD. These results have
      implications for the functional recovery in the treatment of PTSD. 

PMID- 26115842
TI  - Allocentric but not egocentric visual memory difficulties in adults with ADHD may
      represent cognitive inefficiency.
AB  - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has often been conceptualized as
      arising executive dysfunctions (e.g., inattention, defective inhibition).
      However, recent studies suggested that cognitive inefficiency may underlie many
      ADHD symptoms, according to reaction time and processing speed abnormalities.
      This study explored whether a non-timed measure of cognitive inefficiency would
      also be abnormal. A sample of 23 ADHD subjects was compared to 23 controls on a
      test that included both egocentric and allocentric visual memory subtests. A
      factor analysis was used to determine which cognitive variables contributed to
      allocentric visual memory. The ADHD sample performed significantly lower on the
      allocentric but not egocentric conditions. Allocentric visual memory was not
      associated with timed, working memory, visual perception, or mental rotation
      variables. This paper concluded by discussing how these results supported a
      cognitive inefficiency explanation for some ADHD symptoms, and discussed future
      research directions. 

PMID- 26115843
TI  - Inhibition of GSK3beta by pharmacological modulation of sphingolipid metabolism
      occurs independently of ganglioside disturbance in a cellular model of
      Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - Accumulating evidence implicates ganglioside and/or related-sphingolipid
      disturbance in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it is not
      known whether these lipidic alterations are connected with other important
      features of AD, such as deregulated insulin/Akt/GSK3 signaling. In this study, we
      have treated neuroglioma cells expressing the double Swedish mutation of human
      amyloid precursor protein (H4APPsw) with several glycosphingolipid (GSL)
      modulating agents, and we have analyzed the impact of the aberrant ganglioside
      composition on the GSK3 activation state. We found that both ceramide analogs D-
      and L-PDMP (1-phenyl 2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol), which have
      opposite effects on ganglioside synthesis, selectively inhibited GSK3beta via
      Ser9 phosphorylation independently of the upstream insulin/Akt pathway.
      Conversely, the iminosugar N-butyldeoxynojirimycin (NB-DNJ) which displayed
      similar reduction of gangliosides as D-PDMP, did not affect the phosphorylation
      state of GSK3beta. Concurrently, while NB-DNJ did not modify the cellular
      ceramide content, both PDMP enantiomers strongly and equally reduced the levels
      of long-chain ceramide species. Altogether, our findings led us to hypothesize
      that the PDMP-induced altered ganglioside composition is not the principal
      mechanism involved in the inhibition of GSK3beta, but seems to implicate, at
      least in part, their ability to reduce ceramide levels. Nevertheless, this study
      provides new information regarding the possibilities to target GSK3beta through
      modulation of sphingolipid metabolism.

PMID- 26115844
TI  - Genes with minimal phylogenetic information are problematic for coalescent
      analyses when gene tree estimation is biased.
AB  - The development and application of coalescent methods are undergoing rapid
      changes. One little explored area that bears on the application of gene-tree
      based coalescent methods to species tree estimation is gene informativeness.
      Here, we investigate the accuracy of these coalescent methods when genes have
      minimal phylogenetic information, including the implementation of the multilocus
      bootstrap approach. Using simulated DNA sequences, we demonstrate that genes with
      minimal phylogenetic information can produce unreliable gene trees (i.e., high
      error in gene tree estimation), which may in turn reduce the accuracy of species
      tree estimation using gene-tree-based coalescent methods. We demonstrate that
      this problem can be alleviated by sampling more genes, as is commonly done in
      large-scale phylogenomic analyses. This applies even when these genes are
      minimally informative. If gene tree estimation is biased, however, gene-tree
      based coalescent analyses will produce inconsistent results, which cannot be
      remedied by increasing the number of genes. In this case, it is not the gene-tree
      based coalescent methods that are flawed, but rather the input data (i.e.,
      estimated gene trees). Along these lines, the commonly used program PhyML has a
      tendency to infer one particular bifurcating topology even though it is best
      represented as a polytomy. We additionally corroborate these findings by
      analyzing the 183-locus mammal data set assembled by McCormack et al. (2012)
      using ultra-conserved elements (UCEs) and flanking DNA. Lastly, we demonstrate
      that when employing the multilocus bootstrap approach on this 183-locus data set,
      there is no strong conflict between species trees estimated from concatenation
      and gene-tree-based coalescent analyses, as has been previously suggested by
      Gatesy and Springer (2014). 

PMID- 26115845
TI  - Assessing host-specificity of Escherichia coli using a supervised learning logic
      regression-based analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms in intergenic
      regions.
AB  - Host specificity in E. coli is widely debated. Herein, we used supervised
      learning logic-regression-based analysis of intergenic DNA sequence variability
      in E. coli in an attempt to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)
      biomarkers of E. coli that are associated with natural selection and evolution
      toward host specificity. Seven-hundred and eighty strains of E. coli were
      isolated from 15 different animal hosts. We utilized logic regression for
      analyzing DNA sequence data of three intergenic regions (flanked by the genes
      uspC-flhDC, csgBAC-csgDEFG, and asnS-ompF) to identify genetic biomarkers that
      could potentially discriminate E. coli based on host sources. Across 15 different
      animal hosts, logic regression successfully discriminated E. coli based on animal
      host source with relatively high specificity (i.e., among the samples of the non
      target animal host, the proportion that correctly did not have the host-specific
      marker pattern) and sensitivity (i.e., among the samples from a given animal
      host, the proportion that correctly had the host-specific marker pattern), even
      after fivefold cross validation. Permutation tests confirmed that for most
      animals, host specific intergenic biomarkers identified by logic regression in E.
      coli were significantly associated with animal host source. The highest level of
      biomarker sensitivity was observed in deer isolates, with 82% of all deer E. coli
      isolates displaying a unique SNP pattern that was 98% specific to deer. Fifty
      three percent of human isolates displayed a unique biomarker pattern that was 98%
      specific to humans. Twenty-nine percent of cattle isolates displayed a unique
      biomarker that was 97% specific to cattle. Interestingly, even within a related
      host group (i.e., Family: Canidae [domestic dogs and coyotes]), highly specific
      SNP biomarkers (98% and 99% specificity for dog and coyotes, respectively) were
      observed, with 21% of dog E. coli isolates displaying a unique dog biomarker and
      61% of coyote isolates displaying a unique coyote biomarker. Application of a
      supervised learning method, such as logic regression, to DNA sequence analysis at
      certain intergenic regions demonstrates that some E. coli strains may evolve to
      become host-specific. 

PMID- 26115847
TI  - A systematic review of peroneal nerve palsy and recovery following traumatic knee
      dislocation.
AB  - PURPOSE: A common peroneal nerve (CPN) palsy has been reported to complicate knee
      dislocations in 5-40 % of patients. Patients who suffer from a persistent foot
      drop have significantly worse functional outcomes. Reports on prognostic factors
      for nerve recovery or treatment-specific functional outcomes remain sparse in the
      literature. METHODS: Two independent reviewers completed a search of Medline,
      Embase, PubMed and the Cochrane Library from 1946 to present. Motor strength was
      determined using the Medical Research Council (MRC) grading system or an
      equivalent description. A functional recovery was defined as an MRC >=3/5.
      RESULTS: The combined search of Medline, Embase, PubMed and the Cochrane Library
      identified 1528 abstracts. Thirteen articles met our inclusion/exclusion
      criteria. This included 214 CPN palsies. Functional recovery (MRC >=3/5)
      following complete CPN palsy was 38.4 %. Full recovery (MRC = 5/5) following
      partial CPN palsy was 87.3 %. Younger age was predictive of neurologic recovery.
      Recovery following isolated neurologic interventions ranged from 0 to 30 %.
      CONCLUSIONS: A vastly different prognosis can be expected for patients who suffer
      an incomplete versus a complete CPN palsy. The majority of patients with an
      incomplete palsy will achieve a full motor recovery while <40 % of patients with
      a complete motor palsy will regain the ability to dorsiflex at the ankle. While
      neurologic interventions show promise for the future, the outcomes in knee
      dislocation patients remain poor. The most predictable means of reestablishing
      antigravity dorsiflexion in a persistent CPN palsy is a posterior tibial tendon
      transfer.

PMID- 26115846
TI  - What Matters to Women When Making Decisions About Breast Cancer Chemoprevention?
AB  - PURPOSE: Despite the effectiveness of chemoprevention (tamoxifen and raloxifene)
      in preventing breast cancer among women at high risk for the disease, uptake is
      low. The objective of this study was to determine the tradeoff preferences for
      various attributes associated with chemoprevention among women not currently
      taking the drugs. METHODS: We used rating-based conjoint analysis to evaluate the
      relative importance of a number of attributes associated with chemoprevention,
      including risk of side effects, drug effectiveness, time needed to take the
      drugs, and availability of a blood test to see if the drugs were working in an
      Internet sample of women. We generated mean importance values and part-worth
      utilities for all attribute levels associated with taking chemoprevention. We
      then used multivariable linear regression to examine attribute importance scores
      controlling for participant age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, educational level, and
      a family history of breast cancer. RESULTS: Overall interest in taking
      chemoprevention was low among the 1094 women included in the analytic sample,
      even for the scenario in which participants would receive the greatest benefit
      and fewest risks associated with taking the drugs. Time needed to take the pill
      for it to work and 5-year risk of breast cancer were the most important
      attributes driving tradeoff preferences between the chemoprevention scenarios.
      CONCLUSIONS: Interest in taking chemoprevention among this sample of women at
      average risk was low. Addressing women's concerns about the time needed to take
      chemoprevention for it to work may help clinicians improve uptake of the drugs
      among those likely to benefit.

PMID- 26115848
TI  - Medial prefrontal cortex role in recognition memory in rodents.
AB  - The study of the neurobiology of recognition memory, defined by the integration
      of the different components of experiences that support recollection of past
      experiences have been a challenge for memory researches for many years. In the
      last twenty years, with the development of the spontaneous novel object
      recognition task and all its variants this has started to change. The features of
      recognition memory include a particular object or person ("what"), the context in
      which the experience took place, which can be the arena itself or the location
      within a particular arena ("where") and the particular time at which the event
      occurred ("when"). This definition instead of the historical anthropocentric one
      allows the study of this type of episodic memory in animal models. Some forms of
      recognition memory that require integration of different features recruit the
      medial prefrontal cortex. Focusing on findings from spontaneous recognition
      memory tasks performed by rodents, this review concentrates on the description of
      previous works that have examined the role that the medial prefrontal cortex has
      on the different steps of recognition memory. We conclude that this structure,
      independently of the task used, is required at different memory stages when the
      task cannot be solved by a single item strategy. 

PMID- 26115850
TI  - Advancing implementation in maternal and newborn health: two decades of
      experience.

PMID- 26115851
TI  - Best practices for a successful MNCH partnership that an external evaluation
      could never find: experiences from the Maternal and Child Health Integrated
      Program.
AB  - Partnerships for maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) are increasingly
      prevalent, yet little has been published about the possible reasons for their
      success or failure. In this commentary, we assess the presence of four principles
      for a successful collaborative partnership-clear goals, clear roles, trust, and
      commitment-within the Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP), an
      MNCH partnership among eight implementing organizations that was funded by USAID
      from 2008 to 2014. MCHIP made substantial strides in developing clear goals and
      partner roles, and despite external constraints, to develop the trust and
      commitment needed to work in an interdependent manner. Future collaborative MNCH
      partnerships should pursue a shared understanding of these four principles as
      early and often as possible to ensure success. 

PMID- 26115849
TI  - Identification and expression dynamics of three WUSCHEL related homeobox 13
      (WOX13) genes in peanut.
AB  - WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) genes play key roles in plant stem cell
      maintenance and development. WOX genes showed specific expression patterns which
      are important for their functions. WOX13 subfamily genes as the ancestor genes of
      this family were less studied in the past. In this study, we cloned three Arachis
      hypogaea (peanut) WOX13 (AhWOX13) subfamily genes from peanut: WOX13A and
      WOX13B1, 2. WOX13B1 encoded a same protein as WOX13B2, and there were only two
      base difference between these two genes. Differential expression patterns were
      observed for these three AhWOX13 subfamily genes in different tissues and
      developmental stages. Phylogenic trees analysis showed that these AhWOX13
      subfamily genes were the most conserved WOX genes and belonged to the ancient
      clade of WOX family. This was also supported by the conserved motif analysis.
      Selective pressure analysis showed that the WOX family genes mainly underwent
      weak purifying selection (omega = 0.58097), while many positive mutations
      accumulated during the evolution history. Under the purifying selection, gene
      duplication event and loss of duplicated gene play important roles in the
      expansion and evolution of WOX family.

PMID- 26115852
TI  - Implementation of the Standards-Based Management and Recognition approach to
      quality improvement in maternal, newborn, and child health programs in low
      resource countries.
AB  - The Standards-Based Management and Recognition (SBM-R; Jhpiego, Baltimore, MD,
      USA) approach to quality improvement was developed by Jhpiego to respond to
      common challenges faced by health systems in low-resource settings, including
      poor pre-service education, lack of resources for conventional supervisory
      models, and weak health information systems. Since its introduction in Brazil in
      1997, SBM-R has been implemented in approximately 30 countries and continues
      expanding to new places and service delivery areas. The present article: (1)
      describes key steps in the SBM-R methodology focusing on provider performance
      assessment using evidence-based standards; and (2) presents examples of
      improvements in provider performance in maternal, newborn, and child health care
      following SBM-R implementation derived from routine program data, quasi
      experimental evaluations, and in-depth case studies. SBM-R incorporates evidence
      based methods that are known to have positive effects on healthcare quality,
      including audit and feedback, educational outreach visits, and checklist usage;
      however, further rigorous research is needed to document the population-level
      impacts of the SBM-R approach. 

PMID- 26115853
TI  - Task shifting in maternal and newborn health care: key components from policy to
      implementation.
AB  - Task shifting in various forms has been adopted extensively around the world in
      an effort to expand the reach of lifesaving services to the women, newborns, and
      families who need them. The emerging global literature, as well as Jhpiego's
      field experiences, supports the importance of addressing several key components
      that facilitate effective task shifting in maternal and newborn health care.
      These components include: (1) policy and regulatory support; (2) definition of
      roles, functions, and limitations; (3) determination of requisite skills and
      qualifications; (4) education and training; and (5) service delivery support,
      including management and supervision, incentives and/or remuneration, material
      support (e.g. commodities), and referral systems. Jhpiego's experiences with task
      shifting also provide illustrations of the complex interplay of these key
      components at work in the field. Task shifting should be considered as a part of
      the larger health system that needs to be designed to equitably meet the needs of
      mothers, newborns, children, and families. 

PMID- 26115854
TI  - Jhpiego: model supporter of implementation science.

PMID- 26115855
TI  - Experiences engaging community health workers to provide maternal and newborn
      health services: implementation of four programs.
AB  - A paucity of skilled health providers is a considerable impediment to reducing
      maternal, infant, and under-five mortality for many low-resource countries.
      Although evidence supports the effectiveness of community health workers (CHWs)
      in delivering primary healthcare services, shifting tasks to this cadre from
      providers with advanced training has been pursued with overall caution-both
      because of difficulties determining an appropriate package of CHW services and to
      avoid overburdening the cadre. We reviewed programs in Rwanda, Afghanistan,
      Nigeria, and Nepal where tasks in delivery of health promotion information and
      distribution of commodities were transitioned to CHWs to reach underserved
      populations. The community-based interventions were complementary to facility
      based interventions as part of a comprehensive approach to increase access to
      basic health services. Drawing on these experiences, we illuminate commonalities,
      lessons learned, and factors contributing to the programs' implementation
      strategies to help inform practical application in other settings. 

PMID- 26115856
TI  - Scaling up high-impact interventions: how is it done?
AB  - Building upon the World Health Organization's ExpandNet framework, 12 key
      principles of scale-up have emerged from the implementation of maternal and
      newborn health interventions. These principles are illustrated by three case
      studies of scale up of high-impact interventions: the Helping Babies Breathe
      initiative; pre-service midwifery education in Afghanistan; and advanced
      distribution of misoprostol for self-administration at home births to prevent
      postpartum hemorrhage. Program planners who seek to scale a maternal and/or
      newborn health intervention must ensure that: the necessary evidence and
      mechanisms for local ownership for the intervention are well-established; the
      intervention is as simple and cost-effective as possible; and the implementers
      and beneficiaries of the intervention are working in tandem to build
      institutional capacity at all levels and in consideration of all perspectives. 

PMID- 26115857
TI  - Preparing the next generation of maternal and newborn health leaders: the
      maternal and newborn health champions initiatives.
AB  - A champion in health care can be defined as any health professional who has the
      requisite knowledge and skills in a relevant health field, who is respected by
      his/her peers and supported by his/her supervisors, and who takes the lead to
      promote or introduce evidence-based interventions to improve the quality of care.
      Jhpiego used a common approach during two distinct initiatives to identify
      individuals in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean whose expertise
      in their clinical service area and whose leadership capacity could be
      strengthened to enable them to serve as champions for maternal and newborn health
      (MNH). These champions have gone on to contribute to the improvement of MNH in
      their respective countries and regions. The lessons learned from this approach
      are shared so they can be used by other organizations to design leadership
      development strategies for MNH in low-resource countries. 

PMID- 26115858
TI  - Essential basic and emergency obstetric and newborn care: from education and
      training to service delivery and quality of care.
AB  - Approximately 15% of expected births worldwide will result in life-threatening
      complications during pregnancy, delivery, or the postpartum period. Providers
      skilled in emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) services are essential,
      particularly in countries with a high burden of maternal and newborn mortality.
      Jhpiego and its consortia partners have implemented three global programs to
      build provider capacity to provide comprehensive EmONC services to women and
      newborns in these resource-poor settings. Providers have been educated to deliver
      high-impact maternal and newborn health interventions, such as prevention and
      treatment of postpartum hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia and management of
      birth asphyxia, within the broader context of quality health services. This
      article describes Jhpiego's programming efforts within the framework of the basic
      and expanded signal functions that serve as indicators of high-quality basic and
      emergency care services. Lessons learned include the importance of health
      facility strengthening, competency-based provider education, global leadership,
      and strong government ownership and coordination as essential precursors to scale
      up of high impact evidence-based maternal and newborn interventions in low
      resource settings. 

PMID- 26115859
TI  - A facility birth can be the time to start family planning: postpartum
      intrauterine device experiences from six countries.
AB  - Initiation of family planning at the time of birth is opportune, since few women
      in low-resource settings who give birth in a facility return for further care.
      Postpartum family planning (PPFP) and postpartum intrauterine device (PPIUD)
      services were integrated into maternal care in six low- and middle-income
      countries, applying an insertion technique developed in Paraguay. Facilities with
      high delivery volume were selected to integrate PPFP/PPIUD services into routine
      care. Effective PPFP/PPIUD integration requires training and mentoring those
      providers assisting women at the time of birth. Ongoing monitoring generated data
      for advocacy. The percentages of PPIUD acceptors ranged from 2.3% of women
      counseled in Pakistan to 5.8% in the Philippines. Rates of complications among
      women returning for follow-up were low. Expulsion rates were 3.7% in Pakistan,
      3.6% in Ethiopia, and 1.7% in Guinea and the Philippines. Infection rates did not
      exceed 1.3%, and three countries recorded no cases. Offering PPFP/PPIUD at birth
      improves access to contraception. 

PMID- 26115860
TI  - Evolution of malaria in pregnancy control: Jhpiego's 10-year contribution.
AB  - Malaria continues to be a life-threatening illness throughout Sub-Saharan Africa,
      with pregnant women and children being particularly vulnerable and an estimated
      10 000 women and 200 000 newborns dying each year as a result of malaria in
      pregnancy (MIP). Since 2004, WHO has supported a three-pronged MIP approach: (1)
      intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine; (2) use of
      insecticide-treated bed nets; and (3) effective case management. The present
      article identifies benchmarks in Jhpiego's 10-plus years of MIP experience at the
      regional and national levels that have contributed to its global MIP leadership
      and aligned programs and policies with global approaches toward malaria
      elimination. As countries continue to develop and expand MIP programming, support
      will continue to be essential in the following eight MIP program areas:
      integration, policy, capacity development, community engagement, quality
      assurance, commodities, monitoring and evaluation, and financing. 

PMID- 26115861
TI  - RED for PMTCT: an adaptation of immunization's Reaching Every District approach
      increases coverage, access, and utilization of PMTCT care in Bondo District,
      Kenya.
AB  - Gaps exist in coverage, early access, and utilization of prevention of mother-to
      child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services in Kenya. The Maternal and Child
      Health Integrated Program, led by Jhpiego, piloted an adaptation of
      immunization's Reaching Every District (RED) approach in Bondo District as a way
      of improving PMTCT care. Routine district-level monthly summary service delivery
      pre- and post-implementation data were analyzed. Marked improvements resulted in
      the proportion of HIV-infected and non-infected pregnant women completing four
      focused prenatal care visits, from 25% to 41%, and the proportion of HIV-exposed
      infants (HEIs) tested at six weeks, from 27% to 78% (P<0.001). The proportion of
      HEIs tested for HIV infection at 12months was 52%, while 77% of HEIs were issued
      antiretroviral prophylaxis by the end of the pilot. Implementation of RED for
      PMTCT demonstrated that PMTCT services can be delivered effectively in the
      context of the existing community strategy and resulted in increased coverage,
      access, and utilization of care for HIV-positive pregnant women and their
      children. 

PMID- 26115862
TI  - Eyes on the prize: linking pre-service education to outcomes.

PMID- 26115863
TI  - Dissemination of the multidrug-resistant extended-spectrum beta-lactamase
      producing Escherichia coli O25b-ST131 clone and the role of house crow (Corvus
      splendens) foraging on hospital waste in Bangladesh.
AB  - Two hundred and thirty-eight faecal samples from crows foraging on hospital
      wastes were analysed for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing
      Enterobacteriaceae. ESBL-producing crow isolates were characterized and compared
      with 31 patient isolates. Among the crows, 59% carried ESBL producers. These
      included Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Raoultella terrigena and
      Enterobacter cloacae harbouring the genes for CTX-M-1, CTX-M-15, CTX-M-55, CTX-M
      79, and CTX-M-14. Human isolates carried only the CTX-M-15 gene. Two-thirds of
      crow E. coli isolates and all human E. coli isolates were multidrug resistant.
      Crows and patients shared E. coli sequence types, including the epidemic E. coli
      O25b-ST131 clone. The scavenging behaviour of crows at poorly managed hospital
      waste dumps made them potential reservoirs of antibiotic resistance, including
      ESBLs. 

PMID- 26115864
TI  - De-escalation therapy among bacteraemic patients with community-acquired
      pneumonia.
AB  - There is no evidence supporting the use of de-escalation therapy (DET) among
      patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We assessed the outcomes
      associated with DET among bacteraemic CAP patients. We performed a secondary
      analysis of the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization database, which
      contains data on 660 bacteraemic patients hospitalized because of CAP in 35
      countries (2001-2013). Exclusion criteria were death within 72 h from admission
      and an inappropriate empirical antibiotic regimen. DET was defined as changing an
      appropriate empirical broad-spectrum regimen to a narrower-spectrum regimen
      according to culture results within 7 days from hospital admission. Two study
      groups were identified: patients whose antibiotic therapy was de-escalated (the
      DET group), and patients whose antibiotic therapy was not de-escalated (the N-DET
      group). The primary study outcome was 30-day mortality. Two hundred and sixty-one
      bacteraemic CAP patients were included. Gram-positive bacteria were responsible
      for 88.1% of the cases (Streptococcus pneumoniae, 75.9%). Gram-negative bacteria
      were responsible for for 7.3% of the cases. DET was performed in 165 patients
      (63.2%). The N-DET group was characterized by a more severe presentation at
      admission. After adjustment for confounders, DET was not associated with an
      increased risk of 30-day mortality. DET seems to be safe among bacteraemic
      patients with CAP. Randomized clinical trials are warranted to further explore
      these findings.

PMID- 26115865
TI  - From the left to the right: 13-year experience in laparoscopic living donor liver
      transplantation.
AB  - Living Donors are the best theoretical candidates to benefit from the advantages
      of laparoscopy, but development was slow because of concerns about graft
      integrity and donor safety. Herein our 13-year experience in laparoscopic Living
      Donor Liver Transplantation (LDLT) is presented. Laparoscopic Left Lateral
      Section (LLLS) was performed in children receiver, while Laparoscopic Left
      Hepatectomy (LLH)-including or not the middle hepatic vein-and Laparoscopic Right
      Hepatectomy (LRH) in adults. Two senior surgeons were always involved for each
      procedure. All donors were first-degree relatives. From 2001 to 2014, 71
      procedures were performed: 63 LLLS (88.7%, 6 LLH (8.4%), and 2 LRH (2.8%).
      Surgical procedures required a mean of 271.1 +/- 65.9, 318 +/- 40.2, and 480 +/-
      0 min for LLLS, LLH, and LRH, respectively with a learning curve toward LLLH over
      the years (r = 0.09). Seven procedures (9.8%) required conversion. The mean
      hospital stay was 5.5 +/- 3.4, 5.3 +/- 0.6, and 8 +/- 0 days for LLLS, LLH, and
      LRH, respectively. Complications occurred in 11 patients (17.3%) undergoing LLLS:
      8 (12.7%) grade I and 3 (4.7%) grade II, according to the Modified Clavien-Dindo
      classification. Laparoscopic liver resection for LDLT requires an equivalent and
      parallel expertise in open LDLT and LLR. If LLLS for LDLT is now in an
      exploration phase in highly specialized centers, LLH and LRH for LDLT in adults
      lack evidence and cannot be recommended for wide introduction. For laparoscopic
      LDLT beginners, LLLS offers optimal conditions.

PMID- 26115868
TI  - Role of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator-associated ligand
      (CAL) in regulating the trafficking and signaling of corticotropin-releasing
      factor receptor 1.
AB  - Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) receptor1 (CRFR1) is associated with
      psychiatric illness and is a proposed target for the treatment of anxiety and
      depression. Like many G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), CRFR1 harbors a PDZ
      (PSD95/Disc Large/Zona Occludens 1)-binding motif at the end of its carboxyl
      terminal tail. The interactions of PDZ proteins with GPCRs are crucial for the
      regulation of their receptor function. In the present study, we characterize the
      interaction of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator-associated
      ligand (CAL) with CRFR1. We show using co-immunoprecipitation that the two
      proteins interact in human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells in a PDZ motif
      dependent manner. We find that the interaction occurs at the Golgi apparatus and
      that overexpression of CAL retains a proportion of CRFR1 in the intracellular
      compartment and prevents trafficking to the cell surface. We also demonstrate a
      significant reduction in the levels of receptor at the plasma membrane upon CAL
      overexpression, as well as a reduction in internalization. We find that the
      overexpression of CAL in HEK293 cells resulted in a significant decrease in CRF
      stimulated extracellular-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation,
      but has no effect on cAMP signaling mediated by the receptor. This effect was
      dependent on an intact PDZ motif and knockdown of CAL expression using CAL siRNA
      results in a significant enhancement in ERK1/2 signaling. We show that CAL
      contributes to the regulation of CRFR1 glycosylation and utilize glycosylation
      deficient CRFR1 mutants to further examine the role of glycosylation in the cell
      surface trafficking of CRFR1. We find that the mutation of Asn residues 90 and 98
      results in a reduction in cell surface CRFR1 that is comparable to the effect of
      CAL overexpression and that these mutants are retained in the Golgi apparatus.
      Mutation of Asn residues 90 and 98 also results in a decrease in the efficacy for
      CRF-stimulated cAMP formation mediated by CRFR1. Taken together, our data suggest
      that CAL can regulate the anterograde trafficking, the internalization as well as
      the signaling of CRFR1 via modulating the post-translational modifications that
      the receptor undergoes at the Golgi apparatus. 

PMID- 26115867
TI  - Cochrane in CORR ((r)): Interventions for Treating Proximal Humeral Fractures in
      Adults (Review).

PMID- 26115869
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26115866
TI  - Highly Crosslinked-remelted versus Less-crosslinked Polyethylene in Posterior
      Cruciate-retaining TKAs in the Same Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Concern regarding osteolysis attributable to polyethylene wear after
      TKA, particularly in younger patients, has prompted the introduction of highly
      crosslinked-remelted polyethylene (HXLPE) for TKAs. However, few in vivo
      comparative results of TKAs using HXLPE and less-crosslinked polyethylene inserts
      in the same patients are available, regarding fracture or failure of the locking
      mechanism of tibial polyethylene inserts or of osteolysis in patients younger
      than 60 years. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We wanted to determine whether (1)
      survivorship free from aseptic loosening in knees with HXLPE inserts was
      different from survivorship in knees with less-crosslinked polyethylene inserts,
      (2) the prevalence of fracture or failure of the locking mechanism of the tibial
      polyethylene insert was greater in knees with HXLPE than in those with less
      crosslinked polyethylene, and (3) the proportion of patients who had osteolysis
      develop was greater with HXLPE than with less-crosslinked polyethylene inserts.
      METHODS: One hundred seventy-one patients with a mean age of 58 +/- 8 years
      (range, 35-59 years) received posterior cruciate-retaining prostheses with a less
      crosslinked polyethylene tibial insert in one knee and a HXLPE tibial insert in
      the contralateral knee. From January 2007 to January 2010, we performed 366 same
      day bilateral simultaneous sequential posterior cruciate-retaining TKAs in 183
      patients, of whom 171 (93%) participated in this study. All patients during this
      study period underwent posterior cruciate-retaining TKAs regardless of deformity
      of the knees and we did not perform posterior-stabilized TKAs during the same
      period. Patients who had bilateral end-stage osteoarthritis and were younger than
      60 years were selected for inclusion. Six patients (4%) were lost to followup
      before 5 years. Twenty-six patients were males and 145 were females. The mean
      duration of followup was 6 years (range, 5-8 years). At each followup, patients
      were assessed for loosening of the components, fracture or failure of the locking
      mechanism of the polyethylene inserts, or osteolysis. RESULTS: The survival rate
      of the knee prosthesis at a mean of 5.8 years after surgery was 100% (95% CI,
      0.95-1.00) in both groups for the endpoint aseptic loosening and 99.4% (95% CI,
      0.95-1.00) in both groups for the endpoint revision. No knee in either group had
      fracture or failure of the locking mechanism of the tibial polyethylene insert,
      and none had osteolysis. CONCLUSIONS: With the numbers available, we found no
      clinically important differences between HXLPE and less-crosslinked polyethylene
      inserts in posterior cruciate-retaining TKAs. Given that HXLPE is newer, as-yet
      unproven, and more expensive than the proven technology (less-crosslinked
      polyethylene), we suggest not adopting HXLPE for clinical use until it shows
      superiority. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I, therapeutic study.

PMID- 26115870
TI  - Ginsenoside-Rg1 induces angiogenesis by the inverse regulation of MET tyrosine
      kinase receptor expression through miR-23a.
AB  - Therapeutic angiogenesis has been implicated in ischemic diseases and wound
      healing. Ginsenoside-Rg1 (Rg1), one of the most abundant active components of
      ginseng, has been demonstrated as an angiogenesis-stimulating compound in
      different models. There is increasing evidence implicating microRNAs (miRNAs), a
      group of non-coding RNAs, as important regulators of angiogenesis, but the role
      of microRNAs in Rg1-induced angiogenesis has not been fully explored. In this
      report, we found that stimulating endothelial cells with Rg1 could reduce miR-23a
      expression. In silico experiments predicted hepatocyte growth factor receptor
      (MET), a well-established mediator of angiogenesis, as the target of miR-23a.
      Transfection of the miR-23a precursor or inhibitor oligonucleotides validated the
      inverse relationship of miR-23a and MET expression. Luciferase reporter assays
      further confirmed the interaction between miR-23a and the MET mRNA 3'-UTR.
      Intriguingly, ginsenoside-Rg1 was found to increase MET protein expression in a
      time-dependent manner. We further demonstrated that ginsenoside-Rg1-induced
      angiogenic activities were indeed mediated through the down-regulation of miR-23a
      and subsequent up-regulation of MET protein expression, as confirmed by gain- and
      loss-of-function angiogenic experiments. In summary, our results demonstrated
      that ginsenoside-Rg1 could induce angiogenesis by the inverse regulation of MET
      tyrosine kinase receptor expression through miR-23a. This study has broadened our
      understanding of the non-genomic effects of ginsenoside-Rg1, and provided
      molecular evidence that warrant further development of natural compound as novel
      angiogenesis-promoting therapy. 

PMID- 26115871
TI  - A Novel Method of Axillary Venipuncture Using the Cephalic Vein as a Sole
      Anatomic Landmark.
AB  - The use of axillary venipuncture for pacemaker lead implantation has become a
      common technique. However, because of its relatively high complexity, it is still
      not the method of choice in most hospitals. As such, we propose an effective,
      simple, and safe technique for axillary venipuncture using only the cephalic vein
      as an anatomic landmark, with the possibility of selective cephalic contrast
      venography as a backup. A total of 108 patients were examined. After preparation
      of the cephalic vein, the puncture needle was inserted into the superficial
      pectoral muscle 1.5-2 cm medial to the cephalic vein and advanced in the
      direction parallel to the course of the cephalic vein. The needle was advanced up
      to 3-4 cm at an angle of 30 degrees  relative to the body surface, applying
      gentle suction during advancement. If after 3 attempts the axillary vein was not
      accessed, the same process was repeated 3-4 cm medial to the cephalic vein. If
      this was not effective, contrast venography of the axillary vein through the
      cephalic vein was performed. In 92.6% of all cases, the axillary vein was
      cannulated without fluoroscopic control, and in 7.4% of cases, fluoroscopic
      control and selective contrast venography were needed. A novel technique for
      axillary venipuncture using the cephalic vein as a single landmark is a simple,
      effective, and safe tool for pacemaker lead implantation. In some cases,
      selective cephalic contrast venography is an elegant and effective addition. 

PMID- 26115872
TI  - Prognostic Value of Oxygen Kinetics During Recovery From Cardiopulmonary Exercise
      Testing in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) is a well-established prognostic marker
      in chronic heart failure (CHF). Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) provides
      physiological parameters other than VO2peak that might have prognostic value. We
      aimed at determining whether exercise recovery data kinetics have prognostic
      implications over VO2peak and Heart Failure Survival Score. METHODS: Exercise
      data from 200 consecutive CHF patients evaluated for possible heart
      transplantation and received CPET at our institution between 2004 and 2011 were
      analyzed. The rate of recovery of oxygen uptake (VO2) at 2 minutes after exercise
      (VO2-REC2) was calculated using the difference between VO2peak and VO2 at minute
      2 of recovery and expressed as a percentage of VO2peak. The composite primary end
      point was the time from CPET to the first event including death, heart
      transplant, or mechanical heart implantation. RESULTS: Mean follow-up period was
      1271 +/- 61 days during which there were 108 first events including 35 deaths, 66
      heart transplants, and 7 mechanical heart implantations. The strongest prognostic
      factors in the univariate analysis were VO2-REC2, VO2peak, VO2 efficiency slope,
      and ventilation to carbon dioxide excretion ratio slope (all P < 0.0001).
      Multivariate analysis showed that VO2-REC2 (P < 0.0001), ventilation to carbon
      dioxide excretion ratio slope (P = 0.0022), use of angiotensin-converting enzyme
      inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (P = 0.0042), presence of a
      defibrillator (P = 0.0127), and mean arterial pressure (P = 0.0151) were
      independent predictors of event-free survival time. CONCLUSIONS: VO2-REC2 was the
      strongest prognostic marker of death, heart transplantation, and mechanical heart
      implantation in severe CHF. This finding should be confirmed prospectively.

PMID- 26115873
TI  - Cultural adaptation and validation of the Chinese version of the Fatigue Severity
      Scale in patients with major depressive disorder and nondepressive people.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aims of the study were to adapt the Fatigue Severity Scale to
      Chinese conditions and assess the psychometric properties of the Chinese version
      in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and nondepressive people.
      METHODS: A total of 101 patients with MDD and 94 nondepressive persons were
      included in this study. A forward and backward translation procedure was
      performed for developing a culturally acceptable Chinese version of the Fatigue
      Severity Scale (CFSS). Validity was assessed according to construct validity,
      internal consistency, concurrent validity, divergent validity, and contrasted
      group validity. RESULTS: The CFSS exhibited a one-factor structure in patients
      with MDD and the nondepressive participants. A 7-item version of CFSS and an 8
      item version of the CFSS demonstrated better model fit than the original 9-item
      version in the patients with MDD and the nondepressive participants,
      respectively. In both participant groups, internal consistency values were within
      acceptable ranges. In addition, concurrent validity and divergent validity were
      confirmed in both groups. The average CFSS score of patients with MDD was
      significantly higher than that of the nondepressive participants. CONCLUSION: The
      9-item CFSS is a valid instrument for assessing fatigue-related impairment in
      Chinese-speaking patients with MDD. However, the two reduced-item CFSS versions
      showed better psychometric properties than the original version in the patients
      with MDD and the nondepressive participants.

PMID- 26115874
TI  - Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Family Members as Prognostic Biomarkers in Head
      and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since head and neck cancer is characterized by poor survival rates,
      there is a demand for novel therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers. An
      upcoming therapeutic target is the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)
      family. However, their prognostic role in head and neck cancer remains unclear.
      OBJECTIVE: To systematically review current evidence on the prognostic value of
      FGFR family members in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: A
      systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library was performed for
      publications up to 14 May 2014. Two reviewers screened all articles and included
      prognostic studies on the molecular biomarkers FGFR1-5 in any type of HNSCC.
      Relevant studies were assessed on risk of bias using the Quality in Prognostic
      Studies (QUIPS) tool. Data on FGFR aberrations and survival outcome were
      extracted from relevant studies. The prognostic value of FGFR aberrations was
      compared among studies. RESULTS: The initial search yielded 1568 publications of
      which 12 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Four studies reported FGFR1 gene
      amplification (9.3-17.4 %) and FGFR1 protein overexpression (11.8 %) in HNSCC.
      FGFR1 protein expression by cancer-associated fibroblasts correlated with poor
      survival outcome in one study (p < 0.01). Eight studies reported high rates of
      FGFR4 Gly388Arg polymorphisms (32.5-54.2 %) and FGFR4 protein overexpression (16
      35 %), with varying correlations with survival. So far, no studies assessed the
      prognostic role of FGFR2, FGFR3, or FGFR5 in HNSCC. LIMITATIONS: Significant risk
      of bias has been identified among included studies. Therefore, cautious
      interpretation of the results is recommended. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, evidence
      was found for prognostic value of FGFR1 expression in cancer-associated
      fibroblasts in HNSCC. Prognostic evidence on the other FGFR family members in
      HNSCC is limited and conflicting. This emphasizes the need for future well
      conducted prognostic studies.

PMID- 26115875
TI  - Identification of the SOX5 gene as a novel IGH-involved translocation partner in
      BCL2-negative follicular lymphoma with t(12;14)(p12.2;q32).
AB  - Chromosome translocations involving the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) gene
      locus at chromosome region 14q32 are often observed in B-cell lymphoid neoplasms.
      Of these, t(14;18)(q32;q21) results in juxtaposition of the IGH gene on
      chromosome 14 and the BCL2 gene on chromosome 18, leading to the overexpression
      of BCL2 anti-apoptotic protein, which plays a critical role in the development of
      follicular lymphoma (FL). However, BCL2 overexpression is not observed in
      approximately 10 % of FL, and the molecular pathogenesis of BCL2-negative FL has
      not been elucidated. Here, we identify the SRY-related high-morbidity-group (HMG)
      box 5 (SOX5) gene on chromosome 12p12 as a novel IGH-involved translocation
      partner in the case of BCL2-negative follicular lymphoma (FL) with a complex
      karyotype including t(12;14)(p12.2;q32) by long-distance inverse PCR. As a result
      of this translocation, the SOX5 gene is juxtaposed to the enhancer of the IGH
      gene; SOX5 overexpression in neoplastic cells was demonstrated by
      immunohistochemistry. The results of the present study suggest a role for SOX5 in
      the molecular pathogenesis of FL. 

PMID- 26115876
TI  - Abdominal subcutaneous fat pad aspiration and bone marrow examination for the
      diagnosis of AL amyloidosis: the reliability of immunohistochemistry.
AB  - Tissue biopsy is essential for the diagnosis and typing of amyloidosis. Given its
      safety and ease, abdominal fat pad (AFP) is the first biopsy site of choice; bone
      marrow (BM) biopsy should additionally be performed to identify underlying plasma
      cell dyscrasia. The aim of the present study was to assess the usefulness of
      combined biopsy and immunohistochemical staining of AFP and BM tissues for the
      diagnosis and typing of amyloidosis. A total of 65 patients were examined. Congo
      red staining and immunohistochemical staining with antibodies were performed. Of
      51 patients with systemic amyloidosis, 50 patients were examined with fat pad
      aspirates and 38 (76 %) cases were positive. All 51 patients were also examined
      by BM analysis and 25 (49 %) cases were positive. Including both AFP aspirates
      and BM specimens, 90 % of patients with systemic amyloidosis were Congo red
      positive. Of the 49 patients with AL amyloidosis, immunohistochemical stains were
      positive in 67.6 % of patients with AFP aspirates and in 50 % with BM specimens.
      Combining AFP aspirate and BM examination, immunohistochemical stains yielded
      positive stains for the corresponding circulating monoclonal immunoglobulin in
      72.7 % of cases, and hence these analyses appear to be valuable in diagnosing the
      type of amyloidosis.

PMID- 26115877
TI  - Adiponectin is down-regulated in bone marrow interstitial fluid in hematological
      malignancy.
AB  - Adipokines play a role in carcinogenesis in a variety of malignancies. These
      findings were established with regard to serum adipokines and malignancies.
      However, the expression of adipokines in bone marrow fluid remains unclear, and
      an investigation of the correlation between bone marrow adipokines and
      hematological malignancy is needed. The present study was designed to detect
      adipokine concentrations, including adiponectin, leptin and resistin, in bone
      marrow interstitial fluid from patients with hematological malignancy and
      controlled counterparts. The correlations between adipokines, body mass index,
      clinical parameters, and hematological malignancy were assessed. A total of 80
      bone marrow samples were assessed for values of adipokines, adiponectin, leptin
      and resistin. Patients with hematological malignancy had lower levels of
      adiponectin. Adiponectin from leukemia bone marrow expressed significantly low
      values. The adiponectin levels were inversely correlated with body mass index. In
      conclusion, adiponectin was decreased in bone marrow from patients with leukemia
      and negatively correlated with body mass index. 

PMID- 26115878
TI  - Multi-modal intervention to reduce cardiovascular risk among hypertensive older
      adults: Design of a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - Persons aged over 65 years account for over 75% of healthcare expenditures and
      deaths attributable to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Accordingly, reducing CVD
      risk among older adults is an important public health priority. Functional
      status, determined by measures of physical performance, is an important predictor
      of cardiovascular outcomes in older adults and declines more rapidly in seniors
      with hypertension. To date, physical exercise is the primary strategy for
      attenuating declines in functional status. Yet despite the general benefits of
      training, exercise alone appears to be insufficient for preventing this decline.
      Thus, alternative or adjuvant strategies are needed to preserve functional status
      among seniors with hypertension. Prior data suggest that angiotensin converting
      enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) may be efficacious in enhancing exercise-derived
      improvements in functional status yet this hypothesis has not been tested in a
      randomized controlled trial. The objective of this randomized, double-masked
      pilot trial is to gather preliminary efficacy and safety data necessary for
      conducting a full-scale trial to test this hypothesis. Sedentary men and women >=
      65 years of age with functional limitations and hypertension are being recruited
      into this 24 week intervention study. Participants are randomly assigned to one
      of three conditions: (1) ACEi plus exercise training, (2) thiazide diuretic plus
      exercise training, or (3) AT1 receptor antagonist plus exercise training. The
      primary outcome is change in walking speed and secondary outcomes consist of
      other indices of CV risk including exercise capacity, body composition, as well
      as circulating indices of metabolism, inflammation and oxidative stress.

PMID- 26115879
TI  - Study design, intervention, and baseline characteristics of a group randomized
      trial involving a faith-based healthy eating and physical activity intervention
      (Walk by Faith) to reduce weight and cancer risk among overweight and obese
      Appalachian adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased prevalence of overweight and obesity among Appalachian
      residents may contribute to increased cancer rates in this region. This
      manuscript describes the design, components, and participant baseline
      characteristics of a faith-based study to decrease overweight and obesity among
      Appalachian residents. METHODS: A group randomized study design was used to
      assign 13 churches to an intervention to reduce overweight and obesity (Walk by
      Faith) and 15 churches to a cancer screening intervention (Ribbons of Faith).
      Church members with a body mass index (BMI) ?25 were recruited from these
      churches in Appalachian counties in five states to participate in the study. A
      standard protocol was used to measure participant characteristics at baseline.
      The same protocol will be followed to obtain measurements after completion of the
      active intervention phase (12months) and the sustainability phase (24months).
      Primary outcome is change in BMI from baseline to 12months. Secondary outcomes
      include changes in blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio, and fruit and vegetable
      consumption, as well as intervention sustainability. RESULTS: Church members
      (n=664) from 28 churches enrolled in the study. At baseline 64.3% of the
      participants were obese (BMI?30), less than half (41.6%) reported regular
      exercise, and 85.5% reported consuming less than 5 servings of fruits and
      vegetables per day. CONCLUSIONS: Church members recruited to participate in a
      faith-based study across the Appalachian region reported high rates of unhealthy
      behaviors. We have demonstrated the feasibility of developing and recruiting
      participants to a faith-based intervention aimed at improving diet and increasing
      exercise among underserved populations.

PMID- 26115880
TI  - Design and methods of the Gentle Cardiac Rehabilitation Study--A behavioral study
      of tai chi exercise for patients not attending cardiac rehabilitation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs reduce overall and
      cardiovascular mortality in patients with a history of acute coronary events or
      revascularization procedures, but only 30% of patients enroll in CR and attrition
      rates reach up to 60%. Tai chi, a mind-body practice based on light/moderate
      aerobic exercise accompanied by meditative components could be a possible
      exercise option for patients who do not attend CR. METHODS/DESIGN: Sixty patients
      will be randomized to a "LITE" condition (one tai chi session twice weekly for 12
      weeks) or to a "PLUS" condition (one tai chi session 3 times weekly for 12 weeks,
      followed by maintenance classes 1-2 times weekly for an additional 12 weeks).
      Measurements will be conducted at baseline, 3-, 6-, and 9 months after
      enrollment. The primary outcome is to determine the feasibility, acceptability
      and safety of each dose. Secondary outcomes include estimates of effect size of
      each dose on accelerometry-assessed physical activity; the proportion of patients
      meeting current recommendations for physical activity; and measures of fitness,
      quality of life, body weight, and sleep. In addition, we will collect exploratory
      information on possible mediators (exercise self-efficacy, perceived social
      support, resilience, mindfulness, and depression). CONCLUSIONS: Findings from
      this pilot study will provide preliminary indications about the usefulness of tai
      chi as an exercise option for patients not attending traditional CR programs.
      Results will also shed light on the possible mechanisms by which tai chi practice
      may improve overall physical activity among patients with atherosclerotic
      coronary heart disease.

PMID- 26115883
TI  - Evaluation and identification of poly-microbial biofilms on natural green Gordal
      table olives.
AB  - This work examines the formation of poly-microbial communities adhered to the
      epidermis of natural green Gordal olives and the application of different
      methodologies for recovery and counting of the microorganisms embedded in olive
      biofilms. The fermentation process was physicochemical and microbiologically
      monitored for 90 days, at which, formation of true biofilms on the skin of
      fermented fruits was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Then, samples of
      olives were taken and treated with sonication, enzymes, mechanical homogenization
      with stomacher and ultrasonic bath for biofilm disaggregation. The use of the
      stomacher for 1 min was the most effective treatment to release the lactic acid
      bacteria (6.6 log10 cfu g(-1)), whereas sonication for 5 min was the most
      efficient method for quantification of yeasts (up to 3.5 log10 cfu g(-1)).
      Molecular identification of isolates obtained from natural Gordal olive biofilms
      revealed that Lactobacillus pentosus was the only species found among lactic acid
      bacteria, while Pichia membranifaciens was the dominant yeast species, with
      higher counts obtained for the bacteria.

PMID- 26115882
TI  - Pseudonocardia nematodicida sp. nov., isolated from mangrove sediment in Hainan,
      China.
AB  - Two aerobic, Gram-stain positive actinobacterial strains with nematicidal
      activity, designated HA11164(T) and HA12591, were isolated from mangrove
      sediments in Hainan, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene
      sequences indicated that strains HA11164(T) and HA12591 belong to the genus
      Pseudonocardia and are closely related to Pseudonocardia carboxydivorans (with
      the similarities of 98.30 and 98.24 %, respectively), Pseudonocardia alni (98.23
      and 98.16 %, respectively) and Pseudonocardia antimicrobica (98.10 and 98.03 %,
      respectively). The major polar lipids of the strain HA11164(T), as a
      representative strain of the two strains, were found to consist of
      phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, five unidentified glycolipids and four
      unidentified polar lipids. The predominant menaquinone of strain HA11164(T) was
      identified as MK-8 (H4), and the major fatty acids were identified as iso-C16:0,
      C17:1 omega10, C16:0 and C16:1 omega9. The G+C content of strain HA11164(T) was
      determined to be 74.9 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness values between strains
      HA11164(T) and P. alni, Pseudonocardia tropica, Pseudonocardia antarctica, P.
      carboxydivorans and Pseudonocardia parietis were 58.3, 56.2, 50.0, 57.1 and 46.0
      %, respectively. Based on the results of this polyphasic study, strains
      HA11164(T) and HA12591 are considered to represent a novel species of the genus
      Pseudonocardia, for which the name Pseudonocardia nematodicida sp. nov. is
      proposed. The type strain is HA11164(T) (=CGMCC 4.7118(T) = DSM 45940(T)).

PMID- 26115881
TI  - Injecting risk behaviours following treatment for hepatitis C virus infection
      among people who inject drugs: The Australian Trial in Acute Hepatitis C.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A barrier to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment among people who
      inject drugs (PWID) has been a concern that interferon-based HCV treatment may
      increase injecting risk behaviours. This study evaluated recent (past month)
      injecting risk behaviours during follow-up among PWID that did and did not
      receive HCV treatment. METHODS: The Australian Trial in Acute Hepatitis C (ATAHC)
      was a prospective study of natural history and treatment of recent HCV infection.
      Analyses were performed using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: Among
      124 participants with a history of injecting drug use (median age 32 years), 69%
      were male, and 68% were treated for HCV infection. HCV treatment was not
      associated with an increase in recent injecting drug use (adjusted odds ratio
      (aOR) 1.06, 95% CI 0.93, 1.21) or recent used needle and syringe borrowing during
      follow-up (aOR 0.99, 95% CI 0.89, 1.08). HCV treatment was associated with a
      decrease in recent ancillary injecting equipment sharing during follow-up (aOR
      0.85, 95% CI 0.74, 0.99). Further, among treated participants who remained in
      follow-up (n=24), ancillary injecting equipment sharing significantly decreased
      from 54% at enrolment to 17% during follow-up (P=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: HCV
      treatment was not associated with drug use or used needle and syringe borrowing
      during follow-up, but was associated with decreased ancillary injecting equipment
      sharing during follow-up. Programs to enhance HCV assessment and treatment among
      PWID should be expanded, given that HCV treatment does not lead to increases in
      injecting risk behaviours and has previously been demonstrated to be safe and
      effective among PWID.

PMID- 26115884
TI  - Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the EpCAM-coding gene TACSTD1 in patients with
      ovarian cancer and their potential translational aspects.
AB  - PURPOSE: EpCAM is overexpressed in many neoplasms including ovarian cancer. We
      screened the EpCAM-coding gene TACSTD1 for single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs), which could alter ovarian cancer risk, impact upon disease progression,
      or alter binding of the therapeutic EpCAM-binding antibody, catumaxomab. METHODS:
      DNA fragments of 10 healthy volunteers were analyzed to identify SNPs.
      Subsequently, DNA of ovarian cancer patients (n = 117) and age-matched healthy
      controls (n = 115) was genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism and
      pyrosequencing. TACSTD1 genotypes 4461T>C were cloned into a gene expression
      vector; Hek293 cells were subsequently used for stable transfection. FACS
      analysis of the transfected Hek293 cells was conducted with HO-3-the EpCAM
      binding site of catumaxomab-to determine antibody binding. RESULTS: One SNP was
      detected in exon 3 (4461T>C; rs1126497), resulting in an amino acid exchange at
      position 115 (Met115Thr). Another polymorphism was found in the 3'UTR (17225A>G;
      rs1421). Genotyping of patients and controls for these SNPs did not reveal
      significant differences in genotype distribution. Regarding 17225A>G, the
      homozygous AA-genotype was associated with diminished progression-free survival
      (PFS; p = 0.032). Overall survival, FIGO-stage, grading, and age did not differ
      significantly between genotypes. FACS analysis of transfected Hek293 cells
      overexpressing EpCAM 115Met/Thr showed binding of HO-3 to both proteins.
      CONCLUSIONS: The AA-genotype of 17225A>G seems to be associated with diminished
      PFS in ovarian cancer patients. The amino acid exchange resulting from 4461T>C
      does not appear to alter binding of HO-3, suggesting that treatment with
      catumaxomab can be offered to patients regardless of their TACSTD1-genotype.

PMID- 26115885
TI  - Fine particulate matter leads to reproductive impairment in male rats by
      overexpressing phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)
      signaling pathway.
AB  - Maintenance of male reproductive function depends on normal sperm generation
      during which process Sertoli cells play a vital role. Studies found that fine
      particulate matter (PM) causes decreased male sperm quality, mechanism of which
      unestablished. We aim to investigate the definite mechanism of PM impairment on
      male reproduction. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were daily exposed to normal saline
      (NS) or PM2.5 with the doses of 9 mg/kg.b.w and 24 mg/kg.b.w. via intratracheal
      instillation for seven weeks. Reproductive function was tested by mating test and
      semen analysis after last exposure. Testes were collected to assess changes in
      histomorphology, and biomarkers including connexin 43 (Cx43), superoxide
      dismutase (SOD), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and phosphorylated protein
      kinase B (p-Akt). Male rats exposed to PM2.5 showed noticeable decreased
      fertility, significantly reduced sperm count, increased sperm abnormality rate
      and severe testicular damage in histomorphology. After PM2.5 exposure, the levels
      of Cx43 was significantly downregulated, and SOD was upregulated and
      downregulated significantly with different dose, respectively. Protein expression
      of PI3K and p-Akt dramatically enhanced, and the later one being located in
      Sertoli cells, the upward or declining trend was in dose dependent. PM2.5
      exposure leads to oxidative stress impairment via PI3K/Akt signaling pathway on
      male reproduction in rats.

PMID- 26115886
TI  - Coordinated regulation of scopoletin at adipose tissue-liver axis improved
      alcohol-induced lipid dysmetabolism and inflammation in rats.
AB  - There is increasing evidence that alcohol-induced white adipose tissue (WAT)
      dysfunction contributes to disturbance of hepatic lipid metabolism. This study
      investigated the effects of scopoletin on lipid homeostasis and inflammation at
      the WAT and liver in chronic alcohol-fed rats. Rats were fed a liquid diet
      containing 5% alcohol with or without two doses of scopoletin (0.001% and 0.005%)
      for 8 weeks. Scopoletin decreased serum triglyceride and cytokines (TNFalpha and
      IL-6) levels and hepatic and WAT lipid levels, whereas it increased WAT
      adiponectin mRNA and serum adiponectin levels, up-regulated hepatic gene and
      protein expression of AdipoR2 and activated AMPK. Additionally, scopoletin
      inhibited the expression of lipogenic genes (SREBP-1c and Fasn) and increased the
      expression of fatty acid oxidative genes (PPARalpha, Acsl1, CPT, Acox, and
      Acaa1a) in both WAT and liver. Alcohol led to significant up-regulation of WAT
      lipolysis and hepatic Cidea gene expression, whereas it decreased the WAT Cidea
      gene level; however, scopoletin reversed these changes. Scopoletin significantly
      down-regulated TLR4 signaling genes such as MyD88, TRIF, NFkappaB, TNFalpha and
      IL-6 in WAT and liver. These results indicated that coordinated regulation of
      scopoletin at the WAT-liver axis may play an important role in improvement of
      alcohol-induced lipid dysregulation and inflammation. 

PMID- 26115888
TI  - Suprascapular nerve compression due to rib osteochondroma: MR imaging features.

PMID- 26115887
TI  - Bioactive Functions of Milk Proteins: a Comparative Genomics Approach.
AB  - The composition of milk includes factors required to provide appropriate
      nutrition for the growth of the neonate. However, it is now clear that milk has
      many functions and comprises bioactive molecules that play a central role in
      regulating developmental processes in the young while providing a protective
      function for both the suckled young and the mammary gland during the lactation
      cycle. Identifying these bioactives and their physiological function in
      eutherians can be difficult and requires extensive screening of milk components
      that may function to improve well-being and options for prevention and treatment
      of disease. New animal models with unique reproductive strategies are now
      becoming increasingly relevant to search for these factors. 

PMID- 26115889
TI  - Pitfalls and mimickers on (18)F-FDG-PET/CT in peritoneal carcinomatosis from
      colorectal cancer: An analysis from 37 patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optimal selection is critical in patients with peritoneal
      carcinomatosis (PC) in whom curative cytoreductive surgery can be anticipated.
      (18)F-FDG-PET/CT may result in false-positive findings that may eliminate
      patients for whom cytoreductive surgery would be beneficial. OBJECTIVES: To
      determine the rate of false-positive findings on (18)F-FDG-PET/CT and clarify
      their causes in patients with suspected PC from colorectal cancer. METHODS: A
      retrospective analysis of 37 patients with suspected PC from colorectal cancer
      who had (18)F-FDG-PET/CT before cytoreductive surgery was performed to determine
      the rate and the causes of false-positive findings. (18)F-FDG-PET/CT was
      considered falsely positive when no tumor was found at surgery, histopathological
      analysis and follow-up. RESULTS: False-positive findings were observed in four
      patients, yielding a 11% (95%CI: 3-25%) false-positive rate on a per-patient
      basis. The causes of false-positives were elucidated in two patients (surgical
      mesh after umbilical hernia repair and one foreign body granuloma). CONCLUSION:
      False-positive findings on (18)F-FDG-PET/CT are observed in 11% of patients with
      suspected PC from colorectal cancer. Familiarity with false-positive findings
      would result in more accurate selection of patients candidates to cytoreductive
      surgery.

PMID- 26115890
TI  - Response to Bonnefon et al.: Limited 'kernels of truth' in facial inferences.

PMID- 26115892
TI  - Extreme clinical chemistry.

PMID- 26115891
TI  - [A self-report study of sexual victimization in Spanish community adolescents and
      at-risk groups].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent of sexual victimization in four groups of
      Spanish adolescents based on their own reports. METHOD: An observational, cross
      sectional, multicenter study was conducted. Sexual victimization was assessed by
      seven questions included in the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire. The samples
      were composed of 1,105 adolescents (mean age [M]=14.52, standard deviation
      [SD]=1.76) from seven secondary schools; 149 adolescents (M=14.28; SD=1.45) from
      14 child and adolescent mental health centers; 129 adolescents (M=14.59, SD=1.62)
      institutionalized in 18 long-term (78.3%) and short-term (21.7%) residential
      centers belonging to the child protection system; and 101 adolescents (M=16.08,
      SD=0.99) recruited from three detention centers (77.2%) and five open regime
      teams or follow-up services for court orders for minors not requiring loss of
      freedom (22.8%). RESULTS: The extent of lifetime sexual victimization ranged from
      14.7% of the adolescents in the community sample to 23.5% of youths attended in
      mental health services, 35.6% of youths involved in the juvenile justice system,
      and 36.4% of children protected by the child welfare system. Most of the victims
      were female, the only exception being the group of male victims from the juvenile
      justice system. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual victimization of children is widespread in
      Spain and its distribution differs depending on the group of children under
      study.

PMID- 26115893
TI  - Association between hypertriglyceridemia and protein oxidation and
      proinflammatory markers in normocholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic
      individuals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although hypercholesterolemia is a well-established risk factor for
      coronary heart disease, evidence suggests that increased triglyceride (TG)
      concentrations are also an independent risk factor. TG concentrations >150mg/dl
      are observed nearly twice as often in subjects with atherosclerosis. We assessed
      the association between hypertriglyceridemia and protein oxidation and
      proinflammatory markers in normocholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic
      individuals. METHODS: We included 127 volunteers enrolled in Cruz Alta, RS,
      Brazil. The patients were stratified based on total cholesterol and TG
      concentrations for analysis of associations with inflammation (high-sensitivity C
      reactive protein - hs-CRP), endothelial dysfunction (nitric oxide - NOx) and
      oxidative stress (advanced oxidation protein products - AOPPs; ischemia-modified
      albumin - IMA). Correlations between variables were determined and multiple
      regression analysis was employed to investigate whether some variables correlate
      with TG concentrations. RESULTS: Hypertriglyceridemia was related to oxidative
      stress and proinflammatory markers in individuals independent of total
      cholesterol concentrations. Moreover, the results indicate a stronger association
      of tested biomarkers with TG concentrations than with total cholesterol. The
      results indicate a positive correlation between oxidative stress and TG
      concentrations in the sera of hypercholesterolemia subjects. AOPPs and IMA
      concentrations were associated with the presence of hypertriglyceridemia in a
      manner that was independent of age, gender, hypertension and diabetes mellitus
      disease, smoking habits, sedentary lifestyle, BMI, waist circumference, LDL, HDL
      and total cholesterol concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: We speculate that TG
      concentrations can reflect the enhancement of protein oxidation and
      proinflammation.

PMID- 26115894
TI  - Metabolic annotation of 2-ethylhydracrylic acid.
AB  - Increased levels of the organic acid, 2-ethylhydracrylic acid (2-EHA) occur in
      urine of subjects with impaired L(+)-isoleucine metabolism. Chiral intermediates
      formed during isoleucine degradation are (S) enantiomers. Blockage of (S) pathway
      flux drives racemization of (2S, 3S) L(+)-isoleucine and its (2S, 3R)
      stereoisomer, L(+)-alloisoleucine. This non-protein amino acid is metabolized to
      (R)-2-methylbutyryl CoA via enzymes common to branched chain amino acid
      degradation. Subsequently, (R) intermediates serve as alternate substrates for
      three valine metabolic enzymes, generating 2-EHA. Once formed, 2-EHA accumulates
      because it is poorly recognized by distal valine pathway enzymes. Thus, urinary 2
      EHA represents a biomarker of isoleucine pathway defects. 2-EHA levels are also
      increased in rats exposed to the industrial solvent, ethylene glycol monomethyl
      ether or the neurotoxin precursor, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine.
      In these cases, a block in (S) pathway isoleucine catabolism occurs at the level
      of (S)-2-methylbutyryl CoA conversion to tiglyl CoA via inhibition of electron
      transferring flavoprotein/ubiquinone oxidoreductase dependent reactions. Elevated
      urinary 2-EHA in propionyl CoA carboxylase deficiency and methylmalonic aciduria
      results from a buildup of distal intermediates in the (S) pathway of isoleucine
      degradation. In Barth syndrome and dilated cardiomyopathy with ataxia syndrome, 2
      EHA is a byproduct of impeded propionyl CoA entry into the Krebs cycle. 

PMID- 26115895
TI  - Utilization of the O-arm after Ommaya reservoir placement.
AB  - The authors demonstrate the utility of portable intraoperative CT scans for the
      rapid identification of ventricular catheter tip location after Ommaya reservoir
      placement. The O-arm (Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Memphis, TN, USA) was utilized to
      confirm ventricular catheter placement intraoperatively. Conventionally, a
      postoperative CT scan is obtained prior to Ommaya reservoir use to ensure proper
      catheter placement. By obtaining these images intraoperatively, revisions may be
      performed without the need for an additional surgical procedure, and the
      reservoir may be utilized immediately postoperatively. 

PMID- 26115896
TI  - Survival following Ommaya reservoir placement for neoplastic meningitis.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients with
      neoplastic meningitis (NM) following Ommaya reservoir placement in order to
      determine whether any patient factors are associated with longer survival. NM is
      a devastating late manifestation of cancer, and given its dismal prognosis,
      identifying appropriate patients for Ommaya reservoir placement is difficult. The
      authors performed a retrospective review of 80 patients who underwent Ommaya
      reservoir placement at three medical centers from September 2001 through
      September 2012. The primary outcome was death. Differences in survival were
      assessed with Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. The Cox proportional hazards and
      logistic regression modeling were performed to identify factors associated with
      survival. The primary diagnoses were solid organ, hematologic, and primary
      central nervous system tumors in 53.8%, 41.3%, and 5%, respectively. The median
      overall survival was 72.5 days (95% confidence interval 36-122) with 30% expiring
      within 30 days and only 13.8% surviving more than 1 year. There were no
      differences in median overall survival between sites (p=0.37) despite differences
      in time from diagnosis of NM to Ommaya reservoir placement (p<0.001). Diagnosis
      of hematologic malignancy was inversely associated with death within 90 days
      (p=0.04; odds ratio 0.34), older age was associated with death within 90 days
      (p=0.05; odds ratio 1.5, per 10 year increase in age). The prognosis of NM
      remains poor despite the available treatment with intraventricular chemotherapy.
      There exists significant variability in treatment algorithms among medical
      centers and consideration of this variability is crucial when interpreting
      existing series of Ommaya reservoir use in the treatment of patients with NM.

PMID- 26115897
TI  - Surgical management of malignant cerebral edema secondary to immune
      reconstitution inflammatory syndrome from natalizumab-associated progressive
      multifocal encephalopathy.
AB  - We report a rare multiple sclerosis (MS) patient who developed malignant cerebral
      edema related to progressive multifocal encephalopathy (PML) immune
      reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) after natalizumab discontinuation.
      The patient subsequently required a decompressive hemicraniectomy to reduce
      intracranial pressure and to avoid uncal herniation. PML is a demyelinating
      disease of the central nervous system (CNS) which affects oligodendrocytes and is
      caused by reactivation of latent John Cunningham virus. Natalizumab is a known
      risk factor (1 in 1000) for MS patients treated with this drug. Discontinuation
      of natalizumab treatment decreases the risk of PML progression, but a massive
      inflammatory response can occur after cell-mediated immune surveillance is
      reestablished in the CNS, causing immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome
      (IRIS). Treatment of IRIS usually consists of steroids and plasma exchange to
      lessen the immune response, however, mortality has been reported at up to 29.4%,
      despite aggressive medical treatment. We discuss our management strategy with a
      review of the pertinent literature. 

PMID- 26115899
TI  - Central retinal vein occlusion in a migraine patient.
AB  - We describe a 31-year-old woman with a history of migraines without aura, who
      presented to our emergency department due to a monocular visual disturbance. This
      was misdiagnosed as being related to her migraine, however, it was subsequently
      found to be caused by a central retinal vein occlusion. Patients suffering from
      migraine can experience visual disturbances in the form of auras. The
      neuropathological basis for this phenomenon is thought to be a spreading
      depression in the visual cortex, causing a hemifield active visual phenomenon.
      Missing the diagnosis of central retinal vein occlusion is common, especially in
      the setting of an initially normal fundoscopy examination. 

PMID- 26115900
TI  - The Impact of Metabolic Syndrome on Clinical Outcomes After Everolimus-Eluting
      Stent Implantation.
AB  - As it is controversial whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) affects cardiovascular
      outcomes in patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), we
      investigated the impact of MetS on clinical outcomes in patients who underwent
      PCI with everolimus-eluting stents (EESs). Patients who underwent PCI with EESs
      from 2009 to 2013 were included in this single-center, prospective cohort study.
      A composite event consisted of repeat revascularization, nonfatal myocardial
      infarction, and cardiac death. Of 903 patients observed for 4.9 years (median 1.8
      years), 570 were diagnosed with MetS. The MetS group displayed more severe
      coronary artery disease and underwent more extensive PCIs than did the non-MetS
      group. The overall composite event rate was not significantly different between
      the MetS and the non-MetS group (11.9% vs 13.2%, p = 0.572). Kaplan-Meier
      survival analysis showed no significant difference in the event-free survival of
      the composite event between the 2 groups (p = 0.700). A multivariable Cox
      regression analysis showed that MetS was not associated with the composite event,
      whereas total stent length, decreased renal function, diabetes, and the absence
      of abdominal obesity were associated with the composite event. Abdominal obesity
      was associated with decreased risk of the composite event, alleviating
      unfavorable clinical outcomes of patients with diabetes in the MetS group. In
      conclusion, MetS has no impact on the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent
      PCI with EESs, although the MetS group exhibited more severe coronary artery
      disease and underwent more extensive PCIs. The paradoxical association between
      obesity and favorable clinical outcomes may explain this result. 

PMID- 26115898
TI  - Use of multivariate linear regression and support vector regression to predict
      functional outcome after surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy.
AB  - This study introduces the use of multivariate linear regression (MLR) and support
      vector regression (SVR) models to predict postoperative outcomes in a cohort of
      patients who underwent surgery for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM).
      Currently, predicting outcomes after surgery for CSM remains a challenge. We
      recruited patients who had a diagnosis of CSM and required decompressive surgery
      with or without fusion. Fine motor function was tested preoperatively and
      postoperatively with a handgrip-based tracking device that has been previously
      validated, yielding mean absolute accuracy (MAA) results for two tracking tasks
      (sinusoidal and step). All patients completed Oswestry disability index (ODI) and
      modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association questionnaires preoperatively and
      postoperatively. Preoperative data was utilized in MLR and SVR models to predict
      postoperative ODI. Predictions were compared to the actual ODI scores with the
      coefficient of determination (R(2)) and mean absolute difference (MAD). From
      this, 20 patients met the inclusion criteria and completed follow-up at least 3
      months after surgery. With the MLR model, a combination of the preoperative ODI
      score, preoperative MAA (step function), and symptom duration yielded the best
      prediction of postoperative ODI (R(2)=0.452; MAD=0.0887; p=1.17 * 10(-3)). With
      the SVR model, a combination of preoperative ODI score, preoperative MAA
      (sinusoidal function), and symptom duration yielded the best prediction of
      postoperative ODI (R(2)=0.932; MAD=0.0283; p=5.73 * 10(-12)). The SVR model was
      more accurate than the MLR model. The SVR can be used preoperatively in
      risk/benefit analysis and the decision to operate.

PMID- 26115901
TI  - Predictors of Six-Month Mortality in BNP-Matched Acute Heart Failure Patients.
AB  - Natriuretic peptides have established prognostic value in heart failure (HF). The
      role of many other clinical and laboratory variables is still to be proved. The
      aim of this study was to assess prognostic determinants of death in acute HF in B
      type natriuretic peptide (BNP)-matched patients. We conducted a case-control
      study to assess prognostic predictors of 6-month mortality in acute HF. From a
      prospectively recruited population of hospital-admitted patients with acute HF,
      we retrospectively selected a convenience sample of age-, gender-, and admission
      BNP-matched patients who survived (controls) or died (cases) in the follow-up
      period. Prognostic predictors of death were analyzed using a Cox regression
      analysis. A multivariate model was built. Variables in the model included atrial
      fibrillation, hypertension, admission heart rate, systolic blood pressure, the
      New York Heart Association class, hemoglobin, urea, albumin, systolic
      dysfunction, ischemic etiology, prognostic-modifying therapy, and BNP decrease
      during hospitalization. We analyzed 224 patients: 112 surviving and 112 not
      surviving a 6-month period. Median age was 80 years, 42.9% of the patients were
      men, and 63.9% had systolic dysfunction. Patients surviving the first 6 months
      had higher admission systolic blood pressure and heart rate, higher hemoglobin,
      lower urea, and more often had >30% decrease in BNP during hospitalization; they
      were more often discharged on HF prognostic modifying therapy. However, in
      multivariate analysis, the only independent mortality predictor was BNP decrease:
      patients in whom BNP decreased >30% had an HR of death of 0.57 (0.37 to 0.89). In
      conclusion, in BNP-matched patients with acute HF, the only independent mortality
      predictor is BNP decrease. Other literature suggested death predictors do not
      seem independent of natriuretic peptides. 

PMID- 26115902
TI  - Threat of alveolar echinococcosis to public health--a challenge for Europe.
AB  - Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a neglected 'malignant' parasitic disease. The
      European endemic area of Echinococcus multilocularis in foxes is larger than
      previously anticipated, and there is new evidence that both fox populations and
      the prevalence of E. multilocularis have increased in many areas, indicating
      increased pressure for infection with E. multilocularis eggs in intermediate and
      accidental hosts, including humans. This may result in more human AE cases within
      the next decades. Current numbers of both immunocompetent and immunocompromised
      AE patients, and the anticipated future increase, call for scaling-up research to
      rapidly improve the development and implementation of prevention measures, early
      diagnosis, and curative treatment of human AE. 

PMID- 26115903
TI  - Factors predicting severe infections during chemotherapy in head and neck cancer
      patients.
AB  - CONCLUSIONS: The head and neck cancer patients with more co-morbidities and those
      dependent on tube feeding are at a high risk of severe infections during
      chemotherapy. Therefore, prophylaxis with colony-stimulating factors and/or
      antibiotics should be considered for those patients. OBJECTIVES: To investigate
      the risk factors for severe infection during chemotherapy in head and neck cancer
      patients. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted of 129 patients with head
      and neck cancer who received taxane-based and platinum-based chemotherapy between
      2008-2013. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate risk factors.
      RESULTS: Febrile neutropenia occurred in 50 patients out of the 129 (39%), severe
      infections occurred in 24 patients (19%), and bacteremia in two patients (2%). In
      univariate analysis, low serum albumin levels and tube feeding were significantly
      associated with severe infections (p = 0.015 and < 0.001, respectively). In
      multivariate analysis, the odds ratios for a higher modified Charlson co
      morbidity index and tube feeding were 2.80 and 9.74, respectively. These two were
      independent predictive factors for severe infections (p = 0.020 and 0.001,
      respectively).

PMID- 26115904
TI  - Evidence for mild sediment Pb contamination affecting leaf-litter decomposition
      in a lake.
AB  - Much work has focused on the effects of metal-contaminated sediment on benthic
      community structure, but effects on ecosystem functions have received far less
      attention. Decomposition has been widely used as an integrating metric of
      ecosystem function in lotic systems, but not for lentic ones. We assessed the
      relationship between low-level sediment lead (Pb) contamination and leaf-litter
      decomposition in a lentic system. We measured 30-day weight loss in 30 litter
      bags that were deployed along a Pb-contamination gradient in a cypress-forested
      lake. At each deployment site we also quantified macrobenthos abundance,
      dissolved oxygen, water depth, sediment organic content, sediment silt/clay
      content, and both total sediment and porewater concentrations of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb
      and Zn. Principal components (PC) analysis revealed a negative relationship
      between Pb concentration and benthic macroinvertebrate abundance, and this
      covariation dominated the first PC axis (PC1). Subsequent correlation analyses
      revealed a negative relationship between PC1 and percent leaf-litter loss. Our
      results indicate that leaf-litter decomposition was related to sediment Pb and
      benthic macroinvertebrate abundance. They also showed that ecosystem function may
      be affected even where sediment Pb concentrations are mostly below threshold
      effects sediment quality guidelines--a finding with potential implications for
      sediment risk assessment. Additionally, the litter-bag technique used in this
      study showed promise as a tool in risk assessments of metal-contaminated
      sediments in lentic systems.

PMID- 26115905
TI  - The Janus kinase inhibitor JTE-052 improves skin barrier function through
      suppressing signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Barrier disruption and the resulting continuous exposure to allergens
      are presumed to be responsible for the development of atopic dermatitis (AD).
      However, the mechanism through which skin barrier function is disrupted in
      patients with AD remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: Taking into account the fact that
      the TH2 milieu impairs keratinocyte terminal differentiation, we sought to
      clarify our hypothesis that the Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and
      activator of transcription (STAT) pathway plays a critical role in skin barrier
      function and can be a therapeutic target for AD. METHODS: We analyzed the
      mechanism of keratinocyte differentiation using a microarray and small
      interfering RNA targeting STATs. We studied the effect of the JAK inhibitor JTE
      052 on keratinocyte differentiation using the human skin equivalent model and
      normal human epidermal keratinocytes. We applied topical JAK inhibitor onto
      NC/Nga mice, dry skin model mice, and human skin grafted to immunocompromised
      mice. RESULTS: IL-4 and IL-13 downregulated genes involved in keratinocyte
      differentiation. STAT3 and STAT6 are involved in keratinocyte differentiation and
      chemokine production by keratinocytes, respectively. Topical application of the
      JAK inhibitor suppressed STAT3 activation and improved skin barrier function,
      permitting increases in levels of terminal differentiation proteins, such as
      filaggrin, and natural moisturizing factors in models of AD and dry skin and in
      human skin. CONCLUSION: STAT3 signaling is a key element that regulates
      keratinocyte differentiation. The JAK inhibitor can be a new therapeutic tool for
      the treatment of disrupted barrier function in patients with AD.

PMID- 26115906
TI  - Early-term birth is a risk factor for wheezing in childhood: A cross-sectional
      population study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early term-born (37-38 weeks' gestation) infants have increased
      respiratory morbidity during the neonatal period compared with full term-born (39
      42 weeks' gestation) infants, but longer-term respiratory morbidity remains
      unclear. OBJECTIVE: We assessed whether early term-born children have greater
      respiratory symptoms and health care use in childhood compared with full term
      born children. METHODS: We surveyed 1- to 10-year-old term-born children (n =
      13,361). Questionnaires assessed respiratory outcomes with additional data
      gathered from national health databases. RESULTS: Of 2,845 eligible participants,
      545 were early term-born and 2,300 were full term-born. Early term-born children
      had higher rates of admission to the neonatal unit (odds ratio [OR], 1.7; 95% CI,
      1.2-2.5) and admission to the hospital during their first year of life (OR, 1.6;
      95% CI, 1.2-2.1). Forty-eight percent of early term-born children less than 5
      years old reported wheeze ever compared with 39% of full term-born children (OR,
      1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-1.9), and 26% versus 17% reported recent wheezing (OR, 1.7; 95%
      CI, 1.3-2.4). Early term-born children older than 5 years reported higher rates
      of wheeze ever (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.05-1.8) and recent wheezing over the last 12
      months than full-term control subjects (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.02-2.0). Increased
      rates of respiratory symptoms in early term-born children persisted when family
      history of atopy and delivery by means of cesarean sections were included in
      logistic regression models. CONCLUSION: Early term-born children had
      significantly increased respiratory morbidity and use of health care services
      when compared with full term-born children, even when stratified by mode of
      delivery and family history of atopy.

PMID- 26115907
TI  - School-Based Body Mass Index Screening and Parental Notification in Late
      Adolescence: Evidence From Arkansas's Act 1220.
AB  - PURPOSE: In 2003, Arkansas enacted Act 1220, one of the first comprehensive
      legislative initiatives aimed at addressing childhood obesity. One important
      provision of Act 1220 mandated that all children attending public schools be
      screened for their body mass index (BMI) and the information sent home to their
      parents. Since then, eight other states have adopted similar school-based BMI
      screening and notification policies. Despite their widespread adoption and
      implementation, there is a dearth of empirical studies evaluating such policies,
      particularly for adolescents. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether
      adolescents, who had been previously screened in early adolescence, experienced
      changes in their health outcomes if they continued to receive screening and
      reporting throughout late adolescence (11th and 12th grades). METHODS: Secondary
      data from the Centers for Disease Control's Youth Risk Behavior Survey were
      analyzed using the method of difference-in-differences. Changes in outcomes
      between 10th and 12th grade were compared between a group of students who
      received screenings throughout 11th and 12th grades versus a later comparison
      group who were exempt from screening and reporting requirements in 11th and 12th
      grades. RESULTS: BMI screening and parental notification during late adolescence,
      given prior screening and notification in early adolescence, was not
      significantly related to BMI-for-age z-scores, the probability of being in a
      lower weight classification or exercise and dietary intake behaviors.
      CONCLUSIONS: Exposing 11th and 12th graders to BMI screening and reporting, given
      that they had been exposed in prior grades, was not associated with adolescents'
      health outcomes.

PMID- 26115908
TI  - Adolescents' Perceptions of Risks and Benefits of Conventional Cigarettes, E
      cigarettes, and Marijuana: A Qualitative Analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although rates of adolescent cigarette use have remained constant or
      decreased, rates of marijuana and e-cigarette use are rising. Knowledge and
      perceptions of risks and benefits of tobacco products impact adolescents'
      decisions to use these products. However, little is known regarding adolescents'
      knowledge and perceptions of risks of e-cigarettes and marijuana nor how these
      perceptions are formed. This study uses qualitative techniques to assess and
      compare adolescents' perceptions of the risks and benefits of cigarettes, e
      cigarettes, and marijuana. METHODS: Twenty-four adolescents (nine females and 15
      males) from Northern California participated in six small-group discussions.
      Adolescents were asked what good or bad things might happen from using these
      products. To assess how perceptions and knowledge of risks and benefits were
      formed, participants were asked where and from whom they had learned about these
      products. RESULTS: Adolescents described negative consequences of cigarette use
      but were much less sure regarding risks of marijuana and e-cigarette use.
      Conversely, they described few benefits of cigarettes but described a number of
      benefits of e-cigarette and marijuana use. Adolescents described learning about
      these products from the media, from family and friends, and from the school
      environment. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents have learned from multiple sources about
      risks of using cigarettes, but they receive much less and often incorrect
      information regarding marijuana and e-cigarettes, likely resulting in their
      positive and often ambivalent perceptions of marijuana and e-cigarettes.

PMID- 26115909
TI  - Longitudinal Associations Between Cybervictimization and Mental Health Among U.S.
      Adolescents.
AB  - PURPOSE: An emerging body of literature suggests that victims of bullying report
      detrimental mental health outcomes, such as depression and anxiety. The purpose
      of this study was to explore the relationship between cybervictimization,
      depression, and anxiety among school-aged youth over a 3-year time frame.
      METHODS: Students in Grades 6 through 12 at the initial wave of the study
      responded to survey items designed to assess their online experiences, including
      cybervictimization and self-reported depression and anxiety at three separate
      time points, over a 3-year period. In total, 559 school-aged youth participated
      in the study. RESULTS: Results suggest a reciprocal relationship between
      cybervictimization and depression and cybervictimization and anxiety. More
      specifically, depression at Time 1 predicted cybervictimization at Time 2,
      depression at Time 2 predicted cybervictimization at Time 3, and
      cybervictimization at Time 1 predicted depression at Time 3. Additionally,
      cybervictimization at Time 1 predicted anxiety at Time 2, cybervictimization at
      Time 2 predicted anxiety at Time 3, and anxiety at Time 1 predicted
      cybervictimization at Time 2. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings from this study,
      cybervictimization, depression, and anxiety seem to have a reciprocal
      relationship. Therefore, educational and mental health professionals should
      consider interventions that address adolescents' online experiences, while
      supporting mental health and social and emotional learning.

PMID- 26115910
TI  - Glucocorticoids: Dose-related effects on osteoclast formation and function via
      reactive oxygen species and autophagy.
AB  - Whether glucocorticoids directly enhance or interrupt osteoclastogenesis is still
      a controversial subject. In this study, we ascertained the dose-dependent
      positive effects of glucocorticoids on osteoclastogenesis in vivo and in vitro as
      well as investigated the mechanism in vitro. As the dose of glucocorticoids
      increased, osteoclastogenesis was stimulated at 0.1 MUM, a peak was achieved at 1
      MUM and a corresponding decrease occurred at 10 MUM. Reactive oxygen species
      (ROS), which play a crucial role in osteoclastogenesis, and autophagy flux
      activity, a cellular recycling process, were consistently up-regulated along with
      the dose-dependent effects of the glucocorticoids on osteoclast formation and
      function. N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, abrogated the effects of the
      glucocorticoids on autophagy and osteoclastogenesis. Moreover, 3-methyladenine (3
      MA), an autophagy inhibitor, interrupted osteoclastogenesis stimulation by the
      glucocorticoids. These results implied that with glucocorticoid administration,
      ROS and autophagy, as a downstream factor of ROS, played vital roles in
      osteoclast formation and function. 3-MA administration did not enhance ROS
      accumulation, so that autophagy had no effect on ROS induced by glucocorticoids.
      Our investigation demonstrated that glucocorticoids had dose-dependent positive
      effects on osteoclast formation and function via ROS and autophagy. These results
      provide support for ROS and autophagy as therapeutic targets in glucocorticoid
      related bone loss diseases such as glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

PMID- 26115912
TI  - Introduction special issue.

PMID- 26115913
TI  - Time-dependent test characteristics of neck stiffness in patients suspected of
      nontraumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neck stiffness can be the only diagnostic clue for subarachnoid
      haemorrhage (SAH) at neurological examination in patients with a clinical
      suspicion of nontraumatic SAH who present with a normal level of consciousness
      and no focal neurologic deficits. Since the clinical impression is that neck
      stiffness may take several hours to develop, we determined time-dependent test
      characteristics of neck stiffness. METHODS: We retrieved the presence of neck
      stiffness from the medical records of consecutive patients presenting between
      2005 and 2013 with a clinical suspicion of SAH, a normal level of consciousness
      and no focal neurologic deficits. Test characteristics with corresponding 95%
      confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the evaluation of neck stiffness
      <=6 h and 6-72 h after symptom onset for the diagnosis of nontraumatic SAH. In a
      secondary analysis, multiple imputation was used to account for missing values.
      RESULTS: 114 of 247 included patients were diagnosed with nontraumatic SAH. Neck
      stiffness at neurological examination performed <=6 h after symptom onset had a
      positive predictive value (PPV) of 90% (95% CI: 78%-97%) and negative predictive
      value (NPV) of 69% (95% CI: 59%-78%). Between 6 and 72 h after symptom onset the
      PPV was 76% (95% CI: 58%-89%) and NPV 91% (95% CI: 78%-98%). Multiple imputation
      to account for missing values yielded similar results. CONCLUSION: In patients
      with a normal level of consciousness without focal neurologic deficits the
      presence of neck stiffness is helpful but not pathognomic for the diagnosis of
      SAH. Moreover, the absence of neck stiffness does not rule out SAH, especially
      when evaluated <=6 h after symptom onset.

PMID- 26115911
TI  - Abdominal aortic calcification and risk of fracture among older women - The SOF
      study.
AB  - Data concerning the link between severity of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC)
      and fracture risk in postmenopausal women are discordant. This association may
      vary by skeletal site and duration of follow-up. Our aim was to assess the
      association between the AAC severity and fracture risk in older women over the
      short- and long term. This is a case-cohort study nested in a large multicenter
      prospective cohort study. The association between AAC and fracture was assessed
      using Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for vertebral
      fractures and using Hazard Risks (HR) and 95%CI for non-vertebral and hip
      fractures. AAC severity was evaluated from lateral spine radiographs using
      Kauppila's semiquantitative score. Severe AAC (AAC score 5+) was associated with
      higher risk of vertebral fracture during 4 years of follow-up, after adjustment
      for confounders (age, BMI, walking, smoking, hip bone mineral density, prevalent
      vertebral fracture, systolic blood pressure, hormone replacement therapy)
      (OR=2.31, 95%CI: 1.24-4.30, p<0.01). In a similar model, severe AAC was
      associated with an increase in the hip fracture risk (HR=2.88, 95%CI: 1.00-8.36,
      p=0.05). AAC was not associated with the risk of any non-vertebral fracture. AAC
      was not associated with the fracture risk after 15 years of follow-up. In elderly
      women, severe AAC is associated with higher short-term risk of vertebral and hip
      fractures, but not with the long-term risk of these fractures. There is no
      association between AAC and risk of non-vertebral-non-hip fracture in older
      women. Our findings lend further support to the hypothesis that AAC and skeletal
      fragility are related.

PMID- 26115914
TI  - Familial forms of multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica at an MS center in
      Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe familial forms of demyelinating diseases from an MS
      referral center in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. METHODS: A descriptive, cross
      sectional study was done to identify familial IIDD cases in Hospital da Lagoa, a
      public hospital where 75% of patients with IIDD who live in Rio de Janeiro state,
      located in the Southeast region of Brazil, are referred. The diagnoses of all
      consecutive patients followed in 2011 were reviewed to apply new diagnostic
      criteria (Wingerchuk et al., 2008). The diagnosis of IIDD was confirmed based on
      clinical history, neurological examination, MRI of the skull and spinal cord, CSF
      analysis and investigation of IgG NMO antibodies. The cases that had at least one
      other relative with IIDD were selected for the study. RESULTS: Familial forms
      were found only in the multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica syndrome
      (NMOSD) categories. 23 MS families were identified, 60.86% with first degree
      kinship. It has a Caucasian preponderance, 90% of whom were white. The frequency
      of early onset was 15% and 20% of the MSf cases have progressive primary course.
      CONCLUSION: The frequency of familial cases of IIDD was 6.12% among MS patients
      and 2.8% in NMO spectrum syndromes.

PMID- 26115915
TI  - Characteristic location and growth patterns of functioning pituitary adenomas:
      correlation with histological distribution of hormone-secreting cells in the
      pituitary gland.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between the magnetic resonance imaging
      findings of functional pituitary adenomas and histological distribution of
      hormone-secreting cells in pituitary gland. METHODS: Forty-nine patients with
      pathologically confirmed functional micro and macro pituitary adenomas were
      retrospectively reviewed for its location and growth direction. RESULTS: Micro
      prolactin, micro-adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and micro-growth hormone
      (GH) producing adenomas showed specific location (P-value <.01). Macro-GH and
      macro-thyroid-stimulating hormone producing adenomas showed specific growth
      direction (P-value <.05), whereas macro-prolactin and macro-ACTH producing
      adenomas did not. CONCLUSION: The functional pituitary microadenomas' location
      and macroadenomas' growth pattern correlate well with histological distribution
      of hormone-secreting cells in pituitary gland.

PMID- 26115916
TI  - Protective effect of 14-3-3 antibodies on stressed neuroretinal cells via the
      mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies demonstrate changes of autoantibody concentrations
      against retinal and optic nerve head antigens in the serum of glaucoma patients
      in comparison to healthy persons. These antibodies belong to the natural
      autoimmunity. Previous studies showed up regulated, but also significantly down
      regulated autoantibody levels. These antibodies have the ability to influence
      protein profiles of neuroretinal cells and possibly hold neuroprotective
      potential, as we have been able to demonstrate before. Aim of this study was to
      analyse the serum and antibody effect of glaucoma patients on neuroretinal cells
      in more detail and also determine the impact of antibodies found down-regulated
      in glaucoma patients on the pathogenesis of the neurodegenerative disease
      glaucoma. METHODS: Neuroretinal cells (RGC-5) were incubated with serum either
      from glaucoma patients or healthy controls for 24 h. Mass spectrometric analysis
      was performed after cell lysis. Furthermore the neuroretinal cells were
      preincubated with different and concentrations of 14-3-3 antibodies (0.005, 0.1,
      0.5, 1, 5 and 10 MUg/ml) and then stressed with H2O2, staurosporine or glutamate.
      Viability tests were performed with crystal violet and ROS tests with DCFH-DA.
      Antibody location in the cell after antibody incubation was performed with
      immunocytochemical methods. Additionally mass spectrometric analysis was
      performed with the cells after antibody incubation. RESULTS: Protein expression
      analysis with Maldi-Orbitrap MS showed changes in the expression level of
      regulatory proteins in cells incubated with glaucoma serum, e.g. an up-regulation
      of 14-3-3 and a down-regulation of Calmodulin. After preincubation of the cells
      with anti-14-3-3 antibody and stressing the cells, we detected an increase in
      viability of up to 22 % and a decrease in reactive oxygen species (ROS) of up to
      31 %. Proteomic 1 analysis involvement of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway in
      this protective effect and immunohistochemical analysis showed an antibody uptake
      in the cells. CONCLUSION: We found significant effects of serum antibodies on
      proteins of neuroretinal cells especially of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.
      Furthermore we detected a protective potential of antibodies down-regulated in
      glaucoma patients. The changed autoantibodies belong to the natural autoimmunity.
      We conclude that changes in the natural autoimmunity of patients with glaucoma
      can negatively impact regulatory functions.

PMID- 26115918
TI  - Evaluation of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant and anti-coagulant
      properties of Lactuca sativa (CV. Grand Rapids) plant tissues and cell suspension
      in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lactuca sativa (lettuce) has been traditionally used for relieving
      pain, inflammation, stomach problems including indigestion and lack of appetite.
      Moreover, the therapeutic significance of L. sativa includes its anticonvulsant,
      sedative-hypnotic and antioxidant properties. METHODS: In the present study, the
      MC (methanol and chloroform; 1:1) and aqueous extracts of seed and leaf along
      with cell suspension exudate were prepared. These extracts were explored for
      their analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant and anticoagulant effects by
      hot plate analgesic assay; carrageenan induced hind paw edema test, forced
      swimming test and capillary method for blood clotting respectively in a rat
      model. The results were analyzed using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
      followed by Turkey multiple comparison test. RESULTS: Interestingly, the extracts
      and the cell suspension exudate showed dual inhibition by reducing pain and
      inflammation. The results indicated that the aqueous extracts of leaf exhibited
      highest analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities followed by leaf MC, cell
      suspension exudate, seed aqueous and seed MC extracts. The current findings show
      that aqueous and MC extracts of seed have the least immobility time in the forced
      swimming test, which could act as an anti-depressant on the central nervous
      system. The leaf extracts and cell suspension exudate also expressed moderate
      anti-depressant activities. In anticoagulant assay, the coagulation time of
      aspirin (positive control) and MC extract of leaf was comparable, suggesting
      strong anti-coagulant effect. Additionally, no abnormal behavior or lethality was
      observed in any animal tested. CONCLUSION: Taken together, L. sativa can
      potentially act as a strong herbal drug due to its multiple pharmaceutical
      effects and is therefore of interest in drug discovery and development of
      formulations.

PMID- 26115919
TI  - Endovascular repair of Stanford B aortic dissection using two stent grafts with
      different sizes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to introduce a novel strategy for
      thoracic endovascular aortic repair of Stanford B aortic dissection using two
      stent graft implantation (TSI), in which the proximal stent and distal stent with
      different sizes are sequentially deployed, and to summarize our experience with
      this technique. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted of 72 consecutive
      patients (61 men; mean age, 55 +/- 7 years; range, 41-67 years) with Stanford
      type B aortic dissection who underwent TSI treatment between January 2012 and May
      2013. Among all patients, 43 (59.7%) involved the infrarenal aorta and 29 (40.3%)
      involved the whole thoracic and abdominal aorta; mean aortic involvement length
      was 226 +/- 13 mm (range, 182-312 mm). Eight cases were for acute dissection
      (within 2 weeks from onset of symptoms), 11 cases were for chronic dissection (>3
      months after initial dissection), and 53 cases were for subacute dissection
      (between 2 weeks and 3 months). Twenty-two cases (30.6%) were uncomplicated type
      and 50 cases (69.4%) were complicated type. Follow-up was performed
      postoperatively at 1 month, 6 months, and yearly thereafter. Technique success,
      aorta morphology, and procedure-related complications were evaluated. RESULTS:
      Technical success was achieved in 100%; 72 pairs of stent grafts (144 thoracic
      stent grafts) and 10 left subclavian artery chimney stents were used. The mean
      aortic length coverage by the stent grafts was 197.6 +/- 20.3 mm, and mean taper
      diameter span was 7.5 +/- 1.8 mm. All patients were followed up from 6 to 16
      months (mean, 10 +/- 4 months); 95.8% (69 of 72) had a thrombosed false lumen in
      the aortic coverage, and the true lumen expanded on average 57% +/- 11% (23%
      100%). No significant changes were found in aortic diameters of the proximal and
      distal ends of the two stent grafts and the angles between centerlines of the
      distal end of the stent and the aorta during follow-up. Procedure-related
      complications included transient paraplegia (coverage of the left subclavian
      artery without revascularization and extensive coverage of aorta >220 mm) due to
      acute spinal cord ischemia (n = 1) and malapposition of the distal stent (primary
      tear closed, true lumen expansion led to oversize rate insufficient in distal
      stent diameter; n = 1). No death or malperfusion complications were observed
      during the perioperative period and follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term outcomes
      showed TSI to be a flexible and effective approach to accurately repair Stanford
      B aortic dissection that could potentially address the limitations of currently
      available stent grafts. Further prospective clinical studies are warranted to
      evaluate its long-term efficacy.

PMID- 26115917
TI  - Core oxidative stress response in Aspergillus nidulans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The b-Zip transcription factor AtfA plays a key role in regulating
      stress responses in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. To identify the
      core regulons of AtfA, we examined genome-wide expression changes caused by
      various stresses in the presence/absence of AtfA using A. nidulans microarrays.
      We also intended to address the intriguing question regarding the existence of
      core environmental stress response in this important model eukaryote. RESULTS:
      Examination of the genome wide expression changes caused by five different
      oxidative stress conditions in wild type and the atfA null mutant has identified
      a significant number of stereotypically regulated genes (Core Oxidative Stress
      Response genes). The deletion of atfA increased the oxidative stress sensitivity
      of A. nidulans and affected mRNA accumulation of several genes under both
      unstressed and stressed conditions. The numbers of genes under the AtfA control
      appear to be specific to a stress-type. We also found that both oxidative and
      salt stresses induced expression of some secondary metabolite gene clusters and
      the deletion of atfA enhanced the stress responsiveness of additional clusters.
      Moreover, certain clusters were down-regulated by the stresses tested.
      CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the observed co-regulations were most likely
      consequences of the overlapping physiological effects of the stressors and not of
      the existence of a general environmental stress response. The function of AtfA in
      governing various stress responses is much smaller than anticipated and/or other
      regulators may play a redundant or overlapping role with AtfA. Both stress
      inducible and stress repressive regulations of secondary metabolism seem to be
      frequent features in A. nidulans.

PMID- 26115920
TI  - Mortality and complications after aortic bifurcated bypass procedures for chronic
      aortoiliac occlusive disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Open surgery has given way to endovascular grafting in patients with
      aortoiliac occlusive disease. The growing use of endovascular grafts means that
      fewer patients with aortoiliac occlusive disease have open surgery. The declining
      open surgery caseload challenges the surgeon's operative skills, particularly
      because open surgery is increasingly used in those patients who are unsuitable
      for endovascular repair and hence technically more demanding. We assessed the
      early outcome after aortic bifurcated bypass procedures during two decades of
      growing endovascular activity and identified preoperative risk factors. METHODS:
      Data on patients with chronic limb ischemia were prospectively collected during a
      20-year period (1993 to 2012). The data were obtained from the Danish Vascular
      Registry, assessed, and merged with data from The Danish Civil Registration
      System. RESULTS: We identified 3623 aortobifemoral and 144 aortobiiliac bypass
      procedures. The annual caseload fell from 323 to 106 during the study period, but
      the 30-day mortality at 3.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.0-4.1) and the 30
      day major complication rate remained constant at 20% (95% CI, 18-21). Gangrene
      (odds ratio [OR], 3.3; 95% CI, 1.7-6.5; P = .005) was the most significant risk
      factor for 30-day mortality, followed by renal insufficiency (OR, 2.5; 95% CI,
      1.1-5.8; P = .035) and cardiac disease (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.4-3.1; P < .001).
      Multiorgan failure, mesenteric ischemia, need for dialysis, and cardiac
      complications were the most lethal complications, with mortality rates of 94%,
      44%, 38%, and 34%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Aortic bifurcated bypass is a high
      risk procedure. Although open surgery has increasingly given way to endovascular
      repair, 30-day outcomes have remained stable during the past decade. Thus, it is
      still acceptable to consider an aortic bifurcated bypass whenever endovascular
      management is not feasible.

PMID- 26115921
TI  - Surgical outcomes of vascular reconstruction in soft tissue sarcomas of the lower
      extremities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Limb-sparing procedures are currently considered the standard
      treatment for lower limb soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Surgical excision combined
      with vascular resection may be necessary to provide an adequate safety margin and
      to improve the oncologic outcomes. In this scenario, vascular reconstruction is
      required to preserve limb function. We evaluated the long-term patency and
      survival outcomes of arterial and venous reconstruction after resecting lower
      limb STS in the largest single-center case series to date. METHODS: Between
      November 1995 and July 2014, 25 patients with lower limb STS and vascular
      invasion underwent surgical resection followed by arterial or venous
      reconstruction. Patients were followed up at regular outpatient visits, at which
      clinical examinations and duplex ultrasound mapping were performed to assess
      graft patency. RESULTS: A total of 44 revascularization procedures were
      performed. The median follow-up time for the arterial and venous groups combined
      was 25.2 months (range, 0.26-225.6 months). The 5-year survival probability was
      42.1%. The graft occlusion rate was significantly higher after reconstruction
      with synthetic grafts than after reconstruction with saphenous vein substitutes
      (P = .02). The occlusion rate was not significantly different between arterial
      reconstruction and venous reconstruction (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Arterial and
      venous reconstruction is feasible after surgical resection of lower limb STS.
      Vascular reconstruction provides favorable long-term patency outcomes and low
      complication rates, allowing limb preservation and disease control in a select
      group of patients. Vascular reconstruction using venous grafts had a
      significantly higher patency rate than reconstruction with artificial venous
      substitutes.

PMID- 26115923
TI  - An infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm with severe neck stenosis.

PMID- 26115922
TI  - Preoperative beta-blockers do not improve cardiac outcomes after major elective
      vascular surgery and may be harmful.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Routine initiation beta-blocker medications before vascular surgery is
      controversial due to conflicting data. The purpose of this analysis was to
      determine whether prophylactic use of beta-blockers before major elective
      vascular surgery decreased postoperative cardiac events or mortality. METHODS:
      The Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS-VQI) data set
      was used to perform a retrospective cohort analysis of infrainguinal lower
      extremity bypass (LEB), aortofemoral bypass (AFB), and open abdominal aortic
      aneurysm (AAA) repair patients. Chronic (>30 days preoperatively) beta-blocker
      patients were excluded, and comparisons were made between preoperative (0-30 day)
      and no beta-blocker groups. Patients were risk stratified using a novel
      prediction tool derived specifically from the SVS-VQI data set. Propensity
      matched pairs and interprocedural specific risk stratification comparisons were
      performed. End points included in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACEs),
      including myocardial infarction (MI; defined as new ST or T wave
      electrocardiographic changes, troponin elevation, or documentation by
      echocardiogram or other imaging modality), dysrhythmia, and congestive heart
      failure, and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: The study analyzed 13,291 patients (LEB,
      68% [n = 9047]; AFB, 11% [n = 1474]; and open AAA, 21% [n = 2770]); of these,
      67.7% (n = 8999) were receiving beta-blockers at time of their index procedure.
      Specifically, 13.2% (n = 1753) were identified to have been started on a
      preoperative beta-blocker, 54.5% (n = 7426) were on chronic beta-blockers, and
      32.3% (n = 4286) were on no preoperative beta-blockers. Among the three
      procedures, patients had significant demographic and comorbidity differences and
      thus were not combined. A 1:1 propensity-matched pairs analysis (1459 pairs)
      revealed higher rates of postoperative MI with preoperative beta-blockers
      (preoperative beta-blocker relative risk, 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.02
      2.68; P = .05 vs no beta-blocker), with no difference in dysrhythmia, congestive
      heart failure, or 30-day mortality. When stratified into low-risk, medium-risk,
      and high-risk groups within each procedure, all groups of preoperative beta
      blocker patients had no difference or higher rates of MACEs and 30-day mortality,
      with the exception of high-risk open AAA patients, who had a lower rate of MI
      (odds ratio, 0.35; 95% confidence interval, 011-0.87; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS:
      Exclusive of high-risk open AAA patients, preoperative beta-blockers did not
      decrease rates of MACEs or mortality after LEB, AFB, or open AAA. Importantly,
      exposure to prophylactic preoperative beta-blockers increased the rates of some
      adverse events in several subgroups. Given these data, the SVS-VQI cannot support
      routine initiation of preoperative beta-blockers before major elective vascular
      surgery in most patients.

PMID- 26115924
TI  - Multiple aortic pseudoaneurysms in a patient with Behcet's disease.

PMID- 26115925
TI  - The prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm is consistently high among patients
      with coronary artery disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Emerging evidence suggests high prevalence of abdominal aortic
      aneurysm (AAA) among patients with coronary disease. Accurate characterization of
      the association between coronary disease and AAA and of the actual prevalence of
      AAA among patients with angiography-verified coronary artery disease (CAD) is
      needed to evaluate the possible benefits of systematic screening for AAA.
      METHODS: We searched for studies that reported the association between AAA and
      CAD or coronary heart disease (CHD; wider phenotype definition) in the general
      population (randomized controlled trials, prospective population cohorts) and
      those that reported the prevalence of AAA among patients with angiography
      verified CAD through PubMed, Embase, and reference lists for the period between
      1980 and 2014. Random-effects models were applied because of the high
      heterogeneity between included studies. RESULTS: Among the general population, 23
      studies reported the association between CHD and the occurrence of subclinical
      AAA (positive ultrasound screening; meta-analyzed odds ratio of 2.38 with 95%
      confidence interval [CI] of 1.78-3.19; P = 4.1 * 10(-9)). According to four
      prospective studies, CHD is a strong predictor of future AAA events (fatal and
      nonfatal; meta-analyzed hazard ratio of 3.49 with 95% CI of 2.56-4.76; P = 2.4 *
      10(-15)). Altogether, 10 studies reported the prevalence of AAA among patients
      with angiography-verified CAD or undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.
      Among men, meta-analyzed prevalence was 9.5% (95% CI, 7.6%-11.7%). Among men
      undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting or with three-vessel disease, the
      prevalence was 11.4% (95% CI, 9.1%-13.9%). Among women, the prevalence was low
      (0.35%). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of subclinical AAA and future AAA events is high
      among patients with coronary disease. Screening for AAA among CAD patients by
      cardiologists would be easy and inexpensive, with possible benefits to survival
      and risk evaluation.

PMID- 26115926
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25053534.

PMID- 26115927
TI  - Regarding "Multiple overlapping uncovered stents as an alternative flow-diverting
      strategy in the management of peripheral and visceral aneurysms".

PMID- 26115928
TI  - Learning to fear depends on emotion and gaze interaction: The role of self
      relevance in fear learning.
AB  - Emotional learning is an adaptive function, however its psychological
      determinants are unclear. Here, we propose a new theoretical framework based on
      appraisal theories of emotion, which holds that emotional learning is modulated
      by a process of relevance detection. Testing the model, we predicted faster,
      larger acquisition and greater resistance to extinction of the conditioned
      response (CR) to self-relevant stimuli relative to stimuli with less relevance.
      We manipulated self-relevance through emotion and gaze direction of synthetic
      dynamic facial expressions during differential aversive conditioning. Results
      provided mixed evidence for our hypotheses. Critically, we revealed faster
      acquisition of the CR to angry faces with direct compared with averted gaze and
      greater resistance to extinction to fearful faces with averted relative to direct
      gaze. We conclude that the relevance detection hypothesis offers an appropriate
      theoretical framework allowing to (re)interpret existing evidence, incorporate
      our results, and propose a new research perspective in the study of emotional
      learning. 

PMID- 26115929
TI  - [Knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning rabies and post-exposure
      prophylactic measures at the Cheikh Anta Diop university in Dakar].

PMID- 26115930
TI  - Phase I study of non-pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in children with
      recurrent/refractory high-grade glioma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the maximum recommended dose (RD) and pharmacokinetics of
      Myocet(r), a non-pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, in children. METHODS: Eligible
      patients were children with refractory high-grade glioma who had received prior
      chemotherapy and radiotherapy but no anthracyclines. Cohorts of at least three
      patients each received escalating doses of Myocet(r) starting at 60 mg/m(2) at 3
      week intervals, administered intravenously over 1 h, and then doses were
      escalated to 75 mg/m(2) corresponding to the adult RD. Periodic blood samples
      were collected, and plasma doxorubicin and doxorubicinol concentrations were
      quantified to characterise the pharmacokinetics of Myocet(r). RESULTS: Between
      October 2010 and January 2013, 13 children aged 6-17 years were treated. In
      total, 27 courses were administered, at the 60 mg/m(2) dose level in seven
      patients without dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), and at 75 mg/m(2) in six patients
      of whom two experienced DLT (grade 4 neutropenia). The most common grade 3-4
      toxicities reported for all courses were neutropenia (35 and 38 %, respectively),
      thrombocytopenia (12 and 4 %, respectively); and grade 3 vomiting, nausea,
      mucositis, and fever (4 % each). Mean estimates of central volume of distribution
      at steady state, clearance, and elimination half-life of doxorubicin were 24.8 L,
      15 L/h/m(2), and 34.8 h, respectively, with a large interpatient variability.
      CONCLUSION: The RD of Myocet(r) administered every 3 weeks to paediatric patients
      was 60 mg/m(2). The efficacy of Myocet(r) in paediatric patients with high-grade
      glioma remains to be determined and should be studied in Phase II trials.

PMID- 26115931
TI  - Rapid acceleration of plant speciation during the Anthropocene.
AB  - Speciation rates need to be considered when estimating human impacts on the
      numbers of species on Earth, given that past mass extinctions have been followed
      by the accelerated origination of new taxa. Here, I suggest that the Anthropocene
      is already exhibiting a greatly accelerated plant speciation rate due to
      agriculture, horticulture, and the human-mediated transport of species, followed
      by hybridisation. For example, more new plant species have come into existence in
      Europe over the past three centuries than have been documented as becoming
      extinct over the same period, even though most new hybrid-origin species are
      likely to remain undetected. Current speciation rates are unusually high and they
      could be higher than during or after previous mass extinctions. 

PMID- 26115932
TI  - Internal fertilization and sperm storage in cnidarians: a response to Orr and
      Brennan.

PMID- 26115933
TI  - Society for maternal and fetal medicine workshop on pregnancy as a window to
      future health: Clinical utility of classifying women with metabolic syndrome.
AB  - Women with preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and obesity during pregnancy are
      at risk for medical complications later in life. Therefore, practitioners should
      identify those who can benefit from early diagnosis and interventions. Metabolic
      syndrome is a cluster of risk factors including hypertension, elevated
      triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glucose intolerance, and
      obesity, which also identifies those at risk for cardiovascular disease. Taking
      the time to classify women with the metabolic syndrome does not necessarily offer
      risk stratification superior to that offered by identifying the individual
      components. This article will offer conclusions regarding the need for busy
      obstetrician/gynecologists to make this classification. 

PMID- 26115934
TI  - Lund-Mackay and modified Lund-Mackay score for sinus surgery in children with
      cystic fibrosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) frequently present with severe
      sinonasal disease often requiring radiologic imaging and surgical intervention.
      Few studies have focused on the relationship between radiologic scoring systems
      and the need for sinus surgery in this population. The objective of this study is
      to evaluate the Lund-Mackay (LM) and modified Lund-Mackay (m-LM) scoring systems
      in predicting the need for sinus surgery or revision surgery in patients with CF.
      METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of CF patients undergoing
      computed tomography (CT) sinus imaging at a tertiary care pediatric hospital from
      1995 to 2008. Patient scans were scored using both the LM and m-LM systems and
      compared to the rate of sinus surgery or revision surgery. Receiver-operator
      characteristics curves (ROC) were used to analyze the radiological scoring
      systems. RESULTS: A total of 41 children with CF were included in the study. The
      mean LM score for patients undergoing surgery was 17.3 (+/-3.1) compared to 11.5
      (+/-6.2) for those treated medically (p<0.01). For the m-LM, the mean score of
      patients undergoing surgery was 20.3 (+/-3.5) and 13.5 (+/-7.3) for those
      medically treated (p<0.01). Using a ROC curve with a threshold score of 13 for
      the LM, the sensitivity was 89.3% (95% CI of 72-98) and specificity of 69.2% (95%
      CI of 39-91). At an optimal score of 19, the m-LM system produced a sensitivity
      of 67.7% (95% CI of 48-84) and specificity of 84.6% (95% CI of 55-98).
      CONCLUSION: The modified Lund-Mackay score provides a high specificity while the
      Lund-Mackay score a high sensitivity for CF patients who required sinus surgery.
      The combination of both radiologic scoring systems can potentially predict the
      need for surgery in this population.

PMID- 26115935
TI  - Tracking tympanostomy tube outcomes in pediatric patients with otitis media using
      an electronic database.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To implement and review a database for children with a diagnosis of
      otitis media (OM) to facilitate comparative outcomes and long-term prospective
      follow up of surgical outcomes. Specific aim is to review presenting symptoms,
      risk factors, tympanostomy tube outcomes and complications, and need for further
      procedures. METHODS: A web-based customized database was constructed to
      universally enroll all patients seen in consultation with a diagnosis of OM.
      Unique database fields include demographics, physical exam findings, risk
      factors, intervention, and long-term outcomes. Major surgical complications
      measured include: tympanic membrane perforation, retained tubes, chronic
      otorrhea, and cholesteatoma formation. RESULTS: Six hundred and thirty four
      unique patients have been prospectively enrolled. Five hundred and forty four
      tubes have been followed to extrusion. Outcomes demonstrate high prevalence of OM
      risk factors associated with surgical patients including: 63% in day care and 26%
      with a sibling requiring tympanostomy tubes. Complication rates; 1% developed
      perforations requiring surgical intervention, 2.6% required removal of retained
      tubes, 1% extruded early (<60 days), and 0.7% were surgically removed for other
      complications. Cholesteatoma was identified in 0.56%, all had ongoing chronic ear
      disease. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term, outcome driven investigations assessing the
      surgical management of OM are needed given the prevalence of this disease and the
      frequency of surgical intervention required. The current database represents the
      largest prospective cohort of patients enrolled and followed in this fashion and
      has generated data demonstrating a procedure associated with significant
      improvement in patient quality of life in the short-term with low complication
      rates in the long-term. This ongoing prospective investigation is providing data
      that have the potential to be important in treatment algorithms, procedure
      justification, and risk factor modification.

PMID- 26115936
TI  - Editorial Comment.

PMID- 26115937
TI  - Bilateral cartilage T2 mapping 9 years after Mega-OATS implantation at the knee:
      a quantitative 3T MRI study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate morphological and quantitative MR findings 9 years after
      autograft transfer of the posterior femoral condyle (Mega-OATS) and to correlate
      these findings with clinical outcomes. Quantitative MR measurements were also
      obtained of the contralateral knee and the utility as reference standard was
      investigated. DESIGN: Both knees of 20 patients with Mega-OATS osteochondral
      repair at the medial femoral condyle (MFC) were studied using 3T MRI 9 years
      after the procedure. MR-sequences included morphological sequences and a 2D
      multislice multiecho (MSME) spin echo (SE) sequence for quantitative cartilage T2
      mapping. Cartilage segmentation was performed at the cartilage repair site and
      six additional knee compartments. Semi-quantitative MR observation of cartilage
      repair tissue (MOCART) scores and clinical Lysholm scores were obtained. Paired t
      tests and Spearman correlations were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS:
      Global T2-values were significantly higher at ipsilateral knees compared to
      contralateral knees (42.1 +/- 3.0 ms vs 40.4 +/- 2.6 ms, P = 0.018). T2-values of
      the Mega-OATS site correlated significantly with MOCART scores (R = -0.64, P =
      0.006). The correlations between MOCART and Lysholm scores and between absolute
      T2-values and Lysholm scores were not significant (P > 0.05). However, higher T2
      side-to-side differences at the femoral condyles correlated significantly with
      more severe clinical symptoms (medial, R = -0.53, P = 0.030; lateral, R = -0.51,
      P = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: Despite long-term survival, 9 years after Mega-OATS
      procedures, T2-values of the grafts were increased compared to contralateral
      knees. Clinical scores correlated best with T2 side-to-side differences of the
      femoral condyles, indicating that intraindividual adjustment may be beneficial
      for outcome evaluation.

PMID- 26115938
TI  - Evaluation of Echinostoma liei worm, metacercaria and redia antigens for
      schistosomiasis control.
AB  - While chemotherepeutic drugs, such as praziquantel, oxamniquine and metrifonate,
      are currently considered safe and effective drugs for schistosomiasis treatment,
      reinfection occurs frequently after drug treatment. Thus, a vaccine is sought to
      provide long-term treatment. Antigens from worm, metacercaria and redia of
      Echinostoma liei (E. liei) were purified using CNBr-activated Sepharose column,
      then used for immunization of mice prior to infection with Schistosomiasis
      mansoni. Worm burden, hepatic and intestinal eggs and oogram count was
      significantly reduced and that was reflected in normalization of liver
      architecture. This referred to a significant increase in the tested
      immunoglobulin level (IgM, IgG1 and IgG2). 

PMID- 26115939
TI  - The efficacies of 5 insecticides against hard ticks Hyalomma asiaticum,
      Haemaphysalis longicornis and Rhipicephalus sanguineus.
AB  - At present, chemical-based tick control strategies are still the most efficient
      and widely used methods in control of ticks and tick-borne diseases. In this
      study, the efficacies of lambda-cyhalothrin, beta-cypermethrin, emamectin
      benzoate, spirotetramat and hexaflumuron in vitro were evaluated against Hyalomma
      asiaticum, Haemaphysalis longicornis and Rhipicephalus sanguineus that are
      widespread and able to transmit a variety of human and animal diseases in China.
      The results showed that the LC (lethal concentration) 50 of lambda-cyhalothrin,
      beta-cypermethrin, emamectin benzoate, spirotetramat and hexaflumuron were 22.05,
      107.35, 287.62, 432.25 and over 6250 mg/L to Hy. asiaticum engorged nymphs,
      respectively. The LC50 of lambda-cyhalothrin and beta-cypermethrin were each to
      100.69 mg/L and 340.05 mg/L against Hy. asiaticum unfed adults. In addition, 50
      mg/L of lambda-cyhalothrin could completely inhibit engorged females of the 3
      tick species to lay eggs. These results indicate that lambda-cyhalothrin has the
      highest efficacy and broadest spectrum for against the 3 tick species. The
      present study provides some information for selecting chemical acaricides in
      control ticks and tick-borne-diseases, as well for preparing acaricide mixtures
      to improve killing efficacy, and retard the advent of tick-resistance of
      acaricides in China.

PMID- 26115940
TI  - Characterisation of iron regulatory protein 1A and 1B in the blood-feeding
      copepod Lepeophtheirus salmonis.
AB  - During its parasitic life stages, the marine ectoparasitic copepod Lepeophtheirus
      salmonis ingests large amounts of host blood, which contains high amounts of
      iron. Iron is an essential micronutrient, but also toxic in high dosages, and
      blood-feeding parasites like the salmon louse must thus possess an efficient
      system to handle the excess iron. Iron regulatory protein 1 and 2 (IRP1 and IRP2)
      are known to play crucial roles in this process, by regulating several proteins
      involved in iron transport and storage, depending on the cellular iron
      concentration. To gain knowledge about the regulation of the iron metabolism in
      salmon lice, two IRP homologues (LsIRP1A and LsIRP1B) were identified by sequence
      and predicted structure similarity to known IRPs in other species. In situ
      hybridisation revealed that LsIRP1A and LsIRP1B mRNAs were expressed in the
      ovaries, oviducts and vitellogenic oocytes of adult females. Transcription levels
      of LsIRP1A and LsIRP1B mRNAs did not differ significantly between the different
      developmental stages of the salmon louse. Adults in the absence of blood as a
      feed source had decreased levels of LsIRP1A, but not LsIRP1B mRNA. RNA binding
      experiments indicated the presence of functioning IRP in salmon lice. In order to
      explore the biological functions of LsIRP1A and LsIRP1B, the mRNAs of both
      proteins were knocked down by RNA interference (RNAi) in preadult females. The
      knockdown was confirmed by qRT-PCR. LsIRP1B knockdown lice produced less
      offspring than control lice due to slightly shorter egg strings and had decreased
      levels of transcripts involved in egg development. Knockdown of both LsIRP1A and
      LsIRP1B caused increased expression of a salmon louse Ferritin (LsFer). These
      results confirm that salmon lice have two IRP1 homologues, LsIRP1A and LsIRP1B,
      and might suggest a function in cellular iron regulation in the reproductive
      organs and eggs. 

PMID- 26115941
TI  - Nitric oxide production increases during Toxoplasma gondii encephalitis in mice.
AB  - Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite with the potential of causing
      severe encephalitis among immunocompromised human and animals. The aim of this
      experimental study was to investigate the immunomodulatory and immunopathological
      role of nitric oxide (NO) in central nervous systems and to identify any
      correlation between toxoplasmosis neuropathology and investigate the consequences
      of the cellular responses protect against T. gondii. Mice were infected with ME49
      strain T. gondii and levels of endothelial, neuronal and inducible nitric oxide
      synthase (eNOS, nNOS, iNOS), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and
      neurofilament (NF) were examined in brain tissues by immunohistochemistry, during
      the development and establishment of a chronic infection at 10 30 and 60 days
      post infection. Results of the study revealed that the levels of eNOS (p < 0.05),
      nNOS (p < 0.05), iNOS (p < 0.005), GFAP (p < 0.005) and NF (p < 0.005) were
      remarkably higher in T. gondii-infected mice than in uninfected control. The most
      prominent finding from our study was 10 and 30 days after inoculation data
      indicating that increased levels of NO not only a potential neuroprotective role
      for immunoregulatory and immunopathological but also might be a molecular trigger
      of bradyzoite development. Furthermore, this findings were shown that high
      expressed NO origin was not only inducible nitric oxide synthase but also
      endothelial and neuronal. We demonstrated that activation of astrocytes and
      microglia/macrophages is a significant event in toxoplasma encephalitis (TE). The
      results also clearly indicated that increased levels of NO might contribute to
      neuropathology related with TE. Furthermore, expression of NF might gives an idea
      of the progress and critical for diagnostic significance of this disease. 

PMID- 26115942
TI  - Alcohol Use and Unintended Sexual Consequences among Women Attending an Urban
      Sexually Transmitted Infections Clinic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although alcohol use has been linked with a variety of sexual
      behaviors, we lack an understanding of what precise events occur when women drink
      that may lead to emotional or physical harms. METHODS: To fill this gap, we
      qualitatively explored the unintended sexual events occurring while drinking
      among a particularly at-risk clinic population: urban women attending a public
      sexually transmitted infections (STI) clinic. This was a secondary data analysis
      of 20 semistructured, in-depth interviews conducted between December 2009 and
      August 2010 with 20 sexually active adult women attending the Baltimore City
      Health Department STI Clinic. We purposively sampled women presenting for care in
      the STI clinic who reported either binge drinking in the past 6 months or
      engaging in vaginal or anal intercourse while under the influence of alcohol.
      Interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Five major
      unintended sexual events emerged: sex with new partners; alternative sexual
      activities, including anal sex and "rough" sex; unprotected sex; blacked out sex
      or sex occurring during alcohol-related amnesia; and rape. Themes often
      overlapped, and sexual victimization was a common thread throughout multiple
      themes. An additional theme, alcohol and prey, largely occurring in bars and
      nightclubs, emerged as an important precursor to many of the unintended events
      described. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol use was associated with a variety of--often
      dangerous--unintended sexual events. Our results highlight the link between
      alcohol use and sexual victimization and the need for intervention development to
      reduce the emotional and physical harms resulting from the unintended
      consequences of alcohol use.

PMID- 26115944
TI  - Audiovestibular disorders as autoimmune reaction in patients with melanoma.
AB  - Melanoma is an aggressive form of cancer derived from neuroectodermal
      melanocytes. Melanocytes are present in the skin and hair follicles, as well as
      in the eye (iris and choroids), the leptomeninges, the anal canal and the inner
      ear. In the inner ear melanocytes are found both in the intermediate layer of the
      stria vascularis of the cochlea and in the dark cells of the vestibular organs.
      They are believed to play an important role in the production of endolymphatic
      potentials and in the maintenance of normal volumes of the inner ear fluids.
      Recently, audiovestibular dysfunctions have been demonstrated in patients treated
      with immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma and have been related to an autoimmune
      attack on the normal melanocytes of the inner ear. Melanoma is an immunogenic
      tumor type frequently associated with spontaneous autoimmune manifestations which
      seem to be associated with better prognosis. The melanoma-associated antigens are
      also expressed in normal melanocytes in the skin, eye and ear. We hypothesize
      that inner ear melanocytes could be a target of an autoimmune process in patients
      affected by melanoma. The immune system could produce antibodies that cross-react
      with both the melanoma cells and the labyrinth melanocytes causing an altered
      homeostasis of endolymphatic liquids and provoking some labyrinthic disorders
      such as vertigo, hearing loss, aural fullness and tinnitus resembling or
      influencing Meniere's disease. In this perspective, audiovestibular disorders
      could be interpreted as an attempt by the individual immune system to develop
      anti-tumor response. In patients affected by melanoma an autoimmune genesis has
      already been advocated for ocular symptoms in melanoma-associated retinopathy,
      where the cross-reaction happens against retinal cells. A possible role of inner
      ear melanocytes should be considered as a potential cause of audiovestibular
      disorders. Further research is needed to demonstrate a connection between
      melanoma and labyrinth dysfunctions such as in melanoma-associated retinopathy. 

PMID- 26115943
TI  - Patients do not have a consistent understanding of high risk for future fracture:
      a qualitative study of patients from a post-fracture secondary prevention
      program.
AB  - We examined fracture patients' understanding of "high" fracture risk after they
      were screened through a post-fracture secondary prevention program and educated
      about their risk verbally, numerically, and graphically. Our findings suggest
      that messages about fracture risk are confusing to patients and need to be
      modified to better suit patients' needs. INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was
      to examine fracture patients' understanding of high risk for future fracture.
      METHODS: We conducted an in-depth qualitative study in patients who were high
      risk for future fracture. Patients were screened through the Osteoporosis
      Exemplary Care Program where they were educated about fracture risk: verbally
      told they were "high risk" for future fracture, given a numerical prompt that
      they had a >20 % chance of future fracture over the next 10 years, and given a
      visual graph highlighting the "high risk" segment. This information about
      fracture risk was also relayed to patients' primary care physicians (PCPs) and
      specialists. Participants were interviewed at baseline (within six months of
      fracture) and follow-up (after visit with a PCP and/or specialist) and asked to
      recall their understanding of risk and whether it applied to them. RESULTS: We
      recruited 27 patients (20 females, 7 males) aged 51-87 years old. Fractures were
      sustained at the wrist (n = 7), hip (n = 7), vertebrae (n = 2), and multiple or
      other locations (n = 11). While most participants recalled they had been labeled
      as "high risk" (verbal cue), most were unable to correctly recall the other
      elements of risk (numerical, graphical). Further, approximately half of the
      patients who recalled they were high risk did not believe that high risk applied,
      or had meaning, to them. Participants also had difficulty explaining what they
      were at risk for. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that health care providers'
      messages about fracture risk are confusing to patients and that these messages
      need to be modified to better suit patients' needs.

PMID- 26115945
TI  - Multiple sclerosis and susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases: Implications of
      ethnicity-related interleukin-17A gene polymorphism?
AB  - There are conflicting findings on whether patients with MS are at more or less
      risk of vascular comorbidities as compared to the general population. The
      worldwide incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the MS
      patients has been reported to vary substantially by region. Inflammation and
      demyelination in MS seem to be due to an autoimmune process mediated by IL17
      secreting Th17 cells. Genotypic and allelic frequencies of IL17A and IL17F gene
      polymorphisms seem to confer risk to MS across populations. Increased serum
      levels of TH17 cells and IL-17 have been connected with atherogenesis. Ethnic
      specific IL17A gene haplotypes have been associated with the risk of developing
      atherosclerosis and premature coronary artery disease. The co-occurrence of CVD
      with MS might be due to ethnicity-related IL-17 gene polymorphism implying
      geographic and population heterogeneities. Ethnic-specific IL17 gene polymorphism
      may explain the conflicting results both on the roles of IL17 and Th17 cells in
      atherosclerosis development and about the epidemiology of CVD in MS population
      across countries. Genomic and proteomic studies are required to assess the
      possibility to use polymorphisms of IL17 gene as biomarkers of racial
      susceptibility to CVD in MS. 

PMID- 26115946
TI  - Reactivation of latently infected HIV-1 viral reservoirs and correction of
      aberrant alternative splicing in the LMNA gene via AMPK activation: Common
      mechanism of action linking HIV-1 latency and Hutchinson-Gilford progeria
      syndrome.
AB  - Although the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has proven highly effective in
      controlling and suppressing HIV-1 replication, the persistence of latent but
      replication-competent proviruses in a small subset of CD4(+) memory T cells
      presents significant challenges to viral eradication from infected individuals.
      Attempts to eliminate latent reservoirs are epitomized by the 'shock and kill'
      approach, a strategy involving the combinatorial usage of compounds that
      influence epigenetic modulation and initiation of proviral transcription.
      However, efficient regulation of viral pre-mRNA splicing through manipulation of
      host cell splicing machinery is also indispensible for HIV-1 replication.
      Interestingly, aberrant alternative splicing of the LMNA gene via the usage of a
      cryptic splice site has been shown to be the cause of most cases of Hutchinson
      Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), a rare genetic condition characterized by an
      accelerated aging phenotype due to the accumulation of a truncated form of lamin
      A known as progerin. Recent evidence has shown that inhibition of the splicing
      factors ASF/SF2 (or SRSF1) and SRp55 (or SRSF6) leads to a reduction or an
      increase in progerin at both the mRNA and protein levels, respectively, thus
      altering the LMNA pre-mRNA splicing ratio. It is also well-established that
      during the latter stages of HIV-1 infection, an increase in the production and
      nuclear export of unspliced viral mRNA is indispensible for efficient HIV-1
      replication and that the presence of ASF/SF2 leads to excessive viral pre-mRNA
      splicing and a reduction of unspliced mRNA, while the presence of SRp55 inhibits
      viral pre-mRNA splicing and aids in the generation and translation of unspliced
      HIV-1 mRNAs. The splicing-factor associated protein and putative mitochondrial
      chaperone p32 has also been shown to inhibit ASF/SF2, increase unspliced HIV-1
      viral mRNA, and enhance mitochondrial DNA replication and oxidative
      phosphorylation. It is our hypothesis that activation of AMPK, a master regulator
      of cellular metabolism which has been shown to activate PKC-theta (theta) and is
      essential for T cell activation, may modulate the splicing activities of SRp55 as
      well as enhance a p32-mediated inhibition of ASF/SF2-induced alternative
      splicing, potentially correcting aberrant alternative splicing in the LMNA gene
      and reactivating latent viral HIV-1 reservoirs. Moreover, similar epigenetic
      modifications and cell cycle regulators also characterize the analogous stages of
      premature senescence in progeroid cells and latency in HIV-1 infected T cells.
      AMPK-activating compounds including metformin and resveratrol may thus embody a
      novel treatment paradigm linking the pathophysiology of HGPS with that of HIV-1
      latency. 

PMID- 26115947
TI  - Associations between peripheral vertigo and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
AB  - We hypothesize that peripheral vertigo is associated with gastroesophageal reflux
      disease (GERD). Two mechanisms could be considered - gastric acids may directly
      irritate the respiratory mucosa and cause inflammation, or Helicobacter pylori
      (H. pylori) could be present and cause local infection. Reflux material
      (Hydrochloric acid (HCl) and pepsin) could get into the middle ear via Eustachian
      tube and affect osseous structures directly. Disturbance of ossicles could cause
      tinnitus, which is more common for peripheral vertigo. H. pylori could also get
      in the esophagus and in the upper respiratory tract via gastroesophageal reflux,
      and could cause tympanosclerosis and fixation of ossicles. In our study group,
      120 of 153 (78.4%) patients had gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
      Diagnostic tests of H. pylori (rapid urease test or blood antibody test) were
      performed for 96 of 120 (80%) patients with GERD and were found positive for 32
      of 96 (33.3%) patients. Peripheral vertigo was present in 93 of 120 (77.6%)
      patients with GERD compared to 33 of 126 (26%) patients without GERD
      (chi(2)=9.016, p=0.003). H. pylori and peripheral vertigo coexisted in 26 of 126
      patients (20.6%) (OR 1.36; 95% CI 0.49-3.74, p=0.55). Our study demonstrated
      statistically significant association between peripheral vertigo and GERD but not
      between peripheral vertigo and H. pylori. Further more extensive investigations
      are needed in order to explore our hypothesis.

PMID- 26115949
TI  - Erratum to: Diagnostics of Tree Diseases Caused by Phytophthora austrocedri
      Species.

PMID- 26115948
TI  - Epidemiological status of kissing-bugs in South East Asia: A preliminary
      assessment.
AB  - Kissing-bugs (Triatominae) are being increasingly reported as a biting nuisance
      in SE Asia, with severe bite reactions sometimes leading to anaphylactic shock.
      In addition, they pose a risk for vector-borne transmission of trypanosomiasis,
      with potential diagnostic difficulties due to the range of trypanosome species in
      the region. Here, we review available information about Triatominae in Asia, and
      present additional comparisons using morphometry, cytogenetics, and new DNA
      sequence data, to clarify their relationship with each other and with the better
      known American species. We deduce that all Asian Triatominae have probably
      derived from forms originally spread during the 15-18th centuries on sailing
      ships, from the area that now forms the southern USA. 

PMID- 26115951
TI  - Ethyl lactate as a greener alternative to acetonitrile in RPLC: a realistic
      appraisal.
AB  - Appropriate substitution of acetonitrile (ACN) in mobile phases for reversed
      phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) by low toxicity, ecologically friendly
      alternative solvents emerges as a greener approach in separation sciences. Ethyl
      lactate is considered as a green solvent in organic synthesis, industrial
      extraction processes and many other applicative fields. Its ability to substitute
      ACN in mobile phases for RPLC applications was barely investigated. The
      feasibility of such a replacement was tested for the separation of the mixture of
      16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons listed by the Environmental Protection
      Agency. The analytical approach was found to be achievable, with some compromises
      in terms of elution order, peak efficiency and UV detectability. Thermodynamic
      aspects of the chromatographic process were also comparatively assessed.
      Correlations between the elution order and some molecular descriptors were also
      discussed. 

PMID- 26115952
TI  - The reduction in small ribosomal subunit abundance in ethanol-stressed cells of
      Bacillus subtilis is mediated by a SigB-dependent antisense RNA.
AB  - One of the best-characterized general stress responses in bacteria is the sigmaB
      mediated stress response of the Gram-positive soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis.
      The sigmaB regulon contains approximately 200 protein-encoding genes and 136
      putative regulatory RNAs. One of these sigmaB-dependent RNAs, named S1136-S1134,
      was recently mapped as being transcribed from the S1136 promoter on the opposite
      strand of the essential rpsD gene, which encodes the ribosomal primary-binding
      protein S4. Accordingly, S1136-S1134 transcription results in an rpsD-overlapping
      antisense RNA (asRNA). Upon exposure of B. subtilis to ethanol, the S1136
      promoter was found to be induced, while rpsD transcription was downregulated. By
      quantitative PCR, we show that the activation of transcription from the S1136
      promoter is directly responsible for the downregulation of rpsD upon ethanol
      exposure. We also show that this downregulation of rpsD leads to a reduced level
      of the small (30S) ribosomal subunit upon ethanol stress. The activation of the
      S1136 promoter thus represents the first example of antisense transcription
      mediated regulation in the general stress response of B. subtilis and implicates
      the reduction of ribosomal protein abundance as a new aspect in the sigmaB
      dependent stress response. We propose that the observed reduction in the level of
      the small ribosomal subunit, which contains the ribosome-decoding center, may
      protect B. subtilis cells against misreading and spurious translation of possibly
      toxic aberrant peptides under conditions of ethanol stress.

PMID- 26115953
TI  - RNF17 blocks promiscuous activity of PIWI proteins in mouse testes.
AB  - PIWI proteins and their associated piRNAs protect germ cells from the activity of
      mobile genetic elements. Two classes of piRNAs-primary and secondary-are defined
      by their mechanisms of biogenesis. Primary piRNAs are processed directly from
      transcripts of piRNA cluster loci, whereas secondary piRNAs are generated in an
      adaptive amplification loop, termed the ping-pong cycle. In mammals, piRNA
      populations are dynamic, shifting as male germ cells develop. Embryonic piRNAs
      consist of both primary and secondary species and are mainly directed toward
      transposons. In meiotic cells, the piRNA population is transposon-poor and
      largely restricted to primary piRNAs derived from pachytene piRNA clusters. The
      transition from the embryonic to the adult piRNA pathway is not well understood.
      Here we show that RNF17 shapes adult meiotic piRNA content by suppressing the
      production of secondary piRNAs. In the absence of RNF17, ping-pong occurs
      inappropriately in meiotic cells. Ping-pong initiates piRNA responses against not
      only transposons but also protein-coding genes and long noncoding RNAs, including
      genes essential for germ cell development. Thus, the sterility of Rnf17 mutants
      may be a manifestation of a small RNA-based autoimmune reaction.

PMID- 26115955
TI  - Transtracheal ventilation with a novel ejector-based device (Ventrain) in open,
      partly obstructed, or totally closed upper airways in pigs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transtracheal access and subsequent jet ventilation are among the
      last options in a 'cannot intubate-cannot oxygenate' scenario. These
      interventions may lead to hypercapnia, barotrauma, and haemodynamic failure in
      the event of an obstructed upper airway. The aim of the present study was to
      evaluate the efficacy and the haemodynamic effects of the Ventrain, a manually
      operated ventilation device that provides expiratory ventilation assistance.
      Transtracheal ventilation was carried out with the Ventrain in different airway
      scenarios in live pigs, and its performance was compared with a conventional jet
      ventilator. METHODS: Pigs with open, partly obstructed, or completely closed
      upper airways were transtracheally ventilated either with the Ventrain or by
      conventional jet ventilation. Airway pressures, haemodynamic parameters, and
      blood gases obtained in the different settings were compared. RESULTS: Mean (SD)
      alveolar minute ventilation as reflected by arterial partial pressure of CO2 was
      superior with the Ventrain in partly obstructed airways after 6 min in comparison
      with traditional manual jet ventilation [4.7 (0.19) compared with 7.1 (0.37)
      kPa], and this was also the case in all simulated airway conditions. At the same
      time, peak airway pressures were significantly lower and haemodynamic parameters
      were altered to a lesser extent with the Ventrain. CONCLUSIONS: The results of
      this study suggest that the Ventrain device can ensure sufficient oxygenation and
      ventilation through a small-bore transtracheal catheter when the airway is open,
      partly obstructed, or completely closed. Minute ventilation and avoidance of high
      airway pressures were superior in comparison with traditional hand-triggered jet
      ventilation, particularly in the event of complete upper airway obstruction.

PMID- 26115954
TI  - Cognitive behavioral therapy for depression improves pain and perceived control
      in cardiac surgery patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression after cardiac surgery (CS) is associated with increased
      pain and decreased sleep quality. While cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) aimed
      at depression is effective in relieving depressive symptoms after cardiac
      surgery, little is known about its ability to ameliorate other common
      postoperative problems that affect recovery and quality of life. AIMS: The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of CBT for depression on pain
      severity, pain interference, sleep, and perceived control in patients recovering
      from CS. METHODS: Depressed patients recovering from CS were randomized to
      receive either eight weeks of CBT or usual care. At baseline and post
      intervention, patients completed questionnaires for depressive symptoms, pain,
      sleep, and perceived control. Group comparisons were conducted using t-tests or
      chi square analysis. Repeated measures analysis was used to assess the effect of
      the intervention in changes over time. RESULTS: The sample (n=53) included 16.9%
      women and had a mean age of 67.8+/-9.2 years. CBT for depression increased
      perceived control (p<0.001) and decreased pain interference (p=0.02) and pain
      severity (p=0.03). Group effects remained significant (p<0.05) for perceived
      control and pain interference and a trend was observed for pain severity (p<0.10)
      after controlling for variables that differed at baseline. There were no group
      differences in sleep disturbance over time. CONCLUSIONS: A depression-focused CBT
      intervention yields benefits in other common postoperative problems, specifically
      improved perceived control and decreased pain in depressed cardiac surgery
      patients.

PMID- 26115956
TI  - An occult cause of dyspnoea.

PMID- 26115957
TI  - Crack tip shielding observed with high-resolution transmission electron
      microscopy.
AB  - The dislocation shielding field at a crack tip was experimentally proven at the
      atomic scale by measuring the local strain in front of the crack tip using high
      resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and geometric phase analysis
      (GPA). Single crystalline (110) silicon wafers were employed. Cracks were
      introduced using a Vickers indenter at room temperature. The crack tip region was
      observed using HRTEM followed by strain measurements using GPA. The measured
      strain field at the crack tip was compressive owing to dislocation shielding,
      which is in good agreement with the strain field calculated from elastic theory. 

PMID- 26115959
TI  - Critical Care Management of Bariatric Surgery Complications.
AB  - Obesity remains a major medical disease that often requires surgical intervention
      in morbidly obese patients. Surgical procedures have evolved and are performed
      routinely in most major medical centers. Outcomes are often dependent on patient
      characteristics, type of procedure, and preoperative planning. Risk
      stratification often depends on screening and optimizing known comorbidities
      often encountered in this patient population. A thorough understanding of the
      physiologic changes seen in obese patient and the commonly performed operations
      will allow the physician to perform optimal treatment strategies. 

PMID- 26115958
TI  - Magnetic resonance spectroscopy of paragangliomas: new insights into in vivo
      metabolomics.
AB  - Paragangliomas (PGLs) can be associated with mutations in genes of the
      tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Succinate dehydrogenase (SDHx) mutations are the
      prime examples of genetically determined TCA cycle defects with accumulation of
      succinate. Succinate, which acts as an oncometabolite, can be detected by ex vivo
      metabolomics approaches. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential role
      of proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) for identifying SDHx
      related PGLs in vivo and noninvasively. Eight patients were prospectively
      evaluated with single voxel (1)H-MRS. MR spectra from eight tumors (four SDHx
      related PGLs, two sporadic PGLs, one cervical schwannoma, and one cervical
      neurofibroma) were acquired and interpreted qualitatively. Compared to other
      tumors, a succinate resonance peak was detected only in SDHx-related tumor
      patients. Spectra quality was considered good in three cases, medium in two
      cases, poor in two cases, and uninterpretable in the latter case. Smaller lesions
      had lower spectra quality compared to larger lesions. Jugular PGLs also exhibited
      a poorer spectra quality compared to other locations. (1)H-MRS has always been
      challenging in terms of its technical requisites. This is even more true for the
      evaluation of head and neck tumors. However, (1)H-MRS might be added to the
      classical MR sequences for metabolomic characterization of PGLs. In vivo
      detection of succinate might guide genetic testing, characterize SDHx variants of
      unknown significance (in the absence of available tumor sample), and even
      optimize a selection of appropriate therapies. 

PMID- 26115960
TI  - Morphological and molecular features of oral fluid-derived exosomes: oral cancer
      patients versus healthy individuals.
AB  - PURPOSE: Oral cancer (OC) patients are at high risk to develop recurrent disease
      or secondary primary cancers with no available biomarkers to detect these events
      until a visible lesion is readily present and diagnosed by biopsy. Exosomes
      secreted by cancer cells are involved in tumor growth, invasion and metastasis.
      We aimed to determine morphological and molecular differences between oral fluid
      (OF)-derived exosomes of OC patients and those isolated from healthy individuals
      (HI). METHODS: OF from OC patients (n = 36) and HI (n = 25) was initially
      assessed by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). Following ultracentrifugation,
      exosomal pellets of OC patients and HI were morphologically examined by
      transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blotting (WB) were used to analyze the
      expression of exosomal markers--CD9, CD81 and CD63. RESULTS: NTA showed that OC
      samples of OF had a significantly higher concentration of nanoparticles/ml (p =
      0.01) and modal nanoparticle size (p = 0.002) compared to HI. The difference in
      size was structurally highlighted by AFM three-dimensional images applied on
      exosomal pellets. ELISA and WB showed differential expression of exosomal markers
      in OC exosomes compared to HI: lower expression of CD81 and CD9 in contrast to a
      higher expression of CD63 (~53 kDa). CONCLUSIONS: OF-derived exosomes from OC
      patients differ both morphologically and molecularly from exosomes present in HI.
      This study is a baseline that provides a starting point for finding exosomal
      biomarkers for early detection of malignant changes in high-risk patients without
      overt clinical signs/lesions.

PMID- 26115962
TI  - Fair Is Not Fair Everywhere.
AB  - Distributing the spoils of a joint enterprise on the basis of work contribution
      or relative productivity seems natural to the modern Western mind. But such
      notions of merit-based distributive justice may be culturally constructed norms
      that vary with the social and economic structure of a group. In the present
      research, we showed that children from three different cultures have very
      different ideas about distributive justice. Whereas children from a modern
      Western society distributed the spoils of a joint enterprise precisely in
      proportion to productivity, children from a gerontocratic pastoralist society in
      Africa did not take merit into account at all. Children from a partially hunter
      gatherer, egalitarian African culture distributed the spoils more equally than
      did the other two cultures, with merit playing only a limited role. This pattern
      of results suggests that some basic notions of distributive justice are not
      universal intuitions of the human species but rather culturally constructed
      behavioral norms. 

PMID- 26115961
TI  - Analysis of IDH1-R132 mutation, BRAF V600 mutation and KIAA1549-BRAF fusion
      transcript status in central nervous system tumors supports pediatric tumor
      classification.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Gliomas are the leading cause of cancer-related morbidity in children
      and comprise a clinical, histological and molecular heterogenous group of CNS
      tumors. Appropriate treatment of these tumors relies on correct classification
      into tumor types and malignancy grades. METHODS: We examined 170 (0-18 years)
      pediatric and 131 (19-35 years) young adult brain tumors including pilocytic
      astrocytomas (PAs), pilomyxoid astrocytomas (PMAs), diffuse astrocytomas (DAs),
      gangliogliomas, dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNTs) and pleomorphic
      xanthoastrocytomas (PXAs) for IDH1 and BRAF mutation/BRAF fusion gene status. The
      obtained data were compared to results in 464 (<35 years) adult brain tumors. In
      32 tumors with an oligodendroglial or mixed glioma differentiation, additionally
      the LOH1p/19q status was determined. RESULTS: By combining immunohistochemistry
      and molecular methods, IDH1/2 mutations were observed in 6 pediatric, 35 young
      adult and 43 adult tumors of the astrocytic/oligodendroglial lineage. BRAF V600E
      mutations (20 pediatric, 7 young adults and 2 adults) were found mostly in
      gangliogliomas, PXAs, few astrocytomas and few DNTs. Except for one DA case, BRAF
      fusions (35 pediatric, 8 young adults and 2 adults) were restricted to PA and PMA
      and associated with age and infratentorial location. All mutations were mutually
      exclusive and always present in the primary tumor. Two-thirds of all pediatric
      samples harbored one of the three examined mutations. CONCLUSION: Combination of
      IDH1-R132, BRAF V600 and KIAA1549-BRAF fusion analysis is therefore a useful tool
      to increase diagnostic accuracy in pediatric gliomas.

PMID- 26115964
TI  - Optimization and Application of APCI Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass
      Spectrometry (HDX MS) for the Speciation of Nitrogen Compounds.
AB  - A systematic study was performed to investigate the utility of atmospheric
      pressure chemical ionization hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (APCI
      HDX MS) to identify the structures of nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds.
      First, experiments were performed to determine the optimized experimental
      conditions, with dichloromethane and CH(3)OD found to be good cosolvents for APCI
      HDX. In addition, a positive correlation between the heated capillary temperature
      and the observed HDX signal was observed, and it was suggested that the HDX
      reaction occurred when molecules were contained in the solvent cluster. Second,
      20 standard nitrogen-containing compounds were analyzed to investigate whether
      speciation could be determined based on the different types of ions produced from
      nitrogen-containing compounds with various functional groups. The number of
      exchanges occurring within the compounds correlated well with the number of
      active hydrogen atoms attached to nitrogen, and it was confirmed that APCI HDX MS
      could be used to determine speciation. The results obtained by APCI HDX MS were
      combined with the subsequent investigation of the double bond equivalence
      distribution and indicated that resins of shale oil extract contained mostly
      pyridine type nitrogen compounds. This study confirmed that APCI HDX MS can be
      added to previously reported chemical ionization, electrospray ionization, and
      atmospheric pressure photo ionization-based HDX methods, which can be used for
      structural elucidation by mass spectrometry.

PMID- 26115963
TI  - Triazole analog 1-(1-benzyl-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)-2-(4
      bromophenylamino)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethanol induces reactive oxygen species and
      autophagy-dependent apoptosis in both in vitro and in vivo breast cancer models.
AB  - Autophagy is considered as an important cell death mechanism that closely
      interacts with other common cell death programs like apoptosis. Critical role of
      autophagy in cell death makes it a promising, yet challenging therapeutic target
      for cancer. We identified a series of 1,2,3-triazole analogs having significant
      breast cancer inhibition property. Therefore, we attempted to study whether
      autophagy and apoptosis were involved in the process of cancer cell inhibition.
      The lead molecule, 1-(1-benzyl-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)-2-(4
      bromophenylamino)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethanol (T-12) induced significant cell cycle
      arrest, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, apoptosis and autophagy in MCF-7
      and MDA-MB-231 cells. T-12 increased reactive oxygen species and its inhibition
      by N-acetyl-L-cysteine protected breast cancer cells from autophagy and
      apoptosis. Autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine abolished T-12 induced apoptosis,
      mitochondrial membrane depolarization and reactive oxygen species generation.
      This suggested that T-12 induced autophagy facilitated cell death rather than
      cell survival. Pan-caspase inhibition did not abrogate T-12 induced autophagy,
      suggesting that autophagy precedes apoptosis. In addition, T-12 inhibited cell
      survival pathway signaling proteins, Akt, mTOR and Erk1/2. T-12 also induced
      significant regression of tumor with oral dose of as low as 10mg/kg bodyweight in
      rat mammary tumor model without any apparent toxicity. In presence of reactive
      oxygen species inhibitor (N-acetyl-L-cysteine) and autophagy inhibitor
      (chloroquine), T-12 induced tumor regression was significantly decreased. In
      conclusion, T-12 is a potent inducer of autophagy-dependent apoptosis in breast
      cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo and can serve as an important lead in
      development of new anti-tumor therapy.

PMID- 26115965
TI  - A deeper look into Comet--implementation and features.
AB  - The Comet database search software was initially released as an open source
      project in late 2012. Prior to that, Comet existed as the University of
      Washington's academic version of the SEQUEST database search tool. Despite its
      availability and widespread use over the years, some details about its
      implementation have not been previously disseminated or are not well understood.
      We address a few of these details in depth and highlight new features available
      in the latest release. Comet is freely available for download at http://comet
      ms.sourceforge.net or it can be accessed as a component of a number of larger
      software projects into which it has been incorporated. Graphical Abstract ?. 

PMID- 26115966
TI  - Beyond Naphthenic Acids: Environmental Screening of Water from Natural Sources
      and the Athabasca Oil Sands Industry Using Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization
      Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - There is a growing need for environmental screening of natural waters in the
      Athabasca region of Alberta, Canada, particularly in the differentiation between
      anthropogenic and naturally-derived organic compounds associated with weathered
      bitumen deposits. Previous research has focused primarily upon characterization
      of naphthenic acids in water samples by negative-ion electrospray ionization
      methods. Atmospheric pressure photoionization is a much less widely used
      ionization method, but one that affords the possibility of observing low polarity
      compounds that cannot be readily observed by electrospray ionization. This study
      describes the first usage of atmospheric pressure photoionization Fourier
      transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (in both positive-ion and
      negative-ion modes) to characterize and compare extracts of oil sands process
      water, river water, and groundwater samples from areas associated with oil sands
      mining activities. When comparing mass spectra previously obtained by
      electrospray ionization and data acquired by atmospheric pressure
      photoionization, there can be a doubling of the number of components detected. In
      addition to polar compounds that have previously been observed, low-polarity,
      sulfur-containing compounds and hydrocarbons that do not incorporate a heteroatom
      were detected. These latter components, which are not amenable to electrospray
      ionization, have potential for screening efforts within monitoring programs of
      the oil sands.

PMID- 26115968
TI  - Comparison of Internal Energy Distributions of Ions Created by Electrospray
      Ionization and Laser Ablation-Liquid Vortex Capture/Electrospray Ionization.
AB  - Recently a number of techniques have combined laser ablation with liquid capture
      for mass spectrometry spot sampling and imaging applications. The newly developed
      noncontact liquid-vortex capture probe has been used to efficiently collect
      material ablated by a 355 nm UV laser in a continuous flow solvent stream in
      which the captured material dissolves and then undergoes electrospray ionization.
      This sampling and ionization approach has produced what appears to be classic
      electrospray ionization spectra; however, the 'softness' of this
      sampling/ionization process versus simple electrospray ionization has not been
      definitely determined. In this work, a series of benzylpyridinium salts were
      employed as thermometer ions to compare internal energy distributions between
      electrospray ionization and the UV laser ablation/liquid-vortex capture probe
      electrospray combination. Measured internal energy distributions were identical
      between the two techniques, even with differences in laser fluence (0.7-3.1 J cm(
      2)) and when using UV-absorbing or non-UV-absorbing sample substrates. These
      data, along with results from the analysis the biological molecules bradykinin
      and angiotensin III indicated that the ions or their fragments formed directly by
      UV laser ablation that survive the liquid capture/electrospray ionization process
      were likely to be an extremely small component of the total ion signal observed.
      Instead, the preponderate neutral molecules, clusters, and particulates ejected
      from the surface during laser ablation, subsequently captured and dissolved in
      the flowing solvent stream, then electrosprayed, were the principal source of the
      ion signal observed. Thus, the electrospray ionization process used controls the
      overall 'softness' of this technique.

PMID- 26115967
TI  - How Closely Related Are Conformations of Protein Ions Sampled by IM-MS to Native
      Solution Structures?
AB  - Here, we critically evaluate the effects of changes in the ion internal energy
      (E(int)) on ion-neutral collision cross sections (CCS) of ions of two
      structurally diverse proteins, specifically the [M + 6H](6+) ion of ubiquitin
      (ubq(6+)), the [M + 5H](5+) ion of the intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) apo
      metallothionein-2A (MT), and its partially- and fully-metalated isoform, the
      [CdiMT](5+) ion. The ion-neutral CCS for ions formed by "native-state" ESI show a
      strong dependence on E(int). Collisional activation is used to increase E(int)
      prior to the ions entering and within the traveling wave (TW) ion mobility
      analyzer. Comparisons of experimental CCSs with those generated by molecular
      dynamics (MD) simulation for solution-phase ions and solvent-free ions as a
      function of temperature provide new insights about conformational preferences and
      retention of solution conformations. The E(int)-dependent CCSs, which reveal
      increased conformational diversity of the ion population, are discussed in terms
      of folding/unfolding of solvent-free ions. For example, ubiquitin ions that have
      low internal energies retain native-like conformations, whereas ions that are
      heated by collisional activation possess higher internal energies and yield a
      broader range of CCS owing to increased conformational diversity due to losses of
      secondary and tertiary structures. In contrast, the CCS profile for the IDP apoMT
      is consistent with kinetic trapping of an ion population composed of a wide range
      of conformers, and as the E(int) is increased, these structurally labile
      conformers unfold to an elongated conformation.

PMID- 26115969
TI  - Cationic Xylene Tag for Increasing Sensitivity in Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - N-(2-(Bromomethyl)benzyl)-N,N-diethylethanaminium bromide, that we designate as
      CAX-B (cationic xylyl-bromide), is presented as a derivatization reagent for
      increasing sensitivity in mass spectrometry. Because of its aryl bromomethyl
      moiety, CAX-B readily labels compounds having an active hydrogen. In part, a CAX
      tagged analyte (CAX-analyte) can be very sensitive especially in a tandem mass
      spectrometer (both ESI and MALDI). This is because of facile formation of an
      analyte-characteristic first product ion (as a xylyl-based cation) from favorable
      loss of triethylamine as a neutral from the precursor ion. This loss is enhanced
      both by resonance stabilization of the xylyl cation, and by anchimeric assistance
      from the ortho hetero atom of the attached analyte. High intensity of a first
      product ion opens up the opportunity for a CAX-analyte to be additionally
      sensitive when it is prone to a secondary neutral loss from the analyte part. For
      example, we have derivatized and detected 160 amol of thymidine by CAX-tagging/LC
      MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS in this way, where the two neutral losses are triethylamine and
      deoxyribose. Other analytes detected at the amol level as CAX derivatives (as
      diluted standards) include estradiol and some nucleobases. The tendency for
      analytes with multiple active hydrogens to label just once with CAX (an
      advantage) is illustrated by the conversion of bisphenol A to a single product
      even when excess CAX-B is present. A family of analogous reagents with a variety
      of reactivity groups is anticipated as a consequence of replacing the bromine
      atom of CAX-B with various functional groups.

PMID- 26115970
TI  - Constitutive activities of estrogen-related receptors: Transcriptional regulation
      of metabolism by the ERR pathways in health and disease.
AB  - The estrogen-related receptors (ERRs) comprise a small group of orphan nuclear
      receptor transcription factors. The ERRalpha and ERRgamma isoforms play a central
      role in the regulation of metabolic genes and cellular energy metabolism.
      Although less is known about ERRbeta, recent studies have revealed the importance
      of this isoform in the maintenance of embryonic stem cell pluripotency. Thus,
      ERRs are essential to many biological processes. The development of several ERR
      knockout and overexpression models and the application of advanced functional
      genomics have allowed rapid advancement of our understanding of the physiology
      regulated by ERR pathways. Moreover, it has enabled us to begin to delineate the
      distinct programs regulated by ERRalpha and ERRgamma that have overlapping
      effects on metabolism and growth. The current review primarily focuses on the
      physiologic roles of ERR isoforms related to their metabolic regulation;
      therefore, the ERRalpha and ERRgamma are discussed in the greatest detail. We
      emphasize findings from gain- and loss-of-function models developed to
      characterize ERR control of skeletal muscle, heart and musculoskeletal
      physiology. These models have revealed that coordinating metabolic capacity with
      energy demand is essential for seemingly disparate processes such as muscle
      differentiation and hypertrophy, innate immune function, thermogenesis, and bone
      remodeling. Furthermore, the models have revealed that ERRalpha- and ERRgamma
      deficiency in mice accelerates progression of pathologic processes and implicates
      ERRs as etiologic factors in disease. We highlight the human diseases in which
      ERRs and their downstream metabolic pathways are perturbed, including heart
      failure and diabetes. While no natural ligand has been identified for any of the
      ERR isoforms, the potential for using synthetic small molecules to modulate their
      activity has been demonstrated. Based on our current understanding of their
      transcriptional mechanisms and physiologic relevance, the ERRs have emerged as
      potential therapeutic targets for treatment of osteoporosis, muscle atrophy,
      insulin resistance and heart failure in humans. 

PMID- 26115972
TI  - [Kikuchi-Fujimoto's disease and adult-onset Still's disease. A rare co
      occurence].
AB  - Kikuchi-Fujimoto's disease and adult-onset Still's disease are rare inflammatory
      conditions with overlapping clinical features. Adult-onset Still's disease causes
      high fevers, a typical salmon-colored rash, and joint pain. The principal symptom
      of Kikuchi's disease is cervical lymphadenopathy with typical histopathological
      features including extensive necrosis of the involved lymph nodes. Here, we
      report on a rare case of concurrent adult-onset Still's disease and Kikuchi
      Fujimoto syndrome in a young Caucasian patient. 

PMID- 26115971
TI  - Subsequent mortality after hyperglycemic crisis episode in the non-elderly: a
      national population-based cohort study.
AB  - Hyperglycemic crisis episodes (HCEs)-diabetic ketoacidosis and the hyperosmolar
      hyperglycemic state-are the most serious acute metabolic complications of
      diabetes. We aimed to investigate the subsequent mortality after HCE in the non
      elderly diabetic which is still unclear. This retrospective national population
      based cohort study reviewed, in Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research
      Database, data from 23,079 non-elder patients (<=65 years) with new-onset
      diabetes between 2000 and 2002: 7693 patients with HCE and 15,386 patients
      without HCE (1:2). Both groups were compared, and follow-up prognoses were done
      until 2011. One thousand eighty-five (14.1%) patients with HCE and 725 (4.71%)
      patients without HCE died (P < 0.0001) during follow-up. Incidence rate ratios
      (IRR) of mortality were 3.24 times higher in patients with HCE than in patients
      without HCE (P < 0.0001). Individual analysis of diabetic ketoacidosis and
      hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state also showed the similar result with combination
      of both. After stratification by age, mortality was significant higher in the
      middle age (40-64 years) [IRR 3.29; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.98-3.64] and
      young adult (18-39 years) (IRR 3.91; 95% CI 3.28-4.66), but not in the pediatric
      subgroup (<18 years) (IRR 1.28; 95% CI 0.21-7.64). The mortality risk was highest
      in the first month (IRR 54.43; 95% CI 27.98-105.89), and still high after 8 years
      (IRR 2.05; 95% CI 1.55-2.71). After adjusting for age, gender, and selected
      comorbidities, the mortality hazard ratio for patients with HCE was still four
      times higher than for patients without HCE. Moreover, older age, male gender,
      stroke, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure,
      and liver disease were independent mortality predictors. HCE significantly
      increases the subsequent mortality risk in the non-elderly with diabetes.
      Strategies for prevention and control of comorbidities are needed as soon as
      possible.

PMID- 26115973
TI  - [Systemic sclerosis. Current classification and diagnosis of organ involvement].
AB  - Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare, chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease with
      unknown etiology, which leads to deposition of collagen and extracellular matrix
      proteins in the skin and affected internal organs. The diagnosis of SSc is based
      on clinical, serological, and paraclinical examinations. In 2013 new criteria for
      the classification of systemic sclerosis, which also take early forms of SSc into
      consideration, were developed. A complete clinical and paraclinical examination
      is important for the oligosymptomatic early stages and the subsequent disease
      course of SSc in order to diagnose and timely treat a developing organ
      involvement. 

PMID- 26115974
TI  - Development of a risk stratification system to guide treatment for female germ
      cell tumors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Due to their rarity, little is known about prognostic factors in
      female germ cell tumors (GCTs) or outcomes following systemic therapy. Management
      is largely based on studies of male GCT and epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS:
      Chart review was performed for all females with GCT seen at Memorial Sloan
      Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) from 1990 to 2012. Patients receiving
      chemotherapy were stratified using a modification of the male IGCCCG risk system,
      and the classifier was correlated with outcome. RESULTS: Of 93 patients, 92 (99%)
      underwent primary surgery and 85 (92%) received chemotherapy. Modified IGCCCG
      classification was significantly associated with progression-free survival (PFS)
      and overall survival (OS), both when applied preoperatively and pre-chemotherapy
      (p<0.001 for all four analyses). Progression after initial chemotherapy (n=29)
      was detected by imaging in 14 (48%) patients, by serum tumor markers in 6 (21%)
      patients, and by multiple methods in the rest. Seven (29%) of 24 patients treated
      with salvage chemotherapy achieved long-term PFS, including 4/6 who received high
      dose chemotherapy (HDCT) as initial salvage versus 3/16 treated with other
      initial salvage regimens. The estimated 3-year OS rate was 84% (95% CI, 76-92%),
      with a trend favoring dysgerminoma over non-dysgerminoma histologies (p=0.12).
      CONCLUSIONS: Modified IGCCCG classification was prognostic for female GCT
      patients in this cohort and identified a poor-risk group who may benefit from
      more intensive first-line chemotherapy. Both imaging and tumor marker evaluation
      were important in identifying relapses after first-line chemotherapy. The
      majority of long-term remissions with salvage therapy were achieved with initial
      salvage HDCT.

PMID- 26115975
TI  - Glucocorticoid receptor activation inhibits chemotherapy-induced cell death in
      high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activation
      increases resistance to chemotherapy in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGS
      OvCa) and that treatment with a GR antagonist will improve sensitivity to
      chemotherapy. METHODS: GR expression was assessed in OvCa cell lines by qRT-PCR
      and Western blot analysis and in xenografts and primary human tumors using
      immunohistochemistry (IHC). We also examined the effect of GR activation versus
      inhibition on chemotherapy-induced cytotoxicity in OvCa cell lines and in a
      xenograft model. RESULTS: With the exception of IGROV-1 cells, all OvCa cell
      lines tested had detectable GR expression by Western blot and qRT-PCR analysis.
      Twenty-five out of the 27 human primary HGS-OvCas examined expressed GR by IHC.
      No cell line expressed detectable progesterone receptor (PR) or androgen receptor
      (AR) by Western blot analysis. In vitro assays showed that in GR-positive HeyA8
      and SKOV3 cells, dexamethasone (100nM) treatment upregulated the pro-survival
      genes SGK1 and MKP1/DUSP1 and inhibited carboplatin/gemcitabine-induced cell
      death. Concurrent treatment with two GR antagonists, either mifepristone (100nM)
      or CORT125134 (100nM), partially reversed these effects. There was no anti
      apoptotic effect of dexamethasone on chemotherapy-induced cell death in IGROV-1
      cells, which did not have detectable GR protein. Mifepristone treatment alone was
      not cytotoxic in any cell line. HeyA8 OvCa xenograft studies demonstrated that
      adding mifepristone to carboplatin/gemcitabine increased tumor shrinkage by 48%
      compared to carboplatin/gemcitabine treatment alone (P=0.0004). CONCLUSIONS:
      These results suggest that GR antagonism sensitizes GR+ OvCa to chemotherapy
      induced cell death through inhibition of GR-mediated cell survival pathways.

PMID- 26115976
TI  - Hormone receptors as a marker of poor survival in epithelial ovarian cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor alpha and beta (ERalpha,
      ERbeta), and progesterone receptor (PR) are potential therapeutic targets in
      epithelial ovarian cancer. In this study we evaluate the prognostic value of
      these hormone receptors in ovarian cancer patients. METHODS: In a prospective
      multicenter randomized controlled phase II trial 196 ovarian cancer patients were
      randomized to carboplatin/docetaxel+/-celecoxib. Of 121 patients sufficient tumor
      tissue was available for hormone receptor analysis. Tissue micro-arrays were
      stained for AR, ERalpha, ERbeta, and PR. Cluster analysis was performed to
      identify subgroups based on hormone receptor expression profile. Receptor
      expression was correlated to progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival
      (OS) in uni- and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: AR, ERalpha, ERbeta, and PR were
      expressed in respectively 10%, 31%, 73%, and 19%. In patients with synchronous
      metastasis tissue available (n=69 patients), discordant receptor expression was
      observed in 9-32%. ERbeta-expression was associated with poor PFS and OS (hazard
      ratios 1.88 and 1.92). Clustering analysis revealed a subgroup with hormone
      receptor negative disease that had a favorable PFS and OS. CONCLUSION: Hormone
      receptors are expressed in the majority of ovarian cancer tumors and may serve as
      therapeutic targets. Clustering analysis can reveal subgroups with different
      outcome, which may prove valuable in selecting patients for endocrine therapy.

PMID- 26115977
TI  - A multicenter analysis of adjuvant therapy after surgery for stage IIIC
      endometrial adenocarcinoma: A Korean Radiation Oncology Group study (KROG 13-17).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether combined chemoradiotherapy (CTRT) confers a
      benefit for survival outcome over radiotherapy (RT) alone after primary surgery
      in patients with FIGO stage IIIC endometrial adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We
      conducted a multicenter retrospective study of patients with surgical stage IIIC
      endometrial cancer from 1990 to 2011. Adjuvant RT alone was performed in 85
      patients (40.3%) and adjuvant CTRT in 126 patients (59.7%). Disease-free survival
      (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox
      proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Stage IIIC1 and stage IIIC2 accounted for
      63% and 37%, respectively. FIGO IIIC2 had a higher recurrence rate than FIGO
      IIIC1 (38.5% vs. 29.3%, p=0.172). Five-year OS and DFS were lower in FIGO IIIC2
      than FIGO IIIC1 (85.1% vs. 76.9%, p=0.417; 71.0% vs. 59.2%, p=0.108,
      respectively). Eighteen patients (13.5%) in stage IIIC1 developed PALN
      recurrence, whereas only one (3.3%) in stage IIIC2 had PALN recurrence (p=0.001).
      In multivariate analysis, predictors of DFS were parametrial invasion (HR, 3.49;
      95% CI, 1.83-6.64; p<0.001), higher grade (HR, 2.78; 95% CI, 1.31-5.89; p=0.008),
      and >3 positive pelvic nodes (HR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.11-3.05; p=0.019). Combined
      CTRT did not affect DFS or OS in IIIC1 and IIIC2 compared with RT alone.
      CONCLUSION: CTRT showed comparable survival outcome to RT alone. Half of relapses
      (46%) in stage IIIC1 occurred in PALN region, whereas relapse in stage IIIC2
      primarily occurred in distant metastasis (90%). Future randomized studies are
      needed to determine which subgroup may be most likely to benefit from CCRT.

PMID- 26115978
TI  - The efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of locally
      advanced cervical cancer: A randomized multicenter study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study sought to evaluate the toxicity and curative effect of
      irinotecan plus cisplatin neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for stage Ib2, IIa2,
      and IIb cervical cancer patients. METHODS: A total of 219 patients were randomly
      assigned to two groups: 109 patients were treated with 1-2 cycles of chemotherapy
      (NACT group), and 110 patients in the control group were treated directly with
      surgery (DS group). Patients in the NACT group were randomly assigned to two
      groups: 50 patients were treated with irinotecan plus cisplatin followed by
      surgery (IP group), and 59 patients were treated with paclitaxel plus cisplatin
      followed by surgery (TP group). Patients with pathological recurrence risk
      factors received post-operative radiotherapy. RESULTS: Survival analysis revealed
      no significant difference in disease-free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS)
      between the NACT and DS groups. Analysis of clinicopathologic factors showed that
      the lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) and deep stromal invasion rates were
      significantly lower in the NACT group. Grade 3/4 neutropenia and grade 3/4
      diarrhea were both higher in the IP group than in the TP group. DFS and OS were
      similar in the IP and TP groups. Univariate analysis showed that LVSI was the
      only factor associated with DFS. CONCLUSION: NACT did not improve overall
      survival but did reduce the number of patients who received post-operative
      radiotherapy. NACT consisting of irinotecan plus cisplatin for cervical cancer
      showed similar efficacy and higher toxicity compared with the use of paclitaxel
      plus cisplatin, although the toxicity was tolerable.

PMID- 26115979
TI  - Patient Selection in Short Stay Total Hip Arthroplasty for Medicare Patients.
AB  - There is a trend towards shortening inpatient hospital stays following total hip
      arthroplasty (THA) in an effort to reduce healthcare costs and potentially
      decrease complications. The purpose of this study was to identify patients who
      are at risk for readmission, complications, and mortality after short stay THA.
      The Medicare sample (1997-2011) was used to identify THA patients with 1-2-day
      (Group A, n=2949) or 3-day (Group B, n=8707) stays. Complication risks were
      similar between groups, though there was a reduced risk for hospitalization for
      Group A (adjusted hazard ratio=0.90, P=0.029). These findings suggest that age
      and comorbidities, particularly diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, have the
      greatest effect on readmission and event risk after short stay THA. 

PMID- 26115980
TI  - Reduced Blood Loss and Transfusion Rates: Additional Benefits of Local
      Infiltration Anaesthesia in Knee Arthroplasty Patients.
AB  - We hypothesised that local infiltration of anaesthesia (LIA) containing
      adrenaline may reduce peri-operative blood loss and transfusion requirements in
      primary total knee arthroplasty patients (TKA) when compared to simple patient
      control analgesia (PCA). In this retrospective cohort study there were 22 TKAs in
      the PCA group and 27 TKAs in the LIA group. There were no drains used or
      significant differences in demographics between groups. There was a statistically
      significant difference in blood loss (P = 0.003), between the LIA group (M = 942
      ml, CI 829-1055), and the PCA group (M = 1314 ml, CI 1099-1527). Patients
      receiving PCA were 4.3 times more likely to require blood transfusion. Using the
      LIA technique reduces blood loss and risk of blood transfusion. 

PMID- 26115981
TI  - Percutaneous Acetabuloplasty Compared With Open Reconstruction for Extensive
      Periacetabular Carcinoma Metastases.
AB  - For destructive metastatic periacetabular disease, options include open
      acetabular reconstruction or percutaneous cement acetabuloplasty (PA). We
      reviewed 28 consecutive patients with Harrington grade II or III lesions, 17 who
      underwent Harrington-type or anti-protrusio reconstruction and 11 who underwent
      PA. Primary outcome measures were performance status (PS), ambulatory status
      (0=unassisted ambulation, 1=assisted ambulation, 2=nonambulatory), and 10-point
      VAS score. The surgery group had better pain reduction than the PA group at 3
      months (3.6 vs. 1.5 points, P=0.04), and a trend at final follow-up (3.8 vs. 1.4
      points, P=0.06). Improvement in ambulatory status was better in the surgery group
      at 3 months only (0.53 vs. -0.14, P=0.03). Thus compared with PA, open
      reconstruction may provide improved pain relief and ambulation.

PMID- 26115982
TI  - Tranexamic Acid Benefits Total Joint Arthroplasty Patients Regardless of
      Preoperative Hemoglobin Value.
AB  - While tranexamic acid (TXA) reduces transfusion in total joint arthroplasty
      (TJA), it remains unclear whether there is a preoperative hemoglobin (Hgb)
      threshold above which it is no longer beneficial. 2100 primary TJA patients were
      retrospectively categorized by preoperative Hgb; 1161 (55%) received TXA.
      Transfusion rates decreased with TXA in all groups; with Hgb>15 the transfusion
      rate was 0.5% with TXA and 4.5% without (P=0.0086); with Hgb>11 the transfusion
      rate was 4.7% with TXA and 18.7% without (P<0.0001). Patients receiving TXA had a
      shorter LOS by 0.51 days (P<0.0001). Patients receiving a postoperative
      transfusion had a longer LOS by 0.69 days (P<0.0001). TXA should be considered in
      all TJA patients independent of preoperative Hgb level.

PMID- 26115983
TI  - Resection Technique Does Affect Resection Symmetry and Thickness of the Patella
      During Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective Randomized Trial.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of three
      patellar resection techniques: cutting guide, free hand with haptic feedback, and
      a novel technique utilizing four quadrant measurements. Ninety patients
      undergoing TKA were randomized to receive patellar resurfacing by one of the
      three study techniques. The novel four quadrant technique resulted in least post
      resection asymmetry (0.85 mm, P = 0.001). The most accurate methods for obtaining
      desired thickness were haptic feedback (0.66 mm mean discrepancy [MD]) and novel
      four quadrant technique (0.66 mm MD) followed by the patellar cutting guide (1.40
      mm MD) (P < 0.001). Use of a patellar cutting guide resulted in increased
      patellar asymmetry and decreased accuracy in obtaining desired patellar thickness
      in this prospective trial. 

PMID- 26115984
TI  - Metaphyseal Sleeves for Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty: Good Short-Term
      Outcomes.
AB  - Metaphyseal sleeve prostheses have shown promising results in the management of
      bone defects at revision TKA. We present a study of their use in aseptic revision
      TKA. Thirty-five revisions were included in 34 patients with wear or aseptic
      loosening indicated in 71% of cases. The majority of cases (63%) were AORI grade
      2 or greater on the tibia or femur. Knee Society scores were excellent or good in
      83% of patients with the same percentage having no or only mild pain. One patient
      suffered a sleeve-related complication with femoral condylar fractures three
      years postoperatively; these united with good outcomes. All radiographs were
      satisfactory; no patient required a further revision. We report good outcomes
      with the use of metaphyseal sleeves in revision TKA. 

PMID- 26115985
TI  - Population Size Estimates for Men who Have Sex with Men and Persons who Inject
      Drugs.
AB  - Understanding geographic variation in the numbers of men who have sex with men
      (MSM) and persons who inject drugs (PWID) is critical to targeting and scaling up
      HIV prevention programs, but population size estimates are not available at
      generalizable sub-national levels. We analyzed 1999-2010 National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey data on persons aged 18-59 years. We estimated
      weighted prevalence of recent (past 12 month) male-male sex and injection drug
      use by urbanicity (the degree to which a geographic area is urban) and US census
      region and calculated population sizes. Large metro areas (population
      >=1,000,000) had higher prevalence of male-male sex (central areas, 4.4% of men;
      fringe areas, 2.5%) compared with medium/small metro areas (1.4%) and nonmetro
      areas (1.1%). Injection drug use did not vary by urbanicity and neither varied by
      census region. Three-quarters of MSM, but only half of PWID, resided in large
      metro areas. Two-thirds of MSM and two-thirds of PWID resided in the South and
      West. Efforts to reach MSM would benefit from being focused in large metro areas,
      while efforts to reach PWID should be delivered more broadly. These data allow
      for more effective allocation of funds for prevention programs.

PMID- 26115986
TI  - nextflu: real-time tracking of seasonal influenza virus evolution in humans.
AB  - Seasonal influenza viruses evolve rapidly, allowing them to evade immunity in
      their human hosts and reinfect previously infected individuals. Similarly,
      vaccines against seasonal influenza need to be updated frequently to protect
      against an evolving virus population. We have thus developed a processing
      pipeline and browser-based visualization that allows convenient exploration and
      analysis of the most recent influenza virus sequence data. This web-application
      displays a phylogenetic tree that can be decorated with additional information
      such as the viral genotype at specific sites, sampling location and derived
      statistics that have been shown to be predictive of future virus dynamics. In
      addition, mutation, genotype and clade frequency trajectories are calculated and
      displayed. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Python and Javascript source code is
      freely available from https://github.com/blab/nextflu, while the web-application
      is live at http://nextflu.org. CONTACT: tbedford@fredhutch.org.

PMID- 26115987
TI  - Measuring Alcohol Consumption in Population Surveys: A Review of International
      Guidelines and Comparison with Surveys in England.
AB  - AIMS: To review the international guidelines and recommendations on survey
      instruments for measurement of alcohol consumption in population surveys and to
      examine how national surveys in England meet the core recommendations. METHODS: A
      systematic search for international guidelines for measuring alcohol consumption
      in population surveys was undertaken. The common core recommendations for alcohol
      consumption measures and survey instruments were identified. Alcohol consumption
      questions in national surveys in England were compared with these recommendations
      for specific years and over time since 2000. RESULTS: Four sets of international
      guidelines and three core alcohol consumption measures (alcohol consumption
      status, average volume of consumption, frequency and volume of heavy episodic
      drinking) with another optional measure (drinking context) were identified.
      English national surveys have been inconsistent over time in including questions
      that provide information on average volume of consumption but have not included
      questions on another essential alcohol consumption measure, frequency of heavy
      episodic drinking. Instead, they have used questions that focus only on maximum
      volume of alcohol consumed on any day in the previous week. CONCLUSIONS:
      International guidelines provide consistent recommendations for measuring alcohol
      consumption in population surveys. These recommendations have not been
      consistently applied in English national surveys, and this has contributed to the
      inadequacy of survey measurements for monitoring vital aspects of alcohol
      consumption in England over recent years.

PMID- 26115988
TI  - Impulsivity as a Multifaceted Construct Related to Excessive Drinking Among UK
      Students.
AB  - AIMS: A substantial number of university students exceed alcohol guidelines.
      Impulsivity has been repeatedly implicated in heavy alcohol use, yet despite
      knowledge that impulsivity is multifaceted, there have previously been few
      studies applying multiple measures of self-report and behavioural impulsivity to
      examine the relationship with excessive student drinking. This results in a
      limited understanding of the relationship of various facets of impulsivity to
      student drinking. METHODS: Participants completed a comprehensive battery of
      impulsivity measures: the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale as a self-report index and
      the Stop Signal Task, Information Sampling Task and Monetary Choice Questionnaire
      as behavioural measures of three facets of impulsivity. Participants who exceeded
      UK drinking guidelines were compared to those who did not on measures of
      impulsivity. Hierarchical linear regression was then employed to test whether
      indices of impulsivity were associated with the average units consumed per week.
      RESULTS: Participants who exceeded UK guidelines reported increased impulsivity
      in facets of self-report impulsivity. They also displayed performance deficits in
      normal adjustment of Go responses on the Stop Signal Task. In the regression
      model, nonplanning impulsivity on the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale was seen to
      predict quantity of alcohol consumed per month. CONCLUSIONS: The study applies a
      comprehensive selection of behavioural and self-report measures of impulsivity
      and indicates that excessive drinkers are more impulsive in some but not all
      aspects. The results indicate that the wide range of deficits apparent in alcohol
      dependent individuals are not evident in this younger, heavy drinking population,
      but that specific performance and self-identified deficits are already apparent.

PMID- 26115989
TI  - Indole: a signaling molecule or a mere metabolic byproduct that alters bacterial
      physiology at a high concentration?
AB  - Indole is an organic compound that is widespread in microbial communities
      inhabiting diverse habitats, like the soil environment and human intestines.
      Measurement of indole production is a traditional method for the identification
      of microbial species. Escherichia coli can produce millimolar concentrations of
      indole in the stationary growth phase under nutrient-rich conditions. Indole has
      received considerable attention because of its remarkable effects on various
      biological functions of the microbial communities, for example, biofilm
      formation, motility, virulence, plasmid stability, and antibiotic resistance.
      Indole may function as an intercellular signaling molecule, like a quorum-sensing
      signal. Nevertheless, a receptor system for indole and the function of this
      compound in coordinated behavior of a microbial population (which are
      requirements for a true signaling molecule) have not yet been confirmed. Recent
      findings suggest that a long-known quorum-sensing regulator, E. coli's SdiA,
      cannot recognize indole and that this compound may simply cause membrane
      disruption and energy reduction, which can lead to various changes in bacterial
      physiology including unstable folding of a quorum-sensing regulator. Indole
      appears to be responsible for acquisition of antibiotic resistance via the
      formation of persister cells and activation of an exporter. This review
      highlights and summarizes the current knowledge about indole as a multitrophic
      molecule among bacteria, together with recently identified new avenues of
      research. 

PMID- 26115990
TI  - Spirosoma montaniterrae sp. nov., an ultraviolet and gamma radiation-resistant
      bacterium isolated from mountain soil.
AB  - A Gram-negative, yellow-pigmented, long-rod shaped bacterial strain designated
      DY10(T) was isolated from a soil sample collected at Mt. Deogyusan, Jeonbuk
      province, South Korea. Optimum growth observed at 30 degrees C and pH 7. No
      growth was observed above 1% (w/v) NaCl. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence
      analysis showed that strain DY10(T) belonged to the genus Spirosoma and was
      distantly related to Spirosoma arcticum R2-35(T) (91.0%), Spirosoma lingual DSM
      74(T) (90.8%), Spirosoma endophyticum EX36(T) (90.7%), Spirosoma panaciterrae DSM
      21099(T) (90.5%), Spirosoma rigui WPCB118(T) (90.2%), Spirosoma spitsbergense DSM
      19989(T) (89.8%), Spirosoma luteum DSM 19990(T) (89.6%), Spirosoma oryzae
      RHs22(T) (89.6%), and Spirosoma radiotolerans DG5A(T) (89.1%). Strain DY10(T)
      showed resistance to gamma and ultraviolet radiation. The chemotaxonomic
      characteristics of strain DY10(T) were consistent with those of the genus
      Spirosoma, with the quinone system with MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone, iso
      C15:0, C16:1 omega5c, and summed feature3 (C16:1 omega7c/C16:1 omega6c), and
      phosphatidylethanolamine as the major polar lipid. The G+C content of the genomic
      DNA was 53.0 mol%. Differential phenotypic properties with the closely related
      type strains clearly distinguished strain DY10(T) from previously described
      members of the genus Spirosoma and represents a novel species in this genus, for
      which the name Spirosoma montaniterrae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is
      DY10(T) (=KCTC 23999(T) =KEMB 9004-162(T) =JCM 18492(T)). 

PMID- 26115991
TI  - Sphingosinicella ginsenosidimutans sp. nov., with ginsenoside converting
      activity.
AB  - The Gram-reaction-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile, nonspore-forming, and
      rod-shaped bacterial strain designated BS11(T) was isolated from the compost and
      its taxonomic position was investigated by using a polyphasic approach. Strain
      BS11(T) grew optimally at 30-37 degrees C and at pH 7.0 in the absence of NaCl on
      nutrient agar. Strain BS11(T) displayed beta-glucosidase activity that was
      responsible for its ability to transform ginsenoside Rb1 (one of the dominant
      active components of ginseng) to Rd. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence
      similarity, strain BS11(T) was shown to belong to the family Sphingomonadaceae
      and was related to Sphingosinicella vermicomposti YC7378(T) (96.3% sequence
      similarity), S. xenopeptidilytica 3-2W4(T) (96.2%), S. microcystinivorans Y2(T)
      (96.1%), and S. soli KSL-125(T) (95.9%). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was
      64.9%. The major menaquinone was Q-10 and the major fatty acids were summed
      feature 7 (comprising C18:1 omega7c/omega9t/omega12t; 40.6%), C16:0 (22.5%),
      C17:1 omega6c (13.7%) and C17:0 (9.1%). DNA and chemotaxonomic data supported the
      affiliation of strain BS11(T) to the genus Sphingosinicella. Strain BS11(T) could
      be differentiated genotypically and phenotypically from the recognized species of
      the genus Sphingosinicella. The novel isolate therefore represents a novel
      species, for which the name Sphingosinicella ginsenosidimutans sp. nov. is
      proposed, with the type strain BS11(T) (=KACC 16619T =JCM 18201(T)). 

PMID- 26115992
TI  - Flavisolibacter swuensis sp. nov. isolated from soil.
AB  - A Gram-staining-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming, and rod-shaped bacterium
      designated as strain SR2-4-2(T) was isolated from soil in South Korea.
      Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain SR2-4-2(T)
      revealed that it belonged to the genus of Flavisolibacter, family of
      Chitinophagaceae, and class of Sphingobacteriia. It shared sequence similarities
      with Flavisolibacter ginsengisoli Gsoil 643(T) (96.4%), Flavisolibacter
      ginsengiterrae Gsoil 492(T) (96.3%), and Flavisolibacter rigui 02SUJ3(T) (93.0%).
      Chemotaxonomic data revealed that its predominant fatty acids were iso-C15:0
      (26.4%) and iso-C17:0 3OH (10.7%). Its major polar lipid was
      phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and its predominant respiratory quinone was MK-7.
      The G+C content of genomic DNA of the strain SR2-4-2(T) DNA was 45.0%. Based on
      the phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic, and phenotypic data, the strain SR2-4-2(T)
      (=JCM 19974(T) =KEMB 9004-156(T)) is classified as a type strain of a novel
      species for which the name of Flavisolibacter swuensis sp. nov. is proposed. 

PMID- 26115993
TI  - Bacillus coreaensis sp. nov.: a xylan-hydrolyzing bacterium isolated from the
      soil of Jeju Island, Republic of Korea.
AB  - A xylan-degrading bacterium, designated as MS5(T) strain, was isolated from soil
      collected from the Jeju Island, Republic of Korea. Strain MS5(T) was Gram-stain
      positive, aerobic, and motile by polar flagellum. The major fatty acids
      identified in this bacterium were iso-C15:0 (32.3%), C16:0 (27.3%), and anteiso
      C15:0 (10.2%). A similarity search based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed
      that the strain belongs to the class Bacilli and shared the highest similarity
      with the type strains Bacillus beringensis BR035(T) (98.7%) and Bacillus
      korlensis ZLC-26(T) (98.6%) which form a coherent cluster in a neighbor-joining
      phylogenetic tree. The DNA G+C content of strain MS5(T) was 43.0 mol%. The major
      menaquinone was MK-7 and the diagnostic diamino acid in the cell-wall
      peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid. The DNADNA relatedness values between
      strain MS5(T) and two closely related species, B. beringensis BR035(T) and B.
      korlensis ZLC-26(T), were less than 70%. DNA-DNA relatedness analysis and 16S
      rRNA sequence similarity, as well as phenotypic and chemotaxonomic
      characteristics suggest that the strain MS5(T) constitutes a novel Bacillus
      species, for which the name Bacillus coreaensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type
      strain is MS5(T) (=DSM25506(T) =KCTC13895(T)). 

PMID- 26115994
TI  - Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity, root colonization, and soil alkaline
      phosphatase activity in response to maize-wheat rotation and no-tillage in North
      China.
AB  - Monitoring the effects of no-tillage (NT) in comparison with conventional tillage
      (CT) on soil microbes could improve our understanding of soil biochemical
      processes and thus help us to develop sound management strategies. The objective
      of this study was to compare the species composition and ecological function of
      soil arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi during the growth and rotation of crops
      under NT and CT. From late June 2009 to early June 2010, 32 topsoil (0-15 cm)
      samples from four individual plots per treatment (CT and NT) were collected at
      both the jointing and maturation stages of maize (Zea mays L.) and wheat
      (Triticum aestivum L.) from a long-term experimental field that was established
      in an Aquic Inceptisol in North China in June 2006. The AM fungal spores were
      isolated and identified and then used to calculate species diversity indices,
      including the Shannon- Wiener index (H'), Evenness (E), and Simpson's index (D).
      The root mycorrhizal colonization and soil alkaline phosphatase activity were
      also determined. A total of 34 species of AM fungi within nine genera were
      recorded. Compared with NT, CT negatively affected the soil AM fungal community
      at the maize sowing stage, leading to decreases in the average diversity indices
      (from 2.12, 0.79, and 0.82 to 1.79, 0.72, and 0.74 for H', E, and D,
      respectively), root mycorrhizal colonization (from 28% to 20%), soil alkaline
      phosphatase activity (from 0.24 to 0.19 mg/g/24 h) and available phosphorus
      concentration (from 17.4 to 10.5 mg/kg) at the maize jointing stage. However,
      reductions in diversity indices of H', E, and D were restored to 2.20, 0.81, and
      0.84, respectively, at the maize maturation stage. CT should affect the community
      again at the wheat sowing stage; however, a similar restoration in the species
      diversity of AM fungi was completed before the wheat jointing stage, and the
      highest Jaccard index (0.800) for similarity in the species composition of soil
      AM fungi between CT and NT was recorded at the wheat maturation stage. Our
      results also demonstrated that NT resulted in the positive protection of the
      community structure of AM fungi and played an important role in maintaining their
      functionality especially for maize seedlings. 

PMID- 26115995
TI  - Biotransformation of (-)-alpha-pinene and geraniol to alpha-terpineol and p
      menthane-3,8-diol by the white rot fungus, Polyporus brumalis.
AB  - In this study, the monoterpenes, alpha-pinene and geraniol, were biotransformed
      to synthesize monoterpene alcohol compounds. Polyporus brumalis which is
      classified as a white rot fungus was used as a biocatalyst. Consequently alpha
      terpineol was synthesized from alpha-pinene by P. brumalis mycelium, after three
      days. Moreover, another substrate, the acyclic monoterpenoids geraniol was
      transformed into the cyclic compound, p-menthane-3, 8-diol (PMD). The main
      metabolites, i.e., alpha-terpineol and PMD, are known to be bioactive monoterpene
      alcohol compounds. This study highlights the potential of fungal biocatalysts for
      monoterpene transformation. 

PMID- 26115997
TI  - Prevalence of avian influenza virus in wild birds before and after the HPAI H5N8
      outbreak in 2014 in South Korea.
AB  - Since 2003, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus outbreaks have
      occurred five times in Korea, with four HPAI H5N1 outbreaks and one HPAI H5N8
      outbreak. Migratory birds have been suggested to be the first source of HPAI in
      Korea. Here, we surveyed migratory wild birds for the presence of AI and compared
      regional AI prevalence in wild birds from September 2012 to April 2014 for birds
      having migratory pathways in South Korea. Finally, we investigated the prevalence
      of AI in migratory birds before and after HPAI H5N8 outbreaks. Overall, we
      captured 1617 migratory wild birds, while 18,817 feces samples and 74 dead birds
      were collected from major wild bird habitats. A total of 21 HPAI viruses were
      isolated from dead birds, and 86 low pathogenic AI (LPAI) viruses were isolated
      from captured birds and from feces samples. Spatiotemporal distribution analysis
      revealed that AI viruses were spread southward until December, but tended to
      shift north after January, consistent with the movement of migratory birds in
      South Korea. Furthermore, we found that LPAI virus prevalences within wild birds
      were notably higher in 2013-2014 than the previous prevalence during the
      northward migration season. The data from our study demonstrate the importance of
      the surveillance of AI in wild birds. Future studies including in-depth genetic
      analysis in combination with evaluation of the movement and ecology of migratory
      birds might help us to bridge the gaps in our knowledge and better explain,
      predict, and ultimately prevent future HPAI outbreaks. 

PMID- 26115996
TI  - Anti-tumor effect of Cordyceps militaris in HCV-infected human hepatocarcinoma
      7.5 cells.
AB  - Cordyceps extract has been reported to have various pharmacological activities
      including an anti-cancer effect. We investigated the inhibitory effect of
      Cordyceps militaris on hepatitis C virus-infected human hepatocarcinoma 7.5 cells
      (J6/JFH1-huh 7.5 cells). The huh7.5 cells with or without HCV infection were
      treated with various concentrations of ethanol extract of Cordyceps militaris
      (CME) for 48 h and the cytotoxicity was measured by CCK-8 assay. Both J6/JFH1
      huh7.5 cells and huh7.5 cells were highly susceptible to CME. To examine the
      molecular mechanisms of the inhibitory effect on huh7.5 cells, the effect of CME
      on cell apoptosis was measured using flow cytometry and the expressions of p53,
      Bim, Bax, PARP, (cleaved) caspase-9, and (cleaved) caspase- 3 in huh 7.5 cells
      were detected by western blot assays. CME significantly increased early apoptosis
      and up-regulated the expression of Bim, Bax, cleaved PARP, cleaved caspase 9 and
      cleaved caspase-3. We also found the decrease of HCV Core or NS3 protein by CME
      in HCV-infected huh 7.5 cells. 

PMID- 26115998
TI  - Development of a stringent ELISA protocol to evaluate anti-viral hemorrhagic
      septicemia virus-specific antibodies in olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus
      with improved specificity.
AB  - Olive flounder were vaccinated with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid [Poly (I:C)]
      to prevent viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS). Vaccine efficacy was verified by
      detection of anti- VHS virus (VHSV) antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay (ELISA). In the study, ELISA absorbance values of the negative control
      group [Poly (I:C)-MEM10] were saturated when an ELISA protocol, that includes
      pretreatment of the fish sera with 5% skim milk, was used. However, the saturated
      OD values in the negative control did not correlate with a specific immune
      response against VHSV, because the group showed low survival rate (only 10%)
      following the VHSV challenge. Also, OD values of Poly (I:C)- VHSV group were
      high, and the group showed high survival rate (97.5%) against VHSV challenge
      test. It was suggested that the high OD values were possibly due to the presence
      of anti-fetal bovine serum (FBS) cross-reactivity. To compensate this, we
      subtracted the absorbance of infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHNV)-Ag plates
      from those of the VHSV-Ag plates. However, the average value for the Poly (I:C)
      VHSV group (0.167) was lower than expected even though high survival rate. We
      used an advanced ELISA system to pre-treat fish sera with 5% skim milk and two
      novirhabdoviruses as capture antigens as well as 50% FBS. The corrected
      absorbance values for pre-treated fish sera from the negative control Poly (I:C)
      MEM10 and experimental Poly (I:C)-VHSV groups averaged 0.033 and 0.579,
      respectively. The specific VHSV antibody response of the vaccinated group was
      assessed using fish sera pretreated with skim milk and FBS and by calculating the
      corrected absorbance values from ELISA with two novirhabdovirus capture antigens.

PMID- 26115999
TI  - The Medical Staff Ride: an education tool for military medical leadership
      development.
AB  - This paper provides a description of the Medical Staff Ride as an educational
      tool for military medical leadership. It is based upon two Medical Staff Rides
      covering the Somme Campaign 1916 and the Normandy Campaign 1944. It describes the
      key educational activity 'The Stand' at which history and current issues are
      brought together through study of a particular location on the historical
      battlefield. The Medical Staff Ride can be divided into six distinct phases, each
      of which have common question sets for analysis by attendees. The Medical Staff
      Ride can be shown to have valuable educational outcomes that are efficient in
      time and cost, and effective in achieving personal learning. The supporting
      Readers for the two Medical Staff Rides covered by this paper are available as
      electronic supplement to this edition of the journal. 

PMID- 26116000
TI  - Paediatric traumatic cardiac arrest: data from the Joint Theatre Trauma Registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) in children is associated with a low
      probability of survival and poor neurological outcome in survivors. Since 2003,
      over 600 seriously injured local national children have been treated at deployed
      UK military medical treatment facilities during the Iraq and Afghanistan
      conflicts. A number of these were in cardiac arrest after sustaining traumatic
      injuries. This study defined outcomes from paediatric TCA in this cohort.
      METHODS: A retrospective database review was undertaken using the UK Joint
      Theatre Trauma Registry. This includes UK military, coalition military, civilians
      and local security forces personnel who prompted trauma team activation. All
      children in this series were local nationals. Patients aged less than 18 years
      who presented between January 2003 and April 2014, and who underwent
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation, were included. RESULTS: 27 children with TCA were
      included. Four children survived to discharge from the medical treatment facility
      (14.8%), though limited data are available regarding the long-term neurological
      outcome in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the outcomes
      for paediatric TCA in our military field hospitals were similar to other
      paediatric civilian and adult military studies, despite patients being injured by
      severe blast injuries. Further work is needed to define the optimal management of
      paediatric TCA.

PMID- 26116001
TI  - Olfr603, an orphan olfactory receptor, is expressed in multiple specific
      embryonic tissues.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Olfactory receptors were initially believed to be expressed
      specifically within the olfactory neurons. However, accumulating genome-scale
      data has recently demonstrated more extensive expression. There are hundreds of
      olfactory receptor family members and the realisation of their widespread
      expression provides an opportunity to reveal new biology. However, existing data
      is predominantly based on RT-PCR, microarray and RNA-seq approaches and the
      details of tissue and cell-type specific expression are lacking. RESULTS: As a
      proof of principle, we selected Olfr603 for expression analysis. We generated an
      antibody against a non-conserved epitope of Olfr603 and characterised its
      expression in E8.5-E12.5 mouse embryos using immunohistochemistry. This analysis
      demonstrated a dynamic pattern of expression in diverse cell types within the
      developing embryo unrelated to the olfactory system. Expression was detected in
      migrating neural crest, endothelial precursors and vascular endothelium,
      endocardial cells, smooth muscle, neuroepithelium and within the ocular tissues.
      This complex distribution does not conform to any apparent germ layer or tissue
      origin. CONCLUSIONS: This initial characterisation of Olfr603 expression
      highlights the potential for a broad role for this receptor in the development of
      many tissues.

PMID- 26116003
TI  - Epigenetic factors in the regulation of prospermatogonia and spermatogonial stem
      cells.
AB  - Appropriate regulation of epigenome within cells is crucial for the determination
      of cell fate and contributes to the lifelong maintenance of tissue homeostasis.
      Epigenomic re-establishment during embryonic prospermatogonia development and
      fine-tune of the epigenetic landscape in postnatal spermatogonial stem cells
      (SSCs) are two key processes required for functional male germ cell formation.
      Repression of re-activated transposons and male germline-specific epigenome
      establishment occur in prospermatogonia, whereas modulations of the epigenetic
      landscape is important for SSC self-renewal and differentiation to maintain the
      stem cell pool and support long-term sperm production. Here, we describe the
      impact of epigenome-related regulators and small non-coding RNAs as well as the
      influence of epigenome modifications that result from extrinsic signaling for
      controlling the decision between self-renewal, differentiation and survival in
      mouse prospermatogonia and SSCs. This article provides a review of epigenome
      related molecules involved in cell fate determination in male germ cells and
      discusses the intriguing questions that arise from these studies. 

PMID- 26116002
TI  - Size-specific follicle selection improves mouse oocyte reproductive outcomes.
AB  - Encapsulated in vitro follicle growth (eIVFG) has great potential to provide an
      additional fertility preservation option for young women and girls with cancer or
      other reproductive health threatening diseases. Currently, follicles are cultured
      for a defined period of time and analyzed as a cohort. However, follicle growth
      is not synchronous, and culturing follicles for insufficient or excessive times
      can result in compromised gamete quality. Our objective is to determine whether
      the selection of follicles based on size, rather than absolute culture time,
      better predict follicle maturity and oocyte quality. Multilayer secondary mouse
      follicles were isolated and encapsulated in 0.25% alginate. Follicles were
      cultured individually either for defined time periods or up to specific follicle
      diameter ranges, at which point several reproductive endpoints were analyzed. The
      metaphase II (MII) percentage after oocyte maturation on day 6 was the highest
      (85%) when follicles were cultured for specific days. However, if follicles were
      cultured to a terminal diameter of 300-350 MUm irrespective of absolute time in
      culture, 93% of the oocytes reached MII. More than 90% of MII oocytes matured
      from follicles with diameters of 300-350 MUm showed normal spindle morphology and
      chromosome alignment, 85% of oocytes showed two pronuclei after IVF, 81%
      developed into the two-cell embryo stage and 38% developed to the blastocyst
      stage, all significantly higher than the percentages in the other follicle size
      groups. Our study demonstrates that size-specific follicle selection can be used
      as a non-invasive marker to identify high-quality oocytes and improve
      reproductive outcomes during eIVFG.

PMID- 26116004
TI  - Designing the microturbine engine for waste-derived fuels.
AB  - Presented paper deals with adaptation procedure of a microturbine (MGT) for
      exploitation of refuse derived fuels (RDF). RDF often possess significantly
      different properties than conventional fuels and usually require at least some
      adaptations of internal combustion systems to obtain full functionality. With the
      methodology, developed in the paper it is possible to evaluate the extent of
      required adaptations by performing a thorough analysis of fuel combustion
      properties in a dedicated experimental rig suitable for testing of wide-variety
      of waste and biomass derived fuels. In the first part key turbine components are
      analyzed followed by cause and effect analysis of interaction between different
      fuel properties and design parameters of the components. The data are then used
      to build a dedicated test system where two fuels with diametric physical and
      chemical properties are tested - liquefied biomass waste (LW) and waste tire
      pyrolysis oil (TPO). The analysis suggests that exploitation of LW requires
      higher complexity of target MGT system as stable combustion can be achieved only
      with regenerative thermodynamic cycle, high fuel preheat temperatures and
      optimized fuel injection nozzle. Contrary, TPO requires less complex MGT design
      and sufficient operational stability is achieved already with simple cycle MGT
      and conventional fuel system. The presented approach of testing can significantly
      reduce the extent and cost of required adaptations of commercial system as pre
      selection procedure of suitable MGT is done in developed test system. The
      obtained data can at the same time serve as an input for fine-tuning the
      processes for RDF production. 

PMID- 26116005
TI  - Heavy element accumulation in Evernia prunastri lichen transplants around a
      municipal solid waste landfill in central Italy.
AB  - This paper presents the results of a biomonitoring study to evaluate the
      environmental impact of airborne emissions from a municipal solid waste landfill
      in central Italy. Concentrations of 11 heavy elements, as well as photosynthetic
      efficiency and cell membrane integrity were measured in Evernia prunastri lichens
      transplanted for 4months in 17 monitoring sites around the waste landfill. Heavy
      element contents were also determined in surface soils. Analytical data indicated
      that emissions from the landfill affected Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb and Zn
      concentrations in lichens transplanted within the landfill and along the fallout
      direction. In these sites moderate to severe accumulation of these heavy elements
      in lichens was coupled with an increase in cell membrane damage and decrease in
      photosynthetic efficiency. Nevertheless, results indicated that landfill
      emissions had no relevant impact on lichens, as heavy element accumulation and
      weak stress symptoms were detected only in lichen transplants from sites close to
      solid waste. The appropriate management of this landfill poses a low risk of
      environmental contamination by heavy elements. 

PMID- 26116006
TI  - Evaluation of the impact of lime softening waste disposal in natural
      environments.
AB  - Drinking water treatment residues (WTR), generated from the lime softening
      processes, are commonly reused or disposed of in a number of applications; these
      include use as a soil amendment or a subsurface fill. Recently questions were
      posed by the Florida regulatory community on whether lime WTR that contained a
      small percentage of other treatment additives could appropriately be
      characterized as lime WTR, in terms of total element content and leachability. A
      study was done using a broad range of leaching tests, including a framework of
      tests recently adopted by the United States-Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
      and tests that were modified to account for scenario specific conditions, such as
      the presence of natural organic matter (NOM). The results of these additional
      leaching tests demonstrated that certain applications, including disposal in a
      water body with NOM or in placement anaerobic environment, did result in
      increased leaching of elements such as Fe, and that a site specific assessment
      should be conducted prior to using WTR in these types of applications. This study
      illustrates the importance of leaching test selection when attempting to provide
      an estimation of release in practice. Although leaching tests are just one
      component in a beneficial use assessment and other factors including aquifer and
      soil properties play a significant role in the outcome, leaching tests should be
      tailored to most appropriately represent the scenario or reuse application being
      evaluated. 

PMID- 26116007
TI  - Extension of the sorting instructions for household plastic packaging and changes
      in exposure to bioaerosols at materials recovery facilities.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess how extending the sorting instructions for
      plastic packaging would affect the exposure of workers working at materials
      recovery facility (MRF) to dust, endotoxins, fungi and bacteria, taking into
      consideration other factors that could have an influence on this exposure.
      Personal sampling was carried out at four MRFs during six sampling campaigns at
      each facility, both in sorting rooms and when the workers were involved in
      "mobile tasks" away from the rooms. The data was analysed by describing the
      extension of sorting instructions both using a qualitative variable (after vs
      before) and using data for the pots and trays recycling stream, including or
      excluding plastic film. Overall, before the extension of the sorting guidelines,
      the geometric mean of personal exposure levels in sorting rooms was 0.3mg/m(3)
      for dust, 27.7 EU/m(3) for endotoxins, 13,000 CFU/m(3) for fungi and 1800
      CFU/m(3) for bacteria. When workers were involved in mobile tasks away from the
      rooms, these averages were 0.5mg/m(3), 25.7 EU/m(3), 28,000 CFU/m(3) and 5100
      CFU/m(3) respectively.The application by households of instructions to include
      pots, trays and film with other recyclable plastic packaging led to an increase
      in exposure to endotoxins, fungi and bacteria at MRFs. For an increase of 0.5 kg
      per inhabitant per year in the pots, trays and film recycling stream, exposure in
      sorting rooms rose by a factor of 1.4-2.2, depending on the biological agent.
      Exposure during mobile tasks increased by a factor of 3.0-3.6. The age of the
      waste amplified the effect of the extension of sorting instructions on exposure
      to fungi, bacteria and endotoxins. Factors that had a significant influence on
      the exposure of workers to dust and/or bioaerosols included the presence of
      paper, newspapers and magazines in the sorted waste, the order in which incoming
      waste was treated and the quality of the ventilation system in the sorting rooms.
      The levels of exposure observed in this study highlight the need to implement
      appropriate preventive measures against bioaerosols at MRFs for dry waste. There
      are grounds to justify these preventive measures, both inside sorting rooms and
      for the MRF as a whole, regardless of whether the decision to extend sorting
      instructions for household plastic waste is adopted.

PMID- 26116009
TI  - Current status of solid waste management in small island developing states: A
      review.
AB  - This article reviews the current status of waste management in Small Island
      Developing States (SIDS) and the challenges that are faced in solid waste
      management. The waste generation rates of SIDS were compared within the three
      geographic regions namely Caribbean SIDS, Pacific SIDS and Atlantic, Indian
      Ocean, Mediterranean and South China (AIMS) SIDS and with countries of the
      Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). Only Pacific SIDS
      had a waste generation rate less than 1kg/capita/day. The waste generation rates
      for the three SIDS regions averaged 1.29kg/capita/day while that for OECD
      countries was at a mean value of 1.35kg/capita/day. The waste compositions in the
      different SIDS regions were almost similar owing to comparable consumption
      patterns while these differed to a large extent with wastes generated in OECD
      countries. In SIDS, the major fraction of MSW comprised of organics (44%)
      followed by recyclables namely paper, plastics, glass and metals (total: 43%). In
      contrast, MSW in OECD countries consisted mainly of recyclables (43%) followed by
      organics (37%). This article also reviewed the other functional elements of the
      waste management systems in SIDS. Several shortcomings were noted in the process
      of waste collection, transfer and transport namely the fact of having outdated
      collection vehicles and narrow roads which are inaccessible. Among the waste
      management practices in SIDS, waste disposal via landfilling, illegal dumping and
      backyard burning were favoured most of the time at the expense of sustainable
      waste treatment technologies such as composting, anaerobic digestion and
      recycling. 

PMID- 26116008
TI  - Integrated gasification and plasma cleaning for waste treatment: A life cycle
      perspective.
AB  - In the past, almost all residual municipal waste in the UK was landfilled without
      treatment. Recent European waste management directives have promoted the uptake
      of more sustainable treatment technologies, especially for biodegradable waste.
      Local authorities have started considering other options for dealing with
      residual waste. In this study, a life cycle assessment of a future 20MWe plant
      using an advanced two-stage gasification and plasma technology is undertaken.
      This plant can thermally treat waste feedstocks with different composition and
      heating value to produce electricity, steam and a vitrified product. The
      objective of the study is to analyse the environmental impacts of the process
      when fed with seven different feedstocks (including municipal solid waste, solid
      refuse fuel, reuse-derived fuel, wood biomass and commercial & industrial waste)
      and identify the process steps which contribute more to the environmental burden.
      A scenario analysis on key processes, such as oxygen production technology, metal
      recovery and the appropriate choice for the secondary market aggregate material,
      is performed. The influence of accounting for the biogenic carbon content in the
      waste from the calculations of the global warming potential is also shown.
      Results show that the treatment of the refuse-derived fuel has the lowest impact
      in terms of both global warming potential and acidification potential because of
      its high heating value. For all the other impact categories analysed, the two
      stage gasification and plasma process shows a negative impact for all the waste
      streams considered, mainly due to the avoided burdens associated with the
      production of electricity from the plant. The plasma convertor, key
      characteristic of the thermal process investigated, although utilising
      electricity shows a relatively small contribution to the overall environmental
      impact of the plant. The results do not significantly vary in the scenario
      analysis. Accounting for biogenic carbon enhanced the performance of biomass and
      refuse-derived fuel in terms of global warming potential. The main analysis of
      this study has been performed from a waste management perspective, using 1ton of
      waste as functional unit. A comparison of the results when 1kWhe of electricity
      produced is used as functional unit shows similar trends for the environmental
      impact categories considered. 

PMID- 26116010
TI  - Race-based sexual stereotypes and their effects on sexual risk behavior in
      racially diverse young men who have sex with men.
AB  - Men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately impacted by the HIV/AIDS
      epidemic in the United States. The epidemic is not evenly distributed across MSM,
      and young racial minority MSM experience the highest rate of new infections. Race
      based sexual stereotyping is not uncommon among MSM, and it may contribute to the
      isolation of racial minority sexual networks, which has been found to contribute
      to increased HIV incidence in Black MSM. The goals of these analyses were to
      describe the race-based sexual preferences and stereotypes of racially diverse
      young MSM (YMSM), and to examine whether endorsement of sexual stereotypes was
      associated with sexual risk behavior when having sex with partners of the
      stereotyped race. Data were taken from Crew 450, an ongoing longitudinal study of
      a syndemic of psychosocial health issues linked to HIV among YMSM in Chicago and
      surrounding areas. Analyses utilized data from three study waves, and
      longitudinal analyses were conducted with Hierarchical Linear Modeling. YMSM
      generally endorsed same-race preferences for sexual partners. Black partners were
      rated highest in displaying stereotypically dominant characteristics and in
      likelihood of taking the top/insertive sex role, while Latino partners were rated
      the highest in likelihood of sex being hot and passionate. White partners were
      rated lowest on each of these domains. Longitudinal analyses found that
      endorsement of these stereotypes had important implications for the rate of
      condomless receptive and insertive anal sex with racial minority partners.
      Findings suggest that sexual stereotypes may contribute to the isolation of
      racial minority sexual networks. 

PMID- 26116011
TI  - The effect of antireflux surgery on laryngeal symptoms, findings and voice
      parameters.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of laparoscopic antireflux
      surgery (LARS) on the laryngeal symptoms, physical findings and voice parameters
      of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients with or without
      laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). Forty-one GERD patients predominantly with LPR
      symptoms (Group I) and twenty-six GERD patients without LPR symptoms (Group II)
      who had LARS were prospectively analysed before and 2 years after the surgery.
      Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, 24-h ambulatory pH or MII-pH monitoring was
      performed in all cases. A reflux study group including specialists from five
      departments in a university hospital decided surgical indications. Patients were
      asked to fill out a validated LPR and voice quality questionnaire (Reflux Symptom
      Index and Voice Handicap Index-10). Laryngeal findings were evaluated and scored
      using a laryngoscopic grading scale [Reflux Finding Score (RFS)], by four blinded
      ENT specialists. GRBAS scale was done by a blinded otolaryngologist. Voice
      parameters were measured objectively via the Multi Dimensional Voice Programme
      (MDVP). The mean age was 45.8 +/- 8.5 for Group I (24 men) and 48.9 +/- 12.3 for
      Group II (16 men). The mean follow-up after LARS was 24.5 +/- 1.3 months for
      Group I and 25.2 +/- 1.1 months for Group II. The preoperative mean score of RSI
      was 22.8 +/- 7.4 vs. 11.2 +/- 6.6; RFS was 10.6 +/- 2.3 vs. 5.7 +/- 2.5 and VHI
      was 18.07 +/- 4.4 vs. 10.86 +/- 3.3 for Group I and II, respectively. The
      postoperative mean score of RSI was 12.9 +/- 6.4 vs. 8.4 +/- 4.5; RFS was 6.9 +/-
      2.0 vs. 4.5 +/- 2.3 and VHI was 9.59 +/- 4.4 vs. 7.95 +/- 3.5 for Group I and II,
      respectively. Group I had significantly lower RSI and RFS scores following LARS
      compared to the preoperative scores. LARS successfully improved RFS, RSI and VHI
      in carefully selected patients with GERD, especially the signs and symptoms
      related to the larynx and voice. Although the indications for LARS are limited in
      patients with LPR symptoms, these results favor the decision-making period of
      LARS.

PMID- 26116013
TI  - Designing a biocompatible hydrogel for the delivery of mesalamine.
AB  - A new design for nanocomposite hydrogels based on cross-linked chitosan for the
      delivery of mesalamine is presented. To enhance drug loading in chitosan, the
      mineral montmorillonite was incorporated into the matrix. The exfoliated silica
      montmorillonite nanosheets form interactions with both chitosan and mesalamine,
      which affect the hydrogel's drug release mechanism and swelling properties. The
      impact of montmorillonite and glutaraldehyde concentrations on the hydrogel
      properties was investigated. In vitro drug-release studies detected slower
      release over short times when montmorillonite was introduced into the matrix.
      This study is the first to evaluate the influence of pH during mixing and on
      mixing duration. It was shown that lowering the pH during mixing delayed the
      release since the positively charged drug was better introduced between the
      montmorillonite layers, as confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
      and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. All hydrogels showed
      prolonged sustained release of mesalamine over 24h in simulated colonic fluid (pH
      7.4). When modeled, the mesalamine release profile suggests a complex release
      mechanism, involving adsorption of the drug to the montmorillonite and its
      diffusion. The results imply that chitosan-montmorillonite hydrogels can serve as
      potential drug carriers for controlled-release applications. 

PMID- 26116012
TI  - Radiation induced oral mucositis: a review of current literature on prevention
      and management.
AB  - Oral mucositis (OM) is a major limiting acute side effect of radiotherapy for
      head and neck cancer. The spectrum of problems associated with mucositis includes
      oral pain, odynophagia, reduced oral intake, and secondary infections. Incidence
      of mucositis is increased with addition of concurrent chemotherapy as well as
      altered fractionation schedules. This leads to treatment interruption and
      suboptimal disease control. Hence, prevention as well as timely management of OM
      is necessary for optimum tumor control. We reviewed the English literature with
      key words "Radiation induced mucositis, Mucositis, Oral Mucositis" to find
      relevant articles describing incidence, pathophysiology, prophylaxis, and
      treatment of oral mucositis. Prevention and treatment of OM is an active area of
      research. Maintenance of oral hygiene is an important part in prevention of OM. A
      battery of agents including normal saline and alkali (soda bicarbonate) mouth
      washes, low level laser therapy, and benzydamine (non-steroidal analgesic and
      anti-inflammatory) have effectiveness in the prevention and treatment of
      radiation induced oral mucositis. Chlorhexidine mouth gargles are recommended for
      prevention of chemotherapy induced oral mucositis but is not recommended for
      radiotherapy associated mucositis. Treatment of co-existing infection is also
      important and both topical (povidone iodine) and systemic anti fungals should be
      used judiciously. Radiation induced oral mucositis is a common problem limiting
      the efficacy of radiation by increasing treatment breaks. Adequate prophylaxis
      and treatment may limit the severity of radiation mucositis and improve
      compliance to radiation which may translate in better disease control and
      survival. 

PMID- 26116014
TI  - Microfluidic conceived Trojan microcarriers for oral delivery of nanoparticles.
AB  - In this study, we report on a novel method for the synthesis of poly(acrylamide)
      Trojan microparticles containing ketoprofen loaded poly(ethyl acrylate) or
      poly(methyl acrylate) nanoparticles. To develop these composite particles, a
      polymerizable nanoemulsion was used as a template. This nanoemulsion was obtained
      in an elongational-flow micromixer (MURMX) which was linked to a capillary-based
      microfluidic device for its emulsification into micron range droplets.
      Downstream, the microdroplets were hardened into Trojan particles in the size
      range of 213-308 MUm by UV initiated free radical polymerization. The
      nanoemulsion size varied from 98 -132 nm upon changes in surfactant concentration
      and number of operating cycles in MURMX. SEM and confocal microscopy confirmed
      the Trojan morphology. Under SEM it was observed that the polymerization reduced
      the size of the nanoemulsion down to 20-32 nm for poly(ethyl acrylate) and 10-15
      nm for poly(methyl acrylate) nanoparticles. This shrinkage was confirmed by cryo
      TEM studies. We further showed that Trojan microparticles released embedded
      nanoparticles on contact with suitable media as confirmed by transmission
      electron microscopy. In a USP phosphate buffer solution of pH 6.8, Trojan
      microparticles containing poly(ethyl acrylate) nanoparticles released 35% of
      encapsulated ketoprofen over 24h. The low release of the drug was attributed to
      the overall low concentration of nanoparticles and attachment of some of
      nanoparticles to the poly(acrylamide) matrix. Thus, this novel method has shown
      possibility to develop Trojan particles convieniently with potential to deliver
      nanoparticles in the gastrointestinal tract.

PMID- 26116015
TI  - Enniatin-containing solutions for oromucosal use: Quality-by-design ex-vivo
      transmucosal risk assessment of composition variability.
AB  - Fusafungine, a mixture of the cyclic hexadepsipeptides enniatins, is currently on
      the market for the treatment of upper respiratory tract diseases because of its
      bacteriostatic and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, a quality-by-design
      risk assessment was performed with two objectives: (i) investigate whether
      enniatins are able to permeate the mucosa and reach blood circulation, as the
      summary of product characteristics indicates this is not the case, and if so, to
      quantify their transmucosal kinetics and (ii) study the influence of excipient
      concentration variability on mucosal permeation. First, the concentration of the
      two main excipients isopropyl myristate and ethanol, known penetration enhancers,
      in several marketed samples was determined using GC-FID. Then, the transmucosal
      kinetics of the enniatins were quantitatively evaluated for different dose
      solutions, using porcine buccal mucosa in an ex-vivo in-vitro Franz diffusion
      cell set-up, with UHPLC-MS/MS bioanalytics. This study demonstrated that
      enniatins are capable of permeating the mucosa. However, no risk of a significant
      different transmucosal permeability with varying excipient concentrations was
      detected. 

PMID- 26116016
TI  - Controlled release of a model vaccine by nanoporous ceramic microneedle arrays.
AB  - Current vaccination technology can advance from the use of novel ceramic
      nanoporous microneedle arrays (npMNA), where the material serves as a storage
      reservoir for vaccines. Moreover, npMNA will enhance vaccine efficacy by more
      precisely reaching skin dendritic cells, the kickstarters of T and B cell
      immunity. In the present study we assessed the efficacy of vaccination using
      npMNAs by in vivo application of OVA257-264 peptides mixed with agonistic anti
      CD40 antibodies as adjuvant. The induction of OVA-specific CD8(+) T cells via
      npMNA was comparable with the frequency induced via intradermal injection using
      needle-syringe. However, only when expanding the vaccination area by using two
      npMNAs the frequencies of induced IFN-gamma-specific effector CD8(+) T cells were
      comparable with those induced via needle-syringe injection. Analysis of vaccine
      release from npMNA in a human ex vivo skin explant model revealed that OVA257-264
      peptides were indeed delivered intradermal, and release also increased by
      prolonging the npMNA application time on the human skin. Together, our studies
      demonstrate the potential of npMNA for vaccine delivery in human skin and in vivo
      induction of CD8(+) effector T cell responses. 

PMID- 26116017
TI  - Differential behaviors of trastuzumab-sensitive and -resistant SKBR3 cells
      treated with menadione reveal the involvement of Notch1/Akt/FOXO1 signaling
      elements.
AB  - Given that HER2 serves as a putative target for therapy in HER2-positive breast
      cancer, intrinsic and/or acquired resistance to trastuzumab (T) has been proposed
      to be the major obstacle in treatments. In addition, chemoresistance is commonly
      attributed to increased antioxidant capacity. In that regard, we evaluated the
      effect of menadione (M) alone and/or its combination with trastuzumab on
      proliferation, intracellular GSH and ROS contents as well as HER2 and Notch1
      signaling pathways in both trastuzumab-resistant (SKBR3(R)) and -sensitive SKBR3
      (SKBR3(S)) cells. In spite of increased level of ROS and reduced level of GSH in
      M-treated SKBR3(S) cells, M-treated SKBR3(R) cells showed a decreased content of
      ROS and GSH compared to untreated cells. However, M/T co-treatment of SKBR3 cells
      indicated no effect on ROS content, while decreased the level of GSH compared to
      untreated control cells. Based on the extent of apoptosis, colony formation and
      wound healing assays, M alone, and/or in combination with T had a stronger
      inhibitory effect on proliferation of SKBR3(R) cells relative to SKBR3(S) cells.
      These effects might be due to the stronger effects of M and/or M/T on
      downregulation of p-Akt, Hes1, NICD, and upregulation of FOXO1 among SKBR3(R)
      cells relative to the sensitive SKBR3 cells. These findings would certainly shed
      light on some of the signaling factors involved in induction of trastuzumab
      resistance and would be of value in designing more efficient chemosensitization
      strategies. 

PMID- 26116018
TI  - LPA signaling through LPA receptors regulates cellular functions of endothelial
      cells treated with anticancer drugs.
AB  - Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) signaling via LPA receptors provides a variety of
      cellular functions, including angiogenesis. In this study, to assess an
      involvement of LPA receptors in cell motile activities of endothelial cells
      during chemotherapy, F-2 cells were treated with cisplatin (CDDP) and doxorubicin
      (DOX) at a concentration of 0.01 MUM every 24 h for at least 1 month. The
      treatment of CDDP and DOX inhibited the expression levels of the LPA receptor-1
      (Lpar1), Lpar2, and Lpar3 genes in F-2 cells. The cell motile activities of CDDP
      and DOX treated cells were relatively lower than those of untreated cells. Next,
      we investigated whether cancer cells could stimulate the cell motile activities
      of F-2 cells treated with CDDP and DOX. For cell motility assay, CDDP- and DOX
      treated cells were co-cultured with pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells. The cell
      motile activities of CDDP- and DOX-treated cells were significantly enhanced by
      the existence of PANC-1 cells, correlating with the LPA receptor expressions. In
      addition, the elevated cell motile activities were suppressed by the pretreatment
      of an autotaxin inhibitor S32826. These results suggest that LPA signaling via
      LPA receptors may regulate the cell motile activities of F-2 cells treated with
      anticancer drugs. 

PMID- 26116019
TI  - Paradental cyst is an inclusion cyst of the junctional/sulcular epithelium of the
      gingiva: histopathologic and immunohistochemical confirmation for its
      pathogenesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to characterize the histologic and
      immunohistochemical profiles of paradental cyst-lining epithelia to clarify its
      histopathogenesis. STUDY DESIGN: Ten surgical specimens of paradental cysts were
      examined for clinical profiles and to determine the histopathologic
      characteristics of the lining epithelia. Immunohistochemical profiles for keratin
      (K) subtypes, as well as for perlecan, UEA-I lectin binding, and proliferating
      cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), were determined and compared. RESULTS: The
      paradental cyst was clinically characterized by its occurrence in young adults
      (mean age, 36.8 years; male, 42.8, female 27.8). Eight of the 10 cases arose in
      the retromolar area. The cyst wall was basically granulation tissue that was
      attached to the periodontal ligament space. Thin irregular anastomosing
      epithelial cords lined the cyst walls of immature granulation tissue with
      vascular dilation and hemorrhage. The intercellular space of the lining epithelia
      was widened with inflammatory cell infiltrates. Immunohistochemically, the lining
      was positive for K13, K14, K17, K19, UEA-I binding, and perlecan, suggesting its
      junctional/sulcular epithelial character. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the
      paradental cyst was lined by epithelial cells with characteristics of the
      junctional/sulcular epithelium. The cyst can thus be considered as a kind of
      inclusion cyst arising in the periodontal pocket, most frequently of the
      mandibular third molars of young adults.

PMID- 26116020
TI  - Investigating the addition of SiO2-CaO-ZnO-Na2O-TiO2 bioactive glass to
      hydroxyapatite: Characterization, mechanical properties and bioactivity.
AB  - Hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) is widely investigated as an implantable
      material for hard tissue restoration due to its osteoconductive properties.
      However, hydroxyapatite in bulk form is limited as its mechanical properties are
      insufficient for load-bearing orthopedic applications. Attempts have been made to
      improve the mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite, by incorporating ceramic
      fillers, but the resultant composite materials require high sintering
      temperatures to facilitate densification, leading to the decomposition of
      hydroxyapatite into tricalcium phosphate, tetra-calcium phosphate and CaO phases.
      One method of improving the properties of hydroxyapatite is to incorporate
      bioactive glass particles as a second phase. These typically have lower softening
      points which could possibly facilitate sintering at lower temperatures. In this
      work, a bioactive glass (SiO2-CaO-ZnO-Na2O-TiO2) is incorporated (10, 20 and 30
      wt%) into hydroxyapatite as a reinforcing phase. X-ray diffraction confirmed that
      no additional phases (other than hydroxyapatite) were formed at a sintering
      temperature of 560 C with up to 30 wt% glass addition. The addition of the glass
      phase increased the % crystallinity and the relative density of the composites.
      The biaxial flexural strength increased to 36 MPa with glass addition, and there
      was no significant change in hardness as a function of maturation. The pH of the
      incubation media increased to pH 10 or 11 through glass addition, and ion release
      profiles determined that Si, Na and P were released from the composites. Calcium
      phosphate precipitation was encouraged in simulated body fluid with the
      incorporation of the bioactive glass phase, and cell culture testing in MC-3T3
      osteoblasts determined that the composite materials did not significantly reduce
      cell viability. 

PMID- 26116021
TI  - Evaluation of the biological tolerability of the starch-based medical device
      4DryField(r) PH in vitro and in vivo a rat model.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate in vitro cytotoxicity/biocompatibility as well as in vivo
      tolerability of the novel polysaccharide 4DryField(r) PH, certified for
      haemostasis and adhesion prevention. METHODS: In vitro cytotoxicity/viability
      testing according to ISO EN 10,993 using murine and human tumour cell lines
      incubated with 4DryField(r) PH (PlantTec Medical GmbH). Using a rat model the
      impact of 4DryField(r) PH on animals viability and in vivo effects were macro-
      and micropathologically assessed. RESULTS: In vitro testing revealed no cytotoxic
      effect of 4DryField(r) PH nor enhancement of viability to tumour cell lines. In
      vivo viability of rats was unimpaired by 4DryField(r) PH. Bodyweight loss in
      animals with abdominal injury plus treatment with 4DryField(r) PH was in the
      range of controls and less than in injured rats without treatment. At day 7 after
      surgery no formation of adhesions, neither macroscopic nor histological remnants
      nor signs of foreign body reaction were present in animals without injury. In
      animals with peritoneal injury and 4DryField(r) PH application, histopathological
      observation revealed minor residuals of polysaccharide in the depth of wound
      cavity embedded in a thickened subperitoneal layer; however, with a suggested
      intact neoperitoneum. The presence of mononuclear cells surrounding
      polysaccharide particles in varying states of degradation was observable as well.
      CONCLUSION: 4DryField(r) PH is not cytotoxic and does not enhance viability of
      tumour cell lines. High dose of 4DryField(r) PH of 1.09 g/kg bodyweight is well
      tolerated and reduces weight loss in animals with peritoneal injury. The
      biocompatibility of 4DryField(r) PH can be rated as being excellent.

PMID- 26116022
TI  - Treatment study of distal femur for parathyroid hormone (1-34) and beta
      tricalcium phosphate on bone formation in critical size defects in rats.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate local bone formation following
      systemic administration of parathyroid hormone (1-34), a surgically implanted
      synthetic beta-tricalcium phosphate bone biomaterial serving as a matrix to
      support new bone formation. Twelve weeks after bilateral ovariectomy, all rats
      underwent bone defect in the distal femurs, and beta-tricalcium phosphate was
      implanted into critical sized defects. After defect operation, all animals were
      randomly divided into four groups and received following subcutaneous injections
      until death at four and eight weeks: sham rats (group ST); sham rats +
      parathyroid hormone, 30 ug/kg, three times a week (group SPT); OVX rats (group
      OT); and OVX rats + parathyroid hormone (group OPT). The distal femurs of rats
      were harvested for evaluation. The treatment group demonstrating the highest
      levels of new bone formation was the defects treated with parathyroid hormone as
      assessed by micro-computed tomography, biomechanical strength, and histological
      analysis for sham rats. Furthermore, parathyroid hormone showed a stronger effect
      on accelerating the degradation of beta-tricalcium phosphate. Osteoporosis can
      limit the function of parathyroid hormone and/or beta-tricalcium phosphate. The
      results from our study demonstrate that combination of parathyroid hormone and
      beta-tricalcium phosphate brings better effect to bone tissue repair in non
      osteoporosis and/or osteoporosis status.

PMID- 26116023
TI  - Editorial overview: Extremophiles: From extreme environments to highly stable
      biocatalysts.

PMID- 26116024
TI  - AtROS1 overexpression provides evidence for epigenetic regulation of genes
      encoding enzymes of flavonoid biosynthesis and antioxidant pathways during salt
      stress in transgenic tobacco.
AB  - In plants, epigenetic changes have been identified as regulators of developmental
      events during normal growth as well as environmental stress exposures. Flavonoid
      biosynthetic and antioxidant pathways play a significant role in plant defence
      during their exposure to environmental cues. The aim of this study was to unravel
      whether genes encoding enzymes of flavonoid biosynthetic and antioxidant pathways
      are under epigenetic regulation, particularly DNA methylation, during salt
      stress. For this, a repressor of silencing from Arabidopsis, AtROS1, was
      overexpressed in transgenic tobacco. Generated transgenics were evaluated to
      examine the influence of AtROS1 on methylation status of promoters as well as on
      coding regions of genes encoding enzymes of flavonoids biosynthesis and
      antioxidant pathways. Overexpression of AtROS1 increases the demethylation levels
      of both promoters as well as coding regions of genes encoding chalcone synthase,
      chalcone isomerase, flavanone 3-hydroxylase, flavonol synthase, dihydroflavonol 4
      reductase, and anthocyanidin synthase of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway, and
      glutathione S-transferase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, and
      glutathione reductase of the antioxidant pathway during control conditions. The
      level of demethylation was further increased at promoters as well as coding
      regions of these genes during salt-stress conditions. Transgenic tobacco
      overexpressing AtROS1 showed tolerance to salt stress that could have been due to
      the higher expression levels of the genes encoding enzymes of the flavonoid
      biosynthetic and antioxidant pathways. This is the first comprehensive study
      documenting the epigenetic regulation of flavonoid biosynthetic and antioxidant
      pathways during salt-stress exposure of plants. 

PMID- 26116025
TI  - PtrABF of Poncirus trifoliata functions in dehydration tolerance by reducing
      stomatal density and maintaining reactive oxygen species homeostasis.
AB  - Abscisic acid-responsive element (ABRE)-binding factors (ABFs) play important
      roles in abiotic stress responses; however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly
      understood. In this study, it is reported that overexpression of Poncirus
      trifoliata PtrABF significantly enhanced dehydration tolerance. The transgenic
      lines displayed smaller stomatal apertures, reduced stomatal density/index, and
      lower expression levels of genes associated with stomatal development. PtrABF was
      found to interact with PtrICE1, a homologue of ICE1 (Inducer of CBF Expression 1)
      that has been shown to be critical for stomatal development. Microarray analysis
      revealed that a total of 70 genes were differentially expressed in the transgenic
      line, 42 induced and 28 repressed. At least two units of ABREs and coupling
      elements were present in the promoters of most of the induced genes, among which
      peroxidase and arginine decarboxylase were verified as bona fide targets of
      PtrABF. Transgenic plants exhibited higher antioxidant enzyme activities and free
      polyamine levels, but lower levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and
      malondialdehyde. Polyamines were revealed to be associated with ROS scavenging in
      the transgenic plants due to a modulation of antioxidant enzymes triggered by
      signalling mediated by H2O2 derived from polyamine oxidase (PAO)-mediated
      catabolism. Taken together, the results indicate that PtrABF functions positively
      in dehydration tolerance by limiting water loss through its influence on stomatal
      movement or formation and maintaining ROS homeostasis via modulation of
      antioxidant enzymes and polyamines through transcriptional regulation of relevant
      target genes. 

PMID- 26116026
TI  - Differential molecular response of monodehydroascorbate reductase and glutathione
      reductase by nitration and S-nitrosylation.
AB  - The ascorbate-glutathione cycle is a metabolic pathway that detoxifies hydrogen
      peroxide and involves enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. Proteomic studies
      have shown that some enzymes in this cycle such as ascorbate peroxidase (APX),
      monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR), and glutathione reductase (GR) are
      potential targets for post-translational modifications (PMTs) mediated by nitric
      oxide-derived molecules. Using purified recombinant pea peroxisomal MDAR and
      cytosolic and chloroplastic GR enzymes produced in Escherichia coli, the effects
      of peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)) and S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) which are known to
      mediate protein nitration and S-nitrosylation processes, respectively, were
      analysed. Although ONOO(-) and GSNO inhibit peroxisomal MDAR activity,
      chloroplastic and cytosolic GR were not affected by these molecules. Mass
      spectrometric analysis of the nitrated MDAR revealed that Tyr213, Try292, and
      Tyr345 were exclusively nitrated to 3-nitrotyrosine by ONOO(-). The location of
      these residues in the structure of pea peroxisomal MDAR reveals that Tyr345 is
      found at 3.3 A of His313 which is involved in the NADP-binding site. Site
      directed mutagenesis confirmed Tyr345 as the primary site of nitration
      responsible for the inhibition of MDAR activity by ONOO(-). These results provide
      new insights into the molecular regulation of MDAR which is deactivated by
      nitration and S-nitrosylation. However, GR was not affected by ONOO(-) or GSNO,
      suggesting the existence of a mechanism to conserve redox status by maintaining
      the level of reduced GSH. Under a nitro-oxidative stress induced by salinity
      (150mM NaCl), MDAR expression (mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity levels) was
      increased, probably to compensate the inhibitory effects of S-nitrosylation and
      nitration on the enzyme. The present data show the modulation of the
      antioxidative response of key enzymes in the ascorbate-glutathione cycle by
      nitric oxide (NO)-PTMs, thus indicating the close involvement of NO and reactive
      oxygen species metabolism in antioxidant defence against nitro-oxidative stress
      situations in plants. 

PMID- 26116027
TI  - Cyclic Ozone Exposure Induces Gender-Dependent Neuropathology and Memory Decline
      in an Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major cause of dementia in the elderly. Although
      early-onset (familial) AD is attributed to gene mutations, the cause for late
      onset (sporadic) AD, which accounts for 95% of AD cases, is unknown. In this
      study, we show that exposure of 6-week-old amyloid beta precursor protein
      (APP)/presenilin (PS1) overexpressing mice, a well-established animal model of
      AD, and nontransgenic littermates to a cyclic O3 exposure protocol, which mimics
      environmental exposure episodes, accelerated learning/memory function loss in
      male APP/PS1 mice but not in female APP/PS1 mice or nontransgenic littermates.
      Female APP/PS1 mice had higher brain levels of amyloid beta peptide (Abeta42) and
      Abeta40, compared with male APP/PS1 mice; O3 exposure, however, had no
      significant effect on brain Abeta load in either male or female mice. Our results
      further show that male APP/PS1 mice had lower levels of antioxidants (glutathione
      and ascorbate) and experienced augmented induction of NADPH oxidases, lipid
      peroxidation, and neuronal apoptosis upon O3 exposure, compared with female
      APP/PS1 mice. No significant effect of O3 on any of these parameters was detected
      in nontransgenic littermates. In vitro studies further show that 4
      hydroxynonenal, a lipid peroxidation product which was increased in the plasma
      and cortex/hippocampus of O3-exposed male APP/PS1 mice, induced neuroblastoma
      cell apoptosis. Together, the results suggest that O3 exposure per se may not
      cause AD but can synergize with genetic risk factors to accelerate the
      pathophysiology of AD in genetically predisposed populations. The results also
      suggest that males may be more sensitive to O3-induced neuropathophysiology than
      females due to lower levels of antioxidants. 

PMID- 26116028
TI  - Freshwater Planarians as an Alternative Animal Model for Neurotoxicology.
AB  - Traditional toxicology testing has relied on low-throughput, expensive mammalian
      studies; however, timely testing of the large number of environmental toxicants
      requires new in vitro and in vivo platforms for inexpensive medium- to high
      throughput screening. Herein, we describe the suitability of the asexual
      freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica as a new animal model for the study of
      developmental neurotoxicology. As these asexual animals reproduce by binary
      fission, followed by regeneration of missing body structures within approximately
      1 week, development and regeneration occur through similar processes allowing us
      to induce neurodevelopment "at will" through amputation. This short time scale
      and the comparable sizes of full and regenerating animals enable parallel
      experiments in adults and developing worms to determine development-specific
      aspects of toxicity. Because the planarian brain, despite its simplicity, is
      structurally and molecularly similar to the mammalian brain, we are able to
      ascertain neurodevelopmental toxicity that is relevant to humans. As a proof of
      concept, we developed a 5-step semiautomatic screening platform to characterize
      the toxicity of 9 known neurotoxicants (consisting of common solvents,
      pesticides, and detergents) and a neutral agent, glucose, and quantified effects
      on viability, stimulated and unstimulated behavior, regeneration, and brain
      structure. Comparisons of our findings with other alternative toxicology animal
      models, such as zebrafish larvae and nematodes, demonstrated that planarians are
      comparably sensitive to the tested chemicals. In addition, we found that certain
      compounds induced adverse effects specifically in developing animals. We thus
      conclude that planarians offer new complementary opportunities for developmental
      neurotoxicology animal models. 

PMID- 26116030
TI  - An evaluation of post-registration neuroscience focused education and
      neuroscience nurses' perceived educational needs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People with complex neurological conditions require co-ordinated care
      provided by nurses educated in meeting service needs, understanding the
      pathophysiological processes of disease and the preparation to care for those
      with complex needs. However, evidence suggests that neuroscience specific
      education provision is largely unregulated and set outside of a cohesive
      professional development context. Furthermore, it largely seems to only address
      the induction phase into working within neurosciences. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate
      the nature of post-registration neuroscience focused education across Europe and
      neuroscience nurses' perceived educational needs. METHODS: Post qualifying nurses
      working in the field of neurosciences were invited to complete a self-reported 29
      item on-line questionnaire that contained closed and open-ended questions
      exploring professional background, clinical and educational experience,
      educational opportunities available to them and their perspectives on their
      educational needs. RESULTS: 154 participants from fourteen countries across
      Europe completed the survey. 75% (n=110) of respondents had undertaken
      neuroscience focused education with the most accessible education opportunities
      found to be conferences 77% (n=96) and study days 69% (n=86). Overall, 52.6% of
      courses were multidisciplinary in nature, and 47.4% were exclusively nursing.
      Most identified that their courses were funded by their employer (57%, n=63) or
      partly funded by their employer. Results illustrate a significant variance across
      Europe, highlighting the need for more effective communication between
      neuroscience nurses across Europe. Implications for future education provision,
      recruitment/retention, and funding are discussed, resulting in recommendations
      for the future of neuroscience nursing. CONCLUSIONS: This study, the largest of
      its kind to survey neuroscience nurses, illustrates the absence of a cohesive
      career development pathway for neuroscience nurses in Europe. Nurses need quality
      assured specialist education to deliver high quality appropriate healthcare.

PMID- 26116031
TI  - Changing negative stereotypes regarding aging in undergraduate nursing students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the modification of stereotypes
      and myths regarding aging among third-year nursing students before and after
      undergoing an Aging Nursing course. METHOD: A within-subject repeated-measures
      descriptive study was conducted. The Negative Stereotypes Questionnaire about
      Aging (CENVE) was used. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of negative stereotypes
      was 62.0% pre-intervention (P1) and 12.3% post-intervention (P2) measured; these
      values were 63.5% (P1) and 9.2% (P2) for the health factor, 43.1% (P1) and 4.9%
      (P2) for the motivation and social factors and 58.3% (P1) and 3.8% (P2) for the
      character-personality factor. Paired Student's t tests confirmed that the
      differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high
      prevalence of negative stereotypes toward aging among the nursing students, even
      though they had conducted clinical practice and were in their third year. The
      course was demonstrated to be effective in modifying these stereotypes. The
      proper training of future professionals markedly contributes the dispensation of
      proper care and the eradication of ageism, which remains prevalent in the
      healthcare system.

PMID- 26116029
TI  - 4,4'-Methylenedianiline Alters Serotonergic Transport in a Novel, Sex-Specific
      Model of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Rats.
AB  - Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a cardiovascular disorder characterized
      by elevated pulmonary artery pressure as a result of arterial wall thickening.
      Patients are 3-4 times more likely to be women than men. This gender discrepancy
      demonstrates a need for an animal model with similar sex differences. 4,4'
      Methylenedianiline (DAPM) is an aromatic amine used industrially in the synthesis
      of polyurethanes. Chronic, intermittent treatment of male and female rats with
      DAPM resulted in medial hyperplasia of pulmonary arterioles, exclusively in
      females, coupled to increases in pulmonary arterial pressures. Significant
      increases in plasma levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and serotonin, but decreases in
      nitrite [Formula: see text], were observed in females treated with DAPM. A
      decrease was observed in the serum ratio of the estrogen metabolites 2
      hydroxyestradiol (2-OHE1)/16alpha-hydroxyestrogen (16alpha-OHE1). In females, ET
      1,[Formula: see text] , and 2-OHE1/16alpha-OHE1 were significantly correlated
      with peak pressure gradient, an indirect measure of pulmonary arterial pressure.
      Expression of the serotonin transport protein (SERT) was significantly higher in
      the arteries of DAPM-treated females. In vitro, DAPM induced human pulmonary
      vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and serotonin uptake, both of which
      were inhibited by treatment with the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780 or
      the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine. DAPM also induced the
      release of serotonin from human pulmonary endothelial cells in culture, which is
      blocked by ICI 182,780. Taken together, this suggests that DAPM-mediated
      dysregulation of serotonin transport is estrogen-receptor dependent. Thus, DAPM
      induced PAH pathology may be a new tool to clarify the sex selectivity of PAH
      disease pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26116032
TI  - Towards identifying nurse educator competencies required for simulation-based
      learning: A systemised rapid review and synthesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This paper presents the results of a systemised rapid review and
      synthesis of the literature undertaken to identify competencies required by nurse
      educators to facilitate simulation-based learning (SBL). DESIGN: An international
      collaboration undertook a protocol-based search, retrieval and critical review.
      DATA SOURCES: Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL Plus, PsycInfo, ERIC, the Cochrane
      Library and Science Direct. The search was limited to articles published in
      English, 2002-2012. REVIEW METHODS: The search terms used: nurse*, learn*,
      facilitator, simula*, lecturer, competence, skill*, qualificat*, educator, health
      care, "patient simulation", "nursing education" and "faculty". The search yielded
      2156 "hits", following a review of the abstracts, 72 full-text articles were
      extracted. These were screened against predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria
      and nine articles were retained. Following critical appraisal, the articles were
      analyzed using an inductive approach to extract statements for categorization and
      synthesis as competency statements. RESULTS: This review confirmed that there was
      a modest amount of empirical evidence on which to base a competency framework.
      Those papers that provided descriptions of educator preparation identified
      simulation-based workshops, or experiential training, as the most common
      approaches for enhancing skills. SBL was not associated with any one theoretical
      perspective. Delivery of SBL appeared to demand competencies associated with
      planning and designing simulations, facilitating learning in "safe" environments,
      expert nursing knowledge based on credible clinical realism, reference to
      evidence-based knowledge and demonstration of professional values and identity.
      CONCLUSIONS: This review derived a preliminary competency framework. This needs
      further development as a model for educators delivering SBL as part of nursing
      curricula.

PMID- 26116033
TI  - Mifepristone label laws and trends in use: recent experiences in four US states.

PMID- 26116034
TI  - Nonsurgical permanent contraception for women: let's complete the job.

PMID- 26116035
TI  - [Obesity and complicated diverticular disease of the colon].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of diverticular disease of the colon has been rising in
      recent years, and the associated factors are: low ingestion of fibre, age, lack
      of physical activity, and obesity. METHODS: A retrospective, descriptive,
      observational study was conducted on patients with the diagnosis of complicated
      diverticular disease requiring surgical or interventional treatment, for a period
      of 12 years. RESULTS: A total of 114 patients (72 males, and 42 females), age
      range 28-91 years. More than three-quarters (88 patients; 77.19%) had a body mass
      index (BMI) between 25 and 40 kg/m(2), and 26 patients (22.8%) had a BMI between
      20 and 25 kg/m(2). Among the patients with BMI less than 25 kg/m(2), 12 patients
      had Hinchey 1 (46%), 8 Hinchey 2 (30.7%), 4 Hinchey 3 (15.4%), and two Hinchey 4
      (7.7%). Of the patients with BMI greater than 25 kg/m(2), 19 patients had Hinchey
      1 (21.6%), 24 Hinchey 2 (27.3%), 27 Hinchey 3 (30.7%), and 18 Hinchey 4 (20.45%).
      A statistically significant difference (P<0.001) was found between groups using
      Mann-Whitney U test. The BMI greater than 25 kg/m(2) as risk factor for
      complicated diverticular disease showed Odds Ratio of 3.4884 (95% confidence
      interval 1.27-9.55) with Z value of 2.44 (P=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: In this study,
      obesity was associated with an increased incidence and severity of complicated
      diverticular disease.

PMID- 26116036
TI  - [Scheduled hysterectomy vs. urgent hysterectomy in patients with placenta accreta
      in a high specialty medical unit].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with placenta accreta have a high frequency of complications
      and death risk. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the results of
      scheduled hysterectomy vs. urgent hysterectomy in patients with placenta accreta
      in a high specialty medical unit. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational,
      comparative, cross-sectional study was conducted by reviewing patient records
      with confirmed diagnostic of placenta accreta, who attended in a one year period.
      They were divided into 2 groups based on the type of surgery, scheduled or
      urgent. Descriptive statistics were applied, with comparisons using Student t
      test and chi squared tests. A value of P<.05 was considered significant. RESULTS:
      There were 4,592 births in the period of study, and 125 obstetric hysterectomies
      were performed, with 40 confirmed cases of accreta (8.7 per thousand births) with
      20 in scheduled and 20 in urgent surgeries, with the most frequent type being
      placenta accreta. The mean maternal age was 32 years, with a mean of 5 hours
      operating time, total bleeding 3135 ml, and 3.5 units of packed cells transfused.
      There was no statistical difference when comparing these variables with re
      interventions, hypovolaemic shock, and intensive care unit admission. Caesarean
      hysterectomy with hypogastric artery ligation was the most frequent surgery
      performed. CONCLUSIONS: In this hospital, scheduled and urgent surgical treatment
      of patients with placenta accreta show similar results, probably because the
      constant availability of resources and the experience obtained by the
      multidisciplinary team in all shifts. Nevertheless, make absolutely sure to
      perform elective surgery while having all the necessary resources.

PMID- 26116037
TI  - [Telemetric monitoring reduces visits to the emergency room and cost of care in
      patients with chronic heart failure].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tele-cardiology is the use of information technologies that help
      prolong survival, improve quality of life and reduce costs in health care. Heart
      failure is a chronic disease that leads to high care costs. OBJECTIVE: To
      determine the effectiveness of telemetric monitoring for controlling clinical
      variables, reduced emergency room visits, and cost of care in a group of patients
      with heart failure compared to traditional medical consultation. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: A randomized, controlled and open clinical trial was conducted on 40
      patients with Heart failure in a tertiary care centre in north-western Mexico.
      The patients were divided randomly into 2 groups of 20 patients each (telemetric
      monitoring, traditional medical consultation). In each participant was evaluated
      for: blood pressure, heart rate and body weight. The telemetric monitoring group
      was monitored remotely and traditional medical consultation group came to the
      hospital on scheduled dates. All patients could come to the emergency room if
      necessary. RESULTS: The telemetric monitoring group decreased their weight and
      improved control of the disease (P=.01). Systolic blood pressure and cost of care
      decreased (51%) significantly compared traditional medical consultation group
      (P>.05). Admission to the emergency room was avoided in 100% of patients in the
      telemetric monitoring group. CONCLUSION: In patients with heart failure, the
      telemetric monitoring was effective in reducing emergency room visits and saved
      significant resources in care during follow-up.

PMID- 26116038
TI  - [Intestinal obstruction secondary to postoperative adhesion formation in
      abdominal surgery. Review].
AB  - The development of intestinal obstruction after upper and lower abdominal surgery
      is part of the daily life of each every surgeon. Despite this, there are very few
      good quality studies that allow enable assessment of the frequency of intestinal
      obstruction to be assessed, even although postoperative adhesions are the cause
      of considerable direct and indirect morbidity and its prevention can be
      considered a public health problem. And yet, in Mexico, at this time, there is no
      validated recommendation validated on the prevention of adhesions, or more
      particularly, in connection with the use of a variety of anti-adhesion commercial
      products which have been marketed for at least a decade. Intraperitoneal
      adhesions develop between surfaces without peritoneum of the abdominal organs,
      mesentery, and abdominal wall. The most common site of adhesions is between the
      greater omentum and anterior abdominal wall previous. Despite the frequency of
      adhesions and their direct and indirect consequences, just there is only one
      published a recommendation (from gynaecological literature), regarding peritoneal
      adhesion prevention. As regards of colorectal surgery, performed more than
      250,000 colorectal resections are performed annually in the United States, and
      from 24% to 35% of them will develop a complication. The clinical and economic
      financial burden of these complications is enormous, and surgeries colorectal
      surgery been specifically highlighted as a potential point prevention point of
      surgical morbidity. 

PMID- 26116039
TI  - [Platelet-rich plasma in knee osteoarthritis treatment].
AB  - The biological changes that commonly cause degenerative articular cartilage
      injuries in the knee are primarily associated to misalignment of the joint and
      metabolic changes related to age, as occurs in osteoarthritis. Furthermore, the
      capacity for cartilage self-regeneration is quite limited due to the lack of
      vascularity of the tissue. To date there is no ideal treatment capable to
      stimulate cartilage regeneration; thus there is a need to seek alternative
      therapies for the treatment of such conditions. The number of publications
      demonstrating the therapeutic and regenerative benefits of using platelet-rich
      plasma as a treatment for knee osteoarthritis has been increasing in recent
      years. In spite of encouraging results, there are still only a few randomised
      control studies with strong clinical evidence, lacking clarity on points such as
      the optimum formulation or the mechanism of action of platelet-rich plasma. Up to
      this point and based on the results of clinical studies, not all patients can
      benefit from this therapy. It is important to consider aspects such as the age
      and grade of cartilage degeneration. The aim of the present paper is to review
      the recent scientific literature on the treatment of knee osteoarthritis with
      platelet-rich plasma, and the biological bases of this therapy, as well as
      presenting the current opinion on this subject. 

PMID- 26116040
TI  - The surgical management of symptomatic articular cartilage defects of the knee:
      Consensus statements from United Kingdom knee surgeons.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Symptomatic articular cartilage and osteochondral lesions in the knee
      are an important source of pain and disability, and may lead to osteoarthritis.
      There are several surgical treatments for the condition, with emerging data
      evaluating their clinical effectiveness and longer-term clinical outcome. Health
      care providers have challenged the indications for the use of expensive
      techniques and have been reluctant to authorize funding or reimbursement.
      METHODS: The UK Cartilage Consensus Meeting was convened, involving clinicians in
      the UK with experience in the treatment options, decision-making and evaluation
      of the literature on the subject. RESULTS: This paper reports the consensus of
      attendees regarding appropriate surgical options for managing articular cartilage
      defects in the knee, validated by a large cohort of surgeons in the UK who are
      active in the field of articular cartilage surgery. CONCLUSIONS: An evidence
      based United Kingdom Consensus of 104 clinicians on the surgical management of
      symptomatic articular cartilage lesions of the knee. Several techniques may be
      suitable for small defects. Cell therapy has the best evidence-based outcomes for
      larger defects. Responsible innovation, pooled data collection and improvement in
      physical therapies are important. Surgeons should have access to the most
      appropriate evidence-based therapies for first-line treatment.

PMID- 26116041
TI  - AICAR administration affects glucose metabolism by upregulating the novel glucose
      transporter, GLUT8, in equine skeletal muscle.
AB  - Equine metabolic syndrome is characterized by obesity and insulin resistance
      (IR). Currently, there is no effective pharmacological treatment for this
      insidious disease. Glucose uptake is mediated by a family of glucose transporters
      (GLUT), and is regulated by insulin-dependent and -independent pathways,
      including 5-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Importantly, the activation of
      AMPK, by 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR) stimulates
      glucose uptake in both healthy and diabetic humans. However, whether AICAR
      promotes glucose uptake in horses has not been established. It is hypothesized
      that AICAR administration would enhance glucose transport in equine skeletal
      muscle through AMPK activation. In this study, the effect of an intravenous AICAR
      infusion on blood glucose and insulin concentrations, as well as on GLUT
      expression and AMPK activation in equine skeletal muscle (quantified by Western
      blotting) was examined. Upon administration, plasma AICAR rapidly reached peak
      concentration. Treatment with AICAR resulted in a decrease (P <0.05) in blood
      glucose and an increase (P <0.05) in insulin concentration without a change in
      lactate concentration. The ratio of phosphorylated to total AMPK was increased (P
      <0.05) in skeletal muscle. While GLUT4 and GLUT1 protein expression remained
      unchanged, GLUT8 was increased (P <0.05) following AICAR treatment. Up-regulation
      of GLUT8 protein expression by AICAR suggests that this novel GLUT isoform plays
      an important role in equine muscle glucose transport. In addition, the data
      suggest that AMPK activation enhances pancreatic insulin secretion. Collectively,
      the findings suggest that AICAR acutely promotes muscle glucose uptake in healthy
      horses and thus its therapeutic potential for managing IR requires investigation.

PMID- 26116042
TI  - Men and women have similarly shaped carpometacarpal joint bones.
AB  - Characterizing the morphology of the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint bones and how
      they vary across the population is important for understanding the functional
      anatomy and pathology of the thumb. The purpose of this paper was to develop a
      statistical shape model of the trapezium and first metacarpal bones to
      characterize the size and shape of the whole bones across a cohort of 50. We used
      this shape model to investigate the effects of sex and age on the size and shape
      of the CMC joint bones and the articulating surface area of the CMC joint. We
      hypothesized that women have similar shape trapezium and first metacarpal bones
      compared to men, following scaling for overall size. We also hypothesized that
      age would be a significant predictor variable for CMC joint bone changes. CT
      image data and segmented point clouds of 50 CMC bones from healthy adult men and
      women were obtained from an ongoing study and used to generate two statistical
      shape models. Statistical analysis of the principal component weights of both
      models was performed to investigate morphological sex and age differences. We
      observed sex differences, but were unable to detect any age differences. Between
      men and women the only difference in morphology of the trapezia and first
      metacarpal bones was size. These findings confirm our first hypothesis, and
      suggest that the women have similarly shaped trapezium and first metacarpal bones
      compared to men. Furthermore, our results reject our second hypothesis,
      indicating that age is a poor predictor of CMC joint morphology. 

PMID- 26116043
TI  - Quadratus femoris: An EMG investigation during walking and running.
AB  - Dysfunction of hip stabilizing muscles such as quadratus femoris (QF) is
      identified as a potential source of lower extremity injury during functional
      tasks like running. Despite these assumptions, there are currently no
      electromyography (EMG) data that establish the burst activity profile of QF
      during any functional task like walking or running. The objectives of this study
      were to characterize and compare the EMG activity profile of QF while walking and
      running (primary aim) and describe the direction specific action of QF (secondary
      aim). A bipolar fine-wire intramuscular electrode was inserted via ultrasound
      guidance into the QF of 10 healthy participants (4 females). Ensemble curves were
      generated from four walking and running trials, and normalized to maximum
      voluntary isometric contractions (MVICs). Paired t-tests compared the temporal
      and amplitude EMG variables. The relative activity of QF in the MVICs was
      calculated. The QF displayed moderate to high amplitude activity in the stance
      phase of walking and very high activity during stance in running. During swing,
      there was minimal QF activity recorded during walking and high amplitudes were
      present while running (run vs walk effect size=4.23, P<0.001). For the MVICs,
      external rotation and clam produced the greatest QF activity, with the hip in the
      anatomical position. This study provides an understanding of the activity demands
      placed on QF while walking and running. The high activity in late swing during
      running may signify a synergistic role with other posterior thigh muscles to
      control deceleration of the limb in preparation for stance. 

PMID- 26116044
TI  - The Biomechanics of eyelid tarsus tissue.
AB  - Reconstruction of the eyelid remains challenging due to the unique properties of
      the tarsal plate, which is a fibrocartilagenous structure within the eyelid
      providing structural support and physical form. There are no previous studies
      investigating the biomechanical properties of tarsus tissue, which is vital to
      the success of bioengineered tarsal substitutes. We therefore aimed to determine
      the biomechanical properties of human tarsus tissue, and used a CellScale
      BioTester 5000 (CellScale, Waterloo, Canada) to perform uniaxial tensile tests on
      ten samples of healthy eyelid tarsus. All samples were tested 'fresh' within two
      hours of harvest. A tensile preload of 50 mN was applied for 10 min before the
      sample was subjected to uniaxial tension under linear ramp displacement control.
      Maximum strain was 30% of the original tissue length and thirty dynamic cycles
      were performed at a strain rate of 1%/s using a triangular waveform. Of the
      samples tested, the mean (SD) width was 5.51 mm (1.45 mm) whilst mean thickness
      was 1.6mm (0.51 mm). The mean toe modulus was 0.14 (0.10) MPa, elastic modulus
      was 1.73 (0.61) MPa, with an extensibility of 15.8 (2.1)%, and phase angle of 6.4
      degrees  (2.4) degrees . After adjusting for the initial tissue slack, the
      maximum strain ranged from 23.8% to 30.0%. At maximum strain, it was observed
      that the linear region of the stress-strain curve was reached without the sample
      slipping out of the clamps. Our results establish a benchmark for native tarsus
      tissue, which can be used when evaluating tissue engineered tarsal substitutes in
      the future.

PMID- 26116045
TI  - Song plasticity over time and vocal learning in clay-colored thrushes.
AB  - Songbirds have been traditionally classified into close-ended or open-ended
      learning species according to the length of the sensitive period during which
      birds are able to memorize new vocalizations. Closed-ended learners are generally
      not capable of changing their song after the first year of life, while open-ended
      learners show song plasticity as adults. A few Turdus species have been suggested
      to be open-ended learners, but no long-term study has been conducted to
      investigate their song plasticity over time. We analyzed the songs of clay
      colored thrushes, T. grayi, over four successive breeding seasons to assess song
      plasticity in their syllable repertoires within and between breeding seasons. A
      total of 16,262 syllables were classified through visual inspection of
      spectrograms and multidimensional scaling analysis based on spectrogram
      correlations. On average, 563 +/- 153 (SD) syllables per male per breeding season
      were analyzed. Male repertoire size was 9-20 syllable types. Males were capable
      of modifying their syllable repertoire between the initial and final periods of
      the breeding season. Song plasticity within breeding seasons may be associated
      with imitation between neighboring males, suggesting song learning in males that
      were >=2 years old. This short-term plasticity is not enough, however, to explain
      the high proportion of change (mean = 65 % syllable types) in repertoire
      composition between breeding seasons in adult males. Song plasticity resulting
      from annual changes in repertoire composition could be explained by open-ended
      learning, but another mechanism, extended memory and re-expression, could also
      explain long-term plasticity. Experimental studies controlling the acoustic
      environment are needed to determine which mechanism is responsible for such a
      high level of song plasticity. 

PMID- 26116046
TI  - Stem cell mobilization and collection from pediatric patients and healthy
      children.
AB  - Today, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a standard treatment for
      a variety of conditions in children, including certain malignancies,
      hemoglobinopathies, bone marrow failure syndromes, immunodeficiency and inborn
      metabolic disease. Two fundamentally different types of HSCT are categorized by
      the source of the stem cells. The first, autologous HSCT represents infusion of
      patient's own hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) obtained from the patient; the
      second, allogeneic HSCT refers to the infusion of HSCs obtained from a donor via
      bone marrow harvest or apheresis. Bone marrow has been the typical source for
      HSCs for pediatric donors. Bone marrow harvest is a safe procedure mainly related
      to mild and transient side effects. Recently, a dramatically increased use of
      mobilized peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) in the autologous as well as
      allogeneic setting has been seen worldwide. There are limited data comparing
      mobilization regimens; also mobilization practices vary widely in children. The
      most commonly used approach includes granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G
      CSF) at 10 mg/kg/day as a single daily dose for 4 days before the day of
      leukapheresis. G-CSF induced pain was less reported in children compared to adult
      donors. For the collection, there are several technical problems, derived from
      the size of the patient or donor, which must be considered before and during the
      apheresis. Vascular access, extracorporeal circuit volume, blood flow rates are
      the main limiting factors for PBSC collection in small children. Most children
      younger than 12 years require central vascular access for apheresis; line
      placement may require either general anesthesia or conscious sedation and many of
      the complications arise from the central venous catheter. In this review, we
      discuss that the ethical considerations and some principals regarding children
      serving as stem cell donors and the commonest sources of HSCs are presented in
      children, together with a discussion of how to collect and process these cells. 

PMID- 26116047
TI  - A 23 years audit of packed red blood cell consumption in a university hospital in
      a developing country.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is paucity of information on the blood transfusion practice in
      developing countries. The current audit aims to find out the long term trend in
      the consumption of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) in a large Saudi teaching
      hospital in Riyadh MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the annual consumption of
      PRBCs from 1985 to 2007 in seven major hospital divisions (Medicine, General
      Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cardiac Surgery, Accident and
      Emergency and Renal Dialysis Unit) at the 850-bed King Khalid University Hospital
      (KKUH), Riyadh. RESULTS: Grand total consumption of PRBCs was 345,642 units. The
      consumption increased gradually and peaked in the year 1994, dropped to 30.4% 6
      years later and then increased gradually thereafter, due to the expansion in the
      number of patients cared for in the Departments of Medicine, Cardiac Surgery and
      Accident and Emergency, while in the Department of Pediatrics the drop in
      consumption continued unabated. In the Renal Dialysis Unit consumption was
      minimal with the use of erythropoietin therapy. The crossmatch:transfusion ratio
      uncovered gross over-ordering of PRBCs and wastage of blood bank resources in
      most hospital divisions most notably in the Department of Obstetrics and
      Gynecology. CONCLUSION: The results obtained indicate clearly that there has been
      overuse of blood products that dropped markedly in years coinciding with the
      worldwide apprehension about the safety of transfusion therapy particularly HIV
      transmission. This factor in addition to the current implementation of strict
      guidelines is gradually improving transfusion practices in our institute.

PMID- 26116048
TI  - A comparative study of erectile function and use of erectile aids in high-risk
      prostate cancer patients after robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Erectile function with and without use of erectile aids was compared
      in high-, intermediate- and low-risk prostate cancer patients at a mean of 3
      years after robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A sample of 982 men who underwent RALP at Oslo University Hospital,
      Radiumhospitalet, between 2005 and 2010 was invited to complete a mailed
      questionnaire in 2011. The response rate was 79%, but only 609 patients did not
      have adjuvant treatment and reported on erection. The sample consisted of 29%
      high-risk, 40% intermediate-risk and 25% low-risk patients according to the
      preoperative D'Amico classification. Based on questionnaire data, two primary
      outcomes were defined: ability to have intercourse (sufficient erection), and use
      and effect of erectile aids. RESULTS: Sufficient erection with or without
      erectile aids was reported by 19% of the high-, 30% of the intermediate- and 19%
      of the low-risk group (not significant). Erectile aids were used by 48% of the
      sample, of whom 18% of the high-, 21% of the intermediate- and 14% of the low
      risk group reported sufficient erection (not significant). Papaverine injections
      were used by 21% and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors by 28% of the sample.
      Limitations were the lack of data on erection baseline and on penile
      rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of the sample used erectile aids, which
      significantly increased the proportion with sufficient erection in all risk
      groups after RALP. With and without the use of erectile aids, the proportions of
      patients with sufficient erection were 30% or less, with non-significant
      differences between groups.

PMID- 26116049
TI  - Risk factors for incisional hernia after hepatic resection for hepatocellular
      carcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The risk factors for incisional hernia (IH) and the association
      between liver fibrosis and IH after hepatic resection in patients with
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with liver cirrhosis (LC) are still unclear. We
      aimed to evaluate the rate of IH and to assess the effect of perioperative
      factors, including serum markers for liver fibrosis, on the risk of IH. METHODS:
      A total of 192 patients with HCC with LC who received hepatectomy were
      retrospectively analyzed. The primary end point was the incidence rate of IH and
      the secondary end points were associations between IH and 22 clinical factors.
      RESULTS: IH was diagnosed in 60 (31.3%) patients. The estimated incidence rates
      were 19.8% at 12 months, 32.5% at 36 months, and 38.8% at 60 months. In
      multivariable analysis, the presence of postoperative intractable ascites (odds
      ratio 24.83, P = .0003), abdominal wall closure by a single-layer mass closure
      with a continuous running suture (odds ratio 4.59, P = .0143), preoperative body
      mass index >= 25 kg/m(2) (odds ratio 3.36, P = .0025), and preoperative serum N
      terminal pro-peptide of type IV collagen 7S domain (P4NP 7S) levels >= 5 ng/mL
      (odds ratio 3.13, P = .0234) were independent risk factors. CONCLUSION: There are
      several risk factors for IH after hepatic resection in HCC patients with LC.
      Preoperative serum P4NP 7S levels >= 5 ng/mL are a useful predictive marker, and
      abdominal wall closure with a continuous running suture by a single-layer mass
      closure should be avoided.

PMID- 26116050
TI  - In vivo detection of catecholamines by magnetic resonance spectroscopy: A
      potential specific biomarker for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma.

PMID- 26116051
TI  - A statewide analysis of specialized care for pediatric appendicitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common operative disease in children, yet
      few data exist to support specialized care for childhood appendicitis. We
      hypothesized that children treated with specialized care are younger, have more
      severe disease, and experience equal or better outcomes. METHODS: Texas Blue
      Cross/Blue Shield claims data were reviewed for all children <18 years who
      underwent appendectomy for acute appendicitis from 2008 to 2012. Primary outcomes
      included adverse events, 30-day readmissions, and hospital duration of stay.
      chi(2), Fisher exact test, Student t test, and multivariate regression were
      performed. RESULTS: Of the 3,886 pediatric appendectomies, 894 (23%) were
      performed by pediatric surgeons and 1,558 (40%) were performed in children's
      hospitals. Children treated by pediatric surgeons were younger, had more severe
      disease, underwent fewer computed tomography (CT) examinations, and were
      hospitalized longer (all P < .05). Similarly, children treated in children's
      hospitals were younger, underwent fewer CTs, were more likely to undergo
      laparoscopic appendectomy, and were hospitalized longer (all P < .05).
      Specialized care did not predict adverse events or 30-day readmissions; however,
      specialized care was associated with longer duration of stay (P < .01).
      CONCLUSION: Privately insured children in Texas treated for appendicitis by
      pediatric surgeons or in children's hospitals were younger, had more severe
      disease, and were hospitalized longer but were less likely to undergo
      preoperative CT.

PMID- 26116052
TI  - A decade of investigations on groundwater arsenic contamination in Middle Ganga
      Plain, India.
AB  - Groundwater arsenic (As) load in excess of drinking limit (50 ug L(-1)) in the
      Gangetic Plains was first detected in 2002. Though the menace was known since
      about two decades from the downstream part of the plains in the Bengal Basin,
      comprising of Lower Ganga Plain and deltaic plains of Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna
      River system, little thought was given to its possible threat in the upstream
      parts in the Gangetic Plains beyond Garo-Rajmahal Hills. The contamination in
      Bengal Basin has become one of the extensively studied issues in the world and
      regarded as the severest case of health hazard in the history of mankind. The
      researches and investigations in the Gangetic Plains during the last decade (2003
      2013) revealed that the eastern half of the plains, also referred as Middle Ganga
      Plain (MGP), is particularly affected by contamination, jeopardising the shallow
      aquifer-based drinking water supply. The present paper reviews researches and
      investigations carried out so far in MGP by various research institutes and
      government departments on wide array of issues of groundwater As such as its
      spatio-temporal variation, mobilisation paths, water level behaviour and flow
      regime, configuration of contaminated and safe aquifers and their recharge
      mechanism. Elevated conc. of groundwater As has been observed in grey and dark
      grey sediments of Holocene age (Newer Alluvium) deposited in a fluvio-lacustrine
      environment in the floodplain of the Ganga and most of its northern tributaries
      from Himalayas. Older Alluvium, comprising Pleistocene brownish yellow sediment,
      extending as deeper aquifers in Newer Alluvium areas, is low in groundwater As.
      Similarities and differences on issues between the MGP and the Bengal Basin have
      been discussed. The researches point towards the mobilisation process as
      reductive dissolution of iron hydroxide coating, rich in adsorbed As, mediated by
      microbial processes. The area is marked with shallow water level (<8.0 m below
      ground) with ample monsoonal recharge. The infiltrated rainwater and percolating
      water from surface water bodies carry organic carbon from sediments (particularly
      from the clay plugs in abandoned channels), abetting microbial processes, spread
      of anoxic front and release of As. 

PMID- 26116053
TI  - Semen quality, testicular B-mode and Doppler ultrasound, and serum testosterone
      concentrations in dogs with established infertility.
AB  - Retrospective examination of breeding records enabled the identification of 10
      dogs of normal fertility and 10 dogs with established infertility of at least 12
      months of duration. Comparisons of testicular palpation, semen evaluation,
      testicular ultrasound examination, Doppler ultrasound measurement of testicular
      artery blood flow, and measurement of serum testosterone concentration were made
      between the two groups over weekly examinations performed on three occasions.
      There were no differences in testicular volume (cm(3)) between the two groups
      (fertile right testis = 10.77 +/- 1.66; fertile left testis = 12.17 +/- 2.22);
      (infertile right testis = 10.25 +/- 3.33; infertile left testis = 11.37 +/-
      3.30), although the infertile dogs all had subjectively softer testes compared
      with the fertile dogs. Infertile dogs were either azoospermic or when they
      ejaculated, they had lower sperm concentration, sperm motility, and percentage of
      morphologically normal spermatozoa than fertile dogs. Furthermore, infertile dogs
      had reduced sperm membrane integrity measured via the hypoosmotic swelling test.
      Infertile dogs had significantly lower basal serum testosterone concentrations
      (1.40 +/- 0.62 ng/mL) than fertile dogs (1.81 +/- 0.87 ng/mL; P < 0.05). There
      were subjective differences in testicular echogenicity in some of the infertile
      dogs, and important differences in testicular artery blood flow with lower peak
      systolic and end-diastolic velocities measured in the distal supratesticular
      artery, marginal testicular artery, and intratesticular artery of infertile dogs
      (P < 0.05). Notably, resistance index and pulsatility index did not differ
      between infertile and fertile dogs. These findings report important differences
      between infertile and fertile dogs which may be detected within an expanded
      breeding soundness examination.

PMID- 26116054
TI  - Testicular perfusion after standing laparoscopic peritoneal flap hernioplasty in
      stallions.
AB  - Acquired inguinal herniation is a very common condition in stallions, usually
      leading to unilateral or bilateral castration to prevent future recurrence.
      Recently, several surgical techniques such as the standing laparoscopic
      peritoneal flap hernioplasty (SLPFH) have been developed to avoid herniation
      recurrence and also preserve the breeding activity of high economic value
      stallions. However, studies on SLPFH lack more comprehensive and systematic data
      about reproductive-related adverse effects and outcomes. The aim of this study
      was to evaluate whether SLPFH of the internal inguinal rings produces changes in
      the testicular blood flow in a 1-year follow-up. For that purpose, six healthy
      stallions were used and testicular blood flow was assessed before, 3, 6, and 12
      months (T0, T3, T6, and T12) after the procedure. Blood flow was evaluated
      ultrasonographically, using the pulsed-wave color Doppler mode. Peak systolic
      velocity, end-diastolic velocity, the time-averaged maximum velocity, and the
      derived indexes (resistive index) and pulsatility index) of the testicular artery
      were measured in two localizations: in the spermatic cord and on the caudal
      epididymal edge of the testicle. On the spermatic cord, the peak systolic
      velocity of the testicular artery increased significantly at T12. However, on the
      epididymal edge location of the artery, the pulsatility and resistive indexes
      were decreased at T12 (P < 0.05). This pattern of blood flow was related to a
      hyperemic process. Furthermore, SLPFH might have compressed the spermatic cord,
      causing a slight occlusion of the testicular artery and triggering a compensatory
      hyperemia to compensate the deficit of blood flow that supplies the testes. The
      SLPFH of the internal inguinal ring affected the testicular perfusion in
      stallions in a 1 year follow-up, although there was no effect on sperm production
      during this time. The spectral Doppler ultrasound is a useful tool to asses the
      testicular perfusion after reproductive surgical procedure and provides
      information which anticipates vascular supply compromise of the stallion
      testicles.

PMID- 26116055
TI  - Nanomedicine and mammalian sperm: Lessons from the porcine model.
AB  - Biomedical nanotechnology allows us to engineer versatile nanosized platforms
      that are comparable in size to biological molecules and intracellular organelles.
      These platforms can be loaded with large amounts of biological cargo,
      administered systemically and act at a distance, target specific cell
      populations, undergo intracellular internalization via endogenous uptake
      mechanisms, and act as contrast agents or release cargo for therapeutic purposes.
      Over recent years, nanomaterials have been increasingly viewed as favorable
      candidates for intragamete delivery. Particularly in the case of sperm,
      nanomaterial-based approaches have been shown to improve the efficacy of existing
      techniques such as sperm-mediated gene transfer, loading sperm with exogenous
      proteins, and tagging sperm for subsequent sex- or function-based sorting. In
      this short review, we provide an outline of the current state of nanotechnology
      for biomedical applications in reproductive biology and present highlights from a
      series of our studies evaluating the use of specialized silica nanoparticles in
      boar sperm as a potential delivery vehicle into mammalian gametes. The
      encouraging data obtained already from the porcine model in our laboratory have
      formed the basis for ethical approval of similar experiments in human sperm,
      thereby bringing us a step closer toward the potential use of this novel
      technology in the clinical environment. 

PMID- 26116056
TI  - Preselection of high and low ovulatory responders in sheep multiple ovulation and
      embryo transfer programs.
AB  - The present study evaluated the feasibility of carrying out an easy-to-handle and
      cost-efficient test for the preselection of high- and low-ovulatory responder
      ewes under superovulatory protocols. The test was based on the assessment of the
      number of ovulations obtained in response to the administration of a single-shot
      eCG treatment. The predictive value of the test was determined by comparing the
      number of ovulations with yields obtained in response to a multiple-dose FSH
      treatment. In addition, the study determined possible effects of follicular
      status at first FSH dose and their relationship with subsequent ovarian response.
      A total of 31 Merino ewes received hormonal treatment comprising the
      administration of 800 IU of eCG at the end of progestative treatment. Twenty
      three days later, multiple-dose FSH treatment (80-mg FSH, in six decreasing doses
      between Days 12 and 14 of a second progestative treatment) was applied to the
      same ewes. The study showed a significant relationship between the number of
      corpora lutea obtained in response to eCG treatment with respect to those
      obtained in response to FSH treatment (r = 0.791; P < 0.05), which resulted in
      84% recurrence rate. The number of embryos was greater for high-responder in
      relation to low-responder ewes (7.2 +/- 3.7 and 4.0 +/- 3.9, respectively; P <
      0.05), whereas rates of recovery and fertilization were similar between groups (P
      > 0.05). Hence, there was a tendency for a higher mean of grades 1 and 2 embryos
      in high-responder in relation to low-responder ewes (6.1 +/- 3.8 and 3.7 +/- 4.0,
      respectively; P < 0.1). No significant relationship was found between the number
      of corpora lutea in response to FSH treatment and the number of small and total
      follicles at first FSH dose (P > 0.05). However, a negative low relationship was
      found between the presence of large follicles and the ovulation rate in response
      to FSH treatment (r = -0.361; P < 0.05). In conclusion, the results show the
      feasibility of carrying out an easy-to-handle and cost-efficient procedure for
      the preselection of embryo donors. The procedure was based on high recurrence
      rate between hormonal treatments, which in turn accounts for a distinctive ewe
      ovulatory response.

PMID- 26116057
TI  - Collagen and matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 in the ewe cervix during the
      estrous cycle.
AB  - The cervical collagen remodeling during the estrous cycle of the ewe was
      examined. The collagen concentration determined by a hydroxyproline assay and the
      area occupied by collagen fibers (%C), determined by van Gieson staining, were
      assessed in the cranial and caudal cervix of Corriedale ewes on Days 1 (n = 6), 6
      (n = 5), or 13 (n = 6) after estrous detection (defined as Day 0). In addition,
      the gelatinase activity by in situ and SDS-PAGE gelatin zymographies and matrix
      metalloproteinase-2 and -9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9, respectively) expression by
      immunohistochemistry were determined. The collagen concentration and %C were
      lowest on Day 1 of the estrous cycle (P < 0.04), when MMP-2 activity was highest
      (P < 0.006) and the ratio of activated to latent MMP-2 trend to be highest (P =
      0.0819). The MMP-2 activity was detected in 73% of the homogenized cervical
      samples, and its expression was mainly detected in active fibroblasts. By
      contrast, the MMP-9 activity was detected in 9% of the samples, and its scarce
      expression was associated with plasmocytes, macrophages, and lymphocytes. Matrix
      metalloproteinase-2 expression was maximal on Day 1 in the cranial cervix and on
      Day 13 in the caudal cervix and was lower in the cranial than in the caudal
      cervix (P < 0.0001). This time-dependent increase in MMP-2 expression that
      differed between the cranial and caudal cervix may reflect their different
      physiological roles. The decrease in the collagen content and increase in
      fibroblast MMP-2 activity in sheep cervix on Day 1 of the estrous cycle suggests
      that cervical dilation at estrus is due to the occurrence of collagen fiber
      degradation modulated by changes in periovulatory hormone levels.

PMID- 26116058
TI  - Use of B-mode ultrasonography for fetal sex determination in dogs.
AB  - Ultrasonographic determination of fetal sex in dogs has not previously been
      reported. The aim of this study was to describe a method for determination of
      intrauterine fetal sex using ultrasound. A cohort study was conducted in pregnant
      bitches to perform ultrasound examination of the fetal genitalia between the
      eighth and ninth week of gestation. Fetal sex was determined in utero by
      consensus agreement of two sonographers. Eighteen pregnant bitches were included
      in this study, and a total of 39 fetuses were evaluated. The accuracy of
      ultrasonography to determine the sex with a 95% confidence interval was 62.24% to
      female fetuses and 65.48% to male fetuses. The sonographic accuracy in
      determining fetal sex can be achieved at 100% when there are up to two fetuses in
      the litter; however, the accuracy of the technique reduces (66.7%) when more than
      three fetuses are present. This study describes the sonographic appearance of the
      external genitalia in canine fetuses in utero associated with a specific position
      of the fetus and reports that sex determination is possible between 55 and 58
      days of gestation.

PMID- 26116059
TI  - Storage of sexed boar spermatozoa: Limits and perspectives.
AB  - Despite the great potential application of sex-sorted spermatozoa in swine, the
      technology is not practiced in the pig industry because of technical factors and
      species-specific issues. The susceptibility of boar spermatozoa to stresses
      induced by the sorting procedure, the relative slowness of the sex-sorting
      process together with the high sperm numbers required for routine artificial
      insemination in pig are some of the main factors limiting the commercial
      application of this technology in pigs. This review briefly describes the damage
      to spermatozoa during sex sorting, focusing on an additional limiting factor:
      increased susceptibility of sexed boar spermatozoa to injuries induced by liquid
      storage and cryopreservation that, in turn, impairs sperm quality leading to
      unsatisfactory results in vivo. Strategies to extend the lifespan of sex-sorted
      boar spermatozoa and to improve their fertilizing ability after liquid storage or
      cryopreservation need to be implemented before this technology can be used in pig
      farms. In this regard, encapsulation in barium alginate membranes could be a
      promising technique to optimize the in vivo use of sexed boar spermatozoa, by
      protecting, targeting, and controlling the release of sperm into the female
      genital tract.

PMID- 26116060
TI  - Transitioning HIV-infected children and adolescents into adult care: an Italian
      real-life experience.
AB  - As young people living with HIV age, transition to adult care is increasingly
      required. The aim of our study was to describe how a care transition program was
      developed in an HIV adult clinic in Genoa, Italy. This is a descriptive study
      including 45 HIV-infected patients who participated in the transition process
      from a pediatric unit to an adult Infectious Diseases Unit, which started in
      2000. A dedicated day, patient-customized environment, psychological support, and
      all health services in one site were provided. In 2014, a survey form was created
      to investigate the efficacy of the transition. At survey compilation time, 38
      patients (84.4%) were retained in care, 2 were lost to follow-up, 2 were
      transferred to another adult clinic, and 3 had died. We highlight the importance
      of planning the transition process and the role of the interprofessional team to
      guarantee a successful transition for HIV-infected children and adolescents. 

PMID- 26116061
TI  - Doctors and the Etiquette of Mobile Device Use in Trauma and Orthopedics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The etiquette surrounding the use of mobile devices, so-called
      "mobiquette," has been previously identified as a barrier to use in an
      educational context. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of mobile device use
      on patient and staff opinions in the trauma and orthopedics department at a
      teaching hospital in Wales. METHODS: A survey of patients at the bedside and
      staff in their work environment was undertaken. Data included age, frequency of
      observed use, suspected main reason for use, and whether doctors' use of a mobile
      device positively or negatively influenced participants' opinions of them as a
      professional and as a person. RESULTS: A total of 59 patients and 35 staff
      responded. The modal age range was 40 to 54 years old. Most patients (78%) never
      see doctors using mobile devices in the workplace, compared with 3% of staff. The
      main reason for use was thought to be "communicating with colleagues" (48%)
      followed by "Internet use/applications for work reasons" (40%). Approximately 40%
      of patients' opinions of doctors were positively influenced by device use,
      compared with 82% of staff. This difference between patient and staff opinions
      was statistically significant for both professional (P<.001) and personal
      (P=.002) opinions. CONCLUSIONS: Patients are likely to have a negative opinion of
      doctors using mobile devices in the workplace. This can be balanced by the more
      positive opinions of colleagues. We advise doctors to remember "mobiquette"
      around patients.

PMID- 26116062
TI  - Can we use an early warning system for tricuspid regurgitation?

PMID- 26116064
TI  - Electrical nerve stimulation method for intraoperative localization of the
      inferior alveolar nerve within the mandible: a pilot study in rabbits.
AB  - The efficacy of the electrical nerve stimulation method for localizing the
      inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) within the mandibular bone was evaluated. Six New
      Zealand rabbits were used (both sides of the mandible). The IAN was stimulated
      through the mandibular bone and compound action potentials (CAPs) were recorded
      proximally from the main trunk of the nerve. Stimulation current pulse widths
      were set at 0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1ms. The minimum current magnitude that
      generated a CAP with a criterion level (300mV peak-to-peak amplitude) was
      measured in the range of 0.05-5mA. Correlations between the distance of the IAN
      from the active electrode site and the minimum current magnitudes were studied
      for each pulse width. The correlation coefficients were 0.678, 0.807, 0.893,
      0.851, and 0.890 for the pulse widths of 0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1ms,
      respectively. The minimum current producing the criterion CAP response in the IAN
      was significantly (P<0.0001 for all pulse widths) and highly correlated with the
      distance between the stimulation site and the nerve. The results suggest that
      electrical nerve stimulation is a promising method that can be used for the
      localization of the IAN, especially during mandibular implant surgery. 

PMID- 26116063
TI  - Reconstruction of mandibular vertical defects for dental implants with autogenous
      bone block grafts using a tunnel approach: clinical study of 50 cases.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of mandibular vertical
      defect reconstruction with autologous bone and the use of a sub-periosteal tunnel
      approach in preparation for dental implant insertion. Forty-three consecutive
      patients with an atrophic posterior mandible were reconstructed using this
      method. Two thin laminae of cortical bone, obtained by splitting blocks harvested
      from the retromolar area, were fixed in a box-like framework containing
      cancellous and particulate bone. The goal was to achieve an alveolar ridge width
      of >=5.5mm and an effective bone height (EBH) of >=10.5mm for dental implant
      insertion (>=3.4mm diameter, >=9.5mm length). Fifty reconstruction procedures
      were performed. The mean EBH was 7.1+/-1.3mm pre-treatment and 12.3+/-1.1mm post
      treatment (mean increase 5.2+/-1.4mm). Complete graft loss was recorded in two
      cases; the remaining complications were minor. After a mean consolidation period
      of 3.5 months, 96 dental implants were placed. No failure of osseointegration was
      observed at follow-up (mean 32.9 months). The average bone height reduction was
      0.9mm (graft vertical resorption 17.4%). Reconstruction of posterior mandibular
      vertical defects using two autogenous cortical bone blocks with particulate bone
      between them, combined with a tunnelling technique, provided good healing with no
      wound dehiscence and minimum resorption of the grafted bone, favouring a
      substantial vertical bone gain. 

PMID- 26116065
TI  - Effect of sitting, standing, and supine body positions on facial soft tissue:
      detailed 3D analysis.
AB  - Medical imaging techniques require various body positions. Gravity causes changes
      in the facial soft tissue and acts in different directions according to the
      position of the head during imaging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      effect of positional changes on the facial soft tissue. The faces of subjects
      were scanned in the standing, sitting, and supine body positions. Differences in
      the positions were compared using the root mean square (RMS), mean absolute
      deviation (MAD), and mean signed distance (MSD). The displacement of 15
      midsagittal and 20 bilateral landmarks was evaluated. The RMS, MAD, and MSD
      values of the sitting-standing comparison were significantly lower than those of
      the sitting-supine and standing-supine comparisons. There were no significant
      differences between the sitting-supine and standing-supine comparisons. Sixteen
      out of 135 measurements (12%) of the midsagittal landmarks and 94 out of 180
      (52%) measurements of the bilateral landmarks showed significant displacements
      among the body positions. These results demonstrate a significant change in the
      facial soft tissue caused by body position. Furthermore, these data show the
      different susceptibilities of the facial soft tissue landmarks to the effect of
      body position along the x, y, and z axes.

PMID- 26116066
TI  - Effect of oral contraceptive use on the incidence of dry socket in females
      following impacted mandibular third molar extraction: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The aim of this comprehensive meta-analysis was to provide evidence-based data to
      test whether oral contraceptive (OC) use can promote the incidence of dry socket
      (DS) in females following impacted mandibular third molar extraction. PubMed, the
      Cochrane Library, and Elsevier Science Direct databases were searched. The pooled
      risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using fixed
      effects or random-effects model analysis. Heterogeneity among studies was
      evaluated with the Cochran test and I(2) statistic. Study quality was assessed
      with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Of 70 articles identified in the search, 12
      reporting 16 clinical controlled trials were included in this study. The
      incidence of DS was significantly greater in the OC groups than in the control
      groups (RR 1.80, 95% CI 1.33-2.43). Subgroup analyses showed that the unit
      assessed (tooth or patient), the region in which the study was conducted, and the
      intervention were not related to the incidence of DS in females taking OC after
      impacted mandibular third molar extraction. The sensitivity analysis showed no
      significant change when any one study was excluded. Publication bias was also not
      detected. This study suggests that OC use may promote the incidence of DS in
      females following impacted mandibular third molar extraction. 

PMID- 26116067
TI  - Point: Introducing Diversity Into a Medical Group: How to Do It and Why.

PMID- 26116068
TI  - When Vision Prevails: A History of the International Society for Strategic
      Studies in Radiology.

PMID- 26116069
TI  - Counterpoint: Diversity and Inclusion: Works in Progress.

PMID- 26116070
TI  - Anthocyanin-rich Seoritae extract ameliorates renal lipotoxicity via activation
      of AMP-activated protein kinase in diabetic mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anthocyanins are major constituents of food colours and have been
      reported to possess anti-diabetic activities for potential medicinal use. The
      precise role of anthocyanins in diabetic nephropathy is poorly understood. We
      investigated whether anthocyanin-rich Seoritae extract (SE) can potentially
      prevent oxidative stress and lipotoxicity, which are the main causes of renal
      damage in diabetic nephropathy, via activation of AMP-activated protein kinase
      (AMPK) and the consequent effects on its target molecules. METHODS: Four groups
      of male C57BLKS/J db/m and db/db mice were used. Diabetic and non-diabetic mice
      were orally administered 10 mg/kg body weight SE daily for 12 weeks, starting at
      8 weeks of age. RESULTS: db/db mice treated with anthocyanins showed decreased
      albuminuria. Anthocyanins ameliorated intra-renal lipid concentrations in db/db
      mice with improvement of glomerular matrix expansion and inflammation, which was
      related to increased phosphorylation of AMPK and activation of peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha and PPARgamma, and inhibited the
      activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and sterol regulatory element-binding protein
      1. Anthocyanins reversed diabetes-induced increases in renal apoptosis and
      oxidative stress. In cultured human glomerular endothelial cells, anthocyanins
      prevented high glucose-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis through activation
      of AMPK in the same manner. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed that anthocyanins
      ameliorated diabetic nephropathy in db/db mice via phosphorylation of AMPK, the
      major energy-sensing enzyme, and the consequent effects on its target molecules,
      which appeared to prevent lipotoxicity-related apoptosis and oxidative stress in
      the kidney.

PMID- 26116071
TI  - Distance to parks and non-residential destinations influences physical activity
      of older people, but crime doesn't: a cross-sectional study in a southern
      European city.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) has numerous health benefits, but older adults
      live mostly sedentary lifestyles. The physical and social neighborhood
      environment may encourage/dissuade PA. In particular, neighborhood crime may lead
      to feeling unsafe and affect older adults' willingness to be physically active.
      Yet, research on this topic is still inconclusive. Older population, probably the
      age group most influenced by the neighborhood environment, has been understudied,
      especially in Southern Europe. In this study, we aimed to analyze the association
      between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) in older adults and objective
      crime, alongside other neighborhood characteristics. METHODS: We obtained data
      from a population-based cohort from Porto (2005-2008) to assess LTPA. Only adults
      aged 65 years or more were included (n = 532). A Geographic Information System
      was used to measure neighborhood characteristics. Neighborhood crime was
      expressed as crime rates by category (incivilities, criminal offenses with and
      without violence and traffic crime). Neighborhood characteristics such as
      socioeconomic deprivation, land gradient, street density, transportation network,
      distance to parks, non-residential destinations and sport spaces were also
      included. Generalized Additive Models were fitted to estimate the association
      between neighborhood characteristics and the participation (being active vs.
      inactive) and frequency (min/day) of LTPA. RESULTS: Forty-six percent of the men
      and 61 % of the women did not engage in any kind of LTPA. Among the active
      participants, men spent on average 50.5 (35.2 Standard Deviation, SD) min/day in
      LTPA, whereas the average among women was 36.9 (35.1 SD) min/day (p < 0.001).
      Neighborhood crime was unrelated to the participation in, or frequency of, LTPA.
      On the other hand, two neighborhood characteristics - distance to the nearest
      park (beta = -0.0262, p = 0.029) and to the nearest non-residential destination
      (beta = -0.0735, p = 0.019) - were associated with time spent on LTPA, but only
      among active older women. No neighborhood characteristic was related to
      participation in LTPA. CONCLUSIONS: From a public health point of view, the
      provision of parks and non-residential destinations (shops, schools, cultural and
      worship places) might contribute to elevate PA levels of already active older
      women. On the other hand, in this setting, crime was not a big issue.

PMID- 26116073
TI  - Compartmentalization of iron between mitochondria and the cytosol and its
      regulation.
AB  - Iron is essential for life. Its coordinated distribution between intracellular
      compartments and the adaptation of iron uptake to intracellular demands are
      central for a balanced iron homeostasis. Mitochondria take center stage in
      cellular iron metabolism as they harbor the two major iron-utilizing pathways,
      the synthesis of heme and the biogenesis of iron-sulfur (Fe/S) proteins.
      Consistent with this central role, mitochondria are also critical regulators of
      cellular iron homeostasis. They directly influence cellular iron uptake and the
      status of iron-utilizing metabolic processes through iron-dependent co-factors or
      by control of gene expression. For all these aspects of cellular iron metabolism,
      the uptake of iron into mitochondria is critical. During the last decade,
      considerable progress has been made with respect to the functional
      characterization of mitochondrial iron acquisition and the identification of
      transporters involved. The model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been
      especially useful for the elucidation of this process. Here, we summarize the
      recent advances in the mechanism of mitochondrial iron transport and the impact
      of mitochondria on the regulation of cellular iron homeostasis. 

PMID- 26116072
TI  - Metabolomic and transcriptomic insights into how cotton fiber transitions to
      secondary wall synthesis, represses lignification, and prolongs elongation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The morphogenesis of single-celled cotton fiber includes extreme
      elongation and staged cell wall differentiation. Designing strategies for
      improving cotton fiber for textiles and other uses relies on uncovering the
      related regulatory mechanisms. In this research we compared the transcriptomes
      and metabolomes of two Gossypium genotypes, Gossypium barbadense cv Phytogen 800
      and G. hirsutum cv Deltapine 90. When grown in parallel, the two types of fiber
      developed similarly except for prolonged fiber elongation in the G. barbadense
      cultivar. The data were collected from isolated fibers between 10 to 28 days post
      anthesis (DPA) representing: primary wall synthesis to support elongation;
      transitional cell wall remodeling; and secondary wall cellulose synthesis, which
      was accompanied by continuing elongation only in G. barbadense fiber. RESULTS: Of
      206 identified fiber metabolites, 205 were held in common between the two
      genotypes. Approximately 38,000 transcripts were expressed in the fiber of each
      genotype, and these were mapped to the reference set and interpreted by homology
      to known genes. The developmental changes in the transcriptomes and the
      metabolomes were compared within and across genotypes with several novel
      implications. Transitional cell wall remodeling is a distinct stable
      developmental stage lasting at least four days (18 to 21 DPA). Expression of
      selected cell wall related transcripts was similar between genotypes, but
      cellulose synthase gene expression patterns were more complex than expected.
      Lignification was transcriptionally repressed in both genotypes. Oxidative stress
      was lower in the fiber of G. barbadense cv Phytogen 800 as compared to G.
      hirsutum cv Deltapine 90. Correspondingly, the G. barbadense cultivar had
      enhanced capacity for management of reactive oxygen species during its prolonged
      elongation period, as indicated by a 138-fold increase in ascorbate concentration
      at 28 DPA. CONCLUSIONS: The parallel data on deep-sequencing transcriptomics and
      non-targeted metabolomics for two genotypes of single-celled cotton fiber showed
      that a discrete developmental stage of transitional cell wall remodeling occurs
      before secondary wall cellulose synthesis begins. The data showed how
      lignification can be transcriptionally repressed during secondary cell wall
      synthesis, and they implicated enhanced capacity to manage reactive oxygen
      species through the ascorbate-glutathione cycle as a positive contributor to
      fiber length.

PMID- 26116074
TI  - Evidence for functional and dynamic microcompartmentation of Cav-1/TRPV4/K(Ca) in
      caveolae of endothelial cells.
AB  - Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels (KCa) play a pivotal role in the endothelium
      dependent hyperpolarization and regulation of vascular tone and blood pressure.
      For activation, KCa depend on an increase of intracellular calcium which is
      substantially mediated by Ca(2+)-permeable cation channels including the
      transient receptor potential V4 (TRPV4). It has been proposed that KCa and Ca(2+)
      permeable cation channels may be clustered in localized positions within the cell
      membrane to form functional units and that caveolae may constitute the
      scaffolding for such microcompartmental organization. Here, we sought to
      elucidate the composition and functional relevance of these microcompartments in
      vitro and in vivo. We show that TRPV4 and small-conductance KCa2.3 are enriched
      in caveolae of human microvascular endothelial cells. Using immunoprecipitation,
      immunocytology and superresolution microscopy, we found a caveolae-dependent
      association between caveolin-1, TRPV4 and small conductance KCa2.3, but not
      intermediate conductance KCa3.1, in endothelial cells under static condition.
      Mechanical stimulation of cells via exposure to shear stress led to a partial de
      novo colocalization of KCa3.1 with Cav-1 and TRPV4. In a mouse model of genetic
      Cav-1 deficiency, we found significantly reduced KCa-mediated currents as
      determined by patch-clamping in carotid artery endothelial cells (CAEC) from Cav
      1(-/-) mice compared to wildtype. Functionally, Cav-1 deficiency was associated
      with impaired endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF)-mediated
      vasodilation in response to shear stress and acetylcholine. In summary, our
      findings provide evidence for a dynamic microcompartmentation of TRPV4/KCa in
      caveolae of endothelial cells and highlight the importance of Cav-1 for
      endothelial KCa functions and flow-induced vasodilation. 

PMID- 26116075
TI  - Fungal stress biology: a preface to the Fungal Stress Responses special edition.
AB  - There is currently an urgent need to increase global food security, reverse the
      trends of increasing cancer rates, protect environmental health, and mitigate
      climate change. Toward these ends, it is imperative to improve soil health and
      crop productivity, reduce food spoilage, reduce pesticide usage by increasing the
      use of biological control, optimize bioremediation of polluted sites, and
      generate energy from sustainable sources such as biofuels. This review focuses on
      fungi that can help provide solutions to such problems. We discuss key aspects of
      fungal stress biology in the context of the papers published in this Special
      Issue of Current Genetics. This area of biology has relevance to pure and applied
      research on fungal (and indeed other) systems, including biological control of
      insect pests, roles of saprotrophic fungi in agriculture and forestry, mycotoxin
      contamination of the food-supply chain, optimization of microbial fermentations
      including those used for bioethanol production, plant pathology, the limits of
      life on Earth, and astrobiology. 

PMID- 26116076
TI  - Cdc14 phosphatase: warning, no delay allowed for chromosome segregation!
AB  - Cycling events in nature start and end to restart again and again. In the cell
      cycle, whose purpose is to become two where there was only one, cyclin-dependent
      kinases (CDKs) are the beginning and, therefore, phosphatases must play a role in
      the ending. Since CDKs are drivers of the cell cycle and cancer cells
      uncontrollably divide, much attention has been put into knocking down CDK
      activity. However, much less is known on the consequences of interfering with the
      phosphatases that put an end to the cell cycle. We have addressed in recent years
      the consequences of transiently inactivating the only master cell cycle
      phosphatase in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Cdc14. Transient
      inactivation is expected to better mimic the pharmacological action of drugs.
      Interestingly, we have found that yeast cells tolerate badly a relatively brief
      inactivation of Cdc14 when cells are already committed into anaphase, the first
      cell cycle stage where this phosphatase plays important roles. First, we noticed
      that the segregation of distal regions in the chromosome arm that carries the
      ribosomal DNA array was irreversibly impaired, leading to an anaphase bridge
      (AB). Next, we found that this AB could eventually be severed by cytokinesis and
      led to two different types of genetically compromised daughter cells. All these
      previous studies were done in haploid cells. We have now recently expanded this
      analysis to diploid cells and used the advantage of making hybrid diploids to
      study chromosome rearrangements and changes in the ploidy of the surviving
      progeny. We have found that the consequences for the genome integrity were far
      more dramatic than originally envisioned. 

PMID- 26116077
TI  - Clinical applications for dual energy CT versus dynamic contrast enhanced CT in
      oncology.
AB  - Both Dual Energy CT (DECT) and Volume Perfusion CT (VPCT) have gained interest in
      recent years with several studies providing evidence of benefits for both in a
      variety of oncological settings. These technologies open a new spectrum of
      diagnostic opportunities aiming at an improved detection and characterization of
      suspected tumor lesions, early evaluation of therapy response and generally more
      accurate treatment monitoring. Here, we review and discuss current advances,
      beneficial aspects and potential shortcomings of both imaging modalities with
      regard to their clinical use in oncology. 

PMID- 26116078
TI  - Local anaesthetic wound infiltration in addition to standard anaesthetic regimen
      in total hip and knee replacement: long-term cost-effectiveness analyses
      alongside the APEX randomised controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Arthroplasty Pain Experience (APEX) studies are two randomised
      controlled trials in primary total hip (THR) and total knee replacement (TKR) at
      a large UK orthopaedics centre. APEX investigated the effect of local anaesthetic
      wound infiltration (LAI), administered before wound closure, in addition to
      standard analgesia, on pain severity at 12 months. This article reports results
      of the within-trial economic evaluations. METHODS: Cost-effectiveness was
      assessed from the health and social care payer perspective in relation to quality
      adjusted life years (QALYs) and the primary clinical outcome, the WOMAC Pain
      score at 12-months follow-up. Resource use was collected from hospital records
      and patient-completed postal questionnaires, and valued using unit cost estimates
      from local NHS Trust finance department and national tariffs. Missing data were
      addressed using multiple imputation chained equations. Costs and outcomes were
      compared per trial arm and plotted in cost-effectiveness planes. If no arm was
      dominant (i.e., more effective and less expensive than the other), incremental
      cost-effectiveness ratios were estimated. The economic results were bootstrapped
      incremental net monetary benefit statistics (INMB) and cost-effectiveness
      acceptability curves. One-way deterministic sensitivity analyses explored any
      methodological uncertainty. RESULTS: In both the THR and TKR trials, LAI was the
      dominant treatment: cost-saving and more effective than standard care, in
      relation to QALYs and WOMAC Pain. Using the L20,000 per QALY threshold, in THR,
      the INMB was L1,125 (95 % BCI, L183 to L2,067) and the probability of being cost
      effective was over 98 %. In TKR, the INMB was L264 (95 % BCI, -L710 to L1,238),
      but there was only 62 % probability of being cost-effective. When considering an
      NHS perspective only, LAI was no longer dominant in THR, but still highly cost
      effective, with an INMB of L961 (95 % BCI, L50 to L1,873). CONCLUSIONS:
      Administering LAI is a cost-effective treatment option in THR and TKR surgeries.
      The evidence, because of larger QALY gain, is stronger for THR. In TKR, there is
      more uncertainty around the economic result, and smaller QALY gains. Results,
      however, point to LAI being cheaper than standard analgesia, which includes a
      femoral nerve block. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN96095682 , 29/04/2010.

PMID- 26116079
TI  - Prevalence of Tinea capitis in school going children from Mathare, informal
      settlement in Nairobi, Kenya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tinea capitis is a common infection especially in poor resource
      settings. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence Tinea capitis in
      children from selected schools from an urban slum in Nairobi city of Kenya.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 150 school going children
      during the period between May and September 2013. A questionnaire was
      administered and cultures of scalps, skin scrapping/hair stubs samples were
      performed and the etiological agents identified and confirmed. RESULTS: In a
      total of one hundred and fifty (150) children recruited 89 (59.3%) were males and
      61 (40.7%) females aged between 3 and 14 years. The overall prevalence rates in
      dermatophytes infection was 81.3% (122/150) with etiological agents consisting
      Trichophyton spp. (61.3%), Microsporum spp. (13.3%) and Epidermophyton spp.
      (7.3%) infections with infections occurring either singly (56%), duo (38%) or
      tipple co-infections (6%). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates a high prevalence
      of Tinea infections with Trichophyton tonsurans as the predominant etiological
      agent in school going children of the urban slums of Nairobi.

PMID- 26116080
TI  - A study on the performance and emission characteristics of esterified pinnai oil
      tested in VCR engine.
AB  - Biodiesel is a clean renewable fuel derived from vegetable oils and animal fats.
      It is biodegradable, oxygenated, non toxic and free from sulfur and aromatics.
      The biodiesel prepared from pinnai oil undergoes acid esterification followed by
      alkaline transesterification process. The fatty acid methyl esters components
      were identified using gas chromatography and compared with the standard
      properties. The properties of biodiesel are comparable with diesel. The yield of
      the biodiesel production depends upon the process parameters such as reaction
      temperature, pH, time duration and amount of catalyst. The yield of biodiesel by
      transesterification process was 73% at 55 degrees C. This fuel was tested in a
      variable compression ratio engine with blend ratios of B10 and B20. During the
      test runs the compression ratio of the engine was varied from 15:1 to 18:1 and
      the torque is adjusted from zero to maximum value of 22Nm. The performance
      characteristics such as the brake thermal efficiency, brake specific energy
      consumption and exhaust gas temperature of the engine are analyzed. The
      combustion characteristics of biodiesel like ignition delay, combustion duration
      and maximum gas temperature and the emission characteristics are also analyzed.
      The performance characteristics, combustion characteristics and engine emission
      are effective in the variable compression ratio engine with biodiesel and it is
      compared with diesel. 

PMID- 26116081
TI  - Eplerenone's role in the management of complex cardiovascular disorders.
AB  - The accompanying special issue reviews the role of eplerenone and spironolactone
      in the management of various cardiovascular and renal conditions. 

PMID- 26116082
TI  - Contextual Information Around the First Use of Electronic Cigarettes Among New
      Zealand Smokers and Recent Quitters.

PMID- 26116083
TI  - Food and Drug Administration Response to the ATTUD/SRNT Policy Statement on the
      Labeling of Nicotine Replacement Therapies.

PMID- 26116084
TI  - A Cross-Country Study of Smoking Cessation Assistance Utilization in 16 Low and
      Middle Income Countries: Data From the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2008-2012).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: While it is clear that tobacco use has been increasing in
      developing countries, it is unclear whether smokers in these countries utilize
      cessation assistance to quit. We examined the extent to which smokers in
      developing countries use assistance when making a cessation attempt. METHODS:
      Data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey of 16 low and middle income countries
      were analyzed. This nationally representative household survey collected data on
      assistance that smokers used to quit, such as provider advice, pharmacotherapy,
      and quit lines between 2008 and 2012. RESULTS: Use of any of the recommended
      assistance in the past 12 months varied greatly in lower middle income countries
      (4% to 27%), and to a lesser extent in upper middle income countries (5% to 18%).
      Counseling and pharmacotherapy were more commonly used than other types of
      assistance, though the prevalence was low across countries (counseling: 1% to
      15%; pharmacotherapy: 1% to 27%). Quit lines were rarely used (0.1% to 1.5%). The
      average age of assistance users and nonusers was both around 40. In general, past
      users of cessation assistance tended to have higher education levels than
      nonusers. CONCLUSIONS: Cessation assistance is underused in these low and middle
      income countries. Tobacco control advocates in these countries should work on
      ways to promote use of cessation assistance to enhance quit rates.

PMID- 26116085
TI  - The Impact of Health Warning Labels for Swedish Snus Advertisements on Young
      Adults' Snus Perceptions and Behavioral Intentions.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study examined the impact of warning labels conveying the
      potential harms and addictiveness of Swedish snus and the potential-reduced harms
      of Swedish snus among young adult nonsmokers and smokers. METHODS: A convenience
      sample of young adults aged 18-30 residing in the United States (n = 517, 56%
      male, 33% smokers) participated in an online experiment. Participants completed
      baseline measures and were randomized to 1 of 5 experimental conditions where
      they viewed a Swedish snus ad with warning labels that varied by condition: (1)
      Control-no warning; (2) Addiction-warning conveying the addictiveness of snus;
      (3) Harm-warning communicating the potential harms of snus; (4) Harm Reduction
      warning conveying the potential-reduced harms of snus compared with cigarettes;
      (5) Harm Reduction Switch-warning communicating the potential-reduced harms of
      snus when switching completely from cigarettes to snus. Outcomes measured
      included perceived harms and addictiveness of snus, thoughts about not using
      snus, and intentions to use snus. RESULTS: Participants in the Harm Reduction and
      Harm Reduction Switch conditions perceived snus to be less harmful than
      cigarettes compared with the Control, Addiction, and Harm conditions. Nonsmokers
      in the Harm Reduction condition reported fewer thoughts about not using snus than
      nonsmokers in the Harm condition. CONCLUSIONS: Warnings conveying the potential
      reduced harms of Swedish snus compared with cigarettes generate perceptions that
      snus is less harmful than cigarettes and produce fewer thoughts about not using
      snus among nonsmokers. Such perceptions have been associated with snus use in
      prior studies.

PMID- 26116086
TI  - The Influence of Social Support on Smoking Cessation Treatment Adherence Among
      HIV+ Smokers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The high prevalence of smoking among people living with HIV is a
      significant problem. Nonadherence to smoking cessation pharmacotherapy is a
      barrier for successfully quitting. The current study investigated the extent to
      which social support variables impact adherence and cessation. METHODS:
      Participants were 444 HIV+ smokers who provided data on nicotine patch adherence,
      social support, and smoking. We conducted a path analysis to estimate (1) the
      effects of six social support indicators at baseline on nicotine patch adherence;
      (2) the effect of patch adherence on 7-day point prevalence smoking at 6-month
      follow-up; and (3) the indirect effects of social support indicators on 7-day
      point prevalence smoking at 6-month follow-up via patch adherence. RESULTS: The
      tested model demonstrated good fit as indicated by the comparative fit index,
      root mean square error of approximation, and weighted root mean square residual
      (0.94, 0.02, and 0.51, respectively). Path analysis results indicated greater
      social support network contact was associated with higher levels of nicotine
      patch adherence (beta = .13, P = .02), greater patch adherence was associated
      with a lower probability of 7-day point prevalence smoking at 6-month follow-up
      (beta = -.47, P < .001) and greater social support network contact (beta = -.06,
      P = .03) had a significant indirect effect on 7-day point prevalence smoking at 6
      month follow-up via patch adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Findings have implications for
      smoking cessation interventions that seek to capitalize on the beneficial effects
      of social support. Such efforts should account for the role that frequency of
      contact may have on nicotine patch use and other treatment-related mechanisms.

PMID- 26116087
TI  - Second Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Patients with Fanconi
      Anemia and Bone Marrow Failure.
AB  - A second allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the sole salvage
      option for individuals who develop graft failure after their first HCT. Data on
      outcomes after second HCT in patients with Fanconi anemia (FA) are scarce. Here
      we report outcomes after second allogeneic HCT for FA (n = 81). The indication
      for second HCT was graft failure after the first HCT. Transplantations were
      performed between 1990 and 2012. The timing of the second HCT predicted
      subsequent graft failure and survival. Graft failure was high when the second HCT
      was performed less than 3 months from the first. The 3-month probability of graft
      failure was 69% when the interval between the first HCT and second HCT was less
      than 3 months, compared with 23% when the interval was longer (P < .001).
      Consequently, the 1-year survival rate was substantially lower when the interval
      between the first and second HCTs was less than 3 months compared with longer
      (23% vs 58%; P = .001). The corresponding 5-year probability of survival was 16%
      and 45%, respectively (P = .006). Taken together, these data suggest that fewer
      than one-half of patients with FA undergoing a second HCT for graft failure are
      long-term survivors. There is an urgent need to develop strategies to reduce the
      rate of graft failure after first HCT.

PMID- 26116088
TI  - Interferon-alpha: A Potentially Effective Treatment for Minimal Residual Disease
      in Acute Leukemia/Myelodysplastic Syndrome after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem
      Cell Transplantation.
AB  - In this prospective clinical study, the safety and efficacy of preemptive
      interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) treatment were investigated and compared with
      preemptive donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) in patients who were minimal residual
      disease (MRD)-positive after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      (HSCT). Patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT were eligible if they had acute
      leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome and were MRD-positive after HSCT. Patients
      who were able to receive DLI were assigned to a preemptive DLI group (n = 45);
      patients who could not or did not agree to receive DLI after HSCT received
      preemptive IFN-alpha. A total of 22 patients received preemptive IFN-alpha; the
      median treatment duration was 35 days (range, 4 to 180 days). Seven patients
      relapsed, and 1 patient died from severe pneumonia. The 1-year cumulative
      incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) after intervention was
      90.9% for the IFN-alpha group and 62.9% for the DLI group (P < .001). MRD status
      after preemptive intervention was comparable in the 2 groups, and the 1-year
      cumulative incidence of relapse after intervention was 27.3% for the IFN-alpha
      group and 35.6% for the DLI group (P = .514). The 1-year cumulative incidence of
      nonrelapse mortality after intervention was 4.5% for the IFN-alpha group and 4.4%
      for the DLI group (P = .985). The 1-year probability of disease-free survival
      after intervention was 68.2% for the IFN-alpha group and 60.0% for the DLI group
      (P = .517). In multivariate analysis, early-onset MRD, persistent MRD after
      intervention, and absence of cGVHD after intervention were significantly
      associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Thus, preemptive IFN-alpha may be a
      potential alternative for MRD-positive patients who cannot receive preemptive DLI
      after HSCT. 

PMID- 26116090
TI  - Olfactory signal coding in an odor background.
AB  - Insects communicating with pheromones are confronted with an olfactory
      environment featuring a diversity of volatile organic compounds from plant
      origin. These volatiles constitute a rich and fluctuant background from which the
      information carried by the pheromone signal must be extracted. Thus, the
      pheromone receptor neurons must encode into spike trains the quality, intensity
      and temporal characteristics of the signal that are determinant to the
      recognition and localization of a conspecific female. We recorded and analyzed
      the responses of the pheromone olfactory receptor neurons of male moths to sex
      pheromone in different odor background conditions. We show that in spite of the
      narrow chemical tuning of the pheromone receptor neurons, the sensory input can
      be altered by odorant background. 

PMID- 26116089
TI  - Analysis of the Effect of Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Center Size on
      Unrelated National Marrow Donor Program Donor Outcomes: Donor Toxicities Are More
      Common at Low-Volume Bone Marrow Collection Centers.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that risks of collection-related pain and symptoms
      are associated with sex, body mass index, and age in unrelated donors undergoing
      collection at National Marrow Donor Program centers. We hypothesized that other
      important factors (race, socioeconomic status [SES], and number of procedures at
      the collection center) might affect symptoms in donors. We assessed outcomes in
      2726 bone marrow (BM) and 6768 peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donors collected
      between 2004 and 2009. Pain/symptoms are reported as maximum levels over
      mobilization and collection (PBSC) or within 2 days of collection (BM) and at 1
      week after collection. For PBSC donors, race and center volumes were not
      associated with differences in pain/symptoms at any time. PBSC donors with high
      SES levels reported higher maximum symptom levels 1 week after donation (P =
      .017). For BM donors, black males reported significantly higher levels of pain
      (OR, 1.90; CI, 1.14 to 3.19; P = .015). No differences were noted by SES group.
      BM donors from low-volume centers reported more toxicity (OR, 2.09; CI, 1.26 to
      3.46; P = .006). In conclusion, race and SES have a minimal effect on donation
      associated symptoms. However, donors from centers performing <= 1 BM collection
      every 2 months have more symptoms after BM donation. Approaches should be
      developed by registries and low-volume centers to address this issue.

PMID- 26116091
TI  - Retrieving relevant experiments: The case of microRNA microarrays.
AB  - Content-based retrieval of biological experiments in large public repositories is
      a recent challenge in computational biology and bioinformatics. The task is, in
      general, to search in a database using a query-by-example without any
      experimental meta-data annotation. Here, we consider a more specific problem that
      seeks a solution for retrieving relevant microRNA experiments from microarray
      repositories. A computational framework is proposed with this objective. The
      framework adapts a normal-uniform mixture model for identifying differentially
      expressed microRNAs in microarray profiling experiments. A rank-based
      thresholding scheme is offered to binarize real-valued experiment fingerprints
      based on differential expression. An effective similarity metric is introduced to
      compare categorical fingerprints, which in turn infers the relevance between two
      experiments. Two different views of experimental relevance are evaluated, one for
      disease association and another for embryonic germ layer, to discern the
      retrieval ability of the proposed model. To the best of our knowledge, the
      experiment retrieval task is investigated for the first time in the context of
      microRNA microarrays. 

PMID- 26116092
TI  - Labetalol and cardiovascular consequences of cocaine use.

PMID- 26116093
TI  - "Brain sex differentiation" in teleosts: Emerging concepts with potential
      biomarkers.
AB  - "Brain sex differentiation" in teleosts is a contentious topic of research as
      most of the earlier reports tend to suggest that gonadal sex differentiation
      drives brain sex differentiation. However, identification of sex-specific marker
      genes in the developing brain of teleosts signifies brain-gonadal interaction
      during early sexual development in lower vertebrates. In this context, the
      influence of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-gonadotropin (GTH) axis on
      gonadal sex differentiation, if any requires in depth analysis. Presence of
      seabream (sb) GnRH immunoreactivity (ir-) in the brain of XY Nile tilapia was
      found as early as 5days post hatch (dph) followed by qualitative reduction in the
      preoptic area-hypothalamus region. In contrast, in the XX female brain a steady
      ir- of sbGnRH was evident from 15dph. Earlier studies using sea bass already
      implied the importance of hypothalamic gonadotropic axis completion during sex
      differentiation period. Such biphasic pattern of localization was also seen in
      pituitary GTHs using heterologous antisera in tilapia. However, more recent
      analysis in the same species could not detect any sexually dimorphic pattern
      using homologous antisera for pituitary GTHs. Detailed studies on the development
      of hypothalamo-hypophyseal-gonadal axis in teleosts focusing on hypothalamic
      monoamines (MA) and MA-related enzymes demonstrated sex-specific differential
      expression of tryptophan hydroxylase (Tph) in the early stages of developing male
      and female brains of tilapia and catfish. The changes in Tph expression was in
      agreement with the levels of serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxytryptophan in the
      preoptic area-hypothalamus. Considering the stimulatory influence of 5-HT on GnRH
      and GTH release, it is possible to propose a network association between these
      correlates during early development, which may bring about brain sex dimorphism
      in males. A recent study from our laboratory during female brain sex development
      demonstrated high expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in correlation with
      catecholamine levels, brain aromatase and its related transcription factors such
      as fushi tarazu factor 1, Ftz-f1 and fork head box protein L2, foxl2. Taken
      together, gender differences in the levels of various transcripts provide new
      perspectives on brain sex differentiation in lower vertebrates. Sexually
      dimorphic or differentially expressing genes may play an essential role at the
      level of brain in response to gonadal differentiation, which might
      consequentially or causatively respond to gonadal sex. 

PMID- 26116094
TI  - Therapeutic transdermal drug innovation from 2000 to 2014: current status and
      outlook.
AB  - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first transdermal drug
      over 35 years ago. Today, transdermal products represent a growing, multibillion
      dollar market. From 2000 to 2014, an average of 2.6 new transdermal drug were
      approved each year. However, only two of these approvals represented new
      molecular entities (NMEs). Furthermore, none of these approvals were designated
      for priority review by the FDA. Currently, transdermal drugs are limited in scope
      to fewer than 20 clinical indications. The past decade has seen significant
      safety, performance, and cost issues surrounding multiple transdermal drug
      products. As the field moves towards more complex drug-device combinations to
      overcome the natural barrier function of the skin, there will likely be more
      regulatory challenges, but also the potential for broader clinical scope. 

PMID- 26116095
TI  - Treatment of Scaphoid Nonunion: A Systematic Review of the Existing Evidence.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine by systematic review the optimal treatment of scaphoid
      nonunion. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of the literature with a meta
      analysis of proportions to investigate the comparative effectiveness of different
      surgical techniques. RESULTS: A total of 48 publications (1,602 patients) met the
      eligibility criteria. Vascularized and nonvascularized bone grafts had an
      estimated union incidence of 92% and 88%, respectively. Distal radius and iliac
      crest bone grafts had similar union rates (89% and 87%, respectively) but
      harvesting of iliac crest bone grafts had more complications. Both screw and K
      wire fixation had a higher incidence of union (88% and 91%, respectively) than no
      fixation (79%). No approach was statistically different. Patients fixed with
      screws were mobilized earlier than those with K-wire fixation. CONCLUSIONS:
      Current evidence does not demonstrate a significantly superior method for the
      treatment of scaphoid nonunion. A multicenter randomized trial would be ideal but
      the large numbers that would be required may make this unrealistic. We recommend
      the continued reporting of series with specific assessments and outcome measures
      to optimize future comparisons in an attempt to determine the best management of
      scaphoid nonunion. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The use of bone grafts and the methods of
      their fixation for scaphoid nonunion are debated issues in hand and wrist
      surgery, with multiple methods employed. There is no current consensus on optimal
      treatment. A meta-analysis of proportions of available data from recent studies
      was deemed the most appropriate way to assimilate the available evidence with the
      view to inform surgeons of the optimal treatment according to the evidence base.

PMID- 26116096
TI  - Tumor necrosis factor-alpha single nucleotide polymorphisms in juvenile systemic
      lupus erythematosus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) is a multi-system
      autoimmune disorder of unknown origin. Given the importance of the contribution
      of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha),
      towards the pathogenesis of JSLE, this study was performed to assess TNFA gene
      polymorphisms in a case-control study. METHODS: Fifty nine patients with JSLE
      were enrolled in this study as case group and compared with healthy control
      subjects. The frequency of alleles, genotypes, and haplotypes of TNFA single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at positions -308 and -238 were evaluated, using
      polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers method. RESULTS: The G
      allele at position -238 in TNFA promoter region was significantly more frequent
      in patients with JSLE than in the healthy controls (P value<0.001), while the
      frequency of A allele at the same position was significantly lower than controls.
      Furthermore, a significant positive association for G/G genotype at the same
      position was detected in patients' group compared with control subjects (P
      value<0.001). The GA haplotype of TNFA (positions -308, -238) was significantly
      less frequent in case group than in controls (P value<0.001), while GG was the
      most frequent haplotype for TNFA in the patient group, compared to controls (P
      value<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Pro-inflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms may
      influence susceptibility to JSLE. Particular TNFA gene variants are associated
      with JSLE and could be used as a genetic marker for susceptibility to JSLE.

PMID- 26116097
TI  - Thyroid Paraganglioma: "Naked" Nuclei as a Clue to Diagnosis on Imprint Cytology.
AB  - A cytologic diagnosis of paraganglioma of the thyroid is difficult to make
      because the thyroid gland is an unusual location for such a tumor and the
      cytologic findings overlap with other benign and malignant thyroid tumors. We
      report the case of a 28-year-old female presenting with a solitary mass of the
      right thyroid gland. A diagnosis of paraganglioma was made on the resected
      specimen. At the time of tumor resection, imprint cytology was performed. The
      imprint was hypercellular with cohesive sheets of round cells showing
      anisokaryosis and anisocytosis. Moreover, there was a second cell type consisting
      of oval nuclei with dispersed nuclear chromatin present within the sheets and
      separate as "naked" nuclei. By immunohistochemistry, the cohesive round cells
      were positive for chromogranin A, indicating chief cells. The naked nuclei were
      positive for S-100 protein, indicating sustentacular cells. To the best our
      knowledge, this is the first case report describing naked nuclei as a cytologic
      feature of paraganglioma. Identification of sustentacular cells provides a clue
      for the cytologic diagnosis of paraganglioma. 

PMID- 26116098
TI  - The changing landscape for HIV-serodifferent couples desiring a child.

PMID- 26116099
TI  - Validation of metabolomic models for prediction of early-onset preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to perform validation studies of previously published and
      newly derived first-trimester metabolomic algorithms for prediction of early
      preeclampsia (PE). STUDY DESIGN: Nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomic
      analysis was performed on first-trimester serum in 50 women who subsequently
      developed early PE and in 108 first-trimester controls. Random stratification and
      allocation was used to divide cases into a discovery group (30 early PE and 65
      controls) for generation of the biomarker model(s) and a validation group (20
      early PE and 43 controls) to ensure an unbiased assessment of the predictive
      algorithms. Cross-validation testing on the different algorithms was performed to
      confirm their robustness before use. Metabolites, demographic features, clinical
      characteristics, and uterine Doppler pulsatility index data were evaluated. Area
      under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC), 95% confidence interval
      (CI), sensitivity, and specificity of the biomarker models were derived. RESULTS:
      Validation testing found that the metabolite-only model had an AUC of 0.835 (95%
      CI, 0.769-0.941) with a 75% sensitivity and 74.4% specificity and for the
      metabolites plus uterine Doppler pulsatility index model it was 0.916 (95% CI,
      0.836-0.996), 90%, and 88.4%, respectively. Predictive metabolites included
      arginine and 2-hydroxybutyrate, which are known to be involved in vascular
      dilation, and insulin resistance and impaired glucose regulation, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: We found confirmatory evidence that first-trimester metabolomic
      biomarkers can predict future development of early PE.

PMID- 26116100
TI  - Feasibility and technical features of fetal brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy
      in 1.5 T scanners.

PMID- 26116101
TI  - Why the heart is like an orchestra and the uterus is like a soccer crowd.
AB  - The human uterus has no pacemaker or motor innervation, yet develops rhythmic,
      powerful contractions that increase intrauterine pressure to dilate the cervix
      and force the fetus through the pelvis. To achieve the synchronous contractions
      required for labor, the muscle cells of the uterus act as independent oscillators
      that become increasingly coupled by gap junctions toward the end of pregnancy.
      The oscillations are facilitated by changes in resting membrane potential that
      occur as pregnancy progresses. Reductions of potassium channels in the myocyte
      membranes in late pregnancy prolong myocyte action potentials, further
      facilitating transmission of signals and recruitment of neighboring myocytes.
      Late in pregnancy prostaglandin production increases leading to increased myocyte
      excitability. Also late in pregnancy myocyte actin polymerizes allowing actin
      myosin interactions that generate force, following myocyte depolarization,
      calcium entry, and activation of myosin kinase. Labor occurs as a consequence of
      the combination of increased myocyte to myocyte connectivity, increased
      depolarizations that last longer, and activated intracellular contractile
      machinery. During labor the synchronous contractions of muscle cells raise
      intrauterine pressure to dilate the cervix in a process distinct from
      peristalsis. The synchronous contractions occur in a progressively larger region
      of the uterine wall. As the size of the region increases with increasing
      connectivity, the contraction of that larger area leads to an increase in
      intrauterine pressure. The resulting increased wall tension causes myocyte
      depolarization in other parts of the uterus, generating widespread synchronous
      activity and increased force as more linked regions are recruited into the
      contraction. The emergent behavior of the uterus has parallels in the behavior of
      crowds at soccer matches that sing together without a conductor. This contrasts
      with the behavior of the heart where sequential contractions are regulated by a
      pacemaker in a similar way to the actions of a conductor and an orchestra. 

PMID- 26116102
TI  - The association between cervical dysplasia, a short cervix, and preterm birth.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether cervical dysplasia in the absence of an
      excisional procedure is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth (PTB)
      and whether that risk is independent of the presence of a short cervix. STUDY
      DESIGN: This is a cohort study including women with a singleton pregnancy who
      underwent routine cervical length assessment between 18-23 6/7 weeks of
      gestation, stratified by cervical dysplasia (ie, no prior dysplasia, prior
      dysplasia but no excisional procedure, or prior excisional procedure). The
      frequency of a short cervix (<=2.5 cm) and PTB were compared between groups and
      multivariable analyses were performed to identify whether: (1) dysplasia alone or
      a prior excisional procedure was associated with PTB; and (2) whether these
      factors remained independently associated with PTB after adjusting for the
      presence of a short cervix. RESULTS: Of the 18,528 women who met inclusion
      criteria, 3023 (16.3%) had prior dysplasia alone and 1356 (7.3%) had a prior
      excisional procedure. The frequency of a short cervix for women without
      dysplasia, with prior dysplasia alone, or with a prior excisional procedure was
      0.8%, 1.0%, and 2.2%, respectively (P < .001). The frequency of PTB,
      respectively, was 6.4%, 6.5%, and 8.4% (P < .001). After adjusting for potential
      confounding factors, prior excisional procedure but not prior dysplasia alone was
      associated with PTB. CONCLUSION: Having a prior cervical excisional procedure but
      not dysplasia alone is associated with an increased risk of PTB. This association
      is independent of the presence of a short cervix.

PMID- 26116103
TI  - Ultrasound follow up of an adnexal mass has the potential to save lives.
AB  - Ovarian cancer is among the most dreaded cancers since it is often found at a
      late stage where the opportunity for extended survival is poor. Ultrasound has
      been utilized in several ovarian cancer screening trials in asymptomatic women in
      order to detect ovarian cancer at early stages where survival rates are high.
      Efforts to improve screening for ovarian cancer are ongoing. While ovarian cancer
      screening in asymptomatic women is not recommended for clinical application
      currently, the care of women with adnexal masses found by ultrasound in clinical
      practice can benefit from close evaluation of the evidence obtained from large
      prospective ovarian cancer screening trials and by relating this evidence to
      recent advances in the understanding of different types of ovarian cancer. Post
      menopausal women who have an adnexal mass discovered by ultrasound have a much
      higher risk of developing ovarian cancer than women with normal ultrasound. The
      preponderance of reported evidence indicates that ultrasound monitoring of an
      adnexal mass is safe, cost effective and can achieve an improved positive
      predictive value in detecting ovarian cancer when ovarian abnormalities resolve
      during surveillance. Proposals to arbitrarily discontinue ultrasound monitoring
      can negatively impact patient care and generate medical-legal actions, especially
      because there is no evidence to support safe discontinuation. In this review, we
      outline a rationale for continuing ultrasound surveillance of ovarian
      abnormalities. 

PMID- 26116105
TI  - Committee approves bill to boost NIH funding.
AB  - A U.S. House of Representatives committee approved the 21st Century Cures Act. If
      passed by Congress, the bill would boost funding for the NIH and FDA and
      introduce new strategies for accelerating the approval of drugs and devices. 

PMID- 26116106
TI  - [A 55-year old Thai male patient with acute right upper quadrant abdominal pain].
AB  - We report on a 55-year-old Thai male who presented during a visit to Germany with
      acute abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant and signs of cholestasis. The
      diagnosis of liver fluke infection (opisthorchiasis) was confirmed by the
      detection of the characteristic eggs of Opisthorchis viverrini in stool
      microscopy. The patient was treated with praziquantel. Opisthorchiasis is a
      common parasitic disease and major public health problem in Southeast Asia and in
      Eastern Europe. 

PMID- 26116107
TI  - Detecting functional changes with [(18)F]FAZA in a renal cell carcinoma mouse
      model following sunitinib therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The multitargeting tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) sunitinib is
      currently the first-line drug therapy for metastasizing renal cell carcinoma
      (RCC). TKIs have profound effects on tumor angiogenesis, leading to modifications
      of the tumor microenvironment. The goal of this study was to determine whether
      these treatment-induced changes can be detected with [(18)F]FAZA. METHODS: The
      present study utilized positron emission tomography (PET) to analyze tumor
      oxygenation status during and after sunitinib therapy in the murine Caki-1 RCC
      tumor model. Dynamic and static scans were performed, as well as ex vivo
      biodistributions at 3 h post injection (p.i.). Immunohistochemical analysis of
      tumor tissue was carried out for the quantification of pimonidazole binding and
      the hypoxia-associated factors CD-31, Ki-67, and Von Willebrand factor (VWF). In
      addition, in vitro cellular uptake studies were done to analyze the direct
      effects of sunitinib on the Caki-1 cells. RESULTS: During therapy with sunitinib
      (40 mg/kg/day), uptake of [(18)F]FAZA into Caki-1 mice decreased by 46 +/- 5% (n
      = 4; 5 days) at 3 h post injection (p.i.) during the first study and 22 +/- 5% (n
      = 8; 9 days) during the long-term study, indicating a decrease in the tumor's
      hypoxia level. However, when drug therapy was stopped, this effect was reversed
      completely, and the tumor [(18)F]FAZA uptake increased to 126 +/- 6% (n = 6) of
      the control tumor uptake, indicative of an even higher level of tumor hypoxia
      compared to the therapy starting point. Sunitinib had no direct effect on
      [(18)F]FAZA uptake into Caki-1 cells in vitro. CONCLUSION: [(18)F]FAZA PET could
      be used to monitor drug response during sunitinib therapy in RCC and may guide
      combination therapies based on the tumor's hypoxia status.

PMID- 26116108
TI  - Evaluation of efficacy of a new MEK inhibitor, RO4987655, in human tumor
      xenografts by [(18)F] FDG-PET imaging combined with proteomic approaches.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK, also known as
      MAPK2, MAPKK), a key molecule of the Ras/MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase)
      pathway, has shown promising effects on B-raf-mutated and some RAS (rat sarcoma)
      activated tumors in clinical trials. The objective of this study is to examine
      the efficacy of a novel allosteric MEK inhibitor RO4987655 in K-ras-mutated human
      tumor xenograft models using [(18)F] FDG-PET imaging and proteomics technology.
      METHODS: [(18)F] FDG uptake was studied in human lung carcinoma xenografts from
      day 0 to day 9 of RO4987655 therapy using microPET Focus 120 (CTI Concorde
      Microsystems, Knoxville, TN, USA). The expression levels of GLUT1 and hexokinase
      1 were examined using semi-quantitative fluorescent immunohistochemistry (fIHC).
      The in vivo effects of RO4987655 on MAPK/PI3K pathway components were assessed by
      reverse phase protein arrays (RPPA). RESULTS: We have observed modest metabolic
      decreases in tumor [(18)F] FDG uptake after MEK inhibition by RO4987655 as early
      as 2 h post-treatment. The greatest [(18)F] FDG decreases were found on day 1,
      followed by a rebound in [(18)F] FDG uptake on day 3 in parallel with decreasing
      tumor volumes. Molecular analysis of the tumors by fIHC did not reveal
      statistically significant correlations of GLUT1 and hexokinase 1 expressions with
      the [(18)F] FDG changes. RPPA signaling response profiling revealed not only down
      regulation of pERK1/2, pMKK4, and pmTOR on day 1 after RO4987655 treatment but
      also significant up-regulation of pMEK1/2, pMEK2, pC-RAF, and pAKT on day 3. The
      up-regulation of these markers is interpreted to be indicative of a reactivation
      of the MAPK and activation of the compensatory PI3K pathway, which can also
      explain the rebound in [(18)F] FDG uptake following MEK inhibition with RO4987655
      in the K-ras-mutated human tumor xenografts. CONCLUSIONS: We have performed the
      first preclinical evaluation of a new MEK inhibitor, RO4987655, using a
      combination of [(18)F] FDG-PET imaging and molecular proteomics. These results
      provide support for using preclinical [(18)F] FDG-PET imaging in early, non
      invasive monitoring of the effects of MEK and perhaps other Ras/MAPK signaling
      pathway inhibitors, which should facilitate a wider implementation of clinical
      [(18)F] FDG-PET to optimize their clinical use.

PMID- 26116109
TI  - Feasibility and advantage of adding (131)I-MIBG to (90)Y-DOTATOC for treatment of
      patients with advanced stage neuroendocrine tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is an effective form of
      treatment for patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). However,
      delivering sufficient radiation dose to the tumor to result in a high percentage
      of long-term tumor remissions remains challenging because of the limits imposed
      on administered activity levels by radiation damage to normal tissues. The goal
      of this study was to evaluate the dosimetric advantages of adding (131)I meta
      iodobenzylguanidine ((131)I-MIBG) to (90)Y DOTA Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide ((90)Y
      DOTATOC) in patients with advanced stage midgut NETs. METHODS: Ten patients were
      imaged simultaneously with (131)I-MIBG and (111)In-pentetreotide (as a surrogate
      for (90)Y-DOTATOC) on days 1, 2, and 3 post-administration. Blood samples were
      obtained at the same time points. Using dosimetry measures from this data and our
      previously published methodology for calculating optimal combined administered
      activity levels for therapy, we determined the amount of (131)I-MIBG that could
      be added to (90)Y-DOTATOC without exceeding normal organ dose limits (marrow and
      kidneys) along with the expected increase in associated tumor dose, if any.
      RESULTS: We found that a median value of 34.6 GBq of (131)I-MIBG could be safely
      added to (90)Y-DOTATOC (delivered over multiple cycles) by reducing the maximum
      total deliverable (90)Y-DOTATOC by a median value of 24.5%. Taking this treatment
      approach, we found that there would be a median increase in deliverable tumor
      dose of 4,046 cGy in six of the ten subjects. Of note, there were a small number
      of metastases that were positive for only one or the other of these
      radiopharmaceuticals within the same subject. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that
      approximately half of the patients with midgut NETs that are eligible for PRRT
      could reasonably be expected to benefit from the addition of (131)I-MIBG to (90)Y
      DOTATOC.

PMID- 26116110
TI  - Multiparametric magnetic resonance in the assessment of the gender differences in
      a high-grade glioma rat model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma, the most frequent and aggressive of all astrocytomas,
      presents a clear predominance in male humans, but the assessment of sexual
      differences in its tumourigenesis and growth has received little attention so
      far. In this study, we aim to identify gender-dependent surrogate markers in an
      animal model of this cancer by means of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and
      biochemical and behavioural studies. METHODS: A high-grade glioma model developed
      in male and female rats was used. Multiparametric magnetic resonance images and
      localized spectra were acquired. The MR parameters linked to tumoural features
      were quantified. Motor and metabolic activity was also assessed. Postmortem
      analyses were carried out to measure indicators of malignancy, tumoural
      metabolism and viability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). RESULTS: Statistically
      significant differences dependent on the animal sex were found in the study of
      pathological indicators like oedema, inflammation, cellularity and
      microvasculature. Results suggest higher cell proliferative rate, inflammation
      and vasogenic oedema and or necrosis in glioma-bearing male rats. Haemodynamic
      parameters measured indicated a major disruption of the BBB, postmortem
      confirmed, in this sex. Metabolomic and energetic metabolism activity data are in
      agreement with a major malignancy and aggressiveness of this cancer model on
      males. CONCLUSIONS: Gender differences should be taken into account in
      preclinical studies of glioblastoma models, in the characterization of the
      tumoural behaviour and consequently in the development and validation of new
      therapeutic approaches. MR imaging and spectroscopy allow to non-invasively
      monitor this sexual dimorphism in the diagnosis and prognosis of brain cancer.

PMID- 26116111
TI  - Therapeutic application of CCK2R-targeting PP-F11: influence of particle range,
      activity and peptide amount.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Targeted radionuclide therapy with high-energy beta-emitters is
      generally considered suboptimal to cure small tumours (<300 mg). Tumour targeting
      of the CCK2 receptor-binding minigastrin analogue PP-F11 was determined in a
      tumour-bearing mouse model at increasing peptide amounts. The optimal therapy was
      analysed for PP-F11 labelled with (90)Y, (177)Lu or (213)Bi, accounting for the
      radionuclide specific activities (SAs), the tumour absorbed doses and tumour
      (radio) biology. METHODS: Tumour uptake of (111)In-PP-F11 was determined in nude
      mice bearing CCK2 receptor-transfected A431 xenografts at 1 and 4 h post
      injection for escalating peptide masses of 0.03 to 15 nmol/mouse. The absorbed
      tumour dose was estimated, assuming comparable biodistributions of the (90)Y,
      (177)Lu or (213)Bi radiolabelled peptides. The linear-quadratic (LQ) model was
      used to calculate the tumour control probabilities (TCP) as a function of tumour
      mass and growth. RESULTS: Practically achievable maximum SAs for PP-F11 labelled
      with (90)Y and (177)Lu were 400 MBq (90)Y/nmol and 120 MBq(177)Lu/nmol. Both the
      large elution volume from the 220 MBq (225)Ac generator used and reaction
      kinetics diminished the maximum achieved (213)Bi SA in practice: 40 MBq
      (213)Bi/nmol. Tumour uptakes decreased rapidly with increasing peptide amounts,
      following a logarithmic curve with ED50 = 0.5 nmol. At 0.03 nmol peptide, the
      (300 mg) tumour dose was 9 Gy after 12 MBq (90)Y-PP-F11, and for (111)In and
      (177)Lu, this was 1 Gy. A curative dose of 60 Gy could be achieved with a single
      administration of 111 MBq (90)Y labelled to 0.28 nmol PP-F11 or with 4 * 17 MBq
      (213)Bi (0.41 nmol) when its alpha-radiation relative biological effectiveness
      (RBE) was assumed to be 3.4. Repeated dosing is preferable to avoid complete
      tumour receptor saturation. Tumours larger than 200 mg are curable with (90)Y-PP
      F11; the other radionuclides perform better in smaller tumours. Furthermore,
      (177)Lu is not optimal for curing fast-growing tumours. CONCLUSIONS: Receptor
      saturation, specific radiopharmaceutical activities and absorbed doses in the
      tumour together favour therapy with the CCK2 receptor-binding peptide PP-F11
      labelled with (90)Y, despite its longer beta-particle range in tissue, certainly
      for tumours larger than 300 mg. The predicted TCPs are of theoretical nature and
      need to be compared with the outcome of targeted radionuclide experiments.

PMID- 26116112
TI  - Heterogeneity of microsphere distribution in resected liver and tumour tissue
      following selective intrahepatic radiotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Selective arterial radioembolisation of liver tumours has increased,
      because of encouraging efficacy reports; however, therapeutic parameters used in
      external beam therapy are not applicable for understanding and predicting
      potential toxicity and efficacy, necessitating further studies of the physical
      and biological characteristics of radioembolisation. The aim was to characterise
      heterogeneity in the distribution of microspheres on a therapeutically relevant
      geometric scale considering the range of yttrium-90 ((90)Y) beta-particles.
      METHODS: Two patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, marginally
      resectable, were treated by selective arterial embolisation with (90)Y resin
      microspheres (SIRTEX(r)), followed 9 days post-infusion by resection, including
      macroscopic tumour tissue and surrounding normal liver parenchyma. Formalin
      fixed, sectioned resected tissues were exposed to autoradiographic films, or
      tissue biopsies of various dimensions were punched out for activity measurements
      and microscopy. RESULTS: Autoradiography and activity measurements revealed a
      higher activity in tumour tissue compared to normal liver parenchyma.
      Heterogeneity in activity distribution was evident in both normal liver and
      tumour tissue. Activity measurements were analysed in relation to the sample mass
      (5 to 422 mg), and heterogeneities were detected by statistical means; the larger
      the tissue biopsies, the smaller was the coefficient of variation. The skewness
      of the activity distributions increased with decreasing biopsy mass. CONCLUSIONS:
      The tissue activity distributions in normal tissue were heterogeneous on a
      relevant geometric scale considering the range of the ionising electrons. Given
      the similar and repetitive structure of the liver parenchyma, this finding could
      partly explain the tolerance of a relatively high mean absorbed dose to the liver
      parenchyma from beta-particles.

PMID- 26116113
TI  - The effect of volume of interest definition on quantification of lymph node
      immune response to a monkeypox virus infection assessed by (18)F-FDG-PET.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose-positron emission tomography ((18)F
      FDG-PET) is applied in the clinic for infection assessment and is under
      consideration for investigating the inflammatory/immune response in lymphoid
      tissue in animal models of viral infection. Assessing changes in (18)F-FDG uptake
      of lymph nodes (LNs), primary lymphoid tissues targeted during viral infection,
      requires suitable methods for image analysis. Similar to tumor evaluation,
      reliable quantitation of the LN function via multiple (18)F-FDG-PET sessions will
      depend how the volume of interest is defined. Volume of interest definition has a
      direct effect on statistical outcome. The current study objective is to compare
      for the first time agreement between conventional and modified VOI metrics to
      determine which method(s) provide(s) reproducible standardized uptake values
      (SUVs) for (18)F-FDG uptake in the LN of rhesus macaques. METHODS: Multiple (18)F
      FDG-PET images of LNs in macaques were acquired prior to and after monkeypox
      virus intravenous inoculation. We compared five image analysis approaches,
      SUVmax, SUVmean, SUVthreshold, modified SUVthreshold, and SUVfixed volume, to
      investigate the impact of these approaches on quantification of the changes in LN
      metabolic activity denoting the immune response during viral infection
      progression. RESULTS: The lowest data repeatability was observed with SUVmax. The
      best correspondence was between SUVfixed volume and conventional and modified
      SUVthreshold. A statistically significant difference in the LN (18)F-FDG uptake
      between surviving and moribund animals was shown using modified SUVthreshold and
      SUVfixed volume (adjusted p = 0.0037 and p = 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:
      Quantification of the LN (18)F-FDG uptake is highly sensitive to the method
      applied for PET image analysis. SUVfixed volume and modified SUVthreshold
      demonstrate better reproducibility for SUV estimates than SUVmax, SUVmean, and
      SUVthreshold. SUVfixed volume and modified SUVthreshold are capable of
      distinguishing between groups with different disease outcomes. Therefore, these
      methods are the preferred approaches for evaluating the LN function during viral
      infection by (18)F-FDG-PET. Validation of multiple approaches is necessary to
      choose a suitable method to monitor changes in LN metabolic activity during
      progression of viral infection.

PMID- 26116114
TI  - Identification of positron emission tomography (PET) tracer candidates by
      prediction of the target-bound fraction in the brain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Development of tracers for imaging with positron emission tomography
      (PET) is often a time-consuming process associated with considerable attrition.
      In an effort to simplify this process, we herein propose a mechanistically
      integrated approach for the selection of tracer candidates based on in vitro
      measurements of ligand affinity (Kd), non-specific binding in brain tissue
      (Vu,brain), and target protein expression (Bmax). METHODS: A dataset of 35
      functional and 12 non-functional central nervous system (CNS) PET tracers was
      compiled. Data was identified in literature for Kd and Bmax, whereas a brain
      slice methodology was used to determine values for Vu,brain. A mathematical
      prediction model for the target-bound fraction of tracer in the brain (ftb) was
      derived and evaluated with respect to how well it predicts tracer functionality
      compared to traditional PET tracer candidate selection criteria. RESULTS: The
      methodology correctly classified 31/35 functioning and 12/12 non-functioning
      tracers. This predictivity was superior to traditional classification criteria or
      combinations thereof. CONCLUSIONS: The presented CNS PET tracer identification
      approach is rapid and accurate and is expected to facilitate the development of
      novel PET tracers for the molecular imaging community.

PMID- 26116115
TI  - Preclinical imaging of kallikrein-related peptidase 2 (hK2) in prostate cancer
      with a (111)In-radiolabelled monoclonal antibody, 11B6.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is a leading cause of death in the male population of
      the western world. Human kallikrein-related peptidase 2 (hK2) is abundantly
      expressed in malignant prostatic tissue, and its gene, KLK2, is regulated by the
      androgen receptor. 11B6 is a murine IgG1 monoclonal antibody directed against
      free human hK2. In this study, we performed a preclinical evaluation of (111)In
      labelled 11B6 in mouse xenografts to investigate its potential in the clinical
      staging and assessment of metastatic prostate cancer. METHODS: 11B6 was
      radiolabelled with (111)In through CHX-A"-DTPA chelation. In vivo biodistribution
      and uptake of (111)In-DTPA-11B6 were measured until 168 h post-injection in NMRI
      nude mice bearing subcutaneous LNCaP xenografts. The binding specificity to hK2
      was evaluated by both in vivo competitive binding assays with excess non-labelled
      11B6 and hK2-negative DU145 xenografts. SPECT/CT imaging of subcutaneous and
      intra-tibial LNCaP xenografts was used to visualize the tumours. RESULTS: Tumour
      uptake of (111)In-DTPA-11B6 in LNCaP xenografts was 19% +/- 0.78%IA/g at 48 h,
      giving a tumour-to-blood ratio of 1.6, which increases to 2.4 at 1 week post
      injection. Accumulation was low in other organs except for the salivary glands,
      which is probably the result of cross-reactivity with mouse kallikreins.
      Significantly lower tumour accumulation was observed in competitive assays and
      DU145 xenografts. SPECT/CT imaging could clearly visualize the subcutaneous and
      intra-tibial LNCaP xenografts. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates the potential
      of (111)In-DTPA-11B6 for the detection of metastatic prostate cancer and
      monitoring anti-androgen therapy, as it exhibits an increased uptake and
      accumulation in viable tumour when compared to normal tissue. A humanised version
      of the 11B6 monoclonal antibody is currently under evaluation.

PMID- 26116116
TI  - Quantification of [(11)C]-meta-hydroxyephedrine uptake in human myocardium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to determine the optimal tracer kinetic
      model for [(11)C]-meta-hydroxyephedrine ([(11)C]HED) and to evaluate the
      performance of several simplified methods. METHODS: Thirty patients underwent
      dynamic 60-min [(11)C]HED scans with online arterial blood sampling. Single
      tissue and both reversible and irreversible two-tissue models were fitted to the
      data using the metabolite-corrected arterial input function. For each model,
      reliable fits were defined as those yielding outcome parameters with a
      coefficient of variation (CoV) <25%. The optimal model was determined using
      Akaike and Schwarz criteria and the F-test, together with the number of reliable
      fits. Simulations were performed to study accuracy and precision of each model.
      Finally, quantitative results obtained using a population-averaged metabolite
      correction were evaluated, and simplified retention index (RI) and standardized
      uptake value (SUV) results were compared with quantitative volume of distribution
      (V T) data. RESULTS: The reversible two-tissue model was preferred in 75.8% of
      all segments, based on the Akaike information criterion. However, V T derived
      using the single-tissue model correlated highly with that of the two-tissue model
      (r (2) = 0.94, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.96) and showed higher
      precision (CoV of 24.6% and 89.2% for single- and two-tissue models,
      respectively, at 20% noise). In addition, the single-tissue model yielded
      reliable fits in 94.6% of all segments as compared with 77.1% for the reversible
      two-tissue model. A population-averaged metabolite correction could not be used
      in approximately 20% of the patients because of large biases in V T. RI and SUV
      can provide misleading results because of non-linear relationships with V T.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although the reversible two-tissue model provided the best fits, the
      single-tissue model was more robust and results obtained were similar. Therefore,
      the single-tissue model was preferred. RI showed a non-linear correlation with V
      T, and therefore, care has to be taken when using RI as a quantitative measure.

PMID- 26116117
TI  - Paclitaxel improved anti-L1CAM lutetium-177 radioimmunotherapy in an ovarian
      cancer xenograft model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Today's standard treatment of advanced-stage ovarian cancer,
      including surgery followed by a paclitaxel-platinum-based chemotherapy, is
      limited in efficacy. Recently, we could show that radioimmunotherapy (RIT) with
      (177)Lu-labelled anti-L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) monoclonal antibody chCE7
      is effective in ovarian cancer therapy. We investigated if the efficacy of anti
      L1CAM RIT can be further improved by its combination with paclitaxel (PTX).
      METHODS: In vitro cell viability and cell cycle arrest of human ovarian cancer
      cells were assessed upon different treatment conditions. For therapy studies,
      nude mice (n = 8) were injected subcutaneously with IGROV1 human ovarian
      carcinoma cells and received a single dose of 6 MBq (177)Lu-DOTA-chCE7 alone or
      in combination with 600 MUg PTX (31.6 mg/kg). Tumour growth delay and survival
      were determined. To investigate whether PTX can influence the tumour uptake of
      the radioimmunoconjugates (RICs), a biodistribution study (n = 4) and SPECT/CT
      images were acquired 120 h post injections of 2 MBq (177)Lu-DOTA-chCE7 alone or
      in combination with 600 MUg PTX. RESULTS: Lu-DOTA-chCE7 in combination with PTX
      revealed a significantly decreased cell viability of ovarian carcinoma cells in
      vitro and was effective in a synergistic manner (combination index < 1). PTX
      increased the RIT efficacy by arresting cells in the radiosensitive G2/M phase of
      the cell cycle 24 h post treatment start. In vivo combination therapy including
      (177)Lu-DOTA-chCE7 and PTX resulted in a significantly prolonged overall survival
      (55 days vs. 18 days/PTX and 29 days/RIT), without weight loss and/or signs of
      toxicity. Biodistribution studies revealed no significant difference in tumour
      uptakes of (177)Lu-DOTA-chCE7 72 h post injection regardless of an additional PTX
      administration. CONCLUSIONS: Combination of anti-L1CAM (177)Lu-RIT with PTX is a
      more effective therapy resulting in a prolonged overall survival of human ovarian
      carcinoma-bearing nude mice compared with either monotherapy. The combination is
      promising for future clinical applications.

PMID- 26116118
TI  - (11)C-acetate PET/CT in pre-therapeutic lymph node staging in high-risk prostate
      cancer patients and its influence on disease management - a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radiation treatment with simultaneous integrated boost against
      suspected lymph node metastases may be a curative therapeutic option in patients
      with high-risk prostate cancer (>15% estimated risk of pelvic lymph node
      metastases according to the Cagiannos nomogram). (11)C-acetate positron emission
      tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) can be used for primary staging as well
      as for detection of suspected relapse of prostate cancer. The aims of this study
      were to evaluate the association between positive (11)C-acetate PET/CT findings
      and the estimated risk of pelvic lymph node metastases and to assess the impact
      of (11)C-acetate PET/CT on patient management in high-risk prostate cancer
      patients. METHODS: Fifty consecutive prostate cancer patients referred for
      primary staging with (11)C-acetate PET/CT prior to radiotherapy with curative
      intention were enrolled in this retrospective study. RESULTS: All patients showed
      increased (11)C-acetate uptake in the prostate. Pelvic lymph node uptake was seen
      in 42% (21/50) of the patients, with positive external iliac lymph nodes in 71%
      (15/21) of these. The overall observed proportion of PET/CT-positive pelvic lymph
      nodes at patient level was higher than the average estimated risk, especially in
      low-risk groups (<15%). There was a significant association between observed
      proportion and estimated risk of pelvic lymph node metastases in groups with <=45
      and >45% estimated risk. Treatment strategy was altered due to (11)C-acetate
      PET/CT findings in 43% (20/47) of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: The observed
      proportion of (11)C-acetate PET/CT findings suggestive of locoregional metastases
      was higher than the estimated risk, suggesting that the Cagiannos nomogram
      underestimates the risk for metastases. The imaging results with (11)C-acetate
      PET/CT have a considerable impact on patient management.

PMID- 26116119
TI  - Potential of (99m)Tc-MIBI SPECT imaging for evaluating non-alcoholic
      steatohepatitis induced by methionine-choline-deficient diet in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in pathological
      conditions leading to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Technetium-99 m-2
      methoxyisobutyl-isonitrile ((99m)Tc-MIBI), a lipophilic cationic myocardial
      perfusion agent, is retained in the mitochondria depending on membrane potential.
      The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of (99m)Tc-MIBI for
      evaluating the hepatic mitochondrial dysfunction induced by methionine-choline
      deficient (MCD) diet in mice. METHODS: Male C57Black6J/jcl mice were fed a MCD
      diet for up to 4 weeks. SPECT scan (N =6) with (99m)Tc-MIBI was performed at 2
      and 4 weeks after MCD diet. Mice were imaged with small-animal SPECT/CT under
      isoflurane anesthesia. Radioactivity concentrations of the liver were measured,
      and the time of maximum (T max) and the elimination half-life (T 1/2) were
      evaluated. After SPECT scan, liver histopathology was analyzed to evaluate
      steatosis and inflammation. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) activity
      score was obtained from the histological score of hepatic steatosis and
      inflammation. Blood biochemistry and hepatic ATP content were also measured (N =5
      to 6). RESULTS: Plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate
      aminotransferase (AST) levels were significantly elevated at 2 and 4 weeks after
      MCD diet. A decrease in hepatic ATP content was also observed in MCD-fed mice.
      (99m)Tc-MIBI SPECT imaging clearly showed the decrease of hepatic (99m)Tc-MIBI
      retention in MCD-fed mice compared to control mice. T 1/2 after (99m)Tc-MIBI
      injection was significantly decreased in the liver of MCD-fed mice (control, MCD
      2 weeks, and MCD 4 weeks, T 1/2 = 57.6, 37.6, and 19.8 min, respectively),
      although no change in T max was observed in MCD-fed mice. SPECT data and
      histological score showed that the negative correlation (r = -0.74, p <0.05)
      between T 1/2 and NAFLD activity score was significant. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic
      (99m)Tc-MIBI elimination was increased with increase in NAFLD activity score
      (NAS) in mice fed MCD diet for 2 and 4 weeks. These results suggest that (99m)Tc
      MIBI SPECT imaging might be useful for detecting hepatic mitochondrial
      dysfunction induced by steatosis and inflammation such as NAFLD or NASH.

PMID- 26116120
TI  - Evaluation of retinol binding protein 4 and carbamoylated haemoglobin as
      potential renal toxicity biomarkers in adult mice treated with (177)Lu
      octreotate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The kidneys are regarded as one of the main dose-limiting organs in
      the treatment of neuroendocrine tumours with (177)Lu-[DOTA(0), Tyr(3)]-octreotate
      ((177)Lu-octreotate), despite the successful use of kidney uptake blocking agents
      such as lysine and arginine. To avoid renal toxicity but still give each patient
      as high amount of (177)Lu-octreotate as possible, there is a need for
      methods/biomarkers that indicate renal injury in an early stage of the treatment.
      The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of using urinary retinol
      binding protein 4 (RBP4) and carbamoylated haemoglobin (Hb) in blood as
      biomarkers of nephrotoxic effects on adult mice after (177)Lu-octreotate
      treatment. METHODS: Adult BALB/c nude mice were injected with 60 MBq or 120 MBq
      of (177)Lu-octreotate or with saline (control). Urine was collected before
      injection and concentrations of urinary RBP4 and creatinine were determined 14 to
      90 days after injection Blood samples were collected after 90 days, and
      carbamoylated N-terminal valine in Hb, formed from urea, was measured as valine
      hydantoin (VH) after detachment from Hb. RESULTS: The RBP4 values increased with
      administered activity and time. For the 60 and 120 MBq groups, statistically
      significantly higher RBP4 levels (p <0.05) were found at day 60 and 90 compared
      to baseline, also at day 30 for 120 MBq group. For VH, the mean values were
      similar for the 60 MBq and control groups, while a small increase was observed
      for the 120 MBq group; but there were no statistically significant differences
      between any of the groups (p >0.05). No morphological changes in the kidney
      tissue were found. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary RBP4 is a promising new biomarker for
      radiation-induced renal toxicity. For the conditions used in this experiment,
      carbamoylated Hb (from urea) measured as VH may not be a sufficiently sensitive
      biomarker to be used for renal toxicity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ID 326-2008.

PMID- 26116121
TI  - Immuno-PET of epithelial ovarian cancer: harnessing the potential of CA125 for
      non-invasive imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is characterized by the
      overexpression of cancer antigen 125 (CA125), a mucinous glycoprotein that serves
      as a tumor biomarker. Early diagnosis of EOC is plagued by its asymptomatic
      nature of progression and the limitations of currently used immunoassay
      techniques that detect CA125 as a shed antigen in serum samples. Presently, there
      is no technique available for the in vivo evaluation of CA125 expression in
      malignant tissues. Moreover, there could be an unexplored pathophysiological time
      window for the detection of CA125 in EOC, during which it is expressed on tumor
      cells prior to being shed into the bloodstream. A method for the in vivo
      evaluation of CA125 expression on ovarian neoplasms earlier along disease
      progression and/or recurrence can potentially contribute to better disease
      management. To this end, the present work utilizes an anti-CA125 monoclonal
      antibody (MAb) and a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) labeled with the
      positron-emitting radionuclide (64)Cu for preclinical molecular imaging of CA125
      expression in vivo. METHODS: Anti-CA125 MAb and scFv were prepared and
      functionally characterized for target binding prior to being tested as
      radiotracers in a preclinical setting. RESULTS: Immunoblotting,
      immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry revealed specific binding of CA125
      targeting vectors to NIH:OVCAR-3 cells and no binding to antigen-negative SKOV3
      cells. (64)Cu-labeled anti-CA125 MAb and scFv were obtained in specific
      activities of 296 and 122 MBq/mg, respectively. Both radioimmunoconjugate vectors
      demonstrated highly selective binding to NIH:OVCAR-3 cells and virtually no
      binding to SKOV3 cells. In vivo radiopharmacological evaluation using xenograft
      mouse models injected with (64)Cu-labeled anti-CA125 MAb provided a standardized
      uptake value (SUV) of 5.76 (29.70 %ID/g) in OVCAR3 tumors 24 h post-injection
      (p.i.) versus 1.80 (5.91 %ID/g) in SKOV3 tumors. (64)Cu-labeled anti-CA125 scFv
      provided an SUV of 0.64 (3.21 %ID/g) in OVCAR3 tumors 24 h p.i. versus 0.25 (1.49
      %ID/g) in SKOV3 tumors. Results from small-animal PET imaging were confirmed by
      ex vivo autoradiography and immunohistochemistry. CONCLUSIONS: Radiolabeling of
      anti-CA125 MAb and scFv with (64)Cu did not compromise their immunoreactivity.
      Both radioimmunoconjugates presented specific tumor uptake and expected
      biological clearance profiles. This renders them as potential immuno-PET probes
      for targeted in vivo molecular imaging of CA125 in EOC.

PMID- 26116122
TI  - In vivo bioluminescence imaging for viable human neural stem cells incorporated
      within in situ gelatin hydrogels.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel-based stem cell therapies contribute
      to enhanced therapeutic efficacy in treating diseases, and determining the
      optimal mechanical strength of the hydrogel in vivo is important for therapeutic
      success. We evaluated the proliferation of human neural stem cells incorporated
      within in situ-forming hydrogels and compared the effect of hydrogels with
      different elastic properties in cell/hydrogel-xenografted mice. METHODS: The
      gelatin-polyethylene glycol-tyramine (GPT) hydrogel was fabricated through enzyme
      mediated cross-linking reaction using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen
      peroxide (H2O2). RESULTS: The F3-effluc encapsulated within a soft 1,800 pascal
      (Pa) hydrogel and stiff 5,800 Pa hydrogel proliferated vigorously in a 24-well
      plate until day 8. In vitro and in vivo kinetics of luciferase activity showed a
      slow time-to-peak after D-luciferin administration in the stiff hydrogel. When in
      vivo proliferation of F3-effluc was observed up to day 21 in both the hydrogel
      group and cell-only group, F3-effluc within the soft hydrogel proliferated more
      vigorously, compared to the cells within the stiff hydrogel. Ki-67-specific
      immunostaining revealed highly proliferative F3-effluc with compactly distributed
      cell population inside the 1,800 Pa or 5,800 Pa hydrogel. CONCLUSIONS: We
      examined the in vivo effectiveness of different elastic types of hydrogels
      encapsulating viable neural stem cells by successfully monitoring the
      proliferation of implanted stem cells incorporated within a 3D hydrogel scaffold.

PMID- 26116123
TI  - Strategy to develop a MAO-A-resistant 5-hydroxy-L-[beta-(11)C]tryptophan
      isotopologue based on deuterium kinetic isotope effects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The serotonin precursor 5-hydroxy-L-[beta-(11)C]tryptophan
      ([(11)C]HTP) is in clinical use for localization of neuroendocrine tumors and has
      been suggested as a proxy marker for pancreatic islet cells. However, degradation
      by monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) reduces retention and the contrast to non
      endocrine tissue. METHODS: A synthesis method was developed for 5-hydroxy-L-[beta
      (11)C(2)H]tryptophan ([(11)C]DHTP), an isotopologue of [(11)C]HTP, labeled with
      (11)C and (2)H at the beta-position adjacent to the carbon involved in MAO-A
      decarboxylation. MAO-A-mediated degradation of [(11)C]DHTP was evaluated and
      compared to non-deuterated [(11)C]HTP. RESULTS: [(11)C]DHTP was synthesized with
      a radiochemical purity of >98%, radioactivity of 620 +/- 190 MBq, and deuterium
      ((2)H or (2)H2) incorporation at the beta-position of 22% +/-5%. Retention and
      resistance to MAO-A-mediated degradation of [(11)C]DHTP were increased in cells
      but not in non-human primate pancreas. CONCLUSIONS: Partial deuteration of the
      beta-position yields improved resistance to MAO-A-mediated degradation in vitro
      but not in vivo.

PMID- 26116124
TI  - Synthesis and preclinical evaluation of DOTAGA-conjugated PSMA ligands for
      functional imaging and endoradiotherapy of prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Due to its high expression in prostate cancer, PSMA (prostate
      specific membrane antigen) represents an ideal target for both diagnostic imaging
      and endoradiotherapeutic approaches. Based on a previously published highly
      specific PSMA ligand ([(68)Ga]DOTA-FFK(Sub-KuE)), we developed a corresponding
      metabolically stable 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododececane,1-(glutaric acid)-4,7,10
      triacetic acid (DOTAGA) construct for theranostic treatment of prostate cancer.
      METHODS: All ligands were synthesized by a combined solid phase and solution
      phase synthesis strategy. The affinity of the (nat)gallium and lutetium complexes
      to PSMA and the internalization efficiency of the radiotracers were determined on
      PSMA-expressing LNCaP cells. The (68)Ga- and (177)Lu-labelled ligands were
      further investigated for lipophilicity, binding specificity, metabolic stability,
      as well as biodistribution and MUPET in LNCaP-tumour-bearing mice. RESULTS:
      Radiochemical yields for (68)Ga (3 nmol, 5.0 M NaCl/2.7 M HEPES (approximately
      5/1), pH 3.5 to 4.5, 5 min, 95 degrees C) and (177)Lu labelling (0.7 nmol, 0.1 M
      NH4OAc, pH 5.5, 30 min, 95 degrees C) were almost quantitative, resulting in
      specific activities of 250 to 300 GBq/MUmol for the (68)Ga analogues and 38
      GBq/MUmol for (177)Lu complexes. Due to metabolic instability of L-amino acid
      spacers, D-amino acids were implemented resulting in a metabolically stable
      DOTAGA ligand. Compared to the DOTA ligand, the DOTAGA derivatives showed higher
      hydrophilicity (logP = -3.6 +/- 0.1 and -3.9 +/- 0.1 for (68)Ga and (177)Lu,
      respectively) and improved affinity to PSMA resulting in an about twofold
      increased specific internalization of the (68)Ga- and (177)Lu-labelled DOTAGA
      analogue. Especially, [(68)Ga]DOTAGA-ffk(Sub-KuE) exhibits favourable
      pharmacokinetics, low unspecific uptake and high tumour accumulation in LNCaP
      tumour-bearing mice. CONCLUSIONS: The pair of diagnostic/therapeutic PSMA-ligands
      [(68)Ga/(177)Lu]DOTAGA-ffk(Sub-KuE) possess remarkable potential for the
      management of prostate cancer.

PMID- 26116125
TI  - ABC transporter-dependent brain uptake of the 5-HT1B receptor radioligand [
      (11)C]AZ10419369: a comparative PET study in mouse, rat, and guinea pig.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have explored the possibility that the serotonin 1B receptor
      radioligand [(11)C]AZ10419369 is a substrate for adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
      binding cassette (ABC) transporters, such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp), Mrp4, and
      Bcrp, in rodents and whether there is a species difference regarding its blood
      brain barrier (BBB) penetration. METHODS: In a series of preclinical positron
      emission tomography measurements, we have administered [(11)C]AZ10419369 to mice,
      rats, and guinea pigs under baseline conditions and, on separate experimental
      days, after administration of the ABC transporter inhibitor, cyclosporin A (CsA).
      RESULTS: During baseline conditions, the brain uptake was low in mice and rats,
      but not in guinea pigs. After CsA pretreatment, the peak whole brain uptake
      values of [(11)C]AZ10419369 increased by 207% in mice, 94% in rats, and 157% in
      guinea pigs. Binding potentials (BPND) could not be estimated during baseline
      conditions in mice and rats. After CsA pretreatment, the highest BPND values were
      obtained in the striatum and thalamus (BPND ~ 0.4) in mice, while in rats, the
      highest binding areas were the striatum, thalamus, hypothalamus, and
      periaqueductal gray (BPND ~ 0.5). In guinea pigs, we did not find any significant
      changes in BPND between baseline and CsA pretreatment, except in the striatum.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that BBB penetration of [(11)C]AZ10419369 was
      hindered by ABC transporter activity in mouse, rat, and guinea pig. This study
      highlights the importance of ABC transporters in the design of preclinical
      positron emission tomography (PET) studies.

PMID- 26116126
TI  - An evaluation of the brain distribution of [(11)C]GSK1034702, a muscarinic-1 (M
      1) positive allosteric modulator in the living human brain using positron
      emission tomography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ability to quantify the capacity of a central nervous system
      (CNS) drug to cross the human blood-brain barrier (BBB) provides valuable
      information for de-risking drug development of new molecules. Here, we present a
      study, where a suitable positron emission tomography (PET) ligand was not
      available for the evaluation of a potent muscarinic acetylcholine receptor type-1
      (M1) allosteric agonist (GSK1034702) in the primate and human brain. Hence,
      direct radiolabelling of the novel molecule was performed and PET measurements
      were obtained and combined with in vitro equilibrium dialysis assays to enable
      assessment of BBB transport and estimation of the free brain concentration of
      GSK1034702 in vivo. METHODS: GSK1034702 was radiolabelled with (11)C, and the
      brain distribution of [(11)C]GSK1034702 was investigated in two anaesthetised
      baboons and four healthy male humans. In humans, PET scans were performed
      (following intravenous injection of [(11)C]GSK1034702) at baseline and after a
      single oral 5-mg dose of GSK1034702. The in vitro brain and plasma protein
      binding of GSK1034702 was determined across a range of species using equilibrium
      dialysis. RESULTS: The distribution of [(11)C]GSK1034702 in the primate brain was
      homogenous and the whole brain partition coefficient (V T) was 3.97. In contrast,
      there was mild regional heterogeneity for GSK1034702 in the human brain. Human
      whole brain V T estimates (4.9) were in broad agreement with primate V T and the
      f P/f ND ratio (3.97 and 2.63, respectively), consistent with transport by
      passive diffusion across the BBB. CONCLUSION: In primate and human PET studies
      designed to evaluate the transport of a novel M1 allosteric agonist (GSK1034702)
      across the BBB, we have demonstrated good brain uptake and BBB passage consistent
      with passive diffusion or active influx. These studies discharged some of the
      perceived development risks for GSK1034702 and provided information to progress
      the molecule into the next stage of clinical development. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Clinical trial details: 'Brain Uptake of GSK1034702: a Positron Emission
      Tomography (PET) Scan Study.'; clinicaltrial.gov identifier: NCT00937846 .

PMID- 26116127
TI  - Factors affecting the stability and repeatability of gamma camera calibration for
      quantitative imaging applications based on a retrospective review of clinical
      data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Absolute quantitative single-photon emission computed tomography
      (SPECT) has several important applications including monitoring tumor response
      after treatment and dose estimation for targeted radionuclide therapy treatment
      planning. Obtaining quantitative SPECT images in absolute activity units requires
      the use of a calibration factor, and the repeatability of this directly affects
      the repeatability of image quantification. This study focused on evaluating the
      factors affecting the repeatability of a calibration factor measured using a
      planar image of an in-air calibration source. METHODS: The calibration factors
      calculated as part of (131)I-tositumomab patient dosimetry scans used in
      treatment planning performed over a 4-year period were retrospectively analyzed.
      Raw data included total counts in whole-body images of a radioactive calibration
      source, the activity of the source measured in a radionuclide activity meter
      (often referred to as a dose calibrator), and the background count rate obtained
      at three time points for each patient. The count rate from extrinsic flood source
      acquisitions and radionuclide activity meter constancy obtained on the same day
      as each image were also used. The data were analyzed statistically using a mixed
      effects model to determine the factors affecting variations in the measured
      calibration factors. RESULTS: The global variability in the calibration factor
      was equal to 2.3% and was decreased by 20% to 1.8%, when the decay-corrected
      measurements of calibration source activity were averaged over the three time
      points for each patient. Camera sensitivity variation measured using a (57)Co
      sheet source was small and had a weak relationship to calibration factor
      variations. When the averaged source activity was used, the main source of
      variance was related to preparation and measurement of the source (77%).
      Radionuclide activity meter constancy had a smaller but statistically significant
      impact on the calibration factor. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that
      calibration factors based on planar measurements have good reproducibility. The
      findings of this study indicate (1) the importance of accurate and precise
      preparation and measurement of the calibration source activity, (2) the need to
      carefully control background activity during calibration factor assessment and
      patient data acquisition, and (3) that the calibration factor and camera
      sensitivity were stable over time, indicating that careful but less frequent
      calibration is needed.

PMID- 26116128
TI  - Toxicity and radiation dosimetry studies of the serotonin transporter radioligand
      [(18) F]AFM in rats and monkeys.
AB  - BACKGROUND: [(18) F]AFM is a potent and promising PET imaging agent for the
      serotonin transporter. We carried out an acute toxicity study in rats and
      radiation dosimetry in monkeys before the translation of the tracer to humans.
      METHODS: Single- and multiple-dose toxicity studies were conducted in Sprague
      Dawley rats. Male and female rats were injected intravenously with AFM tartrate
      as a single dose of 98.7 or 987 MUg/kg (592 or 5,920 MUg/m(2), 100* or 1,000* the
      proposed human dose of 8 MUg, respectively) on day 1 or as five consecutive daily
      doses of 98.7 MUg/kg/day (592 MUg /m(2)/day, 100* human dose, total dose 493.5
      MUg/kg). PET/CT scans were performed in four Formosan rock monkeys (two males and
      two females, each monkey scanned twice) using a Siemens BIOGRAPH scanner. After
      injection of [(18) F]AFM (88.5 +/- 20.3 MBq), a low-dose CT scan and a series of
      eight whole-body PET scans in 3-D mode were performed. Time-activity data of
      source organs were used to calculate the residence times and estimate the
      absorbed radiation dose using the OLINDA/EXM software. RESULTS: In the rats,
      neither the single dose nor the five daily doses of AFM tartrate produced overt
      adverse effects clinically. In the monkeys, the radiation doses received by most
      organs ranged between 8.3 and 39.1 MUGy/MBq. The osteogenic cells, red marrow,
      and lungs received the highest doses of 39.1, 35.4, and 35.1 MUGy/MBq,
      respectively. The effective doses extrapolated to male and female adult humans
      were 18.0 and 18.3 MUSv/MBq, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Toxicity studies in
      Sprague-Dawley rats and radiation dosimetry studies in Formosa rock monkeys
      suggest that [(18) F]AFM is safe for use in human PET imaging studies. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: IACUC-12-200.

PMID- 26116129
TI  - Effects on the FDG distribution by a high uptake of brown adipose tissue at PET
      examination.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At fluorodeoxyglucose/positron emission tomography (FDG/PET)
      examinations, a generally increased uptake of the skeletal muscles is sometimes
      encountered. As the tracer distribution constitutes a 'zero-sum-game', the uptake
      of lesions as well as of normal tissues is reduced in these patients. This has to
      be considered at calculation of standardised uptake values (SUVs), especially at
      longitudinal examinations in the same patient. In the current study, a possible
      similar influence on the FDG distribution by a high uptake of brown adipose
      tissue (BAT) was studied. METHODS: Twelve patients with strongly increased BAT
      uptake were examined twice with a mean of 5 days (study group). In six of these
      patients, there was at least one pathological lesion with increased uptake. The
      BAT uptake was normalised at the second examination after pretreatment with
      propranolol. SUVs of the pathological lesions and of the liver, spleen, lung,
      blood, skeletal muscles, bone marrow, gluteal fat, abdomen and heart were
      assessed. In order to control the effects of propranolol on normal
      organs/tissues, which could interfere with the findings, 25 age and gender
      matched normal controls were also studied (control subjects). RESULTS: In the
      study group, there was only a lower bone marrow uptake after propranolol
      administration. Comparing the study group with the control subjects, the bone
      marrow activity was higher at examination before propranolol treatment compared
      to the control subjects. There was also a higher uptake of the spleen in the
      study group before propranolol treatment compared to the control subjects. There
      were no differences between the study group after propranolol administration and
      the control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The differences found are small and cannot be
      explained, why they could be random phenomena. Together with, there were no
      differences between the study group after propranolol administration and the
      control subjects; it is concluded that an effect on the FDG distribution in
      patients with a strong BAT uptake by can be disregarded in clinical praxis. This
      is important at longitudinal examinations of patients undergoing tailored tumour
      therapy and in contrast to examinations in patients with a generally increased
      uptake of the skeletal muscles which significantly affects the distribution of
      the radiopharmaceutical.

PMID- 26116130
TI  - Cyclosporin A, but not tacrolimus, negatively affects the hepatic extraction
      fraction of hepatobiliary scintigraphy in liver transplant recipients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatobiliary scintigraphy using (99m)Tc-mebrofenin has been used as
      an investigation to study liver function after liver transplantation (LTx).
      Hepatic extraction fraction (HEF) is a measurement of the hepatic extraction
      efficiency and hepatic extraction rate. With the purpose of evaluating a possible
      diverging effect of cyclosporin A (CSA) and tacrolimus (TAC) on the HEF, we
      compared the HEF with biochemical and histological parameters in LTx patients
      receiving either CSA or TAC. METHODS: Thirty-nine adult patients who underwent
      LTx due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhosis were evaluated. All patients
      underwent a 3-month and 1-year follow-up that included hepatobiliary scintigraphy
      and biochemistry tests. Liver biopsy was performed at 1 year. These clinical
      parameters were compared between the two groups, TAC (n = 15) and CSA (n = 24).
      RESULTS: The average HEF was significantly lower in the CSA group compared to the
      TAC group both at 3 months and 1 year after LTx. The liver biochemistry tests,
      average donor and recipient age, average cold ischemia time (CIT), and a
      clearance were comparable in the two groups. The TAC group had more inflammation
      than the CSA group. Moreover, three patients who converted from CSA to TAC
      increased their HEF values. CONCLUSIONS: CSA-treated patients presented a lower
      HEF value on hepatobiliary scintigraphy in spite of comparable liver function by
      traditional measurements indicating a decrease on HEF values by CSA.

PMID- 26116131
TI  - Labeling galectin-3 for the assessment of myocardial infarction in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Galectin-3 is a beta-galactoside-binding lectin expressed in most of
      tissues in normal conditions and overexpressed in myocardium from early stages of
      heart failure (HF). It is an established biomarker associated with extracellular
      matrix (ECM) turnover during myocardial remodeling. The aim of this study is to
      test the ability of (123)I-galectin-3 (IG3) to assess cardiac remodeling in a
      model of myocardial infarction (MI) using imaging techniques. METHODS:
      Recombinant galectin-3 was labeled with iodine-123 and in vitro binding assays
      were conducted to test (123)I-galectin-3 ability to bind to ECM targets. For in
      vivo studies, a rat model of induced-MI was used. Animals were subjected to
      magnetic resonance and micro-SPETC/micro-CT imaging two (2 W-MI) or four (4 W-MI)
      weeks after MI. Sham rats were used as controls. Pharmacokinetic,
      biodistribution, and histological studies were also performed after intravenous
      administration of IG3. RESULTS: In vitro studies revealed that IG3 shows higher
      binding affinity (measured as counts per minute, cpm) (p < 0.05) to laminin (2.45
      +/- 1.67 cpm), fibronectin (4.72 +/- 1.95 cpm), and collagen type I (1.88 +/-
      0.53 cpm) compared to bovine serum albumin (BSA) (0.88 +/- 0.31 cpm). Myocardial
      quantitative IG3 uptake (%ID/g) was higher (p < 0.01) in the infarct of 2 W-MI
      rats (0.15 +/- 0.04%) compared to control (0.05 +/- 0.03%). IG3 infarct uptake
      correlates with the extent of scar (r s = 1, p = 0.017). Total collagen
      deposition in the infarct (percentage area) was higher (p < 0.0001) at 2 W-MI
      (24.2 +/- 5.1%) and 4 W-MI (30.4 +/- 7.5%) compared to control (1.9 +/- 1.1%).
      However, thick collagen content in the infarct (square micrometer stained) was
      higher at 4 W-MI (20.5 +/- 11.2 MUm(2)) compared to control (4.7 +/- 2.0 MUm(2),
      p < 0.001) and 2 W-MI (10.6 +/- 5.1 MUm(2), p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      shows, although preliminary, enough data to consider IG3 as a potential contrast
      agent for imaging of myocardial interstitial changes in rats after MI. Labeling
      strategies need to be sought to improve in vivo IG3 imaging, and if proven,
      galectin-3 might be used as an imaging tool for the assessment and treatment of
      MI patients.

PMID- 26116132
TI  - An elusive low-hanging fruit for public health: gun violence prevention.

PMID- 26116134
TI  - What is significance?

PMID- 26116133
TI  - Firearm injuries in the United States.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper examines the epidemiology of fatal and nonfatal firearm
      violence in the United States. Trends over two decades in homicide, assault, self
      directed and unintentional firearm injuries are described along with current
      demographic characteristics of victimization and health impact. METHOD: Fatal
      firearm injury data were obtained from the National Vital Statistics System
      (NVSS). Nonfatal firearm injury data were obtained from the National Electronic
      Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). Trends were tested using Joinpoint regression
      analyses. CDC Cost of Injury modules were used to estimate costs associated with
      firearm deaths and injuries. RESULTS: More than 32,000 persons die and over
      67,000 persons are injured by firearms each year. Case fatality rates are highest
      for self-harm related firearm injuries, followed by assault-related injuries.
      Males, racial/ethnic minority populations, and young Americans (with the
      exception of firearm suicide) are disproportionately affected. The severity of
      such injuries is distributed relatively evenly across outcomes from outpatient
      treatment to hospitalization to death. Firearm injuries result in over $48
      billion in medical and work loss costs annually, particularly fatal firearm
      injuries. From 1993 to 1999, rates of firearm violence declined significantly.
      Declines were seen in both fatal and nonfatal firearm violence and across all
      types of intent. While unintentional firearm deaths continued to decline from
      2000 to 2012, firearm suicides increased and nonfatal firearm assaults increased
      to their highest level since 1995. CONCLUSION: Firearm injuries are an important
      public health problem in the United States, contributing substantially each year
      to premature death, illness, and disability. Understanding the nature and impact
      of the problem is only a first step toward preventing firearm violence. A science
      driven approach to understand risk and protective factors and identify effective
      solutions is key to achieving measurable reductions in firearm violence.

PMID- 26116135
TI  - Structure and sequence analysis-based engineering of pullulanase from
      Anoxybacillus sp. LM18-11 for improved thermostability.
AB  - Pullulanase (EC 3.2.1.41) is a well-known starch-debranching enzyme. Enhancing
      the thermostability of Pullulanase is required for industrial application. In
      this study, we used two methods to improve the thermostability of the pullulanase
      from Anoxybacillus sp. LM18-11; these methods were the modified amino acid
      consensus method combined with the analyses of the residue water-exposed surface
      (ACC) and the deletion of flexible domains. Four mutants (Y477A, Y175C, L215C and
      R473E) were obtained via the modified consensus method exhibited varying degrees
      of improvements in terms of thermostability. One deletion mutant termed D3
      (residues(686-688)) was obtained and exhibited enhanced thermostability due to
      deletion of the flexible region at the C-terminus. The combination of the two
      strategies yielded the mutant M18 (Y477A/D3/Y175C/L215P/R473E). It retained 66%
      of its initial activity after incubation at 60  degrees C for 72 hrs, whereas
      that of the wild-type enzyme was only 35%. After incubation at 65  degrees C for
      4 h, M18 retained 50.6% of its initial activity, whereas that of the wild-type
      was only 16.8%, respectively. Additionally, kinetic studies revealed that the Km
      of M17 (Y477A/D3/Y175C/L215P) was decreased by 33.9% and that the Kcat/Km value
      of M17 increased by 50%, while M18 exhibited Km and Kcat/Km values that were
      similar to those of the wild-type enzyme. The attractive improved thermostability
      and the high catalytic efficiency made M17 and M18 more suitable for industrial
      application.

PMID- 26116136
TI  - Genetic profiling of yeast industrial strains using in situ comparative genomic
      hybridization (CGH).
AB  - The genetic differences and changes in genomic stability may affect fermentation
      processes involving baker's, brewer's and wine yeast strains. Thus, it seems
      worthwhile to monitor the changes in genomic DNA copy number of industrial
      strains. In the present study, we developed an in situ comparative genomic
      hybridization (CGH) to investigate the ploidy and genetic differences between
      selected industrial yeast strains. The CGH-based system was validated using the
      laboratory Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains (haploid BY4741 and diploid
      BY4743). DNA isolated from BY4743 cells was considered a reference DNA. The
      ploidy and DNA gains and losses of baker's, brewer's and wine strains were
      revealed. Taken together, the in situ CGH was shown a helpful molecular tool to
      identify genomic differences between yeast industrial strains. Moreover, the in
      situ CGH-based system may be used at the single-cell level of analysis to
      supplement array-based techniques and high-throughput analyses at the population
      scale. 

PMID- 26116137
TI  - A novel milliliter-scale chemostat system for parallel cultivation of
      microorganisms in stirred-tank bioreactors.
AB  - A pH-controlled parallel stirred-tank bioreactor system was modified for parallel
      continuous cultivation on a 10 mL-scale by connecting multichannel peristaltic
      pumps for feeding and medium removal with micro-pipes (250 MUm inner diameter).
      Parallel chemostat processes with Escherichia coli as an example showed high
      reproducibility with regard to culture volume and flow rates as well as dry cell
      weight, dissolved oxygen concentration and pH control at steady states (n=8,
      coefficient of variation <5%). Reliable estimation of kinetic growth parameters
      of E. coli was easily achieved within one parallel experiment by preselecting ten
      different steady states. Scalability of milliliter-scale steady state results was
      demonstrated by chemostat studies with a stirred-tank bioreactor on a liter
      scale. Thus, parallel and continuously operated stirred-tank bioreactors on a
      milliliter-scale facilitate timesaving and cost reducing steady state studies
      with microorganisms. The applied continuous bioreactor system overcomes the
      drawbacks of existing miniaturized bioreactors, like poor mass transfer and
      insufficient process control.

PMID- 26116139
TI  - A retrospective cohort study of age-based differences in the care of hospitalized
      patients with sudden clinical deterioration.
AB  - PURPOSE: The proportion of elderly patients is increasing, but it is unknown if
      there are age-based differences in care of hospitalized patients with sudden
      clinical deterioration. We sought to examine the relation between patient age and
      care for hospitalized patients experiencing sudden clinical deterioration.
      METHODS: We identified hospitalized adults (n = 5103) in 4 hospitals with sudden
      clinical deteriorations triggering medical emergency team (MET) activation
      between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2009. We compared intensive care unit
      (ICU) admission rates (within 2 hours of MET activation), goals of care
      (resuscitative vs nonresuscitative), and hospital mortality according to age
      (<50, 50-64, 65-79, and 80+ years), adjusting for patient, physician, and
      hospital characteristics. RESULTS: Age was associated with decreased likelihood
      of admission to ICU (P < .0001) and increased likelihood of change in goals of
      care (P < .0001). Compared to patients younger than 50 years, patients 80 years
      or older had 67% lower odds of ICU admission (odds ratio, 0.33; 95% confidence
      interval, 0.26-0.41) and 587% higher odds (odds ratio, 6.87; 95% confidence
      interval, 4.20-11.26) of having their goals of care changed to exclude
      resuscitation. Hospital mortality was associated with patient age, ranging from
      15% to 46% (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Patient age is associated with care for
      hospitalized patients with sudden clinical deterioration, suggesting that
      strategies to guide care of elderly patients during MET activation may be
      beneficial.

PMID- 26116138
TI  - Control of cerebrovascular patterning by neural activity during postnatal
      development.
AB  - The brain represents only a small portion of the body mass and yet consumes
      almost a quarter of the available energy, and has a limited ability to store
      energy. The brain is therefore highly dependent on oxygen and nutrient supply
      from the blood circulation, which makes it vulnerable to vascular pathologies.
      Key vascular determinants will ensure proper brain maturation and function: the
      establishment of vascular networks, the formation of the blood-brain barrier, and
      the regulation of blood flow. Recent evidence suggests that the phenomenon of
      neurovascular coupling, during which increased neural activity normally leads to
      increased blood flow, is not functional until few weeks after birth, implying
      that the developing brain must rely on alternative mechanisms to adequately
      couple blood supply to increasing energy demands. This review will focus on these
      alternative mechanisms, which have been partly elucidated recently via the
      demonstration that neural activity influences the maturation of cerebrovascular
      networks. We also propose possible mechanisms underlying activity-induced
      vascular plasticity. 

PMID- 26116140
TI  - Mutual relationship between anxiety and pain in the intensive care unit and its
      effect on medications.
AB  - PURPOSE: Little is known about the relationship between anxiety and pain in
      intensive care unit (ICU) patients despite its importance. The aims of the
      present study are to examine the correlation between pain and anxiety during ICU
      care and to investigate its effects on the dose of opioids and anxiolytics
      administered. METHODS: The study subjects were awake critically ill patients
      admitted to an ICU over a 2-month period. Trained psychiatrists evaluated the
      nondelirious, noncomatose patients daily for anxiety and pain using the Numeric
      Rating Scale for Pain (NRS-Pain), Faces Anxiety Scale (FAS), and Hamilton Anxiety
      Rating Scale. RESULTS: Daily alterations of anxiety and pain were significantly
      correlated with one another among 123 patients. Both the FAS and the Hamilton
      Anxiety Rating Scale were positively correlated with the NRS-Pain (P < .001 for
      both). The NRS-Pain score (P = .016) and the FAS score (P = .007) both
      significantly correlated with the dose of anxiolytics. The dose of opioids was
      unaffected by the severity of pain or anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Pain and anxiety
      among critically ill patients in the ICU were closely correlated. Pain and
      anxiety influenced the dose of anxiolytics administered. Therefore, a precise
      evaluation and comprehensive approach to the management of pain and anxiety are
      important for treating ICU patients.

PMID- 26116141
TI  - Errors and malpractice lawsuits in radiology: what the radiologist needs to know.
AB  - All medical specialties dealing with patients include an intrinsic risk in
      exposing them to issues resulting from human errors. Radiology is not spared from
      this risk since it includes "decision-making under conditions of uncertainty." In
      medical imaging, the line between the word "error" and misdiagnosis or
      discrepancy is very difficult to demarcate, mainly because the diagnostic process
      is not a binary relation and it is not always possible to establish if a
      pathological condition is present or not. The error in radiology is strongly
      related to the diagnostic process; hence, it can be defined as a "diagnostic
      error" which represents the most common cause of medical malpractice suits
      against radiologists. In this paper, the authors described the features of errors
      occurring in radiology, trying to establish their impact and prevalence.
      Secondly, some data coming from different countries were compared in order to
      highlight the most frequent causes leading to malpractice lawsuits in radiology
      and how the phenomenon of malpractice in this field is represented worldwide. 

PMID- 26116142
TI  - Early urinary angiotensinogen excretion in critically ill neonates.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Urinary angiotensinogen is considered a reliable biomarker for
      intrarenal renin-angiotensin system activity. The aims of this study were to
      assess the urinary angiotensinogen level during the first day of life and to
      evaluate its correlation with renal function in critically ill neonates. METHODS:
      Urinary angiotensinogen concentration during the first 24 hours of life was
      measured in 98 critically ill neonates. Neonatal renal function was assessed by
      urinary levels of cystatin-C, albumin and alpha1-microglobulin and urinary
      electrolyte excretion. RESULTS: Urinary angiotensinogen level decreased with
      increasing gestational age and body weight in critically ill neonates (P<0.001).
      After adjustment for gestational age, urinary angiotensinogen level correlated
      with urinary fractional excretion of sodium and urinary levels of cystatin-C and
      alpha1-microglobulin. Multivariate linear regression identified a significant
      impact of urinary cystatin-C on urinary angiotensinogen level (P<0.001).
      Furthermore, urinary angiotensinogen was significantly increased in neonates with
      a urinary cystatin-C-to-creatinine ratio ?2500 ng/mg, which was the optimal cut
      off value to predict acute kidney injury in our previous study. CONCLUSIONS: The
      urinary angiotensinogen level correlates with the overall maturity of renal
      function during the early postnatal period in critically ill neonates and an
      increased urinary angiotensinogen level might reflect renal injury in immature
      neonates.

PMID- 26116143
TI  - A Swedish version of the SCREEN II for malnutrition assessment among community
      dwelling elderly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and
      Nutrition II (SCREEN II) Questionnaire assesses nutritional risk among elderly
      people living at home. Our aim was to produce a Swedish language version of the
      SCREEN II and to examine response patterns, data completeness and the
      relationship between malnutrition and general health. METHODS: The SCREEN II was
      translated into Swedish using dual panel methodology, and then followed up with
      field test interviews of 24 seniors (median age, 83 years). We used the survey
      data (n = 565) to assess item and score distribution, missing responses, and the
      relationship to the subject's general and nutritional health. RESULTS: The
      Swedish SCREEN II was considered easy to understand, respond to, and relevant (n
      = 21; 88% of subjects found it so in all three respects) and its median
      completion time was 5 minutes. The level of survey item data completeness was 94
      99%, and 82% of surveys had computable total scores. Of those subjects with
      completed forms, 35% had no nutritional risk; 35% had moderate risk; and 30% were
      at high risk. The malnutrition risk increased with poorer perceived health.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study results are similar to those using previous screen ii
      versions, indicating that the scale adaptation was successful and providing
      initial support for use of the Swedish SCREEN II questionnaire.

PMID- 26116144
TI  - Pertuzumab, trastuzumab and docetaxel reduced the recurrence of brain metastasis
      from breast cancer: a case report.
AB  - The CLEOPATRA trial reported the survival benefit of pertuzumab with trastuzumab
      plus docetaxel in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients. However, there
      are a few case reports concerning the effects of a pertuzumab-containing regimen
      on brain metastases. A 55-year-old woman, who underwent curative surgery for
      breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy 5 years previously, developed
      repeated solitary brain metastasis in her right occipital lobe. Whole brain
      radiation therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery and 3 times of surgical resection
      were performed. Lapatinib and capecitabine plus tamoxifen were administered. The
      metastasis recurred in the stump of the previous surgery. Pertuzumab with
      trastuzumab plus docetaxel was initiated as second-line chemotherapy. A complete
      response of the brain metastasis was achieved, which persisted for 5 months.
      Pertuzumab with trastuzumab plus docetaxel was effective in reducing the brain
      metastases from breast cancer. Further studies are warranted to confirm the
      effect of this regimen on brain metastases.

PMID- 26116145
TI  - Structural and biochemical insights into nucleotide-rhamnose synthase/epimerase
      reductase from Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - L-Rhamnose (Rha) is synthesized via a similar enzymatic pathway in bacteria,
      plants and fungi. In plants, nucleotide-rhamnose synthase/epimerase-reductase
      (NRS/ER) catalyzes the final step in the conversion of dTDP/UDP-alpha-D-Glc to
      dTDP/UDP-beta-L-Rha in an NAD(P)H dependent manner. Currently, only biochemical
      evidence for the function of NRS/ER has been described. In this study, a crystal
      structure for Arabidopsis thaliana NRS/ER was determined, which is the first
      report of a eukaryotic rhamnose synthase with both epimerase and reductase
      activities. NRS/ER functions as a metal ion independent homodimer that forms
      through hydrophobic interactions via a four-helix bundle. Each monomer exhibits
      alpha/beta folding that can be divided into two regions, nucleotide cofactor
      binding domain and sugar substrate binding domain. The affinities of ligands with
      NRS/ER were measured using isothermal titration calorimetry, which showed that
      NRS/ER has a preference for dTDP over UDP, while the cofactor binding site has a
      similar affinity for NADH and NADPH. Structural analysis coupled to site-directed
      mutagenesis suggested C115 and K183 as the acid/base pair responsible for
      epimerization, while T113, Y144 and K148 are the conserved residues in reduction.
      These findings shed light on the molecular mechanism of NRS/ER and were helpful
      to explore other eukaryotic enzymes involved in L-Rha synthesis. 

PMID- 26116146
TI  - The effect of the carbohydrate binding module on substrate degradation by the
      human chitotriosidase.
AB  - Human chitotriosidase (HCHT) is one of two active glycoside hydrolase family 18
      chitinases produced by humans. The enzyme is associated with several diseases and
      is thought to play a role in the anti-parasite responses of the innate immune
      system. HCHT occurs in two isoforms, one 50 kDa (HCHT50) and one 39 kDa variant
      (HCHT39). Common for both isoforms is a catalytic domain with the (beta/alpha)8
      TIM barrel fold. HCHT50 has an additional linker-region, followed by a C-terminal
      carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) classified as CBM family 14 in the CAZy
      database. To gain further insight into enzyme functionality and especially the
      effect of the CBM, we expressed both isoforms and compared their catalytic
      properties on chitin and high molecular weight chitosans. HCHT50 degrades chitin
      faster than HCHT39 and much more efficiently. Interestingly, both HCHT50 and
      HCHT39 show biphasic kinetics on chitosan degradation where HCHT50 is faster
      initially and HCHT39 is faster in the second phase. Moreover, HCHT50 produces
      distinctly different oligomer distributions than HCHT39. This is likely due to
      increased transglycosylation activity for HCHT50 due the CBM extending the
      positive subsites binding surface and therefore promoting transglycosylation.
      Finally, studies with both chitin and chitosan showed that both isoforms have a
      similarly low degree of processivity. Combining functional and structural
      features of the two isoforms, it seems that HCHT combines features of exo
      processive and endo-nonprocessive chitinases with the somewhat unusual CBM14 to
      reach a high degree of efficiency, in line with its alleged physiological task of
      being a "complete" chitinolytic machinery by itself.

PMID- 26116147
TI  - Multiple disulfide bridges modulate conformational stability and flexibility in
      hyperthermophilic archaeal purine nucleoside phosphorylase.
AB  - 5'-Deoxy-5'-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase from Sulfolobus solfataricus is a
      hexameric hyperthermophilic protein containing in each subunit two pairs of
      disulfide bridges, a CXC motif, and one free cysteine. The contribution of each
      disulfide bridge to the protein conformational stability and flexibility has been
      assessed by comparing the thermal unfolding and the limited proteolysis of the
      wild-type enzyme and its variants obtained by site-directed mutagenesis of the
      seven cysteine residues. All variants catalyzed efficiently MTA cleavage with
      specific activity similar to the wild-type enzyme. The elimination of all
      cysteine residues caused a substantial decrease of DeltaHcal (850 kcal/mol) and
      Tmax (39 degrees C) with respect to the wild-type indicating that all cysteine
      pairs and especially the CXC motif significantly contribute to the enzyme thermal
      stability. Disulfide bond Cys200-Cys262 and the CXC motif weakly affected protein
      flexibility while the elimination of the disulfide bond Cys138-Cys205 lead to an
      increased protease susceptibility. Experimental evidence from limited
      proteolysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and sodium dodecyl sulfate
      polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing and nonreducing conditions also
      allowed to propose a stabilizing role for the free Cys164.

PMID- 26116148
TI  - The complex interplay between ligand binding and conformational structure of the
      folate binding protein (folate receptor): Biological perspectives.
AB  - This review analyzes how interplay between folate binding and changes in folate
      binding protein (FBP) conformation/self-association affects the biological
      function of FBP. Concentration-dependent, reversible self-association of
      hydrophobic apo-FBP at pI=7.4 is associated with decreased affinity for folate,
      probably due to shielding of binding sites between interacting hydrophobic
      patches. Titration with folate removes apo-monomers, favoring dissociation of
      self-associated apo-FBP into apo-monomers. Folate anchors to FBP through a
      network of hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions, and the binding induces a
      conformational change with formation of hydrophilic and stable holo-FBP. Holo-FBP
      exhibits a ligand-mediated concentration-dependent self-association into
      multimers of great thermal and chemical stability due to strong intermolecular
      forces. Both ligand and FBP are thus protected against biological/physicochemical
      decomposition. In biological fluids with low FBP concentrations, e.g., saliva,
      semen and plasma, hydrophobic apo-monomers and hydrophilic holo-monomers
      associate into stable asymmetrical complexes with aberrant binding kinetics
      unless detergents, e.g., cholesterol or phospholipids are present. 

PMID- 26116149
TI  - Outcomes following renal transplantation in older renal transplant recipients: a
      single-center experience and "Croatian senior program".
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Outcomes of kidney transplantation in older patients have
      not, however, been fully defined. The aims of this study were to analyze the
      number of new end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients >=65 years of age who were
      managed with kidney transplantation and their survival through the study period.
      In addition, we have analyzed post-transplantation outcomes in younger and older
      renal transplant recipients (RTRs). METHODS: We have analyzed the mean age of 505
      RTRs transplanted between January 1990 and December 2013. Older people were
      defined as aging 65 years or older. Of 505 RTRs, there were 73 (14.5 %) patients
      who were >=65 years of age. Therefore, in further analysis, patients were divided
      into two subgroups: younger recipients (younger than 65 years) and older
      recipients (aging 65 years or older). RESULTS: In the period from 1990 to 2001,
      patients who were 65 years of age and older were only sporadically treated with
      kidney transplantation in Croatia. Since 2002, the number of patients older than
      65 years undergoing renal transplantation has been increasing. The older
      recipients were more likely to receive organs from older donors (52.6 +/- 16.8
      vs. 45.8 +/- 13.2; p = 0.0001). There were no significant differences due to HLA
      mismatch between the two groups of analyzed patients. There was no difference in
      the rates of DGF between the older and younger recipients. Older recipients were
      less likely than younger recipients to have acute rejection crisis during the
      first-ear after transplantation (16.4 vs. 34.7 %; p = 0.03). There were no
      significant differences due to readmission rates in the first-year post
      transplantation between the two groups. There was no significant difference due
      to graft function and 1-year graft and patient's survival between young and older
      recipients. Serum creatinine values at 1 year were higher in older recipients who
      received kidneys from elderly donor. CONCLUSION: Our experience supports the use
      of kidney transplantation in the population of older ESRD patients. We can
      increase patients and graft survivals in elderly individuals with careful pre
      transplant evaluation and HLA matching. "Croatian senior program" that includes
      HLA matching represents a good approach for kidney transplantation in older ESRD
      patients.

PMID- 26116150
TI  - Dosimetric comparison of hybrid volumetric-modulated arc therapy, volumetric
      modulated arc therapy, and intensity-modulated radiation therapy for left-sided
      early breast cancer.
AB  - To compare the dosimetric performance of 3 different treatment techniques: hybrid
      volumetric-modulated arc therapy (hybrid-VMAT), pure-VMAT, and fixed-field
      intensity-modulated radiation therapy (F-IMRT) for whole-breast irradiation of
      left-sided early breast cancer. The hybrid-VMAT treatment technique and 2 other
      treatment techniques-pure-VMAT and F-IMRT-were compared retrospectively in 10
      patients with left-sided early breast cancer. The treatment plans of these
      patients were replanned using the same contours based on the original computed
      tomography (CT) data sets. Dosimetric parameters were calculated to evaluate plan
      quality. Total monitor units (MUs) and delivery time were also recorded and
      evaluated. The hybrid-VMAT plan generated the best results in dose coverage of
      the target and the dose uniformity inside the target (p < 0.0001 for conformal
      index [CI]; p = 0.0002 for homogeneity index [HI] of planning target volume
      [PTV](50.4 Gy) and p < 0.0001 for HI of PTV(62 Gy)). Volumes of ipsilateral lung
      irradiated to doses of 20 Gy (V(20 Gy)) and 5 Gy (V(5 Gy)) by the hybrid-VMAT
      plan were significantly less than those of the F-IMRT and the pure-VMAT plans.
      The volume of ipsilateral lung irradiated to a dose of 5 Gy was significantly
      less using the hybrid-VMAT plan than that using the F-IMRT or the pure-VMAT plan.
      The total mean MUs for the hybrid-VMAT plan were significantly less than those
      for the F-IMRT or the pure-VMAT plan. The mean machine delivery time was 3.23 +/-
      0.29 minutes for the hybrid-VMAT plans, which is longer than that for the pure
      VMAT plans but shorter than that for the F-IMRT plans. The hybrid-VMAT plan is
      feasible for whole-breast irradiation of left-sided early breast cancer.

PMID- 26116151
TI  - Thrombopoietin Signaling Pathway Regulates Hepatocyte Activation in Rat Liver
      Regeneration.
AB  - Thrombopoietin (THPO) signaling pathway regulates cell activation and many other
      physiological activities. To study its role in liver regeneration (LR),
      hepatocytes were isolated from rat regenerating livers and gene expression
      profile was detected using the Rat Genome 230 2.0 Array. Spectral function (E t )
      and information correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to analyze gene synergy
      based on gene expression changes. The results showed that 35 genes related to
      THPO signaling pathway were significantly changed during rat LR. Functional
      analysis with ICC showed that five genes, STAT3, PLSCR1, CTGF, PRLR, and LCP1,
      played a key role in hepatocyte activation. Fourteen channels of THPO signaling
      pathway participated in regulating hepatocyte activation during rat LR. 

PMID- 26116153
TI  - A Male-Specific Genetic Map of the Microcrustacean Daphnia pulex Based on Single
      Sperm Whole-Genome Sequencing.
AB  - Genetic linkage maps are critical for assembling draft genomes to a meaningful
      chromosome level and for deciphering the genomic underpinnings of biological
      traits. The estimates of recombination rates derived from genetic maps also play
      an important role in understanding multiple aspects of genomic evolution such as
      nucleotide substitution patterns and accumulation of deleterious mutations. In
      this study, we developed a high-throughput experimental approach that combines
      fluorescence-activated cell sorting, whole-genome amplification, and short-read
      sequencing to construct a genetic map using single-sperm cells. Furthermore, a
      computational algorithm was developed to analyze single-sperm whole-genome
      sequencing data for map construction. These methods allowed us to rapidly build a
      male-specific genetic map for the freshwater microcrustacean Daphnia pulex, which
      shows significant improvements compared to a previous map. With a total of mapped
      1672 haplotype blocks and an average intermarker distance of 0.87 cM, this map
      spans a total genetic distance of 1451 Kosambi cM and comprises 90% of the
      resolved regions in the current Daphnia reference assembly. The map also reveals
      the mistaken mapping of seven scaffolds in the reference assembly onto chromosome
      II by a previous microsatellite map based on F2 crosses. Our approach can be
      easily applied to many other organisms and holds great promise for unveiling the
      intragenomic and intraspecific variation in the recombination rates. 

PMID- 26116152
TI  - Glycogen Fuels Survival During Hyposmotic-Anoxic Stress in Caenorhabditis
      elegans.
AB  - Oxygen is an absolute requirement for multicellular life. Animals that are
      deprived of oxygen for sufficient periods of time eventually become injured and
      die. This is largely due to the fact that, without oxygen, animals are unable to
      generate sufficient quantities of energy. In human diseases triggered by oxygen
      deprivation, such as heart attack and stroke, hyposmotic stress and cell swelling
      (edema) arise in affected tissues as a direct result of energetic failure. Edema
      independently enhances tissue injury in these diseases by incompletely understood
      mechanisms, resulting in poor clinical outcomes. Here, we present investigations
      into the effects of osmotic stress during complete oxygen deprivation (anoxia) in
      the genetically tractable nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Our findings
      demonstrate that nematode survival of a hyposmotic environment during anoxia
      (hyposmotic anoxia) depends on the nematode's ability to engage in glycogen
      metabolism. We also present results of a genome-wide screen for genes affecting
      glycogen content and localization in the nematode, showing that nematode survival
      of hyposmotic anoxia depends on a large number of these genes. Finally, we show
      that an inability to engage in glycogen synthesis results in suppression of the
      enhanced survival phenotype observed in daf-2 insulin-like pathway mutants,
      suggesting that alterations in glycogen metabolism may serve as a basis for these
      mutants' resistance to hyposmotic anoxia. 

PMID- 26116154
TI  - Human papillomavirus E7 serology and association with p16 immunohistochemistry in
      squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer is
      associated with improved survival and treatment response as compared to HPV
      negative cancers. P16 overexpression is widely accepted as a surrogate marker for
      HPV positivity. METHODS: A total of 92 serum samples from 75 head and neck
      squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients were examined for HPV16 and 18 E7
      antibodies by ELISA. Available tissue was tested for HPV-DNA by PCR, and p16
      immunohistochemistry was obtained from a deidentified database. RESULTS: Of 75
      HNSCC patients, 25 were HPV E7 seropositive. Seropositivity was strongly
      associated with cancers of the oropharynx, and correlated with positive p16
      immunohistochemistry (IHC) and HPV-DNA. Post-treatment serum was available in a
      limited subset of patients, revealing a decrease in antibody titers following
      response to treatment. CONCLUSIONS: HPV E7 seropositivity correlated with
      positive tumor HPV-DNA and p16 expression, and was strongly associated with
      cancers of the oropharynx. E7 serology warrants further study as a potential
      biomarker in HPV-positive HNSCC.

PMID- 26116155
TI  - Maintaining Gains Following Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an accepted intervention for
      individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Despite initial
      improvements following PR, many patients eventually return to baseline function
      or decline even further. The aim of this study is to look at long-term (>1 year)
      outcomes following PR. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of patients
      who had completed PR. Participants were invited for an assessment consisting of
      participant interviews and clinical assessments using standardised instruments.
      RESULTS: 129 patients between 2003 and 2012 completed rehabilitation and were
      eligible. 88 patients were included in the analysis. The mean time of the long
      term assessment was 22 months following PR. The mean age was 71 years. Mean FEV1
      was 46%. There was a statistically significant (p < 0.001) increase in the
      incremental shuttle walk test distance of 29.0 m following PR but this gain was
      lost at the long-term reassessment. Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ)
      scores showed a statistically significant (p < 0.001) increase in all four
      domains but only the domains of dyspnoea and fatigue remained statistically
      significant (p < 0.001, p < 0.01, respectively) at the long-term reassessment.
      Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores reduced following rehabilitation but
      only the anxiety component was statistically significant (p < 0.01). These
      improvements persisted at the long-term reassessment but were not statically
      significant. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that many of the functional gains
      achieved in PR are lost in the longer term. Regular surveillance or monitoring of
      these patients post-PR is important to identify those requiring further
      intervention.

PMID- 26116156
TI  - Consensus best practice pathway of the UK Scleroderma Study Group: digital
      vasculopathy in systemic sclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Digital vasculopathy (comprising RP, digital ulceration and critical
      digital ischaemia) is responsible for much of the pain and disability experienced
      by patients with SSc. However, there is a limited evidence base to guide
      clinicians in the management of SSc-related digital vasculopathy. Our aim was to
      produce recommendations that would be helpful for clinicians, especially for
      those managing patients outside specialist centres. METHODS: The UK Scleroderma
      Study Group set up several working groups to develop a number of consensus best
      practice pathways for the management of SSc-specific complications, including
      digital vasculopathy. RESULTS: This overview presents the background and best
      practice consensus pathways for SSc-related RP, digital ulceration and critical
      ischaemia. Examples of drug therapies, including doses, are suggested in order to
      inform prescribing practice. CONCLUSION: A number of treatment algorithms are
      provided that are intended to provide the clinician with accessible reference
      tools for use in daily management.

PMID- 26116157
TI  - Varenicline can help smokers to stop smoking by gradual reduction.

PMID- 26116158
TI  - Type 2 diabetes mellitus screening has no effect on mortality.

PMID- 26116159
TI  - Ultrasound imaging of breast tumor perfusion and neovascular morphology.
AB  - A novel image processing strategy is detailed for simultaneous measurement of
      tumor perfusion and neovascular morphology parameters from a sequence of dynamic
      contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCE-US) images. After normalization and tumor
      segmentation, a global time-intensity curve describing contrast agent flow was
      analyzed to derive surrogate measures of tumor perfusion (i.e., peak intensity,
      time-to-peak intensity, area under the curve, wash-in rate, wash-out rate). A
      maximum intensity image was generated from these same segmented image sequences,
      and each vascular component was skeletonized via a thinning algorithm. This
      skeletonized data set and collection of vessel segments were then investigated to
      extract parameters related to the neovascular network and physical architecture
      (i.e., vessel-to-tissue ratio, number of bifurcations, vessel count, average
      vessel length and tortuosity). An efficient computation of local perfusion
      parameters was also introduced and operated by averaging time-intensity curve
      data over each individual neovascular segment. Each skeletonized neovascular
      segment was then color-coded by these local measures to produce a parametric map
      detailing spatial properties of tumor perfusion. Longitudinal DCE-US image data
      sets were collected in six patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer using a
      Philips iU22 ultrasound system equipped with a L9-3 transducer and Definity
      contrast agent. Patients were imaged using US before and after contrast agent
      dosing at baseline and again at weeks 6, 12, 18 and 24 after treatment started.
      Preliminary clinical results suggested that breast tumor response to neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy may be associated with temporal and spatial changes in DCE-US
      derived parametric measures of tumor perfusion. Moreover, changes in neovascular
      morphology parametric measures may also help identify any breast tumor response
      (or lack thereof) to systemic treatment. Breast cancer management from early
      detection to therapeutic monitoring is currently undergoing profound changes.
      Novel imaging techniques that are sensitive to the unique biological conditions
      of each individual tumor represent valuable tools in the pursuit of personalized
      medicine. 

PMID- 26116160
TI  - The Effect of Short Duration Ultrasound Pulses on the Interaction Between
      Individual Microbubbles and Fibrin Clots.
AB  - In previous work, we examined microscale interactions between microbubbles and
      fibrin clots under exposure to 1 ms ultrasound pulses. This provided direct
      evidence that microbubbles were capable of deforming clot boundaries and
      penetrating into clots, while also affecting fluid uptake and inducing fibrin
      network damage. Here, we investigate the effect of short duration (15 MUs) pulses
      on microscale bubble-clot interactions as function of bubble diameter (3-9 MUm)
      and pressure. Individual microbubbles (n = 45) were placed at the clot boundary
      with optical tweezers and exposed to 1 MHz ultrasound. High-speed (10 kfps)
      imaging and 2-photon microscopy were performed during and after exposure,
      respectively. While broadly similar phenomena were observed as in the 1 ms pulse
      case (i.e., bubble penetration, network damage and fluid uptake), substantial
      quantitative differences were present. The pressure threshold for bubble
      penetration was increased from 0.39 MPa to 0.6 MPa, and those bubbles that did
      enter clots had reduced penetration depths and were associated with less fibrin
      network damage and nanobead uptake. This appeared to be due in large part to
      increased bubble shrinkage relative to the 1 ms pulse case. Stroboscopic imaging
      was performed on a subset of bubbles (n = 11) and indicated that complex bubble
      oscillations can occur during this process. 

PMID- 26116161
TI  - Assessment of liver fibrosis with 2-D shear wave elastography in comparison to
      transient elastography and acoustic radiation force impulse imaging in patients
      with chronic liver disease.
AB  - Two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2-D SWE) is an ultrasound-based
      elastography method integrated into a conventional ultrasound machine. It can
      evaluate larger regions of interest and, therefore, might be better at
      determining the overall fibrosis distribution. The aim of this prospective study
      was to compare 2-D SWE with the two best evaluated liver elastography methods,
      transient elastography and acoustic radiation force impulse (point SWE using
      acoustic radiation force impulse) imaging, in the same population group. The
      study included 132 patients with chronic hepatopathies, in which liver stiffness
      was evaluated using transient elastography, acoustic radiation force impulse
      imaging and 2-D SWE. The reference methods were liver biopsy for the assessment
      of liver fibrosis (n = 101) and magnetic resonance imaging/computed tomography
      for the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis (n = 31). No significant difference in
      diagnostic accuracy, assessed as the area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve (AUROC), was found between the three elastography methods (2
      D SWE, transient elastography, acoustic radiation force impulse imaging) for the
      diagnosis of significant and advanced fibrosis and liver cirrhosis in the "per
      protocol" (AUROCs for fibrosis stages >=2: 0.90, 0.95 and 0.91; for fibrosis
      stage [F] >=3: 0.93, 0.95 and 0.94; for F = 4: 0.92, 0.96 and 0.92) and
      "intention to diagnose" cohort (AUROCs for F >=2: 0.87, 0.92 and 0.91; for F >=3:
      0.91, 0.93 and 0.94; for F = 4: 0.88, 0.90 and 0.89). Therefore, 2-D SWE, ARFI
      imaging and transient elastography seem to be comparably good methods for non
      invasive assessment of liver fibrosis. 

PMID- 26116162
TI  - Celastrol blocks binding of lipopolysaccharides to a Toll-like receptor4/myeloid
      differentiation factor2 complex in a thiol-dependent manner.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Tripterygium wilfordii (lei gong teng; Thunder of
      God Vine), which belongs to the Celastraceae family, has long been used in
      traditional Chinese medicine to treat inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis.
      Celastrol is a bioactive compound isolated from T. wilfordii. AIM OF THE STUDY:
      We investigated whether celastrol suppressed binding of lipopolysaccharides (LPS)
      to myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD2), thereby downregulating Toll-like
      receptor4 (TLR4) activation in mouse primary macrophages. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Cytokine expression was determined by polymerase chain reaction analysis and
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in bone marrow-derived primary macrophages
      (BMDMs). The kinase activity of tank-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) was examined by a
      luciferase reporter assay and an in vitro kinase assay. LPS binding to MD2 was
      examined by an in vitro binding assay and confocal microscopy analysis. RESULTS:
      Celastrol reduced LPS-induced expression of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12, and IL-1beta, at both the
      mRNA and protein levels in BMDMs. Celastrol suppressed LPS binding to MD2, as
      shown by the in vitro binding assay, whereas it did not inhibit TBK1. In
      addition, co-localization of LPS with MD2 in BMDMs was blocked by celastrol. The
      inhibitory effects of celastrol on LPS binding to MD2 were reversed by thiol
      donors (N-acetyl-L-cysteine and dithiothreitol), suggesting that the thiol
      reactivity of celastrol contributes to its inhibitory effects on TLR4 activation
      in macrophages. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that celastrol suppresses
      TLR4 activation through the inhibition of LPS binding to the TLR4/MD2 complex.
      These results provide a novel mechanism of action by which celastrol contributes
      to the anti-inflammatory activity of T. wilfordii.

PMID- 26116163
TI  - Acupuncture reduced apoptosis and up-regulated BDNF and GDNF expression in
      hippocampus following hypoxia-ischemia in neonatal rats.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Acupuncture attenuates neuronal damages following
      ischemia. AIM OF THE STUDY: The purpose of the present study was to investigate
      the beneficial effects of acupuncture on hypoxia-ischemia induced brain damages
      in neonatal rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male postnatal 7 days rats were randomly
      divided into 3 groups: sham control (sham), hypoxia-ischemia (HI), and HI plus
      acupuncture treatment (HI+Acu). The rats in HI and HI+Acu groups were submitted
      to model of neonatal HI, established by occluding the left common carotid artery
      followed by a 3.5h period of hypoxia (8% O2-92% N2). At 24h after HI, animals
      were stimulated by acupuncture treatment once a day and the treatment continued
      during 4 weeks, 5days/week. Behavioral functions, learning and memory ability,
      and body weight were observed at different time-points after HI. DNA
      fragmentation assay were performed with TUNEL staining to evaluate apoptosis and
      expression levels of mitochondrial Bcl-2, mitochondrial Bax, Cleaved caspase 3,
      Cleaved caspase 9 in the damaged hippocampus were detected by western blotting 28
      days following HI. GDNF, BDNF levels in hippocampus were also determined.
      RESULTS: The results showed that acupuncture significantly promoted growth and
      development, improved neurobehavioral function, learning and memory ability after
      20 days' treatment. Furthermore, we obtained one interesting finding that
      acupuncture attenuated cellular apoptosis and up-regulated GDNF and BDNF levels
      in hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS: All of these results suggest that acupuncture as a
      potential treatment may exert neuroprotective effects via inhibiting cellular
      apoptosis, increased GDNF and BDNF expression levels in rat hippocampus
      experiencing HI.

PMID- 26116164
TI  - Gentiopicroside prevents interleukin-1 beta induced inflammation response in rat
      articular chondrocyte.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: In traditional Chinese medicine, Gentiana
      macrophylla Pall have been prescribed for the treatment of pain and inflammatory
      conditions. In addition, it is a common Tibetan medicinal herb used for the
      treatment of tonsillitis, urticaria, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), while the
      flowers of G. macrophylla Pall have been traditionally treated as an anti
      inflammatory agent to clear heat in Mongolian medicine. The secoiridoid
      glycosides and their derivatives are the primary active components of G.
      macrophylla and have been demonstrated to be effective as anti-inflammatory
      agents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Solvent extraction and D101 macroporous resin
      columns were employed to concentratethe gentiopicroside. Gentiopicroside
      cytotoxicity was assessed by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium
      bromide (MTT) assay; the toxicity of gentiopicroside in chondrocytes was
      reconfirmed using Hoechst staining. Western blotting, reverse transcriptase
      polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were utilized to
      explore the protective effects and mechanisms of gentiopicroside prevents
      interleukin-1 beta induced inflammation response in rat articular chondrocyte.
      RESULTS: The MTT assay demonstrated that 50, 500, and 1,500 MUg/mL of
      gentiopicroside exhibited no significant toxicity to chondrocytes (P>0.05) after
      24h. Using immunohistochemistry, ELISA, RT-PCR, Western blot method to explore
      the protective effect and mechanism of gentiopicroside on chondrocytes induced by
      IL-1beta. The results showed some pathways of IL-1beta signal transduction were
      inhibited by gentiopicroside in rat chondrocytes: p38, ERK and JNK. Meanwhile,
      gentiopicroside showed inhibition in the IL-1beta-induced release of MMPs while
      increasing Collagen type II expression. CONCLUSIONS: The current study
      demonstrated that gentiopicroside exhibited a potent protective effect on IL
      1beta induced inflammation response in rat articular chondrocyte. Thus,
      gentiopicroside could be a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of OA.

PMID- 26116165
TI  - The antioxidant effect of astaxanthin is higher in young mice than aged: a region
      specific study on brain.
AB  - Astaxanthin is a potential antioxidant which shows neuroprotective property. We
      aimed to investigate the age-dependent and region-specific antioxidant effects of
      astaxanthin in mice brain. Animals were divided into 4 groups; treatment young (3
      months, n = 6) (AY), treatment old (16 months, n = 6) (AO), placebo young (3
      months, n = 6) (PY) and placebo old (16 months, n = 6) (PO) groups. Treatment
      group was given astaxanthin (2 mg/kg/day, body weight), and placebo group was
      given 100 MUl of 0.9% normal saline orally to the healthy Swiss albino mice for 4
      weeks. The level of non-enzymatic oxidative markers namely malondialdehyde (MDA);
      nitric oxide (NO); advanced protein oxidation product (APOP); glutathione (GSH)
      and the activity of enzymatic antioxidants i.e.; catalase (CAT) and superoxide
      dismutase (SOD) were determined from the isolated brain regions. Treatment with
      astaxanthin significantly (p < 0.05) reduces the level of MDA, APOP, NO in the
      cortex, striatum, hypothalamus, hippocampus and cerebellum in both age groups.
      Astaxanthin markedly (p < 0.05) enhances the activity of CAT and SOD enzymes
      while improves the level of GSH in the brain. Overall, improvement of oxidative
      markers was significantly greater in the young group than the aged animal. In
      conclusion, we report that the activity of astaxanthin is age-dependent, higher
      in young in compared to the aged brain.

PMID- 26116166
TI  - Thalamic resting-state functional connectivity: disruption in patients with type
      2 diabetes.
AB  - To explore the disrupted thalamic functional connectivity and its relationships
      with cognitive dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by using resting
      state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). A total of 38 T2DM patients
      and 39 well-matched healthy controls participated in the resting-state fMRI and
      T1-weighted imaging scans. The thalamic functional connectivity was characterized
      by using a seed-based whole-brain correlation method and compared T2DM patients
      with healthy controls. Pearson correlation analysis was performed between
      thalamic functional connectivity and clinical data. When compared with healthy
      controls, T2DM showed significantly decreased functional connectivity of the
      thalamus mainly in the right middle temporal gyrus (MTG), right precentral gyrus
      and bilateral occipital cortex; Increased functional connectivity of the thalamus
      was detected in the left cerebellum, bilateral middle frontal gyrus and middle
      cingulate gyrus (p < 0.05, corrected for AlphaSim). In T2DM patients, the
      decreased thalamic functional connectivity of the right MTG was positively
      associated with the Verbal Fluency Test score (r = 0.438, p = 0.006). Meanwhile,
      the decreased thalamic functional connectivity of the right cuneus was positively
      correlated with the Complex Figure Test-delayed score and negatively correlated
      with the Trail Making Test-B score, respectively (r = 0.492, p = 0.002; r = 
      0.504, p = 0.001). Moreover, there was no structural damage in the thalamus of
      T2DM patients. T2DM patients develop disrupted thalamocortical functional
      connectivity, which is associated with cognitive impairment in selected brain
      regions. Resting-state thalamocortical connectivity disturbance may play a
      central role in the underlying neuropathological process of T2DM-related
      cognitive dysfunction. 

PMID- 26116167
TI  - Taking Aim at Asthma Around the World: Global Results of the Asthma Insight and
      Management Survey in the Asia-Pacific Region, Latin America, Europe, Canada, and
      the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma, a worldwide health problem, can be controlled if properly
      diagnosed and managed. Multinational surveys conducted in patients with asthma
      from 1998 to 2003 indicated that asthma was inadequately controlled. The Asthma
      Insight and Management (AIM) study represents the largest survey conducted on
      patients with asthma since 2003. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to
      assess findings from the United States (US), Europe and Canada (EUCAN), Latin
      America (LA), and the Asia-Pacific (AP) region surveys to identify differences
      and similarities with earlier surveys on patients with asthma. METHODS: The US,
      EUCAN, LA, and AP AIM surveys conducted from 2009 to 2011 all used a common set
      of questions. Responses to these are reported as proportions of patients with
      asthma for each country individually, and as totals for all regions. Results are
      presented as mean/median proportions for US, EUCAN, LA, and AP survey populations
      individually. Global medians and the range of regional response values are also
      described. RESULTS: A total of 10,302 patients or parents of adolescents with
      asthma were interviewed. Approximately one-quarter reported daytime symptoms
      daily or on most days over the previous 4 weeks. Globally, a median of 67%
      (range, 27%-88%) of patients perceived their asthma as completely and/or well
      controlled, but a median of only 9% (range, 0%-29%) of patients had well
      controlled asthma using criteria from asthma guidelines. A majority (>=60%) of
      patients felt that quick-relief medication could be used daily if needed,
      contrary to guideline recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: Patients exhibited a lack of
      knowledge and conviction for treatment recommendations and guidelines that was
      relatively uniform across the regions, similar to earlier survey findings. These
      results reveal an ongoing need for improvement in asthma care and education in
      most populations.

PMID- 26116169
TI  - Approaches that use software to support the prevention of pressure ulcer: A
      systematic review.
AB  - CONTEXT: The incidence and costs for pressure ulcer (PU) treatment remain high
      even though preventive methods are applied. Approaches that use software to
      support the prevention of PU are presented in the literature to make it more
      effective. OBJECTIVES: Identify the state of art of the approaches that use
      software to support the prevention of PUs. METHODS: A systematic literature
      review was performed to analyze approaches that use software to support the
      prevention of PU. ACM, IEEE, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL and Embase databases have
      been searched with a predetermined search string to identify primary studies. We
      selected the ones that met the established inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Thirty
      six articles met the inclusion criteria. To support prevention, most approaches
      monitor the patient to provide information about exposure to pressure,
      temperature level, humidity level and estimated body position in bed providing
      risk factor intensity charts and intensity maps. The main method to perform
      patient's monitoring is using sensors installed on the mattress, but recently,
      alternative methods have been proposed such as electronic sensors and tactile
      sensory coils. Part of the approaches performs automated management of the risk
      factors using ventilation tubes and mattresses with porous cells to decrease
      body's temperature and movable cells to automatically redistribute the pressure
      over the body. Matters as cost of the approach, patient comfort and hygiene of
      the monitoring equipment is only briefly discussed in the selected articles. No
      experiments have been conducted to evidence the approached may reduce PU
      incidence. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Currently, approaches that use software to
      support the prevention of PU provide relevant information to health professionals
      such as risk factor intensity charts and intensity maps. Some of them can even
      automatically manage risk factors in a limited way. Yet, the approaches are based
      on risk factor monitoring methods that require patient's contact with the
      monitoring equipment. Therefore, some matters need to be considered such as
      patient's comfort and the hygiene or replacement of the equipment due to the risk
      of infection. With the emergence of new alternative methods of monitoring, new
      technologies that do not require contact could be explored by new researches.
      Randomized Control Trials could also be conducted to verify which approaches are
      really effective to reduce PU incidence.

PMID- 26116168
TI  - Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in elderly patients (>= 70
      years) with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: A French Society of Bone Marrow
      Transplantation and Cellular Therapy retrospective study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Limited data is available on the feasibility of high-dose
      chemotherapy followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      (AHSCT) in elderly patients over 70 years of age with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
      (NHL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the setting of the Societe Francaise de Greffe
      de Moelle et de Therapie Cellulaire (SFGM-TC) group, we retrospectively analyzed
      81 consecutive patients with NHL over 70 years of age who received AHSCT.
      RESULTS: The median age at AHSCT was 72.3 years [70-80]. Patients' were diagnosed
      with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (n=40), follicular lymphoma (n=16), mantle
      cell lymphoma (n=15), T-cell lymphoma (n=5), and other (n=5). Hematopoietic Cell
      Transplantation Comorbidity Index (HCT-CI) was 0 in 73% of patients. Main
      conditionings were BEAM (Carmustine-Etoposide-Cytarabine-Melphalan, n=61) and
      melphalan alone (n=14). Median delays to reach 0.5*109/L neutrophils and 20 *
      10(9)/L platelets were of 12 [9-76] days and 12 [0-143] days, respectively. One
      hundred day and one year cumulative incidence of NRM was 5.4% and 8.5%,
      respectively. The main cause of death remains relapse. CONCLUSION: In conclusion,
      this study revealed that AHSCT seemed to be acceptable in patients over 70 years
      of age with NHL. Patient age is not a limiting factor if clinical condition is
      adequate.

PMID- 26116170
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26116171
TI  - Integration of Downstream Signals of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Receptor by
      Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress for Estrogen-Induced Growth or Apoptosis in Breast
      Cancer Cells.
AB  - Estrogen (E2) exerts a dual function on E2-deprived breast cancer cells, with
      both initial proliferation and subsequent induction of stress responses to cause
      apoptosis. However, the mechanism by which E2 integrally regulates cell growth or
      apoptosis-associated pathways remains to be elucidated. Here, E2 deprivation
      results in many alterations in stress-responsive pathways. For instance, E2
      deprived breast cancer cells had higher basal levels of stress-activated protein
      kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), compared with wild-type MCF-7 cells. E2
      treatment further constitutively activated JNK after 24 hours. However,
      inhibition of JNK (SP600125) was unable to abolish E2- induced apoptosis, whereas
      SP600125 alone arrested cells at the G2 phase of the cell cycle and increased
      apoptosis. Further examination showed that inhibition of JNK increased gene
      expression of TNFalpha and did not effectively attenuate expression of apoptosis
      related genes induced by E2. A notable finding was that E2 regulated both JNK and
      Akt as the downstream signals of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor
      (IGFIR)/PI3K, but with distinctive modulation patterns: JNK was constitutively
      activated, whereas Akt and Akt-associated proteins, such as PTEN and mTOR, were
      selectively degraded. Endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) was
      involved in the selective protein degradation. These findings highlight a novel
      IGFIR/PI3K/JNK axis that plays a proliferative role during the prelude to E2
      induced apoptosis and that the endoplasmic reticulum is a key regulatory site to
      decide cell fate after E2 treatment. IMPLICATIONS: This study provides a new
      rationale for further exploration of E2-induced apoptosis to improve clinical
      benefit.

PMID- 26116172
TI  - YU238259 Is a Novel Inhibitor of Homology-Dependent DNA Repair That Exhibits
      Synthetic Lethality and Radiosensitization in Repair-Deficient Tumors.
AB  - Radiotherapy and DNA-damaging chemotherapy are frequently utilized in the
      treatment of solid tumors. Innate or acquired resistance to these therapies
      remains a major clinical challenge in oncology. The development of small
      molecules that sensitize cancers to established therapies represents an
      attractive approach to extending survival and quality of life in patients. Here,
      we demonstrate that YU238259, a member of a novel class of DNA double-strand
      break repair inhibitors, exhibits potent synthetic lethality in the setting of
      DNA damage response and DNA repair defects. YU238259 specifically inhibits
      homology-dependent DNA repair, but not non-homologous end-joining, in cell-based
      GFP reporter assays. Treatment with YU238259 is not only synergistic with
      ionizing radiation, etoposide, and PARP inhibition, but this synergism is
      heightened by BRCA2 deficiency. Further, growth of BRCA2-deficient human tumor
      xenografts in nude mice is significantly delayed by YU238259 treatment even in
      the absence of concomitant DNA-damaging therapy. The cytotoxicity of these small
      molecules in repair-deficient cells results from an accumulation of unresolved
      DNA double-strand breaks. These findings suggest that YU238259 or related small
      molecules may have clinical benefit to patients with advanced BRCA2-negative
      tumors, either as a monotherapy or as an adjuvant to radiotherapy and certain
      chemotherapies. IMPLICATIONS: We have identified a novel series of compounds that
      demonstrate synthetic lethality in DNA repair-deficient cell and animal models
      and have strong potential for clinical translation.

PMID- 26116173
TI  - Distinct requirements for Wntless in habenular development.
AB  - Secreted Wnt proteins play pivotal roles in development, including regulation of
      cell proliferation, differentiation, progenitor maintenance and tissue
      patterning. The transmembrane protein Wntless (Wls) is necessary for secretion of
      most Wnts and essential for effective Wnt signaling. During a mutagenesis screen
      to identify genes important for development of the habenular nuclei in the dorsal
      forebrain, we isolated a mutation in the sole wls gene of zebrafish and confirmed
      its identity with a second, independent allele. Early embryonic development
      appears normal in homozygous wls mutants, but they later lack the ventral
      habenular nuclei, form smaller dorsal habenulae and otic vesicles, have truncated
      jaw and fin cartilages and lack swim bladders. Activation of a reporter for beta
      catenin-dependent transcription is decreased in wls mutants, indicative of
      impaired signaling by the canonical Wnt pathway, and expression of Wnt-responsive
      genes is reduced in the dorsal diencephalon. Wnt signaling was previously
      implicated in patterning of the zebrafish brain and in the generation of left
      right (L-R) differences between the bilaterally paired dorsal habenular nuclei.
      Outside of the epithalamic region, development of the brain is largely normal in
      wls mutants and, despite their reduced size, the dorsal habenulae retain L-R
      asymmetry. We find that homozygous wls mutants show a reduction in two cell
      populations that contribute to the presumptive dorsal habenulae. The results
      support distinct temporal requirements for Wls in habenular development and
      reveal a new role for Wnt signaling in the regulation of dorsal habenular
      progenitors. 

PMID- 26116176
TI  - ROBO2 restricts the nephrogenic field and regulates Wolffian duct-nephrogenic
      cord separation.
AB  - ROBO2 plays a key role in regulating ureteric bud (UB) formation in the embryo,
      with mutations in humans and mice leading to supernumerary kidneys. Previous
      studies have established that the number and position of UB outgrowths is
      determined by the domain of metanephric mesenchymal Gdnf expression, which is
      expanded anteriorly in Robo2 mouse mutants. To clarify how this phenotype arises,
      we used high-resolution 3D imaging to reveal an increase in the number of
      nephrogenic cord cells, leading to extension of the metanephric mesenchyme field
      in Robo2-null mouse embryos. Ex vivo experiments suggested a dependence of this
      effect on proliferative signals from the Wolffian duct. Loss of Robo2 resulted in
      a failure of the normal separation of the mesenchyme from the Wolffian
      duct/ureteric epithelium, suggesting that aberrant juxtaposition of these two
      compartments in Robo2-null mice exposes the mesenchyme to abnormally high levels
      of proliferative stimuli. Our data suggest a new model in which SLIT-ROBO
      signalling acts not by attenuating Gdnf expression or activity, but instead by
      limiting epithelial/mesenchymal interactions in the nascent metanephros and
      restricting the extent of the nephrogenic field. These insights illuminate the
      aetiology of multiplex kidney formation in human individuals with ROBO2
      mutations. 

PMID- 26116174
TI  - Constitutively active mutation of ACVR1 in oral epithelium causes submucous cleft
      palate in mice.
AB  - Cleft palate is among the most common human birth defects. Submucous cleft palate
      (SMCP) is a subgroup of cleft palate, which may be as common as overt cleft
      palate. Despite the high frequency of SMCP in humans, only recently have several
      animal models of SMCP begun to provide insight into the mechanisms by which SMCP
      develops. In this study, we show that enhanced BMP signaling through
      constitutively active ACVR1 in palatal epithelium causes submucous cleft palate
      in mice. In these mutant mice, the fusion of both palatal mesenchyme in hard
      palate, and muscles in soft palate were hampered by epithelial tissue. During
      palatal fusion, enhanced SMAD-dependent BMP signaling impaired cell death and
      altered cell proliferation rate in medial edge epithelium (MEE), and resulted in
      MEE persistence. At the molecular level, downregulation of DeltaNp63, which is
      crucial for normal palatal fusion, in MEE cells was impaired, leading to a
      reduction in caspase-3 activation. Our study provides a new insight into the
      etiology of SMCP caused by augmented BMP signaling.

PMID- 26116177
TI  - Pyrroloaryls and pyrroloheteroaryls: Inhibitors of the HIV fusion/attachment,
      reverse transcriptase and integrase.
AB  - Heterocyclic compounds execute a very important role in drug design and
      discovery. This article provides the basic milestones of the research for
      pyrroloaryl and pyrroloheteroaryl based components targeting HIV viral
      replication cycle. Anti-HIV activity is elaborated for several classes of pyrrolo
      compounds as pyrrolopyridines, pyrrolopyrimidines, pyrrolopyridazines,
      pyrrolobenzodiazepinones, pyrrolobenzothiazepines, pyrrolobenzoxazepinones,
      pyrrolophenanthridines, pyrroloquinoxalines, pyrrolotriazines, pyrroloquinolines,
      pyrrolopyrazinones, pyrrolothiatriazines, arylthiopyrroles and pyrrolopyrazolones
      targeting two essential HIV enzymes, reverse transcriptase and integrase as well
      as attachment/fusion of HIV virons to the host CD-4 cell. Such attempts were
      resulted in a discovery of highly potent anti-HIV agents suitable for clinical
      trials, for example, BMS-378806, BMS-585248, BMS-626529, BMS-663068, BMS-488043
      and BMS-663749, etc. as anti-HIV attachment agents, triciribine, QX432, BI-1 and
      BI-2 as HIV RT inhibitors which are in preclinical or clinical development.
      Mechanism of action of compounds presented in this article towards the
      suppression of HIV attachment/fusion as well as against the activities of HIV
      enzymes reverse transcriptase and integrase has been discussed. Relationships of
      new compounds' molecular framework and HIV viral target has been overviewed in
      order to facilitate further construction of promising anti-HIV agents in future
      drug discovery process. 

PMID- 26116175
TI  - Excessive feedback of Cyp26a1 promotes cell non-autonomous loss of retinoic acid
      signaling.
AB  - Teratogenic levels of retinoic acid (RA) signaling can cause seemingly
      contradictory phenotypes indicative of both increases and decreases of RA
      signaling. However, the mechanisms underlying these contradictory phenotypes are
      not completely understood. Here, we report that using a hyperactive RA receptor
      to enhance RA signaling in zebrafish embryos leads to defects associated with
      gain and loss of RA signaling. While the gain-of-function phenotypes arise from
      an initial increase in RA signaling, using genetic epistasis analysis we found
      that the loss-of-function phenotypes result from a clearing of embryonic RA that
      requires a rapid and dramatic increase in cyp26a1 expression. Thus, the
      sensitivity of cyp26a1 expression to increased RA signaling causes an
      overcompensation of negative feedback and loss of embryonic RA signaling.
      Additionally, we used blastula transplantation experiments to test if Cyp26a1,
      despite its cellular localization, can limit RA exposure to neighboring cells. We
      find that enhanced Cyp26a1 expression limits RA signaling in the local
      environment, thus providing the first direct evidence that Cyp26 enzymes can have
      cell non-autonomous consequences on RA levels within tissues. Therefore, our
      results provide novel insights into the teratogenic mechanisms of RA signaling
      and the cellular mechanisms by which Cyp26a1 expression can shape a RA gradient. 

PMID- 26116178
TI  - Synthesis and evaluation of the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activity
      of 4-aminoquinoline derivatives.
AB  - In this paper, we describe the synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of a
      series of 4-aminoquinolines. The compounds were characterised and tested in
      models of pain and inflammation, using the writhing test with acetic acid,
      formalin test, peritonitis test by zymosan and arthritis test with Freund's
      adjuvant complete assay. The results revealed that all of the 4-aminoquinolines
      that were prepared promoted anti-nociceptive activity as well as acute and
      chronic anti-inflammatory effects, with marked activity in the derivates labelled
      with BAQ and 7-CF3-MAQ. After 7 days of treatment, 7-CF3-MAQ did not induce
      significant hepatotoxicity, gastrotoxicity or nephrotoxicity.

PMID- 26116179
TI  - Structure-based development of nitroxoline derivatives as potential
      multifunctional anti-Alzheimer agents.
AB  - Tremendous efforts have been dedicated to the development of effective
      therapeutics against Alzheimer's disease, which represents the most common
      debilitating neurodegenerative disease. Multifunctional agents are molecules
      designed to have simultaneous effects on different pathological processes. Such
      compounds represent an emerging strategy for the development of effective
      treatments against Alzheimer's disease. Here, we report on the synthesis and
      biological evaluation of a series of nitroxoline-based analogs that were designed
      by merging the scaffold of 8-hydroxyquinoline with that of a known selective
      butyrylcholinesterase inhibitor that has promising anti-Alzheimer properties.
      Most strikingly, compound 8g inhibits self-induced aggregation of the amyloid
      beta peptide (Abeta1-42), inhibits with sub-micromolar potency
      butyrylcholinesterase (IC50=215 nM), and also selectively complexes Cu(2+). Our
      study thus designates this compound as a promising multifunctional agent for
      therapeutic treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The crystal structure of human
      butyrylcholinesterase in complex with compound 8g is also solved, which suggests
      ways to further optimize compounds featuring the 8-hydroxyquinoline scaffold.

PMID- 26116180
TI  - Identification of 5-nitrofuran-2-amide derivatives that induce apoptosis in
      triple negative breast cancer cells by activating C/EBP-homologous protein
      expression.
AB  - The transcription factor C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP) is a key component of
      the terminal unfolded protein response (UPR) that mediates unresolvable
      endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis. CHOP induction is known to cause
      cancer cell death. Chemicals that induce CHOP expression would thus be valuable
      as potential cancer therapeutics and as research tools. Here, we identified 5
      nitrofuran-2-amide derivatives as small molecule activators of CHOP expression
      that induced apoptosis in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. Our
      preliminary structure-activity relationship studies indicated that compounds with
      an N-phenyl-5-nitrofuran-2-carboxamide skeleton were particularly potent inducers
      of TNBC cell apoptosis. The compounds activate CHOP expression via the PERK
      eIF2alpha-ATF4 branch of the UPR. These results indicate that small molecule
      activators of CHOP expression may have therapeutic potential for TNBC. 

PMID- 26116182
TI  - Factor XIII deficiency and head trauma: management and therapy.

PMID- 26116181
TI  - Atypical Femoral Fractures-Ongoing and History of Bone-Specific Therapy,
      Concomitant Diseases, Medications, and Survival.
AB  - Although atypical femoral fractures (AFFs) are generally rare events; several
      studies have indicated a potential link between AFF and long-term bone-specific
      therapies (BSTs). The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of AFF and
      potential associations with prior or ongoing BST. A total of 8851 Caucasian
      female and male patients with de novo hip fractures treated in the largest
      Austrian level 1 trauma center from 2000 to 2013 were selected. Of the total, 194
      patients with a de novo low-traumatic subtrochanteric or shaft fractures were
      identified: 35 atypical and 159 typical fractures. Of these patients, concomitant
      diseases, medication, previous fractures, and survival data were retrieved and
      analyzed. Female patients in both groups were significantly older. The median
      survival was significantly shorter in patients with AFF (9 vs 18 months; p <
      0.0001). Cardiovascular disease, sarcopenia, chronic kidney disease, type 2
      diabetes, smoking (past or current history), and prevalent fragility fractures
      were more frequent in AFF patients, as well as the concomitant use of
      phenprocoumon, furosemide, and sulfonylurea. Although the number of patients with
      current BST was less in (14.5%) both groups, more patients in the AFF group were
      previously treated with BST (71% vs 49%; p = 0.016), and they received these
      therapies for a longer time period. A combination of severe comorbidities, long
      term pharmaceutical therapies, and a history of previous or ongoing BST was
      associated with an increased individual risk for AFF.

PMID- 26116184
TI  - Towards genomic prediction of drug resistance in tuberculosis.

PMID- 26116183
TI  - Effect of the Ebola-virus-disease epidemic on malaria case management in Guinea,
      2014: a cross-sectional survey of health facilities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The ongoing west Africa Ebola-virus-disease epidemic has disrupted
      the entire health-care system in affected countries. Because of the overlap of
      symptoms of Ebola virus disease and malaria, the care delivery of malaria is
      particularly sensitive to the indirect effects of the current Ebola-virus-disease
      epidemic. We therefore characterise malaria case management in the context of the
      Ebola-virus-disease epidemic and document the effect of the Ebola-virus-disease
      epidemic on malaria case management. METHODS: We did a cross-sectional survey of
      public health facilities in Guinea in December, 2014. We selected the four
      prefectures most affected by Ebola virus disease and selected four randomly from
      prefectures without any reported cases of the disease. 60 health facilities were
      sampled in Ebola-affected and 60 in Ebola-unaffected prefectures. Study teams
      abstracted malaria case management indicators from registers for January to
      November for 2013 and 2014 and interviewed health-care workers. Nationwide weekly
      surveillance data for suspect malaria cases reported between 2011 and 2014 were
      analysed independently. Data for malaria indicators in 2014 were compared with
      previous years. FINDINGS: We noted substantial reductions in all-cause outpatient
      visits (by 23 103 [11%] of 214 899), cases of fever (by 20249 [15%] of 131 330),
      and patients treated with oral (by 22 655 [24%] of 94 785) and injectable (by
      5219 [30%] of 17 684) antimalarial drugs in surveyed health facilities. In Ebola
      affected prefectures, 73 of 98 interviewed community health workers were
      operational (74%, 95% CI 65-83) and 35 of 73 were actively treating malaria cases
      (48%, 36-60) compared with 106 of 112 (95%, 89-98) and 102 of 106 (96%, 91-99),
      respectively, in Ebola-unaffected prefectures. Nationwide, the Ebola-virus
      disease epidemic was estimated to have resulted in 74 000 (71 000-77 000) fewer
      malaria cases seen at health facilities in 2014. INTERPRETATION: The reduction in
      the delivery of malaria care because of the Ebola-virus-disease epidemic
      threatens malaria control in Guinea. Untreated and inappropriately treated
      malaria cases lead to excess malaria mortality and more fever cases in the
      community, impeding the Ebola-virus-disease response. FUNDING: Global Fund to
      Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and President's Malaria Initiative.

PMID- 26116185
TI  - Malaria kills more than Ebola virus disease.

PMID- 26116187
TI  - Use of isopycnic plots to understand the role of density in SFC - I. Effect of
      pressure variation on retention factors.
AB  - This paper aims to demonstrate the effect of pressure variations in modifying
      analyte retention behavior in SFC. There is a general understanding that in SFC
      increasing pressure decreases the retention factor (k'), and vice versa. What is
      not clearly discussed or explained in any recent literature is that these
      variations can be very different at different operating pressures, temperatures
      and modifier concentrations. It is important to have a clearer understanding on
      these variabilities during method development and results analysis. In this paper
      the nature of k' variation with pressure, at different temperatures and modifier
      concentrations, will be explained with the help of isopycnic plots of CO2 and
      CO2+methanol mixtures. 

PMID- 26116186
TI  - Whole-genome sequencing for prediction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug
      susceptibility and resistance: a retrospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diagnosing drug-resistance remains an obstacle to the elimination of
      tuberculosis. Phenotypic drug-susceptibility testing is slow and expensive, and
      commercial genotypic assays screen only common resistance-determining mutations.
      We used whole-genome sequencing to characterise common and rare mutations
      predicting drug resistance, or consistency with susceptibility, for all first
      line and second-line drugs for tuberculosis. METHODS: Between Sept 1, 2010, and
      Dec 1, 2013, we sequenced a training set of 2099 Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      genomes. For 23 candidate genes identified from the drug-resistance scientific
      literature, we algorithmically characterised genetic mutations as not conferring
      resistance (benign), resistance determinants, or uncharacterised. We then
      assessed the ability of these characterisations to predict phenotypic drug
      susceptibility testing for an independent validation set of 1552 genomes. We
      sought mutations under similar selection pressure to those characterised as
      resistance determinants outside candidate genes to account for residual
      phenotypic resistance. FINDINGS: We characterised 120 training-set mutations as
      resistance determining, and 772 as benign. With these mutations, we could predict
      89.2% of the validation-set phenotypes with a mean 92.3% sensitivity (95% CI 90.7
      93.7) and 98.4% specificity (98.1-98.7). 10.8% of validation-set phenotypes could
      not be predicted because uncharacterised mutations were present. With an in
      silico comparison, characterised resistance determinants had higher sensitivity
      than the mutations from three line-probe assays (85.1% vs 81.6%). No additional
      resistance determinants were identified among mutations under selection pressure
      in non-candidate genes. INTERPRETATION: A broad catalogue of genetic mutations
      enable data from whole-genome sequencing to be used clinically to predict drug
      resistance, drug susceptibility, or to identify drug phenotypes that cannot yet
      be genetically predicted. This approach could be integrated into routine
      diagnostic workflows, phasing out phenotypic drug-susceptibility testing while
      reporting drug resistance early. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust, National Institute of
      Health Research, Medical Research Council, and the European Union.

PMID- 26116188
TI  - Rapid activity-directed screening of estrogens by parallel coupling of liquid
      chromatography with a functional gene reporter assay and mass spectrometry.
AB  - In this study we developed a new LC nanofractionation platform that combines a
      human cell (BG1.Luc) gene reporter assay with a high resolution mass spectrometer
      for the detection and identification of estrogenic and anti-estrogenic compounds
      in environmental waters. The selection of this assay was based on its high
      sensitivity and selectivity, which is required for environmental trace level
      detection. We modified an autosampler and controlled it with in-house developed
      software to collect fractions in the low second range in microtiter plates. This
      ensured that chromatographic separation was maintained and allowed
      straightforward hyphenation with the bioassay. After bioassay testing, bioassay
      chromatograms were reconstructed and directly correlated with MS chromatograms
      that were obtained in parallel. This enabled to pinpoint bioactives in the MS
      chromatogram within a single fractionation cycle and results in a significant
      increase in throughput compared to traditional EDA studies. The sensitivity of
      the platform was low enough for environmental waters (80nM for bisphenol A and
      320pM and 3.2nM for estradiol and estriol, respectively). In addition, the
      ability of the platform to detect anti-estrogens was successfully demonstrated as
      well. Finally, real samples were analysed. 

PMID- 26116189
TI  - Establishment of a 'natural' origin for phytochemicals.

PMID- 26116190
TI  - Modeling of closed-loop recycling liquid-liquid chromatography: Analytical
      solutions and model analysis.
AB  - In closed-loop recycling (CLR) chromatography, the effluent from the outlet of a
      column is directly returned into the column through the sample feed line and
      continuously recycled until the required separation is reached. To select optimal
      operating conditions for the separation of a given feed mixture, an appropriate
      mathematical description of the process is required. This work is concerned with
      the analysis of models for the CLR separations. Due to the effect of
      counteracting mechanisms on separation of solutes, analytical solutions of the
      models could be helpful to understand and optimize chromatographic processes. The
      objective of this work was to develop analytical expressions to describe the CLR
      counter-current (liquid-liquid) chromatography (CCC). The equilibrium dispersion
      and cell models were used to describe the transport and separation of solutes
      inside a CLR CCC column. The Laplace transformation is applied to solve the model
      equations. Several possible CLR chromatography methods for the binary and complex
      mixture separations are simulated. 

PMID- 26116191
TI  - Sulfonated nanocellulose for the efficient dispersive micro solid-phase
      extraction and determination of silver nanoparticles in food products.
AB  - This paper reports a simple approach to Analytical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
      (AN&N) that integrates the nanotool, sulfonated nanocellulose (s-NC), and
      nanoanalyte, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), in the same analytical process by
      using an efficient, environmentally friendly dispersive micro solid-phase
      extraction (D-MUSPE) capillary electrophoresis (CE) method with s-NC as sorbent
      material. Introducing negatively charged sulfate groups onto the surface of
      cellulose enhances its surface chemistry and enables the extraction and
      preconcentration of AgNPs of variable diameter (10, 20 and 60nm) and shell
      composition (citrate and polyvinylpyrrolidone coatings) from complex matrices
      into a cationic surfactant. In this way, AgNPs of diverse nature were
      successfully extracted onto the s-NC sorbent and then desorbed into an aqueous
      solution containing thiotic acid (TA) prior to CE without the need for any labor
      intensive cleanup. The ensuing eco-friendly D-MUSPE method exhibited a linear
      response to AgNPs with a limit of detection (LOD) of 20MUg/L. Its ability to
      specifically recognize AgNPs of different sizes was checked in orange juice and
      mussels, which afforded recoveries of 70.9-108.4%. The repeatability of the
      method at the limit of quantitation (LOQ) level was 5.6%. Based on the results,
      sulfonated nanocellulose provides an efficient, cost-effective analytical
      nanotool for the extraction of AgNPs from food products. 

PMID- 26116192
TI  - Identification of Chemical Compounds That Inhibit the Function of Glutamyl-tRNA
      Synthetase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
AB  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa glutamyl-tRNA synthetase (GluRS) was overexpressed in
      Escherichia coli. Sequence analysis indicated that P. aeruginosa GluRS is a
      discriminating GluRS and, similar to other GluRS proteins, requires the presence
      of tRNA(Glu) to produce a glutamyl-AMP intermediate. Kinetic parameters for
      interaction with tRNA were determined and the k(cat) and KM were 0.8 s(-1) and
      0.68 uM, respectively, resulting in a k(cat)/KM of 1.18 s(-1) uM(-1). A robust
      aminoacylation-based scintillation proximity assay (SPA) assay was developed and
      800 natural products and 890 synthetic compounds were screened for inhibitory
      activity against P. aeruginosa GluRS. Fourteen compounds with inhibitory activity
      were identified. IC50s were in the low micromolar range. The minimum inhibitory
      concentration (MIC) was determined for each of the compounds against a panel of
      pathogenic bacteria. Two compounds, BT_03F04 and BT_04B09, inhibited GluRS with
      IC50s of 21.9 and 24.9 uM, respectively, and both exhibited promising MICs
      against Gram-positive bacteria. Time-kill studies indicated that one compound was
      bactericidal and one was bacteriostatic against Gram-positive bacteria. BT_03F04
      was found to be noncompetitive with both ATP and glutamic acid, and BT_04B09 was
      competitive with glutamic acid but noncompetitive with ATP. The compounds were
      not observed to be toxic to mammalian cells in MTT assays. 

PMID- 26116193
TI  - Early insertion of a malleable penile prosthesis in ischaemic priapism allows
      later upsizing of the cylinders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Early insertion of a penile prosthesis in prolonged ischaemic priapism
      is easier to perform than late prosthesis placement, and preserves the penile
      length. The aim of this study was to assess whether a delayed exchange to an
      inflatable implant allows upsizing of the cylinders in patients who have
      undergone early insertion for refractory ischaemic priapism. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Over a 30 month period, 10 patients with ischaemic priapism underwent an
      early insertion of a malleable penile prosthesis. The mean age was 41.3 years and
      the mean duration of priapism was 188 h. Following a median period of 130.5 days,
      all of these patients underwent exchange of the malleable to an inflatable
      prosthesis. RESULTS: At the time of penile implant exchange, a median upsize in
      the length of the cylinders of 1 cm in either one or both corporal bodies (range
      0-3 cm) was recorded. Five patients had deliberate downsizing at the initial
      operation owing to a previous shunt. The mean score on the five-item
      International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) before insertion of the
      malleable prosthesis was 24 (range 20-25). Three months after the initial
      insertion of a malleable penile implant the satisfaction rate according to the
      IIEF-5 score was 80%. Three months after the exchange, the patient satisfaction
      rate increased to 90%. CONCLUSION: Insertion of a malleable penile prosthesis is
      an acceptable option for patients with refractory ischaemic priapism. Although
      some patients deliberately have a shorter implant inserted initially owing to a
      previous distal shunt procedure, following a period of resolution the cylinders
      can be upsized at a later operation.

PMID- 26116194
TI  - The association between glaucoma and immunoglobulin e antibody response to indoor
      allergens.

PMID- 26116195
TI  - Incidence of late-onset ocular hypertension following uncomplicated pars plana
      vitrectomy in pseudophakic eyes.

PMID- 26116196
TI  - Bimonthly variability of persistent organochlorines in plastic pellets from four
      beaches in Mumbai coast, India.
AB  - Organochlorines (OCs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine
      pesticides (OCPs) were analysed in plastic pellets collected from four beaches of
      Mumbai coast bimonthly from May 2011 to March 2012. A total of 72 pools of
      pellets were extracted and analysed by gas chromatograph equipped with a Ni(63)
      electron capture detector (ECD). The median concentrations of seven SigmaPCBs and
      16 SigmaOCPs were 37.08 and 104.90 ng g(-1) (n = 72), respectively. PCB-28 was
      recorded at the highest concentration with a mean of 17.58 +/- 2.77 ng g(-1)
      among the seven PCBs studied, followed by PCB-52 and PCB-101. Bimonthly variation
      was significant for SigmaPCBs. The SigmaPCB concentration in November was at par
      with that of September and was significantly higher than those of the other
      months (p < 0.05) with an increasing trend during the monsoon period. Among the
      OCPs, gamma-HCH recorded the highest concentration with a mean of 33.88 +/- 5.97
      ng g(-1) followed by heptachlor and alpha-HCH. The SigmaOCPs and SigmaHCHs are
      not significantly varied among the months and sites. However, significant
      variation was observed for SigmaDDTs among the months and sites (p < 0.05). The
      significantly higher concentration of SigmaDDT (46.55 +/- 12.23 ng g(-1)) was
      found in January than in the other months while it was intermediate in November.
      The study confirmed that plastic pellets are a trap for various cyclodine
      compounds in addition to PCB, HCH and DDT. Further, pellets can be used to study
      the temporal variability for a range of organic micropollutants. 

PMID- 26116197
TI  - Fractionation and risk assessment of Fe and Mn in surface sediments from coastal
      sites of Sonora, Mexico (Gulf of California).
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate Fe and Mn distribution in geochemical
      fractions of the surface sediment of four oyster culture sites in the Sonora
      coast, Mexico. A selective fractionation scheme to obtain five fractions was
      adapted for the microwave system. Surface sediments were analyzed for carbonates,
      organic matter contents, and Fe and Mn in geochemical fractions. The bulk
      concentrations of Fe ranged from 10,506 to 21,918 mg/kg (dry weight, dry wt), and
      the bulk concentrations of Mn ranged from 185.1 to 315.9 mg/kg (dry wt) in
      sediments, which was low and considered as non-polluted in all of the sites. The
      fractionation study indicated that the major geochemical phases for the metals
      were the residual, as well as the Fe and Mn oxide fractions. The concentrations
      of metals in the geochemical fractions had the following order: residual >> Fe
      and Mn oxides > organic matter > carbonates > interchangeable. Most of the Fe and
      Mn were linked to the residual fraction. Among non-residual fractions, high
      percentages of Fe and Mn were linked to Fe and Mn oxides. The enrichment factors
      (EFs) for the two metals were similar in the four studied coasts, and the levels
      of Fe and Mn are interpreted as non-enrichment (EF < 1) because the metals
      concentrations were within the baseline concentrations. According to the
      environmental risk assessment codes, Fe and Mn posed no risk and low risk,
      respectively. Although the concentrations of Fe and Mn were linked to the
      residual fraction, the levels in non-residual fractions may significantly result
      in the transference of other metals, depending on several physico-chemical and
      biological factors. 

PMID- 26116198
TI  - Kinetics of cadmium, chromium, and lead sorption onto chemically modified
      sugarcane bagasse and wheat straw.
AB  - In this study, cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) adsorption potential of
      unmodified and modified sugarcane bagasse and ground wheat straw was explored
      from aqueous solution through batch equilibrium technique. Both the materials
      were chemically modified by treating with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) alone and in
      combination with nitric acid (HNO3) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Two kinetic
      models, pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order were used to follow the
      adsorption process and reaction fallowed the later model. The Pb removal by both
      the materials was highest and followed by Cr and Cd. The chemical treatment
      invariably increased the adsorption capacity and NaOH treatment proved more
      effective than others. Langmuir maximum sorption capacity (q m) of Pb was utmost
      (12.8-23.3 mg/g of sugarcane bagasse, 14.5-22.4 mg/g of wheat straw) and of Cd
      was least (1.5-2.2 mg/g of sugarcane bagasse, 2.5-3.8 mg/g of wheat straw). The q
      m was in the order of Pb > Cr > Cd for all the three adsorbents. Results
      demonstrate that agricultural waste materials used in this study could be used to
      remediate the heavy metal-polluted water. 

PMID- 26116200
TI  - Vaccine Errors: Understanding the Risks and the Responsibilities for Public
      Safety.

PMID- 26116199
TI  - Inverse correlation among organochlorine pesticide levels to total lipid serum
      contents: a preliminary study in Veracruz, Mexico.
AB  - Organochlorine pesticides, due to their hydrophobic nature and persistence,
      accumulate in tissues rich in lipids, which had been used as a biomarker for
      environmental pollution. In humans, organochlorine pesticides are continuously
      circulating and equilibrating among body compartments. The objective of the study
      was to evaluate the concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in blood serum
      and compare their levels to the total lipid contents in Veracruz, Mexico
      inhabitants. Our hypothesis is that concentrations of organochlorine pesticides
      will increase just as lipid concentrations. Levels of organochlorine pesticides
      were divided in ascending tertils according to their total lipid content. The
      linear trend model applied surprisingly reveals that the average level of all
      organochlorine pesticides decreases as the lipid concentration increases. From
      one tertil to the next beta-HCH, it shows a decrease of -3.19 mg kg(-1) on lipid
      basis, pp.'DDE levels decrease by -3.70 mg kg(-1) on lipid basis and pp.'DDT
      levels decrease -1.13 mg kg(-1) on lipid basis. We conclude that the levels and
      the orderly sequence of organochlorine pesticide distributions in the blood serum
      maintain an inverse relationship to total lipid blood serum concentrations. 

PMID- 26116201
TI  - Eastern Bluebirds Alter their Song in Response to Anthropogenic Changes in the
      Acoustic Environment.
AB  - Vocal responses to anthropogenic noise have been documented in several species of
      songbird. However, only a few studies have investigated whether these adjustments
      are made in "real time" or are longer-term responses to particular soundscapes.
      Furthermore, increased ambient noise often is accompanied by structural changes
      to the habitat, including the introduction of noisy roadways and the removal of
      native vegetation. To date, no studies have simultaneously investigated the
      impact of both acoustic and structural disturbance on the same species. The
      relevance of each of these variables must be quantified if we wish to refine our
      understanding of the ways in which human activities influence avian
      communication. In this study, we quantified both among-male and within-male
      adjustments of song in response to ambient noise, and also investigated whether
      anthropogenic modifications of the habitat explained variations in songs'
      parameters. Recordings of songs were collected from male, breeding eastern
      bluebirds (Sialia sialis) residing in a network of nestboxes distributed across a
      gradient of anthropogenic disturbance. Levels of ambient noise were associated
      both with the average song-parameters of each male and with the change in a
      male's song-parameters between the loudest and quietest periods at his nest box.
      Males' song parameters were also related to habitat structure, as assessed using
      geographic information systems techniques. Males in noisier sites produced both
      higher-pitched and louder songs than did birds in quieter areas. Likewise,
      individual males demonstrated immediate adjustments to disturbance by noise,
      increasing the amplitude of their song between periods of quiet and loud ambient
      noise. Both spectral and temporal aspects of a male's song were related to
      whether his habitat was more "natural" or "anthropogenic." Our results indicate
      that males' adjustments of song may represent simultaneous responses to multiple
      modifications of the habitat by humans. However, we also conclude that biotic
      noise remains an important influence on avian signals even in anthropogenic
      areas. We suggest that human habitats provide an ideal setting in which to
      perform experiments on communication strategies, with resulting data poised to
      reveal underlying evolutionary processes while also informing conservation and
      management. 

PMID- 26116202
TI  - Additional Navigational Strategies Can Augment Odor-Gated Rheotaxis for
      Navigation under Conditions of Variable Flow.
AB  - The navigation strategies animals use to find sources of odor depend on the
      olfactory stimuli, the properties of flowing fluids, and the locomotory
      capabilities of the animal. In high Reynolds number environments, animals
      typically use odor-gated rheotaxis to find the source of turbulent odor plumes.
      This strategy succeeds because, although turbulence creates an intermittent
      chemical cue, the animal follows the (continuous) directional cue created by the
      flow that is transporting the chemical. However, in nature, animals may lose all
      contact with an odor plume as variations in the direction of bulk flow cause the
      plume to be rotated away before the animal reaches the source of the odor. Our
      goal was to use a mathematical model to test the hypothesis that strategies that
      augment odor-gated rheotaxis would be beneficial for finding the source of an
      odor plume in such variable flow. The model links a stochastic variable-direction
      odor plume with a turbulence-based intermittent chemical signal and four
      different movement strategies, including: odor-gated rheotaxis alone (as a
      control), odor-gated rheotaxis augmented by further rheotaxis in the absence of
      odor, odor-gated rheotaxis augmented by a random walk, and odor-gated rheotaxis
      augmented by movement actively guided by the heading of the flow when the odor
      was still present. We found that any of the three augmented strategies could
      improve on strict odor-gated rheotaxis. Moreover, variations in performance
      caused the best strategy to depend on the speed of movement of the animal and the
      magnitude of the variation in flow, and more subtly on the duration over which
      the augmented strategy was performed. For most combinations of parameters in the
      model, either augmenting with a random walk or following the last-known heading
      were the best-performing strategies. Overall, our results suggest that marine
      animals that rely on odor cues to navigate in turbulent environments may augment
      odor-gated rheotaxis with additional movements that will increase the probability
      of finding the sources of odors. Moreover, we believe our approach to modeling
      odor plumes in variable flows is a valuable step toward mathematically capturing
      the key conditions experienced by animals navigating on the basis of odors
      carried by flows. 

PMID- 26116203
TI  - Conservation Physiology of an Uncatchable Animal: The North Atlantic Right Whale
      (Eubalaena glacialis).
AB  - The North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis (NARW), a critically
      endangered species that has been under intensive study for nearly four decades,
      provides an excellent case study for applying modern methods of conservation
      physiology to large whales. By combining long-term sighting histories of known
      individuals with physiological data from newer techniques (e.g., body condition
      estimated from photographs; endocrine status derived from fecal samples),
      physiological state and levels of stress can be estimated despite the lack of any
      method for nonlethal capture of large whales. Since traditional techniques for
      validating blood assays cannot be used in large whales, assays of fecal hormones
      have been validated using information on age, sex, and reproductive state derived
      from an extensive NARW photo-identification catalog. Using this approach, fecal
      glucocorticoids have been found to vary dramatically with reproductive state. It
      is therefore essential that glucocorticoid data be interpreted in conjunction
      with reproductive data. A case study correlating glucocorticoids with chronic
      noise is presented as an example. Keys to a successful research program for this
      uncatchable species have included: consistent population monitoring over decades,
      data-sharing across institutions, an extensive photo-identification catalog that
      documents individual histories, and consistent efforts at noninvasive collection
      of samples over years. Future research will require flexibility to adjust to
      changing distributions of populations. 

PMID- 26116204
TI  - Acute severe valgus instability without elbow dislocation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the pathoanatomy of
      acute valgus instability without elbow dislocation and to evaluate clinical
      outcomes after operative treatment. METHODS: Seven patients presented with acute
      severe valgus instability without elbow dislocation or fracture after a single
      traumatic episode. Five patients had primary repair of the medial collateral
      ligament (MCL) and flexor-pronator tendon (FPT) with suture anchor. Two patients
      with highly unstable elbow had primary repair of both the medial and lateral
      structures. On the basis of magnetic resonance imaging and intraoperative
      findings, the injury patterns of the ligament, capsule, tendon, and bone
      structures were evaluated. Clinical outcomes were assessed with the Mayo Elbow
      Performance Score and the shortened Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand
      score. RESULTS: A complete tear of the MCL from its humeral origin and FPT was
      found in all patients. The anterior capsule was also damaged. A stripping-type
      complete tear of the lateral collateral ligament complex with significant
      instability was observed in 2 patients. Bone contusion at the capitellum or
      radial head was found in 6 patients. The mean Mayo Elbow Performance Score and
      shortened Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand score at final follow-up
      were 95.7 and 12.0. All patients returned to previous work levels within 4 months
      after operation. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that complete tears of both
      the MCL and FPT occur with severe valgus instability. Primary repair of medial
      structures with suture anchor in acute severe valgus instability can restore
      stability.

PMID- 26116205
TI  - The use of 3D printing technology in reconstruction of a severe glenoid defect: a
      case report with 2.5 years of follow-up.

PMID- 26116206
TI  - Does microvascularization of the footprint play a role in rotator cuff healing of
      the shoulder?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between bone
      microvascularization of the footprint and tendon integrity after rotator cuff
      repair of the shoulder. METHODS: Forty-eight patients (mean age, 59 years; +/
      7.9) with a chronic rotator cuff tear underwent a tendon repair with a single-row
      technique and were studied prospectively. A core obtained from the footprint
      during the procedure allowed determination of the bone's microvascularization
      with an immunohistochemistry technique using anti-CD34 antibodies. Clinical
      evaluation was performed at a minimum of 12-month follow-up, and rotator cuff
      integrity was assessed with ultrasound according to Sugaya's classification.
      RESULTS: At a mean follow-up of 13 months, the Constant score improved from 40 to
      75 points; American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, from 59 to 89 points; and
      subjective shoulder value, from 38% to 83% (P < .001). Ultrasound identified 18
      patients with Sugaya type I healing, 27 patients with type II, and 3 patients
      with type IV. No patients showed Sugaya type III or V repairs. The rate of
      microvascularization of the footprint was 15.6%, 13.9%, and 4.2% for type I, II,
      and IV tendon integrity, respectively (I vs. II, P = .22; II vs. IV, P = .02; I
      vs. IV, P = .0022). Patients with a history of corticosteroid injection had a
      lower rate of microvascularization than the others (10.3% vs. 16.2%; P = .03).
      CONCLUSIONS: Even if overall satisfactory clinical outcomes are achieved after a
      rotator cuff repair, bone microvascularization of the footprint plays a role in
      rotator cuff healing. A lower rate of microvessels decreases the tendon integrity
      and healing potential after repair.

PMID- 26116207
TI  - Dietary habits and leisure-time physical activity in relation to adiposity,
      dyslipidemia, and incident dysglycemia in the pathobiology of prediabetes in a
      biracial cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dietary and exercise data are frequently recorded in clinical
      research, but their correlation with metabolic measures needs further evaluation.
      OBJECTIVE: We examined the association of food and exercise habits with body
      size, lipid profile, and glycemia in a prospective biracial cohort. METHODS: The
      Pathobiology of Prediabetes in A Biracial Cohort study followed initially
      normoglycemic offspring of parents with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) for the occurrence
      of incident prediabetes, defined as impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or
      impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). At enrollment, participants underwent a 75-gram
      OGTT, anthropometry, measurement of fasting lipids, insulin, and body fat (DEXA),
      and completed the Food Habits Questionnaire (FHQ), and Modifiable Activity
      Questionnaire (MAQ). We assessed the relationship between FHQ and MAQ scores and
      adiposity, cardiometabolic measures, and incident dysglycemia. RESULTS: Among our
      cohort of 338 subjects (188 black, 150 white; mean age {+/-SD} 45.2+/-10.2 years,
      BMI 30.3+/-7.2 kg/m(2)), FHQ and MAQ scores were individually correlated with BMI
      (r=0.14, -0.12; P=0.01, 0.03) and waist circumference (r=0.19, -0.11; P=0.004,
      0.05). Diet-adjusted leisure activity (MAQ/FHQ) was significantly correlated with
      total body fat (r=-0.20, P=0.0007), trunk fat (r=-0.20, P=0.0006), and serum
      triglycerides (r=-0.17, P=0.003) and HDL cholesterol (r=0.11, P=0.04) levels.
      During 5.5 years of follow-up, 111 subjects (Progressors) developed prediabetes
      (n=101) or diabetes (n=10) and 227 remained normoglycemic (Non-progressors). Age,
      BMI, MAQ and MAQ/FHQ values were significant predictors of incident
      prediabetes/diabetes. Progressors reported similar dietary habits (FHQ score
      2.57+/-0.49 vs. 2.57+/-0.53) but 30% lower physical activity (MAQ score 15.2+/
      20.5 vs. 22.3+/-30.5 MET-hr/wk, P=0.015) compared with non-progressors.
      CONCLUSIONS: Among African-American and Caucasian offspring of parents with T2DM,
      self-reported dietary and exercise habits correlated with measures of adiposity
      and dyslipidemia; however, physical activity, but not dietary recall,
      significantly predicted incident dysglycemia during 5.5 years of follow-up.

PMID- 26116208
TI  - Abdominal admittance helps to predict the amount of fluid accumulation in
      patients with acute heart failure syndromes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Predicting fluid volume that needs to be removed in acute heart
      failure syndromes (AHFS) patients remains challenging. Thoracic admittance (TA),
      the reciprocal of thoracic impedance measured by bioelectrical impedance,
      reflects the amount of fluid in the thorax. Abdominal organs play an important
      role in AHFS as systemic fluid reservoirs. We investigated the relationship
      between abdominal admittance (AA) at the time of admission for AHFS and net fluid
      loss (NFL) during hospitalization. METHODS: Sixty-two consecutive patients
      hospitalized for AHFS [age 71+/-10 years, left ventricular ejection fraction
      (LVEF) 39+/-17%] were studied. The admittance values, i.e. the reciprocals of the
      impedance values, were derived using a BioZ((r)) (CardioDynamics, San Diego, CA,
      USA). The change in weight from admission to discharge was used as a surrogate of
      amount of NFL. RESULTS: At the time of admission, a significant correlation was
      detected between TA and AA (r=0.46, p=0.0001). TA at admission was significantly
      correlated with the LV structural variables (end-diastolic dimension and end
      systolic dimension), and serum sodium level. AA at admission was significantly
      correlated with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and plasma BNP, and also
      correlated with LVEF and variables related to systemic congestion [minimal
      inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter and tricuspid regurgitation grade]. Neither TA
      nor AA values were significantly correlated with weight at admission. During
      hospitalization, TA and AA declined from 44+/-8kOmega(-1) to 36+/-6kOmega(-1)
      (p<0.0001) and from 74+/-25kOmega(-1) to 56+/-17kOmega(-1) (p<0.0001),
      respectively. Weight fell from 60.1+/-10.8kg to 54.5+/-9.4kg (p<0.0001), while
      NFL was 5.8kg (range, 0.1-17.5kg). In univariate analyses, the admission NYHA
      class, TA, AA, weight, and IVC diameter correlated with NFL. Multivariate
      analysis demonstrated that only admission weight [standardized partial regression
      coefficient (SPRC)=0.596], AA (SPRC=0.529), and NYHA class (SPRC=0.277) were
      independent predictors of NFL. CONCLUSION: Abdominal admittance measurement helps
      to predict the amount of fluid volume to be removed in patients with AHFS.

PMID- 26116209
TI  - Noninvasive estimation of pulmonary capillary wedge pressure in patients with
      mitral regurgitation: A speckle tracking echocardiography study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Echocardiographic parameters to predict pulmonary capillary wedge
      pressure (PCWP) in mitral regurgitation (MR) are not yet elucidated. We reported
      that PCWP could be accurately estimated by novel KT index which is defined as
      log10[left atrial (LA) emptying function (EF)/LA volume]. We examined the
      usefulness of the KT index as a predictor of PCWP in primary and secondary MR
      with sinus rhythm and also MR with atrial fibrillation. METHODS: LA dimension,
      strain, volume, EF, and E/e' were measured in moderate to severe MR with sinus
      rhythm (n=58, age: 67+/-8 years) and MR with atrial fibrillation (n=24, age: 69+/
      11 years) just before catheterization and in normal subjects (n=26, age: 67+/-11
      years) using speckle tracking echocardiography. MR with sinus rhythm was divided
      into primary MR (n=27) and secondary MR (n=31). The estimated PCWP (ePCWP) was
      calculated as 10.8-12.4*KT index. RESULTS: There was a correlation between PCWP
      and LA dimension, E/e', minimum LA volume index, active LAEF, total LAEF, or LA
      strain (r=0.32, r=0.31, r=0.55, r=-0.61, r=-0.51, and r=-0.50, respectively,
      p<0.05). The better correlation was found between PCWP and ePCWP in MR including
      both primary and secondary MR and also MR with atrial fibrillation (r=0.70,
      r=0.67, and r=0.58, respectively, p<0.01). Multiple regression analysis revealed
      that ePCWP was an independent predictor of PCWP in MR. The ePCWP demonstrated
      good diagnostic accuracy (area under the curve of 0.86) and sensitivity (81%) and
      specificity (71%) to predict elevated PCWP >15mmHg using a cut-off of 16mmHg.
      CONCLUSION: The ePCWP was the reliable echocardiographic parameter to predict
      PCWP in primary and secondary MR and might also be useful in MR with atrial
      fibrillation. The ePCWP may have an incremental value in a clinical setting.

PMID- 26116211
TI  - Comparative Analysis of Transmembrane Regulators of the Filamentous Growth
      Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathway Uncovers Functional and Regulatory
      Differences.
AB  - Filamentous growth is a microbial differentiation response that involves the
      concerted action of multiple signaling pathways. In budding yeast, one pathway
      that regulates filamentous growth is a Cdc42p-dependent mitogen-activated protein
      kinase (MAPK) pathway. Several transmembrane (TM) proteins regulate the
      filamentous growth pathway, including the signaling mucin Msb2p, the tetraspan
      osmosensor Sho1p, and an adaptor Opy2p. The TM proteins were compared to identify
      common and unique features. Msb2p, Sho1p, and Opy2p associated by
      coimmunoprecipitation analysis but showed predominantly different localization
      patterns. The different localization patterns of the proteins resulted in part
      from different rates of turnover from the plasma membrane (PM). In particular,
      Msb2p (and Opy2p) were turned over rapidly compared to Sho1p. Msb2p signaled from
      the PM, and its turnover was a rate-limiting step in MAPK signaling. Genetic
      analysis identified unique phenotypes of cells overexpressing the TM proteins.
      Therefore, each TM regulator of the filamentous growth pathway has its own
      regulatory pattern and specific function in regulating filamentous growth. This
      specialization may be important for fine-tuning and potentially diversifying the
      filamentation response. 

PMID- 26116212
TI  - Auxotrophic Mutations Reduce Tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Very High
      Levels of Ethanol Stress.
AB  - Very high ethanol tolerance is a distinctive trait of the yeast Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae with notable ecological and industrial importance. Although many genes
      have been shown to be required for moderate ethanol tolerance (i.e., 6 to 12%) in
      laboratory strains, little is known of the much higher ethanol tolerance (i.e.,
      16 to 20%) in natural and industrial strains. We have analyzed the genetic basis
      of very high ethanol tolerance in a Brazilian bioethanol production strain by
      genetic mapping with laboratory strains containing artificially inserted
      oligonucleotide markers. The first locus contained the ura3Delta0 mutation of the
      laboratory strain as the causative mutation. Analysis of other auxotrophies also
      revealed significant linkage for LYS2, LEU2, HIS3, and MET15. Tolerance to only
      very high ethanol concentrations was reduced by auxotrophies, while the effect
      was reversed at lower concentrations. Evaluation of other stress conditions
      showed that the link with auxotrophy is dependent on the type of stress and the
      type of auxotrophy. When the concentration of the auxotrophic nutrient is close
      to that limiting growth, more stress factors can inhibit growth of an auxotrophic
      strain. We show that very high ethanol concentrations inhibit the uptake of
      leucine more than that of uracil, but the 500-fold-lower uracil uptake activity
      may explain the strong linkage between uracil auxotrophy and ethanol sensitivity
      compared to leucine auxotrophy. Since very high concentrations of ethanol inhibit
      the uptake of auxotrophic nutrients, the active uptake of scarce nutrients may be
      a major limiting factor for growth under conditions of ethanol stress. 

PMID- 26116213
TI  - Functional Analysis of Sterol Transporter Orthologues in the Filamentous Fungus
      Aspergillus nidulans.
AB  - Polarized growth in filamentous fungi needs a continuous supply of proteins and
      lipids to the growing hyphal tip. One of the important membrane compounds in
      fungi is ergosterol. At the apical plasma membrane ergosterol accumulations,
      which are called sterol-rich plasma membrane domains (SRDs). The exact roles and
      formation mechanism of the SRDs remained unclear, although the importance has
      been recognized for hyphal growth. Transport of ergosterol to hyphal tips is
      thought to be important for the organization of the SRDs. Oxysterol binding
      proteins, which are conserved from yeast to human, are involved in nonvesicular
      sterol transport. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae seven oxysterol-binding protein
      homologues (OSH1 to -7) play a role in ergosterol distribution between closely
      located membranes independent of vesicle transport. We found five homologous
      genes (oshA to oshE) in the filamentous fungi Aspergillus nidulans. The functions
      of OshA-E were characterized by gene deletion and subcellular localization. Each
      gene-deletion strain showed characteristic phenotypes and different sensitivities
      to ergosterol-associated drugs. Green fluorescent protein-tagged Osh proteins
      showed specific localization in the late Golgi compartments, puncta associated
      with the endoplasmic reticulum, or diffusely in the cytoplasm. The genes
      expression and regulation were investigated in a medically important species
      Aspergillus fumigatus, as well as A. nidulans. Our results suggest that each Osh
      protein plays a role in ergosterol distribution at distinct sites and contributes
      to proper fungal growth. 

PMID- 26116214
TI  - The Centriole Cartwheel Protein SAS-6 in Trypanosoma brucei Is Required for
      Probasal Body Biogenesis and Flagellum Assembly.
AB  - The centriole in eukaryotes functions as the cell's microtubule-organizing center
      (MTOC) to nucleate spindle assembly, and its biogenesis requires an
      evolutionarily conserved protein, SAS-6, which assembles the centriole cartwheel.
      Trypanosoma brucei, an early branching protozoan, possesses the basal body as its
      MTOC to nucleate flagellum biogenesis. However, little is known about the
      components of the basal body and their roles in basal body biogenesis and
      flagellum assembly. Here, we report that the T. brucei SAS-6 homolog, TbSAS-6, is
      localized to the mature basal body and the probasal body throughout the cell
      cycle. RNA interference (RNAi) of TbSAS-6 inhibited probasal body biogenesis,
      compromised flagellum assembly, and caused cytokinesis arrest. Surprisingly,
      overexpression of TbSAS-6 in T. brucei also impaired probasal body duplication
      and flagellum assembly, contrary to SAS-6 overexpression in humans, which
      produces supernumerary centrioles. Furthermore, we showed that depletion of T.
      brucei Polo-like kinase, TbPLK, or inhibition of TbPLK activity did not abolish
      TbSAS-6 localization to the basal body, in contrast to the essential role of Polo
      like kinase in recruiting SAS-6 to centrioles in animals. Altogether, these
      results identified the essential role of TbSAS-6 in probasal body biogenesis and
      flagellum assembly and suggest the presence of a TbPLK-independent pathway
      governing basal body duplication in T. brucei. 

PMID- 26116215
TI  - A Meta-Regression Method for Studying Etiological Heterogeneity Across Disease
      Subtypes Classified by Multiple Biomarkers.
AB  - In interdisciplinary biomedical, epidemiologic, and population research, it is
      increasingly necessary to consider pathogenesis and inherent heterogeneity of any
      given health condition and outcome. As the unique disease principle implies, no
      single biomarker can perfectly define disease subtypes. The complex nature of
      molecular pathology and biology necessitates biostatistical methodologies to
      simultaneously analyze multiple biomarkers and subtypes. To analyze and test for
      heterogeneity hypotheses across subtypes defined by multiple categorical and/or
      ordinal markers, we developed a meta-regression method that can utilize existing
      statistical software for mixed-model analysis. This method can be used to assess
      whether the exposure-subtype associations are different across subtypes defined
      by 1 marker while controlling for other markers and to evaluate whether the
      difference in exposure-subtype association across subtypes defined by 1 marker
      depends on any other markers. To illustrate this method in molecular pathological
      epidemiology research, we examined the associations between smoking status and
      colorectal cancer subtypes defined by 3 correlated tumor molecular
      characteristics (CpG island methylator phenotype, microsatellite instability, and
      the B-Raf protooncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF), mutation) in the Nurses'
      Health Study (1980-2010) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986
      2010). This method can be widely useful as molecular diagnostics and genomic
      technologies become routine in clinical medicine and public health. 

PMID- 26116216
TI  - The Safety of Yoga: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized
      Controlled Trials.
AB  - As yoga has gained popularity as a therapeutic intervention, its safety has been
      questioned in the lay press. Thus, this review aimed to systematically assess and
      meta-analyze the frequency of adverse events in randomized controlled trials of
      yoga. MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and IndMED were screened
      through February 2014. Of 301 identified randomized controlled trials of yoga, 94
      (1975-2014; total of 8,430 participants) reported on adverse events. Life
      threatening, disabling adverse events or those requiring intensive treatment were
      defined as serious and all other events as nonserious. No differences in the
      frequency of intervention-related, nonserious, or serious adverse events and of
      dropouts due to adverse events were found when comparing yoga with usual care or
      exercise. Compared with psychological or educational interventions (e.g., health
      education), more intervention-related adverse events (odds ratio = 4.21, 95%
      confidence interval: 1.01, 17.67; P = 0.05) and more nonserious adverse events
      (odds ratio = 7.30, 95% confidence interval: 1.91, 27.92; P < 0.01) occurred in
      the yoga group; serious adverse events and dropouts due to adverse events were
      comparable between groups. Findings from this review indicate that yoga appears
      as safe as usual care and exercise. The adequate reporting of safety data in
      future randomized trials of yoga is crucial to conclusively judge its safety. 

PMID- 26116217
TI  - Re: "fragmentation and stability of circadian activity rhythms predict mortality:
      the Rotterdam study".

PMID- 26116218
TI  - An expected fusion.

PMID- 26116219
TI  - Transcriptome sequencing reveals the roles of transcription factors in modulating
      genotype by nitrogen interaction in maize.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: Global transcriptome analysis in maize revealed differential
      nitrogen response between genotypes and implicate a crucial role of transcription
      factors in driving genotype by nitrogen interactions at gene expression level.
      Developing nitrogen-efficient cultivars are essential for sustainable and
      productive agriculture. Nitrogen use efficiency of plants is highly dependent on
      the interaction of environmental and genetic variation and results in adaptive
      phenotypes. This study used transcriptome sequencing to perform a comprehensive
      genotype by nitrogen (G * N) interaction analysis for two elite Chinese maize
      inbreds grown at normal and low nitrogen levels in field conditions. We
      demonstrated that the two maize inbreds showed contrasting agronomic and
      transcriptomic responses to changes in nitrogen availability. A total of 96 genes
      with a significant G * N interaction were detected. After characterizing the
      expression patterns of G * N interaction genes, we found that the G * N
      interaction genes tended to show condition-specific differential expression. The
      functional annotations of G * N interaction genes revealed that many different
      kinds of genes were involved in G * N interactions, but a significant enrichment
      for transcription factors was detected, particularly the AP2/EREBP and WRKY
      family, suggesting that transcription factors might play important roles in
      driving G * N interaction at gene expression level for nitrogen response in
      maize. Taken together, these results not only provide novel insights into the
      mechanism of nitrogen response in maize and set important basis for further
      characterization but also have important implications for other genotype by
      stress interaction.

PMID- 26116220
TI  - Risk-Adjusted Variation of Publicly Reported Emergency Department Timeliness
      Measures.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently
      published emergency department (ED) timeliness measures. These data show
      substantial variation in hospital performance and suggest the need for process
      improvement initiatives. However, the CMS measures are not risk adjusted and may
      provide misleading information about hospital performance and variation. We
      hypothesize that substantial hospital-level variation will persist after risk
      adjustment. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included hospitals that
      participated in the Emergency Department Benchmarking Alliance and CMS ED measure
      reporting in 2012. Outcomes included the CMS measures corresponding to median
      annual boarding time, length of stay of admitted patients, length of stay of
      discharged patients, and waiting time of discharged patients. Covariates included
      hospital structural characteristics and case-mix information from the American
      Hospital Association Survey, CMS cost reports, and the Emergency Department
      Benchmarking Alliance. We used a gamma regression with a log link to model the
      skewed outcomes. We used indirect standardization to create risk-adjusted
      measures. We defined "substantial" variation as coefficient of variation greater
      than 0.15. RESULTS: The study cohort included 723 hospitals. Risk-adjusted
      performance on the CMS measures varied substantially across hospitals, with
      coefficient of variation greater than 0.15 for all measures. Ratios between the
      10th and 90th percentiles of performance ranged from 1.5-fold for length of stay
      of discharged patients to 3-fold for waiting time of discharged patients.
      CONCLUSION: Policy-relevant variations in publicly reported CMS ED timeliness
      measures persist after risk adjustment for nonmodifiable hospital and case-mix
      characteristics. Future "positive deviance" studies should identify modifiable
      process measures associated with high performance.

PMID- 26116221
TI  - Training the Mind, and the Food and Drug Administration, on Droperidol.

PMID- 26116222
TI  - Do alpha-Blockers Expedite Ureteral Stone Passage?

PMID- 26116223
TI  - Comparison of Early Goal-Directed Therapy With Usual Care for Severe Sepsis and
      Septic Shock.

PMID- 26116224
TI  - The Numeric Scoring of Pain: This Practice Rates a Zero Out of Ten.

PMID- 26116225
TI  - A national survey of the molecular epidemiology of Clostridium difficile in
      Israel: the dissemination of the ribotype 027 strain with reduced susceptibility
      to vancomycin and metronidazole.
AB  - Our goals were to study the molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial
      susceptibilities of C. difficile strains in Israel. Microbiology laboratories
      serving 6 general hospitals (GH) and 10 long-term care facilities (LTCF) were
      asked to submit all stool samples in January-February 2014 that tested positive
      for C. difficile. Toxigenic C. difficile isolates were recovered in 208 out of
      217 samples (95.8%), of which 50 (23.6%) were from LTCFs. Ribotype 027 was the
      most common type overall, identified in 65 samples (31.8%), and was the
      predominant strain in the 3 GHs with the highest incidence of C. difficile
      infections. Other common strains were slpA types cr-02 (n = 45) and hr-02 (n =
      18). The proportions of vancomycin and metronidazole MIC values >2mg/L were high
      in ribotype 027 (87.7% and 44.6%, respectively) and slpA-cr-02 strains (88.8% and
      17.8%, respectively). This study demonstrates that the ribotype 027 strain has
      disseminated across Israel and is now the most common strain.

PMID- 26116226
TI  - Diverse cellular and organismal functions of the lysosomal thiol reductase GILT.
AB  - Gamma-interferon-inducible lysosomal thiol reductase (GILT) is the only enzyme
      known to catalyze disulfide bond reduction in the endocytic pathway. GILT
      facilitates the presentation of a subset of epitopes from disulfide bond
      containing antigens. Enhanced presentation of MHC class II-restricted epitopes
      alters central tolerance and modulates CD4+ T cell-mediated autoimmunity.
      Improved cross-presentation of viral epitopes results in improved cross-priming
      of viral-specific CD8+ T cells. GILT regulates the cellular redox state. In GILT
      /- cells, there is a shift from the reduced to the oxidized form of glutathione,
      resulting in mitochondrial autophagy, decreased superoxide dismutase 2, and
      elevated superoxide levels. GILT expression diminishes cellular activation,
      including decreased phosphorylated ERK1/2, and decreases cellular proliferation.
      GILT enhances the activity of bacterial hemolysins, such as listeriolysin O, and
      increases bacterial replication and infection. GILT expression in cancer cells is
      associated with improved patient survival. These diverse roles of GILT are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26116227
TI  - Electroporation-based applications in biotechnology.
AB  - Electroporation is already an established technique in several areas of medicine,
      but many of its biotechnological applications have only started to emerge; we
      review here some of the most promising. We outline electroporation as a
      phenomenon and then proceed to applications, first outlining the best established
      - the use of reversible electroporation for heritable genetic modification of
      microorganisms (electrotransformation), and then explore recent advances in
      applying electroporation for inactivation of microorganisms, extraction of
      biomolecules, and fast drying of biomass. Although these applications often aim
      to upscale to the industrial and/or clinical level, we also outline some
      important chip-scale applications of electroporation. We conclude our review with
      a discussion of the main challenges and future perspectives. 

PMID- 26116229
TI  - Rosiglitazone inhibition of calvaria-derived osteoblast differentiation is
      through both of PPARgamma and GPR40 and GSK3beta-dependent pathway.
AB  - Rosiglitazone (RSG) can cause bone loss, however the mechanisms remain largely
      unknown. This study aims to investigate the effects of RSG on differentiation and
      mineralization of osteoblasts using primary cultured mouse fetal calvaria-derived
      osteoblasts as a model, and elucidate the receptor and signaling pathways
      responsible for these effects. We found that RSG suppressed the differentiation
      and mineralization of calvaria-derived osteoblasts. Peroxisome proliferators
      activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) siRNA significantly reversed the inhibitory
      effect of RSG on osteogenic differentiation. The expression of G protein-coupled
      receptor (GPR) 40 was suppressed during differentiation, but was increased by RSG
      treatment. GPR40 siRNA significantly reversed the inhibitory effect of RSG on
      osteogenesis. RSG activated glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3beta, which in turn
      decreased beta-catenin expression. RSG-induced GSK3beta activation was mediated
      through both PPARgamma and GPR40. These results suggest that both PPARgamma and
      GRP40 are required for RSG-induced inhibition of mouse calvaria osteoblast
      differentiation, which is mediated through GSK3beta-dependent pathway. 

PMID- 26116228
TI  - Multiple roles of timing in somite formation.
AB  - During development, vertebrate embryos produce serially repeated elements, the
      somites, on each side of the midline. These generate the vertebral column,
      skeletal musculature and dermis. They form sequentially, one pair at a time, from
      mesenchymal tissue near the tail. Somite development is a complex process. The
      embryo must control the number, size, and timing of somite formation, their
      subdivision into functional regions along three axes, regional identity such that
      somites develop in a region-specific way, and interactions with neighbouring
      tissues that coordinate them with nearby structures. Here we discuss many timing
      related mechanisms that contribute to set up the spatial pattern. 

PMID- 26116230
TI  - Metformin regulates stromal-epithelial cells communication via Wnt2/beta-catenin
      signaling in endometriosis.
AB  - In previous studies, we found that endometriotic stromal cells lose the ability
      to regulate cell survival signaling in endometriotic epithelial cells. Here, we
      invested the effect of Metformin on the stromal-epithelial cells crosstalk in
      endometriosis and explored the pathway that might be involved. We found that
      ectopic endometriotic stromal cells (ESC) expressed and secreted higher Wnt2
      protein compared with normal endometrial stromal cells (NSC). Conditioned medium
      (CM) from ESC supplemented with Wnt2 antibody significantly inhibited the growth
      of normal endometrial epithelial cells (NEC), while CM from ESC per se showed no
      significant effect on the growth of NEC. Metformin decreased the expression and
      secretion of Wnt2 in ESC. CM from Metformin-pretreated ESC significantly
      inhibited the growth of NEC. In conclusion, Wnt2/beta-catenin signaling was
      involved in stromal-epithelial cells interaction in endometriosis. Metformin
      might regulate the stroma-epithelium communication via Wnt2-mediated signaling in
      endometriosis. 

PMID- 26116231
TI  - Insulin resistance by TNF-alpha is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in
      3T3-L1 adipocytes and is ameliorated by punicic acid, a PPARgamma agonist.
AB  - Punicic acid (PA), a poly unsaturated fatty acid found abundantly in pomegranate
      seed oil is reported to have PPARgamma agonist property. TNF-alpha mediated
      insulin resistance plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes and is
      associated with severe mitochondrial impairment. In this study, PA was evaluated
      for its ability to ameliorate TNF-alpha induced mitochondrial dysfunctions in 3T3
      L1 adipocytes. For this, we examined the alterations in mitochondrial energetics,
      biogenesis, transmembrane potential and dynamics in TNF-alpha induced insulin
      resistant model of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. PA improved glucose uptake, ROS
      accumulation, mitochondrial biogenesis and energetics in TNF-alpha treated cells.
      In addition, treatment with PA was found to ameliorate TNF-alpha induced
      alterations in proteins associated with mitochondrial dynamics like FIS1 and
      OPA1. These findings suggest that PA can be considered as an active lead for the
      management of insulin resistance and associated mitochondrial dysfunctions. 

PMID- 26116232
TI  - Hypusination of eukaryotic initiation factor 5A via cAMP-PKA-ERK1/2 pathway is
      required for ligand-induced downregulation of LH receptor mRNA expression in the
      ovary.
AB  - Luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) mRNA expression in the ovary is regulated post
      transcriptionally by an LH receptor mRNA binding protein (LRBP). Eukaryotic
      initiation factor 5A (EIF5A), identified as an LRBP-interacting protein plays a
      crucial role in LHR mRNA expression. In this study, we have demonstrated that
      during hCG-induced LHR downregulation, a significant upregulation of eIF5A mRNA
      expression and hypusination of eIF5A protein occurs in a time dependent manner.
      Pretreatment with H89, a specific inhibitor of PKA, and U0126, a specific
      inhibitor of ERK1/2 significantly inhibited both hCG-induced eIF5A mRNA
      expression and hypusination of eIF5A protein. Pretreatment with GC7, a specific
      inhibitor of eIF5A hypusination significantly abolished hCG-induced LRBP mRNA and
      protein expression. Furthermore, GC7 pretreatment significantly inhibited hCG
      induced interaction of LRBP with LHR mRNA as assessed by RNA electrophoretic
      mobility gel shift assay (REMSA). GC7 treatment also reversed LHR mRNA
      downregulation. Taken together, these results suggest that hCG-induced LHR mRNA
      downregulation is mediated by cAMP-PKA-ERK1/2 signaling leading to activation of
      eIF5A hypusination. 

PMID- 26116233
TI  - Histone hypoacetylation and increased histone deacetylases in peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells from patients with Graves' disease.
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate histone modification patterns in
      peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with Graves' disease (GD).
      Thirty GD patients and 20 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Global
      histone H3/H4 acetylation levels of PBMCs in all subjects were detected by enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay. mRNA levels of histone-related chromatin modifier
      genes were measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase
      chain reaction. Global histone H4 acetylation level in PBMCs of GD patients was
      significantly decreased compared with controls (p=0.005). The mRNA expression of
      histone deacetylases HDAC1 and HDAC2 were significantly increased in PBMCs of GD
      patients compared with controls (p=0.004 and 0.018; respectively). No significant
      difference was observed either in SIRT1 or in HATs mRNA including p300, CREBBP
      between GD patients and controls (p>0.05). Our findings firstly suggested that
      histone acetylation modifications are aberrant in PBMCs of GD patients, possibly
      due to the deregulation of epigenetic modifier genes. 

PMID- 26116235
TI  - Distinct regions in the C-Terminus required for GLP-1R cell surface expression,
      activity and internalisation.
AB  - The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor (GLP-1R), an important drug target
      in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, is a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that
      mediates insulin secretion by GLP-1. The N-terminus controls GLP-1R biosynthetic
      trafficking to the cell surface but the C-terminus involvement in that
      trafficking is unknown. The aim of this study was to identify distinct regions
      within the C-terminal domain required for human GLP-1R (hGLP-1R) cell surface
      expression, activity and internalisation using a number of C-terminal deletions
      and site-directed mutations. The results of this study revealed that the residues
      411-418 within the C-terminal domain of the hGLP-1R are critical in targeting the
      newly synthesised receptor to the plasma membrane. The residues 419-430 are
      important for cAMP producing activity of the receptor, most likely by coupling to
      Galphas. However, the residues 431-450 within the C-terminus are essential for
      agonist-induced hGLP-1R internalisation. In conclusion, these findings
      demonstrate the hGLP-1R has distinct regions within the C-terminal domain
      required for its cell surface expression, activity and agonist-induced
      internalisation. 

PMID- 26116234
TI  - Trichostatin A reduces GnRH mRNA expression with a concomitant increase in
      retinaldehyde dehydrogenase in GnRH-producing neurons.
AB  - Trichostatin A (TSA) is a selective inhibitor of mammalian histone deacetylase
      and is widely used to modify the ability of DNA transcription factors to bind DNA
      within chromatin by interfering with histone deacetylation. In the GnRH-producing
      neuronal cell line GT1-7, TSA significantly reduced expression of GnRH mRNA.
      Kisspeptin, a known regulator of GnRH release, failed to increase GnRH mRNA
      expression and did not modify TSA-induced reduction of GnRH expression. TSA, but
      not kisspeptin, increased histone acetylation in whole-cell lysates and
      significantly stimulated the expression of retinaldehyde dehydrogenase (RALDH), a
      retinoic acid (RA)-synthesizing enzyme that is known to be involved in cell
      differentiation. In addition, treatment of the GT1-7 cells with RA dose
      dependently inhibited the expression of GnRH mRNA. Whereas, TSA-induced reduction
      of GnRH mRNA was not modulated by treatment with the pan-RA receptor inverse
      agonist BMS493 or the RA metabolism inhibitor liarozole. Our current results
      suggest that the RALDH and RA might not be directly involved in the reduction of
      GnRH expression induced by TSA, however these substances could be a novel
      regulator of GnRH. 

PMID- 26116236
TI  - Rat Humanin is encoded and translated in mitochondria and is localized to the
      mitochondrial compartment where it regulates ROS production.
AB  - Evidence for the putative mitochondrial origin of the Humanin (HN) peptide has
      been lacking, although its cytoprotective activity has been demonstrated in a
      variety of organismal and cellular systems. We sought to establish proof-of
      principle for a mitochondria-derived peptide (MDP) in a rat-derived cellular
      system as the rat HN sequence is predicted to lack nuclear insertions of
      mitochondrial origin (NUMT). We found that the rat HN (Rattin; rHN) homologue is
      derived from the mitochondrial genome as evidenced by decreased production in Rho
      0 cells, and that peptide translation occurs in the mitochondria as it is
      unaffected by cycloheximide. Rat HN localizes to the mitochondria in cellular
      subfractionation and immunohistochemical studies. Addition of a HN analogue to
      isolated mitochondria from rat INS-1 beta cells reduced hydrogen peroxide
      production by 55%. In summary, a locally bioactive peptide is derived and
      translated from an open reading frame (ORF) within rat mitochondrial DNA encoding
      16S rRNA. 

PMID- 26116237
TI  - GrOup based physical Activity for oLder adults (GOAL) randomized controlled
      trial: study protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical activity has health benefits across the lifespan, yet only
      13 % of Canadian older adults are sufficiently active. Results from a number of
      observational studies indicate that adults display positive preferences for
      exercising with others of a similar age and same gender, and that intra-group age
      and gender-similarity are associated with elevated exercise adherence. However,
      research has yet to experimentally examine the extent to which intra-group age-
      and gender-related similarity affect exercise adherence behaviors.
      METHODS/DESIGN: The GrOup-based physical Activity for oLder adults (GOAL) trial
      is a three-arm randomized control trial that will examine the efficacy of two
      different group-based exercise programs for older adults (informed by the tenets
      of self-categorization theory) in relation to a standard group-based exercise
      program. Within this manuscript we outline the design and proposed evaluation of
      the GOAL trial. The first arm is comprised of exercise groups made up of
      participants of a similar-age and of the same gender; the second arm consists of
      groups with similar-aged mixed gender participants; the control arm is comprised
      of mixed-aged mixed gender participants. We aim to compare the adherence rates of
      participants across conditions, as well as potential moderation effects and
      mediating mechanisms. DISCUSSION: Results from this trial will inform
      intervention designs to improve the exercise adherence behaviors of older adult.
      At a systems-level, should support be derived for the efficacy of the
      interventions tested in this trial, changing group composition (i.e., age,
      gender) represents a feasible program adaptation for physical activity centers.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov # NCT02023632 . Registered December 13,
      2013.

PMID- 26116238
TI  - Improved Natural Killer cell activity and retained anti-tumor CD8(+) T cell
      responses contribute to the induction of a pathological complete response in HER2
      positive breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Locally advanced HER2-overexpressing breast cancer (BC) patients
      achieve a high rate of pathological complete responses (pCR) after neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy (NC). The apparently unaltered immune proficiency of these patients
      together with the immune-modulating activities of NC drugs suggest a potential
      contribution of host immunity in mediating clinical responses. We thus performed
      an extensive immunomonitoring in locally advanced BC patients undergoing NC to
      identify immunological correlates of pCR induction. METHODS: The immune profile
      of 40 HER2-positive and 38 HER2-negative BC patients was characterized at
      diagnosis and throughout NC (Paclitaxel and Trastuzumab, or Docetaxel and
      Epirubicin, respectively). The percentages of circulating immune cell subsets
      including T and B lymphocytes, Natural Killer (NK) cells, regulatory T cells, T
      helper 17 lymphocytes, were quantified by multiparametric flow cytometry. NK
      cells functional activity was evaluated through the analysis of NF-kB nuclear
      translocation by Multispectral flow cytometry, and with the in vitro monitoring
      of Trastuzumab-mediated antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC). CD8(+) T
      cell responses against six different tumor-associated antigens (TAA) were
      characterized by IFN-gamma ELISPOT and IFN-gamma/IL-2 DualSpot assays. RESULTS:
      After NC, HER2-positive patients showed a significant increase in the number of
      NK cells and regulatory T cells irrespective of the pathological response,
      whereas patients undergoing a pCR disclosed higher percentages of T helper 17
      cells. Notably, a significant increase in the number of activated NK cells was
      observed only in HER2-positive patients achieving a pCR. Characterization of anti
      tumor T cell responses highlighted sustained levels of CD8(+) T cells specific
      for survivin and mammaglobin-A throughout NC in patients undergoing a pCR in both
      arms. Moreover, HER2-positive patients achieving a pCR were characterized by a
      multi-epitopic and polyfunctional anti-tumor T cell response, markedly reduced in
      case of partial response. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that maintenance of
      functional T cell responses against selected antigens and improvement of NK cell
      proficiency during NC are probably critical requirements for pCR induction,
      especially in HER2-positive BC patients. Trail registration: TRIAL REGISTRATION
      NUMBER: NCT02307227, registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (
      http://www.clinicaltrials.gov , November 26, 2014).

PMID- 26116240
TI  - The home-made in situ passive flux sampler for the measurement of monoterpene
      emission flux: preliminary studies.
AB  - The paper presents the construction and metrological characteristics of the home
      made in situ passive flux sampler, an analytical tool representing small-scale
      emission chambers working in situ and passively sampling analytes from the
      gaseous phase. The sorption element was a cylindrical container made of stainless
      steel net, packed with a carbon sorbent bed-graphitized charcoal, Carbograph 4
      (35/50 mesh). The recommended working/exposure time of the constructed passive
      device was determined by carrying out model tests in the laboratory. In addition,
      a preliminary study was conducted to determine the rate of the emission flux of
      selected monoterpenes released from the surface of wood-based indoor materials
      (laminated chipboard) used in residential areas. 

PMID- 26116239
TI  - Evaluation of a protocol for vancomycin administration in critically patients
      with and without kidney dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Administration of vancomycin in critically ill patients needs close
      regulation. While subtherapeutical vancomycin serum concentration (VSC) is
      associated with increased mortality, accumulation is responsible for
      nephrotoxicity. Our study aimed to estimate the efficacy of a vancomycin-dosing
      protocol in reaching appropriate serum concentration in patients with and without
      kidney dysfunction. METHODS: This was a retrospective study in critically ill
      patients treated with continuous infusion of vancomycin. Patients with creatinine
      clearance > 50 ml/min (Group A) were compared to those with creatinine clearance
      <= 50 ml/min (Group B). RESULTS: 348 patients were enrolled (210 in Group A, 138
      in Group B). At first determination, patients with kidney dysfunction (Group B)
      had a statistically higher percentage of vancomycin in target range, while the
      percentage of patients with a VSC under the range was almost equal. These
      percentages differed at the subsequent measurements. The number of patients with
      low vancomycin concentration progressively decreased, except in those with
      augmented renal clearance; the percentage of patients with VSC over 30 mg/L was
      about 28 %, irrespective of the presence or absence of kidney dysfunction.
      Patients who reached a subtherapeutic level at the first VSC measurement had a
      significant correlation with in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Our protocol
      seems to allow a rapid achievement of a target VSC particularly in patients with
      kidney dysfunction. In order to avoid subtherapeutical VSC, our algorithm should
      be implemented by the estimation of the presence of an augmented renal clearance.

PMID- 26116241
TI  - Characterization of ankle dorsiflexors performance in healthy subjects following
      maximal-intensity isokinetic resistance training.
AB  - The purpose of this randomized trial was to examine, in healthy subjects, the
      effect of unilateral isokinetic-concentric training of the dominant ankle
      dorsiflexors (DF) on the peak moment (PM), mean PM (MPM), maximal work and mean
      work (meanW). Thirty volunteers (26.7+/-4.6years old) underwent bilateral
      isokinetic testing of ankle DF at 45 and 90 degrees /s. Participants were
      randomly assigned to a control or a training group. The training lasted 4weeks (4
      day/week). All dynamometric parameters increased significantly only in the
      training group for the trained leg (p<0.05), with greater gains in work (32-47%
      at 45 degrees /s and 31-41% at 90 degrees /s) than moment variables (14-18% at 45
      degrees /s and 14-28% at 90 degrees /s). Similar increases in strength were also
      noted at both angular velocities in the untrained leg (p<0.01) for both work and
      moment parameters, depicting a cross-training effect. Correlations between
      'moments' and 'works' increased in both legs after training from 0.59-0.77 to
      0.79-0.95. Principal component analysis indicated that, at baseline, PM showed
      the highest weight on DF performance; after training, meanW at 90 degrees /s and
      MPM at 45 degrees /s exhibited the highest loadings. High-intensity training of
      ankle DF increase the ability in generating energy throughout the entire range of
      motion rather than maximizing the PM. 

PMID- 26116242
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms, its copy number change and outcome in colorectal
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mitochondrion is a small organelle inside the eukaryotic cells. It
      has its own genome (mtDNA) and encodes for proteins that are critical for energy
      production and cellular metabolism. Mitochondrial dysfunctions have been
      implicated in cancer progression and may be related to poor prognosis in cancer
      patients. In this study we hypothesized that genetic variations in mtDNA are
      associated with clinical outcome in colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: We
      tested the associations of six mtDNA polymorphisms [MitoT479C, MitoT491C,
      MitoT10035C, MitoA13781G, 10398 (A/G), and 16189 (T/C)] and the mtDNA copy number
      change with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) times. Two
      mtDNA polymorphisms were genotyped using the TaqMan((r)) SNP genotyping technique
      and the genotypes for the remaining four mtDNA polymorphisms were obtained by the
      Illumina((r)) HumanOmni1-Quad genome wide SNP genotyping platform in 536
      patients. The mtDNA copy number change (in tumor tissues with respect to non
      tumor tissues) was estimated using the quantitative real time polymerase chain
      reaction for 274 patients. Associations of these mtDNA variations with OS and DFS
      were tested using the Cox regression method. RESULTS: In both univariate and
      multivariable analyses, none of the six mtDNA polymorphisms were associated with
      OS or DFS. 39.6 and 60.4% of the patients had increased and decreased mtDNA copy
      number in their tumor tissues when compared to their non-tumor rectum or colon
      tissues, respectively. However, in contrast to previous findings, the change in
      the mtDNA copy number was associated with neither OS nor DFS in our patient
      cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the mitochondrial genetic markers
      investigated in this study are not associated with outcome in colorectal cancer.

PMID- 26116243
TI  - Exposed: The Many and Varied Roles of Phospholipase C gamma SH2 Domains.

PMID- 26116244
TI  - A tower of paper spanning eighty years.

PMID- 26116245
TI  - Molecular and karyological identification and morphological description of
      cystocercous cercariae of Phyllodistomum umblae and Phyllodistomum folium
      (Digenea, Gorgoderidae) developing in European sphaeriid bivalves.
AB  - Two cystocercous gorgoderid cercariae of the genus Phyllodistomum Braun, 1899,
      Phyllodistomum umblae (Fabricius, 1780) and Phyllodistomum folium (Olfers, 1816),
      developing in sphaeriid bivalves from Norway and Lithuania, were studied and
      compared. Our previous molecular studies revealed very close phylogenetic
      relation of these two species and proved that cystocercous cercariae of P. folium
      develop in sporocysts in the gills of sphaeriid bivalves. In the present study
      morphological descriptions are given for the two cercariae, together with
      karyological and molecular characteristics. Comparative karyological and sequence
      analysis using ITS2 and 28S rDNA revealed the conspecificity of cercariae emitted
      from Pisidium hibernicum and Sphaerium corneum with adult P. umblae from
      Thymallus thymallus and Coregonus albula. The cercariae of P. folium and P.
      umblae are very similar morphologically with main differences in the structure of
      the tail. The two species clearly differ in karyotype structure. The diploid set
      of P. folium is composed of 18 chromosomes, but 16 chromosomes with one pair of
      large metacentrics were found in mitotic cells of P. umblae. Interspecific
      karyotypic difference presumably arose from Robertsonian fusion of two uni-armed
      chromosomes. 

PMID- 26116246
TI  - Phylogenetic relationships of Paradiclybothrium pacificum and Diclybothrium
      armatum (Monogenoidea: Diclybothriidae) inferred from 18S rDNA sequence data.
AB  - The Diclybothriidae (Monogenoidea: Oligonchoinea) includes specific parasites of
      fishes assigned to the ancient order Acipenseriformes. Phylogeny of the
      Diclybothriidae is still unclear despite several systematic studies based on
      morphological characters. Together with the closely related Hexabothriidae
      represented by parasites of sharks and ray-fishes, the position of
      Diclybothriidae in different taxonomical systems has been matter of discussion.
      Here, we present the first molecular data on Diclybothriidae. The SSU rRNA gene
      was used to investigate the phylogenetic position of Paradiclybothrium pacificum
      and Diclybothrium armatum among the other Oligonchoinea. Complete nucleotide
      sequences of P. pacificum and D. armatum demonstrated high identity (98.53%) with
      no intraspecific sequence variability. Specimens of D. armatum were obtained from
      different hosts (Acipenser schrenckii and Huso dauricus); however, variation by
      host was not detected. The sequence divergence and phylogenetic trees data show
      that Diclybothriidae and Hexabothriidae are more closely related to each other
      than with other representatives of Oligonchoinea. 

PMID- 26116247
TI  - Effect of rotavirus vaccine on childhood diarrhea mortality in five Latin
      American countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to estimate the association between
      rotavirus vaccine (RV) introduction and reduction of all-cause diarrhea death
      rates among children in five Latin American countries that introduced RV in 2006.
      METHODS: Diarrhea mortality data was gathered from 2002 until 2009 from the Pan
      American Health Organization Mortality Database for five "vaccine adopter"
      countries (Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama) that introduced RV
      in 2006 and four "control" countries (Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, and Paraguay)
      that did not introduce RV by 2009. Time trend analyses were carried out, and
      effects and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. RESULTS: Each of the
      five vaccine adopter countries, except Panama, showed a significant trend in
      declining mortality rates during the post-vaccine period from 2006 to 2009,
      whereas no decline was seen in control countries during these years. Furthermore,
      trends of reduction of all-cause diarrhea mortality in both children <1 year of
      age and <5 years of age were greater in the post-vaccination period compared with
      the pre-vaccine period in all vaccine adopter countries (except for Nicaragua),
      whereas in control countries, a reverse pattern was seen with greater reduction
      in the early years from 2002 to 2005 versus 2006-2009. An estimatedtotal of 1777
      of annual under-5 deaths were avoided in Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico, and
      Nicaragua during the post-vaccination period. CONCLUSION: All vaccine adopter
      countries, except Panama, showed a significant decrease in all-cause diarrhea
      related deaths after RV implementation, even after adjusting for declining trends
      over time in diarrhea mortality. These data strongly support continuous efforts
      to increase vaccination coverage of RV vaccines, particularly in countries with
      high levels of child mortality from diarrhea.

PMID- 26116248
TI  - Avidity of maternal pertussis antibodies after vaccination during pregnancy.

PMID- 26116249
TI  - Risk perceptions, sexual attitudes, and sexual behavior after HPV vaccination in
      11-12 year-old girls.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Among 11-12 year-old girls who received the human papillomavirus
      (HPV) vaccine, we explored, over the subsequent 30 months: (1) trajectories of
      knowledge about HPV/HPV vaccines and vaccine-related risk perceptions; (2)
      whether knowledge and risk perceptions impacted sexual attitudes and sexual
      experience; (3) whether mothers, clinicians, and media influenced girls' risk
      perceptions, attitudes, and behavior. METHODS: Girls and mothers (n=25dyads)
      completed separate, semi-structured interviews within 2 days of, and 6, 18, and
      30 months after, their first HPV vaccine dose. Knowledge, risk perceptions
      related to HPV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and attitudes
      about sexual behaviors were assessed. Sexual experience was assessed at girls' 30
      month interviews. Clinicians completed interviews at baseline. Transcribed
      interviews were analyzed using framework analysis. RESULTS: Girls' baseline
      knowledge was poor but often improved with time. Most girls (n=18) developed
      accurate risk perceptions about HPV but only half (n=12) developed accurate risk
      perceptions about other STIs by 30 months. The vast majority of girls thought
      that safer sex was still important, regardless of knowledge, risk perceptions, or
      sexual experience. Girls whose HPV knowledge was high at baseline or increased
      over time tended to articulate accurate risk perceptions; those who were able to
      articulate accurate risk perceptions tended to report not having initiated sexual
      activity. Girls whose mothers demonstrated higher knowledge and/or communication
      about HPV vaccination tended to articulate accurate risk perceptions, whereas
      clinicians and media exposure did not appear to influence risk perceptions.
      CONCLUSIONS: Higher knowledge about HPV vaccines among mothers and girls was
      linked with more accurate risk perceptions among girls. Clinicians may play an
      important role in providing education about HPV vaccines to mothers and girls.

PMID- 26116250
TI  - Estimating the herd immunity effect of rotavirus vaccine.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of death in children under 5,
      and an estimated 39% of these deaths are attributable to rotavirus. Currently two
      live, oral rotavirus vaccines have been introduced on the market; however, the
      herd immunity effect associated with rotavirus vaccine has not yet been
      quantified. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to estimate the herd immunity
      effects associated with rotavirus vaccines. METHODS: We performed a systematic
      literature review of articles published between 2008 and 2014 that measured the
      impact of rotavirus vaccine on severe gastroenteritis (GE) morbidity or
      mortality. We assessed the quality of published studies using a standard protocol
      and conducted meta-analyses to estimate the herd immunity effect in children less
      than one year of age across all years presented in the studies. We conducted
      these analyses separately for studies reporting a rotavirus-specific GE outcome
      and those reporting an all-cause GE outcome. RESULTS: In studies reporting a
      rotavirus-specific GE outcome, four of five of which were conducted in the United
      States, the median herd effect across all study years was 22% [19-25%]. In
      studies reporting an all-cause GE outcome, all of which were conducted in Latin
      America, the median herd effect was 24.9% [11-30%]. CONCLUSIONS: There is
      evidence that rotavirus vaccination confers a herd immunity effect in children
      under one year of age in the United States and Latin American countries. Given
      the high variability in vaccine efficacy across regions, more studies are needed
      to better examine herd immunity effects in high mortality regions.

PMID- 26116251
TI  - Impact of PCV7/PCV13 introduction on community-acquired alveolar pneumonia in
      children <5 years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alveolar community-acquired pneumonia (A-CAP) is mostly considered a
      bacterial disease, mainly pneumococcal. This study was conducted to document the
      impact of sequential 7-valent and the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines
      (PCV7; PCV13) on emergency room and hospitalization for A-CAP among children <5
      years of age. METHODS: This is an ongoing prospective population-based study in
      southern Israel. The current analysis spans over the period July 2002 through
      June 2013. A-CAP was defined using the World Health Organization (WHO)'s criteria
      for radiologically-confirmed pneumonia. PCV7 was introduced in Israel in July
      2009 and gradually replaced by PCV13 in November 2010. Pneumococcal conjugate
      vaccine (PCV) impact was calculated by comparing incidences during 3 pre-defined
      periods: pre-PCV (2002-2008), PCV7 (2010-2011) and PCV13 (2012-2013). RESULTS:
      Overall, 10,142 A-CAP episodes occurred. The annual incidences (per 1,000
      inhabitants) in children <5 years old declined from a mean (+/-standard
      deviation) of 13.8 +/- 0.9 in the pre-PCV period to 11.2 +/- 2.7 in the PCV7
      period and 7.4 in the PCV13 period, representing a reduction of 13% and 47%,
      respectively. The overall decrease was significantly faster among outpatients
      than among hospitalized children (42% and -8%, respectively in the PCV7 period;
      68% vs. 32% in hospitalized children in the PCV13 period). While in children 12
      23 months a significant decline was observed during the PCV7 and PCV13 periods,
      significant declines in A-CAP rates were observed only during the PCV13 period in
      the <12 months and 24-59 months age groups (44% and 46%, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: A moderate decline in hospital A-CAP visits in children <5 years old
      was observed after PCV7 introduction. In contrast, after PCV13 introduction a
      substantial reduction in all visits was evident.

PMID- 26116252
TI  - Self-reported hepatitis A vaccination as a predictor of hepatitis A virus
      antibody protection in U.S. adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination
      Survey 2007-2012.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To estimate the predictive value of self-reported hepatitis A vaccine
      (HepA) receipt for the presence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibody (anti-HAV)
      from either past infection or vaccination, as an indicator of HAV protection.
      METHODS: Using 2007-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data,
      we assigned participants to 4 groups based on self-reported HepA receipt and anti
      HAV results. We compared characteristics across groups and calculated three
      measures of agreement between self-report and serologic status (anti-HAV):
      percentage concordance, and positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values.
      Using logistic regression we investigated factors associated with agreement
      between self-reported vaccination status and serological results. RESULTS:
      Demographic and other characteristics varied significantly across the 4 groups.
      Overall agreement between self-reported HepA receipt and serological results was
      63.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 61.9-65.2); PPV and NPV of self-reported
      vaccination status for serological result were 47.0% (95% CI 44.2-49.8) and 69.4%
      (95% CI 67.0-71.8), respectively. Mexican American and foreign-born adults had
      the highest PPVs (71.5% [95% CI 65.9-76.5], and 75.8% [95% CI 71.4-79.7]) and the
      lowest NPVs (21.8% [95% CI 18.5-25.4], and 20.0% [95% CI 17.2-23.1]),
      respectively. Young (ages 20-29 years), US-born, and non-Hispanic White adults
      had the lowest PPVs (37.9% [95% CI 34.5-41.5], 39.1% [95% CI, 36.0-42.3], and
      39.8% [36.1-43.7]), and the highest NPVs (76.9% [95% CI 72.2-81.0, 78.5% [95% CI
      76.5-80.4)], and 80.6% [95% CI 78.2-82.8), respectively. Multivariate logistic
      analyses found age, race/ethnicity, education, place of birth and income to be
      significantly associated with agreement between self-reported vaccination status
      and serological results. CONCLUSIONS: When assessing hepatitis A protection, self
      report of not having received HepA was most likely to identify persons at risk
      for hepatitis A infection (no anti-HAV) among young, US-born and non-Hispanic
      White adults, and self-report of HepA receipt was least likely to be reliable
      among adults with the same characteristics.

PMID- 26116253
TI  - A recombinant varicella vaccine harboring a respiratory syncytial virus gene
      induces humoral immunity.
AB  - The varicella-zoster virus (VZV) Oka vaccine strain (vOka) is highly efficient
      and causes few adverse events; therefore, it is used worldwide. We previously
      constructed recombinant vOka (rvOka) harboring the mumps virus gene. Immunizing
      guinea pigs with rvOka induced the production of neutralizing antibodies against
      the mumps virus and VZV. Here, we constructed recombinant vOka viruses containing
      either the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) subgroup A fusion glycoprotein (RSV
      A-F) gene or RSV subgroup B fusion glycoprotein (RSV B-F) gene (rvOka-RSV A-F or
      rvOka-RSV B-F). Indirect immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses confirmed
      the expression of each recombinant RSV protein in virus-infected cells.
      Immunizing guinea pigs with rvOka-RSV A-F or rvOka-RSV B-F led to the induction
      of antibodies against RSV proteins. These results suggest that the current
      varicella vaccine genome can be used to generate custom-made vaccine vectors to
      develop the next generation of live vaccines. 

PMID- 26116254
TI  - Efficacy and immunogenicity of recombinant swinepox virus expressing the A
      epitope of the TGEV S protein.
AB  - To explore the possibility of developing a vaccine against transmissible
      gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) infection, a recombinant swinepox virus (rSPV-SA)
      expressing a TGEV protective antigen has been constructed. Immune responses and
      protection efficacy of the vaccination vector were assessed in both mice and pig
      models. An indirect ELISA assay suggested that when mice were vaccinated with
      rSPV-SA, the level of IgG against TGEV was enhanced dramatically. The cytokine
      assays were employed and the results indicated that both the Th1-type and Th2
      type cytokine levels raised after vaccination with rSPV-SA in mice models.
      Results from the passive immunity protection test of new born piglets
      demonstrated that the recombinant live-vector vaccine, rSPV-SA, could 100%
      protect piglets from the SPV infection, and there was no significant clinical
      symptom in the rSPV-SA treatment group during this experiment. The data suggest
      that the novel recombinant swinepox virus is a potential vaccine against TGEV
      infection. 

PMID- 26116255
TI  - Vaccines for prevention of group B meningococcal disease: Not your father's
      vaccines.
AB  - For decades, there was no licensed vaccine for prevention of endemic capsular
      group B meningococcal disease, despite the availability of vaccines for
      prevention of the other most common meningococcal capsular groups. Recently,
      however, two new vaccines have been licensed for prevention of group B disease.
      Although immunogenic and considered to have an acceptable safety profile, there
      are many scientific unknowns about these vaccines, including effectiveness
      against antigenically diverse endemic meningococcal strains; duration of
      protection; whether they provide any herd protection; and whether there will be
      meningococcal antigenic changes that will diminish effectiveness over time. In
      addition, these vaccines present societal dilemmas that could influence how they
      are used in the U.S., including high vaccine cost in the face of a historically
      low incidence of meningococcal disease. These issues are discussed in this
      review. 

PMID- 26116256
TI  - Influenza vaccine: Delayed vaccination schedules and missed opportunities in
      children under 2 years old.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In Argentina respiratory disease is the third leading cause of
      death in children under 5 years. In 2011 influenza vaccination was included in
      the National Calendar for children between 6 and 24 months (two doses schedule).
      Influenza vaccine coverage for second dose was 46.1% in 2013. The aim was to
      determine the proportion of delayed schedules and missed opportunities, to assess
      the characteristics of missed opportunities for vaccination and to explore the
      perception of influenza disease and vaccination from the parents of children
      between 6 and 24 months in different regions of Argentina in 2013. METHODS:
      Analytical observational multicenter cross-sectional study. Structured surveys
      were carried out to the children's parents who were between 6 and 24 months of
      age during the influenza virus vaccination season (April-October 2013). Chi
      Square test was used to assess association and differences between proportions
      and categorical variables. A logistic regression model was built to identify
      delay predictor variables in the vaccination schedules. Missed opportunities for
      vaccination were characterized through the estimation of proportions. RESULTS:
      1350 surveys were conducted in the three centers. We detected 65% (884/1340) of
      delayed influenza vaccination schedules, 97% of them associated with missed
      opportunities of vaccination. The independent protective factors associated with
      a decreases risk of delayed schedules were: (a) perception of the importance of
      influenza vaccination (OR=0.42(0.18-0.94); p=0.035), (b) having less than one
      year of age (OR=0.75(0.59-0.96); p=0.022), (c) to have received information in
      pediatric visits or in any media (OR=0.71(0.56-0.90); p=0.004). There was 38% of
      MOIV in 1st dose and 63.4% in 2nd dose. The main cause of MOIV in 1st dose was
      not detecting the need for vaccination (39%) and in 2nd dose the unknowledge of
      the vaccination schedule (35.3%). No cultural reasons were detected. CONCLUSIONS:
      High frequency of delayed vaccination schedules and missed opportunities were
      detected. Parents had little concern about the safety of influenza vaccine.

PMID- 26116257
TI  - Pneumococcal disease prevention among adults: Strategies for the use of
      pneumococcal vaccines.
AB  - Use of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines among children in the US since 2000
      has dramatically reduced pneumococcal disease burden among adults. Significant
      vaccine-preventable morbidity and mortality from pneumococcal infections still
      remains, especially among older adults. The US Advisory Committee on Immunization
      Practices (ACIP) has recently recommended the routine use of both pneumococcal
      conjugate (PCV13) and polysaccharide vaccines (PPSV23) for adults >=65 years.
      These recommendations were based on the remaining burden of illness among adults
      and the importance of non-bacteremic pneumonia prevention in light of new
      evidence confirming the efficacy of PCV13 to prevent pneumococcal pneumonia among
      older adults. This paper reviews the evidence that led the ACIP to make
      recommendations for PCV13 and PPSV23 use among adults, and highlights potential
      gaps to be addressed by future studies to inform adult vaccination policy. The
      changing epidemiology of invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia should be
      closely monitored to evaluate the effectiveness and continued utility of the
      current vaccination strategy, and to identify future directions for pneumococcal
      disease prevention among older adults. 

PMID- 26116258
TI  - Reduced Dose Intensity of Chemotherapy may not Lead to Inferior Palliation in
      Locally Advanced Carcinoma of the Gall Bladder: An Experience from a Regional
      Cancer Centre in Eastern India.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess impact of relative total dose intensity (RTDI) on clinical
      benefit among patients with locally advanced carcinoma gall bladder receiving
      gemcitabine-cisplatin (GemCis). Comparison of clinical benefit among patients
      receiving variable RTDI was the primary objective. The secondary objective was an
      impact of RTDI on chemotherapy toxicity. METHODS: One-hundred twenty-one patients
      with locally advanced inoperable carcinoma gall bladder undergoing chemotherapy
      with three weekly gemcitabine-cisplatin chemotherapies (gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2)
      on day 1 and 8, cisplatin 70 mg/m(2) on day 1) were studied. Clinical benefit and
      treatment toxicity was assessed. Total dose of chemotherapy and relative total
      dose intensity, the proportion of planned dose actually received was calculated.
      RESULTS: RTDI of at least 50 % conferred substantial clinical benefit compared to
      lower RTDI (75.49 vs. 21.05 %). RTDI above 50-59 % did not improve clinical
      benefit; two-tailed p values of RTDI >60 % vs. RTDI >50 % and RTDI >70 % vs. RTDI
      >50 % were 1.000 and 0.4266, respectively. Subsequent extended cholecystectomy
      rates did not significantly improve among patients who received RTDI greater than
      50-59 %; two-tailed p values of RTDI >60 % vs. RTDI >50 % and RTDI >70 % vs. >50
      % were 0.0920 and 0.5648, respectively. Significantly higher neutropenia and
      anemia of at least grade 2 occurred with RTDI >70 % vs. RTDI 50-59 %; two-tailed
      p values 0.0019 and 0.0048, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Relative total dose
      intensity of chemotherapy higher than 60 % among patients with inoperable locally
      advanced carcinoma gall bladder conferred no significant improvement in clinical
      benefit and subsequent rates of extended cholecystectomy. Higher RTDI however led
      to significantly increased toxicity among these patients.

PMID- 26116259
TI  - Primary Gastric Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Presenting as Gastric Outlet
      Obstruction: a Call for High Clinical Suspicion.

PMID- 26116260
TI  - Hydroxychloroquine screening practice patterns within a large multispecialty
      ophthalmic practice.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine provider compliance with hydroxychloroquine screening
      following the revised recommendations published in 2011 by the American Academy
      of Ophthalmology. DESIGN: Evaluation of adherence to a screening protocol.
      METHODS: Subjects were identified with hydroxychloroquine as a medication by
      electronic query at a large multispecialty ophthalmic practice. Patients were
      excluded if patients: (1) were screened by an outside physician; (2) lacked
      recorded height, weight, start date, or dosing; or (3) took hydroxychloroquine
      for malaria prophylaxis. Screening tests were stratified by ophthalmic
      subspecialty. Guidelines define proper screening as 1 subjective test-Humphrey
      visual field (HVF), and 1 objective test-spectral-domain optical coherence
      tomography (SD OCT), fundus autofluorescence (FAF), or multifocal
      electroretinography (mfERG). Adherence to guidelines was determined by
      categorizing practices as: (1) "appropriate"-consistent with guidelines; (2)
      "underscreened"-insufficient testing; or (3) "inappropriate"-no testing. RESULTS:
      The study comprised 756 patients with a mean age of 56 years undergoing 1294
      screening visits. Twenty-one patients received initial screenings outside the
      institution. Most common screening tests employed included SD OCT (56.6%), 10-2
      HVF (55.0%), and Amsler grid (40.0%). Of the 735 initial screenings, 341 (46.4%)
      were appropriately screened, 204 (27.8%) underscreened, and 190 (25.9%)
      inappropriately screened. Of those who presented solely for screening (560), 307
      (54.8%) were appropriately screened, 144 (25.7%) underscreened, and 109 (19.5%)
      inappropriately screened. CONCLUSIONS: Of patients presenting for
      hydroxychloroquine screening, 54.8% of patients received appropriate evaluation,
      indicating lack of adherence to guidelines. Overall, SD OCT and 10-2 HVF were the
      preferred screening modalities, with FAF and mfERG less frequently ordered.

PMID- 26116261
TI  - Comparison of clinical outcomes of iris fixation and scleral fixation as
      treatment for intraocular lens dislocation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and safety of iris fixation with scleral
      fixation in surgical repositioning of dislocated intraocular lenses (IOLs).
      DESIGN: Retrospective, consecutive, comparative interventional case series.
      METHODS: setting: Referral hospital. STUDY POPULATION: Seventy-eight consecutive
      patients who underwent surgical repositioning of dislocated intraocular lenses
      using suturing to the sclera or iris. INTERVENTION: Forty-four eyes of 44
      patients underwent scleral fixation and 35 eyes of 34 patients underwent iris
      fixation of dislocated intraocular lenses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual acuity,
      refractive stability, operation time, and perioperative complications, including
      recurrence of IOL dislocation. RESULTS: Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA)
      improved significantly 1 month postoperatively in both groups (P < .01 each), and
      remained stable for 12 months. One week postoperatively, however, CDVA improved
      significantly in the scleral fixation (P = .040) but not in the iris fixation (P
      = .058) group. The amount of refractive error significantly diminished 1 day
      after surgery (P = .028 in the scleral fixation and P = .046 in the iris fixation
      group). For the astigmatic components, Jackson crossed cylinders equivalent to
      conventional cylinders of positive power at axes of 0 degrees (J0) and 45 degrees
      (J45), J45 differed significantly in the scleral fixation and iris fixation
      groups (P = .009), whereas J0 was similar (P > .05). Operation time was
      significantly shorter (P = .0007), while immediate postoperative inflammation was
      significantly more severe (P = .001), in the iris fixation than in the scleral
      fixation group. Recurrence rates were similar (P > .05), but the mean time to
      recurrence was significantly shorter in the iris fixation than in the scleral
      fixation group (P = .031). CONCLUSIONS: Iris fixation and scleral fixation
      techniques had similar efficacy in the repositioning of dislocated intraocular
      lenses. Although operation time was shorter for iris fixation, it had several
      disadvantages, including induced astigmatism, immediate postoperative
      inflammation, earlier recurrence, and less stable refraction.

PMID- 26116262
TI  - Transplant rejection following endothelial keratoplasty and penetrating
      keratoplasty in the United Kingdom: incidence and survival.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the incidence and outcome of cornea transplant rejection
      following endothelial keratoplasty (EK) and penetrating keratoplasty (PK) for
      Fuchs endothelial dystrophy (FED) and pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (PBK).
      DESIGN: Multicenter cohort study. METHODS: Patients registered on the United
      Kingdom Transplant Registry (UKTR) who had an EK or PK for FED or PBK between
      April 1, 2005 and March 31, 2011 were included. Data were collected from UKTR
      forms at 1 and 2 years. Postoperative steroid use varies between surgeons and
      cannot be captured in this reporting system. Rejection events were identified as
      those recorded as endothelial rejection. RESULTS: A total of 3486 corneal
      transplants were undertaken: 1973 for FED, 1513 for PBK. For FED, 2-year
      rejection-free survival was 93% (95% confidence interval [CI] 90%-94%) for PK and
      94% (95% CI 92%-96%) for EK (P = .3). In transplants that had a rejection
      episode, 50% of PKs (17) and 60% of EKs (15) subsequently failed. For PBK, 2-year
      rejection-free survival for PK was 88% (95% CI 86%-90%) and 90% (95% CI 86%-92%)
      for EK (P = .6). In transplants that had a rejection episode, 85% of PKs (41) and
      76% of EKs (22) subsequently failed. Inflammation (ie, conjunctival injection,
      presence of keratic precipitates and intraocular signs) at the time of surgery
      for patients with FED was significant for developing rejection: 3.5 times greater
      compared with those with no inflammation (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: There is no
      significant difference in rejection-free survival between EK and PK for FED or
      PBK. The presence of inflammation is an important risk factor, and attention to
      its control before and following surgery is important.

PMID- 26116263
TI  - Clinical color vision testing and correlation with visual function.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine if Hardy-Rand-Rittler (H-R-R) and Ishihara testing are
      accurate estimates of color vision in subjects with acquired visual dysfunction.
      DESIGN: Assessment of diagnostic tools. METHODS: Twenty-two subjects with optic
      neuropathy (aged 18-65) and 18 control subjects were recruited prospectively from
      an outpatient clinic. Individuals with visual acuity (VA) <20/200 or with
      congenital color blindness were excluded. All subjects underwent a comprehensive
      eye examination including VA, color vision, and contrast sensitivity testing.
      Color vision was assessed using H-R-R and Ishihara plates and Farnsworth D-15 (D
      15) discs. D-15 is the accepted standard for detecting and classifying color
      vision deficits. Contrast sensitivity was measured using Pelli-Robson contrast
      sensitivity charts. RESULTS: No relationship was found between H-R-R and D-15
      scores (P = .477). H-R-R score and contrast sensitivity were positively
      correlated (P = .003). On multivariate analysis, contrast sensitivity (beta =
      8.61, P < .001) and VA (beta = 2.01, P = .022) both showed association with H-R-R
      scores. Similar to H-R-R, Ishihara score did not correlate with D-15 score (P =
      .973), but on multivariate analysis was related to contrast sensitivity (beta =
      8.69, P < .001). H-R-R and Ishihara scores had an equivalent relationship with
      contrast sensitivity (P = .069). CONCLUSION: Neither H-R-R nor Ishihara testing
      appears to assess color identification in patients with optic neuropathy. Both H
      R-R and Ishihara testing are correlated with contrast sensitivity, and these
      tests may be useful clinical surrogates for contrast sensitivity testing.

PMID- 26116264
TI  - Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment and the risk of
      thromboembolism.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the subsequent risk of thromboembolic events in patients
      receiving intravitreal ranibizumab and bevacizumab for age-related macular
      degeneration or macular edema. DESIGN: Population-based crossover analysis with
      self-matched historical control data. METHODS: setting: Ontario, Canada, between
      April 1, 2006, and March 31, 2013. STUDY POPULATION: Consecutive patients 65 and
      older who initiated intravitreal treatment (N = 57 919). INTERVENTION:
      Intravitreal injection of ranibizumab or bevacizumab. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Emergency visits for thromboembolic events spanning 1-4 years before treatment
      were compared to 1 year after treatment. Also examined were other secondary
      events including hip fractures, congestive heart failure, angina, falls,
      depression, cholecystitis, and total emergencies, as well as a control group
      following cataract surgery. RESULTS: A total of 57 919 patients were included who
      accounted for 1858 thromboembolic emergencies (48 per month) during the 3-year
      Baseline interval and 1077 thromboembolic emergencies (83 per month) during the 1
      year Subsequent interval after initiating treatment. The absolute change in risk
      equaled an increase from 10.7 to 18.6 per 1000 patients annually after initiation
      of treatment (rate ratio 1.74; 95% confidence interval 1.58-1.92; P < .0001). The
      relative increase was particularly pronounced for ischemic stroke (rate ratio
      2.18; 95% confidence interval 1.94-2.46; P < .0001). The observed increase
      exceeded trends due to aging, applied across patients with diverse
      characteristics, occurred with each medication (ranibizumab and bevacizumab), was
      not apparent for emergencies unrelated to thromboembolic events, and did not
      occur in a control group following cataract surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal
      anti-vascular endothelial growth factor medications ranibizumab and bevacizumab
      may contribute to systemic thromboembolic events in patients aged 65 years or
      older.

PMID- 26116265
TI  - Work patterns, sleeping hours and excess weight in commercial drivers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Work and sleep patterns for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers
      often include long working hours, shift work and diminished sleep duration and
      quality, which have been linked to overweight, obesity and other problems. AIMS:
      To explore possible connections between work, sleep and obesity among CMV
      drivers. METHODS: Survey and anthropometric data were collected from male long
      haul CMV drivers in central North Carolina, USA, over a period of 6 months.
      Drivers' body mass index (BMI) was used as a measure of total body obesity and
      sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD) as a measure of central adiposity. RESULTS:
      Among the 260 study subjects, mean BMI was 33.1 (64% were obese or morbidly
      obese) and mean SAD was 32.3cm, classifying 89% of drivers as being at high or
      very high cardiometabolic risk. About 83% of drivers worked an irregular daily
      schedule, 64% worked irregular total daily hours, 32% worked irregular days of
      the week and 46% reported getting <7h of sleep during work nights. Significant
      predictors of BMI included the number of hours worked daily (P < 0.05) and the
      age (P < 0.01) of the driver, while age was also a significant predictor for SAD
      (P < 0.05). Significant predictors of sleep quality included the extent of shift
      work (P < 0.05) and sleep duration (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Work and sleep
      configurations appear to affect the weight status of CMV drivers. Shift work and
      sleep duration are both associated with the weight status of CMV drivers, and
      both appear to function as indicators of their sleep quality.

PMID- 26116266
TI  - Density-dependent prey mortality is determined by the spatial scale of predator
      foraging.
AB  - Foraging theory predicts which prey patches predators should target. However, in
      most habitats, what constitutes a 'patch' and how prey density is calculated are
      subjective concepts and depend on the spatial scale at which the predator (or
      scientist) is observing. Moreover, the predator's 'foraging scale' affects prey
      population dynamics: predators should produce directly density-dependent (DDD)
      prey mortality at the foraging scale, but inversely density-dependent (IDD)
      mortality (safety-in-numbers) at smaller scales. We performed the first
      experimental test of these predictions using behavioral assays with guppies
      (Poecilia reticulata) feeding on bloodworm 'prey' patches. The guppy's foraging
      scale had already been estimated in a prior study. Our experimental results
      confirmed theoretical predictions: predation was IDD when prey were aggregated at
      a scale smaller than the foraging scale, but not when prey were aggregated at
      larger scales. These results could be used to predict outcomes of predator-prey
      interactions in continuous, non-discrete habitats in the field. 

PMID- 26116267
TI  - Uterine torsion in Brown Swiss cattle: retrospective analysis from an alpine
      practice in Switzerland.

PMID- 26116268
TI  - Effect of early lactation foot trimming in lame and non-lame dairy heifers: a
      randomised controlled trial.
AB  - Foot trimming is a common management intervention in prevention of lameness in
      dairy cattle. Despite this, there is surprisingly limited experimental evidence
      on its efficacy, especially in regard to primiparous heifers. A randomised,
      negatively controlled trial was conducted to investigate the association between
      an early lactation foot trim on primiparous animals and production outcomes. 282
      heifers were enrolled from eight farms in the UK, and randomly assigned to
      treatment or control groups. Milk yield (305-day-adjusted whole-milk yield) was
      not significantly different between groups (trimmed 7727 litres, untrimmed 7646
      litres). However, multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that this
      relationship was confounded by lameness state. Animals that were lame at the time
      of trimming gave significantly more milk (734 litres, P=0.02) than those that
      were non-lame and untrimmed. The present results suggest that, based on milk
      production alone, it would not have been cost beneficial to trim all heifers;
      however, a targeted intervention aimed at lame animals would have delivered a
      substantial return on investment. As a very minimum, the authors recommend
      heifers should be regularly assessed in early lactation, and treated as soon as
      they are identifiably lame. The high prevalence of lesions identified suggests
      routine trimming for all heifers may be justifiable on welfare grounds even if
      the milk-yield benefits are marginal. 

PMID- 26116269
TI  - Husbandry, health and biosecurity of the smallholder and pet pig population in
      England.
AB  - Three hundred and thirteen pet and smallholder pig owners in England responded to
      an online questionnaire regarding husbandry and healthcare of their pigs. There
      was a lack of knowledge of the legislation regarding Department for Environment,
      Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) registration, animal movements and feeding of
      domestic food waste. Only 83.8 per cent of respondents had registered their pigs
      with DEFRA, while 17.7 per cent were not familiar with the movement regulations,
      and 23.9 per cent were feeding their pigs with household scraps. Contact with
      veterinary surgeons may be positively associated with DEFRA registration, legal
      feeding practices and knowledge of vaccination. Furthermore, the veterinary
      surgeon was considered to be the primary source of husbandry and healthcare
      knowledge. This paper identifies the pet and smallholder pig population as a
      potential risk for the incursion and spread of infectious disease, while
      highlighting the need for improved owner education.

PMID- 26116272
TI  - ["Navratil's Artist Guest Book!" in the Gugging Museum].

PMID- 26116270
TI  - Dual Targeting of Protein Degradation Pathways with the Selective HDAC6 Inhibitor
      ACY-1215 and Bortezomib Is Synergistic in Lymphoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Pan-class histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are effective treatments
      for select lymphomas. Isoform-selective HDAC inhibitors are emerging as
      potentially more targeted agents. HDAC6 is a class IIb deacetylase that
      facilitates misfolded protein transport to the aggresome for degradation. We
      investigated the mechanism and therapeutic impact of the selective HDAC6
      inhibitor ACY-1215 alone and in combination with bortezomib in preclinical models
      of lymphoma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Concentration-effect relationships were defined
      for ACY-1215 across 16 lymphoma cell lines and for synergy with bortezomib.
      Mechanism was interrogated by immunoblot and flow cytometry. An in vivo xenograft
      model of DLBCL was used to confirm in vitro findings. A collection of primary
      lymphoma samples were surveyed for markers of the unfolded protein response
      (UPR). RESULTS: Concentration-effect relationships defined maximal cytotoxicity
      at 48 hours with IC50 values ranging from 0.9 to 4.7 MUmol/L. Strong synergy was
      observed in combination with bortezomib. Treatment with ACY-1215 led to
      inhibition of the aggresome evidenced by acetylated alpha-tubulin and accumulated
      polyubiquitinated proteins and upregulation of the UPR. All pharmacodynamic
      effects were enhanced with the addition of bortezomib. Findings were validated in
      vivo where mice treated with the combination demonstrated significant tumor
      growth delay and prolonged overall survival. Evaluation of a collection of
      primary lymphoma samples for markers of the UPR revealed increased HDAC6, GRP78,
      and XBP-1 expression as compared with reactive lymphoid tissue. CONCLUSIONS:
      These data are the first results to demonstrate that dual targeting of protein
      degradation pathways represents an innovative and rational approach for the
      treatment of lymphoma.

PMID- 26116271
TI  - Molecular Pathways: Activating T Cells after Cancer Cell Phagocytosis from
      Blockade of CD47 "Don't Eat Me" Signals.
AB  - Recent advances with immunotherapy agents for the treatment of cancer have
      provided remarkable, and in some cases, curative results. Our laboratory has
      identified CD47 as an important "don't eat me" signal expressed on malignant
      cells. Blockade of the CD47:SIRP-alpha axis between tumor cells and innate immune
      cells (monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells) increases tumor cell
      phagocytosis in both solid tumors (including, but not limited to, bladder,
      breast, colon, lung, and pancreatic) and hematologic malignancies. These
      phagocytic innate cells are also professional antigen-presenting cells (APC),
      providing a link from innate to adaptive antitumor immunity. Preliminary studies
      have demonstrated that APCs present antigens from phagocytosed tumor cells,
      causing T-cell activation. Therefore, agents that block the CD47:SIRP-alpha
      engagement are attractive therapeutic targets as a monotherapy or in combination
      with additional immune-modulating agents for activating antitumor T cells in
      vivo.

PMID- 26116274
TI  - Quantification of southern rice black streaked dwarf virus and rice black
      streaked dwarf virus in the organs of their vector and nonvector insect over
      time.
AB  - Southern rice black streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) and rice black streaked dwarf
      virus (RBSDV) are serious rice-infecting reoviruses, which are transmitted by
      different planthoppers in a persistent propagative manner. In this study, we
      quantitatively compared the spatial distribution of SRBSDV and RBSDV contents
      over time in their vector and nonvector insects using real time-PCR. Genome
      equivalent copies (GEC) were assessed every 2 days from 0 to 14 days after a 3
      days acquisition access period (AAP) on infected plants. Results revealed 293.2+/
      21.6 to 404.1+/-46.4 SRBSDV GEC/ng total RNA in whole body of white-backed
      planthopper (WBPH, Sogatella furcifera) at day 0 and 12 and 513.5+/-88.4 to
      816.8+/-110.7 RBSDV GEC/ng total RNA in the whole body of small brown planthopper
      (SBPH, Laodelphax striatellus) at day 0 and 14, respectively, after 3-days AAP.
      Highest GEC of both viruses were found in the gut of their respective vectors.
      Although SRBSDV was detected in the gut of SBPH, it did not spread into the
      hemolymph or other organs. After an 8-day latent period, the transmission
      efficiency of SRBSDV and RBSDV by their respective vectors was significantly
      positively correlated with GEC in the salivary gland (r(2)=0.7808, P=0.0036 and
      r(2)=0.9351, P<0.0001, respectively, at alpha=0.05). Together, these results
      confirm that accumulation of >200 SRBSDV or RBSDV GEC/ng total RNA in the gut of
      vector, indicated threshold for further spread and the virus content in the
      salivary gland was significantly correlated with transmission efficiency by their
      respective vectors. 

PMID- 26116273
TI  - Shared genetic etiology underlying Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes.
AB  - Epidemiological evidence supports the observation that subjects with type 2
      diabetes (T2D) are at higher risk to develop Alzheimer's disease (AD). However,
      whether and how these two conditions are causally linked is unknown. Possible
      mechanisms include shared genetic risk factors, which were investigated in this
      study based on recent genome wide association study (GWAS) findings. In order to
      achieve our goal, we retrieved single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated
      with T2D and AD from large-scale GWAS meta-analysis consortia and tested for
      overlap among the T2D- and AD-associated SNPs at various p-value thresholds. We
      then explored the function of the shared T2D/AD GWAS SNPs by leveraging
      expressional quantitative trait loci, pathways, gene ontology data, and co
      expression networks. We found 927 SNPs associated with both AD and T2D with p
      value <=0.01, an overlap significantly larger than random chance (overlapping p
      value of 6.93E-28). Among these, 395 of the shared GWAS SNPs have the same risk
      allele for AD and T2D, suggesting common pathogenic mechanisms underlying the
      development of both AD and T2D. Genes influenced by shared T2D/AD SNPs with the
      same risk allele were first identified using a SNP annotation variation (ANNOVAR)
      software, followed by using Association Protein-Protein Link Evaluator (DAPPLE)
      software to identify additional proteins that are known to physically interact
      with the ANNOVAR gene annotations. We found that gene annotations from ANNOVAR
      and DAPPLE significantly enriched specific KEGG pathways pertaining to immune
      responses, cell signaling and neuronal plasticity, cellular processes in which
      abnormalities are known to contribute to both T2D and AD pathogenesis. Thus, our
      observation suggests that among T2D subjects with common genetic predispositions
      (e.g., SNPs with consistent risk alleles for T2D and AD), dysregulation of these
      pathogenic pathways could contribute to the elevated risks for AD in subjects.
      Interestingly, we found that 532 of the shared T2D/AD GWAS SNPs had divergent
      risk alleles in the two diseases. For individual shared T2D/AD SNPs with
      divergent alleles, one of the allelic forms may contribute to one of the diseases
      (e.g., T2D), but not necessarily to the other (e.g., AD), or vice versa.
      Collectively, our GWAS studies tentatively support the epidemiological
      observation of disease concordance between T2D and AD. Moreover, the studies
      provide the much needed information for the design of future novel therapeutic
      approaches, for a subpopulation of T2D subjects with genetic disposition to AD,
      that could benefit T2D and reduce the risk for subsequent development of AD. 

PMID- 26116275
TI  - Mild and severe cereal yellow dwarf viruses differ in silencing suppressor
      efficiency of the P0 protein.
AB  - Viral pathogenicity has often been correlated to the expression of the viral
      encoded-RNA silencing suppressor protein (SSP). The silencing suppressor activity
      of the P0 protein encoded by cereal yellow dwarf virus-RPV (CYDV-RPV) and -RPS
      (CYDV-RPS), two poleroviruses differing in their symptomatology was investigated.
      CYDV-RPV displays milder symptoms in oat and wheat whereas CYDV-RPS is
      responsible for more severe disease. We showed that both P0 proteins (P0(CY-RPV)
      and P0(CY-RPS)) were able to suppress local RNA silencing induced by either sense
      or inverted repeat transgenes in an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated expression
      assay in Nicotiana benthamiana. P0(CY-RPS) displayed slightly higher activity.
      Systemic spread of the silencing signal was not impaired. Analysis of short
      interfering RNA (siRNA) abundance revealed that accumulation of primary siRNA was
      not affected, but secondary siRNA levels were reduced by both CYDV P0 proteins,
      suggesting that they act downstream of siRNA production. Correlated with this
      finding we showed that both P0 proteins partially destabilized ARGONAUTE1.
      Finally both P0(CY-RPV) and P0(CY-RPS) interacted in yeast cells with ASK2, a
      component of an E3-ubiquitin ligase, with distinct affinities. 

PMID- 26116276
TI  - Novel nanosized formulations of two diclofenac acid polymorphs to improve topical
      bioavailability.
AB  - In this work, nanocrystal formulations, containing two different diclofenac acid
      crystal forms, were developed with the aim to improve dermal drug
      bioavailability. Nanosuspensions were obtaining using wet media milling technique
      and were characterized in terms of size distribution, morphology, zeta potential,
      differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray powder diffractometry. The ability of
      the nanocrystals to improve dermal drug bioavailability was investigated in vitro
      using Franz diffusion vertical cells and newborn pig skin, in comparison with
      diclofenac acid coarse suspensions and a commercial topical formulation
      containing diclofenac sodium. Nanocrystals exhibited a mean diameter ranging
      between 279 and 315 nm and a PI lower than 0.25, as shown by PCS measurements.
      The XRDP and DSC analysis clearly indicated that the preparation process did not
      modify the diclofenac polymorphic forms. In vitro transdermal delivery
      experiments showed an improved skin deposition and permeation of the nanocrystals
      compared to coarse suspensions and diclofenac sodium commercial topical
      formulation. These results highlight the fundamental role of the crystal size on
      drug solubility and, thus, on the ability of a poorly soluble drug to cross the
      skin and accumulate in the deeper skin layers.

PMID- 26116277
TI  - Proliposomes containing a bile salt for oral delivery of Ginkgo biloba extract:
      Formulation optimization, characterization, oral bioavailability and tissue
      distribution in rats.
AB  - Proliposomes containing a bile salt were developed to improve the oral
      bioavailability of Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE). GbE loaded proliposomes (P-GbE)
      were successfully prepared by spray drying method. The formulation was optimized
      using the response surface methodology. FE-SEM, DSC, and FT-IR were used to study
      the surface morphology and molecular state of proliposomes, and demonstrated key
      interactions between the formulation ingredients. In vitro studies showed delayed
      release and enhanced dissolution of Ginkgo flavonoids and terpene lactones from
      GbE proliposomes. Proliposomes significantly enhanced GbE absorption in the
      gastrointestinal tract and decreased its elimination. The bioavailabilities of
      quercetin, kaempferol, isorhmnetin, ginkgolide A, ginkgolide B and ginkgolide C
      from proliposomes relative to the control were 245%, 211%, 264%, 203%, 333%, and
      294%, respectively. Proliposomes were shown to selectively deliver GbE to
      critical target tissues. In conclusion, development of proliposomes formulation
      for GbE solved the problem of its poor oral bioavailability, prolonged its
      duration of action, and increased drug distribution in critical tissues,
      especially in the brain, therefore, warrant further investigation.

PMID- 26116278
TI  - Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling of disposition and drug-drug
      interactions for atorvastatin and its metabolites.
AB  - Atorvastatin is the most commonly used of all statins to lower cholesterol.
      Atorvastatin is extensively metabolized in both gut and liver to produce several
      active metabolites. The purpose of the present study is to develop a
      physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for atorvastatin and its two
      primary metabolites, 2-hydroxy-atorvastatin acid and atorvastatin lactone, using
      in vitro and in vivo data. The model was used to predict the pharmacokinetic
      profiles and drug-drug interaction (DDI) effect for atorvastatin and its
      metabolites in different DDI scenarios. The predictive performance of the model
      was assessed by comparing predicted results to observed data after
      coadministration of atorvastatin with different medications such as itraconazole,
      clarithromycin, cimetidine, rifampin and phenytoin. This population based PBPK
      model was able to describe the concentration-time profiles of atorvastatin and
      its two metabolites reasonably well in the absence or presence of those drugs at
      different dose regimens. The predicted maximum concentration (Cmax), area under
      the concentration-time curve (AUC) values and between-phase ratios were in good
      agreement with clinically observed data. The model has also revealed the
      importance of different metabolic pathways on the disposition of atorvastatin
      metabolites. This PBPK model can be utilized to assess the safety and efficacy of
      atorvastatin in the clinic. This study demonstrated the feasibility of applying
      PBPK approach to predict the DDI potential of drugs undergoing complex
      metabolism. 

PMID- 26116279
TI  - Application of physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling in the prediction
      of pharmacokinetics of bicyclol controlled-release formulation in human.
AB  - Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling can assist in formulation
      development. Bicyclol is a novel anti-hepatitis drug. A bilayer osmotic pump
      table of bicyclol is being developed. PBPK models for bicyclol immediate-release
      (IR) and controlled-release (CR) tablets in beagle dog, as well as PBPK model for
      IR tablets in human were constructed. These models incorporated physicochemical
      properties and in vitro preclinical data. Parameter sensitivity analysis was
      performed for the effects of solubility and dissolution on pharmacokinetic (PK)
      parameters. Models were refined by comparing simulated results to experimental
      measurements. Furthermore, the clinical PK for bicyclol CR tablets was predicted
      using the in vivo dissolution profile by deconvolution of the mean PK profile of
      CR tablets in dogs. In summary, the present study described a strategy employing
      PBPK models to evaluate the effects of formulation factors on PK profiles and
      predict the performance of bicyclol CR tablets in human. 

PMID- 26116281
TI  - The secret realm of phase I trials in healthy volunteers.

PMID- 26116280
TI  - Recognition of faces and names: multimodal physiological correlates of memory and
      executive function.
AB  - We sought to characterize electrophysiological, eye-tracking and behavioral
      correlates of face-name recognition memory in healthy younger adults using high
      density electroencephalography (EEG), infrared eye-tracking (ET), and
      neuropsychological measures. Twenty-one participants first studied 40 face-name
      (FN) pairs; 20 were presented four times (4R) and 20 were shown once (1R).
      Recognition memory was assessed by asking participants to make old/new judgments
      for 80 FN pairs, of which half were previously studied items and half were novel
      FN pairs (N). Simultaneous EEG and ET recording were collected during recognition
      trials. Comparisons of event-related potentials (ERPs) for correctly identified
      FN pairs were compared across the three item types revealing classic ERP old/new
      effects including 1) relative positivity (1R > N) bi-frontally from 300 to 500
      ms, reflecting enhanced familiarity, 2) relative positivity (4R > 1R and 4R > N)
      in parietal areas from 500 to 800 ms, reflecting enhanced recollection, and 3)
      late frontal effects (1R > N) from 1000 to 1800 ms in right frontal areas,
      reflecting post-retrieval monitoring. ET analysis also revealed significant
      differences in eye movements across conditions. Exploration of cross-modality
      relationships suggested associations between memory and executive function
      measures and the three ERP effects. Executive function measures were associated
      with several indicators of saccadic eye movements and fixations, which were also
      associated with all three ERP effects. This novel characterization of face-name
      recognition memory performance using simultaneous EEG and ET reproduced classic
      ERP and ET effects, supports the construct validity of the multimodal FN
      paradigm, and holds promise as an integrative tool to probe brain networks
      supporting memory and executive functioning.

PMID- 26116282
TI  - Comparison of myocardial cell survival 2 h and 24 h after extracellular
      talaporfin sodium-induced photodynamic reaction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have proposed an application of photodynamic reaction for less
      heated myocardial ablation which employs talaporfin sodium. Intracellular
      photodynamic reactions with ongoing uptake have the ability to induce apoptosis
      over time, raising the possibility of extending the lesion depth. The objective
      of this study was to understand how, in myocardial cells, the late cell survival
      levels change by incubation time with talaporfin sodium, and what dependence
      talaporfin sodium uptake has on the duration of incubation with talaporfin sodium
      in vitro. METHODS: Rat myocardial cells were incubated with talaporfin sodium for
      5-360 min and intracellular concentrations measured using a fluorescence micro
      plate reader after wash. Cell survival was measured using a water-soluble
      tetrazolium assay at 2 and 24 h after a photodynamic reaction using a red diode
      laser of 660 nm, following 15-180 min of incubation with talaporfin sodium. Cells
      were stained with Hoechst 33342 to observe nuclear changes. RESULTS:
      Intracellular talaporfin sodium concentration increased with incubation time,
      with a marked increase between 0 and 60 min. Cell survival at 24 h decreased by
      20% when the duration of incubation with talaporfin sodium was extended from 15
      to 30 min. Following incubation time of 30-180 min with talaporfin sodium, cell
      survival was decreased by approximately 30% between measurements at 2 and 24 h.
      The intracellular talaporfin sodium concentration that induced higher levels of
      late cell death with cell nuclei fragmentation in these cells was approximately
      0.2 MUg/mL. CONCLUSION: We obtained the characteristics of late cell death
      occurrence and talaporfin sodium uptake to myocardial cell with various
      incubation times with talaporfin sodium.

PMID- 26116283
TI  - A new LED device used for photodynamic therapy in treatment of moderate to severe
      acne vulgaris.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the efficacy and safety of a newly designed
      LED device used in photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapy of moderate to severe
      acne vulgaris in Chinese patients. METHODS: Forty-six patients with moderate to
      severe facial acne showing high degrees of fluorescence by ultraviolet light
      examination were illuminated during ALA-PDT with two wavelengths of light (543
      548 nm, and 630+/-6 nm, respectively) after 2 h of incubation with ALA. Each
      patient received treatment once every 30 days for two or three sessions. Two
      independent investigators assigned an acne severity score at baseline, one week
      after each treatment, as well as 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the completion of
      treatment. Adverse effects were recorded during and after each treatment. All
      patients rated their satisfaction with the results of treatment at a 12-week
      follow up visit. RESULTS: The ALA-PDL treatment regimen showed an overall
      effectiveness rate of 89.13% (41/46 patients). Some degree of clinical efficacy
      was seen in 71.42%, 86.67%, and 95.83% of patients with grades IV, V, and VI
      acne, respectively, and the rate of clinical effectiveness increased with
      increasing acne severity. When compared with baseline scores, significant
      reductions in acne scores were obtained at 8, and 12 weeks after completion of
      treatment. Maximum efficacy was shown at the 12 week follow up. No severe adverse
      events were observed. CONCLUSION: ALA-PDT administered with the newly designed
      LED device was an effective treatment for moderate to severe acne vulgaris, and
      side effects were mild and reversible.

PMID- 26116284
TI  - Spinal subdural haematoma after an epidural blood patch.

PMID- 26116285
TI  - Pocket warming of epidural medications.

PMID- 26116286
TI  - Genome sequence of a novel mycovirus of Rhizoctonia solani, a plant pathogenic
      fungus.
AB  - Here we present the genome sequence of a novel dsRNA virus we designed as
      Rhizoctonia solani RNA virus HN008 (RsRV-HN008) from a filamentous fungus R.
      solani. Its genome (7596 nucleotides) contains two non-overlapping open reading
      frames (ORF1 and ORF2). ORF1 encoded a 128 kDa protein that showed no significant
      identity to any other virus sequence in the NCBI database. ORF2 encoded a protein
      with a molecular weight of 140 kDa and shared a low percentage of sequence
      identity to the RdRps of unclassified dsRNA viruses. Sequence analysis revealed
      that RsRV-HN008 may be a member of a novel unclassified family of mycoviruses.

PMID- 26116287
TI  - Genetic characterization of Amazonian bovine papillomavirus reveals the existence
      of four new putative types.
AB  - Papillomaviruses are small and complex viruses that belong to the
      Papillomaviridae family, which comprises 39 genera. The bovine papillomavirus
      (BPV) causes an infectious disease that is characterized by chronic and
      proliferative benign tumors that affect cattle worldwide. Different genotypes of
      BPVs can cause distinct skin and mucosal lesions and the immunity they raise has
      low cross-protection. This report aimed to genotype BPVs in cattle from Northern
      Brazil based on nucleotide partial sequences of the L1 ORF. Skin wart samples
      from 39 bovines clinically and histopathologically diagnosed as cutaneous
      papillomatosis from Acre and Rondonia States were analyzed. The results revealed
      four already reported BPV types (BPVs 1, 2, 11, and 13), nine putative new BPV
      subtypes and four putative new BPV types as well as two putative new BPV types
      that were already reported. To our knowledge, this is the first record of BPVs
      from the Brazilian Amazon region that identified new possible BPV types and
      subtypes circulating in this population. These findings point to the great
      genetic diversity of BPVs that are present in this region and highlight the
      importance of this knowledge before further studies about vaccination are
      attempted. 

PMID- 26116288
TI  - Low levels of ficolin-3 are associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
AB  - AIMS: Ficolin-3, a soluble molecule of the innate immune system, has a primary
      role in the activation of the lectin pathway in the complement system.
      Considering that inflammatory mechanisms are involved in complement activation
      and take part in the pathophysiology of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), we
      conducted this study to explore the link between serum ficolin-3 and DPN in
      diabetic patients. METHODS: A total of 466 diabetic patients were enrolled in
      this cross-sectional study. DPN was evaluated by neurological symptoms,
      neurological signs, neurothesiometer and electromyogram. The concentration of
      serum ficolin-3 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The
      concentration of serum ficolin-3 was lower in DPN patients compared with non-DPN
      patients (18.73 +/- 4.75 vs. 26.69 +/- 5.68 ng/mL, P < 0.001). In addition, it
      was found negatively correlated to the vibration perception threshold (r = 
      0.158; P = 0.025). The results of multiple regression analysis of DPN indicated
      that age, diabetes duration, serum ficolin-3 were all independent impact factors
      for DPN (P < 0.05). Patients were then assigned into quartiles according to the
      serum ficolin-3 levels, and the prevalence of DPN ascended as the concentration
      of ficolin-3 descended (Trend analysis, P < 0.001). Compared with ficolin-3
      Quartile 1 (referent), the risk of DPN was significantly greater in Quartile 2
      (OR 2.76; 95 % CI 1.56-4.88; P < 0.001), Quartile 3 (OR 3.02; 95 % CI 1.69-5.40;
      P < 0.001) and Quartile 4 (OR 6.84; 95 % CI 3.39-13.80; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Lower ficolin-3 level is independently associated with DPN, and it may be a
      potential biomarker for DPN.

PMID- 26116289
TI  - Genetic determinants of swallowing impairments among community dwelling older
      population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) affect a significant proportion
      of community dwelling older individuals, being more prevalent in age-associated
      neurological conditions such as stroke and Parkinson's disease. The genetic
      determinants of dysphagia are still being explored and have largely been studied
      through candidate gene analysis approaches. The aim of the study was to perform a
      genome-wide association study (GWAS) of common genetic single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNP) and self-reported swallowing impairments in a longitudinal
      cohort of community dwelling older adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a
      case-control genome-wide association study of self-reported swallowing symptoms
      using the Sydney Swallow Questionnaire. The analysis included 555 community
      dwelling, unrelated, older adults (mean years of age=81.4; SD=5.349) with known
      phenotype and genetic information consisting of 512,806 single nucleotide
      polymorphisms. Gene-based association analysis of these traits was also
      conducted. RESULTS: Analysis of the cohort confirmed European ancestry with no
      major population stratification. Further analysis for association with swallowing
      impairment identified one SNP rs17601696 which achieved genome-wide significance
      (P-value=5*10(-8)) within a non-coding region of chromosome 10. Gene-based
      analysis did not result in any genome-wide significant association. CONCLUSION:
      SNP rs17601696 may have an impact on swallowing impairment among elderly
      individuals. The results require replication in an independent cohort with
      appropriate phenotype/genotype data.

PMID- 26116290
TI  - New genomic profiling tool to detect TB drug resistance.

PMID- 26116291
TI  - E-cigarettes: a harm-reduction strategy for socioeconomically disadvantaged
      smokers?

PMID- 26116292
TI  - Sweet syndrome.

PMID- 26116293
TI  - Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of the Cosmopolitan Marine Fungus Corollospora
      maritima Under Two Physiological Conditions.
AB  - Marine sandy beaches represent dynamic environments often subject to harsh
      conditions and climate fluctuations, where natural and anthropogenic inputs of
      freshwater from fluvial and pluvial sources alter salinity, which has been
      recognized as a key variable affecting the distribution of aquatic organisms and
      influencing critical physiological processes. The marine arenicolous fungus
      Corollospora maritima is a worldwide-distributed saprobe that has been reported
      to present tolerance to freshwater. Here, we present a transcriptome analysis
      that will provide the first insight of the genomic content for this fungus and a
      gene expression comparison between two different salinity conditions. We also
      identified genes that are candidates for being differentially expressed in
      response to environmental variations on salinity during the fungal growth. The de
      novo reconstruction of C. maritima transcriptome Illumina sequencing provided a
      total of 14,530 transcripts (16 megabases). The comparison between the two growth
      conditions rendered 103 genes specifically overexpressed in seawater, and 132
      genes specifically up-regulated under freshwater. Using fungal isolates collected
      from different beaches, the specific environmental regulation of particular
      transcript differential expression was confirmed by RT-qPCR. To our knowledge,
      this is the first analysis that explores the marine fungus C. maritima molecular
      responses to overcome freshwater stress, and these data could shed light to
      understand the fungal adaptation and plasticity mechanisms to the marine habitat.

PMID- 26116294
TI  - Prospective randomized trial comparing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided in
      bore biopsy to MRI-ultrasound fusion and transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate
      biopsy in patients with prior negative biopsies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A significant proportion of prostate cancers (PCas) are missed by
      conventional transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy (TRUS-GB). It remains unclear
      whether the combined approach using targeted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      ultrasound fusion-guided biopsy (FUS-GB) and systematic TRUS-GB is superior to
      targeted MRI-guided in-bore biopsy (IB-GB) for PCa detection. OBJECTIVE: To
      compare PCa detection between IB-GB alone and FUS-GB + TRUS-GB in patients with
      at least one negative TRUS-GB and prostate-specific antigen >=4 ng/ml. DESIGN,
      SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients were prospectively randomized after
      multiparametric prostate MRI to IB-GB (arm A) or FUS-GB + TRUS-GB (arm B) from
      November 2011 to July 2014. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The
      study was powered at 80% to demonstrate an overall PCa detection rate of >=60% in
      arm B compared to 40% in arm A. Secondary endpoints were the distribution of
      highest Gleason scores, the rate of detection of significant PCa (Gleason >=7),
      the number of biopsy cores to detect one (significant) PCa, the positivity rate
      for biopsy cores, and tumor involvement per biopsy core. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS:
      The study was halted after interim analysis because the primary endpoint was not
      met. The trial enrolled 267 patients, of whom 210 were analyzed (106 randomized
      to arm A and 104 to arm B). PCa detection was 37% in arm A and 39% in arm B (95%
      confidence interval for difference, -16% to 11%; p=0.7). Detection rates for
      significant PCa (29% vs 32%; p=0.7) and the highest percentage tumor involvement
      per biopsy core (48% vs 42%; p=0.4) were similar between the arms. The mean
      number of cores was 5.6 versus 17 (p<0.001). A limitation is the limited number
      of patients because of early cessation of accrual. CONCLUSIONS: This trial failed
      to identify an important improvement in detection rate for the combined biopsy
      approach over MRI-targeted biopsy alone. A prospective comparison between MRI
      targeted biopsy alone and systematic TRUS-GB is justified. PATIENT SUMMARY: Our
      randomized study showed similar prostate cancer detection rates between targeted
      prostate biopsy guided by magnetic resonance imaging and the combination of
      targeted biopsy and systematic transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy. An
      important improvement in detection rates using the combined biopsy approach can
      be excluded.

PMID- 26116295
TI  - Osteoclast inhibitors in advanced prostate cancer: does the benefit extend beyond
      skeletal-related events?

PMID- 26116296
TI  - Notch filter artefact mimicking high frequency oscillation in epilepsy.

PMID- 26116297
TI  - Improvement of baroreflex sensitivity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea
      following surgical treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Depressed baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) have been reported in patients
      with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This study aimed to determine if surgery can
      improve the clinical outcomes by investigating changes in BRS and in other
      cardiovascular autonomic parameters. METHODS: Eighty-one OSA patients were
      enrolled. They were classified as mild OSA if their apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)
      was 5-15, moderate OSA if their AHI was 15-30, and sever OSA if their AHI was
      >30. Twenty-three subjects with AHI<5 were recruited as controls. For patients
      who received surgery, polysomnography (PSG) and autonomic tests were evaluated
      upon enrollment and six-months after surgery. RESULTS: The patient number for
      mild, moderate, and severe OSA was 22, 22, and 37, respectively. BRS on
      enrollment showed significant difference among the four groups, with the highest
      BRS in the control group, follow by the mild, moderate, and severe OSA groups.
      There were significant correlations between BRS and all PSG parameters. The
      depressed BRS significantly improved after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical
      modifications of the upper airways can improve the depressed BRS in OSA patients.
      SIGNIFICANCE: The study offers the promise that surgical treatment for OSA not
      only improves the index of PSG, but also reduces the possibility of
      cardiovascular risk.

PMID- 26116298
TI  - Two subtypes of positional obstructive sleep apnea: Supine-predominant and supine
      isolated.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The body position has a strong influence on obstructive sleep apnea
      (OSA). The purpose of this study is to compare the clinical features of two
      subtypes of positional OSA (POSA), namely supine-predominant OSA (spOSA) and
      supine-isolated OSA (siOSA), so as to discuss whether the two groups can be
      classified separately. METHODS: A total of 279 consecutive patients with OSA were
      enrolled. The POSA was defined as having an overall apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ?
      5 with supine AHI > 2 times the non-supine AHI. Only those with ? 30 min spent in
      the supine and non-supine sleeping positions were included, and split night
      studies were excluded from the study. Patients were considered spOSA unless their
      non-supine AHI was negligible (<5) (siOSA). The clinical and polysomnographic
      characteristics of both groups were compared. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixteen
      subjects (77.4%) met the criteria for POSA, with 158 (73.1%) of them classified
      as spOSA, and 58 (26.9%) as siOSA. The siOSA patients had lower arousal indices,
      but poorer quality of sleep, and were more depressed and anxious compared with
      the spOSA subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Those with siOSA and spOSA show different
      clinical features. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings suggest that a more detailed sub
      classification of POSA is needed.

PMID- 26116299
TI  - Modulation of stimulus-induced 20-Hz activity for the tongue and hard palate
      during tongue movement in humans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Modulation of 20-Hz activity in the primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1)
      may be important for oral functions. Here, we show that 20-Hz event-related
      desynchronization/synchronization (20-Hz ERD/ERS) is modulated by sensory input
      and motor output in the oral region. METHODS: Magnetic 20-Hz activity was
      recorded following right-sided tongue stimulation during rest (Rest) and self
      paced repetitive tongue movement (Move). To exclude proprioception effects, 20-Hz
      activity induced by right-sided hard palate stimulation was also recorded. The 20
      Hz activity in the two conditions was compared via temporal spectral evolution
      analyses. RESULTS: 20-Hz ERD/ERS was detected over bilateral temporoparietal
      areas in the Rest condition for both regions. Moreover, 20-Hz ERS was
      significantly suppressed in the Move condition for both regions. CONCLUSIONS:
      Detection of 20-Hz ERD/ERS during the Rest condition for both regions suggests
      that the SM1 functional state may be modulated by oral stimulation, with or
      without proprioceptive effects. Moreover, the suppression of 20-Hz ERS for the
      hard palate during the Move condition suggests that the stimulation-induced
      functional state of SM1 may have been modulated by the movement, even though the
      movement and stimulation areas were different. SIGNIFICANCE: Sensorimotor
      function of the general oral region may be finely coordinated through 20-Hz
      cortical oscillation.

PMID- 26116300
TI  - How to prepare head tissue-equivalent liquids for SAR calculations, dosimetry and
      hyperthermia researches at 900 and 1800 MHz GSM frequencies.
AB  - The potential harmful effect of electromagnetic fields on human health is an
      important issue that has been widely discussed in the scientific community. The
      investigation of temperature rise in human body following exposure to
      electromagnetic fields has been found impractical in many aspects. Therefore,
      fabrication of the tissue-equivalent liquids (TELs) is required. TELs have been
      widely employed in specific absorption rate calculations, dosimetry and
      hyperthermia researches. In this study, two separate head tissue-equivalent
      liquids (HELs) were prepared for 900 and 1800 MHz frequencies. The conductivity
      and relative permittivity of the HEL prepared for 900 MHz frequency were found to
      deviate from The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
      standards at the rates of 6.20 and 2.70 %, whereas the HEL prepared for 1800 MHz
      applications exhibited 1.83 and 3.22 % deviations from IEEE standards,
      respectively. This study provides a method for researchers to prepare their own
      HELs in a practical way. 

PMID- 26116301
TI  - Prognostic value of late gadolinium enhancement in dilated cardiomyopathy
      patients: a meta-analysis.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the association between late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) at
      cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and major adverse events in dilated
      cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Databases, including
      PubMed, Ovid, and EMBASE, were searched for studies evaluating LGE at CMR in DCM
      patient prognostication. Clinical outcomes were analysed using fixed-effects
      models or, in cases of significant heterogeneity, random-effects models. RESULTS:
      In the meta-analysis of 13 studies on 1675 DCM patients with a mean follow-up of
      3 years, LGE is associated with all-cause mortality (pooled odds ratio, 3.43 [95%
      confidence interval, 2.26-5.22], p<0.00001), cardiac death/transplantation (3.65
      [1.80-7.40], p=0.0003), hospitalisation for heart failure (2.87 [1.53-5.39],
      p=0.001), major arrhythmia events (sudden cardiac death, sustained ventricular
      tachycardia or fibrillation, appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
      (ICD) discharge/pacing, and syncope: 4.24 [2.95-6.08], p<0.00001), and sudden
      cardiac death (3.33 [1.80-6.17], p=0.0001). CONCLUSION: LGE in DCM patients
      appears to be associated with mortality and major cardiac events, underscoring
      its potential as an independent index for risk stratification and treatment
      guidance.

PMID- 26116302
TI  - The Penrose hypothesis in the 21st century: revisiting the asylum.

PMID- 26116303
TI  - Do altitude and climate affect paranasal sinus volume?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of climate and
      altitude differences on the volume of paranasal sinuses and on the frequency of
      anatomic variations by comparing the paranasal sinus tomograms (PNSCT) of
      patients who were born and living in a cold, dry climate at high altitude with
      those of patients who were born and living on the coast at sea level in a
      temperate climate. We also aimed to determine differences relating to gender.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 55 PNSCTs of 55 patients from the city center of
      Antalya and 60 PNSCTs of 60 patients from the city center of Agri were evaluated
      and compared prospectively. The study included a total of 115 patients with a
      mean age of 44.75 +/- 9.64 years (range, 27-63 years). Group 1 (Antalya)
      comprised 26 females (47.3%) and 29 males (52.7%) with a mean age of 36.7 +/-
      12.4 years. Group 2 (Agri) comprised 25 females (41.7%) and 35 males (58.3%) with
      a mean age of 35.1 +/- 13.4 years. Maxillary sinus volumes were 18.27 cm(3)
      (range, 5.04-37.62) and 15.06 cm(3) (4.11-41.40); sphenoid sinus volumes were
      7.81 cm(3) (1.80-20.63) and 6.35 cm(3) (0.54-16.50); frontal sinus volumes were
      5.51 cm(3) (0.50-29.25) and 3.76 cm(3) (0.68-22.81) respectively. RESULTS: There
      was no statistically significant difference between the groups in term of volumes
      (p > 0.025). Both maxillary and frontal sinus volumes were greater in males
      compared to females (p < 0.025). The mean value of the maxillary sinus volume was
      15.7 +/- 5.3 cm(3) and was significantly larger in males than in females (p =
      0.004). There was no statistically significant correlation between the volume of
      maxillary sinuses with age or side. There was no statistically significant
      difference between the groups in terms of septum deviation and concha bullosa
      rates (p = 0.469 and p = 0.388). CONCLUSION: There have been many studies of
      nasal cavity changes due to climatic conditions but this is the first study to
      measure the difference of paranasal sinus volumes. No difference was determined
      in the anatomic variations and volumes of the maxillary, frontal, sphenoid
      sinuses on PNSCT of patients from different climates and altitudes.

PMID- 26116304
TI  - Update on orbital decompression as emergency treatment of traumatic blindness.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Blindness is a rare and severe complication of craniofacial trauma.
      The management of acute orbital compartment syndrome (AOCS) is not well defined
      and there is no standard treatment. Our objective was to find indications for
      orbital decompression, the best time for treatment, and the appropriate
      techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature review was made from articles
      published between 1994 and 2014 in the PubMed database, on the emergency
      treatment of AOCS. RESULTS: 59 of the 89 patients treated surgically for AOCS
      presented with significant improvement of visual acuity (VA) after orbital
      decompression. The delay between trauma and surgery was short. A lateral
      canthotomy with inferior cantholysis (LCIC) was the most frequently used
      technique. DISCUSSION: AOCS with a risk of visual impairment must be decompressed
      in emergency, at best in the 2 hours following trauma, most often by LCIC to have
      the best chance of recovering VA. Adjuvant medical treatment (acetazolamide,
      mannitol, corticosteroids) should not delay surgery. Postoperative corticosteroid
      therapy is not indicated, especially in patients with severe head trauma.

PMID- 26116305
TI  - Mandibular lingual release versus mandibular lip-split approach for expanded
      resection of middle-late tongue cancer: A case-control study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The mandibular lingual release (MLR) and mandibular lip-split (MS)
      approaches are the two common access approaches for resection of malignant tongue
      tumors. This case-control study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of
      these two approaches for the expanded resection of middle-late tongue cancer.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 56 matched patients with resectable middle-late
      squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue body were consecutively hospitalized for
      expanded resection using the MLR (n = 26) or MS approach (n = 30) between March
      2004 and November 2012. Main outcome measures consisted of tumor exposure,
      surgical morbidity, maxillofacial motor-sensory return, and head/neck-specific
      quality of life. RESULTS: The two approaches achieved similar en bloc R0
      resection with similar tumor exposure. The MLR approach was associated with a
      significantly lower frequency of maxillofacial pain (P < 0.05) and no incidence
      of mandible nonunion. The MLR approach was also associated with a significantly
      better quality of life with respect to local pain, facial appearance, and mood.
      CONCLUSION: Compared to the MS approach, the MLR approach was associated with
      significantly less surgical morbidity and a significantly better quality of life
      for middle-late tongue cancer patients undergoing expanded resection.

PMID- 26116306
TI  - Value of nonsurgical therapeutic management of stage I bisphosphonate-related
      osteonecrosis of the jaw.
AB  - There is still controversy about the best treatment strategy for patients with
      bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) stage I. Therefore, the
      aim of the present study was to analyse the effect of a nonsurgical treatment
      protocol in patients with BRONJ stage I. During the study period we included 17
      patients (11 male; 6 female) who presented with a total of 24 separate areas of
      BRONJ, stage I. All patients were exclusively treated with a monthly intravenous
      regime of zoledronic acid due to an underlying malignant disease. All patients
      were treated using a standardized nonsurgical protocol consisting of
      antimicrobial mouth rinsing with chlorhexidine (CHX) (0.12%) three times a day,
      and daily CHX gel application. In 11 patients (45.8%) the surface area of the
      exposed jawbone was completely healed by nonsurgical treatment. In seven patients
      (29.2%), nonsurgical treatment reduced the size of the exposed bone area by a
      mean of 64.7% (range 20.0-96.8%). None of the patients showed an increase in size
      of the area of exposed jawbone, or a worsening of the BRONJ from stage I to
      stages II or III. However, the duration of nonsurgical treatment or the duration
      of intravenous bisphosphonate therapy did not significantly influence the
      treatment outcome (p = 0.6628, p = 0.6077, respectively). The results of the
      present study support the beneficial role of nonsurgical treatment in patients
      presenting with BRONJ stage I. Surgical therapy of BRONJ should be restricted to
      patients with advanced stages with clinical symptoms and local signs of
      infection.

PMID- 26116307
TI  - Large maxillomandibular advancements for obstructive sleep apnea: An operative
      technique evolved over 30 years.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can be a challenging disorder to treat.
      Maxillomandibular advancements (MMAs) generally have high success rates; however,
      larger advancements have higher success and cure rates. Our aim is to present and
      to describe the current technique used by the senior authors, which has been
      successful for performing large advancements, thereby improving post-operative
      outcomes. METHODS: The senior authors have developed and modified their
      maxillomandibular advancement operative techniques significantly over the past 30
      years. The current version of the Riley-Powell MMA technique is described in a
      step-by-step fashion in this article. RESULTS: Initially, as part of the MMAs,
      patients underwent maxillomandibular fixation with wires, lag screws and
      harvested split calvarial bone grafts. The current technique utilizes plates,
      screws, Erich Arch Bars, and suspension wires which are left in place for 5-6
      weeks. Guiding elastics are worn for the first week. The MMA technique described
      in this article has yielded a success rate over 90% for patients with a body mass
      index (BMI) <40 kg/m(2) and 81% for patients with a BMI >=40 kg/m(2). CONCLUSION:
      Large advancements during maxillomandibular advancement surgeries can help
      improve post-operative obstructive sleep apnea outcomes.

PMID- 26116308
TI  - Anthropometric analysis of the nose in young Turkish men and women.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to describe and compare values for nasal
      anthropometric measurements using the landmark-based geometric morphometric
      technique in young healthy Turkish men and women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total
      of 115 young adults (56 men and 59 women) whose ages ranged from 18 to 30 years
      (mean age 21.22 years) were included in the analysis. RESULTS: For men the mean
      nasal bridge length, total length, width and root width were 52.95, 54.38; 35.24
      and 17.83 mm, respectively, and in women they were 47.81 and 50.90; 31.59 and
      17.36 mm, respectively. The columella length and width were 12.76 and 5.77 mm,
      respectively, for men, and for women they were 11.88 and 5.60 mm, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: Data collected in the present research could serve as a database for
      the quantitative description of nasal morphology in young Turkish adults. It may
      also be used in sex based data banks for the Turkish population.

PMID- 26116309
TI  - IMF-screws or arch bars as conservative treatment for mandibular condyle
      fractures: Quality of life aspects.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Arch bars as treatment for a fractured mandibular condyle are
      inconvenient to patients and lead to lowered quality of life (QOL). To overcome
      these inconveniences, IMF-screws (IMFS) to facilitate intermaxillary fixation
      during surgery have been developed. The purpose of the present study is to
      investigate and compare QOL for patients treated for a fractured mandibular
      condyle with either IMFS or arch bars. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This research trial
      was conducted from 2010 to 2014 as part of an earlier prospective, multicenter,
      randomized clinical trial in which the use of IMFS was compared to the use of
      arch bars in the treatment of mandibular condylar fractures. RESULTS: In total,
      50 patients were included: 30 (60%) male patients and 20 (40%) female patients
      (mean age: 31.8 years, standard deviation [SD] = 13.9 years, range = 18-64
      years). A total of 24 (48%) patients were allocated in the IMFS group, and 26
      (52%) patients were assigned to the arch-bars control group. Significant results
      were observed in the subscales social isolation, possibility to eat and vary
      diet, influence on sleep, and satisfaction with the given treatment, all in
      favour of IMFS. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, using IMFS as a method for
      conservative treatment of condylar fractures led to a higher QOL during the 6
      week period of fracture healing. In comparison to arch bars, patients treated
      with IMFS experienced less social isolation, had fewer problems with eating, and
      express the feeling they are able to continue their normal diet. Furthermore it
      seems that the use of IMFS has a lower negative impact on social and financial
      aspects of the patient.

PMID- 26116310
TI  - Intraosseous heat generation during sonic, ultrasonic and conventional osteotomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess heat generation in osteotomies during application of sonic
      and ultrasonic saws compared to conventional bur. METHODS: Two glass-fiber
      isolated nickel-chromium thermocouples, connected to a recording device, were
      inserted into fresh bovine rib bone blocks and kept in 20 +/- 0.5  degrees C
      water at determined depths of 1.5 mm (cortical layer) and 7 mm (cancellous layer)
      and 1.0 mm away from the planned osteotomy site. Handpieces, angulated 24-32
      degrees , were mounted in a vertical drill stand, and standardized weights were
      attached to their tops to exert loads of 5, 8, 15 and 20 N. Irrigation volumes of
      20, 50 and 80 ml/min were used for each load. Ten repetitions were conducted
      using new tips each time for each test condition. The Mann-Whitney-U test was
      used for statistical analysis (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Both ultrasonic and sonic
      osteotomies were associated with significantly lower heat generation than
      conventional osteotomy (p < 0.01). Sonic osteotomy showed non-significantly lower
      heat generation than ultrasonic osteotomy. Generated heat never exceeded the
      critical limit of 47  degrees C in any system. Variation of load had no effect on
      heat generation in both bone layers for all tested systems. An increased
      irrigation volume resulted in lower temperatures in both cortical and cancellous
      bone layers during all tested osteotomies. CONCLUSION: Although none of the
      systems under the conditions of the present study resulted in critical heat
      generation, the application of ultrasonic and sonic osteotomy systems was
      associated with lower heat generation compared to the conventional saw osteotomy.
      Copious irrigation seems to play a critical role in preventing heat generation in
      the osteotomy site.

PMID- 26116311
TI  - Long-term major clinical outcomes in patients with long chain fatty acid
      oxidation disorders before and after transition to triheptanoin treatment--A
      retrospective chart review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long chain fatty acid oxidation disorders (LC-FAODs) are caused by
      defects in the metabolic pathway that converts stored long-chain fatty acids into
      energy, leading to a deficiency in mitochondrial energy production during times
      of physiologic stress and fasting. Severe and potentially life threatening
      clinical manifestations include rhabdomyolysis, hypoglycemia, hypotonia/weakness,
      cardiomyopathy and sudden death. We present the largest cohort of patients to
      date treated with triheptanoin, a specialized medium odd chain (C7) triglyceride,
      as a novel energy source for the treatment of LC-FAOD. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective, comprehensive medical record review study of data from 20 of a
      total 24 patients with LC-FAOD who were treated for up to 12.5 years with
      triheptanoin, as part of a compassionate use protocol. Clinical outcomes
      including hospitalization event rates, number of hospitalization days/year, and
      abnormal laboratory values were determined for the total period of the study
      before and after triheptanoin treatment, as well as for specified periods before
      and after initiation of triheptanoin treatment. Other events of interest were
      documented including rhabdomyolysis, hypoglycemia, and cardiomyopathy. RESULTS:
      LC-FAOD in these 20 subjects was associated with 320 hospitalizations from birth
      to the end date of study. The mean hospitalization days/year decreased
      significantly by 67% during the period after triheptanoin initiation (n=15; 5.76
      vs 17.55 vs; P=0.0242) and a trend toward a 35% lower hospitalization event rate
      was observed in the period after triheptanoin initiation compared with the before
      treatment period (n=16 subjects >6 months of age; 1.26 vs 1.94; P=0.1126). The
      hypoglycemia event rate per year in 9 subjects with hypoglycemia problems
      declined significantly by 96% (0.04 vs 0.92; P=0.0091) and related
      hospitalization days/year were also significantly reduced (n=9; 0.18 vs 8.42;
      P=0.0257). The rhabdomyolysis hospital event rate in 11 affected subjects was
      similar before and after treatment but the number of hospitalization days/year
      trended lower in the period after triheptanoin initiation (n=9; 2.36 vs 5.94;
      P=0.1224) and peak CK levels trended toward a 68% decrease from 85,855 to 27,597
      units in 7 subjects with reported peak CK values before and after treatment
      (P=0.1279). Triheptanoin was generally well tolerated. Gastrointestinal symptoms
      were the most commonly reported side effects. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective
      study represents the largest analysis reported to date of treatment of LC-FAOD
      with triheptanoin. The data suggest that triheptanoin improves the course of
      disease by decreasing the incidence and duration of major clinical manifestations
      and should be the focus of prospective investigations. Significant heterogeneity
      in the routine clinical care provided to subjects during the periods studied and
      the natural variation of clinical course of LC-FAODs with time emphasize the need
      of additional study of the use of triheptanoin.

PMID- 26116313
TI  - alpha-Synuclein in Parkinson's disease: getting to the core of the matter.

PMID- 26116312
TI  - Electrocardiographic evolution in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who
      develop a left ventricular apical aneurysm.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients with apical aneurysm
      have a largely unfavourable clinical course, and are often unrecognised because
      echocardiography is limited in the assessment of the left ventricular (LV) apex.
      The aim of this study is the identification of electrocardiographic (ECG)
      abnormalities associated with the development of apical aneurysm in HCM patients.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electrocardiographic features were assessed in 14 HCM
      patients who had a good-quality baseline ECG recorded before and after the
      diagnosis of apical aneurysm. RESULTS: During follow-up (8.8+/-7.5years), the
      following ECG changes were observed: increase in QRS-complex duration (87+/-12ms
      to 118+/-34ms, p=0.006), QRS-complex fragmentation, decrease in QRS-complex
      amplitude (SV1+RV5-6, from 41+/-18mm to 26+/-11mm, p=0.015), ST-segment elevation
      in V4-V6 (J-point in V5, from -0.9+/-1.3mm to +0.7+/-1.3, p=0.003),
      positivisation of negative T waves in V3-V6 (T-wave depth in V5, from -3.4+/-6.6
      to +3.1+/-4.1, p=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: HCM patients who develop LV apical aneurysm
      exhibit distinctive ECG changes along with apical remodelling. Suggestive ECGs
      should lead the physician to study LV apex by nonstandard echocardiographic
      views, and perform MRI.

PMID- 26116314
TI  - Neuroprotection in Parkinson's disease: a difficult challenge.

PMID- 26116316
TI  - The SWENOTECA group: A good example of continuous binational and
      multidisciplinary collaboration for patients with testicular cancer in Sweden and
      Norway.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to present the Swedish and Norwegian
      Testicular Cancer Group (SWENOTECA), with an emphasis on the history of
      SWENOTECA, organization, results and current status. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      SWENOTECA was founded in 1981 as a binational organization open to hospitals in
      Sweden and Norway treating testicular cancer. It has since published treatment
      protocols for testicular cancer and prospectively registered patients with
      testicular cancer. Today, all hospitals in Norway and Sweden involved in the care
      of testicular cancer participate in SWENOTECA, and all patients with testicular
      cancer are prospectively registered in a population-based database. RESULTS: Nine
      protocols with standardized guidelines on the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up
      of testicular cancer have been published. In addition to the guidelines, several
      studies have been performed or initiated within the scope of SWENOTECA. The
      details are presented in this article. CONCLUSIONS: SWENOTECA has been a very
      fruitful binational collaboration and has thoughtfully evolved over time. The
      group's continuous work and dedication have provided an example for other
      national and international cancer networks. The binational implementation of
      standardized guidelines has resulted in excellent patient outcomes, regardless of
      place of residence. Although testicular cancer is a relatively rare disease, the
      population-based binational organization of SWENOTECA has made it possible to
      publish some of the largest studies in the field of testicular cancer.

PMID- 26116315
TI  - Pioglitazone in early Parkinson's disease: a phase 2, multicentre, double-blind,
      randomised trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A systematic assessment of potential disease-modifying compounds for
      Parkinson's disease concluded that pioglitazone could hold promise for the
      treatment of patients with this disease. We assessed the effect of pioglitazone
      on the progression of Parkinson's disease in a multicentre, double-blind, placebo
      controlled, futility clinical trial. METHODS: Participants with the diagnosis of
      early Parkinson's disease on a stable regimen of 1 mg/day rasagiline or 10 mg/day
      selegiline were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to 15 mg/day pioglitazone, 45 mg/day
      pioglitazone, or placebo. Investigators were masked to the treatment assignment.
      Only the statistical centre and the central pharmacy knew the treatment name
      associated with the randomisation number. The primary outcome was the change in
      the total Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score between the
      baseline and 44 weeks, analysed by intention to treat. The primary null
      hypothesis for each dose group was that the mean change in UPDRS was 3 points
      less than the mean change in the placebo group. The alternative hypothesis (of
      futility) was that pioglitazone is not meaningfully different from placebo. We
      rejected the null if there was significant evidence of futility at the one-sided
      alpha level of 0.10. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number
      NCT01280123. FINDINGS: 210 patients from 35 sites in the USA were enrolled
      between May 10, 2011, and July 31, 2013. The primary analysis included 72
      patients in the 15 mg group, 67 in the 45 mg group, and 71 in the placebo group.
      The mean total UPDRS change at 44 weeks was 4.42 (95% CI 2.55-6.28) for 15 mg
      pioglitazone, 5.13 (95% CI 3.17-7.08) for 45 mg pioglitazone, and 6.25 (95% CI
      4.35-8.15) for placebo (higher change scores are worse). The mean difference
      between the 15 mg and placebo groups was -1.83 (80% CI -3.56 to -0.10) and the
      null hypothesis could not be rejected (p=0.19). The mean difference between the
      45 mg and placebo groups was -1.12 (80% CI -2.93 to 0.69) and the null hypothesis
      was rejected in favour of futility (p=0.09). Planned sensitivity analyses of the
      primary outcome, using last value carried forward (LVCF) to handle missing data
      and using the completers' only sample, suggested that the 15 mg dose is also
      futile (p=0.09 for LVCF, p=0.09 for completers) but failed to reject the null
      hypothesis for the 45 mg dose (p=0.12 for LVCF, p=0.19 for completers). Six
      serious adverse events occurred in the 15 mg group, nine in the 45 mg group, and
      three in the placebo group; none were thought to be definitely or probably
      related to the study interventions. INTERPRETATION: These findings suggest that
      pioglitazone at the doses studied here is unlikely to modify progression in early
      Parkinson's disease. Further study of pioglitazone in a larger trial in patients
      with Parkinson's disease is not recommended. FUNDING: National Institute of
      Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

PMID- 26116317
TI  - Ameliorating soil chemical properties of a hard setting subsoil layer in Coastal
      Plain USA with different designer biochars.
AB  - Biochar application is an emerging management option to increase soil fertility.
      Biochars could improve chemical properties of soils with hard setting subsoil
      layer. However, biochar effect can be inconsistent because different biochars
      react differently in soils. We hypothesized that addition of designer biochars
      will have variable effects on improving the chemical properties of hard setting
      layers. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of biochars on
      soil properties in Norfolk's soil with a hard setting subsoil layer grown with
      winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). All designer biochars were added at the rate
      of 40 Mg ha(-1). Feedstocks used for biochars production were: plant-based (pine
      chips, 100% PC); animal-based (poultry litter, 100% PL); 50:50 blend (50% PC:50%
      PL); 80:20 blend (80% PC:20% PL); and hardwood (100% HW). Higher nutrient
      availability was found after additions of biochars especially additions of 100%
      PL and 50:50 blend of PC and PL. On the average, applications of 100% PL and
      50:50 blend of PC:PL had the greatest amount of soil total nitrogen with means of
      1.94+/-0.3% and 1.44+/-0.3%, respectively. When compared with the control and
      other biochars, 50:50 blend of PC:PL additions resulted in increase of 669% for
      P, 830% for K, 307% for Ca, 687% for Mg and 2315% for Na while application of
      100% PL increased the concentration of extractable P, K, Ca, Mg, and Na by 363%,
      1349%, 152%, 363%, and 3152%, respectively. Overall, our results showed promising
      significance since biochars did improve chemical properties of a Norfolk's soil.

PMID- 26116318
TI  - A new approach to carcinoma of the stomach?

PMID- 26116319
TI  - A comparison of outcomes of emergent, urgent, and elective surgical treatment of
      diverticulitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a controversy regarding the best urgent surgical treatment
      of colonic diverticulitis. We sought to compare outcomes of patients who
      underwent surgery for diverticulitis by the type of admission. METHODS: The
      National Surgical Quality Improvement Program databases were used to examine the
      clinical data of patients who underwent colorectal resection for diverticulitis
      during 2012 to 2013. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify
      outcomes of patients. RESULTS: We sampled a total of 13,510 patients admitted for
      diverticulitis who underwent colorectal resection, of which 7.8% had emergent and
      19.7% had urgent operation. Patients with perforation (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]
      188.56, P < .01) and preoperative sepsis (AOR 28.17, P < .01) had significantly
      higher rates of emergent surgery. Patients who underwent emergent operation had
      higher mortality (AOR 4.08, P = .04) and morbidity (AOR 2.14, P < .01). Emergent
      operations had a significantly higher risk of anastomosis leakage compared with
      elective operation (AOR 3.92, P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Emergent treatment of
      diverticulitis is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. In the setting
      of emergent treatment of diverticulitis, colonic anastomosis without a stoma has
      a high risk of anastomosis leakage.

PMID- 26116320
TI  - In response to: Preston JF, Diggs BS, Dolan JP, Gilbert EW, Schein M, Hunter JG.
      Biliary dyskinesia: a surgical disease rarely found outside the United States. Am
      J Surg. 2015;209:799-803.

PMID- 26116321
TI  - Repeat laparotomy in a developing world tertiary level surgical service.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Repeat laparotomy is associated with significant morbidity and
      mortality; however, developing world data are scarce. This study reviews the
      spectrum and outcomes of relaparotomy in a developing world setting. METHODS:
      Prospectively collected data from adult patients needing repeat laparotomy over
      an 18-month period were analyzed. RESULTS: Relaparotomy rate was 24% and average
      age was 38 years with a male predominance (70%). Appendicitis and trauma were the
      most common diagnoses. Planned relaparotomy rate was high (41%); however,
      negative relaparotomy rate was only 9%. Need for intensive care unit admission
      (51%) and morbidity rate (64%) were both high, but overall mortality rate was
      14%. Patients requiring multiple relaparotomies had further worsened outcomes.
      CONCLUSIONS: The need for repeat laparotomy in the developing world is high and
      it is associated with significant morbidity and need for intensive care unit
      admission. However, mortality rates and negative repeat laparotomy rates were
      low.

PMID- 26116322
TI  - Does comprehensive geriatric assessment improve the estimate of surgical risk in
      elderly patients? An Italian multicenter observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The evaluation of surgical risk is crucial in elderly patients. At
      present, there is little evidence of the usefulness of comprehensive geriatric
      assessment (CGA) as a part of the overall assessment of surgical elderly
      patients. METHODS: We verified whether CGA associated with established surgical
      risk assessment tools is able to improve the prediction of postoperative
      morbidity and mortality in 377 elderly patients undergoing elective surgery.
      RESULTS: Overall mortality and morbidity were 2.4% and 19.9%, respectively.
      Multivariate analysis showed that impaired cognitive function (odds ratio [OR],
      1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15 to 4.22; P < .02) and higher
      Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the Enumeration of Mortality and
      Morbidity (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.23; P < .04) are predictive of mortality.
      Higher comorbidity is predictive of morbidity (OR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.06 to 4.22; P
      < .03) and higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.31
      to 3.63; P < .001) and National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome of
      Death score (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.03 to 4.00; P < .04). CONCLUSIONS: In elective
      surgical elderly patients, the morbidity and mortality are low. The use of CGA
      improves the identification of elderly patients at higher risk of adverse events,
      independent of the surgical prognostic indices.

PMID- 26116323
TI  - Horizontal tumor diameter as a prognostic factor.

PMID- 26116324
TI  - Preadmission Do Not Resuscitate advanced directive is associated with adverse
      outcomes following acute traumatic injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders have been associated with poor
      outcomes in surgical patients. There is limited literature on admitted trauma
      patients with advanced directives indicating DNR status before admission
      (preadmission DNR [PADNR]). METHODS: A retrospective review of the trauma
      registry of a suburban county was carried out for admitted trauma patients with
      age >=41 years, who were admitted between 2008 and 2013. RESULTS: Of 7,937
      admitted patients, 327 had a preadmission advanced directive indicating DNR.
      PADNR patients were significantly older (87 vs 69 years), with more frequent
      comorbidities, and were more often admitted after a fall (94.2% vs 65.8%). PADNR
      patients had a higher Injury Severity Score (14 vs 11). They also had
      significantly increased rates of pneumonia, sepsis, myocardial infarction, and
      death (33.6% vs 5.9%). On multivariate logistic regression, the presence of a
      preadmission advanced directive indicating DNR status was independently
      associated with a 5.2-fold increased odds of mortality. CONCLUSION: An advanced
      directive indicating DNR is associated with adverse outcomes following trauma.

PMID- 26116325
TI  - [Heparin for clearance of peripherally inserted central venous catheter in
      newborns: an in vitro study].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of two concentrations of heparin to clear the
      lumen of in vitro clotted neonatal peripherally inserted central catheters
      (PICCs). METHODS: This is an in vitro, experimental quantitative study of 76
      neonatal 2.0Fr PICCs coagulated in vitro. The catheters were divided into two
      groups of 38 PICCs each. In both groups an infusion of low molecular weight
      heparin was administered with a dose of 25IU/mL for Group 1 and 50IU/mL for Group
      2. The negative pressure technique was applied to the catheters of both groups at
      5, 15 and 30minutes and at 4hours to test their permeability. Kaplan-Meier
      survival analysis was used to verify the outcome of the groups according to time
      intervals. RESULTS: The comparison between both groups in the first five minutes
      showed that more catheters from Group 2 were cleared compared to Group 1 (57.9
      vs. 21.1%, respectively). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that less time
      was needed to clear catheters treated with 50IU/mL of heparin (p<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: The use of low-molecular weight heparin at a concentration of
      50IU/mL was more effective in restoring the permeability of neonatal PICCs
      occluded in vitro by a clot, and the use of this concentration is within the
      safety margin indicated by scientific literature.

PMID- 26116326
TI  - [Influence of body position on the displacement of nasal prongs in preterm
      newborns receiving continuous positive airway pressure].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of body position on the displacement of
      nasal prongs in preterm infants. METHODS: This prospective, randomized, crossover
      study enrolled infants born at a mean gestational age of 29.7+/-2 weeks, birth
      weight of 1.353+/-280g and 2.9+/-2.2 days of life, submitted to continuous
      positive airway pressure by nasal prongs. The main outcome was the number of
      times that the nasal prongs were displaced following infant positioning in the
      following body positions: prone, right lateral, left lateral, and supine,
      according to a pre-established random order. Moreover, cardiorespiratory
      variables (respiratory rate, heart rate, and oxygen saturation) were evaluated
      for each body position. Data for each position were collected every 10 minutes,
      over a period of 60minutes. An occurrence was defined when the nasal prongs were
      displaced from the nostrils after 3 minutes in the desired position, requiring
      intervention of the examiner. RESULTS: Among the 16 studied infants, the
      occurrence of nasal prong displacement was only observed in the prone position (9
      infants-56.2%) and in the left lateral position (2 infants-12.5%). The number of
      times that the prongs were displaced was 11 in the prone position (seven within
      the first 10minutes) and two in the left lateral position (one within the first
      10minutes). No clinically significant changes were observed in the
      cardiorespiratory variables. CONCLUSIONS: Maintenance of the nasal prongs to
      provide adequate noninvasive respiratory support was harder in the prone
      position.

PMID- 26116327
TI  - Metacognitive profiles in individuals with a first episode of psychosis and their
      relation to social functioning and perceived social support.
AB  - Poorer metacognitive abilities are recognized as strong predictors of social
      functioning deficits in individuals with schizophrenia, but have not been studied
      in relation to perceived social support. Furthermore, traditional measures of
      metacognition fail to consider ecological aspects such as the interaction between
      thinking of one's own or other's mind, and mastery. As a constellation, these
      abilities may influence domains of social functioning and perceived social
      support differently. Therefore, this study aimed to establish whether distinct
      metacognitive profiles exist within a population of individuals with a first
      psychotic episode, and to determine how such profiles influence individual
      domains of social functioning and perceived social support. Participants (n=50)
      were recruited from two early psychosis outpatient clinics in Montreal, Canada.
      Demographic information, social functioning and perceived social support were
      measured using self-reported questionnaires, and metacognition was scored from
      the transcripts of a semi-structured interview designed to avoid leading
      responses. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct metacognitive profiles: (1)
      overall better abilities; (2) poor abilities on thinking of one's own and other's
      mind, but better mastery; and (3) overall poorer abilities. Analyses showed
      significant differences between profiles only for self-reported intimacy and
      independent living abilities, with the second profile showing better abilities
      than the third. Profiles did not simply represent consistently higher or lower
      functioning across subscales. Although mastery was predictive of social
      functioning, the ability to think in an increasingly complex manner of one's self
      and others did not seem to improve functioning in individuals with a first
      episode of psychosis.

PMID- 26116328
TI  - Validation of the Spanish version of the Clinical Assessment for Negative
      Symptoms (CAINS).
AB  - Negative symptoms are a core feature of schizophrenia and their reliable and
      valid assessment is a prerequisite for developing effective therapeutic
      interventions. This study examined the psychometric properties and validity of
      the Spanish version of a new rating instrument, the Clinical Assessment Interview
      for Negative Symptoms (CAINS). Outpatients and inpatients (N=100) with DSM-IV
      schizophrenia were administered the translated CAINS, the Positive and Negative
      Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS),
      and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS). A subsample (N=46) was
      rated for Parkinsonism using the Extrapyramidal Symptoms Rating Scale (ESRS). The
      scale showed good inter-rater and intra-rater reliability. Both the CAINS overall
      and the subscales for motivation/pleasure (CAINS-Map) and expression (CAINS-Exp)
      scores correlated significantly with the SANS and PANSS negative symptom scale.
      Significant correlations with positive symptoms and general psychopathology were
      also found, but these reduced and mostly became insignificant when overall
      severity of illness was controlled for. Significant correlations with depression
      also disappeared when severity was controlled for. There was a trend-level
      correlation between the CAINS total score and Parkinsonism, which reflected an
      association with the CAINS-Exp subscale only. Factor analysis revealed a two
      dimensional structure that explained the 67.44% of the variance. Overall, the
      Spanish version of the CAINS appears to be a valid tool for measuring negative
      symptoms in schizophrenia.

PMID- 26116329
TI  - Malignant Mesothelioma of the Tunica Vaginalis: A Rare Neoplasm--Case Report and
      Literature Review.

PMID- 26116330
TI  - Acquired Hemophilia Caused by Ureteral Tumor.

PMID- 26116331
TI  - Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health care personnel concerning hand
      hygiene in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences hospitals, 2013-2014.
AB  - This study evaluated knowledge and self-reported attitudes and practices
      concerning hand hygiene among hospital workers in Shiraz, Iran, using a 68
      question survey divided into 4 sections: demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and
      practices. Work experience had a correlation with practices and knowledge (P <
      .05), and knowledge and practices scores were positively correlated (P < .05).
      Participants appear to have sufficient knowledge and proper attitudes regarding
      hand hygiene; however, compliance practices were suboptimal.

PMID- 26116332
TI  - Infection control: Public reporting, disincentives, and bad behavior.

PMID- 26116333
TI  - Development and implementation of a cleaning standard algorithm to monitor the
      efficiency of terminal cleaning in removing adenovirus within a pediatric
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation unit.
AB  - Adenovirus infections within the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation setting
      can lead to high rates of mortality and hospital-acquired cases have been
      associated with environmental reservoirs. To establish both location and levels
      of environmental adenovirus contamination, 48 cubicles containing 794 surfaces
      were screened postterminal clean over a 4-year period. After initial cleaning 23%
      of these sites had detectable adenovirus. These data were then used to develop
      and implement a cleaning standard algorithm for terminal cleaning that was
      implemented to ensure cubicles were adenovirus-free before the next patient
      admission.

PMID- 26116334
TI  - Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae carriers in acute care hospitals and
      postacute-care facilities: The effect of organizational culture on staff
      attitudes, knowledge, practices, and infection acquisition rates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) carriers are frequently
      transferred between acute care hospitals (ACHs) and postacute-care facilities
      (PACFs). Compliance of health care workers with infection prevention guidelines
      in both care settings may be influenced by the institution's organizational
      culture. OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between organizational culture and
      health care workers' attitudes, knowledge, practices, and CRE acquisition rate
      and to identify differences between different care settings and health care
      workers' sectors. METHODS: Cross-sectional descriptive design. Self-administered
      questionnaires were distributed to a sample of 420 health care workers from 1 ACH
      and 1 PACF belonging to the same health maintenance organization located in
      central Israel. RESULTS: The organizational culture factor known as staff
      engagement was positively correlated with infection prevention attitudes and
      compliance with contact precaution protocols and negatively correlated with CRE
      acquisition rate. In the 2 care settings, health care workers' attitudes,
      knowledge, and practices were found to be similar, but CRE acquisition rate was
      lower in PACFs. Compliance with contact precaution protocols by physicians was
      lower than compliance reported by other health care workers. Auxiliary staff
      reported lower knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: In a setting of endemic CRE where a
      multifaceted intervention is already being implemented, organizational culture
      variables can predict health care workers' attitudes, knowledge, and practices
      and in turn can affect CRE acquisition rates.

PMID- 26116335
TI  - Ebola virus disease: What clinicians in the United States need to know.
AB  - In March 2014 the World Health Organization was notified of an outbreak of Ebola
      virus disease (EVD) in the forest region of Guinea. As of May 2015, the outbreak
      had become the most devastating EVD epidemic in history with more than 27,000
      cases and more than 11,000 deaths. The introduction of EVD into noncontiguous
      countries, including the United States, from infected travelers highlights the
      importance of preparedness of all health care providers. Early identification and
      rapid isolation of patients suspected with EVD is critical to limiting the spread
      of Ebola virus. Additionally, enhanced understanding of EVD case definitions,
      clinical presentation, treatment procedures, and infection control strategies
      will improve the ability of health care workers to provide safe care for patients
      with EVD. 

PMID- 26116337
TI  - Emergency Medicine: An Integral Component of the Continuum of Critical Care That
      is Devalued by Fellowship Programs.

PMID- 26116336
TI  - Subdural Hematoma Presenting as Recurrent Syncope.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Syncope is a common emergency department (ED) complaint. Recurrent
      syncope is less common, but may be concerning for serious underlying pathology.
      It often requires a broad diagnostic evaluation that may include neurologic
      imaging. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 75-year-old man with non
      small-cell carcinoma who presented to the ED for recurrent syncope after coughing
      spells over the 2 weeks preceding his arrival at the ED. He had a normal cardiac
      evaluation, however, he had some subacute neurologic changes that prompted
      obtaining a computed tomography (CT) scan of the head. This led to the diagnosis
      of atraumatic subdural hematoma that was causing transient transtentorial
      herniation leading to the recurrent syncope. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE
      AWARE OF THIS?: Emergency physicians should be aware that recurrent syncope is a
      possible presentation of increased intracranial pressure that may be due to a
      mass lesion, particularly if the patient has any acute or subacute neurologic
      changes. Although this association with a subdual hematoma is rare, other cases
      of mass lesions leading to syncope after coughing spells have been reported in
      the literature.

PMID- 26116338
TI  - An Unusual Case of Dysphagia.

PMID- 26116339
TI  - Impact of 4D-(18)FDG-PET/CT imaging on target volume delineation in SBRT patients
      with central versus peripheral lung tumors. Multi-reader comparative study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Evaluation of the effect of co-registered 4D-(18)FDG-PET/CT for SBRT
      target delineation in patients with central versus peripheral lung tumors.
      METHODS: Analysis of internal target volume (ITV) delineation of central and
      peripheral lung lesions in 21 SBRT-patients. Manual delineation was performed by
      4 observers in 2 contouring phases: on respiratory gated 4DCT with diagnostic
      3DPET available aside (CT-ITV) and on co-registered 4DPET/CT (PET/CT-ITV).
      Comparative analysis of volumes and inter-reader agreement. RESULTS: 11 cases of
      peripheral and 10 central lesions were evaluated. In peripheral lesions, average
      CT-ITV was 6.2 cm(3) and PET/CT-ITV 8.6 cm(3), resembling a mean change in
      hypothetical radius of 2 mm. For both CT-ITVs and PET/CT-ITVs inter reader
      agreement was good and unchanged (0.733 and 0.716; p=0.58). All PET/CT-ITVs
      stayed within the PTVs derived from CT-ITVs. In central lesions, average CT-ITVs
      were 42.1 cm(3), PET/CT-ITVs 44.2 cm(3), without significant overall volume
      changes. Inter-reader agreement improved significantly (0.665 and 0.750; p<0.05).
      2/10 PET/CT-ITVs exceeded the PTVs derived from CT-ITVs by >1 ml in average for
      all observers. CONCLUSION: The addition of co-registered 4DPET data to 4DCT based
      target volume delineation for SBRT of centrally located lung tumors increases the
      inter-observer agreement and may help to avoid geographic misses.

PMID- 26116340
TI  - Nomogram for predicting pathologically complete response after neoadjuvant
      chemoradiotherapy for oesophageal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A pathologically complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant
      chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) is seen in 30% of the patients with oesophageal cancer.
      The aim is to identify patient and tumour characteristics associated with a pCR
      and to develop a nomogram for the prediction of pCR. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Patients who underwent nCRT followed by surgery were identified and response to
      nCRT was assessed according to a modified Mandard classification in the resection
      specimen. A model was developed with age, gender, histology and location of the
      tumour, differentiation grade, alcohol use, smoking, percentage weight loss,
      Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), cT-stage and cN-stage as potential predictors
      for pCR. Probability of pCR was studied via logistic regression. Performance of
      the prediction nomogram was quantified using the concordance statistic (c
      statistic) and corrected for optimism. RESULTS: A total of 381 patients were
      included. After surgery, 27.6% of the tumours showed a pCR. Female sex, squamous
      cell histology, poor differentiation grade, and low cT-stage were predictive for
      a pCR with a c-statistic of 0.64 (corrected for optimism). CONCLUSION: A nomogram
      for the prediction of pathologically complete response after neoadjuvant
      chemoradiotherapy was developed, with a reasonable predictive power. This
      nomogram needs external validation before it can be used for individualised
      clinical decision-making.

PMID- 26116341
TI  - Verteporfin Photodynamic Therapy for the Treatment of Retinal Vasoproliferative
      Tumors.

PMID- 26116342
TI  - Tissue Interleukin-17 and Interleukin-23 as Biomarkers for Orbital Granulomatosis
      with Polyangiitis.

PMID- 26116343
TI  - From taxonomy and industry to genetics: Fungal Biology in China.

PMID- 26116345
TI  - Torticollis in Children: A Challenging Diagnosis of C1-C2 Septic Arthritis.

PMID- 26116344
TI  - Anti-tumor activity of the proteasome inhibitor BSc2118 against human multiple
      myeloma.
AB  - Introduction of bortezomib, the first generation of proteasome inhibitor, has
      significantly improved the median overall survival of patients with multiple
      myeloma (MM). However, the dose-limiting adverse events and acquired drug
      resistance limit its long-term usage. Here, we report in vitro and in vivo anti
      MM activity of the irreversible proteasome inhibitor BSc2118. BSc2118 inhibited
      the chymotrypsin-like (CT-L) proteasome activity, accompanied by accumulation of
      ubiquitinated proteins. BSc2118 suppressed tumor cell growth through induction of
      G2/M phase arrest and induced apoptosis via activation of the apoptotic signaling
      cascade, in association with up-regulation of p53 and p21. Importantly, BSc2118
      was active in vitro against MM cells' acquired bortezomib resistance. Of note,
      BSc2118 also displayed a novel anti-angiogenesis activity both in vitro and in
      vivo. Lastly, BSc2118 exhibited a broader safety dose range and higher anti-tumor
      efficacy in vivo in a human MM xenograft mouse model, compared to bortezomib.
      Together, these findings indicate the in vitro and in vivo anti-MM activities of
      BSc2118 through induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, as well as
      inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. They also suggest that BSc2118 might, at least
      in vitro, partially overcome acquired bortezomib resistance, likely associated
      with inhibition of autophagy. 

PMID- 26116346
TI  - Where Children Die: Obstacles to Quality End-of-Life Care.

PMID- 26116347
TI  - FluMist: Reconsidering the Contraindications.

PMID- 26116348
TI  - Thirteen-Year-Old Male Presenting With Fever, Cough, Weakness, and Somnolence.

PMID- 26116349
TI  - Developmental Screening With Spanish-Speaking Families in a Primary Care Setting.
AB  - Cultural beliefs may influence parents' willingness to raise concerns on a
      developmental screener. Our study evaluated the performance of the Parents'
      Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) in an urban community health center
      where 75% of families are Spanish speaking. Our primary outcome was the presence
      of parent-reported concerns either in the medical record or on the PEDS before
      the PEDS was introduced compared with after it became routine care (post-PEDS).
      Covariates included family language and child age, gender, and risk status. The
      adjusted odds of a concern being identified was 1.5 times greater in the post
      PEDS period for Developmental concerns and 2.1 times greater for Behavioral
      concerns. There was no association with family language indicating that the PEDS
      performs equally well for English- and Spanish-speaking families. The systematic
      inclusion of developmental screening as part of culturally competent primary care
      may aid in reducing current disparities in the identification of developmental
      concerns. 

PMID- 26116350
TI  - A Child With a Painless Lump on the Anterior Chest Wall.

PMID- 26116352
TI  - Pediatric Obesity in Early Childhood: A Physician Screening Tool.
AB  - Obesity is a public health crisis and continues to affect youth of increasingly
      younger ages. With significant medical and psychosocial comorbidities, it is
      critical that front-line providers feel confident in their abilities to assess,
      and appropriately refer, children and families to subspecialties to aid in weight
      management treatment. This article describes the development and utility of a 1
      page screening tool for pediatricians and other providers. Utilizing research,
      clinical experience, and consensus opinion, a brief tool was developed that could
      be incorporated into medical visits to facilitate medical care decisions and
      management of pediatric obesity. 

PMID- 26116351
TI  - A Narrative Synthesis of the Components of and Evidence for Patient- and Family
      Centered Care.
AB  - A narrative synthesis was conducted to determine typical patient- and family
      centered care (PFCC) components and their link to outcomes in pediatric
      populations. 68 studies with PFCC interventions and experimental designs were
      included. Study features were synthesized based on 5 core PFCC components (i.e.,
      education from the provider to the patient and/or family, information sharing
      from the family to the provider, social-emotional support, adapting care to match
      family background, and/or s decision-making) and 4 outcome categories (health
      status; the experience, knowledge, and attitudes of the patient/family;
      patient/family behavior; or provider behavior). The most common PFCC component
      was education; the least common was adapting care to family background. The
      presence of social-emotional support alone, as well as educational interventions
      augmented with shared decision-making, social-emotional support, or adaptations
      of care based on family background, predicted improvements in families'
      knowledge, attitudes, and experience. Interventions that targeted the family were
      associated with positive outcomes. 

PMID- 26116353
TI  - Post-childhood Presentation and Diagnosis of DiGeorge Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The diversity of clinical presentations makes the
      diagnosis of DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) a diagnostic challenge. The objective of our
      study was to report the clinical presentation of DGS in the post-childhood
      period. METHODS: A retrospective study, investigating patients diagnosed
      clinically and genetically with DGS at Sheba Medical Center during the period of
      2010-2013. Post-childhood period was defined as age >10 years. RESULTS: During
      the study period, 29 patients were diagnosed with DGS. Nine (31%) patients with
      DGS were diagnosed in their post-childhood period. The basis for clinical
      suspicion was diverse. However, once the suspicion was brought to attention,
      additional symptoms consistent with DGS were noted at up to 88% of patients who
      presented characteristic of facial features and developmental delay. CONCLUSION:
      Our research shows that diagnosing DGS patients in the post-childhood period is
      not uncommon. Characteristic facial features and developmental delay, although
      not leading presenting symptoms, are found very frequently in patients with DGS.

PMID- 26116354
TI  - Letter to the Editor: Multiple Infantile Hemangiomas or Multifocal Venous
      Malformations?

PMID- 26116355
TI  - Immobilization in External Rotation Versus Internal Rotation After Primary
      Anterior Shoulder Dislocation: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The recurrence rate after primary anterior shoulder dislocation is
      high, especially in young, active individuals. Recent studies have suggested
      external rotation immobilization as a method to reduce the rate of recurrent
      shoulder dislocation in comparison to traditional sling immobilization. PURPOSE:
      To assess and summarize evidence from randomized controlled trials on the effect
      of internal rotation versus external rotation immobilization on the rate of
      recurrence after primary anterior shoulder dislocation. STUDY DESIGN: Meta
      analysis. METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of
      Controlled Trials, and abstracts from recent proceedings were searched for
      eligible studies. Two reviewers selected studies for inclusion, assessed
      methodological quality, and extracted data. RESULTS: Six randomized controlled
      trials (632 patients) were included in this review. Demographic and prognostic
      variables measured at baseline were similar in the pooled groups. The average age
      was 30.1 years in the pooled external rotation group and 30.3 years in the pooled
      internal rotation group. Two studies found that external rotation immobilization
      reduced the rate of recurrence after initial anterior shoulder dislocation
      compared with conventional internal rotation immobilization, whereas 4 studies
      failed to find a significant difference between the 2 groups. This meta-analysis
      suggested no overall significant difference in the rate of recurrence among
      patients treated with internal rotation versus external rotation immobilization
      (risk ratio, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.42-1.14; P = .15). There was no significant
      difference in the rate of compliance between internal and external rotation
      immobilization (P = .43). The Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index scores
      were pooled across 3 studies, and there was no significant difference between the
      2 groups (P = .54). CONCLUSION: Immobilization in external rotation is not
      significantly more effective in reducing the recurrence rate after primary
      anterior shoulder dislocation than immobilization in internal rotation.
      Additionally, this review suggests that there is minimal difference in patients'
      perceptions of their health-related quality of life after immobilization in
      internal versus external rotation.

PMID- 26116356
TI  - Endogenous Toll-Like Receptor 9 Regulates AKI by Promoting Regulatory T Cell
      Recruitment.
AB  - Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) enhances proinflammatory responses, but whether it
      can act in a regulatory capacity remains to be established. In experimental
      murine AKI induced by cisplatin, Tlr9(-/-) mice developed enhanced renal injury
      and exhibited fewer intrarenal regulatory T cells (Tregs) compared with
      genetically intact mice. A series of reconstitution and depletion studies defined
      a role for TLR9 in maintaining Treg-mediated homeostasis in cisplatin-induced
      AKI. When Rag1(-/-) mice were reconstituted with nonregulatory CD25(-)
      splenocytes from wild-type (WT) or Tlr9(-/-) mice, AKI was similarly enhanced.
      However, when Rag1(-/-) mice were reconstituted with CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory
      cells, WT CD4(+)CD25(+) cells were more renoprotective and localized to the
      kidney more efficiently than Tlr9(-/-) CD4(+)CD25(+) cells. In Treg-depleted
      Foxp3(DTR) mice, reconstitution with naive WT CD4(+)CD25(+) cells resulted in
      less severe AKI than did reconstitution with Tlr9(-/-) Tregs. Tlr9(-/-) mice were
      not deficient in CD4(+)CD25(+) cells, and WT and TLR9-deficient Tregs had similar
      suppressive function ex vivo. However, expression of adhesion molecules important
      in Treg trafficking was reduced on peripheral CD4(+)CD25(+) cells from Tlr9(-/-)
      mice. In conclusion, we identified a pathway by which TLR9 promotes renal Treg
      accumulation in AKI. 

PMID- 26116357
TI  - Intravital Imaging Reveals Angiotensin II-Induced Transcytosis of Albumin by
      Podocytes.
AB  - Albuminuria is a hallmark of kidney disease of various etiologies and usually
      caused by deterioration of glomerular filtration barrier integrity. We recently
      showed that angiotensin II (Ang II) acutely increases albumin filtration in the
      healthy kidney. Here, we used intravital microscopy to assess the effects of Ang
      II on podocyte function in rats. Acute infusion of 30, 60, or 80 ng/kg per minute
      Ang II enhanced the endocytosis of albumin by activation of the type 1 Ang II
      receptor and resulted in an average (+/-SEM) of 3.7+/-2.2, 72.3+/-18.6 (P<0.001),
      and 239.4+/-34.6 um(3) (P<0.001) albumin-containing vesicles per glomerulus,
      respectively, compared with none at baseline or 10 ng/kg per minute Ang II.
      Immunostaining of Ang II-infused kidneys confirmed the presence of albumin
      containing vesicles, which colocalized with megalin, in podocin-positive cells.
      Furthermore, podocyte endocytosis of albumin was markedly reduced in the presence
      of gentamicin, a competitive inhibitor of megalin-dependent endocytosis. Ang II
      infusion increased the concentration of albumin in the subpodocyte space, a
      potential source for endocytic protein uptake, and gentamicin further increased
      this concentration. Some endocytic vesicles were acidified and colocalized with
      LysoTracker. Most vesicles migrated from the capillary to the apical aspect of
      the podocyte and were eventually released into the urinary space. This
      transcytosis accounted for approximately 10% of total albumin filtration. In
      summary, the transcellular transport of proteins across the podocyte constitutes
      a new pathway of glomerular protein filtration. Ang II enhances the endocytosis
      and transcytosis of plasma albumin by podocytes, which may eventually impair
      podocyte function. 

PMID- 26116359
TI  - Ingenol Mebutate Signals via PKC/MEK/ERK in Keratinocytes and Induces Interleukin
      Decoy Receptors IL1R2 and IL13RA2.
AB  - Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common human skin cancer and the
      second leading cause of skin cancer-related death. Recently, a new compound,
      ingenol mebutate, was approved for treatment of actinic keratosis, a precursor of
      SCC. As the mechanism of action is poorly understood, we have further
      investigated the mechanism of ingenol mebutate-induced cell death. We elucidate
      direct effects of ingenol mebutate on primary keratinocytes, patient-derived SCC
      cells, and a SCC cell line. Transcriptional profiling followed by pathway
      analysis was performed on ingenol mebutate-treated primary keratinocytes and
      patient-derived SCC cells to find key mediators and identify the mechanism of
      action. Activation of the resulting pathways was confirmed in cells and human
      skin explants and supported by a phosphorylation screen of treated primary cells.
      The necessity of these pathways was demonstrated by inhibition of certain pathway
      components. Ingenol mebutate inhibited viability and proliferation of all
      keratinocyte-derived cells in a biphasic manner. Transcriptional profiling
      identified the involvement of PKC/MEK/ERK signaling in the mechanism of action
      and inhibition of this signaling pathway rescued ingenol mebutate-induced cell
      death after treatment with 100 nmol/L ingenol mebutate, the optimal concentration
      for the first peak of response. We found the interleukin decoy receptors IL1R2
      and IL13RA2 induced by ingenol mebutate in a PKC/MEK/ERK-dependent manner.
      Furthermore, siRNA knockdown of IL1R2 and IL13RA2 partially rescued ingenol
      mebutate-treated cells. In conclusion, we have shown that ingenol mebutate
      induced cell death is mediated through the PKCdelta/MEK/ERK pathway, and we have
      functionally linked the downstream induction of IL1R2 and IL13RA2 expression to
      the reduced viability of ingenol mebutate-treated cells.

PMID- 26116358
TI  - Regression of Renal Disease by Angiotensin II Antagonism Is Caused by
      Regeneration of Kidney Vasculature.
AB  - Chronic renal insufficiency inexorably progresses in patients, such as it does
      after partial renal ablation in rats. However, the progression of renal diseases
      can be delayed by angiotensin II blockers that stabilize renal function or
      increase GFR, even in advanced phases of the disease. Regression of
      glomerulosclerosis can be induced by angiotensin II antagonism, but the effect of
      these treatments on the entire vascular tree is unclear. Here, using
      microcomputed tomography and scanning electron microscopy, we compared the size
      and extension of kidney blood vessels in untreated Wistar rats with those in
      untreated and angiotensin II antagonist-treated Munich Wistar Fromter (MWF) rats
      that spontaneously develop kidney disease with age. The kidney vasculature
      underwent progressive rarefaction in untreated MWF rats, substantially affecting
      intermediate and small vessels. Microarray analysis showed increased Tgf-beta and
      endothelin-1 gene expression with age. Notably, 10-week inhibition of the renin
      angiotensin system regenerated kidney vasculature and normalized Tgf-beta and
      endothelin-1 gene expression in aged MWF rats. These changes were associated with
      reduced apoptosis, increased endothelial cell proliferation, and restoration of
      Nrf2 expression, suggesting mechanisms by which angiotensin II antagonism
      mediates regeneration of capillary segments. These results have important
      implications in the clinical setting of chronic renal insufficiency. 

PMID- 26116360
TI  - Heregulin-ErbB3-Driven Tumor Growth Persists in PI3 Kinase Mutant Cancer Cells.
AB  - PI3K is frequently mutated in cancer and plays an important role in cell growth
      and survival. Heregulin (HRG)-mediated autocrine or paracrine signaling through
      the receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB3 potently activates the PI3K/AKT pathway and
      has been shown to mediate resistance to a wide variety of anticancer agents.
      Although PI3K functions downstream of HRG-ErbB3, it is unknown whether activating
      mutations in PI3K render HRG ineffective. If so, patients with PI3K mutations
      would not be expected to benefit from ErbB3-directed therapies. Here, we find
      that a subset of cell lines harboring activating PI3K mutations can be further
      growth-stimulated by HRG, and this effect is blocked by incubation with
      seribantumab (MM-121), a monoclonal anti-ErbB3 antibody. Although expression of
      mutant PI3K in wild-type PI3K cells frequently results in loss of HRG-stimulated
      growth, some cell lines continue to respond to HRG. In cell lines where HRG
      stimulated growth is lost, this loss is invariably accompanied by a reduction in
      ErbB3 levels, a corresponding increase in basal phosphorylation levels of FOXO
      family transcription factors, and a reduction in HRG-induced downstream
      signaling. Importantly, HRG-stimulated growth is partially rescued by re
      expressing ErbB3. This response is blocked by seribantumab, indicating that ErbB3
      levels rather than downstream signaling proteins limit HRG-stimulated growth in
      PI3K mutant cells. Overall, these results suggest that activating mutations in
      PI3K do not preclude potential benefit from ErbB3-directed therapy, but that it
      may be important to measure ErbB3 levels in patients with PI3K mutant cancers to
      determine if they would benefit.

PMID- 26116361
TI  - AKT Antagonist AZD5363 Influences Estrogen Receptor Function in Endocrine
      Resistant Breast Cancer and Synergizes with Fulvestrant (ICI182780) In Vivo.
AB  - PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling plays an important role in breast cancer. Its interaction
      with estrogen receptor (ER) signaling becomes more complex and interdependent
      with acquired endocrine resistance. Targeting mTOR combined with endocrine
      therapy has shown clinical utility; however, a negative feedback loop exists
      downstream of PI3K/AKT/mTOR. Direct blockade of AKT together with endocrine
      therapy may improve breast cancer treatment. AZD5363, a novel pan-AKT kinase
      catalytic inhibitor, was examined in a panel of ER(+) breast cancer cell lines
      (MCF7, HCC1428, T47D, ZR75.1) adapted to long-term estrogen deprivation (LTED) or
      tamoxifen (TamR). AZD5363 caused a dose-dependent decrease in proliferation in
      all cell lines tested (GI50 < 500 nmol/L) except HCC1428 and HCC1428-LTED. T47D
      LTED and ZR75-LTED were the most sensitive of the lines (GI50 ~ 100 nmol/L).
      AZD5363 resensitized TamR cells to tamoxifen and acted synergistically with
      fulvestrant. AZD5363 decreased p-AKT/mTOR targets leading to a reduction in
      ERalpha-mediated transcription in a context-specific manner and concomitant
      decrease in recruitment of ER and CREB-binding protein (CBP) to estrogen response
      elements located on the TFF1, PGR, and GREB1 promoters. Furthermore, AZD5363
      reduced expression of cell-cycle-regulatory proteins. Global gene expression
      highlighted ERBB2-ERBB3, ERK5, and IGFI signaling pathways driven by MYC as
      potential feedback-loops. Combined treatment with AZD5363 and fulvestrant showed
      synergy in an ER(+) patient-derived xenograft and delayed tumor progression after
      cessation of therapy. These data support the combination of AZD5363 with
      fulvestrant as a potential therapy for breast cancer that is sensitive or
      resistant to E-deprivation or tamoxifen and that activated AKT is a determinant
      of response, supporting the need for clinical evaluation.

PMID- 26116362
TI  - Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation of Hepatic Metastases from Gastric
      Adenocarcinoma after Gastrectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) ablation
      for treatment of hepatic metastases from gastric adenocarcinoma. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Of 24 patients who underwent percutaneous RF ablation after gastrectomy
      for a hepatic metastasis from a gastric cancer during the period 2000-2013, 19
      were enrolled (median age, 63 y) with 21 metastatic tumors (mean diameter, 2.3
      cm). Patient overall survival (OS) and local tumor progression-free survival
      (PFS) outcomes were assessed and compared according to patient and tumor
      characteristics, including tumor size and lobar distribution. The difference in
      diameter between tumor and ablation zone was compared according to lobar
      distribution. RESULTS: The median OS after RF ablation was 20.3 months, and the
      median local tumor PFS was 10.4 months. The OS rate was not significantly
      influenced by any patient or tumor characteristics. In multivariate analysis,
      independent negative prognostic factors for local tumor PFS were a tumor >= 3 cm
      in diameter (hazard ratio, 10.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.8-62.5; P = .009) and
      a tumor located in the left lobe (hazard ratio, 9.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.3
      63.5; P = .026). The difference in diameter between the tumor and ablation zone
      was significantly different between the right and left lobes (right 1.8 cm +/-
      0.6 vs left 1.1 cm +/- 0.70, P = .028). CONCLUSIONS: With the appropriate
      selection of patients with tumors <= 3 cm in diameter and with the possibility of
      sufficient safety margins, RF ablation is a safe and feasible treatment option
      for hepatic metastases from gastric adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 26116363
TI  - PGlcS: Prediction of protein O-GlcNAcylation sites with multiple features and
      analysis.
AB  - As a widespread type of protein post-translational modification, O-GlcNAcylation
      plays crucial regulatory roles in almost all cellular processes and is related to
      some diseases. To deeply understand O-GlcNAcylated mechanisms, identification of
      substrates and specific O-GlcNAcylated sites is crucial. Experimental
      identification is expensive and time-consuming, so computational prediction of O
      GlcNAcylated sites has considerable value. In this work, we developed a novel O
      GlcNAcylated sites predictor called PGlcS (Prediction of O-GlcNAcylated Sites) by
      using k-means cluster to obtain informative and reliable negative samples, and
      support vector machines classifier combined with a two-step feature selection.
      The performance of PGlcS was evaluated using an independent testing dataset
      resulting in a sensitivity of 64.62%, a specificity of 68.4%, an accuracy of
      68.37%, and a Matthew's correlation coefficient of 0.0697, which demonstrated
      PGlcS was very promising for predicting O-GlcNAcylated sites. The datasets and
      source code were available in Supplementary information. 

PMID- 26116364
TI  - Transmission dynamics of vivax malaria in the republic of Korea: Effectiveness of
      anti-malarial mass chemoprophylaxis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vivax malaria with two distinct (short- and long-term) incubation
      periods has been prevalent in the Republic of Korea since its re-emergence in
      1993. As part of countermeasures, mass chemoprophylaxis has been conducted since
      1997 among military personnel, a high risk group. To assess the population
      effectiveness of chemoprophylaxis, the time-dependent reproduction number was
      estimated in the present study. METHODS: A renewal process has been employed,
      estimating the yearly effective reproduction number (Ry) from 1993 to 2012 using
      a maximum likelihood estimation method. Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) was
      computed to identify the best-fit model with a time-dependent trend that
      coincides with the timing of mass chemoprophylaxis. RESULTS: The estimates of Ry
      revealed an overall declining trend from 1997 to 2012. Despite small fluctuations
      in 2005 and 2009, Ry was brought to be close to unity since 2000. An extrapolated
      model of the time-dependent reproduction number with the smallest AIC indicated
      that there was an abrupt decline in secondary transmission from 1997 to 1998.
      CONCLUSION: The epidemic of vivax malaria in the Republic of Korea has been on
      the whole brought under control in the last decades. Mass chemoprophylaxis
      assisted the decline in secondary transmissions from its second year, which
      presumed to have reflected the effect of long incubation period and expansion of
      the coverage.

PMID- 26116365
TI  - Chromosome replication status and DNA content at any cell age in a bacterial cell
      cycle.
AB  - An algorithm is presented to determine the chromosome replication status, the
      rate of DNA synthesis per fork, and the amount of DNA in chromosome equivalents
      (G) per chromosome, per cell and per age throughout a bacterial cell cycle. This
      algorithm is the only attempt to study replication and the G value at any cell
      age since the general model of the bacterial cell cycle by Cooper and Helmstetter
      (1968, J. Mol. Biol. 31, 619-644). To help using it, two implementations are
      provided. 

PMID- 26116366
TI  - Cancer immunoediting: A process driven by metabolic competition as a predator
      prey-shared resource type model.
AB  - It is a well-established fact that tumors up-regulate glucose consumption to meet
      increasing demands for rapidly available energy by upregulating a purely
      glycolytic mode of glucose metabolism. What is often neglected is that activated
      cytotoxic cells of the immune system, integral players in the carcinogenesis
      process, also come to rely on glycolysis as a primary mode of glucose metabolism.
      Moreover, while cancer cells can revert back to aerobic metabolism, rapidly
      proliferating cytotoxic lymphocytes are incapable of performing their function
      when adequate resources are lacking. Consequently, it is likely that in the tumor
      microenvironment there may exist competition for shared resources between cancer
      cells and the cells of the immune system, which may underlie much of tumor-immune
      dynamics. Proposed here is a model of tumor-immune-glucose interactions,
      formulated as a predator-prey-common resource type system. The outcome of these
      interactions ranges from tumor elimination, to tumor dormancy, to unrestrained
      tumor growth. It is also predicted that the process of tumor escape can be
      preceded by periods of oscillatory tumor growth. A detailed bifurcation analysis
      of three subsystems of the model suggest that oscillatory regimes are a result of
      competition for shared resource (glucose) between the predator (immune cells) and
      the prey (cancer cells). Existence of competition for nutrients between cancer
      and immune cells may provide additional mechanistic insight as to why the
      efficacy of many immunotherapies may be limited. 

PMID- 26116367
TI  - A stochastic microscopic model for the dynamics of antigenic variation.
AB  - We present a novel model that describes the within-host evolutionary dynamics of
      parasites undergoing antigenic variation. The approach uses a multi-type
      branching process with two types of entities defined according to their
      relationship with the immune system: clans of resistant parasitic cells (i.e.
      groups of cells sharing the same antigen not yet recognized by the immune system)
      that may become sensitive, and individual sensitive cells that can acquire a new
      resistance thus giving rise to the emergence of a new clan. The simplicity of the
      model allows analytical treatment to determine the subcritical and supercritical
      regimes in the space of parameters. By incorporating a density-dependent
      mechanism the model is able to capture additional relevant features observed in
      experimental data, such as the characteristic parasitemia waves. In summary our
      approach provides a new general framework to address the dynamics of antigenic
      variation which can be easily adapted to cope with broader and more complex
      situations. 

PMID- 26116368
TI  - The effects of continuing care on emerging adult outcomes following residential
      addiction treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Professional continuing care services enhance recovery rates among
      adults and adolescents, though less is known about emerging adults (18-25 years
      old). Despite benefit shown from emerging adults' participation in 12-step mutual
      help organizations (MHOs), it is unclear whether participation offers benefit
      independent of professional continuing care services. Greater knowledge in this
      area would inform clinical referral and linkage efforts. METHODS: Emerging adults
      (N=284; 74% male; 95% Caucasian) were assessed during the year after residential
      treatment on outpatient sessions per week, percent days in residential treatment
      and residing in a sober living environment, substance use disorder (SUD)
      medication use, active 12-step MHO involvement (e.g., having a sponsor,
      completing step work, contact with members outside meetings), and continuous
      abstinence (dichotomized yes/no). One generalized estimating equation (GEE) model
      tested the unique effect of each professional service on abstinence, and, in a
      separate GEE model, the unique effect of 12-step MHO involvement on abstinence
      over and above professional services, independent of individual covariates.
      RESULTS: Apart from SUD medication, all professional continuing care services
      were significantly associated with abstinence over and above individual factors.
      In the more comprehensive model, relative to zero 12-step MHO activities, odds of
      abstinence were 1.3 times greater if patients were involved in one activity, and
      3.2 times greater if involved in five activities (lowest mean number of
      activities in the sample across all follow-ups). CONCLUSIONS: Both active
      involvement in 12-step MHOs and recovery-supportive, professional services that
      link patients with these community-based resources may enhance outcomes for
      emerging adults after residential treatment.

PMID- 26116370
TI  - Inhibition of monoamine oxidase A increases recovery after experimental cardiac
      arrest.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Perioperative myocardial infarction (MI) with ischaemia-reperfusion
      injury (IRI) is a devastating entity occurring in 1-2% of patients after cardiac
      surgery. The molecular pathway leading to myocardial cellular destruction after
      MI may include monoamine oxidases. We experimentally investigated whether
      moclobemide, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, enhances myocardial recovery after
      cardiac arrest and MI. METHODS: Fifty-six syngeneic Fischer rats underwent
      heterotopic cardiac transplantation to induce reversible IRI after cardiac
      arrest. Twenty-eight rats also underwent permanent ligation of the left anterior
      descending coronary artery to induce MI after cardiac arrest. Twenty-eight rats
      with or without MI were treated with subcutaneous moclobemide 10 mg/kg/day.
      Methods used to study myocardial recovery were microdialysis for intramyocardial
      metabolism, histology and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain
      reaction for high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), haeme oxygenase-1 (HO-1),
      interleukin-6, hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha and macrophages (CD68). RESULTS:
      Pyruvate increased in MI treated with moclobemide versus IRI with moclobemide
      (29.19 +/- 7.64 vs 13.86 +/- 8.49 uM, P = 0.028), reflecting metabolic activity
      after cardiac arrest and reperfusion. Myocardial inflammation increased in MI
      compared with IRI after 1 h (0.80 +/- 0.56 vs 0, point score units [PSUs], P =
      0.003), but decreased after 5 days in MI treated with moclobemide versus MI alone
      (0.80 +/- 0.83 vs 2.00 +/- 0.70, PSU, P = 0.033). Expressions of HMGB1, CD68 and
      HO-1 decreased in MI treated with moclobemide versus MI alone (1.33 +/- 0.20 vs
      1.75 +/- 0.24, fold changes [FCs], P = 0.028; 5.15 +/- 1.10 vs 9.59 +/- 2.75, FC,
      P = 0.050; 10.41 +/- 4.17 vs 21.28 +/- 10.01, FC, P = 0.047), indicating
      myocardial recovery and increased cellularity of remote intramyocardial arteries.
      CONCLUSIONS: Moclobemide enhances myocardial recovery after cardiac arrest and
      MI; inhibition of remote myocardial changes may be achieved by targeting
      treatment against monoamine oxidase.

PMID- 26116369
TI  - Spontaneous Chronic Pain After Experimental Thoracotomy Revealed by Conditioned
      Place Preference: Morphine Differentiates Tactile Evoked Pain From Spontaneous
      Pain.
AB  - Chronic pain after surgery limits social activity, interferes with work, and
      causes emotional suffering. A major component of such pain is reported as resting
      or spontaneous pain with no apparent external stimulus. Although experimental
      animal models can simulate the stimulus-evoked chronic pain that occurs after
      surgery, there have been no studies of spontaneous chronic pain in such models.
      Here the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm was used to reveal resting
      pain after experimental thoracotomy. Male Sprague Dawley rats received a
      thoracotomy with 1-hour rib retraction, resulting in evoked tactile
      hypersensitivity, previously shown to last for at least 9 weeks. Intraperitoneal
      injections of morphine (2.5 mg/kg) or gabapentin (40 mg/kg) gave equivalent 2- to
      3-hour-long relief of tactile hypersensitivity when tested 12 to 14 days
      postoperatively. In separate experiments, single trial CPP was conducted 1 week
      before thoracotomy and then 12 days (gabapentin) or 14 days (morphine) after
      surgery, followed the next day by 1 conditioning session with morphine or
      gabapentin, both versus saline. The gabapentin-conditioned but not the morphine
      conditioned rats showed a significant preference for the analgesia-paired
      chamber, despite the equivalent effect of the 2 agents in relieving tactile
      allodynia. These results show that experimental thoracotomy in rats causes
      spontaneous pain and that some analgesics, such as morphine, that reduce evoked
      pain do not also relieve resting pain, suggesting that pathophysiological
      mechanisms differ between these 2 aspects of long-term postoperative pain.
      Perspective: Spontaneous pain, a hallmark of chronic postoperative pain, is
      demonstrated here in a rat model of experimental postthoracotomy pain, further
      validating the use of this model for the development of analgesics to treat such
      symptoms. Although stimulus-evoked pain was sensitive to systemic morphine,
      spontaneous pain was not, suggesting different mechanistic underpinnings.

PMID- 26116371
TI  - Uniportal video-assisted thoracic lobectomy in a semiprone position for the
      treatment of a large intralobar pulmonary sequestration.
AB  - Intralobar pulmonary sequestration (IPS) is a rare developmental abnormality of
      the lower respiratory system. Lobectomy by video-assisted thoracic surgery using
      a three-port or four-port technique is the generally accepted operative approach.
      However, lobectomy can also be accomplished with a single incision even if the
      IPS is large. This report describes the first case of a patient with a large IPS
      undergoing uniportal video-assisted thoracic lobectomy in a semiprone position. 

PMID- 26116373
TI  - Population awareness of risks related to medicinal product use in Vientiane
      Capital, Lao PDR: a cross-sectional study for public health improvement in low
      and middle income countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While essential medicines have been made more available in all but
      the most remote areas in low and middle income countries (L/MICs) over the past
      years, inappropriate and incorrect use of good quality medicines remains a key
      impediment for public health. In addition, as medicines have a potential to cause
      harm (medicine risks), adequate awareness by medicine users of the risks of
      adverse reactions is essential, especially as self-medication is common in
      L/MICs. This study aimed to investigate the awareness of Lao residents regarding
      medicine risks in Vientiane Capital, Lao People's Democratic Republic. METHODS:
      Face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires of 144 residents older
      than 16 years were carried out in 12 randomly selected villages out of the 146
      villages of Vientiane Capital with at least one health facility. RESULTS: The
      respondents were mainly (85.0 %) the heads of households or their husband/spouse
      . The majority of the respondents were unaware (61.8 %) of medicine risks.
      Compared to residents living in the urban district of Xaysetha, living in peri
      urban and even more in rural areas were identified as factors associated with
      being unaware of medicine risks [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) =3.3, 95 % Confidence
      Interval (CI) = 1.1-9.4]) and aOR =7.5 (95 % CI = 2.3-24.2), respectively]. In
      addition, more than half of the respondents had never heard of poor quality
      medicines, with a higher rate in rural/peri-urban compared to urban districts
      (55.6 % vs 38.9 %, respectively, p = 0.02). Finally, approximately one third of
      all respondents thought that traditional medicines could not cause harm.
      CONCLUSIONS: Overall, these results suggest a lack of awareness about medicinal
      product risks. Differences according to the place of residence are apparent and
      could be partly explained by a lower level of training of healthcare providers in
      contact with the population in the rural districts in particular. Communication
      on medicinal product risks to patients through well-trained healthcare providers
      could probably make a valuable contribution towards the appropriate use of
      medicines in L/MICs.

PMID- 26116374
TI  - Treatment of hip/knee osteoarthritis in Dutch general practice and physical
      therapy practice: an observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A multidisciplinary, guideline-based Stepped-Care-Strategy (SCS), has
      recently been developed to improve the management of hip and knee osteoarthritis
      (OA). To date, it is unknown to what extent current Dutch OA care is consistent
      with the SCS, both with respect to the content of care as well as the sequence of
      care. Furthermore, there is a lack of clarity regarding the role of different
      health care providers in the performance of OA care according to the SCS.
      Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to describe the content of primary
      care in patients with hip/knee OA, including the compliance to the SCS and taking
      into account the introduction of patient self-referral to physical therapy.
      METHODS: Data were used from NIVEL Primary Care Database. In total, 12.118
      patients with hip/knee OA who visited their GP or physical therapist were
      selected. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the content of care in GP
      referred and self-referred patients to physical therapy. RESULTS: Content of care
      performed by GPs mostly concerned consultations, followed by NSAID prescriptions
      and referrals to secondary care. Both prescriptions of acetaminophen and
      referrals to physical therapy respectively dietary therapy were rarely mentioned.
      Nevertheless, still 65% of the patients in physical therapy practice were
      referred by their GP. Compared to GP-referred patients, self-referred patients
      more often presented recurrent complaints and were treated less often by activity
      related exercise therapy. Education was rarely registered as singular
      intervention, neither in GP-referred nor in self-referred patients. CONCLUSION:
      In accordance with the SCS, less advanced interventions are more often applied
      than more advanced interventions. To optimize the adherence to the SCS, GPs could
      reconsider the frequent use of NSAIDs instead of analgesics and the low referral
      rate to allied health care. Self-referral to physical therapy partially distorts
      both the low referral rate in general practice and the low application rate of
      education as singular intervention in physical therapy practice. Further research
      is recommended to evaluate the effects of task-shifting in OA care, taking into
      account the content of the SCS.

PMID- 26116375
TI  - Healthy n-6/n-3 fatty acid composition from five European game meat species
      remains after cooking.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intensive farming of livestock along with recent food scandals and
      consumer deception have increased awareness about risks for human nutrition. In
      parallel, the demand for meat obtained under more natural conditions from animals
      that can freely forage has largely increased. Interestingly, the consumption of
      game meat has not become more common despite its excellent quality and content of
      polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). CONTEXT AND PURPOSE: We addressed the
      question if game meat fatty acid composition is modified through kitchen
      preparation. By analysing muscle fatty acid (FA) composition (polar and total
      lipids) of five European game species in a raw and a processed state, we aimed to
      quantify the proportion of PUFA that are oxidised and hydrogenated during
      processing. All game meat species originated from local hunters and free-living
      individuals. To mimic a realistic situation a professional chef prepared the meat
      samples with gentle use of heat in a standardised way. RESULTS: Expectedly, the
      overall content of polyunsaturated fatty acids declined during the cooking
      process but the decrease size was <5% and the nutritiously most important n-3/n-6
      ratio was not affected by processing (F1,54 = 0.46; p = 0.5). Generally, our
      samples contained species-specific high PUFA and n-3 FA contents but we point out
      that differentiating between species is necessary. CONCLUSION: Game meat thus
      provides a healthy meat source, as cooking does not substantially alter its
      favourable fatty acid composition. Further research is needed to elucidate
      species-specific differences and the role of habitat quality and locomotion for
      tissue composition.

PMID- 26116372
TI  - MiR-21: an environmental driver of malignant melanoma?
AB  - Since the mid-1950's, melanoma incidence has been rising steadily in
      industrialized Caucasian populations, thereby pointing to the pivotal involvement
      of environmental factors in melanomagenesis. Recent evidence underlines the
      crucial role of microRNA (miR) signaling in cancer initiation and progression.
      Increased miR-21 expression has been observed during the transition from a benign
      melanocytic lesion to malignant melanoma, exhibiting highest expression of miR
      21. Notably, common BRAF and NRAS mutations in cutaneous melanoma are associated
      with increased miR-21 expression. MiR-21 is an oncomiR that affects critical
      target genes of malignant melanoma, resulting in sustained proliferation (PTEN,
      PI3K, Sprouty, PDCD4, FOXO1, TIPE2, p53, cyclin D1), evasion from apoptosis
      (FOXO1, FBXO11, APAF1, TIMP3, TIPE2), genetic instability (MSH2, FBXO11, hTERT),
      increased oxidative stress (FOXO1), angiogenesis (PTEN, HIF1alpha, TIMP3),
      invasion and metastasis (APAF1, PTEN, PDCD4, TIMP3). The purpose of this review
      is to provide translational evidence for major environmental and individual
      factors that increase the risk of melanoma, such as UV irradiation, chemical
      noxes, air pollution, smoking, chronic inflammation, Western nutrition, obesity,
      sedentary lifestyle and higher age, which are associated with increased miR-21
      signaling. Exosomal miR-21 induced by extrinsic and intrinsic stimuli may be
      superimposed on mutation-induced miR-21 pathways of melanoma cells. Thus,
      oncogenic miR-21 signaling may be the converging point of intrinsic and extrinsic
      stimuli driving melanomagenesis. Future strategies of melanoma treatment and
      prevention should thus aim at reducing the burden of miR-21 signal transduction.

PMID- 26116376
TI  - Progress and challenges in simulating and understanding electron transfer in
      proteins.
AB  - This Review presents an overview of the most common numerical simulation
      approaches for the investigation of electron transfer (ET) in proteins. We try to
      highlight the merits of the different approaches but also the current limitations
      and challenges. The article is organized into three sections. Section 2 deals
      with direct simulation algorithms of charge migration in proteins. Section 3
      summarizes the methods for testing the applicability of the Marcus theory for ET
      in proteins and for evaluating key thermodynamic quantities entering the reaction
      rates (reorganization energies and driving force). Recent studies interrogating
      the validity of the theory due to the presence of non-ergodic effects or of non
      linear responses are also described. Section 4 focuses on the tunneling aspects
      of electron transfer. How can the electronic coupling between charge transfer
      states be evaluated by quantum chemistry approaches and rationalized? What
      interesting physics regarding the impact of protein dynamics on tunneling can be
      addressed? We will illustrate the different sections with examples taken from the
      literature to show what types of system are currently manageable with current
      methodologies. We also take care to recall what has been learned on the
      biophysics of ET within proteins thanks to the advent of atomistic simulations. 

PMID- 26116378
TI  - Electron spin resonance of spin-labeled lipid assemblies and proteins.
AB  - Spin-label electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy is a valuable means to
      study molecular mobility and interactions in biological systems. This paper deals
      with conventional, continuous wave ESR of nitroxide spin-labels at 9-GHz
      providing an introduction to the basic principles of the technique and
      applications to self-assembled lipid aggregates and proteins. Emphasis is given
      to segmental lipid chain order and rotational dynamics of lipid structures,
      environmental polarity of membranes and proteins, structure and conformational
      dynamics of proteins. 

PMID- 26116377
TI  - Loss of L-FABP, SCP-2/SCP-x, or both induces hepatic lipid accumulation in female
      mice.
AB  - Although roles for both sterol carrier protein-2/sterol carrier protein-x (SCP
      2/SCP-x) and liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) have been proposed in
      hepatic lipid accumulation, individually ablating these genes has been
      complicated by concomitant alterations in the other gene product(s). For example,
      ablating SCP2/SCP-x induces upregulation of L-FABP in female mice. Therefore, the
      impact of ablating SCP-2/SCP-x (DKO) or L-FABP (LKO) individually or both
      together (TKO) was examined in female mice. Loss of SCP-2/SCP-x (DKO, TKO) more
      so than loss of L-FABP alone (LKO) increased hepatic total lipid and total
      cholesterol content, especially cholesteryl ester. Hepatic accumulation of
      nonesterified long chain fatty acids (LCFA) and phospholipids occurred only in
      DKO and TKO mice. Loss of SCP-2/SCP-x (DKO, TKO) increased serum total lipid
      primarily by increasing triglycerides. Altered hepatic level of proteins involved
      in cholesterol uptake, efflux, and/or secretion was observed, but did not
      compensate for the loss of L-FABP, SCP-2/SCP-x or both. However, synergistic
      responses were not seen with the combinatorial knock out animals-suggesting that
      inhibiting SCP-2/SCP-x is more correlative with hepatic dysfunction than L-FABP.
      The DKO- and TKO-induced hepatic accumulation of cholesterol and long chain fatty
      acids shared significant phenotypic similarities with non-alcoholic fatty liver
      disease (NAFLD). 

PMID- 26116379
TI  - Nanometric features of myosin filaments extracted from a single muscle fiber to
      uncover the mechanisms underlying organized motility.
AB  - The single muscle fiber in vitro motility assay (SF-IVMA) is characterized by
      organized linear motility of actin filaments, i.e., actin filaments motility
      showing a parallel or anti-parallel direction with similar speed independent of
      direction in the central part of the flow-cell where density of myosin is high.
      In contrast, the low myosin density region in the flow-cell exhibits random
      filament movements, but the mechanisms underlying the organized motility remain
      unknown. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM)
      imaging techniques have been combined to investigate the morphological features
      of myosin extracted from single muscle fiber segments in the flow cell.
      Nanometric scale imaging of myosin filaments in the SF-IVMA showed intact spatial
      distances between myosin heads being essential for myosin filament function.
      However, angular spectrum analyses of myosin filaments in the high myosin density
      region showed organized myosin filament orientation only in small areas, while
      unorganized filament orientation were dominantly presented when larger areas were
      analyzed. Thus, parallel myosin filament organization is a less likely mechanism
      underlying the organized motility of actin filaments and the high myosin density
      per se is therefore forwarded as the primary "driver" that promotes organized
      linear motility.

PMID- 26116380
TI  - mRNA expression of genes involved in inflammation and haemostasis in equine
      fibroblast-like synoviocytes following exposure to lipopolysaccharide, fibrinogen
      and thrombin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies in humans have shown that haemostatic and inflammatory
      pathways both play important roles in the pathogenesis of joint disease. The aim
      of this study was to assess mRNA expression of haemostatic and inflammatory
      factors in cultured equine fibroblast-like synoviocytes exposed to
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS), fibrinogen and thrombin. Synovial membranes were
      collected from metacarpo-phalangeal joints of 6 skeletally mature horses
      euthanized for non-orthopaedic reasons. Passage 4 fibroblast-like synoviocytes
      were left non-treated or treated with either 0.1 MUg/ml LPS, 5 mg/ml fibrinogen
      or 5 U/ml thrombin and harvested at time points 0, 6, 24 and 48 h. mRNA
      expression of serum amyloid A (SAA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemotactic
      protein 1 (MCP-1), tissue factor (TF), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1),
      urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
      and protease activator receptor 1 (PAR-1) was assessed using quantitative real
      time reverse transcriptase PCR. RESULTS: LPS caused a significant increase in
      mRNA expression of SAA, IL-6, MCP-1 and uPA, and a decrease in TF, PAI-1 and PAR
      1 when compared to non-treated cells. Treatment with thrombin resulted in
      increased mRNA expression of SAA, IL-6, MCP-1 and PAI-1, and a decreased PAR-1
      expression compared to non-treated cells. The fibrinogen-treated synoviocytes
      showed significantly increased mRNA expression of IL-6, MCP-1, TF and PAI-1, and
      decreased PAR-1 expression compared to non-treated cells. CONCLUSION: LPS,
      fibrinogen and thrombin induced an increased gene expression of inflammatory
      markers in isolated equine fibroblast-like synoviocytes. LPS caused changes in
      gene expression promoting increased fibrinolysis, while fibrinogen and thrombin
      changed the gene expression resulting potentially in reduced fibrinolysis.
      Overall, it appeared that both inflammatory and haemostatic stimuli affected
      expression of genes involved in inflammatory and haemostatic pathways, supporting
      their importance in equine joint diseases.

PMID- 26116382
TI  - DNA Repair Dysfunction and Neurodegeneration: Lessons From Rare Pediatric
      Disorders.
AB  - Nucleotide excision repair disorders display a wide range of clinical syndromes
      and presentations, all associated at the molecular level by dysfunction of genes
      participating in the nucleotide excision repair pathway. Genotype-phenotype
      relationships are remarkably complex and not well understood. This article
      outlines neurodegenerative symptoms seen in nucleotide excision repair disorders
      and explores the role that nucleotide excision repair dysfunction can play in the
      pathogenesis of chronic neurodegenerative diseases. 

PMID- 26116383
TI  - Survey of the Child Neurology Program Coordinator Association: Workforce Issues
      and Readiness for the Next Accreditation System.
AB  - In preparation for the implementation of the Next Accreditation System in Child
      Neurology, the authors organized the first meeting of child neurology program
      coordinators in October 2014. A workforce and program-readiness survey was
      conducted initially. Coordinator job titles varied widely. Most respondents (65%)
      managed 1 or more fellowships plus child neurology residency. Most had worked in
      graduate medical education less than 5 years (53%), with no career path (88%),
      supervised by someone without graduate medical education experience (85%), in
      divisions where faculty knowledge was judged inadequate (72%). A small proportion
      of programs had established clinical competency committee policies (28%) and was
      ready to implement milestone-based evaluations (56%). A post-conference survey
      demonstrated substantial improvements in relevant skills. The complexity of
      residency program management in the Next Accreditation System era supports
      substantive modifications to the program coordinator role. Such changes should
      include defined career pathway, managerial classification, administrative
      support, and continuing education. 

PMID- 26116381
TI  - Case Series: Fractional Anisotropy Profiles of the Cerebellar Peduncles in
      Adolescents Born Preterm With Ventricular Dilation.
AB  - This case series assesses white matter microstructure of the cerebellar peduncles
      in 4 adolescents born preterm with enlarged ventricles and reduced white matter
      volume in the cerebrum but no apparent injury to the cerebellum. Subjects (ages
      12-17 years, gestational age 26-32 weeks, birth weight 825-2211 g) were compared
      to a normative sample of 19 full-term controls (9-17 years, mean gestational age
      39 weeks, mean birth weight 3154 g). Tract profiles for each of the cerebellar
      peduncles were generated by calculating fractional anisotropy at 30 points along
      the central portion of each tract. One or more case subjects exhibited higher
      fractional anisotropy beyond the 90th percentile in the inferior, middle, and
      superior cerebellar peduncles. Findings demonstrate that differences in
      cerebellar white matter microstructure can be detected in the absence of
      macrostructural cerebellar abnormalities. 

PMID- 26116384
TI  - Improving agar electrospinnability with choline-based deep eutectic solvents.
AB  - Very recently our group has produced novel agar-based fibers by an
      electrospinning technique using water as solvent and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as
      co-blending polymer. Here, we tested the deep eutectic solvent (DES), (2
      hydroxyethyl)trimethylammonium chloride/urea prepared at 1:2 molar ratio, as an
      alternative solvent medium for agar electrospinning. The electrospun materials
      were collected with an ethanol bath adapted to a previous electrospinning set-up.
      One weight percent agar-in-DES showed improved viscoelasticity and hence,
      spinnability, when compared to 1 wt% agar-in-water and pure agar nanofibers were
      successfully electrospun if working above the temperature of sol-gel transition
      (~80  degrees C). By changing the solvent medium we decreased the PVA
      concentration (5 wt% starting solution) and successfully produced composite
      fibers with high agar contents (50/50 agar/PVA). Best composite fibers were
      formed with the 50/50 and 30/70 agar/PVA solutions. These fibers were
      mechanically resistant, showed tailorable surface roughness and diverse size
      distributions, with most of the diameters falling in the sub-micron range. Both
      nano and micro forms of agar fibers (used separately or combined) may have
      potential for the design of new and highly functional agar-based materials.

PMID- 26116385
TI  - Synthesis, characterization and applications of N-quaternized chitosan/poly(vinyl
      alcohol) hydrogels.
AB  - Hydrogels composed of N-quaternized chitosan (NQC) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)
      in different weight ratios (1:3), (1:1) and (3:1) chemically crosslinked by
      glutaraldehyde in different weight ratios - 1.0 and 5.0% - have been prepared.
      The prepared hydrogels were characterized via several analysis tools such as:
      Fourier transform IR (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron
      microscope (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Different applications
      have been done on NQC/PVA hydrogels including; metal ions uptake, swellability in
      different buffer solutions (pH: 4, 7 and 9), swellability and degradation studies
      in simulated body fluid (SBF) solutions and antimicrobial activity towards
      bacteria and fungi. The results indicated that crosslinked NQC/PVA hydrogels with
      glutaraldehyde (GA) are more thermallystable than non crosslinked hydrogels,
      NQC/PVA hydrogels swell highly in different buffer solutions as PVA content
      increases and the antimicrobial activity of NQC/PVA hydrogels is higher than NQC
      itself.

PMID- 26116386
TI  - Preparation, characterization and molecular modeling of PEGylated human growth
      hormone with agonist activity.
AB  - In this study, site-specific PEGylated human growth hormone (hGH) was prepared by
      microbial transglutaminase, modeled and characterized. To this end, the effects
      of different reaction parameters including reaction media, PEG:protein ratios,
      reaction time and pH value were investigated. PEG-hGH was purified by size
      exclusion chromatography method and analyzed by SDS-PAGE, BCA, peptide mapping,
      ESI and MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectroscopy methods. Biophysical and biological
      properties of PEG-hGH were evaluated. Molecular simulation was utilized to
      provide molecular insight into the protein-receptor interaction. The optimum
      conditions that were obtained for PEGylation were phosphate buffer with pH of
      7.4, 48 h of stirring and PEG:protein ratio of 40:1. By this method, mono-PEG-hGH
      with high reaction yield was obtained and PEGylation site was at Gln-40 residue.
      The circular dichroism and fluorescence spectrum indicated that PEGylation did
      not change the secondary structure while tertiary structure was altered. Upon
      enzymatic PEGylation, agonistic activity of hGH was preserved; however,
      Somavert((r)), which is prepared by chemical PEGylation, is an antagonist form of
      protein. These data were confirmed by the total energy of affinity obtained by
      computational protein-receptor interaction. In conclusion, PEGylation of hGH was
      led to prepare a novel form of hormone with an agonist activity which merits
      further investigations.

PMID- 26116387
TI  - Do pH and flavonoids influence hypochlorous acid-induced catalase inhibition and
      heme modification?
AB  - Hypochlorous acid (HOCl), highly reactive oxidizing and chlorinating species, is
      formed in the immune response to invading pathogens by the reaction of hydrogen
      peroxide with chloride catalyzed by the enzyme myeloperoxidase. Catalase, an
      important antioxidant enzyme, catalyzing decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to
      water and molecular oxygen, hampers in vitro HOCl formation, but is also one of
      the main targets for HOCl. In this work we have investigated HOCl-induced
      catalase inhibition at different pH, and the influence of flavonoids (catechin,
      epigallocatechin gallate and quercetin) on this process. It has been shown that
      HOCl-induced catalase inhibition is independent on pH in the range 6.0-7.4.
      Preincubation of catalase with epigallocatechin gallate and quercetin before HOCl
      treatment enhances the degree of catalase inhibition, whereas catechin does not
      affect this process. Our rapid kinetic measurements of absorption changes around
      the heme group have revealed that heme modification by HOCl is mainly due to
      secondary, intramolecular processes. The presence of flavonoids, which reduce
      active catalase intermediate, Compound I to inactive Compound II have not
      influenced the kinetics of HOCl-induced heme modification. Possible mechanisms of
      the reaction of hypochlorous acid with catalase are proposed and the biological
      consequences are discussed. 

PMID- 26116388
TI  - Molecular docking study, synthesis and biological evaluation of Mannich bases as
      Hsp90 inhibitors.
AB  - The ubiquitously expressed heat shock protein 90 is an encouraging target for the
      development of novel anticancer agents. In a program directed towards uncovering
      novel chemical scaffolds against Hsp90, we performed molecular docking studies
      using Tripos-Sybyl drug designing software by including the required conserved
      water molecules. The results of the docking studies predicted Mannich bases
      derived from 2,4-dihydroxy acetophenone/5-chloro 2,4-dihydroxy acetophenone as
      potential Hsp90 inhibitors. Subsequently, a few of them were synthesized (1-6)
      and characterized by IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR and mass spectral analysis. The
      synthesized Mannich compounds were evaluated for their potential to suppress
      Hsp90 ATPase activity by the colorimetric Malachite green assay. Subsequently,
      the molecules were screened for their antiproilferative effect against PC3
      pancreatic carcinoma cells by adopting the 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol- 2-yl)-2,5
      diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay method. The activity profile of the
      identified derivatives correlated well with their docking results. 

PMID- 26116389
TI  - Kinetic regime of dithiothreitol-induced aggregation of bovine serum albumin.
AB  - A search for agents, which are capable of effectively suppressing protein
      aggregation, and elaboration of the appropriate test systems, are among important
      problems of modern biochemistry and biotechnology. One such test system is based
      on dithiothreitol (DTT)-induced aggregation of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Study
      of the kinetics of DTT-induced aggregation of BSA by asymmetric flow field flow
      fractionation showed that a decrease in the portion of the non-aggregated protein
      in time followed the exponential law, the rate constant of the first order
      remaining unchanged at varying protein concentration (0.1M Na-phosphate buffer,
      pH 7.0; 45  degrees C). The obtained results indicate that the rate-limiting
      stage of the general aggregation process is that of unfolding of the protein
      molecule. When studying the kinetics of DTT-induced aggregation of BSA by dynamic
      light scattering, we proposed to use parameter K(LS) as a measure of the initial
      rate of aggregation. Parameter K(LS) corresponds to the initial slope of the
      dependence of (I-I0)(0.5) on time (I0 and I are the initial and current values of
      the light scattering intensity, respectively). The K(LS) value has been applied
      to estimate anti-aggregation activity of chemical chaperones (arginine, its
      derivatives and proline).

PMID- 26116390
TI  - Distinction of fungal polysaccharides by N/C ratio and mid infrared spectroscopy.
AB  - A set of fungal polysaccharide samples was characterised by elemental analysis
      and FTIR spectroscopy and compared with reference chitins, chitosans and beta-D
      glucans. The nitrogen to carbon (N/C) values and FTIR spectra were used to
      compare the samples based on their composition. It was found that the N/C ratio
      correlates well with deacetylation degree (DD) of chitosans and chitin/glucan
      ratio R(chit) of fungal chitin - beta-D-glucan complexes with the exception of
      some samples having significant nitrogen and/or carbon admixtures. FTIR
      spectroscopy was indicative for the N-acetylation of chitins (chitosans) as well
      as for the chitin (chitosan) contribution to fungal polysaccharide preparations.
      Multivariate analyses of the FTIR data (HCA, PCA) discriminated samples and
      reference materials into several clusters depending on their similarity. Chitosan
      lactates, chitosan - beta-D-glucans and chitin - beta-D-glucans of high and low
      amounts of chitin were successfully discriminated from the reference
      polysaccharides and from each other. The proposed procedures based on the N/C
      ratio and multivariate analyses of FTIR spectra may be used in screening fungal
      polysaccharide preparations.

PMID- 26116391
TI  - Combined effects of eating alone and living alone on unhealthy dietary behaviors,
      obesity and underweight in older Japanese adults: Results of the JAGES.
AB  - We examined whether eating alone is associated with dietary behaviors and body
      weight status, and assessed the modifying effects of cohabitation status in older
      Japanese people. Data from the 2010 Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, with a
      self-reported questionnaire for 38,690 men and 43,674 women aged >=65 years, were
      used. Eating status was classified as eating with others, sometimes eating alone,
      or exclusively eating alone. We calculated adjusted prevalence ratios (APRs) of
      unhealthy dietary behaviors, obesity, and underweight, adjusting for age,
      education, income, disease, and dental status using Poisson regression. Overall,
      16% of men and 28% of women sometimes or exclusively ate alone. Among those who
      exclusively ate alone, 56% of men and 68% of women lived alone. Men who
      exclusively ate alone were 3.74 times more likely to skip meals than men who ate
      with others. Among men who exclusively ate alone, those who lived alone had a
      higher APR than men who lived with others. Compared with subjects who ate and
      lived with others, the APRs of being obese (BMI >= 30.0 kg/m(2)) among men who
      exclusively ate alone were 1.34 (1.01-1.78) in those who lived alone and 1.17
      (0.84-1.64) in those who lived with others. These combined effects of eating and
      living alone were weaker in women, with a potential increase in the APRs among
      those who ate alone despite living with others. Men who exclusively ate alone
      were more likely to be underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m(2)) than men who ate with
      others in both cohabitation statuses. Eating alone and living alone may be
      jointly associated with higher prevalence of obesity, underweight and unhealthy
      eating behaviors in men.

PMID- 26116392
TI  - Altered heparan sulfate structure in Glce(-/-) mice leads to increased Hedgehog
      signaling in endochondral bones.
AB  - One of the key regulators of endochondral ossification is Indian hedgehog (Ihh),
      which acts as a long-range morphogen in the developing skeletal elements.
      Previous studies have shown that the distribution and signaling activity of Ihh
      is regulated by the concentration of the extracellular glycosaminoglycan heparan
      sulfate (HS). An essential step during biosynthesis of HS is the epimerization of
      D-glucuronic to L-iduronic acid by the enzyme glucuronyl C5-epimerase (Hsepi or
      Glce). Here we have investigated chondrocyte differentiation in Glce deficient
      mice and found increased regions of proliferating chondrocytes accompanied by a
      delayed onset of hypertrophic differentiation. In addition, we observed increased
      expression levels of the Ihh target genes Patched1 (Ptch1) and Parathyroid
      hormone related peptide (Pthrp; Parathyroid hormone like hormone (Pthlh))
      indicating elevated Ihh signaling. We further show that Ihh binds with reduced
      affinity to HS isolated from Glce(-/-) mice. Together our results strongly
      indicate that not only the level, but also the structure of HS is critical in
      regulating the distribution and signaling activity of Ihh in chondrocytes.

PMID- 26116393
TI  - Pacing the Heart with Genes: Recent Progress in Biological Pacing.
AB  - The heartbeat originates within the sinoatrial node (SA node or SAN), a small
      highly specialized structure containing <10,000 genuine pacemaker cells. The ~5
      billion working cardiomyocytes downstream of the SAN remain quiescent when it
      fails, leading to circulatory collapse and fueling a $6B/year electronic
      pacemaker industry. The electronic pacemaker devices work quite well. But, device
      related problems persist. These include lead failure/repositioning, finite
      battery life, and infection. For pediatric patients, the children outgrow the
      length of the leads, necessitating replacement with longer leads. These pitfalls
      have motivated creation of biological pacing. that are free from all hardware.
      Toward this goal, we and others have tested the concept of biological pacemakers.
      Combined with efforts to create clinically relevant, large animal models of
      biological pacing, the field is moving beyond a conceptual novelty toward a
      future with clinical reality.

PMID- 26116394
TI  - Cryptic Role of the ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE2 Nuclear Localization Signal in Ethylene
      Signaling.

PMID- 26116395
TI  - Anastomotic reinforcement with omentoplasty following gastrointestinal
      anastomosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Anastomotic leak is a potentially devastating complication following
      gastrointestinal anastomosis. Some surgeons believe that reinforcing the
      anastomosis with omentum reduces the incidence and severity of anastomotic leak.
      A comprehensive electronic search of EMBASE, Medline, Web of Science and Cochrane
      databases was performed. Pooled odds ratios (POR) were calculated for discrete
      variables. There were six studies investigating esophageal anastomosis and 3
      studies investigating colorectal anastomosis identified by the literature search.
      A total of 2296 patients were included, 1073 with omentoplasty and 1223 without.
      In esophageal surgery omentoplasty significantly reduced the rate of anastomotic
      leak (2.9% vs 10.5% (POR = 0.28; 95% CI = 0.17 to 0.47; P < 0.0001), but there
      was no significant effect upon in-hospital mortality (2.3% vs. 2.5%; POR = 0.911
      [95% CI 0.439-1.887]; P = 0.802) or anastomotic stricture between the two groups
      (6.6% vs 9.1%; POR = 0.842 [95% CI 0.331 to 2.145]; P = 0.720). In colorectal
      surgery there was no significant difference in anastomotic leak rate (5.0% vs
      8.4%; POR: 0.50; 95% CI 0.21 to 1.17) or in-hospital mortality (4.2% vs 4.1%;
      POR: 0.90; 95% CI 0.34 to 2.41). The results of this analysis show that
      omentoplasty significantly reduced the rate of anastomotic leak following
      esophageal anastomosis but these results were not observed in colorectal
      anastomosis. Omentoplasty could be used as an adjunct technique to reduce the
      incidence of anastomotic leak in oesophageal anastomosis.

PMID- 26116396
TI  - Lymphatic ascites after retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy in gynecologic cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The incidence, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of lymphatic ascites
      (LA) are studied on 85 consecutive patients with gynecologic cancer who had
      undergone pelvic and/or paraaortic lymphadenectomy by means of laparotomy or
      laparoscopy. METHODS: Patients were distributed in two groups depending in the
      access: Laparoscopy (study group: 44 patients) and laparotomy (control group: 41
      patients). All surgical parameters were collected and patients underwent
      ultrasound examination on postoperative days 7, 14, and 28. The main outcome
      measure was the development of symptomatic or asymptomatic LA. DESIGN:
      Prospective cohort study. RESULTS: LA developed in 3 patients (6.8%) in the study
      group and 9 in the control group (22%), with statistical difference (p < 0.05).
      The relative risk to develop lymphatic ascites after surgery performed by
      laparotomy was 3.2 (95% CI 1.05-11.07). Mean nodes harvested during the surgery
      was 18.6 (SD 6.6) in the LA group and 20.4 (SD 9.1) in the group with no LA (p =
      0.527). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of LA after retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy in
      gynecologic cancer patients is lower in the patients treated by laparoscopy.

PMID- 26116397
TI  - Systematic review and meta-analysis comparing hypofractionated with conventional
      fraction radiotherapy in treatment of early breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the efficacy and
      safety of altered radiation fraction size on outcomes for early breast cancer
      patients. METHODS: A search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, WEB OF SCIENCE, Cochrane Library
      and ClinicalTrials.gov was conducted. Quality of the randomized controlled trials
      (RCTs) or non-RCTs were evaluated according to Cochrane's risk of bias tool or
      Methodological Index for non-Randomized Studies (MINORS). Pooled risk ratio (RR)
      and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Subgroup analysis was applied
      according to different fraction dose and sensitivity analysis was performed
      according to RCTs or non-RCTs. RESULTS: 23 studies were included in this
      systematic review. Meta-analysis demonstrated hypofractionation radiotherapy
      (HFRT) was associated with decreased grade 2/3 acute skin reactions compared with
      conventional fraction RT (CFRT), either 2.5-3.0 Gy per fraction or 5.0-6.5 Gy per
      fraction. HFRT with 2.5-3.0 Gy per fraction significantly decreased
      moderate/marked photographic changes in breast appearance compared with CFRT [RR
      = 0.80, 95% CI (0.70, 0.91), P = 0.001], while HFRT with more than 3.0 Gy per
      fraction significantly increased moderate/marked photographic changes [RR = 1.21,
      95% CI (1.06, 1.38), P = 0.004]. In addition HFRT cost one-third lower than CFRT.
      Regarding to local regional recurrence, distant metastasis, overall survival,
      disease free survival, excellent/good cosmetic comes, symptomatic radiation
      pneumonitis, ischemic heart disease and symptomatic rib fracture, there was no
      significant difference between two arms. CONCLUSIONS: Based on available
      evidence, HFRT with 2.5-3.0 Gy per fraction should be the better choice for
      treatment of early breast cancer patients.

PMID- 26116398
TI  - Hazard effects of nanoparticles in central nervous system: Searching for
      biocompatible nanomaterials for drug delivery.
AB  - Nanostructured materials are widely used in many applications of industry and
      biomedical fields. Nanoparticles emerges as potential pharmacological carriers
      that can be applied in the regenerative medicine, diagnosis and drug delivery.
      Different types of nanoparticles exhibit ability to cross the brain blood barrier
      (BBB) and accumulate in several brain areas. Then, efforts have been done to
      develop safer nanocarrier systems to treat disorders of central nervous system
      (CNS). However, several in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that
      nanoparticles of different materials exhibit a wide range of neurotoxic effects
      inducing neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment. For this reason, polymeric
      nanoparticles arise as a promisor alternative due to their biocompatible and
      biodegradable properties. After an overview of CNS location and neurotoxic
      effects of translocated nanoparticles, this review addresses the use of polymeric
      nanoparticles to the treatment of neuroinfectious diseases, as acquired
      immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and meningitis. 

PMID- 26116399
TI  - Case Series of Three Infants with Erythema Multiforme Following Hepatitis B
      Vaccination.

PMID- 26116400
TI  - Critical Variables Affecting Cord Blood MPV and IMA Levels in Gestational
      Diabetic Mothers.

PMID- 26116401
TI  - Factors associated with family resilience during pregnancy among inner-city
      women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: family resilience refers to the ability of a family group to adapt to
      challenging circumstances. For families residing in the inner-city, the concept
      of resilience is of particular salience as these families often encounter
      multiple stressors. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors
      associated with low family resilience during pregnancy among inner-city women.
      DESIGN: secondary analysis of data from a case-control study of factors related
      to inadequate antenatal care. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: participants consisted of 603
      postpartum women who gave birth to a live infant and resided in one of eight
      inner-city neighbourhoods in Winnipeg, Manitoba. METHODS: participants were
      designated as having low family resilience (n=155) or moderate to high family
      resilience (n=448) based on scores on the Family Hardiness Index. Univariate
      analyses were conducted to explore the association between a variety of factors
      during pregnancy and family resilience, and crude odds ratios (OR) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Factors significant at p<.10 were then
      entered into a multivariate logistic regression model, yielding adjusted ORs and
      95% CI. RESULTS: the following factors were significantly associated with low
      family resilience among pregnant inner-city women in the final model: maternal
      age <25 years (AOR 1.69), low self-esteem (AOR 2.82), high perceived stress (AOR
      3.01), alcohol use during pregnancy (AOR 3.20), and low interpersonal support
      (AOR 6.24). KEY CONCLUSIONS: inner-city women who are young or have low self
      esteem, high perceived stress, low interpersonal support, or who use alcohol
      during pregnancy are more likely to report lower levels of family resilience.
      IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: midwives have the opportunity to develop ongoing
      relationships with their clients and families. As such, they are in an excellent
      position to understand the specific needs and strengths of individual families
      and foster the abilities of these families to strengthen and support resilience.

PMID- 26116402
TI  - Low-Fidelity Simulation of Mitral Valve Surgery: Simple and Effective Trainer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Training in mitral valve (MV) surgery is difficult because of its
      complex 3-dimentional anatomy and sophisticated surgical techniques. The goal of
      this study was to create an effective and simple simulator to enable the trainee
      in performing MV repair and replacement techniques in a low-fidelity environment.
      METHODS: The MV surgery simulator is a self-shaped sponge integrated into a
      portable box that can be used for an unrestricted number of procedures. The
      building process is detailed in this study. MV procedures were performed in which
      the surgical handling was tested. The total cost was calculated in euros.
      RESULTS: The building of the MV simulator resulted in the development of a new
      low-cost tool for training in MV surgery. The usage of the sponge led to building
      the MV components with flexible properties and allowing the surgical procedures
      to be performed in unrestricted numbers. This involved MV replacement in both
      intra- and supra-annular fashion and MV repair according to the Carpentier
      classification. CONCLUSION: Surgical skills in mitral surgery could be improved
      by usage of the low-fidelity simulator. The high cost of the training for
      residents and junior surgeons could be effectively reduced by using this low
      cost, portable, reusable simulator and its accessories (ring and band).

PMID- 26116403
TI  - Quantification of pollen tube attraction in response to guidance by female
      gametophyte tissue using artificial microscale pathway.
AB  - We developed two types of artificial platforms, T-junction and crossroad
      microchannel devices, and obtained guidance response ratio of pollen tubes to the
      female tissue as 56-57%. The crossroad device was also able to collect the
      attracted pollen tubes with high purity, which is useful for future omics
      analysis. 

PMID- 26116404
TI  - Anesthetist is sued after sedated patient recorded insults on phone.

PMID- 26116405
TI  - Cholecystitis after yttrium-90 resin microsphere radioembolization treatment:
      Clinical and pathologic findings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radioembolization with yttrium microspheres is an established
      therapeutic modality for primary and secondary hepatic malignancies, with studies
      demonstrating improved overall survival. There remains a paucity of data on
      cholecystitis as a complication of radioembolization. We describe a small series
      of patients who developed cholecystitis as a result of radioembolization.
      METHODS: Patients who had developed cholecystitis as a complication of
      radioembolization in our institution between 2001 and 2012 were retrospectively
      reviewed. Patient demographics, cancer details including treatment history, and
      procedural details of radioembolization and complications of cholecystitis were
      collected. RESULTS: Of 74 patients who underwent radioembolization using yttrium
      90emitting microspheres, four (5.4%) presented with acute cholecystitis as a
      result of their treatment. All patients presented over 4 weeks following
      radioembolization and did not settle with conservative treatment. At surgery, the
      gallbladder was fibrotic and contracted in all cases making surgery difficult.
      CONCLUSION: The incidence of symptomatic radiation cholecystitis after
      radioembolization is low, and prophylactic cholecystectomy is not routinely
      recommended for patients undergoing radioembolization. Radiation cholecystitis
      should be suspected in patients presenting with symptoms of biliary colic or
      cholecystitis following radioembolization. Early cholecystectomy can be
      considered in patients undergoing surgery for other indications, especially in
      high-risk surgical patients in whom there is a high likelihood of
      radioembolization in the future as they do not respond to conservative treatment.

PMID- 26116407
TI  - [Preliminary study: Lower urinary tract dysfunction and anorectal disorders in
      children with cerebral palsy].
AB  - GOAL: Describe lower urinary tract dysfunction and anorectal disorders to
      children with cerebral palsy (CP), indicating their impact on quality of life.
      MATERIALS: This was a prospective single-center study. A data collection was:
      type of PC, Gross Motor Function-Classification System (GMF-CS), mainstream
      education or not, Functional Independence Measure in children (MIF-kid),
      standardized vesicosphincteric symptoms and quality of life questionnaires
      (specific issue of impact sphincter dysfunction and generic scale Kidscreen-52).
      RESULTS: Between January and March 2013, 19 children aged 5-17 years were
      included, including 16 into mainstream schooling. Of the 19, 16 had bladder and
      sphincter disorders: 14 urinary incontinence, 3 nycturies, 6 dysuria, 12
      urgenturies, no urinary infection. Of the 14 urinary incontinence, 13 were in
      school. Of the 16 children enrolled, 5 were daytime fecal incontinence and 2
      nocturnal fecal incontinence. Functional scores (GMF-CS and MIF-kid) children
      urinary incontinence were lower than those of children urinary continents (P=0.04
      and 0.0007). Ten children had an impact of these disorders on quality of life.
      All were enrolled, eight (80%) in the mainstream. CONCLUSION: The bladder and
      sphincter disorders were common in children with CP. They led to an impact on
      quality of life in more than half of the children studied, mostly educated in
      mainstream schools.

PMID- 26116406
TI  - Chemopreventive Effects of Korean Angelica versus Its Major Pyranocoumarins on
      Two Lineages of Transgenic Adenocarcinoma of Mouse Prostate Carcinogenesis.
AB  - We showed previously that daily gavage of Angelica gigas Nakai (AGN) root
      ethanolic extract starting 8 weeks of age inhibited growth of prostate epithelium
      and neuroendocrine carcinomas (NE-Ca) in the transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse
      prostate (TRAMP) model. Because decursin (D) and its isomer decursinol angelate
      (DA) are major pyranocoumarins in AGN extract, we tested the hypothesis that D/DA
      represented active/prodrug compounds against TRAMP carcinogenesis. Three groups
      of male C57BL/6 TRAMP mice were gavage treated daily with excipient vehicle, AGN
      (5 mg per mouse), or equimolar D/DA (3 mg per mouse) from 8 weeks to 16 or 28
      weeks of age. Measurement of plasma and NE-Ca D, DA, and their common metabolite
      decursinol indicated similar retention from AGN versus D/DA dosing. The growth of
      TRAMP dorsolateral prostate (DLP) in AGN- and D/DA-treated mice was inhibited by
      66% and 61% at 16 weeks and by 67% and 72% at 28 weeks, respectively. Survival of
      mice bearing NE-Ca to 28 weeks was improved by AGN, but not by D/DA.
      Nevertheless, AGN- and D/DA-treated mice had lower NE-Ca burden.
      Immunohistochemical and mRNA analyses of DLP showed that AGN and D/DA exerted
      similar inhibition of TRAMP epithelial lesion progression and key cell-cycle
      genes. Profiling of NE-Ca mRNA showed a greater scope of modulating angiogenesis,
      epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion-metastasis, and inflammation genes by
      AGN than D/DA. The data therefore support D/DA as probable active/prodrug
      compounds against TRAMP epithelial lesions, and they cooperate with non
      pyranocoumarin compounds to fully express AGN efficacy against NE-Ca.

PMID- 26116408
TI  - Ergosteryl-beta-glucosidase (Egh1) involved in sterylglucoside catabolism and
      vacuole formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - Sterylglucosides (SGs) are composed of a glucose and sterol derivatives, and are
      distributed in fungi, plants and mammals. We recently identified EGCrP1 and
      EGCrP2 (endoglycoceramidase-related proteins 1 and 2) as a beta
      glucocerebrosidase and steryl-beta-glucosidase, respectively, in Cryptococcus
      neoformans. We herein describe an EGCrP2 homologue (Egh1; ORF name, Yir007w)
      involved in SG catabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The purified recombinant
      Egh1 hydrolyzed various beta-glucosides including ergosteryl beta-glucoside (EG),
      cholesteryl beta-glucoside, sitosteryl beta-glucoside, para-nitrophenyl beta
      glucoside, 4-methylumberifellyl beta-glucoside and glucosylceramide. The
      disruption of EGH1 in S. cerevisiae BY4741 (egh1Delta) resulted in the
      accumulation of EG and fragmentation of vacuoles. The expression of EGH1 in
      egh1Delta (revertant) reduced the accumulation of EG, and restored the morphology
      of vacuoles. The accumulation of EG was not detected in EGH1 and UGT51(ATG26)
      double-disrupted mutants (ugt51Deltaegh1Delta), indicating that EG was
      synthesized by Ugt51(Atg26) and degraded by Egh1 in vivo. These results clearly
      demonstrated that Egh1 is an ergosteryl-beta-glucosidase that is functionally
      involved in the EG catabolic pathway and vacuole formation in S. cerevisiae.

PMID- 26116409
TI  - Adenotonsillectomy improves quality of life in children with sleep-disordered
      breathing regardless of nocturnal enuresis outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nocturnal enuresis (NE) and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) have
      both been associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The
      following were investigated: (1) whether tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy (T&A)
      significantly affect the HRQoL in children with NE and SDB, and 2) differences in
      HRQoL between children with NE persistence versus resolution post-T&A. METHODS:
      This was a prospective study comparing the HRQoL of children with SDB and NE
      (study group) pre- and 4 weeks post-T&A, and the HRQoL of children with SDB
      without NE (control group) (independent t-tests). HRQol was assessed using the
      Obstructive Sleep Apnea Quality of Life 18 questionnaire (OSAS-18), a validated
      measure containing five subscales that combine to create a total score.
      Individual items were scored on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (none of the
      time) to 7 (all of the time). Symptoms of SDB were evaluated using the validated
      Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ). Mixed ANOVA was conducted to evaluate
      changes in the measures between the wet and dry children post-T&A. Pre- and post
      T&A change scores were calculated for both the PSQ and the OSAS-18. RESULTS:
      There were 30 children in the study group (18 male, mean age 9.07 years, SD
      2.19), and 30 age-matched controls (16 male). There were no statistically
      significant differences between the two groups in regards to OSAS-18 total, PSQ
      total, BMI, diagnosis of snoring or OSAS on sleep study, or race. Overall, OSAS
      18 and PSQ scores significantly improved in all children post-surgery (p < 0.001;
      p < 0.001, respectively), with no significant differences between dry and wet
      children post-T&A. The correlation between the pre- and post-T&A change scores on
      the OSAS-18 and PSQ was significant (r(29) = 0.58, p = 0.001), suggesting that a
      reduction in SDB symptoms post T&A is related to improved HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: T&A
      significantly improved HRQoL in all children with SDB and NE, regardless of NE
      outcomes. These findings support recommendations for T&A in children with SDB
      with or without NE.

PMID- 26116410
TI  - In vitro bioaccessibility and in vivo relative bioavailability in 12 contaminated
      soils: Method comparison and method development.
AB  - Previous studies have established in vivo-in vitro correlations (IVIVC) between
      arsenic (As) relative bioavailability (RBA) and bioaccessibility in contaminated
      soils. However, their ability to predict As-RBA in soils outside the models is
      unclear. In this study, As bioaccessibility and As-RBA in 12 As-contaminated
      soils (22.2-4172 mg kg(-1) As) were measured using five assays (SBRC, IVG, DIN,
      PBET, and UBM) and a mouse blood model. Arsenic RBA in the soils ranged from 6.38
      +/- 2.80% to 73.1 +/- 17.7% with soils containing higher extractable Fe showing
      lower values. Arsenic bioaccessibility varied within and between assays. Arsenic
      bioaccessibility was used as input values into established IVIVC to predict As
      RBA in soils. There were significant differences between predicted and measured
      As-RBA for the 12 soils, illustrating the inability of established IVIVC to
      predict As-RBA in those contaminated soils. Therefore, a new IVIVC was
      established by correlating measured As-RBA and As bioaccessibility for the 12
      soils. The strength of the predictive models varied from r(2) = 0.50 for PBET to
      r(2) = 0.83 for IVG, with IVG assay providing the best prediction of As-RBA. When
      IVIVC were compared to those of Juhasz et al. (2014a), slopes of the
      relationships were significantly higher possibly due to different As-RBA
      measurements. Our research showed that IVG has potential to measure As
      bioavailability in contaminated soils from China though UBM and SBRC assays were
      also suitable. More research is needed to verify their suitability to predict As
      RBA in soils for refining health risk assessment.

PMID- 26116411
TI  - Quantified biotic and abiotic responses to multiple stress in freshwater, marine
      and ground waters.
AB  - We reviewed 219 papers and built an inventory of 532 items of ecological evidence
      on multiple stressor impacts in rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal waters,
      as well as groundwaters. Our review revealed that, despite the existence of a
      huge conceptual knowledge base in aquatic ecology, few studies actually provide
      quantitative evidence on multi-stress effects. Nutrient stress was involved in
      71% to 98% of multi-stress situations in the three types of surface water
      environments, and in 42% of those in groundwaters. However, their impact
      manifested differently along the groundwater-river-lake-transitional-coastal
      continuum, mainly determined by the different hydro-morphological features of
      these ecosystems. The reviewed papers addressed two-stressor combinations most
      frequently (42%), corresponding with the actual status-quo of pressures acting on
      European surface waters as reported by the Member States in the WISE WFD Database
      (EEA, 2015). Across all biological groups analysed, higher explanatory power of
      the stress-effect models was discernible for lakes under multi-stressor compared
      to single stressor conditions, but generally lower for coastal and transitional
      waters. Across all aquatic environments, the explanatory power of stress-effect
      models for fish increased when multi-stressor conditions were taken into account
      in the analysis, qualifying this organism group as a useful indicator of multi
      stress effects. In contrast, the explanatory power of models using benthic flora
      decreased under conditions of multiple stress. 

PMID- 26116412
TI  - Post-surgical management of non-functioning pituitary adenoma.
AB  - Post-surgical surveillance of non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) is based
      on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3 or 6 months then 1 year. When there is
      no adenomatous residue, annual surveillance is recommended for 5 years and then
      at 7, 10 and 15 years. In case of residue or doubtful MRI, prolonged annual
      surveillance monitors any progression. Reintervention is indicated if complete
      residue resection is feasible, or for symptomatic optic pathway compression, to
      create a safety margin between the tumor and the optic pathways ahead of
      complementary radiation therapy (RT), or in case of post-RT progression. In case
      of residue, unless the tumor displays elevated growth potential, it is usually
      recommended to postpone RT until progression is manifest, as efficacy is
      comparable whether treatment is immediate or postponed. The efficacy of the
      various RT techniques in terms of tumor volume control is likewise comparable. RT
      induced hypopituitarism is frequent, whatever the technique. The choice thus
      depends basically on residue characteristics: size, delineation, and proximity to
      neighboring radiation-sensitive structures. Reduced rates of vascular
      complications and secondary brain tumor can be hoped for with one-dose or
      hypofractionated stereotactic RT, but there has been insufficient follow-up to
      provide evidence. Somatostatin analogs and dopaminergic agonists have yet to
      demonstrate sufficient efficacy. Temozolomide is an option in aggressive NFPA
      resistant to surgery and RT.

PMID- 26116413
TI  - Prognostic accuracy of prostate health index and urinary prostate cancer antigen
      3 in predicting pathologic features after radical prostatectomy.

PMID- 26116415
TI  - Effect of plasmids harbouring blaCTX-M on the virulence and fitness of
      Escherichia coli ST131 isolates.
AB  - The effect of plasmids harbouring blaCTX-M on the virulence and fitness on
      Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) isolates was investigated. Plasmids
      harbouring blaCTX-M-14 or blaCTX-M-15 were transferred by transconjugation into
      five non-extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing ST131 isolates.
      Clinical non-ESBL-producing ST131 isolates demonstrated a higher degree of
      biofilm formation and serum resistance compared with CTX-M-producing ST131
      isolates. In addition, non-ESBL-producing isolates were more competitive than CTX
      M-producing isolates. Transconjugants showed no significant defect in growth rate
      and competitiveness compared with their hosts. However, serum resistance and
      biofilm formation were diminished in the transconjugants. In conclusion, non-ESBL
      producing E. coli ST131 isolates were more competitive and virulent than CTX-M
      producing E. coli ST131 isolates. However, transconjugants harbouring blaCTX-M
      were no less competitive than their susceptible hosts, which may partially
      explain the global dissemination of CTX-M-14- and CTX-M-15-producing E. coli
      ST131 isolates, in addition to their increased antimicrobial resistance. 

PMID- 26116414
TI  - Development and characterization of novel ZnO-loaded electrospun membranes for
      periodontal regeneration.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study reports on the synthesis, materials characterization,
      antimicrobial capacity, and cytocompatibility of novel ZnO-loaded membranes for
      guided tissue/bone regeneration (GTR/GBR). METHODS: Poly(E-caprolactone) (PCL)
      and PCL/gelatin (PCL/GEL) were dissolved in hexafluoropropanol and loaded with
      ZnO at distinct concentrations: 0 (control), 5, 15, and 30wt.%. Electrospinning
      was performed using optimized parameters and the fibers were characterized via
      scanning and transmission electron microscopies (SEM/TEM), energy dispersive X
      ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact
      angle (CA), mechanical testing, antimicrobial activity against
      periodontopathogens, and cytotoxicity test using human dental pulp stem cells
      (hDPSCs). Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey (alpha=5%). RESULTS: ZnO
      nanoparticles were successfully incorporated into the overall submicron fibers,
      which showed fairly good morphology and microstructure. Upon ZnO nanoparticles'
      incorporation, the PCL and PCL/GEL fibers became thicker and thinner,
      respectively. All GEL-containing membranes showed lower CA than the PCL-based
      membranes, which were highly hydrophobic. Overall, the mechanical properties of
      the membranes were reduced upon ZnO incorporation, except for PCL-based membranes
      containing ZnO at the 30wt.% concentration. The presence of GEL enhanced the
      stretching ability of membranes under wet conditions. All ZnO-containing
      membranes displayed antibacterial activity against the bacteria tested, which was
      generally more pronounced with increased ZnO content. All membranes synthesized
      in this study demonstrated satisfactory cytocompatibility, although the presence
      of 30wt.% ZnO led to decreased viability. SIGNIFICANCE: Collectively, this study
      suggests that PCL- and PCL/GEL-based membranes containing a low content of ZnO
      nanoparticles can potentially function as a biologically safe antimicrobial
      GTR/GBR membrane.

PMID- 26116416
TI  - A glucose anode for enzymatic fuel cells optimized for current production under
      physiological conditions using a design of experiment approach.
AB  - This study reports a design of experiment methodology to investigate and improve
      the performance of glucose oxidizing enzyme electrodes. Enzyme electrodes were
      constructed by co-immobilization of amine-containing osmium redox complexes,
      multiwalled carbon nanotubes and glucose oxidase in a carboxymethyldextran matrix
      at graphite electrode surfaces to provide a 3-dimensional matrix for
      electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose. Optimization of the amount of the enzyme
      electrode components to produce the highest current density under pseudo
      physiological conditions of 5 mM glucose in saline buffer at 37  degrees C was
      performed using response surface methodology. A statistical analysis showed that
      the proposed model had a good fit with the experimental results. From the
      validated model, the addition of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and
      carboxymethyldextran components was identified as major contributing factors to
      the improved performance. Based on the optimized amount of components, enzyme
      electrodes display current densities of 1.2+/-0.1 mA cm(-2) and 5.2+/-0.2 mA cm(
      2) at 0.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl in buffer containing 5 mM and 100 mM glucose,
      respectively, largely consistent with the predicted values. This demonstrates
      that use of a design of experiment approach can be applied effectively and
      efficiently to improve the performance of enzyme electrodes as anodes for biofuel
      cell device development.

PMID- 26116417
TI  - Non-thermal plasma treatment altered gene expression profiling in non-small-cell
      lung cancer A549 cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent technological advances in atmospheric plasmas have made the
      creation of non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma (NTP) possible for
      utilization in the medical field. Although accumulated evidence suggests that NTP
      induces cell death in various cancer cell types thus offering a promising
      alternative treatment strategy, the mechanism underlying its therapeutic effect
      is not fully understood. RESULTS: We analyzed relevant signaling cascades
      associated with the tumor protein p53, in particular the cell cycle arrest, DNA
      damage as well as the underlying apoptosis pathways. Based on our results, the
      major effect from plasma exposure was found to be the activation of MAPK and p53
      signaling pathways, resulting in changes in gene expression of MEKK, GADD, FOS
      and JUN. Finally, a significant modulation in expression of genes related to
      cellular proliferation and differentiation was observed. CONCLUSION: Overall, the
      presented data of the tumor transcriptome helped identify the key players in
      modulated gene expression following exposure to plasma at the molecular level,
      and also helped interpret the downstream processes. The present work laid the
      foundation for further studies to clarify the roles of multiple pathways in
      plasma-induced biological processes. Further investigation of these genes in
      other cell lines may reveal comprehensive mechanisms of plasma induced effects.

PMID- 26116418
TI  - Towards diagnostic conversational profiles of patients presenting with dementia
      or functional memory disorders to memory clinics.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study explores whether the profile of patients' interactional
      behaviour in memory clinic conversations with a doctor can contribute to the
      clinical differentiation between functional memory disorders (FMD) and memory
      problems related to neurodegenerative diseases. METHODS: Conversation Analysis of
      video recordings of neurologists' interactions with patients attending a
      specialist memory clinic. "Gold standard" diagnoses were made independently of CA
      findings by a multi-disciplinary team based on clinical assessment,
      neuropsychological testing and brain imaging. RESULTS: Two discrete
      conversational profiles for patients with memory complaints emerged, including
      (i) who attends the clinic (i.e., whether or not patients are accompanied), and
      (ii) patients' responses to neurologists' questions about memory problems, such
      as difficulties with compound questions and providing specific and elaborated
      examples and frequent "I don't know" responses. CONCLUSION: Specific
      communicative difficulties are characteristic of the interaction patterns of
      patients with a neurodegenerative pathology. Those difficulties are manifest in
      memory clinic interactions with neurologists, thereby helping to differentiate
      patients with dementia from those with FMD. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Our findings
      demonstrate that conversational profiles based on patients' contributions to
      memory clinic encounters have diagnostic potential to assist the screening and
      referral process from primary care, and the diagnostic service in secondary care.

PMID- 26116419
TI  - The adaptive response of bacterial food-borne pathogens in the environment, host
      and food: Implications for food safety.
AB  - Bacteria are constantly faced to stress situations in their ecological niches,
      the food and the host gastrointestinal tract. The capacity to detect and respond
      to surrounding changes is crucial for bacterial pathogens to survive or grow in
      changing environments. To this purpose, cells have evolved various sophisticated
      networks designed to protect against stressors or repair damage caused by them.
      Challenges can occur during production of foods when subjected to processing, and
      after food ingestion when confronted with host defensive barriers. Some
      pathogenic bacteria have shown the capacity to develop stable resistance against
      extreme conditions within a defined genomic context and a limited number of
      generations. On the other hand, bacteria can also respond to adverse conditions
      in a transient manner, through the so-called stress tolerance responses.
      Bacterial stress tolerance responses include both structural and physiological
      modifications in the cell and are mediated by complex genetic regulatory
      machinery. Major aspects in the adaptive response are the sensing mechanisms, the
      characterization of cell defensive systems, such as the operation of regulatory
      proteins (e.g. RpoS), the induction of homeostatic and repair systems, the
      synthesis of shock response proteins, and the modifications of cell membranes,
      particularly in their fatty acid composition and physical properties. This
      article reviews certain strategies used by food-borne bacteria to respond to
      particular stresses (acid, cold stress, extreme pressure) in a permanent or
      transient manner and discusses the implications that such adaptive responses pose
      for food safety. 

PMID- 26116420
TI  - A peptidomic approach to study the contribution of added casein proteins to the
      peptide profile in Spanish dry-fermented sausages.
AB  - Peptidomics is a necessary alternative in the analysis of naturally generated
      peptides in dry-fermented processing. The intense proteolysis occurred during the
      processing of dry-fermented sausages is due to the action of endopeptidases and
      exopeptidases from both, endogenous muscle origin and lactic acid bacteria (LAB)
      added in the starter. Sodium caseinate is frequently used as an additive in this
      type of products because of its emulsifying properties, and consequently
      influences the protein profile available during the proteolysis. In this study, a
      mass spectrometry approach has been used to determine the impact of added sodium
      caseinate in the final peptide profile as well as to analyse its possible
      influence in the presence of certain previously described casein-derived
      bioactive peptides. 

PMID- 26116421
TI  - Molecular Genetic Tools and Techniques for Marchantia polymorpha Research.
AB  - Liverworts occupy a basal position in the evolution of land plants, and are a key
      group to address a wide variety of questions in plant biology. Marchantia
      polymorpha is a common, easily cultivated, dioecious liverwort species, and is
      emerging as an experimental model organism. The haploid gametophytic generation
      dominates the diploid sporophytic generation in its life cycle. Genetically
      homogeneous lines in the gametophyte generation can be established easily and
      propagated through asexual reproduction, which aids genetic and biochemical
      experiments. Owing to its dioecy, male and female sexual organs are formed in
      separate individuals, which enables crossing in a fully controlled manner.
      Reproductive growth can be induced at the desired times under laboratory
      conditions, which helps genetic analysis. The developmental process from a single
      celled spore to a multicellular body can be observed directly in detail. As a
      model organism, molecular techniques for M. polymorpha are well developed; for
      example, simple and efficient protocols of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation
      have been established. Based on them, various strategies for molecular genetics,
      such as introduction of reporter constructs, overexpression, gene silencing and
      targeted gene modification, are available. Herein, we describe the technologies
      and resources for reverse and forward genetics in M. polymorpha, which offer an
      excellent experimental platform to study the evolution and diversity of
      regulatory systems in land plants. 

PMID- 26116422
TI  - Dual Targeting of the Protein Methyltransferase PrmA Contributes to Both
      Chloroplastic and Mitochondrial Ribosomal Protein L11 Methylation in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Methylation of ribosomal proteins has long been described in prokaryotes and
      eukaryotes, but our knowledge about the enzymes responsible for these
      modifications in plants is scarce. The bacterial protein methyltransferase PrmA
      catalyzes the trimethylation of ribosomal protein L11 (RPL11) at three distinct
      sites. The role of these modifications is still unknown. Here, we show that PrmA
      from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtPrmA) is dually targeted to chloroplasts and
      mitochondria. Mass spectrometry and enzymatic assays indicated that the enzyme
      methylates RPL11 in plasto- and mitoribosomes in vivo. We determined that the
      Arabidopsis and Escherichia coli PrmA enzymes share similar product specificity,
      making trimethylated residues, but, despite an evolutionary relationship, display
      a difference in substrate site specificity. In contrast to the bacterial enzyme
      that trimethylates the epsilon-amino group of two lysine residues and the N
      terminal alpha-amino group, AtPrmA methylates only one lysine in the
      MAFCK(D/E)(F/Y)NA motif of plastidial and mitochondrial RPL11. The plant enzyme
      possibly methylates the N-terminus of plastidial RPL11, whereas mitochondrial
      RPL11 is N-alpha-acetylated by an unknown acetyltransferase. Lastly, we found
      that an Arabidopsis prma-null mutant is viable in standard environmental
      conditions and no molecular defect could be associated with a lack of RPL11
      methylation in leaf chloroplasts or mitochondria. However, the conservation of
      PrmA during the evolution of photosynthetic eukaryotes together with the location
      of methylated residues at the binding site of translation factors to ribosomes
      suggests that RPL11 methylation in plant organelles could be involved, in
      combination with other post-translational modifications, in optimizing ribosome
      function. 

PMID- 26116423
TI  - Copper(II) complexes with new fluoroquinolones: Synthesis, structure,
      spectroscopic and theoretical study, DNA damage, cytotoxicity and antiviral
      activity.
AB  - Copper(II) complexes with fluoroquinolones in the presence of the nitrogen donor
      heterocyclic ligands 1,10-phenanthroline have been considered in detail. The
      phenanthroline moiety was introduced into the ligand environment with the aim to
      determine whether the nuclease activity is feasible. All suitable X-ray
      structures of the complexes under study reveal a distorted square pyramidal
      coordination geometry for Cu(II) atom. The conformational and spectroscopic (FT
      IR and UV-visible) behavior has been analyzed and has been interpreted with
      respect to B3LYP/6-311G* calculations including molecular dynamics. The ability
      of the complexes to cleave DNA was studied by agarose gel electrophoresis with
      plasmid DNA pBSK+. The results have confirmed that the complexes under study
      behave as the chemical nucleases. Nuclease like activity in the absence of
      hydrogen peroxide allows us to deduce an interaction of the complexes with the
      DNA resulting in the conversion of supercoiled circular DNA to the nicked form.
      The DNA cleavage activity enhanced by the presence of hydrogen peroxide
      demonstrates the participation of reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide
      radical anions and hydroxyl radicals which presence was confirmed independently
      using the standard radical scavenging agents. It has been suggested that the
      radical formation through the Fenton/Haber-Weiss reaction is mediated by the
      redox cycling mechanisms with the participation of cupric/cuprous ions. Cytotoxic
      activity was evaluated as the 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50). The potential
      effects of tested compounds on replication of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68)
      under in vitro conditions were also evaluated. However, no antiviral activity
      against MHV-68 was observed. 

PMID- 26116424
TI  - Conformational and structural studies of N-methylacetohydroxamic acid and of its
      mono- and bis-chelated uranium(VI) complexes.
AB  - The thermodynamics and kinetics of the cis/trans isomerism of N
      methylacetohydroxamic acid (NMAH) and its conjugated base (NMA(-)) have been
      reinvestigated in aqueous media by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Hindered rotation
      around the central C-N bond due to electronic delocalization becomes slow enough
      on the NMR time scale to observe both rotamers in equilibrium in D2O at room
      temperature. By properly assigning the methyl group resonances, evidence for the
      prevalence of the E over the Z form is unambiguously provided
      [K300=[E]/[Z]=2.86(2) and 9.63(5) for NMAH and NMA(-), respectively], closing
      thereby a long-lasting dispute about the most stable conformer. To that end,
      calculations of the chemical shifts by density functional theory (DFT), which
      accurately reproduced the experimental data, turned out to be a much more
      reliable method than the direct computation of the relative energy for each
      conformer. The Z ? E interconversion dynamics was probed at 300 K in D2O by 2D
      exchange-correlated spectroscopy (EXSY), affording the associated rate constants
      [kZE=9.0(2) s(-1) and kEZ=3.14(5) s(-1) for NMAH, kZE=0.96(3) s(-1) and
      kEZ=0.10(2) s(-1) for NMA(-)] and activation barriers at 300 K [DeltaG(?)ZE=68.0
      kJ mol(-1) and DeltaG(?)EZ=70.6 kJ mol(-1) for NMAH, DeltaG(?)ZE=73.6 kJ mol(-1)
      and DeltaG(?)EZ=79.2 kJ mol(-1) for NMA(-)]. For the first time, mono- and bis
      chelated uranium(VI) complexes of NMA(-) have been isolated. Crystals of
      [UO2(NMA)(NO3)(H2O)2] and [UO2(NMA)2(H2O)] have been characterized by X-ray
      diffractometry, infrared and Raman spectroscopies.

PMID- 26116425
TI  - Efficacy of erdosteine 900 versus 600 mg/day in reducing oxidative stress in
      patients with COPD exacerbations: Results of a double blind, placebo-controlled
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD)
      are associated with increased airway and systemic inflammation. There is evidence
      that erdosteine accelerates recovery from AECOPD by reducing airway inflammation.
      AIM: To investigate the dose-dependent antioxidant/anti-inflammatory activity of
      erdosteine in COPD patients. METHODS: In this single-centre, double blind, double
      dummy study, patients with mild-to-moderate COPD (GOLD stage II-III), were
      randomised to receive either placebo or two dosages of oral erdosteine (300 mg
      tid or 300 mg bid + 1 capsule of indistinguishable placebo) for 28 days in
      addition to their standard treatment. Primary variables were plasma reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) and 8-isoprostane levels, while secondary variable was lung
      function (FEV1; FEV1/FVC; FEV1 short-term reversibility), all assessed in
      baseline; every two weeks during the study, and one week after the end of the
      study. RESULTS: Baseline demographic characteristics, plasma ROS and 8
      isoprostane levels and lung function were not significantly different in the 24
      eligible patients (14 males, aged 38-75 years). At 2 weeks, there was a dose
      dependent decrease in ROS in the erdosteine groups. By week 4 there were
      significant differences in ROS levels compared to baseline between patients
      receiving 900 mg/day (p < 0.003) and those receiving 600 mg/day (p < 0.04). This
      effect continued in the follow-up week (p < 0.021). Erdosteine also lowered 8
      isoprostane plasma levels after 4 weeks (p < 0.01), and this effect lasted over
      the post-treatment week. Moreover, % FEV1 reversibility after salbutamol 400 mcg
      obtained after a 4 -week treatment of erdosteine 900 mg/day was significantly
      higher than that obtained after 600 mg/day (p < 0.01). Erdosteine was well
      tolerated and no treatment-related adverse event was reported. CONCLUSIONS:
      Results confirm the antioxidant dose- and time-dependent activity of erdosteine,
      and support the utility of including erdosteine it in the therapeutic strategy
      for the prevention and treatment of oxidative stress-induced inflammation, which
      frequently leads to AECOPD occurrence.

PMID- 26116426
TI  - Renal Dietitians' Perceptions of Roles and Responsibilities in Outpatient
      Dialysis Facilities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine what job responsibilities renal
      dietitians working in outpatient dialysis facilities consider as most important
      and most time-consuming. We hypothesized that more time-consuming activities
      would not always be considered most important. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: An online
      survey was sent to 3,382 renal dietitians via professional organization e-mail
      lists. The survey included 30 activities that renal dietitians perform, grouped
      into 3 categories (general responsibilities, assessments, and interventions) and
      based on the National Kidney Foundation-Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality
      Initiative nutrition guidelines. For each category of activities, respondents
      were asked to rank the 10 activities from 1 (most important or time-consuming) to
      10 (least important or time-consuming). For analysis, the rankings were combined
      into 3 groups: 1 to 3 = most; 4 to 6 = mid; and 7 to 10 = least important or time
      consuming. Demographic and professional questions were also included. RESULTS:
      Four hundred sixty six renal dietitians responded, and represented a broad range
      of experience in renal dietetics and type of dialysis facility. The mean number
      of patients per 40 hours full-time equivalent dietitian was 115.5 +/- 38.4. There
      was good agreement between the respondents' ranking of importance and time
      consumed. Those activities identified as most important were traditional
      dietitian roles such as diet assessment and nutrition education. Many respondents
      provided write-in response of other activities they considered important and time
      consuming such as communicating with family members or caregivers, enrolling and
      managing patients in the in-house pharmacy program, and serving as a care
      coordinator. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that the renal dietitian's role of providing
      nutrition assessments and counseling in outpatient dialysis facilities is being
      expanded to include administrative and coordination responsibilities. The impact
      of these changes on patient outcomes is unclear; however, previous research has
      indicated that administrative responsibilities take away from patient care time
      and decrease dietitian job satisfaction.

PMID- 26116427
TI  - Mathematical analysis of a multiple strain, multi-locus-allele system for
      antigenically variable infectious diseases revisited.
AB  - Many important pathogens such as HIV/AIDS, influenza, malaria, dengue and
      meningitis generally exist in phenotypically distinct serotypes that compete for
      hosts. Models used to study these diseases appear as meta-population systems.
      Herein, we revisit one of the multiple strain models that have been used to
      investigate the dynamics of infectious diseases with co-circulating serotypes or
      strains, and provide analytical results underlying the numerical investigations.
      In particular, we establish the necessary conditions for the local asymptotic
      stability of the steady states and for the existence of oscillatory behaviors via
      Hopf bifurcation. In addition, we show that the existence of discrete antigenic
      forms among pathogens can either fully or partially self-organize, where (i)
      strains exhibit no strain structures and coexist or (ii) antigenic variants sort
      into non-overlapping or minimally overlapping clusters that either undergo the
      principle of competitive exclusion exhibiting discrete strain structures, or co
      exist cyclically. 

PMID- 26116428
TI  - A mathematical model of leptin resistance.
AB  - Obesity is often associated with leptin resistance, which leads to a
      physiological system with high leptin concentration but unable to respond to
      leptin signals and to regulate food intake. We propose a mathematical model of
      the leptin-leptin receptors system, based on the assumption that leptin is a
      regulator of its own receptor activity, and investigate its qualitative behavior.
      Based on current knowledge and previous models developed for body weight dynamics
      in rodents, the model includes the dynamics of leptin, leptin receptors and the
      regulation of food intake and body weight. It displays two stable equilibria, one
      representing a healthy state and the other one an obese and leptin resistant
      state. We show that a constant leptin injection can lead to leptin resistance and
      that a temporal variation in some parameter values influencing food intake can
      induce a change of equilibrium and a pathway to leptin resistance and obesity. 

PMID- 26116429
TI  - A supervised adverse drug reaction signalling framework imitating Bradford Hill's
      causality considerations.
AB  - Big longitudinal observational medical data potentially hold a wealth of
      information and have been recognised as potential sources for gaining new drug
      safety knowledge. Unfortunately there are many complexities and underlying issues
      when analysing longitudinal observational data. Due to these complexities,
      existing methods for large-scale detection of negative side effects using
      observational data all tend to have issues distinguishing between association and
      causality. New methods that can better discriminate causal and non-causal
      relationships need to be developed to fully utilise the data. In this paper we
      propose using a set of causality considerations developed by the epidemiologist
      Bradford Hill as a basis for engineering features that enable the application of
      supervised learning for the problem of detecting negative side effects. The
      Bradford Hill considerations look at various perspectives of a drug and outcome
      relationship to determine whether it shows causal traits. We taught a classifier
      to find patterns within these perspectives and it learned to discriminate between
      association and causality. The novelty of this research is the combination of
      supervised learning and Bradford Hill's causality considerations to automate the
      Bradford Hill's causality assessment. We evaluated the framework on a drug safety
      gold standard known as the observational medical outcomes partnership's non
      specified association reference set. The methodology obtained excellent
      discrimination ability with area under the curves ranging between 0.792 and 0.940
      (existing method optimal: 0.73) and a mean average precision of 0.640 (existing
      method optimal: 0.141). The proposed features can be calculated efficiently and
      be readily updated, making the framework suitable for big observational data. 

PMID- 26116430
TI  - Association between information provision and decisional conflict in cancer
      patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this study, we aimed to identify demographic and clinical
      variables that correlate with perceived information provision among cancer
      patients and determine the association of information provision with decisional
      conflict (DC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled a total of 625 patients with
      cancer from two Korean hospitals in 2012. We used the European Organization for
      Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality-of-life questionnaire (QLQ
      INFO26) to assess patients' perception of the information received from their
      doctors and the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) to assess DC. To identify
      predictive sociodemographic and clinical variables for adequate information
      provision, backward selective logistic regression analyses were conducted. In
      addition, adjusted multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to
      identify clinically meaningful differences of perceived level of information
      subscales associated with high DC. RESULTS: More than half of patients with
      cancer showed insufficient satisfaction with medical information about disease
      (56%), treatment (73%), other services (83%), and global score (80%). In multiple
      logistic regression analyses, lower income and education, female, unmarried
      status, type of cancer with good prognosis, and early stage of treatment process
      were associated with patients' perception of inadequate information provision. In
      addition, Information about the medical tests with high DCS values clarity
      [adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 0.54; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30-0.97] and
      support (aOR, 0.53; 95% CI 0.33-0.85) showed negative significance. For
      inadequate information perception about treatments and other services, all 5 DCS
      scales (uncertainty, informed, values clarity, support, and effective decision)
      were negatively related. Global score of inadequate information provision also
      showed negative association with high DCS effective decision (aOR, 0.43; 95% CI
      0.26-0.71) and DCS uncertainty (aOR, 0.46; 95% CI 0.27-0.77). CONCLUSION: This
      study found that inadequate levels of perceived information correlated with
      several demographic and clinical characteristics. In addition, sufficient
      perceived information levels may be related to low levels of DC.

PMID- 26116431
TI  - Influence of Ankle Position and Radiographic Projection Angle on Measurement of
      Supramalleolar Alignment on the Anteroposterior and Hindfoot Alignment Views.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Using digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs), we determined how
      changes in the x-ray beam projection angle from the horizon, tibiotalar joint
      angle, and axial rotation of the foot influenced measurements of the medial
      distal tibial angle (MDTA) on the anteroposterior (AP) and hindfoot alignment
      views (HAV). METHODS: Seven cadaver foot-ankle specimens were scanned by computed
      tomography (CT) at fixed tibiotalar joint positions, ranging from 15 degrees of
      dorsiflexion to 25 degrees of plantarflexion. DRRs were created from each CT scan
      to simulate alterations in the horizontal projection angle (0 to 25 degrees) and
      foot axial rotation (-30 to 30 degrees). The MDTA was measured on each DRR and
      compared with that quantified on the baseline HAV and AP view. RESULTS: Altering
      the horizontal projection angle by >=5 degrees and >10 degrees significantly
      altered the MDTA for the AP view and the HAV, respectively. Shifting dorsiflexion
      and plantarflexion caused minor changes in the MDTA that were only statistically
      significant for the HAV. Axial rotation significantly changed the MDTA on both
      views, but deviations were more pronounced for the HAV. CONCLUSIONS: Compared
      with the HAV, the MDTA on the AP view was less sensitive to changes in foot-ankle
      position. However, increasing the tilt of the x-ray beam from the horizon altered
      the MDTA on the AP view substantially. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: To avoid
      misinterpretation of the MDTA, we recommend using the AP view to quantify
      supramalleolar alignment as it is less sensitive to changes in positioning of the
      foot-ankle. When acquiring an AP film, the x-ray beam should be directed along
      the horizon to ensure consistent assessment of the MDTA across patients.

PMID- 26116432
TI  - Healthcare service providers' and facility administrators' perspectives of the
      free maternal healthcare services policy in Malindi District, Kenya: a
      qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Globally, there are increasing efforts to improve maternal health
      outcomes including the reduction in maternal mortality rates. Improved access to
      skilled care utilisation during pregnancy and delivery has been one of the
      strategies employed to improve maternal health outcomes. In Kenya, more than half
      of the women deliver without the assistance of a skilled attendant and this has
      contributed to high maternal mortality rates. The free maternal healthcare
      services policy in all public facilities was initiated as a strategy to improve
      access to skilled care and reduce poor maternal health outcomes. This study aimed
      to explore the perspectives of the service providers and facility administrators
      of the free maternal health care service policy that was introduced in Kenya in
      2013. METHODS: A qualitative inquiry using semi-structured one-on-one interviews
      was conducted in Malindi District, Kenya. The participants included maternal
      health service providers and facility administrators recruited from five
      different healthcare facilities. Data were analysed using a thematic framework
      analysis. RESULTS: Free maternal healthcare service provision was perceived to
      boost skilled care utilisation during pregnancy and delivery. However, challenges
      including; delays in the reimbursement of funds by the government to the
      facilities, stock outs of essential commodities in the facilities to facilitate
      service provision, increased workload amidst staff shortage and lack of
      consultation and sensitisation of key stakeholders were perceived as barriers to
      effective implementation of this policy. CONCLUSION: Free maternal healthcare
      services can be one of the strategies to improve a range of maternal health
      outcomes. However, the implementation of this policy would be more effective if;
      the healthcare facilities were upgraded, equipped with adequate supplies, funds
      and staff; the community are continually sensitized on the importance of seeking
      skilled care during pregnancy and delivery; and inclusivity and collaboration
      with other key stakeholders be fostered in addressing poor maternal health
      outcomes in the country.

PMID- 26116433
TI  - Formation of an ordered phase by ceramides and diacylglycerols in a fluid
      phosphatidylcholine bilayer--Correlation with structure and hydrogen bonding
      capacity.
AB  - Ceramides and diacylglycerols are lipids with a large hydrophobic part (acyl
      chains and long-chain base) whereas their polar function (hydroxyl group) is
      small. They need colipids with large head groups to coexist in bilayer membranes.
      In this study, we have determined how saturated and unsaturated ceramides and
      acyl-chain matched diacylglycerols form ordered domains in 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl
      sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine bilayers as a function of bilayer concentration. The
      formation of ordered domains was determined from lifetime analysis of trans
      parinaric acid. Ceramides formed ordered domains with equal average tPA lifetime
      at lower bilayer concentration when compared to acyl-chain matched
      diacylglycerols. This was true for both saturated (16:0) and mono-unsaturated
      (18:1) species. This finding suggested that hydrogen bonding among ceramides
      contributed to their more efficient ordered phase formation, since
      diacylglycerols do not form similar hydrogen bonding networks. The role of
      hydrogen bonding in ordered domain formation was further verified by using
      palmitoyl ceramide analogs with 2N and 3OH methylated long-chain bases. These
      analogs do not form hydrogen bonds from the 2NH or the 3OH, respectively. While
      methylation of the 3OH did not affect ordered phase formation compared to native
      palmitoyl ceramide, 2NH methylation markedly attenuated ceramide ordered phase
      formation. We conclude that in addition to acyl chain length, saturation,
      molecular order, and lack of large head group, also hydrogen bonding involving
      the 2NH is crucial for efficient formation of ceramide-rich domains in fluid
      phosphatidylcholine bilayers. 

PMID- 26116434
TI  - Diabetes, hypertension and mobility among Brazilian older adults: findings from
      the Brazilian National Household Sample Survey (1998, 2003 and 2008).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rapid population ageing has been accompanied by a growing number
      of older adults experiencing chronic conditions, especially diabetes and
      hypertension, which are conditions associated to the decline in physical
      functioning. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the strength of
      the association between mobility and two chronic conditions (hypertension and
      diabetes) in a large representative sample of Brazilian older adults over a ten
      year period. METHODS: The data came from the Brazilian National Household Sample
      Survey (PNAD) of 1998, 2003 and 2008. The sample comprised 28,943 participants
      aged 60 years and older investigated in 1998, 35,042 in 2003 and 41,269 in 2008,
      totalling 105,254 older adults. The dependent variable was the physical mobility
      index (PMI) constructed based on the Item Response Theory (IRT) using five
      physical mobility indicators. The chronic conditions were self-reported and the
      confounders included: age, sex, schooling, ethnicity, family income, household
      composition, other co-morbidities and use of health services. The association
      between physical mobility (three different groups) and chronic conditions
      (hypertension and diabetes) was performed using multinomial logistic regression.
      RESULTS: Over the ten year period the prevalence of hypertension increased from
      44 % (1998), 49 % (2003) to 53 % (2008) (p < 0.001). Similar pattern was observed
      for the prevalence of diabetes: 10 % in 1998, 13 % in 2003 and 16 % in 2008 (p <
      0.001). Overall, physical mobility showed a statistical significant association
      with both chronic diseases studied even after adjusting for potential
      confounders. The time-disease interaction term was significant (p < 0.05) for the
      two chronic conditions studied, and the strength of the associations decreased
      over the first five years, but it was not sustained between 2003 and 2008.
      CONCLUSIONS: Despite the increases observed in the prevalence of the hypertension
      and diabetes over the ten year period, the decrease in strength of the
      association with physical mobility during the first period could be explained by
      improvements in health services and treatment of older adults. Special attention
      should be given to the treatment and management of diabetes in order to avoid
      declines in physical mobility levels.

PMID- 26116435
TI  - Therapeutic implications of the choroid plexus-cerebrospinal fluid interface in
      neuropsychiatric disorders.
AB  - The choroid plexus (CP) comprises an epithelial monolayer that forms an important
      physical, enzymatic and immunologic barrier, called the blood-cerebrospinal fluid
      barrier (BCSFB). It is a highly vascularized organ located in the brain
      ventricles that is key in maintaining brain homeostasis as it produces
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and has other important secretory functions.
      Furthermore, the CP-CSF interface plays a putative role in neurogenesis and has
      been implicated in neuropsychiatric diseases such as the neurodevelopmental
      disorders schizophrenia and autism. A role for this CNS border was also
      implicated in sleep disturbances and chronic and/or severe stress, which are risk
      factors for the development of neuropsychiatric conditions. Understanding the
      mechanisms by which disturbance of the homeostasis at the CP-CSF interface is
      involved in these different chronic low-grade inflammatory diseases can give new
      insights into therapeutic strategies. Hence, this review discusses the different
      roles that have been suggested so far for the CP in these neuropsychiatric
      disorders, with special attention to potential therapeutic applications. 

PMID- 26116436
TI  - Mind-body therapies and control of inflammatory biology: A descriptive review.
AB  - The use of mind-body therapies, including Tai Chi, Qigong, yoga, and meditation,
      has grown steadily in recent years. These approaches have been shown to be
      effective in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life, and research has
      begun to examine the impact of these therapies on biological processes, including
      inflammation. A review of 26 randomized controlled trials was conducted to
      describe the effects of mind-body therapies (MBTs) on circulating, cellular, and
      genomic markers of inflammation. This qualitative evaluation showed mixed effects
      of MBTs on circulating inflammatory markers, including CRP and IL-6, and on
      measures of stimulated cytokine production. More consistent findings were seen
      for genomic markers, with trials showing decreased expression of inflammation
      related genes and reduced signaling through the proinflammatory transcription
      factor NF-kappaB. Potential mechanisms for these effects are discussed, including
      alterations in neuroendocrine, neural, and psychological and behavioral
      processes. 

PMID- 26116437
TI  - Rubella outbreak in a Rural Kenyan District, 2014: documenting the need for
      routine rubella immunization in Kenya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rubella infection has been identified as a leading cause of birth
      defects commonly known as Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS). Kenya does not
      currently have a rubella immunization program nor a CRS surveillance system. In
      2014, a rubella outbreak was reported in a rural district in Kenya. We
      investigated the outbreak to determine its magnitude and describe the outbreak in
      time, place and person. We also analyzed the laboratory-confirmed rubella cases
      from 2010 to 2014 to understand the burden of the disease in the country.
      METHODS: The Rubella outbreak was detected using the case-based measles
      surveillance system. A suspected case was a person with generalized rash and
      fever while a confirmed case was a person who tested positive for rubella IgM.
      All laboratory-confirmed and epidemiologically linked cases were line listed. The
      measles case-based surveillance database was used to identify rubella cases from
      2010 to 2014. RESULTS: A total of 125 rubella cases were line listed. Fifty four
      percent of cases were female. Case age ranged from 3 months to 32 years with a
      median of 4 years. Fifty-one percent were aged less than 5 years, while 82 % were
      aged less than 10 years. Six percent of the cases were women of reproductive age.
      All cases were treated as outpatients and there were no deaths. The number of
      confirmed rubella cases was 473 in 2010, 604 in 2011, 300 in 2012, 336 in 2013
      and 646 in 2014. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of Kenya rubella data shows that rubella
      is endemic throughout the country, and many outbreaks may be underestimated or
      undocumented. Six percent of all the cases in this outbreak were women of
      reproductive age indicating that the threat of CRS is real. The country should
      consider initiating a CRS surveillance system to quantify the burden with the
      goal of introducing rubella vaccine in the future.

PMID- 26116438
TI  - Evaluation of the Effect of Modafinil on Cognitive Functions in Patients with
      Idiopathic Hypersomnia with P300.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Modafinil is a well-tolerated psychostimulant drug with low addictive
      potential that is used to treat patients with narcolepsy and other excessive
      sleepiness. Whereas favorable effects of modafinil on cognitive functions have
      been shown in a large number of studies, there are very few reports presenting
      the effects of modafinil electrophysiologically. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the effects of modafinil on auditory P300 latency and amplitude
      electrophysiologically. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighteen patients (age range: 16-48
      years) with a diagnosis of idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) were included in the
      present study. As a standard treatment, 200 mg/day modafinil was administered to
      each patient. The P300 auditory test was performed for each patient before and at
      the end of 1 week of modafinil treatment. RESULTS: After 1 week of modafinil
      treatment, mean P300 latencies (at all electrode sites) were significantly lower
      than the latencies before the treatment (P values for Fz, Cz and Pz recording
      sites were 0.039, 0.002, and 0.004, respectively). An increase in the P300
      amplitudes was detected only at the Fz recording site, but not at Cz or Pz
      recording sites (P values for Fz, Cz, and Pz recording sites were 0.014, 0.100,
      and 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: One week of modafinil treatment improved
      the cognitive performance, alertness, and executive functions in IH patients. Our
      electrophysiologically obtained findings provide further confirmation for
      previous reports in which modafinil has been shown to exert favorable effects on
      cognitive performance, alertness, and executive functions.

PMID- 26116439
TI  - The antidepressant-like activity of nicotine, but not of 3-furan-2-yl-N-p-tolyl
      acrylamide, is regulated by the nicotinic receptor beta4 subunit.
AB  - The current study compares the antidepressant-like effect elicited by nicotine
      between wild-type (beta4+/+) and knockout (beta4-/-) mice, and subsequently, the
      effect of 3-furan-2-yl-N-p-tolyl-acrylamide (PAM-2), a positive allosteric
      modulator of alpha7 nicotinic receptors, on the previously determined activity of
      nicotine. Mice from each sex were injected daily with nicotine base (0.2 mg/kg;
      s.c.) or co-administered with PAM-2 (1.0 mg/kg; i.p.) for 3 weeks. Forced swim
      tests were performed to determine the acute (day 1), subchronic (day 7), and
      chronic (days 14 and 21) effects of the drugs, as well as their residual effects
      after treatment cessation (days 28 and 35). Our results indicate that nicotine
      mediates antidepressant-like activity after acute, subchronic, and chronic
      treatments in beta4+/+, but not beta4-/-, mice, and that these effects are not
      mediated by unspecific locomotor stimulation. Nicotine co-administered with PAM-2
      produces antidepressant-like activity in both beta4+/+ and beta4-/- mice, except
      after the acute treatment of beta4-/- mice, and decreases locomotor activity.
      This suggests that although the beta4 subunit regulates the antidepressant-like
      activity of nicotine it does not affect the activity elicited by PAM-2 when is co
      administered with nicotine. The residual antidepressant-like activity of PAM-2 +
      nicotine was observed only in female mice, suggesting gender-specific
      differences. Our findings clearly indicate that beta4-containing nAChRs play an
      important role in the antidepressant-like activity elicited by nicotine but they
      are not essential for the modulatory activity of PAM-2. In fact, PAM-2 inhibits
      alpha4beta4 and alpha3beta4 AChRs at higher concentration ranges compared to that
      for the PAM activity previously found at the alpha7 AChR.

PMID- 26116440
TI  - Suppression of mitochondrial fission in experimental cerebral ischemia: The
      potential neuroprotective target of p38 MAPK inhibition.
AB  - In the present study, we investigated the neuroprotective role of p38 inhibition
      on experimental stroke in rats. p38 inhibition treatment alleviated the brain
      infarction volume and neurological deficits following ischemia, promoted the
      activation of Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2), suppressed the
      activation of Glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3b). Application of two p38
      inhibitors, both SB239063 and Losmapimod could down-regulate DLP1 and MFF, which
      were involved in mitochondrial fission and fragmentation. Losmapimod application
      progressively suppressed DLP1/MFF from 6 h to 24 h after ischemia-reperfusion
      injury. SB239063 pretreatment further showed the suppression of DLP1/MFF, and up
      regulated the protein levels of p62 and Mitochondrial Complex I at 5 mg/kg dose.
      Our results suggested that inhibition of p38 MAPK attenuated mitochondrial
      fragmentation/mitophagy after ischemic attack. In conclusion, p38 inhibition
      treatment might promote cellular survival signaling pathways, attenuate
      mitochondrial autophagy to maintain mitochondrial contents. This study suggests a
      potential neuroprotective target of p38 inhibition via suppressing mitochondrial
      fragmentation/mitophagy in cerebral ischemic injury. 

PMID- 26116441
TI  - Identification of key residues involved in the activation and signaling
      properties of dopamine D3 receptor.
AB  - The dopamine D3 receptor exhibits agonist-dependent tolerance and slow response
      termination (SRT) signaling properties that distinguish it from the closely
      related D2 receptors. While amino acid residues important for D3 receptor ligand
      binding have been identified, the residues involved in activation of D3 receptor
      signaling and induction of signaling properties have not been determined. In this
      paper, we used cis and trans isomers of a novel D3 receptor agonist, 8-OH-PBZI,
      and site-directed mutagenesis to identify key residues involved in D3 receptor
      signaling function. Our results show that trans-8-OH-PBZI, but not cis-8-OH-PBZI,
      elicit the D3 receptor tolerance and SRT properties. We show that while both
      agonists require a subset of residues in the orthosteric binding site of D3
      receptors for activation of the receptor, the ability of the two isomers to
      differentially induce tolerance and SRT is mediated by interactions with specific
      residues in the sixth transmembrane helix and third extracellular loop of the D3
      receptor. We also show that unlike cis-8-OH-PBZI, which is a partial agonist at
      the dopamine D2S receptor and full agonist at dopamine D2L receptor, trans-8-OH
      PBZI is a full agonist at both D2S and D2L receptors. The different effect of the
      two isomers on D3 receptor signaling properties and D2S receptor activation
      correlated with differential effects of the isomers on agonist-induced mouse
      locomotor activity. The two isomers of 8-OH-PBZI represent novel pharmacological
      tools for in silico D3 and D2 receptor homology modeling and for determining the
      role of D3 receptor tolerance and SRT properties in signaling and behavior. 

PMID- 26116442
TI  - Genome-wide identification and transcript profile of the whole cathepsin
      superfamily in the intertidal copepod Tigriopus japonicus.
AB  - Modulation of expression of cathepsins in innate immune response has previously
      been reported in mollusks and large crustaceans including crabs, lobsters, and
      shrimps in response to immune challenges. However, similar responses in copepods
      and the related cathepsin members remain under-investigated. To understand
      molecular and innate immune responses in the intertidal copepod Tigriopus
      japonicus, we identified the full spectra of cathepsin members (2 aspartyl
      proteases, 18 cysteine proteases, and 4 serine proteases) and also analyzed
      transcriptional expression of cathepsin (Tj-cathepsin) genes in developmental
      stages, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and two Vibrio species-exposed T. japonicus.
      The transcriptional levels of most Tj-cathepsin genes were highly increased
      during the molting transition from the nauplius to the copepodid stages. LPS
      treatment induced innate immune response via significant transcriptional increase
      of serine cathepsin (e.g., cathepsin As) members with induction of several
      cysteine cathepsin genes. However, Tj-aspartyl cathepsin E-like and a novel
      cysteine cathepsin were slightly reduced in response to LPS exposure.
      Interestingly, Vibrio species showed very low transcriptional sensitivity in the
      expression of entire cathepsins, while LPS induced several cathepsin gene
      involved primitive immune responses in T. japonicus. In this paper, we discuss
      how whole cathepsin expression profiling can be linked to host defense mechanism
      to better understand and uncover the underlying mechanism of copepods' innate
      immunity.

PMID- 26116443
TI  - The analysis of the acute phase response during the course of Trypanosoma
      carassii infection in the goldfish (Carassius auratus L.).
AB  - The expression of genes encoding the acute phase proteins (APP) during the course
      of Trypanasoma carassii infection in the goldfish was determined using
      quantitative PCR. Significant changes in the mRNA levels of ceruloplasmin (Cp), C
      reactive protein (CRP), transferrin (Tf), hemopexin (Hx) and serum amyloid A
      (SAA) were observed in the kidney, liver and spleen at various days post
      infection (dpi). Of the five acute phase protein genes examined, CRP and SAA
      exhibited the highest expression in the tissues during the acute infection. Cp
      and Tf were up-regulated throughout the acute course of infection in the liver.
      During the chronic phase of the infection, APP expression in the liver was
      similar to that in the non-infected control fish. At 7 dpi, Cp, Tf and Hx were
      down-regulated in the spleen, and Cp and Tf kidney, but their mRNA levels
      gradually returned to those of control non-infected fish. In contrast, during the
      chronic phase of the infection, there was an up-regulation of Cp, Hx and Tf in
      the spleen, and Tf and SAA in the kidney. The goldfish CRP was cloned and
      functionally characterized. CRP was differentially expressed in normal goldfish
      immune cells, with highest expression in monocytes and lowest expression in
      mature macrophages. A recombinant goldfish CRP (rgfCRP) was generated using
      prokaryotic expression. rgfCRP enhanced complement-mediated killing of
      trypanosomes in vitro, and the lysis increased after addition of immune serum.
      rgfCRP did not affect the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen
      intermediates by monocytes and macrophages, respectively.

PMID- 26116444
TI  - Impact of an interprofessional shared decision-making and goal-setting decision
      aid for patients with diabetes on decisional conflict--study protocol for a
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Competing health concerns present real obstacles to people living
      with diabetes and other chronic diseases as well as to their primary care
      providers. Guideline implementation interventions rarely acknowledge this,
      leaving both patients and providers feeling overwhelmed by the volume of
      recommended actions. Interprofessional (IP) shared decision-making (SDM) with the
      use of decision aids may help to set treatment priorities. We developed an
      evidence-based SDM intervention for patients with diabetes and other conditions
      that was framed by the IP-SDM model and followed a user-centered approach. Our
      objective in the present study is to pilot an IP-SDM and goal-setting toolkit
      following the Knowledge-to-Action Framework to assess (1) intervention fidelity
      and the feasibility of conducting a larger trial and (2) impact on decisional
      conflict, diabetes distress, health-related quality of life and patient
      assessment of chronic illness care. METHODS/DESIGN: A two-step, parallel-group,
      clustered randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted, with the primary
      goal being to assess intervention fidelity and the feasibility of conducting a
      larger RCT. The first step is a provider-directed implementation only; the second
      (after a 6-month delay) involves both provider- and patient-directed
      implementation. Half of the clusters will be assigned to receive the IP-SDM
      toolkit, and the other will be assigned to be mailed a diabetes guidelines
      summary. Individual interviews with patients, their family members and health
      care providers will be conducted upon trial completion to explore toolkit use. A
      secondary purpose of this trial is to gather estimates of the toolkit's impact on
      decisional conflict. Secondary outcomes include diabetes distress, quality of
      life and chronic illness care, which will be assessed on the basis of patient
      completed questionnaires of validated scales at baseline and at 6 and 12 months.
      Multilevel hierarchical regression models will be used to account for the
      clustered nature of the data. DISCUSSION: An individualized approach to patients
      with multiple chronic conditions using SDM and goal setting is a desirable
      strategy for achieving guideline-concordant treatment in a patient-centered
      fashion. Our pilot trial will provide insights regarding strategies for the
      routine implementation of such interventions in clinical practice, and it will
      offer an assessment of the impact of this approach. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02379078. Date of Registration: 11 February
      2015.

PMID- 26116445
TI  - Integrated hollow fiber membranes for gas delivery into optical waveguide based
      photobioreactors.
AB  - Compact algal reactors are presented with: (1) closely stacked layers of
      waveguides to decrease light-path to enable larger optimal light-zones; (2)
      waveguides containing scatterers to uniformly distribute light; and (3) hollow
      fiber membranes to reduce energy required for gas transfer. The reactors are
      optimized by characterizing the aeration of different gases through hollow fiber
      membranes and characterizing light intensities at different culture densities.
      Close to 65% improvement in plateau peak productivities was achieved under low
      light-intensity growth experiments while maintaining 90% average/peak
      productivity output during 7-h light cycles. With associated mixing costs of ~ 1
      mW/L, several magnitudes smaller than closed photobioreactors, a twofold increase
      is realized in growth ramp rates with carbonated gas streams under high light
      intensities, and close to 20% output improvement across light intensities in
      reactors loaded with high density cultures.

PMID- 26116446
TI  - Metals removal and recovery in bioelectrochemical systems: A review.
AB  - Metal laden wastes and contamination pose a threat to ecosystem well being and
      human health. Metal containing waste streams are also a valuable resource for
      recovery of precious and scarce elements. Although biological methods are
      inexpensive and effective for treating metal wastewaters and in situ
      bioremediation of metal(loid) contamination, little progress has been made
      towards metal(loid) recovery. Bioelectrochemical systems are emerging as a new
      technology platform for removal and recovery of metal ions from metallurgical
      wastes, process streams and wastewaters. Biodegradation of organic matter by
      electroactive biofilms at the anode has been successfully coupled to cathodic
      reduction of metal ions. Until now, leaching of Co(II) from LiCoO2 particles, and
      removal of metal ions i.e. Co(III/II), Cr(VI), Cu(II), Hg(II), Ag(I), Se(IV), and
      Cd(II) from aqueous solutions has been demonstrated. This article reviews the
      state of art research of bioelectrochemical systems for removal and recovery of
      metal(loid) ions and pertaining removal mechanisms. 

PMID- 26116447
TI  - The development of catalytic performance by coating Pt-Ni on CMI7000 membrane as
      a cathode of a microbial fuel cell.
AB  - Performance of cathode materials in microbial fuel cell (MFC) from dairy
      wastewater has been investigated in laboratory tests. Both cyclic voltammogram
      experiments and MFC tests showed that Pt-Ni cathode much better than pure Pt
      cathode. MFC with platinum cathode had the maximum power density of 0.180 W m(-2)
      while MFC with Pt:Ni (1:1) cathode produced the maximum power density of 0.637 W
      m(-2), even if the mass mixing ratio of Pt is lower in the alloy were used. The
      highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was around 82-86% in both
      systems. The cyclic voltammogram (CV) analyses show that Pt:Ni (1:1) offers
      higher specific surface area than Pt alone does. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and
      Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) results showed that entire Pt:Ni (1:1) alloys
      can reduce the oxygen easily than pure platinum, even though less precious metal
      amount. The main outcome of this study is that Pt-Ni, may serve as a alternative
      catalyst in MFC applications.

PMID- 26116448
TI  - Riboflavin crosslinked high-density collagen gel for the repair of annular
      defects in intervertebral discs: An in vivo study.
AB  - Open annular defects compromise the ability of the annulus fibrosus to contain
      nuclear tissue in the disc space, and therefore lead to disc herniation with
      subsequent degenerative changes to the entire intervertebral disc. This study
      reports the use of riboflavin crosslinked high-density collagen gel for the
      repair of annular defects in a needle-punctured rat-tail model. High-density
      collagen has increased stiffness and greater hydraulic permeability than
      conventional low-density gels; riboflavin crosslinking further increases these
      properties. This study found that treating annular defects with crosslinked high
      density collagen inhibited the progression of disc degeneration over 18 weeks
      compared to untreated control discs. Histological sections of FITC-labeled
      collagen gel revealed an early tight attachment to host annular tissue. The gel
      was subsequently infiltrated by host fibroblasts which remodeled it into a
      fibrous cap that bridged the outer disrupted annular fibers and partially
      repaired the defect. This repair tissue enhanced retention of nucleus pulposus
      tissue, maintained physiological disc hydration, and preserved hydraulic
      permeability, according to MRI, histological, and mechanical assessments.
      Degenerative changes were partially reversed in treated discs, as indicated by an
      increase in nucleus pulposus size and hydration between weeks 5 and 18. The
      collagen gel appeared to work as an instant sealant and by enhancing the
      intrinsic healing capabilities of the host tissue.

PMID- 26116449
TI  - Tumor necrosis factor-mediated downregulation of spinal astrocytic connexin43
      leads to increased glutamatergic neurotransmission and neuropathic pain in mice.
AB  - Spinal cord astrocytes are critical in the maintenance of neuropathic pain.
      Connexin 43 (Cx43) expressed on spinal dorsal horn astrocytes modulates synaptic
      neurotransmission, but its role in nociceptive transduction has yet to be fully
      elaborated. In mice, Cx43 is mainly expressed in astrocytes, not neurons or
      microglia, in the spinal dorsal horn. Hind paw mechanical hypersensitivity was
      observed beginning 3days after partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL), but a
      persistent downregulation of astrocytic Cx43 in ipsilateral lumbar spinal dorsal
      horn was not observed until 7days post-PSNL, suggesting that Cx43 downregulation
      mediates the maintenance and not the initiation of nerve injury-induced
      hypersensitivity. Downregulation of Cx43 expression by intrathecal treatment with
      Cx43 siRNA also induced mechanical hypersensitivity. Conversely, restoring Cx43
      by an adenovirus vector expressing Cx43 (Ad-Cx43) ameliorated PSNL-induced
      mechanical hypersensitivity. The sensitized state following PSNL is likely
      maintained by dysfunctional glutamatergic neurotransmission, as Cx43 siRNA
      induced mechanical hypersensitivity was attenuated with intrathecal treatment of
      glutamate receptor antagonists MK801 and CNQX, but not neurokinin-1 receptor
      antagonist CP96345 or the Ca(2+) channel subunit alpha2delta1 blocker gabapentin.
      The source of this dysfunctional glutamatergic neurotransmission is likely
      decreased clearance of glutamate from the synapse rather than increased glutamate
      release into the synapse. Astrocytic expression of glutamate transporter GLT-1,
      but not GLAST, and activity of glutamate transport were markedly decreased in
      mice intrathecally injected with Cx43-targeting siRNA but not non-targeting
      siRNA. Glutamate release from spinal synaptosomes prepared from mice treated with
      either Cx43-targeting siRNA or non-targeting siRNA was unchanged. Intrathecal
      injection of Ad-Cx43 in PSNL mice restored astrocytic GLT-1 expression. The
      cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has been implicated in the induction of
      central sensitization, particularly through its actions on astrocytes, in the
      spinal cord following peripheral injury. Intrathecal injection of TNF in naive
      mice induced the downregulation of both Cx43 and GLT-1 in spinal dorsal horn, as
      well as hind paw mechanical hypersensitivity, as observed in PSNL mice.
      Conversely, intrathecal treatment of PSNL mice with the TNF inhibitor etanercept
      prevented not only mechanical hypersensitivity but also the downregulation of
      Cx43 and GLT-1 expression in astrocytes. The current findings indicate that
      spinal astrocytic Cx43 are essential for the maintenance of neuropathic pain
      following peripheral nerve injury and suggest modulation of Cx43 as a novel
      target for developing analgesics for neuropathic pain. 

PMID- 26116450
TI  - Hypermethylation of the HLA-G promoter is associated with preeclampsia.
AB  - Preeclampsia (PE) is a severe pregnancy-induced disorder characterized by
      hypertension and proteinuria and a leading cause of perinatal maternal-fetal
      mortality and morbidity in developing countries. Dysregulated human leukocyte
      antigen (HLA)-G was found in placentas as well as in maternal sera from PE
      patients; however, the reason for this difference is unknown. As accumulating
      evidence has confirmed that DNA methylation is an important mechanism for
      regulating gene expression, we sought to test the hypothesis that alteration in
      the DNA methylation of the HLA-G promoter region is responsible for decreased
      expression of HLA-G in PE. Bisulfite pyrosequencing showed that a series of CpG
      sites in the HLA-G promoter region were significantly more highly methylated in
      PE than in normal pregnancy (NP). Interestingly, the hypermethylated CpG sites
      were mostly reported to be binding sites of active transcription factors. To
      further investigate the regulation of HLA-G methylation, we also defined the
      expression patterns of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) in placental tissue using
      immunohistochemistry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses. Here,
      we demonstrate that DNMT-1 is overexpressed and HLA-G expression is reduced in PE
      women when compared with NP. Furthermore, both treatment with the DNMT inhibitor
      5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and specific knockdown of DNMT-1 using siRNAs can
      significantly increase the expression level of HLA-G in a trophoblastic cell
      line, indicating the potential mechanism of DNMT-1-mediated DNA methylation in
      HLA-G regulation. Taken together, our research confirms that DNMT-1-mediated
      promoter hypermethylation of HLA-G is associated with PE. These findings provide
      new insights into the diagnosis and treatment of PE. 

PMID- 26116451
TI  - Functional disparity between human PAWP and PLCzeta in the generation of Ca2+
      oscillations for oocyte activation.
AB  - Mammalian oocyte activation is mediated by cytosolic calcium (Ca(2+))
      oscillations initiated upon delivery of a putative 'sperm factor' by the
      fertilizing sperm. Previous studies suggest the identity of this sperm factor as
      the testis-specific phospholipase C-zeta (PLCzeta). Recently, a post-acrosomal
      sheath WW domain-binding protein (PAWP) has been proposed as an alternative sperm
      factor candidate, following a report that human PAWP protein and cRNA elicited
      Ca(2+) oscillations in mouse and human oocytes. Those Ca(2+) oscillations were
      inhibited by a PAWP-derived peptide corresponding to a functional PPGY binding
      motif. Herein, using a series of human PAWP expression constructs, we demonstrate
      that both human PAWP protein and cRNA are, in our experiments, unable to elicit
      Ca(2+) release following microinjection into mouse oocytes. Parallel experiments
      performed with human PLCzeta elicited the characteristic Ca(2+) oscillations
      present at mammalian fertilization, which produced oocyte activation and embryo
      development. Furthermore, sperm-induced Ca(2+) oscillations were not inhibited by
      the PAWP-derived PPGY peptide following in vitro fertilization or
      intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Thus, the functional disparity with PLCzeta
      leads us to conclude that human PAWP is neither sufficient nor necessary for the
      Ca(2+) oscillations that initiate mammalian oocyte activation at fertilization. 

PMID- 26116452
TI  - Establishing molecular microbiology facilities in developing countries.
AB  - Microbiology laboratories play an important role in epidemiology and infection
      control programs. Within microbiology laboratories, molecular microbiology
      techniques have revolutionized the identification and surveillance of infectious
      diseases. The combination of excellent sensitivity, specificity, low
      contamination levels and speed has made molecular techniques appealing methods
      for the diagnosis of many infectious diseases. In a well-equipped microbiology
      laboratory, the facility designated for molecular techniques remains indiscrete.
      However, in most developing countries, poor infrastructure and laboratory
      mismanagement have precipitated hazardous consequences. The establishment of a
      molecular microbiology facility within a microbiology laboratory remains
      fragmented. A high-quality laboratory should include both conventional
      microbiology methods and molecular microbiology techniques for exceptional
      performance. Furthermore, it should include appropriate laboratory
      administration, a well-designed facility, laboratory procedure standardization, a
      waste management system, a code of practice, equipment installation and
      laboratory personnel training. This manuscript lays out fundamental issues that
      need to be addressed when establishing a molecular microbiology facility in
      developing countries. 

PMID- 26116453
TI  - Diffusion and transmission of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in the
      medical and surgical wards of a university hospital in Milan, Italy.
AB  - Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is emerging as a public health
      problem worldwide. In Italy, a remarkable increase in CRKP cases has been
      reported since 2010. In this study, CRKP diffusion, distribution and in-hospital
      transmission trends were evaluated in a university hospital in Milan, Italy, from
      January 2012 to December 2013. Isolates from 63 newly detected CRKP-positive
      patients were genotyped, and possible transmission was determined by combining
      the molecular results with data concerning the patients' admission and in
      hospital transfers. Most of the cases (90.4%) were from general medical and
      surgery wards, and the remaining 9.6% were from the intensive care unit. Fifteen
      of the 46 hospital-associated cases (32.6%) were attributable to in-hospital
      transmission. After the introduction of targeted and hospital-wide control
      measures, the transmission index significantly decreased from 0.65 to 0.13
      (p=0.01). There was also a decrease in the overall nosocomial case incidence,
      from 0.37 to 0.17 per 1000 person-days (p=0.07). Our findings indicate that the
      spread of CRKP in Northern Italy hospitals may go far beyond high-risk settings
      (i.e., intensive care units) and that strict surveillance should be extended to
      general areas of care. 

PMID- 26116454
TI  - In vitro antimicrobial synergy studies of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter
      baumannii isolated from intensive care units of a tertiary care hospital in
      Egypt.
AB  - The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant and pan drug-resistant
      Acinetobacter baumannii as a cause of nosocomial infections has led to the need
      for the reassessment of novel combinations of antibiotics as our only current
      viable option for handling such infections until a new therapeutic option becomes
      available. Two of the most commonly used methods for testing antimicrobial
      synergy are the Time-kill assay method and the E-test method, and these were the
      methods used in this study. Antibiotic combinations tested in this study were
      azithromycin and polymyxin, tobramycin and polymyxin, polymyxin and rifampicin,
      and tobramycin and rifampicin. The azithromycin and polymyxin combination showed
      synergy, while the rifampicin and polymyxin combination showed antagonism. The
      synergy was achieved at lower MIC values than using each of the single agents
      alone against the same isolates. Synergy testing results varied according to the
      method used, and it is difficult to establish which method is more accurate. The
      use of these lower MIC values as a guide to determine effective therapeutic doses
      used in combination therapy can help to decrease the emergence of resistance and
      can also minimize the side effects associated with using a single agent at a
      higher dose. Further research is still required to predict in vivo efficacy of
      such combinations. 

PMID- 26116455
TI  - Experimental cerebral and non-cerebral coenurosis in goats: A comparative study
      on the morphological and molecular characteristics of the parasite.
AB  - This experimental study was conducted to test whether cerebral and non-cerebral
      forms of Coenurus cerebralis belong to one origin or they are originated from two
      different tape worms. In the first step of the study, two groups of dogs were
      orally infected with the protoscoleces of cerebral and non-cerebral cysts and
      four months after infection, the adult worms were collected and morphologically
      characterized. Then the obtained eggs from two groups of adult worms were orally
      inoculated to two groups of goats to trace the predilection sites and also to
      compare the morphological and molecular characteristics of the larval stage of
      the parasites. The results showed that, both cerebral and non-cerebral coenuri,
      produced morphologically similar worms in the experimentally infected dogs. We
      observed only non-cerebral coenurus cysts in two groups of experimentally
      infected goats and the morphological characteristics of the cysts of two
      different groups were also similar. The molecular findings also showed that the
      cysts of two groups were 100% identical to each other based on the CO1 and nad1
      sequences. In conclusion, our morphological and molecular findings reinforce the
      evidence that Taenia multiceps is the single origin of both cerebral and non
      cerebral form of C. cerebralis but in goats, the cysts show more tendency to non
      cerebral organs. 

PMID- 26116456
TI  - Serological cross-reactivity of three commercial in-house immunoassays for
      detection of Dirofilaria immitis antigens with Spirocerca lupi in dogs with
      benign esophageal spirocercosis.
AB  - The nematode Spirocerca lupi infects dogs and is endemic in Israel. It leads to
      formation of esophageal nodules and neoplasia. Infection is diagnosed by
      coproscopy, endoscopy and radiography. Dirofilaria immitis causes heartworm
      disease in dogs, and has a world-wide distribution, but autochthonous infection
      has never been detected in Israel. Infection is confirmed based on identifying D.
      immitis microfilariae, in concentrated blood specimens by microscopy (Knott's
      test or other tests) and serological tests specifically detecting circulating
      adult worm antigens. In the first part of this study, sera from dogs definitively
      diagnosed with esophageal spirocercosis by endoscopy were examined using three in
      house immunoassays for detecting D. immitis antigen, and were positive in 2/19
      (10.5%), 5/35 (14.3%) and 14/48 (29.2%) dogs, in assays 1 to 3, respectively,
      with no statistical difference between assays (P=0.08). Next, sera from 32
      additional dogs with confirmed esophageal spirocercosis, which were confirmed to
      be negative for D. immitis and Dirofilaria repens DNA using a sensitive high
      resolution melt PCR were tested using assay 3 and 8/32 (25%) were positive. These
      results demonstrate serological cross-reactivity between D. immitis and S. lupi
      in blood samples of dogs. In areas where the distributions of both nematodes
      overlap, this cross-reactivity should be considered when dog are screened for
      heartworm disease. 

PMID- 26116457
TI  - Abattoir based surveillance of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in the Sultanate of
      Oman during 2010-2013.
AB  - A passive surveillance was conducted in 8 selected abattoirs belonging to 8
      governorates of Oman. Routine slaughtering of 282.020 animals was observed during
      2010-2013 by duty veterinarians and suspected samples (n=1440) for cystic
      echinococcosis (CE) from camels (n=292), cattle (n=303), goats (n=682) and sheep
      (n=163) were collected. In total, 587 (40.8%) samples were found positive for CE
      and the highest percentage (64.2%) of positive samples belonged to Dhofar
      (Salalah) as compared to other governorates, p<0.01. The infection rate of CE was
      calculated as 5.3, 0.6, 0.07 and 0.03 in camel, cattle, sheep and goats
      respectively. Fertile cysts were found in 30.7% of positive samples and camels
      (52%) were found as major source of these followed by cattle (14.1%) and goats
      (9.7%). Percentage of positive to submitted samples was higher in females (67.9%)
      than males (29.8%). The fertility of cyst increased with age and the highest
      percentage of fertile cysts were collected from animals above 5 years of age
      (54.4%) followed by between 3 and 5 years (36.7%) and below 3 years of age
      (8.9%). For different breeds, 478 (62.7%) samples from local breeds of livestock
      were positive for CE as compared to 108 (15.9%) from imported animals (OR 8.92),
      p<0.01. The highest percent of positive samples was observed in cysts from lungs
      (54.4%) followed by those from liver (25.7%), liver and lungs (14.1%) and others
      (3.8%). Molecular investigations indicated that G1 and G6/7 were the two strains
      of CE circulating in camels and cattle while G1 was the only strain found in
      samples from small ruminants. Results indicated that CE is endemic in the
      livestock of Oman and further molecular epidemiological work in different host
      species is required for the conceptualization of a comprehensive control program.

PMID- 26116458
TI  - Association between plasma adiponectin and arteriolar vessel caliber among
      elderly hypertensive subjects.
AB  - Circulating adiponectin has been related to vascular diseases, but few studies
      examined the relationship between plasma adiponectin and microvascular
      abnormalities among hypertensive individuals. We tested the association between
      plasma adiponectin level and retinal vessel calibers in patients with
      hypertension.This study included 172 patients with confirmed hypertension, aged
      18-80 years. Subjects with recent cardiovascular events, advanced heart failure
      and end-stage renal disease were excluded. Arteriolar and venular calibers were
      measured in retinographies using a microdensitometric image-processing method.
      Blood pressure was measured using a validated oscillometric device. We observed a
      statistically significant inverse association between plasma adiponectin and
      arteriolar caliber among participants aged 60 years or older after controlling
      for confounders (Adjusted beta = -0.42; P = .001). In the final model, HbA1C and
      low-density lipoprotein also remained independently associated with arteriolar
      caliber. There was no association of adiponectin with venular caliber and retinal
      vessel calibers in participants <60 years old.Adiponectin is inversely associated
      with retinal arteriolar caliber in elderly hypertensive participants, suggesting
      that plasma adiponectin may be a marker of microvascular damage and of higher
      cardiovascular risk in this age stratum. 

PMID- 26116459
TI  - Ambulatory 24-hour cardiac oxygen consumption and blood pressure-heart rate
      variability: effects of nebivolol and valsartan alone and in combination.
AB  - We compared an angiotensin receptor blocker (valsartan; VAL), a beta-blocker
      (nebivolol; NEB) and the combination of NEB/VAL with respect to 24-hour
      myocardial oxygen consumption (determined by 24-hour ambulatory heart rate
      central systolic pressure product [ACRPP]) and its components. Subjects with
      hypertension (systolic blood pressure >140 or diastolic blood pressure >90; n =
      26) were studied in a double-blinded, double-dummy, forced-titration, crossover
      design with 3 random-order experimental periods: VAL 320 mg, NEB 40 mg, and
      NEB/VAL 320/40 mg daily. After 4 weeks of each drug, ambulatory pulse wave
      analysis (MobilOGraph) was performed every 20 minutes for 24 hours. All three
      treatments resulted in nearly identical brachial and central systolic blood
      pressures. NEB alone or in combination with VAL resulted in lower ACRPP (by 11%
      14%; P < .001 each) and heart rate (by 18%-20%; P < .001 each) compared with VAL,
      but stroke work (ACRPP per beat) was lower with VAL. Relative and adjusted
      variability (standard deviation and coefficient of variation) of heart rate were
      also lower with NEB and NEB/VAL than VAL. Results in African Americans, the
      majority subpopulation, were similar to those of the entire treatment group. We
      conclude that the rate-slowing effects of NEB cause ambulatory cardiac myocardial
      oxygen consumption to be lower with NEB monotherapy or NEB/VAL combination
      therapy than with VAL monotherapy. NEB/VAL is not superior to NEB alone in
      controlling heart rate, blood pressure, or ACRPP. Heart rate variability but not
      ACRPP variability is reduced by NEB or the combination NEB/VAL. There is no
      attenuation of beta-blocker-induced rate-slowing effects of in African Americans.

PMID- 26116460
TI  - U-shaped relationships between sleep duration and metabolic syndrome and
      metabolic syndrome components in males: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Based on cross-sectional studies, sleep duration has been shown to
      have a relationship with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS); however, no
      prospective studies have verified a correlation between the incidence of MS and
      the gender difference. Herein we prospectively determined the association between
      MS and gender using a large sample. METHODS: A total of 4774 subjects without MS,
      30-65 years of age, participated in this study. One-way ANOVA and Chi-square test
      were used to analyze the baseline variables. Cox regression models were performed
      separately in a mixed-gender population, males and females, while controlling for
      lifestyle and sleep-related factors. RESULTS: During an average of 4.4-year
      follow-up, 1506 subjects developed MS. Both short (<6 h) and long sleep durations
      (8-9 and >=9 h) increased the incidence of MS and elevated the fasting blood
      glucose (FBG) level in the mixed-gender population (MS: HR = 1.43, 1.25, and
      1.45, respectively; elevated FBG: HR = 1.61, 1.65, and 1.98, respectively) and
      males (MS: HR = 1.87, 1.73, and 1.96, respectively; elevated FBG: HR = 2.27,
      2.28, and 3.16, respectively). The HR(8-9 and >=9 h) for hypertriglyceridemia in
      males was 1.48 and 19.4, and the HR(<6, 6-7, and >=9 h) for hypertension in
      females was 1.25, 1.46, and 1.72, respectively. CONCLUSION: Both short and long
      sleep durations were associated with a greater incidence of MS and elevated FBG
      in a mixed-gender population and in males, and hypertension in females. Males who
      sleep longer were also at a higher risk for hypertriglyceridemia.

PMID- 26116461
TI  - Sleep-onset central apneas as triggers of severe nocturnal seizures.

PMID- 26116462
TI  - Epileptic hypnagogic jerks mimicking repetitive sleep starts.

PMID- 26116463
TI  - Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with liver disease: a population-based
      cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the risk of
      liver disease is unclear. Moreover, population-based studies on the risk of liver
      disease among people with OSA have not yet been conducted. This study aimed to
      investigate the risk of subsequent development of liver disease among people with
      OSA. METHODS: Using Taiwan National Health Insurance claims data, this study
      collected subjects from a cohort of 17,374 people with OSA who were diagnosed
      between 2000 and 2008. A control group of 69,496 people was selected from the
      same database and matched by age, gender, urbanization, income, and date of
      initial admission. All subjects were followed up until 2010. Liver disease
      incidence and risk were calculated. RESULTS: The overall risk of liver disease
      among people with OSA was significantly higher than in the control group (aHR =
      5.52, p <0.001). Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatitis C
      had significant aHRs of 5.29, 7.50, and 7.19 (all at p <0.001), respectively. In
      contrast, hepatitis B had the smallest aHR of 3.71. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of
      liver disease was more than five times higher among people with OSA compared with
      the control group; this was particularly for cirrhosis and hepatitis C. Liver
      disease is thus a very important health issue among people with OSA.

PMID- 26116464
TI  - Restless legs syndrome in stroke patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is associated with cerebrovascular risk
      factors, but its possible association with cerebrovascular disease has yielded
      conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: This was a case-control, in-hospital study to
      evaluate the association between RLS and acute stroke or transient ischemic
      attack (TIA). METHODS: We evaluated patients hospitalized with acute stroke/TIA
      and an age and gender 2:1 frequency-matched control group, for the presence of
      RLS. RESULTS: Twenty-two of 149 patients (15%) and 10 of 298 controls (3%)
      suffered from RLS (p <0.0001). A multivariate logistic regression model employing
      cerebrovascular risk factors as predictors, that is, hypertension,
      hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and body mass index (BMI), determined that stroke/TIA
      was significantly associated with RLS with odds ratio for RLS among patients with
      stroke/TIA versus controls of 7.60 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.07-27.87; p =
      0.002). Another multivariate logistic regression model adjusting for possible RLS
      risk factors, that is, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, BMI, anemia, and
      reduced renal function, determined that stroke/TIA was significantly associated
      with RLS with odds ratio of 6.85 (95% CI: 6.85-1.79; p = 0.005). Stepwise
      logistic regression with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, BMI, anemia, and
      reduced renal function as potential predictors revealed that only stroke/TIA
      predicted RLS with similar odds ratio to the RLS-based multivariate model of 6.54
      (95% CI: 2.63-16.27; p <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Examining stroke patients while in
      hospital allowed us to conclude that RLS and acute stroke/TIA are significantly
      associated. However, the cross-sectional design did not allow for the
      determination of a causative relationship between the two.

PMID- 26116465
TI  - Serum cytokine levels in Kleine-Levin syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS) is a rare sleep disorder causing recurrent
      symptomatic episodes of severe hypersomnia, cognitive impairment, apathy, and
      derealization. These episodes are interspersed with long periods of normal sleep,
      cognition, and behavior. The pathogenesis of KLS is still unknown. The objective
      of this study was to determine serum cytokine levels in patients with KLS during
      and between episodes. PATIENTS/METHODS: Fifty-two typical KLS patients were
      included in the study of whom 17 patients donated blood samples both during and
      between episodes. Blood samples were collected in USA, France, and Taiwan in a
      clinical setting. Processing of the samples was performed at the Stanford Center
      for Sleep Sciences and Medicine. RESULTS: We did not observe any changes in serum
      cytokine levels during KLS episodes compared to between episodes. In a small
      cohort of asymptomatic KLS patients and age- and gender matched healthy controls
      (n = 8/group) whose blood samples were all collected and processed at the same
      day; asymptomatic KLS patients had significantly higher levels of serum sVCAM1
      cytokine compared to healthy controls. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that KLS
      episodes are not accompanied by an abnormal systemic immune reaction.

PMID- 26116466
TI  - Use of sleep medications and risk of cancer: a matched case-control study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous research suggests a possible link between sleep-medication
      use and mortality, especially cancer deaths, but findings are mixed, and large
      population-based studies are lacking. METHODS: Data from the Finnish Public
      Sector study were linked to the Finnish Cancer Register and the Drug Prescription
      Register of Finland. A total of 5053 cancer cases (mean age of 57.4 years)
      diagnosed in 2002-2011, and their 24,388 controls free of cancer and matched for
      sex, age, socioeconomic status, employer, and geographical area, were identified.
      The use of sleep medications was defined as purchases of prescribed sleep
      medications. RESULTS: Both quantity and duration of prior sleep-medication use
      during the seven years studied were associated with increased odds of having
      cancer. Compared with participants not using sleep medications, the odds ratio
      was 1.18-fold (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.39) for those who used >100
      defined daily doses per year and 1.16-fold (95% CI: 1.01-1.34) for those who had
      such a medication for >3 years. Site-specific analyses showed a more pronounced
      association of quantity and duration of sleep-medication use with subsequent
      cancer of the respiratory system (odds ratio for >100 defined daily doses per
      year vs. no use: 3.47; 95% CI: 1.97-6.11). No associations were found with other
      cancer sites. CONCLUSION: In this register-based study, sleep-medication use was
      associated with an increased cancer incidence of the respiratory system. Further
      studies are needed to examine potential carcinogenic mechanisms associated with
      hypnotic medications.

PMID- 26116467
TI  - A new cell-based assay to evaluate myogenesis in mouse myoblast C2C12 cells.
AB  - The development of the efficient screening system of detecting compounds that
      promote myogenesis and prevent muscle atrophy is important. Mouse C2C12 cells are
      widely used to evaluate myogenesis but the procedures of the assay are not simple
      and the quantification is not easy. We established C2C12 cells expressing the N
      terminal green fluorescence protein (GFP) and the C-terminal GFP (GFP1-10 and
      GFP11 cells). GFP1-10 and GFP11 cells do not exhibit GFP signals until they are
      fused. The signal intensity correlates with the expression of myogenic markers
      and myofusion. Myogenesis-promoting reagents, such as insulin-like growth factor
      1 (IGF1) and beta-guanidinopropionic acid (GPA), enhance the signals, whereas the
      poly-caspase inhibitor, z-VAD-FMK, suppresses it. GFP signals are observed when
      myotubes formed by GFP1-10 cells are fused with single nuclear GFP11 cells, and
      enhanced by IGF1, GPA, and IBS008738, a recently-reported myogenesis-promoting
      reagent. Fusion between myotubes formed by GFP1-10 and GFP11 cells is associated
      with the appearance of GFP signals. IGF1 and GPA augment these signals, whereas
      NSC23766, Rac inhibitor, decreases them. The conditioned medium of cancer cells
      suppresses GFP signals during myogenesis and reduces the width of GFP-positive
      myotubes after differentiation. Thus the novel split GFP-based assay will provide
      the useful method for the study of myogenesis, myofusion, and atrophy.

PMID- 26116468
TI  - The cooperative role of S1P3 with LYVE-1 in LMW-HA-induced lymphangiogenesis.
AB  - Lymphangiogenesis, the formation of new lymph vessels, plays a significant role
      in the development and metastasis of various cancers. We and others have
      demonstrated that low molecular weight hyaluronan (LMW-HA) promotes
      lymphangiogenesis. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly defined. In this
      study, using immunofluorescence and co-immunoprecipitation, we found that LMW-HA
      increased the colocalization of lymphatic vessel endothelial HA receptor (LYVE-1)
      and sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor (S1P3) at the cell surface. Silencing of
      either LYVE-1 or S1P3 decreased LMW-HA-mediated tube formation in lymphatic
      endothelial cells (LECs). Furthermore, silencing of either LYVE-1 or S1P3
      significantly inhibited LMW-HA-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Src kinase and
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2). In summary, these results suggest
      that S1P3 and LYVE-1 may cooperate to play a role in LMW-HA-mediated
      lymphangiogenesis. This interaction may provide a useful target for the
      intervention of lymphangiogenesis-associated tumor progression. 

PMID- 26116469
TI  - A prospective study of the risk of bacteremia in directed cholangioscopic
      examination of the common bile duct.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The frequency of bacteremia during ERCP with cholangioscopy
      has not been well studied. There are no formal guidelines regarding antibiotic
      prophylaxis before ERCP with cholangioscopy. The aim was to estimate the
      frequency of bacteremia and subsequent infectious adverse events after ERCP with
      cholangioscopy. METHODS: This prospective nonrandomized study performed in a
      single tertiary referral center included adult patients who were undergoing ERCP
      with cholangioscopic examination of the common bile duct. Blood cultures were
      drawn from patients before the procedure and 5 and 30 minutes after the
      procedure. Antibiotics were not given before or after the procedure. Patients
      were followed up after 24 hours and 1 week after the procedure for infectious
      adverse events. The primary outcome was bacteremia rate, and secondary outcomes
      were cholangitis rate and adverse events. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients were
      enrolled in the study with 60 procedures performed. The first procedure from each
      patient was considered in the analysis, and thus we included 57 patients with 57
      procedures in this study analysis. Postprocedure bacteremia was seen in 5 of 57
      procedures (8.8%; 95% confidence interval, 2.9%-19.3%). Four patients were
      readmitted with cholangitis (7.0%). Bacteremia was more common in patients who
      had cholangioscopy with biopsy sampling compared with patients who had
      cholangioscopy without biopsy sampling (P = .011). Cholangitis was significantly
      more common in patients with bacteremia than in those patients with a negative
      blood culture (P = .035). CONCLUSION: ERCP with cholangioscopy is associated with
      a bacteremia rate of 8.8% and a cholangitis rate of 7.0%. Preprocedural
      antibiotics may be considered before cholangioscopy, especially if tissue
      acquisition with biopsy sampling is expected. ( CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
      NUMBER: NCT01673269.).

PMID- 26116470
TI  - Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Dobutamine for Low Superior Vena Cava
      Flow in Infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To gather information for a future confirmatory trial of dobutamine
      (DB) for circulatory impairment (ie, low superior vena cava [SVC] flow). STUDY
      DESIGN: A total of 127 infants born at < 31 weeks gestational age were serially
      scanned from birth to 96 hours after birth. The infants were randomly assigned to
      2 groups and were treated with DB (stepwise dose increase, 5-10-15-20 MUg/kg/min)
      or placebo if they had an SVC flow < 41 mL/kg/min within the first 24 hours after
      birth. The primary outcome measures were the achievement and maintenance of an
      SVC flow >= 41 mL/kg/min. Secondary outcome measures were the short-term
      evolution of clinical and biochemical variables, near-infrared spectroscopy,
      cranial Doppler ultrasound, and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: SVC flow increased
      throughout the first 96 hours for the entire cohort. All of the randomized
      infants (n = 28) except 2 achieved and maintained an SVC flow >= 41 mL/kg/min
      after intervention; however, the infants treated with DB (n = 16) showed a higher
      heart rate and improved base excess compared with those treated with placebo (n =
      12). Low SVC flow was associated with low gestational age (P = .02) and poor
      condition at birth (P = .02). Low SVC flow significantly increased the risk of
      severe ischemic events (OR, 13; 95% CI, 2.4-69.2; P < .01). CONCLUSION: This
      exploratory trial demonstrates a tendency toward improved short-term clinical and
      biochemical perfusion variable outcomes in infants with low SVC flow treated with
      DB. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01605279) and the European
      Clinical Trials Database (EurodraCT 2009-010901-35).

PMID- 26116471
TI  - Trends in Ambulatory Care for Children with Concussion and Minor Head Injury from
      Eastern Massachusetts between 2007 and 2013.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize trends in health care utilization and costs for
      children diagnosed with concussion or minor head injury within a large pediatric
      primary-care association. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort
      analysis from 2007 through 2013 examining all outpatient medical claims related
      to concussion and minor head injury from 4 commercial insurance companies for
      children 6-21 years of age who were patients within a large pediatric independent
      practice association located throughout eastern Massachusetts. RESULTS: Health
      care visits for concussion and minor head injury increased more than 4-fold
      during the study period, with primary-care and specialty clinics experiencing the
      greatest increases in the rate of visits while emergency department visits
      increased comparatively less. These increases were accounted for by both the
      proportion of children diagnosed with concussion or minor head injury (1.3% of
      all children in 2007 vs 3.3% in 2013) and the number of encounters per diagnosed
      patient (1.0 encounters per patient in 2007 vs 1.7 in 2013). Although the overall
      population costs devoted to care for concussion or minor head injury increased
      34%, the cost per individual diagnosed child decreased 31%. CONCLUSIONS: Over the
      past 7 years, health care encounters for children diagnosed with concussion or
      minor head injury increased substantially in eastern Massachusetts. Care for
      these injuries increasingly shifted from the emergency department to primary-care
      and specialty providers.

PMID- 26116472
TI  - Addressing Conflict of Interest and Bias in Research, Education and Clinical
      Practice.

PMID- 26116473
TI  - Supreme Court rejects challenge to Affordable Care Act.

PMID- 26116474
TI  - Molecular and functional characterization of BAFF from the Yangtze alligator
      (Alligator sinensis, Alligatoridae).
AB  - B-cell activating factor (BAFF) from the TNF family is critical for B-cell
      survival and maturation. In this study, we identified a Yangtze alligator
      (Alligator sinensis, Alligatoridae) BAFF cDNA, designated as asBAFF, using
      reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification
      of cDNA ends (RACE). The open reading frame of this cDNA encodes a 287-amino acid
      protein containing a predicted transmembrane domain and a furin protease cleavage
      site, similar to mammalian and avian BAFF. The amino acid identity between
      biologically soluble asBAFF (assBAFF) and csBAFF, hsBAFF, and msBAFF is 94, 76,
      and 71%, respectively. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis showed that the asBAFF
      gene is strongly expressed in the spleen. Since BAFF is always expressed as
      inclusion bodies in bacteria, it is difficult to purify. To enhance the soluble
      expression of assBAFF in Escherichia coli, we fused the extracellular region of
      the asBAFF gene to a small ubiquitin-related modifier gene (SUMO). Purified
      assBAFF was able to promote the survival of splenic lymphocytes and co-stimulate
      the proliferation of mouse B cells with anti-mouse IgM. These findings suggest
      that asBAFF plays an important role in the survival and proliferation of Yangtze
      alligator B cells, and because it is evolutionarily highly conserved, functional
      cross-reactivity exists between mammalian and Yangtze alligator BAFF. 

PMID- 26116475
TI  - Training Assistants Improves the Process of Adoption of Video-Assisted Thoracic
      Surgery Lobectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite overwhelming evidence of decreased pain, fewer complications,
      and shorter length of stay with equivalent oncologic outcomes, video-assisted
      thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has been slow to be adopted in the community.
      This study evaluates the role of training surgical assistants to ease the
      transition to VATS lobectomy. METHODS: A half-day training course for physician
      assistants in the specific skills needed to assist with VATS lobectomy was
      developed to be offered annually in conjunction with a national meeting. Each
      participant completed a needs assessment before the course and a course
      assessment afterward. One-year follow-up data were obtained from the first cohort
      to determine the effects of the course on their practice. RESULTS: Forty-four
      physician assistants participated in the course in either 2013 or 2014.
      Participant-identified educational needs included enhanced camera navigation
      skills, use of specialized instruments, and knowledge of the steps of the
      operation to provide proactive assistance. After completing the course, 90% (n =
      39) felt more confident in their ability to provide optimal visualization for the
      operating surgeon, and 93% (n = 40) felt more confident in their ability to
      recognize and anticipate the steps of a VATS lobectomy. These changes persisted
      at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Specific training directed at surgical assistants may
      improve the adoption of new technology by mechanisms including improved
      visualization and better understanding of methods to facilitate the operation and
      avoid frustration. This type of training should be made available to assistants
      of surgeons learning new operations.

PMID- 26116476
TI  - Long-Term Outcomes of the Maze Procedure Combined With Mitral Valve Repair: Risk
      of Thromboembolism Without Anticoagulation Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the strongest benefit of a concomitant Maze procedure during
      mitral valve repair is the obviation of the need for anticoagulation therapy, the
      risk of thromboembolism without anticoagulation therapy has not been evaluated.
      METHODS: A total of 362 consecutive patients (aged 52.2 +/- 13.8 years, 180
      females) who underwent the Maze procedure combined with mitral valve repair
      between 1997 and 2012 were evaluated. Anticoagulation therapy was discontinued
      after 6 months if synchronous atrial contraction was maintained in the absence of
      further risks of thromboembolism. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 5.4
      years (interquartile range, 2.9 to 9.6 years). Late atrial fibrillation (AF)
      occurred in 62 patients (17.1%). The 5-year freedom from AF off anti-arrhythmic
      drugs was 82.6% +/- 2.3%. In 96 patients (26.5%), warfarin was administered in
      the late period (>6 months), and of them, 54 patients (14.9%) were maintained
      with warfarin therapy until the end of the follow-up. Patients receiving warfarin
      therapy were older (p = 0.030), had longer AF duration (p = 0.012), and had
      rheumatic valvulopathy more frequently (p = 0.003) compared with those not
      receiving warfarin. Overall, patients were followed up off the warfarin therapy
      for 1,577 patient-years, during which there were 4 cases of stroke or transient
      ischemic accident and 21 late deaths. The linearized rates of thromboembolic
      event and death without warfarin therapy were 0.06% and 0.12% per patient-year,
      respectively, and these rates were not significantly different from those
      receiving warfarin therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Adopting appropriate selection criteria
      for discontinuing anticoagulation therapy, the majority of patients receiving
      concomitant mitral repair and the Maze procedure can discontinue warfarin with
      excellent long-term safety profiles.

PMID- 26116477
TI  - Pulmonary Resection for Lung Cancer in Patients With Idiopathic Interstitial
      Pneumonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: After pulmonary resection, patients with lung cancer who have
      idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have been reported to have higher pulmonary
      morbidity and mortality and poorer outcomes than patients without IPF. However,
      whether morbidity, mortality, and outcomes differ according to the subtype of
      idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) remains unclear. METHODS: The clinical
      records of 678 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent pulmonary
      resection were reviewed retrospectively. A total of 103 patients had IIP and were
      classified into an IPF group and a non-IPF group in accordance with the 2011
      statement. RESULTS: The IPF group comprised 46 patients, and the non-IPF group
      comprised 57. The 5-year survival rate was significantly higher in the non-IPF
      group (53.2%) than in the IPF group (22.1%; p = 0.0093). Cause of death was IIP
      related respiratory failure in 26.1% (12 of 46) of the patients in the IPF group
      as compared with 7.0% (4 of 57) of patients in the non-IPF group (p = 0.008).
      Multivariate Cox analysis indicated that IPF was a significant predictor of long
      term survival (hazard ratio 1.910, 95% confidence interval: 1.102 to 3.313; p =
      0.021). CONCLUSIONS: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is independently associated
      with poorer overall survival in patients with lung cancer who undergo pulmonary
      resection. The decision whether to perform surgery in patients who have lung
      cancer with IIP should therefore take into account the subtype of IIP and the
      poorer outcomes associated with IPF.

PMID- 26116478
TI  - Hemiarch and Total Arch Surgery in Patients With Previous Repair of Acute Type I
      Aortic Dissection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We examined our contemporary experience with hemiarch and total arch
      replacement in patients with previous acute type I aortic dissection. METHODS:
      Over an 8.5-year period, 137 consecutive patients (median age 58 years,
      interquartile range, 50 to 67) underwent hemiarch or total transverse aortic arch
      replacement a median of 7.7 years (range, 67 days to 32 years; interquartile
      range, 2.8 to 12.3 years) after previous acute type I aortic dissection repair.
      Interventions involving only the aortic root, aortic valve, descending aorta, or
      thoracoabdominal aorta were excluded. Multivariate analysis of 20 potential
      preoperative and intraoperative risk factors was performed to examine early
      death, neurologic deficit, composite endpoint (operative death, permanent
      neurologic deficit, or hemodialysis at discharge), and long-term mortality.
      RESULTS: Total arch replacement was performed in 103 patients (75.2%), hemiarch
      replacement in 34 (24.8%), and elephant trunk procedures in 77 (56.2%). Thirty
      one repairs (22.6%) were emergent or urgent. There were 16 operative deaths
      (11.7%), 4 permanent strokes (3.6%), and 21 (15.3%) instances of the composite
      endpoint. In the multivariate analysis, congestive heart failure and
      cardiopulmonary bypass time independently predicted operative mortality (p =
      0.0027, p = 0.018). Emergency operation approached significance for stroke (p =
      0.088). Predictors of long-term mortality (during a median follow-up period of
      5.1 years, 95% confidence interval: 4.4 to 5.8) were female sex (p = 0.0036),
      congestive heart failure (p = 0.0045), and circulatory arrest time (p = 0.0013);
      preoperative pulmonary disease approached significance (p = 0.074). Five-year
      survival was 73.2%. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with previous acute type I aortic
      dissection repair, hemiarch and total arch operations have respectable morbidity
      and survival rates. Congestive heart failure predicts operative death, long-term
      mortality, and our adverse event endpoint. Cardiopulmonary bypass time predicts
      operative mortality, and female sex and circulatory arrest time predict long-term
      mortality.

PMID- 26116479
TI  - Multi Versus Single Arterial Coronary Bypass Graft Surgery Across the Ejection
      Fraction Spectrum.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Left internal thoracic artery (LITA) and radial artery (RA) multi
      arterial CABG (MABG) is generally associated with improved long-term survival
      compared with traditional LITA and saphenous vein single arterial CABG (SABG). We
      examined the hypothesis that this multi-arterial survival advantage persists
      irrespective of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed the primary, non-salvage multi-graft CABG experience (n
      = 11,261; 64.4 +/- 10.4 years, 70.4% men) from 2 institutions (1995 to 2011).
      Risk-adjusted 15-year survival was pairwise compared for the MABG versus SABG
      grafting approaches within 3 LVEF subcohorts (>0.50, n = 4,833 [44% MABG]; 0.36
      to 0.50, n = 4,465 [39% MABG]; and <= 0.35, n = 1,963 [35% MABG]) using
      propensity-matched and covariate adjusted Cox regression (all patients)
      comparisons. RESULTS: Propensity matching yielded 1,317 (LVEF > 0.50), 1,179
      (LVEF, 0.36 to 0.50), and 470 (LVEF <= 0.35) well-matched grafting method pairs.
      Acute perioperative mortality was equivalent between MABG and SABG within each
      LVEF group, but increased with decreasing LVEF. MABG was uniformly associated
      with better 15-year survival compared with SABG for all LVEF categories. The
      associated matched-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) were
      consistent across EF groups at 0.79 (0.68 to 0.93), 0.80 (0.69 to 0.93), and 0.82
      (0.66 to 1.0), respectively. Covariate adjusted HR in all patients concurred with
      matched results. CONCLUSIONS: MABG results in significantly enhanced long-term
      survival compared with LITA/SVG SABG regardless of the degree of LV dysfunction.
      These results favor MABG as the therapy of choice in patients with LV
      dysfunction.

PMID- 26116480
TI  - Outcomes and Costs for Major Lung Resection in the United States: Which Patients
      Benefit Most From High-Volume Referral?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accountable care organizations are designed to improve value by
      decreasing costs and maintaining quality. Strategies to maximize value are needed
      for high-risk surgery. We wanted to understand whether certain patient groups
      were differentially associated with better outcomes at high-volume hospitals in
      terms of quality and cost. METHODS: In all, 37,746 patients underwent elective
      major lung resection in 1,273 hospitals in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from
      2007 to 2011. Patients were stratified by hospital volume quartile and
      substratified by preoperative mortality risk, age, and chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease status. Mortality was evaluated using clustered multivariable
      hierarchical logistic regression controlling for patient comorbidity,
      demographics, and procedure. Adjusted cost was evaluated using generalized linear
      models fit to a gamma distribution. RESULTS: Patients were grouped into volume
      quartiles based on cases per year (less than 21, 21 to 40, 40 to 78, and more
      than 78). Patient characteristics and procedure mix differed across quartiles.
      Overall, mortality decreased across volume quartiles (lowest 1.9% versus highest
      1.1%, p < 0.0001). Patients aged more than 80 years were associated with greater
      absolute and relative mortality rates than patients less than 60 years old in
      highest volume versus lowest volume hospitals (age more than 80 years, 4.2%
      versus 1.3%, p < 0.0001, odds ratio 3.31, 95% confidence interval: 1.89 to 5.80;
      age less than 60 years, 1.0% versus 0.8%, p = 0.19, odds ratio 1.38, 95%
      confidence interval: 0.74 to 2.56). Patients with high preoperative risk (more
      than 75th percentile) were also associated with lower absolute mortality in high
      volume hospitals. Adjusted costs were not significantly different across
      quartiles or patient strata. CONCLUSIONS: Older patients show a significantly
      stronger volume-outcome relationship than patients less than 60 years of age.
      Costs were equivalent across volume quartile and patient strata. Selective
      patient referral may be a strategy to improve outcomes for elderly patients
      undergoing lung resection.

PMID- 26116481
TI  - Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome With and Without Extracorporeal Membrane
      Oxygenation: A Score Matched Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening
      medical condition. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a salvage
      therapy for patients with ARDS and refractory hypoxia. This study compared the
      characteristics and outcomes of ARDS patients who did or did not receive ECMO
      matched with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score
      and age. METHODS: This retrospective, case-control study enrolled patients with
      ARDS admitted to the intensive care unit of a tertiary referral hospital between
      January 2007 and December 2012. Overall, 216 patients with ARDS-81 receiving ECMO
      (ECMO group) and 135 not receiving ECMO (non-ECMO group)-were enrolled in this
      study. Patients were paired when the difference in their APACHE II scores was
      within 3 points and their age difference was 3 years. In total, 126 patients
      could not be matched and were thus excluded. Eventually, of the 90 patients with
      ARDS enrolled in this study, 45 ECMO group patients were matched with 45 non-ECMO
      group patients. The demographic data, reasons for intensive care unit admission,
      and laboratory variables were evaluated. RESULTS: The primary etiology of ARDS
      was infection (72.2%). The APACHE II score and age-matched group receiving ECMO
      therapy had higher inhospital survival rates. Moreover, the patients receiving
      ECMO therapy had significantly lower 6-month mortality rates than did the non
      ECMO group. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ARDS who received ECMO treatment had
      higher inhospital survival rates than did those with a similar disease severity
      and at a similar age who did not receive ECMO.

PMID- 26116482
TI  - An Assessment of the Optimal Time for Removal of Esophageal Stents Used in the
      Treatment of an Esophageal Anastomotic Leak or Perforation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Esophageal stent for the treatment of a perforation or anastomotic
      leak has been shown to be effective and safe. However, the optimal timing for
      stent removal is in question. This purpose of this investigation was to identify
      a time for stent removal in patients treated for an acute perforation or
      anastomotic leak that resulted in sealing of the leak while minimizing the
      incidence of stent-related complications. METHODS: Patients undergoing esophageal
      stent placement for the treatment of an acute perforation or intrathoracic
      anastomotic leak were identified from a single institution's prospectively
      collected database. Patient outcomes were recorded and analyzed. Complications
      were segregated by stent dwell time. RESULTS: During the study period, 162
      patients underwent esophageal stent placement for an acute perforation (n = 117)
      or anastomotic leak (n = 45). Patients whose stent was removed in less than 28
      days after placement for an acute perforation realized a stent complication rate
      that was independently reduced by 39% (odds ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval,
      0.54 to 0.78; p < 0.01), whereas patients whose stent was removed in less than 14
      days after placement for an acute perforation realized a stent complication rate
      that was independently reduced by 56% (odds ratio, 0.44; 95% confidence interval,
      0.38 to 0.69; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Endoluminal esophageal stent placement is
      a safe and effective treatment for patients with an acute esophageal perforation
      or intrathoracic anastomotic leak after esophagectomy. Removal of stents at 2
      weeks for anastomotic leak or 4 weeks for perforation has the potential to
      significantly decrease the incidence of complications associated with stent use.

PMID- 26116483
TI  - Early Operation for Endocarditis Complicated by Preoperative Cerebral Emboli Is
      Not Associated With Worsened Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Valve operations for patients presenting with infective endocarditis
      (IE) complicated by stroke are thought to carry elevated risk of postoperative
      complications. Our aim was to compare outcomes of IE patients who undergo
      surgical intervention early after diagnosis of septic cerebral emboli with
      outcomes of patients without preoperative emboli. METHODS: All patients
      undergoing operations for left-sided IE between 1996 and 2013 at our institution
      were reviewed. Patients undergoing operations more than 14 days after embolic
      stroke diagnosis (n = 11) and those with purely hemorrhagic lesions (n = 7) were
      excluded from the analysis. The study included 308 patients who were stratified
      according to the presence (STR, n = 54) or absence of a preoperative septic
      cerebral embolus (NoSTR, n = 254). Primary outcomes of interest were the
      development of a new postoperative stroke and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: Mean
      time to surgical intervention from stroke onset was 6.0 +/- 4.1 days.
      Staphylococcus aureus (39% STR vs 21% NoSTR, p = 0.004) infection and annular
      abscess at operation (52% STR vs 27% NoSTR, p < 0.001) were more prevalent in STR
      patients. There was no significant difference in 30-day mortality (9.3% STR vs
      7.1% NoSTR, p = 0.57) or in the rate of new postoperative stroke (5 [9.4%] STR vs
      12 [4.7%] NoSTR, p = 0.19) between groups. In addition, there was no difference
      in 10-year survival between groups (log-rank p = 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Early
      surgical intervention in patients with IE complicated by preoperative septic
      cerebral emboli does not lead to significantly worse postoperative outcomes.
      Early surgical intervention for IE after embolic stroke warrants consideration,
      particularly in patients with high-risk features such as S aureus or annular
      abscess, or both.

PMID- 26116484
TI  - Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy With Real-Time
      Perfusion Assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical resection is viewed as the most effective way to ensure both
      locoregional control and long-term survival in esophageal cancer. Although
      minimally invasive esophagectomy has been widely accepted as an alternative to
      open surgery, the role of robotic assistance has yet to be elucidated. We report
      our institutional experience with robotic-assisted Ivor Lewis esophagectomy using
      real-time perfusion assessment and demonstrate this as a safe and technically
      feasible alternative to traditional open Ivor Lewis esophagectomy. METHODS: A
      retrospective chart review of all patients undergoing robotic-assisted Ivor Lewis
      esophagectomy at a single institution from 2011 to 2014 was performed. Operative
      and postoperative outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients underwent
      robotic-assisted Ivor Lewis esophagectomy during the study period. Indication for
      surgery was cancer in 49 patients, 38 of whom underwent neoadjuvant
      chemoradiation therapy. The average operative time was 6 hours 2 minutes, and the
      average blood loss was 74 mL. There was 1 postoperative mortality (1.9%). Three
      (5.5%) patients experienced an anastomotic leak. The average number of lymph
      nodes harvested in cancer patients was 16.2 (range, 3 to 35). The average length
      of stay was 12.9 days. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that robotic-assisted
      Ivor Lewis esophagectomy using real-time perfusion assessment is a safe and
      technically feasible alternative to traditional open Ivor Lewis esophagectomy. It
      allows for R0 resection with adequate lymph node harvesting and a short hospital
      stay.

PMID- 26116485
TI  - Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction with endobronchial valves for patients with
      heterogeneous emphysema and intact interlobar fissures (the BeLieVeR-HIFi study):
      a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung volume reduction surgery improves survival in selected patients
      with emphysema, and has generated interest in bronchoscopic approaches that might
      achieve the same effect with less morbidity and mortality. Previous trials with
      endobronchial valves have yielded modest group benefits because when collateral
      ventilation is present it prevents lobar atelectasis. METHODS: We did a single
      centre, double-blind sham-controlled trial in patients with both heterogeneous
      emphysema and a target lobe with intact interlobar fissures on CT of the thorax.
      We enrolled stable outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who had
      a forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) of less than 50% predicted, significant
      hyperinflation (total lung capacity >100% and residual volume >150%), a
      restricted exercise capacity (6 min walking distance <450 m), and substantial
      breathlessness (MRC dyspnoea score >=3). Participants were randomised (1:1) by
      computer-generated sequence to receive either valves placed to achieve unilateral
      lobar occlusion (bronchoscopic lung volume reduction) or a bronchoscopy with sham
      valve placement (control). Patients and researchers were masked to treatment
      allocation. The study was powered to detect a 15% improvement in the primary
      endpoint, the FEV1 3 months after the procedure. Analysis was on an intention-to
      treat basis. The trial is registered at controlled-trials.com, ISRCTN04761234.
      FINDINGS: 50 patients (62% male, FEV1 [% predicted] mean 31.7% [SD 10.2]) were
      enrolled to receive valves (n=25) or sham valve placement (control, n=25) between
      March 1, 2012, and Sept 30, 2013. In the bronchoscopic lung volume reduction
      group, FEV1 increased by a median 8.77% (IQR 2.27-35.85) versus 2.88% (0-8.51) in
      the control group (Mann-Whitney p=0.0326). There were two deaths in the
      bronchoscopic lung volume reduction group and one control patient was unable to
      attend for follow-up assessment because of a prolonged pneumothorax.
      INTERPRETATION: Unilateral lobar occlusion with endobronchial valves in patients
      with heterogeneous emphysema and intact interlobar fissures produces significant
      improvements in lung function. There is a risk of significant complications and
      further trials are needed that compare valve placement with lung volume reduction
      surgery. FUNDING: Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation Programme, funded by the
      Medical Research Council (MRC) and managed by the National Institute for Health
      Research (NIHR) on behalf of the MRC-NIHR partnership.

PMID- 26116486
TI  - Endobronchial valves in a highly parsed emphysema population.

PMID- 26116487
TI  - Physiotherapy management of joint hypermobility syndrome--a focus group study of
      patient and health professional perspectives.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop an understanding of patient and health professional views
      and experiences of physiotherapy to manage joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS).
      DESIGN: An explorative qualitative design. Seven focus groups were convened,
      audio recorded, fully transcribed and analysed using a constant comparative
      method to inductively derive a thematic account of the data. SETTING: Four
      geographical areas of the U.K. PARTICIPANTS: 25 people with JHS and 16 health
      professionals (14 physiotherapists and two podiatrists). RESULTS: Both patients
      and health professionals recognised the chronic heterogeneous nature of JHS and
      reported a lack of awareness of the condition amongst health professionals,
      patients and wider society. Diagnosis and subsequent referral to physiotherapy
      services for JHS was often difficult and convoluted. Referral was often for acute
      single joint injury, failing to recognise the long-term multi-joint nature of the
      condition. Health professionals and patients felt that if left undiagnosed, JHS
      was more difficult to treat because of its chronic nature. When JHS was treated
      by health professionals with knowledge of the condition patients reported
      satisfactory outcomes. There was considerable agreement between health
      professionals and patients regarding an 'ideal' physiotherapy service. Education
      was reported as an overarching requirement for patients and health care
      professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Physiotherapy should be applied holistically to
      manage JHS as a long-term condition and should address injury prevention and
      symptom amelioration rather than cure. Education for health professionals and
      patients is needed to optimise physiotherapy provision. Further research is
      required to explore the specific therapeutic actions of physiotherapy for
      managing JHS.

PMID- 26116488
TI  - Management of extracranial carotid artery aneurysm.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Aneurysms of the extracranial carotid artery (ECAA) are rare.
      Several treatments have been developed over the last 20 years, yet the preferred
      method to treat ECAA remains unknown. This paper is a review of all available
      literature on the risk of complications and long-term outcome after conservative
      or invasive treatment of patients with ECAA. METHODS: Reports on ECAA treatment
      until July 2014 were searched in PubMed and Embase using the key words aneurysm,
      carotid, extracranial, and therapy. RESULTS: A total of 281 articles were
      identified. Selected articles were case reports (n = 179) or case series (n =
      102). Papers with fewer than 10 patients were excluded, resulting in the final
      selection of 39 articles covering a total of 1,239 patients. Treatment consisted
      of either conservative treatment in 11% of the cases or invasive treatment in 89%
      of the cases. Invasive treatment comprised surgery in 94%, endovascular approach
      in 5%, and a hybrid approach in 1% of the patients. The most common complication
      described after invasive therapy was cranial nerve damage, which occurred in
      11.8% of patients after surgery. The 30 day mortality rate and stroke rate in
      conservatively treated patients was 4.67% and 6.67%, after surgery 1.91% and
      5.16%. Information on confounders in the present study was incomplete. Therefore,
      adjustments to correct for confounding by indication could not be done.
      CONCLUSIONS: This review summarizes the largest available series in the
      literature on ECAA management. The number of ECAAs reported in current literature
      is scarce. The early and long-term outcome of invasive treatment in ECAA is
      favorable; however, cranial nerve damage after surgery occurs frequently.
      Unfortunately, due to limitations in reporting of results and confounding by
      indication in the available literature, it was not possible to determine the
      optimal treatment strategy. There is a need for a multicenter international
      registry to reveal the optimal treatment for ECAA.

PMID- 26116490
TI  - Cilostazol inhibits HMGB1 release in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells and increases
      the survival of septic mice.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Inflammation and coagulation play important roles in the
      pathogenesis of sepsis. Anticoagulants with anti-inflammatory action draw
      attention as therapeutic agent in sepsis. OBJECTIVE: Whether cilostazol (6-[4-(1
      cyclohexyl-1H-tetrazol-5-yl) butoxy]-3,4-dihydro-2-(1H)-quinolinone),
      anticoagulant, protects mice against sepsis and underlying mechanism(s) were
      investigated. METHODS: Induction of heme oxygenase (HO)-1 protein,
      phosphorylation of 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK),
      nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB)
      luciferase activity, and release of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) were
      analyzed using signal inhibitors and transfection techniques. Survival and organ
      damage were compared in septic mice with and without cilostazol. RESULTS: In
      RAW264.7 cells, cilostazol increased phosphorylation of AMPK which was followed
      by HO-1 induction. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated HMGB1 release was reduced
      by cilostazol which was reversed by both SB203580 and silencing of HO-1 or AMPK
      RNA. Interestingly, silencing AMPK reduced HO-1 expression, whereas silencing HO
      1 did not affect p-AMPK by cilostazol. Both compound C and zinc protoporphyrin IX
      (ZnPPIX) antagonized inhibitory effect of HMGB1 by cilostazol. Cilostazol
      inhibited NF-kappaB luciferase activity which was antagonized by SB203580.
      Finally, the administration of cilostazol increased the survival of endotoxemic
      mice but failed to do so when co-treated with rHMGB1. Cilostazol reduced
      circulating HMGB1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels, organ
      damages and protein expression of PAI-1 in lung tissues of CLP-septic mice, which
      were antagonized by ZnPPIX. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that HMGB1 can be
      a target molecule of cilostazol by 1) AMPK activation, and 2) induction of HO-1
      by p38 MAPK and AMPK. Therefore, cilostazol may be useful for treatment of
      sepsis.

PMID- 26116489
TI  - Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Long-term survival After Elective
      Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair 1969-2011: 5 Year Survival Remains
      Poor Despite Advances in Medical Care and Treatment Strategies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improved critical care, pre-operative optimization, and the advent of
      endovascular surgery (EVAR) have improved 30 day mortality for elective abdominal
      aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. It remains unknown whether this has translated into
      improvements in long-term survival, particularly because these factors have also
      encouraged the treatment of older patients with greater comorbidity. The aim of
      this study was to quantify how 5 year survival after elective AAA repair has
      changed over time. METHODS: A systematic review was performed identifying studies
      reporting 5 year survival after elective infrarenal AAA repair. An electronic
      search of the Embase and Medline databases was conducted to January 2014. Thirty
      six studies, 60 study arms, and 107,814 patients were identified. Meta-analyses
      were conducted to determine 5 year survival and to report whether 5 year survival
      changed over time. RESULTS: Five-year survival was 69% (95% CI 67 to 71%, I(2) =
      87%). Meta-regression on study midpoint showed no improvement in 5 year survival
      over the period 1969-2011 (log OR -0.001, 95% CI -0.014-0.012). Larger average
      aneurysm diameter was associated with poorer 5 year survival (adjusted log OR 
      0.058, 95% CI -0.095 to -0.021, I(2) = 85%). Older average patient age at surgery
      was associated with poorer 5 year survival (adjusted log OR -0.118, 95% CI -0.142
      to -0.094, I(2) = 70%). After adjusting for average patient age, an improvement
      in 5 year survival over the period that these data spanned was obtained (adjusted
      log OR 0.027, 95% CI 0.012 to 0.042). CONCLUSION: Five-year survival remains poor
      after elective AAA repair despite advances in short-term outcomes and is
      associated with AAA diameter and patient age at the time of surgery. Age-adjusted
      survival appears to have improved; however, this cohort as a whole continues to
      have poor long-term survival. Research in this field should attempt to improve
      the life expectancy of patients with repaired AAA and to optimise patient
      selection.

PMID- 26116491
TI  - Caries-preventive Effect of Supervised Toothbrushing and Sealants.
AB  - To investigate the effectiveness of 3 caries-preventive measures on high- and low
      caries risk occlusal surfaces of first permanent molars over 3 y. This cluster
      randomized controlled clinical trial covered 242 schoolchildren, 6 to 7 y old,
      from low socioeconomic areas. At baseline, caries risk was assessed at the tooth
      surface level, through a combination of ICDAS II (International Caries Detection
      and Assessment System) and fissure depth codes. High-caries risk occlusal
      surfaces were treated according to daily supervised toothbrushing (STB) at school
      and 2 sealants: composite resin (CR) and atraumatic restorative treatment-high
      viscosity glass-ionomer cement (ART-GIC). Low-caries risk occlusal surfaces
      received STB or no intervention. Evaluations were performed after 0.5, 1, 2, and
      3 y. A cavitated dentine carious lesion was considered a failure. Data were
      analyzed according to the proportional hazard rate regression model with frailty
      correction, Wald test, analysis of variance, and t test, according to the
      jackknife procedure for calculating standard errors. The cumulative survival
      rates of cavitated dentine carious lesion-free, high-caries risk occlusal
      surfaces were 95.6%, 91.4%, and 90.2% for STB, CR, and ART-GIC, respectively,
      over 3 y, which were not statistically significantly different. For low-caries
      risk occlusal surfaces, no statistically significant difference was observed
      between the cumulative survival rate of the STB group (94.8%) and the no
      intervention group (92.1%) over 3 y. There was neither a difference among STB,
      CR, and ART-GIC on school premises in preventing cavitated dentine carious
      lesions in high-caries risk occlusal surfaces of first permanent molars nor a
      difference between STB and no intervention for low-caries risk occlusal surfaces
      of first permanent molars over 3 y.

PMID- 26116492
TI  - Hydroxyapatite Growth Inhibition Effect of Pellicle Statherin Peptides.
AB  - In our recent studies, we have shown that in vivo-acquired enamel pellicle is a
      sophisticated biological structure containing a significant portion of naturally
      occurring salivary peptides. From a functional aspect, the identification of
      peptides in the acquired enamel pellicle is of interest because many salivary
      proteins exhibit functional domains that maintain the activities of the native
      protein. Among the in vivo-acquired enamel pellicle peptides that have been newly
      identified, 5 peptides are derived from statherin. Here, we assessed the ability
      of these statherin pellicle peptides to inhibit hydroxyapatite crystal growth. In
      addition, atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to better
      understand the underlying physical mechanisms of hydroxyapatite growth
      inhibition. A microplate colorimetric assay was used to quantify hydroxyapatite
      growth. Statherin protein, 5 statherin-derived peptides, and a peptide lacking
      phosphate at residues 2 and 3 were analyzed. Statherin peptide phosphorylated on
      residues 2 and 3 indicated a significant inhibitory effect when compared with the
      5 other peptides (P < 0.05). MD simulations showed a strong affinity and fast
      adsorption to hydroxyapatite for phosphopeptides, whereas unphosphorylated
      peptides interacted weakly with the hydroxyapatite. Our data suggest that the
      presence of a covalently linked phosphate group (at residues 2 and 3) in
      statherin peptides modulates the effect of hydroxyapatite growth inhibition. This
      study provides a mechanism to account for the composition and function of
      acquired enamel pellicle statherin peptides that will contribute as a base for
      the development of biologically stable and functional synthetic peptides for
      therapeutic use against dental caries and/or periodontal disease. 

PMID- 26116495
TI  - Observation for mildly symptomatic normal-flow, low-gradient severe aortic
      stenosis: caution advised.

PMID- 26116494
TI  - Relating Spontaneously Reported Extrapyramidal Adverse Events to Movement
      Disorder Rating Scales.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While antipsychotic-induced extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) and
      akathisia remain important concerns in the treatment of patients with
      schizophrenia, the relationship between movement disorder rating scales and
      spontaneously reported EPS-related adverse events (EPS-AEs) remains unexplored.
      METHODS: Data from four randomized, placebo- and haloperidol-controlled
      ziprasidone trials were analyzed to examine the relationship between
      spontaneously reported EPS-AEs with the Simpson Angus Scale (SAS) and Barnes
      Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS). Categorical summaries were created for each
      treatment group to show the frequencies of subjects with EPS-AEs in each of the
      SAS and BARS categories at weeks 1, 3, and 6, and agreement between ratings was
      quantified by means of weighted kappa (kappa). RESULTS: In general, we found
      greater frequencies of EPS-AEs with increasing severity of the SAS and BARS
      scores. The EPS-AEs reported with a "none" SAS score ranged from 0 to 22.2%, with
      a "mild" SAS score from 3.3 to 29.0%, and with a "moderate" SAS score from 0 to
      100%. No subjects in any treatment group reported "severe" SAS scores or
      corresponding EPS-AEs. Agreement between SAS scores and EPS-AEs was poor for
      ziprasidone and placebo (kappa < 0.2) and only slightly better for haloperidol.
      The EPS-AEs reported with "non questionable" BARS scores ranged from 1.9 to 9.8%,
      with "mild moderate" BARS scores from 12.8 to 54.6%, and with "marked severe"
      scores from 0 to 100%. Agreement was modest for ziprasidone and placebo (kappa <
      0.4) and moderate for haloperidol (kappa < 0.6). CONCLUSIONS: These findings may
      reflect either underreporting of AEs by investigators and subjects or erroneous
      rating scale evaluations.

PMID- 26116493
TI  - Candidate Risks Indicators for Bipolar Disorder: Early Intervention Opportunities
      in High-Risk Youth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychiatric illnesses like bipolar disorder are increasingly
      understood to be neurodevelopmental disorders with clinical, psychological, and
      biological indicators recognizable long before the emergence of the full-blown
      syndromes. METHODS: This paper is a selective review of findings from studies of
      high-risk children of affected parents that inform the knowledge of illness risk
      and development markers of bipolar disorder. We specifically focus on candidate
      clinical, biological, and psychological risk indicators that could serve as
      targets for future early intervention and prevention studies. RESULTS: There is
      convergent evidence from prospective studies that bipolar disorder typically
      debuts as depressive episodes after puberty. In some high-risk children, sleep
      and anxiety disorders precede mood disorders by several years and reflect an
      increased vulnerability. An association between early exposure to adversity (eg,
      exposure to parental illness, neglect from mother) and increased risk of
      psychopathology may be mediated through increased stress reactivity evident at
      both behavioral and biological levels. Inter-related psychological processes
      including reward sensitivity, unstable self-esteem, rumination, and positive self
      appraisal are risk factors for mood disorders. Disturbances in circadian rhythm
      and immune dysfunction are associated with mood disorders and may be
      vulnerability markers influenced by these other risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: There
      is accruing evidence of a number of measurable and potentially modifiable markers
      of vulnerability and developing illness in youth at familial risk for bipolar
      disorder. Longitudinal studies of multiple biological and psychological risk
      processes in high-risk offspring, both individually and together, will improve
      our understanding of illness onset and lead to the development of specific early
      interventions.

PMID- 26116496
TI  - Novel Cell-Penetrating Peptide-Based Vaccine Induces Robust CD4+ and CD8+ T Cell
      Mediated Antitumor Immunity.
AB  - Vaccines that can coordinately induce multi-epitope T cell-mediated immunity, T
      helper functions, and immunologic memory may offer effective tools for cancer
      immunotherapy. Here, we report the development of a new class of recombinant
      protein cancer vaccines that deliver different CD8(+) and CD4(+) T-cell epitopes
      presented by MHC class I and class II alleles, respectively. In these vaccines,
      the recombinant protein is fused with Z12, a novel cell-penetrating peptide that
      promotes efficient protein loading into the antigen-processing machinery of
      dendritic cells. Z12 elicited an integrated and multi-epitopic immune response
      with persistent effector T cells. Therapy with Z12-formulated vaccines prolonged
      survival in three robust tumor models, with the longest survival in an orthotopic
      model of aggressive brain cancer. Analysis of the tumor sites showed antigen
      specific T-cell accumulation with favorable modulation of the balance of the
      immune infiltrate. Taken together, the results offered a preclinical proof of
      concept for the use of Z12-formulated vaccines as a versatile platform for the
      development of effective cancer vaccines.

PMID- 26116497
TI  - Lateral Extra-articular Tenodesis Reduces Rotational Laxity When Combined With
      Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review of the Literature.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether the addition of lateral extra-articular tenodesis
      (LET) to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction would provide greater
      control of rotational laxity and improved clinical outcomes compared with ACL
      reconstruction alone. METHODS: Two independent reviewers searched 9 databases for
      randomized and nonrandomized clinical studies comparing ACL reconstruction plus
      LET versus ACL reconstruction alone in a human adult population. All years and 5
      languages were included. Animal and cadaveric studies, revision or repair
      surgical techniques, and studies focused on biomechanical outcomes were excluded.
      Quality assessment of the included studies was performed with the Cochrane
      Collaboration tool. Outcomes of interest included the pivot-shift test, KT-1000/
      2000 measurements (MEDmetric, San Diego, CA), and International Knee
      Documentation Committee scores. RESULTS: The literature search yielded 3,612
      articles. After titles and abstracts were reviewed, 106 articles were selected
      for full-text review, of which 29 studies met the inclusion criteria (8
      randomized and 21 nonrandomized studies). Of the 8 randomized studies, 3
      concluded that the results were nonsignificant between treatment groups, 4 were
      in favor of the extra-articular tenodesis, and 1 was in favor of the ACL
      reconstruction alone. The Cochrane Collaboration tool showed an unclear to high
      risk of bias for most articles. A meta-analysis showed a statistically
      significant difference for the pivot-shift test (P = .002, I2 = 34%) in favor of
      ACL reconstruction with LET. No difference was found between the groups for
      International Knee Documentation Committee scores (P = .75, I2 = 19%) and KT
      1000/-2000 measurements (P = .84, I2 = 34%). CONCLUSIONS: Meta-analysis showed a
      statistically significant reduction in pivot shift in favor of the combined
      procedure. Studies lacked sufficient internal validity, sample size, methodologic
      consistency, and standardization of protocols and outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:
      Level III, systematic review of Level I, II, and III studies.

PMID- 26116498
TI  - The end of the sustainable growth rate: What was it and what happens next?

PMID- 26116499
TI  - CD4 T Cell Depletion Substantially Augments the Rescue Potential of PD-L1
      Blockade for Deeply Exhausted CD8 T Cells.
AB  - In various models of chronic infections and cancers, blockade of the inhibitory
      programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) pathway has been shown to be promising at
      restoring immune function. However, there is not a complete understanding of the
      factors that influence responsiveness to programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)
      blockade. In particular, it is currently unclear whether the efficacy of PD-L1
      blockade is dependent on the stage of disease. In a model of chronic lymphocytic
      choriomeningitis virus infection in mice, we show that exhausted CD8 T cells
      during the late stage of infection are refractory to rescue by PD-L1 blockade.
      Interestingly, PD-L1 blockade during the late stage of infection resulted in a
      biased expansion of PD-1(+) CTLA-4(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) over antiviral
      CD8 T cells. Although previous studies have shown that Treg ablation can enhance
      the immune rescue by PD-L1 blockade, this regimen may induce lethal autoimmunity.
      In this report, we show that PD-L1 blockade together with CD4 T cell depletion
      effectively rescued deeply exhausted CD8 T cells and enhanced antiviral control
      during the late stage of chronic infection without any associated mortality.
      These data demonstrate the pleiotropic effects of anti-PD-L1 therapy on both
      virus-specific CD8 T cells and Tregs, and suggest a novel strategy for
      effectively rescuing deeply exhausted CD8 T cells. 

PMID- 26116500
TI  - Dissecting CD8+ NKT Cell Responses to Listeria Infection Reveals a Component of
      Innate Resistance.
AB  - A small pool of NK1.1(+) CD8(+) T cells is harbored among the conventional CD8(+)
      T cell compartment. Conclusions drawn from the analysis of immune responses
      mediated by cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells are often based on the total population,
      which includes these contaminating NK1.1(+) CD8(+) T cells. An unresolved
      question is whether NK1.1(+) CD8(+) cells are conventional T cells that acquire
      NK1.1 expression upon activation or delineation into memory phenotype or whether
      they are a distinct cell population that induces immune responses in a different
      manner than conventional T cells. To address this question, we used the Listeria
      monocytogenes model of infection and followed CD8(+) NK1.1(+) T cells and NK1.1(
      ) CD8(+) T cells during each phase of the immune response: innate, effector, and
      memory. Our central finding is that CD8(+) NK1.1(+) cells and conventional NK1.1(
      ) CD8(+) T cells both contribute to the adaptive immune response to Listeria, but
      only CD8(+) NK1.1(+) cells were equipped with the ability to provide a rapid
      innate immune response, as demonstrated by early and Ag-independent IFN-gamma
      production, granzyme B expression, and degranulation. More importantly, purified
      conventional CD8(+) T cells alone, in the absence of any contaminating CD8(+)
      NK1.1(+) cells, were not sufficient to provide early protection to lethally
      infected mice. These results highlight the role of CD8(+) NK1.1(+) T cells in
      mounting early innate responses that are important for host defense and support
      the therapeutic potential of this subset to improve the effectiveness of
      protective immunity. 

PMID- 26116501
TI  - The Mammalian Sterile 20-like 1 Kinase Controls Selective CCR7-Dependent
      Functions in Human Dendritic Cells.
AB  - The chemokine receptor CCR7 directs mature dendritic cells (mDCs) to the lymph
      nodes where these cells control the initiation of the immune response. CCR7
      regulates chemotaxis, endocytosis, survival, migratory speed, and
      cytoarchitecture in mDCs. The molecular mechanisms used by CCR7 to regulate these
      functions in mDCs are not completely understood. The mammalian sterile 20-like 1
      kinase (Mst1) plays a proapoptotic role under stress conditions; however,
      recently, it has been shown that Mst1 can also control homeostatic cell functions
      under normal conditions. In this study, we show that stimulation of CCR7 in mDCs
      induces Galphai-dependent activation of Mst1, suggesting the involvement of this
      kinase in the control of CCR7-dependent functions. Analysis of the mDCs in which
      Mst1 expression levels were reduced with small interfering RNA shows that this
      kinase mediates CCR7-dependent effects on cytoarchitecture, endocytosis and
      migratory speed but not on chemotaxis or survival. In line with these results,
      biochemical analysis indicates that Mst1 does not control key signaling
      regulators of CCR7-dependent chemotaxis or survival. In contrast, Mst1 regulates
      downstream of CCR7 and, of note, independently of Galpha13, the RhoA pathway.
      Reduction of Mst1 inhibits CCR7-dependent phosphorylation of downstream targets
      of RhoA, including cofilin, myosin L chain, and myosin L chain phosphatase.
      Consistent with the role of the latter molecules as modulators of the actin
      cytoskeleton, mDCs with reduced Mst1 also displayed a dramatic reduction in actin
      barbed-end formation that could not be recovered by stimulating CCR7. The results
      indicate that the kinase Mst1 controls selective CCR7-dependent functions in
      human mDCs. 

PMID- 26116502
TI  - Codelivery of Envelope Protein in Alum with MVA Vaccine Induces CXCR3-Biased
      CXCR5+ and CXCR5- CD4 T Cell Responses in Rhesus Macaques.
AB  - The goal of an HIV vaccine is to generate robust and durable protective Ab. Vital
      to this goal is the induction of CD4(+) T follicular helper (TFH) cells. However,
      very little is known about the TFH response to HIV vaccination and its relative
      contribution to magnitude and quality of vaccine-elicited Ab titers. In this
      study, we investigated these questions in the context of a DNA/modified vaccinia
      virus Ankara SIV vaccine with and without gp140 boost in aluminum hydroxide in
      rhesus macaques. In addition, we determined the frequency of vaccine-induced
      CD4(+) T cells coexpressing chemokine receptor, CXCR5 (facilitates migration to B
      cell follicles) in blood and whether these responses were representative of lymph
      node TFH responses. We show that booster modified vaccinia virus Ankara
      immunization induced a distinct and transient accumulation of proliferating
      CXCR5(+) and CXCR5(-) CD4 T cells in blood at day 7 postimmunization, and the
      frequency of the former but not the latter correlated with TFH and B cell
      responses in germinal centers of the lymph node. Interestingly, gp140 boost
      induced a skewing toward CXCR3 expression on germinal center TFH cells, which was
      strongly associated with longevity, avidity, and neutralization potential of
      vaccine-elicited Ab response. However, CXCR3(+) cells preferentially expressed
      the HIV coreceptor CCR5, and vaccine-induced CXCR3(+)CXCR5(+) cells showed a
      moderate positive association with peak viremia following SIV251 infection. Taken
      together, our findings demonstrate that vaccine regimens that elicit CXCR3-biased
      TFH cell responses favor Ab persistence and avidity but may predispose to higher
      acute viremia in the event of breakthrough infections. 

PMID- 26116503
TI  - IL-10 Production in Macrophages Is Regulated by a TLR-Driven CREB-Mediated
      Mechanism That Is Linked to Genes Involved in Cell Metabolism.
AB  - IL-10 is produced by macrophages in diverse immune settings and is critical in
      limiting immune-mediated pathology. In helminth infections, macrophages are an
      important source of IL-10; however, the molecular mechanism underpinning
      production of IL-10 by these cells is poorly characterized. In this study, bone
      marrow-derived macrophages exposed to excretory/secretory products released by
      Schistosoma mansoni cercariae rapidly produce IL-10 as a result of MyD88-mediated
      activation of MEK/ERK/RSK and p38. The phosphorylation of these kinases was
      triggered by TLR2 and TLR4 and converged on activation of the transcription
      factor CREB. Following phosphorylation, CREB is recruited to a novel regulatory
      element in the Il10 promoter and is also responsible for regulating a network of
      genes involved in metabolic processes, such as glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid
      cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Moreover, skin-resident tissue macrophages,
      which encounter S. mansoni excretory/secretory products during infection, are the
      first monocytes to produce IL-10 in vivo early postinfection with S. mansoni
      cercariae. The early and rapid release of IL-10 by these cells has the potential
      to condition the dermal microenvironment encountered by immune cells recruited to
      this infection site, and we propose a mechanism by which CREB regulates the
      production of IL-10 by macrophages in the skin, but also has a major effect on
      their metabolic state. 

PMID- 26116505
TI  - Deficient NLRP3 and AIM2 Inflammasome Function in Autoimmune NZB Mice.
AB  - Inflammasomes are protein complexes that promote caspase activation, resulting in
      processing of IL-1beta and cell death, in response to infection and cellular
      stresses. Inflammasomes have been anticipated to contribute to autoimmunity. The
      New Zealand Black (NZB) mouse develops anti-erythrocyte Abs and is a model of
      autoimmune hemolytic anemia. These mice also develop anti-nuclear Abs typical of
      lupus. In this article, we show that NZB macrophages have deficient inflammasome
      responses to a DNA virus and fungal infection. Absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2)
      inflammasome responses are compromised in NZB by high expression of the AIM 2
      antagonist protein p202, and consequently NZB cells had low IL-1beta output in
      response to both transfected DNA and mouse CMV infection. Surprisingly, we also
      found that a second inflammasome system, mediated by the NLR family, pyrin domain
      containing 3 (NLRP3) initiating protein, was completely lacking in NZB cells.
      This was due to a point mutation in an intron of the Nlrp3 gene in NZB mice,
      which generates a novel splice acceptor site. This leads to incorporation of a
      pseudoexon with a premature stop codon. The lack of full-length NLRP3 protein
      results in NZB being effectively null for Nlrp3, with no production of bioactive
      IL-1beta in response to NLRP3 stimuli, including infection with Candida albicans.
      Thus, this autoimmune strain harbors two inflammasome deficiencies, mediated
      through quite distinct mechanisms. We hypothesize that the inflammasome
      deficiencies in NZB alter the interaction of the host with both microflora and
      pathogens, promoting prolonged production of cytokines that contribute to
      development of autoantibodies. 

PMID- 26116504
TI  - The Thermodynamic Mechanism of Peptide-MHC Class II Complex Formation Is a
      Determinant of Susceptibility to HLA-DM.
AB  - Peptides bind MHC class II molecules through a thermodynamically nonadditive
      process consequent to the flexibility of the reactants. Currently, how the
      specific outcome of this binding process affects the ensuing epitope selection
      needs resolution. Calorimetric assessment of binding thermodynamics for
      hemagglutinin 306-319 peptide variants to the human MHC class II HLA-DR1 (DR1)
      and a mutant DR1 reveals that peptide/DR1 complexes can be formed with different
      enthalpic and entropic contributions. Complexes formed with a smaller entropic
      penalty feature circular dichroism spectra consistent with a non-compact form,
      and molecular dynamics simulation shows a more flexible structure. The opposite
      binding mode, compact and less flexible, is associated with greater entropic
      penalty. These structural variations are associated with rearrangements of
      residues known to be involved in HLA-DR (DM) binding, affinity of DM for the
      complex, and complex susceptibility to DM-mediated peptide exchange. Thus, the
      thermodynamic mechanism of peptide binding to DR1 correlates with the structural
      rigidity of the complex, and DM mediates peptide exchange by "sensing" flexible
      complexes in which the aforementioned residues are rearranged at a higher
      frequency than in more rigid ones. 

PMID- 26116507
TI  - Human Mesenchymal Stem (Stromal) Cells Promote the Resolution of Acute Lung
      Injury in Part through Lipoxin A4.
AB  - Previous studies demonstrated that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem (stromal)
      cells (MSCs) reduce the severity of acute lung injury in animal models and in an
      ex vivo perfused human lung model. However, the mechanisms by which MSCs reduce
      lung injury are not well understood. In the present study, we tested the
      hypothesis that human MSCs promote the resolution of acute lung injury in part
      through the effects of a specialized proresolving mediator lipoxin A4 (LXA4).
      Human alveolar epithelial type II cells and MSCs expressed biosynthetic enzymes
      and receptors for LXA4. Coculture of human MSCs with alveolar epithelial type II
      cells in the presence of cytomix significantly increased the production of LXA4
      by 117%. The adoptive transfer of MSCs after the onset of LPS-induced acute lung
      injury (ALI) in mice led to improved survival (48 h), and blocking the LXA4
      receptor with WRW4, a LXA4 receptor antagonist, significantly reversed the
      protective effect of MSCs on both survival and the accumulation of pulmonary
      edema. LXA4 alone improved survival in mice, and it also significantly decreased
      the production of TNF-alpha and MIP-2 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In
      summary, these experiments demonstrated two novel findings: human MSCs promote
      the resolution of lung injury in mice in part through the proresolving lipid
      mediator LXA4, and LXA4 itself should be considered as a therapeutic for acute
      respiratory distress syndrome. 

PMID- 26116506
TI  - Properdin Contributes to Allergic Airway Inflammation through Local C3a
      Generation.
AB  - Complement is implicated in asthma pathogenesis, but its mechanism of action in
      this disease remains incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated the
      role of properdin (P), a positive alternative pathway complement regulator, in
      allergen-induced airway inflammation. Allergen challenge stimulated P release
      into the airways of asthmatic patients, and P levels positively correlated with
      proinflammatory cytokines in human bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). High levels of P
      were also detected in the BAL of OVA-sensitized and challenged but not naive
      mice. Compared with wild-type (WT) mice, P-deficient (P(-/-)) mice had markedly
      reduced total and eosinophil cell counts in BAL and significantly attenuated
      airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine. Ab blocking of P at both
      sensitization and challenge phases or at challenge phase alone, but not at
      sensitization phase alone, reduced airway inflammation. Conversely, intranasal
      reconstitution of P to P(-/-) mice at the challenge phase restored airway
      inflammation to wild-type levels. Notably, C3a levels in the BAL of OVA
      challenged P(-/-) mice were significantly lower than in wild-type mice, and
      intranasal coadministration of an anti-C3a mAb with P to P(-/-) mice prevented
      restoration of airway inflammation. These results show that P plays a key role in
      allergen-induced airway inflammation and represents a potential therapeutic
      target for human asthma. 

PMID- 26116508
TI  - Conditional Deletion of NF-kappaB-Inducing Kinase (NIK) in Adult Mice Disrupts
      Mature B Cell Survival and Activation.
AB  - NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK) is a primary regulator of the noncanonical NF
      kappaB signaling pathway, which plays a vital role downstream of BAFF, CD40L,
      lymphotoxin, and other inflammatory mediators. Germline deletion or inactivation
      of NIK in mice results in the defective development of B cells and secondary
      lymphoid organs, but the role of NIK in adult animals has not been studied. To
      address this, we generated mice containing a conditional allele of NIK. Deletion
      of NIK in adult mice results in decreases in B cell populations in lymph nodes
      and spleen, similar to what is observed upon blockade of BAFF. Consistent with
      this, B cells from mice in which NIK is acutely deleted fail to respond to BAFF
      stimulation in vitro and in vivo. In addition, mice with induced NIK deletion
      exhibit a significant decrease in germinal center B cells and serum IgA, which is
      indicative of roles for NIK in additional pathways beyond BAFF signaling. Our
      conditional NIK-knockout mice may be broadly useful for assessing the
      postdevelopmental and cell-specific roles of NIK and the noncanonical NF-kappaB
      pathway in mice. 

PMID- 26116509
TI  - P2X7 Receptor Regulates Internalization of Antimicrobial Peptide LL-37 by Human
      Macrophages That Promotes Intracellular Pathogen Clearance.
AB  - Bioactive peptide LL-37/hCAP18, the only human member of the cathelicidin family,
      plays important roles in killing various pathogens, as well as in immune
      modulation. We demonstrate that LL-37 is internalized by human macrophages in a
      time-, dose-, temperature-, and peptide sequence-dependent endocytotic process.
      Both clathrin- and caveolae/lipid raft-mediated endocytosis pathways are involved
      in LL-37 internalization. We find that the P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) plays an
      important role in LL-37 internalization by human macrophages because
      significantly less internalized LL-37 was detected in macrophages pretreated with
      P2X7R antagonists or, more specifically, in differentiated THP-1 cells in which
      the P2X7R gene had been silenced. Furthermore, this P2X7R-mediated LL-37
      internalization is primarily connected to the clathrin-mediated endocytosis
      pathway. In addition, our results demonstrate that internalized LL-37 traffics to
      endosomes and lysosomes and contributes to intracellular clearance of bacteria by
      human macrophages, coinciding with increased reactive oxygen species and lysosome
      formation. Finally, we show that human macrophages have the potential to import
      LL-37 released from activated human neutrophils. In conclusion, our study unveils
      a novel mechanism by which human macrophages internalize antimicrobial peptides
      to improve their intracellular pathogen clearance. 

PMID- 26116510
TI  - Spred1, a Suppressor of the Ras-ERK Pathway, Negatively Regulates Expansion and
      Function of Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells.
AB  - Cytokines from group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) have been implicated in
      acute allergic responses, such as papain-induced lung inflammation. However, the
      means of homeostatic regulation of ILC2s have not been established. In this
      study, we demonstrated that Spred1, a negative regulator of the Ras-ERK pathway,
      plays an important role in the proliferation and apoptosis of ILC2s and in
      cytokine secretion from ILC2s. Intranasal administration of papain stimulated IL
      5 and IL-13 production in the lung, which was enhanced when Spred1 was deleted.
      In vitro, Spred1(-/-) ILC2s proliferated faster than wild type ILC2s did and
      produced higher levels of cytokines in response to IL-33. On the contrary, a MEK
      inhibitor suppressed ILC2 proliferation and cytokine production. Spred1
      deficiency resulted in stabilization of GATA3, which has been shown to play
      essential roles in the maintenance and cytokine production of ILC2. These data
      suggest that Spred1 negatively regulates ILC2 development and functions through
      the suppression of the Ras-ERK pathway. 

PMID- 26116511
TI  - Control of Viremia Enables Acquisition of Resting Memory B Cells with Age and
      Normalization of Activated B Cell Phenotypes in HIV-Infected Children.
AB  - HIV affects the function of all lymphocyte populations, including B cells.
      Phenotypic and functional defects of B cells in HIV-infected adults have been
      well characterized, but defects in children have not been studied to the same
      extent. We determined the proportion of B cell subsets and frequencies of Ag
      specific memory B cells in peripheral blood from HIV-infected children and
      healthy controls, using flow cytometry and B cell ELISPOT, respectively. In
      addition, we measured the quantities and avidities of plasma Abs against various
      Ags by ELISA. We also determined plasma levels of BAFF and expression of BAFF
      receptors on B cells. Children with high HIV viremia had increased proportions of
      activated mature B cells, tissue-like memory B cells and plasmablasts, and low
      proportions of naive B cells when compared with community controls and children
      with low HIV viremia, similar to adults infected with HIV. HIV-infected groups
      had lower proportions of resting memory B cells than did community controls.
      Notably, high HIV viremia prevented the age-dependent accumulation of class
      switched resting memory B cells. HIV-infected children, regardless of the level
      of viremia, showed lower quantities and avidities of IgG and lower frequencies of
      memory B cells against Expanded Program on Immunization vaccines. The HIV
      infected children had an altered BAFF profile that could have affected their B
      cell compartment. Therefore, B cell defects in HIV-infected children are similar
      to those seen in HIV-infected adults. However, control of HIV viremia is
      associated with normalization of activated B cell subsets and allows age
      dependent accumulation of resting memory B cells. 

PMID- 26116512
TI  - Primary Central Nervous System (CNS) Lymphoma B Cell Receptors Recognize CNS
      Proteins.
AB  - Primary lymphoma of the CNS (PCNSL) is a diffuse large B cell lymphoma confined
      to the CNS. To elucidate its peculiar organ tropism, we generated recombinant Abs
      (recAbs) identical to the BCR of 23 PCNSLs from immunocompetent patients.
      Although none of the recAbs showed self-reactivity upon testing with common
      autoantigens, they recognized 1547 proteins present on a large-scale protein
      microarray, indicating polyreactivity. Interestingly, proteins (GRINL1A,
      centaurin-alpha, BAIAP2) recognized by the recAbs are physiologically expressed
      by CNS neurons. Furthermore, 87% (20/23) of the recAbs, including all Abs derived
      from IGHV4-34 using PCNSL, recognized galectin-3, which was upregulated on
      microglia/macrophages, astrocytes, and cerebral endothelial cells upon CNS
      invasion by PCNSL. Thus, PCNSL Ig may recognize CNS proteins as self-Ags. Their
      interaction may contribute to BCR signaling with sustained NF-kappaB activation
      and, ultimately, may foster tumor cell proliferation and survival. These data may
      also explain, at least in part, the affinity of PCNSL cells for the CNS. 

PMID- 26116513
TI  - mTOR Complex Signaling through the SEMA4A-Plexin B2 Axis Is Required for Optimal
      Activation and Differentiation of CD8+ T Cells.
AB  - Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays crucial roles in activation and
      differentiation of diverse types of immune cells. Although several lines of
      evidence have demonstrated the importance of mTOR-mediated signals in CD4(+) T
      cell responses, the involvement of mTOR in CD8(+) T cell responses is not fully
      understood. In this study, we show that a class IV semaphorin, SEMA4A, regulates
      CD8(+) T cell activation and differentiation through activation of mTOR complex
      (mTORC) 1. SEMA4A(-/-) CD8(+) T cells exhibited impairments in production of IFN
      gamma and TNF-alpha and induction of the effector molecules granzyme B, perforin,
      and FAS-L. Upon infection with OVA-expressing Listeria monocytogenes, pathogen
      specific effector CD8(+) T cell responses were significantly impaired in SEMA4A(
      /-) mice. Furthermore, SEMA4A(-/-) CD8(+) T cells exhibited reduced mTORC1
      activity and elevated mTORC2 activity, suggesting that SEMA4A is required for
      optimal activation of mTORC1 in CD8(+) T cells. IFN-gamma production and mTORC1
      activity in SEMA4A(-/-) CD8(+) T cells were restored by administration of
      recombinant Sema4A protein. In addition, we show that plexin B2 is a functional
      receptor of SEMA4A in CD8(+) T cells. Collectively, these results not only
      demonstrate the role of SEMA4A in CD8(+) T cells, but also reveal a novel link
      between a semaphorin and mTOR signaling. 

PMID- 26116515
TI  - Multi-scale exploration of the technical, economic, and environmental dimensions
      of bio-based chemical production.
AB  - In recent years, bio-based chemicals have gained traction as a sustainable
      alternative to petrochemicals. However, despite rapid advances in metabolic
      engineering and synthetic biology, there remain significant economic and
      environmental challenges. In order to maximize the impact of research investment
      in a new bio-based chemical industry, there is a need for assessing the
      technological, economic, and environmental potentials of combinations of biomass
      feedstocks, biochemical products, bioprocess technologies, and metabolic
      engineering approaches in the early phase of development of cell factories. To
      address this issue, we have developed a comprehensive Multi-scale framework for
      modeling Sustainable Industrial Chemicals production (MuSIC), which integrates
      modeling approaches for cellular metabolism, bioreactor design,
      upstream/downstream processes and economic impact assessment. We demonstrate the
      use of the MuSIC framework in a case study where two major polymer precursors
      (1,3-propanediol and 3-hydroxypropionic acid) are produced from two biomass
      feedstocks (corn-based glucose and soy-based glycerol) through 66 proposed
      biosynthetic pathways in two host organisms (Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae). The MuSIC framework allows exploration of tradeoffs and interactions
      between economy-scale objectives (e.g. profit maximization, emission
      minimization), constraints (e.g. land-use constraints) and process- and cell
      scale technology choices (e.g. strain design or oxygenation conditions). We
      demonstrate that economy-scale assessment can be used to guide specific strain
      design decisions in metabolic engineering, and that these design decisions can be
      affected by non-intuitive dependencies across multiple scales. 

PMID- 26116514
TI  - HIV-1 gp120 influences the expression of microRNAs in human monocyte-derived
      dendritic cells via STAT3 activation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRs) are an abundant class of small non-coding RNAs (~22
      nt) that reprogram gene expression by targeting mRNA degradation and
      translational disruption. An emerging concept implicates miR coupling with
      transcription factors in myeloid cell development and function, thus contributing
      to host defense and inflammation. The important role that these molecules play in
      the pathogenesis of HIV-1 is only now emerging. RESULTS: We provide evidence that
      exposure of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDCs) to recombinant HIV-1 R5
      gp120, but not to CCR5 natural ligand CCL4, influences the expression of a panel
      of miRs (i.e., miR-21, miR-155 and miR-181b) regulated by STAT3 and potentially
      targeting genes belonging to the STAT3 signaling pathway. The blockage of gp120
      induced STAT3 activation impairs gp120 capacity to modulate the expression level
      of above mentioned miRs. Predictive analysis of miR putative targets emphasizes
      that these miRs share common target genes. Furthermore, gene ontology and pathway
      enrichment analysis outline that these genes mainly belong to biological
      processes related to regulation of transcription, in a complex network of
      interactions involving pathways relevant to HIV-DC interaction. CONCLUSIONS:
      Overall, these results point to gp120-triggered modulation of miR expression via
      STAT3 activation as a novel molecular mechanism exploited by HIV-1 to affect DC
      biology and thus modulate the immune response through complex regulatory loops
      involving, at the same time, miRs and transcription factors.

PMID- 26116516
TI  - ABO-incompatible cardiac transplantation in pediatric patients with high
      isohemagglutinin titers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: ABO-incompatible (ABOi) cardiac transplantation is now used widely in
      infants with isohemagglutinin titers <1:4, but there is increasing evidence that
      ABOi transplantation can also be used in children with significantly higher
      titers. We reviewed our high-titer ABOi transplants and report our results here.
      METHODS: Patients who underwent ABOi cardiac transplantation from 2000 to 2013
      with pre-existing isohemagglutinin titers of >=1:16 were identified from
      departmental databases. Outcomes were reviewed using medical and laboratory
      records. RESULTS: Thirty patients underwent ABOi cardiac transplantation between
      2000 and 2013. Twelve (40%) had pre-transplant isohemagglutinin titers of >=1:16
      and were included for further study. Median age was 14.9 (range 9.8 to 107.3)
      months and median weight was 9.6 (range 7.6 to 25) kg. Five (42%) were male. Pre
      transplant diagnosis was cardiomyopathy in 8 of 12 (67%) and congenital heart
      disease in 4 of 12 (33%). Highest pre-transplant isohemagglutinin titer was 1:256
      in 2 patients. Four patients (33%) had early antibody-mediated rejection (AMR),
      all within 15 days post-transplant. Management included use of rituximab,
      bortezomib, immunoadsorption and eculizumab. Three patients died but no deaths
      were associated with high isohemagglutinin titers. CONCLUSIONS: ABOi cardiac
      transplantation in patients with isohemagglutinin titers >=1:16 is possible. AMR
      may occur early and immunoadsorption has proven effective at decreasing antibody
      titers.

PMID- 26116517
TI  - Striking differences in synaptic facilitation along the dorsoventral axis of the
      hippocampus.
AB  - Hippocampus displays functional heterogeneity along its long axis which has been
      interpreted in terms of segregation of inputs. Recent evidence has shown that
      there are also important differences in the organization of the local neuronal
      circuitry between the dorsal (DH) and the ventral hippocampus (VH). Synaptic
      plasticity is a crucial factor for the function of the hippocampal circuit. In
      this study I compared the synaptic facilitation of the CA1 excitatory
      postsynaptic potential (EPSP) between dorsal and ventral rat hippocampal slices
      using field recordings and paired-pulse stimulation delivered at varying inter
      pulse intervals (IPIs). The facilitation of the EPSP-slope displayed an
      exponential decline with increasing stimulation strength or IPI. Furthermore, the
      facilitation of threshold EPSP-slope was significantly higher in DH than in VH at
      all IPIs. Most remarkably, the facilitation of the area of EPSP displayed a
      prominent peak at around 200ms in DH but not VH. This optimal facilitation
      declined abruptly at a position located two thirds of the way along the
      dorsoventral axis. N-methyl-d-aspartic acid receptors (NMDARs) contributed to the
      facilitation of EPSP-area in an IPI-selective manner in DH but not VH.
      Furthermore, NMDARs participated to the single-pulse-evoked EPSP-area more in VH
      than in DH. Blockade of GABAB receptors (GABABRs) eliminated the prominent
      facilitation at around 200ms and abolished the large dorsoventral difference in
      the facilitation of EPSP-area. Blockade of GABAA receptors (GABAARs) increased
      the maximum area of EPSP more in VH than in DH and reversed facilitation into
      GABABR-dependent depression that was more robust in DH than in VH. I conclude
      that interactions between the synaptic actions of GABABR, GABAAR, and NMDAR
      contribute to diversifying short-term synaptic plasticity along the dorsoventral
      axis of the hippocampus. It is hypothesized that this diversification has
      important implications for the information processing performed by the local
      circuitries of the two hippocampal segments.

PMID- 26116519
TI  - Physical exercise improves brain cortex and cerebellum mitochondrial
      bioenergetics and alters apoptotic, dynamic and auto(mito)phagy markers.
AB  - We here investigate the effects of two exercise modalities (endurance treadmill
      training-TM and voluntary free-wheel activity-FW) on the brain cortex and
      cerebellum mitochondrial bioenergetics, permeability transition pore (mPTP),
      oxidative stress, as well as on proteins involved in mitochondrial biogenesis,
      apoptosis, and quality control. Eighteen male rats were assigned to sedentary
      SED, TM and FW groups. Behavioral alterations and ex vivo brain mitochondrial
      function endpoints were assessed. Proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation
      (OXPHOS, including the adenine nucleotide translocator), oxidative stress markers
      and regulatory proteins (SIRT3, p66shc, UCP2, carbonyls, MDA, -SH, aconitase, Mn
      SOD), as well as proteins involved in mitochondrial biogenesis (PGC1alpha, TFAM)
      were evaluated. Apoptotic signaling was measured through quantifying caspase 3, 8
      and 9-like activities, Bax, Bcl2, CypD, and cofilin expression. Mitochondrial
      dynamics (Mfn1/2, OPA1 and DRP1) and auto(mito)phagy (LC3II, Beclin1, Pink1,
      Parkin, p62)-related proteins were also measured by Western blotting. Only the TM
      exercise group showed increased spontaneous alternation and exploratory activity.
      Both exercise regimens improved mitochondrial respiratory activity, increased
      OXPHOS complexes I, III and V subunits in both brain subareas and decreased
      oxidative stress markers. Increased resistance to mPTP and decreased apoptotic
      signaling were observed in the brain cortex from TM and in the cerebellum from TM
      and FW groups. Also, exercise increased the expression of proteins involved in
      mitochondrial biogenesis, autophagy and fusion, simultaneous with decreased
      expression of mitochondrial fission-related protein DRP1. In conclusion, physical
      exercise improves brain cortex and cerebellum mitochondrial function, decreasing
      oxidative stress and apoptotic related markers. It is also possible that
      favorable alterations in mitochondrial biogenesis, dynamics and autophagy
      signaling induced by exercise contributed to increased mitochondrial plasticity
      leading to a more robust phenotype.

PMID- 26116520
TI  - Brain diffusivity pattern is individual-specific information.
AB  - The human brain is composed of complex networks of 100 billion neurons that
      underlie its higher functions. The set of neural connections in the brain has
      recently attracted growing interest from the scientific community. It is
      important to identify individual differences in these neural connections to study
      the background of individual differences in brain function and performance. In
      the present study, we investigated whether the pattern of brain diffusion,
      reflecting neural connections, is discernibly different among individuals; i.e.,
      whether brain diffusivity is personally identifiable information. Using diffusion
      tensor imaging data from 224 healthy subjects scanned twice at an interval of
      about 1year, we performed brain recognition by spatial normalization of
      fractional anisotropy maps, feature extraction based on Principal Component
      Analysis, and calculation of the Euclidean distances between image pairs
      projected into the subspace. Even with only 16 dimensions used for projection,
      the rank-one identification rate was 99.1%. The rank-one identification rate was
      100% with ?32 dimensions used for projection. The genuine accept rates were 95.1%
      and 100% at a false accept rate of 0.001%, with 16 and ?32 dimensions used for
      projection, respectively. There were no large differences in the Euclidean
      distance among different combinations of scanners used or between image pairs
      with and without scanner upgrade. The results indicate that brain diffusivity can
      identify a specific individual; i.e., the pattern of brain diffusion is
      personally identifiable information. Individual differences in brain diffusivity
      will form the basis of individual differences in personality and brain function.

PMID- 26116518
TI  - The ins and outs of the striatum: role in drug addiction.
AB  - Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by the loss of control
      over drug intake, high motivation to obtain the drug, and a persistent craving
      for the drug. Accumulating evidence implicates cellular and molecular alterations
      within cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic circuitry in the development and
      persistence of this disease. The striatum is a heterogeneous structure that sits
      at the interface of this circuit, receiving input from a variety of brain regions
      (e.g., prefrontal cortex, ventral tegmental area) to guide behavioral output,
      including motor planning, decision-making, motivation and reward. However, the
      vast interconnectivity of this circuit has made it difficult to isolate how
      individual projections and cellular subtypes within this circuit modulate each of
      the facets of addiction. Here, we review the use of new technologies, including
      optogenetics and DREADDs (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer
      Drugs), in unraveling the role of the striatum in addiction. In particular, we
      focus on the role of striatal cell populations (i.e., direct and indirect pathway
      medium spiny neurons) and striatal dopaminergic and glutamatergic afferents in
      addiction-related plasticity and behaviors.

PMID- 26116521
TI  - Simultaneous changes in gray matter volume and white matter fractional anisotropy
      in Alzheimer's disease revealed by multimodal CCA and joint ICA.
AB  - The prominent morphometric alterations of Alzheimer's disease (AD) occur both in
      gray matter and in white matter. Multimodal fusion can examine joint information
      by combining multiple neuroimaging datasets to identify the covariant
      morphometric alterations in AD in greater detail. In the current study, we
      conducted a multimodal canonical correlation analysis and joint independent
      component analysis to identify the covariance patterns of the gray and white
      matter by fusing structural magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor
      imaging data of 39 AD patients (23 males and 16 females, mean age: 74.91+/
      8.13years) and 41 normal controls (NCs) (20 males and 21 females, mean age:
      73.97+/-6.34years) derived from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
      database. The results revealed 25 joint independent components (ICs), of which
      three joint ICs exhibited strong links between the gray matter volume and the
      white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) and significant differences between the
      AD and NC group. The joint IC maps revealed that the simultaneous changes in the
      gray matter and FA values primarily involved the following areas: (1) the
      temporal lobe/hippocampus-cingulum, (2) the frontal/cingulate gyrus-corpus
      callosum, and (3) the temporal/occipital/parietal lobe-corpus callosum/corona
      radiata. Our findings suggest that gray matter atrophy is associated with reduced
      white matter fiber integrity in AD and possibly expand the understanding of the
      neuropathological mechanisms in AD.

PMID- 26116522
TI  - Tanshinone IIA protects dopaminergic neurons against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced
      neurotoxicity through miR-153/NF-E2-related factor 2/antioxidant response element
      signaling pathway.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common progressive neurodegenerative
      disorder with increased oxidative stress, the underlying vital process
      contributing to cell death. Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA), a major bioactive diterpene
      quinone of Salva miltiorrhiza, had been proved effective in the MPTP model
      through its anti-inflammatory activity. Here in this research, we found that Tan
      IIA prevented the loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons by activating the NF
      E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway. The
      cytotoxicity of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) was attenuated by the treatment of Tan
      IIA in SH-SY5Y cells, which significantly reduced 6-OHDA-induced lactic
      dehydrogenase release and reactive oxygen species production. Further study
      indicated that Tan IIA contributed to the nuclear accumulation of Nrf2, which
      bound to the ARE sequence, and activated ARE-regulated genes, including heme
      oxygenase-1, glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) and glutamate
      cysteine ligase modifier subunit (GCLM). Tan IIA also protected against damage to
      mitochondrial membrane potential, reduced the translocation of cytochrome c from
      the mitochondria to the cytoplasm and the activation of Caspase-9 and Caspase-3.
      Moreover, we demonstrated the above effects were performed in Nrf2-dependent
      manner. Further studies revealed that Tan IIA reduced the enhancement of miR-153
      by 6-OHDA, which targeted the 3'-UTR of Nrf2, and suppressed its expression and
      activation. Additionally, neurodegeneration caused by in vivo stereotaxic
      injection of 6-OHDA could also be ameliorated by the administration of Tan IIA.
      Taken together, our results strongly suggest that Tan IIA may be beneficial for
      the treatment of PD, and also confirm that targeting the Nrf2/ARE pathway is a
      promising strategy for therapeutic intervention in PD. 

PMID- 26116523
TI  - The neuropathology of schizophrenia: A selective review of past studies and
      emerging themes in brain structure and cytoarchitecture.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a devastating mental illness. Although its etiology is still
      largely unknown, strides have been taken throughout the last several decades to
      elucidate the nature of the neuropathology behind this disorder. The advent of
      neuroimaging technologies such as computerized axial tomography and magnetic
      resonance imaging have progressed knowledge about the macroscopic brain changes
      that occur in schizophrenia, including the characteristic enlarged ventricle size
      and reductions in gray matter volume, whole-brain volume, and white matter
      anisotropy. Although this review presents a broad outline of current and
      historical neuropathological research, the focus is primarily on the quantitative
      neuropathology of the cerebral cortex in schizophrenia, which may underlie many
      of the larger scale changes observed. The reduced neuropil hypothesis has been
      suggested as a microanatomical explanation to account for these macroscopic
      changes, although the present review finds that evidence does not always support
      this. A quantitative meta-analytic summary of these studies, focused on neuron
      density, provides support for the finding of increased neuron density in
      schizophrenia, with variation dependent on age. This is consistent with
      neuroimaging data and implicates an altered aging trajectory as a factor in the
      pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Combined with evidence from other neuroanatomical
      studies reviewed here, as well as studies in childhood-onset schizophrenia, the
      evidence converges on a progressive neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia
      related to altered neuroplasticity. The evidence also supports a particular
      vulnerability of inhibitory cortical circuits with markers of interneurons
      showing some of the more consistent reductions in schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26116525
TI  - Right-Sided Colon Ischemia and Acute Mesenteric Insufficiency: Are They Separate
      Entities?

PMID- 26116524
TI  - Isolation and characterization of a novel Rhabdovirus from a wild boar (Sus
      scrofa) in Japan.
AB  - A novel rhabdovirus was isolated from the serum of a healthy Japanese wild boar
      (Sus scrofa leucomystax) and identified using the rapid determination system for
      viral nucleic acid sequences (RDV), next-generation sequencing, and electron
      microscopy. The virus was tentatively named wild boar rhabdovirus 1 (WBRV1).
      Phylogenetic analysis of the entire genome sequence indicated that WBRV1 is
      closely related to Tupaia rhabdovirus (TRV), which was isolated from cultured
      cells of hepatocellular carcinoma tissue of tree shrew. TRV has not been assigned
      to any genus of Rhabdoviridae till date. Analysis of the L gene indicated that
      WBRV1 belongs to the genus Vesiculovirus. These observations suggest that both
      TRV and WBRV1 belong to a new genus of Rhabdoviridae. Next-generation genome
      sequencing of WBRV1 revealed 5 open reading frames of 1329, 765, 627, 1629, and
      6336 bases in length. The WBRV1 gene sequences are similar to those of other
      rhabdoviruses. Epizootiological analysis of a population of wild boars in
      Wakayama prefecture in Japan indicated that 6.5% were positive for the WBRV1 gene
      and 52% were positive for WBRV1-neutralizing antibodies. Furthermore, such viral
      neutralizing antibodies were found in domestic pigs in another prefecture. WBRV1
      was inoculated intranasally and intraperitoneally into SCID and BALB/c mice and
      viral RNA was detected in SCID mice, suggesting that WBRV1 can replicate in
      immunocompromised mice. These results indicate this novel virus is endemic in
      wild animals and livestock in Japan. 

PMID- 26116526
TI  - Unusual Cause of Fever and Abdominal Pain: Acute Suppuration of the Pancreas Duct
      and Endoscopic Management.

PMID- 26116527
TI  - The Art and Science of Diagnosing and Managing Drug-induced Liver Injury in 2015
      and Beyond.
AB  - Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) remains a leading reason why new compounds are
      dropped from further study or are the subject of product warnings and regulatory
      actions. Hy's Law of drug-induced hepatocellular jaundice causing a case-fatality
      rate or need for transplant of 10% or higher has been validated in several large
      national registries, including the ongoing, prospective U.S. Drug-Induced Liver
      Injury Network. It serves as the basis for stopping rules in clinical trials and
      in clinical practice. Because DILI can mimic all known causes of acute and
      chronic liver disease, establishing causality can be difficult. Histopathologic
      findings are often nonspecific and rarely, if ever, considered pathognomonic. A
      daily drug dose >50-100 mg is more likely to be hepatotoxic than does <10 mg,
      especially if the compound is highly lipophilic or undergoes extensive hepatic
      metabolism. The quest for a predictive biomarker to replace alanine
      aminotransferase is ongoing. Markers of necrosis and apoptosis such as microRNA
      122 and keratin 18 may prove useful in identifying patients at risk for severe
      injury when they initially present with a suspected acetaminophen overdose.
      Although a number of drugs causing idiosyncratic DILI have HLA associations that
      may allow for pre-prescription testing to prevent hepatotoxicity, the cost and
      relatively low frequency of injury among affected patients limit the current
      usefulness of such genome-wide association studies. Alanine aminotransferase
      monitoring is often recommended but has rarely been shown to be an effective
      method to prevent serious DILI. Guidelines on the diagnosis and management of
      DILI have recently been published, although specific therapies remain limited.
      The LiverTox Web site has been introduced as an interactive online virtual
      textbook that makes the latest information on more than 650 agents available to
      clinicians, regulators, and drug developers alike. 

PMID- 26116528
TI  - Systemic administration of riluzole enhances recognition memory and facilitates
      extinction of fear memory in rats.
AB  - Strategies to enhance recognition memory and facilitate extinction of fear memory
      have attracted increasing attention for enhancing the effectiveness of exposure
      therapy for anxiety disorders. Previously, we demonstrated that systemic
      administration of riluzole has clear anxiolytic-like effects, without impairing
      memory, in rats. In the present study, we examined whether riluzole could have
      therapeutic potential for anxiety disorders when combined with exposure therapy.
      Both riluzole and D-cycloserine enhanced recognition memory in the novel object
      recognition test and facilitated extinction learning in the contextual fear
      conditioning in rats. Interestingly, the facilitatory effect of riluzole on
      extinction learning was clearly observed even after a short re-exposure to the
      context, while D-cycloserine was ineffective at facilitating extinction when a
      short duration exposure session was given. In contrast, diazepam impaired both
      recognition memory and the extinction of fear memory. Our findings strongly
      suggest that systemic administration of riluzole may have therapeutic efficacy
      when combined with exposure therapy for treating a range of anxiety disorders.
      Clinical trials to examine the efficacy of riluzole in combination with exposure
      therapy in these patients are warranted.

PMID- 26116529
TI  - RGS19 converts iron deprivation stress into a growth-inhibitory signal.
AB  - Iron chelation is a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer that works, in
      part, by inducing overexpression of N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 protein
      (NDRG1), a known growth inhibitor and metastasis suppressor. However, details of
      the signaling cascades that convert physical stress into a biological response
      remain elusive. We investigated the role of RGS19, a regulator of G-protein
      signaling, in iron chelator-induced NDRG1 overexpression in HeLa cells. Knockdown
      of RGS19 diminished the expression of genes involved in desferrioxamine (DFO)
      induced growth inhibition. Conversely, overexpression of RGS19 enhanced the
      expression of these genes. Moreover, overexpression of RGS19 reduced cell
      viability. Overexpression of G-protein alpha subunit i3 (Galphai3) repressed the
      induction of NDRG1 expression. Selective inhibition of downstream targets of
      Galphai3 abrogated DFO-induced overexpression of NDRG1. DFO protected RGS19 from
      proteolysis induced by GAIP interacting protein N terminus (GIPN); moreover, an
      iron-deficient RGS19 mutant was stable in the presence of GIPN and retained
      GTPase-activating protein activity. RGS19 was co-purified with iron and showed
      unique UV-absorption characteristics frequently observed in iron-binding
      proteins. This study demonstrates that RGS19 senses cellular iron availability
      and is stabilized under iron-depleted conditions, resulting in the induction of a
      growth-inhibitory signal. 

PMID- 26116530
TI  - An integrated RNA-Seq and network study reveals a complex regulation process of
      rice embryo during seed germination.
AB  - Seed germination is a crucial stage for plant development and agricultural
      production. To investigate its complex regulation process, the RNA-Seq study of
      rice embryo was conducted at three time points of 0, 12 and 48 h post imbibition
      (HPI). Dynamic transcriptional alterations were observed, especially in the early
      stage (0-12 HPI). Seed related genes, especially those encoding desiccation
      inducible proteins and storage reserves in embryo, decreased drastically after
      imbibition. The expression profiles of phytohormone related genes indicated
      distinct roles of abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin (GA) and brassinosteroid (BR)
      in germination. Moreover, network analysis revealed the importance of protein
      phosphorylation in phytohormone interactions. Network and gene ontology (GO)
      analyses suggested that transcription factors (TFs) played a regulatory role in
      functional transitions during germination, and the enriched TF families at 0 HPI
      implied a regulation of epigenetic modification in dry seeds. In addition, 35
      germination-specific TF genes in embryo were identified and seven genes were
      verified by qRT-PCR. Besides, enriched TF binding sites (TFBSs) supported
      physiological changes in germination. Overall, this study expands our
      comprehensive knowledge of multiple regulation factors underlying rice seed
      germination. 

PMID- 26116532
TI  - The RNA-binding protein PCBP2 inhibits Ang II-induced hypertrophy of
      cardiomyocytes though promoting GPR56 mRNA degeneration.
AB  - Poly(C)-binding proteins (PCBPs) are known as RNA-binding proteins that interact
      in a sequence-specific fashion with single-stranded poly(C). This family can be
      divided into two groups: hnRNP K and PCBP1-4. PCBPs are expressed broadly in
      human and mouse tissues and all members of the PCBP family are related
      evolutionarily. However, their physiological or pathological functions in the
      hearts remain unknown. Here we reported that PCBP2 is an anti-hypertrophic factor
      by inhibiting GPR56 mRNA stability. We found the downregulation of PCBP2 in human
      failing hearts and mouse hypertrophic hearts. PCBP2 knockdown promoted
      angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertrophy (increase in cell size, protein
      synthesis and activation of fetal genes) of neonatal cardiomyocytes and H9C2
      cells, while PCBP2 overexpression obtained oppose effects. Furthermore, PCBP2 was
      shown to inhibit GPR56 expression by promoting its mRNA degeneration in
      cardiomyocytes. Finally, we knocked down GPR56 in cardiomyocytes and found that
      GPR56 promoted Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and it contributed to
      PCBP2 effects on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. 

PMID- 26116531
TI  - Niclosamide, an anti-helminthic molecule, downregulates the retroviral
      oncoprotein Tax and pro-survival Bcl-2 proteins in HTLV-1-transformed T
      lymphocytes.
AB  - Adult T cell leukemia and lymphoma (ATL) is a highly aggressive form of
      hematological malignancy and is caused by chronic infection of human T cell
      leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1). The viral genome encodes an oncogenic protein,
      Tax, which plays a key role in transactivating viral gene transcription and in
      deregulating cellular oncogenic signaling to promote survival, proliferation and
      transformation of virally infected T cells. Hence, Tax is a desirable therapeutic
      target, particularly at early stage of HTLV-1-mediated oncogenesis. We here show
      that niclosamide, an anti-helminthic molecule, induced apoptosis of HTLV-1
      transformed T cells. Niclosamide facilitated degradation of the Tax protein in
      proteasome. Consistent with niclosamide-mediated Tax degradation, this compound
      inhibited activities of MAPK/ERK1/2 and IkappaB kinases. In addition, niclosamide
      downregulated Stat3 and pro-survival Bcl-2 family members such as Mcl-1 and
      repressed the viral gene transcription of HTLV-1 through induction of Tax
      degradation. Since Tax, Stat3 and Mcl-1 are crucial molecules for promoting
      survival and growth of HTLV-1-transformed T cells, our findings demonstrate a
      novel mechanism of niclosamide in inducing Tax degradation and downregulating
      various cellular pro-survival molecules, thereby promoting apoptosis of HTLV-1
      associated leukemia cells. 

PMID- 26116533
TI  - Distinct functional modes of SUMOylation for retinoid X receptor alpha.
AB  - The present study investigated human retinoid X receptor alpha (hRXRalpha) as a
      substrate for modification with small ubiquitin like modifier (SUMO) and how
      members of the protein inhibitor of activated STAT (PIAS) family may impact upon
      this process. In agreement with a previous study, we validate Ubc9 to facilitate
      SUMOylation of hRXRalpha at lysine 108 but note this modification to occur for
      all isoforms rather than specifically with SUMO1 and to preferentially occur with
      the unliganded form of hRXRalpha. SUMOylation of hRXRalpha is significantly
      enhanced through PIAS4-mediated activity with lysine 245 identified as a specific
      SUMO2 acceptor site modified in a PIAS4-dependent fashion. While individual
      mutations at lysine 108 or 245 modestly increase receptor activity, the combined
      loss of SUMOylation at both sites significantly potentiates the transcriptional
      responsiveness of hRXRalpha suggesting both sites may cooperate in a DNA element
      dependent context. Our findings highlight combinatorial effects of SUMOylation
      may regulate RXRalpha-directed signalling in a gene-specific fashion. 

PMID- 26116534
TI  - Netrin-1 induces the migration of Schwann cells via p38 MAPK and PI3K-Akt
      signaling pathway mediated by the UNC5B receptor.
AB  - Schwann cells (SCs) play an essentially supportive role in the regeneration of
      injured peripheral nerve system (PNS). As Netrin-1 is crucial for the normal
      development of nervous system (NS) and can direct the process of damaged PNS
      regeneration, our study was designed to determine the role of Netrin-1 in RSC96
      Schwann cells (an immortalized rat Schwann cell line) proliferation and
      migration. Our studies demonstrated that Netrin-1 had no effect on RSC96 cells
      proliferation, while significantly promoted RSC96 cells migration. The Netrin-1
      induced RSC96 cells migration was significantly attenuated by inhibition of p38
      and PI3K through pretreatment with SB203580 and LY294002 respectively, but not
      inhibition of MEK1/2 and JNK by U0126-EtOH and SP600125 individually. Treatment
      with Netrin-1 enhanced the phosphorylation of p38 and Akt. QRT-PCR indicated that
      Netrin-1 and only its receptors Unc5a, Unc5b and Neogenin were expressed in RSC96
      cells, among which Unc5b expressed the most. And UNC5B protein was significantly
      increased after stimulated by Netrin-1. In conclusion, we show here that Netrin-1
      enhanced SCs migration is mediated by activating p38 MAPK and PI3K-Akt signal
      cascades via receptor UNC5B, which suggests that Netrin-1 could serve as a new
      therapeutic strategy and has potential application value for PNS regeneration. 

PMID- 26116536
TI  - Sox2 promotes survival of satellite glial cells in vitro.
AB  - Sox2 is a transcriptional factor expressed in neural stem cells. It is known that
      Sox2 regulates cell differentiation, proliferation and survival of the neural
      stem cells. Our previous study showed that Sox2 is expressed in all satellite
      glial cells of the adult rat dorsal root ganglion. In this study, to examine the
      role of Sox2 in satellite glial cells, we establish a satellite glial cell
      enriched culture system. Our culture method succeeded in harvesting satellite
      glial cells with the somata of neurons in the dorsal root ganglion. Using this
      culture system, Sox2 was downregulated by siRNA against Sox2. The knockdown of
      Sox2 downregulated ErbB2 and ErbB3 mRNA at 2 and 4 days after siRNA treatment.
      MAPK phosphorylation, downstream of ErbB, was also inhibited by Sox2 knockdown.
      Because ErbB2 and ErbB3 are receptors that support the survival of glial cells in
      the peripheral nervous system, apoptotic cells were also counted. TUNEL-positive
      cells increased at 5 days after siRNA treatment. These results suggest that Sox2
      promotes satellite glial cell survival through the MAPK pathway via ErbB
      receptors. 

PMID- 26116535
TI  - Oxidative stress triggers lipid droplet accumulation in primary cultured
      hepatocytes by activating fatty acid synthesis.
AB  - Despite the impaired intestinal lipid absorption and low level of visceral fat,
      the Sod1-deficient mouse is susceptible to developing liver steatosis. To gain
      insights into the mechanism responsible for this abnormal lipid metabolism, we
      analyzed primary cultured hepatocytes obtained from Sod1-deficient and wild-type
      mice. Lipid droplets began to accumulate in the cultured hepatocytes and was
      further increased by a Sod1 deficiency. Levels of enzymes involved in lipogenesis
      were elevated. It thus appears that lipogenesis is activated by oxidative stress,
      which is more prominent in the case of Sod1 deficiency, and appears to
      participate in liver steatosis. 

PMID- 26116537
TI  - Lactobionic acid reduces body weight gain in diet-induced obese rats by targeted
      inhibition of galectin-1.
AB  - Galectin-1 (GAL1), an animal lectin with a carbohydrate recognition domain, is
      known for its roles in cancer, tumor progression, as well as obesity and related
      complications. Here, we investigated the anti-obesity effect of lactobionic acid
      (LBA), a GAL1 inhibitor, both in vitro and in vivo. LBA treatment significantly
      reduced lipogenic capacity of both 3T3-L1 and HIB1B adipocytes through down
      regulation of major adipogenic transcription factors at both mRNA and protein
      levels. Moreover, oral administration and intraperitoneal injection of LBA in
      Sprague-Dawley male rats fed a high fat diet caused marked reduction of body
      weight gain as well as improvement of related metabolic parameters. Important
      lipogenic transcription factors were also down-regulated in LBA-treated rats,
      resulting in attenuated lipogenesis and fat accumulation. Collectively,
      pharmaceutical targeting of GAL1 using LBA would be a novel therapeutic approach
      for the treatment of obesity. 

PMID- 26116538
TI  - miR-129 suppresses tumor cell growth and invasion by targeting PAK5 in
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Emerging evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in
      regulating HCC development and progression; however, the mechanisms by which
      their specific functions and mechanisms remained to be further explored. miR-129
      has been reported in gastric cancers, lung cancer and colon cancer. In this
      study, we disclosed a new tumor suppresser function of miR-129 in HCC. We also
      found the downregulation of miR-129 occurred in nearly 3/4 of the tumors examined
      (56/76) compared with adjacent nontumorous tissues, which was more importantly,
      correlated to the advanced stage and vascular invasion. We then demonstrated that
      miR-129 overexpression attenuated HCC cells proliferation and invasion, inducing
      apoptosis in vitro. Moreover, we used miR-129 antagonist and found that anti-miR
      129 promoted HCC cells malignant phenotypes. Mechanistically, our further
      investigations revealed that miR-129 suppressed cell proliferation and invasion
      by targeting the 3'-untranslated region of PAK5, as well as miR-129 silencing up
      regulated PAK5 expression. Moreover, miR-129 expression was inversely correlated
      with PAK5 expression in 76 cases of HCC samples. RNA interference of PAK5
      attenuated anti-miR-129 mediated cell proliferation and invasion in HCC cells.
      Taken together, these results demonstrated that miR-129 suppressed tumorigenesis
      and progression by directly targeting PAK5, defining miR-129 as a potential
      treatment target for HCC. 

PMID- 26116539
TI  - Selective upregulation of the expression of plasma membrane calcium ATPase
      isoforms upon differentiation and 1,25(OH)2D3-vitamin treatment of colon cancer
      cells.
AB  - We have previously presented co-expression of the plasma membrane calcium ATPase
      isoforms 4b (PMCA4b) and 1b (PMCA1b) in colon carcinoma cells, and selective
      upregulation of PMCA4b during differentiation initiated by short chain fatty
      acids or post-confluent growth. Here we show that the induction of PMCA4b
      expression is a characteristic feature of the post-confluency-induced
      differentiation of both enterocyte-type and goblet cell-type colon cancer cells.
      Vitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) is a well-known regulator of intestinal Ca(2+)
      absorption and of basic cell functions such as growth and differentiation in
      various cell types. As PMCA proteins are involved both in intestinal Ca(2+)
      absorption and adenocarcinoma cell differentiation, we investigated the effect of
      1,25(OH)2D3 on PMCA expression in enterocyte-like colon carcinoma cells, and
      monitored its effect on the expression of various differentiation markers.
      1,25(OH)2D3 stimulated PMCA1b, but not PMCA4b expression without modulating the
      expression of the majority of the differentiation markers examined. Caco-2 cells
      differentiated in post-confluent cultures present normal enterocyte-like
      intestinal epithelial phenotype. To better understand the role of PMCA proteins
      in vectorial Ca(2+) transport by enterocytes, we also studied their subcellular
      localization in mature polarized Caco-2 cells. Both PMCA isoforms were located to
      the basolateral membrane, and the PMCA-specific immunofluorescent signal was
      significantly higher in vitamin D3-treated cells, underlining the 1,25(OH)2D3
      induced upregulation of PMCA (presumably 1b isoform) expression in differentiated
      Caco-2 cells. We suggest that while PMCA1b has a housekeeping function in colon
      cancer cells, PMCA4b participates in the reorganization of the Ca(2+) signalling
      machinery during cell differentiation. The subcellular localization of PMCA1b and
      its selective 1,25(OH)2D3-dependent upregulation indicate that this isoform may
      have a specific role in 1,25(OH)2D3-stimulated intestinal Ca(2+) absorption. 

PMID- 26116540
TI  - TGF-beta1-induced regulatory T cells.
AB  - Besides central tolerance peripheral tolerance is an important mechanism to avoid
      development of autoimmunity. Naturally occurring thymic-derived regulatory T
      cells (nTreg) mediate peripheral tolerance by suppressing autoreactive T cells
      clones having escaped thymic deletional control. This implies that nTreg have
      therapeutic potential to dampen autoimmune disease. However, one of the main
      challenges for the therapeutic application of nTreg still remains the scarce
      amount of nTreg available. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta1) plays a
      critical role in the generation and immunosuppressive function of nTreg thereby
      contributing to immune homeostasis. TGF-beta1 is thought to be essential for the
      generation and function of nTreg and regulatory T cells with suppressive
      properties can be induced in vitro by TGF-beta1. These so-called TGF-beta1
      induced regulatory T cells (iTreg) can be induced in vitro from conventional
      CD4(+) T cells by addition of TGF-beta1 and this discovery has added new options
      to use regulatory T cells therapeutically. Here we discuss the generation and in
      vitro and in vivo functions of murine and human TGF-beta1-induced regulatory T
      cells in light of potential application as treatment for autoimmune diseases
      including current problems and drawbacks in their therapeutic use. 

PMID- 26116541
TI  - In silico discovery and modeling of non-coding RNA structure in viruses.
AB  - This review covers several computational methods for discovering structured non
      coding RNAs in viruses and modeling their putative secondary structures. Here we
      will use examples from two target viruses to highlight these approaches:
      influenza A virus-a relatively small, segmented RNA virus; and Epstein-Barr virus
      a relatively large DNA virus with a complex transcriptome. Each system has unique
      challenges to overcome and unique characteristics to exploit. From these
      particular cases, generically useful approaches can be derived for the study of
      additional viral targets.

PMID- 26116542
TI  - A proposed resolution to the paradox of drug reward: Dopamine's evolution from an
      aversive signal to a facilitator of drug reward via negative reinforcement.
AB  - The mystery surrounding how plant neurotoxins came to possess reinforcing
      properties is termed the paradox of drug reward. Here we propose a resolution to
      this paradox whereby dopamine - which has traditionally been viewed as a signal
      of reward - initially signaled aversion and encouraged escape. We suggest that
      after being consumed, plant neurotoxins such as nicotine activated an aversive
      dopaminergic pathway, thereby deterring predatory herbivores. Later evolutionary
      events - including the development of a GABAergic system capable of modulating
      dopaminergic activity - led to the ability to down-regulate and 'control' this
      dopamine-based aversion. We speculate that this negative reinforcement system
      evolved so that animals could suppress aversive states such as hunger in order to
      attend to other internal drives (such as mating and shelter) that would result in
      improved organismal fitness. 

PMID- 26116543
TI  - How fast and how often: The pharmacokinetics of drug use are decisive in
      addiction.
AB  - How much, how often and how fast a drug reaches the brain determine the
      behavioural and neuroplastic changes associated with the addiction process.
      Despite the critical nature of these variables, the drug addiction field often
      ignores pharmacokinetic issues, which we argue can lead to false conclusions.
      First, we review the clinical data demonstrating the importance of the speed of
      drug onset and of intermittent patterns of drug intake in psychostimulant drug
      addiction. This is followed by a review of the preclinical literature
      demonstrating that pharmacokinetic variables play a decisive role in determining
      behavioural and neurobiological outcomes in animal models of addiction. This
      literature includes recent data highlighting the importance of intermittent,
      'spiking' brain levels of drug in producing an increase in the motivation to take
      drug over time. Rapid drug onset and intermittent drug exposure both appear to
      push the addiction process forward most effectively. This has significant
      implications for refining animal models of addiction and for better understanding
      the neuroadaptations that are critical for the disorder. 

PMID- 26116546
TI  - Corrigendum.
AB  - Corrigendum to ESLAV/ECLAM/LAVA/EVERI recommendations for the roles,
      responsibilities and training of the laboratory animal veterinarian and the
      designated veterinarian under Directive 2010/63/EU, by GM Poirier, C Bergmann, DG
      Denais-Lalieve, IA Dontas, N Dudoignon, H Ehall, JM Fentener van Vlissingen, M
      Fornasier, R Kalman, A Hansen, S Schueller, P Vergara, R Weilenmann, J Wilson, AD
      Degryse.Published in Laboratory Animals 2015, Vol. 49(2) 89-99. DOI:
      10.1177/0023677214557717. 

PMID- 26116545
TI  - Specific proactive and generic reactive inhibition.
AB  - Inhibition concerns the capacity to suppress on-going response tendencies.
      Patient data and results from neuro-imaging and magnetic-stimulation studies
      point to a proactive mechanism involving top-down control signals that potentiate
      inhibitory sensory-motor connections, depending on whether possibly necessary
      inhibition is anticipated or not. The proactive mechanism is manifest in stronger
      sensory-cortex responses to stop signals yielding successful inhibition, observed
      as a modulation of short-latency human evoked potentials (N1) which may overlap
      with generic mechanisms for infrequent-event detection. A second, reactive,
      mechanism would be much more independent of the specific inhibition context, and
      generalize to situations in which behavioral interrupt is not dictated by task
      demands but invoked by the salience of task-irrelevant but potentially
      distracting events. The reactive mechanism is visible in a longer-latency human
      event-related potential termed frontal P3 (fP3) which is elicited by (successful)
      stop stimuli and most likely originates from dorsal-medial prefrontal cortex
      (preSMA), and is dissociated from the proactive mechanism pharmacologically and
      by individual differences. Implications may arise for more personalized
      treatments of disorders such as ADHD. 

PMID- 26116547
TI  - Teaching child psychiatric assessment skills: Using pediatric mental health
      screening tools.
AB  - This article describes the workshop "Teaching Child Psychiatric Assessment
      Skills: Using Mental Health Screening Instruments," presented at the 35th Forum
      for Behavioral Sciences in Family Medicine on 20 September 2014. The goals of the
      presentation were (1) to teach family medicine behavioral health educators to use
      both general and problem-specific mental health screening tools (MHSTs) in their
      work with trainees to help satisfy the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical
      Education (ACGME) mandate for behavioral and mental health experience during
      family medicine residency, (2) to reflect on how MHSTs might be integrated into
      the flow of family medicine teaching practices, and (3) to exemplify how evidence
      based methods of adult education might be used in teaching such content. One
      general MHST, the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 and one problem-specific MHST
      for each of the four commonest pediatric mental health issues: for attention
      deficit hyperactivity disorder, the Vanderbilt; for Anxiety, the Screen for
      Childhood Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders; for Depression, the Patient Health
      Questionnaire-9 for teens; and for Aggression, the Retrospective-Modified Overt
      Aggression Scale, were practiced at least twice in the context of a clinical
      vignette. All of the selected MHSTs are free in the public domain and available
      for download from the website: www.CAPPCNY.org. Participants were asked to
      reflect on their own office practice characteristics and consider how MHSTs might
      be integrated into their systems of care. This workshop could be replicated by
      others wishing to teach the use of MHSTs in primary care settings or teaching
      programs. 

PMID- 26116548
TI  - Synovial tissue volume: a treatment target in knee osteoarthritis (OA).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Synovitis occurring frequently in osteoarthritis (OA) may be a
      targeted outcome. There are no data examining whether synovitis changes following
      intra-articular intervention. METHODS: Persons aged 40 years and older with
      painful knee OA participated in an open label trial of intra-articular steroid
      therapy. At all time points they completed the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis
      Outcome Score (KOOS) questionnaire. They had a contrast-enhanced (CE) MRI
      immediately prior to an intra-articular steroid injection with a repeat scan
      within 20 days. Response status was assessed using the Osteoarthritis Research
      Society International (OARSI) response criteria. OARSI responders were followed
      until their pain relapsed either within 20% of baseline or 6 months, shortly
      after which a third MRI was performed. Synovial tissue volume (STV) was measured
      on postcontrast knee images. We looked at changes in the STV and in pain, and
      their association. RESULTS: 120 subjects with preinjection and postinjection CE
      MRI were followed. Their mean age was 62.3 years (SD=10.3) and 62 (52%) were
      women. The median time between injection and follow-up scan was 8 days (IQR 7-14
      days). 85/120 (71%) were OARSI responders. Pain decreased (mean change in
      KOOS=+23.9; 95% CI 20.1 to 27.8, p<0.001) following steroid injection, as did
      mean STV (mean change=-1071 mm(3); 95% CI -1839 mm(3) to -303 mm(3), p=0.01). Of
      the 80 who returned for a third MRI, pain relapsed in 57, and in the 48 of those
      with MRI data, STV increased between follow-up and final visit (+1220 mm(3); 95%
      CI 25 mm(3) to 2414 mm(3), p=0.05). 23 were persistent responders at 6 months
      and, in these, STV did not increase (mean change=-202 mm(3); 95% CI -2008 mm(3)
      to 1604 mm(3), p=0.83). Controlling for variation over time, there was a
      significant association between synovitis volume and KOOS pain (b coefficient
      change in KOOS pain score per 1000 mm(3) change in STV=-1.13; 95% CI -1.87 to 
      0.39, p=0.003), although STV accounted for only a small proportion of the
      variance in change in pain. CONCLUSIONS: Synovial tissue volume in knee OA
      shrinks following steroid therapy, and rebounds in those whose pain relapses. It
      can be considered a treatment target in symptomatic knee OA. TRIAL REGISTRATION
      NUMBER: ISRCTN07329370.

PMID- 26116549
TI  - Translocation of gold nanoparticles across the lung epithelial tissue barrier:
      Combining in vitro and in silico methods to substitute in vivo experiments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The lung epithelial tissue barrier represents the main portal for
      entry of inhaled nanoparticles (NPs) into the systemic circulation. Thus great
      efforts are currently being made to determine adverse health effects associated
      with inhalation of NPs. However, to date very little is known about factors that
      determine the pulmonary translocation of NPs and their subsequent distribution to
      secondary organs. METHODS: A novel two-step approach to assess the biokinetics of
      inhaled NPs is presented. In a first step, alveolar epithelial cellular
      monolayers (CMLs) at the air-liquid interface (ALI) were exposed to aerosolized
      NPs to determine their translocation kinetics across the epithelial tissue
      barrier. Then, in a second step, the distribution to secondary organs was
      predicted with a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model.
      Monodisperse, spherical, well-characterized, negatively charged gold
      nanoparticles (AuNP) were used as model NPs. Furthermore, to obtain a
      comprehensive picture of the translocation kinetics in different species, human
      (A549) and mouse (MLE-12) alveolar epithelial CMLs were exposed to ionic gold and
      to various doses (i.e., 25, 50, 100, 150, 200 ng/cm(2)) and sizes (i.e., 2, 7,
      18, 46, 80 nm) of AuNP, and incubated post-exposure for different time periods
      (i.e., 0, 2, 8, 24, 48, 72 h). RESULTS: The translocation kinetics of the AuNP
      across A549 and MLE-12 CMLs was similar. The translocated fraction was (1)
      inversely proportional to the particle size, and (2) independent of the applied
      dose (up to 100 ng/cm(2)). Furthermore, supplementing the A549 CML with two
      immune cells, i.e., macrophages and dendritic cells, did not significantly change
      the amount of translocated AuNP. Comparison of the measured translocation
      kinetics and modeled biodistribution with in vivo data from literature showed
      that the combination of in vitro and in silico methods can accurately predict the
      in vivo biokinetics of inhaled/instilled AuNP. CONCLUSION: Our approach to
      combine in vitro and in silico methods for assessing the pulmonary translocation
      and biodistribution of NPs has the potential to replace short-term animal studies
      which aim to assess the pulmonary absorption and biodistribution of NPs, and to
      serve as a screening tool to identify NPs of special concern.

PMID- 26116550
TI  - The cytohesin guanosine exchange factors (GEFs) are required to promote HGF
      mediated renal recovery after acute kidney injury (AKI) in mice.
AB  - The lack of current treatment and preventable measures for acute kidney injury
      (AKI) in hospitalized patients results in an increased mortality rate of up to
      80% and elevated health costs. Additionally, if not properly repaired, those who
      survive AKI may develop fibrosis and long-term kidney damage. The molecular
      aspects of kidney injury and repair are still uncertain. Hepatocyte growth factor
      (HGF) promotes recovery of the injured kidney by inducing survival and migration
      of tubular epithelial cells to repopulate bare tubule areas. HGF-stimulated
      kidney epithelial cell migration requires the activation of ADP-ribosylation
      factor 6 (Arf6) and Rac1 via the cytohesin family of Arf-guanine-nucleotide
      exchange factors (GEFs), in vitro. We used an ischemia and reperfusion injury
      (IRI) mouse model to analyze the effects of modulating this signaling pathway on
      kidney recovery. We treated IRI mice with either HGF, the cytohesin inhibitor
      SecinH3, or a combination of both. As previously reported, HGF treatment promoted
      rapid improvement of kidney function as evidenced by creatinine (Cre) and blood
      urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. In contrast, simultaneous treatment with SecinH3 and
      HGF blocks the ability of HGF to promote kidney recovery. Immunohistochemistry
      showed that HGF treatment promoted recovery of tubule structure, and had enhanced
      levels of active, GTP-bound Arf6 and GTP-Rac1. SecinH3 treatment, however, caused
      a dramatic decrease in GTP-Arf6 and GTP-Rac1 levels when compared to kidney
      sections from HGF-treated IRI mice. Additionally, SecinH3 counteracted the renal
      reparative effects of HGF. Our results support the conclusion that cytohesin
      function is required for HGF-stimulated renal IRI repair. 

PMID- 26116544
TI  - Chronic stress and brain plasticity: Mechanisms underlying adaptive and
      maladaptive changes and implications for stress-related CNS disorders.
AB  - Stress responses entail neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral changes to
      promote effective coping with real or perceived threats to one's safety. While
      these responses are critical for the survival of the individual, adverse effects
      of repeated exposure to stress are widely known to have deleterious effects on
      health. Thus, a considerable effort in the search for treatments to stress
      related CNS disorders necessitates unraveling the brain mechanisms responsible
      for adaptation under acute conditions and their perturbations following chronic
      stress exposure. This paper is based upon a symposium from the 2014 International
      Behavioral Neuroscience Meeting, summarizing some recent advances in
      understanding the effects of stress on adaptive and maladaptive responses
      subserved by limbic forebrain networks. An important theme highlighted in this
      review is that the same networks mediating neuroendocrine, autonomic, and
      behavioral processes during adaptive coping also comprise targets of the effects
      of repeated stress exposure in the development of maladaptive states. Where
      possible, reference is made to the similarity of neurobiological substrates and
      effects observed following repeated exposure to stress in laboratory animals and
      the clinical features of stress-related disorders in humans. 

PMID- 26116551
TI  - Myocyte contractility can be maintained by storing cells with the myosin ATPase
      inhibitor 2,3 butanedione monoxime.
AB  - Isolated intact myocytes can be used to investigate contractile mechanisms and to
      screen new therapeutic compounds. These experiments typically require euthanizing
      an animal and isolating fresh cells each day or analyzing cultured myocytes,
      which quickly lose their rod-shaped morphology. Recent data suggest that the
      viability of canine myocytes can be prolonged using low temperature and N-benzyl
      p-toluene sulfonamide (an inhibitor of skeletal myosin ATPase). We performed
      similar studies in rat myocytes in order to test whether the cardiac myosin
      ATPase inhibitors 2,3-Butanedione monoxime (BDM) and blebbistatin help to
      maintain cell-level function over multiple days. Myocytes were isolated from rats
      and separated into batches that were stored at 4 degrees C in a HEPES-buffered
      solution that contained 0.5 mmol L(-1) Ca(2+) and (1) no myosin ATPase
      inhibitors; (2) 10 mmol L(-1) BDM; or (3) 3 MUmol L(-1) blebbistatin. Functional
      viability of myocytes was assessed up to 3 days after the isolation by measuring
      calcium transients and unloaded shortening profiles induced by electrical stimuli
      in inhibitor-free Tyrode's solution. Cells stored without myosin ATPase
      inhibitors had altered morphology (fewer rod-shaped cells, shorter diastolic
      sarcomere lengths, and membrane blebbing) and were not viable for contractile
      assays after 24 h. Cells stored in BDM maintained morphology and contractile
      function for 48 h. Storage in blebbistatin maintained cell morphology for 72 h
      but inhibited contractility. These data show that storing cells with myosin
      ATPase inhibitors can extend the viability of myocytes that will be used for
      functional assays. This may help to refine and reduce the use of animals in
      experiments. 

PMID- 26116552
TI  - Consecutive assessment of FA and ADC values of normal lumbar nerve roots from the
      junction of the dura mater.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
      are widely used in the evaluation of the central nervous system and recently have
      been reported as a potential tool for diagnosis of the peripheral nerve or the
      lumbar nerve entrapment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate consecutive
      changes in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA)
      values of normal lumbar nerve roots from the junction of the dura mater. METHODS:
      The lumbar spinal nerves were examined in 6 male healthy volunteers (mean age, 35
      years) with no experiences of sciatica, with a 3.0-T MR unit using a five-element
      phased-array surface coil. DTI was performed with the following imaging
      parameters: 11084.6/73.7 ms for TR/TE; b-value, 800 s/mm2; MPG, 33 directions;
      slice thickness, 1.5 mm; and total scan time, 7 min 35 s. ADC and FA values at
      all consecutive points along the L4, L5 and S1 nerves were quantified on every
      1.5 mm slice from the junction of the dura mater using short fiber tracking.
      RESULTS: ADC values of all L4, 5, and S1 nerve roots decreased linearly up to 15
      mm from the dura junction and was constant distally afterward. ADC values in the
      proximal portion demonstrated S1 > L5 > L4 (p < 0.05). On the other hand, FA
      values increased linearly up to 15 mm from the dura junction, and was constant
      distally afterward. FA values in the proximal portion showed L4 > L5 > S1 (p <
      0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that ADC and FA values of each L4, 5,
      and S1 at the proximal portion from the junction of the dura matter changed
      linearly. It would be useful to know the normal profile of DTI values by location
      of each nerve root so that we can detect subtle abnormalities in each nerve root.

PMID- 26116553
TI  - Systematic Review with Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies: Anti-tumour Necrosis
      Factor for Prevention of Postoperative Crohn's Disease Recurrence.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Although promising, the evidence supporting the use of anti
      tumour necrosis factor agents [anti-TNFs] in postoperative Crohn's disease [CD]
      is still based on limited experience. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of
      prospective studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of anti-TNFs for
      prevention of postoperative recurrence [POR] in CD. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web
      of Science, the Cochrane database and conference proceeding abstracts were
      searched. The primary outcome measure was the number of patients who developed
      POR as defined by the primary studies. RESULTS: Six prospective studies were
      included. The rate of endoscopic recurrence [ER] was significantly lower using
      anti-TNFs [9.2%, 7/76] compared with the non-biologicals group [61.5%, 83/135]
      (odds ratio [OR] 0.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.02-0.13; p < 0.001]. The
      rate of severe ER was also lower in the anti-TNFs group [1.6%, 1/64] than that in
      the non-biologicals group [32.7%, 18/55, OR 0.10; p = 0.04]. A significantly
      lower proportion of patients in the anti-TNFs group developed clinical recurrence
      [3.4%, 2/59] compared with the non-biologicals arm [41.1%, 49/119, OR 0.1; p <
      0.001]. More anti-TNFs-treated patients [86.5%, 45/52] were maintained in
      clinical remission compared with the non-biologicals group [58.1%, 43/74, OR
      4.05, 95% CI 1.60-10.29; p < 0.01]. The adverse events were similar between the
      two groups [anti-TNFs 44.9% [22/49] vs control 52.5% [42/80]; p = 0.69].
      CONCLUSIONS: Anti-TNFs are superior to non-biological agents in preventing
      endoscopic and clinical recurrence of CD without causing more adverse events.

PMID- 26116554
TI  - High Rates of Smoking Especially in Female Crohn's Disease Patients and Low Use
      of Supportive Measures to Achieve Smoking Cessation--Data from the Swiss IBD
      Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Smoking is a crucial environmental factor in inflammatory
      bowel disease [IBD]. However, knowledge on patient characteristics associated
      with smoking, time trends of smoking rates, gender differences and supportive
      measures to cease smoking provided by physicians is scarce. We aimed to address
      these questions in Swiss IBD patients. METHODS: Prospectively obtained data from
      patients participating in the Swiss IBD Cohort Study was analysed and compared
      with the general Swiss population [GSP] matched by age, sex and year. RESULTS:
      Among a total of 1770 IBD patients analysed [49.1% male], 29% are current
      smokers. More than twice as many patients with Crohn's disease [CD] are active
      smokers compared with ulcerative colitis [UC] [UC, 39.6% vs CD 15.3%, p < 0.001].
      In striking contrast to the GSP, significantly more women than men with CD smoke
      [42.8% vs 35.8%, p = 0.025], with also an overall significantly increased smoking
      rate compared with the GSP in women but not men. The vast majority of smoking IBD
      patients [90.5%] claim to never have received any support to achieve smoking
      cessation, significantly more in UC compared with CD. We identify a significantly
      negative association of smoking and primary sclerosing cholangitis, indicative of
      a protective effect. Psychological distress in CD is significantly higher in
      smokers compared with non-smokers, but does not differ in UC. CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite well-established detrimental effects, smoking rates in CD are alarmingly
      high with persistent and stagnating elevations compared with the GSP, especially
      in female patients. Importantly, there appears to be an unacceptable underuse of
      supportive measures to achieve smoking cessation.

PMID- 26116555
TI  - The Syk Inhibitor Fostamatinib Decreases the Severity of Colonic Mucosal Damage
      in a Rodent Model of Colitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic inflammatory disease
      of the gastrointestinal system. In some cases, current medications used for
      inflammatory bowel disease may not be enough for remission, creating a need for
      more potent and reliable medications. There is no study showing the efficacy of
      fostamatinib, with proven effects on some inflammatory diseases, on ulcerative
      colitis. In our study we planned to research the efficacy of fostamatinib, a
      spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor, on acetic acid-induced colitis. METHODS: The
      study included 28 male Sprague-Dawley rats, randomly divided into control group,
      fostamatinib group, colitis group and fostamatinib + colitis group, each
      containing seven rats. Colitis induction was performed with 4% acetic acid.
      Colonic inflammation was assessed with disease activity index, macroscopic and
      histological damage scores, colonic myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde and
      superoxide dismutase activity, and tumour necrosis factor alpha [TNFalpha], CD3,
      Syk, and phospho-Syk expression. RESULTS: There was a significant difference
      between the colitis and control groups in terms of all parameters. The disease
      activity index, macroscopic and microscopic damage scores, immunohistochemical
      TNFalpha, CD3, Syk, and phospho-Syk expression, and tissue myeloperoxidase
      activity were found to be significantly lower in the colitis + fostamatinib group
      compared with the colitis group. There was no significant difference between the
      two groups in terms of myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde activity. CONCLUSIONS:
      Fostamatinib reduced the inflammatory damage in the experimental colitis. This
      effect may be due to suppression of TNFalpha, T-lymphocytes, and neutrophils in
      colonic mucosa via suppression of Syk. Fostamatinib may be an appropriate
      treatment alternative for ulcerative colitis. Further clinical studies are
      required to support this.

PMID- 26116556
TI  - Higher Rates of Dose Optimisation for Infliximab Responders in Ulcerative Colitis
      than in Crohn's disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have demonstrated the benefit of dose optimisation in the
      setting of secondary loss of response to infliximab in inflammatory bowel
      disease. AIM: The aim of our study was to retrospectively investigate the rates
      of dose optimisation in an inflammatory bowel disease cohort receiving
      maintenance infliximab therapy to determine if there are different rates of dose
      optimisation between CD and UC cases and what impact this has on the durability
      of treatment effect. METHODS: Cases receiving infliximab for treatment of IBD
      between January 2008 and February 2014 were identified from an infusion centre
      database. Cases receiving >= 4 infusions were included in the study. Details of
      infusion dosing and timing were obtained. A dose increase from 5mg/kg to 10mg/kg
      or a reduction in the dosing interval was considered a dose optimisation.
      RESULTS: A total of 412 cases were included in the study; 52.7% required at least
      one dose optimisation. Dose optimisation was more common in UC than in CD cases
      [67.2% vs 46.3%, p = 0.00006]. The median time to dose optimisation was 7 months
      (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.8-9.2) for UC cases and 27 months [95% CI 7.3
      46.7] for CD cases, p = 0.00003. CONCLUSIONS: Here we have shown that dose
      optimisation is required more frequently in UC than in CD, with a significantly
      shorter time to dose optimisation for UC cases than CD cases. The majority of
      cases responding to induction therapy with infliximab will have a sustained
      response to therapy, but over 50% will require a dose optimisation during their
      treatment.

PMID- 26116557
TI  - Serum Concentration of Anti-TNF Antibodies, Adverse Effects and Quality of Life
      in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Remission on Maintenance
      Treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: High serum concentrations of infliximab [IFX] and adalimumab
      [ADA] may be associated with adverse effects in patients with inflammatory bowel
      disease [IBD]. We aimed to investigate whether high anti-tumour necrosis factor
      [TNF] trough levels [TLs] were associated with toxicity and impaired quality of
      life [QoL]. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study in IBD patients in
      clinical and biochemical remission on IFX or ADA maintenance therapy. Trough
      serum concentrations and antidrug antibodies were measured in addition to
      biochemical markers of inflammation in serum and stool to confirm quiescent
      disease. QoL was assessed using the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire and
      36-item short form]. Side effects such as fatigue and arthralgia were measured
      with a visual analogue score [VAS]. Skin toxicity was reported with a European
      Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer-derived score. RESULTS: In all,
      252 IBD patients on maintenance anti-TNF therapy were screened, of whom 95 [73
      with Crohn's disease, 22 with ulcerative colitis; 72 on IFX, 23 on ADA] were in
      clinical and biochemical remission and were included. Median TLs were 5.5 ug/ml
      and 6.6 ug/ml for IFX and ADA, respectively. Patients with anti-TNF TLs above
      median had lower IBDQ scores than patients with lower TLs [IBDQ 176 vs 187, p =
      0.02], particularly regarding systemic symptoms and emotional status. A trend
      towards lower SF-36 and higher fatigue scores was observed in the higher anti-TNF
      TL group. Skin and arthralgia scores were not significantly different between the
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: IBD patients with higher anti-TNF serum concentrations had
      significantly lower disease-specific QoL. Fatigue, arthralgia, and skin lesions
      do not occur more often in these patients. These data are reassuring that high
      serum concentrations of anti-TNF antibodies are not toxic.

PMID- 26116558
TI  - The Modified Mayo Endoscopic Score (MMES): A New Index for the Assessment of
      Extension and Severity of Endoscopic Activity in Ulcerative Colitis Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Current endoscopic activity scores for ulcerative colitis
      (UC) do not take into account the extent of mucosal inflammation. We have
      developed a simple endoscopic index for UC that takes into account the severity
      and distribution of mucosal inflammation. METHODS: In this multicentre trial, UC
      patients undergoing colonoscopy were prospectively enrolled. For the Modified
      Score (MS), the sum of Mayo Endoscopic Subscores (MESs) for five colon segments
      (ascending, transverse, descending, sigmoid and rectum) was calculated. The
      Extended Modified Score (EMS) was obtained by multiplying the MS by the maximal
      extent of inflammation. The Modified Mayo Endoscopic Score (MMES) was obtained by
      dividing the EMS by the number of segments with active inflammation. Colon
      biopsies were obtained from the rectum and sigmoid, as well as from all inflamed
      segments, by standard methods. Clinical activity was scored according to the
      Partial Mayo Score (PMS). Biological activity was scored according to C-reactive
      protein (CRP) and faecal calprotectin (FC) levels. Histological activity was
      scored according to the Geboes Score (GS). RESULTS: One hundred and seventy-one
      UC patients (38% female, median age 47 years, median disease duration 13 years)
      were included. The MMES correlated significantly with the PMS (r = 0.535), CRP (r
      = 0.238), FC (r = 0.730) and GS (r = 0.615) (all p < 0.001). Median MMES scores
      were significantly higher in patients with clinical, biological or histological
      activity (all p <= 0.001) CONCLUSIONS: The MMES is an easy to use endoscopic
      index for UC that combines the severity analysis of the MES with disease extent,
      and correlates very well with clinical, biological and histological disease
      activity.

PMID- 26116559
TI  - A Novel Oculo-Skeletal syndrome with intellectual disability caused by a
      particular MAB21L2 mutation.
AB  - We describe a novel recognizable phenotype characterized by anophthalmia, a
      distinctive skeletal dysplasia and intellectual disability. Radiographic
      anomalies include severe rhizomelic shortness of the limbs and abnormal joint
      formation. Recent exome studies showed that these characteristics are part of the
      phenotypic spectrum of MAB21L2 gene mutations which cause a range of structural
      eye malformations such as microphthalmia/anophthalmia and ocular coloboma. The
      two unrelated individuals described here in detail are heterozygous carriers of
      the same de novo missense mutation c.151C > T (p.Arg51Cys) in MAB21L2. 

PMID- 26116560
TI  - Prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains producing carbapenemases and increase
      of resistance to colistin in an Italian teaching hospital from January 2012 To
      December 2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to characterize the spread of carbapenemase
      producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CPKP) in a tertiary level hospital using ongoing
      active surveillance with rectal swab cultures. Furthermore, this study analyzed
      the presence of CPKP in the clinical samples (CS) of a single patient as well as
      the evolution of Colistin-sensitive strains (CoS) to Colistin-resistant strains
      (CoR). METHODS: This study was performed from January 1, 2012 to December 31,
      2014. In 2012, a survey was conducted in the Intensive Care Department. In autumn
      2013, active monitoring was extended to the Surgery Department, and since mid
      2014, the surveillance has included the Medical Department as well. Only the
      first isolated strain from each patient was included. Antimicrobial
      susceptibility testing was performed on CPKP isolates: Klebsiella pneumoniae
      carbapenemase, oxacillinase-48, Verona integron-encoded metallo-beta-lactamase
      and New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase were detected using a validated in-house PCR
      method, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to investigate the clonal
      transmission of strains. RESULTS: A total of 15,104 patients were included in the
      study, and 496 consecutive non-replicated strains of CPKP were collected: 149
      strains were collected in 2012 (39 [26.2 %] from surveillance rectal swabs
      [SRS]), 133 strains were collected in 2013 (70 [52.6 %] from SRS) and 214 strains
      were collected in 2014 (164 [76.6 %] from SRS). We observed a significant
      increase in the percentage of positive SRS cases in 2014 relative to 2013 and
      2012 (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.0172, respectively) and in the proportion of CPKP
      first isolated by SRS relative to those identified by CS (p < 0.0001). Among all
      available samples, the number of CoR isolated from SRS was higher in 2013 and
      2014 compared with 2012 (p = 0.0019 and p = 0.008, respectively). ST-258 and ST
      512 were more prevalent in the tested specimens, and a new single locus variant
      (SLV) of ST-512 (ST-745) was isolated. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this 3-year
      study of 15,104 patients highlight the clinical relevance of antimicrobial
      resistance as well as the drug-selection pressure of colistin therapy. The active
      surveillance in the three different departments increased the level of CPKP cases
      isolated by SRS.

PMID- 26116561
TI  - Immediate help through group therapy for patients with somatic diseases and
      depressive or adjustment disorders in outpatient care: study protocol for a
      randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One in three people with a chronic somatic disease suffer from a
      comorbid mental disorder. Most common comorbidities are depressive, anxiety and
      adjustment disorders. These lead to an increase in morbidity and mortality, and a
      deterioration of quality of life and healthcare costs. Treatment of mental
      disorders is of great importance, but the waiting time for outpatient individual
      psychotherapy can be up to six months in Germany. Group therapy has comparable
      treatment effects and is considerably more economic than individual therapy;
      however, it is still almost unused in the outpatient care system. The
      introduction of a stepped care approach, such as attending a group program before
      individual therapy, could improve this issue. For this purpose we developed a
      group program (STEpS), and its efficacy will be evaluated in this study.
      METHODS/DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate the
      efficacy of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) group program for patients with
      somatic diseases and depressive or adjustment disorders, compared to a wait-list
      control group. A total of 128 adults with any chronic somatic disease and
      comorbid depression or adjustment disorder will be recruited in our outpatient
      clinic, and will be randomly assigned to participate in the group program
      immediately after contacting the clinic (intervention group) or after a waiting
      period of four months (wait-list control group). Primary outcomes will be self
      reported depressive and anxiety symptoms. Secondary outcomes will be self
      reported psychological distress, changes in experience and behavior, health
      related quality of life, state of self-esteem and subjective need for therapy.
      Assessments will take place at baseline, 10 weeks (post-treatment) and 18 weeks
      (follow-up) after randomization. Additionally, treatment acceptance and
      psychotherapeutic process will be assessed after each session. DISCUSSION: This
      study investigates whether the CBT group program is an effective treatment to
      reduce depressive and anxiety symptoms and psychological distress in these
      patients. If the group program is effective, it could be implemented as a
      treatment option prior to individual outpatient therapy. These results will
      contribute to improving outpatient care for mental disorders in patients with
      somatic diseases. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register
      DRKS00005140 (27 August 2013).

PMID- 26116563
TI  - Corrigenda.

PMID- 26116562
TI  - Radiological Protection in Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT). ICRP Publication
      129.
AB  - The objective of this publication is to provide guidance on radiological
      protection in the new technology of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).
      Publications 87 and 102 dealt with patient dose management in computed tomography
      (CT) and multi-detector CT. The new applications of CBCT and the associated
      radiological protection issues are substantially different from those of
      conventional CT. The perception that CBCT involves lower doses was only true in
      initial applications. CBCT is now used widely by specialists who have little or
      no training in radiological protection. This publication provides recommendations
      on radiation dose management directed at different stakeholders, and covers
      principles of radiological protection, training, and quality assurance aspects.
      Advice on appropriate use of CBCT needs to be made widely available. Advice on
      optimisation of protection when using CBCT equipment needs to be strengthened,
      particularly with respect to the use of newer features of the equipment.
      Manufacturers should standardise radiation dose displays on CBCT equipment to
      assist users in optimisation of protection and comparisons of performance.
      Additional challenges to radiological protection are introduced when CBCT-capable
      equipment is used for both fluoroscopy and tomography during the same procedure.
      Standardised methods need to be established for tracking and reporting of patient
      radiation doses from these procedures. The recommendations provided in this
      publication may evolve in the future as CBCT equipment and applications evolve.
      As with previous ICRP publications, the Commission hopes that imaging
      professionals, medical physicists, and manufacturers will use the guidelines and
      recommendations provided in this publication for implementation of the
      Commission's principle of optimisation of protection of patients and medical
      workers, with the objective of keeping exposures as low as reasonably achievable,
      taking into account economic and societal factors, and consistent with achieving
      the necessary medical outcomes.

PMID- 26116564
TI  - NOX1 to NOX2 switch deactivates AMPK and induces invasive phenotype in colon
      cancer cells through overexpression of MMP-7.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-7 expression is correlated
      with increased metastatic potential in human colon cancer cells, the underlying
      molecular mechanism of invasive phenotype remains unknown. In the current study,
      we investigated the regulatory effects of membrane NADPH oxidase (NOX) and AMP
      activated protein kinase (AMPK) on MMP-7 expression and invasive phenotype change
      in colon cancer cells. METHODS: Production of superoxide anion was measured by
      lucigenin chemiluminescence assay using whole cells and protein extracts (NADPH
      oxidase activity), and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) by
      fluorescence microscopy using 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA).
      Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting
      were used to measure mRNA and protein levels, respectively. siRNA transfection
      was used to assess involvement of genes in cancer invasion, which were identified
      by Matrigel transwell invasion assay. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to
      identify transcription factors linked to gene expression. RESULTS: Under basal
      conditions, less invasive human colon cancer cells (HT29 and Caco-2) showed low
      MMP-7 expression but high NOX1 expression and AMPK phosphorylation. Treatment of
      HT29 and Caco-2 cells with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) induced an
      invasive phenotype response along with corresponding increases in ROS production
      and NOX2 and MMP-7 expression as well as reduced AMPK phosphorylation, which
      resemble basal conditions of highly invasive human colon cancer cells (SW620 and
      HCT116). In addition, inverse regulation between AMPK phosphorylation and NOX2
      and MMP-7 expression was observed in HT29 cells treated with different
      concentrations of exogenous hydrogen peroxide. TPA-induced invasive phenotype in
      HT29 cells was abolished by treatment with Vit. E, DPI, apocynin, and NOX2 siRNA
      but not NOX1 siRNA, indicating NOX2-derived ROS production induced an invasive
      phenotype. TPA-induced induction of MMP-7 expression was suppressed by AP-1, NF
      kappaB, and MAPK (ERK, p38, and JNK) inhibitors, whereas TPA-induced expression
      of NOX2 and its regulators, p47phox and p67phox, was blocked by p38 and NF-kappaB
      inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular switch from NOX1 to NOX2 in colon cancer cells
      induces ROS production and subsequently enhances MMP-7 expression by deactivating
      AMPK, which otherwise inhibits stimulus-induced autoregulation of ROS and NOX2
      gene expression.

PMID- 26116565
TI  - Varying levels of complexity in transcription factor binding motifs.
AB  - Binding of transcription factors to DNA is one of the keystones of gene
      regulation. The existence of statistical dependencies between binding site
      positions is widely accepted, while their relevance for computational predictions
      has been debated. Building probabilistic models of binding sites that may capture
      dependencies is still challenging, since the most successful motif discovery
      approaches require numerical optimization techniques, which are not suited for
      selecting dependency structures. To overcome this issue, we propose sparse local
      inhomogeneous mixture (Slim) models that combine putative dependency structures
      in a weighted manner allowing for numerical optimization of dependency structure
      and model parameters simultaneously. We find that Slim models yield a
      substantially better prediction performance than previous models on genomic
      context protein binding microarray data sets and on ChIP-seq data sets. To
      elucidate the reasons for the improved performance, we develop dependency logos,
      which allow for visual inspection of dependency structures within binding sites.
      We find that the dependency structures discovered by Slim models are highly
      diverse and highly transcription factor-specific, which emphasizes the need for
      flexible dependency models. The observed dependency structures range from broad
      heterogeneities to sparse dependencies between neighboring and non-neighboring
      binding site positions. 

PMID- 26116567
TI  - Experimental research in public health.

PMID- 26116566
TI  - US Supreme Court's exoneration of the Affordable Care Act.

PMID- 26116570
TI  - The role of mechanical stimuli in the vascular differentiation of mesenchymal
      stem cells.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are among the most promising and suitable stem cell
      types for vascular tissue engineering. Substantial effort has been made to
      differentiate MSCs towards vascular cell phenotypes, including endothelial cells
      and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). The microenvironment of vascular cells not only
      contains biochemical factors that influence differentiation, but also exerts
      hemodynamic forces, such as shear stress and cyclic strain. Recent evidence has
      shown that these forces can influence the differentiation of MSCs into
      endothelial cells or SMCs. In this Commentary, we present the main findings in
      the area with the aim of summarizing the mechanisms by which shear stress and
      cyclic strain induce MSC differentiation. We will also discuss the interactions
      between these mechanical cues and other components of the microenvironment, and
      highlight how these insights could be used to maintain differentiation. 

PMID- 26116569
TI  - Paxillin-dependent regulation of IGF2 and H19 gene cluster expression.
AB  - Paxillin (PXN) is a focal adhesion protein that has been implicated in signal
      transduction from the extracellular matrix. Recently, it has been shown to
      shuttle between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. When inside the nucleus, paxillin
      promotes cell proliferation. Here, we introduce paxillin as a transcriptional
      regulator of IGF2 and H19 genes. It does not affect the allelic expression of the
      two genes; rather, it regulates long-range chromosomal interactions between the
      IGF2 or H19 promoter and a shared distal enhancer on an active allele.
      Specifically, paxillin stimulates the interaction between the enhancer and the
      IGF2 promoter, thus activating IGF2 gene transcription, whereas it restrains the
      interaction between the enhancer and the H19 promoter, downregulating the H19
      gene. We found that paxillin interacts with cohesin and the mediator complex,
      which have been shown to mediate long-range chromosomal looping. We propose that
      these interactions occur at the IGF2 and H19 gene cluster and are involved in the
      formation of loops between the IGF2 and H19 promoters and the enhancer, and thus
      the expression of the corresponding genes. These observations contribute to a
      mechanistic explanation of the role of paxillin in proliferation and fetal
      development.

PMID- 26116571
TI  - Endothelial MMP14 is required for endothelial-dependent growth support of human
      airway basal cells.
AB  - Human airway basal cells are the stem (or progenitor) population of the airway
      epithelium, and play a central role in anchoring the epithelium to the basement
      membrane. The anatomic position of basal cells allows for potential paracrine
      signaling between them and the underlying non-epithelial stromal cells. In
      support of this, we have previously demonstrated that endothelial cells support
      growth of basal cells during co-culture through vascular endothelial growth
      factor A (VEGFA)-mediated signaling. Building on these findings, we found, by RNA
      sequencing analysis, that basal cells expressed multiple fibroblast growth factor
      (FGF) ligands (FGF2, FGF5, FGF11 and FGF13) and that only FGF2 and FGF5 were
      capable of functioning in a paracrine manner to activate classical FGF receptor
      (FGFR) signaling. Antibody-mediated blocking of FGFR1 during basal-cell
      endothelial-cell co-culture significantly reduced the endothelial-cell-dependent
      basal cell growth. Stimulation of endothelial cells with basal-cell-derived
      growth factors induced endothelial cell expression of matrix metallopeptidase 14
      (MMP14), and short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown of endothelial cell
      MMP14 significantly reduced the endothelial-cell-dependent growth of basal cells.
      Overall, these data characterize a new growth-factor-mediated reciprocal
      'crosstalk' between human airway basal cells and endothelial cells that regulates
      proliferation of basal cells.

PMID- 26116572
TI  - A local VE-cadherin and Trio-based signaling complex stabilizes endothelial
      junctions through Rac1.
AB  - Endothelial cell-cell junctions maintain a restrictive barrier that is tightly
      regulated to allow dynamic responses to permeability-inducing angiogenic factors,
      as well as to inflammatory agents and adherent leukocytes. The ability of these
      stimuli to transiently remodel adherens junctions depends on Rho-GTPase
      controlled cytoskeletal rearrangements. How the activity of Rho-GTPases is spatio
      temporally controlled at endothelial adherens junctions by guanine-nucleotide
      exchange factors (GEFs) is incompletely understood. Here, we identify a crucial
      role for the Rho-GEF Trio in stabilizing junctions based around vascular
      endothelial (VE)-cadherin (also known as CDH5). Trio interacts with VE-cadherin
      and locally activates Rac1 at adherens junctions during the formation of nascent
      contacts, as assessed using a novel FRET-based Rac1 biosensor and biochemical
      assays. The Rac-GEF domain of Trio is responsible for the remodeling of
      junctional actin from radial into cortical actin bundles, a crucial step for
      junction stabilization. This promotes the formation of linear adherens junctions
      and increases endothelial monolayer resistance. Collectively, our data show the
      importance of spatio-temporal regulation of the actin cytoskeleton through Trio
      and Rac1 at VE-cadherin-based cell-cell junctions in the maintenance of the
      endothelial barrier. 

PMID- 26116573
TI  - RNA splicing regulated by RBFOX1 is essential for cardiac function in zebrafish.
AB  - Alternative splicing is one of the major mechanisms through which the proteomic
      and functional diversity of eukaryotes is achieved. However, the complex nature
      of the splicing machinery, its associated splicing regulators and the functional
      implications of alternatively spliced transcripts are only poorly understood.
      Here, we investigated the functional role of the splicing regulator rbfox1 in
      vivo using the zebrafish as a model system. We found that loss of rbfox1 led to
      progressive cardiac contractile dysfunction and heart failure. By using deep
      transcriptome sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR, we show that depletion
      of rbfox1 in zebrafish results in an altered isoform expression of several
      crucial target genes, such as actn3a and hug. This study underlines that tightly
      regulated splicing is necessary for unconstrained cardiac function and renders
      the splicing regulator rbfox1 an interesting target for investigation in human
      heart failure and cardiomyopathy. 

PMID- 26116575
TI  - A STIM1-dependent 'trafficking trap' mechanism regulates Orai1 plasma membrane
      residence and Ca2+ influx levels.
AB  - The key proteins mediating store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE) are the endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) Ca(2+) sensor STIM1 and the plasma membrane Ca(2+)-selective
      channel Orai1. Here, we quantitatively dissect Orai1 trafficking dynamics and
      show that Orai1 recycles rapidly at the plasma membrane (Kex?0.1 min(-1)), with
      ~40% of the total Orai1 pool localizing to the plasma membrane at steady state. A
      subset of intracellular Orai1 localizes to a sub-plasmalemal compartment. Store
      depletion is coupled to Orai1 plasma membrane enrichment in a STIM1-dependent
      fashion. This is due to trapping of Orai1 into cortical ER STIM1 clusters,
      leading to its removal from the recycling pool and enrichment at the plasma
      membrane. Interestingly, upon high STIM1 expression, Orai1 is trapped into STIM1
      clusters intracellularly, thus preventing its plasma membrane enrichment
      following store depletion. Consistent with this, STIM1 knockdown prevents
      trapping of excess Orai1 into limiting STIM1 clusters in the cortical ER. SOCE
      dependent Ca(2+) influx shows a similar biphasic dependence on the Orai1:STIM1
      ratio. Therefore, a STIM1-dependent Orai1 'trafficking trap' mechanism controls
      Orai1 plasma membrane enrichment and SOCE levels, thus modulating the SOCE
      'bandwidth' for downstream signaling.

PMID- 26116574
TI  - Epigenetic modifiers reduce inflammation and modulate macrophage phenotype during
      endotoxemia-induced acute lung injury.
AB  - Acute lung injury (ALI) during sepsis is characterized by bilateral alveolar
      infiltrates, lung edema and respiratory failure. Here, we examined the efficacy
      the DNA methyl transferase (DNMT) inhibitor 5-Aza 2-deoxycytidine (Aza), the
      histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA), as well as the
      combination therapy of Aza and TSA (Aza+TSA) provides in the protection of ALI.
      In LPS-induced mouse ALI, post-treatment with a single dose of Aza+TSA showed
      substantial attenuation of adverse lung histopathological changes and
      inflammation. Importantly, these protective effects were due to substantial
      macrophage phenotypic changes observed in LPS-stimulated macrophages treated with
      Aza+TSA as compared with untreated LPS-induced macrophages or LPS-stimulated
      macrophages treated with either drug alone. Further, we observed significantly
      lower levels of pro-inflammatory molecules and higher levels of anti-inflammatory
      molecules in LPS-induced macrophages treated with Aza+TSA than in LPS-induced
      macrophages treated with either drug alone. The protection was ascribed to dual
      effects by an inhibition of MAPK-HuR-TNF and activation of STAT3-Bcl2 pathways.
      Combinatorial treatment with Aza+TSA reduces inflammation and promotes an anti
      inflammatory M2 macrophage phenotype in ALI, and has a therapeutic potential for
      patients with sepsis. 

PMID- 26116576
TI  - Attractive and repulsive factors act through multi-subunit receptor complexes to
      regulate nerve fiber growth.
AB  - In the nervous system, attractive and repulsive factors guide neuronal growth,
      pathfinding and target innervation during development, learning and regeneration
      after injury. Repulsive and growth-inhibitory factors, such as some ephrins,
      semaphorins, netrins and myelin-associated growth inhibitors, restrict nerve
      fiber growth, whereas neurotrophins, and other ephrins, semaphorins and netrins
      attract fibers and promote neurite growth. Several of these guidance molecules
      also play crucial roles in vasculogenesis, and regulate cell migration and tissue
      formation in different organs. Precise and highly specific signal transduction in
      space and time is required in all these cases, which primarily depends on the
      presence and function of specific receptors. Interestingly, many of these ligands
      act through multi-subunit receptor complexes. In this Commentary, we review the
      current knowledge of how complexes of the receptors for attractive and repulsive
      neurite growth regulatory factors are reorganized in a spatial and temporal
      manner, and reveal the implications that such dynamics have on the signaling
      events that coordinate neurite fiber growth. 

PMID- 26116577
TI  - Profile of people with hypertension in Nairobi's slums: a descriptive study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a rising health burden among the
      world's poor with hypertension as the main risk factor. In sub-Saharan Africa,
      hypertension is increasingly affecting the urban population of which a
      substantial part lives in slums. This study aims to give insight into the profile
      of patients with hypertension living in slums of Nairobi, Kenya. METHODS:
      Sociodemographic and anthropometric data as well as clinical measurements
      including BP from 440 adults with hypertension aged 35 years and above living in
      Korogocho, a slum on the eastern side of Nairobi, Kenya, will be collected at
      baseline and at the first clinic visit. CONCLUSION: The study population showed
      high prevalence of overweight and abdominal obesity as well as behavioral risk
      factors such as smoking, alcohol and a low vegetable and fruit intake.
      Furthermore, the majority of hypertensive patients do not take anti-hypertensive
      medication and the ones who do show little adherence. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current
      controlled trials ISRCTN84424579 .

PMID- 26116578
TI  - Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in patients with systemic
      lupus erythematosus.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cognitive function and mood disturbance are common in patients with
      systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study aims to examine whether SLE
      patients have more features of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
      (ADHD) and their relation to anxiety and depressive symptoms. METHODS: Symptoms
      and clinically significant items of the inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity
      domains of ADHD were examined in Part A and Part B by the screening instrument of
      the ADHD Self-Reported Scale (ASRS), respectively. Anxiety and depressive
      symptoms were measured by HADS-A and HADS-D, respectively. RESULTS: There were no
      differences in symptom scores of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity
      between inactive SLE patients (n = 117) and age- and sex-matched controls (n =
      64). However, SLE patients had more clinically significant items in the
      inattention domain compared with controls (p = 0.006), particularly among those
      who had previous cerebral involvement (p = 0.004). Patients who had psychiatric
      diseases had more clinically significant items in the hyperactivity/impulsivity
      domain (p = 0.006). Possible ADHD was found in 7.7% of SLE and 6.3% of healthy
      individuals (p = 1.00) by the screening tool. Patients with higher inattention
      symptom scores were more likely to be unemployed but not for duration of
      education and smoking habit. Anxiety and depressive symptoms correlated with ADHD
      symptoms. HADS-A was an independent predictive factor for clinically significant
      symptoms of inattention (p < 0.001) and hyperactivity/impulsivity (p = 0.04) by
      logistic regression. CONCLUSION: Inactive SLE patients, particularly those who
      had previous cerebral lupus, had more clinically significant symptoms of
      inattention but not hyperactivity/impulsivity reflecting underlying cognitive
      impairment. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were common confounders for ADHD-like
      symptoms.

PMID- 26116579
TI  - Molecular Confirmation of Ewing Sarcoma in an 85-Year-Old Woman.
AB  - We report a case of a Ewing sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor in an 85-year
      old woman who presented with an enlarging circumscribed left flank mass. Magnetic
      resonance imaging revealed a 3 * 5 * 10 cm heterogeneous mass arising from the
      10th rib. Computed tomography demonstrated a small nodule in the right middle
      lobe and bilateral pleural effusions. The patient underwent computed tomography
      guided biopsy followed by open biopsy. The tumor cells were characterized by
      loosely cohesive sheets of tumor cells with uniform nuclei, and scant, granular,
      eosinophilic cytoplasm with indistinct cell membranes. Frequent mitoses,
      apoptosis, and necrosis were present. The cells were positive for CD99 with a
      strong concentric staining pattern. Epithelial, hematopoietic, and neural markers
      were all negative. Fluorescence in situ hybridization was performed and
      demonstrated EWSR1 (22q12) gene rearrangement. Sanger sequencing of the reverse
      transcriptase polymerase chain reaction product from the patient's tumor
      demonstrated the EWSR1-FLI1 type 1 fusion. Following diagnosis the patient
      elected to proceed with localized radiation and declined chemotherapy. She
      developed progressive lung disease and subsequently died of her disease a year
      after her initial diagnosis. Ewing sarcoma is predominantly a pediatric disease
      and uncommon in patients older than 40 years of age. To the best of our
      knowledge, this is the oldest documented case of Ewing sarcoma, diagnosed using
      modern molecular techniques. 

PMID- 26116580
TI  - Secretion of Fc-amidated peptide fusion proteins by Chinese hamster ovary cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The therapeutic use of alpha-amidated peptides (e.g. calcitonin,
      glucagon-like peptide) has increased dramatically, but there are major
      impediments to wider use of such peptides. Larger peptides are expensive to
      synthesize, and short plasma half-lives frequently limit the clinical
      circumstances in which the peptides would be useful. Both problems are
      potentially solved by producing peptides as fusions with the Fc region of human
      immunoglobulin. METHODS: Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1), peptide YY (PYY) and
      neuromedin U (NMU) were expressed and purified from stable CHO lines; since the
      alpha-amide group is essential for full biological potency of many peptides, Fc
      fusion peptides were expressed in CHO lines stably expressing the alpha-amidating
      enzyme, peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase (PAM: EC 1.14.17.3).
      Purified fusion proteins were analyzed intact and after HRV3C rhinovirus protease
      cleavage, at a site in the linker separating the Fc region from the peptide, by
      mass spectrometry and amide-specific immunoassays. RESULTS: The Fc fusions were
      expressed at 1-2.5 MUg/mg cell protein and secreted at 5-20% of cell content per
      hour, in a peptide-specific manner. CHO cells express measurable endogenous PAM
      activity, amidating 25% of Fc-PYY and almost 90% of Fc-GLP1. Expression of
      exogenous PAM increased the level of peptide amidation to 50% of Fc-PYY and 95 %
      of Fc-NMU. The Fc-GLP1 fusions were 10,000-fold less active than synthetic GLP1
      in a cell-receptor cyclic AMP-based assay, as expected since the amino terminal
      of GLP1 is essential for full biological activity. The Fc-PYY fusions were 100
      fold less active than PYY-NH2 but 10-fold more active than non-amidated PYY-Gly.
      CONCLUSIONS: This type of approach can be used for the production of stabilized
      alpha-amidated peptides aimed at clinical trials.

PMID- 26116582
TI  - Equitable Distribution of Public Hospitals According to Health Needs in Malaysia:
      Does It Exist or Not?
AB  - The goal of ensuring geographic equity of health care can be achieved if the
      geographic distribution of health care services is according to the health needs.
      This study aims to examine whether acute Ministry of Health hospital beds are
      distributed according to population health needs in various states within
      Peninsular Malaysia. The health needs of each state are indicated by the crude
      death rate. Comparisons of the share of hospital beds to that of population with
      differential health needs were assessed using concentration curve and index. In
      most years between 1995 and 2010, the distribution of hospital beds in Peninsular
      Malaysia were concentrated among states with higher health needs. This is in line
      with the principle of vertical equity and could be one advantage of a central
      federal government that can allocate health care resources to prioritize states
      with higher health care needs. 

PMID- 26116581
TI  - The Omega-3 fatty acids (Fish Oils) and Aspirin in Vascular access OUtcomes in
      REnal Disease (FAVOURED) study: the updated final trial protocol and rationale of
      post-initiation trial modifications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The FAVOURED study is an international multicentre, double-blind,
      placebo-controlled trial which commenced recruitment in 2008 and examines whether
      omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFAs) either alone or in
      combination with aspirin will effectively reduce primary access failure of de
      novo arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) in patients with stage 4 and 5 chronic kidney
      disease. Publication of new evidence derived from additional studies of
      clopidogrel and a high screen failure rate due to prevalent aspirin usage
      prompted an updated trial design. METHODS/DESIGN: The original trial protocol
      published in 2009 has undergone two major amendments, which were implemented in
      2011. Firstly, the primary outcome 'early thrombosis' at 3 months following AVF
      creation was broadened to a more clinically relevant outcome of 'AVF access
      failure'; a composite of thrombosis, AVF abandonment and cannulation failure at
      12 months. Secondly, participants unable to cease using aspirin were allowed to
      be enrolled and randomised to omega-3 PUFAs or placebo. The revised primary aim
      of the FAVOURED study is to test the hypothesis that omega-3 PUFAs will reduce
      rates of AVF access failure within 12 months following AVF surgery. The secondary
      aims are to examine the effect of omega-3 PUFAs and aspirin on the individual
      components of the primary end-point, to examine the safety of study interventions
      and assess central venous catheter requirement as a result of access failure.
      DISCUSSION: This multicentre international clinical trial was amended to address
      the clinically relevant question of whether the usability of de novo AVF at 12
      months can be improved by the early use of omega-3 PUFAs and to a lesser extent
      aspirin. This study protocol amendment was made in response to a large trial
      demonstrating that clopidogrel is effective in safely preventing primary AVF
      thrombosis, but ineffective at increasing functional patency. Secondly, including
      patients taking aspirin will enroll a more representative cohort of haemodialysis
      patients, who are significantly older with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular
      disease and diabetes which may increase event rates and the power of the study.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australia & New Zealand Clinical Trial Register
      (ACTRN12607000569404).

PMID- 26116583
TI  - 'Cigarettes are priority': a qualitative study of how Australian
      socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers respond to rising cigarette prices.
AB  - Despite substantial modelling research assessing the impact of cigarette taxes on
      smoking rates across income groups, few studies have examined the broader
      financial effects and unintended consequences on very low-income smokers. This
      study explored how socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers in a high-income
      country manage smoking costs on limited budgets. Semi-structured face-to-face
      interviews were conducted with 20 smokers recruited from a welfare organization
      in NSW, Australia. Participants discussed perceived impact of tobacco costs on
      their essential household expenditure, smoking behaviour and quit cognitions.
      Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic
      framework analysis. Instances of smoking-induced deprivation and financial
      stress, such as going without meals, substituting food choices and paying bills
      late in order to purchase cigarettes were reported as routine experiences. Price
      minimization strategies and sharing tobacco resources within social networks
      helped to maintain smoking. Participants reported tobacco price increases were
      good for preventing uptake, and that larger price rises and subsidized cessation
      aids were needed to help them quit. Socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers
      engage in behaviours that exacerbate deprivation to maintain smoking, despite the
      consequences. These data do not suggest a need to avoid tobacco taxation, rather
      a need to consider how better to assist socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers
      who struggle to quit. 

PMID- 26116584
TI  - A block randomized controlled trial of a brief smoking cessation counselling and
      advice through short message service on participants who joined the Quit to Win
      Contest in Hong Kong.
AB  - The present trial examined the effectiveness of brief interventions for smokers
      who joined the Hong Kong Quit to Win Contest to quit smoking. A block randomized
      controlled trial allocated 1003 adult daily smokers to three groups: (i) The TEL
      group (n = 338) received a 5-min nurse-led telephone counselling; (ii) The SMS
      group (n = 335) received eight text messages through mobile phone and (iii) The
      CONTROL group (n = 330) did not receive the above interventions. Participants
      with biochemically verified abstinence at 6-month follow-up could receive cash
      incentive. The primary outcome was the self-reported 7-day point prevalence (PP)
      of tobacco abstinence at 6-month follow-up. The abstinence rate in the TEL, SMS
      and CONTROL group was 22.2, 20.6 and 20.3%, respectively (P for TEL versus
      CONTROL = 0.32; P for SMS versus CONTROL = 0.40). When abstinence at 2-, 6- and
      12-month follow-up was modelled simultaneously, the TEL group had a higher
      abstinence than the CONTROL group (Adjusted OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.01-1.88, P = 0
      .04). In the Quit to Win Contest, the brief telephone counselling might have
      increased abstinence, but the text messages had no significant effect. Further
      studies on intensive intervention and interactive messaging services are
      warranted. 

PMID- 26116585
TI  - Visual portrayals of obesity in health media: promoting exercise without
      perpetuating weight bias.
AB  - Health education campaigns for preventing and reducing obesity often contain
      weight-stigmatizing visual content, which may have unintended negative health
      consequences. The goal of the present research was to identify non-stigmatizing
      visual content for health education materials that can promote exercise among
      people of diverse weight statuses. An online sample of 483 US women viewed: (i) a
      woman with obesity portrayed stereotypically; (ii) a woman with obesity
      exercising; (iii) a woman with obesity portrayed neutrally; or (iv) a lean woman
      exercising. Race of the models pictured was randomized (White or Black).
      Participants completed measures of weight bias and exercise behavior and
      attitudes, and provided information about their weight status. Analysis of
      covariance revealed that responses to stereotypical and exercise images varied by
      participant weight status. Across participants, neutral obesity portrayals
      elicited lower expressions of weight-biased attitudes and higher reports of
      exercise liking/comfort. Among non-overweight participants, images portraying
      women with obesity stereotypically or counter-stereotypically produced greater
      endorsement of negative stereotypes than control, lean images. No effects of
      model race were found. These findings suggest that the public responds
      differently to visual portrayals of obesity depending on weight status, and
      neutral portrayals may be an effective route toward promoting exercise without
      perpetuating stigma. 

PMID- 26116586
TI  - Exploring New Ways to Deliver Value to Healthcare Organizations: Algorithmic
      Testing, Data Integration, and Diagnostic E-consult Service.
AB  - As the USA Health Care System undergoes transformation and transitions to value
      based models it is critical for laboratory medicine/clinical pathology physicians
      to explore opportunities and find new ways to deliver value, become an integral
      part of the healthcare team. This is also essential for ensuring financial health
      and stability of the profession when the payment paradigm changes from fee-for
      service to fee-for-performance. About 5 years ago we started searching for ways
      to achieve this goal. Among other approaches, the search included addressing the
      laboratory work-ups for specialists' referrals in the HarrisHealth System, a
      major safety net health care organization serving mostly indigent and underserved
      population of Harris County, TX. We present here our experience in improving the
      efficiency of laboratory testing for the referral process and in building a
      prototype of a diagnostic e-consult service using rheumatologic diseases as a
      starting point. The service incorporates algorithmic testing, integration of
      clinical, laboratory and imaging data, issuing structured comprehensive
      consultation reports, incorporating all the relevant information, and maintaining
      personal contacts and an e-line of communications with the primary providers and
      referral center personnel. Ongoing survey of providers affords testimony of
      service value in terms of facilitating their work and increasing productivity.
      Analysis of the cost effectiveness and of other value indicators is currently
      underway. We also discuss our pioneering experience in building pathology
      residents and fellows training in integrated diagnostic consulting service. 

PMID- 26116587
TI  - Corrected Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (NGAL) Level Adjusted by the
      Scoring System of an Inflammation Index for Screening Renal Dysfunction in
      Patients with Systemic Inflammation.
AB  - This study investigated the use of corrected neutrophil gelatinase-associated
      lipocalin (cNGAL) values to screen renal dysfunction in patients with systemic
      inflammation. Plasma NGAL concentrations were measured using a fluorescent
      immunoassay in 259 patients with inflammatory diseases. An inflammation index was
      calculated using a scoring system based on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein
      (hsCRP) and corrected erythrocyte sedimentation rates. The uncorrected NGAL
      (uNGAL) concentration increased with the inflammation index, but cNGAL increased
      in parallel with serum creatinine (sCr) levels. After adjustment with the
      inflammation index, increased uNGAL concentrations returned to a level not
      significantly different from the control value. In a multivariate regression
      analysis, hsCRP was more closely associated with uNGAL than cNGAL [r=0.513
      (p<0.001) vs. r=0.201 (p=0.017)], but the sCr level was more strongly linked to
      cNGAL than uNGAL (r=0.692 vs. r=0.583, respectively, p<0.001). In a receiver
      operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis, the diagnostic accuracy of cNGAL,
      which identifies an increase of sCr >=0.3 mg/dL within 48 hours, was found to be
      superior to that of uNGAL [0.72 (95% CI, 0.61-0.84) vs. 0.67 (95% CI, 0.56-0.81),
      p=0.038]. In conclusion, cNGAL more accurately reflects renal dysfunction than
      uNGAL under inflammatory conditions. A measurement of cNGAL may provide helpful
      information for assessing patients with renal impairment, particularly in
      association with systemic inflammation. 

PMID- 26116588
TI  - Serum Inflammatory and Immune Mediators Are Elevated in Early Stage Diabetic
      Nephropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes is the leading cause of end stage renal disease (ESRD) in
      the United States, representing 44% of incident cases [1]. In this study, serum
      and peripheral blood collected from diabetic patients in five stages of chronic
      kidney disease (CKD), as defined by glomerular filtration rate (GFR), were
      compared to healthy (non-CKD) subjects. METHODS: Serum samples were analyzed for
      39 inflammatory or immune mediator protein levels and peripheral blood samples
      were analyzed for expression of 35 gene transcripts. RESULTS: In serum, MCP-1,
      FGF-2, VEGF, and EGF levels were elevated above controls at all stages of DN.
      Five mediator levels, GM-CSF, IL-1alpha, IL-1RA, IL-6, and MIP1beta increased
      with disease progression until stage 4-5, at which point a decrease was observed
      paralleling a loss of functional renal mass that occurs in late stage CKD. Five
      mediator levels: GRO, IFNgamma, MDC, Eotaxin, and G-CSF significantly differed
      from controls at one or more stages without apparent correlation with disease
      stage. Only a single mediator, sIL2RA, exhibited a linear increase with disease
      severity consistent with declining GFR. In peripheral blood, the transcript level
      of seven mediators, ICAM1, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, IL-8, IL17RA, IFNgamma, and MYD88
      were significantly elevated at all disease stages as compared to control.
      CONCLUSION: Statistically significant differences in protein and transcripts
      levels between diseased and control can be detected in serum and peripheral blood
      utilizing high content profiling. These changes occur as early as stage 1-2
      before a significant decline in renal function.

PMID- 26116589
TI  - Screening High Abundance of Peptide for Making Examination Possible in Human
      Urine.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aim to explore and identify the high abundance of peptides in
      urine. METHODS: Random urine samples from 30 healthy individuals were purified by
      weak cationic-exchange magnetic beads (MB-WCX) and then analyzed by matrix
      assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF
      MS). Then the generated mass spectra of peptides were handled by ClinPro-Tools2.1
      bioinformatics software and the high abundance of urinary peptide was filtered.
      Subsequently, the amino acid sequences of highly expressed peptides were
      identified by a nano-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and the
      corresponding protein names were found by Sequest search. RESULTS: There were 159
      urinary peptides of which mass to charge ratios (m/z) varied between 1,000 and
      10,000 in the 30 healthy samples. Only peaks with average intensity >600 and the
      frequency >50% in the whole group were filtered. There were 15 peptides passed
      though the threshold and they were identified as fragments of fibrinogen alpha
      chain precursor, vitronectin precursor, inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain
      H4, complement component 3, prothrombin, apolipoprotein C-II, and alpha
      fetoprotein. CONCLUSION: These urinary peptides could be used for further
      research on urine.

PMID- 26116590
TI  - Target-antigen Detection and Localization of Human Amniotic-derived Cells after
      in Utero Transplantation in Rats.
AB  - Human amniotic-derived cells (hAMCs) have recently raised interest for their
      differentiation capability and immunomodulatory properties. To assess the
      feasibility of hAMCs therapeutic treatment during fetal development, we explored
      the localization of cells derived from the human amniotic membrane in rat organs
      after in utero transplantation. Rats were sacrificed at different time points and
      their organs were analyzed for the distribution of hAMCs by immunohistochemistry
      using an antibody against Human Cytoplasm and through detection of human DNA.
      Immunohistochemical and PCR analysis showed that most of the rat tissues
      presented human cells/DNA suggesting a widespread migration of hAMCs after
      transplantation. We developed an efficient target-antigen detection method based
      on an immunohistochemical technique that resulted to be highly specific and
      sensitive to identify the hAMCs into rat tissues. 

PMID- 26116591
TI  - Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) Could Be Better Predictor than C-reactive
      Protein (CRP) for Liver Fibrosis in Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis(NASH).
AB  - BACKGROUND-AIM: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major cause of
      chronic liver disease worldwide. The aims of this study were to assess Neutrophil
      Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), and their association with
      liver histology in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), chronic
      hepatitis B (HBV), and hepatitis C (HCV). MATERIAL-METHODS: We studied 38
      consecutive patients with biopsy-proven NASH, 19 patients with HCV, 45 patients
      with HBV, and 35 healthy controls who were similar for age and gender. The stage
      of fibrosis was measured using a 6-point scale. RESULTS: NLR was significantly
      higher in NASH patients compared to controls, HBV, and HCV patients (p<0.001,
      p<0.001, and p<0.001, respectively). NLR was positively associated with NAFLD
      activity scores (r=0.861, p<0.001). NLR was associated with hepatocyte ballooning
      degeneration (r=0.426, p=0.024), lobular inflammation(r=0.694, p<0.001),
      steatosis(r=0.498, p=0.007), and fibrosis stage(r=0.892, p<0.001) in NASH
      patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that NLR was significantly
      associated with liver fibrosis and NAS (beta=0.631, p<0.001 for liver fibrosis;
      beta=0.753, p<0.001 for NAS in the multivariate model); however, CRP had no
      association with liver fibrosis and NAS CONCLUSION: NLR is a promising and
      inexpensive inflammation marker that correlates with histological grade and
      fibrosis stage in NASH patients.

PMID- 26116592
TI  - Plasma Adiponectin Levels Inversely Correlate to Clinical Parameters in Type 2
      Diabetes Mellitus Patients with Macrovascular Diseases.
AB  - It has been shown that adiponectin (APN) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type
      1 (PAI-1) are inversely involved in the regulation of atherosclerosis formation.
      However, the clinical impact of APN and PAI-1 in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)
      with macrovascular diseases (MVD) has not been investigated. In the present
      study, we found that plasma APN levels were significantly lower in T2DM patients
      than healthy donors, with a further decrease in T2DM patients with MVD. In
      contrast, plasma PAI-1 levels were significantly higher in T2DM patients than
      healthy donors, with a further increase in T2DM patients with MVD. We observed
      that plasma APN levels negatively correlated to values of BMI, FBG, FINS, TG, and
      PAI-1 in T2DM patients. In patients with MVD, plasma APN levels were negatively
      associated with values of BMI, SBP, FBG, FINS, TG, and PAI-1. By multiple
      stepwise regression analysis, we found that values of BMI, FCP, PAI-1, and FBG
      independently related to plasma levels of APN in T2DM patients with MVD. Taken
      together, our results indicate that APN might be a promising biomarker in
      patients with T2DM, especially in those with MVD. 

PMID- 26116593
TI  - Cyclophosphamide Combined with Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Protects
      against Bleomycin-induced Lung Fibrosis in Mice.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To examine the effects and possible mechanism of the
      immunosuppressant agent cyclophosphamide (CP) combined with bone marrow
      mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) on bleomycin induced lung fibrosis in mice.
      METHODS: BM-MSCs labeled with red fluorescence protein (RFP) from male Friend
      virus B-type(FVB) mice were cultured in vitro. Pulmonary fibrosis(PF) was induced
      in female wild type FVB mice and mice were randomly divided into five groups:
      control, model, CP, BM-MSCs, and BM-MSCs+CP. Pathological changes and
      distribution of RFP (+) BMSC in lung tissue were observed and hydroxyproline
      (Hyp) content in the lungs was measured. Changes in TGF-beta mRNA, PDGF mRNA, and
      SDF-1mRNA expression in lung tissue were measured. RESULTS: PF and Hyp levels in
      the BM-MSCs and BM-MSCs+CP groups were significantly alleviated (p<0.01) compared
      to the model group. The RFP (+) cells were distributed in the periphery of the
      alveolar space and endomembrane of bronchus. Hyp levels were reduced in the BM
      MSCs+CP group compared to the BM-MSCs group (p<0.05). TGF-beta and PDGF levels in
      the BM-MSCs and BM-MSCs+CP groups were higher than in the control or model group
      (p<0.05). SDF-1 level in the CP group showed no significant differences compared
      to the control group, in the other groups were higher than in the control group
      (p<0.05) and in the BM-MSCs+CP group was lower than in the BM-MSCs group
      (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that CP alone does not improve PF and may
      be harmful. In contrast, combined application of BM-MSCs with CP provided better
      protection against PF and may serve as an effective therapy.

PMID- 26116594
TI  - Clot Strength as Measured by Thrombelastography Correlates with Platelet
      Reactivity in Stroke Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Platelet reactivity may be important in the management of patients
      with stroke. However, degree of platelet reactivity has not been correlated with
      Thrombelastography (TEG((r))) parameters in stroke. We sought to detect a
      correlation between TEG((r)) values and clot platelet reactivity in ex vivo clots
      of stroke patients. METHODS: We collected venous blood from 40 patients with
      stroke. TEG((r)) measurements were carried out and residual clots were fixed in
      10% formalin immediately following completion of TEG((r)). The formalin specimens
      were embedded in paraffin blocks, cut at 4 micrometers, and stained with CD 61
      (immunohistochemical stain used to detect platelets) with appropriate controls.
      Under light microscopy, three pathologists blinded to TEG((r)) results
      independently graded CD61 intensity (how aggregated/intense the CD61 stained)
      into a low and high group, as a proposed measurement representing the platelet
      reactivity of the clot. We compared pre-tPA-TEG((r)) values among groups with
      different CD 61 intensities. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounding factors, we
      found statistically significant correlation between CD61 staining and several
      TEG((r)) parameters (Delta and CD61 staining intensity (p=0.047); Angle and CD61
      staining intensity grade (p=0.04); and G and CD61 staining intensity grade
      (p=0.04)). CONCLUSIONS: Clot strength on TEG((r)) as measured by Delta, Angle,
      and G correlates with a clot with greater platelet reactivity.

PMID- 26116595
TI  - Up-regulation of MicroRNA 146b is Associated with Myelofibrosis in
      Myeloproliferative Neoplasms.
AB  - In this study, our goal was to evaluate whether the expressions of microRNA (miR)
      150, miR-146b, miR-31 and miR-95 demonstrate primary myelofibrosis (PMF)
      specificity, associations with fibrosis grade, hematologic phenotypes, or
      myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN)-associated mutations. A total of 51 formalin
      fixed and paraffin-embedded bone marrow MPN samples, including 15 polycythemia
      vera (PV), 26 essential thrombocythemia (ET), and 10 PMF, and 24 normal controls
      were included. The expression of microRNA (miRNA) was detected by quantitative
      real-time polymerase chain reaction using miRNA specific primers. RNU6-2 was
      analyzed for all samples as endogenous control for relative quantification.
      Information for fibrosis, hematologic parameters, Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) V617F,
      and calreticulin (CALR) mutations was obtained from medical records. Significant
      increment of miR-146b was detected in PMF compared to normal controls (P=0.008).
      Moreover, expression of miR-146b tended to increase according to increment of
      fibrosis grade, and patients with myelofibrosis (MF) grade 3 showed significantly
      higher expression than patients with MF 0 to 2 (P=0.022, 0.001 and 0.013,
      respectively) or normal controls (P<0.001). The expression of miR-31 also showed
      tendency to increase following fibrosis and miR-150 showed up-regulated
      expression in ET (P=0.015) compared to normal control. There was no relationship
      between miRNA expression and hematologic indices except miR-95 showed negative
      correlation with platelet count (P=0.024). There was no significant correlation
      between miRNA expression and JAK2 V617F or CALR mutation. Up-regulation of miR
      146b could be used as a fibrosis-indicating marker and might be helpful in the
      study of fibrotic mechanism in MPN, as well as other fibrotic diseases. 

PMID- 26116596
TI  - GPR109A Expression in the Murine Min6 Pancreatic Beta Cell Line, and Its Relation
      with Glucose Metabolism and Inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nicotinic acid has been used clinically to manage dyslipidemia for
      many years, and its receptor, GPR109A, is expressed in various tissues or cells.
      It is not known if GPR109A is also expressed in pancreatic beta cells or if it
      takes part in maintaining homeostasis of glucose metabolism. AIMS: In this study,
      the expression of GPR109A was investigated in the murine Min6 pancreatic beta
      cell line. The anti-inflammatory role of GPR109A in MIN6 cells was also explored.
      METHODS: RT-PCR, western blotting, and immunocytochemical staining were used to
      detect the expression of GPR109A in MIN6 cells. Real-Time RT-PCR was used to
      investigate GPR109A mRNA levels influenced by IFN-gamma and glucose. Cell
      viability and cytoplasmic nitrite levels were measured colorimetrically. RESULTS:
      We have identified that MIN6 cell, a mouse pancreatic beta cell line, expresses
      GPR109A transcripts and protein. GPR109A protein is mainly located in the cell
      membrane and cytoplasm. GPR109A mRNA increased more than 9-fold in MIN6 cells
      incubated with IFN-gamma. High glucose inhibited GPR109A mRNA expression. Nitric
      oxide accumulation, induced by IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha, was inhibited by nicotinic
      acid and 3-hydroxy-butyrate. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the expression
      of GPR109A in pancreatic beta cells is not only influenced by inflammation and
      glucose, but also plays a protective role under inflammatory conditions.
      Moreover, the MIN6 cell line may serve as a cellular model for further
      investigation of GPR109A-mediated signal transduction in modulating metabolism
      and diabetes.

PMID- 26116597
TI  - The iDigoxin Assay is More Sensitive than LOCI Digoxin Assay for Rapid Detection
      of Convallatoxin, the Active Cardiac Glycoside of Lily of The Valley.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Lily of the valley is a poisonous plant due to the presence of the
      cardiac glycoside convallatoxin. We compared two immunoassays (LOCI digoxin assay
      and iDigoxin assay) for rapid detection of convallatoxin if present in human
      serum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aliquots of a drug free serum pool and a digoxin
      serum pool were supplemented with microliter amounts of lily of the valley
      extract or nanogram to microgram quantities of convallatoxin, followed by
      measurement of apparent digoxin concentrations using the LOCI and iDigxoin
      assays. RESULTS: Apparent digoxin concentrations were observed when aliquots of a
      drug free serum pool were supplemented with convallatoxin or lily of the valley
      extract using both assays but apparent digoxin concentrations were significantly
      higher using the iDigoxin assay. In addition, the interference of convallatoxin
      in serum digoxin measurement was also significantly higher using iDigxoin assay
      compared to the LOCI digoxin assay. CONCLUSIONS: The iDigxoin assay is more
      sensitive in detecting convallatoxin in human serum.

PMID- 26116598
TI  - Comparison of the Xpert MTB/RIF Assay and Real-time PCR for the Detection of
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We compared the Xpert MTB/RIF assay with a real-time PCR assay
      using samples from culture-positive patients with TB. In addition, drug
      susceptibility test results were compared to evaluate the usefulness of these
      methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-two clinical specimens were analyzed by
      standard smear-microscopy, mycobacterial growth indicator tube (MGIT) culture,
      solid culture, MGIT drug-susceptibility testing, TB real-time PCR, and the Xpert
      MTB/RIF assay. RESULTS: Diagnostic sensitivity of AdvanSure TB/NTM real-time PCR
      was 80.0%. As shown from smear positive and negative specimens, sensitivities
      were 87.5% and 75.9%, respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity of Xpert MTB/RIF
      assay was 75.5%, and from smear positive and negative specimens, sensitivities
      were 93.8% and 65.5%, respectively. There were 10 cases with discrepant results
      between two methods. 2 cases were found resistant to rifampin, although Xpert
      MTB/RIF assay was able to detect rifampin resistance in only one specimen.
      DISCUSSION: Xpert MTB/RIF assay is an easier method to conduct and while its
      ability to detect rifampin resistance simultaneously is a benefit, its
      sensitivity from smear negative-culture positive specimens was lower than
      Advansure TB/NTM real-time PCR. Further investigation to increase the sensitivity
      and detect other drug resistances by kit-based assays is required for the rapid
      and accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis.

PMID- 26116599
TI  - Laboratory and Clinical features of EIA Toxin-positive and EIA Toxin-negative
      Community-acquired Clostridium difficile Infection.
AB  - Studies have described the clinical course of patients with Clostridium difficile
      infection (CDI) with positive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for toxins A and B.
      Limited information is available for the patients with negative EIA but positive
      for the toxin B gene (TcdB) by the PCR. The aim of our study is to determine if
      there are any differences that exist among the clinical and laboratory parameters
      in the patients tested to be positive by EIA for toxin and those who were
      negative. This is a retrospective cohort study conducted in a 700-bed teaching
      hospital. We reviewed charts of the patients with presumptive CDI between January
      2006 and July 2013. We divided these patients into two groups, EIA-positive and
      EIA-negative, based on result of EIA for toxins A and B and the requirement for a
      positive PCR analysis of the TcdB gene. The EIA-positive group had significantly
      higher white blood cell counts (p<0.001), with a significantly greater percentage
      of bands (p<0.0001). Albumin and total protein both exhibit significantly
      (p<0.0001, both comparisons) lower values in the EIA-positive group. Among
      clinical findings, the EIA-positive group had significantly longer length of
      hospital stay (p=0.010). These data suggest that an infection with an EIA
      negative strain of C. difficile presents laboratory markers closer to those of
      healthy subjects and clinical features suggesting considerably less severe than
      infection with EIA-positive C. difficile. 

PMID- 26116600
TI  - Plasma Cell Granuloma: An Entity within the Spectrum of IgG4-Related Disease.
AB  - Plasma cell granuloma (PCG) is a relatively rare, mass-forming lesion comprised
      of polyclonal plasma cells set in a background of storiform fibrosis and spindle
      cell proliferation. While uncommon, this lesion may occur within any site and
      should be included in the list of differential diagnoses for plasma cell
      neoplasms. As this entity can be mistaken for a plasma cell neoplasm, surgical
      pathologists should consider ancillary studies to assess clonality of plasma cell
      proliferations, especially during intraoperative consultation.Although the
      etiology of these lesions is unclear, recent literature and immunohistochemical
      stains performed on our own cases suggest that PCG falls within the spectrum of
      IgG4 related diseases, which would have significant clinical significance
      impacting treatment and the potential for associated disease at distant body
      sites. We present two cases of head and neck PCG encountered at a tertiary
      academic medical center with immunohistochemical staining demonstrating increased
      IgG4-secreting plasma cells. 

PMID- 26116601
TI  - Spinal Stenosis with Paraparesis in a Korean Boy with Albright's Hereditary
      Osteodystrophy: Identification of a Novel Nonsense Mutation in the GNAS.
AB  - Children with Albright's hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) suffering from spinal
      cord compression are rarely reported worldwide. The association of compressive
      myelopathy with AHO is not still well known. AHO is a rare heterogeneous group of
      inherited disorders and results from the GNAS mutation. AHO manifests in two
      different phenotypes, pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ia (PHP-Ia) and
      pseudopsedohypoparthyroidim (PPHP), which may happen in the same family members.
      We present the case of a 15-year-old boy with AHO features, who was later
      diagnosed with PHP-Ia. He suffered from cervical myelopathy with paraparesis due
      to spinal stenosis. His mother with AHO phenotype was diagnosed with PPHP without
      spinal stenosis. Genetic analysis revealed a novel heterozygous nonsense mutation
      within exon 1 of GNAS(c.49A>T; p.Lys17*) in both of them. This is the first
      clinically, biochemically, and genetically identified child case of spinal
      stenosis and paraparesis associated with PHP-Ia, having a novel GNAS mutation in
      Korea. 

PMID- 26116602
TI  - Ovarian Sertoli-Leydig Cell Tumor with Predominant Heterologous Mucinous
      Differentiation and Foci of Hepatocytic Differentiation: Case Report and Review
      of The Literature.
AB  - Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor is a rare ovarian neoplasm and belongs to the group of
      sex cord stromal tumors. We present a case of a 15-year old girl diagnosed with
      Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor with heterologous elements consisting predominantly of
      mucinous epithelium and a sparse Sertoli-Leydig cell component, mimicking
      mucinous neoplasm. Furthermore, foci of hepatocytic differentiation were also
      identified. Immunohistochemical stains showed the component of Sertoli cell
      differentiation was positive for cytokeratin 18 and inhibin. The component of
      Leydig cell differentiation was strongly positive for inhibin. The component of
      hepatocytic differentiation was positive for low molecular weight keratin,
      HepPar1, alpha-fetoprotein and weakly positive for inhibin. Thus, this was a very
      rare case which created a challenge for pathologists, especially on frozen
      sections. 

PMID- 26116603
TI  - A Case Report of a Child with a Marker Chromosome Presenting as Isodicentric Yp
      and Literature Review.

PMID- 26116604
TI  - Rifampicin Interference in the Measurement of Urinary Catecholamines by High
      Performance Liquid Chromatography.
AB  - Measurement of urine and plasma catecholamines and their metabolites are
      essential for the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. Here, we report our experience
      of rifampicin interference in the measurement of urinary catecholamines using
      high-performance liquid chromatography. During a 1-year period, four patients
      taking rifampicin showed unusual chromatograms with markedly larger
      norepinephrine spikes, translating to highly elevated norepinephrine
      concentrations: 290.2, 720.1, 312.0, and 812.7 MUg/L. This interference effect
      did not occur when samples were prepared using the alumina method, with
      norepinephrine values decreasing to 26.4, 31.5, 21.9, and 17.2 MUg/L.
      Interference was also absent in data using LC-MS/MS. Clinical laboratories should
      verify whether rifampicin interferes with test results in their assays, and
      physicians should be informed that urinary norepinephrine levels can be falsely
      elevated in patients taking rifampicin. 

PMID- 26116605
TI  - Primary Epithelioid Angiosarcoma of Bone with Robust Cell Cycle Progression and
      High Expression of SPARC: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Epithelioid angiosarcoma of bone is a rare entity. Secreted protein acidic and
      rich in cysteine (SPARC), or osteonectin, is a secreted glycoprotein that has
      been implicated in tumorigenesis. We report a case of epithelioid angiosarcoma
      involving the long bones of the lower extremity showing diffuse and strong
      expression for SPARC immunohistochemistry in tumor cells. Ki-67 was positive in
      ~50% of tumor cell nuclei and the accompanying mitotic index was 19 mitotic
      figures/10 high power fields.Expression of SPARC in tumors has been correlated
      with sensitivity to nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (Nab-paclitaxel),
      particularly in the context of robust cell cycle progression into the mitotic
      phase. This finding could suggest new therapeutic options for further
      consideration. 

PMID- 26116606
TI  - Clinical Course of Unilateral Acanthamoeba Keratitis in a Cosmetic Contact Lens
      Wearer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the features and clinical course of Acanthamoeba keratitis in
      a cosmetic contact lens wearer. CASE REPORT: A 29-year-old man sought medical
      attention for severe ocular pain, blurry vision, photophobia, and a foreign body
      sensation in the left eye for the past 3-4 days. He had been wearing a single
      sapphire cosmetic soft contact lens for 1-2 months. The left upper eyelid was
      edematous and the conjunctiva was hyperemic; the best corrected distance visual
      acuity was 20/400. A slit lamp examination revealed circular and perineural
      linear stromal opacities and diffuse keratic precipitates. A clinical diagnosis
      of herpes simplex keratitis was made and the patient was started on antiviral
      therapy. After initial improvement, the patient returned with worsening pain and
      vision; the corneal lesions had exacerbated. Unresponsiveness to antiviral
      therapy prompted examination of corneal scrapings, which revealed Acanthamoeba
      developmental forms. Antimicrobial therapy was prescribed resulting in relief of
      symptoms despite corneal opacities and poor vision. CONCLUSION: This case
      illustrates the importance of considering Acanthamoeba keratitis in contact lens
      wearers at presentation, particularly in those with symptomatic keratitis
      unresponsive to antiviral and antifungal therapy.

PMID- 26116607
TI  - Nicotinate O-Glucosylation Is an Evolutionarily Metabolic Trait Important for
      Seed Germination under Stress Conditions in Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - The glycosylation of nicotinate (NA), a key intermediate of the NAD salvage
      pathway, occurs widely in land plants. However, the physiological function of NA
      glycosylation is not well understood in planta, and no gene encoding NA
      glycosyltransferase has been reported to date. NA glycosylation in Arabidopsis
      thaliana occurs at either the N- or the O-position of the NA molecule, and O
      glucosylation appears to be unique to the Brassicaceae. Using gene-enzyme
      correlations focused on Family 1 glycosyltransferases (GTs; EC 2.4), we
      identified and characterized three Arabidopsis GTs, which are likely involved in
      NA glycosylation. These include one NAOGT (UGT74F2; previously identified as a
      salicylic acid glycosyltransferases) and two NANGTs (UGT76C4 and UGT76C5).
      Arabidopsis mutants of UGT74F2 accumulate higher levels of free NA, but not
      salicylic acid, than that of the wild type, and this inversely correlated with
      seed germination rates under various abiotic stresses. The germination defect of
      the ugt74f2-1 mutant could be fully complemented by overexpression of UGT74F2.
      These observations, together with comprehensive chemical analysis, suggest that
      NA glycosylation may function to protect plant cells from the toxicity of NA
      overaccumulation during seed germination. Combined with phylogenetic analysis,
      our results suggest that NAOGTs arose recently in the Brassicaceae family and may
      provide a fitness benefit. The multifunctionality of UGT74F2 in Arabidopsis is
      also investigated and discussed. 

PMID- 26116609
TI  - Changes in cuff pressure and position of cylindrical-cuff and tapered-cuff
      tracheal tubes during laparoscopic abdominal surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate changes in cuff pressure and position of tapered-cuff and
      cylindrical-cuff tracheal tubes (TTs) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy; to
      compare the frequency of endobronchial intubation and airway complaints with the
      two types of TT. METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to intubation with a TT
      with a cylindrical cuff (group C) or a tapered cuff (group T). Anaesthesia was
      maintained with sevoflurane, O(2) and N(2)O after intubation. TT cuffs were
      inflated to 20 cm H(2)O; changes in cuff pressure and volume were measured up to
      30 min after the start of N(2)O use. Distance between the TT tip and the carina
      was measured before and after pneumoperitoneum and position change. Frequency of
      sore throat, dysphagia and hoarseness in the two groups was recorded. RESULTS:
      Cuff volume and pressure were significantly lower in group T than in group C (n =
      32 per group). Cuff pressure and volume significantly increased 30 min after
      start of N(2)O use in both groups. Distance from the TT tip to the carina
      decreased during surgery in both groups. There were no cases of endobronchial
      intubation, and there were no between-group differences in the frequency of
      airway complaints. CONCLUSIONS: The tapered cuff was associated with a smaller
      change in cuff pressure during laparoscopic cholecystectomy than the cylindrical
      cuff, and therefore may be associated with increased preservation of tracheal
      mucosal perfusion.

PMID- 26116608
TI  - Mitochondrial Dihydrolipoyl Dehydrogenase Activity Shapes Photosynthesis and
      Photorespiration of Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Mitochondrial dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (mtLPD; L-protein) is an integral
      component of several multienzyme systems involved in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA)
      cycle, photorespiration, and the degradation of branched-chain alpha-ketoacids.
      The majority of the mtLPD present in photosynthesizing tissue is used for glycine
      decarboxylase (GDC), necessary for the high-flux photorespiratory glycine-into
      serine conversion. We previously suggested that GDC activity could be a signal in
      a regulatory network that adjusts carbon flux through the Calvin-Benson cycle in
      response to photorespiration. Here, we show that elevated GDC L-protein activity
      significantly alters several diagnostic parameters of cellular metabolism and
      leaf gas exchange in Arabidopsis thaliana. Overexpressor lines displayed markedly
      decreased steady state contents of TCA cycle and photorespiratory intermediates
      as well as elevated NAD(P)(+)-to-NAD(P)H ratios. Additionally, increased rates of
      CO2 assimilation, photorespiration, and plant growth were observed. Intriguingly,
      however, day respiration rates remained unaffected. By contrast, respiration was
      enhanced in the first half of the dark phase but depressed in the second. We also
      observed enhanced sucrose biosynthesis in the light in combination with a lower
      diel magnitude of starch accumulation and breakdown. These data thus substantiate
      our prior hypothesis that facilitating flux through the photorespiratory pathway
      stimulates photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in the Calvin-Benson cycle. They
      furthermore suggest that this regulation is, at least in part, dependent on
      increased light-capture/use efficiency. 

PMID- 26116610
TI  - Iron overload increases osteoclastogenesis and aggravates the effects of
      ovariectomy on bone mass.
AB  - Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a metabolic disease associated with estrogen
      deficiency. The results of numerous studies have revealed the positive
      correlation between iron accumulation and postmenopausal osteoporotic status.
      Although the results of previous studies have indicated that estrogen or iron
      alone have an effect on bone metabolism, their combined effects are not well
      defined. Using an in vivo mouse model, we found that bone mass was minimally
      affected by an excess of iron in the presence of estrogen. Once the source of
      estrogen was removed (ovariectomy), iron accumulation significantly decreased
      bone mass. These effects were accompanied by fluctuations in the level of
      oxidative stress. To determine whether these effects were related to bone
      formation or bone resorption, primary osteoblasts (OBs), RAW264.7 cells, and bone
      marrow-derived macrophages were used for in vitro experiments. We found that iron
      accumulation did inhibit the activity of OBs. However, estrogen had little effect
      on this inhibition. In contrast, iron promoted osteoclast differentiation through
      the production of reactive oxygen species. Estrogen, a powerful reactive oxygen
      scavenger, suppressed this effect in osteoclasts. Our data provided direct
      evidence that iron affected the bone mass only in the absence of estrogen. The
      inhibitory effect of estrogen on iron-induced osteopenia was particularly
      relevant to bone resorption rather than bone formation. 

PMID- 26116611
TI  - Implementing Role-Changing Versus Time-Changing Innovations in Health Care:
      Differences in Helpfulness of Staff Improvement Teams, Management, and Network
      for Learning.
AB  - Health care organizations often fail in their effort to implement care-improving
      innovations. This article differentiates role-changing innovations, altering what
      workers do, from time-changing innovations, altering when tasks are performed or
      for how long. We examine our hypothesis that the degree to which access to groups
      that can alter organizational learning--staff, management, and external network-
      facilitates implementation depends on innovation type. Our longitudinal study
      using ordinal logistic regression and survey data on 517 hospitals'
      implementation of evidence-based practices for treating heart attack confirmed
      our thesis for factors granting access to each group: improvement team's
      representativeness (of affected staff), senior management engagement, and network
      membership. Although team representativeness and network membership were
      positively associated with implementing role-changing practices, senior
      management engagement was not. In contrast, senior management engagement was
      positively associated with implementing time-changing practices, whereas team
      representativeness was not, and network membership was not unless there was
      limited management engagement. These findings advance implementation science by
      explaining mixed results across past studies: Nature of change for workers alters
      potential facilitators' effects on implementation.

PMID- 26116612
TI  - Fatty acid synthase is a metabolic oncogene targetable in malignant peripheral
      nerve sheath tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are soft tissue
      sarcomas with minimal therapeutic opportunities. We observed that lipid droplets
      (LDs) accumulate in human MPNST cell lines and in primary human tumor samples.
      The goal of this study was to investigate the relevance of lipid metabolism to
      MPNST survival and as a possible therapeutic target. METHODS: Based on
      preliminary findings that MPNSTs accumulate LDs, we hypothesized that a
      deregulated lipid metabolism supports MPNST cell survival/proliferation rate. To
      test this, we examined respiration, role of fatty acid oxidation (FAO), and the
      enzyme fatty acid synthase involved in de novo fatty acid synthesis in MPNSTs
      using both genetic and pharmacological tools. RESULTS: We demonstrate that LDs
      accumulate in MPNST cell lines, primary human and mouse MPNST tumors, and neural
      crest cells. LDs from MPNST cells disappear on lipid deprivation, indicating that
      LDs can be oxidized as a source of energy. Inhibition of FAO decreased oxygen
      consumption and reduced MPNST survival, indicating that MPNST cells likely
      metabolize LDs through active FAO. FAO inhibition reduced oxygen consumption and
      survival even in the absence of exogenous lipids, indicating that lipids
      synthesized de novo can also be oxidized. Consequently, inhibition of de novo
      fatty acid synthesis, which is overexpressed in human MPNST cell lines,
      effectively reduced MPNST survival and delayed induction of tumor growth in vivo.
      CONCLUSION: Our results show that MPNSTs depend on lipid metabolic pathways and
      suggest that disrupting lipid metabolism could be a potential new strategy for
      the development of MPNST therapeutics.

PMID- 26116613
TI  - Effect of self-reported home smoking restriction on smoking initiation among
      adolescents in Taiwan: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to investigate the influence of home
      smoking restriction (HSR) and the modified effect of parental smoking on smoking
      initiation among adolescents. DESIGN: Prospective Cohort Study. SETTING: Junior
      high school in Keelung City, Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: This study collected and
      evaluated primary data from the Adolescent Smoking and Other Health-Related
      Behaviour Survey conducted in Keelung City, which aimed to investigate smoking
      and health-related behaviours in junior high school students (2008-2009). Data on
      students free of smoking in 2008 and following them until 2009 (n=901) to
      ascertain whether they had started smoking were analysed with logistic regression
      mode to examine the proposed postulates. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The outcome
      variable was smoking initiation, which was defined as smoking status (yes/no) in
      the 2009 follow-up questionnaire. The main independent variable was HSR obtained
      from an adolescent self-reported questionnaire. Information on parental smoking
      was measured by adolescents self-reporting the smoking behaviour of their father
      and mother. RESULTS: The rate of HSR was 29.79% among 7th grade adolescents. The
      effect of HSR on smoking initiation in adolescents was statistically
      significantly modified by paternal smoking (p=0.04) but not by maternal smoking
      (p=0.54). The effect of HSR on smoking initiation was small for fathers with the
      habit of smoking (OR=0.89, 95% CI (0.42 to 1.88)), but the corresponding effect
      size was 3.2-fold (OR=2.84, 95% CI 1.19 to 6.81) for fathers without the habit of
      smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Paternal smoking behaviour may play an interactive role
      with HSR in preventing smoking initiation among Taiwanese adolescents.

PMID- 26116615
TI  - The transition model test for serial dependence in mixed-effects models for
      binary data.
AB  - Generalized linear mixed models for longitudinal data assume that responses at
      different occasions are conditionally independent, given the random effects and
      covariates. Although this assumption is pivotal for consistent estimation,
      violation due to serial dependence is hard to assess by model elaboration. We
      therefore propose a targeted diagnostic test for serial dependence, called the
      transition model test (TMT), that is straightforward and computationally
      efficient to implement in standard software. The TMT is shown to have larger
      power than general misspecification tests. We also propose the targeted root mean
      squared error of approximation (TRSMEA) as a measure of the population misfit due
      to serial dependence.

PMID- 26116614
TI  - FAST CP: protocol of a randomised controlled trial of the efficacy of a 12-week
      combined Functional Anaerobic and Strength Training programme on muscle
      properties and mechanical gait deficiencies in adolescents and young adults with
      spastic-type cerebral palsy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) have muscles that are smaller,
      weaker and more resistant to stretch compared to typically developing people.
      Progressive resistance training leads to increases in muscle size and strength.
      In CP, the benefits of resistance training alone may not transfer to improve
      other activities such as walking; however, the transfer of strength improvements
      to improved mobility may be enhanced by performing training that involves
      specific functional tasks or motor skills. This study aims to determine the
      efficacy of combined functional anaerobic and strength training in (1)
      influencing muscle strength, structure and function and (2) to determine if any
      changes in muscle strength and structure following training impact on walking
      ability and gross motor functional capacity and performance in the short
      (following 3 months of training) and medium terms (a further 3 months post
      training). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: 40 adolescents and young adults with CP will be
      recruited to undertake a 12-week training programme. The training programme will
      consist of 3 * 75 min sessions per week, made up of 5 lower limb resistance
      exercises and 2-3 functional anaerobic exercises per session. The calf muscles
      will be specifically targeted, as they are the most commonly impacted muscles in
      CP and are a key muscle group involved in walking. If, as we believe, muscle
      properties change following combined strength and functional training, there may
      be long-term benefits of this type of training in slowing the deterioration of
      muscle function in people with spastic-type CP. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical
      approval has been obtained from the ethics committees at The University of
      Queensland (2014000066) and Children's Health Queensland (HREC/15/QRCH/30). The
      findings will be disseminated by publications in peer-reviewed journals,
      conferences and local research organisations' media. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:
      Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12614001217695).

PMID- 26116616
TI  - Performance of methods for meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy with few
      studies or sparse data.
AB  - Hierarchical models such as the bivariate and hierarchical summary receiver
      operating characteristic (HSROC) models are recommended for meta-analysis of test
      accuracy studies. These models are challenging to fit when there are few studies
      and/or sparse data (for example zero cells in contingency tables due to studies
      reporting 100% sensitivity or specificity); the models may not converge, or give
      unreliable parameter estimates. Using simulation, we investigated the performance
      of seven hierarchical models incorporating increasing simplifications in
      scenarios designed to replicate realistic situations for meta-analysis of test
      accuracy studies. Performance of the models was assessed in terms of estimability
      (percentage of meta-analyses that successfully converged and percentage where the
      between study correlation was estimable), bias, mean square error and coverage of
      the 95% confidence intervals. Our results indicate that simpler hierarchical
      models are valid in situations with few studies or sparse data. For synthesis of
      sensitivity and specificity, univariate random effects logistic regression models
      are appropriate when a bivariate model cannot be fitted. Alternatively, an HSROC
      model that assumes a symmetric SROC curve (by excluding the shape parameter) can
      be used if the HSROC model is the chosen meta-analytic approach. In the absence
      of heterogeneity, fixed effect equivalent of the models can be applied.

PMID- 26116617
TI  - CUSUM control charts to monitor series of Negative Binomial count data.
AB  - To detect outbreaks of diseases in public health, several control charts have
      been proposed in the literature. In this context, the usual generalized linear
      model may be fitted for counts under a Negative Binomial distribution with a
      logarithm link function and the population size included as offset to model
      hospitalization rates. Different statistics are used to build CUSUM control
      charts to monitor daily hospitalizations and their performances are compared in
      simulation studies. The main contribution of the current paper is to consider
      different statistics based on transformations and the deviance residual to build
      control charts to monitor counts with seasonality effects and evaluate all the
      assumptions of the monitored statistics. The monitoring of daily number of
      hospital admissions due to respiratory diseases for people aged over 65 years in
      the city Sao Paulo-Brazil is considered as an illustration of the current
      proposal.

PMID- 26116618
TI  - Efficacy of intravesical pentosan polysulfate sodium in cats with obstructive
      feline idiopathic cystitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Obstructive feline idiopathic cystitis is a common emergency in small
      animal practice. There is evidence for a defective glycosaminoglycan layer in the
      urinary bladder of affected cats. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      effect of intravesical pentosan polysulfate sodium (PPS) in cats with obstructive
      feline idiopathic cystitis in a randomised, placebo-controlled, blinded clinical
      study. METHODS: Thirty-five cats with obstructive feline idiopathic cystitis were
      enrolled into the study. On day 0, cats were randomised to receive either 30 mg
      PPS in saline (18 cats) or saline alone as placebo (17 cats) at the time of
      indwelling urinary catheter placement and then after 24 and 48 h. The catheter
      was clamped for 30 mins after administration before connecting it to a sterile
      urine collection system. The procedure was repeated after 24 and 48 h, and then
      the indwelling catheter was removed. Treatment success was assessed via the
      incidence of recurrent urethral obstruction, results of a scoring system for
      physical examination and daily urinalysis from day 0 to 5. RESULTS: Recurrent
      urethral obstruction occurred in 3/18 cats of the verum group and 3/17 of the
      placebo group (P = 1.000). The verum group showed a significantly lower degree of
      microscopic haematuria between day 5 and day 0 (P ?0.05). The placebo group
      showed a significantly lower degree of dipstick haematuria between day 5 and day
      0 (P ?0.05). There was no difference in the clinical score between the groups in
      the investigated time period. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Intravesical
      instillation of PPS three times within 48 h in the chosen dose had no influence
      on the incidence of recurrent urethral obstruction and clinical signs in cats
      with obstructive feline idiopathic cystitis.

PMID- 26116619
TI  - Diagnostic value of Light's criteria and albumin gradient in classifying the
      pathophysiology of pleural effusion formation in cats.
AB  - The primary aim of this study was to assess whether human Light's criteria with
      the cut-off values previously published for cats are useful and superior to the
      traditional veterinary classification in diagnosing pathophysiology of fluid
      formation in cats with pleural effusion. The secondary aim was to assess if the
      albumin gradient (ALBg) is a reliable criterion for differentiating exudates from
      transudates in patients with pleural effusion thought to be transudative by
      clinical criteria but identified as exudative by Light's criteria. Nineteen
      client-owned cats with pleural effusion were studied. The aetiology of the
      pleural effusion was used to establish the pathophysiology of its formation.
      Parameters measured or calculated undergoing statistical analysis included
      Light's criteria, total protein and total nucleated cell count in the pleural
      effusions, and the ALBg. Based on the pathophysiology of fluid formation there
      were seven transudates caused by increased hydrostatic pressure and 12 exudates.
      There was a significant difference in the accuracy of the Light's criteria in
      correctly classifying origin of the pleural fluid formation compared with the
      traditional veterinary classification (84% vs 53%). ALBg values were
      significantly different between transudates and exudates. One of the three
      transudates misclassified as exudates by Light's criteria was correctly
      identified as a transudate by the ALBg. In conclusion, pleural effusion should be
      classified as either a transudate or an exudate using Light's criteria. In cats
      with pleural effusion thought to be transudative by clinical criteria, but
      identified as exudative by Light's criteria, the ALBg may further help in
      correctly differentiating exudates from transudates.

PMID- 26116620
TI  - What do we know about feline leishmaniosis?
AB  - According to the World Health Organization (WHO), endemic areas of leishmaniosis
      have spread and the number of reported cases has increased. Europe is one of the
      continents with greatest risk of the re-emergence of this zoonosis. The
      significance of the cat as a reservoir of Leishmania species and not simply an
      accidental host seems to be gaining ground, mainly because: (i) cats can present
      increased seropositivity between serological analyses, but the pattern of
      seropositivity is not consistent between cats; (ii) cats can be infected for some
      months and thus are available for sandflies; and (iii) cats transmit the
      Leishmania species agent in a competent form. Furthermore, cats have behavioural
      characteristics that contribute to infection by Leishmania infantum and, as such,
      feline leishmaniosis (FeL) has been reported worldwide. When clinical signs of
      FeL are present, they are non-specific and frequently occur in other feline
      diseases. If they go undiagnosed, they can contribute to an underestimation of
      the actual occurrence of the disease in cats. The low seroprevalence titres,
      along with the commonly asymptomatic infection in cats, can further contribute to
      the underestimation of FeL occurrence. This work aims to raise awareness about
      FeL among veterinarians by providing a review of the current status of FeL
      infection caused by L infantum worldwide, the major clinicopathological features
      of infection, along with recent developments on FeL diagnosis, treatment and
      prevention.

PMID- 26116621
TI  - Feline non-regenerative immune-mediated anaemia: features and outcome in 15
      cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) and non-regenerative immune-mediated
      haemolytic anaemia (NRIMHA) are uncommon causes of non-regenerative anaemia
      affecting the bone marrow in the cat. This retrospective study aimed to describe
      the clinical features, treatment and outcome (remission and survival) of cats
      with these disorders. METHODS: Cases of PRCA and NRIMHA presenting between 2009
      and 2013 were retrieved. Clinical features including signalment, history,
      clinical signs and diagnostic investigations were recorded, as well as
      treatment(s) used and outcome (remission and survival). Outcome was compared for
      PRCA and NRIMHA. RESULTS: Fifteen cats met inclusion criteria: seven with PRCA
      and eight with NRIMHA. The majority (12/15) were younger than 3 years of age.
      Volume overload was common (8/11). Treatment with whole blood transfusions with
      or without Oxyglobin was necessary in most cats (14/15) and resulted in
      congestive heart failure in one cat. Most cats (11/15) achieved remission 12-42
      days after starting immunosuppressive treatment. Treatment protocols associated
      with remission were glucocorticoids alone (remission in 6/7 cats),
      glucocorticoids and chlorambucil (remission in 3/6 treated cats), glucocorticoids
      and ciclosporin (one cat only) and ciclosporin alone (one cat only). Relapse was
      observed in 3/11 cats, and 8/11 cats were still receiving treatment at the time
      of follow-up. Outcome (remission and survival) did not differ between PRCA and
      NRIMHA. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: PRCA and NRIMHA are uncommon causes of anaemia
      in predominantly young cats. The prognosis is reasonable, with a mortality rate
      of 27%, and it can take at least 6 weeks before remission is observed. Following
      clinical remission, gradual withdrawal of immunosuppressive treatments should be
      attempted, with close monitoring for relapse; some cats may require long-term
      treatment. This study is the first to report the use of chlorambucil as an
      adjunctive immunosuppressant in these cases. Outcome did not differ for PRCA and
      NRIMHA.

PMID- 26116622
TI  - FGF21 as a mediator of adaptive responses to stress and metabolic benefits of
      anti-diabetic drugs.
AB  - Most hormones secreted from specific organs of the body in response to diverse
      stimuli contribute to the homeostasis of the whole organism. Fibroblast growth
      factor 21 (FGF21), a hormone induced by a variety of environmental or metabolic
      stimuli, plays a crucial role in the adaptive response to these stressful
      conditions. In addition to its role as a stress hormone, FGF21 appears to
      function as a mediator of the therapeutic effects of currently available drugs
      and those under development for treatment of metabolic diseases. In this review,
      we highlight molecular mechanisms and the functional importance of FGF21
      induction in response to diverse stress conditions such as changes of nutritional
      status, cold exposure, and exercise. In addition, we describe recent findings
      regarding the role of FGF21 in the pathogenesis and treatment of diabetes
      associated with obesity, liver diseases, pancreatitis, muscle atrophy,
      atherosclerosis, cardiac hypertrophy, and diabetic nephropathy. Finally, we
      discuss the current understanding of the actions of FGF21 as a crucial regulator
      mediating beneficial metabolic effects of therapeutic agents such as metformin,
      glucagon/glucagon-like peptide 1 analogues, thiazolidinedione, sirtuin 1
      activators, and lipoic acid. 

PMID- 26116623
TI  - C6 ceramide dramatically increases vincristine sensitivity both in vivo and in
      vitro, involving AMP-activated protein kinase-p53 signaling.
AB  - Use of the conventional cancer chemotherapy (i.e. vincristine) is limited in
      tumor cells exhibiting pre-existing or acquired resistance. Here, we found that
      C6 ceramide (C6) dramatically sensitized vincristine's activity. In vitro, C6 and
      vincristine coadministration induced substantial necrosis and apoptosis in
      multiple human cancer cell lines, which were accompanied by a profound AMP
      activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation, subsequent p53 activation, mTORC1
      inactivation and Bcl-2/HIF-1alpha downregulation. Such synergistic effects were
      attenuated by AMPK inactivation through genetic mutation or short hairpin RNA
      silencing. Coadministration-activated p53 translocated to mitochondria, and
      formed a complex with cyclophilin-D, leading to mitochondrial permeability
      transition pore opening and cell necrosis. Disrupting p53-Cyp-D complexation
      through pharmacological or genetic means reduced costimulation-induced
      cytotoxicity. In vivo, a liposomal C6 was synthesized, which dramatically
      enhanced the antiproliferative activity of vincristine on HCT-116 or A2780
      xenografts. Together, C6 sensitizes vincristine-induced anticancer activity in
      vivo and in vitro, involving activating AMPK-p53 signaling. 

PMID- 26116624
TI  - The cancer cells-of-origin in the gastrointestinal tract: progenitors revisited.
AB  - A prominent model of tumor progression posits that normal self-renewing and
      multipotent stem cells(SCs) are the initial target of transformation. This view
      has been robustly challenged by the recurring observation that transit-amplifying
      cells and differentiated progenitors can initiate neoplasia outside the SC zone
      thus qualifying as cancer cells-of-origin. The emerging concept is that a cancer
      SC and a cancer cell-of-origin are not necessarily the same cell. Importantly,
      progenitor cells were shown to possess remarkable plasticity and to revert, on
      demand, to a SC-like state. The present review revisits our early hypothesis that
      colonic progenitors acquiring a mutant adenomatous polyposis coli gene after
      exiting the stem zone may serve as genuine cancer cells-of-origin. New findings
      consonant with this view are examined, and tenable molecular and cellular
      mechanisms underpinning the plasticity of progenitor cells in the
      gastrointestinal tract and in other tissues are discussed. The translational
      impact of cell plasticity is addressed, and recommendations for future research
      are advanced. 

PMID- 26116625
TI  - Light-driven generation of hydrogen: New chromophore dyads for increased activity
      based on Bodipy dye and Pt(diimine)(dithiolate) complexes.
AB  - New dyads consisting of a strongly absorbing Bodipy (dipyrromethene-BF2) dye and
      a platinum diimine dithiolate (PtN2S2) charge transfer (CT) chromophore have been
      synthesized and studied in the context of the light-driven generation of H2 from
      aqueous protons. In these dyads, the Bodipy dye is bonded directly to the
      benzenedithiolate ligand of the PtN2S2 CT chromophore. Each of the new dyads
      contains either a bipyridine (bpy) or phenanthroline (phen) diimine with an
      attached functional group that is used for binding directly to TiO2
      nanoparticles, allowing rapid electron photoinjection into the semiconductor. The
      absorption spectra and cyclic voltammograms of the dyads show that the
      spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of the dyads are the sum of the
      individual chromophores (Bodipy and the PtN2S2 moieties), indicating little
      electronic coupling between them. Connection to TiO2 nanoparticles is carried out
      by sonication leading to in situ attachment to TiO2 without prior hydrolysis of
      the ester linking groups to acids. For H2 generation studies, the TiO2 particles
      are platinized (Pt-TiO2) so that the light absorber (the dyad), the electron
      conduit (TiO2), and the catalyst (attached colloidal Pt) are fully integrated. It
      is found that upon 530 nm irradiation in a H2O solution (pH 4) with ascorbic acid
      as an electron donor, the dyad linked to Pt-TiO2 via a phosphonate or carboxylate
      attachment shows excellent light-driven H2 production with substantial longevity,
      in which one particular dyad [4(bpyP)] exhibits the highest activity, generating
      ~ 40,000 turnover numbers of H2 over 12 d (with respect to dye).

PMID- 26116626
TI  - The systemic vascular resistance response: a cardiovascular response modulating
      blood viscosity with implications for primary hypertension and certain anemias.
AB  - Without an active regulatory feedback loop, increased blood viscosity could lead
      to a vicious cycle of ischemia, increased erythropoiesis, further increases of
      blood viscosity, decreased tissue perfusion with worsened ischemia, further
      increases in red cell mass, etc. We suggest that an increase in blood viscosity
      is detected by mechanoreceptors in the left ventricle which upregulate expression
      of cardiac natriuretic peptides and soluble erythropoietin receptor. This
      response normalizes systemic vascular resistance and blood viscosity at the cost
      of producing 'anemia of chronic disease or inflammation' or 'hemolytic anemia'
      both of which are better described as states of compensated hyperviscosity.
      Besides its role in disease, this response is also active in the physiologic
      adaptation to chronic exercise. Malfunction of this response may cause primary
      hypertension. 

PMID- 26116627
TI  - Spironolactone is secure and reduces left ventricular hypertrophy in hemodialysis
      patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There is recent evidence that aldosterone play a role in the
      pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in dialysis patients, which leads to the
      opportunity to block its actions for the benefit of these patients. In
      nondialytic chronic kidney disease, spironolactone was safe and effective in
      reducing left ventricular hypertrophy. However, routine use has been precluded in
      hemodialysis patients due to the risk of hyperkalemia. The aim of this study is
      to verify the safety and efficacy in regression of left ventricular hypertrophy
      with spironolactone in hemodialysis patients undergoing pharmacotherapeutic
      monitoring. METHODS: We performed a controlled, randomized, double blind study
      evaluating 17 hemodialysis patients who received spironolactone at a dose of 12.5
      mg titrated, in the second week, to 25 mg of spironolactone or placebo. The
      patients were treated for 6 months. RESULTS: The groups were composed of eight
      patients (intervention) and nine patients (control). These groups did not differ
      in their baseline characteristics. The group receiving spironolactone had a left
      ventricular mass index reduction from 77 +/- 14.6 g/m(2.7) to 69 +/- 10.5
      g/m(2.7), p < 0.04, whereas in placebo group there was an increase from 71 +/-
      14.2 g/m(2.7) to 74 +/- 17.4 g/m(2.7). Systolic or diastolic blood pressure did
      not change during the study. Potassium did not differ statistically between
      groups in all instances. CONCLUSION: Spironolactone treatment in hemodialysis
      patients was secure and effective in regression of left ventricular hypertrophy,
      a major risk factor for cardiovascular events in these patients. This effect
      occurred in spite of blood pressure stability. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01128101.

PMID- 26116628
TI  - Alternative splicing, expression and cellular localization of Calneuron-1 in the
      rat and human brain.
AB  - Calneuron-1 and -2 are members of the neuronal calcium-binding protein family
      (nCaBP). They are transmembrane Calmodulin-like EF-hand Ca(2+)-sensors, and a
      function in the control of Golgi-to-plasma membrane vesicle trafficking has been
      assigned to both proteins. In this paper, we describe the distribution of
      Calneuron-1 in rat and human brains. We show that Calneuron-1 is ubiquitously
      expressed in all brain regions examined. The protein is most abundant in Purkinje
      cells of the cerebellum and principal neurons of the cortex and limbic brain
      whereas no expression in glial cells is apparent. In addition, we identify two
      novel splice isoforms of Calneuron-1 with extended N-termini. These isoforms are
      particular abundant in the cerebellum. Taken together, these data set grounds for
      a better understanding of the cellular function of Calneurons.

PMID- 26116629
TI  - The natural history of idiopathic neuroretinitis.

PMID- 26116630
TI  - Translational Pharmacodynamics of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Monoclonal
      Antibody LY2951742 in a Capsaicin-Induced Dermal Blood Flow Model.
AB  - LY2951742, a monoclonal antibody targeting calcitonin gene-related peptide
      (CGRP), is being developed for migraine prevention and osteoarthritis pain. To
      support the clinical development of LY2951742, capsaicin-induced dermal blood
      flow (DBF) was used as a target engagement biomarker to assess CGRP activity in
      nonhuman primates and healthy volunteers. Inhibition of capsaicin-induced DBF in
      nonhuman primates, measured with laser Doppler imaging, was dose dependent and
      sustained for at least 29 days after a single intravenous injection of the CGRP
      antibody. This information was used to generate a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic
      model, which correctly predicted inhibition of capsaicin-induced DBF in humans
      starting at a single subcutaneous 5-mg dose. As expected, the degree of
      inhibition in capsaicin-induced DBF increased with higher LY2951742 plasma
      concentrations. Utilization of this pharmacodynamic biomarker with
      pharmacokinetic data collected in phase I studies provided the dose-response
      relationship that assisted in dose selection for the phase II clinical
      development of LY2951742. 

PMID- 26116631
TI  - Complaints filed against nursing professionals.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In their daily practice, Brazilian nurses have been met with
      complaints from co-workers and patients, as well as bioethical dilemmas intrinsic
      to the profession, particularly in the context of care delivery. Complaints
      against nursing professionals have been in the media spotlight. OBJECTIVE: To
      examine complaints filed with the Regional Board of Nursing of Mato Grosso do Sul
      (COREN-MS) in Midwest Brazil. METHOD: Retrospective, analytical desk research of
      111 complaints received by COREN-MS in 2003-2013 was carried out.
      Characterizations of complainant, professionals investigated, and complaints were
      the variables investigated. Ethical consideration: The project was approved by
      the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul. To
      ensure confidentiality and anonymity, all documents retrieved were examined in
      situ and subjects were assigned numbered codes. RESULTS: Most complainants were
      nursing professionals (40). Most causes of complaint originated in the hospital
      setting (65). Most allegations were made against nursing technicians and licensed
      practical nurses (82). Complaints involving interprofessional relationships (85),
      iatrogenic events (36), and professional liability (20) predominated. DISCUSSION:
      Bioethical principles were breached, translating to poor-quality nursing care,
      detrimental to the professional image of nurses among users and nursing
      professionals alike. CONCLUSION: The findings can serve as input to guide nursing
      schools and boards of nursing in developing policies to raise awareness among
      nursing professionals, sensitizing them to the responsible provision of care in
      the light of bioethical and legal principles.

PMID- 26116632
TI  - Healthcare professionals' perceptions of the ethical climate in paediatric cancer
      care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: How well ethical concerns are handled in healthcare is influenced by
      the ethical climate of the workplace, which in this study is described as
      workplace factors that contribute to healthcare professionals' ability to
      identify and deal with ethical issues in order to provide the patient with
      ethically good care. OBJECTIVES: The overall aim of the study was to describe
      perceptions of the paediatric hospital ethical climate among healthcare
      professionals who treat/care for children with cancer. RESEARCH DESIGN: Data were
      collected using the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey developed by Olsson as a
      separate section in a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse
      perceptions of the ethical climate. Participants and research context:
      Physicians, nurses and nurse-aides (n = 89) from three paediatric units
      participated in this study: haematology/oncology, chronic diseases and neurology.
      Ethical considerations: The study was approved by the regional ethical review
      board. FINDINGS: Different perceptions of the ethical climate were rated as
      positive or negative/neutral. Nurses' ratings were less positive than physicians
      on all items. One-third of the participants perceived that they were able to
      practice ethically good care as they believed it should be practised. DISCUSSION:
      Differences in professional roles, involving more or less power and influence,
      might explain why physicians and nurses rated items differently. A positive
      perception of the possibility to practice ethically good care seems to be related
      to inter-professional trust and listening to guardians/parents. A
      negative/neutral perception of the possibility to practice ethically good care
      appears to be influenced by experiences of ethical conflicts as well as a lack of
      ethical support, for example, time for reflection and discussion. CONCLUSION: The
      two-thirds of participants who had a negative/neutral perception of the
      possibility to practice ethically good care are at risk of developing moral
      stress. Clinical ethics support needs to be implemented in care where important
      values are at stake.

PMID- 26116633
TI  - Membrane-bound Klotho is not expressed endogenously in healthy or uraemic human
      vascular tissue.
AB  - AIMS: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in patients with
      chronic kidney disease (CKD), a disease state that is strongly associated with
      loss of renal and systemic (alpha-)Klotho. Reversely, murine Klotho deficiency
      causes marked medial calcification. It is therefore thought that Klotho conveys a
      vasculoprotective effect. Klotho expression in the vessel wall, however, is
      disputed. METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed Klotho expression in healthy human
      renal donor arteries (n = 9), CKD (renal graft recipient) arteries (n = 10),
      carotid endarterectomy specimens (n = 8), other elastic arteries (three groups of
      n = 3), and cultured human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) (three primary
      cell lines), using immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence, quantitative
      reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting (WB). We
      have extensively validated anti-Klotho antibody KM2076 by comparing staining
      patterns with other anti-Klotho antibodies (SC-22220, SC-22218, and AF1819),
      competition assays with recombinant Klotho, IHC on Klotho-deficient kl/kl mouse
      kidney, and WB with recombinant Klotho. Using KM2076, we could not detect full
      length Klotho in vascular tissues or HASMCs. On the mRNA level, using primers
      against all four exon junctions, klotho expression could not be detected either.
      Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) injections in mice induced FGF23 signalling
      in kidneys but not in the aorta, indicating the absence of Klotho-dependent FGF23
      signalling in the aorta. CONCLUSION: Using several independent and validated
      methods, we conclude that full-length, membrane-bound Klotho is not expressed in
      healthy or uraemic human vascular tissue.

PMID- 26116634
TI  - Games in the Brain: Neural Substrates of Gambling Addiction.
AB  - As a popular form of recreational risk taking, gambling games offer a paradigm
      for decision neuroscience research. As an individual behavior, gambling becomes
      dysfunctional in a subset of the population, with debilitating consequences.
      Gambling disorder has been recently reconceptualized as a "behavioral addiction"
      in the DSM-5, based on emerging parallels with substance use disorders. Why do
      some individuals undergo this transition from recreational to disordered
      gambling? The biomedical model of problem gambling is a "brain disorder" account
      that posits an underlying neurobiological abnormality. This article first
      delineates the neural circuitry that underpins gambling-related decision making,
      comprising ventral striatum, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, dopaminergic
      midbrain, and insula, and presents evidence for pathophysiology in this circuitry
      in gambling disorder. These biological dispositions become translated into
      clinical disorder through the effects of gambling games. This influence is better
      articulated in a public health approach that describes the interplay between the
      player and the (gambling) product. Certain forms of gambling, including
      electronic gambling machines, appear to be overrepresented in problem gamblers.
      These games harness psychological features, including variable ratio schedules,
      near-misses, "losses disguised as wins," and the illusion of control, which
      modulate the core decision-making circuitry that is perturbed in gambling
      disorder.

PMID- 26116635
TI  - The role of kinesitherapy and electrotherapeutic procedures in non-operative
      management of patients with intermittent claudications.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the effects of physical therapy (kinesitherapy and
      electrotherapeutic procedures) on the course of peripheral arterial occlusive
      disease by monitoring the changes in values of claudication distance and ankle
      brachial indexes. METHODS: Prospective randomized study included 47 patients with
      peripheral arterial occlusive disease manifested by intermittent claudications
      associated with ankle-brachial indexes values ranging from 0.5 to 0.9. Patients
      from the first group (25 pts) were treated with medicamentous therapy, walking
      exercises beyond the pain threshold, dynamic low-burden kinesi exercises and
      electrotherapeutic ageneses (interference therapy, diadynamic therapy, and
      electromagnetic field), while the second group of patients (22 pts) was treated
      with "conventional" non-operative treatment - medicamentous therapy and walking
      exercises. The values of newly established absolute claudication distance and
      ankle-brachial indexes were measured. FINDINGS: Significant increase of absolute
      claudication distance in both groups of patients was registered, independently of
      therapeutic protocol applied (p < 0.001), as well as the increase in the
      claudication distance interval in the physical therapy group. There was no
      significant increase in ankle-brachial indexes values in both groups of patients.
      CONCLUSION: Methods of physical therapy presented valuable supplement in non
      operative treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive disease patients, improving
      their functional ability and thus postponing surgical treatment. However, further
      investigations including larger number of patients are needed.

PMID- 26116636
TI  - Determination of Acidity in Donor Milk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is no uniformity among milk banks on milk acceptance criteria.
      The acidity obtained by the Dornic titration technique is a widely used quality
      control in donor milk. However, there are no comparative data with other acidity
      measuring techniques, such as the pH meter. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this
      study was to assess the correlation between the Dornic technique and the pH
      measure to determine the pH cutoff corresponding to the Dornic degree limit value
      used as a reference for donor milk quality control. METHODS: Fifty-two human milk
      samples were obtained from 48 donors. Acidity was measured using the Dornic
      method and pH meter in triplicate. Statistical data analysis to estimate
      significant correlations between variables was carried out. The Dornic acidity
      value that led to rejecting donor milk was >= 8 Dornic degrees ( degrees D).
      RESULTS: In the evaluated sample size, Dornic acidity measure and pH values
      showed a statistically significant negative correlation (tau = -0.780; P = .000).
      A pH value of 6.57 corresponds to 8 degrees D and of 7.12 to 4 degrees D.
      CONCLUSION: Donor milk with a pH over 6.57 may be accepted for subsequent
      processing in the milk bank. Moreover, the pH measurement seems to be more useful
      due to certain advantages over the Dornic method, such as objectivity, accuracy,
      standardization, the lack of chemical reagents required, and the fact that it
      does not destroy the milk sample.

PMID- 26116637
TI  - Host Defense Proteins in Breast Milk and Neonatal Yeast Colonization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colonization increases risk for invasive candidiasis in neonates.
      Breast milk host defense proteins may affect yeast colonization of infants.
      OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate breast milk host defense proteins
      relative to yeast colonization in infants. METHODS: Infants admitted for longer
      than 72 hours to the neonatal intensive care unit at Women & Infants Hospital in
      Providence, Rhode Island, were eligible. After consent, expressed breast milk and
      swabs from oral, rectal, and inguinal sites from infants were cultured weekly for
      12 weeks, or until discharge, transfer, or death. Breast milk was tested for
      levels of human lactoferrin, lysozyme, apolipoprotein J, mucin-1, dermcidin, and
      soluble CD14 using commercial ELISA. Concentrations of these components were
      compared in breast milk received by infants who were colonized or not colonized
      with yeast. RESULTS: From an original cohort of 130, 61 infants had samples
      available for this subanalysis. A convenience sample of stored breast milk was
      analyzed. Median lactoferrin, apolipoprotein J, and mucin-1 did not differ
      between colonized and uncolonized groups. Soluble CD14 was higher in the surface
      colonized group (1.8 MUg/mL, n = 12) compared with the surface-uncolonized group
      (1.6 MUg/mL, n = 12, P = .02). Median lysozyme levels were higher in the surface
      uncolonized group (483.0 ng/mL, n = 12) versus the surface-colonized group (298.3
      ng/mL, n = 12, P = .04). Median dermcidin levels were higher in the surface
      uncolonized group (19.4 ng/mL, n = 12) versus the surface-colonized group (8.7
      ng/mL, n = 12, P = .04). CONCLUSION: This study shows an association between
      colonization with Candida in neonates and lower levels of lysozyme and dermcidin
      in received breast milk. Further study is needed to confirm these findings.

PMID- 26116638
TI  - Elderly female with a personal and family history of a bleeding disorder.

PMID- 26116639
TI  - Commentary.

PMID- 26116640
TI  - Commentary.

PMID- 26116641
TI  - A dark-brown serum sample.

PMID- 26116643
TI  - A think tank or a template for university campus: Plato's academy.

PMID- 26116645
TI  - Production of biosolid fuels from municipal sewage sludge: Technical and economic
      optimisation.
AB  - The article presents the technical and economic analysis of the production of
      fuels from municipal sewage sludge. The analysis involved the production of two
      types of fuel compositions: sewage sludge with sawdust (PBT fuel) and sewage
      sludge with meat and bone meal (PBM fuel). The technology of the production line
      of these sewage fuels was proposed and analysed. The main objective of the study
      is to find the optimal production capacity. The optimisation analysis was
      performed for the adopted technical and economic parameters under Polish
      conditions. The objective function was set as a maximum of the net present value
      index and the optimisation procedure was carried out for the fuel production line
      input capacity from 0.5 to 3 t h(-1), using the search step 0.5 t h(-1). On the
      basis of technical and economic assumptions, economic efficiency indexes of the
      investment were determined for the case of optimal line productivity. The results
      of the optimisation analysis show that under appropriate conditions, such as
      prices of components and prices of produced fuels, the production of fuels from
      sewage sludge can be profitable. In the case of PBT fuel, calculated economic
      indexes show the best profitability for the capacity of a plant over 1.5 t h(-1)
      output, while production of PBM fuel is beneficial for a plant with the maximum
      of searched capacities: 3.0 t h(-1). Sensitivity analyses carried out during the
      investigation show that influence of both technical and economic assessments on
      the location of maximum of objective function (net present value) is significant.

PMID- 26116646
TI  - The safety and efficacy of preoperative embolization of meningioma with N-butyl
      cyanoacrylate.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Preoperative embolization of meningioma is commonly performed;
      however, there is no consensus on the best embolic material to reduce
      intraoperative blood loss and surgery time. METHOD: We retrospectively assessed
      the safety and efficacy of 56 cases of preoperative embolization of the middle
      meningeal artery with N-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) in 105 cases of surgery for
      meningioma. We also defined a blood loss to tumor volume ratio to compensate for
      bias caused by tumor volume, and analyzed limited cases (the embolized group n =
      52, the non-embolized group n = 21) of the convexity, the parasagittal region,
      the falx, and the sphenoidal ridge. RESULT: The blood loss to tumor volume ratio
      was significantly less in the embolized group (p < 0.007). Preoperative
      embolization could be useful for cases with the external carotid artery as the
      dominant feeder vessel (p < 0.02); however, the efficacy decreased for cases with
      an internal carotid artery feeder. Transient complications occurred in four cases
      (hemiparesis secondary to edema: two cases; intratumoral bleeding: one case;
      trigeminal nerve disorder: one case). The cases that showed a postoperative
      increase in edema or intratumoral bleeding were large tumors with the early
      filling of veins. For such cases, surgeons should pay close attention to slow
      injection speed and higher NBCA viscosity, not to cause the occlusion of draining
      vessels. CONCLUSION: Tumor embolization with NBCA can be safely performed, and
      the procedure significantly reduces intraoperative blood loss.

PMID- 26116647
TI  - Serious myelopathy due to magnetic resonance imaging-occult arteriovenous
      fistula: Case report of petrous ridge dural arteriovenous fistula.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We present a case of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      occult intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) with serious cervical
      myelopathy and review the pathophysiological background. SUMMARY OF CASE: A 61
      year-old man had suffered from progressive neurological deterioration. He had
      demonstrated swollen spinal cord with diffuse enhancement and no dilated
      vascularity on MRI. Finally, digital subtraction angiography revealed DAVF at the
      petrous ridge and it was successfully treated by embolization. CONCLUSION: A slow
      flow DAVF is not readily recognizable on MRI. Whenever a patient presents with
      unexplainable progressive myelopathy, a possibility of vascular origin has to be
      considered.

PMID- 26116648
TI  - Resolution of brainstem edema after treatment of a dural tentorial arteriovenous
      fistula.
AB  - We report a patient with a petrosal arterio-venous dural fistula draining into
      the ponto-mesencephalic and medullary venous systems presenting with edema of the
      brain stem and complete reversal of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      abnormalities after combined endovascular and surgical treatments. The venous
      anatomy of the posterior fossa and the significance of the venous involvement as
      the cause of clinical symptoms and imaging abnormalities in cerebro-medullary
      vascular lesions are discussed. 

PMID- 26116649
TI  - Vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm treated by internal trapping via the
      contralateral vertebral artery: A case report.
AB  - A 42-year-old man with a history of sudden onset of severe headache followed by
      consciousness disturbance was brought to our hospital. Radiological examinations
      revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage, associated with rupture of a left vertebral
      artery dissecting aneurysm. Initially, internal trapping was attempted via the
      ipsilateral vertebral artery. However, the microcatheter could not be navigated
      through the true lumen to the distal side of the vertebral artery. Subsequently,
      therefore, the guiding catheter was placed in the right vertebral artery, and the
      microcatheter was retrogradely navigated successfully through the lesion to the
      proximal side of the left vertebral artery. Finally, the lesion was completely
      embolized with electrodetachable coils without complications. However, the
      patient died after the operation because of deterioration of the general
      condition. The postmortem examination revealed how an intimal flap had interfered
      with the antegrade navigation of the microcatheter in the lesion. The present
      case showed that endovascular treatment for a vertebral artery dissecting
      aneurysm via the contralateral vertebral artery may be a useful option in cases
      where antegrade navigation of the microcatheter via the ipsilateral vertebral
      artery is found to be difficult. 

PMID- 26116650
TI  - Assisted coiling using LEO Baby or LVIS Jr stents: Report of six cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Endovascular treatment of broad-neck, complex cerebral
      aneurysms is a challenging issue. Placement of a stent over the aneurysm neck and
      secondary coil embolization prevents coil migration and allows dense packing of
      the coils. Another challenge is represented by distal aneurysms situated in small
      vessels. In these cases, the use of little stents, which we are going call
      ministents, could be a good decision. These low-profile intracranial ministents
      can be deployed into arteries with diameters between 1.5 and 3.10 mm and
      delivered through microcatheters with an internal diameter of 0.0165 inches,
      which allows easier navigation in small-sized, delicate vessels. We present six
      cases of wide-neck aneurysms, with small parental arteries less than 2.5 mm using
      a low-profile ministent system (LEO Baby and LVIS Jr) plus coil embolization.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients in whom LEO Baby or
      LVIS Jr stent was used for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Five
      aneurysms were treated during 2013-2014 in our service using the LEO Baby stent
      and one aneurysm using LVIS Jr. Stent-assisted coil embolization was performed
      using the jailing technique in all cases. Clinical and angiographic findings,
      procedural data, and follow-up are reported. RESULTS: Six consecutive patients
      were included in this study. Four patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage
      in the subacute-chronic phase and two patients had unruptured aneurysms. Two of
      the six aneurysms were located at branches of the sylvian artery, one at the
      basilar artery, two at the anterior communicating artery, and one at the P1-P2
      artery. The procedures were successful. Six-month control digital subtraction
      angiograms were obtained in all cases; they demonstrated complete occlusion of
      the aneurysms in all instances. All patients had good clinical outcomes on follow
      up, as measured with the Glasgow Outcome Scale and Modified Rankin Scale.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of this small study show that the LEO Baby and LVIS Jr
      ministents could be safe and efficient for endovascular treatment of intracranial
      broad-neck aneurysms situated in small arteries.

PMID- 26116652
TI  - Nepal Disaster: A Public Health Response Needed.

PMID- 26116651
TI  - Living Donor Kidney Transplantation: Improving Education Outside of Transplant
      Centers about Live Donor Transplantation--Recommendations from a Consensus
      Conference.
AB  - Living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) offers better quality of life and
      clinical outcomes, including patient survival, compared with remaining on
      dialysis or receiving a deceased donor kidney transplant. Although LDKT education
      within transplant centers for both potential recipients and living donors is very
      important, outreach and education to kidney patients in settings other than
      transplant centers and to the general public is also critical to increase access
      to this highly beneficial treatment. In June 2014, the American Society of
      Transplantation's Live Donor Community of Practice, with the support of 10
      additional sponsors, convened a consensus conference to determine best practices
      in LDKT, including a workgroup focused on developing a set of recommendations for
      optimizing outreach and LDKT education outside of transplant centers. Members of
      this workgroup performed a structured literature review, conducted teleconference
      meetings, and met in person at the 2-day conference. Their efforts resulted in
      consensus around the following recommendations. First, preemptive transplantation
      should be promoted through increased LDKT education by primary care physicians
      and community nephrologists. Second, dialysis providers should be trained to
      educate their own patients about LDKT and deceased donor kidney transplantation.
      Third, partnerships between community organizations, organ procurement
      organizations, religious organizations, and transplant centers should be fostered
      to support transplantation. Fourth, use of technology should be improved or
      expanded to better educate kidney patients and their support networks. Fifth,
      LDKT education and outreach should be improved for kidney patients in rural
      areas. Finally, a consensus-driven, evidence-based public message about LDKT
      should be developed. Discussion of the effect and potential for implementation
      around each recommendation is featured, particularly regarding reducing racial
      and socioeconomic disparities in access to LDKT. To accomplish these
      recommendations, the entire community of professionals and organizations serving
      kidney patients must work collaboratively toward ensuring accurate,
      comprehensive, and up-to-date LDKT education for all patients, thereby reducing
      barriers to LDKT access and increasing LDKT rates.

PMID- 26116653
TI  - Vitamin D Deficiency May Explain Comorbidity as an Independent Risk Factor for
      Death Associated with Cancer in Taiwan.

PMID- 26116654
TI  - Retraction notice for P635 in abstract supplement 2015.

PMID- 26116655
TI  - The guanine exchange factor Gartenzwerg and the small GTPase Arl1 function in the
      same pathway with Arfaptin during synapse growth.
AB  - The generation of neuronal morphology requires transport vesicles originating
      from the Golgi apparatus (GA) to deliver specialized components to the axon and
      dendrites. Drosophila Arfaptin is a membrane-binding protein localized to the GA
      that is required for the growth of the presynaptic nerve terminal. Here we
      provide biochemical, cellular and genetic evidence that the small GTPase Arl1 and
      the guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) Gartenzwerg are required for
      Arfaptin function at the Golgi during synapse growth. Our data define a new
      signaling pathway composed of Arfaptin, Arl1, and Garz, required for the
      generation of normal synapse morphology. 

PMID- 26116656
TI  - Neurl4 contributes to germ cell formation and integrity in Drosophila.
AB  - Primordial germ cells (PGCs) form at the posterior pole of the Drosophila embryo,
      and then migrate to their final destination in the gonad where they will produce
      eggs or sperm. Studies of the different stages in this process, including
      assembly of germ plasm in the oocyte during oogenesis, specification of a subset
      of syncytial embryonic nuclei as PGCs, and migration, have been informed by
      genetic analyses. Mutants have defined steps in the process, and the identities
      of the affected genes have suggested biochemical mechanisms. Here we describe a
      novel PGC phenotype. When Neurl4 activity is reduced, newly formed PGCs
      frequently adopt irregular shapes and appear to bud off vesicles. PGC number is
      also reduced, an effect exacerbated by a separate role for Neurl4 in germ plasm
      formation during oogenesis. Like its mammalian homolog, Drosophila Neurl4 protein
      is concentrated in centrosomes and downregulates centrosomal protein CP110.
      Reducing CP110 activity suppresses the abnormal PGC morphology of Neurl4 mutants.
      These results extend prior analyses of Neurl4 in cultured cells, revealing a
      heightened requirement for Neurl4 in germ-line cells in Drosophila. 

PMID- 26116657
TI  - The homeodomain transcription factor Phox2 in the stellate ganglion of the squid
      Loligo pealei.
AB  - Homeodomain transcription factors regulate development of embryos and cellular
      physiology in adult systems. Paired-type homeodomain genes constitute a subclass
      that has been particularly implicated in establishment of neuronal identity in
      the mammalian nervous system. We isolated fragments of eight homeodomain genes of
      this subclass expressed in the stellate ganglion of the North Atlantic long
      finned squid Loligo pealei (lp) [Note: Loligo pealei has been officially renamed
      Doryteuthis pealei. For reasons of uniformity and clarity Loligo pealei (lp) is
      used here]. Of the most abundant ones, we cloned a full length cDNA which encoded
      the squid ortholog of the paired-type homeodomain proteins Phox2a/b. The homology
      of lpPhox2 to invertebrate and mammalian Phox2 was limited to the homeodomain. In
      contrast to mouse Phox2b, lpPhox2 was unable to transactivate the dopamine beta
      hydroxylase (DBH) promoter in a heterologous mammalian transfection system. In
      vivo, lpPhox2 was expressed in the developing stellate ganglion of stage 27 squid
      embryos and continued to be expressed in the adult stellate neurons where
      expression was confined to the giant fiber lobe containing the neurons that form
      the giant axons. The expression of lpPhox was similarly timed and distributed as
      the Fmrf gene. Furthermore, the Fmrf upstream region contained putative Phox2a/b
      binding sites. These results suggest a role of lpPhox2 in the developmental
      specification of neuronal identity and regulation of neurons of the squid giant
      axon. 

PMID- 26116658
TI  - Safety and activity of BTK inhibitor ibrutinib combined with ofatumumab in
      chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a phase 1b/2 study.
AB  - Ibrutinib represents a therapeutic advance in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
      but as monotherapy produces few complete remissions in previously treated
      patients. Anti-CD20 antibodies have improved response and progression-free
      survival (PFS) when combined with chemotherapy. We evaluated the safety and
      activity of adding ofatumumab to ibrutinib in 3 different administration
      sequences. Patients with CLL/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), prolymphocytic
      leukemia, or Richter's transformation who failed >=2 prior therapies were
      enrolled. Patients received ibrutinib 420 mg daily and 12 doses of ofatumumab
      300/2000 mg in 3 schedules: ibrutinib lead-in (group 1; n = 27), concurrent start
      (group 2; n = 20), or ofatumumab lead-in (group 3; n = 24). Seventy-one patients
      were treated; most had high-risk disease including del(17)(p13.1) (44%) or
      del(11)(q22.3) (31%). The most frequent adverse events (any grade) were diarrhea
      (70%), infusion-related reaction (45%), and peripheral sensory neuropathy (44%).
      Overall response rates in CLL/SLL patients (n = 66) were 100%, 79%, and 71% in
      groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Estimated 12-month PFSs for all patients were
      89%, 85%, and 75%, respectively. Four patients in group 3 progressed prior to
      receiving ibrutinib. This study demonstrates the tolerability and clinical
      activity of this combination with quicker time to best response than single-agent
      ibrutinib and with durable responses. This trial was registered at
      www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01217749. 

PMID- 26116659
TI  - AKR1C3 is a biomarker of sensitivity to PR-104 in preclinical models of T-cell
      acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - PR-104, a phosphate ester of the nitrogen mustard prodrug PR-104A, has shown
      evidence of efficacy in adult leukemia clinical trials. Originally designed to
      target hypoxic cells, PR-104A is independently activated by aldo-keto-reductase
      1C3 (AKR1C3). The aim of this study was to test whether AKR1C3 is a predictive
      biomarker of in vivo PR-104 sensitivity. In a panel of 7 patient-derived
      pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) xenografts, PR-104 showed
      significantly greater efficacy against T-lineage ALL (T-ALL) than B-cell
      precursor ALL (BCP-ALL) xenografts. Single-agent PR-104 was more efficacious
      against T-ALL xenografts compared with a combination regimen of vincristine,
      dexamethasone, and l-asparaginase. Expression of AKR1C3 was significantly higher
      in T-ALL xenografts compared with BCP-ALL, and correlated with PR-104/PR-104A
      sensitivity in vivo and in vitro. Overexpression of AKR1C3 in a resistant BCP-ALL
      xenograft resulted in dramatic sensitization to PR-104 in vivo. Testing leukemic
      blasts from 11 patients confirmed that T-ALL cells were more sensitive than BCP
      ALL to PR-104A in vitro, and that sensitivity correlated with AKR1C3 expression.
      Collectively, these results indicate that PR-104 shows promise as a novel therapy
      for relapsed/refractory T-ALL, and that AKR1C3 expression could be used as a
      biomarker to select patients most likely to benefit from such treatment in
      prospective clinical trials. 

PMID- 26116660
TI  - Bi-directional gap junction-mediated soma-germline communication is essential for
      spermatogenesis.
AB  - Soma-germline interactions play conserved essential roles in regulating cell
      proliferation, differentiation, patterning and homeostasis in the gonad. In the
      Drosophila testis, secreted signalling molecules of the JAK-STAT, Hedgehog, BMP
      and EGF pathways are used to mediate soma-germline communication. Here, we
      demonstrate that gap junctions may also mediate direct, bi-directional signalling
      between the soma and germ line. When gap junctions between the soma and germ line
      are disrupted, germline differentiation is blocked and germline stem cells are
      not maintained. In the soma, gap junctions are required to regulate proliferation
      and differentiation. Localization and RNAi-mediated knockdown studies reveal that
      gap junctions in the fly testis are heterotypic channels containing Zpg (Inx4)
      and Inx2 on the germ line and the soma side, respectively. Overall, our results
      show that bi-directional gap junction-mediated signalling is essential to
      coordinate the soma and germ line to ensure proper spermatogenesis in Drosophila.
      Moreover, we show that stem cell maintenance and differentiation in the testis
      are directed by gap junction-derived cues. 

PMID- 26116661
TI  - Stromal Fat4 acts non-autonomously with Dchs1/2 to restrict the nephron
      progenitor pool.
AB  - Regulation of the balance between progenitor self-renewal and differentiation is
      crucial to development. In the mammalian kidney, reciprocal signalling between
      three lineages (stromal, mesenchymal and ureteric) ensures correct nephron
      progenitor self-renewal and differentiation. Loss of either the atypical cadherin
      FAT4 or its ligand Dachsous 1 (DCHS1) results in expansion of the mesenchymal
      nephron progenitor pool, called the condensing mesenchyme (CM). This has been
      proposed to be due to misregulation of the Hippo kinase pathway transcriptional
      co-activator YAP. Here, we use tissue-specific deletions to prove that FAT4 acts
      non-autonomously in the renal stroma to control nephron progenitors. We show that
      loss of Yap from the CM in Fat4-null mice does not reduce the expanded CM,
      indicating that FAT4 regulates the CM independently of YAP. Analysis of Six2(-/
      );Fat4(-/-) double mutants demonstrates that excess progenitors in Fat4 mutants
      are dependent on Six2, a crucial regulator of nephron progenitor self-renewal.
      Electron microscopy reveals that cell organisation is disrupted in Fat4 mutants.
      Gene expression analysis demonstrates that the expression of Notch and FGF
      pathway components are altered in Fat4 mutants. Finally, we show that Dchs1, and
      its paralogue Dchs2, function in a partially redundant fashion to regulate the
      number of nephron progenitors. Our data support a model in which FAT4 in the
      stroma binds to DCHS1/2 in the mouse CM to restrict progenitor self-renewal. 

PMID- 26116662
TI  - Inhibitory neuron migration and IPL formation in the developing zebrafish retina.
AB  - The mature vertebrate retina is a highly ordered neuronal network of cell bodies
      and synaptic neuropils arranged in distinct layers. Little, however, is known
      about the emergence of this spatial arrangement. Here, we investigate how the
      three main types of retinal inhibitory neuron (RIN)--horizontal cells (HCs),
      inner nuclear layer amacrine cells (iACs) and displaced amacrine cells (dACs)-
      reach their specific laminar positions during development. Using in vivo time
      lapse imaging of zebrafish retinas, we show that RINs undergo distinct phases of
      migration. The first phase, common to all RINs, is bipolar migration directed
      towards the apicobasal centre of the retina. All RINs then transition to a less
      directionally persistent multipolar phase of migration. Finally, HCs, iACs and
      dACs each undergo cell type-specific migration. In contrast to current
      hypotheses, we find that most dACs send processes into the forming inner
      plexiform layer (IPL) before migrating through it and inverting their polarity.
      By imaging and quantifying the dynamics of HCs, iACs and dACs from birth to final
      position, this study thus provides evidence for distinct and new migration
      patterns during retinal lamination and insights into the initiation of IPL
      formation.

PMID- 26116663
TI  - Constraint of gene expression by the chromatin remodelling protein CHD4
      facilitates lineage specification.
AB  - Chromatin remodelling proteins are essential for different aspects of metazoan
      biology, yet functional details of why these proteins are important are lacking.
      Although it is possible to describe the biochemistry of how they remodel
      chromatin, their chromatin-binding profiles in cell lines, and gene expression
      changes upon loss of a given protein, in very few cases can this easily translate
      into an understanding of how the function of that protein actually influences a
      developmental process. Here, we investigate how the chromatin remodelling protein
      CHD4 facilitates the first lineage decision in mammalian embryogenesis. Embryos
      lacking CHD4 can form a morphologically normal early blastocyst, but are unable
      to successfully complete the first lineage decision and form functional
      trophectoderm (TE). In the absence of a functional TE, Chd4 mutant blastocysts do
      not implant and are hence not viable. By measuring transcript levels in single
      cells from early embryos, we show that CHD4 influences the frequency at which
      unspecified cells in preimplantation stage embryos express lineage markers prior
      to the execution of this first lineage decision. In the absence of CHD4, this
      frequency is increased in 16-cell embryos, and by the blastocyst stage cells fail
      to properly adopt a TE gene expression programme. We propose that CHD4 allows
      cells to undertake lineage commitment in vivo by modulating the frequency with
      which lineage-specification genes are expressed. This provides novel insight into
      both how lineage decisions are made in mammalian cells, and how a chromatin
      remodelling protein functions to facilitate lineage commitment. 

PMID- 26116664
TI  - Coco is a dual activity modulator of TGFbeta signaling.
AB  - The TGFbeta signaling pathway is a crucial regulator of developmental processes
      and disease. The activity of TGFbeta ligands is modulated by various families of
      soluble inhibitors that interfere with the interactions between ligands and
      receptors. In an unbiased, genome-wide RNAi screen to identify genes involved in
      ligand-dependent signaling, we unexpectedly identified the BMP/Activin/Nodal
      inhibitor Coco as an enhancer of TGFbeta1 signaling. Coco synergizes with
      TGFbeta1 in both cell culture and Xenopus explants. Molecularly, Coco binds to
      TGFbeta1 and enhances TGFbeta1 binding to its receptor Alk5. Thus, Coco acts as
      both an inhibitor and an enhancer of signaling depending on the ligand it binds.
      This finding raises the need for a global reconsideration of the molecular
      mechanisms regulating TGFbeta signaling. 

PMID- 26116665
TI  - Wnt signaling orients the proximal-distal axis of chick kidney nephrons.
AB  - The nephron is the fundamental structural and functional unit of the kidney. Each
      mature nephron is patterned along a proximal-distal axis, with blood filtered at
      the proximal end and urine emerging from the distal end. In order to filter the
      blood and produce urine, specialized structures are formed at specific proximal
      distal locations along the nephron, including the glomerulus at the proximal end,
      the tubule in the middle and the collecting duct at the distal end. The
      developmental processes that specify these different nephron segments are not
      fully understood. Wnt ligands, which are expressed in the nephric duct and later
      in the nascent nephron itself, are well-characterized inducers of nephrons, and
      are both required and sufficient for initiation of nephron formation from
      nephrogenic mesenchyme. Here, we present evidence that Wnt signaling also
      patterns the proximal-distal nephron axis. Using the chick mesonephros as a model
      system, a Wnt ligand was ectopically expressed in the coelomic lining, thereby
      introducing a source of Wnt signaling that is at right angles to the endogenous
      Wnt signal of the nephric duct. Under these conditions, the nephron axis was re
      oriented, such that the glomerulus was always located at a position farthest from
      the Wnt sources. This re-orientation occurred within hours of exposure to ectopic
      Wnt signaling, and was accompanied initially by a repression of the early
      glomerular podocyte markers Wt1 and Pod1, followed by their re-emergence at a
      position distant from the Wnt signals. Activation of the Wnt signaling pathway in
      mesonephric explant cultures resulted in strong and specific repression of early
      and late glomerular markers. Finally, cytoplasmic beta-catenin, indicative of
      active canonical Wnt signaling, was found to be enriched in the distal as
      compared with the proximal region of the forming nephron. Together, these data
      indicate that Wnt signaling patterns the proximal-distal axis of the nephron,
      with glomeruli differentiating in regions of lowest Wnt signaling. 

PMID- 26116666
TI  - Fat4/Dchs1 signaling between stromal and cap mesenchyme cells influences
      nephrogenesis and ureteric bud branching.
AB  - Formation of the kidney requires reciprocal signaling among the ureteric tubules,
      cap mesenchyme and surrounding stromal mesenchyme to orchestrate complex
      morphogenetic events. The protocadherin Fat4 influences signaling from stromal to
      cap mesenchyme cells to regulate their differentiation into nephrons. Here, we
      characterize the role of a putative binding partner of Fat4, the protocadherin
      Dchs1. Mutation of Dchs1 in mice leads to increased numbers of cap mesenchyme
      cells, which are abnormally arranged around the ureteric bud tips, and impairment
      of nephron morphogenesis. Mutation of Dchs1 also reduces branching of the
      ureteric bud and impairs differentiation of ureteric bud tip cells into trunk
      cells. Genetically, Dchs1 is required specifically within cap mesenchyme cells.
      The similarity of Dchs1 phenotypes to stromal-less kidneys and to those of Fat4
      mutants implicates Dchs1 in Fat4-dependent stroma-to-cap mesenchyme signaling.
      Antibody staining of genetic mosaics reveals that Dchs1 protein localization is
      polarized within cap mesenchyme cells, where it accumulates at the interface with
      stromal cells, implying that it interacts directly with a stromal protein. Our
      observations identify a role for Fat4 and Dchs1 in signaling between cell layers,
      implicate Dchs1 as a Fat4 receptor for stromal signaling that is essential for
      kidney development, and establish that vertebrate Dchs1 can be molecularly
      polarized in vivo. 

PMID- 26116667
TI  - Hedgehog signaling stimulates the formation of proliferating Muller glia-derived
      progenitor cells in the chick retina.
AB  - Muller glia can be stimulated to de-differentiate and become proliferating
      progenitor cells that regenerate neurons in the retina. The signaling pathways
      that regulate the formation of proliferating Muller glia-derived progenitor cells
      (MGPCs) are beginning to be revealed. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate whether Hedgehog (Hh) signaling influences the formation of MGPCs in
      the chick retina. We find that Hh signaling is increased in damaged retinas where
      MGPCs are known to form. Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) is normally present in the axons of
      ganglion cells, but becomes associated with Muller glia and MGPCs following
      retinal damage. Activation of Hh signaling with recombinant human SHH (rhShh) or
      smoothened agonist (SAG) increased levels of Ptch1, Gli1, Gli2, Gli3, Hes1 and
      Hes5, and stimulated the formation of proliferating MGPCs in damaged retinas. In
      undamaged retinas, SAG or rhShh had no apparent effect upon the Muller glia.
      However, SAG combined with FGF2 potentiated the formation of MGPCs, whereas SAG
      combined with IGF1 stimulated the nuclear migration of Muller glia, but not the
      formation of MGPCs. Conversely, inhibition of Hh signaling with KAAD-cyclopamine,
      Gli antagonists or antibody to Shh reduced numbers of proliferating MGPCs in
      damaged and FGF2-treated retinas. Hh signaling potentiates Pax6, Klf4 and cFos
      expression in Muller glia during the formation of MGPCs. We find that FGF2/MAPK
      signaling recruits Hh signaling into the signaling network that drives the
      formation of proliferating MGPCs. Our findings implicate Hh signaling as a key
      component of the network of signaling pathways that promote the de
      differentiation of Muller glia and proliferation of MGPCs. 

PMID- 26116668
TI  - Spatial and Temporal Factors Associated with an Increased Prevalence of Listeria
      monocytogenes in Spinach Fields in New York State.
AB  - While rain and irrigation events have been associated with an increased
      prevalence of foodborne pathogens in produce production environments,
      quantitative data are needed to determine the effects of various spatial and
      temporal factors on the risk of produce contamination following these events.
      This study was performed to quantify these effects and to determine the impact of
      rain and irrigation events on the detection frequency and diversity of Listeria
      species (including L. monocytogenes) and L. monocytogenes in produce fields. Two
      spinach fields, with high and low predicted risks of L. monocytogenes isolation,
      were sampled 24, 48, 72, and 144 to 192 h following irrigation and rain events.
      Predicted risk was a function of the field's proximity to water and roads.
      Factors were evaluated for their association with Listeria species and L.
      monocytogenes isolation by using generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). In
      total, 1,492 (1,092 soil, 334 leaf, 14 fecal, and 52 water) samples were
      collected. According to the GLMM, the likelihood of Listeria species and L.
      monocytogenes isolation from soil samples was highest during the 24 h immediately
      following an event (odds ratios [ORs] of 7.7 and 25, respectively). Additionally,
      Listeria species and L. monocytogenes isolates associated with irrigation events
      showed significantly lower sigB allele type diversity than did isolates
      associated with precipitation events (P = <0.001), suggesting that irrigation
      water may be a point source of L. monocytogenes contamination. Small changes in
      management practices (e.g., not irrigating fields before harvest) may therefore
      reduce the risk of L. monocytogenes contamination of fresh produce. 

PMID- 26116669
TI  - Type III Secretion System Translocon Component EseB Forms Filaments on and
      Mediates Autoaggregation of and Biofilm Formation by Edwardsiella tarda.
AB  - The type III secretion system (T3SS) of Edwardsiella tarda plays an important
      role in infection by translocating effector proteins into host cells. EseB, a
      component required for effector translocation, is reported to mediate
      autoaggregation of E. tarda. In this study, we demonstrate that EseB forms
      filamentous appendages on the surface of E. tarda and is required for biofilm
      formation by E. tarda in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM). Biofilm
      formation by E. tarda in DMEM does not require FlhB, an essential component for
      assembling flagella. Dynamic analysis of EseB filament formation,
      autoaggregation, and biofilm formation shows that the formation of EseB filaments
      occurs prior to autoaggregation and biofilm formation. The addition of an EseB
      antibody to E. tarda cultures before bacterial autoaggregation prevents
      autoaggregation and biofilm formation in a dose-dependent manner, whereas the
      addition of the EseB antibody to E. tarda cultures in which biofilm is already
      formed does not destroy the biofilm. Therefore, EseB filament-mediated bacterial
      cell-cell interaction is a prerequisite for autoaggregation and biofilm
      formation. 

PMID- 26116670
TI  - Molecular and Physical Factors That Influence Attachment of Vibrio vulnificus to
      Chitin.
AB  - The human pathogen Vibrio vulnificus is the leading cause of seafood-related
      deaths in the United States. Strains are genotyped on the basis of alleles that
      correlate with isolation source, with clinical (C)-genotype strains being more
      often implicated in disease and environmental (E)-genotype strains being more
      frequently isolated from oysters and estuarine waters. Previously, we have shown
      that the ecologically distinct C- and E-genotype strains of V. vulnificus display
      different degrees of chitin attachment, with C-genotype strains exhibiting
      reduced attachment relative to their E-genotype strain counterparts. We
      identified type IV pili to be part of the molecular basis for this observed
      genotypic variance, as E-genotype strains exhibit higher levels of expression of
      these genes than C-genotype strains. Here, we used a C-genotype quorum-sensing
      (QS) mutant to demonstrate that quorum sensing is a negative regulator of type IV
      pilus expression, which results in decreased chitin attachment. Furthermore,
      calcium depletion reduced E-genotype strain attachment to chitin, which suggests
      that calcium is necessary for proper functioning of the type IV pili in E
      genotype strains. We also found that starvation or dormancy can alter the
      efficiency of chitin attachment, which has significant implications for the
      environmental persistence of V. vulnificus. With the increasing incidence of
      wound infections caused by V. vulnificus, we investigated a subset of E-genotype
      strains isolated from human wound infections and discovered that they attached to
      chitin in a manner more similar to that of C-genotype strains. This study
      enhances our understanding of the molecular and physical factors that mediate
      chitin attachment in V. vulnificus, providing insight into the mechanisms that
      facilitate the persistence of this pathogen in its native environment. 

PMID- 26116671
TI  - AguR, a Transmembrane Transcription Activator of the Putrescine Biosynthesis
      Operon in Lactococcus lactis, Acts in Response to the Agmatine Concentration.
AB  - Dairy industry fermentative processes mostly use Lactococcus lactis as a starter.
      However, some dairy L. lactis strains produce putrescine, a biogenic amine that
      raises food safety and spoilage concerns, via the agmatine deiminase (AGDI)
      pathway. The enzymatic activities responsible for putrescine biosynthesis in this
      bacterium are encoded by the AGDI gene cluster. The role of the catabolic genes
      aguB, aguD, aguA, and aguC has been studied, but knowledge regarding the role of
      aguR (the first gene in the cluster) remains limited. In the present work, aguR
      was found to be a very low level constitutively expressed gene that is essential
      for putrescine biosynthesis and is transcribed independently of the polycistronic
      mRNA encoding the catabolic genes (aguBDAC). In response to agmatine, AguR acts
      as a transcriptional activator of the aguB promoter (PaguB), which drives the
      transcription of the aguBDAC operon. Inverted sequences required for PaguB
      activity were identified by deletion analysis. Further work indicated that AguR
      is a transmembrane protein which might function as a one-component signal
      transduction system that senses the agmatine concentration of the medium and,
      accordingly, regulates the transcription of the aguBDAC operon through a C
      terminal cytoplasmic DNA-binding domain typically found in LuxR-like proteins. 

PMID- 26116672
TI  - A Caleosin-Like Protein with Peroxygenase Activity Mediates Aspergillus flavus
      Development, Aflatoxin Accumulation, and Seed Infection.
AB  - Caleosins are a small family of calcium-binding proteins endowed with
      peroxygenase activity in plants. Caleosin-like genes are present in fungi;
      however, their functions have not been reported yet. In this work, we identify a
      plant caleosin-like protein in Aspergillus flavus that is highly expressed during
      the early stages of spore germination. A recombinant purified 32-kDa caleosin
      like protein supported peroxygenase activities, including co-oxidation reactions
      and reduction of polyunsaturated fatty acid hydroperoxides. Deletion of the
      caleosin gene prevented fungal development. Alternatively, silencing of the gene
      led to the increased accumulation of endogenous polyunsaturated fatty acid
      hydroperoxides and antioxidant activities but to a reduction of fungal growth and
      conidium formation. Two key genes of the aflatoxin biosynthesis pathway, aflR and
      aflD, were downregulated in the strains in which A. flavus PXG (AfPXG) was
      silenced, leading to reduced aflatoxin B1 production in vitro. Application of
      caleosin/peroxygenase-derived oxylipins restored the wild-type phenotype in the
      strains in which AfPXG was silenced. PXG-deficient A. flavus strains were
      severely compromised in their capacity to infect maize seeds and to produce
      aflatoxin. Our results uncover a new branch of the fungal oxylipin pathway and
      may lead to the development of novel targets for controlling fungal disease. 

PMID- 26116673
TI  - Clostridium botulinum Group II Isolate Phylogenomic Profiling Using Whole-Genome
      Sequence Data.
AB  - Clostridium botulinum group II isolates (n = 163) from different geographic
      regions, outbreaks, and neurotoxin types and subtypes were characterized in
      silico using whole-genome sequence data. Two clusters representing a variety of
      botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) types and subtypes were identified by multilocus
      sequence typing (MLST) and core single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis.
      While one cluster included BoNT/B4/F6/E9 and nontoxigenic members, the other
      comprised a wide variety of different BoNT/E subtype isolates and a nontoxigenic
      strain. In silico MLST and core SNP methods were consistent in terms of clade
      level isolate classification; however, core SNP analysis showed higher resolution
      capability. Furthermore, core SNP analysis correctly distinguished isolates by
      outbreak and location. This study illustrated the utility of next-generation
      sequence-based typing approaches for isolate characterization and source
      attribution and identified discrete SNP loci and MLST alleles for isolate
      comparison. 

PMID- 26116674
TI  - Development of Spatial Distribution Patterns by Biofilm Cells.
AB  - Confined spatial patterns of microbial distribution are prevalent in nature, such
      as in microbial mats, soil communities, and water stream biofilms. The symbiotic
      two-species consortium of Pseudomonas putida and Acinetobacter sp. strain C6,
      originally isolated from a creosote-polluted aquifer, has evolved a distinct
      spatial organization in the laboratory that is characterized by an increased
      fitness and productivity. In this consortium, P. putida is reliant on
      microcolonies formed by Acinetobacter sp. C6, to which it attaches. Here we
      describe the processes that lead to the microcolony pattern by Acinetobacter sp.
      C6. Ecological spatial pattern analyses revealed that the microcolonies were not
      entirely randomly distributed and instead were arranged in a uniform pattern.
      Detailed time-lapse confocal microscopy at the single-cell level demonstrated
      that the spatial pattern was the result of an intriguing self-organization: small
      multicellular clusters moved along the surface to fuse with one another to form
      microcolonies. This active distribution capability was dependent on environmental
      factors (carbon source and oxygen) and historical contingency (formation of
      phenotypic variants). The findings of this study are discussed in the context of
      species distribution patterns observed in macroecology, and we summarize
      observations about the processes involved in coadaptation between P. putida and
      Acinetobacter sp. C6. Our results contribute to an understanding of spatial
      species distribution patterns as they are observed in nature, as well as the
      ecology of engineered communities that have the potential for enhanced and
      sustainable bioprocessing capacity. 

PMID- 26116675
TI  - Evaluation of a New Environmental Sampling Protocol for Detection of Human
      Norovirus on Inanimate Surfaces.
AB  - Inanimate surfaces are regarded as key vehicles for the spread of human norovirus
      during outbreaks. ISO method 15216 involves the use of cotton swabs for
      environmental sampling from food surfaces and fomites for the detection of
      norovirus genogroup I (GI) and GII. We evaluated the effects of the virus drying
      time (1, 8, 24, or 48 h), swab material (cotton, polyester, rayon, macrofoam, or
      an antistatic wipe), surface (stainless steel or a toilet seat), and area of the
      swabbed surface (25.8 cm(2) to 645.0 cm(2)) on the recovery of human norovirus.
      Macrofoam swabs produced the highest rate of recovery of norovirus from surfaces
      as large as 645 cm(2). The rates of recovery ranged from 2.2 to 36.0% for virus
      seeded on stainless-steel coupons (645.0 cm(2)) to 1.2 to 33.6% for toilet seat
      surfaces (700 cm(2)), with detection limits of 3.5 log10 and 4.0 log10 RNA
      copies. We used macrofoam swabs to collect environmental samples from several
      case cabins and common areas of a cruise ship where passengers had reported viral
      gastroenteritis symptoms. Seventeen (18.5%) of 92 samples tested positive for
      norovirus GII, and 4 samples could be sequenced and had identical GII.1
      sequences. The viral loads of the swab samples from the cabins of the sick
      passengers ranged from 80 to 31,217 RNA copies, compared with 16 to 113 RNA
      copies for swab samples from public spaces. In conclusion, our swab protocol for
      norovirus may be a useful tool for outbreak investigations when no clinical
      samples are available to confirm the etiology. 

PMID- 26116676
TI  - In-Frame Deletions Allow Functional Characterization of Complex Cellulose
      Degradation Phenotypes in Cellvibrio japonicus.
AB  - The depolymerization of the recalcitrant polysaccharides found in lignocellulose
      has become an area of intense interest due to the role of this process in global
      carbon cycling, human gut microbiome nutritional contributions, and bioenergy
      production. However, underdeveloped genetic tools have hampered study of
      bacterial lignocellulose degradation, especially outside model organisms. In this
      report, we describe an in-frame deletion strategy for the Gram-negative
      lignocellulose-degrading bacterium Cellvibrio japonicus. This method leverages
      optimized growth conditions for conjugation and sacB counterselection for the
      generation of markerless in-frame deletions. This method produces mutants in as
      few as 8 days and allows for the ability to make multiple gene deletions per
      strain. It is also possible to remove large sections of the genome, as shown in
      this report with the deletion of the nine-gene (9.4-kb) gsp operon in C.
      japonicus. We applied this system to study the complex phenotypes of cellulose
      degradation in C. japonicus. Our data indicated that a Deltacel5B Deltacel6A
      double mutant is crippled for cellulose utilization, more so than by either
      single mutation alone. Additionally, we deleted individual genes in the two-gene
      cbp2ED operon and showed that both genes contribute to cellulose degradation in
      C. japonicus. Overall, these described techniques substantially enhance the
      utility of C. japonicus as a model system to study lignocellulose degradation. 

PMID- 26116677
TI  - Polar Fixation of Plasmids during Recombinant Protein Production in Bacillus
      megaterium Results in Population Heterogeneity.
AB  - During the past 2 decades, Bacillus megaterium has been systematically developed
      for the gram-per-liter scale production of recombinant proteins. The plasmid
      based expression systems employed use a xylose-controlled promoter. Protein
      production analyses at the single-cell level using green fluorescent protein as a
      model product revealed cell culture heterogeneity characterized by a significant
      proportion of less productive bacteria. Due to the enormous size of B.
      megaterium, such bistable behavior seen in subpopulations was readily analyzed by
      time lapse microscopy and flow cytometry. Cell culture heterogeneity was not
      caused simply by plasmid loss: instead, an asymmetric distribution of plasmids
      during cell division was detected during the exponential-growth phase. Multicopy
      plasmids are generally randomly distributed between daughter cells. However, in
      vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that under conditions of strong
      protein production, plasmids are retained at one of the cell poles. Furthermore,
      it was found that cells with accumulated plasmids and high protein production
      ceased cell division. As a consequence, the overall protein production of the
      culture was achieved mainly by the subpopulation with a sufficient plasmid copy
      number. Based on our experimental data, we propose a model whereby the
      distribution of multicopy plasmids is controlled by polar fixation under protein
      production conditions. Thereby, cell lines with fluctuating plasmid abundance
      arise, which results in population heterogeneity. Our results provide initial
      insights into the mechanism of cellular heterogeneity during plasmid-based
      recombinant protein production in a Bacillus species. 

PMID- 26116678
TI  - Cable Bacteria in Freshwater Sediments.
AB  - In marine sediments cathodic oxygen reduction at the sediment surface can be
      coupled to anodic sulfide oxidation in deeper anoxic layers through electrical
      currents mediated by filamentous, multicellular bacteria of the Desulfobulbaceae
      family, the so-called cable bacteria. Until now, cable bacteria have only been
      reported from marine environments. In this study, we demonstrate that cable
      bacteria also occur in freshwater sediments. In a first step, homogenized
      sediment collected from the freshwater stream Giber A, Denmark, was incubated in
      the laboratory. After 2 weeks, pH signatures and electric fields indicated
      electron transfer between vertically separated anodic and cathodic half
      reactions. Fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed the presence of
      Desulfobulbaceae filaments. In addition, in situ measurements of oxygen, pH, and
      electric potential distributions in the waterlogged banks of Giber A demonstrated
      the presence of distant electric redox coupling in naturally occurring freshwater
      sediment. At the same site, filamentous Desulfobulbaceae with cable bacterium
      morphology were found to be present. Their 16S rRNA gene sequence placed them as
      a distinct sister group to the known marine cable bacteria, with the genus
      Desulfobulbus as the closest cultured lineage. The results of the present study
      indicate that electric currents mediated by cable bacteria could be important for
      the biogeochemistry in many more environments than anticipated thus far and
      suggest a common evolutionary origin of the cable phenotype within
      Desulfobulbaceae with subsequent diversification into a freshwater and a marine
      lineage. 

PMID- 26116680
TI  - Composition of Bacterial Communities Associated with Aurelia aurita Changes with
      Compartment, Life Stage, and Population.
AB  - The scyphozoan Aurelia aurita is recognized as a key player in marine ecosystems
      and a driver of ecosystem change. It is thus intensely studied to address
      ecological questions, although its associations with microorganisms remain so far
      undescribed. In the present study, the microbiota associated with A. aurita was
      visualized with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis, and community
      structure was analyzed with respect to different life stages, compartments, and
      populations of A. aurita by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. We demonstrate
      that the composition of the A. aurita microbiota is generally highly distinct
      from the composition of communities present in ambient water. Comparison of
      microbial communities from different developmental stages reveals evidence for
      life stage-specific community patterns. Significant restructuring of the
      microbiota during strobilation from benthic polyp to planktonic life stages is
      present, arguing for a restructuring during the course of metamorphosis.
      Furthermore, the microbiota present in different compartments of the adult medusa
      (exumbrella mucus and gastric cavity) display significant differences, indicating
      body part-specific colonization. A novel Mycoplasma strain was identified in both
      compartment-specific microbiota and is most likely present inside the epithelium
      as indicated by FISH analysis of polyps, indicating potential endosymbiosis.
      Finally, comparison of polyps of different populations kept under the same
      controlled laboratory conditions in the same ambient water showed population
      specific community patterns, most likely due the genetic background of the host.
      In conclusion, the presented data indicate that the associated microbiota of A.
      aurita may play important functional roles, e.g., during the life cycle. 

PMID- 26116679
TI  - Phenotypic and Phylogenetic Identification of Coliform Bacteria Obtained Using 12
      Coliform Methods Approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
AB  - The current definition of coliform bacteria is method dependent, and when
      different culture-based methods are used, discrepancies in results can occur and
      affect the accuracy of identification of true coliforms. This study used an
      alternative approach to the identification of true coliforms by combining the
      phenotypic traits of the coliform isolates and the phylogenetic affiliation of
      16S rRNA gene sequences with the use of lacZ and uidA genes. A collection of
      1,404 isolates detected by 12 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved
      coliform-testing methods were characterized based on their phylogenetic
      affiliations and responses to their original isolation media and lauryl tryptose
      broth, m-Endo, and MI agar media. Isolates were phylogenetically classified into
      32 true-coliform, or targeted Enterobacteriaceae (TE), groups and 14 noncoliform,
      or nontargeted Enterobacteriaceae (NTE), groups. It was shown statistically that
      detecting true-positive (TP) events is more challenging than detecting true
      negative (TN) events. Furthermore, most false-negative (FN) events were
      associated with four TE groups (i.e., Serratia group I and the Providencia,
      Proteus, and Morganella groups) and most false-positive (FP) events with two NTE
      groups, the Aeromonas and Plesiomonas groups. In Escherichia coli testing, 18 out
      of 145 E. coli isolates identified by enzymatic methods were validated as FN. The
      reasons behind the FP and FN reactions could be explained through analysis of the
      lacZ and uidA genes. Overall, combining the analyses of the 16S rRNA, lacZ, and
      uidA genes with the growth responses of TE and NTE on culture-based media is an
      effective way to evaluate the performance of coliform detection methods. 

PMID- 26116681
TI  - Use of the mCherry Fluorescent Protein To Study Intestinal Colonization by
      Enterococcus mundtii ST4SA and Lactobacillus plantarum 423 in Mice.
AB  - Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are natural inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract
      (GIT) of humans and animals, and some LAB species receive considerable attention
      due to their health benefits. Although many papers have been published on
      probiotic LAB, only a few reports have been published on the migration and
      colonization of the cells in the GIT. This is due mostly to the lack of efficient
      reporter systems. In this study, we report on the application of the fluorescent
      mCherry protein in the in vivo tagging of the probiotic strains Enterococcus
      mundtii ST4SA and Lactobacillus plantarum 423. The mCherry gene, encoding a red
      fluorescent protein (RFP), was integrated into a nonfunctional region on the
      genome of L. plantarum 423 by homologous recombination. In the case of E. mundtii
      ST4SA, the mCherry gene was cloned into the pGKV223D LAB/Escherichia coli
      expression vector. Expression of the mCherry gene did not alter the growth rate
      of the two strains and had no effect on bacteriocin production. Both strains
      colonized the cecum and colon of mice. 

PMID- 26116682
TI  - Responses of Bacterial Communities to Simulated Climate Changes in Alpine Meadow
      Soil of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
AB  - The soil microbial community plays an important role in terrestrial carbon and
      nitrogen cycling. However, microbial responses to climate warming or cooling
      remain poorly understood, limiting our ability to predict the consequences of
      future climate changes. To address this issue, it is critical to identify
      microbes sensitive to climate change and key driving factors shifting microbial
      communities. In this study, alpine soil transplant experiments were conducted
      downward or upward along an elevation gradient between 3,200 and 3,800 m in the
      Qinghai-Tibet plateau to simulate climate warming or cooling. After a 2-year soil
      transplant experiment, soil bacterial communities were analyzed by pyrosequencing
      of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. The results showed that the transplanted soil
      bacterial communities became more similar to those in their destination sites and
      more different from those in their "home" sites. Warming led to increases in the
      relative abundances in Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and
      Actinobacteria and decreases in Acidobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and
      Deltaproteobacteria, while cooling had opposite effects on bacterial communities
      (symmetric response). Soil temperature and plant biomass contributed
      significantly to shaping the bacterial community structure. Overall, climate
      warming or cooling shifted the soil bacterial community structure mainly through
      species sorting, and such a shift might correlate to important biogeochemical
      processes such as greenhouse gas emissions. This study provides new insights into
      our understanding of soil bacterial community responses to climate warming and
      cooling. 

PMID- 26116683
TI  - Whole-Genome Sequencing Allows for Improved Identification of Persistent Listeria
      monocytogenes in Food-Associated Environments.
AB  - While the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes can persist in food
      associated environments, there are no whole-genome sequence (WGS) based methods
      to differentiate persistent from sporadic strains. Whole-genome sequencing of 188
      isolates from a longitudinal study of L. monocytogenes in retail delis was used
      to (i) apply single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based phylogenetics for
      subtyping of L. monocytogenes, (ii) use SNP counts to differentiate persistent
      from repeatedly reintroduced strains, and (iii) identify genetic determinants of
      L. monocytogenes persistence. WGS analysis revealed three prophage regions that
      explained differences between three pairs of phylogenetically similar populations
      with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis types that differed by <=3 bands. WGS-SNP
      based phylogenetics found that putatively persistent L. monocytogenes represent
      SNP patterns (i) unique to a single retail deli, supporting persistence within
      the deli (11 clades), (ii) unique to a single state, supporting clonal spread
      within a state (7 clades), or (iii) spanning multiple states (5 clades). Isolates
      that formed one of 11 deli-specific clades differed by a median of 10 SNPs or
      fewer. Isolates from 12 putative persistence events had significantly fewer SNPs
      (median, 2 to 22 SNPs) than between isolates of the same subtype from other delis
      (median up to 77 SNPs), supporting persistence of the strain. In 13 events,
      nearly indistinguishable isolates (0 to 1 SNP) were found across multiple delis.
      No individual genes were enriched among persistent isolates compared to sporadic
      isolates. Our data show that WGS analysis improves food-borne pathogen subtyping
      and identification of persistent bacterial pathogens in food associated
      environments. 

PMID- 26116684
TI  - Environmental Factors Associated with High Fly Densities and Diarrhea in Vellore,
      India.
AB  - Diarrhea causes significant morbidity and mortality in Indian children under 5
      years of age. Flies carry enteric pathogens and may mediate foodborne infections.
      In this study, we characterized fly densities as a determinant of infectious
      diarrhea in a longitudinal cohort of 160 urban and 80 rural households with 1,274
      individuals (27% under 5 years of age) in Vellore, India. Household
      questionnaires on living conditions were completed at enrollment. Fly abundance
      was measured during the wet and dry seasons using fly ribbons placed in kitchens.
      PCRs for enteric bacteria, viruses, and protozoa were performed on 60 fly
      samples. Forty-three (72%) fly samples were positive for the following pathogens:
      norovirus (50%), Salmonella spp. (46.7%), rotavirus (6.7%), and Escherichia coli
      (6.7%). Ninety-one episodes of diarrhea occurred (89% in children under 5 years
      of age). Stool pathogens isolated in 24 of 77 (31%) samples included E. coli,
      Shigella spp., Vibrio spp., Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and rotavirus. Multivariate
      log-linear models were used to explore the relationships between diarrhea and fly
      densities, controlling for demographics, hygiene, and human-animal interactions.
      Fly abundance was 6 times higher in rural than urban sites (P < 0.0001). Disposal
      of garbage close to homes and rural living were significant risk factors for high
      fly densities. The presence of latrines was protective against high fly densities
      and diarrhea. The adjusted relative risks of diarrheal episodes and duration of
      diarrhea, associated with fly density at the 75th percentile, were 1.18 (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 1.34) and 1.15 (95% CI, 1.02 to 1.29),
      respectively. Flies harbored enteric pathogens, including norovirus, a poorly
      documented pathogen on flies. 

PMID- 26116686
TI  - Unusual cause of transient atrioventricular block during cavotricuspid isthmus
      ablation for typical right atrial flutter.

PMID- 26116687
TI  - Use of fluoroscopy in clinical electrophysiology in Europe: results of the
      European Heart Rhythm Association Survey.
AB  - Despite the advent of non-fluoroscopic technologies, fluoroscopy remains the
      cornerstone of imaging in most interventional electrophysiological procedures,
      from diagnostic studies to ablation interventions and device implantation. The
      purpose of the European Heart Rhythm Association survey was to provide an insight
      into regulatory policies and physicians' clinical practice when using fluoroscopy
      during ablation procedures and device implantation. The survey has shown that
      only 50% of the participating centres worked with low frame rates (3-6 frames per
      second) and that the left anterior oblique projection, with higher radiation
      exposure for the physician, is used for nearly every ablation target. Although
      three-dimensional imaging systems may reduce the radiation exposure, most centres
      never used these systems for standard ablation procedures and a trend is that non
      fluoroscopy technologies are even less frequently used than in 2012, when the use
      of robotic systems was still rare. Even less costly equipment such as lead
      gloves, lead glass cabins, or radiation absorbing pads are still not routinely
      used.

PMID- 26116688
TI  - Syphilis and gonorrhoea increase sharply in England.

PMID- 26116685
TI  - Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants and atrial fibrillation guidelines
      in practice: barriers to and strategies for optimal implementation.
AB  - Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Atrial
      fibrillation (AF) is an independent risk factor for stroke, increasing the risk
      five-fold. Strokes in patients with AF are more likely than other embolic strokes
      to be fatal or cause severe disability and are associated with higher healthcare
      costs, but they are also preventable. Current guidelines recommend that all
      patients with AF who are at risk of stroke should receive anticoagulation.
      However, despite this guidance, registry data indicate that anticoagulation is
      still widely underused. With a focus on the 2012 update of the European Society
      of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for the management of AF, the Action for Stroke
      Prevention alliance writing group have identified key reasons for the suboptimal
      implementation of the guidelines at a global, regional, and local level, with an
      emphasis on access restrictions to guideline-recommended therapies. Following
      identification of these barriers, the group has developed an expert consensus on
      strategies to augment the implementation of current guidelines, including
      practical, educational, and access-related measures. The potential impact of
      healthcare quality measures for stroke prevention on guideline implementation is
      also explored. By providing practical guidance on how to improve implementation
      of the ESC guidelines, or region-specific modifications of these guidelines, the
      aim is to reduce the potentially devastating impact that stroke can have on
      patients, their families and their carers.

PMID- 26116689
TI  - Prenatal stress and childhood asthma in the offspring: role of age at onset.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma is a heterogeneous disorder with different phenotypes, and age
      at onset may define part of them. Little is known about possible association
      between prenatal stress and asthma phenotypes according to age at onset. We aim
      to investigate whether there is an association between prenatal stress and
      asthma, and if so, whether such an association differs according to age at asthma
      onset. METHODS: We carried out a cohort study based on several national registers
      in Denmark, including all live singletons born during 1996-2007 in Denmark (N =
      750,058). We identified children born to mothers who lost a close relative (a
      child, partner/spouse, a parent or a sibling) 1 year prior to or during pregnancy
      as the bereaved group. Using Cox proportional hazards regression model, we
      evaluated the hazard ratios (HRs) for asthma in children of bereaved mothers,
      compared with children of non-bereaved mothers. RESULTS: Prenatal stress
      following maternal bereavement was associated with a marginally increased risk of
      asthma events in children aged 0-3 years [HR = 1.04, 95% confidence interval
      (CI): 1.00-1.07], while unexpected bereavement was associated with a higher risk
      (HR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02-1.24). There was no association between prenatal
      bereavement and asthma in children aged 4-15 years (HR = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.96
      1.09). CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal stress is possibly associated with asthma events in
      children aged 0-3 years, but not with asthma in children aged 4-15 years
      irrespective of age at asthma onset.

PMID- 26116690
TI  - Angioplasty with paclitaxel coated balloon reduces restenosis in peripheral
      artery disease.

PMID- 26116692
TI  - Rapid Surface Cooling by ThermoSuit System Dramatically Reduces Scar Size,
      Prevents Post-Infarction Adverse Left Ventricular Remodeling, and Improves
      Cardiac Function in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The long-term effects of transient hypothermia by the non-invasive
      ThermoSuit apparatus on myocardial infarct (MI) scar size, left ventricular (LV)
      remodeling, and LV function were assessed in rat MI model. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Rats were randomized to normothermic or hypothermic groups (n=14 in each group)
      and subjected to 30 minutes coronary artery occlusion and 6 weeks of reperfusion.
      For hypothermia therapy, rats were placed into the ThermoSuit apparatus at 2
      minutes after the onset of coronary artery occlusion, were taken out of the
      apparatus when the core body temperature reached 32 degrees C (in ~8 minutes),
      and were then allowed to rewarm. After 6 weeks of recovery, rats treated with
      hypothermia demonstrated markedly reduced scar size (expressed as % of left
      ventricular area: hypothermia, 6.5+/-1.1%; normothermia, 19.4+/-1.7%; P=1.3*10(
      6)); and thicker anterior LV wall (hypothermia, 1.57+/-0.09 mm; normothermia,
      1.07+/-0.05 mm; P=3.4*10(-5)); decreased postmortem left ventricular volume
      (hypothermia, 0.45+/-0.04 mL; normothermia, 0.6+/-0.03 mL; P=0.028); and better
      LV fractional shortening by echocardiography (hypothermia, 37.2+/-2.8%;
      normothermia, 18.9+/-2.3%; P=0.0002) and LV ejection fraction by LV contrast
      ventriculography (hypothermia, 66.8+/-2.3%; normothermia, 56.0+/-2.0%; P=0.0014).
      CONCLUSIONS: Rapid, transient non-invasive surface cooling with the ThermoSuit
      apparatus in the acute phase of MI decreased scar size by 66.5%, attenuated
      adverse post-infarct left ventricular dilation and remodeling, and improved
      cardiac function in the chronic phase of experimental MI.

PMID- 26116693
TI  - Without proper research funding, how can medical education be evidence based?

PMID- 26116694
TI  - Maiga et al (J Infect Dis 2012; 205:1705-8).

PMID- 26116691
TI  - Effects of Exercise Training on Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Biomarkers of
      Cardiometabolic Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized
      Controlled Trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend exercise for cardiovascular health, although
      evidence from trials linking exercise to cardiovascular health through
      intermediate biomarkers remains inconsistent. We performed a meta-analysis of
      randomized controlled trials to quantify the impact of exercise on
      cardiorespiratory fitness and a variety of conventional and novel cardiometabolic
      biomarkers in adults without cardiovascular disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two
      researchers selected 160 randomized controlled trials (7487 participants) based
      on literature searches of Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central (January 1965 to
      March 2014). Data were extracted using a standardized protocol. A random-effects
      meta-analysis and systematic review was conducted to evaluate the effects of
      exercise interventions on cardiorespiratory fitness and circulating biomarkers.
      Exercise significantly raised absolute and relative cardiorespiratory fitness.
      Lipid profiles were improved in exercise groups, with lower levels of
      triglycerides and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and
      apolipoprotein A1. Lower levels of fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment
      insulin resistance, and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c were found in exercise
      groups. Compared with controls, exercise groups had higher levels of interleukin
      18 and lower levels of leptin, fibrinogen, and angiotensin II. In addition, we
      found that the exercise effects were modified by age, sex, and health status such
      that people aged <50 years, men, and people with type 2 diabetes, hypertension,
      dyslipidemia, or metabolic syndrome appeared to benefit more. CONCLUSIONS: This
      meta-analysis showed that exercise significantly improved cardiorespiratory
      fitness and some cardiometabolic biomarkers. The effects of exercise were
      modified by age, sex, and health status. Findings from this study have
      significant implications for future design of targeted lifestyle interventions.

PMID- 26116695
TI  - Exenatide Regulates Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in Brain Areas Associated With
      Glucose Homeostasis and Reward System.
AB  - Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptors (GLP-1Rs) have been found in the brain, but
      whether GLP-1R agonists (GLP-1RAs) influence brain glucose metabolism is
      currently unknown. The study aim was to evaluate the effects of a single
      injection of the GLP-1RA exenatide on cerebral and peripheral glucose metabolism
      in response to a glucose load. In 15 male subjects with HbA1c of 5.7 +/- 0.1%,
      fasting glucose of 114 +/- 3 mg/dL, and 2-h glucose of 177 +/- 11 mg/dL,
      exenatide (5 MUg) or placebo was injected in double-blind, randomized fashion
      subcutaneously 30 min before an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The cerebral
      glucose metabolic rate (CMRglu) was measured by positron emission tomography
      after an injection of [(18)F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose before the OGTT, and the
      rate of glucose absorption (RaO) and disposal was assessed using stable isotope
      tracers. Exenatide reduced RaO0-60 min (4.6 +/- 1.4 vs. 13.1 +/- 1.7 MUmol/min ?
      kg) and decreased the rise in mean glucose0-60 min (107 +/- 6 vs. 138 +/- 8
      mg/dL) and insulin0-60 min (17.3 +/- 3.1 vs. 24.7 +/- 3.8 mU/L). Exenatide
      increased CMRglu in areas of the brain related to glucose homeostasis, appetite,
      and food reward, despite lower plasma insulin concentrations, but reduced glucose
      uptake in the hypothalamus. Decreased RaO0-60 min after exenatide was inversely
      correlated to CMRglu. In conclusion, these results demonstrate, for the first
      time in man, a major effect of a GLP-1RA on regulation of brain glucose
      metabolism in the absorptive state. 

PMID- 26116696
TI  - Human Insulinomas Show Distinct Patterns of Insulin Secretion In Vitro.
AB  - Insulinomas are beta-cell tumors that cause hypoglycemia through inappropriate
      secretion of insulin. Characterization of the in vitro dynamics of insulin
      secretion by perifused fragments of 10 human insulinomas permitted their
      subdivision into three functional groups with similar insulin content. Group A
      (four patients with fasting and/or postprandial hypoglycemic episodes) showed
      qualitatively normal responses to glucose, leucine, diazoxide, tolbutamide, and
      extracellular CaCl2 omission or excess. The effect of glucose was concentration
      dependent, but, compared with normal islets, insulin secretion was excessive in
      both low- and high-glucose conditions. Group B (three patients with fasting
      hypoglycemic episodes) was mainly characterized by large insulin responses to 1
      mmol/L glucose, resulting in very high basal secretion rates that were inhibited
      by diazoxide and restored by tolbutamide but were not further augmented by other
      agents except for high levels of CaCl2. Group C (three patients with fasting
      hypoglycemic episodes) displayed very low rates of insulin secretion and
      virtually no response to stimuli (including high CaCl2 concentration) and
      inhibitors (CaCl2 omission being paradoxically stimulatory). In group B, the
      presence of low-Km hexokinase-I in insulinoma beta-cells (not in adjacent islets)
      was revealed by immunohistochemistry. Human insulinomas thus show distinct,
      though not completely heterogeneous, defects in insulin secretion that are
      attributed to the undue expression of hexokinase-I in 3 of 10 patients. 

PMID- 26116697
TI  - Targeting HSP90 Ameliorates Nephropathy and Atherosclerosis Through Suppression
      of NF-kappaB and STAT Signaling Pathways in Diabetic Mice.
AB  - Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are induced by cellular stress and function as
      molecular chaperones that regulate protein folding. Diabetes impairs the
      function/expression of many HSPs, including HSP70 and HSP90, key regulators of
      pathological mechanisms involved in diabetes complications. Therefore, we
      investigated whether pharmacological HSP90 inhibition ameliorates diabetes
      associated renal damage and atheroprogression in a mouse model of combined
      hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia (streptozotocin-induced diabetic apolipoprotein
      E-deficient mouse). Treatment of diabetic mice with 17-dimethylaminoethylamino-17
      demethoxygeldanamycin (DMAG, 2 and 4 mg/kg, 10 weeks) improved renal function, as
      evidenced by dose-dependent decreases in albuminuria, renal lesions (mesangial
      expansion, leukocyte infiltration, and fibrosis), and expression of
      proinflammatory and profibrotic genes. Furthermore, DMAG significantly reduced
      atherosclerotic lesions and induced a more stable plaque phenotype, characterized
      by lower content of lipids, leukocytes, and inflammatory markers, and increased
      collagen and smooth muscle cell content. Mechanistically, the renoprotective and
      antiatherosclerotic effects of DMAG are mediated by the induction of protective
      HSP70 along with inactivation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and signal
      transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) and target gene expression,
      both in diabetic mice and in cultured cells under hyperglycemic and
      proinflammatory conditions. In conclusion, HSP90 inhibition by DMAG restrains the
      progression of renal and vascular damage in experimental diabetes, with potential
      implications for the prevention of diabetes complications. 

PMID- 26116699
TI  - Direct Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Activation Provides Atheroprotection in
      Diabetes-Accelerated Atherosclerosis.
AB  - Patients with diabetes have an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis.
      Endothelial dysfunction, characterized by the lowered bioavailability of
      endothelial NO synthase (eNOS)-derived NO, is a critical inducer of
      atherosclerosis. However, the protective aspect of eNOS in diabetes-associated
      atherosclerosis remains controversial, a likely consequence of its capacity to
      release both protective NO or deleterious oxygen radicals in normal and disease
      settings, respectively. Harnessing the atheroprotective activity of eNOS in
      diabetic settings remains elusive, in part due to the lack of endogenous eNOS
      specific NO release activators. We have recently shown in vitro that eNOS-derived
      NO release can be increased by blocking its binding to Caveolin-1, the main coat
      protein of caveolae, using a highly specific peptide, CavNOxin. However, whether
      targeting eNOS using this peptide can attenuate diabetes-associated
      atherosclerosis is unknown. In this study, we show that CavNOxin can attenuate
      atherosclerotic burden by ~84% in vivo. In contrast, mice lacking eNOS show
      resistance to CavNOxin treatment, indicating eNOS specificity. Mechanistically,
      CavNOxin lowered oxidative stress markers, inhibited the expression of
      proatherogenic mediators, and blocked leukocyte-endothelial interactions. These
      data are the first to show that endogenous eNOS activation can provide
      atheroprotection in diabetes and suggest that CavNOxin is a viable strategy for
      the development of antiatherosclerotic compounds. 

PMID- 26116698
TI  - Leptin Suppresses Mouse Taste Cell Responses to Sweet Compounds.
AB  - Leptin is known to selectively suppress neural and behavioral responses to sweet
      tasting compounds. However, the molecular basis for the effect of leptin on sweet
      taste is not known. Here, we report that leptin suppresses sweet taste via leptin
      receptors (Ob-Rb) and KATP channels expressed selectively in sweet-sensitive
      taste cells. Ob-Rb was more often expressed in taste cells that expressed T1R3 (a
      sweet receptor component) than in those that expressed glutamate-aspartate
      transporter (a marker for Type I taste cells) or GAD67 (a marker for Type III
      taste cells). Systemically administered leptin suppressed taste cell responses to
      sweet but not to bitter or sour compounds. This effect was blocked by a leptin
      antagonist and was absent in leptin receptor-deficient db/db mice and mice with
      diet-induced obesity. Blocking the KATP channel subunit sulfonylurea receptor 1,
      which was frequently coexpressed with Ob-Rb in T1R3-expressing taste cells,
      eliminated the effect of leptin on sweet taste. In contrast, activating the KATP
      channel with diazoxide mimicked the sweet-suppressing effect of leptin. These
      results indicate that leptin acts via Ob-Rb and KATP channels that are present in
      T1R3-expressing taste cells to selectively suppress their responses to sweet
      compounds. 

PMID- 26116700
TI  - Unidirectional incorporation of a bacterial mechanosensitive channel into
      liposomal membranes.
AB  - The bacterial mechanosensitive channel of small conductance (MscS) plays a
      crucial role in the protection of bacterial cells against hypo-osmotic shock. The
      functional characteristics of MscS have been extensively studied using liposomal
      reconstitution. This is a widely used experimental paradigm and is particularly
      important for mechanosensitive channels as channel activity can be probed free
      from cytoskeletal influence. A perpetual issue encountered using this paradigm is
      unknown channel orientation. Here we examine the orientation of MscS in liposomes
      formed using 2 ion channel reconstitution methods employing the powerful
      combination of patch clamp electrophysiology, confocal microscopy, and continuum
      mechanics simulation. Using the previously determined electrophysiological and
      pharmacological properties of MscS, we were able to determine that in liposomes,
      independent of lipid composition, MscS adopts the same orientation seen in native
      membranes. These results strongly support the idea that these specific methods
      result in uniform incorporation of membrane ion channels and caution against
      making assumptions about mechanosensitive channel orientation using the stimulus
      type alone.

PMID- 26116701
TI  - Elevated ergosterol protects Leishmania parasites against antimony-generated
      stress.
AB  - Parasite lipids can serve as signaling molecules, important membrane components,
      energy suppliers, and pathogenesis factors critical for survival. Functional
      roles of lipid changes in response to drug-generated stress in parasite survival
      remains unclear. To investigate this, Leishmania donovani parasites, the
      causative agents of kala-azar, were exposed to the antileishmanial agent
      potassium antimony tartrate (PAT) (half-maximal inhibitory concentration ~ 284
      ug/ml). Analysis of cell extracts using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry
      showed significant increases in very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) prior to an
      increase in ergosterol in PAT-treated parasites as compared with vehicle-treated
      controls. Ergosterol biosynthesis inhibition during PAT treatment decreased cell
      viability. VLCFA inhibition with specific inhibitors completely abrogated
      ergosterol upsurge followed by a reduction in cell viability. Following PAT
      induced VLCFA increase, an upsurge in reactive oxygen species (ROS) occurred and
      inhibition of this ROS with antioxidants abrogated ergosterol increase.
      Genetically engineered parasites expressing low constitutive ergosterol levels
      showed more susceptibility to PAT as compared with wild-type control cells but
      ergosterol supplementation during PAT treatment increased cell viability. In
      conclusion, we propose that during antimony treatment, the susceptibility of
      parasites is determined by the levels of cellular ergosterol that are regulated
      by oxidative stress generated by VLCFAs.

PMID- 26116702
TI  - Allosteric modulation of metabotropic glutamate receptors by chloride ions.
AB  - Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) play key roles in the modulation of
      many synapses. Chloride (Cl(-)) is known to directly bind and regulate the
      function of different actors of neuronal activity, and several studies have
      pointed to the possible modulation of mGluRs by Cl(-). Herein, we demonstrate
      that Cl(-) behaves as a positive allosteric modulator of mGluRs. For example,
      whereas glutamate potency was 3.08 +/- 0.33 MUM on metabotropic glutamate (mGlu)
      4 receptors in high-Cl(-) buffer, signaling activity was almost abolished in low
      Cl(-) in cell-based assays. Cl(-) potency was 78.6 +/- 3.5 mM. Cl(-) possesses a
      high positive cooperativity with glutamate (Hill slope ~6 on mGlu4), meaning that
      small variations in [Cl(-)] lead to large variations in glutamate action. Using
      molecular modeling and mutagenesis, we have identified 2 well-conserved Cl(-)
      binding pockets in the extracellular domain of mGluRs. Moreover, modeling of
      activity-dependent Cl(-) variations at GABAergic synapses suggests that these
      variations may be compatible with a dynamic modulation of the most sensitive
      mGluRs present in these synapses. Taken together, these data reveal a necessary
      role of Cl(-) for the glutamate activation of many mGluRs. Exploiting Cl(-)
      binding pockets may yield to the development of innovative regulators of mGluR
      activity.

PMID- 26116703
TI  - An intramolecular bond at cluster of differentiation 81 ectodomain is important
      for hepatitis C virus entry.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the leading causes of chronic liver
      diseases; however, HCV vaccine remains unavailable to date. One main obstacle is
      the lack of an efficient small animal model. Cluster of differentiation 81 (CD81)
      is an essential entry coreceptor for HCV species specificity to humans, though
      the underlying mechanisms are yet to be fully elucidated. We performed
      structural, biophysical, and virologic studies on HCV nonpermissive CD81s from
      mice and African green monkeys [mouse cluster of differentiation 81 (mCD81) and
      African green monkey cluster of differentiation 81 (agmCD81)] and compared with
      human cluster of differentiation 81 (hCD81). We discovered an intramolecular
      hydrogen bond (Gln188-Nepsilon2-H: Glu196-Oepsilon2, 2 A, 124 degrees ) within
      the large extracellular loop (LEL) of mCD81 and a salt bridge (Lys188-Nzeta:
      Asp196-Odelta2, 2.4 A) within agmCD81-LEL between residues 188 and 196. This
      structural feature is missing in hCD81. We demonstrated that the introduction of
      a single 188-196 bond to hCD81 impaired its binding affinity to HCV envelope
      glycoprotein 2 (HCV E2) and significantly decreased HCV pseudoviral particle
      (HCVpp) entry efficiency (4.92- to 8.42-fold) and cell culture-grown HCV (HCVcc)
      infectivity (4.55-fold), despite the availability of Phe186. For HCV
      nonpermissive CD81s, the introduction of Phe186 by Leu186F substitution alone was
      insufficient to confer HCV permissiveness. The disruption of the original 188-196
      bond and Leu186F substitution were both required for potent binding to HCV E2
      HCVpp entry efficiency and HCVcc infectivity. Our structural and biophysical
      analyses suggest that the intramolecular 188-196 bond restricts the intrinsic
      conformational dynamics of D-helix of CD81-LEL, which is essential for HCV entry,
      thus impairs HCV permissiveness. Our findings reveal a novel molecular
      determinant for HCV entry in addition to the well-characterized Phe186 and
      provide further guideline for selecting an HCV small animal model.

PMID- 26116704
TI  - IL-1beta production is dependent on the activation of purinergic receptors and
      NLRP3 pathway in human macrophages.
AB  - The Nod-like receptor family protein 3 (NLRP3)-inflammasome pathway is known to
      be activated by danger signals such as monosodium urate (MSU). We investigated
      the role of P2 purinergic receptors in the activation of NLRP3-inflammasome
      pathway after MSU treatment of primary human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs).
      After initial stimulation with a low concentration of LPS (0.1 ug/ml), a 6 h
      treatment with MSU crystals (250, 500, and 1000 ug/ml) induced the MDMs to
      release IL-1beta, IL-1alpha, and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the
      caspase 1 inhibitor Z-YVAD-FMK and the cathepsin B inhibitor CA-074Me reduced
      production of IL-1beta in a dose-dependent manner after LPS + MSU treatment. We
      used real-time reverse transcription-quantitative PCR to show that treatment with
      LPS and MSU (500 ug/ml) induced significantly greater expression of NLRP3 and IL
      1beta than after treatment with LPS. We also found that MSU treatment induced P2X
      purinergic receptor 7 (P2X7R) mRNA and protein expression. Furthermore, addition
      of the P2X7 purinergic receptor antagonist A-740003 significantly impeded IL
      1beta production and pro-IL-1beta cleavage after treatment with LPS + MSU.
      Remarkably, RNA silencing of P2X7R (but not P2X4R) inhibited the release of IL
      1beta and other M1 macrophage cytokines (such as IL-1alpha, IL-6, and TNF-alpha)
      from MDMs stimulated with LPS + MSU. Taken as a whole, our results show that P2
      purinergic receptors and the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway are involved in the
      secretion of IL-1beta from MSU-stimulated human macrophages. This pathway may
      constitute a novel therapeutic target for controlling the inflammatory process in
      several associated pathologies.

PMID- 26116705
TI  - SET7/9 regulates cancer cell proliferation by influencing beta-catenin stability.
AB  - beta-Catenin, which is a key mediator of the wingless-integration site (Wnt)/beta
      catenin signaling pathway, plays an important role in cell proliferation, cell
      fate determination, and tumorigenesis, by regulating the expression of a wide
      range of target genes. Although a variety of posttranslational modifications are
      involved in beta-catenin activity, the role of lysine methylation in beta-catenin
      activity is largely unknown. In this study, su(var)3-9, enhancer-of-zeste,
      trithorax (SET) domain-containing protein 7 (SET7/9), a lysine methyltransferase,
      interacted with and methylated beta-catenin, as demonstrated both in vitro and in
      vivo. The interaction and methylation were significantly enhanced in response to
      H2O2 stimulation. A mutagenesis assay and mass spectrometric analyses revealed
      that beta-catenin was monomethylated by SET7/9 at lysine residue 180. Methylated
      beta-catenin was easily recognized by phosphokinase glycogen synthase kinase
      (GSK)-3beta for degradation. Consistent with this finding, the mutated beta
      catenin (K180R) that cannot be methylated exhibited a longer half-life than did
      the methylated beta-catenin. The consequent depletion of SET7/9 by shRNA or the
      mutation of the beta-catenin (K180R) significantly enhanced the expression of
      Wnt/beta-catenin target genes such as c-myc and cyclin D1 and promoted the growth
      of cancer cells. Together, these results provide a novel mechanism by which
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is regulated in response to oxidative stress.

PMID- 26116706
TI  - Genetic profiling reveals an alarming rate of cross-contamination among human
      cell lines used in China.
AB  - Cell lines are widely used as in vitro model systems in biologic and medical
      research. However, much of the research has been invalidated by the unwitting use
      of false cell lines. A significant proportion of the research involving human
      cell lines was initiated in China. Paradoxically, the cell lines used in China
      have never been authenticated. Here, we present a comprehensive survey of cross
      contamination in 380 samples from 113 independent sources in China using short
      tandem repeat profiling methods. High levels of cross-contamination were
      uncovered (95 of 380, 25%). Notable false cell lines (e.g., KB and WISH) are
      still actively used under their false identity and tissue attributions. Most
      strikingly, 85.51% of lines established in China were misidentified (59 of 69)
      and accounted for over half of the misidentifications (59 of 95, 62.11%).
      Further, 93.22% of the contaminants in cell lines established in laboratories of
      China were HeLa cells or a possible hybrid of HeLa with an unknown cell line.
      Results from these misidentified lines have been published in thousands of
      potentially erroneous articles and may have distorted the findings visible to the
      scientific community. False lines have been used in drug screening, potentially
      leading to unusable or even harmful therapeutic strategies. We also noted the
      causes of contamination and provided suggestions for remediation.

PMID- 26116707
TI  - Tailoring informatics interventions to patients and healthcare providers.

PMID- 26116708
TI  - Patients as first-order participants in health, health care, and research.

PMID- 26116709
TI  - The alpha1A-adrenergic receptor subtype mediates increased contraction of failing
      right ventricular myocardium.
AB  - Dysfunction of the right ventricle (RV) is closely related to prognosis for
      patients with RV failure. Therefore, strategies to improve failing RV function
      are significant. In a mouse RV failure model, we previously reported that alpha1
      adrenergic receptor (alpha1-AR) inotropic responses are increased. The present
      study determined the roles of both predominant cardiac alpha1-AR subtypes
      (alpha1A and alpha1B) in upregulated inotropy in failing RV. We used the mouse
      model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, and RV
      failure. We assessed the myocardial contractile response in vitro to stimulation
      of the alpha1A-subtype (using alpha1A-subtype-selective agonist A61603) and
      alpha1B-subtype [using alpha1A-subtype knockout mice and nonsubtype selective
      alpha1-AR agonist phenylephrine (PE)]. In wild-type nonfailing RV, a negative
      inotropic effect of alpha1-AR stimulation with PE (force decreased ~50%) was
      switched to a positive inotropic effect (PIE) with bleomycin-induced RV injury.
      Upregulated inotropy in failing RV occurred with alpha1A-subtype stimulation
      (force increased ~200%), but not with alpha1B-subtype stimulation (force
      decreased ~50%). Upregulated inotropy mediated by the alpha1A-subtype involved
      increased activator Ca(2+) transients and increased phosphorylation of myosin
      regulatory light chain (a mediator of increased myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity).
      In failing RV, the PIE elicited by the alpha1A-subtype was appreciably less when
      the alpha1A-subtype was stimulated in combination with the alpha1B-subtype,
      suggesting functional antagonism between alpha1A- and alpha1B-subtypes. In
      conclusion, upregulation of alpha1-AR inotropy in failing RV myocardium requires
      the alpha1A-subtype and is opposed by the alpha1B-subtype. The alpha1A subtype
      might be a therapeutic target to improve the function of the failing RV. 

PMID- 26116710
TI  - Activation of the (pro)renin receptor in the paraventricular nucleus increases
      sympathetic outflow in anesthetized rats.
AB  - Previous studies have indicated that hyperactivity of brain prorenin receptors
      (PRR) is implicated in neurogenic hypertension. However, the role of brain PRR in
      regulating arterial blood pressure (ABP) is not well understood. Here, we test
      the hypothesis that PRR activation in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus
      (PVN) contributes to increased sympathetic nerve activity (SNA). In anaesthetized
      adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, bilateral PVN microinjection of human prorenin (2
      pmol/side) significantly increased splanchnic SNA (SSNA; 71 +/- 15%, n = 7).
      Preinjection of either prorenin handle region peptide, the PRR binding blocker
      (PRRB), or tiron (2 nmol/side), the scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS),
      significantly attenuated the increase in SSNA (PRRB: 32 +/- 5% vs. control, n =
      6; tiron: 8 +/- 10% vs. control, n = 5; P < 0.05) evoked by prorenin injection.
      We further investigated the effects of PRR activation on ROS production as well
      as downstream gene expression using cultured hypothalamus neurons from newborn SD
      rats. Incubation of brain neurons with human prorenin (100 nM) dramatically
      enhanced ROS production and induced a time-dependent increase in mRNA levels of
      inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), NAPDH oxidase 2 subunit cybb, and FOS
      like antigen 1 (fosl1), a marker for neuronal activation and a component of
      transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1). The maximum mRNA increase in
      these genes occurred 6 h following incubation (iNOS: 201-fold; cybb: 2 -fold;
      Ffosl1: 11-fold). The increases in iNOS and cybb mRNA were not attenuated by the
      AT1 receptor antagonist losartan but abolished by the AP-1 blocker curcumin. Our
      results suggest that PVN PRR activation induces sympathoexcitation possibly
      through stimulation of an ANG II-independent, ROS-AP-1-iNOS signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26116711
TI  - Effects of oral N-acetylcysteine on walking capacity, leg reactive hyperemia, and
      inflammatory and angiogenic mediators in patients with intermittent claudication.
AB  - Increased oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to impaired walking
      capacity and endothelial dysfunction in patients with intermittent claudication
      (IC). The goal of the study was to determine the effects of oral treatment with
      the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on walking capacity, leg postocclusive
      reactive hyperemia, circulating levels of inflammatory mediators, and whole blood
      expression of angiogenic mediators in patients with IC. Following a double
      blinded randomized crossover design, 10 patients with IC received NAC (1,800
      mg/day for 4 days plus 2,700 mg before the experimental session) and placebo
      (PLA) before undergoing a graded treadmill exercise test. Leg postocclusive
      reactive hyperemia was assessed before and after the test. Blood samples were
      taken before and after NAC or PLA ingestions and 5 and 30 min after the exercise
      test for the analysis of circulating inflammatory and angiogenic markers.
      Although NAC increased the plasma ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione, there
      were no differences between experimental sessions for walking tolerance and
      postocclusive reactive hyperemia. Plasma concentrations of soluble vascular cell
      adhesion protein-1, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and endothelin-1 increased
      similarly following maximal exercise after PLA and NAC (P < 0.001). Whole blood
      expression of pro-angiogenic microRNA-126 increased after maximal exercise in the
      PLA session, but treatment with NAC prevented this response. Similarly, exercise
      induced changes in whole blood expression of VEGF, endothelial nitric oxide
      synthase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase R2 were blunted after NAC. In
      conclusion, oral NAC does not increase walking tolerance or leg blood flow in
      patients with IC. In addition, oral NAC prevents maximal exercise-induced
      increase in the expression of circulating microRNA-126 and other angiogenic
      mediators in patients with IC. 

PMID- 26116712
TI  - Exploring autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysms.
AB  - The abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a disease process that carries significant
      morbidity and mortality in the absence of early identification and treatment.
      While current management includes surveillance and surgical treatment of low- and
      high-risk aneurysms, respectively, our narrow understanding of the
      pathophysiology of AAAs limits our ability to more effectively manage and perhaps
      even prevent the occurrence of this highly morbid disease. Over the past couple
      of decades, there has been considerable interest in exploring the role of
      autoimmunity as an etiological component of AAA. This review covers the current
      literature pertaining to this immunological process, focusing on research that
      highlights the local and systemic immune components found in both human patients
      and murine models. A better understanding of the autoimmune mechanisms in the
      pathogenesis of AAAs can pave the way to novel and improved treatment strategies
      in this patient population. 

PMID- 26116714
TI  - Spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmias in beta2-adrenoceptor transgenic mice in
      relation to cardiac interstitial fibrosis.
AB  - Myocardial fibrosis is regarded as a pivotal proarrhythmic substrate, but there
      have been no comprehensive studies showing a correlation between the severity of
      fibrosis and ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTAs). Our purpose was to document
      this relationship in a transgenic (TG) strain of mice with fibrotic
      cardiomyopathy. TG mice with cardiac overexpression of beta2-adrenoceptors (beta2
      AR mice) and non-TG (NTG) littermates were studied at 4-12 mo of age. VTA was
      quantified by ECG telemetry. The effect of pharmacological blockade of beta2-ARs
      on VTA was examined. Myocardial collagen content was determined by hydroxyproline
      assay. NTG and TG mice displayed circadian variation in heart rate, which was
      higher in TG mice than in NTG mice (P <0.05). Frequent spontaneous ventricular
      ectopic beats (VEBs) and ventricular tachycardia (VT) were prominent in TG mice
      but not present in NTG mice. The frequency of VEB and VT episodes in TG mice
      increased with age (P < 0.01). Ventricular collagen content was greater in TG
      mice than in NTG mice (P <0.001) and correlated with age (r = 0.71, P < 0.01).
      The number of VEBs or VT episodes correlated with age (r = 0.83 and r = 0.73) and
      the content of total or cross-linked collagen (r = 0.62~0.66, all P <0.01). While
      having no effect in younger beta2-TG mice, beta2-AR blockade reduced the
      frequency of VTA in old beta2-TG mice with more severe fibrosis. In conclusion,
      beta2-TG mice exhibit interstitial fibrosis and spontaneous onset of VTA,
      becoming more severe with aging. The extent of cardiac fibrosis is a major
      determinant for both the frequency of VTA and proarrhythmic action of beta2-AR
      activation. 

PMID- 26116713
TI  - Analysis of erectile responses to H2S donors in the anesthetized rat.
AB  - Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a biologically active endogenous gasotransmitter formed
      in penile tissue that has been shown to relax isolated cavernosal smooth muscle.
      In the present study, erectile responses to the H2S donors sodium sulfide (Na2S)
      and sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) were investigated in the anesthetized rat.
      Intracavernosal injections of Na2S in doses of 0.03-1 mg/kg increased
      intracavernosal pressure and transiently decreased mean arterial pressure in a
      dose-dependent manner. Blood pressure responses to Na2S were rapid in onset and
      short in duration. Responses to Na2S and NaHS were similar at doses up to 0.3
      mg/kg, after which a plateau in the erectile response to NaHS was reached.
      Increases in intracavernosal pressure in response to Na2S were attenuated by
      tetraethylammonium (K(+) channel inhibitor) and iberiotoxin (large-conductance
      Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel inhibitor), whereas glybenclamide [ATP-sensitive
      K(+) (KATP) channel inhibitor] and inhibitors of nitric oxide (NO) synthase,
      cyclooxygenase, and cytochrome P-450 epoxygenase had no effect. These data
      indicate that erectile responses to Na2S are mediated by a tetraethylammonium-
      and iberiotoxin-sensitive mechanism and that KATP channels, NO, or arachidonic
      acid metabolites are not involved. Na2S did not alter erectile responses to
      sodium nitroprusside (NO donor) or cavernosal nerve stimulation, indicating that
      neither NO nor cGMP metabolism are altered. Thus, Na2S has erectile activity
      mediated by large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels. It is suggested
      that strategies that increase H2S formation in penile tissue may be useful in the
      treatment of erectile dysfunction when NO bioavailability, KATP channel function,
      or poor responses to PGE1 are present. 

PMID- 26116715
TI  - Demystifying the publishing process: a primer for early career investigators.

PMID- 26116716
TI  - Insect Gut Symbiont Susceptibility to Host Antimicrobial Peptides Caused by
      Alteration of the Bacterial Cell Envelope.
AB  - The molecular characterization of symbionts is pivotal for understanding the
      cross-talk between symbionts and hosts. In addition to valuable knowledge
      obtained from symbiont genomic studies, the biochemical characterization of
      symbionts is important to fully understand symbiotic interactions. The bean bug
      (Riptortus pedestris) has been recognized as a useful experimental insect gut
      symbiosis model system because of its cultivatable Burkholderia symbionts. This
      system is greatly advantageous because it allows the acquisition of a large
      quantity of homogeneous symbionts from the host midgut. Using these naive gut
      symbionts, it is possible to directly compare in vivo symbiotic cells with in
      vitro cultured cells using biochemical approaches. With the goal of understanding
      molecular changes that occur in Burkholderia cells as they adapt to the Riptortus
      gut environment, we first elucidated that symbiotic Burkholderia cells are highly
      susceptible to purified Riptortus antimicrobial peptides. In search of the
      mechanisms of the increased immunosusceptibility of symbionts, we found striking
      differences in cell envelope structures between cultured and symbiotic
      Burkholderia cells. The bacterial lipopolysaccharide O antigen was absent from
      symbiotic cells examined by gel electrophoretic and mass spectrometric analyses,
      and their membranes were more sensitive to detergent lysis. These changes in the
      cell envelope were responsible for the increased susceptibility of the
      Burkholderia symbionts to host innate immunity. Our results suggest that the
      symbiotic interactions between the Riptortus host and Burkholderia gut symbionts
      induce bacterial cell envelope changes to achieve successful gut symbiosis. 

PMID- 26116717
TI  - A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Telemedical and Standard Outpatient
      Monitoring of Diabetic Foot Ulcers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The role of telemedical monitoring in diabetic foot ulcer care is
      still uncertain. Our aim was to compare telemedical and standard outpatient
      monitoring in the care of patients with diabetic foot ulcers in a randomized
      controlled trial. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Of the 736 screened individuals
      with diabetic foot ulcers, 401 met the eligibility criteria and were randomized
      between October 2010 and November 2014. The per-protocol telemedical monitoring
      consisted of two consultations in the patient's own home and one consultation at
      the outpatient clinic. Standard practice consisted of three outpatient clinic
      visits. The three-visit cycle was repeated until study end point. The study end
      points were defined as complete ulcer healing, amputation, or death. RESULTS: One
      hundred ninety-three individuals were randomized to telemedical monitoring and
      181 to standard care. Demographics were similar in both groups. A cause-specific
      Cox proportional hazards model showed no difference in individuals monitored
      through telemedicine regarding wound healing (hazard ratio 1.11 [95% CI 0.87,
      1.42], P = 0.42) or amputation (0.87 [0.54, 1.42], P = 0.59). We found a higher
      mortality incidence in the telemedical monitoring group compared with the
      standard outpatient monitoring group (8.68 [6.93, 10.88], P = 0.0001).
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings of no significant difference regarding amputation and
      healing between telemedical and standard outpatient monitoring seem promising;
      however, for telemedical monitoring, a higher mortality throws into question the
      role of telemedicine in monitoring diabetic foot ulcers. Further studies are
      needed to investigate effects of telemedicine on mortality and other clinical
      outcomes and to identify patient subgroups that may have a poorer outcome through
      telemedical monitoring.

PMID- 26116718
TI  - Effects of Age, Diabetes, and Vascular Disease on Growth Differentiation Factor
      11: First-in-Human Study.

PMID- 26116719
TI  - Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Mothers as a Diabetes Predictor in Fathers: A
      Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

PMID- 26116720
TI  - Anti-PD-1 and Anti-PDL-1 Monoclonal Antibodies Causing Type 1 Diabetes.

PMID- 26116721
TI  - Pancreatic Inflammation Captured by Imaging Technology at the Onset of Fulminant
      Type 1 Diabetes.

PMID- 26116722
TI  - Sustained Treatment Effect of Spinal Cord Stimulation in Painful Diabetic
      Peripheral Neuropathy: 24-Month Follow-up of a Prospective Two-Center Randomized
      Controlled Trial.

PMID- 26116723
TI  - Symposium in Honor of Hilary Koprowski's Scientific Achievements.

PMID- 26116724
TI  - Increasing Complexity of Vaccine Development.
AB  - Vaccines already developed have been enormously successful. However, the
      development of future vaccines requires solution of a number of immunologic
      problems, including pathogen variability, short effector memory, evoking
      functional responses, and identification of antigens that generate protective
      responses. In addition, different populations may respond differently to the same
      vaccine because of genetic, age, or environmental factors. 

PMID- 26116726
TI  - Hilary Koprowski, MD, 5 December 1916-11 April 2013.

PMID- 26116725
TI  - Use of a 2-aminothiazole to Treat Chronic Wasting Disease in Transgenic Mice.
AB  - Treatment with the 2-aminothiazole IND24 extended the survival of mice infected
      with mouse-adapted scrapie but also resulted in the emergence of a drug-resistant
      prion strain. Here, we determined whether IND24 extended the survival of
      transgenic mice infected with prions that caused scrapie in sheep or prions that
      caused chronic wasting disease (CWD; hereafter "CWD prions") in deer, using 2
      isolates for each disease. IND24 doubled the incubation times for mice infected
      with CWD prions but had no effect on the survival of those infected with scrapie
      prions. Biochemical, neuropathologic, and cell culture analyses were used to
      characterize prion strain properties following treatment, and results indicated
      that the CWD prions were not altered by IND24, regardless of survival extension.
      These results suggest that IND24 may be a viable candidate for treating CWD in
      infected captive cervid populations and raise questions about why some prion
      strains develop drug resistance whereas others do not. 

PMID- 26116727
TI  - A Vision for Investigating the Microbiology of Health and Disease.
AB  - The fields of microbial surveillance, discovery, and pathogenesis are evolving
      rapidly with introduction of cultivation-independent molecular diagnostic assays
      and highly multiplexed serologic analyses, as well as the development of animal
      models and prospective birth cohorts that can provide insights into host and
      microbial determinants of health and disease. Here, past, present, and future
      perspectives on these fields are provided. 

PMID- 26116728
TI  - A Jekyll and Hyde Profile: Type 1 Interferon Signaling Plays a Prominent Role in
      the Initiation and Maintenance of a Persistent Virus Infection.
AB  - The hallmarks of persistent viral infections are exhaustion of virus-specific T
      cells, elevated production of interleukin 10 (IL-10) and programmed death-1 (PD
      1) the dominant negative regulators of the immune system and disruption of
      secondary lymphoid tissues. Within the first 12-24 hours after mice are infected
      with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) clone 13, which is used as a model
      of persistent virus infection, we note generation of high titers of type 1
      interferon. Blockade of type 1 interferon significantly lessens IL-10 and PD-1/PD
      L1, allows normal secondary lymphoid architecture and re-establishes antiviral T
      cell function, thus eradicating the virus and clearing the infection. Hence, type
      1 interferon is a master reostat for establishing persistent viral infection. 

PMID- 26116729
TI  - Varicella Zoster Virus in Temporal Arteries of Patients With Giant Cell
      Arteritis.
AB  - Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an immune-mediated disease of unknown etiology.
      Varicella zoster virus (VZV) antigen was found in all of 4 GCA-positive temporal
      arteries (TAs) but was not present in any of 13 normal TAs. All 4 GCA-positive
      TAs contained viral antigen in skip areas, mostly in the adventitia and media and
      least in the intima. Despite formalin fixation, VZV DNA was detected in 2 of 4
      GCA-positive, VZV antigen-positive TAs. Skeletal muscle was attached to 3 of 4
      TAs, and VZV antigen was found in 2 and VZV DNA in 1. VZV may cause GCA. 

PMID- 26116730
TI  - Developing a Successful HIV Vaccine.
AB  - Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) genome integration indicates that persistent
      sterilizing immunity will be needed for a successful vaccine candidate. This
      suggests a need for broad antibodies targeting the Env protein. Immunogens
      targeting gp120 have been developed that block infection in monkeys and mimic the
      modest success of the RV144 clinical trial in that protection is short-lived
      following a decline in antibody-depending cell-mediated cytotoxicity-like
      antibodies. Attempts to induce antibody persistence have been complicated by a
      loss of efficacy, presumably by increasing the number of HIV-target cells. The
      key seems to be achieving an immune balance. 

PMID- 26116731
TI  - Polyreactive Antibodies: Function and Quantification.
AB  - Polyreactive antibodies, a major component of the natural antibody repertoire,
      bind with low affinity to a variety of structurally unrelated antigens. Many of
      these antibodies are germline or near germline in sequence. Little is known,
      however, about the function of these antibodies. In the present mini-review we
      show: (1) that the broad antibacterial activity of the natural antibody
      repertoire is largely due to polyreactive antibodies, which in the presence of
      complement lyse bacteria and enhance phagocytosis; (2) that polyreactive
      antibodies bind to UV- or human immunodeficiency virus-induced apoptotic cells
      and with complement enhance the phagocytosis of these cells by macrophages; and
      (3) that dinitrophenol can be used as a surrogate for quantitating the level of
      polyreactive antibodies in serum. We conclude that polyreactive antibodies
      protect the host against both foreign invaders and its own damaged/apoptotic
      cells. 

PMID- 26116732
TI  - Controlling Endogenous Retroviruses and Their Chimeric Transcripts During Natural
      Reprogramming in the Oocyte.
AB  - Complete genomic reprogramming happens twice during the life of a genome, once
      during the formation of gametes in their parents and once after their union at
      fertilization. For that matter complete genomic reprogramming happens twice in
      the same parental cell, the oocyte, when it is forming and after it matures and
      receives the paternal gamete. Control of these processes in this unique single
      cell is epigenetic, and our understanding of it is based on information gleaned
      from imprinting, X chromosome inactivation, and activation and silencing of
      endogenous retroviruses (ERV). Activation of ERVs is attributed to demethylation
      of chromatin and DNA, whereas silencing requires methylation, attributed to the
      nuage proteins, which engage the Piwi-interacting RNA pathway and other
      posttranscriptional mechanisms. This reprogramming process has evolved throughout
      speciation because in mammals, but not fish, flies and worms, nuage-component
      muations affect male and female gametogenesis differentially. Transcription of
      ERVs is derepressed in both sexes in nuage-mutant mice, but whereas males are
      sterile, females are fertile. Using a proteomic approach we now report molecular
      interactions between nuage proteins and components of the oocyte cytoplasmic
      lattice and speculate how this interaction could preserve ERV/host chimeric gene
      products affecting female fertility.

PMID- 26116733
TI  - Memories and Vignettes From Friends of Hilary Koprowski.

PMID- 26116734
TI  - From Immunity and Vaccines to Mammalian Regeneration.
AB  - Our current understanding of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mediated
      antigen presentation in self and nonself immune recognition was derived from
      immunological studies of autoimmunity and virus-host interactions, respectively.
      The trimolecular complex of the MHC molecule, antigen, and T-cell receptor
      accounts for the phenomena of immunodominance and MHC degeneracy in both types of
      responses and constrains vaccine development. Out of such considerations, we
      developed a simple peptide vaccine construct that obviates immunodominance,
      resulting in a broadly protective T-cell response in the absence of antibody. In
      the course of autoimmunity studies, we identified the MRL mouse strain as a
      mammalian model of amphibian-like regeneration. A significant level of DNA damage
      in the cells from this mouse pointed to the role of the cell cycle checkpoint
      gene CDKN1a, or p21(cip1/waf1). The MRL mouse has highly reduced levels of this
      molecule, and a genetic knockout of this single gene in otherwise nonregenerating
      strains led to an MRL-type regenerative response, indicating that the ability to
      regenerate has not been lost during evolution. 

PMID- 26116735
TI  - Antibodies: At The Nexus of Antigens and Cancer Vaccines.
AB  - This review describes the development of monoclonal antibodies and the inception
      of their use in cancer therapy, their impact on defining cancer biomarkers, and
      their structural utility in new cancer vaccine development. 

PMID- 26116736
TI  - Cancer Immunity: Lessons From Infectious Diseases.
AB  - Innate and adaptive immunity are activated by both infections and tumors. The
      immune cells infiltrating infected tissues are similar to those infiltrating
      neoplastic tissues, but their function in the first setting is quite different
      from that in the latter. Infected tissues are usually characterized by an acute
      inflammatory environment that favors the generation of protective immunity,
      whereas tumors are characterized by chronic inflammation that suppresses
      antitumor immune responses and promotes tumor growth and escape from the immune
      system. During resolution of the immune response to infection or in chronic
      infections, immunosuppressive mechanisms that are typical of the tumor
      microenvironment are observed in infected tissues. Conversely, immunotherapy and
      chemotherapy may redirect the tumor microenvironment and allow the activation of
      effective anticancer immune responses. The transformation of neoplastic cells is
      determined by intrinsic genetic alteration but tumor progression is controlled by
      the tumor microenvironment and by the inflammatory and immune response to the
      tumors. Commensal microorganisms live in great numbers in all our barrier
      epithelia and control inflammation and immunity both locally and systemically.
      The commensal microbiota is essential for optimal immune response to pathogens
      and for the establishment of autoimmunity. It also modulates inflammation and
      immune responses that affect tumor growth and it is required for the
      effectiveness of anticancer immunotherapy and chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26116738
TI  - Tracheal obstruction caused by cervical malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor.

PMID- 26116737
TI  - MicroRNA in Cancer and Cachexia--A Mini-Review.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs with a length of approximately 22
      nucleotides that are involved in posttranscriptional regulation of gene
      expression. miRNAs cover an important role in all biological processes, and
      aberrant miRNA expression is commonly associated with cancer. Recent discoveries
      have associated the involvement of miRNA in an increasingly large number of
      biological processes, including cachexia. The cachexia syndrome is a debilitating
      state of cancer that is, at least in part, associated with apoptosis. The
      mechanism through which tumors promote the characteristic distal loss of muscle
      and fat mass during the cachectic process is still not deeply investigated. In
      this review, we briefly describe the role of miRNAs in cancer development and
      cachexia. 

PMID- 26116739
TI  - Analysis of lipid-composition changes in plasma membrane microdomains.
AB  - Sphingolipids accumulate in plasma membrane microdomain sites, such as caveolae
      or lipid rafts. Such microdomains are considered to be important nexuses for
      signal transduction, although changes in the microdomain lipid components brought
      about by signaling are poorly understood. Here, we applied a cationic colloidal
      silica bead method to analyze plasma membrane lipids from monolayer cells
      cultured in a 10 cm dish. The detergent-resistant fraction from the silica bead
      coated membrane was analyzed by LC-MS/MS to evaluate the microdomain lipids. This
      method revealed that glycosphingolipids composed the microdomains as a substitute
      for sphingomyelin (SM) in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (tMEFs) from an SM synthase
      1/2 double KO (DKO) mouse. The rate of formation of the detergent-resistant
      region was unchanged compared with that of WT-tMEFs. C2-ceramide (Cer)
      stimulation caused greater elevations in diacylglycerol and phosphatidic acid
      levels than in Cer levels within the microdomains of WT-tMEFs. We also found that
      lipid changes in the microdomains of SM-deficient DKO-tMEFs caused by serum
      stimulation occurred in the same manner as that of WT-tMEFs. This practical
      method for analyzing membrane lipids will facilitate future comprehensive
      analyses of membrane microdomain-associated responses. 

PMID- 26116740
TI  - Commentary on: Superficial Enhanced Fluid Fat Injection (SEFFI) to Correct Volume
      Defects and Skin Aging of the Face and Periocular Region.

PMID- 26116741
TI  - Lymphomas Associated with Breast Implants: A Review of the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently there have been concerns raised about anaplastic large cell
      lymphoma (ALCL) associated with breast implants. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this
      article was to review and analyze the published literature specifically for
      hematopoietic malignancies associated with breast implants and postulate a
      hypothesis for their etiology and pathogenesis. METHODS: The PubMed database was
      searched using key words "lymphoma" and "breast implants" for published papers
      and abstracts on implant-associated hematopoietic malignancies. RESULTS: The
      authors found 83 published cases reported of lymphomas associated with breast
      implants in the medical literature. The reported cases involved various subtypes
      of lymphomas and the majority were ALCL, of which 66 were confirmed as ALK
      negative; however there was no association with any particular type of implant.
      The more aggressive cases and reported low death rate appeared to be related to
      the presence of breast masses at the time of presentation rather than effusion.
      The remaining reports were occasional case reports of T-cell lymphoma, follicular
      lymphoma, marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, primary effusion lymphoma and
      lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the many thousands of women
      that have breast implants every year; the compiled data show that there is a very
      small risk of developing lymphoma. Increased awareness of association between
      implants and ALCL is needed globally and prospective patients considering breast
      implants should be fully informed of the risk. As the behavior of ALCL in these
      cases was indolent as compared with other primary breast lymphomas, it could
      suggest an abnormal reactive process. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3

PMID- 26116742
TI  - Commentary on: Lymphomas Associated With Breast Implants: A Review of the
      Literature.

PMID- 26116743
TI  - Commentary on: Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy Through an Inframammary Fold Incision
      with Implant-Based Reconstruction in Patients with Prior Cosmetic Breast Surgery.

PMID- 26116744
TI  - Some Random(ized) Thoughts.

PMID- 26116745
TI  - Erratum on: Absence of Bacterial or Fungal Growth in Vials of Reconstituted
      Botulinum Toxin Type A After Storage.

PMID- 26116746
TI  - Retraction of: T-shaped excision of the orbicularis oris muscle: an innovative
      technique for upper lip lift procedures.

PMID- 26116747
TI  - Comments on "The Lateral Crural Rein Flap: A Novel Technique for Management of
      Tip Rotation in Primary Rhinoplasty".

PMID- 26116748
TI  - Response to "Comments on 'The Lateral Crural Rein Flap: A Novel Technique for
      Management of Tip Rotation in Primary Rhinoplasty'".

PMID- 26116749
TI  - Shedding Some Light on the Sunshine Act.

PMID- 26116750
TI  - Response to "Shedding Some Light on the Sunshine Act".

PMID- 26116751
TI  - The Value of 2-Dimensional Analysis of Changes in Breast Shape.

PMID- 26116752
TI  - Response to "The Value of Two-Dimensional Analysis of Changes in Breast Shape".

PMID- 26116753
TI  - Surgery of the thymus in 2015: more quality from the available data.

PMID- 26116754
TI  - PARD3 induces TAZ activation and cell growth by promoting LATS1 and PP1
      interaction.
AB  - The Hippo pathway plays a major role in organ size control, and its dysregulation
      contributes to tumorigenesis. The major downstream effectors of the Hippo pathway
      are the YAP/TAZ transcription co-activators, which are phosphorylated and
      inhibited by the Hippo pathway kinase LATS1/2. Here, we report a novel mechanism
      of TAZ regulation by the tight junction protein PARD3. PARD3 promotes the
      interaction between PP1A and LATS1 to induce LATS1 dephosphorylation and
      inactivation, therefore leading to dephosphorylation and activation of TAZ. The
      cytoplasmic, but not the tight junction complex associated, PARD3 is responsible
      for TAZ regulation. Our study indicates a potential molecular basis for cell
      growth-promoting function of PARD3 by modulating the Hippo pathway signaling in
      response to cell contact and cell polarity signals. 

PMID- 26116755
TI  - Binding to serine 65-phosphorylated ubiquitin primes Parkin for optimal PINK1
      dependent phosphorylation and activation.
AB  - Mutations in the mitochondrial protein kinase PINK1 are associated with autosomal
      recessive Parkinson disease (PD). We and other groups have reported that PINK1
      activates Parkin E3 ligase activity both directly via phosphorylation of Parkin
      serine 65 (Ser(65))--which lies within its ubiquitin-like domain (Ubl)--and
      indirectly through phosphorylation of ubiquitin at Ser(65). How Ser(65)
      phosphorylated ubiquitin (ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65)) contributes to Parkin
      activation is currently unknown. Here, we demonstrate that ubiquitin(Phospho
      Ser65) binding to Parkin dramatically increases the rate and stoichiometry of
      Parkin phosphorylation at Ser(65) by PINK1 in vitro. Analysis of the Parkin
      structure, corroborated by site-directed mutagenesis, shows that the conserved
      His302 and Lys151 residues play a critical role in binding of ubiquitin(Phospho
      Ser65), thereby promoting Parkin Ser(65) phosphorylation and activation of its E3
      ligase activity in vitro. Mutation of His302 markedly inhibits Parkin Ser(65)
      phosphorylation at the mitochondria, which is associated with a marked reduction
      in its E3 ligase activity following mitochondrial depolarisation. We show that
      the binding of ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65) to Parkin disrupts the interaction
      between the Ubl domain and C-terminal region, thereby increasing the
      accessibility of Parkin Ser(65). Finally, purified Parkin maximally
      phosphorylated at Ser(65) in vitro cannot be further activated by the addition of
      ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65). Our results thus suggest that a major role of
      ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65) is to promote PINK1-mediated phosphorylation of Parkin
      at Ser(65), leading to maximal activation of Parkin E3 ligase activity. His302
      and Lys151 are likely to line a phospho-Ser(65)-binding pocket on the surface of
      Parkin that is critical for the ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65) interaction. This study
      provides new mechanistic insights into Parkin activation by ubiquitin(Phospho
      Ser65), which could aid in the development of Parkin activators that mimic the
      effect of ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65).

PMID- 26116756
TI  - Benzimidazole analogs inhibit respiratory syncytial virus G protein function.
AB  - Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is a highly contagious Paramyxovirus
      that infects most children by age two, generating an estimated 75,000-125,000
      hospitalizations in the U.S. annually. hRSV is the most common cause of
      bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and children under 1year of age, with
      significant mortality among high-risk groups. A regulatory agency-approved
      vaccine is not available, and existing prophylaxis and therapies are limited to
      use in high-risk pediatric patients; thus additional therapies are sorely needed.
      Here, we identify a series of benzimidazole analogs that inhibit hRSV infection
      in vitro with high potency, using a previously-reported high-throughput screening
      assay. The lead compound, SRI 29365 (1-[6-(2-furyl)[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4
      b][1,3,4]thiadiazol-3-yl]methyl-1H-benzimidazole), has an EC50 of 66MUM and a
      selectivity >50. We identified additional compounds with varying potencies by
      testing commercially-available chemical analogs. Time-of-addition experiments
      indicated that SRI 29365 effectively inhibits viral replication only if present
      during the early stages of viral infection. We isolated a virus with resistance
      to SRI 29365 and identified mutations in the transmembrane domain of the viral G
      protein genomic sequence that suggested that the compound inhibits G-protein
      mediated attachment of hRSV to cells. Additional experiments with multiple cell
      types indicated that SRI 29365 antiviral activity correlates with the binding of
      cell surface heparin by full-length G protein. Lastly, SRI 29365 did not reduce
      hRSV titers or morbidity/mortality in efficacy studies using a cotton rat model.
      Although SRI 29365 and analogs inhibit hRSV replication in vitro, this work
      suggests that the G-protein may not be a valid drug target in vivo. 

PMID- 26116757
TI  - Molecular functions of NEDD4 E3 ubiquitin ligases in cancer.
AB  - The initiation, progression and cure of cancer rely heavily on altered gene
      expression and posttranslational functions. Protein ubiquitination is a major
      mechanism for posttranslational reorganization of the genome. This evolutionary
      conserved cascade, through regulation of protein stability, distribution, and
      function, governs nearly every biological process in the cell. E3 ubiquitin
      ligases are pivotal components of the ubiquitination pathway. Genetic
      alterations, abnormal expression, and dysfunctions of E3s have been implicated in
      the pathogenesis of a wide spectrum of human malignancies. In this review, we
      summarize and discuss recent discoveries on the roles of NEDD4 E3s in cancer.
      Over the past decade, members of this family have increasingly surfaced as
      fundamental components and critical regulators of molecular pathways central to
      the pathogenesis and cure of the disease. 

PMID- 26116758
TI  - The emerging role of the transcriptional coregulator RIP140 in solid tumors.
AB  - RIP140 is a transcriptional coregulator (also known as NRIP1) which plays very
      important physiological roles by finely tuning the activity of a large number of
      transcription factors. Noticeably, the RIP140 gene has been shown to be involved
      in the regulation of energy expenditure, in mammary gland development and
      intestinal homeostasis as well as in behavior and cognition. RIP140 is also
      involved in the regulation of various oncogenic signaling pathways and
      participates in the development and progression of solid tumors. This short
      review aims to summarize the role of this transcription factor on nuclear
      estrogen receptors, E2F and Wnt signaling pathways based on recent observations
      focusing on breast, ovary, liver and colon tumors. 

PMID- 26116760
TI  - Central serotonin(2B) receptor blockade inhibits cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion
      independently of changes of subcortical dopamine outflow.
AB  - The central serotonin2B receptor (5-HT2BR) is currently considered as an
      interesting pharmacological target for improved treatment of drug addiction. In
      the present study, we assessed the effect of two selective 5-HT2BR antagonists,
      RS 127445 and LY 266097, on cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion and dopamine (DA)
      outflow in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and the dorsal striatum of freely moving
      rats. The peripheral administration of RS 127445 (0.16 mg/kg, i.p.) or LY 266097
      (0.63 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly reduced basal DA outflow in the NAc shell, but
      had no effect on cocaine (10 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced DA outflow in this brain
      region. Also, RS 127445 failed to modify both basal and cocaine-induced DA
      outflow in the NAc core and the dorsal striatum. Conversely, both 5-HT2BR
      antagonists reduced cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion. Furthermore, RS 127445 as
      well as the DA-R antagonist haloperidol (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced significantly
      the late-onset hyperlocomotion induced by the DA-R agonist quinpirole (0.5 mg/kg,
      s.c.). Altogether, these results demonstrate that 5-HT2BR blockade inhibits
      cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion independently of changes of subcortical DA
      outflow. This interaction takes place downstream to DA neurons and could involve
      an action at the level of dorsostriatal and/or NAc DA transmission, in keeping
      with the importance of these brain regions in the behavioural responses of
      cocaine. Overall, this study affords additional knowledge into the regulatory
      control exerted by the 5-HT2BR on ascending DA pathways, and provides additional
      support to the proposed role of 5-HT2BRs as a new pharmacological target in drug
      addiction. 

PMID- 26116761
TI  - Endomorphin-1 analogues (MELs) penetrate the blood-brain barrier and exhibit good
      analgesic effects with minimal side effects.
AB  - Endomorphins are endogenous opioid peptides in mammals and display a strong
      antinociceptive effect after central administration. However, the clinical usage
      of these peptides is limited because of their diminished analgesic effect
      following systemic injection and their inability to cross the blood-brain
      barrier. In this study, we characterized the in vivo effects of four novel
      endomorphin-1 analogues (termed MELs), which previously showed potential as
      highly potent analgesics with a good pharmacological profile in vitro. The
      analogues were administered intravenously to several rodent pain models to
      examine their antinociception and blood-brain barrier permeability. The tested
      peptides, especially MEL1214, showed good analgesic activity and blood-brain
      barrier permeability. Behavioral studies showed dose-dependent analgesic effect
      after systematic administration of MEL1214 in the tested pain models. Pre
      treatment of subcutaneous administration of naloxone methiodide did not affect
      the antinociception of these peptides. As compared to morphine, MEL1214 was less
      prone to induce tolerance after consecutive intravenous administration for 5
      days. Gastrointestinal transit was evaluated by the isolated colon response and
      bead expulsion to determine the potential constipation effect. In contrast to
      morphine, MEL1214 produced no significant constipation effect at an equivalent
      dose. MEL1214 shows promise as a suitable compound to treat pain with reduced
      side effects, and exhibits good potential to be further developed as a novel
      opioid analgesic in pain treatment. 

PMID- 26116762
TI  - ClickSeq: Fragmentation-Free Next-Generation Sequencing via Click Ligation of
      Adaptors to Stochastically Terminated 3'-Azido cDNAs.
AB  - We present a simple method called "ClickSeq" for NGS (next-generation sequencing)
      library synthesis that uses click chemistry rather than enzymatic reactions for
      the ligation of Illumina sequencing adaptors. In ClickSeq, randomly primed
      reverse transcription reactions are supplemented with azido-2',3'
      dideoxynucleotides that randomly terminate DNA synthesis and release 3'-azido
      blocked cDNA fragments in a process akin to dideoxy-Sanger sequencing. Purified
      fragments are "click ligated" via copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition to
      DNA oligos modified with a 5'-alkyne group. This generates ssDNA molecules
      containing an unnatural triazole-linked DNA backbone that is sufficiently
      biocompatible for PCR amplification to generate a cDNA library for RNAseq. Here,
      we analyze viral RNAs and mRNA to demonstrate that ClickSeq produces unbiased NGS
      libraries with low error rates comparable to standard methods. Importantly,
      ClickSeq is robust against common artifacts of NGS such as chimera formation and
      artifactual recombination with fewer than 3 aberrant events detected per million
      reads. 

PMID- 26116763
TI  - Sclerosed Hemangioma Accompanied by Multiple Cavernous Hemangiomas of the Liver.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A sclerosed hemangioma of the liver, an extremely rare type of benign
      hepatic tumor, was found at autopsy. CASE REPORT: An 81-year-old Japanese man was
      admitted to our hospital for surgical resection of squamous cell carcinoma of the
      skin in his left forearm. At admission, serological tests for hepatitis B surface
      antigen and hepatitis C antibody were negative with no evidence of cirrhosis. At
      2, 3, and 5 months after the removal of the forearm tumor, skin grafting was
      performed because of unhealed skin ulceration. Although anti-bacterial drugs were
      prescribed, the patient died after the 3rd skin graft (5 months after the
      surgery) because of pneumonia. During the treatment course, the patient was
      diagnosed as having multiple liver masses suspected to be cysts of the liver
      based on non-contrasted computed tomography results. Autopsy revealed a sclerosed
      hemangioma occupying the entire left lobe accompanied by multiple small cavernous
      hemangiomas in the right lobe of the liver. CONCLUSIONS: Sclerosed hemangioma, a
      rare benign disease, occurred in association with degeneration and sclerosis of
      cavernous hemangiomas of the liver. The VEGF pathway may be involved in the
      genesis of cavernous and sclerosed hemangioma of the liver.

PMID- 26116764
TI  - Elevation of cardiac troponins measured after recreational resistance training.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whereas elevated cardiac troponin (cTn) concentrations i.e. above the
      99th percentile of healthy reference population (recommended cutoff for the
      diagnosis of myocardial infarction) are well-documented in healthy individuals
      after prolonged and/or intensive exercises such as marathons, data on less
      strenuous sports are scarce. Therefore, our aim was to investigate cTnI and cTnT
      release in response to recreational resistance training, here a single-bout of 1
      h kettlebell workout. METHODS: Serum samples were collected from 11 apparently
      healthy volunteers the previous day (pre-exercise), three hours after the
      kettlebell class (post-exercise), the next day and three days later. The
      aliquoted samples were analyzed with Abbott Laboratories' Architect high
      sensitivity (hs)-cTnI assay (limit of detection, LoD = 2 ng/L), our 3+1-type cTnI
      assay free from cTn-specific autoantibody interference (LoD = 3 ng/L) and Roche
      Diagnostics' hs-cTnT assay (LoD = 5 ng/L). RESULTS: The post-exercise cTn
      concentrations were significantly higher than the pre-exercise values (median 5.5
      9.6 ng/L vs. <LoD, P<0.05 for all) and they correlated strongly between the three
      assays (Spearman r = 0.881-0.960, P<0.001 for all). Furthermore, a few post
      exercise concentrations even exceeded the 99th percentile of Architect hs-cTnI
      (>26 ng/L, n = 2) and/or hs-cTnT (>14 ng/L, n = 4). The cTn concentrations
      returned to baseline during the three days of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      demonstrates abnormally elevated cTns with well-validated sensitive cTn assays
      after resistance training. This confirms that different kinds of recreational
      physical activity are yet another confounder that may affect the determination
      and use of 99th percentile reference values. Therefore, exercise-associated
      changes should be carefully addressed as part of the evaluation what is "normal
      cTn".

PMID- 26116765
TI  - Multigenerational maternal inhibition of prepupal diapause in two Trichogramma
      species (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae).
AB  - It is known that in some insect species the incidence of diapause among the
      progeny of females that had undergone diapause is relatively low or zero even
      under strong diapause-inducing conditions. Moreover, the maternal inhibition,
      preventing the induction of a maladaptive diapause in spring, can persist over
      several generations. This multigenerational effect based on hypothetical
      'interval timer' was thoroughly studied in Aphididae. We first described a
      similar phenomenon in Hymenoptera: laboratory experiments demonstrated that the
      proportion of diapausing progeny of Trichogramma females that had undergone
      diapause was practically zero independently of photoperiodic and temperature
      conditions used (day lengths of 12 and 18h and temperatures of 12-15 degrees C).
      Then the ability to enter diapause recovered gradually and returned to the normal
      level over two (in Trichogramma telengai) or even five (in Trichogramma
      principium) generations. We conclude that the observed effect may be based on an
      interval timer similar to that in aphids. 

PMID- 26116766
TI  - Influences of multiple firings and aging on surface roughness, strength and
      hardness of veneering ceramics for zirconia frameworks.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of multiple firings and aging on surface
      roughness, strength, and hardness of veneering ceramics for zirconia frameworks.
      METHODS: Five different veneering ceramics for zirconia frameworks were used:
      Vintage ZR (ZR), Cerabien ZR (CZR), VitaVM9 (VM9), Cercon ceram KISS (KISS), and
      IPS e.max ceram (e.max). Specimens were fired 2 or 10 times in order to
      accelerate aging. Surface roughness was evaluated using laser profilometry.
      Flexural strength and Vickers hardness were also measured. Surface topography was
      observed using scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: After accelerated aging,
      the surface roughness of all specimens fired 10 times was significantly lower
      than that of the same specimens fired 2 times (P=0.000). Except for VM9, the
      flexural strength of all specimens fired 10 times was greater than that of the
      same specimens fired 2 times, and the differences were significant for ZR and CZR
      (P<0.01). The flexural strength of VM9 fired 10 times was significantly lower
      than that of VM9 fired 2 times (P=0.034). The Vickers hardness of ZR and VM9
      fired 10 times was significantly higher than that of the same specimens fired 2
      times (P<0.05), but that of KISS fired 10 times was significantly lower than that
      of KISS fired 2 times (P=0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Multiple firings had a positive
      effect on the surface roughness of all aged veneering ceramics used for zirconia
      restorations and on the strength and hardness of many aged veneering ceramics
      used for zirconia restorations.

PMID- 26116759
TI  - Pharmacological approaches to intervention in hypomyelinating and demyelinating
      white matter pathology.
AB  - White matter disease afflicts both developing and mature central nervous systems.
      Both cell intrinsic and extrinsic dysregulation result in profound changes in
      cell survival, axonal metabolism and functional performance. Experimental models
      of developmental white matter (WM) injury and demyelination have not only
      delineated mechanisms of signaling and inflammation, but have also paved the way
      for the discovery of pharmacological approaches to intervention. These reagents
      have been shown to enhance protection of the mature oligodendrocyte cell,
      accelerate progenitor cell recruitment and/or differentiation, or attenuate
      pathological stimuli arising from the inflammatory response to injury. Here we
      highlight reports of studies in the CNS in which compounds, namely peptides,
      hormones, and small molecule agonists/antagonists, have been used in experimental
      animal models of demyelination and neonatal brain injury that affect aspects of
      excitotoxicity, oligodendrocyte development and survival, and progenitor cell
      function, and which have been demonstrated to attenuate damage and improve WM
      protection in experimental models of injury. The molecular targets of these
      agents include growth factor and neurotransmitter receptors, morphogens and their
      signaling components, nuclear receptors, as well as the processes of iron
      transport and actin binding. By surveying the current evidence in non-immune
      targets of both the immature and mature WM, we aim to better understand
      pharmacological approaches modulating endogenous oligodendroglia that show
      potential for success in the contexts of developmental and adult WM pathology.
      This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Oligodendrocytes in Health
      and Disease'.

PMID- 26116767
TI  - Amalgam and resin composite longevity of posterior restorations: A systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present review was to evaluate by means of a
      systematic review and meta-analysis the hypothesis of no difference in failure
      rates between amalgam and composite resin posterior restorations. DATA:
      Randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials and prospective and
      retrospective cohort studies were included in this review. The eligibility
      criteria included clinical trials in humans with at least 12 months of follow-up
      comparing the failures rates between occlusal and occlusoproximal amalgam and
      composite resin restorations. Clinical questions were formulated and organized
      according to the PICOS strategy. SOURCE: An electronic search without restriction
      on the dates or languages was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science up until March 2015. STUDY
      SELECTION: The initial search resulted in 938 articles from PubMed/MEDLINE, 89
      titles from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and 172 from the
      Web of Science. After an initial assessment and careful reading, 8 studies
      published between 1992 and 2013 were included in this review. According to the
      risk of bias evaluation, all studies were classified as high quality.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of this review suggest that composite resin restorations
      in posterior teeth still have less longevity and a higher number of secondary
      caries when compared to amalgam restorations. In relation to fractures, there was
      no statistically significant difference between the two restorative materials
      regarding the time of follow-up. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: There is currently a
      worldwide trend towards replacing amalgam restorations with mercury-free
      materials, which are adhesive and promote aesthetics. It is important to perform
      an updated periodic review to synthesize the clinical performance of restorations
      in the long-term.

PMID- 26116768
TI  - PI3K/Akt signaling mediated Hexokinase-2 expression inhibits cell apoptosis and
      promotes tumor growth in pediatric osteosarcoma.
AB  - Accumulating evidence has shown that PI3K/Akt pathway is frequently
      hyperactivated in osteosarcoma (OS) and contributes to tumor initiation and
      progression. Altered phenotype of glucose metabolism is a key hallmark of cancer
      cells including OS. However, the relationship between PI3K/Akt pathway and
      glucose metabolism in OS remains largely unexplored. In this study, we showed
      that elevated Hexokinase-2 (HK2) expression, which catalyzes the first essential
      step of glucose metabolism by conversion of glucose into glucose-6-phosphate, was
      induced by activated PI3K/Akt signaling. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that
      HK2 was overexpressed in 83.3% (25/30) specimens detected and was closely
      correlated with Ki67, a cell proliferation index. Silencing of endogenous HK2
      resulted in decreased aerobic glycolysis as demonstrated by reduced glucose
      consumption and lactate production. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling also
      suppressed aerobic glycolysis and this effect can be reversed by reintroduction
      of HK2. Furthermore, knockdown of HK2 led to increased cell apoptosis and reduced
      ability of colony formation; meanwhile, these effects were blocked by 2-Deoxy-d
      glucose (2-DG), a glycolysis inhibitor through its actions on hexokinase,
      indicating that HK2 functions in cell apoptosis and growth were mediated by
      altered aerobic glycolysis. Taken together, our study reveals a novel
      relationship between PI3K/Akt signaling and aerobic glycolysis and indicates that
      PI3K/Akt/HK2 might be potential therapeutic approaches for OS. 

PMID- 26116769
TI  - The STAT3 inhibitor WP1066 synergizes with vorinostat to induce apoptosis of
      mantle cell lymphoma cells.
AB  - Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)
      characterized by the translocation t (11; 14) (q13; q32). Drug resistance remains
      a formidable obstacle to treatment and the median survival for MCL patients is
      between 3 and 5 years. Thus, there is an urgent need to discover novel approaches
      to MCL therapy. The signal transducer and activation of transcription 3 (STAT3)
      has been found to be constitutively activated in several subtypes of MCL cell
      lines and MCL tumors. WP1066, a small-molecule inhibitor of STAT3, exerted
      antitumor activity in hematological and solid malignancies by inhibiting key
      survival and growth signaling pathways. In the present study, we evaluated the
      antiproliferative and proapoptotic activity of WP1066 combined with pan-histone
      deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor vorinostat (SAHA) in a panel of MCL cell lines. In
      addition, potential mechanisms involved were also explored. The outcome showed
      that combination of WP1066 with SAHA resulted in synergistic growth inhibition
      and apoptosis induction in MCL cell lines in vitro. Furthermore, combination of
      WP1066 with SAHA inhibited the constitutive STAT3 activation and modulated mRNA
      expressions of anti- and pro-apoptotic genes. Our findings suggest that agents
      targeting the STAT3 pathway such as WP1066 may be useful therapeutic drugs for
      MCL when combined with SAHA. 

PMID- 26116770
TI  - Effective treatment of glioblastoma requires crossing the blood-brain barrier and
      targeting tumors including cancer stem cells: The promise of nanomedicine.
AB  - Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal type of brain
      tumor. Both therapeutic resistance and restricted permeation of drugs across the
      blood-brain barrier (BBB) play a major role in the poor prognosis of GBM
      patients. Accumulated evidence suggests that in many human cancers, including
      GBM, therapeutic resistance can be attributed to a small fraction of cancer cells
      known as cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs have been shown to have stem cell-like
      properties that enable them to evade traditional cytotoxic therapies, and so new
      CSC-directed anti-cancer therapies are needed. Nanoparticles have been designed
      to selectively deliver payloads to relevant target cells in the body, and there
      is considerable interest in the use of nanoparticles for CSC-directed anti-cancer
      therapies. Recent advances in the field of nanomedicine offer new possibilities
      for overcoming CSC-mediated therapeutic resistance and thus significantly
      improving management of GBM. In this review, we will examine the current
      nanomedicine approaches for targeting CSCs and their therapeutic implications.
      The inhibitory effect of various nanoparticle-based drug delivery system towards
      CSCs in GBM tumors is the primary focus of this review. 

PMID- 26116771
TI  - Inhibition of invasion by glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta inhibitors through
      dysregulation of actin re-organisation via down-regulation of WAVE2.
AB  - Cancer cell invasion is a critical phenomenon in cancer pathogenesis. Glycogen
      synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) has been reported to regulate cancer cell
      invasion both negatively and positively. Thus, the net effect of GSK-3beta on
      invasion is unclear. In this report, we showed that GSK-3beta inhibitors induced
      dysregulation of the actin cytoskeleton and functional insufficiency of focal
      adhesion, which resulted in suppressed invasion. In addition, WAVE2, an essential
      molecule for actin fibre branching, was down-regulated after GSK-3beta
      inhibition. Collectively, we propose that the WAVE2-actin cytoskeleton axis is an
      important target of GSK-3beta inhibitors in cancer cell invasion. 

PMID- 26116772
TI  - Trophic factors from adipose tissue-derived multi-lineage progenitor cells
      promote cytodifferentiation of periodontal ligament cells.
AB  - Stem and progenitor cells are currently being investigated for their
      applicability in cell-based therapy for periodontal tissue regeneration. We
      recently demonstrated that the transplantation of adipose tissue-derived multi
      lineage progenitor cells (ADMPCs) enhances periodontal tissue regeneration in
      beagle dogs. However, the molecular mechanisms by which transplanted ADMPCs
      induce periodontal tissue regeneration remain to be elucidated. In this study,
      trophic factors released by ADMPCs were examined for their paracrine effects on
      human periodontal ligament cell (HPDL) function. ADMPC conditioned medium (ADMPC
      CM) up-regulated osteoblastic gene expression, alkaline phosphatase activity and
      calcified nodule formation in HPDLs, but did not significantly affect their
      proliferative response. ADMPCs secreted a number of growth factors, including
      insulin-like growth factor binding protein 6 (IGFBP6), hepatocyte growth factor
      and vascular endothelial growth factor. Among these, IGFBP6 was most highly
      expressed. Interestingly, the positive effects of ADMPC-CM on HPDL
      differentiation were significantly suppressed by transfecting ADMPCs with IGFBP6
      siRNA. Our results suggest that ADMPCs transplanted into a defect in periodontal
      tissue release trophic factors that can stimulate the differentiation of HPDLs to
      mineralized tissue-forming cells, such as osteoblasts and cementoblasts. IGFBP6
      may play crucial roles in ADMPC-induced periodontal regeneration. 

PMID- 26116773
TI  - Molecular dynamics simulations of Na(+) and leucine transport by LeuT.
AB  - Molecular dynamics simulations are used to gain insight into the binding of Na(+)
      and leucine substrate to the bacterial amino acid transporter LeuT, focusing on
      the crystal structures of LeuT in the outward-open and inward-open states. For
      both conformations of LeuT, a third Na(+) binding site involving Glu290 in
      addition to the two sites identified from the crystal structures is observed.
      Once the negative charge from Glu290 in the inward-open LeuT is removed, the ion
      bound to the third site is ejected from LeuT rapidly, suggesting that the
      protonation state of Glu290 regulates Na(+) binding and release. In Cl(-)
      dependent transporters where Glu290 is replaced by a neutral serine, a Cl(-) ion
      would be required to replace the role of Glu290. Thus, the simulations provide
      insights into understanding Na(+) and substrate transport as well as Cl(-)
      independence of LeuT. 

PMID- 26116774
TI  - VEGF inhibits the inflammation in spinal cord injury through activation of
      autophagy.
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a secreted mitogen associated with
      angiogenesis and re-vascularization of spinal cord injury (SCI). VEGF has long
      been thought to be a potent neurotrophic factor for the survival of spinal cord
      neuron. However, the neuroprotective mechanism of VEGF is still unclear. The aim
      of this study was to investigate the effect of VEGF on spinal cord injury and its
      mechanisms. Young male Wistar rats were subjected to SCI and then VEGF165 were
      injected directly into the lesion epicenter 24 h post injury. We detected Basso,
      Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) scores and numbers of motor neuron via Nissl
      staining. The expressions of autophagy related protein Beclin1 and LC3B were
      determined by Western blot and RT-PCR. We also detected the contents of
      inflammation factors interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), tumor necrosis factor alpha
      (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-10(IL-10) in LPS (Lipopolysaccharide) treated spinal
      neuron-glia co-culture by ELISA. We found that VEGF165 administration increased
      the BBB score and reduced the loss of motor neuron of rats induced by SCI. VEGF
      decreased the protein expressions of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and IL-10 and up
      regulated the expressions of Beclin1 and LC3B of rats. In the in vitro study,
      VEGF165 decreased the levels of IL-1beta, IL-10 and TNF-a in the medium of LPS
      treated spinal neuron-glia co-culture, which was partially blocked by 3-MA, the
      inhibitor of autophagy. In addition, VEGF165 up-regulate the expressions of
      Beclin1 and LC3B in co-culture cells. The results suggested that VEGF165
      attenuated the spinal cord injury by inhibiting the inflammation and increasing
      the autophagy function.

PMID- 26116775
TI  - The intravenous injection of oxidized LDL- or Apolipoprotein B100--Coupled
      splenocytes promotes Th1 polarization in wildtype and Apolipoprotein E--Deficient
      mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Th1 responses in atherosclerosis are mainly associated with the
      aggravation of atherosclerotic plaques, whereas Th2 responses lead to a less
      pronounced disease in mouse models. The fixation of antigens on cells by means of
      ethylene carbodiimide (ECDI), and subsequent injection of these antigen-coupled
      splenocytes (Ag-SP) to induce tolerance against the attached antigens, has been
      successfully used to treat murine type 1 diabetes or encephalomyelitis in. We
      analyzed this approach in a mouse model for atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      OTII-transgenic mice that were treated with a single dose of 5 * 10(7) OVA
      coupled splenocytes (OVA-SP), had decreased splenocyte proliferation, and lower
      IFNgamma production in vitro upon antigen recall. However, in vivo CD4 cell
      activation was increased. To try lipoprotein-derived, "atherosclerosis
      associated" antigens, we first tested human oxidized LDL. In wild type mice, an
      increase of IFNgamma production upon in vitro recall was detected in the oxLDL-SP
      group. In Apolipoprotein E - deficient (ApoE-/-) mice that received oxLDL-SP
      every 5 weeks for 20 weeks, we did not find any difference of atherosclerotic
      plaque burden, but again increased IFNgamma production. To overcome xenogenous
      limitations, we then examined the effects of mouse Apolipoprotein B100 peptides
      P3 and P6. ApoB100-SP treatment again promoted a more IFNgamma pronounced
      response upon in vitro recall. Flow cytometry analysis of cytokine secreting
      spleen cells revealed CD4 positive T cells to be mainly the source for IFNgamma.
      In ApoE-/- mice that were administered ApoB100-SP during 20 weeks, the
      atherosclerotic plaque burden in aortic roots as well as total aorta was
      unchanged compared to PBS treated controls. Splenocyte proliferation upon antigen
      recall was not significantly altered in ApoB100-SP treated ApoE-/- mice.
      CONCLUSION: Although we did not observe a relevant anti-atherosclerotic benefit,
      the treatment with antigen-coupled splenocytes in its present form already
      impacts the immune responses and deserves further exploration.

PMID- 26116776
TI  - ABT-737 sensitizes curcumin-induced anti-melanoma cell activity through
      facilitating mPTP death pathway.
AB  - In the current study, we studied the potential role of ABT-737, a novel Bcl-2
      inhibitor, on curcumin-induced anti-melanoma cell activity in vitro. The
      associated mechanisms were also investigated. We demonstrated that ABT-737
      significantly sensitized curcumin-induced activity against melanoma cells (WM-115
      and B16 lines), resulting in substantial cell death and apoptosis with co
      administration. At the molecular level, curcumin and ABT-737 synergistically
      induced mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening in melanoma
      cells, the latter was evidenced by mitochondrial membrane potential (MPP)
      reduction and mitochondrial complexation between cyclophilin-D (CyPD) and adenine
      nucleotide translocator 1 (ANT-1). Significantly, mPTP blockers, including
      cyclosporin A and sanglifehrin A, remarkably inhibited curcumin and ABT-737 co
      administration-induced cytotoxicity against melanoma cells. Meanwhile, siRNA
      mediated knockdown of CyPD or ANT-1, the two key components of mPTP, alleviated
      WM-116 cell death by the co-treatment. Collectively, we show that ABT-737
      sensitizes curcumin-induced anti-melanoma cell activity probably through
      facilitating mPTP death pathway. ABT-737 could be further investigated as a
      potential curcumin adjuvant in melanoma and other cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26116777
TI  - Respiratory metabolism of salivary glands during the late larval and prepupal
      development of Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - During the late larval period, the salivary glands (SG) of Drosophila show a
      cascade of cytological changes associated with exocytosis and the expectoration
      of the proteinaceous glue that is used to affix the pupariating larva to a
      substrate. After puparium formation (APF), SG undergo extensive cytoplasmic
      vacuolation due to endocytosis, vacuole consolidation and massive apocrine
      secretion. Here we investigated possible correlations between cytological
      changes, the puffing pattern in polytene chromosomes and respiratory metabolism
      of the SG. The carefully staged SG were explanted into small amounts (1 or 2MUl)
      of tissue culture medium. The respiratory metabolism of single or up to 3 pairs
      of glands was evaluated by recording the rate of O2 consumption using a scanning
      microrespirographic technique sensitive to subnanoliter volumes of the
      respiratory O2 or CO2. The recordings were carried out at times between 8h before
      pupariation (BPF), until 16h APF, at which point the SG completely disintegrate.
      At the early wandering larval stage (8h BPF), the glands consume 2nl of
      O2/gland/min (=2500MUl O2/g/h). This relatively high metabolic rate decreases
      down to 1.2-1.3nl of O2 during the endogenous peak in ecdysteroid concentration
      that culminates around pupariation. The metabolic decline coincides with the
      exocytosis of the proteinaceous glue. During and shortly after puparium
      formation, which is accompanied cytologically by intense vacuolation, O2
      consumption in the SG temporarily increases to 1.6nl O2/gland/min. After this
      time, the metabolic rate of the SG decreases downward steadily until 16h APF,
      when the glands disintegrate and cease to consume oxygen. The SG we analyzed from
      Drosophila larvae were composed of 134 intrinsic cells, with the average volume
      of one lobe being 37nl. Therefore, a single SG cell of the wandering larva (with
      O2 consumption of 2nl/gland/min), consumes each about 16pl of O2/cell/min. A
      simultaneous analysis of the rate of protein and RNA synthesis in the SG shows a
      course similar to that found in respiratory metabolism. 

PMID- 26116778
TI  - Heart rate variability is enhanced in controls but not maladaptive perfectionists
      during brief mindfulness meditation following stress-induction: A stratified
      randomized trial.
AB  - Heart rate variability (HRV) is a vagal nerve-mediated biomarker of cardiac
      function used to investigate chronic illness, psychopathology, stress and, more
      recently, attention-regulation processes such as meditation. This study
      investigated HRV in relation to maladaptive perfectionism, a stress-related
      personality factor, and mindfulness meditation, a stress coping practice expected
      to elevate HRV, and thereby promote relaxation. Maladaptive perfectionists (n=21)
      and Controls (n=39) were exposed to a lab-based assessment in which HRV was
      measured during (1) a 5-minute baseline resting phase, (2) a 5-minute cognitive
      stress-induction phase, and (3) a post-stress phase. In the post-stress phase,
      participants were randomly assigned to a 10-minute audio-instructed mindfulness
      meditation condition or a 10-minute rest condition with audio-description of
      mindfulness meditation. Analyses revealed a significant elevation in HRV during
      meditation for Controls but not for Perfectionists. These results suggest that
      mindfulness meditation promotes relaxation following cognitive stress and that
      the perfectionist personality hinders relaxation possibly because of decreased
      cardiac vagal tone. The results are discussed in the context of developing
      psychophysiological models to advance therapeutic interventions for distressed
      populations. 

PMID- 26116779
TI  - Nano-hydroxyapatite/chitosan-starch nanocomposite as a novel bone construct:
      Synthesis and in vitro studies.
AB  - A novel ternary nanocomposite system incorporating hydroxyapatite, chitosan and
      starch (n-HA/CS-ST) has been synthesized by co-precipitation method at room
      temperature, addressing the issues of biocompatibility, mechanical strength and
      cytotoxicity required for bone tissue engineering. The interactions, crystallite
      size, surface morphology and thermal stability against n-HA/CS nanocomposite have
      been obtained by comparing the results of FTIR, SEM, TEM, DLS, XRD and TGA/DTA. A
      comparative study of bioactivity and thermal stability of n-HA/CS and n-HA/CS-ST
      nanocomposites revealed that the incorporation of starch as templating agent
      enhanced these properties in n-HA/CS-ST nanocomposite. A lower swelling rate of n
      HA/CS-ST relative to n-HA/CS indicates a higher mechanical strength supportive of
      bone tissue ingrowths. The MTT assay on murine fibroblast L929 and human
      osteoblasts-like MG-63 cells and in vitro bioactivity of n-HA/CS-ST matrix
      referred superior non-toxic nature of n-HA/CS-ST nanocomposite and greater
      possibility of osteointegration in vivo respectively. Furthermore n-HA/CS-ST
      exhibited improved antibacterial property against both Gram-positive and Gram
      negative bacteria relative to n-HA/CS. 

PMID- 26116780
TI  - Comorbidity and favorable neurologic outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
      in patients of 70 years and older.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Advanced age is reported to be associated with lower survival after
      out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We aimed to establish survival rate and
      neurological outcome at hospital discharge after OHCA in older patients and
      evaluated whether pre-OHCA comorbidity was associated with favorable neurologic
      outcome. METHODS: From a prospective registry of all cardiopulmonary
      resuscitation (CPR) attempts after OHCA, we established survival in 1332 patients
      aged >= 70 years in whom resuscitation with non-traumatic etiology was attempted
      in 2009-2011. Pre-OHCA factors (age, gender, residing in long-term care
      institution, Charlson Comorbidity Index [CCI] score) and resuscitation parameters
      (initial rhythm, bystander witnessed, bystander CPR and time to defibrillator
      connection) with survival at hospital discharge with favorable neurologic outcome
      were regressed in the 851 patients of whom CCI was known. RESULTS: We found a 12%
      survival to discharge rate in patients aged >= 70 years (70-79 years: 16%; >= 80
      years: 8%, p=0.001). Among surviving patients, 90% survived with favorable
      neurologic outcome. In a model with only pre-OHCA factors age was significantly
      associated with outcome (age OR 0.94, 95%CI 0.91-0.98), p = 0.003). High CCI
      score (>= 4) was not statistically significant when associated with survival (7%
      vs. 12%, OR 0.53, 95%CI (0.25-1.13), p = 0.10). When adjusted for resuscitation
      parameters, OR for high CCI was 0.71 (95% CI 0.28-1.80, p = 0.47), also none of
      the other pre-OHCA factors remained statistically significant. CONCLUSION: In the
      Netherlands, the survival rate in older patients was 12%; the great majority
      survived with favorable neurologic outcome. Resuscitation-related factors and not
      comorbidity determine outcome after OHCA in older patients.

PMID- 26116781
TI  - In vitro ACE-inhibitory peptide KGYGGVSLPEW facilitates noradrenaline release
      from sympathetic nerve terminals: Relationship with the lack of antihypertensive
      effect on spontaneous hypertensive rats.
AB  - This study aimed to validate the antihypertensive activity of the angiotensin
      converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitor whey protein hydrolysate (WPH) obtained through
      the action of proteolytic enzymes from Cynara Cardunculus. The antihypertensive
      activity of WPH fractions containing peptides with molecular weight below 3kDa
      (Whey<3kDa) and 1kDa (Whey<1kDa) along with the antihypertensive activity of
      three potent ACE-inhibitory peptide sequences (DKVGINYW, DAQSAPLRVY and
      KGYGGVSLPEW), previously identified in WPH, were also investigated. In parallel,
      the influence of KGYGGVSLPEW (the most potent ACE-inhibitory peptide sequence) on
      AT1 receptors (a common pharmacological target of antihypertensive therapies
      beyond ACE), was evaluated. The effect of WPH and fractions (300mg/kg) and
      peptide sequences (5mg/kg) on systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure was
      evaluated by telemetry on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), after single
      oral administration. Despite their ACE-inhibitory effect in vitro, neither WPH,
      Whey <3kDa, Whey <1kDa or peptide sequences exhibited antihypertensive activity.
      In addition, KGYGGVSLPEW was not only devoid of AT1 receptor antagonism but, on
      the contrary, had a similar effect to that of Ang II by facilitating the
      noradrenaline release from sympathetic nerve terminals. In vitro ACE blockade
      does not always correlate with antihypertensive activity and food-derived
      peptides cannot be classified as antihypertensive agents based exclusively on in
      vitro assays. The absence of an antihypertensive effect may also be a result of
      the interaction of these compounds with other components of the systems involved
      in the blood pressure control. 

PMID- 26116782
TI  - Isolation and characterization of Ts19 Fragment II, a new long-chain potassium
      channel toxin from Tityus serrulatus venom.
AB  - Ts19 Fragment II (Ts19 Frag-II) was first isolated from the venom of the scorpion
      Tityus serrulatus (Ts). It is a protein presenting 49 amino acid residues, three
      disulfide bridges, Mr 5534Da and was classified as a new member of class
      (subfamily) 2 of the beta-KTxs, the second one described for Ts scorpion. The
      beta-KTx family is composed by two-domain peptides: N-terminal helical domain
      (NHD), with cytolytic activity, and a C-terminal CSalphabeta domain (CCD), with
      Kv blocking activity. The extensive electrophysiological screening (16 Kv
      channels and 5 Nav channels) showed that Ts19 Frag-II presents a specific and
      significant blocking effect on Kv1.2 (IC50 value of 544+/-32nM). However, no
      cytolytic activity was observed with this toxin. We conclude that the absence of
      9 amino acid residues from the N-terminal sequence (compared to Ts19 Frag-I) is
      responsible for the absence of cytolytic activity. In order to prove this
      hypothesis, we synthesized the peptide with these 9 amino acid residues, called
      Ts19 Frag-III. As expected, Ts19 Frag-III showed to be cytolytic and did not
      block the Kv1.2 channel. The post-translational modifications of Ts19 and its
      fragments (I-III) are also discussed here. A mechanism of post-translational
      processing (post-splitting) is suggested to explain Ts19 fragments production. In
      addition to the discovery of this new toxin, this report provides further
      evidence for the existence of several compounds in the scorpion venom
      contributing to the diversity of the venom arsenal.

PMID- 26116783
TI  - Nesfatin-1 - More than a food intake regulatory peptide.
AB  - Nesfatin-1 was discovered a decade ago and despite the fact that it represents
      just one of a multitude of food intake-inhibiting factors it received increasing
      attention. This led to a detailed characterization of NUCB2/nesfatin-1's
      physiological property to reduce food intake and also gave rise to an involvement
      in the long term regulation of body weight, especially under conditions of
      obesity. In addition, studies indicated the involvement of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 in
      other homeostatic functions as well: glucose homeostasis, water intake,
      gastrointestinal functions, temperature regulation, cardiovascular functions,
      puberty onset and sleep. These pleiotropic actions underline the physiological
      relevance of this peptide. Recently, the involvement of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 in
      psychiatric disorders such as anxiety has been investigated giving rise to the
      speculation that NUCB2/nesfatin-1 represents a peptidergic link between eating
      and anxiety/depression disorders. 

PMID- 26116784
TI  - Prospects for T. cruzi lineage-specific serological surveillance of wild mammals.
AB  - Sequence diversity in the Trypanosoma cruzi small surface molecule TSSA has
      yielded antigens for serology to investigate the T. cruzi lineage-specific
      infection history of patients with Chagas disease. Synthetic peptides can be used
      as the lineage-specific antigens. Here we consider the rationale, feasibility and
      potential of applying peptide-based lineage-specific serology to naturally
      infected wild mammals. The commercial availability of appropriate secondary
      antibodies encourages this further development, for discovery of new reservoir
      host species and to reveal the wider ecological distribution of T. cruzi
      lineages, currently hindered by the need to recover live isolates or to attempt
      genotyping of DNA extracted from blood samples. 

PMID- 26116785
TI  - Vaccine potential of recombinant pro- and mature cathepsinL1 against fasciolosis
      gigantica in mice.
AB  - In Fasciola gigantica cathepsin L1 (CatL1) is a family of predominant proteases
      that is expressed in caecal epithelial cells and secreted into the excretory
      secretory products (ES). CatL1 isotypes are expressed in both early and late
      stages of the life cycle and the parasites use them for migration and digestion.
      Therefore, CatL1 is a plausible target for vaccination against this parasite.
      Recombinant pro-F.gigantica CatL1 (rproFgCatL1) and recombinant mature
      F.gigantica CatL1 (rmatFgCatL1) were expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The
      vaccination was performed in Imprinting Control Region (ICR) mice (n=10) by
      subcutaneous injection with 50MUg of rproFgCatL1 and rmatFgCatL1 combined with
      Freund's adjuvant. Two weeks after the second boost, mice were infected with 15
      metacercariae by the oral route. The level of protection of rproFgCatL1 and
      rmatFgCatL1 vaccines was estimated to be 39.1, 41.7% and 44.9, 47.2% when
      compared with non vaccinated-infected and adjuvant-infected controls,
      respectively. Antibodies in the immune sera of vaccinated mice were shown by
      immuno-blotting to react with the native FgCatL1 in the extract of newly excysted
      juveniles (NEJ), 4-week-old juveniles and the ES products of 4 week-old
      juveniles. By determining the levels of IgG1 and IgG2a in the immune sera, which
      are indicative of Th2 and Th1 immune response, respectively, it was found that
      both Th1 and Th2 responses were significantly increased in rproFgCatL1- and
      rmatFgCatL1-immunized groups compared with the control groups, with higher levels
      of Th2 (IgG1) than Th1 (IgG2a). The levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase
      (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) in rmatFgCatL1-immunized group showed a
      significant decrease when compared to rproFgCatL1-immunized group, indicating
      that rmatFgCatL1-vaccinated mice had reduced liver parenchyma damage. The
      pathological lesions of liver in vaccinated groups were significantly decreased
      when compared with control groups. This study indicates that rFgCatL1 has a
      potential as a vaccine candidate against F. gigantica in mice, and this potential
      will be tested in ruminants.

PMID- 26116786
TI  - Manganese ions induce H2O2 generation at the ubiquinone binding site of
      mitochondrial complex II.
AB  - Manganese-induced toxicity has been recently associated with an increased ROS
      generation from mitochondrial complex II (succinate:ubiquinone oxidoreductase).
      To achieve a deeper mechanistic understanding how divalent manganese ions
      (Mn(2+)) could stimulate mitochondrial ROS production we performed investigations
      with bovine heart submitochondrial particles (SMP). In succinate fueled SMP, the
      Mn(2+) induced hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production was blocked by the specific
      complex II ubiquinone binding site (IIQ) inhibitor atpenin A5 while a further
      downstream block at complex III increased the rate markedly. This suggests that
      site IIQ was the source of the reactive oxygen species. Moreover, Mn(2+) ions
      also accelerated the rate of superoxide dismutation, explaining the general
      increase in the measured rates of H2O2 production and an attenuation of direct
      superoxide detection. 

PMID- 26116787
TI  - Validation methods for low-resolution fitting of atomic structures to electron
      microscopy data.
AB  - Fitting of atomic-resolution structures into reconstructions from electron cryo
      microscopy is routinely used to understand the structure and function of
      macromolecular machines. Despite the fact that a plethora of fitting methods has
      been developed over recent years, standard protocols for quality assessment and
      validation of these fits have not been established. Here, we present the general
      concepts underlying current validation ideas as they relate to fitting of atomic
      resolution models into electron cryo-microscopy reconstructions, with an emphasis
      on reconstructions with resolutions below the sub-nanometer range. 

PMID- 26116788
TI  - Beta glucosidase from Bacillus polymyxa is activated by glucose-6-phosphate.
AB  - Optimization of cellulose enzymatic hydrolysis is crucial for cost effective
      bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. Enzymes involved in cellulose
      hydrolysis are often inhibited by their end-products, cellobiose and glucose.
      Efforts have been made to produce more efficient enzyme variants that are highly
      tolerant to product accumulation; however, further improvements are still
      necessary. Based on an alternative approach we initially investigated whether
      recently formed glucose could be phosphorylated into glucose-6-phosphate to
      circumvent glucose accumulation and avoid inhibition of beta-glucosidase from
      Bacillus polymyxa (BGLA). The kinetic properties and structural analysis of BGLA
      in the presence of glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) were investigated. Kinetic studies
      demonstrated that enzyme was not inhibited by G6P. In contrast, the presence of
      G6P activated the enzyme, prevented beta glucosidase feedback inhibition by
      glucose accumulation and improved protein stability. G6P binding was investigated
      by fluorescence quenching experiments and the respective association constant
      indicated high affinity binding of G6P to BGLA. Data reported here are of great
      impact for future design strategies for second-generation bioethanol production. 

PMID- 26116789
TI  - Myosin regulatory light chain phosphorylation enhances cardiac beta-myosin in
      vitro motility under load.
AB  - Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by left ventricular
      hypertrophy and myofibrillar disarray, and often results in sudden cardiac death.
      Two HCM mutations, N47K and R58Q, are located in the myosin regulatory light
      chain (RLC). The RLC mechanically stabilizes the myosin lever arm, which is
      crucial to myosin's ability to transmit contractile force. The N47K and R58Q
      mutations have previously been shown to reduce actin filament velocity under
      load, stemming from a more compliant lever arm (Greenberg, 2010). In contrast,
      RLC phosphorylation was shown to impart stiffness to the myosin lever arm
      (Greenberg, 2009). We hypothesized that phosphorylation of the mutant HCM-RLC may
      mitigate distinct mutation-induced structural and functional abnormalities. In
      vitro motility assays were utilized to investigate the effects of RLC
      phosphorylation on the HCM-RLC mutant phenotype in the presence of an alpha
      actinin frictional load. Porcine cardiac beta-myosin was depleted of its native
      RLC and reconstituted with mutant or wild-type human RLC in phosphorylated or non
      phosphorylated form. Consistent with previous findings, in the presence of load,
      myosin bearing the HCM mutations reduced actin sliding velocity compared to WT
      resulting in 31-41% reductions in force production. Myosin containing
      phosphorylated RLC (WT or mutant) increased sliding velocity and also restored
      mutant myosin force production to near WT unphosphorylated values. These results
      point to RLC phosphorylation as a general mechanism to increase force production
      of the individual myosin motor and as a potential target to ameliorate the HCM
      induced phenotype at the molecular level. 

PMID- 26116790
TI  - Metabolomics applied to the pancreatic islet.
AB  - Metabolomics, the characterization of the set of small molecules in a biological
      system, is advancing research in multiple areas of islet biology. Measuring a
      breadth of metabolites simultaneously provides a broad perspective on metabolic
      changes as the islets respond dynamically to metabolic fuels, hormones, or
      environmental stressors. As a result, metabolomics has the potential to provide
      new mechanistic insights into islet physiology and pathophysiology. Here we
      summarize advances in our understanding of islet physiology and the etiologies of
      type-1 and type-2 diabetes gained from metabolomics studies. 

PMID- 26116791
TI  - Poor efficacy of nucleic acid testing in identifying occult HBV infection and
      consequences for safety of blood supply in Italy.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: In Italy, DNA screening of blood donations for hepatitis B
      virus (HBV) was introduced to prevent the transmission of window period and
      occult HBV infection. Anti-HBc screening is not recommended in order to avoid
      shortage of the blood supply. To contain costs, donor samples are generally
      pooled before testing. We evaluated the safety of this national policy using a
      prospective repository of donors/recipient pairs. METHODS: We used highly
      sensitive nucleic acid testing (NAT) assays to test repository and follow-up
      samples from donors who were initially classified as negative by minipool NAT
      assays (6-MP), but were later found to carry occult HBV DNA. When available, we
      also analysed recipients' pre- and post-transfusion samples, collected in the
      context of a repository financed by the European Commission (the BOTIA project).
      RESULTS: Between 2008 and 2011 6-MP NAT assays identified 18 carriers of occult
      HBV infection among 12,695 donors; 28 samples from previous donations were
      available from 13 of these carriers. Highly sensitive HBV DNA detection methods
      showed that 6-MP HBV DNA screening failed to identify 14/28 (50%) viraemic
      donations, that were released for transfusion. HBV marker testing of such blood
      product recipients revealed two cases of transfusion transmitted HBV infection,
      documented by donor-recipient sequence identity. CONCLUSIONS: Viraemic blood
      donations from occult HBV infection carriers remain undetected by current
      minipool HBV DNA screening, and transfusion transmission of HBV continues to
      occur in susceptible patients. More effective individual HBV DNA screening and/or
      tests for antibodies to HBV core antigen should be considered to improve blood
      safety.

PMID- 26116793
TI  - Antiviral activity of cuprous oxide nanoparticles against Hepatitis C Virus in
      vitro.
AB  - Small molecular inhibitors in combination with or without interferon have
      improved sustained antiviral responses against Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection.
      Nonetheless, resistance to these inhibitors is expected to emerge rapidly due to
      the high mutation rate of the virus. Thus, new antiviral drugs, in combination
      with currently available therapies, are urgently needed to treat HCV infection.
      In the present study, we evaluated the antiviral efficacy of cuprous oxide
      nanoparticles (CO-NPs) against HCV in the HCVcc/Huh7.5.1 cell culture system. CO
      NPs were able to significantly inhibit the infectivity of HCVcc at a non
      cytotoxic concentration. In addition, CO-NPs inhibited the entry of HCV
      pseudoparticle (HCVpp), including genotypes 1a, 1b, and 2a, while no effect on
      HCV replication was observed. Further time-of-addition experiment indicated that
      CO-NPs blocked HCV infection both at the attachment and entry stages. In
      conclusion, we report that CO-NPs can act as an anti-HCV agent by targeting the
      binding of infectious HCV particles to hepatic cells and the virus entry into the
      cells. These findings suggest that CO-NPs may have novel roles in the treatment
      of patients with chronic hepatitis C. 

PMID- 26116794
TI  - Association of GABAA receptor alpha2 subunit gene (GABRA2) with alcohol
      dependence-related aggressive behavior.
AB  - Alcohol dependence is a common chronic disorder precipitated by the complex
      interaction between biological, genetic and environmental risk factors. Recent
      studies have demonstrated that polymorphisms of the gene encoding the GABAA
      receptor alpha2 subunit (GABRA2) are associated with alcohol dependence in
      different populations of European ancestry. As aggression often occurs in the
      context of alcohol dependence, the aim of this study was to examine the allelic
      and haplotypic association of GABRA2 gene with alcohol dependence and related
      aggressive behavior in subjects of Eastern European (Croatian) origin. Genotyping
      of the 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the GABRA2 gene (rs567926,
      rs279858 and rs9291283) was performed in patients with alcohol dependence (N=654)
      and healthy control subjects (N=574). Alcohol-dependent participants were
      additionally subdivided according to the presence/absence of aggressive behavior
      and type of alcohol dependence according to the Cloninger's classification. The
      association of rs279858 with alcohol dependence yielded nominal significance
      level. Haplotype analysis revealed a high degree of linkage disequilibrium (LD)
      for rs567926 and rs279858, but not for rs9291283 polymorphism in the GABRA2 gene.
      In patients with alcohol dependence, the A-C (rs567926 and rs279858) haplotype
      carriers were more likely to demonstrate aggressive behavior. The same haplotype
      (present only in 1.6% of all subjects) was significantly more often present in
      patients with a combination of early onset alcohol abuse and aggression,
      corresponding to the Cloninger's type II alcoholism subgroup. These findings
      support the involvement of GABRA2 gene in alcohol dependence-related aggressive
      behavior. 

PMID- 26116792
TI  - Structural and functional hepatocyte polarity and liver disease.
AB  - Hepatocytes form a crucially important cell layer that separates sinusoidal blood
      from the canalicular bile. They have a uniquely organized polarity with a basal
      membrane facing liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, while one or more apical
      poles can contribute to several bile canaliculi jointly with the directly
      opposing hepatocytes. Establishment and maintenance of hepatocyte polarity is
      essential for many functions of hepatocytes and requires carefully orchestrated
      cooperation between cell adhesion molecules, cell junctions, cytoskeleton,
      extracellular matrix and intracellular trafficking machinery. The process of
      hepatocyte polarization requires energy and, if abnormal, may result in severe
      liver disease. A number of inherited disorders affecting tight junction and
      intracellular trafficking proteins have been described and demonstrate clinical
      and pathophysiological features overlapping those of the genetic cholestatic
      liver diseases caused by defects in canalicular ABC transporters. Thus both
      structural and functional components contribute to the final hepatocyte polarity
      phenotype. Many acquired liver diseases target factors that determine hepatocyte
      polarity, such as junctional proteins. Hepatocyte depolarization frequently
      occurs but is rarely recognized because hematoxylin-eosin staining does not
      identify the bile canaliculus. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these
      defects are not well understood. Here we aim to provide an update on the key
      factors determining hepatocyte polarity and how it is affected in inherited and
      acquired diseases. 

PMID- 26116795
TI  - Neural Correlates of Response to Pharmacotherapy in Obsessive-Compulsive
      Disorder: Individualized Cortical Morphology-Based Structural Covariance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary pharmacotherapy regimen for obsessive-compulsive disorder
      (OCD) named Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) does not attain sufficient
      symptom improvement in 40-60% of OCD. We aimed to decode the differential profile
      of OCD-related brain pathology per subject in the context of cortical surface
      area (CSA) or thickness (CT)-based individualized structural covariance (ISC) and
      to demonstrate the potential of which as a biomarker of treatment response to SRI
      based pharmacotherapy in OCD using the support vector machine (SVM). METHODS: T1
      weighted magnetic resonance imaging was obtained at 3T from 56 unmedicated OCD
      subjects and 75 healthy controls (HCs) at baseline. After 4months of SRI-based
      pharmacotherapy, the OCD subjects were classified as responders (OCD-R,N=25;
      >=35% improvement) or nonresponders (OCD-NR,N=31; <35% improvement) according to
      the percentage change in the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale total score.
      Cortical ISCs sustaining between-group difference (p<.001) for every run of leave
      one-out group-comparison were packaged as feature set for group classification
      using the SVM. RESULTS: An optimal feature set of the top 12 ISCs including a CT
      ISC between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex versus precuneus, a CSA-ISC
      between the anterior insula versus intraparietal sulcus, as well as perisylvian
      area-related ISCs predicted the initial prognosis of OCD as OCD-R or OCD-NR with
      an accuracy of 89.0% (sensitivity 88.4%, specificity 90.1%). Extended sets of
      ISCs distinguished the OCD subjects from the HCs with 90.7-95.6% accuracy
      (sensitivity 90.8-96.2%, specificity 91.1-95.0%). CONCLUSION: We showed the
      potential of cortical morphology-based ISCs, which reflect dysfunctional cortical
      maturation process, as a possible biomarker that predicts the clinical treatment
      response to SRI-based pharmacotherapy in OCD.

PMID- 26116796
TI  - Symptom Generation by Mucosal Inflammation in Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

PMID- 26116797
TI  - Amitriptyline for Functional Dyspepsia: Importance of Symptom Profile and Making
      a Case for Gastric Emptying Testing.

PMID- 26116799
TI  - New Molecular Tools to Investigate the Development and Functions of Interstitial
      Cells of Cajal in the GI Tract.

PMID- 26116800
TI  - The Hierarchical Model of NAFLD: Prognostic Significance of Histologic Features
      in NASH.

PMID- 26116798
TI  - Diagnosis of Constitutional Mismatch Repair-Deficiency Syndrome Based on
      Microsatellite Instability and Lymphocyte Tolerance to Methylating Agents.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients with bi-allelic germline mutations in mismatch repair
      (MMR) genes (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, or PMS2) develop a rare but severe variant of
      Lynch syndrome called constitutional MMR deficiency (CMMRD). This syndrome is
      characterized by early-onset colorectal cancers, lymphomas or leukemias, and
      brain tumors. There is no satisfactory method for diagnosis of CMMRD because
      screens for mutations in MMR genes are noninformative for 30% of patients. MMR
      deficient cancer cells are resistant to genotoxic agents and have microsatellite
      instability (MSI), due to accumulation of errors in repetitive DNA sequences. We
      investigated whether these features could be used to identify patients with
      CMMRD. METHODS: We examined MSI by PCR analysis and tolerance to methylating or
      thiopurine agents (functional characteristics of MMR-deficient tumor cells) in
      lymphoblastoid cells (LCs) from 3 patients with CMMRD and 5 individuals with MMR
      proficient LCs (controls). Using these assays, we defined experimental parameters
      that allowed discrimination of a series of 14 patients with CMMRD from 52
      controls (training set). We then used the same parameters to assess 23 patients
      with clinical but not genetic features of CMMRD. RESULTS: In the training set, we
      identified parameters, based on MSI and LC tolerance to methylation, that
      detected patients with CMMRD vs controls with 100% sensitivity and 100%
      specificity. Among 23 patients suspected of having CMMRD, 6 had MSI and LC
      tolerance to methylation (CMMRD highly probable), 15 had neither MSI nor LC
      tolerance to methylation (unlikely to have CMMRD), and 2 were considered doubtful
      for CMMRD based on having only 1 of the 2 features. CONCLUSION: The presence of
      MSI and tolerance to methylation in LCs identified patients with CMMRD with 100%
      sensitivity and specificity. These features could be used in diagnosis of
      patients.

PMID- 26116801
TI  - Allogeneic Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Promote Healing of
      Refractory Perianal Fistulas in Patients With Crohn's Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients with perianal fistulizing Crohn's disease have a poor
      prognosis because these lesions do not heal well. We evaluated the effects of
      local administration of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to
      these patients from healthy donors in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
      METHODS: Twenty-one patients with refractory perianal fistulizing Crohn's disease
      were randomly assigned to groups given injections of 1 * 10(7) (n = 5, group 1),
      3 * 10(7) (n = 5, group 2), or 9 * 10(7) (n = 5, group 3) MSCs, or placebo
      (solution with no cells, n = 6), into the wall of curettaged fistula, around the
      trimmed and closed internal opening. The primary outcome, fistula healing, was
      determined by physical examination 6, 12, and 24 weeks later; healing was defined
      as absence of discharge and <2 cm of fluid collection-the latter determined by
      magnetic resonance imaging at week 12. All procedures were performed at Leiden
      University Medical Center, The Netherlands, from June 2012 through July 2014.
      RESULTS: No adverse events were associated with local injection of any dose of
      MSCs. Healing at week 6 was observed in 3 patients in group 1 (60.0%), 4 patients
      in group 2 (80.0%), and 1 patient in group 3 (20.0%), vs 1 patient in the placebo
      group (16.7%) (P = .08 for group 2 vs placebo). At week 12, healing was observed
      in 2 patients in group 1 (40.0%), 4 patients in group 2 (80.0%), and 1 patient in
      group 3 (20.0%), vs 2 patients in the placebo group (33.3%); these effects were
      maintained until week 24 and even increased to 4 (80.0%) in group 1. At week six,
      4 of 9 individual fistulas had healed in group 1 (44.4%), 6 of 7 had healed in
      group 2 (85.7%), and 2 of 7 had healed in group 3 (28.6%) vs 2 of 9 (22.2%) in
      the placebo group (P = .04 for group 2 vs placebo). At week twelve, 3 of 9
      individual fistulas had healed in group 1 (33.3%), 6 of 7 had healed in group 2
      (85.7%), 2 of 7 had healed in group 3 (28.6%), and 3 of 9 had healed in the
      placebo group (33.3%). These effects were stable through week 24 and even
      increased to 6 of 9 (66.7%) in group 1 (P = .06 group 2 vs placebo, weeks 12 and
      24). CONCLUSIONS: Local administration of allogeneic MSCs was not associated with
      severe adverse events in patients with perianal fistulizing Crohn's disease.
      Injection of 3 * 10(7) MSCs appeared to promote healing of perianal fistulas.
      ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT01144962.

PMID- 26116802
TI  - Helping Authors Organize Their Research: ORCID in the AGA Journals.

PMID- 26116803
TI  - Weight Loss for a Healthy Liver.

PMID- 26116804
TI  - Adenoma Detection Race at Colonoscopy: The Good and the Bad.

PMID- 26116805
TI  - MELDing the Lille Score to More Accurately Predict Mortality in Alcoholic
      Hepatitis.

PMID- 26116807
TI  - Practical Teaching Cases: A New Section for Trainees and Young GIs.

PMID- 26116806
TI  - Effects of the Learning Curve on Efficacy of Radiofrequency Ablation for
      Barrett's Esophagus.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Complete eradication of Barrett's esophagus (BE) often
      requires multiple sessions of radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Little is known
      about the effects of case volume on the safety and efficacy of RFA or about the
      presence or contour of learning curves for this procedure. METHODS: We collected
      data from the US RFA Patient Registry (from 148 institutions) for patients who
      underwent RFA for BE from July 2007 to July 2011. We analyzed the effects of the
      number of patients treated by individual endoscopists and individual centers on
      safety and efficacy outcomes of RFA. Outcomes, including stricture, bleeding,
      hospitalization, and complete eradication of intestinal metaplasia (CEIM), were
      assessed using logistic regression. The effects of center and investigator
      experience on numbers of treatment sessions to achieve CEIM were examined using
      linear regression. RESULTS: After we controlled for potential confounders, we
      found that as the experience of endoscopists and centers increased with cases,
      the numbers of treatment sessions required to achieve CEIM decreased. This
      relationship persisted after adjusting for patient age, sex, race, length of BE,
      and presence of pretreatment dysplasia (P < .01). Center experience was not
      significantly associated with overall rates of CEIM or complete eradication of
      dysplasia. We did not observe any learning curve with regard to risks of
      stricture, gastrointestinal bleeding, perforation, or hospitalization (P > .05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Based on analysis of a large multicenter registry, efficiency of the
      treatment, as measured by number of sessions needed to achieve CEIM, increased
      with case volume, indicating a learning curve effect. This trend began to
      disappear after treatment of approximately 30 patients by the center or
      individual endoscopist. However, there was no significant association between
      safety or efficacy outcomes and previous case volume.

PMID- 26116808
TI  - Modeling ephemeral mating encounters in insects: The emergence of mate-finding
      Allee effects and applications to theoretical models of sterile release.
AB  - Lack of successful mating encounters in two-sex insect populations is a mechanism
      that might trigger reproductive Allee effects. In this paper I examine a function
      that models ephemeral mating encounters through the expected density of pairs
      formed by individuals of both sexes at any time. When this function is
      incorporated in a general system of differential equations for a two-sex
      population the solutions exhibit the emergence of an Allee effect for low
      population densities. Compared with current conceptual models for mate-finding
      Allee effects, the proposed pairing function does not include a parameter that
      quantifies the Allee effect strength, a feature that might be useful when
      information to parameterize Allee effects is unavailable. The mating function is
      then used to numerically explore how mate-finding Allee effects are enhanced by
      the release of sterile males in theoretical models where (i) the initial sex
      ratio is skewed, (ii) sterile males are released in pulses and (iii) partial
      female remating is allowed. 

PMID- 26116809
TI  - Clinical management of negative symptoms of schizophrenia: An update.
AB  - Overwhelming research evidence suggests that the negative symptoms of
      schizophrenia (NSS) contribute more to impaired quality of life and poor
      functioning than positive symptoms, and that NSS, including affective flattening,
      alogia and avolition are present in at least one-fifth of patients diagnosed with
      schizophrenia. Despite this, management of NSS continues to be a major clinical
      unmet need as treatment with current antipsychotic medication seems to reach at
      best modest efficacy. A critical review of the current pharmacological, non
      pharmacological and psychosocial treatments available for NSS is presented here,
      using data retrieved from the MEDLINE/PUBMED, the Cochrane Database of Systematic
      Reviews and the ClinicalTrials.gov databases. An early and accurate diagnosis
      using selective scales is essential for documentation and monitoring of change in
      NSS according to treatment response. Typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs,
      showed modest efficacy in managing NSS. Conflicting results were obtained with
      the use of glycinergic neuromodulators, anticholinergics, antidepressants,
      anticonvulsants, psychostimulants, modafinil and 5-HT3 receptor antagonists.
      Moreover, non-pharmacological therapies including psychological therapies have
      failed to address NSS effectively. At present, it appears that the best effective
      approach for clinical management of NSS is achieved by complementing drug therapy
      with psychosocial therapies. Continuing basic and clinical research for the
      understanding of the genetic, behavioral and neural basis of NSS should yield
      novel pharmacotherapies with superior efficacy, tolerability and long-term
      maintenance for improved treatment of NSS. 

PMID- 26116810
TI  - Inflammation, oxidative stress and postoperative atrial fibrillation in cardiac
      surgery.
AB  - Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common complication of cardiac
      surgery that occurs in up to 60% of patients. POAF is associated with increased
      risk of cardiovascular mortality, stroke and other arrhythmias that can impact on
      early and long term clinical outcomes and health economics. Many factors such as
      disease-induced cardiac remodelling, operative trauma, changes in atrial pressure
      and chemical stimulation and reflex sympathetic/parasympathetic activation have
      been implicated in the development of POAF. There is mounting evidence to support
      a major role for inflammation and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of POAF.
      Both are consequences of using cardiopulmonary bypass and reperfusion following
      ischaemic cardioplegic arrest. Subsequently, several anti-inflammatory and
      antioxidant drugs have been tested in an attempt to reduce the incidence of POAF.
      However, prevention remains suboptimal and thus far none of the tested drugs has
      provided sufficient efficacy to be widely introduced in clinical practice. A
      better understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the
      onset and persistence of POAF is needed to develop more effective prediction and
      interventions. 

PMID- 26116811
TI  - Abnormal intrinsic brain activity patterns in leukoaraiosis with and without
      cognitive impairment.
AB  - The amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) from resting-state functional
      MRI (rs-fMRI) signals can be used to detect intrinsic spontaneous brain activity
      and provide valuable insights into the pathomechanism of neural disease. In this
      study, we recruited 56 patients who had been diagnosed as having mild to severe
      leukoaraiosis. According to the neuropsychological tests, they were subdivided
      into a leukoaraiosis with cognitive impairment group (n = 28) and a leukoaraiosis
      without cognitive impairment group (n = 28). 28 volunteers were included as
      normal controls. We found that the three groups showed significant differences in
      ALFF in the brain regions of the right inferior occipital gyrus (IOG_R), left
      middle temporal gyrus (MTG_L), left precuneus (Pcu_L), right superior frontal
      gyrus (SFG_R) and right superior occipital gyrus (SOG_R). Compared with normal
      controls, the leukoaraiosis without cognitive impairment group exhibited
      significantly increased ALFF in the IOG_R, Pcu_L, SFG_R and SOG_R. While compared
      with leukoaraiosis without cognitive impairment group, the leukoaraiosis with
      cognitive impairment group showed significantly decreased ALFF in IOG_R, MTG_L,
      Pcu_L and SOG_R. A close negative correlation was found between the ALFF values
      of the MTG_L and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. Our data
      demonstrate that white matter integrity and cognitive impairment are associated
      with different amplitude fluctuations of rs-fMRI signals. Leukoaraiosis is
      related to ALFF increases in IOG_R, Pcu_L, SFG_Orb_R and SOG_R. Decreased ALFF in
      MTG_L is characteristic of cognitive impairment and may aid in its early
      detection.

PMID- 26116812
TI  - The mediating role of LPFC-vmPFC functional connectivity in the relation between
      regulatory mode and delay discounting.
AB  - Previous studies have shown that regulatory mode orientation can affect many
      human behaviors, such as risk-taking, counterfactual thinking and economic
      decision making. However, little is known about how regulatory mode affects delay
      discounting. To address this question, we used resting-state functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to investigate whether regulatory mode orientations
      can be represented by functional connectivity and the influence of two regulatory
      modes (assessment and locomotion) on delay discounting. The behavioral results
      showed that delay discounting was negatively correlated with assessment scores
      but positively correlated with locomotion scores. Neuroimaging results indicated
      that the functional connectivity between lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) and
      ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) was negatively correlated with assessment
      scores but positively correlated with locomotion scores. Furthermore, mediation
      analysis showed that the effect of regulatory mode on delay discounting is
      mediated by LPFC-vmPFC functional connectivity. These results suggested that
      people's regulatory mode orientation could predict delay discounting, which is
      mediated by LPFC-vmPFC functional connectivity. Therefore, the present study
      extends our perspective on regulatory mode and provides neural mechanism for
      understanding the link between regulatory mode and delay discounting. 

PMID- 26116813
TI  - Genome sequence of Bacillus anthracis attenuated vaccine strain A16R used for
      human in China.
AB  - An attenuated Bacillus anthracis vaccine strain for human use, A16R, was obtained
      in China after ultraviolet radiation treatment and continuous subculture of the
      wild-type strain A16. A16R can synthesize the exotoxin, but without a capsule. We
      sequenced and annotated the A16R genome to encourage the use of this strain. The
      genome sequencing of the wild-type strain A16 is underway and the genomic
      comparison between the two strains will help to illustrate the attenuating
      mechanism of the A16R vaccine strain. 

PMID- 26116814
TI  - Melatonin or ramelteon therapy differentially affects hepatic gene expression
      profiles after haemorrhagic shock in rat--A microarray analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Melatonin has been demonstrated to reduce liver damage in
      different models of stress. However, there is only limited information on the
      impact of this hormone on hepatic gene expression. The aim of this study was, to
      investigate the influence of melatonin or the melatonergic agonist ramelteon on
      hepatic gene expression profiles after haemorrhagic shock using a whole genome
      microarray analysis. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-300 g, n=4/group)
      underwent haemorrhagic shock (mean arterial pressure 35+/-5 mmHg). After 90 min
      of shock, animals were resuscitated with shed blood and Ringer's and treated with
      vehicle (5% dimethyl sulfoxide), melatonin or ramelteon (each 1.0 mg/kg
      intravenously). Sham-operated animals were treated likewise but did not undergo
      haemorrhage. After 2 h of reperfusion, the liver was harvested, and a whole
      genome microarray analysis was performed. Functional gene expression profiles
      were determined using the Panther(r) classification system; promising candidate
      genes were evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS:
      Microarray and PCR data showed a good correlation (r(2)=0.84). A strong influence
      of melatonin on receptor mediated signal transduction was revealed using the
      functional gene expression profile analysis, whereas ramelteon mainly influenced
      transcription factors. Shock-induced upregulation of three candidate genes with
      relevant functions for hepatocytes (ppp1r15a, dusp5, rhoB) was significantly
      reduced by melatonin (p<0.05 vs. shock/vehicle), but not by ramelteon. Two genes
      previously known as haemorrhage-induced (il1b, s100a8) were transcriptionally
      repressed by both drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Melatonin and ramelteon appear to induce
      specific hepatic gene expression profiles after haemorrhagic shock in rats. The
      observed differences between both substances are likely to be attributable to a
      distinct mechanism of action in these agents.

PMID- 26116815
TI  - An in vitro model for synaptic loss in neurodegenerative diseases suggests a
      neuroprotective role for valproic acid via inhibition of cPLA2 dependent
      signalling.
AB  - Many neurodegenerative diseases present the loss of synapses as a common
      pathological feature. Here we have employed an in vitro model for synaptic loss
      to investigate the molecular mechanism of a therapeutic treatment, valproic acid
      (VPA). We show that amyloid-beta (Abeta), isolated from patient tissue and
      thought to be the causative agent of Alzheimer's disease, caused the loss of
      synaptic proteins including synaptophysin, synapsin-1 and cysteine-string protein
      from cultured mouse neurons. Abeta-induced synapse damage was reduced by pre
      treatment with physiologically relevant concentrations of VPA (10 MUM) and a
      structural variant propylisopropylacetic acid (PIA). These drugs also reduced
      synaptic damage induced by other neurodegenerative-associated proteins alpha
      synuclein, linked to Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease, and the prion
      derived peptide PrP82-146. Consistent with these effects, synaptic vesicle
      recycling was also inhibited by these proteins and protected by VPA and PIA. We
      show a mechanism for this damage through aberrant activation of cytoplasmic
      phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) that is reduced by both drugs. Furthermore, Abeta
      dependent cPLA2 activation correlates with its accumulation in lipid rafts, and
      is likely to be caused by elevated cholesterol (stabilising rafts) and decreased
      cholesterol ester levels, and this mechanism is reduced by VPA and PIA. Such
      observations suggest that VPA and PIA may provide protection against synaptic
      damage that occurs during Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and prion diseases.

PMID- 26116817
TI  - Interferon-beta1a modulates glutamate neurotransmission in the CNS through CaMKII
      and GluN2A-containing NMDA receptors.
AB  - Interferons (IFNs) are widely expressed cytokines with antiviral and immune
      modulating effects and have been utilised for the treatment of several human
      pathological conditions. In particular, the immune-modulatory drug IFN-beta is
      utilized in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune and
      neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system (CNS). Although the
      effects of IFN-beta on immune cells functions have been widely investigated,
      information about the ability of the drug to modulate neuronal transmission in
      the CNS is still largely lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      ability of IFN-beta1a to modulate excitatory synaptic transmission in the CNS.
      Whole cell patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings were performed in the
      nucleus striatum, one of the CNS grey matter structures that is prone to
      degenerate during the course of MS. We demonstrate that the drug IFN-beta1a,
      independently from its known peripheral immune-modulating action, is able to
      directly modulate synaptic transmission. In particular, we demonstrated that IFN
      beta1a reduces the amplitude of striatal excitatory post-synaptic currents,
      indicating an inhibitory effect on glutamate neurotransmission, and in particular
      on its NMDA component. The inhibitory effect of IFN-beta1a on striatal glutamate
      neurotransmission was found to be mediated by a novel post-synaptic mechanism
      requiring Ca(2+), CaMKII and the GluN2A subunit of the NMDA receptor, without the
      involvement of the classic STAT1 pathway. The evidence of a novel neuro
      modulating effect of IFN-beta shed light on the mechanisms of action of the drug
      and on the complex bidirectional interaction occurring between the immune and the
      nervous system. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Synaptopathy-
      from Biology to Therapy'.

PMID- 26116816
TI  - Long term sertraline effects on neural structures in depressed and nondepressed
      adult female nonhuman primates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are widely prescribed
      for mood and other disorders. However, their neural effects are difficult to
      study due to patient compliance and drug history variability, and rarely studied
      in those prescribed SSRIs for non-mood disorders. Here we evaluated SSRI effects
      on neural volumetrics in depressed and nondepressed monkeys. METHODS: 42 socially
      housed cynomolgus monkeys were randomized to treatment balanced on pretreatment
      depressive behavior and body weight. Monkeys were trained for oral administration
      of placebo or 20 mg/kg sertraline HCl daily for 18 months and depressive and
      anxious behavior recorded. Volumes of neural regions of interest in depression
      were measured in magnetic resonance images and analyzed by 2 (depressed,
      nondepressed)*2 (placebo, sertraline) ANOVA. RESULTS: Sertraline reduced anxiety
      (p=0.04) but not depressive behavior (p=0.43). Left Brodmann's Area (BA) 32 was
      smaller in depressed than nondepressed monkeys (main effect of depression:
      p<0.05). Sertraline and depression status interacted to affect volumes of left
      Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC), left BA24, right hippocampus (HC), and right
      anterior HC (sertraline*depression interactions: all p's<0.05). In the Placebo
      group, depressed monkeys had smaller right anterior HC and left ACC than
      nondepressed monkeys. In nondepressed monkeys, sertraline reduced right HC
      volume, especially right anterior HC volume. In depressed monkeys sertraline
      increased left ACC volume. In nondepressed monkeys, sertraline reduced left BA24
      volumes resulting in smaller BA24 volumes in nondepressed than sertraline-treated
      depressed monkeys. CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that SSRIs may
      differentially affect neural structures in depressed and nondepressed
      individuals.

PMID- 26116818
TI  - Cigarette smoke exposure during adolescence enhances sensitivity to the rewarding
      effects of nicotine in adulthood, even after a long period of abstinence.
AB  - Adolescence is a period of enhanced vulnerability to the motivational properties
      of tobacco/cigarette smoking. Several studies have suggested that smoking
      initiation during this period will more likely lead to long-lasting cigarette or
      nicotine addiction. In the present study, we investigated the influences of
      adolescent cigarette smoke or nicotine exposure on the rewarding effects of
      nicotine, particularly whether these influences persist even after a long period
      of abstinence. Towards this, adolescent and adult Sprague-Dawley rats were
      repeatedly exposed to cigarette smoke or nicotine, for 14 days, and then were
      subjected to a 1-month abstinence period. Thereafter, the rewarding effects of
      nicotine were evaluated through the conditioned place preference (CPP) and self
      administration (SA) tests. Even after a 1-month abstinence period, rats pre
      exposed to either nicotine or cigarette smoke demonstrated enhanced CPP for the
      higher dose (0.6 mg/kg) of nicotine. Notably, cigarette smoke-preexposed
      adolescent rats, now adults, showed CPP for both 0.2 and 0.6 mg/kg dose of
      nicotine. Moreover, only these rats (pre-exposed to cigarette smoke during
      adolescence) showed significant acquisition and maintenance of nicotine (0.03
      mg/kg/infusion) SA. These results suggest that cigarette smoke exposure during
      adolescence enhances sensitivity to the rewarding effects of nicotine in
      adulthood, even after a long period of abstinence. This may be a factor in the
      high rates of nicotine addiction and dependence observed in smokers who started
      during adolescence. More importantly, our findings highlight the enduring
      consequences of adolescent-onset cigarette smoking and the need to protect this
      vulnerable population. 

PMID- 26116819
TI  - H2A histone-fold and DNA elements in nucleosome activate SWR1-mediated H2A.Z
      replacement in budding yeast.
AB  - The histone variant H2A.Z is a universal mark of gene promoters, enhancers, and
      regulatory elements in eukaryotic chromatin. The chromatin remodeler SWR1
      mediates site-specific incorporation of H2A.Z by a multi-step histone replacement
      reaction, evicting histone H2A-H2B from the canonical nucleosome and depositing
      the H2A.Z-H2B dimer. Binding of both substrates, the canonical nucleosome and the
      H2A.Z-H2B dimer, is essential for activation of SWR1. We found that SWR1
      primarily recognizes key residues within the alpha2 helix in the histone-fold of
      nucleosomal histone H2A, a region not previously known to influence remodeler
      activity. Moreover, SWR1 interacts preferentially with nucleosomal DNA at
      superhelix location 2 on the nucleosome face distal to its linker-binding site.
      Our findings provide new molecular insights on recognition of the canonical
      nucleosome by a chromatin remodeler and have implications for ATP-driven
      mechanisms of histone eviction and deposition. 

PMID- 26116820
TI  - Cortico-muscular coherence parallels coherence of postural tremor and MEG during
      static muscle contraction.
AB  - Corticokinematic coherence (CKC), i.e., coherence calculated between MEG and an
      accelerometer signal, recording movement kinematics, can be used for functional
      mapping of the sensorimotor cortex. Cortical sources of CKC, induced by both
      voluntary and passive movements, localize at the proximity of sensorimotor
      cortex. We tested the CKC during a static muscle contraction to compare it with
      simultaneously measured cortico-muscular coherence (CMC) estimated between MEG
      and surface EMG to study the role of postural tremor in CMC in ten healthy
      volunteers. CKC was detectable also during this static task. CKC and CMC spectra
      had similar power distributions, and sources of CMC and CKC colocalized at the
      cortex in close proximity of the central sulcus. During the static hold task, the
      accelerometer signal originates from the postural tremor. The similarities
      between CMC and CKC indicate that postural tremor is related to CMC in healthy
      subjects. 

PMID- 26116821
TI  - Hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons in an animal model of seasonal affective
      disorder.
AB  - Light has profound effects on mood regulation as exemplified in seasonal
      affective disorder (SAD) and the therapeutic benefits of light therapy. However,
      the underlying neural pathways through which light regulates mood are not well
      understood. Our previous work has developed the diurnal grass rat, Arvicanthis
      niloticus, as an animal model of SAD. Following housing conditions of either
      12:12 h dim light:dark (DLD) or 8:16 h short photoperiod (SP), which mimic the
      lower light intensity or short day-length of winter, respectively, grass rats
      exhibit an increase in depression-like behavior compared to those housed in a
      12:12 h bright light:dark (BLD) condition. Furthermore, we have shown that the
      orexinergic system is involved in mediating the effects of light on mood and
      anxiety. To explore other potential neural substrates involved in the depressive
      phenotype, the present study examined hypothalamic dopaminergic (DA) and
      somatostatin (SST) neurons in the brains of grass rats housed in DLD, SP and BLD.
      Using immunostaining for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and SST, we found that the
      number of TH- and SST-ir cells in the hypothalamus was significantly lower in the
      DLD and SP groups compared to the BLD group. We also found that treating BLD
      animals with a selective orexin receptor 1 (OX1R) antagonist SB-334867
      significantly reduced the number of hypothalamic TH-ir cells. The present study
      suggests that the hypothalamic DA neurons are sensitive to daytime light
      deficiency and are regulated by an orexinergic pathway. The results support the
      hypothesis that the orexinergic pathways mediate the effects of light on other
      neuronal systems that collectively contribute to light-dependent changes in the
      affective state.

PMID- 26116822
TI  - Tumour modelling using viral vectors.

PMID- 26116823
TI  - Long tails, short telomeres: Dyskeratosis congenita.

PMID- 26116824
TI  - Erratum: Clinical and biological significance of de novo CD5+ diffuse large B
      cell lymphoma in Western countries.

PMID- 26116826
TI  - Combination of DPP-4 inhibitor and PPARgamma agonist exerts protective effects on
      pancreatic beta-cells in diabetic db/db mice through the augmentation of IRS-2
      expression.
AB  - We investigated the effects of long- and short-term treatment with pioglitazone
      (Pio) and/or alogliptin (Alo) on beta-cells in diabetic db/db mice. Six-week-old
      male db/db mice received Pio (25 mg/kg, oral) and/or Alo (30 mg/kg, oral) for 4
      weeks and for 2 days. Blood glucose levels were decreased after 4-week
      intervention, but not after 2-day intervention. Pio increased adiponectin levels,
      and Alo decreased glucagon levels and increased active GlP-1 levels. Insulin
      sensitivity was restored by Pio. After 4-week treatment, beta-cell mass was
      increased (over 2-fold increase) and expression levels of various beta-cell
      related factors were restored. Expression levels of IRS-2 and various downstream
      factors were up-regulated by Pio and Alo after 2-day and 4-week intervention. In
      addition, mRNA and protein levels of IRS-2 and various downstream factors were up
      regulated in MIN6 cells after 24-h exposure to Pio and exendin-4. These results
      suggest that Pio and Alo additively up-regulate IRS-2 expression independently of
      the alteration of glycemic control. Taken together, combination of Pio and Alo
      exerts protective effects on beta-cells in diabetic db/db mice, at least in part,
      through the augmentation of IRS-2 expression. 

PMID- 26116827
TI  - Melatonin replacement restores the circadian behavior in adult rat Leydig cells
      after pinealectomy.
AB  - Melatonin actions on oscillators in reproductive organs are poorly understood.
      Here we analyzed melatonin effects on rhythmic expression of clock and
      steroidogenesis-related genes in adult rat Leydig cells (LCs). The effect of
      melatonin was tested both in vivo using pinealectomized and melatonin-substituted
      rats and in vitro on isolated LCs. Data revealed 24-h-rhythmic expression of
      clock genes (Bmal1, Per1,2,3, Rev-erba,b, Rorb), steroidogenic genes (Star,
      Cyp11a1, Cyp17a1), and genes of steroidogenic regulators (positive-Nur77,
      negative-Arr19). Pinealectomy increased 24-h-oscillations of serum testosterone
      and LC's cAMP levels, expression of Insl3, Per1, Star/StAR, Hsd3b1/2, Nur77,
      decreased Arr19 and canceled Per2 oscillatory expression pattern. At hypothalamic
      pituitary level, pinealectomy increased mesor of Gnrh, Lhb and rhythm robustness
      of Mntr1a expression. All parameters disturbed were restored by melatonin
      replacement. In vitro studies did not confirm direct melatonin effects on neither
      clock nor steroidogenic genes. Accordingly, melatonin influence 24-h-rhythmic LC
      function likely through hypothalamic-pituitary axis and consequently cAMP
      signaling in LCs.

PMID- 26116825
TI  - The ubiquitin ligase MuRF1 regulates PPARalpha activity in the heart by enhancing
      nuclear export via monoubiquitination.
AB  - The transcriptional regulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor
      (PPAR) alpha by post-translational modification, such as ubiquitin, has not been
      described. We report here for the first time an ubiquitin ligase (muscle ring
      finger-1/MuRF1) that inhibits fatty acid oxidation by inhibiting PPARalpha, but
      not PPARbeta/delta or PPARgamma in cardiomyocytes in vitro. Similarly, MuRF1 Tg+
      hearts showed significant decreases in nuclear PPARalpha activity and acyl
      carnitine intermediates, while MuRF1-/- hearts exhibited increased PPARalpha
      activity and acyl-carnitine intermediates. MuRF1 directly interacts with
      PPARalpha, mono-ubiquitinates it, and targets it for nuclear export to inhibit
      fatty acid oxidation in a proteasome independent manner. We then identified a
      previously undescribed nuclear export sequence in PPARalpha, along with three
      specific lysines (292, 310, 388) required for MuRF1's targeting of nuclear
      export. These studies identify the role of ubiquitination in regulating cardiac
      PPARalpha, including the ubiquitin ligase that may be responsible for this
      critical regulation of cardiac metabolism in heart failure. 

PMID- 26116828
TI  - Physical exercise training for cystic fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical exercise training may form an important part of regular care
      for people with cystic fibrosis. This is an update of previously published
      reviews. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of physical exercise training
      compared to no training on aerobic exercise capacity, forced expiratory volume in
      one second, health-related quality of life and other patient-relevant (secondary)
      outcomes in cystic fibrosis. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Cystic
      Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Group Trials Register which comprises references
      identified from comprehensive electronic database searches and handsearches of
      relevant journals and abstract books of conference proceedings.Date of the most
      recent search: 10 March 2015. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised and quasi
      randomised controlled clinical trials comparing exercise training of any type and
      duration with conventional care in people with cystic fibrosis. DATA COLLECTION
      AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently selected studies for inclusion, assessed
      methodological quality and extracted data. MAIN RESULTS: Of the 48 studies
      identified, 13 studies which included 402 participants, met the inclusion
      criteria. The numbers in each study ranged from nine up to 72 participants; one
      study was in adults, six were in children and adolescents and six studies
      included all age ranges. Four studies of hospitalised participants lasted less
      than one month and nine studies were outpatient-based, lasting between two months
      and three years. The studies included participants with a wide range of disease
      severity and employed differing levels of supervision with a mixture of types of
      training. There was also wide variation in the quality of the included
      studies.This systematic review shows limited evidence from both short- and long
      term studies that in people with cystic fibrosis aerobic or anaerobic physical
      exercise training or a combination of both has a positive effect on aerobic
      exercise capacity, pulmonary function and health-related quality of life.
      Although improvements are not consistent between studies and ranged from no
      effects to clearly positive effects, the most consistent effects of the
      heterogeneous exercise training modalities and durations were found for maximal
      aerobic exercise capacity (in four out of six studies) with unclear effects on
      FEV1 (in two out of 10 studies) and health-related quality of life (in two out of
      five studies). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Evidence about the efficacy of physical
      exercise training in cystic fibrosis from 13 small studies with low to moderate
      methodological quality is limited. Exercise training is already part of regular
      outpatient care offered to most people with cystic fibrosis, and since there is
      some evidence for beneficial effects on aerobic fitness and no negative side
      effects exist, there is no reason to actively discourage this. The benefits from
      including physical exercise training in an individual's regular care may be
      influenced by the type and duration of the training programme. High quality
      randomised controlled trials are needed to comprehensively assess the benefits of
      exercise programmes in people with cystic fibrosis and the relative benefits of
      the addition of aerobic versus anaerobic versus a combination of both types of
      physical exercise training to the care of people with cystic fibrosis.

PMID- 26116829
TI  - Mothers 'don't like it; never tried it': Blind Sensory Test of a Homemade Chicken
      Liver Baby Food, a Source of Iron, by Infants and their Mothers.
AB  - A homemade chicken liver baby food (CLBF) that meets infants' nutritional
      requirements was developed and its acceptance by children and their mothers
      determined. CLBF's nutritional content was determined by chemical analyses. A
      blind sensory test (ST) by 50 infants 7-12 months old and their mothers of CLBF
      and ground beef baby food (GBBF) was applied. Mothers' preferences for liver and
      beef, answers of an hedonic scale and infants' acceptance were investigated. CLBF
      met the nutritional requirements for infants. There were no significant
      differences in the ST between the CLBF and GBBF, either for infants or for their
      mothers. There was no correlation between mothers' like or dislike of liver and
      the ST scores. Infants tried and liked the CLBF that match dietary
      recommendations and could help prevent iron deficiency. Mothers, on the other
      hand, demonstrated an 'I don't like it; I never tried it' attitude. 

PMID- 26116831
TI  - Untangling the complexity of blood coagulation network: use of computational
      modelling in pharmacology and diagnostics.
AB  - Blood coagulation is a complex biochemical network that plays critical roles in
      haemostasis (a physiological process that stops bleeding on injury) and
      thrombosis (pathological vessel occlusion). Both up- and down-regulation of
      coagulation remain a major challenge for modern medicine, with the ultimate goal
      to correct haemostasis without causing thrombosis and vice versa.
      Mathematical/computational modelling is potentially an important tool for
      understanding blood coagulation disorders and their treatment. It can save a huge
      amount of time and resources, and provide a valuable alternative or supplement
      when clinical studies are limited, or not ethical, or technically impossible.
      This article reviews contemporary state of the art in the modelling of blood
      coagulation for practical purposes: to reveal the molecular basis of a disease,
      to understand mechanisms of drug action, to predict pharmacodynamics and drug
      drug interactions, to suggest potential drug targets or to improve quality of
      diagnostics. Different model types and designs used for this are discussed.
      Functional mechanisms of procoagulant bypassing agents and investigations of
      coagulation inhibitors were the two particularly popular applications of
      computational modelling that gave non-trivial results. Yet, like any other tool,
      modelling has its limitations, mainly determined by insufficient knowledge of the
      system, uncertainty and unreliability of complex models. We show how to some
      extent this can be overcome and discuss what can be expected from the
      mathematical modelling of coagulation in not-so-far future.

PMID- 26116830
TI  - Longer right to left ventricular activation delay at cardiac resynchronization
      therapy implantation is associated with improved clinical outcome in left bundle
      branch block patients.
AB  - AIMS: Data on longer right to left ventricular activation delay (RV-LV AD)
      predicting clinical outcome after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) by left
      bundle branch block (LBBB) are limited. We aimed to evaluate the impact of RV-LV
      AD on N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), ejection fraction
      (EF), and clinical outcome in patients implanted with CRT, stratified by LBBB at
      baseline. METHODS AND RESULTS: Heart failure (HF) patients undergoing CRT
      implantation with EF <= 35% and QRS >= 120 ms were evaluated based on their RV-LV
      AD at implantation. Baseline and 6-month clinical parameters, EF, and NT-proBNP
      values were assessed. The primary endpoint was HF or death, the secondary
      endpoint was all-cause mortality. A total of 125 patients with CRT were studied,
      62% had LBBB. During the median follow-up of 2.2 years, 44 (35%) patients had
      HF/death, 36 (29%) patients died. Patients with RV-LV AD >= 86 ms (lower
      quartile) had significantly lower risk of HF/death [hazard ratio (HR): 0.44; 95%
      confidence interval (95% CI): 0.23-0.82; P = 0.001] and all-cause mortality (HR:
      0.48; 95% CI: 0.23-1.00; P = 0.05), compared with those with RV-LV AD < 86 ms.
      Patients with RV-LV AD >= 86 ms and LBBB showed the greatest improvement in EF
      (28-36%; P<0.001), NT-proBNP (2771-1216 ng/mL; P < 0.001), and they had better HF
      free survival (HR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.11-0.49, P < 0.001) and overall survival (HR:
      0.35, 95% CI: 0.16-0.75; P = 0.007). There was no difference in outcome by RV-LV
      AD in non-LBBB patients. CONCLUSION: Left bundle branch block patients with
      longer RV-LV activation delay at CRT implantation had greater improvement in NT
      proBNP, EF, and significantly better clinical outcome.

PMID- 26116832
TI  - Quantification of nardosinone in rat plasma using liquid chromatography-tandem
      mass spectrometry and its pharmacokinetics application.
AB  - A rapid, sensitive and high-throughput liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method was established and validated to assay the
      concentration of nardosinone, a main active compound isolated from Nardostachys
      chinensis, in rat plasma. Plasma samples were processed by protein precipitation
      with acetonitrile and separated on a Venusil MP-C18 column (50 * 2.1 mm, 5 um) at
      an isocratic flow rate of 0.6 mL/min using methanol-0.1% formic acid in water (55
      : 45, v/v) as mobile phase, and total run time was 2.5 min. MS-MS detection was
      accomplished in selected reaction monitoring mode with positive electrospray
      ionization. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range of 9.60
      320 ng/mL with lower limit of quantification of 9.60 ng/mL. The intra- and inter
      day precisions were below 12.3% in terms of relative standard deviation, and the
      accuracy was within +/-9.0% in terms of relative error. Extraction recovery,
      matrix effect and stability were also satisfactory in rat plasma. The developed
      method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of nardosinone
      following an intravenous injection at a dose of 1.04 mg/kg to Sprague-Dawley
      rats. 

PMID- 26116833
TI  - Simultaneous determination of alkaloids and their related tobacco-specific
      nitrosamines in tobacco leaves using LC-MS-MS.
AB  - Tobacco alkaloids (e.g., nicotine) and their metabolized tobacco-specific
      nitrosamines (TSNAs) are very important compounds for tobacco quality and safety.
      A simple and specific liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was
      developed for the simultaneous determination of eight tobacco alkaloids and their
      related four TSNAs in tobacco leaves. The milled tobacco was extracted using 0.1
      mol/L ammonium acetate solution and purified using methanol. Mass spectrometry
      parameters including declustering potential and collision energy were optimized
      to ensure that both the TSNAs and the tobacco alkaloids have suitable responses.
      Recoveries for accuracy were in the range of 80.2-105.2%. Intra-day and inter-day
      repeatability were in the range of 1.7-12.1% and 6.4-18.7%, respectively. Limit
      of detection and limit of quantitation were estimated in the range of 6 ng/g-45
      MUg/g and 24 ng/g-90 MUg/g, respectively. The established method was applied to
      investigate the distribution of tobacco alkaloids and TSNAs in four kinds of
      tobacco. The result showed that the burley and the flue-cured have the highest
      (0.00047%) and the lowest (0.000024%) percentage of transformation from alkaloids
      to TSNAs, respectively. Thus, this method can be used for a wide range of
      samples. 

PMID- 26116834
TI  - Curcumin inhibits in vitro and in vivo chronic myelogenous leukemia cells growth:
      a possible role for exosomal disposal of miR-21.
AB  - Exosomes are nanosize vesicles released from cancer cells containing microRNAs
      that can influence gene expression in target cells. Curcumin has been shown to
      exhibit antitumor activities in a wide spectrum of human cancer. The addition of
      Curcumin, to Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) cells, caused a dose-dependent
      increase of PTEN, target of miR-21. Curcumin treatment also decreased AKT
      phosphorylation and VEGF expression and release. Colony formation assays
      indicated that Curcumin affects the survival of CML cells. Some observation
      suggest a possible cellular disposal of miRNAs by exosomes. To elucidate if
      Curcumin caused a decrease of miR-21 in CML cells and its packaging in exosomes,
      we analyzed miR-21 content in K562 and LAMA84 cells and exosomes, after treatment
      with Curcumin. Furthermore, we showed that addition of Curcumin to CML cells
      caused a downregulation of Bcr-Abl expression through the cellular increase of
      miR-196b.The effects of Curcumin was then investigated on a CML xenograft in SCID
      mice. We observed that animals treated with Curcumin, developed smaller tumors
      compared to mice control. Real time PCR analysis showed that exosomes, released
      in the plasma of the Curcumin-treated mice, were enriched in miR-21 with respect
      control. Taken together, our results suggested that a selective packaging of miR
      21 in exosomes may contribute to the antileukemic effect of Curcumin in CML. 

PMID- 26116835
TI  - Yin-and-Yang of mTORC1/C2 in Angelman syndrome mice.

PMID- 26116836
TI  - A nutritional perspective on cellular rejuvenation.

PMID- 26116837
TI  - Digesting dietary miRNA therapeutics.

PMID- 26116838
TI  - Delta113p53/Delta133p53: survival and integrity.

PMID- 26116839
TI  - Plant and animal organelles in cell death.

PMID- 26116840
TI  - Relevance of level IIb neck dissection in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of level
      IIb metastasis in patients with oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: A prospective analysis of 56 patients with OSCC who underwent
      surgical treatment of the primary lesion with simultaneous neck dissection was
      performed. During neck dissection, level IIb lymph nodes were separately removed
      and processed. Neck dissection was bilateral in 26 patients (46%) and unilateral
      in 30 patients (54%). RESULTS: The mean number of nodes found in the level IIb
      specimens was 4.7 (range: 0-8 nodes). The prevalence of metastasis at level IIb
      was 0% in pN0 necks and 3.4% in pN+ necks, with an overall prevalence of 1.8%. A
      significant association between metastasis to level IIb and type of neck
      dissection was observed. There were no isolated metastases to level IIb without
      the involvement of other nodes in the remaining neck specimen. Four regional
      recurrences were observed during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings,
      we suggest that dissection of the level IIb region in patients with OSCC may be
      required only in patients with multilevel neck metastasis or if level IIa
      metastasis is found intraoperatively.

PMID- 26116841
TI  - Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia after diode laser oral surgery. An experimental
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: to examine the process of epithelial reparation in a surgical wound
      caused by diode laser. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An experimental study with 27 Sprage
      Dawley rats was undertaken. The animals were randomly allocated to two
      experimental groups, whose individuals underwent glossectomy by means of a diode
      laser at different wattages, and a control group treated using a number 15
      scalpel blade. The animals were slaughtered at the 2nd, 7th, and 14th day after
      glossectomy. The specimens were independently studied by two pathologists
      (blinded for the specimens' group). RESULTS: at the 7th day, re-epithelisation
      was slightly faster for the control group (conventional scalpel) (p=0.011). At
      the 14th day, complete re-epithelization was observed for all groups. The
      experimental groups displayed a pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia. CONCLUSIONS:
      it is concluded that, considering the limitations of this kind of experimental
      studies, early re-epithelisation occurs slightly faster when a conventional
      scalpel is used for incision, although re-epithelisation is completed in two
      weeks no matter the instrument used. In addition, pseudoepitheliomatous
      hyperplasia is a potential event after oral mucosa surgery with diode laser.
      Knowledge about this phenomenon (not previously described) may prevent diagnostic
      mistakes and inadequate treatment approaches, particularly when dealing with
      potentially malignant oral lesions.

PMID- 26116842
TI  - Efficacy of different methods used for dry socket management: A systematic
      review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dry socket is one of the most common complications occurring after
      the extraction of a permanent tooth, but in spite of its high incidence there is
      not an established treatment for this condition. OBJECTIVES: Analyze the efficacy
      of different methods used in the management of dry socket regarding results of
      pain's relief and alveolar mucosa healing compared to conventional surgical
      treatment of curettage and saline irrigation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A Cochrane
      and PubMed-MEDLINE database search was conducted with the search terms "dry
      socket", "post-extraction complications", "alvogyl", "alveolar osteitis" and
      "fibrynolitic alveolitis", individually and next, using the Boolean operator
      "AND". The inclusion criteria were: clinical studies including at least 10
      patients, articles published from 2004 to 2014 written in English. The exclusion
      criteria were case reports and nonhuman studies. RESULTS: 11 publications were
      selected from a total of 627. Three of the 11 were excluded after reading the
      full text. The final review included 8 articles: 3 prospective studies, 2
      retrospective studies and 3 clinical trials. They were stratified according to
      their level of scientific evidence using the SORT criteria (Strenght of
      Recommendation Taxonomy). CONCLUSIONS: All treatments included in the review have
      the aim to relief patient's pain and promote alveolar mucosa healing in dry
      socket. Given the heterogeneity of interventions and the type of measurement
      scale, the results are difficult to compare. Curettage and irrigation should be
      carried out in dry socket, as well as another therapy such as LLLT, zinc oxide
      eugenol or plasma rich in growth factors, which are the ones that show better
      results in pain remission and alveolar mucosa healing. Assessment alveolar bone
      esposure must be a factor to consider in future research. Taking into account the
      scientific quality of the articles evaluated, a level B recommendation is given
      for therapeutic interventions proposed for the treatment of dry socket.

PMID- 26116843
TI  - Influence of two different surgical techniques on the difficulty of impacted
      lower third molar extraction and their post-operative complications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Post-operative complications of various degrees of severity are
      commonly observed in third molar impaction surgery. For this reason, a surgical
      procedure that decreases the trauma of bone and soft tissues should be a priority
      for surgeons. In the present study, we compare the efficacy and the post
      operative complications of patients to whom two different surgical techniques
      were applied for impacted lower third molar extraction. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Patients of the first group underwent the classical bur technique, while patients
      of the second group underwent another technique, in which an elevator was placed
      on the buccal surface of the impacted molar in order to luxate the alveolar
      socket more easily. RESULTS: Comparing the two techniques, we observed a
      statistically significant decrease in the duration of the procedure and in the
      need for tooth sectioning when applying the second surgical technique, while the
      post-operative complications were similar in the two groups. We also found a
      statistically significant lower incidence of lingual nerve lesions and only a
      slightly higher frequency of sharp mandibular bone irregularities in the second
      group, which however was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results
      of our study indicate that the surgical technique using an elevator on the buccal
      surface of the tooth seems to be a reliable method to extract impacted third
      molars safely, easily, quickly and with the minimum trauma to the surrounding
      tissues.

PMID- 26116844
TI  - Evaluation of volumetric measurements on CBCT images using stafne bone cavities
      as an example.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of CBCT in
      volume measuring using Stafne Bone Cavities (SBC) as an example. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: The study was conducted with 14 subjects with SBC detected on panoramic
      radiographs. In order to evaluate lesions volumetric dimensions, CBCT images for
      each patient were captured. Files in Digital Imaging and Communications in
      Medicine (DICOM) format were transferred into a medical image processing program
      (ITK-SNAP 2.4.0) and volume in mm3 of the cavities were measured using semi
      automatic segmentation procedure by 2 observers blinded to each other over a one
      month period. Inter-reliability of volumetric measurements between observers was
      compared. SBCs relation to mandibular canal was also examined and three types of
      relation were observed; type 1: mandibular canal is separated from the SBC, type
      2: mandibular canal is in contact with SBC, type 3: mandibular canal goes through
      the SBC. RESULTS: There were 12 males and 2 females who had SBC in this study
      (age range: 37-73, mean age: 55.3 years). The total volume of SBC in patients
      ranged from 160 mm3 to 520 mm3 (mean: 361.7 mm3). There was no significant
      difference between observers for volume measurements (p>0.05). According to
      relationship of SBC with mandibular canal, most SBCs were Type 1 (64.3 %)
      followed by type 3 (21.4 %) and type 2 (14.3 %). Pearson correlation coefficient
      shows a positive correlation between lesions volumetric size and relation with
      mandibular canal (pearson correlation = 0.54, sig < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on
      the results of this preliminary study, CBCT was considered to be an effective
      radiographic technic for measuring volumetric sizes of SBCs. However further
      studies with larger sample sizes are needed to prove the usefulness of CBCT in
      volume measurements.

PMID- 26116845
TI  - Retrospective study maxillofacial fractures epidemiology and treatment plans in
      Southeast of Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The epidemiology of facial injuries varies in different countries and
      geographic zones. Population concentration, lifestyle, cultural background, and
      socioeconomic status can affect the prevalence of maxillofacial injuries.
      Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the maxillofacial fractures epidemiology
      and treatment plans in hospitalized patients (2012-2014) which would be useful
      for better policy making strategies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this retrospective
      study, the medical records of 386 hospitalized patients were evaluated from the
      department of maxillofacial surgery at Bahonar Hospital of Kerman, Iran. The type
      and cause of fractures and treatment plans were recorded in a checklist. For data
      analysis, ANOVA, t-test, Chi-square, and Fisher's exact test were performed,
      using SPSS version 21. RESULTS: The majority of patients were male (76.5%). Most
      subjects were within the age range of 20-30 years. Fractures were mostly caused
      by accidents, particularly motorcycle accidents (MCAs), and the most common site
      of involvement was the mandible (parasymphysis). There was a significant
      association between the type of treatment and age. In fact, the age group of 16
      59 years under went open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) more than other age
      groups (P=0.02). Also, a significant association was observed between gender and
      the occurrence of fractures (P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Considering the geographic and
      cultural indices of the evaluated population, it can be concluded that patients
      age and gender and trauma causes significantly affect the prevalence of
      maxillofacial traumas and fracture kinds and treatment plans.

PMID- 26116846
TI  - Incidence and types of complications after ablative oral cancer surgery with
      primary microvascular free flap reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aims of the study were 1) to evaluate the incidence and types of
      postoperative complications after ablative oral cancer surgery with primary free
      flap reconstruction and 2) identify prognostic variables for postoperative
      complications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Desired data was retrieved from a computer
      database at the department of Oral and Maxillofacial Department, Queen Elisabeth
      hospital Birmingham, United Kingdom, between June 2007 and October 2012. Logistic
      regression was used to study relationships between preoperative variables and
      postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: The study population consisted 184 patients,
      comprising 189 composite resections with reconstruction. Complications developed
      in 40.2% of the patients. Three patients (1.6%) died, 11.1% returned to the
      operating room, 5.3% developed donor site complications and 6.9% flap
      complications of which 3.2% total flap failure. In the multivariable analysis
      systemic complications were associated with anaesthesia time and hospital stay
      with red cell transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of the patients
      with primary free flap reconstructions after oral cancer surgery develops
      postoperative complications. Prolonged anaesthesia time and red cell transfusion
      are possible predictors for systemic complications and hospital stay
      respectively. Preoperative screening for risk factors is advocated for patient
      selection and to have realistic information and expectations.

PMID- 26116847
TI  - Satisfaction and quality of life with palatal positioned implants in severely
      atrophic maxillae versus conventional implants supporting fixed full-arch
      prostheses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate satisfaction and quality of life in patients with palatal
      positioned implants supporting fixed full-arch prostheses to rehabilitate
      edentulous maxillae with horizontal atrophy and compare them with conventional
      well-centered implants placed in non-atrophic supporting fixed full-arch
      prostheses. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A clinical retrospective study was performed of
      patients that were rehabilitated with full-arch fixed implant-supported maxillary
      prostheses and had a minimum follow-up of 5 years after implant loading. Patients
      were divided into 2 groups: patients with class IV maxilla according to Cawood
      and Howell and treated with palatal positioned implants (test) and with class III
      maxilla and treated with implants well-centered in the alveolar ridge and
      completely surrounded by bone (control). Ten-cm visual analogue scales (VAS)
      (range 1-10) and the OHIP-14 (Oral Health Impact Profile) questionnaire were used
      respectively to estimate patient satisfaction and quality of life after implant
      therapy. Statistical analysis was performed applying Mann-Whitney Test using
      alpha set at 0.05. RESULTS: Mean global and specific satisfaction--except for
      self-esteem--were superior for the test group than the control group, although
      differences were not statistically significant. Regarding quality of life, the
      reported incidence of problems was lower in the test group for all the studied
      items except for 'problems at work'. However, differences were not statistically
      significant in any case. CONCLUSION: Despite the limitations of the study
      (retrospective and nonrandomized design) the results suggest that the prosthesis
      design needed to rehabilitate palatally positioned implants (more coverage of
      palate) does not lead to lower satisfaction and quality of life of patients,
      compared to patients treated with implants placed centered and conventional
      design prostheses that do not cover the palate.

PMID- 26116848
TI  - Pediatric Posterior Sternoclavicular Joint Injuries.
AB  - Posterior sternoclavicular joint injuries are increasingly diagnosed in children
      and young adults. Most of these injuries are the result of indirect mechanisms,
      typically lateral compression, with a posterior-to-anterior force applied to the
      shoulder during sports. Less frequently, these injuries are caused by direct
      impact on the medial clavicle, which can occur in rollover motor vehicle
      accidents, or may represent atraumatic instability. In patients younger than 25
      years, physeal separation is more common than true dislocation. Theoretically,
      these patients have increased remodeling potential. Reduction is recommended to
      prevent and/or manage the compression of mediastinal structures, which can lead
      to life-threatening injury. Open surgical stabilization is the preferred
      treatment for acute and chronic retrosternal injuries. A thoracic or trauma
      surgeon should be available during stabilization in the rare event of potentially
      life-threatening hemorrhage after reduction. Outcomes have been largely
      successful, with pain-free, unrestricted range of motion and return to activity. 

PMID- 26116849
TI  - Extremity War Injuries IX: Reducing Disability Within the Military.
AB  - Extremity War Injury Symposium IX focused on reducing disability within the
      military, centering on cartilage defects, amputations, and spinal cord injury.
      Many areas of upper and lower extremity trauma and disability were discussed,
      including segmental nerve injuries, upper extremity allotransplantation, and the
      importance of patient-reported functional outcomes compared with the
      traditionally reported measures. Strategic planning addressed progression toward
      clinical solutions by setting clear objectives and goals and outlining pathways
      to address the "translation gap" that often prevents bridging of basic science to
      clinical application. 

PMID- 26116850
TI  - Considerations in the Radiologic Evaluation of the Pregnant Orthopaedic Patient.
AB  - Radiographic imaging of the pregnant patient represents a diagnostic and
      management dilemma for the orthopaedic surgeon. Imaging is often necessary in the
      setting of trauma; however, in utero radiation exposure can result in deleterious
      developmental effects in the embryo and fetus. The likelihood of a negative
      effect is proportional to the radiation dose and the gestational age of the
      embryo or fetus at the time of exposure. Ionizing radiation doses >100 mGy in the
      first trimester of pregnancy may lead to spontaneous abortion, malformation, and
      mental retardation. Whereas plain radiographs of the extremities and cervical
      spine expose the fetus to minimal doses of radiation of <10 mGy, other commonly
      performed orthopaedic diagnostic studies, such as CT of the pelvis, emit
      significantly higher exposure doses of approximately 35 mGy. Non-emitting
      modalities, such as ultrasonography and MRI, are alternatives for evaluation in
      the clinical setting. 

PMID- 26116851
TI  - Clinical Differentiation of Upper Extremity Pain Etiologies.
AB  - Upper extremity pain can result from many overlapping etiologies. These can be
      categorized into anatomic regions and specific organ systems. Anatomically, pain
      etiologies are classified into four major groups: neurologic, musculoskeletal,
      vascular, and other (eg, tumor, infection). Knowledge of the characteristic
      clinical presentation and physical examination findings of each group can help
      distinguish the source of the patient's complaints quickly so that an accurate
      clinical diagnosis can facilitate appropriate diagnostic measures and treatment.
      A focus on the neurologic causes of upper extremity pain (ie, cervical spine
      pathology, peripheral nerve compression, neuropathy) and musculoskeletal causes
      of shoulder and elbow pain (eg, adhesive capsulitis, calcific tendinitis, biceps
      tendinitis, synovitis) and the distinguishing characteristics (eg, periscapular
      pain, two-point discrimination, signal intensity on T2-weighted MRI) helps
      determine the appropriate diagnosis. 

PMID- 26116852
TI  - Compliance with dental treatment recommendations by rural paediatric patients
      after a live-video teledentistry consultation: A preliminary report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to assess the compliance rate with
      recommended dental treatment by rural paediatric dental patients after a live
      video teledentistry consultation. METHODS: A retrospective dental chart review
      was completed for 251 rural paediatric patients from the Finger Lakes region of
      New York State who had an initial teledentistry appointment with a paediatric
      dentist located remotely at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health in Rochester,
      NY. The recommended treatment modalities were tabulated and comprehensive dental
      treatment completion rates were obtained. RESULTS: The recommended treatment
      modality options of: treatment in the paediatric dental clinic; treatment using
      nitrous oxide anxiolysis; treatment with oral sedation; treatment in the
      operating room with general anaesthesia; or teleconsultation were identified for
      the 251 patients. Compliance rates for completed dental treatment based on
      initial teleconsultation recommendations were: 100% for treatment in the
      paediatric dental clinic; 56% for nitrous oxide patients; 87% for oral sedation;
      93% for operating room; and 90% for teleconsultations. The differences in the
      compliance rates for all treatment modalities were not statistically significant
      (Fisher's exact test, p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compliance rates for completed
      comprehensive dental treatment for this rural population of paediatric dental
      patients were quite high, ranging from 56% to 100%, and tended to be higher when
      treatment was completed in fewer visits. Live-video teledentistry consultations
      conducted among rural paediatric patients and a paediatric dentist in the
      specialty clinic were feasible options for increasing dental treatment compliance
      rates when treating complex paediatric dental cases.

PMID- 26116853
TI  - Research funding for telemedicine: an Australian perspective.
AB  - Winning research funding is one of the most difficult challenges faced by
      researchers, especially with falling success rates and shrinking budgets.
      Telemedicine researchers can find it especially hard to win funding as they are
      often researching small changes to the health system that whilst important for
      patient care are often not as competitive as proposals that promise to cure
      diseases. In a climate of both tight health funding and tight research funding,
      telemedicine researchers should emphasise the potential for their research to add
      value and lower costs in order to increase their chances of winning funding. 

PMID- 26116855
TI  - "Tele-rounding" with a remotely controlled mobile robot in the neonatal intensive
      care unit.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of 'tele-rounding' in the neonatal
      intensive care. METHODS: In this prospective study utilizing telemedicine
      technology in the NICU for daily patient bedside rounds ('tele-rounds'), twenty
      pairs of neonates were matched according to gestational age, diagnoses, and
      disease severity. One patient was cared for by the on-site NICU team lead by an
      on-site neonatologist. The other patient was cared for by the on-site team but
      led by an off-site neonatologist using a remote-controlled robot. Patient
      rounding data, clinical outcomes, length of stay, and hospital costs were
      compared between the two groups. Parents and staff were also surveyed about their
      satisfaction with telemedicine. RESULTS: Except for one parameter, no significant
      differences in care or outcomes were found between patients cared for by either
      neonatologist. The exception was the time the off-site neonatologist spent on the
      patient encounter compared to the on-site neonatologist (median [interquartile
      range]), (5 minutes [5, 6] vs. 8 minutes [7, 10.5], p = 0.002). This difference
      was due primarily to time needed to operate and maneuver the robot or
      occasionally to slower or dropped connection to the Internet. There were positive
      perceptions of telemedicine among both parents and NICU staff. CONCLUSION: As
      long as direct bedside care providers are available, remote-controlled, robotic
      telemedicine technology can be utilized by neonatologists to perform daily
      patient rounds in the neonatal intensive care unit.

PMID- 26116854
TI  - The effects of telemedicine on racial and ethnic disparities in access to acute
      stroke care.
AB  - Racial and ethnic disparities have been previously reported in acute stroke care.
      We sought to determine the effect of telemedicine (TM) on access to acute stroke
      care for racial and ethnic minorities in the state of Texas. Data were collected
      from the US Census Bureau, The Joint Commission and the American Hospital
      Association. Access for racial and ethnic minorities was determined by summing
      the population that could reach a primary stroke centre (PSC) or telemedicine
      spoke within specified time intervals using validated models. TM extended access
      to stroke expertise by 1.5 million residents. The odds of providing 60-minute
      access via TM were similar in Blacks and Whites (prevalence odds ratios (POR)
      1.000, 95% CI 1.000-1.000), even after adjustment for urbanization (POR 1.000,
      95% CI 1.000-1.001). The odds of providing access via TM were also similar for
      Hispanics and non-Hispanics (POR 1.000, 95% CI 1.000-1.000), even after
      adjustment for urbanization (POR 1.000, 95% CI 1.000-1.000). We found that
      telemedicine increased access to acute stroke care for 1.5 million Texans. While
      racial and ethnic disparities exist in other components of stroke care, we did
      not find evidence of disparities in access to the acute stroke expertise afforded
      by telemedicine. 

PMID- 26116856
TI  - Teledermatology-directed surgical care is safe and reduces travel.
AB  - METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review and identified 186 Veterans in
      the VA Corporate Data Warehouse as having malignant melanomas or severely
      dysplastic nevi during the four-year period of observation from 1 July 2009 to 30
      June 2013 and met inclusion and exclusion criteria for analysis. RESULTS: Three
      hundred and sixty-six surgical procedures were performed for diagnosis and
      treatment of these conditions including biopsy and wide-local excision, of which
      189 carefully selected cases were performed by primary care clinicians with 2.0%
      biopsy complication rate and a 7.7% wide-local excision complication rate. Cases
      not performed by primary care providers were referred to specialists (e.g.
      dermatologists, general surgeons or specialty surgeons) who had a 2.5%
      complication rate in biopsies and wide-local excision complication rate of 13.5%
      in severely dysplastic nevi and pTis and pT1a lesions and a 10.7% complication
      rate for lesions pT1b and greater. DISCUSSION: These results show that a
      significant fraction of surgical procedures for diagnosis and treatment of
      malignant melanoma and severely dysplastic nevi can be safely performed in rural
      clinics by trained primary care providers.

PMID- 26116857
TI  - Kissing Cousins, Arranged Marriages, and Genetic Diversity.

PMID- 26116858
TI  - Fitness Trade-Offs Determine the Role of the Molecular Chaperonin GroEL in
      Buffering Mutations.
AB  - Molecular chaperones fold many proteins and their mutated versions in a cell and
      can sometimes buffer the phenotypic effect of mutations that affect protein
      folding. Unanswered questions about this buffering include the nature of its
      mechanism, its influence on the genetic variation of a population, the fitness
      trade-offs constraining this mechanism, and its role in expediting evolution.
      Answering these questions is fundamental to understand the contribution of
      buffering to increase genetic variation and ecological diversification. Here, we
      performed experimental evolution, genome resequencing, and computational analyses
      to determine the trade-offs and evolutionary trajectories of Escherichia coli
      expressing high levels of the essential chaperonin GroEL. GroEL is abundantly
      present in bacteria, particularly in bacteria with large loads of deleterious
      mutations, suggesting its role in mutational buffering. We show that groEL
      overexpression is costly to large populations evolving in the laboratory, leading
      to groE expression decline within 66 generations. In contrast, populations
      evolving under the strong genetic drift characteristic of endosymbiotic bacteria
      avoid extinction or can be rescued in the presence of abundant GroEL. Genomes
      resequenced from cells evolved under strong genetic drift exhibited significantly
      higher tolerance to deleterious mutations at high GroEL levels than at native
      levels, revealing that GroEL is buffering mutations in these cells. GroEL
      buffered mutations in a highly diverse set of proteins that interact with the
      environment, including substrate and ion membrane transporters, hinting at its
      role in ecological diversification. Our results reveal the fitness trade-offs of
      mutational buffering and how genetic variation is maintained in populations. 

PMID- 26116859
TI  - Selection Maintains Low Genomic GC Content in Marine SAR11 Lineages.
AB  - The genomic G+C content of ocean bacteria varies from below 30% to over 60%. This
      broad range of base composition is likely shaped by distinct mutational
      processes, recombination, effective population size, and selection driven by
      environmental factors. A number of studies have hypothesized that depletion of
      G/C in genomes of marine bacterioplankton cells is an adaptation to the nitrogen
      poor pelagic oceans, but they failed to disentangle environmental factors from
      mutational biases and population history. Here, we reconstructed the evolutionary
      changes of bases at synonymous sites in genomes of two marine SAR11 populations
      and a freshwater counterpart with its evolutionary origin rooted in the marine
      lineage. Although they all have similar genome sizes, DNA repair gene repertoire,
      and base compositions, there is a stronger bias toward A/T changes, a reduced
      frequency of nitrogenous amino acids, and an exclusive occurrence of polyamine,
      opine, and taurine transport systems in the ocean populations, consistent with a
      greater nitrogen stress in surface oceans compared with freshwater lakes.
      Furthermore, the ratio of nonsynoymous to synonymous nucleotide diversity is not
      statistically distinguishable among these populations, suggesting that population
      history has a limited effect. Taken together, the ecological transition of SAR11
      from ocean to freshwater habitats makes nitrogen more available to these
      organisms, and thus relaxation of purifying selection drove a genome-wide
      reduction in the frequency of G/C to A/T changes in the freshwater population. 

PMID- 26116860
TI  - Parallel Domestication of the Heading Date 1 Gene in Cereals.
AB  - Flowering time is one of the key determinants of crop adaptation to local
      environments during domestication. However, the genetic basis underlying
      flowering time is yet to be elucidated in most cereals. Although staple cereals,
      such as rice, maize, wheat, barley, and sorghum, have spread and adapted to a
      wide range of ecological environments during domestication, it is yet to be
      determined whether they have a common genetic basis for flowering time. In this
      study, we show, through map-based cloning, that flowering time in sorghum is
      controlled by a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) Heading Date 1 (HD1),
      located on chromosome 10. The causal gene encodes the CONSTANS gene family which
      contains a CCT domain. A 5-bp deletion of a minor allele present in the coding
      sequence leads to a gene frameshift that delays flowering in sorghum. In
      contrast, in foxtail millet, association mapping of HD1 showed a common causal
      site with a splicing variant from "GT" to "AT" that was highly correlated with
      flowering time. In addition, the rice HD1 gene is known to harbor several causal
      variants controlling flowering time. These data indicate that the major flowering
      time QTL HD1 was under parallel domestication in sorghum, foxtail millet, and
      rice. The pattern of common mixed minor, or even rare, causal alleles in HD1
      across different species may be representative of the genetic basis of the
      domestication syndrome. Furthermore, large DNA sequence analysis of HD1 revealed
      multiple origins for domesticated sorghum and a single origin for domesticated
      foxtail millet. 

PMID- 26116861
TI  - Combined peri-ischemic administration of Bbeta15-42 in treating ischemia
      reperfusion injury of the mouse kidney.
AB  - The disruption of endothelial integrity is a crucial step for the development of
      vascular leakage and consequently ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Regarding
      the molecular cell-cell interaction, the fibrinopeptide Bbeta15-42 prevents
      vascular leakage by stabilizing the inter-endothelial junctions via association
      with the vascular endothelial-cadherin. In a previous study we showed that a
      renoprotective effect in early IRI may be achieved by intravenous administration
      of Bbeta15-42 at the time of reperfusion. We now aimed to investigate whether
      additional pre-ischemic application of Bbeta15-42 could enhance this effect.
      Therefore C57BL/6 mice were subjected to 0.5h bilateral renal ischemia followed
      by reperfusion. The animals were randomized into 6 groups (n=6): two control
      groups treated with i.v. administration of NaCl at reperfusion for 0.5h (NaCl 1h)
      and 2.5h (NaCl 3h), two groups with Bbeta15-42 at reperfusion for 0.5h
      (Bbeta(rep) 1h) and 2.5h (Bbeta(rep) 3h), and two groups with administration of
      Bbeta15-42 immediately pre-ischemic as well as at reperfusion for 0.5h
      (Bbeta(peri) 1h) and 2.5h (Bbeta(peri) 3h). We found that both Bbeta(rep) and
      Bbeta(peri) mice displayed reduced early renal damage compared with NaCl treated
      mice. However, there was no further reduction of the IR damage through added pre
      ischemic application of Bbeta15-42. Overall, we detected significantly reduced
      endothelial activation, lower tissue infiltration of neutrophils as well as lower
      tissue levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in all mice
      treated with Bbeta15-42 compared to mice treated with NaCl. Our data confirm the
      renoprotective effect of Bbeta15-42 in the early therapeutic treatment of acute
      kidney injury due to ischemia and reperfusion. However, a combined pre-and post
      ischemic administration of Bbeta15-42 appears to provide no additional benefit
      compared with a sole administration at reperfusion. 

PMID- 26116862
TI  - Experimental TLR4 inhibition improves intestinal microcirculation in endotoxemic
      rats.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) represents a critical cellular link for
      endotoxin-induced pathology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential
      role of TLR4 inhibition on the intestinal microcirculation during experimental
      endotoxemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The intestinal microcirculation was studied
      by intravital microscopy in four groups of Lewis rats (n=10 per group): healthy
      controls (CON group), endotoxemic animals (15mg/kg lipopolysaccharide, LPS
      group), endotoxemic animals treated with a TLR4 antagonist (1mg/kg CRX-526,
      LPS+CRX526 group), and controls treated with CRX-526 (C-CRX526 group). Plasma
      samples were obtained for cytokine measurements at the end of the experiments.
      RESULTS: Endotoxemia significantly increased leukocyte adhesion in intestinal
      submucosal venules (e.g., V1 venules: CON 20.4+/-6.5n/mm(2), LPS 237.5+/
      36.2n/mm(2), p<0.05) and reduced capillary perfusion of the intestinal wall
      (e.g., longitudinal muscular layer: CON 112.5+/-5.9cm/cm(2), LPS 71.3+/
      11.0cm/cm(2), p<0.05) at 2h. TLR4 inhibition significantly reduced endotoxemia
      associated leukocyte adhesion (V1 venules: 104.3+/-7.8n/mm(2)) and improved
      capillary perfusion (longitudinal muscular layer: 111.0+/-12.3cm/cm(2)). Cytokine
      release was not significantly affected. CONCLUSIONS: The TLR4 pathway may be a
      target in clinical Gram-negative sepsis since administration of the TLR4
      antagonist CRX-526 improved intestinal microcirculation parameters in
      experimental endotoxemia.

PMID- 26116863
TI  - The helminth parasite proteome at the host-parasite interface - Informing
      diagnosis and control.
AB  - Helminth parasites are a significant health burden for humans in the developing
      world and also cause substantial economic losses in livestock production across
      the world. The combined lack of vaccines for the major human and veterinary
      helminth parasites in addition to the development of drug resistance to
      anthelmintics in sheep and cattle mean that controlling helminth infection and
      pathology remains a challenge. However, recent high throughput technological
      advances mean that screening for potential drug and vaccine candidates is now
      easier than in previous decades. A better understanding of the host-parasite
      interactions occurring during infection and pathology and identifying pathways
      that can be therapeutically targeted for more effective and 'evolution proof'
      interventions is now required. This review highlights some of the advances that
      have been made in understanding the host-parasite interface in helminth
      infections using studies of the temporal expression of parasite proteins, i.e.
      the parasite proteome, and discuss areas for potential future research and
      translation. 

PMID- 26116864
TI  - Antileishmanial activity of essential oil and 6,7-dehydroroyleanone isolated from
      Tetradenia riparia.
AB  - Tetradenia riparia plant is used as a traditional medicine in Africa for the
      treatment of inflammatory and infectious diseases as like parasitic. Therapy for
      leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis specie often fails,
      and the conventional drugs are toxic, expensive, require a long period of
      treatment, and adverse effects are common. The alternative therapies using
      natural products are inexpensive and have few or any adverse reaction. These
      reasons are sufficient to investigate the new natural therapeutic for
      leishmaniasis. We evaluated the potential of the essential oil (TrEO) and 6,7
      dehydroroyleanone (TrROY) isolated from T. riparia on L. (L.) amazonensis
      promastigote and amastigote forms, cytotoxicity on human erythrocytes and murine
      macrophages, nitric production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA
      expression. TrEO was the most effective to promote the Leishmania promastigote
      death. After 72 h incubation, the lethal dose of TrEO and TrROY that promoted 50%
      Leishmania death (LD50) were 0.8 MUg/mL and 3 MUg/mL, respectively. TrEO and
      TrROY were not cytotoxic to human erythrocytes, but TrROY was toxic to murine
      macrophages resulting in a low selectivity index. The transmission electronic
      microscopy showed that TrEO (0.03 MUg/mL) was able to modify the promastigote
      ultrastructures suggesting autophagy as chromatin condensation, blebbing,
      membranous profiles and nuclear fragmentation. Infected-macrophages treated with
      TrEO (0.03 MUg/mL) or TrROY (10 MUg/mL) had an infection index decreased in 65
      and 48%. TrEO did not induce iNOS mRNA expression or nitrite production in
      macrophages infected with Leishmania. TrROY and mainly TrEO promoted the
      Leishmania death, and TrROY showed loss toxicity to erythrocytes cells. Other
      compounds derived from T. riparia and the essential oil could be explored to
      develop a new alternative treatment for leishmaniasis. 

PMID- 26116865
TI  - Decreased creatine kinase is linked to diastolic dysfunction in rats with right
      heart failure induced by pulmonary artery hypertension.
AB  - Our objective was to investigate the role of creatine kinase in the contractile
      dysfunction of right ventricular failure caused by pulmonary artery hypertension.
      Pulmonary artery hypertension and right ventricular failure were induced in rats
      by monocrotaline and compared to saline-injected control animals. In vivo right
      ventricular diastolic pressure-volume relationships were measured in anesthetized
      animals; diastolic force-length relationships in single enzymatically dissociated
      myocytes and myocardial creatine kinase levels by Western blot. We observed
      diastolic dysfunction in right ventricular failure indicated by significantly
      steeper diastolic pressure-volume relationships in vivo and diastolic force
      length relationships in single myocytes. There was a significant reduction in
      creatine kinase protein expression in failing right ventricle. Dysfunction also
      manifested as a shorter diastolic sarcomere length in failing myocytes. This was
      associated with a Ca(2+)-independent mechanism that was sensitive to cross-bridge
      cycling inhibition. In saponin-skinned failing myocytes, addition of exogenous
      creatine kinase significantly lengthened sarcomeres, while in intact healthy
      myocytes, inhibition of creatine kinase significantly shortened sarcomeres.
      Creatine kinase inhibition also changed the relatively flat contraction amplitude
      stimulation frequency relationship of healthy myocytes into a steeply negative,
      failing phenotype. Decreased creatine kinase expression leads to diastolic
      dysfunction. We propose that this is via local reduction in ATP:ADP ratio and
      thus to Ca(2+)-independent force production and diastolic sarcomere shortening.
      Creatine kinase inhibition also mimics a definitive characteristic of heart
      failure, the inability to respond to increased demand. Novel therapies for
      pulmonary artery hypertension are needed. Our data suggest that cardiac
      energetics would be a potential ventricular therapeutic target. 

PMID- 26116867
TI  - Marfan syndrome and aortic aneurysm: Lysyl oxidases to the rescue?

PMID- 26116866
TI  - Liposomal tetrahydrobiopterin preserves eNOS coupling in the post-ischemic heart
      conferring in vivo cardioprotection.
AB  - Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is an essential cofactor of nitric oxide synthase
      (NOS), and reduced BH4 availability leads to endothelial NOS (eNOS) uncoupling
      and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Questions remain
      regarding the functional state of eNOS and role of BH4 availability in the
      process of in vivo myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Rats were
      subjected to 60min of in vivo left coronary artery occlusion and varying periods
      of reperfusion with or without pre-ischemic liposomal BH4 supplementation
      (1mg/kg, iv). Myocardial infarction was correlated with cardiac BH4 content, eNOS
      protein level, NOS enzyme activity, and ROS generation. In the vehicle group, 60
      min ischemia drastically reduced myocardial BH4 content in the area at risk (AAR)
      compared to non-ischemic (NI) area and the level remained lower during early
      reperfusion followed by recovery after 24-h reperfusion. Total eNOS, activated
      eNOS protein level (eNOS Ser1177 phosphorylation) and NOS activity were also
      significantly reduced during ischemia and/or early reperfusion, but recovered
      after 24-h reperfusion. With liposomal BH4 treatment, BH4 levels were identical
      in the AAR and NI area during ischemia and/or early reperfusion, and were
      significantly higher than with vehicle. BH4 pre-treatment preserved eNOS Ser1177
      phosphorylation and NOS activity in the AAR, and significantly reduced myocardial
      ROS generation and infarction compared to vehicle. These findings provide direct
      evidence that in vivo I/R induces eNOS dysfunction secondary to BH4 depletion,
      and that pre-ischemic liposomal BH4 administration preserves eNOS function
      conferring cardioprotection with reduced oxidative stress. 

PMID- 26116868
TI  - Genetically induced moderate inhibition of 20S proteasomes in cardiomyocytes
      facilitates heart failure in mice during systolic overload.
AB  - The in vivo function status of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in pressure
      overloaded hearts remains undefined. Cardiotoxicity was observed during
      proteasome inhibitor chemotherapy, especially in those with preexisting
      cardiovascular conditions; however, proteasome inhibition (PsmI) was also
      suggested by some experimental studies as a potential therapeutic strategy to
      curtail cardiac hypertrophy. Here we used genetic approaches to probe cardiac UPS
      performance and determine the impact of cardiomyocyte-restricted PsmI (CR-PsmI)
      on cardiac responses to systolic overload. Transgenic mice expressing an inverse
      reporter of the UPS (GFPdgn) were subject to transverse aortic constriction (TAC)
      to probe myocardial UPS performance during systolic overload. Mice with or
      without moderate CR-PsmI were subject to TAC and temporally characterized for
      cardiac responses to moderate and severe systolic overload. After moderate TAC
      (pressure gradient: ~40mmHg), cardiac UPS function was upregulated during the
      first two weeks but turned to functional insufficiency between 6 and 12weeks as
      evidenced by the dynamic changes in GFPdgn protein levels, proteasome peptidase
      activities, and total ubiquitin conjugates. Severe TAC (pressure gradients
      >60mmHg) led to UPS functional insufficiency within a week. Moderate TAC elicited
      comparable hypertrophic responses between mice with and without genetic CR-PsmI
      but caused cardiac malfunction in CR-PsmI mice significantly earlier than those
      without CR-PsmI. In mice subject to severe TAC, CR-PsmI inhibited cardiac
      hypertrophy but led to rapidly progressed heart failure and premature death,
      associated with a pronounced increase in cardiomyocyte death. It is concluded
      that cardiac UPS function is dynamically altered, with the initial brief
      upregulation of proteasome function being adaptive; and CR-PsmI facilitates
      cardiac malfunction during systolic overload. 

PMID- 26116869
TI  - Mode of delivery at periviability and early childhood neurodevelopment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Little is known regarding the impact of mode of delivery in the
      periviable period. Even less is understood regarding the effect of mode of
      delivery on neurodevelopment. Our objective is to determine if the mode of
      delivery at time of periviability impacts Bayley II scores at 2 years of age.
      STUDY DESIGN: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized, controlled trial of
      magnesium sulfate for the prevention of cerebral palsy, a multicenter trial where
      women at imminent risk for delivery were assigned to receive magnesium sulfate or
      placebo. For this secondary analysis we included nonanomalous singleton
      gestations delivered between 23 4/7 and 25 6/7 weeks. We excluded women with
      missing exposure or outcome data. The primary exposure of interest was mode of
      delivery. The primary outcome was Bayley II scores <70 (mental and motor) at 2
      years of age. Log binomial regression was used to control for possible
      confounders including gestational age at delivery, presentation at time of
      delivery, chorioamnionitis, years of maternal education, maternal body mass
      index, and original study treatment group. RESULTS: A total of 158 women met
      inclusion criteria. In all, 91 had a vaginal delivery and 67 had a cesarean
      delivery. Exposure to magnesium sulfate, maternal education, chorioamnionitis,
      years of maternal education, and maternal body mass index were similar in both
      groups. There was no difference in either mental or motor Bayley II scores <70 or
      <85 by mode of delivery in either univariable or multivariable analysis.
      CONCLUSION: There is no detectable difference in Bayley II scores between mode of
      delivery at time of periviability. This adds to the literature supporting
      obstetric indications dictating mode of delivery at this gestational age.

PMID- 26116870
TI  - Circulating endothelial cell number and markers of endothelial dysfunction in
      previously preeclamptic women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Patients with preeclampsia (PE) have endothelial dysfunction and an
      increased future risk of cardiovascular (CV) mortality. The number of circulating
      endothelial cells (CECs) is markedly increased in conditions associated with a
      high degree of endothelial cell activation/injury including PE. We hypothesized
      that the number of CECs continues to be increased in women with a history of PE,
      reflecting ongoing endothelial cell activation/injury. STUDY DESIGN: CECs, flow
      mediated vasodilation, levels of adhesion molecules and soluble vascular
      endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (sVEGFR1), and urine albumin/creatinine
      ratio were determined in 21 healthy women with ongoing normal pregnancy, 24
      healthy currently nonpregnant women with a history of normal pregnancy, a total
      of 17 women with currently active mild (n = 11) or severe (n = 6) PE without
      hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome, and
      16 currently nonpregnant women with a history of mild (n = 10) or severe (n = 6)
      PE. RESULTS: Blood samples from women with active preeclampsia had higher CECs
      (9.9 +/- 7.9 cells/mL) than healthy pregnant women (3.0 +/- 4.1 cells/mL; P <
      .001), healthy nonpregnant women with a history of normal pregnancy (3.4 +/- 4.0
      cells/mL; P < .001), or women with a history of preeclampsia (2.4 +/- 2.0
      cells/mL; P < .001). The number of CECs were similar between women with a history
      of preeclampsia and healthy nonpregnant women with a history of normal pregnancy.
      Patients with active preeclampsia had significantly higher soluble vascular cell
      adhesion molecule-1, soluble E-selectin, sVEGFR1, and urinary albumin/creatinine
      ratio than healthy pregnant women. However, soluble vascular cell adhesion
      molecule-1, soluble E-selectin, urinary albumin/creatinine ratio were similar in
      women with a history of preeclampsia and healthy nonpregnant women with a history
      of normal pregnancy. However, women with a history of preeclampsia had higher
      sVEGFR1 levels than women with a history of normal pregnancy (P < .05).
      CONCLUSION: Markers of endothelial activation, dysfunction, and damage were
      increased in patients with PE. After the delivery, this activation status is
      similar to the age-matched nonpregnant women with a history of normal pregnancy.
      However, sVEGFR-1 levels remain higher in women with a history of preeclampsia
      compared with women without a history of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26116871
TI  - Elevated amniotic fluid lactate predicts labor disorders and cesarean delivery in
      nulliparous women at term.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess amniotic fluid lactate (AFL) at diagnosis of
      spontaneous labor at term (>=37 weeks) as a predictor of labor disorders
      (dystocia) and cesarean delivery (CD). STUDY DESIGN: This was a single
      institution, prospective cohort study of 905 singleton, cephalic, term (>=37
      weeks) nulliparous women in spontaneous labor. A standard management of labor
      (active management of labor) including a standard oxytocin regimen up to a
      maximum dose of 30 mU/min was applied. AFL was measured using a point-of-care
      device (LMU061; ObsteCare, Stockholm, Sweden). Labor arrest in the first stage of
      labor was defined as the need for oxytocin when cervical dilatation was <1 cm/h
      over 2 hours and in the second stage of labor by poor descent and rotation over 1
      hour. Standard statistical analysis included analysis of variance, Pearson
      correlations, and binary logistic regression. Unsupervised decision tree analysis
      with 10-fold cross-validation was used to identify AFL thresholds. RESULTS: AFL
      was normally distributed and did not correlate with age, body mass index, or
      gestation. Unsupervised decision tree analysis demonstrated that AFL could be
      divided into 3 groups: 0-4.9 mmol/L (n = 118), 5.0-9.9 mmol/L (n = 707), and
      >=10.0 mmol/L (n = 80). Increasing AFL was associated with higher total oxytocin
      dose (P = .001), labor disorders (P = .005), and CD (P <= .001). Multivariable
      regression analysis demonstrated that women with AFL >=5.0-9.9 mmol/L (odds ratio
      [OR], 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-2.39) and AFL >=10.0 mmol/L (OR,
      1.72; 95% CI, 1.01-2.93) were independent predictors of a labor disorder. AFL
      >=5.0-9.9 mmol/L did not predict CD but multivariable analysis confirmed that AFL
      >=10.0 mmol/L was an independent predictor of CD (OR, 3.35; 95% CI, 1.73-6.46).
      AFL >=5.0-9.9 mmol/L had a sensitivity of 89% in predicting a labor disorder and
      a sensitivity of 93% in predicting CD with a 97% negative predictive value. AFL
      >=10.0 mmol/L was highly specific but lacked sensitivity for CD. There was no
      difference in birthweight of infants according to labor disorder and delivery
      method. CONCLUSION: AFL at diagnosis of labor in spontaneously laboring single
      cephalic nulliparous term women is an independent predictor of a labor disorder
      and CD. These data suggest that women with AFL between 5.0-9.9 mmol/L with a
      labor disorder may be amenable to correction using the active management of labor
      protocol.

PMID- 26116872
TI  - Delivery planning for pregnancies with gastroschisis: findings from a prospective
      national registry.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of planned
      mode and planned timing of delivery on neonatal outcomes in infants with
      gastroschisis. STUDY DESIGN: Data from the Canadian Pediatric Surgery Network
      cohort were used to identify 519 fetuses with isolated gastroschisis who were
      delivered at all tertiary-level perinatal centers in Canada from 2005-2013 (n =
      16). Neonatal outcomes (including length of stay, duration of total parenteral
      nutrition, and a composite of perinatal death or prolonged exclusive total
      parenteral nutrition) were compared according to the 32-week gestation planned
      mode and timing of delivery with the use of the multivariable quantile and
      logistic regression. RESULTS: Planned induction of labor was not associated with
      decreased length of stay (adjusted median difference, -2.6 days; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], -9.9 to 4.8), total parenteral nutrition duration (adjusted median
      difference, -0.2 days; 95% CI, -6.4 to 6.0), or risk of the composite adverse
      outcome (relative risk, 1.7; 95% CI, 0.1-3.2) compared with planned vaginal
      delivery after spontaneous onset of labor. Planned delivery at 36-37 weeks'
      gestation was not associated with decreased length of stay (adjusted median
      difference, 5.9 days; 95% CI, -5.7 to 17.5), total parenteral nutrition duration
      (adjusted median difference, 3.2 days; 95% CI, -7.9 to 14.3), or risk of
      composite outcome (relative risk, 2.3; 95% CI, 0.8-5.4) compared with planned
      delivery at >=38 weeks' gestation. CONCLUSION: Infants with gastroschisis who
      were delivered after planned induction or planned delivery at 36-37 weeks'
      gestation did not have significantly better neonatal outcomes than planned
      vaginal delivery after spontaneous onset of labor and planned delivery at >=38
      weeks' gestation.

PMID- 26116873
TI  - Insertion characteristics of intrauterine devices in adolescents and young women:
      success, ancillary measures, and complications.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate success and safety of
      intrauterine device (IUD) placement in a large cohort of adolescents. STUDY
      DESIGN: We examined the medical records of patients aged 13-24 years at the
      Children's Hospital Colorado Adolescent Family Planning Clinic with at least 1
      attempt at IUD placement. We abstracted demographic, reproductive, and procedural
      variables. The primary outcome was successful placement at first IUD insertion
      visit. We compared nulliparous with parous adolescents and patients younger than
      18 years with those 18 years of age and older. RESULTS: Between April 2009 and
      December 2011, 1177 adolescent women aged 13-24 years (mean age 20.8 +/- 2.5
      years) had an attempted IUD placement, 1012 (86%) of which were with an advanced
      practice clinician. The first attempt was successful for 1132 women (96.2%). The
      first-attempt success rate was 95.8% for nulliparous women and 96.7% for parous
      women (P = .45). The first-attempt success rate was 95.5% (n = 169) for women
      aged 13-17 years compared with 96.3% (n = 963) for women aged 18-24 years (P =
      .6). Only 1.8% (n = 21) of all first-attempt successful insertions required
      ancillary measures. Of the 45 patients with a failed first insertion attempt, 40%
      (n = 18) had a second attempt with a physician, of which 78% (n = 14) were
      successful. Within the first 6 months of IUD placement, no perforations were
      identified and 24 patients (3.0%) expelled the IUD. Insertion failures and IUD
      expulsions were not related to IUD type, age, or parity. CONCLUSION: Intrauterine
      devices can be inserted in nulliparous adolescents of any age with similar
      success to parous adolescents, by both physicians and advanced practice
      clinicians. Inability to provide ancillary measures such as paracervical block or
      cervical dilation should not limit access to this first-line contraceptive
      method.

PMID- 26116874
TI  - Maternal obesity and neuroprotective magnesium sulfate.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Given the association between risk of cerebral palsy and children born
      to obese women, the study aim was to estimate whether maternal obesity is
      associated with reduced effectiveness of conventional antenatal magnesium sulfate
      dosing for the prevention of cerebral palsy and death. STUDY DESIGN: This is a
      secondary cohort analysis of a multicenter randomized clinical trial completed by
      the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network. Women were included in the original
      trial if deemed high risk for preterm delivery in the subsequent 24 hours. The
      present study included singleton, nonanomalous fetuses that were randomized to
      and received magnesium sulfate with complete data available. Outcomes between
      obese (body mass index >=30 kg/m(2)) and nonobese women were compared. A
      secondary analysis of outcomes between morbidly obese (body mass index >=40
      kg/m(2)) and nonmorbidly obese women was performed. The primary outcome was a
      composite of cerebral palsy or perinatal death before 15 months corrected age.
      Secondary outcomes included moderate to severe cerebral palsy or death, any
      cerebral palsy, moderate to severe cerebral palsy, and death. A logistic
      regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio of each outcome. Based on
      sample size, exposure rate (obesity) and an outcome rate of 10%, assuming an 80%
      power and a 0.05 alpha error, this study had sufficient power to detect a 2-fold
      increase in the primary outcome. RESULTS: Of 1188 women randomized to receive
      magnesium sulfate, 806 were included in this analysis. After adjusting for
      gestational age at delivery, maternal obesity was not associated with an
      increased risk of cerebral palsy or death in children born to women who received
      magnesium sulfate. Women with morbid obesity had higher rates of the primary
      outcome and cerebral palsy in an unadjusted analysis but did not have increased
      risks after adjusting for gestational age at delivery. In analyses stratified on
      gestational age, morbidly obese women who delivered after 28 weeks had increased
      risks of children with cerebral palsy or death and cerebral palsy, although case
      numbers were small. CONCLUSION: Among women receiving antenatal neuroprotective
      magnesium sulfate, maternal obesity is not associated with an increased risk of
      having a child with cerebral palsy or death.

PMID- 26116875
TI  - The antidepressant mechanism of action of vagus nerve stimulation: Evidence from
      preclinical studies.
AB  - Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a proposed neuromodulatory treatment for
      medically refractory major depression. Although VNS is already used in clinical
      practice, the underlying mechanism of action remains unknown. The present review
      provides an overview of the preclinical VNS studies in view of two major
      hypotheses in depression research: the monoaminergic and the neural plasticity
      hypothesis of depression. 

PMID- 26116876
TI  - Regulation of the mesocorticolimbic and mesostriatal dopamine systems by alpha
      melanocyte stimulating hormone and agouti-related protein.
AB  - The melanocortin system of the hypothalamus, including the neuropeptides alpha
      melanocyte stimulating hormone (alphaMSH) and agouti-related protein (AgRP), and
      their receptors, the melanocortin-3 receptor (MC3R) and melanocortin-4 receptor
      (MC4R), have been well-studied for their roles in the central control of feeding
      and body weight. In this review, we discuss the evidence demonstrating that
      alphaMSH and AgRP also act on the mesocorticolimbic and mesostriatal dopamine
      systems to regulate a wide variety of behaviors. In addition to the well
      described ability of alphaMSH to increase dopamine transmission and to increase
      grooming and rearing when injected directly into the ventral tegmental area, a
      growing body of evidence indicates that alphaMSH and AgRP can also act on
      dopamine pathways to regulate feeding and drug abuse, including reward-related
      behaviors toward food and drugs. Increasing our understanding of how alphaMSH and
      AgRP act on dopamine pathways to affect behavior may allow for identification of
      new strategies to combat disorders involving dysfunction of dopamine pathways,
      such as obesity and drug abuse. 

PMID- 26116877
TI  - Building exploration with leeches Hirudo verbana.
AB  - Safe evacuation of people from building and outdoor environments, and search and
      rescue operations, always will remain actual in course of all socio-technological
      developments. Modern facilities offer a range of automated systems to guide
      residents towards emergency exists. The systems are assumed to be infallible. But
      what if they fail? How occupants not familiar with a building layout will be
      looking for exits in case of very limited visibility where tactile sensing is the
      only way to assess the environment? Analogous models of human behaviour, and
      socio-dynamics in general, are provided to be fruitful ways to explore
      alternative, or would-be scenarios. Crowd, or a single person, dynamics could be
      imitated using particle systems, reaction-diffusion chemical medium, electro
      magnetic fields, or social insects. Each type of analogous model offer unique
      insights on behavioural patterns of natural systems in constrained geometries. In
      this particular paper we have chosen leeches to analyse patterns of exploration.
      Reasons are two-fold. First, when deprived from other stimuli leeches change
      their behavioural modes in an automated regime in response to mechanical
      stimulation. Therefore leeches can give us invaluable information on how human
      beings might behave under stress and limited visibility. Second, leeches are
      ideal blueprints of future soft-bodied rescue robots. Leeches have modular
      nervous circuitry with a rich behavioral spectrum. Leeches are multi-functional,
      fault-tolerant with autonomous inter-segment coordination and adaptive decision
      making. We aim to answer the question: how efficiently a real building can be
      explored and whether there any dependencies on the pathways of exploration and
      geometrical complexity of the building. In our case studies we use templates made
      on the floor plan of real building. 

PMID- 26116878
TI  - A systemic approach for modeling biological evolution using Parallel DEVS.
AB  - A new model for studying the evolution of living organisms is proposed in this
      manuscript. The proposed model is based on a non-neodarwinian systemic approach.
      The model is focused on considering several controversies and open discussions
      about modern evolutionary biology. Additionally, a simplification of the proposed
      model, named EvoDEVS, has been mathematically described using the Parallel DEVS
      formalism and implemented as a computer program using the DEVSLib Modelica
      library. EvoDEVS serves as an experimental platform to study different conditions
      and scenarios by means of computer simulations. Two preliminary case studies are
      presented to illustrate the behavior of the model and validate its results.
      EvoDEVS is freely available at http://www.euclides.dia.uned.es. 

PMID- 26116879
TI  - A thioredoxin fold protein Sh3bgr regulates Enah and is necessary for proper
      sarcomere formation.
AB  - The sh3bgr (SH3 domain binding glutamate-rich) gene encodes a small protein
      containing a thioredoxin-like fold, SH3 binding domain, and glutamate-rich
      domain. Originally, it was suggested that increased expression of Sh3bgr may
      cause the cardiac phenotypes in Down's syndrome. However, it was recently
      reported that the overexpression of Sh3bgr did not cause any disease phenotypes
      in mice. In this study, we have discovered that Sh3bgr is critical for sarcomere
      formation in striated muscle tissues and also for heart development. Sh3bgr is
      strongly expressed in the developing somites and heart in Xenopus. Morpholino
      mediated-knockdown of sh3bgr caused severe malformation of heart tissue and
      disrupted segmentation of the somites. Further analysis revealed that Sh3bgr
      specifically localized to the Z-line in mature sarcomeres and that knockdown of
      Sh3bgr completely disrupted sarcomere formation in the somites. Moreover,
      overexpression of Sh3bgr resulted in abnormally discontinues thick firmaments in
      the somitic sarcomeres. We suggest that Sh3bgr does its function at least partly
      by regulating localization of Enah for the sarcomere formation. In addition, we
      provide the data supporting Sh3bgr is also necessary for proper heart development
      in part by affecting the Enah protein level. 

PMID- 26116880
TI  - MicroRNAs in liver tissue engineering - New promises for failing organs.
AB  - miRNA-based technologies provide attractive tools for several liver tissue
      engineering approaches. Herein, we review the current state of miRNA applications
      in liver tissue engineering. Several miRNAs have been implicated in hepatic
      disease and proper hepatocyte function. However, the clinical translation of
      these findings into tissue engineering has just begun. miRNAs have been
      successfully used to induce proliferation of mature hepatocytes and improve the
      differentiation of hepatic precursor cells. Nonetheless, miRNA-based approaches
      beyond cell generation have not yet entered preclinical or clinical
      investigations. Moreover, miRNA-based concepts for the biliary tree have yet to
      be developed. Further research on miRNA based modifications, however, holds the
      promise of enabling significant improvements to liver tissue engineering
      approaches due to their ability to regulate and fine-tune all biological
      processes relevant to hepatic tissue engineering, such as proliferation,
      differentiation, growth, and cell function. 

PMID- 26116881
TI  - The two transmembrane helices of CcoP are sufficient for assembly of the cbb3
      type heme-copper oxygen reductase from Vibrio cholerae.
AB  - The C-family (cbb3) of heme-copper oxygen reductases are proton-pumping enzymes
      terminating the aerobic respiratory chains of many bacteria, including a number
      of human pathogens. The most common form of these enzymes contains one copy each
      of 4 subunits encoded by the ccoNOQP operon. In the cbb3 from Rhodobacter
      capsulatus, the enzyme is assembled in a stepwise manner, with an essential role
      played by an assembly protein CcoH. Importantly, it has been proposed that a
      transient interaction between the transmembrane domains of CcoP and CcoH is
      essential for assembly. Here, we test this proposal by showing that a genetically
      engineered form of cbb3 from Vibrio cholerae (CcoNOQP(X)) that lacks the
      hydrophilic domain of CcoP, where the two heme c moieties are present, is fully
      assembled and stable. Single-turnover kinetics of the reaction between the fully
      reduced CcoNOQP(X) and O2 are essentially the same as the wild type enzyme in
      oxidizing the 4 remaining redox-active sites. The enzyme retains approximately
      10% of the steady state oxidase activity using the artificial electron donor
      TMPD, but has no activity using the physiological electron donor cytochrome c4,
      since the docking site for this cytochrome is presumably located on the absent
      domain of CcoP. Residue E49 in the hydrophobic domain of CcoP is the entrance of
      the K(C)-channel for proton input, and the E49A mutation in the truncated enzyme
      further reduces the steady state activity to less than 3%. Hence, the same proton
      channel is used by both the wild type and truncated enzymes. 

PMID- 26116882
TI  - The total margin of exposure of ethanol and acetaldehyde for heavy drinkers
      consuming cider or vodka.
AB  - Heavy drinkers in Scotland may consume 1600 g ethanol per week. Due to its low
      price, cider may be preferred over other beverages. Anecdotal evidence has linked
      cider to specific health hazards beyond other alcoholic beverages. To examine
      this hypothesis, nine apple and pear cider samples were chemically analysed for
      constituents and contaminants. None of the products exceeded regulatory or
      toxicological thresholds, but the regular occurrence of acetaldehyde in cider was
      detected. To provide a quantitative risk assessment, two collectives of exclusive
      drinkers of cider and vodka were compared and the intake of acetaldehyde was
      estimated using probabilistic Monte-Carlo type analysis. The cider consumers were
      found to ingest more than 200-times the amount of acetaldehyde consumed by vodka
      consumers. The margins of exposure (MOE) of acetaldehyde were 224 for the cider
      and over 220,000 for vodka consumers. However, if the effects of ethanol were
      considered in a cumulative assessment of the combined MOE, the effect of
      acetaldehyde was minor and the combined MOE for both groups was 0.3. We suggest
      that alcohol policy priority should be given on reducing ethanol intake by
      measures such as minimum pricing, rather than to focus on acetaldehyde.

PMID- 26116883
TI  - RIFM fragrance ingredient safety assessment, isophytol, CAS Registry Number 505
      32-8.

PMID- 26116884
TI  - Saururus chinensis Baill induces apoptosis through endoplasmic reticulum stress
      in HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
AB  - In this study, we examined the mechanism underlying the effect of Saururus
      chinensis Baill (saururaceae) on hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. HepG2
      cells and Chang cells were exposed to various concentrations of S. chinensis
      Baill extract (SC-E) for 24 h. SC-E affected more significantly HepG2 cells than
      Chang cells in terms of cell viability and ATP production. Therefore, current
      study examined detailed mechanism how SC-E affected HepG2 cell survival. We found
      that SC-E (75 and 150 MUg/ml) induced apoptosis via oxidative stress. SC-E also
      caused CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) activation by
      dissociating the binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP) from inositol-requiring
      1alpha (IRE1alpha) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and induced Bax, cytochrome
      c release to cytosol, caspase-3 activation, and poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP)
      cleavage, resulting in HepG2 cell apoptosis. Furthermore, SC-E caused ER Ca(2+)
      leakage into the cytosol; ER dilation and mitochondrial membrane damage were
      observed in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Taken together, our results
      demonstrated that SC-E induced cancer cell apoptosis specifically through ER
      stress.

PMID- 26116885
TI  - Redox state influence on human galectin-1 function.
AB  - Intracellular and extracellular functions of human galectin-1 are influenced by
      its redox surroundings due to the presence of six cysteines within its amino acid
      sequence. Galectin-1 recognises intracellular-membrane-anchored Ras proteins that
      act as molecular switches regulating multiple signal transduction pathways. Human
      tumours frequently express Ras proteins that have become continuously activated
      due to point mutations, and this typically leads to deregulation of tumour cell
      growth, angiogenesis and invasion of metastatic cancer cells. Of significance is
      that galectin-1 preferably recognises H-Ras, one of the human Ras isoforms, and
      in particular galectin-1 recognition of the H-Ras farnesyl moiety is paramount to
      H-Ras membrane anchorage, a prerequisite step for H-Ras-mediated signal
      transduction regulating normal cell growth and malignant transformation. Herein
      the impact of the redox state on galectin-1's ability to interact with farnesyl
      analogues is explored. We demonstrate for the first time that reduced galectin-1
      directly binds farnesyl and does so in a carbohydrate-independent manner. A K28T
      mutation abolishes farnesyl recognition by reduced dimeric galectin-1 whilst its
      carbohydrate-binding activity is retained, thus demonstrating the presence of an
      independent region on galectin-1 pertaining to growth inhibitory activity.
      Intriguingly, oxidised galectin-1 also recognises farnesyl, the biological
      implication of this novel finding is yet to be elucidated. Further, the redox
      effect on galectin-1 extracellular function was investigated and we discover that
      oxidised galectin-1 demonstrates a protective effect upon acute lymphoblastic
      leukaemia cells challenged by oxidative stress. 

PMID- 26116886
TI  - Epigenetic modifications by histone deacetylases: Biological implications and
      therapeutic potential in liver fibrosis.
AB  - Liver fibrosis is an important pathological repair process in reaction to liver
      injury characterized by progressive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM)
      components. Mechanism that orchestrates this fibrotic disorder is the activation
      of hepatic stellate cell (HSC) that requires extensive alterations in gene
      expression. Reversible deacetylation of histone proteins is one of the most
      abundant epigenetic modifications and is crucial in modulating gene expression.
      Recent evidence has highlighted a pathological imbalance between the acetylation
      and deacetylation of histone proteins regulated by histone deacetylases (HDACs).
      In the past several years, the role of HDACs in liver fibrosis initiation and
      progression, as well as the therapeutic effects of HDAC inhibitors, has been well
      studied. Here, the innovative aspects of histone deacetylation will be presented,
      with respect to the roles of HDACs in liver fibrosis, the affected genes and
      signal pathways involved in HSCs activation, as well as significant data emerging
      from the field in support of HDAC inhibitors as potential therapeutic targets for
      the treatment of liver fibrosis. 

PMID- 26116887
TI  - A specific proteomic response of Sulfolobus solfataricus P2 to gamma radiations.
AB  - Sulfolobus solfataricus is an acidophilic hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon living
      at 80  degrees C in aerobic conditions. As other thermophilic organisms, S.
      solfataricus is resistant to gamma irradiation and we studied the response of
      this microorganism to this ionizing irradiation by monitoring cell growth, DNA
      integrity and proteome variations. In aerobic conditions, the S. solfataricus
      genome was fragmented due to the multiple DNA double strand breakages induced by
      gamma-rays and was fully restored within a couple of hours. Comparison of
      irradiated and unirradiated cell proteomes indicated that only few proteins
      changed. The proteins identified by mass spectrometry are involved in different
      cellular pathways including DNA replication, recombination and repair.
      Interestingly, we observed that some proteins are irradiation dose-specific while
      others are common to the cell response regardless of the irradiation dose. Most
      of the proteins highlighted in these conditions seem to act together to allow an
      efficient cell response to gamma-irradiation. 

PMID- 26116888
TI  - EndoQ and EndoV work individually for damaged DNA base repair in Pyrococcus
      furiosus.
AB  - Base deamination is a typical form of DNA damage, and it must be repaired quickly
      to maintain the genome integrity of living organisms. Endonuclease Q (EndoQ),
      recently found in the hyperthermophilic archaea, is an enzyme that cleaves the
      phosphodiester bond 5' from the damaged nucleotide in the DNA strand, and may
      primarily function to start the repair process for the damaged bases.
      Endonuclease V (EndoV) also hydrolyzes the second phosphodiester bond 3' from the
      damaged nucleotide, although the hyperthermophilic archaeal EndoV is a strictly
      hypoxanthine-specific endonuclease. To understand the relationships of the EndoQ
      and EndoV functions in hyperthermophilic archaea, we analyzed their interactions
      in hypoxanthine repair. EndoQ and EndoV do not directly interact with each other
      in either the presence or absence of DNA. However, EndoQ and EndoV individually
      worked on deoxyinosine (dI)-containing DNA at each cleavage site. EndoQ has
      higher affinity to dI-containing DNA than EndoV, and cells produce higher amounts
      of EndoQ, as compared to EndoV. These data support the proposal that EndoQ
      primarily functions for, at least, dI-containing DNA. 

PMID- 26116890
TI  - Re-examining the effectiveness of monogamy as an STI-preventive strategy.
AB  - The utility of monogamy (in practice) as a strategy for preventing sexually
      transmitted infections (STIs) was investigated. By reviewing recent literature
      surrounding monogamous relationships and sexual behaviors, the authors determined
      that monogamy might not prevent against STIs as expected. First, the authors
      elucidate the ways in which public health officials and the general public define
      and interpret monogamy and discuss how this contributes to monogamy as an
      ineffectual STI prevention strategy. Second, the authors provide evidence that
      individuals' compliance with monogamy is likely to be low, similar to rates of
      compliance with other medical advice. Lastly, the authors draw upon recent
      research findings suggesting that people who label themselves as monogamous are
      less likely to engage in safer sex behaviors than people who have an explicit
      agreement with their partner to be non-monogamous. Future research and clinical
      directions to promote sexual health and destigmatize sexual behaviors are
      considered. 

PMID- 26116889
TI  - Perceived effectiveness of HPV test as a primary screening modality among US
      providers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The human papillomavirus (HPV) test, administered alone without the
      Papanicolaou (Pap) test, was recently recognized as a cervical cancer screening
      option in the United States by the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and the
      American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and the Food and Drug
      Administration has approved an HPV test for primary screening. METHODS: Surveys
      of US internists, family practitioners, nurse practitioners, and obstetrician
      gynecologists were conducted in 2009 and 2012 to investigate providers'
      perceptions of the effectiveness of the HPV test administered alone as a
      population-based screening modality (2009: N=1040, 141-494 per provider group;
      2012: N=1039, 155-435 per provider group). RESULTS: The majority in each provider
      group agreed that the HPV test administered alone is an effective screening
      modality in 2009 (75.3%-86.1%) and 2012 (79.5%-91.8%), and agreement rose
      significantly during this time period among family practitioners (chi(2)=15.26,
      df=1, p<0.001) and nurse practitioners (chi(2)=4.53, df=1, p=0.033). CONCLUSIONS:
      Agreement that the HPV test administered alone is an effective cervical cancer
      screening modality was widespread among providers in both 2009 and 2012, however
      implementation of guidelines for screening with the HPV test may be influenced by
      many other factors including reimbursement and patient preferences.

PMID- 26116891
TI  - Microglia in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders.
AB  - Proper synaptic pruning is essential for the development of functional neural
      circuits. Impairments in synaptic pruning disrupt the excitatory versus
      inhibitory balance (E/I balance) of synapses, which may cause neurodevelopmental
      disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Recent studies have determined
      molecular mechanisms by which microglia, the brain's resident immune cells,
      engulf inappropriate and less active synapses. Thus, microglial dysfunction may
      be involved in the pathogenesis of ASD through attenuated or excess synaptic
      pruning. In this review, we discuss recent animal and human studies that report
      an E/I imbalance and the characteristics of microglia in ASD. We will further
      discuss whether and how synaptic pruning by microglia is involved in the
      pathogenesis of ASD. 

PMID- 26116892
TI  - Application of failure mode and effects analysis in a clinical chemistry
      laboratory.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Timely delivery of correct results has long been considered as the
      goal of quality management in clinical laboratory. With increasing workload as
      well as complexities of laboratory testing and patient care, the traditional
      technical adopted like internal quality control (IQC) and external quality
      assessment (EQA) may not enough to cope with quality management problems for
      clinical laboratories. We applied failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), a
      proactive tool, to reduce errors associated with the process beginning with
      sample collection and ending with a test report in a clinical chemistry
      laboratory. Our main objection was to investigate the feasibility of FMEA in a
      real-world situation, namely the working environment of hospital. METHODS: A team
      of 8 people (3 laboratory workers, 2 couriers, 2 nurses, and 1 physician) from
      different departments who were involved in the testing process were recruited and
      trained. Their main responsibility was to analyze and score all possible clinical
      chemistry laboratory failures based on three aspects: the severity of the outcome
      (S), the likeliness of occurrence (O), and the probability of being detected (D).
      These three parameters were multiplied to calculate risk priority numbers (RPNs),
      which were used to prioritize remedial measures. Failure modes with RPN>=200 were
      deemed as high risk, meaning that they needed immediate corrective action. After
      modifications that were put, we compared the resulting RPN with the previous one.
      RESULTS: A total of 33 failure modes were identified. Many of the failure modes,
      including the one with the highest RPN (specimen hemolysis) appeared in the pre
      analytic phase, whereas no high-risk failure modes (RPN>=200) were found during
      the analytic phase. High-priority risks were "sample hemolysis" (RPN, 336),
      "sample delivery delay" (RPN, 225), "sample volume error" (RPN, 210), "failure to
      release results in a timely manner" (RPN, 210), and "failure to identify or
      report critical results" (RPN, 200). The corrective measures that we took allowed
      a decrease in the RPN, especially for the high-priority risks. The maximum
      reduction was approximately 70%, as observed for the failure mode "sample
      hemolysis". CONCLUSIONS: FMEA can effectively reduce errors in clinical chemistry
      laboratories.

PMID- 26116893
TI  - MicroRNAs: Key regulators of endothelial progenitor cell functions.
AB  - Development of cardiovascular diseases mobilises endothelial progenitor cells
      (EPCs) from the bone marrow to participate in vascular repair and formation of
      new blood vessels under both pathological and physiological conditions.
      Therefore, EPCs show great potential for therapeutic applications; however, the
      phenotypic and functional characterisation of EPCs is still difficult because
      controversies exist regarding their accurate definition. Growing studies have
      shown modest clinical benefits of EPCs; however, it is necessary to better
      understand the regulation of EPC functions. MicroRNAs are small, non-coding,
      single-stranded RNAs with regulatory activities. Results of some recent studies
      have found that microRNAs play an important role in regulating EPC functions. In
      this review, we will summarise the results of some recent studies to provide an
      integral picture of the role of microRNAs in the regulation of EPC functions and
      will discuss the therapeutic applications and the new research direction. 

PMID- 26116894
TI  - Stability of vitamin B12 - A preanalytical view.

PMID- 26116895
TI  - Interleukin-18 promoter -607 C/A and -137 G/C polymorphisms and susceptibility to
      type 1 diabetes: A meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether the functional
      interleukin-18 (IL-18) promoter -607 C/A (rs1946518) and -137 G/C (rs187238)
      polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to type 1 diabetes (TID).
      METHODS: A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the associations between the IL
      18 -607 C/A and -137 G/C polymorphisms and T1D in overall and by ethnic group.
      RESULTS: A total of 6075 cases and 5744 controls from ten studies were considered
      in this meta-analysis. In all study subjects, the meta-analysis showed no
      association between T1D and the IL-18 -607 C allele (OR=1.083, 95% CI=0.930
      1.260, p=0.307). However, stratification by ethnicity indicated an association
      between the IL-18 -607 C allele and T1D in Asians (OR=1.506, 95% CI=1.172-1.936,
      p=0.001), but not in Europeans (OR=0.988, 95% CI=0.808-1.209, p=0.907). Analysis
      using recessive and dominant models and homozygote contrast showed the same -607
      C allele pattern in Asians and Europeans. Meta-analysis of the IL-18 -137 G/C
      polymorphism showed no association between T1D and the IL-18 -137 G allele in all
      study subjects (OR=1.066, 95% CI=0.926-1.2289, p=0.375). Stratification by
      ethnicity indicated no association between the IL-18 -137 G allele and T1D in
      Europeans and Asians (OR=1.021, 95% CI=0.961-1.085, p=0.504; OR=0.851, 95%
      CI=0.5821-1.245, p=0.406). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis demonstrates that the
      IL-18 -607 C/A polymorphism may be associated with susceptibility to T1D in
      Asians, but not in Europeans.

PMID- 26116896
TI  - Pregnancy-induced HLA antibodies respond more vigorously after renal
      transplantation than antibodies induced by prior transplantation.
AB  - Acute antibody mediated rejection after HLA-specific antibody incompatible renal
      transplantation is related to donor specific HLA antibody (DSA) levels. DSA
      levels may rise sharply after transplant, and aim of this study was to examine
      changes in DSA levels, particularly according to the primary sensitising event.
      Changes in 220 HLA specificities in 64 patients over the first 30days after
      transplantation were evaluated using microbead assays. The greatest increase from
      pre-treatment to peak DSA levels was seen in pregnancy-stimulated specificities,
      median (IQR) increase in MFI of 1981 (94-5870). The next highest increase was for
      those sensitised by transplant with repeat HLA epitope mismatch, at 546 (-308
      2698) (p<0.01). The difference was especially marked when the pre-treatment
      antibody level was low; with pre-treatment MFI <1000, peak level was >1000 in
      19/26 (73%) of pregnancy stimulated specificities, compared with 9/29 (31%) for
      all others (p<0.001). DSA production to specificities stimulated by previous
      pregnancy was marked, even from very low pre-transplant levels. By contrast,
      there was a lower rate of antibody resynthesis to specificities repeated from
      previous transplants, both at antigen and epitope levels. 

PMID- 26116897
TI  - Pathway-focused genetic evaluation of immune and inflammation related genes with
      chronic fatigue syndrome.
AB  - Recent evidence suggests immune and inflammatory alterations are important in
      chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This study was done to explore the association of
      functionally important genetic variants in inflammation and immune pathways with
      CFS. Peripheral blood DNA was isolated from 50 CFS and 121 non-fatigued (NF)
      control participants in a population-based study. Genotyping was performed with
      the Affymetrix Immune and Inflammation Chip that covers 11K single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) following the manufacturer's protocol. Genotyping accuracy
      for specific genes was validated by pyrosequencing. Golden Helix SVS software was
      used for genetic analysis. SNP functional annotation was done using SPOT and
      GenomePipe programs. CFS was associated with 32 functionally important SNPs: 11
      missense variants, 4 synonymous variants, 11 untranslated regulatory region (UTR)
      variants and 6 intronic variants. Some of these SNPs were in genes within
      pathways related to complement cascade (SERPINA5, CFB, CFH, MASP1 and C6),
      chemokines (CXCL16, CCR4, CCL27), cytokine signaling (IL18, IL17B, IL2RB), and
      toll-like receptor signaling (TIRAP, IRAK4). Of particular interest is
      association of CFS with two missense variants in genes of complement activation,
      rs4151667 (L9H) in CFB and rs1061170 (Y402H) in CFH. A 5' UTR polymorphism
      (rs11214105) in IL18 also associated with physical fatigue, body pain and score
      for CFS case defining symptoms. This study identified new associations of CFS
      with genetic variants in pathways including complement activation providing
      additional support for altered innate immune response in CFS. Additional studies
      are needed to validate the findings of this exploratory study. 

PMID- 26116898
TI  - Adenovirus VA RNA: An essential pro-viral non-coding RNA.
AB  - Adenovirus (AdV) 'virus-associated' RNAs (VA RNAs) are exceptionally abundant (up
      to 10(8)copies/cell), heterogeneous, non-coding RNA transcripts (~ 150-200
      nucleotides). The predominant species, VA RNAI, is best recognized for its
      essential function in relieving the cellular anti-viral blockade of protein
      synthesis through inhibition of the double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase
      (PKR). More recent evidence has revealed that VA RNAs also interfere with several
      other host cell processes, in part by virtue of the high level to which they
      accumulate. Following transcription by cellular RNA polymerase III, VA RNAs
      saturate the nuclear export protein Exportin 5 (Exp5) and the cellular
      endoribonculease Dicer, interfering with pre-micro (mi)RNA export and miRNA
      biogenesis, respectively. Dicer-processed VA RNA fragments are incorporated into
      the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) as 'mivaRNAs', where they may
      specifically target cellular genes. VA RNAI also interacts with other innate
      immune proteins, including OAS1. While intact VA RNAI has the paradoxical effect
      of activating OAS1, a non-natural VA RNAI construct lacking the entire Terminal
      Stem has been reported to be a pseudoinhibitor of OAS1. Here, we show that a VA
      RNAI construct corresponding to an authentic product of Dicer processing
      similarly fails to activate OAS1 but also retains only a modest level of
      inhibitory activity against PKR in contrast to the non-natural deletion
      construct. These findings underscore the complexity of the arms race between
      virus and host, and highlight the need for further exploration of the impact of
      VA RNAI interactions with host defenses on the outcome of AdV infection beyond
      that of well-established PKR inhibition. Additional contributions of VA RNAI
      heterogeneity resulting from variations in transcription initiation and
      termination to each of these functions remain open questions that are discussed
      here.

PMID- 26116899
TI  - Genome-wide transcriptional profiling reveals that HIV-1 Vpr differentially
      regulates interferon-stimulated genes in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells.
AB  - Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen-presenting cells (APCs) that directly
      link the innate and adaptive immune responses. HIV-1 infection of DCs leads to a
      diverse array of changes in gene expression and play a major role in
      dissemination of the virus into T-cells. Although HIV-1 Vpr is a pleiotropic
      protein involved in HIV-1 replication and pathogenesis, its exact role in APCs
      such as DCs remains elusive. In this study, utilizing a microarray-based systemic
      biology approach, we found that HIV-1 Vpr differentially regulates (fold change
      >2.0) more than 200 genes, primarily those involved in the immune response and
      innate immune response including type I interferon signaling pathway. The
      differential expression profiles of select genes involved in innate immune
      responses (interferon-stimulated genes [ISGs]), including MX1, MX2, ISG15, ISG20,
      IFIT1, IFIT2, IFIT3, IFI27, IFI44L, and TNFSF10, were validated by real-time
      quantitative PCR; the results were consistent with the microarray data. Taken
      together, our findings are the first to demonstrate that HIV-1 Vpr induces ISGs
      and activates the type I IFN signaling pathway in human DCs, and provide insights
      into the role of Vpr in HIV-1 pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26116900
TI  - Plant subviral RNAs as a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA): Analogy with animal lncRNAs
      in host-virus interactions.
AB  - Satellite RNAs (satRNAs) and viroids belong to the group called subviral agents
      and are the smallest pathogens of plants. In general, small satRNAs and viroids
      are 300-400 nt in size and do not encode any functional proteins; they are thus
      regarded as so-called long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). These lncRNAs are receiving
      great attention as a new RNA class involved in gene regulation to control
      important biological processes such as gene transcription and epigenetic
      regulation. A substantial number of lncRNAs in animal cells have been found to
      play important roles in the interactions between a virus and its host. We here
      discuss the pathogenicity of subviral RNAs (especially satRNAs) in plant cells
      and their functions as lncRNAs associated with viral diseases, using animal
      lncRNAs as an analogy. Because, unlike animal lncRNAs, plant subviral RNAs can
      replicate and accumulate at very high levels in infected cells, we here
      considered the unique possibility that the RNA silencing machinery of plants, an
      important defense mechanism against virus infection, may have brought about the
      replication ability of subviral molecules. In addition, we also discuss the
      possibility that satRNAs may have arisen from plant-virus interactions in virus
      infected cells. Understanding the molecular functions of these unique lncRNAs in
      plants will enable us to reveal the most plausible origins of these subviral
      RNAs.

PMID- 26116901
TI  - High-dose cyclophosphamide induces specific tumor immunity with concomitant
      recruitment of LAMP1/CD107a-expressing CD4-positive T cells into tumor sites.
AB  - Cancer chemotherapy regimens, particularly those employing high-dose cytotoxic
      drugs such as cyclophosphamide (CTX), have been considered to be immune
      suppressive. However, we observed that a single administration of high-dose CTX
      abolished tumors arising from subcutaneous injection of a mouse hepatoma cell
      line and subsequently induced specific tumor immunity. Depletion of T cells,
      specifically CD4(+) T cells, abrogated the CTX-mediated tumor regression. CTX
      treatment induced the rapid recruitment of CD4(+) T cells into the tumors, and
      these recruited cells initiated expression of LAMP1/CD107a, a cytotoxic granule
      molecule, and granzyme B in the absence of antigen presentation at draining lymph
      nodes and proliferation in the tumor tissues. Moreover, CTX enhanced the
      expression of a CC chemokine, CCL3, in tumor tissues, and CTX-mediated tumor
      regression was attenuated in mice deficient in CCR5, the receptor for this
      chemokine. Consistently, less CTX-induced accumulation of intratumoral
      LAMP1/CD107a-expressing CD4(+) T cells was observed in mice receiving splenocytes
      derived from CCR5-deficient mice than in those receiving splenocytes derived from
      WT mice. Thus, CTX induces the expression of CCL3, which induces the intratumoral
      migration of CD4(+) T cells expressing cytotoxic molecules, leading to tumor
      eradication and subsequent specific tumor immunity. 

PMID- 26116902
TI  - Hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha: Its role in colorectal carcinogenesis and
      metastasis.
AB  - Tumor growth creates a hypoxic microenvironment, which promotes angiogenesis and
      aggressive tumor growth and invasion. HIF1alpha is a central molecule involved in
      mediating these effects of hypoxia. In colorectal cancer (CRC), hypoxia
      stabilizes the transcription factor HIF1alpha, leading to the expression of genes
      that are involved in tumor vascularization, metastasis/migration, cell survival
      and chemo-resistance. Therefore, HIF1alpha is a rational target for the
      development of new therapeutics for CRC. This article reviews the central role of
      HIF1alpha in CRC angiogenesis, metastasis, and progression as well as the
      strategies to target HIF1alpha stabilization. 

PMID- 26116904
TI  - Microbead models in glaucoma.
AB  - The sustained and moderate elevation of intraocular pressure, which can be
      initiated at precise time points, remains the cornerstone of research into the
      mechanisms of glaucomatous retinal damage. We focus on the use of microbeads to
      block the outflow of aqueous following anterior chamber injection in a range of
      animals (mouse, rat and primate). We describe some of the most commonly used
      parameters and present guidance on injection technique and bead manipulation to
      facilitate the successful generation of experimental glaucoma. 

PMID- 26116905
TI  - Expression profile of IL-1 family cytokines in aqueous humor and sera of patients
      with HLA-B27 associated anterior uveitis and idiopathic anterior uveitis.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cytokine expression profile of
      specific IL-1 family members in the aqueous humor and sera of patients with HLA
      B27 associated acute anterior uveitis (AAU) and idiopathic AAU. Following
      informed consent, a total of 13 patients with HLA-B27 associated AAU, 12 patients
      with idiopathic AAU and 9 controls were recruited to this study from May 2013 to
      July 2014. Each individual received a complete ophthalmologic examination.
      Aqueous humor and sera samples were collected and 11 inflammation-related
      cytokines of the IL-1 family (IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-1 receptor antagonist [IL
      1Ra], IL-18, IL-36 receptor antagonist [IL-36Ra], IL-33, IL-36alpha, IL-36beta,
      IL-36gamma, IL-37, IL-38) were quantitatively measured and analyzed for
      statistical significance between groups. The degree of inflammation, anterior
      chamber cell or flare, correlated with expression of IL-1beta, IL-1Ra, and IL-18.
      The highest levels of IL-1beta, IL-1Ra, IL-18, and IL-36Ra were seen in the
      aqueous of patients with HLA-B27 associated AAU and this was statically
      significant when compared to the controls, but not to idiopathic AAU. Expression
      of IL-18 was statistically higher in the aqueous of patients with HLA-B27
      associated AAU in comparison to either idiopathic AAU or controls, but this may
      reflect greater inflammation in this patient group. In the sera only IL-1alpha
      was statistically higher in the HLA-B27 associated AAU in comparison to the
      control. Cytokine analysis reveals elevation of multiple IL-1 family members in
      the aqueous humor of patients with AAU as compared to controls. The specific
      signature of inflammation may potentially be useful in developing new future
      therapies for AAU. 

PMID- 26116906
TI  - Alpha particles induce pan-nuclear phosphorylation of H2AX in primary human
      lymphocytes mediated through ATM.
AB  - The use of high linear energy transfer radiations in the form of carbon ions in
      heavy ion beam lines or alpha particles in new radionuclide treatments has
      increased substantially over the past decade and will continue to do so due to
      the favourable dose distributions they can offer versus conventional therapies.
      Previously it has been shown that exposure to heavy ions induces pan-nuclear
      phosphorylation of several DNA repair proteins such as H2AX and ATM in vitro.
      Here we describe similar effects of alpha particles on ex vivo irradiated primary
      human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Following alpha particle irradiation pan
      nuclear phosphorylation of H2AX and ATM, but not DNA-PK and 53BP1, was observed
      throughout the nucleus. Inhibition of ATM, but not DNA-PK, resulted in the loss
      of pan-nuclear phosphorylation of H2AX in alpha particle irradiated lymphocytes.
      Pan-nuclear gamma-H2AX signal was rapidly lost over 24h at a much greater rate
      than foci loss. Surprisingly, pan-nuclear gamma-H2AX intensity was not dependent
      on the number of alpha particle induced double strand breaks, rather the number
      of alpha particles which had traversed the cell nucleus. This distinct fluence
      dependent damage signature of particle radiation is important in both the fields
      of radioprotection and clinical oncology in determining radionuclide biological
      dosimetry and may be indicative of patient response to new radionuclide cancer
      therapies. 

PMID- 26116907
TI  - Using the local immune response from the natural buffalo host to generate an
      antibody fragment library that binds the early larval stages of Schistosoma
      japonicum.
AB  - Antibodies isolated from the local draining inguinal lymph node of field exposed
      water buffaloes following challenge with Schistosoma japonicum cercariae showed
      high reactivity towards S. japonicum antigen preparations and bound specifically
      to formaldehyde-fixed S. japonicum schistosomules. Using this specific local
      immune response we produced a series of single-chain antibody Fv domain libraries
      from the same lymph nodes. Removal of phage that cross reacted with epitopes on
      adult parasites yielded a single-chain antibody Fv domain-phage library that
      specifically bound to whole formaldehyde-fixed and live S. japonicum
      schistosomules. DNA sequencing indicated clear enrichment of the single-chain
      antibody Fv domain library for buffalo B-cell complementarity determining regions
      post-selection for schistosomule binding. This study also revealed that long
      heavy chain complementarity determining regions appear to be an important factor
      when selecting for antibody binding fragments against schistosomule proteins. The
      selected single-chain antibody Fv domain-phage were used to probe a schistosome
      specific protein microarray, which resulted in the recognition of many proteins
      expressed across all schistosome life-cycle stages. Following absorption to adult
      worms, the single-chain antibody Fv domain-phage library showed significantly
      reduced binding to most proteins, whilst two proteins (NCBI GenBank accession
      numbers AY915878 and AY815196) showed increased binding. We have thus developed a
      unique set of host derived single-chain antibody Fv domains comprising buffalo B
      cell variable regions that specifically bind to early S. japonicum life-stages. 

PMID- 26116903
TI  - Using genetic mouse models to gain insight into glaucoma: Past results and future
      possibilities.
AB  - While all forms of glaucoma are characterized by a specific pattern of retinal
      ganglion cell death, they are clinically divided into several distinct
      subclasses, including normal tension glaucoma, primary open angle glaucoma,
      congenital glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma. For each type of glaucoma there are
      likely numerous molecular pathways that control susceptibility to the disease.
      Given this complexity, a single animal model will never precisely model all
      aspects of all the different types of human glaucoma. Therefore, multiple animal
      models have been utilized to study glaucoma but more are needed. Because of the
      powerful genetic tools available to use in the laboratory mouse, it has proven to
      be a highly useful mammalian system for studying the pathophysiology of human
      disease. The similarity between human and mouse eyes coupled with the ability to
      use a combination of advanced cell biological and genetic tools in mice have led
      to a large increase in the number of studies using mice to model specific
      glaucoma phenotypes. Over the last decade, numerous new mouse models and genetic
      tools have emerged, providing important insight into the cell biology and
      genetics of glaucoma. In this review, we describe available mouse genetic models
      that can be used to study glaucoma-relevant disease/pathobiology. Furthermore, we
      discuss how these models have been used to gain insights into ocular hypertension
      (a major risk factor for glaucoma) and glaucomatous retinal ganglion cell death.
      Finally, the potential for developing new mouse models and using advanced genetic
      tools and resources for studying glaucoma are discussed. 

PMID- 26116908
TI  - Separating stages of arithmetic verification: An ERP study with a novel paradigm.
AB  - In studies of arithmetic verification, participants typically encounter two
      operands and they carry out an operation on these (e.g. adding them). Operands
      are followed by a proposed answer and participants decide whether this answer is
      correct or incorrect. However, interpretation of results is difficult because
      multiple parallel, temporally overlapping numerical and non-numerical processes
      of the human brain may contribute to task execution. In order to overcome this
      problem here we used a novel paradigm specifically designed to tease apart the
      overlapping cognitive processes active during arithmetic verification.
      Specifically, we aimed to separate effects related to detection of arithmetic
      correctness, detection of the violation of strategic expectations, detection of
      physical stimulus properties mismatch and numerical magnitude comparison
      (numerical distance effects). Arithmetic correctness, physical stimulus
      properties and magnitude information were not task-relevant properties of the
      stimuli. We distinguished between a series of temporally highly overlapping
      cognitive processes which in turn elicited overlapping ERP effects with distinct
      scalp topographies. We suggest that arithmetic verification relies on two major
      temporal phases which include parallel running processes. Our paradigm offers a
      new method for investigating specific arithmetic verification processes in
      detail. 

PMID- 26116909
TI  - Excitability of the motor system: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study on
      singing and speaking.
AB  - The perception of movements is associated with increased activity in the human
      motor cortex, which in turn may underlie our ability to understand actions, as it
      may be implicated in the recognition, understanding and imitation of actions.
      Here, we investigated the involvement and lateralization of the primary motor
      cortex (M1) in the perception of singing and speech. Transcranial magnetic
      stimulation (TMS) was applied independently for both hemispheres over the mouth
      representation of the motor cortex in healthy participants while they watched 4-s
      audiovisual excerpts of singers producing a 2-note ascending interval (singing
      condition) or 4-s audiovisual excerpts of a person explaining a proverb (speech
      condition). Subjects were instructed to determine whether a sung interval/written
      proverb, matched a written interval/proverb. During both tasks, motor evoked
      potentials (MEPs) were recorded from the contralateral mouth muscle (orbicularis
      oris) of the stimulated motor cortex compared to a control task. Moreover, to
      investigate the time course of motor activation, TMS pulses were randomly
      delivered at 7 different time points (ranging from 500 to 3500 ms after stimulus
      onset). Results show that stimulation of the right hemisphere had a similar
      effect on the MEPs for both the singing and speech perception tasks, whereas
      stimulation of the left hemisphere significantly differed in the speech
      perception task compared to the singing perception task. Furthermore, analysis of
      the MEPs in the singing task revealed that they decreased for small musical
      intervals, but increased for large musical intervals, regardless of which
      hemisphere was stimulated. Overall, these results suggest a dissociation between
      the lateralization of M1 activity for speech perception and for singing
      perception, and that in the latter case its activity can be modulated by musical
      parameters such as the size of a musical interval.

PMID- 26116910
TI  - Voluntary control of a phantom limb.
AB  - Voluntary actions are often accompanied by a conscious experience of intention.
      The content of this experience, and its neural basis, remain controversial. On
      one view, the mind just retrospectively ascribes intentions to explain the
      occurrence of actions that lack obvious triggering stimuli. Here, we use EEG
      frequency analysis of sensorimotor rhythms to investigate brain activity when a
      participant (CL, co-author of this paper) with congenital absence of the left
      hand and arm, prepared and made a voluntary action with the right or the phantom
      "left hand". CL reported the moment she experienced the intention to press a key.
      This timepoint was then used as a marker for aligning and averaging EEG. In a
      second condition, CL was asked to prepare the action on all trials, but then, on
      some trials, to cancel the action at the last moment. For the right hand, we
      observed a typical reduction in beta-band spectral power prior to movement,
      followed by beta rebound after movement. When CL prepared but then cancelled a
      movement, we found a characteristic EEG pattern reported previously, namely a
      left frontal increase in spectral power close to the time of the perceived
      intention to move. Interestingly, the same neural signatures of positive and
      inhibitory volition were also present when CL prepared and inhibited movements
      with her phantom left hand. These EEG signals were all similar to those reported
      previously in a group of 14 healthy volunteers. Our results suggest that
      conscious intention may depend on preparatory brain activity, and not on making,
      or ever having made, the corresponding physical body movement. Accounts that
      reduce conscious volition to mere retrospective confabulation cannot easily
      explain our participant's neurophenomenology of action and inhibition. In
      contrast, the results are consistent with the view that specific neural events
      prior to movement may generate conscious experiences of positive and negative
      volition. 

PMID- 26116911
TI  - Mesenchymal stromal cells and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
AB  - Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) comprise a heterogeneous population of
      multipotent cells that can be isolated from various human tissues and culture
      expanded ex vivo for clinical use. Due to their immunoregulatory properties and
      their ability to secrete growth factors, MSCs play a key role in the regulation
      of hematopoiesis and in the modulation of immune responses against allo- and
      autoantigens. In light of these properties, MSCs have been employed in clinical
      trials in the context of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to
      facilitate engraftment of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and to prevent graft
      failure, as well as to treat steroid-resistant acute graft-versus-host disease
      (GvHD). The available clinical evidence derived from these studies indicates that
      MSC administration is safe. Moreover, promising preliminary results in terms of
      efficacy have been reported in some clinical trials, especially in the treatment
      of acute GvHD. In this review we critically discuss recent advances in MSC
      therapy by reporting on the most relevant studies in the field of HSCT. 

PMID- 26116912
TI  - Structure and function of alpha-crystallins: Traversing from in vitro to in vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The two alpha-crystallins (alphaA- and alphaB-crystallin) are major
      components of our eye lenses. Their key function there is to preserve lens
      transparency which is a challenging task as the protein turnover in the lens is
      low necessitating the stability and longevity of the constituent proteins. alpha
      Crystallins are members of the small heat shock protein family. alphaB-crystallin
      is also expressed in other cell types. SCOPE OF THE REVIEW: The review summarizes
      the current concepts on the polydisperse structure of the alpha-crystallin
      oligomer and its chaperone function with a focus on the inherent complexity and
      highlighting gaps between in vitro and in vivo studies. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: Both
      alpha-crystallins protect proteins from irreversible aggregation in a promiscuous
      manner. In maintaining eye lens transparency, they reduce the formation of light
      scattering particles and balance the interactions between lens crystallins.
      Important for these functions is their structural dynamics and heterogeneity as
      well as the regulation of these processes which we are beginning to understand.
      However, currently, it still remains elusive to which extent the in vitro
      observed properties of alpha-crystallins reflect the highly crowded situation in
      the lens. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Since alpha-crystallins play an important role in
      preventing cataract in the eye lens and in the development of diverse diseases,
      understanding their mechanism and substrate spectra is of importance. To bridge
      the gap between the concepts established in vitro and the in vivo function of
      alpha-crystallins, the joining of forces between different scientific disciplines
      and the combination of diverse techniques in hybrid approaches are necessary.
      This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Crystallin Biochemistry in
      Health and Disease.

PMID- 26116913
TI  - Gamma crystallins of the human eye lens.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Protein crystallins co me in three types (alpha, beta and gamma) and
      are found predominantly in the eye, and particularly in the lens, where they are
      packed into a compact, plastic, elastic, and transparent globule of proper
      refractive power range that aids in focusing incoming light on to the retina. Of
      these, the gamma-crystallins are found largely in the nuclear region of the lens
      at very high concentrations (>400 mg/ml). The connection between their structure
      and inter-molecular interactions and lens transparency is an issue of particular
      interest. SCOPE OF REVIEW: We review the origin and phylogeny of the gamma
      crystallins, their special structure involving the use of Greek key
      supersecondary structural motif, and how they aid in offering the appropriate
      refractive index gradient, intermolecular short range attractive interactions
      (aiding in packing them into a transparent ball), the role that several of the
      constituent amino acid residues play in this process, the thermodynamic and
      kinetic stability and how even single point mutations can upset this delicate
      balance and lead to intermolecular aggregation, forming light-scattering
      particles which compromise transparency. We cite several examples of this, and
      illustrate this by cloning, expressing, isolating and comparing the properties of
      the mutant protein S39C of human gammaS-crystallin (associated with congenital
      cataract-microcornea), with those of the wild type molecule. In addition, we note
      that human gamma-crystallins are also present in other parts of the eye (e.g.,
      retina), where their functions are yet to be understood. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: There
      are several 'crucial' residues in and around the Greek key motifs which are
      essential to maintain the compact architecture of the crystallin molecules. We
      find that a mutation that replaces even one of these residues can lead to
      reduction in solubility, formation of light-scattering particles and loss of
      transparency in the molecular assembly. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Such a molecular
      understanding of the process helps us construct the continuum of genotype
      molecular structural phenotype-clinical (pathological) phenotype. This article is
      part of a Special Issue entitled Crystallin Biochemistry in Health and Disease.

PMID- 26116914
TI  - Raf kinase inhibitor protein mediated signaling inhibits invasion and metastasis
      of hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver
      cancer with high mortality and poor prognosis. Mitogen-activated protein kinase
      (MAPK) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) signaling pathways have been
      implicated in promoting tumor cell proliferation and invasion of HCC cells.
      METHODS: As a potential inhibitor of tumor metastasis, the role of Raf kinase
      inhibitor protein (RKIP) in HCC development and the functional relevance with
      MAPK and NF-kappaB signaling pathways were investigated. The levels of RKIP
      expression were examined in human HCC tissues and correlated with tumor stages
      and metastatic status. Function of RKIP in cellular proliferation, migration,
      invasion and apoptosis was investigated in HCC cell lines by either
      overexpressing or knocking down RKIP expression. Mouse xenograft model was
      established to assess the effect of RKIP expression on tumor growth. RESULTS: Our
      results demonstrated decreased RKIP expression in HCC tissues and a strong
      correlation with tumor grade and distant metastasis. Manipulation of RKIP
      expression in HCCLM3 and HepG2 cells indicated that RKIP functioned to inhibit
      HCC cell motility and invasiveness, and contributed to tumor growth inhibition in
      vivo. Mechanistic studies showed that the function of RKIP was mediated through
      MAPK and NF-kappaB signaling pathways. However, cell type-dependent RKIP
      regulation on these two pathways was also suggested, indicating the complex
      nature of signaling network. CONCLUSION: Our study provides a better
      understanding on the molecular mechanisms of HCC metastasis and sets the
      foundation for the development of targeted therapeutics for HCC.

PMID- 26116915
TI  - Auxin-driven patterning with unidirectional fluxes.
AB  - The plant hormone auxin plays an essential role in the patterning of plant
      structures. Biological hypotheses supported by computational models suggest that
      auxin may fulfil this role by regulating its own transport, but the plausibility
      of previously proposed models has been questioned. We applied the notion of
      unidirectional fluxes and the formalism of Petri nets to show that the key modes
      of auxin-driven patterning-the formation of convergence points and the formation
      of canals-can be implemented by biochemically plausible networks, with the fluxes
      measured by dedicated tally molecules or by efflux and influx carriers
      themselves. Common elements of these networks include a positive feedback of
      auxin efflux on the allocation of membrane-bound auxin efflux carriers (PIN
      proteins), and a modulation of this allocation by auxin in the extracellular
      space. Auxin concentration in the extracellular space is the only information
      exchanged by the cells. Canalization patterns are produced when auxin efflux and
      influx act antagonistically: an increase in auxin influx or concentration in the
      extracellular space decreases the abundance of efflux carriers in the adjacent
      segment of the membrane. In contrast, convergence points emerge in networks in
      which auxin efflux and influx act synergistically. A change in a single reaction
      rate may result in a dynamic switch between these modes, suggesting plausible
      molecular implementations of coordinated patterning of organ initials and
      vascular strands predicted by the dual polarization theory. 

PMID- 26116916
TI  - The enigmatic nodding syndrome outbreak in northern Uganda: an analysis of the
      disease burden and national response strategies.
AB  - To date, the cause of nodding syndrome (NS) remains unknown; however, efforts
      continue to establish risk factors and optimal symptomatic treatments. We
      documented the burden and national response strategies including involvement of
      key stakeholders in the management of the NS epidemic in order to inform future
      interventions against epidemics of undetermined aetiology. Data were collected
      through semi-structured interviews with selected leaders in the affected
      districts and at the Ministry of Health, and through review of documents. We
      participated in and analysed the proceedings of the first international
      scientific conference on NS held in Kampala in August 2012. We then analysed the
      chronology of the NS notification and the steps undertaken in the response plan.
      Over 3000 children have been affected by NS in northern Uganda; with an estimated
      case fatality of 6.7%. The first cases of NS were reported in 1997 in internally
      displaced people's camps in Kitgum district; however, response efforts by the
      Ministry of Health and partners towards understanding the disorder and establish
      management only commenced in 2009. Key strategies in response to the NS epidemic
      have included formation of a national and district task forces, development of
      training manual on NS and training of primary healthcare professionals on case
      diagnosis and clinical management, establishment of treatment and rehabilitation
      centres, surveillance and promotion of researches to further inform management of
      the syndrome. 

PMID- 26116917
TI  - Return-to-work outcomes and usefulness of actual fit notes received by employers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: GPs can use the fit note to advise that a patient 'may be fit' or is
      'not fit' for work. Previous employer-based research on the fit note is largely
      qualitative and based on general perceptions and past experience. Knowledge of
      the return-to-work outcomes and usefulness of actual fit notes is needed to
      strengthen the evidence-base and inform practice. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the
      return-to-work outcomes of fit notes issued to employed patients, and their
      employers' opinions as to the usefulness of each note. METHODS: Participating
      organizations collecting fit notes were asked to rate the outcome and usefulness
      of each fit note via postal questionnaires. Quantitative data were analysed
      descriptively; qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis.
      RESULTS: Five hundred and sixteen questionnaires were posted, with a 97% return
      rate (n=498). More than 80% of employees (n=44) returned to work after the expiry
      date of a 'may be fit' note compared with 43% (n=167) of those issued with a 'not
      fit' note. Fit notes were considered more useful if they provided information on
      the condition and its effect on the employee's ability to work, if they stated
      whether or not the employee needed reassessment and if clear advice regarding
      return-to-work had been provided. CONCLUSIONS: 'May be fit' notes are useful in
      helping employees return to work. However, this option is infrequently used, and
      the completion and content of many fit notes does not meet employers' needs.
      These factors need to be urgently addressed if the fit note is to reach its full
      potential.

PMID- 26116918
TI  - Cytonuclear Interactions in the Evolution of Animal Mitochondrial tRNA
      Metabolism.
AB  - The evolution of mitochondrial information processing pathways, including
      replication, transcription and translation, is characterized by the gradual
      replacement of mitochondrial-encoded proteins with nuclear-encoded counterparts
      of diverse evolutionary origins. Although the ancestral enzymes involved in
      mitochondrial transcription and replication have been replaced early in
      eukaryotic evolution, mitochondrial translation is still carried out by an
      apparatus largely inherited from the alpha-proteobacterial ancestor. However,
      variation in the complement of mitochondrial-encoded molecules involved in
      translation, including transfer RNAs (tRNAs), provides evidence for the ongoing
      evolution of mitochondrial protein synthesis. Here, we investigate the evolution
      of the mitochondrial translational machinery using recent genomic and
      transcriptomic data from animals that have experienced the loss of mt-tRNAs,
      including phyla Cnidaria and Ctenophora, as well as some representatives of all
      four classes of Porifera. We focus on four sets of mitochondrial enzymes that
      directly interact with tRNAs: Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, glutamyl-tRNA
      amidotransferase, tRNA(Ile) lysidine synthetase, and RNase P. Our results support
      the observation that the fate of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins is
      influenced by the evolution of molecules encoded in mitochondrial DNA, but in a
      more complex manner than appreciated previously. The data also suggest that
      relaxed selection on mitochondrial translation rather than coevolution between
      mitochondrial and nuclear subunits is responsible for elevated rates of evolution
      in mitochondrial translational proteins. 

PMID- 26116919
TI  - Evolutionary Stasis in Cycad Plastomes and the First Case of Plastome GC-Biased
      Gene Conversion.
AB  - In angiosperms, gene conversion has been known to reduce the mutational load of
      plastid genomes (the plastomes). Particularly, more frequent gene conversions in
      inverted repeat (IR) than in single copy (SC) regions result in contrasting
      substitution rates between these two regions. However, little has been known
      about the effect of gene conversion in the evolution of gymnosperm plastomes.
      Cycads (Cycadophyta) are the second largest gymnosperm group. Evolutionary study
      of their plastomes is limited to the basal cycad genus, Cycas. In this study, we
      addressed three questions. 1) Do the plastomes of other cycad genera evolve
      slowly as previously observed in the plastome of Cycas taitungensis? 2) Do
      substitution rates differ between their SC and IR regions? And 3) Does gene
      conversion occur in the cycad plastomes? If yes, is it AT-biased or GC-biased?
      Plastomes of eight species from other eight genera of cycads were sequenced.
      These plastomes are highly conserved in genome organization. Excluding ginkgo,
      cycad plastomes have significantly lower synonymous and nonsynonymous
      substitution rates than other gymnosperms, reflecting their evolutionary stasis
      in nucleotide mutations. In the IRs of cycad plastomes, the reduced substitution
      rates and GC-biased mutations are associated with a GC-biased gene conversion
      (gBGC) mechanism. Further investigations suggest that in cycads, gBGC is able to
      rectify plastome-wide mutations. Therefore, this study is the first to uncover
      the plastomic gBGC in seed plants. We also propose a gBGC model to interpret the
      dissimilar evolutionary patterns as well as the compositionally biased mutations
      in the SC and IR regions of cycad plastomes. 

PMID- 26116920
TI  - Long-term outcome and prognostic factors of surgically treated thymic carcinoma:
      results of 306 cases from a Japanese Nationwide Database Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Thymic carcinoma is a rare thymic malignancy. The purpose of this
      study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of clinicopathological variables and
      perioperative therapy for surgically treated thymic carcinoma using a nationwide
      database. METHODS: Of 2835 patients with surgically treated thymic epithelial
      tumours collected from 32 Japanese institutions, a total of 306 patients with
      thymic carcinomas, excluding neuroendocrine tumours, were enrolled in this
      retrospective study. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed for
      overall (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) after R0 resection. RESULTS: Of
      306 patients, 228 (75%) patients presented with Masaoka stage III-IV. Squamous
      cell carcinoma was the most common histological type (n = 216, 71%). R0 resection
      was performed in 181 (61%) patients, R1 in 46 (16%), R2 sub-total (>=80% tumour
      resection) in 43 (14%) and R2 non-resection in 27 (9%). The 5-year OS rate was
      61%. Prognostic factors for OS were Masaoka stage and resection status. R0
      resection was associated with most improved OS; however, both R1 and R2 sub-total
      resection resulted in superior OS compared with R2 non-resection [hazard ratio
      (95% confidence interval) for R0, R1 and R2 sub-total, 0.27 (0.15-0.48), 0.40
      (0.22-0.74) and 0.38 (0.20-0.72), respectively]. Histological type and
      perioperative therapy did not affect OS, whereas tumour size and postoperative
      radiotherapy were associated with improved RFS after R0 resection. CONCLUSIONS:
      R0 resection is essential for prolonged OS for surgically treated thymic
      carcinoma, but maximal debulking surgery might be beneficial and worth evaluating
      for advanced disease deemed difficult for R0 resection. The benefit of
      postoperative radiotherapy after R0 resection should also be evaluated
      prospectively.

PMID- 26116921
TI  - EuroSCORE II underestimates mortality after cardiac surgery for infective
      endocarditis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To better select for patients who most likely will benefit from
      cardiac surgery among those with infective endocarditis (IE), we aimed to
      identify preoperative markers associated with poor outcome after cardiac surgery
      for IE, and to evaluate the accuracy of European System for Cardiac Operative
      Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) II to predict mortality. METHODS: We enrolled all
      adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery during the acute phase of definite
      IE (Duke Criteria) in two referral centres for cardiac surgery. Patients were
      identified through intensive care unit (ICU) electronic databases, and data were
      collected from medical charts on standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: Between
      2002 and 2013, 149 patients (117 males), with a median age of 64 years
      [interquartile range 52-73], fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Main complications
      before surgery were left ventricular dysfunction (23%), central nervous system
      symptomatic events (34%) and septic shock (24%). Most patients (95%) presented
      with valve regurgitation, and 49% had perivalvular abscess. Surgery was performed
      with a median delay of 12 days [5-24] after IE diagnosis, and mean EuroSCORE II
      was 15.8 (13.4-18.1). In-hospital mortality was 21%. Preoperative variables
      associated with mortality in multivariate analysis were obesity [odds ratio (OR)
      3.67 [1.10-12.19], P = 0.03], vegetation >15 mm (OR 6.72 [1.46-30.98], P = 0.01),
      septic shock (OR 4.87 [1.67-14.28], P = 0.004) and mechanical prosthetic valve IE
      (OR 4.99 [1.72-28.57], P = 0.007). EuroSCORE II underestimated mortality in
      patients with predicted mortality over 10%. CONCLUSION: Factors independently
      predictive of mortality after cardiac surgery for IE are obesity, septic shock,
      large vegetation and a mechanical prosthetic valve IE. EuroSCORE II
      underestimates post-cardiac surgery mortality in patients with IE.

PMID- 26116922
TI  - Are we ready to go directly to videothoracoscopic surgery at a first presentation
      of primary spontaneous pneumothorax?

PMID- 26116923
TI  - Fine-scale geographic variation in photosynthetic-related traits of Picea glauca
      seedlings indicates local adaptation to climate.
AB  - Climate-related variations in functional traits of boreal tree species can result
      both from physiological acclimation and genetic adaptation of local populations
      to their biophysical environment. To improve our understanding and prediction of
      the physiological and growth responses of populations to climate change, we
      studied the role of climate of seed origin in determining variations in
      functional traits and its implications for tree improvement programs for a
      commonly reforested boreal conifer, white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss). We
      evaluated growth, root-to-shoot ratio (R/S), specific leaf area (SLA), needle
      nitrogen (N(mass)), total non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) and photosynthetic
      traits of 3-year-old seedlings in a greenhouse experiment using seed from six
      seed orchards (SO) representing the different regions where white spruce is
      reforested in Quebec. Height and total dry mass (TDM) were positively correlated
      with photosynthetic capacity (A(max)), stomatal conductance (g(s)) and mesophyll
      conductance (g(m)). Total dry mass, but not height growth, was strongly
      correlated with latitude of seed origin (SO) and associated climate variables.
      A(max), g(s), g(m) and more marginally, photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency
      (PNUE) were positively associated with the mean July temperature of the SO, while
      water use efficiency (WUE) was negatively associated. Maximum rates of
      carboxylation (V(cmax)), maximum rates of electron transport (J(max)), SLA,
      N(mass), NSC and R/S showed no pattern. Our results did not demonstrate a higher
      Amax for northern seed orchards, although this has been previously hypothesized
      as an adaptation mechanism for maintaining carbon uptake in northern regions. We
      suggest that gs, gm, WUE and PNUE are the functional traits most associated with
      fine-scale geographic clines and with the degree of local adaptation of white
      spruce populations to their biophysical environments. These geographic patterns
      may reflect in situ adaptive genetic differences in photosynthetic efficiency
      along the cline.

PMID- 26116924
TI  - Seedling growth and biomass allocation in relation to leaf habit and shade
      tolerance among 10 temperate tree species.
AB  - Initial growth of germinated seeds is an important life history stage, critical
      for establishment and succession in forests. Important questions remain regarding
      the differences among species in early growth potential arising from shade
      tolerance. In addition, the role of leaf habit in shaping relationships
      underlying shade tolerance-related differences in seedling growth remains
      unresolved. In this study we examined variation in morphological and
      physiological traits among seedlings of 10 forest tree species of the European
      temperate zone varying in shade tolerance and leaf habit (broadleaved winter
      deciduous species vs needle-leaved conifers) during a 10-week period. Seeds were
      germinated and grown in a controlled environment simulating an intermediate
      forest understory light environment to resolve species differences in initial
      growth and biomass allocation. In the high-resource experimental conditions
      during the study, seedlings increased biomass allocation to roots at the cost of
      leaf biomass independent of shade tolerance and leaf habit. Strong correlations
      between relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), leaf area ratio
      (LAR), specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf mass fraction (LMF) indicate that
      physiology and biomass allocation were equally important determinants of RGR as
      plant structure and leaf morphology among these species. Our findings highlight
      the importance of seed mass- and seed size-related root morphology (specific root
      length-SRL) for shade tolerance during early ontogeny. Leaf and plant morphology
      (SLA, LAR) were more successful in explaining variation among species due to leaf
      habit than shade tolerance. In both broadleaves and conifers, shade-tolerant
      species had lower SRL and greater allocation of biomass to stems (stem mass
      fraction). Light-seeded shade-intolerant species with greater SRL had greater RGR
      in both leaf habit groups. However, the greatest plant mass was accumulated in
      the group of heavy-seeded shade-tolerant broadleaves. The results of our study
      suggest that the combinations of plant attributes enhancing growth under high
      light vary with shade tolerance, but differ between leaf habit groups. 

PMID- 26116925
TI  - Linking carbon and water relations to drought-induced mortality in Pinus flexilis
      seedlings.
AB  - Survival of tree seedlings at high elevations has been shown to be limited by
      thermal constraints on carbon balance, but it is unknown if carbon relations also
      limit seedling survival at lower elevations, where water relations may be more
      important. We measured and modeled carbon fluxes and water relations in first
      year Pinus flexilis seedlings in garden plots just beyond the warm edge of their
      natural range, and compared these with dry-mass gain and survival across two
      summers. We hypothesized that mortality in these seedlings would be associated
      with declines in water relations, more so than with carbon-balance limitations.
      Rather than gradual declines in survivorship across growing seasons, we observed
      sharp, large-scale mortality episodes that occurred once volumetric soil-moisture
      content dropped below 10%. By this point, seedling water potentials had decreased
      below -5 MPa, seedling hydraulic conductivity had decreased by 90% and seedling
      hydraulic resistance had increased by >900%. Additionally, non-structural
      carbohydrates accumulated in aboveground tissues at the end of both summers,
      suggesting impairments in phloem-transport from needles to roots. This resulted
      in low carbohydrate concentrations in roots, which likely impaired root growth
      and water uptake at the time of critically low soil moisture. While
      photosynthesis and respiration on a leaf area basis remained high until critical
      hydraulic thresholds were exceeded, modeled seedling gross primary productivity
      declined steadily throughout the summers. At the time of mortality, modeled
      productivity was insufficient to support seedling biomass-gain rates, metabolism
      and secondary costs. Thus the large-scale mortality events that we observed near
      the end of each summer were most directly linked with acute, episodic declines in
      plant hydraulic function that were linked with important changes in whole
      seedling carbon relations.

PMID- 26116926
TI  - Diurnal changes in embolism rate in nine dry forest trees: relationships with
      species-specific xylem vulnerability, hydraulic strategy and wood traits.
AB  - Recent studies have reported correlations between stem sapwood capacitance
      (C(wood)) and xylem vulnerability to embolism, but it is unclear how C(wood)
      relates to the eventual ability of plants to reverse embolism. We investigated
      possible functional links between embolism reversal efficiency, C(wood), wood
      density (WD), vulnerability to xylem embolism and hydraulic safety margins in
      nine woody species native to dry sclerophyllous forests with different degrees of
      iso versus anisohydry. Substantial inter-specific differences in terms of
      seasonal/diurnal changes of xylem and leaf water potential, maximum diurnal
      values of transpiration rate and xylem vulnerability to embolism formation were
      recorded. Significant diurnal changes in percentage loss of hydraulic
      conductivity (PLC) were recorded for five species. Significant correlations were
      recorded between diurnal PLC changes and P50 and P88 values (i.e., xylem pressure
      inducing 50 and 88% PLC, respectively) as well as between diurnal PLC changes and
      safety margins referenced to P50 and P88. WD was linearly correlated with minimum
      diurnal leaf water potential, diurnal PLC changes and wood capacitance across all
      species. In contrast, significant relationships between P50, safety margin values
      referenced to P50 and WD were recorded only for the isohydric species. Functional
      links between diurnal changes in PLC, hydraulic strategies and WD and C(wood) are
      discussed.

PMID- 26116927
TI  - Long-term trends of changes in pine and oak foliar nitrogen metabolism in
      response to chronic nitrogen amendments at Harvard Forest, MA.
AB  - We evaluated the long-term (1995-2008) trends in foliar and sapwood metabolism,
      soil solution chemistry and tree mortality rates in response to chronic nitrogen
      (N) additions to pine and hardwood stands at the Harvard Forest Long Term
      Ecological Research (LTER) site. Common stress-related metabolites like
      polyamines (PAs), free amino acids (AAs) and inorganic elements were analyzed for
      control, low N (LN, 50 kg NH4NO3 ha(-1) year(-1)) and high N (HN, 150 kg NH4NO3
      ha(-1) year(-1)) treatments. In the pine stands, partitioning of excess N into
      foliar PAs and AAs increased with both N treatments until 2002. By 2005, several
      of these effects on N metabolites disappeared for HN, and by 2008 they were
      mostly observed for LN plot. A significant decline in foliar Ca and P was
      observed mostly with HN for a few years until 2005. However, sapwood data
      actually showed an increase in Ca, Mg and Mn and no change in PAs in the HN plot
      for 2008, while AAs data revealed trends that were generally similar to foliage
      for 2008. Concomitant with these changes, mortality data revealed a large number
      of dead trees in HN pine plots by 2002; the mortality rate started to decline by
      2005. Oak trees in the hardwood plot did not exhibit any major changes in PAs,
      AAs, nutrients and mortality rate with LN treatment, indicating that oak trees
      were able to tolerate the yearly doses of 50 kg NH4NO3 ha(-1) year(-1). However,
      HN trees suffered from physiological and nutritional stress along with increased
      mortality in 2008. In this case also, foliar data were supported by the sapwood
      data. Overall, both low and high N applications resulted in greater physiological
      stress to the pine trees than the oaks. In general, the time course of changes in
      metabolic data are in agreement with the published reports on changes in soil
      chemistry and microbial community structure, rates of soil carbon sequestration
      and production of woody biomass for this chronic N study. This correspondence of
      selected metabolites with other measures of forest functions suggests that the
      metabolite analyses are useful for long-term monitoring of the health of forest
      trees.

PMID- 26116928
TI  - Proteny: discovering and visualizing statistically significant syntenic clusters
      at the proteome level.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With more and more genomes being sequenced, detecting synteny between
      genomes becomes more and more important. However, for microorganisms the genomic
      divergence quickly becomes large, resulting in different codon usage and
      shuffling of gene order and gene elements such as exons. RESULTS: We present
      Proteny, a methodology to detect synteny between diverged genomes. It operates on
      the amino acid sequence level to be insensitive to codon usage adaptations and
      clusters groups of exons disregarding order to handle diversity in genomic
      ordering between genomes. Furthermore, Proteny assigns significance levels to the
      syntenic clusters such that they can be selected on statistical grounds. Finally,
      Proteny provides novel ways to visualize results at different scales,
      facilitating the exploration and interpretation of syntenic regions. We test the
      performance of Proteny on a standard ground truth dataset, and we illustrate the
      use of Proteny on two closely related genomes (two different strains of
      Aspergillus niger) and on two distant genomes (two species of Basidiomycota). In
      comparison to other tools, we find that Proteny finds clusters with more true
      homologies in fewer clusters that contain more genes, i.e. Proteny is able to
      identify a more consistent synteny. Further, we show how genome rearrangements,
      assembly errors, gene duplications and the conservation of specific genes can be
      easily studied with Proteny. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Proteny is freely
      available at the Delft Bioinformatics Lab website
      http://bioinformatics.tudelft.nl/dbl/software. CONTACT: t.gehrmann@tudelft.nl
      SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics
      online.

PMID- 26116929
TI  - ISQuest: finding insertion sequences in prokaryotic sequence fragment data.
AB  - MOTIVATION: Insertion sequences (ISs) are transposable elements present in most
      bacterial and archaeal genomes that play an important role in genomic evolution.
      The increasing availability of sequenced prokaryotic genomes offers the
      opportunity to study ISs comprehensively, but development of efficient and
      accurate tools is required for discovery and annotation. Additionally,
      prokaryotic genomes are frequently deposited as incomplete, or draft stage
      because of the substantial cost and effort required to finish genome assembly
      projects. Development of methods to identify IS directly from raw sequence reads
      or draft genomes are therefore desirable. Software tools such as Optimized
      Annotation System for Insertion Sequences and IScan currently identify IS
      elements in completely assembled and annotated genomes; however, to our knowledge
      no methods have been developed to identify ISs from raw fragment data or
      partially assembled genomes. We have developed novel methods to solve this
      computationally challenging problem, and implemented these methods in the
      software package ISQuest. This software identifies bacterial ISs and their
      sequence elements-inverted and direct repeats-in raw read data or contigs using
      flexible search parameters. ISQuest is capable of finding ISs in hundreds of
      partially assembled genomes within hours, making it a valuable high-throughput
      tool for a global search of IS elements. We tested ISQuest on simulated read
      libraries of 3810 complete bacterial genomes and plasmids in GenBank and were
      capable of detecting 82% of the ISs and transposases annotated in GenBank with
      80% sequence identity. CONTACT: abiswas@cs.odu.edu.

PMID- 26116931
TI  - Bringing (domestic) politics back in: global and local influences on health
      equity.
AB  - The Lancet-University of Oslo Commission on Global Governance for health
      correctly concluded that: 'with globalization, health inequity increasingly
      results from transnational activities that involve actors with different
      interests and degrees of power'. At the same time, taking up that Commission's
      focus on political determinants of health and 'power asymmetries' requires
      recognizing the interplay of globalization with domestic politics, and the limits
      of global influences as explanations for policies that affect health
      inequalities. I make this case using three examples - trade policy, climate
      change policy, and the domestic politics of poverty reduction and social policy -
      and a concluding observation about the 2015 UK election. 

PMID- 26116930
TI  - Pilot study of the effects of lisdexamfetamine on cocaine use: A randomized,
      double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Amphetamine analogs have been demonstrated to have some efficacy in
      reducing use in cocaine dependent individuals. However, these agents also have
      potential for abuse. Lisdexamfetamine (LDX), a lysine+dextroamphetamine
      formulation, has been approved for the treatment of Attention
      Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and as a prodrug, has less abuse potential.
      OBJECTIVE: This pilot study sought to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and
      efficacy of LDX as a candidate treatment for cocaine dependence. METHODS: A
      randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group study served to
      evaluate LDX in 43 cocaine-dependent individuals: (1) placebo (PBO; 0mg, n=21),
      (2) LDX (70mg, n=22). Participants received medication for 14 weeks. Cocaine use
      was determined based on urine analysis for benzoylecgonine (BE; a cocaine
      metabolite). RESULTS: Retention rates were higher though not significantly
      different in the PBO (71.4%) than the LDX condition (57.1%). Compared to those in
      the PBO condition, those receiving LDX were more likely to report experiencing
      (ps<0.05) diarrhea (45.5% vs. 14.3%), headaches (45.5% vs. 9.5%), and anxiety
      (31.8% vs. 4.8%). No differences in medication conditions were observed for blood
      pressure, heart rate, or body weight. In the randomized sample, no differences in
      cocaine use were seen. Those receiving LDX reported significantly less craving
      for cocaine than participants receiving PBO. CONCLUSIONS: LDX did not
      significantly reduce cocaine use compared to PBO in the randomized sample.

PMID- 26116932
TI  - The impact of multipolicy tobacco control legislation on smoking behavior.

PMID- 26116934
TI  - Fat Grafting for Facial Filling and Regeneration.
AB  - Plastic surgeons have come to realize that fat grafting can rejuvenate an aging
      face by restoring or creating fullness. However, fat grafting does much more than
      simply add volume. Grafted fat can transform or repair the tissues into which it
      is placed. Historically, surgeons have hesitated to embrace the rejuvenating
      potential of fat grafting because of poor graft take, fat necrosis, and
      inconsistent outcomes. This article describes fat grafting techniques and
      practices to assist readers in successful harvesting, processing, and placement
      of fat for optimal graft retention and facial esthetic outcomes. 

PMID- 26116935
TI  - Primary Breast Augmentation with Fat Grafting.
AB  - The controversy over fat grafting to the breasts has now been settled. In 2009,
      the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Fat Graft Task Force stated that "Fat
      grafting may be considered for breast augmentation and correction of defects
      associated with medical conditions and previous breast surgeries; however,
      results are dependent on technique and surgeon expertise." This article discusses
      the history, indications, planning, complications, and present technique of fat
      grafting to the breast using the Coleman technique. 

PMID- 26116933
TI  - Memory improvement via slow-oscillatory stimulation during sleep in older adults.
AB  - We examined the intriguing but controversial idea that disrupted sleep-dependent
      consolidation contributes to age-related memory decline. Slow-wave activity
      during sleep may help strengthen neural connections and provide memories with
      long-term stability, in which case decreased slow-wave activity in older adults
      could contribute to their weaker memories. One prediction from this account is
      that age-related memory deficits should be reduced by artificially enhancing slow
      wave activity. In young adults, applying transcranial current oscillating at a
      slow frequency (0.75 Hz) during sleep improves memory. Here, we tested whether
      this procedure can improve memory in older adults. In 2 sessions separated by 1
      week, we applied either slow-oscillatory stimulation or sham stimulation during
      an afternoon nap in a double-blind, crossover design. Memory tests were
      administered before and after sleep. A larger improvement in word-pair recall and
      higher slow-wave activity was observed with slow-oscillatory stimulation than
      with sham stimulation. This is the first demonstration that this procedure can
      improve memory in older adults, suggesting that declarative memory performance in
      older adults is partly dependent on slow-wave activity during sleep.

PMID- 26116936
TI  - Combined Use of Implant and Fat Grafting for Breast Augmentation.
AB  - Composite breast augmentation is a simple procedure combining the ability of an
      implant to provide increased volume with the reshaping possibilities offered by
      fat grafting. The ability to camouflage the implant allows use of a premuscular,
      retrofascial pocket, avoiding the disadvantages and morbidity associated with
      retromuscular positioning. 

PMID- 26116937
TI  - The Role of Fat Grafting in Breast Reconstruction.
AB  - Breast lipomodeling, or breast fat grafting, is a major development in breast
      plastic surgery. This technique has a low complication rate, excellent results,
      and patient acceptance. Radiologic evaluation mostly shows a normal-appearing
      breast. During breast reconstruction, fat grafting is the ideal complement of the
      latissimus dorsi flap. Fat grafting for Poland syndrome seems to be a great step
      and will most likely drastically change the surgical treatment of severe cases.
      Finally, lipomodeling is a new alternative in the treatment of pectus excavatum,
      tuberous breasts, and breast asymmetries. 

PMID- 26116938
TI  - Tissue-Engineered Autologous Breast Regeneration with Brava(r)-Assisted Fat
      Grafting.
AB  - A technique of whole and partial breast reconstruction is described based on
      tissue-engineering principles. Brava-assisted external tissue expansion generates
      an in situ biological recipient scaffold that favors the survival of large
      volumes of autologous fat graft required for breast reconstruction. Also
      presented are the results of the authors' multicenter experience with this
      regenerative alternative in 488 patients over a 7-year period tracking surgical
      complications, patient satisfaction, efficacy, and costs. 

PMID- 26116939
TI  - Safety of Lipofilling in Patients with Breast Cancer.
AB  - Lipotransfer represents a technical revolution in plastic surgery and is
      increasingly used worldwide. Although known for several decades, lipofilling has
      only recently found widespread use in patients with breast cancer to improve the
      results of breast reconstructions and to correct deformities after conservative
      treatment. The plastic surgery literature underlines the technique's versatility
      and the quality of the results, showing lipofilling as an effective cosmetic
      procedure and proposing it as a safe, neutral biological material that is able to
      restore the body contour. Several studies underline the power of transferred fat
      to regenerate blood supply in skin disorders following radiotherapy. 

PMID- 26116940
TI  - Regenerative Approach to Scars, Ulcers and Related Problems with Fat Grafting.
AB  - The article focuses on the authors' autologous fat grafting technique and its
      application in regenerative treatment of different scars and ulcers. Although
      easy to perform, this surgical approach requires some technical procedures and
      specific management to maximize its effectiveness which are highlighted in the
      article. In the authors' experience, autologous fat graft has proved to be an
      efficient and safe procedure to treat scars of different origin demonstrating the
      capability of lipostructure to achieve an architectural remodeling and loose
      connective regeneration. 

PMID- 26116941
TI  - Regenerative Approach to Scleroderma with Fat Grafting.
AB  - Grafted fat has many qualities of ideal filler; it is autologous, easily
      available, and naturally integrated into the host tissues. From a lipoaspirate,
      the adipose-tissue-derived stromal vascular fraction can be isolated, which is an
      excellent source of stem/stromal cells, endothelial progenitors, and immune
      cells. Fat grafting is being increasingly applied in autoimmune diseases, and
      this article focuses on systemic sclerosis, a rare autoimmune disease
      characterized by skin fibrosis and microvascular damage. The authors' approach of
      using fat graft in the face and adipose-tissue-derived stromal vascular fraction
      for hands is presented as innovative and promising therapy for patients with
      systemic sclerosis. 

PMID- 26116942
TI  - Regenerative Approach to Velopharyngeal Incompetence with Fat Grafting.
AB  - Surgical management of velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI) aims at improving voice
      resonance and correcting nasal air escape by restoring a competent velopharyngeal
      sphincter. Assessment of VPI requires the examination of multiple variables. The
      dynamic study of movements of the velopharyngeal port during speech and the
      quantification of the closure gap, using flexible videonasoendoscopy and/or
      videofluoroscopy, is essential. Autologous fat injection represents a minimally
      invasive alternative to major surgery in the management of mild to moderate VPI
      that minimizes the risk of complications and sequelae, and can be performed
      without modifying the anatomy of the velopharyngeal port. 

PMID- 26116943
TI  - Percutaneous Aponeurotomy and Lipofilling (PALF): A Regenerative Approach to
      Dupuytren Contracture.
AB  - Dupuytren disease is a progressive fibroproliferative disorder, which leads to
      flexion contractures of the digits. A minimally invasive technique consisting of
      an extensive percutaneous aponeurotomy of the cord with a needle combined with
      lipofilling is presented. The selective cutting of the cords under continuous
      tension disintegrates the cords while sparing the looser neurovascular bundles.
      Subsequently, lipoaspirate is injected subcutaneously. The authors' prospective
      results show a significantly shorter recovery time and less overall complications
      in this technique when compared with open surgery, while no significant
      difference was observed in the extent of immediate contracture correction and in
      the recurrence rate at 1 year follow-up. 

PMID- 26116944
TI  - Complications of Fat Grafting: How They Occur and How to Find, Avoid, and Treat
      Them.
AB  - Recent technical and scientific advances in fat grafting procedures and concepts
      have improved predictability of fat grafting. Large-volume fat injection is
      gaining much attention as an attracting procedure for body contouring and
      reconstruction, but an increasing number of complications also has been
      recognized over the world. In this article, typical complications after fat
      grafting are described, as well as an explanation of how and why they occur, and
      how surgeons can avoid and treat complications. 

PMID- 26116945
TI  - Future Perspectives of Fat Grafting.
AB  - Autologous fat grafting is an exciting part of plastic and reconstructive
      surgery. Fat serves as a filler and its role in tissue regeneration will likely
      play a more important role in our specialty. As we learn more about the basic
      science of fat grafting and the standardized techniques and instruments used for
      fat grafting, this procedure alone or in conjunction with invasive procedures may
      be able to replace many operations that we perform currently. Its minimally
      invasive nature will benefit greatly our cosmetic and reconstructive patients,
      and may even achieve better clinical outcomes. 

PMID- 26116946
TI  - Fat Grafting: Current Concept, Clinical Application, and Regenerative Potential,
      Part 2. Preface.

PMID- 26116947
TI  - Boosting drug named entity recognition using an aggregate classifier.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Drug named entity recognition (NER) is a critical step for complex
      biomedical NLP tasks such as the extraction of pharmacogenomic, pharmacodynamic
      and pharmacokinetic parameters. Large quantities of high quality training data
      are almost always a prerequisite for employing supervised machine-learning
      techniques to achieve high classification performance. However, the human labour
      needed to produce and maintain such resources is a significant limitation. In
      this study, we improve the performance of drug NER without relying exclusively on
      manual annotations. METHODS: We perform drug NER using either a small gold
      standard corpus (120 abstracts) or no corpus at all. In our approach, we develop
      a voting system to combine a number of heterogeneous models, based on dictionary
      knowledge, gold-standard corpora and silver annotations, to enhance performance.
      To improve recall, we employed genetic programming to evolve 11 regular
      expression patterns that capture common drug suffixes and used them as an extra
      means for recognition. MATERIALS: Our approach uses a dictionary of drug names,
      i.e. DrugBank, a small manually annotated corpus, i.e. the pharmacokinetic
      corpus, and a part of the UKPMC database, as raw biomedical text. Gold-standard
      and silver annotated data are used to train maximum entropy and multinomial
      logistic regression classifiers. RESULTS: Aggregating drug NER methods, based on
      gold-standard annotations, dictionary knowledge and patterns, improved the
      performance on models trained on gold-standard annotations, only, achieving a
      maximum F-score of 95%. In addition, combining models trained on silver
      annotations, dictionary knowledge and patterns are shown to achieve comparable
      performance to models trained exclusively on gold-standard data. The main reason
      appears to be the morphological similarities shared among drug names. CONCLUSION:
      We conclude that gold-standard data are not a hard requirement for drug NER.
      Combining heterogeneous models build on dictionary knowledge can achieve similar
      or comparable classification performance with that of the best performing model
      trained on gold-standard annotations.

PMID- 26116948
TI  - Response to the letter "New avenues to prevent sudden unexpected death in
      nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy: follow the route established by omega-3
      polyunsaturated fatty acids".

PMID- 26116949
TI  - Effects of sleep timing, sleep quality and sleep duration on school achievement
      in adolescents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of sleep timing,
      quality and duration on school achievement in adolescents. METHODS: Thirty-six
      Italian students (mean age: 18.14 +/- 0.49 years) attending their last year of
      high school participated in the study. They completed the Morningness-Eveningness
      Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (MEQ-CA). This was used to determine
      their ideal sleep timing by computing the total score, with higher scores
      corresponding to a greater tendency toward morningness. In addition, students
      underwent two non-consecutive weeks of actigraphy in one-month period to
      objectively assess: habitual sleep timing through the midpoint of sleep (MS);
      habitual sleep quality through the parameter of sleep efficiency (SE); and
      habitual sleep duration through the parameter of total sleep time (TST).
      Participants also completed the Mini Sleep Questionnaire, which allowed us to
      assess perceived sleep quality, at the end of each actigraphic-recording week.
      School performance was assessed using the grades obtained by students in their
      school leaving exams taken at the end of the school year. RESULTS: A significant
      positive correlation was observed between SE and exam grades, as well as MEQ-CA
      scores and grades. Multiple regression analysis showed that only SE was
      significantly and positively related to the final grade. CONCLUSIONS: Examining
      objective and ecological measures, SE (indicator of sleep quality) had the
      strongest effect on school achievement in adolescents.

PMID- 26116950
TI  - Occupational asthma to "the miracle tree" (Moringa oleifera): first description.

PMID- 26116951
TI  - Safety of Fluticasone Propionate Prescribed for Asthma During Pregnancy: A UK
      Population-Based Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Asthma is commonly treated during pregnancy, yet data on the safety
      of asthma medicines used during pregnancy are sparse. OBJECTIVE: The objective of
      this study was to evaluate the safety of the inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)
      fluticasone propionate (FP), alone and in fixed-dose combination with salmeterol
      (FSC) in terms of the risk of all major congenital malformations (MCMs), compared
      with all other non-FP ICS. METHODS: Women with asthma who had a pregnancy between
      January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2010, were identified in the United Kingdom's
      Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Exposure to asthma medicines during the
      first trimester of pregnancy was based on issued prescriptions. The mothers' and
      infants' medical records were linked where possible, and pregnancy outcomes with
      an MCM diagnosed by age 1 year were identified based on medical codes in the
      mother's and infant's medical records, including those MCMs prenatally diagnosed
      that ended in an induced pregnancy termination. The absolute and relative risks
      of an MCM after different ICS exposures, stratified by the asthma treatment
      intensity level, were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 14,654 mother-infant pairs
      were identified, of which 6,174 received an ICS prescription during the first
      trimester, in addition to 13 first trimester ICS exposed pregnancies that ended
      in an induced termination after a prenatal MCM diagnosis. In total, 5,362
      pregnancies were eligible for the primary analysis at age 1 year. The absolute
      risk of an MCM after any first trimester FP exposure was 2.4% (CI95 0.8-4.1) and
      2.7% (CI95 1.8-3.6) for the "moderate" and "considerable/severe" asthma treatment
      intensity levels, respectively. The adjusted odds ratios when compared with non
      FP ICS were 1.1 (CI95 0.5-2.3) and 1.2 (CI95 0.7-2.0) for the "moderate" and
      "considerable/severe" intensity levels; risks for any FP and for FSC did not
      differ substantially. CONCLUSION: No increase in the overall risk of MCMs was
      identified after first trimester FP exposure compared with non-FP ICS.

PMID- 26116952
TI  - Exuberant Positive Patch Test to Abacavir in a Patient with the HLA-B*5701
      Haplotype.

PMID- 26116953
TI  - Treatment of adult hyper-IgD syndrome with canakinumab.

PMID- 26116954
TI  - Non-invasive pulmonary function test on Morquio patients.
AB  - In clinical practice, respiratory function tests are difficult to perform in
      Morquio syndrome patients due to their characteristic skeletal dysplasia, small
      body size and lack of cooperation of young patients, where in some cases,
      conventional spirometry for pulmonary function is too challenging. To establish
      feasible clinical pulmonary endpoints and determine whether age impacts lung
      function in Morquio patients non-invasive pulmonary tests and conventional
      spirometry were evaluated. The non-invasive pulmonary tests: impulse oscillometry
      system, pneumotachography, and respiratory inductance plethysmography in
      conjunction with conventional spirometry were evaluated in twenty-two Morquio
      patients (18 Morquio A and 4 Morquio B) (7 males), ranging from 3 to 40 years of
      age. Twenty-two patients were compliant with non-invasive tests (100%) with the
      exception of IOS (81.8%-18 patients). Seventeen patients (77.3%) were compliant
      with spirometry testing. All subjects had normal vital signs at rest including
      >95% oxygen saturation, end tidal CO2 (38-44 mmHg), and age-appropriate heart
      rate (mean=98.3, standard deviation=19) (two patients were deviated). All
      patients preserved normal values in the impulse oscillometry system,
      pneumotachography, and respiratory inductance plethysmography, although predicted
      forced expiratory total (72.8+/-6.9 SE%) decreased with age and was below normal;
      phase angle (35.5+/-16.5 degrees ), %rib cage (41.6+/-12.7%), resonant frequency,
      and forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced expiratory volume total (110.0+/-3.2
      SE%) were normal and not significantly impacted by age. The proposed non-invasive
      pulmonary function tests are able to cover a greater number of patients (young
      patients and/or wheel-chair bound), thus providing a new diagnostic approach for
      the assessment of lung function in Morquio syndrome which in many cases may be
      difficult to evaluate. Morquio patients studied herein demonstrated no clinical
      or functional signs of restrictive and/or obstructive lung disease.

PMID- 26116955
TI  - Fabrication and characterization of novel microneedles made of a polystyrene
      solution.
AB  - Nowadays, microneedles are attracting a lot of attention because microneedles can
      deliver drugs, vaccines and hormones into the body without pain unlike
      conventional hypodermic needles. Furthermore, microneedles are safe for self
      injection and disposal. This work aims to develop novel microneedles made of a
      solution of polystyrene (PS) in toluene. The mechanical properties of the
      fabricated PS microneedles were characterized in failure strength test and skin
      penetration test. According to the experimental results, a PS microneedle could
      withstand a large force up to 1.0 N without fracturing. Owing to the superior
      mechanical strength, the PS microneedles could penetrate the skin without any
      deterioration making them a promising alternative for commercial applications. 

PMID- 26116957
TI  - Clinical and laboratory surface finishing procedures for zirconia on opposing
      human enamel wear: A laboratory study.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the effect of laboratory and clinical finishing procedures
      for zirconia on antagonistic enamel wear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight
      yttria-tetragonal partially stabilised zirconia (Y-TZP) specimens were prepared
      and divided into four groups according to their surface preparation: laboratory
      polished (LP); laboratory polished and glazed (G); clinically adjusted (CA); and
      clinically adjusted and repolished (CAR). Enamel opposing enamel was used as a
      control. Pre-testing surface roughness for each group was determined using
      contact profilometry. Two-body wear resistance tests were conducted using a
      masticatory simulator. Enamel specimens were subjected to 120,000 cycles in
      distilled water (frequency 1.6 Hz, loading force of 49 N). Volumetric and
      vertical enamel losses were measured by superimposition of pre- and post-testing
      images using a three-dimensional laser scanner and software analysis. Scanning
      electron microscopy was used for qualitative surface analysis of pre- and post
      testing zirconia and enamel surfaces. One-way ANOVA and multiple comparisons with
      Bonferroni corrections were used for statistical analysis at a significance level
      of alpha=0.05. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference in volumetric and
      vertical enamel loss between CAR, G and LP. CAR produced statistically
      significantly less volumetric enamel loss compared with CA and control, and
      statistically significantly less vertical enamel loss compared with CA.
      Volumetric and vertical enamel loss were highly correlated in all groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Enamel wear by clinically ground zirconia is comparable to that of
      opposing enamel surfaces and greater than clinically repolished zirconia.
      Repolishing of zirconia restorations following clinical adjustment with diamond
      burs is effective in reducing antagonistic enamel wear.

PMID- 26116958
TI  - Initial Experience of (68)Ga-PSMA PET/CT Imaging in High-risk Prostate Cancer
      Patients Prior to Radical Prostatectomy.
AB  - Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) overexpression theoretically enables
      targeting of prostate cancer (PCa) metastases using gallium Ga 68 ((68)Ga)
      labeled PSMA ligands for positron emission tomography/computed tomography
      (PET/CT) imaging. Promising detection rates have been reported when using this
      approach for functional imaging of recurrent PCa; however, until now, the
      diagnostic accuracy of (68)Ga-PSMA PET/CT for preoperatively identifying lymph
      node metastases (LNMs) had not been assessed. We retrospectively compared
      preoperative (68)Ga-PSMA PET/CT lymph node (LN) findings with histologic work-up
      after radical prostatectomy (RP). Overall, 608 LNs containing 53 LNMs were
      detected during RP. LNMs were present in 12 of 30 patients (40%). The (68)Ga-PSMA
      PET/CT scans identified 4 patients (33.3%) as LN true positive and 8 patients
      (66.7%) as false negative. Median size of (68)Ga-PSMA-PET/CT-detected versus
      undetected LNMs was 13.6 versus 4.3 mm (p<0.05). Overall sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of (68)Ga
      PSMA PET/CT for LNM detection were 33.3%, 100%, 100%, and 69.2%, respectively.
      Per-side analyses revealed corresponding values of 27.3%, 100%, 100%, and 52.9%.
      Conversely, (68)Ga-PSMA PET/CT enabled tumor visualization in the prostate. In
      92.9% of patients, the intraprostatic tumor foci were correctly predicted.
      Overall, (68)Ga-PSMA PET/CT is a promising tool for functional imaging; however,
      our initial experience revealed substantial influence of LNM size on the
      diagnostic accuracy of (68)Ga-PSMA PET/CT. PATIENT SUMMARY: We assessed the
      diagnostic accuracy of (68)Ga-PSMA PET/CT in high-risk prostate cancer patients
      prior to radical prostatectomy. We found that lymph node metastasis detection
      rates were substantially influenced by lymph node metastasis size.

PMID- 26116959
TI  - The cortisol awakening response (CAR) in toddlers: Nap-dependent effects on the
      diurnal secretory pattern.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cortisol levels in adults show a sharp decrease from mid-morning to
      mid-afternoon. Most toddlers take afternoon naps, which is associated with a less
      mature diurnal pattern characterized by a midday plateau in cortisol secretion.
      Napping in preschoolers produces a robust cortisol awakening response (CAR),
      which may account for such maturational differences. This experimental study
      extends prior work by examining whether the presence and timing of the nap
      dependent CAR influences the diurnal cortisol pattern in toddlers. METHODS:
      Toddlers (n = 28; 13 females; 30-36 months) followed a strict biphasic sleep
      schedule (>= 12.5h time in bed; >= 90 min nap) for >= 3 days before each of four
      randomly ordered, in-home cortisol assessments. For each assessment, saliva
      samples were obtained at morning awakening, ~ 09:30, pre-nap, 0, 15, 30, 45, 90,
      and 135 min post-nap awakening (verified with actigraphy), and ~ 19:30. On one
      day, children napped at their scheduled time, and parents collected saliva
      samples. On another day, children missed their nap, and parents collected saliva
      samples at matched times. On two other days, children napped 4h (morning) and 7h
      (afternoon) after awakening in the morning, during which time researchers
      collected pre- and post-nap saliva samples. Saliva was assayed for cortisol
      (MUg/dl). RESULTS: Three-level multilevel models were used to estimate the CAR
      and diurnal cortisol patterns in all four conditions. Compared to the no-nap
      condition (no observed CAR; b = -0.78, p = 0.65), we found a pronounced cortisol
      rise following the morning nap (b = 11.00, p < 0.001) and both afternoon naps
      whether samples were collected by parents (b = 5.19, p < 0.01) or experimenters
      (b = 4.97, p < 0.01). Napping in the morning resulted in the most robust post-nap
      cortisol rise (b = 10.21, p < 0.001). Diurnal patterns were analyzed using
      piecewise growth modeling that estimated linear coefficients for five separate
      periods throughout the day (corresponding to morning decline, noon decline, post
      nap rise, post-nap decline, and evening decline). We observed a significant post
      nap rise in cortisol values on the parent-collected afternoon nap (b = 3.41, p <
      0.01) and the experimenter-collected morning nap (b = 7.50, p < 0.01) days as
      compared to the no-nap day (b = -0.17, p = 0.82). No other differences in diurnal
      profiles were observed between the parent-collected nap and no-nap conditions;
      however, toddlers had a steeper evening decline on the day of the morning nap
      compared to the parent-collected afternoon nap (b = 0.30, p < 0.05) and no-nap
      conditions (b = 0.27, p < 0.05). DISCUSSION: These well-controlled findings
      suggest that the presence and timing of daytime naps influence the pattern of
      diurnal cortisol secretion in toddlers. They also provide support for the
      hypothesis that napping is the primary state driving the immature midday plateau
      in cortisol secretion, which becomes more adult-like across childhood. Prior
      studies of the diurnal cortisol pattern have employed a cubic model, and
      therefore, have not detected all possible variations due to napping. Our
      experimental data have important methodological implications for researchers
      examining associations between the slope of the diurnal cortisol pattern and
      developmental outcomes, as well as those utilizing afternoon cortisol reactivity
      protocols in napping children.

PMID- 26116960
TI  - Changes in endometrial ezrin and cytokeratin 18 expression during bovine
      implantation and in caruncular endometrial spheroids in vitro.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The feto-maternal interface during bovine implantation was studied
      in vivo and using three-dimensional bovine endometrial (BCECph) and trophoblast
      spheroids (CCS), each with underlying fibroblasts. METHODS: The expression of
      ezrin and cytokeratin 18 (CK18) was analyzed via immunohistochemistry (IHC), RT
      PCR and western blotting in bovine endometrium (GD 18-44) with in vivo (VIVO) and
      in vitro-produced embryos (VITRO). BCECph were stimulated with cotyledon
      conditioned media (CCM) and analyzed by TEM/SEM and IHC. CCS were stained (IHC)
      for TGC markers, to test if spheroidal trophoblast cells had differentiated into
      TGC. RESULTS: At GD 20, caruncular epithelium (CE) and uterine glands (UG) showed
      a loss of cytosolic ezrin and CK18 followed by a complete loss of both proteins.
      At GD 35 both reappeared in CE and UG. The endometrial expression pattern did not
      differ between VIVO and VITRO. RT-PCR and western blotting confirmed the presence
      of ezrin and CK18. All spheroids had an outer polarized, cytokeratin and ezrin
      positive epithelium (CE or trophoblast) with apical microvilli. Stimulation of
      BCECph with CCM induced similar changes in ezrin expression as observed in
      endometrial tissue. However, no ultrastructural alterations were found by
      transmission electron microscopy. Absence of TGC-specific glycoproteins in CCS
      indicated that TGC differentiation was not induced by three-dimensional culture
      conditions. DISCUSSION: Ezrin and CK18 are downregulated during implantation in
      cattle. The expression changes represent a temporal depolarization, which could
      be important for an establishment of bovine pregnancy. Our in vitro experiments
      demonstrate that the trophoblast could contribute to this change in vivo.

PMID- 26116961
TI  - Pericardial fat is associated with ventricular tachyarrhythmia and mortality in
      patients with systolic heart failure.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pericardial fat (PF) has been hypothesized to exert local pathogenic
      effects on nearby cardiac structures above and beyond that of systemic adiposity
      which might be associated with the presence of arrhythmia or even worse outcomes.
      The aims of this study was to characterize the relationship between PF and the
      prognosis in patients with systolic heart failure (HF). METHODS: This is a
      retrospective cohort study of a cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI)
      database from 2004 to 2011. Fifty patients with systolic HF underwent CMRI
      examinations were included. We also enrolled twenty patients with HF as the
      control group. The cine imaging was analyzed to derive total PF volumes, left
      ventricular volumes and mass and left ventricular ejection fraction by using a
      previously validated technique. The outcomes, including ventricular tachycardia
      (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF) and total mortality were obtained by
      reviewing medical records. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 694 days,
      patients with VT/VF had significant larger indexed PF volumes than those without
      [36.3 (32.8-43.1) ml/m(2) vs. 24.1 (20.2-27.6) ml/m(2), p = 0.001]. The mortality
      group also had significant larger indexed PF volumes (PF/body surface area) than
      those without [31.3 (22.8-38.4) ml/m(2) vs. 23.9 (19.8-27.3) ml/m(2), p = 0.010].
      Indexed PF volumes were associated with the development of VT/VF (Hazard ratio,
      7.510; 95% C.I, 0.901-62.582, p = 0.062) and mortality (Hazard ratio, 3.998; 95%
      C.I, 1.077-14.845, p = 0.038) by Cox's regression analyses. CONCLUSION: PF is
      associated with the development of VT/VF and long-term overall mortality in
      patients with systolic HF.

PMID- 26116962
TI  - Retinoic acid inhibits tissue factor and HMGB1 via modulation of AMPK activity in
      TNF-alpha activated endothelial cells and LPS-injected mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Retinoic acid (RA) is the active vitamin A derivative and has diverse
      immunomodulatory actions. We hypothesized that RA reduces prothrombotic mediators
      such as tissue factor (TF) in endothelial cells during inflammatory conditions
      via an AMPK-dependent pathway, which attenuates cardiovascular complications.
      RESULTS: RA significantly increased AMPK and Akt phosphorylation in a time- and
      concentration-dependent manner in endothelial cells (EC). RA downregulated TF
      expression at the transcriptional and translational levels in TNF-alpha activated
      ECs, which was reversed by the silencing of AMPK and transfection of DN-AMPK.
      Interestingly, the PI3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 reversed the RA effect on TF
      expression. Increased AMPK phosphorylation by RA was inhibited by LY294002.
      However, increased Akt phosphorylation was not reduced by compound C, indicating
      that PI3K/Akt signaling modulates AMPK activity. In addition, RA reduced HMGB1
      release in TNF-alpha activated ECs, which was reversed by both LY294001 and
      siAMPK. Importantly, administration of RA (1 mg/kg) significantly reduced blood
      TF activity, circulating HMGB1 and PAI-1 levels and expression of hepatic TF mRNA
      as well as fibrin deposition in LPS (5 mg/kg)-injected mice. CONCLUSIONS: Taken
      together, the activation of PI3K/Akt by RA modulates AMPK activity in ECs and
      plays a crucial role in the inhibition of coagulatory factors such as TF, PAI-1,
      and HMGB1 in inflammatory conditions.

PMID- 26116963
TI  - Model-based estimation of intra-cortical connectivity using electrophysiological
      data.
AB  - This paper provides a new method for model-based estimation of intra-cortical
      connectivity from electrophysiological measurements. A novel closed-form solution
      for the connectivity function of the Amari neural field equations is derived as a
      function of electrophysiological observations. The resultant intra-cortical
      connectivity estimate is driven from experimental data, but constrained by the
      mesoscopic neurodynamics that are encoded in the computational model. A
      demonstration is provided to show how the method can be used to image
      physiological mechanisms that govern cortical dynamics, which are normally hidden
      in clinical data from epilepsy patients. Accurate estimation performance is
      demonstrated using synthetic data. Following the computational testing, results
      from patient data are obtained that indicate a dominant increase in surround
      inhibition prior to seizure onset that subsides in the cases when the seizures
      spread. 

PMID- 26116965
TI  - Stuttering priapism associated with topiramate.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Priapism, or prolonged penile erection in the absence of sexual
      stimulation, may be a medical emergency. Many medications including antianxiety,
      antidepressants and antipsychotics have been implicated. This paper presents a
      case of priapism associated with topiramate use. METHODS: This is a description
      of case report where topiramate was prescribed as anticraving medication in a
      patient with alcohol dependence. Episodic priapism developed soon after
      topiramate was prescribed. The severity of priapism reduced with reduction of
      dosage and disappeared with its discontinuation. RESULTS: Reversible priapism
      (stuttering subtype) is associated with topiramate. CONCLUSIONS: This is the
      first report of priapism associated with topiramate in the scientific literature.

PMID- 26116964
TI  - The human voice areas: Spatial organization and inter-individual variability in
      temporal and extra-temporal cortices.
AB  - fMRI studies increasingly examine functions and properties of non-primary areas
      of human auditory cortex. However there is currently no standardized localization
      procedure to reliably identify specific areas across individuals such as the
      standard 'localizers' available in the visual domain. Here we present an fMRI
      'voice localizer' scan allowing rapid and reliable localization of the voice
      sensitive 'temporal voice areas' (TVA) of human auditory cortex. We describe
      results obtained using this standardized localizer scan in a large cohort of
      normal adult subjects. Most participants (94%) showed bilateral patches of
      significantly greater response to vocal than non-vocal sounds along the superior
      temporal sulcus/gyrus (STS/STG). Individual activation patterns, although
      reproducible, showed high inter-individual variability in precise anatomical
      location. Cluster analysis of individual peaks from the large cohort highlighted
      three bilateral clusters of voice-sensitivity, or "voice patches" along posterior
      (TVAp), mid (TVAm) and anterior (TVAa) STS/STG, respectively. A series of extra
      temporal areas including bilateral inferior prefrontal cortex and amygdalae
      showed small, but reliable voice-sensitivity as part of a large-scale cerebral
      voice network. Stimuli for the voice localizer scan and probabilistic maps in MNI
      space are available for download. 

PMID- 26116967
TI  - Bone health of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a comparison between
      dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and digital X-ray radiogrammetry.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) affects bone mineral density
      (BMD). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the most widely used technique
      to determine BMD. Digital X-ray radiogrammetry (DXR) is a feasible method for
      determination of cortical BMD on hand radiographs. This study aimed to compare
      DXR and DXA in the assessment of BMD in JIA patients. METHODS: Thirty-five JIA
      patients with available DXA and hand radiograph within the same time period were
      included from the Dutch Arthritis and Biologicals in Children register. Outcome
      measures for BMD were Bone Health Index from DXR and BMD total body, BMD lumbar
      spine and Bone Mineral Apparent Density from DXA. All measures were transformed
      to Z-scores. Correlations were assessed with Pearson correlation coefficients.
      RESULTS: Median age of the patients (60% female) was 11.7 years. Pearson
      correlation coefficient was significant for the absolute scores: 0.568-0.770
      (p<0.001). No significant correlation was found between the Z-scores of DXA and
      DXR. CONCLUSIONS: The BMD assessment from the DXR was correlated to DXA measures
      in a cohort of JIA patients, although only in absolute scores. Future steps for
      implementation of DXR in clinical practice include evaluation of responsiveness
      to change, predictive value and comparison with other imaging techniques.

PMID- 26116966
TI  - Functional characterization and expression analysis of myoglobin in high-altitude
      lizard Phrynocephalus erythrurus.
AB  - Myoglobin (Mb) is a monomeric hemoprotein which plays an important role in oxygen
      storage and transport in cardiac and skeletal muscle under hypoxia. The red tail
      toad-headed lizard Phrynocephalus erythrurus (Lacertilia: Agamidae), which
      inhabits at an elevation of 4500-5300 m on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, is known
      to be the highest living lizard in the world. To investigate the characters of
      myoglobin of this unique species, another low altitude lizard Phrynocephalus
      przewalskii (Lacertilia: Agamidae) was selected as a reference. The open reading
      frame (ORF) of myoglobin in two lizards was 465 bp which encodes a polypeptide of
      154 amino acids with different theoretical molecular weight and isoelectric
      point. The amino acid substitutions of myoglobin between two species were found
      at Thr13Ile, Lys87Thr and His118Asn. Homology modeling results indicated that P.
      erythrurus myoglobin has a greater heme pocket, which may be more favorable to
      oxygen binding and unloading. On the other hand, the mRNA levels of myoglobin in
      both cardiac and skeletal muscle in P. erythrurus were significantly larger than
      those in low altitude P. przewalskii. At protein level, myoglobin concentration
      in skeletal muscle in P. erythrurus was notably increased, but no significant
      difference was observed in cardiac muscle.

PMID- 26116968
TI  - Techniques used by United Kingdom consultant plastic surgeons to select implant
      size for primary breast augmentation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Techniques used to estimate implant size for primary breast
      augmentation have evolved since the 1970s. Currently no consensus exists on the
      optimal method to select implant size for primary breast augmentation. METHODS:
      In 2013 we asked United Kingdom consultant plastic surgeons who were full members
      of BAPRAS or BAAPS what was their technique for implant size selection for
      primary aesthetic breast augmentation. We also asked what was the range of
      implant sizes they commonly used. The answers to question one were grouped into
      four categories: experience, measurements, pre-operative external sizers and
      intra-operative sizers. RESULTS: The response rate was 46% (164/358). Overall,
      95% (153/159) of all respondents performed some form of pre-operative assessment,
      the others relied on "experience" only. The most common technique for pre
      operative assessment was by external sizers (74%). Measurements were used by 57%
      of respondents and 3% used intra-operative sizers only. A combination of
      measurements and sizers was used by 34% of respondents. The most common
      measurements were breast base (68%), breast tissue compliance (19%), breast
      height (15%), and chest diameter (9%). The median implant size commonly used in
      primary breast augmentation was 300cc. SUMMARY: Pre-operative external sizers are
      the most common technique used by UK consultant plastic surgeons to select
      implant size for primary breast augmentation. We discuss the above findings in
      relation to the evolution of pre-operative planning techniques for breast
      augmentation.

PMID- 26116969
TI  - Early surgical treatment by free flap reconstruction of hydrofluoric acid burn
      injury.

PMID- 26116970
TI  - Recurrence rate and shift in histopathological differentiation of oral squamous
      cell carcinoma - A long-term retrospective study over a period of 13.5 years.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Little information is available as to whether recurrences of oral
      squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) show different histopathological grades than the
      primary tumor and whether postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) influences the grade
      of differentiation in the case of recurrence. The objective of this study was the
      evaluation of recurrence rates and change in differentiation. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: This retrospective, single-institution cohort study included surgically
      treated OSCC patients over a 13-year period (2000-2013). The relationship among
      tumor size, lymph node metastases, and recurrence rate of OSCC was investigated.
      Primary tumor differentiation was compared with differentiation of recurrence.
      RESULTS: A total of 429 patients (277 men and 152 women) were included in this
      study. Of these, 124 (28.9%) received PORT. The incidence of primary cervical
      metastases increased significantly with tumor size (p < 0.001). Recurrence
      developed in 82 patients (19.1%). Stage T1/T2 showed a significantly lower
      recurrence rate than stage T3/T4 (16.3% vs. 30.2%) (p < 0.01). A total of 23
      (30.7%) patients with recurrence showed a change in differentiation. CONCLUSION:
      Increasing primary tumor size correlates with incidence of cervical metastases
      and recurrence rate. Initial cervical metastases show no effect on recurrence
      rates. Differentiation of primary tumor does not correlate with the recurrence
      rate. The majority of recurrences show consistent histopathological grading.

PMID- 26116971
TI  - Sensitivity and specificity of cone beam computed tomography in thin bony
      structures in maxillofacial surgery - A clinical trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) has become widely used in
      dentistry and maxillofacial surgery. Accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of
      thin bony structures below 0.5 mm have been subject of some in vitro studies.
      This prospective in vivo study investigates the correlation between preoperative
      CBCT-imaging and intraoperative clinical examination of thin bony structures. We
      hereby present results from daily clinical routine. METHODS: A total number of 80
      sites in 64 patients has been examined to differentiate between preoperative 3D
      imaging and clinical measurements on cystic lesions in maxilla and mandible.
      Different CBCT-devices with a voxel size ranging from 0.08 mm to 0.4 mm were
      used. RESULTS: Overall-specificity found for detecting thin bony structures of
      the human jaw is 13.89%, overall sensitivity is 100%, positive predictive value
      (PPV) is 58.67% and negative predictive value (NPV) is 100%. DISCUSSION: Image
      quality is the key to make use of additional information CBCT provides and
      depends on spatial, temporal and contrast resolution. CBCT does not depict
      reliably thin bony structures of the jaw, even if high voxel resolution is used.
      CONCLUSION: In selected cases using high resolution protocols should be
      considered despite affecting the patient with higher doses of radiation.

PMID- 26116972
TI  - The value of tranexamic acid during fronto-orbital advancement in isolated
      metopic craniosynostosis.
AB  - Craniofacial surgery in infants still harbors the risk of significant blood loss
      and the need for red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. Hence, the aim of the present
      study was to investigate the antifibrinolytic effect of tranexamic acid (TXA) on
      intraoperative blood loss and RBC transfusion rates during fronto-orbital
      advancement (FOA) in isolated metopic synostosis. A total of 33 children with
      metopic synostosis were operated on using standardized FOA, of which 16 patients
      (48.5%) were treated without intraoperative TXA (non-TXA group) and 17 patients
      (51.5%) received TXA intraoperatively (TXA group). To accurately evaluate the
      calculated blood loss (CBL) we analyzed the values for pre- and postoperative
      hematocrit and the volume of the RBC transfusion. The mean CBL and the mean
      weight-adjusted CBL was significantly lower for patients receiving TXA compared
      with the non-TXA group (158.8 ml vs. 198.5 ml, p = 0.0001; and 19.1 ml/kg vs.
      22.3 ml/kg, p = 0.0293, respectively). In addition, the mean RBC transfusion and
      the mean weight-adjusted RBC transfusion was significantly lower for the TXA
      group (252.2 ml vs. 280.0 ml, p = 0.0001; and 27.9 ml/kg vs. 31.3 ml/kg, p =
      0.0345, respectively). The mean duration of the surgical procedure did not differ
      statistically between the groups (132 min vs. 136 min, p = 0.4081), hence the
      lower CBL in the TXA-group was not related to a shorter cutting-suture time. As
      the use of intraoperative TXA minimizes blood transfusion volumes in children who
      undergo FOA, antifibrinolytics, such as TXA, should be considered for routine use
      in pediatric craniofacial surgery.

PMID- 26116973
TI  - Exercising influence: distinct biotic interactions shape root microbiomes.
AB  - Root microbiomes are formed from diverse microbial soil settings with
      extraordinary consistency, suggesting both defined mechanisms of assembly and
      specific microbial activity. Recent improvements in sequencing technologies, data
      analysis techniques, and study design, allow definition of the microbiota within
      these intimate and important relationships with increasing accuracy. Comparing
      datasets provides powerful insights into the overlap of plant microbiomes, as
      well as the impacts of surrounding plants and microbes on root microbiomes and
      long-term soil conditioning. Here we address how recent studies tease apart the
      impact of various biotic interactions, including: plant-plant, plant-microbe, and
      microbe-microbe on root microbiome composition. 

PMID- 26116974
TI  - Phylogenomics and evolution of secondary metabolism in plant-associated fungi.
AB  - Fungi produce a myriad of secondary metabolites, compounds that are not required
      for basic cellular processes, but are thought to be central to ecological
      functions. Genomic sequencing of fungi has revealed a greater diversity of
      secondary metabolism than previously realized, including novel taxonomic
      distributions of known compounds and uncharacterized gene clusters in well
      studied organisms. Here we provide an overview of the major groups of
      metabolites, their ecological functions, the genetic systems that produce them,
      and the patterns and processes associated with evolutionary diversification of
      secondary metabolism in plant-associated filamentous ascomycetes. 

PMID- 26116975
TI  - Reconsidering mutualistic plant-fungal interactions through the lens of effector
      biology.
AB  - Mutualistic mycorrhizal plant-fungal interactions have shaped the evolution of
      plant life on land. In these intimate associations, fungal hyphae grow invasively
      within plant tissues. Despite this invasion, these mycorrhizal fungi are not
      repulsed leading to a great deal of research focused on the signals exchanged
      between mutualistic fungi and their host plants in an effort to understand how
      these relationships are established. In this review, we focus on one type of
      signal used by mutualistic fungi during symbiosis: effector proteins. These small
      secreted proteins have recently been found to be used by a range of beneficial
      fungi to alter the physiological status of the plant host such that symbiosis is
      favoured. We discuss how the role of these novel proteins has altered our vision
      of how the 'mutualistic' lifestyle evolved in fungi: rather than being perceived
      as beneficial by their plant hosts, these microbes currently viewed as
      'beneficial' may actually be overcoming the defences of their plant hosts in a
      mechanism originally thought to be unique to pathogenic microbes. 

PMID- 26116976
TI  - Chromatin-based control of effector gene expression in plant-associated fungi.
AB  - Plant-associated fungi often present in their genome areas enriched in repeat
      sequences and effector genes, the latter being specifically induced in planta.
      The location of effector genes in regions enriched in repeats has been shown to
      have an impact on adaptability of fungi but could also provide for tight control
      of effector gene expression through chromatin-based regulation. The distribution
      of two repressive histone marks was shown to be an important regulatory layer in
      two fungal species with different lifestyles. Chromatin-based control of effector
      gene expression is likely to provide an evolutionary advantage by preventing the
      expression of genes not needed during vegetative growth and allow for a massive
      concerted expression at particular time-points of plant infection. 

PMID- 26116977
TI  - Plant cysteine-rich peptides that inhibit pathogen growth and control rhizobial
      differentiation in legume nodules.
AB  - Plants must co-exist with both pathogenic and beneficial microbes. Antimicrobial
      peptides with broad antimicrobial activities represent one of the first lines of
      defense against pathogens. Many plant cysteine-rich peptides with potential
      antimicrobial properties have been predicted. Amongst them, defensins and
      defensin-like peptides are the most abundant and plants can express several
      hundreds of them. In some rhizobial-legume symbioses special defensin-like
      peptides, the nodule-specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides have evolved in those
      legumes whose symbiotic partner terminally differentiates. In Medicago
      truncatula, >700 NCRs exist and collectively act as plant effectors inducing
      irreversible differentiation of rhizobia to nitrogen-fixing bacteroids. Cationic
      NCR peptides have a broad range of potent antimicrobial activities but do not
      kill the endosymbionts. 

PMID- 26116978
TI  - Chitin-mediated plant-fungal interactions: catching, hiding and handshaking.
AB  - Plants can detect infecting fungi through the perception of chitin
      oligosaccharides by lysin motif receptors such as CEBiP and CERK1. A major
      function of CERK1 seems to be as a signaling molecule in the receptor complex
      formed with ligand-binding molecules and to activate downstream defense
      signaling. Fungal pathogens, however, have developed counter strategies to escape
      from the chitin-mediated detection by using effectors and/or changing their cell
      walls. Common structural features between chitin and Nod-/Myc-factors and
      corresponding receptors have suggested the close relationships between the chitin
      mediated immunity and rhizobial/arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. The recent
      discovery of the dual function of OsCERK1 in both plant immunity and mycorrhizal
      symbiosis sheds new light on the evolutionary relationships between defense and
      symbiotic systems in plants. 

PMID- 26116979
TI  - How can an understanding of plant-pollinator interactions contribute to global
      food security?
AB  - Pollination of crops by animals is an essential part of global food production,
      but evidence suggests that wild pollinator populations may be declining while a
      number of problems are besetting managed honey bee colonies. Animal-pollinated
      crops grown today, bred in an environment where pollination was less likely to
      limit fruit set, are often suboptimal in attracting and sustaining their
      pollinator populations. Research into plant-pollinator interactions is often
      conducted in a curiosity-driven, ecological framework, but may inform breeding
      and biotechnological approaches to enhance pollinator attraction and crop yield.
      In this article we review key topics in current plant-pollinator research that
      have potential roles in future crop breeding for enhanced global food security. 

PMID- 26116980
TI  - Impact of chronic use of cibenzoline on left ventricular pressure gradient and
      left ventricular remodeling in patients with hypertrophic obstructive
      cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cibenzoline, a class Ia antiarrhythmic drug, is useful for reducing
      the left ventricular pressure gradient (LVPG) in patients with hypertrophic
      obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). However, chronic effects of cibenzoline on
      LVPG and left ventricular (LV) remodeling are unknown. METHODS: Forty-one
      patients with HOCM participated in this study. Echocardiographic,
      electrocardiographic, and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) data collected before
      and after cibenzoline treatment were compared. From the relation between LVPG and
      plasma concentration of cibenzoline, an efficacious plasma concentration of
      cibenzoline was estimated. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 74.2+/-47.1
      months. The LVPG decreased from 104.8+/-62.6mmHg to 27.6+/-30.5mmHg (p<0.0001).
      The LV end-diastolic dimension increased from 42.8+/-5.8mm to 46.2+/-5.4mm
      (p<0.0001), but neither LV end-systolic dimension nor LV fractional shortening
      changed significantly. The left atrial dimension decreased from 40.0+/-4.7mm to
      36.2+/-5.1mm (p<0.0001). The E-wave velocity/A-wave velocity ratio increased,
      early diastolic annular velocity (Ea) increased, and E/Ea ratio decreased. The
      interventricular septal wall thickness, LV posterior wall thickness, the Sokolow
      Lyon index, and the depth of negative T wave decreased. The heart rate-corrected
      QT interval was shortened. Plasma BNP level decreased from 418.8+/-423.7pg/ml to
      213.7+/-154.1pg/ml (p<0.02). The safe and efficacious plasma concentration of
      cibenzoline was between 300ng/mL and 1500ng/mL. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term treatment
      with cibenzoline attenuated LVPG, improved LV diastolic dysfunction, and induced
      LV hypertrophy regression in patients with HOCM without causing serious
      complications.

PMID- 26116981
TI  - Pre-PCI angiographic TIMI flow in the culprit coronary artery influences infarct
      size and microvascular obstruction in STEMI patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The influence of initial-thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (i
      TIMI) coronary flow in the culprit coronary artery on myocardial infarct and
      microvascular obstruction (MVO) size is unclear. We assessed the impact on
      infarct size of i-TIMI flow in the culprit coronary artery, as well as on MVO
      incidence and size, by contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (ce-CMR).
      METHODS: In a prospective, multicenter study, pre-percutaneous coronary
      intervention (PCI) coronary occlusion was defined by an i-TIMI flow <=1, and
      patency was defined by an i-TIMI flow >=2. Infarct size, as well as MVO presence
      and size, were measured on ce-CMR 72h after admission. RESULTS: A total of 140
      patients presenting with ST-elevated myocardial infarction referred for primary
      PCI were included. There was no significant difference in final post-PCI TIMI
      flow between the groups (2.95+/-0.02 vs. 2.97+/-0.02, respectively; p=0.44). In
      the i-TIMI flow <=1 group, infarct size was significantly larger (32+/-17g vs.
      21+/-17g, respectively; p=0.002), MVO was significantly more frequent (74% vs.
      53%, respectively; p=0.012), and MVO size was significantly larger [1.3 IQR (0;
      7.1) vs. 0 IQR (0; 1.6)], compared to in the i-TIMI >=2 patient group.
      CONCLUSION: Initial angiographic TIMI flow in the culprit coronary artery prior
      to any PCI predicted final infarct size and MVO size: the better was the i-TIMI
      flow, the smaller were the infarct and MVO size.

PMID- 26116983
TI  - Long lasting cerebellar alterations after perinatal asphyxia in rats.
AB  - The developing brain may be particularly vulnerable to injury before, at and
      after birth. Among possible insults, hypoxia suffered as a consequence of
      perinatal asphyxia (PA) exhibits the highest incidence levels and the cerebellar
      circuitry appears to be particularly susceptible, as the cellular makeup and the
      quantity of inputs change quickly during days and weeks following birth. In this
      work, we have used a murine model to induce severe global PA in rats at the time
      of birth. Short-term cerebellar alterations within this PA model have been
      previously reported but whether such alterations remain in adulthood has not been
      conclusively determined yet. For this reason, and given the crucial cerebellar
      role in determining connectivity patterns in the brain, the aim of our work is to
      unveil long-term cerebellum histomorphology following a PA insult. Morphological
      and cytological neuronal changes and glial reaction in the cerebellar cortex were
      analyzed at postnatal 120 (P120) following injury performed at birth. As compared
      to control, PA animals exhibited: (1) an increase in molecular and granular
      thickness, both presenting lower cellular density; (2) a disarrayed Purkinje cell
      layer presenting a higher number of anomalous calbindin-stained cells. (3) focal
      swelling and marked fragmentation of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2) in
      Purkinje cell dendrites and, (4) an increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein
      (GFAP) expression in Bergmann cells and the granular layer. In conclusion, we
      demonstrate that PA produces long-term damage in cellular histomorphology in rat
      cerebellar cortex which could be involved in the pathogenesis of cognitive
      deficits observed in both animals and humans. 

PMID- 26116982
TI  - Hyperbaric hyperoxia alters innate immune functional properties during NASA
      Extreme Environment Mission Operation (NEEMO).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spaceflight is associated with immune dysregulation which is
      considered as risk factor for the performance of exploration-class missions.
      Among the consequences of confinement and other environmental factors of living
      in hostile environments, the role of different oxygen concentrations is of
      importance as either low (e.g. as considered for lunar or Martian habitats) or
      high (e.g. during extravehicular activities) can trigger immune dysfunction. The
      aim of this study was to investigate the impact of increased oxygen availability-
      generated through hyperbaricity--on innate immune functions in the course of a 14
      days NEEMO mission. METHODS: 6 male subjects were included into a 14 days
      undersea deployment at the Aquarius station (Key Largo, FL, USA). The underwater
      habitat is located at an operating depth of 47 ft. The 2.5 times higher
      atmospheric pressure in the habitat leads to hyperoxia. The collection of
      biological samples occurred 6 days before (L-6), at day 7 (MD7) and 11/13
      (MD11/13) during the mission, and 90 days thereafter (R). Blood analyses included
      differential blood cell count, ex vivo innate immune activation status and
      inhibitory competences of granulocytes. RESULTS: The absolute leukocyte count
      showed an increase during deployment as well as the granulocyte and monocyte
      count. Lymphocyte count was decreased on MD7. The assessments of native adhesion
      molecules on granulocytes (CD11b, CD62L) indicated a highly significant cellular
      activation (L-6 vs. MD7/MD13) during mission. In contrast, granulocytes were more
      sensitive towards anti-inflammatory stimuli (adenosine) on MD13. CONCLUSION:
      Living in the NEEMO habitat for 14 days induced significant immune alterations as
      seen by an activation of adhesion molecules and vice versa higher sensitivity
      towards inhibition. This investigation under hyperbaric hyperoxia is important
      especially for Astronauts' immune competence during extravehicular activities
      when exposed to similar conditions.

PMID- 26116984
TI  - Low processivity for DNA translocation by the ISWI molecular motor.
AB  - The motor protein ISWI (Imitation SWItch) is the conserved catalytic ATPase
      domain of the ISWI family of chromatin remodelers. Members of the ISWI family are
      involved in regulating the structure of cellular chromatin during times of
      transcription, translation, and repair. Current models for the nucleosome
      repositioning activity of ISWI and other chromatin remodelers require the
      translocation of the remodeling protein along double-stranded DNA through an ATP
      dependent mechanism. Here we report results from spectrofluorometric stopped-flow
      experiments which demonstrate that ISWI displays very low processivity for free
      DNA translocation. By combining these results with those from experiments
      monitoring the DNA stimulated ATPase activity of ISWI we further demonstrate that
      the DNA translocation by ISWI is tightly coupled to ATP hydrolysis. The
      calculated coupling efficiency of 0.067+/-0.018 ATP/ISWI/bp is seemingly quite
      low in comparison to similar DNA translocases and we present potential models to
      account for this. Nevertheless, the tight coupling of ATP hydrolysis to DNA
      translocation suggests that DNA translocation is not energetically rate limiting
      for nucleosome repositioning by ISWI.

PMID- 26116985
TI  - Comparison of Distal Limb Warming With Fluidotherapy and Warm Water Immersion for
      Mild Hypothermia Rewarming.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of
      Fluidotherapy rewarming through the distal extremities for mildly hypothermic,
      vigorously shivering subjects. Fluidotherapy is a dry heat modality in which
      cellulose particles are suspended by warm air circulation. METHODS: Seven
      subjects (2 female) were cooled on 3 occasions in 8C water for 60 minutes, or to
      a core temperature of 35 degrees C. They were then dried and rewarmed in a seated
      position by 1) shivering only; 2) Fluidotherapy applied to the distal extremities
      (46 +/- 1 degrees C, mean +/- SD); or 3) water immersion of the distal
      extremities (44 +/- 1 degrees C). The order of rewarming followed a balanced
      design. Esophageal temperature, skin temperature, heart rate, oxygen consumption,
      and heat flux were measured. RESULTS: The warm water produced the highest
      rewarming rate, 6.1 degrees C.h(-1), 95% CI: 5.3-6.9, compared with
      Fluidotherapy, 2.2 degrees C.h(-1), 95% CI: 1.4-3.0, and shivering only, 2.0
      degrees C.h(-1), 95% CI: 1.2-2.8. The Fluidotherapy and warm water conditions
      increased skin temperature and inhibited shivering heat production, thus reducing
      metabolic heat production (166 +/- 42 W and 181 +/- 45 W, respectively), compared
      with shivering only (322 +/- 142 W). Warm water provided a significantly higher
      net heat gain (398.0 +/- 52 W) than shivering only (288.4 +/- 115 W).
      CONCLUSIONS: Fluidotherapy was not as effective as warm water for rewarming
      mildly hypothermic subjects. Although Fluidotherapy is more portable and
      technically simpler, it provides a lower rate of rewarming that is similar to
      shivering only. It does help decrease shivering heat production, lowering energy
      expenditure and cardiac work, and could be considered in a hospital setting, if
      convenient.

PMID- 26116986
TI  - Surface engineered polymeric nanocarriers mediate the delivery of transferrin
      methotrexate conjugates for an improved understanding of brain cancer.
AB  - The objective of present study was to enhance permeation of bioactive molecules
      across blood brain barrier (BBB) through polysorbate 80 coated poly-lactic-co
      glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with methotrexate-transferrin (Tw
      Mtx-Tf-NP) conjugates (Mtx-Tf). The easy trans-BBB migration of developed
      formulations through endocytosis, and inhibition of P-gp efflux pump present in
      brain were established by Pluronic F-68 and/or polysorbate 80 (Tween 80/Tw). The
      over-expression of transferrin (Tf) receptors on cancer cell surface allowed
      targeted and sustained delivery of Mtx-Tf conjugated to brain cancer cells by
      receptor mediated endocytosis. The developed formulations showed improved
      penetration in comparison to non-targeting experimental NP controls. The
      transportation potential and bio-distribution studies of such nanosized polymeric
      carriers showing successful migration and trans-BBB passage was carried out by
      administering FITC labeled drug loaded NPs to albino rats through intravenous
      route. We have validated anti-tumor efficiency of newly formulated and drug
      loaded NPs compared to controls in experimentally induced tumor-harboring rat
      model. The present study suggests greater compatibility, less organ toxicity and
      higher anti-tumor activity of developed formulations due to their targeting and
      sustained delivery potential in cancer therapeutic interventions. In conclusion,
      our findings of targeted and sustained drug delivery potential of NPs for are
      corroborated with in vitro and in vivo evidence, and formulated novel delivery
      vehicle shows its value in developing new tools for treating brain cancer. 

PMID- 26116987
TI  - Where Did She Go? The Transformation of Self-Esteem, Self-Identity, and Mental
      Well-Being among Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Discussions on intimate partner violence (IPV) often focus on
      physical abuse, ignoring psychological and sexual abuse and controlling
      behaviors. The damage of varied forms of IPV on mental well-being in its broader
      form have been far less explored, especially among low-income women. Our aim was
      to improve our understanding of self-perceptions of mental well-being among low
      income women who have experienced IPV by considering a broader definition of
      mental well-being that includes self-esteem and self-identity as core components.
      METHODS: Using qualitative methods, we present findings from in-depth interviews
      with 41 low-income women currently or recently experiencing abuse and housing
      instability. RESULTS: Women experienced varied types of violence (physical,
      sexual, emotional, psychological, social isolation, and controlling behaviors).
      Injuries resulting from physical abuse were viewed differently from those arising
      from emotional and psychological control. Physical injuries healed faster,
      whereas damage to self-esteem and identity lingered. The journey through and out
      of IPV is often marked by an initial erosion of sense of self (identity
      deconstruction) followed by the identity reconstruction through an extended
      process of change aimed at rebuilding self-esteem, mental well-being, self
      efficacy, and ultimately self-identity. CONCLUSIONS: IPV-related training for
      physicians and allied health professionals should emphasize the varied nature of
      IPV and its impact on identity, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Treatment should
      be holistic to address comorbid needs, including physical injury, mental health,
      and addiction problems. Consider supportive programs that integrate those living
      with or leaving IPV with women with past lived experience who can help women to
      understand the process of change and support this change in a nurturing setting.

PMID- 26116988
TI  - Attention: the claustrum.
AB  - The claustrum is a mysterious thin sheet of neurons lying between the insular
      cortex and the striatum. It is reciprocally connected with almost all cortical
      areas, including motor, somatosensory, visual, auditory, limbic, associative, and
      prefrontal cortices. In addition, it receives neuromodulatory input from
      subcortical structures. A decade ago, Sir Francis Crick and Christof Koch
      published an influential review proposing the claustrum as the 'seat of
      consciousness', spurring a revival of interest in the claustrum. We review the
      literature on the claustrum, emphasizing recent discoveries, and develop a
      detailed hypothesis describing a role for the claustrum in the segregation of
      attention. 

PMID- 26116989
TI  - The truth about the lower plasma concentration of the (-)-isomer after racemic
      doxazosin administration in rats: Stereoselective inhibition of the (-)-isomer by
      the (+)-isomer at CYP3A.
AB  - Doxazosin (DOX), a long-lasting alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist, is used
      clinically as a racemate that consists of two optical isomers. In humans and
      rats, following oral administration of racemic DOX [(+/-)-DOX], the plasma
      concentration of the (-)-isomer is lower than that of the (+)-isomer, but the
      mechanism for this interaction is not known. In this study, a chiral HPLC with
      fluorescence detection was used to measure the drug concentrations for analysis
      of the stereoselective metabolism of DOX in in vivo and in vitro experiments. We
      found that the plasma levels of the (-)-isomer were significantly lower than
      those of the (+)-enantiomer following i.v. administration of (+/-)-DOX to the
      rats and that the depletion rate constant (kdep) of (-)-DOX (0.0107+/
      0.0007L/min) was significantly larger than that of (+)-DOX (kdep 0.0088+/
      0.0005L/min) (p<0.05) when (+/-)-DOX was incubated with rat liver microsomes
      (RLMs). However, (-)-DOX was not depleted faster than (+)-DOX following their
      separate incubation with RLMs. The metabolism of (-)- or (+)-isomer in RLMs was
      catalysed by CYP3A because the depletion of the compounds was inhibited by
      ketoconazole (a potent CYP3A-selective inhibitor) similarly. More importantly,
      the kdep of (+)-DOX in the 1.0/2.0 and 0.5/2.5 (+)-DOX/(-)-DOX mixtures was
      significantly lower than that of (-)-DOX in the 1.0/2.0 and 0.5/2.5 (-)-DOX/(+)
      DOX mixtures (p<0.05). In conclusion, although (-)-DOX is not depleted faster
      than (+)-DOX when only a single isomer of DOX is incubated with rat liver
      microsomes, it is depleted much faster than (+)-DOX when a mixture of the two
      isomers was used, suggesting a prominent and stereoselective inhibition of the (
      )-isomer over the (+)-isomer at the CYP3A enzyme. 

PMID- 26116990
TI  - Preclinical pharmacokinetic studies of 3-deazaneplanocin A, a potent epigenetic
      anticancer agent, and its human pharmacokinetic prediction using GastroPlusTM.
AB  - DZNep is a potential epigenetic drug, and exerts potent anti-proliferative and
      pro-apoptotic effects on broad-spectrum carcinomas via disruption of the EZH2
      pathway. Antitumor studies on DZNep have been stuck in the preclinical phase
      because of the lack of information about its integral pharmacokinetic (PK)
      properties. To circumvent this problem, we extensively investigated the
      disposition characteristics of the DZNep in rats. By incorporating the
      disposition data across species into a whole-body physiologically based
      pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models using the GastroPlus(TM) software, we simulated
      human PK properties of DZNep and determined whether DZNep could be developed for
      human cancer therapy. Firstly, DZNep was found to cause nephrotoxicity in a dose
      dependent manner in rats and its safe dose was determined to be 10mg/kg. DZNep
      showed a short plasma elimination half-life (1.1h) in rats, a low protein binding
      in plasma (18.5%), a low partitioning to erythrocyte (0.78), and a low intrinsic
      hepatic clearance in rats and humans. There was extensive tissue distribution and
      predominant renal excretion (80.3%). The simulated rat PBPK model of DZNep was
      well-verified with satisfactory coefficients of determination for all the tested
      tissues (R(2)>0.781). The simulated human PBPK model successfully identified that
      intravenous administration of DZNep at appropriate dosing regimen could be
      further developed for human non-small cell lung carcinoma treatments. The present
      findings provide valuable information regarding experimental or in silico PK
      characteristics of DZNep in rats and humans, which is helpful to guide future
      studies of DZNep in both preclinical and clinical phases.

PMID- 26116991
TI  - Meta-Analysis of Non-O Blood Group as an Independent Risk Factor for Coronary
      Artery Disease.
AB  - To determine whether non-O blood group is an independent risk factor for coronary
      artery disease (CAD), we performed a meta-analysis of contemporary studies
      reporting adjusted relative risk estimates using multivariable logistic
      regression and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. MEDLINE and
      EMBASE were searched from January 2001 to March 2015 using Web-based search
      engines (PubMed and OVID). Search terms included blood group/type and coronary
      (artery/heart) disease, ischemic/ischaemic heart disease, acute coronary
      syndrome, myocardial infarction, or angina. Eligible were case-control, cross
      sectional, or cohort studies reporting adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and hazard
      ratios (HRs) for CAD in subjects with non-O versus O blood group using
      multivariable logistic regression/multivariable Cox proportional hazards
      regression. Study-specific estimates were combined using inverse variance
      weighted averages of logarithmic ORs/HRs in the random-effects model. Of 117
      potentially relevant articles screened initially, 12 relative risk estimates in
      10 eligible studies were identified and included. Pooled analysis of all the 12
      ORs/HRs demonstrated that non-O blood group was associated with a statistically
      significant 14% increase in CAD incidence relative to O blood group (OR/HR 1.14,
      95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.25, p = 0.006). There was no evidence of
      significant publication bias. Combining 8 studies reporting data regarding
      (acute) myocardial infarction also generated a statistically significant result
      unfavoring non-O blood group (OR/HR 1.16, 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 1.31, p
      = 0.02). In conclusion, we found that based on a meta-analysis of 10 studies
      enrolling a total of 174,945 participants, non-O blood group appears to be an
      independent risk factor for CAD and myocardial infarction. 

PMID- 26116992
TI  - Predictive Value of Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase Levels for Contrast-Induced
      Nephropathy in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Who
      Underwent Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.
AB  - Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) after primary percutaneous coronary
      intervention (PPCI) is associated with adverse short- and long-term outcomes. The
      aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of gamma-glutamyl
      transferase (GGT) for risk of CIN in patients with ST-segment elevation
      myocardial infarction who underwent PPCI. A total of 473 patients were enrolled
      in the study. A relative increase in serum creatinine >=25%, or an absolute
      increase >=0.5 mg/dl, from the baseline within 72 hours of contrast exposure was
      defined as CIN. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to GGT tertiles
      (tertile 1, GGT <19 U/L; tertile 2, GGT 19 to 33 U/L; and tertile 3, GGT >33 U/L)
      on admission. Demographics, clinical risk factors, laboratory parameters, CIN
      incidence, and other inhospital clinical outcomes were compared among GGT
      tertiles. CIN incidence was significantly higher in tertile 3 (29%) compared with
      tertiles 1 (11%) and 2 (11%, p <0.001). Inhospital death incidence was
      significantly increased across tertiles (from tertile 1 to tertiles 2 and 3, 1%,
      4%, and 5%, respectively, p <0.05). In receiver operating characteristic
      analysis, a threshold value of GGT >26.5 U/L had 70% sensitivity and 60%
      specificity for CIN. After including variables found significant in univariate
      analysis, the presence of diabetes mellitus (odds ratio [OR] 1.71, 95% confidence
      interval [CI] 1.22 to 2.31, p <0.001), C-reactive protein (for each 1 mg/L
      increase; OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.02, p = 0.007), contrast volume (for each 1
      ml increase; OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.02, p = 0.012), and GGT >26.5 U/L (OR
      2.59, 95% CI 1.48 to 4.53, p <0.001) were found as independent associates of CIN
      in multivariate regression analysis. Each 1 U/L increase in GGT was also
      associated with CIN risk (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.06, p <0.001). In conclusion,
      GGT on admission was a significant and independent predictor of CIN after PPCI in
      patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. 

PMID- 26116993
TI  - Approaches for identifying multiple-SNP haplotype blocks for use in human
      identification.
AB  - Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discrimination effectiveness is low due to
      the bi-allelic nature of SNPs, and large numbers of loci must be analyzed for
      human identification in forensic casework. To resolve these issues, the authors
      support the use of multiple SNP haplotypes that will generate many haplotypes
      based on the combination of SNP alleles. First, 27 regions were selected from the
      JSNP database (http://snp.ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp) according to the following criteria:
      (1) 3 or more SNP loci within 100bp; (2) on-intron or out-of-gene location; and
      (3) frequency of more than 40% for each SNP allele. PCR amplification and high
      resolution melting curve (HRM) analysis were then carried out for all selected
      regions to determine variation in the haplotypes of each. HRM analysis indicated
      that 7 regions (1q25, 1q42.2, 3p24, 10p13, 11p15.1, 14q12-q13, and 20q12)
      containing 3 SNP loci had more than 2 haplotypes. The frequencies of the
      haplotypes for each region were observed via direct sequencing of more than 100
      individuals. Not only haplotyping increases the effectiveness of individual
      identification but also the analysis region is shorter than in common short
      tandem repeat analysis, representing a further advantage for fragmented DNA
      samples in SNP typing. 

PMID- 26116994
TI  - European Code against Cancer 4th Edition: Breastfeeding and cancer.
AB  - Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer in women, and incidence rates have been
      rising in European Union (EU) countries over recent decades due in part to a
      sharp decline in breastfeeding practices. Evidence for a protective association
      between breastfeeding and the risk of breast cancer at all ages is convincing,
      and modest protective relationships between breastfeeding and the risk of
      endometrial and ovarian cancers have been suggested. The reduction in breast
      cancer risk is estimated at 2% for an increase of 5 months of lifetime
      breastfeeding. The longer women breastfeed, the more they are protected against
      breast cancer. In addition, breastfeeding is associated with several health
      benefits for both the mother and the breastfed child. Taking all this evidence
      into account, the 4th edition of the European Code against Cancer recommends:
      "Breastfeeding reduces the mother's cancer risk. If you can, breastfeed your
      baby".

PMID- 26116995
TI  - A polyoxometalate-based inorganic-organic hybrid polymer constructed from silver
      Schiff base building block and Keggin-type cluster: Synthesis, crystal structure
      and photocatalytic performance for the degradation of rhodamine B.
AB  - One polyoxometalate-based inorganic-organic hybrid polymer
      [Ag3L4(PMo12O40)(CH3OH)].CH3OH (1), where L is N,N'-bis(furan-2
      ylmethylene)hydrazine, has been synthesized at room temperature and structurally
      characterized by infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy,
      elemental analysis, X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray single-crystal
      crystallography. The structure of 1 exhibits a crystalline one-dimensional
      polymer constructed by the connections of Keggin-type [PMo12O40](3-) anions and
      [Ag3L4](3+) units, in which each Ag(I) center adopted a distorted square
      pyramidal environment. The spectroscopic experiments show that polymer 1 not only
      is potential semiconductor materials but also displays the obvious photocatalytic
      performance for the degradation of rhodamine B. 

PMID- 26116996
TI  - The electronic structure engineering of organic dye sensitizers for solar cells:
      The case of JK derivatives.
AB  - The design and development of novel dye sensitizers are effective method to
      improve the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) because dye
      sensitizers have significant influence on photo-to-current conversion efficiency.
      In the procedure of dye sensitizer design, it is very important to understand how
      to tune their electronic structures and related properties through the
      substitution of electronic donors, acceptors, and conjugated bridges in dye
      sensitizers. Here, the electronic structures and excited-state properties of
      organic JK dye sensitizers are calculated by using density functional theory
      (DFT) and time dependent DFT methods. Based upon the calculated results, we
      investigated the role of different electronic donors, acceptors, and pi
      conjugated bridges in the modification of electronic structures, absorption
      properties, as well as the free energy variations for electron injection and dye
      regeneration. In terms of the analysis of transition configurations and molecular
      orbitals, the effective chromophores which are favorable for electron injection
      in DSSCs are addressed. Meanwhile, considering the absorption spectra and free
      energy variation, the promising electronic donors, pi-conjugated bridges, and
      acceptors are presented to design dye sensitizers. 

PMID- 26116997
TI  - Cobalt ferrite nano-composite coated on glass by Doctor Blade method for photo
      catalytic degradation of an azo textile dye Reactive Red 4: XRD, FESEM and DRS
      investigations.
AB  - Cobalt ferrite nano-composite was prepared by hydrothermal route using cobalt
      nitrate, iron nitrate and ethylene glycol as chelating agent. The nano-composite
      was coated on glass by Doctor Blade method and annealed at 300  degrees C. The
      structural, optical, and photocatalytic properties have been studied by powder X
      ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and UV
      visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS). Powder XRD analysis confirmed formation of
      CoFe2O4 spinel phase. The estimated particle size from FESEM data was 50 nm. The
      calculated energy band gaps, obtained by Tauc relation from UV-Vis absorption
      spectra was 1.3 eV. Photocatalytic degradation of Reactive Red 4 as an azo
      textile was investigated in aqueous solution under irradiation showed 68.0%
      degradation of the dye within 100 min. The experimental enhanced activity compare
      to pure Fe2O3 can be ascribed to the formation of composite, which was mainly
      attributable to the transfer of electron and hole to the surface of composite and
      hinder the electron hole recombination.

PMID- 26116998
TI  - Phenanthrimidazole as a fluorescent sensor with logic gate operations.
AB  - A novel sensor namely, 1-(1-(p-tolyl)-1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazol-2
      yl)naphthalen-2-ol was synthesised for the detection of anion as well as cation
      through intramolecular charge transfer mechanism. This compound was used for the
      selective detection of Zn(2+) ion as compared to other metal ions and the binding
      was evidenced from the new absorption band at 356 nm and switch on fluorescence
      at 453 nm. The switch on fluorescence can be explained on the basis of
      photoinduced electron transfer (PET) mechanism and it was demonstrated by logic
      gate functions.

PMID- 26116999
TI  - Accumulating exercise and postprandial health in adolescents.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the influence of exercise intensity on postprandial health
      outcomes in adolescents when exercise is accumulated throughout the day. METHODS:
      19 adolescents (9 male, 13.7+/-0.4 years old) completed three 1-day trials in a
      randomised order: (1) rest (CON); or four bouts of (2) 2*1 min cycling at 90%
      peak power with 75 s recovery (high-intensity interval exercise; HIIE); or (3)
      cycling at 90% of the gas exchange threshold (moderate-intensity exercise; MIE),
      which was work-matched to HIIE. Each bout was separated by 2 hours. Participants
      consumed a high fat milkshake for breakfast and lunch. Postprandial
      triacylglycerol (TAG), glucose, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and fat oxidation
      were assessed throughout the day. RESULTS: There was no effect of trial on total
      area under the curve (TAUC) for TAG (P=0.87). TAUC-glucose was lower in HIIE
      compared to CON (P=0.03, ES=0.42) and MIE (P=0.04, ES=0.41), with no difference
      between MIE and CON (P=0.89, ES=0.04). Postprandial SBP was lower in HIIE
      compared to CON (P=0.04, ES=0.50) and MIE (P=0.04, ES=0.40), but not different
      between MIE and CON (P=0.52, ES=0.11). Resting fat oxidation was increased in
      HIIE compared to CON (P=0.01, ES=0.74) and MIE (P=0.05, ES=0.51), with no
      difference between MIE and CON (P=0.37, ES=0.24). CONCLUSION: Neither exercise
      trial attenuated postprandial lipaemia. However, accumulating brief bouts of
      HIIE, but not MIE, reduced postprandial plasma glucose and SBP, and increased
      resting fat oxidation in adolescent boys and girls. The intensity of accumulated
      exercise may therefore have important implications for health outcomes in youth.

PMID- 26117000
TI  - In adult twins, visceral fat accumulation depends more on exceeding sex-specific
      adiposity thresholds than on genetics.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We recently reported sex-specific percent body fat (%BF) thresholds
      (males=23%, females=38%) above which, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) significantly
      increases. Using monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins, we examined the
      influence of genetics on regional fat distribution measured by dual-energy X-ray
      absorptiometry, above and below these sex-specific thresholds for VAT
      accumulation. METHODS: Fifty-eight twin pairs (44 MZ, 14 DZ) were recruited from
      the University of Washington Twin Registry. Segmented linear regression was used
      to assess the threshold between VAT mass and %BF by sex and by zygosity. To
      assess the effect of genetics on VAT accumulation, Dunnett's T3 compared MZ and
      DZ pairs whether the twin pairs were both above the adiposity threshold or not.
      RESULTS: %BF thresholds for VAT accumulation were identified (%BF: M=20.6%,
      F=39.4%). Zygosity-specific thresholds were not significantly different (p>0.05).
      If at least one twin was below threshold, DZ twins still exhibited greater within
      pair differences than MZ pairs in %BF (p=0.023) but not VAT (p=0.121).
      CONCLUSIONS: Using a twin study approach, we observed no difference by zygosity
      for the threshold as which VAT accumulates. Additionally, for the first time we
      observed that while total BF is influenced by genetics, VAT accumulation may
      depend more on whether a person's %BF is above their sex-specific adiposity
      threshold. These results suggest that there may not be a genetic predisposition
      for VAT accumulation but rather it is a result of a predisposition for total fat
      accumulation.

PMID- 26117001
TI  - Pharmacist-led screening program for an inner-city pediatric population.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify the prevalence of asthma, obesity, hypertension, and
      environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure among youth and provide
      recommendations for follow-up care. METHODS: This cross-sectional study consisted
      of 12 health screenings for children between 5 and 17 years of age in various
      inner city, lower socioeconomic, and predominantly black communities throughout
      the city of Pittsburgh, PA. The screenings were conducted by pharmacists and
      student pharmacists from April 2010 to April 2012. Asthma, obesity, hypertension,
      and ETS screenings were offered at each event. RESULTS: A total of 144 children
      (50% girls, 89% black, non-Hispanic) were enrolled. Sixteen percent of the study
      population had a previous diagnosis of asthma; 4% were poorly controlled, and 18%
      were identified as having potential, undiagnosed asthma. Fifty-three percent were
      at an unhealthy weight (0.7% underweight, 24.3% overweight, 28.5% obese), 24% had
      abnormal blood pressure (12.8% prehypertension, 8.5% stage 1 hypertension, 2.8%
      stage 2 hypertension), and 26% had ETS exposure equivalent to that of smokers
      (0.7% light smokers, 17.5% smokers, and 7.7% heavy smokers). Overall, 177
      specific referrals were made. The incidence of hypertension (P <0.001) and the
      proportion of ETS equivalent to heavy smokers increased (P = 0.019) with
      increased weight classification. CONCLUSION: Within this self-selected inner
      city, predominantly black pediatric population, there were high rates of positive
      screens for potential asthma, obesity, hypertension, and smoking. Additionally,
      the risk for high ETS exposure and hypertension increased with increasing weight.
      This study highlights the importance of pharmacists in disease screening and the
      need for alternative prevention and management strategies in disparate pediatric
      populations.

PMID- 26117002
TI  - [Relationship between RAD51-G135C and XRCC3-C241T Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms
      and Onset of Acute Myeloid Leukemia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between RAD51-G135C and XRCC3-C241T
      single nucleotide polymorphisms and onset of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
      METHODS: The study was performed in 2 groups: AML patient group and normal person
      group as control group. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells of
      545 AML patients and 1 034 normal persons. Genotypes of RAD51-G135C and XRCC3
      C241T were analyzed by TaqMan probe technology and the ralatienship between RAD51
      G135C/XRCC3-C241T polymorphisms and onset of acute myeloid leukemia was
      investigated. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, RAD51-G135C homozygous
      mutant (CC) could significantly increase the risk of AML patients (OR=3.07), and
      there was no statistical relationship between heterozygous mutant (GC) of RAD51
      G135C and onset of AML. There was no statistical relationship between homozygous
      mutant (TT) of XRCC3-C241T and onset of AML, and the XRCC3-C241T heterozygous
      mutation type (CT) increased the risk of AML patients (OR=0.66). CONCLUSION:
      RAD51-G135C homozygous mutant and XRCC3-C241T heterozygous mutation significantly
      increase the risk of the AML onset, which can provide more predictive value for
      incidence of AML.

PMID- 26117003
TI  - [Mutations of FBXW7 in Adult T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia].
AB  - BACKGROUD: F-Box and WD40 domain containing protein 7 gene (FBXW7) is part of the
      E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that controls the turnover of various proteins
      including NOTCH1, c-MYC and Cyclin E. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mutations of
      FBXW7 gene in adult T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). METHODS: Exon 5
      12 of FBXW7 were amplified, cloned and sequenced in 54 adult T-ALL patients; the
      frequency, position and types of FBXW7 mutation were analyzed; the co-existing of
      mutations with NOTCH1 and their relevant prognostic significance were explored as
      well. RESULTS: FBXW7 mutations were identified in 11.1% of adult T-ALL patients.
      A total of 4 types of point mutations (R465H, R465L, R479P and R505C) and 1
      deletion/insertion mutation were observed, and all of them located in WD40 domain
      of FBXW7. In addition, co-existing mutations with NOTCH1 were identified in 83.3%
      of patients with FBXW7 mutation. Notably, the co-existed NOTCH1 mutations,
      including 3 point mutations (L1574P, L1596H and L1600P) and 2 deletion/insertion
      mutations located in HD domain. Furthermore, patients with FBXW7 mutation only
      had significantly longer overall survival compared with those without mutation
      (P=0.049). CONCLUSION: FBXW7 mutations may play an important role in NOTCH1
      mediated pathogenesis in T-ALL.

PMID- 26117004
TI  - [CD20 Expression in Adult Patients with B-lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
      and Its Prognostic Significance].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the expression of CD20 antigen and
      clinical characteristics in adult patients with B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia(B
      ALL). METHODS: The CD20 expression of 126 acute lympho-blastic leukemia patients
      in our hospital from July 2009 to July 2012 were determined by flow cytometry.
      The characteristics, examination results and outcome were analyzed
      retrospectively. The complete remission rate (CR rate), relape rate, 2-year
      survival rate and 2-year event-free survival (EFS) of patients with CD20 positive
      and negative after the first cycle of chemstherapy were compared. RESULTS:
      Positive rate of CD20 antigen expression in 126 patients was 24.4% (31 cases),
      negative rate of CD20 antigen expression in 126 patients was 75.6% (95 cases). No
      significant relationship was found between CD20 antigen expression and sex, age,
      peripheral blood leucocytes count and chromosomal changes. The relapse rate, 2
      year survival rate (OS) and 2-year event-free survival (EFS) of adult patients
      with B-ALL in CD20 positive and negative groups were 53.3% and 38.0%, 52.1% and
      92.3%, 33.7% and 70.8% respectively. CONCLUSION: Expression of CD20 in adult
      patients with B-ALL did not related with clinical features, but related with poor
      prognosis.

PMID- 26117005
TI  - [Establishment of Human Acute B-Lymphoblastic Leukemia--NOD/SCID Xenotransplant
      Mouse Model].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish human B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia NOD/SCID mouse
      model. METHODS: The unirradiated mice aged 4-5 weeks were injected with Nalm-6
      cells via the tail vein. Successful transplantation was assessed by the general
      state, bone marrow smear and histopathologic examination. RESULTS: After 15 days
      of injection with Nalm-6 cells, the NOD/SCID mice displayed the morbidily with
      lethargy, hind limb paralysis, hunched back and lossing weight. The infiltration
      of leukemia cells could be observed in bone marrow and spleen sections.
      CONCLUSION: Systemic B lineage acute leukemia animal mode1 has been successfully
      established in the NOD/SCID mice, which is a useful tool for studying
      pathogenesis of leukemia and guiding clinical chemotherapy regimens.

PMID- 26117006
TI  - [Inducing Effect of Akt Kinase Inhibitor MK2206 on Apoptosis in U937 Cells and
      RS4;11 Cells, and Its Mechanism].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was purposed to investigate the effect of Akt kinase
      inhibitor MK2206 on proliferation and apoptosis of U937 cells and RS4;11 cells,
      and to explore its possible mechanism. METHODS: U937 and RS4;11 cells were
      cultured with different concentrations of MK2206 for 24 h and 48 h, and cell
      growth curve was analyzed by CCK-8; cell apoptosis was analyzed by Annexin V/7
      AAD double labeling; cell cycle changes were analyzed by flow cytometry. The BAX,
      BCL-2, XIAP, CDK1, caspase-3 mRNA expressions were determined by real time PCR.
      RESULTS: MK2206 significantly inhibited the growth of U937 and RS4;11 cells in a
      time-and dose-dependent manner, and the IC50 values of U937 cells for 24 h and 48
      h were (0.48+/-0.15) umol/L and (0.09+/-0.01) umol/L respectively, while IC50
      values of RS4;11 cells for 24 h and 48 h were (0.91+/-0.02) umol/L and (0.68+/
      0.11) umol/L respectively. U937 were cultured with 0.5 umol/L MK2206 and RS4;11
      cells were cultured with 1.0 umol/L MK2206 for 24 h and 48 h, and the both
      apoptosis rates were higher for 24 h or 48 h than that in control group (P<0.05),
      meanwhile the apoptosis rates for 48 h were higher than 24 h. The results of cell
      cycle detection showed that the both cells were arrested in G2/M phase compared
      with control group. The real time PCR assay revealed that the expressions of BAX,
      caspase-3 mRNA in cells treated with MK2206 were increased, while BCL-2, XIAP,
      CDK1 were reduced compared with control group. CONCLUSION: MK2206 can inhibit
      proliferation and induce apoptosis of U937 and RS4;11 cells, and the both cells
      are arrested in G2/M phase. The mechanism of promoting apoptosis may be related
      with up-regulating BAX, caspase-3 and down-regulating BCL-2, XIAP, meanwhile the
      cell cycle arrested in G2/M phase may be associated with down-regulating CDK1.

PMID- 26117007
TI  - [Effect of Metformin on Proliferation, Differentiation and Apoptosis of THP-1
      Cells].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of metformin on proliferation,
      differentiation and apoptosis of THP-1 cells and explore its possible mechanism.
      MEHODS: THP-1 cells were cultured with different concentrations of metformin for
      24 h and 48 h. The cell proliferation was evaluated by CCK-8, the cell apoptosis
      was analyzed by Annexin V/7-AAD double labeling, the expression of CD14 and CD11b
      (surface differentiation antigens on THP-1 cells) was evaluated by flow
      cytometry, the BCL-XL, BAX, BIM and caspase-3 mRNA expressions of THP-1 cells
      were detected by real time quantitative PCR. RESULTS: Metformin could
      significantly inhibit the growth of THP-1 cells in a time- and dose- dependent
      manner. After treated with 20 mmol/L metformin for 24 h, the expressions of CD14
      and CD11b in THP-1 cells didn't change much (P>0.05), the early apoptosis rates
      in exprimental and control groups were (2.02+/-0.85)% and (4.46+/-1.33)%
      respectively, the late apoptosis rates in experimental and control groups were
      (1.43+/-0.83)% and (3.31+/-0.59)% respectively. In process of inducing effect of
      20 mmol/L metformin on THP-1 cells, the expressions of BCL-XL and BIM did not
      significantly changed, while the expressions of BAX and caspase-3 significantly
      increased (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Metformin can effectively inhibit proliferation
      and induce apoptosis of THP-1 cells. However, it has no significant effect on
      differentiation of THP-1 cells, its mechanism inducing apoptosis maybe related
      with up-regulating BAX and caspase-3.

PMID- 26117008
TI  - [Biological Effects of the SARI Over-expression on K562 Cell Line].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To construct a lentivirus vector carrying SARI gene and to investigate
      its biological effects on K562 cells. METHODS: SARI was amplified from the
      plasmid containing SARI cDNA and subcloned into pLOV.CMV.eGFP virus vector. After
      sequencing, lentivirus packaging, titering, the viruses of SARI-pLOV.CMV.eGFP
      were harvested and tansfected into the K562 cells. Real-time quantitive PCR and
      Western blot were performed to validate the SARI expression at the level of mRNA
      and protein respectively. Simultaneously, the proliferation, apoptosis and cell
      cycle of K562 cells were detected by CCK-8 and flow cytometry respectively.
      RESULTS: The SARI overexpressed lentivirus vector was successfully constructed.
      The mRNA and protein levels of SARI increased significantly in the pLOV.CMV.eGFP
      SARI group, which was confirmed by Q-PCR and Western blot; as compared with blank
      and mock groups, SARI over-expression leaded to significant proliferation
      inhibition and increased apoptosis of K562 cells, without visible effects on cell
      cycle. CONCLUSION: the over-expression of SARI gene obviously suppresses the cell
      proliferation of the K562 cells as well as promotes the apoptosis. The results
      implied that the induction of the SARI gene expression may be an important
      candidate therapeutic method for the CML.

PMID- 26117009
TI  - [Prognostic Value of Prednisone Response in CCLG-ALL 2008].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To ovaluate the prognostic value of prednisone response in treatment
      regimes of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. METHODS: A total of 598
      newly diagnosed ALL patients were enrolled and received prednisone pre-treatment.
      Based on the peripheral lymphoblast count on day 8, these patients were divided
      into 2 groups: prednisone good response (PGR) and prednisone poor response (PPR).
      PPR patients were classified into high risk group immediately and then received
      intensed chemotherapy. The all enrolled patients were followed up and the
      clinical features and treatment outcomes of the two groups were analyzed.
      RESULTS: Compared with PGR group, PPR group had different characteristics. They
      were older in age and had higher initial white blood cell count (P<0.05). T-cell
      ALL (T-ALL) and Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL (Ph+ ALL) were frequent in
      PPR group (P<0.05). Event-free survival (EFS) rate of PPR group was significantly
      lower than that of PGR group (P<0.05). 2 year event-free survival(EFS) rate of
      PGR group was (88.3+/-1.5)%, while the 2-year EFS rate of PPR group was (58.4+/
      5.3)%. 5 year EFS rates of PGR and PPR were (80.8+/-2.1)% and (53.4+/-6.0)%,
      respectively. The EFS rate of PPR group was falling rapidly within 2 years. PPR
      group had higher relapse rate, and most relapses occurred within 18 months
      (P<0.05). PPR group had more high incidence of minimal residual disease (MRD)
      both on day 33 and on week 12 (P<0.05). No significant difference of EFS and
      relapse time was found between PPR and high risk PGR patients (P>0.05). In multi
      variate regression analysis, the PPR, the presence of BCR-ABL1 and MLL were
      significantly unfavorable factors (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Prednisone response has
      been confirmed to be still great prognostic value and PPR children patients have
      poor outcomes generally. It is likely that the response to prednisone does not
      make much sense to high risk ALL patients.

PMID- 26117010
TI  - [Effects of As2O3 on the Proliferation, Differentiation and Apoptosis of HL-60
      Cells and Its Related Mechanisms].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) on the
      proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of HL-60 cells in vitro and explore
      the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: After HL-60 cells were treated with different
      concentration of As2O3, the cell proliferation was determined by MTS/PES method,
      the differentiation state was detected by the nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT)
      reduction test; flow cytometry was used to analyze the apoptosis and expression
      of CD11b. In addition, SYBR Green real-time RT-PCR was used to measure the mRNA
      levels of C-FES, BCL-2, BAX, survivin , P21 and P27. RESULTS: As2O3 could
      obviously inhibit the proliferation of HL-60 cells, and the effect was in dose-
      and time-dependent manners (r=-0.967; r=-0.954). Low concentration (0.1, 0.5 and
      1.0 umol/L) of As2O3 could significantly promote the differentiation of HL-60
      cells, the cells exhibited a higher NBT-reducing ability and expressed far more
      CD11b antigens. High concentration (2.5 and 5.0 umol/L) of As2O3 induced HL-60
      cell apoptosis, but the ability of promoting differentiation decreased. The
      expression of C-FES mRNA significantly increased after being treated with As2O3
      at the concentrations 1.0 and 5.0 umol/L, and the former is more obvious, which
      confirmed that C-FES mRNA level paralleled the cell differentiation degree. Also,
      the expression of BCL-2 and survivin significantly decreased, while the
      expression of BAX, P21 and P27 was significantly upregulated in HL-60 cells after
      being treated with 5.0 umol/L As2O3. CONCLUSION: As2O3 can significantly suppress
      cell proliferation, promote the differentiation and induce the apoptosis in HL-60
      cells, and the mechanism of As2O3 anti-tumor activity may be involved in the
      regulation of C-FES, cell cycle and apoptosis-related genes.

PMID- 26117011
TI  - [Salinomycin Enhances the Apoptosis of T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cell
      Line Jurkat Cells Induced by Vincristine].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to investigate the effect of salinomycin combined
      with vincristine on the proliferation and apoptosis of Jurkat cells and its
      possible mechanisms. METHODS: The proliferation of Jurkat cells was examined by
      CKK-8 assay. Flow cytometry was used to assess cellular apoptosis. Levels of BCL
      2, caspase-3, and caspase- 8 were measured by Western blot. RESULTS: The
      salinomycin or vincristine, either alone or in combination, inhibited the
      proliferation of Jurkat cells in a dose-dependent manner. Salinomycin combined
      with vincristine produced more obveous inhibition of cell proliferation than
      either compound used alone (P<0.05). Western blot analysis showed that the
      combined use of Sal and VCR reduced the expression of BCL-2 protein, and
      increased expression of caspase 3 and caspase 8 protein, more significantly.
      Furthermore, combination of Sal and VCR synergistally promoted apoptosis of the
      Jurkat cells (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The combination of salinomycin and vincristine
      synergistically inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of T-cell acute
      lymphoblastic leukemia Jurkat cells.

PMID- 26117012
TI  - [Role of Dynamic Monitoring Chromosome Karyotypes for Evaluation of Chemotherapy
      Efficacy in Patients with Acute Leukemia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of dynamic monitoring the karyotype changes for
      evaluation of chemotherapy efficacy in patients with acute leukemia. METHODS: A
      total of 80 patients with acute leukemia were collected and according to FAB
      classification standards they were divided into 65 cases of acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML) and 15 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); R banding
      technique was used taken to detect their chromosome and to analyze the
      relationship between chromosome and efficacy of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Out of 65
      cases of AML, 31 cases showed abnormal karyotypes and their aberration rate was
      47.7%; among 31 cases of AML with chromosome abnormalities, the t (15; 17) was
      found in 9 cases and they accounted for 29%; t (8; 21) was found in 7 cases and
      they accounted for 22.6%; other karyotype and complex karyotypes were found in 15
      cases and they accounted for 48.4%; the remission rate of t (15; 17) group was
      88.9%, remission rate of t (8; 21) group was 71.4%, remission rate of other
      karyotype group was 66.7%. The comparison of between different groups showed that
      remission rate of t (15; 17) group was significantly higher than that in T (8;
      21) group, other karyotype group and normal karyotype group
      (chi2=9.625,14.267,7.768, P<0.05); the remission rate between t (8; 21) group,
      other karyotype group and normal karyotype group was no significant different
      (chi2=0.517, 0.111, P>0.05). In 15 cases of ALL, 8 cases with normal karyotype
      accounted for 53.3%, 7 cases with abnormal karyotype accounted for 46.7% of ALL;
      as compared with AML, no significant difference was shown (chi2=0.020, P>0.05);
      the remission rates of patients with normal karyotype and abnormal karyotype were
      87.5% and 42.9% respectively, the difference between the two groups had
      statistical significance (chi2=43.834, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: For patients with
      AML, patients with t (15; 17) chromosomal abnormality can obtain better effect
      from chemotherapy, the clinical remission rate of ALL patients with normal
      karyotype is higher; the karyotype analysis has the important reference value for
      evaluating efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with leukemia.

PMID- 26117013
TI  - [Expression and Clinical Pathological Significance of EBER, PTEN and VEGF in
      Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and clinical pathological significance
      of EB virus (Epstein-Barr virus, EBV), PTEN and VEGF in angioimmunoblastic T 
      cell lymphoma (AITL). METHODS: The EBV -encoded small RNA (EBER) expression in 21
      cases of AITL was detected by in situ hybridization. The expressions of PTEN and
      VEGF were detected in 21 cases of AITL and 20 cases of lymph node reactive
      hyperplasia by immunohistochemical EnVision two-steps method. The expression and
      clinicopathological significance of EBV, PTEN and VEGF in AITL were analyzed.
      RESULTS: The positive expression rate of EBER in 21 cases of AITL was 61.9%; the
      expressions of PTEN and VEGF in AITL and lymph node reactive hyperplasia were
      significantly different (P<0.05). The expressions of EBER and PTEN negatively
      correlated (P<0.05). The EBER positive expression rates of male patients in AITL
      group and the progressed group was 80% and 78.6% respectively, which were
      significantly higher than that in female patients and patients in non- advanced
      group (P<0.05); the PTEN expression rates in the AITL group accompanying B
      symptoms and progressed group were 31.3% and 21.4%, respectively, which were
      significantly lower than those in patients without B symptoms and non-progressed
      group (P<0.05). Survival analysis showed that the PTEN expression negatively
      correlated with the overall survival rate of patients (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: EBV
      infection and low expression of PTEN may indicate the deterioration of
      angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. Whether the EBV involved in the ocurring of T
      cell angioimmunoblastic lymphoma by down-regulating PTEN expression is unclear,
      further research is needed.

PMID- 26117014
TI  - [Long Term Curative Effects and Prognostic Analysis of Stem Cell Transplantation
      for Treating Patients with Peripheral T Cell Lymphoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the efficacy and prognostic factors of hematopoietic stem
      cell transplantation in the treatment of patients with peripheral T cell lymphoma
      (PTCL). METHODS: The clinical records of 53 patients with PTCL were collected and
      analyzed retrospectively. The prognostic value of prognostic index PIT were
      evaluated. RESULTS: Among 53 cases of PTCL, 31 patients underwent hematopoietic
      autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT), 22 patients received allogeneic
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), their median follow-up time
      was 62 (1-174) months, from them 1 patients was not engrafted in each group, 4
      patients underwent allo-HSCT died within 1 month after transplantation. The 3
      year overall survival rates in auto- and allo-HSCT groups were 42.3% (95% CI 24.1
      60.5%) and 42.9% (95% CI 21.7-64.1%) respectively, 11 and 3 patients died of
      relapse after auto-HSCT and allo-HSCT, respectively, the treatment-related
      mortality (TRM) was 22.6% (95% CI 6.1%-39.0%) and 48.7% (95% CI 26.8%-70.7%),
      respectively. Univariate analysis showed that bone marrow involvement at
      diagnosis was associated with poor prognosis. In allo-HSCT group, PIT showed
      statistically significant difference in both OS and PFS between the patients
      without or with one risk factor and the patients with 3-4 risk factors.
      CONCLUSION: The relapse rate of relapse/refractory patients is high after auto
      HSCT. The TRM is high after allo-HSCT, but long term survival is promising. The
      prognostic index for PTCL can reliably assess the prognosis of PTCL.

PMID- 26117015
TI  - [Pathological Characteristics of Bone Marrow in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patients
      with Secondary Myelofibrosis and Their Relationship with Prognosis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pathological characteristics of bone marrow in non
      Hodgkin's lymphoma(NHL) patients with secondary myelofibrosis and their
      relationship with disease prognosis. METHODS: The pathological characteristics of
      bone marrow in 14 NHL patients with secondary myelofibrosis and 30 NHL patients
      without secondary myelofibrosis received from January 2012 to December 2013 in
      Department of Hematology, the First Affiliated Hospital Xi'an Jiaotong University
      Medical School were analysed, and overall survival and progress-free survival
      rates of NHL patients with and without secondary myelofibrosis were analyzed and
      compared. RESULTS: 14 cases of NHL with secondary myelofibrosis including 9 cases
      of lymphoma cell leukemia were all at stage IV and had hyperplasia of bone marrow
      fibrous tissue, the Gomori staining were all positive. When the lymphoma cells in
      bone marrow decreased or negative, their Gomori staining were negative. If the
      disease relapsed, the Gomori staining became positive again. There were 30 cases
      of NHL at stage IV wihtout secondary myelofibrosis. The overall survival rates
      and progression-free survival rates at 1,3,5 years in these patients were 100%,
      93.1%, 57.6% and 100%, 92.6%,52.6% respectively. The overall survival rates and
      progression-free survival rates at 1,3,5 years in 14 NHL patients with secondary
      myelofibrosis were 92.9%,81.3%, 48.8% and was 71.8%, 62.3%, 47.9%, respectively.
      CONCLUSION: NHL patients with secondary myelofibrosis are almost at stage IV,
      especially in the patients with lymphoma cell leukemia. They had different degree
      of hyperplasia of bone marrow fibrous tissue, and the myelofibrosis would be
      reduced or disappeared when the disease in remission. The overall and progression
      -free survival rates decrease in NHL patients with secondary myelofibrosis,
      compared with patients without secondary myelofibrosis. Secondary myelofibrosis
      is one of the indicators of poor prognosis.

PMID- 26117016
TI  - [Effects of Silencing AKT Gene by shRNA on Proliferation, Apoptosis and Notch1
      Signal Pathway in Jeko-1 Cells].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of silencing AKT gene by RNA interference
      on the proliferation, apoptosis and the expression of Notch1 signal pathway
      related proteins in mantle cell lymphoma Jeko-1 cell line. METHODS: The hairpin
      like oligonucleotide sequences targeting AKT gene were designed and transfected
      into Jeko-1 cells by lipofectamine(TM) 2000. The AKT mRNA and protein were
      detected by RQ-PCR and Western blot respectively. Cell growth was determined by
      MTT. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. The expression of BCL-2, BAX,
      caspase-3, caspase-9, p-AKT, Notch1, HES1 was detected by Western blot. RESULTS:
      AKT mRNA was markedly suppressed by the shRNA targeting AKT. AKT shRNA suppressed
      the proliferation of Jeko-1 cells and induced apoptosis of these cells. The cell
      apoptotic rates were (37.72+/-4.39)%, (2.62+/-1.53)%, (1.57+/-0.42)% in AKT
      shRNA, Neg-shRNA and Control, respectively, The difference between them was
      statistically significant (P<0.01). AKT shRNA down-regulated the expression of
      Bcl-2, AKT p-AKT , Notch1, and HES1, up-regulated the expression of BAX, caspase
      3, caspase-9. CONCLUSION: Silencing AKT gene can inhibit the proliferation of
      Jeko-1 cells line, induc cell apoptosis, its mechanism may be associated with
      specially inhibiting PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and down-regulating the activity
      of Notch1 signaling pathway.

PMID- 26117017
TI  - [Clinical Efficacy of Radiotherapy Combined with Chemotherapy for Primary
      Mediastinal Large B-cell Lymphoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical efficacy of radiotherapy combined with
      chemotherapy for patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma(PMLBCL).
      METHODS: A total of 34 cases of PMLBCL were treated by radiotherapy combined with
      chemotherapy(radio-chemotherapy group), 28 cases of PMLBCL were treated by
      chemotherapy alone (single chemotherapy group as control). The clinical efficacy,
      side effects, long-term survival of the two group patients were compared.
      RESULTS: The overall remission(OR) in the radio-chemotherapy group were higher
      than that in single chemotherapy group (P<0.05); the blood toxicity reaction,
      mucositis, radiation dermatitis in radio-chemotherapy group were higher than
      those in single chemotherapy group (P<0.05); the progress free survival(PFS) for
      1 year in radio-chemotherapy group was higher than that in the single
      chemotherapy group (P<0.05), the local control (LC), PFS for 3 years in the radio
      chemotherapy group were higher than those in the single chemotherapy group
      (P<0.05), the LC, OS, PFS for 5 years in the radio-chemotherapy group were higher
      than those in the single chemotherapy group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The
      radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy has good clinical efficacy for patients
      with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, it has high rate of progression
      free survival, it can be used as optimed scheme for treating PMLBCL, but the
      complications resulting from radio-chemotherapy should be prevented.

PMID- 26117018
TI  - [Molecular Pathological Diagnosis of Mucosa-associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the molecular pathological diagnosis of mucosa-associated
      lymphoid tissue lymphoma(MALTL). METHODS: Sixty MALTL paraffin embedding
      specimens were analyzed retrospectively. The distribution of the primary lesion,
      morphology, immunophenotype, IgH gene cloning rearrangement were evaluated.
      RESULTS: The main risk area for the patients with MALTL was gastric area(37%), in
      the second place was salivary gland(20%), in the third place was intestine (12%),
      orbit and ocular adnexa(12%); at low magnification, MALTL specimens manifasted
      diffuse growth majority, a few of nodular structure, lymphoma cell forms were
      diversified; The results of immunohistochemical detection showed that the CD20
      and the BCL-2 were positive, the CD3, CD5, CD10, CD23, cyclin D1 and CD21 were
      negative, 17 specimen kappa or lambda express more obviously, their sensibility
      was 28.33%(17/60); 61.67%(37/60) developed IgH gene rearrangement, 19 specimen
      IgH gene rearrangement monoclonal and kappa or lambda were negative, the positive
      rate of both combined detections was 68.33%. CONCLUSION: The tissue morphologic
      characteristics and immuno-histochemistry detection are the basic means for MALTL
      diagnosis, the detection of IgH gene reasragement and Kappa or lamda restrictive
      expression has the practical importance for MALTL diagnosis, both combination can
      show higher positive rate for MALTL diagnosis.

PMID- 26117019
TI  - [Clinical Efficacy of Bleomycin, Cyclophosphamide, Vindesine, Ara-C and
      Dexamethasone for Treatment of Patients with Relapsed Refractory Diffuse Large B
      Cell Lymphoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of bleomycin, cyclophosphamide,
      vindesine, Ara-C and dexamethasone(BACOD) for treatment of patients with
      relapsed/refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma. METHODS: A total of 56
      patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma were divided into
      control group and treatment group. The control group were received the
      conventional BACOD treatment, and the treatment group received continuous
      venoclysis with BACOD. Clinical efficacy was observed and compared. RESULTS: In
      control group, 6 patients achieved CR, 9 patients achieved PR, and their overall
      remission rate was 53.6%. In treatment group, 10 patients achieved CR, 12
      patients achieved PR, and their overall remission rate was 78.6%. The overall
      remission rate of treatment group was significantly higher than that of control
      group (chi2=3.903, P<0.05). The incidence rates of nausea and vomiting,
      thrombocytopenia, abnormal liver function, fever and granulocytopenia were not
      significant difference (P>0.05) between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The clinical
      efficacy of cyclophosphamide, vindesine and dexamethasone for treatment of
      patients with relapsed/refractory/diffuse large B cell lymphoma has been
      confirmed to be satisfactory, suggesting that the continuous venoclysis with
      BACOD can be apptied to the in clinical treatment.

PMID- 26117020
TI  - [Clinical Analysis of Anemia in Castleman Disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was to explore the characteristics of anemia in Castleman
      disease (CD). METHODS: Clinical data were collected retrospectively to analyze
      the prevalence and characteristics of CD with anemia were analysed
      retrospectively, and different types of anemia and their therapeutic effects were
      evaluated. RESULTS: Anemia was observed in 13/33(39%) newly diagnosed CD
      patients, most of them was mild and normocytic. Incidence of anemia in
      multicentric CD (MCD) was higher than that in unicentric CD (UCD) (85% vs 10%,
      P<0.001). Most of CD patients with anemia presented systematic manifestations;
      moreover, they had higher levels of erythrocyte sedimentation and inflammatory
      indices, higher incidence of polyclonal hyperimmunoglobulinemia, and higher
      positive rate of autoantibodies than those without anemia (P<0.05). Except for 2
      cases of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) and 1 case of anemia secondary to
      hypersplenism, the anemia in the other 10 patients exhibited features similar to
      anemia of chronic disease (ACD), whose hemoglobin levels were negatively
      correlated with the serum levels of C reactive protein and fibrinogen (r -0.917
      and -0.717, respectively, P<0.001). Anemia in UCD was cured by the removal of
      tumor. Yet, anemia in MCD was improved after systemic treatment with
      immunotherapy and/or chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: anemia with an inflammatory and
      immunologic mechanism presents as a common symptom in MCD, but also can be
      observed in UCD. In addition to occasional AIHA, anemia associated with CD mainly
      presents characteristics of ACD. Treatment for anemia in CD is mainly based on
      the control of primary disease.

PMID- 26117021
TI  - [Analysis of the Detection for the LPD Patients with EB Infection].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the detection results for the patients with
      lymphoproliferative disease(LPD) accompanied with the infection of EB. METHODS:
      The EBV specific antibody, serum cytokine, EBV DNA copy number in peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) of 70 LPD patients and 70 healthy volunteers were
      analyzed and compared. RESULTS: The positive rates of VCA-IgG and VCA-IgM were
      not significantly different in two groups (P>0.05); The positive rate of EA-IgG
      in the PLD patient group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05); the
      levels of IL-18 and IFN-gamma were not significantly different between the 2
      group (P>0.05); the EBV DNA copy number in PBMNC of the PLD patient group was
      higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The patients with LPD
      show the active infection of EBV, that is the main reason for the abnormal
      function of lymphatic system in the patients with LPD. The active infection of
      EBV maybe involve in PLD pathogenesis.

PMID- 26117022
TI  - [Growth Inhibition of Multiple Myeloma Cells Caused by MicroRNA-15a and Its
      Mechanisms].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect and possible mechanisms of miR-15a on growth of
      multiple myeloma(MM) cells. METHODS: MM cell lines (U266 and RPMI8226) were
      transfected by lentiviral particles. MM stable cell lines were selected and
      collected by flow cytometry (FCM). Proliferation of MM cells before and after miR
      15a high expression was detected by CCK-8 method. Apoptosis of MM cells before
      and after miR-15a high expression was detected by AO/EB dying, Hoechst 33258
      dying and FCM, respectively. Cell cycle of MM cells before and after miR-15a high
      expression was detected by FCM. The expressions of miR-15a, BMI-1 and BCL-2 mRNA
      of MM cells before and after miR-15a high expression were detected by real-time
      PCR. The expressions of BMI-1 protein of MM cells before and after miR-15a high
      expression were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: MM stable cell lines with miR
      15a high expression was acquired. CCK-8 result showed that high expression of miR
      15a could inhibit growth of MM cells (U266 and RPMI8226). AO/EB dying, Hoechst
      33258 dying and FCM testing results showed that high expression of miR-15a could
      significantly induce apoptosis of MM cells (U266 and RPMI8226). The apoptosis
      rates of U266 and RPMI8226 cells in high expression group and control group were
      90.52% vs 37.08% and 59.40% vs 44.17%, respectively. Meanwhile, FCM testing
      results showed that high expression of miR-15a could induce G1 arrest of MM cells
      (U266 and RPMI8226), which proportion of G1 phase were 41.50%+/-0.64%, 45.31%+/
      0.77%, respectively. Real-time PCR results showed that during the growth
      inhibition process of MM cells caused by miR-15a high expression, the expression
      of BCL-2 mRNA decreased, but there was no significant changes in the expression
      of BMI-1 mRNA, while the expression of BMI-1 protein decreased significantly.
      CONCLUSION: High expression of miR-15a can induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis
      of MM cells, then inhibit their growth. The mechanisms may be related with the
      negative regulation of BMI-1 and BCL-2 genes in post-transcription level caused
      by miR-15a.

PMID- 26117023
TI  - [Effects of DNMT1 Gene Silencing on Methylation of SOCS-1 Gene in Myeloma Cells].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of DNA methyhransferase l (DNMT1) gene
      silencing on methylation of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS-1) in multiple
      myeloma RPMI 8226 cells. METHODS: Recombinant plasmid pshRNA-DNMTl was
      transfected into multiple myeloma RPMI 8226 cells by lipofectamine 2000. RT-PCR
      and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of DNMTl in
      RPMI 8226 cells respectively before and after transfection. Methylation-specific
      polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the methylation level change of SOCS
      1 gene in RPMI8226 cells transfected. RESULTS: DNMTl targeted short hairpin
      RNA(shRNA) was successfully inserted into the plasmid vector pshRNA. RT-PCR
      results showed that the relative mRNA expression level of DNMTI gene in RPMI 8226
      cells transfected with pshRNA was 0.176+/-0.004 which was significantly lower
      than that in cells transfected by empty vector (0.956+/-0.033, P<0.01). Western
      blot analysis showed that the relative expression level of DNMT1 protein of RPMI
      8226 cells transfected by pshRNA was 0.065+/-0.014, which was significantly lower
      than that in transfected cells by empty vector(0.415+/-0.027) (P<0.05). These
      results indicated that the recombinant plasmid pshRNA could effectively knock
      down the expression of DNMT1 gene in RPMI 8226 cells. Methylation analysis showed
      that the methylation level of SOCS-1 gene was obviously reduced after
      transfection. CONCLUSION: DNMT1 gene in RPMI 8226 cell can be silenced by shRNA.
      DNMT1 gene silencing can significantly induce SOCS-1 gene hypomethylation, which
      indicates that DNMT1 may play an important role in the process of SOCS-1
      hypermethylation.

PMID- 26117024
TI  - [Valproic Acid Represses Autophagy and Enhances the Anti-myeloma Activity of DNA
      damaging Drugs].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of valproic acid(VPA) on anti-myeloma activity
      of Doxorubicin(DOX) or Melphalan(MEL) and its related mechanism. METHODS: Human
      multiple myeloma(MM) cells were treated with VPA of non-toxic dose in absence and
      presence of DOX or MEL at different concentrations (ie. IC10, IC20, IC40). The
      cell proliferation was detected by MTT method. Western blot was used to detect
      the expression levels of autophagy-related proteins (LC3, ATG5, ATG7) and
      acetylated histone H4K16ac. RESULTS: Cell proliferation inhibition markedly
      increased in VPA plus DOX or MEL as compared with DOX or MEL alone (P<0.05). Both
      LC3 and H4K16ac expression levels in co-treatment were between VPA and DOX or MEL
      treated alone. Importantly, VPA of non-toxic dose not only augmented the anti
      myeloma activity of DOX or MEL, but also down-regulated the autophagy-related
      protein expression and increases H4K16ac protein levels. CONCLUSION: H4K16ac can
      inhibit the transcription of autophagy-related genes, The VPA enhance the anti
      myeloma activity of DNA-damaging drugs, at least in part, via H4K16ac-mediated
      suppression of cytoprotective autophagy.

PMID- 26117025
TI  - [Clinical Research about Risk Factors and Reversible Predictors in Renal
      Impairment due to Multiple Myeloma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to investigate the risk factors of renal
      impairment and the predictive factors of renal function recovery so as to provide
      basis for its prevention and treatment. METHODS: Medical records of 161 patients
      with MM firstly diagnosed from January 2007 to April 2013 were analyzed
      retrospectively. Among them 58 cases accompanied with renal insufficiency (group
      A, others belong to group B) and 39 of them regain normal renal function after
      some treatment. The possible related renal impairment risk factors and reversible
      predictors were analyzed with chi-square test for significance firstly, then
      factors that have significant difference were entered into multivariate logistic
      regression analysis. RESULTS: Systolic blood pressure (SBP), hemoglobin, uric
      acid, blood calcium, phosphorus, serum beta2-microglobulin, urine beta2
      microglobulin levels, M-component type, light chain type, nephrotoxic drug use,
      infection in group A had significant difference (P<0.05) compared with those in
      group B; the systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, platelet,
      globulin, blood calcium, and urine beta2-microglobulin levels, the chemotherapy
      applied and the response to chemotherapy in reversed group were significantly
      different from no-reversed group (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression
      showed that light chain type, Hb, uric acid, Ca were the independent risk factors
      for the development of renal failure in MM, and Ca, chemotherapy and the response
      to chemotherapy were the predictors of renal function recovery. CONCLUSION: High
      blood calcium, severe anemia, lambda light chain, high uric acid are the
      independent risk factors of renal impairment in MM patients. Patients with high
      blood calcium before treatment easily regain normal renal function after
      effective chemotherapy. Bortezomib-based chemotherapy has higher response rate
      and higher reversal rate, and it may be related with its unique mechanism.

PMID- 26117026
TI  - [Relationship of GSTT1 and GSTM1 Gene Polymorphisms and PAH-DNA Adducts with
      Pathogenesis of Multiple Myeloma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship of GSTT1, GSTM1 gene polymorphisms and PAH
      DNA adduct with pathogenesis of multiple myeloma. METHODS: The bone marrow
      samples from 37 newly-diagnosed MM patients and 52 healthy peoples as controls
      were collected; the PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)
      method was used to detecte the polymorphism of GSTT1 and GSTM1, and to analysis
      their relationship with clinical characters of MM patients; the engyme linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the concentration of PAH-DNA
      adducts. RESULTS: GSTT1 null and GSTM1 null genotypes increased the risk of
      multiple myeloma with OR 2.57 (P=0.035) and 1.37 (P>0.05) respectively. In MM
      patients group, GSTT1 null genotype in stage III was significantly higher than
      that in stages I, II (P=0.038). However, no statistically significant association
      was found between GSTT1 gene polymorphism and clinical characters, such as age,
      type, hemoglobin, beta2-MG, albumin. Compared with Hb>=85 g/L of the newly
      diagnosed MM patients, MM patients with Hb<85 g/L had significantly higher
      incidence of GSTM1 null genetype (P<0.05). The level of PAH-DNA adducts in MM
      patients was higher than that in controls (2358+/-1182 pg/ml vs 1853+/-996 pg/ml)
      (P<0.05). GSTT1 null genotype with PAH-DNA level>=2100 pg/ml showed a risk index
      of MM (OR=4.500, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: GSTT1 gene may have a critical function in
      the development of MM, and correlates with staging of MM. GSTM1 gene polymorphism
      correlates with hemoglobin levels of patients with MM. The content of PAH-DNA
      adducts may play an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma.

PMID- 26117027
TI  - [Correlation of WT1 and VEGF Expression with Angiogenesis in Bone Marrow Biopsies
      of Multiple Myeloma Patients].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of WT1 and VEGF expression with
      angiogenesis in bone marrow biopsies of multiple myeloma patients. METHODS: VEGF,
      WT1 expression and microvessel density (MVD) of 62 cases of multiple myeloma and
      10 normal bone marrow tissue were detected by in situ hybridization and
      immunohistochemistry SP method. RESULTS: Microvessel density (MVD) of the control
      group was (45+/-6)/visual field, and while MVD of the multiple myeloma group was
      (84+/-26)/sight, and statistical analysis showed that MVD in multiple myeloma
      group was significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05); in 62 cases
      of multiple myeloma the VEGF positive rate was 51.6% (32/62), and MVD in VEGF
      positive group was significantly higher than that in the negative group (P<0.05).
      WT1 positive rate was 30.6% (19/62), and MVD in WT1-positive group was
      significantly higher than that in the negative group (P<0.05). And statistical
      analysis showed that WT1 expression significantly correlated with VEGF expression
      (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: WT1 high expression of multiple myeloma bone tissue can up
      regulate VEGF expression and promote angiogenesis.

PMID- 26117028
TI  - [Clinical Efficacy of DC and CIK Immunotherapy Combined with Chemotherapy and Its
      Impact on Treg Cells in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy and immune mechanism of
      immunotherapy of dendritic cells (DC) and cytokine-induced killer cell (CIK)
      combined with chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma
      (MM). METHODS: twenty-two newly diagnosed MM patients were chosen and divided
      into two groups, out of them,12 patients in single chemotherapy group were
      treated by chemotherapy only, 10 patients in combined group were treated by
      adoptive immunotherapy (DC-CIK) combined with chemotherapy. Using flow cytometry,
      the CD4 Treg cells in the peripheral blood of 22 MM patients were detected before
      and after treatment. And the clinical outcomes between two groups were also
      compared. RESULTS: After treatment the overall response rate(ORR) of patients in
      the single chemotherapy group was 50% (6/12), among them 2 cases were in complete
      remission (CR) (16.67%), 2 cases very good partial remission (VGPR) (16.67%), 2
      cases were in partial remission (PR) (16.67%). However, the ORR of patients in
      immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy group was 70.% (7/10), including in 3
      cases of CR (30%), 2 cases of VGPR (20%), 2 cases of PR (20%). Compared to
      healthy volunteers, the proportion of Treg cells in peripheral blood of two
      groups before treatment was significantly higher (P<0.05). In contrast, the
      proportion of Treg cells in the peripheral blood of above-mentioned 2 groups
      after treatment was reduced significantly (P<0.05). In addition, compared to
      chemotherapy group, the proportion of Treg cells in the combined group decreased
      significantly (P<0.05). The further analysis found that the proportion of Treg
      cells in the peripheral blood of the 2 groups was not significant changed
      (P>0.05) in the patients with ineffictive clinical treatment, but the proportion
      of Treg cells significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the patients with effective
      clinical treatment. CONCLUSION: DC-CIK immunotherapy can synergize or enhance the
      effect of chemotherapeutics, alleviate the immune dysfunction in MM; and DC-CIK
      immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy can elevate the clinical efficacy in
      patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

PMID- 26117029
TI  - [One Case of Multiple Myeloma with Central Never System Infiltration].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyses and summarize a case of multiple myeloma with disseminated
      infiltration in central nervous system. METHODS: The results of laboratorial
      examination and clinical data were analyzed and compared in the light of
      published literatures. RESULTS: The headache and diplopia were caused by
      infiltration of multiple myeloma cells to the central nervous system. Unlike
      those reported in the literatures, this case was a rare case of disseminated
      infiltration inside the brain, and plasma cells were CD56+, this patient has not
      yet accepted any multiple myeloma-associated treatment as like that reported in
      the literatures. And different from cases reported, this patient showed a good
      response to the intrathecal chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Whether this good response
      is due to a heterogeneity of MM or effect of treatment-associated drug is still
      to be decided.

PMID- 26117030
TI  - [Clinical Implications on ZO-1 Gene Methylation in Myelodysplastic Syndrome
      Progression].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of ZO-1 gene methylation
      level in MDS progression in order to provide a theoretical basis for evaluating
      progrosis of MDS patients. METHODS: The methylation specific PCR (MS-PCR) was
      performed to evaluate the ZO-1 gene methylation status in bone marrow samples of
      normal persons as control (NC). MDS and AML patients, the bisulfite sequencing
      PCR (BSP) was applied to detect the ZO-1 gene methylation status in serial bone
      marrow samples of MDS-RA, MDS-RAEB and AML stages of a MDS patients. RESULTS: The
      possitive rate of ZO-1 gene methylation in samples of NC, MDS and AML patients
      displayed significant difference; in sample of NC group the positive of ZO-1 gene
      methylation was not observed, but the positive rate of ZO-1 gene methylation in
      samples of AML patients was highest (65.0%), the proportion of ZO-1 gene
      methylation in myeloid blast count of MDS/AML patients was higher (P=0.000). The
      serial samples in one MDS patient showed that along with progress of disease, the
      positive rate of ZO-1 gene methylation in MDS-RA, MDS-RAEB and AML stages was
      found to be obvious different (P=0.000), the positive rate of ZO-1 gene
      methylation in AML stage was highest (64.65%). CONCLUSION: The high methylation
      in promoter region of ZO-1 gene has been found in MDS/AML patients, and along
      with clonal proliferation, the positive rate of ZO-1 methylation and positive
      froguency of methylation sites increase graduatly which suggests that the MDS
      progresses in a certain degree, and the ZO-1 gene methylation level may be used
      as an new indicator for monitoring desease progression from MDS to AML.

PMID- 26117031
TI  - [Osteogenic Differentiation Potential of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells in
      Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the osteogenic differentiation potential of bone marrow
      mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC) in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
      and to explore the role of BMMSC osteogenic differentiation in the pathogenesis
      of MDS. METHODS: BMMSC were isolated from bone marrow of patients with MDS and
      healthy donors, then expanded in vitro. The expression of transcription factor
      gene RUNX2, Osterix and osteogenic differentiation markers (ALP, BSP, OPN, OCN)
      were measured by real-time PCR, the alkaline phosphatase(ALP) activity was
      assessed at 3, 7, 10 days after osteogenic differentiation. Mineralization
      analysis was performed at day 21 of osteogenic induction. RESULTS: The expression
      level of RUNX2 and Osterix were significantly decreased in BMMSC from lower-risk
      MDS patients compared with normal controls (P<0.05). After osteogenic induction,
      low-risk MDS showed lower alkaline phosphatase activity at day 3 (P<0.05), less
      intense alizarin red S staining at day 21 (P<0.05), and lower gene expression of
      osteogenic differentiation markers (P<0.05), however, these expressions in higher
      risk MDS were normal. CONCLUTION: BMMSC from low-risk MDS have abnormalities in
      osteogenic differentiation, it may contribute to the ineffective hamatopoiesis of
      MDS.

PMID- 26117032
TI  - [Follicular Helper T Cells and Expression of PD-1 in Mice with Myelodysplastic
      Syndrome].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the complete blood count, morphological changes,
      follicular T helper (Tfh) cells and expression of PD-1 in bone marrow and spleen
      of mice with myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS) and to explore their significance in
      pathogenesis of MDS. METHODS: The 10 male NUP98-HOXD13 transgenic mice and 10
      male homologous wild-type C57BL/6J mice were used for experments. The complete
      blood count, morphological change of NUP98-HOXD13 transgenic mice and wild-type
      C57BL/6J were detected by routine methods. The level of Tfh cells and expression
      of PD-1 in bone marrow and spleen were measured by flow cytometry. The PD-1 mRNA
      of bone marrow mononuclear cells and spleen cells were analyzed by real-time PCR
      method. RESULTS: The counts of RBC, neutrophile and platelet in above- mentioned
      transgenic mice were less than that in wild type C57BL/6J mice. As compared with
      wild type C57BL/6J mice, the morphology of RBC and platelet in transgenic mice
      was some abnormal, including bi-nucleated erythrocytes, ringed mucleated
      neutrophil and erythroblastic islands. The count of Tfh cells in transgenic mice
      was less than that in wild type mice, but the expression of PD-1 was higher. The
      expression of BMMNC PD-1 mRNA was obviously higher than that in wild type mice.
      CONCLUSION: The pancytopenia and dysplasia, decrease of Tfh cells and increase of
      PD-1 expression have been observed in NUP98-HOXD13 transgenic mice, which may be
      one of important reasons for promoting malignant clone and leading to impair anti
      immune respones.

PMID- 26117033
TI  - [Myr-RKEFAK Peptide Selectively Regulates Outside-in Signaling Transduction
      related Functions in Human Platelets].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of interaction of the talin rod domain integrin
      binding site 2 with integrin beta3 on platelet signal transduction. METHODS: A
      peptide that mimics the membrane proximal alpha helix 6 residues R724 KEFAK729 of
      the integrin beta3 cytoplasmic tails was designed and synthesized, to which the
      myristoylation was covalently linked to the N-terminal of the peptide enabling
      membrane penetration. The effects of myr-RKEFAK peptide on the typical platelet
      outside-in signaling ovent (stable adhesion and spreading on immobilized
      fibrinogen, aggregation, fibrin clot retraction) and inside-out signaling events
      (soluble fibrinogen binding) were tested. RESULTS: myr-RKEFAK peptide dose
      dependently inhibited platelet stable adhesion and spreading on immobilized
      fibrinogen, irreversible aggregation, as well as fibrin clot retraction, but not
      soluble fibrinogen binding and reversible phase of platelet aggregation.
      CONCLUSION: The cell-penetrating peptide myr-RKEFAK causes an inhibitory effect
      on integrin beta3 outside-in signaling-regulated platelets functions, but did not
      affect inside-out signaling-regulated platelets functions.

PMID- 26117034
TI  - [Effect of the Integrin beta3 Cytoplasmic NITY Motif on alpha II bbeta3-Mediated
      Cell Functions in CHO Cell Model].
AB  - OBJLECTIVE: To investigate the effect of integrin beta3 cytoplasmic NITY motif on
      alphaIIbbeta3-mediated cell functions. METHODS: Stable Chinese hamster ovary
      (CHO) cell lines that co-express human wild type integrin alphaIIb and wild type
      beta3 or mutant beta3DeltaNITY (beta3 deleting cytoplasmic NITY motif) were
      established. Expression of alphaIIb and beta3 were tested by Western blot and
      flow cytometry in CHO cell lines. Spreading and adhesion of stable cell lines on
      immobilized fibrinogen were examined. The co-immunoprecipitation was used to
      detect protein interactions. RESULTS: CHO-alphaIIbbeta3, CHO
      alphaIIbbeta3DeltaNITY cells were successfully established. The CHO cells
      transfected with wild type alphaIIbbeta3 had the ability of adhesion and
      spreading. Compared with CHO-alphaIIbbeta3 cells, CHO-alphaIIbbeta3DeltaNITY
      cells showed an impaired capacity of adhesion but no significant difference was
      observed in spreading of adhered cells. The co-immunoprecipitation showed that
      kindlin-2 associated with wild type integrin alphaIIbbeta3. The beta3DeltaNITY
      mutation substantially reduced kindlin-2 association. CONCLUSION: Deletion of
      NITY motif causes an impaired ability of adhesion. The deletion mutation can
      suppress kindlin-2 binding to integrin beta3, thereby partially inhibit the
      integrin beta3 signaling.

PMID- 26117035
TI  - Clinical Analysis of 70 Adult Patients with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics of Chinese patients with
      paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). METHODS: The clinical data of 70 adult
      PNH cases in our hospital from January 2000 to December 2009 were analyzed
      retrospectively, and the clinical manifestation, laboratory examination,
      treatment, complications and prognostic factors influencing survival rate were
      assessed. RESULTS: The nosopoietic median age of 70 cases(41 male cases and 29
      female cases) was 37 (18-73) years old. The clinical manifestation included
      fatigue (87.1%), hemogolobinuria (44.3%), infection (22.9%), bleeding (37.1%),
      and abdominal pain (2.9%). FHb (free hemoglobin) in 56 patients (80%) was <50
      mg/L. Hp (haptoglobin) in 54 patients (77.1%) was <0.5 g/L, and LDH in 49
      patients (70.0%) was <220 U/L. The overall 10 year-survival rate after diagnosis
      was 72.2% estimated by Kaplan-Meier. The complications in this study were as
      follow: recurrent abdominal pain crisis (2.9%), infections (30.0%), thrombotic
      events (8.6%), evolution to MDS/AML (5.7%), calculus (11.4%) and death (17.1%).
      Both univariate and multivariate analyses identified risk factors affecting
      survival, including development of thrombotic events, progression to
      myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myelogenous leukemia (MDS/AML) and recurrent
      infections. CONCLUSION: This larger number of cases for the first time allowed us
      to carry out a detailed analysis of prognostic factors for this rare disease.
      Evaluation of PNH prognostic factors may provide a basis to assess the current
      and future therapies of this disease.

PMID- 26117036
TI  - [Effect of Bear Bile Powder and Its Succedaneum on Peripheral Blood and Bone
      Marrow Megakaryocytes in Mouse Model with Thrombocytopenia Induced by Cytosine
      Arabinoside].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of bear bile powder and ursodesxy cholic
      acid (UDCA) on peripheral blood, bone marrow megakaryocyte and immune organs in
      mouse model with thrombocytopenia, so as to provide a reference for studying the
      curative effects of bear bile powder and its succedaneum on thrombocytopenic
      purpura (TP). METHODS: The mouse model with thrombocytopenia indued by cytosine
      arabinoside (Ara-C) was established, a total of 70 mice were randomly divided
      into normal group, model group, prednisone group, bear bile (middle and high
      dose) powder group and UDCA (middle and high dose) group. From the first day of
      making model mice in the each group, 0.4 ml/(20 g.d) corresponding drug was
      administered by infusion. At day 10 after treatment the peripheral blood, spleen
      and thymus organ index, the number of bone marrow megakaryocyte in each group
      were compared. RESULTS: compared with the normal group, the Plt, WBC and
      megakaryocyte counts in model group decreased, the spleen index increased
      obviously (P<0.05), but the WBC count returned to normal by 10 days; after
      treatment, compared with model group, the Plt, WBC and megakaryocyte counts of
      treated groups increased, spleen index decreased significantly (P<0.05), but the
      WBC count in prednisone group decreased, which in bear bile powder (high) group
      and UDCA (high) group were particularly significant. CONCLUSION: The bear bile
      powder and UDCA have been confirmed to have therapeutical effect on
      thrombocytopenia models induced by Ara-C, UDCA can substitute bear bile powder as
      a treatment drug for thrombocytopenic purpura.

PMID- 26117037
TI  - [Analysis of TERT and TIN2 Gene Expression in Patients with Acquired Aplastic
      Anemia and Their Correlation with Pathogenesis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To detect the mRNA expression levels of TERT and TIN2 in peripheral
      blood mononuclear cells of acquired aplastic anemia(AAA) patients, and to explore
      their correlation with pathogenesis of acquired aplastic anemia. METHODS:
      Peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 40 cases of AAA including 33 cases of non
      severe aplastic anemia(NSAA), 7 cases of severe aplastic anemia (SAA) and 20
      subjects as control group were collected to detect mRNA expression of TERT and
      TIN2 by using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR), the
      correlation of TERT and TIN2 mRNA expression levels with classification of
      peripheral blood cells were analyzed. RESULTS: The expression levels of TERT and
      TIN2 mRNA in patients with AAA were lower significantly than those in control
      group (P<0.05), and the SAA (P<0.01). The expression levels of TERT and TIN2 mRNA
      in patients with SAA were all lower significantly than those in patients with
      NSAA (P<0.05). The expression levels of TIN2 mRNA in patients with NSAA were
      lower significantly than those in control group (P<0.01). There were no
      significant difference in the expression level of TERT mRNA between patients with
      NSAA and control group (P=0.082). There was significant correlation between the
      expression level of TERT mRNA and red blood cells count (r=0.437, P=0.029), and
      hemoglobin level (r=0.522, P=0.007). There was significant correlation between
      the expression levels of TIN2 mRNA and the lymphocyte percentage (r=-0.404,
      P=0.045). CONCLUSION: The expression level of TERT mRNA may be associated with
      the red blood cells and hemoglobin level. The expression level of TIN2 mRNA may
      be associated with the lymphocyte percentage.

PMID- 26117038
TI  - [Effect of Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule -1 Overexpression on Adipogenic
      Differentiation of Murine Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Its Mechanism].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM
      1) gene overexpression on adipogenic differentiation of mouse mesenchymal stem
      cells(MSC) and explore its molecular mechanism. METHODS: VCAM-1 overexpression
      MSC (MIGR1-VCAM-1/MSC) and the empty plasmid transfection MSC (MIGR1/MSC) were
      induced to adipogenic differentiation, oil-red-O staining and real-time PCR were
      used to detect the adipogenic differentiation ability and the mRNA expression
      level of key transcription factors C/EBP alpha and PPAR gamma. The activation of
      P38, ERK and JNK pathways were analyzed by Western blot. Furthermore, the
      specific chemical inhibitors of MAPK pathway (SB203580, PD98059 and JNK inhibitor
      II) were added to the induced culture system and the alteration of the MSC
      adipogenic differentiation ability were evaluated. RESULTS: no matter in self or
      induced differentiation groups, the lipid droplets in MIGR1-VCAM-1/MSC became
      larger, the amount of adipocyte increased than that in MIGR1/MSC (P<0.01), the
      mRNA expression level of C/EBPalpha and PPARgamma were upregulated, and JNK
      pathway were down-regulated while the P38 and ERK pathway were significantly up
      regulated. The inhibition of JNK pathway of MIGR1-VCAM-1/MSC could lead to
      increased mRNA expression level of C/EBP alpha and PPAR gamma, the amount of
      adipocytes increased (P<0.01), however, the inhibition of the P38 and ERK pathway
      of MIGR1-VCAM-1/MSC could lead to decreased mRNA expression level of C/EBP alpha
      and PPAR gamma, and the lipid droplets and the number of adipocytes became
      smaller and less. CONCLUSION: The overexpression of VCAM-1 may promote MSC to
      differentiate into adipocytes through inhibiting JNK signaling pathway,
      activating P38 and ERK pathways.

PMID- 26117039
TI  - [Effect of Knockdown of Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 on the Immunologic
      Regulation Capacity of Murine Mesenchymal Stem Cells].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish the stably lower expression of vascular cell adhesion
      molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in MSC cell line (C3H10T1/2) by siRNA technology, and explore
      the effect of knockdown of VCAM-1 on the immunologic regulation capacity of
      murine MSC. METHODS: The mouse GV118-VCAM-1-RNAi retrovirus vector was
      constructed by gene recombination technology. The recombinant plasmid was
      identified by restriction analysis and sequencing, and then the recombinant
      plasmid GV118-VCAM-1-RNAi was transfected into 293 cells by Lipofectamine, and
      the supernatant was collected to transfect C3H10T1/2. Moreover, the VCAM-1 lower
      expression on MSC was evaluated by flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy. The
      knockdown VCAM-1 MSC was sorted by flow cytometry. Furthermore, the inhibitory
      effect of the knockdown VCAM-1 MSC on lymphocyte proliferation was tested by
      lymphoblast transformation assay (LTT) and mixed lymphocyte reaction assay(MLR).
      RESULTS: The recombinant retroviral vector of knockdown VCAM-1 (GV118-VCAM-1
      RNAi) was successfully constructed and transfected into mouse MSC cell line
      C3H10T1/2. The knockdown VCAM-1/MSC was obtained by flow cytometric sorting. The
      LTT and MLR assay showed that the immunosuppressive effect of MSC lower
      expressing VCAM-1 dramatically decreased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Knockdown VCAM-1
      in MSC can significantly down-regulate the inhibitory capability of MSC on the
      proliferation of T-cells. The data of this study laid an experimental foundation
      for studying effect of VCAM-1 transfecting into MSC on immune function.

PMID- 26117040
TI  - Supporting Effect of Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells on CD34+
      Cell Proliferation and Its Mechanism.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the ability of UCB-derived MSCs to support the
      expansion of HSCs ex vivo and the possible mechanisms involved in this process.
      METHODS: HSCs from UCB were co-cultured with UCB-derived MSCs for 14 days, and
      then the total number of HSCs and colony-forming units (CFU) were detected.
      Cytokines levels of MSCs supernatant were analyzed using ELISA. RESULTS: The
      proliferation rate of HSCs co-cultured with MSCs was significantly higher than
      that of cultured HSCs alone (P<0.05). Furthermore, the addition of exogenous
      cytokines to the culture system significantly increased the proliferation rate of
      HSCs (P<0.05). MSCs had secretion of many cytokines, including GM-CSF, IL-7, IL
      8, IL-11, SCF and SDF-1alpha. CONCLUSION: UCB-derived MSCs as a feeder layer can
      be an alternative approach for ex vivo expansion of HSCs, and the cytokines by
      secreted UCB-MSCs may mediate the supportive role of MSC to HSC proliferation.

PMID- 26117041
TI  - [Putrescine Promotes Human Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Differentiate along
      Osteogenic Pathway].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of putrescine on the growth and
      differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to develop a
      new inductive medium mixture for their osteogenic differentiation. METHODS: Human
      bone marrow MSC were collected from three healthy donors and were used to observe
      the growth-promoting activity of putrescine with MTT test. Experiments were
      divided into 3 groups: (1) putrescine group, (2) positive control group (presence
      of dexamethasone, ascorbate, and glycerol phosphate) and negative group (d-alpha
      with 5% FCS). The cellular expression level of Runx-2 was detected by PCR assay
      after the culture was maintained for 1 week. After 2 weeks, the intracellular
      activity of alkaline phosphatase was revealed by histochemistry staining, the
      phosphatase activity, and the protein concentration in the cell lysates were also
      detected. Furthermore, MSC were cultured in the presence of putrescine for 2
      weeks and Oil-red O staining was performed to reveal the differentiated
      adipocytes; the cells induced by the standard agent cocktail were used as the
      positive control. RESULTS: Putrescine promoted the proliferation of human marrow
      MSC in a dose-dependent manner. MSC exposed to putrescine at a concentration of
      100 umol/L for 1 week expressed greatly higher level of Runx-2, compared with the
      negative control. Alkaline phosphatase activity was evidently observed after MSC
      were maintained in the presence of putrescine for 2 weeks. The phosphatase
      activity contrasted to the protein content in putrescine-treated MSC was
      significantly higher than that of the control cells (0.87+/-0.012 vs 0.52+/
      0.010) (P<0.01), and also greatly higher than that of the positive control
      (0.83+/-0.029) (P=0.02). Oil red O staining showed that MSC treated by putrescine
      did not differentiate into adipoblasts. CONCLUSION: Putrescine can promote the
      proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of MSC, suggesting the potential
      application of putrescine as a novel inductive agent for in vitro osteogenesis of
      MSC.

PMID- 26117042
TI  - [Amplification Ex Vivo and Cytocidal Activity of Leukemia Tumor-Associated
      Antigen-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of amplifying the leukemia tumor associated
      antigens-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (TAA-CTL) ex vivo and to evaluate the
      cytotoxicity of TAA-CTL. METHODS: The peripheral blood mononuclear cells were
      enriched by density gradient centrifugtion; TAA-CTL were generated by stimulation
      of PBMNC with peptide-pulsed DC at an effector-to-target ratio of 10:1;
      immunophenotype of TAA-CTL was analyzed by flow cytometry; cytotoxicity assay was
      used to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of TAA-CTL against peptide-pulsed
      autologous target cells (PHA-Blasts). RESULTS: TAA-CTL expanded from volunteer
      showed a mean expansion of 3.81+/-1.61, the phenotyping of the TAA-CTL was
      predominantly CD3+ (97.22+/-0.71)% with varying content of CD4+ (41.47+/-27.08)%
      and CD8+ (56.40+/-11.15)% T cells, it also contained few nature killer cells
      (0.50+/-0.31)% and rare residual B cells (0.14+/-0.20)%; the subpopulations of
      TAA-CTL and CTL were not statisticaly significantly different in the proportion
      (P>0.05); the detection of intracellular cytokines after stimulation with peptide
      showed that the secretion rates of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in CD8+ TAA-CTL were
      (27.67+/-2.21)% and (34.2+/-0.71)%, while the secretion rates were (21.6+/-2.55)%
      and (9.97+/-3.44)% in CD4+ TAA-CTL. Compared with the CD8+ TAA-CTL group, the
      secretion rates of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha were (1.36+/-0.04)% and (5.58+/-0.03)%
      in CD8+ CTL, the rates of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha were (0.91+/-0.06)% and (1.60+/
      0.07)% in CD4+ CTL. The secretions of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in CTL were both
      significantly lower than those in TAA-CTL (P<0.01); the specific killing
      efficiency of the TAA-CTL against TAA-pulesd target cells were (77.00+/-1.00)%,
      (67.40+/-3.60)%, (60.55+/-2.45)% and (26.85+/-5.25)%, when the effecto-target
      ratios were 40:1, 20:1, 10:1 and 5:1, and there was negligible lysis of TAA-CTL
      for PHA-blast (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: TAA-CTL can be successfully induced and
      generated ex vivo from the healthy volunteer peripheral blood, and the TAA-CTL
      possess a specific killing activity.

PMID- 26117043
TI  - [Effect of SAHA on Maturation of Dendritic Cells and Its Mechanism].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of SAHA on the maturation of human dendritic
      cells (DC) and to explore its underlying mechanism. METHODS: Peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMNC) were isolated from human peripheral blood and cultured
      in RPMI 1640 medium with 100 ng/ml rhGM-CSF and 500 U/ml rhIL-4. In the LPS
      induced maturation process, dendritic cells treated with or without SAHA were
      used as test group, and dendritic cells treated without LPS or SAHA were used as
      control group. DC was observed under inverted microscope. Flow cytometer was used
      to detect the surface antigen molecules expressed by DC. The mixed lymphocyte
      culture (MLC) was used to observe the allogeneic lymphocyte stimulation. The NF
      kappaB signaling pathway was detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assay
      (EMSA). RESULTS: The SAHA could effectively suppress the maturation of DC induced
      by LPS, the DC treated with SAHA+LPS had immature morphological characteristics;
      the expression of CD80, CD83 and HLA-DR in SAHA+LPS group and control group were
      significantly down-regulated as compared with single LPS group (P<0.01); the
      ability of DC to stimulate the proliferation of allogeneic T lymphocytes in
      SAHA+LPS group and control group was significantly weaker than that in single LPS
      group (P<0.01); EMSA results showed that NF-kappaB activity decreased after SAHA
      and LPS treatment and was significantly lower than that of single LPS group.
      CONCLUSION: SAHA can effectively suppress DC maturation induced by LPS and also
      weaken the ability to stimulate allogeneic T lymphocyte. NF-kappaB signaling
      pathway is involved in regulating DC maturation.

PMID- 26117044
TI  - [Effect of Norcantharidin on Hematopoietic Function in Leucopenia Model Rat
      Induced by Cyclophosphamide].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect and mechanism of norcantharidin (NCTD) on
      hematopoiesis function in leucopenia model rat induced by cyclophosphamide (CTX).
      METHODS: Leucopenia model was replicated in SD rat with cyclophosphamide(CTX) and
      model animal was treated with NCTD. Peripheral blood and bone marrow tissue
      samples were collected from the rats in each experimental group. Peripheral white
      blood cells (WBC) were counted and analyzed by automatic blood cell analyzer.
      Histopathologic changes of the biopsied bone marrow tissues were observed by
      histopathological techniques. The cell cycle and apoptosis rate of bone marrow
      cells were detected by flow cytometry. Immunohistochemical method was applied to
      observe the expression of apoptosis-related proteins BCL-2 and BAX in bone
      marrow. RESULTS: After NCTD treatment in model rats, the WBC count of peripheral
      blood obviously increased, the cell structure of bone tissue significantly
      recovered, NCTD could promote the cell proliferation and cycle changes of bone
      marrow cells, inhibit the bone marrow cell apoptosis and necrosis induced with
      CTX, up-regulate the expression of apoptosis-related protein BCL-2 and
      downregulated the BAX. CONCLUSION: NCTD can stimulate the bone marrow
      hematopoiesis and promote recovery of peripheral white blood cell level in the
      leukopenia model induced by CTX, and its mechanism may be related with NCTD
      regulating bone marrow cell cycle and with NCTD inhibiting cell apoptosis.

PMID- 26117045
TI  - [Applications of Microscopic Imaging and Analysis Technology in Studies of
      Neutrophil Movement and Phagocytosis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze and evaluate the application of spinning disk confocal
      microscopy and imaging analysis software in movement and phagocytosis of
      neutrophils. METHODS: Neutrophils were isolated from bone marrow by
      centrifugation on discontinuous Percoll gradient, and then were stained with PE
      Gr-1 antibody and mixed with FITC-labeled Zymosan A bioparticles. Multichannel
      time-lapse videos were captured by using the spinning disk confocal microscopy.
      The result was analyzed by using volocity and ImageJ software, the parameters
      associated with movement and phagocytosis of neutrophils were analyzed, including
      morphological changes, cell tracking, pseudopod dynamics, binding and
      phagocytosis index. RESULTS: Most neutrophils would be polarized in response to
      Zymosan particles during a short time. Binding and phagocytosis process occured
      in forty minutes. CONCLUSION: A method of precisely quantifying the movement and
      phagocytosis of neutrophils using microscopic imaging and imaging analysis
      technique has been set up successfully. Using this method, biological activity
      and function of neutrophils can be evaluated visually and rapidly. The
      physiologically rapid response to Zymosan particles can be applied to the
      neutrophils function research in the future.

PMID- 26117046
TI  - [Interactions between Hemoglobin and Other Proteins were Proved by the
      Electrophoresis Release Test and Co-immunoprecipitation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the interactions between hemoglobin (Hb) and other proteins
      within human erythrocytes by using the electrophoresis release test (ERT) and co
      immunoprecipitation. METHODS: First, the fresh normal adult anti-coagulated whole
      blood was washed to prepare packed RBCs, which were further prepared to
      erythrocyte suspension and hemolysate.The erythrocyte suspension and hemolysate
      were analyzed by the electrophoresis release test (ERT) at the same time, and
      then the band of HbA of erythrocyte sample (RA) and the corresponding band of
      hemolysate sample (HA) were cut out from the gel and were enriched by freeze-thaw
      method. Then, the samples were bound with hemoglobin beta antibody (37-8) AC, the
      complexes were separated through 5%-12% SDS-PAGE followed by Q-TOF. RESULTS: Five
      bands were found in the gel, each of which was treated by hemoglobin beta
      antibody (37-8) AC, the protein bands of 16,20,22,28 and 50 kD were emerged in
      RA, HA and RBC lysis.The bands were identified by MS, and the results showed that
      these bands were hemoglobin, band 3, peroxiredoxin2 (Prx2), band 3 and beta
      actin, band 3 respectively. CONCLUSION: HbA may interact with Prx2, Band 3 and
      beta-actin, and then the complexes are formed with each other within
      erythrocytes.

PMID- 26117047
TI  - [alpha-GalCer reduces Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease by Altering Donor T Cells
      Migration].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to explore the new mechanism of alpha
      Galactosyleramide (alpha-GalCer), a synthetic glycolipid, and a well-known
      activator of natural killer T cells (NKT) for improving acute graft-versus-host
      disease(aGVHD). METHODS: Murine allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT)
      model was established. Recipient mice were injected intraperitoneally with alpha
      GalCer immediately after allo-BMT, whereas mice from the vehicle groups received
      the diluent (DMSO) only. The severity degree of aGVHD was estimated by survival,
      aGVHD clinical score and pathology. The mechanism of aGVHD reduced by alpha
      GalCer was explored by detecting T cells migration in vivo and in vitro. RESULTS:
      Mice in alpha-GalCer group survived longer than in control group, and their
      clinical and pathological status of aGVHD were lighter. alpha-GalCer reduced
      aGVHD by altering donors T cell migration. CONCLUSION: After allo-BMT alpha
      GalCer reduces aGVHD by altering donor T cells migration.

PMID- 26117048
TI  - [Expression Changes of Matrix Reconstitution-related Genes in Bone Marrow during
      5-Fluorouracil-Induced Hemopoietic Injury and Their Significance].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the expression change of the genes related with matrix
      reconstitution during the injury and reconstitution of murine bone marrow
      following treatment with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). METHODS: C57BL/6 mice received
      intraperitoneal injection of 5-FU (200 mg/kg), and peripheral blood cell counts
      were monitored at 3, 6, 9, 15, 21, 27 days after treatment. Bone marrow cells
      were harvested at these times for total RNA extraction using TRIzol. Reverse
      transcriptions in combination with real-time PCR were performed for detecting
      expression of genes related with matrix reconstitution, including ECM-1, MMP-2,
      MMP-3, MMP-13 and TIMP-1. RESULTS: After injection of 5-FU, the numbers of three
      line cells in peripheral blood (i.e. RBC, WBC and platelets) decreased and then
      recovered with differential dynamics. Similarly, RT-qPCR revealed that all the 5
      detected gene expressions were significantly up-regulated during the injury. The
      mRNA expression of MMP-2 reached to peak at day 3 while the other genes reached
      to peak at day 6. MMP-3 has a low expression when compared with others, but its
      expression increased significantly after injury. CONCLUSION: In 5-FU induced
      hematopoietic injury and reconstitution model, matrix reconstitution-related
      genes may play an important role in hematopoietic reconstitution, but different
      genes play different roles at various time, and cooperate with each other for
      hematopoietic reconstitution.

PMID- 26117049
TI  - [Diagnostic Value of Neutrophil CD64 for Bacterial Infection in Patients with
      Hematologic Malignancies after Chemotherapy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of CD64 mean fluorescence intensity of the
      peripheral blood neutrophils as a diagnostic marker of bacterial infection in
      patients with hematologic malignancies after chemotherapy. METHODS: The
      neutrophil CD64 mean fluorescence intensity of all patients was detected by flow
      cytometry, and compared with procalcitonin (PCT) and C reactive protein (CRP)
      detected in part of patients; the relationship between nCD64 and bacterial
      infection were analyzed through continuous dynamic monitoring nCD64 mean
      fluorescence intensity in part of patients. RESULTS: The expression of nCD64 was
      not affected by neutrophils counts (P>0.01); the nCD64 mean fluorescence
      intensity, PCT and CRP levels in infection group and dynamic monitoring group
      were significantly higher than those in non-infected group (P<0.01); the
      sensitivity and specificity of nCD64 mean fluorescence intensity were much
      higher, as compared with PCT and CRP in diagnosis of bacterial infection.
      CONCLUSION: nCD64 mean fluorescence intensity can be used as an effective
      diagnostic marker for bacterial infection in patients with hematologic
      malignancies after chemotherapy, and may be used to forecast bacterial infection
      to a certain extent.

PMID- 26117050
TI  - [Analysis of the Physiological Activities and Functions in Vitro of Apheresis
      Platelets during Storage].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes of physiological activities and functions
      in vitro of apheresis platelets during storage. METHOD: 17 units of apheresis
      platelets were randomly chosen and stored at 20  degrees C to 24  degrees C with
      agitation. Platelet counting (Plt), mean platelet volume (MPV), blood gases, pH
      value, glucose (Glu) concentration, lactate (LA) concentration, LDH
      concentration, thromboelastogram (TEG), hypotonic shock response (HSR), CD62p
      expression rate and anew expression rate were measured on days 0, 1, 3, 5 after
      platelet storage. Changes of physiological activities and functions in vitro were
      systematically evaluated by above-mentioned indexes. RESULTS: During storage,
      Plt, MPV and HSR were not significantly changed; but pH value, blood gases, Glu,
      LA, LDH, HSR, expression rate of CD62p and anew expression rate were significant
      differenty. Among thromboelastogram indexes, R value increased obviously with
      prolongation of storage time; K value and alphaAngle were not significantly
      changed; MA was not significantly changed on day 1 and 3, but was slightly
      increase on day 5. CONCLUSION: The physiological activities and functions in
      vitro of apheresis platelets are kept well during storage. For clinical
      transfusion of apheresis platelet during storage, clinical effect of transfusione
      is not influenced.

PMID- 26117051
TI  - [Analysis of Patients' Irregular Antibody Screening and Identification Results
      before Blood Transfusion].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of irregular antibody screening and
      identification among patients before blood transfusion, and to investigate the
      specific distribution of irregular antibodies and the distribution regularity in
      different diseases. METHODS: Choosing the patients intended to be transfused in
      our hospital from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2013 years, micro-column gel
      technique was used to screen the irregular antibodies of those receptors and to
      identify the antibody specificity of the positive specimens. RESULTS: Among 44194
      patients, 137 patients were with irregular antibody positive and their positive
      rate was 0.31%, among them 33 cases were male and accounted for 0.18% in the
      studied males; the 104 cases were females and accounted for 0.40% in all the
      studied females. The difference of sex distribution was statistically significant
      (X2=15.38, P<0.05). In the irregular antibody screening positive patients,
      patients with transfusion or pregnancy history were 129 cases, and the patients
      without transfusion or pregnancy history were 8 cases. In the irregular antibody
      screening positive patients, the main antibody of 54 cases belongs to Rh blood
      type system, accounting for 39.42%; The main antibody of 37 cases belongs to MNS
      blood type system, accounting for 27.01%; while the 30 cases belong to Lewis
      blood type system, accounting for 21.90%. According to the classification of
      diseases, the irregular antibody screening-positive patients with tumors were
      ranked in the highest rate at 5.960/00, the secondary hemorrhage of digestive
      tract and chronic renal failure were ranked at the rate of 3.280/00 and 3.190/00.
      The difference of positive rates between diseases was statistically significant
      (chi2=19.33, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Irregular antibody screening before blood
      transfusion is necessary, which can discover the irregular antibodies of clinical
      significance, especially for patients with tumors and the other patients with the
      history of frequent blood transfusions or multiple pregnancies. Antibody
      screening is a useful warning signal, as it ensures the safety of blood
      transfusions.

PMID- 26117052
TI  - [Origin of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Bone Marrow--Endothelial to Hematopoietic
      Transition (EHT)?].
AB  - In contrast to primitive hematopoiesis, during embryonic definitive
      hematopoiesis, it has been demonstrated that multilineage hematopoietic
      stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) arise from hemogenic endothelium, and the
      endothelial to hematopoietic transition (EHT) exists within the yolk sac,
      placenta, AGM, mouse head vascular and extraembryonic vessels. However, whether
      hemogenic endothelial cells contribute to blood cell development at other sites
      of definitive hematopoiesis, including fetal liver and bone marrow, remains
      largely unknown. Recently, more and more researches showed that hematopoiesis
      within bone marrow had a close relationship with vascular endothelium
      development, too. This review summarizes the mechanism of EHT during embryo
      development, and discuss whether EHT exists in adult hematopoiesis. 

PMID- 26117053
TI  - [G-CSF and Its Receptor in Hematonosis].
AB  - The granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), now referred to as CSF3, is a
      very important cell growth factor that supports the proliferation, survival, and
      differentiation of neutrophilic progenitor cells, and also is a strong immune
      regulator of T cells and a promising therapeutic tool in acute graft versus host
      disease (GVHD). G-CSF acts by binding to its receptor G-CSFR (also called CSF3R),
      a member of the cytokine receptor type I superfamily, which after binding with G
      CSF activates the canonical Janus kinase (Jak)/signal transducer, activator of
      transcription (STAT)and Ras/Raf/MAP kinase pathways. G-CSF has been applied to
      the clinic to treat congenital and acquired neutropenia before or during courses
      of intensive chemotherapy. It has also been applied to mobilize hematopoietic
      stem cells into the peripheral blood for Auto-or allogeneic transplantation, and
      the priming strategies designed to enhance the sensitivity of leukemia stem cells
      to cytotoxic agents in protocols aimed to induce their differentiation,
      accompanying growth arrest, and cell death. With the rapid development of
      molecular genetics and clinical research, CSF3R mutations have been implicated in
      the progression of severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) to leukemia. Recently,
      CSF3R mutations have been discovered frequently in chronic neutrophilic leukemia
      (CNL). Such findings might provide the theoretical basis for the targeted
      therapy. In this review, the clinical application of G-CSF receptor in
      hematonosis is briefhy summarized.

PMID- 26117054
TI  - [Progress of Study on Cytokines in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms].
AB  - The clonal blood disorder, such as polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia
      and primary myelofibrosis belong to the BCR-ABL1-negative myeloproliferative
      neoplasms(MPN) and are specified by increased production of terminally
      differentiated myeloid cells. Abnormal expression and activities of a number of
      proinflammatory cytokines are associated with MPN, in which immune dysregulation
      is pronounced as evidenced by the dysregulation of several immune and
      inflammation genes. It is becoming increasingly clear that the dysregulation of
      cytokine levels contributes to the pathophysiology of MPN and they are prognostic
      indicators. In this review, the role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of MPN, the
      clinical relevance of cytokines with MPN, current therapies and the combination
      with the new treatments targeting cytokines are summarized. 

PMID- 26117055
TI  - [Chemokine Receptor-5 and Graft-versus-Host Disease].
AB  - Chemokine receptor-5 (CCR5) belongs to a G-protein coupled receptors superfamily.
      It is mainly expressed on a wide variety of immune cells. CCR5 can bind with its
      specific ligands, which plays very important roles in inflammatory cell growth,
      differentiation, activation, adhesion and migration. CCR5 was identified as a co
      receptor for human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) to infect CD4+ T cells.
      In addition, CCR5 not only participates in the pathogenic mechanisms of many
      inflammation disease such as AIDS, auto-immune disease, and atherosclerosis, but
      also plays important roles in the development of acute graft-versus-host disease
      after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Recent studies using
      murine models have demonstrated the critical role of CCR5 and its ligands which
      direct T-cell infiltration and recruitment into target tissues during acute GVHD.
      CCR5 has become the focus of intense interest and discussion, and this review
      will attempt to describe what is understood about the structure and function,
      internalization, signal transduction of CCR5, in order to investigate the
      relationship between CCR5 and acute GVHD.

PMID- 26117056
TI  - [Expression and Clinical Significance of Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1 in
      Acute Leukemias].
AB  - Lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 (LEF1), a key downstream effector of Wnt/beta
      catenin signal transduction pathway, plays a crucial role in the maintenance,
      proliferation and differentiation of normal hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells
      through regulating the transcription of its target genes. Aberrant LEF1
      expression has been documented in a variety of leukemias, and implicated in the
      prediction of prognosis. Nevertheless, discrepancies exist regarding the
      expression level and clinical implication of LEF1 in different types of
      leukemias, suggesting LEF1 might exert distinct roles in different types of
      leukemia. In the present article, recent research advances of the relationship of
      LEF1 and regulation of hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis are reviewed. 

PMID- 26117057
TI  - [Association of CRBN Gene with Immunomodulatory Drug Resis- tance in Multiple
      Myeloma].
AB  - Human CRBN (cereblon) gene is located on chromosome 3 at 3p26 and its encoding
      protein is a member of E3 ubiquitin ligase complex (composed of CRBN, DDB1, CUL4A
      and ROC1). The E3 ubiquitin ligase complex functions in the ubiquitin-proteasome
      protein degradation pathway and attaches polyubiquitin chains to substrate
      proteins for degradation via the protease complex. Currently, there are no
      standardized assays for CRBN gene and protein measurement although quantitative
      reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunohistochemistry
      and Western blot are widely used. CRBN has been identified as a direct target for
      immunomodulatory drugs (IMiD) and plays a significant role in anti-proliferation,
      pro-apoptotic effects, anti-angiogenic activities, immunomodulatory activities
      and intervention of cell surface adhesion molecules between myeloma cells and
      bone marrow stromal cells. Recently, clinical data show that majority of the
      multiple myeloma patients treated with IMiD develop drug-resistance over time by
      unknown mechanisms. Fortunately, various in vivo and in vitro studies have
      revealed that the decreased CRBN expression or CRBN deletion is associated with
      resistance to IMiD in treating multiple myeloma, and CRBN expression levels may
      have a prognostic significance. Furthermore, the most recently discovered protein
      IKZF1, IKZF3, IRF4, C/EBPbeta and Wnt/catenin signaling pathways may also be
      closely related to IMiD resistance in myeloma.

PMID- 26117058
TI  - [Recent Research Advances on Pediatric Myelodysplastic Syndrome].
AB  - Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a group of highly heterogeneous, acquired
      hematopoietic stem/clonal disease, which is characterized by bone marrow
      dysplasia and high-risk conversion to acute leukemia, and is manifested by single
      or multi-lineage of cytopenia.The pathogenesis of MDS is complex, and has not yet
      been fully elucidated. Studies have shown that there are many differences between
      children and adults MDS.In this article the advances of studies on pediatric
      myelodysplastic syndrome are summaried. 

PMID- 26117059
TI  - [Application of Self-assembling Peptides to Hemostasis].
AB  - As a widespread phenomenon in living system, molecular self-assembly has become
      the meeting point of multidisciplinary research including chemistry, biology,
      materials science and medicine. In recent years, the rapid development in
      molecular self-assembly of peptide technology is showing a great potential in the
      application of tissue engineering, drug delivery, bionic medicine, cosmetology
      field, optical and electronic product development, etc. Especially, the
      remarkable hemostatic effect of self-assembling peptides (SAP) on organs, nerves
      and brain wounds successfully promoted its application to the material science
      and clinical medicine. This review focuses on the hemostatic effects and
      characteristics of SAP on different bleeding wound models, action mechanism, its
      benefits and limitations as well as its adrancing trends.

PMID- 26117060
TI  - [Light Chain Amyloidosis: an Update for Treatment].
AB  - Systemic light chain amyloidosis (AL amyloidosis) is the most common type of
      amyloidosis, in which deposition of misfolded monoclonal light chain secreted by
      underlying clonal plasma cells leads to organ dysfunction. Tissue biopsy of
      involved organ is needed to confirm the type of amyloid deposits, thus proper
      treatment could be applied. Laser microdissection followed by mass spectrometry,
      performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens, has been proven superior
      to traditional methods on accurate diagnosis of amyloidosis. Prognosis depends on
      the extent of cardiac involvement. The Mayo staging system using NT-ProBNP,
      cardiac troponin-T and free light chain, is the most robust method for risk
      stratification and treatment guidance. The introduction of autologous stem cell
      transplantation (auto-ASCT) resulted in long-term survival in responders, while
      treatment-related toxicity substantially limited the number of eligible
      candidates. Novel agents, especially bortezomib, thalidomide and lenalidomide
      hold promise to achieve comparable hematological responses with auto-ASCT, which
      might play significant role in treatment of recurrent or refractory AL
      amyloidosis. 

PMID- 26117061
TI  - The relationship between dissociation and voices: A systematic literature review
      and meta-analysis.
AB  - There are an increasing number of studies exploring the association between voice
      hearing (auditory verbal hallucinations) and dissociative experiences. The
      current study provides a systematic literature review and meta-analytic synthesis
      of quantitative studies investigating the relationship between voice-hearing and
      dissociation. A systematic search identified and included 19 clinical studies,
      comprising 1620 participants, and 12 non-clinical studies, comprising 2137
      participants, published between 1986 and 2014. Nineteen of these studies provided
      sufficient data to be included within the meta-analysis. The narrative review
      findings suggested that dissociative experiences may be implicated in voice
      hearing, and may potentially be a mediating factor within the well-established
      trauma and voice-hearing relationship. Similarly, the meta-analytic findings
      suggested that the majority of the identified studies showed a significant
      positive relationship between dissociative experiences and voice-hearing. The
      magnitude of the summary effect was large and significant (r=.52), indicating a
      robust relationship between these two phenomena. However, considerable
      heterogeneity within the meta-analytic results and methodological limitations of
      the identified studies were evident, highlighting areas for future investigation.
      As the majority of the studies were cross-sectional by design, we recommended
      future research to include longitudinal designs with a view to exploring
      directional effects. Additionally, future studies should control for potential
      confounding factors. Clinical implications of the findings were also considered. 

PMID- 26117062
TI  - Cognitive behavioral treatments of obsessive-compulsive disorder. A systematic
      review and meta-analysis of studies published 1993-2014.
AB  - Obsessive-compulsive disorder is ranked by the WHO as among the 10 most
      debilitating disorders and tends to be chronic without adequate treatment. The
      only psychological treatment that has been found effective is cognitive behavior
      therapy (CBT). This meta-analysis includes all RCTs (N=37) of CBT for OCD using
      the interview-based Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, published 1993 to
      2014. The effect sizes for comparisons of CBT with waiting-list (1.31), and
      placebo conditions (1.33) were very large, whereas those for comparisons between
      individual and group treatment (0.17), and exposure and response prevention vs.
      cognitive therapy (0.07) were small and non-significant. CBT was significantly
      better than antidepressant medication (0.55), but the combination of CBT and
      medication was not significantly better than CBT plus placebo (0.25). The RCTs
      have a number of methodological problems and recommendations for improving the
      methodological rigor are discussed as well as clinical implications of the
      findings. 

PMID- 26117064
TI  - Responses of growth inhibition and antioxidant gene expression in earthworms
      (Eisenia fetida) exposed to tetrabromobisphenol A, hexabromocyclododecane and
      decabromodiphenyl ether.
AB  - Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and
      decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209), suspected ubiquitous contaminants, account for
      the largest volume of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) since penta-BDE and octa
      BDE have been phased out globally. In this paper, the growth inhibition and gene
      transcript levels of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase
      (CAT)) and the stress-response gene involved in the prevention of oxidative
      stress (Hsp70) of earthworms (Eisenia fetida) exposed to TBBPA, HBCD and BDE 209
      were measured to identify the toxicity effects of selected BFRs on earthworms.
      The growth of earthworms treated by TBBPA at 200 and 400 mg/kg dw were inhibited
      at rate of 13.7% and 22.0% respectively, while there was no significant growth
      inhibition by HBCD and BDE 209. A significant (P<0.01) up-regulation of SOD
      expression level was observed in earthworms exposed to TBBPA at 50 mg/kg dw (1.77
      fold) and to HBCD at 400 mg/kg dw (2.06-fold). The transcript level of Hsp70 gene
      was significantly up-regulated (P<0.01) when earthworms exposed to TBBPA at
      concentration of 50-200 mg/kg (2.16-2.19-fold) and HBCD at 400 mg/kg (2.61-fold).
      No significant variation of CAT gene expression in all the BFRs treatments was
      observed, neither does all the target gene expression level exposed to BDE 209.
      Assessed by growth inhibition and the changes at mRNA levels of encoding genes in
      earthworms, TBBPA showed the greatest toxicity, followed by HBCD and BDE 209,
      consistent with trends in molecular properties. The results help to understand
      the molecular mechanism of antioxidant defense.

PMID- 26117065
TI  - Bisphenol A alters the cardiovascular response to hypoxia in Danio rerio embryos.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine if the cardiovascular response to
      hypoxia was altered by the presence of bisphenol A (BPA) in Danio rerio embryos.
      It was expected that BPA exposure would affect cardiovascular parameters during
      hypoxia more than normoxia due to an interaction between BPA and the hypoxia
      inducible factor (HIF-1alpha) pathway. We demonstrate that BPA exposure has a
      minimal effect during normoxia but can severely affect the cardiovascular system
      during a hypoxic event. Cardiovascular response was measured in vivo using video
      microscopy and digital motion analysis. RBC density increased 35% in hypoxia
      alone but decreased 48% with addition of 0.25mg/L BPA. Tissue vascularization (%
      coverage) was unaffected by hypoxia alone but decreased 37% with addition of
      0.25mg/L BPA. The diameter and RBC velocity of arteries were more sensitive than
      veins to BPA exposure during both normoxia and hypoxia. Arterial RBC velocity
      decreased 42% during normoxia and 52% during hypoxia with 1mg/L BPA. This
      decrease in velocity may in part be due to the 86% decrease in heart rate (fH)
      observed during co-exposure to hypoxia and 5mg/L BPA. While stroke volume (SV)
      was unaffected by treatment, cardiac output (Q) decreased by 69% with co
      exposure. fH and Q were not affected by BPA exposure during normoxia. Development
      ultimately slowed by 146% and mortality rates were 95% during hypoxia when
      exposed to 5mg/L BPA. Our results show for the first time that BPA exposure
      alters the cardiovascular system during hypoxia more so than normoxia. 

PMID- 26117063
TI  - Using Xenopus to discover new genes involved in branchiootorenal spectrum
      disorders.
AB  - Congenital hearing loss is an important clinical problem because, without early
      intervention, affected children do not properly acquire language and consequently
      have difficulties developing social skills. Although most newborns in the US are
      screened for hearing deficits, even earlier diagnosis can be made with prenatal
      genetic screening. Genetic screening that identifies the relevant mutated gene
      can also warn about potential congenital defects in organs not related to
      hearing. We will discuss efforts to identify new candidate genes that underlie
      the Branchiootorenal spectrum disorders in which affected children have hearing
      deficits and are also at risk for kidney defects. Mutations in two genes, SIX1
      and EYA1, have been identified in about half of the patients tested. To uncover
      new candidate genes, we have used the aquatic animal model, Xenopus laevis, to
      identify genes that are part of the developmental genetic pathway of Six1 during
      otic and kidney development. We have already identified a large number of
      potential Six1 transcriptional targets and candidate co-factor proteins that are
      expressed at the right time and in the correct tissues to interact with Six1
      during development. We discuss the advantages of using this system for gene
      discovery in a human congenital hearing loss syndrome. 

PMID- 26117066
TI  - Methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA) associated with bipolar I disorder and
      executive functions in A Han Chinese population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The oxidative stress hypothesis proposed to explain bipolar I
      disorder (BD I) pathogenesis has gained growing attention based on its
      association with cognitive impairment. The aim of the present study was to
      explore the association of the methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA) gene with
      BD I as well as executive functions of BD I patients. METHODS: A total of 44
      tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms within the MsrA gene were selected to
      analyze gene association with BD I in 375 BD I patients and 475 controls in a Han
      Chinese population. The association of MsrA haplotypes with executive functions
      was analyzed in 157 clinically stable BD I patients and 210 controls. RESULTS:
      Allele frequencies of the rs4840463 polymorphism were significantly different
      between BD I patients and controls, and between patients with psychotic symptoms
      and controls. BD I patients performed more poorly in 11 of the 13 neurocognitive
      measurements compared with controls. Three MsrA haplotypes showed significant
      associations with different executive functions. LIMITATIONS: The limited sample
      size requires a cautious conclusion, and further comprehensive approaches are
      needed to explore the mechanism of MsrA's effect on BD I. CONCLUSIONS: The
      rs4840463 polymorphism in the MsrA gene may be associated with the increased risk
      of BD I in a Chinese population. The association of MsrA haplotypes with
      executive functions indicated that MsrA is associated with executive function
      defects in BD I patients.

PMID- 26117067
TI  - BDNF Val66Met polymorphism in patterns of neural activation in individuals with
      MDD and healthy controls.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rs6265 single nucleotide polymorphism, which influences brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the cortical and subcortical brain
      structures, may result in distinguished patterns of neural activation during a
      major depressive disorder (MDD) episode. Valine homozygotes with high levels of
      BDNF and methionine carriers with lower levels of BDNF may present specific
      neural correlates of MDD. In our study we have tested differences in blood oxygen
      level dependant (BOLD) signal between individuals with MDD and healthy controls
      for both allelic variants. METHODS: Individuals with MDD (N = 37) and healthy
      controls (N = 39) were genotyped for rs6265 and compared separately in each
      allelic variant for BOLD response in a functional magnetic resonance imaging
      experiment examining appraisal of emotional scenes. The two allelic variants were
      also compared separately for both individuals with MDD and healthy controls.
      RESULTS: In the homozygous valine group MDD was associated with decreased neural
      activation in areas responsible for cognitive appraisal of emotional scenes. In
      the methionine group MDD was related to increased activation in subcortical
      regions responsible for visceral reaction to emotional stimuli. During an MDD
      episode methionine carriers showed more activation in areas associated with
      cognitive appraisal of emotional information in comparison to valine homozygotes.
      LIMITATIONS: Small sample size of healthy controls carrying methionine (N=8).
      CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that allelic variations in the rs6265 gene lead
      to specific neural correlates of MDD which may be associated with different
      mechanisms of MDD in the two allelic groups. This may have potential importance
      for screening and treatment of patients.

PMID- 26117068
TI  - Sit-To-Stand Biomechanics Before and After Total Hip Arthroplasty.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in movement patterns during a
      sit-to-stand (STS) task before and after total hip arthroplasty (THA), and to
      compare biomechanical outcomes after THA to a control group. Forty-five subjects
      who underwent THA and twenty-three healthy control subjects participated in three
      dimensional motion analysis. Pre-operatively, subjects exhibited inter-limb
      movement asymmetries with lower vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) and smaller
      moments on the operated limb. Although there were significant improvements in
      movement symmetry 3 months after THA, patients continued to demonstrate lower
      VGRF and smaller moments on the operated limb compared to non-operated and to
      control limbs. Future studies should identify the contributions of physical
      impairments and the influence of surgical approach on STS biomechanics.

PMID- 26117069
TI  - Measuring the Femoral Head Size--An Additional Real-Time Intraoperative
      Monitoring Tool for the Accuracy of the Preoperative Process and Implant
      Selection.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between the implanted
      cup's outer diameter and the actual femoral head diameter removed during surgery.
      Seventy-five patients with primary total hip arthroplasty were evaluated. The
      difference between the implanted cup diameter and the femoral head diameter was
      calculated for each patient. The mean+/-SD actual femoral head diameter that was
      removed and measured during surgery was 48.5+/-3.7 mm. The mean+/-SD cementless
      implanted cup outer diameter was 51.8+/-3.5 mm. A high correlation was found
      between the implanted cup diameter and the actual femoral head diameter
      (r=0.923). A cut-off point of 4mm of the measured femoral head diameter should be
      considered as an additional monitoring indicator.

PMID- 26117070
TI  - Complications of Morbid Obesity in Total Joint Arthroplasty: Risk Stratification
      Based on BMI.
AB  - This study stratifies complication risk in primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA)
      based on body mass index (BMI). Demographics, co-morbidities, perioperative
      variables, and complications were reviewed for 22,808 patients. Chi-squared, one
      way ANOVA, univariate and multivariable regression analysis were performed.
      Increasing BMI led to an increase (P<0.05) in combined complications, acute
      kidney injury (AKI), cardiac arrest (CA), reintubation, reoperation, and
      superficial infection (SI). Univariate analysis for BMI>40 revealed an increase
      in combined complications (15.21-vs-17.40%), AKI (1.93-vs-3.87%), CA (0.22-vs
      0.57%), reintubation (0.47-vs-0.95%), reoperation (2.36-vs-3.37%), and SI (0.82
      vs-1.65%). Multivariable regression showed BMI>40 as an independent predictor for
      combined complications (OR=1.18), AKI (OR=1.79), CA (OR=3.94), reintubation
      (OR=2.56), reoperation (OR=1.44), and SI (OR=2.11). Morbid obesity confers
      increased risk for complications in TJA. 

PMID- 26117071
TI  - The Impact of Wear and Lift-Off on Coronal Plane Alignment in TKA and
      Implications to Future Constrained Revision: A Retrieval Study.
AB  - Current discussion exists whether to position a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in
      slight undercorrection in varus osteoarthritis. The goal of this study was to
      analyse the effect of wear and lateral lift-off in primary TKA on coronal plane
      alignment and the implication to future constrained revision TKA. Seventy-six
      retrieved tibial inserts were analysed for the ratio of wear (RW), lateral lift
      off and implications for future constrained revision surgery according to the
      coronal plane alignment. The RW significantly affects the coronal plane alignment
      in TKA. Progressive wear and lateral lift-off were seen with progressive varus
      alignment. However, there was no difference in constrained revision between mild
      varus and moderate varus aligned TKAs. 

PMID- 26117072
TI  - Does Extended-Release Liposomal Bupivacaine Better Control Pain Than Bupivacaine
      After Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA)? A Prospective, Randomized Clinical Trial.
AB  - Liposomal bupivacaine periarticular injection (PAI) offers sustained bupivacaine
      release after TKA, but few prospective independent studies exist. In this
      prospective, blinded study, liposomal bupivacaine was randomized against
      bupivacaine and incorporated into a comprehensive multimodal pain management
      protocol. 111 primary TKAs were randomized to receive PAI: 58 patients received
      266 mg (20cc) liposomal bupivacaine mixed with 75 mg (30cc) 0.25% bupivacaine,
      and 53 patients received 150 mg (60cc) 0.25% bupivacaine. Visual analog pain
      scores and narcotic use were determined. No pain score differences occurred
      between study and control patients: Day 1: 4.5/4.6 (P=0.73); Day 2: 4.4/4.8
      (P=0.27); or Day 3: 3.5/3.7 (P=0.58). Narcotic use was similar during
      hospitalization, 51.8/54.2 (P=0.34). The study medication costs $285, and the
      control medication costs $2.80. This finding does not justify the routine use of
      liposomal bupivacaine.

PMID- 26117073
TI  - The Anatomische Gesellschaft and National Socialism: an analysis based on newly
      available archival material.
AB  - The newly available scientific estate of Heinrich von Eggeling (1869-1954), long
      time secretary of the Anatomische Gesellschaft (AG), allows a more profound
      analysis of how this scientific association went through the period of the "Third
      Reich". At the first meeting under the new rulers in 1934, von Eggeling and
      Siegfried Mollier prevented their board colleague Martin Heidenhain from giving
      an introductory talk because they (not unjustly) feared anti-Jewish protests, but
      also because many anatomy professors, like other German scholars, were fervent
      nationalists who welcomed Hitler and largely accepted the expulsion of Jewish and
      other colleagues as 'inevitable' for national renewal. Many persecuted members
      nevertheless remained on the membership lists and the AG never officially
      introduced anti-Jewish bylaws. Eggeling and his like-minded colleagues
      successfully defended the international status of the AG, though not so much
      against the Nazi authorities but against a younger generation of anatomists who
      were willing to benefit from the new political situation and strived for their
      own German anatomical association. The available archival material suggests that
      the motivation of the established leading members of the AG to take this specific
      path was not rooted in opposition to the new rulers but rather in defence of
      their traditional status of reputed professors running a time-honoured, world
      leading society. This made international reputation an important guideline for
      many decisions. While they did ward off attempts by the younger generation to
      politicise the AG, their post-war calls for an apolitical science remain
      ambivalent, as their own stance had not always been apolitical. 

PMID- 26117074
TI  - The influence of cycle time on shoulder fatigue responses for a fixed total
      overhead workload.
AB  - The relationship between overhead work and musculoskeletal health depends on
      multiple task and individual factors. Knowledge gaps persist, despite examination
      of many of these factors individually and in combination. This investigation
      targeted task variation, as parameterized by cycle time within a fixed overall
      workload. Participants performed an intermittent overhead pressing task with four
      different cycle time conditions while overall workload and duty cycle was held
      constant. Several manifestations of fatigue were monitored during task
      performance. Endurance time was influenced by cycle time with shorter cycle times
      having endurance times up to 25% higher than longer cycle times. Surface
      electromyography (sEMG) results were mixed, with two muscles demonstrating
      amplitude increases (middle deltoid and upper trapezius) that varied with cycle
      time. sEMG frequency was not influenced by cycle time for any muscle monitored,
      despite decreases for several cycle times. Trends existed for the influence of
      cycle time on time-varying reported discomfort (p=0.056) and static strength
      (p=0.055); large effect sizes were present (etap(2)=0.31 and 0.27, respectively).
      The equivocal association of fatigue indicators and cycle time is analogous to
      the influence of other factors implicated in overhead work musculoskeletal risk,
      and probabilistic modeling offers a compelling avenue for integration of the
      known variation in the many factors that combine to inform this risk. 

PMID- 26117075
TI  - Evaluation of a laboratory model of human head impact biomechanics.
AB  - This work describes methodology for evaluating laboratory models of head impact
      biomechanics. Using this methodology, we investigated: how closely does twin-wire
      drop testing model head rotation in American football impacts? Head rotation is
      believed to cause mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) but helmet safety standards
      only model head translations believed to cause severe TBI. It is unknown whether
      laboratory head impact models in safety standards, like twin-wire drop testing,
      reproduce six degree-of-freedom (6DOF) head impact biomechanics that may cause
      mTBI. We compared 6DOF measurements of 421 American football head impacts to twin
      wire drop tests at impact sites and velocities weighted to represent typical
      field exposure. The highest rotational velocities produced by drop testing were
      the 74th percentile of non-injury field impacts. For a given translational
      acceleration level, drop testing underestimated field rotational acceleration by
      46% and rotational velocity by 72%. Primary rotational acceleration frequencies
      were much larger in drop tests (~100 Hz) than field impacts (~10 Hz). Drop
      testing was physically unable to produce acceleration directions common in field
      impacts. Initial conditions of a single field impact were highly resolved in
      stereo high-speed video and reconstructed in a drop test. Reconstruction results
      reflected aggregate trends of lower amplitude rotational velocity and higher
      frequency rotational acceleration in drop testing, apparently due to twin-wire
      constraints and the absence of a neck. These results suggest twin-wire drop
      testing is limited in modeling head rotation during impact, and motivate
      continued evaluation of head impact models to ensure helmets are tested under
      conditions that may cause mTBI.

PMID- 26117076
TI  - The distribution of superficial zone protein (SZP)/lubricin/PRG4 and boundary
      mode frictional properties of the bovine diarthrodial joint.
AB  - The diarthrodial, knee joint is a remarkably efficient bearing system;
      articulating cartilage surfaces provide nearly frictionless performance with
      minimal wear. The low friction properties of the cartilage surfaces are due in
      part to the boundary lubricant, superficial zone protein (SZP); also known as
      lubricin or proteoglycan 4 (PRG4). In previous work, SZP localization and
      cartilage friction were examined across the femoral condyles. Studies in the
      literature have also individually investigated the other tissues that comprise
      the human knee and four-legged animal stifle joint, such as the meniscus or
      patella. However, comparisons between individual studies are limited due to the
      variable testing conditions employed. Friction is a system property that is
      dependent on the opposing articulating surface, entraining speed, and loading. A
      cross-comparison of the frictional properties and SZP localization across the
      knee/stifle joint tissues utilizing a common testing configuration is therefore
      needed. The objective of this investigation was to determine the friction
      coefficient and SZP localization of the tissues comprising the three compartments
      of the bovine stifle joint: patella, patellofemoral groove, femoral condyles,
      meniscus, tibial plateau, and anterior cruciate ligament. The boundary mode
      coefficient of friction was greater in tissues of the patellofemoral compartment
      than the lateral and medial tibiofemoral compartments. SZP immunolocalization
      followed this trend with reduced depth of staining and intensity in the patella
      and patellofemoral groove compared to the femoral condyles and tibial plateau.
      These results illustrate the important role of SZP in reducing friction in the
      tissues and compartments of the knee/stifle joint. 

PMID- 26117077
TI  - Evaluation of the Plastic Surgery In-Service Training Exam: Lower Extremity
      Questions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To facilitate the training of plastic surgery residents, we analyzed a
      knowledge-based curriculum for plastic and reconstructive surgery of the lower
      extremity. DESIGN: The Plastic Surgery In-Service Training Exam (PSITE) is a
      commonly used tool to assess medical knowledge in plastic surgery. We reviewed
      the lower extremity content on 6 consecutive score keys (2008-2013). Questions
      were classified by taxonomy, anatomy, and subject. Answer references were
      quantified by source and relative year of publication. RESULTS: Totally, 107
      questions related to the lower extremity (9.1% of all questions) and 14 questions
      had an associated image (13.1%). Questions required decision making (49%) over
      interpretation (36%) and direct recall (15%) skills (p < 0.001). Conditions of
      the leg (42.1%) and thigh (24.3%) constituted most of the questions. Subject
      matter focused on flap reconstruction (38.3%), nerve injury (8.4%), and
      congenital deformity (6.5%). Analysis of 263 citations to 66 unique journals
      showed that Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (54.9%) was the highest yield
      primary source. The median year of publication relative to PSITE administration
      was 6 (range: 1-58) with a mode of 2 years. Plastic Surgery by Mathes et al. was
      the most referenced textbook (21.9%). CONCLUSIONS: These data establish a
      benchmark for lower extremity training during plastic surgery residency. Study
      efforts focused on the most common topics and references will enhance trainee
      preparation for lower extremity PSITE questions.

PMID- 26117078
TI  - Patient Safety Risks of Basic Urological Procedures Performed by Junior and
      Senior Residents.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current performance of urological residents
      regarding basic urological procedures in relation to patient safety issues and
      the identification of specific training needs. DESIGN: Observational data of 146
      urethrocystoscopies (UCSs), 27 transrectal ultrasounds of the prostate (TRUSs),
      38 transrectal ultrasound-guided prostatic biopsies (TRUSPs), and 30
      transurethral resections of bladder tumor (TURBTs) were collected. Performance
      was evaluated using scoring lists including details on completeness of procedural
      steps, level of independence, time, and the incidence of unintended events. The
      causal factors contributing to the unintended events were identified by 2 expert
      urologists and classified according to the recognized PRISMA method. SETTING:
      This study was performed in 5 teaching hospitals in the Netherlands.
      PARTICIPANTS: We included 11 junior residents and 5 senior residents in urology
      in the final study cohort. RESULTS: Senior residents showed a lower degree of
      completeness in material usage than junior residents did during UCS (p < 0.01)
      and in preparation, material usage, and procedure during TRUSP (all p < 0.05). In
      UCS and TURBT, senior residents received significantly less feedback than junior
      residents did (both p < 0.01). Incidence of unintended events for junior vs
      senior residents was 11% and 4% in UCS, 0% and 7% in transrectal ultrasound of
      the prostate, 36% and 62% in TRUSP, and 41% and 23% in TURBT, respectively.
      Overall, unintended events were mainly caused by human factors, in particular,
      verification and skills-based issues. CONCLUSION: Present performance of basic
      urological procedures involves a high percentage of unintended events, especially
      in TRUSP and TURBT, which are mainly caused by human factors and are a potential
      threat for patient safety. Junior residents are less independent but more
      thorough in the performance of UCS and TRUSP than senior residents are. Targeted
      skills training including assessment should be implemented before privileges for
      independent practice are granted to reduce the incidence of unintended events and
      optimize patient safety.

PMID- 26117079
TI  - Reliable Assessment of Performance in Surgery: A Practical Approach to
      Generalizability Theory.

PMID- 26117080
TI  - The Potential Reach of Opioid Substitution Settings to Deliver HCV Care to People
      Who Inject Drugs in Australia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent efforts in Australia to engage people who inject drugs (PWID)
      in hepatitis C (HCV) care have focussed on opioid substitution treatment (OST)
      services as a delivery site. This approach potentially excludes non-opioid using
      PWID. This study aimed to determine differences between those currently receiving
      OST and those not among a sample of PWID. METHODS: Additional questions on HCV
      testing were included in the 2013 Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS), an annual
      sentinel surveillance system. The IDRS recruits PWID in all Australian capital
      cities from a range of sources, predominantly needle and syringe programs. All
      participants are reimbursed AUD$40 for a ~45 minute interview-administered
      survey. RESULTS: Current OST was reported by 44% of the total sample, and two
      thirds reported an opioid as their drug of choice. Those participants who
      reported current OST were significantly more likely than those not in OST to
      report heroin as their drug of choice (65% vs. 43%, p<0.0.001) and the drug
      injected most often (53% vs. 30%, p<0.001). Compared to those in OST, those not
      in OST were more likely to report methamphetamine as their drug of choice (29%
      vs. 14%, p<0.001) or drug injected most often (33% vs. 17%, p<0.001). Current OST
      clients were more likely to have been tested for HCV antibodies (anti-HCV) than
      those not in OST (96% vs. 93%, p<0.05) and to report an anti-HCV positive result
      (75% vs. 64%, p<0.001). Those receiving OST were no more likely than those not to
      undergo further HCV-related testing (e.g. RNA) (62% vs. 56%, p=0.136). Both
      groups reported further HCV-related testing was undertaken primarily at a
      community general practice. DISCUSSION: Despite a large proportion of current
      PWID receiving OST, there remains a substantial minority who are neither seeking
      nor eligible for treatment. Efforts to improve access to HCV care for PWID in
      Australia therefore need to be expanded beyond OST, especially given the large
      proportion of participants who reported inadequate HCV testing.

PMID- 26117081
TI  - A Randomized Evaluation of Motivational Interviewing Training for Mandated
      Implementation of Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention in Trauma Centers.
AB  - The American College of Surgeons has mandated that level I and level II trauma
      centers implement universal alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) for
      injured patients. This study was a secondary analysis of a national, 20-hospital,
      cluster-randomized implementation trial focusing on practical issues of training
      and supervising alcohol SBI providers in motivational interviewing (MI). The
      purpose of this study was to examine whether real-world trauma center providers
      can be trained to provide higher quality counseling using MI as part of brief
      interventions for alcohol and whether MI skills can be maintained over time.
      Sites were randomly assigned to receive a 1day workshop training in MI for
      alcohol SBI or not, and all providers regardless of training completed up to
      seven standardized patient assessments of MI fidelity over 27months. Six domains
      on the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) coding system were
      assessed and compared to proficiency criteria. Providers in the intervention
      training group showed substantially improved MITI scores over the course of the
      27-month time period. Domains that had particularly strong improvement were MI
      spirit and empathy; however, despite the overall improvement in the intervention
      group scores, expert-derived proficiency criteria were attained only for the
      global scores. Routine trauma center providers who receive MI training can
      deliver higher quality counseling in alcohol brief interventions, but may not,
      however, attain previously derived proficiency standards. Future implementation
      efforts in real-world acute care medical settings could further elucidate
      provider characteristics that predict training response and also strive to
      demonstrate that higher quality alcohol SBI implementation is associated with
      improved patient-level outcomes. 

PMID- 26117082
TI  - Rate of repeat diagnoses in men who have sex with men for Chlamydia trachomatis
      and Neisseria gonorrhoeae: a retrospective cohort study.
AB  - Background Sexually transmissible infections (STIs) have increased rapidly among
      men who have sex with men (MSM). One of the most effective strategies to control
      STIs is partner notification. Inadequate partner notification may be associated
      with high rates of repeat diagnoses with STIs. The aim of this study is to
      estimate and compare the rate of chlamydia and gonorrhoea infection following
      primary infection to the overall clinic rate. METHODS: A retrospective cohort
      analysis of MSM attending the Melbourne Sexual Health Clinic was conducted. For
      both infections, the overall incidence and that following diagnosis and treatment
      was calculated. RESULTS: Of the 13053 MSM, the incidence of diagnoses for
      chlamydia and gonorrhoea was 8.5 (95% CI: 8.2-8.9) and 6.2 (95% CI: 5.9-6.5) per
      100 person-years, respectively. Seventy per cent of chlamydia and 64% of
      gonorrhoea cases were retested at 10-365 days after diagnosis and treatment.
      Following diagnosis and treatment of chlamydia, the rate ratio in these
      individuals in the first quarter was 16- and 8-fold higher for chlamydia and
      gonorrhoea, respectively, compared with the background incidence of diagnoses.
      Similarly, following diagnosis and treatment of gonorrhoea, the rate ratio in
      these individuals in the first quarter was 18- and 10-fold higher for gonorrhoea
      and chlamydia, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that approximately
      half of MSM who test positive for chlamydia or gonorrhoea within 90 days after an
      initial infection represent contact with either a previous sexual partner or
      member of the same sexual network, the remainder representing the particularly
      high STI risk for these MSM.

PMID- 26117083
TI  - Vessel Wall Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Inflammatory Cascade, Aspirin, and
      Aneurysm Rupture: Future Paradigms?

PMID- 26117084
TI  - Endoscopic Endonasal Clipping of Intracranial Aneurysms: Surgical Technique and
      Results.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Microsurgical clipping of intracranial aneurysms requires meticulous
      technique and is usually performed through open approaches. Endoscopic endonasal
      clipping of intracranial aneurysms may use the same techniques through an
      alternative corridor. The aim of this article is to report a series of patients
      who underwent an endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) for microsurgical clipping
      of intracranial aneurysms. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review.
      Surgical outcome and complications were noted. The conceptual application and the
      technical nuances of these procedures are discussed. RESULTS: Ten patients
      underwent EEA for clipping of 11 intracranial aneurysms arising from the
      paraclinoidal internal carotid artery (n = 9) and vertebrobasilar system (n = 2).
      The internal carotid artery aneurysms projected medially, whereas the
      vertebrobasilar artery aneurysms were directly ventral to the brainstem with low
      lying basilar apices. One patient required craniotomy for distal control given
      the size and thrombosed nature of the aneurysm. Proximal and distal vascular
      control with direct visualization of the aneurysm was obtained in all patients.
      In all cases, aneurysms were completely occluded. Among complications, 3 patients
      had postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage and 2 other patients had
      meningitis. Two patients suffered lacunar strokes. One recovered completely and
      the other remains with mild disabling symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: EEAs can provide
      direct access for microsurgical clipping of rare and carefully selected
      intracranial aneurysms. The basic principles of cerebrovascular surgery have to
      be followed throughout the procedure. These surgeries require a skull base team
      with a neurosurgeon well versed in both endoscopic endonasal and cerebrovascular
      surgery, working in concert with an otolaryngologist experienced in skull base
      endoscopy and reconstruction.

PMID- 26117085
TI  - Analysis of Venous Thromboembolism Risk in Patients Undergoing Craniotomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Craniotomy poses a risk for postoperative venous thromboembolism
      (VTE), but the utility of anticoagulation in this patient population is unclear.
      We sought to identify risk factors predictive of VTE in patients undergoing
      craniotomy. METHODS: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality
      Improvement Project (ACS-NSQIP) database was reviewed for patients undergoing
      craniotomy. Clinical factors provided by the database were analyzed for
      association with VTE. RESULTS: A total of 10,477 adult patients who underwent
      craniotomy from 2011-2012 were identified. The rate of VTE was 3.2% (pulmonary
      embolism [PE] was 1.3%; deep vein thrombosis [DVT] was 2.4%). Several factors
      were significant in univariate analysis, and a subset persisted after
      multivariate analysis. Patients were assigned a risk score on the basis of the
      presence of those variables. Higher risk scores were predictive of VTE risk, as
      well as increasing time from surgery to discharge and mortality. A receiver
      operating characteristics curve revealed a significant area under the curve
      (0.719) for scores being predictive of VTE risk. The model was validated against
      our similar analysis of 2006-2010 NSQIP data and demonstrated comparable
      findings. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of postoperative VTE after craniotomy can be
      quantified by a simple risk score, with increasing risk factors conferring
      increased risk of VTE. On the basis of risk scoring, a subset of patients who
      would benefit from anticoagulation post craniotomy may be identified.

PMID- 26117086
TI  - A Neurosurgical Call to Arms: Lessons from ARUBA, Mr. Clean, and the
      Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network.

PMID- 26117087
TI  - Intrasaccular Flow Diversion for Wide-Neck Bifurcation Aneurysms: Should the Bar
      Be Set Higher?

PMID- 26117088
TI  - From Delivering the Patient to the Hospital to Delivering the Hospital to the
      Patient: Acute Stroke Therapy in an Ambulance.

PMID- 26117089
TI  - Search for Biomarkers of Intracranial Aneurysms: A Systematic Review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) remain a devastating clinical
      challenge, and the pathogenesis of IA formation and progression continues to be
      unclear. Biomarker analysis can help us understand IA development. The authors
      performed a systematic review of current literature on genetic and serum
      biomarkers for IAs in an attempt to identify diagnostic/prognostic factors for
      ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. METHODS: All relevant studies on PubMed that
      reported blood/cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers and genes that regulate
      biomarker levels for IAs were assessed for whether the biomarkers/genes studied
      correlated with IA formation and rupture. RESULTS: Thirty-three studies were
      reviewed. IAs are associated with an increase in levels of immunologic markers,
      particularly complement C3 and C9, immunoglobulins IgG and IgM, M1/M2
      macrophages, monocytes, and B and T lymphocytes; increase in blood and CSF levels
      of adhesion molecules; selectins found on vascular endothelium, platelets, and
      leukocytes; doubled ratios of elastase-to-alpha-1-antitrypsin as controls;
      elevated levels of neurofilament heavy chain SM135 and S-100 post rupture; and
      locus 19q13 with many candidate genes. CONCLUSION: Though the pathophysiology of
      the disease remains unclear, the current literature supports the role of
      inflammatory and cell adhesion molecules, enzymes and hormones that effect
      cerebral vasculature, and other cerebral proteins related to brain and vascular
      damage in both the formation and progression to rupture of IAs. Future
      investigations are needed to validate results from previous studies and identify
      new diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers of IAs.

PMID- 26117090
TI  - Synovial TRPV1 is upregulated by 17-beta-estradiol and involved in allodynia of
      inflamed temporomandibular joints in female rats.
AB  - Women with reproductive capability are more likely to suffer from
      temporomandibular disorders (TMD), with orofacial pain as the most common
      complaint. In the past, we focused on the role of estradiol in TMD pain through
      the nervous system. In this study, we explored estradiol's influence on
      synoviocyte gene expressions involved in the allodynia of the inflamed TMJ. The
      influence of 17-beta-estradiol on NGF and TRPV1 expression in TMJ synovium was
      determined in vivo and in vitro and analyzed by Western blot and real-time PCR.
      Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) injection into the TMJ was used to induce TMJ
      arthritis. Capsazepine served as a TRPV1 antagonist. Head withdrawal threshold
      was examined using a von Frey Anesthesiometer. We observed that estradiol
      upregulated the expressions of TRPV1 and NGF in a dose-dependent manner. In the
      primary cultured synoviocytes, TRPV1 was upregulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS),
      estradiol, and NGF, while NGF antibodies fully blocked LPS and estradiol-induced
      upregulation of TRPV1. Activation of TRPV1 in the primary synoviocytes with
      capsaicin, a TRPV1 agonist, dose-dependently enhanced COX-2 transcription.
      Moreover, intra-TMJ injection of TRPV1 antagonist, capsazepine, significantly
      attenuated allodynia of the inflamed TMJ induced by intra-TMJ injection of CFA in
      female rats. This article presents a possible local mechanism for estradiol that
      may be involved in TMJ inflammation or pain in the synovial membrane through the
      pain-related gene TRPV1. This finding could potentially help clinicians
      understand the sexual dimorphism of TMD pain. 

PMID- 26117091
TI  - Psychomotor retardation and vulnerability to interferon alpha induced major
      depressive disorder: Prospective study of a chronic hepatitis C cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common consequence of interferon
      alpha (IFNalpha) treatment and important supporting evidence of a role of
      inflammation in the aetiology of depression. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to
      expand the knowledge of baseline clinical vulnerability characteristics to
      IFNalpha induced MDD, particularly exploring sub-threshold depressive symptoms.
      METHODS: A prospective cohort of chronic HCV patients undergoing treatment with
      pegylated-IFNalpha and ribavirin was studied. MDD was assessed using the
      Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I). Depressive symptoms and
      severity were assessed at baseline and monthly with the Hamilton Depression
      Rating Scale (HAMD). Subjects with MDD or taking antidepressant treatment at
      baseline were excluded. RESULTS: 278 patients were assessed for this cohort with
      a final study sample of 190. 94.2% had contracted HCV through intravenous drug
      use. During six months IFNalpha treatment, 53.2% of patients transitioned to DSM
      IV threshold MDD. In the multivariate logistic analysis, independent factors
      significantly associated with development of MDD were younger age (OR 0.96, 95%
      CI 0.93-1.00, p=0.028), past history of MDD (OR 3.82, 95% CI 1.63-8.92, p=0.002),
      baseline HAMD items psychomotor retardation (OR 15.21, 95% CI 1.33-173.41,
      p=0.032) and somatic symptoms (general) (OR 2.96, 95% CI 1.44-6.08, p=0.003), and
      HCV genotype 2 (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.07-4.78, p=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: During IFNalpha
      treatment, the rate of transition to MDD was high in this cohort. Psychomotor
      retardation and somatic symptoms may represent a greater inflamed state pre
      treatment. This iatrogenic model of MDD may offer important insights into wider
      depression aetiology.

PMID- 26117092
TI  - Synthesis of fused tricyclic peptides using a reprogrammed translation system and
      chemical modification.
AB  - Here we report a unique method of ribosomally synthesizing fused tricyclic
      peptides. Flexizyme-assisted in vitro translation of a linear peptide with the N
      terminal chloroacetyl group and four downstream cysteines followed by the
      addition of 1,3,5-tris(bromomethyl)benzene results in selective production of the
      fused tricyclic peptide. This technology can be used for the ribosomal synthesis
      of fused tricyclic peptide libraries for the in vitro selection of bioactive
      peptides with tricyclic topology. 

PMID- 26117093
TI  - Considering long-term care insurance for middle-income countries: comparing South
      Korea with Japan and Germany.
AB  - Financing and provision of long-term care is an increasingly important concern
      for many middle-income countries experiencing rapid population aging. We examine
      three countries (South Korea, Japan, and Germany) that use social insurance to
      finance medical care and have developed long-term care insurance (LTCI) systems.
      These countries have adopted different approaches to LTCI design within the
      social insurance framework. We contrast their financing systems and draw lessons
      regarding revenue generation, benefits design, and eligibility. Based on this
      review, it seems important for middle-income countries to start developing LTCI
      schemes early, before aging becomes a significant problem and substantial
      revenues are needed. Early financing also ensures that the service delivery
      system has time to adapt because most middle-income countries lack the
      infrastructure for providing long-term care services. One approach is to start
      with a limited benefit package and strict eligibility rules and expanded the
      program as the country develops sufficient experience and more providers became
      available. All three countries use some form of cost-sharing to discourage
      service overuse, combined with subsidies for poor populations to maintain
      appropriate access. A major policy choice is between cash benefits or direct
      provision of services and the approach will have a large impact on the workforce
      participation of women. 

PMID- 26117095
TI  - Interplay between modulational instability and self-trapping of wavepackets in
      nonlinear discrete lattices.
AB  - We investigate the modulational instability of uniform wavepackets governed by
      the discrete nonlinear Schrodinger equation in finite linear chains and square
      lattices. We show that, while the critical nonlinear coupling chiMI above which
      modulational instability occurs remains finite in square lattices, it decays as
      1/L in linear chains. In square lattices, there is a direct transition between
      the regime of stable uniform wavefunctions and the regime of asymptotically
      localized solutions with stationary probability distributions. On the other hand,
      there is an intermediate regime in linear chains for which the wavefunction
      dynamics develops complex breathing patterns. We analytically compute the
      critical nonlinear strengths for modulational instability in both lattices, as
      well as the characteristic time tau governing the exponential increase of
      perturbations in the vicinity of the transition. We unveil that the interplay
      between modulational instability and self-trapping phenomena is responsible for
      the distinct wavefunction dynamics in linear and square lattices. 

PMID- 26117094
TI  - Acute effects of a prooxidant herbicide on the microalga Chlamydomonas
      reinhardtii: Screening cytotoxicity and genotoxicity endpoints.
AB  - Since recent evidence has demonstrated that many types of chemicals exhibit
      oxidative and/or genotoxic potential on living organisms, reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) formation and DNA damage are currently the best accepted paradigms to
      assess the potential hazardous biological effects of a wide range of
      contaminants. The goal of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of different
      cytotoxicity and genotoxicity responses on the model microalga Chlamydomonas
      reinhardtii exposed to the prooxidant herbicide paraquat. In addition to the
      growth endpoint, cell viability, mitochondrial membrane potential and presence of
      reactive oxygen species (ROS) were assayed as potential markers of cytotoxicity
      using flow cytometry (FCM). To study the effects of paraquat on C. reinhardtii
      DNA, several genotoxicity approaches were implemented for the first time in an
      ecotoxicological study on microalgae. Oxidative DNA base damage was analysed by
      measuring the oxidative DNA lesion 8-OHdG by FCM. DNA fragmentation was analysed
      by different methods: comet assay, and cell cycle analysis by FCM, with a
      particular focus on the presence of subG1-nuclei. Finally, effects on morphology
      of nuclei were monitored through DAPI staining. The evaluation of these endpoints
      showed that several physiological and biochemical parameters reacted to oxidative
      stress disturbances with greater sensitivity than integrative parameters such as
      growth rates or cell viability. The experiments revealed concentration-dependent
      cytotoxicity (ROS formation, depolarization of mitochondrial membrane),
      genotoxicity (oxidative DNA damage, DNA strand breakage, alterations in nuclear
      morphology), and cell cycle disturbances (subG1-nuclei, decrease of 4N
      population) in paraquat-treated cells. Overall, the genotoxicity results indicate
      that the production of ROS caused by exposure to paraquat induces oxidative DNA
      damage followed by DNA single- and double-strand breaks and cell cycle
      alterations, possibly leading to apoptosis in C. reinhardtii cells. This is
      supported by the observation of typical hallmarks of apoptosis, such as
      mitochondrial membrane depolarization, alterations in nuclear morphology and
      subG1 nuclei in cells exposed to the highest assayed concentrations. To our
      knowledge, this is the first study that provides a comprehensive analysis of
      oxidative DNA base damage in unicellular algal cells exposed to a prooxidant
      pollutant, as well as of its possible relation with other physiological effects.
      These results reinforce the need for additional studies on the genotoxicity of
      environmental pollutants on ecologically relevant organisms such as microalgae
      that can provide a promising basis for the characterization of potential
      pollutant hazards in the aquatic environment. 

PMID- 26117096
TI  - Generalized correlation integral vectors: A distance concept for chaotic
      dynamical systems.
AB  - Several concepts of fractal dimension have been developed to characterise
      properties of attractors of chaotic dynamical systems. Numerical approximations
      of them must be calculated by finite samples of simulated trajectories. In
      principle, the quantities should not depend on the choice of the trajectory, as
      long as it provides properly distributed samples of the underlying attractor. In
      practice, however, the trajectories are sensitive with respect to varying initial
      values, small changes of the model parameters, to the choice of a solver, numeric
      tolerances, etc. The purpose of this paper is to present a statistically sound
      approach to quantify this variability. We modify the concept of correlation
      integral to produce a vector that summarises the variability at all selected
      scales. The distribution of this stochastic vector can be estimated, and it
      provides a statistical distance concept between trajectories. Here, we
      demonstrate the use of the distance for the purpose of estimating model
      parameters of a chaotic dynamic model. The methodology is illustrated using
      computational examples for the Lorenz 63 and Lorenz 95 systems, together with a
      framework for Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling to produce posterior
      distributions of model parameters. 

PMID- 26117097
TI  - True orbit simulation of piecewise linear and linear fractional maps of arbitrary
      dimension using algebraic numbers.
AB  - We introduce a true orbit generation method enabling exact simulations of
      dynamical systems defined by arbitrary-dimensional piecewise linear fractional
      maps, including piecewise linear maps, with rational coefficients. This method
      can generate sufficiently long true orbits which reproduce typical behaviors
      (inherent behaviors) of these systems, by properly selecting algebraic numbers in
      accordance with the dimension of the target system, and involving only integer
      arithmetic. By applying our method to three dynamical systems-that is, the
      baker's transformation, the map associated with a modified Jacobi-Perron
      algorithm, and an open flow system-we demonstrate that it can reproduce their
      typical behaviors that have been very difficult to reproduce with conventional
      simulation methods. In particular, for the first two maps, we show that we can
      generate true orbits displaying the same statistical properties as typical
      orbits, by estimating the marginal densities of their invariant measures. For the
      open flow system, we show that an obtained true orbit correctly converges to the
      stable period-1 orbit, which is inherently possessed by the system. 

PMID- 26117098
TI  - Numerical identification of epidemic thresholds for susceptible-infected
      recovered model on finite-size networks.
AB  - Epidemic threshold has always been a very hot topic for studying epidemic
      dynamics on complex networks. The previous studies have provided different
      theoretical predictions of the epidemic threshold for the susceptible-infected
      recovered (SIR) model, but the numerical verification of these theoretical
      predictions is still lacking. Considering that the large fluctuation of the
      outbreak size occurs near the epidemic threshold, we propose a novel numerical
      identification method of SIR epidemic threshold by analyzing the peak of the
      epidemic variability. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world networks
      demonstrate that the variability measure can successfully give the numerical
      threshold for the SIR model. The heterogeneous mean-field prediction agrees very
      well with the numerical threshold, except the case that the networks are
      disassortative, in which the quenched mean-field prediction is relatively close
      to the numerical threshold. Moreover, the numerical method presented is also
      suitable for the susceptible-infected-susceptible model. This work helps to
      verify the theoretical analysis of epidemic threshold and would promote further
      studies on the phase transition of epidemic dynamics. 

PMID- 26117099
TI  - Lagrangian coherent structures along atmospheric rivers.
AB  - We show that filamentous Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) over the Northern Atlantic
      Ocean are closely linked to attracting Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCSs) in
      the large scale wind field. The detected LCSs represent lines of attraction in
      the evolving flow with a significant impact on all passive tracers. Using Finite
      Time Lyapunov Exponents, we extract LCSs from a two-dimensional flow derived from
      water vapor flux of atmospheric reanalysis data and compare them to the three
      dimensional LCS obtained from the wind flow. We correlate the typical filamentous
      water vapor patterns of ARs with LCSs and find that LCSs bound the filaments on
      the back side. Passive advective transport of water vapor in the AR from tropical
      latitudes is potentially possible. 

PMID- 26117100
TI  - Non-Markovian character in human mobility: Online and offline.
AB  - The dynamics of human mobility characterizes the trajectories that humans follow
      during their daily activities and is the foundation of processes from epidemic
      spreading to traffic prediction and information recommendation. In this paper, we
      investigate a massive data set of human activity, including both online behavior
      of browsing websites and offline one of visiting towers based mobile
      terminations. The non-Markovian character observed from both online and offline
      cases is suggested by the scaling law in the distribution of dwelling time at
      individual and collective levels, respectively. Furthermore, we argue that the
      lower entropy and higher predictability in human mobility for both online and
      offline cases may originate from this non-Markovian character. However, the
      distributions of individual entropy and predictability show the different degrees
      of non-Markovian character between online and offline cases. To account for non
      Markovian character in human mobility, we apply a protype model with three basic
      ingredients, namely, preferential return, inertial effect, and exploration to
      reproduce the dynamic process of online and offline human mobilities. The
      simulations show that the model has an ability to obtain characters much closer
      to empirical observations. 

PMID- 26117101
TI  - Tracking stochastic resonance curves using an assisted reference model.
AB  - The optimal noise amplitude for Stochastic Resonance (SR) is located employing an
      Artificial Neural Network (ANN) reference model with a nonlinear predictive
      capability. A modified Kalman Filter (KF) was coupled to this reference model in
      order to compensate for semi-quantitative forecast errors. Three manifestations
      of stochastic resonance, namely, Periodic Stochastic Resonance (PSR), Aperiodic
      Stochastic Resonance (ASR), and finally Coherence Resonance (CR) were considered.
      Using noise amplitude as the control parameter, for the case of PSR and ASR, the
      cross-correlation curve between the sub-threshold input signal and the system
      response is tracked. However, using the same parameter the Normalized Variance
      curve is tracked for the case of CR. The goal of the present work is to track
      these curves and converge to their respective extremal points. The ANN reference
      model strategy captures and subsequently predicts the nonlinear features of the
      model system while the KF compensates for the perturbations inherent to the
      superimposed noise. This technique, implemented in the FitzHugh-Nagumo model,
      enabled us to track the resonance curves and eventually locate their optimal
      (extremal) values. This would yield the optimal value of noise for the three
      manifestations of the SR phenomena. 

PMID- 26117102
TI  - Homoclinic behaviors and chaotic motions of double layered viscoelastic
      nanoplates based on nonlocal theory and extended Melnikov method.
AB  - The nonlinear dynamical equations are established for the double layered
      viscoelastic nanoplates (DLNP) subjected to in-plane excitation based on the
      nonlocal theory and von Karman large deformation theory. The extended high
      dimensional homoclinic Melnikov method is employed to study the homoclinic
      phenomena and chaotic motions for the parametrically excited DLNP system. The
      criteria for the homoclinic transverse intersection for both the asynchronous and
      synchronous buckling cases are proposed. Lyapunov exponents and phase portraits
      are obtained to verify the Melnikov-type analysis. The influences of structural
      parameters on the transverse homoclinic orbits and homoclinic bifurcation sets
      are discussed for the two buckling cases. Some novel phenomena are observed in
      the investigation. It should be noticed that the nonlocal effect on the
      homoclinic behaviors and chaotic motions is quite remarkable. Hence, the small
      scale effect should be taken into account for homoclinic and chaotic analysis for
      nanostructures. It is significant that the nonlocal effect on the homoclinic
      phenomena for the asynchronous buckling case is quite different from that for the
      synchronous buckling case. Moreover, due to the van der Walls interaction between
      the layers, the nonlocal effect on the homoclinic behaviors and chaotic motions
      for high order mode is rather tiny under the asynchronous buckling condition. 

PMID- 26117103
TI  - Entoptic perceptions of spiral waves and rare inward spirals.
AB  - This report concerns Entoptic Rotating Spiral Waves as observed and documented by
      the author over a period of 46 years (1962-2008). The manifestations of these
      state-dependent, elusive rotating spiral entities were brief, emerging only
      during sleep-to-waking arousal epochs (in limbo). The images were seen only with
      closed lids in favorable ambient lighting-here, termed the umbral view. The
      clusters of rotating spiral entities emerge briefly to conscious view; their
      angular subtenses are estimated to be between 1 degrees  and 4 degrees , and the
      rotations at ten-turns per second. Epochs of these activities commonly continued
      for about 20 s, with longevity of each visible entity up to 4 s. 90% of all
      observed entities were circular and outwardly levorotary; 5% were elliptical,
      appearing only as horizontal (prolate) entities. Overlapping units were rare, and
      were chiefly elliptical. Observations of twin spirals were also rare, seen in
      counter rotations, each twin inwardly rotating. 

PMID- 26117104
TI  - Minima of the fluctuations of the order parameter of global seismicity.
AB  - It has been recently shown [N. V. Sarlis, Phys. Rev. E 84, 022101 (2011) and N.
      V. Sarlis and S.-R. G. Christopoulos, Chaos 22, 023123 (2012)] that earthquakes
      of magnitude M greater or equal to 7 are globally correlated. Such correlations
      were identified by studying the variance kappa1 of natural time which has been
      proposed as an order parameter for seismicity. Here, we study the fluctuations of
      this order parameter using the Global Centroid Moment Tensor catalog for a
      magnitude threshold Mthres = 5.0 and focus on its behavior before major
      earthquakes. Natural time analysis reveals that distinct minima of the
      fluctuations of the order parameter of seismicity appear within almost five and a
      half months on average before all major earthquakes of magnitude larger than 8.4.
      This phenomenon corroborates the recent finding [N. V. Sarlis et al., Proc. Natl.
      Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 110, 13734 (2013)] that similar minima of the seismicity order
      parameter fluctuations had preceded all major shallow earthquakes in Japan.
      Moreover, on the basis of these minima a statistically significant binary
      prediction method for earthquakes of magnitude larger than 8.4 with hit rate 100%
      and false alarm rate 6.67% is suggested. 

PMID- 26117105
TI  - Modulational instability, higher-order localized wave structures, and nonlinear
      wave interactions for a nonautonomous Lenells-Fokas equation in inhomogeneous
      fibers.
AB  - In this paper, the nonautonomous Lenells-Fokas (LF) model is investigated. The
      modulational instability analysis of the solutions with variable coefficients in
      the presence of a small perturbation is studied. Higher-order soliton, breather,
      earthwormon, and rogue wave solutions of the nonautonomous LF model are derived
      via the n-fold variable-coefficient Darboux transformation. The solitons and
      earthwormons display the elastic collisions. It is found that the nonautonomous
      LF model admits the higher-order periodic rogue waves, composite rogue waves
      (rogue wave pair), and oscillating rogue waves, whose dynamics can be controlled
      by the inhomogeneous nonlinear parameters. Based on the second-order rogue wave,
      a diamond structure consisting of four first-order rogue waves is observed. In
      addition, the semirational solutions (the mixed rational-exponential solutions)
      of the nonautonomous LF model are obtained, which can be used to describe the
      interactions between the rogue waves and breathers. Our results could be helpful
      for the design of experiments in the optical fiber communications. 

PMID- 26117106
TI  - Some examples related to the method of Lagrangian descriptors.
AB  - We provide families of counter-examples, including Hamiltonian systems, to the
      method of Lagrangian descriptors developed by Mancho, Wiggins, and their co
      workers. A detailed mathematical discussion on why that methodology fails
      together with some pathological phenomena are given as well. 

PMID- 26117107
TI  - Multifractal analysis of time series generated by discrete Ito equations.
AB  - In this study, we show that discrete Ito equations with short-tail Gaussian
      marginal distribution function generate multifractal time series. The
      multifractality is due to the nonlinear correlations, which are hidden in Markov
      processes and are generated by the interrelation between the drift and the
      multiplicative stochastic forces in the Ito equation. A link between the range of
      the generalized Hurst exponents and the mean of the squares of all averaged net
      forces is suggested. 

PMID- 26117108
TI  - Improvements to local projective noise reduction through higher order and
      multiscale refinements.
AB  - The broad spectrum characteristic of signals from nonlinear systems obstructs
      noise reduction techniques developed for linear systems. Local projection was
      developed to reduce noise while preserving nonlinear deterministic structures,
      and a second order refinement to local projection which was proposed ten years
      ago does so particularly effectively. It involves adjusting the origin of the
      projection subspace to better accommodate the geometry of the attractor. This
      paper describes an analytic motivation for the enhancement from which follows
      further higher order and multiple scale refinements. However, the established
      enhancement is frequently as or more effective than the new filters arising from
      solely geometric considerations. Investigation of the way that measurement errors
      reinforce or cancel throughout the refined local projection procedure explains
      the special efficacy of the existing enhancement, and leads to a new second order
      refinement offering widespread gains. Different local projective filters are
      found to be best suited to different noise levels. At low noise levels, the
      optimal order increases as noise increases. At intermediate levels second order
      tends to be optimal, while at high noise levels prototypical local projection is
      most effective. The new higher order filters perform better relative to
      established filters for longer signals or signals corresponding to higher
      dimensional attractors. 

PMID- 26117109
TI  - Energy transport in the three coupled alpha-polypeptide chains of collagen
      molecule with long-range interactions effect.
AB  - The dynamics of three coupled alpha-polypeptide chains of a collagen molecule is
      investigated with the influence of power-law long-range exciton-exciton
      interactions. The continuum limit of the discrete equations reveal that the
      collagen dynamics is governed by a set of three coupled nonlinear Schrodinger
      equations, whose dispersive coefficient depends on the LRI parameter r. We
      construct the analytic symmetric and asymmetric (antisymmetric) soliton
      solutions, which match with the structural features of collagen related with the
      acupuncture channels. These solutions are used as initial conditions for the
      numerical simulations of the discrete equations, which reveal a coherent
      transport of energy in the molecule for r > 3. The results also indicate that the
      width of the solitons is a decreasing function of r, which help to stabilize the
      solitons propagating in the molecule. To confirm further the efficiency of energy
      transport in the molecule, the modulational instability of the system is
      performed and the numerical simulations show that the energy can flow from one
      polypeptide chain to another in the form of nonlinear waves. 

PMID- 26117110
TI  - Unstable spiral waves and local Euclidean symmetry in a model of cardiac tissue.
AB  - This paper investigates the properties of unstable single-spiral wave solutions
      arising in the Karma model of two-dimensional cardiac tissue. In particular, we
      discuss how such solutions can be computed numerically on domains of arbitrary
      shape and study how their stability, rotational frequency, and spatial drift
      depend on the size of the domain as well as the position of the spiral core with
      respect to the boundaries. We also discuss how the breaking of local Euclidean
      symmetry due to finite size effects as well as the spatial discretization of the
      model is reflected in the structure and dynamics of spiral waves. This analysis
      allows identification of a self-sustaining process responsible for maintaining
      the state of spiral chaos featuring multiple interacting spirals. 

PMID- 26117111
TI  - Introduction to Focus Issue: Oscillations and Dynamic Instabilities in Chemical
      Systems: Dedicated to Irving R. Epstein on occasion of his 70th birthday.

PMID- 26117112
TI  - Standing wave-like patterns in the Gray-Scott model.
AB  - Standing wave-like patterns are obtained in the Gray-Scott model when the
      dynamics that correspond to defect-mediated turbulence for equal diffusivities
      interact with a Turing instability. The Turing instability can be caused by
      either differential or cross-diffusion. We compare results with the Oregonator
      model, for which standing wave-like patterns are also observed under similar
      conditions. 

PMID- 26117113
TI  - Modeling the entrainment of self-oscillating gels to periodic mechanical
      deformation.
AB  - Polymer gels undergoing the oscillatory Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction are
      one of the few synthetic materials that exhibit biomimetic mechano-chemical
      transduction, converting mechanical input into chemical energy. Here, we consider
      self-oscillating BZ gels that are subjected to periodic mechanical forcing, and
      model the entrainment of the oscillatory gel dynamics to this external stimulus.
      The gel size is assumed to be sufficiently small that the chemo-mechanical
      oscillations are spatially uniform. The behavior of the system is captured by
      equations describing the kinetics of the oscillatory BZ reaction in the gel
      coupled to equations for the variations in gel size due to the inherent reaction
      and imposed force. We employ the phase dynamics approach for analyzing the
      entrainment of the BZ gel to force- and strain-controlled compressive
      deformations. The phase response curves are obtained using Malkin's method, and
      time-averaging is applied to extract the slow phase dynamics caused by the
      periodic forcing. We demonstrate that the entrainment of the self-oscillating BZ
      gel is sensitive to the chemo-mechanical coupling in gel, the mode of
      deformation, and the level of static compression. Kuramoto's model of phase
      oscillators is shown to be applicable if the external forcing is purely harmonic.

PMID- 26117114
TI  - Scroll wave drift along steps, troughs, and corners.
AB  - Three-dimensional excitable systems can create nonlinear scroll waves that rotate
      around one-dimensional phase singularities. Recent theoretical work predicts that
      these filaments drift along step-like height variations. Here, we test this
      prediction using experiments with thin layers of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky
      reaction. We observe that over short distances scroll waves are attracted towards
      the step and then rapidly commence a steady drift along the step line. The
      translating filaments always reside on the shallow side of the step near the
      edge. Accordingly, filaments in the deep domain initially collide with and
      shorten at the step wall. The drift speeds obey the predicted proportional
      dependence on the logarithm of the height ratio and the direction depends on the
      vortex chirality. We also observe drift along the perimeter of rectangular
      plateaus and find that the filaments perform sharp turns at the corners. In
      addition, we investigate rectangular troughs for which vortices of equal
      chirality can drift in different directions. The latter two effects are
      reproduced in numerical simulations with the Barkley model. The simulations show
      that narrow troughs instigate scroll wave encounters that induce repulsive
      interaction and symmetry breaking. Similar phenomena could exist in the
      geometrically complicated ventricles of the human heart where reentrant vortex
      waves cause tachycardia and fibrillation. 

PMID- 26117115
TI  - Diffusion-driven instabilities by immobilizing the autocatalyst in ionic systems.
AB  - Spatiotemporal coupling of an autocatalytic chemical reaction between ions with
      diffusion yields various types of reaction-diffusion patterns. The driving force
      is short range activation and long range inhibition which can be achieved by
      selective binding of the autocatalyst even for ions with equal mobility. For
      Turing and lateral instability, we show that identical charge on the autocatalyst
      and its counterpart has a stabilizing effect on the base state, while opposite
      charge on them favors the formation of spatial patterns with reversible binding. 

PMID- 26117116
TI  - Effects of the positive feedback loop in polymerization on the reaction-induced
      phase separation of polymer mixtures.
AB  - Phase separation of mixtures composed of a guest polymer dissolved in monomer of
      a host polymer was induced by photopolymerization. From the polymerization
      kinetics, it was found that for the host polymer with the glass transition
      temperature (Tg) higher than the experimental temperature, the Trommsdorff
      Norrish effect emerges, providing a method to terminate the phase separation at
      various intermediate stages of the process and thereby a variety of morphologies
      can be constructed. For the host polymers with (Tg) lower than the experimental
      temperature, the freezing process of morphology is not complete, leading to the
      secondary phase separation inside the domains already generated by the primary
      process. The kinetics of this secondary phase separation indicates that the
      peculiar morphology like "sunny-side-up egg"-like structures was generated via
      spinodal decomposition. The experimental results obtained in this study show that
      the competition between photopolymerization and phase separation can provide a
      useful method of materials design in the micro- and sub-micrometer scales. 

PMID- 26117117
TI  - Three-dimensional modeling of propagating precipitation waves.
AB  - A general three-dimensional model for propagating precipitation waves is
      presented. Structural features identified in experimental studies of propagating
      waves in the AlCl3/NaOH and NaAl(OH)4/HCl systems are described by the 3D model.
      Two forms of precipitate with different physical properties play key mechanistic
      roles in the wave propagation. Experimentally observed circular and spiral waves
      are simulated by the 3D model, as well as wave annihilation on the collision of
      two waves. 

PMID- 26117118
TI  - Non-monotonic resonance in a spatially forced Lengyel-Epstein model.
AB  - We study resonant spatially periodic solutions of the Lengyel-Epstein model
      modified to describe the chlorine dioxide-iodine-malonic acid reaction under
      spatially periodic illumination. Using multiple-scale analysis and numerical
      simulations, we obtain the stability ranges of 2:1 resonant solutions, i.e.,
      solutions with wavenumbers that are exactly half of the forcing wavenumber. We
      show that the width of resonant wavenumber response is a non-monotonic function
      of the forcing strength, and diminishes to zero at sufficiently strong forcing.
      We further show that strong forcing may result in a pi/2 phase shift of the
      resonant solutions, and argue that the nonequilibrium Ising-Bloch front
      bifurcation can be reversed. We attribute these behaviors to an inherent property
      of forcing by periodic illumination, namely, the increase of the mean spatial
      illumination as the forcing amplitude is increased. 

PMID- 26117119
TI  - Helical Turing patterns in the Lengyel-Epstein model in thin cylindrical layers.
AB  - The formation of Turing patterns was investigated in thin cylindrical layers
      using the Lengyel-Epstein model of the chlorine dioxide-iodine-malonic acid
      reaction. The influence of the width of the layer W and the diameter D of the
      inner cylinder on the pattern with intrinsic wavelength l were determined in
      simulations with initial random noise perturbations to the uniform state for W <
      l/2 and D ~ l or lower. We show that the geometric constraints of the reaction
      domain may result in the formation of helical Turing patterns with parameters
      that give stripes (b = 0.2) or spots (b = 0.37) in two dimensions. For b = 0.2,
      the helices were composed of lamellae and defects were likely as the diameter of
      the cylinder increased. With b = 0.37, the helices consisted of semi-cylinders
      and the orientation of stripes on the outer surface (and hence winding number)
      increased with increasing diameter until a new stripe appeared. 

PMID- 26117120
TI  - Externally controlled anisotropy in pattern-forming reaction-diffusion systems.
AB  - The effect of centrifugal forces is analyzed in a pattern-forming reaction
      diffusion system. Numerical simulations conducted on the appropriate extension of
      the Oregonator model for the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction show a great variety
      of dynamical behaviors in such a system. In general, the system exhibits an
      anisotropy that results in new types of patterns or in a global displacement of
      the previous one. We consider the effect of both constant and periodically
      modulated centrifugal forces on the different types of patterns that the system
      may exhibit. A detailed analysis of the patterns and behaviors observed for the
      different parameter values considered is presented here. 

PMID- 26117121
TI  - Spontaneous formation of complex structures made from elastic membranes in an
      aluminum-hydroxide-carbonate system.
AB  - A popular playground for studying chemo-hydrodynamic patterns and instabilities
      is chemical gardens, also known as silicate gardens. In these systems, complex
      structures spontaneously form, driven by buoyant forces and either osmotic or
      mechanical pumps. Here, we report on systems that differ somewhat from classical
      chemical gardens in that the membranes are much more deformable and soluble.
      These properties lead to structures that self-construct and evolve in new ways.
      For example, they exhibit the formation of chemical balloons, a new growth
      mechanism for tubes, and also the homologous shrinking of these tubes. The
      stretching mechanism for the membranes is probably different than for other
      systems by involving membrane "self-healing." Other unusual properties are
      osmosis that sometimes occurs out of the structure and also small plumes that
      flow away from the structure, sometimes upwards, and sometimes downwards.
      Mathematical models are given that explain some of the observed phenomena. 

PMID- 26117122
TI  - Contribution to an effective design method for stationary reaction-diffusion
      patterns.
AB  - The British mathematician Alan Turing predicted, in his seminal 1952 publication,
      that stationary reaction-diffusion patterns could spontaneously develop in
      reacting chemical or biochemical solutions. The first two clear experimental
      demonstrations of such a phenomenon were not made before the early 1990s when the
      design of new chemical oscillatory reactions and appropriate open spatial
      chemical reactors had been invented. Yet, the number of pattern producing
      reactions had not grown until 2009 when we developed an operational design
      method, which takes into account the feeding conditions and other specificities
      of real open spatial reactors. Since then, on the basis of this method, five
      additional reactions were shown to produce stationary reaction-diffusion
      patterns. To gain a clearer view on where our methodical approach on the
      patterning capacity of a reaction stands, numerical studies in conditions that
      mimic true open spatial reactors were made. In these numerical experiments, we
      explored the patterning capacity of Rabai's model for pH driven Landolt type
      reactions as a function of experimentally attainable parameters that control the
      main time and length scales. Because of the straightforward reversible binding of
      protons to carboxylate carrying polymer chains, this class of reaction is at the
      base of the chemistry leading to most of the stationary reaction-diffusion
      patterns presently observed. We compare our model predictions with experimental
      observations and comment on agreements and differences. 

PMID- 26117123
TI  - Chimeras in globally coupled oscillatory systems: From ensembles of oscillators
      to spatially continuous media.
AB  - We study an oscillatory medium with a nonlinear global coupling that gives rise
      to a harmonic mean-field oscillation with constant amplitude and frequency. Two
      types of cluster states are found, each undergoing a symmetry-breaking transition
      towards a related chimera state. We demonstrate that the diffusional coupling is
      non-essential for these complex dynamics. Furthermore, we investigate localized
      turbulence and discuss whether it can be categorized as a chimera state. 

PMID- 26117124
TI  - Three-dimensional convection-driven fronts of the exothermic chlorite
      tetrathionate reaction.
AB  - Horizontally propagating autocatalytic reaction fronts in fluids are often
      accompanied by convective motion in the presence of gravity. We experimentally
      and numerically investigate the stable complex three-dimensional pattern arising
      in the exothermic chlorite-tetrathionate reaction as a result of the antagonistic
      thermal and solutal contribution to the density change. By particle image
      velocimetry measurements, we construct the flow field that stabilizes the front
      structure. The calculations applied for incompressible fluids using the empirical
      rate-law model reproduce the experimental observations with good agreement. 

PMID- 26117125
TI  - Interfacial hydrodynamic instabilities driven by cross-diffusion in reverse
      microemulsions.
AB  - When two microemulsions are put in contact in the gravity field along a
      horizontal contact line, cross-diffusion can trigger the transport of one species
      in the presence of a gradient in concentration of another species. We show here
      theoretically that such cross-diffusion effects can induce buoyancy-driven
      convective instabilities at the interface between two solutions of different
      compositions even when initially the less dense solution lies on top of the
      denser one. Two different sources of convective modes are identified depending
      whether positive or negative cross-diffusion is involved. We evidence the two
      predicted cross-diffusion driven instabilities experimentally using a two-layer
      stratification of Aerosol-OT (AOT) water-in-oil microemulsions solutions with
      different water or AOT composition. 

PMID- 26117126
TI  - Inhibitory and excitatory pulse coupling of two frequency-different chemical
      oscillators with time delay.
AB  - Dynamical regimes of two pulse coupled non-identical Belousov-Zhabotinsky
      oscillators have been studied experimentally as well as theoretically with the
      aid of ordinary differential equations and phase response curves both for pure
      inhibitory and pure excitatory coupling. Time delay tau between a spike in one
      oscillator and perturbing pulse in the other oscillator plays a significant role
      for the phase relations of synchronous regimes of the 1:1 and 1:2 resonances.
      Birhythmicity between anti-phase and in-phase oscillations for inhibitory pulse
      coupling as well as between 1:2 and 1:1 resonances for excitatory pulse coupling
      have also been found. Depending on the ratio of native periods of oscillations
      T2/T1, coupling strength, and time delay tau, such resonances as 1:1 (with
      different phase locking), 2:3, 1:2, 2:5, 1:3, 1:4, as well as complex
      oscillations and oscillatory death are observed. 

PMID- 26117127
TI  - pH-oscillations in the bromate-sulfite reaction in semibatch and in gel-fed batch
      reactors.
AB  - The simplest bromate oxidation based pH-oscillator, the two component BrO3(-)
      SO3(2-) flow system was transformed to operate under semibatch and closed
      arrangements. The experimental preconditions of the pH-oscillations in semibatch
      configuration were predicted by model calculations. Using this information as
      guideline large amplitude (DeltapH~3), long lasting (11-24 h) pH-oscillations
      accompanied with only a 20% increase of the volume in the reactor were measured
      when a mixture of Na2SO3 and H2SO4 was pumped into the solution of BrO3(-) with a
      very low rate. Batch-like pH-oscillations, similar in amplitude and period time
      appeared when the sulfite supply was substituted by its dissolution from a gel
      layer prepared previously in the reactor in presence of high concentration of
      Na2SO3. The dissolution vs time curve and the pH-oscillations in the semibatch
      and closed systems were successfully simulated. Due to the simplicity in
      composition and in experimental technique, the semibatch and batch-like BrO3(-)
      SO3(2-) pH-oscillators may become superior to their CSTR (continuous flow stirred
      tank reactor) version in some present and future applications.

PMID- 26117128
TI  - Nested arithmetic progressions of oscillatory phases in Olsen's enzyme reaction
      model.
AB  - We report some regular organizations of stability phases discovered among self
      sustained oscillations of a biochemical oscillator. The signature of such
      organizations is a nested arithmetic progression in the number of spikes of
      consecutive windows of periodic oscillations. In one of them, there is a main
      progression of windows whose consecutive number of spikes differs by one unit.
      Such windows are separated by a secondary progression of smaller windows whose
      number of spikes differs by two units. Another more complex progression involves
      a fan-like nested alternation of stability phases whose number of spikes seems to
      grow indefinitely and to accumulate methodically in cycles. Arithmetic
      progressions exist abundantly in several control parameter planes and can be
      observed by tuning just one among several possible rate constants governing the
      enzyme reaction. 

PMID- 26117129
TI  - Compatible mechanism to characterize three independent but cross-coupled
      reactions of chlorite ion.
AB  - Individually proposed kinetic models of the key subsystems of the chlorite
      thiosulfate reaction, such as the hypochlorous acid-chlorite, tetrathionate
      chlorite, and tetrathionate-chlorine dioxide reactions, have been unified to be
      able to describe all the main characteristics of these systems simultaneously. A
      complex 38-step kinetic model is composed in which the subsystems are coupled by
      the necessary short-lived intermediates and such species that is products or
      reactants in one system but transients in the other. Such a cross-coupling
      between the individual systems as well as the sound agreement between the
      measured and calculated absorbance-time profiles in 367 experimental curves
      strongly validates the proposed kinetic model. 

PMID- 26117130
TI  - Self-oscillating AB diblock copolymer developed by post modification strategy.
AB  - We prepared AB diblock copolymer composed of hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide)
      segment and self-oscillating polymer segment. In the latter segment, ruthenium
      tris(2,2'-bipyridine) (Ru(bpy)3), a catalyst of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky
      reaction, is introduced into the polymer architecture based on N
      isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm). The Ru(bpy)3 was introduced into the polymer
      segment by two methods; (i) direct random copolymerization (DP) of NIPAAm and
      Ru(bpy)3 vinyl monomer and (ii) post modification (PM) of Ru(bpy)3 with random
      copolymer of NIPAAm and N-3-aminopropylmethacrylamide. For both the diblock
      copolymers, a bistable temperature region (the temperature range; DeltaTm), where
      the block copolymer self-assembles into micelle at reduced Ru(bpy)3(2+) state
      whereas it breaks-up into individual polymer chain at oxidized Ru(bpy)3(3+)
      state, monotonically extends as the composition of the Ru(bpy)3 increases. The
      DeltaTm of the block copolymer prepared by PM is larger than that by DP. The
      difference in DeltaTm is rationalized from the statistical analysis of the
      arrangement of the Ru(bpy)3 moiety along the self-oscillating segments. By using
      the PM method, the well-defined AB diblock copolymer having DeltaTm (ca. 25 
      degrees C) large enough to cause stable self-oscillation can be prepared. The
      periodic structural transition of the diblock copolymer in a dilute solution
      ([Polymer] = 0.1 wt. %) is closely investigated in terms of the time-resolved
      dynamic light scattering technique at constant temperature in the bistable
      region. A macroscopic viscosity oscillation of a concentrated polymer solution
      (15 wt. %) coupled with the periodic microphase separation is also demonstrated.

PMID- 26117131
TI  - Collective and individual glycolytic oscillations in yeast cells encapsulated in
      alginate microparticles.
AB  - Yeast cells were encapsulated into alginate microparticles of a few hundred
      micrometers diameter using a centrifuge-based droplet shooting device. We
      demonstrate the first experimental results of glycolytic oscillations in
      individual yeast cells immobilized in this way. We investigated both the
      individual and collective oscillatory behaviors at different cell densities. As
      the cell density increased, the amplitude of the individual oscillations
      increased while their period decreased, and the collective oscillations became
      more synchronized, with an order parameter close to 1 (indicating high
      synchrony). We also synthesized biphasic-Janus microparticles encapsulating yeast
      cells of different densities in each hemisphere. The cellular oscillations
      between the two hemispheres were entrained at both the individual and population
      levels. Such systems of cells encapsulated into microparticles are useful for
      investigating how cell-to-cell communication depends on the density and spatial
      distribution of cells. 

PMID- 26117132
TI  - Experimental, numerical, and mechanistic analysis of the nonmonotonic
      relationship between oscillatory frequency and photointensity for the
      photosensitive Belousov-Zhabotinsky oscillator.
AB  - The oscillation frequency of a nonlinear reaction system acts as a key factor for
      interaction and superposition of spatiotemporal patterns. To control and design
      spatiotemporal patterns in oscillatory media, it is important to establish the
      dominant frequency-related mechanism and the effects of external forces and
      species concentrations on oscillatory frequency. In the Ru(bipy)3(2+)-catalyzed
      Belousov-Zhabotinsky oscillator, a nonmonotonic relationship exists between light
      intensity and oscillatory frequency (I-F relationship), which is composed of fast
      photopromotion and slow photoinhibition regions in the oscillation frequency
      curve. In this work, we identify the essential mechanistic step of the I-F
      relationship: the previously proposed photoreaction Ru(II)* + Ru(II) + BrO3(-) +
      3H(+) -> HBrO2 + 2Ru(III) + H2O, which has both effects of frequency-shortening
      and frequency-lengthening. The concentrations of species can shift the light
      intensity that produces the maximum frequency, which we simulate and explain with
      a mechanistic model. This result will benefit studies of pattern formation and
      biomimetic movement of oscillating polymer gels.

PMID- 26117133
TI  - Delayed feedback induced multirhythmicity in the oscillatory electrodissolution
      of copper.
AB  - Occurrence of bi- and trirhythmicities (coexistence of two or three stable limit
      cycles, respectively, with distinctly different periods) has been studied
      experimentally by applying delayed feedback control to the copper-phosphoric acid
      electrochemical system oscillating close to a Hopf bifurcation point under
      potentiostatic condition. The oscillating electrode potential is delayed by tau
      and the difference between the present and delayed values is fed back to the
      circuit potential with a feedback gain K. The experiments were performed by
      determining the period of current oscillations T as a function of (both
      increasing and decreasing) tau at several fixed values of K. With small delay
      times, the period exhibits a sinusoidal type dependence on tau. However, with
      relatively large delays (typically tau ? T) for each feedback gain K, there
      exists a critical delay taucrit above which birhythmicity emerges. The
      experiments show that for weak feedback, Ktaucrit is approximately constant. At
      very large delays, the dynamics becomes even more complex, and trirhythmicity
      could be observed. Results of numerical simulations based on a general kinetic
      model for metal electrodissolution were consistent with the experimental
      observations. The experimental and numerical results are also interpreted by
      using a phase model; the model parameters can be obtained from experimental data
      measured at small delay times. Analytical solutions to the phase model
      quantitatively predict the parameter regions for the appearance of birhythmicity
      in the experiments, and explain the almost constant value of Ktaucrit for weak
      feedback. 

PMID- 26117134
TI  - Kuramoto transition in an ensemble of mercury beating heart systems.
AB  - We have studied, experimentally, the collective behavior of the electrically
      coupled autonomous Mercury Beating Heart (MBH) systems exhibiting the breathing
      mode, by varying both the coupling strength and the population size (from N = 3
      to N = 16). For a fixed N, the electrical and the mechanical activities of the
      MBH systems achieve complete synchronization at different coupling strengths. The
      electrical activity of each MBH system is measured by the corresponding electrode
      potential (Ei = Vi). Additionally, the mechanical activity of each MBH oscillator
      is visually observed (snapshots and video clips). Subsequently, this activity is
      quantified by calculating the temporal variation in the area (Ai) of the Hg drop.
      As a result, the synchronization of the electrical (Ei = Vi) and the mechanical
      (Ai) activities can be measured. The extent of synchronization was quantified by
      employing the order parameter (r). Our experimental results are found to be in
      agreement with the Kuramoto theory. 

PMID- 26117135
TI  - Characteristic oscillatory motion of a camphor boat sensitive to physicochemical
      environment.
AB  - A self-propelled camphor boat on water was investigated from the viewpoint of
      characteristic features of motion and mode-bifurcation depending on the diffusion
      length of camphor molecules. When a camphor disk was connected to the bottom of a
      larger plastic plate and then was placed on water, either oscillatory motion
      (repetition between rest and motion) or continuous motion was observed. In this
      paper, we report the novel features of this motion and mode-bifurcation as a
      function of the diffusion length of camphor molecules, e.g., multiple
      accelerations during oscillation, period-2 or irregular oscillatory motion, and
      reciprocating oscillation. These characteristic motion and mode-bifurcation are
      discussed in relation to the diffusion length of camphor molecules under the
      camphor boat and the development of camphor molecules from the camphor boat on
      water. 

PMID- 26117136
TI  - Creation and perturbation of planar networks of chemical oscillators.
AB  - Methods for creating custom planar networks of diffusively coupled chemical
      oscillators and perturbing individual oscillators within the network are
      presented. The oscillators consist of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction
      contained in an emulsion. Networks of drops of the BZ reaction are created with
      either Dirichlet (constant-concentration) or Neumann (no-flux) boundary
      conditions in a custom planar configuration using programmable illumination for
      the perturbations. The differences between the observed network dynamics for each
      boundary condition are described. Using light, we demonstrate the ability to
      control the initial conditions of the network and to cause individual oscillators
      within the network to undergo sustained period elongation or a one-time phase
      delay. 

PMID- 26117137
TI  - Complex mixed-mode oscillatory patterns in a periodically forced excitable
      Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction model.
AB  - The Oregonator is the simplest chemically plausible model for the Belousov
      Zhabotinsky reaction. We investigate the response of the Oregonator to sinusoidal
      inputs with amplitudes and frequencies within plausible ranges. We focus on a
      regime where the unforced Oregonator is excitable (with no sustained
      oscillations). We use numerical simulations and dynamical systems tools to both
      characterize the response patterns and explain the underlying dynamic mechanisms.

PMID- 26117140
TI  - Disentangling the Longitudinal Relations of Race, Sex, and Socioeconomic Status,
      for Childhood Body Mass Index Trajectories.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Race, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with
      childhood obesity. The present research longitudinally examines these factors
      with 12,674 White and Black children from kindergarten through 8th grade.
      METHODS: Body mass index (BMI) data were collected and standardized at six time
      points (zBMI). Using Latent Growth Curve Modeling, race and sex were evaluated as
      moderators for the relation between SES and initial zBMI and rate of zBMI change.
      RESULTS: Higher SES significantly predicted higher initial zBMI for Black males
      and lower initial zBMI and rate of change for White males. A nonlinear relation
      between SES and zBMI was found for White females. CONCLUSIONS: SES has a
      differential impact on adiposity for different demographic groups. The
      longitudinal nature of the study and the focus on younger school-aged children
      provide important information regarding the complex interplay of race, sex, and
      SES for the prediction of childhood adiposity.

PMID- 26117139
TI  - The past, present and future of mitochondrial genomics: have we sequenced enough
      mtDNAs?
AB  - The year 2014 saw more than a thousand new mitochondrial genome sequences
      deposited in GenBank-an almost 15% increase from the previous year. Hundreds of
      peer-reviewed articles accompanied these genomes, making mitochondrial DNAs
      (mtDNAs) the most sequenced and reported type of eukaryotic chromosome. These
      mtDNA data have advanced a wide range of scientific fields, from forensics to
      anthropology to medicine to molecular evolution. But for many biological
      lineages, mtDNAs are so well sampled that newly published genomes are arguably no
      longer contributing significantly to the progression of science, and in some
      cases they are tying up valuable resources, particularly journal editors and
      referees. Is it time to acknowledge that as a research community we have
      published enough mitochondrial genome papers? Here, I address this question,
      exploring the history, milestones and impacts of mitochondrial genomics, the
      benefits and drawbacks of continuing to publish mtDNAs at a high rate and what
      the future may hold for such an important and popular genetic marker. I highlight
      groups for which mtDNAs are still poorly sampled, thus meriting further
      investigation, and recommend that more energy be spent characterizing aspects of
      mitochondrial genomes apart from the DNA sequence, such as their chromosomal and
      transcriptional architectures. Ultimately, one should be mindful before writing a
      mitochondrial genome paper. Consider perhaps sending the sequence directly to
      GenBank instead, and be sure to annotate it correctly before submission. 

PMID- 26117141
TI  - Pioneers in Pediatric Psychology: Assisting the Developmental Progress of
      Pediatric Psychology.

PMID- 26117143
TI  - An empirical analysis of the financial benefits of health information exchange in
      emergency departments.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of health information exchange (HIE) on reducing
      laboratory tests and radiology examinations performed in an emergency department
      (ED). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in an ED setting in Western
      New York over a period of 2 months. The care of the patients in the treatment
      group included an HIE query for every encounter, while the care of other patients
      in the control group did not include such queries. A group of medical liaisons
      were hired to query the medical history of patients from an HIE and provide it to
      the ED clinicians. Negative binomial regression was used to analyze the effects
      of HIE queries on the number of performed laboratory tests and radiology
      examinations. The log files of the HIE system since 1 year before the ED
      admission were used to analyze the differences in outcome measures between the 2
      groups of patients. RESULTS: Ceteris paribus, HIE usage is associated with,
      respectively, 52% and 36% reduction in the expected total number of laboratory
      tests and radiology examinations ordered per patient at the ED. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results indicate that access to additional clinical data through the HIE will
      significantly reduce the number of laboratory tests and radiology examinations
      performed in the ED settings and thus support the ongoing HIE efforts.

PMID- 26117142
TI  - Dynamic software design for clinical exome and genome analyses: insights from
      bioinformaticians, clinical geneticists, and genetic counselors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The transition of whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing (WES/WGS)
      from the research setting to routine clinical practice remains challenging.
      OBJECTIVES: With almost no previous research specifically assessing interface
      designs and functionalities of WES and WGS software tools, the authors set out to
      ascertain perspectives from healthcare professionals in distinct domains on
      optimal clinical genomics user interfaces. METHODS: A series of semi-scripted
      focus groups, structured around professional challenges encountered in clinical
      WES and WGS, were conducted with bioinformaticians (n = 8), clinical geneticists
      (n = 9), genetic counselors (n = 5), and general physicians (n = 4). RESULTS:
      Contrary to popular existing system designs, bioinformaticians preferred command
      line over graphical user interfaces for better software compatibility and
      customization flexibility. Clinical geneticists and genetic counselors desired an
      overarching interactive graphical layout to prioritize candidate variants--a
      "tiered" system where only functionalities relevant to the user domain are made
      accessible. They favored a system capable of retrieving consistent
      representations of external genetic information from third-party sources. To
      streamline collaboration and patient exchanges, the authors identified user
      requirements toward an automated reporting system capable of summarizing key
      evidence-based clinical findings among the vast array of technical details.
      CONCLUSIONS: Successful adoption of a clinical WES/WGS system is heavily
      dependent on its ability to address the diverse necessities and predilections
      among specialists in distinct healthcare domains. Tailored software interfaces
      suitable for each group is likely more appropriate than the current popular "one
      size fits all" generic framework. This study provides interfaces for future
      intervention studies and software engineering opportunities.

PMID- 26117144
TI  - The 'cotton wool' sign in paget's disease of the skull.

PMID- 26117145
TI  - Ultrasonic transducers based on undoped lead-free (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 ceramics.
AB  - Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics are the dominant piezoelectric elements
      for non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and ultrasonic transducers devices. However,
      the presence of lead content may impose the scientific community to develop lead
      free ceramics, concerning human health and environmental safety. During the past
      ten years, many contributions have highlighted the potential properties of
      complex compositions like LiNbO3, LiTaO3 and LiSbO3 in the lead-free
      (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 KNN system. In this context, for the first time, the practical
      applications and the effectiveness of simply undoped (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 (KNN)
      ceramics are investigated. KNN powder is prepared by conventional solid state
      mixed oxide route. Ceramics of this material are prepared using conventional
      sintering (CS) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). Thickness coupling factor kt of
      44-46%, planar coupling factor kp of 29-45%, relative permittivity at constant
      strain epsilon33,r(S) of 125-243 and acoustic impedance Z of 23-30 MRay are
      obtained for these two kinds of undoped KNN ceramics. Both ceramics are used to
      build single-element ultrasonic transducers. Relative bandwidth of 49-78% and
      insertion loss of -27 and -51dB are obtained for SPS and CS transducers,
      respectively. These results are suitable for use in non-destructive evaluation.
      The effectiveness of undoped KNN is evaluated using the KLM model, and compared
      to standard PZT based probe. Finally, chemical aging test of undoped KNN has
      demonstrated its stability in water.

PMID- 26117146
TI  - Small cell carcinoma of the lung in a treated case of Myoepithelial carcinoma of
      the tongue--report of a rare case with illustrated review of the literature.
AB  - Myoepithelial carcinoma has rarely been reported in the oral cavity and
      oropharynx. We found only 6 cases of myoepithelioma of the tongue reported till
      date. Two cases had a benign myoepithelioma; four had epithelial-Myoepithelial
      carcinoma. The present case had malignant myoepithelioma, a distinct entity from
      other histologies. 

PMID- 26117147
TI  - A hospital-associated measles outbreak among individuals not targeted for
      vaccination in eastern China, 2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An outbreak of measles occurred in early 2014 among individuals not
      targeted for vaccination-adults, and infants too young to vaccinate, in Xiangshan
      County, Zhejiang Province, in eastern China. OBJECTIVE: We conducted an
      investigation to identify risk factors responsible for this outbreak and to
      provide evidence-based recommendations for measles elimination strategies in
      China. METHODS: Measles was diagnosed using national standard case definitions.
      In a case-control study, 20 randomly selected measles patients were matched with
      controls selected from the same village or community as each case in a 1:2 case
      to-control ratio. Controls were matched on age, within 5 years, and gender. We
      compared exposure histories during the 7-21 days before rash onset of the case
      and the same time period for the matched controls. We also conducted a measles
      antibody seroprevalence survey of a convenient sample of residual serum obtained
      from healthy patients during routine care in a hospital. RESULTS: The outbreak
      consisted of 45 measles cases, with an attack rate of 8.9/100,000 total
      population. Among cases, 91.1% (41/45) were adults (ranged 23-51 years) who had
      unknown vaccination histories; the other cases were infants younger than 8 months
      of age. The case-control study showed major risk factors to be a visit to
      Hospital X (OR(MH)=7.3, 95% CI: 1.8-30.7) and treatment in an IV room in Hospital
      X (OR(MH)=11.0, 95% CI: 1.3-96.1). The seroprevalence survey showed that 88.8% of
      adults had measles IgG antibodies, and that 100% of children 2-19 years of age
      were seropositive. CONCLUSIONS: The outbreak was primarily among age groups not
      targeted for vaccination-primarily adults, but with some children too young to
      vaccinate. Visiting a hospital was the major risk factor for measles
      transmission. We conclude that in addition to maintaining high 2-dose coverage
      with measles vaccine, working with hospital infection control programs to
      implement evidence-based strategies to prevent or limit hospital transmission is
      an important action for eliminating measles in eastern China.

PMID- 26117149
TI  - Reply to Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 26117148
TI  - Immune response in infants after universal high-dose hepatitis B vaccination: A
      community-based study in Beijing, China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vaccination of infants beginning at birth is recommended to prevent
      Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in China. Compared to 5 MUg/dose vaccine
      administered in other regions in China, a three-dose HB recombinant yeast vaccine
      at 10 MUg/dose has been administered for infants within 24h after birth, 1 month
      and 6 months of age in Beijing since 2006. In a community-based retrospective
      cohort study, factors influencing immunologic vaccine response were evaluated.
      METHODS: A total of 3670 infants who completed a 3-dose 10 MUg recombinant HB
      vaccine regimen and born to hepatitis B antigen negative mothers were included.
      The effect on anti-HBs titers of maternal nutrient status, infants' birth
      condition, growth factors, timeliness of vaccination, dosing interval and the
      interval until post-vaccination serologic testing (PVST) were evaluated. RESULTS:
      A total of 3666 infants with no markers of HBV infection were included in
      analysis. The mean anti-HB titers were 1767.17 mIU/ml. Only 16.9% of the infants
      completed their PVST within 30-59 days after the final dose of vaccination.
      Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that delay in PVST (beta=-0.097,
      p<0.0001) and maternal folic acid supplementation (beta=0.067, p=0.002) were
      associated with log-transformed anti-HB titers. Also a trend toward significant
      association was observed between the calcium supplementation of infants and log
      transformed anti-HBs titers (beta=0.062, p=0.057). Longer interval between dose 2
      and dose 3 was not observed to increase the anti-HB titers after cofactors
      adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings illustrate the importance of timing of PVST
      to avoid unnecessary revaccination. Multi-center large cohort studies should
      verify the effect and magnitude of folate and calcium supplementation on HB
      vaccine response.

PMID- 26117150
TI  - Self-administration of intranasal influenza vaccine: Immunogenicity and volunteer
      acceptance.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In outbreak settings, mass vaccination strategies could maximize
      health protection of military personnel. Self-administration of live attenuated
      influenza vaccine (LAIV) may be a means to vaccinate large numbers of people and
      achieve deployment readiness while sparing the use of human resources. METHODS: A
      phase IV, open-label, randomized controlled trial evaluating the immunogenicity
      and acceptance of self-administered (SA) LAIV was conducted from 2012 to 2014. SA
      subjects were randomized to either individual self-administration or self
      administration in a group setting. Control randomized subjects received
      healthcare worker-administered (HCWA) LAIV. Anti-hemagglutinin (HAI) antibody
      concentrations were measured pre- and post-vaccination. The primary endpoint was
      immunogenicity non-inferiority between SA and HCWA groups. Subjects were surveyed
      on preferred administration method. RESULTS: A total of 1077 subjects consented
      and were randomized (529 SA, 548 HCWA). Subject characteristics were very similar
      between groups, though SA subjects were younger, more likely to be white and on
      active duty. The per-protocol analysis included 1024 subjects (501 SA, 523 HCWA).
      Post-vaccination geometric mean titers by vaccine strain and by study group (HCWA
      vs. SA) were: A/H1N1 (45.8 vs. 48.7, respectively; p=0.43), A/H3N2 (45.5 vs.
      46.4; p=0.80), B/Yamagata (17.2 vs. 17.8; p=0.55). Seroresponses to A components
      were high (~67%), while seroresponses to B components were lower (~25%).
      Seroresponse did not differ by administration method. Baseline preference for
      administration method was similar between groups, with the majority in each group
      expressing no preference. At follow-up, the majority (64%) of SA subjects
      preferred SA vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: LAIV immunogenicity was similar for HCWA and
      SA vaccines. SA was well-tolerated and preferred to HCWA among those who
      performed SA.

PMID- 26117151
TI  - Chinese border disease virus strain JSLS12-01 infects piglets and down-regulates
      the antibody responses of classical swine fever virus C strain vaccination.
AB  - During 2012 and 2013, several border disease virus (BDV) strains were identified
      from Chinese goat and sheep herds. At the same time, pigs from the same areas
      were found to be seropositive to BDV by ELISA, without showing clinical signs
      (unpublished data). To examine the susceptibility of pigs to the Chinese BDV
      strains, BDV isolate JSLS12-01, isolated from naturally infected sheep, was used
      to infect pigs. Antibody responses, viremia, clinical signs and pathological
      changes of the infected animals were examined. It confirmed that the current BDV
      strain could infect the domestic pigs, the animals showed viremia during 4 to 14
      days post infection (dpi) and sero-conversion from 14dpi; no clinical and
      pathological changes were observed. In addition, CSFV maternal antibody did not
      influence BDV infection. Subsequently, pigs were infected with the BDV isolate
      and vaccinated with Hog cholera lapinized virus (HCLV) 21 days later to determine
      the effect of BDV infection on antibody induction of CSFV vaccination. The
      specific CSFV antibody and neutralizing antibody titers of the BDV infected group
      remained negative after the primary vaccination. Even after the boost
      vaccination, they were still significantly lower than those of the uninfected
      groups (p<0.05). These results indicated that BDV infection could down-regulate
      the antibody responses of CSFV C-strain vaccination. It should be paid attention
      that BDV prevalence in pig herds and in live vaccines might hamper the
      vaccination of CSF. 

PMID- 26117152
TI  - Deoxynivalenol (DON) naturally contaminated feed impairs the immune response
      induced by porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) live
      attenuated vaccine.
AB  - Cereal commodities are frequently contaminated with mycotoxins produced by the
      secondary metabolism of fungal infection. Among these contaminants,
      deoxynivalenol (DON), also known as vomitoxin, is the most prevalent type B
      trichothecene mycotoxin worldwide. Pigs are very sensitive to the toxic effects
      of DON and are frequently exposed to naturally contaminated feed. Recently, DON
      naturally contaminated feed has been shown to decrease porcine reproductive and
      respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) specific antibody responses following
      experimental infection. The objective of this study was to determine the impact
      of DON naturally contaminated feed on the immune response generated following
      vaccination with PRRSV live attenuated vaccine. Eighteen pigs were randomly
      divided into three experimental groups of 6 animals based on DON content of the
      diets (0, 2.5 and 3.5mg DON/kg). They were fed these rations one week prior to
      the vaccination and for all the duration of the immune response evaluation. All
      pigs were vaccinated intra-muscularly with one dose of Ingelvac((r)) PRRSV
      modified live vaccine (MLV). Blood samples were collected at day -1, 6, 13, 20,
      27 and 35 post vaccination (pv) and tested for PRRSV RNA by RT-qPCR and for virus
      specific antibodies by ELISA. Results showed that ingestion of DON-contaminated
      diets significantly decreased PRRSV viremia. All pigs fed control diet were
      viremic while only 1 (17%) and 3 (50%) out of 6 pigs were viremic in the groups
      receiving 3.5 and 2.5mg of DON/kg, respectively. Subsequently, all pigs fed
      control diet developed PRRSV specific antibodies while only viremic pigs that
      were fed contaminated diets have developed PRRSV specific antibodies. These
      results suggest that feeding pigs with DON-contaminated diet could inhibit
      vaccination efficiency of PRRSV MLV by severely impairing viral replication. 

PMID- 26117153
TI  - Posture modulates implicit hand maps.
AB  - Several forms of somatosensation require that afferent signals be informed by
      stored representations of body size and shape. Recent results have revealed that
      position sense relies on a highly distorted body representation. Changes of
      internal hand posture produce plastic alterations of processing in somatosensory
      cortex. This study therefore investigated how such postural changes affect
      implicit body representations underlying position sense. Participants localised
      the knuckles and tips of each finger in external space in two postures: the
      fingers splayed (Apart posture) or pressed together (Together posture).
      Comparison of the relative locations of the judgments of each landmark were used
      to construct implicit maps of represented hand structure. Spreading the fingers
      apart produced increases in the implicit representation of hand size, with no
      apparent effect on hand shape. Thus, changes of internal hand posture produce
      rapid modulation of how the hand itself is represented, paralleling the known
      effects on somatosensory cortical processing. 

PMID- 26117154
TI  - Mutual interferences between automatic ongoing spatial-updating with self-motion
      and source recall.
AB  - Recent models suggest that spatial updating of position with self-motion is a key
      component of remembering. In the first experiment, participants simultaneously
      performed a spatial task and a source recall. In the spatial task, blindfolded
      participants rotated to a new orientation and then pointed to an object's
      position. They pointed either from their new orientation (in the updating
      condition), or as if they were still in their starting orientation (in the
      ignoring condition). In the updating condition, participants had to accurately
      integrate their own movement whereas, in the ignoring condition, they had to
      ignore it. If spatial updating and episodic memory rely on the same network, only
      the updating condition should interfere with source recall. Results are in line
      with this prediction. A second experiment using a semantic memory task instead of
      source recall showed no interference effect. These results suggest that episodic
      memory and spatial updating are functionally linked. 

PMID- 26117155
TI  - Towards continuous glucose monitoring in the ICU.

PMID- 26117156
TI  - Clarifying the role of pattern separation in schizophrenia: the role of
      recognition and visual discrimination deficits.
AB  - Patients with schizophrenia show marked memory deficits which have a negative
      impact on their functioning and life quality. Recent models suggest that such
      deficits might be attributable to defective pattern separation (PS), a
      hippocampal-based computation involved in the differentiation of overlapping
      stimuli and their mnemonic representations. One previous study on the topic
      concluded in favour of pattern separation impairments in the illness. However,
      this study did not clarify whether more elementary recognition and/or visual
      discrimination deficits could explain observed group differences. To address this
      limitation we investigated pattern separation in 22 schizophrenic patients and 24
      healthy controls with the use of a task requiring individuals to classify stimuli
      as repetitions, novel or similar compared to a previous familiarisation phase. In
      addition, we employed a visual discrimination task involving perceptual
      similarity judgments on the same images. Results revealed impaired performance in
      the patient group; both on baseline measure of pattern separation as well as an
      index of pattern separation rigidity. However, further analyses demonstrated that
      such differences could be fully explained by recognition and visual
      discrimination deficits. Our findings suggest that pattern separation in
      schizophrenia is predicated on earlier recognition and visual discrimination
      problems. Furthermore, we demonstrate that future studies on pattern separation
      should include appropriate measures of recognition and visual discrimination
      performance for the correct interpretation of their findings. 

PMID- 26117157
TI  - Effect of lurasidone dose on cognition in patients with schizophrenia: post-hoc
      analysis of a long-term, double-blind continuation study.
AB  - We previously reported that treatment with 160mg/d of lurasidone improved
      cognitive performance in a manner superior to placebo, quetiapine XR 600mg/d, and
      lurasidone 80mg/d, based on a 6-week randomized trial of patients with an acute
      exacerbation of schizophrenia. The objective of this post-hoc analysis was to
      explore the cognitive and functional performance of patients whose final doses of
      lurasidone were 40/80mg/d, 120mg/d, and 160mg/d compared to quetiapine XR 200
      800mg/d (QXR) during a 6-month, double-blind continuation study that followed a
      short-term trial. Subjects who received final doses of lurasidone 120mg/d (n=77)
      and 160mg/d (n=49) showed significantly greater improvement in overall cognitive
      performance compared to QXR (n=85) at week 32 (month 6 of the extension study),
      while those on last doses of 40/80mg/d (n=25) showed a trend towards significance
      at week 32. Mean changes in neurocognitive composite z-score from pre-treatment
      baseline were significant for the 3 lurasidone final dose groups at both weeks 19
      and 32, with composite change scores of z=1.53, z=1.43, and z=1.34 for the
      lurasidone 40/80mg/d, 120mg/d, and 160mg/d, respectively, at week 32. In
      contrast, the composite change score was not statistically significant in the
      overall quetiapine group (z=0.46), with none of the individual quetiapine doses
      showing any significant improvement. Functional capacity scores improved in all
      treatment groups. Our findings indicate improved cognitive performance in
      patients treated with each of the flexible doses of lurasidone 40-160mg/d,
      compared to quetiapine XR 200-800mg/d. All doses of lurasidone were superior to
      all doses of quetiapine for cognitive performance.

PMID- 26117158
TI  - A new chapter in therapy for cystic fibrosis.

PMID- 26117159
TI  - The effect of reduced ankle dorsiflexion on lower extremity mechanics during
      landing: A systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the evidence for effect of restricted ankle dorsiflexion
      range of motion on lower-extremity landing mechanics. DESIGN: Literature review.
      METHODS: Systematic search of the literature. Articles critiqued by two
      reviewers. RESULTS: Six studies were identified that investigated the effect of
      restricted DF ROM on landing mechanics. Overall, results suggest that landing
      mechanics are altered with restricted DF ROM, but studies disagree as to the
      particular mechanical variables affected. CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence that
      restricted dorsiflexion range of motion may alter lower-extremity landing
      mechanics in a manner, which predisposes athletes to injury. Interpretation of
      results was made difficult by the variation in landing tasks investigated and the
      lack studies investigating sport-specific landing tasks. The focus of studies on
      specific mechanical variables rather than mechanical patterns and the analysis of
      pooled data in the presence of different compensation strategies between
      participants also made interpretation difficult. These areas require further
      research.

PMID- 26117160
TI  - Factors affecting exercise intensity in professional rugby league match-play.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of match-related and individual player
      characteristics on running performance in professional rugby league matches.
      DESIGN: Longitudinal observational study. METHODS: Global positioning system
      (GPS) and technical performance measures (attacking involvements and tackles
      made) were collected from 23 players competing in the National Rugby League (NRL)
      over 24 matches during a season. The GPS data were categorised into relative
      total distance (mmin(-1)) and relative high-speed running distance (HSR mmin(-1),
      >14.4kmh(-1)). Each match was classified according to season phase, location,
      recovery length, opposition strength and result. Individual player fitness status
      was obtained from a 1.2-km shuttle run test conducted prior to the start of the
      season. Two separate linear mixed models were constructed to examine the
      influence of match-related and individual player characteristics on relative
      total and HSR distances. RESULTS: Matches played away from home, early in the
      season and following short recovery cycles were associated with reduced relative
      total and HSR distances. Matches won contained less relative total and HSR
      distance; whereas only HSR distance was higher against weaker opposition. The
      total time the ball was out of play reduced relative total but not HSR distances.
      The number of defensive but not attacking involvements influenced both physical
      performance measures. Finally, player fitness was positively related to both
      relative total and HSR distances. CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be a complex
      interplay of factors affecting match-running performance in rugby league. The
      results underline the importance of considering contextual factors when analysing
      rugby league match-activity profiles.

PMID- 26117161
TI  - The effectiveness of massage based on the tensegrity principle compared with
      classical abdominal massage performed on patients with constipation.
AB  - PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH: The purpose of the study was to compare the
      effectiveness of massage based on the tensegrity principle and classical
      abdominal massage performed on patients with constipation. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The study group consisted of 29 subjects with a pre-existing diagnosis of
      constipation based on the Rome III criteria. The patients were divided into two
      groups: the first group was made up of 15 patients who underwent tensegrity
      massage (average age: 59.8 years), and the second was made up of 14 patients who
      were given classical abdominal massage (average age: 55.7 years). The study
      consisted of six massage sessions in both groups, with two sessions per week
      performed over 21 days. The assessment was based on a patient questionnaire, the
      Rome III questionnaire and a diary of bowel movements. The results were analyzed
      before therapy, after one week of therapy and after the third (final) week of
      therapy. RESULTS: Changes in the number of defecations were compared between the
      two groups; the biggest changes occurred in the first and third week of therapy
      (P<0.01, calculated by the Mann-Whitey test). As a result of the therapy, tension
      during defecation dropped from 60% to 20% in Group I, and from 42.8% to 35.7% in
      Group II. The influence of the applied therapy was evaluated positively by 80% of
      the tensegrity massage group and 29% of the classical abdominal massage group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Massage based on the tensegrity principle may have a greater
      positive influence on the quality and quantity of bowel movements than classical
      abdominal massage.

PMID- 26117162
TI  - Biomechanical comparison of traditional anchors to all-suture anchors in a double
      row rotator cuff repair cadaver model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To further reduce the invasiveness of arthroscopic rotator cuff
      repair surgery the all-suture anchor has been developed. The all-suture anchor
      requires less bone removal and reduces the potential of loose body complications.
      The all-suture anchor must also have adequate biomechanical strength for the
      repair to heal. The hypothesis is there is no significant difference in the
      biomechanical performance of supraspinatus repairs using an all-suture anchor
      when compared to traditional solid-body suture anchors. METHODS: Using nine
      shoulders per group, the supraspinatus tendon was dissected from the greater
      tuberosity. The four different double row repairs tested were (medial row/lateral
      row): A: ICONIX2/ICONIX2; B: ICONIX2/Stryker ReelX 3.9mm; C: ICONIX2/Stryker
      ReelX 4.5mm; D: Arthrex BioComposite CorkScrew FT 4.5mm/Arthrex BioComposite
      SwiveLock 4.75mm. The ICONIX2 was the only all-suture anchor tested. Tendons
      underwent cyclic loading from 10 to 100N for 500 cycles, followed by load-to
      failure. Data was collected at cycles 5, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500. One-way
      ANOVA analysis was used to assess significance (P<=0.05). FINDINGS: The anchor
      combinations tested did not differ significantly in anterior (P>0.4) or posterior
      (P>0.3) gap formation, construct stiffness (P>0.7), ultimate load (P=0.06), or
      load to 5mm gap formation (P=0.84). INTERPRETATION: The all-suture anchor
      demonstrated comparable biomechanical performance in multiple double-row anchor
      combinations to a combination of traditional solid-body anchors. Thus it may be
      an attractive option to further reduce the invasiveness of rotator cuff repairs.

PMID- 26117163
TI  - Does component alignment affect gait symmetry in unilateral total hip
      arthroplasty patients?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Component malposition in total hip arthroplasty patients has been
      associated with adverse clinical outcomes. However, whether the component
      alignment influences hip dynamic performance following total hip arthroplasty
      remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship
      between the component alignment and in vivo hip kinematics during gait. METHODS:
      Nineteen unilateral total hip arthroplasty patients received CT scan for creation
      of 3D hip models. The component alignment between the non-implanted and implanted
      hips were measured and compared. Three-dimensional hip kinematics for both hips
      of the total hip arthroplasty patients during gait was quantified using a dual
      fluoroscopic imaging technique. The differences between the implanted and non
      implanted hip kinematics during gait were calculated. A forward stepwise multiple
      linear regression was performed to evaluate the relationships between the changes
      in implanted hip kinematics and the differences in component alignment with
      respect to the non-implanted hips. FINDINGS: An average 5.1 degrees  (SD 6.5
      degrees ; range -11.1 degrees  to 18.3 degrees ) increase in internal rotation
      was observed in the implanted hip than the contralateral non-implanted hip and
      significantly correlated with a linear combination of the increase of cup
      anteversion, cup medial translation and leg lengthening (R=0.81). INTERPRETATION:
      Results suggested that the total hip arthroplasty patients compensated the
      changes in hip geometry by altering the dynamic movement during gait. Restoration
      of the native hip geometry, including acetabular cup anteversion, position and
      leg length could be one of the factors that influence the hip kinematics symmetry
      in total hip arthroplasty patients during gait.

PMID- 26117164
TI  - Does implicit emotion regulation in binge eating disorder matter?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine if implicit emotion regulation (occurring outside of
      awareness) is related to binge eating disorder (BED) symptomatology and explicit
      emotion regulation (occurring within awareness), and can be altered via
      intervention. METHODS: Implicit emotion regulation was assessed via the Emotion
      Conflict Task (ECT) among a group of adults with BED. Study 1 correlated BED
      symptomatology and explicit emotion regulation with ECT performance at baseline
      (BL) and after receiving BED treatment (PT). Study 2 generated effect sizes
      comparing ECT performance at BL and PT with healthy (non-eating disordered)
      controls (HC). RESULTS: Study 1 yielded significant correlations (p<.05) between
      both BED symptomatology and explicit emotion regulation with ECT performance.
      Study 2 found that compared to BL ECT performance, PT shifted (d=-.27), closer to
      HC. Preliminary results suggest a) BED symptomatology and explicit emotion
      regulation are associated with ECT performance, and b) PT ECT performance
      normalized after BED treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Implicit emotion regulation may be a
      BED treatment mechanism because psychotherapy, directly or indirectly, decreased
      sensitivity to implicit emotional conflict. Further understanding implicit
      emotion regulation may refine conceptualizations and effective BED treatments.

PMID- 26117165
TI  - Preeclampsia and future cardiovascular disease in women: How good are the data
      and how can we manage our patients?
AB  - Women with a history of preeclampsia have double the risk of future heart disease
      and stroke, and elevated risks of hypertension and diabetes. The American Heart
      Association (AHA) and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology now
      include preeclampsia as a risk factor for future cardiovascular disease (CVD)
      with the recommendation of obtaining a history of preeclampsia and improving
      lifestyle behaviors for women with such a history. Research has progressed from
      asking whether preeclampsia is associated with CVD to how preeclampsia is
      associated with CVD, and the implications for prevention of CVD among women with
      a history of preeclampsia. A history of preeclampsia "unmasks" future CVD risk;
      research is inconclusive whether it also causes vascular damage that leads to
      CVD. For women with prior preeclampsia, the AHA recommends CVD risk reduction
      actions similar to those for other "at risk" groups: cessation of cigarette
      smoking, physical activity, weight reduction if overweight or obese and
      counseling to follow a "DASH" like diet. The efficacy of these lifestyle
      modifications to lower risk of CVD in women with prior preeclampsia remains to be
      determined. Barriers exist to implementing lifestyle improvement measures in this
      population, including lack of awareness of both patients and clinicians of this
      link between preeclampsia and CVD. We review patient, provider, and systems level
      barriers and solutions to leverage this information to prevent CVD among women
      with a history of preeclampsia. 

PMID- 26117166
TI  - Development of a sleeve gastrectomy risk calculator.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is rapidly gaining popularity.
      Estimating the risk of postoperative adverse events can improve surgical decision
      making and informed patient consent. The objective of this study was to develop
      and validate a risk prediction model for early postoperative morbidity and
      mortality after LSG. METHODS: Cases of primary LSG in the American College of
      Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) data set at
      year 2012 (n = 5871) and 2011 (n = 3130) were identified to develop and examine
      the validity of model. The composite primary outcome was defined as presence of
      any of 14 serious adverse events within the 30-days after LSG. Multiple logistic
      regression analysis was performed and a risk calculator was created to predict
      the primary outcome. RESULTS: Thirty-day postoperative mortality and composite
      adverse events rates of 5871 LSG cases were .05% and 2.4%, respectively. Of the
      52 examined baseline variables, the final model contained history of congestive
      heart failure (odds ratio [OR] 6.23; 95% CI 1.25-31.07), chronic steroid use (OR
      5.00; 95% CI 2.06-12.15), male sex (OR 1.68; 95% CI 1.03-2.72), diabetes (OR
      1.62; 95% CI 1.07-2.48), preoperative serum total bilirubin level (OR 1.57; 95%
      CI 1.11-2.22), body mass index (OR 1.03; 95% CI 1.01-1.05), and preoperative
      hematocrit level (OR .95; 95% CI .89-1.00). The risk model was then validated
      with the 2011 data set and was used to create an online risk calculator with a
      relatively good accuracy (c-statistic .682). CONCLUSIONS: This risk assessment
      scoring system, which specifically estimates serious adverse events after LSG,
      can contribute to surgical decision-making, informed patient consent, and
      prediction of surgical risk for patients and referring physicians.

PMID- 26117167
TI  - Enhanced recovery protocols--time to trim and adopt a lean bariatric practice.

PMID- 26117168
TI  - Laparoscopic conversion of an omega loop gastric bypass to Roux-en-Y gastric
      bypass.

PMID- 26117169
TI  - Phylogenetic analysis of the complete mitogenome sequence of the raspberry
      weevil, Aegorhinus superciliosus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), supports monophyly
      of the tribe Aterpini.
AB  - The superfamily Curculionoidea is one of the most diverse groups of insects in
      the world, including many species which are crop pests. Within this group, the
      native raspberry weevil, Aegorhinus superciliosus (Guerin, 1830), is an important
      pest in blueberry and raspberry fields in southern South America. Using a 454
      sequencing approach, we sequenced and annotated the mitogenome of A.
      superciliosus, it, providing the first such information for any species in the
      tribe Aterpini, subfamily Cyclominae. The assembled mitogenome is a circular DNA
      molecule 15,121bp in length containing all 37 genes normally found in metazoans.
      Mitogenome organization and transcriptional orientation in A. superciliosus
      showed the same pattern that characterizes the suborder Polyphaga. Bayesian and
      Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analyses supported the monophyly of the tribe
      Aterpini and the subfamily Cyclominae, recovering this clade in a sister group
      relationship with Entiminae and Hyperinae. The monophyly of these three
      subfamilies defines a critical transition to an ectophagous lifestyle in the
      larvae, from an ancestrally endophagous larval lifestyle in all other lineages.
      The sequenced mitogenome of A. superciliosus can provide basic data for future
      studies investigating population history, molecular systematics, stress
      ecophysiology and phylogeography.

PMID- 26117170
TI  - Identification of differentially expressed microRNA in the stems and leaves
      during sugar accumulation in sweet sorghum.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in plant development,
      growth and stress response. Sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is an
      important source of bioenergy due to the high sugar content in its stems.
      However, it is not clear how the miRNA is involved in sugar accumulation in
      sorghum stems. In order to identify the miRNAs in the stems and the leaves of
      sweet sorghum, we extracted RNAs of the stems and leaves of sweet sorghum (Rio)
      and grain sorghum (BTx623) at the heading and dough stages for high-throughput
      sequencing. A total of 179279048 reads were obtained from Illumina-based
      sequencing. Further analysis identified nine known miRNAs and twelve novel miRNAs
      that showed significantly and specifically differentially expressed in the stems
      of sweet sorghum. The target genes of the differentially expressed novel miRNAs
      include the transcription factor, glucosyltransferase, protein kinase, cytochrome
      P450, transporters etc. GO enrichment analysis showed that the predicted targets
      of these differentially expressed miRNAs participated in diverse physiological
      and metabolic processes. We performed RT-qRCR analysis on these miRNAs across
      eight different libraries to validate the miRNAs. Finally, we screened stem
      specifically expressed novel miRNA and a leaf-specifically expressed novel miRNA
      in sweet sorghum comparing with grain sorghum. Our results provide a basis for
      further investigation of the potential role of these individual miRNAs in sugar
      accumulation. 

PMID- 26117171
TI  - Identifying genes related with rheumatoid arthritis via system biology analysis.
AB  - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory joint disease that mainly
      attacks synovial joints. However, the underlying systematic relationship among
      different genes and biological processes involved in the pathogenesis are still
      unclear. By analyzing and comparing the transcriptional profiles from RA, OA
      (osteoarthritis) patients as well as ND (normal donors) with bioinformatics
      methods, we tend to uncover the potential molecular networks and critical genes
      which play important roles in RA and OA development. Initially, hierarchical
      clustering was performed to classify the overall transcriptional profiles.
      Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between ND and RA and OA patients were
      identified. Furthermore, PPI networks were constructed, functional modules were
      extracted, and functional annotation was also applied. Our functional analysis
      identifies 22 biological processes and 2 KEGG pathways enriched in the commonly
      regulated gene set. However, we found that number of set of genes differentially
      expressed genes only between RA and ND reaches up to 244, indicating this gene
      set may specifically accounts for processing to disease of RA. Additionally, 142
      biological processes and 19 KEGG pathways are over-represented by these 244
      genes. Meanwhile, although another 21 genes were differentially expressed only in
      OA and ND, no biological process nor pathway is over-represented by them. 

PMID- 26117172
TI  - The mitochondrial genome of a Texas outbreak strain of the cattle tick,
      Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, derived from whole genome sequencing Pacific
      Biosciences and Illumina reads.
AB  - The cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is one of the most
      significant medical veterinary pests in the world, vectoring several serious
      livestock diseases negatively impacting agricultural economies of tropical and
      subtropical countries around the world. In our study, we assembled the complete
      R. microplus mitochondrial genome from Illumina and Pac Bio sequencing reads
      obtained from the ongoing R. microplus (Deutsch strain from Texas, USA) genome
      sequencing project. We compared the Deutsch strain mitogenome to the mitogenome
      from a Brazilian R. microplus and from an Australian cattle tick that has
      recently been taxonomically designated as Rhipicephalus australis after
      previously being considered R. microplus. The sequence divergence of the Texas
      and Australia ticks is much higher than the divergence between the Texas and
      Brazil ticks. This is consistent with the idea that the Australian ticks are
      distinct from the R. microplus of the Americas. 

PMID- 26117173
TI  - Distinct differences in global gene expression profiles in non-implanted
      blastocysts and blastocysts resulting in live birth.
AB  - Results from animal models points towards the existence of a gene expression
      profile that is distinguishably different in viable embryos compared with non
      viable embryos. Knowledge of human embryo transcripts is however limited, in
      particular with regard to how gene expression is related to clinical outcome. The
      purpose of the present study was therefore to determine the global gene
      expression profiles of human blastocysts. Next Generation Sequencing was used to
      identify genes that were differentially expressed in non-implanted embryos and
      embryos resulting in live birth. Three trophectoderm biopsies were obtained from
      morphologically high quality blastocysts resulting in live birth and three
      biopsies were obtained from non-implanting blastocysts of a comparable
      morphology. Total RNA was extracted from all samples followed by complete
      transcriptome sequencing. Using a set of filtering criteria, we obtained a list
      of 181 genes that were differentially expressed between trophectoderm biopsies
      from embryos resulting in either live birth or no implantation (negative hCG),
      respectively. We found that 37 of the 181 genes displayed significantly
      differential expression (p<0.05), e.g. EFNB1, CYTL1 and TEX26 and TESK1, MSL1 and
      EVI5 in trophectoderm biopsies associated with live birth and non-implanting,
      respectively. Out of the 181 genes, almost 80% (145 genes) were up-regulated in
      biopsies from un-implanted embryos, whereas only 20% (36 genes) showed an up
      regulation in the samples from embryos resulting in live birth. Our findings
      suggest the presence of molecular differences visually undetectable between
      implanted and non-implanted embryos, and represent a proof of principle study. 

PMID- 26117174
TI  - Prevalence and screening for risk factors of type 2 diabetes in Rize, Nourtheast
      Turkey: findings from a population-based study.
AB  - AIMS: We aimed to determine the prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes,
      risk factors affecting the healthy population, and factors that increase diabetes
      risk in the adult northeast Turkish population. METHODS: Using population
      proportional cluster sampling, 930 adults were selected. After excluding people
      with diabetes, risk screening was conducted in the healthy population (n: 825)
      using the Information Form and FINDRISK questionnaire. Fasting venous blood and
      biochemical parameters were measured. RESULTS: Prevalence of diabetes was 13.6%
      (new % 2.3), translating to approximately 44 thousand adults. Among the healthy
      population, 37.5% had high risk. Prevalence of not exercising (78.2%), obesity
      (36.1%), and hypertension (24.5%) were high. Predictors of risk of diabetes were
      aging (OR 1.09), low education (OR 0.51), familial diabetes history (OR 15.27),
      not exercising (OR 0.41), obesity (OR 5.17), high waist circumference (OR 1.05),
      heart disease (OR 4.81), and hypertension (OR 2.60). CONCLUSIONS: This study can
      stimulate early screening for cardiovascular diseases and hypertension and
      initiating aggressive treatments in people with high diabetes risk. In primary
      health services, number of doctors and nurses trained in diabetes should be
      increased and dieticians should be involved. People with high risk should receive
      lifestyle regulations training.

PMID- 26117176
TI  - Thrombolysis in acute stroke: ongoing challenges based on a tertiary hospital
      audit and comparisons with other Australian studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Intravenous thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)
      improves patient outcomes in acute ischaemic stroke. Because its benefit is time
      dependant, treatment delays must be minimised. The aim of the present study was
      to review patient characteristics, timeliness of tPA delivery and clinical
      outcome in patients receiving t-PA in a tertiary hospital stroke unit in
      Queensland, and to compare the findings with those of other Australian studies.
      METHODS: The present study was a retrospective study conducted between 1 January
      2010 and 31 December 2012. Information was collected regarding demographics,
      stroke characteristics, timeliness of tPA delivery, clinical outcome, safety
      outcome and protocol deviation. RESULTS: Of 490 patients admitted with ischaemic
      stroke, 57 (11.6%) received tPA. Compared with other studies, the patients in the
      present study had more severe stroke (median National Institutes of Health Stroke
      Scale (NIH SS) score), more cardioembolic strokes and more patients receiving tPA
      between 3 and 4.5 h of symptoms onset. Median symptom onset to treatment time was
      175 min and median door to needle time was 97 min. At 3 months, 21.1% of patients
      had died and 41.5% had a favourable outcome (modified Rankin scale <= 2).
      Symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage occurred in 5.3% of patients and protocol
      deviations occurred in 21.1%. Overall, delivery and outcomes of tPA at the
      Princess Alexandra Hospital were comparable to those reported in other Australian
      studies of usual care. Several challenges and strategies for optimal thrombolysis
      were identified, with supporting evidence from selected Australian sites.
      CONCLUSION: The proportion of eligible stroke patients who receive tPA in a
      timely manner remains less than ideal at our centre. More accurate patient
      selection and reductions in treatment delays serve as targets for quality
      improvement efforts that have broad applicability.

PMID- 26117175
TI  - Characterization of degenerative human facet joints and facet joint capsular
      tissues.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Lumbar facet joint degeneration (FJD) may be an important cause of low
      back pain (LBP) and sciatica. The goal of this study was to characterize cellular
      alterations of inflammatory factor expression and neovascularization in human
      degenerative facet joint capsular (FJC) tissue. These alterations in FJC tissues
      in pain stimulation were also assessed. DESIGN: FJs were obtained from consented
      patients undergoing spinal reconstruction surgery and cadaveric donors with no
      history of back pain. Histological analyses of the FJs were performed. Cytokine
      antibody array and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were
      used to determine the production of inflammatory cytokines, and western blotting
      analyses (WB) were used to assay for cartilage-degrading enzymes and pain
      mediators. Ex vivo rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) co-culture with human FJC
      tissues was also performed. RESULTS: Increased neovascularization, inflammatory
      cell infiltration, and pain-related axonal-promoting factors were observed in
      degenerative FJCs surgically obtained from symptomatic subjects. Increased VEGF,
      (NGF/TrkA), and sensory neuronal distribution were also detected in degenerative
      FJC tissues from subjects with LBP. qPCR and WB results demonstrated highly
      upregulated inflammatory cytokines, pain mediators, and cartilage-degrading
      enzymes in degenerative FJCs. Results from ex vivo co-culture of the DRG and FJC
      tissue demonstrated that degenerative FJCs increased the expression of
      inflammatory pain molecules in the sensory neurons. CONCLUSION: Degenerative FJCs
      possess greatly increased inflammatory and angiogenic features, suggesting that
      these factors play an important role in the progression of FJD and serve as a
      link between joint degeneration and neurological stimulation of afferent pain
      fibers.

PMID- 26117177
TI  - Sire carcass breeding values affect body composition in lambs - 1. Effects on
      lean weight and its distribution within the carcass as measured by computed
      tomography.
AB  - Data are obtained from computed tomography scanning of 1665 lambs at locations
      around Australia. Lambs were progeny of Terminal, Maternal and Merino sires with
      known Australian Sheep Breeding Values for post weaning c-site eye muscle depth
      (mm; PEMD) and fat depth (mm; PFAT), and post weaning weight (kg; PWWT). Across
      the 7.8 unit range of sire PEMD, carcass lean weight increased by 7.7%. This lean
      was distributed to the saddle section (mid-section) where lean became 3.8%
      heavier, with fore section lean becoming 3.5% lighter. Reducing sire PFAT across
      its 5.1 unit range increased carcass lean weight by 9.5%, and distributed lean to
      the saddle section which was 3.7% heavier. Increasing sire PWWT increased lean at
      some sites in some years, and on average increased saddle lean by 4% across the
      24.7 unit PWWT range. Changes in lean weight and distribution due to selection
      for carcass breeding values will increase carcass value, particularly through
      increased weight of high value loin cuts. 

PMID- 26117178
TI  - High-risk metachronous polyps are more frequent in patients with traditional
      serrated adenomas than in patients with conventional adenomas: a multicenter
      prospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although the malignant progression of serrated polyps has
      been clearly documented, the malignant potential of the traditional serrated
      adenoma (TSA) subtype has not been established. We compared the prevalence of
      metachronous polyps in surveillance colonoscopies between patients with TSA and
      those with conventional adenomas (CAs). METHODS: Four hundred twenty patients
      were diagnosed with TSAs by current diagnostic criteria at 10 tertiary care
      university hospitals in Korea from January 2003 to December 2005; 186 patients
      who received surveillance colonoscopy after removal of initial polyps were
      enrolled. During the same time period, 372 age- and sex-matched patients
      diagnosed with CAs were used as a control group. RESULTS: TSA patients had a
      significantly higher recurrence rate of colorectal polyps compared with CA
      patients (66.1% vs 43.5%, respectively). TSA patients had a greater number (3 vs
      2) and larger size (8.6 +/- 5.7 vs 6.3 +/- 5.2 mm) of recurrent polyps compared
      with CA patients. TSA patients also had a higher rate of CA (54.8% vs 37.9%),
      serrated adenoma (14.0% vs. 0.8%), and hyperplastic polyp (33.3% vs. 13.7%)
      recurrence compared with CA patients. TSA patients had significantly greater odds
      of having a recurrent high-risk polyp than CA patients (odds ratio, 2.37; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.55-3.63). CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with patients with
      CAs, patients with TSAs have a higher metachronous occurrence rate of all polyp
      subtypes including CAs, serrated adenomas, and hyperplastic polyps. Moreover, the
      presence of TSAs is an independent predictor of a high-risk polyp occurrence.

PMID- 26117179
TI  - Endoscopic management of a GI perforation.

PMID- 26117180
TI  - Digital cholangioscopy-directed removal of a surgical staple from a strictured
      bile duct.

PMID- 26117181
TI  - The upstream regulatory sequence of the light harvesting complex Lhcf2 gene of
      the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum enhances transcription in an
      orientation- and distance-independent fashion.
AB  - Diatoms are a key phytoplankton group in the contemporary ocean, showing
      extraordinary adaptation capacities to rapidly changing environments. The recent
      availability of whole genome sequences from representative species has revealed
      distinct features in their genomes, like novel combinations of genes encoding
      distinct metabolisms and a significant number of diatom-specific genes. However,
      the regulatory mechanisms driving diatom gene expression are still largely
      uncharacterized. Considering the wide variety of fields of study orbiting
      diatoms, ranging from ecology, evolutionary biology to biotechnology, it is thus
      essential to increase our understanding of fundamental gene regulatory processes
      such as transcriptional regulation. To this aim, we explored the functional
      properties of the 5'-flanking region of the Phaeodatylum tricornutum Lhcf2 gene,
      encoding a member of the Light Harvesting Complex superfamily and we showed that
      this region enhances transcription of a GUS reporter gene in an orientation- and
      distance-independent fashion. This represents the first example of a cis
      regulatory sequence with enhancer-like features discovered in diatoms and it is
      instrumental for the generation of novel genetic tools and diatom exploitation in
      different areas of study. 

PMID- 26117182
TI  - Emirati Teachers' Perceptions of Voice Handicap.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to explore Emirati teachers' perceptions
      of voice handicap and to analyze their acoustic characteristics to determine
      whether acoustic measures of teachers' voice would verify their perceptions of
      voice handicap. METHODS: Sixty-six Emirati school teachers (33 men and 33 women),
      with different years of teaching experience and age, and 100 control participants
      (50 men and 50 women) underwent vocal assessment that included the Voice Handicap
      Index (VHI-Arab) and acoustic measures (F0, jitter%, shimmer%, signal to noise
      ratio [SNR]). RESULTS: Significant differences between the teachers' group scores
      and the control group scores on the following subscales of VHI-Arab: physical (P
      = 0.006), emotional (P = 0.004), and total score of the test (P = 0.002). No
      significant differences were found among teachers in the three VHI subscales, and
      the total score regarding gender (functional P = 0.307; physical P = 0.341;
      emotional P = 0.126; and total P = 0.184), age (functional P = 0.972; physical P
      = 0.525; emotional P = 0.772; and total P = 0.848), and years of teaching
      experience (functional P = 0.319; physical P = 0.619; emotional P = 0.926; and
      total P = 0.638). The significant differences between the teacher's group and the
      control group in three acoustic measures: F0 (P = 0.000), shimmer% (P = 0.000),
      and SNR (P = 0.000) were further investigated. Significant differences were found
      among female and male teachers in F0 (P = 0.00) and SNR (P = 0.007). As for
      teachers' age, significant differences were found in SNR (P = 0.028). Teachers'
      years of experience did not show significant differences in any of the acoustic
      measures. CONCLUSIONS: Teachers have a higher perception of voice handicap.
      However, they were able to produce better voice quality than control participants
      were, as expressed in better SNRs. This might have been caused either by
      manipulation of vocal properties or abusive overloading the vocal system to
      produce a procedurally acceptable voice quality.

PMID- 26117183
TI  - Survey of acaricides resistance status of Rhipiciphalus (Boophilus) microplus
      collected from selected places of Bihar, an eastern state of India.
AB  - Monitoring acaricide resistance in field ticks and use of suitable managemental
      practices are essential for controlling tick populations infesting animals. In
      the present study, the acaricide resistance status in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus)
      microplus ticks infesting cattle and buffaloes of five districts located in the
      eastern Indian state, Bihar were characterized using three data sets (AIT,
      Biochemical assays and gene sequences). Adult immersion test (AIT) was adopted
      using seven field isolates and their resistance factor (RF) was determined. Six
      isolates (DNP, MUZ, BEG, VSH, DRB and SUL) were found resistant to both
      deltamethrin and diazinon and except VSH all were resistant to cypermethrin. One
      isolate (PTN) was susceptible with a RF below 1.5. To understand the possible
      mode of resistance development, targeted enzymes and gene sequences of the para
      sodium channel and achetylcholinesterase 2 (AChE2) were analyzed. The esterase,
      monooxygenase and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity of reference
      susceptible IVRI-I line was determined as 2.47 +/- 0.007 nmol/min/mg protein,
      0.089 +/- 0.0016 nmol/mg of protein and 0.0439 +/- 0.0003 nmol/mg/min
      respectively, which increased significantly in the resistant field isolates.
      However, except esterases, the fold increase of monooxygenase (1.14-2.27 times)
      and GST (0.82-1.53 times) activities were not very high. A cytosine (C) to
      adenine (A) nucleotide substitution (CTC to ATC) at position 190 in domain II S4
      5 linker region was detected only in one isolate (SUL) having RF of 34.9 and in
      the reference deltamethrin resistant line (IVRI-IV). However, the T2134A mutation
      was not detected in domain IIIS6 transmembrane segment of resistant isolates and
      also in reference IVRI-IV line despite of varying degree of resistance. The
      flumethrin specific G215T and the recently identified T170C mutations were also
      absent in domain II sequences under study. Four novel amino acid substitutions in
      AChE2 gene of field isolates and in organophosphate (OP) resistant reference IVRI
      III line were identified which can possibly have a role in resistance
      development.

PMID- 26117184
TI  - Renal targeted delivery of triptolide by conjugation to the fragment peptide of
      human serum albumin.
AB  - We have previously demonstrated that peptide fragments (PFs) of the human serum
      albumin could be developed as potential renal targeting carriers, in particular,
      the peptide fragment, PF-A299-585 (A299-585 representing the amino acid sequence
      of the human serum albumin). In this paper, we conjugated triptolide (TP), the
      anti-inflammatory Chinese traditional medicine, to PF-A299-585 via a succinic
      acid spacer to give TPS-PF-A299-585 (TP loading 2.2% w/w). Compared with the free
      TP, TPS-PF-A299-585 exhibited comparable anti-inflammatory activity in the
      lipopolysaccharide stimulated MDCK cells, but was significantly less cytotoxic
      than the free drug. Accumulation of TPS-PF-A299-585 in the MDCK cells in vitro
      and in rodent kidneys in vivo was demonstrated using FITC-labeled TPS-PF-A299
      585. Renal targeting was confirmed in vivo in a membranous nephropathic (MN)
      rodent model, where optical imaging and analyses of biochemical markers were
      combined to show that TPS-PF-A299-585 was capable of alleviating the
      characteristic symptoms of MN. The collective data affirm PF-A299-585 to be a
      useful carrier for targeting TP to the kidney. 

PMID- 26117185
TI  - Antibiotic delivery by liposomes from prokaryotic microorganisms: Similia cum
      similis works better.
AB  - To date the effectiveness of antibiotics is undermined by microbial resistance,
      threatening public health worldwide. Enhancing the efficacy of the current
      antibiotic arsenal is an alternative strategy. The administration of
      antimicrobials encapsulated in nanocarriers, such as liposomes, is considered a
      viable option, though with some drawbacks related to limited affinity between
      conventional liposomes and bacterial membranes. Here we propose a novel "top
      down" procedure to prepare unconventional liposomes from the membranes of
      prokaryotes (PD-liposomes). These vectors, being obtained from bacteria with
      limited growth requirements, also represent low-cost systems for scalable
      biotechnology production. In depth physico-chemical characterization, carried out
      with dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS),
      indicated that PD-liposomes can be suitable for the employment as antibiotic
      vectors. Specifically, DLS showed that the mean diameter of loaded liposomes was
      ~200-300nm, while SAXS showed that the structure was similar to conventional
      liposomes, thus allowing a direct comparison with more standard liposomal
      formulations. Compared to free penicillin G, PD-liposomes loaded with penicillin
      G showed minimal inhibitory concentrations against E. coli that were up to 16
      times lower. Noteworthy, the extent of the bacterial growth inhibition was found
      to depend on the microorganisms from which liposomes were derived. 

PMID- 26117186
TI  - The in vivo fate of nanoparticles and nanoparticle-loaded microcapsules after
      oral administration in mice: Evaluation of their potential for colon-specific
      delivery.
AB  - Anti-cancer drug loaded-nanoparticles (NPs) or encapsulation of NPs in colon
      targeted delivery systems shows potential for increasing the local drug
      concentration in the colon leading to improved treatment of colorectal cancer. To
      investigate the potential of the NP-based strategies for colon-specific delivery,
      two formulations, free Eudragit(r) NPs and enteric-coated NP-loaded chitosan
      hypromellose microcapsules (MCs) were fluorescently-labelled and their tissue
      distribution in mice after oral administration was monitored by multispectral
      small animal imaging. The free NPs showed a shorter transit time throughout the
      mouse digestive tract than the MCs, with extensive excretion of NPs in faeces at
      5h. Conversely, the MCs showed complete NP release in the lower region of the
      mouse small intestine at 8h post-administration. Overall, the encapsulation of
      NPs in MCs resulted in a higher colonic NP intensity from 8h to 24h post
      administration compared to the free NPs, due to a NP 'guarding' effect of MCs
      during their transit along mouse gastrointestinal tract which decreased NP
      excretion in faeces. These imaging data revealed that this widely-utilised colon
      targeting MC formulation lacked site-precision for releasing its NP load in the
      colon, but the increased residence time of the NPs in the lower gastrointestinal
      tract suggests that it is still useful for localised release of
      chemotherapeutics, compared to NP administration alone. In addition, both
      formulations resided in the stomach of mice at considerable concentrations over
      24h. Thus, adhesion of NP- or MC-based oral delivery systems to gastric mucosa
      may be problematic for colon-specific delivery of the cargo to the colon and
      should be carefully investigated for a full evaluation of particulate delivery
      systems. 

PMID- 26117187
TI  - Influence of humidity on the phase behavior of API/polymer formulations.
AB  - Amorphous formulations of APIs in polymers tend to absorb water from the
      atmosphere. This absorption of water can induce API recrystallization, leading to
      reduced long-term stability during storage. In this work, the phase behavior of
      different formulations was investigated as a function of relative humidity.
      Indomethacin and naproxen were chosen as model APIs and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)
      (PVP) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) (PVPVA64) as excipients. The
      formulations were prepared by spray drying. The water sorption in pure polymers
      and in formulations was measured at 25 degrees C and at different values of
      relative humidity (RH=25%, 50% and 75%). Most water was absorbed in PVP
      containing systems, and water sorption was decreasing with increasing API
      content. These trends could also be predicted in good agreement with the
      experimental data using the thermodynamic model PC-SAFT. Furthermore, the effect
      of absorbed water on API solubility in the polymer and on the glass-transition
      temperature of the formulations was predicted with PC-SAFT and the Gordon-Taylor
      equation, respectively. The absorbed water was found to significantly decrease
      the API solubility in the polymer as well as the glass-transition temperature of
      the formulation. Based on a quantitative modeling of the API/polymer phase
      diagrams as a function of relative humidity, appropriate API/polymer compositions
      can now be selected to ensure long-term stable amorphous formulations at given
      storage conditions. 

PMID- 26117188
TI  - The STEP database through the end-users eyes--USABILITY STUDY.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The user-designed database of Safety and Toxicity of Excipients for
      Paediatrics ("STEP") is created to address the shared need of drug development
      community to access the relevant information of excipients effortlessly.
      Usability testing was performed to validate if the database satisfies the need of
      the end-users. METHOD: Evaluation framework was developed to assess the
      usability. The participants performed scenario based tasks and provided feedback
      and post-session usability ratings. Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) was
      performed to prioritize the problems and improvements to the STEP database design
      and functionalities. RESULT: The study revealed several design vulnerabilities.
      Tasks such as limiting the results, running complex queries, location of data and
      registering to access the database were challenging. The three critical
      attributes identified to have impact on the usability of the STEP database
      included (1) content and presentation (2) the navigation and search features (3)
      potential end-users. CONCLUSION: Evaluation framework proved to be an effective
      method for evaluating database effectiveness and user satisfaction. This study
      provides strong initial support for the usability of the STEP database.
      Recommendations would be incorporated into the refinement of the database to
      improve its usability and increase user participation towards the advancement of
      the database.

PMID- 26117189
TI  - In vitro dissolution-permeation evaluation of an electrospun cyclodextrin-based
      formulation of aripiprazole using MUFluxTM.
AB  - Since it is a well-known fact that among the newly discovered active
      pharmaceutical ingredients the number of poorly water soluble candidates is
      continually increasing, dissolution enhancement of poorly water soluble drugs has
      become one of the central challenges of pharmaceutical studies. So far the
      preclinical studies have been mainly focused on formulation methods to enhance
      the dissolution of active compounds, in many cases disregarding the fact that the
      formulation matrix not only affects dissolution but also has an effect on the
      transport through biological membranes, changing permeation of the drug
      molecules. The aim of this study was to test an electrospun cyclodextrin-based
      formulation of aripiprazole with the novel MUFlux apparatus, which monitors
      permeation together with dissolution, and by this means better in vitro-in vivo
      correlation is achieved. It was evinced that a cyclodextrin-based electrospun
      formulation of aripiprazole has the potential to ensure fast drug delivery
      through the oral mucosa owing to the ultrafast dissolution of the drug from the
      formulation and the enhanced flux across membranes as shown by the result of the
      novel in vitro dissolution and permeation test. 

PMID- 26117190
TI  - In vitro biological activity of resveratrol using a novel inhalable resveratrol
      spray-dried formulation.
AB  - The aim of the study was to prepare inhalable resveratrol by spray drying for the
      treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Resveratrol, with a
      spherical morphology and particle diameter less than 5 MUm, was successfully
      manufactured. Fine particle fraction (FPF) and mass median aerodynamic diameter
      (MMAD) of spray-dried resveratrol was 39.9 +/- 1.1% and 3.7 +/- 0.1 MUm,
      respectively, when assessed with an Andersen cascade impactor (ACI) at 60 l/min.
      The cytotoxicity results of resveratrol on Calu-3 revealed that the cells could
      tolerate high concentration of resveratrol (up to 160 MUM). In addition, in
      transport experiments using Snapwells, it was observed that more than 80% of the
      deposited dry powder was transported across the Calu-3 cells to the basal chamber
      within four hours. The expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8) from Calu-3 induced
      with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), transforming growth factor beta
      (TGF-beta1) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were significantly reduced after
      treatment with spray-dried resveratrol. The antioxidant assay (radical scavenging
      activity and nitric oxide production) showed spray-dried resveratrol to possess
      an equivalent antioxidant property as compared to vitamin C. Results presented in
      this investigation suggested that resveratrol could potentially be developed as a
      dry powder for inhalation for the treatment of inflammatory lung diseases like
      COPD.

PMID- 26117191
TI  - Importance of a suitable working protocol for tape stripping experiments on
      porcine ear skin: Influence of lipophilic formulations and strip adhesion
      impairment.
AB  - The tape stripping method is a very important tool for dermopharmacokinetic
      experiments in vitro and the accurate measurement of the removed corneocytes is
      key for a reliable calculation of a drug's skin penetration behavior. Therefore,
      various methods to quantify the amount of corneocytes removed with each tape
      strip have been employed, ranging from gravimetric approaches to protein assays
      and recently near infrared densitometry (NIR) has become very widely used. As
      this method is based on a reduction of light intensity, interference of
      formulation components seems conceivable, as they could scatter light and change
      the results. In this study, NIR measurements were compared to a protein assay and
      in addition, the influence of highly lipophilic formulations on the results of
      tape stripping experiments was investigated as impairment of the adherence of
      strips has been reported. To this end, different tape stripping protocols were
      employed. The obtained results ensure suitability of the NIR method and moreover
      suggest a more pronounced influence on adherence with increasing lipophilicity in
      applied formulations. The results show that adaptation of the tape stripping
      protocol to the specifications of envisioned experiments is important for
      reliable results. Two protocols were found favorable and are presented in this
      work. 

PMID- 26117192
TI  - Phosphorus dendrimers and photodynamic therapy. Spectroscopic studies on two
      dendrimer-photosensitizer complexes: Cationic phosphorus dendrimer with rose
      bengal and anionic phosphorus dendrimer with methylene blue.
AB  - Dendrimers due to their unique architecture may play an important role in drug
      delivery systems including chemotherapy, gene therapy and recently, photodynamic
      therapy as well. We investigated two dendrimer-photosensitizer systems in context
      of potential use of these systems in photodynamic therapy. The mixtures of an
      anionic phosphorus dendrimer of the second generation and methylene blue were
      studied by UV-vis spectroscopy while that of a cationic phosphorus dendrimer
      (third generation) and rose bengal were investigated by spectrofluorimetric
      methods. Spectroscopic analysis of these two systems revealed the formation of
      dendrimer-photosensitizer complexes via electrostatic interactions as well as pi
      stacking. The stoichiometry of the rose bengal-cationic dendrimer complex was
      estimated to be 7:1 and 9:1 for the methylene blue-anionic dendrimer complex. The
      results suggest that these polyanionic or polycationic phosphorus dendrimers can
      be promising candidates as carriers in photodynamic therapy. 

PMID- 26117194
TI  - Vibrational spectroscopic study of vinyl substituted polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons.
AB  - The mid infrared emission features observed in various astrophysical sources are
      attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. The models of
      emission spectra from a collection of PAHs show uncertainty in matching the 6.2
      MUm feature. This indicates the need to consider a larger variety of PAHs and PAH
      derivatives. Chemical pathways towards formation of PAHs in the astrophysical
      environments involve vinyl substituted PAHs as intermediate products. Vibrational
      spectroscopic study of vinyl-PAHs is reported in the present work. The vinyl
      group is substituted at similar positions in eight different PAHs. The obtained
      optimized structures show that vinyl substitution at 2 position in acenes gives
      planar geometry, while all other vinyl-PAHs are non-planar. Infrared spectra is
      simulated for neutrals as well as for cations. The results are compared with the
      spectra of corresponding plain PAHs and analyzed for possible match with
      astrophysical observations. New features, due to vinyl group in the composite
      spectra, identified at 6.64, 6.92, 7.27, 8.77 and 10.35 MUm fall close to some
      sub features of the observed emission spectra. The paper provides data that may
      be used in the emission models particularly along proto planetary nebulae type
      cool objects.

PMID- 26117193
TI  - Agrobacterium arsenijevicii sp. nov., isolated from crown gall tumors on
      raspberry and cherry plum.
AB  - Two plant-tumorigenic strains KFB 330(T) and KFB 335 isolated from galls on
      raspberry (Rubus idaeus) in Serbia, and a non-pathogenic strain AL51.1 recovered
      from a cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera) tumor in Poland, were genotypically and
      phenotypically characterized. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on 16S rDNA
      placed them within the genus Agrobacterium, with A. nepotum as their closest
      relative. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) based on the partial sequences of
      atpD, glnA, gyrB, recA and rpoB housekeeping genes suggested that these three
      strains represent a new Agrobacterium species, that clustered with type strains
      of A. nepotum, A. radiobacter, "A. fabrum" and A. pusense. This was further
      supported by average nucleotide identity values (<92%) between the whole genome
      sequences of strain KFB 330(T) and related Agrobacterium species. The major
      cellular fatty acids of the novel strains were 18:1 w7c (72.8-77.87%) and 16:0
      (6.82-8.58%). Phenotypic features allowed their differentiation from closely
      related species. Polyphasic characterization showed that the three strains
      represent a novel species of the genus Agrobacterium, for which the name
      Agrobacterium arsenijevicii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of A.
      arsenijevicii is KFB 330(T) (= CFBP 8308(T) = LMG 28674(T)).

PMID- 26117195
TI  - Using IR and Raman spectra to explain the catalytic activity of the
      Fe(II)/Fe(III) pair toward the cleavage of peptide bonds.
AB  - IR and Raman experiments of formamide (FA) solutions containing variable amounts
      of Fe(II) and Fe(III) salts were carried out. The nuCO vibration is downshifted
      whereas the nuCN mode is upshifted in the presence of the divalent ion. As the
      trivalent ion is added to the solvent, upshifts of both nuCO and nuCN vibrations
      are observed. These spectral patterns are related to the distinct FA forms that
      are stabilized by each ion. Fe(II) is surrounded by 6 ionic FA species while
      neutral ones coordinate to the trivalent ion with formation of [Fe(FA)3Cl](2+)
      and [Fe(FA)2(Cl)2](+). In higher salt compositions [FeCl4](-) is also identified
      in the spectra. Our vibrational results are very well corroborated by biological
      studies on the catalytic activity of the Fe(II)/Fe(III) pair in oxidative
      cleavage processes of polypeptides and proteins. 

PMID- 26117196
TI  - Raman microspectroscopic analysis of decorative pigments from the Roman villa of
      El Ruedo (Almedinilla, Spain).
AB  - In this work, we analysed the preparatory layer and paintings in the hypocaustum
      of the Roman villa of El Ruedo (Almedinilla, southern Spain). The specimens
      studied were from the III and IV centuries. Raman microscopy was for the first
      time used here to examine Roman pictures in the south of the Iberian peninsula.
      The results obtained allowed us to establish the chemical nature of the different
      pigments used by the Roman artists. All were applied over a preparatory layer
      consisting of limewash. The different colours used (black, white, red, yellow,
      green and blue) were obtained by using carbon, calcite, gypsum, hematite,
      goethite, green earth and Egyptian blue. Some exhibited various hues that were
      obtained by mixing the previous compounds. Worth special note is the incipient
      presence of blue pigments, which were rarely used in Roman Hispania owing to
      their scarcity and high price. 

PMID- 26117197
TI  - Label-free fluorescence strategy for sensitive detection of exonuclease activity
      using SYBR Green I as probe.
AB  - A label-free and sensitive fluorescence assay for exonuclease activity is
      developed using commercially available SYBR Green I (SG) dye as signal probe. A
      proof-of-concept of this assay has been demonstrated by using exonuclease III
      (Exo III) as a model enzyme. In this assay, double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) can bind
      SG, resulting in a strong fluorescence signal of SG. Upon the addition of Exo
      III, dsDNA would be digested, and SG emits very weak fluorescence. Thus, Exo III
      activity can be facilely measured with a simple fluorescence reader. This method
      has a linear detection range from 1 U/mL to 200 U/mL with a detection limit of
      0.7 U/mL. This label-free approach is selective, simple, convenient and cost
      efficient without any complex DNA sequence design or fluorescence dye label. The
      method not only provides a platform for monitoring activity and inhibition of
      exonuclease but also shows great potential in biological process researches, drug
      discovery, and clinic diagnostics.

PMID- 26117198
TI  - An in vitro comparison of quantitative light-induced fluorescence-digital and
      spectrophotometer on monitoring artificial white spot lesions.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of quantitative light
      induced fluorescence-digital (QLF-D) compared to a spectrophotometer in
      monitoring progression of enamel lesions. METHODS: To generate artificial caries
      with various severities of lesion depths, twenty bovine specimens were immersed
      in demineralizing solution for 40 days. During the production of the lesions,
      repeat measurements of fluorescence loss (DeltaF) and color change (DeltaE) were
      performed in six distinct stages after the demineralization of the specimens:
      after 3, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 days of exposure to the demineralizing solution.
      Changes in the DeltaF values in the lesions were analyzed using the QLF-D, and
      changes in the DeltaE values in lesions were analyzed using a spectrophotometer.
      The repeated measures ANOVA of DeltaF and DeltaE values were used to determine
      whether there are significant differences at different exposure times in the
      demineralizing solution. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was analyzed
      between DeltaF and DeltaE. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The DeltaF values
      significantly decreased based on the demineralizing period (p<0.001). Relatively
      large changes in DeltaF values were observed during the first 10 days. There were
      significant changes in L(*), a(*), b(*), and DeltaE values in lesions with
      increasing demineralizing duration (p<0.001). A strong correlation was observed
      between DeltaF and DeltaE with p=-0.853 (p<0.001). The results support the
      efficacy of QLF-D in monitoring color changes. Our findings demonstrate that QLF
      D are a more efficient and stable tool for early caries detection.

PMID- 26117199
TI  - Virucidal efficacy of treatment with photodynamically activated curcumin on
      murine norovirus bio-accumulated in oysters.
AB  - Norovirus (NoV) is one of the most important seafood- and water-borne viruses,
      and is a major cause of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks. In the present study we
      investigated the effect of curcumin as a sensitizer to photodynamic treatment
      both in buffer and in oysters against murine norovirus 1 (MNV-1), a surrogate of
      NoV. MNV-1 cultured in buffer and MNV-1 bio-accumulated in oysters were
      irradiated with a novel LED light source with a wavelength of 470nm and an energy
      of 3.6J/cm(2). Inactivation of MNV-1 was investigated by plaque assays. After
      virus was extracted from the gut of oysters treated over a range of curcumin
      concentrations, the ultrastructural morphology of the virus was observed using
      electron microscopy, and the integrity of viral nucleic acids and stability of
      viral capsid proteins were also determined. Results showed that the infectivity
      of MNV-1 was significantly inhibited by 1-3logPFU/ml, with significant damage to
      viral nucleic acids in a curcumin dose-dependent manner after photodynamic
      activation. Virus morphology was altered after the photodynamic treatment with
      curcumin, presumably due to the change of the viral capsid protein structures.
      The data suggest that treatment of oysters with photodynamic activation of
      curcumin is a potentially efficacious and cost-effective method to inactivate
      food-borne NoV. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the toxicology of this
      approach in detail and perform sensory evaluation of the treated product.

PMID- 26117200
TI  - Does dexamethasone affect hepatic CYP450 system of fish? Semi-static in-vivo
      experiment on juvenile rainbow trout.
AB  - Effects of aquatic pollutants on fish are of increasing concern. Pharmaceutical
      based contaminants are prioritized for further study in environmental risk
      assessment using several approaches. Dexamethasone (DEX) was one such contaminant
      recognised for its effect on fish health status. Thus, we carried out an in vivo
      experiment to identify potential effects of DEX on rainbow trout. Fish were
      exposed to 3, 30, 300 and 3000ngL(-1) DEX in a semi-static system over a period
      of 42d. The concentrations of DEX that fish were exposed to was confirmed by LC
      LC-MS/MS. Using hepatic microsomes, we determined cytochrome P450 content,
      activities of ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD), p-nitrophenol hydroxylase
      (PNPH), 7-benzyloxy-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin O-debenzylase (BFCOD) and
      benzyloxyquinoline O-debenzylase (BQOD), as well as protein expression. Our
      results showed that fish do not change the catalytic activity of CYP450-mediated
      reactions after high DEX concentration exposure. These results disagree with
      mammalian studies, where DEX is a well-known inducer of CYP450. We showed a
      significant effect of DEX exposure on CYP450-mediated reactions (EROD, BCFOD,
      BQOD and PNPH) when expressed as amount of product formed per min per nmol total
      CYP450 at 3, 30 and 300ngL(-1) after 21d exposure. Moreover, BFCOD and BQ
      activities showed matching trends in all groups. Western blot analysis showed
      induction of CYP3A-like protein in the presence of the lowest environmentally
      relevant concentration of DEX. Based on these findings, continued investigation
      of the effect of DEX on fish using a battery of complementary biomarkers of
      exposure and effect is highly relevant.

PMID- 26117201
TI  - Exploring simple, transparent, interpretable and predictive QSAR models for
      classification and quantitative prediction of rat toxicity of ionic liquids using
      OECD recommended guidelines.
AB  - The present study explores the chemical attributes of diverse ionic liquids
      responsible for their cytotoxicity in a rat leukemia cell line (IPC-81) by
      developing predictive classification as well as regression-based mathematical
      models. Simple and interpretable descriptors derived from a two-dimensional
      representation of the chemical structures along with quantum topological
      molecular similarity indices have been used for model development, employing
      unambiguous modeling strategies that strictly obey the guidelines of the
      Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for quantitative
      structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis. The structure-toxicity
      relationships that emerged from both classification and regression-based models
      were in accordance with the findings of some previous studies. The models
      suggested that the cytotoxicity of ionic liquids is dependent on the cationic
      surfactant action, long alkyl side chains, cationic lipophilicity as well as
      aromaticity, the presence of a dialkylamino substituent at the 4-position of the
      pyridinium nucleus and a bulky anionic moiety. The models have been transparently
      presented in the form of equations, thus allowing their easy transferability in
      accordance with the OECD guidelines. The models have also been subjected to
      rigorous validation tests proving their predictive potential and can hence be
      used for designing novel and "greener" ionic liquids. The major strength of the
      present study lies in the use of a diverse and large dataset, use of simple
      reproducible descriptors and compliance with the OECD norms.

PMID- 26117202
TI  - Passive dosing versus solvent spiking for controlling and maintaining hydrophobic
      organic compound exposure in the Microtox(r) assay.
AB  - Microbial toxicity bioassays such as the Microtox(r) test are ubiquitously
      applied to measure the toxicity of chemicals and environmental samples. In many
      ways their operation is conducive to the testing of organic chemicals. They are
      of short duration, use glass cuvettes and take place at reduced temperatures in
      medium lacking sorbing components. All of these are expected to reduce sorptive
      and volatile losses, but particularly for hydrophobic organics the role of such
      losses in determining the bioassay response remains unclear. This study
      determined the response of the Microtox(r) test when using solvent spiking
      compared to passive dosing for introducing the model hydrophobic compounds
      acenaphthene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene and benzo(a)pyrene. Compared to solvent
      spiking, the apparent sensitivity of the Microtox(r) test with passive dosing was
      3.4 and 12.4 times higher for acenaphthene and phenanthrene, respectively.
      Furthermore, fluoranthene only gave a consistent response with passive dosing.
      Benzo(a)pyrene did not result in a response with either spiking or passive dosing
      even at aqueous solubility. Such differences in the apparent sensitivity of the
      Microtox(r) test can be traced back to the precise definition of the dissolved
      exposure concentrations and the buffering of losses with passive dosing. This
      highlights the importance of exposure control even in simple and short-term
      microbial bioassays such as the Microtox(r) test.

PMID- 26117203
TI  - Prophylactic central lymph node dissection in cN0 patients with papillary thyroid
      carcinoma: A retrospective study in China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess the patterns of central
      cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM) and evaluate the prophylactic central lymph
      node dissection (CLND) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients without
      clinical positive lymph nodes. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 1555 patients
      with PTC between 2003 and 2008. Lymph node metastatic risk factors and the
      pattern of lymph node metastasis in PTC were studied using multivariate analysis.
      RESULTS: Male patients, aged <= 45 years, the presence of extrathyroidal
      extension, and a primary tumor size > 10 mm were identified as risk factors for
      CLNM with odds ratios of 2.089, 2.417, 1.534, and 3.079, respectively. Among 1555
      patients, 97 cases (6.24%) had transient hypoparathyroidism, and only two
      patients (0.13%) had permanent hypoparathyroidism. Recurrent laryngeal nerve
      injury after thyroidectomy occurred in 14 patients (0.9%). In this group, nine
      cases were transient injury and the remaining five were permanent. During the
      period of follow-up, ranging from 5 years to 10 years, 18 patients (1.16%) were
      found with locoregional recurrence. CONCLUSION: Taken together, in terms of the
      high incidence rate of CLNM in cN0 PTC patients, we believe that routine
      prophylactic CLND is optimal for clinically negative PTC patients, during their
      first treatment, especially for those with risk factors for CLNM.

PMID- 26117204
TI  - Comparative outcomes of lateral transperitoneal adrenalectomy versus posterior
      retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy in consecutive patients: A single surgeon's
      experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Among several minimally invasive adrenalectomy techniques, lateral
      transperitoneal adrenalectomy (LTA) is the procedure of choice for benign adrenal
      tumors; however, posterior retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy (PRA) is an
      alternative that is increasing in popularity. This study compared the outcomes of
      these two approaches. METHODS: Since a single surgeon started adrenalectomy, LTA
      had been performed exclusively until PRA was adopted and became the standard
      treatment. Therefore, the consecutive patients were allocated into two groups
      according to the date of surgery: the first group received LTA and the second
      group received PRA. RESULTS: LTA was performed in 29 patients and PRA in 19
      patients. There was no difference in sex, age, body mass index, clinical
      diagnosis, and tumor size between the LTA and the PRA group. The PRA group showed
      less blood loss (117.0 mL vs. 58.5 mL, p = 0.035) and tended to have a shorter
      operating time (92.2 minutes vs. 78.1 minutes, p = 0.054) and less pain score on
      postoperative Day 1 (3.8 vs. 3.0, p = 0.095) and Day 2 (3.2 vs. 2.5, p = 0.051).
      The mean operation time was significantly shorter for patients in the PRA group
      undergoing right adrenalectomy (109.2 minutes vs. 80.5 minutes, p = 0.009), but
      those undergoing left adrenalectomy had a similar operating time to the LTA group
      (83.2 minutes vs. 74.8 minutes, p = 0.380). CONCLUSION: PRA is a good alternative
      operative technique for an endocrine surgeon who is experienced in the
      transperitoneal approach.

PMID- 26117205
TI  - Is surgical plication necessary in diaphragm eventration?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diaphragm plication surgery is conducted to remove dyspnea, which
      results from mediastinal shift, atelectasia, and ventilation/perfusion
      dyssynchrony in lungs that occur because of an eventrated diaphragm. This study
      aims to determine whether diaphragm plication has any effect on respiration by
      analyzing the patients' changing values in the respiratory function test (RFT)
      after plication surgery. METHODS: Sixteen patients who underwent diaphragm
      plication surgery in our clinic because of plication eventration or paralysis
      were examined prospectively. Diaphragm eventration values were assessed using a
      calculation method that uses posteroanterior pulmonary radiographies taken during
      patient admission and control; then, these data were recorded. The amount of
      changes in the eventration levels and in restrictive respiratory failure
      parameters-forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity
      (FVC) of RFTs-conducted in pre- and postoperative control periods were compared
      using statistical analysis methods. The compatibility between the amounts of RFT
      changes was examined through a satisfaction survey-using a questionnaire that
      consisted of multiple choice questions with answer options such as "better," "the
      same," and "worse"-to understand preoperative and postoperative symptom levels in
      the 12(th) month of postoperative control. RESULTS: According to postoperative
      levels, a decrease between 19% and 23% was observed in eventration amounts within
      the 1(st) postoperative month, 6(th) postoperative month, and 12(th)
      postoperative month. In addition, the highest average increase in FEV1 liter (lt)
      values was 0.2 lt and 0.25 in FVC (lt) values. CONCLUSION: Researchers of this
      study believe that more distinctive decisions need to be taken while identifying
      patients for surgery in unilateral diaphragm eventrations, especially in the
      adult patient group; surgical option should be used for cases in which the
      eventrated diaphragm results in mediastinal shift and respiratory failure.

PMID- 26117206
TI  - Successful Management of an Infected Aortic Stent Graft in a Liver Transplanted
      Patient.
AB  - We report on a 57-year-old female liver transplanted patient who underwent
      endovascular aneurysm repair because of an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm.
      Two months later, she developed an infection, and positron emission tomography
      computed tomography detected a paraprosthetic abscess. Explantation of the
      endoprosthesis and aortic reconstruction with a Y-shaped silver graft was made.
      The patient was discharged on the 12th postoperative day and shows up regularly
      in our outpatients department in a good clinical condition. After meticulous
      research of the current literature, this is the first published case of the
      successful management of an infected endovascular aortic stent in a liver
      transplanted patient. 

PMID- 26117207
TI  - A Rare Case of Colonic Mucosal Dehiscence after Emergency Abdominal Aortic
      Aneurysm Repair.
AB  - We present the first-reported case of a complete colonic mucosal dehiscence after
      an emergency abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. 

PMID- 26117208
TI  - Pseudostenosis of the External Iliac Artery after Common Iliac Artery Occlusion:
      2 Case Reports.
AB  - We report 2 cases of pseudostenosis of the external iliac artery (EIA) combined
      with aortoiliac occlusive disease. Both cases were treated successfully by
      aortobi-iliac bypass surgery instead of aortobi-femoral bypass. Pseudostenoses of
      the EIA disappeared in the postoperative computed tomographic angiography. We are
      not aware of previous reports of similar findings. Pseudostenosis should be
      considered if the EIA shows diffuse narrowing without wall irregularity in
      combination with severe stenosis or occlusion of the common iliac artery. 

PMID- 26117209
TI  - ERalpha down-regulation plays a key role in silibinin-induced autophagy and
      apoptosis in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells.
AB  - The estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) has been proven to be one of the most
      important therapeutic targets in breast cancer over the last 30 years. Previous
      studies pointed out that a natural flavonoid, silibinin, induced apoptosis in
      human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. In the present study we report that exposure of
      MCF-7 cells to silibinin led to cell death through the down-regulation of ERalpha
      expression. Silibinin-induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells through up-regulation of
      caspase 6 due to ERalpha signalling repression was further boosted by ERalpha
      antagonist. Moreover, up-regulation of autophagy induced by silibinin accounted
      for apoptotic exacerbation, being further enhanced by ERalpha inhibition. Upon
      ERalpha activation, series of downstream signalling pathways can be activated. We
      found that silibinin reduced the expressions of Akt/mTOR and extracellular-signal
      related kinase (ERK), which respectively accounted for the induction of autophagy
      and apoptosis. These effects were further augmented by co-treatment with ERalpha
      inhibitor. We conclude that the treatment with silibinin of ERalpha-positive MCF
      7 cells down-regulates the expression of ERalpha, and subsequently mTOR and ERK
      signaling pathways, ERalpha downstream, finally resulting in induction of
      autophagy and apoptosis. 

PMID- 26117210
TI  - Decreased plasma endogenous soluble RAGE, and enhanced adipokine secretion,
      oxidative stress and platelet/coagulative activation identify non-alcoholic fatty
      liver disease among patients with familial combined hyperlipidemia and/or
      metabolic syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In patients with familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL), without
      metabolic syndrome (MS), occurrence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
      is related to a specific pro-inflammatory profile, influenced by genetic traits,
      involved in oxidative stress and adipokine secretion. Among FCHL or MS patients,
      hyperactivity of the ligand-receptor for advanced glycation-end-products (RAGE)
      pathway, as reflected by inadequate protective response by the endogenous
      secretory (es)RAGE, in concert with genetic predisposition, may identify those
      with NAFLD even before and regardless of MS. METHODS: We cross-sectionally
      compared 60 patients with vs. 50 without NAFLD. Each group included patients with
      FCHL alone, MS alone, and FCHL plus MS. RESULTS: NAFLD patients had significantly
      lower plasma esRAGE, IL-10 and adiponectin, and higher CD40 ligand, endogenous
      thrombin potential and oxidized LDL. The effects of MS plus FCHL were additive.
      The genotypic cluster including LOX-1 IVS4-14A plus ADIPO 45GG and 256 GT/GG plus
      IL-10 10-1082G, together with higher esRAGE levels highly discriminate FCHL and
      MS patients not developing NAFLD. CONCLUSIONS: Among FCHL or MS patients,
      noncarriers of the protective genotypic cluster, with lower esRAGE and higher
      degree of atherothrombotic abnormalities coincide with the diagnosis of NAFLD.
      This suggests an interplay between genotype, adipokine secretion, oxidative
      stress and platelet/coagulative activation, accelerating NAFLD occurrence as a
      proxy for cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 26117211
TI  - Detection and Predictors of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation in Acute Ischemic
      Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack Patients in Singapore.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Detection of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) is important for
      optimal secondary stroke prevention. Data are limited from Asia regarding
      inpatient occurrence and predictors of pAF to optimize electrocardiographic (ECG)
      monitoring despite it having nearly two thirds of the world's population and
      different subtypes of stroke from the West. METHODS: We analyzed a prospective
      dataset comprising 370 acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and 25 transient ischemic
      attack (TIA) patients without known atrial fibrillation who underwent continuous
      ECG monitoring (CEM) in an acute stroke unit from July 2012 to February 2013. The
      median duration of monitoring was 61 hours. RESULTS: There were 31 cases of pAF.
      The detection rate was 8% for both AIS and TIA patients. It occurred less often
      in lacunar infarcts (3%) compared to nonlacunar infarcts (10%) (P = .047). The
      detection rates in cryptogenic infarcts (10%) and infarcts of known causes (7%)
      were not significantly different (P = .224). The predictors of pAF according to
      logistic regression were hemorrhagic conversion (P = .006), scattered infarcts (P
      = .007), radiological cardiomegaly (P = .007), occlusion of symptomatic artery (P
      = .023), and older age (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: pAF occurred in 8% of AIS and TIA
      in a hospitalized cohort of Asian patients. All patients without known atrial
      fibrillation should undergo CEM for at least 3 days during hospitalization and
      priority given to patients with predictors of pAF in centers with resource
      constraints.

PMID- 26117212
TI  - The Effect of a Brief Intervention for Patients with Ischemic Stroke: A
      Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are common after stroke. There is inconclusive
      evidence of the benefit of psychotherapy for poststroke depression and anxiety.
      Here, we used a brief intervention, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) brief
      therapy plus health education, to evaluate the changes in patients with ischemic
      stroke. METHODS: One hundred eighty patients were randomly allocated to receive 4
      sessions of NLP plus health education (n = 90) or usual care (n = 90). A set of
      questionnaires was used preintervention and postintervention as well as at the 6
      month follow-up. The primary outcomes were the prevalence of depression and
      anxiety, and the awareness of stroke knowledge. RESULTS: More patients in the
      intervention group achieved remission of depressive (odds ratio [OR], 2.81; 95%
      confidence interval [CI], 1.41-5.59) and anxious symptoms (OR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.15
      4.18) after intervention. At the 6-month follow-up, we found no differences
      between groups in both the prevalence of depression and anxiety. After
      intervention, the intervention group had better awareness rates on most of the
      stroke knowledge items (P < .05). It also had better quality of life and physical
      function both after intervention and at the follow-up (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: NLP
      plus health education could reduce depression and anxiety immediately after
      intervention, but not at the 6-month follow-up. The intervention could also
      improve the awareness of stroke knowledge and benefit patients on quality of life
      and physical function.

PMID- 26117213
TI  - Application of the ATLAS score for evaluating the severity of Clostridium
      difficile infection in teaching hospitals in Mexico.
AB  - BACKGROUND: For clinicians, a practical bedside tool for severity assessment and
      prognosis of patients with Clostridium difficile infection is a highly desirable
      unmet medical need. SETTING: Two general teaching hospitals in northeast Mexico.
      POPULATION: Adult patients with C. difficile infection. METHODS: Prospective
      observational study. RESULTS: Patients included had a median of 48 years of age,
      54% of male gender and an average of 24.3 days length of hospital stay. Third
      generation cephalosporins were the antibiotics most commonly used prior to C.
      difficile infection diagnosis. Patients diagnosed with C. difficile infection had
      a median ATLAS score of 4 and 56.7% of the subjects had a score between 4 and 7
      points. Patients with a score of 8 through 10 points had 100% mortality.
      CONCLUSION: The ATLAS score is a potentially useful tool for the routine
      evaluation of patients at the time of C. difficile infection diagnosis. At 30
      days post-diagnosis, patients with a score of <=3 points had 100% survival while
      all of those with scores >=8 died. Patients with scores between 4 and 7 points
      had a greater probability of colectomy with an overall cure rate of 70.1%.

PMID- 26117214
TI  - Alcohol use, smoking and their co-occurrence during pregnancy among Canadian
      women, 2003 to 2011/12.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The co-occurrence of alcohol use and smoking during pregnancy has
      been shown to have a negative synergistic effect on fetal and perinatal risks.
      The objectives were to: 1) obtain an estimate of the prevalence of smoking during
      pregnancy in Canada by province and territory from 2003 to 2011/12; 2) determine
      if the prevalence of smoking during pregnancy has increased or decreased over
      time; 3) investigate whether smoking status is differentially associated with
      alcohol use during pregnancy; and 4) examine the risk factors predictive of
      alcohol use only, smoking only, and the co-occurrence of alcohol use and smoking
      during pregnancy. METHODS: Secondary data analysis was conducted using five
      cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS; 2003, 2005, 2007/08,
      2009/10 and 2011/12). The prevalence of smoking during pregnancy, and 95%
      confidence interval (CI) was calculated by province and territory and by year.
      The likelihood ratio test was used to determine if the prevalence of smoking
      during pregnancy has increased or decreased over time. The relationship between
      smoking status and alcohol use during pregnancy was explored using a quasi
      Poisson regression model. A multinomial logistic regression model was utilized to
      determine which factors were predictive of alcohol use only, smoking only, and
      the co-occurrence of alcohol use and smoking during pregnancy. RESULTS: In
      Canada, between 2003 and 2011/12, the weighted pooled prevalence of smoking
      during pregnancy was 14.3% (95% CI: 13.6%-15.0%). Women who smoked daily during
      pregnancy, occasionally during pregnancy, or had a lifetime history of smoking
      (but did not smoke while pregnant) were 2.54 (95% CI: 2.11-3.06, P < 0.0001),
      2.71 (95% CI: 2.25-3.27, P < 0.0001), and 2.09 (95% CI: 1.85-2.37, P < 0.0001),
      respectively, times more likely to have consumed alcohol during pregnancy,
      compared to pregnant women who were lifetime non-smokers when controlling for
      age, household income, ethnicity and CCHS cycle. Risk factors that predicted
      alcohol use only, smoking only, and the co-occurrence of alcohol use and smoking
      during pregnancy differed. CONCLUSION: It is apparent that smoking in any
      capacity, whether during pregnancy or not, increases the likelihood that a woman
      consumed alcohol while pregnant. Ascertaining smoking status among pregnant women
      and women of childbearing age could be a useful screening method for identifying
      those at-risk of consuming alcohol during pregnancy, and vice versa.

PMID- 26117215
TI  - Oral treatment of rodents with soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor 1-(1
      propanoylpiperidin-4-yl)-3-[4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl]urea (TPPU): Resulting
      drug levels and modulation of oxylipin pattern.
AB  - Epoxides from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are potent lipid mediators. In
      vivo stabilization of these epoxides by blockade of the soluble epoxide hydrolase
      (sEH) leads to anti-inflammatory, analgesic and normotensive effects. Therefore,
      sEH inhibitors (sEHi) are a promising new class of drugs. Herein, we
      characterized pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic properties of a
      commercially available potent sEHi 1-(1-propanoylpiperidin-4-yl)-3-[4
      (trifluoromethoxy)phenyl]urea (TPPU). Cell culture studies suggest its high
      absorption and metabolic stability. Following administration in drinking water to
      rats (0.2, 1, and 5mg TPPU/L with 0.2% PEG400), TPPU's blood concentration
      increased dose dependently within the treatment period to reach an almost steady
      state after 8 days. TPPU was found in all the tissues tested. The linoleic
      epoxide/diol ratios in most tissues were dose dependently increased, indicating
      significant sEH inhibition. Overall, administration of TPPU with the drinking
      water led to systemic distribution as well as high drug levels and thus makes
      chronic sEH inhibition studies possible. 

PMID- 26117216
TI  - Adherence of the indication to European Association of Urology guideline
      recommended pelvic lymph node dissection at a high-volume center: Differences
      between open and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Contemporary adherence of the indication to European Association of
      Urology (EAU) guideline recommendation for pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) at
      either open (ORP) or robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) at a high-volume
      center is unknown. To assess guideline recommended and observed PLND rates in a
      high-volume center cohort. METHODS: We relied on the Martini-Clinic database and
      focused on patients treated with either ORP or RARP, between 2010 and 2013.
      Actual performed PLND was compared to European Association of Urology (EAU)
      guideline recommendation defined by nomogram predicted risk of lymph node
      invasion >5%. Categorical and multivariable logistic regression analyses targeted
      two endpoints: 1) probability of guideline recommended PLND and 2) probability of
      no PLND, when not recommended by EAU guideline. RESULTS: Within 7868 PCa
      patients, adherence to EAU PLND guideline recommendation was 97.1% at ORP and
      96.8% at RARP (p = 0.7). When PLND was not recommended, it was more frequently
      performed at RARP (71.6%) than at ORP (66.2%) (p = 0.002). Gleason score, PSA and
      number of positive biopsy cores were independent predictors for both either PLND
      when recommended, or no PLND when not recommended (all p < 0.05). Clinical tumor
      stage, age and surgical approach were also independent predictors for no PLND
      when not recommended (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Adherence of the indication to
      EAU guideline recommended PLND is high at this high-volume center. Neither ORP
      nor RARP represent a barrier for PLND, when recommended. However, a high number
      of patients underwent PLND despite absence of guideline recommendation. Possible
      staging advantages and PLND related complications needs to be individually
      considered, especially, when LNI risk is low.

PMID- 26117217
TI  - Factors associated with interhospital transfer of children with respiratory
      failure from level II to level I pediatric intensive care units.
AB  - PURPOSE: Of all sources of admission to level I pediatric intensive care units
      (PICUs), interhospital transfer admissions from level II PICUs carry the highest
      mortality and resource use burden. We sought to investigate factors associated
      with transfer of children with respiratory failure from level II to level I
      PICUs. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted among children with
      respiratory failure admitted to 6 level II PICUs between January 1, 1997, and
      December 31, 2007, with frequency matching of 466 nontransferred children
      (controls) to 187 transferred children (cases). RESULTS: Among 653 children,
      transferred children were younger and had more comorbidities. After multivariable
      analysis, transferred children were more likely to have comorbidities (odds ratio
      [OR], 2.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36-2.98) and receive escalated care
      including high-frequency ventilation (OR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.04-6.37) and surfactant
      therapy (OR, 5.33; 95% CI, 1.35-21.0). CONCLUSIONS: The study identified patient
      level and process-of-care factors associated with transfer from level II to level
      I PICUs. These findings highlight the influence of escalated care on transfer
      decision making for critically ill children in respiratory failure.

PMID- 26117218
TI  - Subtle but serious: Pulmonary support after cardiac surgery.

PMID- 26117219
TI  - Letter to the Editor regarding "Sixty-Four-Slice Computed Tomographic Scanner to
      Clear Traumatic Cervical Spine Injury: Systematic Review of the Literature".

PMID- 26117220
TI  - Postintubation hypotension in intensive care unit patients: A multicenter cohort
      study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the incidence of postintubation hypotension (PIH) and
      associated outcomes in critically ill patients requiring endotracheal intubation.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records were reviewed for 479 consecutive
      critically ill adult patients who required intubation by an intensive care unit
      (ICU) service at 1 of 4 academic tertiary care hospitals. The primary outcome
      measure was the incidence of PIH. Secondary outcome measures included mortality,
      ICU length of stay, requirement for renal replacement therapy, and a composite
      end point consisting of overall mortality, ICU length of stay greater than 14
      days, duration of mechanical ventilation longer than 7 days, and renal
      replacement therapy requirement. RESULTS: Overall, the incidence of PIH among ICU
      patients requiring intubation was 46% (218/479 patients). On univariate analysis,
      patients who developed PIH had increased ICU mortality (37% PIH vs 28% no PIH, P
      = .049) and overall mortality (39% PIH vs 30% no PIH, P = .045). After adjusting
      for important risk factors, development of PIH was associated with the composite
      end point of major morbidity and mortality (odds ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.30-3.07; P = .0017). CONCLUSIONS: The development of PIH is common in
      ICU patients requiring emergency airway control and is associated with poor
      patient outcomes.

PMID- 26117221
TI  - Fast and accurate numerical method for predicting gas chromatography retention
      time.
AB  - Predictive modeling for gas chromatography compound retention depends on the
      retention factor (ki) and on the flow of the mobile phase. Thus, different
      approaches for determining an analyte ki in column chromatography have been
      developed. The main one is based on the thermodynamic properties of the component
      and on the characteristics of the stationary phase. These models can be used to
      estimate the parameters and to optimize the programming of temperatures, in gas
      chromatography, for the separation of compounds. Different authors have proposed
      the use of numerical methods for solving these models, but these methods demand
      greater computational time. Hence, a new method for solving the predictive
      modeling of analyte retention time is presented. This algorithm is an alternative
      to traditional methods because it transforms its attainments into root
      determination problems within defined intervals. The proposed approach allows for
      tr calculation, with accuracy determined by the user of the methods, and
      significant reductions in computational time; it can also be used to evaluate the
      performance of other prediction methods. 

PMID- 26117222
TI  - Influence of stigma and homophobia on mental health and on the uptake of
      HIV/sexually transmissible infection services for Cameroonian men who have sex
      with men.
AB  - Background Men who have sex with men (MSM) in Cameroon consistently face
      significant stigma and discrimination. The urban HIV prevalence in MSM is
      estimated at 35%. This study investigates the effect of stigma, discrimination
      and alienation on Cameroonian MSM's engagement of the HIV treatment cascade.
      METHODS: Qualitative interviews were semi-structured using a guide. Participants
      in Douala, Ngaoundere, Bamenda, Bertoua and Yaounde were asked to describe the
      MSM social and structural context, MSM knowledge of existing HIV-related services
      in public and MSM-focussed non-governmental organisation (NGO) clinics. Using a
      codebook, coded text was extracted from 40 transcripts with Microsoft Word
      Macros. These texts were analysed for recurring themes that were developed into
      results. RESULTS: There were three main themes that emerged. First, among those
      MSM participants seeking HIV services, many commonly reported experiences of
      discrimination and physical violence outside the healthcare setting. Second, a
      few respondents used services provided by the Ministry of Health and local NGOs.
      However, most participants observed limited clinical and cultural competency of
      public clinic staff. Third, MSM declared that lack of social support and
      healthcare access caused them much stress. Several individuals recounted their
      alienation greatly discouraged them from seeking HIV prevention, treatment and
      care services. CONCLUSIONS: Community-level and public healthcare-related stigma
      impacts the mental wellbeing of Cameroonian MSM. Alienation among MSM also
      represents a common obstacle to the uptake of MSM-oriented HIV/AIDS services.
      Improving provider cultural and clinical competency among Cameroonian health care
      workers combined with a broader stigma-reduction intervention for Cameroonian
      healthcare may increase the uptake of HIV prevention, treatment and care among
      MSM.

PMID- 26117223
TI  - Baseline adjustment increases accurate interpretation of posturographic sway
      scores.
AB  - Postural steadiness may be quantified using posturographic sway measures. These
      measures are commonly used to differentiate between a person's baseline balance
      and balance related to some physiological condition. However, the difference in
      sway scores between the two conditions may be difficult to detect due to large
      inter-subject variation. We compared detection accuracy provided by three models
      that linearly regress a sway measure (mean distance, velocity, or frequency) on
      the effect of eye closure on balance (eyes open (EO) vs. eyes closed (EC)). In
      Model 1 the dependent variable is a single sway score (EO or EC), whereas in
      Models 2 and 3 it is a change score (EO-EO or EC-EO). The independent variable is
      always the group (group=0: EO or group=1: EC). Model 3 also accounts for the
      regression to the mean effect (RTM), by considering the baseline value (EO) as a
      covariate. When differentiating between EO and EC conditions, 94% accuracy can be
      achieved when using mean velocity as sway measure and either Model 2 or 3. Thus
      by adjusting for baseline score one increases the accurate interpretation of
      posturographic sway scores. 

PMID- 26117224
TI  - The effect of school trolley load on spatiotemporal gait parameters of children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluated spatiotemporal gait parameters in children
      when they were carrying school trolleys of different weights. METHODS: We
      assessed four conditions: without trolley, 10%, 15% and 20% of the subject's body
      weight. Fourteen students from a primary school (aged 11.43+/-0.51 years)
      participated in this study. Velocity, cadence, stride length, stance phase, swing
      phase, single support phase and double support phase were analysed using an
      electronic walkway. RESULTS: Compared with normal walking, the three load
      conditions produced significant decreases in swing phase (p<0.001) and single
      support phase (p<0.001) and significant increases in cadence (p=0.019), stance
      phase (p<0.001) and double support phase (p<0.001). No statistically-significant
      differences were found between the three load conditions. CONCLUSION: Compared
      with normal walking, walking while carrying a trolley produced significant
      changes in most of the spatiotemporal gait parameters measured, perhaps due to
      the load-mediated changes in stability and balance. The spatiotemporal gait
      parameters were similar between the load conditions, indicating that the amount
      of load did not affect gait.

PMID- 26117225
TI  - Tibial stress reaction presenting as bilateral shin pain in a man taking
      denosumab for giant cell tumor of the bone.
AB  - Prolonged bisphosphonate use has been associated with increased risk of atypical
      femoral fractures. Very few cases of atypical femoral fractures have been
      reported with denosumab. We report a case of bilateral tibial stress reactions in
      a 60-year-old man with no history of osteoporosis who was on prolonged high-dose
      denosumab for the treatment of giant cell tumor of bone. He presented with a 3
      month history of pain in his bilateral shins worsening with activity and
      improving with rest. Although initial radiographs were unremarkable, he was found
      to have changes consistent with a stress reaction on magnetic resonance imaging
      of the distal tibia. To our knowledge, bilateral tibial stress reactions have not
      been previously reported with anti-resorptive therapies (neither bisphosphonates
      nor denosumab). Our case is intriguing in terms of the development of stress
      reactions as a precursor to stress fractures which may also relate to atypical
      fractures. Our case suggests a possible association between denosumab use and
      stress reactions. Of note the indication for denosumab in our case was for the
      treatment of giant cell tumor of bone where the Food and Drug Administration
      (FDA) approved dose is substantially higher than the FDA approved dose for
      osteoporosis treatment. Although rare, clinicians should consider the possibility
      of stress fractures in patients on anti-resorptive medications such as denosumab,
      especially when a patient presents with new onset thigh pain, hip pain or pain
      over an area affecting the long bones. Evaluation by imaging of affected areas
      should be pursued to enable early detection and intervention, as well as
      prevention of morbidity and associated ongoing risk to the patient. 

PMID- 26117226
TI  - Calcium and bone homeostasis in heterozygous carriers of CYP24A1 mutations: A
      cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bi-allelic CYP24A1 mutations can cause idiopathic infantile
      hypercalcemia (IIH), adult-onset nephrocalcinosis, and possibly bone metabolism
      disturbances. It is currently unclear if heterozygous carriers experience
      clinical problems or biochemical abnormalities. Our objective is to gain insight
      in the biochemical profile and health problems in CYP24A1 heterozygotes. STUDY
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional evaluation of participants. Data of previously reported
      carriers are reviewed. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Outpatient clinic of a tertiary
      care hospital. Participants were eight family members of an infant with a well
      characterized homozygous CYP24A1 mutation c.1186C>T p.(Arg396Trp). OUTCOMES:
      Serum vitamin D metabolites. Symptoms or biochemical signs of hypercalcemia,
      hypercalciuria or nephrocalcinosis. Bone health in heterozygous as compared to
      wild type (WT) subjects. MEASUREMENTS: Genotyping by Sanger sequencing; vitamin D
      metabolites by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry; renal, calcium and
      bone markers by biochemical analyses; presence of nephrocalcinosis by renal
      ultrasound; bone health by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and peripheral
      quantitative computed tomography. RESULTS: Six participants were heterozygous
      carriers of the mutation. None of the heterozygous subjects had experienced IIH.
      One had a documented history of nephrolithiasis, two others had complaints
      compatible with this diagnosis. No major differences between WT and heterozygous
      subjects were found regarding bone health, serum or urinary calcium or
      25OHD/24,25(OH)2D ratio. Literature reports on three out of 33 heterozygous cases
      suffering from IIH. In all three, the 25OHD/24,25(OH)2D ratio was highly
      elevated. Nephrocalcinosis was frequently reported in family members of IIH
      cases. LIMITATIONS: Small sample size, lack of a large control group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our and literature data suggest that most heterozygous CYP24A1
      mutation carriers have a normal 25OHD/24,25(OH)2D ratio, are usually asymptomatic
      and have a normal skeletal status but may possibly be at increased risk of
      nephrocalcinosis. A review of the available literature suggests that an elevated
      25OHD/24,25(OH)2D ratio may be associated with symptoms of IHH, irrespective of
      carrier status.

PMID- 26117227
TI  - Structural investigation of cell wall polysaccharides of Lactobacillus
      delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus 17.
AB  - Lactobacilli are valuable strains for commercial (functional) food fermentations.
      Their cell surface-associated polysaccharides (sPSs) possess important functional
      properties, such as acting as receptors for bacteriophages (bacterial viruses),
      influencing autolytic characteristics and providing protection against
      antimicrobial peptides. The current report provides an elaborate molecular
      description of several surface carbohydrates of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.
      bulgaricus strain 17. The cell surface of this strain was shown to contain short
      chain poly(glycerophosphate) teichoic acids and at least two different sPSs,
      designated here as sPS1 and sPS2, whose chemical structures were examined by 2D
      nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and methylation analysis. Neutral
      branched sPS1, extracted with n-butanol, was shown to be composed of
      hexasaccharide repeating units (-[alpha-d-Glcp-(1-3)-]-4-beta-l-Rhap2OAc-4-beta-d
      Glcp-[alpha-d-Galp-(1-3)]-4-alpha-Rhap-3-alpha-d-Galp-), while the major
      component of the TCA-extracted sPS2 was demonstrated to be a linear d-galactan
      with the repeating unit structure being (-[Gro-3P-(1-6)-]-3-beta-Galf-3-alpha
      Galp-2-beta-Galf-6-beta-Galf-3-beta-Galp-). 

PMID- 26117228
TI  - Structure of the O-specific polysaccharide from the deep-sea marine bacterium
      Idiomarina abyssalis KMM 227(T) containing a 2-O-sulfate-3-N-(4-hydroxybutanoyl)
      3,6-dideoxy-d-glucose.
AB  - The O-specific polysaccharide was isolated from the lipopolysaccharide of type
      strain Idiomarina abyssalis KMM 227(T) and studied by sugar analysis, Smith
      degradation, and two-dimensional (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy including
      (1)H,(1)H-TOCSY, (1)H,(1)H-COSY, (1)H,(1)H-ROESY, (1)H,(13)C-HSQC, (1)H,(13)C
      HMBC, (1)H,(13)C-H2BC and (1)H,(13)C-HSQC-TOCSY experiments. The new structure of
      the O-specific polysaccharide of I. abyssalis KMM 227(T) containing 2-O-sulfate-3
      N-(4-hydroxybutanoyl)-3,6-dideoxy-d-glucose was established. 

PMID- 26117229
TI  - Malpractice in colorectal surgery: a review of 122 medicolegal cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical malpractice has become a rising concern for physicians,
      affecting the cost and delivery of health care. Colorectal procedures account for
      24% of all general surgery cases, a high-risk specialty, with 15% of its
      physicians facing malpractice suit annually. METHODS: The Westlaw legal database
      was used to identify colorectal malpractice cases. RESULTS: In all, 122 of 230
      lawsuits were included in this study. A majority of 65.6% were physician
      verdicts, 19.7% plaintiff verdicts, and 14.8% reached a settlement. Plaintiff
      payments were found to be significantly higher than settlement awards. The most
      common cause of alleged malpractice was failure to recognize a complication in a
      timely manner (45.1%), followed by damage to surrounding tissues (36.1%).
      CONCLUSIONS: The most common cause of alleged malpractice was failure to
      recognize a complication in a timely manner, followed by damage to surrounding
      tissue. Plaintiff awards were significantly higher than settlement payments. It
      is important to understand the mechanism of malpractice allegations to better
      prevent litigation and improve patient care.

PMID- 26117230
TI  - Transduced PEP-1-PON1 proteins regulate microglial activation and dopaminergic
      neuronal death in a Parkinson's disease model.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD) is an oxidative stress-mediated neurodegenerative
      disorder caused by selective dopaminergic neuronal death in the midbrain
      substantia nigra. Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is a potent inhibitor of low-density
      lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) against oxidation by
      destroying biologically active phospholipids with potential protective effects
      against oxidative stress-induced inflammatory disorders. In a previous study, we
      constructed protein transduction domain (PTD) fusion PEP-1-PON1 protein to
      transduce PON1 into cells and tissue. In this study, we examined the role of
      transduced PEP-1-PON1 protein in repressing oxidative stress-mediated
      inflammatory response in microglial BV2 cells after exposure to
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Moreover, we identified the functions of transduced PEP
      1-PON1 proteins which include, mitigating mitochondrial damage, decreasing
      reactive oxidative species (ROS) production, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)
      expression and protecting against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+))-induced
      neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, transduced PEP-1-PON1 protein
      reduced MMP-9 expression and protected against dopaminergic neuronal cell death
      in a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mice model.
      Taken together, these results suggest a promising therapeutic application of PEP
      1-PON1 proteins against PD and other inflammation and oxidative stress-related
      neuronal diseases.

PMID- 26117231
TI  - Treatment and survival of patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer
      and leptomeningeal metastasis: A retrospective cohort analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Development of leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) in non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC)-patients is associated with a poor prognosis. It has been
      suggested that LM-patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutated (EGFR+)
      NSCLC have a superior prognosis compared to EGFR-wild type NSCLC. Studies in
      EGFR+ NSCLC-patients with LM are scarce. We retrospectively evaluated a multi
      institutional cohort of EGFR+ NSCLC-patients for LM to assess clinical outcome in
      relation to patient characteristics and treatment modalities. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: Medical records of advanced-stage EGFR+ NSCLC-patients (diagnosed
      between August 2000 and June 2014) from 11 Dutch hospitals were evaluated for LM
      as diagnosed by MRI and/or cytopathological liquor analysis. Data on patient
      characteristics, treatment and outcome were collected. RESULTS: Thirty-two of 356
      (9.0%) advanced-stage EGFR+ NSCLC-patients (median follow-up 21.0 months), were
      diagnosed with LM between 2006 and 2014. LM was diagnosed by MRI (59.4%), liquor
      analysis (9.4%) or by both MRI and liquor analysis (31.3%). Median survival after
      LM-diagnosis was 3.1 months (95% CI: 0.0-7.3). Six- and 12-month survival rates
      were 43.8% and 18.8%, respectively. Patients with performance status (PS) 0-1 at
      time of diagnosis of LM had a significantly higher chance to be alive after 6
      months and had a significantly longer survival after diagnosis of LM compared to
      patients with PS>=2. Age, treatment with high-dose EGFR-TKI, radiotherapy and
      whether LM was the only site of progressive disease did not influence survival
      after LM-diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Although median survival after LM-diagnosis in
      EGFR-mutated NSCLC-patients was poor, a substantial part of the patients had a
      prolonged survival of more than 6 months. PS of 0-1 at time of diagnosis of LM
      was associated with prolonged survival. No other patient- or treatment-related
      characteristics were identified. Further research is warranted to identify
      treatment strategies that improve survival in EGFR+ NSCLC-patients with LM.

PMID- 26117232
TI  - Performance of the BG1Luc ER TA method in a qHTS format.
AB  - In 2012, the BG1Luc4E2 estrogen receptor (ER) transactivation (TA) method (BG1Luc
      ER TA) was accepted by U.S. regulatory agencies and the Organisation for Economic
      Co-operation and Development to detect substances with ER agonist activity. The
      method is now part of the Tier 1 testing battery in the Environmental Protection
      Agency's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. The BG1Luc ER TA method uses the
      BG1 ovarian cell line that endogenously expresses full-length ER (alpha and beta)
      and is stably transfected with a plasmid containing four estrogen responsive
      elements upstream of a luciferase reporter gene. To allow increased throughput
      and testing efficiency, the BG1Luc ER TA ("BG1 manual") method was adapted for
      quantitative high-throughput screening (BG1 qHTS) in the U.S. Tox21 testing
      program. The BG1 qHTS test method was used to test approximately 10,000 chemicals
      three times each, and concentration-response data (n=15) were analyzed to
      evaluate test method performance. The balanced accuracy of the BG1 qHTS test
      method (97% [32/33]) was determined by comparing results to ER TA performance
      standards for the BG1 manual method. Concordance between the BG1 manual and qHTS
      methods was 92% (57/62) when calculated for a larger set of non-reference
      chemicals tested in both methods. These data demonstrate that the performance of
      the BG1 qHTS is similar to the currently accepted BG1 manual method, thereby
      establishing the utility of the BG1 qHTS method for identifying ER active
      environmental chemicals.

PMID- 26117233
TI  - Fed-batch cultivation of Arthrospira and Chlorella in ammonia-rich wastewater:
      Optimization of nutrient removal and biomass production.
AB  - In the present work the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis and the microalga
      Chlorella vulgaris were fed-batch cultivated in ammonia-rich wastewater derived
      from the anaerobic digestion of poultry litter. Aim of the study was to maximize
      the biomass production along with the nutrient removal aiming to wastewater
      treatment. Ammonia and phosphorus removals were very high (>95%) for all cultures
      investigated. Both microorganisms were able to remove volatile fatty acids to an
      extent of >90%, indicating that they were capable of mixotrophic growth. Chemical
      oxygen demand and proteins were also removed in various degrees. In contrast, in
      all cultures carbohydrate concentration was increased. The biochemical
      composition of the microorganisms varied greatly and was influenced by the
      indicate that the nutrient availability. A. platensis accumulated carbohydrates
      (~ 40%), while C. vulgaris accumulated lipids (~ 50%), rendering them interesting
      for biofuel production.

PMID- 26117234
TI  - Impact of the substrate loading regime and phosphoric acid supplementation on
      performance of biogas reactors and microbial community dynamics during anaerobic
      digestion of chicken wastes.
AB  - This study evaluates the effects of increasing organic loading rate (OLR) and
      decreasing hydraulic retention time (HRT) as well as phosphoric acid addition on
      mesophilic reactors' performance and biogas production from chicken wastes.
      Furthermore, microbial community composition in reactors was characterized by a
      16S rRNA gene-based pyrosequencing analysis. Each step of increasing OLR impacted
      on the activity of microorganisms what caused a temporary decrease in biogas
      production. The addition of phosphoric acid resulted in the increased biogas
      production with values between 361 and 447 mL g(VS)(-1) from day 61 to day 74
      compared to control reactor (309-350 mL g(VS)(-1)). With reactors' operation,
      Bacteroidetes phylotypes were noticeably replaced with Firmicutes
      representatives, and significant increase of Clostridium sp. was identified.
      Within Euryarchaeota, Methanosarcina sp. dominated in all analyzed samples, in
      which high ammonium levels were detected (3.4-4.9 NH4(+)-N g L(-1)). These
      results can help in better understanding the anaerobic digestion process of
      simultaneously ammonium/phosphate-rich substrates.

PMID- 26117235
TI  - Anaerobic treatment of rice winery wastewater in an upflow filter packed with
      steel slag under different hydraulic loading conditions.
AB  - Rice-washing drainage (RWD), a strong organic wastewater, was anaerobically
      treated using an upflow filter filled with blast-furnace slag. The continuous
      performance of the reactor was examined at varying hydraulic retention times
      (HRTs). The reactor achieved 91.7% chemical oxygen demand removal (CODr) for a 10
      day HRT (0.6 g COD/Ld organic loading rate) and maintained fairly stable
      performance until the HRT was shortened to 2.2 days (CODr > 84%). Further
      decreases in HRT caused process deterioration (CODr < 50% and pH < 5.5 for a 0.7
      day HRT). The methane production rate increased with decreasing HRT to reach the
      peak level for a 1.3-day HRT, whereas the yield was significantly greater for 3.4
      day or longer HRTs. The substrate removal and methane production kinetics were
      successfully evaluated, and the generated kinetic models produced good
      performance predictions. The methanogenic activity of the reactor likely relies
      on the filter biofilm, with Methanosaeta being the main driver.

PMID- 26117236
TI  - Mass flow and energy balance plus economic analysis of a full-scale biogas plant
      in the rice-wine-pig system.
AB  - This paper presents mass flow and energy balance as well as an economic analysis
      for a biogas plant in a rice-wine-pig system at a practical rather than
      laboratory scale. Results showed feeding amount was 65.30 t d(-1) (total solid
      matter (TSM) 1.3%) for the normal temperature continuous stirred tank reactor
      (CSTR), and 16.20 t d(-1) (TSM 8.4%) for the mesophilic CSTR. The digestion
      produced 80.50 t d(-1) of mass, with 76.41 t d(-1) flowing into rice fields and
      4.49 t d(-1) into composting. Energy consumption of this plant fluctuated with
      seasons, and surplus energy was 823, 221 kWh/year. Thus, biogas plant was
      critical for material recycling and energy transformation of this agro-ecosystem.
      The economic analysis showed that the payback time of the plant was 10.9 years.
      It also revealed application of biogas as a conventional energy replacement would
      be attractive for a crop-wine-livestock ecosystem with anaerobic digestion of
      manure.

PMID- 26117237
TI  - Saline wastewater treatment by Chlorella vulgaris with simultaneous algal lipid
      accumulation triggered by nitrate deficiency.
AB  - Chlorella vulgaris, a marine microalgae strain adaptable to 0-50 g L(-1) of
      salinity, was selected for studying the coupling system of saline wastewater
      treatment and lipid accumulation. The effect of total nitrogen (T N)
      concentration was investigated on algal growth, nutrients removal as well as
      lipid accumulation. The removal efficiencies of TN and total phosphorus (TP) were
      found to be 92.2-96.6% and over 99%, respectively, after a batch cultivation of
      20 days. To illustrate the response of lipid accumulation to nutrients removal,
      C. vulgaris was further cultivated in the recycling experiment of tidal saline
      water within the photobioreactor. The lipid accumulation was triggered upon the
      almost depletion of nitrate (<5 mg L(-1)), till the final highest lipid content
      of 40%. The nitrogen conversion in the sequence of nitrate, nitrite, and then to
      ammonium in the effluents was finally integrated with previous discussions on
      metabolic pathways of algal cell under nitrogen deficiency.

PMID- 26117238
TI  - Grape marc as a source of carbohydrates for bioethanol: Chemical composition, pre
      treatment and saccharification.
AB  - Global grape production could generate up to 13 Mt/yr of wasted biomass. The
      compositions of Cabernet Sauvignon (red marc) and Sauvignon Blanc (white marc)
      were analyzed with a view to using marc as raw material for biofuel production.
      On a dry weight basis, 31-54% w/w of the grape marc consisted of carbohydrate, of
      which 47-80% was soluble in aqueous media. Ethanol insoluble residues consisted
      mainly of polyphenols, pectic polysaccharides, heteroxylans and cellulose. Acid
      and thermal pre-treatments were investigated for their effects on subsequent
      cellulose saccharification. A 0.5M sulfuric acid pre-treatment yielded a 10%
      increase in the amount of liberated glucose after enzymatic saccharification. The
      theoretical amount of bioethanol that could be produced by fermentation of grape
      marc was up to 400 L/t. However, bioethanol from only soluble carbohydrates could
      yield 270 L/t, leaving a polyphenol enriched fraction that may be used in animal
      feed or as fertilizer.

PMID- 26117239
TI  - One-step production of biodiesel from oils with high acid value by activated Mg
      Al hydrotalcite nanoparticles.
AB  - Activated Mg-Al hydrotalcite (HT-Ca) nanoparticles (<45 nm) were synthesized by
      co-precipitation and hydrothermal activation with aqueous Ca(OH)2 solution. They
      were characterized by various techniques including X-ray diffraction, inductively
      coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometer, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method,
      scanning electronic microscope-X-ray energy dispersive analysis and temperature
      programmed desorption method. HT-Ca presented both acidic and basic due to the
      formation of Mg4Al2(OH)14 . 3H2O, Mg2Al(OH)7 and AlO(OH) nanocrystals to esterify
      and transesterify oils with high acid value (AV). Under conditions of 5 wt% HT
      Ca, 160  degrees C, 30/1 methanol/oil molar ratio and 4h, 93.4% Jatropha
      biodiesel yield was obtained at AV of 6.3 mg KOH/g with 4 cycles (biodiesel
      yield>86%). It was further found that it can resist free fatty acids, and
      biodiesel yield reached 92.9% from soybean oil with high AV of 12.1. HT-Ca
      catalyst showed a potential practical application for direct production of
      biodiesel from oils with high AV without pretreatment.

PMID- 26117240
TI  - The role of co-solvents in improving the direct transesterification of wet
      microalgal biomass under supercritical condition.
AB  - In this research, direct conversion of wet algal biomass into biodiesel using
      supercritical methanol was studied. In this process, microalgal lipids
      simultaneously was extracted and converted to biodiesel under high pressure and
      temperature conditions without using any catalyst. Several experiments have been
      performed to optimize the methanol amount and it has been revealed that the best
      performance was achieved by using methanol/wet biomass ratio of 8:1. The effect
      of using various co-solvents in increasing the efficiency of the supercritical
      process was investigated. It has been shown that hexane was the most effective co
      solvent and its optimal ratio respect to wet biomass was 6:1. The results
      indicated that compare to conventional extraction plus transesterification
      reaction, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) yield was slightly higher in the
      direct conversion process. Moreover, increasing the moisture content up to 80%
      has no significant effect on reducing the performance of this process. 

PMID- 26117241
TI  - Effectiveness of activated carbon disk for the analysis of iodine in water
      samples using wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry.
AB  - A novel approach using wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF)
      spectrometry combined with an activated carbon (AC) disk was developed for the
      determination of total iodine concentrations in water samples. Dissolved iodine
      species (i.e., I(-) and IO3(-)) in water samples were preconcentrated on the AC
      disk and directly analyzed by WDXRF spectrometry. The adsorption behavior of I(-)
      and IO3(-) on the AC disk was assessed at varying pH levels (4, 6, and 8). The AC
      disks completely retained the I(-) and IO3(-) for all the pH levels tested. The
      calibration curve obtained from the iodine concentrations (i.e., 0, 20, 200, and
      400 MUg) of AC disks and the measured X-ray intensity from the WDXRF analysis
      showed a good linearity (R(2)=0.9960), with a relatively low limit of detection
      (0.575 MUg). The durability of the AC disk for repeatable measurements was also
      assessed to validate the sustainability of the proposed method and consequently
      the measured X-ray intensity for the AC disks was constant until 8d of analysis
      time. The accuracy of the proposed AC-WDXRF method was confirmed by measuring
      iodine concentration spiked in drinking water using inductively coupled plasma
      mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The proposed method is simple, rapid, efficient, and
      environmental friendly for iodine analysis in water samples. As a precursor of
      disinfection by products (DBPs), it is important to determine the total iodine
      concentrations in raw water.

PMID- 26117242
TI  - A cost-effective technique for cardiac sparing with deep inspiration-breath hold
      (DIBH).
AB  - Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) is an effective technique to reduce cardiac
      and pulmonary dose during breast radiotherapy (RT). However, as a result of
      expense and the technical challenges of program implementation, DIBH has not been
      widely adopted in clinical practice. This report describes a program for DIBH
      this is relatively inexpensive to implement and has little impact on patient
      throughput. Multiple redundant mechanisms are incorporated to assure accurate and
      safe delivery of RT during DIBH. Laser alignment verifies that chest wall
      excursion is reliably reproduced and maintained during treatment. Chest wall
      excursion is also monitored independently using an infrared camera trained on a
      reflective marker on the chest wall. This system automatically triggers "beam
      off" in the event of movement of the target beyond pre-determined thresholds.
      Finally, physician review of cine imaging obtained during treatment provides an
      off-line verification of accurate RT delivery. The approach described herein
      lowers the investment necessary for implementation of DIBH and may facilitate
      broader adoption of this valuable technique. 

PMID- 26117244
TI  - Commentary. Oligognostic mega-analysis. Is Archie turning in his grave?
AB  - The Cochrane Collaboration has developed guidelines for the conduct of meta
      analyses and systematic reviews. When applied to well-conducted short-duration
      randomized controlled trials, meta-analysis can be informative, but seldom in
      prolonged trials, because of "unblinding", non-adherence, losses to follow-up,
      and "crossovers". The meta-analysis of observational studies is beset by problems
      of bias, confounding, variable methodology, and lack of transparency, and is
      seldom valid. For the evaluation of partly quantitative or non-quantitative
      studies, systematic reviews using standardized methods have been developed.
      However, such reviews are inferior to well-conducted qualitative reviews tailored
      to the specific topics at issue. 

PMID- 26117245
TI  - Association of Lecithin Cholesterol Acyltransferase rs5923 Polymorphism in
      Iranian Individuals with Extremely Low High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol:
      Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The serum concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL
      C) is one of the important heritable risk factors for cardiovascular disease and
      is a target for therapeutic intervention. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the
      effects of lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) gene polymorphism rs5923
      on LCAT enzyme activity and serum HDL-C concentration. METHODS: The study
      population was selected from consecutive individuals with HDL-C <= 5th percentile
      (n = 73) and extremely high HDL-C >= 95th percentile (n = 57) who had
      participated in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. The rs5923 polymorphism was
      genotyped using direct sequencing. LCAT activity was measured by fluorometric
      assay kit, and lipid concentrations were measured using the enzymatic
      colorimetric method. RESULTS: The genotype frequencies were significantly
      different between the high HDL-C group (CC 94.7%, CT 5.3%) and the low HDL-C
      group (CC 83.6%, CT 16.4%) (P = 0.048). The T-allele frequencies in subjects with
      low and high HDL-C were 0.082 and 0.026, respectively (P = 0.16). The association
      of the single-nucleotide polymorphism rs5923 with low HDL-C was not statistically
      significant after adjustment for age, sex, and BMI (odd ratio = 2.65, 95%
      confidence interval = 0.32-21.5, P = 0.36, regression logistic analysis). Also,
      the effects of LCAT enzyme activity did not depend on the HDL-C level (P = 0.24).
      CONCLUSION: rs5923 polymorphism is not associated with low HDL-C levels in
      Iranian population.

PMID- 26117246
TI  - Oxidative stress in bipolar and schizophrenia patients.
AB  - Oxidative stress has an important place in studies investigating the
      pathophysiology of psychiatric diseases. In spite of this fact, longitudinal
      studies are required to clarify the subject. Therefore, in this study, we
      examined lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, total oxidized guanine species,
      superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total glutathione (GSH) levels in blood collected
      from adult bipolar patients (n=18) during manic and euthymic episodes,
      schizophrenic patients (n=18) during acute psychotic attack and remission phases
      and the control group (n=18). There was a significant increase in the level of
      lipid peroxidation in the bipolar disorder manic episode group (BD-ME) compared
      to control group. The level of protein oxidation was significantly higher in the
      schizophrenia acute psychotic attack group (SZ-APA) compared to the control
      group. The level of total oxidized guanine species was statistically higher in
      all psychiatric groups compared to the control group. There was no significant
      difference among the groups with regard to SOD and GSH. Consequently, we believe
      that lipid peroxidation may be effective in the pathogenesis of bipolar patients;
      that protein oxidation may be of importance in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia
      and that total oxidized guanine species may be crucial in the pathogeneses of
      both psychiatric disorders. 

PMID- 26117247
TI  - Adjunctive psychosocial intervention following Hospital discharge for Patients
      with bipolar disorder and comorbid substance use: A pilot randomized controlled
      trial.
AB  - Bipolar disorder and substance use disorders are highly debilitating conditions,
      and especially when co-occurring, are associated with a variety of negative
      outcomes. Surprisingly, there is a relative lack of research on feasible and
      effective psychosocial treatments for individuals with comorbid bipolar and
      substance use disorder (BD-SUD), and a dearth of literature examining
      interventions designed specifically to improve outcomes such as symptoms,
      functioning, and treatment engagement/adherence following psychiatric
      hospitalization in this population. In the current paper, we report results of a
      pilot randomized controlled trial (n=30), comparing the recently developed
      Integrated Treatment Adherence Program, which includes individual and telephone
      sessions provided to patients and their significant others, versus Enhanced
      Assessment and Monitoring for those with BD-SUD. Participants who received the
      Integrated Treatment Adherence Program demonstrated significantly faster and
      greater improvements in depression, mania, functioning, and values-consistent
      living than participants randomized to Enhanced Assessment and Monitoring, and
      there was a trend for increased treatment adherence over time. Results are
      discussed in light of existing literature and study limitations, and suggestions
      for future research are proposed. 

PMID- 26117248
TI  - Intact speed of processing in a community-based sample of adults with high
      schizotypy: A marker of reduced psychosis risk?
AB  - Speed of processing is impaired in schizophrenia but intact in schizotypal
      college students. In view of this disparity, we investigated whether deficient
      processing speed was associated with schizotypy in adults from the general
      community. Data were drawn from the Western Australian Family Study of
      Schizophrenia, including 216 (non-clinical) adults from the general community,
      and a reference group with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (N=224). Schizotypal
      traits were assessed with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, whilst
      processing speed was assessed with a digit-symbol coding task. Community controls
      had significantly higher digit symbol coding scores than patients with psychosis.
      However, both correlational and hierarchical regression analysis indicated a lack
      of association between Cognitive-perceptual, Interpersonal or Disorganized
      schizotypy traits and digit symbol coding performance. Relative to Australian
      norms there was also no evidence of a non-linear decline in coding in high
      schizotypes in young, mature or senior age groups. The results show that speed of
      information processing is unimpaired in high schizotypes from the general
      community. The possibility that intact processing speed in at-risk groups confers
      protection to psychosis onset is discussed. Assessing the trajectory of
      processing speed throughout development may provide a useful clinical screening
      tool to distinguish those at heightened risk of developing psychosis. 

PMID- 26117249
TI  - Factor structure of the autonomy preference index in people with severe mental
      illness.
AB  - People vary in the amount of control they want to exercise over decisions about
      their healthcare. Given the importance of patient-centered care, accurate
      measurement of these autonomy preferences is critical. This study aimed to assess
      the factor structure of the Autonomy Preference Index (API), used widely in
      general healthcare, in individuals with severe mental illness. Data came from two
      studies of people with severe mental illness (N=293) who were receiving mental
      health and/or primary care/integrated care services. Autonomy preferences were
      assessed with the API regarding both psychiatric and primary care services.
      Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate fit of the hypothesized two
      factor structure of the API (decision-making autonomy and information-seeking
      autonomy). Results indicated the hypothesized structure for the API did not
      adequately fit the data for either psychiatric or primary care services. Three
      problematic items were dropped, resulting in adequate fit for both types of
      treatment. These results suggest that with relatively minor modifications the API
      has an acceptable factor structure when asking people with severe mental illness
      about their preferences to be involved in decision-making. The modified API has
      clinical and research utility for this population in the burgeoning field of
      autonomy in patient-centered healthcare. 

PMID- 26117250
TI  - Emotional intelligence as a mediator between rumination and suicidal ideation
      among depressed inpatients: The moderating role of suicidal history.
AB  - Suicide is a substantial public health problem, and it remains a serious cause of
      death in the world. Therefore, this study was designed to examine the
      relationships between brooding, reflection, emotional intelligence (assessed by
      performance-based test), and suicidal ideation; the mediation role of emotional
      intelligence on the relationships between brooding and reflection with suicidal
      ideation; and the moderating role of suicidal history on the relationships
      between brooding, reflection, and emotional intelligence with suicidal ideation
      among Iranian depressed adolescents. The study consisted of a cross-sectional
      sample of 202 depressed adolescent inpatients from five public hospitals in
      Tehran, Iran completed measures of depression, rumination, emotional
      intelligence, and suicide attempt history as indices of suicidal ideation.
      Structural Equation Modelling estimated that depressed adolescent inpatients with
      high levels of brooding and reflective rumination, and low levels of emotional
      intelligence were more likely to report suicidal ideation. Moreover, emotional
      intelligence partially mediated the relationships between brooding and reflective
      rumination with suicidal ideation. Suicidal history moderated the relationships
      between brooding, reflection, and emotional intelligence with suicidal ideation.
      These findings reinforce the importance of emotional intelligence as an
      influencing factor against the deleterious effects of rumination styles and
      suicidal ideation. The results indicate that brooding and reflection have
      detrimental effects on suicidal ideation in depressed inpatients. 

PMID- 26117251
TI  - Innate lymphoid cells open a new window on allergic diseases.

PMID- 26117253
TI  - Group 2 innate lymphoid cells and asthma.
AB  - Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are recently identified cell populations
      that produce type 2 cytokines such as IL-5 and IL-13 in response to epithelial
      cell-derived cytokines. Although ILC2s were initially reported to play a key role
      in the anti-helminth innate immunity, we now have greater interest in their role
      in asthma and other allergic diseases. In various asthma mouse models, ILC2s
      provoke eosinophilic inflammation accompanied by airway hyperresponsiveness
      independent of acquired immunity. Moreover, recent mouse studies show that ILC2s
      also promote acquired immunity and Th2 polarization, and various cytokines and
      lipid mediators influence the functions of ILC2s. Although ILC2s have also been
      identified in humans, studies on the role of human ILC2s in asthma are very
      limited. Thus far, human studies have shown that there is a slight difference in
      responsiveness and production of cytokines between mouse and human ILC2s, and it
      has been suggested that ILC2s are involved in allergic-type asthma and the
      exacerbation of asthma. In this review, we focus on mouse and human ILC2s, and
      discuss their role in asthma. 

PMID- 26117252
TI  - ILC2s and fungal allergy.
AB  - Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have emerged recently as an important component of
      the immune system and the cell type that regulates mucosal immune responses and
      tissue homeostasis. Group 2 ILCs (ILC2s), a subset of ILCs, reside in various
      tissues and are characterized by their capacity to produce type 2 cytokines and
      tissue growth factors. These ILC2s play an important role in allergic immune
      responses by linking signals in the atmospheric environment to the immune system.
      Fungi are one of the major allergens associated with human asthma, and animal and
      in vitro models using the fungal allergens have provided significant information
      toward our understanding of the mechanisms of allergic disease. In mouse models
      of fungus-induced allergic airway inflammation, IL-33, IL-25, and TSLP are
      released by airway epithelial cells. Lung ILC2s that respond to these cytokines
      quickly produce a large quantity of type 2 cytokines, resulting in airway
      eosinophilia, mucus production, and airway hyperreactivity even in the absence of
      adaptive immune cells. Evidence also suggests that ILC2s interact with
      conventional immune cells, such as CD4(+) T cells, and facilitate development of
      adaptive immune response and persistent airway inflammation. ILC2s are also
      present in respiratory mucosa in humans. Further investigations into the biology
      of ILC2s and their roles in the pathophysiology of allergic diseases will provide
      major conceptual advances in the field and may provide useful information toward
      development of new therapeutic strategies for patients.

PMID- 26117254
TI  - Proallergic cytokines and group 2 innate lymphoid cells in allergic nasal
      diseases.
AB  - Recent advances in our understanding of proallergic cytokines and group 2 innate
      lymphoid cells (ILC2s) indicate their critical roles in type 2 immunity-mediated
      disorders. Proallergic cytokines, interleukin (IL)-25, IL-33, and thymic stromal
      lymphopoietin, are released from epithelial cells in inflamed tissues and drive
      type 2 inflammation by acting on innate and acquired immune systems. ILC2s are an
      innate immune population that responds to proallergic cytokines by producing type
      2 cytokines. In line with allergic disorders in the lung, skin, and intestine,
      emerging evidence suggests the involvement of proallergic cytokines and ILC2s in
      allergic nasal diseases such as chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps (CRSwNP),
      allergic fungal rhinosinusitis, and allergic rhinitis (AR). In CRSwNP patients,
      both proallergic cytokine levels and ILC2s frequency are increased in the nasal
      mucosa. Increased proallergic cytokine levels correlate with poorer disease
      outcomes in CRSwNP. Levels of nasal proallergic cytokines are also elevated in AR
      patients. In addition, animal studies demonstrate that cytokines are essential
      for the development of AR. It is becoming clear that the proallergic
      cytokine/ILC2s axis participates in allergic diseases by multiple mechanisms
      dependent upon the inflammatory context. Thus, a thorough understanding of these
      cytokines and ILC2s including their tissue- and disease-specific roles is
      essential for targeting the pathways to achieve therapeutic applications. 

PMID- 26117255
TI  - Involvement of PU.1 in NFATc1 promoter function in osteoclast development.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The transcription factors NFATc1 and PU.1 play important roles in
      osteoclast development. NFATc1 and PU.1 transactivate osteoclast-specific gene
      expression and a deficiency in NFATc1 or PU.1 genes causes osteopetrosis due to
      an insufficient development of osteoclasts. However, the existence of cross
      regulation between NFATc1 and PU.1 is largely unknown. In the present study, the
      role of PU.1 in NFATc1 expression was investigated. METHODS: Osteoclasts were
      generated from mouse bone marrow cells. PU.1 knockdown was performed with siRNA
      introduction. The mRNA levels in siRNA-introduced cells were determined by
      quantitative RT-PCR. The involvement of PU.1 in the NFATc1 promoter was analyzed
      by using a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay and a reporter assay.
      Retrovirus vector was used for enforced expression of PU.1. RESULTS: Introduction
      of PU.1 siRNA into bone marrow-derived osteoclasts resulted in a decrease in
      NFATc1 mRNA level. A ChIP assay showed that PU.1 bound to the NFATc1 promoter in
      osteoclasts. NFATc1 promoter activity was reduced in PU.1 knockdown cells as
      assessed by a reporter assay. PU.1 siRNA introduction also downregulated the
      expression of osteoclast-specific genes and tartrate resistant acid phosphatase
      (TRAP) activity. Enforced expression of PU.1 using a retrovirus vector increased
      NFATc1 expression and TRAP activity. When NFATc1 expression was knocked down by
      using siRNA, the induction of osteoclast-specific genes and TRAP-positive cells
      was suppressed without affecting the expression level of PU.1. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results indicate that PU.1 is involved in osteoclast development by
      transactivating NFATc1 expression via direct binding to the NFATc1 promoter.

PMID- 26117256
TI  - Improved sensitivity to venom specific-immunoglobulin E by spiking with the
      allergen component in Japanese patients suspected of Hymenoptera venom allergy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ves v 5 and Pol d 5, which constitute antigen 5, are recognized as
      the major, most potent allergens of family Vespidae. Several studies have
      reported the diagnostic sensitivity of the novel recombinant (r)Ves v 5 and rPol
      d 5 allergens in routine clinical laboratory settings by analyzing a group of
      Vespula and Polistes venom-allergic patients. In this study, we analyzed the
      sensitivity to venom specific (s)IgE by spiking with rVes v 5 and rPol d 5 in
      Japanese patients suspected of Hymenoptera venom allergy. METHODS: Subjects were
      41 patients who had experienced systemic reactions to hornet and/or paper wasp
      stings. Levels of serum sIgE against hornet and paper wasp venom by spiking with
      rVes v 5 and rPold d 5, respectively, as improvement testing, compared with
      hornet and paper wasp venom, as conventional testing, were measured by ImmunoCAP.
      RESULTS: Of the 41 patients, 33 (80.5%) were positive (>=0.35 UA/ml) for hornet
      and/or paper wasp venom in conventional sIgE testing. sIgE levels correlated
      significantly (P < 0.01) between hornet (R = 0.92) or paper wasp venom (R = 0.78)
      in improvement testing and conventional testing. To determine specificity, 20
      volunteers who had never experienced a Hymenoptera sting were all negative for
      sIgE against these venoms in both improvement and conventional testing. Improved
      sensitivity was seen in 8 patients negative for sIgE against both venoms in
      conventional testing, while improvement testing revealed sIgE against hornet or
      paper wasp venom in 5 (total 38 (92.7%)) patients. CONCLUSIONS: The measurement
      of sIgE following spiking of rVes v 5 and rPol d 5 by conventional testing in
      Japanese subjects with sIgE against hornet and paper wasp venom, respectively,
      improved the sensitivity for detecting Hymenoptera venom allergy. Improvement
      testing for measuring sIgE levels against hornet and paper wasp venom has
      potential for serologically elucidating Hymenoptera allergy in Japan.

PMID- 26117257
TI  - Racial differences in eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders among Caucasian and
      Asian.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although there is an increasing number of eosinophilic
      gastrointestinal disorders (EGID) cases including eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE)
      and eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE), being reported globally, no systematic
      reviews have been conducted to elucidate the racial differences in these
      disorders. We aimed to show the racial differences, especially among Caucasians
      and Asians, in the risk of EoE and EGE. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review
      using PubMed in September 2012. All case reports and case series on EGID that
      involved human subjects and described race or ethnicity, as well as pathological
      findings, were included. For the comparison of reported cases between Caucasians
      and Asians, a chi-squared test was used. RESULTS: Among the 687 studies found in
      PubMed, 121 studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria. In total, 2621 patients
      were reviewed. Among Caucasian EGID patients, 94% had EoE; while among Asian EGID
      patients, 72% had EGE (p < 0.001). Among EoE, Asians were significantly less
      likely to have dysphagia and heartburn, but more likely to have vomit and
      abdominal pain, compared to Caucasians (p < 0.001). Further, among EGE, Asians
      were significantly more likely to have eosinophil-infiltrated colon than
      Caucasians (OR: 3.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.60-7.04), but were less
      likely to have eosinophil-infiltrated stomach (OR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.17-0.49).
      CONCLUSIONS: We found that EoE occurs more frequently in Caucasian EGID patients
      than Asian EGID patients, while the reverse is true for EGE. Also, racial
      disparities in symptoms and eosinophil-infiltrated tissues were observed. Our
      findings suggest further genetic and environmental studies to elucidate the
      etiology of EGID.

PMID- 26117258
TI  - Comparison of gene expression profiles in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) between
      Japan and Western countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence rate of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) between Japan
      and Western countries is quite different. Although multiple factors, including
      the genetic background, lifestyle and dietary habits, may account for the
      difference, the pathogenic mechanism of EoE has not been fully clarified in
      Japanese. To elucidate whether EoE's pathogenic mechanisms differ between those
      populations, we performed transcriptome analysis of esophageal biopsy specimens
      from Japanese EoE patients and compared the identified gene signatures with
      published microarray data for EoE patients in the US. METHODS: We prospectively
      enrolled adult Japanese EoE patients (n = 4) according to the 2011 consensus
      guidelines for diagnosis of EoE. Age-matched healthy volunteer subjects (n = 4)
      were also enrolled as controls. We assessed the gene expression profiles of
      esophageal biopsies using microarray technology and then compared the identified
      gene signatures with earlier data generated in the US. RESULTS: Of 42,545
      transcripts represented on the microarray, 385 were differentially expressed
      between the EoE and control samples (>=2 fold change and adjusted p-value of
      <0.05). Our microarray data showed strong overlapping with the data from US
      patients with EoE. An EoE-specific-transcript signature is typically composed of
      IL-13-inducible and eosinophil-related genes, including eotaxin-3/C-C chemokine
      ligand 26 (CCL26). CONCLUSIONS: This transcriptome study suggests that the
      pathogenetic mechanisms of EoE in Japan and Western countries are similar. Our
      findings may contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of EoE and
      to more accurate diagnosis of this disease in Japanese individuals.

PMID- 26117259
TI  - Evaluation of recombinant MGL_1304 produced by Pichia pastoris for clinical
      application to sweat allergy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We previously identified MGL_1304 secreted by Malassezia globosa as a
      sweat antigen for patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and cholinergic urticaria
      (ChU). However, purifying native MGL_1304 from human sweat or culture supernatant
      of M. globosa (sup-MGL_1304) is costly and time-consuming. Moreover, recombinant
      MGL_1304 expressed by using Escherichia coli (TF-rMGL_1304) needs a large
      chaperon protein and lacks the original glycosylation of yeasts. Thus, we
      generated a recombinant MGL_1304 by Pichia pastoris (P-rMGL_1304) and
      investigated its characteristic features. METHODS: Recombinant MGL_1304 proteins
      expressed by E. coli and P. pastoris were generated. Properties of these
      recombinants and native antigens were compared by western blot analysis,
      histamine release tests (HRT) of patients with AD and ChU, and beta
      hexosaminidase release tests with RBL-48 cells. P-rMGL_1304-specific IgE in sera
      of patients with AD were measured by sandwich ELISA. RESULTS: Western blot
      analysis revealed that IgE of patients with AD bound to all MGL_1304 recombinants
      and native antigens. The histamine releasing ability of P-rMGL_1304 was 100 times
      higher than that of TF-rMGL_1304, and was comparable to that of sup-MGL_1304.
      Degranulation rates of RBL-48 cells, sensitized with sera of patients with AD in
      response to the stimulation of P-rMGL_1304, were comparable to those of sup
      MGL_1304, whereas those of TF-rMGL_1304 were relatively weak. The levels of P
      rMGL_1304-specific IgE in sera of patients with AD were correlated with their
      disease severities. CONCLUSIONS: P-rMGL_1304 has an antigenicity comparable to
      the native antigen, and is more useful than TF-rMGL_1304, especially in HRT and
      degranulation assay of RBL-48 cells.

PMID- 26117260
TI  - Better management of cow's milk allergy using a very low dose food challenge
      test: a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low dose reactive cow's milk (CM) allergic children are at high risk
      of persistent CM allergy and a positive oral food challenge (OFC). The present
      study aimed to evaluate if the results of a very low dose (VL) OFC with these
      children contributes to better management of CM allergy. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed subjects with CM allergy who underwent a VL OFC with 3
      mL heated CM and had a previous allergic reaction to <25 mL heated CM in the 2
      years before the OFC. Subjects who passed the OFC were defined as VL tolerant,
      and subjects who failed were defined as VL reactive. VL tolerant subjects
      increased the dose to 25 mL heated CM either during an OFC in our hospital or
      gradually at home. RESULTS: Of the 83 subjects (median age, 4.3 years; range, 1.0
      12.9 years) who were included, 41 (49.4%) were VL tolerant, and 42 (51.6%) were
      VL reactive. Thirty-nine VL reactive subjects had skin and/or respiratory
      symptoms during the OFC. Most reactions could be treated with an antihistamine
      and/or a nebulized beta2 agonist. The VL tolerant subjects consumed 3 mL heated
      CM or 10 g butter. Within the year following the OFC, 18 VL tolerant subjects
      (45.0%), but none of the VL reactive subjects, were able to consume 25 mL heated
      CM (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A VL OFC allows the management of some low dose
      reactive CM allergic children to change from complete avoidance to partial intake
      of CM.

PMID- 26117261
TI  - Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: the Food and Drug
      Administration adverse event reporting system, 2004-2013.

PMID- 26117262
TI  - Drug eruption to clavulanic acid with sparing of cellulitis-affecting site.

PMID- 26117263
TI  - Intrinsic atopic dermatitis shows high serum nickel concentration.

PMID- 26117264
TI  - Food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis among junior high school students: a
      14-year epidemiological comparison.

PMID- 26117265
TI  - Occupational food allergy due to parvalbumin and phaseolin induced by
      epicutaneous sensitization.

PMID- 26117266
TI  - No increase in the serum periostin level is detected in elementary school-age
      children with allergic diseases.

PMID- 26117267
TI  - [Prognostic value of preoperative carcinoembryogenic antigen: Is it useful in all
      stages of colorectal cancer?].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recent reports have reopened discussion of the prognostic value of
      elevated pre-treatment carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in colorectal
      cancer. Due to the discrepancies in the published results, we aimed to analyze
      the possible predictive value of CEA, both overall and in different tumoral
      stages in our environment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied 303
      consecutive patients with colorectal cancer resected with curative intent by
      analysing tumor-related mortality. The frequency of patients with increased CEA
      levels (> 5mg/l) was registered. Univariate and multivariate analyses of survival
      curves were performed, comparing patients with increased CEA levels and those
      with CEA levels within normal limits, both in the overall series and in the
      different pTNM tumoral stages. RESULTS: Frequency of patients with CEA>5mg/l was
      31%. The median clinical follow-up was 83 months. A poor survival rate was
      registered in the multivariate analysis of the whole series in patients with high
      CEA levels: hazard ratio (HR)=1.81; 95% confidence interval (95% CI)=(1.15-3.10);
      P=.012. This predictive value was only maintained in stage II in the survival
      analysis of the distinct tumoral stages (n=104): HR=3.02; 95% CI=(1.22-7.45);
      P=.017. CONCLUSIONS: Before treatment, 31% of our patients with colorectal cancer
      resected with curative intent had pathological CEA values. In the overall series,
      a high pretreatment CEA level showed an independent prognostic value for poor
      survival. When pTNM tumoral stages were analyzed separately, CEA level had
      predictive value only in pTNM II tumors.

PMID- 26117268
TI  - HOTAIR Interacting with MAPK1 Regulates Ovarian Cancer skov3 Cell Proliferation,
      Migration, and Invasion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of when silencing
      HOTAIR in ovarian cancer skov3 cells on proliferation, migration, and invasion,
      and to elucidate the mechanism by which this occurs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We
      detected the mRNA level of HOTAIR (HOX antisense intergenic RNA) and MAPK1
      (mitogen-activated protein kinase 1) in ovarian cancer SKOV3, ES-2, OVCAR3,
      A2780, and COC1 cell lines. We detected the mRNA level of HOTAIR and MAPK1 in
      ovarian SKOV3 when transected with miR-1, miR-214-3p, or miR-330-5p. We detected
      the mRNA and protein level of MAPK1 when silencing HOTAIR. We detected the
      expression of HOTAIR when silencing MAPK1. Then we detected the proliferation,
      migration, and invasion in ovarian cancer skov3 after silencing HOTAIR or MAPK1.
      RESULTS: The expression of HOTAIR and MAPK1 in ovarian SKOV3, ES-2, and OVCAR3
      increased compared with A2780 and COC1 cells (P<0.05). The mRNA level of HOTAIR
      and MAPK1 in ovarian SKOV3 decreased when transected with miR-1, miR-214-3p, or
      miR-330-5p compared to negative control (p<0.05). The mRNA and protein level of
      MAPK1 was decreased when silencing HOTAIR and the mRNA level of HOTAIR was
      decreased when silencing MAPK1 (p<0.05). The proliferation, migration, and
      invasion was inhibited in ovarian SKOV3 after silencing HOTAIR or MAPK1 (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: HOTAIR can promote proliferation, migration, and invasion in ovarian
      SKOV3 cells as a competing endogenous RNA.

PMID- 26117269
TI  - Mice overexpressing integrin alphav in fibroblasts exhibit dermal thinning of the
      skin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Integrins, especially alphav integrin (ITGAV), are thought to play
      central roles in tissue fibrosis and the pathogenesis of scleroderma. So far,
      skin phenotype of tissue-specific transgenic mice of ITGAV have not been
      investigated. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of ITGAV in the skin fibrosis,
      we engineered transgenic mice that overexpress ITGAV in the fibroblasts under the
      control of the COL1A2 enhancer promoter. METHODS: Protein or RNA expression was
      evaluated by real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting and
      immunoprecipitation. RESULTS: Dermal thickness and Masson's trichrome staining
      were decreased in ITGAV transgenic (Tg) mice compared with wild-type (WT) mice.
      Protein and mRNA levels of COL1A2, COL3A1, CTGF and integrin beta3 were down
      regulated in the skin of Tg mice. In addition, the cell proliferation of cultured
      dermal fibroblasts obtained from Tg mice skin was decreased compared to those of
      WT mice. FAK phosphorylation was reduced in fibroblasts cultured from Tg mice
      skin in comparison to WT mice fibroblasts. Integrin beta3 siRNA inhibited FAK
      phosphorylation levels, while FAK inhibitor reduced the expression of collagens
      and CTGF in mice dermal fibroblasts. CONCLUSIONS: The down-regulation of collagen
      or CTGF by decreased integrin beta3 and FAK phosphorylation may cause the dermal
      thinning in Tg mice. Lower CTGF may also result in reduced growth of Tg mice
      fibroblasts. Our hypothesis is that the balance between alpha and beta chain of
      integrins positively or negatively control collagen expression and dermal
      thickness. This study gave a new insight in the treatment of tissue fibrosis and
      scleroderma by balancing integrin expression.

PMID- 26117270
TI  - (18)F FDOPA uptake in brain metastasis of breast cancer.

PMID- 26117271
TI  - Pronounced alterations in T-wave morphology during dipyridamole-induced
      ischaemia.
AB  - The case describes a 77-year-old woman with multivessel coronary disease
      exhibiting marked changes of T-wave morphology induced by dipyridamole, an
      unusual finding in which the diagnostic accuracy in this clinical context is
      uncertain. Gated-SPECT imaging demonstrated severe ischaemia extending through
      inferior and posterolateral regions of the left ventricle with normal motility
      and contractile function in response to vasodilator stress. Possible underlying
      mechanisms and clinical implications of observed electrocardiographic changes are
      discussed. T-loop modifications during vasodilator stress SPECT and correlation
      of these changes with the amount of ischaemic injury need further evaluation. 

PMID- 26117272
TI  - Level of energy restriction alters body condition score and morphometric profile
      in obese Shetland ponies.
AB  - Due to the high prevalence of obesity in some horses and ponies (especially in
      the leisure horse sector), effective and safe weight loss strategies are
      required. The present study evaluated the effect of two different energy
      restriction rates on physical, morphometric and welfare parameters in 18 obese
      (body condition score [BCS] 7-9/9) Shetland geldings. The trial was divided into
      three periods: (1) a 4 week adaptation period, during which the maintenance
      energy intakes to maintain a stable obese bodyweight were determined (100%
      MERob); (2) a 16.5-week weight loss period during which the ponies were randomly
      divided into three groups (n = 6/group) comprising a control group (CONTROL),
      moderate energy restricted (MOD), and severe energy restricted (SEV) groups that
      were respectively fed at 100%, 80% and 60% of their individual MERob; and (3) a 3
      week follow up period in which the ponies were again fed at their outset
      individual 100% MERob. Between the start and end of the weight loss period,
      significant pairwise differences between the three treatment groups were seen for
      bodyweight, BCS, heart girth, belly girth, and relative ultrasound fat depth at
      the level of loin and ribs at several time points (P < 0.05). The higher energy
      restriction was associated with a faster decrease in BCS, tail head, and heart
      plus belly girth, but no gastric ulcers or stereotypic behaviours were seen. 

PMID- 26117273
TI  - Stigmatization and social impacts of epilepsy in Turkey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Stigma associated with epilepsy has negative effects on psychosocial
      outcomes, affecting the lives of people with epilepsy (PWE). Obtaining basic
      social rights can be difficult compared to the general population. The aim of our
      study was to evaluate the perceived stigma among PWE and social attitude towards
      the disease and to compare the social measures with the general population in
      Turkey. METHOD: A self-completed questionnaire consisting of demographic details
      and items about attitudes and perceived stigmatization was developed.
      Participants consisted of patients with various types of seizures who were
      randomly chosen from the epilepsy outpatient clinic. They were requested to
      complete the questionnaire. RESULTS: Questionnaires were obtained from 330 PWE.
      One hundred forty individuals (43.3%) out of 323 reported feeling stigmatized.
      The marriage and total fertility rates were below the national rates of Turkey.
      Keeping their epilepsy as a secret from society was prevalent. Although the
      education rate was not below the national rate, unemployment rate was high, and
      the average monthly wage was significantly lower than that of the general
      population. The majority thought that their families were protective towards
      them. Only 2 of the 330 participants were living alone. CONCLUSION: The present
      study supports the perception of stigma associated with epilepsy and its negative
      impact on the lives of PWE in Turkey. Clearly, more research is needed to
      understand the reasons for stigma and how to decrease its impact.

PMID- 26117274
TI  - Mass chemical casualties: treatment of 41 patients with burns by anhydrous
      ammonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This article reports a chemical burn incident that occurred on 31
      August 2013 in Shanghai. We describe situations at the scene, emergency
      management, triage, evacuation, and follow-up of the victims. METHOD: The scene
      of the incident and information on the 41 victims of this industrial chemical
      incident were investigated. The emergency management, triage, evacuation, and
      hospitalization data of the patients were summarized. RESULTS: At the time of the
      incident, 58 employees were working in a closed refrigerator workshop, 41 of whom
      sustained burns following the leakage of anhydrous ammonia. Ten victims died of
      severe inhalation injury at the scene, and another five victims died during the
      process of evacuation to the nearest hospital. After receiving information on the
      incident, a contingency plan for the burn disaster was launched immediately, and
      a first-aid group and an emergency and triage group were dispatched by the
      Changhai Hospital to the scene to aid the medical organization, emergency
      management, triage, and evacuation. All casualties were first rushed to the
      nearest hospital by ambulance. The six most serious patients with inhalation
      injuries were evacuated to the Changhai Hospital and admitted to the burn
      intensive care unit (BICU) for further treatment, one of whom died of respiratory
      failure and pulmonary infection. CONCLUSION: This mass casualty incident of
      anhydrous ammonia leakage caused potential devastating effects to the society,
      especially to the victims and their families. Early first-aid organization,
      emergency management, triage, and evacuation were of paramount importance,
      especially rapid evaluation of the severity of inhalation injury, and subsequent
      corresponding medical treatment. The prognosis of ammonia burns was poor and the
      sequelae were severe. Management and treatment lessons were drawn from this mass
      casualty chemical burn incident.

PMID- 26117275
TI  - Vasoconstrictor clysis in burn surgery and its impact on outcomes: systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - AIM: Clysis is the subcutaneous or subdermal injection of a vasopressor
      containing fluid, with or without local anaesthetic agent, and has been used to
      limit blood loss in patients undergoing surgical burn management. In this
      systematic review and meta-analysis we aimed to determine the impact of clysis of
      a vasoconstrictor on burn patient outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a systematic
      review to identify trials investigating clysis in burn patients undergoing
      debridement and/or skin grafting. For each eligible trial we aimed to extract the
      outcomes of perioperative blood loss, blood transfusion, duration of surgery,
      graft success and healing time, inflammatory response, sepsis, mortality,
      duration of hospital stay, catecholamine levels and cardiovascular effects in
      both the short (<72h) and long term (30 days) after surgery. RESULTS: From 443
      citations, we selected 39 for full-text evaluation, and identified 10 eligible
      trials. Due to a lack of reporting on outcomes of interest, meta-analysis could
      only be conducted for the outcome of red blood cell (RBC) units transfused per
      patient. Patients receiving clysis (n=222) were transfused 1.89 less units (95%
      CI -2.12 to -1.66) as compared to those not receiving clysis, although this was
      associated with a high degree of heterogeneity (I(2)=88%). CONCLUSION: Few
      studies have adequately evaluated the impact of clysis in burn surgery on patient
      important outcomes such mortality, duration of surgery and graft success. These
      results suggest clysis may reduce the need for blood transfusion but additional
      high quality research is required.

PMID- 26117276
TI  - Probability and amounts of yogurt intake are differently affected by
      sociodemographic, economic, and lifestyle factors in adults and the elderly
      results from a population-based study.
AB  - The aim of this population-based cross-sectional health survey (N = 532) was to
      investigate the factors associated with the probability and amounts of yogurt
      intake in Brazilian adults and the elderly. A structured questionnaire was used
      to obtain data on demographics, socioeconomic information, presence of
      morbidities and lifestyle and anthropometric characteristics. Food intake was
      evaluated using two nonconsecutive 24-hour dietary recalls and a Food Frequency
      Questionnaire. Approximately 60% of the subjects were classified as yogurt
      consumers. In the logistic regression model, yogurt intake was associated with
      smoking (odds ratio [OR], 1.98), female sex (OR, 2.12), and age 20 to 39 years
      (OR, 3.11). Per capita family income and being a nonsmoker were factors
      positively associated with the amount of yogurt consumption (coefficients, 0.61
      and 3.73, respectively), whereas the level of education of the head of household
      was inversely associated (coefficient, 0.61). In this study, probability and
      amounts of yogurt intake are differently affected by demographic, socioeconomic,
      and lifestyle factors in adults and the elderly. 

PMID- 26117277
TI  - Real-World Vinflunine Outcomes in Bladder Cancer in a Single-Institution Study:
      Moving Beyond Clinical Trials.
AB  - PURPOSE: Intravenous vinflunine 320 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks plus best supportive
      care resulted in better overall survival in comparison with best supportive care
      alone for eligible patients with failure of prior therapy with locally advanced
      or metastatic transitional cell cancer of urothelial tract (TCCU). The objective
      of the present study was to describe our real-life experience of vinflunine for
      treatment of patients with TCCU. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively
      investigated all patients with TCCU who received at least 1 cycle of vinflunine.
      RESULTS: Nineteen patients were treated between May 2010 and March 2014 in a
      compassionate-use program. Performance status was poor in our real-life cohort,
      with 6 patients (32%) with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance
      status of 2. Median duration of vinflunine treatment was 2.4 months (range, 0-4.3
      months), and median number of cycles was 3 (range, 1-6). Total response rate was
      32%, with partial responses only. Disease control rate was 53%, with a median
      duration of 7.7 months (range, 6.0-9.4 months). Median progression-free survival
      was 87 days, or 2.9 months (range, 0.7-11.7 months). After vinflunine treatment,
      42% of patients received from 1 to 3 additional lines of chemotherapy. The most
      frequent grade 4 toxicities were constipation (26%), with 3 intestinal
      obstructions (16%) and 1 mechanical ileus (5%); and asthenia and fatigue (21%).
      CONCLUSION: Vinflunine, as a TCCU second-line chemotherapy, brings benefits,
      particularly in cases where there is no alternative treatment.

PMID- 26117278
TI  - Eggshell: A green adsorbent for heavy metal removal in an MBR system.
AB  - Presence of heavy metals as well as different metal ions in treated wastewater is
      a problem for the environment as well as human health. This paper aims to
      investigate the possibility to combine an MBR (membrane biological reactor) with
      an adsorption process onto powdered eggshell and eggshell membrane in order to
      improve metal removal from wastewater. The first step of the experimental
      analysis consists of the evaluation of the compatibility between the two
      processes. Then, a study about sorbent concentration and size effect on fouling
      was conducted, because the use of this kind of sorbent could affect membrane
      performance. The second step of the work concerns the check up of eggshell
      removal capacity as a function of sorbent size, achieved treating an aqueous
      solution containing Al(3+), Fe(2+) and Zn(2+) as water pollutants. Finally,
      synthetic wastewater, containing the metal species, was treated by two
      alternative process schemes: one of them performs the metal uptake in a dedicated
      adsorption unit, before the MBR. In the second, the two processes take place in
      the same unit. Results demonstrate that the optimization of the first option
      could be a solution to MBR upgrading. 

PMID- 26117279
TI  - Roller compaction: Effect of morphology and amorphous content of lactose powder
      on product quality.
AB  - The effect of morphology and amorphous content, of three types of lactose, on the
      properties of ribbon produced using roller compaction was investigated. The three
      types of lactose powders were; anhydrous SuperTab21AN, alpha-lactose monohydrate
      200 M, and spray dried lactose SuperTab11SD. The morphology of the primary
      particles was identified using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the powder
      amorphous content was quantified using NIR technique. SEM images showed that 21AN
      and SD are agglomerated type of lactose whereas the 200 M is a non-agglomerated
      type. During ribbon production, an online thermal imaging technique was used to
      monitor the surface temperature of the ribbon. It was found that the morphology
      and the amorphous content of lactose powders have significant effects on the
      roller compaction behaviour and on ribbon properties. The agglomerated types of
      lactose produced ribbon with higher surface temperature and tensile strength,
      larger fragment size, lower porosity and lesser fines percentages than the non
      agglomerated type of lactose. The lactose powder with the highest amorphous
      content showed to result in a better binding ability between the primary
      particles. This type of lactose produced ribbons with the highest temperature and
      tensile strength, and the lowest porosity and amount of fines in the product. It
      also produced ribbon with more smooth surfaces in comparison to the other two
      types of lactose. It was noticed that there is a relationship between the surface
      temperature of the ribbon during production and the tensile strength of the
      ribbon; the higher the temperature of the ribbon during production the higher the
      tensile strength of the ribbon.

PMID- 26117280
TI  - Estimation of EEC, unattached fraction and equilibrium factor for the assessment
      of radiological dose using pin-hole cup dosimeters and deposition based progeny
      sensors.
AB  - High concentration of radon ((222)Rn), thoron ((220)Rn) and their decay products
      in environment may increase the risk of radiological exposure to the mankind. The
      (222)Rn, (220)Rn concentration and their separate attached and unattached progeny
      concentration in units of EEC have been measured in the dwellings of Muktsar and
      Mansa districts of Punjab (India), using Pin-hole cup dosimeters and deposition
      based progeny sensors (DTPS/DRPS). The indoor (222)Rn and (220)Rn concentration
      was found to vary from 21 Bqm(-3) to 94 Bqm(-3) and 17 Bqm(-3) to 125 Bqm(-3).
      The average EEC (attached + unattached) of (222)Rn and (220)Rn was 25 Bqm(-3) and
      1.8 Bqm(-3). The equilibrium factor for (222)Rn and (220)Rn in studied area was
      0.47 +/- 0.13 and 0.05 +/- 0.03. The equilibrium factor and unattached fraction
      of (222)Rn and (220)Rn has been calculated separately. Dose conversion factors
      (DCFs) of different models have been calculated from unattached fraction for the
      estimation of annual effective dose in the studied area. From the experimental
      data a correlation relationship has been observed between unattached fraction
      (f(p)(Rn)) and equilibrium factor (F(Rn)). The present work also aims to evaluate
      an accurate expression among available expression in literature for the
      estimation of f(p)(Rn).

PMID- 26117281
TI  - Introduction and issue summary: New trends in forensic genetics.

PMID- 26117282
TI  - Left Ventricular Decompression During Speed Optimization Ramps in Patients
      Supported by Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices: Device-Specific
      Performance Characteristics and Impact on Diagnostic Algorithms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Echocardiographic ramp tests have been widely used to help guide
      speed adjustments and for identification of potential device malfunctions in
      patients with axial continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs)
      (Heartmate II LVAD [HMII]). Recently, the use of centrifugal-flow LVADs
      (Heartware LVAD [HVAD]) has been on the rise. The purpose of this study was to
      evaluate the utility of ramp tests for assessing ventricular decompression in
      HVAD patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this prospective study, ramp tests were
      performed before index hospitalization discharge or at the time of device
      malfunction. Vital signs, device parameters (including flow), and
      echocardiographic parameters (including left ventricular end-diastolic dimension
      [LVEDD], frequency of aortic valve [AV] opening, and valvular insufficiency) were
      recorded in increments of 100 rpm, from 2,300 rpm to 3,200 rpm. Twenty-six ramp
      tests were performed, 19 for speed optimization and 7 for device malfunction
      assessment. The average speed after the speed optimization ramp tests was
      2,534.74 +/- 156.32 RPM, and the AV closed at a mean speed of 2,751.77 +/- 227.16
      rpm, with 1 patient's valve remaining open at the maximum speed. The reduction in
      LVEDD for each speed increase was significantly different when the AV was open or
      closed, at -0.09 cm/increment and -0.15 cm/increment, respectively (P = .013),
      which is significantly different than previously established HMII LVEDD slopes.
      There were also significant changes in overall device flow (P = .001), upper flow
      (P = .031), and lower flow (P = .003) after AV closure. The power slope did not
      change significantly after the AV closed (P = .656). Five of the 19 tests were
      stopped before completion owing to suction events, but all tests reached >=3,000
      rpm. CONCLUSIONS: The parameter slopes for the HMII cannot be directly applied to
      ramp studies in HVAD patients. Overall, the LVEDD slope is drastically smaller in
      magnitude than the previously reported HMII findings, and speed adjustments were
      not based on the degree of left ventricular unloading. Therefore, the slope of
      the LVEDD-rpm relationship is not likely to be helpful in evaluating HVAD
      function.

PMID- 26117283
TI  - Detecting change in patient outcomes in a rural ambulatory rehabilitation
      service: the responsiveness of Goal Attainment Scaling and the Lawton Scale.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Wagga Wagga Ambulatory Rehabilitation Service (WWARS) clinicians
      felt the Australian Modified Lawton's Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
      Scale (Lawton Scale) was unresponsive to changes detected in many patients
      following their individualised programs. This study examined the performance of
      the Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) concomitantly with the Lawton Scale in
      ambulatory rehabilitation patients. METHODS: Consecutive patients (n = 83) of
      WWARS were evaluated pre and post treatment with the Lawton Scale and GAS. The
      statistical properties, particularly responsiveness, of the scales were compared.
      RESULTS: Statistically significant change (P < 0.001) was observed following
      treatment on both the Lawton Scale and GAS. Mean GAS scores changed by 38.7%
      compared with 8.3% for the Lawton Scale. GAS demonstrated a greater effect size
      (Cliff's delta) of 1.67 (95% confidence interval 1.51-1.91) than the Lawton Scale
      0.83 (95% confidence interval 0.57-0.94). In 33.7% of patients, the Lawton Scale
      was invariant but improved with GAS. CONCLUSIONS: GAS was a more responsive
      measure than the Lawton Scale in rural ambulatory rehabilitation patients.
      Consequently, GAS is recommended as a performance outcome measure in the
      evaluation of ambulatory rehabilitation services to supplement standardised
      outcome measures such as the Lawton Scale.

PMID- 26117284
TI  - A novel auto-tuning PID control mechanism for nonlinear systems.
AB  - In this paper, a novel Runge-Kutta (RK) discretization-based model-predictive
      auto-tuning proportional-integral-derivative controller (RK-PID) is introduced
      for the control of continuous-time nonlinear systems. The parameters of the PID
      controller are tuned using RK model of the system through prediction error-square
      minimization where the predicted information of tracking error provides an
      enhanced tuning of the parameters. Based on the model-predictive control (MPC)
      approach, the proposed mechanism provides necessary PID parameter adaptations
      while generating additive correction terms to assist the initially inadequate PID
      controller. Efficiency of the proposed mechanism has been tested on two
      experimental real-time systems: an unstable single-input single-output (SISO)
      nonlinear magnetic-levitation system and a nonlinear multi-input multi-output
      (MIMO) liquid-level system. RK-PID has been compared to standard PID, standard
      nonlinear MPC (NMPC), RK-MPC and conventional sliding-mode control (SMC) methods
      in terms of control performance, robustness, computational complexity and design
      issue. The proposed mechanism exhibits acceptable tuning and control performance
      with very small steady-state tracking errors, and provides very short settling
      time for parameter convergence. 

PMID- 26117285
TI  - On spacecraft maneuvers control subject to propellant engine modes.
AB  - The paper attempts to address a new control approach to spacecraft maneuvers
      based upon the modes of propellant engine. A realization of control strategy is
      now presented in engine on mode (high thrusts as well as further low thrusts),
      which is related to small angle maneuvers and engine off mode (specified low
      thrusts), which is also related to large angle maneuvers. There is currently a
      coarse-fine tuning in engine on mode. It is shown that the process of handling
      the angular velocities are finalized via rate feedback system in engine modes,
      where the angular rotations are controlled through quaternion based control
      (QBCL)strategy in engine off mode and these ones are also controlled through an
      optimum PID (OPIDH) strategy in engine on mode. 

PMID- 26117286
TI  - Fast engineering optimization: A novel highly effective control parameterization
      approach for industrial dynamic processes.
AB  - Control vector parameterization (CVP) is an important approach of the engineering
      optimization for the industrial dynamic processes. However, its major defect, the
      low optimization efficiency caused by calculating the relevant differential
      equations in the generated nonlinear programming (NLP) problem repeatedly, limits
      its wide application in the engineering optimization for the industrial dynamic
      processes. A novel highly effective control parameterization approach, fast-CVP,
      is first proposed to improve the optimization efficiency for industrial dynamic
      processes, where the costate gradient formulae is employed and a fast approximate
      scheme is presented to solve the differential equations in dynamic process
      simulation. Three well-known engineering optimization benchmark problems of the
      industrial dynamic processes are demonstrated as illustration. The research
      results show that the proposed fast approach achieves a fine performance that at
      least 90% of the computation time can be saved in contrast to the traditional CVP
      method, which reveals the effectiveness of the proposed fast engineering
      optimization approach for the industrial dynamic processes. 

PMID- 26117287
TI  - One day of contact with photostimulated bucks is sufficient to induce ovulation
      in seasonally anestrous goats.
AB  - In seasonally anovulatory goats, daily contact with photostimulated bucks for 15
      days stimulates ovulations in most females. In this study, we determined whether
      ovulation could be induced in goats exposed to photostimulated bucks for less
      than 15 days. Bucks were rendered sexually active during the nonbreeding season
      by exposure to 2.5 months of long days from November 1. The control group of
      females was exposed to one photostimulated buck for 15 days (n = 12). Other three
      experimental groups were exposed to males (n = 1 per group) for 1, 5, or 10 days
      (n = 14 or 15 females per group). Ovulations were determined by measurement of
      daily plasma progesterone concentrations during 17 days. All females from the
      control and experimental groups ovulated at least once during the experiment (P >
      0.05). Furthermore, the proportions of goats that displayed a short luteal phase
      followed by a new ovulation, or a normal luteal phase after being in contact with
      males, did not differ between groups depending on the duration of time of contact
      with the photostimulated males (P > 0.05). In contrast, the proportions of
      females that displayed a short luteal phase followed by anovulation were greater
      in goats in contact with males for 1 day than in those in contact with males for
      10 and 15 days (P < 0.05), whereas they did not differ from females exposed to
      males for 5 days (P > 0.05). We conclude that 1 day of contact with sexually
      active males is long enough to stimulate the ovulatory activity in seasonally
      anovulatory goats. However, a significantly higher proportion of females exposed
      to males for 1 day did not ovulate again after showing a short luteal phase.

PMID- 26117288
TI  - Alteration of glycan structures by swainsonine affects steroidogenesis in bovine
      luteal cells.
AB  - The indolizidine alkaloid swainsonine (SW), a potent inhibitor of Golgi alpha
      mannosidase II, is considered the primary toxicant in locoweeds causing toxicity
      syndrome known as locoism in livestock. Locoweed consumption decreases serum
      progesterone concentration and causes serious disorders in reproductive functions
      of livestock. However, direct effects of SW on luteal steroidogenic cells (LSCs)
      remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effect of N-glycan
      processing inhibition by SW on progesterone production and viability in cultured
      bovine LSCs. Swainsonine (0.1 MUg/mL) fully inhibited glycosylation in the LSCs,
      but it had no effect on viability and progesterone production in the LSCs.
      Luteinizing hormone is known to promote progesterone production and expressions
      of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein and scavenger receptor type B class I.
      Pretreatment of LSCs with SW suppressed each of these effects, possibly by
      inhibiting LH receptor activity. These results suggest that SW inhibits N-glycan
      processing, which attenuates LH receptor activity, which, in turn, reduces
      progesterone production by CL.

PMID- 26117289
TI  - Marked protection against acute renal and hepatic injury after nitrited myoglobin
      + tin protoporphyrin administration.
AB  - The phenomenon known as renal "ischemic preconditioning," whereby an initial
      ischemic insult induces resistance against subsequent kidney damage, has been
      well established in the experimental literature. However, a clinically applicable
      way to safely recapitulate this state has not been defined. We hypothesized that
      a unique combination of agents (nitrited myoglobin [N-Mgb] + tin protoporphyrin
      [SnPP]) can achieve these ends safely and synergistically, increasing
      cytoprotective proteins (eg, heme oxygenase 1 [HO-1], interleukin 10 [IL-10], and
      haptoglobin) in kidney cells. To test this hypothesis, CD-1 mice received 1 mg of
      N-Mgb and 1 MUmol of SnPP, either alone or in combination. Renal cortical HO-1,
      haptoglobin, and IL-10 gene expressions (messenger RNA [mRNA], protein levels)
      were determined 4 and 18 hours later. Cytoresistance to 3 forms of acute kidney
      injury (AKI; glycerol-induced rhabdomyolysis, maleate nephrotoxicity, and
      postischemic AKI progression to chronic kidney disease [CKD]) was assessed. To
      ascertain whether cytoresistance might emerge in extrarenal organs, hepatic HO-1,
      IL-10, and haptoglobin levels were also measured, and resistance to 25 minutes of
      hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury and hepatotoxicity (intraperitoneal glycerol
      injection) was sought. N-Mgb + SnPP induced additive or synergistic increases in
      renal HO-1, haptoglobin, and IL-10 mRNA and protein levels (up to 20-fold)
      without inducing any apparent renal or extrarenal damage. After 18 hours of post
      treatment, marked or complete protection against glycerol-induced AKI, maleate
      induced AKI, and postischemic AKI progression to CKD had emerged. Combined N-Mgb
      + SnPP was more protective than either agent alone (assessed in glycerol model).
      N-Mgb + SnPP also upregulated cytoprotective pathways in liver and induced marked
      protection against both hepatic ischemia-reperfusion and toxic liver damage. In
      conclusion, we posit that "preconditioning" with combined administration of N-Mgb
      + SnPP represents a promising approach for protecting against diverse forms of
      renal and nonrenal (hepatic) forms of tissue damage.

PMID- 26117290
TI  - Angiogenic factors and inflammation in steroid-refractory acute graft-vs-host
      disease.
AB  - Steroid-refractory acute graft-vs-host disease (aGVHD) remains a frequent and
      often fatal complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Recent
      evidence suggests that angiogenic factors-growth factors that contribute to blood
      vessel development-may be involved in tissue healing and restitution after
      inflammatory insults such as aGVHD. However, some angiogenic factors may also be
      involved in inflammation and worsen clinical outcomes. In this review, we
      summarize the data relevant to angiogenic factors that may contribute to healing
      after aGVHD (epidermal growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor A)
      and angiogenic factors that may promote inflammation after aGVHD (placental
      growth factor and follistatin). It is currently unknown whether changes in these
      factors are a cause or a consequence of aGVHD. Mechanistic studies in the coming
      years will clarify their roles and identify new pathways for improving outcomes
      in steroid-refractory aGVHD.

PMID- 26117291
TI  - Long term effect and allergic sensitization in newly employed workers in
      laboratory animal facilities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify targets predicting allergic
      sensitization to laboratory animals using shift in skin prick test to laboratory
      animals as primary outcome variable. METHODS: In a prospective longitudinal
      study, personnel who were employed to work with laboratory animals at a medical
      university were investigated before and 6, 12 and 24 month after the start of
      employment. Lung function, bronchial challenges, exhaled NO and nasal lavage were
      performed and blood samples were drawn at all visits. RESULTS: Seventy subjects
      attended all four visits and 13 (19%) became sensitized to laboratory animals
      during the two years of follow up. Lung function (VC and FEV1) deteriorated and
      blood levels of eosinophils and IL-2 producing lymphocytes increased after 24
      months. An increased risk of developing laboratory animal allergy was
      significantly associated with female sex, atopy, symptoms associated with
      exposure to laboratory animals, low proportion of blood CD4+ cells, specific IgE
      to rat and mouse and high total IgE when starting to work with laboratory
      animals. CONCLUSIONS: A sensitization rate of 19% in 2 years, were demonstrated
      in laboratory animal workers. Atopy, increased total and specific IgE levels (rat
      and mouse) were the strongest predictors for laboratory animal sensitization. The
      progressive lung function impairment over time, observed in the whole study
      population may indicate that exposure in animal facilities induces harmful
      effects, irrespective to allergic sensitization.

PMID- 26117293
TI  - Tunable synthesis of single-crystalline-like TiO2 mesocrystals and their
      application as effective scattering layer in dye-sensitized solar cells.
AB  - Single-crystalline-like TiO2 mesocrystals (TMCs) with spherical and spindle-like
      shapes were selectively prepared in acetic acid system using benzoic acid as
      structural directing regent. It was found that the intermediate butyl-benzoic
      acid could interval the oriented assembly of the primary nanoparticles as porogen
      and shape regulator, which results in spherical TMCs with greater pore size
      distribution compared with the spindle-like TMCs. When used as scattering layer
      in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the spherical TMCs with long-range ordered
      stacking pattern results in characteristic photonic reflection, which enhances
      the scattering effect of the photoanode and leads to a high short circuit current
      density of 16.6 mA cm(-2). Therefore, Cell-spherical TMCs demonstrated a high
      power conversion efficiencies of 8.10%, indicating substantial improvements
      compared with Cell-spindle-like TMCs (7.58%) and Cell-nanoparticle (6.59%).

PMID- 26117292
TI  - Efficacy and safety of umeclidinium added to fluticasone furoate/vilanterol in
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Results of two randomized studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of these studies (NCT01957163; NCT02119286) was to evaluate
      the efficacy and safety of umeclidinium (UMEC 62.5 MUg and 125 MUg) added to
      fluticasone furoate/vilanterol (FF/VI, 100/25 MUg) in chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: These were 12-week, double-blind, placebo
      controlled, parallel-group, multicenter studies. Eligible patients were
      randomized 1:1:1 to treatment with once-daily blinded UMEC 62.5 MUg (delivering
      55 MUg), UMEC 125 MUg (delivering 113 MUg) or placebo (PBO) added to open-label
      FF/VI (delivering 92/22 MUg; N = 1238 [intent-to-treat population]). The primary
      endpoint was trough forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) on Day 85; the
      secondary endpoint was 0-6 h post-dose weighted mean (WM) FEV1 at Day 84. Health
      related quality of life was reported using St George's respiratory questionnaire
      (SGRQ). Adverse events (AEs) were also assessed. RESULTS: In both studies, trough
      FEV1 was significantly improved with UMEC + FF/VI (62.5 MUg and 125 MUg) versus
      PBO + FF/VI (range: 0.111-0.128 L, all p < 0.001 [Day 85]), as was 0-6 h post
      dose WM FEV1 (range: 0.135-0.153 L, all p < 0.001 [Day 84]). SGRQ results were
      inconsistent, with statistically significant improvements with UMEC + FF/VI
      versus PBO + FF/VI in one study only and with UMEC 62.5 MUg only (difference in
      SGRQ total score from baseline between treatments: -2.16, p < 0.05). Across all
      treatment groups, the overall incidences of AEs were similar (30-39%), as were
      cardiovascular AEs of special interest (<1-3%) and pneumonia AEs (0-1%).
      CONCLUSION: Overall, the addition of UMEC to FF/VI therapy resulted in
      significant improvements in lung function compared with PBO + FF/VI in patients
      with COPD, with similar safety profiles, though SGRQ results were inconsistent.
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The results from these two studies demonstrate that the
      addition of umeclidinium (62.5 MUg and 125 MUg) to FF/VI (100/25 MUg) provides
      statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in lung function
      compared with placebo + FF/VI in patients with COPD. Statistically significant
      improvements in quality of life with UMEC + FF/VI versus placebo + FF/VI were
      reported in one study only. Safety profiles were consistent across all treatment
      groups in both studies. These studies support the use of triple therapy in COPD,
      providing physicians with an alternative treatment option.

PMID- 26117294
TI  - Adsorption of nucleotides on biomimetic apatite: The case of cytidine 5'
      monophosphate (CMP).
AB  - The chemical interaction between DNA macromolecules and hard tissues in
      vertebrate is of foremost importance in paleogenetics, as bones and teeth
      represent a major substrate for the genetic material after cell death. Recently,
      the empirical hypothesis of DNA "protection" over time thanks to its adsorption
      on hard tissues was revisited from a physico-chemical viewpoint. In particular,
      the existence of a strong interaction between phosphate groups of DNA backbone
      and the surface of apatite nanocrystals (mimicking bone/dentin mineral) was
      evidenced on an experimental basis. In the field of nanomedicine, DNA or RNA can
      be used for gene transport into cells, and apatite nanocarriers then appear
      promising. In order to shed some more light on interactions between DNA molecules
      and apatite, the present study focuses on the adsorption of a "model" nucleotide,
      cytidine 5' monophosphate (CMP), on a carbonated biomimetic apatite sample. The
      follow-up of CMP kinetics of adsorption pointed out the rapidity of interaction
      with stabilization reached within few minutes. The adsorption isotherm could be
      realistically fitted to the Sips model (Langmuir-Freundlich) suggesting the
      influence of surface heterogeneities and adsorption cooperativity in the
      adsorption process. The desorption study pointed out the reversible character of
      CMP adsorption on biomimetic apatite. This contribution is intended to prove
      helpful in view of better apprehending the molecular interaction of DNA fragments
      and apatite compounds, independently of the application domain, such as bone
      diagenesis or nanomedicine. This study may also appear informative for
      researchers interested in the origins of life on Earth and the occurrence and
      behavior of primitive biomolecules. 

PMID- 26117296
TI  - Avoiding Complications in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.
AB  - Complications of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) can range from the mundane to the
      catastrophic, with nasal hemorrhage being the most common. Intraorbital and
      intracranial complications are much less common. Despite the rarity of
      complications, they are often avoidable. Certain identifiable risk factors can be
      appreciated during the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative
      evaluations of the sinus patient. With awareness of these risk factors the
      rhinologist can develop a strategic plan of risk factor mitigation. This article
      identifies areas of increased risk that are amenable to preventive strategies
      before complications become realized. 

PMID- 26117295
TI  - Speckle-Tracking Echocardiographic Measures of Right Ventricular Function
      Correlate With Improvement in Exercise Function After Percutaneous Pulmonary
      Valve Implantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Speckle-tracking echocardiographic (STE) measures of right
      ventricular (RV) function appear to improve after transcatheter pulmonary valve
      implantation (TPVI). Measures of exercise function, such as ventilatory
      efficiency (the minute ventilation [VE]/carbon dioxide production [VCO2] slope),
      have been shown to be prognostic of mortality in patients who may require TPVI.
      The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between STE measures of RV
      function and changes in VE/VCO2 after TPVI. METHODS: Speckle-tracking
      echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing were performed at baseline
      and 6 months after TPVI in 24 patients from four centers. Conventional
      echocardiographic measures of RV function were also assessed. Echocardiographic
      and exercise stress test results were interpreted by single blinded observers at
      separate core laboratories. RESULTS: All patients demonstrated relief of
      pulmonary regurgitation and stenosis after TPVI. Improvements in RV longitudinal
      strain (-16.9 +/- 3.5% vs -19.7 +/- 4.3%, P < .01) and strain rate (-0.9 +/- 0.4
      vs. -1.2 +/- 0.4 s(-1), P < .01) were noted. The VE/VCO2 slope improved (32.4 +/-
      5.7 vs 31.5 +/- 8.8, P = .03). No other significant echocardiographic or exercise
      changes were found. On multivariate regression, the change in VE/VCO2 was
      independently associated with change in RV longitudinal early diastolic strain
      rate (P < .001) and tricuspid A velocity (P < .001). Preintervention RV
      longitudinal strain was found to be a predictor of change in VE/VCO2 after TPVI
      (r = -0.60, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: STE measures of RV function appear to hold
      the potential for use as predictors of improved outcomes in patients requiring
      TPVI. Future studies should directly assess the prognostic significance of STE
      measures of RV function in this population.

PMID- 26117297
TI  - Medicolegal Implications of Common Rhinologic Medications.
AB  - As otolaryngologists, we prescribe many medications to our patients. The
      objective of this article is to review the potential side effects and medicolegal
      risks of the common medications used to treat chronic rhinosinusitis. The authors
      evaluate some of the common side effects as well as the published literature on
      the lawsuits associated with those medications. Finally, the authors review the
      informed consent discussion and opportunities to improve patient care and
      decrease the risk of litigation. 

PMID- 26117298
TI  - Olfaction in Endoscopic Sinus and Skull Base Surgery.
AB  - Olfactory dysfunction is a common complaint for patients with chronic
      rhinosinusitis, because smell loss decreases a patient's quality of life. Smell
      loss is caused by obstruction from polyps, nasal discharge, and mucosal edema, as
      well as inflammatory changes within the olfactory epithelium. Addressing
      olfaction before endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery is important in order to
      set postoperative expectations, because an improvement in smell is difficult to
      predict. Several commercially available olfactory testing measures are available
      and can easily be administered in clinic. During surgery, careful dissection
      within the olfactory cleft is recommended in order to optimize postoperative
      olfactory function. 

PMID- 26117299
TI  - Imaging of the Paranasal Sinuses: Mitigation, Identification, and Workup of
      Functional Endoscopic Surgery Complications.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to identify and define the appropriate imaging
      techniques in the evaluation of post-functional endoscopic surgery (FESS)
      complications. Although most complications encountered during FESS are identified
      readily during surgery, some are less conspicuous and require postoperative
      imaging. As illustrated in this article, these include cerebrospinal fluid leak,
      vascular injury, brain injury, orbital injury, and infectious complications of
      the brain and meninges. Some of the common anatomic variants of the paranasal
      sinuses are identified, and how these may predispose to surgical complications is
      discussed. 

PMID- 26117300
TI  - Rare and Other Notable Complications in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.
AB  - This article focuses on the rare and obscure complications of endoscopic sinus
      surgery. The majority of surgeons will not encounter these complications in their
      practice, but should be aware of their possibility. With knowledge of these rare
      complications, the surgeon can understand the possible avoidance as well as
      urgent management of these problems. 

PMID- 26117301
TI  - Orbital Complications Associated with the Treatment of Chronic Rhinosinusitis.
AB  - Orbital injuries from endoscopic sinus surgery are rare but potentially
      catastrophic. The most feared complications from sinus surgery include blindness
      and diplopia. Recent publications note that the rate of orbital complications has
      decreased when compared with the past, reflecting the use of endoscopes, better
      technology, and improved training. The sinus surgeon must have mastery over the
      procedure she or he plans to undertake and be aware of the specific potential for
      orbital injury given the patient's anatomy and disease. The sinus surgeon must
      also have expert knowledge of the appropriate and immediate medical and surgical
      management of orbital complications. 

PMID- 26117302
TI  - Pitfalls in Sinus Surgery: An Overview of Complications.
AB  - There is a potential for significant complications from the medical and surgical
      treatment of rhinosinusitis because of the intimate relationship between the
      paranasal sinuses and surrounding vital structures. Familiarity with the complex
      anatomic relationships between the skull base and other critical structures and
      knowledge of pharmacologic properties of commonly used medical therapies are
      essential for preventing serious and harmful seqsuelae. The authors hope that
      this review represents a valuable addition to the otolaryngologist-in-training's
      therapeutic armamentarium, and also serves as a reminder of the potential
      pitfalls for the experienced sinus surgeon. 

PMID- 26117303
TI  - Outcome of pancreaticoduodenectomy in octogenarians: Single institution's
      experience and review of the literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pancreatic and perampullary neoplasms in patients aged 80 or older
      trouble the surgeons because of the risk of surgical treatment. We have reviewed
      our experience and literature's reports of pancreaticoduodenectomy in
      octogenarians, evaluating early results and long-term survival in pancreatic
      cancer group. METHODS: Three hundred eighty-five patients who underwent
      pancreaticoduodenectomy for neoplasms from 1998 to 2011 were included in the
      study, and were divided in two groups: group 1, patients younger than 80 years of
      age, and group 2, patients 80 years of age and older. Operative morbidity,
      mortality, disease-free and long-term survival were analysed. English literature
      was systematically searched for pancreatic resection's outcome in octogenarians.
      RESULTS: There were 385 pancreaticoduodenectomies: 362 patients were in group 1
      and 23 patients in group 2. There was no significant difference regarding gender,
      and pathologic findings between the two groups. Complications' rate (40 vs. 43%),
      mortality rate (4% vs. 0%), and overall median survival for pancreatic cancer
      patients were not statistically different in the two groups (median 21 vs. 19
      months). Literature's review showed 14 reports of pancreatic resection in
      octogenarians. Most of the studies (particularly in centres with high-volume
      pancreatic surgery) showed that outcome after pancreatectomy was not different in
      octogenarians or in younger patients. CONCLUSION: Pancreaticoduodenectomy is an
      acceptable option for elderly patients. Age alone should not be considered a
      contraindication to major pancreatic resection, but a careful preoperative
      evaluation and an accurate postoperative management are mandatory.

PMID- 26117305
TI  - Zinc affects the proteolytic stability of Apolipoprotein E in an isoform
      dependent way.
AB  - The pathological role of zinc in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not yet fully
      elucidated, but there is strong evidence that zinc homeostasis is impaired in the
      AD brain and that this contributes to disease pathogenesis. In this study we
      examined the effects of zinc on the proteolysis of synthetic Apolipoprotein E
      (ApoE), a protein whose allelic variants differentially contribute to the
      onset/progression of disease. We have demonstrated that zinc promotes the
      proteolysis (using plasma kallikrein, thrombin and chymotrypsin) of synthetic
      ApoE in an isoform-specific way (E4>E2 and E3), resulting in more ApoE fragments,
      particularly for ApoE4. In the absence of exogenous proteases there was no effect
      of metal modulation on either lipidated or non-lipidated ApoE isoforms. Thus,
      increased zinc in the complex milieu of the ageing and AD brain could reduce the
      level of normal full-length ApoE and increase other forms that are involved in
      neurodegeneration. We further examined human plasma samples from people with
      different ApoE genotypes. Consistent with previous studies, plasma ApoE levels
      varied according to different genotypes, with ApoE2 carriers showing the highest
      total ApoE levels and ApoE4 carriers the lowest. The levels of plasma ApoE were
      not affected by either the addition of exogenous metals (copper, zinc or iron) or
      by chelation. Taken together, our study reveals that zinc may contribute to the
      pathogenesis of AD by affecting the proteolysis of ApoE, which to some extent
      explains why APOE4 carriers are more susceptible to AD. 

PMID- 26117304
TI  - The impact of a parkinsonian lesion on dynamic striatal dopamine transmission
      depends on nicotinic receptor activation.
AB  - Dopamine function is disturbed in Parkinson's disease (PD), but whether and how
      release of dopamine from surviving neurons is altered has long been debated.
      Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) on dopamine axons powerfully govern
      dopamine release and could be critical contributing factors. We revisited whether
      fundamental properties of dopamine transmission are changed in a parkinsonian
      brain and tested the potentially profound masking effects of nAChRs. Using real
      time detection of dopamine in mouse striatum after a partial 6-hydroxydopamine
      lesion and under nAChR inhibition, we reveal that dopamine signals show
      diminished sensitivity to presynaptic activity. This effect manifested as
      diminished contrast between DA release evoked by the lowest versus highest
      frequencies. This reduced activity-dependence was underpinned by loss of short
      term facilitation of dopamine release, consistent with an increase in release
      probability (Pr). With nAChRs active, the reduced activity-dependence of dopamine
      release after a parkinsonian lesion was masked. Consequently, moment-by-moment
      variation in activity of nAChRs may lead to dynamic co-variation in dopamine
      signal impairments in PD. 

PMID- 26117306
TI  - An 11,000-isolate same plate/same day comparison of the 3 most widely used
      platforms for analyzing multidrug-resistant clinical pathogens.
AB  - Stewardship of the dwindling number of effective antibiotics relies on accurate
      phenotyping. We sought to conduct the first large-scale, same plate and day
      comparison of the 3 most widely used bacterial analyzers. A total of 11,020
      multidrug-resistant clinical isolates corresponding to more than 485,000 data
      points were used to compare the 3 major identification and antibiotic
      susceptibility testing (AST) platforms. Bacterial suspensions, prepared from a
      single plate, were simultaneously tested on all platforms in the same laboratory.
      Discrepancies were derived from MIC values using 2014 interpretive guidelines.
      Molecular methods and manual microbroth dilution were reference standards. Most
      discrepancies were due to drug-organism-AST platform combination instead of
      individual factors. MicroScan misidentified Acinetobacter baumannii (P<0.001) and
      underestimated carbapenem susceptibility in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Vitek-2 and
      Phoenix had higher discrepancies for blaKPC-containing Enterobacteriaceae
      (P<0.05) and reported false susceptibilities more often. While all platforms
      performed according to standards, each had strengths and weaknesses for organism
      identification, assaying specific drug-organism combinations and inferring
      carbapenemase production. 

PMID- 26117307
TI  - Differential expression of Marek's disease virus (MDV) late proteins during in
      vitro and in situ replication: role for pUL47 in regulation of the MDV UL46-UL49
      gene locus.
AB  - Marek's disease virus (MDV) is a lymphotropic alphaherpesvirus that replicates in
      a highly cell-associated manner in vitro. Production of infectious cell-free
      virus only occurs in feather follicle epithelial (FFE) cells of infected chicken
      skins. Previously, we described differential expression for a core
      alphaherpesvirus protein, pUL47 that was found to be abundantly expressed in FFE
      cells of infected chickens, while barely detectable during in vitro propagation.
      Here, we further examined the dynamics of expression of four tegument proteins
      within the UL46-49 locus during in vitro and in situ replication. All four
      proteins examined were expressed abundantly in situ, whereas both pUL47 and pUL48
      expression were barely detectable in vitro. Replacement of the putative UL47 and
      UL48 promoters with the minimal cytomegalovirus promoter enhanced mRNA and
      protein expression in vitro. Interestingly, enhanced expression of pUL47 resulted
      in increased UL46, UL48, and UL49 transcripts that resulted in increased pUL46
      and pUL48 expression.

PMID- 26117309
TI  - Measurement of catecholamines in rat and mini-pig plasma and urine by liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry coupled with solid phase extraction.
AB  - A tandem mass spectrometry method combined with an ion-pair chromatographic
      separation after weak cation exchange solid phase sample extraction for
      epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) has been developed. Two
      surrogate matrixes for plasma and urine as well as stable isotope labeled
      internal standards were utilized for quantitation. The observed dynamic range of
      E, NE and DA was 0.025-100ng/ml for plasma, and 0.25-1000ng/ml for urine with a
      r(2) regression coefficient >0.99. Extraction recoveries were greater than 60%
      and the lower limit of quantitation was 25pg/ml for all three analytes in plasma.
      This method provided excellent sensitivity and selectivity for use with small
      sample volumes (<=25uL), enabling high-throughput pharmacodynamic animal model
      development and screening of adverse effects. 

PMID- 26117308
TI  - A Prospective 5-Year Re-examination of Alcohol Response in Heavy Drinkers
      Progressing in Alcohol Use Disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The main neurobiological theories of the development of addiction,
      including tolerance, sensitization, incentive-sensitization, and allostasis, have
      not been tested in longitudinal human alcohol response research. To address this
      issue, we conducted the first controlled prospective investigation of subjective
      and neuroendocrine responses to alcohol measured over a 5-year interval in at
      risk young adult heavy drinkers (HD) and light drinker control subjects. METHODS:
      Participants were 156 individuals, 86 heavy drinkers and 70 light drinkers,
      undergoing an initial oral alcohol challenge testing (.8 g/kg alcohol vs.
      placebo) and an identical re-examination testing 5 to 6 years later. Alcohol use
      disorder (AUD) symptoms and drinking behaviors were assessed in the interim
      follow-up period. RESULTS: At re-examination, HD continued to exhibit higher
      sensitivity on alcohol's stimulating and rewarding effects with lower sensitivity
      to sedative effects and cortisol reactivity, relative to light drinkers. In HD
      with high AUD symptom trajectories over follow-up, heightened alcohol stimulation
      and reward persisted at re-examination. HD with low AUD symptoms showed reduced
      alcohol stimulation over time and lower reward throughout compared with the HD
      with high and intermediate AUD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the early
      stage phase of the allostasis model, with persistently heightened reward
      sensitivity and stimulation in heavy drinkers exhibiting AUD progression in early
      mid-adulthood. While there are multiple pathways to development of a disorder as
      complex as AUD, maintenance of alcohol stimulatory and rewarding effects may play
      an important role in the continuation and progression of alcohol addiction.

PMID- 26117310
TI  - Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study of camellianin A and its major
      metabolite in rats by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - Camellianin A is a major active constituent of Adinandra nitida. A LC-MS/MS
      method for the determination of camellianin A and its metabolite (camellianin B)
      in rat plasma and tissues was developed and applied to a pharmacokinetics and
      tissue distribution study. Samples were separated on a Waters HSS T3 column with
      a mobile phase consisted of methanol and water (containing 0.1% formic acid).
      MS/MS detection was carried out on a triple-quadruple mass spectrometer under
      negative ESI mode. Pharmacokinetics study showed that camellianin A was rapidly
      eliminated with a t1/2 of 92.6+/-41.4h and CL of 3.19+/-0.471L/min/kg.
      Additionally, camellianin A showed a low oral bioavailability of 2.99% and a
      narrow tissue distribution; however, camellianin B was proved to have a wide
      tissue distribution with brain penetration. The data presented in this study
      provides useful information for the further applications of A. nitida and
      camellianin A. 

PMID- 26117311
TI  - Protocols for studies of intraocular lens formula accuracy.

PMID- 26117312
TI  - Establishing correlations in the en-mass migration of dermal fibroblasts on
      oriented fibrillar scaffolds.
AB  - Wound healing proceeds via fibroblast migration along three dimensional fibrillar
      substrates with multiple angles between fibers. We have developed a technique for
      preparation of three dimensional fibrillar scaffolds with where the fiber
      diameters and the angles between adjacent fiber layers could be precisely
      controlled. Using the agarose droplet method we were able to make accurate
      determinations of the dependence of the migration speed, focal adhesion
      distribution, and nuclear deformation on the fiber diameter, fiber spacing, and
      angle between adjacent fiber layers. We found that on oriented single fiber
      layers, whose diameters exceeded 1 MUm, large focal adhesion complexes formed in
      a linear arrangement along the fiber axis and cell motion was highly correlated.
      On multi layered scaffolds most of the focal adhesion sites reformed at the
      junction points and the migration speed was determined by the angle between
      adjacent fiber layers, which followed a parabolic function with a minimum at 30
      degrees . On these surfaces we observed a 25% increase in the number of focal
      adhesion points and a similar decrease in the degree of nuclear deformation, both
      phenomena associated with decreased mobility. These results underscore the
      importance of substrate morphology on the en-mass migration dynamics. STATEMENT
      OF SIGNIFICANCE: En-mass fibroblast migration is an essential component of the
      wound healing process which can determine rate and scar formation. Yet, most
      publications on this topic have focused on single cell functions. Here we
      describe a new apparatus where we designed three dimensional fibrillar scaffolds
      with well controlled angles between junction points and highly oriented fiber
      geometries. We show that the motion of fibroblasts undergoing en-mass migration
      on these scaffolds can be controlled by the substrate topography. Significant
      differences in cell morphology and focal adhesions was found to exist between
      cells migrating on flat versus fibrillar scaffolds where the migration speed was
      found to be a function of the angle between fibers, the fiber diameter, and the
      distance between fibers.

PMID- 26117313
TI  - Designing a fibrotic microenvironment to investigate changes in human liver
      sinusoidal endothelial cell function.
AB  - The deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins by hepatic cells during
      fibrosis leads to the stiffening of the organ and perturbed cellular functions.
      Changes in the elasticity of liver tissue are manifested by altered phenotype in
      hepatic cells. We have investigated changes in human liver sinusoidal endothelial
      cells (hLSECs) that occur as the elastic modulus of their matrix transitions from
      healthy (6kPa) to fibrotic (36kPa) conditions. We have also investigated the role
      played by Kupffer cells in the dedifferentiation of hLSECs. We report the
      complete loss of fenestrae and the expression of CD31 at the surface as a result
      of increasing elastic moduli. LSECs exhibited a greater number of actin stress
      fibers and vinculin focal adhesion on the stiffer substrate, as well. A novel
      finding is that these identical trends can be obtained on soft (6kPa) substrates
      by introducing an inflamed microenvironment through the addition of Kupffer
      cells. hLSEC monocultures on 6kPa gels exhibited fenestrae that were 140.7+/
      52.6nm in diameter as well as a lack of surface CD31 expression. Co-culturing
      hLSECs with rat Kupffer cells (rKCs) on 6kPa substrates, resulted in the complete
      loss of fenestrae, an increase in CD31 expression and in a well-organized
      cytoskeleton. These results demonstrate that the increasing stiffness of liver
      matrices does not solely result in changes in hLSEC phenotype. Even on soft
      substrates, culturing hLSECs in an inflamed microenvironment can result in their
      dedifferentiation. Our findings demonstrate the interplay between matrix
      elasticity and inflammation in the progression of hepatic fibrosis. 

PMID- 26117315
TI  - Pretreatment body mass index and head and neck cancer outcome: A review of the
      literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of overweight and obesity defined as BMI>=25kg/m(2) is
      increasing, also among head and neck cancer patients. It is unknown whether the
      presence of high BMI influences disease-related mortality, overall survival and
      recurrence in these patients. METHODS: We reviewed available literature using
      Pubmed and Web of Science. Human observational studies were included if they
      reported the impact of high BMI on mortality, recurrence or survival for head and
      neck cancer. RESULTS: Eleven full articles and two abstracts met the inclusion
      criteria: six prospective and seven retrospective cohort studies, which comprised
      8.306 patients. Patients with higher BMI had increased overall survival and
      decreased disease-related mortality and recurrence rate compared with underweight
      and normal weight patients. Most studies were adjusted for potentially
      confounding variables, such as stage of disease and smoking habits. CONCLUSION:
      High BMI is associated with a better outcome in head and neck cancer.

PMID- 26117314
TI  - Language and affective facial expression in children with perinatal stroke.
AB  - Children with perinatal stroke (PS) provide a unique opportunity to understand
      developing brain-behavior relations. Previous research has noted distinctive
      differences in behavioral sequelae between children with PS and adults with
      acquired stroke: children fare better, presumably due to the plasticity of the
      developing brain for adaptive reorganization. Whereas we are beginning to
      understand language development, we know little about another communicative
      domain, emotional expression. The current study investigates the use and
      integration of language and facial expression during an interview. As
      anticipated, the language performance of the five and six year old PS group is
      comparable to their typically developing (TD) peers, however, their affective
      profiles are distinctive: those with right hemisphere injury are less expressive
      with respect to affective language and affective facial expression than either
      those with left hemisphere injury or TD group. The two distinctive profiles for
      language and emotional expression in these children suggest gradients of
      neuroplasticity in the developing brain. 

PMID- 26117317
TI  - The antioxidant function of sestrins is mediated by promotion of autophagic
      degradation of Keap1 and Nrf2 activation and by inhibition of mTORC1.
AB  - Sestrins 1 to 3 constitute a family of proteins that are induced in mammalian
      cells in response to environmental stressors. Despite their apparent lack of
      intrinsic catalytic antioxidant activity, Sestrins protect cells from oxidative
      stress by lowering intracellular levels of H2O2. Here we review the mechanisms by
      which various types of cellular stress induce Sestrin gene transcription as well
      as those underlying the antioxidant function of these proteins. Several
      transcriptional factors, including p53, HIF-1, FoxO, C/EBP-beta, ATF4, Nrf2, and
      PGC-1alpha, contribute directly to the transcriptional activation of Sestrin
      genes in response to various types of stress. The antioxidant function of
      Sestrins is mediated by two main pathways. In one pathway, Sestrins promote the
      p62-dependent autophagic degradation of Keap1 and thereby upregulate Nrf2
      signaling and the consequent expression of genes for antioxidant enzymes. In the
      second pathway, Sestrins block mTORC1 activation and thereby attenuate reactive
      oxygen species accumulation. This inhibition of mTORC1 activity is achieved
      either via the AMPK-dependent phosphorylation and activation of TSC2 and
      consequent inhibition of the GTPase Rheb or via inhibition of the GTPase Rag and
      consequent prevention of the lysosomal localization of mTORC1 triggered by amino
      acids. Elucidation of how these pathways operate individually or cooperatively
      under different stress conditions awaits further study. 

PMID- 26117316
TI  - PEGylated ceria nanoparticles used for radioprotection on human liver cells under
      gamma-ray irradiation.
AB  - Ceria nanoparticles (CNPs) have recently been shown to protect cells and animals
      from radiation-induced damage. However, most of the CNPs used in previous studies
      were either naked or weakly protected by surfactants, which inevitably encounter
      many obstacles in biological applications. Here, alendronate was used as an ideal
      anchor to graft polyethylene glycol (PEG) onto CNPs, leading to enhanced
      stability, reduced cytotoxicity, and improved biological properties. Further
      investigation assessed the protective ability of the nanoparticles against
      radiation-induced effects for human normal liver cells (L-02), indicating that
      the PEGylated CNPs (CNPs-AL-PEG) were more efficient than naked CNPs. We
      determined that enhanced Ce(3+)/Ce(4+) ratios improved intracellular dispersion
      and that the ameliorated intracellular distribution of CNPs-AL-PEG contributes to
      the elevated expression of SOD2, which leads to increased protection of normal
      cells against ROS and reduces the oxidatively generated DNA damage. These studies
      hold tremendous promise for radioprotection and biological applications. 

PMID- 26117318
TI  - Functional polymorphisms in Nrf2: implications for human disease.
AB  - Nuclear factor (erythroid derived)-2 like 2 (NFE2L2), also known as nuclear
      factor erythroid 2 (NF-E2)-related factor 2 (Nrf2), is a ubiquitous transcription
      factor essential for protecting cells and tissues from oxidative stress-induced
      injury. Positional cloning and studies with Nrf2 knockout mice have identified
      important roles for this transcription factor in disease phenotypes for many
      organ systems. Studies have also characterized the means through which human Nrf2
      is regulated and the mechanisms of interaction with antioxidant response elements
      (ARE) in promoters of effector genes. Moreover, single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) in Nrf2 have been identified and evaluated for effects on gene expression
      and function, and translational investigations have sought to determine whether
      loss of function SNPs associate with disease progression. In this review, we
      present 1) an overview of the human Nrf2 gene and protein domain, 2)
      identification of genetic mutations in Nrf2 and associations of the mutations
      with multiple diseases, and 3) the role of somatic mutations in Nrf2 in diseases,
      primarily various cancers. 

PMID- 26117319
TI  - Thioredoxin-1/peroxiredoxin-1 as sensors of oxidative stress mediated by NADPH
      oxidase activity in atherosclerosis.
AB  - To assess the potential association between TRX-1/PRX-1 and NADPH oxidase (Nox)
      activity in vivo and in vitro, TRX-1/PRX-1 levels were assessed by ELISA in 84
      asymptomatic subjects with known phagocytic NADPH oxidase activity and carotid
      intima-media thickness (IMT). We found a positive correlation between TRX-1/PRX-1
      and NADPH oxidase-dependent superoxide production (r=0.48 and 0.47; p<0.001 for
      both) and IMT (r=0.31 and 0.36; p<0.01 for both) adjusted by age and sex.
      Moreover, asymptomatic subjects with plaques have higher PRX-1 and TRX plasma
      levels (p<0.01 for both). These data were confirmed in a second study in which
      patients with carotid atherosclerosis showed higher PRX-1 and TRX plasma levels
      than healthy subjects (p<0.001 for both). In human atherosclerotic plaques, the
      NADPH oxidase subunit p22phox colocalized with TRX-1/PRX-1 in macrophages
      (immunohistochemistry). In monocytes and macrophages, phorbol 12-myristate 13
      acetate (PMA) induced NADPH activation and TRX-1/PRX-1 release to the
      extracellular medium, with a concomitant decrease in their intracellular levels,
      which was reversed by the NADPH inhibitor apocynin (Western blot). In loss-of
      function experiments, genetic silencing of the NADPH oxidase subunit Nox2 blocked
      PMA-induced intracellular TRX-1/PRX-1 downregulation in macrophages. Furthermore,
      the PMA-induced release of TRX-1/PRX-1 involves the modulation of their redox
      status and exosome-like vesicles. TRX-1/PRX-1 levels are associated with NADPH
      oxidase-activity in vivo and in vitro. These data could suggest a coordinated
      antioxidant response to oxidative stress in atherothrombosis. 

PMID- 26117321
TI  - Role of Nrf2 in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
AB  - Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the vascular arterial walls.
      A number of studies have revealed the biological and genetic bases of
      atherosclerosis, and over 100 genes influence atherosclerosis development. Nrf2
      plays an important role in oxidative stress response and drug metabolism, but the
      Nrf2 signaling pathway is closely associated with atherosclerosis development.
      During atherosclerosis progression, Nrf2 signaling modulates many physiological
      and pathophysiological processes, such as lipid homeostasis regulation, foam cell
      formation, macrophage polarization, redox regulation and inflammation.
      Interestingly, Nrf2 exhibits both pro- and anti-atherogenic effects in
      experimental animal models. These observations make the Nrf2 pathway a promising
      target to prevent atherosclerosis. 

PMID- 26117320
TI  - Epigenetic regulation of Keap1-Nrf2 signaling.
AB  - The kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1)-nuclear factor erythroid 2
      related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling axis serves as a "master regulator" in response
      to oxidative/electrophilic stresses and chemical insults through the coordinated
      induction of a wide array of cytoprotective genes. Therefore, activation of Nrf2
      is considered to be an important approach for preventing chronic diseases
      triggered by stresses and toxins, including cancer. Despite extensive studies
      suggested that the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway is subject to multiple layers of
      regulation at the transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels,
      the potential epigenetic regulation of Nrf2 and Keap1 has begun to be recognized
      only in recent years. Epigenetic modifications, heritable alterations in gene
      expression that occur without changes in the primary DNA sequence, have been
      reported to be profoundly involved in oxidative stress responses. In this review,
      we discuss the latest findings regarding the epigenetic regulation of Keap1-Nrf2
      signaling by DNA methylation, histone modification, and microRNAs. The crosstalk
      among these epigenetic modifications in the regulation of Keap1-Nrf2 signaling
      pathways is also discussed. Studies of the epigenetic modification of Nrf2 and
      Keap1 have not only enhanced our understanding of this complex cellular defense
      system but have also provided potential new therapeutic targets for the
      prevention of certain diseases.

PMID- 26117323
TI  - Molecular hydrogen stabilizes atherosclerotic plaque in low-density lipoprotein
      receptor-knockout mice.
AB  - Hydrogen (H(2)) attenuates the development of atherosclerosis in mouse models. We
      aimed to examine the effects of H(2) on atherosclerotic plaque stability. Low
      density lipoprotein receptor-knockout (LDLR(-/-)) mice fed an atherogenic diet
      were dosed daily with H(2) and/or simvastatin. In vitro studies were carried out
      in an oxidized-LDL (ox-LDL)-stimulated macrophage-derived foam cell model treated
      with or without H(2). H(2) or simvastatin significantly enhanced plaque stability
      by increasing levels of collagen, as well as reducing macrophage and lipid levels
      in plaques. The decreased numbers of dendritic cells and increased numbers of
      regulatory T cells in plaques further supported the stabilizing effect of H(2) or
      simvastatin. Moreover, H(2) treatment decreased serum ox-LDL level and apoptosis
      in plaques with concomitant inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and
      reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in the aorta. In vitro,
      like the ERS inhibitor 4-phenylbutyric acid, H(2) inhibited ox-LDL- or
      tunicamycin (an ERS inducer)-induced ERS response and cell apoptosis. In
      addition, like the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine, H(2) inhibited ox-LDL- or
      Cu(2+) (an ROS inducer)-induced reduction in cell viability and increase in
      cellular ROS. Also, H(2) increased Nrf2 (NF-E2-related factor-2, an important
      factor in antioxidant signaling) activation and Nrf2 small interfering RNA
      abolished the protective effect of H(2) on ox-LDL-induced cellular ROS
      production. The inhibitory effects of H(2) on the apoptosis of macrophage-derived
      foam cells, which take effect by suppressing the activation of the ERS pathway
      and by activating the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway, might lead to an improvement in
      atherosclerotic plaque stability.

PMID- 26117322
TI  - Mechanisms and functions of Nrf2 signaling in Drosophila.
AB  - The Nrf2 transcription factor belongs to the Cap'n'collar family, named after the
      founding member of this group, the product of the Drosophila Cap'n'collar gene.
      The encoded protein, Cap'n'collar, abbreviated Cnc, offers a convenient and
      accessible model to study the structure, function, and biology of Nrf2
      transcription factors at the organismic, tissular, cellular, and molecular
      levels, using the powerful genetic, genomic, and biochemical tools available in
      Drosophila. In this review we provide an account of the original identification
      of Cnc as a regulator of embryonic development. We then describe the discovery of
      Nrf2-like functions of Cnc and its role in acute stress signaling and aging. The
      establishment of Drosophila as a model organism in which the mechanisms and
      functions of Nrf2 signaling can be studied has led to several discoveries: the
      regulation of stem cell activity by an Nrf2-mediated redox mechanism, the
      interaction of Nrf2 with p62 and Myc in the control of tissue growth and the
      unfolded protein response, and more. Several of these more recent lines of
      investigation are highlighted. Model organisms such as the fly and the worm
      remain powerful experimental platforms that can help to unravel the many
      remaining puzzles regarding the role of Nrf2 and its relatives in controlling the
      physiology and maintaining the health of multicellular organisms. 

PMID- 26117326
TI  - Bioinformatics analyses provide insight into distant homology of the Keap1-Nrf2
      pathway.
AB  - An essential requirement for the evolution of early eukaryotic life was the
      development of effective means to protect against metabolic oxidative stress and
      exposure to environmental toxicants. In present-day mammals, the master
      transcription factor Nrf2 regulates basal level homeostasis and inducible
      expression of numerous detoxifying and antioxidant genes. To examine early
      evolution of the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway, we present bioinformatics analyses of
      distant homology of mammalian Keap1 and Nrf2 proteins across the Kingdoms of
      Life. Software written for this analysis is made freely available on-line.
      Furthermore, utilizing protein modeling and virtual screening methods, we
      demonstrate potential for Nrf2 activation by competitive inhibition of its
      binding to Keap1, specifically by UV-protective fungal mycosporines and marine
      mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs). We contend that coevolution of Nrf2
      activating secondary metabolites by fungi and other extant microbiota may provide
      prospective compound leads for the design of new therapeutics to target
      activation of the human Keap1-Nrf2 pathway for treating degenerative diseases of
      ageing. 

PMID- 26117325
TI  - p62 links autophagy and Nrf2 signaling.
AB  - The Nrf2-Keap1-ARE pathway is a redox and xenobiotic sensitive signaling axis
      that functions to protect cells against oxidative stress, environmental
      toxicants, and harmful chemicals through the induction of cytoprotective genes.
      To enforce strict regulation, cells invest a great deal of energy into the
      maintenance of the Nrf2 pathway to ensure rapid induction upon cellular insult
      and rapid return to basal levels once the insult is mitigated. Because of the
      protective role of Nrf2 transcriptional programs, controlled activation of the
      pathway has been recognized as a means for chemoprevention. On the other hand,
      constitutive activation of Nrf2, due to somatic mutations of genes that control
      Nrf2 degradation, promotes carcinogenesis and imparts chemoresistance to cancer
      cells. Autophagy, a bulk protein degradation process, is another tightly
      regulated complex cellular process that functions as a cellular quality control
      system to remove damaged proteins or organelles. Low cellular nutrient levels can
      also activate autophagy, which acts to restore metabolic homeostasis through the
      degradation of macromolecules to provide nutrients. Recently, these two cellular
      pathways were shown to intersect through the direct interaction between p62 (an
      autophagy adaptor protein) and Keap1 (the Nrf2 substrate adaptor for the Cul3 E3
      ubiquitin ligase). Dysregulation of autophagy was shown to result in prolonged
      Nrf2 activation in a p62-dependent manner. In this review, we will discuss the
      progress that has been made in dissecting the intersection of these two pathways
      and the potential tumor-promoting role of prolonged Nrf2 activation. 

PMID- 26117327
TI  - Critical role of peroxiredoxin 6 in the repair of peroxidized cell membranes
      following oxidative stress.
AB  - Phospholipids are a major structural component of all cell membranes; their
      peroxidation represents a severe threat to cellular integrity and their repair is
      important to prevent cell death. Peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6), a protein with both GSH
      peroxidase and phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) activity, plays a critical role in
      antioxidant defense of the lung and other organs. We investigated the role of
      Prdx6 in the repair of peroxidized cell membranes in pulmonary microvascular
      endothelial cells (PMVEC) and isolated mouse lungs treated with tert-butyl
      hydroperoxide and lungs from mice exposed to hyperoxia (100% O(2)). Lipid
      peroxidation was evaluated by measurement of thiobarbituric acid reactive
      substances, oxidation of diphenyl-1-pyrenylphosphine, or ferrous xylenol orange
      assay. The exposure dose was varied to give a similar degree of lipid
      peroxidation at the end of exposure in the different models. Values for lipid
      peroxidation returned to control levels within 2 h after oxidant removal in wild
      type PMVEC and perfused lungs but were unchanged in Pxdx6 null preparations. An
      intermediate degree of repair was observed with PMVEC and lungs that expressed
      only C47S or D140A mutant Prdx6; the former mutant does not have peroxidase
      activity, while the latter loses its PLA(2) activity. Prdx6 null mice showed
      markedly delayed recovery from lipid peroxidation during 20 h observation
      following exposure to hyperoxia. Thus, Prdx6 plays a critical role in the repair
      of peroxidized phospholipids in cell membranes and the recovery of lung cells
      from peroxidative stress; the peroxidase and PLA(2) activity each contribute to
      the recovery process.

PMID- 26117328
TI  - A polyphenolic flavonoid glabridin: Oxidative stress response in multidrug
      resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
AB  - Glabridin a polyphenolic flavonoid from Glycyrrhiza glabra is known to possess
      several therapeutic properties. In the present study, we report for the first
      time the in vitro antibacterial activity (MIC values ranging from 3.12 to 25
      MUg/mL) of glabridin against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of S. aureus
      by inducing oxidative stress. Increased levels of H2O2 and NO were observed in a
      dose-dependent manner after treatment of glabridin that further affected
      macromolecules such as DNA, lipids, and proteins. Surprisingly, glabridin was
      found to possess antioxidant properties when used at lower concentrations using
      three different methods including DPPH, FRAP, and SOD assays. These observations
      were further validated through the expression analysis of oxidative stress
      responsive genes using qRT-PCR wherein glabridin was observed to up- and down
      regulate these genes at lower and higher concentrations, respectively. In in
      vitro combination experiments, glabridin was found to reduce the MIC of different
      antibiotics such as norfloxacin, oxacillin, and vancomycin by up to 4-fold, while
      the MIC of glabridin itself was found to be reduced by up to 8-fold in the
      presence of antibiotics. A synergistic interaction was observed between
      norfloxacin and glabridin when used in combination against multidrug-resistant
      clinical isolate SA 4627 of Staphylococcus aureus at much lower concentrations,
      indicating the suitability of glabridin in combination therapy. 

PMID- 26117329
TI  - Systemic lupus erythematosus onset in lupus-prone B6.MRL/lpr mice Is influenced
      by weight gain and Is preceded by an increase in neutrophil oxidative burst
      activity.
AB  - In this study, we assessed whether weight gain influenced the systemic lupus
      erythematosus (SLE) onset and/or outcome, and examined the role that reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) production by neutrophils played in the SLE onset and/or
      outcome. Female control (C57BL/6) and lupus-prone B6.MRL/lpr mice (CM and LPM,
      respectively) at 4 weeks old were fed standard diet or standard diet plus
      cafeteria diet during 12 weeks. SLE diagnosis relied on the presence of both
      antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and renal abnormalities. We found that the
      percentage of weight gain in CM and LPM increased as a function of the length of
      cafeteria diet feeding period, but it was not associated with energy intake.
      Cafeteria diet-fed CM and LPM at 8 and 12 weeks old were overweight, while CM and
      LPM at 16 weeks old were obese. Compared with standard diet-fed CM and LPM,
      cafeteria diet-fed CM and LPM exhibited elevated glucose and total cholesterol
      levels, and diminished triglycerides levels. Standard diet-fed 16-week-old LPM
      and cafeteria diet-fed 12-week-old LPM had nephritis, characterized by the
      increased interstitial infiltration of leukocytes. Cafeteria diet-induced weight
      gain rose the frequency of homogeneous and speckled ANA staining patterns in the
      12- and 16-week-old LPM groups. Together, these results indicated that weight
      gain anticipated the SLE onset. In addition, neutrophils from cafeteria diet-fed
      8-week-old LPM exhibited augmented ROS production capacity; in standard diet-fed
      LPM, such rise occurred only in the 16-week-old group. Thus, the neutrophil ROS
      production capacity was increased before the SLE onset and during its outcome.
      Overweight and obese CM and LPM displayed elevated levels of kidney, liver,
      heart, and spleen lipid peroxidation. In conclusion, cafeteria diet-induced
      weight gain is associated with the increased production of ANA and neutrophil
      derived ROS, which may contribute to accelerate the SLE onset. 

PMID- 26117324
TI  - Signaling and stress: The redox landscape in NOS2 biology.
AB  - Nitric oxide (NO) has a highly diverse range of biological functions from
      physiological signaling and maintenance of homeostasis to serving as an effector
      molecule in the immune system. However, deleterious as well as beneficial roles
      of NO have been reported. Many of the dichotomous effects of NO and derivative
      reactive nitrogen species (RNS) can be explained by invoking precise interactions
      with different targets as a result of concentration and temporal constraints.
      Endogenous concentrations of NO span five orders of magnitude, with levels near
      the high picomolar range typically occurring in short bursts as compared to
      sustained production of low micromolar levels of NO during immune response. This
      article provides an overview of the redox landscape as it relates to increasing
      NO concentrations, which incrementally govern physiological signaling,
      nitrosative signaling and nitrosative stress-related signaling. Physiological
      signaling by NO primarily occurs upon interaction with the heme protein soluble
      guanylyl cyclase. As NO concentrations rise, interactions with nonheme iron
      complexes as well as indirect modification of thiols can stimulate additional
      signaling processes. At the highest levels of NO, production of a broader range
      of RNS, which subsequently interact with more diverse targets, can lead to
      chemical stress. However, even under such conditions, there is evidence that
      stress-related signaling mechanisms are triggered to protect cells or even
      resolve the stress. This review therefore also addresses the fundamental
      reactions and kinetics that initiate signaling through NO-dependent pathways,
      including processes that lead to interconversion of RNS and interactions with
      molecular targets. 

PMID- 26117330
TI  - Regulation of catalase expression in healthy and cancerous cells.
AB  - Catalase is an important antioxidant enzyme that dismutates hydrogen peroxide
      into water and molecular oxygen. The catalase gene has all the characteristics of
      a housekeeping gene (no TATA box, no initiator element sequence, high GC content
      in promoter) and a core promoter that is highly conserved among species. We
      demonstrate in this review that within this core promoter, the presence of DNA
      binding sites for transcription factors, such as NF-Y and Sp1, plays an essential
      role in the positive regulation of catalase expression. Additional transcription
      factors, such as FoxO3a, are also involved in this regulatory process. There is
      strong evidence that the protein Akt/PKB in the PI3K signaling pathway plays a
      major role in the expression of catalase by modulating the activity of FoxO3a.
      Over the past decade, other transcription factors (PPARgamma, Oct-1, etc.), as
      well as genetic, epigenetic, and posttranscriptional processes, have emerged as
      crucial contributors to the regulation of catalase expression. Altered expression
      levels of catalase have been reported in cancer tissues compared to their normal
      counterparts. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms that regulate catalase
      expression could, therefore, be of crucial importance for the future development
      of pro-oxidant cancer chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26117331
TI  - Molecular basis of the Keap1-Nrf2 system.
AB  - Nrf2 (NF-E2-related factor 2) is a master regulator of cellular responses against
      environmental stresses. Nrf2 induces the expression of detoxification and
      antioxidant enzymes, and Keap1 (Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1), an adaptor
      subunit of Cullin 3-based E3 ubiquitin ligase, regulates Nrf2 activity. Keap1
      also acts as a sensor for oxidative and electrophilic stresses. Keap1 retains
      multiple sensor cysteine residues that detect various stress stimuli. Increasing
      attention has been paid to the roles that Nrf2 plays in the protection of our
      bodies against drug toxicity and stress-induced diseases. On the other hand, Nrf2
      is found to promote both oncogenesis and cancer cell resistance against
      chemotherapeutic drugs. Thus, although Nrf2 acts to protect our body from
      deleterious stresses, cancer cells hijack the Nrf2 activity to support their
      malignant growth. Nrf2 has emerged as a new therapeutic target, and both inducers
      and inhibitors of Nrf2 are awaited. Studies challenging the molecular basis of
      the Keap1-Nrf2 system functions are now critically important to improve
      translational studies of the system. Indeed, recent studies identified cross talk
      between Nrf2 and other signaling pathways, which provides new insights into the
      mechanisms by which the Keap1-Nrf2 system serves as a potent regulator of our
      health and disease. 

PMID- 26117332
TI  - From mechanical stimulus to bone formation: A review.
AB  - Bone is a remarkable tissue that can respond to external stimuli. The importance
      of mechanical forces on the mass and structural development of bone has long been
      accepted. This adaptation behaviour is very complex and involves
      multidisciplinary concepts, and significant progress has recently been made in
      understanding this process. In this review, we describe the state of the art
      studies in this area and highlight current insights while simultaneously
      clarifying some basic yet essential topics related to the origin of mechanical
      stimulus in bone, the biomechanisms associated with mechanotransduction, the
      nature of physiological bone stimuli and the test systems most commonly used to
      study the mechanical stimulation of bone. 

PMID- 26117333
TI  - Comparison of trunk muscle forces, spinal loads and stability estimated by one
      stability- and three EMG-assisted optimization approaches.
AB  - Various hybrid EMG-assisted optimization (EMGAO) approaches are commonly used to
      estimate muscle forces and joint loads of human musculoskeletal systems. Use of
      EMG data and optimization enables the EMGAO models to account for inter- and
      intra-individual variations in muscle recruitments while satisfying equilibrium
      requirements. Due to implications in ergonomics/prevention and
      rehabilitation/treatment managements of low-back disorders, there is a need to
      evaluate existing approaches. The present study aimed to compare predictions of
      three different EMGAO and one stability-based optimization (OPT) approaches for
      trunk muscle forces, spinal loads, and stability. Identical measured
      kinematics/EMG data and anatomical model were used in all approaches when
      simulating several sagittally symmetric static activities. Results indicated
      substantial inter-model differences in predicted muscle forces (up to 123% and
      90% for total muscle forces in tasks with upright and flexed postures,
      respectively) and spinal loads (up to 74% and 78% for compression loads in
      upright and flexed postures, respectively). Results of EMGAO models markedly
      varied depending on the manner in which correction (gain) factors were
      introduced. Large range of gain values (from ~0.47 to 41) was estimated in each
      model. While EMGAO methods predicted an unstable spine for some tasks, OPT
      predicted, as intended, either a meta-stable or stable states in all simulated
      tasks. An unrealistic unstable state of the spine predicted by EMGAO methods for
      some of the simulated tasks (which are in reality stable) could be an indication
      of the shortcoming of these models in proper prediction of muscle forces. 

PMID- 26117334
TI  - Trade-off between stress shielding and initial stability on an anatomical
      cementless stem shortening: in-vitro biomechanical study.
AB  - Shortened cementless femoral stems have become popular with the advent of
      minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty (THA). Successful THA requires initial
      stem stability and prevention of stress shielding-mediated bone loss, although
      the effect of stem shortening is controversial. Here we experimentally examined
      whether stem shortening affects stress shielding and initial stability.
      Anatomical stems (length, 120 mm) were cut to an 80 mm or 50 mm length. Ten tri
      axial strain gauges measured the cortical strain on each stem-implanted femur to
      evaluate stress shielding. Two transducers measured axial relative displacement
      and rotation under single-leg stance loading. The 50 mm stem increased the
      equivalent strains with respect to the original stem in the proximal calcar
      region (31.0% relative to intact strain), proximal medial region (63.1%), and
      proximal lateral region (53.9%). In contrast, axial displacement and rotation
      increased with a decreasing stem length. However, the axial displacement of the
      50 mm stem was below a critical value of 150 um for bone ingrowth. Our findings
      indicate that, with regard to a reduction in stem length, there is a tradeoff
      between stress shielding and initial stability. Shortening the stem up to 50 mm
      can promote proximal load transfer, but bone loss would be inevitable, even with
      sufficient initial stability for long-term fixation.

PMID- 26117335
TI  - The alternative CD20 transcript variant is not a surrogate marker for resistance
      to rituximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

PMID- 26117337
TI  - Chronic cutaneous leishmaniasis presenting as commissural cheilitis.

PMID- 26117336
TI  - Oncogenic miR-17/20a Forms a Positive Feed-forward Loop with the p53 Kinase DAPK3
      to Promote Tumorigenesis.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRs) are a class of small regulatory RNAs that have been implicated
      in diverse biological pathways, including cancer. miR-17/20a encoded by the
      c13orf25 locus is among the first miRs discovered to have oncogenic functions.
      The E2F family members have been established as the targets for these oncomiRs,
      which form a negative feedback loop to control cell cycle progression. However,
      this pathway does not seem to be sufficient to account for elevated expression of
      these oncomiRs in cancer cells to promote tumorigenesis. Here we report that miR
      17/20a targets a p53 activating kinase DAPK3, leading to p53-dependent
      transcriptional de-repression of the oncomiRs. We demonstrate that DAPK3 plays a
      central role in preventing miR-17/20a depletion-induced genome instability and in
      miR-17/20a overexpression-triggered tumor formation. This newly identified
      tumorigenic pathway may thus contribute to miR-17/20a amplification and tumor
      growth in diverse human cancers. 

PMID- 26117338
TI  - Leading-edge forensic DNA analyses and the necessity of including crime scene
      investigators, police officers and technicians in a DNA elimination database.
AB  - In recent years, sophisticated technology has significantly increased the
      sensitivity and analytical power of genetic analyses so that very little starting
      material may now produce viable genetic profiles. This sensitivity however, has
      also increased the risk of detecting unknown genetic profiles assumed to be that
      of the perpetrator, yet originate from extraneous sources such as from crime
      scene workers. These contaminants may mislead investigations, keeping criminal
      cases active and unresolved for long spans of time. Voluntary submission of DNA
      samples from crime scene workers is fairly low, therefore we have created a
      promotional method for our staff elimination database that has resulted in a
      significant increase in voluntary samples since 2011. Our database enforces
      privacy safeguards and allows for optional anonymity to all staff members. We
      also offer information sessions at various police precincts to advise crime scene
      workers of the importance and success of our staff elimination database. This
      study, a pioneer in its field, has obtained 327 voluntary submissions from crime
      scene workers to date, of which 46 individual profiles (14%) have been matched to
      58 criminal cases. By implementing our methods and respect for individual
      privacy, forensic laboratories everywhere may see similar growth and success in
      explaining unidentified genetic profiles in stagnate criminal cases. 

PMID- 26117339
TI  - Drainage of a Pancreatic Pseudocyst via a Spontaneous Cyst Duodenostomy.

PMID- 26117340
TI  - Near-Fatal Pneumopericardium During Tracheal Stent Exchange.

PMID- 26117342
TI  - Daptomycin-induced eosinophilic pneumonia.

PMID- 26117341
TI  - Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Stroke: The Reasons for Geographic and Racial
      Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Stroke is a major public health concern worldwide given the
      associated morbidity and mortality. Smoking is a risk factor for stroke, but the
      relationship between secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure and stroke has been
      inconsistent to date. The aim of the current study was to examine the association
      of SHS exposure and risk of stroke and its subtypes (ischemic and hemorrhagic
      stroke) among nonsmokers. METHODS: Demographic and clinical characteristics were
      compared by SHS exposure status for African American and white nonsmokers aged
      >=45 years in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke
      (REGARDS) study in 2014. Hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% CIs were
      calculated by Cox proportional hazards models to assess the relationship between
      SHS exposure and stroke risk. RESULTS: Of the 21,743 participants (38% African
      American, 45% male), SHS exposure in the past year was reported by 23%. Compared
      with those without SHS exposure, exposed participants were more likely to be
      female, white, younger, and reside with a smoker (all p<0.001). A total of 428
      incident strokes were observed from April 2003 to March 2012 during a mean follow
      up of 5.6 years. The risk of overall stroke was increased 30% among those with
      SHS exposure after adjustment for other stroke risk factors (95% CI=2%, 67%).
      This relationship appeared to be driven by ischemic strokes. CONCLUSIONS: SHS
      exposure is independently associated with an increased risk of stroke. Future
      studies are needed to confirm these findings and examine the role of long-term
      effects of SHS exposure on stroke outcomes.

PMID- 26117343
TI  - Comparison of susceptibility of HIV-1 variants to antiretroviral drugs by
      genotypic and recombinant virus phenotypic analyses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study utilized genotypic and in-house recombinant virus
      phenotypic assays to examine HIV-1 variant susceptibility to antiretroviral (ARV)
      drugs; comparisons were made between the analyses. METHODS: A nested PCR was
      employed to amplify the HIV-1 gag-pol gene, which comprised the entire PR gene
      (codons 1-99) and the former RT gene (codons 1-312). Genetic resistance was
      determined by submitting the sequences to the Stanford University Network HIV-1
      Database. Phenotypic susceptibilities to six ARV drugs were measured using a high
      throughput, multi-cycle, recombinant virus phenotypic assay. Results were
      expressed in terms of the IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) and fold
      change values. The relationship between phenotypic drug resistance and genetic
      polymorphisms was determined. RESULTS: Nineteen fragment sequences for which
      recombinant viruses were successfully constructed were translated and compared
      with the consensus B sequences in the Stanford University Network HIV-1 Database.
      No recognizable genotypic resistance-associated mutations were noted, except in
      one sample. Each homologous replication-competent recombinant viral fold-change
      in the presence of six ARV drugs used widely in China was measured. According to
      the clinical and statistical criteria, 16 of the 19 samples were susceptible to
      the six drugs tested. The majority of phenotypic and genotypic results obtained
      were in agreement, with a concordance rate of 97.4%. Both phenotypic and
      genotypic assays suggested that sample HN2009001 was resistant to all drugs
      tested. All phenotypic and genotypic results obtained regarding the
      susceptibility of the 19 recombinant viruses to nucleoside reverse transcriptase
      inhibitors (NRTIs) were in agreement. With regard to the genotypic results for
      the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), 7.9% (3/38) were
      inconsistent with the phenotypic results. CONCLUSIONS: The in-house recombinant
      virus phenotypic assay was able to provide a straightforward quantitative
      assessment of resistance. In most cases, the genotypic and novel phenotypic
      assays yielded similar results. The disparity in HIV-1 susceptibility indicates a
      need to further investigate the clinical outcomes of antiretroviral therapy in
      certain individuals.

PMID- 26117344
TI  - Short communication: localization and expression of monocyte chemoattractant
      protein-1 in different subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues of early
      lactating dairy cows.
AB  - The present study aimed to examine the mRNA abundance of the monocyte
      chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and to localize the MCP-1 protein in different
      subcutaneous (s.c.) and visceral (v.c.) fat depots in high-yielding dairy cows.
      Early-lactating German Holstein cows (n=25) were divided into a control (CON) and
      a conjugated linoleic acids (CLA)-supplemented group to investigate potential
      effects of dietary CLA treatment on MCP-1. The MCP-1 was localized in different
      s.c. and v.c. adipose tissue (AT) by immunohistochemistry, whereas the mRNA
      abundance was investigated using quantitative PCR. Albeit the infiltration of
      immune cells into bovine AT has been demonstrated to be only marginal, both MCP-1
      protein and mRNA could be detected in bovine AT depots. The MCP-1 protein was
      localized both in the cytoplasm of adipocytes and in the cytoplasm of cells from
      the stromal vascular fraction; however, the number of MCP-1-positive cells was
      low. The mRNA abundances of MCP-1 were higher in v.c. compared with s.c. AT.
      Moreover, neither mRNA abundance nor protein expression of MCP-1 was seriously
      influenced by CLA supplementation of early-lactating dairy cows. 

PMID- 26117345
TI  - Effect of biotin and pantothenic acid on performance and concentrations of avidin
      binding substances in blood and milk of lactating dairy cows.
AB  - We hypothesized that pantothenic acid reduces the absorption of biotin in
      lactating dairy cows. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the
      plausible interaction between biotin and pantothenic acid on production
      performance and concentration of avidin-binding substances (ABS), an indicator of
      biotin concentration, in blood and milk of lactating dairy cows. Eight
      primiparous and 16 multiparous Holstein cows were assigned to 1 of 4 diet
      sequences in a replicated 4*4 Latin square design with 18-d periods. Cows were
      housed in a freestall barn and fed once daily (0730 h) by means of a Calan gate
      system (American Calan Inc., Northwood, NH). Treatments consisted of a control
      diet that contained no B-vitamins, a biotin diet that contained 0.87 mg of biotin
      per kilogram of dry matter (DM), a pantothenic acid diet that contained 21 mg of
      pantothenic acid per kilogram of DM, and a biotin plus pantothenic acid diet that
      contained 0.87 mg of biotin and 21 mg of calcium pantothenic acid per kilogram of
      DM. Four different concentrates were prepared in a commercial feed mill. These
      concentrates were mixed with corn silage and grass hay and delivered ad libitum
      as a total mixed ration. Biotin supplementation did not affect DM intake, milk
      yield, or milk fat, protein, lactose, and milk-urea-nitrogen concentrations. Fat,
      protein, and lactose yields were not affected by treatments. The fat-to-protein
      ratio was <1 and similar among all treatments. Biotin supplementation did not
      increase the concentration of ABS in plasma. The supplementation of pantothenic
      acid did not affect the concentration of ABS in plasma when either supplemented
      alone or in combination with biotin. Biotin supplementation increased the
      concentration of ABS in milk relative to control. Contrary to our hypothesis, the
      supplementation of pantothenic acid did not decrease the concentration of ABS in
      milk relative to the control. When cows were supplemented with both biotin and
      pantothenic acid, the concentration of ABS in milk was similar to that of cows
      supplemented with biotin alone. In conclusion, pantothenic acid did not affect
      the concentrations of ABS in plasma and milk, suggesting that increasing dietary
      supply of pantothenic acid did not inhibit biotin absorption. 

PMID- 26117346
TI  - Short communication: artificial ultraviolet B light exposure increases vitamin D
      levels in cow plasma and milk.
AB  - The number of dairy cows without access to pasture or sunlight is increasing;
      therefore, the content of vitamin D in dairy products is decreasing. Ultimately,
      declining vitamin D levels in dairy products will mean that dairy products are a
      negligible source of natural vitamin D for humans. We tested the ability of a
      specially designed UVB lamp to enhance the vitamin D3 content in milk from dairy
      cows housed indoors. This study included 16 cows divided into 4 groups. Each
      group was exposed daily to artificial UVB light simulating 1, 2, 3, or 4 h of
      summer sun at 56 degrees N for 24 d, and the group with simulated exposure to 2 h
      of summer sun daily continued to be monitored for 73 d. We found a significant
      increase in 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) levels in plasma as well as vitamin D3
      and 25OHD3 levels in milk after daily exposure for 24 d in all treatment groups.
      Extending daily exposure to artificial UVB light to 73 d did not lead to an
      increase of vitamin D3 or 25OHD3 level in the milk. In conclusion, the change in
      production facilities for dairy cows providing cows with no access to pasture and
      sunlight causes a decrease of vitamin D levels in dairy products. This decrease
      may be prevented by exposing cows to artificial UVB light in the stable. 

PMID- 26117347
TI  - Glucose supplementation has minimal effects on blood neutrophil function and gene
      expression in vitro.
AB  - During early lactation, glucose availability is low and the effect of glucose
      supply on bovine polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) function is poorly
      understood. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of glucose
      supplementation on the function and transcriptomic inflammatory response of PMNL
      from cows in early and mid-lactation in vitro. Twenty Holstein cows in early
      (n=10; days in milk=17+/-3.1) and mid-lactation (n=10; days in milk=168+/-14.8)
      were used for this study. Jugular blood was analyzed for serum concentrations of
      nonesterified fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and glucose. Polymorphonuclear
      leukocytes were isolated and diluted using RPMI (basal glucose concentration was
      7.2 mM) to different concentrations of PMNL/mL for phagocytosis, chemotaxis, gene
      expression, and medium analyses. Working solutions of glucose (0 or 4 mM of d
      glucose) and lipopolysaccharide (0 or 50MUg/mL) were added and tubes were
      incubated for 120 min at 37 degrees C. Media were analyzed for concentrations of
      glucose and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Data were analyzed in a
      randomized block (stage of lactation) design. Challenge with lipopolysaccharide
      increased the expression of the genes encoding for nuclear factor kappa B
      (NFKB1), IL-10 (IL10), IL1B, IL6, IL8, TNF-alpha (TNFA), glucose transporter 3
      (SLC2A3), and the concentration of TNF-alpha in medium (147.3 vs. 72.5 pg/mL for
      lipopolysaccharide and control, respectively). Main effect of stage of lactation
      was minimal where the expression of IL10 increased for cows in early compared
      with cows in mid-lactation. After lipopolysaccharide challenge, cows in early
      lactation experienced more marked increases in the expression of IL6, TNFA, and
      IL8 when compared with cows in mid-lactation. Glucose supplementation had minimal
      effects on gene expression where glucose supplementation increased the expression
      of lysozyme (LYZ). Glucose supplementation increased PMNL phagocytosis but did
      not alter chemotaxis, morphology, or concentration of TNF-alpha in the medium.
      Under the conditions of the experiment, stage of lactation had minimal effects on
      PMNL response to glucose supply where only the expression of NFKB1 and the
      production of TNF-alpha were greater for cows in mid-lactation when compared with
      early lactation. Metabolic profiles for cows in early lactation did not parallel
      those for cows during the early postpartum period and may partly explain results
      for this study. Future studies investigating the effect of glucose supply on
      bovine PMNL function in vivo and how this may be altered by stage of lactation
      are warranted. 

PMID- 26117348
TI  - Cost-benefit analysis of vaccination against Mycobacterium avium ssp.
      paratuberculosis in dairy cattle, given its cross-reactivity with tuberculosis
      tests.
AB  - Johne's disease (JD), or paratuberculosis, is a chronic enteric disease of
      ruminants, caused by infection with Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis
      (MAP). Johne's disease causes considerable economic losses to the US dairy
      industry, estimated to be over $200 million annually. Available control
      strategies include management measures to improve calf hygiene, test-and-cull
      strategies, and vaccination. Although the first 2 strategies have shown to reduce
      the prevalence of MAP, they require dedicated and long-term efforts from dairy
      producers, with often relatively slow progress. As a result, uptake of both
      strategies has not been as wide as expected given the economic benefits
      especially of improved hygiene. Vaccination has also been found to reduce the
      prevalence and economic losses of JD, but most economic estimates have been based
      on simulation of hypothetical vaccines. In addition, if an animal is vaccinated,
      cross-reactivity between MAP antibodies and bovine tuberculosis (BTB) antigens
      may occur, decreasing the specificity of BTB tests. Therefore, MAP vaccination
      would cause additional indirect costs to the BTB surveillance and control
      program. The objective of the present study was to use data from a MAP vaccine
      trial together with an epidemiologic and economic model to estimate the direct on
      farm benefits of MAP vaccination and to estimate the indirect costs of MAP
      vaccination due to the cross-reactivity with BTB tests. Direct economic benefits
      of MAP vaccination were estimated at $8.03 (90% predictive interval: -$25.97 to
      $41.36) per adult animal per year, all accruing to the dairy producers. This
      estimate is likely an underestimation of the true direct benefits of MAP
      vaccination. In addition, indirect economic costs due to cross-reactivity were
      $2.14 per adult animal per year, making MAP vaccination economically attractive.
      Only in regions or states with a high frequency of BTB testing (because of, for
      example, Mycobacterium bovis outbreaks in a wild deer population) and areas where
      typically small groups of animals are BTB tested would MAP vaccination not be
      economically attractive. 

PMID- 26117349
TI  - Supplementing fresh bovine colostrum with gut-active carbohydrates reduces
      passive transfer of immunoglobulin G in Holstein dairy calves.
AB  - High concentrations of coliform bacteria in maternal colostrum (MC) have been
      associated with reduced IgG absorption in calves. Mannan-oligosaccharide, a gut
      active carbohydrate (GAC) derived from yeast cell wall, has been shown to adsorb
      pathogens expressing type-1-fimbriae, reducing their ability to colonize the
      gastrointestinal tract. The objective of this study was to investigate if
      addition of a GAC to colostrum would result in increased IgG absorption in
      newborn calves. Newborn Holstein heifer and bull calves were enrolled in summer
      2012 at a commercial transition cow facility in western Wisconsin. Each day, 7.6
      L pools of fresh, first milking MC were created, split into 3.8-L aliquots, and
      refrigerated until feeding. Eligible newborn calves were removed from the dam 30
      to 60min after birth, weighed, and randomly assigned to be fed either 3.8 L of
      the MC pool (control) or 3.8 L of the MC pool with 30 g of GAC mixed in
      immediately before feeding. Duplicate 10-mL samples of colostrum were collected
      and frozen at -20 degrees C before feeding (and before addition of GAC) for
      bacterial culture and IgG determination. A 10-mL venous blood sample was
      collected from calves before feeding colostrum and 24 h after colostrum feeding,
      for laboratory determination of serum IgG using radial immunodiffusion analysis.
      Colostrum and calf characteristics, including colostrum IgG concentration (g/L),
      colostrum bacteria counts (log10, cfu/mL), calf dystocia scores (1 to 4), birth
      weights (kg), and age at first feeding (min) were not different between the group
      fed GAC (n=47) and the control group (n=48). Mixed linear regression analysis
      showed that calves fed colostrum supplemented with 30 g of GAC had lower mean
      (standard error) apparent efficiency of absorption of IgG and lower serum IgG
      concentrations at 24 h [23.9% (1.0); IgG=24.0 (1.1) g/L] than did control calves
      [30.4% (1.0); IgG=30.8 (1.0) g/L]. Given the negative effect observed in this
      study, it is not recommended that fresh colostrum be supplemented with 30 g of
      GAC. 

PMID- 26117350
TI  - Consequences and economics of metritis in Iranian Holstein dairy farms.
AB  - The objectives of this study were (1) to describe the risk factors, incidence,
      and productive and reproductive consequences of metritis in dairy cows, and (2)
      to estimate the financial losses associated with metritis using data gathered
      from 4 Holstein dairy farms in Isfahan, Iran. Calving records from March 2008 to
      December 2013, comprising 43,488 calvings, were included in the data set. The
      effects of metritis on productive and reproductive performance were analyzed
      using a mixed linear model for primiparous and multiparous cows separately and in
      an overall data set (all cows combined), whereas risk factors on metritis
      incidence were examined using a multivariable logistical regression model for the
      overall data set. The incidence of metritis per cow per year was 13.2% on average
      and ranged from 9.0 to 15.8%. Results of logistic regression analysis
      demonstrated that calving year, parity number, calving season, twinning,
      dystocia, and retained placenta were significantly associated with the occurrence
      of metritis, whereas previous metritis incidence did not show an association.
      Greatest odds of metritis occurred in first-parity cows that calved in winter and
      had retained placenta, twinning, and dystocia in recent years. A case of metritis
      significantly reduced the 305-d milk yield in primiparous and multiparous cows
      and overall, but had no significant effects on 305-d fat and protein percentages
      in either primiparous or multiparous cows. Overall, a case of metritis reduced
      305-d milk yield by 129.8+/-41.5kg/cow per lactation. The negative reproductive
      effects due to metritis were smaller and nonsignificant for primiparous cows
      compared with multiparous cows. Overall, a case of metritis increased days open
      and number of insemination per conception by 16.4+/-1.2 and 0.1+/-0.0 per cow per
      lactation, respectively. Among the individual farms, metritis costs ranged from
      $146.4 to $175.7 with a mean of $162.3/case. The model to calculate metritis
      costs proposed here could be used to estimate economic losses for metritis in
      other developing countries, where farm productive and economic data are generally
      scarce. 

PMID- 26117351
TI  - Solubilization of rehydrated frozen highly concentrated micellar casein for use
      in liquid food applications.
AB  - Highly concentrated micellar casein concentrate (HC-MCC), a potential ingredient
      of protein-fortified food, is a gel at cold temperature. It contains ~17 to 21%
      casein, with most serum proteins and lactose removed by microfiltration and
      diafiltration, and it is then further concentrated using vacuum evaporation. The
      HC-MCC can be stored frozen, and our objective was to determine the conditions
      needed to obtain complete solubility of thawed HC-MCC in water and to understand
      its gelation upon cooling. Dispersibility (ability to pass through a 250-um mesh
      sieve), suspendability (percentage of protein not sedimented at 80 * g within
      5min), and solubility (percentage of protein not sedimented at 20,000 * g within
      5min) were measured at 4, 12, or 20 degrees C after various mixing conditions.
      Gelation upon cooling from 50 to 5 degrees C was monitored based on storage (G')
      and loss (G'') moduli. The gelled HC-MCC was also examined by transmission
      electron microscopy. Thawed HC-MCC was added to water to reach a protein
      concentration of 3% and mixed using high shear (7,500rpm) for 1min or low shear
      (800rpm) for 30min at 4, 12, 20, or 50 degrees C and at pH 6.4 to 7.2. The HC-MCC
      completely dispersed at 50 degrees C, or at <=20 degrees C followed by overnight
      storage at 4 degrees C. Suspendability at 50 degrees C was ~90% whereas mixing at
      <=20 degrees C followed by overnight storage resulted in only ~57%
      suspendability. Solubility followed a similar trend with ~83% at 50 degrees C and
      only ~29% at <=20 degrees C. Mixing HC-MCC with 60mM trisodium citrate increased
      dispersibility to 99% and suspendability and solubility to 81% at 20 degrees C.
      Cold-gelling temperature, defined as the temperature at which G'=G'' when cooling
      from 50 to 5 degrees C, was positively correlated with protein level in HC-MCC.
      Gelation occurred at 38, 28, and 7 degrees C with 23, 20, and 17% of protein,
      respectively. Gelation was reversible upon heating, although after a second
      cooling cycle the HC-MCC gel had lower G'. In micrographs of gelled HC-MCC, the
      casein micelles were observed to be within the normal size range but packed very
      closely together, with only ~20 to 50 nm of space between them. We proposed that
      cold-gelation of HC-MCC occurs when the kinetic energy of the casein micelles is
      sufficiently reduced to inhibit their mobility in relation to adjacent casein
      micelles. Understanding solubilization of rehydrated frozen HC-MCC and its
      rheological properties can help in designing process systems for using HC-MCC as
      a potential ingredient in liquid food. 

PMID- 26117352
TI  - An investigation of the dynamics of intramammary infections acquired during the
      dry period on European dairy farms.
AB  - The dry period is acknowledged as playing a key role in mastitis epidemiology and
      yet surprisingly few studies have explored dry period infection dynamics in
      detail. The aim of this study was to investigate the dynamics of intramammary
      infection across a cohort of dairy herds in Europe. Five hundred and twenty-two
      cows were recruited from 12 farms in 6 European countries. All cows received
      antibiotic dry cow therapy but teat sealants were not used. All quarters of all
      cows were sampled for bacteriology at drying off and in the week immediately
      postcalving. Two ipsilateral quarters were also sampled for bacteriology in each
      cow 2 and 6wk after drying off. Cows were body condition scored and teats
      assessed for cleanliness at all sampling time points and for the presence of a
      keratin plug during the dry period. Other cow-level parameters such as historic
      somatic cell counts and milk yields before drying off were collated from farm
      records. Univariable and multivariable analyses were undertaken to investigate
      the etiology, prevalence, and dynamics of infection during the dry period and
      associated influential factors. In summary, environmental mastitis pathogens
      predominated. Although gram-positive major pathogens were typically well
      controlled and did not increase in prevalence across the dry period, gram
      negative pathogens generally increased in prevalence. There was an increase in
      the number of quarters that yielded no growth across the dry period, although
      this was driven by minor rather than major mastitis pathogen control. Other than
      the presence of a gram-positive or gram-negative pathogen 6wk after drying off,
      the measured parameters were not influential when considering their effect on the
      presence of pathogens postcalving. Analysis also suggested that the early and mid
      dry period may be more important with respect to the timing of acquisition of
      infection than previously thought. We observed substantial variation in the
      etiology and prevalence of different pathogens on different farms with, in all
      cases, at least one of the 12 herds experiencing the opposite of the others with
      respect to increases and decreases in pathogen prevalence. Overall, this study
      confirms the importance of the dry period in mastitis epidemiology but highlights
      the importance of assessing and understanding infection dynamics on individual
      units. The lack of influence of the cow and quarter factors measured in this
      study suggests that herd and management factors may be more influential. 

PMID- 26117353
TI  - Estimation of risk management effects on revenue and purchased feed costs on US
      dairy farms.
AB  - Variations in milk and feed prices directly affect dairy farm risk management
      decisions. This research used data from the 2010 US Department of Agriculture
      Agricultural Resource Management Surveys phase III dairy survey to examine how
      risk management tools affected revenues and expenses across US dairy farms. The
      survey was sent to 26 states and collected information on costs and returns to
      individual dairy farms. This research used the information from milk sales, crops
      sales, feed expenses, and farm and operator characteristics, as well as the use
      of risk management tools. Matching methodology was used to evaluate the effect of
      5 independent risk management tools on revenues and expenses: selling milk to a
      cooperative, using a commodity contract to sell grain, feeding homegrown forage
      at a basic and intensive level, and use of a nutritionist. Results showed that
      dairy farms located in the Midwest and East benefit from selling milk to a
      cooperative and using commodity contracts to sell grain. Across the United
      States, using a nutritionist increased total feed costs, whereas a feeding
      program that included more than 65% homegrown forages decreased total feed costs.
      Results point to benefits from educational programming on risk management tools
      that are region specific rather than a broad generalization to all US dairy
      farmers. 

PMID- 26117354
TI  - Ketonemia in dairy goats: effect of dry period length and effect on lying
      behavior.
AB  - In dairy animals, a successful transition from one lactation to the next includes
      minimizing negative energy balance. Cows experiencing excessive negative energy
      balance typically develop metabolic complications following parturition (e.g.,
      ketosis); does are also susceptible before kidding (e.g., pregnancy toxemia). It
      is not known to what extent the provision and the length of the dry period affect
      these conditions in does. Furthermore, whereas clinical symptoms of these
      conditions include lethargy, behavioral changes resulting from ketosis and
      pregnancy toxemia have not been quantified in small ruminants. The aims of this
      study were to (1) describe the relationship between the dry period and negative
      energy balance, and (2) determine if lying behavior changes are indicative of the
      metabolic status of dairy goats. A total of 420 does on 10 commercial dairy goat
      farms in southern Ontario, Canada, were enrolled in the study (mean +/- SD: 42+/
      18 does/farm). Each doe was affixed with a data logger to measure lying behavior
      from 12 d before to 12 d after kidding. Blood samples were collected at least
      once before and at least once following kidding to determine blood beta
      hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) concentration as an indicator of negative energy balance.
      Does were categorized as healthy (HLTH; both pre- and postkidding samples BHBA
      <0.9 mmol/L), PREGTOX (prekidding BHBA >=1.7 mmol/L), or KET (postkidding BHBA
      >=1.7 mmol/L). Behaviors were analyzed according to 5 periods: P-2 (d -12 to d -2
      relative to kidding), P-1 (d -1 relative to kidding), P0 (d 0, kidding day), P1
      (d 1 relative to kidding), and P2 (d 2 to 12 relative to kidding). Dry period
      length and milk production after kidding were recorded when available. Farms
      ranged from 0 to 15% and 0 to 50% in prekidding and postkidding ketonemia,
      respectively. The HLTH does had shorter dry periods compared with PREGTOX and KET
      does (43 vs. 55 d, SE of the differences of means=4 d). One farm kept some does
      milking, while drying off others; on this farm more PREGTOX and KET does (11/28)
      were found in the dry group versus the continuously milked group (1/16). Overall,
      does that had ketonemia before kidding (PREGTOX) spent more time lying down
      compared with healthy does (16.1 vs. 12.7 h/d, SE of the differences of
      means=0.9). Both PREGTOX and HLTH does had increased lying bouts in P-2 compared
      with the day before (P-1) kidding [(mean (95% CI): 16.8 (15.8-17.8) vs. 20.5
      (19.4-21.8) bout/d]. Compared with HLTH does, animals that were ketonemic
      following kidding (KET) had higher mean lying times throughout the study (14.5
      vs. 13.5 h/d, SE=0.4). Previous work has shown a relationship between shorter and
      skipped dry periods and improved energy balance in dairy cows; the current study
      is the first to indicate a similar relationship in dairy goats. Furthermore,
      goats that developed ketonemia, particularly before kidding, displayed decreased
      activity, including longer lying times and fewer lying bouts in the days around
      kidding. 

PMID- 26117355
TI  - Macrophage infiltration in the omental and subcutaneous adipose tissues of dairy
      cows with displaced abomasum.
AB  - High concentrations of plasma nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), a direct measure
      of lipolysis, are considered a risk factor for displaced abomasum (DA) and other
      clinical diseases. In nonruminants, uncontrolled lipolysis is commonly associated
      with adipose tissue macrophage (ATM) infiltration. In dairy cows, recent studies
      report ATM infiltration in specific adipose depots during the first week of
      lactation. Depending on their phenotype, ATM can be broadly classified as
      classically activated (M1) or alternatively activated (M2). The M1 ATM are
      considered pro-inflammatory, whereas M2 ATM enhance inflammation resolution.
      Currently, it is not known whether multiparous transition cows with DA have
      increased ATM infiltration, and the predominant phenotype of these mononuclear
      cells remains unclear. The objective of this study was to characterize ATM
      infiltration into different adipose tissue depots in transition cows with DA
      (days in milk=7.8+/-4.6 d; body condition score=2.95+/-0.10; n=6). Serum samples
      and biopsies from omental (OM) and subcutaneous (SC) fat depots were obtained
      during corrective surgery for DA. In an effort to compare ATM infiltration in DA
      cows with that of healthy cows in anabolic state (AS), adipose biopsies and blood
      samples were collected from nonlactating, nongestating dairy cows at the time of
      slaughter (body condition score=3.75+/-0.12; n=6). Adipose tissues were digested
      and cells from the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) were analyzed using flow
      cytometry to establish cell surface expression of specific macrophage markers
      including CD14, CD11c, CD163, and CD172a. Tissue sections were analyzed by
      immunohistochemistry to assess ATM localization. Cows with DA were ketotic and
      had plasma NEFA above 1.0 mEq/L. The same group of cows had significant
      infiltration of ATM in OM characterized by increased numbers of SVF cells
      expressing CD14 and CD172a. At the same time, expression of CD11c, and CD163 was
      significantly higher in SVF from OM and SC of DA cows compared with those from AS
      animals. Expression of M1 macrophage inflammatory phenotype-related genes CCL2,
      IL6, and TNFalpha in SVF from cows with DA was significantly higher than that in
      healthy cows (AS). Significant populations of ATM in OM and SC depots of cows
      with DA were localized in multiple cellular aggregates that included
      multinucleated cells. In contrast, ATM in AS cows were fewer and randomly
      localized in both SC and OM. Together, these results indicate that infiltration
      of classically activated ATM is a concurrent finding in DA cases and may be
      associated with metabolic stress around parturition contributing to the pro
      inflammatory status of transition dairy cows. Future studies are needed to
      establish whether ATM infiltration is more pronounced in cows with DA compared
      with healthy dairy cows at the same lactation stage and if this increased
      mononuclear immune cell trafficking has any pathophysiological significance. 

PMID- 26117356
TI  - Cortical Anatomical Variations and Efficacy of rTMS in the Treatment of Auditory
      Hallucinations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) shows high inter
      subject variability in its efficacy for treating resistant auditory verbal
      hallucinations in schizophrenia. Currently, the response of an individual patient
      to rTMS treatment cannot be predicted. It is possible that cortical anatomical
      characteristics could affect the therapeutic response. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized
      that rTMS efficacy is related to anatomical variations underlying the stimulation
      target in the left temporal cortex. We investigated two regions of interest
      (ROIs) that have been implicated in rTMS: the left temporal cortex, where the
      stimulation is delivered, and the primary hand motor cortex, where the
      stimulation strength is determined by the resting motor threshold (rMT). METHODS:
      Fifteen patients with schizophrenia (DSM IV) underwent rTMS and magnetic
      resonance imaging. The scalp-to-cortex distance (SCD) and the grey matter density
      (GMD) were measured in both ROIs. Linear regression models were used to
      investigate the relationships between these measures and the clinical efficacy of
      rTMS. RESULTS: Treatment efficacy was highly predicted by the temporal SCD and
      the GMD in the temporal and primary hand motor cortex regions. In contrast, the
      rMT was not predicted by the primary hand motor cortex SCD or GMD. CONCLUSION:
      These results suggest that rTMS treatment efficacy could be related to the depth
      of the temporal target. The data raise the question of whether rMT is the best
      measure for assessing the stimulation intensity in treating patients with
      schizophrenia.

PMID- 26117357
TI  - Acceptance of and experiences utilising expedited partner therapy among African
      American juvenile girls.
AB  - Background The aim of this study was to describe acceptance of and experiences
      utilising expedited partner therapy (EPT) among African-American girls recruited
      from short-term juvenile detention centres. METHODS: Ninety-five detained African
      American girls (aged 13-17 years) completed audio computer-assisted self
      interviews (ACASI) and self-collected vaginal swab specimens assayed for
      chlamydia and gonorrhoea. EPT was offered to sexually transmissible infection
      (STI)-positive participants (n=51); follow-up phone interviews assessed
      medication delivery to partners. Summary statistics described EPT acceptance
      frequency. Generalised estimating equations assessed correlates of acceptance.
      Nine semi-structured interviews elicited EPT experiences. RESULTS: EPT was
      offered 69 times, accepted by 70% (n=37) girls and provided to 68% (n=36) of
      girls. Acceptance was significantly associated with sexual risk behaviours such
      as infrequent partner STI prevention discussion (OR=3.2, 95% CI: 1.0,-10.1,
      P=0.048) and>=4 lifetime sex partners (OR=3.3, 95% CI: 1.0-11.0, P=0.048).
      Discontinued relationships were the most common barrier to EPT acceptance.
      Emergent interview themes included sense of responsibility, which appeared to
      motivate acceptance and help overcome identified discomfort with partner
      disclosure conversations. CONCLUSIONS: Future research is needed to determine EPT
      efficacy among African-American juvenile populations and feasibility of its use
      outside of research settings.

PMID- 26117358
TI  - Management of glioblastoma in Victoria, Australia (2006-2008).
AB  - We describe the management of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma
      multiforme (GBM) in a population-based cohort and compare this to a previously
      studied cohort. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed
      with GBM from 2006-2008 in Victoria, Australia. Patients were identified from the
      population-based Victorian Cancer Registry and their treating doctors surveyed by
      questionnaire. Outcomes were then compared to a study of GBM patients who were
      diagnosed between 1998 and 2000 using an identical methodology. We reviewed 351
      eligible patients. There were slightly more males (62%) and a minority had
      multifocal disease (13%). Total macroscopic resection, partial resection or
      biopsy only was performed in 32%, 37% and 24% of patients, respectively. The
      majority of patients were referred to a radiation oncologist and medical
      oncologist postoperatively. A total of 56% of patients were treated with
      postoperative radiotherapy with concurrent and sequential temozolomide and had a
      median survival of 14.4 months. This was significantly better than patients
      treated with postoperative radiotherapy alone in the current or earlier cohorts
      (2006-2008: median survival 6.2 months, p<0.0001 versus 1998-2000: 8.9 months,
      p<0.0001). This study demonstrates that postoperative chemoradiation has become
      the standard of care in this Victorian population with an associated improvement
      in median survival.

PMID- 26117359
TI  - Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor arising in the setting of cervical nerve
      root schwannomas.
AB  - We present a 23-year-old woman who was diagnosed with a malignant peripheral
      nerve sheath tumor (MPNST), 17 months following the resection of a schwannoma.
      MPNST is rare and is usually associated with neurofibromatosis. The typical
      treatment of resection and radiation is difficult to achieve in the spine.

PMID- 26117360
TI  - Disgust- and anxiety-based emotional reasoning in non-clinical fear of vomiting.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Emotional reasoning has been described as a
      dysfunctional tendency to use subjective responses to make erroneous inferences
      about threatening outcomes in objectively safe situations (e.g., "If I feel
      anxious/disgusted, there must be danger/risk of becoming ill"). Prior studies
      found evidence for anxiety-based emotional reasoning (ER) in several anxiety
      disorders as well as disgust-based ER in healthy individuals scoring above the
      clinical cut-off on a measure of contamination fear. The current study tested
      whether disgust- and anxiety-based ER might be involved in fear of vomiting, a
      phobic disorder in which both fear/anxiety and disgust are assumed to play an
      important role. METHODS: Non-clinical participants scoring high (>75%; n = 35)
      and low (<25%; n = 38) on a measure of fear of vomiting were presented with a
      series of scripts describing objectively safe everyday situations that
      systematically varied in the absence/presence of the actor's disgust/anxiety
      response. Following each script, participants rated their perceived danger and
      threat of contamination/illness. RESULTS: In line with hypotheses, specifically
      high vomit-fearful individuals used experienced disgust and anxiety to
      overestimate risk of becoming ill. Follow up analyses taking into account shared
      variance between both emotions revealed that more pronounced ER in the high vomit
      fearful group was mainly driven by the emotion of disgust. LIMITATIONS: Current
      study asked participants to imagine experienced emotions in scenarios instead of
      experimentally inducing real-life emotions. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are
      consistent with the view that disgust-based ER is involved in fear of vomiting.

PMID- 26117361
TI  - Event related potential and response time give evidence for a physiological
      reserve in cognitive functioning in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Cognitive dysfunction is common in multiple sclerosis (MS). Different factors may
      moderate the degree of cognitive deficit. The aim of the present study was to
      distinguish different mechanisms for cognitive reserve in relapsing-remitting MS
      (RRMS). The effects of clinical variables (physical disability, depression),
      premorbid intelligence (years of education, vocabulary knowledge), visual event
      related potential measures (P300) and response time (RT) were studied in RRMS
      patients (n=71) and healthy subjects (n=89). Patients with high P300 amplitude
      and short RT had better cognitive performance. This effect was significantly
      weaker in controls. High P300 and short RT may be physiological markers of a
      cognitive reserve in RRMS. In contrast, the association between cognitive scores
      and premorbid intelligence was similar in patients and in control subjects. The
      effects of physiological reserve and clinical variables were studied in a
      hierarchical linear regression model of cognitive performance in RRMS. P300
      amplitude and RT explained a considerable amount of variance in global cognitive
      performance (34%, p<0.001). The effects of P300 and RT were not moderated by
      premorbid intelligence. Physical disability and depression added significantly to
      explained variance, and the final model accounted for 44% (p<0.001) of the
      variation. We conclude that physiological reserve is the strongest moderator of
      cognitive impairment in RRMS. 

PMID- 26117362
TI  - Overlap of autism spectrum disorder and glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome
      associated with a heterozygous deletion at the 1p34.2 region.

PMID- 26117363
TI  - Combined remediation of Cd-phenanthrene co-contaminated soil by Pleurotus
      cornucopiae and Bacillus thuringiensis FQ1 and the antioxidant responses in
      Pleurotus cornucopiae.
AB  - Remediation of soil co-contaminated with heavy metals and PAHs by mushroom and
      bacteria is a novel technique. In this study, the combined remediation effect of
      mushroom (Pleurotus cornucopiae) and bacteria (FQ1, Bacillus thuringiensis) on Cd
      and phenanthrene co-contaminated soil was investigated. The effect of bacteria
      (B. thuringiensis) on mushroom growth, Cd accumulation, phenanthrene degradation
      by P. cornucopiae and antioxidative responses of P. cornucopiae were studied. P.
      cornucopiae could adapt easily and grow well in Cd-phenanthrene co-contaminated
      soil. It was found that inoculation of FQ1 enhanced mushroom growth (biomass) and
      Cd accumulation with the increment of 26.68-43.58% and 14.29-97.67% respectively.
      Up to 100% and 95.07% of phenanthrene were removed in the bacteria-mushroom (B+M)
      treatment respectively spiked with 200mg/kg and 500mg/kg phenanthrene. In
      addition, bacterial inoculation alleviated oxidative stress caused by co
      contamination with relative decreases in lipid peroxidation and enzyme activity,
      including malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and
      peroxidase (POD). This study demonstrated that the integrated remediation
      strategy of bacteria and mushroom is an effective and promising method for Cd
      phenanthrene co-contaminated soil bioremediation. 

PMID- 26117364
TI  - Levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in indoor dust and human exposure
      estimates from Makurdi, Nigeria.
AB  - Information on polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the indoor environment
      in developing countries is still relatively scarce. In this study, house (n=10)
      and office (n=11) dusts samples collected from Makurdi, Benue State Nigeria were
      extracted and analysed for most abundant PBDEs congeners in the environment.
      Soxhlet extraction followed by GC-EIMS was employed for the measurement of PBDEs
      (BDE-47, -100, -99, -154, -153, -183 and -209). The mean concentration of ?7
      PBDEs ranged from 57ngg(-1) to 80ngg(-1) and a median value of 45ngg(-1)and
      63ngg(-1) were obtained for house and office dust respectively. The daily
      exposure and ingestion dose estimates were calculated based on the assumption
      that 30mg and 60mgday(-1) dust represent the ingestion rate. In addition, the
      corresponding time spent indoors was assumed to be 87.5% (adult) and 69%
      (children) in homes and 22% in offices and day care. The average value exposure
      rate of ?7PBDEs for children and adults were 2ngday(-1) and 0.84ngday(-1)
      respectively. The results in the present study, showed higher exposure estimates
      for both children and adults' in house dust from Nigeria compared to South
      Africa. 

PMID- 26117365
TI  - Behavioural impact of a double dopaminergic and serotonergic lesion in the non
      human primate.
AB  - Serotonergic (5-HT) neurons degenerate in Parkinson's disease. To determine the
      role of this 5-HT injury-besides the dopaminergic one in the parkinsonian
      symptomatology-we developed a new monkey model exhibiting a double
      dopaminergic/serotonergic lesion by sequentially using 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6
      tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine (MDMA, better
      known as ecstasy). By positron emission tomography imaging and
      immunohistochemistry, we demonstrated that MDMA injured 5-HT nerve terminals in
      the brain of MPTP monkeys. Unexpectedly, this injury had no impact on tremor or
      on bradykinesia, but altered rigidity. It abolished the l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia
      and neuropsychiatric-like behaviours, without altering the anti-parkinsonian
      response. These data demonstrate that 5-HT fibres play a critical role in the
      expression of both motor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease, and
      highlight that an imbalance between the 5-HT and dopaminergic innervating systems
      is involved in specific basal ganglia territories for different symptoms. 

PMID- 26117366
TI  - Glucocerebrosidase activity in Parkinson's disease with and without GBA
      mutations.
AB  - Glucocerebrosidase (GBA) mutations have been associated with Parkinson's disease
      in numerous studies. However, it is unknown whether the increased risk of
      Parkinson's disease in GBA carriers is due to a loss of glucocerebrosidase
      enzymatic activity. We measured glucocerebrosidase enzymatic activity in dried
      blood spots in patients with Parkinson's disease (n = 517) and controls (n = 252)
      with and without GBA mutations. Participants were recruited from Columbia
      University, New York, and fully sequenced for GBA mutations and genotyped for the
      LRRK2 G2019S mutation, the most common autosomal dominant mutation in the
      Ashkenazi Jewish population. Glucocerebrosidase enzymatic activity in dried blood
      spots was measured by a mass spectrometry-based assay and compared among
      participants categorized by GBA mutation status and Parkinson's disease
      diagnosis. Parkinson's disease patients were more likely than controls to carry
      the LRRK2 G2019S mutation (n = 39, 7.5% versus n = 2, 0.8%, P < 0.001) and GBA
      mutations or variants (seven homozygotes and compound heterozygotes and 81
      heterozygotes, 17.0% versus 17 heterozygotes, 6.7%, P < 0.001). GBA
      homozygotes/compound heterozygotes had lower enzymatic activity than GBA
      heterozygotes (0.85 umol/l/h versus 7.88 umol/l/h, P < 0.001), and GBA
      heterozygotes had lower enzymatic activity than GBA and LRRK2 non-carriers (7.88
      umol/l/h versus 11.93 umol/l/h, P < 0.001). Glucocerebrosidase activity was
      reduced in heterozygotes compared to non-carriers when each mutation was compared
      independently (N370S, P < 0.001; L444P, P < 0.001; 84GG, P = 0.003; R496H, P =
      0.018) and also reduced in GBA variants associated with Parkinson's risk but not
      with Gaucher disease (E326K, P = 0.009; T369M, P < 0.001). When all patients with
      Parkinson's disease were considered, they had lower mean glucocerebrosidase
      enzymatic activity than controls (11.14 umol/l/h versus 11.85 umol/l/h, P =
      0.011). Difference compared to controls persisted in patients with idiopathic
      Parkinson's disease (after exclusion of all GBA and LRRK2 carriers; 11.53
      umol/l/h, versus 12.11 umol/l/h, P = 0.036) and after adjustment for age and
      gender (P = 0.012). Interestingly, LRRK2 G2019S carriers (n = 36), most of whom
      had Parkinson's disease, had higher enzymatic activity than non-carriers (13.69
      umol/l/h versus 11.93 umol/l/h, P = 0.002). In patients with idiopathic
      Parkinson's, higher glucocerebrosidase enzymatic activity was associated with
      longer disease duration (P = 0.002) in adjusted models, suggesting a milder
      disease course. We conclude that lower glucocerebrosidase enzymatic activity is
      strongly associated with GBA mutations, and modestly with idiopathic Parkinson's
      disease. The association of lower glucocerebrosidase activity in both GBA
      mutation carriers and Parkinson's patients without GBA mutations suggests that
      loss of glucocerebrosidase function contributes to the pathogenesis of
      Parkinson's disease. High glucocerebrosidase enzymatic activity in LRRK2 G2019S
      carriers may reflect a distinct pathogenic mechanism. Taken together, these data
      suggest that glucocerebrosidase enzymatic activity could be a modifiable
      therapeutic target. 

PMID- 26117367
TI  - Intrinsic functional connectivity differentiates minimally conscious from
      unresponsive patients.
AB  - Despite advances in resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging
      investigations, clinicians remain with the challenge of how to implement this
      paradigm on an individualized basis. Here, we assessed the clinical relevance of
      resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions in patients with
      disorders of consciousness by means of a systems-level approach. Three clinical
      centres collected data from 73 patients in minimally conscious state, vegetative
      state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome and coma. The main analysis was performed
      on the data set coming from one centre (Liege) including 51 patients (26
      minimally conscious state, 19 vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome,
      six coma; 15 females; mean age 49 +/- 18 years, range 11-87; 16 traumatic, 32 non
      traumatic of which 13 anoxic, three mixed; 35 patients assessed >1 month post
      insult) for whom the clinical diagnosis with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised was
      congruent with positron emission tomography scanning. Group-level functional
      connectivity was investigated for the default mode, frontoparietal, salience,
      auditory, sensorimotor and visual networks using a multiple-seed correlation
      approach. Between-group inferential statistics and machine learning were used to
      identify each network's capacity to discriminate between patients in minimally
      conscious state and vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome. Data
      collected from 22 patients scanned in two other centres (Salzburg: 10 minimally
      conscious state, five vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome; New
      York: five minimally conscious state, one vegetative state/unresponsive
      wakefulness syndrome, one emerged from minimally conscious state) were used to
      validate the classification with the selected features. Coma Recovery Scale
      Revised total scores correlated with key regions of each network reflecting their
      involvement in consciousness-related processes. All networks had a high
      discriminative capacity (>80%) for separating patients in a minimally conscious
      state and vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome. Among them, the
      auditory network was ranked the most highly. The regions of the auditory network
      which were more functionally connected in patients in minimally conscious state
      compared to vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome encompassed
      bilateral auditory and visual cortices. Connectivity values in these three
      regions discriminated congruently 20 of 22 independently assessed patients. Our
      findings point to the significance of preserved abilities for multisensory
      integration and top-down processing in minimal consciousness seemingly supported
      by auditory-visual crossmodal connectivity, and promote the clinical utility of
      the resting paradigm for single-patient diagnostics. 

PMID- 26117369
TI  - Early non-destructive biofouling detection and spatial distribution: Application
      of oxygen sensing optodes.
AB  - Biofouling is a serious problem in reverse osmosis/nanofiltration (RO/NF)
      applications, reducing membrane performance. Early detection of biofouling plays
      an essential role in an adequate anti-biofouling strategy. Presently, fouling of
      membrane filtration systems is mainly determined by measuring changes in pressure
      drop, which is not exclusively linked to biofouling. Non-destructive imaging of
      oxygen concentrations (i) is specific for biological activity of biofilms and
      (ii) may enable earlier detection of biofilm accumulation than pressure drop. The
      objective of this study was to test whether transparent luminescent planar O2
      optodes, in combination with a simple imaging system, can be used for early non
      destructive biofouling detection. This biofouling detection is done by mapping
      the two-dimensional distribution of O2 concentrations and O2 decrease rates
      inside a membrane fouling simulator (MFS). Results show that at an early stage,
      biofouling development was detected by the oxygen sensing optodes while no
      significant increase in pressure drop was yet observed. Additionally, optodes
      could detect spatial heterogeneities in biofouling distribution at a micro scale.
      Biofilm development started mainly at the feed spacer crossings. The spatial and
      quantitative information on biological activity will lead to better understanding
      of the biofouling processes, contributing to the development of more effective
      biofouling control strategies. 

PMID- 26117368
TI  - DEGRO practical guidelines for radiotherapy of non-malignant disorders: Part I:
      physical principles, radiobiological mechanisms, and radiogenic risk.
AB  - PURPOSE: Synopsis of the introductory paragraph of the DEGRO consensus S2e
      guideline recommendations for the radiotherapy of benign disorders, including
      physical principles, radiobiological mechanisms, and radiogenic risk. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This work is based on the S2e-guideline recommendations published
      November 14, 2013. The basic principles of radiation physics and treatment
      delivery, evaluation of putative underlying radiobiological mechanisms, and the
      assessment of genetic and cancer risk following low-dose irradiation will be
      presented. RESULTS: Radiation therapy of benign diseases is performed according
      to similar physical principles as those governing treatment of malignant diseases
      in radiation oncology, using the same techniques and workflows. These methods
      comprise usage of orthovoltage X-ray units, gamma irradiation facilities, linear
      accelerators (LINACs), and brachytherapy. Experimental in vitro and in vivo
      models recently confirmed the clinically observed anti-inflammatory effect of low
      dose X-irradiation, and implicated a multitude of radiobiological mechanisms.
      These include modulation of different immunological pathways, as well as the
      activities of endothelial cells, mono- and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, and
      macrophages. The use of effective dose for radiogenic risk assessment and the
      corresponding tumor incidence rate of 5.5%/Sv are currently controversially
      discussed. Some authors argue that the risk of radiation-induced cancers should
      be estimated on the basis of epidemiological data. However, such data are rarely
      available at present and associated with high variability. CONCLUSION: Current
      radiobiological studies clearly demonstrate a therapeutic effectiveness of
      radiation therapy used to treat benign diseases and implicate various molecular
      mechanisms. Radiogenic risks should be taken into account when applying radiation
      treatment for benign diseases.

PMID- 26117370
TI  - An integrated bioremediation process for petroleum hydrocarbons removal and odor
      mitigation from contaminated marine sediment.
AB  - This study developed a novel integrated bioremediation process for the removal of
      petroleum hydrocarbons and the mitigation of odor induced by reduced sulfur from
      contaminated marine sediment. The bioremediation process consisted of two phases.
      In Phase I, acetate was dosed into the sediment as co-substrate to facilitate the
      sulfate reduction process. Meanwhile, akaganeite (beta-FeOOH) was dosed in the
      surface layer of the sediment to prevent S(2-) release into the overlying
      seawater. In Phase II, NO3(-) was injected into the sediment as an electron
      acceptor to facilitate the denitrification process. After 20 weeks of treatment,
      the sequential integration of the sulfate reduction and denitrification processes
      led to effective biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), in which
      about 72% of TPH was removed. In Phase I, the release of S(2-) was effectively
      controlled by the addition of akaganeite. The oxidation of S(2-) by Fe(3+) and
      the precipitation of S(2-) by Fe(2+) were the main mechanisms for S(2-) removal.
      In Phase II, the injection of NO3(-) completely inhibited the sulfate reduction
      process. Most of residual AVS and S(0) were removed within 4 weeks after NO3(-)
      injection. The 16S rRNA clone library-based analysis revealed a distinct shift of
      bacterial community structure in the sediment over different treatment phases.
      The clones affiliated with Desulfobacterales and Desulfuromonadales were the most
      abundant in Phase I, while the clones related to Thioalkalivibrio sulfidophilus,
      Thiohalomonas nitratireducens and Sulfurimonas denitrificans predominated in
      Phase II. 

PMID- 26117371
TI  - Electrochemical incineration of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in sulfate medium
      and synthetic urine matrix.
AB  - The degradation of 100 mL of 0.245 mM of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in 0.05 M
      Na2SO4 at pH 3.0 has been studied by electrochemical oxidation with
      electrogenerated H2O2 (EO-H2O2), electro-Fenton (EF), UVA photoelectro-Fenton
      (PEF) and solar PEF (SPEF). Electrolyses were performed with a stirred tank
      reactor using either a boron-doped diamond (BDD) or Pt anode and an air-diffusion
      cathode. In EF, PEF and SPEF, ciprofloxacin was rapidly removed due to its
      oxidation with (*)OH formed from Fenton's reaction between added Fe(2+) and H2O2
      generated at the cathode. The larger electrochemical incineration of the
      antibiotic was achieved by SPEF with BDD with 95% mineralization thanks to the
      additional attack by hydroxyl radicals formed from water oxidation at the BDD
      anode surface and the photolysis of final Fe(III)-oxalate and Fe(III)-oxamate
      species from sunlight. Up to 10 primary intermediates and 11 hydroxylated
      derivatives were identified by LC-MS, allowing the proposal of a reaction
      sequence for ciprofloxacin mineralization. A different behavior was found when
      the same antibiotic concentration was oxidized in a synthetic urine matrix with
      high urea content and a mixture of PO4(3-), SO4(2-) and Cl(-) ions. Since
      Fenton's reaction was inhibited in this medium, only EO and EO-H2O2 processes
      were useful for mineralization, being the organics mainly degraded by HClO formed
      from Cl(-) oxidation. The EO process with a BDD/stainless steel cell was found to
      be the most powerful treatment for the urine solution, yielding 96% ciprofloxacin
      removal and 98% mineralization after 360 min of electrolysis at optimum values of
      pH 3.0 and current density of 66.6 mA cm(-2). The evolution of released inorganic
      ions was followed by ion chromatography.

PMID- 26117373
TI  - Lab-testing, predicting, and modeling multi-stage activated carbon adsorption of
      organic micro-pollutants from treated wastewater.
AB  - Multi-stage reuse of powdered activated carbon (PAC) is often applied in practice
      for a more efficient exploitation of the PAC capacity to remove organic micro
      pollutants (OMP). However, the adsorption mechanisms in multi-stage PAC reuse are
      rarely investigated, as large-scale experiments do not allow for systematic
      tests. In this study, a laboratory method for the separation of PAC/water
      suspensions and the subsequent reuse of the PAC and the water was developed. The
      method was tested on wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent in a setup with
      up to 7 PAC reuse stages. The tests show that the overall OMP removal from WWTP
      effluent can be increased when reusing PAC. The reason is that a repeated
      adsorption in multi-stage PAC reuse results in similar equilibrium concentrations
      as a single-stage adsorption. Thus, a single relationship between solid and
      liquid phase OMP concentrations appears valid throughout all stages. This also
      means that the adsorption efficiency of multi-stage PAC reuse setups can be
      estimated from the data of a single-stage setup. Furthermore, the overall OMP
      removals in multi-stage setups coincide with the overall UV254 removals, and for
      each respective OMP one relationship to UV254 removal is valid throughout all
      stages. The results were modeled by a simple modification of the equivalent
      background compound model (EBCM) which was also used to simulate the additional
      OMP removals in multi-stage setups with up to 50 reuse stages. 

PMID- 26117372
TI  - Urban wastewater treatment by seven species of microalgae and an algal bloom:
      Biomass production, N and P removal kinetics and harvestability.
AB  - This study evaluates the capacity of seven species and a Bloom of microalgae to
      grow in urban wastewater. Nutrient removal kinetics and biomass harvesting by
      means of centrifugation and coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation have been also
      tested. Results show that the best biomass productivities ranged from between 118
      and 108 mgSS L(-1) d(-1) for the Bloom (Bl) and Scenedesmus obliquus (Sco).
      Regarding nutrient removal, microalgae were able to remove the total dissolved
      phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations by more than 80% and 87% respectively,
      depending on the species tested. The final total dissolved concentration of
      nitrogen and phosphorus in the culture media complies with the European
      Commission Directive 98/15/CE on urban wastewater treatment. Regarding
      harvesting, the results of coagulation-flocculation sedimentation using a 60 mg
      L(-1) dose of Ferric chloride were similar between species, exceeding the biomass
      removal efficiency by more than 90%. The results of centrifugation (time required
      to remove 90% of solids at 1000 rpm) were not similar between species, with the
      shortest time being 2.9 min for Sco, followed by the bloom (7.25 min). An overall
      analysis suggested that the natural bloom and Scenedesmus obliquus seem to be the
      best candidates to grow in pre-treated wastewater, according to their biomass
      production, nutrient removal capability and harvestability. 

PMID- 26117374
TI  - The relative correspondence of cranial and genetic distances in papionin taxa and
      the impact of allometric adjustments.
AB  - The reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships in the primate fossil record is
      dependent upon a thorough understanding of the phylogenetic utility of
      craniodental characters. Here, we test three previously proposed hypotheses for
      the propensity of primate craniomandibular data to exhibit homoplasy, using a
      study design based on the relative congruence between cranial distance matrices
      and a consensus genetic distance matrix ("genetic congruence") for papionin taxa:
      1) matrices based on cranial regions subjected to less masticatory strain are
      more genetically congruent than high-strain cranial matrices; 2) matrices based
      on cranial regions developing earlier in ontogeny are more genetically congruent
      than matrices based on regions that develop later; and 3) matrices based on
      cranial regions with greater anatomical/functional complexity are more
      genetically congruent than matrices based on anatomically simpler regions.
      Morphological distance matrices based on the shape of 15 different cranial
      regions, delineated on the basis of previous catarrhine studies, were
      statistically compared to a matrix of known genetic distances in papionins. Since
      sexual dimorphism and allometry are known to characterize this clade, several
      analytical iterations were conducted: 1) mixed-sex, male-only, and female-only
      analyses and 2) with and without an allometric scaling adjustment. Across all
      datasets, the chondrocranium matrix was the most consistently correlated with
      genetic distances, which is also consistent with previous studies of
      cercopithecoid taxa; however, there was no support for the internal predictions
      of the three hypotheses tested. Allometric scaling corrections had the largest
      impact on the genetic congruence of facial shape matrices, a result consistent
      with previous studies that have described facial homoplasy in papionin taxa.
      These findings differ from patterns described for hominoid taxa, suggesting that
      no single predictive criterion can explain phylogenetic utility of cranial
      datasets across catarrhine primate taxa. Many of the differences in morphological
      genetic matrix correlations could result from different levels of phenotypic
      integration and evolvability in cercopithecoids and hominoids, suggesting that
      further study of these phenomena in extant primates is warranted. 

PMID- 26117375
TI  - Regulation of chicken immunity-related genes and host response profiles against
      Avibacterium paragallinarum pathogen challenge.
AB  - Infectious coryza (IC) is a well-recognised and commonly encountered upper
      respiratory tract disease in chickens. The aim of this study was to monitor
      aspects of the immune response of chickens infected with Avibacterium
      paragallinarum. Gene expression profiling of 30 genes was carried out for 11
      chicken nasal area samples belonging to four groups, including one non-infected
      control group. For this purpose, 30 biomarker transcripts were selected for
      comparative gene expression analysis and were analysed by real-time PCR using
      TaqMan((r)) assays. The biomarkers included three reference genes. The reference
      genes were used to normalise the results in a relative quantification approach.
      The gene expression changes of the 27 biomarker transcripts (genes of interest)
      were quantified between all treated groups in six pair-wise comparisons. It was
      concluded from the data that immune response initiation is via TLR4, which leads
      to a Th2 dominant type response. Furthermore, TLR4 results in signalling via the
      MyD88-dependent pathway, resulting in early onset of NF-kbeta leading to the
      production of inflammatory cytokines. This work provides an informative outlay of
      immune response initiation upon infection with this pathogen. 

PMID- 26117376
TI  - Functional analysis of 3'UTR polymorphisms in the caprine SLC11A1 gene and its
      association with the Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection.
AB  - The study aimed to investigate whether the genetic polymorphisms in the 3'UTR of
      the caprine SLC11A1 gene are functional, and to assess the role of MAP as a
      regulatory parameter in gene expression. To this goal we constructed plasmids
      expressing the Luciferase reporter gene in transient transfections of a mouse
      (Balb/c) macrophage cell line (RAW264.7), incorporating those polymorphisms that
      our previous work indicated as more prominent in terms of SLC11A1 expression and
      responsiveness to MAP infection. Gene expression variation was recorded on the
      average of the respective measurements after exposure to Mycobacterium avium
      subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) combined with microbial antigens and cytokines. In
      silico analysis of the region under study allowed identification of one cis
      acting RNA element, five putative transcriptional regulatory elements and 85
      3'end microRNA binding sites. The two polymorphic regions (regions A and B) of
      the 3'UTR of the caprine SLC11A1 gene were recognized as regulators of its
      activity, at transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. The GT16
      polymorphism at region A, combined with the GT8 polymorphism at region B, results
      in up-regulation of the SLC11A1 gene. The specific genotype was also found to be
      more responsive to MAP exposure at a statistically significant level. 

PMID- 26117377
TI  - Does Intraoral Miniplate Fixation Have Good Postoperative Stability After
      Sagittal Splitting Ramus Osteotomy? Comparison With Intraoral Bicortical Screw
      Fixation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Bicortical screw fixation systems and miniplate with monocortical screw
      fixation systems have been reported mainly in bilateral sagittal split ramus
      osteotomy (BSSO). This study compared postoperative stability between these 2
      fixation systems by an intraoral approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a
      retrospective cohort study. The study sample was composed of patients treated by
      BSSO at the authors' institute from January 2006 through December 2012. All cases
      had facial symmetry and were performed by setback surgery. The predictor variable
      was treatment group (intraoral screw fixation [SG] vs intraoral miniplate
      fixation [MG]), and the primary outcome variable was stability defined as the
      change in the position of point B. Other outcome variables were stability defined
      as the change in the position of the menton, blood loss, incidence of
      postoperative temporomandibular joint disorder, and nerve injury. Descriptive and
      bivariate statistics were computed and the P value was set at .05. RESULTS:
      Seventy-five patients (35 men and 40 women; mean age, 25.8 yr) were divided into
      2 groups (39 SG cases and 36 MG cases). Postoperative changes at point B and the
      menton in the 2 fixation groups were not statistically different. Lingual nerve
      injury occurred only in SG cases. Moreover, total blood loss was greater in SG
      cases. CONCLUSION: An intraoral miniplate with monocortical screw fixation system
      is recommended over intraoral bicortical screw fixation for bone segments in
      setback BSSO in patients without facial asymmetry.

PMID- 26117378
TI  - Elevated Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Expression Correlates With Advanced Stages of
      Oral Cancer and Is Linked to Poor Clinical Outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: Using a meta-analytic approach, the relation between increased matrix
      metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression, tumor stage, and clinical outcomes in
      oral cancers was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multiple English- and
      Chinese-language electronic databases were searched to identify high-quality case
      and-control studies relevant to this meta-analysis. Methodologic quality of the
      included trials was assessed using the Strengthening the Reporting of
      Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement to ensure consistency in
      reviewing and reporting the results. Statistical analyses were carried out with
      STATA 12.0 statistical software. RESULTS: Nine case-and-control studies
      containing a combined total of 419 patients with oral cancer were included in the
      present meta-analysis. Results showed that patients who were positive for MMP-9
      expression had a significantly poorer overall survival compared with those
      negative for MMP-9 (effect size = 2.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.98 to 3.22; P
      < .001). MMP-9 expression also positively correlated with lymph node metastasis
      and advanced T-stage groups (P < .05 for all comparisons). Further, high MMP-9
      expression level correlated with increased oral cancer risk in Asians (P < .05
      for all comparisons) as shown by method-stratified subgroup analysis. CONCLUSION:
      The present results strongly suggest that MMP-9 expression level influences tumor
      invasion and metastasis in oral cancers. Based on these results, MMP-9 can be an
      excellent therapeutic target in patients with oral cancer.

PMID- 26117379
TI  - A Novel Surgical Technique for Augmented Corticotomy-Assisted Orthodontics: Bone
      Grafting With Periosteum.
AB  - PURPOSE: To introduce grafting fixed with the periosteum (dumpling technique) as
      an alternative surgical technique for augmented corticotomy-assisted orthodontics
      in the lower anterior region and evaluate the preliminary outcomes. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Eleven patients (9 women, 2 men; mean age, 21.4 yr) with a thin alveolus
      or alveolar defect in the lower anterior region by clinical and radiographic
      examination underwent an augmented corticotomy using the new dumpling technique.
      Cone-beam computerized tomography was used to evaluate morphologic changes of the
      lower anterior ridge before treatment (T0) and 1 week (T1) and 6 months (T2)
      after the bone-augmentation procedure. Repeated-measures analysis of variance
      with Bonferroni multiple-comparison test was used to compare variables at each
      time point. RESULTS: No severe postsurgical complications occurred in any
      patient. The mean alveolar bone thickness of the labial plate increased from T0
      to T1 (P < .001) and decreased from T1 to T2 (P < .001). However, compared with
      T0, there was still a significant increase in horizontal bone thickness at T2 (P
      < .05). The vertical alveolar bone level increased from T0 to T1 (P < .001) and
      was maintained from T1 to T2 (P > .05). No significant differences were found in
      root length of the lower anterior teeth at these 3 time points (P > .05).
      CONCLUSIONS: In this preliminary study, the dumpling technique for augmented
      corticotomy-assisted surgical orthodontics showed alveolar bone augmentation by
      increasing the vertical alveolar height and the horizontal bone thickness in the
      labial aspect of the anterior mandibular area. However, long-term follow-up is
      necessary.

PMID- 26117380
TI  - Understanding healthcare practices in superdiverse neighbourhoods and developing
      the concept of welfare bricolage: Protocol of a cross-national mixed-methods
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diversity in Europe has both increased and become more complex posing
      challenges to both national and local welfare state regimes. Evidence indicates
      specific barriers for migrant, faith and minority ethnic groups when accessing
      healthcare. However, previous studies of health in diverse cities in European
      countries have mainly adopted an ethno-national focus. Taking into account the
      new complexity of diversity within cities, a deeper and multi-faceted
      understanding of everyday health practices in superdiverse contexts is needed to
      support appropriate healthcare provision. METHODS/DESIGN: This protocol describes
      a mixed method study investigating how residents in superdiverse neighbourhoods
      access healthcare. The study will include participant observation and qualitative
      interviewing as well as a standardised health survey and will be carried out in
      eight superdiverse neighbourhoods - with varying deprivations levels and
      trajectories of change - in four European countries (Germany, Portugal, Sweden
      and UK). In each neighbourhood, trained polylingual community researchers
      together with university researchers will map formal and informal provision and
      infrastructures supportive to health and healthcare. In-depth interviews with
      residents and healthcare providers in each country will investigate local health
      supportive practices. Thematic analysis will be used to identify different types
      of help-seeking behaviours and support structures across neighbourhoods and
      countries. Using categories identified from analyses of interview material, a
      health survey will be set up investigating determinants of access to healthcare.
      Complex models, such as structural equation modelling, will be applied to analyse
      commonalities and differences between population groups, neighbourhoods and
      countries. DISCUSSION: This study offers the potential to contribute to a deeper
      understanding of how residents in superdiverse neighbourhoods deal with health
      and healthcare in everyday practices. The findings will inform governmental
      authorities, formal and informal healthcare providers how to further refine
      health services and how to achieve equitable access in diverse population groups.

PMID- 26117381
TI  - Induced abortions and birth outcomes of women with a history of severe
      psychosocial problems in adolescence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To increase knowledge on the reproductive health of women who have
      been placed in a residential school, a child welfare facility for adolescents
      with severe psychosocial problems. METHODS: All women (n=291) who lived in the
      Finnish residential schools on the last day of the years 1991, 1996, 2001 and
      2006 were included in this study and compared with matched general population
      controls. Register-based information on induced abortions and births was
      collected until the end of the year 2011. RESULTS: Compared to controls, women
      with a residential school history had more induced abortions. A higher proportion
      of their births took place when they were teenagers or even minors. They were
      more often single, smoked significantly more during pregnancy and had a higher
      risk of having a preterm birth or a baby with a low birth weight. CONCLUSIONS:
      The findings have implications for the planning of preventive and supportive
      interventions that aim to increase the well-being of women with a residential
      school history and their offspring.

PMID- 26117382
TI  - Construct development, description and initial validation of the Knowledge about
      Older Patients Quiz (KOP-Q) for nurses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Literature shows that nurses have a negative attitude toward older
      patients. Increasing nurses' knowledge (part of attitudes) may affect hospital
      nurses' attitudes and improve the quality of care for older patients. A first
      step is understanding nurses' current knowledge. This can be achieved by using a
      measurement instrument with good validity and reliability. OBJECTIVES: This study
      explains the content development and initial validation of the 'Knowledge about
      Older Patients Quiz' (KOP-Q) for nurses, describing the first step in developing
      a valid and reliable instrument. DESIGN: Qualitative method followed by 2 pilot
      studies. METHODS: Open interviews were conducted with 7 scientific experts and 10
      nurse specialists in gerontology, geriatrics, and/or nursing and 5 older
      patients, 70+ with hospital experience in the last two years. The data were
      analyzed using thematic analysis. Items were generated from literature on themes
      derived from interviews. A Delphi round with three nurse specialists and two
      researchers was organized for item reduction. Two pilot survey studies were
      conducted for measuring readability and face validity of the KOP-Q. Readability
      was examined by a Dutch language specialist and 7 nurses working on a
      cardiovascular ward. Face validity was tested in two hospitals with 22 nurses
      working on geriatric wards. RESULTS: Identified themes were: normal aging,
      geriatric conditions, signaling problems in old age, interventions, family
      interventions, vulnerable patients versus older patients and internal motivation
      for learning and reflection. 185 questions on these themes were developed. After
      conceptualization, generation and reduction of questions in the Delphi round 52
      questions remained eligible for use. Readability and face validity of this
      initial version of the KOP-Q proved good. CONCLUSIONS: Content development of the
      KOP-Q is of good methodological rigor and each step is carefully described,
      therefore it can be of use for future diagnostic instrument developers,
      curriculum developers and educators.

PMID- 26117383
TI  - Liver pathology in severe multidrug resistant 3 protein deficiency: a series of
      10 pediatric cases.
AB  - Multidrug resistance protein 3 (MDR3) is a hepatocyte canalicular membrane
      protein encoded by the ABCB4/MDR3 gene located on chromosome 7. Several liver
      diseases are known to be associated with MDR3 deficiency. The basic defect is
      reduced secretion of biliary phospholipid causing disturbance in the primary bile
      composition, leading to injury to biliary epithelium inducing cell death and
      inflammation. Severe MDR3 deficiency typically presents during the first year of
      life or early childhood, often progressing to chronic liver disease with
      cirrhosis and portal hypertension, requiring liver transplantation. Negative MDR3
      immunostaining is suggestive of MDR3 deficiency. Herein, we report the clinical
      and histopathologic features of 10 cases (6 male/4 female) in infants and
      children with severe MDR3 deficiency (age range of 8 months to 7 years) diagnosed
      with negative MDR3 immunostaining in hepatic canaliculi. Three cases underwent
      liver transplantation. The cases showed periportal bridging fibrosis to
      micronodular cirrhosis, ductular proliferation with bile plugs, and lobular
      canalicular bile stasis with rosetting. All 3 explant livers demonstrated
      cystically dilated large ducts with crystallization of cholesterol. One case
      showed well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. We conclude that MDR3
      immunostaining on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections is a useful tool
      to diagnose severe MDR3 deficiency in pediatric liver cholestatic disease cases
      where genetic testing is not available. 

PMID- 26117384
TI  - Leprosy in New Zealand.

PMID- 26117385
TI  - Leprosy in New Zealand: an epidemiological update.
AB  - AIM: To examine the current epidemiological trends of leprosy in New Zealand and
      raise awareness of this disease in the health professional community. METHOD:
      Epidemiological data of leprosy, a notifiable disease in New Zealand, was
      accessed for the 10 year time period 2004 to 2013. Using an illustrative case as
      an introduction, all 38 case reports from the study period are summarised.
      RESULTS: Most cases of leprosy in New Zealand notified during the study period
      are immigrants from countries with endemic leprosy, reflecting the origin of
      disease. Delay to diagnosis is common. CONCLUSION: Leprosy remains a clinical
      problem in New Zealand. Cases are more likely to arise in geographical areas with
      higher numbers of immigrants from endemic countries.

PMID- 26117386
TI  - Implementation of the 2013 Psychoactive Substances Act and mental health harms
      from synthetic cannabinoids.
AB  - AIMS: Use of synthetic cannabinoids is associated with a range of mental health
      harms. The 2013 Psychoactive Substances Act (PSA) was intended to limit retail
      availability of synthetic cannabinoids which had acceptable safety profiles. We
      evaluated numbers and clinical characteristics of patients presenting with mental
      health harms associated with use of synthetic cannabinoids for three months
      before and after implementation of the PSA on 18July 2013. METHODS: Retrospective
      audit of case notes of patients presenting to an emergency psychiatric service
      (EPS) in Dunedin. RESULTS: In the three months post-PSA, there was a 42%
      reduction in EPS contacts and 52% reduction in patient presentations, compared
      with the three months pre-PSA. Patient demographics (predominantly young males
      with prior contact with mental health services), presenting symptoms (mood and
      psychotic symptoms and suicidality), and management and disposition were
      identical in both periods. CONCLUSIONS: The decrease in mental health harms, as
      measured by frequency of EPS contacts, appeared to be due to reduced retail
      availability of synthetic cannabinoids rather that reduced toxicity of available
      products.

PMID- 26117387
TI  - GPs, community pharmacists and shifting professional boundaries.
AB  - AIMS: In the context of expectations regarding role evolution, including
      increased interprofessional working, this study aimed to gain insight into how
      GPs and pharmacists understood the professional role of the pharmacist and its
      expansion, extension and calls for increased collaboration. METHODS: Qualitative
      interviews with 16 GPs and 17 pharmacists were conducted in the Canterbury
      region. Data were analysed using descriptive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Both
      groups were generally supportive in principle of more collaborative forms of
      working. GPs seemed more comfortable with collaboration that involved pharmacists
      being under the umbrella of the general practice. Pharmacists welcomed greater
      meaningful collaboration with general practice. Pharmacists did not express any
      particular view about what types of collaboration they preferred. They did discus
      tensions resulting from the need to contact doctors over minor prescribing
      errors. Extension and/or expansion of pharmacist roles were met with caution by
      GPs, although there was greater acceptance of medicines management. Pharmacists
      had mixed views about role expansion. Most were keen on role extension,
      particularly in relation to medicines management. CONCLUSIONS: Attempts to
      encourage one professional group to expand or extend their practice may be
      perceived as a threat by those adjacent. Mitigation strategies involve clear
      communication and acknowledgment that interprofessional trust takes time to
      establish.

PMID- 26117388
TI  - Medical Students and informed consent: A consensus statement prepared by the
      Faculties of Medical and Health Science of the Universities of Auckland and
      Otago, Chief Medical Officers of District Health Boards, New Zealand Medical
      Students' Association and the Medical Council of New Zealand.
AB  - To develop a national consensus statement to promote a pragmatic, appropriate and
      unified approach to seeking consent for medical student involvement in patient
      care. A modified Delphi technique was used to develop the consensus statement
      involving stakeholders. Feedback from consultation and each stakeholder helped to
      shape the final consensus statement. The consensus statement is a nationally
      agreed statement concerning medical student involvement in patient care, which
      will be useful for medical students, health care professionals and patients. 

PMID- 26117389
TI  - An ageing trauma population: The Auckland experience.
AB  - AIM: As the population ages, the number of elderly patients suffering injuries is
      increasing. Reports from North America have shown an increasing proportion of
      elderly admissions with a disproportionate number of deaths. However, this trend
      has not yet been examined in New Zealand. The aim of this study was to determine
      unique characteristics of geriatric patients as compared to the general trauma
      population. METHOD: The trauma database at Auckland City Hospital (ACH) was
      queried for patients age 65 years and above admitted between 2005-2012.
      Demographics, mechanism of injury, length of stay, and disposition were recorded.
      RESULTS: 1644 patients were included. The proportion of elderly patient
      admissions increased from 15% to 20% over the study period (p=<0.001). There were
      93 deaths (6%); mortality increased with age-9% for patients 85+ compared to 5%
      for age 65-84 (p=0.004). Elderly trauma patients accounted for 38% of all trauma
      deaths. Average length of stay for survivors was 9 +/- 10 days, with 63%
      discharged home (n=1042), 19% to rehabilitation (n=316) and 7% to rest home
      (n=111). Falls were the most common mechanism (n=1261, 76%), however these
      patients had lower mortality compared to road traffic collision (4% vs. 12%,
      p<0.001) and pedestrians struck (4% vs. 11%, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: ACH has seen a
      significant increase in elderly trauma admissions without a change in catchment
      or referral pattern. These patients have a higher mortality than those under 65,
      longer length of stay, and are less likely to return home. Specific education on
      fall prevention should be increased to lessen the burden on the health system as
      a whole. Given the linear increase in mortality, specialised geriatric care
      should be considered starting at age 75.

PMID- 26117390
TI  - 7-year retrospective review of quad bike injuries admitted to Starship Children's
      Hospital.
AB  - AIMS: To ascertain morbidity and mortality of children who presented to Starship
      Children's Hospital with injuries from a quad bike incident from 2007 to 2014,
      and to review whether current guidelines are sufficient to prevent injury.
      METHODS: A retrospective case note review of all children under the age of 16
      years who presented to Starship Hospital with an injury sustained whilst riding a
      quad bike between January 2007 and July 2014. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were
      identified through both the Starship Children's Hospital Trauma and Paediatric
      Intensive Care databases with injuries resulting from a quad bike incident.
      Fifteen patients (56%) had multisystem injuries. The average injury severity
      score (ISS) was 14 (range 1-75). ISS was higher in those of younger age (<5
      years), lower body weight (<20kg), requiring PICU admission and those sustaining
      head injuries with no helmet. Seven (25.9%) patients required PICU admission, two
      patients died (7.4%) and three patients (12%) survived to discharge with
      disability. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports current published guidelines which
      recommend limiting the use of quad bikes by children. Current guidelines do not,
      however, prevent injury in the paediatric population.

PMID- 26117391
TI  - A new surgical site infection improvement programme for New Zealand: early
      progress.
AB  - Two to five percent of those who have an inpatient surgical procedure will
      experience a surgical site infection (SSI). The Health Quality & Safety
      Commission has instituted New Zealand's first national Surgical Site Infection
      Improvement Programme (the SSII Programme), delivered jointly by Auckland and
      Canterbury District Health Boards. Through a combined package of surveillance and
      improvement interventions the SSII Programme aims to reduce the incidence of SSIs
      in New Zealand hospitals, beginning initially with hip and knee arthroplasties.
      Within one year of the programme starting there has been a significant nationwide
      improvement in the timing of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (p<0.0001), and
      the administration of the correct dose (p<0.0001). National compliance with an
      alcohol-based skin preparation remains high at > 95 %. In this paper we describe
      the purpose, background, structure and rationale of the programme and provide
      results to date. 

PMID- 26117392
TI  - An unusual cause of persistent dysphagia.

PMID- 26117393
TI  - Importance of blood cultures to aid the diagnosis of Lemierre's syndrome.
AB  - This is a case report of Lemierre's syndrome, a septic thrombophlebitis of the
      internal jugular vein (IJV) usually preceded by pharyngitis and bacteraemia with
      an anaerobic organism. Fusobacterium necrophorum is ananaerobic Gram-negative
      bacillus and is the most common organism reported to cause Lemierre's syndrome
      which usually occurs one to three weeks post pharyngitis or oropharyngeal
      surgery. A 21-year-old patient presented with signs of sepsis and a history of
      sore throat, fever, and tender cervical lymph nodes. Blood cultures grew F.
      necrophorum and Computed Tomography (CT) showed a filling defect in the left
      retromandibular vein and thrombosis in the left internal jugular vein (IJV)
      consistent with Lemierre's syndrome. This is an uncommon condition which normally
      occurs in young individuals and diagnosis is often delayed. 

PMID- 26117394
TI  - Request from Cook Islands Secretary of Health.

PMID- 26117395
TI  - Time for the New Zealand health sector to divest all investment funds out of
      fossil fuels.

PMID- 26117396
TI  - World meat consumption patterns: An overview of the last fifty years (1961-2011).
AB  - Driven by economic development and urbanisation, protein consumption has surged
      worldwide over the last 50years, rising from 61g per person per day in 1961 to
      80g per person per day in 2011 [Corrected]. This contribution analyses the
      apparent convergence of dietary models worldwide with respect to the proportion
      of ABP and especially meat in intake. By using FAO data for 183 countries over
      the period 1961-2011, the authors show the connection between annual per capita
      GDP and the level of ABP (R2=0.62) and meat consumption (R2=0.62). They emphasise
      the surge in ABP intake in emerging countries (China, Brazil) which has partly
      replaced plant protein. However, for similar degrees of economic development, the
      composition of ABPs and the position of meat within this category vary
      significantly among countries, suggesting that historical, geographical, cultural
      and religious factors may be involved.

PMID- 26117397
TI  - Environmental impacts of beef production: Review of challenges and perspectives
      for durability.
AB  - Beef makes a substantial contribution to food security, providing protein, energy
      and also essential micro-nutrients to human populations. Rumination allows cattle
      - and other ruminant species - to digest fibrous feeds that cannot be directly
      consumed by humans and thus to make a net positive contribution to food balances.
      This contribution is of particular importance in marginal areas, where agro
      ecological conditions and weak infrastructures do not offer much alternative. It
      is also valuable where cattle convert crop residues and by-products into edible
      products and where they contribute to soil fertility through their impact on
      nutrients and organic matter cycles. At the same time, environmental
      sustainability issues are acute. They chiefly relate to the low efficiency of
      beef cattle in converting natural resources into edible products. Water use, land
      use, biomass appropriation and greenhouse gas emissions are for example typically
      higher per unit of edible product in beef systems than in any other livestock
      systems, even when corrected for nutritional quality. This particularly causes
      environmental pressure when production systems are specialized towards the
      delivery of edible products, in large volumes. The paper discusses environmental
      challenges at global level, recognizing the large diversity of systems. Beef
      production is faced with a range of additional sustainability challenges, such as
      changing consumer perceptions, resilience to climate change, animal health and
      inequities in access to land and water resources. Entry-points for environmental
      sustainability improvement are discussed within this broader development context.

PMID- 26117399
TI  - The role of microRNAs in coronary artery disease: From pathophysiology to
      diagnosis and treatment.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are tiny non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene
      expression predominantly at the post-transcriptional level. Far from being simple
      intracellular regulators, miRNAs have recently been involved in intercellular
      communication and have been shown to circulate in the bloodstream in stable
      forms. In the past years specific miRNA expression patterns have been linked to
      the development of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease, two closely
      related conditions. The study of miRNAs has promoted our understanding of the
      processes involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and innovative
      diagnostic and therapeutic approaches have emerged. In this review, we present
      the role of miRNAs in the development of atherosclerosis, on coronary artery
      disease progression and we assess their role as diagnostic biomarkers. Finally we
      evaluate the therapeutic and preventive opportunities that arise from the study
      of miRNAs in coronary artery disease and especially in myocardial infarction. 

PMID- 26117398
TI  - The role of vascular biomarkers for primary and secondary prevention. A position
      paper from the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on peripheral
      circulation: Endorsed by the Association for Research into Arterial Structure and
      Physiology (ARTERY) Society.
AB  - While risk scores are invaluable tools for adapted preventive strategies, a
      significant gap exists between predicted and actual event rates. Additional tools
      to further stratify the risk of patients at an individual level are biomarkers. A
      surrogate endpoint is a biomarker that is intended as a substitute for a clinical
      endpoint. In order to be considered as a surrogate endpoint of cardiovascular
      events, a biomarker should satisfy several criteria, such as proof of concept,
      prospective validation, incremental value, clinical utility, clinical outcomes,
      cost-effectiveness, ease of use, methodological consensus, and reference values.
      We scrutinized the role of peripheral (i.e. not related to coronary circulation)
      noninvasive vascular biomarkers for primary and secondary cardiovascular disease
      prevention. Most of the biomarkers examined fit within the concept of early
      vascular aging. Biomarkers that fulfill most of the criteria and, therefore, are
      close to being considered a clinical surrogate endpoint are carotid
      ultrasonography, ankle-brachial index and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity;
      biomarkers that fulfill some, but not all of the criteria are brachial ankle
      pulse wave velocity, central haemodynamics/wave reflections and C-reactive
      protein; biomarkers that do no not at present fulfill essential criteria are flow
      mediated dilation, endothelial peripheral arterial tonometry, oxidized LDL and
      dysfunctional HDL. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether a specific vascular
      biomarker is overly superior. A prospective study in which all vascular
      biomarkers are measured is still lacking. In selected cases, the combined
      assessment of more than one biomarker may be required. 

PMID- 26117400
TI  - Low cardiorespiratory fitness and coronary artery calcification: Complementary
      cardiovascular risk predictors in asymptomatic type 2 diabetics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite its well-established prognostic value, cardiorespiratory
      fitness (CRF) is not incorporated routinely in risk assessment tools. Whether low
      CRF provides additional predictive information in asymptomatic type 2 diabetics
      beyond conventional risk scores and coronary artery calcification (CAC) is
      unclear. METHODS: We studied 600 type 2 diabetics aged 55-74 years without known
      coronary heart disease. CRF was quantified in metabolic equivalents (METs) by
      maximal treadmill testing and categorized as tertiles of percent predicted METs
      (ppMETs) achieved. CAC was calculated by non-enhanced computed tomography scans.
      The individual and joint association of both measures with an outcome event of
      all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction or stroke, was determined over a mean
      follow-up period of 80 +/- 16 months. RESULTS: There were 72 (12%) events during
      follow-up. Low CRF was independently associated with event risk after adjustment
      for traditional risk factors and CAC (HR 2.25, 95% CI 1.41-3.57, p = 0.001). CRF
      (unfit/fit) allowed further outcome discrimination both amongst diabetics with
      low CAC scores (9.5% versus 2.0% event rate), and amongst diabetics with high CAC
      scores (23.5% versus 12.4% event rate), p < 0.001. The addition of CRF to a model
      comprising UKPDS and CAC scores improved the area under the curve for event
      prediction from 0.66 to 0.71, p = 0.03, with a positive continuous net
      reclassification improvement (NRI) of 0.451, p = 0.002. CONCLUSIONS: CRF,
      quantified by ppMETs, provided independent prognostic information which was
      additive to CAC. Low CRF may identify asymptomatic diabetic subjects at higher
      risk for all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction or stroke, despite low CAC.

PMID- 26117402
TI  - Supplementation with two probiotic strains, Lactobacillus curvatus HY7601 and
      Lactobacillus plantarum KY1032, reduces fasting triglycerides and enhances
      apolipoprotein A-V levels in non-diabetic subjects with hypertriglyceridemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have indicated that supplementation with probiotics
      might improve lipid metabolism. The objective of the study was to evaluate the
      effect of supplementation with probiotic strains Lactobacillus curvatus (L.
      curvatus) HY7601 and Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) KY1032 on
      triglyceride (TG) and apolipoprotein A-V (apo A-V) levels. METHODS: A randomized,
      double-blinded, placebo-controlled study was conducted with 128 non-diabetic
      subjects with hypertriglyceridemia. Over a 12-week test period, the probiotic
      group consumed 2 g/day of a powdered supplement containing L. curvatus HY7601 and
      L. plantarum KY1032, whereas the placebo group consumed a powder lacking
      probiotics. RESULTS: After the treatment, the probiotic group showed an 18.3% (P
      < 0.001) reduction in TGs and increases of 21.1% (P = 0.001) and 15.6% (P <
      0.001) in the apo A-V and LDL particle size, respectively. The probiotic group
      had a significant reduction in TGs (P = 0.040) and increases in the plasma apo A
      V (P = 0.003) and LDL particle size (P < 0.001) compared with the placebo group.
      In the probiotic group, the reduction in the TG levels was negatively correlated
      with changes in the apo A-V and baseline TGs, regardless of the APOA5 -1131T > C
      genotype. CONCLUSION: The consumption of two probiotic strains for 12 weeks
      reduced TGs and increased the apo A-V and LDL particle size in
      hypertriglyceridemic subjects. This effect was more pronounced in subjects with
      higher levels of fasting TGs regardless of their APOA5 -1131T > C genotype.

PMID- 26117401
TI  - Lipoprotein associated phospholipase A2 activity, apolipoprotein C3 loss-of
      function variants and cardiovascular disease: The Atherosclerosis Risk In
      Communities Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (LpPLA2) activity was
      associated with higher CHD risk in a meta-analysis, which was partly dependent on
      circulating lipid levels. Apolipoprotein C3 loss-of-function (ApoC3 LOF)
      mutations were related with reduced postprandial lipemia and CHD risk. However,
      the association of LpPLA2 activity with ApoC3 LOF is not known. METHODS: We
      examined the association of LpPLA2 activity and ApoC3 LOF mutations and incident
      cardiovascular disease (CVD) (defined as coronary heart disease [CHD] plus
      ischemic stroke) and all-cause mortality in the biracial longitudinal
      Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) study. RESULTS: The mean LpPLA2
      activity was 229.3 nmol/min/mL and was higher in men and whites. LpPLA2 activity
      correlated positively with atherogenic dyslipidemia. ApoC3 LOF carriers had lower
      LpPLA2 activity levels compared to non-carriers, and there was inverse
      association between LpPLA2 activity and ApoC3 LOF mutations in whites. In a fully
      adjusted model, greater LpPLA2 activity was independently associated with
      incident CVD (HR 1.35, 1.09-1.68 for highest vs. lowest quintile), which was
      mainly explained by its association with CHD, and was also associated with all
      cause mortality (HR 1.65, 1.38-1.98). CONCLUSIONS: Greater LpPLA2 activity was
      associated with increased CHD and all-cause mortality in both whites and African
      Americans in the ARIC study. The inverse relation between LpPLA2 activity and
      ApoC3 LOF mutations suggests that delayed lipoprotein clearance may at least in
      part explain the observed association of LpPLA2 activity with increased CVD risk.

PMID- 26117403
TI  - Association between levels of serum bisphenol A, a potentially harmful chemical
      in plastic containers, and carotid artery intima-media thickness in adolescents
      and young adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical produced at high volumes and used
      widely in food and drink packaging. In adults, elevated BPA concentrations are
      associated with cardiovascular disease. BPA exposure is plausibly linked to
      atherosclerosis in adolescents and young adults, but evidence is lacking to date.
      METHODS: We recruited 886 subjects (12-30 years of age) from a population-based
      sample of adolescents and young adults based on a mass urine screening to
      determine the relationship between serum levels of BPA and carotid intima-media
      thickness (CIMT). RESULTS: The geometric mean (standard deviation) of
      concentrations of BPA were 1.72 (5.5) ng/mL After controlling for confounding
      factors, linear regression analyzes showed a 1-unit increase in natural log BPA
      was significantly associated with an increase in mean CIMT (mm) (beta = 0.005,
      95% C.I. = 0.003-0.007, p < 0.001) and other measurement of CIMT (including right
      and left side of common carotid artery, carotid bulb and internal carotid
      artery). CONCLUSION: Higher serum concentrations of BPA were associated with
      increased CIMT in this cross-sectional study of adolescents and young adults.
      Studies to clarify the mechanisms of these associations are needed.

PMID- 26117404
TI  - Relationship of pericardial fat with lipoprotein distribution: The Multi-Ethnic
      study of atherosclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pericardial fat and lipoprotein abnormalities contribute to increased
      risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We investigated the relationship between
      pericardial fat volume and lipoprotein distribution, and whether the association
      of pericardial fat volume with subclinical atherosclerosis and incident CVD
      events differs according to lipoprotein distribution. METHODS: We analyzed data
      from 5407 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis who had
      measurements of pericardial fat volume, lipoprotein distribution, carotid intima
      media thickness (IMT), and coronary artery calcium (CAC). All participants were
      free of clinically apparent CVD at baseline. Incident CVD was defined as any
      adjudicated CVD event. RESULTS: After adjusting for demographic factors,
      traditional risk factors, and biomarkers of inflammation and hemostasis, a larger
      pericardial fat volume was associated with higher large VLDL particle (VLDL-P)
      concentration and small HDL particle (HDL-P) concentration, and smaller HDL-P
      size (regression coefficients = 0.585 nmol/L, 0.366 MUmol/L, and -0.025 nm per SD
      increase in pericardial fat volume respectively, all P < 0.05). The association
      of pericardial fat volume with large VLDL-P concentration and HDL-P size, but not
      small HDL-P concentration, remained significant after further adjusting for each
      other as well as LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. The
      relationship of pericardial fat volume with incident CVD events, carotid IMT, and
      prevalence and severity of CAC did not differ by quartiles of large VLDL-P
      concentration, small HDL-P concentration, or HDL-P size (P for interaction>0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Pericardial fat is associated with atherogenic lipoprotein
      abnormalities. However, its relationship with subclinical atherosclerosis and
      incident CVD events does not differ according to lipoprotein distribution.

PMID- 26117405
TI  - MicroRNA-19b/221/222 induces endothelial cell dysfunction via suppression of PGC
      1alpha in the progression of atherosclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1alpha
      (PGC-1alpha) is a master regulator of cellular energy metabolism that is
      associated with many cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis. However,
      the role and underling regulatory mechanisms of PGC-1alpha in the pathogenesis of
      atherosclerosis are not completely understood. Here, we identified the microRNAs
      that post-transcriptionally regulate PGC-1alpha production and their roles in the
      pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: A significant down
      regulation of PGC-1alpha protein was observed in human atherosclerotic vessel
      samples. Using microarray and bioinformatics analyses, PGC-1alpha was identified
      as a common target gene of miR-19b-3p, miR-221-3p and miR-222-3p, which are
      mainly located in the intima of atherosclerotic vessels. In vitro induction of
      miR-19b-3p, miR-221-3p and miR-222-3p by the inflammatory cytokines TNFalpha and
      IFNgamma may affect PGC-1alpha protein production and consequently result in
      mitochondrial dysfunction in Human Aortic Endothelial Cells (HAECs). The
      overexpression of miR-19b-3p, miR-221-3p and miR-222-3p in HAECs caused
      intracellular ROS accumulation, which led to cellular apoptosis. CONCLUSION:
      Taken together, these results demonstrate that PGC-1alpha plays a protective role
      against the vascular complications of atherosclerosis. Moreover, the
      posttranscriptional regulation of PGC-1alpha by miR-19b/221/222 was unveiled,
      which provides a novel mechanism in which a panel of microRNAs can modulate
      endothelial cell apoptosis via the regulation mitochondrial function.

PMID- 26117406
TI  - Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis of Medication Adherence With Once
      weekly Versus Once-daily Therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare medication adherence rates for once-weekly (QW) versus once
      daily (QD) dosing regimens in patients with chronic disease. METHODS: A
      systematic literature review was conducted to identify articles published in
      English-language journals examining the rate of adherence to medications in
      patients with chronic disease. Relevant studies were identified from January 2002
      through August 2013 using PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases.
      Twenty-two published observational studies reporting adherence were identified by
      2 independent reviewers, and 7 articles reported relevant measures for analysis.
      All studies were conducted in patients with osteoporosis. Meta-analyses estimated
      (1) mean difference (MD) in adherence (defined using the mean medication
      possession ratio [MPR]) between QW and QD dosing groups and (2) odds ratio (OR)
      for adherence (defined using an MPR cutoff of >=80%) for QW versus QD dosing.
      Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q and I(2) values, and meta-analyses
      used both fixed- and random-effects models. FINDINGS: The random-effects meta
      analysis revealed a significantly greater MPR with QW compared with QD dosing
      (pooled MD = 12.29%; 95% CI, 10.76%-13.82%; n = 9 [data reported in 7
      publications]). Because of the high level of heterogeneity (I(2) = 83.4%), the
      fixed-effects model results were not appropriate to report for the pooled MD.
      When examining the OR for adherence, both fixed- and random-effects models
      provided similar results due to the low level of heterogeneity (I(2) = 7.9%; n =
      5 [data reported in 3 publications]). Using either model, the pooled odds of
      being adherent (MPR >=80%) in the QW dosing group was approximately 1.9 times the
      odds in the QD dosing group (random-effects OR = 1.90; 95% CI, 1.81-2.00; fixed
      effects OR = 1.92; 95% CI, 1.84-1.99). IMPLICATIONS: In our meta-analysis, QW
      dosing was associated with better adherence levels and greater odds of being
      adherent compared with QD dosing in patients with osteoporosis.

PMID- 26117407
TI  - The effect of visual cues on top-down restoration of temporally interrupted
      speech, with and without further degradations.
AB  - In complex listening situations, cognitive restoration mechanisms are commonly
      used to enhance perception of degraded speech with inaudible segments. Profoundly
      hearing-impaired people with a cochlear implant (CI) show less benefit from such
      mechanisms. However, both normal hearing (NH) listeners and CI users do benefit
      from visual speech cues in these listening situations. In this study we
      investigated if an accompanying video of the speaker can enhance the
      intelligibility of interrupted sentences and the phonemic restoration benefit,
      measured by an increase in intelligibility when the silent intervals are filled
      with noise. Similar to previous studies, restoration benefit was observed with
      interrupted speech without spectral degradations (Experiment 1), but was absent
      in acoustic simulations of CIs (Experiment 2) and was present again in
      simulations of electric-acoustic stimulation (Experiment 3). In all experiments,
      the additional speech information provided by the complementary visual cues lead
      to overall higher intelligibility, however, these cues did not influence the
      occurrence or extent of the phonemic restoration benefit of filler noise. Results
      imply that visual cues do not show a synergistic effect with the filler noise, as
      adding them equally increased the intelligibility of interrupted sentences with
      or without the filler noise. 

PMID- 26117408
TI  - The role of extended preoperative steroids in hearing preservation cochlear
      implantation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Steroids have been shown to reduce the hearing threshold shifts
      associated with cochlear implantation. Previous studies have examined only the
      administration of steroids just prior to surgery. The aim of this study is to
      examine the role of extended preoperative systemic steroids in hearing
      preservation cochlear implantation. METHODS: An animal model of cochlear
      implantation was used. 24 Hartley strain guinea pigs with a mean weight of 768 g
      and normal hearing were randomised into a control group, a second group receiving
      a single dose of systemic dexamethasone one day prior to surgery, and a third
      group receiving a daily dose of systemic dexamethasone for 5 days prior to
      surgery. A specially designed cochlear implant electrode by Med-EL (Innsbruck)
      was inserted through a dorsolateral approach to an insertion depth of 5 mm and
      left in-situ. Auditory brain stem responses at 8 kHz, 16 kHz and 32 kHz were
      measured preoperatively, and 1 week, 1 month and 2 months postoperatively.
      Cochlear histopathology was examined at the conclusion of the study. RESULTS: At
      1-week post operative, both groups receiving dexamethasone prior to implantation
      had smaller threshold shifts across all frequencies and which was significant at
      32 kHz (p < 0.05). There were no differences among the three groups in the area
      of electrode related fibrosis. Spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) density was
      significantly higher in the group receiving steroids for 5 days, but only in the
      basal cochlear turn. DISCUSSION: This is study demonstrates the benefits of
      extended preoperative systemic steroids on hearing outcomes and SGN density in an
      animal model of cochlear implantation surgery.

PMID- 26117409
TI  - Theta, beta and gamma rate modulations in the developing auditory system.
AB  - In the brain, the temporal analysis of many important auditory features relies on
      the synchronized firing of neurons to the auditory input rhythm. These so-called
      neural oscillations play a crucial role in sensory and cognitive processing and
      deviances in oscillatory activity have shown to be associated with
      neurodevelopmental disorders. Given the importance of neural auditory
      oscillations in normal and impaired sensory and cognitive functioning, there has
      been growing interest in their developmental trajectory from early childhood on.
      In the present study, neural auditory processing was investigated in typically
      developing young children (n = 40) and adults (n = 27). In all participants,
      auditory evoked theta, beta and gamma responses were recorded. The results of
      this study show maturational differences between children and adults in neural
      auditory processing at cortical as well as at brainstem level. Neural background
      noise at cortical level was shown to be higher in children compared to adults. In
      addition, higher theta response amplitudes were measured in children compared to
      adults. For beta and gamma rate modulations, different processing asymmetry
      patterns were observed between both age groups. The mean response phase was also
      shown to differ significantly between children and adults for all rates. Results
      suggest that cortical auditory processing of beta develops from a general
      processing pattern into a more specialized asymmetric processing preference over
      age. Moreover, the results indicate an enhancement of bilateral representation of
      monaural sound input at brainstem with age. A dissimilar efficiency of auditory
      signal transmission from brainstem to cortex along the auditory pathway between
      children and adults is suggested. These developmental differences might be due to
      both functional experience-dependent as well as anatomical changes. The findings
      of the present study offer important information about maturational differences
      between children and adults for responses to theta, beta and gamma rates. The
      current study can have important implications for the understanding of
      developmental disorders which are known to be associated with deviances in neural
      auditory processing. 

PMID- 26117410
TI  - Hydrosalpinx in Postmenarchal Nonsexually Active Girls: A Review of 6 Cases in a
      Children's Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to identify the presence of
      hydrosalpinx in postmenarchal nonsexually active girls in a children's hospital
      and to review the available literature on hydrosalpinx in this population. CASES:
      In a tertiary care children's hospital, we performed a retrospective review of
      charts from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2014 and identified six cases of
      hydrosalpinx in postmenarchal nonsexually active female adolescents ranging in
      age from 12 to 19 years old. The diagnosis of hydrosalpinx was made using imaging
      studies. Four of six patients were symptomatic at presentation, and two patients
      were diagnosed when seen for unrelated reasons. Five of these six girls had
      previous abdominopelvic surgery. Four girls were given empiric antibiotic
      treatment for presumed pelvic inflammatory disease related to hydrosalpinx. Two
      patients required surgical intervention that resulted in complete resolution of
      the hydrosalpinx. The oldest patient in the series underwent ultrasound-guided
      drainage of the pyo- and/or hydrosalpinx with subsequent recurrence with tubal
      ovarian abscess five months later. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS: The presence of
      hydrosalpinx might be discovered in the workup of pelvic pain in nonsexually
      active adolescents or on routine follow-up in patients with previous abdominal
      surgery, some of whom are asymptomatic. The underlying pathophysiology for
      hydrosalpinx in this population remains unclear. Among our cases, postsurgical
      adhesions appeared to be the most likely predisposing factor for tubular
      obstruction. Early detection and prompt diagnosis will allow for appropriate
      conservative or definitive treatment.

PMID- 26117411
TI  - Prevalence and associations of general practice nurses' involvement in
      consultations of general practitioner registrars: a cross-sectional analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To establish prevalence and associations of general practice nurses'
      (GPNs) involvement in general practitioner (GP) registrars' consultations.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis from an ongoing cohort study of registrars'
      clinical consultations in five Australian states. Registrars recorded detailed
      data from 60 consecutive consultations per 6-month training term. Problems and
      diagnoses encountered, including chronic disease classification, were coded using
      the International Classification of Primary Care, second edition duplication
      system (ICPC-2plus) classification system. The outcome factor in our analysis was
      GPN involvement in management of individual problems and diagnoses. Independent
      variables were a range of patient, registrar, practice, consultation and
      educational factors. RESULTS: We analysed 108 759 consultations of 856 registrars
      including 169 307 problems or diagnoses. Of the problems/diagnoses, 5.1% (95%
      confidence interval (CI) 5.0-5.2) involved a GPN. Follow-up with a GPN was
      organised for 1.5% (95% CI 1.4-1.5) of all problems/diagnoses. Significant
      associations of GPN involvement included patient age, male sex, Aboriginal or
      Torres Strait Islander status, non-English-speaking background (NESB) and the
      patient being new to the practice. Larger practice size, the particular training
      organisation, and the problem/diagnosis being new and not a chronic disease were
      other associations. CONCLUSIONS: Associations with Aboriginal or Torres Strait
      Islander status and NESB status suggest GPNs are addressing healthcare needs of
      these under-serviced groups. But GPNs may be underutilised in chronic disease
      care.

PMID- 26117412
TI  - Precise placement of lag screws in operative treatment of trochanteric femoral
      fractures with a new guide system.
AB  - PURPOSE: We assessed the accuracy of a new guide system that we developed to
      place lag screws in the proper position with the minimum number of attempts for
      operative treatment of trochanteric femoral fractures. METHODS: A total of 55
      consecutive trochanteric femoral fractures were treated with a cephalomedullary
      nail. The first 27 consecutive patients were treated with the standard operation
      (group A), while the new guide system was used in the last 28 consecutive
      patients (group B). The numbers of attempts to place K wires and the duration of
      surgery were noted. Accuracy of lag screw placement was evaluated by measuring
      the angle of deviation from the central axis of the femoral head. RESULTS:
      Deviation values ranged from -11 to +15 for the 27 cases in group A, with a
      median absolute deviation of 8+/-6. That in the 28 cases after the introduction
      of the new guide system (group B) ranged from -5 to +6, with a median absolute
      deviation of 0.5+/-3 (P<0.001). The total numbers of attempts to place lag screws
      and mean operation time decreased significantly after introduction of the new
      guide system (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: With this new guide system, we are able to
      insert lag screws successfully in the optimal position even in most unstable
      fractures. The present study indicated that this new guide system and nail
      facilitate accurate placement of lag screws in the appropriate position with the
      minimum number of attempts.

PMID- 26117413
TI  - Selective management of penetrating neck injuries using "no zone" approach.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Selective management has been the standard management protocol in
      penetrating neck injuries (PNIs) since this approach has significantly reduced
      unnecessary neck exploration. The purpose of this study is to evaluate outcomes
      of selective management in PNIs using the "no zone" approach, in which the
      management is guided mainly by clinical signs and symptoms, not the location of
      the neck wounds. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed in
      patients treated for PNIs at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH) from
      January 2003 to December 2013. The patients with hard signs of neck injury (i.e.,
      active bleeding, significant haematoma, massive subcutaneous emphysema, and air
      bubbling through the neck wound) underwent emergency neck exploration. The
      asymptomatic patients and the patients with soft signs (other symptoms) were
      considered to be candidates for selective management. Data collection included
      demographic data, emergency department parameters, details of neck injury, and
      outcomes in terms of mortality, negative exploration rate, and missed injury
      rate. RESULTS: Eighty-six PNI patients were treated at KCMH from 2003 to 2013, 64
      of which sustained stab wounds, 12 gunshot wounds, 4 shotgun wounds, and 6 other
      causes. Thirty-six patients presenting with hard signs underwent immediate neck
      exploration and there were 2 negative explorations. Twenty-six patients with soft
      signs underwent selective investigations (including computed tomographic
      angiography in 21 patients), 5 patients required neck explorations due to
      positive results of the investigations with one negative exploration. All of the
      twenty-four asymptomatic patients were managed with close observation, none
      required subsequent neck exploration. There was no missed injury found in the
      present study. Successful non-operative management was carried out in 45 patients
      (52%). The overall negative exploration rate was 7% (3 in 41 patients undergoing
      neck exploration). Two patients with hard signs died from associated chest
      injuries (mortality rate 2%). CONCLUSION: Selective management of penetrating
      neck injuries based on physical examination and selective use of investigations
      (no zone approach) is safe and simple with low negative exploration rate and no
      missed injury.

PMID- 26117414
TI  - Comparison of screw fixation with elastic fixation methods in the treatment of
      syndesmosis injuries in ankle fractures.
AB  - 17 patients with ankle syndesmosic injury were treated with a 4.5mm single
      cortical screw fixation (passage of screw 4 cortices) and 15 patients were
      treated with single-level elastic fixation material. All patients were evaluated
      according to the AOFAS ankle and posterior foot scale at the third, sixth and
      twelfth months after the fixation. The ankle range of movement was recorded
      together with the healthy side. The Student's t test was used for statistical
      comparisons. No statistical significant difference was observed between the AOFAS
      scores (p>0.05). The range of dorsiflexion and plantar flexion motion of the
      elastic fixation group at the 6th and 12th months were significantly better
      compared to the screw fixation group (p<0.01). Elastic fixation is as functional
      as screw fixation in the treatment of ankle syndesmosis injuries. The unnecessary
      need of a second surgical intervention for removal of the fixation material is
      another advantageous aspect of this method of fixation. 

PMID- 26117415
TI  - Injuries and outcomes associated with traumatic falls in the elderly population
      on oral anticoagulant therapy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Fall risk for older adults is a multi-factorial public health
      problem as 90% of geriatric injuries are caused by traumatic falls. The CDC
      estimated 33% of adults >65 years incurred a fall in 2011, with 30% resulting in
      moderate injury. While much has been written about overall risk to trauma
      patients on oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy, less has been reported on outcomes
      in the elderly trauma population. We used data from the National Trauma Data Bank
      (NTDB) to identify the types of injury and complications incurred, length of
      stay, and mortality associated with OACs in elderly patients sustaining a fall.
      METHODS: Using standard NTDB practices, data were collected on elderly patients
      (>=65 years) on OACs with diagnosis of fall as the primary mechanism of injury
      from 2007 to 2010. Univariate analysis was used to determine patient variables
      influencing risk of fall on OACs. Odds ratios were calculated for types of injury
      sustained and post-trauma complications. Logistic regression was used to
      determine mortality associated with type of injury incurred. RESULTS: Of 118,467
      elderly patients sampled, OAC use was observed in 444. Predisposing risk factors
      for fall on OACs were >1 comorbidity (p<0.0001). Patients on OACs were 188% and
      370% more likely to develop 2 and >3 complications (p<0.0001); the most
      significant being ARDS and ARF (p<0.0001). The mortality rate on OACs was 16%.
      Injuries to the GI tract, liver, spleen, and kidney (p<0.0002) were more likely
      to occur. However, if patients suffered a mortality, the most significant
      injuries were skull fractures and intracranial haemorrhage (p<0.0001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Risks of anticoagulation in elderly trauma patients are complex.
      While OAC use is a predictor of 30-day mortality after fall, the injuries
      sustained are markedly different between the elderly who die and those who do
      not. As a result there is a greater need for healthcare providers to identify
      preventable and non-preventable risks factors indicative of falls in the anti
      coagulated elderly patient.

PMID- 26117416
TI  - The relationship between UV-irradiance, photoprotective compounds and DNA damage
      in two intertidal invertebrates with contrasting mobility characteristics.
AB  - The photoprotective role of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAA) against the
      generation of DNA cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) was studied in the sessile
      intertidal anemone Actinia tenebrosa and the mobile intertidal gastropod Diloma
      aethiops through 27months at a mid-latitude New Zealand location. MAA were
      sequestered by A. tenebrosa and D. aethiops from their diet, although maximum
      total MAA levels in both species were not correlated with seasonal variation in
      maximum ambient UV-B levels recorded at the collection site. Temporal changes in
      total MAA in A. tenebrosa showed a six months lag-time in their concentration
      regarding to the environmental UV-B levels. This lag period corresponded to an
      observed increase in CPD production from spring to summer; suggesting that MAA do
      not completely protect the anemone from UV-B during summer. For D. aethiops,
      total MAA concentrations did not change significantly during the study, although
      qualitative changes in MAA were apparent. A month lag-time in MAA concentration
      in D. aethiops and possibly the physical barrier that the shell confers to the
      animal, can explain reduced CPD levels in comparative terms with A. tenebrosa.
      Although MAA are used by invertebrates for photoprotection, contrasting mobility
      characteristics and the presence of physical adaptations can confer them
      important protection levels during temporal changes of UV-B at mid-latitude
      places of the Southern Hemisphere. 

PMID- 26117417
TI  - Relation of motor, linguistic and temperament factors in epidemiologic subtypes
      of persistent and recovered stuttering: Initial findings.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of any patterns
      reflecting underlying subtypes of persistence and recovery across epidemiologic,
      motor, language, and temperament domains in the same group of children beginning
      to stutter and followed for several years. METHODS: Participants were 58 2-4-year
      old CWS and 40 age and gender matched NFC from four different sites in the
      Midwest. At the end of the multi-year study, stuttering children were classified
      as Persistent or Recovered. The same protocol obtaining data to measure
      stuttering, motor, language and temperament characteristics was used at each
      site. They have not been included in previous reports. RESULTS: The Persistent
      group performed consistently differently from the Recovered and Control groups.
      They performed lower on standardized language tests and in phonological accuracy,
      had greater kinematic variability, and were judged by their parents to be more
      negative in temperament. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides data supporting
      the hypothesis that subtypes of stuttering can be identified along
      persistency/recovery lines, but results were not definitive. EDUCATIONAL
      OBJECTIVES: Readers will be able to (a) describe the current state of subtypes of
      stuttering research; (b) summarize possible contributions of epidemiologic,
      motoric, linguistic and temperament to such subtyping with regard to persistency
      and recovery.

PMID- 26117418
TI  - Solid phase bio-electrofermentation of food waste to harvest value-added products
      associated with waste remediation.
AB  - A novel solid state bio-electrofermentation system (SBES), which can function on
      the self-driven bioelectrogenic activity was designed and fabricated in the
      laboratory. SBES was operated with food waste as substrate and evaluated for
      simultaneous production of electrofuels viz., bioelectricity, biohydrogen (H2)
      and bioethanol. The system illustrated maximum open circuit voltage and power
      density of 443 mV and 162.4 mW/m(2), respectively on 9 th day of operation while
      higher H2 production rate (21.9 ml/h) was observed on 19th day of operation. SBES
      system also documented 4.85% w/v bioethanol production on 20th day of operation.
      The analysis of end products confirmed that H2 production could be generally
      attributed to a mixed acetate/butyrate-type of fermentation. Nevertheless, the
      presence of additional metabolites in SBES, including formate, lactate,
      propionate and ethanol, also suggested that other metabolic pathways were active
      during the process, lowering the conversion of substrate into H2. SBES also
      documented 72% substrate (COD) removal efficiency along with value added product
      generation. Continuous evolution of volatile fatty acids as intermediary
      metabolites resulted in pH drop and depicted its negative influence on SBES
      performance. Bio-electrocatalytic analysis was carried out to evaluate the redox
      catalytic capabilities of the biocatalyst. Experimental data illustrated that
      solid-state fermentation can be effectively integrated in SBES for the production
      of value added products with the possibility of simultaneous solid waste
      remediation.

PMID- 26117419
TI  - Mineralogical analysis of dust collected from typical recycling line of waste
      printed circuit boards.
AB  - As dust is one of the byproducts originating in the mechanical recycling process
      of waste printed circuit boards such as crushing and separating, from the
      viewpoints of resource reuse and environmental protection, an effective recycling
      method to recover valuable materials from this kind of dust is in urgent need. In
      this paper, detailed mineralogical analysis on the dust collected from a typical
      recycling line of waste printed circuit boards is investigated by coupling
      several analytical techniques. The results demonstrate that there are 73.1wt.%
      organic matters, 4.65wt.% Al, 4.55wt.% Fe, 2.67wt.% Cu and 1.06wt.% Pb in the
      dust, which reveals the dust is worthy of reuse and harmful to environment. The
      concentration ratios of Fe, Mn and Zn can reach 12.35, 12.33 and 6.67
      respectively by magnetic separation. The yield of dust in each size fraction is
      nonuniform, while the yield of -0.75mm size fraction is up to 51.15wt.%; as the
      particle size decreases, the content of liberated metals and magnetic materials
      increase, and metals are mainly in elemental forms. The F, Cl and Br elements
      combing to C in the dust would make thermal treatment dangerous to the
      environment. Based on these results, a flowsheet to recycle the dust is proposed.

PMID- 26117420
TI  - Current limitations and challenges in nanowaste detection, characterisation and
      monitoring.
AB  - Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are already extensively used in diverse consumer
      products. Along the life cycle of a nano-enabled product, ENMs can be released
      and subsequently accumulate in the environment. Material flow models also
      indicate that a variety of ENMs may accumulate in waste streams. Therefore, a new
      type of waste, so-called nanowaste, is generated when end-of-life ENMs and nano
      enabled products are disposed of. In terms of the precautionary principle,
      environmental monitoring of end-of-life ENMs is crucial to allow assessment of
      the potential impact of nanowaste on our ecosystem. Trace analysis and
      quantification of nanoparticulate species is very challenging because of the
      variety of ENM types that are used in products and low concentrations of
      nanowaste expected in complex environmental media. In the framework of this
      paper, challenges in nanowaste characterisation and appropriate analytical
      techniques which can be applied to nanowaste analysis are summarised. Recent case
      studies focussing on the characterisation of ENMs in waste streams are discussed.
      Most studies aim to investigate the fate of nanowaste during incineration,
      particularly considering aerosol measurements; whereas, detailed studies focusing
      on the potential release of nanowaste during waste recycling processes are
      currently not available. In terms of suitable analytical methods, separation
      techniques coupled to spectrometry-based methods are promising tools to detect
      nanowaste and determine particle size distribution in liquid waste samples.
      Standardised leaching protocols can be applied to generate soluble fractions
      stemming from solid wastes, while micro- and ultrafiltration can be used to
      enrich nanoparticulate species. Imaging techniques combined with X-ray-based
      methods are powerful tools for determining particle size, morphology and
      screening elemental composition. However, quantification of nanowaste is
      currently hampered due to the problem to differentiate engineered from naturally
      occurring nanoparticles. A promising approach to face these challenges in
      nanowaste characterisation might be the application of nanotracers with unique
      optical properties, elemental or isotopic fingerprints. At present, there is also
      a need to develop and standardise analytical protocols regarding nanowaste
      sampling, separation and quantification. In general, more experimental studies
      are needed to examine the fate and transport of ENMs in waste streams and to
      deduce transfer coefficients, respectively to develop reliable material flow
      models. 

PMID- 26117421
TI  - Extraction of medium chain fatty acids from organic municipal waste and
      subsequent production of bio-based fuels.
AB  - This paper provides an overview on investigations for a new technology to
      generate bio-based fuel additives from bio-waste. The investigations are taking
      place at the composting plant in Darmstadt-Kranichstein (Germany). The aim is to
      explore the potential of bio-waste as feedstock in producing different bio-based
      products (or bio-based fuels). For this investigation, a facultative anaerobic
      process is to be integrated into the normal aerobic waste treatment process for
      composting. The bio-waste is to be treated in four steps to produce biofuels. The
      first step is the facultative anaerobic treatment of the waste in a rotting box
      namely percolate to generate a fatty-acid rich liquid fraction. The Hydrolysis
      takes place in the rotting box during the waste treatment. The organic compounds
      are then dissolved and transferred into the waste liquid phase. Browne et al.
      (2013) describes the hydrolysis as an enzymatically degradation of high solid
      substrates to soluble products which are further degraded to volatile fatty acids
      (VFA). This is confirmed by analytical tests done on the liquid fraction. After
      the percolation, volatile and medium chain fatty acids are found in the liquid
      phase. Concentrations of fatty acids between 8.0 and 31.5 were detected depending
      on the nature of the input material. In the second step, a fermentation process
      will be initiated to produce additional fatty acids. Existing microorganism mass
      is activated to degrade the organic components that are still remaining in the
      percolate. After fermentation the quantity of fatty acids in four investigated
      reactors increased 3-5 times. While fermentation mainly non-polar fatty acids
      (pentanoic to octanoic acid) are build. Next to the fermentation process, a chain
      elongation step is arranged by adding ethanol to the fatty acid rich percolate.
      While these investigations a chain-elongation of mainly fatty acids with pair
      numbers of carbon atoms (acetate, butanoic and hexanoic acid) are demonstrated.
      After these three pre-treatments, the percolate is brought to a refinery to
      extract the non-polar fatty acids using bio-diesel, which was generated from used
      kitchen oil at the refinery. The extraction tests in the lab have proved that the
      efficiency of the liquid-liquid-extraction is directly linked with the chain
      length and polarity of the fatty acids. By using a non-polar bio-diesel mainly
      the non-polar fatty acids, like pentanoic to octanoic acid, are extracted. After
      extraction, the bio-diesel enriched with the fatty acids is esterified. As a
      result bio-diesel with a lower viscosity than usual is produced. The fatty acids
      remaining in the percolate after the extraction can be used in another
      fermentation process to generate biogas. 

PMID- 26117422
TI  - A comparative study on the efficiency of ozonation and coagulation-flocculation
      as pretreatment to activated carbon adsorption of biologically stabilized
      landfill leachate.
AB  - The present work investigates the potential of coagulation-flocculation and
      ozonation to pretreat biologically stabilized landfill leachate before granular
      activated carbon (GAC) adsorption. Both iron (III) chloride (FeCl3) and
      polyaluminium chloride (PACl) are investigated as coagulants. Better organic
      matter removal is observed when leachate was treated with FeCl3. At a dose of 1mg
      FeCl3/mg CODo (CODo: initial COD content), the COD and alpha254 removal was 66%
      and 88%, respectively. Dosing 1mg PACl/mg CODo resulted in 44% COD and 72%
      alpha254 removal. The settle-ability of sludge generated by PACl leveled off at
      252mL/g, while a better settle-ability of 154mL/g was obtained for FeCl3 after
      dosing 1mg coagulant/mg CODo. For ozonation, the percentage of COD and alpha254
      removal increased as the initial COD concentration decreased. Respectively 44%
      COD and 77% alpha254 removal was observed at 112mg COD/L compared to 5% COD and
      26% alpha254 removal at 1846mg COD/L. Subsequent activated carbon adsorption of
      ozonated, coagulated and untreated leachate resulted in 77%, 53% and 8% total COD
      removal after treatment of 6 bed volumes. Clearly showing the benefit of treating
      the leachate before GAC adsorption. Mathematical modeling of the experimental GAC
      adsorption data with Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models show that ozonation increases
      the adsorption capacity and breakthrough time of GAC by a factor of 2.5 compared
      to coagulation-flocculation. 

PMID- 26117423
TI  - The BAH domain of BAF180 is required for PCNA ubiquitination.
AB  - Monoubiquitination of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a critical
      regulator of post replication repair (PRR). The depletion of BAF180, a unique
      subunit of the PBAF chromatin remodeling complex in human cells results in
      reduced PCNA ubiquitination leading to less efficient fork progression following
      DNA damage, but little is known about the mechanism. Here, we report that the
      expression of exogenous BAF180 in cells promotes PCNA ubiquitination during S
      phase after UV irradiation and it persists for many hours. No correlation was
      observed between the protein level of ubiquitin-specific protease 1 (USP1) and
      ubiquitinated PCNA in BAF180 expressing cells. Analysis of cells expressing
      BAF180 deletion mutants showed that the bromo-adjacent homology (BAH) domains are
      responsible for this effect. Surprisingly, a deletion construct encoding only the
      BAH domain region is able to increase the level of ubiquitinated PCNA, even
      though it is unable to be assembled into the PBAF complex. These results suggest
      that the ATPase-dependent chromatin remodeling activity of PBAF is not necessary,
      but instead the BAH domains are sufficient to promote PCNA ubiquitination. 

PMID- 26117424
TI  - Diabetes and Ramadan.

PMID- 26117425
TI  - Literature search methodology for systematic reviews: conventional and natural
      language processing enabled methods are complementary (Letter commenting on: J
      Clin Epidemiol. 2015;68:191-9).

PMID- 26117426
TI  - CB(2) and TRPV(1) receptors oppositely modulate in vitro human osteoblast
      activity.
AB  - In the current study, we have investigated the effect of CB2 and TRPV1 receptor
      ligands on in vitro osteoblasts from bone marrow of human healthy donors. A
      pivotal role for the endocannabinoid/endovanilloid system in bone metabolism has
      been highlighted. We have demonstrated a functional cross-talk between CB2 and
      TRPV1 in human osteoclasts, suggesting these receptors as new pharmacological
      target for the treatment of bone resorption disease as osteoporosis. Moreover, we
      have shown the presence of these receptors on human mesenchimal stem cells,
      hMSCs. Osteoblasts are mononucleated cells originated from hMSCs by the essential
      transcription factor runt-related transcription factor 2 and involved in bone
      formation via the synthesis and release of macrophage colony-stimulating factor,
      receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand and osteoprotegerin. For the
      first time, we show that CB2 and TRPV1 receptors are both expressed on human
      osteoblasts together with enzymes synthesizing and degrading
      endocannabinoids/endovanilloids, and oppositely modulate human osteoblast
      activity in culture in a way that the CB2 receptor stimulation improves the
      osteogenesis whereas TRPV1 receptor stimulation inhibits it. 

PMID- 26117427
TI  - PU-H71: An improvement on nature's solutions to oncogenic Hsp90 addiction.
AB  - Despite recent advances in precision medicine, many molecular-based
      antineoplastic agents do not potentiate sustainable long term remissions,
      warranting the investigation of novel therapeutic strategies. Heat shock protein
      90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone that not only has oncogenic properties, but
      also has distinct expression profiles in malignant and normal cells, providing a
      rational strategy to attain preferential damage. Prior attempts to target Hsp90
      with natural product-based compounds have been hampered by their associated off
      target toxicities, suggesting that novel, fully synthetic inhibitors may be
      required to achieve the specificity necessary for therapeutic efficacy.
      Therefore, this review highlights the antineoplastic potential of PU-H71 (8-[(6
      iodo-1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)sulfanyl]-9-[3-(propan-2-ylamino)propyl]purin-6-amine),
      a novel purine based analog that has shown efficacy in many preclinical models of
      malignancy, and is now under clinical examination. In addition, the review
      suggests potential concomitant therapeutic approaches that may be particularly
      beneficial to molecular-based, as well as traditional cytotoxic cancer
      chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26117428
TI  - Novel insight into drug repositioning: Methylthiouracil as a case in point.
AB  - Drug repositioning refers to the development of existing drugs for new
      indications. These drugs may have (I) failed to show efficacy in late stage
      clinical trials without safety issues; (II) stalled in the development for
      commercial reasons; (III) passed the point of patent expiry; or (IV) are being
      explored in new geographic markets. Over the past decade, pressure on the
      pharmaceutical industry caused by the 'innovation gap' owing to rising
      development costs and stagnant product output have become major reasons for the
      growing interest in drug repositioning. Companies that offer a variety of broad
      platforms for identifying new indications have emerged; some have been successful
      in building their own pipelines of candidates with reduced risks and timelines
      associated with further clinical development. The business models and platforms
      offered by these companies will be validated if they are able to generate
      positive proof-of-concept clinical data for their repositioned compounds. This
      review describes the strategy of biomarker-guided repositioning of
      chemotherapeutic drugs for inflammation therapy, considering the repositioning of
      methylthiouracil (MTU), an antithyroid drug, as a potential anti-inflammatory
      reagent. 

PMID- 26117429
TI  - [Is a Mexican Flexner possible in this century?].

PMID- 26117430
TI  - Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory action of Nigella sativa and thymoquinone:
      A comprehensive review.
AB  - Many herbal products are now used as remedies to treat various infectious and non
      infectious conditions. Even though the use of herbs and natural products is much
      more evident in the Eastern world, their use in Western cultures is continuously
      increasing. Although the immunomodulatory effects of some herbs have been
      extensively studied, research related to possible immunomodulatory effects of
      many herbs and various spices is relatively scarce. Here, we provide a
      comprehensive review of the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties of
      Nigella sativa, also known as black seed or black cumin, and its major active
      ingredient, thymoquinone (TQ). This review article focuses on analyzing in vitro
      and in vivo experimental findings that were reported with regard to the ability
      of N. sativa and TQ to modulate inflammation, cellular and humoral adaptive
      immune responses, and Th1/Th2 paradigm. The reported capability of N. sativa to
      augment the cytotoxic activity of natural killer (NK) cells against cancer cells
      is also emphasized. The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying such
      immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of N. sativa and TQ are
      highlighted. Moreover, the signal transduction pathways implicated in the
      immunoregulatory functions of N. sativa and TQ are underscored. Experimental
      evidence suggests that N. sativa extracts and TQ can potentially be employed in
      the development of effective therapeutic agents towards the regulation of immune
      reactions implicated in various infectious and non-infectious conditions
      including different types of allergy, autoimmunity, and cancer. 

PMID- 26117431
TI  - Treatment options for chylous ascites after major abdominal surgery: a systematic
      review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chylous leakage is a relevant clinical problem after major abdominal
      surgery leading to an increased length of stay. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search
      of MEDLINE/PubMed and the Cochrane Library was performed according to the PRISMA
      statement. The search for the MeSH terms "chylous ascites" and/or "lymphatic
      fistula" retrieved a total of 2,348 articles, of which 36 full-text articles were
      reviewed by 2 independent investigators. RESULTS: Chylous ascites is described
      with an incidence of up to 11%, especially after pancreatic surgery. The
      incidence is increasing with the number of lymph nodes harvested. In patients
      treated with total parenteral nutrition, conservative treatment is demonstrated
      to be effective in up to 100% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: The extent of abdominal
      surgery mainly predicts the risk of chylous ascites. Conservative treatment has
      been shown to be effective in almost all cases and is the treatment of choice.

PMID- 26117432
TI  - Postoperative diarrhea and high ostomy output impact postoperative outcomes after
      elective colon and rectal operations regardless of Clostridium difficile
      infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to review and compare outcomes of patients with and without
      Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) after elective colorectal operations.
      METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of patients with CDI after elective colon and
      rectal operations from 2007 to 2012 (Group A) was conducted. Outcomes were
      compared with patients with a negative C. difficile toxin assay performed for
      postoperative diarrhea or high stoma output (Group B) and matched controls (Group
      C). RESULTS: Forty-four patients (median age 53 years) developed CDI
      postoperatively (Group A). Fourteen patients (32%) had surgical site infections.
      Both Group A and Group B patients received ertapenem as preoperative antibiotic
      prophylaxis significantly more often than matched controls (P < .0001), and also
      had significantly more surgical site infections (P = .004), longer hospital stays
      (P = .003), and more readmissions (P = .02) compared with Group C patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this study, postoperative CDI was uncommon, of low morbidity, and
      no mortality. Postoperative diarrhea and high stoma output, whether in patients
      who are C. difficile positive or not, appear to impact postoperative outcomes.

PMID- 26117433
TI  - Can the measurement of amylase in drain after distal pancreatectomy predict post
      operative pancreatic fistula?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The most frequent reason for performing a distal pancreatectomy is
      the presence of cystic or neuroendocrine tumors, in which the distal pancreatic
      stump is often soft and non fibrotic. This parenchymal consistence represents the
      main risk factor for post-operative pancreatic fistula. In order to identify the
      fistula and assessing its severity postoperative monitoring of amylase from
      intraperitoneal drains is important. METHODS: From a retrospective multicentric
      database analysis were included 33 patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy
      for pancreatic neoplastic disease. RESULTS: Postoperative pancreatic fistula
      occurred in four cases. One patient had a ductal adenocarcinoma, two presented
      with pancreatic endocrine neoplasms and the last one had an intraductal papillary
      mucinous neoplasia. Two patients underwent open, the other two laparoscopic
      distal pancreatectomy. DISCUSSION: Postoperative pancreatic fistulas after distal
      pancreatectomy worsen the quality of life, prolong the post-operative stay and
      delay further adjuvant therapy. In patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy
      literature exposed some advantages deriving from the placement of abdominal
      drainages only in selected cases and from their early removal. Patients
      presenting a high risk of pancreatic fistula had higher amylase levels of
      drainage fluid in the first postoperative day. CONCLUSION: POPF is the most
      frequently complication after pancreatectomy. In our analysis DFA1>5000 can be
      considered as a predictive factor for pancreatic fistula. For this reason, the
      systematic measurement of amylase in drain fluid in first-postoperative day can
      be considered a good clinical practice.

PMID- 26117434
TI  - New fabrication technique for highly sensitive qPlus sensor with well-defined
      spring constant.
AB  - A new technique for the fabrication of highly sensitive qPlus sensor for atomic
      force microscopy (AFM) is described. The focused ion beam was used to cut then
      weld onto a bare quartz tuning fork a sharp micro-tip from an electrochemically
      etched tungsten wire. The resulting qPlus sensor exhibits high resonance
      frequency and quality factor allowing increased force gradient sensitivity. Its
      spring constant can be determined precisely which allows accurate quantitative
      AFM measurements. The sensor is shown to be very stable and could undergo usual
      UHV tip cleaning including e-beam and field evaporation as well as in situ STM
      tip treatment. Preliminary results with STM and AFM atomic resolution imaging at
      4.5 K of the silicon Si(111)-7*7 surface are presented.

PMID- 26117435
TI  - Caregiver report of apathy predicts dementia in Parkinson's disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Apathy is a common, troublesome symptom in Parkinson's disease
      (PD). However, little is known about its relationship with long-term cognition.
      We sought to determine if a caregiver-reported apathy measure predicts the
      development of PD dementia. METHODS: Non-demented PD patients were recruited as
      part of a longitudinal study of cognition. Demographics, medications, Dementia
      Rating Scale-2, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Geriatric Depression
      Scale and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q) ratings were
      obtained. Apathy was defined as an NPI-Q apathy score >=1. Participants were
      evaluated annually with cognitive and functional assessments until the end of the
      study period or a physician consensus diagnosis of dementia was assigned. Cox
      proportional hazard models were used to assess the effects of baseline apathy on
      dementia development while controlling for other clinical and demographic
      factors. RESULTS: Of 132 PD patients 12.1% (N = 16) scored in the apathetic range
      at baseline. A total of 19.6% (N = 26) individuals developed dementia over the
      course of the study, 8 of whom (30.8% of future dementia patients) had baseline
      apathy. In bivariate analyses baseline apathy, older age, and worse cognitive,
      motor, and depressive symptom scores predicted the development of dementia. In a
      multivariate analysis the predictive effects of baseline apathy were still
      significant (HR = 3.56; 95% CI = 1.09-11.62; p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: A simple,
      caregiver-reported measure of apathy is an independent predictor of progression
      to dementia in PD. This highlights the importance of apathy as a clinical
      characteristic of PD and could prove useful for the prediction of future
      dementia.

PMID- 26117436
TI  - A biological measure of stress levels in patients with functional movement
      disorders.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: While the presence of co-existing psychological stressors has
      historically been used as a supportive factor in the diagnosis of functional
      neurological disorders, many patients with functional neurological disorders deny
      the presence of these stressors. The stress response circuitry in these patients
      remains largely unexplored. METHODS: We performed an observational study
      examining biological stress levels in patients with functional movement disorders
      as compared with matched healthy controls. Specifically, we compared levels of
      circulating cortisol, the end-product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
      Salivary cortisol samples were collected from patients with "clinically definite"
      functional movement disorders (n = 33) and their age- and sex-matched controls (n
      = 33). Collections were performed at five standardized time points, reflecting
      participants' diurnal cortisol cycles. To rule out confounders, participants also
      underwent extensive psychological assessment including Structured Clinical
      Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Hamilton
      Anxiety Rating Scale, and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. RESULTS: Patients
      with functional movement disorders did not differ from matched controls with
      respect to levels of circulating cortisol. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that
      current stress levels are not altered in patients with functional movement
      disorders. Our results warrant careful review of current management of patients
      with functional neurological symptoms, and suggest that the insistence on
      heightened stress levels in these patients is unjustified.

PMID- 26117437
TI  - Effects of cerebellar continuous theta burst stimulation on resting tremor in
      Parkinson's disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have suggested that the cerebellum may be involved
      in the pathophysiology of resting tremor in patients with Parkinson's disease
      (PD). The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of cerebellar
      continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) on cerebello-thalamo-cortical
      connectivity and resting tremor in PD patients. METHODS: Thirteen PD patients and
      ten healthy subjects underwent two experimental sessions: (i) 'real' cTBS,
      delivered over the cerebellar hemisphere and (ii) 'sham' cerebellar cTBS,
      delivered over the neck muscles. The two sessions were performed at least one
      week apart. The effects of 'real' and 'sham' cerebellar cTBS were quantified as
      excitability changes in the contralateral primary motor cortex or as possible
      changes in resting tremor in the ipsilateral hand. Primary motor cortex
      excitability was assessed by recording the input/output curve of the motor-evoked
      potentials from the contralateral first dorsal interosseous muscle. RESULTS:
      Resting tremor was rated clinically and objectively assessed by means of
      kinematic techniques. 'Real' cerebellar cTBS, though not 'sham' cerebellar cTBS,
      reduced the excitability in the contralateral primary motor cortex both in
      healthy subjects and in patients with PD. There was no significant change in rest
      tremor severity, as assessed by a clinical examination or kinematic techniques,
      after either 'real' or 'sham' cerebellar cTBS in patients. Lastly, there was no
      correlation between individual changes in M1 excitability and clinical or
      kinematic measures of resting tremor in patients. CONCLUSION: The cerebello
      thalamo-cortical connectivity, as tested by cTBS, is not predominantly involved
      in the generation of resting tremor in PD.

PMID- 26117438
TI  - Influence of depression in mild Parkinson's disease on longitudinal motor and
      cognitive function.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have suggested a relationship between non-motor symptoms with
      motor fluctuations in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We studied the
      influence of depression on longitudinal motor and cognitive function among mild
      PD patients. METHODS: A 1.5 years longitudinal study of 102 patients with mild
      idiopathic PD. Patients were assessed with a standardized clinical assessment
      battery including motor and non-motor scales. Patients also underwent serial
      neurocognitive testing that assessed global cognition, memory, attention,
      language, visuospatial and executive function. RESULTS: 81 patients with mean age
      of 64.9(SD = 7.9) years and mean Hoehn & Yahr of 1.9(SD = 0.4) completed baseline
      and follow-up visits. 22 patients had clinically significant depression at
      baseline with mean Geriatric Depression Scale of 6.9(SD = 2.4). These patients
      presented with concomitant apathy and anxiety and were more likely to be females
      with longer duration of PD. At baseline, patients with depression had poorer
      performance on global cognition and all cognitive domains although not
      significantly different from patients without depression. At follow-up, there was
      no statistically significant difference on cognitive performance between those
      with and without baseline depression. Patients with baseline depression
      demonstrated worsening of motor function after 18 months (UPDRS Motor Score
      Change: +5.0[7.0]vs.+0.2[7.3]; p = 0.015). On multivariate analysis Baseline
      Motor Score (B = -0.229,CI = -0.445 to-0.013,p = 0.038), Baseline GDS (B =
      0.622,CI = 0.078 to 1.166,p = 0.026) and PD duration (B = 0.520,CI = 0.105 to
      0.935,p = 0.015) independently predicted increase in UPDRS Motor Score.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest a relationship between early depression with
      motor worsening and cognition decline in PD patients. Further biomarker-supported
      studies investigating the role of depression on motor and cognitive function are
      needed.

PMID- 26117439
TI  - Reporting and methodological qualities of published surgical meta-analyses.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess the overall qualities of published surgical meta-analysis
      and predictive factors for high qualities. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: All meta
      analyses pertinent to surgical procedures published in year 2013 were selected
      from PubMed and EMBASE. The characteristics of the included meta-analyses were
      collected, and their reporting and methodologic qualities were assessed by the
      PRISMA (27 items) and AMSTAR (11 items) checklists, respectively. Independent
      predictive factors associated with these two qualities were evaluated by
      univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Hundred ninety-seven meta-analyses
      representing 10 surgical subspecialties were included. The mean PRISMA and AMSTAR
      adherences (by items) were 22.2 +/- 2.4 and 7.8 +/- 1.2, respectively, and a
      positive linear correlation was found between them with an R(2) of 0.793. Those
      meta-analyses conducted by the first authors having meta-analysis publication
      previously had significantly higher reporting and methodologic qualities than
      those who did not (P = 0.002 and P = 0.001). Meanwhile, there were also
      significant differences in these two qualities between studies published in Q1
      ranked and (Q2 + Q3)-ranked journals as rated by the SCImago indicator (P < 0.001
      and P < 0.001). On multivariate analyses, region of origin (non-Asia vs. Asia),
      publishing experience of first authors (ever vs. never), rank of publishing
      journals (Q1 vs. Q2 + Q3), and preregistration (presence vs. absence) were
      independently associated with superior reporting and methodologic qualities.
      CONCLUSIONS: The reporting and methodologic qualities of current surgical meta
      analyses remained suboptimal, and first authors' experience and ranking of
      publishing journals were independently associated with both qualities.
      Preregistration might be an effective measure to improve the quality of meta
      analyses, which deserves more attention from future study conductors.

PMID- 26117440
TI  - The association of skin-incision type at cesarean with maternal and neonatal
      morbidity for women with multiple prior cesarean deliveries.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In women with multiple prior cesarean deliveries (CDs), vertical skin
      incisions are thought by some to result in better outcomes. The objective of this
      study was to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes according to the type of skin
      incisions among women with multiple prior CDs. STUDY DESIGN: This was a secondary
      analysis of MFMU Cesarean Registry data. Women undergoing repeat CD with a viable
      singleton gestation and history of >=2 prior CDs were included in this analysis.
      Women who had indications for urgent CD (e.g., cord prolapse) or suspected
      placenta accreta were excluded. Maternal and neonatal outcomes of women with 2, 3
      and >=4 prior CDs were compared by skin-incision type (transverse vs. vertical)
      using univariable and multivariable analyses. RESULTS: 5007 women met the
      inclusion criteria. In univariable analysis, women with 2 prior CDs who had a
      vertical skin incision had shorter incision-to-delivery intervals (12.9 min vs.
      14.1 min, p<0.001) but also higher rates of endometritis and composite adverse
      maternal outcomes (4.9% vs. 2.7%, p=0.001, 16.1% vs. 13.4%, p=0.026,
      respectively). Women with 3 prior CDs also had higher rates of composite adverse
      maternal outcomes (21.2% vs. 15.8%, p=0.042). In women with >=4 prior CDs,
      prolonged hospitalization, composite adverse maternal outcomes, NICU admission
      and composite adverse neonatal outcomes also were higher with vertical skin
      incision (23.2% vs. 9.3%, p=0.005, 32.9% vs. 13.7%, p=0.001, 32.1% vs.19.6%,
      p=0.045, 32.9% vs.19.4%, p=0.024, respectively). In multivariable analyses,
      vertical skin incision remained associated with prolonged hospitalization and
      composite adverse maternal outcome among women with >=4 prior CDs (aOR 3.40, CI
      1.11-10.38, aOR=2.37, CI 1.02-5.55, respectively). CONCLUSION: Vertical skin
      incision at the time of multiple repeat CD was not associated with better
      obstetric or perinatal outcomes and was associated among women with >=4 prior CDs
      with a higher frequency of prolonged hospitalization and adverse maternal
      outcomes.

PMID- 26117441
TI  - Outcome following selective fetoscopic laser ablation for twin to twin
      transfusion syndrome: an 8 year national collaborative experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: With the recognition of the role of fetoscopic laser ablation for twin
      to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), there is a requirement for auditable
      standards for this technically challenging and specialized treatment. The purpose
      of this study is to report on the perinatal and medium-term neurodevelopmental
      outcomes following an 8-year national single center experience in the management
      of TTTS using the selective fetoscopic laser ablation technique. STUDY DESIGN: An
      audit of all cases of TTTS treated with selective laser ablation by a single
      national fetal medicine team was performed. Overall perinatal survival and medium
      term neurodevelopmental outcomes were reported and correlated with gestational
      age at diagnosis, placental location, volume of amnio-reduction, Quintero staging
      and percentage inter-twin growth discordance. Procedure-related complications
      were recorded. RESULTS: The overall fetal survival for the first 105 consecutive
      cases of TTTS was 61% (128/210 fetuses). Dual survival occurred in 47% (49/105)
      of cases, and with a single survival rate of 28% (30/105), perinatal survival of
      least one infant was achieved in 75% (79/105) of cases. No correlation was found
      between any clinical or sonographic marker and perinatal outcome, although dual
      survival was noted to be significantly decreased with increasing Quintero stage
      (p=0.041). Currently, 86% of survivors have been reported to have a normal medium
      term neurological outcome. CONCLUSION: Fetoscopic laser ablation is the
      established optimal treatment for severe twin to twin transfusion syndrome
      (TTTS). We report comparable short and medium-term outcomes following the
      selective fetoscopic technique comparing results from our national program with
      internationally published single-center outcomes, supporting the efficacy and
      safety of this treatment at our center.

PMID- 26117442
TI  - Literature review of outcomes and prevalence and case report of leiomyosarcomas
      and non-typical uterine smooth muscle leiomyoma tumors treated with uterine
      artery embolization.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the early and late outcomes of uterine smooth muscle
      tumors that are either malignant or have the potential for recurrence (MRUSMTs)
      after uterine artery embolization (UAE). DESIGN: Literature review of MRUSMTs in
      case reports and in studies on patient outcome after UAE and reports of one case
      of leiomyosarcoma (LMS) and 2 cases of bizarre leiomyoma (BL) after UAE. SETTING:
      University hospital. INTERVENTION(S): Main outcome measure(s) and clinical
      outcome of UAE and prevalence of MRUSMT. RESULT(S): In the review of clinical
      trials, six cases of sarcomas were reported after UAE treatment in 8084
      procedures. One of the six sarcoma cases and one case of intravenous
      leiomyomatosis occurred more than two years after the UAE. Thirteen cases of LMS,
      two cases of BL and no cases of MRUSMTs after UAE were identified in the
      published case reports. Six of the thirteen patients with sarcomas exhibited a
      good initial clinical response, but their symptoms relapsed after six months. UAE
      had a failed outcome in the two BL cases. CONCLUSION(S): MRUSMTs are rarely
      treated using UAE; late malignant transformation is infrequent but may be
      underreported. UAE treatment of leiomyosarcomas does not seem to spread the
      disease, but this approach may impair prognosis by delaying diagnosis. Tumors
      with low malignant potential may initially exhibit volume reduction and a good
      clinical response, but these tumors may exhibit persistent enhancement with
      contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Special attention is required
      in cases with or without a limited response to UAE.

PMID- 26117443
TI  - Clonal dissemination of a single Shigella sonnei strain among Iranian children
      during Fall 2012 in Tehran, I.R. Iran.
AB  - Shigella species are a common cause of bacterial diarrhea worldwide and the
      disease is characterized by seasonality. Shigella has been encountered by
      widespread resistance to commonly used antibiotics which is a serious concern.
      The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological relatedness of Shigella
      strains isolated from children during one year period by PFGE method and to
      investigate antimicrobial resistance determinants and cassettes among Shigella
      species. The occurrence of Shigella spp. in the present study was 1.32% during
      the study period and the majority of cases (56 (80%)) were occurred during autumn
      while Shigella sonnei was the most prevalent species identified. Multi-drug
      resistance phenotype was seen in 98.5% of total isolates with SXT(r)/TE(r)/TMP(r)
      resistance pattern. Among the 70 Shigella spp. analyzed in this study, 16
      isolates were positive for class I integron (int1(+)) with two types of gene
      cassette arrays (dfrA17/aadA5 and dfrA7).The class 2 integron was more frequently
      detected among the isolates (85.71%) with dfrA1/sat1/aadA1 (10%) and dfrA1/sat1
      (75.71%) gene cassettes. The tetA and tetB determinants were observed in 75.7%
      and 21.42% of Shigella isolates and tet(A) was the foremost in S. sonnei and
      Shigella flexneri population. In this study 5 tetracycline resistant isolates had
      no tetracycline resistance gene (A-D) and no association was recognized between
      the value of MIC against tetracycline and the tet genes content of isolates.
      Fifty three of total Shigella isolates (75.7%) showed an identical PFGE patterns.
      Seven PFGE clusters observed in our study were composed of members with one to
      three band variations, which is indicative of closely related isolates. The major
      cluster (cluster C) constituted 75.7% of total isolates, all of which (except
      eight isolates) consonantly showed identical class 2 integron of 1500 bp which
      strongly suggests the dissemination of a single S. sonnei clone among the
      pediatric population in 2012 autumn in Tehran, Iran, in comparison with the equal
      data from the comparable time period from recent years.

PMID- 26117444
TI  - First molecular survey and novel genetic variants' identification of Anaplasma
      marginale, A. centrale and A. bovis in cattle from Tunisia.
AB  - Few data are available about the presence and distribution of Anaplasma species
      in cattle in North African countries. In this study prevalence, co-infections,
      risk factors and genetic diversity of Anaplasma species were evaluated in bovines
      from Northern Tunisia. A total of 232 cattle from 36 randomly selected farms in
      three Tunisian localities were investigated for the presence of Anaplasma species
      in blood by Real-time PCR and/or nested PCR. Overall infection rates of Anaplasma
      spp., Anaplasma marginale, Anaplasma centrale and Anaplasma bovis were 34.9%,
      25.4%, 15.1%, and 3.9%, respectively. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was not detected
      in cattle. The most common co-infection pattern was an association of A.
      marginale and A. centrale (11.2%). Five cattle (2.1%) all reared in the sub-humid
      bioclimatic area, were co-infected by the three Anaplasma species. Molecular
      prevalence of Anaplasma infection varied significantly according to locality,
      bioclimatic area, tick infestation and type of breeding. Animals of the Holstein
      breed were less infected by A. marginale and A. centrale than other breeds.
      Genetic analysis of A. marginale msp4 gene indicated a high sequence diversity of
      Tunisian strains, suggesting a multiple introduction of infected cattle from
      different origins. Phylogenetic studies based on the 16S rRNA gene showed that
      the most prevalent A. centrale strains were closely related to the A. centrale
      vaccine strain. Moreover, all A. bovis variants clustered with other A. bovis
      sequences obtained from domestic and wild ruminant strains. This is the first
      molecular investigation on Anaplasma species in Tunisian cattle providing pivotal
      background for designing epidemiological studies and to develop control
      strategies in the country. 

PMID- 26117445
TI  - A giant cavernous hemangioma of the liver extending into the pelvis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Giant cavernous hemangiomas are the most common tumors of the
      liver, ocurring in up to 20% of the general population. Given their benign
      course, asymptomatic nature and slow growth rate, treatment is rarely indicated.
      The case presented herein is unique as it describes an uncommon presentation of
      this common tumor and the circumstances in which surgical treatment is
      beneficial. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present a case of a 66 year-old patient with
      prostate cancer referred for evaluation of a massive 37cm giant liver hemangioma,
      extending into the pelvis and in the planned field of radiation for prostate
      cancer, exhibiting rapid growth, and associated with significant symptomatology.
      Given these clinical characteristics, the patient was offered surgery and
      underwent a left trisectionectomy with an uneventful recovery. The patient's
      symptoms resolved and he was able to complete radiation to the pelvis.
      DISCUSSION: In the context of an unusual presentation, this case presentation
      reviews the typical clinical and imaging characteristics of giant liver
      hemangiomas and expands on the current indications for treatment, emphasizing the
      role of enucleation and resection for patients meeting appropriate indications.
      CONCLUSION: Although liver hemangiomas are extremely common, surgical treatment
      is rarely required. With appropriate indications, and when enucleation is not
      feasible or ideal, major liver resection is a safe alternative approach with
      excellent outcomes when performed in the right setting.

PMID- 26117446
TI  - Successful surgical repair of an ilio-iliac arteriovenous fistula associated with
      a ruptured common iliac artery aneurysm.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: We describe the case of an 86-year-old man with an ilio-iliac
      arteriovenous fistula (AVF) resulting from a ruptured aneurysm. This condition
      rarely occurs, has a high mortality rate, and was successfully treated via
      surgery. PRESENTATION OF CASE: The patient presented with a temporary loss of
      consciousness and left leg edema. A pulsatile abdominal mass with vascular murmur
      and thrill was detected. Enhanced computed tomography showed abdominal aortic and
      iliac aneurysms with left common iliac vein occlusion, and the left external
      iliac vein was easily seen through the AVF. We directly sutured the AVF and
      performed aneurysmectomy and prosthetic graft replacement. During surgery,
      placement of occlusive balloon catheters through the AVF minimized intraoperative
      bleeding. The patient recovered uneventfully, and swelling of the left leg was
      immediately reduced after surgery. DISCUSSION: Although rare, AVFs can be life
      threatening, and urgent treatment and intensive care are occasionally needed.
      Surgical management of AVF requires a definitive preoperative diagnosis and
      control of venous bleeding during surgery. Fulfilling these major requirements
      can potentially reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with AVFs.
      Interestingly, there was no sign of high-output heart failure throughout the
      treatment course due to compression of the aneurysm and consequent blood flow
      failure to the left iliac vein. CONCLUSION: Using the balloon occlusion
      technique, we were able to minimize blood loss during open repair. Use of
      multiple imaging modalities facilitates correct preoperative diagnosis and
      consequently improves surgical outcome.

PMID- 26117447
TI  - Acute pancreatitis secondary to duodeno-duodenal intussusception caused by a
      duodenal membrane, in a patient with intestinal malrotation.
AB  - Duodeno-duodenal intussusception is often caused by an intraluminal tumour. The
      condition is rare owing to the retroperitoneal fixation of the duodenum, which is
      sometime absent in cases of intestinal malrotation. We describe the case of a 19
      year old man admitted to hospital with abdominal pain and vomiting. A CT scan
      revealed a duodeno-duodenal intussusception including the head of the pancreas,
      which was confirmed by laparotomy. The cause was found to be a duodenal membrane
      with a pinhole passage combined with non-rotation of the duodenum. 

PMID- 26117448
TI  - Strangulated internal hernia by giant Meckel diverticulum presented as acute
      appendicitis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Internal hernia due to a Meckel diverticulum is a common
      presentation of bowel obstruction mostly seen in pediatric population. However,
      it has been stated that among 5% of the patients had a giant Meckel diverticulum
      (defined as a Meckel diverticulum with increased dimensions than the ones
      commonly found), being this condition very unusual. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We
      presented a 19 year old male with acute abdominal pain suggestive of
      appendicitis. During appendectomy we discovered ischemic and necrotic signs in a
      bowel segment, leading us to perform a laparotomy that revealed a portion of
      ischemic and necrotic jejunum, and another bowel segment with a strong adherence
      to the mesentery root that created an internal hernia. The internal hernia was
      reduced and the injured bowel portions were resected. Necrotic bowel samples were
      sent to the pathology department who posteriorly reported a giant Meckel
      diverticulum. The patient had an excellent recovery after procedure. DISCUSSION:
      After searching in PubMed for a similar association between Meckel diverticulum
      and internal hernia, we found few cases that reported a giant Meckel diverticulum
      and a low occurrence with internal hernias making our case not so common to find.
      CONCLUSION: We concluded that a giant Meckel diverticulum in association with
      mesenteric defects producing internal hernias are not common pathologies to find
      together in a patient as our research and case suggest.

PMID- 26117449
TI  - A rare case of splenic pseudoaneurysm in pediatric splenic blunt trauma patient:
      Review of diagnosis and management.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Splenic pseudoaneurysms (SPA) are a rare but serious sequela of
      blunt traumatic injury to the spleen. Management of adult blunt splenic trauma is
      well-studied, however, in children, the management is much less well-defined.
      PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 15 year-old male presented with severe abdominal pain of
      acute onset after sustaining injury to his left side while playing football. FAST
      was positive for free fluid in the abdomen. Initial abdomen CT demonstrated a
      grade III/IV left splenic laceration with moderate to large hemoperitoneum with
      no active extravasation or injury to the splenic vessels noted. A follow-up CT
      angiography of the abdomen demonstrated a splenic hypervascular structure
      suspicious for a small pseudoaneurysm. Splenic arteriogram which demonstrated
      multiple pseudoaneurysms arising from the second order splenic artery branches
      which was angioembolized and treated. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION: Questions still
      remain regarding the timing of repeat imaging for diagnosis of SPA following non
      operative blunt splenic trauma, which patients should be imaged, and how to
      manage SPA upon diagnosis. More clinical study and basic science research is
      warranted to study the disease process of SPA in pediatric patient. We believe
      that our proposed management algorithm timely detect formation of delayed SPA
      formation and addresses the possible fatal disease course of pediatric SPA.

PMID- 26117450
TI  - Multiple nodal locoregional recurrence of pheochromocytoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Malignancy is present in 10% of pheochromocytomas (PCC) and is
      defined as local/vascular infiltration of surrounding tissues or the presence of
      chromaffin cells deposits in distant organs. The presence of isolated nodal
      recurrence is very rare and only 7 cases have been reported in the medical
      literature. PRESENTATION OF THE CASE: The case of a 32-y male with a symptomatic
      recurrence of a previously operated (2-years ago) PCC is presented. Radiological
      and functional imaging studies confirmed the presence of multiple nodules in the
      surgical site. A radical left nephrectomy with extensive lymphatic clearance in
      order to get an R0 resection was performed. The pathologist confirmed the
      diagnosis of massive locoregional nodal invasion. DISCUSSION: A detailed
      histological report and a thorough genetic study must be considered in every
      operated PCC in order to identify mutations and profiles of risk for malignancy.
      When recurrence or metastastic disease is suspected, imaging and functional exams
      are done in order to obtain a proper staging. Radical surgery for the metastatic
      disease is the only treatment that may provide prolonged survival. If an R0
      resection is not possible, then a debulking surgery is a good option when the
      benefit/risk ratio is acceptable. CONCLUSION: Isolated lymph nodal recurrence is
      very rare in malignant PCC, with only 7 cases previously published. The role of
      surgery is essential to get long-term survival because provides clinical and
      functional control of the disease.

PMID- 26117451
TI  - (18)F-Fluorocholine PET-CT enables minimal invasive parathyroidectomy in patients
      with negative sestamibi SPECT-CT and ultrasound: A case report.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Primary hyperparathyroidism is a common endocrine disorder for
      which the primary treatment is surgery. For minimal invasive parathyroidectomy
      adequate pre-operative imaging is essential. Conventional imaging is often
      inconclusive. There are reports that (18)F-fluorocholine PET-CT might be a
      superior imaging modality, however evidence is still very scarce. This is the
      first report of a case with negative ultrasound and sestamibi SPECT-CT imaging
      that underwent successful minimal invasive surgery because of (18)F-fluorocholine
      PET-CT. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 57 year-old man presented to us with complaints
      of fatigue. Laboratory results showed a biochemical primary hyperparathyroidism
      and an additional DEXA-scan revealed osteopenia of the lumbar spine. Conventional
      imaging consisting of neck ultrasound and Tc-99m-sestamibi SPECT-CT was however
      unable to localize the pathological gland. Subsequent (18)F-fluorocholine PET-CT
      did clearly localize an adenoma dorsally of the left thyroid lobe which was
      removed at that exact location using minimal invasive parathyroidectomy.
      Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis adenoma and calcium levels
      remained normal at follow-up. DISCUSSION: There is clinical need for a superior
      imaging modality to detect pathological parathyroid glands to enable minimal
      invasive surgery. (18)F-Fluorocholine is widely available. CONCLUSION: (18)F
      Fluorocholine PET-CT is a promising new imaging modality for localizing
      parathyroid adenomas and enabling minimal invasive parathyroidectomy when
      conventional imaging fails to do. Clinicians should consider its use as a second
      line modality for optimal patient care.

PMID- 26117452
TI  - On-cartridge derivatization coupled with solid-phase extraction for the ultra
      sensitive determination of minodronic acid in human plasma by LC-MS/MS method.
AB  - Minodronic acid (MA) is a third-generation bisphosphonate (BP). Its high potency
      allows lower doses to be administered in clinical settings compared with other
      BPs, which results in extremely low systemic exposure. Therefore, it is essential
      to develop an ultra-sensitive bioassay for pharmacokinetics studies of MA. In
      this work, we used on-cartridge derivatization of MA with
      trimethylsilyldiazomethane to extract MA from plasma samples and improve its LC
      MS/MS behavior. The reaction produced a known derivative, tetramethylated MA, and
      a novel derivative, pentamethylated MA (PMMA). PMMA exhibited a better signal-to
      noise ratio, and was monitored for the quantification of MA. However, the
      derivatization yield of d4-PMMA was much lower and more variable than that of
      PMMA, which decreased the effectiveness of its correction function as an internal
      standard. Therefore, a two-cycle derivatization approach was introduced to
      increase its yield and improve the reproducibility. The calibration curves of MA
      showed good linearity over the range of 10.0-1000 pg/mL. A lower limit of
      quantification of 10.0 pg/mL was achieved with acceptable precision (<10.5%) and
      accuracy (5.0%). The intra- and inter-batch precision of quality control samples
      was <9.5%, and the accuracy ranged from -2.8% to 0.6%. The stability results
      showed that MA was stable in human plasma for 6h at room temperature (25 degrees
      C), for 115 days at -20 degrees C, during three freeze/thaw cycles (from -20
      degrees C to 25 degrees C), and in post-preparative samples for 24h at 4 degrees
      C. The method was successfully used to characterize the pharmacokinetic profile
      of MA following an oral dose of 1.0mg MA hydrate to healthy volunteers (n=12).
      The proposed derivatization procedure was also extended to measure other BPs
      (risedronic acid and zoledronic acid) in human plasma at low pg/mL.

PMID- 26117453
TI  - [Nasally delivered drugs (corticosteroids and vaccines), ultra long-acting
      bronchodilators and inhaled therapies in an animal model].
AB  - Inhaled therapies are widely prescribed. Several aspects of these treatments were
      considered during the 4th meeting of the aerosol therapy workgroup (GAT) of the
      French-speaking respiratory society (Societe de pneumologie de langue francaise
      [SPLF]). In this report, will be detailed the medications delivered by the nasal
      route, particularly corticosteroids and vaccines as well as the ultra long-acting
      beta2-agonists, and inhaled therapies for asthma due to allergy to cat dander. 

PMID- 26117454
TI  - Exposure to arginine analog canavanine induces aberrant mitochondrial translation
      products, mitoribosome stalling, and instability of the mitochondrial proteome.
AB  - Impairment of mitochondrial protein homeostasis disrupts mitochondrial function
      and causes human diseases and aging, but the molecular mechanisms of protein
      synthesis and quality control in mammalian mitochondria are not fully understood.
      Here we demonstrate in human cells that misincorporation of an arginine analog,
      canavanine, during mitochondrial protein synthesis, induced aberrant translation
      products and destabilized the mtDNA-encoded proteome, leading to loss of
      mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes. Furthermore, in the presence of a high
      concentration of canavanine, mitoribosome stalling could be demonstrated. The
      stalling did not, however, occur at arginine codons, but downstream of those
      codons. In particular, two adjacent arginines induced the most prominent
      downstream stalling effect, with the distance between the arginine codons and the
      stalling peak corresponding roughly to the length of the ribosomal exit tunnel.
      These results suggest that misincorporated canavanine disrupted the proper
      folding of the hydrophobic nascent polypeptides within the exit tunnel or while
      being inserted into the inner mitochondrial membrane. The canavanine treatment
      provides a model system for studying the consequences of mitoribosome stalling
      and the responses to misfolded proteins exiting the mitochondrial ribosome. 

PMID- 26117455
TI  - Role of S-adenosylhomocysteine in cardiovascular disease and its potential
      epigenetic mechanism.
AB  - Transmethylation reactions utilize S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) as a methyl donor
      and are central to the regulation of many biological processes: more than fifty
      SAM-dependent methyltransferases methylate a broad spectrum of cellular compounds
      including DNA, histones, phospholipids and other small molecules. Common to all
      SAM-dependent transmethylation reactions is the release of the potent inhibitor S
      adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) as a by-product. SAH is reversibly hydrolyzed to
      adenosine and homocysteine by SAH hydrolase. Hyperhomocysteinemia is an
      independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, a major unanswered
      question is if homocysteine is causally involved in disease pathogenesis or
      simply a passive and indirect indicator of a more complex mechanism. A chronic
      elevation in homocysteine levels results in a parallel increase in intracellular
      or plasma SAH, which is a more sensitive biomarker of cardiovascular disease than
      homocysteine and suggests that SAH is a critical pathological factor in
      homocysteine-associated disorders. Previous reports indicate that supplementation
      with folate and B vitamins efficiently lowers homocysteine levels but not plasma
      SAH levels, which possibly explains the failure of homocysteine-lowering vitamins
      to reduce vascular events in several recent clinical intervention studies.
      Furthermore, more studies are focusing on the role and mechanisms of SAH in
      different chronic diseases related to hyperhomocysteinemia, such as
      cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity. This review
      summarizes the current role of SAH in cardiovascular disease and its effect on
      several related risk factors. It also explores possible the mechanisms, such as
      epigenetics and oxidative stress, of SAH. This article is part of a Directed
      Issue entitled: Epigenetic dynamics in development and disease. 

PMID- 26117456
TI  - Keap1-Nrf2 signalling in pancreatic cancer.
AB  - Transcription factor NF-E2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2, also called Nfe2l2), a
      master regulator of redox homeostasis, and its dominant negative regulator, Kelch
      like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), together tightly control the expression of
      numerous detoxifying and antioxidant genes. Nrf2 and the 'antioxidant response
      element' (ARE)-driven genes it controls are frequently upregulated in pancreatic
      cancer and correlate with poor survival. Upregulation of Nrf2 is, at least in
      part, K-Ras oncogene-driven and contributes to pancreatic cancer proliferation
      and chemoresistance. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of Keap1-Nrf2
      signalling as it relates to pancreatic cancer, discussing the effects of
      inhibiting Nrf2 or Nrf2/ARE effector proteins to increase chemosensitivity. 

PMID- 26117457
TI  - ECG-based estimation of dispersion of APD restitution as a tool to stratify
      sotalol-induced arrhythmic risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased spatial dispersion of restitution properties has been
      associated to arrhythmic risk. An ECG-based index quantifying restitution
      dispersion, DRest, is evaluated in patients who experienced Torsades de Pointes
      (TdP) under sotalol challenge and compared with the response in healthy subjects.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: ECG recordings were analyzed for quantification of DRest and
      QTc, among others biomarkers. DRest provides improved discrimination following
      sotalol administration between TdP and healthy subjects ([min-max]: [0.18-0.22]
      vs [0.02-0.12]), compared to other biomarkers including QTc ([436-548ms] vs [376
      467ms]). Results in healthy subjects are in agreement with simulations of sotalol
      effects on a human tissue electrophysiological model. CONCLUSIONS: This case
      study supports the potential of DRest for improved arrhythmia risk stratification
      even with QTc values below 450ms.

PMID- 26117458
TI  - 5-Year Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation With CoreValve
      Prosthesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this analysis was to assess 5-year outcomes of
      transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) using the current technology of
      the self-expanding CoreValve prosthesis (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota).
      BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of evidence on long-term durability of currently
      available transcatheter heart valves. METHODS: Starting in June 2007, all
      consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVI with the third
      generation 18-F CoreValve device in 8 Italian centers were prospectively included
      in the ClinicalService Project. For the purposes of this study, we included only
      consecutive patients with 5-year follow-up data available (n = 353) treated from
      June 2007 to August 2009. All outcomes were reported according to VARC (Valve
      Academic Research Consortium)-1 criteria. RESULTS: All-cause mortality rates at
      1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years were 21%, 29%, 38%, 48%, and 55.0%, respectively.
      Cardiovascular mortality rates at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years were 10%, 14%, 19%,
      23%, and 28.0%, respectively. The overall neurological event rate at 5 years was
      7.5%, of which more than two-thirds occurred early after the procedure. During
      follow-up, there were 241 rehospitalizations for cardiovascular reasons in 164
      (46%) patients. Among all rehospitalizations, acute heart failure was the most
      frequently reported (42.7%), followed by requirement of permanent pacemaker
      implantation (17.4%). On echocardiography, mean transaortic gradients decreased
      from 55.6 +/- 16.8 mm Hg (pre-TAVI) to 12.8 +/- 10.9 mm Hg (5-year post-TAVI) (p
      < 0.001). Late prosthesis failure occurred in 5 cases (1.4%); among these, redo
      TAVI was successfully carried out in 2 patients (0.6%) presenting with
      symptomatic prosthesis restenosis. The remaining 3 cases of prosthesis failure
      did not undergo further invasive interventions. Ten patients (2.8%) showed late
      mild stenosis with a mean transaortic gradient ranging from 20 to 40 mm Hg. No
      other cases of structural or nonstructural valvular deterioration were observed.
      Valve thrombosis or late valve embolization were not reported. CONCLUSIONS: TAVI
      with the currently adopted CoreValve generation was associated with sustained
      clinical outcomes up to 5-year follow-up, with a low rate (1.4%) of significant
      prosthetic valve degeneration. The procedure appears to be an adequate and
      lasting resolution of aortic stenosis in selected high-risk patients.

PMID- 26117459
TI  - Percutaneous Transcatheter Closure for Aortic Puncture and Paravalvular Leak
      Closure With the New Amplatzer III Device.

PMID- 26117460
TI  - Iatrogenic Aortocoronary Arteriovenous Fistula: Percutaneous Management of a
      Surgical Complication.

PMID- 26117461
TI  - Treatment of Heart Failure With Associated Functional Mitral Regurgitation Using
      the ARTO System: Initial Results of the First-in-Human MAVERIC Trial (Mitral
      Valve Repair Clinical Trial).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: MAVERIC (Mitral Valve Repair Clinical Trial) reports the safety and
      efficacy of the ARTO system in patients with symptomatic heart failure and
      functional mitral regurgitation (FMR). BACKGROUND: The ARTO system percutaneously
      modifies the mitral annulus to improve leaflet coaptation in FMR. METHODS: The
      MAVERIC trial is a prospective, nonrandomized first-in-human study. Key inclusion
      criteria were systolic heart failure New York Heart Association functional
      classes II to IV, FMR grade >=2+, left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction <=40%,
      LV end-diastolic diameter >50 mm and <=75 mm. Exclusion criteria were clinical
      variables that precluded feasibility of the ARTO procedure. Primary outcomes were
      safety (30-day major adverse events) and efficacy (MR reduction, LV volumes, and
      functional status). RESULTS: Eleven patients received the ARTO system, and there
      were no procedural adverse events. From baseline to 30 days, there were
      meaningful improvements. Effective regurgitant orifice area decreased from 30.3
      +/- 11.1 mm(2) to 13.5 +/- 7.1 mm(2) and regurgitant volumes from 45.4 +/- 15.0
      ml to 19.5 +/- 10.2 ml. LV end-systolic volume index improved from 77.5 +/- 24.3
      ml/m(2) to 68.5 +/- 21.4 ml/m(2), and LV end-diastolic volume index 118.7 +/-
      28.6 ml/m(2) to 103.9 +/- 21.2 ml/m(2). Mitral annular anteroposterior diameter
      decreased from 45.0 +/- 3.3 mm to 38.7 +/- 3.0 mm. Functional status was 81.8%
      New York Heart Association functional class III/IV improving to 54.6% functional
      class I/II. At 30 days, there were 2 adverse events: 1 pericardial effusion
      requiring surgical drainage; and 1 asymptomatic device dislodgement. CONCLUSIONS:
      The ARTO system is a novel transcatheter device that can be used safely with
      meaningful efficacy in the treatment of FMR. (Mitral Valve Repair Clinical Trial
      [MAVERIC]; NCT02302872).

PMID- 26117462
TI  - Outcomes of Comatose Cardiac Arrest Survivors With and Without ST-Segment
      Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Importance of Coronary Angiography.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare outcomes and coronary
      angiographic findings in post-cardiac arrest patients with and without ST-segment
      elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). BACKGROUND: The 2013 STEMI guidelines
      recommend performing immediate angiography in resuscitated patients whose initial
      electrocardiogram shows STEMI. The optimal approach for those without STEMI post
      cardiac arrest is less clear. METHODS: A retrospective evaluation of a post
      cardiac arrest registry was performed. RESULTS: The database consisted of 746
      comatose post-cardiac arrest patients including 198 with STEMI (26.5%) and 548
      without STEMI (73.5%). Overall survival was greater in those with STEMI compared
      with those without (55.1% vs. 41.3%; p = 0.001), whereas in all patients who
      underwent immediate coronary angiography, survival was similar between those with
      and without STEMI (54.7% vs. 57.9%; p = 0.60). A culprit vessel was more
      frequently identified in those with STEMI, but also in one-third of patients
      without STEMI (80.2% vs. 33.2%; p = 0.001). The majority of culprit vessels were
      occluded (STEMI, 92.7%; no STEMI, 69.2%; p < 0.0001). An occluded culprit vessel
      was found in 74.3% of STEMI patients and in 22.9% of no STEMI patients. Among
      cardiac arrest survivors discharged from the hospital who had presented without
      STEMI, coronary angiography was associated with better functional outcome (93.3%
      vs. 78.7%; p < 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Early coronary angiography is associated with
      improved functional outcome among resuscitated patients with and without STEMI.
      Resuscitated patients with a presumed cardiac etiology appear to benefit from
      immediate coronary angiography.

PMID- 26117463
TI  - 1-Year Results of the ZEPHYR Registry (Zilver PTX for the Femoral Artery and
      Proximal Popliteal Artery): Predictors of Restenosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the rate and predictors of 1-year
      restenosis after drug-eluting stent implantation for femoropopliteal (FP) lesions
      in patients with peripheral arterial disease. BACKGROUND: Zilver PTX, a
      paclitaxel-eluting stent for FP lesions, provides superior outcomes to
      angioplasty and bare-metal stents in clinical trials. However, its real-world
      outcomes and the associated features remain unclear. METHODS: This was a
      prospective multicenter study enrolling 831 FP lesions (797 limbs, 690 patients)
      treated by Zilver PTX implantation. The primary endpoint was 1-year restenosis.
      Secondary endpoints included major adverse limb event and stent thrombosis.
      RESULTS: Mean lesion length was 17 +/- 10 cm. One-year restenosis, major adverse
      limb event, and stent thrombosis rates were 37%, 22%, and 2%, respectively. The
      generalized linear mixed model showed that lesion length >=16 cm assessed by
      angiography and distal external elastic membrane area <=27 mm(2) and minimum
      stent area <=12 mm(2) assessed by intravascular ultrasound were independent risk
      factors for restenosis. One-year restenosis rates were 15% in cases with none of
      these risk factors and 50% in those with >=2 risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: The
      current study demonstrated 1-year real-world outcomes after drug-eluting stent
      treatment for FP lesions, including challenging ones in clinical practice. Lesion
      length, external elastic membrane area, and minimum stent area were independent
      predictors for restenosis. (Zilver PTX for the Femoral Artery and Proximal
      Popliteal Artery-Prospective Multicenter Registry [ZEPHYR]; UMIN000008433).

PMID- 26117464
TI  - A Combined Optical Coherence Tomography and Intravascular Ultrasound Study on
      Plaque Rupture, Plaque Erosion, and Calcified Nodule in Patients With ST-Segment
      Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Incidence, Morphologic Characteristics, and
      Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the incidence of plaque rupture (PR),
      plaque erosion (PE), and calcified nodule (CN) using optical coherence tomography
      (OCT) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI); to
      compare detailed morphologic plaque characteristics of PR, PE, and CN with
      optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound; and to compare the
      post-procedure outcomes among PR, PE, and CN. BACKGROUND: The incidence and
      detailed morphologic characteristics of PR, PE, and CN in STEMI patients and
      their outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are unknown.
      METHODS: A total of 112 STEMI patients who underwent PCI within 24 h [corrected]
      from symptom onset were included. Both optical coherence tomography and
      intravascular ultrasound were performed following aspiration thrombectomy.
      RESULTS: The incidence of PR, PE, and CN was 64.3%, 26.8%, and 8.0%,
      respectively. PE and CN, compared with PR, had more fibrous plaque (p < 0.001 and
      p < 0.001) and less thin-cap fibroatheroma (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001) as well as
      smaller plaque burden (p = 0.003 and p = 0.001) and remodeling index (p = 0.003
      and p < 0.001). PE had greater plaque eccentricity index than PR and CN (p <
      0.001 and p < 0.001). CN had greater calcified arc and shallower calcium than PR
      (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001) or PE (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). More than one-half of
      CN had negative remodeling. PE had a lower incidence of no-reflow phenomenon
      after PCI than PR (p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: PE was the underlying mechanism in
      one-fourth of STEMI. PE was characterized by eccentric fibrous plaque. CN was
      characterized by superficial large calcium and negative remodeling. PE was
      associated with less microvascular damage after PCI.

PMID- 26117465
TI  - Comparison of Neoatherosclerosis and Neovascularization Between Patients With and
      Without Diabetes: An Optical Coherence Tomography Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of
      neoatherosclerosis (NA) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) after drug
      eluting stent (DES) implantation using optical coherence tomography. BACKGROUND:
      NA is an important substrate for stent failure. In vivo NA characteristics in DM
      patients have not been investigated. METHODS: A total of 397 patients with 452
      DES who underwent follow-up optical coherence tomography examination after DES
      implantation were enrolled. Characteristics of NA were compared between DM and
      non-DM patients. Neovascularization was defined as signal-poor holes or tubular
      structures with a diameter of 50 to 300 MUm. RESULTS: A total of 123 DES with NA
      lesions in 115 patients were identified. The incidence of NA was similar between
      DM and non-DM patients (29.6% vs. 28.6%; p = 0.825). Compared with the non-DM
      group, neovascularization was more frequently observed in the DM group (55.1% vs.
      32.4%; p = 0.012). The multivariate logistic model demonstrated that DM (odds
      ratio: 3.00; 95% confidence interval: 1.31 to 6.81; p = 0.009) and follow-up
      duration (odds ratio: 1.03; 95% confidence interval: 1.02 to 1.05; p < 0.001)
      were the independent predictors for neovascularization in NA lesions. DM patients
      with glycated hemoglobin >=7.0% had a higher prevalence of thin-cap fibroatheroma
      compared with those with glycated hemoglobin <7.0% (40.0% vs. 8.3%; p = 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of NA was similar between patients with and without
      DM. Neovascularization in NA lesions was more frequent in those with DM. Poorly
      controlled DM patients had a higher incidence of thin-cap fibroatheroma, compared
      with those with well-controlled DM.

PMID- 26117466
TI  - Pharmacodynamic Effects of Ticagrelor Dosing Regimens in Patients on Maintenance
      Ticagrelor Therapy: Results From a Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind
      Investigation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of ticagrelor dosing
      regimens on pharmacodynamic (PD) profiles in patients on maintenance ticagrelor
      therapy. BACKGROUND: Many patients on maintenance P2Y12-inhibiting therapies may
      require coronary revascularization procedures, raising a common clinical question
      with regard to the dosing regimen of the P2Y12-inhibiting agent to be used. To
      date, investigations assessing dosing regimens of P2Y12 receptor inhibitors in
      patients on maintenance therapy have been only assessed with thienopyridines, but
      not with ticagrelor. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind,
      placebo-controlled study assessing the PD effects of 2 dosing regimens of
      ticagrelor in patients on standard aspirin and ticagrelor maintenance therapy. A
      total of 60 patients were randomized to either 90 mg (maintenance dose [MD]
      group) or 180 mg (loading dose [LD] group) dose of ticagrelor. PD assessments
      were conducted at 3 time points (baseline, 1 h and 4 h). PD assessments were
      defined according to the platelet reactivity index (PRI) (vasodilator-stimulated
      phosphoprotein phosphorylation assay), P2Y12 reaction unit (VerifyNow P2Y12
      assay) and adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation by light
      transmittance aggregometry. RESULTS: There were no differences in baseline levels
      of platelet reactivity with all assays. Intergroup comparisons by means of
      repeated-measures analysis adjusted for baseline PRI values showed that the LD
      group had significantly lower PRI levels compared with the MD group during the
      overall study time course (p = 0.031). Consistent findings were found for P2Y12
      reaction unit (p = 0.026) and light transmittance aggregometry (p = 0.004).
      Intragroup comparisons showed that a more prompt and sustained platelet
      inhibitory effect was achieved more consistently with an LD regimen compared with
      a MD regimen. CONCLUSIONS: In patients on maintenance ticagrelor therapy, a 180
      mg LD regimen of ticagrelor is associated with more potent and prompt platelet
      inhibition compared with a 90-mg MD. (Impact of Ticagrelor Re-Load
      Pharmacodynamic Profiles; NCT01731041).

PMID- 26117467
TI  - Instant Stent-Accentuated 3-Dimensional Optical Coherence Tomography of Struts
      Pulled Up by Pulling Stuck Wire and Folded by Kissing Balloon Dilation.

PMID- 26117468
TI  - Tricuspid Valve Replacement: A Percutaneous Transfemoral Valve-in-Ring Approach.

PMID- 26117469
TI  - Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation on Calcified Nodule: Ex Vivo Intravascular Images
      and Histopathology.

PMID- 26117470
TI  - Impact of Paclitaxel Dose on Tissue Pharmacokinetics and Vascular Healing: A
      Comparative Drug-Coated Balloon Study in the Familial Hypercholesterolemic Swine
      Model of Superficial Femoral In-Stent Restenosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study sought to compare the effect of paclitaxel-coated balloon
      (PCB) concentration on tissue levels and vascular healing using 3 different PCB
      technologies (In.Pact Pacific = 3 MUg/mm(2), Lutonix = 2 MUg/mm(2) and Ranger = 2
      MUg/mm(2)) in the experimental setting. BACKGROUND: The optimal therapeutic dose
      for PCB use has not been determined yet. METHODS: Paclitaxel tissue levels were
      measured up to 60 days following PCB inflation (Ranger and In.Pact Pacific) in
      the superficial femoral artery of healthy swine (18 swine, 36 vessels). The
      familial hypercholesterolemic swine model of superficial femoral artery in-stent
      restenosis (6 swine, 24 vessels) was used in the efficacy study. Two weeks
      following bare-metal stent implantation, each in-stent restenosis site was
      randomly treated with a PCB or an uncoated control balloon (Sterling).
      Quantitative vascular analysis and histology evaluation was performed 28 days
      following PCB treatment. RESULTS: All PCB technologies displayed comparable
      paclitaxel tissue levels 4 h following balloon inflation. At 28 days, all PCB had
      achieved therapeutic tissue levels; however, the In.Pact PCB resulted in higher
      tissue concentrations than did the other PCB groups at all time points.
      Neointimal inhibition by histology was decreased in all PCB groups compared with
      the control group, with a greater decrease in the In.Pact group. However, the
      neointima was more mature and contained less peri-strut fibrin deposits in both 2
      MUg/mm(2) PCB groups. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the clinically established PCB
      dose, lower-dose PCB technologies achieve lower long-term tissue levels but
      comparable degrees of neointimal inhibition and fewer fibrin deposits. The impact
      of these findings in restenosis reduction and clinical outcomes needs to be
      further investigated.

PMID- 26117472
TI  - Implementing the End TB Strategy: Well begun will be half done.

PMID- 26117471
TI  - "Virtual" (Computed) Fractional Flow Reserve: Current Challenges and Limitations.
AB  - Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is the "gold standard" for assessing the
      physiological significance of coronary artery disease during invasive coronary
      angiography. FFR-guided percutaneous coronary intervention improves patient
      outcomes and reduces stent insertion and cost; yet, due to several practical and
      operator related factors, it is used in <10% of percutaneous coronary
      intervention procedures. Virtual fractional flow reserve (vFFR) is computed using
      coronary imaging and computational fluid dynamics modeling. vFFR has emerged as
      an attractive alternative to invasive FFR by delivering physiological assessment
      without the factors that limit the invasive technique. vFFR may offer further
      diagnostic and planning benefits, including virtual pullback and virtual stenting
      facilities. However, there are key challenges that need to be overcome before
      vFFR can be translated into routine clinical practice. These span a spectrum of
      scientific, logistic, commercial, and political areas. The method used to
      generate 3-dimensional geometric arterial models (segmentation) and selection of
      appropriate, patient-specific boundary conditions represent the primary
      scientific limitations. Many conflicting priorities and design features must be
      carefully considered for vFFR models to be sufficiently accurate, fast, and
      intuitive for physicians to use. Consistency is needed in how accuracy is defined
      and reported. Furthermore, appropriate regulatory and industry standards need to
      be in place, and cohesive approaches to intellectual property management,
      reimbursement, and clinician training are required. Assuming successful
      development continues in these key areas, vFFR is likely to become a desirable
      tool in the functional assessment of coronary artery disease.

PMID- 26117473
TI  - Viewpoint: Is it right time for undergraduate curriculum change based on our
      National Health Programmes--Tuberculosis Programme a perfect example?

PMID- 26117474
TI  - Ocular manifestations of tuberculosis.
AB  - Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic debilitating infection which is caused by
      Mycobacteriumn tuberculosis and other mycobacteria. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      affects predominantly the lungs although it can affect every organ of the body.
      Two billion people are affected by tuberculosis. Majority of tuberculosis cases
      and related deaths occur in Asia. Tuberculosis most commonly occurs in people
      belonging to the low socio-economic status. Crowding, poor healthcare,
      unemployment and poor knowledge about basic sanitation increase the risk of
      acquiring the infection. India is endemic for tuberculosis with 256/lakh
      population. TB can affect majority of the structures of the eye with marked
      variability of the lesions. This review will focus on the clinical presentation
      and management of ocular TB.

PMID- 26117475
TI  - A study of adherence to DOTS regimen among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in
      West Tripura District.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Noncompliance to the DOTS regimen leads to treatment failure,
      relapse, MDR tuberculosis, XDR tuberculosis etc. requiring more prolonged &
      expensive therapy. AIM: To assess the adherence rate among pulmonary tuberculosis
      patients in west Tripura district and to study the factors affecting adherence to
      DOTS regimen among pulmonary tuberculosis patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This
      community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 220 pulmonary
      tuberculosis patients registered for treatment with DOTS therapy; under six
      randomly selected DMC of West Tripura District. RESULTS: The study revealed that
      the adherence rate among the pulmonary TB patients was 84.50 percent. Male
      tuberculosis patients had 87.10 percent less chance of being adherent to the DOTS
      regimen in reference to females, and Cat I patients were 8.96 times (C.I. 2.689
      29.857) more adherent to the therapy compared to the retreatment cases. Again,
      patients whose continuation phase was supervised as per the guidelines of DOTS
      were 12.07 times more adherent to the therapy. PTB patients who had the knowledge
      of supervised therapy in DOTS and curability of the disease, were 4.70 times
      (C.I. 1.39-15.79) and 9.39 times (C.I. 1.03-85.99) more adherent to the therapy,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: The study showed good adherence to the regimen among
      pulmonary tuberculosis patients in spite of being a difficult area. It may also
      help in planning and implementation of tuberculosis control measures by
      addressing and overcoming the barriers regarding treatment completion.

PMID- 26117477
TI  - Rapid identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in clinical isolates
      by combining presumptive cord formation and MPT64 Antigen Immunochromatographic
      Assay.
AB  - PURPOSE: Combining the results of presumptive cord formation in smear and MPT64
      Antigen Immunochromatographic Assay has been suggested to reduce the false
      negative and positive rates for identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      (MTB) complex in liquid culture. This study was done to evaluate the clinical
      utility of combining the results of the two tests for rapid identification MTB
      complex in mycobacterial isolates. METHODS: 484 isolates of mycobacteria obtained
      in MGIT culture were identified using presumptive cord formation in smear and
      further by MPT64 Antigen ICT assay. Result obtained were analyzed taking PNB
      inhibition test as the reference standard. RESULTS: Combining the results of the
      two tests, 464 (95.9%) isolates were correctly identified while discrepant
      results were obtained in 20 (4.1%) isolates. When the results of the two tests
      were intersected, the specificity and PPV was 100%, but the sensitivity decreased
      to 96.4% and the NPV to 68.6%. On the other hand, when the results of the two
      methods were combined, the sensitivity and NPV was 100%, but the specificity
      decreased to 88.6% and the PPV to 99.1%. CONCLUSION: Presumptive cord formation
      and MPT64 antigen ICT assay can be used in combination for identification of MTB
      complex. When both the test are positive, the culture can be reported to contain
      MTB complex. If both the tests are negative, the culture should be reported to
      contain NTM. Only when discrepant results are obtained by the two tests, further
      evaluation is necessary to ensure an accurate diagnosis.

PMID- 26117476
TI  - Blood levels of isoniazid in Indian children with tuberculosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) in
      India children are receiving antituberculosis treatment (ATT) as per a weight
      band system. In this children may be receiving antituberculosis drugs in doses
      which may be more or less than that recommended in mg/kg body weight doses. The
      recommended dose of isoniazid (INH) for intermittent therapy under the RNTCP is 8
      12 mg/kg body weight and by the World Health Organization (WHO) for daily therapy
      is 10-15 mg/kg body weight. AIMS: To evaluate the blood levels and
      pharmacokinetics of INH, in children suffering from tuberculosis, at doses
      administered under the weight band system of the Revised National Tuberculosis
      Control Program (RNTCP) 2009 of India. DESIGN: Prospective, open label, non
      randomized single-dose study conducted in 20 children in the age group 5-12 years
      attending the outpatient, chest clinic of a tertiary care hospital. RESULTS:
      Group I (n = 8) included children who received INH in a dose of 10 mg/kg body
      weight or more and Group II (n = 12) included those who received INH in a dose
      less than 10 mg/kg body weight. The mean peak INH concentration (Cmax) was 6.03
      +/- 1.4 MUg/mL and this was achieved in 2 hours (Tmax). The mean serum INH
      concentration was significantly higher in children who received INH in dose more
      than 10 mg/kg (Group I) as compared to those who received INH in doses lesser
      than 10 mg/kg body weight (Group II) at all-time points except at 2 hours (P <
      0.05). The Cmax was also lower in Group II patients in comparison to Group I
      patients. Area under the concentration time curve (AUC) was significantly lower
      in Group II patients (P value 0.002). The elimination half-life of INH was 4.3 +/
      0.4 h, elimination rate constant 0.16 +/- 0.01/h, the volume of distribution
      44.05 +/- 5.3 L and clearance 7.1 +/- 0.8 L/h. CONCLUSIONS: Lower blood levels
      and AUC of INH were achieved in children receiving doses of INH lesser than 10
      mg/kg body weight. Long elimination half-life of INH is indicative of a slower
      rate of metabolism. Lower INH levels despite a slower rate of drug metabolism
      indicate caution with the INH doses being administered to children for
      intermittent therapy under the RNTCP.

PMID- 26117478
TI  - Home based care to multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients: A pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: India is a high tuberculosis burden and large population setting
      country. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patient has to undergo 24-27 months
      treatment and is expected to adhere to it. There is a need to increase compliance
      of MDR Regimen in MDR-TB cases, to prevent its further spread. The present study
      focuses on describing the role of home care support with counseling in the
      outcome of MDR-TB patients, in Delhi, India. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a
      prospective study carried out at a Community Health Centre, Delhi, involving 113
      MDR-TB patients as and when they got registered with DOTS Plus centres, in two
      government hospitals of Delhi between August 2009 and March 2010. The study
      period was August 2009 to October 2012. These patients received daily MDR Regimen
      from their respective DOTS Providers. The patients' names and addresses were
      taken from the lists supplied by these hospitals. Final analysis was carried out
      for 101 MDR-TB cases. RESULTS: Out of 101 patients treatment outcomes were: 69.3%
      cured and 2.0% treatment completed (treatment success rate 71.3%). A low default
      rate of 6.9% was seen which is assumed to be due to the home based care.
      CONCLUSION: These results indicate that Home based care with counseling support
      is an important intervention in management of MDR-TB patients and it needs to be
      substantiated by further research.

PMID- 26117479
TI  - A study on assessment of symptoms and functionality in DOTS cured patients in two
      districts of Garhwal, Uttarakhand.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2013, an estimated 9.0 million people developed TB and 1.5 million
      died from the disease. India has achieved the target of a case detection rate of
      70% and a cure rate of 85% through the nationwide Directly Observed Treatment
      Short Course (DOTS) strategy. Tuberculosis may generate residual lesions in the
      course of its pathology, which impair the functionality of the patient even after
      achieving "cure" or "treatment completion". AIMS: To assess the presence of
      symptoms and functionality of tuberculosis patients who had completed the
      treatment or had been declared as cured under Revised National Tuberculosis
      Programme (RNTCP). METHODS: The present study was a cross sectional study. It was
      conducted in the two Tuberculosis Units (TUs) of Rudraprayag and Pauri in Garhwal
      region of Uttarakhand among the people who had completed treatment under DOTS or
      had been declared as cured under RNTCP in last one year. RESULTS: Even at the
      completion of the treatment about 37% had cough, 25% had expectoration, 6% had
      hemoptysis, more than 50% had chest pain and 65% had breathlessness. The mean
      distance walked by the participants in six minutes was 363.5 +/- 58.2 m with a
      range of 245-490 m. CONCLUSIONS: The persistence of symptoms indicate that the
      functionality of DOTS cured patients remains compromised even after days and
      months of treatment completion, thereby necessitating measures for the
      improvement of the overall health of the patients rather than just the
      microbiological cure.

PMID- 26117480
TI  - Leptin level correlates with obesity and health related quality of life in
      obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leptin takes part in regulation of energy balance, neuronal
      functions, pain and mood. It may act as intermediary marker for various
      components of HRQOL in patients of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. AIMS: To
      document the correlation among leptin levels, obesity and HRQoL in OSAS patients.
      METHODS: A tertiary care hospital based cross-sectional study was done in 224
      subjects aged 18-65 years, after taking informed consent. Subjects with previous
      history of smoking, Liver disease, COPD, CHD, T2 DM, asthma, cancer, end stage
      renal disease, heart failure, any endocrine disorder including Cushing syndrome,
      thyroid, on systemic steroid or any continuous medication for last 6 months, on
      dieting or suffering from any disability condition (other than obesity and OSAS)
      affecting their HRQoL were excluded from the study. All subjects underwent
      Polysomnography. Leptin assay was done by ELISA method. Hindi version of HRQoL
      tool SF-36 was used to evaluate HRQoL. RESULTS: SPSS 20 was used to analyse data.
      Three groups (AHI <5, 5 to 15 and >15) were compared. Significant differences
      were observed in BMI, NC, WC, WHR and ESS. Differences were not significant in
      sleep architecture and Leptin level. SF-36 HRQoL, scores were observed decreased
      with increase in severity of disease. Leptin level was found significantly
      correlated with "Role limitations due to physical health problems", "Social
      functioning", Hypopnea and obesity indices. CONCLUSIONS: In these subjects
      Obesity indices are the most important correlates of Leptin level. Oxygen
      desaturation indices with exception of Hypopnea and HRQoL may not be exclusively
      correlated to leptin levels.

PMID- 26117481
TI  - Tubercular prostate abscess in an immunocompetent patient.
AB  - Prostate tuberculosis is an infrequent manifestation of genitourinary
      tuberculosis Complications like prostate abscess, perineal fistula, sinus can
      occur in immunocompromised individuals. Various predisposing factors like
      diabetes, bladder outlet obstruction, chronic renal failure can lead to prostate
      abscess. TRUS (Transrectal USG) is one of the tools useful for the diagnosis of
      prostatic abscess. We present our case, 57 year man, ethanolic with features of
      chronic liver disease and pulmonary tuberculosis which disseminated to prostate,
      developed abscess presenting as pyrexia of unknown origin. 

PMID- 26117482
TI  - Iatrogenic Mycobacterium abscessus infection in a trigger finger.
AB  - An immunocompetent 63-year-old lady developed Mycobacterium abscessus soft tissue
      infection of the hand following local corticosteroid injection for trigger
      finger. The patient was successfully treated with repeated radical debridement
      and prolonged antimicrobial therapy. Atypical mycobacterial infections, including
      those caused by M. abscessus, albeit rare, should be considered in cases of late
      onset indolent infection following local injury surgical procedures, and
      injections. Clinical vigilance, timely diagnosis, combined directed antimicrobial
      treatment, coupled with adequate surgical debridement are key for successful
      management. 

PMID- 26117483
TI  - Intrathoracic goitre associated with pulmonary tuberculosis.
AB  - Intrathoracic goitre is an uncommon condition which usually occurs in females in
      the fifth decade. It can cause compression of several mediastinal structures. A
      42-year-old female with goitre since childhood was evaluated for dry cough,
      occasional wheezing and low grade fever. Imaging showed patchy airspace opacities
      with cavitation in left lung. Imaging of the neck revealed retrosternal extension
      of the goitre. Stains and cultures of bronchial aspirate were positive for
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis with
      intrathoracic goitre was established, an unusual association. 

PMID- 26117484
TI  - Yield of pulmonary tuberculosis cases by symptoms: Findings from a community
      survey in Madhya Pradesh, central India.
AB  - A cross-sectional tuberculosis prevalence survey was undertaken in Jabalpur
      district, Madhya Pradesh, central India. All individuals were questioned for
      chest symptoms. Sputum samples were collected and examined for microscopy and
      culture. Overall prevalence of sputum positive pulmonary tuberculosis was found
      to be 255.3 per 100,000 population. Cough, with or without other symptoms, was
      present in 75.5% individuals and yielded 88.2% of the detected pulmonary
      tuberculosis cases. Elicitation of a previous history of treatment yielded 5.9%,
      and chest pain 4.5% cases. History of fever alone yielded no cases. The findings
      suggest that a history of fever alone may be safely excluded from the list of
      symptoms to be elicited in future TB prevalence surveys in India. 

PMID- 26117485
TI  - Profile of NGOs involved in management of MDR TB in Mumbai before rollout of DOTS
      Plus.

PMID- 26117486
TI  - Effects of an unloader knee brace on knee-related symptoms and function in people
      with post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament
      reconstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This pilot study evaluated the immediate and four-week
      effects of an unloader knee brace on knee-related symptoms and performance-based
      function in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) after anterior cruciate ligament
      reconstruction (ACLR). METHODS: Individuals with knee OA, five to 20years post
      ACLR, were recruited for two within-subject randomized studies: immediate effects
      (n=18) and four-week effects (n=11). Patient-reported knee-related symptoms (knee
      pain, perceived task difficulty, confidence, stability) were assessed during hop
      for distance and step-down tests, while performance-based function was assessed
      with hopping distance under three conditions: i) no brace; ii) unadjusted brace
      (sagittal plane support); and iii) adjusted brace (sagittal plane support with
      varus/valgus readjustment). Participants in the four-week brace effect study were
      randomized to wear the unadjusted or adjusted brace for four weeks after baseline
      (no brace) testing, and repeated tests in their allocated brace at four-week
      follow-up. Friedman tests evaluated differences between the three brace
      conditions for each variable for the immediate brace effect study (p<0.05), and
      Wilcoxon signed-rank tests evaluated differences between no brace and allocated
      brace for the four-week study (p<0.05). RESULTS: The adjusted and unadjusted
      unloader braces produced immediate improvements in knee confidence during hop for
      distance, and knee pain during step-down. Following the four-week brace
      intervention, the allocated brace improved knee confidence, perceived task
      difficulty and stability during hop for distance; and knee pain, perceived task
      difficulty, confidence, and stability during step-down. CONCLUSIONS: The unloader
      knee brace, adjusted or unadjusted, has the potential to improve knee-related
      symptoms associated with knee OA after ACLR.

PMID- 26117487
TI  - Recent evolution of learnability in American English from 1800 to 2000.
AB  - Concreteness-the psycholinguistic property of referring to a perceptible entity
      enhances processing speed, comprehension, and memory. These represent selective
      filters for cognition likely to influence language evolution in competitive
      language environments. Taking a culturomics approach, we use multiple language
      corpora representing more than 350 billion words combined with concreteness norms
      for over 40,000 English words and demonstrate a systematic rise in concrete
      language in American English over the last 200years, both within and across word
      classes (nouns, verbs, and prepositions). Comparisons between new and old
      concreteness norms indicate this is not explained by semantic bleaching, but we
      find some evidence that the rise is related to changes in population demographics
      and may be associated with increasing numbers of second language learners or
      attention economics in response to crowding in the language market. We also
      examine the influence of gender and literacy. In sum, we demonstrate evolution in
      the psycholinguistic structure of American English, with a well-established
      impact on cognitive processing, which is likely to permeate modern language use. 

PMID- 26117488
TI  - What makes words special? Words as unmotivated cues.
AB  - Verbal labels, such as the words "dog" and "guitar," activate conceptual
      knowledge more effectively than corresponding environmental sounds, such as a dog
      bark or a guitar strum, even though both are unambiguous cues to the categories
      of dogs and guitars (Lupyan & Thompson-Schill, 2012). We hypothesize that this
      advantage of labels emerges because word-forms, unlike other cues, do not vary in
      a motivated way with their referent. The sound of a guitar cannot help but inform
      a listener to the type of guitar making it (electric, acoustic, etc.). The word
      "guitar" on the other hand, can leave the type of guitar unspecified. We argue
      that as a result, labels gain the ability to cue a more abstract mental
      representation, promoting efficient processing of category members. In contrast,
      environmental sounds activate representations that are more tightly linked to the
      specific cause of the sound. Our results show that upon hearing environmental
      sounds such as a dog bark or guitar strum, people cannot help but activate a
      particular instance of a category, in a particular state, at a particular time,
      as measured by patterns of response times on cue-picture matching tasks (Exps. 1
      2) and eye-movements in a task where the cues are task-irrelevant (Exp. 3). In
      comparison, labels activate concepts in a more abstract, decontextualized way-a
      difference that we argue can be explained by labels acting as "unmotivated cues".

PMID- 26117489
TI  - Providing optimal cardiovascular and thoracic critical care in the Great White
      North.

PMID- 26117490
TI  - Surgery for anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery: More is better?

PMID- 26117491
TI  - A new outlet for pulmonary arterial hypertension.

PMID- 26117492
TI  - Omalizumab therapy for refractory allergic fungal rhinosinusitis patients with
      moderate or severe asthma.
AB  - PURPOSE: 1. To assess the efficacy of omalizumab therapy in improving sinonasal
      outcomes in refractory allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) patients with
      moderate or severe asthma. 2. To determine if omalizumab therapy reduces the
      usage of corticosteroids or antifungal therapy in AFRS patients METHOD:  DESIGN:
      The clinical charts of patients with AFRS with moderate or severe asthma who
      received at least three subcutaneous injections of omalizumab therapy between 1st
      January 2012 and 1st May 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. These patients had
      undergone bilateral functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) and failed adjunct
      medical treatments (oral or topical corticosteroids and/or antifungal therapy)
      prior to omalizumab therapy. RESULTS: Seven patients met the inclusion criteria
      and were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 48.14. The
      average number of subcutaneous omalizumab injections was 7.57 (range 6-11) with a
      mean dosage of 287mg (range 225-375mg). The mean pre-omalizumab treatment Sino
      Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) score was 52.14 while the mean post-omalizumab
      treatment SNOT-22 score was 35.86 (31% improvement). The mean pre-omalizumab
      therapy Phillpott-Javer endoscopic score (over the last one year before
      omalizumab therapy) was 36 while the mean post-omalizumab therapy endoscopic
      score (from the last clinic visit) was 14 (61% improvement). Omalizumab therapy
      reduced the dependence of AFRS patients on corticosteroid and antifungal
      treatments. CONCLUSION: Omalizumab therapy can be considered as a potential
      adjunct for the treatment for patients with refractory AFRS with moderate or
      severe asthma. However, larger prospective studies to confirm the findings of
      this study will be required.

PMID- 26117493
TI  - Development of infant leg coordination: Exploiting passive torques.
AB  - Leg joint coordination systematically changes over the first months of life, yet
      there is minimal data on the underlying change in muscle torques that might
      account for this change in coordination. The purpose of this study is to
      investigate the contribution of torque changes to early changes in leg joint
      coordination. Kicking actions were analyzed of 10 full-term infants between 6 and
      15-weeks of age using three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics. We found 11 of
      15 joint angle pairs demonstrated a change from more in-phase intralimb
      coordination at 6-weeks to less in-phase coordination at 15-weeks. Although the
      magnitude of joint torques normalized to the mass of the leg remained relatively
      consistent, we noted more complex patterns of torque component contribution
      across ages. By focusing on the change in torques associated with hip-knee joint
      coordination, we found that less in-phase hip-knee joint coordination at 15-weeks
      was associated with decreased influence of knee muscle torque and increased
      influence of knee gravitational and motion-dependent torques, supporting that
      infants coordinate hip muscle torque with passive knee gravitational and motion
      dependent torques to generate kicks with reduced active knee muscle torque. We
      propose that between 6 and 15-weeks of age less in-phase hip-knee coordination
      emerges as infants exploit passive dynamics in the coordination of hip and knee
      motions. 

PMID- 26117494
TI  - Urologic cancers in Korea.
AB  - The incidence and prevalence of prostate and kidney cancers have been increasing
      in Korea during the last decade, and a marked improvement in survival rates has
      been noted. With a substantial proportion of the cancers diagnosed at an earlier
      stage of the disease, the landscape of urologic cancer treatment in Korea has
      been characterized by an exponential increase in the number of patients receiving
      surgical treatment. Throughout the last decade, an increasing proportion of
      surgeries have been performed using minimally invasive methods, with a notable
      increase in robot-assisted surgery.The evaluation and management strategies of
      urologic cancer in Korea are primarily based on an existing evidence-based
      framework provided by international guidelines. The adoption and clinical
      application of novel surgical techniques and systemic agents targeted at advanced
      stage cancer are promptly adopted; accordingly, multidisciplinary treatment
      options are often available for various cancers at different stages. At the same
      time, treatment decisions are greatly influenced by the availability of
      healthcare resources, which may be limited due to the National Health Insurance
      reimbursement policy.A racial disparity in cancer features appears to exist for
      certain urologic cancers among Korean patients, and the optimal management
      strategy specific for the Korean population has yet to be confirmed. A national
      comprehensive cancer database is needed for better insight into risk factors,
      selection of sequential strategies, tumor biology and survival outcome of Korean
      urologic cancer patients. 

PMID- 26117495
TI  - Special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 1: a novel biomarker predicting cervical
      squamous cell carcinoma prognosis and lymph node metastasis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 1 is aberrantly expressed in
      various malignant tumors. However, the expression and function of special AT-rich
      sequence-binding protein 1 in cervical squamous cell carcinoma have not been
      reported. The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical
      significance of special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 1 in cervical squamous
      cell carcinoma. METHODS: In this study, we investigated the expression of special
      AT-rich sequence-binding protein 1 through immunohistochemistry in 25 normal
      cervix specimens and 167 cervical squamous cell carcinomas and analyzed its
      association with various clinicopathologic parameters, including patient outcome.
      RESULTS: Special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 1 protein was detected in 58
      (34.7%) out of 167 patients and was highly related to International Federation of
      Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, histologic grade, lymph node metastasis,
      vascular-lymphatic invasion and recurrence of cervical squamous cell carcinoma.
      Patients with positive special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 1 expression had
      significantly lower overall survival and disease-free survival compared with
      patients with negative expression of special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 1
      (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). A multivariate Cox regression analysis
      revealed that special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 1 was an independent
      prognostic marker for both disease-free survival and overall survival of cervical
      squamous cell carcinoma patients (P = 0.038 and P = 0.010, respectively). A
      multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that special AT-rich sequence
      binding protein 1 expression was strongly associated with lymph node metastasis
      (odds ratio = 2.497; P = 0.032). Sensitivity and specificity of special AT-rich
      sequence-binding protein 1 for lymph node metastasis were 61.0 and 73.8%,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that special AT-rich sequence
      binding protein 1 expression was associated with tumor progression, metastasis
      and poor prognosis in cervical squamous cell carcinoma. It may serve as a new
      prognostic biomarker or a target for improving the treatment efficiency of
      patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

PMID- 26117496
TI  - Comparing humans and nonhuman great apes in the broken cloth problem: Is their
      knowledge causal or perceptual?
AB  - When presented with the broken cloth problem, both human children and nonhuman
      great apes prefer to pull a continuous cloth over a discontinuous cloth in order
      to obtain a desired object resting on top. This has been interpreted as evidence
      that they preferentially attend to the functionally relevant cues of the task
      (e.g., presence or absence of a gap along the cloth). However, there is
      controversy regarding whether great apes' behavior is underpinned by causal
      knowledge, involving abstract concepts (e.g., support, connection), or by
      perceptual knowledge, based on percepts (e.g., contact, continuity). We presented
      chimpanzees, orangutans, and 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old children with two versions of
      the broken cloth problem. The Real condition, made with paper strips, could be
      solved based on either perceptual cues or causal knowledge. The Painted
      condition, which looked very similar, could be solved only by attending to
      perceptual cues. All groups mastered the Real condition, in line with previous
      results. Older children (3- and 4-year-olds) performed significantly better in
      this condition than all other groups, but the performance of apes and children
      did not differ sharply, with 2-year-olds and apes obtaining similar results. In
      contrast, only 4-year-olds solved the Painted condition. We propose causal
      knowledge to explain the general good performance of apes and humans in the Real
      condition compared with the Painted condition. In addition, we suggest that
      symbolic knowledge might account for 4-year-olds' performance in the Painted
      condition. Our findings add to the growing literature supporting the idea that
      learning from arbitrary cues is not a good explanation for the performance of
      apes and humans on some kinds of physical task. 

PMID- 26117497
TI  - Whole-genome resequencing analyses of five pig breeds, including Korean wild and
      native, and three European origin breeds.
AB  - Pigs have been one of the most important sources of meat for humans, and their
      productivity has been substantially improved by recent strong selection. Here, we
      present whole-genome resequencing analyses of 55 pigs of five breeds representing
      Korean native pigs, wild boar and three European origin breeds. 1,673.1 Gb of
      sequence reads were mapped to the Swine reference assembly, covering ~99.2% of
      the reference genome, at an average of ~11.7-fold coverage. We detected
      20,123,573 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), of which 25.5% were novel. We
      extracted 35,458 of non-synonymous SNPs in 9,904 genes, which may contribute to
      traits of interest. The whole SNP sets were further used to access the population
      structures of the breeds, using multiple methodologies, including phylogenetic,
      similarity matrix, and population structure analysis. They showed clear
      population clusters with respect to each breed. Furthermore, we scanned the whole
      genomes to identify signatures of selection throughout the genome. The result
      revealed several promising loci that might underlie economically important traits
      in pigs, such as the CLDN1 and TWIST1 genes. These discoveries provide useful
      genomic information for further study of the discrete genetic mechanisms
      associated with economically important traits in pigs. 

PMID- 26117498
TI  - Boiling significantly promotes photodegradation of perfluorooctane sulfonate.
AB  - The application of photochemical processes for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)
      degradation has been limited by a low treatment efficiency. This study reports a
      significant acceleration of PFOS photodegradation under boiling condition
      compared with the non-boiling control. The PFOS decomposition rate increased with
      the increasing boiling intensity, but declined at a higher hydronium level or
      under oxygenation. These results suggest that the boiling state of solution
      resulted in higher effective concentrations of reactants at the gas-liquid
      interface and enhanced the interfacial mass transfer, thereby accelerating the
      PFOS decomposition. This study broadens our knowledge of PFOS photodegradation
      process and may have implications for development of efficient photodegradation
      technologies. 

PMID- 26117499
TI  - Assessment of the genotoxic potential along the Danube River by application of
      the comet assay on haemocytes of freshwater mussels: The Joint Danube Survey 3.
AB  - In this study we assessed the level of genotoxic pollution along the Danube River
      by measuring the level of DNA damage in the haemocytes of freshwater mussels of
      Unio sp. (Unio pictorum/Unio tumidus) and Sinanodonta woodiana. The comet assay
      was used for the assessment of DNA damage. The research was performed on 34 out
      of 68 sites analysed within the Joint Danube Survey 3 - the world's biggest river
      research expedition of its kind in 2013. During research, 2285 river kilometres
      were covered with an average distance of 68 km between the sites. The complex
      data set on concentrations of various substances present in water, suspended
      particulate matter and sediment on investigated sites gave the opportunity to
      identify the groups of xenobiotics which mostly affect the studied biomarker -
      DNA damage. The highest levels of DNA damage were recorded in the section VI
      (Panonnian Plain), which is under the impact of untreated wastewater discharges.
      Both positive and negative influences of the large tributaries on the level of
      genotoxicity in the Danube River were evident. Significant correlation in
      response was detected between the studied species of freshwater mussels. The
      level of DNA damage in mussels correlated with concentrations of compounds from
      the group of hazardous priority substances (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons),
      persistent organic pollutants (dioxins) and emerging pollutants (Oxazepam,
      Chloridazon-desphenyl).

PMID- 26117500
TI  - Nonlinear vegetation cover changes in the North Ethiopian Highlands: Evidence
      from the Lake Ashenge closed basin.
AB  - Vegetation cover changes in African drylands are often thought to result from
      population growth, social factors and aridification. Here we show that long-term
      vegetation proxy records can help disentangling these main driving factors.
      Taking the case of North Ethiopia, we performed an integrated investigation of
      land cover changes over the last four centuries around the endorheic Lake
      Ashenge, as derived from pollen analysis and repeat photography complemented with
      information from historical sources. Pollen and sediment analysis of radiocarbon
      dated lake deposits shows a phase of environmental destabilization during the
      18th century, after a more stable previous period. This is evidenced by decreases
      of tree pollen (Juniperus, Olea, Celtis, Podocarpus<5%), increases in Poaceae
      (>40%) and deposition of coarser silt lake sediments (>70%). Quantitative
      analysis of 30 repeated landscape photographs around the lake indicates a gradual
      decline of the vegetation cover since a relative maximum during the mid-19th
      Century. Vegetation cover declined sharply between the 1950s and the 1980s, but
      has since begun to recover. Overall, the data from around Lake Ashenge reveal a
      nonlinear pattern of deforestation and forest regrowth with several periods of
      vegetation cover change over the past four centuries. While there is forcing of
      regional drought and the regional land tenure system, the cyclic changes do not
      support a simplified focus on aridification or population growth.

PMID- 26117501
TI  - Forensic application of microRNA-706 as a biomarker for drowning pattern
      identification.
AB  - Forensic research using microRNA has been used so far only for the identification
      of body fluids, but its use in understanding biological processes in post-mortem
      pathology has not been studied before. Therefore, we performed experiments in
      mice to compare between freshwater and saltwater drowning models, and miRNA
      expression was analyzed in the brain through a forward bioinformatics screening
      approach. In this study, we identified eight specific microRNAs whose expression
      increased in freshwater and decreased in saltwater. Among them, miR-706 -
      targeting HCN1 - was identified as a potent biomarker for the drowning pattern
      identification. A higher expression of miR-706 was detected in the freshwater
      drowning compared to the control and saltwater drowning group (p<0.05, and
      p<0.01, respectively). HCN1 mRNA expression, a suggested candidate target for miR
      706, was lower in the freshwater (p<0.01) than in the saltwater drowning group,
      and showed statistical difference between freshwater and saltwater drowning
      (p<0.01). miR-706 was specifically expressed in the hippocampal neurons as
      detected by in situ hybridization. Our data suggest that a specific microRNA may
      provide clues to understanding some crime scene investigations and
      pathobiological processes in the dead body. 

PMID- 26117502
TI  - Sex determination using discriminant analysis of upper and lower extremity bones:
      New approach using the volume and surface area of digital model.
AB  - This study used 110 CT images taken from donated Korean cadavers to create 3-D
      models of the following upper and lower limb bones: the clavicle, scapula,
      humerus, radius, ulna, hip bone (os coxa), femur, patella (knee cap), tibia,
      talus, and calcaneus. In addition, the bone volume and surface area were
      calculated to determine sex differences using discriminant analysis. Significant
      sex differences were found in all bones with respect to volume and surface area
      (p<0.01). The order of volume was the same in females and males (femur>hip
      bone>tibia>humerus>scapula), although the order of surface area was different.
      The largest surface area in men was the femur and in women was the hip bone
      (p<0.01). An interesting finding of this study was that the ulna is the bone with
      the highest accuracy for sex determination (94%). When using the surface area of
      multiple bones, the maximum accuracy (99.4%) was achieved. The equation was as
      follows: (discriminant equation of surface area;
      female<0<male)=0.060*clavicle+0.020*scapula+0.045*humerus+(
      0.049)*radius+0.093*ulna+(-0.023)*hip bone+0.091*patella+(
      0.052)*fibula+0.043*talus-11.548. These results show that bone volume and surface
      area of extremity bones can be used for sex determination. 

PMID- 26117503
TI  - Salt-induced reentrant stability of polyion-decorated particles with tunable
      surface charge density.
AB  - The electrostatic complexation between DOTAP/DOPC unilamellar liposomes and an
      oppositely charged polyelectrolyte (NaPA) has been investigated in a wide range
      of the liposome surface charge density. We systematically characterized the
      reentrant condensation and the charge inversion of polyelectrolyte-decorated
      liposomes by means of dynamic light scattering and electrophoresis. We explored
      the stability of this model polyelectrolyte/colloid system at different values of
      the surface charge of the bare liposomes and by changing two independent control
      parameters of the suspensions: the polyelectrolyte/colloid charge ratio and the
      ionic strength of the aqueous suspending medium. The progressive addition of
      neutral DOPC lipid within the liposome membrane gave rise to an interesting
      phenomenon which has not been observed previously: the stability diagram of the
      suspensions showed a novel reentrance due to the crossing of the desorption
      threshold of the polyelectrolyte. Indeed, at fixed charge density of the bare
      DOTAP/DOPC liposomes and for a wide range of polyion concentrations, we showed
      that the simple electrolyte addition first (low salt regime) destabilizes the
      suspensions because of the enhanced screening of the residual repulsion between
      the complexes, and then (high salt regime) determines the onset of a new stable
      phase, originated by the absence of polyelectrolyte adsorption on the particle
      surfaces. We show that the observed phenomenology can be rationalized within the
      modified Velegol-Thwar model for heterogeneously charged particles and that the
      polyelectrolyte desorption fits well the predictions of the adsorption theory of
      Winkler and Cherstvy [1]. Our findings unambiguously support the picture of the
      reentrant condensation as driven by the correlated adsorption of the
      polyelectrolyte chains on the particle surface, providing interesting insights
      into possible mechanisms for tailoring complex colloids via salt-induced effects.

PMID- 26117504
TI  - The pleasure of revenge: retaliatory aggression arises from a neural imbalance
      toward reward.
AB  - Most of daily life hums along peacefully but provocations tip the balance toward
      aggression. Negative feelings are often invoked to explain why people lash out
      after an insult. Yet people might retaliate because provocation makes aggression
      hedonically rewarding. To test this alternative hypothesis, 69 participants
      underwent functional neuroimaging while they completed a behavioral aggression
      task that repeatedly manipulated whether aggression was preceded by an instance
      of provocation or not. After provocation, greater activity in the nucleus
      accumbens (NAcc) (a brain region reliably associated with reward) during
      aggressive decisions predicted louder noise blasts administered in retaliation.
      Greater NAcc activation was also associated with participants' history of real
      world violence. Functional connectivity between the NAcc and a regulatory region
      in the lateral prefrontal cortex related to lower retaliatory aggression. These
      findings suggest that provocation tips the neural balance towards hedonic reward,
      which fosters retaliatory aggression. Although such pleasure of inflicting pain
      may promote retaliatory aggression, self-regulatory processes can keep such
      aggressive urges at bay. Implications for theory and violence reduction are
      discussed.

PMID- 26117506
TI  - Health, fairness and New Zealand's contribution to global post-2020 climate
      change action.
AB  - Health and wellbeing have been largely ignored in discussions around climate
      change targets and action to date. The current public consultation around New
      Zealand's post-2020 climate target is an opportunity for health professionals to
      highlight the health implications of climate change. Without urgent global
      efforts to bring down global GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, the world is heading
      towards high levels of global warming, which will have devastating impacts on
      human health and wellbeing. New Zealand's action to bring down GHG emissions (as
      part of the global effort) has potential to improve health and reduce costs on
      the health sector, if health and fairness are put at the centre of policies to
      address climate change. New Zealand should commit to at least 40 % reductions in
      GHG emissions by 2030, and zero carbon emissions before 2050, with healthy and
      fair policies across sectors to enable reaching these targets. 

PMID- 26117505
TI  - The neural basis of conceptualizing the same action at different levels of
      abstraction.
AB  - People can conceptualize the same action (e.g. 'riding a bike') at different
      levels of abstraction (LOA), where higher LOAs specify the abstract motives that
      explain why the action is performed (e.g. 'getting exercise'), while lower LOAs
      specify the concrete steps that indicate how the action is performed (e.g.
      'gripping handlebars'). Prior neuroimaging studies have shown that why and how
      questions about actions differentially activate two cortical networks associated
      with mental-state reasoning and action representation, respectively; however, it
      remains unknown whether this is due to the differential demands of the questions
      per se or to the shifts in LOA those questions produce. We conducted functional
      magnetic resonance imaging while participants judged pairs of action phrases that
      varied in LOA and that could be framed either as a why question (Why ride a bike?
      Get exercise.) or a how question (How to get exercise? Ride a bike.). Question
      framing (why vs how) had no effect on activity in regions of the two networks.
      Instead, these regions uniquely tracked parametric variation in LOA, both across
      and within trials. This suggests that the human capacity to understand actions at
      different LOA is based in the relative activity of two cortical networks.

PMID- 26117507
TI  - Potential for health gain equity.

PMID- 26117508
TI  - Good progress for children coupled with recalcitrant inequalities for adults in
      New Zealand's journey towards Universal Health Coverage over the last decade.
AB  - AIMS: This article explores how primary health care policy changes in New Zealand
      over the last decade have impacted on primary care access equity and avoidable
      hospital admissions. METHODS: The national Ambulatory Sensitive Hospitalisations
      (ASH) data trends by age, ethnicity and area level deprivation were analysed in
      relation to the Primary Health Care policy initiatives for the period 2002 to
      2014. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Changes in primary care access over the decade
      have led to improvement in ASH indicators for parts of the population, but not
      for others. ASH rates decreased very significantly for children, especially in
      the 0-4 age group. These trends began in 2004, with decreases most marked for
      Pacific children, and those from the most deprived neighbourhoods. Inequalities
      in ASH rates for children between ethnic groups and levels of deprivation have
      substantially decreased. On the other hand, there has been a significant increase
      in ASH rates and inequalities for Pacific peoples in the 45 to 64 age group.
      Maori in the same age band show a modest reduction in ASH rates, with
      inequalities compared with the rest of the population remaining unchanged.
      Inequalities in ASH rates between 45-65 year olds living in different levels of
      deprivation remain large and unchanged, indicative of the recalcitrant nature of
      inequalities in primary care access for the adult population. Major policy
      initiatives undertaken by the government during this period have significantly
      affected primary care access. These include the New Zealand Health Strategy, the
      Primary Health Care Strategy, the creation of District Health Boards and Primary
      Health Organisations, and free care to under 6-year-olds. In the latter part of
      the decade, high-level target setting by successive Ministers is also affecting
      system performance. We conclude that the success in reducing inequality in access
      to primary care for children needs to be intensified, and the same principles
      applied to the adult population groups.

PMID- 26117509
TI  - Paediatric empyema in New Zealand: a tale of two cities.
AB  - AIMS: We aimed to identify the causative organisms and sensitivities in community
      acquired paediatric empyema at Starship Children's Hospital and Christchurch
      Hospital and to determine if current antibiotic recommendations are appropriate.
      METHODS: Retrospective analysis was undertaken of all cases with clinical,
      radiological, and microbiological evidence of empyema at Starship Children's
      Hospital and Christchurch Hospital between June 2009 and March 2013 (3.8 years),
      and January 2009 and May 2014 (5.4 years) respectively. RESULTS: Ninety-eight
      children were managed with empyema at Starship Children's Hospital and 30
      children at Christchurch Hospital. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common
      pathogen identified at both sites followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae. A
      significant proportion had no pathogen identified. Amongst S.aureus isolates,
      1/5th were methicillin-resistant, contributing 8% of all culture positive empyema
      cases. Maori and Pacific groups were over-represented. Cases occurred more often
      in boys and those <5 years. Blood cultures and S.pneumoniae pleural antigen were
      important in diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our audit confirms the important role of
      S.aureus in paediatric empyema in New Zealand and a high rate of this disease,
      particularly in the North Island. Antimicrobial susceptibilities of the pathogens
      of empyema demonstrate current initial antibiotic recommendation.

PMID- 26117510
TI  - Retention on anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy: the Waikato experience.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the retention on anti-TNF agents used in a real-world
      setting, and determine the factors predicting retention on drug. METHOD: Patients
      starting anti-TNF therapy were recorded prospectively on the departmental
      database. Medical records of all patients commenced on anti-TNF therapy between
      2006 and 2013 at the Rheumatology Department, Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, were
      retrospectively reviewed to obtain details of their course on biologic therapy.
      RESULTS: 183 patients were identified. 139 (76.5%) were commenced on adalimumab.
      The predominant indication was rheumatoid arthritis (52.5%). 60 patients (32.8%)
      discontinued their initial anti-TNF agent. Of these, 31.7% were due to primary
      failure, 36.7% due to secondary failure and 25% due to adverse events. At 5
      years, retention on agents was: adalimumab (77.2%), etanercept (69.6%) and
      infliximab (16.7%). Retention on adalimumab was significantly higher than
      infliximab (p<0.001), but did not differ between adalimumab and etanercept, or
      etanercept and infliximab. CONCLUSION: In a real-world setting, retention on
      infliximab was significantly lower than adalimumab.

PMID- 26117511
TI  - Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and the public health.
AB  - The Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement (TPPA) negotiations have been conducted in
      secrecy over the past four years. In New Zealand, the government has not released
      any official details of these negotiations and all the information we have about
      TPPA is derived from leaks. This makes any analysis of the risks and benefits of
      TPPA difficult to carry out. However, the consistency of the leaked material
      indicates that the TPPA appears to have major implications for the New Zealand
      health system, potentially adversely affecting public health initiatives, the
      control of alcohol and obesity problems, and reducing the availability of some
      drugs. This article describes the basis for these concerns, and aims to show that
      the TPPA could interfere with our ability to organise our health systems, now and
      in the future, for the best interests of all the people of New Zealand. 

PMID- 26117512
TI  - How well does your healthcare system perform? Tracking progress toward the triple
      aim using system level measures.

PMID- 26117513
TI  - Systemic capillary leak syndrome: a case-report.
AB  - We report a case of a patient presenting with episodic hypotension, tachycardia
      and oedema, with an elevated serum IgG kappa paraprotein level. She was diagnosed
      as having systemic capillary leak syndrome and upon commencing oral theophylline
      has had no further presentations. The patient has since progressed to multiple
      myeloma.

PMID- 26117514
TI  - Retinitis Pigmentosa.

PMID- 26117515
TI  - Suboptimal smokefree signage at some hospitals: Field observations and the use of
      Google Street View.

PMID- 26117516
TI  - Coronary Atherosclerosis and Interventional Cardiology.
AB  - The atherosclerotic process in coronary arteries begins with endothelial
      dysfunction and may provoke thrombotic total occlusion and myocardial infarction.
      In this state-of-the-art review, we discuss recent evidence of atheroslerosis,
      vulnerable plaque, and hemodynamic changes in the coronary tree, as well as the
      current techniques we implement in the catheterization lab to evaluate coronary
      stenosis. It is clear that atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory condition
      with several consequences in the coronary tree, however, we are able now to
      characterize the plaque and to select the appropriate treatment for many
      patients. 

PMID- 26117517
TI  - Video Otoscopy in Exotic Companion Mammals.
AB  - Ear disease is a common disorder seen in exotic companion mammals, especially in
      ferrets, rabbits, and rats. This article describes patient preparation,
      equipment, and video otoscopy technique in exotic companion mammals. This
      noninvasive technique facilitates accurate diagnosis of diseases affecting the
      external ear canal or middle ear. Moreover, therapeutic otoscopic evaluation of
      the external ear facilitates foreign body removal, external ear canal flushing,
      intralesional drug administration, myringotomy, and middle ear cavity flushing. 

PMID- 26117518
TI  - Pulmonoscopy of Snakes.
AB  - Pulmonoscopy is a practical diagnostic tool for investigating respiratory
      diseases in snakes. Two different approaches exist for pulmonoscopy, tracheal and
      transcutaneous. The access to the proximal or distal lung is limited by the
      length and diameter of the endoscope when using the tracheal approach. The
      transcutaneous approach allows direct evaluation of the lung and distal trachea
      through the air sac. Both of the methods are safe, and specific contraindications
      for pulmonoscopy in snakes are not known except for any anesthesia
      contraindication. 

PMID- 26117519
TI  - Video Telescope Operating Microscopy.
AB  - Exotic pet veterinarians frequently have to operate on small animals, and
      magnification is commonly used. Existing endoscopy equipment can be used with a
      mechanical arm and telescope to enable video telescope operating microscopy. The
      additional equipment items and their specifics are described, and several case
      examples are provided. 

PMID- 26117520
TI  - Transurethral Cystoscopy and Endoscopic Urolith Removal in Female Guinea Pigs
      (Cavia porcellus).
AB  - Urinary diseases are commonly found in guinea pigs. Diagnostic workup includes
      clinical examination, blood testing, imaging studies, urine culture, and
      urinalysis. This article describes the use of transurethral cystoscopy in female
      guinea pigs as an ancillary tool to diagnose abnormalities within the bladder and
      urethra. In addition, the transurethral cystoscopic removal of uroliths measuring
      up to 5 mm and situated within the urinary bladder is described.

PMID- 26117521
TI  - Endoscopy and Endosurgery in Nonhuman Primates.
AB  - Endoscopy in nonhuman primates (NHPs) has resulted in improvements in research
      and clinical care for more than 4 decades. The indications and procedures are the
      same as in humans and the approach is similar to that in dogs, cats, and humans.
      Selected procedures are discussed including rhinoscopy, tracheobronchoscopy,
      upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, laparoscopy, and endoscopic salpingectomy. This
      short overview provides practitioners with pragmatic elements for safe and
      effective endoscopy in NHPs.

PMID- 26117522
TI  - Endoscopy Practice Management, Fee Structures, and Marketing.
AB  - Although our knowledge and appreciation of endoscopic procedures in exotic pets
      is extensive, associated management practices, including equipment preferences
      and fee structures, have rarely been discussed. This short article highlights the
      results of a small survey of 35 experienced exotic animal endoscopists and
      details their equipment ownership/preferences and fee structures. The importance
      of marketing is also emphasized. 

PMID- 26117523
TI  - Oculoscopy in Rabbits and Rodents.
AB  - Ophthalmic diseases are common in rabbits and rodents. Fast and definitive
      diagnosis is imperative for successful treatment of ocular diseases. Ophthalmic
      examination in rabbits and rodents can be challenging. Oculoscopy offers great
      magnification for the examination of the ocular structures in such animals,
      including the evaluation of cornea, anterior eye chamber, limbus, iris, lens, and
      retina. To date, oculoscopy has been described only sporadically and/or under
      experimental conditions. This article describes the oculoscopy technique, normal
      and abnormal ocular findings, and the most common eye disorders diagnosed with
      the aid of endoscopy in rabbits and rodents. 

PMID- 26117524
TI  - Making the Difference in Exotic Animal Practice: The Value of Endoscopy.
AB  - The definitive diagnosis has often been elusive in exotic pet medicine, and its
      absence has been, and continues to be, the source of much client anguish and
      practitioner frustration. To reach a definitive diagnosis, demonstration of a
      pathologic response and the etiologic agent are required. This article
      demonstrates why such an approach is necessary and how it can be readily achieved
      in practice using endoscopy. 

PMID- 26117525
TI  - Prognosis of status epilepticus (SE): Relationship between SE duration and
      subsequent development of epilepsy.
AB  - In animal models, SE duration is related to epileptogenesis. Data in humans are
      scarce, mainly in NCSE; therefore, we aimed to study the prognosis of SE de novo
      and which factors may influence subsequent development of epilepsy. METHODS: We
      evaluated patients with SE without previous epilepsy at our hospital (February
      2011-February 2014), including demographics, etiology, number of AEDs, duration
      of SE, mortality, and occurrence of seizures during follow-up. RESULTS: Eighty
      nine patients were evaluated. Median age was 69 (19-95) years old. Among them,
      33.7% were convulsive. Regarding etiology, 59 were considered acute symptomatic
      (41 lesions, 18 toxic-metabolic), 17 remote or progressive symptomatic, and 13
      cryptogenic. The median recovery time was 24h (30 min-360 h). In-hospital
      mortality was 29% (n = 26). After a median follow-up of 10 months, 58.7% of
      survivors (n = 37) showed seizures. Subsequently, we analyzed which factors might
      be related to the development of epilepsy, and we found that epilepsy development
      was more frequent with longer SE duration (37 vs. 23 h, p = 0.004); furthermore,
      patients with a toxic-metabolic etiology developed epilepsy less frequently (33%
      vs. 67%; p = 0.022). Epilepsy was also correlated (tendency) with focal SE (p =
      0.073), a lesion in neuroimaging (p = 0.091), and the use of 2 or more AEDs (p =
      0.098). Regarding SE duration, a cutoff of above 24h was clearly related to
      chronic seizures (p = 0.014); however, combining etiology and duration, the
      association of longer SE and epilepsy was significant in acute lesional SE (p =
      0.034), but not in epilepsy with cryptogenic or remote/progressive etiology.
      After a logistic regression, only a duration longer than 24h (OR = 3.800 (1.277
      11.312), p = 0.016) was found to be an independent predictor of the development
      of epilepsy. CONCLUSION: In patients with SE, the longer duration is associated
      with an increased risk of subsequent epilepsy at follow-up, mainly in symptomatic
      SE due to an acute lesion. It is unclear if it might be the result of a more
      severe injury causing both prolonged seizures and subsequent epilepsy, and
      therefore whether more aggressive treatment in this group might avoid this
      possibility. Most of the patients with cryptogenic or remote/progressive SE
      developed epilepsy regardless of SE duration. This article is part of a Special
      Issue entitled "Status Epilepticus".

PMID- 26117526
TI  - Outcome following postanoxic status epilepticus in patients with targeted
      temperature management after cardiac arrest.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postanoxic electrographic status epilepticus (ESE) is considered a
      predictor of poor outcome in resuscitated patients after cardiac arrest (CA).
      Observational data suggest that a subgroup of patients may have a good outcome.
      This study aimed to describe the prevalence of ESE and potential clinical and
      electrographic prognostic markers. METHODS: In this retrospective single study,
      we analyzed consecutive patients who suffered from CA, and who received
      temperature management and were monitored with simplified continuous EEG (cEEG)
      during a five-year period. The patients' charts and cEEG data were initially
      screened to identify patients with clinical seizures or ESE. The cEEG diagnosis
      of ESE was retrospectively reanalyzed according to strict criteria by a
      neurophysiologist blinded to patient outcome. The EEG background patterns prior
      to the onset of ESE, duration of ESE, presence of clinical seizures, and use of
      antiepileptic drugs were analyzed. The results of somatosensory-evoked potentials
      (SSEPs) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) at 48 h after CA were described in all
      patients with ESE. Antiepileptic treatment strategies were not protocolized.
      Outcome was evaluated using the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scale at 6
      months, and good outcome was defined as CPC 1-2. RESULTS: Of 127 patients, 41
      (32%) developed ESE. Twenty-five patients had a discontinuous EEG background
      prior to ESE, and all died without regaining consciousness. Sixteen patients
      developed a continuous EEG background prior to the start of ESE, four of whom
      survived, three with CPC 1-2 and one with CPC 3 at 6 months. Among survivors, ESE
      developed at a median of 46 h after CA. All had preserved N20 peaks on SSEP and
      NSE values of 18-37 MUg/l. CONCLUSION: Electrographic status epilepticus is
      common among comatose patients after cardiac arrest, with few survivors. A
      combination of a continuous EEG background prior to ESE, preserved N20 peaks on
      SSEPs, and low or moderately elevated NSE levels may indicate a good outcome.
      This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Status Epilepticus".

PMID- 26117527
TI  - The Traumatized TFCC: An Illustrated Review of the Anatomy and Injury Patterns of
      the Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex.
AB  - The triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) plays an important role in wrist
      biomechanics and is prone to traumatic and degenerative injury, making it a
      common source of ulnar-sided wrist pain. Because of this, the TFCC is frequently
      imaged, and a detailed understanding of its anatomy and injury patterns is
      critical in generating an accurate report to help guide treatment. In this
      review, we provide a detailed overview of TFCC anatomy, its normal appearance on
      magnetic resonance imaging, the spectrum of TFCC injuries based on the Palmer
      classification system, and pitfalls in accurate assessment. 

PMID- 26117528
TI  - Second-line anti-tuberculosis drug resistance and its genetic determinants in
      multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mutations in several genetic loci have been implicated in the
      development of resistance to second-line anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs (SLDs). The
      purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of resistance to SLDs and
      its association with specific mutations in multidrug-resistant (MDR)
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study
      included 46 MDR-TB isolates. Mutation profiling was performed by amplifying and
      sequencing the following six genes: gyrA/gyrB, rrs, tlyA, and ethA/ethR, in which
      mutations are implicated in resistance of tubercle bacilli to ofloxacin (OFX),
      amikacin (AMK), capreomycin, and ethionamide (ETH), respectively. RESULTS: Of the
      strains analyzed, 14 (30.4%) showed resistance to at least one of the four SLDs
      tested. Mutations in the gyrA gene occurred in 34 (73.9%) strains, with the most
      common amino acid change being Ser95Thr. The Asp94Asn and Ala90Val substitutions
      in the gyrA were present exclusively in OFX-resistant strains, yet represented
      only 40% of all OFX-resistant strains. The only mutation in the gyrB gene was
      substitution Ser447Phe, detected in one OFX-resistant isolate. None of the AMK
      resistant strains carried a mutation in the rrs gene. Mutations in the ethA/ethR
      loci were found in one ETH-resistant and 11 ETH-susceptible strains. CONCLUSIONS:
      The results of this study challenge the usefulness of sequence analyses of tested
      genes (except gyrA) for the prediction of SLD resistance patterns and highlight
      the need for searching other genetic loci for detection of mutations conferring
      resistance to SLDs in M. tuberculosis.

PMID- 26117529
TI  - Acquisition of pluripotency through continued environmental influence on OCT4
      induced plastic human fibroblasts.
AB  - The combination of OCT4 expression and short-term exposure to reprogramming media
      induces a state of transcriptional plasticity in human fibroblasts, capable of
      responding to changes in the extracellular environment that facilitate direct
      cell fate conversion toward lineage specific progenitors. Here we reveal that
      continued exposure of OCT4-induced plastic human fibroblasts to reprogramming
      media (RM) is sufficient to induce pluripotency. OCT4-derived induced pluripotent
      stem cell (iPSC(OCT4)) colonies emerged after prolonged culture in RM, and formed
      independently of lineage specific progenitors. Human iPSC(OCT4) are
      morphologically indistinguishable from conventionally derived iPSCs and express
      core proteins involved in maintenance of pluripotency. iPSC(OCT4) display in vivo
      functional pluripotency as measured by teratoma formation consisting of the three
      germ layers, and are capable of targeted in vitro differentiation. Our study
      indicates that acquisition of pluripotency is one of multiple cell fate choices
      that can be facilitated through environmental stimulation of OCT4-induced
      plasticity, and suggests the role of other reprogramming factors to induce
      pluripotency can be substituted by prolonged culture of plastic fibroblasts. 

PMID- 26117530
TI  - 1-Triacontanol cerotate; isolated from Marsilea quadrifolia Linn. ameliorates
      reactive oxidative damage in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of chronic
      epileptic rats.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Marsilea quadrifolia Linn. (MQ) has been used for
      insomnia and epileptic disorders in traditional Indian medicine. The present
      study is to isolate the active component responsible for antiepileptic property
      of MQ by evaluating its ability to minimize the reactive oxidative damage in
      brain due to chronic epilepsy in rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1-Triacontanol
      cerotate (1TAC) was isolated after chromatography on a silica gel from dried
      petroleum ether fraction of methanolic extract of MQ. Acute oral toxicity studies
      of 1TAC were carried out and efficacy of 1TAC on malondialdehyde (MDA) and
      reduced glutathione (GSH) production in different brain areas of chronic
      pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced epileptic rats were evaluated. RESULTS: Our
      results showed that PTZ-kindled chronic epileptic rats had an increase MDA and
      decreased GSH concentration in the frontal cortex as well as hippocampus,
      compared to the normal control. MDA and GSH concentrations in those brain areas
      were normalized after treatment with sodium valproate (SV) in 200 mg kg(-1)bw; as
      well as 1TAC in 40 and 80 mg kg(-1)bw doses. CONCLUSION: Production of reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) is known to worsen epileptogenesis. The isolated component
      1TAC which reduced the reactive oxidative damage in hippocampus and frontal
      cortex of PTZ kindled rats could be responsible for antiepileptic property of MQ.
      Its action is found to be dose dependent, with 80 mg kg(-1)bw showing even better
      efficacy than 200 mg kg(-1)bw of SV.

PMID- 26117532
TI  - An ethnobotanical survey of antidiabetic plants used by Hausa-Fulani tribes in
      Sokoto, Northwest Nigeria.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Sokoto is known for its diverse traditional
      medicinal wealth and international market of traditional medicines in Africa.
      However, information of the folk knowledge, especially for the treatment of
      diabetes, is not documented. AIM OF THE STUDY: This survey identified and
      documented the information on traditional medicinal plants used by Hausa-Fulani
      community of Sokoto for the treatment of diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHOD:
      Demographic data and information about the medicinal plants were collected via
      administration of semi-structured oral questionnaires. Willing herbal medical
      practitioners/traditional healers were interviewed. The medicinal plants
      mentioned by herbalists were collected and authenticated by a taxonomist and the
      voucher specimens were preserved. RESULTS: Fifty one informants across the state
      divulged information on traditional medicinal plants and practices used in
      diabetes and revealed 54 species, belonging to 33 families, with Cassia
      sieberiana being cited the most (19 times) and ranked first (39%). Azadirachta
      indica, Ficus exasperata and Schwenckia americana ranked second (15%), each cited
      8 times. CONCLUSION: The survey documented the rich wealth of knowledge and usage
      of plants for the treatment of diabetes in Sokoto. The paper will not only serve
      as a source of information but will also help to make the knowledge accessible
      for further drug screening and development, and at the same time underlines the
      need for biodiversity conservation of this traditional wealth.

PMID- 26117531
TI  - Comparative studies of pharmacokinetics and anticoagulatory effect in rats after
      oral administration of Frankincense and its processed products.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Frankincense (FRA), Ruxiang, is the resin of
      Boswellia carterii Birdw and Boswellia bhaw-dajiana Birdw which has been used for
      centuries as formulas to improve the circulation and to relieve pain against
      carbuncles. Stir-fried Frankincense (SFF) and vinegar processed Frankincense
      (VPF) are two major processed Frankincense, and the processing procedures
      reportedly enhance the curative efficacy or reduce the side effects of FRA. This
      paper describes the comparisons in plasma pharmacokinetic behaviors of 11-keto
      beta-boswellic acid (KBA) and 3-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA) in FRA
      and its processed products, and their effects on coagulation factors and blood
      clotting tetrachoric, using an acute cold blood-stasis animal model after oral
      administration of FRA, SFF, and VPF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For pharmacokinetic
      study, Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three groups,
      including group FRA, group SFF and group VPF. And the plasma samples were
      analyzed by HPLC. For study of anticoagulatory effect, SD rats were randomly
      divided into six groups, including control, acute cold blood-stasis model, Fu
      fang-dan-shen tablet- (0.75g/kg), FRA-, SFF-, and VPF-treated (2.7g/kg) groups,
      respectively. The serum contents of thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), D-dimer
      (D-D), and prostacyclin (PGI2) of each group were measured by ELISA. The values
      of prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), activated partial thromboplastin
      time (APTT) and fibrinogen (FIB) were also assessed by hematology analyzer.
      RESULTS: Significantly increased levels of Cmax, AUC, T1/2, and MRT were found in
      rats treated with the processed products. In addition, decreased levels of D-D
      and TAT and increased contents of PGI2 were observed in rats given FRA and its
      processed products, compared with that of the model group. Moreover, VPF improved
      anticoagulation more than SFF in the animals. CONCLUSIONS: The observed
      improvement of anticoagulation by processed FRA may result from the increased
      absorption and bioavailability of triterpenoids.

PMID- 26117533
TI  - Simiao pill ameliorates renal glomerular injury via increasing Sirt1 expression
      and suppressing NF-kappaB/NLRP3 inflammasome activation in high fructose-fed
      rats.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Simiao pill is one of the most frequently
      prescriptions in traditional Chinese medicine to treat hyperuricemia and gout.
      This study was to investigate the protective effects of Simiao pill on renal
      glomerular injury in a rat model of high fructose intake. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Sprague-Dawley male rats were given 10% fructose in drinking water and standard
      laboratory chow for 4 weeks to induce hyperuricemia and metabolic syndrome. Then
      fructose-fed animals were randomly divided into four groups receiving water,
      Simiao pill (78.87 and 157.74 mg/kg) and allopurinol (5mg/kg) daily for next 6
      weeks, respectively. Serum levels of uric acid, creatinine, triglyceride, total
      cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, blood urea nitrogen, insulin, as well as
      urinary albumin were measured. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was carried
      out. Kidney pathological changes were detected using periodic-acid schiff-stained
      (PAS) staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Glomerular
      protein levels of nephrin, podocin, CD2-associated protein (CD2AP), interleukin
      (IL)-1beta, sirtuin 1 (Sirt1), nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) and pyrin domain
      containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome were measured by Western blot. RESULTS: Simiao
      pill effectively restored high fructose-induced hyperuricemia and metabolic
      syndrome in rats. Simiao pill significantly increased protein levels of nephrin,
      podocin and CD2AP in renal glomeruli, improved renal inflammatory cell
      infiltration into interstitium and glomerular injury in high fructose-fed rats
      with reduction of urine albumin levels. Furthermore, Simiao pill up-regulated
      Sirt1 protein levels and suppressed NF-kappaB/NLRP3 inflammasome activation to
      reduce IL-1beta in renal glomeruli of high fructose-fed rats. CONCLUSIONS: The
      renal protective effects of Simiao pill may be associated with up-regulation of
      Sirt1 expression and suppression of NF-kappaB/NLRP3 inflammasome activation to
      reduce renal glomerular injury in high fructose-fed rats with metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 26117534
TI  - Acute and sub-acute toxicity of a lyophilised aqueous extract of the aerial part
      of Spilanthes africana Delile in rats.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Spilanthes africana is a plant used in several
      countries for the treatment of toothache, malaria, fracture, pneumonia, and
      dysentery. In order to establish the safety of aerial part of the plant extract,
      the acute and sub-acute toxicity of the aqueous extract of this plant has been
      evaluated in male and female young rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In acute toxicity,
      the effects of a single oral dose (2,000 mg/kg and 5,000 mg/kg) of the
      lyophilised aqueous extract have been determined. General behaviour, adverse
      effects and mortality were determined for up to 14 days. In sub-acute treatment,
      the effects of the extract in daily single oral administration at the doses of
      250, 500 and 1,000 mg/kg during 28 days were evaluated. One group treated at the
      dose of 1,000 mg/kg for 28 days was let without treatment during 14 days to
      assess the possible reversibility of the harmful effects of the extract. Body
      weight, food and water intakes, biochemical and haematological parameters were
      recorded. Histopathological examination of liver, kidney and lungs were assessed.
      RESULTS: In acute study, a single administration of the aqueous extract at the
      doses of 2,000 mg/kg or 5,000 mg/kg did not induce mortality. Thus, the LD50 of
      the aqueous extract of S. africana has been estimated higher than 5,000 mg/kg.
      Four hours after administration of the extract, a reduction of the mobility,
      sensitivity to the noise and to touch has been observed. In sub-acute study, the
      administration of the extract during 28 days at all doses did not significantly
      modify the body weight. On the haematological analysis, a decrease of the rate of
      monocytes and a rise of lymphocytes counts were observed among the male group. In
      both sexes, it appeared a decrease of the rate of granulocytes two weeks after
      stopping the treatment. It has also been observed in different groups among the
      females, an increase of the mean corpuscular content and the mean concentration
      in haemoglobin as well as an increase of platelets. A significant decrease of
      transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, triglycerides, and a significant increase of
      total bilirubin compared to the normal group has been observed. There was a
      significant decrease in renal catalase in both sexes compared with different
      control groups. Besides, a significant increase of the kidney rates of
      glutathione and malondialdehyde have also been observed in the female treated at
      the doses of 1,000 mg/kg. Histopathological analysis has shown vascular
      congestion and leucocyte infiltrations in the liver of animals treated at the
      dose of 1,000 mg/kg. This congestion has been marked in satellite group. In the
      kidney female satellite group, tubular clarifications have been observed and
      disappear when stopping the treatment. CONCLUSION: These results show that the
      aqueous extract of S. africana given by the oral route is slightly toxic. However
      in sub-acute treatment, higher doses could provoke functional and structural
      changes in the organism which could in part reversible. Thus the extract should
      be used with caution.

PMID- 26117535
TI  - The Chiropractic Hospital-Based Interventions Research Outcomes Study:
      Consistency of Outcomes Between Doctors of Chiropractic Treating Patients With
      Acute Lower Back Pain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine if effectiveness differs
      between community-based doctors of chiropractic administering standardized
      evidence-based care that includes high-velocity low-amplitude spinal manipulative
      therapy (SMT) for acute low back pain (LBP). METHODS: A secondary analysis of
      randomized controlled trial and observational pilot study data was performed with
      nonrandom allocation to 4 DCs. Patients included those with Quebec Task Force
      categories less than or equal to 2 and acute LBP of 2 to 4 weeks' duration. The
      intervention provided was clinical practice guidelines-based care including high
      velocity low-amplitude SMT. Primary outcomes included changes from baseline in
      modified Roland Disability Questionnaire (RDQ) at 24 weeks. Comparisons of simple
      main effects at 24 weeks and of marginal main effects in repeated-measures
      analyses were performed. RESULTS: Between groups, adjusted point-specific
      differences in RDQ change were minimally clinically important but not
      statistically significant at 24 weeks (largest pairwise difference, -3.1; 95%
      confidence interval, -6.3 to 0.1; overall P = .10). However, in optimal analyses
      that considered the repeated nature of the measurements for each outcome,
      significant differences in marginal mean RDQ changes were found between groups
      (largest pairwise difference, -3.8; 95% confidence interval, -4.9 to 2.6; overall
      P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, DCs differed modestly in their effectiveness in
      improving LBP-specific disability. The point estimates mirrored typically
      reported effect sizes from recent systematic reviews of SMT; however, confidence
      limits did not exclude clinically negligible effects.

PMID- 26117536
TI  - The NEIL glycosylases remove oxidized guanine lesions from telomeric and promoter
      quadruplex DNA structures.

PMID- 26117537
TI  - BreakSeek: a breakpoint-based algorithm for full spectral range INDEL detection.
AB  - Although recent developed algorithms have integrated multiple signals to improve
      sensitivity for insertion and deletion (INDEL) detection, they are far from being
      perfect and still have great limitations in detecting a full size range of
      INDELs. Here we present BreakSeek, a novel breakpoint-based algorithm, which can
      unbiasedly and efficiently detect both homozygous and heterozygous INDELs,
      ranging from several base pairs to over thousands of base pairs, with accurate
      breakpoint and heterozygosity rate estimations. Comprehensive evaluations on both
      simulated and real datasets revealed that BreakSeek outperformed other existing
      methods on both sensitivity and specificity in detecting both small and large
      INDELs, and uncovered a significant amount of novel INDELs that were missed
      before. In addition, by incorporating sophisticated statistic models, we for the
      first time investigated and demonstrated the importance of handling false and
      conflicting signals for multi-signal integrated methods. 

PMID- 26117538
TI  - Transcriptional and post-transcriptional control of adipocyte differentiation by
      Jumonji domain-containing protein 6.
AB  - Jumonji domain-containing protein 6 (JMJD6) is a nuclear protein involved in
      histone modification, transcription and RNA processing. Although JMJD6 is crucial
      for tissue development, the link between its molecular functions and its roles in
      any given differentiation process is unknown. We report that JMJD6 is required
      for adipogenic gene expression and differentiation in a manner independent of
      Jumonji C domain catalytic activity. JMJD6 knockdown led to a reduction of
      C/EBPbeta and C/EBPdelta protein expression without affecting mRNA levels in the
      early phase of differentiation. However, ectopic expression of C/EBPbeta and
      C/EBPdelta did not rescue differentiation. Further analysis demonstrated that
      JMJD6 was associated with the Ppargamma2 and Cebpalpha loci and putative
      enhancers. JMJD6 was previously found associated with bromodomain and extra
      terminal domain (BET) proteins, which can be targeted by the bromodomain
      inhibitor JQ1. JQ1 treatment prevented chromatin binding of JMJD6, Ppargamma2 and
      Cebpalpha expression, and adipogenic differentiation, yet had no effect on
      C/EBPbeta and C/EBPdelta expression or chromatin binding. These results indicate
      dual roles for JMJD6 in promoting adipogenic gene expression program by post
      transcriptional regulation of C/EBPbeta and C/EBPdelta and direct transcriptional
      activation of Ppargamma2 and Cebpalpha during adipocyte differentiation. 

PMID- 26117539
TI  - Chemical intervention of the NM23-H2 transcriptional programme on c-MYC via a
      novel small molecule.
AB  - c-MYC is an important oncogene that is considered as an effective target for
      anticancer therapy. Regulation of this gene's transcription is one avenue for c
      MYC-targeting drug design. Direct binding to a transcription factor and
      generating the intervention of a transcriptional programme appears to be an
      effective way to modulate gene transcription. NM23-H2 is a transcription factor
      for c-MYC and is proven to be related to the secondary structures in the
      promoter. Here, we first screened our small-molecule library for NM23-H2 binders
      and then sifted through the inhibitors that could target and interfere with the
      interaction process between NM23-H2 and the guanine-rich promoter sequence of c
      MYC. As a result, a quinazolone derivative, SYSU-ID-01: , showed a significant
      interference effect towards NM23-H2 binding to the guanine-rich promoter DNA
      sequence. Further analyses of the compound-protein interaction and the protein
      DNA interaction provided insight into the mode of action for SYSU-ID-01: .
      Cellular evaluation results showed that SYSU-ID-01: could abrogate NM23-H2
      binding to the c-MYC promoter, resulting in downregulation of c-MYC transcription
      and dramatically suppressed HeLa cell growth. These findings provide a new way of
      c-MYC transcriptional control through interfering with NM23-H2 binding to guanine
      rich promoter sequences by small molecules. 

PMID- 26117540
TI  - Complementing tissue characterization by integrating transcriptome profiling from
      the Human Protein Atlas and from the FANTOM5 consortium.
AB  - Understanding the normal state of human tissue transcriptome profiles is
      essential for recognizing tissue disease states and identifying disease markers.
      Recently, the Human Protein Atlas and the FANTOM5 consortium have each published
      extensive transcriptome data for human samples using Illumina-sequenced RNA-Seq
      and Heliscope-sequenced CAGE. Here, we report on the first large-scale complex
      tissue transcriptome comparison between full-length versus 5'-capped mRNA
      sequencing data. Overall gene expression correlation was high between the 22
      corresponding tissues analyzed (R > 0.8). For genes ubiquitously expressed across
      all tissues, the two data sets showed high genome-wide correlation (91%
      agreement), with differences observed for a small number of individual genes
      indicating the need to update their gene models. Among the identified single
      tissue enriched genes, up to 75% showed consensus of 7-fold enrichment in the
      same tissue in both methods, while another 17% exhibited multiple tissue
      enrichment and/or high expression variety in the other data set, likely dependent
      on the cell type proportions included in each tissue sample. Our results show
      that RNA-Seq and CAGE tissue transcriptome data sets are highly complementary for
      improving gene model annotations and highlight biological complexities within
      tissue transcriptomes. Furthermore, integration with image-based protein
      expression data is highly advantageous for understanding expression specificities
      for many genes. 

PMID- 26117542
TI  - The structure of Rpf2-Rrs1 explains its role in ribosome biogenesis.
AB  - The assembly of eukaryotic ribosomes is a hierarchical process involving about
      200 biogenesis factors and a series of remodeling steps. The 5S RNP consisting of
      the 5S rRNA, RpL5 and RpL11 is recruited at an early stage, but has to rearrange
      during maturation of the pre-60S ribosomal subunit. Rpf2 and Rrs1 have been
      implicated in 5S RNP biogenesis, but their precise role was unclear. Here, we
      present the crystal structure of the Rpf2-Rrs1 complex from Aspergillus nidulans
      at 1.5 A resolution and describe it as Brix domain of Rpf2 completed by Rrs1 to
      form two anticodon-binding domains with functionally important tails. Fitting the
      X-ray structure into the cryo-EM density of a previously described pre-60S
      particle correlates with biochemical data. The heterodimer forms specific
      contacts with the 5S rRNA, RpL5 and the biogenesis factor Rsa4. The flexible
      protein tails of Rpf2-Rrs1 localize to the central protuberance. Two helices in
      the Rrs1 C-terminal tail occupy a strategic position to block the rotation of 25S
      rRNA and the 5S RNP. Our data provide a structural model for 5S RNP recruitment
      to the pre-60S particle and explain why removal of Rpf2-Rrs1 is necessary for
      rearrangements to drive 60S maturation. 

PMID- 26117541
TI  - Integrative genomic analysis in K562 chronic myelogenous leukemia cells reveals
      that proximal NCOR1 binding positively regulates genes that govern erythroid
      differentiation and Imatinib sensitivity.
AB  - To define the functions of NCOR1 we developed an integrative analysis that
      combined ENCODE and NCI-60 data, followed by in vitro validation. NCOR1 and
      H3K9me3 ChIP-Seq, FAIRE-seq and DNA CpG methylation interactions were related to
      gene expression using bootstrapping approaches. Most NCOR1 combinations (24/44)
      were associated with significantly elevated level expression of protein coding
      genes and only very few combinations related to gene repression. DAVID's
      biological process annotation revealed that elevated gene expression was uniquely
      associated with acetylation and ETS binding. A matrix of gene and drug
      interactions built on NCI-60 data identified that Imatinib significantly targeted
      the NCOR1 governed transcriptome. Stable knockdown of NCOR1 in K562 cells slowed
      growth and significantly repressed genes associated with NCOR1 cistrome, again,
      with the GO terms acetylation and ETS binding, and significantly dampened
      sensitivity to Imatinib-induced erythroid differentiation. Mining public
      microarray data revealed that NCOR1-targeted genes were significantly enriched in
      Imatinib response gene signatures in cell lines and chronic myelogenous leukemia
      (CML) patients. These approaches integrated cistrome, transcriptome and drug
      sensitivity relationships to reveal that NCOR1 function is surprisingly most
      associated with elevated gene expression, and that these targets, both in CML
      cell lines and patients, associate with sensitivity to Imatinib.

PMID- 26117543
TI  - The ancestor of modern Holozoa acquired the CCA-adding enzyme from
      Alphaproteobacteria by horizontal gene transfer.
AB  - Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) require the absolutely conserved sequence motif CCA at
      their 3'-ends, representing the site of aminoacylation. In the majority of
      organisms, this trinucleotide sequence is not encoded in the genome and thus has
      to be added post-transcriptionally by the CCA-adding enzyme, a specialized
      nucleotidyltransferase. In eukaryotic genomes this ubiquitous and highly
      conserved enzyme family is usually represented by a single gene copy. Analysis of
      published sequence data allows us to pin down the unusual evolution of eukaryotic
      CCA-adding enzymes. We show that the CCA-adding enzymes of animals originated
      from a horizontal gene transfer event in the stem lineage of Holozoa, i.e.
      Metazoa (animals) and their unicellular relatives, the Choanozoa. The tRNA
      nucleotidyltransferase, acquired from an alpha-proteobacterium, replaced the
      ancestral enzyme in Metazoa. However, in Choanoflagellata, the group of Choanozoa
      that is closest to Metazoa, both the ancestral and the horizontally transferred
      CCA-adding enzymes have survived. Furthermore, our data refute a mitochondrial
      origin of the animal tRNA nucleotidyltransferases. 

PMID- 26117544
TI  - Redefining the transcriptional regulatory dynamics of classically and
      alternatively activated macrophages by deepCAGE transcriptomics.
AB  - Classically or alternatively activated macrophages (M1 and M2, respectively) play
      distinct and important roles for microbiocidal activity, regulation of
      inflammation and tissue homeostasis. Despite this, their transcriptional
      regulatory dynamics are poorly understood. Using promoter-level expression
      profiling by non-biased deepCAGE we have studied the transcriptional dynamics of
      classically and alternatively activated macrophages. Transcription factor (TF)
      binding motif activity analysis revealed four motifs, NFKB1_REL_RELA, IRF1,2,
      IRF7 and TBP that are commonly activated but have distinct activity dynamics in
      M1 and M2 activation. We observe matching changes in the expression profiles of
      the corresponding TFs and show that only a restricted set of TFs change
      expression. There is an overall drastic and transient up-regulation in M1 and a
      weaker and more sustainable up-regulation in M2. Novel TFs, such as Thap6, Maff,
      (M1) and Hivep1, Nfil3, Prdm1, (M2) among others, were suggested to be involved
      in the activation processes. Additionally, 52 (M1) and 67 (M2) novel
      differentially expressed genes and, for the first time, several differentially
      expressed long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) transcriptome markers were identified. In
      conclusion, the finding of novel motifs, TFs and protein-coding and lncRNA genes
      is an important step forward to fully understand the transcriptional machinery of
      macrophage activation. 

PMID- 26117546
TI  - A predictive biophysical model of translational coupling to coordinate and
      control protein expression in bacterial operons.
AB  - Natural and engineered genetic systems require the coordinated expression of
      proteins. In bacteria, translational coupling provides a genetically encoded
      mechanism to control expression level ratios within multi-cistronic operons. We
      have developed a sequence-to-function biophysical model of translational coupling
      to predict expression level ratios in natural operons and to design synthetic
      operons with desired expression level ratios. To quantitatively measure ribosome
      re-initiation rates, we designed and characterized 22 bi-cistronic operon
      variants with systematically modified intergenic distances and upstream
      translation rates. We then derived a thermodynamic free energy model to calculate
      de novo initiation rates as a result of ribosome-assisted unfolding of intergenic
      RNA structures. The complete biophysical model has only five free parameters, but
      was able to accurately predict downstream translation rates for 120 synthetic bi
      cistronic and tri-cistronic operons with rationally designed intergenic regions
      and systematically increased upstream translation rates. The biophysical model
      also accurately predicted the translation rates of the nine protein atp operon,
      compared to ribosome profiling measurements. Altogether, the biophysical model
      quantitatively predicts how translational coupling controls protein expression
      levels in synthetic and natural bacterial operons, providing a deeper
      understanding of an important post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism and
      offering the ability to rationally engineer operons with desired behaviors. 

PMID- 26117545
TI  - An atlas of RNA base pairs involving modified nucleobases with optimal geometries
      and accurate energies.
AB  - Posttranscriptional modifications greatly enhance the chemical information of RNA
      molecules, contributing to explain the diversity of their structures and
      functions. A significant fraction of RNA experimental structures available to
      date present modified nucleobases, with half of them being involved in H-bonding
      interactions with other bases, i.e. 'modified base pairs'. Herein we present a
      systematic investigation of modified base pairs, in the context of experimental
      RNA structures. To this end, we first compiled an atlas of experimentally
      observed modified base pairs, for which we recorded occurrences and structural
      context. Then, for each base pair, we selected a representative for subsequent
      quantum mechanics calculations, to find out its optimal geometry and interaction
      energy. Our structural analyses show that most of the modified base pairs are non
      Watson-Crick like and are involved in RNA tertiary structure motifs. In addition,
      quantum mechanics calculations quantify and provide a rationale for the impact of
      the different modifications on the geometry and stability of the base pairs they
      participate in. 

PMID- 26117547
TI  - Active promoters give rise to false positive 'Phantom Peaks' in ChIP-seq
      experiments.
AB  - Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is widely used to identify chromosomal
      binding sites. Chromatin proteins are cross-linked to their target sequences in
      living cells. The purified chromatin is sheared and the relevant protein is
      enriched by immunoprecipitation with specific antibodies. The co-purifying
      genomic DNA is then determined by massive parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq).We
      applied ChIP-seq to map the chromosomal binding sites for two ISWI-containing
      nucleosome remodeling factors, ACF and RSF, in Drosophila embryos. Employing
      several polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies directed against their signature
      subunits, ACF1 and RSF-1, robust profiles were obtained indicating that both
      remodelers co-occupied a large set of active promoters.Further validation
      included controls using chromatin of mutant embryos that do not express ACF1 or
      RSF-1. Surprisingly, the ChIP-seq profiles were unchanged, suggesting that they
      were not due to specific immunoprecipitation. Conservative analysis lists about
      3000 chromosomal loci, mostly active promoters that are prone to non-specific
      enrichment in ChIP and appear as 'Phantom Peaks'. These peaks are not obtained
      with pre-immune serum and are not prominent in input chromatin.Mining the
      modENCODE ChIP-seq profiles identifies potential Phantom Peaks in many profiles
      of epigenetic regulators. These profiles and other ChIP-seq data featuring
      prominent Phantom Peaks must be validated with chromatin from cells in which the
      protein of interest has been depleted. 

PMID- 26117548
TI  - Structures of the T. brucei kRNA editing factor MRB1590 reveal unique RNA-binding
      pore motif contained within an ABC-ATPase fold.
AB  - Kinetoplastid RNA (kRNA) editing is a process that creates translatable
      mitochondrial mRNA transcripts from cryptogene encoded RNAs and is unique for
      kinetoplastids, such as Trypanosoma brucei. In addition to the catalytic 20S
      editosome, multiple accessory proteins are required for this conversion.
      Recently, the multiprotein mitochondrial RNA binding complex 1 (MRB1) has emerged
      as a key player in this process. MRB1 consists of six core proteins but makes
      dynamic interactions with additional accessory proteins. Here we describe the
      characterization of one such factor, the 72 kDa MRB1590 protein. In vivo
      experiments indicate a role for MRB1590 in editing mitochondrial mRNA
      transcripts, in particular the transcript encoding the ATP synthase subunit 6
      (A6). Structural studies show that MRB1590 is dimeric and contains a central ABC
      ATPase fold embedded between novel N- and C-terminal regions. The N-terminal
      domains combine to create a basic pore and biochemical studies indicate residues
      in this region participate in RNA binding. Structures capturing distinct MRB1590
      conformations reveal that the RNA binding pore adopts closed and open states,
      with the latter able to accommodate RNA. Based on these findings, implications
      for MRB1590 function are discussed. 

PMID- 26117549
TI  - Neurometabolic Disorders-Related Early Childhood Epilepsy: A Single-Center
      Experience in Saudi Arabia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data on the pattern of epilepsy caused by metabolic disorders in the
      first 2 years of life are limited in developing countries. We aimed to identify
      the metabolic causes of epilepsy presented in the first 2 years of life and to
      describe their clinical, radiological, molecular, and electroencephalographic
      characteristics. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted between January
      2010 and December 2011 at Saad Specialist Hospital (Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia). All
      patients younger than 2 years at the onset of epilepsy caused by metabolic
      disorders were reviewed. The International League Against Epilepsy definition was
      used, and febrile convulsion was excluded. RESULTS: Of 221 children diagnosed
      with epilepsy in the first 2 years of life at our hospital, 24 had metabolic
      diseases. The characteristics of these 24 children included the following:
      consanguinity in 18 patients (75%), developmental delay in 13 (54%), generalized
      tonic-clonic seizures in 10 (42%), infantile spasms in four (17%), myoclonic in
      seven (29%), and focal seizures in three. The diagnosis was confirmed by DNA
      studies in 17 patients (71%) and enzyme assay in seven (29%). The main diagnoses
      were peroxisomal disorders (n = 3), nonketotic hyperglycinemia (n = 3), Menkes
      disease (n = 2), neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (n = 2), biotinidase deficiency
      (n = 2), and mitochondrial disorder (n = 2). The remaining patients had lysosomal
      storage disease, aminoacidopathy, fatty acid oxidation defects, and organic
      aciduria. Seizure freedom was achieved in one third of patients in this cohort.
      CONCLUSION: Different metabolic disorders were identified in this cohort, which
      caused different types of epilepsy, especially myoclonic seizures and infantile
      spasms.

PMID- 26117551
TI  - The effectiveness of combined abdominal myomectomy and uterine artery
      embolization.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of abdominal myomectomy after uterine artery
      embolization (UAE-AM) among patients with myomas. METHODS: In a retrospective
      study, chart data were reviewed for patients attending a center in California,
      USA, who underwent UAE-AM between 1999 and 2012. Patients had been offered the
      combined procedure if the diameter of the myoma was at least 4cm, they wished to
      preserve fertility, or they were candidates for a traditional abdominal
      myomectomy. Estimated blood loss, fluoroscopy times, and hospital stay were
      recorded. Follow-up data on uterine volume and fibroid size had been collected
      via magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasonography approximately 3-6 months after
      UAE-AM. RESULT: Overall, 20 patients underwent UAE-AM. Approximately 6 months
      after the procedure, the mean decrease in uterine volume was 77.33%+/-14.25% and
      that in myoma diameter was 46.45%+/-25.61%. Six women subsequently became
      pregnant; one patient had two separate pregnancies. No patient required a
      conversion to hysterectomy or blood transfusion, and no recurrences were
      reported. CONCLUSION: UAE-AM was found to be an effective option available to
      women with large myomas who wished to preserve their uterus. With the combination
      procedure, patients had favorable outcomes with no fibroid recurrence.

PMID- 26117550
TI  - Human Metapneumovirus Infection is Associated with Severe Respiratory Disease in
      Preschool Children with History of Prematurity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a recently discovered respiratory
      pathogen of the family Paramyxoviridae, the same family as that of respiratory
      syncytial virus (RSV). Premature children are at high risk of severe RSV
      infections, however, it is unclear whether HMPV infection is more severe in
      hospitalized children with a history of severe prematurity. METHODS: We conducted
      a retrospective analysis of the clinical respiratory presentation of all
      polymerase chain reaction-confirmed HMPV infections in preschool-age children
      (<=5 years) with and without history of severe prematurity (<32 weeks gestation).
      Respiratory distress scores were developed to examine the clinical severity of
      HMPV infections. Demographic and clinical variables were obtained from reviewing
      electronic medical records. RESULTS: A total of 571 preschool children were
      identified using polymerase chain reaction-confirmed viral respiratory tract
      infection during the study period. HMPV was identified as a causative organism in
      63 cases (11%). Fifty-eight (n = 58) preschool-age children with HMPV infection
      were included in this study after excluding those with significant comorbidities.
      Our data demonstrated that 32.7% of children admitted with HMPV had a history of
      severe prematurity. Preschool children with a history of prematurity had more
      severe HMPV disease as illustrated by longer hospitalizations, new or increased
      need for supplemental O2, and higher severity scores independently of age,
      ethnicity, and history of asthma. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that HMPV
      infection causes significant disease burden among preschool children with a
      history of prematurity leading to severe respiratory infections and increasing
      health care resource utilization due to prolonged hospitalizations.

PMID- 26117552
TI  - Clinical characteristics and management experience of unexpected uterine sarcoma
      after myomectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of unexpected uterine sarcoma after
      myomectomy for presumed leiomyoma and compare clinical outcomes after primary
      myomectomy with and without power morcellation. METHODS: In a retrospective
      study, a review was undertaken of the medical records of patients who had
      unexpected uterine sarcoma after myomectomy with and without power morcellation
      at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China, between January 2009
      and December 2013. RESULTS: Among 4248 patients who underwent myomectomy for
      presumed leiomyoma, 9 (0.2%) had unexpected uterine sarcoma (1 [<0.1%] had
      leiomyosarcoma; 8 [0.2%] endometrial stromal sarcoma). The malignancy was
      identified in 5 (0.2%) of 3068 women who were treated by laparoscopy with power
      morcellation and 4 (0.3%) of 1180 who underwent laparotomy (P=0.274). All nine
      patients were alive after a mean follow-up of 31.2 months in the laparoscopy
      group and 40.5 months in the laparotomy group. CONCLUSION: The overall incidence
      of unexpected uterine sarcoma after myomectomy was low. Incidental power
      morcellation of unexpected uterine sarcoma seemed to cause no increase in sarcoma
      dissemination.

PMID- 26117553
TI  - Third-trimester uterine artery Doppler measurement and maternal postpartum
      outcome among patients with severe pre-eclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between uterine artery Doppler
      measurements and maternal complications among women with severe pre-eclampsia.
      METHODS: As part of a cross-sectional study, women with a single intrauterine
      pregnancy of more than 28 weeks and a diagnosis of severe pre-eclampsia were
      enrolled at a unit in Cairo, Egypt, between December 2012 and September 2014.
      Uterine artery Doppler was evaluated and maternal complications were recorded.
      RESULTS: Among the 100 participants, 76 (76%) experienced maternal complications.
      There were significant differences in resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index
      (PI) between women who experienced no complications and those who had accidental
      hemorrhage, HELLP syndrome, and acute pulmonary edema (P<0.001 for all), and
      postpartum hemorrhage (P=0.004 and P<0.001, respectively). There was no
      significant difference in RI for women with postpartum fits (P=0.360). There was
      a statistically significant difference regarding RI (P<0.001) and PI (P=0.005)
      between cases presenting with complications and those without. There was a
      significant negative correlation between PI and gestational age (r=-0.988;
      P<0.001) and between RI and gestational age (r=-0. 854; P<0.001), but no
      significant correlation between PI or RI and age, systolic blood pressure, or
      diastolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION: Increased uterine artery resistance in the
      third trimester of pregnancy could be used to predict postpartum maternal
      complications.

PMID- 26117554
TI  - Translational networks in healthcare? Evidence on the design and initiation of
      organizational networks for knowledge mobilization.
AB  - International attention has focussed on the variations between research evidence
      and practice in healthcare. This prompted the creation of formalized
      translational networks consisting of academic-service partnerships. The English
      Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs) are
      one example of a translational network. Using longitudinal, archival case study
      data from one CLAHRC over a 3-year period (2008-11), this article explores the
      relationship between organizational form and the function(s) of a translational
      network. The article focuses on the research gaps on the effective structures and
      appropriate governance to support a translational network. Data analysis
      suggested that the policy of setting up translational networks is insufficient of
      itself to produce positive translational activity. The data indicate that to
      leverage the benefits of the whole network, attention must be paid to devising a
      structure which integrates research production and use and facilitates lateral
      cross-disciplinary and cross-organizational communication. Equally, appropriate
      governance arrangements are necessary, particularly in large, multi-stakeholder
      networks, where shared governance may be questionable. Inappropriate network
      structure and governance inhibits the potential of the translational network.
      Finally, the case provides insights into the movement of knowledge within and
      between network organizations. The data demonstrate that knowledge mobilization
      extends beyond knowledge translation; knowledge mobilization includes the
      negotiated utilization of knowledge - a balanced power form of collaboration.
      Whilst much translational effort is externally focused on the health system, our
      findings highlight the essential need for the internal negotiation and
      mobilization of knowledge within academia. 

PMID- 26117555
TI  - Can you party your way to better health? A propensity score analysis of block
      parties and health.
AB  - While other indicators of social capital have been linked to health, the role of
      block parties on health in Black neighborhoods and on Black residents is
      understudied. Block parties exhibit several features of bonding social capital
      and are present in nearly 90% of Philadelphia's predominantly Black
      neighborhoods. This analysis investigated: (1) whether or not block parties are
      an indicator of bonding social capital in Black neighborhoods; (2) the degree to
      which block parties might be related to self-rated health in the ways that other
      bonding social indicators are related to health; and (3) whether or not block
      parties are associated with average self-rated health for Black residents
      particularly. Using census tract-level indicators of bonding social capital and
      records of block parties from 2003 to 2008 for 381 Philadelphia neighborhoods
      (defined by census tracts), an ecological-level propensity score was generated to
      assess the propensity for a block party, adjusting for population demographics,
      neighborhood characteristics, neighborhood resources and violent crime. Results
      indicate that in multivariable regression, block parties were associated with
      increased bonding social capital in Black neighborhoods; however, the calculation
      of the average effect of the treatment on the treated (ATT) within each
      propensity score strata showed no effect of block parties on average self-rated
      health for Black residents. Block parties may be an indicator of bonding social
      capital in Philadelphia's predominantly Black neighborhoods, but this analysis
      did not show a direct association between block parties and self-rated health for
      Black residents. Further research should consider what other health outcomes or
      behaviors block parties may be related to and how interventionists can leverage
      block parties for health promotion. 

PMID- 26117556
TI  - Occurrence of the "applause sign" in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
AB  - The applause sign was originally described as a quick bedside test to
      discriminate progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) (positive applause sign, PAS)
      from Parkinson's disease (PD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (negative
      applause sign). However, recent research demonstrated that the test is positive
      not only in a subset of patients with PD and FTD, but also in other
      neurodegenerative diseases. We tested 22 patients with amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis (ALS) together with 22 healthy sex- and age-matched controls for the
      occurrence of PAS. Furthermore, we performed neuropsychological testing with the
      EXIT-25 battery to correlate PAS with neuropsychological deficits, especially
      frontal lobe dysfunction. Five ALS patients (23%) and none of the controls
      displayed PAS (p<=0.05). The occurrence of PAS in ALS patients was not correlated
      with pathologic EXIT-25 scores or subtests for aberrant motor behaviour. We
      describe for the first time the occurrence of the applause sign in ALS and
      provide additional evidence that PAS is not specific for Parkinsonian disorders.
      Although its occurrence has been related to aberrant motor behaviour due to
      frontal involvement, in our study PAS did not correlate with executive
      dysfunction as tested by the EXIT-25 test battery, or with subtests of aberrant
      motor behaviour. 

PMID- 26117557
TI  - Early Guillain-Barre syndrome with normal peripheral conduction: which is the
      pathological hallmark?

PMID- 26117558
TI  - Significant Transplantation-Related Mortality from Respiratory Virus Infections
      within the First One Hundred Days in Children after Hematopoietic Stem Cell
      Transplantation.
AB  - Respiratory viral infections (RVI) are important in hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantations (HSCT) and knowledge regarding incidence, morbidity, mortality,
      and long-term pulmonary complications is limited. We report a study to evaluate
      incidence and outcomes, both short and long-term, of RVI in children receiving
      HSCT. Between January 2000 and December 2012, 844 patients underwent
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) at the Hospital for Sick Children:
      491 were allogeneic and 353 were autologous. When screening for causes of death
      in the first year after HSCT in the 844 patients, we found that RVI as a cause of
      death was only evident in the first 100 days after HSCT. Fifty-four (6.5%)
      patients were found to have an RVI within the first 100 days after HSCT
      (allogeneic = 32, autologous = 22). Upper and lower respiratory tract infections
      were documented in 31 (57%) and 23 (43%) patients, respectively. Viruses were
      parainfluenza (35%), respiratory syncytial virus (28%), influenza (22%),
      adenovirus (7%), human metapneumovirus (4%), coronavirus (2%), and rhinovirus
      (2%). Three patients relapsed with their primary disease before day 100 and were
      excluded. The overall mortality for the remaining 51 patients was 10% (allogeneic
      = 4, autologous = 1). All 5 deaths were directly attributable to RVI and all 5
      deaths occurred in patients with a lower respiratory tract infection. The
      remaining patients were followed for a median of 4.3 years (range, 1.4 to 11.8)
      and no chronic pulmonary complications were observed. A clear seasonal pattern
      for contracting RVI was evident with 65% of total RVI occurring between October
      and March (35 of 427 versus 19 of 417, P = .03). Given the significant mortality
      from RVI and the challenges in preventing them, choosing the time to start HSCT,
      whenever possible, may help prevent RVI and improve outcomes.

PMID- 26117559
TI  - Successful linking of patient records between hospital services and general
      practice to facilitate integrated care in a hospital and health service in south
      east Queensland.
AB  - This brief paper describes a recent exercise undertaken within a hospital and
      health service in south-east Queensland to attempt to link patient records
      between general practice and hospital services. It describes the technical and
      governance processes undertaken to achieve this link and the challenges
      experienced to date in linking the two data sources.

PMID- 26117560
TI  - The effect of air-abrasion and heat treatment on the fracture behavior of Y-TZP.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated how the flexural strength and fracture behavior
      of a zirconia-based ceramic (Y-TZP) were affected by pre- and post-sintering
      mechanical and thermal treatments. METHODS: Treatments included sandblasting with
      different particle size and type (30MUm SiO2; 50 and 110MUm Al2O3) and thermal
      conditioning. Two hundred bar-shaped specimens of pre-sintered Y-TZP ceramic
      (Lava Frame, 3M) were prepared (specimen dimensions: 25mm length*4mm width*0.7mm
      thickness) and divided into three groups (before sintering, after sintering and
      after sintering with heating treatment). The before sintering group specimens
      were airborne-particle abraded prior to dense sintering. Specimens from the after
      sintering group were airborne-particle abraded after sintering. The after
      sintering with heating treatment group specimens were submitted to a heating
      procedure after airborne-particle abrasion. The controls were the specimens that
      were sintered and not treated with any conditioning procedures. The specimens
      from all experimental conditions were analyzed by SEM, CLSM and XRD. All
      specimens were tested in four-point bending. Data were statistically analyzed
      using one-way ANOVA and Post Hoc tests (alpha=0.05). A Weibull analysis was used
      to analyze the strength reliability. RESULTS: Sandblasting pre-sintered zirconia
      before sintering significantly decreased the flexural strength, except when the
      smallest blasting particles were used (30MUm SiO2). Phase transformation (t-m)
      was observed after sandblasting and reverse transformation (m-t) was observed
      after heating. SIGNIFICANCE: Sandblasting with 30MUm SiO2 and 50MUm Al2O3 allowed
      lower phase transformation. However, 30mm SiO2 presented better reliability.

PMID- 26117561
TI  - Generation and characterization of antibodies against arginine-derived advanced
      glycation endproducts.
AB  - Although antibodies reagents have been widely employed for studying advanced
      glycation end-products (AGEs), these materials have been produced using complex
      mixtures of immunogens. Consequently, their epitope specificity remains unknown.
      Here we have generated the first antibodies capable of recognizing each of the
      three isomers of the methylglyoxal hydroimidazolones (MG-Hs) by using chemical
      synthesis to create homogenous immunogens. Furthermore, we have thoroughly
      characterized the epitope specificity of both our antibodies and that of two
      existing monoclonals by implementing a direct ELISA protocol employing synthetic
      MG-H antigens. Finally, we employed the reported anti-MG-H antibodies to the
      detection of MG-Hs in cellular systems using immunofluorescence microscopy. These
      studies have demonstrated that anti-MG-H1 and anti-MG-H3 staining is concentrated
      within the nucleus, while anti-MG-H2 affords only minimal signal. These
      observations are consistent with reported formation preferences for MG-Hs, and
      may suggest novel nuclear targets for non-enzymatic posttranslational
      modification. The antibody reagents reported herein, as well as the strategy
      employed for their creation, are likely to prove useful for the immunochemical
      study of AGEs in biological systems. 

PMID- 26117562
TI  - Biarylsulfonamide CCR9 inhibitors for inflammatory bowel disease.
AB  - Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis,
      affects millions of people worldwide. CCR9 has been shown to be a key chemokine
      receptor mediating the local inflammatory responses in the GI tract. The CCR9
      inhibitor Vercirnon advanced to phase 3 clinical trials, but carries several
      liabilities which we sought to improve. 

PMID- 26117563
TI  - Design, synthesis and evaluation of benzotriazole derivatives as novel antifungal
      agents.
AB  - Considering the need for discovery of new antifungal drugs with greater potency
      and broader spectrum of activity, a new series of 5-substituted benzotriazole
      derivatives were designed, through structure based design, as inhibitors of
      fungal cytochrome P450 lanosterol 14-alpha demethylase. These were further
      optimized by a combination of iterative medicinal chemistry principles and
      molecular docking. Based on the best docking scores, some benzotriazole
      derivatives were synthesized and characterized by IR, (1)H NMR and MS/MS. The
      molecules were evaluated for their antifungal action against Candida albicans by
      cup plate method and ergosterol quantification method by UV spectroscopy.
      Reasonably good correlation between docking scores and antifungal activity were
      observed. The computational predictions were in consensus with the experimental
      results. 

PMID- 26117564
TI  - Postoperative complications after thoracic surgery for lung cancer.
AB  - Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.
      Several surgical techniques are currently used as part of the standard of care
      for early-stage lung cancer. Differentiating normal postoperative changes from
      complications is essential in the management of these patients. This article will
      review the various surgical approaches used, ranging from wedge resection to
      pneumonectomy, and will outline their expected postsurgical changes. Early and
      late postsurgical complications will be described, some of which are unique to
      the type of surgery performed. In addition, local tumor recurrence is a form of
      postoperative complication and must be distinguished from typical postoperative
      or postradiation change. Knowledge of both common and uncommon postoperative
      complications is crucial in the follow-up of lung cancer patients. SUMMARY
      STATEMENT: Familiarity with the appearance of postoperative complications in lung
      cancer patients is vital to distinguish it from the normal postoperative or
      postradiation appearance in follow-up imaging.

PMID- 26117565
TI  - (18)F-FDG PET/MRI for therapy response assessment in sarcoma: comparison of PET
      and MR imaging results.
AB  - BACKGROUND: (18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) has
      proven to be of substantial benefit in imaging of sarcoma patients. We therefore
      investigated the feasibility and benefit of combined PET/magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI). METHODS: Twelve patients with sarcoma who underwent FDG PET/MRI
      for staging and response assessment after chemotherapy were included. RESULTS:
      Based on contrast-enhanced MRI and application of Choi criteria, therapy response
      was classified as stable disease in 6/12 patients (50%) and as partial remission
      in 6/12 patients (50%). CONCLUSION: In sarcoma patients, response assessment
      using Choi criteria based on contrast-enhanced MRI in comparison to FDG PET
      imaging only demonstrates slight correlation.

PMID- 26117566
TI  - Social support contributes to resilience among physiotherapy students: a cross
      sectional survey and focus group study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study, taking a resource-oriented approach to mental
      health, aimed at investigating mental resilience and its determinants among
      undergraduate physiotherapy students using quantitative and qualitative tools.
      DESIGN: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey supplemented by 2 focus
      groups. SETTING: One university in Hungary. PARTICIPANTS: 130 physiotherapy
      students at years 1, 2, and 3. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sense of coherence, a
      measure of dynamic self-esteem, as well as social support from family and peers
      were used to assess mental well-being. A screening instrument for psychological
      morbidity and perceived stress were used as deficiency-oriented approaches.
      Student opinions were gathered on positive and negative determinants of mental
      health. RESULTS: Resilience was lower [mean difference 4.8 (95% CI -3.4; 13.1)],
      and the occurrence of psychological morbidity (32.5% vs. 0%) was higher among
      female compared to male students. However, the proportion of students fully
      supported by their peers was higher among females (63% vs. 37.5%). Female
      students, unlike their male counterparts, experienced higher stress compared to
      their peers in the general population. Social support declined as students
      progressed in their studies though this proved to be the most important
      protective factor for their mental well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Results were fed back
      to the course organizers recommending the implementation of an evidence-based
      method to improve social support as delineated by the Guide to Community
      Preventive Services of the US the outcomes of which are to be seen in the future.

PMID- 26117567
TI  - Exercise prescription for patients with non-specific chronic low back pain: a
      qualitative exploration of decision making in physiotherapy practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Providing an effective exercise prescription process for patients
      with non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP) is a challenging task. Emerging
      research has indicated that partnership in care and shared decision making are
      important for people with NSCLBP and calls for further investigation into the
      approaches used to prescribe exercise. OBJECTIVE: To explore how shared decision
      making and patient partnership are addressed by physiotherapists in the process
      of exercise prescription for patients with NSCLBP. DESIGN: A qualitative study
      using a philosophical hermeneutic approach. METHODS: Eight physiotherapists were
      each observed on three occasions undertaking their usual clinical activities
      (total n=24 observations). They conducted brief interviews after each observation
      and a later in depth semi-structured interview. Iterative hermeneutic strategies
      were used to interpret the texts and identify the characteristics and processes
      of exercise prescription for patients with NSCLBP. FINDINGS: The findings
      revealed how physiotherapy practice often resulted in unequal possibilities for
      patient participation which were in turn linked to the physiotherapists'
      assumptions about the patients, clinical orientation, cognitive and decision
      making processes. Three linked themes emerged: (1) I want them to exercise, (2)
      which exercise? - the tension between evidence and everyday practice and (3)
      compliance-orientated more than concordance based. CONCLUSIONS: This research, by
      focusing on a patient-centred approach, makes an important contribution to the
      body of evidence relating to the management of NSCLBP. It challenges
      physiotherapists to critically appraise their approaches to the prescription of
      exercise therapy in order to improve outcomes for these patients.

PMID- 26117568
TI  - Comparison of radial forearm flap and thoracodorsal artery perforator flap donor
      site morbidity for reconstruction of oral and oropharyngeal defects in head and
      neck cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Reconstruction of the oral cavity and oropharynx after tumour
      resection often involves the use of free flaps, but donor site morbidity must be
      taken into account. The radial forearm flap, the flap most commonly used in this
      setting, leaves a readily visible scar on an exposed region of the body. The
      thoracodorsal artery perforator flap (TDAP), which possesses the same plastic
      qualities as the radial forearm flap, leaves a scar that is hidden in the axilla.
      The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cosmetic results of radial forearm
      and thoracodorsal artery perforator free flap donor sites. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      The medical charts of all patients undergoing reconstruction by a radial forearm
      or thoracodorsal artery perforator free flap between January 2011 and December
      2011 were retrospectively reviewed. The Patient and Observer Scar Assessment
      Scales and the Vancouver Scar Scale were used to evaluate the quality of the
      scars. RESULTS: Reconstruction was performed by radial forearm flap in 4 cases
      and TDAP flap in 7 cases. The PSAS score was significantly lower in the TDAP
      group than in the radial forearm group (P=0.03), and the OSAS score was higher in
      the radial forearm group (21.5 versus 14). The Vancouver Scar Scale was
      significantly higher for radial forearm flap scars than for TDAP scars (8 versus
      2.7, P=0.005). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to compare radial forearm and
      thoracodorsal artery perforator free flap donor site scars. It demonstrates the
      minimal TDAP donor site morbidity and the high level of patient satisfaction.

PMID- 26117569
TI  - Lesser Metatarsal Osteotomy.
AB  - Central metatarsal osteotomy is an effective approach in alleviating pain
      oriented to the forefoot. The procedures individually are straightforward in the
      isolated scenario. A working knowledge of the specific and unique
      pathobiomechanics is imperative when considering surgical intervention for the
      given pathologic scenario. Treating only the pain focus generally underserves the
      pathology and does not address the high point of the deformity. The surgeon must
      be cognizant of the complication potpourri, prepare the patient expectations, and
      engage a level of proactivity against sequelae to ensure the best possible and
      most predictable outcome. 

PMID- 26117570
TI  - Percutaneous Surgery of the Forefoot.
AB  - This article describes some of the common techniques used in percutaneous surgery
      of the forefoot. Techniques such as minimally invasive chevron Akin osteotomy for
      correction of hallux valgus, first metatarsophalangeal joint cheilectomy, distal
      minimally invasive metatarsal osteotomies, bunionette correction, and hammertoe
      correction are described. This article is an introduction to this rapidly
      developing area of foot and ankle surgery. Less invasive techniques are
      continually being developed across the whole spectrum of surgical specialties.
      The surgical ethos of minimizing soft-tissue disruption in the process of
      achieving surgical objectives remains at the center of this evolution. 

PMID- 26117571
TI  - Fifth Metatarsal Osteotomies.
AB  - A tailor's bunion or bunionette deformity is a combination of osseous and soft
      tissue bursitis on the lateral aspect of the fifth metatarsal head. This article
      discusses 7 corrective measures: medial oblique sliding osteotomy with fixation,
      medial oblique slide osteotomy-minimal incision procedure without fixation, SERI
      (simple, effective, rapid, inexpensive) with fixation, chevron with or without
      fixation, closing, lateral wedge osteotomy at the metatarsal neck or proximal
      diaphysis, Weil osteotomy, and scarfette. These evidence-based techniques can be
      used by practitioners for medical management of their patients through
      evaluation, diagnosis, and prognosis. Complications are also addressed. 

PMID- 26117572
TI  - Metatarsus Primus Varus Correction.
AB  - We present a discussion on the use of proximal first-ray osteotomies in the
      surgical treatment for hallux valgus as a valid option compared with first
      tarsometatarsal arthrodesis. Recent and historical literature tells us that
      stability of the first ray is a function of the alignment and reestablishment of
      retrograde stabilizing forces at the first tarsometatarsal joint. This
      realignment and stabilization may be accomplished with the use of distal soft
      tissue and proximal osteotomy procedures. 

PMID- 26117573
TI  - Corrective Osteotomies Used in Cavus Reconstruction.
AB  - The authors dedicate this article to describing the clinical work-up and etiology
      for a cavus foot deformity as well as the surgical decision making for
      correction. Understanding and proper utilization of osteotomies is paramount in
      the improvement of cavus foot deformities. Also, the authors share their own
      experiences with preferred techniques for optimal outcomes. 

PMID- 26117574
TI  - Osteotomies for the Flexible Adult Acquired Flatfoot Disorder.
AB  - Flexible adult acquired flatfoot disorder is commonly treated with the use of
      osteotomies in the calcaneus and medial column. The combination of these joint
      preserving osteotomies with additional soft-tissue procedures allows realignment
      of the hindfoot with the goal of preventing further deformity or degenerative
      joint disease. A thorough understanding of each patient's condition allows the
      surgeon to match the correct osteotomy to the clinical indication, while also
      successfully executing the planned surgery. 

PMID- 26117575
TI  - Osteotomies for the Management of Charcot Neuroarthropathy of the Foot and Ankle.
AB  - Patients with diabetic neuropathy that develop unstable Charcot neuroarthropathy
      not only have an autoimmune disease that prolongs the healing process, they also
      often have an inability to maintain a non-weight bearing status. Charcot
      neuroarthopathy is often devastating to the structure and stability of the foot
      and ankle. This disease may require permanent bracing, reconstructive surgical
      stabilization, and in some cases lower leg amputation. Successful management of
      Charcot neuroarthopathy requires diligence and surveillance by physician and
      patient alike. 

PMID- 26117576
TI  - Minimally Invasive Surgery Osteotomy of the Hindfoot.
AB  - A minimally invasive surgical approach has been developed for hindfoot as well as
      forefoot procedures. Percutaneous techniques have been evolving for more than 20
      years. Many conventional surgical techniques can be performed percutaneously
      after training. Percutaneous surgical techniques require knowledge specific to
      each procedure (eg, percutaneous Zadek osteotomy or percutaneous medial heel
      shift). In the treatment and correction of the hindfoot pathology the surgeon now
      has percutaneous options including medial or lateral heel shift, Zadek osteotomy,
      and exostectomy with/without arthroscopy. 

PMID- 26117577
TI  - Supramalleolar Osteotomies: An Algorithm for the Deformed Ankle.
AB  - Supramalleolar osteotomies are powerful osteotomies that realign the tibiotalar
      and optimize hindfoot position in the presence of varus, valgus, procurvatum,
      recurvatum, as well as internal and external rotation of the tibia. Although used
      in the pediatric and hemophilic population earlier, supramalleolar osteotomy is a
      relatively new reconstructive surgical technique that was introduced in 1995.
      Conducted primarily in cancellous bone, supramalleolar osteotomies offer rapid,
      reliable bony consolidation compared with dome osteotomies and complex
      arthrodesis. 

PMID- 26117578
TI  - Supramalleolar Osteotomy: Indications and Surgical Techniques.
AB  - Supramalleolar osteotomies are a surgical treatment option for asymmetric varus
      or valgus ankle arthritis where at least 50% of the joint surface is spared.
      Procedure selection requires significant preoperative planning for appropriate
      execution. Thus, the surgeon must be familiar with the principles of deformity
      correction. With appropriate patient selection and proper preoperative planning,
      the procedure has been shown to yield excellent results, redistributing forces
      more evenly across the ankle joint by restoring the mechanical axis of the lower
      leg with minimal complications. 

PMID- 26117579
TI  - Foot and Ankle Osteotomies.

PMID- 26117580
TI  - A Fresh Look at Foot and Ankle Osteotomies.

PMID- 26117581
TI  - Advanced methods for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

PMID- 26117582
TI  - Scombroid poisoning from tilapia.

PMID- 26117583
TI  - In vitro efficacy testing of a novel high-pressure wound irrigator.

PMID- 26117584
TI  - Mirror exposure to increase body satisfaction: Should we guide the focus of
      attention towards positively or negatively evaluated body parts?
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Though there is some evidence that body exposure
      increases body satisfaction, it is still unclear why exposure works and how
      attention should be guided during exposure. This pilot study manipulates the
      focus of attention during body exposure. METHODS: Female participants high in
      body dissatisfaction were randomly assigned to an exposure intervention that
      exclusively focused on self-defined attractive (n = 11) or self-defined
      unattractive (n = 11) body parts. Both interventions consisted of five exposure
      sessions and homework. Outcome and process of change were studied. RESULTS: Both
      types of exposure were equally effective and led to significant improvements in
      body satisfaction, body checking, body concerns, body avoidance and mood at post
      test. Improvements for body satisfaction and mood were maintained at follow-up
      while body shape concerns and body checking still improved between post-test and
      follow-up. Body avoidance improvements were maintained for the positive exposure
      while the negative exposure tended to further decrease long-term body avoidance
      at follow-up.. The 'positive' exposure induced positive feelings during all
      exposure sessions while the 'negative' exposure initially induced a worsening of
      feelings but feelings started to improve after some sessions. The most
      unattractive body part was rated increasingly attractive in both conditions
      though this increase was significantly larger in the negative compared to the
      positive exposure condition. LIMITATIONS: The sample size was small and non
      clinical. CONCLUSIONS: Both types of exposure might be effective and clinically
      useful. Negative exposure is emotionally hard but might be significantly more
      effective in increasing the perceived attractiveness of loathed body parts and in
      decreasing avoidance behavior.

PMID- 26117585
TI  - Variable expressivity of a familial 1.9 Mb microdeletion in 3q28 leading to
      haploinsufficiency of TP63: Refinement of the critical region for a new
      microdeletion phenotype.
AB  - We report on a 3-year-old male with intellectual disability (ID), characteristic
      facial features, polydactyly and epilepsy carrying a paternally inherited 3q28
      deletion of 1.9 Mb. The father, carrying the same deletion, presents with cleft
      palate, nail dystrophy and learning difficulties. The deleted region in this
      family is one of the smallest so far reported among genomic deletions affecting
      3q27-3q28 for which some phenotypic descriptions are available. In particular,
      since the phenotype of our proband is strikingly similar to that previously
      described in a patient with a 9.3 Mb deletion, the deletion identified in this
      report contributes to the definition of the molecular boundaries of a genomic
      region responsible for a distinct clinical phenotype. Within the deleted interval
      there are 9 annotated genes, including TP63. Gain of function mutations of TP63
      are known to be responsible for a group of conditions with distal limb and
      ectodermal involvement, such as ADULT, EEC, LMS, and SHFM4 syndromes.
      Interestingly, our cases demonstrate a milder phenotypic effect for loss of
      function of this gene. 

PMID- 26117586
TI  - Lenz-Majewski syndrome: Report of a case with novel mutation in PTDSS1 gene.
AB  - Lenz-Majewski syndrome (LMS) is an extremely rare syndrome characterized by
      osteosclerosis, intellectual disability, characteristic facies and distinct
      craniofacial, dental, cutaneous and distal - limb anomalies. Recently, mutations
      in PTDSS1 gene have been identified as causative in six unrelated individuals. We
      report the seventh mutation proven case of LMS and provide a concise review of
      all known patients till date. 

PMID- 26117587
TI  - Low Incidence of Paravalvular Leakage With the Balloon-Expandable Sapien 3
      Transcatheter Heart Valve.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We evaluated the clinical and hemodynamic performance of the new
      balloon-expandable Sapien 3 (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA) transcatheter
      heart valve (S3 THV). METHODS: Between April 2013 and January 2015, 54
      consecutive high-risk patients presenting with aortic stenosis were treated with
      the new S3 THV. Clinical and hemodynamic data as well as device and procedure
      variables were obtained at baseline, intraoperatively and at 30-days according to
      Valve Academic Research Consortium-2. RESULTS: The S3 THV was implanted in 41
      patients (44% female) via transapical access and in 13 patients via transaortic
      access. Patients were a mean +/- standard deviation age of 80.3 +/- 6.0 years.
      The mean logistic European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation
      (EuroSCORE) I of all patients was 33.3% +/- 13.4%, the mean The Society of
      Thoracic Surgeons Score was 6.7% +/- 5.3%, and the mean EuroSCORE II was 7.0% +/-
      5.5%. All patients underwent successful implantation (23 mm, n = 12; 26 mm, n =
      22; 29 mm, n = 20), without any intraprocedural complications or repeat
      ballooning. At 30 days, 53 patients (97.8%) showed no or mild paravalvular aortic
      regurgitation, 1 patient (2.2%) showed moderate regurgitation, and no patients
      had more than moderate postprocedural aortic regurgitation. Stroke incidence was
      3.7% (2 of 54), and all-cause mortality was 3.7% (2 of 54, sepsis and multiorgan
      failure). Two patients required a new pacemaker. At 30 days, all patients were in
      New York Heart Association Functional Class I or II, and the mean pressure
      gradients were 10.8 +/- 3.6 mm Hg. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows excellent
      clinical and hemodynamic outcomes of high-risk transapical valve replacement
      patients treated with the new S3 THV. The S3 THV shows a low incidence of
      postoperative aortic regurgitation, with 98% presenting with less than mild
      aortic regurgitation.

PMID- 26117588
TI  - Low-dose dobutamine stress echo for reverse remodeling prediction after cardiac
      resynchronization.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a valuable option for
      patients with heart failure and wide QRS to reduce electromechanical dyssynchrony
      (DYS). High non-responders rate (30%) urges the need to improve selection of
      candidates for CRT. We hypothesized that low-dose dobutamine stress
      echocardiography (DSE) can help unmask dyssynchronous motion. The aim of this
      study is comparison between dyssynchrony index at rest and during low-dose
      dobutamine stress to predict left ventricular reverse remodeling after CRT.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospectively, 57 consecutive patients (37 male) aged
      61.8+/-9 who qualified for CRT according to current guidelines were enrolled. Two
      dimensional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) were performed
      before and 6 month after CRT to assess reverse remodeling (rLV). Additionally DSE
      was performed before CRT. DYS was assessed at rest (DYSr) and peak DSE (DYSd)
      separately, as a difference between time to peak systolic velocity (Ts) of septum
      and lateral wall. Ts was corrected for heart rate. RESULTS: rLV defined as
      decrease >=15% of LVESV at follow-up was found in 38 (67%) patients. DYSr and
      DYSd were independent predictors of rLV (OR=1.04, Cl +/-1.02-1.06, p<0.02 and
      OR=1.05, Cl+/-1.03-1.08, p<0.0002 respectively). ROC analysis found that
      DYSr>42ms and DYSd>59ms had sensitivity of 70% and 87%, specificity of 61% and
      78%, and accuracy of 70% and 84% respectively for prediction of reverse
      remodeling LV. Area under Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve for DYSd was
      higher than for DYSr (0.89 vs 0.71, p<0.007). CONCLUSION: Exercise
      intraventricular dyssynchrony assessed by dobutamine stress echo is a strong
      independent predictor of cardiac resynchronization therapy response.

PMID- 26117589
TI  - Contribution of socioeconomic position over life to frailty differences in old
      age: comparison of life-course models in a French sample of 2350 old people.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the impact of socioeconomic position (SEP) over life on a
      measure of frailty in old age. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional population
      study of people aged 70 years and more in which 2350 respondents were interviewed
      in 2008 to 2010. The relationships between different indicators of SEP (childhood
      standard of living, level of education, occupational class, and current
      affluence) and quartiles of a frailty index including 43 variables were assessed
      in ordinal regression models adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: Mean
      age of the population was 83.3 +/- 7.5 years, with 59.4% of women. The mean value
      of the frailty index was 0.19 +/- 0.13, with values ranging between 0 and 0.65.
      All periods of social disadvantage were associated with increasing frailty in
      bivariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, a poor level financial security in
      the old age was the SEP indicator the most strongly associated with frailty (odds
      ratio [OR]: 2.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.20-3.59), followed by a low
      level of education (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.17-1.80) and occupation during active
      life (OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.06-1.79). CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic inequalities over
      life affect health capital in old age. The most important risk factor identified
      in this study, contemporary financial difficulties, was also the most accessible
      to prevention.

PMID- 26117590
TI  - Reanalysis of the socioeconomic gradient in all cause mortality for women with
      breast cancer after detection of an inadvertent error.

PMID- 26117591
TI  - Predicting scleral GP lens entrapped tear layer oxygen tensions.

PMID- 26117592
TI  - Aspirin Response Test role in platelet transfusion following intracerebral
      hemorrhage.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) results in high morbidity
      and mortality. A target for therapy might be hematoma expansion, which occurs in
      a significant proportion of patients, and can be exacerbated by antiplatelet
      medications, such as aspirin. It is not clear whether platelet transfusion
      neutralizes aspirin. The Aspirin Response Test (ART) is commonly ordered in this
      patient population, but it is not clear whether the results of this test can help
      select patients for transfusion of platelets. The aim of our study is to
      investigate whether a selected group of ICH patients, those with reduced platelet
      activity ("aspirin responders"), will benefit from platelet transfusion.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 63 patients who were
      taking aspirin but no other antithrombotic medication prior to the ICH. For each
      patient, we measured hematoma size by head CT on admission and compared with
      follow-up head CT 1 day later. RESULTS: In the general cohort, 41% of transfused
      patients and 29% of non-transfused patients had a hematoma expansion. In the
      "aspirin responders" group, 46% of transfused patients and 22% of non-transfused
      patients had an expansion. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that platelet
      transfusion following an ICH in "aspirin responders" does not reduce hematoma
      expansion rates in those patients. A larger prospective study is needed.

PMID- 26117593
TI  - Association between renal dysfunction and 3-year mortality in patients with acute
      first-ever ischemic stroke.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The influence of renal dysfunction on the clinical presentation and
      outcomes of patients with acute ischemic stroke is still controversial. We
      investigate the influence of renal dysfunction on the outcomes of patients with
      acute first-ever ischemic stroke. METHODS: Nine-hundred thirty-four patients with
      acute first-ever ischemic stroke were enrolled and followed for 3 years. Renal
      function was assessed using the equation of the Modification Diet for Renal
      Disease for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Serum creatinine levels
      were obtained within 3 days of acute stroke onset. Reduced eGFR was defined as
      eGFR<60ml/min/1.73m(2). Clinical presentation, risk factors for stroke,
      laboratory data, co-morbidities, and outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: Total 264
      patients (28.3%) had a reduced eGFR. The prevalence of older age, hypertension,
      and atrial fibrillation was significantly higher in patients with a reduced eGFR.
      Total anterior circulation syndrome occurred more frequently among patients with
      a reduced eGFR (P=0.010). Multivariate Cox regression revealed that a reduced
      eGFR is a significant predictor of 3-year mortality (HR=1.67, 95% CI=1.06-2.62,
      P=0.026). CONCLUSION: Reduced eGFR during the acute stroke stage is associated
      with increased risk of 3-year mortality. Furthermore, risk of acute complications
      and poor functional outcomes following discharge was significantly higher in
      patients with a reduced eGFR.

PMID- 26117594
TI  - Selectin-mediated leukocyte trafficking during the development of autoimmune
      disease.
AB  - Tissue inflammation is a finely regulated process that controls wound healing and
      allows the clearance of damaged cells, pathogens and irritants. However,
      excessive or uncontrolled inflammation is detrimental, causing tissue damage and
      leading to autoimmunity. The recruitment of circulating leukocytes to the target
      tissue is a key stage in the inflammatory process, and is controlled by a
      multistep cascade in which adhesive receptors known as selectins mediate initial
      leukocyte tethering and rolling along vascular surfaces, which is required for
      their subsequent adhesion and arrest. This review considers the role of selectins
      and their ligands in the recruitment of circulating leukocytes to peripheral
      tissues during inflammatory responses that lead to the development of
      autoimmunity, focusing on data from animal models and clinical trials suggesting
      that selectins may offer valuable therapeutic targets for the treatment of
      autoimmune diseases. 

PMID- 26117595
TI  - Oral mucosal manifestations of autoimmune skin diseases.
AB  - A group of autoimmune diseases is characterised by autoantibodies against
      epithelial adhesion structures and/or tissue-tropic lymphocytes driving
      inflammatory processes resulting in specific pathology at the mucosal surfaces
      and the skin. The most frequent site of mucosal involvement in autoimmune
      diseases is the oral cavity. Broadly, these diseases include conditions affecting
      the cell-cell adhesion causing intra-epithelial blistering and those where
      autoantibodies or infiltration lymphocytes cause a loss of cell-matrix adhesion
      or interface inflammation. Clinically, patients present with blistering, erosions
      and ulcers that may affect the skin as well as further mucosal surfaces of the
      eyes, nose and genitalia. While the autoimmune disease may be suspected based on
      clinical manifestations, demonstration of tissue-bound and circulating
      autoantibodies, or lymphocytic infiltrates, by various methods including
      histological examination, direct and indirect immunofluorescence microscopy,
      immunoblotting and quantitative immunoassay is a prerequisite for definitive
      diagnosis. Given the frequency of oral involvement and the fact that oral mucosa
      is the initially affected site in many cases, the informed practitioner should be
      well acquainted with diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of autoimmune dermatosis
      with oral involvement. This paper reviews the pathogenesis and clinical
      presentation of these conditions in the oral cavity with a specific emphasis on
      their differential diagnosis and current management approaches. 

PMID- 26117596
TI  - Prevention of cardiovascular disease in rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - The increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
      has been recognized for many years. However, although the characteristics of CVD
      and its burden resemble those in diabetes, the focus on cardiovascular (CV)
      prevention in RA has lagged behind, both in the clinical and research settings.
      Similar to diabetes, the clinical picture of CVD in RA may be atypical, even
      asymptomatic. Therefore, a proactive screening for subclinical CVD in RA is
      warranted. Because of the lack of clinical trials, the ideal CVD prevention (CVP)
      in RA has not yet been defined. In this article, we focus on challenges and
      controversies in the CVP in RA (such as thresholds for statin therapy), and
      propose recommendations based on the current evidence. Due to the significant
      contribution of non-traditional, RA-related CV risk factors, the CV risk
      calculators developed for the general population underestimate the true risk in
      RA. Thus, there is an enormous need to develop adequate CV risk stratification
      tools and to identify the optimal CVP strategies in RA. While awaiting results
      from randomized controlled trials in RA, clinicians are largely dependent on the
      use of common sense, and extrapolation of data from studies on other patient
      populations. The CVP in RA should be based on an individualized evaluation of a
      broad spectrum of risk factors, and include: 1) reduction of inflammation,
      preferably with drugs decreasing CV risk, 2) management of factors associated
      with increased CV risk (e.g., smoking, hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia,
      kidney disease, depression, periodontitis, hypothyroidism, vitamin D deficiency
      and sleep apnea), and promotion of healthy life style (smoking cessation, healthy
      diet, adjusted physical activity, stress management, weight control), 3) aspirin
      and influenza and pneumococcus vaccines according to current guidelines, and 4)
      limiting use of drugs that increase CV risk. Rheumatologists should take
      responsibility for the education of health care providers and RA patients
      regarding CVP in RA. It is immensely important to incorporate CV outcomes in
      testing of anti-rheumatic drugs. 

PMID- 26117597
TI  - hfq regulates acid tolerance and virulence by responding to acid stress in
      Shigella flexneri.
AB  - Shigella flexneri is an important etiological agent of bacillary dysentery in
      developing countries. The Hfq protein is thought to play a major regulatory role
      in various cellular processes in this organism. However, the roles of Hfq in
      stress tolerance and virulence in S. flexneri in response to environmental stress
      have not been fully studied. In this study, hfq was highly expressed when S.
      flexneri was exposed to low pH. Growth retardation was observed in the hfq
      deletion mutant at pH values ranging from 5.0 to 7.0 and the survival rate of the
      mutant strain was reduced by 60% in acidic conditions (pH 3.0) compared with the
      wild-type strain. Additionally, competitive invasion assays in HeLa cells and
      lung invasion assays showed that the virulence of the hfq deletion mutant was
      significantly decreased. An evaluation of the mechanism revealed that, along with
      the expression of the Type III secretion system genes, acid resistance genes were
      also increased with acid stress. Interestingly, a statistically strong linear
      correlation was observed between the expression of hfq and Type III secretion
      system genes, as well as between hfq and acid resistance genes, under various pH
      conditions. In this study, we provide evidence that Hfq regulates genes related
      to acid resistance for survival under acid stress and controls virulence through
      the positive regulation of Type III secretion systems. Importantly, we propose
      that hfq is a key factor in maximal adaptation to host acid stress during
      infection, regulating acid stress tolerance and virulence in response to acid
      stress in S. flexneri. 

PMID- 26117598
TI  - Comparative metagenomics reveals microbial community differentiation in a
      biological heap leaching system.
AB  - The microbial community in a biological heap leaching (BHL) system is crucial for
      the decomposition of ores. However, the microbial community structure and
      functional differentiation in different parts of a biological heap leaching
      system are still unknown. In this study, metagenomic sequencing was used to fully
      illuminate the microbial community differentiation in the pregnant leach solution
      (PLS) and leaching heap (LH) of a BHL system. Long-read sequences (1.3 million)
      were obtained for the two samples, and the MG_RAST server was used to perform
      further analysis. The taxa analysis results indicated that the dominant genera of
      PLS is autotrophic bacterium Acidithiobacillus, but heterotrophic bacterium
      Acidiphilium is predominant in LH. Furthermore, functional annotation and
      hierarchical comparison with different reference samples showed that the abundant
      presence of genes was involved in transposition, DNA repair and heavy metal
      transport. The sequences related to transposase, which is important for the
      survival of the organism in the hostile environment, were both mainly classified
      into Acidiphilium for PLS and LH. These results indicated that not only
      autotrophic bacteria such as Acidithiobacillus, but also heterotrophic bacteria
      such as Acidiphilium, were essential participants in the bioleaching process.
      This new meta-view research will further facilitate the effective application of
      bioleaching. 

PMID- 26117599
TI  - Direct measurement of efflux in Pseudomonas aeruginosa using an environment
      sensitive fluorescent dye.
AB  - Resistance-Nodulation-Division (RND) family pumps AcrB and MexB are the major
      efflux routes in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively.
      Fluorescent environment-sensitive dyes provide a means to study efflux pump
      function in live bacterial cells in real-time. Recently, we demonstrated the
      utility of this approach using the dye Nile Red to quantify AcrB-mediated efflux
      and measured the ability of antibiotics and other efflux pump substrates to
      compete with efflux of Nile Red, independent of antibacterial activity. Here, we
      extend this method to P. aeruginosa and describe a novel application that permits
      the comparison and rank-ordering of bacterial strains by their inherent efflux
      potential. We show that glucose and l-malate re-energize Nile Red efflux in P.
      aeruginosa, and we highlight differences in the glucose dependence and kinetics
      of efflux between P. aeruginosa and E. coli. We quantify the differences in
      efflux among a set of P. aeruginosa laboratory strains, which include PAO1, the
      hyper-sensitive strain ATCC 35151 and its parent, ATCC 12055. Efflux of Nile Red
      in P. aeruginosa is mediated by MexAB-OprM and is slower than in E. coli. In
      conclusion, we describe an efflux measurement tool for use in antibacterial drug
      discovery and basic research on P. aeruginosa efflux pumps. 

PMID- 26117600
TI  - Riemerella anatipestifer lacks luxS, but can uptake exogenous autoinducer-2 to
      regulate biofilm formation.
AB  - Riemerella anatipestifer (RA) causes major economic losses to the duck industry.
      Autoinducer-2 (AI-2) is a quorum-sensing signal that regulates bacterial
      physiology. The luxS and pfs genes are required for AI-2 synthesis in many
      bacterial species. pfs encodes Pfs, which functions upstream of LuxS in the
      biosynthesis of AI-2. In this study, we investigated the AI-2 activity of RA
      using an AI-2 bioassay, which showed that RA does not produce AI-2. Bioinformatic
      analysis indicated that the RA genome has a pfs, but not a luxS, homologue. To
      investigate the function of RA pfs, an avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC)
      pfs mutant was constructed, which was subsequently transformed with a recombinant
      plasmid carrying RA pfs. An AI-2 bioassay demonstrated that RA pfs restored AI-2
      production to the APEC pfs mutant, suggesting that RA pfs functions in AI-2
      synthesis. Furthermore, we found that RA utilizes exogenous AI-2 to regulate
      biofilm formation. RA biofilm formation decreased significantly upon addition of
      exogenous AI-2. Real-time quantitative PCR results showed that expression of 13
      genes related to RA biofilm formation decreased significantly when exogenous AI-2
      was added to the RA culture media. These findings will benefit future studies on
      AI-2 regulation in RA. 

PMID- 26117602
TI  - Uncommon RB1 somatic mutations in a unilateral retinoblastoma patient.
AB  - Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in
      children. Somatic inactivation of both alleles of the RB1 tumor suppressor gene
      in a developing retina is a crucial event in the initiation of tumorigenesis in
      most cases of isolated unilateral retinoblastoma. We analyzed the DNA from tumor
      tissue and peripheral blood of a unilateral retinoblastoma patient to determine
      the RB1 mutation status and to provide an accurate genetic counseling. A
      comprehensive approach, based on our previous experience, was used to identify
      the causative RB1 mutations. Screening for RB1 mutations was performed by PCR
      direct sequencing, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and
      Real Time-PCR analyses. Three different mutations were identified in the tumor
      DNA, which were absent in blood DNA. The somatic origin of these mutations was
      vital to rule out the heritable condition in this patient. 

PMID- 26117601
TI  - Ovotoxicants 4-vinylcyclohexene 1,2-monoepoxide and 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide
      disrupt redox status and modify different electrophile sensitive target enzymes
      and genes in Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - The compounds 4-vinylcyclohexene 1,2-monoepoxide (VCM) and 4-Vinylcyclohexene
      diepoxide (VCD) are the two downstream metabolites of 4-vinylcyclohexene (VCH),
      an ovotoxic agent in mammals. In addition, VCM and VCD may be found as by
      products of VCH oxidation in the environment. Recently, we reported the
      involvement of oxidative stress in the toxicity of VCH in Drosophila
      melanogaster. However, it was not possible to determine the individual
      contributions of VCM and VCD in VCH toxicity. Hence, we investigated the toxicity
      of VCM and VCD (10-1000 uM) in flies after 5 days of exposure via the diet. Our
      results indicated impairments in climbing behaviour and disruptions in
      antioxidant balance and redox status evidenced by an increase in DCFH oxidation,
      decreases in total thiol content and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity in
      the flies exposed to VCM and VCD (p<0.05). These effects were accompanied by
      disruptions in the transcription of the genes encoding the proteins superoxide
      dismutase (SOD1), kelch-like erythroid-derived cap-n-collar (CNC) homology (ECH)
      associated protein 1 (Keap-1), mitogen activated protein kinase 2 (MAPK-2),
      catalase, Cyp18a1, JAFRAC 1 (thioredoxin peroxidase 1) and thioredoxin reductase
      1 (TrxR-1) (p<0.05). VCM and VCD inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and delta
      aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (delta-ALA D) activities in the flies (p<0.05).
      Indeed, here, we demonstrated that different target enzymes and genes were
      modified by the electrophiles VCM and VCD in the flies. Thus, D. melanogaster has
      provided further lessons on the toxicity of VCM and VCD which suggest that the
      reported toxicity of VCH may be mediated by its transformation to VCM and VCD.

PMID- 26117603
TI  - [Vitamin D deficit in hospitalized patients].
AB  - We prospectively studied 60 consecutive patients in order to evaluate the
      prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. All of them were inpatients, and were
      evaluated from October 2013 through May 2014. Levels of 25 OH vitamin D were
      classified as sufficient (> 30 ng/ml), mild to moderate deficiency (15 to 30
      ng/ml) and severe deficiency (< 15 ng/ml). The mean age was 72.1 +/- 19.5 years;
      43 were females and 17 males. Five percent of the patients had normal values of
      vitamin D, 31.6% had mild to moderate deficit and 63.3% had severe deficit of the
      vitamin. Severe deficit was associated with hypoalbuminemia, compared with mild
      to moderate deficit and with sufficient values (2.98 g/dl vs. 3.52 g/dl and vs.
      4.39 g/dl, respectively, p: 0.012) and low levels of serum calcium (8.35 mg/dl
      vs. 8.61 mg/dl and 9.8 mg/dl, respectively, p: 0.003). Although there was a trend
      of low vitamin D levels with increasing age, female sex, immobilization, higher
      levels of glucose and glycated haemoglobin, more duration of hospitalization, we
      didn't find any statistically significance difference between groups. Vitamin D
      deficiency is common in hospitalized patients. It correlates with low levels of
      serum albumin and calcium. Improving diagnosis and recognition of this condition
      may enable us to improve the management of this deficit. 

PMID- 26117604
TI  - [Trends of tuberculosis in the Fifth Health Region, Buenos Aires Province, years
      2000-2011].
AB  - The aim of this study was to describe the trends in tuberculosis (TB) in the
      Fifth Health Region (RSV) in the Buenos Aires Province. A trend study allowed the
      evaluation of the average variation of change in the incidence rate (IR) using
      simple linear regression expressed as a mean annual variation (VAP). The number
      of reported TB cases and IR per 100 000 population of all TB cases, pulmonary TB
      (PTB) and bacteriologically confirmed PTB from January 1, 2000 to December 31,
      2011, were analyzed by age groups: 0-14; 15-29 and over 64 years of age. The
      decline in IR was less than 5% for all forms of TB and lower for
      bacteriologically confirmed PTB cases. The highest rate of PTB and IR was
      concentrated in the age group of 15-29 years with stable or slightly increasing
      trend of IR in bacteriologically confirmed PTB. There were similar trends for
      bacteriologically confirmed PTB in children. The fastest decline in PTB IR
      occurred in 0-14 age group, while for cases over 64 years of age the decline was
      sustained over time. TB continues to be a health risk in RSV, with cases in
      younger age groups. Therefore, it remains necessary to strengthen TB control
      activities in this region. 

PMID- 26117605
TI  - [Comparison of FRAX Score without bone mineral density determination and the
      criteria proposed by the Argentine Osteoporosis Society for the use of
      antiresorptive therapy in postmenopausal women].
AB  - To identify patients at high risk of fracture using clinical risk factors could
      reduce health costs arising from the realization of a bone densitometry. The aim
      of this study was to compare the FRAX score without bone mineral density (BMD)
      with the criteria proposed by the Argentine Society of Osteoporosis (SAO) to
      consider starting antiresorptive treatment. We conducted an observational, cross
      sectional study where 330 postmenopausal women between 40 and 90 years of age
      were included. The number of treatments given if the FRAX tool without BMD had
      been followed was compared with the number of treatments indicated using the SAO
      criteria. Using the SAO criteria, 85 (25.8%) patients would initiate
      antiresorptive treatment compared with 15 (4.5%) using the FRAX without BMD (p =
      0.0019). Among the 67 patients with a diagnosis of osteoporosis by BMD
      determination, all of them (100%) would have received treatment by using the SAO
      criteria compared with 10 (15%) using the FRAX score (p = 0.011). The use of FRAX
      without BMD significantly underestimates the number of patients who should
      receive antiresorptive treatment. In patients diagnosed with osteoporosis by BMD,
      the FRAX score underestimates the number of patients to be treated. 

PMID- 26117606
TI  - [Current patterns of presentation of renal tumors].
AB  - The aim of this paper is to describe the epidemiological characteristics,
      clinical management and pathologic patterns in a population with renal tumors in
      our institution. Prospective data collection was performed over a period of 4.5
      years, from January 2010 to June 2014. A total of 819 cases (796 patients) were
      treated for renal mass during this period. The mean age was 60.7 years (SD 13.1).
      There were 553 (69.5%) males (male to female ratio: 2.2: 1). Twenty nine per cent
      (230 patients) were obese (BMI = 30). The diagnosis was incidental in 653 cases
      (79.7%), 48.8% presented one or more risk factors, being smoking the most
      frequent (34%). In 238 patients (29.9%) there was more than one comorbidity; 18%
      had preoperative creatinine = 1.3 mg/dl. Lesions were = 4 cm (cT1a) in 45% of the
      patients, and 10.8% (86) had metastases at diagnosis. The lesions were resected
      in 93.5% and actively monitored in 6.5% (not resected). In surgery treated
      patients, radical nephrectomy was performed in 51.5% of cases, and nephron
      sparing surgery in 48.5% of them. The laparoscopic approach was used in 56.2%.
      The pattern of presentation of renal masses is characterized by incidental
      diagnosis in early disease stages. Nephron sparing surgery is the first choice in
      nearly half of patients. Active surveillance has been used in a greater
      percentage than previously reported. 

PMID- 26117607
TI  - [Primary HIV resistance in Buenos Aires metropolitan area].
AB  - Surveillance of primary drug resistance is critical to optimize antiretroviral
      therapy (ART) for HIV. Mutations to be monitored are defined in a reference list
      of the World Health Organization (WHO), which does not include mutations for new
      drugs, such as rilpivirine. We undertook a retrospective analysis of medical
      records of ART naive patients treated at a specialized HIV/AIDS center,
      evaluating the prevalence of WHO mutations and mutations specific for
      rilpivirine. Ninety-one patients were included during 2011-2013, being male 71
      (78.0%), and men who have sex with men 46 (50.5%). The median values for age,
      viral load, and CD4 counts were 33 years, 62 100 copies/mL, and 548 cells/MUl,
      retrospectively; 34 (37.3%) had early infection and 60 (65.9%) were asymptomatic.
      WHO mutations were found in 11 (12.1%) patients, two of whom presented multiple
      mutations. Seven mutations corresponded to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase
      inhibitors, four to nucleoside analogues, and two to protease inhibitors. The
      most frequent mutations were K103N and M41L. No differences in mutation
      frequencies were found when compared by time post-infection, gender, sexual
      orientation, or CD4 count. Mutations conferring low-level resistance to
      rilpivirine were found in 3 (3.3%) patients; such mutations were E138A and E138G.
      The overall moderate primary resistance levels found in this study highlight the
      value of performing a resistance test before ART initiation in the served
      population. The observed prevalence of primary resistance to rilpivirine was low.

PMID- 26117608
TI  - [Celiac trunk compression syndrome by the median arcuate ligament. Laparoscopic
      approach].
AB  - Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS), or celiac trunk compression syndrome, is
      caused by extrinsic compression of median arcuate ligament, prominent fibrous
      bands and periaortic nodal tissue. In many cases is asymptomatic, but it may
      manifests with symptoms such as postprandial abdominal pain or during exercise,
      nauseas, vomiting and weight loss. Trough less invasive diagnostic techniques,
      such as doppler ultrasound for screening and preoperative angiotomograhpy, it is
      possible to obtain good results, comparable to those with arteriography. Surgical
      treatment by laparoscopic approach is a safe and effective technique. A
      symptomatic case that required surgical treatment, a laparoscopic approach, with
      clinical and imaging improvement after the procedure, is presented. 

PMID- 26117609
TI  - [Idiopathic and unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy].
AB  - The isolated unilateral palsy of the hypoglossal nerve is an unusual sign in
      daily medical practice. We present the case of a 74 year old man, without
      relevant medical history, who started with headache and difficulty to swallow. On
      the physical examination, he had isolated hypoglossal nerve palsy without
      evidence of tongue atrophy or fasciculation. The patient had a good spontaneous
      evolution. Idiopathic isolated hypoglossal nerve palsy requires an exhaustive
      evaluation with neuroimages and complementary exams. It usually presents partial
      or total spontaneous remission. 

PMID- 26117610
TI  - [Hepatitis E virus-associated aplastic anemia. Report of a case].
AB  - Hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia (HAAA) is a well-recognized clinical
      syndrome in which marrow failure follows the development of hepatitis; it can be
      observed in up to 5% in the aplastic anemia in West Europe and North American
      countries and 10% in the East Asia. Although hepatotropic and other viruses were
      suspected of causing HAAA, this hypothesis was rarely confirmed. Currently, the
      infection with hepatitis E virus represents the first cause of acute hepatitis in
      the world. Its genotype 3, the most frequent in Argentina and other Latin
      American countries, was associated with extrahepatic complications (renal,
      pancreatic, neurologic and hematologic). To our knowledge, only one case of
      hepatitis E virus-associated aplastic anemia has been previously reported, in
      Pakistan; the case presented here would be the first in Argentina. The patient
      was treated with thymoglobulin, cyclosporine, corticosteroids, filgastrim and
      transfusional support. She developed fungemia due to Candida tropicalis that
      remitted with equinocandins and therefore fever, pulmonary infiltrates and a
      solitary nodular cerebral image with serum galactomannan (DO index > 1.0 ng/ml)
      that resolved with voriconazol. She was discharged three months after her
      admission without transfusion requirements and normal hepatic values.With this in
      mind, it would be advisable to investigate hepatitis E (HEV) as a cause of HAAA
      in Argentina. 

PMID- 26117611
TI  - [Facial diplegia with atypical paresthesia. A variant of Guillain-Barre
      syndrome].
AB  - Guillain-Barre syndrome is an acute demyelinating disease which presents in a
      classic form with muscular weakness and the lack of reflexes. There are multiple
      variations and atypical forms of the disease, being facial diplegia with
      paresthesia one of them. Also, the absence of reflexes in this syndrome is
      typical but not constant, since 10% of patients present reflexes. We describe a
      case of atypical presentation with bilateral facial palsy, paresthesia, brisk
      reflexes and weakness in the lower limbs in a 33 year old woman. 

PMID- 26117612
TI  - [Unilateral endobronchial valve in pulmonary emphysema].

PMID- 26117613
TI  - [Posterior mitral leaflet cleft assessed by three-dimensional transthoracic
      echocardiography].

PMID- 26117614
TI  - [On the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in Argentina].
AB  - Between 1987 and the date of the present issue, 10 reports have been published on
      the prevalence of the vitamin D deficit in Argentina. These studies were done
      investigating new born babies, children, adolescents, and healthy and
      institutionalized adults, living in southern, middle or northern cities of
      Argentina. The weighed prevalence of vitamin D deficit in those reports was 43.3%
      (436/1007). This figure may be lower than reality because it is not known whether
      the stratification (age and location of residence) of the sum of samples agree
      with that of the national population. Taking into account the obvious
      difficulties in carrying out such a research two areas for further research are
      suggested: a) an investigation on the solar exposure in summer needed to obviate
      (or not) the oral supplementation of vitamin D in winter, b) to determine the
      success of the schema of administration taking into account the current
      controversy between dose and optimum plasma levels of 25(HO)D3. In both
      instances, the end point should include some of the physiological functions
      alluded to in this editorial. 

PMID- 26117615
TI  - [Liquid biopsy].

PMID- 26117616
TI  - [Role of listening in teaching and medical practice].

PMID- 26117617
TI  - [Better care for transplanted patients with kidney graft failure].

PMID- 26117618
TI  - [About post-hospitalization cardiac mortality related to medical congresses].

PMID- 26117619
TI  - Elbow hemiarthroplasty using a "triceps-on" approach for the management of acute
      distal humeral fractures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Total elbow arthroplasty is an established option for the primary
      treatment of acute distal humeral fractures, but there are sparse data regarding
      elbow hemiarthroplasty (EHA) as an alternative. We present the outcome of EHA
      performed with a modular anatomic prosthesis and a "triceps-on" surgical
      technique. METHODS: Eighteen consecutive patients underwent EHA for an acute
      fracture. Two patients died, leaving a study group of 16 patients with minimum 2
      year follow-up. Clinical evaluation included range of motion; Mayo Elbow
      Performance Score; Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand score; and
      Oxford Elbow Score. Radiographic assessment looked at alignment, evidence of
      loosening, ulnar and radial head wear, heterotopic ossification, and whether
      healing of the condyles had occurred. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 35 months (24
      79 months). The mean scores were as follows: Mayo Elbow Performance Score, 89.6;
      shortened Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand score, 11.2; and Oxford
      Elbow Score, 43.7. The mean flexion and pronation-supination arcs were 116
      degrees  and 172 degrees  respectively. Radial head wear was absent in 13
      patients and mild in 3. Ulnar wear was absent in 6 patients, mild in 8, and
      moderate in 2. Wear was not associated with greater pain or inferior functional
      scores. There was no sign of aseptic loosening, and complete condylar bone union
      occurred in 15 elbows. There was 1 complication, a transient ulnar nerve
      neurapraxia that resolved without intervention. CONCLUSION: EHA with a modular
      anatomic implant using a triceps-on approach is a reliable technique for the
      management of acute unreconstructible distal humeral fractures in older patients.

PMID- 26117620
TI  - Are Statins out in the COLD? The STATCOPE Trial.
AB  - A cardiologist and respirologist examined the recent, neutral Prospective
      Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of Simvastatin in the Prevention of COPD
      Exacerbations (STATCOPE) for issues of relevance to cardiovascular risk reduction
      with statin medications. Although the potential benefit of the pleiotropic
      effects of statins on this inflammatory disease was not borne out, the effect
      over the longer term on total respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity and
      mortality remain unexplored. This study was unique as the only statin trial to
      date to use a national guideline (Adult Treatment Panel III) to exclude patients
      from the trial if at sufficient cardiovascular risk to warrant statin therapy.
      Furthermore, observed fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events were shown to
      provide some evidence to suggest that statins might reduce cardiovascular events
      despite the low risk category and the relatively low levels of cholesterol. The
      magnitude of this beneficial trend paralleled the magnitude of lowering of low
      density lipoprotein cholesterol achieved in the active statin arm. Finally, the
      authors questioned whether the current standard of care adequately includes
      adherence to any national lipid guideline or adequate attention to the
      cardiovascular comorbidity of these patients. In conclusion, knowledge
      translation of the STATCOPE trial should at a minimum encourage assessment of
      cardiovascular risk in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
      implementation of proven cardiovascular risk reduction therapies based on
      national guidelines, including statins, and plans to undertake a trial adequate
      in size and duration to address cardiovascular event reduction in patients not
      already eligible for evidence-based risk-reducing therapies. 

PMID- 26117621
TI  - The Assessment of Atrial Electromechanical Delay in Patients With Acromegaly.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate whether atrial electromechanical delay (AEMD)
      measured by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), which is an indicator for structural
      and electrical remodelling of the atria, is prolonged in patients with active or
      inactive acromegaly, or both, compared with a control group. METHODS: A total of
      34 patients with acromegaly (18 active/16 inactive) and 35 patients as a control
      group were enrolled. Both intra- and inter-AEMD were calculated by TDI. The
      correlation between clinical variables and AEMD were analyzed. RESULTS: Both
      inter-AEMD and right and left intra-AEMD were prolonged in patients with
      acromegaly compared with the control group (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.004,
      respectively). Also, patients with active acromegaly showed higher inter-AEMD and
      right intra-AEMD compared with patients with inactive acromegaly (P < 0.05).
      There was no significant difference in left intra-AEMD between patients with
      active acromegaly and those with inactive acromegaly (P = 0.977). The growth
      hormone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) levels positively correlated with
      inter-AEMD (r = 0.577; P < 0.001; r = 0.614; P < 0.001, respectively).
      Additionally, we found that inter-AEMD was significantly and positively
      correlated with relationship between maximal values of passive mitral inflow (E,
      PW-Doppler) and lateral early diastolic mitral annular velocities (e', TDI) (r =
      0.316; P = 0.008). Only the serum IGF-1 level was independently associated with
      inter-AEMD in multivariate linear regression analysis (beta = 0.500; P = 0.011).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings showed that both inter- and intra-AEMD are
      prolonged in patients with acromegaly. Also, AEMD was observed to be more
      prolonged in patients with active acromegaly than in those with inactive
      acromegaly. IGF-1 was an independent predictor of inter- AEMD in patients with
      acromegaly. Being a noninvasive, inexpensive, and simple technique, AEMD may be
      used as an indicator for atrial electrical and structural remodelling in patients
      with acromegaly.

PMID- 26117622
TI  - Percutaneous Coronary Interventions for Chronic Total Occlusions: More Benefit
      for the Patient or for the Interventionist's Ego?
AB  - Chronic total occlusions (CTOs) represent a common lesion subset observed in
      patients who undergo coronary angiography. During the past decade, the interest
      of the interventionist community in CTOs has exponentially grown with fast
      advancement in dedicated equipment and techniques, which has resulted in high
      rates of procedural success and low rates of complications. Although different
      observational studies have shown that CTO revascularization was associated with
      good clinical outcome, its real benefit for patients remains to be determined,
      particularly in the absence of randomized trials. In addition, compared with non
      CTO lesions, the American and European guidelines downgraded percutaneous
      coronary intervention in the setting of CTOs. In this viewpoint, we try to
      identify patients who would benefit from CTO recanalization, and discuss the
      issues that might improve the appropriateness of CTO percutaneous coronary
      intervention. 

PMID- 26117624
TI  - Sequential inferior vena cava filter insertion and peripherally inserted central
      catheter placement through upper extremity veins.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the sequential placement of inferior vena cava filter (IVCF)
      and peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) using the same upper extremity
      venous access. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study that reviewed
      the medical records of 379 consecutive patients who underwent IVCF insertion
      during a 39-month period at our center. Of these 379 patients, 28 patients had
      sequential insertion of an IVCF and a PICC through the same upper extremity
      venous access. The same vein entry site was used for placement of the IVCF
      followed by PICC insertion. Data collected included: indication and duration of
      IVCF and PICC placement, access site location, complications, and the type of
      IVCF. RESULTS: IVCFs were placed for prophylactic purposes in 15 patients (53.6%)
      and therapeutic purposes in 13 patients (46.4%). Right upper extremity veins were
      used for venous access in 27 patients (96.4%): brachial (n=16), basilic (n=9),
      and cephalic (n=2). The left basilic vein was used in one patient (3.6%). IVCFs
      were temporary in 20 patients (71.4%) and permanent in 8 patients (28.6%). There
      were no procedural complications. The OptEase filter was used in 23 patients
      (82.1%) and the TrapEase filter was used in 5 patients (17.9%). CONCLUSION:
      Simultaneous IVCF and PICC insertion using the same upper extremity venous access
      was feasible and safe in our series. This combined technique provides the patient
      with central venous access for repeated blood collections and intravenous
      therapy.

PMID- 26117623
TI  - Serial Optical Coherence Tomography Evaluation at 6, 12, and 24 Months After
      Biolimus A9-Eluting Biodegradable Polymer-Coated Stent Implantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Nobori (Terumo Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) is a biolimus A9
      eluting stent (BES) featured with a biodegradable polymer coated on the abluminal
      side only. We previously reported that favourable vessel healing was achieved at
      6-12 months after BES implantation. However, detailed long-term vessel reaction
      after BES deployment is unclear. METHODS: Twenty-two BESs were serially evaluated
      using optical coherence tomography (OCT) at 6, 12, and 24 months after stenting.
      Average neointimal thickness, uncovered struts, and neointimal unevenness score
      (each cross-section as maximum neointimal thickness in 1 cross section divided by
      the average neointimal thickness of the same cross-section) were manually
      measured. In addition, we evaluated the percentage of struts with peri-strut low
      intensity area (a region around stent struts that homogenously showed less
      intensity than the surrounding tissue, which suggests fibrin deposition or
      impaired neointima maturation), thrombi, and atherogenic neointimas (neointimas
      containing a diffuse border and poor-signal region with invisible struts due to
      marked signal attenuation). RESULTS: Serial OCT observation revealed a small
      gradual increase in neointimal thickness from 6 to 24 months (73 +/- 24 MUm; 81
      +/- 26 MUm; and 108 +/- 35 MUm, respectively, P = 0.001) with a nonsignificant
      decrease in the lumen area (6.36 +/- 1.98 mm(2); 6.18 +/- 2.04 mm(2); and 5.87 +/
      2.06 mm(2); P = 0.72). Frequency of uncovered struts (3.89 +/- 3.91%; 1.55 +/-
      1.63%; and 0.23 +/- 0.67%; P = 0.001), neointimal unevenness score (1.95 +/-
      0.18% to 1.86 +/- 0.19% to 1.78 +/- 0.17; P = 0.012), percentage of thrombi (5%,
      0%, and 0%; P = 0.37) and peri-strut low-intensity area (6.8%, 5.1%, and 1.6%; P
      = 0.017) decreased from 6 to 12 and 24 months. Atherogenic neointima was not
      observed in the event-free OCT cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The Nobori stent achieved
      acceptable long-term vessel healing, mostly without adverse vessel reactions.

PMID- 26117625
TI  - STK4 (MST1) deficiency in two siblings with autoimmune cytopenias: A novel
      mutation.
AB  - Combined immunodeficiencies (CIDs) are heterogeneous group of disorders
      characterized by abrogated/impaired T cell development and/or functions that
      resulted from diverse genetic defects. In addition to the susceptibility to
      infections with various microorganisms, the patients may have
      lymphoproliferation, autoimmunity, inflammation, allergy and malignancy.
      Recently, three groups have independently reported patients having mutations in
      STK4 gene that cause a novel autosomal recessive (AR) CID. We describe here two
      siblings with a novel STK4 mutation identified during the evaluation of a group
      of patients with features highly overlapping with those of DOCK-8 deficiency, a
      form of AR hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome. The patients' clinical features
      include autoimmune cytopenias, viral skin (molluscum contagiosum and perioral
      herpetic infection) and bacterial infections, mild onychomycosis, mild atopic and
      seborrheic dermatitis, lymphopenia (particularly CD4 lymphopenia), and
      intermittent mild neutropenia. Determination of the underlying defect and
      reporting the patients are required for the description of the phenotypic
      spectrum of each immunodeficiency. 

PMID- 26117634
TI  - Graduate Medical Education Financing and Governance Reform: How Does the
      Institute of Medicine's Report Impact Pediatrics?

PMID- 26117626
TI  - Novel hypomorphic mutation in IKBKG impairs NEMO-ubiquitylation causing
      ectodermal dysplasia, immunodeficiency, incontinentia pigmenti, and immune
      thrombocytopenic purpura.
AB  - NF-kappaB essential modulator (NEMO) is a component of the IKK complex, which
      participates in the activation of the NF-kappaB pathway. Hypomorphic mutations in
      the IKBKG gene result in different forms of anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia with
      immunodeficiency (EDA-ID) in males without affecting carrier females. Here, we
      describe a hypomorphic and missense mutation, designated c.916G>A (p.D306N),
      which affects our patient, his mother, and his sister. This mutation did not
      affect NEMO expression; however, an immunoprecipitation assay revealed reduced
      ubiquitylation upon CD40-stimulation in the patient's cells. Functional studies
      have demonstrated reduced phosphorylation and degradation of IkappaBalpha,
      affecting NF-kappaB recruitment into the nucleus. The patient presented with
      clinical features of ectodermal dysplasia, immunodeficiency, and immune
      thrombocytopenic purpura, the latter of which has not been previously reported in
      a patient with NEMO deficiency. His mother and sister displayed incontinentia
      pigmenti indicating that, in addition to amorphic mutations, hypomorphic
      mutations in NEMO can affect females. 

PMID- 26117635
TI  - 50 Years Ago in The Journal of Pediatrics: Primary Liver Cell Carcinoma
      Associated with Biliary Cirrhosis Due to Congenital Bile Duct Atresia.

PMID- 26117636
TI  - 50 Years Ago in The Journal of Pediatrics: A Long-Term Study of Cerebrospinal
      Leukemia.

PMID- 26117637
TI  - 50 Years Ago in The Journal of Pediatrics: "Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease" in
      Children: An Epidemic Associated with Coxsakie Virus A-16.

PMID- 26117638
TI  - 50 Years Ago in The Journal of Pediatrics: Fatal Infection in a Newborn Infant
      Due to Herpes Simplex Virus.

PMID- 26117639
TI  - 50 Years Ago in The Journal of Pediatrics: The Relationship between Obesity in
      Adolescence and Early Growth.

PMID- 26117640
TI  - Differentiated Thyroid Cancer in Children: Prevalence and Predictors in a Large
      Cohort with Thyroid Nodules Followed Prospectively.
AB  - We retrospectively analyzed the findings of a prospective cohort of 75 children
      referred for thyroid nodules between 2008 and 2013. Prevalence of papillary
      differentiated thyroid carcinoma was 18.7%. Thyrotropin >2.5 mIU/L, multinodular
      goiter, solid nodules, irregular margins, and pathologic lymphadenopathies were
      identified as independent predictors of malignancy. 

PMID- 26117641
TI  - Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is associated with delayed growth.

PMID- 26117642
TI  - Prolonged postconcussive rest is not superior to usual care.

PMID- 26117643
TI  - Propanolol effectively treats significant infantile hemangiomas.

PMID- 26117644
TI  - Association of Autism with Cancer.

PMID- 26117645
TI  - Early peanut consumption is protective against peanut allergy development.

PMID- 26117646
TI  - Approach to Child-Friendly Health Care--The Council of Europe.

PMID- 26117648
TI  - Crystal structures of the apo form and a complex of human LMW-PTP with a
      phosphonic acid provide new evidence of a secondary site potentially related to
      the anchorage of natural substrates.
AB  - Low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatases (LMW-PTP, EC 3.1.3.48) are a
      family of single-domain enzymes with molecular weight up to 18 kDa, expressed in
      different tissues and considered attractive pharmacological targets for cancer
      chemotherapy. Despite this, few LMW-PTP inhibitors have been described to date,
      and the structural information on LMW-PTP druggable binding sites is scarce. In
      this study, a small series of phosphonic acids were designed based on a new
      crystallographic structure of LMW-PTP complexed with benzylsulfonic acid,
      determined at 2.1A. In silico docking was used as a tool to interpret the
      structural and enzyme kinetics data, as well as to design new analogs. From the
      synthesized series, two compounds were found to act as competitive inhibitors,
      with inhibition constants of 0.124 and 0.047 mM. We also report the 2.4A
      structure of another complex in which LMW-PTP is bound to benzylphosphonic acid,
      and a structure of apo LMW-PTP determined at 2.3A resolution. Although no
      appreciable conformation changes were observed, in the latter structures, amino
      acid residues from an expression tag were found bound to a hydrophobic region at
      the protein surface. This regions is neighbored by positively charged residues,
      adjacent to the active site pocket, suggesting that this region might be not a
      mere artefact of crystal contacts but an indication of a possible anchoring
      region for the natural substrate-which is a phosphorylated protein.

PMID- 26117647
TI  - Pentamidine analogs as inhibitors of [(3)H]MK-801 and [(3)H]ifenprodil binding to
      rat brain NMDA receptors.
AB  - The anti-protozoal drug pentamidine is active against opportunistic Pneumocystis
      pneumonia, but in addition has several other biological targets, including the
      NMDA receptor (NR). Here we describe the inhibitory potencies of 76 pentamidine
      analogs at 2 binding sites of the NR, the channel binding site labeled with
      [(3)H]MK-801 and the [(3)H]ifenprodil binding site. Most analogs acted weaker at
      the ifenprodil than at the channel site. The spermine-sensitivity of NR
      inhibition by the majority of the compounds was reminiscent of other long-chain
      dicationic NR blockers. The potency of the parent compound as NR blocker was
      increased by modifying the heteroatoms in the bridge connecting the 2 benzamidine
      moieties and also by integrating the bridge into a seven-membered ring. Docking
      of the 45 most spermine-sensitive bisbenzamidines to a recently described acidic
      interface between the N-terminal domains of GluN1 and GluN2B mediating polyamine
      stimulation of the NR revealed the domain contributed by GluN1 as the most
      relevant target. 

PMID- 26117649
TI  - Prediction of feature genes in trauma patients with the TNF rs1800629 A allele
      using support vector machine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha variant is closely linked to sepsis
      syndrome and mortality after severe trauma. We aimed to identify feature genes
      associated with the TNF rs1800629 A allele in trauma patients and help to direct
      them toward alternative successful treatment. METHODS: In this study, we used 58
      sets of gene expression data from Gene Expression Omnibus to predict the feature
      genes associated with the TNF rs1800629 A allele in trauma patients. We applied
      support vector machine (SVM) classifier model for classification prediction
      combining with leave-one-out cross validation method. Functional annotation of
      feature genes was carried out to study the biological function using database for
      annotation, visualization, and integrated discovery (DAVID). RESULTS: A total of
      133 feature genes were screened out and was well differentiated in the training
      set (14 patients with variant, 15 with wild type). Moreover, SVM classifier
      peaked in predictive accuracy with 100% correct rate in training set and 86.2% in
      testing set. Interestingly, functional annotation showed that feature genes, such
      as HMOX1 (heme oxygenase (decycling) 1) and RPS7 (ribosomal protein S7) were
      mainly enriched in terms of cell proliferation and ribosome. CONCLUSION: HMOX1
      and RPS7 may be key feature genes associated with the TNF rs1800629 A allele and
      may play a crucial role in the inflammatory response in trauma patients.
      Moreover, the cell proliferation and ribosome pathway may contribute to the
      progression of severe trauma.

PMID- 26117650
TI  - Hybrid facial image feature extraction and recognition for non-invasive chronic
      fatigue syndrome diagnosis.
AB  - Due to an absence of reliable biochemical markers, the diagnosis of chronic
      fatigue syndrome (CFS) mainly relies on the clinical symptoms, and the experience
      and skill of the doctors currently. To improve objectivity and reduce work
      intensity, a hybrid facial feature is proposed. First, several kinds of
      appearance features are identified in different facial regions according to
      clinical observations of traditional Chinese medicine experts, including vertical
      striped wrinkles on the forehead, puffiness of the lower eyelid, the skin colour
      of the cheeks, nose and lips, and the shape of the mouth corner. Afterwards, such
      features are extracted and systematically combined to form a hybrid feature. We
      divide the face into several regions based on twelve active appearance model
      (AAM) feature points, and ten straight lines across them. Then, Gabor wavelet
      filtering, CIELab color components, threshold-based segmentation and curve
      fitting are applied to extract features, and Gabor features are reduced by a
      manifold preserving projection method. Finally, an AdaBoost based score level
      fusion of multi-modal features is performed after classification of each feature.
      Despite that the subjects involved in this trial are exclusively Chinese, the
      method achieves an average accuracy of 89.04% on the training set and 88.32% on
      the testing set based on the K-fold cross-validation. In addition, the method
      also possesses desirable sensitivity and specificity on CFS prediction. 

PMID- 26117651
TI  - The double burden of neoliberalism? Noncommunicable disease policies and the
      global political economy of risk.
AB  - The growing prevalence of NCDs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is now
      recognized as one of the major global health policy issues of the early 21st
      century. Current official approaches reflect ambivalence about how health policy
      should approach the social determinants of health identified by the WHO
      Commission on the topic that released its report in 2008, and in particular the
      role of macro-scale economic and social processes. Authoritative framing of
      options for NCD prevention in advance of the September, 2011 UN high-level
      meeting on NCDs arguably relied on a selective reading of the scientific
      (including social scientific) evidence, and foregrounded a limited number of risk
      factors defined in terms of individual behavior: tobacco use, unhealthy diet,
      alcohol (ab)use and physical inactivity. The effect was to reproduce at a
      transnational level the individualization of responsibility for health that
      characterizes most health promotion initiatives in high-income countries,
      ignoring both the limited control that many people have over their exposure to
      these risk factors and the contribution of macro-scale processes like trade
      liberalization and the marketing activities of transnational corporations to the
      global burden of NCDs. An alternative perspective focuses on "the inequitable
      distribution of power, money, and resources" described by the WHO Commission, and
      the ways in which policies that address those inequities can avoid unintentional
      incorporation of neoliberal constructions of risk and responsibility. 

PMID- 26117652
TI  - Tricuspid regurgitation predicts cardiorenal syndrome in patients with
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26117653
TI  - Iatrogenic atrial septal defect (iASD) after MitraClip system delivery: The key
      role of PaO2/FiO2 ratio in guiding post-procedural iASD closure.

PMID- 26117654
TI  - Comparative meta-analysis of balloon-expandable and self-expandable valves for
      transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Balloon-expandable valves (BEVs) and self-expandable valves (SEVs)
      are two major types of valves utilized for transcatheter aortic valve replacement
      (TAVR). We conducted a meta-analysis of available studies to compare the safety
      and efficacy of these two valve types. METHODS: Medline search was conducted
      using standard search terms to determine eligible studies. Primary outcomes of
      the meta-analysis included death and stroke at 30days and 1year. Pooled estimates
      of procedural outcomes were also compared between the valve types. Analysis was
      performed for entire cohort and separately for patients undergoing transfemoral
      TAVR (TF-TAVR). RESULTS: Analysis of entire cohort revealed similar 30-day
      mortality in the SEV and BEV cohorts. There was no significant difference in the
      incidence of stroke at 30days between the two study groups. Both pooled
      comparisons demonstrated a significant heterogeneity with I(2)>50%, necessitating
      the use of random effect modeling. We observed a significantly higher incidence
      of new pacemaker implantation, aortic regurgitation>=2+ at 30days, valve
      embolization, and need for >1 valve following SEV implantation compared with BEV
      implantation. Analysis of TF-TAVR cohort showed higher 30day [IRR (95% CI): 1.34
      (1.19-1.52)] but a similar 1-year mortality [IRR (95% CI): 1.07 (0.96-1.19)] for
      SEV compared to BEV implantation. CONCLUSION: Compared to BEV implantation, SEV
      implantation was associated with a similar risk of mortality and stroke at 30-day
      and 1-year follow-up duration. Analysis of the TF-TAVR cohort revealed a
      significantly higher mortality at 30days among patients undergoing SEV
      implantation, compared with BEV implantation. In addition, there was a
      significantly higher incidence of other adverse events noted above, following SEV
      implantation, compared with BEV implantation.

PMID- 26117655
TI  - Dynamic UltraFast 2D EXchange SpectroscopY (UF-EXSY) of hyperpolarized
      substrates.
AB  - In this work, we present a new ultrafast method for acquiring dynamic 2D EXchange
      SpectroscopY (EXSY) within a single acquisition. This technique reconstructs two
      dimensional EXSY spectra from one-dimensional spectra based on the phase accrual
      during echo times. The Ultrafast-EXSY acquisition overcomes long acquisition
      times typically needed to acquire 2D NMR data by utilizing sparsity and phase
      dependence to dramatically undersample in the indirect time dimension. This
      allows for the acquisition of the 2D spectrum within a single shot. We have
      validated this method in simulations and hyperpolarized enzyme assay experiments
      separating the dehydration of pyruvate and lactate-to-pyruvate conversion. In a
      renal cell carcinoma cell (RCC) line, bidirectional exchange was observed. This
      new technique revealed decreased conversion of lactate-to-pyruvate with high
      expression of monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4), known to correlate with
      aggressive cancer phenotypes. We also showed feasibility of this technique in
      vivo in a RCC model where bidirectional exchange was observed for pyruvate
      lactate, pyruvate-alanine, and pyruvate-hydrate and were resolved in time.
      Broadly, the technique is well suited to investigate the dynamics of multiple
      exchange pathways and applicable to hyperpolarized substrates where chemical
      exchange has shown great promise across a range of disciplines. 

PMID- 26117656
TI  - Dental health and diet in early medieval Ireland.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: With the aim to get a better picture of dental health, diet and
      nutrition in early medieval Ireland a population-based study focusing on several
      attributes of oral health in adult individuals was conducted. The study focused
      on possible differences between sexes and age groups in terms of frequency and
      distribution of studied pathologies in order to determine whether these
      differences result from different diets, cultural practices or are age-related.
      DESIGN: Permanent dentitions belonging to adult individuals from five Irish early
      medieval sites were examined for the evidence of caries, ante-mortem tooth loss,
      abscesses, calculus, alveolar bone resorption and tooth wear. All pathologies
      were analysed and presented by teeth and alveoli. RESULTS: A total of 3233 teeth
      and 3649 alveoli belonging to 167 individuals (85 males and 82 females) were
      included into the analysis. Males exhibited significantly higher prevalence of
      abscesses, heavy wear and alveolar bone resorption, while females exhibited
      significantly higher prevalence of calculus. All studied dento-alveolar
      pathologies showed a strong correlation with advanced age, except calculus in
      females. Additionally, dental wear associated with habitual activities was
      observed in two females. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study confirm the
      data gained by written sources and stable isotopes analyses suggesting the diet
      of the early Irish was rich in carbohydrates with only occasional use of meat.
      Furthermore, significant differences between the sexes in terms of recorded
      pathologies strongly suggest different nutritional patterns with females
      consuming foods mostly based on carbohydrates in comparison to males. The
      observed sex-differences might also occur due to differences between male and
      female sex such as reproductive biology and pregnancy, a somewhat different age
      distributions, but also as a result of different cultural practices between the
      sexes.

PMID- 26117657
TI  - Native state dynamics affects the folding transition of porcine pancreatic
      phospholipase A2.
AB  - Porcine pancreatic phospholipase A2, a small and disulfide rich protein, is
      extremely resistant against chemically or thermally induced unfolding. Despite
      this marked resistance, the protein displays broad unfolding transitions
      resulting in comparatively low apparent thermodynamic stability. Broad unfolding
      transitions may result from undetected folding intermediates, residual structures
      in the unfolded state or an inhomogeneity of the native state. Using circular
      dichroism, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopy, we ruled out the existence of
      stably populated folding intermediates, whereas UV absorbance measurements hinted
      at stable residual structures in the unfolded state. These residual structures
      proved, however, to have no impact on the folding parameters. Studies by limited
      proteolysis, CD, and NMR spectroscopy under non-denaturing conditions suggested
      pronounced dynamics of the protein in the native state, which as long as
      unrestrained by acidic pH or bound Ca(2+) ions exert considerable influence on
      the unfolding transition. 

PMID- 26117658
TI  - In vitro and in vivo studies on the degradation of high-purity Mg (99.99wt.%)
      screw with femoral intracondylar fractured rabbit model.
AB  - High-purity magnesium (HP Mg) takes advantage in no alloying toxic elements and
      slower degradation rate in lack of second phases and micro-galvanic corrosion. In
      this study, as rolled HP Mg was fabricated into screws and went through in vitro
      immersion tests, cytotoxicity test and bioactive analysis. The HP Mg screws
      performed uniform corrosion behavior in vitro, and its extraction promoted cell
      viability, bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and mRNA expression of
      osteogenic differentiation related gene, i.e. ALP, osteopontin (OPN) and RUNX2 of
      human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs). Then HP Mg screws were
      implanted in vivo as load-bearing implant to fix bone fracture and subsequently
      gross observation, range of motion (ROM), X-ray scanning, qualitative micro
      computed tomography (MUCT) analysis, histological analysis, bending-force test
      and SEM morphology of retrieved screws were performed respectively at 4, 8, 16
      and 24 weeks. As a result, the retrieved HP Mg screws in fixation of rabbit
      femoral intracondylar fracture showed uniform degradation morphology and enough
      bending force. However, part of PLLA screws was broken in bolt, although its
      screw thread was still intact. Good osseointegration was revealed surrounding HP
      Mg screws and increased bone volume and bone mineral density were detected at
      fracture gap, indicating the rigid fixation and enhanced fracture healing process
      provided by HP Mg screws. Consequently, the HP Mg showed great potential as
      internal fixation devices in intra-articular fracture operation.

PMID- 26117659
TI  - Rapid implantation of dissolving microneedles on an electrospun pillar array.
AB  - Dissolving microneedles (DMNs), designed to release drugs and dissolve after skin
      insertion, have been spotlighted as a novel transdermal delivery system due to
      their advantages such as minimal pain and tissue damage, ability to self
      administer, and no associated hazardous residues. The drug delivery efficacy of
      DMNs, however, is limited by incomplete insertion and the extended period
      required for DMN dissolution. Here, we introduce a novel DMN delivery system, DMN
      on an electrospun pillar array (DEPA), which can rapidly implant DMNs into skin.
      DMNs were fabricated on a pillar array covered by a fibrous sheet produced by
      electrospinning PLGA solution (14%, w/v). DMNs were implanted into the skin by
      manual application (press and vibration for 10 s) by tearing of the fibers hung
      on the 300-MUm pillars. Separation of DMNs from the fibrous sheet was dependent
      on both pillar height and the properties of the fibrous sheet. After evaluation
      of the implantation and dissolution of DMNs with diffusion of red dye by taking
      cross-sectional images of porcine skin, the hypoglycemic effect of insulin loaded
      DEPA was examined using a healthy mouse model. This DMN array overcomes critical
      issues associated with the low penetration efficiency of flat patch-based DMNs,
      and will allow realization of patient convenience with the desired drug efficacy.

PMID- 26117660
TI  - In vivo study of immunogenicity and kinetic characteristics of a quantum dot
      labelled baculovirus.
AB  - Nanomaterials conjugated with biomacromolecules, including viruses, have great
      potential for in vivo applications. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the
      safety of nanoparticle-conjugated macromolecule biomaterials (Nano-mbio).
      Although a number of studies have assessed the risks of nanoparticles and
      macromolecule biomaterials in living bodies, only a few of them investigated Nano
      mbios. Here we evaluated the in vivo safety profile of a quantum dot-conjugated
      baculovirus (Bq), a promising new Nano-mbio, in mice. Each animal was injected
      twice intraperitoneally with 50 MUg virus protein labelled with around 3*10(
      5)nmol conjugated qds. Control animals were injected with PBS, quantum dots,
      baculovirus, or a mixture of quantum dots and baculovirus. Blood, tissues and
      body weight were analysed at a series of time points following both the first and
      the second injections. It turned out that the appearance and behaviour of the
      mice injected with Bq were similar to those injected with baculovirus alone.
      However, combination of baculovirus and quantum dot (conjugated or simply mixed)
      significantly induced stronger adaptive immune responses, and lead to a faster
      accumulation and longer existence of Cd in the kidneys. Thus, despite the fact
      that both quantum dot and baculovirus have been claimed to be safe in vivo,
      applications of Bq in vivo should be cautious. To our knowledge, this is the
      first study examining the interaction between a nanoparticle-conjugated virus and
      a living body from a safety perspective, providing a basis for in vivo
      application of other Nano-mbios.

PMID- 26117662
TI  - [Fetal abdominal cysts at the first trimester scan].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Abdominal cysts are seldom detected at the first trimester scan. The
      aim of this study is to ascertain their outcome, which is currently not
      established. METHODS: The French College of Fetal Ultrasound conducted a
      prospective observational study of 24months, collecting all cases of abdominal
      cysts discovered during the first trimester ultrasound. Cases of megacystis were
      excluded from the study. Ultrasound images, prenatal diagnosis expert reports and
      pregnancy outcomes were collected by sonographers after patient consent. RESULTS:
      Ten cases of abdominal cysts were collected. The cysts had a mean diameter of
      15mm. They were anechoic in 5 cases, hyperechoic in 2 cases and mixed in 3 cases.
      In 6 of 10 cases, complete resolution was observed at 18WG with a good post-natal
      outcome; the five cases with anechoic images were associated with normal
      pediatric examination at birth and in the case of the resolved hyperechoic image,
      an isolated imperforate anus was observed. In the four cases of hyperechoic or
      mixed images that had not resolved, the outcome was poor with four termination of
      pregnancies, including two cases of cloacal dysgenesis. CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal
      cysts are rare at the first trimester scan. They resolve in two thirds of cases
      and are then associated with good outcome. When they do not resolve or when they
      are not strictly anechoic, they require a referral ultrasound examination at 18
      and 22WG.

PMID- 26117661
TI  - The effect of phospholipid composition of reconstituted HDL on its cholesterol
      efflux and anti-inflammatory properties.
AB  - The goal of this study was to understand how the reconstituted HDL (rHDL)
      phospholipid (PL) composition affects its cholesterol efflux and anti
      inflammatory properties. An ApoA-I mimetic peptide, 5A, was combined with either
      SM or POPC. Both lipid formulations exhibited similar in vitro cholesterol efflux
      by ABCA1, but 5A-SM exhibited higher ABCG1- and SR-BI-mediated efflux relative to
      5A-POPC (P < 0.05). Injection of both rHDLs in rats resulted in mobilization of
      plasma cholesterol, although the relative potency was 3-fold higher for the same
      doses of 5A-SM than for 5A-POPC. Formation of prebeta HDL was observed following
      incubation of rHDLs with both human and rat plasma in vitro, with 5A-SM inducing
      a higher extent of prebeta formation relative to 5A-POPC. Both rHDLs exhibited
      anti-inflammatory properties, but 5A-SM showed higher inhibition of TNF-alpha, IL
      6, and IL-1beta release than did 5A-POPC (P < 0.05). Both 5A-SM and 5A-POPC
      showed reduction in total plaque area in ApoE(-/-) mice, but only 5A-SM showed a
      statistically significant reduction over placebo control and baseline (P < 0.01).
      The type of PL used to reconstitute peptide has significant influence on rHDL's
      anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerosis properties. 

PMID- 26117663
TI  - Lemierre's syndrome: An unusual presentation.

PMID- 26117664
TI  - How to avoid venous thromboembolism in women at increased risk--with special
      focus on low-risk periods.
AB  - Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of mortality during Western women's
      fertile life. Although half of thromboembolic events occur during times of low
      risk situations, almost all our knowledge is focused on medical
      thromboprophylaxis during high-risk situations. Thus, since we only use medical
      thromboprophylaxis at high-risk periods, lifestyle advice could be an attractive
      complement both during high- and low-risk situations. The knowledge of how
      lifestyle factors affect VTE risk has grown in recent years, and women at high
      risk are often highly motivated to make changes in order to reduce their risk.
      This review is focused on modifiable risk factors for VTE and advice that may be
      given to women at increased risk of VTE. 

PMID- 26117665
TI  - The controversial p.Met34Thr variant in GJB2 gene: Two siblings, one genotype,
      two phenotypes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recent advances in molecular genetics have increased the
      identification of genes and mutations responsible for inherited forms of hearing
      loss (HL), enabling early detection of these cases. Approximately, 60% of early
      onset HL cases are due to genetic causes, of which 70% are non-syndromic. Of
      these, 75-80% are inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern (DFNB). Mutations
      in GJB2 gene, coding for connexin 26 (Cx26), are the major cause of autosomal
      recessive hereditary HL, but some GJB2 mutations are yet of unclear or
      controversial significance. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to
      identify the etiology of hearing loss, and correlate genotype-phenotype, in two
      Portuguese siblings with profound and moderate non-syndromic sensorineural
      bilateral HL. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The affected subjects and their parents
      underwent audiological and genetic study. Molecular analysis of GJB2 gene was
      performed, searching for mutations in the coding region and receptor splicing
      site by automated sequencing. RESULTS: The onset and the degree of HL were
      different in the two affected subjects. However, the same GJB2 genotype
      [p.Met34Thr]+[p.Arg184Pro] was identified in both siblings. The c.551G>C
      (p.Arg184Pro) and c.101T>C (p.Met34Thr) missense variants were inherited from the
      father and mother, respectively, both heterozygous carriers of these variants.
      CONCLUSION: The clinical and genetic data here presented suggest that the non
      syndromic sensorineural HL of these two Portuguese siblings might be due to the
      presence of p.Met34Thr and p.Arg184Pro variants in compound heterozygosity. If
      so, p.Met34Thr variant could have function as a hypomorphic allele that may cause
      HL depending on the opposing GJB2 allele. The observed phenotypic variability may
      not, however, be solely explained by variable expression of this genotype. A
      putative modifier gene or mutations in another HL-associated gene could probably
      be contributing to the severe HL in one of the siblings.

PMID- 26117666
TI  - Clinical experience with video Head Impulse Test in children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A standardized diagnostic protocol for children's vestibular
      assessment is still missing in daily clinical life. As rotatory chair testing and
      caloric test are usually not tolerated well by children, the aim of our study was
      not only to evaluate the importance and practicability of the video head impulse
      test performed in children with and without balance problems, but also to outline
      a diagnostic algorithm for children with balance problems. METHODS: Fifty-five
      children aged 3-16 years have been included in this prospective monocentric
      study. Balance was assessed using results from health screening examinations of
      the participants and results from a specific dizziness questionnaire for
      children. The children were then divided in two groups: group I without any sign
      of vestibular development disorder and group II with possible signs for a
      pathological equilibrium development. Horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex (HVOR)
      was assessed using a video-oculography system device (EyeSeeCam((c))). Gain at
      40, 60, and 80ms and gain variance has been measured. Furthermore, it was
      evaluated how calibration of the system was tolerated by the participants, how
      the test itself was accomplishable in children, and which difficulties arose
      during testing. RESULTS: Reproducible test results were accomplished in 42
      children (75%). Children with no balance problems in history showed a median gain
      of 1.02 (+/-0.28). A significant gain reduction between 40 and 80ms was found
      (P<0.05). Catch-up saccades were found in none of the children. Children with
      balance problems had a significantly reduced gain. (0.47+/-0.3; P<0.05) In this
      group, catch-up saccades could be detected in 4 out of 6 patients. For both
      groups, performing the test approximately took 20min, which is significantly
      longer than in adults (P<0.05). Calibration of the system with laser dots was
      easily doable in children aged 6 and older, whereas children between 3 and 5
      years had better calibration results using colorful little icons. CONCLUSIONS:
      Video head impulse test is a sensitive and efficient vestibular test in children,
      which is tolerated well by children aged 3-16 years. Therefore, video head
      impulse test can be easily used as a screening tool to detect vestibular
      dysfunction in the pediatric population.

PMID- 26117667
TI  - [Viper bite at the external genitalia in a child].
AB  - We report on a case of severe envenomation due to viper bites at the external
      genitalia in an 8-year-old child. The grade III poisoning involved hemostatic
      disorders and severe swelling. The patient consulted in a timely manner and
      recovered rapidly after antivenom FAV Africa((r)) administration. 

PMID- 26117668
TI  - Reviewing the safety of GH replacement therapy in adults.
AB  - CONTEXT: Systematic data on safety of growth hormone (GH) replacement therapy in
      adult GH deficiency is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To systematically describe safety of
      adult GH replacement therapy on glucose metabolism and long term safety. DESIGN:
      A systematic web-based search of PubMed was performed guided by the Standard
      Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).
      OUTCOME: Randomised controlled trials of >=3 months and open trials for >=12
      months with more than 50 adult patients (50 patient years, prospective and
      retrospective) including adverse event reporting as well as articles on mortality
      primarily on adult onset patients, reporting mortality ratios on GH treated
      patients, were included for the review. RESULTS: Based on the defined selection
      criteria 94 studies were included. The short-term early placebo controlled trials
      did not demonstrate an increased frequency of diabetes mellitus (DM) and the long
      term open studies did not consistently show an increased incidence of DM during
      GH replacement. The concern that long-term GH replacement might increase the risk
      of primary cancer, secondary neoplasia after tumour treatment and recurrence of
      previous tumours was not evident in the study data. CONCLUSION: Based on
      available data, short- and long-term adult GH replacement in patients with severe
      GH deficiency and hypopituitarism is safe. However, the small number of subjects,
      limitation of long-term of GH treatment data and absence of an adequate control
      population is still a limitation for the interpretation of these data.

PMID- 26117669
TI  - Split table improves access for harvest of medial sural artery perforator flap.

PMID- 26117670
TI  - An important investment to control Acute Rheumatic Fever needs to run its course.

PMID- 26117671
TI  - Ethnic differences in acute hospitalisations for otitis media and elective
      hospitalisations for ventilation tubes in New Zealand children aged 0-14 years.
AB  - AIMS: This paper describes ethnic differences in acute hospitalisations for
      otitis media (OM) and elective hospitalisations for ventilation tube insertion in
      New Zealand children aged 0-14 years. Ethnic differences in first attendances at
      Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) outpatient clinics are also described. METHOD: The
      analysis included all hospital admissions of children aged 0-14 years during 2002
      2008 which met the following criteria: Acute admissions with an ICD-10-AM primary
      diagnosis code of otitis media; and elective admissions with a primary procedure
      code of ventilation tube insertion. First attendances at ENT outpatient clinics
      during 2007-2008 were also reviewed. Explanatory variables included ethnicity,
      gender, age, and NZ Deprivation Index decile. RESULTS: Among 0-4 year olds, Maori
      and Pacific children were more likely to be admitted acutely for otitis media
      than European children. In contrast, both Maori and Pacific children had lower
      rates of elective admissions for ventilation tube insertion, with ethnic
      differences being most marked for children from the most deprived areas. Maori
      and Pacific children aged 5-14 years also had higher acute otitis media admission
      rates than European children. In contrast to their younger counterparts however,
      they also had higher rates of ventilation tube insertion. Exploration of ENT
      outpatient data for children 0-4 years revealed similar first appointment rates
      for European and Maori children, but lower rates for Pacific and Asian children.
      For the 5-14 age group, first appointment rates were higher for Maori and Pacific
      children than for European children. However, Maori and Pacific children in both
      age groups had higher rates of non-attendance at their first ENT appointments
      than European children. CONCLUSION: This study highlights ethnic differences in
      access to ventilation tubes amongst New Zealand's 0-4 year olds, with the
      greatest inequalities being seen for Maori, Pacific and Asian children living in
      the most deprived areas. For Maori and Pacific children, such differences cannot
      be attributed to lower rates of AOM or OME compared to European children. The
      fact that similar patterns are not seen for children aged 5-14 years potentially
      suggests that routine Well Child hearing screening may be playing a role in
      identifying unmet need in this older age group. Such disparities also suggest
      that factors over and above OM prevalence may be influencing access to
      ventilation tubes. Further research is required to determine why Maori and
      Pacific children (0-4 years) have similar/lower ENT appointment rates than
      European children, despite a higher burden of middle ear disease, as well as
      higher non-attendance rates at outpatient clinics. Given the importance of early
      detection and treatment of OM for children's ongoing well-being and education, a
      greater understanding of the reasons for these inequalities is urgently required.

PMID- 26117672
TI  - Whooping cough-where are we now? A review.
AB  - AIMS: This paper describes the recent trends of pertussis and vaccine uptake in
      New Zealand based on notifications and immunisation registration information
      since 2011. It highlights the current risk for the infant in the first months
      after birth and the crucial role a pertussis booster in pregnancy could play. It
      also aims to show that protection of infants by the acellular pertussis vaccine
      can be improved by timely immunisation even in a situation of improving overall
      uptake rates that are nearing the national target of 95%. METHODS: We analysed
      New Zealand notification data for pertussis, extracted from EpiSurv between
      August 2011 and December 2013, which included the period of the last epidemic.
      Pertussis immunisation coverage data were extracted from the National
      Immunisation Register (NIR). Population estimates were based on 2006 census data.
      Deprivation was analysed using the New Zealand Deprivation Index 2006. RESULTS:
      Despite immunisation coverage at 12 months having exceeded 90% New Zealand
      experienced a large epidemic from 2011 to 2014, with several hundred infant
      hospitalisations and three deaths. Notification data indicated an average annual
      rate of pertussis in the New Zealand population of 102 per 100,000 with the
      highest rates in the youngest age groups. While an overall increase in
      immunisation coverage in New Zealand was evident and the timeliness showed
      improvement across ethnic groups and deprivation deciles, there was a marked
      geographical variation within DHBs and between ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Given
      the recent published evidence, pertussis vaccination should be offered to all
      mothers between weeks 28 and 38 of pregnancy. Further improvements are still
      possible in coverage at 6 months, particularly in Maori and but also in Pacific
      populations, as well as in more deprived populations. DHBs work towards achieving
      the 95% target can contribute to the improvement in the timeliness of
      immunisation.

PMID- 26117673
TI  - The role of echocardiography in Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia at Auckland
      City Hospital.
AB  - AIMS: Current guidelines recommend echocardiography in all episodes of
      Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB). This study aimed to determine whether a
      very low-risk group of patients with SAB could be found in whom echocardiography
      was of no incremental diagnostic value for the diagnosis of infective
      endocarditis. METHODS: Using the ANZCOSS dataset, we identified 574 eligible
      episodes of adult SAB at Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) between 2007 and
      2012, and retrospectively obtained additional microbiological and clinical data.
      Prevalence of IE was determined using the modified Duke's criteria for diagnosis
      of IE. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine whether
      risk factors were independently associated with IE, and we also assessed their
      negative predictive value (NPV). RESULTS: Transthoracic and/or transoesophageal
      echocardiography was performed in 370 (65%) episodes of SAB. The prevalence of
      clinically definite and clinically possible IE was 5.6% and 8.5%, respectively.
      Thirty day all-cause mortality was 11.7%. The factors with the highest NPV when
      absent in hospital-acquired SAB were non central venous line-associated
      bacteraemia (100%), persistent bacteraemia (96%), and presence of a prosthetic
      valve or cardiac rhythm management (CRM) device (95%). When none of these three
      criteria were present the NPV was 100% (99-100%). CONCLUSIONS: A group of very
      low risk patients was found in our study: central line-associated SAB without
      prosthetic valves / CRM devices and without persistent bacteraemia. These
      patients had no episodes of IE and echocardiography is of no incremental
      diagnostic benefit.

PMID- 26117674
TI  - HIV-associated tuberculosis in Auckland.
AB  - AIM: New Zealand has low rates of disease caused by to Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      (TB) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This study is the first to describe
      a New Zealand cohort of patients with HIV-associated TB. METHOD: We
      retrospectively reviewed the clinical records, laboratory data and chest
      radiographs of all patients who were diagnosed with HIV-associated TB and who
      commenced treatment for TB disease at Auckland City Hospital between January 1997
      and July 2009. RESULTS: During the 12-and-a-half year study period, 40 patients
      were diagnosed with HIV-associated TB. The median age was 37 years and the median
      CD4 count was 130 cells/mm3. Only 2 patients were New Zealand born. Twenty-four
      (60%) patients had known HIV infection prior to their diagnosis of TB disease.
      Two patients with known HIV infection and positive tuberculin skin tests had not
      received treatment for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Twenty-three (58%)
      patients received antiretroviral treatment during their TB treatment. There were
      21 episodes of treatment interruption or immune reconstitution inflammatory
      syndrome. Three (8%) patients died. CONCLUSIONS: New Zealand continues to have a
      low incidence of HIV-associated TB. Early HIV diagnosis with universal screening
      and the treatment of LTBI in persons living with HIV infection is key to
      minimising the disease burden.

PMID- 26117675
TI  - Efficacy of intralesional triamcinolone injections for benign refractory
      oesophageal strictures at Counties Manukau Health, New Zealand.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Refractory benign strictures of the oesophagus can present a
      significant clinical challenge and may require repeated attempts at dilatation.
      Intralesional triamcinolone injections have been used in a limited number of
      studies to aid in the dilatation of benign, refractory oesophageal strictures. It
      is hypothesised that intralesional steroid injection inhibits the scar formation,
      thereby reducing the need for dilatations. The purpose of this study was to
      assess if steroid injection reduces the need for serial endoscopic dilatations
      and aids in maintaining oesophageal patency. METHOD: We report a case series of
      25 patients with refractory oesophageal strictures. The mean age was 75 years and
      range between 41-95 years. The etiology of strictures consisted of peptic (68%),
      anastomotic (4%), radiation induced (16%) and eosinophilic oesophagitis (12%).
      Majority (75%) were distal in location. Triamcinolone (40-80 mg) was injected via
      25-gauge sclerotherapy catheter in a four quadrantic manner in aliquots of 0.5 ml
      each into the proximal end of the stricture and also into the stricture itself
      after dilatation. Dilatation was carried out with over the guidewire Savary
      Gilliard or through the scope (CRE) Balloon dilators depending upon the
      preference of the endoscopist. Dilatations were continued every 4-6 weeks until
      asymptomatic and/or endoscopic resolution of stricture. Periodic Dilatation Index
      (PDI) was calculated by the number of dilatations required over the duration of
      time in months. RESULTS: The number of dilatations reduced from mean of 3.12 to
      1.41 in the peptic strictures but there was no decrease in the other groups.
      However, the triamcinolone injection resulted in reducing the periodic dilatation
      index in all groups except the eosinophilic oesophagitis. The rate ratio of PDI
      before and after intralesional triamcinolone injection use being 0.45 with 95%
      confidence interval [0.30 -0.68] (p=0.0005). Furthermore triamcinolone injections
      showed a trend to increase the maximal achieved diameter of the strictures.
      CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the efficacy of triamcinolone intralesional
      steroids in reducing the requirement for repeated dilatations in refractory
      peptic strictures of oesophagus. Strictures related to eosinophilic oesophagitis
      failed to demonstrate similar efficacy.

PMID- 26117676
TI  - Barriers to successful cessation among young late-onset smokers.
AB  - AIMS: To understand the barriers to cessation among young late-onset smokers
      (young adults who started smoking daily after turning 18). Such information is
      crucial to the development of interventions aimed at reducing the high smoking
      prevalence among young adults. METHOD: The New Zealand Smoking Monitor is a
      fortnightly telephone survey of current smokers and recent quitters. This study
      focused on responses from a group of late-onset smokers aged 18 to 28 years (N =
      111), who were temporarily (for 11 fortnights) added to the monitor. RESULTS:
      Most respondents had low nicotine dependence and were actively trying to quit
      (81% had made at least one attempt that lasted 24 hours or longer in the last
      year). One-half had high self-efficacy to quit and three-quarters did not intend
      to use cessation aids. Smoking was tightly linked to drinking alcohol and
      conferred social benefits (eg, 51% agreed "smoking helped me to socialise").
      CONCLUSION: The tendency not to use cessation aids, strong links between smoking
      and drinking, and the social benefits of smoking may act as barriers to
      successful cessation among young late-onset smokers. Policies and interventions
      aimed at breaking associations between smoking, drinking and socialising (eg,
      smokefree bars) could be effective for this group.

PMID- 26117677
TI  - Karyotypes, confined blood chimerism, and confusion: a case of genetic sex
      mislabelling and its potential consequences.
AB  - Disorders of sex development (DSD) encompass a range of conditions, and the
      management of infants with DSD can be extremely complex. However, the
      misdiagnosis of a normal infant as a case of DSD may lead to unfortunate long
      term consequences for the individual and the family. We report a case of confined
      blood chimerism masking as 46 XY gonadal dysgenesis in a female from a twin pair
      with discordant genders, which led to incorrect sex determination at birth. The
      potentially serious consequences of a wrong DSD diagnosis are discussed,
      including the removal of normal ovaries. This case emphasises the importance of
      confirming a blood karyotype where there is discordance with the clinical
      phenotype and, where possible, identifying whether functional gonadal tissue is
      present. 

PMID- 26117678
TI  - Domperidone safety: a mini-review of the science of QT prolongation and clinical
      implications of recent global regulatory recommendations.
AB  - AIMS: In New Zealand, domperidone is approved for gastrointestinal motility and
      nausea and vomiting. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recently concluded that
      domperidone poses a significant risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) and has
      restricted use in Europe. This paper reviews the risk of QT prolongation and
      cardiac adverse effects with domperidone and provide information to allow
      prescribers to make informed decisions on usage. METHODS: A search of two
      bibliographic databases, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) website, Micromedex,
      Lexicomp and reference texts was undertaken for domperidone related reports of QT
      prolongation, cardiac arrhythmias and/or SCD. The New Zealand Centre for Adverse
      Drugs Reaction Monitoring was also contacted for cardiac adverse event reports
      with domperidone. RESULTS: Over 30 published papers, EMA documents and other
      information sources were collated, including two studies that met thorough QT
      study (TQT) criteria (ICH-E14). The first TQT1 was negative while the second was
      marginally positive. Reports of QT prolongation, ventricular arrhythmias and SCD
      were located (predominantly high/very high-dose IV domperidone). With oral
      domperidone, a Dutch case-controlled study reported an adjusted odds ratio of SCD
      of 11.4 (95% CI 1.99-65.2), based on only three patients out of 1,366 cases of
      SCD. A second nested case-controlled study calculated an odds ratio of
      ventricular arrhythmia or SCD of 1.59 (1.28-1.98) vs. placebo. DISCUSSION: Based
      on the results of the two TQT (the regulatory agency gold standard for assessment
      of QT prolongation) domperidone does not appear to be strongly associated with QT
      prolongation at oral doses of 20 mg QID in healthy volunteers. Further, there are
      limited case reports supporting an association with cardiac dysfunction, and the
      frequently cited case-control studies have significant flaws. While there remains
      an ill-defined risk at higher systemic concentrations, especially in patients
      with a higher baseline risk of QT prolongation, our review does not support the
      view that domperidone presents intolerable risk.

PMID- 26117679
TI  - Not a simple back pain.

PMID- 26117680
TI  - Recalcitrant peripheral spondyloarthritis treated with radiotherapy.

PMID- 26117681
TI  - Direct access GP referral for ETT functions as a virtual clinic.

PMID- 26117682
TI  - Uptake of new medicines: the Pharmaceutical Management Agency of New Zealand
      (PHARMAC) in the international context.

PMID- 26117683
TI  - Improving our strategy to prevent and control measles outbreaks.

PMID- 26117684
TI  - Pregnancy complications in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The great majority of studies performed so far concerning women
      diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have focused on diagnosis,
      menstrual cycle abnormalities, hirsutism and infertility. Although progress has
      been made in developing methods for achieving a pregnancy and reducing multiple
      gestations in women with PCOS, little attention has been paid to pregnancy
      complications and subsequent child outcomes. This review aims to summarize
      current knowledge regarding the clinical and pathophysiological features of
      pregnancy and children in women with PCOS. METHODS: A literature search up to
      April 2015 was performed in PubMed, Medline, the Cochrane Library and Web of
      Science without language restriction. All articles were initially screened for
      title and abstract and full texts of eligible articles were subsequently
      selected. Systematic reviews with meta-analysis were initially included for each
      specific subject. Recent randomised controlled trials (RCTs), which were not
      included in the systematic reviews, were also included. In addition to evidence
      from meta-analyses or RCTs, we used non-randomized prospective, uncontrolled
      prospective, retrospective and experimental studies. When specific data for
      patients with PCOS were lacking, results from general population studies were
      reported. RESULTS: Women with PCOS exhibit a clinically significant increased
      risk of pregnancy complications compared with controls. Data which were not
      adjusted for BMI or other confounders demonstrated in PCOS a 3-4-fold increased
      risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia, a 3-fold increased risk
      of gestational diabetes and 2-fold higher chance for premature delivery. Features
      characteristic of PCOS, such as hyperandrogenism, obesity, insulin resistance and
      metabolic abnormalities, may contribute to the increased risk of obstetric and
      neonatal complications. Limited available data suggest that offspring of women
      with PCOS have an increased risk for future metabolic and reproductive
      dysfunction. Underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of pregnancy complications
      along with its association with health of offspring remain uncertain. To date,
      the strategies for prevention and management of pregnancy complications in women
      with PCOS, and whether long-term health of these women is influenced, and to what
      extent, by pregnancy and/or pregnancy complications, remain to be elucidated.
      CONCLUSIONS: Women with PCOS show an increased risk of pregnancy complications.
      Heterogeneous aetiological factors involved in PCOS and associated co-morbidities
      may all be involved in compromised pregnancy and child outcomes. In women with
      PCOS, a possible relationship with genetic, environmental, clinical and
      biochemical factors involved in this complex condition, as well as with pregnancy
      complications and long-term health for both mother and child, remains to be
      established.

PMID- 26117685
TI  - Proximal Row Carpectomy.
AB  - Proximal row carpectomy (PRC) has earned a respected place in the hand surgeon's
      armamentarium. Prerequisites for the standard PRC are good cartilage on the
      proximal pole of capitate and in the lunate fossa of radius. If there is
      cartilage damage on the proximal pole of capitate, the modification of Salomon
      and Eaton is a reasonable alternative to the standard PRC. The most important
      surgical step is preservation of the radioscaphocapitate ligament. Good long-term
      results can be achieved, and with careful patient selection the operation can be
      done successfully in people who use their hands for heavy work. 

PMID- 26117686
TI  - Metformin for the treatment of gestational diabetes: An updated meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of metformin and insulin in the treatment of
      pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: A meta-analysis
      was conducted by including randomized controlled trials comparing metformin and
      insulin in GDM. An electronic search was conducted to identify relevant studies.
      Data were synthesized by a random effects meta-analysis model. A Bayesian
      analysis was also performed to account for uncertainties in the treatment
      efficacy. RESULTS: Eight clinical trials involving 1712 individuals were included
      in the final analysis. The pooled estimates of metformin-insulin differences were
      very small and statistically non-significant in fasting plasma glucose,
      postprandial plasma glucose and HbA1c, measured at 36-37 weeks of gestation.
      Notably, 14-46% of those receiving metformin required additional insulin.
      Compared with the insulin group, metformin treatment was associated with a lower
      incidence of neonatal hypoglycemia (relative risk, RR 0.74; 95% CI 0.58-0.93;
      P=0.01) and of neonatal intensive care admission (RR 0.76; 95% CI 0.59-0.97;
      P=0.03). Bayesian analysis revealed that the efficacy of metformin was
      consistently higher than insulin with a probability of over 98% on these two
      neonatal complications. Other outcomes were not significantly different between
      the two treatment groups. CONCLUSION: In women with gestational diabetes,
      metformin use and insulin therapy have comparable glycemic control profile, but
      metformin use was associated with lower risk of neonatal hypoglycemia.

PMID- 26117687
TI  - Endocytosis of a maltose permease is induced when amylolytic enzyme production is
      repressed in Aspergillus oryzae.
AB  - In the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae, amylolytic enzyme production is
      induced by the presence of maltose. Previously, we identified a putative maltose
      permease (MalP) gene in the maltose-utilizing cluster of A. oryzae. malP
      disruption causes a significant decrease in alpha-amylase activity and maltose
      consumption, indicating that MalP is a maltose transporter required for
      amylolytic enzyme production in A. oryzae. Although the expression of amylase
      genes and malP is repressed by the presence of glucose, the effect of glucose on
      the abundance of functional MalP is unknown. In this study, we examined the
      effect of glucose and other carbon sources on the subcellular localization of
      green fluorescence protein (GFP)-tagged MalP. After glucose addition, GFP-MalP at
      the plasma membrane was internalized and delivered to the vacuole. This glucose
      induced internalization of GFP-MalP was inhibited by treatment with latrunculin
      B, an inhibitor of actin polymerization. Furthermore, GFP-MalP internalization
      was inhibited by repressing the HECT ubiquitin ligase HulA (ortholog of yeast
      Rsp5). These results suggest that MalP is transported to the vacuole by
      endocytosis in the presence of glucose. Besides glucose, mannose and 2
      deoxyglucose also induced the endocytosis of GFP-MalP and amylolytic enzyme
      production was inhibited by the addition of these sugars. However, neither the
      subcellular localization of GFP-MalP nor amylolytic enzyme production was
      influenced by the addition of xylose or 3-O-methylglucose. These results imply
      that MalP endocytosis is induced when amylolytic enzyme production is repressed. 

PMID- 26117688
TI  - The Aspergillus nidulans bimC4 mutation provides an excellent tool for
      identification of kinesin-14 inhibitors.
AB  - Centrosome amplification is a hallmark of many types of cancer cells, and
      clustering of multiple centrosomes is critical for cancer cell survival and
      proliferation. Human kinesin-14 HSET/KFIC1 is essential for centrosome
      clustering, and its inhibition leads to the specific killing of cancer cells with
      extra centrosomes. Since kinesin-14 motor domains are conserved evolutionarily,
      we conceived a strategy of obtaining kinesin-14 inhibitors using Aspergillus
      nidulans, based on the previous result that loss of the kinesin-14 KlpA rescues
      the non-viability of the bimC4 kinesin-5 mutant at 42  degrees C. However, it was
      unclear whether alteration of BimC or any other non-KlpA protein would be a major
      factor reversing the lethality of the bimC4 mutant. Here we performed a genome
      wide screen for bimC4 suppressors and obtained fifteen suppressor strains. None
      of the suppressor mutations maps to bimC. The vast majority of them contain
      mutations in the klpA gene, most of which are missense mutations affecting the C
      terminal motor domain. Our study confirms that the bimC4 mutant is suitable for a
      cell-based screen for chemical inhibitors of kinesin-14. Since the selection is
      based on enhanced growth rather than diminished growth, cytotoxic compounds can
      be excluded.

PMID- 26117689
TI  - MRI and (1)H MRS findings of hepatobilary changes and cholangiocarcinoma
      development in hamsters infected with Opisthorchis viverrini and treated with N
      nitrosodimethylamine.
AB  - 3 T MRI and (1)H MRS were useful for quantitative investigation of the serial
      development of hepatobiliary changes in Opisthorchis viverrini infection in
      hamsters, and the differential diagnosis of cholangiocacinoma (CCA) development
      from bile duct changes and normal condition is unclear. In this study, we
      investigated the serial development of hepatobiliary changes and CCAgenesis in O.
      viverrini-infected and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) treated hamsters (ON group)
      using 3 T MRI and (1)H MRS and the results were compared with those either in the
      O. viverrini-infected group (OV group) and uninfected normal controls. In the ON
      group, CCAs were first found at 9 weeks post-infection, with sizes of ~2 mm. The
      typical MR signal characteristics of CCA were hypo- and occasionally isointensity
      signal on T1-weighted images, and mild-moderate to hyper-intensity signal on T2
      weighted images compared to the liver parenchyma. T2-weighted images with fat
      suppression revealed dilatation of the intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts, and
      often defined the anatomical level of biliary obstruction, cystic lesions, liver
      abscesses, and CCA which was starting seen of these noticeable abnormalities at 5
      weeks onwards. The results of fibrosis grading using MR images showed a positive
      correlation (r=0.90, P<0.038 by Spearman's rank correlation test) with those of
      the histopathological grading. In addition, 3.0 T (1)H MRS showed elevated
      choline and decreased lipids levels in the liver tissues of the ON group. In
      conclusion, MRI and (1)H MRS are useful for the quantitative investigation of the
      serial development of hepatobilary changes and CCA in hamsters, and are
      potentially useful as early diagnostic tools for CCA.

PMID- 26117690
TI  - Theoretical considerations in measurement of time discrepancies between input and
      myocardial time-signal intensity curves in estimates of regional myocardial
      perfusion with first-pass contrast-enhanced MRI.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to develop a method to determine time discrepancies
      between input and myocardial time-signal intensity (TSI) curves for accurate
      estimation of myocardial perfusion with first-pass contrast-enhanced MRI.
      Estimation of myocardial perfusion with contrast-enhanced MRI using kinetic
      models requires faithful recording of contrast content in the blood and
      myocardium. Typically, the arterial input function (AIF) is obtained by setting a
      region of interest in the left ventricular cavity. However, there is a small
      delay between the AIF and the myocardial curves, and such time discrepancies can
      lead to errors in flow estimation using Patlak plot analysis. In this study, the
      time discrepancies between the arterial TSI curve and the myocardial tissue TSI
      curve were estimated based on the compartment model. In the early phase after the
      arrival of the contrast agent in the myocardium, the relationship between rate
      constant K1 and the concentrations of Gd-DTPA contrast agent in the myocardium
      and arterial blood (LV blood) can be described by the equation
      K1={dCmyo(tpeak)/dt}/Ca(tpeak), where Cmyo(t) and Ca(t) are the relative
      concentrations of Gd-DTPA contrast agent in the myocardium and in the LV blood,
      respectively, and tpeak is the time corresponding to the peak of Ca(t). In the
      ideal case, the time corresponding to the maximum upslope of Cmyo(t), tmax, is
      equal to tpeak. In practice, however, there is a small difference in the arrival
      times of the contrast agent into the LV and into the myocardium. This difference
      was estimated to correspond to the difference between tpeak and tmax. The
      magnitudes of such time discrepancies and the effectiveness of the correction for
      these time discrepancies were measured in 18 subjects who underwent myocardial
      perfusion MRI under rest and stress conditions. The effects of the time
      discrepancies could be corrected effectively in the myocardial perfusion
      estimates. 

PMID- 26117691
TI  - Unenhanced breast MRI (STIR, T2-weighted TSE, DWIBS): An accurate and alternative
      strategy for detecting and differentiating breast lesions.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the role of STIR, T2-weighted TSE and DWIBS sequences for
      detecting and characterizing breast lesions and to compare unenhanced (UE)-MRI
      results with contrast-enhanced (CE)-MRI and histological findings, having the
      latter as the reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred eighty
      consecutive patients (age range, 27-73 years; mean age+/-standard deviation (SD),
      48.8+/-9.8years) underwent MR examination with a diagnostic protocol including
      STIR, T2-weighted TSE, THRIVE and DWIBS sequences. Two radiologists blinded to
      both dynamic sequences and histological findings evaluated in consensus STIR, T2
      weighted TSE and DWIBS sequences and after two weeks CE-MRI images searching for
      breast lesions. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV),
      negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy for UE-MRI and CE-MRI
      were calculated. UE-MRI results were also compared with CE- MRI. RESULTS: UE-MRI
      sequences obtained sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic accuracy, PPV and NPV
      values of 94%, 79%, 86%, 79% and 94%, respectively. CE-MRI sequences obtained
      sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic accuracy, PPV and NPV values of 98%, 83%,
      90%, 84% and 98%, respectively. No statistically significant difference between
      UE-MRI and CE-MRI was found. CONCLUSION: Breast UE-MRI could represent an
      accurate diagnostic tool and a valid alternative to CE-MRI for evaluating breast
      lesions. STIR and DWIBS sequences allow to detect breast lesions while T2
      weighted TSE sequences and ADC values could be useful for lesion
      characterization.

PMID- 26117692
TI  - A higher dimensional homodyne filter for phase sensitive partial Fourier
      reconstruction of magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - The aim of this paper is to introduce procedural steps for extension of the 1D
      homodyne phase correction for k-space truncation in all gradient encoding
      directions. Compared to the existing method applied to 2D partial k-space, signal
      losses introduced by the phase correction filter are observed to be minimal for
      the modified approach. In addition, the modified form of phase correction retains
      the inherent property of homodyne filtering for elimination of incidental phase
      artifacts due to truncation. In parallel imaging, this new form of homodyne
      filtering is shown to be effective for minimizing the signal losses, when each of
      the channel k-spaces is truncated along both phase and frequency-encode
      directions. This is illustrated with 2D partial k-space for flow compensated
      multichannel susceptibility weighted imaging. Extension of this method to 3D
      partial k-space shows improved reconstruction of flow information in phase
      contrast magnetic resonance angiography with reduced blur and enhanced background
      suppression. 

PMID- 26117693
TI  - Comparison of single voxel brain MRS AT 3T and 7T using 32-channel head coils.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare magnetic resonance spectroscopy
      (MRS) of three different regions of the human brain between 3 and 7 Tesla, using
      the same subjects and closely matched methodology at both field strengths.
      METHODS: A semi-LASER (sLASER) pulse sequence with TE 32ms was used to acquire
      metabolite spectrum along with the water reference at 3T and 7T using similar
      experimental parameters and hardware at both field strengths (n=4 per region and
      field). Spectra were analyzed in LCModel using a simulated basis set. RESULTS:
      Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at 7T was higher compared to 3T, and linewidths (in
      ppm) at both field strengths were comparable in ppm scale. Of the 13 metabolites
      reported in the paper, most metabolites were measured with higher precision at 7T
      in all three regions. CONCLUSION: The study confirms gains in SNR and measurement
      precision at 7T in all three representative brain regions using the sLASER pulse
      sequence coupled with a 32-channel phased-array head coil.

PMID- 26117694
TI  - Using 7.0T MRI T2 mapping to detect early changes of the cartilage matrix caused
      by immobilization in a rabbit model of immobilization-induced osteoarthritis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to detect early changes in the cartilage
      matrix caused by immobilization in a rabbit model of immobilization-induced
      osteoarthritis (OA) by T2 mapping with 7.0T MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Left knee
      joints of 28 mature rabbits were immobilized at 180 degrees  of extension with
      orthopedic casting tape for 1, 2, or 3weeks (n=7 rabbits each). No immobilization
      was performed in the control group (n=7 rabbits). T2 mapping was performed after
      1, 2, and 3weeks. Osteochondral specimens harvested from the trochlea groove (TG)
      and medial femoral condyle (MFC) were subjected to histologic,
      immunohistochemical, and microscopic evaluation, followed by biochemical assays
      for water, glycosaminoglycan (GAG), and collagen. The ability of T2 mapping to
      reveal changes in the cartilage matrix was further assessed. RESULTS: Rabbits
      demonstrated elevated T2 values (9.9% in TG, 10.6% in MFC), a dulled cartilage
      surface, reduced Safranin-O staining, and decreased GAG content (14.2% in TG and
      MFC) after 2weeks, with cartilage surface softening, irregularity, and markedly
      reduced GAG content by 3weeks. T2 values were correlated positively with water
      (r=0.836 in TG, r=0.821 in MFC) and negatively with GAG content (r=-0.945 in TG,
      r=-0.957 in MFC), but had no discernible relationship with collagen content (r=
      0.196 in TG, r=-0.213 in MFC). CONCLUSIONS: 7.0T MRI T2 mapping can be used to
      detect early changes of the cartilage matrix caused by immobilization in an
      immobilization-induced OA model.

PMID- 26117695
TI  - Structural information revealed by the dispersion of ADC with frequency.
AB  - Diffusion MRI provides a non-invasive means to characterize tissue microstructure
      at varying length scales. Temporal diffusion spectra reveal how the apparent
      diffusion coefficient (ADC) varies with frequency. When measured using
      oscillating gradient spin echo sequences, the manner in which ADC disperses with
      gradient frequency (which is related to the reciprocal of diffusion time)
      provides information on the characteristic dimensions of restricting structures
      within the medium. For example, the dispersion of ADC with oscillating gradient
      frequency (DeltafADC) has been shown to correlate with axon sizes in white matter
      and provide novel tissue contrast in images of mouse hippocampus and cerebellum.
      However, despite increasing interest in applying frequency-dependent ADC to
      derive novel information on tissue, the interpretations of ADC spectra are not
      always clear. In this study, the relation between ADC spectra and restricting
      dimensions are further elucidated and used to derive novel image contrast related
      to the sizes of intrinsic microstructures. 

PMID- 26117696
TI  - Intrahepatic portal vein blood volume estimated by non-contrast magnetic
      resonance imaging for the assessment of portal hypertension.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility of estimating the portal vein blood
      volume that flows into the intrahepatic volume (IHPVBV) in each cardiac cycle
      using non-contrast MR venography technique as a surrogate marker of portal
      hypertension (PH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients with chronic liver disease
      and clinical symptoms of PH (40% males, median age: 54.0, range: 44-73 years old)
      and ten healthy volunteers (80% males, median age: 54.0, range: 44-66 years old)
      were included in this study. A non-contrast Triple-Inversion-Recovery Arterial
      Spin-Labeling (TIR-ASL) technique was used to quantify the IHPVBV in one and two
      cardiac cycles. Liver (LV) and spleen volumes (SV) were measured by manual
      segmentation from anatomical MR images as morphological markers of PH. All images
      were acquired in a 1.5T Philips Achieva MR scanner. RESULTS: PH patients had
      larger SV (P=0.02) and lower liver-to-spleen ratio (P=0.02) compared with healthy
      volunteers. The median IHPVBV in healthy volunteers was 13.5cm(3) and 26.5cm(3)
      for one and two cardiac cycles respectively, whereas in PH patients a median
      volume of 3.1cm(3) and 9.0cm(3) was observed. When correcting by LV, the IHPVBV
      was significantly higher in healthy volunteers than PH patients for one and two
      cardiac cycles. The combination of morphological information (liver-to-spleen
      ratio) and functional information (IHPVBV/LV) can accurately identify the PH
      patients with a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 100%. CONCLUSION: Results
      show that the portal vein blood volume that flows into the intrahepatic volume in
      one and two cardiac cycles is significantly lower in PH patients than in healthy
      volunteers and can be quantified with non-contrast MRI techniques.

PMID- 26117697
TI  - Motion detection improvement of a pencil-beam navigator echo using a gradient
      reversal technique.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a pencil-beam navigator
      using a gradient reversal technique for reducing signal contamination from
      undesired excitation for precise motion detection and correction. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The navigator echo was obtained using normal and reversed gradient
      waveforms sequentially in three-dimensional spoiled gradient-recalled echo
      imaging. These two signals were combined in the complex domain for generating the
      final navigator data, which were used for detecting the diaphragm motion to
      nullify the side lobe effects with the smallest radius from the beam center. The
      navigator signals were compared with and without the proposed technique in
      phantom and human scans. In addition, navigator-gated imaging was performed in
      the human scans. RESULTS: In a phantom experiment, the proposed technique
      diminished signals from a phantom placed outside the beam's area. In human scans,
      the proposed technique reduced undesired signals in the navigator data for all
      subjects. The resultant images had fewer motion-induced ghosts than the images
      from the conventional technique for 8 subjects out of 10. CONCLUSIONS: We have
      demonstrated that the gradient reversal technique reduced undesired signals in a
      pencil-beam navigator. This technique can be an alternative for free-breathing
      abdominal scan when the conventional navigator technique cannot detect the
      patient's respiratory motion precisely.

PMID- 26117698
TI  - Comparative quantification of dietary supplemented neural creatine concentrations
      with (1)H-MRS peak fitting and basis spectrum methods.
AB  - Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is an analytical procedure that can be used
      to non-invasively measure the concentration of a range of neural metabolites.
      Creatine is an important neurometabolite with dietary supplementation offering
      therapeutic potential for neurological disorders with dysfunctional energetic
      processes. Neural creatine concentrations can be probed using proton MRS and
      quantified using a range of software packages based on different analytical
      methods. This experiment examines the differences in quantification performance
      of two commonly used analysis packages following a creatine supplementation
      strategy with potential therapeutic application. Human participants followed a
      seven day dietary supplementation regime in a placebo-controlled, cross-over
      design interspersed with a five week wash-out period. Spectroscopy data were
      acquired the day immediately following supplementation and analyzed with two
      commonly-used software packages which employ vastly different quantification
      methods. Results demonstrate that neural creatine concentration was augmented
      following creatine supplementation when analyzed using the peak fitting method of
      quantification (105.9%+/-10.1). In contrast, no change in neural creatine levels
      were detected with supplementation when analysis was conducted using the basis
      spectrum method of quantification (102.6%+/-8.6). Results suggest that software
      packages that employ the peak fitting procedure for spectral quantification are
      possibly more sensitive to subtle changes in neural creatine concentrations. The
      relative simplicity of the spectroscopy sequence and the data analysis procedure
      suggest that peak fitting procedures may be the most effective means of
      metabolite quantification when detection of subtle alterations in neural
      metabolites is necessary. The straightforward technique can be used on a clinical
      magnetic resonance imaging system. 

PMID- 26117699
TI  - Retrospectively-gated CINE (23)Na imaging of the heart at 7.0 Tesla using density
      adapted 3D projection reconstruction.
AB  - PURPOSE: Implementation, evaluation and application of a pulse sequence for
      retrospectively-gated sodium magnetic resonance imaging of the human heart.
      METHODS: Measurements were conducted at a magnetic field strength of 7.0 Tesla. A
      3D projection reconstruction technique using a standard (ST) and a golden angle
      (GA) acquisition scheme for short echo time (23)Na MR was applied. Data were
      acquired continuously without cardiac triggering using a free breathing regime.
      Arbitrary phases of the cardiac cycle were reconstructed using synchronization
      with a physiological trigger signal and different temporal resolutions. Phantom
      measurements and examinations of healthy subjects were performed to evaluate the
      performance of the ST and GA acquisition schemes. A signal-to-background ratio
      (SBR)--that compromises both the signal-to-noise ratio and artifacts--was
      calculated for benchmarking the GA and ST scheme. RESULTS: In phantom
      measurements, the measured SBR of the GA acquisition scheme was up to 88% higher
      versus ST. Undersampling artifacts were reduced in GA compared to the ST sampling
      scheme. Whole heart coverage sodium images could be reconstructed with a nominal
      spatial resolution of (6 mm)(3) and a temporal resolution of Deltat=0.1 s for
      covering the entire cardiac cycle. Changes in overall heart volume and myocardial
      wall thickness throughout the cardiac cycle were clearly visible in the
      reconstructed images. For the in vivo data and the imaging protocol used, GA
      provided a mean SBR of 38.0+/-5.5 while ST provided a mean SBR of 37.2+/-2.2.
      CONCLUSION: Retrospectively-gated CINE (23)Na imaging of the heart at 7.0 T using
      density-adapted 3D projection reconstruction is feasible. The GA acquisition
      scheme is superior to the ST acquisition.

PMID- 26117700
TI  - Evaluation of EPI distortion correction methods for quantitative MRI of the brain
      at high magnetic field.
AB  - High field MRI has been applied to high-resolution structural and functional
      imaging of the brain. Echo planar imaging (EPI) is an ultrafast acquisition
      technique widely used in diffusion imaging, functional MRI and perfusion imaging.
      However, it suffers from geometric and intensity distortions caused by static
      magnetic field inhomogeneity, which is worse at higher field strengths. Such
      susceptibility artifacts are particularly severe in relation to the small size of
      the mouse brain. In this study we compared different distortion correction
      methods, including nonlinear registration, field map-based, and reversed phase
      encoding-based approaches, on quantitative imaging of T1 and perfusion in the
      mouse brain acquired by spin-echo EPI with inversion recovery and pseudo
      continuous arterial spin labeling, respectively, at 7 T. Our results showed that
      the 3D reversed phase-encoding correction outperformed other methods in terms of
      geometric fidelity, and that conventional field map-based correction could be
      improved by combination with affine transformation to reduce the bias in the
      field map. Both methods improved quantification with smaller fitting error and
      regional variation. These approaches offer robust correction of EPI distortions
      at high field strengths and hence could lead to more accurate co-registration and
      quantification of imaging biomarkers in both clinical and preclinical
      applications.

PMID- 26117701
TI  - Collapsed fat navigators for brain 3D rigid body motion.
AB  - PURPOSE: To acquire high-resolution 3D multi-slab echo planar imaging data
      without motion artifacts, using collapsed fat navigators. METHODS: A fat
      navigator module (collapsed FatNav) was added to a diffusion-weighted 3D multi
      slab echo planar imaging (DW 3D-MS EPI) sequence, comprising three orthogonal
      echo planar imaging readouts to track rigid body head motion in the image domain
      and performing prospective motion correction. The stability, resolution and
      accuracy of the navigator were investigated on phantoms and healthy volunteers.
      RESULTS: The experiments on phantoms and volunteers show that the navigator,
      depicting projections of the subcutaneous fat in of the head, is capable of
      correcting for head motion with insignificant bias compared to motion estimates
      derived from the water-signaling DWI images. Despite that this projection
      technique implies a non-sparse image appearance, collapsed FatNav data could be
      highly accelerated with parallel imaging, allowing three orthogonal 2D EPI
      readouts in about 6ms. CONCLUSION: By utilizing signal from the leading fat
      saturation RF pulse of the diffusion sequence, only the readout portion of the
      navigator needs to be added, resulting in a scan time penalty of only about 5%.
      Motion can be detected and corrected for with a 5-10Hz update frequency when
      combined with a sequence like the DW 3D-MS EPI.

PMID- 26117702
TI  - Alteration of brain regional homogeneity of monkeys with spinal cord injury: A
      longitudinal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the longitudinal brain regional homogeneity (ReHo)
      changes in nonhuman primate after spinal cord injury (SCI) by resting-state
      functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHODS: Three adult female rhesus
      monkeys underwent unilateral thoracic cord injury. A resting-state fMRI
      examination was performed in the healthy stage and 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the
      injury. The ReHo value of each voxel in the monkey brain was calculated and
      compared between pre- and post-SCI monkeys with paired t test. The regions of
      interest (ROIs) in the significantly changed ReHo regions were set. The
      correlations between the ReHo change and the time after injury were also
      determined. RESULTS: Compared with those in healthy period, the ReHo values of
      the left premotor cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in post-SCI
      rhesus monkeys significantly increased in 4-week follow-up examinations. The ReHo
      values of posterior cingulate cortex, left precuneus, left temporal
      parietooccipital area, and bilateral superior parietal lobules decreased at 8
      week follow-up examinations. In 12-week follow-up examinations, the ReHo values
      of the left postcentral gyrus, right caudate nucleus, and superior temporal gyrus
      increased. Correlation analysis showed positive correlations between left ACC and
      the postoperative time. CONCLUSION: SCI can change the regional synchronism of
      brain activity in sensorimotor system and the default mode network. These
      findings may help us to understand the potential pathophysiological changes in
      the central nervous system after SCI.

PMID- 26117703
TI  - Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and CT provide comparable measurement of blood
      brain barrier permeability in a rodent stroke model.
AB  - In the current management of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), clinical criteria are
      used to estimate the risk of hemorrhagic transformation (HT), which is a
      devastating early complication. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance
      imaging (DCE-MRI) and computed tomography (DCE-CT) may serve as physiologically
      based decision making tools to more reliably assess the risk of HT. Before these
      tools can be properly validated, the comparability of the blood-brain barrier
      (BBB) permeability measurements they generate should be assessed. Sixteen rats
      were subjected to a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion before
      successively undergoing DCE-CT and DCE-MRI at 24-hours. BBB permeability
      (K(trans)) values were generated from both modalities. A correlation of R=0.677
      was found (p<0.01) and the resulting relationship was [DCE-CT=(0.610*DCE
      MRI)+4.140]. A variance components analysis found the intra-rat coefficient of
      variation to be 0.384 and 0.258 for K(trans) values from DCE-MRI and DCE-CT
      respectively. Permeability measures from DCE-CT were 22% higher than those from
      DCE-MRI. The results of this study demonstrate for the first time comparability
      between DCE-CT and DCE-MRI in the assessment of AIS. These results may provide a
      foundation for future clinical trials making combined use of these modalities. 

PMID- 26117704
TI  - Grey matter volume differences associated with gender in children with attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A voxel-based morphometry study.
AB  - Female participants have been underrepresented in previous structural magnetic
      resonance imaging reports on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In
      this study, we used optimized voxel-based morphometry to examine grey matter
      volumes in a sample of 33 never-medicated children with combined-type ADHD and 27
      typically developing (TD) children. We found a gender-by-diagnosis interaction
      effect in the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), whereby boys with ADHD
      exhibited reduced volumes compared with TD boys, while girls with ADHD showed
      increased volumes when compared with TD girls. Considering the key role played by
      the ventral ACC in emotional regulation, we discuss the potential contribution of
      these alterations to gender-specific symptoms' profiles in ADHD. 

PMID- 26117705
TI  - Exploring Tree-Like and Non-Tree-Like Patterns Using Genome Sequences: An Example
      Using the Inbreeding Plant Species Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.
AB  - Genome sequence data contain abundant information about genealogical history, but
      methods for extracting and interpreting this information are not yet fully
      developed. We analyzed genome sequences for multiple accessions of the selfing
      plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, with the goal of better understanding its
      genealogical history. As expected from accessions of the same species, we found
      much discordance between nuclear gene trees. Nonetheless, we inferred the optimal
      population tree under the assumption that all discordance is due to incomplete
      lineage sorting. To cope with the size of the data (many genes and many taxa),
      our pipeline is based on parallel computing and divides the problem into four
      taxon trees. However, just because a population tree can be estimated does not
      mean that the assumptions of the multispecies coalescent model hold. Therefore,
      we implemented a new, nonparametric test to evaluate whether a population tree
      adequately explains the observed quartet frequencies (the frequencies of gene
      trees with each resolution of each four-taxon set). This test also considers
      other models: panmixia and a partially resolved population tree, that is, a tree
      in which some nodes are collapsed into local panmixia. We found that a partially
      resolved population tree provides the best fit to the data, providing evidence
      for tree-like structure within A. thaliana, qualitatively similar to what might
      be expected between different, closely related species. Further, we show that the
      pattern of deviation from expectations can be used to identify instances of
      introgression and detect one clear case of reticulation among ecotypes that have
      come into contact in the United Kingdom. Our study illustrates how we can use
      genome sequence data to evaluate whether phylogenetic relationships are strictly
      tree-like or reticulating. 

PMID- 26117706
TI  - [Latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap combined with implant in breast
      reconstruction: The technique of the dorsal bra].
AB  - The latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap combined with an implant is an effective
      breast reconstruction solution especially in irradiated patients. The authors
      describe the specific technical aspects that allow them to optimize the results
      of this intervention. In the back, the skin paddle is drawn in the shape of a
      horizontal spindle so as to conceal the residual scar under the bra. In breast
      area, a J-shaped contraincision barring the mastectomy scar ensures a harmonious
      positioning of the skin paddle to the inferolateral part of the breast. After a
      180 degrees  rotation, the latissimus dorsi muscle envelops the implant like a
      bra. Its upper edge is attached at the bottom to define the new submammary fold.
      Under the pectoralis major muscle, its distal end comes to fill the decollete
      above the implant. 

PMID- 26117707
TI  - The role of the intensive care unit environment and health-care workers in the
      transmission of bacteria associated with hospital acquired infections.
AB  - The goal of this study was to attempt to determine the rate of contamination of
      health-care workers' (HCWs) hands and environmental surfaces in intensive care
      units (ICU) by the main bacteria associated with hospital acquired infections
      (HAIs) in Tehran, Iran. A total of 605 and 762 swab samples were obtained from
      six ICU environments and HCWs' hands. Identification of the bacterial isolates
      was performed according to standard biochemical methods, and their antimicrobial
      susceptibility was determined based on the guidelines recommended by clinical and
      laboratory standards institute (CLSI). The homology of the resistance patterns
      was assessed by the NTSYSsp software. The most frequent bacteria on the HCWs'
      hands and in the environmental samples were Acinetobacter baumannii (1.4% and
      16.5%, respectively), Staphylococcus aureus (5.9% and 8.1%, respectively), S.
      epidermidis (20.9% and 18.7%, respectively), and Enterococcus spp. (1% and 1.3%,
      respectively). Patients' oxygen masks, ventilators, and bed linens were the most
      contaminated sites. Nurses' aides and housekeepers were the most contaminated
      staff. Imipenem resistant A. baumannii (94% and 54.5%), methicillin-resistant S.
      aureus (MRSAs, 59.6% and 67.3%), and vancomycin resistant Enterococci (VREs, 0%
      and 25%) were detected on the hands of ICU staff and the environmental samples,
      respectively. Different isolates of S. aureus and Enterococcus spp. showed
      significant homology in these samples. These results showed contamination of the
      ICU environments and HCWs with important bacterial pathogens that are the main
      risk factors for HAIs in the studied hospitals. 

PMID- 26117708
TI  - Trends in the patterns of IgM and IgG antibodies in febrile persons with
      suspected dengue in Barbados, an English-speaking Caribbean country, 2006-2013.
AB  - Long-term seroprevalence studies of dengue have provided a measure of the degree
      of endemicity and future trends in disease prevalence and severity. In this
      study, we describe the seroprevalence of dengue antibodies in febrile persons
      with suspected acute dengue in Barbados. It is a retrospective population-based
      study of all febrile persons with suspected dengue from 2006 to 2013. All of the
      cases had IgM and IgG antibodies in the blood sample drawn between days 3 and 5
      of their illness. Among the 8296 cases that were tested for IgM antibodies, 3037
      (36.6%) had recent dengue infection. In the age groups <5 years, 5-20 years and
      >20 years, 23.3%, 39.6% and 35.5% had acute infection, respectively. Of the 7227
      cases with documented IgG results, 5473 (75.7%) were positive and had a past
      infection. In the age groups <5 years, 5-20 years and >20 years, 31.2%, 65.2% and
      86.6%, respectively, had a past infection (IgG positive). During the first 5
      years of life, 10-20% of febrile persons investigated for dengue had a positive
      IgM and a negative IgG titer, between 5 and 10% had a positive IgM and IgG titer,
      5% had a positive IgG and a negative IgM titer, and between 45% and 65% had a
      negative IgM and a negative IgG titer. Throughout the study period, between 12%
      and 20% of febrile persons failed to show any evidence of current or previous
      dengue. In the age groups <5 years, 5-20 years and >20 years, 45.0%, 18.8% and
      7.2%, respectively, had no evidence of recent or past dengue (both IgM and IgG
      negative). Between 37% and 59% of the febrile persons had serological evidence of
      past dengue in the absence of any current dengue. In conclusion, the pattern of
      IgG antibodies in this study was comparable to those in countries known to be
      hyperendemic for dengue. The age of infection is likely to shift to younger
      adults and children who are more likely to have severe dengue in the future. 

PMID- 26117709
TI  - Molecular analysis of rpoB gene mutations in rifampicin resistant Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis isolates by multiple allele specific polymerase chain reaction in
      Puducherry, South India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: rpoB gene mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) make the
      bacteria resistant to rifampicin. Thus, these mutations are surrogate markers for
      multi-drug resistance (MDR). The objective of this study was to evaluate an
      allele-specific multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (MAS-PCR) assay to detect
      mutations at codons 516, 526 and 531 of the rpoB gene. METHODS: In total, 127 M.
      tuberculosis clinical isolates were subjected to standard drug susceptibility
      tests. A MAS-PCR assay was then performed to detect mutations in the rpoB gene.
      Three different allele-specific PCR assays were performed (single-step MAS-PCR)
      and the amplified products were sequenced. RESULTS: Of the 127 isolates, 69
      (54.3%) were multidrug resistant M. tuberculosis (MDR-TB), 21 (16.5%) were
      rifampicin mono-resistant and 37 (29.1%) were drug susceptible. The frequency of
      mutations at codons 531, 526 and 516 was 54.4%, 18.9% and 5.6%, respectively. A
      triple mutation was found in 4 (4.4%) isolates. Mutations in regions other than
      the 81-bp region were observed at codons 413 (11.1%), 511 (12.2%) and 521 (15.6%)
      of the rpoB gene. CONCLUSIONS: The simplicity and specificity of the MAS-PCR
      assay allows for easy implementation in clinical laboratories to detect
      rifampicin drug resistance in MDR-TB strains.

PMID- 26117710
TI  - How registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and resident aides spend time in
      nursing homes: An observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Calls for improved conditions in nursing homes have pointed to the
      importance of optimizing the levels and skills of care providers. Understanding
      the work of care providers will help to determine if staff are being used to
      their full potential and if opportunities exist for improved efficiencies.
      OBJECTIVES: To explore the activities of care providers in different nursing
      homes and to identify if variations exist within and across homes and shifts.
      METHODS: A multi-centre cross-sectional observational work flow study was
      conducted in seven different nursing homes sites in one Canadian province. Data
      were collected by a research assistant who conducted 368 h of observation. The
      research assistant collected data by following an identical route in each site
      and recording observations on staff activities. RESULTS: Findings indicate staff
      activities vary across roles, sites and shifts. Licensed practical nurses
      (nursing assistants) have the greatest variation in their role while registered
      nurses have the least amount of variability. In some sites both registered nurses
      and licensed practical nurses perform activities that may be safely delegated to
      others. Care providers spend as much as 53.7% of their time engaged in non-value
      added activities. CONCLUSIONS: There may be opportunities for registered nurses
      and licensed practical nurses to delegate some of their activities to non
      regulated workers. The time care providers spend in non-value activities suggest
      there may be opportunities to improve efficiencies within the nursing home
      setting.

PMID- 26117711
TI  - What do we know about rheumatoid arthritis patients' support needs for self
      management? A scoping review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self-management support is essential to perform self-management
      behavior. To provide this support in an effective way, insight in the needs for
      self-management support is necessary. OBJECTIVE: To give an overview of self
      management support needs from the perspective of rheumatoid arthritis patients to
      help nurses to improve self-management. DESIGN: We conducted a scoping review for
      the period of January 2002 to May 2013 using the following inclusion criteria:
      (1) studies on adult patients aged 18 years and older, (2) studies from the
      perspective of rheumatoid arthritis patients, (3) studies reporting results on
      support needs, and (4) empirical studies using any design. DATA SOURCES: We
      searched in PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. REVIEW METHODS: Following the steps of
      a scoping review, we (1) identified the research question, (2) identified
      relevant studies, (3) selected studies, (4) charted the data, and (5) collated,
      summarized, and reported results. We incorporated the optional sixth step of
      consultation of a multidisciplinary panel of professionals and patients to
      validate our findings. RESULTS: Seventeen articles were included. Our review
      shows that rheumatoid arthritis patients have informational, emotional, social
      and practical support needs. We found an information need for various topics,
      e.g. exercises and medication. Patients express a need for emotional support in
      daily life, given through other RA patients, colleagues and supervisors and
      nurses. For information needs, emotional and social support it is important that
      it is tailored to the individual needs of the patient. CONCLUSION: The most
      important support needs for self-management mentioned by rheumatoid arthritis
      patients are more informational, social and practical support and emotional
      support. Considering patients' perspective as a starting point for delivering
      support for self-management can lead to the development of nursing interventions
      tailored to the needs of rheumatoid arthritis patients.

PMID- 26117712
TI  - High-definition fiber tractography for the evaluation of perilesional white
      matter tracts in high-grade glioma surgery.
AB  - Conventional white matter (WM) imaging approaches, such as diffusion tensor
      imaging (DTI), have been used to preoperatively identify the location of affected
      WM tracts in patients with intracranial tumors in order to maximize the extent of
      resection and potentially reduce postoperative morbidity. DTI, however, has
      limitations that include its inability to resolve multiple crossing fibers and
      its susceptibility to partial volume effects. Therefore, recent focus has shifted
      to more advanced WM imaging techniques such as high-definition fiber tractography
      (HDFT). In this paper, we illustrate the application of HDFT, which in our
      preliminary experience has enabled accurate depiction of perilesional tracts in a
      3-dimensional manner in multiple anatomical compartments including edematous
      zones around high-grade gliomas. This has facilitated accurate surgical planning.
      This is illustrated by using case examples of patients with glioblastoma
      multiforme. We also discuss future directions in the role of these techniques in
      surgery for gliomas. 

PMID- 26117713
TI  - Brain acetylcholine and choline concentrations and dynamics in a murine model of
      the Fragile X syndrome: age, sex and region-specific changes.
AB  - Fragile X syndrome is a learning disability caused by excess of CGG repeats in
      the 5' untranslated region of the Fragile X gene (FMR1) silencing its
      transcription and translation. We used a murine model of this condition, Fmr1
      knock-out mice (KO) to study acetylcholine (ACh) metabolism and compared it to
      that of wild-type control mice (WT). Brain endogenous ACh (D0ACh), free choline
      (D0Ch), their deuterated variants D4ACh and D4Ch and mole ratios (AChMR and ChMR)
      were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the cerebral hemisphere,
      cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum, following D4Ch administration.
      Regression analysis indicated a significant decrease with age (negative slope) of
      D4ACh, AChMR, D4Ch and ChMR in WT mice. Age dependence was only present for D4ACh
      and AChMR in KO mice. Analysis of variance with age as covariate indicated a
      significant greater D4Ch in the cerebral cortex of KO females when compared to WT
      females. Contrasts between sexes within genotypes indicated lower D0Ch in cortex
      and cerebellum of female KO mice but not in WT and lower D4Ch in hippocampus of
      female KO and WT mice. In conclusion, after adjusting for age, D0ACh
      concentrations and synthesis from deuterium-labeled Ch were similar in KO and
      control WT mice in all brain regions. In contrast, significant changes in Ch
      dynamics were found in hippocampus and cerebral cortex of KO mice that might
      contribute to the pathogenesis of FXS.

PMID- 26117714
TI  - TNF and its receptors in the CNS: The essential, the desirable and the
      deleterious effects.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is the prototypic pro-inflammatory cytokine. It is
      central to host defense and inflammatory responses but under certain
      circumstances also triggers cell death and tissue degeneration. Its pleiotropic
      effects often lead to opposing outcomes during the development of immune-mediated
      diseases, particularly those affecting the central nervous system (CNS). The
      reported contradictions may result from lack of precision in discussing TNF. TNF
      signaling comprises at minimum a two-ligand (soluble and transmembrane TNF) and
      two-receptor (TNFR1 and TNFR2) system, with ligands and receptors both
      differentially expressed and regulated on different cell types. The "functional
      multiplicity" this engenders is the focus of much research, but there is still no
      general consensus on functional outcomes of TNF signaling in general, let alone
      in the CNS. In this review, evidence showing the effects of TNF in the CNS under
      physiological and pathophysiological conditions is placed in the context of major
      advances in understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern
      TNF function in general. Thus the roles of TNF signaling in the CNS shift from
      the conventional dichotomy of beneficial and deleterious, that mainly explain
      effects under pathological conditions, to incorporate a growing number of
      "essential" and "desirable" roles for TNF and its main cellular source in the
      CNS, microglia, under physiological conditions including regulation of neuronal
      activity and maintenance of myelin. An improved holistic view of TNF function in
      the CNS might better reconcile the expansive experimental data with stark
      clinical evidence that reduced functioning of TNF and its dominant pro
      inflammatory receptor, TNFR1, are risk factors for the development of multiple
      sclerosis. It will also facilitate the safe translation of basic research
      findings from animal models to humans and propel the development of more
      selective anti-TNF therapies aimed at selectively inhibiting deleterious effects
      of this cytokine while maintaining its essential and desirable ones, in the
      periphery and the CNS. 

PMID- 26117715
TI  - Increased expression of the proton-sensing G protein-coupled receptor Gpr65
      during retinal degeneration.
AB  - The retina is a metabolically highly active tissue that is sensitive to pH
      changes. Blinding diseases of the retina are often characterized by degeneration
      of photoreceptor cells altering the acid-base homeostasis of the tissue
      microenvironment and by an accompanying inflammatory response. GPR4, GPR65 and
      GPR68 are G protein-coupled receptors that aid cells to sense and survive
      conditions of acidic pH and inflammatory cells express Gpr65 enhancing their
      viability. Hence, we investigated expression and function of these proton-sensing
      GPRs in the normal and degenerating retina. We observed increased retinal
      expression of Gpr65, but not of Gpr4 and Gpr68, in mouse models of both inherited
      (rd10) and induced (light damage) retinal degeneration. Lack of GPR65 slightly
      accelerated photoreceptor degeneration in rd10 mice and resulted in a strong
      activation of microglia after light-injury. Since GPR65 was dispensable for
      normal retinal development, function and aging as evidenced by the evaluation of
      Gpr65(-/-) mice, our results indicate that the proton-sensing G protein-coupled
      receptor GPR65 may be involved in a mechanism that supports survival of
      photoreceptors in the degenerating retina.

PMID- 26117716
TI  - Age and sex differences in c-Fos expression and serum corticosterone
      concentration following LPS treatment.
AB  - Exposure to an immune challenge during peripuberty/adolescence, but not in
      adulthood, can cause enduring alterations in reproductive and non-reproductive
      behaviors. This suggests that the peripubertal/adolescent brain might respond
      differently to a stressor, like an immune challenge, than the adult brain. The
      goal of this study was to examine whether there are age and sex differences in
      the acute response to an immune challenge. To examine this research question, we
      investigated c-Fos expression in various brain regions. Corticosterone (CORT)
      concentration in the serum was quantified to examine hypothalamic-pituitary
      adrenal axis (HPA-axis) responsiveness. Results showed that lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS; a bacterial endotoxin) treatment, induced a significant increase in the
      number of c-Fos immunoreactive cells in adult male and female mice compared to
      their saline controls. However, in peripubertal/adolescent mice, LPS treatment
      failed to increase the number of c-Fos immunoreactive cells in both male and
      female mice compared to their saline controls. LPS treatment also significantly
      increased serum CORT concentration in all mice regardless of sex and age.
      However, adult female mice treated with LPS showed significantly greater serum
      CORT concentration compared to adult and peripubertal/adolescent males and
      peripubertal/adolescent females treated with LPS. These findings support our
      hypothesis and suggest that there are important age and sex differences in acute
      immune response, which may allude to mechanisms for the enduring behavioral
      alterations, observed previously in mice exposed to an immune challenge during
      puberty but not in adulthood. 

PMID- 26117717
TI  - Developmental investigation of age at sexual debut and subsequent sexual risk
      behaviours: a study of high-risk young black males.
AB  - Background The purpose of this study was to identify unmediated associations of
      early sexual debut (ESD) on the current safer sex practices of young Black men
      (YBM). METHODS: A cross-sectional study of YBM (n=697) attending clinics treating
      sexually transmissible diseases (STIs) in three cities was conducted. ESD was
      dichotomised at the age of 13 years and under. A series of regression models were
      used to test the moderating effects of ESD and perceived parental monitoring
      (PPM). A regression model also tested the effect of years of sexual experience
      (YSE) on sexual risk behaviours, while controlling for ESD. RESULTS: Mean age of
      debut was 13.95 years. ESD results varied with significance for pregnancy
      (P<0.001), sexual partners (P<0.001), and ever having chlamydia (assessed by self
      report), but this final association was only found for older males (P=0.03). PPM
      held no moderating effect on any of the sexual risk outcomes. YSE was correlated
      with an increase in recent unprotected vaginal sex (AOR=1.19, 95%CI=1.10-1.27)
      and having a pregnant partner at the time of enrolment (AOR=1.30, 95%CI=1.17
      1.43). CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide mixed evidence for unmediated
      associations of ESD among young Black males. The study strongly posits that ESD
      may actually be a mediating variable rather than a causal explanation for sexual
      risk. The findings also suggest that advancing YSE foster diminishing vigilance
      in safer sex practices. These outcomes should be utilised to inform intervention
      development.

PMID- 26117718
TI  - The sustainable development agenda and the end of AIDS.

PMID- 26117720
TI  - Michel Sidibe: working to end AIDS as a public health threat.

PMID- 26117719
TI  - Defeating AIDS--advancing global health.

PMID- 26117721
TI  - AIDS and global health: the path to sustainable development.

PMID- 26117722
TI  - Homogeneously modified immunoglobulin domains for therapeutic application.
AB  - The field of therapeutic antibodies has been revolutionized over the past decade,
      led by the development of novel antibody-modification technologies. Besides the
      huge success achieved by therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, a diversity of
      antibody derivatives have emerged with hope to outperform their parental
      antibodies. Here we review the recent development of methodologies to modify
      immunoglobulin domains and their therapeutic applications. The innovative genetic
      and chemical approaches enable novel and controllable modifications on
      immunoglobulin domains, producing homogeneous therapeutics with new
      functionalities or enhanced therapeutic profiles. Such therapeutics, including
      antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific antibodies, and antibody/Fc fusion proteins,
      have demonstrated great prospects in the treatment of cancer, auto-immune
      diseases, infectious diseases, and many other disorders. 

PMID- 26117723
TI  - Arbitration of discrepant BI-RADS 0 recalls by a third reader at screening
      mammography lowers recall rate but not the cancer detection rate and sensitivity
      at blinded and non-blinded double reading.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the characteristics of low suspicion lesions (BI-RADS 0) at
      blinded and non-blinded double reading of screening mammograms and to determine
      the potential effect of arbitration of discrepant BI-RADS 0 recalls by a third
      reader on screening outcome. METHODS: We included a series of 84,927 consecutive
      digital screening mammograms, double read in a blinded (43,184 screens) or non
      blinded (41,743 screens) fashion, between July 2009 and July 2011. Discrepant
      readings were routinely recalled for further evaluation. During 2 years of follow
      up, radiology, surgical and pathology reports were collected of all recalled
      women. Arbitration of discrepant BI-RADS 0 recalls (only one radiologist
      assigning a BI-RADS 0 score) was retrospectively performed by a third screening
      radiologist. RESULTS: At blinded and non-blinded double reading, 32.0% and 32.5%
      of recalls were assigned BI-RADS 0 with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 7.2%
      and 6.8%, respectively. Compared to non-blinded double reading, BI-RADS 0 recalls
      at blinded double reading showed a higher discrepancy rate (9.0 versus 4.3 per
      1000 screens, p < 0.001) and false positive recall rate (10.1 versus 8.4 per 1000
      screens, p = 0.012). Arbitration of discrepant BI-RADS 0 recalls would have
      significantly lowered recall rate (from 3.4% to 2.8% at blinded double reading, p
      < 0.001, and from 2.8% to 2.5% at non-blinded double reading, p = 0.008), without
      a decrease in cancer detection rate (from 7.50/00 to 7.30/00, p = 0.751, and from
      6.60/00 to 6.50/00, p = 0.832, respectively) and program sensitivity (from 83.2%
      to 81.2%, p = 0.453, and from 76.0% to 74.6%, p = 0.667, respectively).
      Arbitration would have significantly increased the PPV at blinded double reading
      (from 22.3% to 26.3%, p = 0.015). CONCLUSION: We advise arbitration of discrepant
      BI-RADS 0 recalls, at (non-)blinded double reading of screening mammograms, to
      reduce recall rates and improve the PPV of recall at blinded double reading.

PMID- 26117724
TI  - Closed reduction of displaced or dislocated mandibular condyle fractures in
      children using threaded Kirschner wire and external rubber traction.
AB  - Most surgeons agree that closed treatment provides the best results for condylar
      fractures in children. Nevertheless, treatment of the paediatric mandibular
      condyle fracture that is severely displaced or dislocated is controversial. The
      purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term clinical and radiological
      outcomes following the treatment of displaced or dislocated condylar fractures in
      children using threaded Kirschner wire and external rubber traction. This
      procedure can strengthen the advantage of closed reduction and make up for the
      shortcomings of open reduction. From March 1, 2005 to December 25, 2011, 11
      children aged between 4 and 12 years with displaced or dislocated mandibular
      condyle fractures were treated using threaded Kirschner wire and external rubber
      traction under portable C-arm fluoroscopy. All patients had unilateral displaced
      or dislocated condylar fractures. The follow-up period ranged from 24 to 42
      months (mean 29.3 months). Normal occlusion and pain-free function of the
      temporomandibular joint, without deviation or limitation of jaw opening, was
      achieved in all patients. This closed reduction technique in displaced or
      dislocated condylar fractures in children offers a reliable solution in
      preventing the unfavourable sequelae of closed treatment and the open technique,
      such as altered morphology, functional disturbances, and facial nerve damage. 

PMID- 26117725
TI  - Confrontations with Difficult Patients: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

PMID- 26117726
TI  - Cardiologist Point of View on the Exercise Echocardiography and Multidetector
      Computed Tomography for the Evaluation of Acute Chest Pain.

PMID- 26117727
TI  - Response to letter to the Editor regarding 'Classification algorithms for the
      identification of structural injury in TBI using brain electrical activity'.

PMID- 26117728
TI  - Trancriptomic profiling revealed the signatures of acute immune response in
      tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) following Streptococcus iniae challenge.
AB  - Streptococcus iniae is the most significant bacterial disease of tilapia
      throughout the world, and commonly leads to tremendous economic losses. In
      contrast to other important fish species, our knowledge about the molecular
      mechanisms of tilapia in response to bacterial infection is still limited. Here,
      therefore, we utilized RNA-seq to first profiling of host responses in tilapia
      spleen following S. iniae infection at transcriptome level. A total of 223
      million reads were obtained and assembled into 192,884 contigs with average
      length 844 bp. Gene expression analysis between control and infected samples at 5
      h, 50 h, and 7 d revealed 1475 differentially expressed genes. In particular, the
      differentially expressed gene set was dramatically induced as early as 5 h, and
      rapidly declined to basal levels at 50 h. Enrichment and pathway analysis of the
      differentially expressed genes revealed the centrality of the pathogen attachment
      and recognition, cytoskeletal rearrangement and immune activation/inflammation in
      the pathogen entry and host inflammatory responses. Understanding of these
      responses can highlight mechanisms of tilapia host defense, and expand our
      knowledge of teleost immunology. Our findings will set a foundation of valuable
      biomarkers for future individual, strain, and family-level studies to evaluate
      immune effect of vaccine and individual response in host defense mechanisms to S.
      iniae infection, to select disease resistant families and strains.

PMID- 26117729
TI  - The immune response of cephalopods from head to foot.
AB  - Cephalopods are a diverse group of marine molluscs that have proven their worth
      in a vast array of ways, ranging from their importance within ecological settings
      and increasing commercial value, to their recent use as model organisms in
      biological research. However, despite their acknowledged importance, our
      understanding of basic cephalopod biology does not equate their ecological,
      societal, and scientific significance. Among these undeveloped research areas,
      cephalopod immunology stands out because it encompasses a wide variety of
      scientific fields including many within the biological and chemical sciences, and
      because of its potential biomedical and commercial relevance. This review aims to
      address the current knowledge on the topic of cephalopod immunity, focusing on
      components and functions already established as part of the animals' internal
      defense mechanisms, as well as identifying gaps that would benefit from future
      research. More specifically, the present review details both cellular and humoral
      defenses, and organizes them into sensor, signaling, and effector components.
      Molluscan, and particularly cephalopod immunology has lagged behind many other
      areas of study, but thanks to the efforts of many dedicated researchers and the
      assistance of modern technology, this gap is steadily decreasing. A better
      understanding of cephalopod immunity will have a positive impact on the health
      and survival of one of the most intriguing and unique animal groups on the
      planet, and will certainly influence many other areas of human interest such as
      ecology, evolution, physiology, symbiosis, and aquaculture. 

PMID- 26117730
TI  - Effects of artificial infection of Litopenaeus vannamei by Micrococcus
      lysodeikticus and WSSV on the activity of immunity related enzymes.
AB  - In this study, the activities of 5 immunity related enzymes namely acid
      phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), phenoloxidase (PO), peroxidase
      (POD) and lysozyme phosphatase (LZM)) of Litopenaeus vannamei after they have
      been injected with different concentrations of Micrococcus lysodeikticus and the
      white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) were examined. The cumulative mortality at 0,
      24, 48, 72, 96 h was obtained. Copy numbers of WSSV in L. vannamei after a single
      infection, secondary infection and concurrent infection were measured. Hemolymph
      samples of M. lysodeikticus and WSSV injected shrimp were collected at 0, 6, 12
      24, 48, 72, 78, 84, 96 and 120 h. The results were: (i) The cumulative mortality
      of L. vannamei increased as the shrimp were infected with higher concentration of
      the bacteria; (ii) The most sensitive changes of ACP, AKP and LZM were in the 6.2
      * 10(5), 6.2 * 10(6), 6.2 * 10(7) cfu/mL M. lysodeikticus group; (iii) ACP but
      LZM were more sensitive to M. lysodeikticus than WSSV, and AKP, PO and POD is
      more sensitive to WSSV; (iv) The copies of WSSV in the co-injected group were
      higher than WSSV-single infection and WSSV-bacteria-secondary infection group at
      48 h. The amount of WSSV in L. vannamei of concurrent infection and WSSV-bacteria
      secondary infection groups were higher than that of the WSSV-single infection
      group.

PMID- 26117731
TI  - Transcriptome profiling analysis of naked carp (Gymnocypris przewalskii) provides
      insights into the immune-related genes in highland fish.
AB  - The naked carp, Gymnocypris przewalskii, is one of the dominant aquaculture fish
      species in Qinghai Province, China. Its wild stocks have severely suffered from
      overfishing, and the farming species are vulnerable to various pathogens
      infections. Here we report the first immune-related tissues transcriptome of a
      wild naked carp using a deep sequencing approach. A total of 158,087 unigenes are
      generated, 2687 gill-specific gene and 3215 kidney-specific genes are identified,
      respectively. Gene ontology analysis shows that 51,671 unigenes are involved in
      three major functional categories: biological process, cellular component, and
      molecular function. Further analysis shows that numerous consensus sequences are
      homologous to known immune-related genes. Pathways mapping annotate 56,270
      unigenes and identify a large number of immune-related pathways. In addition, we
      focus on the immune-related genes and gene family in Toll-like receptor signaling
      pathway involved in innate immunity, including toll-like receptors (TLRs),
      interferon regulatory factors (IRFs), interleukins (ILs) and tumor necrosis
      factors (TNFs). Eventually, we identify 5 TLRs, 4 IRFs, 3 ILs and 2 TNFs with a
      completed coding sequence though mining the transcriptome data. Phylogeny
      analysis shows these genes of naked carp are mostly close to zebrafish. Protein
      domain and selection pressure analyses together show that all these genes are
      highly conserved in gene sequence and protein domain structure with other
      species, and purifying selection underwent in these genes, implied functionally
      important features are conserved in the genes above. Intriguingly, we detect
      positive selection signals in naked carp TLR4, and significant divergence
      occurred among tested species TLR4, suggested that naked carp TLR4 function may
      be affected. Finally, we identify 23,867 simple sequence repeat (SSR) marks in
      this transcriptome. Taken together, this study not only contributes a large
      number of candidate genes in naked carp immunity, and also helps improve current
      understanding of immunogenetics basis and evolutionary history of immune related
      genes and gene family in highland fish species.

PMID- 26117732
TI  - Construction of extracellular microenvironment to improve surface
      endothelialization of NiTi alloy substrate.
AB  - To mimic extracellular microenvironment of endothelial cell, a bioactive
      multilayered structure of gelatin/chitosan pair, embedding with vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF), was constructed onto NiTi alloy substrate
      surface via a layer-by-layer assembly technique. The successful fabrication of
      the multilayered structure was demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy,
      atomic force microscopy, contact angle measurement, attenuated total reflection
      fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,
      respectively. The growth behaviors of endothelial cells on various NiTi alloy
      substrates were investigated in vitro. Cytoskeleton observation, MTT assay, and
      wound healing assay proved that the VEGF-embedded multilayer structure positively
      stimulated adhesion, proliferation and motogenic responses of endothelial cells.
      More importantly, the present system promoted the nitric oxide production of
      endothelial cells. The approach affords an alternative to construct extracellular
      microenvironment for improving surface endothelialization of a cardiovascular
      implant. 

PMID- 26117733
TI  - Silk fibroin/sodium alginate composite nano-fibrous scaffold prepared through
      thermally induced phase-separation (TIPS) method for biomedical applications.
AB  - To mimic the natural fibrous structure of the tissue extracellular matrix, a nano
      fibrous silk fibroin (SF)/sodium alginate (SA) composite scaffold was fabricated
      by a thermally-induced phase-separation method. The effects of SF/SA ratio on the
      structure and the porosity of the composite scaffolds were examined. Scanning
      electron microscopy and porosity results showed that the 5SF/1SA and 3SF/1SA
      scaffolds possessed an excellent nano-fibrous structure and a porosity of more
      than 90%. Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and differential
      scanning calorimetry results indicated the physical interaction between SF and SA
      molecules and their good compatibility in the 5SF/1SA and 3SF/1SA scaffolds,
      whereas they showed less compatibility in the 1SF/1SA scaffold. Cell culture
      results showed that MG-63 cells can attach and grow well on the surface of the
      SF/SA scaffolds. The nano-fibrous SF/SA scaffold can be potentially used in
      tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26117734
TI  - Four-order stiffness variation of laser-fabricated photopolymer biodegradable
      scaffolds by laser parameter modulation.
AB  - The effects of various fabrication parameters of our Mask Projection Excimer
      Laser StereoLithography (MPExSL) system were investigated. We demonstrate that
      laser parameters directly change the physical properties (stiffness, thermal
      degradation, and height/thickness) of the poly(propylene fumarate) (PFF) scaffold
      structures. The tested parameters were the number of pulses, fluence per pulse
      and laser repetition rate. We present a four-order tuning capability of MPExSL
      fabricated structures' stiffness without altering the resin composition or using
      cumbersome post-treatment procedures. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential
      scanning calorimetry confirmed this tuning capability. Prototype-segmented
      scaffold designs are presented and analyzed to further expand the concept and
      exploit this in situ stiffness tuning capability of the scaffolds for tissue
      engineering and regenerative medicine applications. 

PMID- 26117735
TI  - Study on torsional fretting wear behavior of a ball-on-socket contact
      configuration simulating an artificial cervical disk.
AB  - A ball-on-socket contact configuration was designed to simulate an artificial
      cervical disk in structure. UHMWPE (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) hot
      pressed by powders and Ti6Al4V alloy were selected as the material combination of
      ball and socket. The socket surface was coated by a ~500 nm C-DLC (carbon ion
      implantation-diamond like carbon) mixed layer to improve its surface nano
      hardness and wear resistance. The torsional fretting wear behavior of the ball-on
      socket model was tested at different angular displacements under 25% bovine serum
      lubrication with an axial force of 100 N to obtain more realistic results with
      that in vivo. The fretting running regimes and wear damage characteristics as
      well as wear mechanisms for both ball and socket were studied based on 2D (two
      dimension) optical microscope, SEM (scanning electron microscope) and 3D (three
      dimension) profiles. With the increase of angular displacement amplitude from 1
      degrees  to 7 degrees , three types of T-theta (Torsional torque-angular
      displacement amplitude) curves (i.e., linear, elliptical and parallelogram loops)
      corresponding to running regimes of PSR (partial slip regime), MR (mixed regime)
      and SR (slip regime) were observed and analyzed. Both the central region and the
      edge zone of the ball and socket were damaged. The worn surfaces were
      characterized by wear scratches and wear debris. In addition, more severe wear
      damage and more wear debris appeared on the central region of the socket at
      higher angular displacement amplitude. The dominant damage mechanism was a mix of
      surface scratch, adhesive wear and abrasive wear for the UHMWPE ball while that
      for the coated socket was abrasive wear by PE particles and some polishing and
      rolling process on the raised overgrown DLC grains. The frictional kinetic
      behavior, wear type, damage region and damage mechanism for the ball-on-socket
      model revealed significant differences with those of a ball-on-flat contact while
      showing better consistency with that of in vitro cervical prosthesis simulations
      according to the literature.

PMID- 26117736
TI  - Synthesis of pH sensitive gold nanoparticles for potential application in
      radiosensitization.
AB  - Synthesis of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) for in-vivo applications involves
      reduction of chloroauric acid by a biologically important molecule which itself
      undergoes redox reaction during physiological processes in human body. But the
      GNPs often prepared by this method are not stable enough. In order to stabilize
      these particles, surfactants are used which may or may not be compatible for in
      vivo applications. Is there any other way to stabilize these particles in
      solution? In this work, the answer to this question is explored and a detailed
      study of the mechanism of the formation of GNPs is done to understand the basis
      of stabilization of nanoparticles without using a stabilizer. Chloroauric acid is
      reduced by L-tryptophan (Trp) in buffered medium and the formation mechanism is
      studied both visually and by UV-vis spectroscopy. The pH dependent structure of
      Trp was found to play an important role not only in the formation of stable GNPs
      but also in the stabilization of redispersed nanoparticles. pH sensitive property
      of the synthesized GNPs was utilized to make the GNPs accumulate at polar-non
      polar liquid-liquid interface similar to hypoxic tumor tissue environment.
      Mechanistic study of the formation of GNPs by gas chromatography throws light on
      intermediate decarboxylation process. On the other hand, fluorescence study gives
      information about the interaction of Trp with GNPs.

PMID- 26117737
TI  - In-situ photo-assisted deposition of silver particles on hydrogel fibers for
      antibacterial applications.
AB  - Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have attracted intensive research interest and have
      been recently incorporated in polymers, medical devices, hydrogels and burn
      dressings to control the proliferation of microorganisms. In this study a novel
      silver antibacterial coating was deposited for the first time on hydrogel fibers
      through an in-situ photo-chemical reaction. Hydrogel blends obtained by mixing
      different percentages of silver-treated and untreated fibers were characterized
      by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT
      IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
      (EDX). Four different fluids, such as phosphate buffered saline (PBS), simulated
      body fluid (SBF), chemical simulated wound fluid (cSWF), and deionized water (DI
      water), were used for evaluating the swelling properties. The results obtained
      confirmed that the presence of silver did not affect the properties of the
      hydrogel. Moreover, the results obtained through inductively coupled plasma mass
      spectrometry (ICP-MS) demonstrated very low silver release values, thus
      indicating the perfect adhesion of the silver coating to the substrate. Good
      antibacterial capabilities were demonstrated by any hydrogel blend on Escherichia
      coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) through agar diffusion tests
      and optical density readings. 

PMID- 26117738
TI  - Chitin dipentanoate as the new technologically usable biomaterial.
AB  - In this article, the synthesis of novel biopolymer, chitin dipentanoate (Di-O
      Valeryl Chitin, DVCH) has been described. DVCH is a chitin derivative esterified
      with two valeryl groups at positions 3 and 6 of the N-acetylglucosamine units and
      it is soluble in common organic solvents like ethanol, methanol, acetone,
      dichloromethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, N,N-dimethylmethanamide, N,N
      dimethylacetamide and ethyl acetate. Highly efficient synthesis (degree of
      esterification close to 2) of DVCH was achieved by employing a huge excess of
      valeric anhydride used as both the acylation agent and the reaction medium in the
      presence of perchloric acid as catalyst. Studies on the DVCH synthesis were aimed
      at finding optimal conditions (temperature, reaction time) to obtain DVCH with
      high reaction yield and desirable physicochemical properties. Biological data
      demonstrate that DVCH is non-cytotoxic in vitro and doesn't exert irritating or
      allergic effects to animal skin. Thanks to its filmogenic properties, it can be
      used to manufacture threads, foils, foams and non-woven materials. Moreover, DVCH
      can be easily processed by salt-leaching method to prepare highly porous
      structures exhibiting open-cell architecture, that can be further employed in
      wound dressing therapies and scaffolds for tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26117739
TI  - Electrically stimulated osteogenesis on Ti-PPy/PLGA constructs prepared by laser
      assisted processes.
AB  - This work describes a versatile laser-based protocol for fabricating micro
      patterned, electrically conductive titanium-polypyrrole/poly(lactic-co
      glycolic)acid (Ti-PPy/PLGA) constructs for electrically stimulated (ES)
      osteogenesis. Ti supports were patterned using fs laser ablation in order to
      create high spatial resolution microstructures meant to provide mechanical
      resistance and physical cues for cell growth. Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser
      Evaporation (MAPLE) was used to coat the patterned Ti supports with PPy/PLGA
      layers acting as biocompatible surfaces having chemical and electrical properties
      suitable for cell differentiation and mineralization. In vitro biological assays
      on osteoblast-like MG63 cells showed that the constructs maintained cell
      viability without cytotoxicity. At 24 h after cell seeding, electrical
      stimulation with currents of 200 MUA was applied for 4 h. This treatment was
      shown to promote earlier onset of osteogenesis. More specifically, the alkaline
      phosphatase activity of the stimulated cultures reached the maximum before that
      of the non-stimulated ones, i.e. controls, indicating faster cell
      differentiation. Moreover, mineralization was found to occur at an earlier stage
      in the stimulated cultures, as compared to the controls, starting with Day 6 of
      cell culture. At later stages, calcium levels in the stimulated cultures were
      higher than those in control samples by about 70%, with Ca/P ratios similar to
      those of natural bone. In all, the laser-based protocol emerges as an efficient
      alternative to existing fabrication technologies.

PMID- 26117740
TI  - Electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide on platinum-containing tetrahedral
      amorphous carbon sensors and evaluation of their biofouling properties.
AB  - Hydrogen peroxide is the product of various enzymatic reactions, and is thus
      typically utilized as the analyte in biosensors. However, its detection with
      conventional materials, such as noble metals or glassy carbon, is often hindered
      by slow kinetics and biofouling of the electrode. In this study electrochemical
      properties and suitability to peroxide detection as well as ability to resist
      biofouling of Pt-doped ta-C samples were evaluated. Pure ta-C and pure Pt were
      used as references. According to the results presented here it is proposed that
      combining ta-C with Pt results in good electrocatalytic activity towards H2O2
      oxidation with better tolerance towards aqueous environment mimicking
      physiological conditions compared to pure Pt. In biofouling experiments, however,
      both the hybrid material and Pt were almost completely blocked after immersion in
      protein-containing solutions and did not produce any peaks for ferrocenemethanol
      oxidation or reduction. On the contrary, it was still possible to obtain clear
      peaks for H2O2 oxidation with them after similar treatment. Moreover, quartz
      crystal microbalance experiment showed less protein adsorption on the hybrid
      sample compared to Pt which is also supported by the electrochemical biofouling
      experiments for H2O2 detection. 

PMID- 26117741
TI  - Alternative approach of cell encapsulation by Volvox spheres.
AB  - Volvox sphere is a bio-mimicking concept of a biomaterial structure design able
      to encapsulate chemicals, drugs and/or cells. The aim of this study was to
      prepare Volvox spheres encapsulating AML12 liver cells and mesenchymal stem cells
      (MSCs) via a high voltage electrostatic field system. The results demonstrated
      that AML12 liver cells and MSCs could be successfully encapsulated into the inner
      spheres and the outer sphere of the Volvox spheres. The improved cell viability
      of MSCs was achieved by the addition of collagen and polyethylene glycol into the
      preparation components of the Volvox spheres. Collagen material potentially
      provides extracellular matrix-like structure for cell adhesion while polyethylene
      glycol provides a void/loose space for permeability of metabolites. The
      encapsulated MSCs were able to differentiate into hepatocytes or hepatocyte-like
      cells and express liver cell markers including albumin, alpha feto-protein and
      cytokeratin 18. The encapsulated cells secreted albumin to about 140 ng on day
      14. Based on these observations, we conclude that Volvox spheres can be used as
      an alternative approach to encapsulate multiple types of cells, here AML12
      hepatocyte cell line and MSCs. Nevertheless, efforts are still needed to improve
      the viability of the encapsulated cells and increase the differentiation of MSCs
      into functional liver cells.

PMID- 26117742
TI  - Effect of discarded keratin-based biocomposite hydrogels on the wound healing
      process in vivo.
AB  - Biocompatible keratin-based hydrogels prepared by electron beam irradiation (EBI)
      were examined in wound healing. As the EBI dose increased to 60 kGy, the tensile
      strength of the hydrogels increased, while the percentage of elongation of the
      hydrogels decreased. After 7 days, the dehydrated wool-based hydrogels show the
      highest mechanical properties (the % elongation of 1341 and the tensile strength
      of 6030 g/cm(2) at an EBI dose of 30 kGy). Excision wound models were used to
      evaluate the effects of human hair-based hydrogels and wool-based hydrogels on
      various phases of healing. On post-wounding days 7 and 14, wounds treated with
      either human hair-based or wool-based hydrogels were greatly reduced in size
      compared to wounds that received other treatments, although the hydrocolloid
      wound dressing-treated wound also showed a pronounced reduction in size compared
      to an open wound as measured by a histological assay. On the 14th postoperative
      day, the cellular appearances were similar in the hydrocolloid wound dressing and
      wool-based hydrogel-treated wounds, and collagen fibers were substituted with
      fibroblasts and mixed with fibroblasts in the dermis. Furthermore, the wound
      treated with a human hair-based hydrogel showed almost complete epithelial
      regeneration, with the maturation of immature connective tissue and hair
      follicles and formation of a sebaceous gland.

PMID- 26117743
TI  - Interaction and effectiveness of antimicrobials along with healing-promoting
      agents in a novel biocellulose wound dressing.
AB  - An ideal wound dressing should keep the wound moist, allow oxygen permeation,
      adsorb wound exudate, accelerate re-epithelialization for wound closure, reduce
      pain and healing time, and prevent infection. Our novel biocellulose-based wound
      dressing was composed of three components: 1) biocellulose (BC), intended to
      create a moist and oxygen-permeated environment with exudate adsorption; 2) silk
      sericin (SS) known for its enhancement of collagen type I production, which is
      critical for re-epithelialization; and 3) the antiseptic polyhexamethylene
      biguanide (PHMB). To deliver an effective BC wound dressing, the interactions
      between the components (PHMB vs. SS) needed to be thoroughly analyzed. In this
      study, we investigated important parameters such as the loading sequence, loading
      concentration, and loading amount of the active compounds to ensure that the BC
      wound dressing could provide both antimicrobial activity and promote collagen
      production during healing. The loading sequence of SS and PHMB into BC was
      critical to maintain PHMB antimicrobial activity; silk sericin needed to be
      loaded before PHMB to avoid any negative impacts. The minimum PHMB concentration
      was 0.3% w/v for effective elimination of all tested bacteria (Bacillus subtilis,
      Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, Escherichia coli,
      Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The amounts of SS and PHMB
      in BC were optimized to ensure that the dressings released the optimal amounts of
      both SS to enhance fibroblast collagen production and PHMB for effective
      antimicrobial activity. 

PMID- 26117744
TI  - In vitro study of improved wound-healing effect of bioactive borate-based glass
      nano-/micro-fibers.
AB  - Because of the promising wound-healing capability, bioactive glasses have been
      considered as one of the next generation hard- and soft-tissue regeneration
      materials. The lack of understanding of the substantial mechanisms, however,
      indicates the need for further study on cell-glass interactions to better
      interpret the rehabilitation capability. In the present work, three bioactive
      glass nano-/micro-fibers, silicate-based 45S5, borate-based 13-93B3 and 1605
      (additionally doped with copper oxide and zinc oxide), were firstly compared for
      their in vitro soaking/conversion rate. The results of elemental monitoring and
      electron microscopic characterization demonstrated that quicker ion releasing and
      glass conversion occurred in borate-based fibers than that of silicate-based one.
      This result was also reflected by the formation speed of hydroxyapatite (HA).
      This process was further correlated with original boron content and surrounding
      rheological condition. We showed that an optimal fiber pre-soaking time (or an
      ideal dynamic flow rate) should exist to stimulate the best cell proliferation
      and migration ability. Moreover, 13-93B3 and 1605 fibers showed different glass
      conversion and biocompatibility properties as well, indicating that trace amount
      variation in composition can also influence fiber's bioactivity. In sum, our in
      vitro rheological module closely simulated in vivo niche environment and proved a
      potentially improved wound-healing effect by borate-based glass fibers, and the
      results shall cast light on future improvement in bioactive glass fabrication. 

PMID- 26117745
TI  - Silica-polyethylene glycol hybrids synthesized by sol-gel: Biocompatibility
      improvement of titanium implants by coating.
AB  - Although metallic implants are the most used in dental and orthopaedic fields,
      they can early fail due to low tissue tolerance or osseointegration ability. To
      overcome this drawback, functional coatings can be applied on the metallic
      surface to provide a firm fixation of the implants. The objective of the present
      study was twofold: to synthesize and to characterize silica/polyethylene glycol
      (PEG) hybrid materials using sol-gel technique and to investigate their
      capability to dip-coat titanium grade 4 (Ti-gr4) substrates to improve their
      biological properties. Various hybrid systems have been synthesized by changing
      the ratio between the organic and inorganic phases in order to study the
      influence of the polymer amount on the structure and, thus, on the properties of
      the coatings. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and solid state
      Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) allowed us to detect the formation of hydrogen
      bonds between the inorganic sol-gel matrix and the organic component. SEM
      analysis showed that high PEG content enables to obtain crack free-coating.
      Moreover, the effective improvement in biological properties of Ti-gr4 implants
      has been evaluated by performing in vitro tests. The bioactivity of the hybrid
      coatings has been showed by the hydroxyapatite formation on the surface of
      SiO2/PEG coated Ti-gr4 substrates after soaking in a simulated body fluid and the
      lack of cytotoxicity by the WST-8 Assay. The results showed that the coated
      substrates are more bioactive and biocompatible than the uncoated ones and that
      the bioactivity is not significantly affected by PEG amount whereas its addition
      makes the films more biocompatible. 

PMID- 26117746
TI  - In situ hydroxyapatite nanofiber growth on calcium borate silicate ceramics in
      SBF and its structural characteristics.
AB  - A novel calcium silicate borate Ca11Si4B2O22 ceramic was firstly prepared by the
      conventional solid-state reaction. In vitro hydroxyapatite mineralization was
      investigated by soaking the ceramics in simulated body fluid (SBF) solutions at
      body temperature (37  degrees C) for various time periods. Scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) measurements were applied
      to investigate the samples before and after the immersion of ceramics in SBF
      solution. The elemental compositions of a hydroxyapatite layer on the ceramics
      during the mineralization were confirmed by X-ray energy-dispersive spectra
      (EDS). Meanwhile, the bending strength and elastic modulus of Ca11Si4B2O22
      ceramics were also measured, which indicate that the biomaterials based on
      Ca11Si4B2O22 ceramics possess bioactivity and might be a potential candidate as
      biomaterials for hard tissue repair. The bioactive mineralization ability was
      evaluated on the base of its crystal structural characteristics, i.e., silanol
      (Si-OH) and B-OH groups can be easily induced on the surface of Ca11Si4B2O22
      ceramics soaked in SBF solutions.

PMID- 26117747
TI  - Effect of silk protein surfactant on silk degumming and its properties.
AB  - The silk protein surfactant (SPS) first used as a silk degumming agent in this
      study is an amino acid-type anionic surfactant that was synthesized using silk
      fibroin amino acids and lauroyl chloride. We studied it systematically in
      comparison with the traditional degumming methods such as sodium carbonate
      (Na2CO3) and neutral soap (NS). The experimental results showed that the sericin
      can be completely removed from the silk fibroin fiber after boiling the fibers
      three times for 30 min and using a bath ratio of 1:80 (g/mL) and a concentration
      of 0.2% SPS in an aqueous solution. The results of the tensile properties,
      thermal analysis, and SEM all show that SPS is similar to the NS, far superior to
      Na2CO3. In short, SPS may be used as an environmentally friendly silk
      degumming/refining agent in the silk textile industry and in the manufacture of
      silk floss quilts.

PMID- 26117748
TI  - Electrophoretic deposition of ZnO/alginate and ZnO-bioactive glass/alginate
      composite coatings for antimicrobial applications.
AB  - Two organic/inorganic composite coatings based on alginate, as organic matrix,
      and zinc oxide nanoparticles (n-ZnO) with and without bioactive glass (BG), as
      inorganic components, intended for biomedical applications, were developed by
      electrophoretic deposition (EPD). Different n-ZnO (1-10 g/L) and BG (1-1.5 g/L)
      contents were studied for a fixed alginate concentration (2 g/L). The presence of
      n-ZnO was confirmed to impart antibacterial properties to the coatings against
      gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, while the BG induced the formation of
      hydroxyapatite on coating surfaces thereby imparting bioactivity, making the
      coating suitable for bone replacement applications. Coating composition was
      analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis (TG), Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray
      spectroscopy (EDS) analyses. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to
      study both the surface and the cross section morphology of the coatings.
      Polarization curves of the coated substrates made in cell culture media at 37 
      degrees C confirmed the corrosion protection function of the novel
      organic/inorganic composite coatings.

PMID- 26117749
TI  - Effect of carbon on the microstructure, mechanical properties and metal ion
      release of Ni-free Co-Cr-Mo alloys containing nitrogen.
AB  - This paper investigated the effect of carbon addition on the microstructure and
      tensile properties of Ni-free biomedical Co-29Cr-6Mo (mass%) alloys containing
      0.2 mass% nitrogen. The release of metal ions by the alloys was preliminarily
      evaluated in an aqueous solution of 0.6% sodium chloride (NaCl) and 1% lactic
      acid, after which samples with different carbon contents were subjected to hot
      rolling. All specimens were found to primarily consist of a gamma-phase matrix
      due to nitrogen doping, with only the volume fraction of M23C6 increasing with
      carbon concentration. Owing to the very fine size of these carbide particles
      (less than 1 MUm), which results from fragmentation during hot rolling, the
      increased formation of M23C6 increased the 0.2% proof stress, but reduced the
      elongation-to-failure. Carbon addition also increased the amount of Co and Cr
      released during static immersion; Co and Cr concentrations at the surfaces, which
      increased with increasing the bulk carbon concentrations, possibly enhanced the
      metal ion release. However, only a very small change in the Mo concentration was
      noticed in the solution. Therefore, it is not necessarily considered a suitable
      means of improving the strength of biomedical Co-Cr-Mo alloys, even though it has
      only to date been used in this alloy system. The results of this study revealed
      the limitations of the carbon strengthening and can aid in the design of
      biomedical Co-Cr-Mo-based alloys that exhibit the high durability needed for
      their practical application.

PMID- 26117750
TI  - Bioinspired synthesis of polydopamine/Ag nanocomposite particles with
      antibacterial activities.
AB  - Mussel-inspired chemistry (polydopamine) offers great opportunities to develop
      inexpensive and efficient process for many types of materials with complex shapes
      and functions in a mild and friendly environment. This paper describes a facile,
      yet green approach to synthesize polydopamine/silver (PDA/Ag) nanocomposite
      particles with a combination use of polydopamine chemistry and electroless
      metallization of Ag. In this approach, monodisperse spherical polydopamine
      particles are first synthesized by the oxidation and self-polymerization of
      dopamine (monomer) in an alkaline water-ethanol solution at room temperature,
      which are served as the active templates for secondary reactions due to the
      abundant catechol and amine groups on the surface. Subsequently, the silver
      precursor-[Ag(NH3)2](+) ions introduced are easily absorbed onto the surface of
      the PDA particles, and are immediately in situ reduced to metallic Ag
      nanoparticles with the help of these active catechol and amine groups. During the
      preparation, no additional reductants, toxic reagents and intricate instruments
      are needed. These as-synthesized PDA/Ag nanocomposite particles are ideal
      candidates for antibacterial application because they do not show significant
      cytotoxicity against HEK293T human embryonic kidney cells in the in vitro
      cytotoxicity assay, whereas demonstrate enhanced antibacterial abilities against
      Escherichia coli (Gram-negative bacteria) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram
      positive bacteria) in the antibacterial assays. Owing to their excellent
      cytocompatibilities and antibacterial activities, these PDA/Ag nanocomposite
      particles can be considered as the promising antibacterial materials for future
      biomedical applications. 

PMID- 26117751
TI  - Osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells on poly(L-lactide)/Fe3O4 nanofibers
      with static magnetic field exposure.
AB  - Proliferation and differentiation of bone-related cells are modulated by many
      factors such as scaffold design, growth factor, dynamic culture system, and
      physical simulation. Nanofibrous structure and moderate-intensity (1 mT-1 T)
      static magnetic field (SMF) have been identified as capable of stimulating
      proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts. Herein, magnetic nanofibers
      were prepared by electrospinning mixture solutions of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and
      ferromagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs). The PLLA/Fe3O4 composite nanofibers
      demonstrated homogeneous dispersion of Fe3O4 NPs, and their magnetism depended on
      the contents of Fe3O4 NPs. SMF of 100 mT was applied in the culture of MC3T3-E1
      osteoblasts on pure PLLA and PLLA/Fe3O4 composite nanofibers for the purpose of
      studying the effect of SMF on osteogenic differentiation of osteoblastic cells on
      magnetic nanofibrous scaffolds. On non-magnetic PLLA nanofibers, the application
      of external SMF could enhance the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of
      MC3T3-E1 cells. In comparison with pure PLLA nanofibers, the incorporation of
      Fe3O4 NPs could also promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of
      MC3T3-E1 cells in the absence or presence of external SMF. The marriage of
      magnetic nanofibers and external SMF was found most effective in accelerating
      every aspect of biological behaviors of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts. The findings
      demonstrated that the magnetic feature of substrate and microenvironment were
      applicable ways in regulating osteogenesis in bone tissue engineering.

PMID- 26117752
TI  - Effect of molecular weight reduction by gamma irradiation on chitosan film
      properties.
AB  - The present work aimed the influence of molecular weight (MW) reduction by
      irradiation with (60)Co and polymer concentration on some physical properties of
      chitosan films. Irradiation of chitosan with a MW of 275.221 kDa and 74.74% of
      deacetylation degree was performed using a (60)Co source to provide doses of 5,
      10, 20 and 50 kGy to obtain chitosans with molecular weights of 247.847, 221.563,
      126.469 and 77.063 kDa, respectively. Films were prepared via the solution
      casting method. Film-forming solutions (FFS) of chitosan irradiated or not, were
      prepared at 1.5 and 2% (w/v) in a solution of lactic acid at 1% (v/v) and 0.1%
      (v/v) of Tween 80. The FFS were poured into glass plates of 400 cm(2) and dried
      at 60  degrees C during 10h without airflow. The decrease of MW and increase of
      chitosan concentration increased the tensil strength and water vapor permeability
      while decreased the elongation at break of the films. The chitosan MW did not
      significantly influence (p>0.05) the water solubility of films within a same
      polymer concentration. There was a decrease in the films' brightness with the
      increase of concentration and a decrease of the MW of irradiated chitosan, while
      the b* values of films increased and there was an increasing tendency of their
      apparent opacity.

PMID- 26117753
TI  - Photoelastic analysis of stresses transmitted by complete dentures lined with
      hard or soft liners.
AB  - Stresses transmitted on the alveolar bone ridge by lined conventional complete
      mandibular dentures can decrease the bone absorption level. The aim of this in
      vitro study was to evaluate the stresses induced on the alveolar bone ridge of
      lined conventional complete mandibular dentures by using photoelastic analysis.
      One maxillary and three mandibular conventional dentures were developed for the
      following treatments: 1 - Unlined denture (control), 2 - Denture lined with resin
      based material, and 3 - Denture lined with silicone-based material. The
      photoelastic analysis took place with the dentures in the position of maximum
      intercuspation, and the mandibular photoelastic models were axially loaded with
      10 kgf (98 N). Unlined denture (control) presented stresses along the model,
      especially on the anterior and left lateral sides with less stresses on the right
      side. On the left lateral side, the denture base lined with resin-based material
      demonstrated similar stresses to that of the control; however, lower stresses
      occurred in the premolar and retromolar regions. Denture bases lined with
      silicone-based material showed decreased fringe orders and homogeneous
      distribution of induced stresses. Both lined dentures exhibited lower stresses
      when compared to unlined dentures. Silicone-based material provided a more
      homogeneous distribution of stresses.

PMID- 26117754
TI  - Analysis of the biomechanical behavior of short implants: The photo-elasticity
      method.
AB  - The aim of this study was to analyze the stress distribution of short implants
      supporting single unit or splinted crowns by the photo-elasticity method. Four
      photo-elastic models were produced: A (3.75*7 mm); B (3.75*7 mm, 3.75*7 mm and
      3.75*7 mm); C (3.75*10 mm, 3.75*7 mm and 3.75*7 mm); D (3.75*13 mm, 3.75*7 mm and
      3.75*7 mm). The prostheses were made with Ni-Cr alloy. A load of 100 N in the
      axial and oblique directions was applied, totaling 380 applications, individually
      capturing their images in each model. The data were randomized and analyzed
      qualitatively and quantitatively by 2 examiners. The oblique loading was
      significantly more damaging. The increase in length was favorable for stress
      distribution (p<0.05). The splinting was beneficial for the transmission of
      stresses mainly (p<0.05). The splinting of the crowns, as well as increasing the
      length of the first implant and axial loading was most beneficial in the stress
      distribution. Short splinted implants behaved better than single unit implants.
      Increasing of the length of the first implant significantly improved the stress
      distribution in all analyzed situations.

PMID- 26117755
TI  - One-pot synthesis of porphyrin functionalized gamma-Fe2O3 nanocomposites as
      peroxidase mimics for H2O2 and glucose detection.
AB  - Meso-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)-porphyrin-functionalized gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles
      (H2TCPP-gamma-Fe2O3) were successfully prepared by one-pot method under
      hydrothermal conditions and were found to possess intrinsic peroxidase-like
      activity. The H2TCPP-gamma-Fe2O3 nanocomposites can catalytically oxidize
      peroxidase substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H2O2
      to produce a blue color reaction, which can be easily observed by the naked eye.
      Furthermore, kinetic studies indicate that the H2TCPP-gamma-Fe2O3 nanocomposites
      have an even higher affinity to TMB than that of the natural enzyme, horseradish
      peroxidase (HRP). On the basis of the high activity, the reaction provides a
      simple, sensitive and selective method for colorimetric detection of H2O2 over a
      range of 10-100 MUM with a minimum detection limit of 1.73 MUM. Moreover, H2TCPP
      gamma-Fe2O3/glucose oxidase (GOx)/TMB system provides a novel colorimetric sensor
      for glucose and shows good response toward glucose detection over a range of 5-25
      MUM with a minimum detection limit of 2.54 MUM. The results indicated that it is
      a simple, cheap, convenient, highly selective, sensitive and easy handling
      colorimetric assay. Results of a fluorescent probe suggest that the catalase
      mimic activity of the H2TCPP-gamma-Fe2O3 nanocomposites effectively catalyze the
      decomposition of H2O2 into H2O and O2.

PMID- 26117756
TI  - Collagen based film with well epithelial and stromal regeneration as corneal
      repair materials: Improving mechanical property by crosslinking with citric acid.
AB  - Corneal disease can lead to vision loss. It has become the second greatest cause
      of blindness in the world, and keratoplasty is considered as an effective
      treatment method. This paper presents the crosslinked collagen (Col)-citric acid
      (CA) films developed by making use of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)
      carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). The results showed that the
      Col-CA films had necessary optical performance, water content. The collagenase
      resistance of CA crosslinked films was superior to that of EDC crosslinked films.
      And CA5 film (Col:CA:EDC:NHS=60:3:10:10) had the best mechanical properties. Cell
      experiments showed that CA5 film was non-cytotoxic and human corneal epithelial
      cells could proliferate well on the films. Lamellar keratoplasty showed that the
      CA5 film could be sutured in the rabbit eyes and was epithelialized completely in
      about 10 days, and the transparency was restored quickly in 30+/-5 days. No
      inflammation and corneal neovascularization were observed at 6 months. Corneal
      stroma had been repaired; stromal cells and neo-stroma could be seen in the area
      of operation from the hematoxylin-eosin stained histologic sections and anterior
      segment optical coherence tomography images. These results indicated that Col-CA
      films were highly promising biomaterials that could be used in corneal tissue
      engineering and a variety of other tissue engineering applications.

PMID- 26117757
TI  - Fabrication of an electrochemical sensor based on computationally designed
      molecularly imprinted polymer for the determination of mesalamine in real
      samples.
AB  - A novel electrochemical sensor based on mesalamine molecularly imprinted polymer
      (MIP) film on a glassy carbon electrode was fabricated. Density functional theory
      (DFT) in gas and solution phases was developed to study the intermolecular
      interactions in the pre-polymerization mixture and to find the suitable
      functional monomers in MIP preparation. On the basis of computational results, o
      phenylenediamine (OP), gallic acid (GA) and p-aminobenzoic acid (ABA) were
      selected as functional monomers. The MIP film was cast on glassy carbon electrode
      by electropolymerization of solution containing ternary monomers and then
      followed by Ag dendrites (AgDs) with nanobranch deposition. The surface feature
      of the modified electrode (AgDs/MIP/GCE) was characterized by scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Under the
      optimal experimental conditions, the peak current was proportional to the
      concentration of mesalamine ranging from 0.05 to 100 MUM, with the detection
      limit of 0.015 MUM. The proposed sensor was applied successfully for mesalamine
      determination in real samples.

PMID- 26117758
TI  - Coatings of nanostructured pristine graphene-IrOx hybrids for neural electrodes:
      Layered stacking and the role of non-oxygenated graphene.
AB  - The need to enhance charge capacity in neural stimulation-electrodes is promoting
      the formation of new materials and coatings. Among all the possible types of
      graphene, pristine graphene prepared by graphite electrochemical exfoliation, is
      used in this work to form a new nanostructured IrOx-graphene hybrid (IrOx-eG).
      Graphene is stabilized in suspension by IrOx nanoparticles without surfactants.
      Anodic electrodeposition results in coatings with much smaller roughness than
      IrOx-graphene oxide. Exfoliated pristine graphene (eG), does not electrodeposit
      in absence of iridium, but IrOx-nanoparticle adhesion on graphene flakes drives
      the process. IrOx-eG has a significantly different electronic state than graphene
      oxide, and different coordination for carbon. Electron diffraction shows the
      reflection features expected for graphene. IrOx 1-2 nm cluster/nanoparticles are
      oxohydroxo-species and adhere to 10nm graphene platelets. eG induces charge
      storage capacity values five times larger than in pure IrOx, and if calculated
      per carbon atom, this enhancement is one order magnitude larger than the induced
      by graphene oxide. IrOx-eG coatings show optimal in vitro neural cell viability
      and function as cell culture substrates. The fully straightforward
      electrochemical exfoliation and electrodeposition constitutes a step towards the
      application of graphene in biomedical systems, expanding the knowledge of
      pristine graphene vs. graphene oxide, in bioelectrodes.

PMID- 26117759
TI  - Bio-functional nano-coatings on metallic biomaterials.
AB  - Metals and their alloys have been widely used in all aspects of science,
      engineering and medicine. Metals in biomedical devices are used due to their
      inertness and structural functions. They are generally preferred over polymers or
      ceramics and are especially desirable in applications where the implants are
      subjected to static, dynamic or cyclic loads that require a combination of
      strength and ductility. In biomedicine, the choice of a specific biomaterial is
      governed by many factors that include biocompatibility, corrosion resistance,
      controlled degradability, modulus of elasticity, fatigue strength and many other
      application specific criterions. Nanotechnology is driving newer demands and
      requirements for better performance of existing materials and presents an
      opportunity for surface modification of metals in response to demands on the
      surface of metals for their biomedical applications. Self-assembled monolayers
      (SAMs) are nanosized coatings that present a flexible method of carrying out
      surface modification of biomaterials to tailor its surface properties for
      specific end applications. These nanocoatings can serve primary functions such as
      surface coverage, etch protection and anti-corrosion along with a host of other
      secondary chemical functions such as drug delivery and biocompatibility. We
      present a brief introduction to surface modification of biomaterials and their
      alloys followed by a detailed description of organic nanocoatings based on self
      assembled monolayers and their biomedical applications including patterning
      techniques and biological applications of patterned SAMs. 

PMID- 26117760
TI  - Replication of microchannel structures in WC-Co feedstock using elastomeric
      replica moulds by hot embossing process.
AB  - Hot embossing is a net shaping process that is able to produce the micro
      components of polymers with intrinsic and complex shapes at lower cost compared
      with machining and injection moulding. However, the emboss of hard metals, such
      as WC-Co, is more challenging due to their high thermal conductivity and ease of
      agglomeration. Thus, a WC-Co alloy mixed with a wax-based binder feedstock was
      selected. The formed feedstock exhibited pseudo-plastic flow and was successfully
      embossed (green part). Here, we developed a novel process that is used to
      replicate polymer microfluidic chips while simultaneously reducing the channel
      surface roughness of the mould insert, yielding optical-grade (less than 100 nm
      surface roughness) channels and reservoirs. This paper concerns the replication
      of metallic microfluidic mould inserts in WC-Co and the parameters associated
      with feedstock formation via a hot embossing process. A suitable formulation for
      micro-powder hot embossing has been established and characterised by
      thermogravimetric analyses and measurements of mixing torques to verify and
      quantify the homogeneity of the proposed feedstocks. The relative density of the
      samples increased with processing temperature, and almost fully dense materials
      were obtained. In this work, the effects of the sintering temperature on the
      physical properties were systematically analysed. The evolution of the metal
      surface morphology during the hot embossing process was also investigated. The
      results indicate that the feedstock can be used to manufacture micro-fluidic die
      mould cavities with a low roughness, proper dimensions and good shape retention.
      The shrinkage of the sintered part was approximately 19-24% compared with that of
      the brown part.

PMID- 26117761
TI  - Susceptibility to corrosion of laser welding composite arch wire in artificial
      saliva of salivary amylase and pancreatic amylase.
AB  - In this study, laser-welded composite arch wire (CAW) with a copper interlayer
      was exposed to artificial saliva containing salivary amylase or pancreatic
      amylase, and the resultant corrosion behavior was studied. The purpose was to
      determine the mechanisms by which salivary amylase and pancreatic amylase
      contribute to corrosion. The effects of amylase on the electrochemical resistance
      of CAW were tested by potentiodynamic polarization measurements. The dissolved
      corrosion products were determined by ICP-OES, and the surfaces were analyzed by
      SEM, AFM and EDS. The results showed that both exposure to salivary amylase and
      pancreatic amylase significantly improved the corrosion resistance of CAW. Even
      isozyme could have different influences on the alloy surface. When performing in
      vitro research of materials to be used in oral cavity, the effect of alpha
      amylase should be taken into account since a simple saline solution does not
      entirely simulate the physiological situation. 

PMID- 26117762
TI  - Calcium orthophosphate deposits: Preparation, properties and biomedical
      applications.
AB  - Since various interactions among cells, surrounding tissues and implanted
      biomaterials always occur at their interfaces, the surface properties of
      potential implants appear to be of paramount importance for the clinical success.
      In view of the fact that a limited amount of materials appear to be tolerated by
      living organisms, a special discipline called surface engineering was developed
      to initiate the desirable changes to the exterior properties of various materials
      but still maintaining their useful bulk performances. In 1975, this approach
      resulted in the introduction of a special class of artificial bone grafts,
      composed of various mechanically stable (consequently, suitable for load bearing
      applications) implantable biomaterials and/or bio-devices covered by calcium
      orthophosphates (CaPO4) to both improve biocompatibility and provide an adequate
      bonding to the adjacent bones. Over 5000 publications on this topic were
      published since then. Therefore, a thorough analysis of the available literature
      has been performed and about 50 (this number is doubled, if all possible
      modifications are counted) deposition techniques of CaPO4 have been revealed,
      systematized and described. These CaPO4 deposits (coatings, films and layers)
      used to improve the surface properties of various types of artificial implants
      are the topic of this review. 

PMID- 26117763
TI  - Structural properties of pepsin-solubilized collagen acylated by lauroyl chloride
      along with succinic anhydride.
AB  - The structural properties of pepsin-solubilized calf skin collagen acylated by
      lauroyl chloride along with succinic anhydride were investigated in this paper.
      Compared with native collagen, acylated collagen retained the unique triple helix
      conformation, as determined by amino acid analysis, circular dichroism and X-ray
      diffraction. Meanwhile, the thermostability of acylated collagen using
      thermogravimetric measurements was enhanced as the residual weight increased by
      5%. With the temperature increased from 25 to 115  degrees C, the secondary
      structure of native and acylated collagens using Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy measurements was destroyed since the intensity of the major amide
      bands decreased and the positions of the major amide bands shifted to lower
      wavenumber, respectively. Meanwhile, two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy
      revealed that the most sensitive bands for acylated and native collagens were
      amide I and II bands, respectively. Additionally, the corresponding order of the
      groups between native and acylated collagens was different and the correlation
      degree for acylated collagen was weaker than that of native collagen, suggesting
      that temperature played a small influence on the conformation of acylated
      collagen, which might be concluded that the hydrophobic interaction improved the
      thermostability of collagen.

PMID- 26117764
TI  - A modified emulsion gelation technique to improve buoyancy of hydrogel tablets
      for floating drug delivery systems.
AB  - The use of buoyant or floating hydrogel tablets is of particular interest in the
      sustained release of drugs to the stomach. They have an ability to slow the
      release rates of drugs by prolonging their absorption window in the upper part of
      the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In this study we synthesized bioactive hydrogels
      that have sustainable release rates for drugs in the stomach based on a hydrogel
      preparation technique that employs emulsifying surfactants. The emulsion gelation
      technique, which encapsulates oil droplets within the hydrogels during
      crosslinking, was used to decrease their specific gravity in aqueous
      environments, resulting in floating drug release depots. Properties such as
      swelling, buoyancy, density and drug release were manipulated by changing the
      polymer concentrations, surfactant percentages and the oil:polymer ratios. The
      relationship between these properties and the hydrogel's floating lag time was
      documented. The potential for this material to be used as a floating drug
      delivery system was demonstrated. 

PMID- 26117765
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of magnetite/silver/antibiotic nanocomposites for
      targeted antimicrobial therapy.
AB  - The article is devoted to preparation and characterization of
      magnetite/silver/antibiotic nanocomposites for targeted antimicrobial therapy.
      Magnetite nanopowder was produced by thermochemical technique; silver was
      deposited on the magnetite nanoparticles in the form of silver clusters.
      Magnetite/silver nanocomposite was investigated by XRD, SEM, TEM, AFM, XPS, EDX
      techniques. Adsorptivity of magnetite/silver nanocomposite towards seven
      antibiotics from five different groups was investigated. It was shown that
      rifampicin, doxycycline, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime and doxycycline may be attached
      by physical adsorption to magnetite/silver nanocomposite. Electrostatic surfaces
      of antibiotics were modeled and possible mechanism of antibiotic attachment is
      considered in this article. Raman spectra of magnetite, magnetite/silver and
      magnetite/silver/antibiotic were collected. It was found that it is difficult to
      detect the bands related to antibiotics in the magnetite/silver/antibiotic
      nanocomposite spectra due to their overlap by the broad carbon bands of magnetite
      nanopowder. Magnetic measurements revealed that magnetic saturation of the
      magnetite/silver/antibiotic nanocomposites decreased on 6-19 % in comparison with
      initial magnetite nanopowder. Pilot study of antimicrobial properties of the
      magnetite/silver/antibiotic nanocomposites were performed towards Bacillus
      pumilus. 

PMID- 26117766
TI  - Silver nanoparticles with antimicrobial activities against Streptococcus mutans
      and their cytotoxic effect.
AB  - Microbial resistance represents a challenge for the scientific community to
      develop new bioactive compounds. The goal of this research was to evaluate the
      antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against a clinical isolate
      of Streptococcus mutans, antibiofilm activity against mature S. mutans biofilms
      and the compatibility with human fibroblasts. The antimicrobial activity of AgNPs
      against the planktonic clinical isolate was size and concentration dependent,
      with smaller AgNPs having a lower minimum inhibitory concentration. A reduction
      of 2.3 log in the number of colony-forming units of S. mutans was observed when
      biofilms grown in a CDC reactor were exposed to 100 ppm of AgNPs of 9.5+/-1.1 nm.
      However, AgNPs at high concentrations (>10 ppm) showed a cytotoxic effect upon
      human dermal fibroblasts. AgNPs effectively inhibited the growth of a planktonic
      S. mutans clinical isolate and killed established S. mutans biofilms, which
      suggests that AgNPs could be used for prevention and treatment of dental caries.
      Further research and development are necessary to translate this technology into
      therapeutic and preventive strategies.

PMID- 26117767
TI  - Biomimetic synthesized chiral mesoporous silica: Structures and controlled
      release functions as drug carrier.
AB  - This work initially illustrated the formation mechanism of chiral mesoporous
      silica (CMS) in a brand new insight named biomimetic synthesis. Three kinds of
      biomimetic synthesized CMS (B-CMS, including B-CMS1, B-CMS2 and B-CMS3) were
      prepared using different pH or stirring rate condition, and their characteristics
      were tested with transmission electron microscope and small angle X-ray
      diffraction. The model drug indomethacin was loaded into B-CMS and drug loading
      content was measured using ultraviolet spectroscopy. The result suggested that pH
      condition influenced energetics of self-assembly process, mainly packing
      energetics of the surfactant, while stirring rate was the more dominant factor to
      determine particle length. In application, indomethacin loading content was
      measured to be 35.3%, 34.8% and 35.1% for indomethacin loaded B-CMS1,
      indomethacin loaded B-CMS2 and indomethacin loaded B-CMS3. After loading
      indomethacin into B-CMS carriers, surface area, pore volume and pore diameter of
      B-CMS carriers were reduced. B-CMS converted crystalline state of indomethacin to
      amorphous state, leading to the improved indomethacin dissolution. B-CMS1
      controlled drug release without burst-release, while B-CMS2 and B-CMS3 released
      indomethacin faster than B-CMS1, demonstrating that the particle length, the
      ordered lever of multiple helixes, the curvature degree of helical channels and
      pore diameter greatly contributed to the release behavior of indomethacin loaded
      B-CMS. 

PMID- 26117768
TI  - A novel squid pen chitosan/hydroxyapatite/beta-tricalcium phosphate composite for
      bone tissue engineering.
AB  - Squid pen chitosan was used in the fabrication of biocomposite scaffolds for bone
      tissue engineering. Hydroxyapatite (HA) and beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP)
      obtained from waste mussel shells were used as the calcium phosphate source. The
      composite was prepared using 2.5% tripolyphosphate (TPP) and 1% glycerol as a
      cross-linker and plasticizer, respectively. The weight percent (wt.%) ratios of
      the ceramic components in the composite were 20/10/70, 30/20/50 and 40/30/30
      (HA/beta-TCP/Chi). The biodegradation rate and structural properties of the
      scaffolds were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microCT(MUCT)
      results indicated that the composites have a well defined lamellar structure with
      an average pore size of 200 MUm. The porosity of the composites decreased from 88
      to 56% by increasing the ratio of HA/beta-TCP from 30 to 70%. After 28 days of
      incubation in a physiological solution, the scaffolds were degraded by
      approximately 30%. In vitro investigations showed that the composites were
      cytocompatible and supported the growth of L929 and Saos-2 cells. The obtained
      data suggests that the squid pen chitosan composites are potential candidates for
      bone regeneration.

PMID- 26117769
TI  - Three-dimensional dynamic fabrication of engineered cartilage based on
      chitosan/gelatin hybrid hydrogel scaffold in a spinner flask with a special
      designed steel frame.
AB  - Cartilage transplantation using in vitro tissue engineered cartilage is
      considered a promising treatment for articular cartilage defects. In this study,
      we assessed the advantages of adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) combined with
      chitosan/gelatin hybrid hydrogel scaffolds, which acted as a cartilage biomimetic
      scaffold, to fabricate a tissue engineered cartilage dynamically in vitro and
      compared this with traditional static culture. Physical properties of the
      hydrogel scaffolds were evaluated and ADSCs were inoculated into the hydrogel at
      a density of 1*10(7) cells/mL and cultured in a spinner flask with a special
      designed steel framework and feed with chondrogenic inductive media for two
      weeks. The results showed that the average pore size, porosity, swelling rate and
      elasticity modulus of hybrid scaffolds with good biocompatibility were 118.25+/
      19.51 MUm, 82.60+/-2.34%, 361.28+/-0.47% and 61.2+/-0.16 kPa, respectively. ADSCs
      grew well in chitosan/gelatin hybrid scaffold and successfully differentiated
      into chondrocytes, showing that the scaffolds were suitable for tissue
      engineering applications in cartilage regeneration. Induced cells cultivated in a
      dynamic spinner flask with a special designed steel frame expressed more
      proteoglycans and the cell distribution was much more uniform with the scaffold
      being filled mostly with extracellular matrix produced by cells. A spinner flask
      with framework promoted proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation of ADSCs
      within chitosan/gelatin hybrid scaffolds and accelerated dynamic fabrication of
      cell-hydrogel constructs, which could be a selective and good method to construct
      tissue engineered cartilage in vitro.

PMID- 26117770
TI  - Novel artificial hip joint: A layer of alumina on Ti-6Al-4V alloy formed by micro
      arc oxidation.
AB  - In many hip replacement surgeries, monolithic alumina is used as a femoral head
      due to its high wear resistance. However, it is liable to fracture under load
      bearing operations in artificial joints. We propose a promising way to overcome
      this limitation by forming a dense alumina layer onto a relatively tough
      substrate such as Ti-6Al-4V alloy to obtain high wear resistance on a material
      that can sustain relatively high toughness. For this purpose, Al metal powders
      were deposited onto Ti-6Al-4V alloy by cold spraying in N2 atmosphere.
      Interfacial adhesion between Al and the Ti alloy was improved by the formation of
      a reaction layer of Al3Ti between them by heating at 640  degrees C for 1h in
      air. Subsequently, micro-arc oxidation treatment was performed to oxidize Al. The
      oxidized layer was composed of an outer porous layer of gamma-alumina and inner
      most dense layer of alpha-alumina. The alpha-alumina layer was almost fully
      densified and exhibited high Vickers hardness almost equal to that of alumina
      ceramics used as the femoral head. Thus, the newly developed dense alumina/Ti
      alloy can be potentially used to produce the reliable bearing surfaces of
      artificial hip joint.

PMID- 26117771
TI  - Bone tissue engineering using silica-based mesoporous nanobiomaterials:Recent
      progress.
AB  - Bone disorders are of significant concern due to increase in the median age of
      our population. It is in this context that tissue engineering has been emerging
      as a valid approach to the current therapies for bone regeneration/substitution.
      Tissue-engineered bone constructs have the potential to alleviate the demand
      arising from the shortage of suitable autograft and allograft materials for
      augmenting bone healing. Silica based mesostructured nanomaterials possessing
      pore sizes in the range 2-50 nm and surface reactive functionalities have
      elicited immense interest due to their exciting prospects in bone tissue
      engineering. In this review we describe application of silica-based mesoporous
      nanomaterials for bone tissue engineering. We summarize the preparation methods,
      the effect of mesopore templates and composition on the mesopore-structure
      characteristics, and different forms of these materials, including particles,
      fibers, spheres, scaffolds and composites. Also, the effect of structural and
      textural properties of mesoporous materials on development of new biomaterials
      for production of bone implants and bone cements was discussed. Also, application
      of different mesoporous materials on construction of manufacture 3-dimensional
      scaffolds for bone tissue engineering was discussed. It begins by giving the
      reader a brief background on tissue engineering, followed by a comprehensive
      description of all the relevant components of silica-based mesoporous
      biomaterials on bone tissue engineering, going from materials to scaffolds and
      from cells to tissue engineering strategies that will lead to "engineered" bone.

PMID- 26117772
TI  - Thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-grafted hollow fiber membranes for
      osteoblasts culture and non-invasive harvest.
AB  - Hollow fiber membrane (HFM) culture system is one of the most important
      bioreactors for the large-scale culture and expansion of therapeutic cells.
      However, enzymatic and mechanical treatments are traditionally applied to harvest
      the expanded cells from HFMs, which inevitably causes harm to the cells. In this
      study, thermo-responsive cellulose acetate HFMs for cell culture and non-invasive
      harvest were prepared for the first time via free radical polymerization in the
      presence of cerium (IV). ATR-FTIR and elemental analysis results indicated that
      the poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) was covalently grafted on HFMs
      successfully. Dynamic contact angle measurements at different temperatures
      revealed that the magnitude of volume phase transition was decreased with
      increasing grafted amount of PNIPAAm. And the amount of serum protein adsorbed on
      HFMs surface also displayed the same pattern. Meanwhile osteoblasts adhered and
      spread well on the surface of PNIPAAm-grafted HFMs at 37  degrees C. And Calcein
      AM/PI staining, AB assay, ALP activity and OCN protein expression level all
      showed that PNIPAAm-grafted HFMs had good cell compatibility. After incubation at
      20  degrees C for 120 min, the adhering cells on PNIPAAm-grafted HFMs turned to
      be round and detached after being gently pipetted. These results suggest that
      thermo-responsive HFMs are attractive cell culture substrates which enable cell
      culture, expansion and the recovery without proteolytic enzyme treatment for the
      application in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

PMID- 26117773
TI  - Improvement in glucose biosensing response of electrochemically grown polypyrrole
      nanotubes by incorporating crosslinked glucose oxidase.
AB  - In this paper a novel enzymatic glucose biosensor has been reported in which
      platinum coated alumina membranes (AnodiscTMs) have been employed as templates
      for the growth of polypyrrole (PPy) nanotube arrays using electrochemical
      polymerization. The PPy nanotube arrays were grown on AnodiscTMs of pore diameter
      100 nm using potentiostatic electropolymerization. In order to optimize the
      polymerization time, immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx) was first performed
      using physical adsorption followed by measuring its biosensing response which was
      examined amperometrically for increasing concentrations of glucose. In order to
      further improve the sensing performance of the biosensor fabricated for optimum
      polymerization duration, enzyme immobilization was carried out using cross
      linking with glutaraldehyde and bovine serum albumin (BSA). Approximately six
      fold enhancement in the sensitivity was observed in the fabricated electrodes.
      The biosensors also showed a wide range of linear operation (0.2-13 mM), limit of
      detection of 50 MUM glucose concentration, excellent selectivity for glucose,
      notable reliability for real sample detection and substantially improved shelf
      life.

PMID- 26117774
TI  - Study of the ion-channel behavior on glassy carbon electrode supported bilayer
      lipid membranes stimulated by perchlorate anion.
AB  - In this paper, a kind of didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) layer membranes
      was supported on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). We studied the ion channel
      behavior of the supported bilayer lipid membrane by scanning electrochemical
      microscopy (SCEM) in tris(2,2'-bipyridine) ruthenium(II) solution. Perchlorate
      anion was used as a presence of stimulus and ruthenium(II) complex cations as the
      probing ions for the measurement of SECM, the lipid membrane channel was opened
      and exhibited the behavior of distinct SECM positive feedback curve. The channel
      was in a closed state in the absence of perchlorate anions while reflected the
      behavior of SECM negative feedback curve. The rates of electron transfer reaction
      in the lipid membranes surface were detected and it was dependant on the
      potential of SECM. 

PMID- 26117775
TI  - Bioactivity and cell proliferation in radiopaque gel-derived CaO-P2O5-SiO2-ZrO2
      glass and glass-ceramic powders.
AB  - In this study, 10 mol% ZrO2 was added to a 27CaO-5P2O5-68SiO2 (mol%) base
      composition synthesized via a simple sol-gel method. This composition is similar
      to that of a frequently investigated bioactive gel-glass. The effects of ZrO2 on
      the in vitro bioactivity and MG-63 cell proliferation of the glass and its
      derivative polycrystalline (glass-ceramic) powder were investigated. The samples
      were characterized using thermo-gravimetric and differential thermal analysis
      (TG/DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
      (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled to energy dispersive X-ray
      spectroscopy (EDS). Release of Si, Ca, P and Zr into simulated body fluid (SBF)
      was determined by inductively coupled plasma (ICP). Upon heat treatment at 1000 
      degrees C, the glass powder crystallized into an apatite-wollastonite-zirconia
      glass-ceramic powder. Hydroxycarbonate apatite (HCA) formation on the surface of
      the glass and glass-ceramic particles containing ZrO2 was confirmed by FTIR and
      SEM. Addition of ZrO2 to the base glass composition decreased the rate of HCA
      formation in vitro from one day to three days, and hence, ZrO2 could be employed
      to control the rate of apatite formation. However, the rate of HCA formation on
      the glass-ceramic powder containing ZrO2 crystal was equal to that in the base
      glassy powder. Tests with a cultured human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells revealed
      that the glass and glass-ceramic materials stimulated cell proliferation,
      indicating that they are biocompatible and are not cytotoxic in vitro. Moreover,
      zirconia clearly increased osteoblast proliferation over that of the Zr-free
      samples. This increase is likely associated with the lower solubility of these
      samples and, consequently, a smaller variation in the media pH. Despite the low
      solubility of these materials, bioactivity was maintained, indicating that these
      glassy and polycrystalline powders are potential candidates for bone graft
      substitutes and bone cements with the special feature of radiopacity.

PMID- 26117776
TI  - Viscoplastic response of tooth enamel under cyclic microindentation.
AB  - Cyclic microindentations were performed on the occlusal surface and axial section
      of tooth enamel, using the Berkovich indenter. Under the action of a cyclic
      indentation load, the indenter continuously penetrated into the tooth enamel and
      reached a quasi-steady state at which the penetration depth per cycle was a
      constant. At the quasi-steady state, both the amplitude of the indentation depth
      and the penetration depth per cycle for the cyclic indentation of the axial
      section are larger than those for the indentation of the occlusal section under
      the same loading condition. The energy dissipation per cycle consists of two
      contributions; one is the plastic energy dissipated per cycle due to the
      propagation of the plastic zone underneath the indentation and the other is the
      energy dissipation due to the viscous flow during the cyclic indentation. Both
      the penetration depth and the plastic energy dissipated per cycle at the quasi
      steady state are independent of the maximum applied load and increase with
      increasing the amplitude of the cyclic indentation load. 

PMID- 26117777
TI  - Molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor for the highly selective and
      sensitive determination of melamine.
AB  - A selective and sensitive molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor was
      developed for the determination of melamine. Carbon nanotube-ionic liquid
      composite was used as a carrier to enhance the number of imprinted cavities and
      then improve the selectivity and sensitivity of the sensor. The proposed sensor
      showed a linear relationship with the concentration of melamine in the range of
      0.4 to 9.2 MUM, with a detection limit of 0.11 MUM. The sensor was successfully
      applied to the determination of melamine in milk products with good recovery.

PMID- 26117778
TI  - Antimicrobial activity, DNA cleavage, thermal analysis data and crystal structure
      of some new CdLX2 complexes: A supramolecular network.
AB  - Some new cadmium(II) Schiff base complexes CdLX2 (where X=Cl(-), Br(-), I(-),
      SCN(-) and N3(-) and L=N,N-bis((E)-3-(4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)allylidene)benzene
      1,2-diamine) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, UV
      visible, (1)HNMR spectra, and conductivity measurements. Moreover, the structure
      of the CdLI2 was determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography. CdLI2
      crystallizes in a triclinic system with space group P 1. The molecular structure
      shows distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry. The CH....pi and pi-pi
      stacking interactions connect the molecules to a supramolecular network. The
      thermal properties of the compounds were investigated from the room temperature
      to 800  degrees C with a heating rate of 10  degrees C/min and decomposition
      activation parameters were evaluated from the TG/DTG plots.
      Antibacterial/antifungal activities of the compounds were screened by the disk
      diffusion method against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and
      Bacillus subtilis and the fungi strain Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans.
      The antimicrobial activities were determined for all compounds and the
      complexation was found to enhance the inhibitory activity. Finally, the DNA
      cleavage potential of the compounds was investigated by agarose gel
      electrophoresis method.

PMID- 26117779
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of silane coated magnetic
      nanoparticles/glycidylmethacrylate-grafted-maleated cyclodextrin composite
      hydrogel as a drug carrier for the controlled delivery of 5-fluorouracil.
AB  - A novel drug delivery system (DDS), 3-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxy silane coated
      magnetic nanoparticles polymerized with glycidylmethacrylate-grafted-maleated
      cyclodextrin (MPTMS-MNP-poly-(GMA-g-MACD)) was prepared in the presence of
      ethyleneglycoldimethacrylate as cross-linker and a,a'-azobisisobutyronitrile as
      initiator and characterized by means of SEM, FT-IR, XRD, DLS, VSM and TEM. The
      encapsulation efficiency (EE) and drug loading efficiency (DLE) of the DDS were
      tested using various formulations of DDS. The DDS showed activity against gram
      positive and negative bacteria. The cytotoxicity studies were also performed
      using MCF-7 (human breast carcinoma) cells and found that the drug carrier is
      biocompatible and it shows sustained and controlled release of drug to the
      targeted site. The drug release mechanism was found to obey non-Fickian diffusion
      (n=0.709) method where polymer relaxation and drug diffusion played important
      roles in drug release. In this DDS, advantages of core magnetic nanoparticles and
      host-guest interactions of beta-CD were combined for the controlled delivery of 5
      Fluorouracil (5-FU) to maintain the therapeutic index of the drug. 

PMID- 26117780
TI  - Curcumin-reduced graphene oxide sheets and their effects on human breast cancer
      cells.
AB  - Curcumin (as a natural reductant material) was utilized for green reduction and
      functionalization of chemically exfoliated graphene oxide (GO) sheets. The pi-pi
      attachment of the curcumin molecules onto the curcumin-reduced graphene oxide
      (rGO) sheets was confirmed by Raman and Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopies. Zeta potential of the GO sheets decreased from about -40 mV to 
      20 mV, after the green reduction and functionalization. The probable cytotoxicity
      of the curcumin-rGO sheets was studied through their interactions with two human
      breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and SKBR3 cell lines) and a normal cell line
      (mouse fibroblast L929 cell line). The curcumin-rGO sheet with concentrations <70
      MUg/mL in the cell culture medium, not only exhibited no significant toxicity
      and/or cell morphological changes, but also caused some cell growths (~25% after
      48 h incubation time). Nevertheless, at 70 MUg/mL, initiation of some cell
      morphological changes was observed. At higher concentrations (e.g., 100 MUg/mL),
      some slight cytotoxic effects (resulting in ~15-25% cell destruction) were
      detected by MTT assay. In addition, the interaction of the rGO sheets and cells
      resulted in apoptosis as well as morphological transformation of the cells (from
      elongated to roundup morphology). These results indicated the concentration
      dependent toxicity of functionalized-rGO nanomaterials (here, curcumin-rGO) at
      the threshold concentration of ~100 MUg/mL.

PMID- 26117781
TI  - Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 affects osteogenic efficacy on
      dental implants in rat mandible.
AB  - Insulin like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in bone cells and its
      utilization in dental implants have not been well studied. The aim of this study
      was to determine the osteogenic efficacy of chitosan gold nanoparticles (Ch-GNPs)
      conjugated with IGFBP-3 coated titanium (Ti) implants. Ch-GNPs were conjugated
      with IGFBP-3 plasmid DNA through a coacervation process. Conjugation was cast
      over Ti surfaces, and cells were seeded on coated surfaces. For in vitro analysis
      the expression of different proteins was analyzed by immunoblotting. For in vivo
      analysis, Ch-GNP/IGFBP-3 coated implants were installed in rat mandibles. Four
      weeks post-implantation, mandibles were examined by microcomputed tomography
      (MUCT), immunohistochemistry, hematoxylin & eosin and tartrate resistance acid
      phosphatase staining. In vitro overexpressed Ch-GNP/IGFBP-3 coated Ti surfaces
      was associated with activation of extracellular signal related kinase (ERK),
      inhibition of the stress activated protein c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and
      enhanced bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 and 7 compared to control. Further,
      in vivo, Ch-GNP/IGFBP-3 coated implants were associated with inhibition of
      implant induced osteoclastogenesis molecules, receptor activator of nuclear
      factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) and enhanced expression of osteogenic molecules
      including BMP2/7 and osteopontin (OPN). The MUCT analysis demonstrated that IGFBP
      3 increased the volume of newly formed bone surrounding the implants compared to
      control (n=5; p<0.05). These results support the view that IGFBP-3 overexpression
      diminishes osteoclastogenesis and enhances osteogenesis of Ti implants, and can
      serve as a potent molecule for the development of good implantation. 

PMID- 26117782
TI  - Ultra-trace silver-doped hydroxyapatite with non-cytotoxicity and effective
      antibacterial activity.
AB  - Hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanocrystals as the main inorganic component in hard tissue
      have been extensively studied for bone regeneration and dental implant treatment.
      However, failure of surgical reconstruction often occurs owing to the lack of
      effective antibacterial ability of HAp. It is still a challenge to develop
      artificial HAp with both efficient antibacterial ability and proper biological
      properties. Herein, a series of ultra-trace Ag-doped HAp nanocrystals have been
      elaborately prepared with the optimal doping concentration from 0.27 ppm to 2.2
      ppm, which present non-cytotoxicity while possess effective bacteria reduction
      ability. Ultra-trace Ag-doped HAp nanocrystals possess higher protein adsorption
      than pure HAp nanocrystals due to the trace doping-induced less negative surface
      potential. The ultra-trace Ag-doped HAp nanocrystals showed effectively
      antibacterial ability, non-cytotoxicity and enhanced adsorbability that made them
      ideal materials for various biocompatible and antibacterial applications.

PMID- 26117783
TI  - Transformation of amorphous calcium carbonate to rod-like single crystal calcite
      via "copying" collagen template.
AB  - Collagen Langmuir films were prepared by spreading the solution of collagen over
      deionized water, CaCl2 solution and Ca(HCO3)2 solution. Resultant collagen
      Langmuir monolayers were then compressed to a lateral pressure of 10 mN/m and
      held there for different duration, allowing the crystallization of CaCO3. The
      effect of crystallization time on the phase composition and microstructure of
      CaCO3 was investigated. It was found that amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) was
      obtained at a crystallization time of 6 h. The amorphous CaCO3 was transformed to
      rod-like single crystal calcite crystals at an extended crystallization time of
      12 h and 24 h, via "copying" the symmetry and dimensionalities of collagen
      fibers. Resultant calcite crystallites were well oriented along the longitudinal
      axis of collagen fibers. The ordered surface structure of collagen fibers and
      electrostatic interactions played key roles in tuning the oriented nucleation and
      growth of the calcite crystallites. The mineralized collagen possessing both
      desired mechanical properties of collagen fiber and good biocompatibility of
      calcium carbonate may be assembled into an ideal biomaterial for bone implants.

PMID- 26117784
TI  - Bone-like apatite coating on functionalized poly(etheretherketone) surface via
      tailored silanization layers technique.
AB  - Poly(etheretherketone) (PEEK) is a rigid semi-crystalline polymer with
      outstanding mechanical properties, bone-like stiffness and suitable
      biocompatibility that has attracted much interest as a biomaterial for orthopedic
      and dental implants. However, the bio-inert surface of PEEK limits its biomedical
      applications when direct osteointegration between the implants and the host
      tissue is desired. In this work, -PO4H2, -COOH and -OH groups were introduced on
      the PEEK surface by further chemical treatments of the vinyl-terminated
      silanization layers formed on the hydroxylation-pretreated PEEK surface. Both the
      surface-functionalized and pristine specimens were characterized by X-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform
      infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and water contact angle measurements. When
      placed in 1.5 strength simulated body fluid (SBF) solution, apatite was observed
      to form uniformly on the functionalized PEEK surface and firmly attach to the
      substrate. The characterized results demonstrated that the coating was
      constituted by poorly crystallized bone-like apatite and the effect of surface
      functional groups on coating formation was also discussed in detail. In addition,
      in vitro biocompatibility of PEEK, in terms of pre-osteoblast cell (MC3T3-E1)
      attachment, spreading and proliferation, was remarkably enhanced by the bone-like
      apatite coating. Thus, this study provides a method to enhance the bioactivity of
      PEEK and expand its applications in orthopedic and dental implants. 

PMID- 26117785
TI  - Optoelectronic studies on heterocyclic bases of deoxyribonucleic acid for DNA
      photonics.
AB  - The optoelectronics study of large molecules, particularly pi-stacking molecules,
      such as DNA is really an extremely difficult task. We perform first electronic
      structure calculations on the heterocyclic bases of 2'-deoxyribonucleic acid
      based on Lorentz-Fresnel dispersion theory. In the UV-VIS range of spectrum, many
      of the optoelectronic parameters for DNA four bases namely adenine, guanine,
      cytosine and thymine are calculated and discussed. The results demonstrate that
      adenine has the highest hyperpolarizability, whereas thymine has the lowest
      hyperpolarizability. Cytosine has the lower average oscillator energy and the
      higher lattice energy. Thymine infers the most stable nucleic base with the lower
      phonon energy. Thymine also has the highest average oscillator energy and the
      lower lattice energy. Moreover, the four nucleic acid bases have large band gap
      energies less than 5 eV with a semiconducting behavior. Guanine shows the
      smallest band gap and the highest Fermi level energy, whereas adenine elucidates
      the highest band gap energy.

PMID- 26117786
TI  - Thermal treatment of bentonite reduces aflatoxin b1 adsorption and affects stem
      cell death.
AB  - Bentonites are clays that highly adsorb aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and, therefore,
      protect human and animal cells from damage. We have recently demonstrated that
      bentonite protects the neural crest (NC) stem cells from the toxicity of AFB1.
      Its protective effects are due to the physico-chemical properties and chemical
      composition altered by heat treatment. The aim of this study is to prepare and
      characterize the natural and thermal treatments (125 to 1000  degrees C) of
      bentonite from Criciuma, Santa Catarina, Brazil and to investigate their effects
      in the AFB1 adsorption and in NC cell viability after challenging with AFB1. The
      displacement of water and mineralogical phases transformations were observed
      after the thermal treatments. Kaolinite disappeared at 500  degrees C and
      muscovite and montmorillonite at 1000  degrees C. Slight changes in morphology,
      chemical composition, and density of bentonite were observed. The adsorptive
      capacity of the bentonite particles progressively reduced with the increase in
      temperature. The observed alterations in the structure of bentonite suggest that
      the heat treatments influence its interlayer distance and also its adsorptive
      capacity. Therefore, bentonite, even after the thermal treatment (125 to 1000 
      degrees C), is able to increase the viability of NC stem cells previously treated
      with AFB1. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of bentonite in preventing
      the toxic effects of AFB1.

PMID- 26117787
TI  - Strontium substituted hydroxyapatites: Synthesis and determination of their
      structural properties, in vitro and in vivo performance.
AB  - The objective of this study is to present a detailed report related to the
      synthesis and characterization of strontium substituted hydroxyapatites. Based on
      this purpose, hydroxyapatite (HAp) bioceramics with different amounts of
      strontium (e.g., 0, 0.45, 0.90, 1.35, 1.80 and 2.25 at.%) were prepared using a
      sol-gel method. The effects of Sr substitution on the structural properties and
      biocompatibility of the samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier
      transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
      techniques, in vitro and in vivo tests. All the samples composed of the
      nanoparticles ranging from 21 to 27 nm. The presence of Sr at low levels
      influenced the crystal size, crystallinity degree, lattice parameters and volume
      of the unit cell of the HAp. Both in vitro conditions and soaking period in
      simulated body fluid (SBF) significantly affected these properties. Especially,
      the (Ca+Sr)/P molar ratio gradually decreases with increasing soaking period in
      SBF. Animal experiments revealed the bone formation and osseointegration for all
      samples, and as compared with other groups, more reasonable, were observed for
      the sample with the lowest Sr content.

PMID- 26117788
TI  - Silver activation on thin films of Ag-ZrCN coatings for antimicrobial activity.
AB  - Nowadays, with the increase of elderly population and related health problems,
      knee and hip joint prosthesis are being widely used worldwide. However, failure
      of these invasive devices occurs in a high percentage thus demanding the revision
      of the chirurgical procedure. Within the reasons of failure, microbial
      infections, either hospital or subsequently-acquired, contribute in high number
      to the statistics. Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) has emerged as one
      of the major nosocomial pathogens associated with these infections. Silver has a
      historic performance in medicine due to its potent antimicrobial activity, with a
      broad-spectrum on the activity of different types of microorganisms.
      Consequently, the main goal of this work was to produce Ag-ZrCN coatings with
      antimicrobial activity, for the surface modification of hip prostheses. Thin
      films of ZrCN with several silver concentrations were deposited onto stainless
      steel 316 L, by DC reactive magnetron sputtering, using two targets, Zr and Zr
      with silver pellets (Zr+Ag target), in an atmosphere containing Ar, C2H2 and N2.
      The antimicrobial activity of the modified surfaces was tested against S.
      epidermidis and the influence of an activation step of silver was assessed by
      testing samples after immersion in a 5% (w/v) NaClO solution for 5 min. The
      activation procedure revealed to be essential for the antimicrobial activity, as
      observed by the presence of an inhibition halo on the surface with 11 at.% of Ag.
      The morphology analysis of the surface before and after the activation procedure
      revealed differences in silver distribution indicating segregation/diffusion of
      the metallic element to the film's surface. Thus, the results indicate that the
      silver activation step is responsible for an antimicrobial effect of the
      coatings, due to silver oxidation and silver ion release.

PMID- 26117789
TI  - Effects of gas produced by degradation of Mg-Zn-Zr Alloy on cancellous bone
      tissue.
AB  - Mg-Zn-Zr alloy cylinders were implanted into the femoral condyles of Japanese big
      ear white rabbits. X-ray showed that by 12 weeks following implantation the
      implant became obscure, around which the low-density area appeared and enlarged.
      By 24 weeks, the implant was more obscure and the density of the surrounding
      cancellous bone increased. Scanning electron microscopy examination showed bone
      tissue on the surface of the alloy attached by living fibers at 12 weeks. Micro
      CT confirmed that new bone tissue on the surface of the residual alloy implant
      increased from 12 weeks to 24 weeks. By 12 weeks, many cavities in the cancellous
      bone tissue around the implant were noted with a CT value, similar to gas value,
      and increasing by 24 weeks (P<0.01). Histological examination of hard tissue
      slices showed that bone tissue was visibly attached to the alloy in the femoral
      condyle at 12 weeks. The trabecular bone tissues became more intact and dense,
      and the cavities were filled with soft tissue at 24 weeks. In general, gas
      produced by the degradation of the Mg-Zn-Zr alloy can cause cavitation within
      cancellous bone, which does not affect osteogenesis of Mg alloy.

PMID- 26117790
TI  - 5-Fluorouracil intercalated iron oxide@layered double hydroxide core-shell nano
      composites with isotropic and anisotropic architectures for shape-selective drug
      delivery applications.
AB  - We report the synthesis, characterization and in vitro release behavior of anti
      cancer drug carrying iron oxide@layered double hydroxide core-shell
      nanocomposites with sizes ranging from 40 to 300 nm, good drug loading capacities
      and soft ferromagnetic properties. HRTEM analyses verified that nearly spherical
      isotropic carriers were obtained by coating spherical magnetite particles while
      anisotropic carriers were obtained by coating spindle-shaped hematite particles.
      They both displayed a fluctuating in vitro release profile with a higher release
      percentage for the anisotropic carrier.

PMID- 26117791
TI  - Fabrication of scalable and structured tissue engineering scaffolds using water
      dissolvable sacrificial 3D printed moulds.
AB  - One of the major challenges in producing large scale engineered tissue is the
      lack of ability to create large highly perfused scaffolds in which cells can grow
      at a high cell density and viability. Here, we explore 3D printed polyvinyl
      alcohol (PVA) as a sacrificial mould in a polymer casting process. The PVA mould
      network defines the channels and is dissolved after curing the polymer casted
      around it. The printing parameters determined the PVA filament density in the
      sacrificial structure and this density resulted in different stiffness of the
      corresponding elastomer replica. It was possible to achieve 80% porosity
      corresponding to about 150 cm(2)/cm(3) surface to volume ratio. The process is
      easily scalable as demonstrated by fabricating a 75 cm(3) scaffold with about
      16,000 interconnected channels (about 1m(2) surface area) and with a channel to
      channel distance of only 78 MUm. To our knowledge this is the largest scaffold
      ever to be produced with such small feature sizes and with so many structured
      channels. The fabricated scaffolds were applied for in-vitro culturing of
      hepatocytes over a 12-day culture period. Smaller scaffolds (6*4 mm) were tested
      for cell culturing and could support homogeneous cell growth throughout the
      scaffold. Presumably, the diffusion of oxygen and nutrient throughout the channel
      network is rapid enough to support cell growth. In conclusion, the described
      process is scalable, compatible with cell culture, rapid, and inexpensive.

PMID- 26117792
TI  - Investigations on the performance of poly(o-anisidine)/graphene nanocomposites
      for the electrochemical detection of NADH.
AB  - The electrocatalytic oxidation of dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)
      based on poly(o-anisidine)/graphene (POA/GR) nanocomposites modified glassy
      carbon electrode (GCE) was explored for the first time. POA/GR nanocomposites
      were synthesized via chemical oxidative polymerization method. X-ray diffraction
      (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution
      transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
      (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and UV-Vis spectroscopy results demonstrate that
      nanocomposites are successfully synthesized. An intriguing composite structure
      was observed using different ratios of o-anisidine monomer and graphene. The
      electrical properties and electrochemical properties of these nanocomposites are
      investigated by impedance spectroscopy technique and cyclic voltammetric (CV)
      method, respectively. The synthesized nanocomposites were used to modify glassy
      carbon electrode (GCE), and the modified electrodes were found to exhibit
      electrocatalytic activity for oxidation of NADH at low potential range of +0.045
      V in a neutral environment. The fabricated sensor based on POA/GR31-modified GCE
      exhibited enhanced current response with very high sensitivity of 47.1 MUA MUM(
      1) for the detection of NADH. The developed POA/GR-modified GCE exhibited
      excellent reproducibility, stability, and selectivity for the determination of
      NADH. The practical analytical utility of the proposed method was demonstrated by
      NADH spiked ascorbic acid (AA) and the results confirmed that the proposed method
      is suitable for the determination of NADH in the presence of AA. This can open up
      new opportunities for simple and selective detection of NADH and provide a
      promising platform for biosensor designs.

PMID- 26117793
TI  - Production and characterization of chitosan/gelatin/beta-TCP scaffolds for
      improved bone tissue regeneration.
AB  - Recently, bone tissue engineering emerged as a viable therapeutic alternative,
      comprising bone implants and new personalized scaffolds to be used in bone
      replacement and regeneration. In this study, biocompatible scaffolds were
      produced by freeze-drying, using different formulations (chitosan,
      chitosan/gelatin, chitosan/beta-TCP and chitosan/gelatin/beta-TCP) to be used as
      temporary templates during bone tissue regeneration. Sample characterization was
      performed through attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis.
      Mechanical characterization and porosity analysis were performed through uniaxial
      compression test and liquid displacement method, respectively. In vitro studies
      were also done to evaluate the biomineralization activity and the cytotoxic
      profile of the scaffolds. Scanning electron and confocal microscopy analysis were
      used to study cell adhesion and proliferation at the scaffold surface and within
      their structure. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of the scaffolds was also
      evaluated through the agar diffusion method. Overall, the results obtained
      revealed that the produced scaffolds are bioactive and biocompatible, allow cell
      internalization and show antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus.
      Such, make these 3D structures as potential candidates for being used on the bone
      tissue regeneration, since they promote cell adhesion and proliferation and also
      prevent biofilm development at their surfaces, which is usually the main cause of
      implant failure. 

PMID- 26117794
TI  - Review of beetle forewing structures and their biomimetic applications in China:
      (I) On the structural colors and the vertical and horizontal cross-sectional
      structures.
AB  - This paper discusses the progress made in China in terms of the structural
      colors, microstructure and mechanical properties of the beetle forewing. 1) The
      forewing microstructures can be classified into six phases, the first three of
      which are characterized by sandwich, multilayer and fiber layer structures,
      respectively. The fracture behaviors resulting from these three phases suggest
      that different scale microstructures or coupled adjacent scale microstructures
      can determine the macroscopic mechanical behavior of the forewing. 2) The
      forewing colors are derived from three features: regulation of the structural
      parameters of the internal optical structures, i.e., a sculpted multilayer
      composite two-dimensional nanopillar structure grating system; scattering on the
      three-dimensional surface of the bowl-shaped structure; and reversible color
      changes due to changes in the physical microstructure of fluffs. Their formation
      mechanisms were clarified, and fibers with ecological biomimetic structural
      colors have been developed. 3) Beetles exhibit a lightweight sectional frame
      structure with a trabecular core structure. Both of the joints on the left and
      right are concave-convex butt-joint structures with burrs, which provide an
      efficient docking mechanism with high intensity. The forewing of dichotoma
      exhibits a non-equiangular layered structure, which results in anisotropy in its
      tensile strength. Finally, the authors propose potential new research directions
      for the next 20 years.

PMID- 26117795
TI  - Review of beetle forewing structures and their biomimetic applications in China:
      (II) On the three-dimensional structure, modeling and imitation.
AB  - This paper reviews the research progress made in China regarding the
      microstructure of the forewing trabeculae, their anti-peeling and anti
      collisional mechanical properties, the three-dimensional (3D) microstructures of
      the forewings, their modeling, and their mechanical properties. We focus on 1)
      the distribution of the trabeculae in two types of beetles with a six-fold
      difference in density, the structure of the trabeculae and a proposed 3D model
      with an integrated trabeculae-honeycomb structure; 2) finite element analyses and
      experimental results showing that the average anti-peeling strength in the
      presence of trabeculae can be as much as approximately three-fold greater than
      that in the absence of trabeculae; 3) the strengthening mechanisms of these
      structures and describe an optimized double thin-walled biomimetic structure that
      possesses excellent absorption and buffering properties; 4) the development of
      technologies to produce fully integrated honeycomb plates with short fibers as a
      reinforced composite material and the verification that these plates are strong
      and lightweight and exhibit good integrity. Finally, we note the shortcomings in
      China in this field of research and propose possible future research directions
      in the field of biomimetic functional materials. 

PMID- 26117796
TI  - Words or graphics to present a Discrete Choice Experiment: Does it matter?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test whether presenting attribute levels in words or graphics
      generates different results with respect to attribute level interpretation,
      relative importance and participation probabilities. METHODS: Parents of 959
      newborns completed a DCE questionnaire that contained two versions of the same
      nine choice tasks in which the attribute levels were presented in words or
      graphics. Five attributes related to the decision of parents to vaccinate their
      newborn against rotavirus were included. Mixed-logit models were conducted to
      estimate the relative importance of the attribute levels. RESULTS: Respondents
      who started with the choice tasks in words produced the most consistent answer
      patterns. All respondents significantly preferred words to graphics. Part-worth
      utilities and the relative importance of the attribute levels differed based on
      the words and graphics data, resulting in different probabilities to participate
      in vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: Words were preferred over graphics, resulted in
      higher choice consistency, and showed more valid attribute level estimates.
      Graphics did not improve respondents' understanding of the attribute levels.
      PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Future research on the use of either words or graphics is
      recommended in order to establish guidelines on how to develop a valid
      presentation method for attribute levels in the choice tasks of a DCE.

PMID- 26117797
TI  - Visuospatial working memory is severely impaired in Balint syndrome patients.
AB  - Although it has been proposed that visuospatial working memory may be impaired in
      Balint syndrome patients, neither a systematic study concerning this proposal nor
      a comparison with patients having right-parietal damage has been made.
      Visuospatial working memory was assessed for six Balint syndrome patients and
      members of two control groups-one composed of individuals with right-parietal
      damage (n = 15) and a second of age- and gender-matched healthy individuals (n =
      26). We placed special emphasis on patients with a mild form of Balint syndrome
      who can judge positional relationships between two objects. First, the
      participants were subjected to delayed visuospatial matching tasks. Next, their
      visuospatial-temporal integration abilities were assessed using a shape-from
      moving-dots task. Visuospatial working memory was impaired for Balint syndrome
      patients compared with controls according to the results of the tests. The
      differences between the Balint syndrome and control subjects remained when only
      data for patients with the mild form of Balint syndrome were included. We
      conclude that visuospatial working memory may be severely impaired in Balint
      syndrome patients and, therefore, might influence their inability to properly
      execute movements and behaviours associated with daily living. 

PMID- 26117798
TI  - Lessons from reverse-genetic studies of lncRNAs.
AB  - The functions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have mainly been studied using
      cultured cell lines, and this approach has revealed the involvement of lncRNAs in
      a variety of biological processes, including the epigenetic control of gene
      expression, post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA, and cellular proliferation
      and differentiation. Recently, increasing numbers of studies have investigated
      the functions of lncRNAs using gene-targeted model mice, largely confirming the
      physiological importance of lncRNA-mediated regulation in individual animals. In
      some cases, however, the results obtained by studies using knockout mice have
      been somewhat inconsistent with those of the preceding cell-based analyses. In
      this review, I will summarize the lessons that we are learning from the reverse
      genetic studies of lncRNAs, namely the importance of noncoding DNA elements, the
      weak correlation between expression level and phenotypic prominence, the
      existence of tissue- and condition-specific phenotypes and incomplete penetrance,
      and the function of lncRNAs as precursor molecules. This article is part of a
      Special Issue entitled: Clues to long noncoding RNA taxonomy1, edited by Dr.
      Tetsuro Hirose and Dr. Shinichi Nakagawa. 

PMID- 26117799
TI  - Editorial overview: Environmental microbiology: Revisiting the physiology of
      microorganisms on the single cell scale.

PMID- 26117800
TI  - Abraham Guz memorial: Still unresolved hypotheses: Lung reflexes and perceptions
      of breathing.
AB  - This article constitutes a review of the studies performed by the group of the
      late A. Guz and other authors on the subjects of lung reflexes and perceptions of
      respiration. The experimental data suggest that the lung inflation and deflation
      reflexes are present in man, mediated by large myelinated afferent nerve fibres
      in the vagus nerves, but that the inflation reflex is weaker than in animals,
      possibly due to central neuronal inhibition. The authors of animal results on the
      deflation reflex differ as to the afferent fibres involved in the vagi, but it is
      argued, on the basis of the data, that the preferred hypothesis is that increased
      activity of the large myelinated mediates the inflation reflex, and decreased
      activity in these same fibres mediates the deflation reflex. Smaller myelinated
      fibres are thought to mediate cough and increased breathing in response to airway
      irritation, while small non-myelinated C fibres mediate hyperpnoea in response to
      parenchymal congestion and various disease states. The unpleasant sensation at
      the break point of breath-holding is not chemically mediated but may depend on a
      complex response involving vagal afferent, phrenic efferent and phrenic afferent
      pathways. Other experiments in humans on perception of various unpleasant
      respiratory sensations are discussed with unclear conclusions. 

PMID- 26117801
TI  - Guidelines for incorporating scientific knowledge and practice on rare diseases
      into higher education: neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses as a model disorder.
AB  - This article addresses the educational issues associated with rare diseases (RD)
      and in particular the Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses (NCLs, or CLN diseases) in
      the curricula of Health Sciences and Professional's Training Programs. Our aim is
      to develop guidelines for improving scientific knowledge and practice in higher
      education and continuous learning programs. Rare diseases (RD) are collectively
      common in the general population with 1 in 17 people affected by a RD in their
      lifetime. Inherited defects in genes involved in metabolism are the commonest
      group of RD with over 8000 known inborn errors of metabolism. The majority of
      these diseases are neurodegenerative including the NCLs. Any professional
      training program on NCL must take into account the medical, social and economic
      burdens related to RDs. To address these challenges and find solutions to them it
      is necessary that individuals in the government and administrative authorities,
      academia, teaching hospitals and medical schools, the pharmaceutical industry,
      investment community and patient advocacy groups all work together to achieve
      these goals. The logistical issues of including RD lectures in university
      curricula and in continuing medical education should reflect its complex nature.
      To evaluate the state of education in the RD field, a summary should be
      periodically up dated in order to assess the progress achieved in each country
      that signed up to the international conventions addressing RD issues in society.
      It is anticipated that auditing current practice will lead to higher standards
      and provide a framework for those educators involved in establishing RD teaching
      programs world-wide. 

PMID- 26117803
TI  - Thermodynamic evaluation of vesicles shed by erythrocytes at elevated
      temperatures.
AB  - Erythrocytes undergo structural transformation and shed small vesicles at
      elevated temperatures. To characterize mechanisms of the phenomenon, the
      Arrhenius and Eyring equations were used for analysis of the literature,
      experimental data on vesiculation of human and rat erythrocytes after the
      temperature was elevated by physical exercise or by exposure to external heat.
      The thermodynamic analysis of the data showed that erythrocyte transformation,
      vesicle release, and other associated processes are driven by entropy with
      enthalpy-entropy compensation. It is suggested that the physical state of the
      hydrated cell membrane is responsible for the compensation. The increase of
      vesicle number related to elevated temperatures may be indicative of the heat
      stress level and serve as diagnostic of erythrocyte stability and human
      performance. 

PMID- 26117802
TI  - Evaluating adverse rural crash outcomes using the NHTSA State Data System.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The population-based rate of motor vehicle crash mortality is
      consistently higher in rural locations, but it is unclear how much of this
      disparity might be due to geographic barriers or deficiencies in emergency
      medical services (EMS). We sought to analyze separately factors associated with
      the occurrence of a severe injury and those associated with death after injury
      had occurred. METHODS: Data from all police-reported crashes in 11 states from
      2005-2007 were obtained through the National Highway Traffic Safety
      Administration (NHTSA) State Data System (SDS). Logistic regression was used to
      estimate factors associated with (1) death; (2) severe (incapacitating or fatal)
      injury; and (3) death given severe injury. Models included covariates related to
      the person, vehicle, and event; county location was specified using Rural-Urban
      Continuum Codes (RUCC). RESULTS: Older age, not wearing a belt, ejection, alcohol
      involvement, high speed, and early morning times were associated with increased
      risk of both severe injury and death. Controlling for these factors, and
      restricting analysis to persons who had suffered a severe injury, the adjusted
      odds ratio (aOR) associated with death was higher for counties classified rural
      (RUCC 6-7, aOR 1.23, 95% CI 1.16-1.31) or very rural (RUCC 8-9, aOR 1.31, 95% CI
      1.18-1.46). CONCLUSIONS: Persons severely injured in crashes are more likely to
      die if they are in rural locations, possibly due to EMS constraints. As NHTSA-SDS
      data become more available and more uniform, they may be useful to explore
      specific factors contributing to this increased risk.

PMID- 26117804
TI  - A non-foaming proteosurfactant engineered from Ranaspumin-2.
AB  - Advances in biological surfactant proteins have already yielded a diverse range
      of benefits from dramatically improved survival rates for premature births to
      artificial photosynthesis. Presented here is the design, development, and
      analysis of a novel biosurfactant protein we call Surfactant Resisting Foam
      formatioN (SRFN). Starting with the Tungara frog's foam forming protein
      Ranaspumin-2, we have engineered a new surfactant protein with a destabilized
      hinge region to alter the kinetics and equilibrium of the protein structural
      transition from aqueous globular form to an extended surfactant structure at the
      air/water interface. SRFN is capable of approximately the same total surface
      tension reduction, but with the unique property of forming quickly collapsible
      foams. The difference in foam formation is attributed to the destabilizing
      glycine substitutions engineered into the hinge region. Surfactants used
      specifically to increase wettability, such as those used in agricultural
      applications would benefit from this new proteosurfactant since foamed liquid has
      greater wind resistance and decreased dispersal. Indeed, given growing concern of
      organsilicone surfactant effects on declining bee populations, biological
      surfactant proteins have several unique advantages over more common amphiphiles
      in that they can be renewably sourced, are environmentally friendly, degrade
      readily into non-toxic byproducts, and reduce surface tension without deleterious
      effects on cell membranes. 

PMID- 26117805
TI  - Targeting delivery of tocopherol and doxorubicin grafted-chitosan polymeric
      micelles for cancer therapy: In vitro and in vivo evaluation.
AB  - In this study, we report the development of a novel, redox-sensitive chitosan
      based targeted drug delivery system, containing two drugs. We determined whether
      the synthesized polymeric micelles (HPTOC-DOX) were suitable as a drug carrier.
      The formation of HPTOC-DOX micelles was confirmed by (1)H NMR. HPTOC-DOX formed
      micelles of approximately 151.9-311.2nm in size in aqueous solution. Analysis of
      the drug release profile of HPTOC-DOX in different pH conditions (pH 5.2, 6.2,
      and 7.4) indicated that DOX was released from HPTOC-DOX micelles at acidic pH
      (5.2 or 6.2), while almost no DOX was released at pH 7.4. In vitro cell
      cytotoxicity and hemolysis assays indicated that HPTOC-DOX micelles safely
      deliver anti-cancer drugs and decrease the cytotoxicity of DOX. In vitro anti
      cancer activity assays, confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis of SK-BR-3
      cells, and in vivo anti-tumor activity in SK-BR-3-derived tumor-bearing mice were
      used to evaluate synergistic drug effects and the effect of the targeting peptide
      (anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2] target peptide, epitope
      form; LTVSPWY) on receptor-mediated endocytosis. 

PMID- 26117806
TI  - Multidisciplinary Support for Healthcare Transitioning Across an Urban Healthcare
      Network.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A successful transition from pediatric to adult oriented health care
      is a vital process in maintaining a patient-centered medical home for youth with
      special health care needs (YSHCNs). We assessed practices of pediatric providers
      who transition YSCHNs to adult-oriented medical care in a large urban academic
      healthcare network. METHODS: A cross-sectional Web-based survey was distributed
      to 376 generalist and subspecialist pediatric providers. Survey assessed provider
      reported utilization of 11 Essential Steps adapted from the 2002 Consensus
      Statement on Health Care Transitions for YSHCNs, and recent transitioning
      literature. Compliance score (CS11) was calculated as a sum of steps completed.
      Additional items assessed knowledge of transitioning literature and respondent
      demographics. RESULTS: Survey achieved a 28% response rate (n=105), of whom 84
      reported assisting transitioning YSHCNs. Only 16.7% of these respondents were
      compliant with 7 or more of the 11 Essential Steps. Respondents who identified
      social work or nursing were more likely to have CS11 scores >=7 compared to those
      without and were more likely to be compliant with specific steps. CONCLUSION: We
      found limited and incomplete utilization of recommended transitioning steps for
      YSHCNs by pediatric providers within a large urban healthcare network. Access to
      support from social work and nursing was associated with greater utilization of
      specific recommended steps, and with more optimal compliance. Further research
      needs to assess the transitioning practices of all members of the
      multidisciplinary team and whether operationalizing healthcare transition for
      YSHCNs as a multidisciplinary activity impacts the transitioning process and
      patient outcomes.

PMID- 26117807
TI  - Congruence of Transition Perspectives Between Adolescents With Perinatally
      Acquired HIV and Their Guardians: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.
AB  - Youth with perinatally-acquired HIV infection (PHIV) routinely survive into
      adulthood requiring transition to adult care. Research underscores the importance
      of assessing transition perspective congruence between adolescents and guardians.
      Interviews focused on transition decisions were conducted with 18 adolescents
      with PHIV and their guardians recruited from a southeastern US pediatric
      infectious disease clinic. Transcribed responses were coded as congruent or
      divergent. Adolescents and guardians held congruent views that the transition
      process had not started. Fewer dyads agreed upon the level of adolescent and
      guardian involvement in transition decisions. Providers should assess congruence
      of adolescent and guardian perspectives regarding transition-related decisions. 

PMID- 26117808
TI  - Fluorescence imaging using synthetic GFP chromophores.
AB  - Green fluorescent protein and related proteins carry chromophores formed within
      the protein from their own amino acids. Corresponding synthetic compounds are non
      fluorescent in solution due to photoinduced isomerization of the
      benzylideneimidiazolidinone core. Restriction of this internal rotation by
      binding to host molecules leads to pronounced, up to three orders of magnitude,
      increase of fluorescence intensity. This property allows using GFP chromophore
      analogs as fluorogenic dyes to detect metal ions, proteins, nucleic acids, and
      other hosts. For example, RNA aptamer named Spinach, which binds to and activates
      fluorescence of some GFP chromophores, was proved to be a unique label for live
      cell imaging of specific RNAs, endogenous metabolites and target proteins.
      Chemically locked GFP chromophores are brightly fluorescent and represent
      potentially useful dyes due to their small size and high water solubility. 

PMID- 26117809
TI  - Jalili syndrome presenting with situs inversus totalis and keratoconus: the first
      case in the Indian subcontinent.
AB  - Jalili syndrome (JS) (MIM#217080) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by the
      comorbid appearance of cone-rod dystrophy (CORD) and amelogenesis imperfecta
      (AI). JS is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder caused by different
      mutations, all with a linkage at achromatopsia locus 2 q11 on the metal
      transporter gene CNNM4. The case report presented here describes JS with distinct
      phenotypic variations such as situs inversus totalis (SIT) along with additional
      ophthalmic findings such as keratoconus and ectopia lentis. It is the first case
      of JS reported from the Indian subcontinent, affecting a male patient of Muslim
      faith from an area having high fluoride levels in the ground water. A positive
      history of consanguineous marriage among his family members of past generations
      was also evident.

PMID- 26117810
TI  - Immunoprofile of c-MET/PI3K signaling in human salivary gland tumors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the expression pattern of
      proteins in the HGF/c-MET/PI3K signaling pathway in salivary gland tumors (SGTs)
      and to correlate the findings with the proliferative index and clinical
      parameters. STUDY DESIGN: We assembled tissue microarrays (TMAs) of 108 cases of
      SGTs, including 69 cases of pleomorphic adenoma (PA), 24 cases of adenoid cystic
      carcinoma (AdCC), and 15 cases of mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC). An
      immunohistochemical analysis of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), MET
      phosphorylation (p-MET), protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation (p-AKT), and Ki
      67 proteins was performed. RESULTS: Benign and malignant SGTs presented similar
      scores of HGF-positive cells (P = .36), whereas, malignant SGTs exhibited higher
      levels of p-MET (P = .001) and p-AKT (P = .001) than benign SGTs. No correlation
      of HGF, p-MET, or p-AKT expression was observed with clinical parameters. PA had
      a lower proliferative index than either AdCC (P = .001) or MEC (P = .001).
      CONCLUSIONS: The salivary gland carcinomas exhibited increased activation of the
      HGF pathway, as evidenced by the phosphorylation of the MET receptor, and
      increased activation of the PI3K pathway, as indicated by p-AKT. These data
      suggest that the HGF/c-MET/PI3K signaling pathway is active in SGTs, especially
      in malignant neoplasms.

PMID- 26117811
TI  - Ultrasonographic renal volume in Chinese children: Results of 1683 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At present, little information has been made available in the
      evaluation of renal volume in pediatric groups of different ages. PURPOSE: The
      purposes of the study are to evaluate the relationship between anthropometric
      measurements and renal volume measured with three-dimensional ultrasonography in
      Chinese children who have normal kidneys, and to attempt to develop reliable
      reference values of renal volume to estimate the renal sizes. METHODS: A total of
      1572 Chinese Han children suffering from stomachache, cryptorchidism and
      neurogenic enuresis with no history of renal disease or pathological
      abnormalities that might affect measurements, aged 1month to 12years (mean,
      5.64years) were examined bilateral kidneys by ultrasonography. The measurements
      of renal volume were determined using QLAB software in IU22 units (Philips
      Medical Systems, Holland). Anthropometric indices including sex, age, height and
      weight were collected for reviewed analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1683 children
      were included, and renal volume of 1572 cases (93.4%) was accepted. There was no
      significant difference between renal volumes of male and female separately in
      left and right kidneys (P=0.844 and P=0.621, respectively), whereas there was a
      significant difference between mean left and right renal volumes (P=0.000). Age,
      height and weight were all significant correlations with renal volume (R(2),
      0.885 and 0.913 for the left and right kidneys, respectively, both P=0.000), and
      age was the strongest correlation with renal volume (r, 0.472 and 0.399 for the
      left and right kidneys, respectively) among the anthropometric indices. We drew
      regression equations to estimate renal volume as follows: left renal volume
      (cm(3))=0.441*age+0.156*height+0.398*weight+6.677 and right renal volume
      (cm(3))=0.256*age+0.195*height+0.632*weight+1.788, and developed reference values
      of renal volume separately for the left and right kidneys in different age
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Regression equations have been developed, which define the
      renal volume from three-dimensional ultrasonography and may assist pediatricians
      in monitoring renal growth and detecting of unsuspected bilateral increases or
      decreases in renal size.

PMID- 26117812
TI  - Neurobiological Phenotypes of Familial Chronic Pain in Adolescence: A Pilot fMRI
      Study.
AB  - Parental history of chronic pain has been associated with self-reported pain in
      adolescent offspring. This suggests that there may be neurobiological mechanisms
      associated with pain heritability. Because emotional circuitry is an important
      component of pain processing and may also influence cognition, we used functional
      magnetic resonance imaging to examine affective processing and cognitive control
      using an Emotional Go/NoGo task in youth with (FH + Pain, n = 8) and without (FH 
      Pain, n = 8) a parental history of chronic pain (mean age = 14.17 +/- .34
      years). FH + Pain youth had widespread reductions in brain activity within limbic
      and visual processing regions during processing of positively valenced emotional
      stimuli, as well as reduced frontoparietal response while processing negatively
      valenced emotional stimuli compared with their peers. In addition, during
      inhibition within a positive emotional context, FH + Pain youth had reduced
      cognitive control and salience-related brain activity. On the other hand, default
      mode-related brain response was increased during inhibitory control within a
      negative emotional context in these adolescents compared with their peers
      (P/alpha < .05). The current findings indicate differences in both emotional
      processing and cognitive control brain response in FH + Pain compared with FH -
      Pain youth, suggesting that both affective and executive functioning pathways may
      be important markers related to the intergenerational transmission of pain.
      Perspective: This is the first study to examine neurobiological markers of pain
      risk in adolescents with a family history of chronic pain. These findings may aid
      in the identification of neural phenotypes related to vulnerability for the onset
      of pain in at-risk youth.

PMID- 26117813
TI  - Bidirectional Association Between Depression and Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A
      Nationwide Longitudinal Study.
AB  - Several cross-sectional studies have reported a common comorbidity between
      depression and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). However, a bidirectional temporal
      association between these 2 distinct diseases has rarely been investigated. Using
      the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 25,969 patients with FMS
      and without any psychiatric disorder and 17,142 patients with depression and
      without FMS between 2000 and 2008 were enrolled and separately compared with age-
      and sex-matched (1:4) control groups. Patients with FMS who developed a new-onset
      depression and those with depression who developed new-onset FMS were identified
      during follow-up (to the end of 2011). The conditional Cox regression analyses,
      after adjustment for demographic data and medical comorbidities, showed that the
      patients with FMS were associated with an increased risk (hazard ratio [HR] 7.46,
      95% confidence interval [CI] 6.77-8.22) of subsequent depression and that those
      with depression were associated with an increased risk (HR 6.28, 95% CI 5.67
      6.96) of subsequent FMS. Our results supported a bidirectional temporal
      association between depression and FMS. Each disease occurring first may increase
      the risk of the other subsequently. Further study may be necessary to determine
      the underlying mechanism between depression and FMS and to clarify whether a
      prompt intervention for depression or FMS may decrease the risk of the other
      later in life. Perspective: Our study supported a bidirectional temporal
      association between depression and FMS such that each disease occurring first may
      increase the risk of the other subsequently. This result may imply a shared
      pathophysiology between FMS and depression, but further investigation is needed.

PMID- 26117814
TI  - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
      mitigation in the pyrolysis process of waste tires using CO2 as a reaction
      medium.
AB  - Our work reported the CO2-assisted mitigation of PAHs and VOCs in the thermo
      chemical process (i.e., pyrolysis). To investigate the pyrolysis of used tires to
      recover energy and chemical products, the experiments were conducted using a
      laboratory-scale batch-type reactor. In particular, to examine the influence of
      the CO2 in pyrolysis of a tire, the pyrolytic products including C1-5
      hydrocarbons (HCs), volatile organic carbons (VOCs), and polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons (PAHs) were evaluated qualitatively by gas chromatography (GC) with
      mass spectroscopy (MS) as well as with a thermal conductivity detector (TCD). The
      mass balance of the pyrolytic products under various pyrolytic conditions was
      established on the basis of their weight fractions of the pyrolytic products. Our
      experimental work experimentally validated that the amount of gaseous pyrolytic
      products increased when using CO2 as a pyrolysis medium, while substantially
      altering the production of pyrolytic oil in absolute content (7.3-17.2%) and in
      relative composition (including PAHs and VOCs). Thus, the co-feeding of CO2 in
      the pyrolysis process can be considered an environmentally benign and energy
      efficient process. 

PMID- 26117815
TI  - Non-radiation risk factors for leukemia: A case-control study among chornobyl
      cleanup workers in Ukraine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occupational and environmental exposure to chemicals such as benzene
      has been linked to increased risk of leukemia. Cigarette smoking and alcohol
      consumption have also been found to affect leukemia risk. Previous analyses in a
      large cohort of Chornobyl clean-up workers in Ukraine found significant radiation
      related increased risk for all leukemia types. We investigated the potential for
      additional effects of occupational and lifestyle factors on leukemia risk in this
      radiation-exposed cohort. METHODS: In a case-control study of chronic lymphocytic
      and other leukemias among Chornobyl cleanup workers, we collected data on a range
      of non-radiation exposures. We evaluated these and other potential risk factors
      in analyses adjusting for estimated bone marrow radiation dose. We calculated
      Odds Ratios and 95% Confidence Intervals in relation to lifestyle factors and
      occupational hazards. RESULTS: After adjusting for radiation, we found no clear
      association of leukemia risk with smoking or alcohol but identified a two-fold
      elevated risk for non-CLL leukemia with occupational exposure to petroleum
      (OR=2.28; 95% Confidence Interval 1.13, 6.79). Risks were particularly high for
      myeloid leukemias. No associations with risk factors other than radiation were
      found for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. CONCLUSIONS: These data - the first from
      a working population in Ukraine - add to evidence from several previous reports
      of excess leukemia morbidity in groups exposed environmentally or occupationally
      to petroleum or its products.

PMID- 26117816
TI  - Tea consumption in pregnancy as a predictor of pesticide exposure and adverse
      birth outcomes: The MIREC Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pesticide residues in tea may contribute to exposure during
      pregnancy; however, the impact on maternal and infant health is not well
      understood. The aim of this study was to determine whether tea intake in the
      first trimester was associated with elevated concentrations of various pesticides
      in maternal blood or urine. Further, we examined the relationship between tea
      consumption and adverse birth outcomes. METHODS: Data from the Maternal-Infant
      Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) Study, a pan-Canada pregnancy cohort,
      were used. All singleton, live births (n=1898) with available biomarkers were
      included in the analyses. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the
      population. The geometric means (GM) of organochlorine (OC) pesticide
      constituents or metabolites in maternal plasma (lipid adjusted) and
      organophosphate (OP) pesticide metabolites (adjusted for specific gravity) in
      maternal urine were calculated for participants who drank regular, green or
      herbal tea in the first trimester and for those who did not. Differences between
      groups were examined using chi-square or t-tests. Associations between frequency
      of drinking tea and adverse birth outcomes were examined using logistic
      regression (preterm birth and small-for-gestational-age) or generalized linear
      models (birthweight decile and head circumference). RESULTS: The GM of the OC
      pesticide constituent trans-nonachlor was 2.74 mg/g lipid, and for metabolites
      oxychlordane and p,p'-DDE this was 1.94 ng/g lipid and 55.8 ng/g lipid,
      respectively. OP pesticide metabolite concentrations adjusted for specific
      gravity, were dimethylphosphate (GM: 3.19 ug/L), dimethylthiophosphate (GM: 3.29
      ug/L), dimethyldithiophosphate (GM: 0.48 ug/L), diethlphosphate (GM: 2.46), and
      diethylthiophosphate (GM: 0.67 ug/L). There was no significant difference in mean
      concentrations for these OC or OP pesticide constituents or metabolites between
      tea drinkers - of any type - and non-tea drinkers. Further, no association was
      found between tea intake and adverse birth outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Pesticide
      concentrations did not differ by tea intake. Further, tea intake in the first
      trimester was not associated with adverse birth outcomes. In this study
      population, there was no evidence for concern about tea intake being a source of
      the OP or OC pesticide metabolites measured or adversely affecting birth
      outcomes; however, tea intake was lower than national Canadian data for women of
      reproductive age.

PMID- 26117817
TI  - The mussel caging approach in assessing biological effects of wastewater
      treatment plant discharges in the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea).
AB  - Biological effects of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents were
      investigated in Baltic mussels (Mytilus trossulus) caged for one month 800m and
      1100m from the WWTP discharge site and at a reference site 4km away. Significant
      antioxidant, genotoxic and lysosomal responses were observed close to the point
      of the WWTP discharge. Passive samplers (POCIS) attached to the cages indicated
      markedly higher water concentrations of various pharmaceuticals at the two most
      impacted sites. Modeling the dispersal of a hypothetical passive tracer compound
      from the WWTP discharge site revealed differing frequencies and timing of the
      exposure periods at different caging sites. The study demonstrated for the first
      time the effectiveness of the mussel caging approach in combination with passive
      samplers and the application of passive tracer modeling to examine the true
      exposure patterns at point source sites such as WWTP pipe discharges in the
      Baltic Sea. 

PMID- 26117818
TI  - Determination of mercury and vanadium concentration in Johnius belangerii (C)
      fish in Musa estuary in Persian Gulf.
AB  - The main aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of mercury and
      vanadium in Johnius belangerii (C) fish in the Musa estuary. A total of 67 fishes
      were caught from the Musa estuary during five intervals of 15days in the summer
      of 2013. After biometric measurements were conducted, the concentrations of
      mercury and vanadium were measured in the muscle tissue of fish using a direct
      method analyzer (DMA) and a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer,
      respectively. The mean concentration of mercury and vanadium in the muscle tissue
      of fish was 3.154+/-1.981 and 2.921+/-0.873mg/kg w.w, respectively. The
      generalized linear model (GLM) analysis showed a significantly positive
      relationship among mercury concentration, length, and weight (P=0.000). In
      addition, there was a significantly negative relationship between vanadium
      concentration and fish length (P=0.000). A reverse association was found between
      concentrations of mercury and vanadium. Mercury concentration exceeded the
      allowable standards of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the World
      Health Organization (WHO), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in J.
      belangerii (C). 

PMID- 26117819
TI  - Drugging PI3K in cancer: refining targets and therapeutic strategies.
AB  - The phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) pathway is one of the most frequently
      activated pathogenic signalling routes in human cancers, making it a rational and
      important target for innovative anticancer drug development and precision
      medicine. The three main classes of PI3K inhibitors currently in clinical testing
      comprise dual pan-Class I PI3K/mTOR inhibitors, pan-Class I PI3K inhibitors
      lacking significant mTOR activity and isoform-selective PI3K inhibitors. A major
      step forward in recent years is the progression of over 30 small molecule PI3K
      inhibitors into clinical trials and the first regulatory approval of the
      PI3Kdelta inhibitor idelalisib for multiple B-cell malignancies. This review
      article focuses on the progress made in the discovery and development of novel
      PI3K inhibitors, with an emphasis on antitumour activity and tolerability
      profiles for agents that have entered clinical trials. We also discuss the key
      issues of drug resistance, patient selection approaches and rational targeted
      combinations. Finally, we envision the future development and use of PI3K
      inhibitors for the treatment of patients with a range of malignancies. 

PMID- 26117820
TI  - Synthesis, characterization, evaluation and molecular dynamics studies of 5, 6
      diphenyl-1,2,4-triazin-3(2H)-one derivatives bearing 5-substituted 1,3,4
      oxadiazole as potential anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents.
AB  - A series of triazin-3(2H)-one derivatives bearing 1,3,4-oxadiazole (4a-4o) were
      synthesized, characterized and evaluated for anti-inflammatory and analgesic
      activities. Preliminary in vitro anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using an
      albumin denaturation assay. The promising compounds were further evaluated in
      acute, sub-chronic and chronic animal models of inflammation. Derivatives 4d, 4e,
      4g, 4j and 4l exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity with reduced
      ulcerogenic, hepatotoxic and renotoxic liabilities compared to standard
      indomethacin. These potential derivatives were also evaluated for in vivo
      analgesic activity using a writhing model and the formalin-induced paw licking
      response in mice. Compounds 4d, 4e and 4g exhibited comparable analgesic
      activity, whereas 4j and 4l yielded moderate effects. The specificity of
      compounds 4d, 4e, 4g, 4j, and 4l to inhibit (cyclooxygenase-1) COX-1 and
      (cyclooxygenase-2) COX-2 isozymes and their kinetics were also determined via an
      in vitro COX inhibition assay. In silico docking studies were performed using a
      molecular dynamics simulation of the most active compound 4d (COX-2 IC50: 3.07
      MUM) at the COX-2 active site. The outcome of this exercise helped to verify the
      consensual interaction of these compounds with the enzyme. 

PMID- 26117822
TI  - Predicting activity approach based on new atoms similarity kernel function.
AB  - Drug design is a high cost and long term process. To reduce time and costs for
      drugs discoveries, new techniques are needed. Chemoinformatics field implements
      the informational techniques and computer science like machine learning and graph
      theory to discover the chemical compounds properties, such as toxicity or
      biological activity. This is done through analyzing their molecular structure
      (molecular graph). To overcome this problem there is an increasing need for
      algorithms to analyze and classify graph data to predict the activity of
      molecules. Kernels methods provide a powerful framework which combines machine
      learning with graph theory techniques. These kernels methods have led to
      impressive performance results in many several chemoinformatics problems like
      biological activity prediction. This paper presents a new approach based on
      kernel functions to solve activity prediction problem for chemical compounds.
      First we encode all atoms depending on their neighbors then we use these codes to
      find a relationship between those atoms each other. Then we use relation between
      different atoms to find similarity between chemical compounds. The proposed
      approach was compared with many other classification methods and the results show
      competitive accuracy with these methods. 

PMID- 26117821
TI  - Metronidazole-triazole conjugates: activity against Clostridium difficile and
      parasites.
AB  - Metronidazole has been used clinically for over 50 years as an antiparasitic and
      broad-spectrum antibacterial agent effective against anaerobic bacteria. However
      resistance to metronidazole in parasites and bacteria has been reported, and
      improved second-generation metronidazole analogues are needed. The copper
      catalysed Huigsen azide-alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition offers a way to
      efficiently assemble new libraries of metronidazole analogues. Several new
      metronidazole-triazole conjugates (Mtz-triazoles) have been identified with
      excellent broad spectrum antimicrobial and antiparasitic activity targeting
      Clostridium difficile, Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia. Cross
      resistance to metronidazole was observed against stable metronidazole resistant
      C. difficile and G. lamblia strains. However for the most potent Mtz-triazoles,
      the activity remained in a therapeutically relevant window. 

PMID- 26117823
TI  - The study of dual COX-2/5-LOX inhibitors by using electronic-topological approach
      based on data on the ligand-receptor interactions.
AB  - Structural and electronic factors influencing selective inhibition of
      cyclooxygenase-2 and 5-lipoxygenase (COX-2/5-LOX) were studied by using
      Electronic-Topological Method combined with Neural Networks (ETM-NN), molecular
      docking, and Density Functional Theory (DFT) in a large set of molecules. The
      results of the ETM-NN calculations allowed for the selection of pharmacophoric
      molecular fragments, which could be taken as a basis for a system capable of
      predicting the COX-2/5-LOX inhibitory activity. For the more effective extraction
      of the pharmacophoric molecular fragments, docking of molecules into the active
      sites of the two enzymes was carried out to get data on the ligand-receptor
      interaction. To make an assessment of these interactions, stabilization energies
      were calculated by using Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) analysis. Docking and data on
      the electronic structures of active sites of enzymes helped to reveal effectively
      the peculiarities of the ligand-receptor binding. The system for the selective
      COX-2/5-LOX inhibitory activity prediction that has been developed as the result
      of the ETM-NN study recognized correctly 93% of compounds as highly active ones.
      Thus, this system can be successfully used for carrying out computer screening
      and synthesis of potent inhibitors of COX-2/5-LOX with diverse molecular
      skeletons. 

PMID- 26117824
TI  - Triterpenoid saponins from the root bark of Schima superba and their cytotoxic
      activity on B16 melanoma cell line.
AB  - Eight new oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins, schisusaponins A-H, along with
      eight known triterpenoid saponins, were isolated from the root bark of Schima
      superb (Theaceae). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive
      spectroscopic analyses and chemical methods. The cytotoxicity of the new
      compounds against B16 melanoma cells was assessed. Among the isolated new
      saponins, schisusaponins C and E showed more potent effects (with IC50 values of
      10.08 and 10.89 MUM) than vinblastine (with an IC50 value of 19.48 MUM). 

PMID- 26117825
TI  - Structure determination of the neutral exopolysaccharide produced by
      Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus OLL1073R-1.
AB  - The neutral exopolysaccharide (NPS) of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.
      bulgaricus strain OLL1073R-1 was purified and characterized. The molecular mass
      was 5.0*10(6) g/mol. Sugar and absolute configuration analyses gave the following
      composition: d-Glc, 1; d-Gal, 1.5. The NPS was also submitted to periodate
      oxidation followed by borohydride reduction and Smith degradation. Sugar and
      methylation analyses, (1)H and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass
      spectrometry of the NPS or of its specifically modified products allowed
      determining the repeating unit sequence: {2)Glc(alpha1-3)Glc(beta1-3)[Gal(beta1
      4)]Gal(beta1-4)Gal(alpha1-}n. The structure is compared to that of
      exopolysaccharides produced by other Lactobacillus bulgaricus strains. 

PMID- 26117826
TI  - Paying less but harvesting more: the effect of unconscious acceptance in
      regulating frustrating emotion.
AB  - Previous studies indicate that emotion regulation may occur unconsciously,
      without the cost of cognitive effort, while conscious acceptance may enhance
      negative experiences despite having potential long-term health benefits. Thus, it
      is important to overcome this weakness to boost the efficacy of the acceptance
      strategy in negative emotion regulation. As unconscious regulation occurs with
      little cost of cognitive resources, the current study hypothesizes that
      unconscious acceptance regulates the emotional consequence of negative events
      more effectively than does conscious acceptance. Subjects were randomly assigned
      to conscious acceptance, unconscious acceptance and no-regulation conditions. A
      frustrating arithmetic task was used to induce negative emotion. Emotional
      experiences were assessed on the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale while
      emotion- related physiological activation was assessed by heart-rate reactivity.
      Results showed that conscious acceptance had a significant negative affective
      consequence, which was absent during unconscious acceptance. That is, unconscious
      acceptance was linked with little reduction of positive affect during the
      experience of frustration, while this reduction was prominent in the control and
      conscious acceptance groups. Instructed, conscious acceptance resulted in a
      greater reduction of positive affect than found for the control group. In
      addition, both conscious and unconscious acceptance strategies significantly
      decreased emotion-related heart-rate activity (to a similar extent) in comparison
      with the control condition. Moreover, heart-rate reactivity was positively
      correlated with negative affect and negatively correlated with positive affect
      during the frustration phase relative to the baseline phase, in both the control
      and unconscious acceptance groups. Thus, unconscious acceptance not only reduces
      emotion-related physiological activity but also better protects mood stability
      compared with conscious acceptance. This suggests that the clinical practice of
      acceptance therapy may need to consider using the unconscious priming of an
      accepting attitude, instead of intentionally instructing people to implement such
      a strategy, to boost the efficacy of acceptance in emotion regulation. 

PMID- 26117827
TI  - High-throughput sequencing-based genome-wide identification of microRNAs
      expressed in developing cotton seeds.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play critical regulatory roles in gene
      expression in cotton. Although a large number of miRNAs have been identified in
      cotton fibers, the functions of miRNAs in seed development remain unexplored. In
      this study, a small RNA library was constructed from cotton seeds sampled at 15
      days post-anthesis (DPA) and was subjected to high-throughput sequencing. A total
      of 95 known miRNAs were detected to be expressed in cotton seeds. The expression
      pattern of these identified miRNAs was profiled and 48 known miRNAs were
      differentially expressed between cotton seeds and fibers at 15 DPA. In addition,
      23 novel miRNA candidates were identified in 15-DPA seeds. Putative targets for
      21 novel and 87 known miRNAs were successfully predicted and 900 expressed
      sequence tag (EST) sequences were proposed to be candidate target genes, which
      are involved in various metabolic and biological processes, suggesting a complex
      regulatory network in developing cotton seeds. Furthermore, miRNA-mediated
      cleavage of three important transcripts in vivo was validated by RLM-5' RACE.
      This study is the first to show the regulatory network of miRNAs that are
      involved in developing cotton seeds and provides a foundation for future studies
      on the specific functions of these miRNAs in seed development. 

PMID- 26117828
TI  - Evolutionary annotation of conserved long non-coding RNAs in major mammalian
      species.
AB  - Mammalian genomes contain tens of thousands of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs)
      that have been implicated in diverse biological processes. However, the lncRNA
      transcriptomes of most mammalian species have not been established, limiting the
      evolutionary annotation of these novel transcripts. Based on RNA sequencing data
      from six tissues of nine species, we built comprehensive lncRNA catalogs (4,142
      42,558 lncRNAs) covering the major mammalian species. Compared to protein- coding
      RNAs, expression of lncRNAs exhibits striking lineage specificity. Notably,
      although 30%-99% human lncRNAs are conserved across different species on DNA
      locus level, only 20%-27% of these conserved lncRNA loci are detected to
      transcription, which represents a stark contrast to the proportion of conserved
      protein-coding genes (48%-80%). This finding provides a valuable resource for
      experimental scientists to study the mechanisms of lncRNAs. Moreover, we
      constructed lncRNA expression phylogenetic trees across nine mammals and
      demonstrated that lncRNA expression profiles can reliably determine phylogenic
      placement in a manner similar to their coding counterparts. Our data also reveal
      that the evolutionary rate of lncRNA expression varies among tissues and is
      significantly higher than those for protein-coding genes. To streamline the
      processes of browsing lncRNAs and detecting their evolutionary statuses, we
      integrate all the data produced in this study into a database named PhyloNONCODE
      (http://www.bioinfo.org/phyloNoncode). Our work starts to place mammalian lncRNAs
      in an evolutionary context and represent a rich resource for comparative and
      functional analyses of this critical layer of genome. 

PMID- 26117829
TI  - Serial blood-based analysis of AR-V7 in men with advanced prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We previously showed that pretreatment detection of androgen receptor
      splice variant-7 (AR-V7) in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from men with
      castration-resistant prostate cancer is associated with resistance to abiraterone
      and enzalutamide, but not to taxane chemotherapies. Here, we conducted serial
      measurements of AR-V7 and evaluated patterns of longitudinal AR-V7 dynamics over
      the course of multiple sequential therapies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Metastatic
      prostate cancer patients treated at Johns Hopkins with AR-directed therapies or
      taxane chemotherapies underwent serial liquid biopsies for CTC-based AR-V7
      analysis at baseline, during therapy, and at progression. We used a CTC
      enrichment platform followed by multiplexed reverse-transcription polymerase
      chain reaction analysis to detect full-length androgen receptor and AR-V7
      transcripts. Patients selected for inclusion in this report were those who
      provided >=4 CTC samples, at least one of which was AR-V7 positive, over the
      course of >=2 consecutive therapies. RESULTS: We identified 14 patients who
      received a total of 37 therapies and contributed 70 CTC samples for AR-V7
      analysis during a median follow-up period of 11 months. Three patients remained
      AR-V7 positive during the entire course of therapy. The remainder underwent
      transitions in AR-V7 status: there were eight instances of 'conversions' from AR
      V7-negative to -positive status (during treatment with first-line androgen
      deprivation therapy, abiraterone, enzalutamide, and docetaxel), and six instances
      of 'reversions' from AR-V7-positive to -negative status (during treatment with
      docetaxel and cabazitaxel). CONCLUSIONS: AR-V7 is a dynamic marker, and
      transitions in AR-V7 status may reflect selective pressures on the tumor exerted
      by therapeutic interventions. While 'conversions' to AR-V7-positive status were
      observed with both AR-directed therapies and taxane chemotherapies, 'reversions'
      to AR-V7-negative status only occurred during taxane therapies. Serial blood
      based AR-V7 testing is feasible in routine clinical practice, and may provide
      insights into temporal changes in tumor evolution.

PMID- 26117830
TI  - Phase I/II study of S-1 in combination with sorafenib for metastatic renal cell
      carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The potential of S-1 for the treatment of metastatic renal cell
      carcinoma (mRCC) has been shown in two phase II studies. We aimed to assess the
      safety, tolerance, pharmacokinetics and clinical activity of S-1 combined with
      sorafenib in patients with mRCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this multicenter,
      single-arm, open-label, phase I/II study of S-1 plus sorafenib, we recruited
      patients with clear-cell or papillary renal cell carcinoma who had received a
      maximum of one prior cytokine-based regimen. The phase I primary end points were
      the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose (RD). S-1 was administered
      orally at 60, 80, 100 or 120 mg/day on days 1-28 of a 42-day cycle in combination
      with sorafenib (400 or 800 mg/day), given daily with dose adjustment. In phase
      II, the primary end point was to assess the overall response rate (ORR) at the
      RD. RESULTS: Nine patients were enrolled into phase I and 21 (including 6
      patients who received the RD in the phase I portion) were enrolled into phase II.
      In the phase I portion, the MTD could not be determined, and the RD was defined
      as S-1 80 mg/m(2)/day on days 1-28 + sorafenib 800 mg/day on days 1-42. In the
      phase II portion, 21 patients were fully assessable for efficacy and safety. The
      confirmed ORR was 52% [95% confidence interval (CI) 29.8-74.3], including one
      complete response (5%) and 10 partial responses (48%). The median progression
      free survival was 9.9 (95% CI 6.5-17.1) months. The most frequently reported
      treatment-related adverse event for all grades was hand-foot skin reaction
      (100%). The major reasons for dose reduction were hand-foot skin reaction (38%)
      and rash (14%). CONCLUSION: Combination therapy with S-1 plus sorafenib is
      effective and tolerable for patients with mRCC. However, skin events management
      is important in S-1 plus sorafenib combination therapy.

PMID- 26117831
TI  - The management of opiate use disorders in France: results of an observational
      survey of general practitioners.
AB  - BACKGROUND: When opioid-agonist treatments were approved in France in 1995,
      opiate use disorders began to be managed and treated by general practitioners
      (GPs), who have since then been encouraged to treat substance use disorders
      (SUDs) for heroin and other illegal substances. The objective of this study was
      to describe rates of: 1) SUDs in general practices in France; 2) characteristics
      of GPs treating SUDs; and 3) clinical practices surrounding SUDs. To place these
      data in the context of SUD treatment, we also gathered information from
      practicing SUD specialists. METHODS: Between December 2011 and January 2012, a
      nationally representative sample of GPs and SUD specialists were interviewed by
      phone, using a 12-item questionnaire that covered number of SUD patients, types
      of SUDs, and treatments. Data collected were confidential, and analysis was
      blinded with regard to physician identity. RESULTS: Forty-four percent of GPs and
      68 % of specialists were included in the analysis. The mean number of patients
      estimated to have been seen at least once in the previous year was 3036 for GPs
      and 920 for specialists. Ninety-six percent of GPs reported having patients with
      SUDs. Tobacco, alcohol, and psychoactive drugs were the SUDs most frequently
      encountered by GPs, whereas tobacco, alcohol, heroin, and cannabis were most
      frequently encountered by specialists. Forty-three percent of GPs saw at least
      one patient with a heroin use disorder (HUD), and 82 % of GPs treating patients
      with HUDs had prescribed an opioid-agonist treatment during the previous 12
      months. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that a large number of GPs
      now treat patients with opiate use disorders and that doctors appear to be
      convinced of the benefits of opioid-agonist therapy and have overcome their
      initial concerns. This represents a significant change in practice patterns since
      the introduction of opioid-agonist treatments in France.

PMID- 26117832
TI  - Morphology Alters Fluid Transport and the Ability of Organisms to Mix Oceanic
      Waters.
AB  - Mixing in the ocean is opposed by the stratification of fluid, such that density
      of seawater increases with greater depth. The mechanisms by which mixing occurs
      have been attributed largely to physical processes that include atmospheric
      forcing, tides, and internal waves. Biogenic mixing, another potential source of
      mixing in the ocean, may generate significant transport of fluid during diel
      vertical migrations of organisms. Biogenic mixing is not limited to the near
      surface or to regions of rough bottom topography, as are other physical mixing
      processes, and may contribute significantly to the energy budget of mixing in mid
      ocean. "Fluid drift", a mechanism first described by Charles Galton Darwin, has
      been identified as a mechanism that allows for long-distance, vertical transport
      of fluid by the smallest of swimming organisms. However, little is known about
      how fluid drift varies with morphology and behavior of swimming organisms. We
      conducted numerical simulations of theoretical and experimentally measured flows
      of swimming medusae (Phyllorhiza sp.), and compared the volume of the drift
      induced by these flows. Our numerical simulations of fluid drift showed that
      morphology coupled with swimming behavior alters the transport of fluid both
      spatially and temporally. Given empirical velocity field data, the methods
      presented here allow us to systematically compare fluid transport across taxa,
      and enable us to deduce the potential of swimming organisms to influence fluid
      transport. 

PMID- 26117833
TI  - Outrun or Outmaneuver: Predator-Prey Interactions as a Model System for
      Integrating Biomechanical Studies in a Broader Ecological and Evolutionary
      Context.
AB  - Behavioral studies performed in natural habitats provide a context for the
      development of hypotheses and the design of experiments relevant both to
      biomechanics and to evolution. In particular, predator-prey interactions are a
      model system for integrative study because success or failure of predation has a
      direct effect on fitness and drives the evolution of specialized performance in
      both predator and prey. Although all predators share the goal of capturing prey,
      and all prey share the goal of survival, the behavior of predators and prey are
      diverse in nature. This article presents studies of some predator-prey
      interactions sharing common predation strategies that reveal general principles
      governing the behaviors of predator and prey, even in distantly related taxa.
      Studies of predator-prey interactions also reveal that maximal performance
      observed in a laboratory setting is not necessarily the performance that
      determines fitness. Thus, considering locomotion in the context of predation
      ecology can aid in evolutionarily relevant experimental design. Classification by
      strategy reveals that displaying unpredictable trajectories is a relevant anti
      predator behavior in response to multiple predation strategies. A predator's
      perception and pursuit of prey can be affected indirectly by divergent locomotion
      of similar animals that share an ecosystem. Variation in speed and direction of
      locomotion that directly increases the unpredictability of a prey's trajectory
      can be increased through genetic mutation that affects locomotor patterns,
      musculoskeletal changes that affect maneuverability, and physical interactions
      between an animal and the environment. By considering the interconnectedness of
      ecology, physical constraints, and the evolutionary history of behavior, studies
      in biomechanics can be designed to inform each of these fields. 

PMID- 26117835
TI  - Tobacco Dependence Treatment Training Programs: An International Survey.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In line with Article 14 guidelines for the WHO Framework Convention
      on Tobacco Control, we aimed to assess the progress in training individuals to
      deliver tobacco cessation treatment. METHODS: Cross-sectional web-based survey in
      May-September 2013 among 122 experts in tobacco control and training from 84
      countries (73% response rate among 115 countries surveyed). We measured training
      program prevalence, participants, and challenges faced. RESULTS: Overall, 21% (n
      = 18/84) of countries, mostly low and middle-income countries (LMICs; P = .002),
      reported no training program. Among 66 countries reporting at least one training
      program, most (84%) trained healthcare professionals but 54% also trained other
      individuals including community health workers, teachers, and religious leaders.
      Most programs (54%) cited funding challenges, although stability of funding
      varied by income level. Government funding was more commonly reported in higher
      income countries (high 56%, upper middle 50%, lower middle 27%, low 25%; P = .03)
      while programs in LMICs relied more on nongovernmental organizations (high 11%,
      upper middle 37%, lower middle 27%, low 38%; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: One in five
      countries reported having no tobacco treatment training program representing
      little progress in terms of training individuals to deliver tobacco treatment in
      LMICs. Without more trained tobacco treatment providers, one of the tenets of
      Article 14 is not yet being met and health inequalities are likely to widen. More
      effort and resources are needed to ensure that healthcare worker educational
      programs include training to assess tobacco use and deliver brief advice and that
      training is available for individuals outside the healthcare system in areas with
      limited healthcare access.

PMID- 26117836
TI  - Smoking Patterns and Receipt of Cessation Services Among Pregnant Women in
      Argentina and Uruguay.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The 5A's (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange) strategy, a
      best-practice approach for cessation counseling, has been widely implemented in
      high-income countries for pregnant women; however, no studies have evaluated
      implementation in middle-income countries. The study objectives were to assess
      smoking patterns and receipt of 5A's among pregnant women in Buenos Aires,
      Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay. METHODS: Data were collected through
      administered questionnaires to women at delivery hospitalizations during October
      2011-May 2012. Eligible women attended one of 12 maternity hospitals or 21
      associated prenatal care clinics. The questionnaire included demographic data,
      tobacco use/cessation behaviors, and receipt of the 5A's. Self-reported cessation
      was verified with saliva cotinine. RESULTS: Overall, of 3400 pregnant women,
      32.8% smoked at the beginning of pregnancy; 11.9% quit upon learning they were
      pregnant or later during pregnancy, and 20.9% smoked throughout pregnancy.
      Smoking prevalence varied by country with 16.1% and 26.7% who smoked throughout
      pregnancy in Argentina and Uruguay, respectively. Among pregnant smokers in
      Argentina, 23.8% reported that a provider asked them about smoking at more than
      one prenatal care visit; 18.5% were advised to quit; 5.3% were assessed for
      readiness to quit, 4.7% were provided assistance, and 0.7% reported follow-up was
      arranged. In Uruguay, those percentages were 36.3%, 27.9%, 5.4%, 5.6%, and 0.2%,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately, one in six pregnant women smoked
      throughout pregnancy in Buenos Aires and one in four in Montevideo. However, a
      low percentage of smokers received any cessation assistance in both countries.
      Healthcare providers are not fully implementing the recommended 5A's intervention
      to help pregnant women quit smoking.

PMID- 26117837
TI  - Proarrhythmia Risk Assessment in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived
      Cardiomyocytes Using the Maestro MEA Platform.
AB  - Evaluation of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (SC-CM) using multi-electrode
      array (MEA) has attracted attention as a novel model to detect drug-induced
      arrhythmia. An experiment was conducted to determine if MEA recording from human
      induced pluripotent SC-CM (hiPSC-CM) could assess proarrhythmic risk. Ten hERG
      blockers, 4 Na(+) blockers, and 1 IKs blocker were evaluated blindly. Eight drugs
      are associated with Torsades de Pointes (TdP) and 4 are not. Multiple parameters,
      including field potential duration (FPD), Na(+) slope, Na(+) amplitude, beat rate
      (BR), and early after-depolarization (EAD) were recorded. Minimum effective
      concentrations (MEC) that elicited a significant change were calculated. Our
      results determined that FPD and EAD were unable to distinguish torsadogenic from
      benign compounds, Na(+) slope and amplitude could not differentiate Na(+) channel
      blockade from hERG blockade, BR had an inconsistent response to pharmacological
      treatment, and that hiPSC-CM were, in general, insensitive to IKs inhibition. A
      ratio was calculated that relates MEC for evoking FPD prolongation, or triggering
      EAD, to the human therapeutic unbound Cmax (MEC/Cmax). The key finding was that
      the ratio was sensitive, but specificity was low. Consistently, the ratio had
      high positive predictive value and low negative predictive value. In conclusion,
      MEA recordings of hiPSC-CM were sensitive for FPD and EAD detection, but unable
      to distinguish agents with low- and high-risk for TdPs. Although some published
      reports suggested great potential for MEA recordings in hSC-CM to assess
      preclinical cardiac toxicity, the current evaluation implies that this model
      would have a high false-positive rate in regard to proarrhythmic risk. 

PMID- 26117838
TI  - Growth suppressor lingerer regulates bantam microRNA to restrict organ size.
AB  - The evolutionarily conserved Hippo signaling pathway plays an important role in
      organ size control by regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis. Here, we
      identify Lingerer (Lig) as a growth suppressor using RNAi modifying screen in
      Drosophila melanogaster. Loss of lig increases organ size and upregulates bantam
      (ban) and the expression of the Hippo pathway target genes, while overexpression
      of lig results in diminished ban expression and organ size reduction. We
      demonstrate that Lig C-terminal exhibits dominant-negative function on growth and
      ban expression, and thus plays an important role in organ size control and ban
      regulation. In addition, we provide evidence that both Yki and Mad are essential
      for Lig-induced ban expression. We also show that Lig regulates the expression of
      the Hippo pathway target genes partially via Yorkie. Moreover, we find that Lig
      physically interacts with and requires Salvador to restrict cell growth. Taken
      together, we demonstrate that Lig functions as a critical growth suppressor to
      control organ size via ban and Hippo signaling. 

PMID- 26117839
TI  - PTPROt maintains T cell immunity in the microenvironment of hepatocellular
      carcinoma.
AB  - Intratumoral T cells play a central role in anti-tumor immunity, and the balance
      between T effector cells (Teff) and regulatory T cells (Treg) affects the
      prognosis of cancer patients. However, educated by tumor microenvironment, T
      cells frequently fail in their responsibility. In this study, we aimed to
      investigate the role of truncated isoform of protein tyrosine phosphatase
      receptor-type O (PTPROt) in T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity. We recruited 70
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and 30 healthy volunteers for clinical
      investigation, and analyzed cellular tumor immunity by using ptpro(-/-) C57BL/6
      mice and NOD/SCID mice. PTPROt expression was significantly downregulated in
      human HCC-infiltrating T cells due to the hypoxia microenvironment; PTPROt
      expression highly correlated with the intratumoral Teff/Treg ratio and
      clinicopathologic characteristics. Moreover, PTPROt deficiency attenuated T cell
      mediated anti-tumor immunity and remarkably promoted mouse HCC growth.
      Mechanistically, deletion of PTPROt decreased Teff quantity and quality through
      phosphorylation of lymphocyte-specific tyrosine kinase, but increased Treg
      differentiation through phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of
      transcription 5. In support of the Teff/Treg homeostasis, PTPROt serves as an
      important tumor suppressor in HCC microenvironment. 

PMID- 26117840
TI  - E-selectin ligand complexes adopt an extended high-affinity conformation.
AB  - E-selectin is a cell-adhesion molecule of the vascular endothelium that promotes
      essential leukocyte rolling in the early inflammatory response by binding to
      glycoproteins containing the tetrasaccharide sialyl Lewis(x) (sLe(x)). Efficient
      leukocyte recruitment under vascular flow conditions depends on an increased
      lifetime of E-selectin/ligand complexes under tensile force in a so-called catch
      bond binding mode. Co-crystal structures of a representative fragment of the
      extracellular E-selectin region with sLe(x) and a glycomimetic antagonist thereof
      reveal an extended E-selectin conformation, which is identified as a high
      affinity binding state of E-selectin by molecular dynamics simulations. Small
      angle X-ray scattering experiments demonstrate a direct link between ligand
      binding and E-selectin conformational transition under static conditions in
      solution. This permits tracing a series of concerted structural changes
      connecting ligand binding to conformational stretching as the structural basis of
      E-selectin catch-bond-mediated leukocyte recruitment. The detailed molecular view
      of the binding site paves the way for the design of a new generation of selectin
      antagonists. This is of special interest, since their therapeutic potential was
      recently demonstrated with the pan-selectin antagonists GMI-1070 (Rivipansel). 

PMID- 26117841
TI  - Nutrigenetics of cholesterol metabolism: observational and dietary intervention
      studies in the postgenomic era.
AB  - Cholesterol metabolism is a well-defined responder to dietary intakes and a
      classic biomarker of cardiovascular health. For this reason, circulating
      cholesterol levels have become key in shaping nutritional recommendations by
      health authorities worldwide for better management of cardiovascular disease, a
      leading cause of mortality and one of the most costly health problems globally.
      Data from observational and dietary intervention studies, however, highlight a
      marked between-individual variability in the response of cholesterol metabolism
      to similar dietary protocols, a phenomenon linked to genetic heterogeneity. This
      review summarizes the postgenomic evidence of polymorphisms within cholesterol
      associated genes relative to fasting circulating cholesterol levels under diverse
      nutritional conditions. A number of cholesterol-related gene-diet interactions
      are confirmed, which may have clinical importance, supporting a deeper look into
      the rapidly emerging field of nutrigenetics for meaningful conclusions that may
      eventually lead to genetically targeted dietary recommendations in the era of
      personalized nutrition. 

PMID- 26117842
TI  - The EuroSCORE: a neglected measure of medium-term survival following cardiac
      surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: EuroSCORE is used to predict operative mortality following cardiac
      surgery. There are limited data to assess the ability of EuroSCORE to predict
      medium- to long-term survival. We aimed to test the ability of EuroSCORE to
      predict mid-term survival following cardiac surgery. METHODS: We analysed
      prospectively collected data from all patients undergoing cardiac surgery in an
      urban tertiary cardiac centre over a 6-year period. All-cause mortality following
      cardiac surgery was determined via Office of National Statistics data. Patients
      were grouped into all comers, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), isolated
      aortic valve replacement (AVR), isolated mitral valve repair and replacement
      (MVR) and combined AVR/MVR and CABG. Each group was separated into EuroSCORE
      quartiles. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to calculate 6-year actuarial survival.
      Log-rank test was used to calculate the P-value. C-statistic discriminated the
      ability of the EuroSCORE to predict medium-term survival. RESULTS: A total of
      9022 consecutive patients were identified. The mean age was 66.86 years, 73.7%
      were male. The cases were grouped according to their additive EuroSCORE into 0-5
      (n = 5369), 6-10 (n = 3059), 11-15 (n = 506) and >15 (n = 93). Median follow-up
      was 2.92 years. The 6-year survival was 88.5, 71.8, 52.5 and 39.5%, respectively.
      The P-value for all operative categories was significant. The C-statistic was
      0.68 (all comers), 0.72 for isolated MVR, 0.65 (isolated CABG), 0.62 (isolated
      AVR) and 0.69 (combined AVR/MVR and CABG). CONCLUSIONS: Additive EuroSCORE may be
      used to predict medium-term survival in patients undergoing cardiac surgery;
      increasing additive EuroSCORE resulting in significant decreases in survival. It
      is a good predictive tool for patients undergoing isolated MVR and a fair tool
      for patients undergoing the remaining operative procedures studied.

PMID- 26117843
TI  - Robotic thoracic surgery versus video-assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer:
      a meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There are two different minimally invasive approaches, robotic
      thoracic surgery (RTS) and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), which are
      performed for lung cancer resection. This meta-analysis aimed to compare the
      perioperative outcomes of RTS with those of VATS for patients with lung cancer.
      METHODS: We searched articles indexed in the PubMed and ScienceDirect databases
      that met our predefined criteria, published up to January 2015. A meta-analysis
      was performed by combining the results of reported incidences of perioperative
      morbidity and mortality. The relative risk (RR) was used as a summary statistic.
      RESULTS: Eight eligible articles with 3379 subjects were considered in the
      analysis (8 articles for morbidity, while 4 articles for mortality). Overall,
      pooled analysis indicated that perioperative morbidity and mortality were similar
      between RTS and VATS (morbidity: RR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.94-1.10; P = 0.605;
      mortality: RR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.06-1.25; P = 0.095). No evidence of publication
      bias was observed. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis showed that RTS resulted in
      similar outcomes compared with VATS cases. RTS appears to be an appropriate
      alternative to VATS, which is associated with improved outcomes compared with
      open thoracotomy. RTS should be studied further in selected centres and compared
      with VATS in a randomized fashion to better define its potential advantages and
      disadvantages.

PMID- 26117844
TI  - Synchrotron Radiation Sheds Fresh Light on Plant Research: The Use of Powerful
      Techniques to Probe Structure and Composition of Plants.
AB  - While synchrotron radiation is a powerful tool in material and biomedical
      sciences, it is still underutilized in plant research. This mini review attempts
      to introduce the potential of synchrotron-based spectroscopic and imaging methods
      and their applications to plant sciences. Synchrotron-based Fourier transform
      infrared spectroscopy, X-ray absorption and fluorescence techniques, and two- and
      three-dimensional imaging techniques are examined. We also discuss the
      limitations of synchrotron-based research in plant sciences, specifically the
      types of plant samples that can be used. Despite limitations, the unique features
      of synchrotron radiation such as high brightness, polarization and pulse
      properties offer great advantages over conventional spectroscopic and imaging
      tools and enable the correlation of the structure and chemical composition of
      plants with biochemical function. Modern detector technologies and experimental
      methodologies are thus enabling plant scientists to investigate aspects of plant
      sciences such as ultrafast kinetics of biochemical reactions, mineral uptake,
      transport and accumulation, and dynamics of cell wall structure and composition
      during environmental stress in unprecedented ways using synchrotron beamlines.
      The potential for the automation of some of these synchrotron technologies and
      their application to plant phenotyping is also discussed. 

PMID- 26117845
TI  - Treatment.  Financial incentives failed to provide substantial motivation.

PMID- 26117846
TI  - SSI.  ALJ failed to justify assessment in disability benefits case.

PMID- 26117847
TI  - A military court reverses decision against enlistee with HIV.

PMID- 26117848
TI  - Prisoner wrongly treated for HIV may proceed with charge.

PMID- 26117849
TI  - Criminal.  Man who exposed partner to HIV not guilty of wanton cruelty.

PMID- 26117850
TI  - Cell counts in children rebound after treatment.

PMID- 26117851
TI  - CDC launches prevention efforts focused on PrEP, high-risk groups.

PMID- 26117852
TI  - Endiandric Acid Derivatives and Other Constituents of Plants  from the Genera
      Beilschmiedia and Endiandra (Lauraceae).
AB  - Plants of the Lauraceae family are widely used in traditional medicine and are
      sources of various classes of secondary metabolites. Two genera of this family,
      Beilschmiedia and Endiandra, have been the subject of numerous investigations
      over the past decades because of their application in traditional medicine. They
      are the only source of bioactive endiandric acid derivatives. Noteworthy is that
      their biosynthesis contains two consecutive non-enzymatic electrocyclic
      reactions. Several interesting biological activities for this specific class of
      secondary metabolites and other constituents of the two genera have been
      reported, including antimicrobial, enzymes inhibitory and cytotoxic properties.
      This review compiles information on the structures of the compounds described
      between January 1960 and March 2015, their biological activities and information
      on endiandric acid biosynthesis, with 104 references being cited.

PMID- 26117856
TI  - GAO says data on unmet HIV housing needs insufficient.

PMID- 26117854
TI  - Introduction to Oxidative Stress in Biomedical and  Biological Research.
AB  - Oxidative stress is now a well-researched area with thousands of new articles
      appearing every year. We want to give the reader here an overview of the topics
      in biomedical and basic oxidative stress research which are covered by the
      authors of this thematic issue. We also want to give the newcomer a short
      introduction into some of the basic concepts, definitions and analytical
      procedures used in this field.

PMID- 26117857
TI  - [Laser Tuning Performance Testing and Optimization in TDLAS Oxygen Measuring
      Systems].
AB  - TDLAS (tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy) technology, with its
      unmatched advantages such as high selectivity molecular spectra, fast response,
      high sensitivity, non-contact measuring, become the preferred scheme for
      combustion process diagnosis, and can be effectively used for oxygen measuring.
      DFB (distributed feedback) laser diode with its small size, low power
      consumption, long service life, narrow linewidth, tunable wavelength has become
      the main choice of the TDLAS system. Performance of laser tuning characteristics
      is a key factor restricting TDLAS's measuring performance. According to TDLAS
      oxygen measuring system's working requirements, a simple experimental method was
      used to test and analyze tuning characteristics such as wavelength current, power
      current and wavelength temperature of a 764 nm DFB laser diode in the system.
      Nonlinear distortion of tuning curves was obvious, which affects oxygen measuring
      accuracy. The laser spectra's characteristics such as narrow linewidth, high side
      mode suppression ratio and wide wavelength tuning range are obvious, while its
      wavelength-current tuning curve with a tuning rate of about 0.023 nm x mA(-1) is
      not strictly linear. The higher the temperature the greater the threshold
      current, the PI curve is not strictly linear either. Temperature tuning curve is
      of good linearity, temperature-wave-length tuning rate keeps constant of about
      0.056 nm/DEG C. Temperature tuning nonlinearity can be improved by high
      temperature control accuracy, and current power nonlinearity can be improved by
      setting the reference light path. In order to solve the wavelength current tuning
      nonlinear problems, the method of DA controlling injection current was considered
      to compensate for non-linear wavelength current tuning according to DFB laser
      diode tuning mechanism and polynomial fitting of test results. In view of
      different type of lasers, this method needs only one polynomial fitting process
      before the system's initial work. The compensation scheme is reasonable and the
      realization is simple, what's more, it does not affect the measuring process. The
      experiments prove that XI curve's linear fit residuals are less than 1 MUm after
      compensation, far less than those of before compensation 22 pm, the compensation
      effect is obvious, which provided a basis for various oxygen parameters' TDLAS
      measuring and inversion.

PMID- 26117853
TI  - RNA-Mediated Regulation of HMGA1 Function.
AB  - The high mobility group protein A1 (HMGA1) is a master regulator of chromatin
      structure mediating its major gene regulatory activity by direct interactions
      with A/T-rich DNA sequences located in the promoter and enhancer regions of a
      large variety of genes. HMGA1 DNA-binding through three AT-hook motifs results in
      an open chromatin structure and subsequently leads to changes in gene expression.
      Apart from its significant expression during development, HMGA1 is over-expressed
      in virtually every cancer, where HMGA1 expression levels correlate with tumor
      malignancy. The exogenous overexpression of HMGA1 can lead to malignant cell
      transformation, assigning the protein a key role during cancerogenesis. Recent
      studies have unveiled highly specific competitive interactions of HMGA1 with
      cellular and viral RNAs also through an AT-hook domain of the protein,
      significantly impacting the HMGA1-dependent gene expression. In this review, we
      discuss the structure and function of HMGA1-RNA complexes during transcription
      and epigenomic regulation and their implications in HMGA1-related diseases.

PMID- 26117858
TI  - Study on the Low Temperature Photoluminescence Spectra of II-VI Group Telluride
      Bulk Crystals.
AB  - The dominant point defects in II-VI group telluride bulk crystals grown from melt
      usually varied due to different growth conditions and cooling history, in turn
      affect the electrical and optical behaviors of corresponding single crystals and
      devices. Low temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra acts as a contact-less
      and non-destructive technique, can be used to evaluate the behaviors of point
      defects and impurities in the as-grown telluride bulk crystals. With the purpose
      of comparing the defect structures in un-doped ZnTe and CdTe crystals grown under
      Te-rich condition, 8. 6 K PL spectra were obtained. The conductivity type and
      resistivity were investigated by Hall-effect measurements at room temperature
      (RT). For p-type low resistivity ZnTe crystal, the intensity of. free electron to
      neutral acceptor (e, A(0)) transition is higher than the donor-acceptor pair
      (DAP) transition, which predominates in the PL spectra. However, in the contrary,
      DAP peak dominates the PL emissions for n-type high resistivity CdTe. This
      difference is mainly attributed to the distinct properties of the grown-in point
      defects due to different growth. velocities and cooling processes. In terms of
      the un-doped CdZnTe crystal grown under stoichiometry, neutral donor bound
      exciton (D(0), X) emission is predominated in the 9.2 K PL spectra, with the
      intensity of (e, A(0)) peak is higher than DAP peak, which then overlaps to each
      other when the temperature higher then 15 K. In the case of In-doped CdZnTe
      crystal grown by Te-rich situation, A-center emission is clearly observed, which
      introduces an energy level approximately of 0.15 eV, with the intensity
      proportional to the concentration of indium dopant. This defect is seemingly
      related to the complex of [In(Cd)+V(Cd)2-]- formed by a shallow donor In(Cd) and
      Cd vacancy.

PMID- 26117859
TI  - [A Algorithm of the Singular Value Decomposition for Three-Way Array].
AB  - A algorithm of the singular value decomposition for three-way array is proposed
      in this paper. The algorithm is suitable to deal with the actual problems of
      pattern recognition and classification model with three-way array data. Similar
      to the algorithm of the singular value decomposition for matrix, the algorithm is
      obtained by saving the problem of extremum subject to constraint conditions.
      Comparing with the existent algorithms of trilinear decomposition the algorithm
      is simple and fast in calculation, suitable to deal with the actual bigger data
      problems. The algorithm is easy to expand into the situation for multi-way array
      spectral data.

PMID- 26117860
TI  - [Influence of Argon Content on Plasma Temperature of Single Filament in
      Dielectric Barrier Discharge].
AB  - The single filament (also referred to as monofilament) which composed of two
      parts including the center spot and the outer halo is observed and researched for
      the first time in dielectric barrier discharge, which filled with gas-mixture of
      argon and air. The pictures taken from the experiment show that the diameter of
      the monofilament decreases with the increasing of the content of the argon in the
      argon-air mixture, and at the same time there is an obvious difference on
      brightness between the center spot and the outer halo. All of these phenomenons
      suggest that the center spot and the outer halo are probably in different plasma
      state. The micro character of the center spot and the outer halo is researched
      seriously in the experiment by the time-resolved measurement with optical method.
      Three plasma temperatures of the center spot and the outer halo in single
      filament in different argon content are studied in details by using optical
      emission spectra. The emission spectra of the N2 second positive band (C3 pi(u) -
      > B3 pig) are measured, from which the molecule vibrational temperature of the
      center spot and the outer halo are calculated. Based on the relative intensity of
      the N2 line at 391.4 nm and the N2 line at 394. 1 nm, the changing relationship
      of the average electron energy of the center spot and the outer halo with argon
      content is investigated. The spectral lines of Ar I 763.2 nm (2P6 --> 1S5) and
      772.077 nm (2P2 --> 1S3) are chosen to estimate electron excitation temperature
      of the center spot and the outer halo by the relative intensity ratio method. The
      results show that the optical signal corresponding to the first lasge pulse is
      the center spot, whose signal intensity is a litter weaker; and the optical
      signal containing the whole pulse is the outer halo, whose signal intensity is
      stronger. The three plasma temperatures including the molecule vibrational
      temperature, average electron energy and electron excitation temperature of the
      outer halo are higher than those of the spot at the same argon content without
      exception. In addition, the molecule vibrational temperature of the center spot
      and the outer halo decrease with the argon content increases from 30% to 50%,
      while on the other hand, electron excitation temperature and average electron
      energy are decrease gradually.

PMID- 26117861
TI  - [Research on L-Ascorbic Acid and Thiamine Based on Wide-Band Terahertz
      Spectroscopy Technique].
AB  - We employed terahertz time-domain spectra (THz-TDS) and Fourier transform
      infrared spectra (FTIR) to measure the terahertz spectroscopy of L-ascorbic acid
      and thiamine in the frequency region ranging from 0.10 to 3.50 THz. Molecular
      models of two vitamins have been shown, and based on above two spectroscopies, we
      compared the differences about the absorption spectra between the L-ascorbic acid
      and the thiamine. The measured results show that the absorption spectra obtained
      based on THz-TDS and FTIR are completely consistent in the frequency range of
      0.70 to 3.00 THz. New fingerprint peaks obtained by the FTIR in the low frequency
      region from 0.30 to 0.50 THz in terms of high sensitive silicon bolometer
      detector, which are not found by the THz-TDS. Furthermore, several bands at 8.75,
      8.85, 9.00, 9.30 and 10.30 THz, fingerprint peaks have been found in the
      frequency region from 8.00 to 12.00 THz for the thiamine sample obtained by the
      FTIR. Measurement results indicate the absorption spectra depend on the ratio of
      polyethylene powder mixed with the L-ascorbic acid. L-ascorbic acid has a lower
      absorption ability at THz band, so pure samples should be used for testing
      experiment. In addition, we calculated the refractive index for the two samples.
      This study has important implications for the discriminatory analysis of vitamins
      and the establishment of vitamin spectroscopy standard database.

PMID- 26117862
TI  - [Research on Application of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry in the
      Diagnosis of Lymph Node Metastasis in Gastric Cancer].
AB  - To explore the feasibility of quick intraoperative in situ and noninvasive
      diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer by Fourier transform
      infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. FTIR spectra of surgically removed fresh lymph
      nodes were measured by FTIR via probe of attenuated total reflection (ATR). For
      each spectrum, 13 bands were indentified and assigned between 3 000 and 1 000 cm(
      1). Peaks in the spectra were measured and relative intensity ratios were
      calculated and compared between the spectra of Metastatic lymph nodes (MLN) and
      Non-metastatic lymph nodes (NMLN). Standard statistic analysis was performed. 720
      lymph nodes were measured in 38 gastric cancer patients. Results show that there
      were significant differences between the FTIR of 540 MLN and 180 NMLN. (1) For
      the band related to nucleic acid: The ratios of I1240/I1460 (p = 0.015) and
      I1080/I1460 (p = 0.034) increased in MLN, which shows that the relative quantity
      of nucleic acid was more in MLN than that in NMLN. (2) For the bands related to
      protein: The ratios of I1640 /I1460 (p = 0.001) and I146/I1460 (p = 0.027)
      increased in MLN, which shows that the relative quantity of protein was more in
      MLN. (3) For the bands related to lipid: The ratio of I2855/I460 and I1740/I1460
      decreased in MLN FTIR spectrum, indicating the lower relative quantity of lipid
      in MLN. (4) For the bands related to carbohydrate: The ratio of I1160/I1460 (p =
      0.023) decreased in MLN FTIR spectrum, indicating the lower relative quantity of
      carbohydrate in MLN. The results demonstrate that the FTIR spectroscopy technique
      maybe develop into a promising method for in situ and quick intraoperative
      differential diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer.

PMID- 26117863
TI  - [Infrared Spectrum Studies of Hydrocarbon Generation and Structure Evolution of
      Peat Samples During Pyrolysis and Microbial Degradation].
AB  - Hydrocarbon generation and structural evolution would be occurred in the process
      of from coal-forming material (i. e. peat sample) transforming to the coal. While
      Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) have a special advantages in
      analyzing molecular structure of samples. For understanding the characteristics
      of hydrocarbon generation and structural evolution of coal-forming material
      during the process of pyrolysis and microbial degradation, based on the physical
      simulation experiments of closed pyrolysis and anaerobic microbial degradation,
      the generation potential of thermogenic gas and biogenic gas were studied in this
      paper, and characteristics of molecular structure evolution and its mechanism was
      analyzed by FTIR technology. Results show that cumulative gas yields of
      hydrocarbon gases (mainly for methane) increased with experiment temperature. The
      gas yield of non-hydrocarbon gas (mainly for CO2) exhibited two peaks at 250 and
      375 degrees C. The degradation ability of anaerobe on coal samples weakened with
      the maturity increasing and there was no gas generation on the pyrolysis samples
      with maturity from 1.6% to 1.8%. After pyrolysis, the content of hydroxyl in peat
      sample decreased first and then increased with the pyrolysis temperature
      increasing. The content of aldehyde carbonyl, methylene and phosphate reduced.
      The content of aromatic esters decreased with nonlinear. The bone of S-O in
      stretching vibration appeared after 350 degrees C and its content increased with
      temperature. This shows that the sulfocompound restrains the activity of
      methanogenic bacteria. After degradation by anaerobe, the relative content of
      hydroxyl, aldehyde carbonyl, aromatic esters, methylene and phosphate in peat
      sample dropped significantly. It is shown that the intermolecular force between
      these groups weakened.

PMID- 26117864
TI  - [Establishment and Application of Model for Determining Oil Content of Cottonseed
      Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy].
AB  - Cotton is one of the important oil crops, and it is great significance for
      screening and identification of breeding materials to establish a method of the
      rapid, nondestructive testing of cotton seed oil content. In this study, near
      infrared diffuse reflection spectroscopy of 118 high and low oil materials were
      adopted to establish models for fast nondestructive determining oil content of
      cottonseed using near infrared spectroscopy (NIR). One hundred and six cottonseed
      samples as calibration set that covered the range of seed oil content for upland
      cotton were used in this experiment. The spectral data of cottonseed were
      processed using the first derivative and multiplicative scatter correction (MSC).
      The correction NIR model of oil content was built based on partial least squares
      (PLS) method with the spectral regions 5 446-8 848 cm(-1) and main components
      (5). The determination coefficient (R2) of calibration model was 0.975, standard
      error of calibration (SEC) was 0.67. The authors test the model's actual ability
      to predict using external validation set. The correlation coefficient (r) of
      predicted values and the chemistry value was 0.978, the range of prediction error
      was 0.1% - 1.7%. The model established has good predictability. The oil content
      of 784 breeding stocks were predicted by NIR model, statistical analysis of
      predictable. results elucidated that the NIR model of oil content developed can
      be well applied to selective breeding and oil related study in cotton.

PMID- 26117865
TI  - [Study on Archaeological Lime Powders from Taosi and Yinxu Sites by FTIR].
AB  - Archaeological lime powders samples from Taosi and Yinxu sites, natural limestone
      and experimentally prepared lime mortar were investigated by means of Fourier
      transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) to identify the raw material of lime
      powders from Taosi and Yinxu sites. Results show that nu2/nu4 ratio of calcite
      resulted from carbonation reaction of man-made lime is around 6.31, which is
      higher than that of calcite in natural limestone and reflects the difference in
      the disorder of calcite crystal structure among the natural limestone and
      prepared lime mortar. With additional grinding, the values of v2 and nu4 in
      natural limestone and prepared lime mortar decrease. Meanwhile, the trend lines
      of nu2 versus nu4 for calcite in experimentally prepared lime mortar have a
      steeper slope when compared to calcite in natural limestone. These imply that
      nu2/nu4 ratio and the slope of the trend lines of nu2 versus nu4 can be used to
      determine the archaeological man-made lime. Based on the experiment results, it
      is possible that the archaeological lime powder from Taosi and Yinxu sites was
      prepared using man-made lime and the ancient Chinese have mastered the calcining
      technology of man-made lime in the late Neolithic period about 4 300 years ago.

PMID- 26117867
TI  - [Quality Analysis of Peanut Seed by Visible/Near-Infrared Spectra].
AB  - In this paper, three representative varieties of peanut seeds were selected for
      the experiment based on visible/near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy living in
      the wavelength rang from 600 to 1 100 nm. Firstly, spectral datas ware collected
      by the near-infrared fiber optic spectrometer, and the spectral features of the
      original spectral dates were extracted by the wavelet analysis. Then the
      principal component analysis (PCA) was used for cluster analysis of spectral
      features. Finally, the four principal components were applied as the inputs, the
      varieties category as the output and the Mahalanobis distance as the discriminant
      function of the recognition model, so a linear discriminant analysis model was
      established. In the 50 samples of each varieties, 30 samples were randomly
      selected as the training set, and the remaining 20 samples as the predictor set.
      The recognition model for three peanut varieties have a recognition rate of 95%
      on average. As the experimental results show that this method is reliable and
      effectively, and a new method to distinguish and discriminate the quality of
      peanut seeds was put forword.

PMID- 26117866
TI  - [The Interaction of Oil Microcapsule Wall Materials between Whey Protein and
      Acacia].
AB  - The interaction between whey protein and acacia which were used as wall material
      was studied on the formation of the oils microcapsules by the FTIR Spectroscopy
      and Computer Aided Analysis. The results indicated that whey protein changed
      obviously in amide A and amide I by high pressured homogenization and spray
      drying. The amide A moved from 3 406.5 cm(-1) to 3 425.4 cm(-1) which was
      possibly due to covalent cross-linking between whey protein and acacia.
      Furthermore the amide I moved from 1 648.6 cm(-1) to 1 654.7 cm(-1) for
      intramolecular hydrogen bonding of protein had been weaken. After Gaussian
      fitting on amide I , it was found that the content of secondary structure of
      alpha-helix content and beta-folding in whey protein reduced from 19.55% to
      17.50% and from 30.59% to 25.63%, respectively. This suggests that protein
      intramolecular hydrogen bonding force was abated, resulting in abating the rigid
      structure of the protein molecules and enhancing of the toughness structure. The
      protein molecules showed some flexibility. The result of SDS-PAGE electrophoresis
      showed that whey protein--gum Arabic complexes produced covalent products in
      larger molecular weight. During the spray-drying process, covalent cross-linking
      produced between whey protein and gum Arabic which improved emulsifying activity
      of the complex whey protein and gum Arabic produced covalent cross-linking and
      improved the complex emulsifying activity. Observing the surface structure of the
      fish oil microcapsule by SEM, the compound of whey protein and acacia as wall
      material was proved better toughness, less micropore, and more compact structure.

PMID- 26117868
TI  - Determination of Carbon Dioxide in Refined Titanium Tetrachloride by Infrared
      Spectroscopy.
AB  - Refined TiCl4 is the key procedure in producing titanium sponge. Besides, the
      content of carbon and oxygen (C and O) impurities in titanium sponge and that of
      C and O impurities in refined TiCl4 presents the 4-times enrichment relationship.
      Therefore, the content control of the C and O impurities in refined TiCl4 becomes
      the key part for the quality control of titanium material. In order to control
      the oxygen and carbon, there is the need to analyze the source of C and O
      impurities so that strict control can be conducted over the impurities of refined
      TiCl4. Determination of CO2 in refined TiCl4 was significant for analysis of its
      impurities. CO2 could be determined by infrared spectroscopy due to its infrared
      characteristic spectrum line. However, normal infrared absorption cell was not
      fit for the sample analysis, because TiCl4 easily reacted with moisture in the
      air and immediately was hydrolyzed to form highly corrosive hydrochloric acid
      smoke. According to Lambert-Beer Law, which means the concentration (c(xi)) and
      absorbance(A) - length (L) curve's slope have direct ratio. The infrared
      absorption cell with the window film of ZnSe (phi10 mm x 1 mm, wavenumers: 7 800 
      440 cm(-1)) and the glass cell (optical path: 42, 22, 12, 7 and 4 mm) was
      assembled and utilized in determination of the CO2 in refined TiCl4 by standard
      addition method. The detection limit of CO2 was 0.92 mg x kg(-1), the regression
      equation was Y = 0.031 1X, R = 0.997 2; With standard addition method, the
      regression equation of CO2 was Y = 0.131 7X, R = 0.998 6, it's good in linearity
      relation, the CO2 content in refined TiCl4 is determined to be 1.53 mg x kg(-1)
      and SD up to 0.04 x mg x kg(-1). RSD of the method precision is between 0.53%
      1.27%, while recovery rate is between 89.2%-96.8%. This infrared absorption
      device was safe, simple and convenient, easily removable and washable, and re
      useable. The method could conduct the quantitative analysis over the CO2 content
      in refined TiCl4 through adding standard sample for one time, it could meet the
      requirement of determination of CO2 in refined TiCl4.

PMID- 26117869
TI  - [Infrared Spectra Characteristics of the Silicate Nickel Ores: A Comparison Study
      on Different Ore Samples from Indonesia and China].
AB  - The silicate nickel ores developed in the lateritic nickel deposit, from
      Kolonodale, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, and Yuanjiang, Yunnan province, China,
      were selected for the present study. The X-ray diffraction and Fourier infrared
      spectra were used to analyze the mineralogical attribute of laterite nickel ores
      from two different places. The results show that these two different silicate
      nickel ores have unique infrared spectra characteristics individually, which
      contributes to the ore classification. The silicate nickel ores from Kolonodale
      deposit, Indonesia, can be classified as the serpentine type, the montmorillonite
      + serpentine type, and the garnierite type. While, the silicate nickel ores from
      Yuanjiang deposit, China, can be classified as the serpentine type and the talc +
      serpentine type. Moreover, the mineral crystallinity of Yuanjiang nickel ores is
      generally better than Kolonodale nickel ores. According to the advantage of
      infrared absorption spectra in distinguishing mineral polytypes, it can be
      determined that lizardite is the main mineral type in the silicate nickel ores of
      the two deposits, and there is no obvious evidence of chrysotile and antigorite's
      existence. The characteristic of infrared absorption spectra also shows that
      frequency change of OH libration indicates Ni (Fe) replacing Mg in the serpentine
      type nickel-bearing mineral, that is, OH libration of serpentine moves to higher
      frequency, with the proportion of Ni (Fe) replacing Mg increasing.

PMID- 26117870
TI  - [Effect on Fermi Resonance by Some External Fields: Investigation of Fermi
      Resonance According to Raman Spectra].
AB  - Fermi resonance is a phenomenon of molecular vibrational coupling and energy
      transfer occurred between different groups of a single molecule or neighboring
      molecules. Many properties of Fermi resonance under different external fields,
      the investigation method of Raman spectroscopy as well as the application of
      Fermi resonance, etc need to be developed and extended further. In this article
      the research results and development about Fermi resonance obtained by Raman
      spectral technique were introduced systematically according to our work and the
      results by other researchers. Especially, the results of the behaviors of
      intramolecular and intermolecular Fermi resonance of some molecules under some
      external fields such as molecular field, pressure field and temperature field,
      etc were investigated and demonstrated in detail according to the Raman spectra
      obtained by high pressure DAC technique, temperature variation technique as well
      as the methods we planed originally in our group such as solution concentration
      variation method and LCOF resonance Raman spectroscopic technique, and some novel
      properties of Fermi resonance were found firstly. Concretely, (1) Under molecular
      field. a. The Raman spectra of C5H5 N in CH3 OH and H2O indicates that solvent
      effect can influence Fermi resonance distinctly; b. The phenomena of the
      asymmetric movement of the Fermi resonance doublets as well as the fundamental
      involved is tuned by the Fermi resonance which had not been found by other
      methods were found firstly by our variation solution concentration method; c. The
      Fermi resonance properties can be influenced distinctly by the molecular group
      reorganization induced by the hydrogen bond and anti-hydrogen bond in solution;
      d. Fermi resonance can occurred between C7 H8 and m-C8H10, and the Fermi
      resonance properties behave quite differently with the solution concentration;
      (2) Under pressure field. a. The spectral lines shift towards high wavenumber
      with increasing pressure, and frequency difference Delta varies with pressure,
      which induced the change of W; b. The W of nui + nu4 nu3 of CCl4 in C6H6
      decreased more quickly in solution than in pure liquid with increasing pressure
      and the Fermi resonance disappeared ahead of that in pure liquid, which indicates
      that the phenomenon of Fermi resonance induced by pressure effect can reveal the
      mechanism of some solvent effects. (3) Under temperature field. a. The Fermi
      resonance properties of different molecules behave quite differently with
      temperature. For an instance, the one of CO2 can be influenced distinctly by
      temperature, while the one of CS2 behaves no change with temperature. This
      article offers systematic theoretical and experimental support to the
      investigation of identification and assignment of molecular spectral line, the
      confirmation of molecular conformation and conformers, the effect of hydrogen
      bond on molecular structure and properties, etc.

PMID- 26117871
TI  - [Raman Spectroscopy Measurement System of Dual Wavelength Laser Module].
AB  - Fluorescence interference is one of common interference factors during detection
      of Raman spectroscopy, while shifted-excitation Raman difference spectroscopy
      (SERDS) is an effective detection means to reject it. SERDS excites the test
      substance by two laser with different wavelengths, then difference the obtained
      Raman spectroscopies. SERDS can eliminate the fluorescence interference
      effectively, because the fluorescence backgrounds of the two spectroscopies are
      the same while the Raman peaks are translated. The key factor of SERDS is the
      stability of the two excitation light wavelengths, the instability of wavelength
      difference would seriously affect the characteristics of the Raman peak
      reproduction. In this paper, the Raman spectroscopy measurement system is
      presented, where dual wavelength laser module can stably produce two bunch of
      excitation light (respectively 784.7 and 785.8 nm), which satisfies the
      requirements of SERDS detection. The major factors influencing wavelength of the
      laser are laser power and temperature. The system monitors them in real time to
      guarantee the stability of exciting light's wavelength. The hardware framework of
      this measurement system is mainly composed of ARM, dual wavelength laser module
      as well as its driving circuit, temperature control circuit, a digital optical
      switch, a spectrometer; the software of this system can achieve the Raman
      spectrogram automatically and then carry on the subsequent processing. The
      stability tests of this system for drive current and laser temperature are done.
      The experimental results demonstrate that the range of current proves to be less
      than 0.01 mA, the range of temperature less than 0.004 degrees C. The system can
      guarantee the stability of excitation wavelength effectively. Finally, perform
      the Raman spectroscopy detection to sesame oil of some brand and get good
      results.

PMID- 26117872
TI  - [Raman Signal Enhancement for Gas Detection Using a Near Concentric Cavity].
AB  - The detection of dissolved gases in seawater plays an important role in ocean
      observation and exploration. Raman spectroscopy has a great advantage in
      simultaneous multiple species detection and is thus regarded as a favorable
      choice for ocean application. However, its sensitivity remains insufficient, and
      a demand in enhancements is called! for before putting Raman spectroscopy to
      actual use in marine studies In this work, we developed a near-concentric cavity,
      in which laser beam could be trapped and reflected back and forth, for the
      purpose of intensifying Raman signals. The factors that would influence Raman
      signals were taken into account. The result show that the smaller angle between
      collection direction and optical axis of reflection mirror, the stronger the
      signal and signal to noise ratio (SNR) is. With a collection angle of 30 degrees,
      our Near-concentric Cavity System managed to raise the SNR to a figure about 16
      times larger than that of common methods applying 90 degrees. Moreover, the
      alignment pattern in our system made it possible to excel concentric cavity with
      a 3 times larger SNR. Compared with the single-pass Raman signal, the signal
      intensity of our near-concentric cavity was up to 70 times enhanced. According to
      the obtained results of CO2 measurement, it can be seen that the new system
      provides a limit of detection(LOD) for CO2 about 0.19 mg x L(-1) using 3-sigma
      criterion standard, and the LOD of 11.5 MUg x L(-1) for CH4 was evaluated with
      the theoretical cross section values of CO2 and CH4.

PMID- 26117873
TI  - Feasibility Study on Quantitative Analysis of Sulfide Concentration and pH of
      Marine Sediment Pore Water via Raman Spectroscopy.
AB  - Marine sediment pore water is one of the important objects in the study of global
      environmental change, marine geology and biogeochemistry. Anoxic pore water in
      highly reducing deep-sea sediments commonly contains a large amount of dissolved
      sulfide (H2S and HS-). The sulfide species within sediment pore water are
      significant not only because the importance of themselves, but also because they
      exist as a function of pH which is another key parameter in pore water study. As
      degassing and chemical equilibrium altering are both inevitable, concentrations
      of sulfide species and pH value of marine sediment pore water acquired with
      traditional non-in situ technologies are of great uncertainty, and cannot
      represent the real geochemistry information. However, the recent deployment of an
      in situ laser Raman pore water sampler allows us to observe spectral sulfide
      signals of marine sediments in situ and in real time, which provide us a new
      technique to solve this problem. Sulfide species in water have a relatively
      strong Raman signal, which often appears in the form of a characteristic
      overlapping peak between 2 550 - 2 620 cm(-1) and can be decomposed into HS- at 2
      572 cm(-1) and H2S at 2 592 cm(-1). In the present paper, quantitative analysis
      of H2S and HS- with Raman spectroscopy is proved practicable and the accuracy is
      good. The pH of pore water is an important influencing factor of the diagenetic
      processes. As H2S and HS- are conjugate acid-base pairs, sulfide species within
      pore water exist as a function of pH and their concentration ratio depend on pH.
      This relationship is also shown in the Raman spectrum. To formulate the pore
      water pH calculation, sulfide solutions with pH range from 6.11 to 13.05 were
      prepared and their Raman spectra were observed. It is verified that the
      morphology of overlapping peaks change regularly with pH values. This phenomenon
      provides us the possibility of measuring the pH of pore water in situ via Raman
      spectroscopy. Based on peaks decomposition and correlativity analysis, we propose
      here a novel in situ pH measuring method for sediment pore water containing
      sulfide. This method can be used to measure the pH of pore water when the
      overlapping peak of sulfide is resolvable. The application scope of this pH
      measuring method in this study is 6.11 - 8.32, which covers almost all pH value
      of marine sediment pore water already known. The study provides additional
      technical reference for obtaining high-fidelity information of marine sediment
      pore water.

PMID- 26117874
TI  - [Studies on Effect of Alkali Pretreatment on Anaerobic Digestion of Rice Straw
      with Confocal Raman Microscopy].
AB  - NaOH pretreatment is a convenient and effective method which is widely used in
      rice straw anaerobic digestion. But the mechanism of the alkaline (NaOH)
      hydrolysis of biopolymers compositions and polymeric cross-linked network
      structures of rice straw cell wall need further study. This paper firstly studied
      the effect and mechanism of alkali pretreatment on anaerobic digestion and biogas
      production of rice straw by using a combination of confocal Raman microscopy and
      transmission electron microscope. First, the original rice straw and the rice
      straw pretreated by NaOH were taken for mapping scanning by confocal Raman
      microscopy with micron-scale spatial resolution. Then principal component
      analysis was adopted to extract main information of Raman spectra, it could be
      found that the two types of samples were respectively presented with ray-like
      distribution in the first two principal component space, which were with
      cumulative contribution of 99%. And there was a clear boundary between the two
      types of samples without any overlapping, indicating that there was a significant
      difference of Raman spectral characteristic between original rice leaf and rice
      leaf pretreated by NaOH. Further analysis of the loading weights of the first two
      principal components showed that the Raman peaks at 1 739, 1 508 and 1 094 cm(-1)
      were the important bands, and these three Raman peaks were attributed to the
      scattering of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin respectively. Following,
      chemical imaging analysis of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin were achieved by
      combining these Raman peaks and microscopic image information. It could be found
      that the NaOH pretreatment resulted in a loss of dense spatial uniformity
      structure of tissue and great decreases of the contents of these three
      ingredients, particularly lignin. It can be concluded that it is feasible to non
      destructively measure hemicellulose, lignin and cellulose in rice straw tissue by
      confocal Raman microscopy, and to achieve chemical imaging analysis of the three
      ingredients in tissue, and this research will be much help for revealing the
      promotion mechanism of NaOH pretreatment for the rice straw fermentation and
      biogas production.

PMID- 26117875
TI  - [The Influence of Runoff Pollution to DOM Features in an Urban Wastewater
      Treatment Plant].
AB  - Combined with wastewater treatment process, the sewage in sunny and rainy day was
      collected from a wastewater treatment plant in Chongqing. Three-dimensional
      fluorescence spectra was used to investigate the characteristic fluorescence of
      dissolved organic matter (DOM). DOM dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chemical
      oxygen demand (COD), fluorescence index (f450/500) and fluorescence intensity
      ratio gamma (A, C) of fulvic acid in ultraviolet and visible region were used to
      analyze the impact of rain runoff pollution on sewage DOM. According to the
      experimental data, the DOM fluorescence fingerprints of this wastewater treatment
      plant were quite different from typical municipal sewage, and the main component
      was tryptophan with low excitation wavelength (Peak S), then the tryptophan with
      long wavelength excitation (Peak T) followed. A2/O process had an approximative
      degradation of the protein-like both in sunny day and rainy day, but had a better
      degradation of fulvic-like, DOC and COD in rainy day than that in sunny day.
      Morever, the fluorescence peaks got red-shifted after the biological treatment.
      The differences of DOM fluorescence fingerprint between sunny and rainy day were
      significant, the fluorescence center of UV fulvic (Peak A) in rainy day getting
      blue-shifted obviously, shifting from 240 - 248/390 - 440 to 240 - 250/370 - 400
      nm. Although the DOM types in sunny and rainy day were the same, the source of
      fulvic got more complex by runoff and the component ratio of DOM also changed.
      Compared with the sunny day, the proportion of Peak S in DOM dereased by 10%, and
      the proportion of Peak A increased by 7% in rainy day.

PMID- 26117876
TI  - [Secondary Alterations Influence on Fluorescence Color and Spectral Parameters of
      Crude Oil and Oil Inclusion].
AB  - Based on oil samples and rock samples in several petroliferous basins, this paper
      studied that secondary alterations influence on fluorescence color and spectral
      parameters of crude oil and oil inclusions by using microscopic fluorescent
      spectral and geochemical parameters. The results demonstrated that secondary
      alterations influence on spectral parameters by changing the ratio of saturated
      hydrocarbon and aromatic hydrocarbon (saturation/aromatics). Biodegradation and
      water washing lead to redshift of fluorescence parameters while evaporative
      fractionation and oil cracking lead to blueshift. Beside, mixed oil lead to
      redshift and blueshift. The secondary alterations and main period of accumulation
      in research area were recognized by frequency histogram of crude oil and oil
      inclusion. The relationship between QF-535 and the parameters measuring the
      secondary alterations could the extent of secondary alterations from which crude
      oil suffered. In the microscopic fluorescence test, oil inclusions suffered from
      stretch or leakage, thermal cracking and photooxidation should be rejected.

PMID- 26117877
TI  - [Quantum Chemistry Calculation of Ponceau 4R Molecule Structure and Research on
      the Fluorescence Mechanism].
AB  - The molecule structures of Ponceau 4R in ground state and the excited state were
      optimized by employing the Gaussian 09W program package. In addition, the
      electronic structure and frontier orbital of the ground state, the emission
      wavelength of the excited state was also investigated. And then, the Edinburgh
      FLS920P fluorescence spectrometer was applied to the measurement of the
      fluorescence spectra of cochineal solution, and the emission spectra was
      obtained. The calculated emission wavelength had a good coincidence with the
      experiment data, which indicates that the optimized structures mentioned above
      are reasonable. The structures comparison between the ground state and the
      excited state was also performed to analyze the mechanism of fluorescence
      spectrum. It can be concluded that the molecule structure of excited state is
      nearly planar, so Ponceau 4R is thought to have strong fluorescent
      characteristics, the emission fluorescence is the result of transition from orbit
      139 to orbit 137.

PMID- 26117878
TI  - [Investigation on Inhibitory Capacities of Seventeen Herbal Extracts on Oxidative
      Stress using Ultraviolet and Fluorescence Spectroscopy].
AB  - Diabetic patients usually suffer from complications and the long-term secondary
      complications are the main cause of morbidity and mortality. The hyperglycemia
      induced oxidative stress is one of the important pathogenesis of diabetic
      complications, while the oxidative stress is associated with the lipid
      peroxidation reaction and the formation of advanced glycation end products
      (AGEs). Our study was focus on the pathogenesis of diabetic complications and
      based on the oxidative stress reaction. In this research, the oxidative stress
      inhibiting effects of seventeen herbal extracts were studied based on
      spectroscopic methodology. The capacities of herbal extracts against the lipid
      peroxidation reaction of rat liver in vitro were investigated using
      spectrophotometric method. It showed that the inhibitory activity of Radix
      Scutellariae and Flos Sophorae Immaturus were better than other herbal extracts.
      Additionally, the herbal extracts rich in flavonoids, alkaloids and lignanoids
      showed good inhibitory activities on the lipid peroxidation reaction. On the
      contrary, the saponin-rich herbal extracts possessed weak inhibitory effects. We
      applied the BSA/glucose (fructose) system combined with fluorescent spectroscopy
      to determine the inhibitory activities of herbal extracts in glycation model
      reactions. The results showed that the AGEs formation inhibitory activity of Flos
      Sophorae Immaturus, Radix Scutellariae and Rhizoma Anemarrhenae were better than
      others in the BSA/glucose (fructose) system by fluorescene analysis. The results
      demonstrated that the herbal extracts rich in flavonoids were found to be more
      effective than that of those herbal extracts as alkaloids and terpenoids class in
      inhibiting oxidative stress, while the saponin-rich herbal extracts showed weak
      inhibitory activities against oxidative stress. The Flos Sophorae Immaturus and
      Radix Scutellariae extracts had better inhibitory activity to the oxidative
      stress, so their pharmacological activity could be explored in further
      investigations. These results demonstrated in this assay could provide a
      reference for the study of pharmacological activity, and thus lays the foundation
      for the further study of the application of natural products in the prevention
      and treatment of diabetic complications.

PMID- 26117879
TI  - [A Fluorescent Chemical Sensor Based on MgAl-8-HQ LDH Composite Particle for the
      Selective Detection of Fe3+].
AB  - In order to achieve the highly selective and Simple detection for ferric ion,
      strong-fluorescent 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) Mg-Al layered double
      hydroxide(Mg(chi)Al-8-HQ LDH) was designed and prepared by 8-HQ's intercalation
      and ready coordination based on adjustment of Al3+ on Mg-Al layered double
      hydroxides (MgAl LDH) laminates. Meanwhile its structure and property were
      characterized by IR, XRD, UV-Vis and fluorescent spectrometer. IR analysis showed
      coordinate bonds of C-O-Al and C-N-Al between 8-HQ and Al3+ were generated. XRD
      revealed that 8-HQ had already inserted in MgAl LDH laminates, and it made (003)
      diffraction peaks move to low 2theta angle direction, and the diffraction peak
      intensity was enhanced with the molar ratio of Mg and Al increasing. Because the
      coordination reaction between 8-HQ and Al3+ in MgAl LDH laminates took place, it
      induced the absorption peak of 8-HQ at 314 nm disappeared, at the same time the
      transition absorption peak at 376 nm between metal ions and ligands appeared. As
      demonstrated by fluorescence spectroscopic analysis, fluorescence intensity of
      Mg(chi)Al-8-HQ LDH increased with the content of Al3+ reducing, when the molar
      ratio of Magnesium and Aluminium ion is 4 : 1, its fluorescence intensity
      enhanced more significantly than 8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum. Through the
      research on the influence of metal ions on the fluorescence spectra of Mg4 Al-8
      HQ LDH particle, it was found that the particle to metal ions exhibited
      significant selection and difference, especially with high selectivity for Fe3+
      ion. The effect of [Fe3+] on the color and fluorescence intensity of Mg4Al-8-HQ
      LDH particle solution was further studied, and the results showed that the
      solution varied from light yellow to dark green with the content of Fe3+ in 10(
      6) to 10(-2) mol x L(-1) increasing, so it can implement colorimetric sensing for
      Fe3+ in the above range. And at the same time its fluorescence intensity
      significantly decreased, and its fluorescence could be completely quenched, when
      [Fe3+] was 10(-3) mol x L(-1). When -log[Fe3+] was in 3 to 6, negative
      correlation function appeared between -log[Fe3+] and its fluorescence intensity,
      so it could implement fluorescence sensing detection for Fe3+ with high
      selectivity and sensitivity. According to the above research results, a new
      method of fluorescent and colorimetric dual sensor detection of Fe3+ by Mg4Al-8
      HQ LDH particle was successfully established.

PMID- 26117880
TI  - [Rapid Identification of Cistanche via Fluorescence Spectrum Imaging Technology
      Combined with Principal Components Analysis and Fisher Distinction].
AB  - In order to explore rapid reliable Hebra cistanche detection methods,
      identification of 3 different sources of Hebra cistanche: cistanche deserticola,
      cistanche tubulosa, sand rossia is studied via fluorescent spectral imaging
      technology combined with pattern recognition. It is found in experiment that
      cistanche samples have obvious fluorescence properties. Forty fluorescence
      spectral images of 3 different sources of Hebra cistanche samples are collected
      through fluorescent spectral imaging system. After carrying on denoising and
      binarization processing to these images, the spectral curves of each sample was
      drawn according to the spectral cube. The obtained spectra data in the 450 - 680
      nm wavelength range is regarded as the study object of discriminant analysis.
      Then, principal component analysis (PCA) is applied to reduce the dimension of
      spectroscopic data of the three kinds of cistanche and fisher distinction is used
      in combination to classify them; During the experiment were compared the effects
      of three methods of data preprocessing on the model: multiplicative scatter
      correction (MSC), standard normal variable correction (SNV) and first-order
      differential (FD) and then according to the cumulative contribution rate of the
      principal component and the effect of number of factors on the discriminant model
      to optimize the number of principal components factor. The results showed that.
      identification of the best after the first derivative pretreatment then the first
      four principal components is extracted to carry on fisher discriminant,
      discriminant model of 3 different sources of Hebra cistanche is set up through
      PCA combined with fisher discriminant the precision of original discrimination is
      100%, recognition rate of the cross validation is 95%. It was thus shown that the
      fluorescent spectral imaging technology combined with principal components
      analysis and fisher distinction can be used for the identification study of 3
      different sources of Hebra cistanche and has the advantages of easy operation,
      speediness, reliability.

PMID- 26117881
TI  - Contrastive Research of the Y3Al5O12: Ce3+ Yellow Phosphors Prepared by Different
      Methods.
AB  - Ce3+ doped Y3Al5O12 : Ce3+ yellow phosphors are prepared by the high-temperature
      solid-state method, sol-gel method and hydrothermal-pyrolysis methods. The
      influences of the preparation methods on the phase, morphology and
      photoluminescence properties of the YAG : Ce3+ yellow phosphors are investigated
      by XRD, FESEM and PL, respectively. The results indicate that the three methods
      all realize the substitution of Ce3+ ions for Y3+ ions, and that the cubic
      crystalline structure of the Ce(3+)-doped YAG phosphors is unchanged. The samples
      prepared by the high-temperature solid-state method present an irregular sphere
      like morphology, with a large sample size; the sol-gel method produces
      nanoparticles with a notable particle agglomeration; and the samples prepared by
      the hydrothermal-pyrolysis method present a well-distributed sphere-like
      structure with a diameter of 10 MUm. According to the fluorescence spectrum, the
      three samples are excited by blue light with a wavelength of 460 nm, and a big
      broadband emission at 550 nm is observed. However, due to the differences in the
      morphology and size, these samples present very different luminous intensities
      and quantum efficiencies.

PMID- 26117882
TI  - [The Effect of Observation Geometry on Polarized Skylight Spectrum].
AB  - Study on polarized skylight spectral characters while observation geometry
      changing in different solar zenith angles (SZA), viewing zenith angles (VZA) or
      relative azimuth angles (RAA). Simulation calculation of cloudless daylight
      polarimetric spectrum is realized based on the solver, vector discrete ordinate
      method, of radiative transfer equation. In the Sun's principal and perpendicular
      plane, the spectral irradiance data, varying at wavelengths in the range between
      0.4 and 3 MUm, are calculated to extend the atmospheric polarization spectral
      information under the conditions: the MODTRAN solar reference spectrur is the
      only illuminant source; the main influencing factors of polarized radiative
      transfer include underlying surface albedo, aerosol layers and components, and
      the absorption of trace gases. Simulation analysis results: (1) While the
      relative azimuth angle is zero, the magnitude of spectrum U/I is lower than 10(
      7) and V/I is negligible, the degree of polarization and the spectrum Q/I are
      shaped like the letter V or mirror-writing U. (2) In twilight, when the Sun is
      not in FOV of the detector, the polarization of the daytime sky has two maximum
      near 0.51 and 2.75 MUm, and a minimum near 1.5 MUm. For arbitrary observation
      geometry, the spectral signal of V/I may be ignored. According to observation
      geometry, choosing different spectral bands or polarized signal will be
      propitious to targets detection.

PMID- 26117883
TI  - [Study on Chemical Kinetic Effect of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma].
AB  - To reveal the mechanism of plasma (assisted the ignition process of methane/air
      further, schematic of dielectric barrier discharge plasma system with atmospheric
      air was designed and set up, the emission spectrum of dielectric barrier
      discharge plasma with atmospheric air was measured, and the active particles
      produced by the interaction of dielectric barrier discharge plasma with
      atmospheric air were analyzed with the spectrum technology, the ignition model
      and calculation methods of sensitivity analysis and reaction path analysis were
      given, effects of NO and O3 on the ignition delay time were simulated, and the
      chemical kinetics mechanism of NO and O3 assisted ignition was revealed via
      sensitivity analysis and reaction path analysis. The results show that main
      excited particles of N2 and O3 are generated via effect of plasma on the
      atmospheric air, which are converted into active particles of NO(xi) and O3 in
      the end, the life of which are longer than any other active particles, effects of
      plasma on the ignition is simplified as effects of NO(xi) and O3 on the ignition;
      NO and O3 could reduce the ignition delay time significantly, but the amplitude
      decrease with increase of the initial temperature, this is because the rate of
      ignition is decided by the oxidation rate of CH3, the oxidized pathway of CH3 is
      R155 and R156 for auto-ignition and their rates are slower when temperature is
      low, so the ignition delay time of methane/air is longer; NO could reduce the
      ignition delay time significantly because of the oxidized pathway of CH3 is
      changed to R327 CH3O2 + NO = CH3O + NO2, R328 CH3 + NO2 = CH3O + NO for NO(xi)
      (assisted ignition process from R155 and R156 for auto-ignition; and the chemical
      kinetic effect is the dominating factor of O3 on the ignition and which change
      the reaction path.

PMID- 26117884
TI  - [Effect of Helium on Diamond Films Deposited Using Microwave PCVD].
AB  - Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) was used to in situ diagnose the CH4-H2-He
      plasma in order to know the effect of helium on the diamond growth by microwave
      plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). The spatial distribution of radicals in
      the plasma as a function of helium addition was studied. The diamond films
      deposited in different helium volume fraction were investigated using scanning
      electron microscope (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that the
      spectra intensity of radicals of H(alpha), H(beta), H(gamma), CH and C2 increases
      with the increasing of helium volume fraction, especially, that of radical
      H(alpha) has the most improvement. The spectrum space diagnosis results show that
      the uniformity of C2, CH radicals in the plasma tends to poor due to the helium
      addition and resulted in a different thickness along the radial direction The
      measurement of deposition rate shows that the addition of helium is useful for
      the improvement of the growth rate of diamond films, due to relative
      concentration of carbon radicals was increased. The deposition rate increases by
      24% when the volume fraction of He was increased from 0 vol. % to 4.7 vol.%. The
      micrographs of SEM reveal that with the increasing of helium volume fraction, the
      diamond films' crystallite orientation changes from (111) to disorder and a twins
      growth becomes obvious. The secondary nucleation density during growth increases
      because the high relatively concentration of C2 radicals under higher helium
      volume fraction (4.7 vol. %). In addition, the substrate was etched and sputtered
      by the plasma, which introduced metallic atoms into the plasma during the
      deposition of diamond films. Eventually, the existing of secondary nucleation and
      impurity atoms lead to the appearance of twins and results in the compressive
      dress.

PMID- 26117885
TI  - [Estimation and Visualization of Nitrogen Content in Citrus Canopy Based on Two
      Band Vegetation Index (TBVI)].
AB  - Nitrogen is a necessary and important element for the growth and development of
      fruit orchards. Timely, accurate and nondestructive monitoring of nitrogen status
      in fruit orchards would help maintain the fruit quality and efficient production
      of the orchard, and mitigate the pollution of water resources caused by excessive
      nitrogen fertilization. This study investigated the capability of hyperspectral
      imagery for estimating and visualizing the nitrogen content in citrus canopy.
      Hyperspectral images were obtained for leaf samples in laboratory as well as for
      the whole canopy in the field with ImSpector V10E (Spectral Imaging Ltd., Oulu,
      Finland). The spectral datas for each leaf sample were represented by the average
      spectral data extracted from the selected region of interest (ROI) in the
      hyperspectral images with the aid of ENVI software. The nitrogen content in each
      leaf sample was measured by the Dumas combustion method with the rapid N cube
      (Elementar Analytical, Germany). Simple correlation analysis and the two band
      vegetation index (TBVI) were then used to develop the spectra data-based nitrogen
      content prediction models. Results obtained through the formula calculation
      indicated that the model with the two band vegetation index (TBVI) based on the
      wavelengths 811 and 856 nm achieved the optimal estimation of nitrogen content in
      citrus leaves (R2 = 0.607 1). Furthermore, the canopy image for the identified
      TBVI was calculated, and the nitrogen content of the canopy was visualized by
      incorporating the model into the TBVI image. The tender leaves, middle-aged
      leaves and elder leaves showed distinct nitrogen status from highto low-levels in
      the canopy image. The results suggested the potential of hyperspectral imagery
      for the nondestructive detection and diagnosis of nitrogen status in citrus
      canopy in real time. Different from previous studies focused on nitrogen content
      prediction at leaf level, this study succeeded in predicting and visualizing the
      nutrient content of fruit trees at canopy level. This would provide valuable
      information for the implementation of individual tree-based fertilization schemes
      in precision orchard management practices.

PMID- 26117886
TI  - [Optical Constants Determination of Zinc Selenide by Inversing Transmittance
      Spectrogram Transmittance Spectra Measurement and Thermal Radiative Physical
      Parameters Inversion of Diesel Fuel].
AB  - A novel inversion method of optical constants of diesel fuel that is one of
      semitransparent liquid was developed based on spectral transmittance radio
      inversion calculation of optical cell with glass-liquid fuel-glass configuration,
      which was validated by measured the optical constants of water. The measurements
      of transmittance spectrogram of optical cell filled with diesel fuel in the
      infrared wavelength 2 - 15 MUm at normal incidence were investigated by Bruke V70
      FTIR spectrometer. The optical constants and thermal radiative physcial
      parameters of diesel fuel were achieved. The results show that, (1) The optical
      constants of water determined by the new method (IDTM) have good agreement with
      previously data sets. (2) The optical constants calculation precision of the IDTM
      is similar with MCDTM, which is higher than SODTM and SDTM. (3) The transmittance
      capability of diesel fuel in the infrared wavelength 2 - 15 MUm are weak, and
      there exist five absorption peaks, which are respectively 2.4, 3.4, 6.2, 7.3 and
      13.8 MUm. (4) The spectral selectivity of optical constants and thermal radiative
      physcial parameters of diesel fuel are stronger, whose values are urgently varied
      with different wavelenths.

PMID- 26117887
TI  - [Monitoring of Crack Propagation in Repaired Structures Based on Characteristics
      of FBG Sensors Reflecting Spectra].
AB  - In order to improve the security of aircraft repaired structures, a method of
      crack propagation monitoring in repaired structures is put forward basing on
      characteristics of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) reflecting spectra in this article.
      With the cyclic loading effecting on repaired structure, cracks propagate, while
      non-uniform strain field appears nearby the tip of crack which leads to the FBG
      sensors' reflecting spectra deformations. The crack propagating can be monitored
      by extracting the characteristics of FBG sensors' reflecting spectral
      deformations. A finite element model (FEM) of the specimen is established.
      Meanwhile, the distributions of strains which are under the action of cracks of
      different angles and lengths are obtained. The characteristics, such as main peak
      wavelength shift, area of reflecting spectra, second and third peak value and so
      on, are extracted from the FBGs' reflecting spectral which are calculated by
      transfer matrix algorithm. An artificial neural network is built to act as the
      model between the characteristics of the reflecting spectral and the propagation
      of crack. As a result, the crack propagation of repaired structures is monitored
      accurately and the error of crack length is less than 0.5 mm, the error of crack
      angle is less than 5 degree. The accurately monitoring problem of crack
      propagation of repaired structures is solved by taking use of this method. It has
      important significance in aircrafts safety improvement and maintenance cost
      reducing.

PMID- 26117888
TI  - [Synthesis and Characterization of PAM Derivative Weak Gel].
AB  - Weak gel with PAM cross-linked radical reaction was prepared by being
      incorporated to side chain of PAM. The structure, gel for ming process and the
      influence of NaCl concentration to apparent viscosity of gel were studied. The
      results show that the crosslinking ratios influence to crosslinking time, gel
      breaking time and gel strength. The crosslinking time decreases and gel strength
      slightly increases with increase of crosslinking ratio. Apparent viscosity of
      Polyacrylamide derivative crosslinking system increases with increase of NaCl
      concentration. The weak gel has good salt tolerance ability.

PMID- 26117889
TI  - [Mixed-Spectral Spatial Information Decomposition Model of Water Hyperspectral
      Inversion].
AB  - The effect of Mixed-hyperspectral in the water is difficult in quantitative
      remote sensing of water. Studies have shown that the only scalar spectrum
      information is difficult to solve the problem of complex mixed spectra of water.
      Besides the spectral information, spatial distribution of information is one of
      the obvious characteristics of the broad waters pollution, and can be used as a
      useful complement to the remote sensing information and facilitate water complex
      spectral unmixing. Taking Chaohu as an example, the paper applies the HJ-1A HSI
      hyperspectral data and the supplemental surface spectral measurement data to
      discuss the mixed spectra of lake water by spatial statistics and genetic
      algorithm theory. By using the spatial variogram of geostatistics to simulate the
      distribution difference of two adjacent pixels, the space-informational
      decomposition model of mixed spectral in lake water is established by co-kriging
      genetic algorithm, which is a improved algorithm applying the spatial variogram
      function of neighborhood pixel as the constraint of the objective function of the
      genetic algorithm. Finally, the model inversion results of suspended matter
      concentration are verified. Compared with the conventional spectral unmixing
      model, the results show the correlation coefficient of the predicted and measured
      value of suspended sediment concentration is 0.82, the root mean square error
      9.25 mg x L(-1) by mixed spectral space information decomposition model, so the
      correlation coefficient is increased by 8.9%, the root mean square error reduced
      by 2.78 mg x L(-1), indicating that the model of suspended matter concentration
      has a strong predictive ability. Therefore, the effective combination of spatial
      and spectral information of water, can avoid inversion result distortion due to
      weak spectral signal of water color parameters, and large amount of calculation
      of information extraction because of the high spectral band numbers, and also
      provides an effective way to solve spectral mixture model of complex water and
      improve the accuracy of model inversion.

PMID- 26117890
TI  - [Estimating Biomass Burned Areas from Multispectral Dataset Detected by Multiple
      Satellite].
AB  - Biomass burning makes up an important part of both trace gases and particulate
      matter emissions, which can efficiently degrade air quality and reduce
      visibility, destabilize the global climate system at regional to global scales.
      Burned area is one of the primary parameters necessary to estimate emissions, and
      considered to be the largest source of error in the emission inventory. Satellite
      based fire observations can offer a reliable source of fire occurrence data on
      regional and global scales, a variety of sensors have been used to detect and map
      fires in two general approaches: burn scar mapping and active fire detection.
      However, both of the two approaches have limitations. In this article, we explore
      the relationship between hotspot data and burned area for the Southeastern United
      States, where a significant amount of biomass burnings from both prescribed and
      wild fire took place. MODIS (Moderate resolution imaging spectrometer) data,
      which has high temporal-resolution, can be used to monitor ground biomass.
      burning in time and provided hot spot data in this study. However, pixel size of
      MODIS hot spot can't stand for the real ground burned area. Through analysis of
      the variation of vegetation band reflectance between pre- and post-burn, we
      extracted the burned area from Landsat-5 TM (Thematic Mapper) images by using the
      differential normalized burn ratio (dNBR) which is based on TM band4 (0.84 MUm)
      and TM band 7(2.22 MUm) data. We combined MODIS fire hot spot data and Landsat-5
      TM burned scars data to build the burned area estimation model, results showed
      that the linear correlation coefficient is 0.63 and the relationships vary as a
      function of vegetation cover. Based on the National Land Cover Database (NLCD),
      we built burned area estimation model over different vegetation cover, and got
      effective burned area per fire pixel, values for forest, grassland, shrub,
      cropland and wetland are 0.69, 1.27, 0.86, 0.72 and 0.94 km2 respectively. We
      validated the burned area estimates by using the ground survey data from National
      interagency Fire Center (NIFC), our results are more close to the ground survey
      data than burned area from Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) and MODIS burned
      area product (MCD45), which omitted many small prescribed fires. We concluded
      that our model can provide more accurate burned area parameters for developing
      fire emission inventory, and be better for estimating emissions from biomass
      burning.

PMID- 26117891
TI  - [Application of Hyperspectral Imaging for Visualization of Nitrogen Content in
      Pepper Leaf with Different Positions].
AB  - In order to estimate pepper plant growth rapidly and accurately, hyperspectral
      imaging technology combined with chemometrics methods were employed to realize
      visualization of nitrogen content (NC) distribution. First, pepper leaves were
      picked up with the leaf number based on different leaf positions, and
      hyperspectral data of these leaves were acquired. Then, SPAD and NC value of
      leaves were measured, respectively. After acquirement of pepper leaves' spectral
      information, random-frog (RF) algorithm was chosen to extract characteristic
      wavelengths. Finally, five characteristic wavelengths were selected respectively,
      and then those characteristic wavelengths and full spectra were used to establish
      partial least squares regression (PLSR) models, respectively. As a result, SPAD
      predicted model had an excellent performance of R(C) = 0.970, R(CV) = 0.965, R(P)
      = 0.934, meanwhile evaluation parameters of NC predicted model were R(C) = 0.857,
      R(CV) = 0.806, R(P) = 0.839. Lastly, according to the optimal models, SPAD and NC
      of each pixel in hyperspectral images of pepper leaves were calculated and their
      distribution was mapped. In fact, SPAD in plant can reflect the NC. In this
      research, the change trend of both was similar, so the conclusions of this
      research were proved to be corrected. The results revealed that it was feasible
      to apply hyperspectral imaging technology for mapping SPAD and NC in pepper leaf,
      which provided a theoretical foundation for monitoring plant growth and
      distribution of nutrients.

PMID- 26117892
TI  - Review of Extraordinary Optical Transmission: Theory and Application in
      Biochemical Analysis.
AB  - Extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) has attracted increasing attention from
      researchers around the world since its discovery in 1998. In attempt to interpret
      this abnormal phenomenon caused by nano-hole array structures, the majority of
      academia take the theory of surface plasmon resonance as the main reason, though
      minors resort to other theories. Nevertheless, significant amount of research has
      revealed the factors that are associated with EOT spectra. In particular, the
      association of molecules with the surface of the nano-hole array can be linearly
      related to the red-shifted change of EOT spectrum, lending EOT based nano-hole
      array a unique capability of detecting biochemical events. Such biochemical
      analysis is label-free, real-time, highly sensitive, promising great potentials
      in miniaturization of EOT-based advanced instrument. By summarizing the research
      progress, achievements, and trends of EOT, including its theory and application
      in biochemical analysis, this paper aims to provide reasonably-deep insights into
      this exciting area. To this end, EOT is firstly briefly introduced, followed by
      its physical mechanism and effects. Then recent advances in EOT-based biochemical
      analysis is presented, with a focus on three representative research teams.
      Finally, an outlook on the EOT-based biochemical analysis is given.

PMID- 26117893
TI  - Determination of Silicon in Gasoline by Directly Measuring under Organic Phase
      Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy.
AB  - A simple and accurate method was developed for determining silicon in gasoline
      using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). For
      sample inroduction a Burgener nubulizer and a Cyclonic spray chamber were used. A
      gasoline sample was diluted with isooctane and then introduced into the cooled
      spray chamber of the ICP-OES. Good linearity was achieved in the silicon
      concentration range 0.1 - 10.0 mg x kg(-1), and the correlation coefficient was
      0.999 96. The detection limit for silicon was 0.012 mg x kg(-1) and the silicon
      recoveries from gasoline samples were 95.8% - 98.4%, with relative standard
      deviations of less than 3.0% The method was proved to be simple, reliable and
      highly sensitive, and suitable for determining silicon in samples of motor
      gasoline, ethanol-gasoline and methanol-gasoline fuel mixtures those containing
      not more than 15% (V/V) oxygenates.

PMID- 26117894
TI  - Experimental Study of Coaxial Cylinder Dielectric Barrier Discharge in Ar/NH3
      Mixtures under the Atmosphere-Pressure.
AB  - An atmosphere-pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge in Ar/NH3 mixtures between
      cylinder electrodes is studied by Optical Emission Spectroscopy and the main
      particles of atmosphere-pressure Ar/NH3 DBD plasma are NH, N, N+, N2, Ar,
      H(alpha) and OH. NH is decomposition products of NH3, and NH(c 1pi) and NH(A 3pi)
      are two kinds of excited-state neutral particles and produced by penning
      ionization of Ar* and NH3. The nitrogen active atom is detected at 674.5 nm which
      may provide the experimental foundation for the synthesis of epsilon-Fe3N
      ferroparticles by the atmosphere-pressure Ar/NH3 DBD plasma. The intensities of
      main particles are analyzed at different NH3 flow rate and applied voltage peak
      peak value. The results show that the spectral line intensities of various
      particles increase with the rise of the applied voltage peak-peak value at the
      same NH3 flow rate, and first increase and then decrease with the increase of the
      NH3 flow rate at the same applied voltage peak-peak value. The applied voltage
      peak-peak value being kept constant, the spectral line intensity of nitrogen
      active atom first increases and then decreases with the increase of the NH3 flow
      rate. When NH3 flow rate is 20 mL x min(-1), the spectral line intensity of
      nitrogen active atom reaches a maximum at the same applied voltage peak-peak
      value. The spectral line intensity of nitrogen active atom decreases gradually
      with increasing the applied voltage peak-peak value at the same NH3 flow rate and
      it is mainly because of the translation of discharge mode from multi-pulse APGD
      to filamentary discharge in the atmosphere-pressure Ar/NH3 DBD. The
      microdischarge channels overlap and the microdischarges affect each other in
      multi-pulse APGD; hence the increasing rate of the spectral line intensity is
      quicker in multi-pulse APGD than in filamentary discharge with increasing the
      applied voltage peak-peak value. When the applied voltage peak-peak value is up
      from 4 600 to 6 400 V, the single-pulse and two-pulse APGD mode which are two
      kinds of homogeneous DBD mode are found in the atmosphere-pressure Ar/NH3 DBD and
      the increasing rate of the spectral line intensity is quicker in multi-pulse APGD
      than in filamentary discharge which is beneficial to synthesize epsilon-Fe3N
      ferroparticles.

PMID- 26117895
TI  - [A Study on Quantitative Evaluation of Damage in Conservation of Ceramics from
      Huaguangjiao I Shipwreck with ICP-AES].
AB  - ICP-AES was used to determine the elemental composition of solutions in different
      conservation steps for understanding the impact of cleaning agents on ceramics
      from Huaguangjiao I shipwreck. The results showed that high content in solution
      of Al, Fe, Mg ions, which can be indexes to reflect the damage in conservation of
      ceramics. According to these indexes, we discovered that agents of strong
      cleaning ability bring more damage to ceramic samples. Meanwhile, the state of
      preservation of the ceramics was closely related to the damage in conservation.
      Ceramics in an excellent state of preservation endure less damage than that in
      bad state. We also found that each cleaning agent cause certain degree of damage
      on porcelains, even neutral reagent, like deionized water. Moreover, moderate
      cleaning reagent, when using a long time, bring the same degree of damage as the
      strong acid. Therefore, in actual protection procedure, for conservation ceramics
      safe and effective, damage of each cleaning agents and cumulative damage should
      be considered.

PMID- 26117896
TI  - [Determination of Acid-Insoluble Aluminum Content in Steel by Laser-Induced
      Breakdown Spectroscopy].
AB  - Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has become a very attractive and
      popular chemical analysis technique in material science for its advantage of
      rapid analysis, non-contact measurement, micro surface analysis and online
      analysis. In this paper, LIBS were used to determine insoluble aluminum content
      by analyzing the scanning data on massive steel samples. Abnormal data were
      discarded by Nalimov criterion, and the remaining data was used to calculate the
      average and the standard deviation. The threshold to distinguish acid-insoluble
      aluminum and soluble aluminum was identified as the average value plus triple
      standard deviation. Two different mathematical models were proposed to calculate
      insoluble aluminum content, respectively according to the ratio of the total acid
      insoluble aluminium signal strength to total aluminum signal strength and acid
      insoluble signal number to total aluminum signal number. The total aluminum
      content was determined by the calibration curve. Insoluble aluminum content of
      certified reference materials and plate blank samples obtained by mathematical
      model is coincident to chemical wet method results. The result according to total
      acid-insoluble aluminium signal strength is much better. LIBS can be used as a
      rapid analysis method to characterize insoluble aluminum content in steel
      samples.

PMID- 26117897
TI  - [Quantitative Analysis of Copper Impurity in Silver Jewellery by Laser-Ablation
      Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy].
AB  - High spectral analysis sensitivity can be achieved with orthogonal dual
      wavelength dual-pulse laser-ablation laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy under
      minimal sample ablation. Therefore, the contradiction between spatial resolution
      and analytical sensitivity existed in single-pulse laser-induced breakdown
      spectroscopy can be resolved fundamentally in this technique. In order to
      eliminate the influence of different experimental parameters to the signal
      intensities and final results of quantitative analysis, the correlation between
      copper atomic emission and silver atomic emission was studied experimentally in
      this technique for silver jewellery samples. It was demonstrated that the
      intensity of atomic emission of copper at 324.75 nm and that of silver at 328.07
      nm was linearly correlated with high correlation coefficient. Therefore, it was
      possible to eliminate the influence of different experimental parameters, such as
      geometrical arrangement and pulse energy of the ablation laser to the signal of
      copper atomic emission by selecting 328.07 nm line of silver as internal
      standard. A quantitative analysis of copper impurity in silver jewellery can be
      realized by using orthogonal dual-wavelength dual-pulse laser-ablation laser
      induced breakdown spectroscopy. A calibration curve of copper was successfully
      built based on internal standard method while selecting 328.07 nm line of silver
      as internal standard. The limit of detection of copper in silver matrix was
      determined to be 44 ppm in this technique when the crater's diameter was about 17
      MUm under current experimental condition.

PMID- 26117898
TI  - [Experimental Conditions of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy of Metal
      Elements in Cement].
AB  - Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a widely used material element
      detection technology. Because of its detection result is affected by many
      factors, and therefore, analysing and comparising the different experimental
      conditions have important significance for LIBS. Experimental sample produced by
      Beichuan County, Sichuan Province, China, which is ordinary Portland cement P.
      O42.5, using eight-channel fiber optic spectrometer AvaSpec-2048-USB2-RM, delay
      trigger DG645 for LIBS testing. Several metallic elements as Mg, Al, Na, K, which
      affect cement's technical indicators were analyzed. Mainly compares the effect of
      laser frequency, the same point measurement times on different metal element
      spectral signal intensity, the optimum experimental parameters under the
      condition of this experiment: 10 Hz was the best laser frequency. When laser
      frequency is 10 Hz, the spectrum intensity of elements Mg, Al, Na, K were
      increased by 67.66%, 47.88%, 84.59%, 43.36% than 8 Hz. Because the tablet samples
      in place, the surface will have a small amount of oxidation and deliquescence, in
      order to measure 10 times for an average income results were recorded under the
      condition, with third, four records of results for the best.

PMID- 26117899
TI  - [The Emission Spectroscopy of Nitrogen Discharge under Low Voltage at Room
      Temperature].
AB  - A set of direct current (DC) discharge device of N2 plasma was developed, carbon
      nanotubes (CNT) modified ITO electrode was used as anode, aluminum plate as
      cathode, with -80 MUm separation between them. Nitrogen emission spectra was
      observed at room temperature and low DC voltage (less than 150 V), and the
      emission spectrometry was used to diagnose the active species of the process of
      nitrogen discharge. Under DC discharge, the strongest energy band N2 (C3pi(u)),
      the weak Gaydon's Green system N2 (H3 -Phi(u)-G3 Delta(g)) and the emission line
      of nitrogen atoms (4 p-4 p0) at 820 nm were observed. Found that metastable state
      of nitrogen molecules were the main factors leading to a series of excited state
      nitrogen atoms and nitrogen ionization. Compared the emission spectra under DC
      with that under alternating current (AC) (1.1 kV), and it can be seen that under
      DC the spectra band of nitrogen atoms can be obviously observed, and there was a
      molecular band in the range of 500 - 800 nm. The effect of oxygen and hydrogen on
      the emission spectra of nitrogen was investigated. The results showed that the
      oxygen inhibited the luminescence intensity of nitrogen, but the shape of spectra
      unchanged. All of the second positive system, Gaydon's Green system and atomic
      lines of nitrogen can be observed. The second positive system and Gaydon's Green
      system of nitrogen will be greatly affected when the volume ratio of nitrogen and
      hydrogen greatly affected is 1 : 1, which was due to the hydrogen. The hydrogen
      can depresse nitrogen plasma activation, and make the Gaydon's Green System
      disappeared. CNT modified ITO electrode can reduce the breakdown voltage, and the
      optical signal generated by the weakly ionized gas can be observed by the photo
      multiplier tube at low voltage of 10 V.

PMID- 26117900
TI  - [In Situ Analysis of Element Geochemistry in Submarine Basalt in Hydrothermal
      Areas from Ultraslow Spreading Southwest Indian Ridge].
AB  - In this study, we analyze element geochemistry of submarine basalt in situ, which
      is sampled in hydrothermal areas from ultraslow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge,
      including the fresh basalt rocks (B19-9, B15-13) and altered basalt (B5-2). And
      we can confirm that altered mineral in B5-2 is celadonite by microscope and Raman
      Spectrum. Furthermore, amygdaloidal celadonites are analyzed by electron
      microprobe (EPMA) and EDS-line scanning. The results show that K-contents
      decrease and Na-contents increase from the core to the edge in these altered
      minerals, indicating the transition from celadonite to saponite. Celadonite is an
      altered minerals, forming in low temperature (< 50 degrees C) and oxidizing
      condition, while saponite form in low water/rock and more reducing condition. As
      a result, the transition from celadonite to saponite suggests environment change
      from oxidizing to reducing condition. Using the result of EPMA as internal
      standard, we can analyze rare earth elements (REE) in altered mineral in situ.
      Most of result show positive Eu anomaly (Delta(Eu)), indicating hydrothermal
      fluid transform from oxidizing to reducing, and reducing fluid rework on the
      early altered minerals. Comparison with REE in matrix feldspar both in altered
      and unaltered zoning, we find that reducing fluid can leach REE from the matrix
      feldspar, leading to lower total REE concentrations and positive Eu anomaly. So
      leaching process play an important role in hydrothermal system.

PMID- 26117901
TI  - [Mineral Spectrum Change Analysis under the Conditions of Different Particle
      Size].
AB  - Mineral particle size is an important factor affecting mineral spectrum
      characteristics, so to explore the changes of the mineral spectrum curves under
      different particle sizes and the spectrum difference of different minerals under
      the same particle size are the keys of hyperspectral remote sensing information
      mineral identification and the theoretical basis of research on spectral
      differences of different particle -sizes. Six kinds of collected minerals were
      observed by spectrometer to get the reflectivity spectrum curve and first order
      differential spectral curve under different particle sizes, and the spectral
      characteristics of various kinds of minerals under different particle sizes were
      analyzed. At the same time, spectrum difference of different mineral under the
      same particle size was compared to explore possible wavelengths of hyperspectral
      remote sensing mineral identify. Results show that the spectrum curves of various
      minerals have a larger difference with the change of the particle size, but
      change law is not the same. The whole spectrum curve of hypersthene will be
      decreased with the increase of particle size, and the spectrum curve at a
      specific wavelength range of antigorite, hematite, kaolinite and chlorite will be
      decreased with the increase of particle size, and there is no direct correlation
      between the spectrum of olivine and the particle size. Under the same size,
      different mineral spectral reflectance change a lot in most band range and it
      provides the possibility for high precision identification of mineral.
      Antigorite, kaolinite and chlorite all have more absorption peaks of narrow width
      and smaller intensity than the other minerals. Spectrum curves of hematite,
      olivine and hypersthene are relatively smooth, and the number of the absorption
      and reflection peaks is relatively small. This study aims at providing basic data
      and theoretical support for mineral spectral library construction and mineral
      hyperspectral identification technology.

PMID- 26117902
TI  - Evaluation of Field Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Performance for the Analysis of
      Ni in Soil.
AB  - As a rapid, in-situ analysis method, Field portable X-ray fluorescence
      spectrometry (FP-XRF) can be widely applied in soil heavy metals analysis field.
      Whereas, some factors may affect FP-XRF performance and restrict the application.
      Studies have proved that FP-XRF has poorer performance when the concentration of
      target element is low, and soil moisture and particle size will affect FP-XRF
      performance. But few studies have been conducted in depth. This study took an
      example of Ni, demonstrated the relationship between Ni concentration and FP-XRF
      performance on accuracy and precision, and gave a critical value. Effects of soil
      moisture and particle size on accuracy and precision also had been compared.
      Results show that, FP-XRF performance is related to Ni concentration and the
      critical value is 400 mg x kg(-1). Relative standard deviation (RSD) and relative
      uncertainty decrease while the Ni concentration is below 400 mg x kg(-1), hence
      FP-XRF performance improves with increasing Ni concentration in this range; RSD
      and relative uncertainty change little while the Ni concentration is above 400 mg
      x kg(-1), hence FP-XRF performance does not have correlation with Ni
      concentration any more. For in-situ analysis, the relative uncertainty
      contributed by soil moisture is 3.77%, and the relative certainty contributed by
      particle size is 0.56%. Effect of soil moisture is evidently more serious than
      particle size both on accuracy and precision.

PMID- 26117903
TI  - [Comporison Sduty of Microstructure by Metallographicalk on the Polarized Light
      and Texture by XRD of CC 5083 and CC 5182 Aluminium Alloy after Cold Rolling and
      Recrystallization].
AB  - At present the study of relation between microstructure, texture and performance
      of CC 5083 aluminium alloy after cold tolling and recrystallization processes is
      still finitude. So that the use of the CC 5083 aluminium alloy be influenced. Be
      cased into electrical furnace, hot up with unlimited speed followed the furnace
      hot up to different temperature and annealed 2h respectively, and be cased into
      salt-beth furnace, hot up quickly to different temperature and annealed 30 min
      respectively for CC 5083 and CC 5182 aluminum alloy after cold roling with 91.5%
      reduction. The microstructure be watched use metallographic microscope, the
      texture be inspected by XRD. The start temperature of recrystallization and grain
      grow up temperature within annealing in the electric furnace of CC 5083 aluminum
      alloy board is 343 degrees C, and the shap of grain after grow up with long strip
      (the innovation point ); The start temperature of recrystallization within
      annealling in the salt bath furnace of CC 5083 is 343 degrees C. The start
      temperature and end temperature of recrystallization within annealling of CC 5083
      and CC 5182 aluminum alloy is 371 degrees C. The grain grow up outstanding of
      cold rooled CC 5152 aluminum alloy after annealed with 454 degrees C in the
      electric furnace and salt bath furnace. The start temperature of grain grow up of
      CC 5083 alluminurn alloy annealed in the electric furnace and salt bath furnace
      respectively is higher than the start temperature of grain grow up of CC 5182
      alluminum alloy annealed in the electric furnace and salt bath furnace
      respectively. The strat temperature of recrystallization grain grow up is higher
      than which annealled with other three manner annealing process. The
      recrystallization temperature of CC 5182 annealed in the salt bath furnace is
      higher than which annealed in the electric furnace. The recrystallization
      temperature of the surface layer of CC 5083 and CC 5182 aluminum alloy is higher
      than the inner layer (the innovation point). There is a difference each other of
      the structure and the texture of the four manner annealing aluminum alloy (the
      innovation point). There is a little difference at the recrystallization
      processes course reflectived by the observe results of structure transform and by
      the examination results of texture transmission.

PMID- 26117904
TI  - [The Prediction Algorithm of the Optimal X-Ray Tube Voltage in Variable Energy
      Imaging].
AB  - X-ray variable energy imaging can obtain the sectional information of complicated
      structural component successively, and get the whole information by multi
      spectrum fusion. Now the energy parameters of X ray imaging mainly depend on man
      made setting with the certain step voltage. However this modulation doesn't match
      to the attenuation thickness variation of the object. Therefore, this paper
      proposes an optimum tube voltage prediction algorithm based on variable energy
      imaging. It extracts the effective thickness (ET) and near the effective
      thickness (NET) in the image sequences which are acquired by pre-scanning the
      detected object. Then it establishes a physical model between image gray, tube
      voltage and X ray spectrum. And the model of voltage and gray difference between
      the ET (high quality area) and NET (prediction area) is also established. On the
      basis of these two models, the optimal imaging energy forecasting model of NET is
      modeled. Then, solve the model and get the optimal voltage for NET. At last, by
      the experiment of the steel blocks with different thickness, testify this
      prediction algorithm. The results compared with the actual values showed that the
      prediction algorithm can accurately predict 3 or 4 mm at low voltage and 7 or 10
      mm at high voltage. Prediction accuracy is over 95%.

PMID- 26117905
TI  - [Object Separation from Medical X-Ray Images Based on ICA].
AB  - X-ray medical image can examine diseased tissue of patients and has important
      reference value for medical diagnosis. With the problems that traditional X-ray
      images have noise, poor level sense and blocked aliasing organs, this paper
      proposes a method for the introduction of multi-spectrum X-ray imaging and
      independent component analysis (ICA) algorithm to separate the target object.
      Firstly image de-noising preprocessing ensures the accuracy of target extraction
      based on independent component analysis and sparse code shrinkage. Then according
      to the main proportion of organ in the images, aliasing thickness matrix of each
      pixel was isolated. Finally independent component analysis obtains convergence
      matrix to reconstruct the target object with blind separation theory. In the ICA
      algorithm, it found that when the number is more than 40, the target objects
      separate successfully with the aid of subjective evaluation standard. And when
      the amplitudes of the scale are in the [25, 45] interval, the target images have
      high contrast and less distortion. The three-dimensional figure of Peak signal to
      noise ratio (PSNR) shows that the different convergence times and amplitudes have
      a greater influence on image quality. The contrast and edge information of
      experimental images achieve better effects with the convergence times 85 and
      amplitudes 35 in the ICA algorithm.

PMID- 26117906
TI  - [Contrast of Z-Pinch X-Ray Yield Measure Technique].
AB  - Resistive bolometer and scintillant detection system are two mainly Z-pinch X-ray
      yield measure techniques which are based on different diagnostic principles.
      Contrasting the results from two methods can help with increasing precision of X
      ray yield measurement. Experiments with different load material and shape were
      carried out on the "QiangGuang-I" facility. For Al wire arrays, X-ray yields
      measured by the two techniques were largely consistent. However, for insulating
      coating W wire arrays, X-ray yields taken from bolometer changed with load
      parameters while data from scintillant detection system hardly changed.
      Simulation and analysis draw conclusions as follows: (1) Scintillant detection
      system is much more sensitive to X-ray photons with low energy and its spectral
      response is wider than the resistive bolometer. Thus, results from the former
      method are always larger than the latter. (2) The responses of the two systems
      are both flat to Al plasma radiation. Thus, their results are consistent for Al
      wire array loads. (3) Radiation form planar W wire arrays is mainly composed of
      sub-keV soft X-ray. X-ray yields measured by the bolometer is supposed to be
      accurate because of the nickel foil can absorb almost all the soft X-ray. (4) By
      contrast, using planar W wire arrays, data from scintillant detection system
      hardly change with load parameters. A possible explanation is that while the
      distance between wires increases, plasma temperature at stagnation reduces and
      spectra moves toward the soft X-ray region. Scintillator is much more sensitive
      to the soft X-ray below 200 eV. Thus, although the total X-ray yield reduces with
      large diameter load, signal from the scintillant detection system is almost the
      same. (5) Both Techniques affected by electron beams produced by the loads.

PMID- 26117907
TI  - [Searching for Rare Celestial Objects Automatically from Stellar Spectra of the
      Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Eight].
AB  - There are many valuable rare and unusual objects in spectra dataset of Sloan
      Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release eight (DR8), such as special white dwarfs
      (DZ, DQ, DC), carbon stars, white dwarf main-sequence binaries (WDMS),
      cataclysmic variable (CV) stars and so on, so it is extremely significant to
      search for rare and unusual celestial objects from massive spectra dataset. A
      novel algorithm based on Kernel dense estimation and K-nearest neighborhoods
      (KNN) has been presented, and applied to search for rare and unusual celestial
      objects from 546 383 stellar spectra of SDSS DR8. Their densities are estimated
      using Gaussian kernel density estimation, the top 5 000 spectra in descend order
      by their densities are selected as rare objects, and the top 300 000 spectra in
      ascend order by their densities are selected as normal objects. Then, KNN were
      used to classify the rest objects, and simultaneously K nearest neighbors of the
      5 000 rare spectra are also selected as rare objects. As a result, there are
      totally 21 193 spectra selected as initial rare spectra, which include error
      spectra caused by deletion, redden, bad calibration, spectra consisting of
      different physically irrelevant components, planetary nebulas, QSOs, special
      white dwarfs (DZ, DQ, DC), carbon stars, white dwarf main-sequence binaries
      (WDMS), cataclysmic variable (CV) stars and so on. By cross identification with
      SIMBAD, NED, ADS and major literature, it is found that three DZ white dwarfs,
      one WDMS, two CVs with company of G-type star, three CVs candidates, six DC white
      dwarfs, one DC white dwarf candidate and one BL Lacertae (BL lac) candidate are
      our new findings. We also have found one special DA white dwarf with emission
      lines of Ca II triple and Mg I, and one unknown object whose spectrum looks like
      a late M star with emission lines and its image looks like a galaxy or nebula.

PMID- 26117908
TI  - [Optical Design of Miniature Infrared Gratings Spectrometer Based on Planar
      Waveguide].
AB  - In order to miniaturize an infrared spectrometer, we analyze the current optical
      design of miniature spectrometers and propose a method for designing a miniature
      infrared gratings spectrometer based on planar waveguide. Common miniature
      spectrometer uses miniature optical elements to reduce the size of system, which
      also shrinks the effective aperture. So the performance of spectrometer has
      dropped. Miniaturization principle of planar waveguide spectrometer is different
      from the principle of common miniature spectrometer. In planar waveguide
      spectrometer, the propagation of light is limited in a thin planar waveguide,
      which looks like the whole optical system is squashed flat. In the direction
      parallel to the planar waveguide, the light through the slit is collimated,
      dispersed and focused. And a spectral image is formed in the detector plane. This
      propagation of light is similar to the light in common miniature spectrometer. In
      the direction perpendicular to the planar waveguide, light is multiple reflected
      by the upper and lower surfaces of the planar waveguide and propagates in the
      waveguide. So the size of corresponding optical element could be very small in
      the vertical direction, which can reduce the size of the optical system. And the
      performance of the spectrometer is still good. The design method of the planar
      waveguide spectrometer can be separated into two parts, Czerny-Turner structure
      design and planar waveguide structure design. First, by using aberration theory
      an aberration-corrected (spherical aberration, coma, focal curve) Czerny-Turner
      structure is obtained. The operation wavelength range and spectral resolution are
      also fixed. Then, by using geometrical optics theory a planar waveguide structure
      is designed for reducing the system size and correcting the astigmatism. The
      planar waveguide structure includes a planar waveguide and two cylindrical
      lenses. Finally, they are modeled together in optical design software and are
      optimized as a whole. An infrared planar waveguide spectrometer is designed using
      this method. The operation wavelength range is 8 - 12 MUm, the numerical aperture
      is 0.22, and the linear array detector contains 64 elements. By using Zemax
      software, the design is optimized and analyzed. The results indicate that the
      size of the optical system is 130 mm x 125 mm x 20 mm and the spectral resolution
      of spectrometer is 80 nm, which satisfy the requirements of design index. Thus it
      is this method that can be used for designing a miniature spectrometer without
      movable parts and sizes in the range of several cubic centimeters.

PMID- 26117909
TI  - [Portable High-Precision System for CH4 Concentration Detection in Mines based on
      the Laser Mode-Hopping].
AB  - In order to detect rapid, portable concentration of methane in the mine,
      meanwhile, the system included a high sensitivity and a long working period,
      designed differential optical absorption spectroscopy method based on mode
      hopping of semiconductor laser, and established wireless detection system for
      concentration of methane in the mine. Output wavelengths of the semiconductor
      laser occurred mode-hopping by modulation current of the system, so it obtained
      the two wavelengths close to the laser, and one is on the characteristic
      absorption peak of methane, while the other is not substantially absorbed. When
      the two beams of light were illuminated test chamber, methane concentration of
      the gas chamber was solved by Bill Lambert law with the difference of the light
      intensity between the two beams. Light source used DFB single mode semiconductor
      laser from Japan Anritsu company. Experimental results show that, when the
      modulation current increased from 20.0 to 60.0 mA, output wavelength occurred
      mode-hopping when the modulation current reached 48.3 mA, and output wavelength
      changed to 1 651.020 nm from 1 650.888 nm. By HITRAN spectrum database, it showed
      that the position of the wavelength 1 650.888 nm can be used for characteristic
      absorption peaks, while the wavelength 1 651.020 nm was suitable for reference
      wavelength. On this basis, the standard concentrations of methane gas was tested
      in the sealed container, test data of the system was compared to the H-BD5GD410
      HC portable methane detector. Test results of the system and the H-BD5GD410-HC
      portable methane detector were similar, but with the constant concentration
      increased, the detection error of the system is relatively stable, slightly
      better than the portable methane detector. Detection error of system were less
      than 0.050%, under the conditions that there were without the use of expensive
      phase lock or inspection phase circuit, to achieve the accuracy of better than
      0.10% concentration of methane detected in the mine.

PMID- 26117910
TI  - [An Effective Wavelength Detection Method Based on Echelle Spectra Reduction].
AB  - Echelle spectrometer with high dispersion, high resolution, wide spectral
      coverage, full spectrum transient direct-reading and many other advantages, is
      one of the representative of the advanced spectrometer. In the commercialization
      trend of echelle spectrometer, the method of two-dimension spectra image
      processing is becoming more and more important. Currently, centroid extraction
      algorithm often be used first to detect the centroid position of effective facula
      and then combined with echelle spectrum reduction method to detect the effective
      wavelength, but this method is more difficult to achieve the desired
      requirements. To improve the speed, accuracy and the ability of imaging error
      correction during detecting the effective wavelength, an effective wavelength
      detection method based on spectra reduction is coming up. At the beginning, the
      two-dimension spectra will be converted to a one-dimension image using echelle
      spectra reduction method instead of finding centroid of effective facula. And
      then by setting appropriate threshold the one-dimension image is easy to be
      dealing with than the two-dimension spectra image and all of the pixel points
      stand for effective wavelength can be detected at one time. Based on this new
      idea, the speed and accuracy of image processing have been improved, at the same
      time a range of imaging errors can be compensated. Using the echelle spectrograph
      make a test applying this algorithm for data processing to check whether this
      method is fit for the spectra image processing or not. Choosing a standard
      mercury lamp as a light source during the test because the standard mercury lamp
      have a number of known characteristic lines which can be used to examine the
      accuracy of wavelength detection. According to experimental result, this method
      not only increase operation speed but improve accuracy of wavelength detection,
      also the imaging error lower than 0.05 mm (two pixel) can be corrected, and the
      wavelength accuracy would up to 0.02 nm which can satisfy the requirements of
      echelle spectrograph for image processing.

PMID- 26117911
TI  - [In-Flight Radiometric Calibration for ZY-3 Satellite Multispectral Sensor by
      Modified Reflectance-Based Method].
AB  - Through integrating multi-spectral sensor characteristics of ZY-3 satellite, a
      modified reflectance-based method is proposed and used to achieve ZY-3 satellite
      multispectral sensor in-flight radiometric calibration. This method chooses level
      1A image as data source and establishes geometric model to get an accurate
      observation geometric parameters at calibration site according to the information
      provided in image auxiliary documentation, which can reduce the influences on the
      calibration accuracy from image resampling and observation geometry errors. We
      use two-point and multi-points methods to calculate the absolute radiometric
      calibration coefficients of ZY-3 satellite multispectral sensor based on the
      large campaign at Dongying city, Shan Dong province. Compared with ZY-3 official
      calibration coefficients, multi-points method has higher accuracy than two-point
      method. Through analyzing the dispersion between each calibration point and the
      fitting line, we find that the residual error of water calibration site is larger
      than others, which of green band is approximately 67.39%. Treating water
      calibration site as an error, we filter it out using 95.4% confidence level as
      standard and recalculate the calibration coefficients with multi-points method.
      The final calibration coefficients show that the relative differences of the
      first three bands are less than 2% and the last band is less than 5%, which
      manifests that the proposed radiometric calibration method can obtain accurate
      and reliable calibration coefficients and is useful for other similar satellites
      in future.

PMID- 26117912
TI  - [PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES IN COMBINATION OF CORONARY HEART DISEASE AND CHRONIC
      OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE].
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary heart disease frequently occur
      in combination. Systemic inflammation concomitant with protracted COPD is the
      pathogenetic mechanism of CHD. High concentration of the markers of systemic
      inflammation is associated with deterioration of atherosclerosis, its
      complications, and CHD progression.

PMID- 26117913
TI  - [THE INFLUENCE OF CHRONIC HEPATITIS C ON ATHEROSCLEROSIS PROGRESSION].
AB  - We analysed the data of domestic andforeign authors on the relationship between
      hepatitis C and atherosclerosis. The possible role of the former condition as a
      risk factor of atherosclerosis even in very young patients is due to the
      properties of hepatitis C virus, mediators of inflammation, and metabolic
      disorders.

PMID- 26117914
TI  - [THE FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VISCERAL FATTY CELLS AND SUBCUTANEOUS
      ADIPOYTES].
AB  - Visceral fatty cells evolved in the course of phylogenesis millions of years
      earlier than subcutaneous adipocytes. The pool of visceral fatty cells have
      realized biological functions of trophology and homeostasis since early
      phylogenesis whereas subcutaneous adipocytes have performed the phylogenetically
      younger locomotary function. The former cells, unlike the latter ones have no
      insulin receptors. Both realize biological reactions of exotrophy, storage, and
      endotrophy. The most usual cause of obesity is the compromised reaction of fatty
      acid (FA) deposition in the form of triglycerides (TG). It accounts for the
      disordered function of visceral fatty cells (metabolic syndrome) and insulin
      dependent adipocytes (obesity) frequently leading to metabolic "pandemics". Fatty
      cells absorb FA in the form of non-polar TG, store them in lipid "droplets" and
      release FA into the intercellular medium in the form of polar non-esterified FA.
      Visceral fatty cells have formed in paracrine enterocyte communities where the TG
      transporting microsomal protein gave rise to early chylomicrons. Visceral fatty
      cells and subcutaneous adipocytes are phylogenetically, functionally and
      pathogenetically different entities that should be regarded separately. Similar
      to all cells of the loose connective tissue, they secreted many humoral mediators
      of paracrine regulation when other means of regulation were inexistent. Leptin
      and adiponectin are specific mediators of visceral fatty cells and subcutaneous
      adipocytes respectively.

PMID- 26117915
TI  - [ANALYSIS OF F.M.DOSTOEVSKII'S HEALTH, PERSONALITY, AND WORKS FROM THE GENETIC
      STANDPOINT. PART 1].
AB  - The data on Dostoevsky's epilepsy are ambiguous and often contradictory. It
      prompted consideration of certain genetic aspects of the writer's pedigree for
      the clarification of this issue. The phenomenon of Dostoevsky's genius was for
      the first time contemplated from the standpoint of the contribution of genetic
      factors to his creative work. It was shown that Dostoevsky's ancestry can not be
      a source of hereditary predisposition to epilepsy. The available data question
      the genuine nature of his disease. Characteristic of Dostoevsky's ancestry is the
      wide occurrence of "creativeness" genes. Their cumulation together with a number
      of other factors verified in the writer can account for the phenomenon of his
      genius.

PMID- 26117916
TI  - [GENDER-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES OF ENDOTHELIAL NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE E298D
      POLYMORPHISM AND THE RISK OF STROKE].
AB  - Genetic factors can account for the differences in the frequency of stroke
      between men and women. Despite the scarcity of special clinico-genetic studies of
      stroke frequency in the two genders, analysis of association between DNA
      polymorphism and risk of stroke may reveal the influence of genetic factors on
      the sex-related predisposition to cerebrovascular diseases. The present work was
      aimed to study the relationship between frequent polymorphisms -786T > C of
      endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) gene E298D and the risk of stroke in men
      and women. 904 DNA samples were obtained from unrelated Russian residents of
      Central Russia including 480 stroke patients and 424 healthy volunteers.
      Genotyping was performed by PCR in real time with allele discrimination using
      TaqMan probes. The homoygous genotype of NOS3 gene E298D was found to be
      associated with an increased risk of stroke in men (OR 2.60; 95% CI 1.28-5.29, p
      = 0.01). Neither men nor women showed association of polymorphism -786T > C with
      the predisposition to stroke. The E298D genotype in men was associated with the
      enhanced risk of both ischemic (OR 2.38; 95% CI 1.14-4.96, p = 0.02) and
      hemorrhagic (OR 5,58; 95% CI 1.95-16.05, p = 0.003) stroke. Thus, NOS3 gene E298D
      polymorphism is a reliable predictor of predisposition to various pathogenetic
      variants of stroke only in men.

PMID- 26117917
TI  - [CLINICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING RESISTANCE TO CLOPIDOGREL IN
      PATIENTS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES].
AB  - We analysed clinical and pharmacological factors influencing resistance to
      clopidogrel in 250 patients with cardiovascular diseases during 18 months. It was
      shown that the risk ofresistance depends on the form of coronary heart disease,
      carbohydrate metabolism, the AA genotype of CYP2C19*2 and TBS1 genes. The
      cardiovascular events significantly morefrequently occurred during 12 and 18
      months in resistant diabetics and in the patients with an allele lacking the
      *2/*3 CYP2C9 gene function and AT/TT polymorphism of the thromboxane synthase
      gene TBS1.

PMID- 26117918
TI  - [BIOMARKER CONTENT AND ROLE IN HOSPITAL PERIOD OF ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME].
AB  - The study involved 172 patients with coronary heart diseases (CHD) of whom 146
      presented with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) including 88 with myocardial
      infarction (MI), 58 with unstable angina (UA) and 26 with FC II-III stable angina
      (SA). Interleukin (IL-6, 10), natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels in blood and
      6-hydroxymelatonin level in urine were determined on days 1-3 after
      hospitalization. These daytime values in ACS were higher than in SA whereas the
      melatonin level at night was higher in SA than in ACS. Patients with ACS in the
      absence of ST elevation had higher IL and melatonin (night) levels but lower NT
      proBNP and melatonin daytime levels than patients with ACS and elevated ST
      segment. IL-6 , 10 and melatonin (night and daytime) levels in MI were lower and
      NT-proBNP level higher than in UA. IL-6, 10 and melatonin daytime levels
      increased in uncomplicated ACS while melatonin (night) and NT-proBNP levels were
      higher in complicated ACS.

PMID- 26117919
TI  - [THE RISK OF ACUTE RENAL LESIONS AND ITS PROGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE IN PATIENTS WITH
      CHRONIC RENAL DISEASE UNDERGOING CARDIAC SURGICAL INTERVENTION].
AB  - AIM: to determine the frequency and risk factors of acute renal lesions (ARL) and
      their prognostic significance in patients with chronic renal disease (CRD)
      undergoing surgical intervention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 1122
      patients (586 men and 536 women) aged 32-68 (mean 62.3 +/- 5.2) years who
      underwent correction of valvular defects, aortocoronary bypass surgery or their
      combination). Initial glomerular filtration rate was higher than 90 ml/min/l.73
      m2 in 656 patients (group 1) and 89-60 ml/min/l/73 m2 in 470 ones (group 2). ARL
      were diagnosed based on the serum creatinine level using RIFLE criteria. RESULTS:
      In the early postoperative period, ARL were diagnosed in 23.9% of the patients in
      group I and 38.7% of those in group 2 (p < 0.001). Intra-hospital lethality in
      group 1 was 4.9% (14.1% in patients with ARL) and 12.1% in group 2 (18.1% iin
      patients with ARL). In group 2, 47.9% of the patients with ARL experienced
      regress of renal dysfunction during 12 months compared with 56.9% ones without
      ARL. The progress of CRD was documented in 11% of group 2 patients with ARL and
      in (4.5% without AR (p = 0.013). 5.7% of the patients in group 1 developed CRD
      after ARL. 4.9% of the patients in group 2 needed programmed hemodialysis.
      CONCLUSION: The development of ARL in patients with CRD is associated with
      unfvouravle cardiovascular prognosis following cardiosurgery.

PMID- 26117920
TI  - [THE ROLE OF BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES IN DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSTICS OF SALMONELLA AND
      ACUTE ALCOHOL GASTROENTERITIS].
AB  - We evaluated the influence of Salmonella infection and alcohol on biological
      membranes from the content of serum phospholipid fraction known to be a component
      ofenterocyte membranes. Any change of membrane phospholipid content leads to a
      change of their blood level. The study included 50 patients with acute alcohol
      gastroenteritis, 50 ones with salmonella gastroenteritis, and 50 healthy
      subjects. Both salmonellosis and alcohol caused differently directed changes in
      biological membranes. The mechanism of diarrhea in patients with salmonella and
      acute alcohol gastroenteritis is different. Diarrhea associated with alcohol
      gastroenteritis is due to enhanced viscosity of biomembranes that decreases in
      salmonella gastroenteritis. It suggests different approaches to the treatment of
      these conditions. The membrane destruction coefficient below 2 is an additional
      proof of alcoholic etiology of gastroenteritis whereas its value above 3 confirms
      the involvement of salmonellosis in pathogenesis of gastroenteritis.

PMID- 26117921
TI  - [ACUTE PANCREATITIS OF PREGNANCY].
AB  - The study included 78 pregnant women with acute pancreatiis. Group 1 contained 43
      4-37 weeks pregnant women and group 2 35 non-pregnant women. Control group was
      comprised of 30 women with physiological pregnancy. Comparative analysis of
      peculiarities of the clinical course of acute pancreatitis showed its similar
      manifestations in all three groups. However pregnancy itself variability of
      pancreatitis symptoms and their similarity to those of other acute surgical and
      obstetric pathologies, high (25.6) percent ofpainlessforms, late detection and
      inadequate treatment pose difficultiesfor diagnostics and delay the onset of
      pathogenetic therapy. The study of endogenous intoxication markers (leukocytic
      index, medium molecular weight molecules, circulating immune complexes, total
      endotoxins) revealed endotoxicosis in the pregnant women with acute pancreatitis
      that has negative effect on the fetoplacental complex and the development of
      pregnancy; moreover pancreatitis increases the risk of premature delivery up to
      79.21%. The results of the study dictate the necessity of the searchfor new safe
      treatment and rehabilitation modalities for ptregnant women with acute
      pancreatitis.

PMID- 26117922
TI  - [THE INFLUENCE OF CYTOFLAVIN AND CARDIOXIPIN ON THE PARAMETERS OF 24-HOUR
      ARTERIAL PRESSURE MONITORING IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC CEREBRAL CIRCULATION
      INSUFFICIENCY, ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA].
AB  - This comparative study of the influence of cytoflavin and cardioxipin on the
      parameters of 24-hour arterial pressure monitoring in 56 patients with chronic
      cerebral circulation insufficiency, arterial hypertension and
      hypercholesterolemia included 32 women and 24 men aged 42-72 years divided into 3
      groups matchedfor the stage of diseases, age, sex, severity of AH, total
      cholesterol level, and antihypertensive therapy. Patients of group 1 were treated
      without cytoflavin and cardioxipin. Those in group 2 received daily i/v droplet
      infusion of 10 mg/kg cardioxipin (20-30 droplets/min). Patients of group 3 were
      given daily i/v droplet infusion of 10 ml cytoflavin in 200 ml 0.9% sodium
      chloride solution for 10 days. 24-hour arterial pressure monitoring was used to
      estimate the influence of the two drugs on systolic and diastolic pressure, its
      daily rhythm, AP variability and frequency of elevation. The study showed that
      both therapeutic modalities improved daily AP rhythm as manifested in a
      significant increase of the number of patients with the dipper rhythm and a
      decrease in the number of systolic/diastolic non-dipper patients. Moreover
      cytoflavin significantly decreased the number of systolic over-dippers compared
      with control group.

PMID- 26117923
TI  - [OPTIMIZATION OF SURGICAL STRATEGY FOR THE TREATMENT OF THYROID NODULES].
AB  - This retrospective analysis of the results of surgical treatment involved 1006
      patients with thyroid nodules operated at P V Mandryka Medical Educational and
      Scientific Centre in 1990-2007. Organ-preserving surgery was necessary to
      minimize the frequency ofpostoperative complications and maintain the hormone
      producing thyroid function. The results of analysis of morphological structure of
      both nodular and surrounding healthy tissues were used to plan optimal
      extirpation of the thyroid nodule from the surrounding tissue. Circulatory
      disturbances with the appearance of fibrotic changes occurred in 69.7% of the
      cases; thyroiditis developed in 38.8% of the patients. Analysis of repeated
      operations showed that the risk of relapse depends on etiology and morphological
      structure ofthe nodule rather than the extent of surgical intervention. Organ
      preserving surgery and consideration of endocrinologicalfactors ensured
      successful treatment of 89.3% of the patients.

PMID- 26117924
TI  - [THE USE OF THE METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE "ORTHOPEDIC INDEX" IN THE TREATMENT OF
      PATIENTS WITH FEMORAL NECK FRACTURE].
AB  - The choice of surgical strategy for the treatment of femoral neck fracture is a
      serious challenge to modern traumatology and orthopedics. Group I of this study
      was comprised of patients in whom orthopedic age was determined by our original
      method including assessment of the quality of life based on the SF-36
      questionnaire. The somatic state of the patients was evaluated from the Charlson
      index and bone quality in the surgical area by densitometry. Patients of the
      control group were treated by the standard methods adopted in this country and
      abroad. It was shown that the difference between orthopedic and calendar ages
      results in the increase of the frequency of complications. The clinical and
      statistical results of the study indicate that the new method permits to reduce
      the number of revision interventions, decrease postoperative lethality, and
      improve the patients' quality of life.

PMID- 26117925
TI  - [Peripheral ulcerative keratitis].
AB  - Ulcerative keratitis is frequently associated with collagen vascular diseases and
      presents a predilection for peripheral corneal localization, due to the distinct
      morphologic and immunologic features of the limbal conjunctiva, which provides
      access for the circulating immune complexes to the peripheral cornea via the
      capillary network. Deposition of immune complexes in the terminal ends of limbal
      vessels initiates an immune-mediated vasculitis process, with inflammatory cells
      and mediators involvement by alteration of the vascular permeability. Peripheral
      ulcerative keratitis generally correlates with exacerbations of the background
      autoimmune systemic disease. Associated sceritis, specially the necrotizing form,
      is usually observed in severe cases, which may evolve in corneal perforation and
      loss of vision. Although the first-line of treatment in acute phases is
      represented by systemic administration of corticosteroids, immunosuppressive and
      cytotoxic agents are necessary for the treatment of peripheral ulcerative
      keratitis associated with systemic diseases.

PMID- 26117926
TI  - [Proliferative diabetic retinopathy -- therapeutic approach (clinical case)].
AB  - We present the case of a 54 year old pacient diagnosed with neglected insulin
      dependent diabetes and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Surgery was
      recommended and we practiced posterior vitrectomy, endolaser and heavy silicone
      oil endotamponade. Post-operative evolution was favorable.

PMID- 26117927
TI  - [Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in a patient with previous penetrating
      keratoplasty (clinical case)].
AB  - We present the case of a 54 year old patient diagnosed with rhegmatogenous
      retinal detachment and perforating keratoplasty. Surgery is recommended and we
      performed posterior vitrectomy, endolaser, and internal heavy oil tamponade. The
      post-operative course was favorable.

PMID- 26117928
TI  - [Ocular toxocariasis--case report].
AB  - Ocular Toxocariasis is a parasitosis caused by Toxocara catis/canis larvae
      localized in the eye. The most frequent clinical manifestations are the central
      retinal granuloma, peripheral retinal granuloma and chronic endophthalmitis.
      Secondary complications due to the presence of parasite in the posterior segment
      of the eye may have significant consequences on visual function. We present the
      case of a 23 years old patient, admitted for progressive decrease of the right
      eye BCVA during the last 6 months. After performing clinical examination and
      serological tests we established the diagnosis of ocular Toxocariasis. The
      patient presented a particular form of the disease consisting in the presence of
      both a central retinal granuloma and a peripheral one. We performed 23G pars
      plana vitrectomy and membrane peeling. VA improved as soon as the first month
      after surgery.

PMID- 26117929
TI  - [Treatment for penetrating wound caused by metallic intraocular foreign body].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Penetrating wounds with intraocular foreign body are ophthalmologic
      emergencies due to their severity and complexity and may require multiple
      surgeries for final resolution. CASE REPORT: 30-years-old patient with
      penetrating wound and metallic intraocular foreign body in the posterior vitreous
      requires successive operations for IOFB extraction, lensectomy, posterior
      vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and then silicone oil extraction
      with final visual acuity 0, 4 PH.

PMID- 26117930
TI  - [Changes in intraocular pressure depending on posture].
AB  - Glaucoma is an important eye disease that, left untreated, causes irreversible
      blindness by affecting optic nerve threads. Decreasing intraocular pressure and
      maintaining it at a low level throughout the day is one of the objectives of
      antiglaucoma therapy. METHODS: This is a prospective study conducted on a sample
      of 80 patients who presented at "Emergency Eye Hospital" Bucharest between 1st of
      December 2013 30th of July 2014. Patients were divided into two groups: 40
      patients with glaucoma and 40 patients without glaucoma (control group). THE
      OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: To determine changes in intraocular pressure that may
      occur depending on body posture and the correlations between changes in
      intraocular pressure and glaucoma, obesity, hypertension. These IOP changes may
      be important in the progression of glaucoma regarding that one third of our time
      is spent on supine position during night. RESULTS AND CONCLUZIONS: IOP varies
      from sitting down to supine position. IOP increases in supine in most patients
      (with or without glaucoma) with an average of 1.25 mmHg. The increase among
      patients with glaucoma is higher (1.67 mmHg) compared to those without glaucoma
      (0.82 mmHg). In patients with hypertension and glaucoma, IOP increased with 2.62
      mmHg. In patients with hypertension and obesity IOP increased with 2.5 mmHg.

PMID- 26117931
TI  - MANAGEMENT OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY, PREVALENCE AND CLINICAL CLASSIFICATION.
AB  - AIMS: To ascertain the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy--DR, based on the
      duration of the diabetes mellitus--DM and to compare it with data from relevant
      literature and other referent clinics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study are
      included the patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 insulin-dependent--DMID and
      diabetes mellitus type 2 non-insulin-dependent--DMNID. The duration of diabetes
      in the examined patients varied from 5 till 30 years. We have applied examination
      by ophthalmoscope, slit lamp bio-microscopy with Volk and Goldman lens, optical
      coherence tomography--OCT as well as fluorescein angiography--FAG. Have been
      included the treated patients with DR, from September 2004-2014. RESULTS: In
      diabetic patients suffering for a period of 5 years, the prevalence of DR is 10%.
      In diabetic patients suffering over 30 years, the prevalence of DR is varied from
      82% until 97%. CONCLUSION: Diabetic retinopathy, undertakes a multidisciplinary
      approach in all patients with diabetes to achieve optimal blood glucose control
      HbA1c levels 7.0% or lower and to adequately manage systolic blood pressure less
      than 140 mmHg and serum LDL cholesterol of less than 2.5 mmol/L and triglycerides
      of less than 2.0 mmol/L. Always should be assessed visual acuity at the time of
      DR examination.

PMID- 26117932
TI  - [Preliminary results of treatment with aflibercept].
AB  - The paper presents the first results concerning the Aflibercept (Eylea)
      treatment, the last antiVEGF approved for treatment of the age related macular
      degeneration (AMD), neovascular form and for macular edema due to the central
      retinal vein occlusion. The treatment was applied to patients presenting AMD, ME
      and other diseases: myopic and idiopatic choroidal neovascularisation, central
      serous choroidopathy (CSC) or diabetic macular edema (DME). The results were
      good: improvement of the visual acuity, resolution of the intraretinal fluids and
      macular edema. Although we did not notice major side-effects, resistance or
      tachyphylaxis, we noticed some recurrences.

PMID- 26117933
TI  - [Communication between clinicians and laboratorians in semen analysis].
AB  - By direct communication between clinicians and laboratorians, obstacles between
      clinical work and laboratory diagnosis were unequivocally found at an academic
      conference. Many clinical physicians feel disappointed and frustrated at the
      laboratory diagnosis by semen analysis and frankly express their expectations, as
      to recognize the role and significance of laboratory diagnosis, understand the
      value of routine semen analysis, work out the puzzles in the analysis of sperm
      morphology, fulfil the requirements for the identification of cells in semen, and
      obtain responses from and initiate discussions among laboratorians about the
      relevant questions. Both laboratorians and clinicians are appealing for
      strengthened management and earlier establishment of national standards and
      operating specifications for laboratory diagnosis by semen analysis.

PMID- 26117934
TI  - [Expression of a testis-specific gene 1700001022RIK in mice and its bioinformatic
      analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the expression characteristics of the 1700001022RIK (RIKEN
      cDNA 1700001022) gene in mice and explore its function by bioinformatic analysis.
      METHODS: Using the expression profile of gene microarray, we detected the
      expression of a new testis-specific gene, 1700001022RIK, in mice. We analyzed its
      expression characteristics in the testis tissue and their changes in different
      developmental stages of the testis by RT-PCR, real-time RT-PCR, Western blot, and
      immunohistochemistry. We performed bioinformatic analysis using a bioinformatic
      software. RESULTS: The 1700001022RIK gene was specifically expressed in the mouse
      testis in an age-dependent manner, most highly in the adult mice. The
      1700001022RIK protein was mainly expressed in the spermatogonia, spermatocytes,
      and round spermatids of the adult mice. Bioinformatic analysis showed that the
      1700001022RIK protein amino acid sequence had a high similarity in human and
      mice, which indicated that this gene was highly conserved in mammals. CONCLUSION:
      1700001022RIK is a testis-specific gene mainly expressed in the spermatogonia,
      spermatocytes, and round spermatids of seminiferous tubules, which might be
      involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis.

PMID- 26117935
TI  - [Expressions of HO-2 and CO in the corpus cavernosum of castrated rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the expressions of HO-2 and CO in the corpus cavernosum of
      castrated rats in order to further study the pathogenesis of erectile dysfunction
      (ED). METHODS: We randomly divided 72 male SD rats into four groups: normal
      control, sham operation, castration, and castration + ZnPP. We detected
      intracavernous pressure (ICP) and penile erection in the basic condition and
      after apomorphine (APO) induction, determined the expression of the HO-2 protein
      in the corpus cavernosum by laser scanning confocal microscopy, and measured the
      level of CO by spectrophotometry during different periods of penile erection.
      RESULTS: The ICP in the basic condition and that after APO induction and the rate
      of penile erection were decreased significantly in the castration group ([11.68
      +/- 0.69] mmHg, [54.81 +/- 3.86] mmHg, and 33.3%) and the castration + ZnPP group
      ([11.20 +/- 0.71] mmHg, [41.17 +/- 5.41] mmHg, and 22.2%) as compared with the
      normal control ([22.83 +/- 2.66] mmHg, [66.92 +/- 7.77] mm-Hg, and 100%) and the
      sham operation group ([23.35 +/-2.22] mmHg, [70.43 ?7. 22] mmHg, and 100%) (all P
      <0. 01). After APO induction, ICP in the castration + ZnPP group was remarkably
      reduced in comparison with that in the castration group (P < 0.01), and so was
      the expression of the HO-2 protein before and during penile erection in the
      castration (445.4 +/- 23.7 and 847.4 +/- 35.0) and the castration + ZnPP group
      (390.1 +/- 29.7 and 526.0 +/- 52.5) compared with the normal control (512.7 +/
      57.4 and 1145.2 +/- 89.8) and the sham operation group (583.7 +/- 8.0 and 1016.3
      +/- 79.8), the expression of the HO-2 protein significantly decreased in the
      castration group (445.4 +/- 23.7 and 847.4 +/- 35.0) (P < 0.05 or 0.01), markedly
      lower in the castration + ZnPP than in the castration group during penile
      erection (P < 0.01) but with no significant differences among the four groups
      after it. Before, during and after penile erection, the levels of CO were
      remarkably decreased in the castration ([20.59 +/- 1.01], [32.53 +/- 1.26], and
      [18.71 +/- 1.22] x 10(-7) nmol/L) and the castration +ZnPP group ([12.52 +/-
      1.05], [21.90 +/- 1.02], and [16.56 +/- 0.55] x 10(-7) nmol/L) as compared with
      the normal control ([26.76 +/- 1.41], [48.25 +/- 1.01], and [27.10 +/- 1.58 ] x
      10(-7) nmol/L) and the sham operation group ([25.41 +/- 2.09], [ 47.90 +/- 1.22],
      and [25.67 +/- 1.20] x 10(-7) nmol/L) (P < 0.05 or 0.01), significantly lower in
      the castration + ZnPP than in the castration group during penile erection (P <
      0.01). CONCLUSION: Decreased expressions of HO-2 and CO may correlate with
      erectile dysfunction in castrated rats.

PMID- 26117936
TI  - [Endoplasmic reticulum stress promotes the apoptosis of testicular germ cells in
      hyperlipidemic rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the
      apoptosis of testicular germ cells in hyperlipidemic rats. METHODS: We randomly
      assigned 42 four-week-old male Wistar rats into a normal control group (n = 12)
      and a high-fat group (n = 30) to be fed on a normal diet and a high-fat diet,
      respectively, for 10 weeks. Then we measured the concentrations of triglyceride
      (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) in the serum using an automatic biochemistry
      analyzer, detected the apoptosis of testicular germ cells by TUNEL staining, and
      determined the protein and mRNA expressions of GRP78 and. caspase-12 in the
      testis tissue by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR, respectively. RESULTS: The
      concentrations of TG and TC were significantly increased in the animals of the
      high-fat group ([3.00 +/- 0.92] and [3.04 +/- 0.39] mmol/L) as compared with the
      control rats ([1.43 +/- 0.41] and [1.55 +/- 0.23] mmol/L) (P < 0.01), and so was
      the apoptosis index of the testicular germ cells ([37.17 +/- 2.74]% vs [5.16 +/-
      0.81]%, P < 0.01). The high-fat group, in comparison with the control, also
      showed remarkably upregulated protein and mRNA expressions of GRP78 (0.32 +/-
      0.03 and 0.86 +/- 0.05 vs 0.19 +/- 0.01 and 0.37 +/- 0.03, P < 0.01) and caspase
      12 (0.34 +/- 0.02 and 0.87 +/- 0.01 vs 0.12 +/- 0.01 and 0.34 +/- 0.03, P < 0.01)
      in the testis tissue. CONCLUSION: The apoptosis of testicular germ cells is
      increased in hyperlipidemic rats, which may be attributed to endoplasmic
      reticulum stress.

PMID- 26117937
TI  - [Ten significantly differentially expressed genes in prostate cancer: Screening
      and verification].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To screen and verify differentially expressed genes in prostate
      cancer. METHODS: Using DNA microarray, we screened differentially expressed genes
      in prostate cancer tissue and its adjacent tissue followed by verification by
      PCR. RESULTS: A total of 1 444 genes were found to be differentially expressed
      (differentiation >= 1.5-fold; P<= 0.05) in the prostate cancer tissue, of which
      769 (53%) were up-regulated and 675 (47%) down-regulated. Fifty percent of the
      differentially expressed genes showed a 1.5- to 2-fold differentiation, including
      396 up-regulated and 182 down-regulated ones. Additionally, 308 up-regulated and
      334 down-regulated genes exhibited a >2- to 5-fold, 46 up-regulated and 78 down
      regulated genes a > 5- to 10-fold, and 19 up-regulated and 81 down-regulated
      genes a > 10-fold differentiation. Verification by subjecting 15 most
      significantly up-regulated and another 15 most markedly down-regulated genes to
      quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that most of the genes had a
      transcriptional profile similar to that in the microarray data, with a Pearson
      correction coefficient of 0.83 between the microarray data and qRT-PCR results.
      Totally, 10 significantly differentially expressed genes were identified.
      CONCLUSION: DNA microarray analysis provides reliable information on
      differentially expressed genes in prostate cancer and benign tissues. The 10
      significantly differentially expressed genes verified by qRT-PCR could possibly
      become new bio-markers and specific molecules for tumor identification.

PMID- 26117938
TI  - [Correlation of FOXA1 with the malignancy and progression of prostate cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship of the expression of FOXA1 in the prostate
      cancer (PCa) tissue with the Gleason score and clinical staging of PCa and with
      castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). METHODS: Using the immunohistochemical method,
      we detected the expressions of FOXA1 and Ki-67 in the pathological sections of 35
      cases of PCa and 21 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Then we analyzed
      their correlation with the Gleason score and TNM staging of PCa and that with
      CRPC. RESULTS: The positive expression of FOXA1 was significantly higher in the
      PCa than in the BPH tissue (P < 0.001) and was positively correlated with that of
      Ki-67 (P < 0.001) as well as with the Gleason score (P = 0.027) and clinical
      staging of PCa (P = 0.002), but showed no correlation with CRPC (P = 0.391).
      CONCLUSION: The positive expression of FOXA1 is increased in PCa, most
      significantly in the advanced stage of the tumor.

PMID- 26117939
TI  - [Changes of CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood and
      their correlation with insulin resistance in different stages of prostate
      cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes of CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells
      in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and their association with
      insulin resistance in different stages of prostate cancer (PCa). METHODS: Using
      flow cytometry, we counted the CD4+ CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells in the
      PBMCs of 62 PCa patients (5 cases of TNM stage I, 16 cases of stage II, 21 cases
      of stage III, and 20 cases of stage IV) and 42 normal healthy controls, and
      calculated their proportion in the CD4+ T-lymphocytes. We determined the levels
      of fast blood glucose (FBG) and fast insulin (FINS) for the insulin resistance
      index (HOMA-IR), obtained the serum IGF-1 level by ELISA, and analyzed the
      relationship of the count and proportion of CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells
      with insulin resistance by comparison between the PCa patients and normal healthy
      controls. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the PCa patients showed
      significantly increased HOMA-IR (3.68 +/- 1.42 vs 6.68 +/- 1.66), decreased level
      of serum IGF-1 ([164.56 +/- 30.58] vs [96.39 +/- 21.21] ng/ml), and elevated
      count ([1.99 +/- 0.78 ] x 10(7) vs [3.55 +/- 0.29] x 10(7)) and proportion ([5.33
      +/- 0.65] vs [13.88 +/- 0.96]%) of CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 regulatory T cells in the
      PBMCs. The TNM stage was correlated positively with the count and percentage of
      CD4 + CD25+ Foxp3 + regulatory T cells and HOMA-IR, but negatively with the level
      of serum IGF-1. Meanwhile, the count and percentage of CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 +
      regulatory T cells were found to have a positive correlation with HOMA-IR (r =
      0.722 and 0.689, P < 0.01) but a negative correlation with the level of serum IGF
      1 (r = -0.747 and -0.896, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The count and proportion of CD4+
      CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood and insulin resistance
      increase with the elevated stage of PCa. CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells
      may be involved in the occurrence and progression of PCa by regulating insulin
      resistance.

PMID- 26117940
TI  - [Selection of the sites for microsurgical vasoepididymostomy: A report of 56
      cases of epididymal obstructive azoospermia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the prediction of the site for microsurgical
      vasoepididymostomy (VE) in the treatment of epididymal obstructive azoospermia
      (OA). METHODS: This study involved 56 infertile men with confirmed OA whose
      obstruction was suspected to be in the epididymis. Based on their medical history
      and results of preoperative physical examination and ultrasonography, we
      predicted the sites for VE. We performed surgical scrotal exploration for the
      status of epididymal obstruction, conducted palpation and microscopic observation
      for the epididymal tubules to be anastomosed, and finally decided on the sites
      for VE by making sure of the presence of motile sperm in the epididymal fluid of
      the patients. After surgery, we followed up the patients for the rate of
      pregnancy. RESULTS: All the patients received bilateral scrotal ultrasonography
      and surgical scrotal exploration, totaling 112 procedures, including 98 VE
      procedures. The accuracy rate of the predicted sites for VE was 80.5% (153/190)
      by medical history and physical examination, 80.3% (90/112) based on the results
      of ultrasonography, and 87.4% (90/103) according to the first selected epididymal
      tubules. Of the 28 patients followed up for more than 12 months, motile sperm
      were found in 19 (67.9% ) at 2 to 12 months and spontaneous pregnancies were
      achieved in 10 (35.7%), all with the anastomotic sites in the corpus or cauda.
      CONCLUSION: Medical history and physical examination contribute to the selection
      of anastomotic sites and non-invasive scrotal ultrasonography is effective and
      practical for positioning epididymal obstruction. The epididymal tubules with
      motile sperm for anastomosis could be easily obtained from the most dilated ones
      in indurated epididymides.

PMID- 26117941
TI  - [Penile necrosis resulting from post-circumcision microwave diathermy: A report
      of 9 cases].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pathogenesis and treatment of penile necrosis
      resulting from microwave diathermy following circumcision. METHODS: We
      retrospectively analyzed the clinical data about 9 cases of penile necrosis
      resulting from postoperative microwave diathermy following circumcision. The 9
      males, aged 20 - 39 (mean 26) years, underwent traditional circumcision for
      redundant prepuce or phimosis in other hospitals, followed by microwave diathermy
      for 30 - 60 minutes daily, which resulted in penile necrosis. With no response to
      conservative therapy, the patients were referred to our hospital at 3 -30 days
      postoperatively. Of the 9 patients, 5 presented with dry gangrene and 4 with
      moist gangrene. Six of the patients underwent partial penectomy, including 1 that
      received penis lengthening.3 months later, while the other 3 underwent total
      penectomy for total penile necrosis followed by penile reconstruction 3 months
      later, with deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flaps and by implantation
      of the 12th costal cartilage in 2 cases and with epigastric groin island flaps
      and by urethroplasty in the other. RESULTS: The patients were followed up for 2 -
      8 years, and all could urinate smoothly in the standing position. Of the 6 men
      treated by partial penectomy, 1 received penis lengthening and achieved a penile
      length of 7 cm and 5 had the remaining penile length of 3 -5 cm, 4 with erectile
      function and the other 2 capable of sexual intercourse. The 3 men treated by
      total penectomy achieved nearly normal external appearance of the penis, with a
      finalized length of (11.7 +/- 1.3) cm, a circumference of (11.4 +/- 2.1) cm, and
      a normal feel of the skin. Of the 3 cases of penile reconstruction, 2 achieved
      sufficient erectile hardness of the penis (grade 3) for sexual intercourse, while
      the other 1 remained impotent. CONCLUSION: Post-circumcision microwave diathermy
      may result in penile necrosis, for the management of which, early debridement is
      necessitated and penile lengthening or reconstruction can be performed according
      to the severity of the lesion and needs of the patient.

PMID- 26117942
TI  - [Relationship between anogenital distance and cryptorchidism in human newborns].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the relation of the anogenital distance (AGD) with
      cryptorchidism in male newborns. METHODS: This study included 350 male infants
      delivered in two community hospitals between September 2013 and September 2014.
      Within 24 hours after birth, a pediatric surgeon measured the AGD of the neonates
      and determined whether they had cryptorchidism. According to the testicular
      position, we divided the undescended testes into three types: upper scrotal,
      inguinal, and non-palpable. RESULTS: Totally 39 cases of cryptorchidism were
      found in the 350 newborns. The AGD of the cryptorchidism infants was
      significantly shorter than that of the normal neonates ([2.01 +/- 0.22] vs [2.35
      +/- 0.19] cm, P < 0.01), and statistically significant differences remained even
      when preterm and low birth-weight infants were excluded ([2.32 +/- 0.14] vs [2.06
      +/- 0.19] cm; (2.37 +/- 0.17) cm vs (2.12 +/- 0.12) cm, all P < 0.01). The
      newborns with higher-position cryptorchidism had a shorter AGD, though with no
      significant difference (F = 0.434, P > 0.05). No significant differences were
      observed in the AGD between unilateral and bilateral cryptorchidism ([1.96 +/-
      0.13] vs [2.02 +/- 0.17] cm, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Shorter AGD is associated
      with a higher incidence of cryptorchidism in male newborns. AGD could serve as a
      potential biomarker for disruption of androgen action during the male programming
      window period.

PMID- 26117943
TI  - [Morinda officinalis extract repairs cytoxan-impaired spermatogenesis of male
      rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of Morinda officinalis (MO) extract on cytoxan
      (CTX) -impaired spermatogenesis of adult male SD rats. METHODS: We randomly
      divided 56 adult male SD rats into seven groups of equal number: blank control,
      CTX model, CTX + NS, CTX + 10 g/kg MO, CTX + 20 g/kg MO, CTX + 30 g/kg MO, and
      CTX + 40 g/kg MO. We made the models of impaired spermatogenesis in the SD rats
      by intraperitoneal injection of CTX and treated the animal models by intragastric
      administration of MO at the concentrations of 10, 20, 30, and 40 g per kg per d,
      respectively. After two weeks of medication, we observed the changes in the body
      weight, testicular and epididymal indexes, and microstructure of the testis
      tissue, measured the mean seminiferous tubule diameter (MSTD) , and obtained
      testicular biopsy scores (TBS) in different groups, followed by comparative
      analyses. RESULTS: After treatment, the CTX + NS group showed no remarkable
      differences in the body weight ([234.83 +/- 28.77] g) and epididymal index (2.71
      +/- 0.34) from those of the four CTX + MO groups, but exhibited a significantly
      lower testicular index ([12.15 +/- 1.04] g) than those in the CTX + 20 g/kg MO
      ([13.71 +/- 0.97] g), CTX + 30 g/kg MO, ([13.30 +/- 0.29] g), and CTX + 40 g/kg
      MO group ([13.48 +/- 0.51] g) (P < 0.05). Light microscopy revealed obvious
      pathological changes of the testis tissue in the CTX + NS group and significantly
      ameliorated structures of the seminiferous tubules in the CTX + MO 10, 20, 30,
      and 40 g/kg groups, with the MSTD of (204.78 +/- 11.03), (216.55 +/- 10.93),
      (218.03 +/- 11.23), and (218.59 +/- 14.06) MUm, respectively, and the TBS of 9.03
      +/- 0.39, 9.69 +/- 0.26, 9.83 +/- 0.18, and 9.89 +/- 0.11, respectively, all
      significantly higher than (189.74 +/- 8.55) MUm and 5.95 +/- 1.21 in the CTX + NS
      group (P < 0.05). The efficacy of MO extract was increased in a concentration
      dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Morinda officinalis extract can repair cytoxan
      induced damage to rat spermatogenesis, with may achieve the best effect at the
      concentrations of 30 and 40 g per kg per d.

PMID- 26117944
TI  - [Efficacy of Qilin Pills combined with sertraline in the treatment of secondary
      non-consolidated kidney qi premature ejaculation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effectiveness of Qilin Pills combined with
      sertraline in the treatment of secondary non-consolidated kidney qi premature
      ejaculation (PE). METHODS: A total of 120 patients with secondary non
      consolidated kidney qi PE were randomly assigned to groups A (aged [35.5 +/- 5.4]
      yr), B (aged [36.2 +/- 5.7] yr), and C (aged [35.2 +/- 5.3] yr) in the ratio of
      1:1:1 to receive Qilin Pills (once 6 g, bid), sertraline (once 50 mg, qd), and
      Qilin Pills plus sertraline, respectively, all for 4 weeks. The intravaginal
      ejaculatory latency time (IELT) and PE diagnostic tool (PEDT) scores were
      obtained before and after medication and at 1 month after drug withdrawal, and
      comparative analyses were made among the three groups of patients. RESULTS: The
      IELT was dramatically prolonged in groups A, B, and C after treatment ([3.23 +/-
      1.84], [3.87 +/- 2.43], and [5.92 +/- 3.11] min) and at 1 month after drug
      withdrawal ([1.85 +/- 1.27], [1.52 +/- 1.06], and [ 4.26 +/- 1.88 ] min) as
      compared with the baseline ([0.88 +/- 0.45], [0.84 +/- 0.47], and [0.85 +/- 0.50]
      min) (P < 0.01), even longer in group C than in A and B (P < 0.01). The PEDT
      scores of the three groups were 5.1 +/- 1.8, 4.9 +/- 1.7, and 3.8 +/- 1.2 after
      treatment and 8.2 +/- 2.4, 8.1 +/- 2.4, and 6.5 +/- 2.1 at 1 month after drug
      withdrawal, significantly improved in comparison with 13.2 +/- 3.2, 12.8 +/- 3.1,
      and 13.1 +/- 3.4 before treatment (P < 0.01), even more significantly in group C
      than in A and B (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Qilin Pills combined with sertraline has
      a definite efficacy in the treatment of secondary non-consolidated kidney qi PE
      and therefore deserves wide clinical application.

PMID- 26117945
TI  - [Efficacy and safety of phosphodiesterase inhibitors for erectile dysfunction in
      diabetic men: A meta analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of phosphodiesterase 5
      (PDE-5) inhibitors for erectile dysfunction (ED) in patients with diabetes
      mellitus and provide some evidence for the clinical treatment of the disease.
      METHODS: We searched MedMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wan Fang Data, VIP
      and ZADL for randomized controlled trials on PDE-5 inhibitors for ED in diabetic
      men and evaluated the methodology of the included trials with the Jadad scale. We
      used the erectile function domain in the IIEF (IIEF-EF), IIEF questions (IIEF-Q)
      3 and 4, SEP-2 and -3, and Global Assessment Questions (GAQ) as the main
      evaluation indexes and employed the Review Manager 5. 1. 0 software for meta
      analysis. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies were included, which were all high
      quality trials with Jadad score > 3. The IIEF-EF scores in 10 of the included
      studies were subjected to meta analysis using the random-effect model (REM), with
      a weighted mean difference (WMD) of 5.64 (95% CI 4.41 - 6.83, P < 0.001). The
      fixed-effect model (FEM) analysis of the IIEF-Q scores in 6 of the studies showed
      the WMD to be 0.96 (95% CI 0.83 -1.08, P < 0.001) for IIEF-Q3 and 1.11 (95% CI
      0.98 - 1.25, P < 0.001) for IIEF-Q4. FEM analysis of the SEP-2 scores showed WMD
      = 17.67 (95% CI 12. 38 - 22. 97, P < 0.001) in 2 of the studies, and that of the
      SEP-3 scores WMD = 23.64 (95% CI 17. 49 - 29.79, P < 0.001) in 5 of the studies.
      The GAQ scores in 11 of the studies were subjected to REM analysis, with OR = 6.
      20 and 95% CI 3.65 - 10.52 (P < 0.001). REM analysis was performed on the adverse
      reactions in 11 of the studies, with OR = 7.43 and 95% CI 4.11 - 13.44 (P <
      0.001). CONCLUSION: PDE-5 inhibitors can effectively and safely improve erectile
      function in patients with diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 26117946
TI  - [MicroRNAs and prostate cancer].
AB  - Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common malignancies in the urinary
      system of males. A growing number of studies have shown that microRNAs, as small
      ribonucleic acid molecules and a class of non-coding small RNAs, are closely
      related with PCa and a variety of microRNAs are abnormally expressed in it. This
      article focuses on the roles of microRNAs in the occurrence and progression of
      PCa, with a description of differentially expressed microRNAs in PCa and an
      analysis of their association with its prognosis as well as their correlation
      with chemotherapy, androgen receptors, and metastasis of PCa.

PMID- 26117947
TI  - [Penile rehabilitation after radical pelvic surgery].
AB  - Prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and rectal cancer are common malignancies in the
      male pelvis. The incidence rate of erectile dysfunction (ED) following radical
      prostatectomy, cystectomy or rectal cancer surgery is about 25% - 100%. The main
      cause of post-surgery ED is mainly attributed to injury of neurovascular bundles,
      which may lead to reduced oxygenation in and fibrosis of the penile tissue. Early
      penile rehabilitation after surgery can improve or restore the erectile function
      of the patients. This article focuses on penile rehabilitation after radical
      pelvic surgery.

PMID- 26117948
TI  - [Fosfomycin for urogenital tract infections: Advances in studies].
AB  - Fosfomycin (FOM) is an antibiotic with a small relative molecular weight (138.1)
      and a long half-life, and has a unique chemical structure and antibacterial
      mechanisms. It exerts a bactericidal activity by inhibiting the early synthesis
      of bacterial cell walls. It is also a broad-spectrum antibiotic with a good drug
      tolerance and compliance and a low pressure to bacterial resistance, but no cross
      resistance with other antibiotics. Recent studies show the effectiveness of FOM
      in the treatment of acute uncomplicated urinary tract infections and urogenital
      tract infections as well, such as prostatitis and epididymitis. This review
      focuses on the clinical application of FOM in the treatment of infectious
      diseases of the urogenital tract.

PMID- 26117950
TI  - [Plasma-Activated Solution: Mechanism of Action, Clinical Application, and
      Industrialization].

PMID- 26117949
TI  - [Visionary Approach to Neurosurgery].

PMID- 26117951
TI  - Gastric Hyperplastic Polyp with Xanthoma Observed by Magnification Narrow-Band
      Imaging Endoscopy and Endoscopic Ultrasonography : Report of a Case.
AB  - We experienced an extremely rare case of gastric hyperplastic polyp with
      xanthoma. A 73-year-old Japanese man was transferred to our hospital from a
      referral hospital for further evaluation of a pedunculated gastric polyp and
      early gastric cancer. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) revealed a yellow-whitish
      pedunculated polyp arising from the anterior wall of the fornix. Magnification
      narrow-band imaging (NBI) endoscopy revealed extended and tortuous
      microcapillaries and a swollen interfoveolar pattern on the polyp's surface, but
      there was no sign of malignancy. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) revealed an
      irregularity of the first layer and a thickened second layer. The third layer was
      intact. A hyperechoic area was seen in the thickened second layer. Endoscopic
      submucosal dissection (ESD) for early carcinoma of the antrum and endoscopic
      mucosal resection (EMR) for a polyp in the fornix were performed in one session.
      Histological examination of the specimen of the fornix polyp revealed lengthened,
      branched and dilatated gastric foveolae and a tight sheet of foamy histiocytes in
      the stroma. The background mucosa of the polyp was atrophic. The pathologic
      evidence was gastric hyperplastic polyp with proliferation of xanthoma. The early
      cancer of the antrum was intramucosal tubular adenocarcinoma and was resected
      curatively.

PMID- 26117952
TI  - [Preparation and characteristics of aerogel-based bioactive materials used in
      dentistry].
AB  - A variety of bioactive materials have been investigated as substitute materials
      for diseased or damaged bone tissues in dentistry. The aim of this study was to
      prepare mesoporous silica containing biomaterials by sol-gel technology. These
      materials may be combinated with hydroxyapatite and beta-tricalcium phosphate, as
      bioactive agents. The synthesis and testing of important physical parameters were
      performed. Based on these measurements, the silica aerogel can be an applicable
      material in the dental field in the future.

PMID- 26117953
TI  - [Change in the incidence of diabetes mellitus in oral cancer patients based on a
      long-term comparative study].
AB  - Our research is focused on the incidence of diabetes mellitus and glucose
      metabolic disorders among oral cancer patients and the frequency of different
      oral localizations of cancer. Diabetes mellitus affects 7% of the Hungarian
      population. This study uses data spanning 14 years, with 2 datasets of 1998-1999
      and 2012-2013, collected first hand by the authors. These datasets have led us to
      examine the blood glucose level in 267 patients with histologically confirmed
      malignant tumours in the oral cavity. Diabetes mellitus was found in 59 of them
      (22.1%), The blood glucose was elevated in 32 cases (12%). The most frequent
      tumor locations among the diabetic patients: labial, lingual and gingival tumors
      gingivae. Comparative epidemiological study demonstrates that in 2012-2013
      dataset there was an increased observed percentage of people with diabetes
      mellitus [17.6% to 22.1%]. The percentage of patients with IFG (impaired fasting
      glucose) also increased from 9.8% to 12%. Overall the number of patients with
      glucose metabolic disorders climbed from 27.4% to 34.1%, (p > 0.05). Our
      intention of this introductory analysis is to emphasize the close connection of
      these two very important disease groups, and the wider spread of diabetes
      mellitus.

PMID- 26117954
TI  - [Binding properties of components removable from dental base plate, analysed by
      Fourier-Transform Surface Plasmon Resonance (FT-SPR) method].
AB  - In parallel with the emergence of new dental materials the number of allergic
      diseases is continuously increasing. Extremely small quantities of the allergens
      are capable to inducing an allergic reaction. Therefore it is particularly
      important to examine these materials as antigens and investigate their binding
      properties to proteins (e.g. formaldehyde, methacrylic acid, benzoyl
      peroxide...). The Fourier Transform Surface Plasmon Resonance Spectroscopy (FT
      SPR) is a suitable examination method for this type of procedure. FT-SPR
      measurement is performed at a fixed angel of incident light, and reflectivity is
      measured over a range of wavelength in the near infrared. The advantages of this
      method are the outstanding sensitivity, the label-free detection capability and
      the possibility of the real-time testing procedure. Formaldehyde and methacrylic
      acid are among the most common dental allergens. In our study we examined these
      molecules by FT-SPR spectroscopy. The aim of this work was to investigate the
      suitability of this method to the detection of these materials, with special
      focuses on the analysis and evaluation concentration-dependent measurements.
      Different concentrations (0.01 %-0.2%) of formaldehyde and methacrylic acid
      solutions were measured. The individual spectra were measured for all of the
      solutions, and calibration curves were calculated for the materials for the
      possibility of the determination of an unknown concentration. The results
      confirmed that the method is theoretically capable to detect hundred-thousandths
      scale concentration-changes in the solution flowing above the SPR-chip. The
      concentration-dependent studies had proved that the method capable to measure
      directly these materials and can provide appropriate calibration for quantitative
      determination. These experiments show the broad applicability of the FT-SPR
      method, which can greatly facilitate the mapping and understanding of
      biomolecular interactions in the future.

PMID- 26117955
TI  - [Changes of the innervation in the mucous membrane and glands of the tongue in
      early and late experimental diabetes mellitus].
AB  - The number of the different neuropeptides-containing nerve fibres and
      immunocompetent cells was changed in diabetes mellitus (DM) in different organs.
      In this work we investigated the effect of DM on quantitation of the nerve fibres
      using immunhistochemistry. After two weeks of the DM the quantitiy of the
      different nerve fibres increased significantly both in the mucous membrane and
      glands of the tongue. The number of the immunocompetent cells (lymphocytes,
      plasma cells, mast cells) increased as well significantly. Some of these cells
      showed also immunoreactivity for substance P and neuropeptide Y. A few substance
      P cells were in very close relation to the SP immunoreactive nerve fibres. After
      four weeks of DM the number of the nerve fibres was decreased compared to the 2
      weeks treatment, however, the number of them was higher compared to the control.
      The close correlation between the nerve fibres and immune cells might play a
      crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis in the mucous membrane and glands of
      the tongue as well as in the increasing inflammation and elimination of it.

PMID- 26117956
TI  - [Frequency of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorders, vertical
      orthodontic anomalies and their relationships based on screening of a large
      population].
AB  - Altogether 4606 volunteers (2923 vomen, 1683 men) participated in the
      representative national epidemiological study to screen the alterations of
      temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The characteristic clinical signs and subjective
      complaints according to TMJ were evaluated by medical history taking and physical
      examination. Regarding the orthodontic anomalies, the vertical abnormalities
      (deep bite and open bite) were specifically noted. Clinical signs showing
      functional problems of TMJ were found in 45.19% of the screened population,
      mainly in the group of 35-44 year olds. The frequency of clicking and crepitation
      of TMJ was significantly higher in women compared to men (p < 0.05). The highest
      rate of clinical signs of TMJ disorders was found in the South-Transdanubian
      region, the lowest rate in the Middle-Transdanubian region, between these regions
      it was a significant difference regarding the frequency of deviation/deflexion (p
      < 0.05). Of the vertical abnormalities, deep bite occured most frequently in the
      35-44 ys old age group. The prevalence of deep bite was higher among males than
      females in the whole screened population, but the difference was not
      statistically significant. Significant relationship was detected between deep
      bite and TMJ pain, deep bite and noises in the joint in the majority of the
      population. The most frequent anomaly in the South-Transdanubian region was deep
      bite, while the open bite occured most frequently in south middle part of
      Hungary. Conclusion: the Hungarian population needs well organized specific
      programs to improve the oral health including TMJ and orthodontic aspects.

PMID- 26117958
TI  - [Dr. Istvan Gera has received the Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit].

PMID- 26117959
TI  - California Blues Plan Insists It's Not-for-Profit.

PMID- 26117960
TI  - Spending on Compounded Drugs Goes Sky High.

PMID- 26117961
TI  - Medicaid expansion linked to diabetes diagnosis.

PMID- 26117962
TI  - Shopping for Health Care.

PMID- 26117963
TI  - A Conversation With Robert Wachter, MD. Reality Bytes: Medicine's Bumpy Ride Into
      the Digital Age.

PMID- 26117964
TI  - 3 New Biologics To Be Worth $14B in Sales by 2019.

PMID- 26117965
TI  - Operational Implications of Utilizing 2 Advanced Technologies for Rendering Short
      term Hemodynamic Support to Patients Presenting With Cardiogenic Shock: A View
      Through the Lens of Hospital Readmissions.
AB  - PURPOSE: Reducing hospital readmissions for critically ill patients is of concern
      to payers and providers alike. Patients in cardiogenic shock are often treated
      with devices to help support the functions of the heart while the patient
      undergoes treatment. This study compares the readmission experience of Medicare
      beneficiaries treated for cardiogenic shock (CS) using percutaneous ventricular
      assist devices (pVADs) vs. extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), two types
      of advanced cardiac support devices. Hospital readmission is a surrogate for
      quality and cost. DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY: A retrospective comparison of
      readmission patterns of patients treated for CS using two advanced cardiac
      support devices during calendar years 2011 and 2012 was captured via the Medicare
      Inpatient Standard Analytic File (100% census file). A total of 649 eligible
      cases (pVAD, 517; ECMO, 132) with 90 days of follow-up documentation were
      included in this analysis. Baseline characteristics were compared, including
      demographics, admission type, and severity of illness, with the 2 groups
      generating clinically similar baseline profiles. Primary outcomes include 30- and
      90-day readmissions, associated length of stay (LOS), and costs. RESULTS: At 90
      days after initial hospitalization, the readmission rates in the pVAD and ECMO
      cohorts were 38.7% (200/517) and 53.0% (70/132), respectively. Overall, pVAD was
      associated with a 27.1% reduction in readmission (P = .004). With the use of
      pVAD, 90-day readmission costs were lower by $12,294 ($32,736 vs $20,442, a
      reduction of 37.6%, P=.02) and readmission LOS was shorter by approximately 8
      days, (20.5 vs. 12.7 days, a 37.9% reduction, P = .002). Similar trends were
      observed at 30 days; however, only LOS was significantly reduced, by 7.0 days (P
      < .001). CONCLUSION: In clinically comparable cohorts, pVADs were associated with
      reduced risk of rehospitalization, lower cost, and shorter LOS, resulting in cost
      savings for payers and providers. Increased adoption of pVAD, as a technology to
      support patients in cardiogenic shock, may help hospitals deliver greater value
      to both government and commercial payers.

PMID- 26117966
TI  - New Eye Therapy Takes Aim At Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency.

PMID- 26117967
TI  - Increased colon cancer screening could save 200,000 lives by 2030.

PMID- 26117968
TI  - Combination of microbiological culture and multiplex PCR increases the range of
      vaginal microorganisms identified in cervical cancer patients at high risk for
      bacterial vaginosis and vaginitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) and vaginitis in cervical cancer patients
      might becaused by mixed aerobic, anaerobic, and atypical bacteria. Since genital
      tract infections can be complicated, early and accurate identification of causal
      pathogens is vital. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was i) to determinate
      if currently used aerobic culture methods are sufficiently sensitive to identify
      pathogens that can appear in the cervix of women after cancer treatment; ii) to
      investigate if molecular methods can improve the diagnostic process of BV and
      vaginitis, as well as broaden the range of detectable pathogens that would
      otherwise be difficult to cultivate. METHODS: A one-year hospital-based study was
      conducted in 2011/2012. Cervical swabs from 130 patients were examined by
      microbiological culture and multiplex PCR. RESULTS: Swab samples were positive
      for 107 and 93 women by microbiological culture and multiplex PCR, respectively
      The most common bacteria isolated from culture were: Escherichia coli,
      Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Staphylococcus aureus, and
      using the molecular technique were: Gardnerella vaginalis, Bacteroides fragilis,
      Ureoplasma ureoliticum/parvum, Mobiluncus curtisii and Atopobium vaginae.
      CONCLUSIONS: Multiplex PCR might contribute to the diagnosis of genital tract
      infections and it broadens the number of detectable microorganisms responsible
      for BV. Combination of these two methods may become the basis for standardized
      diagnosis of BV and vaginitis.

PMID- 26117969
TI  - Ovarian cancer and normal fallopian tube high WFDC2 expression does not correlate
      with HE4 serum level.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Recent evidence suggests that epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) does
      not derive from ovarian surface epithelium but from the tissues of Mullerian
      origin, particularly from the fallopian tube. HE4, a protein of Mullerian origin,
      seems to be promising marker for EOC detection and treatment monitoring. This
      study was designed to compare the expression of WFDC2 gene, encoding HE4 protein,
      in normal tissue of the ovary fallopian tube and EOC. The correlation between
      WFDC2 expression in cancer tissue and serum level of HE4 was additionally
      measured. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Tumor specimens were obtained from EOC patients
      during primary surgery before chemotherapy Samples of normal ovaries and
      fallopian tubes were collected from healthy patients operated for other reasons.
      Total RNA was isolated from the tissues and relative WFDC2 expression was
      evaluated by Real Time RT-qPCR. HE4 serum level in cancer patients was measured
      using COBAS System. RESULTS: EOC samples were distinguished by much higher WFDC2
      expression in comparison to normal ovaries (p = 0.000016). Transcriptional
      activity of WFDC2 in EOC specimens and in normal fallopian tubes was comparable
      (p = 1.00). Additionally, lack of correlation between WFDC2 expression in cancer
      tissue and serum level of HE4 protein in ovarian cancer patients was observed (p
      = 0.3). CONCLUSIONS: High expression of WFDC2 was demonstrated for both, EOC and
      fallopian tube, as opposed to its low expression observed in normal ovaries
      suggesting that EOC is derived from fallopian tube rather than ovary Elevated HE4
      serum concentration in EOC patients is not correlated with higher gene expression
      in cancer tissue.

PMID- 26117970
TI  - [Histological grading of endometrial carcinoma. Clinical and patomorphological
      analysis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Retrospective clinical and pathomorphological analysis of patients
      undergoing surgery due to endometrial carcinoma; analysis of the correlation
      between histological grading of endometrial cancer and selected
      pathomorphological results. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Statistical analysis was based
      on the pathomorphological results in a group of 353 patients operated because of
      endometrial carcinoma at the Clinical Department of Gynecologic Oncology Medical
      University of Lodz, between 2003 and 2013. A possible correlation between
      histological grading, clinical staging, myometrial infiltration, parametrial
      invasion and nodal metastases to ilio-obturator lymph nodes was investigated.
      RESULTS: Among poorly differentiated carcinomas G3, myometrial infiltration above
      half of its thickness was observed in 67.44% of the cases, whereas in the G2 and
      G1 groups it was detected in 60.82% and 39.33% of the affected individuals,
      respectively. Parametrial invasion was found in 24.39% of G3 cases, i.e. 4.23
      times more often than in G2 (5.76%) and 10.65 times more often than in G1
      (2.29%). Nodal metastases to ilio-obturator lymph nodes were present in 27.50% of
      poorly 10.86% of moderately and 8.11% of well-differentiated carcinomas. Uterine
      appendages were infiltrated in 23.25% of G3 cases--3.45 times more than in G2
      (6.73%) and 6.82 times more than in G1 (3.4 1%). CONCLUSIONS: Histologic grading
      for carcinoma at the time of diagnosis is significantly related to clinical
      staging. No correlation between patient age and carcinoma grading or its clinical
      staging was observed. Risk of lymph node invasion for well-differentiated
      carcinomas is similar to the risk for moderately differentiated carcinomas, and
      should also be an indication for lymphadenectomy in that group of patients.

PMID- 26117971
TI  - Evaluation of effectiveness of endovascular embolisation for the treatment of
      pelvic congestion syndrome--preliminary study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness,
      safety and clinical outcomes of endovascular embolisation of pelvic congestion
      syndrome (PCS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective, observational study
      carried out between January and May of 2014 encompassed 24 female patients aged
      22-44 years (average - 31 years) diagnosed with PCS. Diagnosis of PCS was
      established by medical history physical examination, transvaginal Doppler
      ultrasound examination and confirmed by MRI. The patients were qualified for
      phlebography and ovarian vein embolization with 0.035" detachable coils and/or
      microcoils. Pelvic pain scores were assessed before and 3 months after the
      procedure with the visual analog scale (VAS; 0 - no pain, 10 - unbearable pain).
      RESULTS: Embolisation procedures were performed in 23 out of 24 patients.
      Nineteen patients underwent unilateral and 4 patients bilateral embolisation of
      the ovarian vein. In one case, safe and selective vessel catheterization was not
      possible due to the anatomical variant of venous flow. Nineteen patients
      underwent unilateral embolisation of the left ovarian vein. Four patients had the
      left and right ovarian veins embolized; in one of them, the internal iliac vein
      was additionally closed (the two-stage procedure). The technical success rate was
      96%. Procedures lasted 23-78 minutes (32 minutes on average). An average of 40 ml
      of contrast was administered during the procedures. The total mean radiation dose
      at the reference point was 389 mGy (from 127 mGy to 1112 mGy). A decrease in
      pelvic pain intensity according to VAS was considered a clinical success. The
      median VAS pelvic pain score before the procedure was 8. Three months after the
      procedure median pelvic pain score decreased to 1 (p < 0.001). In two cases, the
      ovarian vein was injured and the contrast medium extravasated, which was
      clinically insignificant. In one case, a small injection site haematoma
      developed. CONCLUSION: Embolisation is a minimally invasive, effective and safe
      method of treatment for PCS. The cooperation between gynaecologists and
      interventional radiologists is essential for successful outcomes.

PMID- 26117972
TI  - Analysis of -11391G>A and +45>G polymorphisms of ADIPOQ gene in women with
      excessive weight gain during pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to evaluate the frequency of genotypes and
      alleles of the -11391G>A and +45T>G polymorphisms of the ADIPOQ gene in Polish
      women with excessive weight gain during pregnancy. A possible correlation between
      these polymorphisms and selected clinical and anthropometric parameters has been
      analyzed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 153 pregnant Caucasian women of Polish
      origin with normal pre-pregnancy body mass were analyzed: 78 women with excessive
      weight gain (study group) and 75 women with normal weight gain during pregnancy
      (control group). The analysis of the polymorphisms was performed by PCR/RFLP.
      RESULTS: The influence of the -11391G>A polymorphism on body mass and BMI values
      at the end of pregnancy (p < 0.05) was observed. We also detected a correlation
      of the +45T>G polymorphism with body mass at the end of pregnancy and pre
      pregnancy WHR values (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The observed effect of the 
      11391G>A polymorphism on the parameters assessed at the end of pregnancy (BMI and
      body mass), suggests a protective role of the -11391A genetic variant in
      excessive weight gain. It is claimed that the mutated +45G allele of the +45T>G
      ADIPOQ polymorphism shows a possible connection with higher pre-pregnancy WHR
      values and body mass at the end of pregnancy Our findings suggest a possible
      contribution of the -11391G>A and +45T>G polymorphisms of the ADIPOQ gene to the
      pathomechanism of excessive weight gain in pregnant women from the Polish
      population. This observation should be confirmed in a larger sample size study

PMID- 26117973
TI  - [Chromosomal aberrations--the cause of spontaneous abortions].
AB  - The genetic factor remains the most frequent cause of spontaneous abortions.
      Examination of the fetal tissue from spontaneous miscarriages shows that 75% of
      them were caused by abnormal karyotype. Other reasons, albeit rare, included
      submicroscopic genomic rearrangements, monogenic diseases, and polygenic
      inheritance disorders of the embryo. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to
      analyze the incidence of chromosomal aberrations in material from the
      miscarriage. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 47 samples of miscarriage
      material from 47 women. Fluorescent hybridization in-situ (FISH) was used for
      genetic examination. RESULTS: Chromosomal abnormalities were diagnosed in 72% of
      the samples, with trisomy 21 (25.5%), trisomy 16 (17%), and trisomy 18 (12.8%) as
      the most common. An abnormal number of copies of chromosome 18, 21, 22,
      indicating the coexistence of trisomy 18, 21, 22, was detected in 1 patient. It
      was another miscarriage in case of 14 subjects (29.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Chromosomal
      aberrations were diagnosed in the majority of fetal tissue samples from
      spontaneous miscarriages. More than one chromosomal aberration in a single embryo
      is an extremely rare occurrence. Miscarriage due to chromosomal aberrations
      occurred in the vast majority of women > 35 years of age.

PMID- 26117974
TI  - First trimester biochemical markers in twin pregnancies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate the first trimester serum markers and
      nuchal translucency (NT) measurements in twin pregnancies in our population.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the results of all double tests that were
      performed in our hospital over a three-year period. Out of them, we selected all
      twins and compared them with a group of three times as many singleton controls.
      NT measurements and the first trimester serum markers from 49 twin pregnancies
      were compared to those of 147 pregnant women with normal singleton pregnancy
      RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in age, gestational
      age and maternal weight between the two groups (p > 0.05). We found similar NT
      measurements in the two groups. The median MoM of Pregnancy-Associated Plasma
      Protein A (PAPP-A) and fbeta-hCG levels in twins were statistically significantly
      higher than those in singleton pregnancies. Twelve percent of the twins (12.2%)
      were the result of assisted reproduction technologies. IVF versus naturally
      conceived pregnancies showed similar MoM of PAPP-A (2.2 vs. 1.2, respectively)
      and fbeta-hCG (Mann-Whitney U; p = 0.195 and p = 0.958). CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      revealed that median PAPP-A and fbeta-hCG levels for twins were less than twice
      those of singleton values.

PMID- 26117975
TI  - [Analysis of pregnancy, labor and neonatal course in babies with prenatally
      diagnosed complete atrioventricular heart block].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Complete heart block (third-degree atrioventricular block) is a
      defect of the conduction system of the heart, in which the impulse generated in
      the sinoatrial node does not propagate to the ventricles, and thus the latter
      contract independently of the atria. A third-degree atrioventricular block can be
      either congenital or acquired. In 60-70% of the cases, the congenital heart block
      results from destruction of the conduction system of the fetal heart by anti
      Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies present in maternal serum. The antibodies are
      synthesized in the course of autoimmune maternal conditions, most often systemic
      lupus erythematosus or rarer rheumatoid arthritis, dermatomyositis or Sjogren's
      syndrome. The complete block can occur as an isolated defect or be associated
      with structural anomalies of the fetal heart. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of
      five patients whose fetuses were diagnosed with the third-degree atrioventricular
      block have been hospitalized at the Department of Obstetrics, Medical University
      of Gdansk between 2012 and 2014. RESULTS: We present the data of the five
      patients, hospitalized at the Department of Obstetrics, Medical University of
      Gdansk, whose fetuses were diagnosed prenatally with the complete heart block.
      The cases differ in terms of etiology clinical outcome, and postnatal treatment.
      All data are presented in Table I. CONCLUSIONS: We emphasize the role of
      appropriate pregnancy management and careful monitoring of the fetal condition.
      From obstetrical perspective, it is important to monitor the condition of fetuses
      with the third-degree atrioventricular block ultrasonographically and
      echocardiographically; in turn, cardiotocography is less useful in this setting.
      Therefore, a non-reactive cardiotocographic tracing should not constitute an
      indication for a preterm delivery. An affected fetus should be delivered in a
      tertiary center for perinatal care that cooperates with a pediatric cardiology
      center. An efficient program for cardologic prenatal care and close cooperation
      between obstetricians, neonatologists, pediatric cardiologists, and cardiac
      surgeons constitute the key to a successful outcome.

PMID- 26117976
TI  - Relation of platelet distribution width (PDW) and platelet crit (PCT) to
      preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: While the relationship between platelet crit (PCT), platelet
      distribution width (PDW) and hypertension has been well-documented, data on the
      association between PCT, PDW and preeclampsia are scant at best. In our study we
      aimed to investigate the possible correlation of PCT and PDW with preeclampsia
      and disease severity MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 110 preeclamptic and 100
      healthy pregnant women were included in the study Baseline PCT and PDW were
      measured using an automatic blood counterin the entire study population. RESULTS:
      While there were no significant differences between the preeclampsia group and
      the control group in terms of hemoglobin and platelet counts, the PDW, mean
      platelet volume (MPV), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, proteinuria, WBC
      and Hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in the preeclampsia group. In
      addition, PCT level was significantly lower in the preeclampsia group as compared
      to controls. Moreover subgroup analysis revealed that PDW and MPV levels were
      significantly increased in severely preeclamptic patients when compared to mildly
      preeclamptic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our study results revealed that PCT and PDW
      levels were associated with both, the presence and severity of preeclampsia.

PMID- 26117977
TI  - Perinatal outcome in women with inflammatory bowel disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a lifelong, chronic
      inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. IBD morbidity rate in
      Europe has been steadily growing for the last six decades. Women with IBD are
      often diagnosed during the childbearing years, which makes the influence of the
      disease on pregnancy and birth outcomes an important clinical issue. OBJECTIVES:
      The aim of the study was to estimate the influence of the IBD process among
      pregnant women on maternal, fetal and neonatal parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      A retrospective analysis of data on patients suffering from IBD, diagnosed before
      pregnancy who were admitted to the Department of Perinatology and Gynecology
      Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital Research Institute for delivery between 2009
      2013, was conducted. IBD was diagnosed in 10 cases. The control group consisted
      of 10 healthy pregnant women near delivery RESULTS: IBD activity status at
      conception in women receiving continuous mesalazine treatment does not correlate
      with gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score or maternal platelet count at
      delivery in comparison to controls. IBD patients under mesalazine management had
      lower: i) maternal body mass index and platelet count, ii) neonatal birth weight
      and Apgar score as compared to controls. However, no impact of IBD on the
      frequency of congenital anomalies was noted. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our
      knowledge, this has been the first study conducted among pregnant women with IBD
      in Poland. The analysis demonstrates that pharmacological treatment has a
      deteriorating influence on maternal weight gain in pregnancy as well as
      production and activity of platelets. Moreover, it diminishes fetal growth and
      worsens short-term neonatal condition. Further studies with larger sample size
      are necessary but the rarity of this complication limits the possibility of
      research therapeutic perspectives.

PMID- 26117979
TI  - Innovative therapy of ovarian cancer based on overexpression of CD44 receptor.
AB  - Ovarian carcinoma constitutes the main cause of cancer-related death among women.
      The curability rates remain low despite rapid advances in medicine. Thus, the
      search for new and improved methods continues, with CD44-targeting as one of
      them. CD44 is a cell-surface glycoprotein, which binds to its ligand--hyaluronic
      acid (HA)--and regulates crucial processes such as cell differentiation,
      proliferation and migration. Overexpression of CD44, observed in many ovarian
      cancer cells, is used in creating carriers for selective delivery of various
      drugs (paclitaxel, doxorubicin, camptothecin or cisplatin) to cancer cells. In
      this article, we summarized the current state of knowledge regarding CD44
      targeting as a new and more efficient way of ovarian cancer treatment, with high
      potential and promising therapeutic perspectives.

PMID- 26117978
TI  - Assessment of patient acceptability of medical treatment in case of non-viable
      first trimester pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to assess patient acceptability and
      satisfaction with medical treatment (vaginal misoprostol) of non-viable first
      trimester pregnancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 64 women, treated with
      vaginal misoprostol for non-viable first trimester pregnancy between October 2012
      and December 2012 at the First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Medical
      University of Warsaw, were included in this questionnaire-based study. Questions
      pertaining to advantages and disadvantages of misoprostol treatment as compared
      to potential surgical intervention were used. The respondents also determined
      whether they would choose medical treatment if they were to decide again. The
      Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to assess pain and bleeding intensity.
      RESULTS: Medical treatment was successful in 57 and surgical treatment was needed
      in 7 women. Average pain and bleeding intensity were 5.8 and 5.3, respectively.
      The most common side effects included diarrhea (27%), dizziness (22.2%), nausea
      (15.9%), and chills (15.6%). The most important advantages of misoprostol therapy
      were avoidance of the risk of uterine perforation (96.4%) and formation of
      intrauterine adhesions (74.6%), whereas the most significant disadvantages were
      prolonged bleeding (21.4%), pain (21.4%), and longer treatment duration (42.9%).
      Overall, 95.6% of the patients with successful treatment outcome declared they
      would choose this procedure if they were to decide again, as compared to 85.6% of
      women with treatment failure (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Medical treatment with
      vaginal misoprostol is acceptable and well-tolerated by the vast majority of
      women with non-viable first trimester pregnancy. Satisfaction is expressed by
      both, respondents with successful as well as unsuccessful treatment outcome.

PMID- 26117980
TI  - [Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk].
AB  - Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication of pregnancy In the
      course of pregnancy elevated levels of hormones and other proteins having insulin
      antagonistic effects lead to higher insulin resistance in peripheral tissues,
      followed by hyperinsulinemia. Risk factors for the development of GDM have been
      well-established. However, the debate whether polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
      may predispose to GDM continues. Patients with PCOS are often affected by obesity
      dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, and tissue-specific insulin resistance. Obesity
      occurs in 50% of the cases, while tissue-specific insulin resistance is observed
      in 20-40% of the affected patients. This paper aims at systematizing risk factors
      that could contribute to the development of GDM, as well as reviewing literature
      reports and analyses on the occurrence of a potential correlation.

PMID- 26117981
TI  - Placenta accreta: review and 3 case reports.
AB  - Placenta accreta is characterized by excessive penetration of the villi into the
      myometrium, which obstructs its correct separation during stage III of labor.
      That in turn leads to a potentially life-threatening maternal hemorrhage. Until
      recently this pathology has been a rare occurrence but currently it is fifty
      times more prevalent. Placenta accreta is associated with high morbidity and the
      risk of maternal death, even despite advances in ultrasonographic diagnostics,
      well-established surgical treatment, and multi-disciplinary medical care. A
      dramatic rise in the rates of Cesarean section and intrauterine surgical
      procedure is considered to be the main factor responsible for the growing
      incidence of placenta accreta. It is especially frequent in women after a
      Cesarean section and with placenta previa covering the lower segment. A Cesarean
      section, combined with hysterectomy and application of various techniques to
      limit massive bleeding, is usually performed between 34-36 weeks of pregnancy
      before the onset of labor. Three cases of placenta accreta are presented.

PMID- 26117982
TI  - [Expression of melatonin receptors genes and genes associated with regulation of
      their activity in endometrial cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate transcription activity of
      melatonin receptors and genes associated with regulation of their activity in
      endometrial adenocarcinoma to identify probable diagnostic and prognostic
      molecular markers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The material included endometrial
      adenocarcinoma tissue samples of histopathological grades G1, G2, G3, and normal
      endometrium. The molecular analysis was performed on 37 patient samples. Total
      RNA was extracted and used for the microarray HG-U133A analysis. Among 22 283 ID
      mRNA, only entities of genes associated with regulation of melatonin receptors
      activity were selected. qRT-PCR was employed for validation, what allowed to
      compare melatonin receptor genes activation in endometrial cancer tissues to the
      normal endometrium. RESULTS: The results of the microarray experiments showed
      that only 18 ID mRNA were differential in endometrial cancer samples as compared
      to the control at p-value<0.05 and FC(log2)>1.5. These genes were identified as
      differentially expressed in grade G2-ASMTL, GNA 11, PER2, PTGDS and in grade G3
      GNA12, GNA 11. Silencing of RGS4 encoding RGP4, which regulates signal
      transmission by G protein, was observed in all cancer groups, independently of
      the histopathological grade. CONCLUSIONS: The profile expression of genes
      associated with regulation of melatonin receptors activity was different and
      dependent on the histopathological grade of endometrial cancer and can be an
      additional diagnostic and prognostic marker Statistically significant was the
      down-regulation of melatonin biosynthesis genes (ASMTL) and melatonin signal
      transmitters (GNA 11, GNA 12, RTGS).

PMID- 26117983
TI  - Diagnostic value of CA125, HE4, ROMA and logistic regression model in pelvic mass
      diagnostics - our experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare and evaluate the quality of CA
      125, HE4, logistic regression model based on CA 125 and HE4, and ROMA algorithm
      in preoperational differential diagnostics of the ovarian tumors. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: To the study 110 patients enrolled. Based on histopatological
      examination of removed tumors, they were divided into study group (56 cancer
      patients) and control one (nonmalignant 54 patients). Serum CA 125 and HE4
      concentrations were measured following a standard procedure. RESULTS: A commonly
      accepted referential value for CA 125 is 35 IU/ml. In our study this cut-off
      value yielded very low sensitivity and specificity results (85.2% and 63.6%,
      respectively). When we adopted HE4 normal value to be 140 pM,the sensitivity and
      specificity obtained in the investigated population was 68.5% and 94.6%,
      respectively When the cut-off value for HE4 was adopted as 74 pM, the sensitivity
      improved considerably (88.9%), but specificity decreased to 85.7%. In case of CA
      125 when we adopted Ca 125 normal value to be 77 IU/ml, the sensitivity and
      specificity obtained in the investigated population was 81.5% and 83.6%,
      respectively In analysis based on combination of biomarkers, the highest
      sensitivity was obtained for the logistic regression model based on CA 125 and
      HE4 (89.5%). A little bit lower sensitivity was achieved for HE4 used as a single
      diagnostic test (88.9%). The highest specificity was observed for ROMA algorithm
      (94.5%). This means that ROMA algorithm is the best diagnostic tool to
      differentiate between the malignant and non-malignant ovarian tumors.
      CONCLUSIONS: 1. ROMA algorithm yielded the highest specificity and slightly lower
      sensitivity in the case of differential diagnosis between malignant and non
      malignant ovarian tumors. Therefore, it should become a basic tool in the ovarian
      tumors diagnosis prior to a surgery 2. HE4 as a single diagnostic test (based on
      one marker) was found to be better suited to the ovarian tumor differential
      diagnosis than CA 125 test. 3. Combined test, based on double marker analysis,
      should be applied and then the risk of the ovarian cancer should be calculated.
      This approach is more effective than single marker analysis.

PMID- 26117984
TI  - [Micrometastases in sentinel lymph node in endometrial cancer patients].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Detection of micrometastases in sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) extends
      our knowledge of lymphatic spread in endometrial cancer, although its clinical
      significance has not yet been confirmed. OBJECTIVES: The aim of study was to
      determine the incidence of SLN micrometastases and to analyze the association
      between micrometastases and disease relapse. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-four
      patients with endometrioid endometrial cancer underwent routine surgical therapy
      and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). SLNB was performed using two techniques:
      cervical injection of 99mTc-labelled albumin or blue dye and fundal injection of
      blue dye. SLNs were subjected to ultrastaging with immunohistochemistry (AE1/AE3,
      150um). RESULTS: At least one SLN was detected in 51 patients (94.4%) and
      bilateral SLN detection was achieved in 80.4%. Nodal macrometastases were found
      in 3 patients (6.3%). SLNB enabled us to detect nodal macrometastases in 2 out of
      those 3 patients. In the third case, detection of SLN micrometastasis allowed to
      correctly determine the nodal status, thus avoiding the false negative result of
      SLNB. In 48 patients with detected 184 SLNs, there were 4 patients (8.3%) with
      micrometastases and 4 (8.3%) with ITC foci. No significant associations between
      the presence of risk factors (grade, myometrial invasion, cervical invasion,
      lymphovascular space invasion) and incidence of micrometastases and/or ITC foci
      in SLNs were found. CONCLUSIONS: Detection of micrometastases may result in lower
      false-negative rate, thus increasing SLNB safety.

PMID- 26117985
TI  - Comparison of tissue trauma after abdominal, vaginal and total laparoscopic
      hysterectomy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare the extent of tissue trauma atter
      abdominal hysterectomy(AH), vaginal hysterectomy (VH), and total laparoscopic
      hysterectomy (TLH) using biochemical markers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-one
      patients requiring hysterectomy for benign uterine diseases were enrolled in the
      study and divided into three treatment groups: AH (n=24), VH (n=23), and TLH
      (n=24). Blood samples for assay of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and creatine
      phosphokinase (CPK) were collected pre-, intra-operatively and 2, 6 and 24 h
      after surgery. RESULTS: Serum levels of IL-6, and CPK were significantly elevated
      over basal values after surgery in all groups. IL-6 and CPK levels were
      significantly higher after AH as compared to VH and TLH. IL-6 concentrations were
      significantly higher in the VH group than the TLH group (p=0.00 1). There were no
      significant differences in CPK levels between the VH and TLH groups (p=0.824).
      TLH group had the smallest decrease in blood hemoglobin concentration and the
      shortest hospital stay CONCLUSIONS: AH causes more tissue trauma as compared to
      VH and TLH. Owing to the fact that TLH is associated with less tissue trauma and
      offers significant clinical benefits, including less blood loss and shorter
      hospital stay it should be considered in women with benign gynecologic
      conditions, especially in experienced centers.

PMID- 26117986
TI  - The contribution of Hind III C>G PAI-1 gene polymorphism in etiology of recurrent
      miscarriages.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The goal of the study was to assess the relationship of HindIII C>G
      PAI-1 gene polymorphism with increased risk of recurrent miscarriages. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: A whole of 152 women with a history of at least two miscarriages
      were classified into analysis. The study group was divided twice (114 subjects
      with 2 miscarriages and 38 subjects with >3 miscarriages, 123 subjects with
      miscarriages at <13gw, and 29 subjects with miscarriages in <21 gw). The controls
      consisted of 180 women with a positive history of at least one pregnancy and
      birth of a healthy term newborn, and a negative history of miscarriage. The
      analysed polymorphisms were determined by PCR/RFLP methods. RESULTS: The
      occurrence of HindIII GG genotype in the whole study group was 25.7% and 20.0% in
      controls (OR= 1.38, p=0. 14). HindIII G allele was also observed more frequently
      in the whole study group (45.7% vs. 42.2% in controls, OR=1. 15, p=0.20). The
      occurrence of HindIII GG genotype was higher in the subgroup of women with >3
      miscarriages (31.6% vs. 20.0% in controls, OR= 1.85, p=0.09). HindIII G allele
      was also noted more frequently in the subgroup of women with >3 miscarriages
      (50.0% vs. 42.2% in controls, OR=1.37, p=0. 13). A tendency of higher frequency
      of HindIII GG genotype and HindIII G allele was also noted in the subgroup of
      patients with miscarriages in the first and second trimester (HindIII GG: 31.0%
      vs. 20.0% in controls, OR= 1.80, p=O. 14, HindIII G: 51.7% vs. 42.2% in controls,
      OR=1.4 7, p=0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Mutated HindIII G allele and HindIII GG genotype
      of HindIII C>G polymorphism probably augment the risk of recurrent miscarriages.

PMID- 26117987
TI  - [Fetal cardiac interventions - are we ready for them?].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to analyze types and methods of intrauterine
      fetal cardiac interventions performed between June 2011 and December 2013, and to
      assess the perinatal management of the neonates. METHODS: The program was
      developed after analysis of the available literature, practical individual
      training in Linz, Austria, and simulation of the procedure in a dissecting-room.
      The rules for anesthesia in pregnant women and their fetuses were developed. The
      interventions were performed in fetuses with critical cardiac defects, in the
      operating room, under ultrasonographic control. The protocol was approved by the
      Local Bioethics Committee at the Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education.
      MATERIAL: We included fetuses with critical aortic stenosis (n=29), critical
      pulmonary stenosis (n=2), and closed or extremely restricted foramen ovale (n=7).
      Between June 2011 and December 2013, the team comprised of JD, MD and AK
      conducted 42 interventions in 35 fetuses, including 32 balloon aortic
      valvuloplasties (in 29 fetuses), 2 pulmonary valvuloplasties, 4 balloon atrial
      septostomies and 4 atrial septal stent placement. Three fetuses required both,
      aortic valvuloplasty and fenestration of the atrial septum. RESULTS: Out of the
      42 procedures, 41 (97%) were technically successful. We recorded 3 cases of fetal
      demise associated with the intervention. We modulated the protocol of anesthesia
      given to pregnant women, switching from general to local anesthesia with
      intravenous sedation. We always provided additional fetal anesthesia with
      fentanyl and atracurium via the umbilical vein. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our 2.5
      year experience, it seems safe to conclude that all types of fetal cardiac
      interventions may be successfully conducted at Polish centers. The procedures are
      safe for the pregnant women and improve fetal status. Most of the neonates
      treated prenatally were referred in good general condition to a tertiary
      pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery center

PMID- 26117989
TI  - Assessment of the diet components of pregnant women as predictors of risk of
      preterm birth and born baby with low birth weight.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The diet of pregnant women is an important factor in the development
      of the fetus. In our study we wanted to determine the diet of women who gave
      birth to healthy children at term (AGA), preterm (PTB) and small for gestational
      age neonates (SGA). Based on the analysis of dietary components we wanted predict
      the likelihood of giving birth AGA, PTB and SGA. METHODS: The content of
      components in the women's diets were estimated based on the dietary
      questionnaire. The large number of variables analyzed in the diet was reduced
      using factor analysis. Next, the prediction of pre-maturity and SGA based on
      previously selected factors was analyzed. For this purpose, two independent
      methods were used: discriminant function analysis and ROC analysis. RESULTS:
      Factor analysis resulted in nine factors containing at least one variable of the
      factor load being greater than 0.7. Analysis of variance only showed differences
      between the AGA and preterm groups. The study of discriminant function showed
      that three factors significantly affect the discriminative power to classify
      cases into AGA and preterm groups. ROC analysis confirmed diagnostic usefulness
      factor 1 (fatty acids) in classifying cases into AGA and preterm groups.
      CONCLUSION: Based on the analysis of dietary components of women one can predict
      the likelihood of giving birth to a healthy child at term and prematurely For AGA
      the predicting factor is a higher content of short and medium chain fatty acids
      in a woman's diet.

PMID- 26117988
TI  - The evaluation of homocysteine level in patients with preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between
      preeclampsia and blood plasma homocysteine levels. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The
      research was conducted in a group of 114 pregnant patients who were subdivided
      into three groups consisting of: 30 women with severe preeclampsia, 24 with mild
      preeclampsia, and 60 healthy pregnant controls. Patient data included age, parity
      body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, homocysteine, folic
      acid, vitamin B12, hematocrit, hemoglobin, blood urine nitrogen, uric acid and
      urine analysis. RESULTS: There were no differences in the demographic
      characteristics (age, gravidity and BMI) among the groups. Mean serum
      homocysteine level was significantly higher in the preeclamptic group as compared
      to controls (p<0.01). Mean homocysteine level in the control group was
      significantly lower than in the severe and mild preeclampsia groups, respectively
      (p<0.001 vs. p<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in
      homocysteine levels between mild and severe preeclampsia groups (p>0.05).
      Although there were statistically significant differences among the three groups
      in terms of BUN, creatinine, AST ALT and LDH, no statistically significant
      differences in serum folic acid, vitamin B12 and hemoglobin levels were found.
      CONCLUSIONS: Plasma homocysteine levels are significantly elevated in patients
      with preeclampsia and are not correlated with disease severity

PMID- 26117990
TI  - The role of insulin and selected adipocytokines in patients with polycystic ovary
      syndrome (PCOS) - a literature review.
AB  - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy in women of
      reproductive age. It is manifested by hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovaries on
      ultrasound, oligomenorrhoea and anovulation. PCOS patients are more vulnerable to
      metabolic disorders: insulin resistance, obesity endothelium dysfunction,
      atherosclerosis, and activation of proinflammatory factors. This association
      shows that PCOS might be an ovarian manifestation of a metabolic syndrome.
      Insulin resistance is also strongly correlated with reproductive failure.
      Approximately 100 factors, secreted in adipose tissue, are responsible for its
      regulation. Adipocytokines have been found to play an important role in
      regulating insulin sensitivity Abnormal levels of adipokines are detected in
      patients with insulin resistance. Studies indicate that these factors, and their
      different activity in PCOS women, may affect changes observed in their metabolism
      and, especially may participate in the development of insulin resistance. There
      are several adipokines whose role has been thoroughly investigated and many that
      we still know very little about, for example apein and visfatin. Counseling PCOS
      patients about the possibility of developing metabolic syndrome, diabetes
      mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases should be a standard of care.

PMID- 26117991
TI  - [Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system Mirena(r) (Bayer) for the
      prevention and treatment of endometrial adenocarcinoma and the incidence of other
      malignancies in women].
AB  - The use of hormone-releasing intrauterine devices has been on the increase for
      the last three decades. To date, evidence of their long-term efficiency is
      available. The aim of the present paper was to briefly review beneficial
      prophylactic effects of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system on the
      incidence of a variety of malignancies in women. Such an influence is of a
      particular importance in the light of the currently observed increased prevalence
      of endometrial and cervical adenocarcinomas. Low-dose releasing intrauterine
      systems are also available, but the hard evidence-based medical data have been
      derived primarily for Mirena(r) (Bayer) device, which topically releases from 20
      to 14 pg of levonorgestrel daily. Consequently the risk of developing endometrial
      carcinoma in Mirena(r) users is lowered by as much as 50% compared with the
      general population risk To a lesser extent, the intrauterine system decreases the
      risk for cervical adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, as well as ovarian,
      pancreas, and lung carcinomas. In one population-based study Mirena(r) increased
      the risk for breast carcinoma by approximately 20%, whereas a number of other
      studies failed to demonstrate such a hazard. In the recent decades of the
      increased predominance of insulin resistance and obesity and an occurrence of
      hormone-dependent carcinomas at earlier age, a broad application of
      levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine systems may become a particularly important
      component of primary prevention of malignancies in women. Both obese and
      overweight patients seem perfect candidates for such a hormonal intervention.

PMID- 26117992
TI  - [The role of Wnt/beta-catenin pathway and LRP5 protein in metabolism of bone
      tissue and osteoporosis etiology].
AB  - Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease, manifested by decreased bone mineral
      density microarchitectural disturbances of bone tissue, and increased risk of
      bone fractures. Owing to large-scale morbidity particularly among postmenopausal
      women, nowadays osteoporosis constitutes a significant global health problem. In
      recent years, much attention has been paid to the role of signaling Wnt/beta
      catenin pathway and LRP protein in the pathomechanism of osteoporosis, indicating
      a possible contribution of polymorphic variants of the candidate LRP5 gene to
      disease development. The goal of our study is to present contemporary research on
      signaling Wnt/beta-catenin pathway and mechanism of LRP protein action in the
      process of bone tissue metabolism and etiology of osteoporosis.

PMID- 26117993
TI  - Toxic epidermal necrolysis complicating antibiotic treatment of puerperal
      endometritis: a case report.
AB  - The aim of the study is to describe a case report of Lyell syndrome (toxic
      epidermal necrolysis) involving 63% of body surface which has been associated
      with antibiotic therapy of mild peurperal endometritis in woman 3 weeks
      postpartum. Lyell syndrome is a severe life-threatening condition developing due
      to idiosyncrazy (alergic reaction type IV), most commonly after administration of
      drugs. Incidence quoted in literature is around 1:1-2000000. Illness severity can
      be assessed using a SCORTEN scoring system, which predicts patient mortality
      based on seven independent factors. Lyell syndrome is a very rare but potentially
      lethal complication of antibiotic treatment.

PMID- 26117994
TI  - [Recommendations of the Polish Gynecological Society regarding application of
      "Prevomit" in obstetrics].

PMID- 26117995
TI  - [TAKING CARE OF THE PERSON WHO IS SUFFERING AND FACING DEATH].

PMID- 26117996
TI  - [FACTORS THAT INTERFERE WITH PATIENT'S SLEEP IN THE HOSPITAL].
AB  - The sleep disorders are quite common in hospitalized patients, but are also
      undervalued by health professionals. The identification of factors that interfere
      with sleep patients has been the subject of numerous studies. OBJECTIVE: To
      identify factors that interfere with the patient's sleep in the hospital.
      METHODOLOGY: We performed a research on EBSCO (CINAHL with Full Text; MEDLINE
      with Full Text; Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials; Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects;
      Medlatina), LILACS (full text available) andSCIELO (Brazil, Spain andPortugal),
      andsearch full-text articles, publishedfrom 1 January 2007 to 31 December2012.
      The PI[C]O method was used, and selected six articles from a total of thirty-six.
      RESULTS: We identify 20 factors that interfere with the patient's sleep in the
      hospital and describe particular aspects relevant to each of these factors.
      CONCLUSION: The factors that interfere with the patient's sleep in the hospital
      were grouped into External (Environmental and Associated to care) and Internal
      (Physiological and Psychological). The results allow us to realize that these
      factors are identified, but they still persist in services, interfering with the
      patient's sleep. Awareness of health professionals is the first step to adopt the
      measures suggested in this article, in order to reduce the impact of these
      factors on the patient's sleep in the hospital.

PMID- 26117997
TI  - [NURSING ETHICS ISSUES IN PALLIATIVE CARE].
AB  - The aim of this paper is to describe the essential anthropological categories of
      terminal illness and the main attitudes of nurses for their care and the ethical
      criteria for indication and application of palliative therapies. We conclude that
      ethical attitudes of care in palliative care nursing are based in anthropological
      categories of dying process; the access granted to nurse by the patient and
      family within their privacy generates a relational context where communication
      can be made more effective and thus facilitate the coping existential, spiritual
      and psychosocial in illness and the process of diagnostic and prognostic
      information. The qualitative and quantitative clinical information provided by
      the nursing professional to multidisciplinary team on the evaluation of the
      effectiveness of care outcomes and therapies in the context of terminal illness
      assistance allows establishing a plan of treatment appropriate ethically.

PMID- 26117998
TI  - [NASO-OROGASTRIC TUBE IN PAEDIATRIC PATIENTS. REVIEW OF METHODS OF CONFIRMATION
      OF PLACEMENT].
AB  - Nasogastric tube (NGT) placement is a frequent procedure in the paediatric
      population. Nasogastric and orogastric tubes are commonly used in hospitalized
      children, in the paediatric emergency departments and in critical care
      departments. They have diagnostic, therapeutic, descompression or evacuation of
      gastric aspirates objectives. Making a blind placement of nasogastric tubes,
      involve that nasogastric tube could be misplaced in 4.7 % to 69 % of cases. An
      accurate method for confirmation of nasogastric tube positioning is therefore
      needed. Chest X-ray remains the only hundred per cent reliable method (gold
      standard), but it only confirms tube positioning at the exact time of the X-ray.
      Non-radiologic verification methods provide an accurate alternative and
      contribute to decrease radiation exposure for pediatric patients. Non-radiologic
      methods to verify appropiate placement of tubes are many and are supported by
      different degrees of evidence in the literature: measurement of tube length from
      point of entry; auscultation; placing the tube in water to assess bubbling;
      aspiration of stomach or intestinal contents for visual inspection; pH testing;
      use of CO2 monitoring devices, or combinations of these methods. In this article
      we thoroughly review the reliability and safety of these non radiologic methods
      for the verification of nasogastric tube placement.

PMID- 26117999
TI  - [TREATMENT OF ATTENTION DEFICIT AND HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD): NURSING
      IMPLICATIONS].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This review aims to know the role of the nurse in ADHD treatment,
      identifying the most appropriate therapeutic options between nursing
      interventions and pharmacological treatment. DEVELOPMENT: In ADHD, the role of
      the nurse is to respond family needs about the effectiveness of medication,
      behavior modification treatment and other alternatives. There are family
      interventions of psychoeducation that assist the child in the recovery process.
      Through the education for health, the nurse should promote the combination of
      behavioral therapy and pharmacological as the only one able to improve child's
      quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses have a privileged role due to its experience
      in education for health; this contributes to being a competent agent that
      provides families essential information about the disease treatment. Spanish
      schools are lacking a figure that represent health as a relevant subject in the
      vital process, hence the need of the school nurse.

PMID- 26118000
TI  - [INEFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF THERAPEUTIC REGIMEN AND NONCOMPLIANCE AND ITS
      RELATIONSHIP WITH EPISODES WONCA].
AB  - At the present time, failure to follow prescribed treatments is a problem of deep
      draft of health systems. The problem is both clinical and economic. Nurses are
      main responsible, within the health system, to ensure the proper monitoring of
      therapeutic guidelines agreed with the patients, by themselves or by other health
      care professionals. The aim of this work is to determine the health problems
      (expressed through the ICPC-WONCA classification) in which occurs more often no
      tracking treatments, following a nurse methodology, specifically relating ICPC
      codes with patients diagnosed with <<ineffective management of therapeutic
      regimen>> or <<Non-compliance>> of NANDA-I classification. METHOD: It has been
      made a descriptive and retrospective study. The data used are drawn from the
      clinical history of OMI-AP (manager) of all patients of all health centers in the
      Madrid region, during 2006, 2007 and 2008. RESULTS: 36.1 % ofpatients who fail or
      do not properly handle the treatment were classified with ICPC code K86
      uncomplicated hypertension; 33.2 % with non-insulin dependent diabetes T90; 8 %
      with A13 treatment fear; and 5.6% with Obesity T8. There are no differences
      between men and women regarding compliance and the age group over 50 years is
      having major problems in monitoring their treatment.

PMID- 26118002
TI  - [HEALTH EDUCATION: PHYSICAL EXERCISE IN THE ELDERLY].

PMID- 26118001
TI  - [NON-ONCOLOGIC CHRONIC PAIN TREATMENT WITH OPIATES].
AB  - Non-oncologic chronic pain is a very common symptom. It causes great impact on
      daily activities of people who suffer it. The incidence of this type of pain is
      rising due to the increase in life expectancy. The most affected population is
      geriatric population. Back pain, osteoarthritic pain and neuropathic pain are the
      most prevalent types of non-oncologic chronic pain. Opiates, among other
      analgesic drugs, are used to alleviate this type of pain. Opiates are divided
      into minor opiates (tramadol, codeine) and major opiates (morphine, fentanyl,
      oxycodone, methadone). Opiates are very effective to treat pain, but they also
      have important adverse effects that we must know and try to prevent. One of these
      adverse effects is the opiates ability to cause dependence, tolerance, addiction
      and other aberrant behaviors. Terminology of these concepts is sometimes
      confusing. It is necessary to be careful and control the patient periodically in
      order to avoid these aberrant behaviors. However, if health professionals take
      precautions to prevent these behaviors, the risk is considerably reduced.
      Controlling patients on opiate treatment is essential to achieve a correct use if
      these drugs.

PMID- 26118003
TI  - [NURSING MANAGEMENT: CREATION OF A HOSPITAL COMPLEX. AREA II OF THE MURCIA HEALTH
      CARE SERVICE (CARTAGENA)].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This paper analyzes, by a descriptive study, the closing of the
      Basic Hospital of the Defence the restructuration of the Santa Maria del Rosell
      University Hospital, and the moving of both to a new hospital: the Santa Lucia
      University Hospital. This process was carried out in coordination with a
      coincident objective: the creation of an only management staff for the area. The
      aim is the analysis of the opening of a hospital complex that coincided with the
      restructuration of the health area. METHODOLOGY: This paper analyzes the actions
      in relation to the scheduling, training and moving, that concerned above 600
      hospital beds and 275.000 inhabitants. Analyzes the intervention in
      infrastructures, logistics and training. The whole process is seen from de
      nursery point of view, as a professional stratus that knows the roles of the
      hospital and personnel. The period of the study comprises since October2010,
      beginning of the activity in the new hospital, to November 2011, moment of the
      effective culmination of the move. RESULT: The result of the works carried out
      was the transfer of people and roles in a very short time (eleven months). All
      the patients were moved without any event. CONCLUSION: During the whole process
      healthcare continuity was obtained, whit the less economic impact, as in patients
      and professionals. From the point of view of future and practical implications,
      the basis for a modern and qualified provision of services have been established;
      and best results from means provided have been obtained in relation to health
      care quality.

PMID- 26118007
TI  - [Why health sciences?].

PMID- 26118008
TI  - [SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION ON THANATOLOGY IN NURSING JOURNALS: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Analyze the scientific production on Thanatology published in nursing
      journals. METHODOLOGY: Systematic review, with quantitative approach, that aimed
      the characterization of the articles with regard to the year and journal of
      publication, and its Qualis CAPES, thematic approach, methodological focus,
      description of training area and qualification of authors. RESULTS: According to
      the selection criteria of the sample, 36 articles whose publication period was
      between the years 1986 and 2011 were extracted for analysis. It was noted the
      predominance of studies published in journals with high quality strata (A1 and
      A2), use of qualitative method and nurses educators as authors. The focus of the
      studies encompassed six central themes, and the prevailing ones were:
      "Thanatology in the academic training" and "The nurse in face of the dying
      process of patients and families under their cares". CONCLUSION: It is clear that
      the issue still presents itself in a timid manner, requiring an increased
      production on the subject.

PMID- 26118009
TI  - [OPINION OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ON ADHERENCE AND MANAGEMENT OF LONG-TERM
      TREATMENTS IN ADOLESCENTS].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess opinion of health professionals about adherence and
      management of long-term treatments in adolescents in a tertiary hospital. METHOD:
      A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital
      in Barcelona, Spain. Participants were health professionals who care adolescents
      with solid organ transplant, hematologic disease, diabetes, cystic fibrosis or
      HIV+. Data collection was performed by self-administered questionnaire, developed
      specifically for this study. RESULTS: A total of 105 professionals (70%)
      participated in the study, 80% were nurses, 56% of them indicated that treatment
      compliance was good. 43% indicated that adherence was not addressed well and 79%
      of professionals did not have planned time to conduct health education related to
      treatment. 19.5% of nurses and 72.2% of physicians reported having adherence
      assessment tools. 39% of participants made suggestions for improvement.
      CONCLUSIONS: Almost half of the professional indicate that the adherence is not
      adequately addressed. It is important to evaluate adherence to treatment to
      identify causes of low compliance and establish and evaluate appropriate
      interventions.

PMID- 26118010
TI  - [AUTONOMY, INFORMATION AND NURSING CARE].
AB  - This article discusses the need for nurses to actively participate in the process
      of information to patients/users, especially when the news are bad. It reviews
      the concept of autonomy and proposes the care as ethical model for information
      and communication to help the person to understand his situation and make
      decisions. This way, it focuses the nurse's responsibility in the information and
      creation of spaces and contexts that promote and respect the autonomy of people
      with a health problem.

PMID- 26118011
TI  - [RELEVANCE OF NURSES ON THE PREANALYTIC PHASE AND PATIENT SAFETY IMPLICATIONS].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Nowadays, the patient's safety is considered one of the pillars in
      a high quality clinical assistance. Inside three steps of laboratory process, it
      is in the first one, the preanalytical, where most mistakes are made. Nurses are
      very involved in the development of this period because it is where is included
      the sampling. METHODOLOGY: We reviewed the literature with the aim to identify
      the most frequent mistakes, the related factors, the measures taken for its
      detection and prevention. It emphasizes the importance of nurses in this area, as
      many of the errors are related to sampling. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that it is
      very important to establish suitable andsafe clinical practice standards,
      identifying improvement areas and planning training programs which contributes to
      decrease the mistake risk and clinical variability, with special mention to the
      nurses at this stage.

PMID- 26118012
TI  - [AT ROOM NUMBER 324].
AB  - Hello, my name is Rosa and I have breast cancer. My story begins at a general
      medical examination. I will remember for my whole life the exactly worlds that
      changed everything: "You have breast cancer". In relation to a case a description
      of the stages that patients who are suffering from a terminal illness use to go
      through. We try to go in depth into the feelings world, illness clinical details
      are leaving behind.

PMID- 26118013
TI  - [NEURALLY ADJUSTED VENTILATORY ASSIST (NAVA)].
AB  - Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist (NAVA) is a new mode of mechanic ventilation
      and it's based on the electrical signal of the dia- phragm activity (Edi) for the
      ventilation control. This signal directly represents the central ventilatory
      drive reflecting the duration, frequency and intensity that the patient wants to
      ventilate. To capture the diaphragmatic electrical impulse, is required some
      specific electrodes inserted in a probe nasogastric tube. For this mode,
      depending upon proper placement positioning and care (probe Edi), the nurse is
      essential for their proper functioning.

PMID- 26118015
TI  - [Invisibility of the nursing profession in literature].

PMID- 26118014
TI  - [EVOLUTION OF THE ACCESSIBILITY OF HEALTH CENTERS IN SPAIN. MONITORING OF THE
      LAST SEVENTY YEARS].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The accessibility of the population to health centers in Spain has
      evolved to over the past decades, linked to the welfare state and changes in the
      health skills. The aim of this review is to describe the evolution of
      accessibility and its impact on the population. METHODOLOGY: We used
      bibliographic databases to search for articles related to the purpose of
      reviewing and between 1940 and 2013. We have selected those items with higher
      quality and that helped to build the review of the proposed topic. RESULTS: The
      accessibility to health centers in Spain is linked to the performance of public
      attention in the last seventy years. On the one hand, the appearance of
      Compulsory Health Insurance (SOE) and the creation of Social Security made almost
      all of the Spanish population had health coverage. On the other hand, the
      application of principles such as justice and equity brought to the surface many
      hospitals with the aim of bringing the most assistance to the population. In the
      early twenty-first century, with an enormous growth of hospitals and a global
      economic crisis, we see the need to locate health facilities under the principle
      of spatial economic efficiency or economic rationality. CONCLUSIONS: In a current
      environment of crisis, the consequences of hyperaccessibility are analyzed
      (unsustainable health system, population polypharmacy, etc. ) and a more
      efficient healthcare system is searched. It is also necessary to consider the
      relationship between the hyperaccessibility and the frequent attendance of
      population to the health services, and the relationship between
      hyperaccessibility and polypharmacy.

PMID- 26118016
TI  - [Midwives: the nurse facing the beginning of human life].

PMID- 26118017
TI  - [Nursing care of the terminal patient].

PMID- 26118019
TI  - [HEALTH-IMPROVING REMEDIES ON THE BASIS OF SMECTITE(r)].
AB  - The review is devoted to the issues of using smectites in medicine. Modern
      information concerning smectite composition, structure, physico-chemical
      properties and reasonability of using them with health-improving purposes is
      presented. Special attention is given to smectite sorbtional and ionic properties
      and their unique mineral composition. Characterization is given to modern
      preparation based on smectites, including developed in Ukraine dietary additives
      of the series Smectovit(r).

PMID- 26118021
TI  - [LIFE QUALITY OF CHILDREN WITH SMALL ANOMALIES OF HEART DEVELOPMENT, BORN TO
      PARENTS IRRADIATED IN CHILDHOOD IN THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT].
AB  - The study involved 162 children with small anomalies of heart development (SAHD)
      in core group (children born to parents evacuated from the 30-km zone in
      childhood) and 39 children in the control group. Quality of life of adolescents
      was assessed by questionnaire MOS-SF-36 in the Russified version (changed by
      International reseach centre of life quality, Russia, St. Petersburg, 1998). In
      children of main group with SAHD, was established systemic pathological process
      involving not only the cardiovascular system, but also an autonomic nervous
      systems, hemostasis, upper gastro-intestinal tract, hepatobiliary, urinary
      system, musculoskeletal system and others, which causes polymorphic clinical
      picture. Quality of life in children with SAHD, born from parents evacuated from
      the 30-km Chernobyl zone in childhood was reduced in comparison with practically
      healthy children. The quality life reduction relate, primarily, physical
      functioning. Clinical polymorphism and reduced quality of life require the
      development of approaches to improve diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of
      these patients.

PMID- 26118020
TI  - [THE DYNAMICS OF THE INCIDENCE OF OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS AND SOMATIC DISEASES
      HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS WHO RECEIVED INPATIENT TREATMENT IN 2006-2011].
AB  - To the article a brief historical review and modern data are driven about the
      state of HIV-infection in the Odessa area, morbidity of HIV is analysed--the
      infected patients, passing treatment in stationary section of the Odessa regional
      centre from a prophylaxis and fight against AIDS during the last six year, drawn
      conclusion about efficiency of introduction of potent antiretroviral therapy.

PMID- 26118022
TI  - [PECULIARITIES OF THE COURSE OF PREGNANCY, THE IMPLICATIONS OF DELIVERY IN WOMEN
      WITH PREECLAMPSIA IN THE CONDITIONS OF NATURAL IODINE DEFICIENCY].
AB  - The level of preeclampsia in 2.2 times higher in mountain regions as compared
      with lowland. In the presence of concomitant pathology of the thyroid gland on a
      background of natural iodine deficiency in pregnancy complicated with recurrent
      pregnancy loss in 2.8 times more primary placental insufficiency in 3.6 times,
      oligohydramnios 1.5 times, premature rupture of the amniotic fluid in 1.9 times,
      anemia, preeclampsia develops at earlier periods of gestation and more difficult
      to correct medication, in most cases becomes more severe.

PMID- 26118023
TI  - [THE SYSTEMIC IMMUNITY CELLULAR LINK REACTION IN PATIENTS WITH TRAUMATIC
      ILLNESS].
AB  - The effect of trauma on parameters of cellular immunity changes is studied. The
      study includes 52 patients with various forms of traumatic illness, aged 18-69
      years (37.91-4.28). The control group consisted of 16 patients who underwent
      routine surgery not related to the pathology of musculoskeletal system. All
      patients of the main group were divided into 3 groups according to severity of
      the condition. Analysis of parameters of cellular link of immune system was
      performed by defining subpopulations of T-lymphocytes in indirect
      immunofluorescence method using a panel of monoclonal antibodies for CD3, CD4,
      CD8, CD22 lymphocytes' receptors and calculation of integrated indicators. The
      highest expression (immune disorders of II-III grades) of changes of cellular
      immunity observed in patients with severe traumatic: illness (expand clinical
      picture). Surgical intervention, even without traumatic injury significantly
      impact cellular immunity, but in patients with traumatic illness immunity
      violation were significantly higher than in comparison groups patients except
      immunoregulatory index.

PMID- 26118024
TI  - [GOUT AND HYPERTENSION].
AB  - Gout is the most common rheumatic disease in the adult population. Hypertension
      is one of the most common comorbidities of gout. The combination of hypertension
      with metabolic abnormalities is the great importance. In patients with
      hypertension the high uric acid is an independent predictor of increased risk of
      cardiovascular events (including fatal cardiac events), and overall mortality.
      The review considers the pathogenic mechanisms by which uric acid participate in
      the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases, including
      hypertension, and the analysis of antihypertensive therapy in patients with gout.

PMID- 26118025
TI  - [DIAGNOSIS OF ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE CAUSED BY TORTUOSITY OF CORONARY ARTERIES].
AB  - This article is devoted to the problems of diagnostics of coronary artery
      tortuosity phenomenon. Given the lack of literature about the role of phenomenon
      tortuosity of coronary arteries in the genesis of ischemic myocardial damage, the
      purpose of study was to determine the clinical relevance as well as necessity for
      prevention and treatment of this vascular anomaly. Therefore were analyzed
      medical history, laboratory and clinical database as well as data functional
      studies of the heart and cardiovascular system in 1404 patients which were
      divided into four groups on the results of coronary angiography. The results of
      the study indicate tortuosity of coronary arteries may be independent and
      additional burdening factor in the development of ischemic heart disease.

PMID- 26118026
TI  - [BCL1 POLYMORPHISM OF GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR GENE AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES].
AB  - The article analyses the results of investigating the connection between BCL1
      polymorphism of glucocorticoid receptor gene and respiratory diseases. Its role
      in increasing sensitivity to glucocorticoids is proved here. The authors
      investigated the association of Bcl1 polymorphism with predisposition to
      bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with the nicotine
      addiction degree and with progressing disorders of pulmonary function in cystic
      fibrosis.

PMID- 26118027
TI  - [IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL EXPRESSION OF UBIQUITIN PROTEIN IN PERITUMORAL TISSUE OF
      PATIENTS WITH TESTICULAR GERM CELL TUMORS].
AB  - For the purpose of definition of features immunohistochemical expression of
      protein Ubiquitin in peritumoral testicular tissue, which can be characterised as
      precancerous changes, the 40 patients with testicular germ cell tumors are
      investigated. In peritumoral testicular tissue in patients with disturbance of
      spermatogenesis. which make 95 %, it is taped: intensifying in seminiferous
      tubules of ubiquitination processes, testifying about intensive proteolysis of
      considerable quantity of the damaged intracellular proteins, occurrence of
      atypical germ cells (TIN), which differ from normal spermatogenesis cells
      authentically lower of nuclear and cytoplasmatic expression of protein Ubiquitin,
      and also disturbance of ubiquitination processes in Leydig cells in the form of
      intensifying of cytoplasmatic expression and total disappearance of nuclear
      expression of protein Ubiquitin. The received results testify to the important
      role of structural and functional disturbances of ubiquitin-proteolysis system
      components at the initial stages of testicular tissue carcinogenesis.

PMID- 26118028
TI  - [RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF THE EPIDEMIC OF INFLUENZA A (H1N1) IN UKRAINE FROM
      THE POINT OF PATHOLOGY].
AB  - Based on the analysis of clinical records and pathological studies on the 140 who
      died during the flu epidemic in Ukraine A/H1N1/California/04/09 using data from
      the Epidemiological Monitoring of the situation at that time identified the most
      significant components of this experience to optimize the health and social
      events in similar circumstances

PMID- 26118029
TI  - [THE INFLUENCE OF MODERN ORTHOPEDIC CONSTRUCTIONS ON THE CONDITION OF PERIODONTAL
      TISSUES OF PATIENTS WITH GENERALIZED PERIODONTITIS].
AB  - Patients with generalized periodontitis studied the effect of the partial
      removable denture made from acrylic met and thermoplastic materials on the state
      of periodontal tissues. The results of clin- ical studies have shown a
      significant improvement in oral hygiene, positive change in activity indi- cators
      current generalized periodontitis: patients for whom orthopedic constructions are
      made of thermoplastic mass, reduce the depth of periodontl pockets, tooth
      mobility, bleeding and inflamma- tion of the interdental, papillae and the
      gingival margin.

PMID- 26118030
TI  - [DYNAMICS OF DENTAL CARIES' INDEXES IN CHILDREN WITH DENTOALVEOLAR ANOMALIES
      UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF PREVENTIVE MEASURES].
AB  - Frequency dentition anomalies in children and adolescents according to different
      authors, ranging from rising 50.8 to 81%. Anomalies of dental systems lead to
      aesthetic and functional disturbances affecting the child's psyche, and often
      lead to the development of dental caries and periodontal diseases. So, the
      purpose of our study was to investigate the dynamics of dental caries' indexes in
      children with dentoalveolar anomalies under the influence of preventive measures.
      We observed 50 children aged 12, who were divided into four groups. The most
      effective prophylactic complex in terms of reduction of growth of caries (59.4%)
      was the one that involved the use of "Tooth Mousse" (applying to the surface of
      the teeth 5 minutes after eating one time a day, in the morning after brushing
      teeth), "Osteovit" (one tablet three times a day), "Pektodent--dentifrice?
      (dental cleaning powder twice a day--in the morning and evening). This complex
      creates conditions for increasing the resistance of hard dental tissues,
      resulting in low levels of intensity of caries in children.

PMID- 26118031
TI  - [EFFICIENCY OF COMBINATION OF ROFLUMILAST AND QUERCETIN FOR CORRECTION OXYGEN-
      INDEPENDENT MECHANISMS AND PHAGOCYTIC ACTIVITY OF MACROPHAGE CELLS OF PATIENTS
      WITH ACUTE EXACERBATION OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE WHEN COMBINED
      WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE].
AB  - Studied oxygen independent reaction and phagocytic activity of macrophage cells
      of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) II-III stage when
      combined with coronary heart disease (CHD). The increasing oxygen independent
      reactions monocytes and neutrophils and a decrease of the parameters that
      characterize the functional state of phagocytic cells, indicating a decrease in
      the functional capacity of macrophage phagocytic system (MPS) in patients with
      acute exacerbation of COPD, which runs as its own or in combination with stable
      coronary heart disease angina I-II. FC. Severity immunodeficiency state in terms
      of cellular component of nonspecific immunity in patients with acute exacerbation
      of COPD II-III stage in conjunction with the accompanying CHD increases with the
      progression of heart failure. Inclusion of basic therapy of COPD exacerbation and
      standard treatment of coronary artery disease and drug combinations
      Roflumilastand quercetin causes normalization of phagocytic indices MFS,
      indicating improved immune status and improves myocardial perfusion in terms of
      daily ECG monitoring.

PMID- 26118032
TI  - [PLEURECTOMY--AS THE LEADING METHOD OF FUNCTIONAL PATIENTS REHABILITATION WITH
      CHRONIC TUBERCULOUS PLEURISY].
AB  - The authors are analyzing the epidemic situation in Ukraine and the epidemiology
      of chronic tuberculous pleuritis (CTP). They are suggesting 206 pleurectomy
      results of operated patiens. Restrictive type of venting disorders before surgery
      occurred are in 26.4% cases, 36.2% and 100%, respectively at 1; 2 and 3 stages of
      CTP. Reducing the number of patients with this type of violations occurred if 6.9
      times, 11.7 times and 3.3 times respectively to operated in case of 1, 2 and 3
      stages of CTP. Improvements and other positive functional parameters are
      submitted. The authors conclusion: pleurectomy is the method of functional
      rehabilitation at CTP cases.

PMID- 26118033
TI  - [DYNAMICS OF CYTOKINES IN INFANTS WITH ACUTE OBSTRUCTIVE BRONCHITIS AND
      THYMOMEGALIA].
AB  - The article contains the information about pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines
      in infants with acute obstructive bronchitis and thymus hypertrophy. The content
      of IL-6 and IL-10 has been de- termined in 101 children in acute period of
      disease and during early convalescence. It was found the increasing of production
      of proinflammatory IL-6 and a low level of anti-inflammatory IL-10 in the first
      days of illness in all children with thymomegalia. During convalescence in
      patients with acute obstructive bronchitis and thymomegalia IL-6 level was
      decreasing, and the level of IL-10 was in- creasing, but it did not amount to the
      level of healthy children.

PMID- 26118034
TI  - [DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF TUMOROID-LIKE ABSCESS AND LUNG CANCER].
AB  - The purpose of work is development and clarification of roentgenology displays of
      tumoroidea variant of abscess of lungs for differential diagnostics him with the
      cancer of lungs. Practically in most cases abscess of lungs there is a necessity
      of leadthrough of differential diagnostics with in a number of nosology forms,
      including with the cavernous form of peripheral cancer of lungs. The features of
      flow of roentgenologic picture of tumoroidea variant are resulted, alike
      symptoms, differ ences and signs which allow to set a correct diagnosis, are
      resulted, the value of follow-up of roent genologic research and use of computed
      tomography is underlined.

PMID- 26118035
TI  - [HOW TO PERFORM THE CONVERSION DURING LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY].
AB  - The aim of the work was the rationale for the choice of access in the performance
      of conversion in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In our study, conversion was
      performed in 34 (2.78%) cases of 1222 laparoscopic cholecystectomies: when the
      LCE for chronic cholecystitis--17 (1.6%) cases of 1065, for acute cholecystitis-
      17 (10.8%) of 157. The most common access for conversion are oblique access
      Kocher and upper-middle access. Choice of approach for the implementation of the
      conversion depends on the cause of conversion.

PMID- 26118036
TI  - [THE STUDY OF RESPONSE TO TYROSINE KINASE INHIBITORS THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH
      CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA DEPENDING ON SOCAL SCORE].
AB  - The study included 426 patients with CML in chronic phase treated with imatinib.
      The level of response to therapy was assessed according to the recommendations of
      the European Leukemia Net. Socal score determined at the beginning of the disease
      and was calculated by the appropriate formula. Low risk (n = 150) at 12 months
      TKI therapy the optimal response was achieved in (66.7 +/- 3.8) % of patients,
      suboptimal--in (20.0 +/- 3.3) %, treatment failure is indicated at (13.3 +/- 2.8)
      %. In the intermediate risk group patients (n = 160) at 12 months of treatment
      the optimal response was obtained in (22.5 +/- 3.3) % of patients, suboptimal--in
      (36.9 +/- 3.8) %, the ineffectiveness of treatment--in (40.6 +/- 3.9) %. In the
      high risk group at 12 months of therapy the optimal response achieved in (6.9 +/-
      2.4) % of patients, suboptimal response--in (19.8 +/- 3.7) % and treatment
      failure in (73.3 +/- 4.1) %. A statistically significant difference between the
      level of response and Socal score are determined. These data suggest about a
      distinct role Socal score in formation of response to TKI therapy.

PMID- 26118037
TI  - [COMBINED HONDROPROTECTION IN REHABILITATION OF PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS
      WITH DIABETIC ARTHROPATHY].
AB  - The efficacy and tolerability of combined chondroprotectors Teraflex(r) in
      patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2, complicated by arthropathy were
      investigated. It was established, that Tera- flex(r) therapy positively
      influences on the development of diabetic arthropathy (reducing intensity of
      pain, increasing the range of movements and reduced volume of the affected
      joints, increasing the functionality of the patient). In addition, an analysis of
      the impact of chondroprotectors on the level of sugar among patients.It was
      found, that it is necessary to control blood sugar while taking chondroprotectors
      and if needed, increasing the dose of hypoglycohaemic drugs during this period.

PMID- 26118038
TI  - [THE TOXIC EFFECTS OF CHEMOTHERAPY ON THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT].
AB  - Chemotherapy in modern oncology is one of the main methods of treatment, along
      with surgery and radiotherapy techniques. More than 60% of patients receiving
      chemotherapy at different stages of treatment. Recently, modern chemotherapy has
      become more urgent personal approach to the choice of drugs and their doses,
      aimed at reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy. Complications of chemotherapy
      significantly degrade the effectiveness of the treatment of patients with
      malignant tumors, because they require lower doses of anticancer drug, or
      lengthening the intervals between cycles of chemotherapy, which affects treatment
      outcomes and quality of life.

PMID- 26118039
TI  - [OPTIMIZING PROPHYLAXIS OF BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTORS IN THE PRACTICE OF A HEALTH
      PRACTITIONER].
AB  - A functionally organizational model of the work of a medical worker has been
      elaborated on the basis of the prophylaxis of diseases of the circulatory system
      whose basis is a correction of behavioral risk factors.

PMID- 26118040
TI  - [NEW INFORMATION FROM EXPERIENCE HYGIENIC EVALUATION OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY
      PREPARATION NANOMETALS AND POTENTIAL RISKS THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE WORKERS].
AB  - Identify and prevent possible adverse effects of nanostructures under conditions
      of industrial production is the primary hygienic problem is not resolved at this
      time. In order to approach to solve a series of physiological, hygienic and
      toxicological studies. Study of harmful production factors in different
      technologies of metal nanoparticles, analyzed the health of workers employed in
      manufacturing them. Also established specific mechanisms of toxicity of
      nanosilver nanometals for example, the technique of hygienic control over the
      content in the air of the working area metal nanoparticles, the data on the
      existing approaches to the hygienic standardization of nanoscale objects in the
      breathing zone of workers.

PMID- 26118041
TI  - [PREVALENCE OF ATRIAL RHYTHM DISTURBANCES IN CARDIAC PATIENTS WITH
      COMORBIDITIES].
AB  - Atrial arrhythmias are the most common among all cardiac arrhythmias. The
      prevalence of atrial arrhythmias is increasing worldwide and has an impact on
      health indicators such as the loss of ability to work and mortality and increases
      the overall cardiovascular risk and/or heart disease occurence. This study
      indicates a high prevalence of atrial arthythmias in patients with ischemic heart
      disease and requires more detailed study in order to develop methods of
      preventing the onset of cardiac rhythm disorders.

PMID- 26118042
TI  - [BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS OF MYOCARDIAL DAMAGE IN CHILDREN AFTER SURGICAL CORRECTION
      OF CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE].
AB  - The results of observations of 184 children from the CHD after surgical
      correction on which explored the biochemical markers of myocardial injury in
      serum--myocardial fraction of creatine kinase and galectin-3. The relationship
      between increased serum concentrations of these markers, clinical and
      paraclinical characteristics of examined children.

PMID- 26118043
TI  - [THE CHARACTERISTICS OF CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM IN CHILDREN WITH INFLUENZA
      INFECTION].
AB  - Clinical changes in the cardiovascular system observed in most patients. The
      extent and nature of these changes may depend on the characteristics of epidemic
      outbreaks, such as virus, immune responsiveness, age composition patients. Flu
      like lesions of the cardiovascular system in most cases occurring beneficial-
      quickly disappear change of heart, normal pulse and blood pressure.

PMID- 26118044
TI  - [MEDICAL AND SOCIAL INSPECTION AS A PART OF THE REHABILITATION OF CHILDREN WITH
      JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS].
AB  - Provided evaluation of the medical and social inspection of the dcotrors
      consultative commission of Vinnytsya regional childrens hospital in children with
      juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Patients with JRA that got position of the
      child-invalid are given individual program of the rehabilitation that includes
      medical, professional, sport and physical, social adaptation that gives ability
      control recommendations for both--physicians and parents.

PMID- 26118045
TI  - [CLINICAL FEATURES AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE TREATMENT OF CHILDREN WITH COMBINATION
      GASTRODUODENAL PATHOLOGY AND PRIMARY HYPERTENSION].
AB  - The paper present dynamic of clinical picture, daily blood pressure monitoring
      results and subjective assessment of functional status in children with
      combination of chronic gastroduodenal pathology and primary hypertension when L
      carnitine used with the standard treatment regimen.

PMID- 26118046
TI  - [POLYMORPHISM OF GLUTHATIONE-S-TRANSFERASE P1 IN CHILDREN WITH REFLUX
      ESOPHAGITIS].
AB  - The distribution of allele and genotype frequencies of genes of xenobiotic
      detoxication (CYP2E1--PstI, RsaI, DraI; ADH, ALDH, NAT2, GSTP1, GSTM1, GSTT1) was
      examined in 147 patients with reflux-esophagitis (RE) and 50 conditionally
      healthy children 12-18 years. The frequency of AA genotype of GSTP1 gene and A
      allele was significantly higher in patients with RE as compared with healthy
      children (chi2 = 4.93; P = 0.03 and chi2 = 5.94; P = 0.01 respectively).

PMID- 26118047
TI  - [EVALUATION OF TREATMENT OF GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE IN CHILDREN BY MEANS
      OF RESEARCH QUALITY OF LIFE].
AB  - By means of special enquire it is analyzed main indexes of life quality in
      children prior to treatment and after one-month course of gastroesophageal reflux
      disease therapy. During the leading analysis of questioning results with the help
      of Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale it is established the decrease of
      indexes according to the next scale: reflux syndrome, abdominal pain, dyspeptic
      syndrome and summary according to all the scales.

PMID- 26118048
TI  - [ADVANTAGES OF CALIPEROMETRIC ASSESSMENT METHODS OF FAT DEPOSITION IN CHILDREN].
AB  - The aim was to assess the nutritional status of children by skin fold measuring
      (caliperometric) method. In surveyed children were found changes characteristic
      of prolonged unhealthy diet at physiologically inadequate qualitative composition
      of the diet. It is noted that the benefits of caliperometric method is the ease
      of use and high sensitivity to changes in nutritional status.

PMID- 26118049
TI  - [EFFECT OF FEEDING METHOD ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ATOPY IN NEWBORNS AT RISK].
AB  - The analysis of risk factors for the realization of allergy was carried out; the
      effect of genetic factors on the atopy development at the ages of 6 and 12 months
      was analyzed; incidence (prevalence) structure at the ages of 6 and 12 months was
      analyzed; based on the studies of the effects of feeding, nature of the formulas,
      and the terms of formula administration the conclusions about the methods of
      optimization of feeding of newborns at risk were drawn.

PMID- 26118050
TI  - [THERAPY OF TRANSIENT LACTASE INSUFFICIENCY OF CHILDREN IN PECTORAL AGE].
AB  - Thus, we have discovered that the children of the first half-year of life have
      different degrees of severity of transient lactase insufficiency basing on the
      results of hydrogen respiratory test. It was set that the starting dose of enzyme
      lactase must depend on the degree of severity of displays of transient lactase
      insufficiency, taking into account the indexes of hydrogen respiratory test.

PMID- 26118051
TI  - [TO THE ROLE OF NUTRITION IN THE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE OF YOUNG PEOPLS].
AB  - We have studied 159 young peoples. The age of young peoples at the time of the
      survey was 15-18 years. It has been shown that the young peopls nutrition was not
      optimal. Most of them have asthenic and intoxication types of complaints and
      exhibit acute chronic diseases. Microelemental profiles of medical students
      reveal significant deficiency of essential elements and accumulation of toxic
      elements.

PMID- 26118052
TI  - [FEATURES OF TREATMENT OF EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS IN SCHOOLCHILDREN].
AB  - The inclusion of probiotic L. reuteri into the complex therapy of eosinophilic
      esophagitis significantly affect the outcomes of children--there was significant
      decrease in the number of eosinophils in the esophageal mucosa of children.

PMID- 26118053
TI  - [BREASTFEEDING AND FORMATION OF POSTNATAL ANXIETY].
AB  - This article has been performed the investigation of psychological
      characteristics in mothers with the breastfeeding, the mixed feeding, the
      artificial feeding. There has been identified factors of the unfavourable
      prognosis for the postnatal anxiety.

PMID- 26118054
TI  - [THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A 10-DAY DRUG THERAPY IN CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC
      GASTRODUODENAL PATHOLOGY ASSOCIATED WITH CAGA-POSITIVE STRAINS OF HELICOBACTER
      PYLORI].
AB  - The results of triple Helicobacter-therapy (omeprazole, amoxicillin, nifuratel)
      in the treatment of chronic gastroduodenal pathology in children depending on the
      duration of it's use. The effectiveness of drug therapy was evaluated in terms of
      eradication of Helicobacter pylori and dynamics of pain, dyspeptic syndrome and
      astenovegetative syndrome.

PMID- 26118055
TI  - [ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS IN THE ETIOLOGY OF ASTHMA IN CHILDREN].
AB  - Influence of psychological factors was studied on appearance and motion of
      bronchial asthma for children. Straight proportional dependence is set between
      weight of flow of illness and united influence of psychological factors on a
      background biological propensity to the allergy for a patient. An additional
      stress factor--non-acceptance of display of emotions of child that complicates
      the flow of disease parents is educed.

PMID- 26118056
TI  - [THE VALUE OF RECURRENT BRONCHIAL OBSTRUCTION ASSOCIATED WITH RESPIRATORY
      INFECTIONS IN INFANTS].
AB  - It is shown that recurrent bronchial obstruction with nonallergic genesis is a
      significant problem for young children. Further researches of this disease are
      needed in order to develop differentiated therapies.

PMID- 26118057
TI  - [HEMATOLOGICAL INDEXES IN DIAGNOSIS OF OBSTRUCTIVE BRONCHITIS IN CHILDREN].
AB  - The main aim of the study was determination of leukocyte indexes and identify
      their possible use to diagnose obstructive bronchitis in children.

PMID- 26118058
TI  - [CHILDREN WITH COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA HAVE DEFICIENCY OF VITAMINS].
AB  - In Ukraine about 90 thousand children and adolescents under the age of 17 years
      are sick with pneumonia every year. Community-acquired pneumonia continues to be
      a common and serious illness. In this open single center study involved 120
      children of both sexes. We received deficient content of the serum trace
      elements.

PMID- 26118059
TI  - [CONGENITAL TUBERCULOSIS IN PRETERM NEWBORN].
AB  - The paper presents a rare clinical case--congenital tuberculosis in a premature
      newborn.

PMID- 26118060
TI  - [A STUDY OF OCCURRENCE FREQUENCY OF C677T POLYMORPHISM OF THE GENE MTHFR AND
      PLASMA FOLATE LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION].
AB  - This study focuses on the problem of finding an effective diagnostic algorithm to
      identify unipolar depression by examining the C677T MTHFR gene polymorphism and
      features of folate metabolism in patients with unipolar depression. The study
      proves that C677T MTHFR gene polymorphism is significantly associated with
      unipolar depression, which can be used to improve the quality of depression
      identification, as well as forming new ways of diagnosis.

PMID- 26118061
TI  - [COMORBIDITIES IN PATIENTS WITH ENDOMETRIAL HYPERPLASIA].
AB  - The aim was to evaluate the prevalence of concomitant somatic pathology in
      patients with endometrial hyperplasia. It is shown that the incidence of
      endometrial hyperplastic processes of combination and somatic pathology is 50%.
      The main types of comorbid diseases are obesity, metabolic syndrome,
      gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disorders.

PMID- 26118062
TI  - [GENETIC ASPECTS OF CHRONIC GLOMERULONEPHRITIS].
AB  - The aim of our work was to determine the the gene polymorphism of IL-1beta in
      children with chronic glomerulonephritis. there has been defined the frequency of
      combinations of allelic variants of cytokines genes of IL-1beta and IL-10 in
      chronic glomerulonephritis in children and found the connection of allelic
      polymorphism with the disease course, indices of hemopoiesis and IL-1beta in
      serum. The presence of C/T genotype is associated with increased production of
      interleukin-1beta in serum. Genetic polymorphism of genes of interleukin can be a
      new marker of progression of chronic kidney disease.

PMID- 26118063
TI  - [AUTONOMOUS AND VERTEBRAL DYSFUNCTION IN CHILDREN].
AB  - An analysis has shown association between a vertebral dysfunction and dysfunction
      in the autonomic nervous system in children. Medical follow-up and
      electroencephalography, myographic and rheoencephalography findings has allowed
      concluding over clinical importance of the complaints on the back pain and
      changes in the cervical part of a backbone for diagnostics, prevention and
      treatment of autonomous dysfunction.

PMID- 26118064
TI  - [FEATURES OF CLINICAL COURSE OF INFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS IN CHILDREN DEPENDENT ON
      ETIOLOGY].
AB  - The article highlights the clinical features of infectious mononucleosis in
      children (based on the analysis of the data for children of different ages
      treated in Odessa clinical hospital of infectious diseases in connection with
      infectious mononucleosis) based on etiological factors.

PMID- 26118065
TI  - [BACTERIAL FACTORS AND INTRAUTERINE INFECTION OF THE NEWBORN].
AB  - The role and value of the bacterial factor in development pre-natal infection of
      newborns is studied. It is considered microflora of patrimonial ways of pregnant
      women, as basic pathogenesis factor of an ascending way infection of newborns. On
      an example of the spent bacteriological researches correlation communication
      between microflora of patrimonial ways, placenta and an ascending way infection
      of newborns is shown.

PMID- 26118066
TI  - [FEATURES OF LIPID METABOLISM IN ANIMALS EXPOSED TO BACTERIAL
      LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE].
AB  - Endotoxinemia was caused in rats by the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) oral application
      at the doses 40 mkg/kg and 200 mkg/kg. The increase of the content of
      triglycerides in the blood serum and in the liver was established. Besides, the
      LPS oral application at the dose 200 MUKappaGamma/KappaGamma the increase of the
      content of cholesterol in the liver was established.

PMID- 26118067
TI  - [PANCREATIC EXOCRINE INSUFFICIENCY AND ITS CORRECTION IN CHILDREN WITH TYPE I
      DIABETES IN COMBINATION WITH CELIAC DISEASE].
AB  - The results of the examination of patients with type I children,which was
      diagnosed with celiac disease and pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. To correct
      the PEN used pancreatin preparations and studied its effectiveness.

PMID- 26118068
TI  - [EFFECTIVE SCREENING METHODS FOR CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM DISORDERS].
AB  - There has been a significant increase in diabetes morbidity in the past years.
      Prolonged asymptomatic progression of disease presents a problem and leads to
      late diagnosis and development of complications. Present study shows efficiency
      of screening measures to determine actual spread of carbohydrate metabolism
      disorders among residents of Odessa, frequency of type 2 diabetes mellitus risk
      factors determination and prevention of complications.

PMID- 26118069
TI  - [THE CASE OF THE INCONTINENTIA PIGMENTI SYNDROME IN A NEWBORN].
AB  - The paper describes the case of a rare hereditary disease--Incontinentia Pigmenti
      syndrome incontinence of pigment in newborn.

PMID- 26118070
TI  - [HEARING LOSS AMONG NEONATES, EARLY DIAGNOSTICS].
AB  - Early determination of hear loss among neonates and its' rehabilitation is
      extremely important factor for verbal and psychoemotional development of a child,
      with further possibility of residue hear using for treatment which is more
      effective during the first year of life.

PMID- 26118071
TI  - [HEALTH STATUS AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN BORN USING IVF].
AB  - In the work the analysis of incidence, the dynamics of physical development
      during the first year of life among 28 children born using IVF was conducted. It
      was found out that during the first year of life these children have certain
      patterns of growth and development, as well as a wide range of diagnosed
      pathology. Thereby observing children of this category should be optimized.

PMID- 26118072
TI  - [MODERN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY MASTERING PRACTICAL SKILLS OF GENERAL
      PRACTITIONERS].
AB  - The article presents the experience of postgraduate training of general
      practitioners--family medicine. Identified current trends, forms and methods of
      pedagogical innovations that enhance the quality of learning and mastering the
      practical skills of primary professionals providing care.

PMID- 26118073
TI  - [THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN-PATIENTS IN THE PROVISION OF
      MEDICAL CARE IN UKRAINE].
AB  - The author found that legal regulation of medical care of children in Ukraine
      need to improve the effectiveness. The key of efficiency of this process is the
      establishing the principle of providing of the rights of children-patients in the
      provision of medical care in Ukraine with the special attention to the best
      interests of the child.

PMID- 26118074
TI  - [FREQUENCY OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN E DEFICIENCY AMONG PATIENTS WITH IMMUNODEPENDENT
      DISORDERS].
AB  - Isolated IgE deficiency is one of the most common primary immunodeficiency, which
      is still underestimated cause of health disorders of modern man. Recent genetic
      studies report that the cause of the IgE deficiency is immune dysregulation
      caused by polymorphisms of the gene, which is responsible for the synthesis of
      activation-induced cytidinedeaminase (AICDA). The Institute of Immunology and
      Allergology at Bogomolets NMU during the years 2012-2014 were examined 5298
      patients with a range of different diseases, which could be suspected violations
      of immunity. All patients were conducted comprehensive immunological study, and
      4476 of them were examined for content of total serum IgE. The criterion for the
      selection of patients for follow-up began serum IgE < 10 kIU/l. Serum
      immunoglobulin E was determined by ELISA. Serum IgE < 10 IU/ml was detected in
      342 patients (7%). Average reduction in the study group made up (5.30 +/- 1.31)
      IU/ml. Partial deficiency (5-10 kIU/l) was detected in 212 patients (4%), while
      the total--130 (3%). For follow-up, we are clinically selected group of patients
      with deficiency of IgE (n = 60) and control group (n = 30). All patients were
      distributed as per clinical syndromes, and the frequency of their manifestations:
      sinopulmonary syndrome (63%), gastrointestinal syndrome (13%), autoimmune
      manifestations (10%), allergic reactions (7%) and chronic fatigue syndrome (7%).
      The levels of serum IgG, IgA, IgM in the study group were within the age norm
      (IgG = 1160.00 mg/dl +/- 2.88 mg/dl, IgA = 138 g/l +/- 37 mg/dl, IgM = 114 mg/dl
      +/- 30 mg/dl). However, only a small proportion of patients was observed decrease
      in other classes of immunoglobulins in 8 patients with IgG < 700 mg/dL in 16
      patients with IgA < 90 mg/dl and 6 patients with decreased serum IgM < 90 mg/dl.
      These patients were examined the levels of serum IgG subclasses and sIgA levels
      in saliva. Significant violations by cellular immunity in determining lymphocyte
      subpopulations by flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies also were found.
      Phagocytic indices were also no significant abnormalities. An important aspect of
      clinical deficiency of immunoglobulin E is its association with diseases of
      bacterial origin (H. influenza, M. catarrhalis, Str. pneumoniae), indicating a
      protective role of these antibodies in the mucosa of the respiratory tract. Thus,
      isolated IgE deficiency is associated with sustained decrease in serum
      concentrations of immunoglobulin E (< 10 kIU/l) in patients with normal immune
      status of other indicators that require dispensary and treatment. The results of
      their study indicate a high incidence of the IgE-deficiency among the population
      and its high incidence among the humoral defects.

PMID- 26118075
TI  - [IMMUNE AND ATOPIC STATUS OF SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA, GIVEN THE ASTHMA
      PHENOTYPE].
AB  - 25 students of the phenotypes of early-onset and late-onset asthma were
      investigated. In statistically significant majority of patients with early-onset
      asthma was detected skin hypersensitivity to household and epidermal allergens
      and clear trend to higher concentrations of IL-4 in the serum, which indirectly
      indicates on atopic reactivity. Almost every second child with late-onset asthma,
      had a high level of IL-8 (more than 7.62 pg/ml), while the odds ratio detection
      of increased serum concentrations of IL-8 was 3.1 (95% CI 1.6-6) that was
      assotiate with neutrophil-mediated immune response. There were defined clinical
      and epidemiological risk and diagnostic value of atopic reactivity indices for
      the verification study asthma phenotypes.

PMID- 26118076
TI  - [FEATURES IMMUNITY IN CHILDREN WITH BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA].
AB  - The study of the immune system in 131 children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia at
      the time of remission and exacerbation. Found that children with bronchopulmonary
      dysplasia inherent low absolute number of lymphocytes, accompanied by increased
      cytotoxic lymphocytes (CD8, CD 16), oxygendependence ability of granulocytes, and
      activation of the acute phase of immunoglobulin (IgM), in the absence of clinical
      signs of exacerbation. In acute respiratory disease, a somewhat paradoxical,
      cellular immune response with decreased lymphocyte activation against cytotoxic
      cells. While the dynamics of increase of cytotoxic markers in acute respiratory
      disease is unsatisfactory, indicating that the depletion of cellular reactivity
      circuit immunity.

PMID- 26118077
TI  - [IMMUNOLOGICAL REACTIVITY AND CORRECTION OF IMMUNOLOGICAL DISORDERS BY BIOLOGICAL
      MEDICINES IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE EXACERBATIONS].
AB  - The results of systemic immunological reactivity research were presented in 97
      patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. The
      patients were randomized on two groups. 67 patients, which additionally to
      standard anti-inflammatory therapy were prescribed different combinations of
      homotoxicological medicines, entered in a clinical group. The homotoxicological
      medicines such as Lymphomyosot, Galium-Heel(r), Traumeel S, Echinacea compositum
      S, Bronchalis-Heel(r), Mucosa compositum were prescribed according to the value
      of immune-regulatory index and type of T-cells immune disorders. 30 patients,
      which got standard anti-inflammatory therapy, entered in the group. of
      comparison. For the patients of clinical group immunological values were improved
      after the conducted treatment, unlike the patients of group of comparison in
      which an immunodeficiency was deepened.

PMID- 26118078
TI  - [METHODS OF MATHEMATICAL MODELING IN MORPHOLOGICAL DIAGNOSTICS OF CHORNOBYL
      FACTOR INFLUENCE ON PROSTATE GLAND OF COAL MINERS-- THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER
      FIGHTERS].
AB  - The morphometric estimation of parenchyma and stroma condition included the
      determination of 25 parameters in a prostate gland at 27 persons. The
      mathematical model of morphogenesis of prostate gland was created by Bayes'
      method. The method of differential diagnosis of a prostate gland tissues' changes
      conditioned by the influence of the Chernobyl factor and/or unfavorable terms of
      the work in underground coal mines have been worked out. Its practical use
      provides exactness and reliability of the diagnosis (not less than 95%),
      independence from the level of the qualification and personal experience of the
      doctor, allows us to unify, optimize and individualize the diagnostic algorithms,
      answer the requirements of evidential medicine.

PMID- 26118079
TI  - [LYMPHOCYTES MEMBRANES FATTY ACID SPECTRUM IN PATIENTS WITH CORONARY HEART
      DISEASE].
AB  - Lymphocytes phospholipid membranes fatty acid spectrum was studied in patients
      with coronary heart disease. The study involved 77 patients aged 45 to 72 years.
      Significant decrease of the oleic fatty acid relative content was determined,
      which violates the lymphocytes membranes structure and possibly negatively affect
      their functioning. The relative content of arachidonic, palmitic and stearic
      saturated fatty acids composition of lymphocytes lipids increased. The result
      indicate that in patients with coronary heart disease increasing polyunsaturated
      fatty acids elongation in lymphocytes. These changes in the lipid blood,
      lymphocytes state can explain the observed increase in lymphocytes functional
      activity.

PMID- 26118080
TI  - [TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF COMBINED CARDIO-RESPIRATORY PATHOLOGY IN
      EXACERBATION OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE-PULMONARY DISEASE (new approach)].
AB  - The features of the course of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD) in combination with coronary heart disease in the form of stable
      angina, and with the threat of destabilizing its course. The changes of the
      cardiovascular system in patients with a background of clinical symptoms in
      patients with acute exacerbation of COPD II-III stages. A differentiated
      approaches to anti-inflammatory and cardio protective action of drug combinations
      Roflumilast and quercetin as components of adjuvant therapy in patients with
      combined cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 26118081
TI  - [ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF CARDIAC DYSSYNCHRONY ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH
      CHRONIC HEART FAILURE IN COMBINATION WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS].
AB  - In the article considers the influence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and
      cardiac dyssyn- chrony (DYS) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in
      patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) by means of Minnesota Living with Heart
      Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ). It was found a negative impact of T2DM both on the
      overall assessment; and on the physical and emotional components of the HRQoL.in
      patients with CHE DYS also has a negative effect on HRQoL both in patients with
      isolated CHF and patients with CHF and concomitant T2DM, but its influence is
      mediated mainly by physical component. There were a number of factors that
      contribute to the DYS development in patients of studied groups identified,
      including the poor state of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism compensation,
      activation of systemic inflammation. It is expedient to study HRQoL to optimize
      therapeutic strategies in these patients.

PMID- 26118082
TI  - [CYTYOGENETIC MARKERS OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA IN CHILDREN].
AB  - The learning of cytyogenetic special of cariotip in children with the bronchial
      asthma maked by course of the investigation of prometahyases chromosomes of
      limphocytes of the periferic bloods. The quantity of association of acrocentric
      chromosome was analised. The 82 children in age 6-18 years old with the bronchial
      asthma and with the different control were learned by results of asthma--test
      control. In children with the noncontrol bronchial asthma the big frequency of of
      association of acrocentric chromosome 13-15 (D-D), 21-22 (G-G) n 13-15--21-22 (D
      G) were received. In patients with the bronchial asthma the lover mitotic
      activity by healthy were marked (P(N) < 0.05). With the degree of activity it was
      decreased.

PMID- 26118083
TI  - [THE CLINIC AND FUNCTIONAL PECULIARITIES OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY
      DISEASE'S COURSE, ACCOMPANIED WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME].
AB  - The article contains the data's of clinical course peculiarities, heart geometry
      construction and the systemic inflammatory processes activity in patients with
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, accompanied with metabolic syndrome. It
      was determined, that there high level of inflammatory processes activity, the big
      disturbances in heart geometry construction and more year pointes were te
      characteristic features of combined pathology.

PMID- 26118084
TI  - [THE DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF THE INDICES OF METABOLIC AND PHAGOCYTIC ACTIVITY OF
      SEGMENTED GRANULOCYTES OF BLOOD IN VERIFICATION ATOPIC PHENOTYPE ASTHMA IN
      CHILDREN].
AB  - The purpose of research--the study of the diagnostic value of indicators of
      metabolic and phagocytic activity of effector cells (eosinophils, neutrophils) in
      atopic asthma (ABA) in children. To achieve this goal were formed two clinical
      groups. Group I included 25 children with ABA, in II clinical group consisted of
      26 patients with a diagnosis of asthma without evidence of atopy. In group I
      there is a tendency to reduce the metabolic activity of blood eosinophil
      according to NBT-test, the intracellular content of cationic proteins,
      peroxidase, and their phagocytic activity. Stimulation level NBT test blood
      eosinophil less than 0,2 c. u. in conjunction with other tests can be used to
      verify the ABA, as declines in phagocytic activity (less than 60%) and phagocytic
      number (less than 2 c. u.) of eosinophilic granulocytes blood associated with a
      significantly higher risk of having atopic asthma.

PMID- 26118085
TI  - [ANALYSIS OF MUTATION IN CODON 531 rpoB GENE, ASSOCIATED WITH RIFAMPICIN
      RESISTANCE AMONG SAMPLES OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS THAT WAS ISOLATED FROM THE
      PATIENTS].
AB  - In the conditions of high relative density of multidrug resistant tuberculosis in
      Ukraine, rapid diagnostics of M. tuberculosis susceptibility to antituberculous
      drugs is the important tool in treatment of patients with lung tuberculosis. 78
      patients with lung TB that were treated in TB dispensary in Kharkiv during 2004
      2005 years were analyzed. Mutations in 531 codon of rpoB gene of isolates M.
      tuberculosis were studied. Among 48 (61.5%) resistant isolates of M tuberculosis
      according to phenotypic method, mutations were found only at 29 (60.4%) isolates.
      Among 30 (38.5%) phenotypic sensitive M. tuberculosis isolates only 1 (3.3%)
      isolate had mutation in rpoB gene M. tuberculosis.

PMID- 26118086
TI  - [PARTICULARITIES OF CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN PATIENTS WITH PULMONARY
      TUBERCULOSIS WITH PRECLINICAL DISORDERS GLICEMIA].
AB  - Studied concentration of lactate and pyruvate in patiens with lung tuberculosis
      with disorders of tolerance to glucosis and glukemic disorders on an empty
      stomach and in patiens, wich had not such disorders. In patiens with preclinical
      disorders glicemia discovered increasing to concentrations of lactate and
      pyruvate in blood. This is indicative of more deep breaches of quality to
      oxidation the glucose in energetic aerobic reaction, in particular, in
      tricarboxylic acids cycle. Effect this is a deterioration energy status of the
      cells. Excess of the formation lactate and pyruvate on background of the effect
      anty-insulin hormone prevalence and relative insufficiency of the insulin
      realizes the independent contribution to development hyperglicemia disorders.

PMID- 26118087
TI  - [REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION DISORDERS IN WOMEN WITH PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS].
AB  - The article presents analysis of ultrasound examination of 45 reproductive age
      women with pulmonary tuberculosis and diseases of genitalia, among them high
      portion of genital tuberculosis. It is shown high diagnostic value of sonography
      and dopplerometry in early determination of reproductive function disorders in
      women with tuberculosis.

PMID- 26118088
TI  - [SODIUM SUCCINATE AS METHOD OF INTENSIVE CARE OPTIMIZATION OF NEWBORNS'
      MULTIORGAN FAILURE SYNDROM].
AB  - With the aim of ascertainment of pathogenesis of newborns' multiorgan failure
      syndrom it was made a research of lactat, pyruvate, urea containing and
      succinatedehydrogenase activity of newborns venous blood with sequences to
      perinatal infection and perinatal asphyxia. Was set the reliable increase of
      concentration of lactat, pyruvate and their ratio, that demonstrates the presence
      of cellular energy deficit. There was direct correlation communication between
      concentrations of pyruvate and urea. In the application of sodium succinate to
      reduce the content of lactic and pyruvic acids, their ratio, increase the
      activity of succinatedehydrogenase, which is evidence of improved mitochondrial
      energy production, as well as reduces the frequency of gastrointestinal
      insufficiency implementation.

PMID- 26118089
TI  - [ESTIMATION OF GAS EXCHANGE IN PATIENTS WITH COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA DURING
      NON-INVASIVE VENTILATION].
AB  - The problem of respiratory support due to pneumonia, complicated by severe
      respiratory failure, both in Ukraine and worldwide is very complex and
      challenging. More than half of the critical ICU patients undergoing mechanical
      ventilation, develop nosocomial infection, which can be avoided by using non
      invasive ventilation (NIV). But its use in pneumonia is unclear. The aim of the
      study was to assess the parameters of gas exchange in patients with severe
      community-acquired pneumonia who were conducted non-invasive ventilation. NIV was
      performed in 18 patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia. At different
      stages of respiratory support blood gas analysis was perfodrmed. A statistically
      significant (P < 0.05) increase in the partial pressure of oxygen in arterial
      blood was observed during NIV compared to spontaneous breathing--(74.30 +/-
      18.51) mm Hg vs (47.20 +/- 10.46) mm Hg. The mean value of hemoglobin oxygen
      saturation of arterial blood during spontaneous breathing was (80.4 +/- 9.9)%, in
      the same group with NIV support the value was (94.5 +/- 2.6)% (P < 0.05). NIV did
      not significantly affect the elimination of carbon dioxide and pH levels. NIV in
      patients with respiratory failure due to severe community-acquired pneumonia
      ensured adequate gas exchange parameters.

PMID- 26118090
TI  - [EXPERIENCE OF DIAGNOSTICS AND MEDICAL TREATMENT OF THE DIEULAFOYS DISEASE].
AB  - The article is dedicated to the features of diagnostics and medical treatment of
      the Dieulafoys disease. Clinical description of six cases of foregoing pathology
      is resulted. The morphological features ulcers Dieulafoy are described. One fatal
      outcome of disease is analysed.

PMID- 26118091
TI  - [INFLUENCE OF HYPERICUM PERFORATUM L. HERB POLYPHENOLS PREPARATION WITH MINERALS
      ON THE STATE OF PERIODONTAL CONNECTIVE TISSUE MATRIX OF RATS IN CONDITION OF
      PERIODONTITIS MODELING].
AB  - In experiments on 22 white 1.5-month-old rats-males there were studied influence
      of Hypericum perforatum L. and minerales from Dyovit(r) on periodont's tissues
      under periodontits modelling. Examined preparation normalizes level of
      glicosaminoglicanes in gum, but did not completely show protective effects
      relative to collagen's fraction. In periodont's bone preparation decreases
      resorbrtion; increases activity of AlP and in the same time normalizes activity
      of AcP.

PMID- 26118092
TI  - [INFLUENCE OF REAMBERIN(r) AND CYCLOFERON(r) ON CONCETRATION OF "AVERAGE
      MOLECULES" IN SERUM OF PATIENTS WITH RECCURENT DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS IN OUTPATIENT
      OBSERVATION].
AB  - The influence Reamberin(r) and Cycloferon(r) concentration "average molecules" in
      the serum of patients with the recurrent depressive disorders (RDD) was
      investigated. It was set that the use of these drugs helps to normalize the
      concentration of "average molecules". which indicates that the elimination of the
      syndrome of "metabolic" intoxication. Based on the data, we can consider it
      appropriate inclusion Reamberin(r) and Cycloferon(r) in the therapeutic treatment
      of patients with RDR.

PMID- 26118093
TI  - [USAGE OF PRONORAN(r) FOR TREATMENT OF ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH MILD COGNITIVE
      IMPAIRMENT].
AB  - Evaluated the effectiveness of Pronoran(r) for treatment of elderly patients with
      syndrome of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with underlying dyscirculatory
      encephalopathy. The study involved 48 people: I (main) group--27 patients who in
      addition to basic therapy received Pronoran(r), II (control) group--21 patients,
      received only basic therapy. We found that exposure to a 3-month treatment course
      for patients of the I (main) group showed significant improvement in terms of
      indicators characterizing orientation in space, short-term memory, counting
      ability, concentration, psychomotor pace, ability to learn. In addition, the
      treatment course was accompanied by improved emotional state, positive changes in
      the coefficients of the spectral power qEEG for patients. At the same time, the
      patients in the II (control) group didn't show significant changes in the studied
      parameters.

PMID- 26118094
TI  - [SELENIUM EFFICIENCY IN PROPHYLAXIS AND COMPLEX TREATMENT OF DIFFUSE GOITER].
AB  - Efficiency of the combined prophylaxis and treatment of a diffuse goiter by
      preparations of sele- nium and iodine at 54 patients--men at the age of 41-50
      years with the diagnosis of a diffuse goiter of 1st and 2nd degree was
      investigated. The diagnosis of a diffuse goiter was based on palpatory and
      ultrasonic research of the thyroid gland, which volume was compared with a body
      surface area. All surveyed have been divided into three groups. Patients of the
      first group accepted preparations of selenium and the iodine throughout three
      months, the second group--iodine preparations, in control group only dynamic
      supervision was spent. Thyroid gland volume at men who constantly used iodated
      salt and had no palpatory signs of a goiter was also measured for control. In the
      group which members accepted selenium and iodine preparations, at 11,8 % of
      patients was noted reduction of thyroid volume to normal and was revealed more
      expressed reduction of thyroid volume (for 2.15 sm3/M2 +/- 0.07 sm3/M2), than at
      monotherapy by iodine preparations (for 0.92 sm3/M2 +/- 0.17 sm3/M2). The
      conclusion was made that it is possible to recommend selenium preparations in a
      dose of 100 mkg a day together with preparations of iodine for prophylaxis and
      treatment of a diffuse goiter in conditions of the combined insufficiency in
      consumption of selenium and light deficiency of iodine.

PMID- 26118095
TI  - [STATE OF DEVELOPMENT OF HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION IN THE EUROPE
      AND WORLD].
AB  - In this review, we summarize information about the current trends in
      hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (HSCT) in Europe and world. HSCT has
      represented one of the most innovative and highly expensive method of treatment
      for a set of malignant and non-malignant disorders. Differences in the number of
      HSCT and transplant rates (number of HSCT per 10 million inhabitants),
      indications and types of transplantations between countries have been reported.
      They were attributed mainly to differences in the economic situation of the
      countries and differences in prevalence of certain types of diseases. The gross
      national income per capita, health care expenditures per capita, number of
      transplant teams per 1 million inhabitants and team experience are the main
      impact factors influencing on transplant activity. These data provide a basis for
      health care planning, preparation of normative acts and future research in
      Ukraine for rapid expansion HSCT

PMID- 26118096
TI  - [THE STATE OF HEALTH CARE FOR WORKING IN HAZARDOUS AND DANGEROUS CONDITIONS].
AB  - This article raised questions of problematic health care of workers in hazardous
      conditions at the present stage. Shows the characteristics of the existing models
      of health care of working population in Ukraine. Attention is focused on the
      development of the most effective model of health care of workers for the
      prevention of occupational diseases.

PMID- 26118097
TI  - [EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION ON THE
      BASIS OF HEALTH CARE FACILITY].
AB  - In this study we tested methods of facility learning of health care workers as
      part of a modern model of quality management of medical services. The statistical
      and qualitative analysis of the effectiveness of additional training in emergency
      medical care at the health facility using an adapted curriculum and special
      mannequins. Under the guidance of a certified instructor focus group of 53
      doctors and junior medical specialists studied 22 hours. According to a survey of
      employees trained their level of selfassessment of knowledge and skills
      sigificantly increased. Also significantly increased the proportion of correct
      answers in a formalized testing both categories of workers. Using androgological
      learning model, mannequins simulators and training in small groups at work create
      the most favorable conditions for effective individual and group practical skills
      of emergency medicine.

PMID- 26118098
TI  - [THE SPECIFICITY OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIONS IN ADJUSTMENT DISORDER OF
      INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS].
AB  - In the article the adaptive capacity of the cardiovascular system and the level
      of physical condition of students. The evaluation of physical performance at a
      particular index in overall physical stamina. The study establishes certain
      changes between those that characterized the functional state and adaptive
      capacity of the cardiovascular system of the body of students. Comparative
      characteristics of the components of the process of adaptation of students.
      Identified the need to study the problems of adaptation and correction of
      maladjustment in the learning process.

PMID- 26118099
TI  - [ANALYSIS OF THE ORGANIZATION OF HEALTH SURVEILLANCE AT DIFFERENT HISTORICAL
      STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF UKRAINE].
AB  - This article examines the emergency and evolution of health surveillance in
      Ukraine until the early twentieth century, the impact of administrative reforms
      of the XIX century on the formation and maintenance functions of sanitary
      inspection.

PMID- 26118100
TI  - [Prokopchuk Vyacheslav Savich (75th anniversary of birth)].

PMID- 26118101
TI  - [Farnesoid X receptor regulates glucose and lipid metabolisms].
AB  - As a member of nuclear receptor superfamily, farnesoid X receptor (FXR) has been
      shown to regulate numerous metabolic pathways, which include playing an important
      role in bile acid metabolism, maintaining lipid and glucose homeostasis when FXR
      is activated. With the prevalence of the glucose and lipids disorder, FXR
      attracts increasing attention. It may be a potential target for the treatment of
      type 2 diabetes mellitus and lipid disorders.

PMID- 26118102
TI  - ["PEG dilemma" for liposomes and its solving approaches].
AB  - Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is extensively used to increasing the in vivo and in
      vitro stability of liposomes. However, PEGylated liposomes also produce some
      negative effects with further research, such as low cellular uptake, poor
      "endosomal escape" of pH sensitive liposome (PSL) and accelerated blood clearance
      (ABC) phenomenon, and this situation is referred as the "PEG dilemma". "PEG
      dilemma" posed severe challenges for the targeted delivery of PEGylated liposomes
      loaded anticancer drugs, effective intracellular release of PEGylated PSL
      encapsulated gene and protein drugs, and repeated administration of PEGylated
      liposomes. Therefore, it is urgent to solve the "PEG dilemma". This review
      focused on the definition, classification of "PEG dilemma", and discussed several
      possible approaches to overcome "PEG dilemma".

PMID- 26118103
TI  - [Research progress of p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase inhibitors].
AB  - p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K), an important member of AGC family, is a
      kind of multifunctional Ser/Thr kinases, which plays an important role in mTOR
      signaling cascade. The p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase is closely associated with
      diverse cellular processes such as protein synthesis, mRNA processing, glucose
      homeostasis, cell growth and apoptosis. Recent studies have highlighted the
      important role of S6K in cancer, which arose interests of scientific researchers
      for the design and discovery of anti-cancer agents. Herein, the mechanisms of S6K
      and available inhibitors are reviewed.

PMID- 26118104
TI  - [Biological ingredient analysis of traditional Chinese medicines utilizing
      metagenomic approach based on high-throughput-sequencing and big-data-mining].
AB  - The quality of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) has been mainly evaluated
      based on chemical ingredients, yet recently more attentions have been paid on
      biological ingredients, especially for pill-based preparations. It is a key
      approach to establish a fast, accurate and systematic method of biological
      ingredient analysis for realization of modernization, industrialization and
      internationalization of TCMs. The biological ingredient analysis of TCM
      preparations could be abstracted as the identification of multiple species from a
      biological mixture. The metagenomic approach based on high-throughput-sequencing
      (HTS) and big-data-mining has been considered as one of the most effective
      methods for multiple species analysis of a biological mixture, which would also
      be helpful for the analysis of biological ingredients in TCMs. Simultaneous
      identification of diverse species, including the prescribed species, adulterants,
      toxic species, protected species and even the biological impurities introduced
      through production process, could be achieved by selecting appropriate DNA
      biomarkers, as well as applying large-scale sequence comparison and data mining.
      By this approach, it is prospective to offer an evaluation basis for the
      effectiveness, safety and legality of TCM preparations.

PMID- 26118105
TI  - [Pandanus tectorius derived caffeoylquinic acids inhibit lipid accumulation in
      HepG2 hepatoma cells through regulation of gene expression involved in lipid
      metabolism].
AB  - The fruit of Pandanus tectorius (PTF) has a long history of use as a folk
      medicine to treat hyperlipidemia in Hainan province, South China. Our previous
      studies have shown that the n-butanol extract of PTF is rich in caffeoylquinic
      acids and has an adequate therapeutic effect on dyslipidemic animals induced by
      high-fat diet. In this work, seven caffeoylquinic acids isolated from PTF were
      screened for the lipid-lowering activity in HepG2 hepatoma cells. Oil-Red O
      staining, microscopy and intracellular triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol
      (TC) quantification showed that 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3-CQA), 3, 5-di-O
      caffeoylquinic acid (3,5-CQA), and 3,4,5-tri-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3,4,5-CQA)
      significantly inhibited lipid accumulation induced by oleic acid and decreased
      intracellular levels of TC and TG in a dose-dependent manner. These three
      caffeoylquinic acids showed no significant cytotoxicity at concentrations of 1 
      50 MUmol x L(-1) as determined by MTT assay. Realtime quantitative PCR revealed
      that 3-CQA and 3, 5-CQA significantly increased the expression of lipid oxidation
      related genes PPARalpha, CPT-1 and ACOX1 while 3-CQA, 3, 5-CQA and 3,4,5-CQA
      decreased the expression of lipogenic genes SREBP-1c, SREBP-2, HMGR, ACC, FAS.
      Overall, 3-CQA, 3, 5-CQA and 3, 4, 5-CQA may be the principal hypolipidemic
      components in PTF which can decrease intracellular lipid accumulation through up
      regulating the expression of lipid oxidative genes and down-regulating the
      expression of lipogenic genes.

PMID- 26118106
TI  - [The mechanism of rosiglitazone compound based on network pharmacology].
AB  - Applications of network pharmacology are increasingly widespread and methods
      abound in the field of drug development and pharmacological research. In this
      study, we choose rosiglitazone compound as the object to predict the targets and
      to discuss the mechanism based on three kinds of prediction methods of network
      pharmacology. Comparison of the prediction result has identified that the three
      kinds of prediction methods had their own characteristics: targets and pathways
      predicted were not in accordance with each other. However, the calcium signaling
      pathway could be predicted in the three kinds of methods, which associated with
      diabetes and cognitive impairment caused by diabetes by bioinformatics analysis.
      The above conclusion indicates that the calcium signaling pathway is important in
      signal pathway regulation of rosiglitazone compound, which provides a clue to
      further explain the mechanism of the compound and also provides a reference for
      the selection and application of methods of network pharmacology in the actual
      research.

PMID- 26118107
TI  - [A more accurate and efficient fluorescent probe of Caspase-8 activity based on
      flow cytometric fluorescence resonance energy transfer].
AB  - As a classic fluorescent detect technique, fluorescence resonance energy transfer
      (FRET) has been widely used in biological researches. Researchers have developed
      a series of fluorescence detect probes which were based on FRET. Caspase family
      plays an important role in apoptosis pathway, especially Caspase-8 which located,
      at the initial of death receptor mediated apoptosis pathway, whose its activation
      can trigger subsequent precaspases' activation and lead to apoptosis. So it is of
      great significance to detect the activation of Caspase-8 in apoptosis assay. In
      this study, a fluorescent probe based on FRET has been designed which can detect
      the activity change of Caspase-8 in cells. To identify the effectiveness and
      specificity of the probe, we measure the Caspase-8 activity under the Caspase-8
      specifically activated apoptosis inducer RGD-TRAIL with the flow cytometry FRET
      detection platform. The results show that the probe can respond to the activity
      change of Caspase-8 in apoptotic cells, and the change can be quantified rapidly
      by flow cytometry. The study provides a more efficient and convenient detection
      method of Caspase-8 activity in living cells.

PMID- 26118108
TI  - [The effect of Connexin43 downregulation on biological functions of HUVEC].
AB  - Connexin43 has been shown to play a pivotal role in wound healing process. Wound
      repair is enhanced by acute downregulation of connexin43, by increasing
      proliferation and migration of keratinocyte and fibroblast. Angiogenesis is also
      a central feature of wound repair, but little is known about the effects of
      connexin43 modulation on functions of endothelial cells. We used connexin43
      specific small interference RNA (siRNA) to reduce the expression of connexin43 in
      human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC), and investigated the effects of
      connexin43 downregulation on intercellular communication, viability,
      proliferation, migration and angiogenic activity of HUVEC. Treatment of siRNA
      markedly reduced the expression of connexin43 by -80% in HUVEC (P < 0.05), and
      decreased the intercellular communication by -65% (P < 0.05). The viability,
      proliferation, migration and angiogenic activity of HUVEC decreased significantly
      (P < 0.05), compared with that of the normal cells. The results suggest that
      temporally downregulation of connexin43 expression at early stage of wound to
      inhibit the abnormal angiogenesis characterized with leaky and inflamed blood
      vessels, maybe a prerequisite for coordinated normal healing process.

PMID- 26118109
TI  - [Transplacental transport mechanisms of drugs for transplacental treatment of
      fetal tachyarrhythmia of MDCKII/MDCKII-BCRP cell line].
AB  - To study the transport mechanisms of drugs for transplacental treatment of fetal
      tachyarrhythmia, MDCKII-BCRP and MDCKII cell models was used. MDCKII-BCRP and
      MDCKII cell monolayer model was used to investigate the bi-direction transport of
      sotalol, propranolol, propafenone, procainamide and flecainide. Drug
      concentrations were measured by HPLC-UV or chemiluminescence. The apparent
      permeability coefficient (P(app)), efflux rate (R(E)) and net efflux rate
      (R(net)) were calculated. Drugs with R(net) greater than 1.5 were further
      investigated using cellular accumulation experiments with or without a BCRP
      inhibitor. The R(net) of sotalol, propranolol, propafenone and procainamide were
      less than 1.5, while R(net) of flecainide with concentrations of 20 and 5 MUmol x
      L(-1) were 1.6 and 1.9, respectively. The results showed that the transport of
      flecainide on MDCKII-BCRP cell monolayer could be mediated by BCRP; and the
      affinity increased when the concentration of flecainide decreased. Cellular
      accumulation experiments further suggested that accumulation of flecainide in
      MDCKII-BCRP cells was significantly lower than that in MDCKII cells in a
      concentration-dependent manner. BCRP inhibitor quercetin (50 MUmol x L(-1))
      significantly increased the accumulation of flecainide in MDCKII-BCRP cells (P <
      0.05). Our preliminary data showed that flecainide but not sotalol, propranolol,
      propafenone or procainamide can be a substrate of BCRP. Thus the effect of
      flecainide may be affected by the BCRP in the maternal placental trophoblast
      membrane layer when treating fetal tachyarrhythmia.

PMID- 26118110
TI  - [Metabolomic approach to evaluating the effect of the mixed decoction of kelp and
      licorice on system metabolism of SD rats].
AB  - The aim of the study is to evaluate the effects of the single and mixed decoction
      of Thallus laminariae (kelp) and Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) on the metabolism
      and their difference. The mixed decoction of kelp and licorice and the single
      decoction were made and intragastrically administered to the SD rats. The effect
      on system metabolism, the toxicity of liver and kidney were assessed by GC-MS
      profiling of the endogenous molecules in serum, routine biochemical assays and
      histographic inspection of tissues from SD rats, separately. The mixed decoction
      of kelp and licorice induced more obvious pathological abnormalities in SD rats
      than a single decoction of kelp, while the extracts of licorice did not show any
      pathological change. Neither the mixed, nor the single decoction showed abnormal
      histopathology. After intragastric administration of extracts for 5 days, the
      mixed decoction induced a decrease of ALT (no significant change in the groups of
      single decoction) and an increase of BUN (so did the single decoction of kelp).
      Metabolomic profile of the molecules in serum revealed that the metabolic
      patterns were all obviously affected for the three groups, i.e., the mixed and
      single decoction of kelp and licorice. The rats given with the single decoction
      of kelp showed a similar pattern to that of the mixed decoction, indicating that
      the kelp primarily contributed the perturbation of metabolism for the mixed
      decoction. All three groups induced a decrease of branched chain amino acids, TCA
      cycle intermediates and glycolysis intermediates (e.g., pyruvic acid and lactic
      acid) and an increase of 3-hydroxybutyric acid. Kelp decoction showed stronger
      potential in reducing TCA cycle intermediates and glycolysis intermediates than
      the other two groups, while the levels of branched chain amino acids were the
      lowest after licorice extracts were given. These results suggested that the
      effect of the mixed decoction on metabolism was closely associated with both kelp
      and licorice. The continuous administration of single decoction of kelp and the
      mixed decoction of licorice and kelp resulted in pathological abnormalities in
      kidney of SD rats. The mixed decoction of kelp and licorice distinctly perturbed
      sera molecules and hence system metabolism, which showed associated with those of
      kelp and licorice. Although the metabolic effect was associated with both kelp
      and licorice, the results suggested kelp contributed to it primarily.

PMID- 26118111
TI  - [Study of change in activity of hepatic drug metabolism enzymes in rat model of
      chronic unpredictable mild stress].
AB  - This study aimed to explore the impact of depression caused by chronic
      unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) on in vivo activity of six kinds of CYP450
      isoforms in rats. According to 'Katz' method, the model of CUMS was established.
      Tolbutamide, chlorzoxazone, theophylline, midazolam, omeprazole and
      dextromethorphan were chosen as probe substrates of CYP2C6, CYP2E1, CYP1A2,
      CYP3A2, CYP2D1 and CYP2D2 of rats. Plasma concentration of six kinds of CYP450 in
      control group and model group were determined by LC-MS/MS and computed
      pharmacokinetic parameters. Consequently, metabolism of theophylline and
      chlorzoxazone accelerated significantly (P < 0.01), but tolbutamide,
      dextromethorphan, omeprazole and midazolam had no significant difference. The
      present study proved that depression caused by CUMS had strong induction to
      CYP1A2 and medium induction to CYP2E1.

PMID- 26118112
TI  - [Design, synthesis and anti-platelet aggregation activities of ligustrazine
      tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives].
AB  - Abstract: Fifteen novel ligustrazine-tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives were
      designed and synthesized according to the association principle of pharmaceutical
      chemistry. The structures were identified by IR, NMR and ESI-MS. The inhibitory
      activities of platelet aggregation induced by ADP and AA have been measured by
      Bron method. Preliminary pharmacological results showed that compounds 7g, 7h and
      7n had potent inhibitory activity against platelet aggregation induced by AA, and
      the compound 7o showed significant inhibitory activity against platelet
      aggregation induced by ADP.

PMID- 26118113
TI  - [Design, synthesis, antibacterial and anti-cell proliferation activities of
      [1,2,4]triazino[3,4-h] [1,8]naphthyridine-8-one-7-carboxylic acid derivatives].
AB  - To discover novel fluoroquinolone lead compounds as possible anti-infective
      or/and antitumor chemotherapies, combination principle of pharmacophore-based
      drug design, a series of novel tricyclic fluoroquinolone title compounds,
      [1,2,4]triazino[3,4-h][1,8]naphthyridine-8-one-7-carboxylic acid derivatives ( 5a
      5p), were designed and synthesized with a fused [1,2,4]-triazine ring unit. Their
      structures were characterized by spectral data and elemental analysis and the in
      vitro antibacterial and anti-cell proliferation activities were also evaluated.
      The results showed that the titled compounds exhibited more significant
      inhibitory activities against drug-resistant bacteria (Methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus and multi drug-resistant Escherichia coli strains) and
      three tested cancer cell lines (human hepatoma SMMC-7721, murine leukemia L1210
      and human murine leukemia HL60 cells). Interestingly, SAR showed that compounds
      with electron-donating groups attached to benzene ring had stronger antibacterial
      activity than antitumor activity, but electron-withdrawing compounds displayed
      more potential antitumor activity than antibacterial activity, especially
      antitumor activity of nitro compounds was comparable to comparison doxorubicin.
      Thus, novel triazine-fused tricyclic fluoroquinolones as potent anti-infective
      or/and antitumor lead compounds are valuable to pay attention and for further
      development.

PMID- 26118114
TI  - A new aurone glycoside from Veratrum dahuricum (Turcz.) Loes. f.
AB  - To study the chemical constituents of Veratrum dahuricum (Turcz.) Loes. f., a new
      aurone glycoside named as (Z)-7, 4'-dimethoxy-6-hydroxyl-aurone-4-O-beta
      glucopyranoside was isolated from the 95% ethanol extracts of the rhizomes and
      roots of Veratrum dahuricum (Turcz.) Loes. f. by repeated column chromatography
      on silica gel and recrystallization. Its structure was established by extensive
      spectroscopic analyses, and its cytotoxicities against HepG-2, MCF7 and A549 cell
      lines were measured in vitro.

PMID- 26118115
TI  - [UPLC/Q-TOF MS and NMR plant metabolomics approach in studying the effect of
      growth year on the quality of Polygala tenuifolia].
AB  - Growth year is one of the important factors for the quality of Polygala
      tenufolia. In this study, primary metabolites and secondary metabolites were
      compared in 1, 2 and 3 years old P. tenufolia cultivated in Shaanxi Heyang. The
      samples were subjected to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)
      quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS) and nuclear magnetic
      resonance (NMR) analysis, and the obtained data were analyzed using principal
      component analysis (PCA) and other statistical analysis methods. In addition,
      content and correlation of different metabolites were also calculated. The
      results showed no significance between main component contents in 2 year-old and
      3 year-old P. Tenufolia, but 1 year-old was statistically different. The contents
      of primary metabolites, such as fructose, sucrose, and choline increased as time
      goes on, while glycine and raffinose decreased. The contents of secondary
      metabolites, such as onjisaponin Fg, polygalasaponin XXVIII, polygalasaponin
      XXXII increased, while polygalaxanthone III and parts of oligosaccharide multi
      ester including tenuifoliose A, tenuifoliose C, tenuifoliose C2 and tenuifoliose
      H decreased with the extension of the growth years. Growth years has important
      impact on the quality of P. tenuifolia and the existing growing years of
      commodity P. tenuifolia have its scientific evidence. This study supplied a new
      method for the quality evaluation of Chinese medicinal materials.

PMID- 26118116
TI  - [Effects of stable isotope labeled internal standard on determination of
      ivabradine and N-demethylivabradine in human plasma].
AB  - This study aims to develop a liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry
      (LC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous determination of ivabradine and N
      demethylivabradine in human plasma, and investigate effects of stable isotope
      labeled (SIL) internal standard (IS) on ivabradine. The analytes and IS were
      extracted from plasma by protein precipitation with acetonitrile, and
      chromatographied on a Capcell PAK C18 (100 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 MUm) column using a
      mobile phase of methanol and 5 mmol x L(-1) ammonium acetate. Multiple reaction
      monitoring with electrospray ionization (ESI) was used in the positive mode for
      mass spectrometric detection. The effect of ivabradine isotope peak [M+H+3] + on
      IS and the effect of SIL IS purity on ivabradine were evaluated. An appropriate
      concentration of SIL IS was chosen to permit method selectivity and linearity of
      the assay over the required range. The standard curves were demonstrated to be
      linear in the range of 0.100 to 60.0 ng x mL(-1) for ivabradine, and 0.050 0 to
      20.0 ng x mL(-1) for N-demethylivabradine. The intra and inter day precision and
      accuracy were within the acceptable limits for all concentrations. Besides, the
      interaction between IS and ivabradine did not impact the determination of
      analytes. This method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of
      hydrogen sulfate ivabradine sustained release tablets on Chinese healthy
      volunteers.

PMID- 26118117
TI  - [Quality by design based high shear wet granulation process development for the
      microcrystalline cellulose].
AB  - The design space of the high shear wet granulation process was established and
      validated within the framework of quality by design (QbD). The system of
      microcrystalline cellulose-de-ioned water was used in this study. The median
      granule size and bulk density of granules were identified as critical quality
      attributes. Plackeet-Burmann experimental design was used to screen these factors
      as follows: dry mixing time, the impeller and chopper speed of dry mixing, water
      amount, water addition time, wet massing time, the impeller and chopper speed of
      wet massing and drying time. And the optimization was implemented with the
      central composite experimental design based on screened critical process
      parameters. The design space of the high shear wet granulation process was
      established based on the quadratic polynomial regression model. Since the P
      values of both models were less than 0.05 and values of lack of fit were more
      than 0.1, the relationship between critical quality attributes and critical
      process parameters could be well described by the two models. The reliability of
      design space, illustrated by overlay plot, was improved with the addition of 95%
      confidence interval. For those granules whose process parameters were in the
      design space, the granule size could be controlled within 250 to 355 MUm, and the
      bulk density could be controlled within a range of 0.4 to 0.6 g x cm(-3). The
      robustness and flexibility of the high shear wet granulation process have been
      enhanced via the establishment of the design space based on the QbD concept.

PMID- 26118118
TI  - [Construction of the first genetic linkage map of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. using
      SSR, SRAP and ISSR markers].
AB  - The first genetic linkage map of Salvia miltiorrhiza was constructed in 94 F1
      individuals from an intraspecific cross by using simple sequence repeat (SSR),
      sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) and inter-simple sequence repeat
      (ISSR) markers. A total of 93 marker loci in the linkage map, consisting of 53
      SSR, 38 SRAP and 2 ISSR locus were made up of eight linkage groups, covered a
      total length of 400.1 cm with an average distance of 4.3 cm per marker. The
      length of linkage groups varied from 3.3 -132 cm and each of them included 2-23
      markers, separately. The result will provide important basis for QTL mapping, map
      based cloning and association studies for commercially important traits in S.
      miltiorrhiza.

PMID- 26118119
TI  - [Bioinformatics analysis of DNA demethylase genes in Lonicera japonica Thunb].
AB  - The DNA demethylase genes are widespread in plants. Four DNA demethylase genes
      (LJDME1, LJDME2, LJDME3 and LJDME4) were obtained from transcriptome dataset of
      Lonicera japonica Thunb by using bioinformatics methods and the proteins'
      physicochemical properties they encoded were predicted. The phylogenetic tree
      showed that the four DNA demethylase genes and Arabidopsis thaliana DME had a
      close relationship. The result of gene expression model showed that four DNA
      demethylase genes were different between species. The expression levels of LJDME1
      and LJDME2 were even more higher in Lonicera japonica var. chinensis than those
      in L. japonica. LJDME] and LJDME2 maybe regulate the active compounds of L.
      japonica. This study aims to lay a foundation for further understanding of the
      function of DNA demethylase genes in L. japonica.

PMID- 26118120
TI  - Best Practices In The Emergency Department Management Of Children With Special
      Needs.
AB  - Children with special needs have a wide variety of physical and developmental
      challenges. These children often have medical devices, subtle presentations, and
      behavioral or psychiatric issues that demand consideration when delivering
      emergency care. Some of the more common issues include the evaluation and
      management of complications in devices such a gastrostomy/jejunostomy feeding
      tubes, cerebroventricular shunts, and tracheostomy tubes, as well as impediments
      to the performance of common emergency procedures (eg, laceration repair,
      sedation for imaging) on children with developmental or behavioral disorders.
      This review will examine each of these circumstances and provide guidance on the
      best approaches to managing these patients.

PMID- 26118121
TI  - WHO Expert Committee on Specifications for Pharmaceutical Preparations. Forty
      ninth report.
AB  - The Expert Committee on Specifications for Pharmaceutical Preparations works
      towards clear, independent and practical standards and guidelines for the quality
      assurance of medicines. Standards are developed by the Committee through
      worldwide consultation and an international consensus-building process. The
      following new guidelines were adopted and recommended for use. Revised procedure
      for the development of monographs and other texts for The International
      Pharmacopoeia; Revised updating mechanism for the section on radiopharmaceuticals
      in The International Pharmacopoeia; Revision of the supplementary guidelines on
      good manufacturing practices: validation, Appendix 7: non-sterile process
      validation; General guidance for inspectors on hold-time studies; 16 technical
      supplements to Model guidance for the storage and transport of time- and
      temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products; Recommendations for quality
      requirements when plant-derived artemisinin is used as a starting material in the
      production of antimalarial active pharmaceutical ingredients; Multisource
      (generic) pharmaceutical products: guidelines on registration requirements to
      establish interchangeability: revision; Guidance on the selection of comparator
      pharmaceutical products for equivalence assessment of interchangeable multisource
      (generic) products: revision; and Good review practices: guidelines for national
      and regional regulatory authorities.

PMID- 26118123
TI  - Microarray analysis of differentially expressed genes regulating lipid metabolism
      during melanoma progression.
AB  - A new hallmark of cancer involves acquisition of a lipogenic phenotype which
      promotes tumorigenesis. Little is known about lipid metabolism in melanomas.
      Therefore, we used BRB (Biometrics Research Branch) class comparison tool with
      multivariate analysis to identify differentially expressed genes in human
      cutaneous melanomas, compared with benign nevi and normal skin derived from the
      microarray dataset (GDS1375). The methods were validated by identifying known
      melanoma biomarkers (CITED1, FGFR2, PTPRF, LICAM, SPP1 and PHACTR1) in our
      results. Eighteen genes regulating metabolism of fatty acids, lipid second
      messengers and gangliosides were 2-9 fold upregulated in melanomas of GDS-1375.
      Out of the 18 genes, 13 were confirmed by KEGG pathway analysis and 10 were also
      significantly upregulated in human melanoma cell lines of NCI-60 Cell Miner
      database. Results showed that melanomas upregulated PPARGC1A transcription factor
      and its target genes regulating synthesis of fatty acids (SCD) and complex lipids
      (FABP3 and ACSL3). Melanoma also upregulated genes which prevented lipotoxicity
      (CPT2 and ACOT7) and regulated lipid second messengers, such as phosphatidic acid
      (AGPAT-4, PLD3) and inositol triphosphate (ITPKB, ITPR3). Genes for synthesis of
      pro-tumorigenic GM3 and GD3 gangliosides (UGCG, HEXA, ST3GAL5 and ST8SIA1) were
      also upregulated in melanoma. Overall, the microarray analysis of GDS-1375
      dataset indicated that melanomas can become lipogenic by upregulating genes,
      leading to increase in fatty acid metabolism, metabolism of specific lipid second
      messengers, and ganglioside synthesis.

PMID- 26118122
TI  - Angiotensin II inhibits Na+/K+ATPase activity in pulmonary artery smooth muscle
      cells via glutathionylation and with the involvement of a 15.6 kDa inhibitor
      protein.
AB  - The role of angiotensin II in regulating Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity has been
      investigated in bovine pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (BPASMCs). Our study
      reveals that angiotensin II inhibits the Na+/K+ATPase activity via
      glutathionylation of the pump with the involvement of an increase in NADPH
      oxidase-derived O2*-. Additionally, angiotensin II treatment to the cells
      increases the inhibitory potency of the 15.6 kDa inhibitor towards the
      Na+/K+ATPase activity.

PMID- 26118124
TI  - Up-regulation of NLRC5 and NF-kappaB signaling pathway in carrier chickens
      challenged with Salmonella enterica Serovar Pullorum at different persistence
      periods.
AB  - The immune performance, SNPs and expression levels of candidate genes (IL1-beta,
      Nramp1, TLR4, MyD88, NF-kappaB and NLRC5) were analyzed in carrier chickens of a
      Chinese indigenous breed infected with Salmonella enterica Serovar Pullorum at
      different persistence periods (12, 19 and 24 weeks of age). Carrier birds at 19
      weeks of age presented significant difference in most immune parameters, as
      compared to carriers at 12 and 24 weeks of age, while no significant difference
      in most immune parameters was observed between carriers at 12 and 24 weeks of
      age. The genotype distributions of IL1-beta and TLR4 presented significant
      differences between carriers and healthy birds. The expression levels of most
      candidate genes in carriers at 19 weeks of age were significantly higher than
      that in carriers at 12, 24 weeks of age and healthy birds and reached 1% level of
      significance between carriers at 19 weeks of age and healthy birds. The
      expression patterns of all genes, but IL-1fl and NLRC5 between carriers at 12 and
      24 weeks of age in all tissues were similar. Compared with carriers at 12 weeks
      of age, IL1-beta was significantly down-regulated, but NLRC5 was significantly up
      regulated in carriers at 24 weeks of age. Our study demonstrated that immune
      performance of carrier birds was severely impaired at age of sexual maturation
      and NLRC5 might play as a negative mediator of NF-kappaB pathway involved in
      immune response to asymptomatic infection by S. Pullorum. The TLR4/MyD88/NF
      kappaB pathway might be suitable for study on S. Pullorum infection in Chinese
      indigenous breeds.

PMID- 26118125
TI  - Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in neurological disorders: A clinical
      study.
AB  - We investigated the intrathecally administrated unbilical cord mesenchymal stem
      cells (UC-MSCs) by lumbar puncture and assessed the technical difficulties and
      effects in various neurological conditions. One hundred patients underwent
      subarachnoid placement of UC-MSCs between December 2006 and May 2010 in the
      Affiliated Hospital of Medicine. Technical difficulties in patients in the form
      of localization of subarachnoid space, number of attempts, and post-procedural
      complications were evaluated. Functional evaluation was done using Hauser
      Ambulation Index (HAI) by the stem cell transplant team on a regular basis. All
      patients were followed-up for more than 1 yr after the treatment. Clinical
      symptoms, related biochemical index and photographic examinations were observed
      regularly. We encountered technical difficulties in 31 patients (31%) in the form
      of general anesthesia supplementation and difficulty localizing the lumbar space.
      Side effects (headache, low-grade fever, low back pain and lower limb pain) were
      observed in 22 (22%) patients, which were treated with symptomatic therapy within
      48 h. One year after the treatment, functional indices improved in 47 patients
      (47%): 12 patients with spinal cord injury, 11 patients with cerebral palsy, 9
      patients with post-traumatic brain syndrome, 9 patients with post-brain
      infarction syndrome, 3 patients with spinocerebellar ataxias, and 3 patients with
      motor neuron disease. In conclusion, intrathecal administration of UC-MSCs is a
      safe and effective way to treat neurological disorders. Our encouraging results
      of intrathecal administration of UC-MSCs indicate the potential of restoration of
      lost tissue and improvement of function in patients with profound neurological
      defects and inefficient conventional cure. These data support expanded double
      blind, placebo-controlled studies for this treatment modality.

PMID- 26118126
TI  - Protective effect of alcoholic extract of stem of Entada pursaetha in dextran
      sulphate sodium-induced colitis in mice.
AB  - Oxidative stress has been shown to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of
      ulcerative colitis (UC). Entada pursaetha has been demonstrated to have
      antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated the
      effects of stem of alcoholic extract of E. pursaetha (PSE) in dextran sodium
      sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. The protective effect of PSE was
      determined at three different doses of 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg body weight by oral
      gavage for 7 days. Morphological (colon length and colon weight/length ratio),
      clinical (disease activity index) and macroscopic (damage score) features were
      determined using standard criteria. Lipid peroxides (determined as malonaldehyde;
      MDA), enzymatic (superoxide dismutase; SOD and catalase; CAT) and non- enzymatic
      antioxidants (reduced glutathione; GSH), nitrate and nitrite (NOx) levels and
      myeloperoxidase (PO) activity in colon tissues were determined. The DSS damaged
      the colonic tissue, increased MPO activity, lipid peroxidation and NOx levels,
      reduced the antioxidant enzymes and glutathione and lowered the body weight. PSE
      significantly reduced the inflammation of colon and reversed the increase in MPO
      activity induced by DSS. It also significantly increased the SOD and catalase
      activities and did not elicit any effect on depleted levels of GSH in the colonic
      tissue. In addition, PSE also significantly decreased colonic NOx and MDA levels
      compared to DSS-treated mice; reduced both infiltration of inflammatory cells and
      the mucosal damage in colon on histopathological examination. The results
      suggested the protective potential of PSE in DSS-induced colitis and this might
      be attributed to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.

PMID- 26118127
TI  - Physiological responses of Catla catla larvae fed with Achyranthes aspera seed
      enriched diet and exposed to UV-B radiation.
AB  - The antioxidant and growth stimulating properties of seeds of Achyranthes aspera
      were evaluated on UV-B irradiated Catla catla (catla) larvae. Catla larvae
      (initial weight: 1.2 +/- 0.01 mg) were fed with four different diets--D1, D2 and
      D3 containing 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5% seeds of A. aspera and D4, control diet for 35
      days. The larvae were then exposed to UV-B radiation (80 MUW/cm2) on every
      alternate day for 20 days. Survival, growth, tissue glutamic oxaloacetic
      transminase (GOT), tissue glutamate pyruvate transminase (GPT), thiobarbituric
      acid reactive substances (TBARS) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) were studied in
      larvae on day-21 of irradiation. Significantly (P < 0.05) higher survival and
      average weight were found in D3 diet fed fish compared to the other groups.
      Survival rate was 8-16% higher in seed enriched diet fed groups, compared to the
      control one. Higher levels of GOT and GPT found in control diet fed larvae showed
      the degree of tissue damage due to UV-B exposure. Significantly (P < 0.05) lower
      level of GPT in D3 indicated the UV-B protective effect of the seed of A. Aspera
      (earlier, the presence of ecdysterone, essential fatty acids and amino acids,
      polyphenolic compounds, steroids, etc. has been reported from seed). TBARS which
      indicated the level of tissue lipid peroxidation were significantly (P < 0.05)
      higher in control group, compared to the other feeding schemes. NOS level was
      significantly (P < 0.05) higher in D2 and D3, compared to the D1 and control
      groups. In conclusion, supplementation of A. aspera seed (0.5%) improved the
      physiological condition (in terms of reduce lipid oxidation and better immune
      system) and gave bioprotection to catla larvae challenged with UV-B stress.

PMID- 26118128
TI  - Comparison of activity of OsDmc1A recombinase of rice (Oryza sativa) in presence
      of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions.
AB  - Recombinases are known to play an important role in the homology search and
      strand exchange during meiosis as well as homologous recombination (HR)-mediated
      DNA repair specifically require Mg2+ ion for their activity. The Ca2+ has been
      shown to stimulate the strand exchange activity of hDmc1 and ScDmc1 by forming
      the extended filaments on DNA. Oryza sativa disrupted meiotic cDNA1A (OsDmc1A), a
      homologue of yeast and human Dmc1 from rice shows the hallmark functions of
      recombinase. Here, we report the effects of Ca2+ and Mg2+ on OsDmc1A activity
      from rice (Oryza sativa). OsDmc1A showed a concentration-dependent binding with
      both single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) substrates in
      presence of Mg2+ or Ca2+. The ssDNA and dsDNA binding activities, as well as
      renaturation activity of OsDmc1A were similar in the presence of Ca2+ or Mg2+.
      Increasing the Ca2+ or Mg2+ increased the DNA binding, renaturation and strand
      exchange of OsDmc1A. But, OsDmc1A showed only a slight stimulation of strand
      exchange activity in presence of Ca2+, when compared the activity in presence of
      Mg2+. Electron microscopy showed that OsDmc1A formed ring-like structures in
      presence of Mg2+ or Ca2+. However, OsDmc1A formed filament like structures with
      both ss and dsDNA in presence of Mg2+ or Ca2+. Taken together, Ca2+ did not
      affect OsDmc1A recombinase activity significantly.

PMID- 26118129
TI  - Structural and functional analysis of chitinase gene family in wheat (Triticum
      aestivum).
AB  - Chitinases are the hydrolytic enzymes which protect plants against pathogen
      attack. However, the precise role of chitinases in disease resistance has not
      been explored in wheat. In the present study, in silico approach, including
      secondary structure analysis, detailed signature pattern study, cis-acting
      regulatory elements survey, evolutionary trends and three-dimensional molecular
      modeling was used for different chitinase classes of wheat (Triticum aestivum).
      Homology modeling of class I, II, IV and 3 chitinase proteins was performed using
      the template crystal structure. The model structures were further refined by
      molecular mechanics methods using different tools, such as Procheck, ProSA and
      Verify3D. Secondary structure studies revealed greater percentage of residues
      forming a helix conformation with specific signature pattern, similar to casein
      kinase II phosphorylation site, amidation site, N-myristoylation (N-MYR) site and
      protein kinase C phoshorylation site. The expression profile suggested that wheat
      chitinase gene was highly expressed in cell culture and callus. We found that
      wheat chitinases showed more functional similarity with rice and barley. The
      results provide insight into the evolution of the chitinase family, constituting
      a diverse array of pathogenesis-related proteins. The study also provides insight
      into the possible binding sites of chitinase proteins and may further enhance our
      knowledge of fungal resistance mechanism in plants.

PMID- 26118130
TI  - Thermostable, alkaline and detergent-tolerant lipase from a newly isolated
      thermophilic Bacillus stearothermophilus.
AB  - Lipases are the enzymes of choice for laundry detergent industries, owing to
      their triglyceride removing ability from the soiled fabric, which eventually
      reduces the usage of phosphate-based chemical cleansers in the detergent
      formulation. In this study, a novel thermo-alkaline lipase-producing strain
      identified as Bacillus stearothermophilus was isolated from the soil samples of
      olive oil mill. Enhanced lipase production was observed at 55 degrees C, pH 11
      and after 48 h of incubation. Among the substrates tested, xylose (a carbon
      source), peptone (a nitrogen source) and olive oil at a concentration of 1% were
      suitable substrates for enhancing lipase production. MgSO4 and Tween-80 were
      suitable substrates for maximizing lipase production. The enzyme was purified to
      homogeneity by a single CM-Sephadex column chromatography and revealed molecular
      mass of 67 kDa. The enzyme (BL1) was active over a wide range of pH from 9.0 to
      13.0, with an optimum at pH 11.0, exhibited maximal activity at 55 degreesC and
      retained more than 70% of its activity after incubation at 70 degrees C or pH 13
      for 0.5 h or 24 h, respectively. The enzyme hydrolyzed both short and long-chain
      triacylglycerols at comparable rates. BL1 was studied in a preliminary evaluation
      for use in detergent formulation solutions. This novel lipase showed extreme
      stability towards non-ionic and anionic surfactants after pre-incubation for 1 h
      at 40 degrees C, and good stability towards oxidizing agents. Additionally, the
      enzyme showed excellent stability and compatibility with various commercial
      detergents, suggesting its potential as an additive in detergent formulations.

PMID- 26118131
TI  - Effect of covalent attachment of neomycin on conformational and aggregation
      properties of catalase.
AB  - The carboxylic groups of glutamic acid and aspartic acid residues of catalase
      (CAT) were chemically modified using the treatment of the enzyme with 1-ethyl-3
      (3'-dimethylamino) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) and neomycin. The effect of
      covalent attachment of neomycin on the enzymatic activity, conformational and
      aggregation properties of CAT was investigated. The modification of CAT with
      different concentrations of neomycin showed two different types of behavior,
      depending up on the concentration range of neomycin. In the concentration range
      from 0.0 to 5.2 mM, neomycin-modified CAT, compared to the native enzyme
      exhibited higher a-helix content, reduced surface hydrophobicity, little
      enhancement in CAT activity and a better protection against thermal aggregation,
      whereas at concentrations greater than 5.2 mM, the modified enzyme exhibited a
      significant decrease in CAT activity and an increase in random coil content which
      may result in disorder in the protein structure and increase in thermal
      aggregation. This modification is a rapid and simple approach to investigate the
      role of aspartate and glutamate residues in the structure, function and folding
      of CAT.

PMID- 26118132
TI  - Estimation of the use of fibrin and collagen membranes as carriers for platelet
      derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) in the presence of amoxicillin.
AB  - The effect of homogeneous fibrin (Fb), collagen (Coll) and composite fibrin
      heparin (Fb-Hp), fibrin-collagen (Fb-Coll) membranes on in vitro release of
      platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB) was evaluated in the presence or absence
      of amoxicillin using of the ELISA immunoassay test. Amoxicillin concentration was
      determined spectrophotometrically at 272 nm. The process of the PDGF-BB growth
      factor and amoxicillin release from the studied membranes was of a two-phase
      nature in the majority of the systems analysed. The PDGF-BB was released in the
      highest amount from the Coll membrane (M7) without the presence of amoxicillin-
      546.2 +/- 7.47 pg, t0.5 = 0.88 h and 202.5 +/- 6.83 pg, t0.5 = 26.65 h during the
      first phase and second phase, respectively. The lowest PDGF-BB release was
      observed from composite M4 (Fb-Hp) membrane--5.88 +/- 0.81 pg, t0.5 = 1.69 h; and
      110.2 +/- 6.48 pg, t0.5 = 855.6 h during first and second phase respectively. An
      optimal release of amoxicillin was observed in the case of the composite M6 (Fb
      Coll) membrane--only in the second phase: 64.2 +/- 7.8 MUg, t0.5 = 83.5 h. The
      lowest and delayed amoxicillin release was achieved for M4 membrane (approx. 17.1
      +/- 1.12 MUg, t0.5 = 46.5 h). The results of the PDGF-BB release and amoxicillin
      from membranes indicated a correlation between the level of release and
      composition of the film. Our results suggested that fibrin and collagen membranes
      may be beneficial to enhance periodontal bone regeneration.

PMID- 26118133
TI  - Bile salt incorporated polypyrrole thin film for ethanol sensing.
AB  - Polypyrrole (PPy)-bile salt composite was used for sensing ethanol vapor. PPy was
      synthesized by interface polymerization for subsequent fabrication of thin film
      of its composite with bile salt, by in-situ co-dispersion method and then exposed
      to ethanol vapour. Sensing was visualized through changes in morphological,
      structural and optical characterizations. The ethanol exposed film showed larger
      agglomeration as revealed in its surface morphology on scanning electron
      microscope (SEM) and greater crystallinity as seen through X-Ray diffraction
      (XRD). Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance
      spectroscopy (NMR) of the ethanol incorporated film also gave signature of the
      presence of bile salt and alcohol. Alcohol incorporation pattern resulted in
      increase in electrical conductance from 7.08539 x 10(-5) mA/V to 8.0356 x 10(-5)
      mA/V, as determined from current voltage characterizations. Average molecular
      weight (M(n)) obtained from gel permeation chromatography changed from 6160 to
      10300 on ethanol intake. Photoluminescence (PL) intensity was quenched and the PL
      peak shifted from 430 to 409 on ethanol exposure. Changes in morphological,
      structural, optical and electrical properties of the composite on ethanol
      exposure showed its prospective application for sensing ethanol.

PMID- 26118134
TI  - Vascular endothelial growth factor insertion/deletion gene polymorphism in West
      Indian patients of type 2 diabetes and diabetic nephropathy.
AB  - Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in
      diabetes. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent multi-functional
      cytokine which plays a key role in the pathogenesis of DN. In this study, we
      evaluated the possible association of the VEGF gene (I/D) polymorphisms with DN
      in type 2 diabetes patients in West Indian population. Genotyping (I/D) of the
      VEGF gene polymorphism was done by the polymerase chain reaction. A total of 103
      patients with type 2 diabetes, 102 patients with DN, 108 patients with non
      diabetic nephropathy and 143 healthy controls were genotyped. The frequency of
      VEGF genotype distribution and biochemical parameters like creatinine and HbA1c
      were compared in diabetic, diabetic nephropathy, non diabetic nephropathy and
      control groups. We found significant difference in creatinine level in DN and NDN
      groups on comparison with control group. Our study suggests that I/D polymorphism
      in the promoter region of the VEGF gene is not associated with DN in type 2
      diabetes patients, but might have a role in development of non-diabetic
      nephropathy.

PMID- 26118135
TI  - Research Workshop on Diagnostics and Therapeutic Immunology: Report.

PMID- 26118136
TI  - The Combined Influence of Psychological Factors on Biomarkers of Renal
      Functioning in African Americans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: African Americans are disproportionately affected by chronic kidney
      disease (CKD). Recent research has documented that psychological-factors have a
      significant influence on the progression and treatment of CKD. However, extant
      evidence exists that has examined the link between psychological factors and
      renal function in African Americans. The purpose of the study was to determine if
      psychological factors were associated with several biomarkers of renal
      functioning in this group. PARTICIPANTS: 129 African American participants, with
      a mean age of 44.4 years (SD = 12.25). DESIGN AND SETTING: Data were analyzed
      from a cross-sectional study entitled Stress and Psychoneuroimmunological Factors
      in Renal Health and Disease. MAIN PREDICTOR MEASURES: Participants completed the
      Beck Depression Inventory-II, Cook Medley Scale, and Perceived Stress Scale-10.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Systolic blood pressure, as well as blood and urine
      samples, were collected and served as biomarkers of renal functioning. RESULTS:
      Our findings indicated that psychological factors were not associated with renal
      functioning. Age, sex, and systolic blood pressure emerged as significant
      predictors of renal functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptomatology,
      perceived stress, and hostility did not influence renal functioning in this
      sample. This unexpected finding may be attributed to the fact that this sample
      population was not elevated on depressive symptoms, perceived stress, or
      hostility. Elevated levels of these psychological factors, as well as other
      psychological factors associated with the CKD, may be more influential on renal
      functioning in African Americans.

PMID- 26118137
TI  - Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Service Utilization among Youth
      Participating in Negative Externalizing Behaviors.
AB  - PURPOSES: Racial/ethnic differences in mental health service utilization were
      examined among youth who reported participating in negative externalizing
      behaviors. METHODS: The study utilized merged data from the 2007-2010 National
      Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to examine differences in utilization of
      inpatient or outpatient mental health services not related to substance or
      alcohol use by White, Black and Hispanic youth who reported engaging in negative
      externalizing behaviors ("acting out"). Differences in service utilization in
      these groups were assessed using logistic regression models. RESULTS:
      Race/ethnicity was a significant predictor of outpatient mental health service
      use. Black and Hispanic children were less likely to use outpatient services.
      Inpatient service use decreased with increasing income. Parental presence in the
      household increased the likelihood of outpatient service use for minorities.
      CONCLUSION: Racial/ethnic minority youth in the United States continue to use
      outpatient mental health services at lower rates. This may lead to high
      prevalence of untreated negative externalizing behaviors among minority
      adolescent groups and, in turn, lead to use of inpatient services from systems
      such as juvenile justice and foster care. Such severe treatment alternatives can
      be prevented if timely and culturally tailored outpatient intervention is
      provided.

PMID- 26118138
TI  - Discrimination and Depression among Urban Hispanics with Poorly Controlled
      Diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We had three objectives for our study: 1) to describe the prevalence
      and burden of experiences of discrimination among Hispanics with poorly
      controlled diabetes; 2) to evaluate associations among discrimination experiences
      and their burden with comorbid depression among Hispanics with poorly controlled
      diabetes; and 3) to evaluate whether discrimination encountered in the health
      care context itself was associated with comorbid depression for Hispanic adults
      with diabetes. DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data
      of a randomized controlled trial (RCT). SETTING: We collected data in the context
      of an RCT in a clinical setting in New York City. PARTICIPANTS: Our sample
      comprised 221 urban-dwelling Hispanics, largely of Caribbean origin. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: The main outcome measure was major depression, measured by the Euro-D
      (score > 3). RESULTS: Of 221 participants, 58.8% reported at least one experience
      of everyday discrimination, and 42.5% reported at least one major experience of
      discrimination. Depression was associated significantly with counts of
      experiences of major discrimination (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.09 - 1.94, P = .01),
      aggregate counts of everyday and major discrimination (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.02 -
      1.26, P = .02), and the experience of discrimination in getting care for physical
      health (OR = 6.30, 95% CI= 1.10-36.03). CONCLUSIONS: Discrimination may pose a
      barrier to getting health care and may be associated with depression among
      Hispanics with diabetes. Clinicians treating Caribbean-born Hispanics should be
      aware that disadvantage and discrimination likely complicate a presentation of
      diabetes.

PMID- 26118139
TI  - Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Distress among Stroke Survivors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: African Americans, Hispanics and some Asian subgroups have a higher
      stroke incidence than non-Hispanic Whites (NHW). Additionally, African Americans
      and Hispanics have worse stroke outcomes than non-Hispanic Whites. Thus, we
      explored racial and ethnic differences in mental distress, a known risk factor
      for post-stroke disability. METHODS: National Health Interview Survey data from
      2000-2010 were used to identify 8,324 community dwelling adults with self
      reported stroke. Serious mental distress was identified by the Kessler-6 scale.
      Logistic regression models assessed racial/ethnic associations with serious
      mental distress after adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, disability,
      health care utilization and socioeconomic factors. RESULTS: Serious mental
      distress was identified in 9% of stroke survivors. Hispanics (14%) were more
      likely to have serious mental distress than African Americans (9%), non-Hispanic
      Whites (9%) and Asians (8%, P = .02). After adjustment, Hispanics (OR = 1.06, 95%
      CI .76-1.48) and Asians (.84, 95% Cl .37-1.90) had a similar odds of serious
      mental distress while African Americans had a lower odds of serious mental
      distress (OR = .61, 95% CI .48-.78) compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Younger
      age, low levels of education and insurance were important predictors of serious
      mental distress among Hispanics. CONCLUSION: Serious mental distress is highly
      prevalent among US stroke survivors and is more common in Hispanics than NHWs,
      African Americans and Asians. Further study of the role of mental distress in
      ethnic differences in post-stroke disability is warranted.

PMID- 26118141
TI  - The Effect of Pulse Pressure on All-Cause and Cardiovascular-Specific Mortality
      Risks in US Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of pulse pressure on all-cause and
      cardiovascular-specific mortality risks and whether this effect varies with sex
      and race/ethnicity among adults who participated in the third National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey and were followed to December 31, 2006. DESIGN:
      Cohort/Longitudinal. SETTING: United States. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All-cause and
      cardiovascular-specific mortality. METHODS: Hazard rates and 95% confidence
      intervals (CI) for all-cause and cardiovascular-specific mortality associated
      with the pulse pressure quartiles (Q) were estimated through Cox proportional
      regression before and after controlling for selected characteristics. RESULTS:
      Relative to adults with pulse pressure in the first quartile, death rate for all
      cause mortality was 29% (95% CL: 1.03, 1.62) and 54% (95% CI: 1.22, 1.95) higher
      in adults with pulse pressures in Q3 and Q4, respectively, after adjustment for
      all study covariates. These associations were further observed in Whites and
      Mexican Americans only. For cardiovascular-specific mortality, the adjusted death
      rates for Q3 and Q4 were 57% (95% CI: 1.00, 2.44) and 76% (95% Cl: 1.16, 2.67).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that pulse pressure could be associated with
      all-cause and CVD-specific mortality risk among US adults.

PMID- 26118140
TI  - Serious Psychological Distress and Diabetes Management among American Indians and
      Alaska Natives.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our study examined associations between serious psychological distress
      and blood glucose level (HbA1c) and body mass index (BMI) among American Indian
      and Alaska Native (AI/AN) participants in a cardiovascular disease prevention
      program. DESIGN: Using linear regression, we assessed the relationships between
      serious psychological distress and HbA1c and BMI at baseline and one year later.
      SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, AND INTERVENTION: AI/AN participants were aged 18 years,
      diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and enrolled in the Special Diabetes Project for
      Indians Healthy Heart Project. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcomes were percentage of
      HbA1c and BMI, measured at enrollment and first annual exam. Both outcomes were
      continuous measures in all analyses. RESULTS: Serious psychological distress was
      associated at baseline with increased HbA1c in the unadjusted and adjusted models
      (adjusted b = .17%, P < 0.01). Serious psychological distress also was associated
      at baseline with increased BMI (.635 kg/m2, P = .01) and at one year with
      increased BMI (0.174 kg/m2, P = .01) in the unadjusted model. After adjustment
      for demographic and health characteristics, these relationships were no longer
      significant. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-sectional baseline findings are consistent with
      existing literature. One-year findings suggest need for further inquiry into
      mediators of psychological distress and examination of additional diabetes
      specific health outcomes. Additional years of observation may be needed to
      disentangle relationships between serious psychological distress and BMI.

PMID- 26118142
TI  - Stroke Disparities: Disaggregating Native Hawaiians from other Pacific Islanders.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical characteristics of Native Hawaiians (NH) and
      other Pacific Islanders (PI) who are hospitalized with ischemic stroke. DESIGN:
      Retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of medical records. SETTING: Tertiary,
      Primary Stroke Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. PATIENTS: Consecutive patients with
      race/ethnicity identified as NH or PI who were hospitalized for ischemic stroke
      between January 2006 and December 2012. OUTCOME MEASURES: Age, sex,
      cardiovascular risk factors, intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA)
      utilization rate and hospital length of stay. RESULTS: A total of 561 patients
      (57% NH and 43% PI) were studied. PI were younger (59 +/- 13 years vs 62 +/- 14
      years, P = .002), had higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus (58% vs 41%, P <
      .0001) and prosthetic valve (6% vs 2%, P = .007), lower prevalence of smoking
      (14% vs 21%, P = .03), lower HDL cholesterol (38 +/- 11 mg/dL vs 41 +/- 13 mg/dL,
      P = .004), and higher discharge diastolic blood pressure (79 +/- 15 vs 76 mm Hg
      +/- 14 mm Hg, P = .04) compared to NH. No difference was seen in other
      cardiovascular risk factors. The IV-tPA utilization rate (5% vs 6%, P = .48) and
      the hospital length of stay (10 +/- 17 days vs 10 +/- 49 days, P = .86) were not
      different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Native Hawaiians and other Pacific
      Islanders with ischemic stroke have modestly different age of stroke presentation
      and burden of risk factors compared to each other. Disaggregating these two
      racial groups may be important to unmask any potential clinical differences in
      future studies.

PMID- 26118143
TI  - A Pilot study Evaluating a Community-based Intervention Focused on the ISHIB
      IMPACT Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Toolkit in African American Patients with
      Uncontrolled Hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate blood pressure (BP) control utilizing the International
      Society on Hypertension in Blacks (ISHIB) cardiovascular risk reduction toolkit
      in an African American community with uncontrolled hypertension. METHODS: This is
      a randomized controlled pilot study conducted in two Baltimore community-based
      physicians' offices assigned adults (18-64 years) with uncontrolled hypertension
      (systolic blood pressure [SBP] <= 169 mm Hg; diastolic blood pressure [DBP] <=
      109 mm Hg). The study compares usual care to a community-based intervention. In
      the usual care group, the patients' BP was managed by the treating physician
      based on their normal office patient care protocol. In the intervention group,
      usual care was provided but, a community health worker also gave comprehensive
      education and assessment to the patients based on the ISHIB IMPACT cardiovascular
      toolkit during study initiation and follow-up visits. The main outcome of study
      was change in BP from baseline to six months. A secondary outcome was the
      proportion of patients achieving BP < 135/< 85 mm Hg at six months. RESULTS:
      Fifty-four African American patients were enrolled; 37 completed six months of
      follow-up (usual care, n = 25; intervention, n = 12). At six months the mean (95%
      CI) change from baseline in SBP was significantly greater in the intervention
      group vs the usual care group: -34.75 (-46.55 to -22.95) mm Hg vs -5.65 (-12.84
      to 1.54) mm Hg (P < .001). Mean (95% CI) change in DBP from baseline to six
      months was significantly greater for the intervention group vs the usual care
      group: -16.19 (-24.00 to -8.39) mm Hg vs -4.36 (-8.26 to -0.46) mm Hg (P = .009).
      Median change in BP was significantly greater for SBP in the intervention group
      compared with the usual care group (P = .007), but not for DBP (P = .197). The
      proportion of patients achieving BP < 135/ <85 at six months was 83% (10/12) in
      the intervention group vs 60% (15/25) in the usual care group (P = .263).
      CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study on the ISHIB IMPACT toolkit in managing
      uncontrolled hypertension in the African American community suggests better
      control of systolic BP and a tendency to better hypertension control with the
      community-based intervention. The findings support further studies in clinical
      settings serving African American hypertensive patients to assess effectiveness
      of approaches for improving BP control and related outcomes.

PMID- 26118145
TI  - Fasting Serum Glucose and Cholesterol as Predictors of Cardiovascular Reactivity
      to Acute Stress in a Sample of African American College Students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: African Americans are at a greater risk of cardiovascular
      hyperactivity to stress than Caucasians; however the risk factors for this
      activity are not clearly delineated for African Americans. The purpose of this
      study was to determine the ability of fasting serum cholesterol concentration and
      fasting serum glucose (FSG) to predict cardiovascular reactivity to stress in
      African Americans. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: Serum cholesterol concentration
      and FSG levels were measured in 48 (40 women, 8 men) African American college
      students aged 18-30 years. Heart rate, cardiac output, stroke volume, mean
      arterial pressure and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured as the
      participants viewed a racially noxious scene on a digital video disc.
      Measurements were taken prior to the scene (pre stressor period), during the
      scene (stressor period), and while the participant recovered from the scene
      (recovery period). RESULTS: A multiple regression analysis revealed that total
      serum cholesterol and LDL significantly predicted diastolic blood pressure during
      the pre-stressor period. FSG significantly predicted mean arterial pressure
      during the recovery period, and predicted stroke volume during the pre-stressor
      period, stressor period, and the recovery period. CONCLUSIONS: FSG was a better
      predictor of cardiovascular reactivity to stress than serum cholesterol
      concentration, predicting mean arterial pressure and stroke volume. This finding
      may be due to the association of glucose with diabetes, which is more prevalent
      in African Americans.

PMID- 26118144
TI  - Implementation of an Adjunct Strategy to Reduce Blood Pressure in Blacks with
      Uncontrolled Hypertension: a Pilot Project.
AB  - A high prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension among Blacks is a major cause of
      racial health disparities in the United States. We established a
      community/academic partnership to improve hypertension control in Blacks
      receiving medical care at a federally qualified health center in Milwaukee. The
      defining components of our program included: six group sessions (one/month),
      based on the American Heart Association's Simple Seven curriculum and designed to
      motivate and empower patients to manage their blood pressure; active involvement
      of a community health worker; and ongoing participation of a community advisory
      board. The study design included a matched control group not exposed to the
      intervention. Patients in both groups received their usual medical care. Overall,
      compared to baseline, systolic blood pressure decreased at both 6 and 12 months
      (P < 0.004); however, the reduction of blood pressure in the intervention and
      control groups did not differ significantly (P = .62). Based on written responses
      to a questionnaire and structured focus group interviews after completing the six
      month program, participants reported that the intervention was effective. In
      retrospect, they suggested that more attention might have been given to
      spirituality and stress reduction. Larger and longer-term studies will be
      required to evaluate the added value of this type of intervention.

PMID- 26118148
TI  - Psychometric Properties of the Family Support Scale Adapted for African American
      Women with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was two-fold: 1) adapt and test a social
      support measure specific to the experiences of African American women with type 2
      diabetes mellitus (T2DM); 2) examine its relationship to psychosocial measures.
      RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: 200 rural African American women with uncontrolled
      T2DM participating in a randomized controlled trial completed surveys at baseline
      on their social support, empowerment, self-care, self-efficacy, depression and
      diabetes distress. Exploratory factor analysis and correlation analysis were
      conducted to test the psychometric properties of the Dunst Family Support Scale
      adapted for AA women with T2DM (FSS-AA T2DM) and its relationship with other
      psychosocial measures. RESULTS: The 16 items of the FSS-AA T2DM loaded onto three
      distinct factors: parent and spouse/partner support, community and medical
      support, and extended family and friends support. Reliability for the entire
      scale was good (Cronbach's alpha = .90) and was acceptable to high across these
      three factors (Cronbach's alpha of .86, .83, and .83 respectively). All three
      factors were significantly correlated with self-reported empowerment, self-care,
      self-efficacy, depression and diabetes distress, although the pattern was
      different for each factor. FSS-AA-T2DM showed good concurrent validity when
      compared with similar items on the Diabetes Distress Scale. CONCLUSION: The FSS
      AA T2DM, a 16-item scale measuring social support among rural African American
      women with T2DM, is internally consistent and reliable. Findings support the
      utility of this screening tool in this population, although additional testing is
      needed with other groups in additional settings.

PMID- 26118146
TI  - Rationale and Design of the Echocardiographic Study of Hispanics/Latinos (ECHO
      SOL).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Information regarding the prevalence and determinants of cardiac
      structure and function (systolic and diastolic) among the various Hispanic
      background groups in the United States is limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: The
      Echocardiographic Study of Latinos (ECHO-SOL) ancillary study recruited 1,824
      participants through a stratified-sampling process representative of the
      population-based Hispanic Communities Health Study - Study of Latinos (HCHS-SOL)
      across four sites (Bronx, NY; Chicago, Ill; San Diego, Calif; Miami, Fla). The
      HCHS-SOL baseline cohort did not include an echo exam. ECHO-SOL added the
      echocardiographic assessment of cardiac structure and function to an array of
      existing HCHS-SOL baseline clinical, psychosocial, and socioeconomic data and
      provides sufficient statistical power for comparisons among the Hispanic
      subgroups. Standard two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography protocol, including M
      mode, spectral, color and tissue Doppler study was performed. The main objectives
      were to: 1) characterize cardiac structure and function and its determinants
      among Hispanics and Hispanic subgroups; and 2) determine the contributions of
      specific psychosocial factors (acculturation and familismo) to cardiac structure
      and function among Hispanics. CONCLUSION: We describe the design, methods and
      rationale of currently the largest and most comprehensive study of cardiac
      structure and function exclusively among US Hispanics. ECHO-SOL aims to enhance
      our understanding of Hispanic cardiovascular health as well as help untangle the
      relative importance of Hispanic subgroup heterogeneity and sociocultural factors
      on cardiac structure and function.

PMID- 26118147
TI  - Participant Retention in a Longitudinal National Telephone Survey of African
      American Men and Women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to describe participant demographic
      factors related to retention, and to report on retention strategies in a national
      study of African Americans re-contacted 2.5 years after an initial baseline
      telephone interview. DESIGN & SETTING: The Religion and Health in African
      Americans (RHIAA) study was originally developed as a cross-sectional telephone
      survey to examine relationships between religious involvement and health-related
      factors in a national sample of African Americans. The cohort was re-contacted on
      average of 2.5 years later for a follow-up interview. PARTICIPANTS: RHIAA
      participants were 2,803 African American men (1,202) and women (1,601).
      INTERVENTIONS: RHIAA used retention strategies consistent with recommendations
      from Hunt and White. Participants also received a lay summary of project
      findings. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Retention at the follow-up interview. RESULTS:
      Retention rates ranged from 39%- 41%. Retained participants tended to be older
      and female. In age- and sex-adjusted analyses, retained participants were more
      educated, single, and in better health status than those not retained. There was
      no difference in religious involvement in adjusted analyses. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although overall retention rates are lower than comparable longitudinal studies,
      RHIAA was not originally designed as a longitudinal study and so lacked a number
      of structures associated with long-term studies. However, this project
      illustrates the feasibility of conducting lengthy cold call telephone interviews
      with an African American population and helps to identify some participant
      factors related to retention and study strategies that may aid in retention.

PMID- 26118149
TI  - Factors Associated with Underestimation of Weight Status among Caucasian, Latino,
      Filipino, and Korean Americans--DiLH Survey.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe weight misperception and to examine the influence of
      sociodemographic factors on underestimation of weight status in Caucasian,
      Latino, Filipino, and Korean Americans. DESIGN: Data from 886 non-pregnant adults
      who participated in a cross-sectional survey administered in English, Spanish,
      and Korean were analyzed. The actual weight status derived from the participants'
      body mass index (BMI) categories and their perceived weight status were compared.
      A multiple logistic regression model was used to explore if underestimation of
      weight status was associated with ethnicity, sex, and education level. RESULTS:
      Caucasians, Latinos, Filipinos, and Koreans represented 19.4%, 26.8%, 27.4%, and
      26.4%, respectively, of the total sample of 886. Overall, two in three
      participants correctly perceived their weight status, but 42% of Latinos
      underestimated their weight status and 22% of Koreans overestimated their weight
      status. Latino ethnicity, male, and low education (high school) were related to
      greater underestimation of weight status (P < .05). In contrast, Korean ethnicity
      was related to less underestimation of weight status (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS:
      Misperception of weight status should be counted in any efforts to develop a
      weight management intervention for Latino and Korean Americans.

PMID- 26118150
TI  - Obesity and Cardiovascular Diseases in a High-Risk Population: Evidence-Based
      Approach to CHD Risk Reduction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is becoming a worldwide public health problem and it is
      expected to worsen as its prevalence is increasing in children and adolescents.
      This report examined the distribution of major cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk
      factors and the effect of life-style changes on coronary heart disease (CHD) risk
      prediction in a high risk obese African Americans. METHODS: We examined the
      baseline distribution of CVD risk factors in 515 obese African Americans, with
      mean BMI of 42.9 +/- 6.8 kg/m2, and prospectively the effect of a 6-month low
      salt, low-fat diet and aerobic-exercise intervention program on risk reduction.
      RESULTS: Prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus were
      57%, 27% and 24% respectively. Metabolic syndrome was present in 36% and 39% met
      two features of the syndrome. The 10-year risk prediction for developing CHD
      ranged from 4% to 17% for women and 6% to 29% for men. After 6 months of life
      style changes, many of the risk factors improved, and the CHD risk scores
      decreased from 6% to 4% in the women and 16% to 13% in the men. CONCLUSION: The
      high prevalence and increasing incidence of obesity and associated cardiovascular
      risk emphasizes the need to focus on obesity reduction in this high risk
      population.

PMID- 26118152
TI  - Racial Disparities in Behavior Risk Factors and Diabetes Preventive Health Care
      among Asian/Pacific Islanders with Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate behavior risk factors and diabetes preventive health care
      among Asian/Pacific Islanders (API) diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN:
      Population-based telephone survey. PARTICIPANTS: APIs and non-Hispanic Whites
      (NHW) surveyed in the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
      data. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diabetes preventive health care (taking insulin,
      taking educational classes, receiving flu shot and pneumococcal vaccine, blood
      sugar check, cholesterol check, HbA1C check, and eye and foot examination),
      behavior risk factors (fruit and vegetable consumption, physical exercise,
      smoking and binge drinking). RESULTS: By constructing the logistic regression
      model, odds ratios (OR) were calculated to compare the risk factors and
      preventive care between NHW and API groups. Compared with NHW, the APIs were
      significantly less likely to check their blood sugar at least once a day (OR =
      .59, 95% CI = .393-.886), got flu shots (OR = .597, 95% CI = .394-.903) and have
      had pneumococcal vaccines (OR = .455, 95% CI = .296-.7). The results also showed
      that APIs eat more fruits, are more likely to be physically active, and are less
      likely to participate in binge drinking and smoking. There are no differences
      between these two groups for diabetes education, having seen professionals for
      diabetes within past year, having cholesterol or HbA1C checked in past year, and
      having an eye or foot exam in past year. CONCLUSIONS: Our results can inform the
      best intervention strategies to deliver diabetes preventive health care services
      for the APIs with type 2 diabetes and to help NHWs reduce risk factors for
      diabetes.

PMID- 26118151
TI  - Lean Mass and Fat Mass as Contributors to Physical Fitness in an Overweight and
      Obese African American Population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of lean vs fat mass with fitness in
      healthy, overweight and obese African Americans from families with early-onset
      coronary disease. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Baltimore, Maryland.
      PARTICIPANTS: 191 healthy, overweight, sedentary African Americans (69% women;
      aged 44.8 +/- 11 years; body mass index 34 +/- 5 kg/m2). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Anthropometrics, smoking, blood pressure, lipids, c-reactive protein, and glucose
      were assessed with standard methods; body composition was determined by dual
      energy X-ray absorptiometry; cardiorespiratory fitness was expressed as VO(2peak)
      attained during a maximal treadmill test. RESULTS: In both men and women, greater
      lean mass was independently associated with higher VO(2peak) (P < .05) and
      explained > 21% of the variance in VO(2peak), adjusted for body mass index, fat
      mass, important covariables, and nonindependence of families. CONCLUSIONS: In
      this cross-sectional study, lean mass was the key determinant of
      cardiorespiratory fitness, independent of sex, age, and magnitude of obesity.
      These data provide a strong rationale for examining whether interventions that
      increase lean mass may also improve fitness, even among high-risk overweight and
      obese African Americans.

PMID- 26118153
TI  - Effect of Race on the Prevalence of Congenital Malformations among Newborns in
      the United States.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Racial variability in certain prenatal risk factors, such as prenatal
      vitamin supplementation and termination of pregnancy for fetal anomaly, has
      altered the racial prevalence of congenital malformation (CM). Analysis of a
      single large representative population is required to analyze current racial
      differences in prevalence of CM in the United States. METHOD: This is a
      population-based cross-sectional study to analyze racial differences in
      prevalence of CM diagnoses. We reviewed all live births in the 2008 Nationwide
      Inpatient Sample (NIS) database and determined birth prevalence of 55 selected CM
      diagnoses in Caucasians. We then calculated the relative risk of these CM
      diagnoses in African American, Hispanics and Asians relative to Caucasians.
      RESULT: Overall CM prevalence was 29.2 per 1,000 in a cohort of 1,048,252 live
      births of which 51% were Caucasians. Compared to Caucasian, risk of overall CM
      was lower in African Americans (RR = .9, CI .8-9) and Hispanics (RR = .9, CI .8
      .9). Risk of overall CM was similar in Caucasians and Asians. Relative to the
      Caucasians, African Americans had lower risk of cardiac, genitourinary, and
      craniofacial malformations but higher risk of musculoskeletal malformations.
      Hispanics had lower risk of genitourinary and gastrointestinal malformation.
      Asians had higher risk of craniofacial and musculoskeletal malformation.
      CONCLUSIONS: This is a comprehensive description of racial difference in risk of
      CM in the United States. Observed racial differences in risk of CM may be related
      to genetic susceptibilities, to cultural or social differences that could modify
      exposures, or to the many potential combinations between susceptibilities and
      exposures.

PMID- 26118154
TI  - Clinical experience with BIAsp 30: Results from the Bangladesh cohort of the
      global A1chieve study.
AB  - The aim of A1chieve was to remedy the deficit of data on the efficacy and safety
      of insulin analogues in routine clinical care in less well-resourced developed
      countries. To present results from the Bangladesh cohort of the A1chieve study
      receiving BIAsp 30 +/- oral anti diabetic drugs. A1chieve was a 6-month,
      observational study of 66,726 people with type 2 diabetes, started on insulin
      detemir, insulin aspart or biphasic insulin aspart (BIAsp 30) in 28 countries
      across four continents. A total of 1,093 subjects were recruited from 49 sites in
      Bangladesh and 580 subjects initiated on BIAsp 30 were studied. In the entire
      cohort, treatment with BIAsp 30 for 24 weeks significantly reduced mean HbA(1c)
      (2.8%, p < 0.001), fasting plasma glucose (4.0 mmol/L, p < 0.001) and post
      prandial plasma glucose (6.6 mmol/L, p < 0.001) levels from baseline. The rate of
      overall hypoglycaemic events in the entire cohort also reduced significantly at
      24 weeks (1.86 to 0.02 events/person year, p < 0.0001). BIAsp 30 can be
      considered as a safe and effective option for initiating as well as intensifying
      insulin therapy for type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 26118155
TI  - Percutaneous nephrolithotomy--a versatile technique for both simple and complex
      renal stone.
AB  - Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy is currently the preferred first line treatment for
      simple & complex renal calculi. The technique also being used increasingly for
      smaller stones that have failed ESWL. Aim of the study is to share our experience
      in PCNL in course of time. This study was conducted from January 2009 to December
      2012, 131 patient's with 142 renal units of 5-75 yrs of age, PCNL were performed
      in NIKDU, BSMMU & JBFH. Stone were classified into simple (isolated renal pelvis
      or isolated calyceal stones) or complex (partial or complete staghorn stones,
      renal pelvic stone with accompanying calyceal stones). The stone size was 1.5-5cm
      approximately. We asses our initial puncture technique, need for multi-tract,
      supra 12th rib access, stone free rate, operative duration, postoperative
      complication, number of transfusion and hospital stay. Operative durations were
      60 min -180 minutes. Puncture technique improved in course of time. 14 patients
      need multi-puncture and tract, all are supra 12th access. Out of 142 renal units
      120 (83%) were stone free after first procedure, another 22 need and auxiliary
      procedure, (5 2nd look PCNL, 6 URS, 11 ESWL) to become stone free result in a 95%
      stone free rate. Complications occurred in 17 procedures which dealt accordingly.
      This study revealed PCNL is an effective, versatile safe and cosmetically
      acceptable procedure for all age groups in simple and complex renal stone.

PMID- 26118156
TI  - Comparison of transvaginal and transabdominal ultrasonography in the diagnosis of
      ectopic pregnancy.
AB  - This cross sectional study was carried out in the department of Radiology and
      Imaging, Dhaka Medical College Hospital from July 2008 to June 2010 to compare
      the accuracy of transvaginal ultrasonography and transabdominal ultrasonography
      in the diagnosis of clinically suspected cases of ectopic pregnancy. Initially 60
      patients with clinical suspicion of ectopic pregnancy were included in this study
      after analyzing selection criteria 30 patients underwent both transvaginal and
      transabdominal ultrasonography. 'Histopathological diagnosis' was considered gold
      standard against which accuracies of two diagnostic modalities were compared.
      Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value
      and accuracy of transabdominal ultrasonography as a diagnostic modality in
      evaluation of suspected ectopic pregnancy were 73.1%, 75%, 95%, 30% and 73.3%
      respectively where as transvaginal ultrasonography was found to have 92.3%
      sensitivity, 75% specificity, 96% positive predictive value, 60% negative
      predictive value and 90% accuracy. Transvaginal ultrasonography was superior to
      transabdominal ultrasonography in the evaluation of suspected ectopic pregnancies
      so, transvaginal ultrasonography is important for early and accurate diagnosis of
      ectopic pregnancy.

PMID- 26118157
TI  - An open randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of two fixed dose
      combinations of artemesinin based combinations for uncomplicated falciparum
      malaria in Bangladesh.
AB  - National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) of Bangladesh has introduced Artemisinin
      Based Combination (ACT), Coartem(R) (Artemether-Lumefantrine (AL), fixed dose
      combination, in the confirmed cases of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria since
      2004. Despite the reduction of mortality due to malaria, the development and
      spread of anti-malarial drug resistance wordwide posing a threat to the health
      services and will make it difficult to control malaria in Bangladesh in future.
      We need to have an alternative to Coartem which could be Artesunate-amodiaquine
      (AA) in a fixed dose combination (FDC), a cheaper altenative not yet evidenced to
      be effective and safe to our population. In this study we compared the efficacy
      and safety of Artemether + Lumefantrene (FDC, Coartem) with Artesunate
      +Amodiaquine tablets (100/270 mg FDC) for the treatment of uncomplicated P.
      falciparum malaria in three high risk multi-drug resistant malaria prevalent
      areas of Bangladesh. It was an open label randomized controlled trial conducted
      between December 2008 and November 2009 in 4 upazillas in patients over the age
      12 to 60 years diagnosed as a case of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria. The
      outcome of the cases were measured as clinical response, parasitological
      response, defervescence time and parasite clearance time. Drug safety was
      assessed by comparing the adverse events. A total of 252 cases were randomized to
      receive Artesunate + Amodiaquine (AA group, 147 cases) and Artemether +
      Lumefantrene (AL group, 106 cases), one lost to follow up at day 28 in AA group.
      The distribution of the cases was comparable by age, sex and study sites.
      Treatment success' response was observed 100% in the AL group and AA group had
      99%, two failures with AA were late treatment failures and the difference was not
      statistically significant (p > .1). The parasitological sensitive (S) response
      was observed in 97% of cases in AL group and 95% in the AA group, and was not a
      statistically significant difference. There was no significant difference in
      deffervescence time and parasite clearance time between two groups of cases. No
      serious adverse events were observed. The frequencies of minor adverse events
      were insignificantly different between the two treatment groups. The two ACT
      regimen, AA and AL had no significant difference in efficacy and safety for
      treatment of Uncomplicated Malaria in Bangladesh. However, there were few more
      failures with AA regimen compared to AL regimen, which was not statistically
      significant. Both these regimens can be used alternatively by the NMCP of
      Bangladesh as first-line treatment option.

PMID- 26118158
TI  - Double balloon enteroscopy: Bangladesh experience.
AB  - Double balloon enteroscopy (DBE) is a newly developed endoscopic modality for
      diagnosis and treatment of small bowel disorders. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutic impact of DBE in patient with suspected
      small bowel disease. This was a prospective study. Sixty one double balloon
      enteroscopy procedures (30 antegrade 31 retrograde) were done in thirty six
      patients (20M/16F, mean age 40 +/- 12.5 range 16-65 years ) at gastroenterology
      department, Sir Salimullah Medical College, Dhaka between October 2011 and
      September 2012. Indications for DBE included chronic abdominal pain 14 (38.9%),
      obscure GI bleeding 11 (30.56%), Small bowel obstruction 05 (13.89%), and chronic
      diarrhea 06 (16.67%). The morphologic findings were ulcerations 13 (36.11%),
      growth 03 (8.33%), vascular ectasia 03 (8.33%) and polyp 01 (2.78%). Therapeutic
      interventions were performed in one patient only. No serious complications were
      observed. Diagnostic yields in case of chronic abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea,
      obscure GI bleeding and small bowel obstruction were 50%, 66%, 63% and 40%
      respectively. The findings were adenocarcinoma 04 (11%), lymphoma 03 (8.4%),
      tuberculosis 03 (8.4%), non specific findings 05 (13.9%), IPSID 01(2.8%), Crohn's
      disease 01 (2.8%), vascular ectasia 03 (8.33%) and normal 16 (44.44%). DBE is
      well tolerated, feasible and useful technique for the diagnosis as well as
      treatment of small intestinal disorders.

PMID- 26118159
TI  - Comparison of modified Friedewald's formula with direct measurement of low
      density lipoprotein cholesterol in Bangladeshi population.
AB  - A modification of Friedewald's formula to estimate serum low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (LDLC) up to serum triglyceride (TG) level of 11.3 mmol/L in
      Bangladeshi population has recently been published. The aim of this study was to
      compare the modified formula with direct measurement of LDLC in Bangladeshi
      population in a different setting. One thousand and fifty two specimens from
      adult subjects were analyzed. Serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), LDLC and TG were measured by standard methods.
      The modified Friedewald's formula was applied to estimate LDL cholesterol
      concentration. Results were expressed as mean +/- SD and calculated LDLC was
      compared with measured LDLC by two-tailed paired t test, Bland-Altman plot for
      absolute bias, Pearson's correlation coefficients of calculated LDLC with
      measured LDLC and Passing & Bablok regression equation of calculated LDLC against
      measured LDLC. The mean +/- SD of measured LDLC was 2.98 +/- 0.82 mmol/L. LDLC
      calculated by modified Friedewald's formula was 2.77 +/- 0.86 mmol/L. The mean
      absolute bias was -0.20 +/- 0.32 mmol/L, Pearson's correlation coefficient (r)
      was 0.9293 (P < 0.0001) and Passing & Bablok regression equation was y = -
      0.3856+1.0597x for modified formula up to serum TG <= 11.3 mmol/L. Compared to
      original Friedewald's formula, performance of the modified Friedewald's formula
      was better up to serum TG <= 4.52 mmol/L. The study reveals that the modified
      Friedewald's formula may be used to calculate LDLC approximately in Bangladeshi
      population.

PMID- 26118160
TI  - Microbial contamination in herbal medicines available in Bangladesh.
AB  - Plants have long been used as herbal medicines in many countries. However,
      microbial contamination of these medicines may affect human health. Present study
      was performed to assess the pathogenic proliferation in the locally available
      commercial herbal oral medicines. The pathogenic load was compared with the
      microbiological standard given by the British Pharmacopoeia. Out of 85 oral
      liquid samples, 2 were found to be highly contaminated with a total aerobic
      bacterial load of 1.24 x 10(5) cfu/ml, 10 samples were contaminated with fungi
      (1.2 x 10(4)-6.3 x 10(4) cfu/ml). Tests for specific pathogens were carried out.
      One sample showed contamination by coliforms but none of the samples were
      contaminated by Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. Among 40 semisolid samples, one
      showed to be contaminated with bacteria (1.93 x 10(5) cfu/g) and 5 samples
      consisted of fungal load ranging between 1.5 x 10(4)-2.2 x 10(4) cfu/g. The
      presence of bacteria and fungi in these samples thus suggest the fact that
      aseptic handling is necessary during processing of oral herbal medicines.

PMID- 26118161
TI  - Ocular injury: Prevalence in different rural population of Bangladesh.
AB  - This population based cross-sectional study was conducted on 8283 persons of all
      ages in five districts, selected conveniently, to assess the magnitude of ocular
      injuries, their causes and consequences in rural Bangladesh. Six Upazilas from
      five districts and from each Upazila one Union was selected randomly. One
      village, the ultimate cluster, was then selected conveniently from each Union.
      All people (n = 8283) in the 8 villages were then surveyed. Out of 8283
      population (ranging from 1-120 years) surveyed, 167(2%) had history and/or
      evidence of past ocular trauma with a yearly incidence of 6.2 per 1000 per year.
      Study demonstrated a female predominance with male to female ratio being roughly
      4:5. Majority (82%) had at least one episode of trauma in their life-time with
      mean age at 1st trauma being 20 years. Nearly 40% of the traumas were caused by
      blunt objects followed by penetrating object (22.3%) and sharp instrument (18.1%)
      with home being the primary place of occurrence (55.1%). Evidence of ocular
      trauma was found on eye-lid (15%), conjunctiva (11.4%) and cornea (10.2%) as
      scars. The older participants (>= 30 years), females, illiterates, agriculture
      labors, housewives and household workers were more likely to receive trauma.
      Majority (86.8%) of the subjects received treatment following injury. The median
      time lapsed between injuries and receiving first treatment was 5 days and that
      between injury and visiting an eye-specialist was 18 days. Self-treatment and
      treatment from over-the-counter comprised 45% and 42.1% respectively followed by
      eye-specialists (25.5%), village quack (22.8%), graduate doctors (19.3%) and
      traditional healers (6.9%). About 87% received conservative management, with
      12.4% needing hospitalization. Most of the injured (92.8%) and non-injured
      (95.2%) eyes had normal vision before trauma as informed by the respondents.
      Following trauma, 18% had impaired, 10.7% severely impaired vision and about 6%
      were blind. Job abstinence due to trauma was 53% with median wage loss being 10
      days. The study concludes that point-prevalence of ocular trauma in rural area is
      around 2% with blunt objects commonly causing the trauma and one in every 16
      trauma-hit case undergo blind. Addressing blindness from ocular trauma, should,
      therefore, be a priority for eye care programs in rural Bangladesh.

PMID- 26118162
TI  - Comparison of P2Y12 receptor inhibition by clopidogrel and prasugrel in patients
      undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.
AB  - Dual antiplatelet treatment (DAPT) with aspirin and clopidogrel is vital after
      percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Clopidogrel and prasugrel act on P2Y12
      platelet surface receptors. Both these P2Y12 inhibitors are pro-drugs and depend
      on cytochrome system of the liver for their conversion to active metabolite.
      There is growing concern regarding suboptimal response in platelet inhibition by
      clopidogrel. Verify Now system got approval by Federal Drug Administration, USA,
      for assessing platelet function as its result is almost comparable to gold
      standard Light Transmission Aggregometry (LTA). There are no data on the
      prevalence of clopidogrel resistance in Bangladeshi population. Prasugrel, as an
      antiplatelet drug, is a newer introduction in this country. This study will show
      light on the efficacy of these drugs on our population especially in patients who
      undergo PCI where DAPT is mandatory. A total 120 (60 diabetics) patients with
      Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS), were alternatively given 600 mg clopidogrel
      loading dose (LD) followed by 75 mg maintenance dose (MD) daily or 60 mg LD of
      prasugrel followed by 10 mg MD daily. Five samples of blood were taken at
      different time intervals over a period of 2 weeks. Measurement of percent
      inhibition of P2Y12 was done by VerifyNow. Patients who showed less than 20%
      inhibition (clopidogrel resistant) at any stage were switched to prasugrel. The
      outcomes of clopidogrel, prasugrel and clopidogrel switched to prasugrel groups
      were then compared. Nearly half (46.7%) of the patients in the clopidogrel group
      was found resistant to the drug as opposed to none in the prasugrel group. No
      difference was found between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects with respect to
      drug resistance. Intracoronary blood samples showed high degree of platelet
      inhibition with prasugrel. There was a gradual decline of platelet inhibition
      over two weeks with prasugrel. Almost fifty percent of the population is
      clopidogrel resistant in our study. Prasugrel is a much more potent antiplatelet
      drug and should be preferred in patients undergoing PCI. Prasugrel may also show
      resistance over time.

PMID- 26118163
TI  - Auto-analyzer based screening of microcytic hypochromic ratio to differentiate
      thalassaemia and non thalassemic microcytosis.

PMID- 26118164
TI  - Newborn hearing screening: what are we missing?
AB  - The objectives of the study were to demonstrate hearing status in newborns at
      first screening by Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions and to find out the
      relationship between abnormal hearing screening and known risk factors. This
      study was conducted in the department of neonatology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib
      Medical University in collaboration with department of otolaryngology and
      department of obstetrics and gynaecology. This prospective observational study
      included a cohort of 168 neonates from Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and neonatal
      Nursery (Minimal care unit). All were screened for hearing impairment using
      Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions in out-patient department of
      otolaryngology by a trained audiologist before discharge from hospital. Risk
      factors analysed were according to the criteria of American Academy of
      Pediatrics. Of the total neonates screened, Refer rate was 32.7% irrespective of
      presence or absence of risk factors. Small for gestational age, in-utero
      infections, ototoxic medications, birth weight < 1500, sepsis/meningitis,
      hyperbilirubinemia were found to be significant risk factors (p < 0.0001). It can
      be recommended that hearing screening should be universally done for all
      newborns.

PMID- 26118165
TI  - Antimicrobial resistance and in vitro biofilm-forming ability of Enterococci spp.
      isolated from urinary tract infection in a tertiary care hospital in Dhaka.
AB  - The biofilm mode of life conveys a survival advantage to the microorganism
      associated with it. Biofilm on an indwelling urinary catheter consists of
      adherent microorganisms, their extra cellular products, and host components
      deposited on the catheter and thus biofilm on urinary catheters results in
      persistent infections that are resistant to antimicrobial therapy. This study was
      done during the period of January 2010 to December 2010. Fifty nine enterococci
      isolated from 1203 urine samples were speciated by conventional microbiological
      methods and examined for their ability to form biofilm by microtitre plate assay
      and antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disc diffusion method for 10
      clinically relevant antibiotics respectively. Biofilm producing Enterococci were
      more frequently found in catheterized than in non catheterized patient (p <
      0.004). Enterococcus faecium showed increased resistantance to multiple
      antibiotic than Enterococcus faecalis. Significant relationship was found between
      biofilm production with antibiotic resistance to amoxicillin, co-trimoxazole,
      ciprofloxacin, gentamycin, cefotaxime, and cefuroxime. This study demonstrated a
      high propensity among the isolates of Enterococci to form biofilm and a
      significant association of biofilms with multiple drug resistance.

PMID- 26118166
TI  - Role of sonohysterography in evaluation of abnormally thickened endometrium
      causing abnormal uterine bleeding with histopathological correlation.
AB  - This prospective randomized study was carried out in the department of Radiology
      and Imaging in collaboration with the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of
      Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Shahbag and Dhaka Medical
      College Hospital (DMCH) during the period of January 2003 to December 2004. The
      aim of this study was to establish sonohyterography as a sensitive tool and
      superior to Transvaginal Sonography (TVS) for detection of endometrial pathology
      in women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) and its validity by determining
      sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value and negative
      predictive value. For this purpose, a total number of 40 patients who had
      thickened endometrium (cut off level < 15 mm for pre menopausal and < 5 mm for
      post menopausal patients) detected on transabdominal or transvaginal sonography
      were selected. TVS and TV-SH were done in all these patients and findings were
      then compared with the final histopathological diagnosis. In our study, we found
      TV-SH has sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 80% and accuracy of 97.5% compared
      to TVS (94%, 66.66% and 90% respectively) in detection of endometrial pathology
      in women with AUB. TV-SH can thus be regarded as one of the most sensitive,
      specific and accurate modality in detecting and excluding endoluminal masses as
      the cause of AUB. It can be considered as the initial examination in the
      evaluation of all women with AUB.

PMID- 26118167
TI  - Cadaver study of the volume of the ovary in Bangladeshi women.
AB  - Reproductive age, ovarian reserve and reproductive capability may be determined
      from the volume of the ovary. A cross-sectional, descriptive study was done in
      the Department of Anatomy, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka, from January to December
      2009, to see the variation in the volume of the ovary with age in Bangladeshi
      women. The study was performed on 140 post mortem human ovaries collected from 70
      unclaimed female dead bodies which were in the morgue under examination in the
      Department of Forensic Medicine, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka. The samples were
      divided into three age-groups including group A (10-13 years), group B (1445
      years) & group C (46-52 years). Group A is pre-menarche group, group B represents
      reproductive age and group C is post menopausal group. The length, breadth and
      thickness of each ovary were measured by using a slide calipers. Then the volume
      of each ovary was determined by the product of its length, breadth and thickness
      multiplied by 0.524, according to the Prolate ellipsoid formula. The mean volume
      of the right ovary was found higher than that of the left one in all age groups
      (p < 0.001). The difference in mean volume of the ovary between group A & group
      B, group B & group C (p < 0.001) and group A & group C (p < 0.01) were also
      statistically significant. The volume of the ovary increases with age and then
      gradually starts to decrease from menopause.

PMID- 26118168
TI  - Physicians knowledge and attitude of opioid availability, accessibility and use
      in pain management in Bangladesh.
AB  - This survey was conducted on 1000 physicians with pain management
      responsibilities practicing in 47 districts in Bangladesh. The response rate was
      58.3%. The physicians had a mean of 21 years in practice. It was notable that 66%
      of the physicians had seen cancer patients in the last 12 months and 63% had seen
      patients with advanced stage cancer where opioids are considered as the mainstay
      of treatment. It was discouraging that 85% of the physicians preferred to
      prescribe pethidine, when patients needed opioids for severe pain. 53% of the
      physicians were not aware of the 'Bangladesh Narcotics law, 1990'. 89% of the
      physicians would restrict opioid dosage in pain management to prevent drug
      tolerance or addiction. Oncology physicians displayed significantly higher
      knowledge scores. The results demonstrated physicians' poor knowledge, attitude
      and perceived barriers regarding opioids. Effective education strategies need to
      be addressed using the study result.

PMID- 26118169
TI  - Modulation of oxidative stress by enalapril and valsartan in adrenaline treated
      rats: a comparative study.
AB  - Angiotensin (Ang II) II is known to promote oxidative stress in acute myocardial
      infarction (AMI). Inhibition of renin angiotensin system (RAS) or blockade of Ang
      II receptors may therefore be effective in reducing oxidative stress during AMI.
      The study evaluates and compares the protective effect of Angiotensin Converting
      Enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and AT1 receptor blocker in adrenaline induced oxidative
      stress in rats. Rats were treated with two successive injections of adrenaline
      subcutaneously at a dose of 2 mg/kg administered 24 hours apart. In other two
      groups of rats enalapril (30 mg/kg) or valsartan (30 mg/kg) were given orally
      once daily through intragastric tube for 2 weeks and then two injections of
      adrenaline were administered 24 hours apart. Serum Aspertate Transaminase (AST),
      plasma Malonde Aldehyde (MDA), erythrocyte GSH and serum vitamin E levels were
      measured 24 hours after the 2nd injection of adrenaline in all the groups.
      Administration of adrenaline caused significant increase (p < 0.001) in serum AST
      and plasma MDA levels and decrease (p < 0.001) in erythrocyte GSH and serum
      vitamin E levels. Pre-treatment of enalapril or valsartan for 14 days reduced (p
      < 0.001) serum AST and plasma MDA levels and increased the concentration of
      erythrocyte GSH in enalapril pre-treated group (p < 0.01) and in valsartan pre
      treated group (p < 0.05). Pre-treatment of enalapril or valsartan also increased
      (p < 0.01) serum vitamin E levels in adrenaline treated rats. However, no
      significant difference was noted between the effect of enalapril and valsartan on
      serum AST, plasma MDA, erythrocyte GSH and serum vitamin E levels. It may be
      concluded that both enalapril and valsartan offered cardioprotection in
      adrenaline induced oxidative stress, but the protection afforded by valsartan was
      not superior to enalapril.

PMID- 26118170
TI  - Comparison of coronary CT angiography with conventional coronary angiography in
      the diagnosis of coronary artery disease.
AB  - Noninvasive CT coronary angiography is a promising coronary imaging technique. In
      spite of the unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution and the inability to
      perform therapeutic interventions in the same session multi-detector computed
      tomography (MDCT) has been considering a promising alternative, non invasive tool
      for coronary artery imaging due to its high sensitivity and specificity for the
      detection of significant coronary artery stenosis. To evaluate the diagnostic
      accuracy of 64-slice MDCT for assessing haemodynamically significant stenoses of
      the coronary arteries in comparison with the conventional standard cardiac
      angiography. Fifty patients scheduled for conventional coronary angiography at
      the department of Radiology and Imaging, United Hospital, Dhaka were enrolled
      between July 2007 and June 2008. All patients underwent both conventional and
      MDCT angiography within mean 10.70 days. Overall sensitivity of 64-slice MDCT for
      the detection of stenosis <= 50%, stenosis > 50%, and stenosis > 75% was 90.0%,
      83.8%, and 80.7%, respectively, and specificity was 96.5%, 98.4%, and 98.3%
      respectively and accuracy was 96.0 %, 96.5%, and 96.6% respectively. Contrast
      enhanced 64-slice MDCT allows the identification of coronary stenosis with
      excellent accuracy. Measurements of stenosis derived by MDCT correlated well with
      conventional angiogram. A major limitation is the insufficient ability of CT to
      exactly quantify the degree of stenosis.

PMID- 26118171
TI  - Students' perceptions of the educational environment in an Iranian Medical
      School, as measured by The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure.
AB  - Learning environment is found to be important in determining students' academic
      success and learning. The goal of this study was to investigate the viewpoints of
      medical students toward learning environment based on The Dundee Ready Education
      Environment Measure (DREEM) at Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences (RUMS).
      This descriptive study was conducted using the Persian DREEM questionnaire. All
      medical students in basic and clinical courses except internship students (fifth
      and sixth year) were approached to participate during the study period, of which
      223 provided consent and completed the survey. Data were analyzed by SPSS-17, t
      test and ANOVA statistical tests were used. The mean total score was 113.8 +/-
      17.31 (out of a maximum of 200, 56.9%) indicating relative satisfaction with the
      perceived environment. There were no individual areas of excellence. Some items
      scored consistently badly indicating cause for concern. The highest score were
      related to Academic Self-Perception (64.11%) and learning (57.2%) domains. The
      lowest score were related to Teachers (55.9%), Social Self-Perceptions (56.6%)
      and atmosphere (55.8%) domains. Basic science students perceived the environment
      to be significantly more positive than preclinical students (p < 0.05). Native
      and married students perceived the environment to be significantly more positive
      (p < 0.05). Second and fourth year students were significantly higher than the
      others (P < 0.01). There was significant difference between mean scores of total
      mean DREEM and sub-domains by year of enrolment (p = 0.001). This tool identified
      areas of concern within RUMS medical school. Further use of the DREEM as a
      monitoring tool would be useful to re-evaluate the environment following
      appropriate intervention. To create an appropriate educational environment and
      reduce the deficits in order to provide a better learning environment with
      facilitate and supportive system for students.

PMID- 26118172
TI  - Gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the rectum: An analysis of six cases.

PMID- 26118173
TI  - Prevention of blindness due to agriculture related ocular trauma in Bangladesh: A
      nationwide campaign.

PMID- 26118174
TI  - Application of New Reference Procedure for ALP Measurement in the Clinical
      Laboratory.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is routinely analyzed in clinical
      laboratories for the comprehensive assessment of hepatic and osteal diseases. The
      official reference measurement procedure (RMP) of ALP was released by the
      International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) in
      2011. However, most of the commercial kits still trace back to the old version
      (1983). There was a difference between the trace measurement procedure and the
      RMP. Therefore, the discrepancy among clinical systems and application of the new
      RMP for ALP in clinical laboratories was studied. METHODS: According to the
      recommendation of the IFCC, the RMP for ALP (2011) was reproduced. The reference
      measurement system (RMS) for serum ALP and 19 clinical systems were included in
      the external quality assessment (EQA). The relative bias was calculated between
      the clinical systems' results and RMS, as well as each clinical system and the
      average value of all clinical systems. The qualified rates (passing score in
      percentage) for the 19 clinical systems were compared by using two different
      standards. In the comparison experiment, two clinical systems were evaluated
      before and after calibration by RMP. The clinical acceptability at the medical
      decision point was evaluated. RESULTS: The performance of the reproduced RMP for
      ALP was: total imprecision was 0.33% and 0.42% at 336.9 U/L and 138.74 U/L,
      respectively. The accuracy was in the acceptable range. Excellent linearity was
      obtained for linear regression (R = 0.9998). In the EQA experiment, the relative
      bias of clinical systems and RMP ranged from -26.36% to 19.49%, and the majority
      of them had a negative value. Relative bias of clinical systems and the average
      value of 19 clinical systems ranged from -24.28% to 33.48%. The qualified rate
      for clinical systems was 53% - 89% evaluated by Standard 1 and was 95% - 100%
      evaluated by Standard 2. In the comparison experiment, the relative bias for the
      two clinical systems decreased and both of the clinical systems showed less
      relative bias at the medical decision points after calibration by RMP.
      CONCLUSIONS: There was a much higher discrepancy among clinical systems for the
      testing of serum ALP. Traceability and standardization would likely be improved
      for clinical systems by the application of RMP for ALP (2011) in clinical
      laboratories.

PMID- 26118175
TI  - National Survey on Internal Quality Control for HbA(1c) Analytical Instruments in
      331 Hospital Laboratories of China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The narrow gap of HbA1 value of mass fraction between "normal" (<
      6.0%) and "diabetes" (>= 6.5%) necessitates tight control of inter-assay
      standardization, assay precision, and trueness. This survey was initiated to
      obtain knowledge of the current situation of internal quality control (IQC)
      practice for HbA(1c) in China and find out the most appropriate quality
      specifications. METHODS: Data of IQC for HbA(1c) in 331 institutions
      participating in the national proficiency testing (PT) programs in China were
      evaluated using four levels of quality specifications, and the percentages of
      laboratories meeting the quality requirement were calculated to find out the most
      appropriate quality specifications for control materials of HbA(1c) in China.
      RESULTS: The IQC data varied vastly among 331 clinical laboratories in China. The
      measurement of control materials covered a wide range from 4.52% to 12.24% (inter
      quartile range) and there were significant differences among the CVs of different
      methods, including LPLC, CE-HPLC, AC-HPLC, immunoturbidimetry, and others. Among
      the four main methods, CE-HPLC and AC-HPLC achieved a better precision.
      CONCLUSIONS: As we can see, the performance of laboratories for HbA(1c) has yet
      to be improved. Clinical laboratories in China should improve their performance
      with a stricter imprecision criteria.

PMID- 26118176
TI  - The Application of Six Sigma Techniques in the Evaluation of Enzyme Measurement
      Procedures in China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, Six Sigma techniques have been adopted by clinical
      laboratories to evaluate laboratory performance. Measurement procedures in
      laboratories can be categorized as "excellent", "good", and "improvement needed"
      based on sigma (sigma) metrics of sigma >= 6, 3 <= sigma < 6, and sigma < 3,
      respectively. The quality goal index (QGI) was further investigated for
      measurement procedures with sigma <= 3. Improvements of the procedures were
      recommended based on QGI: QGI < 0.8 indicates that the precision of the procedure
      needs to be improved; QGI > 1.2 indicates that the trueness of the procedure
      needs to be improved; 0.8 <= QGI <= 1.2 indicates that both the precision and
      trueness of the procedure need to be improved. METHODS: Fresh frozen sera
      containing seven enzymes (ALT, ALP, AMY, AST, CK, GGT, and LDH) were sent to 78
      clinical laboratories in China. The biases for measurement procedures in each
      laboratory (Bias) were calculated based on the target values assigned by 18
      laboratories performing IFCC (International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and
      Laboratory medicine) recommended reference methods. The imprecision of each
      measurement procedure was represented by coefficient variations (CV) calculated
      based on internal quality control (IQC) data. The sigma and QGI values were
      calculated as follows: sigma = (TEa-Bias)/CV; QGI = Bias/(1.5 x CV). TEa is
      allowable total error for each enzyme derived from biological variation. RESULTS:
      Our study indicated that 7.9% (6/76, ALP) to 31.0% (18/58, AMY) of the
      participating laboratories were scored as "excellent" (sigma >= 6), 21.1% (16/76,
      ALP) to 41.3% (31/75, CK) of the laboratories were scored as "good" (3 <= sigma <
      6), and 31.0% (18/58, AMY) to 71.1% (54/76, ALP) of the laboratories need to
      improve their enzyme measurement procedures (sigma < 3). For those with sigma <
      3, QGIs were further calculated. Based on QGI values, 8.6% (5/58, AMY) to 35.9%
      (28/78, LDH) of the laboratories (QGI < 0.8) need to improve the precision of the
      procedures, 8.0% (6/75, CK) to 52.6% (40/76, ALP) of the laboratories (QGI <=
      1.2) need to improve the trueness of the procedures; and 2.7% (2/75, AST) to
      16.3% (8/49, GGT) of the laboratories (0.8 <= QGI <= 1.2) need to improve both
      the precision and trueness of the procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Even though rapid
      progress has been made to standardize serum enzyme measurements in China in
      recent years, our study using Six Sigma techniques still suggested that
      approximately 31.1% to 71.0% of the laboratories need to improve their enzyme
      measurement procedures, either in terms of precision, trueness, or both.

PMID- 26118177
TI  - Circulating microRNA Signatures Associated with Childhood Asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) exist stably and reproducibly in plasma and may be
      used as biomarkers for various diseases. Little is known about circulating miRNAs
      in the peripheral blood of juvenile patients with asthma. METHODS: In this study,
      we used hybridization arrays to compare the miRNA expression profiles among 6
      juvenile patients with or without asthma. Using quantitative PCR (qPCR), we
      verified the expression levels of these miRNAs in plasma from patients with
      asthma (n = 40) and healthy subjects (n = 14). RESULTS: Our results showed that
      the levels of plasma miR-Let7C, miR-486, and miR-1260a in childhood asthma
      patients were significantly higher than in healthy controls (p < 0.01).
      Additionally, miR-1260a is correlated with the treatment schedule of these
      patients and patients with long treatment times had higher expression of miR
      1260a than short treatment times; miR494 was significantly associated with
      challenge, and miR-3162-3p was significantly associated with MEF25 in asthma
      patients suggesting a potential correlation of miRNA levels with clinical disease
      parameters. Receiver operator characteristic analysis confirmed that the levels
      of miR-3162-3p could be used to discriminate childhood asthma patients from
      healthy subjects (area under the curve of 0.821), suggesting it may be a
      potential diagnostic biomarker. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that
      circulating miR-3162-3p and miR-1260a should be further evaluated as potential
      non-invasive biomarkers in diagnosis and treatment for childhood asthma.

PMID- 26118178
TI  - Expression Analysis of Aurora-C and Survivin, Two Testis-Specific Genes, in
      Patients with Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer
      related death worldwide. The high frequency of positive families shows the
      importance of public awareness and screening strategies in those families.
      Cancer/testis (CT) antigens such as Aurora-C and Survivin are a group of antigens
      expressed in various tumor types of human cancers. Therefore, the aim of this
      study was to investigate the expression of Aurora-C and Survivin genes in
      malignant and normal tissues and their correlation to clinicopathological
      characteristics. METHODS: Tumor samples were obtained from 33 patients and
      adjacent non-tumorous tissues from 7 patients were also used as control. Patients
      were diagnosed with various stages of colorectal cancer. The level of Aurora-C
      and Survivin genes were evaluated by using real-time quantitative Polymerase
      Chain Reaction. RESULTS: The expression pattern of Survivin and Aurora-C revealed
      significant changes in tumor tissues when compared with normal tissues (p <
      0.05). Also, these expressions were associated with the grade of disease and
      tumor size. There was no significant relationship between the expression of
      Survivin and Aurora-C genes (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the
      overexpression of Aurora-C and Survivin genes may play an important role in the
      development of colorectal cancer and may play a potential role in cancer therapy.

PMID- 26118179
TI  - The Role of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning in Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in
      Rabbits with Transplanted Lung.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To observe the influence of remote ischemic preconditioning (R-IPC)
      and remote ischemic perconditioning (R-IPER) on the lower limbs of rabbits with
      lung allograft ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). METHODS: Sixty rabbits were
      randomly divided into one of four groups: control (C), classic ischemic
      preconditioning (C-IPC), R-IPC, and R-IPER. The allogeneic lung transplantation
      model was established in rabbits, and the protective effects of R-IPC and R-IPER
      on transplanted lungs were determined and compared to classic ischemic
      preconditioning (C-IPC) IRI. Changes in blood oxygen were measured in each group
      before and after transplantation. After transplantation, levels of serum
      malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha), lung wet/dry weight ratio, as well as quantitative and
      organizational differences in the lungs were analyzed. RESULTS: After
      reperfusion, blood oxygen values in the R-IPC group and C-IPC groups were higher
      than in the C and R-IPER groups at 60 minutes and 120 minutes after
      transplantation (p < 0.05). Serum SOD content in the R-IPC and C-IPC groups was
      higher than in the C and R-IPER groups (p < 0.05) after reperfusion. Serum MDA,
      TNF-alpha level, and lung wet/dry weight ratio and quantitative measurements of
      histological damage were lower in the R-IPC and the C-IPC groups than those in
      the C and R-IPER groups (p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were
      observed between the L-IP and the C-IP groups or between the R-IPER and the C
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Classic preconditioning and remote preconditioning of rabbit
      lung allograft IRI had similar protective effects. The lower limb ischemia with
      the remote processing method used in this experiment did not produce a protective
      effect for lung allograft IRI.

PMID- 26118180
TI  - Clinical and Biochemical Profile of Tyrosinemia Type 1 in Tunisia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hereditary tyrosinemia type 1 (HT1) is an autosomal recessive disease
      caused by a defect of fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase. This study aimed to estimate
      the prevalence of HT1 in Tunisia and report its clinical, biochemical and genetic
      features. METHODS: During the last 25 years, 69 patients were diagnosed with HT1
      based on clinical features and increased succinylacetone (SA) in blood and urine.
      SA was detected by GC-MS after oximation and quantified by a spectrophotometric
      method. Nine prenatal diagnoses for HT1 have been done and nine unrelated
      patients were screened for the hotspot IVS6-1(G-T) mutation using PCR. RESULTS:
      Using the Hardy-Weinberg formula, the incidence of HT1 was estimated at 1/14804
      births in Tunisia. According to clinical form, 21 patients (30%) had the acute
      form and 48 patients (70%) had the chronic form. Mean plasma and urine SA were
      higher in the acute form (24 and 193 MUmol/L vs. 9 and 90 MUmol/L, respectively).
      Diagnosis of HT1 was done for 4 fetuses. The hotspot IVS6-1(G-T) mutation was
      found in six of nine explored patients. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of HT1 is
      relatively high in Tunisia with a predominance of the chronic form. It is
      important to diagnose the disease as early as possible to prevent unfavorable
      issues. Prenatal diagnosis should be recommended to minimize the recurrence of
      the disease.

PMID- 26118181
TI  - The Platelet Parameters as Inflammatory Markers in Preschool Children with Atopic
      Eczema.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mean platelet volume has been frequently used as an inflammatory
      marker in various diseases associated with inflammation. In this study, we
      compared platelet parameter levels between preschool children with and without
      atopic eczema (AE). METHODS: Preschool children with AE and age-matched healthy
      children were included in the study. Complete blood count was assessed in
      children with AE while platelet parameters were compared between children with
      and without AE. RESULTS: One hundred twenty eight pediatric patients (78 boys,
      mean age: 14 months) diagnosed with AE and 128 healthy patients (71 boys, mean
      age: 12 months ) were included in the study. There were no statistically
      significant differences between the genders (p = 0.375) and ages (p = 0.273) of
      both groups. WBC (p = 0.952), Hb (p = 0.370), MCV (p = 0.314) and RDW values (p =
      0.124), and platelet counts (p = 0.198) of both groups were similar. In the AE
      group, while the MPV value was found to be higher (p = 0.003), mean PDW value (p
      = 0.025) and PLT/MPV ratio were found to be lower (p = 0.021). In addition, there
      was no correlation between the severity of AE and MPV (rho; 0.1, p = 0.257), PDW
      (rho; -0.1, p = 0.269) and PLT/MPV (rho; 0.07, p = 0.432) ratio. CONCLUSIONS: In
      patients with AE, as a sign of inflammation, PDW value and PLT/MPV ratio decrease
      while MPV value increases. This study has also shown that there is no association
      between the severity of AE and platelet parameters.

PMID- 26118182
TI  - Reduction of Serum Cytokeratin-3A9 is Associated with Chemotherapeutic Response
      in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many tumor markers have been analyzed for applications in diagnosis,
      prognosis, and monitoring of cancer. Currently chemotherapy is routinely
      performed for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purpose of
      this study was to examine the serum tumor biomarker of cytokeratin (CK)-3A9 level
      in patients with NSCLC and its potential correlation with chemotherapeutic
      response. METHODS: The serum samples of 196 NSCLC patients, 84 healthy controls,
      and 87 benign lung disease patients were provided for measurement of CK-3A9 and
      carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Serum CK-3A9 concentration was examined using a
      chemoluminescent method. The potential correlation between serum CK18-3A9
      concentration and chemotherapeutic response was analyzed in 124 patients with
      advanced NSCLC (stages III and IV). RESULTS: The serum CK-3A9 levels in NSCLC
      patients pre-chemotherapy were significantly higher than those of healthy
      controls and benign lung disease patients (p < 0.01). CK-3A9 was related to Union
      for International Cancer Control (UICC) stages (p < 0.01) and histological
      classification (p < 0.05), but not related to age, gender, smoking status, and
      chemotherapy regimen (all p > 0.05). The testing results of serum CK-3A9 levels
      showed a higher sensitivity than that for CEA (48.2% and 39.5%, respectively).
      The chemotherapeutic response in the 124 patients with advanced NSCLC included 0
      complete response (CR), 50 partial response (PR), 65 no change (NC), and 9
      progression disease (PD). Post-chemotherapy CK-3A9 levels were significantly
      decreased compared to pre-chemotherapy (p < 0.05). The serum CK-3A9 levels in
      patients who achieved PR declined significantly compared to those who did not
      respond (SD + PD) after 2 cycles chemotherapy (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CK-3A9
      appeared to be a new biomarker for reliable, cost-effective prediction of the
      efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC, although the results
      should be confirmed in larger studies.

PMID- 26118183
TI  - Correlations Among Serum Hepatitis B Surface Antigen and Hepatitis B e Antigen
      Titers and Viral Load in Chinese Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to provide a detailed and comprehensive analysis of
      serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HBeAg, and serum hepatitis B virus
      (HBV) DNA in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), predominantly
      genotypes B and C. METHODS: HBV serological markers, HBsAg titer, HBeAg titer,
      and HBV DNA were detected and genotyped in 129 Chinese patients with CHB.
      RESULTS: HBeAg-positive CHB patients were younger, had higher serum alanine
      aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, and HBV DNA levels and were more likely
      to be infected with HBV genotype C. The median HBsAg titer was significantly
      higher in HBeAg-positive compared with HBeAg-negative CHB patients (3.73 versus
      2.93; p < 0.01), and the median HBsAg titer was significantly higher in patients
      with genotype C. The correlation between HBsAg titer and HBV DNA was stronger in
      HBeAg-positive CHB patients (r = 0.56; p < 0.01). HBeAg titer was positively
      correlated with serum HBsAg titer (r = 0.77; p < 0.01) and serum HBV DNA (r =
      0.72; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study detected key differences in HBsAg
      expression between HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative CHB patients, which may have
      practical implications for the use of quantitative serological clinical
      biomarkers.

PMID- 26118184
TI  - Ischemia-Modified Albumin is not Elevated in Deep Venous Thrombosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this article, we aimed to determine the diagnostic role of
      ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) in the evaluation of patients with deep venous
      thrombosis (DVT). METHODS: Fifty-five patients with a diagnosis of DVT and 47
      healthy subjects as the control group were included in the study. Blood samples
      of the patients were obtained within the first 24 hours after DVT diagnosis for
      IMA analysis. Patient and control groups were compared with respect to IMA
      levels. RESULTS: We found that HDL and albumin levels were significantly higher
      in the control group. However, we could not determine a significant increase in
      IMA levels in patients with DVT when compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our study revealed that IMA is not a useful marker in the diagnosis of DVT.

PMID- 26118185
TI  - Prognostic Value of Plasma Visfatin Level for Chinese Patients with Severe Carbon
      Monoxide Poisoning.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This prospective observatory study was designed to investigate
      whether plasma visfatin might serve as a marker of prognosis in patients with
      severe carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. METHODS: A total of 52 consecutive
      patients with severe CO poisoning and 52 gender- and age- matched healthy
      subjects were enrolled in the study, and their plasma visfatin levels were
      determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The clinical outcomes,
      including in-hospital mortality, 6-month mortality, and poor outcome (Glasgow
      Outcome Scale score of 1 - 3), were recorded. RESULTS: Plasma visfatin levels
      were statistically significantly higher in patients than in healthy controls
      (97.4 +/- 28.0 ng/mL vs. 12.1 +/- 3.7 ng/mL; p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic
      regression analysis showed that plasma visfatin level was an independent
      prognostic predictor of in-hospital mortality [odds ratio (OR), 1.214; 95%
      confidence interval (CI), 1.103 - 1.425; p < 0.001], 6-month mortality (OR,
      1.269; 95% CI, 1.085 - 1.534; p < 0.001), and 6-month poor outcome (OR, 1.302;
      95% CI, 1.023 - 1.520; p < 0.001). Moreover, receiver operating characteristic
      curves showed that plasma visfatin level had high predictive value for in
      hospital mortality [area under curve (AUC), 0.931; 95% CI, 0.832 - 1.000], 6
      month mortality (AUC, 0.894; 95% CI, 0.801 - 0.987), and 6-month poor outcome
      (AUC, 0.886; 95% CI, 0.796 - 0.977). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma visfatin levels are
      significantly higher in patients with severe CO poisoning and could be a useful
      biomarker to predict short- and long-term clinical outcome after severe CO
      poisoning.

PMID- 26118186
TI  - Diagnostic Accuracies of the TUNEL, SCD, and Comet Based Sperm DNA Fragmentation
      Assays for Male Infertility: a Meta-analysis Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent studies have provided new insights into the diagnostic value
      of sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) for male factor sterility. This study aimed to
      systematically evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the SDF test for male
      infertility. METHODS: Eligible studies were retrieved by searching electronic
      databases. The quality of the studies was assessed on the basis of quality
      assessment for studies of diagnostic accuracy (QUADAS) criteria tool. The
      bivariate metaanalysis model was employed to summarize the diagnostic indices and
      plot the summary receiver operator characteristic (SROC) curve by using Meta-disc
      1.4 software. Influence analysis, meta-regression, and publication bias assay
      were all conducted through Stata 12.0 software. RESULTS: Our bivariate random
      effect meta-analysis yielded an AUC (area under curve) value of 0.9211 with a
      sensitivity (95% confidence interval) of 0.80 (0.78 - 0.82) and specificity of
      0.83 (0.80 - 0.86) for the use of the SDF test in differentiating infertile males
      from normal fertile controls. Moreover, our subgroup analysis suggested that SDF
      analysis with a single TUNEL test resulted in an AUC value of 0.9506, with a
      pooled sensitivity of 0.77 (0.74 - 0.80) and specificity of 0.91 (0.87 - 0.94),
      while SCD and Comet assays displayed a combined sensitivity of 0.77 (0.67 - 0.81)
      or 0.91 (0.88 - 0.94), and specificity of 0.84 (0.75 - 0.91) or 0.63 (0.54 -
      0.70), accompanied by an AUC value of 0.8408 or 0.9473. CONCLUSIONS: The SDF
      assay confers a relatively high diagnostic accuracy for infertility detection,
      among which the TUNEL based methodology seems to achieve higher accuracy than the
      SCD and Comet assays.

PMID- 26118187
TI  - Wnt5a Promotes Cytokines Production and Cell Proliferation in Human Hepatic
      Stellate Cells Independent of Canonical Wnt Pathway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wnt5a is involved in the activation of human hepatic stellate cells
      (HSC) and related with the occurrence of liver fibrosis. As the function and
      mechanism that Wnt5a mediates HSC activation remains unclear, we sought to
      investigate them. METHODS: Wnt5a levels were determined in the HSC cell line LX-2
      after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and TNF-alpha stimulation. HSC cells showing
      stable and efficient overexpression or featuring knockdown of Wnt5a were
      constructed by a lentivirus system. Regulation of cytokine and collagen
      expressions were confirmed by quantitative PCR or ELISA in stable LX-2 cell lines
      showing Wnt5a overexpression or knockdown. Proliferation was determined by 5
      ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine labeling. Relevant signaling pathways were identified
      using specific protein antibodies. RESULTS: LPS and TNF-alpha induced Wnt5a
      expression in LX-2 cells. Compared with control cells, an increase in IL-10, IL
      6, COL1, and COL3 secretion in a stable LX-2 cell line showing Wnt5a
      overexpression was observed. Knockdown of Wnt5a obviously reduced the production
      of IL-1beta, IL-6, COL1, and COL3. Wnt5a overexpression promoted LX-2
      proliferation, while Wnt5a knockdown dramatically inhibited cell proliferation.
      Compared with the effects of Wnt5a knockdown cells, Wnt5a-overexpressing cells
      triggered the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and beta-catenin,
      which leads to beta-catenin degradation and inactivates the canonical Wnt/beta
      catenin pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Wnt5a regulates inflammatory cytokine and collagen
      production and cell proliferation, which is independent of the canonical Wnt
      signaling pathway. The results reveal a new signaling mechanism in HSC activation
      and could provide a new strategy for hepatic fibrosis treatment.

PMID- 26118188
TI  - Expression Analysis of p16, c-Myc, and mSin3A in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer by
      Computer Aided Scoring and Analysis (CASA).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Immunohistochemical analysis (IHC) of tissue microarray (TMA) slides
      enables large sets of tissue samples to be analyzed simultaneously on a single
      slide. However, manual evaluation of small cores on a TMA slide is time consuming
      and error prone. METHODS: We describe a computer aided scoring and analysis
      (CASA) method to allow facile and reliable scoring of IHC staining using TMA
      containing 300 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases. In the two previous
      published papers utilizing our TMA slides of lung cancer we examined 18 proteins
      involved in the chromatin machinery. We developed our study using more proteins
      of the chromatin complex and several transcription factors that facilitate the
      chromatin machinery. Then, a total of 78 antibodies were evaluated by CASA to
      derive a normalized intensity value that correlated with the overall staining
      status of the targeting protein. The intensity values for TMA cores were then
      examined for association to clinical variables and predictive significance
      individually and with other factors. RESULTs: Using our TMA, the intensity of
      several protein pairs were significantly correlated with an increased risk of
      death in NSCLC. These included c-Myc with p16, mSin3A with p16 and c-Myc with
      mSinA. Predictive values of these pairs remained significant when evaluated based
      on standard IHC scores. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate the usefulness of
      CASA as a valuable tool for systematic assessment of TMA slides to identify
      potential predictive biomarkers using a large set of primary human tissues.

PMID- 26118189
TI  - Assessment of a One-Step Intracellular Staining in Th1, Th2 and Th17 Cells of
      Clinical Samples.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Flow cytometry is a potent tool to dissect the phenotypes and
      functions of cell subsets by measuring multiple parameters on a single-cell
      basis. However, intracellular staining may be time consuming and more steps,
      particularly in cytokines, could be problematic for its use in daily routine or
      in large cohort testing. Lately, a novel reagent has been developed to perform
      intracellular staining in one step. The objective of our study was thus to assess
      this new method in comparison with the reference technique by focusing on CD4+ T
      cell subsets such as Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells in clinical samples. METHODS:
      Peripheral blood was collected from 10 children with aplastic anemia and 10
      healthy volunteers and stained using the reference and one-step methods.
      Different subsets of CD4+ T-cells, which are defined as Th1, Th2 and Th17 cells,
      were investigated by flow cytometry. The repetitive experiment was designed to
      study intraassay precision. Correlations were studied using Pearson's correlation
      coefficient test. RESULTS: When comparing results obtained with the two
      techniques, no statistical differences between the percentages of Th1, Th2, and
      Th17 cells were observed. Besides, a nice correlation between percentages of Th1
      cells obtained with the two different methods was identified in the global
      population (r: 0.777, p < 0.01). Likewise, percentages of Th2 cells (r: 0.875, p
      < 0.01), and Th17 cells (r: 0.886, p < 0.01) were strongly correlated between
      reference and one-step procedures. Importantly, flow cytometry staining obtained
      with the one-step method was very robust with a nice intra-assay precision and a
      better discriminative power and repeatability. CONCLUSIONS: With better staining
      quality and a shorter realization time, one-step intracellular staining may
      provide an efficient way for daily routine testing of Th1, Th2 and Th17 cells, as
      well as for further research.

PMID- 26118190
TI  - Validity of Tissue Microarray by Immunohistochemistry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tissue microarrays (TMAs) extract designated areas of tissue paraffin
      blocks in several units that are millimeters in diameter in a cylindrical
      fashion, array dozens of these tissue specimens, and then re-embed them. Here, a
      TMA was utilized to analyze renal cell carcinoma (RCC) specimens with anti-FABP7
      and anti-Brn2 antibodies. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded specimens from 114 RCC
      patients were immunostained with anti-FABP7 and anti-Brn2 antibodies to examine
      the rate of agreement between the staining of TMA grafts compared to conventional
      tissue slice grafts. The staining area of the tumor was also examined. RESULTS:
      The positive ratio of anti-FABP7 was 74% and of anti-Brn2 was 57%. The rate of
      agreement of each antibody was 100% regardless of tumor size before extraction.
      CONCLUSIONS: Immunostaining of TMA slices might be effective for the analysis of
      RCC specimens.

PMID- 26118191
TI  - A Rapid, Accurate and Simple Screening Method for Spinal Muscular Atrophy: High
      Resolution Melting Analysis Using Dried Blood Spots on Filter Paper.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a common neuromuscular disorder
      caused by mutation of the survival of the motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. More than
      95% of SMA patients carry a homozygous deletion of SMN1. SMA can be screened for
      by polymerase chain reaction and high-resolution melting analysis (PCR-HRMA)
      using DNA extracted from dried blood spots (DBSs) stored on filter paper.
      However, there are two major problems with this approach. One is the frequent
      poor quality/quantity of DNA extracted from DBSs on filter paper, and the other
      is the difficulty in designing primer sets or probes to separate allele-specific
      melting curves. In this study, we addressed these problems and established a
      rapid, accurate and simple screening system for SMA with PCR-HRMA using DNA
      extracted from DBSs on filter paper. METHODS: Seventy individuals were assayed in
      this study, 42 SMA patients and 28 controls, all of whom had been previously been
      screened for SMA by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism analysis (PCR-RFLP) using DNA extracted from freshly collected
      blood. In this study, the DNA of each individual was extracted from dried blood
      that had been spotted onto cards and stored at room temperature (20 - 25 degrees
      C) for between 1 and 8 years. PCR amplification of 30 or 45 cycles was performed
      using 50 ng of DNA and was immediately followed by HRMA. SMN1 and SMN2 products
      were co-amplified using a previously designed primer set (R111 and 541C770)
      containing two single nucleotide differences. RESULTS: The absorbance ratio at
      260/280 of DNA extracted from DBSs ranged from 1.49 to 2.1 (mean +/- SD; 1.66 +/-
      0.12), suggesting high-purity DNA. Thirty cycles of PCR amplification were
      insufficient to amplify the target alleles; PCR with 45 cycles was, however,
      successful in 69 out of 70 samples. PCR-HRMA using the R111/541C770 primer set
      enabled separation of the normalized melting curves of the samples with no SMN1
      from those with SMN1 and SMN2. CONCLUSIONS: DBSs on filter paper can be a good
      source of DNA for the diagnosis of diseases and PCR-HRMA using DNA extracted from
      DBSs is an alternative method to detect the SMN1 deletion. These findings suggest
      that the SMA screening system using PCR-HRMA with DBSs on filter paper is
      practicable in a large population study over a long time period.

PMID- 26118192
TI  - Confirmed False Positive Proteinuria in Patients with Systemic Lupus
      Erythematosus Taking Hydroxychloroquine: a Spot Sample Measurement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A false-positive screening result is associated with harmful
      treatment or follow-up costs. This study aimed to estimate the rate of false
      positive proteinuria with the dipstick in patients with systemic lupus
      erythematosus (SLE) taking hydroxychloroquine. METHODS: A total of 334 patients
      with a positive dipstick and confirmed by total urine protein with quantification
      assay were enrolled. The experimental group included those with SLE taking
      hydroxychloroquine, and the rest was the control group. The difference of the
      rate of false positive in the dipstick was analyzed using the chi-square test and
      odds ratio (OR) between groups. Qualitative tracking of potential interference in
      the dipstick was performed. RESULTS: The results revealed that the rate of false
      positive with a dipstick for the experimental and control groups were 29.5% and
      5.0% (p = 0.000), respectively. The OR with 95% confidence interval (CI) of the
      rate of false positive for the experimental group with respect to the control
      group was 5.95 (95% CI: 2.80 - 12.65). Qualitative tracking showed that the
      dipstick was influenced to become false-positive when hydroxychloroquine
      concentration was >= 30 mg/dL. CONCLUSIONS: Hydroxychloroquines like plaquenil or
      geniquin may lead to a high rate of false positive with the dipstick method. A
      quantification assay is recommended for proteinuria measurement in patients with
      SLE taking hydroxychloroquines.

PMID- 26118193
TI  - Application of Hyperbaric Oxygen Reduce Oxidative Damage of Plasmatic Carbonyl
      Proteins and 8-OHdG by Activating Glutathion Peroxidase.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is postulated that application of hyperbaric oxygenation may
      induce the production of radicals after HBO. Higher oxygenation and transport of
      oxygen increase the mitochondrial energy turnover, whereas inner mitochondrial
      radical formation decreases. METHODS: Several markers of oxidative stress in
      healthy volunteers (n = 21), including plasma carbonyl proteins (CP),
      malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidized LDL (oxLDL), 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG),
      and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity are measured before,
      during, and after HBO. RESULTS: Median plasma concentrations of CP decreased
      significantly during HBO compared to CP levels before HBO (from 77.1 to 61.7
      pmol/mg; p < 0.001) and increased again after HBO (to 78.1 pmol/mg; p = 0.035). 8
      OHdG decreased significantly during HBO (8.1 ng/mL; p < 0.001) and remained
      constant after HBO (8.1 ng/mL) compared to "before HBO" (9.4 ng/mL). MDA
      increased significantly from 0.92 MUM (before HBO) to 1.26 MUM (during HBO, p <
      0.01) and decreased again to 1.00 MUM (after HBO, p = 0.023). Erythrocyte GPx
      activity also increased significantly during HBO (26.5 +/- 14.7; p = 0.005), but
      not after HBO (25.6 +/- 17.2 IU/mg). A negative correlation was observed between
      GPx and MDA only during HBO (r = -0.518; p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: We assume that
      higher oxygen consumption decreases, on the one hand, the inner mitochondrial
      generation of free radicals and, on the other, RONS by activation of detoxifying
      enzymes like GPx.

PMID- 26118194
TI  - Relationship Between an Osteoprotegerin Gene Polymorphism and Diabetic Vascular
      Complications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteoprotegerin (OPG), which was recently identified as a vascular
      marker, is increased in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). This study
      evaluated the frequency of the OPG gene single nucleotide A163G polymorphism and
      its association with diabetic microvascular and macrovascular complications.
      METHODS: The A163G polymorphism of the OPG gene was assessed in the peripheral
      blood of 116 patients with type 2 DM and 107 healthy subjects by polymerase chain
      reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Microvascular and
      macrovascular complications were evaluated in diabetic patients. RESULTS:
      Statistical analysis showed no significant difference in distribution of the OPG
      A163G polymorphism in the diabetic and control groups. Similarly, this
      polymorphism was not associated with microvascular or macrovascular
      complications. CONCLUSIONS: This OPG polymorphism does not play a role in the
      development of microvascular and macrovascular complications in patients with DM.

PMID- 26118195
TI  - Sensitivity and Specificity of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for
      the Detection of Mycoplasma Pneumonia from Nasopharyngeal Swab Samples Compared
      with those of Real-time PCR.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity and
      specificity of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay kit for the
      detection of Mycoplasma pneumonia (Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan) from
      nasopharyngeal swab samples compared with those of real-time PCR. METHODS:
      Nasopharyngeal swab samples taken from 223 patients aged 3 - 18 years who were
      suspected of having respiratory tract infections associated with Mycoplasma
      pneumonia were used in this study. The samples were tested both by the LAMP assay
      and by real-time PCR for detection of Mycoplasma pneumonia. RESULTS: The
      sensitivity and specificity of the LAMP assay for the detection of Mycoplasma
      pneumonia were 99.1% (105/106) and 100.0% (117/117), respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      The LAMP assay for the detection of Mycoplasma pneumonia is an accurate and fast
      assay that is suitable as a diagnostic tool in the acute phase of Mycoplasma
      pneumonia infection.

PMID- 26118196
TI  - Relationship between Serum Sialic Acid and Hemostatic Markers in Patients with
      Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serum sialic acid (SA) is an acute phase response marker.
      Additionally, it is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic disease and is
      higher in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The objective of this
      study was to determine the association of SA with blood coagulation and
      fibrinolysis in T2DM patients. METHODS: The levels of serum SA and blood
      coagulation and fibrinolysis markers were measured in patients with T2DM. The
      associations of SA with hemostatic markers and other variables were assessed.
      RESULTS: There were significant correlations between SA and fibrinogen, D-dimer,
      factor (F) IX, and platelet (PLT) that were independent of smoking, body mass
      index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose
      (FPG), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC) to high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio, and antithrombotic therapy history. Based on logistic
      regression analyses, the highest tertile groups of fibrinogen, D-dimer, F VIII, F
      IX, and PLT showed a significantly increased risk of high SA compared with the
      lowest tertiles after adjusting for age, gender, and antithrombotic therapy
      history. SA also significantly correlated with duration of diabetes, BMI, FPG,
      TG, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), TC-to-HDL-C ratio, and albumin
      to-creatinine ratio (ACR). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated serum SA levels are associated
      with increased coagulability and higher risk of thrombus formation in T2DM
      patients.

PMID- 26118197
TI  - Zinc Finger Protein 259 (ZNF259) Polymorphisms are Associated with the Risk of
      Metabolic Syndrome in a Han Chinese Population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Zinc finger protein 259 (ZNF259) binds to the cytoplasmic domain of
      epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in quiescent cells and contributes
      tolipid metabolism. This case and control study investigated the association
      between ZNF259 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and metabolic syndrome
      (MetS). METHODS: This study included 1,812 MetS patients and 2,036 controls from
      the Jilin province of Northeastern China. MetS was diagnosed using the
      International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Three ZNF259 SNPs (rs964184,
      rs2075290 and rs2075294) were genotyped using matrix-assisted laser desorption
      ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). RESULTS: There were
      significant differences between metabolic syndrome and healthy control subjects
      for the ZNF259 rs964184 and rs2075290 genotypes. The minor alleles of both SNPs
      were associated with an increased risk of MetS and associated conditions
      (elevated triglycerides, elevated blood pressure, increased abdominal obesity,
      fasting hyperglycemia, and low HDL-C; p < 0.05). The distribution of haplotype G
      G-G (rs964184, rs2075290 and rs2075294) was significantly different between MetS
      patients and controls (OR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.24 - 1.56; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS:
      This study demonstrated that ZNF259 variants were associated with elevated MetS
      risk in a Han Chinese population from the Jilin province of Northeastern China.

PMID- 26118198
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA 4401A>G and 4435A>G Mutations Associated with Essential
      Hypertension Testing Method.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Establish a method to identify simultaneously mitochondrial DNA
      4401A>G and 4435A>G mutations associated with essential hypertension. METHODS:
      The whole genomic DNA of samples carrying mitochondrial DNA 4401A>G and 4435A>G
      mutations, double mutation (mtDNA 4401A>G and 4435A>G) as well as wild type were
      used as templates. Specifically amplified mtDNA 234 bp fragments between 4344 -
      4577 using nested PCR and digested the PCR purified products simultaneously with
      two restriction enzymes BfaI and NlaIII. The products were identified by
      polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: Electrophoresis results showed that
      electrophoresis bands were specific among different samples. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study established a convenient, accurate, and suitable for clinical determination
      of mtDNA 4401 A>G and 4435A>G mutations associated with essential hypertension
      testing using the new method.

PMID- 26118199
TI  - Interaction of Hb Grey Lynn (Vientiane) [alpha91(FG3)Leu>Phe (alpha1)] with Hb E
      [beta26(B8) Glu>Lys] and alpha(+)-thalassemia: Molecular and Hematological
      Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemoglobin (Hb) Grey Lynn is a Hb variant caused by a mutation at
      codon 91 of alpha1-globin gene whereas Hb E is a common beta-globin chain variant
      among Southeast Asian population. We report two hitherto undescribed conditions
      of Hb Grey Lynn found in Thai individuals. METHODS: The study was done on two
      unrelated Thai subjects. Hematological parameters were recorded and Hb analysis
      was carried out using automated Hb analyzers. Mutations were identified by DNA
      analysis. Hematological features of the patients were compared with those of
      various forms of Hb Grey Lynn documented previously. RESULTS: Hb and DNA analyses
      identified a heterozygous Hb Grey Lynn in one patient and a double heterozygous
      Hb Grey Lynn and Hb E with alpha(+)-thalassemia in another. Interaction of
      alpha(Grey Lynn) with beta(E) chains leads to the formation of a new Hb variant,
      namely the Hb Grey Lynn E (alpha(GL)2beta(E)2), detectable by liquid
      chromatography (10.3%) but masked by Hb E on capillary electrophoresis.
      CONCLUSIONS: Interaction of these multiple globin gene defects could lead to
      complex hemoglobinopathies requiring combined analysis with multiple Hb analyzers
      followed by DNA testing to provide accurate diagnosis of the cases.

PMID- 26118200
TI  - Improved Target Cell Selection and Counting Method for UroVysion Fluorescence in
      Situ Hybridization.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The UroVysion Bladder Cancer Kit requires morphological analysis of
      4', 6-diamino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-stained nuclei to identify target cells for
      fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) signals. Reproducibility and efficiency
      of target cell selection and counting was evaluated by combining
      immunofluorescence staining of cytokeratin 7 (CK7) and proliferating cell nuclear
      antigen (PCNA) with DAPI staining. METHODS: The reactivities to CK7, PCNA, and
      DAPI were compared between those for different ratios of T24 human bladder
      carcinoma cells and of cells from the urine of five healthy subjects. Two
      technicians independently performed five replicate cell counts of urine samples
      from four bladder cancer patients and one healthy subject. RESULTS: The positive
      staining rates for CK7 and PCNA were similar to DAPI, but our method showed
      enhanced inter-observer repeatability and reduced operating time for signal
      counting. CONCLUSIONS: Our proposed method showed better reproducibility and
      lesser operational time for signal counting than the DAPI method alone.

PMID- 26118201
TI  - UriSed as an Alternative to Phase-Contrast Microscopy in the Differentiation
      between Glomerular and Non-Glomerular Hematuria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Differentiation between glomerular and non-glomerular hematuria by
      observation of the erythrocyte morphology using phase-contrast is a time
      consuming and labor-intensive procedure that requires skilled personnel. This
      paper has the purpose to evaluate the performance of UriSed (also called sediMAX
      in some countries) as an alternative to the phase-contrast microscopic analysis
      of erythrocyte morphology. METHODS: 312 urine samples with hematuria were
      analyzed by UriSed and by phase-contrast microscopy. Based on the presence of
      codocytes and/or acanthocytes, samples were classified as non-glomerular and
      glomerular. Kappa correlation was used to assess the agreement between both
      methods. RESULTS: Our data showed excellent agreement between erythrocyte
      morphology analyzed by both methods (r = 0.974, kappa = 0.9484, p < 0.001) with
      only 8 samples presenting discordant results. CONCLUSIONS: UriSed proved to be a
      precise and accurate alternative to the gold standard phase-contrast microscopy.

PMID- 26118202
TI  - Preanalysis in Serum Hepcidin Measurement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepcidin is a 25-amino peptide hormone that regulates iron
      homeostasis. Its serum quantification helps to provide the right therapeutic
      choice in iron-deficiency anemia and anemia in chronic diseases. Diurnal levels
      of serum iron might affect hepcidin secretion during the day. Blood collection
      time is an important part of the preanalytical phase of its quantification.
      METHODS: During the period 2013 - 2014, we collected blood samples for serum
      hepcidin quantification in 100 healthy controls. The samples were collected in
      vacuettes with serum separator gel at three different times during the day: 07:30
      - 08:30, 12:00 - 13:00, and 16:00 - 17:00 hours. Hepcidin levels were measured
      with an ELISA method. RESULTS: We found a significant difference in serum
      hepcidin levels during the chosen three blood taking times. The normal range for
      Bulgarian population is 3.05 MUg/L - 37.75 MUg/L. The measured levels were: at
      07:30 - 08:30 hours 12.2 MUg/L (5.5 MUg/L - 23.6 MUg/L), 12:00 - 13:00 hours 14.1
      MUg/L (7.1 MUg/L - 27.2 MUg/L), and 16:00 - 17:00 hours 16.5 MUtg/L (9.9 MUg/L -
      29.6 MUpg/L) 10.7 < r < 1.0; p < 0.5 between 07:30 - 08:30 and 12:00 - 13:00
      hours and p < 0.05 between 07:30 - 08:30 hours and 16:00 - 17:00 hours and 12:00 
      13:00 hours and 16:00 - 17:00 hours]. No significant differences were found for
      transferrin saturation between measured groups [0.1 < r < 0.3; p > 0.5].
      CONCLUSIONS: In order to obtain the most correct results for serum hepcidin
      quantification (especially in border to referent range levels) in the
      preanalytical phase, it is important to consider the time of blood sampling.

PMID- 26118203
TI  - [Transborder assistance. New health rights for European citizens].

PMID- 26118204
TI  - [THERAPEUTIC GUIDE IN VENOUS ULCERS].
AB  - The treatment of venous ulcers and wounds in general, is a complex and important
      public health problem, with personal effects, family and health, without
      addressing the economic impact includes assistance, care of patients with
      ulcerative lesions. The increase in life expectancy, driven by improved socio
      sanitary conditions that this aging population, facilitates the emergence of
      chronic diseases may be complicated by the presence of skin ulcers. There is no
      doubt that the best way to treat a skin ulcer is avoiding to occur, hence the
      importance of early diagnosis and risk factors act alone them. In relation to
      venous ulcers is crucial, provide local treatment, act on the cause, because if
      not, relapse is the norm in this type of injury. Currently, the moist wound
      healing, is an important step in solving earlier of these chronic wounds. This
      has meant that the pharmaceutical industry has been involved in researching and
      creating different types of dressings, having specific activity at different
      stages of venous ulcer healing, ie inflammatory phase, proliferative and
      remodeling. The proliferation of these products has been increasing over the
      years, not surprisingly, are described therapeutic 12 families that are applied
      in the management, care of these injuries. The fact of existing therapeutic
      options highlights the ineffectiveness of these products individually. Therefore,
      the nurse will not forget that the optimal treatment of venous ulcers,
      necessarily involves choosing the right product for every type and stage of the
      lesion. In this decision process, strongly influenced by the specific
      characteristics of each patient and injury, the nurse will take into account a
      lot of factors when choosing the product, not forgetting that an ulcer is not
      cured with a single therapeutic element, several products being used throughout
      the process to evolutionary venous ulcer until complete resolution.

PMID- 26118205
TI  - [GUIDE DEVELOPMENT OF A PROCESS MODEL OF NURSE APPLYING VIRGINIA HENDERSON AND
      TAXONOMY NANDA].
AB  - This study aims to develop a practical guide to applying the nur- sing model
      recognized Virginia Henderson NANDA taxonomy and nursing process.

PMID- 26118206
TI  - [NURSING ACTION BEFORE THE TERMINAL PATIENT PHYSICAL CARE].
AB  - Palliative care is a group of actions performed by nurses in order to increase
      the comfort and well-being of patients with terminal illnesses. The World Health
      Organization (WHO) defines this term as: An approach that improves the quality of
      life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life
      threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of
      early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other
      problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual [1]. Cicely Mary Strode Saunders
      is considered as the precursor of the palliative care, who explained the need to
      change the Palliative Care Units in order to improve the quality of life of
      patients with terminal illnesses. Palliative care is necessary for patients with
      a terminal illness. In such cases, the life expectancy is less than six months.
      Human being is considered a biopsychosocial model. For this reason, the nurse
      must take into account all the requirements arising from these three dimensions
      of the human being. In this essay, we deal with palliative care in patients with
      terminal illnesses, considering the role of the nurse as an important reference
      when teaching palliative care to the main carer.

PMID- 26118207
TI  - [INTERFACE SELECTION IN NON-INVASIVE MECHANICAL VENTILATION IN CRITICALLY ILL
      PATIENT].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-invasive ventilation is used with a mechanical ventilator and an
      interface that is interposed between the patient and the ventilator without
      invading the airway. It is an alternative to the artificial airway in situations
      of acute respiratory insufficiency. OBJECTIVE: Determine if the selection of an
      appropriate interface to the contour of the patient's face and the pathology
      involves the triumph or failure of the procedure, deeming it is a dependent
      variable in the success of the NIV. METHOD: Research bibliographic in PubMed,
      with secondary search in the Cochrane Library and CUIDEN. Includes the articles
      published since 2000 in adults. No limitations have been imposed on study design,
      type of intervention or results of the publications. The articles are reviewed to
      determine their relevance and draw conclusions. The heterogeneity of designs
      prevents statistical combination of results and a review was conducted
      descriptive. RESULTS: There were 67 publications of which 28 were rejected by may
      not be related to the reason for this study, 12 to be made in pediatric
      population, 8 per language, 2 to be carried out on animals and 1 to be
      duplicated. The 16 included studies attest to the effectiveness of the NIV with
      studies not comparable between different interfaces. CONCLUSIONS: The consulted
      evidence suggests the benefits of NIV it insisting on the great importance of the
      interface to tolerance and successful of the technique. The studies are
      heterogeneous in its design but the authors suggest continue developing better
      interfaces, with greater tolerance and fewer complications.

PMID- 26118208
TI  - [SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF NURSING PROFESSIONAL ROLE IN SOCIAL HEALTH INEQUALITIES IN
      THE IMMIGRANT POPULATION].
AB  - The current situation in Spain has led to increase social inequalities in health
      in the population. Immigrants without economic resources are the most vulnerable
      group with high rates of morbidity and mortality. For this reason, the Commission
      on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) was created by developing a conceptual
      framework to classify the inequality factors, and thus, politically designing
      actions in order to reduce this problem. The nursing professional collaboration
      in developing effective policies to reduce health inequalities would be a new
      framework, because this profession possesses unique knowledge of people who are
      cared with social problem. One of the main problems identified by nurses in the
      immigrant population is social isolation, being developed in this text one of the
      nursing diagnoses included in a immigrant person care plan with social inequality
      in health.

PMID- 26118209
TI  - [MENTORING IN NURSING, A PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH].
AB  - The essay explains that mentoring, originally established to improve student
      trajectories, reflects a deeper improvement of the people involved in the
      process. The method used is the analysis of the mentoring experience from
      participant observation and phenomenology of lived processes. The results reveal
      that the early analysis of risk factors present in academics--socio
      psychological, family and institutional matters, that may affect the student
      experience in its passage through the academic unit--, requires the intervention
      of a preventive nature and monitoring operating variables. In addition, tutoring
      is a teaching experience which is consolidated with the daily life from the human
      relationship established between the mentor and the mentee, from the position of
      the older adult and experience is a state meet demand related care. However, in
      the tutorial process face to face, usually with academic aspects, therefore, the
      teaching function is fulfilled but operated in particular. By helping to find
      meaning to knowledge not understood, this function is still performed if tutors
      pairs learn to know each other that occasionally is the mirror which reflects the
      own story. While they are recognizing the problems of the mentee, the mentor will
      exorcise his ghosts. Therefore, we argue that, although originally born tutoring
      to abate dropout rates, failure and increase retention and degree, over time, has
      become a process of improving people.

PMID- 26118210
TI  - [INDUCED HYPOTHERMIA AFTER CARDIAC ARREST].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Sudden cardiac death in adults remains a challenge in
      cardiovascular medicine. Cardiac arrest often drives neurological damage
      resulting from cerebral hypoxia, causing a series of cellulose tissue alterations
      that lead to brain injury. Therapeutic hypothermia decreases oxygen demand acting
      as protection to the brain. OBJECTIVES: To describe the casuistry of hypothermia
      after retourn of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) at Bellvitge University Hospital
      (BUH) from 2009 to 2012. Develop a tracking sheet of the induced hypothermia
      process. Reflect professional experience of induced hypothermia after cardiac
      arrest through a case. METHODOLOGY: Retrospective descriptive study of the 54
      cases, 45 men and 9 women, aged between ages 57 (15 to 80) years old treated with
      hypothermia after ROSC at BUH. Analysis of sociodemographic variables, specific
      variables and description of the inclusion criteria for hypothermia. Design of
      nursing record to express standardized care to undertake during the HI and its
      pilot trial. Monitoring a 60 years old patient who suffers cardiopulmonary arrest
      and is subjected to hypothermia. RESULTS: Leading cause of cardiopulmonary arrest
      is acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (63%). Most representative initial rhythm is
      pulseless ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (PVT/VF) (68.5%).
      There is longer survival in patients whose CPR is less than 30 minutes.
      The.target temperature of the patients was 33  degrees C for 24 hours, except for
      5 patients who were stopped because of hemodynamic instability. At discharge, 54%
      were exitus, 4% had severe encephalopathy, 11% mild encephalopathy and 31%
      without neurological sequel. The applicability of the nursing record that was
      created for the HI process was checked, which allowed a fast overview of the
      procedure. It describes the clinical status of the case on admission, during the
      HI, at 48 hours, at discharge from the coronary care unit (CCU) and at discharge.
      DISCUSSION: The data collected between 2009 and 2012 of patients with
      cardiopulmonary arrest candidates to hypothermia showed a favorable neurological
      recovery within the surviving patients. Additionally, patients with
      cardiopulmonary arrest not prolonged have a better prognosis agreeing with ROSC
      previous studies. CONCLUSIONS: Hypothermia is a viable therapy for patients who
      have undergone cardiopulmonary arrest. It is important to make a specific
      assessment of each case as well as agree the track record of care applied to
      these patients to subsequently allow their assessment.

PMID- 26118213
TI  - Health Literacy: A Rx for Patient Success.

PMID- 26118211
TI  - [Mouth and dental health education for the elderly].

PMID- 26118214
TI  - Pigmented Epithelioid Angiomyolipoma of the Kidney.
AB  - Extensive melanin pigment in an epithelioid angiomyolipoma, a potentially
      malignant and locally aggressive renal tumor, has been rarely reported. A 53-year
      old, asymptomatic man with no significant past medical history underwent partial
      nephrectomy for a right kidney mass discovered on CT scan. Grossly, the mass was
      4 cm, well-circumscribed, dark, brown-black. Microscopically, nests of large,
      clear-to-eosinophilic cells with mildly atypical, vesicular nuclei and prominent
      nucleoli were separated by striking vascular network. Abundant, brown-black,
      coarsely granular pigment was noted. The tumor stained with HMB-45 and MART-1 and
      was negative for broad spectrum cytokeratin, CK-7, CD-10, RCC antigen, EMA,
      vimentin, SMA, desmin, synaptophysin, chromogranin, and S 100. Fontana-Masson
      stain confirmed presence of melanin. Thick-walled vessels, spindle cells, and fat
      were absent. The patient had no family history of tuberous sclerosis. Close
      follow-up was recommended. It is important to differentiate this entity from
      melanoma, pigmented renal cell carcinoma, and pigmented paraganglioma.

PMID- 26118215
TI  - Top 10 FACTS YOU FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW About Spirometry.

PMID- 26118216
TI  - Clinical Problem-Solving Case: All's Well That Ends Swell.

PMID- 26118217
TI  - Public Health in Mississippi: Advances in the Last Two Decades.

PMID- 26118219
TI  - Just Doing Some Reframing.

PMID- 26118218
TI  - There is "Power in Numbers".

PMID- 26118220
TI  - Evaluation of certain food additives.
AB  - This report represents the conclusions of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee
      convened to evaluate the safety of various food additives, including flavouring
      agents, and to prepare specifications for identity and purity. The first part of
      the report contains a general discussion of the principles governing the
      toxicological evaluation of and assessment of dietary exposure to food additives,
      including flavouring agents. A summary follows of the Committee's evaluations of
      technical, toxicological and dietary exposure data for eight food additives
      (Benzoe tonkinensis; carrageenan; citric and fatty acid esters of glycerol;
      gardenia yellow; lutein esters from Tagetes erecta; octenyl succinic acid
      modified gum arabic; octenyl succinic acid-modified starch; paprika extract; and
      pectin) and eight groups of flavouring agents (aliphatic and alicyclic
      hydrocarbons; aliphatic and aromatic ethers; ionones and structurally related
      substances; miscellaneous nitrogen-containing substances; monocyclic and bicyclic
      secondary alcohols, ketones and related esters; phenol and phenol derivatives;
      phenyl-substituted aliphatic alcohols and related aldehydes and esters; and
      sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds). Specifications for the following food
      additives were revised: citric acid; gellan gum; polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan
      monostearate; potassium aluminium silicate; and Quillaia extract (Type 2).
      Annexed to the report are tables summarizing the Committee's recommendations for
      dietary exposures to and toxicological evaluations of all of the food additives
      and flavouring agents considered at this meeting.

PMID- 26118221
TI  - Measurement of Change in the Knowledge and Attitude about Leprosy in
      Physiotherapy Students Undergoing Intensive One Week Training in Leprosy.
AB  - Leprosy is a disease that causes not only physical problems, but also mental and
      social problems. In the post integration era, every health care professional
      needs to understand about leprosy, to be able to diagnose and treat them.
      Physiotherapy students, in their usual syllabus, have minimal exposure to
      leprosy, in spite of the fact that they have a major role in preventing
      impairments and disabilities caused by leprosy, as well as treating such
      impairments. In order to educate physiotherapy students on leprosy, a one-week
      intensive training course was organised. This study was done to assess if the
      intensive training to physiotherapy students resulted in increase in their
      knowledge on leprosy and change their attitude positively. A batch consisting of
      42 physiotherapy students went through the one-week training programme. The
      improvement in knowledge and attitude were assessed through a pre-test and a post
      test design. Results showed that there was significant improvement in knowledge
      (53.05%) and brought positive change in attitude (75.0%). Such training
      programmes are recommended for all physiotherapy students.

PMID- 26118222
TI  - Determinants of rural women's participation in India's National Leprosy
      Eradication Programme.
AB  - A multistage representative random sample of women and men from each of the 3
      states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, from the rural blocks where the
      Leprosy Mission Hospitals were located were selected during 2010 to identify
      relevant factors that are preventing active participation of women and suggest
      corrective steps. Adult men and women were interviewed in depth, using a detailed
      checklist by the first author. A total of 1239 respondents 634 women and 605 men,
      were interviewed, only 44 women (7%) claimed that they had earlier participated
      in leprosy work, about 92% of the women felt that they had the potential to take
      part in leprosy work, and 70% showed willingness to participate. Factors that
      would encourage and facilitate more women to participate in leprosy work,
      included financial support (32.8%), convincing the family to grant permission
      (88%), and delegating them to work in proximity to their residences (15%). Some
      women respondents (11.0%) felt that they would provide their services voluntarily
      for social good. Women suggested that work should be delegated as per their
      capabilities and skills, and they should be given proper orientation, training
      and guidance. Hardly 5% of ASHA's in the clusters examined participated in
      leprosy related work, which needs stringent steps to re-orient and encourage them
      to undertake leprosy related work. It is concluded that rural Indian women are
      keen to play an important role in the national leprosy eradication program, with
      minimal support from the government and nongovernmental agencies in a truly
      community-based approach. This will benefit vast numbers of leprosy affected
      women as well as others.

PMID- 26118223
TI  - Treatment Behaviour of Leprosy Patients on Time Scale.
AB  - Leprosy is not a disease of modern civilization and industrialization, but its
      origin is as old as 4600 BC. Although the cure of leprosy is possible by MDT,
      there are certain misbelieves in the mind of leprosy patients leads to delay in
      disease reporting. Wandering of the patient from one healer to another healer
      also one of the cause that delays the start of MDT. It is known fact that the
      delayed response in getting medical treatment for leprosy causes permanent
      physical deformities in the patient. This study is aimed to identify the
      treatment behavior of leprosy patients on time scale. A total of 251 study
      subjects were selected randomly attending the Skin & VD OPD of S S Hospital of
      IMS, BHU, Varanasi. Questions related to treatment behavior on time scale were
      administered to leprosy patients aged 15 years or above by the interviewer
      himself. Time gap to start the initial treatment was significantly less in MB
      cases (5.3 months) as compared to PB cases (7.2 months). MB cases wasted
      significantly more time with allopathic treatment other than MDT. Urban patients
      (1.3 months) wasted more time with homeopathy than the rural patients (0.9
      months). More than half the cases (51.4%) went for the treatment within three
      months of noticing symptoms of leprosy. There is a considerable delay in starting
      the MDT after noticing the first symptom of leprosy. As early as possible,
      measures to start the proper treatment i.e. MDT should be taken to avoid
      permanent disability due to leprosy.

PMID- 26118224
TI  - HIV, HCV & Leprosy co-infection.
AB  - In the era where Hansen's disease has achieved elimination status in India, co
      infection with HIV can possibly cause a resurgence of this disease. A young
      intravenous drug abuser was found to have triple affliction, where HIV and HCV
      infection were discovered on testing after the patient was clinically diagnosed
      to have Hansen's disease. To our knowledge, there has been no case reported where
      leprosy was seen with HIV and HCV infection. We are reporting a patient with
      lepromatous Hansen's disease in type 2 reaction in whom HIV and HCV was
      incidentally diagnosed.

PMID- 26118225
TI  - Disabilities in leprosy--The new concepts.
AB  - The concept of disabilities has undergone changes in recent years and disability
      is no longer a mere physical dysfunction. It includes activity limitations,
      stigma, discrimination, and social participation restrictions. In addition to the
      presence of an illness or impairment, the understanding of disability now
      explores the relationship between disease/illness/impairment, the persons
      functioning within daily activities/social roles, and the social, cultural, and
      physical environments that enable or limit an individual's ability to participate
      fully in his or her community and daily lives. International Classification of
      Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) has recognized several dimensions of
      disability viz., body structure and function (and impairment thereof), activity
      (and activity restrictions) and participation (and participation restrictions).
      It also recognizes the role of physical and social environmental factors in
      affecting disability outcomes and has shifted the focus from the cause of
      disability to its effect, thereby emphasizing the role of the environment
      (physical, cultural, social, political) rather than focusing on disability as a
      'medical' or 'biological' dysfunction. There is not much information available
      about these relationships in leprosy related disabilities. Studies are required
      in different patient groups having different socio-cultural background to develop
      a better understanding of these issues. Accordingly the need for services can be
      worked out for rehabilitation of the patients released from the treatment and
      "Cure".

PMID- 26118226
TI  - [The cyber-family practitioner and his cyber-patient].

PMID- 26118227
TI  - [Computers in the consultation: can we stay patient-centered?].
AB  - Eletronic health records (EHR) are now part of most medical practices in many
      countries including Switzerland. Their use facilitates access and exchange of
      information among health professionals, improves the quality of medical care and
      decreases the number of medical errors. Even patients express their satisfaction
      with the use of EHR. However, it has been observed that use of EHR can modify
      patient-physician communication. The present article describes the different
      elements linked to EHR which can enhance or inhibit patient-physician
      communication. It also suggests strategies for improving it.

PMID- 26118228
TI  - [The use of internet in medicine is no longer an option].
AB  - Internet is currently the most efficient source of information for doctors in
      their daily practice. Even though some training is necessary, it is easy to use
      the internet in medicine. Schematic though it may be, we can say only two
      websites are necessary: a research engine and a medical website. Progressively,
      each doctor then discovers websites that meet his/her needs.

PMID- 26118229
TI  - [Patients, doctors and the internet].
AB  - The majority of the Swiss population uses the internet to seek information about
      health. The objective is to be better informed, before or after the consultation.
      Doctors can advise their information-seeking patients about high quality
      websites, be it medical portals or websites dedicated to a specific pathology.
      Doctors should not see the internet as a threat but rather as an opportunity to
      strengthen the doctor-patient relationship.

PMID- 26118230
TI  - ["MonDossierMedical.ch": an efficient tool for sharing medical data between
      patients and doctors].
AB  - "MonDossierMedical.ch" is a project led by the canton of Geneva, making it
      possible for every patient to access his own electronic health record (EHR) and
      to share the medical files with his doctors. It was introduced across the canton
      in mid-2013, and provided to all patients free of charge. it is based on the
      first Swiss-wide e-health-compliant pilot project "e-toile". The canton of Geneva
      developed "e-toile" as a public-private partnership together with Swiss Post and
      it was launched in 2009 in some of the canton's municipalities. Back then,
      Geneva's EHR represented the first Swiss attempt to link all healthcare
      professionals in the treatment chain. Today, it serves more than 4,600 patients
      and 380 physicians. This number is growing regularly, as well as the health care
      institutions (physicians, private hospitals, labs) joining the community. Added
      value tools, such as a shared care plan and a shared medication list will make
      the platform even more attractive.

PMID- 26118231
TI  - [The informatics: a remarkable tool for teaching general internal medicine].
AB  - INTERMED training implies a three week course, integrated in the "primary care
      module" for medical students in the first master year at the school of medicine
      in Lausanne. INTERMED uses an innovative teaching method based on repetitive
      sequences of e-learning-based individual learning followed by collaborative
      learning activities in teams, named Team-based learning (TBL). The e-learning
      takes place in a web-based virtual learning environment using a series of
      interactive multimedia virtual patients. By using INTERMED students go through a
      complete medical encounter applying clinical reasoning and choosing the
      diagnostic and therapeutic approach. INTERMED offers an authentic experience in
      an engaging and safe environment where errors are allowed and without
      consequences.

PMID- 26118232
TI  - [Doctors and the benefits and dangers of social networks].
AB  - Social networks have many different uses. Most young people use them for
      experimentation and innovation. Social networks help young people get familiar
      with the digital world, and develop themselves in interrelation with their peers.
      But social networks can also be used to avoid relationships in the real world, or
      to practice different forms of harassment. A specific danger lies in forgetting
      that a great number of people can have access to personal information posted
      online. Doctors should be particularly aware of this issue.

PMID- 26118233
TI  - [Jaddo-- the general practitioner blogger].

PMID- 26118234
TI  - [Misophonia and contemporary psychiatry].

PMID- 26118235
TI  - [German Measles has been eradicated in Americas thanks to vaccination].

PMID- 26118236
TI  - [A glass of Champagne!].

PMID- 26118237
TI  - [A german view of digestive physiology and intestines in humans].

PMID- 26118238
TI  - [Allergies: should we introduce peanuts early ?].

PMID- 26118239
TI  - [Alcohol: good or not?].

PMID- 26118240
TI  - [23andMed: Geneticist Jean-Louis Mandel's personal experience].

PMID- 26118241
TI  - [Creation of a cardiology and pediatric cardiac surgery university hospital in
      Roman Switzerland].

PMID- 26118242
TI  - [Neuchatel's hospital: an evaluation study of three scenarios].

PMID- 26118243
TI  - [ New law on assisted reproduction: a necessary tinkering].

PMID- 26118244
TI  - THE RELEVANCE OF HANS SELYE'S WORK IN THE FIELD OF OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY.

PMID- 26118245
TI  - PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. HANS SELYE AND OF HIS INSTITUT DE MeDECINE ET DE
      CHIRURGIE EXPeRIMENTALES (IMCE).
AB  - This article is a short personal recollection of Dr. Hans Selye (HS) and of his
      institute in order to show, first, why and how he influenced us; second, who he
      was as a person, human being, physician, scientist, professor, mentor; third,
      what was the structure and functioning of the Institut de Medecine et Chirurgie
      Experimentales (IMCE) and fourth, what HS' contributions and accomplishments
      were.

PMID- 26118246
TI  - SELYE'S CONCEPT OF PLURICAUSAL DISEASES AND ITS IMPACT ON REGULATORY SCIENCE.
AB  - Science assumed in recent decades an increasingly important role in the
      regulatory field. Regulatory science is now regarded as established specific
      brunch of science. A disturbing anomaly, the emergence of fraudulent data is of
      major concern both in the field of research and in the regulation. Hans Selye's
      work on stress, on several forms of pluricausal diseases and on other
      experimental models came into the focus of interest on the occasion of the Selye
      Symposium - 2013 held in May 2013 at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in
      Budapest.

PMID- 26118247
TI  - HANS SELYE 70 YEARS LATER: STEROIDS, STRESS ULCERS & H. PYLORI.
AB  - Although Hans Selye is mostly known for his discovery & development of the stress
      concept, he also introduced the first physiologically sound, structure-activity
      classification of steroids that was also based on the chemical structure of
      steroids in 1943. He not only introduced the names of glucocorticoids &
      mineralocorticoids but discovered the anti- & pro-inflammatory properties,
      respectively, of these steroids in animal models. Furthermore, he not only
      described the first stress-induced gastric ulcers in rats (1936) & characterized
      the first human 'stress ulcers' during the air-raids in London during World War
      11 (1943). Thus, Selye was a much more productive & creative scientist than it is
      generally considered.

PMID- 26118248
TI  - HANS SELYE AND THE STRESS RESPONSE: FROM "THE FIRST MEDIATOR" TO THE
      IDENTIFICATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC CORTICOTROPIN-RELEASING FACTOR.
AB  - Selye pioneered the stress concept that is ingrained in the vocabulary of daily
      life. This was originally build on experimental observations that divers noxious
      agents can trigger a similar triad of endocrine (adrenal enlargement), immune
      (involution of thymus) and gut (gastric erosion formation) responses as reported
      in a letter to Nature in 1936. Subsequently, he articulated the underlying
      mechanisms and hypothesized the existence of a "first mediator" in the
      hypothalamus able to orchestrate this bodily changes. However he took two
      generations to identify this mediator. The Nobel Laureate, Roger Guillemin, a
      former Selye's PhD student, demonstrated in 1955 the existence of a hypothalamic
      factor that elicited adrenocorticotropic hormone release from the rat pituitary
      and named it corticotropin releasing factor (CRF). In 1981, Wylie Vale, a former
      Guillemin's Ph Student, characterized CRF as 41 amino acid and cloned the CRF1
      and CRF2 receptors. This paves the way to experimental studies establishing that
      the activation of the CRF signaling pathways in the brain plays a key role in
      mediating the stress-related endocrine, behavioral, autonomic and visceral
      responses. The unraveling of the biochemical coding of stress is rooted in Selye
      legacy continues to have increasing impact on the scientific community.

PMID- 26118249
TI  - EVEN VISITING SCIENTISTS COULD MAKE DISCOVERIES IN MONTREAL.
AB  - This publication summarizes the scientific adventure with Professor Selye, and
      focuses on the specific effect of rare metal salts on reticuloendothelial
      functions. Rare earth metal ions markedly affect the functions of cells involved
      in inflammatory and immunological phenomena. The Kupffer cell blockade induced by
      GdCl3 is a generally accepted method for investigation of the physiological and
      pathophysiological roles of Kupffer cells. Potential beneficial effects of
      macrophage blockade have been demonstrated in different shock states, liver
      injury and obstructive jaundice.

PMID- 26118250
TI  - CENTRAL NEUROENDOCRINE MECHANISMS OF GASTROPROTECTION.
AB  - Selye recognized the importance of activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
      axis during stress and the connection between central nervous system and
      neuroendocrine regulation. This concept basically contributed to initiation of
      the studies, which revealed the importance of brain gut axis in regulation of
      gastric mucosal integrity. Several neuropeptides, such as thyreotrop releasing
      hormones, adrenomedullin, peptide YY, amylin, opioid peptides, nociceptin,
      nocisatin, substance P, ghrelin, leptin, orexin-A, angiotensin II were shown to
      induce gastroprotective effect injected centrally. Though the involvement of
      dorsal vagal complex and vagal nerves in conveying the central action to the
      periphery has been well documented, additional mechanisms have also been raised.
      The interaction between neuropeptides further component that may modify the
      gastric mucosal resistance to noxious stimulus.

PMID- 26118251
TI  - OLD AND NEW NEUROENDOCRINE MOLECULES: SOMATOSTATIN, CYSTEAMINE, PANTETHINE AND
      KYNURENINE.
AB  - The aim of this review is to commemorate Hans Selye, endocrinologist, the most
      famous researchers of stress and to briefly summarize the major features of
      somatostatin (SST), cysteamine (CysA) and patethine (PAN) in
      neuroendocrinological aspect, which are closely related to his scientific work.
      In addition, some metabolites of kynurenine pathway (KP) were also mentioned in
      this paper, as new, possible target molecules in neuroendocrinology. R. Guillemin
      and A. V. Schally were the main pioneers of the discovery of SST in the 1970's.
      SST primarily is known as an inhibitor of growth hormone secretion and
      additionally reduces the gastric acid and pepsin release and also the
      gastroduodenal mucosal blood flow. These effects are very important in the
      pathophysiology of peptic ulcer bleeding, which is related to the CysA-evoked
      perforating duodenal ulcer experimental stress model in rats developed by Selye
      and Szabo. CysA is a naturally occurring duodenal ulcerogen, which depletes SST
      in the gastric mucosa and certain brain regions. Furthermore, in addition to
      depleting SST, CysA also causes adrenocortical necrosis, suggesting an
      interaction between the central/peripheral nervous system and the neuroendocrine
      system. The antioxidant PAN, formulated besides the CysA, has similar effects: it
      attenuates the levels of SST and prolactin in the cerebral cortex and
      hypothalamus through the accumulation of CysA within cells throughout the body.
      As new perspectives the KP may be involved in the modulation of neuroendrocrine
      processes: different agonists and antagonists of glutamate receptors regulate the
      hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and kynurenic acid augments the anxiolytic
      stress responses in neonatal chicks. The pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced and
      the toxic heavy oil contaminations-evoked alterations in the KP indirectly
      contribute to the development of neuroendocrine disorders. In summary, there have
      been highly important developments in neuroendocrinology since the early findings
      of Selye. Although there are as yet relatively few data about the potential role
      of kynurenines in neuroendocrinology, the results already achieved are extremely
      noteworthy and immensely promising.

PMID- 26118252
TI  - A PSYCHIATRIST'S PERSPECTIVES ON STRESS, STEROIDS AND MENTAL ILLNESS.
AB  - The relationship between stress and mental illness has been extensively studied
      and there is a growing consensus that the occurrence of mental illness rather
      depends on a combination of factors than is caused by stressful external events.
      Significant hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis abnormalities were observed among
      others in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. In both disorders, the
      extent of change in cortisol level was related to the severity of illness and to
      cognitive changes. Exogenous use of synthetic steroids also frequently resulted
      in severe psychiatric symptoms. In conclusion changes in the level of steroid
      hormones may cause impairments in the brain.

PMID- 26118253
TI  - Catecholamines and stress.
AB  - A brief survey is offering of debates on two long-standing questions in stress
      studies and theories: 1) question of stress nonspecificity (i.e. homo- or
      heterogeneity in stress responses), and 2) what is the functional role of central
      catecholamines in stress mechanisms, especially in stress signal-transduction and
      in the realization of stress responses.

PMID- 26118254
TI  - THE SURPRISING DUAL ACTION OF GLUCOCORTICOIDS.
AB  - Glucocorticoid hormones may have dual action on the stomach: physiological
      gastroprotective and pathological proulcerogenic one. In physiological
      conditions, even in acute stress situations, glucocorticoids have an adaptive
      effect on the stomach and, therefore, are gastroprotective. The findings that we
      review in this article suggest that glucocorticoids released during acute stress
      are naturally occurring protective factors that play an important role in
      maintenance of the gastric mucosal integrity.

PMID- 26118255
TI  - HANS SELYE: AN INSPIRING TEACHER.
AB  - The present writing is a recollection of Hans Selye, as an educator of graduate
      and post-graduate students. His main aim in teaching his students was to
      encourage originality and significance of all scientific research.

PMID- 26118256
TI  - STRESS IN THE CLASSIFICATION OF PITUITARY TUMORS. FOCUS ON AGGRESSIVE PITUITARY
      ADENOMAS.
AB  - After a brief summary of the stress concept and the contribution of Dr. Hans
      Selye, this publication focuses on the classification of pituitary neoplasms and
      the difficulties to provide conclusive information on the prognosis of various
      pituitary tumor types. The term "aggressive pituitary tumors" was introduced.
      These tumors have a rapid cell proliferation rate. At present, the assessment of
      Ki-67 nuclear labeling index appears to be the simplest and most reliable method
      to evaluate tumor cell multiplication. Further studies on pituitary tumor
      biomarkers are needed.

PMID- 26118257
TI  - [VALIDATION OF THE HUNGARIAN MDS-UPDRS: WHY DO WE NEED A NEW PARKINSON SCALE?].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Movement Disorder Society-sponsored revision of the Unified
      Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) has been published in 2008 as the
      successor of the original UPDRS. The MDS-UPDRS organizing team developed
      guidelines for the development of official non-English translations consisting of
      four steps: translation/back-translation, cognitive pretesting, large field
      testing, and clinimetric analysis. The aim of this paper was to introduce the new
      MDS-UPDRS and its validation process into Hungarian. METHODS: Two independent
      groups of neurologists translated the text of the MDS-UPDRS into Hungarian and
      subsequently back-translated into English. After the review of the back
      translated English version by the MDS-UPDRS translation administration team,
      cognitive pretesting was conducted with ten patients. Based on the results of the
      initial cognitive pretesting, another round was conducted. For the large field
      testing phase, the Hungarian official working draft version of MDS-UPDRS was
      tested with 357 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Confirmatory factor
      analyses (CFA) determined whether the factor structure for the English-language
      MDS-UPDRS could be confirmed in data collected using the Hungarian Official Draft
      Version. To become an official translation, the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) had
      to be >= 0.90 compared to the English-language version. RESULTS: For all four
      parts of the Hungarian MDS-UPDRS, the CFI was >= 0.94. CONCLUSION: The overall
      factor structure of the Hungarian version was consistent with that of the English
      version based on the high CFIs for all the four parts of the MDS-UPDRS in the
      CFA; therefore, this version was designated as the "OFFICIAL GUNGARIAN VERSION OF
      THE MDS-UPDRS'.

PMID- 26118259
TI  - [Dilemma of further therapeutic step in remitting-relapsing multiple sclerosis in
      case of ineffectiveness of first-line treatment: fingolimod or natalizumab?].

PMID- 26118258
TI  - ASSOCIATION OF TEMPORAL LOBE INFLAMMATORY LEUKOENCEPHALOPATHY WITH TWO B CELL
      MALIGNANCIES.
AB  - Identification of etiological connections among virtually distinct diseases in a
      patient may be sometimes challenging. We report a unique case with two B cell
      malignancies and an inflammatory leukoencephalopathy. Three days prior to
      admission, the elderly male patient developed fatigue, headaches, recurrent
      vomiting, memory disturbances, depression and somnolence. Clinical, laboratory
      and imaging evaluations as well as post mortem histological studies were
      performed. Simultaneous presence of primary central nervous system B cell
      lymphoma, temporal lobe inflammatory leukoencephalopathy and multiple
      (smoldering) myeloma, was revealed by the detailed work up in the treatment-naive
      patient. Based on recent data from genomic studies, we propose that a sequential
      evolution of molecular pathology lead to the co-occurrence of multiple myeloma
      and primary central nervous system B cell lymphoma in this patient, and interpret
      the development of the temporal lobe leukoencephalopathy as a likely
      paraneoplastic complication of smoldering myeloma.

PMID- 26118261
TI  - Evidence of the Construct Validity of the Scale of Economic Abuse.
AB  - This study investigated the construct validity of the Scale of Economic Abuse
      (SEA). Evidence of construct validity was assessed by examining the relationship
      between the SEA and an economic outcome, financial resources, as perceived by
      participants. A sample of 93 women with abusive partners were recruited from a
      domestic violence organization and interviewed 3 times over a period of 4 months.
      Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the relationship between
      economic abuse and financial resources over time, controlling for the effects of
      physical and psychological abuse. The findings indicate that baseline economic
      abuse was significantly related to baseline financial resources, and within-woman
      change in economic abuse was significantly predicted change in financial
      resources over time. The findings suggest that the SEA measures what it is
      intended to measure: an economic dimension of intimate partner abuse that has
      damaging economic consequences.

PMID- 26118262
TI  - Gender and the Acceptance of Retaliatory Violence Among Acquaintance, Dating, and
      Marital Relationships.
AB  - Those who contemplate retaliatory violence against female intimate partners face
      two conflicting social norms: chivalry norms that discourage violence against
      women and social norms that may excuse or even support hitting back when one is
      victimized. Using a sample of 400 undergraduates, this study examines the degree
      to which norms discouraging violence against women extend to retaliatory acts of
      violence and whether normative protection of women varies across type of
      relationship. Findings indicate that relationship status affects men's approval
      of retaliation by women but not their approval of retaliation by men. In
      contrast, relationship status affects women's approval of retaliation by men but
      not their approval of retaliation by women. These findings are consistent with
      the idea that both men and women subscribe to chivalry norms that inhibit male
      aggression toward women. Norms that discourage retaliation against women are not
      limited to wives. Both men and women are more supportive of women's retaliation
      against men than men's retaliation against women. Men are particularly likely to
      endorse retaliation by wives against their husbands.

PMID- 26118263
TI  - What Happens After I Hit? A Qualitative Analysis of the Consequences of Dating
      Violence for Female Perpetrators.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The primary goal of this study is to qualitatively examine
      reinforcing and punishing consequences following the perpetration of physical
      aggression by women in dating relationships because recent theoretical
      conceptualizations of intimate partner violence have emphasized an examination of
      such consequences. METHOD: Participants were 25 undergraduate women in current
      dating relationships who reported previous perpetration of physical dating
      violence and completed a qualitative, theoretically based interview on the
      consequences of their aggression perpetration. RESULTS: Findings demonstrated
      that violent episodes resulted in both reinforcing and punishing consequences,
      with 100% of instances resulting in reinforcing consequences for the perpetrator
      and 76% classified as punishing, which were divided into 15 different classes of
      outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that dating violence prevention
      programming could focus their efforts on increasing use of nonaggressive
      behaviors leading to reinforcing outcomes among dating couples during conflict
      resolution. This also has important implications for theoretical models of
      intimate partner violence.

PMID- 26118264
TI  - An Examination of Emotion Regulation and Alcohol Use as Risk Factors for Female
      Perpetrated Dating Violence.
AB  - Dating violence is a serious problem among college students. Research indicates
      that females perpetrate as much, if not more, psychological and physical
      aggression against their dating partners relative to their male counterparts.
      Unfortunately, there is considerably less research on risk factors for female
      perpetrated dating violence, hindering efforts aimed at preventing violence in
      their relationships. This study examined 2 risk factors for female-perpetrated
      dating violence, namely alcohol use and emotion regulation, within a sample of
      undergraduate female college students (N = 379). Using structural equation
      modeling, results demonstrated that emotion regulation was associated with
      psychological aggression perpetration, and this was partially mediated by alcohol
      use. Moreover, a 2-chain mediation was present, such that emotion regulation
      deficits predicted alcohol use, which in turn predicted psychological aggression,
      which finally predicted physical aggression. These findings are consistent with
      theoretical models of dating violence and indicate that intervention programs
      should focus their efforts on increasing adaptive emotion regulation, decreasing
      alcohol use, and reducing psychological aggression.

PMID- 26118265
TI  - The Relation of Severity and Type of Community Violence Exposure to Emotional
      Distress and Problem Behaviors Among Urban African American Adolescents.
AB  - Severity level and type of exposure to community violence were examined to
      determine their effect on emotional distress and problem behaviors among 234 low
      income urban African American early adolescents. There were 4 violence exposure
      scales developed from a principal component analysis of the Richters and Martinez
      (1993) exposure to violence scale: moderate and severe witnessing and moderate
      and severe victimization. Regression analyses indicated that moderate
      victimization was the most consistent predictor of emotional distress and
      behavioral problems, whereas moderate witnessing did not relate to any of the
      dependent variables. Severe victimization predicted depression and delinquency,
      whereas severe witnessing predicted posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and
      delinquency. Witnessing and victimization scales based on severity of exposure
      better represented the experience than combining all data into a single exposure
      or simply witnessing and victimization scales.

PMID- 26118266
TI  - Reducing the Harm of Criminal Victimization: The Role of Restitution.
AB  - Restitution is a court-ordered payment by offenders to their victims to cover the
      victims' economic losses resulting from the crime. These losses can be
      substantial and can harm victims and victims' families both directly and
      indirectly. But most victims do not receive reparation for their injuries, both
      because judges do not always impose restitution and because of problems with
      collecting restitution payments, even if there is a court order to do so. In this
      article, we review the literature on restitution and suggest that this
      compensatory mechanism is necessary to restore victims to where they were before
      the crime occurred. But monetary restitution alone is not sufficient. Making
      victims whole requires not only financial compensation from the offender but also
      procedural, informational, and interpersonal justice from the criminal justice
      system.

PMID- 26118267
TI  - Understanding Ecological Factors Associated With Bullying Across the Elementary
      to Middle School Transition in the United States.
AB  - This study examines sociodemographic characteristics and social-environmental
      factors associated with bullying during the elementary to middle school
      transition from a sample of 5th-grade students (n = 300) in 3 elementary schools
      at Time 1. Of these, 237 participated at Time 2 as 6th-grade students. Using
      cluster analyses, we found groups of students who reported no increase in
      bullying, some decrease in bullying, and some increase in bullying. Students who
      reported increases in bullying also reported decreases in school belongingness
      and teacher affiliation and increases in teacher dissatisfaction. Students who
      reported decreases in bullying also reported decreases in victimization. These
      findings suggest that changes across the transition in students' relations to
      school and their teachers are predictive of changes in bullying.

PMID- 26118268
TI  - Risk Factors in Arrest of Rural and Urban Female Victims of Intimate Partner
      Violence.
AB  - This study used a sample of women who obtained protective orders (N = 709) from
      urban and rural communities and identified risk factors in arrest for victims of
      intimate partner violence 12 months after the protective order was obtained.
      Lower social support, higher loneliness, living in a rural community, substance
      abuse/dependency, a history of prior arrest, engaging in illegal behavior, and
      younger age were all identified as significant predictors of arrest at follow-up.
      The findings highlight the need for support and resources in vulnerable
      populations to reduce the risk of offending and recidivism. Implications for
      reentry programs and services for victimized women at risk are discussed.

PMID- 26118269
TI  - Cumulative Effects of Multiple Forms of Violence and Abuse on Women.
AB  - Little is known about how patterns of workplace bullying contribute to the
      negative effects of lifetime violence. Analysis of longitudinal data from a study
      of women's health after separating from an abusive partner revealed that 76% of
      229 women had experienced workplace bullying. Workplace bullying was associated
      with child sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, and ongoing partner abuse. Timing
      was critical, with those experiencing past workplace bullying having poorer
      health and fewer personal and social resources than those experiencing none,
      ongoing, or past and ongoing bullying. Lifetime sexual harassment (54%) was
      associated with higher posttraumatic stress disorder symptomology and greater
      likelihood of leaving workplaces and physical bullying (16%) with poorer health
      and personal, social, and economic resources. These findings highlight the
      importance of including bullying in studying lifetime violence.

PMID- 26118270
TI  - Improving Systematic Response in the Face of Homicide: Family and Friends of
      Homicide Victims Service Needs.
AB  - Homicide is a pressing issue in America. This study used qualitative data
      obtained from focus groups of family and friends of homicide victims (FFHV) to
      assess and better meet the needs of victims post homicide. The study results
      posit myriad changes to the systematic response to homicide. The article
      concludes with recommendations for training and resources, with specific
      attention to legal, law enforcement, medical, and behavioral health providers.

PMID- 26118271
TI  - Keeping Victims Informed: Service Providers' and Victims' Experiences Using
      Automated Notification Systems.
AB  - Automated victim notification is often touted as an effective and efficient means
      for providing victims timely and accurate information of their offenders' court
      events and status changes at reduced burden to the criminal justice system.
      Today, 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have some form of
      automated notification system. Researchers surveyed 1,246 service providers and
      723 victims to examine their awareness and use of, satisfaction with, and
      experiences using automated notification systems. Findings indicate that service
      providers are aware of and use automated notification; however, less than one
      quarter of victim respondents were registered for automated notification
      services. Service providers and victims who use automated notification services
      report high overall satisfaction; however, they also report challenges in using
      these systems. Service providers offer several recommendations for improving
      automated notification systems.

PMID- 26118272
TI  - My Air Force Story.

PMID- 26118273
TI  - Meaningful Recognition: Recognizing the "soft skills" of Nursing.

PMID- 26118274
TI  - Primary Care Nurse Practitioner: Not Just Colds & Coughs.

PMID- 26118275
TI  - A Student's Perspective on Nurse Advocacy.

PMID- 26118276
TI  - What should you do if you received a 4-5-320(c) notification letter from the
      Tennessee Department of Health?

PMID- 26118277
TI  - Bottom-Up Change.

PMID- 26118278
TI  - Finding Refuge in Nursing: The Role of Ethics.

PMID- 26118279
TI  - Bullying: One Nurses' Story.

PMID- 26118280
TI  - The Disturbing Increase in Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Boundary Issues.

PMID- 26118281
TI  - It's a job.

PMID- 26118282
TI  - Cautiously optimistic.

PMID- 26118283
TI  - Quarter of four-year-olds failing to flourish.

PMID- 26118284
TI  - Childhood obesity the result of two different 'epidemics'.

PMID- 26118285
TI  - Charity warns of carbon monoxide poisoning dangers.

PMID- 26118286
TI  - Breast milk 'protects against severe intestinal disease'.

PMID- 26118287
TI  - Eczema on trial.

PMID- 26118288
TI  - 'Midwives should not act as gatekeepers to the maternity services'.

PMID- 26118289
TI  - An update on vitamin D deficiency and at risk groups.
AB  - Vitamin D is required for healthy bones. We need sunlight and good renal and
      liver function for the synthesis of vitamin D, although it can also be taken in
      diet. Severe deficiency causes the bone diseases rickets and osteomalacia.
      Supplementation with vitamin D can help prevent low birth weight and non
      vertebral fractures. Roles for vitamin D in other aspects of health are
      controversial.

PMID- 26118290
TI  - Demonstrating effective support to parents with learning disabilities. Part 1.

PMID- 26118291
TI  - At a glance: common (abdominal) surgical conditions in children.
AB  - In children, surgical conditions of the abdomen can present with rather non
      specific symptoms akin to other common, self-limiting pathologies. These factors
      can impede diagnosis and the rapid specialist management that is often required.
      Community practitioners are often the first health professional to see the sick
      child and advise their caregivers. Therefore it is of upmost importance that they
      are equipped and confident in their knowledge of the potential surgical
      conditions that they may encounter in their clinical practice. Suspicion of a
      serious surgical disorder or a deteriorating child warrants prompt referral to a
      medical professional. This article aims to provide an overview of the most common
      abdominal surgical conditions in children and to provide information and
      suggestions to the community practitioner in order to broadly enhance their
      outcomes.

PMID- 26118292
TI  - The day England's Chief Nurse shadowed me.

PMID- 26118293
TI  - Will the FDAC effectively safeguard children?

PMID- 26118294
TI  - 'Don't let process stop progress'.

PMID- 26118295
TI  - Female genital mutilation: everyone's business.

PMID- 26118296
TI  - Lead from the front.

PMID- 26118297
TI  - Enuresis: ensuring school readiness.

PMID- 26118298
TI  - [Present condition and new vista of the future in robotic-assisted laparoscopic
      surgeries].
AB  - The introduction of robotic surgical system is one of the most exciting topic in
      the field of the surgery. In this symposium, we presented and explained the
      present condition of robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgeries performed in the
      department of Urology, Gastroenterology and Gynecology of the Hokkaido University
      Hospital. By using this surgical system, laparoscopic surgery, which is generally
      considered to be difficult, can be safely performed by surgeons. Especially in
      radical prostatectomy against localized prostate cancer, this surgical approach
      brought the decrease in peri- and postoperative problems including blood loss and
      postoperative urinary incontinence in comparison with open or laparoscopic
      radical prostatectomy. We wish that this symposium would help the audience to
      understand the present condition and new vista of the future in robotic-assisted
      laparoscopic surgeries.

PMID- 26118299
TI  - Pigment epithelium-derived factor inhibits the growth of human esophageal
      squamous cell carcinoma by suppressing neovascularization.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neovascularization consists of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis
      during which bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are
      mobilized for blood vessel formation. Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is
      known to be a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis in some solid carcinomas. However,
      the effects of PEDF on human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and
      vasculogenesis are still unknown. The purpose of this research was to investigate
      the effect of PEDF on angiogenesis, tumor growth, and vasculogenesis in ESCC.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PEDF gene was transduced to the TE8 ESCC cell line not
      secreting endogenous PEDF and the HEC 46 cell line originally secreting
      endogenous PEDF by lentivirus-based vectors expressing PEDF. In vitro endothelial
      cell proliferation and migration assays were performed using the supernatant
      derived from PEDF-overexpressing cells. In in vivo experiments, the effects of
      PEDF on chronological tumor growth, intratumoral microvessel density (MVD), tumor
      cell apoptosis, and the frequency of EPCs in peripheral blood and tumor tissues
      were examined in murine subcutaneous tumor models. RESULTS: PEDF inhibited
      endothelial cell proliferation and migration in vitro and showed potent in vivo
      antitumor properties by inhibiting MVD in the human ESCC cell line that did not
      secrete endogenous PEDF. However, in the cell line secreting endogenous PEDF,
      additional PEDF gene transfer showed no inhibition of angiogenesis and no
      subsequent antitumor properties. With respect to vasculogenesis, PEDF was found
      to have potential to suppress vasculogenesis; the frequency of EPCs both in
      peripheral blood and tumor tissue was decreased in mice implanted with PEDF
      overexpressing TE8 and HEC46 cells. CONCLUSION: PEDF may have potent
      antiangiogenic and antitumor effects in ESCC cells naturally not secreting
      endogenous PEDF and can be expected to be applied as gene therapy in the future.

PMID- 26118300
TI  - Evaluation of a new system for chest tomosynthesis: aspects of image quality of
      different protocols determined using an anthropomorphic phantom.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the image quality obtained with the different protocols in
      a new chest digital tomosynthesis (DTS) system. METHODS: A chest phantom was
      imaged with chest X-ray equipment with DTS. 10 protocols were used, and for each
      protocol, nine acquisitions were performed. Four observers visually rated the
      quality of the reconstructed section images according to pre-defined quality
      criteria in four different classes. The data were analysed with visual grading
      characteristics (VGC) analysis, using the vendor-recommended protocol [12-s
      acquisition time, source-to-image distance (SID) 180 cm] as reference, and the
      area under the VGC curve (AUCVGC) was determined for each protocol and class of
      criteria. RESULTS: Protocols with a smaller swing angle resulted in a lower image
      quality for the classes of criteria "disturbance" and "homogeneity in nodule" but
      a higher image quality for the class "structure". The class "demarcation" showed
      little dependency on the swing angle. All protocols but one (6.3 s, SID 130 cm)
      obtained an AUCVGC significantly <0.5 (indicating lower quality than reference)
      for at least one class of criteria. CONCLUSION: The study indicates that the DTS
      protocol with 6.3 s yields image quality similar to that obtained with the vendor
      recommended protocol (12 s) but with the clinically important advantage for
      patients with respiratory impairment of a shorter acquisition time. ADVANCES IN
      KNOWLEDGE: The study demonstrates that the image quality may be strongly affected
      by the choice of protocol and that the vendor-recommended protocol may not be
      optimal.

PMID- 26118302
TI  - An online open-source tool for automated quantification of liver and myocardial
      iron concentrations by T2* magnetic resonance imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess whether an online open-source tool would provide accurate
      calculations of T2(*) values for iron concentrations in the liver and heart
      compared with a standard reference software. METHODS: An online open-source tool,
      written in pure HTML5/Javascript, was tested in 50 patients (age 26.0 +/- 18.9
      years, 46% males) who underwent T2(*) MRI of the liver and heart for iron
      overload assessment as part of their routine workup. Automated truncation
      correction was the default with optional manual adjustment provided if needed.
      The results were compared against a standard reference measurement using
      commercial software with manual truncation (CVI(42)((r)) v. 5.1; Circle
      Cardiovascular Imaging; Calgary, AB). RESULTS: The mean liver T2(*) values
      calculated with the automated tool was 4.3 ms [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.1
      to 5.5 ms] vs 4.26 ms using the reference software (95% CI 3.1 to 5.4 ms) without
      any significant differences (p = 0.71). In the liver, the mean difference was
      0.036 ms (95% CI -0.1609 to 0.2329 ms) with a regression correlation coefficient
      of 0.97. For the heart, the automated T2(*) value was 26.0 ms (95% CI 22.9 to
      29.0 ms) vs 25.3 ms (95% CI 22.3 to 28.3 ms), p = 0.28. The mean difference was
      0.72 ms (95% CI 0.08191 to 1.3621 ms) with a correlation coefficient of 0.96.
      CONCLUSION: The automated online tool provides similar T2(*) values for the liver
      and myocardial iron concentrations as compared with a standard reference
      software. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: The online program provides an open-source tool
      for the calculation of T2(*) values, incorporating an automated correction
      algorithm in a simple and easy-to-use interface.

PMID- 26118301
TI  - Imaging intracellular and systemic in vivo gold nanoparticles to enhance
      radiotherapy.
AB  - Nanoparticles offer alternative options in cancer therapy both as drug delivery
      carriers and as direct therapeutic agents for cancer cell inactivation. More
      recently, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have emerged as promising radiosensitizers
      achieving significantly elevated radiation dose enhancement factors when
      irradiated with both kilo-electron-volt and mega-electron-volt X-rays. Use of
      AuNPs in radiobiology is now being intensely driven by the desire to achieve
      precise energy deposition in tumours. As a consequence, there is a growing demand
      for efficient and simple techniques for detection, imaging and characterization
      of AuNPs in both biological and tumour samples. Spatially accurate imaging on the
      nanoscale poses a serious challenge requiring high- or super-resolution imaging
      techniques. In this mini review, we discuss the challenges in using AuNPs as
      radiosensitizers as well as various current and novel imaging techniques designed
      to validate the uptake, distribution and localization in mammalian cells. In our
      own work, we have used multiphoton excited plasmon resonance imaging to map the
      AuNP intracellular distribution. The benefits and limitations of this approach
      will also be discussed in some detail. In some cases, the same "excitation"
      mechanism as is used in an imaging modality can be harnessed to make it also a
      part of therapy modality (e.g. phototherapy)-such examples are discussed in
      passing as extensions to the imaging modality concerned. 

PMID- 26118303
TI  - Antimicrobial peptides: has their time arrived?

PMID- 26118304
TI  - Evaluation of organic matter removal and electricity generation by using
      integrated microbial fuel cells for wastewater treatment.
AB  - A floating all-in-one type of microbial fuel cell (Fa-MFC) that allows simple
      operation and installation in existing wastewater reservoirs for decomposition of
      organic matter was designed. A prototype cell was constructed by fixing a tubular
      floater to an assembly composed of a proton-exchange membrane and an air-cathode.
      To compare anode materials, carbon-cloth anodes or carbon-brush anodes were
      included in the assembly. The fabricated assemblies were floated in 1-L beakers
      filled with acetate medium. Both reactors removed acetate at a rate of 133-181
      mg/L/d. The Fa-MFC quipped with brush anodes generated a 1.7-fold higher maximum
      power density (197 mW/m(2)-cathode area) than did that with cloth anodes (119
      mW/m(2)-cathode area). To evaluate the performance of the Fa-MFCs on more
      realistic substrates, artificial wastewater, containing peptone and meat extract,
      was placed in a 2-L beaker, and the Fa-MFC with brush anodes was floated in the
      beaker. The Fa-MFC removed the chemical oxygen demand of the wastewater at a rate
      of 465-1029 mg/L/d, and generated a maximum power density of 152 mW/m(2)-cathode
      area. When the Fa-MFC was fed with actual livestock wastewater, the biological
      oxygen demand of the wastewater was removed at a rate of 45-119 mg/L/d, with
      electricity generation of 95 mW/m(2)-cathode area. Bacteria related to Geobacter
      sulfurreducens were predominantly detected in the anode biofilm, as deduced from
      the analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence.

PMID- 26118305
TI  - Clinical significance of serum apolipoproteins as a predictor of coronary heart
      disease risk in Korean men.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although serum apolipoprotein measurement is known to be associated
      with coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, there is only limited information about
      the clinical significance of lipid profiles such as ApoA, ApoB and A/B ratio in
      predicting CHD risk in Asians. Therefore, this cohort study was conducted to
      evaluate the longitudinal effects of baseline serum apolipoprotein measurements
      on CHD risk in Korean men. DESIGN: Initially, an intermediate and high Framingham
      risk score (FRS)-free cohort of 23 918 healthy Korean men was followed until
      2010. FRS was calculated for each man and divided into three levels of risk <10%
      (low), 10-19% (intermediate) and >=20% (high). More-than-a-moderate CHD risk
      group (participants with FRS >= 10%) and high CHD risk group (participants with
      FRS >= 20%) were defined as our two dependent variables. Cox proportional hazards
      models were performed. RESULTS: In the more-than-a-moderate CHD risk group, the
      total and average follow-up periods were 83340.2 and 3.48 person-years,
      respectively, and 3763 (15.7%) incident cases developed between 2006 and 2010. In
      the high CHD risk group, the total and average follow-up periods were 87868.8 and
      3.67 person-years, respectively, and 344 (1.4%) incident cases developed between
      2006 and 2010. Multivariate-adjusted analyses showed a strong statistically
      significant relationship between the quintile groups of apolipoprotein B (ApoB),
      apolipoprotein A-1 (ApoA-1) and apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A-1 (ApoB/A-1)
      ratio and both the more-than-a-moderate CHD risk and high CHD risk. CONCLUSIONS:
      Serum ApoB, ApoA-1 and ApoB/A-1 ratio levels are independently associated with
      CHD risk in Korean men.

PMID- 26118306
TI  - Introduction to the special issue on Cognitive bias modification: Taking a step
      back to move forward?
AB  - Cognitive bias modification (CBM) research holds important theoretical and
      clinical potential. CBM represents one of the most exciting translational
      developments in experimental psychopathology research in recent years. Despite
      theoretical and methodological advances in the past 15 years, the clinical
      efficacy of CBM, to-date, has been disappointing. However, it is important to
      remember that the CBM therapeutics literature is only in its early stages of
      scientific development. We argue that the potential for novel approaches to CBM
      to contribute to disseminable psychological interventions is strong and has yet
      to be realized. Accordingly, we propose 5 inter-related steps that may help
      advance the basic and clinical science of CBM: (1) Innovation and refinement of
      the methodology to modify information-processing bias; (2) Advancing
      understanding of the nature of processing biases in order to guide their
      modification; (3) Conceptualizing and studying the moderating and mediating
      mechanisms underlying the modification of information-processing bias and their
      effects on maladaptation; (4) Focus on augmenting existing validated treatments,
      by targeting psychobehavioral processes proximally linked to information
      processing biases; (5) Encouraging publication of methodologically strong, mixed
      and unexpected findings. Finally, we introduce papers in the special issue with
      respect to each of these future directions. These papers provide important new
      conceptual and methodological perspectives to advance CBM research. 

PMID- 26118307
TI  - Predicting clinical severity based on substitutions near epitope A of influenza
      A/H3N2.
AB  - Epitopes are the main targets for specific antibodies in the host defense
      systems. Recent studies have shown that amino acid (aa) substitutions located
      within the influenza A/H3N2 hemagglutinin 1 (HA1) epitopes A-E, particularly in A
      and B, result in antigenic drift. Viruses with such drift mutations may have
      resulted in more severe influenza-related illness during influenza epidemics
      between late 2012 and early 2015. We sought to quantify vaccine mismatches in
      epitopes A-E of the HA1 protein, and correlate these with the severity of the
      patient's illness. The influenza A/H3N2 clinical samples were collected between
      April 2009 and November 2013 (n=206). Patients were clinically stratified into
      groups with mild, moderate, and severe influenza-like illness (ILI). The impact
      of the number of aa mismatches in each of epitopes A-E, gender, age groups (?18,
      19-64, ?65 years), and comorbidities on the likelihood that patients would suffer
      moderate and/or severe ILI due to influenza A/H3N2 infection were assessed. A
      higher number of aa mismatches in epitope A between the vaccine and locally
      circulating viruses correlated with more severe influenza infection, although
      this correlation was most significant with pre-existing comorbidities. A
      practical application of this finding would be to monitor patients (especially
      those in high-risk groups) infected with such viruses more closely, as they are
      at increased risk of developing more serious disease. Epidemiologically, it was
      of interest to note that viruses from subclade 3A of Victoria/208 strain were not
      detected in Singapore between 2009 and 2012. By contrast, these viruses were
      detected at a prevalence of up to 40% in the 2011-2012 influenza seasons in other
      regions of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Such findings support the
      rationale for more regionally customized seasonal influenza vaccine compositions
      to optimize the protection of the population against locally circulating virus
      strains.

PMID- 26118308
TI  - "Atypical touch perception in MTS may derive from an abnormally plastic self
      representation".
AB  - Mirror Touch Synesthetes (MTSs) feel touch while they observe others being
      touched. According to the authors, two complementary theoretical frameworks, the
      Threshold Theory and the Self-Other Theory, explain Mirror Touch Synesthesia
      (MTS). Based on the behavioral evidence that in MTSs the mere observation of
      touch is sufficient to elicit self-other merging (i.e., self-representation
      changes), a condition that in non-MTSs just elicits self-other sharing (i.e.,
      mirroring activity without self-other blurring), and on the rTPJ anatomical
      alterations in MTS, we argue that MTS may derive from an abnormally plastic self
      representation and atypical multisensory integrative mechanisms. 

PMID- 26118309
TI  - Effect of Mucosal Cytokine Administration on Selective Expansion of Vaginal
      Dendritic Cells to Support Nanoparticle Transport.
AB  - PROBLEM: The capacity of antigen-carrying vaccine nanoparticles (NPs)
      administered vaginally to stimulate local immune responses may be limited by the
      relatively low numbers of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in the genital mucosa.
      Because inflammation is associated with increased susceptibility to sexually
      transmitted infections, we sought to increase APC numbers without causing
      inflammation. METHOD OF STUDY: In this study, we evaluated intravaginal delivery
      of chemokines, growth factors, or synthetic adjuvants to expand APCs in
      reproductive tissues. RESULTS: We found that granulocyte-macrophage colony
      stimulating factor (GM-CSF) stimulated expansion of CD11b+ dendritic cells (DCs)
      within 24 hr of intravaginal administration, with no effect on Langerhans cells
      or macrophages. Expansion of the CD11b+ DC population was not associated with
      increased inflammatory cytokine production, and these cells retained phagocytic
      function. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that non-inflammatory expansion of mucosal
      APCs by intravaginal GM-CSF could be used as an adjuvanting strategy to
      potentiate the genital immune response to nanoparticulate mucosal vaccines.

PMID- 26118310
TI  - Rapid-sequence intubation using a videolaryngoscope and tube-balloon esophageal
      blocker in a seated position.

PMID- 26118311
TI  - Assessing analgesic efficiency of single-injection thoracic paravertebral block
      after mastectomy.

PMID- 26118312
TI  - Thoracic epidural analgesia in a child with multiple traumatic rib fractures.
AB  - The morbidity and mortality associated with blunt thoracic trauma are significant
      and can be multisystem in nature. Of these, pulmonary complications, including
      ventilatory impairment secondary to pain, have been recognized to be the most
      consequential. Although several analgesic strategies have emerged, thoracic
      epidural analgesia (TEA) has arguably demonstrated superior efficacy and is used
      frequently in adults. Unfortunately, TEA is rarely used in children after blunt
      thoracic trauma, but may be of considerable benefit. This low rate of use likely
      reflects one or more of several factors potentially encountered when considering
      the use of TEA in pediatric chest wall trauma. Among them are (1) uncertainty
      regarding safety and efficacy; (2) the technical challenges of pediatric thoracic
      epidural placement, including technique and equipment concerns; and (3) drug
      selection, dosing, and toxicity. The following case review describes the
      successful application of TEA in a 4-year-old boy after multiple traumatic rib
      fractures and associated pneumothorax and pulmonary contusion. 

PMID- 26118313
TI  - Seizure characteristics of epilepsy in childhood after acute encephalopathy with
      biphasic seizures and late reduced diffusion.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to clarify characteristics of post
      encephalopathic epilepsy (PEE) in children after acute encephalopathy with
      biphasic seizures and late reduced diffusion (AESD), paying particular attention
      to precise diagnosis of seizure types. METHODS: Among 262 children with acute
      encephalopathy/encephalitis registered in a database of the Tokai Pediatric
      Neurology Society between 2005 and 2012, 44 were diagnosed with AESD according to
      the clinical course and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and were
      included in this study. Medical records were reviewed to investigate clinical
      data, MRI findings, neurologic outcomes, and presence or absence of PEE. Seizure
      types of PEE were determined by both clinical observation by pediatric
      neurologists and ictal video-electroencephalography (EEG) recordings. RESULTS: Of
      the 44 patients after AESD, 10 (23%) had PEE. The period between the onset of
      encephalopathy and PEE ranged from 2 to 39 months (median 8.5 months). Cognitive
      impairment was more severe in patients with PEE than in those without. Biphasic
      seizures and status epilepticus during the acute phase of encephalopathy did not
      influence the risk of PEE. The most common seizure type of PEE on clinical
      observation was focal seizures (n = 5), followed by epileptic spasms (n = 4),
      myoclonic seizures (n = 3), and tonic seizures (n = 2). In six patients with PEE,
      seizures were induced by sudden unexpected sounds. Seizure types confirmed by
      ictal video-EEG recordings were epileptic spasms and focal seizures with frontal
      onset, and all focal seizures were startle seizures induced by sudden acoustic
      stimulation. Intractable daily seizures remain in six patients with PEE.
      SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrate seizure characteristics of PEE in children after
      AESD. Epileptic spasms and startle focal seizures are common seizure types. The
      specific seizure types may be determined by the pattern of diffuse subcortical
      white matter injury in AESD and age-dependent reorganization of the brain
      network.

PMID- 26118314
TI  - The neutral metallopeptidase NMP1 of Trichoderma guizhouense is required for
      mycotrophy and self-defence.
AB  - Trichoderma guizhouense NJAU 4742 (Harzianum clade) can suppress the causative
      agent of banana wild disease Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense 4 (Foc4). To
      identify genes involved in this trait, we used T-DNA insertional mutagenesis and
      isolated one mutant that was unable to overgrow Foc4 and had reduced antifungal
      ability. Using the high-efficiency thermal asymmetric interlaced-PCR, the T-DNA
      was located in the terminator of a neutral metalloprotease gene (encoding a
      MEROPS family M35 protease), which was named nmp1. The antifungal activity of the
      mutant was recovered by retransformation with wild-type nmp1 gene. The purified
      NMP1 (overexpressed in Pichia pastoris) did not inhibit the growth and
      germination of other fungi in vitro. Its addition, however, partly recovered the
      antifungal activity of the mutant strain against some fungi. The expression of
      nmp1 is induced by the presence of fungi and by dead fungal biomass, but the time
      course of transcript accumulation following the physical contact depends on mode
      of interaction: it increases in cases of long-lasting parasitism and decreases if
      the prey fungus is dead shortly after or even before the contact (predation). We
      thus conclude that NMP1 protein of T. guizhouense has major importance for
      mycotrophic interactions and defence against other fungi.

PMID- 26118315
TI  - BCR-ABL1 mutation development during first-line treatment with dasatinib or
      imatinib for chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase.
AB  - BCR-ABL1 mutations are a common, well-characterized mechanism of resistance to
      imatinib as first-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase
      (CML-CP). Less is known about mutation development during first-line treatment
      with dasatinib and nilotinib, despite increased use because of higher response
      rates compared with imatinib. Retrospective analyses were conducted to
      characterize mutation development in patients with newly diagnosed CML-CP treated
      with dasatinib (n=259) or imatinib (n=260) in DASISION (Dasatinib versus Imatinib
      Study in Treatment-Naive CML-CP), with 3-year minimum follow-up. Mutation
      screening, including patients who discontinued treatment and patients who had a
      clinically relevant on-treatment event (no confirmed complete cytogenetic
      response (cCCyR) and no major molecular response (MMR) within 12 months; fivefold
      increase in BCR-ABL1 with loss of MMR; loss of CCyR), yielded a small number of
      patients with mutations (dasatinib, n=17; imatinib, n=18). Dasatinib patients had
      a narrower spectrum of mutations (4 vs 12 sites for dasatinib vs imatinib), fewer
      phosphate-binding loop mutations (1 vs 9 mutations), fewer multiple mutations (1
      vs 6 patients) and greater occurrence of T315I (11 vs 0 patients). This trial was
      registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00481247. 

PMID- 26118316
TI  - Distinct molecular abnormalities underlie unique clinical features of essential
      thrombocythemia in children.

PMID- 26118317
TI  - Optimizing the management of patients with BCLC stage-B hepatocellular carcinoma:
      Modern surgical resection as a feasible alternative to transarterial
      chemoemolization.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyse the impact of liver resection (LR) in patients with
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) within the Barcelona-Clinic-Liver-Cancer (BCLC)-B
      stage. METHODS: Analysis of patients with BCLC-B HCC treated with LR or
      transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) between 2007 and 2012 in our hospital.
      Survival/recurrence analyses were performed by log-rank tests and Cox
      multivariate models. Further analyses were specifically obtained for the HCC
      subclassification (B1-2-3-4) proposed recently. RESULTS: Eighty patients were
      treated (44-TACE/36-LR). Number of nodules was [1.8(1.1)], being multinodular in
      50% of cases. Although resected patients had a higher hospital stay than those
      who underwent TACE (14 +/- 13 vs 7 +/- 6; P = 0.004), the rate and severity of
      complications was lower measured by Dindo-Clavien scale (P < 0.05). Overall
      survival was 40% with a median follow-up of 29.5 months (0.07-96.9). Five-years
      survival rates were 62.9%, 28.1% and 15.4%, respectively (P = 0.004) for B1, B2
      and B3-4 stages. Cox model showed that only total bilirubin [OR = 2.055(1.23
      3.44)] and BCLC subclassification B3-4 [OR = 2.439(1.04-5.7)] and B2 [OR =
      2.79(1.35-5.77)] vs B1 were independent predictors of 5-years-survival. In B1
      patients, surgical approach led a significant decrease in 5-years recurrence-rate
      (25% vs 60%; P = 0.018). In the surgical subgroup analysis, better results were
      observed if well/moderate differentiation combined with no microvascular-invasion
      (VI) in 5-years-survival (84.6%; P = 0.001) and -recurrence (23.1%; P = 0.041),
      respectively. These survival and recurrence trends were remarkable in B1 stages.
      CONCLUSIONS: Management of Intermediate BCLC-B HCC stage should be more complex
      and include updated criteria regarding B-stage subclassifications, VI and tumour
      differentiation. Modern surgical resection would offer improved survival benefit
      with acceptable safety in selected BCLC-B stage patients.

PMID- 26118318
TI  - Efficacy and acceptability of antidepressants on the continuum of depressive
      experiences in patients with cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with cancer are particularly vulnerable to depressive
      experiences, ranging from severe emotional reactions to proper depressive
      syndromes, including major depression. These experiences may deeply affect the
      course and outcome of the disease. The aim of this study was to assess the
      efficacy acceptability of antidepressants on the continuum of depressive
      experiences in patients suffering from cancer. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE,
      PsycINFO, CENTRAL, as well as websites of regulatory agencies, clinical trial
      repositories and pharmaceutical companies, were systematically searched for
      published and unpublished randomised trials assessing the efficacy of
      antidepressants versus placebo in patients with cancer. Efficacy of
      antidepressants at the end of the study was the primary outcome. The review
      protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42014013440). RESULTS: A total of 19
      studies contributed to the analysis. Antidepressants (particularly the selective
      serotonin-reuptake inhibitors and mianserin) were more effective than placebo in
      relieving depressive experiences in both patients with major depression or
      depressive symptoms (standardised mean difference -0.596, 95% confidence interval
      -1.041 to -0.150), as well as in patients with other cancer-related distressing
      symptoms (standardised mean difference -0.229, 95% confidence interval -0.419 to 
      0.039). We found evidence that efficacy was positively associated with length of
      treatment. No differences between antidepressants and placebo were found in terms
      of overall acceptability. CONCLUSIONS: Antidepressants should be considered as
      one treatment option for relieving the burden of depressive experiences in
      patients with cancer.

PMID- 26118319
TI  - Structural and Mechanistic Insights into Fast Lithium-Ion Conduction in Li4SiO4
      Li3PO4 Solid Electrolytes.
AB  - Solid electrolytes that are chemically stable and have a high ionic conductivity
      would dramatically enhance the safety and operating lifespan of rechargeable
      lithium batteries. Here, we apply a multi-technique approach to the Li-ion
      conducting system (1-z)Li4SiO4-(z)Li3PO4 with the aim of developing a solid
      electrolyte with enhanced ionic conductivity. Previously unidentified
      superstructure and immiscibility features in high-purity samples are
      characterized by X-ray and neutron diffraction across a range of compositions (z
      = 0.0-1.0). Ionic conductivities from AC impedance measurements and large-scale
      molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are in good agreement, showing very low
      values in the parent phases (Li4SiO4 and Li3PO4) but orders of magnitude higher
      conductivities (10(-3) S/cm at 573 K) in the mixed compositions. The MD
      simulations reveal new mechanistic insights into the mixed Si/P compositions in
      which Li-ion conduction occurs through 3D pathways and a cooperative interstitial
      mechanism; such correlated motion is a key factor in promoting high ionic
      conductivity. Solid-state (6)Li, (7)Li, and (31)P NMR experiments reveal enhanced
      local Li-ion dynamics and atomic disorder in the solid solutions, which are
      correlated to the ionic diffusivity. These unique insights will be valuable in
      developing strategies to optimize the ionic conductivity in this system and to
      identify next-generation solid electrolytes. 

PMID- 26118320
TI  - Tuning the morphology of g-C3N4 for improvement of Z-scheme photocatalytic water
      oxidation.
AB  - Solar-driven water oxidation is the key step for overall water splitting that
      efficiently harvests and converts solar energy into fuels; the development of a
      highly efficient photocatalyst that can mediate water oxidation has become an
      appealing challenge. Herein, we report a facile two-step process to decorate
      silver phosphate (Ag3PO4) particles on different types of graphitic carbon
      nitrides (g-C3N4) as composite photocatalysts for water oxidation. For all the
      Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 materials, an in situ Z-scheme is created by the generation of Ag
      nanoparticles which act as a cross-linking bridge between Ag3PO4 and g-C3N4 in
      the composite, resulting in better charge separation and higher catalytic
      performance. A detailed analysis emphasizes the importance of the g-C3N4 on the
      chemical, photophysical, and catalytic properties of the composite materials. Our
      results show that the alteration of the morphology dominates the performance of
      the composite materials. 

PMID- 26118321
TI  - Constitutive presence of antibiotic resistance genes within the bacterial
      community of a large subalpine lake.
AB  - The fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in environmental microbial
      communities is of primary concern as prodromal of a potential transfer to
      pathogenic bacteria. Although of diverse origin, the persistence of ARGs in
      aquatic environments is highly influenced by anthropic activities, allowing
      potential control actions in well-studied environments. However, knowledge of
      abundance and space-time distribution of ARGs in ecosystems is still scarce.
      Using quantitative real-time PCR, we investigated the presence and the abundance
      of twelve ARGs (against tetracyclines, beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones
      and sulphonamides) at different sampling sites, depths and seasons, in Lake
      Maggiore, a large subalpine lake, and in the area of its watershed. We then
      evaluated the correlation between each ARG and a number of ecological parameters
      in the water column in the deepest part of the lake. Our results suggest the
      constitutive presence of at least four ARGs within the bacterial community with a
      high proportion of bacteria potentially resistant to tetracyclines and
      sulphonamides. The presence of these ARGs was independent of the total bacterial
      density and temperature. The dynamics of tet(A) and sulII genes were, however,
      positively correlated with dissolved oxygen and negatively to chlorophyll a,
      suggesting that the resistant microbes inhabit specific niches. These
      observations indicate that the lake is a reservoir of antibiotic resistances,
      highlighting the need of a deeper understanding of the sources of ARGs and the
      factors allowing their persistence in waters.

PMID- 26118322
TI  - The IFCC-Siemens Specialized Conference: Biomarkers in neuropsychiatric
      disorders.

PMID- 26118323
TI  - Obituary.

PMID- 26118324
TI  - Effect on patient anxiety of lidocaine infiltration into nasal packing after
      septoplasty: prospective, controlled study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This prospective, controlled study investigated the effect on patient
      anxiety of lidocaine infiltration into nasal packing following septoplasty.
      METHODS: The study included 50 patients who underwent septoplasty operation.
      Patient anxiety levels were measured 24 hours pre-operatively; 48 hours post
      operatively, before saline or lidocaine infiltration; and 15 minutes after
      lidocaine or saline infiltration into the packing. The patients were asked to
      mark their level of pain during pack removal on a visual analogue scale. RESULTS:
      Hamilton Anxiety Scale scores for lidocaine infiltration patients were: 15.1 +/-
      7.4 pre-operatively; 16 +/-7.6 post-operatively, before infiltration; and 13.7 +/
      6.6 at 15 minutes after infiltration. The scores for saline infiltration
      patients were: 16.3 +/- 6.8 pre-operatively, 16.4 +/- 5.5 before infiltration and
      16.1 +/- 6.1 after infiltration. The visual analogue scale pain score was 5.3 +/-
      2.0 in the lidocaine study group and 7.5 +/- 1.8 in the control saline group.
      CONCLUSION: Infiltration of lidocaine into nasal packing significantly reduced
      patient pain. Patients developed mild to moderate anxiety before nasal packing
      removal. Use of techniques without nasal packing can be recommended after
      septoplasty to ease patient post-operative discomfort.

PMID- 26118325
TI  - Sepsis as a risk factor for neonatal morbidity in extremely preterm infants.
AB  - AIM: This study evaluated sepsis as a risk factor for neonatal morbidities and
      investigated the association between specific pathogens and neonatal morbidities.
      METHODS: This was a nationwide Swedish prospective cohort study, consisting of
      the 497 extremely premature children, who were born before 27 weeks of gestation
      between 2004 and 2007 and survived their first year of life. Neonatal sepsis was
      evaluated as a risk factor for neonatal morbidity using multiple logistic linear
      regression analyses. RESULTS: We found that 326 (66%) of the infants had at least
      one sepsis episode and coagulase-negative staphylococci was the most common
      pathogen. Definite sepsis, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.6, was associated with
      severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia, but not clinical sepsis (OR 1.1). Definite
      sepsis was also associated with a prolonged hospital stay (OR 1.6). Sepsis was
      not significantly associated with a higher risk of retinopathy of prematurity or
      intraventricular haemorrhage. CONCLUSION: Extremely preterm infants face a great
      risk of acquiring neonatal sepsis, with coagulase-negative staphylococci being
      the most common pathogen in this population. Definite sepsis seemed to be a risk
      factor for severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia and prolonged hospital stay, but the
      associations were weaker than in previous studies.

PMID- 26118326
TI  - Structural determinants of dual contraceptive use among female sex workers in
      Gulu, northern Uganda.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of female sex workers (FSWs) who do
      and do not use dual contraceptives (i.e. male condoms plus a non-barrier method)
      in Gulu, northern Uganda. METHODS: The present analysis was based on data
      gathered as part of a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study conducted
      between May 2011 and January 2012. FSWs aged 14 years or older were recruited
      through peer-led or sex worker-led outreach and community-based services.
      Logistic regression was used to identify correlates of dual contraceptive use.
      RESULTS: Among the 400 FSWs who participated, 180 (45.0%) had ever used dual
      contraceptives. In the multivariate model, dual contraceptive use was positively
      associated with older age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.09, 95% confidence
      interval [CI] 1.04-1.15; P=0.001), prior unintended pregnancy (AOR 1.53, 95% CI
      1.01-2.34; P=0.046), and HIV testing (AOR 5.22, 95% CI 1.75-15.57; P=0.003).
      Having to rush sexual negotiations owing to police presence was negatively
      associated with dual contraceptive use (AOR 0.65, 95% CI 0.42-1.00; P=0.050).
      CONCLUSION: Although a history of unintended pregnancy and accessing HIV testing
      might promote contraceptive use, criminalized work environments continue to pose
      barriers to uptake of sexual and reproductive health services among FSWs in post
      conflict northern Uganda. Integrated links between HIV and sexual health programs
      could support contraceptive uptake among FSWs.

PMID- 26118327
TI  - Retroperitoneal hemorrhage presenting as a vaginal hematoma after a spontaneous
      vaginal delivery.

PMID- 26118328
TI  - Misoprostol versus prostaglandin E2 gel for labor induction in premature rupture
      of membranes after 34 weeks of pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both misoprostol and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) gel are used for labor
      induction in women with premature rupture of membranes (PROM). OBJECTIVES: To
      evaluate studies comparing the effects of misoprostol and PGE2 gel in labor
      induction. SEARCH STRATEGY: Databases including Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane
      Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for relevant papers.
      SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials comparing the use of misoprostol
      and PGE2 gel for labor induction in women with PROM were included. DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: For meta-analyses, the Mantel-Haenszel method was used
      for dichotomous data, and the inverse variance method was used for continuous
      data. MAIN RESULTS: Four randomized controlled studies (n=615) were included.
      There were no significant differences between the two groups in the induction-to
      delivery interval (mean difference -4.44 hours; 95% confidence interval [CI] 
      9.35 to 0.48), rate of cesarean delivery (odds ratio [OR] 0.90; 95% CI 0.44
      1.85), and rate of neonatal intensive care unit admission (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.57
      1.38). Women receiving misoprostol had a significantly higher rate of
      tachysystole than did those receiving PGE2 gel (OR 4.84; 95% CI 2.46-9.54).
      CONCLUSIONS: Misoprostol is as efficacious and safe as PGE2 gel for labor
      induction in women with PROM.

PMID- 26118329
TI  - A systematic review of doctors' experiences and needs to support the care of
      women with female genital mutilation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Female genital mutilation (FGM) involves partial or complete removal
      of the external female genitalia or other injury for non-therapeutic reasons.
      Little is known about the knowledge and skills of doctors who care for affected
      women and their practice in relation to FGM. OBJECTIVES: To examine the FGM
      experiences and educational needs of doctors. SEARCH STRATEGY: A structured
      search of five bibliographic databases was undertaken to identify peer-reviewed
      research literature published in English between 2004 and 2014 using the keywords
      "female genital mutilation," "medical," "doctors," "education," and "training."
      SELECTION CRITERIA: Observational, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental
      descriptive studies were suitable for inclusion. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: A
      narrative synthesis of the study findings was undertaken and themes were
      identified. MAIN RESULTS: Ten papers were included in the review, three of which
      were from low-income countries. The analysis identified three themes: knowledge
      and attitudes, FGM-related medical practices, and education and training.
      CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for improved education and training to build
      knowledge and skills, and to change attitudes concerning the medicalization of
      FGM and reinfibulation.

PMID- 26118330
TI  - Obstetrical outcomes and biomarkers to assess exposure to phthalates: A review.
AB  - Studies of the effects on pregnancy outcomes of in utero exposure to phthalates,
      contaminants that are widely present in the environment, have yielded conflicting
      results. In addition, the mode of assessment of exposure varies between studies.
      The aim of this review was therefore to establish a current state of knowledge of
      the phthalates and metabolites involved in unfavorable pregnancy outcomes. Extant
      data were analyzed to determine which biomarker is the best suited to assess the
      relation between in utero exposure to phthalates and pregnancy outcomes. This
      review of the literature was conducted using the database of PubMed. A search was
      made of studies investigating exposure to phthalates and the following birth
      outcomes: preterm birth (gestational age <37 weeks), change in gestational age,
      change in body size at birth (birth weight, length, head circumference), anti
      androgenic function, decreased anogenital distance, cryptorchidism, hypospadias
      and congenital malformation. The methodological approach adopted in each study
      was examined, in particular the methods used for exposure assessment (biomarkers
      and/or questionnaire). Thirty-five studies were included. Premature birth and
      decreased anogenital distance were the most commonly reported outcomes resulting
      from a moderate level of exposure to phthalates. The principal metabolites
      detected and involved were primary metabolites of di-2(ethylhexyl)-phthalate
      (DEHP) and di-n-butyl-phthalate (DnBP). No clear conclusion could be drawn with
      regard to gestational age at birth, body size at birth and congenital
      malformations. In epidemiological studies, maternal urine is the most suitable
      matrix to assess the association between in utero exposure to phthalates and
      pregnancy outcomes: in contrast to other matrices (cord blood, amniotic fluid,
      meconium and milk), sampling is easy, non-invasive and, can be repeated to assess
      exposure throughout pregnancy. Oxidative metabolites are the most relevant
      biomarkers since they are not prone to external contamination. Further
      epidemiological studies are required during pregnancy to i) determine the role of
      phthalates other than DEHP [currently replaced by various substitution products,
      in particular diisononyl-phthalate (DiNP)]; ii) establish the effect of
      phthalates on other outcomes (body size adjusted for gestational age, and
      congenital malformations); iii) determine the pathophysiological pathways; and
      iv) identify the most suitable time for biomarker determination of in utero
      exposure to phthalates.

PMID- 26118331
TI  - Oncological control associated with surgical resection of isolated
      retroperitoneal lymph node recurrence of renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of patients after surgical resection of
      isolated retroperitoneal lymph node (RPLN) recurrence of renal cell carcinoma
      (RCC) using a multicentre international cohort. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all, 50
      patients were identified who underwent resection of isolated RPLN recurrence of
      RCC at four institutions after nephrectomy for pTany Nany M0 disease. Progression
      free (PFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were estimated using the Kaplan
      Meier method. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the
      association of clinicopathological characteristics with disease progression.
      RESULTS: The median (interquartile range, IQR) age at resection was 57.0 (50.0
      62.5) years. The median (IQR) time to RPLN recurrence after nephrectomy was 12.6
      (6.9-39.5) months, with no significant difference in median time to RPLN
      recurrence between patients with N+ disease at nephrectomy (10.7 [6.5-24.6]
      months) and those with Nx/pN0 disease at nephrectomy (13.7 [8.7-44.2] months) (P
      = 0.66). The median (IQR) size of the RPLN recurrence before resection was 2.6
      (1.9-5) cm. The most common site for RPLN recurrence was within the
      interaortocaval region (34%). The median (IQR) follow-up after RPLN resection for
      patients alive at last follow-up was 28.0 (13.7-51.2) months. During follow-up,
      26 patients developed RCC recurrence, at a median (IQR) of 9.9 (4.0-18.5) months
      after RPLN resection. Of those who developed a secondary recurrence, disease was
      again isolated to the retroperitoneum in seven patients. In all, 11 patients
      subsequently died, including 10 who died from disease. The median PFS after RPLN
      resection was 19.5 months, with a 3- and 5-year PFS of 40.5% and 35.4%,
      respectively. We also found that RPLN recurrence at <=12 months after nephrectomy
      was associated with a significantly inferior median PFS (12.3 months) compared
      with RPLN recurrence at >12 months after nephrectomy (47.6 months; P = 0.003).
      Moreover, on multivariate analysis, a shorter time to recurrence remained
      associated with a significantly increased risk for subsequent disease progression
      (hazard ratio 3.51; P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Surgical resection of isolated RPLN
      recurrence from RCC may result in durable cancer control in appropriately
      selected patients. Recurrence at <=12 months after nephrectomy was associated
      with a significantly increased risk of progression after resection, underscoring
      the importance of this variable for risk stratification. Thus, we recommend that,
      in the setting of isolated RPLN recurrence of RCC (in patients without precluding
      comorbidities), careful consideration with the patients and medical oncology
      colleagues be undertaken about the relative and individualised benefits of
      surgical resection, systemic therapy, and surveillance.

PMID- 26118332
TI  - The stigma of mental illness in Arab families: a concept analysis.
AB  - ACCESSIBLE SUMMARY: The stigma of mental illness varies significantly from
      culture to culture and from person to person. To date, little is known about how
      mental illness stigma manifests within the Arab community. This study aimed at
      bringing clarity to the concept of 'mental illness stigma' as it applies to Arab
      families. Nursing's holistic and patient-centered approach is integral to helping
      Arab patients and their families appropriately incorporate individual values,
      beliefs, and cultural perspectives into treatment plans. This study establishes a
      scientific alert for professionals at all levels to avoid making false
      generalizations about a specific culture that are not based on specific research
      findings from that culture. ABSTRACT: Accessing mental health services is a
      critical step towards reducing the burden of mental illness. The stigma of mental
      illness is one of the most common reasons for not seeking mental health care
      leading to negative health consequences and undue suffering for many individuals
      and their families. Stigma is embedded in its social context. What may be
      considered acceptable in one society may be considered unacceptable and open to
      stigmatization in other societies. Arabs have a shared set of values, beliefs,
      and traditions that are substantially different from those of Westerners.
      Further, in most Arab countries, formal mental health resources are scarce and
      people with mental illness experience the compounded disadvantages of poverty and
      illness stigma. To date, little is known about how mental illness stigma
      manifests within the Arab community making it difficult to design and test
      interventions that support Arab individuals with mental illness and their
      families in treatment seeking and adherence. Using Rodger's concept analysis
      method, we examined how 'mental illness stigma' operates within an Arab context
      as a first step towards elucidating culturally competent approaches to treatment.
      This analysis provides a foundation for future work in the areas of mental
      illness diagnosis, education, and treatment that reflect the unique
      characteristics of Arab culture.

PMID- 26118333
TI  - Exploring the safety of chemotherapy for treating breast cancer during pregnancy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The diagnosis of breast cancer during pregnancy (BCP) represents a
      unique challenge to the patient, her family and the treating physician. The
      proper management of this critical clinical situation is crucial, and requires a
      multidisciplinary approach. A proper understanding of the safety of chemotherapy
      during pregnancy is a vital step to avoid detrimental consequences on the mother
      and the fetus. AREAS COVERED: The aim of this article is to review the available
      evidence on the safety of chemotherapy administration in managing BCP. EXPERT
      OPINION: The rule of thumb of chemotherapy - avoiding first trimester exposure
      and starting therapy in the second trimester - can be considered applicable for
      classic agents that are used in managing pregnant breast cancer patients.
      Anthracycline-based regimens are considered the standard of care in managing BCP.
      Recently, a growing amount of data suggests the safety of taxanes during
      pregnancy. Pregnancy in cancer patients should be considered as "high risk": once
      the systemic treatment is initiated, regular fetal monitoring is highly
      recommended. Emerging data are available on the relative long-term safety
      secondary to anthracycline exposure during pregnancy. A continued monitoring of
      the health of individuals with prenatal exposure to chemotherapy into adulthood
      is recommended for the possible occurrence of long-term side effects.

PMID- 26118334
TI  - Actin stabilization induces apoptosis in cultured porcine epithelial cell rests
      of Malassez.
AB  - AIM: To test whether actin stabilization by jasplakinolide induces inhibition of
      cell viability and apoptosis in epithelial cell rests of Malassez (ERM).
      METHODOLOGY: ERM derived from porcine were spread in a 96-well dish (5 * 10(4)
      /well) using Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium. The actin-specific stabilization
      reagent, jasplakinolide, was incorporated into the culture medium and incubated
      for 24 h. To evaluate cell viability, the WST-1 assay was carried out and
      absorption (450 nm) was measured. To detect apoptotic cells, monoclonal antibody
      to single-strand DNA (ssDNA) was used and absorption (405 nm) was measured. Actin
      stabilization and apoptosis induced by jasplakinolide were morphologically
      investigated by staining with Alexa Fluor 568 phalloidin and observed under a
      fluorescent microscope. As a negative control, DMSO was used instead of
      jasplakinolide. Differences between the jasplakinolide-treated group and the
      control group were analysed statistically using the Student's t-test. RESULTS:
      Cell viability decreased in a concentration-dependent manner, and cell viability
      in the jasplakinolide-treated ERM was lower than that in nontreated ERM (n = 16,
      P < 0.01). Apoptotic cells in the jasplakinolide-treated ERM were more frequently
      detected compared to that in nontreated ERM (n = 16, P < 0.01). Morphologically,
      shrinkage, irregular forms and fragmentation of nuclei suggesting apoptotic
      bodies were observed in jasplakinolide-treated ERM, whilst actin filaments were
      extended in non-treated ERM. CONCLUSION: Actin stabilization by jasplakinolide
      inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis in epithelial cell rests of
      Malassez.

PMID- 26118335
TI  - Burden of disease of reoperations in instrumental spinal surgeries in Germany.
AB  - PURPOSE: To estimate the incidence of instrumental spinal surgeries (ISS) and
      consecutive reoperations and to calculate the related resource utilization and
      costs. METHODS: ISS and subsequent reoperations were identified retrospectively
      using surgery codes in claims data. The study period included January 01, 2009 to
      December 31, 2011. The reoperation rate was calculated for 1 year after the
      primary ISS. Resource utilization and costs were analyzed by group comparison.
      RESULTS: A total of 3316 incident ISS patients were identified in 2010 with an
      annual reoperation rate of 9.98% (95% CI 8.98-11.02%). Mean costs per patient
      were ?11,331 per ISS and ?11,370 per reoperation, with ?8432 directly attributed
      to the reoperation and ?2938 to additional resources. CONCLUSIONS: Costs of ISS
      and subsequent reoperations have a significant impact on health insurances
      budgets. The annual cost of reoperations exceeds the direct cost of the primary
      surgery driven by the need for further inpatient and outpatient care.

PMID- 26118336
TI  - Vertebral coplanar alignment technique: a surgical option for correction of adult
      thoracic idiopathic scoliosis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Previous studies have demonstrated vertebral coplanar alignment (VCA) as
      an effective surgical option for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The
      purpose of this study is to analyze the outcome of VCA for the surgical
      correction of adult idiopathic scoliosis (AdIS). METHODS: 35 AdIS patients (mean
      age: 24.2 years) undergoing VCA-instrumentation were reviewed. The main thoracic
      curve and thoracic kyphosis (TK, T5-T12) were evaluated preoperatively, immediate
      postoperatively, and at the final follow-up (>1 year). All patients were
      stratified by the TK modifier before surgery: "+" (TK, >40 degrees ), "-" (TK,
      <10 degrees ), and "N" (TK, 10 degrees -40 degrees ) for normal. The apical
      vertebral body-to-rib ratio (AVB-R), rib hump (RH), and rotational angle to
      sacrum (RAsac) were measured to assess the correction of rotational deformity.
      Quality of life was evaluated with SRS-20 questionnaires. RESULTS: The main
      thoracic curve (59.1 degrees  vs. 19.3 degrees , P < 0.001) and rotational
      deformity (AVB-R: 2.4 vs. 1.7 %, P < 0.001, RH: 34.9 vs. 19.1 mm, P < 0.001,
      RAsac: 19.6 degrees  vs. 11.9 degrees , P < 0.001) were significantly reduced
      with surgery. Sagittal deformity improved significantly in group "+" (51.4
      degrees  vs. 31.6 degrees , P < 0.001) and group "-" (6.2 degrees  vs. 20.1
      degrees , P < 0.001), while no significant postoperative change in TK was
      observed in group "N" (23.5 degrees  vs. 26.3 degrees , P = 0.270). Patients were
      followed for an average of 18.7 months with no significant loss of correction.
      SRS scores improved greatly from 57.7 preoperatively to 71.6 at the final follow
      up. CONCLUSIONS: VCA can be effectively used for the correction of the coronal
      and rotational deformity, with better sagittal profile restoration in adult
      thoracic idiopathic scoliosis with sagittal malalignment.

PMID- 26118338
TI  - Synthesis of C-5, C-2' and C-4'-neomycin-conjugated triplex forming
      oligonucleotides and their affinity to DNA-duplexes.
AB  - Neomycin-conjugated homopyrimidine oligo 2'-deoxyribonucleotides have been
      synthesized on a solid phase and their potential as triplex forming
      oligonucleotides (TFOs) with DNA-duplexes has been studied. For the synthesis of
      the conjugates, C-5, C-2' and C-4'-tethered alkyne-modified nucleoside
      derivatives were used as an integral part of the standard automated
      oligonucleotide chain elongation. An azide-derived neomycin was then conjugated
      to the incorporated terminal alkynes by Cu(I)-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition
      (the click chemistry). Concentrated ammonia released the desired conjugates in
      acceptable purity and yields. The site of conjugation was expectedly important
      for the Hoogsteen-face recognition: C-5-conjugation showed a notable positive
      effect, whereas the influence of the C-2' and C-4'-modification remained
      marginal. In addition to conventional characterization methods (UV- and CD
      spectroscopy), (19)F NMR spectroscopy was applied for the monitoring of
      triplex/duplex/single strand-conversions. 

PMID- 26118337
TI  - How to find the optimal partner--studies of snurportin 1 interactions with U
      snRNA 5' TMG-cap analogues containing modified 2-amino group of 7
      methylguanosine.
AB  - Snurportin 1 is an adaptor protein that mediates the active nuclear import of
      uridine-rich small nuclear RNAs (U snRNA) by the importin-beta receptor pathway.
      Its cellular activity influences the overall transport yield of small
      ribonucleoprotein complexes containing N(2),N(2),7-trimethylguanosine (TMG)
      capped U snRNA. So far little is still known about structural requirements
      related to molecular recognition of the trimethylguanosine moiety by snurportin
      in solution. Since these interactions are of a great biomedical importance, we
      synthesized a series of new 7-methylguanosine cap analogues with extended
      substituents at the exocyclic 2-amino group to gain a deeper insight into how the
      TMG-cap is adapted into the snurportin cap-binding pocket. Prepared chemical
      tools were applied in binding assays using emission spectroscopy. Surprisingly,
      our results revealed strict selectivity of snurportin towards the TMG-cap
      structure that relied mainly on its structural stiffness and compactness. 

PMID- 26118339
TI  - Synthesis and anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity of new 3-phenylthio-nor-beta
      lapachone derivatives.
AB  - We report herein a straightforward and efficient one-step reaction to prepare new
      nor-beta-lapachone derivatives tethered with phenylthio groups at position 3 of
      the furan ring. We have screened the compounds on bloodstream trypomastigotes of
      Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, aimed at finding a new
      prototype with high trypanocidal activity. The new compounds possess a broad
      range of activity (IC50/24h from 9.2 to 182.7 MUM), higher than the original
      quinone (391.5 MUM) and four of them higher than standard drug benznidazole
      (103.6 MUM). The most active was compound 13b (9.2 MUM), being 11 times active
      than benznidazole and the less toxic derivative to heart muscle cells.

PMID- 26118340
TI  - Determinants of Obesity in the Hispanic Preschool Population: An Integrative
      Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE(S): The purpose of this integrative review was to identify factors
      associated with obesity in Hispanic preschool children. DESIGN AND SAMPLE:
      Integrative research review based on strategies described by Whittemore and
      Knafl. Thirty-five research reports using qualitative and/or quantitative methods
      and including a majority of participants (parents or preschool-aged children) of
      Hispanic ethnicity. MEASURES: Data were analyzed using the Matrix Method.
      RESULTS: Decreased physical activity of the child and increased maternal body
      mass index were found as contributors to obesity in the preschool, Hispanic
      population. The relationship between maternal feeding practices and beliefs, food
      choices and childhood obesity are widely studied with little consistency in
      findings across studies. CONCLUSIONS: Public health nurses can work with
      communities to promote physical activity and safe outdoor places for exercise. In
      addition, they can advocate for the availability of healthy food choices in
      neighborhood schools. Maternal feeding practices, acculturation, and the child's
      environment require further research.

PMID- 26118341
TI  - Small extracellular vesicles as tumor biomarkers for glioblastoma.
AB  - Small extracellular organelles such as exosomes and microvesicles are currently
      being studied as a novel way to track tumor progression, pseudoprogression, and
      treatment monitoring. Their role in intercellular communication shows potential
      in the treatment of even the most formidable cancers. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the
      most common malignancy of the brain and has no known cure. A large emphasis has
      been placed on trying to improve the prognosis of this aggressive primary brain
      tumor. It has recently been discovered that small extracellular vesicles, mainly
      exosomes and microvesicles, play a role in the cell signaling process that leads
      to uncontrollable cell growth indicative of a tumor state. Here we describe the
      role of exosomes and microvesicles as a tumor biomarker for tracking the
      progression of different types of cancer, with an emphasis on GBM. 

PMID- 26118342
TI  - Editorial overview: Physiology and metabolism: Plant metabolism: globules to
      global, modules to models.

PMID- 26118343
TI  - Advantage of Pulsatility in Left Ventricular Reverse Remodeling and Aortic
      Insufficiency Prevention During Left Ventricular Assist Device Treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A continuous flow (CF) left ventricular assist device (LVAD) has
      various advantages over a pulsatile flow (PF) LVAD, but the extent of preventing
      aortic insufficiency (AI) by each type of LVAD remains controversial. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Of 86 patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy who underwent LVAD
      implantation between 2006 and 2015, 20 propensity score-matched patients with PF
      LVADs and 20 with CF LVADs were enrolled in this study. There were no significant
      differences in the baseline variables of both groups. During the 6-month LVAD
      treatment, the LV ejection fraction of the PF group was significantly higher than
      that of the CF group; the PF group also had a wider pulse pressure and less
      enlargement of the aortic root (P<0.05 for all). Patients in the PF group
      experienced more frequent opening of the native aortic valve and less AI than
      those in the CF group (P<0.05 for both). The PF LVAD was explanted in 5 patients
      (25%), and a CF LVAD was explanted in 1 patient (5%). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with
      CF LVADs, PF LVADs seem to have an advantage in improving LV reverse remodeling
      and preventing AI. It may be best to incorporate pulsatility into current CF
      LVADs while retaining their existing benefits.

PMID- 26118344
TI  - Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Who Did Not
      Undergo Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention- Report From the MIYAGI-AMI
      Registry Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the current era of primary percutaneous coronary intervention
      (PCI), some patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) still do not undergo
      primary PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: To examine the clinical characteristics of AMI
      patients who did not undergo primary PCI, we analyzed patients enrolled between
      2002 and 2010 in the MIYAGI-AMI Registry Study, in which all AMI patients in the
      Miyagi prefecture have been prospectively registered. Among a total of 8,640
      patients, 1,879 (21.7%) did not undergo primary PCI and their in-hospital
      mortality was significantly worse compared with those who did (21.4% vs. 6.4%,
      P<0.01). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that female sex was significantly
      associated with non-performance of primary PCI [odds ratio (95% confidence
      interval): 1.40 (1.22-1.61), P<0.001], along with age [1.01 (1.01-1.02), P<0.001]
      and heart failure on admission [2.69 (2.29-3.16), P<0.001]. When dividing by age,
      the non-performance rate of primary PCI in females showed a U-shaped prevalence,
      whereas it simply increased with aging in males. Importantly, female patients
      aged <80 years had a significantly higher non-performance rate of primary PCI
      compared with male patients, regardless of the severity of AMI. CONCLUSIONS:
      These results indicate that in the current PCI era, various factors, including
      aging, heart failure on admission and sex differences, are associated with non
      performance of primary PCI, which remain to be resolved in order to further
      improve critical care of AMI.

PMID- 26118345
TI  - The emerging role of adiponectin in cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative
      diseases.
AB  - Adiponectin is an anti-atherogenic protein secreted by adipose cells that
      improves insulin sensitivity. Notably, adiponectin receptors are expressed in the
      brain, suggesting that adiponectin signaling disruption may impact neurologic
      function. Recently, studies have demonstrated the association of adiponectin
      levels with cerebrovascular disorders and neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), and
      these results have drawn significant attention. In this review, we discuss the
      association between the adiponectin levels and the incidence, progression, and
      prognosis of cerebrovascular disorders and NDDs. We describe the controversial
      issues surrounding current studies and present our hypothesis concerning the
      possible mechanism underlying adiponectin function in neurological disorders.
      Finally, we explicate obstacles preventing clinical adiponectin administration,
      including available routes of drug delivery and the central nervous system
      regulation of adiponectin. Collectively, the data assembled herein serve as a
      comprehensive reference regarding the role of adiponectin in neurological
      disorders to support the future clinical potential of adiponectin as a
      therapeutic agent. 

PMID- 26118346
TI  - Analysis of the Papal Benediction Sign: The ulnar neuropathy of St. Peter.
AB  - The origin of the Papal Benediction Sign has been a source of controversy for
      many generations of medical students. The question has been whether the Papal
      Benediction Sign posture is the result of an injury to the median nerve or to the
      ulnar nerve. The increasingly popular use of online "chat rooms" and the vast
      quantities of information available on the internet has led to an increasing
      level of confusion. Looking in major anatomy texts, anatomy and board review
      books as well as numerous internet sites the answer remains unresolved. Through
      the analysis of functional anatomy of the hand, cultural and religious practices
      of the early centuries of the Common Era and church art a clear answer emerges.
      It will become apparent that this hand posture results from an ulnar neuropathy.

PMID- 26118347
TI  - The Proliferation of Dosage Thresholds in Opioid Prescribing Policies and Their
      Potential to Increase Pain and Opioid-Related Mortality.

PMID- 26118348
TI  - Modification of a PAMPA model to predict passive gastrointestinal absorption and
      plasma protein binding.
AB  - The Parallel Artificial Membrane Permeability Assay (PAMPA) is a well-known high
      throughput screening (HTS) technique for predicting in vivo passive absorption.
      In this technique, two compartments are separated by an artificial membrane that
      mimics passive permeability through biological membranes such as the dermal
      layer, the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and the blood brain barrier (BBB). In
      the present study, a hexadecane artificial membrane (HDM)-PAMPA was used to
      predict the binding of compounds towards the human plasma using a mixture of
      human serum albumin (HSA) and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP). The ratio of HSA
      and AGP was equivalent to that found in the human plasma for both proteins
      (~20:1). A pH gradient (5.0-7.4) was performed to increase the screening capacity
      and overcome the issue of passive permeability for acidic and amphoteric
      compounds. With this assay, the prediction of passive GIT absorption was
      maintained and the compounds were discriminated according to their permeability
      (on a no-to-high scale). The plasma protein binding (PPB) was estimated via the
      correlation of the differences between the amount of compound crossing the
      artificial membrane in assays conducted with and without protein using only a two
      end-point measurement. The use of a mixture of HSA and AGP to modulate drug
      permeation was compared to the use of the same concentrations of HSA and AGP used
      separately. The addition of HSA alone in the acceptor compartment was sufficient
      for estimating PPB, while it was demonstrated that AGP alone could enable the
      estimation of AGP binding.

PMID- 26118349
TI  - A case study exploring employment factors affecting general practice nurse role
      development.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the factors affecting role development
      in practice nursing in the United Kingdom. BACKGROUND: General practice is
      currently central to National Health Service reform, producing favourable
      conditions for the practice nurse role to be further strengthened and developed.
      However, the literature has continued to describe evidence that practice nurses
      are a disempowered, isolated group with many constraints reducing their ability
      to respond to opportunities to develop their role. The rationale for conducting
      the study was therefore to provide a greater understanding about the constraining
      factors and their influence on practice nurses wishing to develop their role.
      METHOD: The method used to conduct the research followed a case approach, as the
      subject being investigated was complex with multiple inter-related factors and
      the approach was exploratory. The cases comprised six UK general practices and
      the participants within each case were a practice nurse, a GP and a practice
      manager. FINDINGS: A combination of factors was found to contribute to the way
      the practice nurse role evolves. These are education, practice culture, practice
      nurse personal characteristics and empowerment. Empowerment holds the key to
      maximising the conditions favourable to practice nurse role evolution. This is
      not, however, a 'single' factor; it represents the combined synergistic effects
      of practice culture and practice nurse personal characteristics on creating an
      empowering environment. The inter-relationship between these was captured in a
      framework and given the title 'empowering employment principles'. CONCLUSION: The
      'empowering employment principles' illustrate the features most conducive to role
      evolution, thus providing a tool for practice nurses and their employers to
      enhance opportunities for nurses to develop their role.

PMID- 26118350
TI  - Quality of life in old age - a concept analysis.
AB  - AIM: To identify existing definitions of quality of life in old age and to
      determine the most suitable for evaluating outcomes of nursing care for older
      adults. BACKGROUND: Promoting quality of life is a central concern of nursing
      care for older persons. There is, however, a lack of clarity about the meaning of
      this concept. Attributes of quality of life are often confused with those factors
      influencing them. DESIGN: Concept analysis according to Walker and Avant. METHOD:
      A search was carried out in the databases MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing
      and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO((r)) and Gerolit for the years 1992-2013.
      Excerpts dealing with definitions, antecedents, consequences and empirical
      referents of the concept were compiled. RESULTS: Three basic concepts for quality
      of life were identified: satisfying life conditions, subjective general well
      being and subjective fulfilment of dimensions of human life. DISCUSSION:
      Satisfying life conditions are antecedent to the other concepts. It is not
      suitable to view such conditions as an outcome of nursing care for older adults
      because an outcome has to be a consequence. General well-being is likely to
      remain stable over time and changing conditions due to adaptation taking place.
      Fulfilment of dimensions of human life as a multidimensional inner state may be
      more sensitive to changing conditions. CONCLUSION: Fulfilment of dimensions of
      human life is the most suitable definition of quality of life in old age as an
      outcome of nursing care. Studies are needed to decide whether it is responsive to
      changing circumstances. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Fulfilment of dimensions of
      human life should be assessed to provide care that meets the needs of clients.

PMID- 26118351
TI  - Poor utility of the atopy patch test in infants with fresh rectal bleeding.

PMID- 26118352
TI  - Patients perception of self-administrated medication in the treatment of
      hereditary angioedema.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early therapy of hereditary angioedema (HAE) decreases morbidity,
      improves outcomes, decreases absenteeism, and possibly decreases mortality. This
      can be accomplished best with self-therapy. Previously, the authors examined
      barriers to self-therapy from the perspective of the nurse and the physician, but
      data are lacking on what patients perceive as major barriers to self-administered
      therapy for HAE. OBJECTIVE: To identify those barriers in a prospective fashion
      by patient interview. METHODS: After approval from the institutional review
      board, a telephone survey was performed of patients with HAE from a database of
      patients who were recently seen in the clinic. The survey focused on anxiety,
      depression, stress, concerns regarding method of administration, the ability to
      inject themselves, and what they perceived as barriers to providing self-care.
      RESULTS: Ninety-two patients were contacted and 59 agreed to participate. With
      69% of those patients currently undergoing self-administered treatment, the
      results showed minimal depression and anxiety, a high satisfaction with
      treatment, and significant compliance with treatment. Most of those not yet on
      self-administered therapy wanted to start despite being satisfied with the care
      received in the emergency department. They also believed care at home would be
      optimal. The main concern of the 2 groups was not being able to treat themselves
      in the event of an HAE attack. CONCLUSION: From these data, it is obvious that
      most patients are willing to self-treat. This suggests that physicians should
      encourage self-treatment of HAE to improve outcomes and quality of life of
      patients with HAE.

PMID- 26118353
TI  - Incidence of childhood abuse among women with psychiatric disorders compared with
      healthy women: Data from a tertiary care centre in India.
AB  - Childhood abuse has been recognized as a precursor and a maintaining factor for
      adult psychopathology. There are very few studies that have investigated the
      incidence of childhood abuse in adult women with psychiatric disorders. Hence,
      this current investigation is an attempt to study and compare the incidence of
      childhood abuse (physical, emotional and sexual) among women seeking treatment
      for psychiatric disorders to healthy women. Using consecutive sampling, women
      seeking treatment for psychiatric disorders (N=609) and a group of age-education
      matched healthy women (N=100) were recruited for the study from a tertiary mental
      health-care hospital in India. The participants were screened for childhood abuse
      using the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool - Retrospective (ICAST)-R (I-CAST R,
      International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) and
      The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 2009). Emotional abuse was
      significantly more common among women with psychiatric disorders compared with
      healthy women (p<0.05). On overall abuse, there was a trend to significance in
      women with psychiatric disorders compared with healthy women (p=0.07). There was
      no statistically significant difference between the two groups on physical and
      sexual abuse (all p>0.13). There was no statistically significant difference in
      all three types of abuse across disorder categories, though the report was more
      among women with severe mental disorders. Women with psychiatric disorders
      reported more emotional and overall abuse compared with healthy women. Sexual and
      physical abuse was similar in both groups. It is likely that more emotional abuse
      predisposes these women to psychiatric disorders.

PMID- 26118354
TI  - Perfusion SPECT, SISCOM and PET (18)F-FDG in the assessment of drug- refractory
      epilepsy patients candidates for epilepsy surgery.
AB  - AIMS: Brain perfusion SPECT (ictal-interictal), SPECT images and subtraction
      ictal SPECT coregistered to MRI (SISCOM) and (18)F-FDG-PET (interictal), play an
      important role in the pre-surgical diagnosis of patients with medically
      refractory epilepsy. This study aimed to establish: the reproducibility of visual
      ictal-interictal SPECT and SISCOM analysis altogether with the capacity of SPECT,
      SISCOM and PET to determine the epileptogenic zone. MATERIAL AND METHODS: (99m)Tc
      HMPAO SPECT ictal-interictal and SISCOM (Analyze 7.0) were performed on 47
      refractory epilepsy patients (24 F, 19-60 yrs). In 13 patients, SISCOM was also
      performed using a new program (Focus DET). Ictal-interictal SPECT and SISCOM
      images were analysed independently by two nuclear medicine physicians (observer 1
      and 2). Kappa concordance coefficient was used to evaluate the reproducibility.
      In sixteen patients, SPECT, SISCOM and PET findings were compared with the
      resected area during the surgery, and surgical outcome using Engel scale or with
      the stereo EEG-(SEEG). RESULTS: The ictal-interictal SPECT interobserver
      agreement was 91%, Kappa index 0.86, SISCOM (Analyze 7.0) interobserver agreement
      percentage was 82%, Kappa index 0.80, Analyze 7.0 showed a higher inconclusive
      results than visual SPECT analysis. SISCOM FocusDET interobserver agreement was
      92%, Kappa index 0.87, with lower inconclusive results than Analyze 7.0. SPECT,
      SISCOM and PET combined findings identified 87% seizure onset zone: 79% temporal,
      26% parieto-temporal and 7% frontal. CONCLUSIONS: Ictal-interictal SPECT and
      SISCOM showed a high reproducibility in this sample of patients with drug
      refractory epilepsy. SPECT,SISCOM and PET combined findings improved detection of
      epileptogenic zone in comparison with the individual assessment.

PMID- 26118355
TI  - Controlled Anisotropic Growth of Co-Fe-P from Co-Fe-O Nanoparticles.
AB  - A facile approach to bimetallic phosphides, Co-Fe-P, by a high-temperature (300 
      degrees C) reaction between Co-Fe-O nanoparticles and trioctylphosphine is
      presented. The growth of Co-Fe-P from the Co-Fe-O is anisotropic. As a result, Co
      Fe-P nanorods (from the polyhedral Co-Fe-O nanoparticles) and sea-urchin-like Co
      Fe-P (from the cubic Co-Fe-O nanoparticles) are synthesized with both the nanorod
      and the sea-urchin-arm dimensions controlled by Co/Fe ratios. The Co-Fe-P
      structure, especially the sea-urchin-like (Co(0.54)Fe(0.46))2P, shows enhanced
      catalysis for the oxygen evolution reaction in KOH with its catalytic efficiency
      surpassing the commercial Ir catalyst. Our synthesis is simple and may be readily
      extended to the preparation of other multimetallic phosphides for important
      catalysis and energy storage applications.

PMID- 26118356
TI  - The Spanish Validation of the Accommodation and Enabling Scale for Eating
      Disorders Among Carers: A Pilot Study.
AB  - Literature suggests that families may accommodate patients' symptoms in attempts
      to alleviate family conflict and stress. These accommodating and enabling
      behaviours may have a negative impact on carers and those they care for. There
      are no self-report questionnaires validated in Spanish to measure accommodation
      among relatives of patients with an eating disorder. The aim of this study was to
      examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Accommodation
      and Enabling Scale for Eating Disorders (AESED-S) among relatives of eating
      disorder patients. A cross-sectional study of 90 relatives was carried out to
      explore the factor structure, reliability and validity of the AESED-S. The
      internal consistency of the Spanish version of the AESED subscales was good,
      ranging from .89 to .81. The correlation of the five subscales with conceptually
      related measures (negative caregiving experience and distress) supports the
      convergent validity of this instrument in this sample. Results indicated that the
      Spanish version of the AESED provides a reliable and valid tool for assessing
      family accommodation in the context of having a relative with an eating disorder.

PMID- 26118357
TI  - Facial angiofibromas of tuberous sclerosis treated with topical sirolimus in an
      Indian patient (commentary on article by Resham J. Vasani).

PMID- 26118358
TI  - Efficient coupling of acoustic modes in microfluidic channel devices.
AB  - This work introduces a new numerical simulation approach to acoustic microfluidic
      chip design based on coupled-resonator theory. A simplified acoustofluidic device
      operating in the transverse elastic mode is investigated and optimized for
      maximal pressure standing wave amplitude. This design approach provides insights
      into the symmetry and frequency characteristics of acoustic chip resonances that
      cannot be obtained from analysis based on wave propagation arguments. The new
      approach reveals that optimal performance requires spatial symmetry-matching and
      frequency-matching of the full device's elastic resonance to the channel's
      acoustic resonance. Symmetry selection is demonstrated for a three terminal
      piezoelectric transducer actuation scheme showing suppression of opposite
      symmetry and enhancement of same-symmetry acoustic modes. Excitation of
      ultrasonic waves exhibits the anti-crossing behaviour predicted by coupled mode
      theory with the acoustic mode splitting into two distinct branches. Increased
      efficiency of energy transfer from the transducer into the fluid, with its
      corresponding increase in pressure amplitude, suggests a potential path toward
      significant increases in acoustic separator performance. 

PMID- 26118359
TI  - Context influences the interplay of endocrine axes across the day.
AB  - The current investigation examined stressors upon the coupling of the
      hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG)
      axes. Emphasis is placed on the moderating role of context and time. One hundred
      and eighteen adolescent males and females provided up to 32 diurnal saliva
      samples across a visit to a research lab. This visit constituted a day-long
      stress through which the impact on HPA-HPG axis coupling could be assessed. We
      tested four models of HPA-HPG axis coupling across the lab day. Sex and stress
      hormones operated synchronously (beta = .404, p < .001), and the coupling of sex
      and stress hormones was moderated by the stress of the lab day (beta = .010, p =
      .05). This pattern of co-elevation did not appear to be moderated by the distal
      experience of early life adversity. Findings suggest that the notion of "stress"
      must disentangle proximal and distal challenges, each of which appears to impact
      neurobiological processes.

PMID- 26118360
TI  - Examining the relation between respiratory sinus arrhythmia and depressive
      symptoms in emerging adults: A longitudinal study.
AB  - Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating and prevalent disorder
      associated with lower quality of life and substantial economic burden. Recently,
      there has been strong interest in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as a
      biological predictor of later depression. Theoretical work suggests that higher
      resting RSA indexes physiological flexibility and better emotion regulation
      whereas lower RSA may mark vulnerability for psychopathology. However, empirical
      findings have varied. This study examined whether lower resting RSA predicted
      later depressive symptoms in a sample of healthy young adults across one year
      (n=185). Results indicate that year one (Y1) resting RSA predicted Y2 depressive
      symptoms. This finding remained significant when accounting for the stability of
      RSA and depressive symptoms across both time points and when including trait
      anxiety, body mass index, and medication use in statistical models. Findings
      provide further support for RSA as a promising biological marker for
      understanding and predicting depressive symptoms. 

PMID- 26118361
TI  - Mild and Robust Redox-Neutral Pd/C-Catalyzed Lignol beta-O-4' Bond Cleavage
      Through a Low-Energy-Barrier Pathway.
AB  - Invited for this month's cover is the group of Joseph Samec at Uppsala
      University. The image shows that native lignin beta-O-4' bond model compounds
      react at very mild and accurately tuned redox-neutral conditions while other
      models have higher hydrogen and temperature demands. The Communication itself is
      available at 10.1002/cssc.201500117. 

PMID- 26118362
TI  - Metal-Mediated Production of Isocyanates, R3 EN=C=O from Dinitrogen, Carbon
      Dioxide, and R3 ECl.
AB  - A highly efficient and versatile chemical cycle has been developed for the
      production of isocyanates through the molecular fixation of N2 , CO2 and R3 ECl
      (E=C, Si, and Ge). Key steps include a 'one-pot' photolytic N-N bond cleavage of
      a Group 6 dinuclear dinitrogen complex with in situ trapping by R3 ECl to provide
      a metal terminal imido complex that can engage in simultaneous nitrene-group
      transfer and oxygen-atom transfer to generate an intermediate metal terminal oxo
      complex with release of the isocyanate product. Reaction of the oxo complex with
      additional equivalents of R3 ECl regenerates a metal dichloride that is the
      precursor for dinuclear dinitrogen starting material.

PMID- 26118363
TI  - Influence of the molecular-oriented structure of ionic liquids on the
      crystallinity of aluminum hydroxide prepared by a sol-gel process in ionic
      liquids.
AB  - The influence of the structure of ionic liquids on the crystallinity of aluminum
      hydroxide (Al(OH)3) prepared by a sol-gel process with aluminum isopropoxide
      (Al(OPr(i))3) in imidazolium-based ionic liquids was investigated. When Al(OH)3
      was prepared in ionic liquids having long alkyl chains, such as 1-butyl-3
      methylimidazolium salts and 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium salts, highly crystalline
      products were obtained. In contrast, Al(OH)3 obtained using the 1-ethyl-3
      methylimidazolium salt was an amorphous material, indicating that hydrophobic
      interaction of the alkyl tail of the imidazolium cation of the ionic liquid
      strongly affects the crystallinity of sol-gel products and the local structure of
      the ionic liquid. Moreover, the crystallinity of Al(OH)3 prepared in ionic
      liquids increased relative to the amount of additional water (ionic liquid/water
      = 1.28/2.0-3.5/0.2, w/w). In the case of addition of a small amount of water
      (ionic liquid/water = 3.5/0.2, w/w), the product was amorphous. These results
      implied that the presence of an ionic liquid and a sufficient amount of water was
      crucial for the successful synthesis of sol-gel products with high crystallinity.
      (1)H NMR analyses revealed a shift of the peak associated with the imidazolium
      cation upon addition of water, which suggested that the molecular orientation of
      the ionic liquid was similar to that of a micelle. 

PMID- 26118364
TI  - Mechanistic Insights into the Post-Cyclization Isomerization in Gold-Catalyzed 7
      exo-dig-Hydroarylations.
AB  - The subsequent double-bond isomerization in the synthesis of dibenzocycloheptenes
      and their heteroaromatic analogues was investigated. In the case of biphenyls, a
      basic additive completely prevented an isomerization to the thermodynamic
      product. With electron-rich intramolecular heteroaromatic nucleophiles, the
      isomerization was still observed, but the kinetic product can be obtained by
      careful control of the reaction times in most cases. Mechanistic studies
      demonstrated that a slow isomerization is also possible with the gold catalyst at
      elevated temperatures, but much faster isomerization rates were observed with
      acidic additives. An observed initiation period for the gold-catalyzed
      isomerization indicates that not the homogenous catalyst, but a decomposition
      product of it may be the catalytically active species. 

PMID- 26118365
TI  - Heat-set gels formed from easily accessible gelators of a succinamic acid
      derivative (SAD) and a primary alkyl amine (R-NH2).
AB  - Currently, the design and construction of an intelligent stimuli-responsive gel
      system is still a significant challenge. We present here a new gel system from
      which the formation of heat-set gels, conventional gels and irreversible heat-set
      gels can be achieved in aromatic solvents. This gel system is based on two
      component gelators containing a succinamic acid derivative (SAD) and a primary
      alkyl amine (R-NH2). With the increase of temperature to 85  degrees C, a rarely
      reported reversible heat-set gel (gel formation with the increase of temperature)
      is afforded. Upon addition of fatty acids into two-component gelators, a
      conventional gel (gel formation with the decrease of temperature) is formed. When
      the fatty acid is replaced with dicarboxylic acid, a new heat-set gel is
      generated, which is irreversible and thermally super-stable. X-ray diffraction
      analysis reveals that the formation of a reversible heat-set gel relies on
      electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonds, and hydrophobic interactions. These
      two-component gelators show a perfect gel system for the formation of diverse
      gels including heat-set gels, conventional gels and irreversible heat-set gels.
      The tunable strategy demonstrated in this letter may provide a new way for
      creation of more functional gels in gel science. 

PMID- 26118366
TI  - Responsive etalon based on PNIPAM@SiO2 composite spacer with rapid response rate
      and excellent repeatability for sensing application.
AB  - In this paper, we demonstrate a responsive etalon fabricated through combining
      colloidal lithography and surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization
      (SI-ATRP). The responsive etalon is simply constructed with one responsive spacer
      sandwiched by two reflective layers, and the middle responsive spacer is
      constructed by grafting thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)
      brushes on a SiO2 nanosphere array. The etalon possesses one single interference
      peak in the visible region, and the interference peak changes sensitively against
      the concentration of the external stimulant (water vapor) or the temperature of
      the system, owing to the responsiveness of the PNIPAM brush. Importantly, the as
      prepared etalon shows a rapid response rate and excellent stability, and it is
      also handy to realize the miniaturization and integration of the responsive
      etalon based on a conventional micro-fabrication method. These features all make
      the as-prepared responsive etalon an attractive candidate for future sensing
      applications. We believe such responsive etalons are promising for the
      fabrication of smart photonic materials and optical sensors that may be useful in
      tissue engineering, medical diagnosis, public security, and biochip areas. 

PMID- 26118367
TI  - Elastic properties of van der Waals epitaxy grown bismuth telluride 2D
      nanosheets.
AB  - Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets prepared by van der
      Waals epitaxy were successfully detached, transferred, and suspended for nano
      indentation measurements to be performed on freestanding circular nanosheets. The
      Young's modulus acquired by fitting linear elastic behaviors of 26 samples
      (thickness: 5-14 nm) is only 11.7-25.7 GPa, significantly smaller than the bulk
      in-plane Young's modulus (50-55 GPa). Compliant and robust Bi2Te3 2D nanosheets
      suggest the feasibility of the elastic strain engineering of topological surface
      states. 

PMID- 26118368
TI  - Synthesis of Fluorophores that Target Small Molecules to the Endoplasmic
      Reticulum of Living Mammalian Cells.
AB  - The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays critical roles in the processing of secreted
      and transmembrane proteins. To deliver small molecules to this organelle, we
      synthesized fluorinated hydrophobic analogues of the fluorophore rhodol. These
      cell-permeable fluorophores are exceptionally bright, with quantum yields of
      around 0.8, and they were found to specifically accumulate in the ER of living
      HeLa cells, as imaged by confocal laser scanning microscopy. To target a
      biological pathway controlled by the ER, we linked a fluorinated hydrophobic
      rhodol to 5-nitrofuran-2-acrylaldehyde. In contrast to an untargeted nitrofuran
      warhead, delivery of this electrophilic nitrofuran to the ER by the rhodol
      resulted in cytotoxicity comparable to the ER-targeted cytotoxin eeyarestatin I,
      and specifically inhibited protein processing by the ubiquitin-proteasome system.
      Fluorinated hydrophobic rhodols are outstanding fluorophores that enable the
      delivery of small molecules for targeting ER-associated proteins and pathways. 

PMID- 26118369
TI  - Two Cases of Pathological Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Therapy
      in Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (NACRT) is increasingly used in patients with
      a potentially or borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) and
      it has been shown to improve survival and reduce locoregional metastatic disease.
      It is rare for patients with PDA to have a pathological complete response (pCR)
      to NACRT, but such patients reportedly have a good prognosis. We report the
      clinicopathological findings of two cases of pCR to NACRT in PDA. Both patients
      underwent pancreatectomy after NACRT (5-fluorouracil, mitomycin C, cisplatin, and
      radiation). Neither had residual invasive carcinoma and both showed extensive
      fibrotic regions with several ducts regarded as having pancreatic intraepithelial
      neoplasia 3/carcinoma in situ in their post-therapy specimens. It is noteworthy
      that both patients had a history of a second primary cancer. They both had
      comparatively good outcomes: one lived for 9 years after the initial
      pancreatectomy and the other is still alive without recurrence after 2 years. 

PMID- 26118371
TI  - Transformation of photophysical properties from solution to solid state in alkoxy
      cyano-diphenylacetylene molecules.
AB  - Detailed photophysical properties of cyano and mono (MA)/bis alkoxy (DA)
      substituted diphenylacetylene moieties with different alkyl chain lengths (methyl
      (1), octyl (8) and dodecyl (12)) were investigated in solution and the solid
      state in an effort to determine the effect of self-aggregation on these
      properties. The solvated molecules showed a minimal bathochromic shift with an
      increase of solvent polarity in their absorption spectra, whereas a significant
      shift was observed in the emission spectra. This could be attributed to the
      relatively low change in dipole moment between ground and Franck-Condon excited
      states and luminescence arising from the intramolecular charge transfer state
      with a dipole moment significantly higher than that of the ground state. In solid
      state the emission quantum yields of these materials were significantly higher
      than in solution. For DA1, polymorphic materials with distinct photophysical
      properties were obtained. The DA1 materials obtained by fast precipitation (DA1)
      showed broad fluorescence with peaks at 398, 467 and 535 nm upon excitation at
      different wavelengths. Detailed analysis of absorption, emission and excitation
      spectra and lifetime experiments indicated that these peaks could be attributed
      to the monomer, J- and H-type aggregates respectively. Whereas the crystals
      obtained by slow crystallization (DA1C) showed only one emission peak at around
      396 nm attributed to the monomer. This is supported by the single crystal X-ray
      structure which consists of a monomer molecule having minimal interaction with
      nearest neighbour molecules.

PMID- 26118373
TI  - Tenax extraction as a simple approach to improve environmental risk assessments.
AB  - It is well documented that using exhaustive chemical extractions is not an
      effective means of assessing exposure of hydrophobic organic compounds in
      sediments and that bioavailability-based techniques are an improvement over
      traditional methods. One technique that has shown special promise as a method for
      assessing the bioavailability of hydrophobic organic compounds in sediment is the
      use of Tenax-extractable concentrations. A 6-h or 24-h single-point Tenax
      extractable concentration correlates to both bioaccumulation and toxicity. This
      method has demonstrated effectiveness for several hydrophobic organic compounds
      in various organisms under both field and laboratory conditions. In addition, a
      Tenax bioaccumulation model was developed for multiple compounds relating 24-h
      Tenax-extractable concentrations to oligochaete tissue concentrations exposed in
      both the laboratory and field. This model has demonstrated predictive capacity
      for additional compounds and species. Use of Tenax-extractable concentrations to
      estimate exposure is rapid, simple, straightforward, and relatively inexpensive,
      as well as accurate. Therefore, this method would be an invaluable tool if
      implemented in risk assessments.

PMID- 26118374
TI  - In response: Current evidence and implications--An academic perspective.

PMID- 26118375
TI  - The challenge: Pollinator risk assessment--Past, present, and future.

PMID- 26118376
TI  - In response: The challenge of implementing a sustainable and highly sophisticated
      risk-assessment scheme, able to address the realistic potential hazards as well
      as the needs of our pollinators--An industry view on the key challenges and
      guidance.

PMID- 26118377
TI  - In response: Challenges for future risk assessments--A governmental perspective.

PMID- 26118378
TI  - Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 26118380
TI  - Corrigendum.

PMID- 26118379
TI  - Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 26118382
TI  - The assessment of coronary heart disease risk factors correlated with demographic
      and social data in post-coronary intervention patients in Polish population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in Europe,
      accounting for over 4 million deaths each year. Smoking cigarettes, an unhealthy
      diet and no physical activity constitute important risk factors. Educational
      program was conducted among patients after coronary angioplasty. Data on
      patients' knowledge of risk factors of coronary heart disease, recommended
      behavior, secondary prevention methods, and side effects were collected and
      analyzed in conjunction with demographic and social factors. One questionnaire
      included details about 20 patients. The questionnaire included demographic data
      (gender, education, place of residence), epidemiological (height, weight, waist
      size), interview on coronary heart disease risk factors, medications and side
      effects. METHODS: The educational program involved 19,316 patients above 18 years
      old after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The basic tool was a
      standardized questionnaire consisting of visit forms. RESULTS: Despite PCI, 20.5%
      of patients smoke cigarettes, more often men, younger, less educated. 35.7% of
      patients believe that limiting physical activity after successful coronary
      intervention is beneficial--more often older, lower educated, with higher body
      mass index, from smaller towns. 85% of patients (mainly women, younger, higher
      educated, coming from bigger cities) claim to be aware which products are
      beneficial for the cardiovascular system and which have a negative influence. 8%
      of patients after PCI do not control their blood pressure at all--more often men,
      younger people with lower level of education and coming from smaller towns. 44%
      of patients happened to forget to take or ran out of some medications--more often
      those with lower level of education. CONCLUSIONS: It is essential to implement to
      clinical practice educational programs for post-coronary intervention patients.
      These patients are at highest risk of having cardiovascular events. Educational
      programs should be addressed to all post-coronary intervention patients,
      especially to those coming from small towns. A limitation of the survey was that
      patients were not divided into acute coronary syndrome patients and stable
      coronary heart disease ones. It was not specified what time after the coronary
      intervention the patients were included into the research.

PMID- 26118383
TI  - Dimensional crossover in the quantum transport behaviour of the natural
      topological insulator Aleksite.
AB  - Three-dimensional topological insulators comprise topologically protected surface
      states displaying massless, Dirac-like linear dispersion with spin-momentum
      locking. Electrical conduction through such surface states has been documented to
      manifest itself in a two-dimensional character of the angle-dependent
      magnetotransport behavior. Here, we explore the size-dependent electronic
      properties of nanostructures made of the lead-containing mineral Aleksite, a
      naturally occurring topological insulator. Compared to its sister compound
      Kawazulite, a member of the well-studied Tetradymite crystal class, the crystal
      structure of Aleksite is distinguished by its lack of any counterpart within the
      group of synthetic topological insulators. Low temperature Hall measurements on
      thin Aleksite nanosheets reveal a significant carrier mobility on the order of
      1000 cm(2)/(Vs), and a high carrier density of n = 3.9 * 10(25) m(-3).
      Importantly, for Aleksite nanoribbons with a width below 150 nm, a 1D weak
      antilocalization effect along with 1D universal conductance fluctuations emerges,
      which transforms into 2D behavior for larger ribbon widths.

PMID- 26118384
TI  - Religious Involvement and Perceptions of Control: Evidence from the Miami-Dade
      Health Survey.
AB  - This study uses data collected through the 2011 Miami-Dade Health Survey (n =
      444) to test whether religious involvement is associated with three distinct
      control beliefs. Regression results suggest that people who exhibit high levels
      of religious involvement tend to report higher levels of the sense of control,
      self-control, and the health locus of control than respondents who exhibit low
      levels of religious involvement. Although this study suggests that religious
      involvement can promote perceptions of control over one's own life, this pattern
      is apparently concentrated at the high end of the distribution for religious
      involvement, indicating a threshold effect. 

PMID- 26118386
TI  - Policy of high-dose tranexamic acid for treating postpartum hemorrhage after
      vaginal delivery.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess whether a policy of routine administration of high-dose
      tranexamic acid (TA) at the diagnosis of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) reduces
      blood loss after vaginal birth. METHODS: This controlled single-center before-and
      after study of all women with PPH >= 500 ml after vaginal birth took place from
      January 2011 through March 2012; the control group included those seen from
      January 2011 through August 2011, and the case patients those from September 2011
      through March 2012. Our protocol for the management of PPH was modified effective
      September 2011 to include administration of high-dose TA (4 g of TA intravenously
      then 1 g/h for 6 h) once blood loss reached 800 ml. Our primary objective was to
      assess the efficacy of this policy in reducing blood loss in PPH. RESULTS:
      Maternal characteristics did not differ between the two groups. Mean estimated
      blood loss was not significantly lower in the TA group (n = 138) than in the
      control group (n = 151) (respectively, 915.7 +/- 321 ml versus 944.8 +/- 313.8
      ml; p = 0.47). The difference between pre- and post-delivery hemoglobin levels
      were lower in the TA group (-2.6 g/dl +/- 1.2 versus -2.9 g/dl +/- 1.3; p =
      0.09), but it was not significant. Postpartum iron sucrose injections were
      significantly less frequent in the TA than the control group (2.2% versus 9.9%; p
      < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A policy of high-dose TA in PPH after vaginal deliveries
      was not associated with a significant reduction of blood loss.

PMID- 26118385
TI  - Cortical actin networks induce spatio-temporal confinement of phospholipids in
      the plasma membrane--a minimally invasive investigation by STED-FCS.
AB  - Important discoveries in the last decades have changed our view of the plasma
      membrane organisation. Specifically, the cortical cytoskeleton has emerged as a
      key modulator of the lateral diffusion of membrane proteins. Cytoskeleton
      dependent compartmentalised lipid diffusion has been proposed, but this concept
      remains controversial because this phenomenon has thus far only been observed
      with artefact-prone probes in combination with a single technique: single
      particle tracking. In this paper, we report the first direct observation of
      compartmentalised phospholipid diffusion in the plasma membrane of living cells
      using a minimally invasive, fluorescent dye labelled lipid analogue. These
      observations were made using optical STED nanoscopy in combination with
      fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (STED-FCS), a technique which allows the
      study of membrane dynamics on a sub-millisecond time-scale and with a spatial
      resolution of down to 40 nm. Specifically, we find that compartmentalised
      phospholipid diffusion depends on the cortical actin cytoskeleton, and that this
      constrained diffusion is directly dependent on the F-actin branching nucleator
      Arp2/3. These findings provide solid evidence that the Arp2/3-dependent cortical
      actin cytoskeleton plays a pivotal role in the dynamic organisation of the plasma
      membrane, potentially regulating fundamental cellular processes.

PMID- 26118387
TI  - Homocysteine elicits an M1 phenotype in murine macrophages through an EMMPRIN
      mediated pathway.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is associated with inflammatory
      diseases and is known to increase the production of reactive oxygen species
      (ROS), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, and inducible nitric oxide synthase, and
      to decrease endothelial nitric oxide production. However, the impact of HHcy on
      macrophage phenotype differentiation is not well-established. It has been
      documented that macrophages have 2 distinct phenotypes: the "classically
      activated/destructive" (M1), and the "alternatively activated/constructive" (M2)
      subtypes. We hypothesize that HHcy increases M1 macrophage differentiation
      through extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN), a known inducer
      of matrix metalloproteinases. METHODS: murine J774A.1 and Raw 264.7 macrophages
      were treated with 100 and 500 MUmol/L Hcy, respectively, for 24 h. Samples were
      analyzed using Western blotting and immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: Homocysteine
      treatment increased cluster of differentiation 40 (CD40; M1 marker) in J774A.1
      and Raw 264.7 macrophages. MMP-9 was induced in both cell lines. EMMPRIN protein
      expression was also increased in both cell lines. Blocking EMMPRIN function by
      pre-treating cells with anti-EMMPRIN antibody, with or without Hcy, resulted in
      significantly lower expression of CD40 in both cell lines by comparison with the
      controls. A DCFDA assay demonstrated increased ROS production in both cell lines
      with Hcy treatment when compared with the controls. CONCLUSION: Our results
      suggest that HHcy results in an increase of the M1 macrophage phenotype. This
      effect seems to be at least partially mediated by EMMPRIN induction.

PMID- 26118388
TI  - How mirror-touch informs theories of synesthesia.
AB  - Ward and Banissy provide an excellent overview of the state of mirror-touch
      research in order to advance this field. They present a comparison of two
      prominent theoretical approaches for understanding mirror-touch phenomena.
      According to the threshold theory, the phenomena arise as a result of a
      hyperactive mirror neuron system. According to the Self-Other Theory, they are
      due to disturbances in the ability to distinguish the self from others. Here, we
      explore how these two theories can inform theories of synesthesia more generally.
      We conclude that both theories are not suited as general models of synesthesia. 

PMID- 26118389
TI  - Reduction of phosphorus, nitrogen and microorganisms in pilot scale sand filter
      beds containing biotite, treating primary wastewater.
AB  - In sparsely populated areas, sand filter beds play an important role in
      wastewater treatment. As the need to improve the removal of nutrients increases,
      reactive filter materials represent one potential way to improve the reliability
      of current systems. We tested a pilot-scale multi-layer biotite filter for its
      ability to remove phosphorus, nitrogen, organic matter and enteric microorganisms
      with the importance of each layer in a multi-layer biotite filter being examined.
      In the experimental setup, the filters were fed with a raw wastewater influent
      mimicking the usual daily rhythm of water consumption and the reduction effects
      of the variable loads were examined during the experiment time of 54 weeks. It
      was observed that the reduction efficiency of the phosphorus was good (87%)
      during normal and under loading sequences but the reduction achieved for nitrogen
      was poor (27%). During and after overloading sequences, the phosphorus reduction
      was poor (46.5%) whereas the nitrogen reduction improved (to 66.7%). The
      reduction of organic matter was good during all sequences. The reductions of
      enteric microorganisms were at a level of 2-3 log10 units already after a single
      sand layer. For Escherichia coli, reductions of more than 5 log10 units were
      found after the wastewater had passed through a multilayer biotite filter during
      all sequences. It is concluded that the inclusion of a biotite layer improves the
      reliability of the filter bed. However, the proper scaling of the unit is
      essential in order to guarantee that the filter remains in aerobic conditions. 

PMID- 26118390
TI  - Enterococcal endocarditis revisited.
AB  - The Enterococcus species is the third main cause of infective endocarditis (IE)
      worldwide, and it is gaining relevance, especially among healthcare-associated
      cases. Patients with enterococcal IE are older and have more comorbidities than
      other types of IE. Classical treatment options are limited due to the emergence
      of high-level aminoglycosides resistance (HLAR), vancomycin resistance and
      multidrug resistance in some cases. Besides, few new antimicrobial alternatives
      have shown real efficacy, despite some of them being recommended by major
      guidelines (including linezolid and daptomycin). Ampicillin plus ceftriaxone 2 g
      iv./12 h is a good option for Enterococcus faecalis IE caused by HLAR strains,
      but randomized clinical trials are essential to demonstrate its efficacy for non
      HLAR EFIE and to compare it with ampicillin plus short-course gentamicin. The
      main mechanisms of resistance and treatment options are also reviewed for other
      enterococcal species.

PMID- 26118391
TI  - Prehospital Transfer Pathway and Mortality in Patients Undergoing Primary
      Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is recommended that not only door-to-balloon time but also
      prehospital delay for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) should be
      improved. We investigated the effect of prehospital transfer pathway on onset-to
      balloon time and prognosis in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial
      infarction (STEMI) in Japan. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed data from 540
      consecutive patients with primary PCI for STEMI. Patient clinical data and
      mortality were compared between patients who visited the family physician or non
      PCI-capable hospitals and were then transferred to PCI-capable centers (indirect
      transfer patients), and those who directly visited PCI-capable centers (direct
      transfer patients). Onset-to-balloon time was longer in indirect transfer
      patients than in direct transfer patients (mean, 270 min; range, 180-480 min vs.
      180 min, 120-240 min; P<0.001). In addition, patient prognosis was evaluated on
      Cox proportional regression analysis. Cardiac death and all-cause death were
      significantly higher in indirect transfer patients (odds ratios [OR], 2.17; 95%
      confidence intervals [95% CI]: 1.17-4.01, P=0.01; OR, 1.71; 95% CI: 1.09-2.68,
      P=0.02). These results were confirmed using propensity score matching for
      adjusted analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with indirect transfer to regional
      emergency departments of PCI centers had longer onset-to-balloon time and worse
      prognosis than those with direct transfer.

PMID- 26118392
TI  - Treatment of severe non-infectious uveitis in high-risk conditions (Part 2):
      systemic infections; management and safety issues.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Management of patients with severe immune-mediated uveitis requires
      the use of immunosuppressive (IS) drugs in selected cases. This may be
      particularly challenging in certain patients with associated conditions, which
      may increase the risk of side effects or modify guidelines for the use of such
      drugs. Chronic viral and mycobacterial infections in the setting of non
      infectious uveitis create a number of diagnostic but also therapeutic dilemmas to
      clinicians because they can be exacerbated by IS therapies with detrimental
      effects. AREAS COVERED: In this review, we will focus on very specific chronic
      infections that can be affected by IS therapies: human immunodeficiency virus
      infection, chronic hepatitis virus infection and tuberculosis. The main aim of
      this review is to provide an updated and comprehensive practical guide for
      practitioners regarding the therapeutic decision-making and management of
      patients with non-infectious uveitis affected by the aforementioned infectious
      conditions. EXPERT OPINION: Clinicians should be aware of the risk of viral and
      mycobacterial reactivation of an underlying infection during IS therapy. However,
      most of these conditions do not represent an absolute contraindication if one
      were able to apply an appropriate prior screening and close monitoring of such
      therapy.

PMID- 26118393
TI  - Wound dehiscence in a sample of 1 776 cystectomies: identification of predictors
      and implications for outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and predictors of wound dehiscence in
      patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all, 1 776
      patient records with Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for radical
      cystectomy (RC) were extracted from the American College of Surgeons National
      Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) between 2005 and 2012. Stratification was
      made based on the occurrence of postoperative wound dehiscence, defined as loss
      of integrity of fascial closure. Descriptive and logistic regression models were
      used to identify predictors of postoperative wound dehiscence. The implications
      of wound dehiscence on peri- and postoperative outcomes such as complications,
      mortality, prolonged length of stay (>11 days), and prolonged operative time
      (>411 min), were assessed. RESULTS: Of 1 776 patients analysed, 57 (3.2%) had a
      documented wound dehiscence. In multivariable analyses, chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (odds ratio [OR] 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0-4.0; P =
      0.03) and high body mass index (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.3-4.4; P = 0.008) were
      significant predictors of wound dehiscence. While female gender had significantly
      lower proportions of wound dehiscence, multivariable analyses did not confirm
      this (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.4-1.4; P = 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to
      identify predictors of wound dehiscence after RC in a large, contemporary multi
      institutional cohort. Identifying patients at risk of postoperative wound
      complications may guide the use of preventative measures at the time of surgery.

PMID- 26118394
TI  - Differential expression of immunohistochemical markers in primary lung and breast
      cancers enriched for triple-negative tumours.
AB  - AIMS: In breast cancer patients presenting with a lung lesion, the distinction
      between lung and breast origin is clinically important. Lung and breast cancers
      are both CK7(+) /CK20(-) , so additional immunohistochemical markers are needed.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined the expression of oestrogen receptor (ER),
      progesterone receptor (PR), thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1), gross cystic
      disease fluid protein-15 (GCDFP-15), p63 and Wilms' tumour 1 (WT1) in a series of
      tissue microarrays comprising 266 non-small-cell lung cancers and 837 primary
      breast cancers enriched for triple-negative tumours (TNBC). Staining for ER, PR,
      TTF-1 and GCDFP-15 was present in 63%, 49%, 0% and 25% of breast and 6%, 9%, 59%
      and 1% of lung cancers, respectively. Strong staining for p63 was present in 63
      (97%) lung squamous cell carcinomas and only eight (9%) TNBC. WT1 nuclear
      staining was rare; however, cytoplasmic staining was identified in 49 (40%) TNBC
      and 10 (5%) lung cancers. Cluster analysis segregated TNBC from lung cancers with
      TTF-1 and/or p63 staining favouring lung origin, and GCDFP-15 or WT1 staining
      favouring breast origin. Cancers negative for all four markers (17%) were 60%
      breast and 40% lung origin. CONCLUSION: An immunohistochemical panel
      incorporating ER, TTF-1, GCDFP-15, p63 and WT1 can help to distinguish lung
      cancer from metastatic breast cancer, including TNBC.

PMID- 26118395
TI  - The impact of assertive outreach teams on hospital admissions for psychosis: a
      time series analysis.
AB  - Although the assertive outreach model was developed in the United States and
      imported to the United Kingdom to date, there is only limited evidence to support
      its wide-scale implementation within the United Kingdom. This is the first study
      to have combined a large dataset with this type of research method to explore the
      impact of assertive outreach teams on hospital admissions. The introduction and
      expansion of assertive outreach teams was associated with reducing hospital
      admissions for people with psychosis. This study found a consistent summer peak
      in hospital admissions which community and in-patient mental health nurses should
      take account of and plan for. Ever since the Mental Health Policy Implementation
      Policy Guide paved the way for the introduction of the Assertive Outreach
      Treatment (AOT) model in England, the impact of this approach has been the
      subject of considerable debate but limited evaluation. To date, most of the
      evidence supporting this model has originated from outside the United Kingdom. A
      central aim of the AOT was to reduce the need for in-patient treatment. We aimed
      to assess the impact of the AOT model on hospital admissions for people with
      psychosis in England. Interrupted time series analysis was used in this study to
      evaluate the impact of the policy change. Following the introduction of the AOT
      model, a statistically significant reduction in hospital admissions for psychosis
      was found. In addition, we observed a repeated, annual summer peak in admissions.
      This study adds to the international evidence which supports the effectiveness of
      the AOT model in reducing hospital admissions for people with severe mental
      health problems. We offer five suggested implications for mental health nurses
      and clients based on our findings.

PMID- 26118396
TI  - Transcriptome sequencing reveals both neutral and adaptive genome dynamics in a
      marine invader.
AB  - Species invasions cause significant ecological and economic damage, and genetic
      information is important to understanding and managing invasive species. In the
      ocean, many invasive species have high dispersal and gene flow, lowering the
      discriminatory power of traditional genetic approaches. High-throughput
      sequencing holds tremendous promise for increasing resolution and illuminating
      the relative contributions of selection and drift in marine invasion, but has not
      yet been used to compare the diversity and dynamics of a high-dispersal invader
      in its native and invaded ranges. We test a transcriptome-based approach in the
      European green crab (Carcinus maenas), a widespread invasive species with high
      gene flow and a well-known invasion history, in two native and five invasive
      populations. A panel of 10 809 transcriptome-derived nuclear SNPs identified
      significant population structure among highly bottlenecked invasive populations
      that were previously undifferentiated with traditional markers. Comparing the
      full data set and a subset of 9246 putatively neutral SNPs strongly suggested
      that non-neutral processes are the primary driver of population structure within
      the species' native range, while neutral processes appear to dominate in the
      invaded range. Non-neutral native range structure coincides with significant
      differences in intraspecific thermal tolerance, suggesting temperature as a
      potential selective agent. These results underline the importance of adaptation
      in shaping intraspecific differences even in high geneflow marine invasive
      species. They also demonstrate that high-throughput approaches have broad utility
      in determining neutral structure in recent invasions of such species. Together,
      neutral and non-neutral data derived from high-throughput approaches may increase
      the understanding of invasion dynamics in high-dispersal species. 

PMID- 26118397
TI  - Differential effects of low birthweight and intrauterine growth restriction on
      umbilical cord blood insulin-like growth factor concentrations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Alterations in the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor (IGF)
      axis have been considered as a causal factor for intrauterine growth restriction
      (IUGR) and for the increased risk of metabolic disease in later life. We compared
      members of the IGF axis in umbilical cord blood between IUGR neonates, small for
      gestational age without foetal restriction (SGA) and appropriate for gestational
      age (AGA) neonates. DESIGN: Prospective controlled multicenter study. PATIENTS:
      Sixteen ultrasound-proven IUGR, 8 SGA and 40 AGA neonates. MEASUREMENTS:
      Concentrations of total IGF-I and total IGF-II by immunoassays, bioactive IGF by
      cell-based bioassay and IGFBP-I in mixed venous and arterial umbilical cord blood
      samples at birth. Auxological parameters at birth. RESULTS: IGF-I concentrations
      in IUGR [17.7 MUg/l (CI 13.8;21.6)] were clearly below those in AGA [48.3 MUg/l
      (CI 43.7;52.9)] and SGA neonates [36.0 MUg/l (CI 26.6;45.4)]. IGF-II levels were
      significantly reduced in IUGR [201.4 MUg/l (CI 190.2;212.6)] compared to AGA
      neonates [231.2 MUg/l (CI 220.6;241.9)]. A trend for lower IGF-II concentrations
      was observed in IUGR when compared to SGA neonates [232.0 MUg/l (CI
      207.2;256.8)]. These differences could not be explained by confounding. For IGFBP
      1, a trend towards higher values in IUGR was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Low IGF-I
      cord blood concentrations in hypotrophic neonates after IUGR might not only
      result from low birthweight per se, but also reflect prenatal placental
      environment. Alterations of the IGF axis could be in the causal pathway of IUGR
      and thus constitute a potential surrogate marker for IUGR in the assessment of
      foetal programming.

PMID- 26118398
TI  - Uncovering the abilities of Agaricus bisporus to degrade plant biomass throughout
      its life cycle.
AB  - The economically important edible basidiomycete mushroom Agaricus bisporus
      thrives on decaying plant material in forests and grasslands of North America and
      Europe. It degrades forest litter and contributes to global carbon recycling,
      depolymerizing (hemi-)cellulose and lignin in plant biomass. Relatively little is
      known about how A. bisporus grows in the controlled environment in commercial
      production facilities and utilizes its substrate. Using transcriptomics and
      proteomics, we showed that changes in plant biomass degradation by A. bisporus
      occur throughout its life cycle. Ligninolytic genes were only highly expressed
      during the spawning stage day 16. In contrast, (hemi-)cellulolytic genes were
      highly expressed at the first flush, whereas low expression was observed at the
      second flush. The essential role for many highly expressed plant biomass
      degrading genes was supported by exo-proteome analysis. Our data also support a
      model of sequential lignocellulose degradation by wood-decaying fungi proposed in
      previous studies, concluding that lignin is degraded at the initial stage of
      growth in compost and is not modified after the spawning stage. The observed
      differences in gene expression involved in (hemi-)cellulose degradation between
      the first and second flushes could partially explain the reduction in the number
      of mushrooms during the second flush. 

PMID- 26118399
TI  - A service evaluation of HDU-related adenotonsillectomy cancellations in one
      hundred and sixty-nine children at a University Teaching Hospital.

PMID- 26118400
TI  - Physicians' Practice, Attitudes Toward, and Knowledge of Cancer Pain Management
      in China.
AB  - SUBJECT: To evaluate physicians' current practice, attitudes toward, and
      knowledge of cancer pain management in China. METHODS: We conducted a face-to
      face survey of physicians (oncologists, internists, hematologists) who are
      responsible for the care of cancer patient of 11 general hospitals in Sichuan,
      China between December 2011 and December 2013. Statistical analyses were
      performed using SPSS (SPSS, Chicago, IL) software. SETTING AND DESIGN: A 23-item
      questionnaire was designed and distributed to 550 physicians in 11 medical
      facilities in China. RESULTS: Five hundred (90.90%) physicians responded. About
      one-third (32.6%) of physicians assessed patients' pain rarely, and 85.5% never
      or occasionally treated patients' cancer pain together with psychologists. More
      than half of physicians indicated that opioid dose titration in patients with
      poor pain control and assessment of the cause and severity of pain were urgently
      needed knowledge for cancer pain management. Inadequate assessment of pain and
      pain management (63.0%), patients' reluctance to take opioids (62.2%), and
      inadequate staff knowledge of pain management (61.4%) were the three most
      frequently cited barriers to physicians' pain management. CONCLUSIONS:
      Physicians' positive attitudes toward cancer pain management need to be
      encouraged, and active professional analgesic education programs are needed to
      improve pain management in China.

PMID- 26118401
TI  - Regulatory T-cell Subpopulations in Severe or Early-onset Preeclampsia.
AB  - PROBLEM: A deficiency in regulatory T (Treg) cells causing reduced immune
      regulatory capacity has been proposed in preeclampsia. OBJECTIVE: Utilizing
      recent advances in flow cytometry phenotyping, we aimed to assess whether a
      deficiency of Treg subpopulations occurs in preeclampsia. METHOD OF STUDY: Six
      color flow cytometry was used for Treg phenotyping in 18 preeclamptic women (one
      early-onset, one severe and 16 both), 20 women with normal pregnancy, and 20 non
      pregnant controls. RESULTS: No differences were found in major Treg populations
      including CD127(low) CD25(+) /CD127(ow) FOXP3(+) , resting (FOXP3(dim) CD45RA(+)
      ), and activated (FOXP3(bright) CD45RA(-) ) Treg cells, whereas preeclamptic
      women showed increased CTLA-4(+) and CCR4(+) proportions within resting/activated
      Treg populations. Corticosteroid treatment prior to blood sampling (n = 10)
      affected the distribution of Treg populations. CONCLUSIONS: Although we found no
      major alterations in circulating Treg frequencies, differences in CTLA-4(+) and
      CCR4(+) frequencies suggest a migratory defect of Treg cells in preeclampsia.
      Corticosteroid treatment should be taken into account when evaluating Treg cells.

PMID- 26118402
TI  - Generational reproductive outcomes in Wistar rats maternally exposed to Ricinus
      communis oil at different stages of gestation.
AB  - Fetal programming hypothesis presupposes that stimulus or insult acting during
      critical periods of uterine growth and development may permanently alter tissue
      structure and function. Ricinus communis oil (RCO) has been reported to
      possess/used as laxative, labor-inducing and estrogenic properties. Generational
      reproductive effects of maternal exposure to RCO was investigated in rats. A
      total of 25 pregnant rats randomly assigned to five equal groups were treated
      with distilled water (control, group 1), RCO (950 mg/kg p.o.) during gestation
      days (GD) 1-7, 7-14, 14-21 and 1-21, respectively. Birth weight, morphometric
      data, anogenital distance (AGD), pubertal age, sperm parameters, hormonal
      profile, organ weight and histopathology were determined in the first (F1) and
      second (F2) filial generations. Results showed a significant decrease (P<0.05) in
      birth weight/morphometric data in male pups from the GD 1-7 and 7-14 groups. AGD
      decreased significantly in RCO-treated F1 males. Pubertal age of F1 females
      decreased significantly (P<0.05) compared with controls. At postnatal day 90, F1
      males from the RCO-treated group showed significant decrease in testis weight,
      body weight, sperm count, motility and normal morphology. Testosterone levels
      were significantly decreased in RCO-treated F1 males, which also showed
      testicular interstitial edema and epididymal hypospermia. Only pubertal indexes
      were altered in F2 rats. Maternal exposure to RCO at early gestation periods
      impaired androgen-mediated reproductive end points in the first generation of
      rats. RCO exhibits endocrine disrupting capabilities. 

PMID- 26118403
TI  - Presenting parasitological data: the good, the bad and the error bar.
AB  - Visual displays of data in the parasitology literature are often presented in a
      way which is not very informative regarding the distribution of the data. An
      example being simple barcharts with half an error bar on top to display the
      distribution of parasitaemia and biomarkers of host immunity. Such displays
      obfuscate the shape of the data distribution through displaying too few
      statistical measures to explain the spread of all the data and selecting
      statistical measures which are influenced by skewness and outliers. We describe
      more informative, yet simple, visual representations of the data distribution
      commonly used in statistics and provide guidance with regards to the display of
      estimates of population parameters (e.g. population mean) and measures of
      precision (e.g. 95% confidence interval) for statistical inference. In this
      article we focus on visual displays for numerical data and demonstrate such
      displays using an example dataset consisting of total IgG titres in response to
      three Plasmodium blood antigens measured in pregnant women and parasitaemia
      measurements from the same study. This tutorial aims to highlight the importance
      of displaying the data distribution appropriately and the role such displays have
      in selecting statistics to summarize its distribution and perform statistical
      inference. 

PMID- 26118404
TI  - A Family of Potent Ru(II) Photosensitizers with Enhanced DNA Intercalation:
      Bimodal Photokillers.
AB  - A new family of Ru(II)-based photosensitizers was synthesized and systematically
      characterized. The ligands employed to coordinate the ruthenium metal center were
      the commercially available 2,2'-bipyridine and a pyridine-quinoline hybrid
      bearing an anthracene moiety. The complexes obtained carry either PF6- or Cl(-)
      counterions. These counterions determine the complexes' hydrophobic or
      hydrophilic character, respectively, therefore dictating their solubility in
      biologically related media. All photosensitizers exhibit characteristic,
      relatively strong and wide UV-Vis absorption spectral profiles. Their high
      efficiency in generating cytotoxic singlet oxygen was established (up to PhiDelta
      ~0.8). Moreover, the interaction of these photosensitizers with double-stranded
      DNA was studied fluoro- and photospectroscopically and their binding affinities
      were found to be of the order of 3 * 10(7)  M(-1) . All complexes are
      photocytotoxic to DU145 human prostate cancer cells. The highest light-induced
      toxicity was conferred by the photosensitizers bearing Cl(-) counterions,
      probably due to the looser ionic "chaperoning" of Cl(-) , in comparison to PF6-,
      leading to higher cell internalization. 

PMID- 26118405
TI  - Developing integrated clinical reasoning competencies in dental students using
      scaffolded case-based learning - empirical evidence.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study provides empirical evidence of the development of
      integrated clinical reasoning in the discipline-based School of Dentistry,
      University of Pretoria, South Africa. Students were exposed to case-based
      learning in comprehensive patient care (CPC) in the preclinical year of study,
      scaffolded by means of the four-component instructional design model for complex
      learning. METHODS: Progress test scores of third- to fifth-year dental students,
      who received case-based teaching and learning in the third year (2009-2011), were
      compared to the scores of preceding fourth- and fifth-year cohorts. These fourth-
      and fifth-year cohorts received content-based teaching concurrently with their
      clinical training in CPC. The progress test consisted of a complex case study and
      32 MCQs on tracer conditions. Students had to gather the necessary information
      and had to make diagnostic and treatment-planning decisions. RESULTS: Preclinical
      students who participated in the case-based teaching and learning achieved
      similar scores compared to final-year students who received lecture-based
      teaching and learning. Final-year students who participated in the case-based
      learning made three more correct clinical decisions per student, compared to
      those who received content-based teaching. Students struggled more with treatment
      planning than with diagnostic decisions. CONCLUSION: The scaffolded case-based
      learning appears to contribute to accurate clinical decisions when compared to
      lecture-based teaching. It is suggested that the development of integrated
      reasoning competencies starts as early as possible in a dental curriculum,
      perhaps even in the preclinical year of study. Treatment-planning should receive
      particular attention.

PMID- 26118406
TI  - Catalytic Properties of Intramembrane Aspartyl Protease Substrate Hydrolysis
      Evaluated Using a FRET Peptide Cleavage Assay.
AB  - Chemical details of intramembrane proteolysis remain elusive despite its
      prevalence throughout biology. We developed a FRET peptide assay for the
      intramembrane aspartyl protease (IAP) from Methanoculleus marisnigri JR1 in
      combination with quantitative mass spectrometry cleavage site analysis. IAP can
      hydrolyze the angiotensinogen sequence, a substrate for the soluble aspartyl
      protease renin, at a predominant cut site, His-Thr. Turnover is slow (min(-1) *
      10(-3)), affinity and Michaelis constant (Km) values are in the low micromolar
      range, and both catalytic rates and cleavage sites are the same in detergent as
      reconstituted into bicelles. Three well-established, IAP-directed inhibitors were
      directly confirmed as competitive, albeit with modest inhibitor constant (Ki)
      values. Partial deletion of the first transmembrane helix results in a
      biophysically similar but less active enzyme than full-length IAP, indicating a
      catalytic role. Our study demonstrates previously unappreciated similarities with
      soluble aspartyl proteases, provides new biochemical features of IAP and
      inhibitors, and offers tools to study other intramembrane protease family members
      in molecular detail. 

PMID- 26118407
TI  - Synthesis of Tricyclo[4,3,1,0(1,5)]decane Core of Plumisclerin A Using Pauson
      Khand Annulation and SmI2-Mediated Radical Cyclization.
AB  - An efficient synthesis of the tricyclo[4,3,1,0(1, 5)]decane core (B/C/D rings) of
      plumisclerin A, a unique cytotoxic marine diterpenoid, is described. A Pauson
      Khand reaction and a SmI2-mediated radical 1,4-conjugate addition successfully
      served as key reactions for construction of the fully functionalized 5,6-fused
      rings and the highly strained cyclobutanol moiety with correct relative
      stereochemistries, respectively. 

PMID- 26118408
TI  - Atomic species identification at the (101) anatase surface by simultaneous
      scanning tunnelling and atomic force microscopy.
AB  - Anatase is a pivotal material in devices for energy-harvesting applications and
      catalysis. Methods for the accurate characterization of this reducible oxide at
      the atomic scale are critical in the exploration of outstanding properties for
      technological developments. Here we combine atomic force microscopy (AFM) and
      scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), supported by first-principles calculations,
      for the simultaneous imaging and unambiguous identification of atomic species at
      the (101) anatase surface. We demonstrate that dynamic AFM-STM operation allows
      atomic resolution imaging within the material's band gap. Based on key
      distinguishing features extracted from calculations and experiments, we identify
      candidates for the most common surface defects. Our results pave the way for the
      understanding of surface processes, like adsorption of metal dopants and
      photoactive molecules, that are fundamental for the catalytic and photovoltaic
      applications of anatase, and demonstrate the potential of dynamic AFM-STM for the
      characterization of wide band gap materials. 

PMID- 26118409
TI  - Stable ferrofluids of magnetite nanoparticles in hydrophobic ionic liquids.
AB  - Ferrofluids (FFs) of metal oxide nanoparticles in ionic liquids (ILs) are a
      potentially useful class of magnetic materials for many applications because of
      their properties related to temperature/pressure stability, hydrophobicity,
      viscosity and recyclability. In this work, the screening of several designer
      surfactants for their stabilizing capabilities has resulted in the synthesis of
      stable FFs of superparamagnetic 7 +/- 2 nm magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles in the
      hydrophobic IL 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide
      ([C(R)MIM][NTf2]). The designed and synthesized 1-butyl-3-(10-carboxydecyl)-1H
      imidazol-3-ium bromide (ILC10-COOH) surfactant that combines the same imidazole
      moiety as the IL with a long alkyl chain ensured compatibility with the IL and
      increased the steric repulsion between the magnetite nanoparticles sufficiently
      such that stable dispersions of up to 50 wt% magnetite were obtained according to
      stability tests in the presence of a magnetic field (0.5-1 Tesla). Cryo
      transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) of the IL-based FFs allowed direct
      visualization of the surfactant-stabilized nanoparticles in the ILs and the
      native, hardly aggregated state of their dispersion.

PMID- 26118410
TI  - Characterization of triple-phase computed tomography in dogs with pancreatic
      insulinoma.
AB  - Little information is available regarding triple-phase computed tomography (CT)
      of canine pancreatic insulinoma. A few case reports with small numbers of cases
      have indicated that hyper-attenuation in the arterial phase was a common finding
      on multi-phasic CT in dogs with insulinoma. Our purpose was to clarify the
      characteristic findings of dogs with insulinoma on triple-phase CT. Nine dogs
      with insulinoma that underwent triple-phase CT were included in the present
      study. Attenuation patterns in the arterial phase indicated hypo-attenuation in 4
      cases and hyper-attenuation in 2 cases. In the remaining 3 cases, 1 case showed
      hypo-attenuation and 1 case showed hyper-attenuation in the pancreatic phase, and
      1 case presented hyper-attenuation in the later phase. Altogether, 5 cases showed
      hypo and 4 cases showed hyper-attenuation in at least one phase. The enhancement
      pattern was homogenous in 7 cases and heterogeneous in 2 cases. Tumor margins
      were well-defined in 5 cases and ill-defined in 4 cases. Capsule formation was
      present in 5 cases and absent in 4 cases. In conclusion, it is important to note
      that hypo-attenuation was as common as hyper-attenuation in dogs with insulinoma
      in triple-phase CT in at least one phase. Additionally, mass lesions were most
      conspicuous not only in the arterial phase but in the pancreatic and later phases
      in some cases. Therefore, it is important to perform triple-phase CT and notice
      about variable findings for the detection of canine pancreatic insulinoma. 

PMID- 26118411
TI  - Relationship between blood calcium level and ST peak interval of
      electrocardiographic variables in peripartum Holstein cows.
AB  - The association between blood calcium levels and electrocardiographic variables
      was compared in 137 normal parturient and 36 peripartum recumbent Holstein cows
      to determine whether hypocalcemia in peripartum dairy cows can be rapidly
      diagnosed using electrocardiograph. Inverse of STc (ST peak interval/SS
      interval(0.5)) and blood ionized calcium or serum calcium concentrations were
      strongly correlated, and both correlation coefficients were 0.81 (P<0.001). The
      95% prediction interval indicated that cows with STc >0.385 +/- 0.001 sec are
      very likely to be hypocalcemic (blood ionized or serum calcium concentrations of
      <0.9 mmol/l or <7.5 mg/dl, respectively). These findings indicate that
      hypocalcemia in parturient cows can be non-invasively estimated using the STc. 

PMID- 26118412
TI  - Binding Behaviors for Different Types of DNA G-Quadruplexes: Enantiomers of
      [Ru(bpy)2(L)](2+) (L=dppz, dppz-idzo).
AB  - Polymorphic DNA G-quadruplex recognition has attracted great interest in recent
      years. The strong binding affinity and potential enantioselectivity of chiral
      [Ru(bpy)2 (L)](2+) (L=dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine, dppz-10,11-imidazolone;
      bpy=2,2'-bipyridine) prompted this investigation as to whether the two
      enantiomers, Delta and Lambda, can show different effects on diverse structures
      with a range of parallel, antiparallel and mixed parallel/antiparallel G
      quadruplexes. These studies provide a striking example of chiral-selective
      recognition of DNA G-quadruplexes. As for antiparallel (tel-Na(+)) basket G
      quadruplex, the Lambda enantiomers bind stronger than the Delta enantiomers.
      Moreover, the behavior reported here for both enantiomers stands in sharp
      contrast to B-DNA binding. The chiral selectivity toward mixed
      parallel/antiparallel (tel-K(+)) G-quadruplex of both compounds is weak.
      Different loop arrangements can change chiral complex selectivity for both
      antiparallel and mixed parallel/antiparallel G-quadruplex. Whereas both Delta and
      Lambda isomers bind to parallel G-quadruplexes with comparable affinity, no
      appreciable stereoselective G-quadruplex binding of the isomers was observed. In
      addition, different binding stoichiometries and binding modes for Delta and
      Lambda enantiomers were confirmed. The results presented here indicate that
      chiral selective G-quadruplex binding is not only related to G-quadruplex
      topology, but also to the sequence and the loop constitution.

PMID- 26118413
TI  - Cytokines as biomarkers of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.
AB  - Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a potentially severe disease caused by
      CCHF virus. As in other viral hemorrhagic fevers, it is considered that the
      course and outcome of the disease depend on the viral load and the balance among
      the immune response mediators, and that a fatal outcome is the result of a
      "cytokine storm." The level of 27 cytokines was measured in serum samples taken
      from 29 patients during the acute phase of the disease. Two cases were fatal.
      Among survivors, significant differences between severe and non-severe cases were
      observed in the levels of IP-10, and MCP-1, while the levels of IL-1b, IL-5, IL
      6, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-15, IP-10, MCP-1, TNF-alpha, and RANTES differed
      significantly between fatal and non-fatal cases (P < 0.05). RANTES was negatively
      correlated with the outcome of the disease. A striking similarity with the
      cytokine patterns seen in Ebola virus disease was observed. A weak Th1 immune
      response was seen. The viral load was positively correlated with IL-10, IP-10,
      and MCP-1 levels, and negatively correlated with the ratio IL-12/IL-10.
      Especially IP-10 and MCP-1 were significantly associated with the viral load, the
      severity and outcome of the disease, and they could act as biomarkers and,
      probably, as potential targets for treatment strategies design.

PMID- 26118414
TI  - Endogenous prostaglandin E2 potentiates anti-inflammatory phenotype of macrophage
      through the CREB-C/EBP-beta cascade.
AB  - Macrophages have important functions in tissue homeostasis, but the exact
      mechanisms regarding wide spectrum of macrophage phenotype remain unresolved. In
      this study, we report that mouse bone marrow derived naive macrophages produce
      prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ) endogenously, resulting in anti-inflammatory gene
      expression upon differentiation induced by macrophage colony stimulating factor
      (M-CSF). Cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition by indomethacin reduced endogenous PGE2
      production of macrophages and subsequently reduced arg1, IL10 and Mrc1, YmI and
      FizzI gene expressions. Of note, PGE2 phosphorylates CREB via EP2 and EP4
      receptor ligation, thereby transcriptionally increasing C/EBP-beta expression in
      BALB/c bone marrow derived macrophages. Activated CREB directly binds to the CREB
      responsive element of the C/EBP-beta promoter, such that PGE2 ultimately
      reinforces arg1, IL10 and Mrc1 gene expression. Cyclic AMP activator forskolin
      also phosphorylated CREB and induced the C/EBP-beta cascade, but this was
      completely blocked by the PKA inhibitor, H89. Consequently, M-CSF grown
      macrophages inhibited T-cell proliferation but the inhibition ability was reduced
      when the COX is inhibited by indomethacin or macrophage C/EBP-beta expression was
      decreased by siRNA transduction. Our results collectively describe the molecular
      basis for homeostatic macrophage differentiation by endogenous PGE2 . 

PMID- 26118417
TI  - A magnificent enzyme superfamily: carbonic anhydrases, their purification and
      characterization.
AB  - In this paper, we reviewed the purification and characterization methods of the
      alpha-carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) class. Six genetic families (alpha-,
      beta-, gamma-, delta-, zeta- and eta-CAs) all know to date, all encoding such
      enzymes in organisms widely distributed over the phylogenetic tree. Starting from
      the manuscripts published in the 1930s on the isolation and purification of alpha
      CAs from blood and other tissues, and ending with the recent discovery of the
      last genetic family in protozoa, the eta-CAs, considered for long time an alpha
      CA, we present historically the numerous and different procedures which were
      employed for obtaining these catalysts in pure form. alpha-CAs possess important
      application in medicine (as many human alpha-CA isoforms are drug targets) as
      well as biotechnological processes, in which the enzymes are ultimately used for
      CO2 capture in order to mitigate the global warming effects due to greenhouse
      gases. Recently, it was discovered an involvement of CAs in cancerogenesis as
      well as infection caused by pathogenic agents such as bacteria, fungi and
      protozoa. Inhibition studies of CAs identified in the genome of the
      aforementioned organisms might lead to the discovery of innovative drugs with a
      novel mechanism of action. 

PMID- 26118416
TI  - A simple, xeno-free method for oligodendrocyte generation from human neural stem
      cells derived from umbilical cord: engagement of gelatinases in cell commitment
      and differentiation.
AB  - Oligodendrocyte progenitors (OPCs) are ranked among the most likely candidates
      for cell-based strategies aimed at treating neurodegenerative diseases
      accompanied by dys/demyelination of the central nervous system (CNS). In this
      regard, different sources of stem cells are being tested to elaborate xeno-free
      protocols for efficient generation of OPCs for clinical applications. In the
      present study, neural stem cells of human umbilical cord blood (HUCB-NSCs) have
      been used to derive OPCs and subsequently to differentiate them into mature, GalC
      expressing oligodendrocytes. Applied components of the extracellular matrix (ECM)
      and the analogues of physiological substances known to increase glial commitment
      of neural stem cells have been shown to significantly increase the yield of the
      resulting OPC fraction. The efficiency of ECM components in promoting
      oligodendrocyte commitment and differentiation prompted us to investigate the
      potential role of gelatinases in those processes. Subsequently, endogenous and
      ECM metalloproteinases (MMPs) activity has been compared with that detected in
      primary cultures of rat oligodendrocytes in vitro, as well as in rat brains in
      vivo. The data indicate that gelatinases are engaged in gliogenesis both in vitro
      and in vivo, although differently, which presumably results from distinct
      extracellular conditions. In conclusion, the study presents an efficient xeno
      free method of deriving oligodendrocyte from HUCB-NSCs and analyses the
      engagement of MMP-2/MMP-9 in the processes of cell commitment and maturation.
      Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26118415
TI  - Granulocyte transfusions for preventing infections in people with neutropenia or
      neutrophil dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite modern antimicrobials and supportive therapy, bacterial and
      fungal infections are still major complications in people with prolonged disease
      related or therapy-related neutropenia. Since the late 1990s there has been
      increasing demand for donated granulocyte transfusions to treat or prevent severe
      infections in people who lack their own functional granulocytes. This is an
      update of a Cochrane review first published in 2009. OBJECTIVES: To determine the
      effectiveness and safety of prophylactic granulocyte transfusions compared with a
      control population not receiving this intervention for preventing all-cause
      mortality, mortality due to infection, and evidence of infection due to infection
      or due to any other cause in people with neutropenia or disorders of neutrophil
      function. SEARCH METHODS: We searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and
      quasi-RCTs in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Cochrane
      Library 2015, Issue 3), MEDLINE (from 1946), EMBASE (from 1974), CINAHL (from
      1937), theTransfusion Evidence Library (from 1980) and ongoing trial databases to
      April 20 2015. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi
      RCTs comparing people receiving granulocyte transfusions to prevent the
      development of infection with a control group receiving no granulocyte
      transfusions. Neonates are the subject of another Cochrane review and were
      excluded from this review. There was no restriction by outcomes examined, but
      this review focuses on mortality, mortality due to infection and adverse events.
      DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard methodological procedures expected
      by The Cochrane Collaboration. MAIN RESULTS: Twelve trials met the inclusion
      criteria. One trial is still ongoing, leaving a total of 11 trials eligible
      involving 653 participants. These trials were conducted between 1978 and 2006 and
      enrolled participants from fairly comparable patient populations. None of the
      studies included people with neutrophil dysfunction. Ten studies included only
      adults, and two studies included children and adults. Ten of these studies
      contained separate data for each arm and were able to be critically appraised.
      One study re-randomised people and therefore quantitative analysis was unable to
      be performed.Overall, the quality of the evidence was very low to low across
      different outcomes according to GRADE methodology. This was due to many of the
      studies being at high risk of bias, and many of the outcome estimates being
      imprecise.All-cause mortality was reported for nine studies (609 participants).
      There was no difference in all-cause mortality over 30 days between people
      receiving prophylactic granulocyte transfusions and those that did not (seven
      studies; 437 participants; RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.36, very low-quality
      evidence).Mortality due to infection was reported for seven studies (398
      participants). There was no difference in mortality due to infection over 30 days
      between people receiving prophylactic granulocyte transfusions and those that did
      not (six studies; 286 participants; RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.44, very low
      quality evidence).The number of people with localised or systemic bacterial or
      fungal infections was reported for nine studies (609 participants). There were
      differences between the granulocyte dose subgroups (test for subgroup differences
      P = 0.01). There was no difference in the number of people with infections over
      30 days between people receiving prophylactic granulocyte transfusions and those
      that did not in the low-dose granulocyte group (< 1.0 x 10(10) granulocytes per
      day) (four studies, 204 participants; RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.20; very low
      quality evidence). There was a decreased number of people with infections over 30
      days in the people receiving prophylactic granulocyte transfusions in the
      intermediate-dose granulocyte group (1.0 x 10(10) to 4.0 x 10(10) granulocytes
      per day) (4 studies; 293 participants; RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.63, low-quality
      evidence).There was a decreased number of participants with bacteraemia and
      fungaemia in the participants receiving prophylactic granulocyte transfusions
      (nine studies; 609 participants; RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.65, low-quality
      evidence).There was no difference in the number of participants with localised
      bacterial or fungal infection in the participants receiving prophylactic
      granulocyte transfusions (six studies; 296 participants; RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.50 to
      1.14; very low-quality evidence).Serious adverse events were only reported for
      participants receiving granulocyte transfusions and donors of granulocyte
      transfusions. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: In people who are neutropenic due to
      myelosuppressive chemotherapy or a haematopoietic stem cell transplant, there is
      low-grade evidence that prophylactic granulocyte transfusions decrease the risk
      of bacteraemia or fungaemia. There is low-grade evidence that the effect of
      prophylactic granulocyte transfusions may be dose-dependent, a dose of at least
      10 x 10(10) per day being more effective at decreasing the risk of infection.
      There is insufficient evidence to determine any difference in mortality rates due
      to infection, all-cause mortality, or serious adverse events.

PMID- 26118418
TI  - Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitors isolated from Artemisia roxburghiana.
AB  - Artemisia roxburghiana is used in traditional medicine for treating various
      diseases including diabetes. The present study was designed to evaluate the
      antidiabetic potential of active constituents by using protein tyrosine
      phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) as a validated target for management of diabetes. Various
      compounds were isolated as active principles from the crude methanolic extract of
      aerial parts of A. roxburghiana. All compounds were screened for PTP1B inhibitory
      activity. Molecular docking simulations were performed to investigate the
      mechanism behind PTP1B inhibition of the isolated compound and positive control,
      ursolic acid. Betulinic acid, betulin and taraxeryl acetate were the active PTP1B
      principles with IC50 values 3.49 +/- 0.02, 4.17 +/- 0.03 and 87.52 +/- 0.03 uM,
      respectively. Molecular docking studies showed significant molecular interactions
      of the triterpene inhibitors with Gly220, Cys215, Gly218 and Asp48 inside the
      active site of PTP1B. The antidiabetic activity of A. roxburghiana could be
      attributed due to PTP1B inhibition by its triterpene constituents, betulin,
      betulinic acid and taraxeryl acetate. Computational insights of this study
      revealed that the C-3 and C-17 positions of the compounds needs extensive
      optimization for the development of new lead compounds. 

PMID- 26118419
TI  - Interaction exists between matriptase inhibitors and intestinal epithelial cells.
AB  - The type II trypsin-like transmembrane serine protease matriptase, is mainly
      expressed in epithelial cells and one of the key regulators in the formation and
      maintenance of epithelial barrier integrity. Therefore, we have studied the
      inhibition of matriptase in a non-transformed porcine intestinal IPEC-J2 cell
      monolayer cultured on polyester membrane inserts by the non-selective 4-(2
      aminoethyl)-benzosulphonylfluoride (AEBSF) and four more selective 3
      amidinophenylalanine-derived matriptase inhibitors. It was found that suppression
      of matriptase activity by MI-432 and MI-460 led to decreased transepithelial
      electrical resistance (TER) of the cell monolayer and to an enhanced transport of
      fluorescently labelled dextran, a marker for paracellular transport between
      apical and basolateral compartments. To this date this is the first report in
      which the inhibition of matriptase activity by synthetic inhibitors has been
      correlated to a reduced barrier integrity of a non-cancerous IPEC-J2 epithelial
      cell monolayer in order to describe interaction between matriptase activity and
      intestinal epithelium in vitro. 

PMID- 26118421
TI  - Reversible Switching of Redox-Active Molecular Orbitals and Electron Transfer
      Pathways in Cu(A) Sites of Cytochrome c Oxidase.
AB  - The Cu(A) site of cytochrome c oxidase is a redox hub that participates in rapid
      electron transfer at low driving forces with two redox cofactors in nearly
      perpendicular orientations. Spectroscopic and electrochemical characterizations
      performed on first and second-sphere mutants have allowed us to experimentally
      detect the reversible switching between two alternative electronic states that
      confer different directionalities to the redox reaction. Specifically, the M160H
      variant of a native Cu(A) shows a reversible pH transition that allows to
      functionally probe both states in the same protein species. Alternation between
      states exerts a dramatic impact on the kinetic redox parameters, thereby
      suggesting this effect as the mechanism underlying the efficiency and
      directionality of Cu(A) electron transfer in vivo. These findings may also prove
      useful for the development of molecular electronics.

PMID- 26118420
TI  - Resveratrol-salicylate derivatives as selective DNMT3 inhibitors and anticancer
      agents.
AB  - Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol with plethora of biological activities.
      Resveratrol has previously shown to decrease DNA-methyltransferase (DNMT) enzymes
      expression and to reactivate silenced tumor suppressor genes. Currently, it seems
      that no resveratrol analogs have been developed as DNMT inhibitors. Recently, we
      reported the synthesis of resveratrol-salicylate derivatives and by examining the
      chemical structure of these analogs, we proposed that these compounds could
      exhibit DNMT inhibition especially that they resembled NSC 14778, a compound we
      previously identified as a DNMT inhibitor by virtual screening. Indeed, using in
      vitro DNMT inhibition assay, some of the resveratrol-salicylate analogs we
      screened in this work that showed selective inhibition against DNMT3 enzymes
      which were greater than resveratrol. A molecular docking study revealed key
      binding interactions with DNMT3A and DNMT3B enzymes. In addition, the most active
      analog, 10 showed considerable cytotoxicity against three human cancer cells; HT
      29, HepG2 and SK-BR-3, which was greater than resveratrol. Further studies are
      needed to understand the anticancer mechanisms of these derivatives. 

PMID- 26118422
TI  - No associations between objectively measured physical activity and spinal pain in
      11-15-year-old Danes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical activity is thought to play a role in spinal pain (neck
      pain, mid back pain, low back pain) in children and adolescents, either as a risk
      or protective factor, but current evidence is conflicting. The overall aim of
      this study was to determine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations
      between different levels of objectively measured physical activity, i.e.
      sedentary; moderate and vigorous; vigorous physical activity, and spinal pain in
      11-15-year-old Danes. METHODS: Data were collected at baseline (2010) (n = 906)
      and at follow-up 2 years later (n = 625) in a school-based prospective cohort
      study. Physical activity was measured using the Actigraph GT3X Triaxial Activity
      Monitor, which measures the intensity of physical activity over time. This was
      worn for 1 week and spinal pain was assessed via e-survey that participants
      completed during school time. Potential confounders included in the multivariable
      analyses were sex, anthropometry, physical fitness, social status and
      psychosocial factors. In the longitudinal study, analyses stratified by baseline
      pain status were performed. RESULTS: There were neither cross-sectional nor
      longitudinal associations between different levels of objectively measured
      physical activity and spinal pain over the 2-year period. CONCLUSION: Objectively
      measured physical activity was not associated with spinal pain. However, it
      remains to be seen whether there is an association over a longer follow-up
      period. Future research should focus on the more qualitative aspects of physical
      activity, such as different sports activities.

PMID- 26118424
TI  - Human preservation techniques in anatomy: A 21st century medical education
      perspective.
AB  - Anatomy is the cornerstone of education for healthcare professionals with the use
      of human material providing an excellent teaching tool in the modern curricula.
      The ability and quality of preservation of human remains has enabled such use.
      The introduction of formaldehyde as a preservative in 1893 was an important step
      in the history of preservation. With the European Union directive on the use of
      formaldehyde and its expected banning, anatomists are trying to find a more
      convenient and safe substitute. In this review, we compare the different
      techniques used based on the need for embalming, fixative used, period of
      preservation and the features of the embalmed specimen. The fact that embalming
      is used in different disciplines, multiple purposes and described in different
      languages has led to the development of ambiguous interchangeable terminology.
      Overall, there is a lack of information specifically classifying, listing and
      comparing different embalming techniques, and this may be due to the fact that no
      internationally recognized experimental standards are adhered to in this field.
      Anatomists strive to find an embalming technique that allows the preserved
      specimen to accurately resemble the living tissue, preserve the body for a long
      period of time and reduces health risk concerns related to working with cadavers.
      There is a need for embalming to shift to an independent modern day science with
      well-founded research at the heart of it. While this may take time and agreement
      across nations, we feel that this review adds to the literature to provide a
      variety of different methods that can be employed for human tissue preservation
      depending on the desired outcome.

PMID- 26118423
TI  - Fast, multi-frequency, and quantitative nanomechanical mapping of live cells
      using the atomic force microscope.
AB  - A longstanding goal in cellular mechanobiology has been to link dynamic
      biomolecular processes underpinning disease or morphogenesis to spatio-temporal
      changes in nanoscale mechanical properties such as viscoelasticity, surface
      tension, and adhesion. This requires the development of quantitative mechanical
      microscopy methods with high spatio-temporal resolution within a single cell. The
      Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) can map the heterogeneous mechanical properties of
      cells with high spatial resolution, however, the image acquisition time is 1-2
      orders of magnitude longer than that required to study dynamic cellular
      processes. We present a technique that allows commercial AFM systems to map
      quantitatively the dynamically changing viscoelastic properties of live
      eukaryotic cells at widely separated frequencies over large areas (several 10's
      of microns) with spatial resolution equal to amplitude-modulation (AM-AFM) and
      with image acquisition times (tens of seconds) approaching those of speckle
      fluorescence methods. This represents a ~20 fold improvement in nanomechanical
      imaging throughput compared to AM-AFM and is fully compatible with emerging high
      speed AFM systems. This method is used to study the spatio-temporal mechanical
      response of MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma cells to the inhibition of Syk protein
      tyrosine kinase giving insight into the signaling pathways by which Syk
      negatively regulates motility of highly invasive cancer cells. 

PMID- 26118425
TI  - Recent Patents, Formulation and Characterization of Nanoliposomes.
AB  - Nanoliposome has been introduced for nanoscale bilayer lipid vesicles. These are
      the nano version of liposomes, having cell-specific targeting, required to
      achieve a desired drug concentration at the target site for optimum therapeutic
      efficacy, possibly by minimizing the adverse effects on healthy cells and
      tissues. Nanoliposomes possess impending applications in the fields of
      nanotechnology, e.g. cancer therapy, cosmetics, diagnosis, gene delivery,
      agriculture and food technology. Nano liposomes can be formulated by Sonication
      technique, Extrusion method, Emulsification evaporation method and Lipid layer
      hydration method. Authors have performed detailed patent and literature survey on
      PubMed, PubMed Central, Spingerlink and Elsevier based reviews and research
      articles on nanoliposomes. An attempt has been made to highlight the various
      formulation methods including the patented technologies, applications and
      characterization of nanoliposomes. 

PMID- 26118426
TI  - Highly Efficient C-SeCF3 Coupling of Aryl Iodides Enabled by an Air-Stable
      Dinuclear Pd(I) Catalyst.
AB  - Building on our recent disclosure of catalysis at dinuclear Pd(I) sites, we
      herein report the application of this concept to the realization of the first
      catalytic method to convert aryl iodides into the corresponding ArSeCF3
      compounds. Highly efficient C-SeCF3 coupling of a range of aryl iodides was
      achieved, enabled by an air-, moisture-, and thermally stable dinuclear Pd(I)
      catalyst. The novel SeCF3 -bridged dinuclear Pd(I) complex 3 was isolated,
      studied for its catalytic competence and shown to be recoverable. Experimental
      and computational data are presented in support of dinuclear Pd(I) catalysis.

PMID- 26118427
TI  - Alisporivir plus ribavirin, interferon free or in combination with pegylated
      interferon, for hepatitis C virus genotype 2 or 3 infection.
AB  - Alisporivir is a cyclophilin inhibitor with pan-genotypic anti-hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) activity and a high barrier to viral resistance. The VITAL-1 study assessed
      alisporivir as interferon (IFN)-free therapy in treatment-naive patients infected
      with HCV genotype 2 or 3. Three hundred forty patients without cirrhosis were
      randomized to: arm 1, alisporivir (ALV) 1,000 mg once-daily (QD); arm 2, ALV 600
      mg QD and ribavirin (RBV); arm 3, ALV 800 mg QD and RBV; arm 4, ALV 600 mg QD and
      pegylated IFN (Peg-IFN); or arm 5, Peg-IFN and RBV. Patients receiving IFN-free
      ALV regimens who achieved rapid virological response (RVR) continued the same
      treatment throughout, whereas those with detectable HCV RNA at week 4 received
      ALV, RBV, and Peg-IFN from weeks 6 to 24. Overall, 300 patients received ALV
      based regimens. In arm 1 to arm 4, the intent-to-treat rates of sustained
      virological response (SVR) 24 weeks after treatment (SVR24) were from 80% to 85%,
      compared with 58% (n = 23 of 40) with Peg-IFN/RBV. Per-protocol analysis showed
      higher SVR24 rates in patients who received ALV/RBV, IFN-free after RVR (92%; n =
      56 of 61) than with ALV alone after RVR (72%; n = 13 of 18) or with Peg-IFN/RBV
      (70%; n = 23 of 33). Both RVRs and SVRs to ALV IFN-free regimens were numerically
      higher in genotype 3- than in genotype 2-infected patients. Viral breakthrough
      was infrequent (3%; n = 7 of 258). IFN-free ALV treatment showed markedly better
      safety/tolerability than IFN-containing regimens. CONCLUSIONS: ALV plus RBV
      represents an effective IFN-free option for a proportion of patients with HCV
      genotype 2 or 3 infections, with high SVR rates for patients with early viral
      clearance. Further investigations of ALV in IFN-free combination regimens with
      direct-acting antiviral drugs deserve exploration in future trials.

PMID- 26118428
TI  - Survival of patients with multiple brain metastases treated with whole-brain
      radiotherapy.
AB  - AIM: To report the survival outcomes of patients with multiple brain metastases
      treated with whole-brain radiotherapy. PATIENTS & METHODS: From 2004 to 2012,
      patients with brain metastases treated with whole-brain radiotherapy were
      included. Overall survival (OS) was calculated from the start of radiation
      treatment. Univariate and multivariate proportional hazard model of OS was
      conducted. Generalized R(2) statistic (ranged from 0 to 1) was calculated to
      determine the association with the outcome. RESULTS: Nine-hundred-ninety-one
      patients were included. The actuarial median OS time was 2.7 months (95% CI: 2.5
      2.9). Patients of older age (>65 years), lower Karnofsky performance status, not
      postoperative and patients with gastrointestinal, genitourinary or lung as
      opposed to breast cancer were more likely to have a shorter survival. CONCLUSION:
      Short median survival of 2.7 months may reflect poorer prognosis of patients
      referred due to large amount of referrals for radiosurgery. Prognostic factors
      for survival should be considered at consultation.

PMID- 26118429
TI  - Aortic dimensions in Turner syndrome.
AB  - In Turner syndrome, linear growth is less than the general population.
      Consequently, to assess stature in Turner syndrome, condition-specific
      comparators have been employed. Similar reference curves for cardiac structures
      in Turner syndrome are currently unavailable. Accurate assessment of the aorta is
      particularly critical in Turner syndrome because aortic dissection and rupture
      occur more frequently than in the general population. Furthermore, comparisons to
      references calculated from the taller general population with the shorter Turner
      syndrome population can lead to over-estimation of aortic size causing
      stigmatization, medicalization, and potentially over-treatment. We used
      echocardiography to measure aortic diameters at eight levels of the thoracic
      aorta in 481 healthy girls and women with Turner syndrome who ranged in age from
      two to seventy years. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were
      performed to assess the influence of karyotype, age, body mass index, bicuspid
      aortic valve, blood pressure, history of renal disease, thyroid disease, or
      growth hormone therapy. Because only bicuspid aortic valve was found to
      independently affect aortic size, subjects with bicuspid aortic valve were
      excluded from the analysis. Regression equations for aortic diameters were
      calculated and Z-scores corresponding to 1, 2, and 3 standard deviations from the
      mean were plotted against body surface area. The information presented here will
      allow clinicians and other caregivers to calculate aortic Z-scores using a Turner
      based reference population. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26118430
TI  - Endocrine-disrupting effect of the ultraviolet filter benzophenone-3 in
      zebrafish, Danio rerio.
AB  - The chemical ultraviolet (UV) filter benzophenone-3 (BP-3) is suspected to be an
      endocrine disruptor based on results from in vitro and in vivo testing. However,
      studies including endpoints of endocrine adversity are lacking. The present study
      investigated the potential endocrine-disrupting effects of BP-3 in zebrafish
      (Danio rerio) in the Fish Sexual Development Test (Organisation for Economic Co
      operation and Development TG 234) and a 12-d adult male zebrafish study. In TG
      234, exposure from 0 d to 60 d posthatch caused a monotone dose-dependent skewing
      of the phenotypic sex ratio toward fewer males and more female zebrafish (no
      observed effect concentration [NOEC]: 191 MUg/L, lowest observed effect
      concentration [LOEC]: 388 MUg/L). Besides, gonad maturation was affected in both
      female fish (NOEC 191 MUg/L, LOEC 388 MUg/L) and male fish (NOEC 388 MUg/L, LOEC
      470 MUg/L). Exposure to BP-3 did not affect the vitellogenin concentration in TG
      234. After 12 d exposure of adult male zebrafish, a slight yet significant
      increase in the vitellogenin concentration was observed at 268 MUg/L but not at
      63 MUg/L and 437 MUg/L BP-3. Skewing of the sex ratio is a marker of an endocrine
      mediated mechanism as well as a marker of adversity, and therefore the conclusion
      of the present study is that BP-3 is an endocrine-disrupting chemical in
      accordance with the World Health Organization's definition.

PMID- 26118432
TI  - NASN 2015 Endowment Fundraising Events.

PMID- 26118431
TI  - Use of nicorandil is Associated with Increased Risk for Gastrointestinal
      Ulceration and Perforation- A Nationally Representative Population-based study.
AB  - Nicorandil is a vasodilatory drug used to relieve angina symptoms. Several
      healthcare products regulatory agencies have issued a warning associating the use
      of nicorandil and gastrointestinal (GI) ulceration. We aimed to evaluate the
      association between use of nicorandil and GI ulceration/perforation. A population
      based cohort study involving 1 million randomly sampled participants in Taiwan's
      National Health Insurance Research Database was carried out. We estimated the
      association between use of nicorandil and GI ulceration/perforation by a Cox
      proportional hazards regression model. A nicorandil-specific propensity score
      (PS) was also created for adjustment of 75 covariates and matching. 25.8%
      (183/710) of nicorandil-treated patients developed new GI ulcer events and 1.6%
      (20/1254) developed new GI perforation events in the three-year follow-up period,
      as compared to 9.3% (61,281/659,081) and 0.3% (2,488/770,537) in the general
      population comparator cohort. Patients treated with nicorandil were at
      significantly increased risk of GI ulcer (PS adjusted hazard ratio 1.43, 95% CI,
      1.23 to 1.65, 6848 excess cases per 100,000 person years) or GI perforation (aHR
      1.60, 95% CI 1.02-2.51, 315 excess cases per 100,000 person years) compared with
      the nicorandil unexposed population. Our finding may warn the clinicians to weigh
      the overall risk-benefit balance of nicorandil treatment in patients. 

PMID- 26118433
TI  - NASN Legislative Priorities for 2015.

PMID- 26118434
TI  - Performance-Enhancing Drugs and the High School Athlete.
AB  - A performance-enhancing drug (PED) is any substance that is used to increase
      muscle mass, dull pain, reduce weight, or ease stress. The use of PEDs is a
      growing concern among adolescents, due in part to the pressures to perform, the
      influence of professional role models, and a general lack of education about the
      dangers of these substances. Use of performance enhancers has been identified in
      middle school as well as high school age students. This article details the
      school nurse's role in identifying youth who are using a PED, providing education
      for students and families, and referring for treatment if needed. Although PED
      use is not as prevalent as use of other illicit drugs, PEDs still pose a threat
      to adolescent physical and mental health. Discussion about PED use can open the
      door to discussion about use of other substances. 

PMID- 26118435
TI  - Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice: An Overview.

PMID- 26118436
TI  - Two-Dimensional Layered Heterostructures Synthesized from Core-Shell Nanowires.
AB  - Controlled stacking of different two-dimensional (2D) atomic layers will greatly
      expand the family of 2D materials and broaden their applications. A novel
      approach for synthesizing MoS2 /WS2 heterostructures by chemical vapor deposition
      has been developed. The successful synthesis of pristine MoS2 /WS2
      heterostructures is attributed to using core-shell WO3-x /MoO3-x nanowires as a
      precursor, which naturally ensures the sequential growth of MoS2 and WS2 . The
      obtained heterostructures exhibited high crystallinity, strong interlayer
      interaction, and high mobility, suggesting their promising applications in
      nanoelectronics. The stacking orientations of the two layers were also explored
      from both experimental and theoretical aspects. It is elucidated that the
      rational design of precursors can accurately control the growth of high-quality
      2D heterostructures. Moreover, this simple approach opens up a new way for
      creating various novel 2D heterostructures by using a large variety of
      heteronanomaterials as precursors. 

PMID- 26118437
TI  - Multimodality therapy approaches, local and systemic treatment, compared with
      chemotherapy alone in recurrent glioblastoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term local control in Glioblastoma is rarely achieved and nearly
      all patients relapse. In this study we evaluated the clinical effect of different
      treatment approaches in recurrent patients. METHODS: Forty-three patients, with
      median age of 51 years were evaluated for salvage treatment: re-resection and/or
      re-irradiation plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone. Response was recorded
      using the Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology criteria. Hematologic and non
      hematologic toxicities were graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for
      Adverse Events 4.0. Twenty-one patients underwent chemotherapy combined with
      local treatment, surgery and/or radiation therapy, and 22 underwent chemotherapy
      only. RESULTS: The median follow up was 7 months (range 3-28 months). The 1 and 2
      years Progression Free Survival was 65 and 10 % for combined treatment and 22 and
      0 % for chemotherapy alone (p < 0.01). The 1 and 2-years overall survival was 69
      and 29 % for combined and 26 and 0 % for chemotherapy alone (p < 0.01). No
      toxicity greater than grade 2 was recorded. CONCLUSION: These data showed that in
      glioblastoma recurrence the combination of several approaches in a limited group
      of patients is more effective than a single treatment alone. This stress the
      importance of multimodality treatment whenever clinically feasible.

PMID- 26118438
TI  - Association between number of prostate biopsies and patient-reported functional
      outcomes after radical prostatectomy: implications for active surveillance
      protocols.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether the number of preoperative prostate biopsies
      affects functional outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP). METHODS: We
      identified patients treated with RP at our institution between 2008 and 2011. At
      6 and 12 months postoperatively, the patients completed questionnaires assessing
      erectile and urinary function. Patients with preoperative incontinence or
      erectile dysfunction or who did not complete the questionnaire were excluded.
      Primary outcomes were urinary and erectile function at 12 months postoperatively.
      We used logistic regression to estimate the impact of number of prostate biopsies
      on functional outcomes after adjusting for demographic and clinical factors.
      RESULTS: We identified 2 712 patients treated with RP between 2008 and 2011. Most
      of the patients (80%) had one preoperative prostate biopsy, 16% had two, and 4%
      had at least three. On adjusted analysis, erectile function at 12 months was not
      significantly different for patients with two (odds ratio [OR] 1.25; 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 0.90, 1.75) or three or more (OR 1.52; 95% CI 0.84,
      2.78) biopsies, compared with those with one biopsy. Similarly, urinary function
      at 12 months was not significantly different for patients with two (0.84, 95% CI
      0.64, 1.10) or three or more (0.99, 95% CI 0.60, 1.61) biopsies compared with
      those with one. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find evidence that a greater number of
      preoperative prostate biopsies adversely affected erectile or urinary function at
      12 months after RP.

PMID- 26118439
TI  - A Simple Technique for Closing Multiple Muscular and Apical Ventricular Septal
      Defects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple ventricular septal defects (VSDs) are difficult to close. In
      this report, we describe a simple and safe technique of closing multiple muscular
      and apical VSDs. METHODS: Between January 2010 and December 2013, 52 patients
      with a muscular VSD either in isolation or in association with other congenital
      heart disease underwent surgery using this technique in which a black silk thread
      was passed through the suspected VSD opening into the left ventricle and brought
      out through the mitral valve and the interatrial septum. Sutures were placed
      around the silk thread to close the VSD. RESULTS: Out of 52 patients, 34 were
      male; age ranged from 45 days to 5.5 years. In addition to the large
      subaortic/lage muscular VSD, three additional VSDs were present in 34 patients,
      two additional VSDs were present in 13 patients, and five patients had "Swiss
      Cheese septum." The VSDs were mid-muscular in 35 patients and were apical in 17
      patients. Eleven patients had associated complex lesions. Intraoperative
      transesophageal echocardiograms did not reveal any significant residual shunt in
      any of these patients. There was no step-up on oximetry. There was one hospital
      death due to sepsis. Follow-up was available in 48 patients; three patients were
      lost to follow-up. At follow-up, no patient had a residual VSD. CONCLUSION: The
      biventricular approach through trans-right atrial, trans-interatrial septum using
      a thread through the hole method for closing multiple muscular VSD is effective
      with no persistent residual defects.

PMID- 26118440
TI  - Psychosocial interventions for people with diabetes and co-morbid depression. A
      systematic review.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions
      on depressive symptoms and glycaemic control of adults with Type 1 or 2 diabetes
      and co-morbid depression. BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects
      as many as 382 million people in the world. Diabetes management is a challenging
      daily task which can be overwhelming and lead to depression. Both diabetes and co
      morbid depression have a negative bidirectional influence on each other, which is
      detrimental for the individual's quality of life. This co-morbidity places a huge
      burden on the individual, family, health care system, and the economy, with an
      associated 50-75% increase in health care costs. DESIGN: A systematic review.
      METHODS: Four electronic databases were searched including Cochrane Library,
      CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO for articles written in English from the year 1998
      to 2013. Data extraction of vital information from included studies was conducted
      and the effect sizes were calculated for the outcomes. RESULTS: Ten
      interventional primary studies were retrieved from the search; six were
      randomised studies. Nine out of ten studies reported that psychosocial
      interventions were effective for depression with effect sizes ranging from small
      (-0.24) to large (-1.74). No effect was found for the glycaemic control outcome.
      The interventions came in a myriad of intervention type, delivery method,
      duration, and intensity, therefore a meta-analysis was not conducted. The review
      found that nurses were competent in delivering psychosocial interventions for
      this population. Methodological quality was below average amongst the study with
      various biases present. CONCLUSIONS: The results and effect sizes were promising
      but due to the high number of bias risks, it cannot be determined if psychosocial
      interventions were found to be effective in people with diabetes and co-morbid
      depression. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Psychosocial interventions have the
      potential to make improvements in depression, alleviating the global burden on
      people with diabetes, keeping in mind the best intervention modality tailoring to
      the client's needs and preferences. Nurses and other health professionals
      involved in caring for this group are in a good stead to carry out these
      interventions.

PMID- 26118441
TI  - Mitigating procedural pain during venipuncture in a pediatric population: A
      randomized factorial study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that a significant number of children receive less
      than optimal management of procedure-related pain. OBJECTIVES: To determine if
      there was a difference in the perceived pain associated with a venipuncture
      procedure in a group of pediatric patients based on the preparatory intervention
      used during the procedure and, to determine if age, sex, or ethnic group were
      associated with the effectiveness of the preparatory interventions used. DESIGN:
      A quasi-experimental, 3*4 factorial design was used. SETTING: Participants were
      recruited from a non-profit, regional hospital in the southeast United States.
      PARTICIPANTS: Participants were recruited from children between the ages of 18
      months and 17 years who were admitted to the facility. Criteria for inclusion was
      the first needle stick during admission with a parent or guardian present,
      English as the primary language. Potential participants were excluded if they had
      previous experience with any of the preparatory interventions, were sedated,
      unconscious, hemodynamically unstable, developmentally delayed for their age, or
      had a known chronic condition. Of the 285 participants consented to participate,
      173 children completed the process including 35 (20.2%) toddlers, 34(19.7%)
      preschool and 65 (37.6%) school age children, and 39 (22.5%) adolescents. There
      were 77 (44.5%) females and 96 (55.5%) males; and 101 (58.4%) non-Hispanic white
      children and 72 (41.6%) minority children. METHODS: Children were randomized to
      one of three treatment interventions. There was a purposeful effort to include
      representative numbers of each age group, ethnic group, and sex and in each
      treatment group. Measures of pain before and after the procedure included an
      observational measure completed by the parent/guardian and a self-report measure
      completed by the two older age groups. FINDINGS: There were no statistically
      significant differences among treatment groups based on the observational
      measures of pain or the self-report measures of pain. There was a statistically
      significant interaction between ethnic group and treatment group (p=0.006) based
      on the observational measure of pain which was also found between ethnic group
      and treatment group (p=.04) based on self-report scores in school age children
      and adolescents. CONCLUSION: Findings support the use of both mechanical
      vibration and topical anesthetic as effective in children regardless of age group
      or sex. Further, the interaction between ethnic group and treatment contributes
      to a growing body of knowledge that suggests ethnic group is an important factor
      in the pain response and requires further study in an effort to better customize
      approaches to pain management in children.

PMID- 26118442
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of a PAMAM dendrimer nanocarrier functionalized by
      SRL peptide for targeted gene delivery to the brain.
AB  - Blood-brain barrier inhibits most of drugs and genetic materials from reaching
      the brain. So, developing high efficiency carriers for gene and drug delivery to
      the brain, is the challenging area in pharmaceutical sciences. This investigation
      aimed to target DNA to brain using Serine-Arginine-Leucine (SRL) functionalized
      PAMAM dendrimers as a novel gene delivery system. The SRL peptide was linked on
      G4 PAMAM dendrimers using bifunctional PEG. DNA was then loaded in these
      functionalized nanoparticles and their physicochemical properties and cellular
      uptake/distribution evaluated by AFM, NMR, FTIR and fluorescence and confocal
      microscopy. Also, biodistribution and brain localization of nanoparticles were
      studied after IV injection of nanoparticles into rat tail. Unmodified
      nanoparticles were used as control in all evaluations. In vitro studies showed
      that SRL-modified nanoparticles have good transfection efficacy and low toxicity.
      Results also showed that SRL is a LRP ligand and SRL-modified nanoparticles
      internalized by clathrin/caveolin energy-dependent endocytosis to brain capillary
      endothelial cells. After intravenous administration, the SRL-modified
      nanoparticles were able to cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain
      parenchyma. Our result showed that, SRL-modified nanoparticles provide a safe and
      effective nanocarrier for brain gene delivery. 

PMID- 26118443
TI  - Concentrations of dimethylaniline and other metabolites in milk and tissues of
      dairy cows treated with lidocaine.
AB  - Lidocaine is a topical anaesthetic drug used in dairy cows for laparotomy
      (caesarean section, abomasal displacement). Because there are no registered drugs
      for this indication, it can be applied under the so-called Cascade rules (off
      label use), with the restriction that the off-label withdrawal periods of 7 days
      for milk and 28 days for meat are taken into account. In animals, lidocaine is
      rapidly metabolised into various metabolites, one being 2,6-dimethylaniline (DMA)
      which is reported to possess carcinogenic and mutagenic properties and detected
      also in milk. To investigate whether the off-label withdrawal periods are long
      enough to exclude the presence of lidocaine and DMA, and potential other
      metabolites, in edible products, a study was performed with eight dairy cows
      treated with lidocaine by injection in the abdominal muscles. At various time
      points blood samples, milk and urine were collected. Four animals were
      slaughtered 3.5 h after treatment, the other four after 48.5 h. The injection
      site, meat, liver and kidney were analysed for levels of lidocaine, DMA,
      monoethylglycinexylidide (MEGX) and 3-OH-lidocaine. It was shown that DMA is an
      important metabolite in dairy cows and can be detected in both meat and milk. In
      addition, also MEGX, 3-OH-lidocaine and three other metabolites were identified
      and to some extent quantified. These metabolites were 4-OH-lidocaine, lidocaine-N
      oxide and 4-hydroxy-DMA. The latter compound was the most important metabolite in
      urine. However, levels in milk and meat decreased rapidly after the application.
      Overall, it can be concluded that the off-label withdrawal times of 7 and 28 days
      for milk and meat, respectively, guarantee the absence of detectable levels of
      lidocaine and metabolites. 

PMID- 26118444
TI  - Fetal programming of overweight through the microbiome: boys are
      disproportionately affected.
AB  - Maternal and childhood obesity in pregnancy are worrisome public health issues
      facing our world today. New gene sequencing methods have advanced our knowledge
      of the disruptive effect of birth interventions and postnatal exposures on the
      maturation of gut microbiota and immunity during infancy. Yet, little is known
      about the impact of maternal pregnancy overweight on gut microbes and related
      processes, and how this may affect overweight risk in offspring. To address this
      gap in knowledge, we surveyed human studies for evidence in children, infants and
      pregnant women to piece together the limited literature and generate hypotheses
      for future investigation. From this literature, we learned that higher
      Lactobacillus yet lower Bacteroides spp. colonization of gut microbiota within 3
      months of birth predicted risk for infant and child overweight. The abundance of
      bifidobacteria and staphylococci also appeared to play a role in the association
      with overweight, as did infant fecal immunoglobulin A levels, glycoproteins of
      the gut immune system that are acquired from breast milk and produced by the
      infant. We proposed that pregnancy overweight influences the compositional
      structure of gut microbiota in infants through vertical transfer of microbiota
      and/or their metabolites during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding. Finally,
      we brought forward emerging evidence on sex dimorphism, as well as ethnic and
      geographic variation, in reported associations between maternal overweight
      induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and overweight risk. 

PMID- 26118445
TI  - Right Aortic Arch Detected Prenatally: A Rare Case With Bilateral Arterial Duct
      and Nonconfluent Pulmonary Arteries.
AB  - We describe a rare case of right aortic arch (RAA) and nonconfluent pulmonary
      arteries. RAA and a right-sided arterial duct (AD) were identified on the
      prenatal scan, but a second left-sided AD and disconnection of the left pulmonary
      artery were missed. The missed diagnosis in fetal life adversely affected
      postnatal management. We suggest that fetuses with a prenatal diagnosis of RAA
      and right-sided AD be delivered in tertiary care centres to rule out an
      association with bilateral AD and nonconfluent pulmonary arteries after birth.
      Prompt postnatal diagnosis will enable preservation of flow in the disconnected
      pulmonary artery through prostaglandin E1 infusion until surgical reconstruction.

PMID- 26118446
TI  - Right Bundle Branch Block-Like Pattern During Ventricular Pacing: A Surface
      Electrocardiographic Mapping Technique to Locate the Ventricular Lead.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients with paced rhythm, a right bundle branch block (RBBB)
      like pattern may suggest inadvertent left ventricular (LV) lead placement.
      However, in most cases, the lead is indeed in the right ventricle as intended.
      METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of postimplantation
      electrocardiograms (ECGs) for the period 2000-2013 to determine the prevalence of
      a RBBB-like pattern. A 12-lead ECG was recorded in the standard position and with
      displacement of leads V1-V2 to the fifth and sixth intercostal spaces (ICSs),
      assessing the ability of this manoeuvre to unmask a concealed LBBB-like pattern.
      Patients with true LV pacing, both endocardial and epicardial, were used as
      controls (n = 10). RESULTS: A total of 943 patients were analyzed. The prevalence
      of RBBB-like pattern was 8.1% (n = 77), and 26 patients were included in the
      study. Displacement of leads V1-V2 to the fifth ICS resulted in transition to a
      LBBB-like pattern with a QS wave in V1 in 14 of 26 patients (sensitivity, 53%;
      specificity, 100%), whereas displacement to the sixth ICS resulted in a QS
      pattern in all patients (sensitivity and specificity, 100%). In all patients in
      the control group, the ECG depicted a RBBB configuration with leads V1-V2 in the
      standard position, as well as at the fifth and sixth ICSs. CONCLUSIONS: In
      patients with paced rhythm and a RBBB-like pattern on the 12-lead ECG,
      displacement of leads V1-V2 to the sixth ICS accurately identifies the presence
      of true right ventricular pacing.

PMID- 26118447
TI  - suPAR: A New Biomarker for Cardiovascular Disease?
AB  - The fundamental role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease (CVD) has prompted
      interest in numerous biomarkers that detect subclinical levels of inflammation.
      Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a novel biomarker
      that correlates significantly with cardiovascular events and outperforms
      traditional markers of inflammation such as C-reactive protein (CRP) in
      prognosticating a range of CVDs. Furthermore, of particular interest is the
      suggestion that suPAR reflects a pathophysiological pathway more closely linked
      with subclinical organ damage than CRP. We provide the first comprehensive review
      of suPAR in CVD and explore its function and usefulness in predicting
      cardiovascular events. 

PMID- 26118448
TI  - Statin Use and Incident Diabetes Explained by Bias Rather Than Biology.
AB  - The evidence supporting a link between statin use and incident diabetes is
      seemingly robust; it has been observed in multiple prospective randomized trials
      and confirmed by meta-analyses. However, differences in survival among statin vs
      placebo-treated patients in randomized trials might have caused bias with respect
      to diabetes surveillance. Bias might have been further exaggerated from the
      strong association between diabetes and cardiovascular events, which were the
      primary end points in major statin trials. Meta-analyses of randomized trials
      have demonstrated a 9% increase in the odds of incident diabetes among patients
      who receive statins compared with placebo (odds ratio [OR], 1.09; 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 1.02-1.17) and a 12% increase of high-dose statin therapy vs low
      doses (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.04-1.22). To simulate the possible effect of bias in
      these meta-analyses, each pooled trial was modified by assuming that 10% of the
      patients who experienced primary end points subsequently developed diabetes
      undetected. Meta-analyses of these simulated trials attenuated the association to
      a nonsignificant level among placebo-controlled trials (simulated OR, 1.04; 95%
      CI, 0.98-1.10), and high- vs low-dose trials (simulated OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.00
      1.15). Our results demonstrate how a small influence of bias in each randomized
      trial could have contributed substantially to the observed association between
      statin use and diabetes. 

PMID- 26118449
TI  - One-Year Coverage by Optical Coherence Tomography of a Bioresorbable Scaffold
      Neocarina: Is It Safe to Discontinue Dual-Antiplatelet Therapy?

PMID- 26118450
TI  - Brain Natriuretic Peptide Levels and the Occurrence of Subclinical Pulmonary
      Edema in Healthy Lowlanders at High Altitude.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High altitude (HA) pulmonary edema (PE) results from complex and
      misunderstood interactions between adaptation mechanisms. We assessed the
      occurrence of subclinical PE and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels among
      nonacclimatized individuals during an expedition on Mount Elbrus (5642 m).
      METHODS: Seven subjects underwent assessment of vital signs, Lake Louise Score,
      ultrasound lung comets using handheld echography and circulating BNP using
      capillary testing at different stages of ascension, in addition to baseline
      echocardiography. Friedman tests were used to compare serial measurements.
      RESULTS: Heart rate, Lake Louise Score (P < 0.0001) and blood pressure (P =
      0.037) increased during ascension; oxygen saturation decreased (P < 0.0001). BNP
      increased (40.7 +/- 16.8 vs 19.7 +/- 3.04 pg/mL; P < 0.01) after the summit, as
      did ultrasound lung comet count throughout ascension (P < 0.0001), but both
      parameters were not correlated (r = 0.36; P = 0.42). Post-summit peak BNP
      correlated with baseline left ventricular mass index (r = -0.79; P = 0.033).
      CONCLUSION: This study confirms the high incidence of subclinical PE during
      subacute exposure to hypobaric hypoxia and enhancement of this phenomenon after
      exertion. Although not correlated with the degree of PE, BNP levels increased
      after sustained effort at HA, but not at rest. Further investigation is needed to
      determine the mechanisms underlying the BNP response at HA and its usefulness as
      a monitoring tool during expeditions.

PMID- 26118451
TI  - The Ethics of Denying Prehospital STEMI Bypass to Patients With Do Not
      Resuscitate Orders.

PMID- 26118452
TI  - Multiple Coronary Arteries to Left Atrial Fistulae: An Uncommon Complication of
      Radiofrequency Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - A 64-year-old man had undergone catheter radiofrequency ablation (RFA) 3 times in
      the previous 3 years because of recurrent symptomatic atrial fibrillation. Five
      months after the third RFA procedure, unusually colored Doppler flows that
      drained into the left atrium (LA) were newly identified. Coronary computed
      tomographic angiography indicated the presence of multiple small fistulae
      reaching from the right and left circumflex coronary arteries to the LA, and this
      was confirmed using coronary angiography. This case shows that the multiple RFA
      procedures induced coronary neovascularization and fistulae formation after
      ischemic injuries to the LA. 

PMID- 26118453
TI  - Hyponatremia in hospitalised patients with heart failure in internal medicine:
      Analysis of the Spanish national minimum basic data set (MBDS) (2005-2011).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disorder seen in clinical
      practice. Numerous studies have reported increased inhospital mortality
      associated to this condition, which is also an independent predictor of
      comorbidity in patients admitted with heart failure (HF). The objective of this
      study is to assess the incidence, average length of stay, associated
      comorbidities, readmissions and mortality caused by hyponatremia in admissions
      for acute heart failure from the Spanish national minimum basic data set (MBDS).
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from the Spanish national minimum basic data set
      (MBDS) of discharged patients who were initially diagnosed with heart failure
      (HF) from all internal medicine (IM) departments of Spanish National Health
      System (SNS) hospitals between 2005 and 2011 were analysed (ICD-9: 428; DRGs 127
      and 544). A descriptive data analysis was conducted comparing the diagnosis codes
      and administrative variables of heart failure patients with and without
      hyponatremia. The chi-square test was used for qualitative variables and the
      Student's t test for quantitative variables. A bivariate analysis was used to
      detect statistical differences in the mortality of both groups, as well as mean
      age, Charlson index, average length of stay and readmissions. A multivariate
      logistic regression analysis was performed, taking intrahospital mortality and
      hospital readmissions as dependent variables, and age, gender, comorbidity
      according to the Charlson index and hyponatremia as independent variables.
      RESULTS: A total of 504,860 patients with acute heart failure were identified, of
      whom 11,095 (2.2%) presented with HNa. A gradual year-on-year increase of
      hyponatremia codification (both primary and secondary diagnosis) was observed at
      discharge throughout the study period (from 1.6% in 2005 to 2.8% in 2011;
      p<0.0001). Overall mortality due to any cause in patients with hyponatremia was
      17% (1937 patients) versus 11% in non-hyponatremic patients (53,820 patients).
      The probability of readmission for patients with hyponatremia was 22% versus 17%
      in the non-hyponatremic group. Hyponatremia was associated to a higher rate of
      mortality during hospitalisation for acute heart failure with an odds ratio (OR)
      of 1.58, 95% CI, 1.50-1.66 (p<0.05). Hyponatremia maintained statistical
      significance in the regression model after adjusting for gender, OR 0.919 (95% CI
      0.902-0.936); age, OR 1.061 (95% CI 1.060-1.062); and Charlson index, OR 1.388
      (95% CI 1.361-1.461). CONCLUSIONS: Hyponatremia is associated to an increased
      rate of mortality and readmission in patients admitted for acute heart failure in
      SNS hospitals. Our study identified a statistically significant association
      between hyponatremia and increased intrahospital mortality independent of age,
      gender and the Charlson comorbidity index. During the defined follow-up period
      the discharge reports showed an increased codification of hyponatremia.

PMID- 26118454
TI  - Comparison of differentiated thyroid cancer in children and adolescents (<=20
      years) with young adults.
AB  - CONTEXT: Age is a major prognostic factor in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).
      It is not clear if paediatric DTC has a different histopathological profile and
      outcome than DTC in adult patients <45 years of age. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether
      DTC in children and adolescents differs from young age group by comparing
      paediatric DTC (age <= 20) with DTC in patients >20 to <45 years of age. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: We studied all cases of paediatric DTC seen during the period 1998
      2011. We compared this group with a large sample of 213 consecutive adult
      patients in the age group >20 to <45 years seen during the period 1998-1999 in
      terms of their pathological features, extent of the disease and long-term
      outcome. Both groups were managed by the same team at a single institution.
      RESULTS: A total of 310 DTC were studied including 97 paediatric patients [median
      age 17 years (range, 8-20)] and 213 young adult patients [median age 33 years
      (range, 20.5-44.9)]. There was no difference in gender distribution, tumour
      subtypes, size and tumour multifocality, but there was a significantly higher
      rate of extrathyroidal extension [40/75 (53.3%) vs 81/213 (38.0%), P = 0.03],
      lymph node [57/73 (78%) vs 102/183 (55.7%), P < 0.0001] and distant metastases
      [16/97 (16.5%) vs 8/213 (3.8%), P < 0.0001] in the paediatric than the adult
      groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a higher risk of persistent/recurrent
      disease in the paediatric group than adults (log-rank test 0.03). However, there
      was no mortality secondary to DTC in both groups. CONCLUSION: Paediatric DTC is
      distinct from DTC in the young adults (age >20 to <45 years). It is characterized
      by a higher rate of extrathyroidal extension, lymph node and distant metastases
      and a higher risk of persistent/recurrent DTC.

PMID- 26118455
TI  - Crystal-storing histiocytosis: a clinicopathological study of 13 cases.
AB  - AIMS: Crystal-storing histiocytosis (CSH) is a rare lesion composed of
      histiocytes with abnormal intralysosomal accumulation of immunoglobulin (Ig) as
      crystals, reported in patients with plasmacytic/lymphoplasmacytic neoplasms. The
      aims of this study were to report the clinicopathological features of 13 patients
      with CSH, and to describe the proteomic composition of the crystals in three
      cases analysed by mass spectrometry (MS). METHODS AND RESULTS: There were seven
      men and six women, with a median age of 60 years (range, 33-79 years). CSH was
      generalized in one patient (8%) and localized in 12 (92%) patients, involving
      various sites. CSH was associated with a low-grade B-cell lymphoma with
      plasmacytoid differentiation or a plasma cell neoplasm in all cases. In 10 (77%)
      cases, CSH represented >50% of the neoplastic infiltrate. According to
      immunohistochemical studies, histiocytes were positive for monotypic kappa in 5
      (50%) cases, and for monotypic lambda in 4 (40%) cases; in 1 (10%) case, the
      results were equivocal. MS analysis of the histiocyte contents in all three
      tested cases showed a predominance of variable-region fragments of Ig light
      and/or heavy chains. CONCLUSIONS: CSH is frequently associated with an underlying
      lymphoplasmacytic neoplasm. MS findings suggest that Ig alterations and/or
      possibly defects in the ability of histiocytes to process Ig play a role in
      pathogenesis.

PMID- 26118456
TI  - Bisphosphonates in patients with renal cell carcinoma and bone metastases: a
      sunitinib global expanded-access trial subanalysis.
AB  - AIM: To investigate retrospectively the effects of bone metastases and
      bisphosphonates in sunitinib-treated metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients.
      PATIENTS & METHODS: Patients in Groups (Gp) 1 and 2, but not Gp3, had bone
      metastases. Gp2 received bisphosphonates following standard practice. RESULTS:
      Gp2 had less favorable prognosis than Gp1. Gp3 had fewer metastases and the best
      prognosis. More serious adverse events occurred in Gp2 versus Gp1. The difference
      in overall survival between Gp1 and Gp2 was not significant after adjusting for
      covariates. Significantly shorter overall survival in Gp1 versus Gp3 persisted
      after adjusting for covariates. CONCLUSION: Bone metastases may have a negative
      prognostic impact in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Bisphosphonates may have
      delayed early disease progression for prognostically worse
      sunitinib/bisphosphonate-treated patients.

PMID- 26118457
TI  - Effectiveness of anatomic criteria for predicting parotid tumour location.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), negative
      predictive value (NPV), specificity and sensitivity of eight anatomic landmarks
      to differentiate parotid deep lobe tumours from superficial lobe tumours: the
      lateral margin of the retromandibular vein (RMV), a straight line from the facial
      nerve trunk (FN trunk) to the mandibular ramus (FN line), a straight line from
      the FN trunk to the RMV (tRMV), a straight line from the FN trunk to the lateral
      margin of the masseter (tMasseter), a straight line from the ipsilateral
      vertebral posterior end to the RMV (U-line), an arc with a radius of 8.5 mm
      centred on the mandibular ramus (Conn's arc), a straight line from the lateral
      surface of the masseter muscle to the lateral margin of the RMV (rMasseter) and
      an angle from the FN line, tumour and the lateral margin of the masseter muscle
      (FTM angle). METHODS: A total of 181 patients with a parotid gland tumour who
      underwent parotidectomy at a tertiary hospital were identified retrospectively
      from May 2005 to May 2013. Pre-operative computed tomography and intraoperative
      findings were compared to evaluate each landmark. RESULTS: rMasseter (accuracy:
      85.5%, PPV: 90.0%, NPV: 85.12%, specificity: 98.1%, sensitivity: 22.2%) and
      tMasseter (accuracy: 86.3%, PPV: 80.0%, NPV: 87.1%, specificity: 97.1%,
      sensitivity: 44.4%) showed superior results as diagnostic criteria. CONCLUSION:
      rMasseter and tMasseter were useful as anatomic landmarks to differentiate a
      parotid deep lobe tumour from a superficial lobe tumour.

PMID- 26118458
TI  - Hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses in rats with polycystic ovaries.
AB  - In female rats, a single injection of estradiol valerate (EV) results in effects
      that are similar to those observed in women with polycystic ovary syndrome
      (PCOS). We hypothesized that EV-induced PCOS affects breathing control based on
      evidence showing an influence of sex hormones on ventilation. To test this
      hypothesis, we studied the effects of EV treatment on the ventilation of female
      rats in air, in 7% CO2 and in 7% O2, at 30, 45 and 60 days after EV injection.
      The group examined 30 days after EV treatment showed a 61% reduction in the
      hypercapnic ventilatory response compared to the control group. Basal
      ventilation, hypoxic ventilatory response, and body temperature were not
      affected. These results, suggest that the hormonal changes observed in PCOS may
      result in a temporary inhibition of the central chemoreflex but do not influence
      basal ventilation or the hypoxic peripheral chemoreflex. 

PMID- 26118459
TI  - Expression of SANT/HTH Myb mRNA, a plant morphogenesis-regulating transcription
      factor, changes due to viroid infection.
AB  - Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) belongs to plant-pathogenic, circular, non
      coding RNAs. Its propagation is accompanied by (mis)regulation of host genes and
      induction of pathogenesis symptoms including changes of leaf morphogenesis
      depending on the strength of viroid variant. We found strong genotype-dependent
      suppression of tomato morphogenesis-regulating transcription factor SANT/HTH-Myb
      (SlMyb) due to viroid pathogenesis. Its relative mRNA level was found to be
      significantly decreased in PSTVd-sensitive tomato (cvs Rutgers and Heinz 1706)
      due to degradation processes, but increased in PSTVd-tolerant (cv. Harzfeuer). In
      heterologous system of Nicotiana benthamiana, we observed a SlMyb-associated
      necrotic effect in agroinfiltrated leaf sectors during ectopic overexpression.
      Leaf sector necroses were accompanied by activation of nucleolytic enzymes but
      were suppressed by a strongly pathogenic PSTVd variant. Contrary to that, PSTVd's
      effect was inhibited by the silencing suppressor p19. It was found that in both,
      Solanum lycopersicum leaves and N. benthamiana leaf sectors, SlMyb mRNA
      degradation was significantly stronger in viroid-infected tissues. Necroses
      induction as well as gene silencing experiments using the SANT/HTH-Myb homologues
      revealed involvement of this Myb in physiological changes like distortions in
      flower morphogenesis and growth suppression. 

PMID- 26118460
TI  - A Common Mutation of Long QT Syndrome Type 1 in Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies of long QT syndrome (LQTS) have revealed the
      presence of country-specific hot spots in KCNQ1 mutations, and the purpose of
      this study was to evaluate the influence of a common mutation on clinical
      phenotypes in Japanese LQT1 patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively
      studied the frequency of each mutation in 190 LQT1 Japanese probands and
      evaluated the clinical severity of LQT1 among carriers with a common mutation. We
      also compared it with that of carriers with other mutations. In the Japanese
      cohort, the most common mutation was p. A344spl (c.1032 G>A), comprising a
      substitution of a guanine for an adenine at the last base of exon 7, and it was
      found in 17 probands (8.9%). Regarding the clinical characteristics of A344spl
      carriers, the mean age-of-onset was 10+/-4 years, >40% were symptomatic, and the
      mean corrected QT interval was 461+/-30 ms. The prognosis for carriers of the
      A344spl mutation (n=31) was intermediate between that for the A341V mutation
      reported to be associated with severe phenotypes (n=24) and other mutations
      (n=290). CONCLUSIONS: The A344spl mutation was a frequent LQTS genotype in Japan,
      which indicates that the influence of country-specific hot spots should be
      considered when studying LQT1 clinical phenotypes.

PMID- 26118461
TI  - Impact of Ross Operation on Outcome in Young Female Adult Patients Wanting to
      Have Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The most appropriate valve substitute at aortic valve replacement
      (AVR) for young female adult patients wanting to have children is unclear.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Between 1992 and 2013, 12 consecutive female patients aged
      >18 (median, 22.5 years; range, 18-34 years) underwent Ross operation (Ross
      group). Between 1984 and 2013, 9 consecutive female patients aged >18 (median, 30
      years; range, 22-39 years) underwent AVR with bioprosthesis (bioprosthesis
      group). There was 1 late mortality in the bioprosthesis group, due to prosthetic
      valve endocarditis (PVE). Freedom from reoperation for aortic valve at 15 years
      was 90.0% in the Ross group, and 57.1% in the bioprosthesis group (log-rank,
      P=0.098). One in the Ross group underwent reoperation for aortic regurgitation
      (AR), whereas 4 in the bioprosthesis group did so for aortic stenosis (AS) in 2,
      combined AS and AR in 1, and PVE in 1. Five patients in the Ross group and 3 in
      the bioprosthesis group had 7 and 4 uneventful pregnancies, respectively. AR
      progressed during the perinatal period in a total of 7 of 11 pregnancies. No AS
      was seen at discharge, after 5 years, or during pregnancy in the Ross group.
      CONCLUSIONS: The long-term outcome of Ross operation for female patients wanting
      to have children is excellent. Although subclinical pulmonary autograft valve
      regurgitation during pregnancy was often observed, pulmonary autograft stenosis
      did not occur, therefore it would be an ideal option for patients wanting to have
      children.

PMID- 26118463
TI  - Induction chemotherapy with cetuximab, vinorelbine-cisplatin followed by thoracic
      radiotherapy and concurrent cetuximab, vinorelbine-cisplatin in patients with
      unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The modest benefits from concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in
      patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) warrant a more
      effective treatment regimen. We herein report mature data of a phase I/II study
      testing the addition of cetuximab to induction vinorelbine/cisplatin (NP)
      followed by concurrent cetuximab NP and thoracic radiation in patients with
      unresectable stage III NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eligible patients were
      treated with weekly cetuximab (initial dose 400 mg/m2, day 1, week 1; maintenance
      dose 250 mg/m2 from week 2 to the end of CCRT) and induction vinorelbine (25
      mg/m2, days 1 and 8) and cisplatin (75 mg/m2, day 1) every 3 weeks for 2 cycles
      from week 2. Concomitant thoracic radiation (60-66 Gy/2 Gy) and two cycles of NP
      (vinorelbine 12.5 mg/m2, days 1 and 8; cisplatin 25mg/m2, days 1 to 3, every 3
      weeks) were started from week 7. The primary endpoints were toxicities; the
      secondary endpoints encompassed response rate and survival. RESULTS: In total, 27
      patients were enrolled, and 24 completed the full regimen. No treatment-related
      death occurred. Severe (CTCAE Grade 3 or high) adverse events were experienced by
      81% patients (22/27), mostly haematologic. Severe non-haematologic toxicities
      including nausea/vomiting, intestinal obstruction, pulmonary infection and
      esophagitis, each of which was detected in <7% of patients. With a median follow
      up of 26.7 months, the median survival was 26.7 months, with 1- and 2-year
      survival rates of 88.9% and 51.9%, respectively. Six patients remained
      progression-free to date, and the median progression-free survival was 13.5
      months. The overall response rate was 63% and 77.8% after the induction and CCRT
      phases, respectively. CONCLUSION: Weekly cetuximab with induction
      vinorelbine/cisplatin followed by concurrent cetuximab vinorelbine/cisplatin
      thoracic radiation is feasible with a manageable toxicity profile and clinically
      active.

PMID- 26118464
TI  - Risk of congenital disease in 46 infected fetuses according to gestational age of
      primary human cytomegalovirus infection in the mother.
AB  - Given the difficulty in establishing the exact time of HCMV transmission from
      mother to fetus, HCMV intrauterine infection was investigated in 46 infected
      fetuses/newborns by correlating maternal and fetal parameters with clinical
      outcome according to the time interval between the onset of maternal infection
      and prenatal diagnosis. In detail, 17/28 (60.7%) asymptomatic and 18/18 (100%)
      symptomatic fetuses/newborns were infected as a consequence of a primary maternal
      HCMV infection acquired <=8 weeks of gestational age, while 11/28 (39.3%)
      asymptomatic and 0/18 (0%) symptomatic fetuses/newborns were congenitally
      infected when maternal infection was acquired >8 weeks' gestation. Symptomatic
      fetal infections appeared to be associated with a maternal primary infection
      occurring at <= 8 weeks' gestation. Cordocentesis performed at 20 weeks'
      gestation should be restricted to high risk infected fetuses.

PMID- 26118462
TI  - Reduced insulin-receptor mediated modulation of striatal dopamine release by
      basal insulin as a possible contributing factor to hyperdopaminergia in
      schizophrenia.
AB  - Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic neuropsychiatric disorder which affects 1%
      of the world population. Using the brain imaging technique positron emission
      tomography (PET) it has been demonstrated that persons with schizophrenia have
      greater dopamine transmission in the striatum compared to healthy controls.
      However, little progress has been made as to elucidating other biological
      mechanisms which may account for this hyperdopaminergic state in this disease.
      Studies in animals have demonstrated that insulin receptors are expressed on
      midbrain dopamine neurons, and that insulin from the periphery acts on these
      receptors to modify dopamine transmission in the striatum. This is pertinent
      given that several lines of evidence suggest that insulin receptor functioning
      may be abnormal in the brains of persons with schizophrenia. Post-mortem studies
      have shown that persons with schizophrenia have less than half the number of
      cortical insulin receptors compared to healthy persons. Moreover, these post
      mortem findings are unlikely due to the effects of antipsychotic treatment;
      studies in cell lines and animals suggest antipsychotics enhance insulin receptor
      functioning. Further, hyperinsulinemia - even prior to antipsychotic use - seems
      to be related to less psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.
      Collectively, these data suggest that midbrain insulin receptor functioning may
      be abnormal in persons with schizophrenia, resulting in reduced insulin-mediated
      regulation of dopamine transmission in the striatum. Such a deficit may account
      for the hyperdopaminergic state observed in these patients and would help guide
      the development of novel treatment strategies. We hypothesize that, (i) insulin
      receptor expression and/or function is reduced in midbrain dopamine neurons in
      persons with schizophrenia, (ii) basal insulin should reduce dopaminergic
      transmission in the striatum via these receptors, and (iii) this modulation of
      dopaminergic transmission by basal insulin is reduced in the brains of persons
      with schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26118465
TI  - Ultrastructure of the three anterior cruciate ligament bundles.
AB  - The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) can be morphologically separated into not
      only two, but three bundles: the anteromedial-medial bundle (AM-MB), the
      anteromedial-lateral bundle (AM-LB), and the posterolateral bundle (PLB). Our
      hypothesis was that the three bundles differ in their microstructures. The
      purpose of this study was to clarify the microstructural differences among the
      three bundles. The normal ACLs of six fresh frozen cadavers were harvested. After
      the AM-MB, AM-LB, and PLB were identified, their fibril structures were analyzed
      using a transmission electron microscope. The fibril orientation, distribution
      pattern, and the mass average diameter of the fibrils (MAD) were compared among
      the AM-MBs, AM-LBs, and PLBs. The AM-MB and AM-LB fibrils were arranged mostly in
      the longitudinal direction, while the PLB fibrils were not aligned in a uniform
      direction. The fibril diameter distribution pattern of AM-MBs showed a bi-modal
      pattern due to the existence of small-diameter (30-40 nm) and large-diameter
      fibrils (70-80 nm), while that of the AM-LBs and PLBs had a unimodal pattern with
      one prominent high peak at a diameter of 50-60 nm. The mean MAD of the AM-MBs
      (83.2 - 11.2 nm) was significantly larger than that of the PLBs (66.8 - 7.7 nm),
      while it showed no significant difference compared to that of the AM-LBs (77.6 -
      12.3 nm). The three ACL bundles have different ultrastructures. The AM-MB
      predominantly includes thick, uni-directionally oriented fibrils like tendons,
      while the PLB consists of thinner, multi-directionally oriented fibrils. The AM
      LB shows an intermediate structure between the AM-MB and the PLB.

PMID- 26118466
TI  - The Pattern of Opioid Management by Australian General Practice Trainees.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: With escalating opioid prescribing come individual and public health
      harms. To inform quality improvement measures, understanding of opioid
      prescribing is essential. We aimed to establish consultation-level prevalence and
      associations of opioid prescribing. DESIGN: A cross-sectional secondary analysis
      from a longitudinal multisite cohort study of general practitioner (GP)
      vocational trainees: "Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training." SETTING: Four
      of Australia's seventeen GP Regional Training Providers, during 2010-13.
      SUBJECTS: GP trainees. METHODS: Practice and trainee demographic data were
      collected as well as patient, clinical and educational data of 60 consecutive
      consultations of each trainee, each training term. Outcome factors were any
      opioid analgesic prescription and initial opioid analgesic prescription for a
      specific problem for the first time. RESULTS: Overall, 645 trainees participated.
      Opioids comprised 4.3% prescriptions provided for 3.8% of patients. Most
      frequently prescribed were codeine (39.9%) and oxycodone (33.4%). Prescribing was
      for acute pain (29.3%), palliative care (2.6%) or other indications (68.1%). Most
      prescribing involved repeat prescriptions for pre-existing problems (62.7% of
      total). Other associations included older patients; prescriber and patient male
      gender; Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander status; rural and disadvantaged
      locations; longer consultations; and generation of referrals, follow-up, and
      imaging requests. Opioid initiation was more likely for new patients with new
      problems, but otherwise associations were similar. Trainees rarely reported
      addiction risk-mitigation strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Most opioids were prescribed
      as maintenance therapy for non-cancer pain. Demographic associations with opioid
      analgesic prescribing resemble those presenting for opioid dependency treatment.
      Our findings should inform measures by regulators and medical educators
      supporting multimodal pain management.

PMID- 26118467
TI  - Self-Powered Human-Interactive Transparent Nanopaper Systems.
AB  - Self-powered human-interactive but invisible electronics have many applications
      in anti-theft and anti-fake systems for human society. In this work, for the
      first time, we demonstrate a transparent paper-based, self-powered, and human
      interactive flexible system. The system is based on an electrostatic induction
      mechanism with no extra power system appended. The self-powered, transparent
      paper device can be used for a transparent paper-based art anti-theft system in
      museums or for a smart mapping anti-fake system in precious packaging and
      documents, by virtue of the advantages of adding/removing freely, having no
      impairment on the appearance of the protected objects, and being easily mass
      manufactured. This initial study bridges the transparent nanopaper with a self
      powered and human-interactive electronic system, paving the way for the
      development of smart transparent paper electronics. 

PMID- 26118468
TI  - Among-lake reciprocal transplants induce convergent expression of immune genes in
      threespine stickleback.
AB  - Geographic variation in parasite communities can drive evolutionary divergence in
      host immune genes. However, biotic and abiotic environmental variation can also
      induce plastic differences in immune function among populations. At present,
      there is little information concerning the relative magnitudes of heritable vs.
      induced immune divergence in natural populations. We examined immune gene
      expression profiles of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from six
      lakes on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Parasite community composition
      differs between lake types (large or small, containing limnetic- or benthic-like
      stickleback) and between watersheds. We observed corresponding differences in
      immune gene expression profiles among wild-caught stickleback, using a set of
      seven immune genes representing distinct branches of the immune system. To
      evaluate the role of environmental effects on this differentiation, we
      experimentally transplanted wild-caught fish into cages in their native lake, or
      into a nearby foreign lake. Transplanted individuals' immune gene expression
      converged on patterns typical of their destination lake, deviating from their
      native expression profile. Transplant individuals' source population had a much
      smaller effect, suggesting relatively weak genetic underpinning of population
      differences in immunity, as viewed through gene expression. This strong
      environmental regulation of immune gene expression provides a counterpoint to the
      large emerging literature documenting microevolution and genetic diversification
      of immune function. Our findings illustrate the value of studying immunity in
      natural environmental settings where the immune system has evolved and actively
      functions. 

PMID- 26118469
TI  - A local application of mesenchymal stem cells and cyclosporine A attenuates
      immune response by a switch in macrophage phenotype.
AB  - The immunosuppressive effects of systemically administered mesenchymal stem cells
      (MSCs) and immunosuppressive drugs have been well documented. We analysed the
      mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of MSCs applied locally in
      combination with non-specific immunosuppression in a mouse model of allogeneic
      skin transplantation. The MSC-seeded and cyclosporine A (CsA)-loaded nanofibre
      scaffolds were applied topically to skin allografts in a mouse model and the
      local immune response was assessed and characterized. MSCs migrated from the
      scaffold into the side of injury and were detected in the graft region and
      draining lymph nodes (DLNs). The numbers of graft-infiltrating macrophages and
      the production of nitric oxide (NO) were significantly decreased in recipients
      treated with MSCs and CsA, and this reduction correlated with impaired production
      of IFNgamma in the graft and DLNs. In contrast, the proportion of alternatively
      activated macrophages (F4/80+ CD206+ cells) and the production of IL-10 by
      intragraft macrophages were significantly upregulated. The ability of MSCs to
      alter the phenotype of macrophages from the M1 type into an M2 population was
      confirmed in a co-culture system in vitro. We suggest that the topical
      application of MSCs in combination with CsA induces a switch in macrophages to a
      population with an alternatively activated 'healing' phenotype and producing
      elevated levels of IL-10. These alterations in macrophage phenotype and function
      could represent one of the mechanisms of immunosuppressive action of MSCs applied
      in combination with CsA. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26118471
TI  - Abstracts of the 1st Congress of the European Academy of Neurology, Berlin,
      Germany, June 2015.

PMID- 26118470
TI  - Corrigendum: reduced IFNlambda4 activity is associated with improved HCV
      clearance and reduced expression of interferon-stimulated genes.

PMID- 26118472
TI  - Incidence and care-related costs of severe hypoglycaemia requiring emergency
      treatment in Andalusia (Spain): the PAUEPAD project.
AB  - AIMS: Hypoglycaemia is a serious medical emergency. The need for emergency
      medical service care and the costs of hypoglycaemic emergencies are not
      completely known. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study using
      Public Company for Health Emergencies (EPES) data for hypoglycaemia in 2012. The
      EPES provides emergency medical services to the entire population of Andalusia,
      Spain (8.5 million people). Data on event type, onsite treatments, emergency room
      visits or hospitalization were collected. Medical costs were estimated using the
      public rates for healthcare services. RESULTS: From a total of 1 137 738
      emergency calls that requested medical assistance, 8683 had a primary diagnosis
      of hypoglycaemia (10.34 per 10 000 person-years). The incidence of severe
      hypoglycaemic episodes requiring emergency treatment in the estimated population
      with diabetes was 80 episodes per 10 000 person-years. A total of 7479 episodes
      (86%) required an emergency team to visit the patient's residence. The majority
      of cases (64%) were addressed in the residence, although 1784 (21%) cases were
      transferred to hospital. A total of 5564 events (65%) involved patients aged > 65
      years. Overall mortality was 0.32% (28 cases). The total annual cost of attending
      a hypoglycaemic episode was ?6 093 507, leading to an estimated mean direct cost
      per episode of ?702 +/- 565. Episodes that required hospital treatment accounted
      for 49% of the total costs. CONCLUSIONS: Hypoglycaemia is a common medical
      emergency that is associated with high emergency medical service utilization,
      resulting in a significant economic impact on the health system.

PMID- 26118473
TI  - Swallowable smart pills for local drug delivery: present status and future
      perspectives.
AB  - Smart pills were originally developed for diagnosis; however, they are
      increasingly being applied to therapy - more specifically drug delivery. In
      addition to smart drug delivery systems, current research is also looking into
      localization systems for reaching the target areas, novel locomotion mechanisms
      and positioning systems. Focusing on the major application fields of such
      devices, this article reviews smart pills developed for local drug delivery. The
      review begins with the analysis of the medical needs and socio-economic benefits
      associated with the use of such devices and moves onto the discussion of the main
      implemented technological solutions with special attention given to locomotion
      systems, drug delivery systems and power supply. Finally, desired technical
      features of a fully autonomous robotic capsule for local drug delivery are
      defined and future research trends are highlighted. 

PMID- 26118475
TI  - Detection of alloantibody-mediated complement activation: A diagnostic advance in
      monitoring kidney transplant rejection?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) is an important cause of kidney
      allograft injury. In the last two decades, detection of complement split product
      C4d along transplant capillaries, a footprint of antibody-mediated classical
      complement activation, has evolved as a useful diagnostic marker of ABMR. While
      it was recognized that ABMR may occur also in the absence of C4d, numerous
      studies have shown that C4d deposition may indicate a more severe rejection
      phenotype associated with poor graft survival. Such studies suggest a possible
      diagnostic benefit of ex vivo monitoring the complement-activating capability of
      circulating alloantibodies. DESIGN AND METHODS: We reviewed the literature
      between 1993 and 2015, focusing on in vivo (biopsy work-up) and in vitro
      detection (modified bead array technology) of HLA antibody-triggered classical
      complement activation in kidney transplantation. RESULTS: Precise HLA antibody
      detection methods, in particular Luminex-based single antigen bead (SAB) assays,
      have provided a valuable basis for the design of techniques for in vitro
      detection of HLA antibody-triggered complement activation reflected by C1q, C4 or
      C3 split product deposition to the bead surface. Establishing such assays it was
      recognized that deposition of complement products to SAB, which critically
      depends on antibody binding strength, may be a cardinal trigger of the prozone
      effect, a troublesome in vitro artifact caused by a steric interference with IgG
      detection reagents. False-low IgG results, especially on SAB with extensive
      antibody binding, have to be considered when interpreting studies analyzing the
      diagnostic value of complement in relation to standard IgG detection. Levels of
      complement-fixing donor-specific antibodies (DSA) were shown to correlate with
      the results of standard crossmatch tests, suggesting potential application for
      crossmatch prediction. Moreover, while the utility of pre-transplant complement
      detection, at least in crossmatch-negative transplant recipients, is
      controversially discussed, a series of studies have shown that the appearance of
      post-transplant complement-fixing DSA may be associated with C4d deposition in
      transplant capillaries and a particular risk of graft failure. CONCLUSIONS: The
      independent value of modified single antigen bead assays, as compared to a
      careful analysis of standard IgG detection, which may be affected considerably by
      complement dependent artifacts, needs to be clarified. Whether they have the
      potential to improve the predictive accuracy of our current diagnostic repertoire
      warrants further study.

PMID- 26118474
TI  - The development of a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometric method for simultaneous quantification of morphine, morphine-3-beta
      glucuronide, morphine-6-beta-glucuronide, hydromorphone, and normorphine in
      serum.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Development and validation of a selective, robust high-performance
      liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (HPLC/MS-MS) method for the
      quantification of morphine, morphine-3-beta-glucuronide, morphine-6-beta
      glucuronide, hydromorphone, and normorphine in human serum. DESIGN AND METHODS:
      Drug-free human serum samples spiked with morphine, morphine-3-beta-glucuronide,
      morphine-6-beta-glucuronide, hydromorphone, and normorphine were prepared by
      protein precipitation using methanol containing the internal standards. Samples
      were injected onto a Thermo Scientific AccuCore PFP column for chromatographic
      separation. Detection was achieved using a Thermo Scientific TSQ Vantage mass
      spectrometer. Assay validation followed the new Clinical and Laboratory Standards
      Institute (CLSI) C62-A guidelines. RESULTS: The analytical measuring range for
      all analytes was determined to be 5 to 1000 ng/mL. Intra- and inter-assay
      precision for three quality control levels were <= 7.0% and <= 13.5%,
      respectively. Carryover, stability, linearity, matrix effects, extraction and
      processing efficiency and method comparison characteristics were acceptable
      relative to the CLSI C62 guidelines. CONCLUSION: The validation of this HPLC
      MS/MS method demonstrated a robust and rapid assay for the quantification of
      morphine, morphine-3-beta-glucuronide, morphine-6-beta-glucuronide,
      hydromorphone, and normorphine.

PMID- 26118477
TI  - Local divergence of thermal reaction norms among amphibian populations is
      affected by pond temperature variation.
AB  - Although temperature variation is known to cause large-scale adaptive divergence,
      its potential role as a selective factor over microgeographic scales is less well
      understood. Here, we investigated how variation in breeding pond temperature
      affects divergence in multiple physiological (thermal performance curve and
      critical thermal maximum [CTmax]) and life-history (thermal developmental
      reaction norms) traits in a network of Rana arvalis populations. The results
      supported adaptive responses to face two main constraints limiting the evolution
      of thermal adaptation. First, we found support for the faster-slower model,
      indicating an adaptive response to compensate for the thermodynamic constraint of
      low temperatures in colder environments. Second, we found evidence for the
      generalist-specialist trade-off with populations from colder and less thermally
      variable environments exhibiting a specialist phenotype performing at higher
      rates but over a narrower range of temperatures. By contrast, the local optimal
      temperature for locomotor performance and CTmax did not match either mean or
      maximum pond temperatures. These results highlight the complexity of the adaptive
      multiple-trait thermal responses in natural populations, and the role of local
      thermal variation as a selective force driving diversity in life-history and
      physiological traits in the presence of gene flow.

PMID- 26118478
TI  - Systematic review of ground reaction force measurements in cats.
AB  - Although orthopaedic abnormalities in cats are frequently observed
      radiographically, they remain clinically underdiagnosed, and kinetic motion
      analysis, a fundamental aspect of orthopaedic research in dogs and horses, is not
      commonly performed. More information obtained with non-invasive measurement
      techniques to assess normal and abnormal gait in cats would provide a greater
      insight into their locomotion and biomechanics and improve the objective
      measurement of disease alterations and treatment modalities. In this systematic
      review, 12 previously performed studies that investigated ground reaction force
      measurements in cats during locomotion were evaluated. The aims of these studies,
      the measurement methods and equipment used, and the outcomes of parameters used
      to assess both sound and diseased cats are summarised and discussed. All reviewed
      studies used pressure sensitive walkways to gain data and all provided an
      acclimatisation period as a prerequisite for measurements. In sound cats during
      walking, the forelimb peak vertical force was greater than in the hindlimb and
      the peak vertical force in the hindlimb was greater in cats than in dogs. This
      review confirms that ground reaction forces can be used to evaluate lameness and
      treatment effects in the cat.

PMID- 26118476
TI  - Soluble Immune Mediators and Vaginal Bacteria Impact Innate Genital Mucosal
      Antimicrobial Activity in Young Women.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Innate activity against Escherichia coli in female genital
      secretions may represent contributions from vaginal bacteria and host soluble
      immune mediators. We analyzed the relationship between E. coli inhibitory
      activity, soluble immune mediators, and vaginal bacteria in participants in MTN
      004, a placebo-controlled trial of VivaGel((r)) , a candidate product for topical
      HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. METHODS: Escherichia coli inhibitory activity was
      quantified by colony reduction assay. Endocervical concentrations of interleukin
      (IL)-1beta, IL-6, IL-12p40, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha,
      granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), lactoferrin, and
      secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) were quantified to generate a
      cumulative mediator score. Vaginal bacteria were characterized by quantitative
      cultures. RESULTS: In the two placebo arms, higher soluble immune mediator score
      was associated with greater E. coli inhibitory activity (beta = 17.49, 95% CI
      [12.77, 22.21] and beta = 13.28, 95% CI [4.76, 21.80]). However, in the VivaGel
      arm, higher concentrations of E. coli (beta = -3.80, 95% CI [-6.36, -1.25]) and
      group B Streptococcus (beta = -3.91, 95% CI [-6.21, -1.60]) were associated with
      reduced E. coli inhibitory activity. CONCLUSIONS: Both host mediators and vaginal
      bacteria impact E. coli inhibition in genital secretions. The relative
      contributions of host mediators and bacteria varied between women who used
      VivaGel vs placebos.

PMID- 26118479
TI  - Detection of indoxyl sulfate levels in dogs and cats suffering from naturally
      occurring kidney diseases.
AB  - Indoxyl sulfate (IS), a protein-bound uraemic toxin, has been found to accumulate
      in the serum of people with renal diseases and is associated with free radical
      induction, nephrotoxicity cardiovascular toxicity, and osteoblast cytotoxicity.
      Although IS has been studied in humans and in experimental models, the role of IS
      in dogs and cats with kidney disease has not been investigated. A high
      performance liquid chromatography system was applied to detect plasma IS
      concentrations in non-azotaemic animals (63 dogs, 16 cats) and in animals with
      renal azotaemia (66 dogs, 69 cats). The IS levels of azotaemic animals were
      significantly higher (P <0.01) than those of non-azotaemic animals (median [IQR]
      20.4 (9.5) mg/L vs. 7.2 (8.8) mg/L for dogs; median [IQR] 21 (18.9) mg/L vs. 14.8
      (12.3) mg/L for cats). The IS level was significantly correlated with blood urea
      nitrogen, serum creatinine and phosphate concentrations. Dogs with acute kidney
      injury had significantly higher IS levels (P <0.01) than those with chronic
      kidney diseases (CKD) (median [IQR] 57.7 (40.8) mg/L vs. 17.7 (25.1) mg/L). When
      CKD was graded using the International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) staging
      system, IS levels were correlated with CKD severity in both dogs and cats. The IS
      concentration is directly related to loss of renal function. Further studies are
      necessary to determine whether measurement of IS provides any additional
      diagnostic or prognostic information in dogs and cats with kidney disease.

PMID- 26118480
TI  - A simple procedure to improve the surface passivation for single molecule
      fluorescence studies.
AB  - The single-molecule fluorescence technique is becoming a general and mature tool
      to probe interactions and dynamics of biomolecules with ultra high precision and
      accuracy. However, nonspecific adsorption of biomolecules to the flow cells
      remains a major experimental riddle for the study of many complex biological
      systems, especially those exhibiting low binding affinity and presenting with
      weakly populated intermediates. Many novel surface passivation methods have been
      introduced to reduce nonspecific interactions. Here, we present an effective and
      inexpensive method to significantly reduce nonspecific binding of biomolecules in
      conventional poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based surface passivation protocols,
      without additional exogenous effects. In particular, we propose a simple 10 min
      Tween-20 treatment for the PEG passivated surface, which could further increase
      the hydrophilicity of the surface and thus promote passivation efficacy by about
      5 to 10 times. We anticipate that this new procedure will find broad practical
      applications and extend the current reaches of single-molecule fluorescence
      studies. 

PMID- 26118481
TI  - How far can a single hydrogen bond tune the spectral properties of the GFP
      chromophore?
AB  - Photoabsorption of the hydrogen-bonded complex of a neutral and an anionic Green
      Fluorescent Protein chromophore has been studied using a new dual-detection
      approach to action-absorption spectroscopy. Following absorption of one photon,
      dissociation through a single channel ensures that the full absorption spectrum
      is measured. Our theoretical account of the spectral shape reveals that the
      anionic 0-0 transition (464 nm) is blue-shifted compared to that of the wild-type
      protein (478 nm) due to the stronger H-bond in the dimer, and represents an upper
      bound for that of the isolated anion. At the same time, the apparent effect of
      the H-bond for the neutral chromophore is as large as 0.5 eV, red-shifting the
      absorption maximum of the isolated neutral (340 nm) to that measured in the dimer
      (393 nm) and various proteins (~395 nm). This shift results from changes in the
      topography of potential-energy surfaces in the Franck-Condon region of the H
      bonded systems. 

PMID- 26118482
TI  - Effect of 808 nm Diode Laser on Swimming Behavior, Food Vacuole Formation and
      Endogenous ATP Production of Paramecium primaurelia (Protozoa).
AB  - Photobiomodulation (PBM) has been used in clinical practice for more than 40
      years. To clarify the mechanisms of action of PBM at cellular and organism
      levels, we investigated its effect on Paramecium primaurelia (Protozoa)
      irradiated by an 808 nm infrared diode laser with a flat-top handpiece (1 W in
      CW). Our results led to the conclusion that: (1) the 808 nm laser stimulates the
      P. primaurelia without a thermal effect, (2) the laser effect is demonstrated by
      an increase in swimming speed and in food vacuole formation, (3) the laser
      treatment affects endogenous adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production in a
      positive way, (4) the effects of irradiation dose suggest an optimum exposure
      time of 50 s (64 J cm(-2) of fluence) to stimulate the Paramecium cells;
      irradiation of 25 s shows no effect or only mild effects and irradiation up to
      100 s does not increase the effect observed with 50 s of treatment, (5) the
      increment of endogenous ATP concentration highlights the positive
      photobiomodulating effect of the 808 nm laser and the optimal irradiation
      conditions by the flat-top handpiece. 

PMID- 26118483
TI  - Discovery a novel organic solvent tolerant esterase from Salinispora arenicola
      CNP193 through genome mining.
AB  - An esterase gene, encoding a 325-amino-acid protein (SAestA), was mined form
      obligate marine actinomycete strain Salinispora arenicola CNP193 genome sequence.
      Phylogenetic analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence showed that the enzyme
      belonged to the family IV of lipolytic enzymes. The gene was cloned, expressed in
      Escherichia coli as a His-tagged protein, purified and characterized. The
      molecular weight of His-tagged SAestA is ~38 kDa. SAestA-His6 was active in a
      temperature (5-40  degrees C) and pH range (7.0-11.0), and maximal activity was
      determined at pH 9.0 and 30  degrees C. The activity was severely inhibited by
      Hg(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+). In particular, this enzyme showed remarkable
      stability in presence of organic solvents (25%, v/v) with log P>2.0 even after
      incubation for 7 days. All these characteristics suggested that SAestA may be a
      potential candidate for application in industrial processes in aqueous/organic
      media.

PMID- 26118484
TI  - Injectable biopolymer based hydrogels for drug delivery applications.
AB  - Biopolymer based pH-sensitive hydrogels were prepared using chitosan (CS) with
      polyethylene glycol (PEG) of different molecular weights in the presence of
      silane crosslinker. The incorporated components remain undissolved in different
      swelling media as they are connected by siloxane linkage which was confirmed by
      Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The swelling in water was enhanced by
      the addition of higher molecular weight PEG. The swelling behaviour of the
      hydrogels against pH showed high swelling in acidic and basic pH, whereas, low
      swelling was examined at pH 6 and 7. This characteristic pH responsive behaviour
      at neutral pH made them suitable for injectable controlled drug delivery. The
      controlled release analysis of Cefixime (CFX) (model drug) loaded CS/PEG hydrogel
      exhibited that the entire drug was released in 30 min in simulated gastric fluid
      (SGF) while in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF), 85% of drug was released in
      controlled manner within 80 min. This inferred that the developed hydrogels can
      be an attractive biomaterial for injectable drug delivery with physiological pH
      and other biomedical applications.

PMID- 26118485
TI  - Effects of Bush Sophora Root polysaccharide and its sulfate on immuno-enhancing
      of the therapeutic DVH.
AB  - Bush Sophora Root polysaccharide (BSRPS) and its sulfate, sulfated Bush Sophora
      Root polysaccharide (sBSRPS), possess the antiviral activities against duck
      hepatitis A virus. However their antiviral mechanisms are still not clear. This
      paper reported their immuno-enhancing roles in the therapeutic effects for duck
      virus hepatitis (DVH). The effects of BSRPS and sBSRPS on stimulating lymphocyte
      proliferation were investigated by MTT methods. After that, ducklings were
      challenged with DHAV and treated with BSRPS and sBSRPS. Meanwhile, the total
      antibody (Ab), cytokines including interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), hepatocyte
      growth factor (HGF), interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6 and IL-8 were determined by enzyme
      linked immuno sorbent assay methods. The results showed that BSRPS owned a fine
      hepatoprotective effect with stable HGF producing ability. Sulfated modification
      was able to increase the proliferation rates of B and T lymphocytes and the
      secretions of total Ab, IFN-gamma and IL-2, as comparison with those of BSRPS
      group. In summary, both of them exhibited immuno-enhancing effects on the
      therapeutic effects for DVH, and the capacity of sBSRPS was stronger than that of
      BSRPS. 

PMID- 26118486
TI  - Characterization and in vitro antioxidant activity of Albizia stipulata Boiv. gum
      exudates.
AB  - The objective of the present study is to characterize the physicochemical
      properties and to determine the in vitro antioxidant activity of Albizia
      stipulata Boiv. gum exudates collected from Northeast India. The total
      carbohydrate, uronic acid and protein contents, monosaccharide composition and
      the molecular weight distribution of the purified gum was determined. The powder
      flow property and preliminary compressibility test were performed on the dried
      gum exudates. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study was performed
      to analyze the functional groups present in the structure. Differential scanning
      calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TGA/DTA) analyses were performed to study
      the thermal stability of the gum. The antioxidant properties of the gum were
      evaluated by determining 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl
      scavenging activities and reducing power. The total carbohydrate and protein
      contents of the gum were found to be 75.17+/-3.21% and 2.60+/-1.05% respectively.
      The viscosity of 2% aqueous solution of the gum exhibited non-Newtonian type of
      flow showing pH dependent swelling. Arabinose and galactose were found to be the
      main monosaccharides present in the gum exudates and the molecular weight
      distribution of the gum was also found to be polydispersed. Results from DPPH,
      hydroxyl scavenging and reducing power studies showed the gum possesses
      antioxidant properties. 

PMID- 26118487
TI  - Effect of cyclic freeze-thawing process on the structure and properties of
      collagen.
AB  - The influence of freeze-thawing cycles (named 'N') on the rheological and thermal
      properties of bovine skin collagen solution was investigated using a rheometer
      and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results of dynamic frequency
      sweep tests showed that the elasticity of collagen increased as N increased to 3,
      5 and 7. Especially, after the freeze-thawing cycles of N=7, the recovery
      capacity of collagen remarkably increased (from 17.76% to 74.98%) and the
      hysteresis loop areas of collagen also became larger (from 95.53 to 218.24 Pa/s).
      Moreover, DSC and non-isothermal kinetic analysis revealed that although the
      freeze-thawing process had little impact on the thermal denaturation temperature,
      the endothermic enthalpy was increased by 73% when N=7, as estimated from the
      area under the endothermic peak and from the Friedman isoconversional method. In
      addition, as observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), the fibers of collagen
      became thicker after the process of freeze-thawing cycles, indicating that the
      aggregation of collagen molecules was enhanced in the process of freeze-thawing.
      Meanwhile, the morphology of freeze-thawed collagen sponge examined by scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM) exhibited a porous network structure, and the pores
      became more regular with increasing N.

PMID- 26118488
TI  - Entropic Uncertainty Relation and Information Exclusion Relation for multiple
      measurements in the presence of quantum memory.
AB  - The Heisenberg uncertainty principle shows that no one can specify the values of
      the non-commuting canonically conjugated variables simultaneously. However, the
      uncertainty relation is usually applied to two incompatible measurements. We
      present tighter bounds on both entropic uncertainty relation and information
      exclusion relation for multiple measurements in the presence of quantum memory.
      As applications, three incompatible measurements on Werner state and Horodecki's
      bound entangled state are investigated in details. 

PMID- 26118490
TI  - The EEG in genetic generalized epilepsies.

PMID- 26118489
TI  - Nitrous oxide-induced slow and delta oscillations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Switching from maintenance of general anesthesia with an ether
      anesthetic to maintenance with high-dose (concentration >50% and total gas flow
      rate >4 liters per minute) nitrous oxide is a common practice used to facilitate
      emergence from general anesthesia. The transition from the ether anesthetic to
      nitrous oxide is associated with a switch in the putative mechanisms and sites of
      anesthetic action. We investigated whether there is an electroencephalogram (EEG)
      marker of this transition. METHODS: We retrospectively studied the ether
      anesthetic to nitrous oxide transition in 19 patients with EEG monitoring
      receiving general anesthesia using the ether anesthetic sevoflurane combined with
      oxygen and air. RESULTS: Following the transition to nitrous oxide, the alpha (8
      12 Hz) oscillations associated with sevoflurane dissipated within 3-12 min
      (median 6 min) and were replaced by highly coherent large-amplitude slow-delta
      (0.1-4 Hz) oscillations that persisted for 2-12 min (median 3 min). CONCLUSIONS:
      Administration of high-dose nitrous oxide is associated with transient, large
      amplitude slow-delta oscillations. SIGNIFICANCE: We postulate that these slow
      delta oscillations may result from nitrous oxide-induced blockade of major
      excitatory inputs (NMDA glutamate projections) from the brainstem (parabrachial
      nucleus and medial pontine reticular formation) to the thalamus and cortex. This
      EEG signature of high-dose nitrous oxide may offer new insights into brain states
      during general anesthesia.

PMID- 26118491
TI  - EEG after sleep deprivation is a sensitive tool in the first diagnosis of
      idiopathic generalized but not focal epilepsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Electroencephalography (EEG) is an essential tool in the diagnosis of
      epilepsy. EEG after sleep deprivation might increase the likelihood of finding
      specific epileptiform abnormalities. However conflicting data exist concerning
      the sensitivity and specificity of this method. We aimed to evaluate the role of
      EEG after sleep deprivation in the first diagnosis of epilepsy. METHODS: We
      analyzed retrospectively the medical histories of patients who underwent at least
      one unspecific standard EEG and a subsequent EEG after sleep deprivation during
      the time period from 2001 to 2014 at the University Hospital Zurich because of
      suspected epilepsy. RESULTS: Out of 237 patients who fulfilled all inclusion
      criteria, 69 were finally diagnosed with epilepsy. Seventeen of them showed
      interictal epileptiform patterns in EEGs after sleep deprivation, giving this
      method an overall sensitivity of 25%. Sensitivity of EEG after sleep deprivation
      was superior in patients with primary generalized epilepsies compared to patients
      with focal epilepsies (64% vs. 17%, p=0.0011). Overall EEG after sleep
      deprivation was not more sensitive than a subsequent repeated standard EEG in a
      subgroup of 55 patients (22% vs. 9%; p=0.065). CONCLUSION: After an unspecific
      standard EEG, EEG after sleep deprivation is a useful tool to increase diagnostic
      sensitivity in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy but not in those
      with focal epilepsy. SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides further evidence about the
      usefulness of EEG after sleep deprivation as an additional diagnostic tool in
      epilepsy.

PMID- 26118492
TI  - Extraction of an incisor embedded within the nasal cavity in two guinea pigs.
AB  - Oral examination of two guinea pigs revealed that the unilateral incisor was
      absent. On radiographic examination, the incisor was identified within the nasal
      cavity in both patients. Under anesthesia in both patients, the skin was incised
      from the nostril to 1.5 cm proximal, and the premaxilla and part of the maxilla
      were exposed. The bone was removed using a surgical drill, and the incisor was
      exposed in the nasal cavity. The root was grasped with forceps and carefully
      extracted as it was degraded and very fragile. Diagnosis was easy using oral and
      radiographic examination. In guinea pig patients where an incisor is absent on
      oral examination, this condition should be considered. 

PMID- 26118493
TI  - Epidemiology of Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease Diagnosis in Dogs Attending
      Primary-Care Veterinary Practices in England.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and risk factors for a diagnosis of cranial
      cruciate ligament (CCL) disease in dogs and to describe the management of such
      cases attending primary-care veterinary practices. STUDY DESIGN: Historical
      cohort with a nested case-control study. SAMPLE POPULATION: Nine hundred and
      fifty-three dogs diagnosed with CCL disease from 171,522 dogs attending 97
      primary-care practices in England. METHODS: Medical records of dogs attending
      practices participating in the VetCompass project that met selection criteria
      were assessed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression methods were used
      to evaluate association of possible risk factors with diagnosis of CCL disease.
      RESULTS: The prevalence of CCL disease diagnosis was estimated at 0.56% (95%
      confidence interval 0.52-0.59). Compared with crossbred dogs, Rottweilers, West
      Highland White Terriers, Golden Retrievers, Yorkshire Terriers, and Staffordshire
      Bull Terriers showed increased odds of CCL disease diagnosis while Cocker
      Spaniels showed reduced odds. Increasing bodyweight within breeds was associated
      with increased odds of diagnosis. Dogs aged over 3 years had increased odds of
      diagnosis compared with dogs aged less than 3 years. Neutered females had 2.1
      times the odds of diagnosis compared with entire females. Insured dogs had 4
      times the odds of diagnosis compared with uninsured dogs. Two-thirds of cases
      were managed surgically, with insured and heavier dogs more frequently undergoing
      surgery. Overall, 21% of cases were referred, with referral more frequent in
      heavier and insured dogs. Referred dogs more frequently had surgery and an
      osteotomy procedure. CONCLUSION: Breed predispositions and demographic factors
      associated with diagnosis and case management of CCL disease in dogs identified
      in this study can be used to help direct future research and management
      strategies.

PMID- 26118494
TI  - Tea Catechins Protect Goat Skeletal Muscle against H2O2-Induced Oxidative Stress
      by Modulating Expression of Phase 2 Antioxidant Enzymes.
AB  - To study the mechanisms of tea catechins (TCs) in goat muscles against oxidative
      stress, skeletal muscle cells (SMCs) induced by H2O2 or not were incubated with
      TCs or 3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (D3T) and were defined as H2O2, H2O2D3T, H2O2TC,
      D3T, and TC treatments, respectively. Results showed that, similar to effects of
      D3T, TCs regulated mRNA and protein expression of antioxidant enzymes by
      suppressing Keap1 protein expression in SMCs from 1.58 +/- 0.12 to 0.71 +/- 0.21
      and 1.03 +/- 0.11 in H2O2TC and TC groups, respectively; however, effects
      differed in oxidative condition of cells and among enzymes. In stressed cells,
      TCs increased catalase and glutathione S-transferases (GST) activities (P <
      0.001), whereas both enzymes' activities decreased (P < 0.001) to 2.97 +/- 0.37
      U/mg protein or 42.1 +/- 1.85 mU/mg protein, respectively, in unstressed SMCs.
      Subsequently, an in vivo experiment in goats fed grain supplemented with TCs or
      D3T following infusion with H2O2 was conducted to further verify mechanisms of TC
      action. As seen in vitro, TCs reduced Keap1 protein expression (P < 0.001) from
      2.11 +/- 0.37 to 1.34 +/- 0.13 and 1.43 +/- 0.23 in H2O2TC and TC groups,
      respectively, in muscle. However, dietary TCs increased plasma CuZn superoxide
      dismutase and GST activities (P < 0.001) regardless of oxidative stress.
      Moreover, feeding TCs to goats under both conditions increased meat color and
      tenderness (P <= 0.001). In conclusion, TCs protected goat muscles against
      oxidative stress and subsequently improved meat quality by modulating phase 2
      antioxidant enzymes and Keap1 expression. 

PMID- 26118495
TI  - Influence of acoustic anisotropy in paratellurite on quasicollinear acousto-optic
      interaction.
AB  - The influence of paratellurite acoustic anisotropy on the quasicollinear acousto
      optic diffraction characteristics was examined. In the presented case the
      quasicollinear geometry of acousto-optic diffraction is realized with the use of
      acoustic beam reflection from one of the crystal surfaces. The simulations were
      based on the solution of acoustic beams propagation problem for anisotropic media
      previously presented in Balakshy and Mantsevich (2012). It is shown that media
      inhomogeneity affects the distribution of the acoustic energy in the ultrasound
      beam and the shape of wave fronts. The acoustic beam structure influences the
      characteristics of quasicollinear acousto-optic diffraction causing
      transformation of acousto-optic device transmission function shape and reducing
      the diffraction efficiency. 

PMID- 26118497
TI  - A practical and highly sensitive C3N4-TYR fluorescent probe for convenient
      detection of dopamine.
AB  - The C3N4-tyrosinase (TYR) hybrid is a highly accurate, sensitive and simple
      fluorescent probe for the detection of dopamine (DOPA). Under optimized
      conditions, the relative fluorescence intensity of C3N4-TYR is proportional to
      the DOPA concentration in the range from 1 * 10(-3) to 3 * 10(-8) mol L(-1) with
      a correlation coefficient of 0.995. In the present system, the detection limit
      achieved is as low as 3 * 10(-8) mol L(-1). Notably, these quantitative detection
      results for clinical samples are comparable to those of high performance liquid
      chromatography. Moreover, the enzyme-encapsulated C3N4 sensing arrays on both
      glass slide and test paper were evaluated, which revealed sensitive detection and
      excellent stability. The results reported here provide a new approach for the
      design of a multifunctional nanosensor for the detection of bio-molecules. 

PMID- 26118496
TI  - Gender differences in the structure of risk for alcohol use disorder in
      adolescence and young adulthood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gender differences in the prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD)
      have motivated the separate study of its risk factors and consequences in men and
      women. However, leveraging gender as a third variable to help account for the
      association between risk factors and consequences for AUD could elucidate
      etiological mechanisms and clinical outcomes. METHOD: Using data from a large,
      community sample followed longitudinally from 17 to 29 years of age, we tested
      for gender differences in psychosocial risk factors and consequences in
      adolescence and adulthood after controlling for gender differences in the base
      rates of AUD and psychosocial factors. Psychosocial factors included alcohol use,
      other drug use, externalizing and internalizing symptoms, deviant peer
      affiliation, family adversity, academic problems, attitudes and use of substances
      by a romantic partner, and adult socio-economic status. RESULTS: At both ages of
      17 and 29 years, mean levels of psychosocial risks and consequences were higher
      in men and those with AUD. However, the amount of risk exposure in adolescence
      was more predictive of AUD in women than men. By adulthood, AUD consequences were
      larger in women than men and internalizing risk had a stronger relationship with
      AUD in women at both ages. CONCLUSIONS: Despite higher mean levels of risk
      exposure in men overall, AUD appears to be a more severe disorder in women
      characterized by higher levels of adolescent risk factors and a greater magnitude
      of the AUD consequences among women than men. Furthermore, internalizing symptoms
      appear to be a gender-specific risk factor for AUD in women.

PMID- 26118498
TI  - Reductive Insertion of Elemental Chalcogens into Boron-Boron Multiple Bonds.
AB  - The syntheses of sulfur- and selenium-bridged cyclic compounds containing boron
      stabilized by N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have been achieved by the reductive
      insertion of elemental chalcogens into boron-boron multiple bonds. The three
      pairs of bonding electrons between the boron atoms in the triply bonded diboryne
      enabled six-electron reduction reactions, resulting in the formation of [2.2.1]
      bicyclic systems wherein bridgehead boron atoms are spanned by three chalcogen
      bridges. A similar reaction using a diborene (boron-boron double bond) resulted
      in the reductive transfer of both pairs of bonding electrons to three sulfur
      atoms, yielding a NHC-stabilized trisulfidodiborolane. The demonstration of these
      six- and four-electron reductions lends support to the presence of three and two
      pairs of bonding electrons between the boron atoms of the diboryne and diborene,
      respectively, a fact that may be useful in future discussions on bond order. 

PMID- 26118500
TI  - Epigenetic aberrations in acute myeloid leukemia: Early key events during
      leukemogenesis.
AB  - As a result of the introduction of new sequencing technologies, the molecular
      landscape of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is rapidly evolving. From karyotyping,
      which detects only large genomic aberrations of metaphase chromosomes, we have
      moved into an era when sequencing of each base pair allows us to define the AML
      genome at highest resolution. This has revealed a new complex landscape of
      genetic aberrations where addition of mutations in epigenetic regulators has been
      one of the most important contributions to the understanding of the pathogenesis
      of AML. These findings, together with new insights into epigenetic mechanisms,
      have placed dysregulated epigenetic mechanisms at the forefront of AML
      development. Not only have several new mutations in genes directly involved in
      epigenetic regulatory mechanisms been discovered, but also previously well-known
      gene fusions have been found to exert aberrant effects through epigenetic
      mechanisms. In addition, mutations in epigenetic regulators such as DNMT3A, TET2,
      and ASXL1 have recently been found to be the earliest known events during AML
      evolution and to be present as preleukemic lesions before the onset of AML. In
      this article, we review epigenetic changes in AML also in relation to what is
      known about their mechanism of action and their prognostic role. 

PMID- 26118501
TI  - The downregulation of BAP1 expression by BCR-ABL reduces the stability of BRCA1
      in chronic myeloid leukemia.
AB  - BCR-ABL induces an intrinsic genetic instability in chronic myeloid leukemia
      (CML). The protein breast cancer 1, early onset (BRCA1)-associated protein 1
      (BAP1) is a deubiquitinase interacting with the DNA repair regulator BRCA1 and is
      frequently inactivated in many cancers. Here, we report that BAP1 mRNA and
      protein levels are downregulated in a BCR-ABL1-expressing hematopoietic cell line
      (UT-7/11). A decrease of BAP1 transcripts is also observed in newly diagnosed CML
      patients. Moreover, BAP1 protein levels are low or undetectable in CD34(+) cells
      from CML patients at diagnosis as compared with CD34(+) cells from normal donors.
      In addition, BRCA1 protein level is reduced in BCR-ABL1-expressing UT-7/11 cells.
      Finally, the enforced expression of BAP1 is associated with BRCA1 protein
      deubiquitination and restoration. These results demonstrate BAP1 as a major link
      with the BCR-ABL-induced downregulation of BRCA1 in CML.

PMID- 26118499
TI  - Novel therapeutic strategies for multiple myeloma.
AB  - Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma-cell malignancy which remains incurable despite
      the recent emergence of multiple novel agents. Importantly, recent genetic and
      molecular analyses have revealed the complexity and heterogeneity of this
      disease, highlighting the need for therapeutic strategies to eliminate all
      clones. Moreover, the bone marrow microenvironment, including stromal cells and
      immune cells, plays a central role in MM pathogenesis, promoting tumor cell
      growth, survival, and drug resistance. New classes of agents including proteasome
      inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs, monoclonal antibodies, and histone
      deacetylase inhibitors have shown remarkable efficacy; however, novel therapeutic
      approaches are still urgently needed to further improve patient outcomes. In this
      review, we discuss the recent advances and future strategies to ultimately
      develop MM therapies with curative potential. 

PMID- 26118502
TI  - Inactivation of Eed impedes MLL-AF9-mediated leukemogenesis through Cdkn2a
      dependent and Cdkn2a-independent mechanisms in a murine model.
AB  - Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is a chromatin regulator with central roles
      in development and cancer. The canonical function of PRC2 is the trimethylation
      of histone 3 on lysine residue 27. This epigenetic modification is associated
      with gene silencing. Both tumor suppressor and oncogenic functions have been
      reported for PRC2, depending on cellular context. In leukemia mediated by the
      leukemogenic fusion MLL-AF9, complete ablation of canonical PRC2 function by
      genetic inactivation of the core component embryonic ectoderm development (Eed)
      or by combined pharmacologic inhibition of the PRC2 methyltransferases EZH2 and
      EZH1 has a strong anti-leukemic effect, and this effect has been linked to de
      repression of the PRC2 target locus Cdkn2a. We asked whether inactivation of
      Cdkn2a is sufficient to restore leukemic activity of Eed-inactivated MLL-AF9
      leukemia cells, using combined genetic inactivation of Cdkn2a and Eed. We found
      that Cdkn2a inactivation partially rescues in vitro and in vivo growth of Eed
      inactivated MLL-AF9 cells. However, the growth of Eed-null Cdkn2a-null MLL-AF9
      cells in the absence of Cdkn2a remained severely compromised in vitro and in
      vivo, compared with that of their Eed-floxed Cdkn2a-null counterparts. RNA
      sequencing analysis revealed that several genes previously implicated in
      inefficient growth of MLL-AF9-transformed cells, including Gata2, Egr1, and
      Cdkn2b were de-repressed as a consequence of Eed inactivation. Furthermore, we
      found that direct binding targets of MLL fusion proteins are negatively enriched
      in Eed-inactivated Cdkn2a-null MLL-AF9-transformed cells. Our data indicate that
      interference with PRC2 function affects MLL-AF9-mediated leukemogenesis by both
      Cdkn2a-dependent and Cdkn2a-independent mechanisms.

PMID- 26118504
TI  - Manual therapies and hypoalgesia: What are the mechanisms?

PMID- 26118505
TI  - Re: Transmission of muscle force to fascia during exercise [Thomas Findley, M.D,
      Ph.D, Hans Chaudhry, Ph.D, Sunil Dhar, Ph.D. Journal of Bodywork & Movement
      Therapies (2015) 19, 119-123].

PMID- 26118506
TI  - Findley & Chaudhry's response to Sharkey.

PMID- 26118503
TI  - Targeting DOT1L and HOX gene expression in MLL-rearranged leukemia and beyond.
AB  - Leukemias harboring mixed-lineage leukemia gene (MLL1) abnormalities are
      associated with poor clinical outcomes, and new therapeutic approaches are
      desperately needed. Rearrangement of the MLL1 gene generates chimeric proteins
      that fuse the NH3 terminus of MLL1 to the COOH terminus of its translocation
      partners. These MLL1 fusion oncoproteins drive the expression of homeobox genes
      such as HOXA cluster genes and myeloid ecotropic viral integration site 1 homolog
      (MEIS1), which are known to induce leukemic transformation of hematopoietic
      progenitors. Genomewide histone methylation studies have revealed that the
      abnormal expression of MLL1 fusion target genes is associated with high levels of
      H3K79 methylation at these gene loci. The only known enzyme that catalyzes
      methylation of H3K79 is disruptor of telomeric-silencing 1-like (DOT1L). Loss-of
      function mouse models, as well as small molecular inhibitors of DOT1L, illustrate
      that leukemias driven by MLL1 translocations are dependent on DOT1L enzymatic
      activity for proliferation and for the maintenance of HOXA gene expression.
      Furthermore, DOT1L also appears to be important for HOXA gene expression in other
      settings including leukemias with select genetic abnormalities. These discoveries
      have established a foundation for disease-specific therapies that target
      chromatin modifications in highly malignant leukemias harboring specific genetic
      abnormalities. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying MLL1
      translocation-driven leukemogenesis and the latest progress on DOT1L-targeted
      epigenetic therapies for MLL1-rearranged and other leukemias. 

PMID- 26118507
TI  - Response to Dommerholt and Gerwin: Did we miss the point?

PMID- 26118508
TI  - Reliability of ultrasound thickness measurement of the abdominal muscles during
      clinical isometric endurance tests.
AB  - The study was designed to evaluate the intra-examiner reliability of ultrasound
      (US) thickness measurement of abdominal muscles activity when supine lying and
      during two isometric endurance tests in subjects with and without Low back pain
      (LBP). A total of 19 women (9 with LBP, 10 without LBP) participated in the
      study. Within-day reliability of the US thickness measurements at supine lying
      and the two isometric endurance tests were assessed in all subjects. The intra
      class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the relative reliability
      of thickness measurement. The standard error of measurement (SEM), minimal
      detectable change (MDC) and the coefficient of variation (CV) were used to
      evaluate the absolute reliability. Results indicated high ICC scores (0.73-0.99)
      and also small SEM and MDC scores for within-day reliability assessment. The
      Bland-Altman plots of agreement in US measurement of the abdominal muscles during
      the two isometric endurance tests demonstrated that 95% of the observations fall
      between the limits of agreement for test and retest measurements. Together the
      results indicate high intra-tester reliability for the US measurement of the
      thickness of abdominal muscles in all the positions tested. According to the
      study's findings, US imaging can be used as a reliable method for assessment of
      abdominal muscles activity in supine lying and the two isometric endurance tests
      employed, in participants with and without LBP. 

PMID- 26118509
TI  - Accuracy of the Fonseca anamnestic index in the identification of myogenous
      temporomandibular disorder in female community cases.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of the Fonseca
      anamnestic index (FAI) in the identification of myogenous temporomandibular
      disorder (TMD). Two hundred and three female volunteers participated in this
      study, 117 with myogenous TMD and 86 without TMD. The Research Diagnostic
      Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders were first applied as the gold standard
      for the diagnosis. The volunteers then answered the 10 items on the FAI, which
      furnished a score ranging from 0 to 100 points. The receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) was used to determine the accuracy of the diagnosis (area
      under the curve) and the best cutoff point of the tool. Thus, FAI demonstrated a
      high degree of accuracy for the diagnosis of myogenous TMD (area under the ROC
      curve of 0.940). The best cutoff point was a score of 47.50. Thus, a score
      ranging from 0 to 45 points corresponds to the absence of myogenous TMD and
      scores ranging from 50 to 100 points identifies individuals with the disorder. In
      conclusion, the high degree of diagnostic accuracy demonstrates that the FAI can
      be employed for the identification of myogenous TMD in female community cases. 

PMID- 26118510
TI  - The effect of chronic shoulder pain on maximal force of shoulder abduction.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine if chronic shoulder pain had an effect on
      arm abduction strength and recruitment strategies of the serratus anterior,
      middle deltoid, and upper trapezius. METHOD: The maximal isometric force at 30
      degrees  arm abduction and the electromyographic activity of the serratus
      anterior, middle deltoid, and upper trapezius were recorded for 14 subjects with
      unilateral chronic shoulder pain and 11 healthy subjects. RESULTS: Relative to
      the group without pain, the group with chronic shoulder pain showed no
      significant difference in maximal force production during isometric arm
      abduction. The Mann-Whitney tests showed no differences in the activation of the
      serratus anterior, middle deltoid, and upper trapezius between the two groups.
      DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Subjects with chronic shoulder pain of mild to
      moderate intensity showed no difference from healthy subjects in arm abduction
      maximal strength, and recruitment patterns of serratus anterior, middle deltoid,
      and upper trapezius.

PMID- 26118511
TI  - Ultrasound imaging of the diagonal dimension of the deep cervical flexor muscles:
      A reliability study on healthy subjects.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability of a new ultrasound
      imaging (USI) parameter and procedure for the evaluation of the size of the deep
      cervical flexor (DCF) muscles. Thirty-one healthy male subjects (21.6 +/- 2.5
      years old) participated in this study. Two images of the diagonal dimension (DD)
      of the DCF of the subjects, at 1.5 fingerbreadths below the laryngeal prominence
      of the thyroid cartilage in a relaxed state, were taken on separate days with a 1
      week interval. The intraclass correlation coefficient between the days was 0.82
      (95% confidence interval, 0.65-0.91). The standard error of measurement and
      minimal detectable change were 0.8 mm and 2.1 mm, respectively. The results
      indicated that the DD may be used as a reliable USI parameter to measure the DCF
      thickness in healthy subjects. 

PMID- 26118512
TI  - Assessment of postural stability in patients with cerebellar disease using
      gyroscope data.
AB  - This study examines a relatively new method of studying and quantifying human
      postural stability in patients with degenerative cerebellar disease. Trunk sway
      and feet sway were measured during quiet stance. To test the method, ten patients
      and eleven healthy subjects performed two different stance tasks: standing with
      eyes open on a firm surface and standing with eyes closed on a foam support
      surface. Data were recorded using three body-worn gyroscopes (Xsens Technologies
      B.V.) to measure roll and pitch angular movements of the lower trunk, and left
      and right foot. The pitch versus roll plots of the trunk and feet were created,
      and the areas of the convex hull shapes were calculated. It was found that the
      area of the convex hull of the pitch versus roll plots is suitable for the
      identification of postural instability disorders caused by degenerative
      cerebellar disease. 

PMID- 26118513
TI  - Clinical analysis and baropodometric evaluation in diagnosis of abnormal foot
      posture: A clinical trial.
AB  - Foot posture involves the integration of sensory information from the periphery
      of the body. This information generates precise changes through fine adjustments
      that compensate for the continuous, spontaneous sway of the body in the standing
      position. Orthopedic insoles are one of the therapeutic resources indicated for
      assisting in this process. Evaluation of these podal influences, by clinical
      examination and/or the assistance of baropodometry becomes crucial. Thus, the aim
      of the present study was determine the combination of the components of
      orthopedic insoles using two different evaluation methods. Forty healthy female
      volunteers between 18 and 30 years participated in the study. The volunteers were
      submitted to two different evaluations: clinical analysis and baropodometry.
      During the exams, different insole components were tested. The statistical
      analysis of the two evaluations revealed differences regarding the normalization
      of posture following the application of the insole components and in the
      determination of the combination of these components. The findings suggest that
      the clinical analysis is a fast and accurate method for determining the immediate
      benefits of the postural insole components and is therefore the more indicated
      method for the evaluation of foot posture, but does not present a concrete
      foundation to differentiate it with respect to baropodometric evaluation in the
      assessment and diagnosis of foot posture, however, a greater difficulty was
      encountered in achieving posture normalization when using information obtained
      through baropodometry. 

PMID- 26118514
TI  - Sirsasana (headstand) technique alters head/neck loading: Considerations for
      safety.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study examined the weight-bearing responsibility of the head and
      neck at moments of peak force during three headstand techniques. METHODS: Three
      matched groups of 15 each (18-60 years old) were formed based upon lower limb
      entry/exit technique: symmetrical extended, symmetrical flexed, and asymmetrical
      flexed. All 45 practitioners performed 3 headstands. Kinematics and kinetics were
      analyzed to locate peak forces acting on the head, loading rate, center of
      pressure (COP) and cervical alignment. FINDINGS: During entry, symmetrical
      extended leg position trended towards the lowest loads as compared to
      asymmetrical or symmetrical flexed legs (Cohen's d = 0.53 and 0.39 respectively).
      Also, symmetrical extended condition produced slower loading rates and more
      neutral cervical conditions during loading. INTERPRETATION: Subjects loaded the
      head with maximums of 40-48% of total body weight. The data support the
      conclusion that entering the posture with straight legs together may reduce the
      load and the rate of change of that load.

PMID- 26118515
TI  - Effect of remote after-effects of resistive static contraction of the pelvic
      depressors on improvement of restricted wrist flexion range of motion in patients
      with restricted wrist flexion range of motion.
AB  - The objective of the study was to compare the effects of remote after-effects of
      resistive static contraction of the pelvic depressors (RSCPD) with after-effects
      of static contraction of upper extremity muscles (SCUE) on improvement of the
      maximal active range of motion (MAROM) for patients with restricted wrist flexion
      range of motion (ROM) due to upper limb pain and dysfunction. The participants
      were 10 outpatients with restricted wrist joints. The mean (SD) age was 53.7
      (4.4) years (range, 34-81). The subjects performed two exercise protocols (SCUE
      and RSCPD) in random order. One-way repeated measures ANOVA showed significant
      main effects in evaluation of the change in MAROM and IEMG activities for
      different conditions (after rest, after SCUE, and after RSCPD). The remote after
      effects of RSCPD, but not those of SCUE, caused significant improvement in MAROM
      for restricted wrist flexion ROM. 

PMID- 26118516
TI  - Massage treatment and medial tibial stress syndrome; A commentary to provoke
      thought about the way massage therapy is used in the treatment of MTSS.
AB  - As students and practitioners we are taught about the treatment and causative
      factors of medial shin pain, in particular' shin splints' or the more recent
      term; medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). During the years there have been many
      theories, conjecture and misunderstandings about the mechanisms of 'shin
      splints/medial tibial stress syndrome' however the ramifications of these
      mechanisms on how massage treatment is delivered have not being discussed. The
      evidence for the treatment of MTSS is largely clinical with little evidence of
      any treatment being proven to be effective in treating MTSS. The aim of this
      article is to present a summary of the mechanisms of MTSS and a commentary to
      provoke thought about the way massage therapy is used in the treatment of MTSS
      based on these mechanisms. 

PMID- 26118517
TI  - Long-term benefits of somatosensory training to improve balance of elderly with
      diabetes mellitus.
AB  - We evaluate the effects of somatosensory training on the mean amplitude of the
      center of pressure (COP) in the upright position and the sustained benefits after
      6-month. Twelve elderly patients with type II diabetes (T2DM) participated in the
      study. Patients with T2DM were allocated to the somatosensory protocol, which
      consisted of a circuit composed of 13 stations with different textures. The
      rehabilitation protocol was applied twice a week during the period of 12 weeks.
      Upright balance, in 2 situations (fixed platform with eyes open and closed) to
      evaluate the mean amplitude of COP oscillation in the anterior-posterior and
      medial-lateral directions and the total area of COP oscillation. Outcomes were
      assessed at baseline, post-exercise and 6-month follow-up. The somatosensory
      training protocol was beneficial to reduce the AP oscillation of the COP,
      remaining after 6 months of the end of intervention in elderly with T2DM. 

PMID- 26118518
TI  - Effect of massage on DOMS in ultramarathon runners: A pilot study.
AB  - In recent years, the popularity of ultramarathons has increased. During these
      competitions, musculoskeletal problems are very common. Among the more frequent
      of those problems is the onset of muscle pain, which is defined in the literature
      as delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The present study aimed to collect
      epidemiological data regarding the onset of musculoskeletal problems during the
      Tor des Geants (International ultramarathon race of 330 km in length and 24,000 m
      in elevation difference) and to describe the effects of massage on reducing pain
      and overall perceived improvement in a sample of 25 athletes who complained of
      DOMS. Two hundred and twenty-one treatments were performed on 220 ultramarathon
      runners, of which 207 were males and 34 were females; the age group most
      represented ranged from 40 to 50 years. The most common symptom was pain, which
      occurred in more than 95% of cases, and the most affected area was the lower
      extremities (90% of subjects). In the analysed subjects, treatment with massage
      generated a significant (p < 0.0001) improvement. The numeric pain rating scale
      (NPRS) value was 3.6 points on average (SD 2.1) after massage, and there were no
      cases of worsening DOMS after massage as determined using the patient global
      impression of change (PGIC). The values of minimal clinically important
      difference (MCID) in DOMS management were calculated on the basis of the ROC
      curves and two other anchor-based methods in the PGIC and were 2.8-3.9 points on
      the NPRS. In the context analysed, massage was an effective treatment to reduce
      DOMS during the onset of symptoms. 

PMID- 26118519
TI  - Neuroscience education in addition to trigger point dry needling for the
      management of patients with mechanical chronic low back pain: A preliminary
      clinical trial.
AB  - The objective of the current study was to determine the short-term effects of
      trigger point dry needling (TrP-DN) alone or combined with neuroscience education
      on pain, disability, kinesiophobia and widespread pressure sensitivity in
      patients with mechanical low back pain (LBP). Twelve patients with LBP were
      randomly assigned to receive either TrP-DN (TrP-DN) or TrP-DN plus neuroscience
      education (TrP-DN + EDU). Pain intensity (Numerical Pain Rating Scale, 0-10),
      disability (Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire-RMQ-, Oswestry Low Back Pain
      Disability Index-ODI), kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia-TSK), and
      pressure pain thresholds (PPT) over the C5-C6 zygapophyseal joint, transverse
      process of L3 vertebra, second metacarpal, and tibialis anterior muscle were
      collected at baseline and 1-week after the intervention. Patients treated with
      TrP-DN + EDU experienced a significantly greater reduction of kinesiophobia (P =
      0.008) and greater increases in PPT over the transverse process of L3 (P = 0.049)
      than those patients treated only with TrP-DN. Both groups experienced similar
      decreases in pain, ODI and RMQ, and similar increases in PPT over the C5/C6
      joint, second metacarpal, and tibialis anterior after the intervention (all, P >
      0.05). The results suggest that TrP-DN was effective for improving pain,
      disability, kinesiophobia and widespread pressure sensitivity in patients with
      mechanical LBP at short-term. The inclusion of a neuroscience educational program
      resulted in a greater improvement in kinesiophobia. 

PMID- 26118520
TI  - Effects of Alexander Technique training experience on gait behavior in older
      adults.
AB  - Heightened fall risk, potentially caused by aging-related changes in gait, is a
      serious health issue faced by older adults. The Alexander Technique is thought to
      improve balance and motor function; however, the technique's effect on gait has
      not been studied. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of
      Alexander Technique training in older adults on the temporospatial
      characteristics of gait and medio-lateral center of mass displacement during fast
      and comfortably paced over-ground walking. Six licensed Alexander Technique
      teachers and seven controls between the ages of 60 and 75 years of age
      participated in the study. Alexander Technique teachers exhibited a reduction in
      medio-lateral center of mass displacement during fast paced walking compared to
      comfortably paced walking that was not present in controls. Due to this
      difference Alexander Technique teachers displayed a smaller medio-lateral Center
      of Mass displacement compared to controls during fast paced walking. Alexander
      Technique teachers also demonstrated significantly smaller stride width and lower
      gait timing variability compared to controls. These findings, which suggest
      superior control of dynamic stability during gait and potentially reduced fall
      risk in Alexander Technique teachers, warrant further study. 

PMID- 26118521
TI  - A critical overview of the current myofascial pain literature - July 2015.
AB  - The current overview includes thirty articles published in the recent past about
      myofascial pain, trigger points (TrPs) and related topics. In the Basic Research
      section, several interesting new studies are reviewed addressing the presence of
      TrPs in patients with low back pain, episodic migraine, or following a
      meniscectomy. An animal study of the impact of laser fluency opens the door to
      future studies regarding optimal dosage of low-level laser therapy in the
      treatment of individuals with TrPs. Six papers focus on TrP dry needling (DN),
      two on manual therapies, and two on injection therapy. On of the injection papers
      discusses the occurrence of a cardiac tamponade, which is a very rare potential
      complication of invasive needling therapies that can easily be avoided with
      proper needling techniques. Several review studies and other clinical studies
      conclude this overview. 

PMID- 26118522
TI  - Physical activity, fear avoidance, and chronic non-specific pain: A narrative
      review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic non-specific pain (CNSP) and physical inactivity have become
      increasingly prevalent in the United States; however, the associations between
      the two remain unclear. The lack of clarity may be due to the presence of a third
      variable, the individual's pain coping strategy. OBJECTIVES: We had three
      specific aims. 1) To review the associations between fear-avoidance beliefs and
      behaviors, and levels of physical activity and disability. 2) To review the
      theoretical mechanisms behind chronic non-specific pain and the potential
      mediating role of physical activity. 3) Finally, to report the most commonly
      recommended interventions for fear-avoidant individuals suffering with chronic
      pain. CONCLUSIONS: Further investigation is needed to fully understand the
      associations between physical activity, chronic non-specific pain, and fear
      avoidant beliefs and behaviors. Precise relationships notwithstanding, there is
      strong evidence to suggest that physical activity is an integral piece to the
      chronic non-specific pain puzzle. For this reason, it is incumbent upon
      clinicians to strongly recommend participation in regular, yet properly
      progressed, physical activity to chronic non-specific pain sufferers.

PMID- 26118523
TI  - Effects of Pilates method in elderly people: Systematic review of randomized
      controlled trials.
AB  - The Pilates method has been widely used in physical training and rehabilitation.
      Evidence regarding the effectiveness of this method in elderly people is limited.
      Six randomized controlled trials studies involving the use of the Pilates method
      for elderly people, published prior to December 2013, were selected from the
      databases PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, Scielo and PEDro. Three articles
      suggested that Pilates produced improvements in balance. Two studies evaluated
      the adherence to Pilates programs. One study assessed Pilates' influence on
      cardio-metabolic parameters and another study evaluated changes in body
      composition. Strong evidence was found regarding beneficial effects of Pilates
      over static and dynamic balance in women. Nevertheless, evidence of balance
      improvement in both genders, changes in body composition in woman and adherence
      to Pilates programs were limited. Effects on cardio-metabolic parameters due to
      Pilates training presented inconclusive results. Pilates may be a useful tool in
      rehabilitation and prevention programs but more high quality studies are
      necessary to establish all the effects on elderly populations. 

PMID- 26118524
TI  - Cognitive function and exercise training for chronic renal disease patients: A
      literature review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cognitive impairment is very often noted in patients with Chronic
      Kidney Disease (CKD). Even though, exercise is considered to be a quantifiable
      activity that improves cognition in animals and humans, it seems that few studies
      have examined the relationship between cognitive function and CKD from the
      perspective of physical activity and cognitive performance. Thus, this evidence
      based review summarizes the present level of knowledge regarding the effects of
      exercise training on cognitive function in CKD patients. DATA SOURCES: A
      comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed and Scopus from May 2014
      through June 2014, by using the Cochrane and PRISMA guidelines. REVIEW METHODS:
      Eligibility of the studies based on titles, abstracts and full-text articles was
      determined by two reviewers. Studies were selected using inclusion and exclusion
      criteria. We included only those studies that: assessed cognitive function in
      humans and animals using validated neuropsychological methods in chronic renal
      diseases patients; used exercise training protocols; addressed randomized control
      trials or controlled trials or clinical trials designed to evaluate cognitive
      impairment; and articles that were written in English. Studies were excluded when
      they concerned behavioral approaches and underpowered studies. RESULTS: According
      to the current review only a few studies have examined the issue of cognitive
      function in CKD patients. These studies indicate that these patients often
      exhibit cognitive impairment, which is highly associated with poor outcomes. It
      has been supported that exercise training can induce positive changes in brain
      metabolism favoring better scores in cognitive function in Chronic Kidney Disease
      patients although the physiological mechanisms, which explain the influence of
      physical activity on cognition, have focused on changes in neurotransmitters,
      neurotrophins and vasculature. CONCLUSION: Systematic exercise training seems to
      improve cognitive function in Chronic Kidney Disease patients but further
      research is warranted to further clarify the mechanisms involved.

PMID- 26118525
TI  - Fascial eponyms may help elucidate terminological and nomenclatural development.
AB  - It has been reported that at least 700 anatomical eponyms were in existence at
      the end of the 19th century, yet the number of eponyms expressly relating to
      fasciae is unknown, and these anatomical expressions have yet to be described as
      a group. This study accordingly aimed to assemble a comprehensive-as-possible
      list of these terms, to investigate their customary usage, and to consider
      whether their existence might usefully shed light on contemporary fascia-relating
      terminological development. A search for fascia-relating eponyms incorporated
      within a range of English language anatomical and medical publications during the
      past 400 years resulted in the discovery of 44 eponyms that explicitly refer to
      aspects of fascia. This article outlines and discusses the origin, meaning, and
      use of these terms, and concludes that an understanding of the history of fascial
      eponyms may be of value when addressing contemporary concerns with the language
      used to describe fascia. 

PMID- 26118526
TI  - A unifying neuro-fasciagenic model of somatic dysfunction - Underlying mechanisms
      and treatment - Part II.
AB  - This paper offers an extensive review of the main fascia-mediated mechanisms
      underlying various therapeutic processes of clinical relevance for manual
      therapy. The concept of somatic dysfunction is revisited in light of the several
      fascial influences that may come into play during and after manual treatment. A
      change in perspective is thus proposed: from a nociceptive model that for decades
      has viewed somatic dysfunction as a neurologically-mediated phenomenon, to a
      unifying neuro-fascial model that integrates neural influences into a
      multifactorial and multidimensional interpretation of manual therapeutic effects
      as being partially, if not entirely, mediated by the fascia. By taking into
      consideration a wide spectrum of fascia-related factors - from cell-based
      mechanisms to cognitive and behavioural influences - a model emerges suggesting,
      amongst other results, a multidisciplinary-approach to the intervention of
      somatic dysfunction. Finally, it is proposed that a sixth osteopathic 'meta
      model' - the connective tissue-fascial model - be added to the existing five
      models in osteopathic philosophy as the main interface between all body systems,
      thus providing a structural and functional framework for the body's homoeostatic
      potential and its inherent abilities to heal. 

PMID- 26118527
TI  - The immediate effect of bilateral self myofascial release on the plantar surface
      of the feet on hamstring and lumbar spine flexibility: A pilot randomised
      controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Self myofascial release (SMR) via a tennis ball to the plantar aspect
      of the foot is widely used and advocated to increase flexibility and range of
      movement further along the posterior muscles of a proposed "anatomy train". To
      date there is no evidence to support the effect of bilateral SMR on the plantar
      aspect of the feet to increase hamstring and lumbar spine flexibility. AIM: The
      primary aim was to investigate the immediate effect of a single application of
      SMR on the plantar aspect of the foot, on hamstring and lumbar spine flexibility.
      The secondary aim was to evaluate the method and propose improvements in future
      research. DESIGN: A pilot single blind randomised control trial. PARTICIPANTS:
      Twenty four healthy volunteers (8 men, 16 women; mean age 28 years +/- 11.13).
      METHOD: Participants underwent screening to exclude hypermobility and were
      randomly allocated to an intervention (SMR) or control group (no therapy).
      Baseline and post intervention flexibility was assessed by a sit-and-reach test
      (SRT). A one way between groups analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to
      compare between group outcome SRT measurements. Baseline pre-intervention and
      control SRT measurements were used as the covariate in the analysis. RESULTS:
      There was a significant increase (p = 0.03) in the intervention SRT outcome
      measurements compared to the control group, with a large effect size. CONCLUSION:
      An immediate clinical benefit of SMR on the flexibility of the hamstrings and
      lumbar spine was indicated and suggestions for methodological improvements may
      inform future research.

PMID- 26118528
TI  - About eccentric exercise.

PMID- 26118529
TI  - Does anterior knee pain severity and function relate to the frontal plane
      projection angle and trunk and hip strength in women with patellofemoral pain?
AB  - The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between knee pain
      severity and function with the frontal plane projection angle (FPPA) and trunk
      and hip peak torque (PT) in women with patellofemoral pain (PFPS). Twenty-two
      women with PFPS were assessed. Knee pain severity (KPS) was assessed with an 11
      point visual analog scale and function with an Anterior Knee Pain Scale. The FPPA
      was recorded with a digital camera. PT of extensors, abductors, and the lateral
      rotators of hip and lateral core stability were measured with a handheld
      dynamometer. FPPA was the only predictor for the KPS. Regarding predictors of
      function, PT of lateral core stability and the extensor and abductor of the hip
      explained 41.4% of the function. Increase in FPPA was associated with greater
      KPS, and the lowest PT of lateral core stability, hip abductors, and extensors
      was associated with lower function in women with PFPS. 

PMID- 26118530
TI  - Common postural defects among music students.
AB  - Postural quality during musical performance affects both musculoskeletal health
      and the quality of the performance. In this study we examined the posture of 100
      students at a Higher Conservatory of Music in Spain. By analysing video tapes and
      photographs of the students while performing, a panel of experts extracted values
      of 11 variables reflecting aspects of overall postural quality or the postural
      quality of various parts of the body. The most common postural defects were
      identified, together with the situations in which they occur. It is concluded
      that most students incur in unphysiological postures during performance. It is
      hoped that use of the results of this study will help correct these errors. 

PMID- 26118531
TI  - Sparing your spine.

PMID- 26118532
TI  - Membrane Protein Properties Revealed through Data-Rich Electrostatics
      Calculations.
AB  - The electrostatic properties of membrane proteins often reveal many of their key
      biophysical characteristics, such as ion channel selectivity and the stability of
      charged membrane-spanning segments. The Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation is the
      gold standard for calculating protein electrostatics, and the software APBSmem
      enables the solution of the PB equation in the presence of a membrane. Here, we
      describe significant advances to APBSmem, including full automation of system
      setup, per-residue energy decomposition, incorporation of PDB2PQR, calculation of
      membrane-induced pKa shifts, calculation of non-polar energies, and command-line
      scripting for large-scale calculations. We highlight these new features with
      calculations carried out on a number of membrane proteins, including the recently
      solved structure of the ion channel TRPV1 and a large survey of 1,614 membrane
      proteins of known structure. This survey provides a comprehensive list of
      residues with large electrostatic penalties for being embedded in the membrane,
      potentially revealing interesting functional information. 

PMID- 26118533
TI  - Atomic Modeling of an Immature Retroviral Lattice Using Molecular Dynamics and
      Mutagenesis.
AB  - Defining the molecular interaction between Gag proteins in an assembled hexagonal
      lattice of immature retrovirus particles is crucial for elucidating the
      mechanisms of virus assembly and maturation. Recent advances in cryo-electron
      microscopy have yielded subnanometer structural information on the morphology of
      immature Gag lattices, making computational modeling and simulations feasible for
      investigating the Gag-Gag interactions at the atomic level. We have examined the
      structure of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) using all-atom molecular dynamics
      simulations and in vitro assembly, to create the first all-atom model of an
      immature retroviral lattice. Microseconds-long replica exchange molecular
      dynamics simulation of the spacer peptide (SP)-nucleocapsid (NC) subdomains
      results in a six-helix bundle with amphipathic properties. The resulting model of
      the RSV Gag lattice shows features and dynamics of the capsid protein with
      implications for the maturation process, and confirms the stabilizing role of the
      upstream and downstream regions of Gag, namely p10 and SP-NC. 

PMID- 26118534
TI  - Global RNA Fold and Molecular Recognition for a pfl Riboswitch Bound to ZMP, a
      Master Regulator of One-Carbon Metabolism.
AB  - ZTP, the pyrophosphorylated analog of ZMP (5-amino-4-imidazole carboxamide ribose
      5'-monophosphate), was identified as an alarmone that senses 10-formyl
      tetrahydroflate deficiency in bacteria. Recently, a pfl riboswitch was identified
      that selectively binds ZMP and regulates genes associated with purine
      biosynthesis and one-carbon metabolism. We report on the structure of the ZMP
      bound Thermosinus carboxydivorans pfl riboswitch sensing domain, thereby defining
      the pseudoknot-based tertiary RNA fold, the binding-pocket architecture, and
      principles underlying ligand recognition specificity. Molecular recognition
      involves shape complementarity, with the ZMP 5-amino and carboxamide groups
      paired with the Watson-Crick edge of an invariant uracil, and the imidazole ring
      sandwiched between guanines, while the sugar hydroxyls form intermolecular
      hydrogen bond contacts. The burial of the ZMP base and ribose moieties, together
      with unanticipated coordination of the carboxamide by Mg(2+), contrasts with
      exposure of the 5'-phosphate to solvent. Our studies highlight the principles
      underlying RNA-based recognition of ZMP, a master regulator of one-carbon
      metabolism. 

PMID- 26118536
TI  - Risk of endocrine disruption to fish in the Yellow River catchment in China
      assessed using a spatially explicit model.
AB  - The global water availability assessment (GWAVA) model, incorporating regional
      water abstractions and reservoir information, was used to model the human-sourced
      steroid estrogens estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2) in the Yellow River catchment
      (China). The river flows in the main stem were calibrated using gauged flows.
      Following a review of Chinese data on estrogen discharge from a range of sewage
      treatment plants, low, median, and high discharge rates were identified and used
      as best, expected, and worst-case scenarios, respectively. For any given
      location, the temporal variation of modeled estrogen levels was summarized using
      the mean and upper 90th percentile, which is where the model predicts 90% of
      values would be below this concentration. The predicted means and 90th
      percentiles for E1 were comparable to previous E1 measurements reported in the
      river. For the whole catchment, only 19% (mean value) of the river system by
      length was predicted to exceed 1 ng/L E2 equivalents (EEQs) using expected
      estrogen sewage discharge. Only 3% of the network by length was predicted to
      exceed the dangerously high 10 ng/L EEQ when considering 90th percentile
      concentrations. The highest exposures were in the Fen and Wei tributaries.
      Endocrine disruption risk from estrogens was predicted to be minimal in the main
      stem. Only in the worst-case discharge scenario and 90th percentile predicted
      concentrations were the most downstream river reaches of the main stem predicted
      to be at risk. Reservoirs appeared to be helpful in reducing estrogen
      concentrations thanks to longer water residence facilitating biodegradation.

PMID- 26118537
TI  - Nitrosative Stress in the Nervous System: Guidelines for Designing Experimental
      Strategies to Study Protein S-Nitrosylation.
AB  - Reactive nitrogen species, such as nitric oxide (NO), exert their biological
      activity in large part through post-translational modification of cysteine
      residues, forming S-nitrosothiols. This chemical reaction proceeds via a process
      that we and our colleagues have termed protein S-nitrosylation. Under conditions
      of normal NO production, S-nitrosylation regulates the activity of many normal
      proteins. However, in degenerative conditions characterized by nitrosative
      stress, increased levels of NO lead to aberrant S-nitrosylation that contributes
      to the pathology of the disease. Thus, S-nitrosylation has been implicated in a
      wide range of cellular mechanisms, including mitochondrial function,
      proteostasis, transcriptional regulation, synaptic activity, and cell survival.
      In recent years, the research area of protein S-nitrosylation has become
      prominent due to improvements in the detection systems as well as the
      demonstration that protein S-nitrosylation plays a critical role in the
      pathogenesis of neurodegenerative and other neurological disorders. To further
      promote our understanding of how protein S-nitrosylation affects cellular
      systems, guidelines for the design and conduct of research on S-nitrosylated (or
      SNO-)proteins would be highly desirable, especially for those newly entering the
      field. In this review article, we provide a strategic overview of designing
      experimental approaches to study protein S-nitrosylation. We specifically focus
      on methods that can provide critical data to demonstrate that an S-nitrosylated
      protein plays a (patho-)physiologically-relevant role in a biological process.
      Hence, the implementation of the approaches described herein will contribute to
      further advancement of the study of S-nitrosylated proteins, not only in
      neuroscience but also in other research fields. 

PMID- 26118535
TI  - Structure of a Bud6/Actin Complex Reveals a Novel WH2-like Actin Monomer
      Recruitment Motif.
AB  - In budding yeast, the actin-binding protein Bud6 cooperates with formins Bni1 and
      Bnr1 to catalyze the assembly of actin filaments. The nucleation-enhancing
      activity of Bud6 requires both a "core" domain that binds to the formin and a
      "flank" domain that binds monomeric actin. Here, we describe the structure of the
      Bud6 flank domain in complex with actin. Two helices in Bud6(flank) interact with
      actin; one binds in a groove at the barbed end of the actin monomer in a manner
      closely resembling the helix of WH2 domains, a motif found in many actin
      nucleation factors. The second helix rises along the face of actin. Mutational
      analysis verifies the importance of these Bud6-actin contacts for nucleation
      enhancing activity. The Bud6 binding site on actin overlaps with that of the
      formin FH2 domain and is also incompatible with inter-subunit contacts in F
      actin, suggesting that Bud6 interacts only transiently with actin monomers during
      filament nucleation. 

PMID- 26118538
TI  - To what extent will 5-aminolevulinic acid change the face of malignant glioma
      surgery?
AB  - Glioma surgery is an essential part of glioma management; however, fully
      achieving the goal of surgery has been uncommon. The goal of surgery is 'maximal
      safe resection' with the accepted target for maximal being complete resection of
      the contrast-enhancing tumor. This ideal result was obtained in less than 30% of
      cases in centers of excellence until a few years ago. The development of
      fluorescence-guided surgery using 5-aminolevulinic acid has initiated a radical
      change. Over the past 5 years, various groups have published rates of complete
      resection of the enhancing tumor that exceed 80%. In the coming years, as the use
      of the technology expands, complete resection should become a common, predictable
      result at many centers. Consequently, adjuvant therapies that benefit from
      resection could play a bigger role, resection could be incorporated as a variable
      in randomized trials and distant recurrence might become a more common problem.

PMID- 26118539
TI  - Intracellular Self-Assembly of Taxol Nanoparticles for Overcoming Multidrug
      Resistance.
AB  - Multidrug resistance (MDR) remains the biggest challenge in treating cancers.
      Herein we propose the intracellular self-assembly of nanodrugs as a new strategy
      for overcoming MDR. By employing a biocompatible condensation reaction, we
      rationally designed a taxol derivative Ac-Arg-Val-Arg-Arg-Cys(StBu)-Lys(taxol)-2
      cyanobenzothiazole (CBT-Taxol) which could be subjected to furin-controlled
      condensation and self-assembly of taxol nanoparticles (Taxol-NPs). In vitro and
      in vivo studies indicated that, compared with taxol, CBT-Taxol showed a 4.5-fold
      or 1.5-fold increase in anti-MDR effects, respectively, on taxol-resistant HCT
      116 cancer cells or tumors without being toxic to the cells or the mice. Our
      results demonstrate that structuring protease-susceptible agents and assembling
      them intracellularly into nanodrugs could be a new optimal strategy for
      overcoming MDR. 

PMID- 26118540
TI  - Chandipura virus perturbs cholesterol homeostasis leading to neuronal apoptosis.
AB  - Chandipura virus (CHPV; genus Vesiculovirus, family Rhabdoviridae) induces
      neuronal death through the Fas-mediated extrinsic apoptosis pathway. What propels
      this apoptosis remains unclear, although oxysterols have been reported to be key
      players in neurodegeneration. In our study of CHPV-infected brain samples, we
      observed over-expression of genes such as apolipoprotein E, Cyp46a1, Srebf-1 and
      Nsdhl. This backs up the hypothesis that CHPV replication demands cholesterol
      that is supplied by apolipoprotein E through low density lipid receptors, lipid
      metabolism being pivotal for viral replication. We were able to illustrate this
      with over-expression of low density lipid receptors in CHPV-infected neurons. An
      upsurge of cholesterol concentration has been observed in neurons, triggering the
      expression of Cyp46a1 enzyme and culminating into the conversion of cholesterol
      to 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol. Increased 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol concentration is
      toxic to neurons, propelling neuronal apoptosis through the Fas-mediated
      extrinsic apoptosis pathway. For the first time, perturbation of cholesterol
      homeostasis in brain is shown to be utilized by the viruses for both maturation
      and the release of its matured virions outside the cells for continuous
      neuropathogenesis.

PMID- 26118541
TI  - Bioactive Proteins and Peptides from Soybeans.
AB  - Dietary proteins from soybeans have been shown to offer health benefits in vivo
      and/or in vitro either as intact proteins or in partially digested forms also
      called bioactive peptides. Upon oral administration and absorption, soy-derived
      bioactive peptides may induce several physiological responses such as
      antioxidative, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, anticancer and immunomodulatory
      effects. There has therefore been a mounting research interest in the therapeutic
      potential of soy protein hydrolysates and their subsequent incorporation in
      functional foods and 'Food for Specified Health Uses' (FOSHU) related products
      where their biological activities may assist in the promotion of good health or
      in the control and prevention of diseases. This mini review discusses relevant
      patents and gives an overview on bioactive proteins and peptides obtainable from
      soybeans. Processes for the production and formulation of these peptides are
      given, together with specific examples of their therapeutic potential and
      possible areas of application. 

PMID- 26118542
TI  - Symptom clusters in patients presenting to the emergency department with possible
      acute coronary syndrome differ by sex, age, and discharge diagnosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify classes of individuals presenting to the ED for suspected
      ACS who shared similar symptoms and clinical characteristics. BACKGROUND:
      Describing symptom clusters in undiagnosed patients with suspected ACS is a novel
      and clinically relevant approach, reflecting real-world emergency department
      evaluation procedures. METHODS: Symptoms were measured using a validated 13-item
      symptom checklist. Latent class analysis was used to describe symptom clusters.
      RESULTS: The sample of 874 was 37% female with a mean age of 59.9 years. Four
      symptom classes were identified: Heavy Symptom Burden (Class 1), Chest Symptoms
      and Shortness of Breath (Class 2), Chest Symptoms Only (Class 3), and Weary
      (Class 4). Patients with ACS were more likely to cluster in Classes 2 and 3.
      Women and younger patients were more likely to group in Class 1. CONCLUSIONS:
      Further research is needed to determine the value of symptom clusters in the ED
      triage and management of suspected ACS.

PMID- 26118543
TI  - Cross-resistance and baseline susceptibility of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius)
      (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to cyantraniliprole in the south of China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The oriental leafworm moth, Spodoptera litura Fab. (Lepidoptera:
      Noctuidae), is a widely distributed polyphagous insect pest in Asia that has been
      shown to be resistant to various types of insecticide. The newly registered
      anthranilic diamide cyantraniliprole provided novel insight and great
      opportunities to control S. litura. RESULTS: In this study, the susceptibilities
      of S. litura collected from South China to cyantraniliprole were measured by
      standard leaf-disc bioassay, and obvious variation in susceptibility was observed
      among the 17 field populations, with LC50 values varying from 0.206 to 1.336 mg
      AI L(-1). Significant correlations were detected between the LC50 values of
      cyantraniliprole and chlorantraniliprole (P < 0.05). However, no significant
      correlation (P > 0.05) was observed between the two anthranilic diamides and
      other insecticides with different action mechanisms (delcamethrin, chlorpyrifos,
      indoxacarb and emamectin benzoate). Piperonyl butoxide showed obvious synergism
      in Lab-Sus, ZC14 and cyantraniliprole-resistant strains, while diethyl maleate
      and S,S,S-tributylphorotrithioate had no obvious synergistic effects in any of
      the strains tested. CONCLUSION: These results revealed obvious regional variation
      in cyantraniliprole susceptibilities among populations of S. litura from
      different areas, and potential cross-resistance to chlorantraniliprole, which
      suggested that S. litura could develop resistance to cyantraniliprole.
      Detoxification enzymes might not be involved in the observed tolerance in field
      collected populations and the cyantraniliprole-resistant strain.

PMID- 26118544
TI  - Early versus delayed postoperative radiotherapy for treatment of low-grade
      gliomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In most people with low-grade gliomas (LGG), the primary treatment
      regimen remains a combination of surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy.
      However, the optimal timing of radiotherapy is controversial. It is unclear
      whether to use radiotherapy in the early postoperative period, or whether
      radiotherapy should be delayed until tumour progression occurs. OBJECTIVES: To
      assess the effects of early postoperative radiotherapy versus radiotherapy
      delayed until tumour progression for low-grade intracranial gliomas in people who
      had initial biopsy or surgical resection. SEARCH METHODS: We searched up to
      September 2014 the following electronic databases: the Cochrane Register of
      Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Issue 8, 2014), MEDLINE (1948 to Aug week 3, 2014),
      and EMBASE (1980 to Aug week 3, 2014) to identify trials for inclusion in this
      Cochrane review. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials
      (RCTs) that compared early versus delayed radiotherapy following biopsy or
      surgical resection for the treatment of people with newly diagnosed intracranial
      LGG (astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, mixed oligoastrocytoma, astroblastoma,
      xanthoastrocytoma, or ganglioglioma). Radiotherapy may include conformal external
      beam radiotherapy (EBRT) with linear accelerator or cobalt-60 sources, intensity
      modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). DATA
      COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Three review authors independently assessed the trials
      for inclusion and risk of bias, and extracted study data. We resolved any
      differences between review authors by discussion. Adverse effects were also
      extracted from the study report. We performed meta-analyses using a random
      effects model with inverse variance weighting. MAIN RESULTS: We included one
      large, multi-institutional, prospective RCT, involving 311 participants; the risk
      of bias in this study was unclear. This study found that early postoperative
      radiotherapy is associated with an increase in time to progression compared to
      observation (and delayed radiotherapy upon disease progression) for people with
      LGG but does not significantly improve overall survival (OS). The median
      progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.3 years in the early radiotherapy group and
      3.4 years in the delayed radiotherapy group (hazard ratio (HR) 0.59, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.45 to 0.77; P value < 0.0001; 311 participants; 1
      trail; low quality evidence). The median OS in the early radiotherapy group was
      7.4 years, while the delayed radiotherapy group experienced a median overall
      survival of 7.2 years (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.33; P value = 0.872; 311
      participants; 1 trail; low quality evidence). The total dose of radiotherapy
      given was 54 Gy; five fractions of 1.8 Gy per week were given for six weeks.
      Adverse effects following radiotherapy consisted of skin reactions, otitis media,
      mild headache, nausea, and vomiting. Rescue therapy was provided to 65% of the
      participants randomised to delayed radiotherapy. People in both cohorts who were
      free from tumour progression showed no differences in cognitive deficit, focal
      deficit, performance status, and headache after one year. However, participants
      randomised to the early radiotherapy group experienced significantly fewer
      seizures than participants in the delayed postoperative radiotherapy group at one
      year (25% versus 41%, P value = 0.0329, respectively). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS:
      Given the high risk of bias in the included study, the results of this analysis
      must be interpreted with caution. Early radiation therapy was associated with the
      following adverse effects: skin reactions, otitis media, mild headache, nausea,
      and vomiting. People with LGG who undergo early radiotherapy showed an increase
      in time to progression compared with people who were observed and had
      radiotherapy at the time of progression. There was no significant difference in
      overall survival between people who had early versus delayed radiotherapy;
      however, this finding may be due to the effectiveness of rescue therapy with
      radiation in the control arm. People who underwent early radiation had better
      seizure control at one year than people who underwent delayed radiation. There
      were no cases of radiation-induced malignant transformation of LGG. However, it
      remains unclear whether there are differences in memory, executive function,
      cognitive function, or quality of life between the two groups since these
      measures were not evaluated.

PMID- 26118545
TI  - Free-ranging Cayo Santiago rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta): III. Dental eruption
      patterns and dental pathology.
AB  - This article describes the dental eruption patterns, dentition, and dental wear,
      including tooth loss and breakage, of the free-ranging population of rhesus
      monkeys (Macaca mulatta) on Cayo Santiago (CS), Puerto Rico, ranging from 24 hr
      to 25 years old. Of the 694 monkeys on the island in the year 1985, 688 (99.1%;
      366 males, 322 females) were captured and the dentition of 685 subjects (98.7% of
      the total population; 366 males, 319 females) was examined. Animals ranged in age
      from less than 24 hr to 331 months (27.58 years), encompassing the entire life
      span of the CS macaques. Results demonstrated that the first deciduous teeth
      appeared as early as the third day of life and that the sequence of dental
      eruption was comparable to the pattern observed in laboratory rhesus. However,
      there were slight differences in the age of eruption of individual teeth. For
      example, the canines and third molars erupted about a year later in the CS
      macaques compared to some laboratory rhesus. Overall, CS rhesus had good oral
      health and dental condition although tooth wear, loss, and breakage were common
      in aged animals, especially in males. This report, combined with earlier studies
      on morphological characteristics and skeletal remains of the CS macaques,
      provides the basis for further studies on the biology, genetics, life history,
      and effects of the environment on rhesus monkeys.

PMID- 26118546
TI  - Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Society for Microbiology and EU
      FP-7 PROMISE Regional Meeting, October 15-17, 2014, Keszthely, Hungary.

PMID- 26118547
TI  - Abstracts of the 17(th) International Congress of the Hungarian Society for
      Microbiology, July 8-10, 2015, Budapest, Hungary.

PMID- 26118548
TI  - Distribution and phylogenetic analysis of Culex flavivirus in mosquitoes in
      China.
AB  - Culex flavivirus (CxFV) is an insect-specific virus of the genus Flavivirus. CxFV
      strains have been isolated from Cx. pipiens, Cx. quinquefasciatus, and other Cx.
      species in Asia, Africa, North America, Central America and South America. CxFV
      was isolated for the first time in China in 2006. As this is a novel flavivirus,
      we explored the distribution and genetic characteristics of Culex flavivirus in
      China. A total of 46,649 mosquitoes were collected in seven provinces between
      2004 and 2012 and were analysed in 871 pools. 29 CxFV RNAs from Cx. pipiens, Cx.
      tritaeniorhynchus, Anopheles Sinensis, and Culex spp. tested positive for CxFV in
      real-time RT-PCR. 6 CxFV strains were isolated from Cx. species collected in
      Shandong, Henan, and Shaanxi provinces, while no virus or viral RNA was detected
      in samples from Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, and Fujian. Phylogenetic analysis of
      the envelope gene indicated that Chinese strains formed a robust subgroup of
      genotype 1, together with viruses from the United States and Japan. This study
      demonstrates that the geographic distribution of CxFV in China is widespread, but
      geographical boundaries to spread are apparent. Our findings suggest that CxFV
      can infect various mosquito species in nature. 

PMID- 26118549
TI  - Hydroboration of Alkynes with Zwitterionic Ruthenium-Borate Complexes: Novel
      Vinylborane Complexes.
AB  - Building upon previous studies on the synthesis of bis(sigma)borate and agostic
      complexes of ruthenium, the chemistry of nido-[(Cp*Ru)2 B3 H9] (1) with other
      ligand systems was explored. In this regard, mild thermolysis of nido-1 with 2
      mercaptobenzothiazole (2-mbzt), 2-mercaptobenzoxazole (2-mbzo) and 2
      mercaptobenzimidazole (2-mbzi) ligands were performed which led to the isolation
      of bis(sigma)borate complexes [Cp*RuBH3 L] (2 a-c) and beta-agostic complexes
      [Cp*RuBH2 L2] (3 a-c; 2 a, 3 a: L=C7 H4 NS2 ; 2 b, 3 b: L=C7 H4 NSO; 2 c, 3 c:
      L=C7 H5 N2 S). Further, the chemistry of these novel complexes towards various
      diphosphine ligands was investigated. Room temperature treatment of 3 a with
      [PPh2 (CH2 )n PPh2 ] (n=1-3) yielded [Cp*Ru(PPh2 (CH2 )n PPh2 )-BH2 (L2)] (4 a-c;
      4 a: n=1; 4 b: n=2; 4 c: n=3; L=C7 H4 NS2). Mild thermolysis of 2 a with [PPh2
      (CH2)n PPh2 ] (n=1-3) led to the isolation of [Cp*Ru(PPh2 (CH2)n PPh2 )(L)] (L=C7
      H4 NS2 5 a-c; 5 a: n=1; 5 b: n=2; 5 c: n=3). Treatment of 4 a with terminal
      alkynes causes a hydroboration reaction to generate vinylborane complexes
      [Cp*Ru(R-C=CH2 )BH(L2)] (6 and 7; 6: R=Ph; 7: R=COOCH3; L=C7 H4 NS2). Complexes 6
      and 7 can also be viewed as eta-alkene complexes of ruthenium that feature a
      dative bond to the ruthenium centre from the vinylinic double bond. In addition,
      DFT computations were performed to shed light on the bonding and electronic
      structures of the new compounds.

PMID- 26118550
TI  - Influence of the metal work function on the photocatalytic properties of TiO2
      layers on metals.
AB  - The photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) layers on different
      metal plates are investigated. The metal-semiconductor interface can be described
      as a Schottky contact, and is part of a depletion layer for the majority carriers
      in the semiconductor. Many researchers have demonstrated an increase in the
      photocatalytic activity, due to the formation of a metal-semiconductor contact
      that are obtained by deposition of small metal islands on the semiconductor.
      Nevertheless, the influence of a Schottky contact remains uncertain, sparking
      much interest in this field. The immobilization of nanoparticulate TiO2 layers by
      dip-coating on different metal substrates results in the formation of a Schottky
      contact. The recombination rate of photoinduced electron-hole pairs decreases at
      this interface provided that the thickness of the thin TiO2 layer has a similar
      magnitude to the depletion layer. The degradation of dichloroacetic acid in
      aqueous solution and of acetaldehyde in a gas mixture is investigated to obtain
      information concerning the influence of the metal work function of the back
      contact on the efficiency of the photocatalytic process. 

PMID- 26118552
TI  - S100A4 and its role in metastasis - computational integration of data on
      biological networks.
AB  - Characterising signal transduction networks is fundamental to our understanding
      of biology. However, redundancy and different types of feedback mechanisms make
      it difficult to understand how variations of the network components contribute to
      a biological process. In silico modelling of signalling interactions therefore
      becomes increasingly useful for the development of successful therapeutic
      approaches. Unfortunately, quantitative information cannot be obtained for all of
      the proteins or complexes that comprise the network, which limits the usability
      of computational models. We developed a flexible computational framework for the
      analysis of biological signalling networks. We demonstrate our approach by
      studying the mechanism of metastasis promotion by the S100A4 protein, and suggest
      therapeutic strategies. The advantage of the proposed method is that only limited
      information (interaction type between species) is required to set up a steady
      state network model. This permits a straightforward integration of experimental
      information where the lack of details are compensated by efficient sampling of
      the parameter space. We investigated regulatory properties of the S100A4 network
      and the role of different key components. The results show that S100A4 enhances
      the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), causing higher cell
      dissociation. Moreover, it leads to an increased stability of the pathological
      state. Thus, avoiding metastasis in S100A4-expressing tumours requires multiple
      target inhibition. Moreover, the analysis could explain the previous failure of
      MMP inhibitors in clinical trials. Finally, our method is applicable to a wide
      range of biological questions that can be represented as directional networks. 

PMID- 26118551
TI  - Metabolome progression during early gut microbial colonization of gnotobiotic
      mice.
AB  - The microbiome has been implicated directly in host health, especially host
      metabolic processes and development of immune responses. These are particularly
      important in infants where the gut first begins being colonized, and such
      processes may be modeled in mice. In this investigation we follow longitudinally
      the urine metabolome of ex-germ-free mice, which are colonized with two bacterial
      species, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Bifidobacterium longum. High-throughput
      mass spectrometry profiling of urine samples revealed dynamic changes in the
      metabolome makeup, associated with the gut bacterial colonization, enabled by our
      adaptation of non-linear time-series analysis to urine metabolomics data. Results
      demonstrate both gradual and punctuated changes in metabolite production and that
      early colonization events profoundly impact the nature of small molecules
      circulating in the host. The identified small molecules are implicated in amino
      acid and carbohydrate metabolic processes, and offer insights into the dynamic
      changes occurring during the colonization process, using high-throughput
      longitudinal methodology. 

PMID- 26118553
TI  - The effect of electron correlation on the adsorption of hydrogen fluoride and
      water on magnesium fluoride surfaces.
AB  - We have performed periodic density functional and periodic local MP2 calculations
      for the adsorption of hydrogen fluoride and water on the four low index surfaces
      (001), (100), (101) and (110) of magnesium fluoride. While the adsorption of HF
      is described well using B3LYP, MP2 is required for a good description of the
      adsorption of H2O. Post-optimization dispersion corrections of B3LYP are found to
      consistently overestimate the adsorption energy. The coordination of surface
      cations, the presence of hydroxyls on the surface, as well as the coverage appear
      to play an equally important role in the adsorption. 

PMID- 26118554
TI  - Isoprenoid Biosynthesis in Pathogenic Bacteria: Nuclear Resonance Vibrational
      Spectroscopy Provides Insight into the Unusual [4Fe-4S] Cluster of the E. coli
      LytB/IspH Protein.
AB  - The LytB/IspH protein catalyzes the last step of the methylerythritol phosphate
      (MEP) pathway which is used for the biosynthesis of essential terpenoids in most
      pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, the MEP pathway is a target for the development
      of new antimicrobial agents as it is essential for microorganisms, yet absent in
      humans. Substrate-free LytB has a special [4Fe-4S](2+) cluster with a yet
      unsolved structure. This motivated us to use synchrotron-based nuclear resonance
      vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) in combination with quantum chemical-molecular
      mechanical (QM/MM) calculations to gain more insight into the structure of
      substrate-free LytB. The apical iron atom of the [4Fe-4S](2+) is clearly linked
      to three water molecules. We additionally present NRVS data of LytB bound to its
      natural substrate, (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl diphosphate (HMBPP) and to
      the inhibitors (E)-4-amino-3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl diphosphate and (E)-4-mercapto-3
      methylbut-2-en-1-yl diphosphate. 

PMID- 26118555
TI  - Comparison of a Commercial Accelerometer with Polysomnography and Actigraphy in
      Children and Adolescents.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the commercially
      available Fitbit Ultra (2012) accelerometer compared to polysomnography (PSG) and
      two different actigraphs in a pediatric sample. DESIGN AND SETTING: All subjects
      wore the Fitbit Ultra while undergoing overnight clinical polysomnography in a
      sleep laboratory; a randomly selected subset of participants also wore either the
      Ambulatory Monitoring Inc. Motionlogger Sleep Watch (AMI) or Phillips-Respironics
      Mini-Mitter Spectrum (PRMM). PARTICIPANTS: 63 youth (32 females, 31 males), ages
      3-17 years (mean 9.7 years, SD 4.6 years). MEASUREMENTS: Both "Normal" and
      "Sensitive" sleep-recording Fitbit Ultra modes were examined. Outcome variables
      included total sleep time (TST), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and sleep
      efficiency (SE). Primary analyses examined the differences between Fitbit Ultra
      and PSG using repeated-measures ANCOVA, with epoch-by-epoch comparisons between
      Fitbit Ultra and PSG used to determine sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy.
      Intra-device reliability, differences between Fitbit Ultra and actigraphy, and
      differences by both developmental age group and sleep disordered breathing (SDB)
      status were also examined. RESULTS: Compared to PSG, the Normal Fitbit Ultra mode
      demonstrated good sensitivity (0.86) and accuracy (0.84), but poor specificity
      (0.52); conversely, the Sensitive Fitbit Ultra mode demonstrated adequate
      specificity (0.79), but inadequate sensitivity (0.70) and accuracy (0.71).
      Compared to PSG, the Fitbit Ultra significantly overestimated TST (41 min) and SE
      (8%) in Normal mode, and underestimated TST (105 min) and SE (21%) in Sensitive
      mode. Similar differences were found between Fitbit Ultra (both modes) and both
      brands of actigraphs. CONCLUSIONS: Despite its low cost and ease of use for
      consumers, neither sleep-recording mode of the Fitbit Ultra accelerometer
      provided clinically comparable results to PSG. Further, pediatric sleep
      researchers and clinicians should be cautious about substituting these devices
      for validated actigraphs, with a significant risk of either overestimating or
      underestimating outcome data including total sleep time and sleep efficiency.

PMID- 26118556
TI  - Psychological Effect of an Analogue Traumatic Event Reduced by Sleep Deprivation.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of sleep deprivation compared to sleep,
      immediately after experimental trauma stimuli on the development of intrusive
      memories to that trauma stimuli. DESIGN: Participants were exposed to a film with
      traumatic content (trauma film). The immediate response to the trauma film was
      assessed, followed by either total sleep deprivation (sleep deprived group, N =
      20) or sleep as usual (sleep group, N = 22). Twelve hours after the film viewing
      the initial psychological effect of the trauma film was measured and for the
      subsequent 6 days intrusive emotional memories related to the trauma film were
      recorded in daily life. SETTING: Academic sleep laboratory and participants' home
      environment. PARTICIPANTS: Healthy paid volunteers. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: On
      the first day after the trauma film, the psychological effect as assessed by the
      Impact of Event Scale - Revised was lower in the sleep deprived group compared to
      the sleep group. In addition, the sleep deprived group reported fewer intrusive
      emotional memories (mean 2.28, standard deviation [SD] 2.91) compared to the
      sleep group (mean 3.76, SD 3.35). Because habitual sleep/circadian patterns,
      psychological health, and immediate effect of the trauma film were similar at
      baseline for participants of both groups, the results cannot be accounted for by
      pre-existing inequalities between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that
      sleep deprivation on one night, rather than sleeping, reduces emotional effect
      and intrusive memories following exposure to experimental trauma.

PMID- 26118557
TI  - Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients with Congenital Long QT Syndrome:
      Implications for Increased Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a familial arrhythmogenic
      cardiac channelopathy characterized by prolonged ventricular repolarization and
      increased risk of torsades de pointes-mediated syncope, seizures, and sudden
      cardiac death (SCD). QT prolongation corrected for heart rate (QTc) is an
      important diagnostic and prognostic feature in LQTS. Obstructive sleep apnea
      (OSA) has been increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular
      disease, including arrhythmias and SCD. We tested the hypothesis that the
      presence of concomitant OSA in patients with LQTS is associated with increased QT
      intervals, both during sleep and while awake. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Polysomnography with simultaneous overnight 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) was
      recorded in 54 patients with congenital LQTS and 67 control subjects. OSA was
      diagnosed as apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) >= 5 events/h for adults and AHI > 1
      event/h for children. RR and QT intervals were measured from the 12-lead surface
      ECG. QTc was determined by the Bazett formula. Respiratory disturbance index,
      AHI, and arousal index were significantly increased in patients with LQTS and
      with OSA compared to those without OSA and control subjects. QTc during different
      sleep stages and while awake was also significantly increased in patients with
      LQTS and OSA compared to those without OSA. Severity of OSA in patients with LQTS
      was directly associated with the degree of QTc. CONCLUSIONS: The presence and
      severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with congenital long QT
      syndrome (LQTS) is associated with increased QT prolongation corrected for heart
      rate, which is an important biomarker of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Treatment of
      OSA in LQTS patients may reduce QT prolongation, thus reducing the risk of LQT
      triggered SCD.

PMID- 26118558
TI  - An Economic Evaluation of Home Versus Laboratory-Based Diagnosis of Obstructive
      Sleep Apnea.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVES: We conducted an economic analysis of the HomePAP study, a
      multicenter randomized clinical trial that compared home-based versus laboratory
      based testing for the diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
      DESIGN: A cost-minimization analysis from the payer and provider perspectives was
      performed, given that 3-mo clinical outcomes were equivalent. SETTING: Seven
      academic sleep centers. PARTICIPANTS: There were 373 subjects at high risk for
      moderate to severe OSA. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects were randomized to either home
      based limited channel portable monitoring followed by unattended autotitration
      with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), versus a traditional pathway of
      in-laboratory sleep study and CPAP titration. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: From the
      payer perspective, per subject costs for the laboratory-based pathway were $1,840
      (95% confidence interval [CI] $1,660, $2,015) compared to $1,575 (95% CI $1,439,
      $1,716) for the home-based pathway under the base case. Costs were $264 (95% CI
      $39, $496, P = 0.02) in favor of the home arm. From the provider perspective, per
      subject costs for the laboratory arm were $1,697 (95% CI $1,566, $1,826) compared
      to $1,736 (95% CI $1,621, $1,857) in the home arm, for a difference of $40 (95%
      CI -$213, $142, P = 0.66) in favor of the laboratory arm under the base case. The
      provider operating margin was $142 (95% CI $85, $202,P < 0.01) in the laboratory
      arm, compared to a loss of -$161 (95% CI -$202, -$120, P < 0.01) in the home arm.
      CONCLUSIONS: For payers, a home-based diagnostic pathway for obstructive sleep
      apnea with robust patient support incurs fewer costs than a laboratory-based
      pathway. For providers, costs are comparable if not higher, resulting in a
      negative operating margin. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: NCT00642486.

PMID- 26118559
TI  - Work and Sleep--A Prospective Study of Psychosocial Work Factors, Physical Work
      Factors, and Work Scheduling.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVES: There is limited knowledge about the prospective relationship
      between major work characteristics (psychosocial, physical, scheduling) and
      disturbed sleep. The current study sought to provide such knowledge. DESIGN:
      Prospective cohort, with measurements on two occasions (T1 and T2) separated by
      two years. SETTING: Naturalistic study, Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: There were 4,827
      participants forming a representative sample of the working population.
      MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Questionnaire data on work factors obtained on two
      occasions were analyzed with structural equation modeling. Competing models were
      compared in order to investigate temporal relationships. A reciprocal model was
      found to fit the data best. Sleep disturbances at T2 were predicted by higher
      work demands at T1 and by lower perceived stress at T1. In addition, sleep
      disturbances at T1 predicted subsequent higher perception of stress, higher work
      demands, lower degree of control, and less social support at work at T2. A cross
      sectional mediation analysis showed that (higher) perceived stress mediated the
      relationship between (higher) work demands and sleep disturbances; however, no
      such association was found longitudinally. CONCLUSIONS: Higher work demands
      predicted disturbed sleep, whereas physical work characteristics, shift work, and
      overtime did not. In addition, disturbed sleep predicted subsequent higher work
      demands, perceived stress, less social support, and lower degree of control. The
      results suggest that remedial interventions against sleep disturbances should
      focus on psychosocial factors, and that such remedial interventions may improve
      the psychosocial work situation in the long run.

PMID- 26118560
TI  - Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptoms in Pediatric Narcolepsy:
      A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the frequency, severity, and associations of
      symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children with
      narcolepsy with and without cataplexy. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTINGS:
      Four French national reference centers for narcolepsy. PATIENTS: One hundred
      eight consecutively referred children aged younger than 18 y with narcolepsy,
      with (NwC, n = 86) or without cataplexy (NwoC, n = 22), and 67 healthy controls.
      INTERVENTIONS: The participants, their families, and sleep specialists completed
      a structured interview and questionnaires about sleep, daytime sleepiness,
      fatigue, and ADHD symptoms (ADHD-rating scale based upon Diagnostic and
      Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision [DSM-IV-TR]
      symptoms), and use of psychostimulants for the treatment of narcolepsy
      (administered in 68.2%). Polysomnographic measures were collected. MEASUREMENTS
      AND RESULTS: Clinically significant levels of ADHD symptoms were found in 4.8% of
      controls compared with 35.3% in patients with NwoC (P < 0.001) and 19.7% in
      patients with NwC (P < 0.01). Total ADHD scores were 6.4 (95% confidence interval
      [CI]: 4.5, 9.0) in controls compared with 14.2 (95% CI: 10.6, 18.9; P < 0.001),
      in patients with NwoC and 12.2 (95% CI: 9.8, 15.3; P < 0.01) in patients with
      NwC; subscores of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity were also
      significantly higher in both narcolepsy groups compared with controls. No
      difference was found between the NwC and NwoC groups for any ADHD measure. ADHD
      symptom severity was associated with increased levels of sleepiness, fatigue, and
      insomnia. Compared with the 34 untreated patients, the 73 patients treated with
      psychostimulants (modafinil in 91%) showed a trend toward lower narcolepsy
      symptoms but not lower ADHD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric patients with
      narcolepsy have high levels of treatment-resistant attention
      deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. The optimal treatment for ADHD
      symptoms in these patients warrants further evaluation in longitudinal
      intervention studies.

PMID- 26118561
TI  - Behaviorally Assessed Sleep and Susceptibility to the Common Cold.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVES: Short sleep duration and poor sleep continuity have been
      implicated in the susceptibility to infectious illness. However, prior research
      has relied on subjective measures of sleep, which are subject to recall bias. The
      aim of this study was to determine whether sleep, measured behaviorally using
      wrist actigraphy, predicted cold incidence following experimental viral exposure.
      DESIGN, MEASUREMENTS, AND RESULTS: A total of 164 healthy men and women (age
      range, 18 to 55 y) volunteered for this study. Wrist actigraphy and sleep diaries
      assessed sleep duration and sleep continuity over 7 consecutive days.
      Participants were then quarantined and administered nasal drops containing the
      rhinovirus, and monitored over 5 days for the development of a clinical cold
      (defined by infection in the presence of objective signs of illness). Logistic
      regression analysis revealed that actigraphy- assessed shorter sleep duration was
      associated with an increased likelihood of development of a clinical cold.
      Specifically, those sleeping < 5 h (odds ratio [OR] = 4.50, 95% confidence
      interval [CI], 1.08-18.69) or sleeping between 5 to 6 h (OR = 4.24, 95% CI, 1.08
      16.71) were at greater risk of developing the cold compared to those sleeping > 7
      h per night; those sleeping 6.01 to 7 h were at no greater risk (OR = 1.66; 95%
      CI 0.40-6.95). This association was independent of prechallenge antibody levels,
      demographics, season of the year, body mass index, psychological variables, and
      health practices. Sleep fragmentation was unrelated to cold susceptibility. Other
      sleep variables obtained using diary and actigraphy were not strong predictors of
      cold susceptibility. CONCLUSIONS: Shorter sleep duration, measured behaviorally
      using actigraphy prior to viral exposure, was associated with increased
      susceptibility to the common cold.

PMID- 26118562
TI  - Insufficient Sleep and Risk of Prostate Cancer in a Large Swedish Cohort.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: There are some data to suggest that insufficient sleep,
      including short sleep duration and sleep disruption, may be associated with an
      increased risk of cancer. We investigated the association between sleep duration
      and sleep disruption and risk of prostate cancer. DESIGN: Prospective cohort
      study. SETTING: Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 14,041 men in the Swedish
      National March Cohort. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Habitual
      sleep duration and sleep disruption were self-reported in 1997. Prostate cancer
      diagnoses, including lethal (metastases at diagnosis or death from prostate
      cancer) and advanced (stage T4, N1, or M1 at diagnosis or death from prostate
      cancer), were determined from linkage to nationwide cancer registries through
      2010. We conducted Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted for potential
      confounding variables. During 13 years of follow-up, we identified 785 cases of
      incident prostate cancer, including 118 lethal and 127 advanced cases. Four
      percent of men reported sleeping 5 h or less a night, and 2% reported sleeping 9
      h or more per night. We found no association between sleep duration and risk of
      prostate cancer overall or for advanced/lethal disease. We also did not find an
      association between prostate cancer and sleep disruption, as defined by
      difficulty falling asleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, sleep quality, and
      restorative power of sleep. CONCLUSIONS: In this large prospective study from
      Sweden, we found no association between habitual sleep duration or sleep
      disruption and risk of prostate cancer.

PMID- 26118563
TI  - Influence of particle size, an elongated particle geometry, and adjuvants on
      dendritic cell activation.
AB  - Modern subunit vaccines have many benefits compared to live vaccines such as
      convenient and competitive large scale production, better reproducibility and
      safety. However, the poor immunogenicity of subunit vaccines usually requires the
      addition of potent adjuvants or drug delivery vehicles. Accordingly, researchers
      are investigating different adjuvants and particulate vaccine delivery vehicles
      to boost the immunogenicity of subunit vaccines. Despite the rapidly growing
      knowledge in this field, a comparison of different adjuvants is sparsely found.
      Until today, little is known about efficient combinations of the different
      adjuvants and particulate vaccine delivery vehicles. In this study we compared
      three adjuvants with respect to their immune stimulatory potential and combined
      them with different particulate vaccine delivery vehicles. For this reason, we
      investigated two types of polyI:C and a CL264 base analogue and combined these
      adjuvants with differently sized and shaped particulate vaccine delivery
      vehicles. A high molecular weight polyI:C combined with a spherical nano-sized
      particulate vaccine delivery vehicle promoted the strongest dendritic cells
      activation. 

PMID- 26118564
TI  - When is dispersal for dispersal? Unifying marine and terrestrial perspectives.
AB  - Recent syntheses on the evolutionary causes of dispersal have focused on
      dispersal as a direct adaptation, but many traits that influence dispersal have
      other functions, raising the question: when is dispersal 'for' dispersal? We
      review and critically evaluate the ecological causes of selection on traits that
      give rise to dispersal in marine and terrestrial organisms. In the sea, passive
      dispersal is relatively easy and specific morphological, behavioural, and
      physiological adaptations for dispersal are rare. Instead, there may often be
      selection to limit dispersal. On land, dispersal is relatively difficult without
      specific adaptations, which are relatively common. Although selection for
      dispersal is expected in both systems and traits leading to dispersal are often
      linked to fitness, systems may differ in the extent to which dispersal in nature
      arises from direct selection for dispersal or as a by-product of selection on
      traits with other functions. Our analysis highlights incompleteness of theories
      that assume a simple and direct relationship between dispersal and fitness, not
      just insofar as they ignore a vast array of taxa in the marine realm, but also
      because they may be missing critically important effects of traits influencing
      dispersal in all realms. 

PMID- 26118565
TI  - Methodology of patient care for elevated PSA after prostate cancer treatment: A
      primary care perspective.
AB  - Prostate cancer (PCa) remains one of the most common cancers in men. Each year
      there are 230,000 new cases and it causes nearly 30,000 deaths. Elevations in
      prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after treatment with radiation or surgery can
      indicate the presence of PCa recurrence. About 15-18% of men treated for PCa will
      have an elevation of their PSA, which is a source of great concern and will lead
      to a management discussion with the patient. Approximately 25-33% of men with PCa
      will experience a recurrence of their cancer after surgery or radiation. This
      article will discuss the different options for men with a rising PSA after
      definitive therapy or an attempt at curative treatment for PCa. The purpose of
      this article is to help the primary care doctor, internist and geriatrician to
      become knowledgeable about the treatment options of recurrent PCa so that they
      can participate in the discussion with the patient and help the patient reach a
      decision regarding treatment and management of the elevated PSA levels, which
      signal recurrent disease. 

PMID- 26118566
TI  - Tibial Stems in Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty: Is There an Anatomic Conflict?
AB  - Tibial stems are frequently used in revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We
      investigated the effect of tibial stems on final component alignment and tray
      position. Thirty 3D reconstructed cadaveric tibial models were classified
      according to canal bow angle. After virtual implantation of 120 mm and 200 mm
      stemmed tibial components, deviation from native mechanical axis was measured.
      Tibial alignment valgus malposition of up to three degrees occurred and most
      pronounced with 120 mm stems. Canal alignment using 200 mm stems deviated tray
      position medially and posteriorly. Mild to moderate valgus bowing of the tibial
      canal is not uncommon (57% in our series) possibly leading to valgus
      malalignment. Anatomic conflict between the tibial mechanical axis and
      intramedullary canal can exist, with alignment and tray placement implications. 

PMID- 26118567
TI  - To Cement or Not? Two-Year Results of a Prospective, Randomized Study Comparing
      Cemented Vs. Cementless Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA).
AB  - The optimal mode of fixation in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a subject of
      debate. We enrolled 100 TKA patients randomized to cemented or cementless
      fixation. Knee Society Scores (KSS), Oxford scores and pain visual analog scales
      (VAS) were collected pre-operatively and post-operatively. Two-year follow-up was
      obtained for 93 patients. The mean VAS trended higher for the cementless group at
      4 months (P=0.06). At 2 years, the KSS functional scores, Oxford scores, and self
      reported questions for satisfaction, less pain and better function were similar
      but the cemented group had higher KSS clinical scores (96.4 vs. 92.3, P=0.03).
      More radiolucencies were seen in cementless knees (P<0.001). The cementless group
      had one revision for instability and one cemented knee was revised for infection.
      Cementless TKA showed equivalent survivorship (revision for any reason as the
      endpoint) compared to cemented TKA at this early follow-up. Close monitoring of
      radiolucencies is important with continued follow-up.

PMID- 26118568
TI  - Complications Following Direct Anterior Hip Procedures: Costs to Both Patients
      and Surgeons.
AB  - A systematic review of the literature on clinical outcomes following direct
      anterior approach (DAA) hip arthroplasty was performed. An aggregated 11,810 hip
      procedures were analyzed for intraoperative and early postoperative
      complications. The most common complication following DAA hip arthroplasty was
      nerve dysfunction (2.8%) followed by intraoperative fractures (2.3%).
      Postoperative dislocation, wound complications, and revision THA within the first
      12 months were reported in 1.2% of cases. Thus, while DAA hip arthroplasty can be
      successfully performed, it is not without complications. Without definitive
      evidence of clinical superiority, surgeons considering switching to DAA should
      benchmark their personal complication rates against published reports.

PMID- 26118569
TI  - Sex difference in the association between obesity and asthma in U.S. adults:
      Findings from a national study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity and asthma are both prevalent in the U.S. The a few studies
      that have examined the differences in association between obesity and asthma by
      sex provided mixed results. Reason for the sex differences is not well
      understood. OBJECTIVE: Using U.S. nationally representative data we aimed to
      examine the association between obesity and asthma and potential sex differences.
      METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (n =
      33,153 adults, 4197 had asthma). Asthma was determined by a positive response to
      the question "Has a doctor or health care professional ever told you had asthma?"
      Obesity was determined as a Body Mass Index (BMI)>=30. Obese status was
      categorized as BMI = 30-34.9 (Class I obesity), BMI = 35-39.9 (Class II obesity),
      and BMI>=40 (Class III obesity). RESULTS: The prevalence of asthma was 12.6%
      (11.0% in men, 14.2% in women), and was higher in the obese than non-obese
      individuals (16.6% vs. 11.1%, p < 0.0001). After controlling for potential
      confounders, Class I obesity (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.11-1.44), Class II obesity
      (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.31-1.84), Class III obesity (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.54
      2.21) were positively associated with asthma. The association between Class III
      obesity and asthma was stronger in women than men (2.11 (1.70-2.63) vs. 1.40
      (1.01-1.96), p < 0.05), although the sex difference in the association between
      BMI and asthma was not significant. Positive associations between class II and
      class III obesity and asthma were observed among young and middle-aged women
      compared to young and middle-aged men. Stratified by allergic status, obesity
      remained being positively associated with asthma. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of
      asthma was higher in women than men. Obesity (and BMI) was positively associated
      with asthma, overall or stratified by allergic status. The association between
      Class III obesity and asthma was stronger in women. Obesity and sex may be taken
      into consideration for the management of asthmatic patients.

PMID- 26118570
TI  - Abdominal Ultrasound Examination Findings in 534 Hyperthyroid Cats Referred for
      Radioiodine Treatment Between 2007-2010.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of concurrent disease in hyperthyroid cats is unknown.
      OBJECTIVES: To identify the prevalence of concurrent intra-abdominal disease
      using abdominal ultrasound examination (AUS) in hyperthyroid cats referred for
      radioactive iodine treatment (RIT) and to determine whether the requirement for
      pretreatment AUS is justified. ANIMALS: Five hundred and thirty-four client-owned
      cats diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and referred for RIT. METHODS: Retrospective
      study. Age, breed, sex, body weight, clinical signs, total serum T4
      concentration, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration, serum creatinine
      concentration, urine specific gravity (USG), AUS results, and biopsy or cytology
      results, or both (if obtained) were collected from the medical records. RESULTS:
      The prevalence of concurrent disease identified using AUS in hyperthyroid cats
      referred for RIT was 36.1%; 22.8% of the cats in the study had renal disease and
      2.4% had confirmed neoplasia. Significant differences in median USG (P value
      0.032) and median BUN (P value 0.028) were found between cats that had abnormal
      kidneys on AUS compared to those with normal-appearing kidneys. Only 2.2% of the
      cats were not treated with RIT as a result of changes identified on AUS and
      subsequently obtained cytology or biopsy results. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL
      IMPORTANCE: The results indicate that pretreatment AUS in hyperthyroid cats
      referred for RIT is unnecessary in most patients.

PMID- 26118571
TI  - Effects of rapamycin treatment on pancreatic fibrosis, cellular apoptosis and
      oxidative stress in experimental chronic pancreatitis model.
AB  - PURPOSE: Rapamycin reduces hepatic fibrosis by inhibiting hepatic stellate cell
      activation. The present study investigated whether rapamycin treatment could
      modify the degree of fibrosis, cellular apoptosis and oxidative stress (OS) in an
      experimental model of CP. METHODS: Fifty-five male, Sprague-Dawley rats weighing
      200-400g were randomized into four groups. CP was induced by intraductal
      trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) infusion in group A (n = 15) and group B (n
      = 15). Group C (n = 15) received intraductal TNBS and was killed for histologic
      confirmation at four weeks. Group D (n = 10) received intraductal saline instead
      of TNBS. Group A and group D received oral rapamycin (2 mg/kg/d) for two weeks
      after CP was induced while group B received oral tap water instead of rapamycin.
      Blood and pancreatic tissue specimens were collected and oxidative stress
      parameters, fibrosis and cellular apoptosis were determined. RESULTS: Tissue and
      blood malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly lower in rapamycin treated
      group compared to controls (p < 0.001). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathion
      peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were also significantly higher in the active
      treatment group (p < 0.001 for both). Tissue and blood MDA, SOD, GSH-Px
      measurements was similar in rapamycin group and pancreatic cannulation group (p >
      0.05). Histopathologic fibrosis scores were similar in rapamycin and control
      groups. Apoptotic cell counts tended to be lower in rapamycin treated animals.
      CONCLUSIONS: Administration of rapamycin alleviated OS and, in part, prevented
      apoptotic cell death in experimental CP, but did not reduce fibrosis.

PMID- 26118572
TI  - Treatment of chronic hepatitis C in children with pegylated interferon and
      ribavirin: the impact of dose.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In the last years children with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) have been
      treated with Pegylated Interferon alpha (PEG-IFNalpha) and ribavirin (RBV).
      Treatment can cause several side effects that require reduction or interruption
      of therapy. The relationship between dose of PEG-IFNalpha and response to therapy
      has not been clearly evaluated. Aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of
      the dose of PEG-IFNalpha2b and RBV on the efficacy of therapy. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: All children with CHC treated with PEG-IFNalpha2b and RBV, observed at
      the Paediatric Liver Unit of University Federico II of Naples from 1996 to 2006
      were evaluated. RESULTS: Sixteen children with CHC treated with combined therapy
      were enrolled. Seven out of 16 patients (43.7%) achieved rapid virological
      response; 13/16 patients (81.2%) achieved early virological response; 5/16
      patients (31.25%) relapsed; 1 patient resulted non responder. According to
      percentage of expected dose, our patients were divided into two groups: the first
      group included 7 patients that performed an overall dosage of PEG-IFNalpha2b >=
      75% of the scheduled full dose; the second group included 9 patients that
      performedm PEG-IFNalpha2b dose < 75% of scheduled full dose. No difference was
      noted in terms of sustained virological response. CONCLUSIONS: Modifications of
      therapy due to PEG-IFNalpha-related adverse events are frequent in children with
      CHC, but dose adjustments do not seem to impair efficacy of therapy.

PMID- 26118573
TI  - Survival in patients with hypoechoic muscularis propria lesions suggestive of
      gastrointestinal stromal tumors in gastric wall.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Subepithelial lesions (SEL) on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy are
      frequently encountered and referred to endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). Management of
      small gastric hypoechoic SELs of muscularis propria (MP) is controversial since
      EUS-assisted fine needle aspiration may be inconclusive, and surgical excision
      may be too invasive. We aimed to analyze our gastric MP-SELs in terms of survival
      and confounding factors. METHODS: Data from gastric hypoechoic MP-SELs suggestive
      of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) by EUS were retrospectively reviewed.
      Surgically resected GISTs were stratified according to the current pathological
      risk criteria. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients were identified. The mean age was 55.5
      +/- 13.2 years and 45.6% were male. Mean follow-up duration was 53.4 +/- 26.7 (12
      110) months. Twenty-eight (45.9%) patients were managed conservatively (diameter
      15.3 +/- 10.1 mm). There were no metastasis- or tumor-related deaths and no
      significant size changes (>= 5 mm) in this group during follow-up. Thirty-three
      (54.1%) patients underwent complete resection (diameter 34.2 +/- 14.1 mm) among
      which 25 (75.8%) had the final diagnosis of GIST; 2 (8.0%), 14 (56%) and 6 (24%)
      patients were classified in no-risk, very-low-risk, low-risk categories
      respectively, while 2 (8.0%) were in moderate-risk and only 1 (4.0%) was in high
      risk category. CONCLUSIONS: The excellent survival of patients with small
      hypoechoic gastric MP-SELs with conservative management represents indolent
      course of those lesions. We suggest re- consideration of the recommendations in
      the current guidelines towards extending the follow-up intervals for small MP
      SELs.

PMID- 26118574
TI  - Quality assessment of colonoscopy in Flanders: a voluntary survey among Flemish
      gastroenterologist.
AB  - Colonoscopy is an important endoscopic examination for the diagnosis and
      treatment of pathological conditions of the colon, like polyps and colorectal
      cancer. However, several factors determine the quality of colonoscopy and thus
      the quality of polyp and colorectal cancer detection. The Flemish Society of
      Gastroenterology (VVGE) performed a voluntary on-line registry among its members
      to identify quality of colonoscopy in Flanders, Belgium. 64 gastroenterologists
      voluntarily registered 4276 consecutive colonoscopies performed during a 3 month
      study period. Colonoscopy quality indicators were prospectively collected and
      analysed. Results showed a low voluntary participation rate (17%), acceptable
      overall adenoma detection rate of 20,5% and colorectal cancer interval rate of
      5,4%. Complications were low (perforation 0,1% and major bleeding 1,5%). The
      current study showed that in Flanders, Belgium on-line registration of
      colonoscopy quality indicators is feasible and that quality of colonoscopy in
      daily practice meets the expectations of (inter)national guidelines. However,
      further improvement of the registry and an open debate on the quality control of
      colonoscopy in Flanders is warranted (Belgian Registry B30020096548). 

PMID- 26118575
TI  - Clinical and scientific aspects related to biosimilars in inflammatory bowel
      diseases (IBD): position document of the Belgian IBD Research & Development Group
      (BIRD).

PMID- 26118576
TI  - Diverticulitis: new insights on the traditional point of view.
AB  - Diverticulosis of the colon is a common disease with an increasing incidence in
      Western countries. Recent literature has shown some changes in the traditional
      approach of this disease. The theory that diverticulosis is caused by a reduced
      intake of dietary fibre, is doubtful. There might be some chemical and
      histological overlap between diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease and
      irritable bowel disease. High quality clinical study found no effect for
      antibiotics in acute, uncomplicated diverticulitis. Cyclic administration of
      mesalazine and rifaximin result in reduced symptoms of diverticular disease. For
      the treatment of diverticular abscesses, percutaneous drainage shows promising
      results. Recurrence of acute diverticulitis is rare and most serious
      complications are linked to the first episode. Recent evidence does not support
      the traditional recommendation for elective surgery after two episodes of acute
      diverticulitis any more. This review summarizes the last evidence in diverticular
      disease and diverticulitis. 

PMID- 26118577
TI  - Distal intestinal obstruction in CF patients.
AB  - Distal intestinal obstruction syndrome (DIOS) - the incomplete of complete
      intestinal obstruction by intestinal contents in the terminal ileum and proximal
      colon- is frequently seen in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Diagnosis is based on
      suggestive symptoms of abdominal pain in the right lower quadrant, a palpable
      mass on examination and signs of obstruction on plain radiography. Treatment
      consists of intensive laxative treatment with oral laxatives and enemas. Surgery
      only serves as the last resort for patients not responding to medical therapy,
      because of the well-known high rate of peri- and postoperative morbidity of
      surgery in CF patients. In this article we present 3 cases of DIOS, followed by a
      review of the relevant literature. 

PMID- 26118578
TI  - Ecstasy induced acute hepatic failure. Case reports.
AB  - 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), an amphetamine derivative known as
      ecstasy, has stimulating and hallucinogenic properties. It has become a substance
      that is widely used especially by young people. Hepatotoxicity is one of the rare
      side effects of this substance and can be fatal. Ecstasy-induced fulminant
      hepatitis has been reported in case reports. The clinical course and the
      prognosis of the cases may differ. In this article, two cases in whom ecstasy
      induced fulminant hepatic failure had developed and who were treated with liver
      transplantation, and one case which recovered with treatment, have been
      presented. 

PMID- 26118579
TI  - A meaningless finding for gastroenterologist : Ano-rectal malformation in adult.

PMID- 26118580
TI  - Wernicke encephalopathy in a patient with severe acute pancreatitis.

PMID- 26118581
TI  - Solitary cavernous lymphangioma of the duodenum: a case report.
AB  - Duodenal lymphangioma is an extremely rare benign tumor of the gastrointestinal
      tract. In this case report, we describe the case of a 39-year-old Lebanese female
      with cystic lymphangioma of the duodenum diagnosed by exploratory laparotomy and
      immunohistochemical analysis. Herein our findings are described. 

PMID- 26118582
TI  - IgG4-related cholangitis: Case report and literature review.
AB  - CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a case of a patient who presents with jaundice,
      elevated cholestatic liver enzymes, an extreme weight loss and a midcholedochal
      stricture very suspect for a cholangiocarcinoma. In the conviction of malignancy,
      although the absence of anatomopathological prove, the patient underwent a
      choledochal resection. The anatomopathological specimen revealed no malignancy.
      In the year following resection, the patient keeps presenting with bile duct
      strictures and further weight loss. Ultimately the diagnosis of Ig G4-related
      cholangitis is withheld. Therapy with corticosteroids is initiated with a
      spectacular clinical, biochemical and radiographical result. DISCUSSION: IgG4
      related cholangitis is the biliary presentation of IgG4-related disease, a
      recently discovered entity of fibroinflammatory masses which can affect virtually
      every organ in the body. It is characterized by a dense lymphoplasmacytic
      infiltrate, storiform fibrosis, obliterative phlebitis and a presence of > 30
      IgG4-positive plasma cells per high power field. Main differential diagnosis
      contains cholangiocarcinoma and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Corticoids are
      cornerstone of therapy, with azathioprine frequently used as a maintenance in
      case of relapse. CONCLUSIONS: With this case we want to draw the attention to a
      rather uncommon cause of biliary obstruction, easily mistaken for a
      cholangiocarcinoma.

PMID- 26118583
TI  - Idiopathic acute eosinophilic hepatitis: does it exists?
AB  - Until now, "eosinophilic hepatitis" has not been recognized as a separate disease
      entity. We report a case of a middle-aged women with an acute febrile, severe
      cholestatic hepatitis accompanied with rash and quincke oedema, and an elevated
      serum IgE level. Liver biopsy showed lymphocytic inflammation with a remarkably
      high number of eosinophils. She responded rapidly to methylprednisolone
      treatment, which could be quickly tapered off and stopped without relapse. The
      term 'idiopathic acute eosinophilic hepatitis' seems to be the best fitting
      diagnostic term. 

PMID- 26118584
TI  - Deadly Air.

PMID- 26118585
TI  - How to handle esophageal metaplasia in 2014: a practical guide.
AB  - Metaplasia of the esophagus is a precursor of esophageal adenocarcinoma, a cancer
      with a poor prognosis and an increasing incidence. Guidelines for surveillance
      are proposed by all professional societies with small differences in timing.
      However, there is still no consensus on the definition of Barrett's esopaghus
      (only intestinal metaplasia or all subtypes). The goal of surveillance of
      esophageal metaplasia has evolved from early detection of cancer to early
      detection of pre-cancerous metaplasia to allow endoscopic therapy. The endoscopic
      therapy has the intention to stage, to cure, to prevent progression and to
      prevent metachronous lesions to develop. Firm indications for endoscopic therapy
      are high rade dysplasia and mEAC. The actual treatment is EMR/ESD for all visual
      abnormalities and areas of cancer on biopsies, followed by RFA for the remaining
      metaplasia. For low grade dysplasia (LGD), surveillance versus RFA is still under
      discussion. The main reason for this is the wide interobserver variability with
      large differences in evolution between confirmed and unconfirmed LGD. The
      endoscopic treatment allows complete remission of dysplasia in most cases and of
      metaplasia in the majority of cases, with low complication rates and acceptable
      morbidity (treatable stenosis). However, a median of 3 treatments is usually
      required to achieve remission, and recurrence is as high as 15% in the following
      5 years. Strategies to reduce recurrence like chemotherapy or anti-reflux surgery
      need to be explored better and can actually not decrease or replace surveillance.

PMID- 26118586
TI  - Spreading patterns, prognostic factors and treatment outcomes of nasopharyngeal
      papillary adenocarcinoma and salivary gland-type carcinomas.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aim to analyse the different spreading patterns,
      prognostic factors and treatment outcomes of nasopharyngeal papillary
      adenocarcinoma (NPAC) and salivary gland-type carcinomas (NPCs). DESIGN, SETTING
      AND PARTICIPANT: The current study report on a retrospective analysis of
      oncologic outcome of 76 pathologically confirmed consecutive cases of
      nasopharyngeal adenocarcinomas (NAC), including 31 NPAC, 33 adenoid cystic
      carcinomas (ACC) and 12 mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MEC). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:
      Overall survival rates (OS) and disease-free survival rates (DFS). RESULTS: In 12
      patients with cranial nerve (CN) palsy, there were ACC (n = 9), NPAC (n = 2) and
      MEC (n = 1) (P = 0.016). CT-/MRI-detected CN involvements were found in 22
      patients. Lymph node metastasis was observed in 25.8% of NPAC (n = 8), 12.1% of
      ACC (n = 4) and 8.3% of MEC (n = 1). Significant differences were observed in 5
      year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates between patients
      with and without CT-/MRI-detected CN involvement (P = 0.002 and P = 0.002,
      respectively), and similar results were found between patients with and without
      lymph node metastasis (P = 0.002 and P = 0.018, respectively). In 37 patients
      with early-stage disease (stages I-II), significant differences were observed in
      5-year OS and DFS rates between the surgical and non-surgical treated groups (P =
      0.031 and P = 0.012, respectively). In 39 patients with advanced-stage disease
      (stages III-IV), significant or marginally differences were observed in DFS and
      OS between the chemoradiotherapy and non-chemoradiotherapy groups (P = 0.007 and
      P = 0.062, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: ACC has a higher CN invasion than NPAC and
      MEC, and NPAC has the highest rate of lymphatic metastases. CT-/MRI-detected CN
      involvements and lymph node metastasis indicate a negative impact on the
      prognosis. The outcome of surgical patients in our series is encouraging in early
      stage NPAC and NPCs, and chemoradiotherapy may be the optimal treatment for the
      advanced-stage patients.

PMID- 26118587
TI  - Self-management support for chronic pain in primary care: a cross-sectional study
      of patient experiences and nursing roles.
AB  - AIMS: The aim of this study was to describe chronic pain self-management from the
      perspective of individuals living with chronic pain in the context of primary
      care nursing. BACKGROUND: Self-management is a key chronic pain treatment
      modality and support for self-managing chronic pain is mainly provided in the
      context of primary care. Although nurses are optimally suited to facilitate self
      management in primary care, there is a need to explore opportunities for
      optimizing their roles. DESIGN: Two cross-sectional studies. METHODS: The Chronic
      Pain Self-Management Survey was conducted in 2011-2012 to explore the
      epidemiology and self-management of chronic pain in Canadian adults. The
      questionnaire was distributed to 1504 individuals in Ontario. In 2011, the
      Primary Care Nursing Roles Survey was distributed to 1911 primary care nurses in
      Ontario to explore their roles and to determine the extent to which chronic
      disease management strategies, including support for self-management, were
      implemented in primary care. RESULTS: Few respondents to the pain survey
      identified nurses as being the 'most helpful' facilitator of self-management
      while physicians were most commonly cited. Seventy-six per cent of respondents
      used medication to manage their chronic pain. Few respondents to the nursing
      survey worked in practices with specific programmes for individuals with chronic
      pain. Individuals with chronic pain identified barriers and facilitators to self
      managing their pain and nurses identified barriers and facilitators to optimizing
      their role in primary care. CONCLUSION: There are several opportunities for
      primary care practices to facilitate self-management of chronic pain, including
      the optimization of the primary care nursing role.

PMID- 26118588
TI  - Clinical evaluation of dengue RNA, NS1, and IgM for diagnosis of dengue in
      Southern China.
AB  - In 2014, a large outbreak of dengue occurred in Guangzhou, China. This outbreak
      prompted us to evaluate NS1 and RNA for the early diagnosis of acute dengue
      infection, in addition to the combination with IgM antibody. We aimed to find the
      differences of three assays about dengue diagnosis. This study was an evaluation
      of diagnosis test. Based on WHO criteria 2009, dengue RNA, NS1, and IgM/IgG were
      detected from 294 patients (180 dengue patients, 114 non-dengue patients) by
      three diagnostic kits made in China. The chi(2) test, sensitivity, and
      specificity were used in statistical analysis. The ratios of dengue patients with
      low platelet counts (<100 * 10(9) /L 32.2%) or white blood cell counts (<4.0 *
      10(9) /L 58.9%) were significantly higher compared to non-dengue patients (P <
      0.05). Dengue NS1 was shown sensitive (93.9%) for diagnostic use. RNA had a
      better performance with 98.1% of sensitivity from day 1 to day 4 after illness
      onset. IgM performed better at day 5 or more with 74.0% of sensitivity. The
      diagnostic rate using a combination of RNA and IgM was 97.8% and 96.7% using NS1
      and IgM. A patient with low platelet and white blood cell counts needs additional
      tests for dengue during an epidemic. RNA and NS1 were most valuable for early
      diagnosis of dengue, whereas IgM was best suited as a supplementary method for
      patients at day 5 or more after illness onset.

PMID- 26118589
TI  - Chronic Pain, Comorbid Medical Conditions, and Associated Risk Factors in Kuwait:
      Gender and Nationality Differences.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Chronic pain is an international health problem that imposes enormous
      costs on societies around the world. There is good reason to suspect that chronic
      pain is a serious health issue in Kuwait and is associated with comorbid medical
      conditions like diabetes. The aim of this study is to examine the report of pain
      and incidence of medical comorbidities among a large convenience sample of
      patients treated at a private rehabilitation center in Kuwait and to examine
      differences in patient groups based on age, gender, and Kuwaiti nationality.
      METHODS: This study examined intake data from 2,103 patients treated at a
      rehabilitation center in Kuwait. Most of the subjects were female (55.4%) and
      averaged 43.3 years of age (+/-14.5, range 18-88). Sixty nine percent were
      Kuwaiti citizens and 57.9% were employed. RESULTS: Marked differences in pain and
      health-related conditions were found between Kuwaiti nationals and non-Kuwaitis,
      with significantly increased incidences of hypertension, osteoarthritis,
      diabetes, asthma, osteoporosis, and cardiac and respiratory problems among the
      Kuwaitis (P < 0.001). Notable gender differences were also identified with women
      reporting more intense, widespread pain, and reporting more comorbid medical
      problems compared with men (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This extensive survey study
      that found female Kuwaitis to have a higher incidence of pain and medical
      comorbidities than males and non-Kuwaitis highlights the role of cultural factors
      in contributing to pain and comorbid medical conditions. This information is
      critical in organizing resources to implement adequate healthcare services and
      behavioral interventions in Kuwait and other Arab countries to improve pain and
      health-related conditions.

PMID- 26118590
TI  - High Sensitive CRP Level Is Associated With Intermediate and High Syntax Score in
      Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome.
AB  - High sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels are associated with short- and
      long-term mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We
      investigated whether baseline hs-CRP levels are associated with burden of
      coronary atherosclerosis assessed by SYNTAX score (SXScore).We enrolled 321
      patients with ACS who underwent coronary angiography. The patients were divided
      into tertiles according to the SXScore: low SXScore (<= 22), and intermediate
      high SXScore (>= 23).Subjects in the intermediate-high SXScore tertile had higher
      serum hs-CRP levels compare to low SXScore tertile patients (7.7 +/- 3.4 mg/L
      versus 4.9 +/- 2.5 mg/L, P < 0.001). The mean age of patients and prevalance of
      diabetes in the intermediate-high SXScore tertile were significantly higher than
      in the low SXScore tertile (63 +/- 13 versus 58 +/- 12 years P = 0.001 for age, P
      = 0.007 for diabetes). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the
      strongest predictors of high SXScore were increased serum hs-CRP levels (OR:
      1.14) together with multivessel disease (OR: 0.23), left ventricular ejection
      fraction (LVEF) (OR: 0.90), and troponin levels (OR: 1.12).Serum hs-CRP levels on
      admission in patients with ACS could predict the severity and complexity of
      coronary atherosclerosis together with multivessel disease, LVEF, and troponin
      levels. Thus, increased serum levels of hs-CRP were one of the strong predictors
      of high SXScore in ACS patients. 

PMID- 26118591
TI  - Beating Heart Versus Arrested Heart Isolated Tricuspid Valve Surgery.
AB  - We analyzed the long-term results of two surgical techniques (beating versus non
      beating) for isolated tricuspid valve (TV) surgery.The long-term results of 92
      consecutive patients who underwent isolated TV surgery were analyzed. We compared
      patients with beating heart (BH) surgery (n = 48) with patients undergoing
      arrested heart (AH) surgery (n = 44).BH surgery was more frequently chosen in
      urgent/emergent operations (P = 0.029) and in redo-operations (P < 0.001).
      Preoperatively, the rates of renal insufficiency (P = 0.002) and EuroSCORE (P =
      0.019) were higher in the BH group than in the AH group. There were no
      differences in perioperative outcomes and 30-day mortality between the groups.
      However, freedom from reoperation was significantly lower in the BH group
      compared to the AH group (P = 0.039). We observed a trend towards lower survival
      rates at 1, 5, and 10 years in the BH group (77%, 54%, and 41%) compared to those
      of the AH group (86%, 75%, and 72%, P = 0.062). Multivariate Cox hazard model
      analysis revealed preoperative heart rhythm (P = 0.014, odds ratio [OR] = 2.296)
      and EuroSCORE (P = 0.022, OR = 1.049) as independent risk factors for mortality
      after isolated TV surgery.The superiority of BH surgery over AG surgery was not
      proven. Surgical intervention should be considered early, since patients with
      elevated EuroSCORES and arrhythmia have significantly higher mortality rates. 

PMID- 26118592
TI  - Sodium Hydroxide Pinpoint Pressing Permeation Method for the Animal Modeling of
      Sick Sinus Syndrome.
AB  - Sodium hydroxide pinpoint pressing permeation (SHPPP) was investigated in order
      to build a rat model of sick sinus syndrome (SSS), which is easy to operate and
      control the degree of damage, with fewer complications and applicable for large
      and small animals.Thirty healthy Wistar rats (15 males and 15 females, weighing
      250-350 g) were randomly divided into 3 groups, namely a formaldehyde thoracotomy
      wet compressing group (FTWC), formaldehyde pinpoint pressing permeation group
      (FPPP) group, and SHPPP group. The number of surviving rats, heart rate (HR),
      sinoatrial node recovery time (SNRT), corrected SNRT (CSNRT), and sinoatrial
      conduction time (SACT) were recorded 3 days, one week, and two weeks after
      modeling.The achievement ratio of modeling was 10% in the FTWC group, 40% in the
      FPPP group, and 70% in the SHPPP group, and the differences were statistically
      significant (chi(2) = 7.250, P = 0.007). Meanwhile, the HR was reduced by about
      37% in these 3 groups 3 days after modeling, while the reduction was maintained
      only in SHPPP (P > 0.05) and the HR was re-elevated in the FTWC and FPPP groups 2
      weeks after modeling (P < 0.05). Additionally, the SNRT, cS-NRT, and SACT were
      significantly prolonged compared with pre-modeling in all 3 groups (P <
      0.01).SHPPP was the best method with which to build an SSS model with stable and
      lasting low HR and high success rate of modeling, which might be helpful for
      further studies on the SSS mechanisms and drugs. 

PMID- 26118593
TI  - Mutation Analysis of KCNQ1, KCNH2 and SCN5A Genes in Taiwanese Long QT Syndrome
      Patients.
AB  - Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a genetic cardiac disease. Gene mutation affects the
      structure or function of ion channels that are associated with a high risk of
      sudden death. The goal of this study was to determine the frequency of KCNQ1,
      KCNH2, and SCN5A mutations in LQTS in a Taiwanese population. Genomic DNA was
      extracted from peripheral blood samples obtained from 5 patients with LQTS and
      the family members of 3 LQTS patients. High resolution melting (HRM) analysis and
      direct DNA sequencing were used to characterize the KCNQ1, KCNH2, and SCN5A
      genetic variations. HRM analysis was successfully optimized for 14 of the 16
      exons of the KCNQ1, 5 of the 15 exons of the KCNH2, and 23 of the 27 exons of the
      SCN5A. HRM and direct DNA sequencing was applied to the cohort of 5 cases and
      some of their family. The genetic testing revealed two pathogenic mutations
      (p.T309I in KCNQ1 and p.R744fs in KCNH2) and all of the mutational frequencies in
      KCNQ1 and KCNH2 were 20%. In the two patients who carry the pathogenic mutation
      presenting with recurrent syncope due to ventricular fibrillation, an implantable
      cardioverter defibrillator was implanted. We also discovered 11 polymorphisms in
      KCNQ1, 3 in KCNH2, and 5 in SCN5A. Two-fifths of cases (40%) presented with one
      of the three major LQTS-causing gene mutations. 

PMID- 26118594
TI  - Early Phase Arterial Reaction Following Drug-Eluting and Bare-Metal Stent
      Implantation in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - The early phase arterial reaction after implantation of second-generation drug
      eluting stents (2nd DES) and baremetal stents (BMS) in patients with ST-segment
      elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear.The MECHANISM pilot study
      is a multi-center prospective registry that enrolled 24 STEMI patients (from 11
      centers) who had undergone implantation of everolimus-eluting (n = 6), biolimus
      A9-eluting (n = 6) or zotarolimus-eluting stents (n = 6), or BMS (n = 6).
      Scheduled optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed 2 weeks after
      implantation, and images were independently analyzed at a core laboratory in a
      blinded fashion. Intra-stent thrombus was quantitatively analyzed in terms of the
      maximal area and the percentage of cross-sections with thrombus (the numbers of
      cross-section with thrombus * 100 divided by total number of cross-sections
      within the stented segment). More than 90% of struts were already covered 2 weeks
      after the index procedure, regardless of the stent type. There were no
      differences in stent diameter, minimal lumen diameter, minimal lumen area,
      neointimal thickness, or the frequencies of malapposed and uncovered struts among
      the 4 groups. The quantity of intra-stent thrombus also did not differ among the
      4 groups.The results of this pilot study suggest that the 2-week vascular
      responses seem to be similar among 2nd DES and BMS in STEMI patients. Considering
      the possible advantage of 2nd DES in the prevention of restenosis, 2nd DES are a
      feasible option for the treatment of patients with STEMI. 

PMID- 26118595
TI  - Predictors of Atrial Septal Defect Occluder Dislodgement.
AB  - The aim of this study was to identify the factors that influence atrial septal
      occluder dislodgement in adults and children.From June 2003 to June 2013, a total
      of 213 patients (115 adults and 98 children) diagnosed with secundum atrial
      septal defects (ASD) underwent transcatheter closure of their defects with an
      atrial septal occluder (ASO) in our hospital. The ASO was implanted under
      transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) guidance. Ten patients suffered from ASO
      dislodgement, and the other 203 patients comprised the successful group. We
      compared the preprocedural data related to general demographics, defects,
      margins, and minor post-implantation complications between the two groups with
      the goal of identifying the factors that affected ASO dislodgement.Univariate
      logistic regression analyses identified a high Qp/Qs value, the Qp/Qs ratio >
      3.13, ASO size, ASO size greater than 32 mm, ASO size/BSA ratio > 15.13 and IAS
      erosion, floppiness or aneurysm formation as factors with significant predictive
      value. Multivariate analysis revealed that a Qp/Qs ratio > 3.13, and interatrial
      septum (IAS) erosion, floppiness and aneurysm formation post-implantation were
      independent predictors of ASO dislodgement (P = 0.001 and P = 0.006,
      respectively) in both adults and children.Percutaneous device closure of ASDs is
      safe and effective in the current era. The Qp/Qs ratio > 3.13 and IAS erosion,
      floppiness or aneurysm formation post-implantation might be predictors of ASO
      dislodgement in adults and children. 

PMID- 26118596
TI  - Erratum: Pathological Role of Adipose Tissue Dysfunction in Cardio-Metabolic
      Disorders.

PMID- 26118597
TI  - Effects of different exercise durations on Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway activation in
      mouse skeletal muscle.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of acute exercise stress
      on the nuclear factor-erythroid2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response
      element (ARE) transactivation, Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1)
      cytosolic protein and Nrf2 nucleoprotein expressions, Nrf2 target genes mRNA
      expressions, and glutathione redox (GSH/GSSG) ratio level; with a particular
      focus on the changes in Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway activation following different
      durations of exercise. Wild-type mice (C57BL/6J, two months old) were separated
      into one-hour and six-hour treadmill running groups, as well as a non-exercise
      control group (n = 10 in each group). Measurements of Nrf2/ARE transactivation,
      Nrf2 nucleoprotein expressions, Keap1 cytosolic protein expression, Nrf2 target
      genes' mRNA expressions (superoxide dismutase-1 [SOD1], superoxide dismutase-2
      [SOD2], gamma-glutamyl cysteine ligase-modulatory [GCLm], gamma-glutamyl cysteine
      ligase-catalytic [GCLc], glutathione reductase [GR], glutathione peroxidase-1
      [Gpx1], catalase [CAT], and hemoxygenase-1 [Ho-1]), and GSH/GSSG ratio were
      carried out immediately after exercise. The results showed significant increases
      in Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway activation and the mRNA expressions of six measured
      enzymes in skeletal muscle after six hours of exercise; while in the one-hour
      exercise group, there was no change in Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway activation and only
      two enzymes' mRNA expressions were increased. It is suggested that the changes in
      Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway activation and its target genes' mRNA expressions were
      dependent on the exercise duration, with longer duration associated with higher
      responses. 

PMID- 26118598
TI  - Routine versus selective contrast imaging to identify the need for early re
      intervention following laparoscopic fundoplication: A retrospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prompt recognition of complications is essential in reducing
      morbidity following anti-reflux surgery. Consequently, many centres employ a
      policy of routine post-operative contrast studies. The study aimed to examine
      whether routine contrast studies more effectively recognised early post-operative
      complications following anti-reflux surgery compared with selective use. METHODS:
      This was a retrospective analysis of 240 adults who had undergone primary anti
      reflux surgery. Selective use of water-soluble contrast swallows was employed for
      115 patients (Group 1) while 125 patients (Group 2) had routine studies. RESULTS:
      10 (0.9%) patients from Group 1 underwent contrast studies, four (40%) of which
      were abnormal. Routine studies in Group 2 identified thirty-two abnormalities
      (27%) however the inter-group difference was not significant (p = 0.32). Only one
      case from group 2 required immediate re-intervention. This was not statistically
      significant (p = 0.78). Multivariate analysis found no significant association
      between selective or routine imaging and re-intervention rates. One patient from
      group 2 presented three days following discharge with wrap migration requiring
      reoperation despite a normal post-operative study. CONCLUSION: Routine use of
      contrast imaging following anti-reflux and hiatus hernia surgery is not
      necessary. It does not identify a significantly greater number of post-operative
      complications in comparison to selective use. Additionally, routine use of
      contrast studies does not ensure the diagnosis of all complications in the post
      operative period.

PMID- 26118599
TI  - Retrospective analysis of short term outcomes after spleen-preserving distal
      pancreatectomy for sodid pseudopapillary tumours.
AB  - Solid pseudopapillary pancreatic tumour (SPN) is a rare pancreatic tumour
      representing 0.1%-3% of all exocrine pancreatic tumours. Most SPN show benign and
      low-grade malignant behaviour; malignant degeneration is observed in 10-15% of
      the patients. More than 40% of SPN involve the tail of the pancreas leading to a
      minimal invasive distal pancreatectomy approach. In this report we present the
      case of a young 22 Caucasian woman suffering from SPN who successfully underwent
      laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy. Postoperative course was
      uneventful. A CT scan control at six months was negative for recurrences. We have
      also made an analysis of all the laparoscopic treatment of SPN reported in
      English literature. 

PMID- 26118600
TI  - Percutaneous CT-guided irreversible electroporation followed by chemotherapy as a
      novel neoadjuvant protocol in locally advanced pancreatic cancer: Our preliminary
      experience.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a non-thermal ablation
      technique recently used in pancreatic cancer. In our prospective study we
      evaluated safety, feasibility and efficacy of a neoadjuvant protocol based on CT
      guided percutaneous IRE followed by chemotherapy in patients with locally
      advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). METHODS: We performed CT-guided percutaneous
      IRE in 20 patients with LAPC, followed by a combination of gemcitabine (1000
      mg/mq) and oxaliplatin (100 mg/mq) biweekly. Imaging follow-up was performed by a
      contrast enhanced CT scan at 1, 3, 6 months and then every 3 months. RESULTS: No
      major complications occurred. Two patients died 3 and 4 months after IRE because
      of rapidly progressive disease. In the remaining 18 patients 6-month imaging
      follow-up showed a mean lesions volumetric decrease percentage of 42.89% (95%
      Confidence Interval: 34.90-54.88%). Thanks to lesions downstaging, three patients
      underwent R0 resection. At last available follow-up (mean follow-up 91 months;
      range 6-14), imaging showed no disease progression or post-surgical relapse in
      all 18 cases. The mean estimated survival was 12,950 months (95% CI: 11,570
      14,332). CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary study suggests that IRE followed by
      chemotherapy is safe, feasible and effective in producing local control of LAPC,
      with a possible downstaging effect to resectable lesions.

PMID- 26118601
TI  - Usefulness of intraoperative ultrasonography in liver resections due to colon
      cancer metastasis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS) of the liver has been used
      both as an aid for intraoperative anatomical definition and for the detection of
      new lesions. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of IOUS and to
      identify factors that can predict the detection of new lesions intraoperatively.
      METHODS: In this observational and prospective study, with a cross-sectional
      design, patients with colorectal cancer metastases who underwent hepatectomy were
      selected. Abdominal computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron
      emission tomography were the preoperative evaluation tests. All patients
      underwent IOUS performed by the same surgeon. The intraoperative findings were
      compared with the preoperative tests results. RESULTS: In total, 56 hepatectomies
      were evaluated. Half of the patients were men, with a mean age of 57 (30-85)
      years. New lesions were found intraoperatively in 12 patients (21.4% of cases)
      and were detected on both palpation and ultrasonography in 11 of these patients.
      Ultrasonography helped to revise the surgical plans by providing additional
      information in 35.7% of cases. On multivariate analysis, the presence of more
      than 4 preoperative nodules was predictive of the intraoperative occurrence of
      new lesions. CONCLUSIONS: IOUS remains the only way to evaluate the relationships
      between tumors, liver vascular structures, and bile ducts intraoperatively.
      Alone, IOUS was not useful for identifying new lesions intraoperatively, as all
      new lesions were also detected on palpation. The number of lesions diagnosed on
      preoperative tests influenced the probability of identifying new lesions
      intraoperatively. There may be additional influential factors.

PMID- 26118602
TI  - Pancreatic fistula following pancreatoduodenectomy. Evaluation of different
      surgical approaches in the management of pancreatic stump. Literature review.
AB  - Pancreatoduodenectomy is the gold standard operation for malignant and benign
      diseases of the pancreas and periampullary region. Even if improvements in
      intensive care management and surgical technique have dramatically reduced
      postoperative mortality after pancreatic surgery, morbidity remains high (30
      50%), also in specialized pancreatic units. In order to reduce postoperative
      complications, particularly pancreatic fistula, different surgical techniques and
      their modifications have been proposed. In order to determine the better
      management of the pancreatic stump after pancreatoduodenectomy, the Authors
      analysed and compared derivative - pancreaticojejunal, pancreaticogastrostomy -
      vs no-derivative technique - pancreatic stump closure (duct ligation or
      mechanical suture, duct occlusion by fibrin glue or cyanoacrylate). A systematic
      research of the English literature, including major meta-analysis articles,
      clinical randomized trials, retrospective studies and systematic reviews was
      performed, analysing the risk factors and the incidence of short-medium term
      postoperative complications. Up to now, even if derivative procedures are
      preferred as gold standard the best method to deal a pancreatic stump is still
      controversial and remains matter of research. Pancreatic surgeons must have more
      than one technique for managing the pancreatic remnant. 

PMID- 26118603
TI  - Distal pancreatectomy with splenic preservation: A short-term outcome analysis of
      the Warshaw technique.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Spleen-preserving left pancreatectomy (SPDP) with splenic vessels
      preservation (SVP) or without (Warshaw technique, WT) has been described with
      robotic, laparoscopy and open surgery. Nevertheless, significant data on medium-
      and long-term follow-up are still not available, since data in literature are
      scarce and the level of evidence is low. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we
      describe and compare short and medium term results of spleen-preserving distal
      pancreatectomy in eight patients. RESULTS: In WT group the duration and the
      intraoperative bleeding was superior than SVP group. The incidence of perigastric
      collateral vessels and presence of submucosal varices evidenced at CT scan was
      66% in WT group, while only one case occurred in SVP group. DISCUSSION: The limit
      of laparoscopic approach is the fact that it needs advanced laparoscopic skills,
      which might result in intraoperative bleeding and splenectomy. The most of
      literature considered salvage WT intraoperatively performed in case of classical
      SVP and not only elective WT. The consequence is that there is no difference in
      immediate postoperative results (operative time, intraoperative bleeding,
      hospital stay) that are in favour of SVP because WT is performed only in case of
      failure in preserving the splenic vessels. In fact when this intervention is
      performed electively, the procedure time is reduced as well as the intraoperative
      bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: WT is safe and feasible, even if there are not definitive
      evidences that demonstrate it is superior to classic SVP. RCTs are needed to
      determine advantages and disadvantages of WT compared to the classic SVP.

PMID- 26118604
TI  - A novel approach to prevent post-operative ileus after continuous-flow left
      ventricular assist device implantation: A retrospective cohort study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Patients with postoperative ileus (POI), a common post-surgical
      event, experience intense discomfort. Various treatments targeting prevention of
      POI have shown to have an unpredictable effect. We introduced a novel
      postoperative bowel management protocol in patients implanted with a continuous
      flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD). The effect of this protocol on POI
      was evaluated. METHODS: Patients receiving an old bowel management protocol
      (OBMP; 01/2007-03/2009) were compared with those receiving a new bowel management
      protocol (NBMP; 04/2009-12/2013). The OBMP consisted of advancing the diet as
      tolerated, bisacodyl suppositories and enemas with the goal of a bowel movement
      (BM) every 3 days. The NBMP consisted of clear liquids until first BM is
      achieved, then full liquids until the second BM, then advancing to goal diet.
      Docusate is given on postoperative day (POD) 1 and bisacodyl PR on POD2 with
      enemas if ileus develops. Enemas are added POD3 if no BM has occurred.
      Polyethylene glycol is considered daily for patients prone to constipation. The
      goal is a BM every 2 days. Patients were made nil per os (NPO) with any signs of
      ileus. RESULTS: One hundred eighteen patients were implanted with CF-LVADs during
      the study period. The incidence of ileus significantly decreased from 19% in the
      OBMP group to 4% percent in the NBMP group (p < 0.05). In-hospital mortality was
      not different between the two groups (6% vs. 2% p = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS: A novel
      postoperative bowel management protocol successfully decreased the incidence of
      POI following CF-LVAD implant surgery at our institution.

PMID- 26118605
TI  - Conservative management and parenchyma-sparing resections of pancreatic
      neuroendocrine tumors: Literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) are uncommon entities. pNETs
      are often small, slow growing, clinically silent neoplasms. However, they have an
      almost unpredictable biological behaviour with a not negligible malignant
      potential. Surgery still represents the treatment of choice, but the high
      morbidity associated to the enucleation or the formal pancreatectomy should be
      considered in the decision of the proper treatment. Management of these neoplasms
      is still debated, and indications for a conservative observational approach and
      for parenchyma sparing resections are not yet standardized. METHOD: We review the
      state of art on the indications for the conservative management of pNETs.
      Searches on MEDLINE database were performed to identify articles reporting
      prognostic systems, biochemical screening, observational management, medical
      treatment and surgical strategies for pNETs. DISCUSSION: Currently, an accurate
      'wait-and-see' policy is recommended by the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society
      (ENETS) only for non-functioning pNETs (NF-pNETs) <2 cm. A biochemical screening,
      based on sampling of serum levels of pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and chromogranin
      A, can address to early conservative surgery for MEN-1 associated NF-pNETs <2 cm
      to prevent their malignant transformation. The subtotal (80%) distal
      pancreatectomy first proposed by Thompson, often with the enucleation of possible
      pancreatic head tumors, still represents a good compromise between oncological
      radicality and prevention of pancreatic endocrine/exocrine insufficiency caused
      by standard radical resections for the treatment of inherited syndromes
      associated with NF-pNETs >2 cm and symptomatic F-pNETs of any size. CONCLUSION:
      More studies are needed to further clarify and predict the biologic behaviour of
      pNETs and increase the indications for conservative observational management and
      parenchyma sparing pancreas resections.

PMID- 26118606
TI  - Macrocystic serous cystadenoma of the pancreas: Report of 4 cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Macrocystic serous cystadenomas (MaSCA) are rare benign tumor of the
      pancreas which represent an atypical macroscopic morphologic variant of serous
      cystadenomas (SCA). They are characterized by a limited number of cysts with a
      diameter of >2 cm and share imaging features overlapping those of mucinous cystic
      neoplasm (MCN) and branch-duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (BD-IPMN),
      thus frequently making the pre-operative radiologic diagnosis difficult.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four cases of MaSCA, which were surgically treated in our
      structure, are reported. RESULTS: Two women (62 and 39 year-old) presented with
      upper abdominal pain and palpable mass underwent CT with evidence of a lobulated
      cystic neoformation (98 * 70 and 94 * 75 mm respectively) originating from the
      body and the tail of the pancreas respectively. They underwent distal
      pancreatectomy for suspected MCN. A 38 year-old woman underwent laparoscopic
      distal pancreatectomy because of the incidental finding of an unilocular cystic
      lesion in the pancreatic tail (23 mm) of indeterminate origin (MCN, SCA or
      metastasis). In a 40 year-old woman, admitted for acalculous acute pancreatitis,
      an unilocular cystic lesion in the body of the pancreas (62 mm) was detected and
      confirmed after 2 months at CT, therefore she underwent distal pancreatectomy for
      suspected pseudocyst or SCA. In all of the 4 patients the histological
      examination of the specimens revealed a MaSCA. CONCLUSION: Imaging techniques
      have a low diagnostic power in terms of differentiation of MaSCA from malignant
      lesions (as MCNs and BD-IPMN). In the clinical practise of MaSCA, surgery appears
      to gain indications that are wider than those correlated to the pathologic
      outcome, because of the necessity of a correct differential diagnosis from
      potentially malignant cystic tumors and the frequent symptoms requiring
      treatment.

PMID- 26118607
TI  - "Ductal adenocarcinoma in anular pancreas".
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The annular pancreas is a congenital anomaly in which pancreatic
      tissue partially or completely surrounds the second portion of the duodenum. Its
      often located above of papilla of Vater (85%), rarely below (15%). This
      pancreatic tissue is often easily dissociable to the duodenum but there is same
      cases where it the tissue is into the muscolaris wall of the duodenum. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: We describe three case of annular pancreas hospitalized in our
      facility between January 2004 and January 2009. There were 2 male 65 and 69 years
      old respectively and 1 female of 60 years old, presented complaining of repeated
      episodes of mild epigastric pain. Laboratory tests (including tumor markers), a
      direct abdomen X-ray with enema, EGDS and total body CT scan were performed to
      study to better define the diagnosis. EUS showed the presence of tissue
      infiltrating the muscle layer all around the first part of duodenum. Biopsies
      performed found the presence of pancreatic tissue with focal areas of
      adenocarcinoma. Subtotal gastrectomy with Roux was performed. The histological
      examinations shows an annular pancreas of D1 with multiple focal area of
      adenocarcinoma. (T1aN0M0). RESULTS: We performed a follow up at 5 years. One
      patients died after 36 months for cardiovascular hit. Two patients, one male and
      one female, was 5-years disease-free. DISCUSSION: Annular pancreas is an uncommon
      congenital anomaly which usually presents itself in infants and newborn. Rarely
      it can present in late adult life with wide range of clinical severities thereby
      making its diagnosis difficult. Pre-operative diagnosis is often difficult. CT
      scan can illustrate the pancreatic tissue encircling the duodenum. ERCP and MRCP
      are useful in outlining the annular pancreatic duct. Surgery still remains
      necessary to confirm diagnosis and bypassing the obstructed segment.

PMID- 26118608
TI  - Surgical management of hydatid liver disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: large retrospective clinical study describing the long-term
      experience of a single center in the surgical management of liver echinococcosis
      in an endemic area. METHODS: 232 patients were operated for liver hydatid disease
      between 1978 and 2012. Seventy-three patients (Group A) underwent a radical
      procedure (total pericystectomy or hepatectomy), while 145 (Group B) were treated
      with a more conservative method (partial cystectomy, with external drainage,
      omentoplasty or capitonnage) and 14 (Group C) received a combination of total and
      partial cystectomies. Morbidity, mortality, post-operative complications and
      recurrence rates in the long-term setting were retrospectively evaluated.
      RESULTS: Group A patients were treated with zero mortality and a morbidity rate
      of 10.95%. No recurrence was documented. In Group B, mortality reached 2.76%, (p
      = 0.153 compared to Group A) morbidity 24.13% (p = 0.021) and there were 10 cases
      of relapse (6.9%) at three-year complete follow-up (p = 0.989). Extrahepatic
      sites of disease were not uncommon. DISCUSSION: radical surgical procedures were
      better tolerated by patients and yielded better results in terms of recurrence
      rates.

PMID- 26118609
TI  - The use of intraoperative ultrasound for diagnosis and stadiation in pancreatic
      head neoformations.
AB  - The intraoperative staging of the pancreatic cancer is important to make a proper
      treatment. For this reason the intraoperative echography is playing an important
      role in the right treatment choice. The intraoperative echography, that can be
      performed with an open or laparoscopic probe, is used to confirm the preoperative
      diagnosis and assess the pancreatic cancer resecability. The intraoperative
      echography (IOUS) or laparoscopic intraoperative echography (LIOUS) are useful to
      identify the patients with a non resecable cancer and perform a faster
      neoadjuvant treatment. The LIOUS can also avoid an useless laparotomy. The aim of
      this study is to assess, both in our experience and in the cited literature, the
      concordance rate between the pancreatic cancer preoperative staging, performed
      with TC and MRI (when it is available), and intraoperative staging, performed
      with intraoperative laparotomic or laparoscopic echography. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      We have analyzed the treatment management of 34 patients, who were candidate to
      major surgery for suspected pancreatic head cancer and who underwent to
      intraoperative LIOUS or IOUS staging from 2001 to 2012. RESULTS: LIOUS and IOUS
      have allowed to detect cases in which preoperative diagnosis, proved by CT and
      MRI, was not agreeing with intraoperative diagnosis (22 patients on 34, 64%
      discordance rate), avoiding the execution of a demolitive and uneseful surgery in
      order to guarantee the surveillance and life's quality of patients. CONCLUSION:
      We suggest to perform in every patients undergone to pancreatic surgery an
      intraoperative ultrasound exam, to detect unresecable and unpredicted lesions.

PMID- 26118610
TI  - Intrarectal migration of mesh following Rectopexy: Case series and review of
      literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mesh rectopexy for complete rectal prolapse is associated with
      complications such as fecal impaction, constipation and rarely recurrence. Mesh
      erosion following rectopexy is rare. We report three such cases managed
      successfully in our unit. PRESENTATION OF CASES: All three patients presented
      with constipation. In addition, one patient had sense of incomplete evacuation
      and another had protrusion of mesh through anal canal with recurrence of rectal
      prolapse. There was a delayed presentation in one patient at 15 years after
      initial surgery, while other two presented at 2 years and 5 years following
      rectopexy. Diagnosis was made by either per rectal examination or sigmoidoscopy.
      Two patients underwent trans abdominal removal of mesh along with anterior
      resection of rectum. In one patient, mesh was removed by transanal approach and
      sutured rectopexy was added to tackle the recurrent prolapse. All patients are
      symptom free on follow up with no recurrence of prolapse. DISCUSSION: Mesh
      erosion following rectopexy has multifactorial aetiology with diverse
      presentation. It is important to recognise this significantly morbid complication
      as it amenable to surgical correction. Management depends up on the location of
      erosion, the severity of mesh protrusion into rectal lumen and the degree of
      fibrosis around the area of mesh. CONCLUSION: The management of mesh erosion
      following rectopexy should be individualized. Although it is complex, acceptable
      functional outcome and quality of life can be achieved with proper treatment.

PMID- 26118611
TI  - Cystic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: To date a diagnostic challenge.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Cystic PNETs are an uncommon neoplasms increasingly detected in
      current clinical practice which often present a diagnostic challenges to both the
      experienced radiologist and pathologist. The aim of this study was to review the
      available literature to summarize current data that compare and evaluate both the
      clinical and pathologic features of cystic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review of the current literature was
      performed using the search engines EMBASE and PubMed to identify all studies
      reporting on cystic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The MeSH search terms used
      were "cystic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors", "endocrine neoplasms", and
      "pancreatic cysts". Multiple combinations of the keywords and MeSH terms were
      used. RESULTS: The clinical evaluation of cystic pancreatic lesions appears to
      suffer from same limitations despite the improvement in the diagnostic tools.
      Subsequently, we highlight diagnostic pitfalls and differential diagnosis of
      these cystic tumors. In this review we discuss current advances in the
      application of the imaging modalities and characteristics features with special
      emphasize on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), and EUS guide fine needle aspiration
      (EUS-FNA). CONCLUSIONS: Cystic neuroendocrine tumor in the pancreas underlines
      the clinical impact of endoscopic ultrasound in the work-up of patients with
      unclear lesions in the pancreas. EUS-FNA cytology and cyst fluid analysis is a
      useful adjunct to abdominal imaging for the diagnosis of pancreatic cystic
      lesions. Due to the evident diagnostic difficulties, we hypothesize that cyst
      fluid characteristics, including cytomorphological features, is the most accurate
      test to achieve a preoperative diagnosis and to provide a basis for prognostic
      prediction.

PMID- 26118612
TI  - FDG-PET nodal staging does not correlate with histopathological nodal stage for
      oesophageal cancers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether pre-operative N-stage (nodal stage) based on
      FDG-PET for oesophageal cancers, correlates with final histopathology.
      Additionally, we assessed if N-stage differs for squamous cell cancers compared
      with adenocarcinomas and if neoadjuvant therapy alters these results. BACKGROUND:
      Our current understanding of oesophageal cancer biology means that
      personalisation of multimodality therapy is based on accurate clinical staging,
      allied with patient co morbidities and patient preference. METHODS: We conducted
      a retrospective review of consecutive oesophagectomy cases performed over a ten
      year period (between 2002 and 2013) from a single tertiary centre. A total of 161
      patients were identified in the study period. RESULTS: Overall, 103 specimens
      with 1402 lymph nodes were included. For both Adenocarcinomas (AC) and Squamous
      Cell Carcinomas (SCC), there was no significant difference between the N-stage
      determined by CT vs. FDG-PET (p > 0.05). For AC, there was statistically
      significant under-reporting of the N-stage by PET compared with the final
      histopathology (p < 0.01). Subgroup analysis showed that neoadjuvant therapy vs.
      adjuvant therapy alone did not alter the bias for under-reporting of the N-stage
      for adenocarcinoma by PET-CT (Bland-Altman bias 0.76 vs. bias 0.75). CONCLUSION:
      There is little doubt that PET-CT provides useful information in determining
      metastatic disease however its use in evaluating nodal burden is limited.
      Theoretically, this should not preclude patients from receiving definitive
      surgical management but the decision regarding neoadjuvant treatment based on
      locoregional disease may be affected.

PMID- 26118613
TI  - Biological mechanism of shockwave in bone.
AB  - Shockwave is a rapid, short duration acoustic wave that carries energy and can
      propagate through tissue medium. This kind of physical force can be a mechanical
      stimulus that induces biological effects in living tissue. Extracorporeal
      shockwave therapy (ESWT) acts as a mechanical stimulus which promotes biological
      healing processes through a mechanotransduction. The biological effects of ESWT
      are reported such as tissue regeneration, wound healing, angiogenesis, bone
      remodeling, and anti-inflammation. Until now, however, little is known about the
      basic mechanism of action of this type of therapy. This article describes the
      molecular mechanism on the current status of ESWT with pre-clinical and clinical
      applications for treating disorders in bone. 

PMID- 26118614
TI  - Laparoscopic perspectives for distal biliary obstruction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In patients affected by distal biliary obstruction deemed unsuitable
      for pancreatoduodenectomy, biliary diversion is the only proposable option.
      Defined goals of this treatment are: relief from jaundice preventing its related
      complications, reduction of in-hospital stay and adequate control of pain.
      Palliation can be obtained either by surgical or conservative procedures
      (endoscopic stenting or percutaneous treatment). Considering early complications'
      incidence, surgical approach has always been reserved for low surgical risk
      patients with longer survival perspectives, while recently developed long-lasting
      patency stents enlarged mini-invasive application resort. Comparative studies on
      these therapeutic options favour the conservative one in respect of conventional
      open surgery, but data on minimally invasive surgery to pursue palliative aims
      are lacking. We present our six-years casuistic and results referring to
      laparoscopic biliary diversions. METHODS: We analyzed results obtained in distal
      biliary neoplastic obstruction management between December 2008 and November
      2014. During this period, selected patients considered unsuitable for
      pancreatoduodenectomy were scheduled to receive a laparoscopic biliary
      decompression. Perioperative variables and 30-days postoperative outcomes have
      been prospectively collected. RESULTS: In the six-years period, 12 patients
      affected by distal biliary neoplastic obstruction were submitted to laparoscopic
      palliative bypass. Four procedures were proposed for distal biliary cancer, one
      for advanced periampullary cancer and seven for pancreatic head cancer. Ten
      hepatico-jejunal bypasses and two choledochoduodenostomies have been performed.
      No conversions to open surgery were encountered in this series. Main operative
      time was 85 min, main blood loss was 75 ml and main hospitalization was 4.5 days.
      According to Clavien Dindo Classification one class II and one class IIIb
      complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Although the restricted number of patients,
      our results suggest that laparoscopic biliary bypass could be a valid option in
      managing distal biliary obstructions, resulting in low perioperative morbidity,
      effective long term palliation of symptoms and improved quality of life.

PMID- 26118615
TI  - Robotic pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy: Technical considerations.
AB  - Laparoscopy has revolutionized the way of thinking abdominal surgery, however, to
      date there are still limitations making it difficult to apply this technique to
      some types of surgical procedures considered technically demanding even when
      performed by open surgery, such as the pancreaticoduodenectomy. This technical
      note provides a complete description of the surgical procedure performed for the
      execution of a robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy through the use of the "Da Vinci
      Si" robotic system. Robotic systems represent a real evolution in minimally
      invasive surgery. We wish to emphasize this concept, highlighting the application
      of this technology to complex procedures in digestive surgery. 

PMID- 26118616
TI  - Can early serum lipase measurement be routinely implemented to rule out
      clinically significant pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is the most significant
      cause of morbidity and mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). We evaluated
      the role of postoperative serum lipase concentration in ruling out POPF in the
      immediate post-operative period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively
      analysed 98 consecutive PD performed between January 2009 and December 2014,
      investigating the correlation between postoperative day 1 (POD1) serum lipase
      concentration and POPF development. RESULTS: 29 patients (29.5%) developed POPF
      [grade A, 17 (17.3%); grade B, 8 (8.1%); grade C, 4 (4%)]. A receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to determine the threshold value of
      POD1 serum lipase associated with clinically significant POPF (AUC = 0.76, 95% CI
      0.64-0.86, P = 0.01). Such threshold was <= 44.5 U/L and its sensitivity and
      specificity were 92% and 66%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive
      values (PPV, NPV) were 31% and 98%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Early routinely
      measurement of serum lipase proved to be helpful in ruling out clinically
      relevant POPF (CR-POPF). In our cohort, a POD1 cut-off of <= 44.5 U/L allowed
      early and accurate identification of patients with low probability to develop
      clinically significant POPF, who can eventually be selected for enhanced post
      operative recovery with significant clinical and economic benefits.

PMID- 26118617
TI  - A brief history of clinical xenotransplantation.
AB  - Between the 17th and 20th centuries, blood was transfused from various animal
      species into patients with a variety of pathological conditions. Skin grafts were
      carried out in the 19th century, with grafts from a variety of animals, with
      frogs being the most popular. In the 1920s, Voronoff advocated the
      transplantation of slices of chimpanzee testis into elderly men, believing that
      the hormones produced by the testis would rejuvenate his patients. In 1963-4,
      when human organs were not available and dialysis was not yet in use, Reemtsma
      transplanted chimpanzee kidneys into 13 patients, one of whom returned to work
      for almost 9 months before suddenly dying from what was believed to be an
      electrolyte disturbance. The first heart transplant in a human ever performed was
      by Hardy in 1964, using a chimpanzee heart, but the patient died within 2 h.
      Starzl carried out the first chimpanzee-to-human liver transplantation in 1966;
      in 1992 he obtained patient survival for 70 days following a baboon liver
      transplant. The first clinical pig islet transplant was carried out by Groth in
      1993. Today, genetically-modified pigs offer hope of a limitless supply of organs
      and cells for those in need of a transplant. 

PMID- 26118618
TI  - Long-term survival after curative resection for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma-
      Surgical treatment.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recent reports have demonstrated improvement in the 5-years serviva
      with resecate ductal adenocarcinoma. The aim of study is to determinate the
      factor influencing long-term survival after DCP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have
      critically reviewed a group of 85 patients how were admitted to our department
      with diagnosis of ductal adenocarcinoma of the head of pancreas between January
      1974 and January 1998. RESULTS: Patients were stratified according to stage using
      TNM classification; in stage I 31 patients with 5 T1aN0M0 disease, 11 patients
      with T1bN0M0 and 15 patients T2N0M0 disease. By contrast, in stage III 54
      patients with 48 patients T2N1M0 and 6 patients with T3N1M0. Tumour size was
      recorded for 72 patients with a median of 3.8 cm. The R1 dissection was performed
      in 67 patients. The R2 resection was performed in 18 patients. In our series we
      verified and analysed the histopathologic features of 5 patients with 15-years
      survival (5.8%). The features regard age, male or female, tumours size, stage and
      positive lymph node resection. DISCUSSION: We found a specifically subset of
      patients where the combination of prognostic factors, in particular, negative
      surgical margins R0, tumour size <= 30 mm and the absence of lymph node
      metastasis independently reduced the mortality indicating that earlier tumour
      detection and histologically curative resection are important factors
      contributing to long term survival and healing of ductal adenocarcinoma of the
      head of the pancreas.

PMID- 26118619
TI  - Multimodality Imaging of the Reconstructed Breast.
AB  - The purpose of this article is to illustrate the imaging characteristics and
      pathologic findings associated with various types of breast reconstruction in
      women who have undergone mastectomy to treat breast cancer. As the use of breast
      reconstruction becomes more prevalent, it is imperative that radiologists
      interpreting imaging studies identify normal and abnormal imaging findings
      associated with differing breast reconstruction techniques, recognize imaging
      manifestation of expected complications, and reliably distinguish these from
      malignancy.

PMID- 26118620
TI  - Determination of the active transport of fucoidan derived from Okinawa Mozuku
      across the human intestinal Caco-2 cells as assessed by size-exclusion
      chromatography.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In order to clarify the mechanism of fucoidan transport, we
      developed the chromatographic determination method. METHOD: A size-exclusion
      chromatography (SEC) method for the determination of Okinawa-fucoidan using
      Develosil 300 Diol-5 (60*8.0mm I.D., 30nm pore-diameter) with the eluent
      containing 1% non-ionic detergent is developed. Determination range (UV at 210nm)
      is from 0 to 100ng of fucoidan with the linear calibration line inserting to
      zero. RESULTS: A transport activity of fucoidan is demonstrated by using Caco-2
      cells (model of gut transport system); i.e., the initial transport velocity
      12nmol/h/mg of protein (25-fold slower rate as compared to a bacterial l-alanine
      active-transport activity 300nmol/h/mg of protein) is found to occur. Since this
      fucoidan transport is inhibited by 10mM sodium azide (respiration inhibitor) and
      0.05mM FCCP (uncoupler), this transport by Caco-2 cells is found to be an active
      one requiring energy-source. On the other hand, colchicine (inhibitor of
      phagocytosis/pinocytosis) and mannitol (putative competitive-inhibitor of tight
      junction transport) cannot inhibit the fucoidan transport at all. CONCLUSION: We
      firstly report that the active transport occurs for such a high molecular-weight
      sulphated-polyfucose of fucoidan in vitro using Caco-2 cells.

PMID- 26118621
TI  - A UPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of danshensu, protocatechuic
      aldehyde, rosmarinic acid, and ligustrazine in rat plasma, and its application to
      pharmacokinetic studies of Shenxiong glucose injection in rats.
AB  - A rapid and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination
      of the four major active ingredients, danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde,
      rosmarinic acid, and ligustrazine, in the traditional Chinese medicine Shenxiong
      glucose injection in rat plasma. Acidified and alkalized plasma samples were
      extracted using ethyl acetate, and separated on a Waters C18 column (2.1mm*50mm,
      1.7MUm) by using a gradient mobile phase system of acetonitrile-water containing
      0.1% formic acid and luteoloside as an internal standard. Electrospray ionization
      in the positive-ion mode and multiple reaction monitoring were used to identify
      and quantitate the active components. All calibration curves showed good
      linearity (r>0.994) over the concentration range, with a lower limit of
      quantification (LLOQ) between 0.02 and 0.21MUg/mL. The precision of the in vivo
      study was evaluated by intra- and inter-day assays, and the percentage of
      relative standard deviation was within 15%. Moreover, satisfactory extraction
      efficiency was obtained (between 83.94 and 117.81%) by liquid-liquid extraction.
      The validated method was successfully applied in a pharmacokinetic study in rats
      after intravenous administration of Shenxiong glucose injection. The results
      showed that the four bioactive ingredients in Shenxiong glucose injection have
      linear pharmacokinetic properties in rats after intravenous injection within the
      administered dose range and partially different ones compared to single
      ingredient. 

PMID- 26118622
TI  - Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from domestic goats.
AB  - The creation of genetically modified goats provides a powerful approach for
      improving animal health, enhancing production traits, animal pharming, and for
      ensuring food safety all of which are high-priority goals for animal agriculture.
      The availability of goat embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that are characteristically
      immortal in culture would be of enormous benefit for developing genetically
      modified animals. As an alternative to long-sought goat ESCs, we generated
      induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) by forced expression of bovine POU5F1,
      SOX2, MYC, KLF4, LIN-28, and NANOG reprogramming factors in combination with a
      MIR302/367 cluster, delivered by lentiviral vectors. In order to minimize
      integrations, the reprogramming factor coding sequences were assembled with
      porcine teschovirus-1 2A (P2A) self-cleaving peptides that allowed for tri
      cistronic expression from each vector. The lentiviral-transduced cells were
      cultured on irradiated mouse feeder cells in a semi-defined, serum-free medium
      containing fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and/or leukemia inhibitory factor
      (LIF). The resulting goat iPSC exhibit cell and colony morphology typical of
      human and mouse ESCs-that is, well-defined borders, a high nuclear-to-cytoplasmic
      ratio, a short cell-cycle interval, alkaline phosphatase expression, and the
      ability to generate teratomas in vivo. Additionally, these goat iPSC demonstrated
      the ability to differentiate into directed lineages in vitro. These results
      constitute the first steps in establishing integration and footprint-free iPSC
      from ruminants. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 82: 709-721, 2015. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc. 

PMID- 26118623
TI  - Sperm storage across multiple scales--a reply to Marques, Garcia, and Ames.

PMID- 26118624
TI  - Gold Nanorods Indirectly Promote Migration of Metastatic Human Breast Cancer
      Cells in Three-Dimensional Cultures.
AB  - Gold nanomaterials are intensively studied for applications in disease detection,
      diagnosis and therapeutics, and this has motivated considerable research to
      determine their interaction with biomolecules, cells and cell behaviors. However,
      few studies look at how nanomaterials alter the extracellular matrix (ECM) and
      cell-ECM interactions. Nanomaterials in the body would interact with the entire
      cellular environment, and it is imperative to account for this when studying the
      impact of nanomaterials on living systems. Furthermore, recent evidence finds
      that migration rates of cells in 2D can be affected by nanomaterials, and uptake
      of the nanomaterials is not necessary to exert an effect. In this study, three
      dimensional nested type I collagen matrices were utilized as a model ECM to study
      how gold nanorods affect the migration of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells.
      Spontaneous cell migration through collagen containing gold nanorods was found to
      increase with increasing concentrations of gold nanorods, independent of
      intracellular uptake of the nanorods. Gold nanorods in the collagen matrix were
      found to alter collagen mechanical properties and structure, molecular diffusion,
      cellular adhesion, cell morphology, mode of migration and protease expression.
      Correlation between decreased cellular adhesion and rounded cell morphology and
      locomotion in nanorod-containing collagen suggests the induction of an amoeboid
      like migratory phenotype. 

PMID- 26118625
TI  - High resolution MRI evaluation of meniscal volume and anthropometric
      correlations.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to digitally determine meniscal volumes, and
      compare them with linear and surface area anthropometric measurements to evaluate
      these measurements for meniscal allograft sizing. Eighteen subjects (10 male and
      8 female; mean age 37.5 years) underwent 3.0 T knee magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) of the dominant leg. The following morphometric measurements were
      evaluated: medial meniscal volume (MMV), lateral meniscal volume (LMV), tibial
      plateau width (TPW), width of the femoral condyles (WFC), and tibial plateau
      surface area (TPSA). MMV and LMV were compared to TPW, WFC, and TPSA. Meniscal
      volume and TPW were correlated to height and body-mass index (BMI) and stratified
      by gender. Statistical analysis included coefficient of determination (r(2))
      between MRI-based MMV, LMV, TPW, TPSA, WFC, height, BMI, and gender. Significance
      was set at the P = 0.05 level. The mean MMV was 2275 mm(3) and the mean LMV was
      2102 mm(3). TPW correlated well with meniscal volumes (r(2) > 0.62). WFC and TPSA
      correlated with meniscal volumes in the range of 0.40 < r(2) < 0.61. Height, BMI,
      and gender correlated poorly with total meniscal volume and TPW with values of
      r(2) < 0.44. Medial and lateral menisci have statistically similar volumes. TPW
      had the greatest utility for volumetric meniscal sizing. MRI-based TPW can be
      considered as a statistically accurate measurement for determining meniscal
      volumes and meniscal size.

PMID- 26118626
TI  - Basal sympathetic predominance in periodic limb movements in sleep with
      obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - Because the impact of periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS) is controversial,
      no consensus has been reached on the therapeutic strategy for PLMS in obstructive
      sleep apnea (OSA). To verify the hypothesis that PLMS is related to a negative
      impact on the cardiovascular system in OSA patients, this study investigated the
      basal autonomic regulation by heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Sixty
      patients with mild-to-moderate OSA who underwent polysomnography (PSG) and
      completed sleep questionnaires were analysed retrospectively and divided into the
      PLMS group (n = 30) and the non-PLMS group (n = 30). Epochs without any sleep
      events or continuous effects were evaluated using HRV analysis. No significant
      difference was observed in the demographic data, PSG parameters or sleep
      questionnaires between the PLMS and non-PLMS groups, except for age. Patients in
      the PLMS group had significantly lower normalized high frequency (n-HF), high
      frequency (HF), square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of difference
      between adjacent NN intervals (RMSSD) and standard deviation of all normal to
      normal intervals index (SDNN-I), but had a higher normalized low frequency (n-LF)
      and LF/HF ratio. There was no significant difference in the Epworth Sleepiness
      Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Short-Form 36 and the Hospital
      Anxiety and Depression Scale between the two groups. After adjustment for
      confounding variables, PLMS remained an independent predictor of n-LF (beta =
      0.0901, P = 0.0081), LF/HF ratio (beta = 0.5351, P = 0.0361), RMSSD (beta = 
      20.1620, P = 0.0455) and n-HF (beta = -0.0886, P = 0.0134). In conclusion, PLMS
      is related independently to basal sympathetic predominance and has a potentially
      negative impact on the cardiovascular system of OSA patients.

PMID- 26118627
TI  - Wnt1a maintains characteristics of dermal papilla cells that induce mouse hair
      regeneration in a 3D preculture system.
AB  - Hair follicle morphogenesis and regeneration depend on intensive but well
      orchestrated interactions between epithelial and mesenchymal components.
      Therefore, an alternative strategy to reproduce the process of epithelial
      mesenchymal interaction in vitro could use a 3D system containing appropriate
      cell populations. The 3D air-liquid culture system for reproducibly generating
      hair follicles from dissociated epithelial and dermal papilla (DP) cells combined
      with a collagen-chitosan scaffold is described in this study. Wnt-CM was prepared
      from the supernatant of Wnt1a-expressing bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM
      MSCs) that maintain the hair-inducing gene expression of DP cells. The collagen
      chitosan scaffold cells (CCS cells) were constructed using a two-step method by
      inoculating the Wnt-CM-treated DP cells and epidermal (EP) cells into the CCS.
      The cells in the air-liquid culture formed dermal condensates and a proliferative
      cell layer in vitro. The CCS cells were able to induce hair regeneration in nude
      mice. The results demonstrate that Wnt-CM can maintain the hair induction ability
      of DP cells in expansion cultures, and this approach can be used for large-scale
      preparation of CCS cells in vitro to treat hair loss. Copyright (c) 2015 John
      Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26118628
TI  - Low iodine diet in differentiated thyroid cancer: a review.
AB  - Radioactive iodine (RAI) ablation is a beneficial, adjuvant therapy for the
      management of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) after thyroidectomy. The goal
      of RAI is to destroy remnant thyroid and microscopic cancerous tissue.
      Radioactive iodine uptake is enhanced by elevating TSH levels and initiating a
      low iodine diet (LID) prior to ablation. An ideal LID should preferably not
      exceed 50 mcg/day of dietary iodine for 1-2 weeks, although the duration may be
      shortened to a week with a structured patient education programme. A pre-ablation
      spot urinary iodine concentration (UIC) of <100 mcg/l and/or a urinary iodine to
      creatinine ratio (UICR) of <100 mcg/gCr would support an adequate LID
      preparation. Hyponatraemia, most likely due to iatrogenic hypothyroidism, is a
      potential side effect associated with LID and occurs during and a few days after
      the LID. Although the overall incidence of hyponatraemia is low, patients at high
      risk (older age, female sex, use of thiazide diuretics) may benefit from serum
      sodium monitoring. The existing evidence on the impact of LID on RAI ablation has
      been largely inconsistent due to retrospective study designs and the lack of an
      objective measurement of urinary iodine levels. Future large prospective
      randomized control trials are needed to elucidate and confirm the crucial role of
      LID in achieving successful RAI ablation and greater disease-free survival in
      DTC.

PMID- 26118629
TI  - Cidea improves the metabolic profile through expansion of adipose tissue.
AB  - In humans, Cidea (cell death-inducing DNA fragmentation factor alpha-like
      effector A) is highly but variably expressed in white fat, and expression
      correlates with metabolic health. Here we generate transgenic mice expressing
      human Cidea in adipose tissues (aP2-hCidea mice) and show that Cidea is
      mechanistically associated with a robust increase in adipose tissue
      expandability. Under humanized conditions (thermoneutrality, mature age and
      prolonged exposure to high-fat diet), aP2-hCidea mice develop a much more
      pronounced obesity than their wild-type littermates. Remarkably, the
      malfunctioning of visceral fat normally caused by massive obesity is fully
      overcome-perilipin 1 and Akt expression are preserved, tissue degradation is
      prevented, macrophage accumulation is decreased and adiponectin expression
      remains high. Importantly, the aP2-hCidea mice display enhanced insulin
      sensitivity. Our data establish a functional role for Cidea and suggest that, in
      humans, the association between Cidea levels in white fat and metabolic health is
      not only correlative but also causative. 

PMID- 26118630
TI  - Gypsophila elegans isoorientin attenuates CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats
      via modulation of NF-kappaB and TGF-beta1/Smad signaling pathways.
AB  - The hepatoprotective effect of Gypsophila elegans isoorientin (GEI) was evaluated
      using a hepatic fibrosis model induced by CCl4 in rats. The results revealed that
      GEI significantly prevented CCl4-induced liver injury and fibrosis, as evidenced
      by the attenuation of histopathological changes, the decrease in serum
      aminotransferase, and the inhibition of collagen accumulation. GEI strongly
      inhibited lipid peroxidation and recruited anti-oxidative defense system.
      Moreover, GEI alleviated pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha, IL-1beta
      and IL-6 via inhibiting nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation. In
      addition, GEI down-regulated the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 and up-regulated the
      level of hepatic Smad7, thereby inhibiting TGFbeta1/Smad signaling pathway. In
      conclusion, our findings indicate that GEI can inhibit CCl4-induced hepatic
      fibrosis, which may be ascribed to its radical scavenging action, antioxidant
      activity, and modulation of NF-kappaB and TGF-beta1/Smad signaling pathways.

PMID- 26118632
TI  - Efficacy of HBV-pulsed DCs in combination with entecavir in patients with chronic
      hepatitis B infection.
AB  - Dendritic cells (DCs) are multifunctional cells that initiate adaptive immune
      responses. Patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection have reduced
      numbers of DCs which may be functionally impaired, a defect that may contribute
      to viral persistence. Autologous DC-based immunotherapy is considered to be a
      treatment option for chronic HBV infection (CHB). We evaluated the therapeutic
      efficacy of HBV-pulsed DCs in combination with the antiviral drug entecavir in
      patients with CHB. Eighty patients were divided into four groups: HBV-pulsed DCs
      only, HBV-pulsed DCs plus entecavir, entecavir only, and an untreated control
      group. Patients on combination therapy exhibited greater antiviral responses than
      patients on either monotherapy. The combination of HBV-pulsed DCs and entecavir
      resulted in the largest reduction in serum viral DNA levels and the highest
      percentage of virologic response. In addition, combination therapy resulted in
      viral e antigen (HBeAg) loss and seroconversion. These results suggest that the
      combination of HBV-pulsed autologous DCs and entecavir could be therapeutically
      advantageous for patients with CHB. 

PMID- 26118631
TI  - Resolvin D1 protects against hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Inflammatory responses play an important role in the tissue damage
      during hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Some resolvins have been shown to have
      protective properties in reducing I/R injury in the heart and kidney. The aim of
      the study was to investigate the effects of resolvin D1 (RvD1) on hepatic I/R.
      METHODS: Partial warm ischemia was produced in the left and middle hepatic lobes
      of Sprague-Dawley rats for 60 min, followed by 6h of reperfusion. Rats received
      either RvD1 (5 MUg/kg) or vehicle by intravenous injection prior to ischemia. On
      the basis of treatment with RvD1, some rats further received the PI3K inhibitor
      LY294002. Blood and tissue samples from the groups were collected after 6-h
      reperfusion. RESULTS: Our results indicate that the RvD1 receptor ALX/FPR2 is
      present in liver, and that pretreatment with RvD1 prior to I/R insult
      significantly blunted I/R-induced elevations of alanine aminotransferase (AST)
      and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT), and significantly improved the histological
      status of the liver. Moreover, RvD1 significantly inhibited inflammatory
      cascades, as demonstrated by attenuations of IL-6, TNF-alpha and myeloperoxidase
      levels. Reduced apoptosis, and increased phosphorylation of Akt, were observed in
      the RvD1 group compared with the control I/R group. These effects of RvD1 on
      hepatic I/R injury were diminished by the PI3K inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS:
      Administration of RvD1 prior to hepatic I/R attenuates hepatic injury, at least
      in part through inhibition of inflammatory response and enhancement of
      phosphorylation of Akt.

PMID- 26118633
TI  - Saikosaponin-D reduces cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by repressing ROS
      mediated activation of MAPK and NF-kappaB signalling pathways.
AB  - The nephrotoxicity induced by cisplatin (DDP) severely limits the clinical
      efficacy of this widely used anticancer agent. The observed nephrotoxicity may be
      the result of DDP-induced inflammation and apoptosis. Saikosaponin-D (SSD), a
      triterpenoid saponin, has numerous pharmacological properties. The goal of the
      present study was to investigate whether and how SSD protected against DDP
      induced nephrotoxicity. Non-cytotoxic levels of SSD significantly increased the
      viability rate, improved the nuclear morphology, and attenuated the caspase-3
      activation and programmed apoptosis of DDP-treated HK-2 cells. In addition, SSD
      treatment markedly inhibited the release of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha,
      interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), as well as the production
      of nitric oxide and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) by
      these cells. More importantly, SSD effectively blocked the DDP-induced activation
      of NF-kappaB, P38, JNK, and MAPKs. Furthermore, we found that U0126 (a specific
      inhibitor of MAPKs) strongly inhibited the IKK/IkappaB/NF-kappaB-dependent
      release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and iNOS gene expression. Finally, we
      demonstrated that SSD decreased the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      accumulation and that the specific ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC) markedly
      inhibited the DDP-induced activation of MAPK and phosphorylation of the
      downstream signal NF-kappaB, which in turn reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory
      cytokine release and iNOS gene expression. Our results suggest that the SSD
      mediated alleviation of DDP-induced nephrotoxicity was due to uncoupling of the
      ROS, P38, and JNK/NF-kappaB signalling pathways. 

PMID- 26118635
TI  - Fractional anisotropy in the substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease: a complex
      picture.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study employs magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      diffusion tensor imaging to compare diffusion measures in the brains of patients
      with Parkinson's disease (PD) with healthy controls using longitudinal data.
      METHODS: One-hundred and twenty-two patients and 34 controls were included at
      baseline. The MRI investigations were repeated after 1, 3 and 5 years. The
      diffusion measures were quantified using fractional anisotropy and mean, radial
      and axial diffusion (FA, MD, RD, AD). Regions of interest included the anterior,
      middle and posterior substantia nigra (SN), but also other areas. Linear models
      were used to test for the effect of disease and hemispheric lateralization. The P
      value was set at 0.05 (Bonferroni corrected). RESULTS: Fractional anisotropy and
      AD were increased in the three nigral subareas in PD (P < 0.01), but MD and RD
      were unaltered. The right SN had higher FA than the left in all subareas (P <
      0.01). MD and AD were increased in the right anterior part (P < 0.04), whereas MD
      and RD were decreased in the right middle and posterior parts (P < 0.001). The
      left middle cerebellar peduncle had increased FA and AD (P < 0.001) and decreased
      MD and RD (P < 0.01) compared to the right. Diffusion measures did not progress
      over time and side differences were not related to disease or lateralization of
      symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Increased FA in the SN in PD indicates gliosis and
      inflammation in the nuclei, but possibly also intrusion of surrounding fibres
      into the shrinking structure. The hemispheric side differences of diffusion might
      reflect natural lateralization of connectivity, but their relation to PD must be
      studied further.

PMID- 26118634
TI  - Chronic alcohol consumption inhibits melanoma growth but decreases the survival
      of mice immunized with tumor cell lysate and boosted with alpha
      galactosylceramide.
AB  - Alcohol consumption increases the incidence of multiple types of cancer. However,
      how chronic alcohol consumption affects tumor progression and host survival
      remains largely unexplored. Using a mouse B16BL6 melanoma model, we studied the
      effects of chronic alcohol consumption on s.c. tumor growth, iNKT cell antitumor
      immune response, and host survival. The results indicate that although chronic
      alcohol consumption inhibits melanoma growth, this does not translate into
      increased host survival. Immunizing mice with a melanoma cell lysate does not
      significantly increase the median survival of water-drinking, melanoma-bearing
      mice, but significantly increases the median survival of alcohol-consuming,
      melanoma-bearing mice. Even though survival is extended in the alcohol-consuming
      mice after immunization, the median survival is not different from the immunized
      mice in the water-drinking group. Immunization with tumor cell lysate combined
      with alpha-galatosylceramide activation of iNKT cells significantly increases
      host survival of both groups of melanoma-bearing mice compared to their
      respective non-immunized counterparts; however, the median survival of the
      alcohol-consuming group is significantly lower than that of the water-drinking
      group. Alcohol consumption increases NKT cells in the thymus and blood and skews
      NKT cell cytokine profile from Th1 dominant to Th2 dominant in the tumor-bearing
      mice. In summary, these results indicate that chronic alcohol consumption
      activates the immune system, which leads to the inhibition of s.c. melanoma
      growth and enhances the immune response to immunization with melanoma lysate.
      With tumor progression, alcohol consumption accelerates iNKT cell dysfunction and
      compromises antitumor immunity, which leads to decreased survival of melanoma
      bearing mice. 

PMID- 26118636
TI  - International central adjudication committee in the PLATO trial: independent body
      of experts or friendly family picnic?
AB  - The International Central Adjudication Committee (ICAC) is responsible for
      blinded independent assessment of complex clinical events in randomized trials.
      In this study, we analyze the constituence and impact of the ICAC in the PLATO
      trial. The PLATO ICAC was entirely governed by two academic institutions, Duke
      Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) and Uppsala Clinical Research Center (UCRC).
      Both co-chairman, all coordinators and half of the adjudicators in the PLATO ICAC
      belonged to either DCRI or UCRC. Among the other adjudicators representing USA,
      Canada and Australia, majority had DCRI ties, including at least five former Duke
      cardiology fellows. Furthermore, both co-chairmen are listed as adjudicators,
      representing obvious conflict. In the PLATO trial, the sponsor representatives
      were involved in selecting the ICAC members. Finally, 21 out of the 50
      adjudicators represented Sweden, the homeland of the PLATO sponsor and primary
      investigator. Heavy selection bias in the ICAC constituence, lack of independence
      and potential control of the ICAC by the study sponsor may influence PLATO
      outcomes, and should be avoided in the future. 

PMID- 26118638
TI  - Outpatient medical abortion is safe and effective through 70 days gestation.
AB  - Data show that an outpatient regimen of 200-mg mifepristone followed by a single
      dose of misoprostol is safe and effective for medical abortion for up to 70 days
      from last menstrual period (LMP). Yet, many clinics only provide services up to
      63 days LMP, and some practice guidelines do not recommend the higher gestational
      age limit. We review the studies published to date that include women 64 to 70
      days LMP and conclude that outpatient medical abortion is safe and effective in
      this interval and that there are no clinically meaningful differences between
      outcomes at 57 to 63 days LMP and 64 to 70 days LMP. Updating clinical protocols
      and revising the Food and Drug administration label for Mifeprex(r) to change the
      indication for termination of pregnancies through 70 days LMP will give women
      more choices and expand access to safe abortion services.

PMID- 26118637
TI  - Whole Brain Volume Measured from 1.5T versus 3T MRI in Healthy Subjects and
      Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Whole brain atrophy is a putative outcome measure in monitoring
      relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). With the ongoing MRI
      transformation from 1.5T to 3T, there is an unmet need to calibrate this change.
      We evaluated brain parenchymal volumes (BPVs) from 1.5T versus 3T in MS and
      normal controls (NC). METHODS: We studied MS [n = 26, age (mean, range) 43 (21
      55), 22 (85%) RRMS, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 1.98 (0-6.5), timed
      25 foot walk (T25FW) 5.95 (3.2-33.0 seconds)] and NC [n = 9, age 45 (31-53)].
      Subjects underwent 1.5T (Phillips) and 3T (GE) 3-dimensional T1-weighted scans to
      derive normalized BPV from an automated SIENAX pipeline. Neuropsychological
      testing was according to consensus panel recommendations. RESULTS: BPV-1.5T was
      higher than BPV-3T [mean (95% CI) + 45.7 mL (+35.3, +56.1), P < .00001], most
      likely due to improved tissue-CSF contrast at 3T. BPV-3T showed a larger volume
      decrease and larger effect size in detecting brain atrophy in MS versus NC [-74.5
      mL (-126.5, -22.5), P = .006, d = .92] when compared to BPV-1.5T [-51.3.1 mL (
      99.8, -2.8), P = .04, d = .67]. Correlations between BPV-1.5T and EDSS (r = -.43,
      P = .027) and BPV-3T and EDSS (r = -.49, P = .011) and between BPV-1.5T and T25FW
      (r = -.46, P = .018) and BPV-3T and T25FW (r = -.56, P = .003) slightly favored
      3T. BPV-cognition correlations were significant (P < .05) for 6 of 11 subscales
      to a similar degree at 1.5T (r range = .44-.58) and 3T (r range = .43-.53).
      CONCLUSIONS: Field strength may impact whole brain volume measurements in
      patients with MS though the differences are not too divergent between 1.5T and
      3T.

PMID- 26118639
TI  - Negligible nuclear introgression despite complete mitochondrial capture between
      two species of chipmunks.
AB  - The idea that species boundaries can be semipermeable to gene flow is now widely
      accepted but the evolutionary importance of introgressive hybridization remains
      unclear. Here we examine the genomic contribution of gene flow between two
      hybridizing chipmunk species, Tamias ruficaudus and T. amoenus. Previous studies
      have shown that ancient hybridization has resulted in complete fixation of
      introgressed T. ruficaudus mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in some populations of T.
      amoenus, but the extent of nuclear introgression is not known. We used targeted
      capture to sequence over 10,500 gene regions from multiple individuals of both
      species. We found that most of the nuclear genome is sorted between these species
      and that overall genealogical patterns do not show evidence for introgression.
      Our analysis rules out all but very minor levels of interspecific gene flow,
      indicating that introgressive hybridization has had little impact on the overall
      genetic composition of these species outside of the mitochondrial genome. Given
      that much of the evidence for introgression in animals has come from mtDNA, our
      results underscore that unraveling the importance introgressive hybridization
      during animal speciation will require a genome-wide perspective that is still
      absent for many species.

PMID- 26118640
TI  - Mouse pups lacking collapsin response mediator protein 4 manifest impaired
      olfactory function and hyperactivity in the olfactory bulb.
AB  - Members of the collapsin response mediator protein (CRMP) family are reported to
      be involved in the pathogenesis of various neuronal disorders, including
      schizophrenia and autism. One of them, CRMP4, is reported to participate in
      aspects of neuronal development, such as axonal guidance and dendritic
      development. However, no physiological or behavioral phenotypes in Crmp4 knockout
      (Crmp4-KO) mice have been identified, making it difficult to elucidate the in
      vivo roles of CRMP4. Focusing on the olfaction process because of the previous
      study showing strong expression of Crmp4 mRNA in the olfactory bulb (OB) during
      the early postnatal period, it was aimed to test the hypothesis that Crmp4-KO
      pups would exhibit abnormal olfaction. Based on measurements of their ultrasonic
      vocalizations, impaired olfactory ability in Crmp4-KO pups was found. In
      addition, c-Fos expression, a marker of neuron activity, revealed hyperactivity
      in the OB of Crmp4-KO pups compared with wild-types following exposure to an
      odorant. Moreover, the mRNA and protein expression levels of glutamate receptor 1
      (GluR1) and 2 (GluR2) were exaggerated in Crmp4-KO pups relative to other
      excitatory and inhibitory receptors and transporters, raising the possibility
      that enhanced expression of these excitatory receptors contributes to the
      hyperactivity phenotype and impairs olfactory ability. This study provides
      evidence for an animal model for elucidating the roles of CRMP4 in the
      development of higher brain functions as well as for elucidating the
      developmental regulatory mechanisms controlling the activity of the neural
      circuitry.

PMID- 26118641
TI  - Total mineralization of sulfamethoxazole and aromatic pollutants through Fe2+
      montmorillonite catalyzed ozonation.
AB  - The catalytic activity and selectivity of montmorillonite exchanged with Na(+),
      Fe(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+) and Cu(2+) cations were comparatively investigated in the
      ozonation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX). Chlorobenzene, benzoic acid, 4-nitrobenzoic
      acid, 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 4-nitrophenol and phenol were used as probe
      molecules having structural similarity with SMX oxidation intermediates. UV-vis
      spectrophometry and chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurements showed that Fe(II)
      Mt and, to a lesser extent, Co(II)-Mt produce total mineralization of all organic
      substrates in less than 40 min. Combined HPLC-mass spectrometry revealed a
      reverse proportionality between the degradation time and molecular size of the
      organic substrates. Oxalic acid was recognized as a common bottleneck in the
      ozonation of any organic substrates. Ozonation initially obeyed a first order
      kinetics, but adsorption took place after 3-5 min, inducing changes in the
      mechanisms pathways. These findings may be useful for tailoring optimum oxidative
      treatment of waters without accumulation of hazardous derivatives.

PMID- 26118642
TI  - Lysosomal mTORC2/PHLPP1/Akt Regulate Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy.
AB  - Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), a selective form of degradation of cytosolic
      proteins in lysosomes, contributes to maintenance of proteostasis and to the
      cellular adaptation to stress. CMA substrates are delivered by a cytosolic
      chaperone to the lysosomal surface, where, upon unfolding, they are internalized
      through a membrane translocation complex. The molecular components that
      participate in CMA substrate targeting and translocation are well characterized,
      but those involved in CMA regulation remain mostly unknown. In this study, we
      have identified that CMA is under the positive control of the phosphatase PHLPP1
      that associates with the lysosomal membrane and counteracts the inhibitory effect
      of mTORC2 on CMA. Lysosomal Akt, a target of the mTORC2/PHLPP1 kinase-phosphatase
      pair, modulates CMA activity by controlling the dynamics of assembly and
      disassembly of the CMA translocation complex at the lysosomal membrane. The
      lysosomal mTORC2/PHLPP1/Akt axis could become a target to restore CMA dysfunction
      in aging and disease. 

PMID- 26118644
TI  - Recruitment of endocytosis in sonopermeabilization-mediated drug delivery: a real
      time study.
AB  - Microbubbles (MBs) in combination with ultrasound (US) can enhance cell membrane
      permeability, and have the potential to facilitate the cellular uptake of
      hydrophilic molecules. However, the exact mechanism behind US- and MB-mediated
      intracellular delivery still remains to be fully understood. Among the proposed
      mechanisms are formation of transient pores and endocytosis stimulation. In our
      study, we investigated whether endocytosis is involved in US- and MB-mediated
      delivery of small molecules. Dynamic fluorescence microscopy was used to
      investigate the effects of endocytosis inhibitors on the pharmacokinetic
      parameters of US- and MB-mediated uptake of SYTOX Green, a 600 Da hydrophilic
      model drug. C6 rat glioma cells, together with SonoVue((r)) MBs, were exposed to
      1.4 MHz US waves at 0.2 MPa peak-negative pressure. Collection of the signal
      intensity in each individual nucleus was monitored during and after US exposure
      by a fibered confocal fluorescence microscope designed for real-time imaging.
      Exposed to US waves, C6 cells pretreated with chlorpromazine, an inhibitor of
      clathrin-mediated endocytosis, showed up to a 2.5-fold significant increase of
      the uptake time constant, and a 1.1-fold increase with genistein, an inhibitor of
      caveolae-mediated endocytosis. Both inhibitors slowed down the US-mediated uptake
      of SYTOX Green. With C6 cells and our experimental settings, these quantitative
      data indicate that endocytosis plays a role in sonopermeabilization-mediated
      delivery of small molecules with a more predominant contribution of clathrin
      mediated endocytosis. 

PMID- 26118645
TI  - Morphological and charge transport properties of amorphous and crystalline P3HT
      and PBTTT: insights from theory.
AB  - We explore the relation between the morphological and the charge transport
      properties of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(2,5-bis(3-alkylthiophen-2
      yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (PBTTT) semiconductor polymers in both amorphous and
      crystalline phases. Using molecular dynamics to simulate bulk supercells and the
      Marcus theory to analyze the transport properties we found that amorphous systems
      display a reduced hole mobility due to the loss of nematic order and pi-pi
      stacking leading to a reduction in the electronic coupling between two chains. In
      the crystal phase, PBTTT displays a larger charge mobility than P3HT due to the
      interdigitation of the side chains enhancing the stability of the conjugated
      rings on the backbones. This more stable pi-pi stacking reduces the energetic
      disorder with respect to P3HT and increases the electronic coupling. In contrast,
      in the amorphous phase, PBTTT displays a reduced charge mobility with respect to
      P3HT due to the absence of side chains attached to the thienothiophenes, which
      increases their fluctuations and the energetic disorder. In addition, we show
      that it is possible to calculate the reorganization energy neglecting the side
      chains of the polymers and thus saving computational time. Within this
      approximation, we obtained mobility values matching the experimental
      measurements, thus confirming that the side chains are crucial to shape the
      morphology of the polymeric systems but are not involved in the charge transport
      process. 

PMID- 26118643
TI  - Small Molecule Inhibition of the Autophagy Kinase ULK1 and Identification of ULK1
      Substrates.
AB  - Many tumors become addicted to autophagy for survival, suggesting inhibition of
      autophagy as a potential broadly applicable cancer therapy. ULK1/Atg1 is the only
      serine/threonine kinase in the core autophagy pathway and thus represents an
      excellent drug target. Despite recent advances in the understanding of ULK1
      activation by nutrient deprivation, how ULK1 promotes autophagy remains poorly
      understood. Here, we screened degenerate peptide libraries to deduce the optimal
      ULK1 substrate motif and discovered 15 phosphorylation sites in core autophagy
      proteins that were verified as in vivo ULK1 targets. We utilized these ULK1
      substrates to perform a cell-based screen to identify and characterize a potent
      ULK1 small molecule inhibitor. The compound SBI-0206965 is a highly selective
      ULK1 kinase inhibitor in vitro and suppressed ULK1-mediated phosphorylation
      events in cells, regulating autophagy and cell survival. SBI-0206965 greatly
      synergized with mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors to kill tumor
      cells, providing a strong rationale for their combined use in the clinic.

PMID- 26118646
TI  - The exception proves the rule.

PMID- 26118647
TI  - New neurons for injured brains? The emergence of new genetic model organisms to
      study brain regeneration.
AB  - Neuronal circuits in the adult brain have long been viewed as static and stable.
      However, research in the past 20 years has shown that specialized regions of the
      adult brain, which harbor adult neural stem cells, continue to produce new
      neurons in a wide range of species. Brain plasticity is also observed after
      injury. Depending on the extent and permissive environment of neurogenic regions,
      different organisms show great variability in their capacity to replace lost
      neurons by endogenous neurogenesis. In Zebrafish and Drosophila, the formation of
      new neurons from progenitor cells in the adult brain was only discovered
      recently. Here, we compare properties of adult neural stem cells, their niches
      and regenerative responses from mammals to flies. Current models of brain injury
      have revealed that specific injury-induced genetic programs and comparison of
      neuronal fitness are implicated in brain repair. We highlight the potential of
      these recently implemented models of brain regeneration to identify novel
      regulators of stem cell activation and regenerative neurogenesis. 

PMID- 26118648
TI  - Homology modeling of DFG-in FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) and structure-based
      virtual screening for inhibitor identification.
AB  - The inhibition of FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) activity using small-molecule
      inhibitors has emerged as a target-based alternative to traditional chemotherapy
      for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In this study, we report the
      use of structure-based virtual screening (SBVS), a computer-aided drug design
      technique for the identification of new chemotypes for FLT3 inhibition. For this
      purpose, homology modeling (HM) of the DFG-in FLT3 structure was carried using
      two template structures, including PDB ID: 1RJB (DFG-out FLT3 kinase domain) and
      PDB ID: 3LCD (DFG-in CSF-1 kinase domain). The modeled structure was able to
      correctly identify known DFG-in (SU11248, CEP-701, and PKC-412) and DFG-out
      (sorafenib, ABT-869 and AC220) FLT3 inhibitors, in docking studies. The modeled
      structure was then used to carry out SBVS of an HTS library of 125,000 compounds.
      The top scoring 97 compounds were tested for FLT3 kinase inhibition, and two hits
      (BPR056, IC50 = 2.3 and BPR080, IC50 = 10.7 MUM) were identified. Molecular
      dynamics simulation and density functional theory calculation suggest that BPR056
      (MW: 325.32; cLogP: 2.48) interacted with FLT3 in a stable manner and could be
      chemically optimized to realize a drug-like lead in the future.

PMID- 26118649
TI  - Signal intensity of the pancreas on magnetic resonance imaging: Prediction of
      postoperative pancreatic fistula after a distal pancreatectomy using a triple-row
      stapler.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the
      pancreatic signal intensity (SI) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings for
      predicting the development of pancreatic fistula (PF) after a distal
      pancreatectomy (DP) involving a triple-row stapler closure. METHODS: A
      multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for
      clinical PF, as defined by the International Study Group on Pancreatic Fistula
      grade B or C. The pancreas-to-muscle SI ratio was evaluated using fat-suppressed
      T1-weighted MRI. RESULTS: Of the 41 enrolled patients, 8 (19.5%) developed
      clinical PF. The pancreatic thickness (>=15 mm) and SI ratio (>=1.3) were
      identified as independent predictors of clinical PF in a multivariate analysis.
      Clinical PF was observed in one patient with a thick pancreas and a low SI ratio
      (14.3%), whereas it was observed in 60% of the patients with a thick pancreas and
      a high SI ratio. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for a
      predictive model consisting of the two factors was 0.87 (95% confidence interval,
      0.75 to 0.99), the level of which tended to be greater than that for pancreatic
      thickness alone (0.81, p = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: The SI ratio as evaluated using
      MRI might be useful for predicting clinical PF in patients with the pancreatic
      thickness >=15 mm after DP involving a stapler closure.

PMID- 26118650
TI  - Stratification of pancreatic tissue samples for molecular studies: RNA-based
      cellular annotation procedure.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Meaningful profiling of pancreatic cancer samples is
      particularly challenging due to their complex cellular composition. Beyond tumor
      cells, surgical biopsies contain desmoplastic stroma with infiltrating
      inflammatory cells, adjacent normal parenchyma, and "non-pancreatic tissues". The
      risk of misinterpretation rises when the heterogeneous cancer tissues are sub
      divided into smaller fragments for multiple analytic procedures. Pre-analytic
      histological evaluation is the best option to characterize pancreatic tissue
      samples. Our aim was to develop a complement or alternative procedure to
      determine the cellular composition of pancreatic cancerous biopsies, basing on
      intra-analytic molecular annotation. A standard process for sample stratification
      at a molecular level does not yet exist. Particularly in the case of
      retrospective or data depository-based studies, when hematoxylin-eosin stained
      sections are not available, it supports the correct interpretation of expression
      profiles. METHODS: A five-gene transcriptional signature (RNACellStrat) was
      defined that allows cell type-specific stratification of pancreatic tissues.
      Testing biopsy material from biobanks with this procedure demonstrated high
      correspondence of molecular (qRT-PCR and microarray) and histologic (hematoxylin
      eosin stain) evaluations. RESULTS: Notably, about a quarter of randomly selected
      samples (tissue fragments) were exposed as inappropriate for subsequent clinico
      pathological interpretation. CONCLUSIONS: Via immediate intra-analytical
      procedure, our RNA-based stratification RNACellStrat increases the accuracy and
      reliability of the conclusions drawn from diagnostic and prognostic molecular
      information.

PMID- 26118651
TI  - Mitochonic Acid 5 (MA-5), a Derivative of the Plant Hormone Indole-3-Acetic Acid,
      Improves Survival of Fibroblasts from Patients with Mitochondrial Diseases.
AB  - Mitochondria are key organelles implicated in a variety of processes related to
      energy and free radical generation, the regulation of apoptosis, and various
      signaling pathways. Mitochondrial dysfunction increases cellular oxidative stress
      and depletes ATP in a variety of inherited mitochondrial diseases and also in
      many other metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Mitochondrial diseases are
      characterized by the dysfunction of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, caused
      by mutations in the genes encoded by either nuclear DNA or mitochondrial DNA. We
      have hypothesized that chemicals that increase the cellular ATP levels may
      ameliorate the mitochondrial dysfunction seen in mitochondrial diseases. To
      search for the potential drugs for mitochondrial diseases, we screened an in
      house chemical library of indole-3-acetic-acid analogs by measuring the cellular
      ATP levels in Hep3B human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. We have thus identified
      mitochonic acid 5 (MA-5), 4-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-4-oxobutanoic
      acid, as a potential drug for enhancing ATP production. MA-5 is a newly
      synthesized derivative of the plant hormone, indole-3-acetic acid. Importantly,
      MA-5 improved the survival of fibroblasts established from patients with
      mitochondrial diseases under the stress-induced condition, including Leigh
      syndrome, MELAS (myopathy encephalopathy lactic acidosis and stroke-like
      episodes), Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy, and Kearns-Sayre syndrome. The
      improved survival was associated with the increased cellular ATP levels.
      Moreover, MA-5 increased the survival of mitochondrial disease fibroblasts even
      under the inhibition of the oxidative phosphorylation or the electron transport
      chain. These data suggest that MA-5 could be a therapeutic drug for mitochondrial
      diseases that exerts its effect in a manner different from anti-oxidant therapy. 

PMID- 26118652
TI  - Ex-Vivo Evaluation of a Modified Teno Fix((r)) Device Repair Pattern Versus a 3
      Loop Pulley for Repair of Equine Flexor Tendons.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the load to ultimate failure, load to a 2 mm gap, mode of
      failure, and gap at failure (mm) of the Teno Fix((r)) (TF) to the 3-loop pulley
      (3LP) for repair of equine tendon lacerations. The use of 4TF devices versus 5TF
      devices on load to ultimate failure and load to a 2 mm gap was also compared.
      STUDY DESIGN: Ex vivo biomechanical study; unbalanced incomplete block (horse)
      design. SAMPLES: Cadaveric equine forelimb superficial digital flexor tendon (n =
      20 paired tendons). METHODS: Ten tendon pairs were selected randomly and repaired
      with a 3LP and 4TF pattern, and 10 tendon pairs repaired with a 3LP and 5TF
      pattern. Load to ultimate failure, load to a 2 mm gap, mode of failure, and gap
      at failure were obtained using materials testing. RESULTS: The 3LP had a
      significantly greater ultimate load to failure (P < .001, respectively) and a
      significantly higher load to a 2 mm gap than both TF repairs (P < .001,
      respectively). The most frequent mode of failure was suture pull-out for the 3LP
      and anchor pull-out for the TF. Gap at failure was significantly larger in the
      3LP than both TF repairs (P < .001). The ultimate load to failure was
      significantly higher for the 5TF than the 4TF (P = .004) but there was no
      significant difference in load to a 2 mm gap, or gap at failure between both TF
      repairs (P = .11, P = .15, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Neither TF repair was
      stronger than the 3LP in load to ultimate failure and load to a 2 mm gap.
      Addition of a fifth TF device significantly increased the load to ultimate
      failure but did effect the load to a 2 mm gap over the 4TF.

PMID- 26118653
TI  - Truly Absorbed Microbial Protein Synthesis, Rumen Bypass Protein, Endogenous
      Protein, and Total Metabolizable Protein from Starchy and Protein-Rich Raw
      Materials: Model Comparison and Predictions.
AB  - This study was carried out to measure truly absorbed microbial protein synthesis,
      rumen bypass protein, and endogenous protein loss, as well as total metabolizable
      protein, from starchy and protein-rich raw feed materials with model comparisons.
      Predictions by the DVE2010 system as a more mechanistic model were compared with
      those of two other models, DVE1994 and NRC-2001, that are frequently used in
      common international feeding practice. DVE1994 predictions for intestinally
      digestible rumen undegradable protein (ARUP) for starchy concentrates were higher
      (27 vs 18 g/kg DM, p < 0.05, SEM = 1.2) than predictions by the NRC-2001, whereas
      there was no difference in predictions for ARUP from protein concentrates among
      the three models. DVE2010 and NRC-2001 had highest estimations of intestinally
      digestible microbial protein for starchy (92 g/kg DM in DVE2010 vs 46 g/kg DM in
      NRC-2001 and 67 g/kg DM in DVE1994, p < 0.05 SEM = 4) and protein concentrates
      (69 g/kg DM in NRC-2001 vs 31 g/kg DM in DVE1994 and 49 g/kg DM in DVE2010, p <
      0.05 SEM = 4), respectively. Potential protein supplies predicted by tested
      models from starchy and protein concentrates are widely different, and comparable
      direct measurements are needed to evaluate the actual ability of different models
      to predict the potential protein supply to dairy cows from different feedstuffs. 

PMID- 26118654
TI  - The interpretation of logical connectives in Turkish.
AB  - This study investigated how Turkish-speaking children and adults interpret
      negative sentences with disjunction (English or) and ones with conjunction
      (English and). The goal was to see whether Turkish-speaking children and adults
      assigned the same interpretation to both kinds of sentences and, if not, to
      determine the source of the differences. Turkish-speaking children and adults
      were found to assign different interpretations to negative sentences with
      disjunction just in case the nouns in the disjunction phrase were marked with
      accusative case. For children, negation took scope over disjunction regardless of
      case marking, whereas, for adults, disjunction took scope over negation if the
      disjunctive phrases were case marked. Both groups assigned the same
      interpretation to negative sentences with conjunction; both case-marked and non
      case-marked conjunction phrases took scope over negation. The findings are taken
      as evidence for a 'subset' principle of language learnability that dictates
      children's initial scope assignments. 

PMID- 26118655
TI  - Galantamine-loaded PLGA nanoparticles, from nano-emulsion templating, as novel
      advanced drug delivery systems to treat neurodegenerative diseases.
AB  - Polymeric nanoparticles could be promising drug delivery systems to treat
      neurodegenerative diseases. Among the various methods of nanoparticle
      preparation, nano-emulsion templating was used in the present study to prepare
      galantamine-loaded nano-emulsions by a low-energy emulsification method followed
      by solvent evaporation to obtain galantamine-loaded polymeric nanoparticles. This
      approach was found to be suitable because biocompatible, biodegradable and safe
      nanoparticles with appropriate features (hydrodynamic radii around 20 nm,
      negative surface charge and stability higher than 3 months) for their intravenous
      administration were obtained. Encapsulation efficiencies higher than 90 wt% were
      obtained with a sustained drug release profile as compared to that from aqueous
      and micellar solutions. The enzymatic activity of the drug was maintained at 80%
      after its encapsulation into nanoparticles that were non-cytotoxic at the
      required therapeutic concentration. Therefore, novel galantamine-loaded polymeric
      nanoparticles have been designed for the first time using the nano-emulsification
      approach and showed the appropriate features to become advanced drug delivery
      systems to treat neurodegenerative diseases. 

PMID- 26118656
TI  - Toward Naphthocyclinones: Doubly Connected Octaketide Dimers with a
      Bicyclo[3.2.1]octadienone Core by Thiolate-Mediated Cyclization.
AB  - A viable method is reported for the synthesis of the bicyclo[3.2.1]octadienone
      scaffold in naturally occurring octaketide dimers. The procedure employs a
      reductive cyclization reaction mediated by an unusual ethanedithiol monosodium
      salt. 

PMID- 26118657
TI  - Involvement of epidermal growth factor receptors and mitogen-activated protein
      kinase in progestin-induction of sperm hypermotility in Atlantic croaker through
      membrane progestin receptor-alpha.
AB  - The intracellular pathways mediating rapid, nongenomic progestin stimulation of
      sperm motility remain unclear. The role of epidermal growth factor receptors
      (Egfr and ErbB2) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (Mapk) in membrane
      progestin receptor-alpha (mPRalpha)-mediated progestin stimulation of sperm
      hypermotility was examined in a teleost, Atlantic croaker. Inhibition of upstream
      regulators of Egfr, intracellular tyrosine kinase (Src) with PP2, and matrix
      metalloproteinase (MMP) with Ilomastat, abolished progestin-initiated sperm
      hypermotility by 17,20beta,21-trihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (20beta-S; 20 nM) and a
      specific mPRalpha agonist, Org OD 02-0 (20 nM). Pretreatment of croaker sperm
      with EGFR inhibitors, AG1478 (5 MUM) and RG13022 (50 MUM), the ErbB2 inhibitor,
      AG879 (5 nM), or the MEK1/2 inhibitor, U0126 (500 nM) blocked progestin
      stimulation of sperm motility. Levels of phosphorylated extracellular-related
      kinase 1 and 2 (P-Erk1/2) were increased after 20beta-S treatment. These results
      demonstrate that progestin-mediated hypermotility via mPRalpha in croaker sperm
      involves activation of the Egfr, ErbB2 and Mapk pathways. 

PMID- 26118658
TI  - Butyltins, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorine pesticides, and
      polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments and bivalve mollusks in a mid-latitude
      environment from the Patagonian coastal zone.
AB  - Butyltins (BTs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides
      (OCPs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were assessed in a mid-latitude
      environment of the Patagonian coast, distant from significant pollutant sources.
      Bioaccumulation processes through bottom sediment resuspension were suggested by
      BTs level (expressed as ng of tin [Sn] g(-1) dry wt) found in surface sediment
      (<limit of detection [LOD]-166.5 ng [Sn] g(-1) dry wt) and bivalve mollusks (29.4
      206.0 ng [Sn] g(-1) dry wt); whereas imposex incidence was only 15% in the
      gastropod Pareuthria plumbea collected near a harbor. Low hydrocarbon pollution
      was found in sediments and bivalves with ?PAHs(16) ranging from <LOD to 94.9 ng
      g(-1) dry weight and from <LOD to 54.9 ng g(-1) dry weight, respectively. Values
      were typical of locations distant from pollutant sources and showed different
      compositional patterns for both substrates. However, concentrations for some
      individual PAHs in sediments were found over the threshold effect level. On
      average, SigmaPCB did not exceed the sediment quality guidelines being 0.57 +/-
      0.88 ng g(-1) dry weight in sediments and 0.41 +/- 0.26 ng g(-1) dry weight in
      bivalves. Average SigmaOCPs in sediments were 0.53 +/- 0.34 ng g(-1) dry weight
      and ranged from <LOD to 0.22 ng g(-1) dry weight in bivalves, showing a different
      pattern and suggesting a different accumulation pathway as was found for PAHs.
      Although both discrete and atmospheric sources can be considered for PAHs,
      organochlorines pollution was clearly related to atmospheric global transport,
      indicating that in the studied area, OCPs and PCBs experience permanent or
      temporal deposition during their migration to southern zones.

PMID- 26118659
TI  - Genome-wide analysis reveals phytohormone action during cassava storage root
      initiation.
AB  - Development of storage roots is a process associated with a phase change from
      cell division and elongation to radial growth and accumulation of massive amounts
      of reserve substances such as starch. Knowledge of the regulation of cassava
      storage root formation has accumulated over time; however, gene regulation during
      the initiation and early stage of storage root development is still poorly
      understood. In this study, transcription profiling of fibrous, intermediate and
      storage roots at eight weeks old were investigated using a 60-mer-oligo
      microarray. Transcription and gene expression were found to be the key regulating
      processes during the transition stage from fibrous to intermediate roots, while
      homeostasis and signal transduction influenced regulation from intermediate roots
      to storage roots. Clustering analysis of significant genes and transcription
      factors (TF) indicated that a number of phytohormone-related TF were
      differentially expressed; therefore, phytohormone-related genes were assembled
      into a network of correlative nodes. We propose a model showing the relationship
      between KNOX1 and phytohormones during storage root initiation. Exogeneous
      treatment of phytohormones N (6) -benzylaminopurine and 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid
      were used to induce the storage root initiation stage and to investigate
      expression patterns of the genes involved in storage root initiation. The results
      support the hypothesis that phytohormones are acting in concert to regulate the
      onset of cassava storage root development. Moreover, MeAGL20 is a factor that
      might play an important role at the onset of storage root initiation when the
      root tip becomes swollen. 

PMID- 26118660
TI  - Connexin and pannexin signaling pathways, an architectural blueprint for CNS
      physiology and pathology?
AB  - The central nervous system (CNS) is composed of a highly heterogeneous population
      of cells. Dynamic interactions between different compartments (neuronal, glial,
      and vascular systems) drive CNS function and allow to integrate and process
      information as well as to respond accordingly. Communication within this
      functional unit, coined the neuro-glio-vascular unit (NGVU), typically relies on
      two main mechanisms: direct cell-cell coupling via gap junction channels (GJCs)
      and paracrine communication via the extracellular compartment, two routes to
      which channels composed of transmembrane connexin (Cx) or pannexin (Panx)
      proteins can contribute. Multiple isoforms of both protein families are present
      in the CNS and each CNS cell type is characterized by a unique Cx/Panx portfolio.
      Over the last two decades, research has uncovered a multilevel platform via which
      Cxs and Panxs can influence different cellular functions within a tissue: (1) Cx
      GJCs enable a direct cell-cell communication of small molecules, (2) Cx
      hemichannels and Panx channels can contribute to autocrine/paracrine signaling
      pathways, and (3) different structural domains of these proteins allow for
      channel-independent functions, such as cell-cell adhesion, interactions with the
      cytoskeleton, and the activation of intracellular signaling pathways. In this
      paper, we discuss current knowledge on their multifaceted contribution to brain
      development and to specific processes in the NGVU, including synaptic
      transmission and plasticity, glial signaling, vasomotor control, and blood-brain
      barrier integrity in the mature CNS. By highlighting both physiological and
      pathological conditions, it becomes evident that Cxs and Panxs can play a dual
      role in the CNS and that an accurate fine-tuning of each signaling mechanism is
      crucial for normal CNS physiology.

PMID- 26118661
TI  - Rapamycin inhibits BAFF-stimulated cell proliferation and survival by suppressing
      mTOR-mediated PP2A-Erk1/2 signaling pathway in normal and neoplastic B-lymphoid
      cells.
AB  - B-cell activating factor (BAFF) is involved in not only physiology of normal B
      cells, but also pathophysiology of aggressive B cells related to malignant and
      autoimmune diseases. Rapamycin, a lipophilic macrolide antibiotic, has recently
      shown to be effective in the treatment of human lupus erythematosus. However, how
      rapamycin inhibits BAFF-stimulated B-cell proliferation and survival has not been
      fully elucidated. Here, we show that rapamycin inhibited human soluble BAFF
      (hsBAFF)-induced cell proliferation and survival in normal and B-lymphoid (Raji
      and Daudi) cells by activation of PP2A and inactivation of Erk1/2. Pretreatment
      with PD98059, down-regulation of Erk1/2, expression of dominant negative MKK1, or
      overexpression of wild-type PP2A potentiated rapamycin's suppression of hsBAFF
      activated Erk1/2 and B-cell proliferation/viability, whereas expression of
      constitutively active MKK1, inhibition of PP2A by okadaic acid, or expression of
      dominant negative PP2A attenuated the inhibitory effects of rapamycin.
      Furthermore, expression of a rapamycin-resistant and kinase-active mTOR (mTOR-T),
      but not a rapamycin-resistant and kinase-dead mTOR-T (mTOR-TE), conferred
      resistance to rapamycin's effects on PP2A, Erk1/2 and B-cell
      proliferation/viability, implying mTOR-dependent mechanism involved. The findings
      indicate that rapamycin inhibits BAFF-stimulated cell proliferation/survival by
      targeting mTOR-mediated PP2A-Erk1/2 signaling pathway in normal and neoplastic B
      lymphoid cells. Our data highlight that rapamycin may be exploited for preventing
      excessive BAFF-induced aggressive B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases.

PMID- 26118663
TI  - Management of CNS germinoma.
AB  - The following is a general overview of the management of CNS germinomas. Over the
      last 35 years, CNS germinomas have become one of the pediatric brain tumors with
      the best outcomes with a greater than 85% overall survival over 5 years. This is
      in part due to the fact that germinomas are very responsive to chemotherapy and
      radiation. Some of the major challenges going forward will be to find ways to
      minimize the adverse effects of our treatments particularly with regard to
      radiation and to improve the quality of life of patients who develop neurologic,
      neurocognitive and/or endocrine deficiencies.

PMID- 26118664
TI  - Practice Management and Health Policy Education in Radiology: An Emerging
      Imperative.
AB  - As society places increased responsibility on practicing physicians for
      addressing accelerating health care costs and delivery system inefficiencies,
      traditional education and training programs have left most physicians ill
      equipped to assume this responsibility. A variety of new initiatives are underway
      that dramatically change how radiology training programs address these issues. We
      review the emerging need for better physician education in health policy and
      practice management, detail the history and requirements of the ACGME and the ABR
      Healthcare Economics Milestone Project, and outline mechanisms by which radiology
      residency programs can comply with these requirements. We describe our own new
      comprehensive pilot curriculum, Practice Management, Health Policy, and
      Professionalism for Radiology Residents (P(3)R(2)), which may serve as a
      potential model for other training programs seeking to develop targeted curricula
      in these newly required areas. 

PMID- 26118665
TI  - The effect of an alginate carrier on bone formation in a hydroxyapatite scaffold.
AB  - This study investigated the osteoconductive properties of a porous hydroxyapatite
      (HA) scaffold manufactured using a novel technique similar to the bread-making
      process, alone and in combination with an alginate polysaccharide fiber gel
      (HA/APFG putty) and autologous bone marrow aspirate (BMA). The hypothesis was
      that the HA/APFG putty would be as osteoconductive as granular HA and that the
      presence of BMA would further enhance bone formation in an ovine femoral condyle
      critical defect model. Thirty-six defects were created and either (1) porous HA
      granules, (2) HA/APFG putty, or (3) HA/APFG putty + BMA were implanted. After
      retrieval at 6 and 12 weeks, image analysis techniques were used to quantify bone
      apposition rates, new bone area, bone-HA scaffold contact, and implant
      resorption. At 6 weeks postsurgery, significantly lower bone apposition rates
      were observed in the HA/APFG putty group when compared to the HA (p = 0.014) and
      HA/APFG putty + BMA (p = 0.014) groups. At 12 weeks, significantly increased
      amounts of new bone formation were measured within the HA scaffold (33.56 +/-
      3.53%) when compared to both the HA/APFG putty (16.69 +/- 2.7%; p = 0.043) and
      the defects containing HA/APFG putty + BMA (19.31 +/- 3.8%; p = 0.043). The use
      of an APFG gel as a carrier for injectable CaP bone substitute materials delayed
      bone formation in this model compared to HA granules alone which enhanced bone
      formation especially within the interconnected smaller pores. Our results also
      showed that the addition of autologous BMA did not further enhance its
      osteoconductive properties. Further study is required to optimize the degradation
      rate of this APFG binding agent before using as a directly injectable material
      for repair of bone defect. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res
      Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1328-1335, 2016.

PMID- 26118666
TI  - Methylamine-Gas-Induced Defect-Healing Behavior of CH3NH3PbI3 Thin Films for
      Perovskite Solar Cells.
AB  - We report herein the discovery of methylamine (CH3NH2) induced defect-healing
      (MIDH) of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite thin films based on their ultrafast (seconds),
      reversible chemical reaction with CH3NH2 gas at room temperature. The key to this
      healing behavior is the formation and spreading of an intermediate
      CH3NH3PbI3?xCH3NH2 liquid phase during this unusual perovskite-gas interaction.
      We demonstrate the versatility and scalability of the MIDH process, and show
      dramatic enhancement in the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with
      MIDH. This study represents a new direction in the formation of defect-free films
      of hybrid perovskites.

PMID- 26118662
TI  - 2-Oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases are sensors of energy metabolism, oxygen
      availability, and iron homeostasis: potential role in the regulation of aging
      process.
AB  - Recent studies have revealed that the members of an ancient family of nonheme
      Fe(2+)/2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (2-OGDO) are involved in the
      functions associated with the aging process. 2-Oxoglutarate and O2 are the
      obligatory substrates and Fe(2+) a cofactor in the activation of 2-OGDO enzymes,
      which can induce the hydroxylation of distinct proteins and the demethylation of
      DNA and histones. For instance, ten-eleven translocation 1-3 (TET1-3) are the
      demethylases of DNA, whereas Jumonji C domain-containing histone lysine
      demethylases (KDM2-7) are the major epigenetic regulators of chromatin landscape,
      known to be altered with aging. The functions of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)
      prolyl hydroxylases (PHD1-3) as well as those of collagen hydroxylases are
      associated with age-related degeneration. Moreover, the ribosomal hydroxylase
      OGFOD1 controls mRNA translation, which is known to decline with aging. 2-OGDO
      enzymes are the sensors of energy metabolism, since the Krebs cycle intermediate
      2-oxoglutarate is an activator whereas succinate and fumarate are the potent
      inhibitors of 2-OGDO enzymes. In addition, O2 availability and iron redox
      homeostasis control the activities of 2-OGDO enzymes in tissues. We will briefly
      elucidate the catalytic mechanisms of 2-OGDO enzymes and then review the
      potential functions of the above-mentioned 2-OGDO enzymes in the control of the
      aging process. 

PMID- 26118667
TI  - Activation of Cdk5/p25 and tau phosphorylation following chronic brain
      hypoperfusion in rats involves microRNA-195 down-regulation.
AB  - Chronic brain hypoperfusion (CBH) is a common clinical feature of Alzheimer's
      disease and vascular dementia, but the underlying molecular mechanism is unclear.
      Our previous study reported that the down-regulation of microRNA-195 (miR-195)
      promotes amyloidogenesis via regulation of amyloid precursor protein and beta
      site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) expression at the post
      transcriptional level in CBH rats with bilateral common carotid artery occlusion
      (2VO). CBH owing to unilateral common carotid artery occlusion (UCCAO) increases
      tau phosphorylation levels at multiple phosphorylation sites in the brain, but
      the molecular mechanism is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to
      investigate whether miR-195 could both deregulate amyloid metabolism and
      indirectly deregulate tau phosphorylation in CBH. We observed that 2VO leads to
      tau hyperphosphorylation at Ser202/Thr205, Ser262, Thr231, and Ser422 and to the
      conversion from cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5)/p35 to Cdk5/p25 in rat
      hippocampi. Endogenous miR-195 was knocked down using over-expression of its
      antisense molecule (pre-AMO-miR-195) via a lentivirus (lenti-pre-AMO-miR-195);
      this knockdown increased the tau phosphorylation at Ser202/Thr205, Ser262,
      Thr231, Ser422, and the Cdk5/p25 activation, but over-expression of miR-195 using
      lenti-pre-miR-195 decreased the tau phosphorylation and Cdk5/p25 activation.
      Further in vitro studies demonstrated that miR-195 over-expression prevented tau
      hyperphosphorylation and Cdk5/p35 activity, which were increased by miR-195
      inhibition. A dual luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-195 bound to the
      Cdk5r1 gene, which encodes p35 protein, in the 3'UTR and inhibited p35
      expression. We concluded that tau hyperphosphorylation involves the down
      regulation of miR-195, which is mediated by Cdk5/p25 activation in 2VO rats. Our
      findings demonstrated that down-regulation of miR-195 led to increased
      vulnerability via the regulation of multiple targets. Schematic diagram of miR
      195 mediated Abeta aggregation and tau hyperphosphorylation in chronic brain
      hypoperfusion (CBH). First, CBH results in the elevation of nuclear factor-kappaB
      (NF-kappaB), which binds with the promoter sequences of miR-195 and negatively
      regulates the expression of miR-195. Second, down-regulated miR-195 induces up
      regulation of APP and BACE1 and leads to an increase in Abeta levels. Third, some
      of the elevated Abeta then enter the intracellular space and activate calpain,
      which promotes the conversion of Cdk5/p35 to Cdk5/p25 and catalyzes the
      degradation of IkappaB; IkappaB is an inhibitor of NF-kappaB, which activates NF
      kappaB. Cdk5/p25 directly phosphorylates Tau. Fourth, down-regulated miR-195
      induces an up-regulation of p35, which provides the active substrates of p25. Our
      findings demonstrated that the down-regulation of miR-195 plays a key role in the
      increased vulnerability to dementia via the regulation of multiple targets
      following CBH. 

PMID- 26118668
TI  - Molecular analysis of cyenopyrafen resistance in the two-spotted spider mite
      Tetranychus urticae.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cyenopyrafen is a recently developed acaricide with a new mode of
      action as a complex II inhibitor. However, it was recently shown that cross
      resistance to cyenopyrafen can occur in resistant field strains of Tetranychus
      urticae, which might be linked to the previous use of classical METI acaricides.
      Here, we selected for cyenopyrafen resistance and studied the molecular
      mechanisms that underlie resistance. RESULTS: Selection for cyenopyrafen
      resistance confers cross-resistance to the complex II inhibitor cyflumetofen, but
      also to pyridaben, a frequently used complex I inhibitor. Cyenopyrafen resistance
      is highly synergised by piperonyl butoxide, and a 15-fold higher P450 activity
      was detected in the resistant strain. Target-site resistance was not detected.
      Genome-wide gene expression data, followed by a meta-analysis of previously
      obtained gene expression data, revealed the overexpression specifically of
      CYP392A11 and CYP392A12. CONCLUSIONS: Cyenopyrafen resistance is strongly linked
      to the overexpression of two P450s, which probably explains the observed cross
      resistance. This information is highly valuable, as the novel complex II
      inhibitors cyenopyrafen and cyflumetofen are in the process of worldwide
      registration. The role of both CYP392A11 and CYP392A12 should be further
      supported by functional expression, but they are very promising candidates as
      molecular diagnostic markers for monitoring cyenopyrafen susceptibility in the
      field.

PMID- 26118669
TI  - Acarbose Monotherapy and Type 2 Diabetes Prevention in Eastern and Western
      Prediabetes: An Ethnicity-specific Meta-analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Acarbose is effective in delaying or preventing the progression of
      prediabetes to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this study was to
      assess differences in the preventive effects of acarbose in Eastern and Western
      populations with prediabetes. METHODS: We performed a systematic search of
      databases and reference lists of clinical trials conducted through August 2013.
      Randomized controlled trials of acarbose alone, with a minimum intervention
      duration of 3 years and which provided data on T2DM incidence, were included for
      analysis. Analyses were conducted by using Review Manager version 5.1 software.
      FINDINGS: Eight randomized controlled trials with 2628 participants were
      included. Acarbose decreased the occurrence of T2DM (number needed to treat
      [NNT], 6.7). Compared with the control (placebo and/or lifestyle intervention),
      the incidence of T2DM was significantly lower in the Eastern group (NNT, 5.9)
      than in the Western group (NNT, 11.1) (P < 0.0001, I(2) = 94.7%). At the end of
      follow-up, reversal of prediabetes to normal glucose tolerance was more likely in
      the Eastern group (NNT, 4.3) than in the Western group (NNT, 25) (P = 0.004, I(2)
      = 92%). Among those remaining prediabetic, there was no significant difference
      between the subtotal estimates for the subgroups (P = 0.17, I(2) = 46.5%). There
      was no positive correlation between preventive effect and dose, and no difference
      in studies with varying follow-up durations within and across either ethnic
      group. IMPLICATIONS: The preventive effect of acarbose on the development of
      diabetes seems superior in Eastern populations with prediabetes compared with
      Western populations.

PMID- 26118671
TI  - Estimation of chimpanzee community size and genetic diversity in Kahuzi-Biega
      National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo.
AB  - A small chimpanzee habitat in the montane forest of Kahuzi-Biega National Park,
      Democratic Republic of Congo, is connected with the lowland forest of this park
      through a corridor, which is affected by human encroachment. To assess the
      conservation status of the chimpanzee population in this small habitat, we
      estimated the size of the community and evaluated its genetic diversity by using
      279 fecal samples collected in the montane forest of Kahuzi. Using autosomal
      microsatellite (or short tandem repeat, STR) loci, we identified 32 individuals,
      comprising 19 females and 13 males. Samples from 24 individuals were collected at
      least twice and a genetic mark-recapture analysis estimated that the community
      size was 36 (range: 32-42). Data on nest site sharing confirmed that all the
      samples belonged to the same community. Nest site sharing information may be
      useful in population studies of unhabituated chimpanzees. The genetic structure
      and diversity of the 32 genotyped individuals was assessed using Y-chromosomal
      short tandem repeat (Y-STR) loci and mitochondrial D-loops. One dominant Y-STR
      haplotype was found, whereas there was no dominant haplotype in the mitochondrial
      region, reflecting a female-biased dispersal pattern, which is typical of
      chimpanzees. The genetic diversity for three markers in Kahuzi chimpanzees was
      comparable to that in other eastern chimpanzee populations. A relatively high
      heterozygosity and negative inbreeding coefficient (FIS ) for STR loci suggests
      that the study community belongs to an outbreeding chimpanzee population. These
      findings suggest that individuals of the study community may have reproductive
      contact with other chimpanzee individuals from neighboring communities in Kahuzi
      Biega National Park, at least in the recent past. Am. J. Primatol. 77:1015-1025,
      2015. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26118672
TI  - Tool-use-associated sound in the evolution of language.
AB  - Proponents of the motor theory of language evolution have primarily focused on
      the visual domain and communication through observation of movements. In the
      present paper, it is hypothesized that the production and perception of sound,
      particularly of incidental sound of locomotion (ISOL) and tool-use sound (TUS),
      also contributed. Human bipedalism resulted in rhythmic and more predictable
      ISOL. It has been proposed that this stimulated the evolution of musical
      abilities, auditory working memory, and abilities to produce complex
      vocalizations and to mimic natural sounds. Since the human brain proficiently
      extracts information about objects and events from the sounds they produce, TUS,
      and mimicry of TUS, might have achieved an iconic function. The prevalence of
      sound symbolism in many extant languages supports this idea. Self-produced TUS
      activates multimodal brain processing (motor neurons, hearing, proprioception,
      touch, vision), and TUS stimulates primate audiovisual mirror neurons, which is
      likely to stimulate the development of association chains. Tool use and auditory
      gestures involve motor processing of the forelimbs, which is associated with the
      evolution of vertebrate vocal communication. The production, perception, and
      mimicry of TUS may have resulted in a limited number of vocalizations or
      protowords that were associated with tool use. A new way to communicate about
      tools, especially when out of sight, would have had selective advantage. A
      gradual change in acoustic properties and/or meaning could have resulted in
      arbitrariness and an expanded repertoire of words. Humans have been increasingly
      exposed to TUS over millions of years, coinciding with the period during which
      spoken language evolved. ISOL and tool-use-related sound are worth further
      exploration. 

PMID- 26118673
TI  - Experimental shifts in egg-nest contrasts do not alter egg rejection responses in
      an avian host-brood parasite system.
AB  - Obligate brood parasitic birds exploit their hosts to provide care for unrelated
      young in the nest. Potential hosts can reduce the cost of parasitism by rejecting
      foreign eggs from the nest. Observational, comparative, and experimental studies
      have concluded that most hosts use the coloration and patterning of eggshells to
      discriminate between own and foreign eggs in the nest. However, an alternative
      hypothesis is that birds use the colour contrasts between eggshells and the nest
      lining to identify parasitic eggs (egg-nest contrast hypothesis). In support of
      this hypothesis, we found that the avian perceivable chromatic contrasts between
      dyed eggs and unmanipulated nest linings significantly and negatively covaried
      with the rejection rates of different dyed eggs of the great reed warbler
      Acrocephalus arundinaceus, a frequently parasitized host of the common cuckoo
      Cuculus canorus. To experimentally test whether egg-nest contrasts influence
      rejection, we reciprocally dyed both eggs and the nest lining of this host
      species with one of two colours: orange and green. Contrary to the egg-nest
      contrast hypothesis, host rejection patterns in response to dyed eggs were not
      altered by dyeing nests, relative to unmanipulated control eggs and nests. In
      turn, experimental egg colour was the only significant predictor of egg rejection
      rate. Our results demonstrate that egg-nest contrast is a collateral, not a
      causal factor in egg rejection, and confirm the conclusions of previous studies
      that hosts can rely on the parasitic egg's appearance itself to recognize the
      foreign egg in the nest. 

PMID- 26118674
TI  - A reversible proton relay process mediated by hydrogen-bonding interactions in
      [FeFe]hydrogenase modeling.
AB  - A reversible and temperature-dependent proton-relay process is demonstrated for a
      Fe2 complex possessing a terminal thiolate in the presence of nitrogen-based
      acids. The terminal sulfur site (S(t) ) of the complex forms a hydrogen-bond
      interaction with N,N-dimethylanilinium acid at 183 K. The Fe2 core, instead, is
      protonated to generate a bridging hydride at 298 K. Reversibility is observed for
      the tautomerization between the hydrogen-bonded pair and the Fe-hydride species.
      X-ray structural analysis of the hydrogen-bonded species at 193 K reveals a short
      N(H)???S(t) contact. Employment of pyridinium acid also results in similar
      behavior, with reversible proton-hydride interconversion. DFT investigation of
      the proton-transfer pathways indicates that the pKa value of the hydrogen-bonded
      species is enhanced by 3.2 pKa units when the temperature is decreased from 298 K
      to 183 K. 

PMID- 26118675
TI  - The bright future of unconventional sigma/pi-hole interactions.
AB  - Non-covalent interactions play a crucial role in (supramolecular) chemistry and
      much of biology. Supramolecular forces can indeed determine the structure and
      function of a host-guest system. Many sensors, for example, rely on reversible
      bonding with the analyte. Natural machineries also often have a significant non
      covalent component (e.g. protein folding, recognition) and rational interference
      in such 'living' devices can have pharmacological implications. For the rational
      design/tweaking of supramolecular systems it is helpful to know what
      supramolecular synthons are available and to understand the forces that make
      these synthons stick to one another. In this review we focus on sigma-hole and pi
      hole interactions. A sigma- or pi-hole can be seen as positive electrostatic
      potential on unpopulated sigma* or pi(() *()) orbitals, which are thus capable of
      interacting with some electron dense region. A sigma-hole is typically located
      along the vector of a covalent bond such as X?H or X?Hlg (X=any atom,
      Hlg=halogen), which are respectively known as hydrogen and halogen bond donors.
      Only recently it has become clear that sigma-holes can also be found along a
      covalent bond with chalcogen (X?Ch), pnictogen (X?Pn) and tetrel (X?Tr) atoms.
      Interactions with these synthons are named chalcogen, pnigtogen and tetrel
      interactions. A pi-hole is typically located perpendicular to the molecular
      framework of diatomic pi-systems such as carbonyls, or conjugated pi-systems such
      as hexafluorobenzene. Anion-pi and lone-pair-pi interactions are examples of
      named pi-hole interactions between conjugated pi-systems and anions or lone-pair
      electrons respectively. While the above nomenclature indicates the distinct
      chemical identity of the supramolecular synthon acting as Lewis acid, it is worth
      stressing that the underlying physics is very similar. This implies that
      interactions that are now not so well-established might turn out to be equally
      useful as conventional hydrogen and halogen bonds. In summary, we describe the
      physical nature of sigma- and pi-hole interactions, present a selection of
      inquiries that utilise sigma- and pi-holes, and give an overview of analyses of
      structural databases (CSD/PDB) that demonstrate how prevalent these interactions
      already are in solid-state structures. 

PMID- 26118677
TI  - Dihydrofolate reductase inhibitory peptides screened from a structured designed
      beta-loop peptide library displayed on phage.
AB  - Enzyme inhibitory peptides with a loop structure stabilized using an antiparallel
      beta-sheet scaffold (beta-loop peptide) were obtained from a designed peptide
      phage library. Human dihydrofolate reductase (hDHFR) was used as the target
      enzyme. The obtained beta-loop peptides were competitive inhibitors of hDHFR with
      micromolar inhibition constants and dissociation constants. 

PMID- 26118676
TI  - Protracted brain development in a rodent model of extreme longevity.
AB  - Extreme longevity requires the continuous and large-scale adaptation of organ
      systems to delay senescence. Naked mole rats are the longest-living rodents,
      whose nervous system likely undergoes life-long adaptive reorganization.
      Nevertheless, neither the cellular organization of their cerebral cortex nor
      indices of structural neuronal plasticity along extreme time-scales have been
      established. We find that adult neurogenesis and neuronal migration are not
      unusual in naked mole rat brains. Instead, we show the prolonged expression of
      structural plasticity markers, many recognized as being developmentally
      controlled, and multi-year-long postnatal neuromorphogenesis and spatial synapse
      refinement in hippocampal and olfactory structures of the naked mole rat brain.
      Neurophysiological studies on identified hippocampal neurons demonstrated that
      morphological differentiation is disconnected from the control of excitability in
      all neuronal contingents regardless of their ability to self-renew. Overall, we
      conclude that naked mole rats show an extremely protracted period of brain
      maturation that may permit plasticity and resilience to neurodegenerative
      processes over their decades-long life span. This conclusion is consistent with
      the hypothesis that naked mole rats are neotenous, with retention of juvenile
      characteristics to permit survival in a hypoxic environment, with extreme
      longevity a consequence of greatly retarded development. 

PMID- 26118678
TI  - Preventive Effect of Soybean on Brain Aging and Amyloid-beta Accumulation:
      Comprehensive Analysis of Brain Gene Expression.
AB  - The expected prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common
      neurodegenerative disease triggered by aging, has become a critical problem.
      Although the cause is clear, accumulation of amyloid-beta (Abeta), we still
      cannot totally cure this disease. Hence, it is essential to prevent the symptoms
      that have appeared. A number of studies have reported that soybean
      supplementation prevents cognitive dysfunction. Besides being a rich source of
      vegetable proteins, soybean contains other functional ingredients such as
      phytoestrogens, oligosaccharides, and dietary fibers. Especially, recent studies
      suggested greater functions with green soybean. Comprehensive analysis of gene
      expression in the brains of mice that ingested soybean using high-density
      oligonucleotide microarray suggests that an increase of an endogenous Abeta
      chaperone, lipocalin-type prostaglandin D2 synthase (Ptgds), leads to suppressed
      Abeta accumulation, resulting in the prevention of cognitive dysfunction. Here we
      will review relevant patents and estimated effective components and underlying
      mechanisms of soybeans, suggested by comparing effects of green and yellow
      soybean breeds to mice. 

PMID- 26118679
TI  - Extraordinary deformation capacity of smallest carbohelicene springs.
AB  - The extraordinary deformation and loading capacity of nine different
      [infinity]carbohelicene springs under uniaxial tension up to their fracture were
      computed using the density functional theory. The simulations comprised either
      the experimentally synthetized springs of hexagonal rings or the hypothetical
      ones that contained irregularities (defects) as, for example, pentagons replacing
      the hexagons. The results revealed that the presence of such defects can
      significantly improve mechanical properties. The maximum reversible strain varied
      from 78% to 222%, the maximum tensile force varied in the range of 5 nN to 7 nN
      and, moreover, the replacement of hexagonal rings by pentagons or heptagons
      significantly changed the location of double bonds in the helicenes. The fracture
      analysis revealed two different fracture mechanisms that could be related to the
      configurations of double and single bonds located at the internal atomic chain.
      Simulations performed with and without van der Waals interactions between
      intramolecular atoms showed that these interactions played an important role only
      in the first deformation stage. 

PMID- 26118680
TI  - Support your journal.

PMID- 26118682
TI  - The impact of orthodontic appliances on eating - young people's views and
      experiences.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Orthodontic appliances are known to cause patients difficulty with
      eating. Learning more about the issues patients face, while eating with
      orthodontic appliances in place, will allow us to create more informative and
      relevant patient information, thereby improving patient compliance and treatment
      success. This study aims to understand how orthodontic appliances impact on
      eating in the broader context and to explore adolescent patients' perceptions of
      eating with orthodontic appliances. METHODS: Purposive sampling was used and 19
      participants currently undergoing orthodontic treatment and aged 11-14 years were
      selected for either a focus group or semi-structured interview to explore eating
      related issues. Data collection and analysis were carried out as an iterative
      process broadly following principles of thematic analysis. Data collection ceased
      when no new themes emerged. RESULTS: Two main themes relating to eating problems
      emerged: restriction of food choice and problems associated with the eating
      process. Participants reported restricting food choice due to physical aspects of
      the appliance, advice given by their orthodontist, fear of breakage and also to
      minimize embarrassment. Participants also reported problems with the time taken
      to eat, chewing problems, taste change and being messy while eating.
      Additionally, time in treatment, the location of eating and relationship with
      those present during eating influenced emotions. Some participants indicated a
      positive impact of orthodontic appliances on their diet. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results can be used to further inform dietary advice offered to patients. Factors
      were identified which may not be considered in clinical practice but which could
      improve the value of dietary advice given to patients.

PMID- 26118683
TI  - The John Kay Williams Gold Medal of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and
      Glasgow 2013.
AB  - This paper describes the clinical treatment of two cases treated by the recipient
      of the 2013 Membership in Orthodontics John Kay Williams Gold Medal of the Royal
      College of Surgeons of England and Glasgow. The first case describes the
      management of a 12-year-old male with a class II division 1 malocclusion
      complicated by Molar Incisal Hypominaralization, an increased overjet and severe
      upper arch crowding using fixed appliances with anchorage support from temporary
      anchorage devices. The second case involves the management of a class II division
      2 malocclusion complicated by crowding of the upper and lower arches treated on
      an extraction basis using fixed appliances. 

PMID- 26118687
TI  - Raymond Edler BDS, D.Orth, M.Orth, FDSRCS.

PMID- 26118688
TI  - Maurice Stephen Elliot Gould OBE.

PMID- 26118690
TI  - Microenvironment and HIV-related lymphomagenesis.
AB  - Patients with HIV infection are at increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin
      lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma. While the pathogenesis of these lymphomas is
      incompletely understood, evidence indicates that immune deregulation, genetic
      alterations and cytokine production play an important role in HIV
      lymphomagenesis. The lymphoma microenvironment in this heterogeneous group of
      lymphomas plays an equally critical role in their development, growth and
      progression. Important components of the microenvironment in HIV-related
      lymphomas include EBV and/or HHV-8 coinfection, reactive inflammatory cells,
      tumor microvasculature, and soluble factors. This paper provides a brief overview
      of HIV-related lymphomas and focuses on their lymphomagenesis and
      microenvironment. 

PMID- 26118689
TI  - Deciphering the Non-Equivalence of Serine and Threonine O-Glycosylation Points:
      Implications for Molecular Recognition of the Tn Antigen by an anti-MUC1
      Antibody.
AB  - The structural features of MUC1-like glycopeptides bearing the Tn antigen (alpha
      O-GalNAc-Ser/Thr) in complex with an anti MUC-1 antibody are reported at atomic
      resolution. For the alpha-O-GalNAc-Ser derivative, the glycosidic linkage adopts
      a high-energy conformation, barely populated in the free state. This unusual
      structure (also observed in an alpha-S-GalNAc-Cys mimic) is stabilized by
      hydrogen bonds between the peptidic fragment and the sugar. The selection of a
      particular peptide structure by the antibody is thus propagated to the
      carbohydrate through carbohydrate/peptide contacts, which force a change in the
      orientation of the sugar moiety. This seems to be unfeasible in the alpha-O
      GalNAc-Thr glycopeptide owing to the more limited flexibility of the side chain
      imposed by the methyl group. Our data demonstrate the non-equivalence of Ser and
      Thr O-glycosylation points in molecular recognition processes. These features
      provide insight into the occurrence in nature of the APDTRP epitope for anti-MUC1
      antibodies. 

PMID- 26118691
TI  - A synthesis of two decades of research documenting the effects of noise on
      wildlife.
AB  - Global increases in environmental noise levels - arising from expansion of human
      populations, transportation networks, and resource extraction - have catalysed a
      recent surge of research into the effects of noise on wildlife. Synthesising a
      coherent understanding of the biological consequences of noise from this
      literature is challenging. Taxonomic groups vary in auditory capabilities. A wide
      range of noise sources and exposure levels occur, and many kinds of biological
      responses have been observed, ranging from individual behaviours to changes in
      ecological communities. Also, noise is one of several environmental effects
      generated by human activities, so researchers must contend with potentially
      confounding explanations for biological responses. Nonetheless, it is clear that
      noise presents diverse threats to species and ecosystems and salient patterns are
      emerging to help inform future natural resource-management decisions. We
      conducted a systematic and standardised review of the scientific literature
      published from 1990 to 2013 on the effects of anthropogenic noise on wildlife,
      including both terrestrial and aquatic studies. Research to date has concentrated
      predominantly on European and North American species that rely on vocal
      communication, with approximately two-thirds of the data set focussing on
      songbirds and marine mammals. The majority of studies documented effects from
      noise, including altered vocal behaviour to mitigate masking, reduced abundance
      in noisy habitats, changes in vigilance and foraging behaviour, and impacts on
      individual fitness and the structure of ecological communities. This literature
      survey shows that terrestrial wildlife responses begin at noise levels of
      approximately 40 dBA, and 20% of papers documented impacts below 50 dBA. Our
      analysis highlights the utility of existing scientific information concerning the
      effects of anthropogenic noise on wildlife for predicting potential outcomes of
      noise exposure and implementing meaningful mitigation measures. Future research
      directions that would support more comprehensive predictions regarding the
      magnitude and severity of noise impacts include: broadening taxonomic and
      geographical scope, exploring interacting stressors, conducting larger-scale
      studies, testing mitigation approaches, standardising reporting of acoustic
      metrics, and assessing the biological response to noise-source removal or
      mitigation. The broad volume of existing information concerning the effects of
      anthropogenic noise on wildlife offers a valuable resource to assist scientists,
      industry, and natural-resource managers in predicting potential outcomes of noise
      exposure.

PMID- 26118692
TI  - Isolation, characterization, and anthelminthic activities of a novel dichapetalin
      and other constituents of Dichapetalum filicaule.
AB  - CONTEXT: Dichapetalum filicaule Breteler (Dichapetalaceae) is a rare species
      occurring only in Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. Although research on several species
      of the genus has produced interesting bioactive compounds, particularly the
      Dichapetalins, a novel class of triterpenoids with antineoplastic properties,
      there is virtually no information on the ethnobotanical uses and chemical
      constituents of D. filicaule. OBJECTIVE: The phytochemical and anthelminthic
      activities of the constituents of D. filicaule were investigated. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Chemical constituents of the petroleum ether, chloroform-acetone, and
      methanol root extracts of D. filicaule were isolated by column chromatography and
      characterized by their physico-chemical properties, 1-D and 2-D NMR spectroscopy
      and mass spectrometry. In vitro anthelminthic activity of the extracts and
      compounds against the human hookworm, Necator americanus, Stiles 1902 (Nematoda:
      Ancylostomatidae) was determined within a concentration range of 2500-250 MUg/ml
      using the Egg Hatch Inhibition (EHI) Assay. The hookworm species were identified
      using a published polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. RESULTS: A new
      dichapetalin, dichapetalin X (1), together with the known dichapetalin A (2),
      pomolic acid (3), glycerol monostearate (4), D:A-friedooleanan-3beta-ol (5), and
      D:A-friedooleanan-3-one (6) were isolated. Compounds 1, 2, and 4 exhibited EHI
      with IC50 values of 523.2, 162.4, and 306.0 MUg/ml, respectively, against the
      hookworm. The positive control albendazole gave an IC50 value of 93.27 MUg/ml.
      DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This is the first report of the phytochemical
      investigation of D. filicaule. The study has yielded a new dichapetalin and also
      demonstrated the potential anthelminthic properties of the constituents.

PMID- 26118693
TI  - Human, donkey and cow milk differently affects energy efficiency and inflammatory
      state by modulating mitochondrial function and gut microbiota.
AB  - Different nutritional components are able, by modulating mitochondrial function
      and gut microbiota composition, to influence body composition, metabolic
      homeostasis and inflammatory state. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the
      effects produced by the supplementation of different milks on energy balance,
      inflammatory state, oxidative stress and antioxidant/detoxifying enzyme
      activities and to investigate the role of the mitochondrial efficiency and the
      gut microbiota in the regulation of metabolic functions in an animal model. We
      compared the intake of human milk, gold standard for infant nutrition, with
      equicaloric supplementation of donkey milk, the best substitute for newborns due
      to its nutritional properties, and cow milk, the primary marketed product. The
      results showed a hypolipidemic effect produced by donkey and human milk intake in
      parallel with enhanced mitochondrial activity/proton leakage. Reduced
      mitochondrial energy efficiency and proinflammatory signals (tumor necrosis
      factor alpha, interleukin-1 and lipopolysaccharide levels) were associated with a
      significant increase of antioxidants (total thiols) and detoxifying enzyme
      activities (glutathione-S-transferase, NADH quinone oxidoreductase) in donkey-
      and human milk-treated animals. The beneficial effects were attributable, at
      least in part, to the activation of the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor
      2 pathway. Moreover, the metabolic benefits induced by human and donkey milk may
      be related to the modulation of gut microbiota. In fact, milk treatments uniquely
      affected the proportions of bacterial phyla and genera, and we hypothesized that
      the increased concentration of fecal butyrate in human and donkey milk-treated
      rats was related to the improved lipid and glucose metabolism and detoxifying
      activities. 

PMID- 26118694
TI  - Dietary fish oil inhibits mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in
      diabetic rats by blocking nuclear factor-kappaB-mediated inflammatory pathways.
AB  - One of the most common complications of early-onset diabetes mellitus is
      peripheral diabetic neuropathy, which is manifested either by loss of nociception
      or by allodynia and hyperalgesia. Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disease
      in human beings with characteristic symptoms of hyperglycemia, chronic
      inflammation and insulin resistance. Dietary fatty acids, especially
      polyunsaturated fatty acids, have been shown anti-inflammatory role in various
      experimental conditions. The present study investigated the effects of fish oil
      supplementation on the inflammation in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of
      streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes rats. The effects of diabetes and fish oil
      treatment on the allodynia and hyperalgesia were also evaluated. Dietary fish oil
      effectively attenuated both allodynia and hyperalgesia induce by STZ injection.
      Along with the behavioral findings, DRG from fish oil-treated diabetic rats
      displayed a decrease in inflammatory cytokines and the expression of nuclear
      factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) compared with untreated diabetic rats. Fish oil
      supplementation also increased the phosphorylation of AKT in DRG of diabetic
      rats. These results suggested that dietary fish oil-inhibited allodynia and
      hyperalgesia in diabetic rats may stem from its anti-inflammatory potential by
      regulating NF-kappaB and AKT. Fish oil might be useful as an adjuvant therapy for
      the prevention and treatment of diabetic complications. 

PMID- 26118695
TI  - Mucopolysaccharidosis VII in a Cat Caused by 2 Adjacent Missense Mutations in the
      GUSB Gene.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are common lysosomal storage disorders
      causing typically progressive skeletal and ocular abnormalities. OBJECTIVES: To
      describe the clinic features, metabolic profile and a unique mutation in a
      domestic shorthair (DSH) kitten with MPS VII. ANIMALS: Affected kitten and 80
      healthy cats. METHODS: Serum lysosomal enzyme activities and urinary
      glycosaminoglycan (GAG) accumulation were assessed. Exons of the beta
      glucuronidase gene (GUSB) were sequenced from genomic DNA and genotyping was
      conducted. RESULTS: A 3-month-old DSH cat was presented for stunted growth,
      paresis, facial dysmorphia, multiple skeletal deformities, and corneal opacities.
      Evaluation of blood smears disclosed metachromatic granules in leukocytes and a
      urinary mucopolysaccharide spot test was positive. The proband had no GUSB
      activity but normal or increased activities for other lysosomal enzymes.
      Sequencing of the GUSB gene from the proband and comparison to the sequence of 2
      healthy cats and the published feline genome sequence demonstrated 2 unique
      single base transitions (c.1421T>G and c.1424C>T) in exon 9, altering 2 adjacent
      codons (p.Ser475Ala and p.Arg476Trp). These amino acid changes are in a highly
      conserved domain of the GUSB protein and nontolerable to maintain function.
      Moreover, the p.Arg476Trp mutation previously has been identified in human
      patients. None of the other clinically healthy cats had these mutations.
      CONCLUSIONS AND CLINIC IMPORTANCE: The diagnostic approach to MPS disorders is
      delineated. This is only the second mutation known to cause MPS VII in cats.
      Similarly, 2 different mutations have been described in MPS VII dogs, thereby
      showing the molecular heterogeneity of MPS VII in companion animals.

PMID- 26118696
TI  - Differences in the purification and solution properties of PurC gene products
      from Streptococcus pneumoniae and Bacillus anthracis.
AB  - 4-(N-succino)-5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide synthetase (PurC) is
      a key enzyme in the de novo purine biosynthetic pathway of bacteria and an ideal
      target pathway for the discovery of antimicrobials. Bacillus anthracis (Ba) and
      Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) are two of the bacteria shown to be severe
      detriments to public health. To be able to carry out the experimentation that
      leads to drug discovery, high yields of pure soluble recombinant protein must
      first be obtained. We studied two recombinant PurC proteins from B. anthracis and
      S. pneumoniae, using Escherichia coli as the host cells. These two proteins, with
      very similar amino acid sequences, exhibit very different solution properties,
      leading to a large difference in yields during protein purification under the
      same conditions. The yield for SpPurC (>50mG per gram of cells) is ten times
      greater than that for BaPurC (<5mG per gram of cells). The BaPurC samples in
      solution consisted of oligomers and dimers, with dimers as its functional form.
      Comparing the yields of dimers, SpPurC is 25 times greater than that for BaPurC
      (~2mG per gram of cell). Our studies suggest that the difference in exposed
      hydrophobic surface area is responsible for the difference in yields under the
      same conditions. 

PMID- 26118697
TI  - The effect of rare codons following the ATG start codon on expression of human
      granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in Escherichia coli.
AB  - Presence of the rare codons resulted from the difference in codon usages among
      organisms is considered as an obstacle to heterologous gene expression. This is
      especially important for the expression of the genes with eukaryotic origin in
      Escherichia coli. The N-terminus of human granulocyte colony stimulating factor
      (hG-CSF) contains amino acids whose coding sequences belong to the rare codons in
      E. coli. In this study, the effect of rare codons on hG-CSF expression level was
      evaluated through introducing silent mutations in the 5'-end of the coding
      sequence. E. coli BL21 (DE3) was used as an expression host. The constructs with
      the rare codons at the positions following the ATG initiation site of hG-CSF
      elevated the expression level up to 53-56% of the total cell proteins. This
      effect may be explained either by the rare codons effects on the early elongation
      region to reduce ribosome traffic jams in the rest of transcript or by their
      impacts on reduction of GC content at the beginning region. Mfold RNA server and
      prediction of the 5' mRNA secondary structure showed the less stable mRNA
      secondary structure is, the more hG-CSF expression level would be. However, the
      minimum free energy of the secondary structure individually, could not indicate
      this correlation between all constructs. This finding seems empirically important
      in designing the synthetic genes for production of the recombinant protein in E.
      coli. 

PMID- 26118698
TI  - Expression, purification and crystallization of the (3R)-hydroxyacyl-ACP
      dehydratase HadAB complex from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - The (3R)-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase HadAB, involved in the biosynthetic pathway
      for mycolic acid (MA) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, catalyzes the third step in
      the fatty acid (FA) elongation cycle, which is an ideal and actual target for
      anti-tubercular agent. Though HadAB is predicted to be a member of the hotdog
      superfamily, it shares no sequence identity with typical hotdog fold isoenzyme
      FabZ. To characterize the significance of HadAB from the perspective of
      structural biology, large amount of pure HadAB complex is required for
      biochemical characterization and crystallization. Here, we used a unique
      expression and purification method. HadA and HadB were cloned separately and co
      expressed in Escherichia coli. After GST affinity chromatography, two steps of
      anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration, the purity of the protein as
      estimated by SDS-PAGE was >95%. Using hanging-drop vapor-diffusion method,
      crystals were obtained and diffracted X-rays to 1.75A resolution. The crystal
      belongs to space group P41212, with unit-cell parameters a=b=82.0A, c=139.8A,
      alpha=beta=gamma=90.0 degrees . 

PMID- 26118699
TI  - An improved expression system for the VC1 ligand binding domain of the receptor
      for advanced glycation end products in Pichia pastoris.
AB  - The receptor for the advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a type I
      transmembrane glycoprotein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily and binds
      a variety of unrelated ligands sharing a negative charge. Most ligands bind to
      the extracellular V or VC1 domains of the receptor. In this work, V and VC1 of
      human RAGE were produced in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris and directed
      to the secretory pathway. Fusions to a removable C-terminal His-tag evidenced
      proteolytic processing of the tag by extracellular proteases and also
      intracellular degradation of the N-terminal portion of V-His. Expression of
      untagged forms was attempted. While the V domain was retained intracellularly,
      VC1 was secreted into the medium and was functionally active in binding AGEs. The
      glycosylation state of VC1 was analyzed by mass spectrometry and peptide-N
      glycosidase F digestion. Like RAGE isolated from mammalian sources, the degree of
      occupancy of the N-glycosylation sites was full at Asn25 and partial at Asn81
      which was also subjected to non-enzymatic deamidation. A simple procedure for the
      purification to homogeneity of VC1 from the medium was developed. The folded
      state of the purified protein was assessed by thermal shift assays. Recombinant
      VC1 from P. pastoris showed a remarkably high thermal stability as compared to
      the protein expressed in bacteria. Our in vivo approach indicates that the V and
      C1 domains constitute a single folding unit. The stability and solubility of the
      yeast-secreted VC1 may be beneficial for future in vitro studies aimed to
      identify new ligands or inhibitors of RAGE. 

PMID- 26118701
TI  - Automated detection and classification of teardrop cells by a novel RBC module
      using digital imaging/microscopy.

PMID- 26118700
TI  - An improved method for high-level soluble expression and purification of
      recombinant amyloid-beta peptide for in vitro studies.
AB  - Amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide mediates several neurodegenerative diseases. The 42
      amino acid (Abeta1-42) is the predominant form of peptide found in the neuritic
      plaques and has been demonstrated to be neurotoxic in vivo and in vitro. The
      availability of large quantities of Abeta peptide will help in several
      biochemical and biophysical studies that may help in exploring the aggregation
      mechanism and toxicity of Abeta peptide. We report a convenient and economical
      method to obtain such a peptide biologically. Synthetic oligonucleotides encoding
      Abeta1-42 were constructed and amplified through the polymerase cycling assembly
      (also known as assembly PCR), followed by the amplification PCR. Abeta1-42 gene
      was cloned into pET41a(+) vector for expression. Interestingly, the addition of
      3% (v/v) ethanol to the culture medium resulted in the production of large
      amounts of soluble Abeta fusion protein. The Abeta fusion protein was subjected
      to a Ni-NTA affinity chromatography followed by enterokinase digestion, and the
      Abeta peptide was purified using glutathione Sepharose affinity chromatography.
      The peptide yield was ~15mg/L culture, indicating the utility of this method for
      high-yield production of soluble Abeta peptide. Sodium dodecyl sulfate
      polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis and immunoblotting with anti-His
      antibody confirmed the identity of purified Abeta fusion protein and Abeta
      peptide. In addition, this method provides an advantage over the chemical
      synthesis and other conventional methods used for large-scale production of
      recombinant Abeta peptide. 

PMID- 26118702
TI  - Basal cell carcinoma arising within port-wine stains with no preceding
      radiotherapy.

PMID- 26118703
TI  - Reliability of the INSTI(r) rapid test for the diagnosis of HIV-1 non-B subtypes
      and recombinant variants.
AB  - Data regarding the efficacy of Rapid HIV tests (RHTs) in detecting non-B subtype
      HIV-1 are limited. We evaluated the sensitivity of the INSTI(r) test for the
      detection of HIV-1 antibodies for the diagnosis of HIV-1 non-B subtypes and
      recombinant variants. We identified adults with HIV-1 infection due to non-B
      subtypes and recombinant variants. The participants were re-tested with INSTI(r)
      test. We included 258 patients. Overall, the INSTI(r) test sensitivity was 98.4%
      (95%CI: 96.9-99.9%). For the major CRF_02AG subtype, the sensitivity was 99.0%
      (95%CI: 97.1-100%). The HIV INSTI(r) test is reliable for the detection of
      various non-B HIV-1 antibodies.

PMID- 26118704
TI  - Suboptimal Treatment of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain in the United
      States.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Approximately one third of patients with diabetic peripheral
      neuropathy (DPN) also experience neuropathic pain, resulting in a significant
      health care burden, and reduced quality of life. Pregabalin, duloxetine, and
      tapentadol extended-release are approved for treating diabetic peripheral
      neuropathic pain (DPNP), but many other medications are commonly used "off-label"
      with various degrees of success. We examined US health insurance claims to
      determine the current DPNP treatment patterns. METHODS: This retrospective
      analysis used the MarketScan claims database to identify adults with continuous
      health plan enrollment for 12 months pre- and postindex who were initially
      diagnosed with DPN between 2006 and 2011 and were provided a prescription for a
      medication reported to be beneficial for treating DPNP (anticonvulsants,
      antidepressants, opioids, or topical agents). We evaluated the frequency and
      types of medication dispensed within 1 year after first diagnosis, treatment
      adherence, and patterns of treatment alteration. RESULTS: Overall, 12,074
      patients met inclusion criteria, with 66.6% initiating an anticonvulsant
      (gabapentin 45.0%; pregabalin 21.6%), and 5.2% initiating duloxetine. Patients
      commonly received less than the recommended dose of prescribed medication, and
      adherence was suboptimal for all treatments. It is estimated that up to 50% of
      patients discontinued their initial treatment within 3 months of initiation.
      CONCLUSIONS: Newly diagnosed patients with DPNP are most commonly prescribed
      anticonvulsants. Many patients receive lower than recommended dosages,
      potentially resulting in poor outcomes. Initial treatments are frequently
      discontinued, indicating low levels of satisfaction and/or poor tolerability. New
      therapies with improved efficacy and better tolerability are urgently needed for
      DPNP.

PMID- 26118705
TI  - [Effects of prenatal yoga: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: While several studies on the preventive and therapeutic effects of
      prenatal yoga (maternity yoga) have been reported in recent years, there has been
      no systematic review on the effects of prenatal yoga based on randomized
      controlled trials (RCT). The purpose of this study, therefore, was to
      systematically review the literature to clarify the effects of prenatal yoga in
      RCT focusing on the contents of the intervention, the intervention means, and the
      frequency of practice. METHODS: The literature search was performed using the
      electronic database, PubMed. The inclusion criteria were RCT, pregnant women, and
      yoga intervention. RESULTS: In total, 54 citations were found; of these, eight
      studies (10 reports) were included in the final analysis. In four studies on
      healthy pregnant women, significant improvement in pain and pleasure at delivery,
      duration of delivery, perceived stress levels during pregnancy, anxiety levels,
      depression, pregnancy-related experiences, quality of life, and interpersonal
      relationships were compared to those in the control group. In two studies on
      depressed pregnant women, one reported that depression, anxiety levels, anger
      levels, leg pain, and back pain significantly improved with yoga, while the other
      found no differences from the control group. In one study of high-risk pregnant
      women with morbidity factors such as obesity or advanced age, yoga resulted in
      significantly fewer cases of pregnancy-induced hypertension, gestational
      diabetes, and intrauterine growth restriction, as well as a decrease in perceived
      stress levels. In one study on pregnant women with pelvic pain, the median pain
      score was lower in the yoga group. Regarding the contents of the intervention,
      while the two studies for depressed pregnant women only included physical
      postures, the remaining six studies also included breathing technique and
      meditation. Interventions were performed using lectures by instructors alone or
      together with self-teaching. The frequency of the intervention varied within each
      study. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that prenatal yoga may help reduce pelvic
      pain. It may also improve mental condition (stress, depression, anxiety, etc.),
      physical condition (pain and pleasure at the delivery, etc.), and perinatal
      outcomes (obstetrical complications, delivery time, etc.). However, further
      studies are needed. The contents of the intervention, the intervention means, and
      the frequency varied with each study. Thus, it is necessary to further examine
      the content of effective interventions, intervention means, and frequency that
      suit participant's characteristics and each outcome. Further research in this
      field, particularly randomized controlled trials, is merited.

PMID- 26118706
TI  - [Nationally representative score of the Japanese language version of the 13-item
      7-point sense of coherence scale].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The amount of research relating to evaluation of intervention
      programs with regard to sense of coherence, a concept of salutogenic stressor
      coping capacity, is increasing in Japan. However, a nationally representative
      score of the Japanese version of the sense of coherence scale has not yet been
      reported. The aim of this study was to describe the 13-item, 7-point Japanese
      sense of coherence scale (SOC-13), with scoring by sex and age group, and to
      examine the relationships between the score and locality and city size. METHODS:
      Four thousand Japanese men and women were selected by stratified random sampling,
      and a cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted using
      the placement method. Responses were obtained from 2,067 individuals (response
      rate: 51.7%). This study analyzed 956 men and 1,107 women (mean age [standard
      deviation]: 50.0 [14.3]). RESULTS: The mean score on the SOC-13 was 59.0 (12.2)
      in all participants, 59.1 (11.8) in men, and 58.9 (12.5) in women. No significant
      difference was found between men and women (P=0.784). ANOVA and multiple
      comparison for age difference showed a clear relationship (P<0.05) between higher
      age and a higher SOC-13 score. Moreover, the results of main and interaction
      effects in ANCOVA, with independent variables for locality (11 segments) and city
      size (four segments), were not significant when controlled for age. CONCLUSION: A
      nationally representative score for the Japanese SOC-13 was acquired. In future
      research, application of the SOC-13 in Japan for clinical studies is anticipated
      based on the nationally representative score.

PMID- 26118707
TI  - [An autochthonous outbreak of dengue type 1 in Tokyo, Japan 2014].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: An outbreak of autochthonous dengue fever was reported in August
      2014, with cases suspected mainly from Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. This is the first
      epidemic of dengue fever in Japan since 1945. METHODS: From August to October
      2014, the following measures were taken to control the outbreak: 1) risk
      communication and information sharing; 2) active case finding; 3) vector
      surveillance in affected sites; and 4) laboratory testing. We also reviewed the
      surveillance data as reported to the National Epidemiological Surveillance of
      Infectious Diseases during the 44 epidemiological weeks. results: An official
      dengue fever call center was set up temporarily for the general public and 3,005
      calls were received. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government issued 39 press releases
      regarding patients and nine related to dengue virus (DENV) detection and vector
      control activities for the media. Confirmed autochthonous dengue fever cases were
      reported between the 35th and 44th epidemiological weeks. Out of 160 cases of
      outbreak, 108 (67.5%) confirmed cases were reported in Tokyo. The estimated
      illness onset dates were between August 9 and October 7, and estimated dates of
      infections were between August 3 and October 3, 2014. The data suggest that the
      infective mosquitoes had already been present in Yoyogi Park at the end of July
      2014. During the weekly vector surveillance at Yoyogi Park, a total of 1,152
      adult mosquitoes, of which 856 (73.3%) were Aedes mosquitoes, were collected over
      11 weeks by a light trap with dry ice. DENV was detected from adult Aedes
      mosquito samples collected on the 2nd, 9th, and 16th of September, 2014. Serum
      samples from 240 suspected cases were examined at the Tokyo Metropolitan
      Institute of Public Health, and 78 were positive for the DENV NS1 antigen, DENV
      specific IgM antibody, or DENV nucleic acid with reverse transcriptase polymerase
      chain reaction (RT-PCR) (NS1: 66 cases; IgM: 50 cases; PCR: 57 cases). Genetic
      analysis of DENV-positive serum and mosquito samples found all to be categorized
      as DENV-serotype 1 (gene type I). Phylogenetic analysis of the envelope protein
      genome sequence from patients and mosquitoes in Tokyo revealed more than 99%
      similarity with each other and with the strain from the first outbreak-associated
      patient in Saitama. CONCLUSION: Measures important for control of infectious
      disease epidemic were learned during this recent indigenous dengue outbreak in
      Tokyo. It also highlighted the importance of preparedness for epidemics of
      indigenous or imported infectious diseases, especially in light of the fact that
      Tokyo is in preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020.

PMID- 26118708
TI  - [Incidence of bicycle-related accidents and subsequent injury in community
      dwelling older adults: understanding potential accidents].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study investigated 1) the incidence of bicycle-related accidents
      and subsequent injuries and 2) the number of injuries (accidents) reported to the
      police (i.e., examining the number of potential accidents) among community
      dwelling Japanese older adults, after examining the percentage of those who were
      regular cyclists. METHODS: Based on local resident registration, we mailed
      questionnaires to 7083 community-dwelling older adults. The questionnaire
      included questions about the incidence of bicycle-related accidents and
      subsequent injury within a year, the degree of injury and presence or absence of
      reporting that injury (bicycle-related accident) to the police. For the bicycle
      related accident, we asked regarding both riding and pedestrian accidents (i.e.,
      accidents caused by a bicycle when walking). RESULTS: Excluding the blank
      responses (n=3539, 50.0%), the targets for analysis were 3098 older adults in
      riding accidents and 2861 older adults in pedestrian accidents. The results
      showed that 63.0% of older adults (n=1953) routinely rode a bicycle. Among them,
      9.4% (n=184) experienced riding accidents, and 3.4% (n=98) experienced pedestrian
      accidents caused by a bicycle. For the riding accidents, 76.1% (n=140) had some
      injuries, and for the pedestrian accidents, 55.1% (n=54) had some injuries.
      Furthermore, in 70.2% (n=59) and 76.9% (n=20) of riding and pedestrian accidents,
      respectively, those who went to the hospital for treatment of their injury (i.e.,
      injury requiring treatment) did not report the accident to the police.
      CONCLUSION: The present study revealed that there are many potential bicycle
      related accidents in older adults. This suggests that there may be a large gap in
      the national survey data between reported bicycle-related accidents and the
      actual number of incidents in older adults.

PMID- 26118709
TI  - Intracellular ROS Generation Mediates Maleimide-induced Cytotoxicity in Leukemia
      Cells.
AB  - Maleimides consist of an important class of compounds easily synthesized with
      multiple functional group modification that provides expressive pharmacological
      properties including, antitumoral activity, mediated mainly by oxidative stress.
      For this reason, the present study was designed to evaluate the cytotoxicity and
      the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in maleimide-induced cell death. Cell
      viability assays were performed to determine the cell death type in leukemia cell
      line induced by the compounds. The oxidative stress in maleimidetreated cells was
      characterized by antioxidant enzymes activities, intracellular ROS generation,
      and lipid peroxidation. In addition, we evaluated mitochondrial membrane
      potential and ATP level. Maleimide derivatives exhibited cytotoxic effects in
      leukemia cells with significantly increased ROS generation. However, cell
      viability was partly restored by catalase-treated cells. Caspases activities and
      caspase-independent key genes related to apoptosis were not altered by
      maleimides, suggesting necrosis as the main cell death process. Maleimide-induced
      necrosis was associated with oxidative stress, as an imbalance between ROS levels
      and glutathione reductase (GR) activity. This damage was also demonstrated by
      loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and ATP depletion in cells treated
      with maleimide derivatives. These findings strongly confirmed that maleimide
      derivatives promoted cell death in leukemia cells triggered by oxidative stress,
      indicating that these compounds might be promising antitumor agents or lead
      molecules. 

PMID- 26118710
TI  - Acetogenins as Potential Anticancer Agents.
AB  - Acetogenins (ACG) are naturally occurring compounds that are chemically one of
      the least investigated families. In the review, we have provided a comprehensive
      listing of 133 of these compounds for which anti-tumor activity has been
      documented within the literature. We have compiled and studied their chemical
      structure, in-vitro as well as in-vivo anticancer biological activity. We
      observed that the relative potency of acetogenins can be categorized as adjacent
      bis-THF ACGs > nonadjacent bis-THF ACGs > mono-THF ACGs > linear-THF ACGs. Among
      adjacent bis-THF ACGs, asiminocin (A100), asiminecin (A101), asiminacin (A102)
      and asimin (A103) are the most active compounds with in-vitro activity (ED50) in
      the range of 10(-9) to 10(-12) MUg/mL. For the nonadjacent bis-THF ACGs,
      gigantecin (A53) exhibited better cytotoxicity as compared to others in the
      series with an ED50 in the range of 10(-6) to 10(-8) MUg/mL. Similarly,
      muricatetrocin-C (A36), a mono-THF and coriadienin (A116) a linear ACG has been
      reported to show promising cytotoxicity with an ED50 of 10(-5) MUg/mL. Moreover,
      in-vivo studies indicate that compounds like bullatacin (A83), desacetyluvaricin
      (A76), bullatalicin (A58) and annonacin (A8) have demonstrated significant
      activity in mouse models and thereby exhibiting potential for lead development as
      a potential anticancer agent/drug. Also, globally oncologists are looking towards
      compounds from natural origin that inhibits the growth of resistant tumor cells.
      We find that several acetogenins like bullatacin (A83), motrilin (A95), asimicin
      (A77), trilobacin (A96), annonacin (A8), gigantetronenin (A108) and squamocin
      (A73) are efficacious in suppressing the proliferation of the MDR MCF-7/Adr
      cells. The present analysis suggests that acetogenins can act as yet another
      important source for obtaining promising lead compounds in order to contribute to
      cancer prevention, however, in future extensive in-vivo studies in animal models
      will be needed to provide insight for lead development. 

PMID- 26118711
TI  - Screening Novel SAHA Derivatives as Anti-lung Carcinoma Agents: Synthesis,
      Biological Evaluation, Docking Studies and Further Mechanism Research between
      Apoptosis and Autophagy.
AB  - Four suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) derivatives (N34, N4I, N4B, N24) were
      designed and synthesized on the basis of our previous studies on N25. Assays for
      anti-proliferative activity and histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity were
      performed against human lung cancer (SPC-A-1, LTEP-a-2, NCI-H1650) and normal
      lung cells (MRC-5), which were compared with those of SAHA. Molecular docking was
      used to theoretically confirm the receptor-binding ability of N34. Ultimately,
      N34 was validated as the best HDAC inhibitor candidate. Furthermore, the effects
      of N34 on the levels of apoptosis- and autophagy-associated proteins caspase-3,
      caspase-9, Bcl-2 and Beclin-1 in SPC-A-1 cells were evaluated. N34 exerted more
      evident effects on human lung cancer than the other three SAHA derivatives did. 

PMID- 26118712
TI  - Arsenic trioxide Alters the MicroRNA Expression Profile of U87 glioblastoma.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a major role in cancer pathogenesis, cells growth and
      apoptosis. We studied the dysregulation of miRNAs after the induction of
      apoptosis by 4 MUM dose of ATO in glioblastoma cell line, U87. The anticancer
      effect of ATO was verified using MTT, BrdU cell proliferation assay and flow
      cytometric analysis. Differential expressions of 88 cancer-related miRNAs were
      analyzed by real-time reverse transcription PCR using miRNA PCR cancer-array
      system. The fold changes of miRNAs were calculated by comparing the results of
      treated to untreated control. Among the 88 cancer-related miRNAs, 2-fold
      upregulation was detected in 26 miRNAs and downregulation in 10 miRNAs compared
      to the control. The role of some of the miRNAs with significant changes was
      investigated by searching the literature and studying their roles in apoptosis,
      cell cycle and in various cellular signalling pathways. Our results showed that
      ATO modified the expression of a significant number of cancer-related miRNAs in
      glioblastoma cell line; most of these especially the upregulated miRNAs, were
      known as tumor suppressors with extensive roles in cancer associated processes
      and pathways. This study supports the mediatory role of miRNAs in anticancer
      effect of ATO. 

PMID- 26118713
TI  - Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Kinase 6-fusion Protein (MAP2K6-FP) Potentiates
      the Anti-tumor effects of Paclitaxel in Ovarian Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antitumor effects of a mitogen-activated protein
      kinase (MAPK) kinase fusion protein, TAT-OSBP-MKK6E (MAP2K6-FP), and paclitaxel
      as single agents and in combination against HO8910 human ovarian cancer cells.
      METHODS: We previously synthesized a MAPK kinase-recombinant fusion protein,
      MAP2K6-FP, that contains three domains: a protein transduction domain TAT, a
      human ovarian cancer HO8910 cell-specific binding peptide (OSBP), and a potential
      anti-tumor effector domain MKK6 (E). The HO8910 cells were exposed to MAP2K6-FP,
      paclitaxel, or both for 24 h. The antiproliferative effects were determined using
      the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Antitumor synergy was determined by computing the
      combination index. The in vivo antitumor effects of both drugs as single agents
      and in combination were tested using HO8910 cells implanted subcutaneously in
      female BALBC/c nude mice. TUNEL assay, immunohistochemical evaluation, and
      western blotting were performed to investigate the mechanism of action. RESULTS:
      A synergistic anti-proliferative effect was observed between MAP2K6-FP and
      paclitaxel at multiple drug concentrations, resulting in combination indices
      ranging from 0.3-0.85. In vivo testing against HO8910 cells in a xenograft tumor
      model indicated that both drugs were effective as single agents and that MAP2K6
      FP and paclitaxel in combination had a synergistic antitumor effect. The
      combination treatment resulted in significantly altered caspase-3, vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen
      expression compared to treatment with the single agents (P<0.05). CONCLUSION:
      Both MAP2K6-FP and paclitaxel can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis
      in ovarian cancer HO8910 cells. Interestingly, the combination of MAP2K6-FP and
      paclitaxel had a synergistic antitumor effect on HO8910 cells, which induced
      apoptosis by increasing caspase-3 expression and decreasing VEGF expression.

PMID- 26118714
TI  - The novel NADPH oxidase 4 inhibitor GLX351322 counteracts glucose intolerance in
      high-fat diet-treated C57BL/6 mice.
AB  - In type 2 diabetes, it has been proposed that pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction is
      promoted by oxidative stress caused by NADPH oxidase (NOX) overactivity. Five
      different NOX enzymes (NOX1-5) have been characterized, among which NOX1 and NOX2
      have been proposed to negatively affect beta-cells, but the putative role of NOX4
      in type 2 diabetes-associated beta-cell dysfunction and glucose intolerance is
      largely unknown. Therefore, we presently investigated the importance of NOX4 for
      high-fat diet or HFD-induced glucose intolerance using male C57BL/6 mice using
      the new NOX4 inhibitor GLX351322, which has relative NOX4 selectivity over NOX2.
      In HFD-treated male C57BL/6 mice a two-week treatment with GLX351322 counteracted
      non-fasting hyperglycemia and impaired glucose tolerance. This effect occurred
      without any change in peripheral insulin sensitivity. To ascertain that NOX4 also
      plays a role for the function of human beta-cells, we observed that glucose- and
      sodium palmitate-induced insulin release from human islets in vitro was increased
      in response to NOX4 inhibitors. In long-term experiments (1-3 days), high-glucose
      induced human islet cell reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and death were
      prevented by GLX351322. We propose that while short-term NOX4-generated ROS
      production is a physiological requirement for beta-cell function, persistent NOX4
      activity, for example, during conditions of high-fat feeding, promotes ROS
      mediated beta-cell dysfunction. Thus, selective NOX inhibition may be a
      therapeutic strategy in type 2 diabetes. 

PMID- 26118715
TI  - Depletion of mitoferrins leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and impairment of
      adipogenic differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.
AB  - Dysregulation of iron homeostasis is a potential risk factor for type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2DM) and insulin resistance. Iron transported into mitochondria by
      mitoferrins is mainly utilized for the biosynthesis of iron-sulfur clusters,
      heme, and other cofactors. Recent studies revealed that mitochondrial dysfunction
      leads to impaired adipogenesis and insulin insensitivity in adipocytes. However,
      it is unknown whether mitochondrial iron import and iron status affect the
      biogenesis and function of mitochondria during adipogenic differentiation. In
      this study, we used double knockdown of mitoferrin 1 and mitoferrin 2 (Mfrn1/2)
      to investigate the role of mitochondrial iron homeostasis in mitochondrial
      bioenergetic function and adipogenic differentiation. The results showed that
      depletion of Mfrn1/2 in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes impaired the biosynthesis of iron
      sulfur proteins in mitochondria due to a decrease in mitochondrial iron content.
      This was associated with a decrease in mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate and
      intracellular ATP level in adipocytes with Mfrn1/2 knockdown. Remarkably, Mfrn1/2
      deficiency reduced the expression of adipogenic genes and lipid production during
      adipogenic differentiation. Moreover, insulin-induced glucose uptake and Akt
      phosphorylation at the Ser473 residue were decreased concurrently in adipocytes
      differentiated from 3T3-L1 preadipocytes after knockdown of Mfrn1/2. These
      findings suggest that dysregulation of mitochondrial iron metabolism elicited by
      knockdown of Mfrn1/2 results in mitochondrial dysfunction, which culminates in
      the compromise of differentiation and insulin insensitivity of adipocytes. This
      scenario may explain the recent findings that iron deficiency or alterations in
      iron metabolism are associated with the pathogenesis of T2DM. 

PMID- 26118716
TI  - Melatonin protects hepatocytes against bile acid-induced mitochondrial oxidative
      stress via the AMPK-SIRT3-SOD2 pathway.
AB  - Mitochondrial oxidative damage is hypothesized to contribute to the pathogenesis
      of chronic cholestatic liver diseases. Melatonin, an indolamine synthesized in
      the pineal gland, shows a wide range of physiological functions, and is under
      clinical investigation for expanded applications. Melatonin has demonstrated
      efficient protective effects against various types of oxidative damage in the
      liver system. This study investigates the protective effects of melatonin
      pretreatment on glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA)-induced hepatotoxicity and
      elucidates the potential mechanism of melatonin-mediated protection. Melatonin
      markedly decreased mitochondrial ROS (mROS) production in L02 cells treated with
      100 MUM GCDCA, and inhibited GCDCA-stimulated cytotoxicity. Notably, melatonin
      exerted its hepatoprotective effects by upregulating sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) activity
      and its expression level, thus regulating superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2)
      acetylation and inhibiting the production of mROS induced by GCDCA. Moreover,
      siRNA targeting SIRT3 blocked the melatonin-mediated elevation in mitochondrial
      function by inhibiting SIRT3/SOD2 signaling. Importantly, melatonin-activated
      SIRT3 activity was completely abolished by AMP-activated, alpha 1 catalytic
      subunit (AMPK) siRNA transfection. Similar results were obtained in rat with bile
      duct ligation or BDL. In summary, our findings indicate that melatonin is a novel
      hepatoprotective small molecule that functions by elevating SIRT3, stimulating
      SOD2 activity, and suppressing mitochondrial oxidative stress at least through
      AMPK, and that SIRT3 may be of therapeutic value in liver cell protection for
      GCDCA-induced hepatotoxicity. 

PMID- 26118717
TI  - Nrf2-ARE signals mediated the anti-oxidative action of electroacupuncture in an
      MPTP mouse model of Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are early events associated with
      dopaminergic neuronal degeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). Previous studies
      indicated that electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation is effective in protecting
      dopaminergic neurons from degeneration in a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6
      tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of PD. In this study, we further
      characterized the effect of EA on MPTP-induced oxidative responses in the mouse
      dopamine system. We found that subacute administration of MPTP enhanced lipid and
      protein oxidation and reduced expression of endogenous antioxidant enzymes (such
      as superoxide dismutase and catalase) in the striatum. MPTP also reduced
      expression of an antioxidant transcription factor, nuclear factor-E2-related
      factor-2 (Nrf2), and Nrf2-regulated antioxidant enzymes (nicotinamide adenine
      dinucleotide phosphate quinone oxidoreductase-1 and heme oxygenase-1) in the
      striatum and/or midbrain. Using human placental alkaline phosphatase (hPAP) as a
      reporter of Nrf2-regulated gene expression in hPAP transgenic mice, we found that
      MPTP suppressed hPAP expression in the striatum and midbrain. Application of EA
      at an effective frequency (100 Hz) was sufficient to reverse these changes
      induced by MPTP. In addition, EA reduced microglia activation and astrogliosis in
      the striatum and midbrain, increased tyrosine hydroxylase levels in the striatum,
      and improved vertical movement in MPTP mice. These results provide further
      evidence supporting that EA produces a series of anti-oxidative effects that
      effectively counteract with the oxidative stress in the nigrostriatal dopamine
      system induced by MPTP in a mouse model of PD. 

PMID- 26118718
TI  - Rechargeable Battery: The Essential Tool for the New Era of Neuromodulation.

PMID- 26118719
TI  - Improving Vascular Neurosurgical Skills in an Era of Diminished Microsurgical
      Exposure.

PMID- 26118720
TI  - Julius Caesar's Epilepsy: Was It Caused by A Brain Arteriovenous Malformation?
AB  - Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was one of the most charismatic political figures in
      history. Best remembered for his military achievements, he was also a writer,
      historian, and statesman. Through his constitutional reforms, he played an
      important role in the events that led to the end of the Roman Republic and the
      birth of the Roman Empire. Historical sources reveal that Julius Caesar suffered
      from headaches, seizures, and personality changes. In this essay, we highlight
      the life of Julius Caesar, with emphasis on the potential origin of his sickness.
      Although a definitive diagnosis obviously cannot be made, as new published
      studies showed a possible cerebrovascular etiology, a new hypothetical diagnosis
      is presented. 

PMID- 26118721
TI  - Delay in Arrival to Care in Perpetrator-Identified Nonaccidental Head Trauma:
      Observations and Outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children who sustained nonaccidental head trauma (NAHT) are at severe
      risk for mortality within the first 24 hours after presentation. OBJECTIVE:
      Extent of delay in seeking medical attention may be related to patient outcome.
      METHODS: A 10-year, single-institution, retrospective review of 48 cases treated
      at a large tertiary Children's Hospital reported to the New York State Central
      Registrar by the child protection team was conducted. The perpetrator was
      identified in 28 cases on the basis of confession or conviction. The medical and
      legal records allowed for identification of time of injury and the interval
      between injury and arrival to the hospital; this information was categorized as
      follows: <6 hours (without delay); 6-12 hours (moderate delay); and >12 hours
      (severe delay). The King's Outcome Scale for Childhood Head Injury (KOSCHI) score
      was recorded for each case. RESULTS: All children were 3 years of age or younger
      (2.1-34 months) and predominantly male (68%; 19/28). On arrival, 61% of patients
      (17/28) presented with moderate or severe delay. A low arrival Glasgow Coma Scale
      (GCS) score (P < 0.0001) and extracranial injuries (P < 0.0061) correlated with
      worse clinical patient outcomes. Patients with an arrival GCS score <7
      predominantly arrived without delay or with moderate delay. Patients presenting
      without delay or with severe delay were more likely to have a higher KOSCHI
      outcome score on discharge (P < 0.0426). Four of the 6 patients who died
      presented after moderate delay. CONCLUSION: Patients presenting to medical care 6
      12 hours after NAHT (moderate delay) appeared to have worse outcomes than those
      presenting earlier or later.

PMID- 26118722
TI  - Onyx Embolization of a Ruptured Rotundum Foreman Artery Aneurysm in a Patient
      with Moyamoya Disease: A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemorrhage caused by the rupture of a rotundum foreman artery
      pseudoaneurysm in Moyamoya disease (MMD) is rarely reported. CASE DESCRIPTION: We
      report a case of 46-year-old man with MMD presenting with left temporal lobe
      hemorrhage. Cerebral angiogram showed a pseudoaneurysm located on the rotundum
      branch of the left internal maxillary artery, which anastomosed with a pial
      vessel. Using onyx 18, we successfully embolized the pseudoaneurysm. The patient
      was discharged neurologically intact. CONCLUSION: Given the difficulties and
      risks of surgery, onyx embolization of rotundum foreman artery aneurysm
      accompanied with MMD is feasible and effective.

PMID- 26118723
TI  - Long-Term Outcome of Arthroscopic Resection Arthroplasty With or Without
      Interposition for Thumb Basal Joint Arthritis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report results on 144 cases following arthroscopic resection
      arthroplasty (ARA) with or without interposition for basal joint arthritis.
      METHODS: Cases undergoing ARA for thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis between
      2004 and 2011 were prospectively enrolled (n = 178). Data were collected before
      surgery and after surgery at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and annually thereafter.
      Patients were excluded for less than 1-year follow-up or concomitant procedures
      that interfered with evaluation of the variable of interest (interposition).
      Human acellular dermal matrix (GRAFTJACKET) was the most commonly used
      interposition. Outcomes on 19 cases of interposition using collagen bioimplant
      (OrthADAPT) and porous polyurethaneurea (Artelon) scaffolds were also reported.
      Comparative analyses were performed on 52 patients with GRAFTJACKET interposition
      and on 73 without. Mean follow-up was 7.4 and 5.6 years with and without
      interposition, respectively. Descriptive statistics were evaluated on all
      baseline variables. Raw change scores of grip, pinch, and pain outcomes were
      evaluated. Confounding variables at a significance level of P less than .05 were
      adjusted for in linear mixed models, and an analysis of covariance was employed
      through an unstructured type of variance-covariance matrix. RESULTS: Change
      scores from baseline to 1 year for the interposition group for pain (numerical
      rating scale, 0-10), pinch, and grip was -5.8, 3.3, and 7, respectively, and 
      5.1, 2.1, and 9 for the noninterposition group. Postoperative mean satisfaction
      was 4.7 and 4.4 for the with- and without-interposition groups, respectively.
      There were 4 failures with and 2 without interposition. Artelon and OrthADAPT did
      poorly with unacceptably high failure rates. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested
      that interposition is not necessary following ARA for thumb basal joint
      arthritis. Because arthroscopic interposition of material contributes to health
      care costs in terms of patient and facility costs without clear benefit to the
      patient, routine use of expensive interposition products should be abandoned or
      carefully evaluated with a prospective randomized controlled trial. TYPE OF
      STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic IV.

PMID- 26118724
TI  - Experimental approaches to investigate effector translocation into host cells in
      the Ustilago maydis/maize pathosystem.
AB  - The fungus Ustilago maydis is a pathogen that establishes a biotrophic
      interaction with Zea mays. The interaction with the plant host is largely
      governed by more than 300 novel, secreted protein effectors, of which only four
      have been functionally characterized. Prerequisite to examine effector function
      is to know where effectors reside after secretion. Effectors can remain in the
      extracellular space, i.e. the plant apoplast (apoplastic effectors), or can cross
      the plant plasma membrane and exert their function inside the host cell
      (cytoplasmic effectors). The U. maydis effectors lack conserved motifs in their
      primary sequences that could allow a classification of the effectome into
      apoplastic/cytoplasmic effectors. This represents a significant obstacle in
      functional effector characterization. Here we describe our attempts to establish
      a system for effector classification into apoplastic and cytoplasmic members,
      using U. maydis for effector delivery. 

PMID- 26118725
TI  - Fiber-Optic-Based Micro-Probe Using Hexagonal 1-in-6 Fiber Configuration for
      Intracellular Single-Cell pH Measurement.
AB  - Single-cell research is essential for understanding cell heterogeneity, cell
      differentiation, and carcinogenesis, among other important cellular processes.
      New techniques for intracellular pH monitoring are urgently needed to gain new
      insights into single-cell responses to external stimuli. In this study, fiber
      optic reflection-based pH micro (MU)-probes (tip diameter: 500-3000 nm) were
      designed and fabricated using a novel hexagonal 1-in-6 fiber configuration. An
      organic-modified silicate (OrMoSils) sol-gel doped with a pH-sensitive dye, 2',7'
      bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF), were coated onto the
      probe sensing tip for pH detection. These probes enabled neutral pH monitoring
      and quasi-real-time data acquisition (response time: 20 +/- 5 s). The
      fluorescence signals of the newly developed probes were found to correlate
      linearly with pH (R(2) = 0.9869 when coupling laser power was at 8.2 mW) within a
      biologically relevant pH range (6.18-7.80). The pH resolution was 0.038 pH unit.
      The miniaturized probes were validated in single human lung cancer A549 cells to
      demonstrate applicability in single-cell experiments. In summary, novel pH MU
      probes with excellent resolution and response times within a biologically
      relevant pH range were developed, and they can be used for measuring pH changes
      in single cells. 

PMID- 26118726
TI  - Physiological time structure of the tibialis anterior motor activity during sleep
      in mice, rats and humans.
AB  - The validation of rodent models for restless legs syndrome (Willis-Ekbom disease)
      and periodic limb movements during sleep requires knowledge of physiological limb
      motor activity during sleep in rodents. This study aimed to determine the
      physiological time structure of tibialis anterior activity during sleep in mice
      and rats, and compare it with that of healthy humans. Wild-type mice (n = 9) and
      rats (n = 8) were instrumented with electrodes for recording the
      electroencephalogram and electromyogram of neck muscles and both tibialis
      anterior muscles. Healthy human subjects (31 +/- 1 years, n = 21) underwent
      overnight polysomnography. An algorithm for automatic scoring of tibialis
      anterior electromyogram events of mice and rats during non-rapid eye movement
      sleep was developed and validated. Visual scoring assisted by this algorithm had
      inter-rater sensitivity of 92-95% and false-positive rates of 13-19% in mice and
      rats. The distribution of the time intervals between consecutive tibialis
      anterior electromyogram events during non-rapid eye movement sleep had a single
      peak extending up to 10 s in mice, rats and human subjects. The tibialis anterior
      electromyogram events separated by intervals <10 s mainly occurred in series of
      two-three events, their occurrence rate in humans being lower than in mice and
      similar to that in rats. In conclusion, this study proposes reliable rules for
      scoring tibialis anterior electromyogram events during non-rapid eye movement
      sleep in mice and rats, demonstrating that their physiological time structure is
      similar to that of healthy young human subjects. These results strengthen the
      basis for translational rodent models of periodic limb movements during sleep and
      restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease.

PMID- 26118731
TI  - Regenerative therapy for hippocampal degenerative diseases: lessons from
      preclinical studies.
AB  - Increase in life expectancy has put neurodegenerative diseases on the rise.
      Amongst these, degenerative diseases involving hippocampus like Alzheimer's
      disease (AD) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) are ranked higher as it is
      vulnerable to excitotoxicity induced neuronal dysfunction and death resulting in
      cognitive impairment. Modern medicines have not succeeded in halting the
      progression of these diseases rendering them incurable and often fatal. Under
      such scenario, regenerative studies employing stem cells or their by-products in
      animal models of AD and TLE have yielded encourageing results. This review
      focuses on the distinct cell types, such as hippocampal cell lines, neural
      precursor cells, embryonic stem cells derived neural precursor cells, induced
      pluripotent stem cells, induced neurons and mesenchymal stem cells, which can be
      employed to rescue hippocampal functions in neurodegenerative diseases like AD
      and TLE. Besides, the divergent mechanisms through which cell based therapy
      confer neuroprotection, current impediments and possible improvements in stem
      cell transplantation strategies are discussed. Authors are aware of the
      voluminous literature available on this issue and have made a sincere attempt to
      put forth the current status of research in the field of cell based therapy
      concurrently discussing the promise it holds for combating neurodegenerative
      diseases like AD and TLE in the near future. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley &
      Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26118732
TI  - The Role of Cell Death in the Pathogenesis of SLE: Is Pyroptosis the Missing
      Link?
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic autoimmune disease
      characterized by the production of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) in association
      with systemic inflammation and organ damage. In addition to genetic factors, a
      contribution of infection to disease induction has been proposed. In the
      pathogenesis of lupus, immune complexes of ANAs with nuclear antigens can form
      and both deposit in the tissue and stimulate cytokine production to intensify
      inflammation. As such, the extracellular release of nuclear antigens to form
      pathogenic immune complexes is an important step in the pathway to disease. This
      release has been considered the consequence of cell death, with apoptotic cells
      the relevant source of nuclear material. While apoptosis could serve this role,
      other death forms may act similarly. Among these death forms, pyroptosis, which
      can be induced by inflammasome activation during infection, has features
      suggesting involvement in lupus. Thus, unlike apoptosis, pyroptosis is a pro
      inflammatory process. Furthermore, pyroptosis leads to the release of
      intracellular contents including HMGB1 and ATP, both of which can act as DAMPs
      (death associated molecular patterns) to stimulate further inflammation.
      Importantly, pyroptosis can lead to the release of intact nuclei, suggesting a
      relationship to events in the formation of LE cells. While the role of pyroptosis
      in SLE is hypothetical at this time, further analysis of this death form should
      provide new insights into lupus pathogenesis and provide the missing link between
      infection and the initiation of lupus by products of dead and dying cells. 

PMID- 26118733
TI  - Decarbonylative organoboron cross-coupling of esters by nickel catalysis.
AB  - The Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling is a metal-catalysed reaction in which boron
      based nucleophiles and halide-based electrophiles are reacted to form a single
      molecule. This is one of the most reliable tools in synthetic chemistry, and is
      extensively used in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and organic
      materials. Herein, we report a significant advance in the choice of electrophilic
      coupling partner in this reaction. With a user-friendly and inexpensive nickel
      catalyst, a range of phenyl esters of aromatic, heteroaromatic and aliphatic
      carboxylic acids react with boronic acids in a decarbonylative manner. Overall,
      phenyl ester moieties function as leaving groups. Theoretical calculations
      uncovered key mechanistic features of this unusual decarbonylative coupling.
      Since extraordinary numbers of ester-containing molecules are available both
      commercially and synthetically, this new 'ester' cross-coupling should find
      significant use in synthetic chemistry as an alternative to the standard halide
      based Suzuki-Miyaura coupling. 

PMID- 26118734
TI  - 'It makes a difference, coming here': A qualitative exploration of clinic
      attendance among young adults with type 1 diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Young adulthood is a time of significant challenges and risks for
      people with type 1 diabetes. Poor outpatient clinic attendance is common among
      young adults with type 1 diabetes. The aim of this qualitative study was to
      develop a theory explaining attendance at a hospital-based diabetes clinic.
      DESIGN: Using a grounded theory methodology, data were collected through semi
      structured qualitative interviews. METHOD: Twenty-nine people (21 young adults
      with type 1 diabetes and eight service providers) from one hospital-based
      diabetes clinic were interviewed. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed,
      and analysed according to grounded theory methodology. RESULTS: Relationships
      between young adults and service providers is the core category of this theory.
      Collaborative relationships between young adults and service providers increased
      the perceived value of attendance and reduced the vulnerability of young adults
      to the barriers within the existing service, such as meeting unfamiliar service
      providers. Relationships between young adults and service providers were
      developed following opportunities for contact (e.g., structured education
      programme or crisis of diabetes), and facilitated engagement with the service and
      further attendance. Barriers to clinic attendance included young adults' negative
      perceptions of their diabetes self-management and a lack of value associated with
      attending. CONCLUSION: The diabetes clinic was described as an important and
      valued resource by young adults and service providers. Collaborative
      relationships between young adults and service providers enhanced service
      provision in this study. According to the results of this study, clinic
      attendance may be improved by increasing opportunities for relationship
      development between service providers and young adults. Statement of contribution
      What is already known on this subject? Attendance by young adults at hospital
      based diabetes clinics is important to support self-management. Young adults with
      type 1 diabetes are at risk of clinic non-attendance. What does this study add?
      This study presents an explanatory theory of clinic attendance among young adults
      with type 1 diabetes. According to this theory: Barriers within existing models
      of service delivery prevent collaboration and may contribute to non-attendance.
      Relationships between service users and providers can establish or maintain
      regular clinic attendance by fostering the engagement of young adults with
      diabetes clinics.

PMID- 26118735
TI  - Recent advances in targeted therapy for glioblastoma.
AB  - Glioblastomas are the most common form of brain tumor with a very dismal
      prognosis. While a standard treatment regimen of surgery followed by
      chemo/radiotherapy is currently used, this has only marginally improved the
      survival time of patients with little benefit on tumor recurrence. Although many
      molecular targets have already been identified and tested in clinical trials,
      very few are approved for use in clinics. Efforts are ongoing to target newer
      molecules that could be used for drug development. This review provides up-to
      date information on the drugs and their molecular targets, which are currently in
      different stages of clinical trials. Since multiple signaling pathways are
      deregulated, it appears that the use of combination drugs along with personalized
      targeting approach would provide better therapy in the future. 

PMID- 26118736
TI  - Electrophysiological, haemodynamic, and mitochondrial alterations induced by
      levobupivacaine during myocardial ischemia in a pig model: protection by lipid
      emulsions?
AB  - Accidental intravascular or high-dose injection of local anesthetics (LA) can
      result in serious, potentially life-threatening complications. Indeed, adequate
      supportive measures and the administration of lipid emulsions are required in
      such complications. The study's objectives were threefold: (i) evaluate the
      myocardial toxicity of levobupivacaine when administered intravenously; (ii)
      investigate levobupivacaine toxicity on cardiomyocytes mitochondrial functions
      and cellular structure; (iii) assess the protective effects of a lipid emulsion
      in the presence or absence of myocardial ischemia. Domestic pigs randomized into
      two groups of 24 animals each, with either preserved coronary circulation or
      experimental myocardial ischemia. Six animals from each group received either:
      (i) single IV injection of saline, (ii) lipid emulsion (Intralipid((r)) ), (iii)
      levobupivacaine, (iv) combination levobupivacaine-Intralipid((r)) . Serially
      measured endpoints included: heart rate, duration of the monophasic action
      potentials (dMAP), mean arterial pressure, and peak of the time derivative of
      left ventricular pressure (LV dP/dtmax ). In addition, the following
      cardiomyocytes mitochondrial functions were measured: reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) production, oxidative phosphorylation, and calcium retention capacity (CRC)
      as well as the consequences of ROS production on lipids, proteins, and DNA. IV
      injection of levobupivacaine induced sinus bradycardia and reduced dMAP and LV
      dP/dtmax . At the mitochondrial level, oxygen consumption and CRC were decreased.
      In contrast, ROS production was increased leading to enhanced lipid peroxidation
      and structural alterations of proteins and DNA. Myocardial ischemia was
      associated with global worsening of all changes. Intralipid((r)) quickly improved
      haemodynamics. However, beneficial effects of Intralipid((r)) were less clear
      after myocardial ischemia. 

PMID- 26118738
TI  - Evaluating methods for estimating local effective population size with and
      without migration.
AB  - Effective population size is a fundamental parameter in population genetics,
      evolutionary biology, and conservation biology, yet its estimation can be fraught
      with difficulties. Several methods to estimate Ne from genetic data have been
      developed that take advantage of various approaches for inferring Ne . The
      ability of these methods to accurately estimate Ne , however, has not been
      comprehensively examined. In this study, we employ seven of the most cited
      methods for estimating Ne from genetic data (Colony2, CoNe, Estim, MLNe, ONeSAMP,
      TMVP, and NeEstimator including LDNe) across simulated datasets with populations
      experiencing migration or no migration. The simulated population demographies are
      an isolated population with no immigration, an island model metapopulation with a
      sink population receiving immigrants, and an isolation by distance stepping stone
      model of populations. We find considerable variance in performance of these
      methods, both within and across demographic scenarios, with some methods
      performing very poorly. The most accurate estimates of Ne can be obtained by
      using LDNe, MLNe, or TMVP; however each of these approaches is outperformed by
      another in a differing demographic scenario. Knowledge of the approximate
      demography of population as well as the availability of temporal data largely
      improves Ne estimates.

PMID- 26118737
TI  - INTER- AND INTRAFRACTION MOTION FOR STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY IN DOGS AND CATS
      USING A MODIFIED BRAINLAB FRAMELESS STEREOTACTIC MASK SYSTEM.
AB  - Precise and accurate patient positioning is necessary when doing stereotactic
      radiosurgery (SRS) to ensure adequate dosing to the tumor and sparing of normal
      tissues. This prospective cross-sectional study aimed to assess feasibility of a
      commercially available modified frameless SRS positioning system for use in
      veterinary radiotherapy patients with brain tumors. Fifty-one dogs and 12 cats
      were enrolled. Baseline and verification CT images were acquired. The
      verification CT images from 32 dogs and five cats had sufficient images for
      fusion to baseline CT images. A rigid box-based fusion was performed to determine
      interfraction motion. Forty-eight dogs and 11 cats were assessed for
      intrafraction motion by cine CT. Seventy percent of dogs and 60% of cats had
      interfraction 3D vector translational shifts >1 mm, with mean values of 1.9 mm in
      dogs, and 1.8 mm in cats. In dogs muscle wasting was weakly correlated with
      translational shifts. The maximum angular interfraction motion observed was 6.3
      degrees  (roll), 3.5 degrees  (pitch), and 3.3 degrees  (yaw). There was no
      correlation between angular interfraction motion and weight, brachycephaly, or
      muscle wasting. Fifty-seven percent of dogs and 50% of cats had respiration
      related intrafraction motion. Of these, 4.5% of dogs and 10% of cats had
      intrafraction motion >1 mm. This study demonstrates the modified Brainlab system
      is feasible for SRS in dogs and cats. The smaller cranial size and difference in
      anatomy increases setup uncertainty in some animals beyond limits usually
      accepted in SRS. Image-guided positioning is recommended to achieve clinically
      acceptable setup accuracy (<1 mm) for SRS. 

PMID- 26118739
TI  - Anesthetic effects of isoflurane on the tonotopic map and neuronal population
      activity in the rat auditory cortex.
AB  - Since its discovery nearly four decades ago, sequential microelectrode mapping
      using hundreds of recording sites has been able to reveal a precise tonotopic
      organization of the auditory cortex. Despite concerns regarding the effects that
      anesthesia might have on neuronal responses to tones, anesthesia was essential
      for these experiments because such dense mapping was elaborate and time
      consuming. Here, taking an 'all-at-once' approach, we investigated how isoflurane
      modifies spatiotemporal activities by using a dense microelectrode array. The
      array covered the entire auditory cortex in rats, including the core and belt
      cortices. By comparing neuronal activity in the awake state with activity under
      isoflurane anesthesia, we made four observations. First, isoflurane anesthesia
      did not modify the tonotopic topography within the auditory cortex. Second, in
      terms of general response properties, isoflurane anesthesia decreased the number
      of active single units and increased their response onset latency. Third, in
      terms of tuning properties, isoflurane anesthesia shifted the response threshold
      without changing the shape of the frequency response area and decreased the
      response quality. Fourth, in terms of population activities, isoflurane
      anesthesia increased the noise correlations in discharges and phase synchrony in
      local field potential (LFP) oscillations, suggesting that the anesthesia made
      neuronal activities redundant at both single-unit and LFP levels. Thus, while
      isoflurane anesthesia had little effect on the tonotopic topography, its profound
      effects on neuronal activities decreased the encoding capacity of the auditory
      cortex. 

PMID- 26118740
TI  - Investigation of practical approaches to evaluating cumulative dose for cone beam
      computed tomography (CBCT) from standard CT dosimetry measurements: a Monte Carlo
      study.
AB  - A function called Gx(L) was introduced by the International Commission on
      Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) Report-87 to facilitate measurement of
      cumulative dose for CT scans within long phantoms as recommended by the American
      Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) TG-111. The Gx(L) function is equal
      to the ratio of the cumulative dose at the middle of a CT scan to the volume
      weighted CTDI (CTDIvol), and was investigated for conventional multi-slice CT
      scanners operating with a moving table. As the stationary table mode, which is
      the basis for cone beam CT (CBCT) scans, differs from that used for conventional
      CT scans, the aim of this study was to investigate the extension of the Gx(L)
      function to CBCT scans. An On-Board Imager (OBI) system integrated with a
      TrueBeam linac was simulated with Monte Carlo EGSnrc/BEAMnrc, and the absorbed
      dose was calculated within PMMA, polyethylene (PE), and water head and body
      phantoms using EGSnrc/DOSXYZnrc, where the body PE body phantom emulated the
      ICRU/AAPM phantom. Beams of width 40-500 mm and beam qualities at tube potentials
      of 80-140 kV were studied. Application of a modified function of beam width (W)
      termed Gx(W), for which the cumulative dose for CBCT scans f (0) is normalized to
      the weighted CTDI (CTDIw) for a reference beam of width 40 mm, was investigated
      as a possible option. However, differences were found in Gx(W) with tube
      potential, especially for body phantoms, and these were considered to be due to
      differences in geometry between wide beams used for CBCT scans and those for
      conventional CT. Therefore, a modified function Gx(W)100 has been proposed,
      taking the form of values of f (0) at each position in a long phantom, normalized
      with respect to dose indices f 100(150)x measured with a 100 mm pencil ionization
      chamber within standard 150 mm PMMA phantoms, using the same scanning parameters,
      beam widths and positions within the phantom. f 100(150)x averages the dose
      resulting from a CBCT scan over the 100 mm length. Like the Gx(L) function, the
      Gx(W)100 function showed only a weak dependency on tube potential at most
      positions for the phantoms studied. The results were fitted to polynomial
      equations from which f (0) within the longer PMMA, PE, or water phantoms can be
      evaluated from measurements of f 100(150)x. Comparisons with other studies,
      suggest that these functions may be suitable for application to any CT or CBCT
      scan acquired with stationary table mode. 

PMID- 26118741
TI  - [Continuity of care from the acute care hospital: Results].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the profile of patients treated by a Continuity of Care
      Manager in an acute-care center during the first six months of its activity, as
      well as the profile of patients treated and the resource allocation. METHOD: A
      prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with complex care
      needs requiring continuity of care liaison, and who were attended by the
      Continuity of Care Nurse during the period from October 2013 to March 2014.
      Patient characteristics, their social environment and healthcare resource
      allocation were registered and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 1,034 cases of
      demand that corresponded to 907 patients (women 55.0%; age 80.57+/-10.1; chronic
      47.8%) were analyzed, of whom 12.2% were readmitted. In the multivariate model,
      it was observed that the variables associated with readmission were polypharmacy
      (OR: 1.86; CI: 1.2-2.9) and fall history prior to admission (OR: 0.586; CI: 0.36
      2-88). CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated by a Continuity of Care Nurse are over 80
      years, with comorbidities, geriatric syndromes, complex care, and of life needs,
      to whom an alternative solution to hospitalization is provided, thus preventing
      readmissions.

PMID- 26118742
TI  - Single layer of MX3 (M = Ti, Zr; X = S, Se, Te): a new platform for nano
      electronics and optics.
AB  - A serial of two-dimensional titanium and zirconium trichalcogenides nanosheets
      MX3 (M = Ti, Zr; X = S, Se, Te) were investigated based on first-principles
      calculations. The evaluated low cleavage energy indicates that stable two
      dimensional monolayers can be exfoliated from their bulk crystals in the
      experiment. Electronic studies reveal the very rich electronic properties in
      these monolayers, including metallic TiTe3 and ZrTe3, direct band gap
      semiconductor, TiS3, and indirect band gap semiconductors, TiSe3, ZrS3 and ZrSe3.
      The band gaps of all the semiconductors are between 0.57 and 1.90 eV, which
      implies their potential applications in nano-electronics. In addition, the
      calculated effective masses demonstrate the highly anisotropic conduction
      properties for all the semiconductors. Optically, TiS3 and TiSe3 monolayers
      exhibit good light absorption in the visible and near-infrared region,
      respectively, indicating their potential applications in optical devices. In
      particular, the highly anisotropic optical absorption of the TiS3 monolayer
      suggests it could be used in designing nano-optical waveguide polarizers. 

PMID- 26118743
TI  - Psychosocial Correlates of Patients Being Physically Restrained within the First
      7 Days in an Acute Psychiatric Admission Ward: Retrospective Case Record Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Clinically, patients' characteristics may predict the use of physical
      restraint in a psychiatric ward. This study aimed to explore significant
      psychosocial variables in predicting the risk for application of physical
      restraint with intention of identifying patients at high risk for physical
      restraint at the time of admission to an acute psychiatric setting. METHODS: The
      case records of 335 adult patients aged > 18 years, who were treated in 4 acute
      psychiatric admission wards of a public hospital in Hong Kong from 1 November
      2013 to 28 February 2014, were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Results of
      statistical analysis indicated involuntary admission, current use of psychiatric
      medications, no history of violent behaviour, age, and depression as significant
      predictors of use of physical restraint. The model accounted for 28.5% to 38.5%
      of the variance in the use of physical restraint. Overall, this model had a
      success rate of 77.6%. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that 39.7% of inpatients
      admitted to the acute psychiatric admission ward had been restrained at least
      once in the first 7 days. Significant predictors of restraint included
      involuntary admission, current use of psychiatric medications, no history of
      violent behaviour, age, and depression; all of which could be regarded as risk
      factors for restraint.

PMID- 26118744
TI  - Co-morbidity of Obsessive-compulsive Disorder and Other Anxiety Disorders with
      Child and Adolescent Mood Disorders.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the co-morbidity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and
      other anxiety disorders in child and adolescent mood disorders. METHODS: A total
      of 100 patients aged < 18 years with mood disorders according to the DSM-IV-TR
      were screened for OCD and other anxiety disorders using Schedule for Affective
      Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime version.
      RESULTS: The prevalence of co-morbid anxiety disorders was 22%; OCD was present
      in 4%, and subthreshold obsessive-compulsive symptoms were present in 2%. Among
      others, 8% had panic disorder, 7% had generalised anxiety disorder, 3% had
      separation anxiety disorder, and 1% had social phobia; multiple anxiety disorders
      were present in 3% of patients. CONCLUSION: Co-morbid anxiety disorder was found
      in one-fifth of children and adolescents with mood disorder.

PMID- 26118745
TI  - Comparative Study of Neurological Soft Signs in Patients with Schizophrenia or
      Obsessive-compulsive Disorder, and Healthy Controls.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to examine neurological soft
      signs in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder compared with patients with
      schizophrenia and a control group in the Indian setting. The secondary objective
      was to find any correlation between age at onset and neurological soft signs
      scores, as well as that between severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder
      symptoms (total Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale score) and neurological
      soft signs scores. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study of
      135 individuals (45 patients with schizophrenia, 45 patients with obsessive
      compulsive disorder who were attending the psychiatric outpatient department of
      Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur, India, and 45 matched healthy controls)
      from 20 June 2013 to 22 December 2014. After applying strict inclusion and
      exclusion criteria, the participants completed the study instruments (Cambridge
      Neurological Inventory [Part 2] and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale). Their
      socio-demographic data were also recorded. RESULTS: The neurological soft signs
      total score and domain scores (motor coordination, sensory integration, and
      disinhibition) were significantly higher in patients with schizophrenia (p <
      0.05) than in the obsessive-compulsive disorder group or the control group. The
      obsessive-compulsive disorder group did not significantly differ from the control
      group in terms of neurological soft signs scores. No correlation was found
      between neurological soft signs scores and age at onset as well as that between
      neurological soft signs scores and total Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale
      score. CONCLUSION: Neurological soft signs assessed by the Cambridge Neurological
      Inventory and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, which discriminate patients
      with schizophrenia from controls, appear to be relatively specific to
      schizophrenia. Further studies are required to explore neurological soft signs in
      patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PMID- 26118746
TI  - Association of Clozapine with Seizures: A Brief Report Involving 222 Patients
      Prescribed Clozapine.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence and incidence of seizures in patients
      prescribed clozapine. METHODS: The treatment records of 222 patients commenced on
      clozapine were retrospectively reviewed during the period of January 2007 to June
      2014 to evaluate the prevalence of seizures before and after starting clozapine.
      RESULTS: The majority of patients commenced on clozapine were male (65%), single
      (65%), and unemployed (57%). The mean (+/- standard deviation) dose of clozapine
      was 277.9 +/- 102.5 mg/day. A history of seizure was present in 6 patients who
      were also prescribed antiepileptic medication; of these 6 patients, only 1 case
      had recurrence of seizure while taking clozapine due to poor compliance with
      ongoing antiepileptic medication. The incidence rate of new-onset seizure with
      clozapine was 6% (12/216). Most patients who developed seizures were male, aged
      between 24 and 41 years, and had a long duration of illness (>= 10 years). The
      risk of seizure was associated with the dose of clozapine used: 3% (5/159) with
      dose up to 300 mg/day, 8% (4/49) with 325 to 500 mg/day, and 38% (3/8) in those
      receiving > 500 mg/day. More than half of the patients (7/12) who developed
      seizures while prescribed clozapine were managed with reduction in the dose of
      clozapine. In one-third of cases (4/12) an antiepileptic medication was added and
      in 1 case, clozapine was stopped. All patients who continued on clozapine
      remained seizure-free at follow-up that ranged from 6 months to 4 years.
      CONCLUSION: The incidence of seizures with clozapine was 6% and the risk of
      seizures increased with higher doses.

PMID- 26118747
TI  - Maternal Filicide among Women Admitted to Forensic Psychiatric Institutions in
      Malaysia: Case Series.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the characteristics of maternal filicide and describe the
      adverse life events experienced by women who have committed filicide and been
      hospitalised in forensic psychiatric institutions in Malaysia. METHODS:
      Registration records from 2000 through 2012 of female patients from 2 main
      forensic psychiatric institutions in Malaysia were reviewed. The medical records
      of patients who had committed maternal filicide were selected and descriptively
      evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 18 cases of maternal filicide were identified.
      Family dysfunction that presented with marital discord, domestic violence, or
      husband with substance abuse was the main stress experienced by the women. Three
      social circumstances, including an adolescent who became a victim of date rape;
      immigrants who experienced sexual abuse; and filicide-suicide precipitated by
      financial difficulties were highlighted. CONCLUSION: Women who committed filicide
      had experienced various difficulties in their life. The presence of such life
      events might alert mental health professionals to investigate the possibility of
      filicide among their patients.

PMID- 26118748
TI  - Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Postnatal Anxiety Disorder.
AB  - Interpersonal psychotherapy is one of two evidence-based formal psychotherapies
      for perinatal mood disorders. It is a time-limited, non-transference / cognitive
      based therapy that focuses on communication and social support and can be easily
      conducted in a perinatal clinic setting. There is limited patient access to
      interpersonal psychotherapy in Hong Kong because the therapy is not widely
      disseminated. This case report aimed to illustrate the principles and techniques
      of interpersonal psychotherapy in perinatal psychiatry, and to raise interest
      among mental health professionals in Hong Kong in this evidence-based treatment. 

PMID- 26118750
TI  - Chronic low level arsenic exposure evokes inflammatory responses and DNA damage.
AB  - The cross-sectional study investigated the impact of chronic low level arsenic
      (As) exposure (11-50MUg/L) on CD14 expression and other inflammatory responses in
      rural women of West Bengal enrolled from control (As level <10MUg/L; N, 131) and
      exposed area (As level 11-50MUg/L, N, 142). Atomic absorption spectroscopy
      revealed that As level in groundwater was higher in endemic areas (22.93+/-10. 1
      vs. 1.61+/-0.15, P<0.0001) and showed a positive correlation [Pearsons r, 0.9281;
      95% confidence interval, 0.8192-0.9724] with As content in nails of the exposed
      women. Flow cytometric analysis showed that CD 14 expression on monocytes was
      significantly higher (P<0.001) in exposed women and positively correlated with
      groundwater As [Pearsons r, 0.9191; 95% confidence interval, 0.7584-0.9745].
      Leucocytes and airway cells of As exposed women exhibited up regulation of an
      inflammatory mediator, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and transcription
      factor, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) (P<0.0001). Plasma pro inflammatory
      cytokines like - TNF-alpha, interleukins (ILs) - IL-6, IL-8, IL-12 were elevated
      whereas anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was depleted in the exposed women. Sputa
      of the exposed women had elevated activity of inflammatory markers - MMP-2 and
      MMP-9 whereas sera were observed with only increased activity of MMP-9. Airway
      cells of the exposed women had exacerbated DNA damage than control. Level of
      oxidative DNA adducts like 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG) were also enhanced
      in plasma of exposed women. Therefore it might be indicated that low level As
      exposure elicited a pro-inflammatory profile which might have been contributed in
      part by CD14 expressing monocytes and prolong persistence of pulmonary and
      systemic inflammation might have promoted oxidative DNA damage in the rural
      women. 

PMID- 26118749
TI  - Monocyte and macrophage plasticity in tissue repair and regeneration.
AB  - Heterogeneity and high versatility are the characteristic features of the cells
      of monocyte-macrophage lineage. The mononuclear phagocyte system, derived from
      the bone marrow progenitor cells, is primarily composed of monocytes,
      macrophages, and dendritic cells. In regenerative tissues, a central role of
      monocyte-derived macrophages and paracrine factors secreted by these cells is
      indisputable. Macrophages are highly plastic cells. On the basis of environmental
      cues and molecular mediators, these cells differentiate to proinflammatory type I
      macrophage (M1) or anti-inflammatory or proreparative type II macrophage (M2)
      phenotypes and transdifferentiate into other cell types. Given a central role in
      tissue repair and regeneration, the review focuses on the heterogeneity of
      monocytes and macrophages with current known mechanisms of differentiation and
      plasticity, including microenvironmental cues and molecular mediators, such as
      noncoding RNAs. 

PMID- 26118751
TI  - Serum levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) in patients with major depression
      disorder and suicide risk.
AB  - Nerve growth factor (NGF) is an important member of the neurotrophins group and
      their involvement in the pathophysiology of major depression disorder (MDD) and
      suicide risk (SR) has been recently suggested. The aim of this study is to
      evaluate the changes in NGF serum levels in individuals with MDD and with or
      without risk of suicide, in subjects from a young population-based sample. This
      is a paired cross-sectional study nested in a population-based study. Individuals
      were rated for MDD and SR by a diagnostic interview--Mini International
      Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I). The total population of the sample was
      comprised of 141 subjects distributed in three groups: 47 healthy controls, 47
      subjects with current depressive episode without SR (MDD) and 47 subjects with
      current depressive episode and with SR (MDD + SR). NGF serum levels were
      significantly reduced in the MDD and MDD + SR groups when compared with controls
      (p <= 0.001). However, there were no differences in NGF levels between the MDD
      and MDD + SR groups (p = 1.000). These results suggest that reduced NGF serum
      levels can be a possible biomarker of MDD.

PMID- 26118752
TI  - Childhood abuse, family history and stressors in older patients with bipolar
      disorder in relation to age at onset.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to explore the family history of psychiatric
      disorders, childhood abuse, and stressors in older patients with Bipolar Disorder
      (BD) and the association of these variables with the age at onset of BD. METHODS:
      The Questionnaire for Bipolar Disorder (QBP) and the Mini International
      Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI-Plus) were obtained from 78 patients aged 60 and
      over to determine diagnosis, age at onset of the first affective episode,
      childhood abuse, family history of psychiatric disorders and past and recent
      stressful life events. RESULTS: Increased family history of psychiatric disorders
      was the only factor associated with an earlier age at onset of BD. Less family
      history of psychiatric disorders and more negative stressors were significantly
      associated with a later age at onset of the first (hypo)manic episode.
      LIMITATIONS: Age at onset, history of childhood abuse, and past stressful life
      events were assessed retrospectively. Family members of BD patients were not
      interviewed. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that age at onset can define
      distinct BD phenotypes. More specifically there was a stronger heredity of BD and
      other psychiatric disorders in patients with an early age of onset of BD.
      Negative stressors may play a specific role in patients with a late age at onset
      of a first (hypo)manic episode.

PMID- 26118753
TI  - Validity of Beck Depression Inventory for the assessment of depressive mood in
      chronic heart failure patients.
AB  - Prevalence of depression is high in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF),
      and depressive mood is considered as a risk factor for major cardiovascular
      events and mortality in CHF patients. The validity of self-administered 21-item
      Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in CHF patients might be questioned. CHF actually
      shares overlapping symptoms with depression and such an overlap may overestimate
      the impact of depression on cardiac outcomes. We tested the convergent validity
      of the French version of BDI by reference to the interview-based Montgomery
      Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) in a population of 73 patients
      participating in the multicenter French PANIC Cohort of 321 CHF patients. Both
      depression scores were associated with NYHA functional class and the number of
      previous hospitalizations related to CHF, but not with the other indexes of
      cardiac severity (left ventricular ejection fraction and 6-min-walk test). MADRS
      scores were also associated with gender and history of depression. A strong
      correlation was found between BDI and MADRS scores (rho = 0.72; p < 0.001). This
      correlation persisted after adjustment for gender, NYHA functional class, number
      of previous hospitalizations and history of depression (rho = 0.68; p < 0.001).
      Moreover, the z score difference between standardized BDI and standardized MADRS
      scores was associated with none of the sociodemographic or clinical
      characteristics of our population, except for the depression severity at MADRS.
      In particular, no overestimation or underestimation of self-assessed depression
      was found in case of more severe CHF. These findings suggest that the BDI is a
      reliable instrument to assess depression in CHF patients.

PMID- 26118754
TI  - The relationship between depression and generalized anxiety during intensive
      psychological and pharmacological treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the present study we examined the relationship between depressive
      symptoms and generalized anxiety symptoms during intensive cognitive-behavioral
      and pharmacological treatment. METHOD: Individuals (n = 157) with major
      depressive disorder (MDD; n = 83), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; n = 29) and
      their combination (n = 45) who attended an intensive partial hospital treatment
      program, completed daily self-report measures of depression and generalized
      anxiety. Treatment included empirically-based cognitive-behavioral interventions
      in both individual and group format, as well as pharmacotherapy. RESULTS:
      Multilevel linear modeling indicated that for all diagnostic groups, changes in
      depressive symptoms led to changes in generalized anxiety symptoms to a greater
      extent than vice versa during treatment. Moreover, changes in depressive symptoms
      fully mediated changes in generalized anxiety symptoms, whereas changes in
      generalized anxiety symptoms only partially mediated the changes in depressive
      symptoms. LIMITATIONS: Partial hospital setting. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest
      that depressive symptoms may play a prominent role in the process of change in
      both MDD and GAD. This has implications for the classification of GAD as well as
      for choosing early treatment targets for individuals with comorbid MDD and GAD.

PMID- 26118755
TI  - Effectiveness of a stepped care intervention for anxiety and depression in people
      with diabetes, asthma or COPD in primary care: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are common in people with a chronic somatic
      disease. Although guidelines recommend stepped care, the effectiveness of this
      approach has not been evaluated in people with diabetes, asthma, or COPD in
      primary care. METHODS: 3559 People were sent screening questionnaires (41%
      response). Of 286 persons with anxiety and/or depression (Generalized Anxiety
      Disorder questionnaire, GAD-7, cut-off >= 8 and/or Patient Health Questionnaire,
      PHQ-9, cut-off >= 7), 46 were randomized into the intervention (stepped care and
      monitoring of symptoms; n = 23) or control (usual care) group (n = 23). Main
      outcomes were symptoms of anxiety and depression after the 12-months intervention
      and six months post intervention. Analysis of covariance was first adjusted for
      condition and baseline GAD-7/PHQ-9 scores and additionally for age, sex and
      education. RESULTS: The intervention group had a significantly lower level of
      anxiety symptoms at the end of the program (GAD-7 6 +/- 6 vs. 9 +/- 6; Cohen's d
      = 0.61). This effect was still present six months post intervention. The effect
      on depression was statistically significant in the first model (PHQ-9 6 +/- 4 vs.
      9 +/- 6; p = 0.035), but not in the fully adjusted model (p = 0.099), despite a
      large effect size (d = 0.63). At six months post intervention there was no
      statistically significant difference in symptoms of depression between the two
      groups although the difference in symptoms was still clinically significant
      (Cohen's d = 0.61). LIMITATIONS: Many people were screened, but relatively few
      participated in the randomized controlled trial. CONCLUSIONS: Stepped care with
      monitoring resulted in a lower level of symptoms of anxiety and depression in
      people with a chronic condition.

PMID- 26118756
TI  - A two-layer structured PbI2 thin film for efficient planar perovskite solar
      cells.
AB  - In this paper, a two-layer structured PbI2 thin film was constructed by the spin
      coating procedure using a 0.80 M PbI2 solution in DMF and subsequent close-spaced
      vacuum thermal evaporation using PbI2 powder as a source. The bottom PbI2 thin
      film was compact with a sheet-like appearance, parallel to the FTO substrate, and
      can be easily converted to a compact perovskite thin film to suppress the charge
      recombination of the electrons of the TiO2 conduction band and the holes of the
      spiro-OMeTAD valence band. The top PbI2 thin film was porous with nano-sheet
      arrays, perpendicular to the FTO substrate, and can be easily converted to a
      porous perovskite thin film to improve the hole migration from the perovskite to
      spiro-OMeTAD and the charge separation at the perovskite/spiro-OMeTAD interface.
      The planar perovskite solar cells based on the two-layer structured PbI2 thin
      film exhibited a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 11.64%, along with an
      open-circuit voltage of 0.90 V, a short-circuit photocurrent density of 19.29 mA
      cm(-2) and a fill factor of 0.67. 

PMID- 26118757
TI  - Osmotin attenuates amyloid beta-induced memory impairment, tau phosphorylation
      and neurodegeneration in the mouse hippocampus.
AB  - The pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) include amyloid beta
      (Abeta) accumulation, neurofibrillary tangle formation, synaptic dysfunction and
      neuronal loss. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotection of novel
      osmotin, a plant protein extracted from Nicotiana tabacum that has been
      considered to be a homolog of mammalian adiponectin. Here, we observed that
      treatment with osmotin (15 MUg/g, intraperitoneally, 4 hr) at 3 and 40 days post
      intracerebroventricular injection of Abeta1-42 significantly ameliorated Abeta1
      42-induced memory impairment in mice. These results revealed that osmotin
      reverses Abeta1-42 injection-induced synaptic deficits, Abeta accumulation and
      BACE-1 expression. Treatment with osmotin also alleviated the Abeta1-42-induced
      hyperphosphorylation of the tau protein at serine 413 through the regulation of
      the aberrant phosphorylation of p-PI3K, p-Akt (serine 473) and p-GSK3beta (serine
      9). Moreover, our western blots and immunohistochemical results indicated that
      osmotin prevented Abeta1-42-induced apoptosis and neurodegeneration in the Abeta1
      42-treated mice. Furthermore, osmotin attenuated Abeta1-42-induced neurotoxicity
      in vitro.To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the
      neuroprotective effect of a novel osmotin against Abeta1-42-induced
      neurotoxicity. Our results demonstrated that this ubiquitous plant protein could
      potentially serve as a novel, promising, and accessible neuroprotective agent
      against progressive neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.

PMID- 26118758
TI  - Medulloepithelioma with peculiar clinical presentation, stem cell phenotype and
      aberrant DNA-methylation profile.
AB  - We present a 21-year-old male with a neck mass diagnosed as medulloepithelioma.
      Despite aggressive chemo- and radio-therapy, the tumor metastasized and proved
      fatal after seventeen months. The tumor demonstrated robust immunohistochemical
      expression of multiple markers of embryonic/neural stem cells and embryogenesis
      from the paraffin embedded tissue. The tumor, expressing LIN28A but negative for
      the 19q13.42 amplicon, also lacked the characteristic methylation profile for
      medulloepithelioma and other tumors with similar morphology. The expression of
      embryonic markers may explain its unresponsiveness to therapy and poor prognosis.
      Therapies targeted at embryonic cell phenotypes may hold the key for successfully
      treating cancers with embryonal phenotypes or tumors harboring cells with
      embryonal phenotypes.

PMID- 26118759
TI  - Tongue Protrusion Strength in Arousal State Is Predictive of the Airway Patency
      in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
AB  - Contraction of the genioglossus affects either tongue protrusion strength or
      dilating forces of the upper airway. The upper airway in patients with
      obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is thought to collapse during sleep, at least in
      part because of a sleep related reduction in genioglossus muscle activity. Thus,
      although tongue protrusion strength by genioglossus activity during sleep
      contributes to the maintenance of airway patency in patients with OSA, the
      relationship between tongue protrusion strength in the arousal state and
      obstructive sleep apnea has not been fully elucidated. Conventional method of
      tongue protrusion strength cannot be used to evaluate in edentulous subjects
      and/or subjects with the decreased biting force. In this study, employing a novel
      measurement method that does not require biting a transducer, we investigated
      relationships between the tongue protrusion strength and polysomnographic
      findings. We enrolled twenty normal subjects and 26 subjects with OSA. All
      subjects completed the measurement of tongue protrusion strength. Each subject
      with OSA was evaluated by full polysomnography. The degree of tongue protrusion
      strength was assessed by maximum voluntary contraction against the tongue
      depressor connected with a strain gauge dynamometer. The tongue protrusion
      strength was negatively correlated with obstructive apnea time, apnea index (AI)
      and the percent of sleep stage 2 (r = -0.61, p < 0.0001, r = -0.41 p = 0.03 and r
      = -0.39 p = 0.04, respectively). Tongue protrusion strength measured in the
      arousal state is predictive of the airway patency during sleep in OSA. 

PMID- 26118760
TI  - Cinnamaldehyde in a Novel Intravenous Submicrometer Emulsion: Pharmacokinetics,
      Tissue Distribution, Antitumor Efficacy, and Toxicity.
AB  - The purpose of our research is to find a new lipid emulsion to deliver a low
      water-soluble compound, cinnamaldehyde (CA). Its characteristics,
      pharmacokinetics, antitumor efficacy, and toxicity were evaluated. The mean
      particle size, zeta potential, and encapsulation efficiency of the submicromemter
      emulsion of CA (SME-CA) were 130 +/- 5.92 nm, -25.7 +/- 6.00 mV, and 99.5 +/-
      0.25%, respectively. The area under the curve from 0 h to termination time (AUC(0
      t)) of SME-CA showed a significantly higher value than that of CA (589 +/- 59.2
      vs 375 +/- 83.5 ng h/L, P < 0.01). Tissue distribution study showed various
      changes; among them, a 27% higher concentration was found in brain tissue when
      using SME-CA at 15 min after administration. For the efficacy evaluation, SME-CA
      exhibited 8- and 11-fold antitumor activity in the depression of HeLa and A549
      cell lines with the IC50 decreasing to 0.003 and 0.001 mmol/L, respectively. The
      LD50 values of CA and SME-CA in mice were 74.8 and 125 mg/kg, suggesting
      increased safety from the new formulation. The new formulation exhibited lower
      toxicity, higher antitumor activity, and a more satisfactory pharmacokinetic
      property, which displayed great potential for future pharmacological application.

PMID- 26118761
TI  - Four- and Sixfold Tandem-Domino Reactions Leading to Dimeric Tetrasubstituted
      Alkenes Suitable as Molecular Switches.
AB  - A highly efficient palladium-catalyzed fourfold tandem-domino reaction consisting
      of two carbopalladation and two C-H-activation steps was developed for the
      synthesis of two types of tetrasubstituted alkenes 3 and 6 with intrinsic helical
      chirality starting from substrates 1 and 4, respectively. A sixfold tandem-domino
      reaction was also developed by including a Sonogashira reaction. 20 compounds
      with different substitution patterns were prepared with yields of up to 97 %.
      Structure elucidation by X-ray crystallography confirmed helical chirality of the
      two alkene moieties. Photophysical investigations of some of the compounds showed
      pronounced switching properties through light-controlled changes of their
      stereochemical configuration.

PMID- 26118762
TI  - Extranodal hematopoietic neoplasms and mimics in the head and neck: an update.
AB  - The head and neck region is a common site for extranodal lymphomas, second only
      to the gastrointestinal tract; and 12% to 15% of all head and neck tumors are
      lymphomas. Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are most common, and Hodgkin lymphoma occurs
      rarely at extranodal sites in the head and neck. Most non-Hodgkin lymphomas of
      the head and neck region are of B-cell lineage, and the Waldeyer ring is the most
      common site. Head and neck lymphomas have distinctive epidemiological and
      clinicopathologic features, including an association with immunosuppression,
      infectious organisms, or autoimmune disorders; site-specific differences (eg,
      thyroid gland versus ocular adnexa) for common lymphomas, such as extranodal
      marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue; and genetic
      differences that provide insights into etiology. Furthermore, the diagnosis of
      non-Hodgkin lymphomas at extranodal sites implies differences in prognosis and
      therapeutic implications with lymphomas at nodal sites. In this review, we
      discuss various types of non-Hodgkin lymphomas and Hodgkin lymphoma, focusing on
      unique aspects related to the head and neck region. We also discuss a number of
      newer entities that are clinically indolent as well as mimics of lymphoma that
      can occur in the head and neck region, including infectious mononucleosis,
      Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease, Kimura disease, Castleman disease, and immunoglobulin
      G4-related disease. 

PMID- 26118763
TI  - Manganese toxicity to tropical freshwater species in low hardness water.
AB  - Elevated manganese (Mn) is a common contaminant issue for mine water discharges,
      and previous studies have reported that its toxicity is ameliorated by H(+),
      Ca(2+), and Mg(2+) ions. In the present study, the toxicity of Mn was assessed in
      a high risk scenario, that is, the slightly acidic, soft waters of Magela Creek,
      Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia. Toxicity estimates were
      derived for 6 tropical freshwater species (Chlorella sp., Lemna aequinoctialis,
      Amerianna cumingi, Moinodaphnia macleayi, Hydra viridissima, and Mogurnda
      mogurnda). Low effect chronic inhibition concentration (IC10) and acute lethal
      concentration (LC05) values ranged between 140 MUg L(-1) and 80,000 MUg L(-1),
      with 3 of the species tested (M. macleayi, A. cumingi, and H. viridissima) being
      more sensitive to Mn than all but 1 species in the international literature
      (Hyalella azteca). A loss of Mn was observed on the final day for 2 of the H.
      viridissima toxicity tests, which may be a result of the complex speciation of Mn
      and biological oxidation. International data from toxicity tests conducted in
      natural water with a similar physicochemistry to Magela Creek water were combined
      with the present study's data to increase the sample size to produce a more
      reliable species sensitivity distribution. A 99% protection guideline value of 73
      MUg L(-1) (33-466 MUg L(-1)) was derived; the low value of this guideline value
      reflects the higher toxicity of Mn in slightly acidic soft waters.

PMID- 26118767
TI  - A case-control study of risk factors for death from 2009 pandemic influenza
      A(H1N1): is American Indian racial status an independent risk factor?
AB  - Historically, American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations have suffered
      excess morbidity and mortality from influenza. We investigated the risk factors
      for death from 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) in persons residing in five states
      with substantial AI/AN populations. We conducted a case-control investigation
      using pandemic influenza fatalities from 2009 in Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico,
      Oklahoma and Wyoming. Controls were outpatients with influenza. We reviewed
      medical records and interviewed case proxies and controls. We used multiple
      imputation to predict missing data and multivariable conditional logistic
      regression to determine risk factors. We included 145 fatal cases and 236
      controls; 22% of cases were AI/AN. Risk factors (P 45 years vs. <18 years], pre
      existing medical conditions (mOR 7.1), smoking (mOR 3.0), delayed receipt of
      antivirals (mOR 6.5), and barriers to healthcare access (mOR 5.3). AI/AN race was
      not significantly associated with death. The increased influenza mortality in
      AI/AN individuals was due to factors other than racial status. Prevention of
      influenza deaths should focus on modifiable factors (smoking, early antiviral
      use, access to care) and identifying high-risk persons for immunization and
      prompt medical attention. 

PMID- 26118769
TI  - Immunomodulatory Effects of Soybeans and Processed Soy Food Compounds.
AB  - Inflammation is an immune response against both internal and external antigens in
      organisms, particularly in mammals, and includes both uncontrolled chronic and
      low-grade inflammations. Uncontrolled chronic inflammation often leads to severe
      diseases such as vascular disease, arthritis, cancer, diabete, allergy, and
      autoimmunity. On the other hand, low-grade inflammation is recognized as a
      relationship between obesity and risk of metabolic syndrome. Elevated production
      of pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators is commonly observed in patients with
      uncontrolled or low-grade inflammation-associated diseases. Plants have been
      generated phytochemicals to overcome inflammations and infections through
      evolution. Phytochemicals belong to alkaloids, polyphenols, flavonoids,
      coumarins, and terpenoids. The consumption of soybeans plays a role in immune
      modulation through their components such as isoflavones, saponins, and
      anthocyanins. Recently, it was reported that the application of phytochemicals
      into patients with inflammatory diseases improves their symptoms. Therefore, it
      is important to identify novel phytochemicals with immunomodulatory activities.
      This review introduces and discusses recent advances and patents regarding
      soybean or processed soy food compounds which exhibit immunomodulatory activity
      in immune diseases, particularly allergy, by mediating the suppression of
      inflammatory pathways. 

PMID- 26118768
TI  - Estimating minimally important difference (MID) in PROMIS pediatric measures
      using the scale-judgment method.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess minimally important differences (MIDs) for several pediatric
      self-report item banks from the National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported
      Outcomes Measurement Information System((r)) (PROMIS((r))). METHODS: We presented
      vignettes comprising sets of two completed PROMIS questionnaires and asked judges
      to declare whether the individual completing those questionnaires had an
      important change or not. We enrolled judges (including adolescents, parents, and
      clinicians) who responded to 24 vignettes (six for each domain of depression,
      pain interference, fatigue, and mobility). We used item response theory to model
      responses to the vignettes across different judges and estimated MID as the point
      at which 50 % of the judges would declare an important change. RESULTS: We
      enrolled 246 judges (78 adolescents, 85 parents, and 83 clinicians). The MID
      estimated with clinician data was about 2 points on the PROMIS T-score scale, and
      the MID estimated with adolescent and parent data was about 3 points on that same
      scale. CONCLUSIONS: The MIDs enhance the value of PROMIS pediatric measures in
      clinical research studies to identify meaningful changes in health status over
      time.

PMID- 26118770
TI  - Soybean and Processed Soy Foods Ingredients, and Their Role in Cardiometabolic
      Risk Prevention.
AB  - Soybeans contain various components with potential health benefits effects, but
      the impact of soy foods and processed soy foods on human health has gone
      progressively characterized. Soy foods are the traditional Asian diets; however
      because of their intended health benefits they have gone popular in Westerners,
      especially postmenopausal women. There are lots of biologically active soybean
      constituents that might lead to the possible health benefits of soy, and almost
      consideration has concentrated on the isoflavones, which have both hormonal and
      nonhormonal activities. The various other constituents of soybeans (saponins, soy
      protein or peptides, lecithin, and flavonoids) have differing biological
      activities. These include hormonal, immunological, bacteriological and digestive
      effects. This review is the broad assessment of the literature comprehensive the
      health effects of soy constituents that are of superlative interest. The health
      benefits of soy foods on four diseases-cardiovascular disease (CVD), non
      alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), obesity and diabetes-are the focus of the
      review. 

PMID- 26118771
TI  - Heterogeneity of Notch signaling in astrocytes and the effects of GFAP and
      vimentin deficiency.
AB  - Astrocytes have multiple roles in the CNS including control of adult
      neurogenesis. We recently showed that astrocyte inhibition of neurogenesis
      through Notch signaling depends on the intermediate filament proteins glial
      fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin. Here, we used real-time
      quantitative PCR to analyze gene expression in individual mouse astrocytes in
      primary cultures and in GFAP(POS) or Aldh1L1(POS) astrocytes freshly isolated
      from uninjured, contralesional and lesioned hippocampus 4 days after entorhinal
      cortex lesion. To determine the Notch signaling competence of individual
      astrocytes, we measured the mRNA levels of Notch ligands and Notch1 receptor. We
      found that whereas most cultured and freshly isolated astrocytes were competent
      to receive Notch signals, only a minority of astrocytes were competent to send
      Notch signals. Injury increased the fraction of astrocyte subpopulation unable to
      send and receive Notch signals, thus resembling primary astrocytes in vitro.
      Astrocytes deficient of GFAP and vimentin showed decreased Notch signal sending
      competence and altered expression of Notch signaling pathway-related genes Dlk2,
      Notch1, and Sox2. Furthermore, we identified astrocyte subpopulations based on
      their mRNA and protein expression of nestin and HB-EGF. This study improves our
      understanding of astrocyte heterogeneity, and points to astrocyte cytoplasmic
      intermediate filaments as targets for neural cell replacement strategies.

PMID- 26118772
TI  - The Mo-Mo Quintuple Bond as a Ligand to Stabilize Transition-Metal Complexes.
AB  - Herein, we report the employment of the Mo-Mo quintuple bonded amidinate complex
      to stabilize Group 10 metal fragments {(Et3P)2M} (M=Pd, Pt) and give rise to the
      isolation of the unprecedented delta complexes. X-ray analysis unambiguously
      revealed short contacts between Pd or Pt and two Mo atoms and a slight elongation
      of the Mo-Mo quintuple bond in these two compounds. Computational studies show
      donation of the Mo-Mo quintuple-bond delta electrons to an empty sigma orbital on
      Pd or Pt, and back-donation from a filled Pd or Pt dpi orbital into the Mo-Mo
      delta* level (LUMO), consistent with the Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson model.

PMID- 26118773
TI  - Cell-permeable mitochondrial ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase binding protein
      induces angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - Ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase binding protein (UQCRB), a component of the
      mitochondrial complex III, has been recently implicated in angiogenesis.
      Targeting mitochondria to balance vascular homeostasis has been widely
      recognized. However, the effect of UQCRB replenishment by direct delivery remains
      unknown. To explore the biological function of UQCRB in angiogenesis, a novel
      protein transduction domain (PTD)-conjugated UQCRB fusion protein was generated.
      PTD-UQCRB localized to mitochondria as does endogenous UQCRB. Treatment with PTD
      UQCRB generated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) without
      cytotoxicity, following hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha)
      stabilization and downstream vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
      expression. Accordingly, PTD-UQCRB induced angiogenesis in vitro and PTD-UQCRB
      pro-angiogenic activity was further validated in matrigel plug assay and in
      cutaneous wound-healing mouse models in vivo. Together, these results demonstrate
      that UQCRB plays a role in angiogenesis and the developed cell-permeable PTD
      UQCRB can be utilized as a pro-angiogenic agent. 

PMID- 26118774
TI  - Survivin in survival of hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Survivin is an anti-apoptotic protein belonging to the inhibitor of apoptosis
      protein (IAP) family. It is involved in the regulation of important physiological
      and pathological processes in cells and functions to inhibit cell apoptosis and
      promote cell proliferation. Normally and terminally differentiated tissues are
      nearly negative for survivin. In contrast, survivin is highly expressed in most
      human tumor tissues, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The abnormal
      overexpression of survivin is closely related to the malignant biological
      behaviors of tumors. During the development and progression of HCC, the high
      level of survivin expression promotes cancer cell proliferation, inhibits cancer
      cell apoptosis, induces tumor stromal angiogenesis, reduces the sensitivity of
      cancer cells to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and ultimately affects the
      prognosis of patients with HCC. Survivin expression is regulated by a large
      number of factors. The latest discovery indicated that the transcription factor
      octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) enhances the expression of survivin
      though cyclin D1 (CCND1), which, in part, accounts for tumor cell proliferation,
      recurrence and metastasis. Survivin plays key roles in HCC, which renders it an
      ideal target for the treatment of HCC. The present article reviews the research
      progress on the relationship between survivin and HCC and on the HCC treatment
      strategies targeting survivin.

PMID- 26118776
TI  - Icariside II-induced mitochondrion and lysosome mediated apoptosis is
      counterbalanced by an autophagic salvage response in hepatoblastoma.
AB  - In this study, the anti-cancer effect of Icariside II (IS), a natural plant
      flavonoid, against hepatoblastoma cells and the underlying mechanisms were
      investigated. The in vitro and in vivo studies show that IS decreased the
      viability of human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells in a concentration- and time
      dependent manner and inhibited tumor growth in mice transplanted with H22 liver
      carcinomas. IS impaired mitochondria and lysosomes as evidenced by signs of
      induced mitochondrial and lysosomal membrane permeabilization, resulting in
      caspase activation and apoptosis. SQSTM1 up-regulation and autophagic flux
      measurements demonstrated that IS exposure also impaired autophagosome
      degradation which resulted in autophagosome accumulation, which plays a pro
      survival role as the genetic knockdown of LC3B further sensitized the IS-treated
      cells. Electron microscopy images showed that autophagosome engulfs IS-impaired
      mitochondria and lysosomes, thus blocking cytotoxicity induced by further leakage
      of the hydrolases from lysosomes and pro-apoptosis members from mitochondria. In
      conclusion, these data suggest that IS plays multiple roles as a promising
      chemotherapeutic agent that induces cell apoptosis involving both mitochondrial
      and lysosomal damage. 

PMID- 26118775
TI  - AML sensitivity to YM155 is modulated through AKT and Mcl-1.
AB  - HL60 and U937 (acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines) were assessed for
      sensitivity to YM155, and found to have distinct sensitive and resistant
      phenotypes, respectively. In HL60 cells, YM155 inhibition of growth proliferation
      was due to apoptosis which was measured by annexin V/PI staining. YM155 induced
      apoptosis through activation of intrinsic and extrinsic pathways that also
      culminated in caspase-3 activity and PARP cleavage. YM155 sensitivity was
      partially associated with this compound's ability to down-regulate survivin
      transcription since this was more pronounced in the HL60 cell line. However,
      marked differences were also observed in XIAP, Bcl-2, and Mcl-1L, and Mcl-1s.
      Furthermore, YM155 treatment completely inhibited production of total Akt protein
      in HL60, but not U937 cells. Importantly, Akt activity (pAkt-Ser473) levels were
      maintained in YM155 treated U937 cells which may help stabilize other anti
      apoptotic proteins. Combination treatments with an Akt inhibitor, MK-2206,
      reduced levels of pAkt-Ser473 in U937 cells and synergistically sensitized them
      to YM155 cytotoxicity. Collectively our results indicate that Akt signaling may
      be an important factor mediating YM155 response in AML, and combinatorial
      therapies with Akt inhibitors could improve treatment efficacy in YM155-resistant
      cells. 

PMID- 26118777
TI  - Promyelocytic leukemia protein induces arsenic trioxide resistance through
      regulation of aldehyde dehydrogenase 3 family member A1 in hepatocellular
      carcinoma.
AB  - Clinical response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to arsenic trioxide (ATO) has
      been poor. Promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) is central to ATO treatment
      efficacy of acute promyelocytic leukemia. We examine impacts of PML expression on
      the effectiveness of ATO treatment in HCC. We show that increased PML expression
      predicts longer survival and lower cancer recurrence rates after HCC resection.
      However, high PML expression dampens the anti-tumor effects of ATO in HCC cells.
      Gene microarray analysis shows that reduced PML expression significantly down
      regulates expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 3 family member A1 (ALDH3A1).
      ALDH3A1 depression facilitates accumulation of ATO-induced reactive oxygen
      species. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis and promoter activity assays
      confirm that PML regulates ALDH3A1 expression through binding to the promoter
      region of ALDH3A1. Clinically, ATO treatment decreases the disease progression
      rate in advanced HCC patients with negative PML expression. In conclusion, PML
      confers a favorable prognosis in HCC patients, but it induces ATO resistance
      through ALDH3A1 up-regulation in HCC cells. ATO is effective for HCC patients
      with negative PML expression. Combined with an ALDH3A1 inhibitor, ATO may be
      efficacious in patients with positive PML expression. 

PMID- 26118778
TI  - The last fossil primate in North America, new material of the enigmatic
      Ekgmowechashala from the Arikareean of Oregon.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Primates were common in North America through most of the Eocene, but
      vanished in the Chadronian, about 35 million years ago. In the Arikareean, about
      6 million years later, the enigmatic primate Ekgmowechashala appeared in the
      Great Plains and Oregon. This taxon shows little resemblance to other North
      American primates and its phylogenetic position has long been debated. New
      material of this taxon allows a revised assessment of its age and how it is
      related to other primates. METHODS: Recently collected Ekgmowechashala specimens
      from the Turtle Cove Member of the John Day Formation in Oregon are described.
      These specimens are compared to previously collected material from South Dakota
      and Nebraska, as well as other fossil primates from North America and Asia.
      RESULTS: Study of the John Day material allows diagnosis of a new, distinct
      species. Comparison of Ekgmowechashala to a pair of recently described Asian
      primates, Muangthanhinius and Bugtilemur, suggests that it is a strepsirrhine
      adapiform, rather than an omomyid. The well-defined stratigraphy and dated marker
      beds of the Turtle Cove Member provide a refined age for Ekgmowechashala
      occurrences in Oregon, during the Oligocene (early Arikareean). CONCLUSIONS: The
      age and morphology of these ekgmowechashaline taxa suggest that the group
      originated in Asia and dispersed to North America in the Oligocene, after the
      extinction of other primates in North America. Contemporaneous occurrences of
      Ekgmowechashala in Oregon and the Great Plains indicate the last non-human
      primates vanished in North America about 26 million years ago.

PMID- 26118779
TI  - [Drainage of amoebic liver abscess by single incision laparoscopic surgery.
      Report of a case].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Single incision laparoscopic surgery has increased recently due to
      successful results, achieved in several procedures. The aim of the present work
      is to present the first case in which single incision laparoscopy is used for the
      drainage of an amoebic liver abscess. CLINICAL CASE: A 44-year-old man presented
      with intense right upper quadrant pain, generalised jaundice, tachycardia, fever,
      hepatomegaly and a positive Murphy's sign. Laboratory results revealed an
      increased plasma bilirubin, elevated alkaline phosphatase and transaminases,
      leucocytosis, negative viral panel for hepatitis, and positive antibodies against
      Entamoeba histolytica. On an abdominal computed tomography a 15 * 12.1 cm
      hypodense lesion was observed in the patient's liver, identified as an amoebic
      liver abscess. Analgesics and antibiotics were started and subsequently the
      patient was submitted to laparoscopic drainage of the abscess using a single port
      approach. Drainage and irrigation of the abscess was performed. Four days later
      the patient was discharged without complications. CONCLUSION: Management of
      amoebic liver abscess is focused on the elimination of the infectious agent and
      obliteration of the abscess cavity in order to prevent its complications,
      especially rupture. Laparoscopic surgery has proved to be a safe and effective
      way to manage this entity.

PMID- 26118780
TI  - [Bilateral brachial plexus block. Case report and systematic review].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The bilateral brachial plexus block is considered a contraindication,
      due to the possible development of complications, such as: toxicity from local
      anaesthetics or bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis. However, with the real time
      visualisation provided by the ultrasound scan, these complications have decreased
      and it is a safer procedure. CLINICAL CASES: Four cases are presented where the
      bilateral block was performed using guided ultrasound, as the patients were
      unable to receive general anaesthesia due to a history of adverse effects or the
      use of opioids in the post-operative or by the prediction of a difficult airway
      associated with obesity. A systematic review of the literature from January 1993
      to June 2013, was also performed by using a search in the MEDLINE, EMBASE,
      ARTEMISA, LILACS, Google data bases, in Spanish and English language with the
      following words: bilateral brachial plexus block, bilateral interscalene block,
      bilateral infraclavicular block, bilateral supraclavicular block, bilateral
      lateral supraclavicular block, bilateral axillary block, ultrasound-guided
      bilateral brachial plexus block. CONCLUSION: Based on the evidence found,
      ultrasound-guided bilateral brachial plexus block in selected patients and expert
      hands, is no longer a contraindication.

PMID- 26118781
TI  - [Nesidioblastosis in the adult: a case report].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nesidioblastosis is a rare cause of endocrine disease which
      represents between 0.5% - 5% of cases. This has been associated with other
      conditions, such as in patients previously treated with insulin or sulfonylurea,
      in anti-tumour activity in pancreatic tissue of patients with insulinoma, and in
      patients with other tumours of the Langerhans islet cells. In adults it is
      presented as a diffuse dysfunction of beta cells of unknown cause. CLINICAL CASE:
      The case concerns 46 year-old female, with a history of Sheehan syndrome of
      fifteen years of onset, and with repeated events characterized with hypoglycaemia
      in the last three years. Body scan was performed with octreotide, revealing an
      insulinoma in the pancreatic region. A distal pancreatectomy was performed on the
      patient. The study reported a pancreatic fragment 8.5 * 3 * 1.5 cm with abnormal
      proliferation of pancreatic islets in groups of varying size, some of them in
      relation to the ductal epithelium. Histopathology study was showed positive for
      chromogranin, confirmed by positive synaptophysin, insulin and glucagon,
      revealing islet hyperplasia with diffuse nesidioblastosis with negative
      malignancy. The patient is currently under metabolic control and with no
      remission of hypoglycaemic events. CONCLUSIONS: Nesidioblastosis is a disease of
      difficult diagnosis should be considered in all cases of failure to locate an
      insulinoma, as this may be presented in up to 4% of persistent hyperinsulinaemic
      hypoglycaemia.

PMID- 26118782
TI  - [Intraoral paratrichosis after autograft].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radial graft is one of the optimal treatments for reconstruction
      after tongue cancer, but it is not free of side effects. Hypertrichosis over the
      graft, causing an intraoral paratrichosis, might downgrade the quality of life
      and even require further interventions. CLINICAL CASE: The case is presented of a
      58 year-old man, who developed hypertrichosis after surgery for tongue carcinoma.
      DISCUSSION: The therapeutic options, from choosing a graft from less hairy areas
      to laser depilation or de-epithelisation of the graft are discussed. CONCLUSIONS:
      Intraoral paratrichosis is a serious complication that can produce dysphagia,
      nauseas, and vomiting, and can evolve into mal nutrition and produce an important
      decrease in life quality of our patients.

PMID- 26118783
TI  - [Rib cage ostheosynthesis. Literature review and case reports].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fractures of the chest wall include sternum and rib fractures.
      Traditionally they are managed conservatively due to the anatomy of the rib cage
      that allows most of them to remain stable and to form a callus that unites the
      fractured segments. In spite of this management, some patients present with
      chronic pain or instability of the wall which makes them require some type of
      fixation. The present article performs a literature review based on 4 cases.
      CLINICAL CASES: The first case was a 61 year-old man with blunt chest trauma,
      with a great deformity of the chest wall associated with subcutaneous emphysema,
      and pneumothorax. The second case was a 51 year-old man with blunt chest trauma,
      initially managed at another institution, who despite treatment, had persistent
      pain and dyspnoea. The third case was a 30 year-old man that suffered a motor
      vehicle accident, with resulting pain and crepitation of the rib cage and with
      diagnostic images showing multiple rib fractures. The last case is a 62 year-old
      man that fell down the stairs, with blunt chest trauma with high intensity pain,
      dyspnoea and basal ipsilateral hypoventilation. CONCLUSION: Rib fracture fixation
      offers a good alternative in selected patients to decrease associated morbidity,
      leading to a patient's fast return to his or her working life.

PMID- 26118784
TI  - Flavobacterium maris sp. nov. isolated from shallow sediments of the Sea of
      Japan.
AB  - An aerobic, gram-negative, yellow-pigmented, and non-motile bacterium designated
      KMM 9535(T) was isolated from a marine sediment sample obtained from the Sea of
      Japan seashore and subjected to a phylogenetic and phenotypic study. On the basis
      of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain KMM 9535(T) was placed to the genus
      Flavobacterium sharing the highest sequence similarities to Flavobacterium
      ahnfeltiae KCTC 32467(T) (99.3%), Flavobacterium jumunjinense KCTC 23618(T)
      (96.5%), Flavobacterium ponti KCTC 22802(T) (96.3%), Flavobacterium
      urocaniciphilum JCM 19142(T) (96.1%), and Flavobacterium gelidilacus LMG 21477(T)
      (95.8%). The DNA-DNA hybridization value between strain KMM 9535(T) and the
      closest related F. ahnfeltiae KCTC 32467(T) was 33%. Strain KMM 9535(T) grew at 5
      36  degrees C and in the presence of 0-3% (w/v) NaCl. It contained MK-6 as the
      predominant menaquinone, and the major fatty acids were iso-C15:0, iso-C17:1, iso
      C15:1, and iso-C17:0 3-OH. The DNA G+C content was 28.8 mol%. On the basis of the
      results obtained, it is proposed strain KMM 9535(T) to be classified as a novel
      species of the genus Flavobacterium, Flavobacterium maris sp. nov., with the type
      strain of the species KMM 9535(T) (=NRIC 0920(T) = KCTC 42093(T)).

PMID- 26118785
TI  - Consumption of polyunsaturated fat improves the saturated fatty acid-mediated
      impairment of HDL antioxidant potential.
AB  - SCOPE: The present study aimed to compare the effects of diets containing high
      fat, high-cholesterol and saturated fatty acids (HFHC-SFA) and HFHC
      polyunsaturated fatty acids-containing (HFHC-PUFA) diets on two major
      antiatherogenic functions of HDL, the HDL antioxidant function and the macrophage
      to-feces reverse cholesterol transport. METHODS AND RESULTS: Experiments were
      carried out in mice fed a low-fat, low-cholesterol (LFLC) diet, an HFHC-SFA diet
      or an HFHC-PUFA diet in which SFAs were partly replaced with an alternative high
      linoleic and alpha-linolenic fat source. The HFHC-SFA caused a significant
      increase in serum HDL cholesterol and phospholipids as well as elevated levels of
      oxidized HDL and oxidized LDL. Replacing SFA with PUFA significantly reduced the
      levels of these oxidized lipoproteins and enhanced the ability of HDL to protect
      LDL from oxidation. The SFA-mediated impairment of HDL antioxidant potential was
      not associated with the cholesterol content of the diet, obesity or insulin
      resistance. In contrast, the effect of the HFHC diets on fecal macrophage-derived
      cholesterol excretion was independent of the fatty acid source. CONCLUSION: SFA
      intake impairs the antioxidant potential of HDL and increases serum levels of
      oxidized lipoprotein species whereas the antioxidant potential of HDL is enhanced
      after PUFA consumption.

PMID- 26118786
TI  - Grading Osteoarthritic Changes of the Zygapophyseal Joints from Radiographs: A
      Reliability Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study tested the reliability of a 5-point ordinal scale used to
      grade the severity of degenerative changes of zygapophyseal (Z) joints on
      standard radiographs. METHODS: Modifications were made to a Kellgren grading
      system to improve agreement for grading the severity of osteoarthritic changes in
      lumbar Z joints. These included adding 1 grade of no degeneration, multiple
      radiographic views, and structured examiner training. Thirty packets of
      radiographic files were obtained, which included representation of all 5 grades
      including no degeneration (0) and Kellgren's 4-point (1-4) joint degeneration
      classification criteria. Radiographs were digitized to create a radiographic
      atlas that was given to examiners for individual study and blinded evaluation
      sessions. Intrarater and interrater agreement was determined by weighted kappa
      (kappaw) from the examination of 79 Z joints (25 packets). RESULTS: Using the
      modified scale and after training, examiners demonstrated a moderate-to
      substantial level of interrater agreement (kappaw = 0.57, 0.60, and 0.68).
      Intrarater agreement was moderate (kappaw = 0.42 and 0.54). CONCLUSIONS: The
      modified Kellgren 5-point grading system provides acceptable intrarater and
      interrater reliability when examiners are adequately trained. This grading system
      may be a useful method for future investigations assessing radiographic
      osteoarthritis of the Z joints.

PMID- 26118787
TI  - Direct Evidence for a [4+2] Cycloaddition Mechanism of Alkynes to
      Tantallacyclopentadiene on Dinuclear Tantalum Complexes as a Model of Alkyne
      Cyclotrimerization.
AB  - A dinuclear tantalum complex, [Ta2 Cl6 (MU-C4 Et4)] (2), bearing a
      tantallacyclopentadiene moiety, was synthesized by treating [(eta(2) 
      EtC=CEt)TaCl3 (DME)] (1) with AlCl3 . Complex 2 and its Lewis base adducts, [Ta2
      Cl6 (MU-C4 Et4 )L] (L=THF (3 a), pyridine (3 b), THT (3 c)), served as more
      active catalysts for cyclotrimerization of internal alkynes than 1. During the
      reaction of 3 a with 3-hexyne, we isolated [Ta2 Cl4 (MU-eta(4):eta(4)-C6 Et6)(MU
      eta(2):eta(2)-EtC=CEt)] (4), sandwiched by a two-electron reduced MU
      eta(4):eta(4) -hexaethylbenzene and a MU-eta(2):eta(2)-3-hexyne ligand, as a
      product of an intermolecular cyclization between the metallacyclopentadiene
      moiety and 3-hexyne. The formation of arene complexes [Ta2 Cl4 (MU-eta(4):eta(4)
      C6 Et4 Me2)(MU-eta(2):eta(2)-Me3 SiC=CSiMe3)] (7 b) and [Ta2 Cl4 (MU
      eta(4):eta(4)-C6 Et4 RH)(MU-eta(2):eta(2)-Me3 SiC=CSiMe3)] (R=nBu (8 a), p-tolyl
      (8 b)) by treating [Ta2 Cl4 (MU-C4 Et4)(MU-eta(2):eta(2) -Me3 SiC=CSiMe3)] (6)
      with 2-butyne, 1-hexyne, and p-tolylacetylene without any isomers, at room
      temperature or low temperature were key for clarifying the [4+2] cycloaddition
      mechanism because of the restricted rotation behavior of the two-electron reduced
      arene ligands without dissociation from the dinuclear tantalum center.

PMID- 26118788
TI  - Botulinum toxin type A for Holmes tremor secondary to thalamic hemorrhage.

PMID- 26118789
TI  - Oxygen reduction reaction activity and structural stability of Pt-Au
      nanoparticles prepared by arc-plasma deposition.
AB  - The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and durability of various
      Au(x)/Pt100 nanoparticles (where x is the atomic ratio of Au against Pt) are
      evaluated herein. The samples were fabricated on a highly-oriented pyrolytic
      graphite substrate at 773 K through sequential arc-plasma depositions of Pt and
      Au. The electrochemical hydrogen adsorption charges (electrochemical surface
      area), particularly the characteristic currents caused by the corner and edge
      sites of the Pt nanoparticles, decrease with increasing Au atomic ratio (x). In
      contrast, the specific ORR activities of the Au(x)/Pt100 samples were dependent
      on the atomic ratios of Pt and Au: the Au28/Pt100 sample showed the highest
      specific activity among all the investigated samples (x = 0-42). As for ORR
      durability evaluated by applying potential cycles between 0.6 and 1.0 V in oxygen
      saturated 0.1 M HClO4, Au28/Pt100 was the most durable sample against the
      electrochemical potential cycles. The results clearly showed that the Au atoms
      located at coordinatively-unsaturated sites, e.g. at the corners or edges of the
      Pt nanoparticles, can improve the ORR durability by suppressing unsaturated-site
      induced degradation of the Pt nanoparticles.

PMID- 26118790
TI  - Structure Elucidation and Activity of Kolossin A, the D-/L-Pentadecapeptide
      Product of a Giant Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase.
AB  - The largest continuous bacterial nonribosomal peptide synthetase discovered so
      far is described. It consists of 15 consecutive modules arising from an
      uninterrupted, fully functional gene in the entomopathogenic bacterium
      Photorhabdus luminescens. The identification of its cryptic biosynthesis product
      was achieved by using a combination of genome analysis, promoter exchange,
      isotopic labeling experiments, and total synthesis of a focused collection of
      peptide candidates. Although it belongs to the growing class of D-/ L-peptide
      natural products, the encoded metabolite kolossin A was found to be largely
      devoid of antibiotic activity and is likely involved in interspecies
      communication. A stereoisomer of this peculiar natural product displayed high
      activity against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, a recalcitrant parasite that
      causes the deadly disease African sleeping sickness. 

PMID- 26118791
TI  - The influence of male takeovers on female dispersal in Colobus vellerosus.
AB  - Male takeovers affect male tenure, female mate choice and ultimately, individual
      reproductive success in group-living primates. In social systems with female
      philopatry and high male reproductive skew, male takeovers largely determine
      female mate choice, whereas in species with female dispersal, females have the
      option of deserting a new male. We focused on a species with facultative female
      dispersal to investigate which factors promote female desertion of males after
      takeover, using 15 cases (12 for which we have complete data on the takeover
      process and the female dispersal outcome). These cases took place in nine groups
      of Colobus vellerosus between 2001 and 2013 at the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey
      Sanctuary, Ghana. Quick takeovers were usually achieved by single adult males and
      were never followed by female dispersal. Slow takeovers involved several males,
      and these takeovers were regularly accompanied by female emigration. Infant
      attacks and infanticide by males occurred during both kinds of takeovers, but
      females with dependent offspring never dispersed, regardless of whether their
      infant was attacked or killed by the new male(s). Subadult females, who were not
      constrained by the presence of infants, dispersed more often after slow takeovers
      than after quick takeovers. Whether female dispersal post-takeover is an
      expression of female mate choice, or occurs to avoid the social upheaval
      surrounding slow takeovers, remains to be investigated. Am. J. Primatol.
      79:e22436, 2017. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26118792
TI  - Microbial population dynamics in response to Pectobacterium atrosepticum
      infection in potato tubers.
AB  - Endophytes are microbes and fungi that live inside plant tissues without damaging
      the host. Herein we examine the dynamic changes in the endophytic bacterial
      community in potato (Solanum tuberosum) tuber in response to pathogenic infection
      by Pectobacterium atrosepticum, which causes soft rot in numerous economically
      important crops. We quantified community changes using both cultivation and next
      generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and found that, despite observing
      significant variability in both the mass of macerated tissue and structure of the
      endophytic community between individual potato tubers, P. atrosepticum is always
      taken over by the endophytes during maceration. 16S rDNA sequencing revealed
      bacteria from the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes,
      Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Acidobacteria, TM7, and Deinococcus
      Thermus. Prior to infection, Propionibacterium acnes is frequently among the
      dominant taxa, yet is out competed by relatively few dominant taxa as the
      infection proceeds. Two days post-infection, the most abundant sequences in
      macerated potato tissue are Gammaproteobacteria. The most dominant genera are
      Enterobacter and Pseudomonas. Eight days post-infection, the number of anaerobic
      pectolytic Clostridia increases, probably due to oxygen depletion. These results
      demonstrate that the pathogenesis is strictly initiated by the pathogen (sensu
      stricto) and proceeds with a major contribution from the endophytic community. 

PMID- 26118794
TI  - Global policy and access to new hepatitis C therapies for people who inject
      drugs.
AB  - People who inject drugs (PWID) are disproportionately affected by hepatitis C
      virus (HCV). This review outlines policy recommendations made in the 2014 World
      Health Organisation (WHO) Guidelines on Screening, Care and Treatment of HCV and
      their relevance to PWID. It also canvasses issues that will affect translation of
      these global guidelines into practice. The first global HCV guidelines released
      by WHO have recently advocated targeted HCV testing for PWID, assessment of liver
      disease and support for alcohol reduction during care. They also strongly
      advocate treatment using currently licensed direct-acting antiviral agents for
      all individuals, in particular PWID as a key affected population. New HCV
      treatment regimens have the potential to cure more than 90% of treated
      individuals. Scaling-up treatment among PWID has the potential to improve
      individual and population health by reducing HCV transmission, improving quality
      of life and supporting behaviour modifications that lead to less risk-taking over
      time. PWID face several barriers to accessing HCV care and treatment that need to
      be overcome. Testing services need re-orientation toward PWID, individuals need
      to be informed of their results and provided with direct linkage to ongoing care.
      Health services need to provide care in the community using simpler, cheaper and
      more accessible modes of delivery. Healthcare costs and pharmaceutical costs need
      to be minimised so PWID, who are highly marginalised, can access HCV treatment.
      Sustained scale-up of treatment for PWID could simultaneously improve individual
      health and achieve the goal of eliminating HCV transmission among this high-risk
      and vulnerable group. 

PMID- 26118793
TI  - Association of Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)/S1P Receptor-1 Pathway with Cell
      Proliferation and Survival in Canine Hemangiosarcoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a key biolipid signaling molecule
      that regulates cell growth and survival, but it has not been studied in tumors
      from dogs. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: S1P/S1P1 signaling will contribute to the
      progression of hemangiosarcoma (HSA). ANIMALS: Thirteen spontaneous HSA tissues,
      9 HSA cell lines, 8 nonmalignant tissues, including 6 splenic hematomas and 2
      livers with vacuolar degeneration, and 1 endothelial cell line derived from a dog
      with splenic hematoma were used. METHODS: This was a retrospective case series
      and in vitro study. Samples were obtained as part of medically necessary
      diagnostic procedures. Microarray, qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and
      immunoblotting were performed to examine S1P1 expression. S1P concentrations were
      measured by high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. S1P
      signaling was evaluated by intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization; proliferation and
      survival were evaluated using the MTS assay and Annexin V staining. RESULTS:
      Canine HSA cells expressed higher levels of S1P1 mRNA than nonmalignant
      endothelial cells. S1P1 protein was present in HSA tissues and cell lines. HSA
      cells appeared to produce low levels of S1P, but they selectively consumed S1P
      from the culture media. Exogenous S1P induced an increase in intracellular
      calcium as well as increased proliferation and viability of HSA cells. Prolonged
      treatment with FTY720, an inhibitor of S1P1 , decreased S1P1 protein expression
      and induced apoptosis of HSA cells. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: S1P/S1P1
      signaling pathway functions to maintain HSA cell viability and proliferation. The
      data suggest that S1P1 or the S1P pathway in general could be targets for
      therapeutic intervention for dogs with HSA.

PMID- 26118795
TI  - Impact of tobacco prices and smoke-free policy on smoking cessation, by gender
      and educational group: Spain, 1993-2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effect of tobacco prices and the implementation of
      smoke-free legislation on smoking cessation in Spain, by educational level,
      across the period 1993-2012. METHODS: National Health Surveys data for the above
      two decades were used to calculate smoking cessation in people aged 25-64 years.
      The relationship between tobacco prices and smoking quit-ratio was estimated
      using multiple linear regression adjusted for time and the presence of smoke-free
      legislation. The immediate as well as the longer-term impact of the 2006 smoke
      free law on quit-ratio was estimated using segmented linear regression analysis.
      The analyses were performed separately in men and women with high and low
      education, respectively. RESULTS: No relationship was observed between tobacco
      prices and smoking quit-ratio, except in women having a low educational level,
      among whom a rise in price was associated with a decrease in quit-ratio. The
      smoke-free law altered the smoking quit-ratio in the short term and altered also
      pre-existing trends. Smoking quit-ratio increased immediately after the ban -
      though this increase was significant only among women with a low educational
      level - and then decreased in subsequent years except among men with a high
      educational level. CONCLUSION: A clear relationship between tobacco prices and
      smoking quit-ratio was not observed in a recent period. After the implementation
      of smoke-free legislation the trend in the quit ratio in most of the socio
      economic groups was different from the trend observed before implementation, so
      existing inequalities in smoking quit-ratio were not widened or narrowed.

PMID- 26118796
TI  - Laws prohibiting peer distribution of injecting equipment in Australia: A
      critical analysis of their effects.
AB  - The law is a key site for the production of meanings around the 'problem' of
      drugs in public discourse. In this article, we critically consider the material
      discursive 'effects' of laws prohibiting peer distribution of needles and
      syringes in Australia. Taking the laws and regulations governing possession and
      distribution of injecting equipment in one jurisdiction (New South Wales,
      Australia) as a case study, we use Carol Bacchi's poststructuralist approach to
      policy analysis to critically consider the assumptions and presuppositions
      underpinning this legislative and regulatory framework, with a particular focus
      on examining the discursive, subjectification and lived effects of these laws. We
      argue that legislative prohibitions on the distribution of injecting equipment
      except by 'authorised persons' within 'approved programs' constitute people who
      inject drugs as irresponsible, irrational, and untrustworthy and re-inscribe a
      familiar stereotype of the drug 'addict'. These constructions of people who
      inject drugs fundamentally constrain how the provision of injecting equipment may
      be thought about in policy and practice. We suggest that prohibitions on the
      distribution of injecting equipment among peers may also have other, material,
      effects and may be counterproductive to various public health aims and
      objectives. However, the actions undertaken by some people who inject drugs to
      distribute equipment to their peers may disrupt and challenge these
      constructions, through a counter-discourse in which people who inject drugs are
      constituted as active agents with a vital role to play in blood-borne virus
      prevention in the community. Such activity continues to bring with it the risk of
      criminal prosecution, and so it remains a vexed issue. These insights have
      implications of relevance beyond Australia, particularly for other countries
      around the world that prohibit peer distribution, but also for other legislative
      practices with material-discursive effects in association with injecting drug
      use. 

PMID- 26118797
TI  - Performance and image enhancing drug injectors' access to needle syringe
      programs: Responding to a public policy dilemma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The number of people who inject performance and image enhancing drugs
      (PIEDs) attending Australian needle syringe programs (NSPs) has increased
      recently with cost and capacity implications for this already stretched public
      health program. The need to prioritise populations' NSP access poses dilemmas for
      a program that has always sought to minimise entry barriers. METHODS: To assess
      their injecting-related risk of HIV and HCV, the Kirketon Road Centre (KRC)
      surveyed PIEDs injectors attending its two NSPs in inner Sydney in late 2013.
      Demographic, injecting risk, HIV and HCV testing, and NSP access data were
      analysed and then compared with similar data collected in the Australian Needle
      Syringe Program Survey (ANSPS) and the NSW NSP Enhanced Data Collection (NNEDC)
      survey conducted in the state of NSW in the same time period. RESULTS: PIEDs
      injectors surveyed (n=103) were predominantly male (99%) and only one reported
      ever receptive needle syringe sharing any injecting equipment. KRC participants
      were similar to the other survey populations in having rarely ever injected
      intravenously (6%); being tested for HIV and HCV in the last year (44% and 32%
      respectively), and reporting low rates of HCV (0%). But they were much more
      likely to be gay or bisexual (42% vs 2% and 4% in the NSW surveys, p<0.001).
      Compared to their heterosexual counterparts at KRC, this subgroup was older (35
      vs 31 years, p=0.011), and more likely to: have been injecting for <3 years (70%
      vs 44%, p=0.025); to have ever been tested for HIV (88% vs 46%, p<0.001); to have
      been tested for HIV and HCV in the last year (72% vs 24%, p<0.001 and 51% vs 19%,
      p=0.001 respectively); and to report being HIV positive (9% vs 0%, p<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: PIEDs injectors with no other risk factors were at low risk of HIV
      and HCV, informing KRC's more targeted approach to their health needs. This
      included providing PIEDs-focused health information and promoting more frequent
      BBI testing, while encouraging injecting equipment access through other legal
      sources. This is a case study of how evidence can help resolve public policy
      dilemmas at the local level, thereby ensuring that scarce public health resources
      continue to be directed towards those people who inject drugs most at risk of
      BBIs.

PMID- 26118798
TI  - Community attitudes towards harm reduction services and a newly established
      needle and syringe automatic dispensing machine in an inner-city area of Sydney,
      Australia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Automatic dispensing machines (ADMs) are an inexpensive method of
      increasing needle and syringe distribution to people who inject drugs but
      widespread implementation has been limited. The operation of ADMs in Australia
      has been met with apparent community opposition despite national data indicating
      support for harm reduction. Key community concerns include perceived increases in
      crime and drug use. This study aimed to examine community-level support for a
      newly implemented ADM in an inner-city Sydney area known for high levels of drug
      use. METHODS: Attitudes to harm reduction and ADMs were assessed via a brief face
      to-face survey of local residents (n=118) and businesses (n=35) located within
      the vicinity of needle and syringe program (NSP) services including the ADM.
      Participation was voluntary and no reimbursement was provided. Univariate
      analysis assessed statistically significant differences between residents' and
      businesses' knowledge of, and support for, a range of harm reduction initiatives,
      both generally and in the local area. Univariate logistic regression models were
      used to determine factors associated with indicating support for an ADM locally.
      RESULTS: The response rate was higher among businesses (60%) compared to
      residents living in street-accessible dwellings (42%). Participants indicated
      support for fixed-site NSPs in general (83%) and locally (77%). Support for ADMs
      was slightly lower - 67% indicated support for ADMs generally and 60% locally.
      Negative opinions regarding ADMs (believing that they encourage drug use, attract
      drug users to the area and increase drug-related crime) were found to be
      significantly associated with a lower likelihood of indicating support for ADMs
      locally. CONCLUSION: Despite media reports suggesting widespread community
      concern, there was general community support for harm reduction, including ADMs.
      While it is important that harm reduction services are aware of community
      concerns and respond appropriately, such responses should be considered and
      interpreted against a broader backdrop of support.

PMID- 26118799
TI  - The effect of introducing point-of-care or dried blood spot analysis on the
      uptake of hepatitis C virus testing in high-risk populations: A systematic review
      of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection typically relies upon
      blood samples taken by traditional phlebotomy for laboratory processing. Novel
      testing methods, including using dried blood spots (DBS) and point-of-care (PoC)
      testing enable easier access to high risk populations who have less frequent
      contact with healthcare professionals. Many of these individuals have been
      exposed to HCV but have not previously been tested. We aimed to establish whether
      the availability of these novel testing methods increased either uptake of
      testing or the number of new diagnoses of HCV. METHODS: The PubMed, Cochrane and
      SCOPUS databases were searched for terms relating to the study. References and
      associated bibliographies were also examined for further relevant articles.
      Studies were included if they contained quantitative data on frequency of testing
      and/or new diagnoses following the introduction of PoC and/or DBS testing of high
      risk populations. Studies were then examined for findings and limitations and
      graded upon the quality of evidence provided. RESULTS: No studies were found
      which introduced PoC testing and determined its effect on frequency of testing or
      new diagnoses. Six studies were identified in which DBS testing was introduced
      and its effect evaluated. Two of the studies were randomised controlled trials,
      two were prospective cohort studies, one was an ecological study and one was a
      clinical audit. Populations studied included those attending substance misuse
      clinics, prisons and needle exchanges. Injection drug use was the commonest risk
      factor for HCV. Five of the six studies provided evidence that the introduction
      of DBS testing increased the number of tests, new diagnoses or both. CONCLUSION:
      Current evidence indicates that DBS testing availability may increase the uptake
      of testing for HCV in high-risk populations. There is currently no evidence
      regarding the efficacy of PoC testing in these populations.

PMID- 26118800
TI  - Comparative study of halogen- and hydrogen-bond interactions between benzene
      derivatives and dimethyl sulfoxide.
AB  - The halogen bond, similar to the hydrogen bond, is an important noncovalent
      interaction and plays important roles in diverse chemistry-related fields.
      Herein, bromine- and iodine-based halogen-bonding interactions between two
      benzene derivatives (C6 F5 Br and C6 F5 I) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) are
      investigated by using IR and NMR spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. The
      results are compared with those of interactions between C6 F5 Cl/C6 F5 H and
      DMSO. First, the interaction energy of the hydrogen bond is stronger than those
      of bromine- and chlorine-based halogen bonds, but weaker than iodine-based
      halogen bond. Second, attractive energies depend on 1/r(n) , in which n is
      between three and four for both hydrogen and halogen bonds, whereas all repulsive
      energies are found to depend on 1/r(8.5) . Third, the directionality of halogen
      bonds is greater than that of the hydrogen bond. The bromine- and iodine-based
      halogen bonds are strict in this regard and the chlorine-based halogen bond only
      slightly deviates from 180 degrees . The directional order is iodine-based
      halogen bond>bromine-based halogen bond>chlorine-based halogen bond>hydrogen
      bond. Fourth, upon the formation of hydrogen and halogen bonds, charge transfers
      from DMSO to the hydrogen- and halogen-bond donors. The CH3 group contributes
      positively to stabilization of the complexes. 

PMID- 26118801
TI  - High-sensitivity troponin assays for the early rule-out or diagnosis of acute
      myocardial infarction in people with acute chest pain: a systematic review and
      cost-effectiveness analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) can ensure quick
      and effective treatment but only 20% of adults with emergency admissions for
      chest pain have an AMI. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assays may
      allow rapid rule-out of AMI and avoidance of unnecessary hospital admissions and
      anxiety. OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness
      of hs-cTn assays for the early (within 4 hours of presentation) rule-out of AMI
      in adults with acute chest pain. METHODS: Sixteen databases, including MEDLINE
      and EMBASE, research registers and conference proceedings, were searched to
      October 2013. Study quality was assessed using QUADAS-2. The bivariate model was
      used to estimate summary sensitivity and specificity for meta-analyses involving
      four or more studies, otherwise random-effects logistic regression was used. The
      health-economic analysis considered the long-term costs and quality-adjusted life
      years (QALYs) associated with different troponin (Tn) testing methods. The de
      novo model consisted of a decision tree and Markov model. A lifetime time horizon
      (60 years) was used. RESULTS: Eighteen studies were included in the clinical
      effectiveness review. The optimum strategy, based on the Roche assay, used a
      limit of blank (LoB) threshold in a presentation sample to rule out AMI [negative
      likelihood ratio (LR-) 0.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.05 to 0.18]. Patients
      testing positive could then have a further test at 2 hours; a result above the
      99th centile on either sample and a delta (Delta) of >= 20% has some potential
      for ruling in an AMI [positive likelihood ratio (LR+) 8.42, 95% CI 6.11 to
      11.60], whereas a result below the 99th centile on both samples and a Delta of <
      20% can be used to rule out an AMI (LR- 0.04, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.10). The optimum
      strategy, based on the Abbott assay, used a limit of detection (LoD) threshold in
      a presentation sample to rule out AMI (LR- 0.01, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.08). Patients
      testing positive could then have a further test at 3 hours; a result above the
      99th centile on this sample has some potential for ruling in an AMI (LR+ 10.16,
      95% CI 8.38 to 12.31), whereas a result below the 99th centile can be used to
      rule out an AMI (LR- 0.02, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.05). In the base-case analysis,
      standard Tn testing was both most effective and most costly. Strategies
      considered cost-effective depending upon incremental cost-effectiveness ratio
      thresholds were Abbott 99th centile (thresholds of < L6597), Beckman 99th centile
      (thresholds between L6597 and L30,042), Abbott optimal strategy (LoD threshold at
      presentation, followed by 99th centile threshold at 3 hours) (thresholds between
      L30,042 and L103,194) and the standard Tn test (thresholds over L103,194). The
      Roche 99th centile and the Roche optimal strategy [LoB threshold at presentation
      followed by 99th centile threshold and/or Delta20% (compared with presentation
      test) at 1-3 hours] were extendedly dominated in this analysis. CONCLUSIONS:
      There is some evidence to suggest that hs-CTn testing may provide an effective
      and cost-effective approach to early rule-out of AMI. Further research is needed
      to clarify optimal diagnostic thresholds and testing strategies. STUDY
      REGISTRATION: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42013005939. FUNDING: The
      National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

PMID- 26118802
TI  - Improvement of a headspace solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography/mass
      spectrometry method for the analysis of wheat bread volatile compounds.
AB  - An improved method based on headspace solid phase microextraction combined with
      gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) was proposed for the semi
      quantitative determination of wheat bread volatile compounds isolated from both
      whole slice and crust samples. A DVB/CAR/PDMS fibre was used to extract volatiles
      from the headspace of a bread powdered sample dispersed in a sodium chloride
      (20%) aqueous solution and kept for 60min at 50 degrees C under controlled
      stirring. Thirty-nine out of all the extracted volatiles were fully identified,
      whereas for 95 other volatiles a tentative identification was proposed, to give a
      complete as possible profile of wheat bread volatile compounds. The use of an
      array of ten structurally and physicochemically similar internal standards
      allowed to markedly improve method precision with respect to previous HS-SPME/GC
      MS methods for bread volatiles. Good linearity of the method was verified for a
      selection of volatiles from several chemical groups by calibration with matrix
      matched extraction solutions. This simple, rapid, precise and sensitive method
      could represent a valuable tool to obtain semi-quantitative information when
      investigating the influence of technological factors on volatiles formation in
      wheat bread and other bakery products. 

PMID- 26118803
TI  - Identification of chemical warfare agents from vapor samples using a field
      portable capillary gas chromatography/membrane-interfaced electron ionization
      quadrupole mass spectrometry instrument with Tri-Bed concentrator.
AB  - A field-portable gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (Hapsite ER system) was
      evaluated for the detection of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) in the vapor phase.
      The system consisted of Tri-Bed concentrator gas sampler (trapping time: 3s(
      1)min), a nonpolar low thermal-mass capillary gas chromatography column capable
      of raising temperatures up to 200 degrees C, a hydrophobic membrane-interfaced
      electron ionization quadrupole mass spectrometer evacuated by a non-evaporative
      getter pump for data acquisition, and a personal computer for data analysis.
      Sample vapors containing as little as 22MUg sarin (GB), 100MUg soman (GD), 210MUg
      tabun (GA), 55MUg cyclohexylsarin (GF), 4.8MUg sulfur mustard, 390MUg nitrogen
      mustard 1, 140MUg of nitrogen mustard 2, 130MUg nitrogen mustard 3, 120MUg of 2
      chloroacetophenone and 990MUg of chloropicrin per cubic meter could be confirmed
      after Tri-Bed micro-concentration (for 1min) and automated AMDIS search within
      12min. Using manual deconvolution by background subtraction of neighboring
      regions on the extracted ion chromatograms, the above-mentioned CWAs could be
      confirmed at lower concentration levels. The memory effects were also examined
      and we found that blister agents showed significantly more carry-over than nerve
      agents. Gasoline vapor was found to interfere with the detection of GB and GD,
      raising the concentration limits for confirmation in the presence of gasoline by
      both AMDIS search and manual deconvolution; however, GA and GF were not subject
      to interference by gasoline. Lewisite 1, and o-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile
      could also be confirmed by gas chromatography, but it was hard to quantify them.
      Vapors of phosgene, chlorine, and cyanogen chloride could be confirmed by direct
      mass spectrometric detection at concentration levels higher than 2, 140, and
      10mg/m(3) respectively, by bypassing the micro-concentration trap and gas
      chromatographic separation. 

PMID- 26118804
TI  - Development of a full automation solid phase microextraction method for
      investigating the partition coefficient of organic pollutant in complex sample.
AB  - A fully automated solid phase microextraction (SPME) depletion method was
      developed to study the partition coefficient of organic compound between complex
      matrix and water sample. The SPME depletion process was conducted by pre-loading
      the fiber with a specific amount of organic compounds from a proposed standard
      gas generation vial, and then desorbing the fiber into the targeted samples.
      Based on the proposed method, the partition coefficients (Kmatrix) of 4
      polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) between humic acid (HA)/hydroxypropyl-beta
      cyclodextrin (beta-HPCD) and aqueous sample were determined. The results showed
      that the logKmatrix of 4 PAHs with HA and beta-HPCD ranged from 3.19 to 4.08, and
      2.45 to 3.15, respectively. In addition, the logKmatrix values decreased about
      0.12-0.27 log units for different PAHs for every 10 degrees C increase in
      temperature. The effect of temperature on the partition coefficient followed
      van't Hoff plot, and the partition coefficient at any temperature can be
      predicted based on the plot. Furthermore, the proposed method was applied for the
      real biological fluid analysis. The partition coefficients of 6 PAHs between the
      complex matrices in the fetal bovine serum and water were determined, and
      compared to ones obtained from SPME extraction method. The result demonstrated
      that the proposed method can be applied to determine the sorption coefficients of
      hydrophobic compounds between complex matrix and water in a variety of samples. 

PMID- 26118805
TI  - Pressurized liquid extraction for the determination of cannabinoids and
      metabolites in hair: Detection of cut-off values by high performance liquid
      chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - Hair analysis has become a routine procedure in most forensic laboratories since
      this alternative matrix presents clear advantages over classical matrices;
      particularly wider time window, non-invasive sampling and good stability of the
      analytes over time. There are, however, some major challenges for the analysis of
      cannabinoids in hair, mainly related to the low concentrations of 11-nor-9
      carboxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH), that is the major metabolite.
      In this study a fast, accurate and sensitive method for the determination of
      cannabinol, cannabidiol, THC and THC-COOH in hair has been developed. The
      extraction of analytes from hair (50mg) is based on an automated pressurized
      liquid extraction (PLE) using water modified with the surfactant sodium dodecyl
      sulphate as eluent phase. PLE extract is then cleaned up by SPE using polymeric
      reversed phase cartridges Strata XL before the injection in the HPLC-HRMS/MS
      system. Chromatographic conditions obtained with a fused-core column allowed a
      good separation of the analytes in less than 4min. The whole procedure has been
      validated according to SWGTOX guidelines. The LLOQs obtained for THC-COOH and the
      other analytes were respectively 0.1 and 2pg/mg. To the best of our knowledge,
      this is the first LC-MS/MS based method that allows the detection of THC-COOH in
      hair at values lower than the cut-off. 

PMID- 26118806
TI  - Exogenous factors contributing to column bed heterogeneity: Part 1: Consequences
      of 'air' injections in liquid chromatography.
AB  - It has been shown that not only the packing homogeneity, but also factors
      external to the column bed, such as, frits and distributors can have important
      effects on the column performance. This current communication is the first in a
      series focusing on the impact of exogenous factors on the column bed
      heterogeneity. This study is based on several observations by us and others that
      chromatographic runs often, for technical reasons, include more or less portions
      of air in the injections. It is therefore extremely important to find out the
      impact of air on the column performance, the reliability of the results derived
      from analyses where air was injected, and the effect on the column homogeneity.
      We used a photographic approach for visualising the air transport phenomena, and
      found that the air transport through the column is comprised of many different
      types of transport phenomena, such as laminal flow, viscous fingering like flows,
      channels and bulbs, and pulsations. More particularly, the air clouds within the
      column definitely interact in the adsorption, i.e. mobile phase adsorbed to the
      column surface is displaced. In addition, irrespective of the type of air
      transport phenomena, the air does not penetrate the column homogeneously. This
      process is strongly flow dependent. In this work we study air transport both in
      an analytical scale and a semi-prep column. 

PMID- 26118807
TI  - Rapid analysis of charge variants of monoclonal antibodies using non-linear salt
      gradient in cation-exchange high performance liquid chromatography.
AB  - A method is proposed for rapid development of a short, analytical cation exchange
      high performance liquid chromatography method for analysis of charge
      heterogeneity in monoclonal antibody products. The parameters investigated and
      optimized include pH, shape of elution gradient and length of the column. It is
      found that the most important parameter for development of a shorter method is
      the choice of the shape of elution gradient. In this paper, we propose a step by
      step approach to develop a non-linear sigmoidal shape gradient for analysis of
      charge heterogeneity for two different monoclonal antibody products. The use of
      this gradient not only decreases the run time of the method to 4min against the
      conventional method that takes more than 40min but also the resolution is
      retained. Superiority of the phosphate gradient over sodium chloride gradient for
      elution of mAbs is also observed. The method has been successfully evaluated for
      specificity, sensitivity, linearity, limit of detection, and limit of
      quantification. Application of this method as a potential at-line process
      analytical technology tool has been suggested. 

PMID- 26118808
TI  - Comparison of the single molecule activity distributions of recombinant and non
      recombinant bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase.
AB  - Single molecule assays were performed on bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase
      and the recombinant enzyme expressed in Pichia pastoris using a capillary
      electrophoresis-based method. The catalytic rates for the bovine and recombinant
      enzymes were found to be 11,000+/-7000min(-1) (N=161) and 12,000+/-7000min(-1)
      (N=173), respectively. Mean catalytic rates and variances did not differ
      significantly between the enzyme from both sources. Furthermore, the distribution
      of catalytic rates were indistinguishable. 

PMID- 26118809
TI  - Expression, activation and characterization of porcine trypsin in Pichia pastoris
      GS115.
AB  - Trypsin is a typical member of serine protease families, specifically cleaving
      the carboxyl group of peptides at the basic amino acids arginine and lysine. The
      gene fragment of porcine trypsin with its propeptide coding sequence was
      optimized and synthesized according to the codon usage bias of Pichia pastoris.
      The optimized sequence was integrated into the genome of P. pastoris GS115 using
      the vector pHBM905A. The yield of the recombinant protein was 0.48mg/ml with a
      maximum activity of 19.2U/ml after 96-h induction in a 5-l fermenter. An optimum
      activity for the recombinant trypsin was observed at 35 degrees C and pH 8.5.
      This is the first time to express the porcine trypsinogen with P. pastoris
      expression system. This report also found that the propeptide was cleaved from
      the recombinant protein and the enzymogen was transferred into trypsin at the
      later phase of the fed-batch cultivation. In particular, the activation process
      can be initiated by changing pH. 

PMID- 26118810
TI  - ["All inclusive"? Opportunities and risks of school inclusion from the
      perspective of child and adolescent psychiatry].

PMID- 26118811
TI  - [Inclusion - pediatric and adolescent psychiatry aspects].
AB  - The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities became legally binding
      in Germany in March 2009. "Inclusion" is the major concept-all people with any
      kind of handicap must have the same rights to full and effective participation
      and inclusion in society. Preceding inclusion come adjustments in society with
      regard to ethical, legislative, administrative, conceptual, structural,
      economical, and thus also to healthcare-political frameworks, in order to make
      disabilities are as far as possible no longer a handicap in an individual's
      everyday life. This review first outlines the present social status influencing
      the development of children, a child's welfare, and especially the healthcare of
      children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders and conditions indicating
      barriers to inclusion. It focuses on those articles of the UN convention which
      are relevant with regard to ethical attitude, epidemiology, healthcare framework,
      diagnostics, therapy, teaching, and research with respect to child and adolescent
      psychiatry. The analysis points to a significant backlog demand in child
      psychiatric healthcare, teaching, and research.

PMID- 26118812
TI  - [International aspects of inclusion in schools].
AB  - The term inclusion (=admittance, involvement) is used almost synonymously for the
      concept of the joint schooling of children with and without intellectual
      disabilities, language disabilities, physical handicaps, or mental disorders.
      This article addresses the current state of inclusion in Germany as well as the
      international situation, such as the Salamanca Declaration of the UNESCO, the
      "Individuals with Disabilities Act" (IDEA) in the United States as well as
      European developments, particularly in Great Britain, Austria, and Russia. Even
      though, from a political perspective, the decision in favor of inclusion seems
      irreversible, there appears to be a lack an agreement on the modality and
      timeframe. Thus, the average percentage of students with special education needs
      in Germany amounts to only 28.2%. The reasons behind this situation are presently
      being analyzed and discussed. A question of key importance concerns the benefit
      for the persons concerned, since that should be the measure of the success of
      inclusion. This question will most likely be validly answered only for individual
      subgroups of disabilities. This field still requires extensive research.

PMID- 26118813
TI  - [An inclusive misunderstanding--why noncategorization in special education for
      people with emotional and social behavior disorders complicates the cooperation
      with child and adolescent psychiatry].
AB  - The welcomed coeducation of children and adolescents with and without
      disabilities is going into dangerous territory since it has become burdened with
      a number of illusionary expectations. The constraints applied by real-life and
      meaningful circumstances should be taken into account, especially for children
      with emotional and social behavior disorders. Practicable prevention and
      intervention measurements cannot be generated without profound knowledge about
      disorders among this heterogeneous group of people. Abandoning all previously
      relevant terminology ("noncategorization"), demanded by some radical inclusion
      advocates, leads to a situation that is helplessly confronted with its duties but
      lacks the basic skills and the necessary support stemming from an
      interdisciplinary dialogue. The contact with child and adolescent psychiatry is
      threatened to the disadvantage of the profession.

PMID- 26118814
TI  - [School well-being of students with and without special educational needs--a
      comparison of students in inclusive and regular classes].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study examines the academic well-being of students with
      and without special educational needs (SEN) in inclusive classes compared to
      students from regular classes in which no child with SEN is taught. In addition,
      the relationships between the school well-being and emotional problems, conduct
      problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems and prosocial
      behavior are analyzed. METHOD: A total of 1115 students from the 4th and 7th
      grade (37 % 4th graders, 63 % 7th graders) participated in the survey, 126 of
      whom had been diagnosed as having SEN. The subscale Well-Being at School taken
      from the FEESS 3-4 (Rauer & Schuck, 2004) and the SDQ (Goodman, 1997) were used
      for measurement. RESULTS: Results indicate high reliabilities for the subscale
      Well-Being in School for students both with and without SEN for both grades 4 and
      7. Furthermore, it could be shown that the variance explained for school well
      being can be connected to elements on the students' individual level as well as
      on the class-specific level. Significant predictors of school well-being were
      sex, behavioral difficulties and strengths as well as the school grade. The SEN
      status (no SEN vs. SEN) and the class setting (regular vs. inclusive class) did
      not influence the school well-being significantly.

PMID- 26118815
TI  - [Guided self-help interventions for parents of children with ADHD--concept,
      referral and effectiveness in a nationwide trial. An observational study].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The effects of guided self-help interventions for parents of children
      with ADHD have already been proven in randomized controlled trials. The objective
      of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this novel form of intervention
      under routine care conditions in a nationwide trial. METHOD: Registered
      pediatricians as well as child and youth psychiatrists enrolled 274 children
      between 6 and 12 years old (83.6% male) diagnosed with ADHD to a self-help
      program for parents of children with ADHD. The program lasted for 1 year and
      consisted of eight booklets with advice for parenting children with ADHD as well
      as complementary telephone consultations (14 calls, up to 20 minutes each). The
      course of the ADHD symptoms and the comorbid symptoms as well as the development
      of the child's individual problems were assessed in a pre-post design. RESULTS:
      63% of the enrolled parents adhered to the program until the end. The families
      who cancelled the program did not differ concerning the severity of ADHD
      symptoms, but they did more often show an impaired familial and social
      background, and their children received pharmacological treatment more often.
      Three-fourths of the children who completed the program had received
      pharmacological treatment at the beginning of the program. The children had more
      severe ADHD symptoms than a clinical control group. During the intervention, ADHD
      symptoms as well as psychosocial functioning improved with large effect sizes of
      d>0.9. Additionally, comorbid oppositional and emotional symptoms decreased.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that guided self-help programs for families
      with children with ADHD are effective, also as an addition to pharmacological
      treatment.

PMID- 26118819
TI  - In silico study of VP35 inhibitors: from computational alanine scanning to
      essential dynamics.
AB  - In recent years the Ebola virus has spread through several countries in Africa,
      highlighting the need to develop new treatments for this disease and boosting a
      new research effort on this subject. The Ebola virus Viral Protein 35 (VP35)
      carries out multiple functions necessary for virus replication and infection, in
      particular interfering with (IFN)-alpha/beta signaling. Recently, VP35 has been
      crystallized in complex with small organic molecules able to inhibit its
      interaction with viral nucleoproteins, thus reducing Ebola infections of cultured
      cells. In this work, starting from these structures, we carry out a computational
      study aimed at investigating the energetic and dynamical aspects of the
      interaction between VP35 and its ligands at the atomic level. Molecular dynamics
      simulations, computational alanine scanning, root mean square fluctuations
      bootstrap analysis and essential dynamics analysis were performed. Our results
      expand the experimental ones obtained in previous works, adding information about
      the interactions landscape with the identification of a set of new hot-spots
      residues exerting a critical function in the protein-ligand interaction. Moreover
      we characterized the dynamics of the complexes, showing that the presence of
      ligands modifies the overall protein dynamics as well as the behavior of
      particular protein segments. 

PMID- 26118820
TI  - The evolutionary ecology of deception.
AB  - Through dishonest signals or actions, individuals often misinform others to their
      own benefit. We review recent literature to explore the evolutionary and
      ecological conditions for deception to be more likely to evolve and be
      maintained. We identify four conditions: (1) high misinformation potential
      through perceptual constraints of perceiver; (2) costs and benefits of responding
      to deception; (3) asymmetric power relationships between individuals and (4)
      exploitation of common goods. We discuss behavioural and physiological mechanisms
      that form a deception continuum from secrecy to overt signals. Deceptive tactics
      usually succeed by being rare and are often evolving under co-evolutionary arms
      races, sometimes leading to the evolution of polymorphism. The degree of
      deception can also vary depending on the environmental conditions. Finally, we
      suggest a conceptual framework for studying deception and highlight important
      questions for future studies.

PMID- 26118822
TI  - Eveningness relates to burnout and seasonal sleep and mood problems among young
      adults.
AB  - AIMS: Diurnal preference towards eveningness among adults has been associated
      with unhealthy habits and a range of health hazards, such as sleeping problems
      and higher odds for depression. We wanted to analyse whether diurnal preference
      towards eveningness is associated with more severe symptoms regarding sleep
      problems and mental disorders among young adults. METHODS: Our sample consists of
      469 young adults, aged 18-29 years, from the Mental Health in Early Adulthood
      Study in Finland (MEAF) conducted in 2003-2005. Chronotype was based on the
      assessment of one question that was asked first in 2000-2001 and the second time
      in 2003-2005. Those 73 participants who changed their chronotype were excluded
      from the main analysis, but separate analyses were performed with this group.
      RESULTS: Concerning sleep, E-types reported higher dependency on alarm clocks (p
      < 0.001), and E-types and I-types had more problems in feeling refreshed after
      waking up (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.05 respectively) than M-types. Regarding mental
      health, E-types and I-types had lower odds for any lifetime DSM-IV Axis I
      disorder (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01 respectively) than M-types. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results are in line with previous findings that those with the diurnal preference
      towards eveningness have more frequently three or more lifetime mental disorders,
      more sleeping problems, more seasonal variation in mood and behaviour, and more
      burnout compared with those with the diurnal preference towards morningness.

PMID- 26118823
TI  - Development of a cost-efficient novel method for rapid, concurrent genotyping of
      five common single nucleotide polymorphisms of the brain derived neurotrophic
      factor (BDNF) gene by tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system.
AB  - Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a molecular trophic factor that plays
      a key role in neuronal survival and plasticity. Single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) of the BDNF gene have been associated with specific phenotypic traits in a
      large number of neuropsychiatric disorders and the response to psychotherapeutic
      medications in patient populations. Nevertheless, due to study differences and
      occasionally contrasting findings, substantial further research is required to
      understand in better detail the association between specific BDNF SNPs and these
      psychiatric disorders. While considerable progress has been made recently in
      developing advanced genotyping platforms of SNPs, many high-throughput probe- or
      array-based detection methods currently available are limited by high costs, slow
      processing times or access to advanced instrumentation. The polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR)-based, tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system (T
      ARMS) method is a potential alternative technique for detecting SNP genotypes
      efficiently, quickly, easily, and cheaply. As a tool in psychopathology research,
      T-ARMS was shown to be capable of detecting five common SNPs in the BDNF gene
      (rs6265, rs988748, rs11030104, 11757G/C and rs7103411), which are all SNPs with
      previously demonstrated clinical relevance to schizophrenia and depression. The
      present technique therefore represents a suitable protocol for many research
      laboratories to study the genetic correlates of BDNF in psychiatric disorders.
      Copyright Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26118824
TI  - Job characteristics and burnout: The moderating roles of emotional intelligence,
      motivation and pay among bank employees.
AB  - This study investigated the prediction of burnout from job characteristics,
      emotional intelligence, motivation and pay among bank employees. It also examined
      the interactions of emotional intelligence, motivation, pay and job
      characteristics in the prediction of burnout. Data obtained from 230 (Males =
      127, Females = 103) bank employees were analysed using Pearson's Product Moment
      Correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results showed that theses
      variables jointly and separately negatively predicted burnout components. The
      results further indicated that emotional intelligence, motivation and pay
      separately interacted with some job characteristic components to negatively
      predict some burnout components. The findings imply that emotional intelligence,
      motivation and pay could be considered by counsellors when designing
      interventions to reduce burnout among bank employees. 

PMID- 26118825
TI  - Adalimumab treatment optimization for psoriasis: Results of a long-term phase 2/3
      Japanese study.
AB  - The tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor, adalimumab, is approved to treat
      moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (40 mg every-other-week or 80 mg every-other
      week following inadequate response at 40 mg in Japan). This open-label extension
      (OLE) trial evaluated the optimal adalimumab dose for long-term efficacy and
      safety in Japanese patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis following a
      prior 24-week, phase 2/3, randomized, double-blind study. Of the 169 patients
      from the phase 2/3 trial, 147 entered the OLE on 40 mg (n = 89) or 80 mg (n = 58)
      adalimumab every-other-week. Patients on 40 mg with Psoriasis Area and Severity
      Index (PASI) of less than 50 could escalate to 80 mg. At week 52 (28 of OLE),
      patients entering the OLE on 80 mg were reduced to 40 mg, with the option to re
      escalate. For patients entering the OLE on 40 mg, final PASI 50/75/90 response
      rates were 85.1%/73.3%/60.4%, respectively, including effects of dose escalation.
      Among patients whose dose was escalated, final PASI 50/75/90 response rates were
      70.0%/53.3%/36.7%, respectively. For patients entering the OLE on 80 mg, final
      PASI 50/75/90 response rates were 92.5%/84.9%/73.6%, respectively, including
      effects of dose re-escalation. Overall incidence rates of adverse events (AE) and
      injection-site reaction AE declined over time; rates for serious AE and
      infections were generally stable. Clinically meaningful efficacy of adalimumab
      was sustained to 4 years. Dose escalation to 80 mg every-other-week for patients
      with suboptimal response to 40 mg every-other-week, and dose reduction to 40 mg
      every-other-week for patients satisfactorily controlled on 80 mg every-other
      week, are viable strategies for adalimumab optimization.

PMID- 26118826
TI  - High-yield lithiation of azobenzenes by tin-lithium exchange.
AB  - The lithiation of halogenated azobenzenes by halogen-lithium exchange commonly
      leads to substantial degradation of the azo group to give hydrazine derivatives
      besides the desired aryl lithium species. Yields of quenching reactions with
      electrophiles are therefore low. This work shows that a transmetalation reaction
      of easily accessible stannylated azobenzenes with methyllithium leads to a near
      quantitative lithiation of azobenzenes in para, meta, and ortho positions. To
      investigate the scope of the reaction, various lithiated azobenzenes were
      quenched with a variety of electrophiles. Furthermore, mechanistic (119) Sn NMR
      spectroscopic studies on the formation of lithiated azobenzenes are presented. A
      tin ate complex of the azobenzene was detected and characterized at low
      temperature. 

PMID- 26118828
TI  - Hydrogenated TiO2 nanobelts as highly efficient photocatalytic organic dye
      degradation and hydrogen evolution photocatalyst.
AB  - TiO2 nanobelts have gained increasing interest because of its outstanding
      properties and promising applications in a wide range of fields. Here we report
      the facile synthesis of hydrogenated TiO2 (H-TiO2) nanobelts, which exhibit
      excellent UV and visible photocatalytic decomposing of methyl orange (MO) and
      water splitting for hydrogen production. The improved photocatalytic property can
      be attributed to the Ti(3+) ions and oxygen vacancies in TiO2 nanobelts created
      by hydrogenation. Ti(3+) ions and oxygen vacancies can enhance visible light
      absorption, promote charge carrier trapping, and hinder the photogenerated
      electron-hole recombination. This work offers a simple strategy for the
      fabrication of a wide solar spectrum of active photocatalysts, which possesses
      significant potential for more efficient photodegradation, photocatalytic water
      splitting, and enhanced solar cells using sunlight as light source. 

PMID- 26118827
TI  - Acceleration of skin regeneration in full-thickness burns by incorporation of
      bFGF-loaded alginate microspheres into a CMCS-PVA hydrogel.
AB  - Two important issues in skin tissue engineering are the vascularization and
      regeneration of the dermis. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is known to
      promote angiogenesis and accelerate wound healing. Direct delivery of bFGF to the
      wound area, however, would lead to a loss of bioactivity. To this end, bFGF
      loaded alginate microspheres (Ms) were fabricated and incorporated into
      carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS)-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to form a composite
      hydrogel. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results indicated that the
      incorporation of Ms does not significantly affect the inner structure of CMCS
      PVA. In an in vitro study, the release of bFGF from Ms-CMCS-PVA in a sustained
      manner retained higher bioactivity over a 2-week period. Full-thickness burn
      wounds were created in the dorsal area of rats for in vivo evaluation of skin
      regeneration treated with CMCS-PVA hydrogel, with and without bFGF. Compared with
      the control, CMCS-PVA and bFGF-CMCS-PVA groups, the bFGF/Ms-CMCS-PVA group
      revealed significantly faster wound recovery rates, with re-epithelialization and
      regeneration of the dermis. Moreover, the bFGF/Ms-CMCS-PVA group had the highest
      density of newly formed and mature blood vessels during the 2 mweek treatment
      period. The ability of the bFGF/Ms-CMCS-PVA hydrogel to accelerate wound healing
      in a full-thickness burn model suggests its potential for use in dermal tissue
      regeneration. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26118829
TI  - Nicotine and metabolites determination in human plasma by ultra performance
      liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: a simple approach for solving
      contamination problem and clinical application.
AB  - A quantitative method using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry is described for simultaneous determination of nicotine and its
      metabolites (cotinine and trans-3'- hydroxycotinine) in human plasma. Aliquots of
      0.25 mL of plasma specimens were used for analysis, and 3 analytes were extracted
      by liquid-liquid extraction. The main problem was blank plasma contamination with
      environmental nicotine. Activated charcoal was used to avoid this analytical
      interference. For optimized chromatographic performance, a basic mobile phase
      consisting of 0.2% ammonia in water (mobile phase A, pH10.6) and acetonitrile
      (mobile phase B) was selected. The analytes were separated on a 50 mm * 2.1 mm
      BEH C18 column, 1.7 MUm particle size, and quantified by MS/MS using multiple
      reaction monitoring (MRM) in positive mode. The chromatographic separation was
      achieved in 3 min followed by 1.2 min of column equilibration. The calibration
      curves were linear in the concentration range of 10-1000 ng/mL with correlation
      coefficients exceeding 0.99. Within-day precisions and between-day precisions
      (CV, %) were <15 %. The accuracy expressed as bias was within +/-15% for all
      analytes. The recovery values ranged from 50% to 97%. The ions used for
      quantification of nicotine, cotinine and 3-OH-cotinine were 166.9 > 129.7; 176.9
      > 79.7; 192.9 > 79.7 m/z, respectively. The original blank sample preparation
      solved the problem of contamination in a cost-effective and efficient way. The
      validated method has been routinely used for analysis of nicotine and metabolites
      and determination of hydroxycotinine/cotinine metabolic ratio. This biomarker
      seems to be interesting at predicting response of nicotine patch replacement
      therapies.

PMID- 26118830
TI  - A new likelihood ratio metric for the psychomotor vigilance test and its
      sensitivity to sleep loss.
AB  - The Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) is a widely used assay of behavioural
      alertness sensitive to the effects of sleep loss and circadian misalignment.
      However, there is currently no accepted PVT composite outcome metric that
      captures response slowing, attentional lapses and compensatory premature
      reactions observed typically in sleep-deprived subjects. We developed a novel
      likelihood ratio metric (LRM) based on relative frequency distributions in 50
      categories of reaction times (RT) and false starts in alert and sleep-deprived
      subjects (acute total sleep deprivation: n = 31 subjects). The LRM had the
      largest effect size both in a 33-h total sleep deprivation protocol [1.96; 95%
      confidence interval (CI): 1.61-2.44; followed by response speed 1/RT, effect size
      1.93, 95% CI: 1.55-2.65] and in a chronic partial sleep restriction protocol
      (1.22; 95% CI: 0.96-1.59; followed by response speed 1/RT, effect size 1.21, 95%
      CI: 0.94-1.59; 5 nights at 4 h sleep per night; n = 43 subjects). LRM scores
      correlated highly with response speed (R(2 ) = 0.986), and less well with five
      other common PVT outcome metrics (R(2 ) = 0.111-0.886). In conclusion, the new
      LRM is a sensitive PVT outcome metric with high statistical power that takes
      subtle sleep loss-related changes in the distribution of reaction times
      (including false starts) into account, is not prone to outliers, does not require
      baseline data and can be calculated and interpreted easily. Congruence between
      LRM and PVT response speed and their similar effect size rankings support the use
      of response speed as the primary, most sensitive and most parsimonious standard
      PVT outcome metric for determining neurobehavioural deficits from sleep loss.

PMID- 26118831
TI  - Pharmacy-randomized intervention delivering HIV prevention services during the
      syringe sale to people who inject drugs in New York City.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pharmacy syringe access may be an opportunity to provide HIV
      prevention resources to persons who inject drugs (PWID). We examined the impact
      of a pharmacy-randomized intervention to reduce injection risk among PWID in New
      York City. METHODS: Pharmacies (n=88) were randomized into intervention, primary
      control, and secondary control arms. Intervention pharmacies received in-depth
      harm reduction training, recruited syringe customers who inject drugs into the
      study, and provided additional services (i.e., HIV prevention/medical/social
      service referrals, syringe disposal containers, and harm reduction print
      materials). Primary control pharmacies recruited syringe customers who inject
      drugs and did not offer additional services, and secondary control pharmacies did
      not recruit syringe customers (and are not included in this analysis) but
      participated in a pharmacy staff survey to evaluate intervention impact on
      pharmacy staff. Recruited syringe customers underwent a baseline and 3-month
      follow-up ACASI. The intervention effect on injection risk/protective behavior of
      PWID was examined. RESULTS: A total of 482 PWID completed baseline and follow-up
      surveys. PWID were mostly Hispanic/Latino, male, and mean age of 43.6 years.
      After adjustment, PWID in the intervention arm were more likely to report always
      using a sterile syringe vs. not (PR=1.24; 95% CI: 1.04-1.48) at 3-month follow
      up. CONCLUSIONS: These findings present evidence that expanded pharmacy services
      for PWID can encourage sterile syringe use which may decrease injection risk in
      high HIV burdened Black and Latino communities.

PMID- 26118832
TI  - Associations between deployment, military rank, and binge drinking in active duty
      and Reserve/National Guard US servicewomen.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prior studies of mostly male U.S. service members suggest service
      characteristics such as deployment with combat exposure and lower rank may be a
      risk factor for alcohol misuse. However, these relationships have not been
      examined among servicewomen who may be at high risk for experiencing deployment
      related stressors and associated health consequences. This cross-sectional report
      of US servicewomen in the Reserve or National Guard (RNG) and active component
      (AC) sought to examine these associations. METHODS: A Midwestern community sample
      of currently serving and veteran servicewomen (N=1339) completed structured
      telephone interviews. The Generalized Linear Model was used to examine
      associations between service characteristics, any binge drinking, and frequency
      of recent binge drinking after adjusting for demographics. RESULTS: After
      adjusting for demographics, deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan was associated with
      greater odds of reporting a binge drinking episode, compared to no deployment,
      among servicewomen in the AC but not RNG. Deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan was
      also associated with more days binge drinking in both groups compared to
      servicewomen not deployed. Lower ranking servicewomen also reported higher odds
      of a binge drinking episode and higher frequency of binge drinking in both the
      RNG and AC. CONCLUSIONS: Service characteristics including deployment to Iraq or
      Afghanistan (vs. those not deployed) and lower rank (vs. officers) may be a risk
      factor for recent binge drinking and higher frequency of binge drinking among
      servicewomen, after adjusting for demographic covariates. Public health and
      clinical implications are discussed.

PMID- 26118834
TI  - The Association Between Medicolegal and Professional Concerns and Chest Pain
      Admission Rates.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: For patients in whom acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a concern,
      disposition decisions are complex and multifactorial and have traditionally been
      a source of considerable variation. An important factor in disposition decisions
      for these patients may be physician-perceived medicolegal risk and related
      professional concerns. The study aim was to determine, at the point of care, how
      much less frequently physicians report that they would admit possible ACS
      patients if there was either zero or a defined medicolegal risk. METHODS: This
      was a point-of-care emergency physician survey. Research assistants approached
      physicians at or immediately following the moment of disposition decisions for
      patients who were being admitted for ACS. The primary outcome measures were the
      proportion of physicians reporting that patients would not have been admitted if
      medicolegal issues were of no concern and the proportion of physicians reporting
      that patients would not have been admitted if there was an "acceptable miss rate"
      of 1% to 2% for ACS patients. RESULTS: During the 3-month study period, 576
      patients were admitted to an inpatient unit or to the ED observation protocol.
      Physicians were approached in 271 cases, and 259 surveys were completed. When
      presented with hypothetical zero medicolegal risk, physicians answered that they
      would not have admitted the patients in 30% of cases. With a hypothetical 1% to
      2% acceptable miss rate, physicians indicated that they would not have admitted
      the patients in 29% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: ED medicolegal and professional
      concerns may substantially increase admissions for possible ACS. An acceptable
      miss rate or a zero medicolegal risk environment could potentially lead to a
      major reduction in admissions that physicians feel to be clinically unnecessary.

PMID- 26118833
TI  - Effects of active anti-methamphetamine vaccination on intravenous self
      administration in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: d-Methamphetamine (METH) addiction is a serious public health concern
      for which successful treatment remains elusive. Immunopharmacotherapy has been
      shown to attenuate locomotor and thermoregulatory effects of METH. The current
      study investigated whether active vaccination against METH could alter
      intravenous METH self-administration in rats. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats
      (Experiment 1: N=24; Experiment 2: N=18) were vaccinated with either a control
      keyhole-limpet hemocyanin conjugate vaccine (KLH) or a candidate anti-METH
      vaccine (MH6-KLH) or. Effects of vaccination on the acquisition of METH self
      administration under two dose conditions (0.05, 0.1mg/kg/inf) and post
      acquisition dose-substitution (0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.20mg/kg/inf, Experiment 1; 0.01,
      0.05, 0.10, 0.15mg/kg/inf, Experiment 2) during steady-state responding were
      investigated. Plasma METH concentrations were determined 30min after an acute
      challenge dose of 3.2mg/kg METH. RESULTS: Active vaccination inhibited the
      acquisition of METH self-administration under the 0.1mg/kg/inf dose condition,
      with 66% of the MH6-KLH-vaccinated rats compared to 100% of the controls reaching
      criteria, and produced transient and dose-dependent effects on self
      administration during the maintenance phase. Under the 0.05mg/kg/inf dose
      condition, MH6-KLH-vaccinated rats initially self-administered more METH than
      controls, but then self-administration decreased across the acquisition phase
      relative to controls; a subsequent dose-response assessment confirmed that MH6
      KLH-vaccinated rats failed to acquire METH self-administration. Finally, plasma
      METH concentrations were higher in MH6-KLH-vaccinated rats compared to controls
      after an acute METH challenge, and these were positively correlated with antibody
      titers. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that active immunopharmacotherapy for
      METH attenuates the acquisition of METH self-administration.

PMID- 26118835
TI  - Etiology of aseptic meningitis and clinical characteristics in immune-competent
      adults.
AB  - Viral meningitis is the most common cause of aseptic meningitis. Use of the
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has increased the ability to determine the
      etiology of viral meningitis. This study used PCR analysis to evaluate the
      etiology of aseptic meningitis in 177 previously healthy adults over a 5-year
      period, as well as analyzing the clinical characteristics, cerebrospinal fluid
      (CSF) findings, and prognosis according to each etiology. The most frequent cause
      of aseptic meningitis was enterovirus (EV), followed by varicella zoster virus
      (VZV). Patients with EV meningitis were significantly younger than those with VZV
      meningitis. The percentage of lymphocytes in white blood cell counts and protein
      concentrations in the CSF differed significantly among patients with EV, VZV and
      meningitis of undetermined etiology. Younger age and lower percentage of
      lymphocyte and protein level in CSF analysis may be suggestive of EV meningitis.
      Further prospective studies are warranted to identify the correlations between
      the clinical characteristics and the etiologies of meningitis.

PMID- 26118836
TI  - N-Nicotinoyl tyramine, a novel niacinamide derivative, inhibits melanogenesis by
      suppressing MITF gene expression.
AB  - We synthesized and investigated the inhibitory effects of a novel niacinamide
      derivative, N-nicotinoyltyramine (NNT) on melanogenesis. NNT inhibited melanin
      production in B16F10 murine melanoma cells stimulated with alpha-melanocyte
      stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), in human melanocyte and in three-dimensional
      cultured human skin model. NNT did not affect the catalytic activity of
      tyrosinase, but acted as an inhibitor of microphthalmia-associated transcription
      factor (MITF) and tyrosinase expressions in B16F10 cells. These findings suggest
      that the hypopigmentary effect of NNT results from the down-regulation of MITF
      and subsequently of tyrosinase, although NNT did not directly inhibit tyrosinase
      activity. In addition, safety of NNT was verified through performing neural stem
      cell morphology assay and Human repeated insult patch test as whitening agent.
      Our findings indicate that NNT may be a potential and non-skin irritant whitening
      agent for use in cosmetics and in the medical treatment of pigmentary disorders. 

PMID- 26118837
TI  - Insights into possible cell-death markers in the diatom Skeletonema marinoi in
      response to senescence and silica starvation.
AB  - Diatoms are a hugely diverse microalgal class, which possesses unique biological
      features and complex metabolic pathways and may activate sophisticated mechanisms
      to respond to environmental changes. Abiotic stress factors may limit growth rate
      of diatoms, but may also trigger intracellular signaling pathways that cause
      cells to undergo programmed cell death (PCD). Here we investigate the gene
      expression of different target genes related to cell death, namely programmed
      cell death 4 (PDCD4), tumor susceptibility gene 101 (TSG101), developmental and
      cell death (DCD) domain, death specific protein (DSP) and metacaspase (MC), using
      RT-qPCR in the cosmopolitan coastal centric diatom species Skeletonema marinoi,
      which contributes significantly to phytoplankton blooms in temperate waters. To
      this end, we undertook a detailed study of the best reference genes to analyze
      gene expression in S. marinoi under different experimental conditions (i.e. in
      different growth phases or under silica starvation). Results showed that DSP gene
      expression had a clear and constant increase along the S. marinoi growth curve
      reaching its maximum during the senescent phase. On the contrary, PDCD4, DCD,
      TSG101 and MC did not show any significant variation. These findings indicate
      that the DSP gene is a possible PCD marker induced by aging in this diatom
      species. In contrast, levels of DSP transcripts induced by silica starvation were
      relatively low compared to those induced by cell aging suggesting differential
      activation and/or regulation of the PCD machinery in response to different
      stressful conditions. Our study also expands the list of reference genes
      available for the diatom S. marinoi for normalization of RT-qPCR data of cells
      cultivated under different growth phases or under silica starvation. 

PMID- 26118838
TI  - A Plasmodium alpha/beta-hydrolase modulates the development of invasive stages.
AB  - The bud emergence (BEM)46 proteins are evolutionarily conserved members of the
      alpha/beta-hydrolase superfamily, which includes enzymes with diverse functions
      and a wide range of substrates. Here, we identified a Plasmodium BEM46-like
      protein (PBLP) and characterized it throughout the life cycle of the rodent
      malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii. The Plasmodium BEM46-like protein is shown to
      be closely associated with the parasite plasma membrane of asexual erythrocytic
      stage schizonts and exo-erythrocytic schizonts; however, PBLP localizes to unique
      intracellular structures in sporozoites. Generation and analysis of P. yoelii
      knockout (Deltapblp) parasite lines showed that PBLP has an important role in
      erythrocytic stage merozoite development with Deltapblp parasites forming fewer
      merozoites during schizogony, which results in decreased parasitemia when
      compared with wild-type (WT) parasites. Deltapblp parasites showed no defects in
      gametogenesis or transmission to mosquitoes; however, because they formed fewer
      oocysts there was a reduction in the number of developed sporozoites in infected
      mosquitoes when compared with WT. Although Deltapblp sporozoites showed no
      apparent defect in mosquito salivary gland infection, they showed decreased
      infectivity in hepatocytes in vitro. Similarly, mice infected with Deltapblp
      sporozoites exhibited a delay in the onset of blood-stage patency, which is
      likely caused by reduced sporozoite infectivity and a discernible delay in exo
      erythrocytic merozoite formation. These data are consistent with the model that
      PBLP has an important role in parasite invasive-stage morphogenesis throughout
      the parasite life cycle.

PMID- 26118839
TI  - Analysis of Nickel Defect in Diamond with Photoluminescence upon Excitation near
      200 nm.
AB  - Photoluminescent (PL) spectra of synthetic diamond powders at temperatures
      between 10 and 300 K were excited with synchrotron radiation in the wavelength
      range 125-375 nm. Prominent spectral PL features were detected at 484.6 and 489.0
      nm (2.559 and 2.535 eV), associated with nickel defect. During our measurement of
      PL excitation (PLE) spectra of Ni defect in diamond, we observed a distinct PLE
      line at 215 nm for the first time. We thereby suggest the use of UV-PL spectra
      excited in the region 200-220 nm to analyze and to identify nickel defect in
      diamonds. 

PMID- 26118840
TI  - Regulation of B Cell to Plasma Cell Transition within the Follicular B Cell
      Response.
AB  - Persistent humoral immunity depends on the follicular B cell response and on the
      generation of somatically mutated high-affinity plasma cells and memory B cells.
      Upon activation by an antigen, cognately activated follicular B cells and
      follicular T helper (TFH ) cells initiate germinal centre (GC) reaction during
      which high-affinity effector cells are generated. The differentiation of
      activated follicular B cells into plasma cells and memory B cells is guided by
      complex selection events, both at the cellular and molecular level. The
      transition of B cell into a plasma cell during the GC response involves
      alterations in the microenvironment and developmental state of the cell, which
      are guided by cell-extrinsic signals. The developmental cell fate decisions in
      response to these signals are coordinated by cell-intrinsic gene regulatory
      network functioning at epigenetic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional
      levels. 

PMID- 26118841
TI  - Forebrain NR2B overexpression enhancing fear acquisition and long-term
      potentiation in the lateral amygdala.
AB  - N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP)
      at the thalamus-lateral amygdala (T-LA) synapses is the basis for acquisition of
      auditory fear memory. However, the role of the NMDA receptor NR2B subunit in
      synaptic plasticity at T-LA synapses remains speculative. In the present study,
      using transgenic mice with forebrain-specific overexpression of the NR2B subunit,
      we have observed that forebrain NR2B overexpression results in enhanced LTP but
      does not alter long-term depression (LTD) at the T-LA synapses in transgenic
      mice. To elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying enhanced LTP at T-LA
      synapses in these transgenic mice, AMPA and NMDA receptor-mediated postsynaptic
      currents have been measured. The data show a marked increasing in the amplitude
      and decay time of NMDA receptor-mediated currents in these transgenic mice.
      Consistent with enhanced LTP at T-LA synapses, NR2B-transgenic mice exhibit
      better performance in the acquisition of auditory fear memory than wild-type
      littermates. Our results demonstrate that up-regulation of NR2B expression
      facilitates acquisition of auditory cued fear memory and enhances LTP at T-LA
      synapses. 

PMID- 26118842
TI  - The Art of Reflection: Turning the Strange into the Familiar.
AB  - There are a great many useful articles on the dynamics and pragmatics of
      reflecting teams but few articles address what constitutes a good or inept
      reflection and why. I provide a conceptual model for thinking about what a good
      reflection does, distinguishing it from a nice reflection. With some further
      refinements in place, I then illustrate how reflections can be part of any
      relationship, not just clinical ones. We have opportunities to make them and to
      recognize when others make them to us. By using examples from my personal life-as
      a grandmother, daughter, radio listener, cancer survivor, and client-I attempt to
      ease the personal/professional binary, a project of mine for the last 35 years.
      In the second part of the article, I address how writing can serve reflection.
      Although best offered at the moment one is called for, it is never too late for a
      reflection. Writing allows people to offer reflections after the fact to those
      who have shared their stories. Sometimes, it is to ourselves we offer those
      reflections, when the reflector has long since dropped the thread of obligation
      or interest. I provide an example of working with iconic imagery to unpack
      meaning so that reflection can eventually take place, allowing integration to
      proceed, facilitating the strange becoming the familiar.

PMID- 26118843
TI  - [What factors help to explain satisfaction with Primary Health care in Spain?].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To find out the factors that determine satisfaction with public
      primary health care in Spain. The work has considered a wide group of potential
      determining factors of that satisfaction, which are organised into 3 blocks of
      variables: Those related to the perceived quality in the care received,
      socioeconomic, and those relative to the state of health. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      The micro data of the Barometro Sanitario (BS) of 2013, which are representative
      at a national level, were employed. After a prior first descriptive analysis, 2
      multivariate models were estimated: One in which satisfaction is considered as
      being of a cardinal nature (regression model), and another in which it is
      contemplated as being of an ordinal nature (ordered probit model). RESULTS: There
      were practically no differences between the results obtained with one or other of
      the multivariate models. Not all the variables considered were statistically
      significant. Of the 3 blocks of variables studied, the one related to the
      perceived quality in the care received in the health centre exerts the greatest
      relevance in the explanation of satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained
      show that, by means of the management of the variables related to the perception
      of quality of care in health centres, public administrators and health
      professionals may have a highly favourable influence on the levels of
      satisfaction of primary health care patients.

PMID- 26118844
TI  - Fast dose algorithm for generation of dose coverage probability for robustness
      analysis of fractionated radiotherapy.
AB  - A fast algorithm is constructed to facilitate dose calculation for a large number
      of randomly sampled treatment scenarios, each representing a possible realisation
      of a full treatment with geometric, fraction specific displacements for an
      arbitrary number of fractions. The algorithm is applied to construct a dose
      volume coverage probability map (DVCM) based on dose calculated for several
      hundred treatment scenarios to enable the probabilistic evaluation of a treatment
      plan.For each treatment scenario, the algorithm calculates the total dose by
      perturbing a pre-calculated dose, separately for the primary and scatter dose
      components, for the nominal conditions. The ratio of the scenario specific
      accumulated fluence, and the average fluence for an infinite number of fractions
      is used to perturb the pre-calculated dose. Irregularities in the accumulated
      fluence may cause numerical instabilities in the ratio, which is mitigated by
      regularisation through convolution with a dose pencil kernel.Compared to full
      dose calculations the algorithm demonstrates a speedup factor of ~1000. The
      comparisons to full calculations show a 99% gamma index (2%/2 mm) pass rate for a
      single highly modulated beam in a virtual water phantom subject to setup errors
      during five fractions. The gamma comparison shows a 100% pass rate in a moving
      tumour irradiated by a single beam in a lung-like virtual phantom. DVCM iso
      probability lines computed with the fast algorithm, and with full dose
      calculation for each of the fractions, for a hypo-fractionated prostate case
      treated with rotational arc therapy treatment were almost indistinguishable. 

PMID- 26118845
TI  - Direct 17O NMR experimental evidence for Al-NBO bonds in Si-rich and highly
      polymerized aluminosilicate glasses.
AB  - By using solid-state (17)O NMR spectroscopy, we provide the first direct
      experimental evidence for bonds between Al and non-bridging oxygen (NBO) ions in
      aluminosilicate glasses based on rare-earth (RE) elements, where RE = {Lu, Sc,
      Y}. The presence of ~10% Al-NBO moieties out of all NBO species holds regardless
      of the precise glass composition, at odds with the conventional structural view
      that Al-NBO bonds are absent in highly polymerized and Si-rich aluminosilicate
      glass networks. 

PMID- 26118846
TI  - ICREA Workshop: from model systems to crops - challenges for a new era in plant
      biology.

PMID- 26118847
TI  - Blood flow restricted exercise for athletes: A review of available evidence.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to collate current evidence regarding the efficacy
      of various blood flow restriction (BFR) strategies for well-trained athletes, and
      to provide insight regarding how such strategies can be used by these
      populations. DESIGN: Review article. METHODS: Studies that had investigated the
      acute or adaptive responses to BFR interventions in athletic participants were
      identified from searches in MEDLINE (PubMed), SPORTDiscus (EBSCO) and Google
      Scholar databases up to April 2015. The reference lists of identified papers were
      also examined for relevant studies. RESULTS: Twelve papers were identified from
      11 separate investigations that had assessed acute and adaptive responses to BFR
      in athletic cohorts. Of these, 7 papers observed enhanced hypertrophic and/or
      strength responses and 2 reported alterations in the acute responses to low-load
      resistance exercise when combined with BFR. One paper had examined the adaptive
      responses to moderate-load resistance training with BFR, 1 noted improved
      training responses to low-work rate BFR cardiovascular exercise, and 1 reported
      on a case of injury following BFR exercise in an athlete. CONCLUSIONS: Current
      evidence suggests that low-load resistance training with BFR can enhance muscle
      hypertrophy and strength in well-trained athletes, who would not normally benefit
      from using light loads. For healthy athletes, low-load BFR resistance training
      performed in conjunction with normal high-load training may provide an additional
      stimulus for muscular development. As low-load BFR resistance exercise does not
      appear to cause measureable muscle damage, supplementing normal high-load
      training using this novel strategy may elicit beneficial muscular responses in
      healthy athletes.

PMID- 26118848
TI  - Variability of physical performance and player match loads in professional rugby
      union.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the within- and between-player variability of physical
      performance and player match loads in professional rugby union. DESIGN: A single
      cohort, observational study. METHODS: Physical match performance data were
      collected from 28 male, professional, English Championship players over 15
      competitive matches. Using microsensors, the variables selected for analysis were
      total distance, low-speed running distance, high-speed running distance, very
      high-speed running distance, total impacts, repeated high-intensity efforts, body
      load (PlayerLoadTM), and low velocity (<7.2kmh(-1)) body load. Ratings of
      perceived exertion represented match internal loads. Variability was quantified
      using the coefficient of variation, with the meaningful interpretation of change
      in physical performance and match loads calculated using magnitude-based
      inferences. RESULTS: We found large between-match (within-player) variation for
      high-speed running distance (27.6%; +/-90% confidence limits 6.9% [forwards],
      20.1%; +/-4.1% [backs]), very high-speed running distance (68%; +/-19%, 34.1%; +/
      7.5%), total impacts (24.0%; +/-5.9%, 36.4%; +/-7.9%) and repeated high-intensity
      efforts (18.7%; +/-4.4%, 39.5%; +/-8.8%), with moderate variability for match
      ratings of perceived exertion (8.2%; +/-1.8%, 10.8%; +/-2.1%), body load (7.3%;
      +/-1.7%, 10.0%; +/-2.0%) and low velocity body load (8.9%; +/-2.0%, 10.7%; +/
      2.1%). Threshold values for likely substantial between-match changes in high
      intensity physical performance measures ranged from 21% to 76%, and were ~10% for
      match ratings of perceived exertion, body load and low velocity body load.
      CONCLUSIONS: Within- and between-player variability of high-intensity activity in
      professional rugby union is large, yet ratings of perceived exertion, body load
      and low velocity body load appear more stable by comparison and may be
      interpreted with greater accuracy.

PMID- 26118849
TI  - Interventions preventing ankle sprains; previous injury and high-risk sport
      participation as predictors of compliance.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the association between participants' person-related
      potential predictor variables and cumulative compliance with interventions for
      preventing ankle sprains: neuromuscular training, wearing an ankle brace, and a
      combined training and bracing. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of compliance data from
      a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing measures preventing ankle ligament
      injuries. METHODS: Ordinal regression with a backward selection method was used
      to obtain a descriptive statistical model linking participants' person-related
      potential predictor variables with the monthly cumulative compliance measurements
      for three interventions preventing ankle ligament injuries. RESULTS: Having had a
      previous ankle injury was significantly associated with a higher compliance with
      all of the preventive measures trialed. Overall compliance with bracing and the
      combined intervention was significantly lower than the compliance with NM
      training. Per group analysis found that participating in a high-risk sport, like
      soccer, basketball, and volleyball, was significantly associated with a higher
      compliance with bracing, or a combined bracing and NM training. In contrast,
      participating in a high-risk sport was significantly associated with a lower per
      group compliance with NM training. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies should include at
      least registration of previous ankle sprains, sport participation (high- or low
      risk), experience in NM training, and hours of sport exposure as possible
      predictors of compliance with interventions preventing ankle sprains.
      Practitioners should take into account these variables when prescribing
      preventive neuromuscular training or bracing.

PMID- 26118850
TI  - Decarboxylative functionalization of cinnamic acids.
AB  - Decarboxylative functionalization of alpha,beta-unsaturated carboxylic acids is
      an emerging area that has been developed significantly in recent years. This
      critical review focuses on the different decarboxylative functionalization
      reactions of cinnamic acids leading to the formation of various C-C and C
      heteroatom bonds. Apart from metal carboxylates, decarboxylation in cinnamic
      acids has been achieved efficiently under metal-free conditions, particularly via
      the use of hypervalent iodine reagents. We believe this review will encourage
      organic chemists to develop vinylic decarboxylation in a more appealing way with
      an understanding of new mechanistic insight. 

PMID- 26118851
TI  - Understanding the local actions of lipids in bone physiology.
AB  - The adult skeleton is a metabolically active organ system that undergoes
      continuous remodeling to remove old and/or stressed bone (resorption) and replace
      it with new bone (formation) in order to maintain a constant bone mass and
      preserve bone strength from micro-damage accumulation. In that remodeling
      process, cellular balances--adipocytogenesis/osteoblastogenesis and
      osteoblastogenesis/osteoclastogenesis--are critical and tightly controlled by
      many factors, including lipids as discussed in the present review. Interest in
      the bone lipid area has increased as a result of in vivo evidences indicating a
      reciprocal relationship between bone mass and marrow adiposity. Lipids in bones
      are usually assumed to be present only in the bone marrow. However, the
      mineralized bone tissue itself also contains small amounts of lipids which might
      play an important role in bone physiology. Fatty acids, cholesterol,
      phospholipids and several endogenous metabolites (i.e., prostaglandins,
      oxysterols) have been purported to act on bone cell survival and functions, the
      bone mineralization process, and critical signaling pathways. Thus, they can be
      regarded as regulatory molecules important in bone health. Recently, several
      specific lipids derived from membrane phospholipids (i.e., sphingosine-1
      phosphate, lysophosphatidic acid and different fatty acid amides) have emerged as
      important mediators in bone physiology and the number of such molecules will
      probably increase in the near future. The present paper reviews the current
      knowledge about: (1 degrees ) bone lipid composition in both bone marrow and
      mineralized tissue compartments, and (2 degrees ) local actions of lipids on bone
      physiology in relation to their metabolism. Understanding the roles of lipids in
      bone is essential to knowing how an imbalance in their signaling pathways might
      contribute to bone pathologies, such as osteoporosis.

PMID- 26118852
TI  - Gene expression profiles of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the early stationary
      phase.
AB  - Vibrio (V.) parahaemolyticus is an aquatic bacterium capable of causing foodborne
      gastroenteritis. In the environment or the food chain, V. parahaemolyticus cells
      are usually forced into the stationary phase, the common phase for bacterial
      survival in the environment. So far, little is known about whole genomic
      expression of V. parahaemolyticus in the early stationary phase compared with the
      exponential growth phase. We performed whole transcriptomic profiling of V.
      parahaemolyticus cells in both phases (exponential and early stationary phase).
      Our data showed in total that 172 genes were induced in early stationary phase,
      while 61 genes were repressed in early stationary phase compared with the
      exponential phase. Three functional categories showed stable gene expression in
      the early stationary phase. Eleven functional categories showed that up
      regulation of genes was dominant over down-regulation in the early stationary
      phase. Although genes related to endogenous metabolism were repressed in the
      early stationary phase, massive regulation of gene expression occurred in the
      early stationary phase, indicating the expressed gene set of V. parahaemolyticus
      in the early stationary phase impacts environmental survival. SIGNIFICANCE AND
      IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Vibrio (V.) parahaemolyticus is one of the main bacterial
      causes of foodborne intestinal infections. This bacterium usually is forced into
      stationary phase in the environment, which includes, e.g. seafood. When bacteria
      are in stationary phase, physiological changes can lead to a resistance to many
      stresses, including physical and chemical challenges during food processing. To
      the best of our knowledge, highlighting the whole genome expression changes in
      the early stationary phase compared with exponential phase, as well as the
      investigation of physiological changes of V. parahaemolyticus such as the
      survival mechanism in the stationary phase has been the very first study in this
      field.

PMID- 26118854
TI  - Global harmonization of safety regulations for the use of industrial robots
      permission of collaborative operation and a related study by JNIOSH.
AB  - In December 2013, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)
      partially amended the safety regulations for use of industrial robots so that
      "collaborative operation" could be performed at Japanese worksites as allowed in
      the ISO standard for industrial robots. In order to show global harmonization of
      Japanese legislation on machinery safety and problems with applying ISO safety
      standards to Japanese worksites, this paper reports the progress of a research
      study which have been conducted in National Institute of Occupational Safety and
      Health, Japan from 2011 to the present at the request of MHLW to examine the
      necessity and effect of the amendment. In the first phase of this study, a
      questionnaire survey was conducted among domestic robot manufacturers and users.
      The obtained results revealed their potential demand for the collaborative
      operation and problems concerning their risk assessment and rule-based risk
      reduction. To solve the problems, we propose a method based on an investigation
      result of the regulatory framework for safety of machinery in the European Union.
      Furthermore, a model of robot system capable of demonstrating the collaborative
      operation and risk reduction measures which is being developed to support
      appropriate implementation of the amendment is also described. 

PMID- 26118853
TI  - Detection and mapping of illicit drugs and their metabolites in fingermarks by
      MALDI MS and compatibility with forensic techniques.
AB  - Despite the proven capabilities of Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation
      Mass Spectrometry (MALDI MS) in laboratory settings, research is still needed to
      integrate this technique into current forensic fingerprinting practice. Optimised
      protocols enabling the compatible application of MALDI to developed fingermarks
      will allow additional intelligence to be gathered around a suspect's lifestyle
      and activities prior to the deposition of their fingermarks while committing a
      crime. The detection and mapping of illicit drugs and metabolites in latent
      fingermarks would provide intelligence that is beneficial for both police
      investigations and court cases. This study investigated MALDI MS detection and
      mapping capabilities for a large range of drugs of abuse and their metabolites in
      fingermarks; the detection and mapping of a mixture of these drugs in marks, with
      and without prior development with cyanoacrylate fuming or Vacuum Metal
      Deposition, was also examined. Our findings indicate the versatility of MALDI
      technology and its ability to retrieve chemical intelligence either by detecting
      the compounds investigated or by using their ion signals to reconstruct 2D maps
      of fingermark ridge details. 

PMID- 26118855
TI  - Analysis of thermal characteristics of electrical wiring for load groups in
      cattle barns.
AB  - The purpose of the current study is to analyze the thermal characteristics of
      electrical wirings depending on the number of operating load by connecting four
      types of electrical wirings that are selected by surveying the conditions for the
      electric fans, automatic waterers and halogen warm lamps that were installed in
      cattle barns in different years. The conditions of 64 cattle barns were surveyed
      and an experimental test was conducted at a cattle barn. The condition-survey
      covered inappropriate design, construction and misuse of electrical facility,
      including electrical wiring mostly used, and the mode of load current was
      evaluated. The survey showed that the mode of load current increased as the
      installation year of the fans, waterers and halogen lamps became older.
      Accordingly, the cattle barn manager needed to increase the capacity of the
      circuit breaker, which promoted the degradation of insulation of the electrical
      wires' sheath and increased possibility for electrical fires in the long-run. The
      test showed that the saturation temperature of the wire insulated sheath
      increased depending on the installation year of the load groups, in case of VCTFK
      and VFF electric wires, therefore, requiring their careful usage in the cattle
      barns. 

PMID- 26118856
TI  - Isomer pattern and elimination of dioxins in workers exposed at a municipal waste
      incineration plant.
AB  - The aim of this study was to clarify patterns of serum concentrations of dioxins
      in the employees of a waste incineration plant and to estimate elimination rates
      and half-lives of serum dioxin isomers, and the maximum serum concentrations of
      dioxin isomers at the time of plant shutdown. Sixteen subjects participating 3
      times or more in annual health examinations during an 8-yr period from 2000 to
      2007 were recruited for this study. Serum concentrations of dioxins expressed as
      TEQ/g lipid decreased gradually after plant shutdown with the highest decrease
      observed in polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) followed by polychlorinated
      deibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and then coplanar PCBs. The serum toxic equivalency
      (TEQ) concentrations of PCDF and PCDD congeners in the employees were higher than
      those in the general population survey by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan,
      whereas the serum concentrations of coplanar PCBs were similar to those in the
      general population. The estimated half-lives and elimination rates of PCDDs and
      PCDFs in the highly exposed workers increased compared with the moderately
      exposed workers. The estimated geometric mean serum concentrations of PCDDs,
      PCDFs and total dioxins at the time of plant shutdown were 35, 53 and 107 pg
      TEQ/g lipid, respectively. 

PMID- 26118857
TI  - Surgery in neuro-oncolgy with a focus on stereotactic radiosurgery.
AB  - Veronica Chiang is jointly appointed as Associate Professor in Neurosurgery and
      Therapeutic Radiology at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr Chiang became the
      Medical Director of the Yale New Haven Hospital Gamma Knife Center in 2006 where
      currently over 300 patients are treated each year. She is predominantly
      interested in the management of brain metastases and now works closely with
      Medical Oncologists, Radiation Oncologists, Pathologists and Radiologists in the
      development of new treatment paradigms for patients with brain metastases as well
      as understanding the effects of these treatments on the normal brain. 

PMID- 26118858
TI  - Reversible alpha-Hydrogen and alpha-Alkyl Elimination in PC(sp(3))P Pincer
      Complexes of Iridium.
AB  - Despite significant progress in recent years, the cleavage of unstrained C(sp(3))
      C(sp(3)) bonds remains challenging. A C-C coupling and cleavage reaction in a
      PC(sp(3))P iridium pincer complex is mechanistically studied; the reaction
      proceeds via the formation of a carbene intermediate and can be described as a
      competition between alpha-hydrogen and alpha-alkyl elimination; the latter
      process was observed experimentally and is an unusual way of C(sp(3))-C(sp(3))
      bond scission, which has previously not been studied in detail. Mechanistic
      details that are based upon kinetic studies, activation parameters, and DFT
      calculations are also discussed. A full characterization of a C-C agostic
      intermediate is presented.

PMID- 26118859
TI  - Gold-Catalyzed Proto- and Deuterodeboronation.
AB  - A mild gold-catalyzed protodeboronation reaction, which does not require acid or
      base additives and can be carried out in "green" solvents, is described. As a
      result, the reaction is very functional-group-tolerant, even to acid- and base
      sensitive functional groups, and should allow for the boronic acid group to be
      used as an effective traceless directing or blocking group. The reaction has also
      been extended to deuterodeboronations for regiospecific ipso-deuterations of
      aryls and heteroaryls from the corresponding organoboronic acid. Based on density
      functional theory calculations, a mechanism is proposed that involves
      nucleophilic attack of water at boron followed by rate-limiting B-C bond cleavage
      and facile protonolysis of a Au-sigma-phenyl intermediate. 

PMID- 26118860
TI  - Spatio-temporal patterns of pesticide residues in the Turia and Jucar Rivers
      (Spain).
AB  - A study was conducted on the occurrence of 50 pesticides in water and sediments
      of Turia and Jucar Rivers (Valencian Community, Eastern Spain) for a period of
      two consecutive years each, 2010/2011 and 2012/2013, respectively to assess the
      contribution of agriculture and urban activities on pesticide pollution. The
      results showed that mean concentrations of pesticides ranged from <LOQ up to 200
      ng/L. Chlorpyrifos was the most frequent pesticide whereas imazalil,
      thiabendazole, tolclofos methyl, ethion and carbofuran were those found at higher
      concentrations. Ubiquitous pesticides are those with long half-lives. The most
      polluted parts of the rivers were the headwaters and the mouth, which could be
      related to the agricultural practices and rainfall. Contrarily, in the abrupt
      part of the rivers of difficult access the contamination is low. Other quality
      parameters monitored in this study also corroborate the worst water quality in
      the alluvial plains that coincides with higher anthropic pressure. The temporal
      variations also indicated a strong relation of pesticide concentrations with
      hydrology, the higher the river flow, the higher number and frequency of
      pesticides but at lower concentrations. On the contrary, at lower river flows
      higher pesticide concentrations were detected. The risk assessment for aquatic
      biota pointed out that organophosphorus and fungicides are a threat to fish and
      daphnia and herbicides and fungicides are hazards for algae. Thus, the strict
      control of pesticide concentrations is important to preserve the aquatic
      ecosystems health.

PMID- 26118861
TI  - Ecotoxicity of sediments in rivers: Invertebrate community, toxicity bioassays
      and the toxic unit approach as complementary assessment tools.
AB  - The determination of the real toxicity of sediments in aquatic ecosystems is
      challenging and necessary for an appropriate risk assessment. Different
      approaches have been developed and applied over the last several decades.
      Currently, the joint implementation of chemical, ecological and toxicological
      tools is recommended for an appropriate and successful toxicity risk assessment.
      We chose the combination of the toxic unit approach with acute pore water tests
      (Vibrio fischeri, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and Daphnia magna) and whole
      sediment exposure tests (V. fischeri, Chironomus riparius), together with
      invertebrate community composition (multivariate analyses) to detect short and
      long-term responses of the organisms in four rivers of the Iberian Peninsula.
      High toxicity was detected in three sites (the downstream sites of the Llobregat
      and the Jucar, and the most upstream site of the Ebro). We identified
      organophosphate insecticides and metals as the main variables responsible for
      this toxicity, particularly in the whole-sediment tests. In particular,
      chlorpyrifos was mostly responsible for the toxicity (TUs) of D. magna,
      coinciding with the C. riparius mortality (long-term toxicity) in the mentioned
      sites, and copper was the main pollutant responsible for the short-term toxicity
      of P. subcapitata. The combination of the different approaches allowed us to
      detect ecotoxicological effects in organisms and identify the main contributors
      to the toxicity in these multi-stressed rivers. 

PMID- 26118862
TI  - A salt bath will keep you going? Euryhalinity tests and genetic structure of
      caridean shrimps from Iberian rivers.
AB  - We assessed the role of euryhalinity and life-history traits on the population
      genetic structure of the four main caridean shrimp species from the Iberian
      Peninsula (Atyaephyra desmarestii, Dugastella valentina, Palaemon varians and
      Palaemon zariquieyi) able to complete their life cycle in freshwater/oligohaline
      habitats. Seawater exposure experiments indicated that A. desmarestii, D.
      valentina and P. zariquieyi are more sensitive to high salinity waters than P.
      varians and confirm the relationship between osmolality regulation and spatial
      distribution of species. The limited or no survival in seawater could explain the
      restricted distributions observed in D. valentina and P. zariquieyi, whereas the
      current A. desmarestii distribution could be due to either past river dynamics
      and/or human-mediated water transfers. Conversely, the high tolerance of P.
      varians to a large salinity range (euryhalinity) could explain its capacity to
      colonize geographically distant estuaries. In agreement with osmoregulation
      results, the phylogeography patterns of the cytochrome oxidase 1 (Cox 1) gene
      fragment revealed significant genetic differentiation among river systems
      whatever the species considered. Atyidae species presented higher nucleotide
      diversity levels than Palaemonidae species, while isolation-by-distance patterns
      were only found for the latter. Our results have important implications for the
      management and conservation of freshwater species, since the inter-catchment
      connectivity may affect the speciation processes. 

PMID- 26118863
TI  - Maternal periconceptional alcohol consumption and congenital heart defects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the leading cause of infant death
      from birth defects. Animal studies suggest in utero alcohol exposure is a
      teratogen for cardiogenesis; however, results from epidemiologic studies are
      mixed. METHODS: Data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study were used
      to estimate associations between CHDs and case (n = 7076) and control (n = 7972)
      mother reports of periconceptional (1 month before pregnancy through the first
      trimester) alcohol consumption with expected delivery dates during 1997 to 2007.
      CHDs were examined by category (conotruncal, septal, left ventricular outflow
      tract obstruction, and right ventricular outflow tract obstruction, heterotaxy
      with CHD) and subtype (e.g., tetralogy of Fallot [TOF]). Alcohol measures
      examined were any consumption, maximum average drinks per month, binge drinking,
      and alcohol type. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were
      estimated using unconditional logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Increased
      risks, albeit marginally statistically significant, were observed for TOF and
      each maternal alcohol measure examined and for right ventricular outflow tract
      obstruction and heterotaxy with CHD and consumption of distilled spirits.
      Significantly reduced risks were observed for several CHD categories (septal
      defects, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, and right ventricular
      outflow tract obstruction) and some corresponding subtypes with different alcohol
      measures. Significant risks were not observed for the other CHDs examined.
      CONCLUSION: Analysis of this large, well-defined study sample did not show
      statistically significant increased risks between measures of maternal alcohol
      consumption and most CHDs examined. These findings may reflect, in part,
      limitations with retrospective exposure assessment or unmeasured confounders.
      Additional studies with continued improvement in measurement of alcohol
      consumption are recommended.

PMID- 26118864
TI  - [Brilliant, precise, compelling, controversial...].

PMID- 26118865
TI  - [Commercially available genomic-based signatures in early breast cancer: Is it
      ready for tomorrow morning?].

PMID- 26118866
TI  - [Molecular signatures of breast cancer: What clinical utility?].
AB  - The role of molecular signatures in the adjuvant management of breast cancer
      remains a debated topic. Discussions should take into account the level of
      scientific validation, the impact on practice, the expected benefits and
      financing issues. This article presents the key points for a rational use of
      commercial molecular signatures. 

PMID- 26118867
TI  - [Genomic signature of breast cancer: The quest for the Holy Grail].
AB  - The role of molecular signatures in the adjuvant management of breast cancer
      remains a debated topic. Discussions should take into account the level of
      scientific validation, the impact on practice, the expected benefits and
      financing issues. This article presents the limits to be clarified before using
      commercial molecular signatures. 

PMID- 26118868
TI  - [Is it necessary to perform a surgery after neo-adjuvant treatment for initially
      borderline or locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma?].

PMID- 26118869
TI  - [Neoadjuvant therapy may allow unresectable tumors becoming resectable].
AB  - Should we consider surgery for pancreatic cancer when resectability seems
      initially uncertain? The answer is no consensual as illustrated by the
      controversy presented here. This article presents the key arguments in favor
      surgery. 

PMID- 26118870
TI  - [Neoadjuvant treatment for unresectable pancreatic tumors: Against!].
AB  - Should we consider surgery for pancreatic cancer when resectability seems
      initially uncertain? The answer is no consensual as illustrated by the
      controversy presented here. This article presents the key arguments against
      surgery. 

PMID- 26118871
TI  - [It is time to take cancer prevention seriously].
AB  - Preventing cancer by reducing exposure to carcinogens is the only way to reduce
      the frequency of cancers in the population. We discuss the current situation of
      cancer prevention in France in the order of importance as measured by the risk,
      demonstrating the recent reversal of the national anti-tobacco policy, the large
      benefit that could be expected from a reduction in alcohol consumption, the low
      coverage of the population for papillomavirus and hepatitis B virus vaccinations.

PMID- 26118872
TI  - [Quinze questions importantes a se poser en oncologie en 2015].
AB  - Cancers can now be classified by multidimensional criteria including tumour site,
      histology, primary - "driver" - molecular alterations, secondary molecular
      alterations, characteristics of the immune stroma, and genetic profile of the
      patient. The development of tools for the characterisation of the cancers, as
      well as novel molecular and immune therapeutics are evolving at an unprecedented
      pace. In 2012, a list of future challenges was identified at the occasion of the
      European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 50(th)
      anniversary. Three years after, it is interesting to look back at the questions
      addressed then and to assess the progress of these questions. We propose here a
      novel set questions which have emerged from the recent publications in this area.

PMID- 26118874
TI  - [Meeting of the French Society of Cancer].

PMID- 26118873
TI  - [Resistances to targeted therapies and strategy for following therapeutic lines
      in metastatic NSCLC].
AB  - EGFR, ALK, ROS1 Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKis) have changed natural history of
      12 to 15% of patients with metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and
      molecular alterations (mutations or translocations) in these genes. Median
      Progression Free Survival (PFS) of these patients has increased from 12 months
      with a platinum-based chemotherapy associated with bevacizumab, to 18 months with
      TKIs, overall survival reaching several years in these patients. However, rare
      primary resistance have been described in less than 10% of patients with EGFR or
      ALK-mutated cancer, whereas secondary resistance occur systematically. New
      generations TKIs are currently in clinical development, which are active on tumor
      clones harboring a resistance mutation, and some of them diffuse perfectly well
      into brain, a classical sanctuary for metastasis. Strategies are developed to
      delay secondary resistance apparition, to prolong PFS, and then overall survival.
      These strategies use combinations, as soon as first linesetting, of TKIs with
      either an anti-angiogenic drug (bevacizumab), or with an immunological checkpoint
      inhibitors, or with Heat-Shock Protein (Hsp) inhibitors. In order to delay
      acquired resistance to EGFR TKIs, the French Intergroup (IFCT) has launched a
      combination trial of EGFR TKIs with an anti-estrogen (fulvestrant) in
      postmenopausal women, whereas other trials associate EGFR TKIs with EFGR
      monoclonal antibody cetuximab, or with a monoclonal antibody targeting c-met. 

PMID- 26118875
TI  - [Molecular taxonomy of luminal breast cancer in 2015].
AB  - Luminal breast cancers (i.e. displaying oestrogen receptor expression) account
      for 70 to 80% of all breast cancers. It encompasses a heterogeneous population of
      tumors, differing by their clinical course, histopathological characteristics,
      phenotypes and molecular features. As a continuum of lesions, luminal breast
      tumors are critically challenged by the recent evolution in treatment decision
      making. Indeed, whilst about half of luminal breast cancers are associated with a
      very good prognosis (so-called luminal A tumors with regard to the intrinsic
      molecular classification), 20% of luminal tumors display a poor clinical outcome
      (i.e. luminal B tumors), the remaining tumors corresponding to intermediate
      lesions that are very difficult to accurately classify. Clearly, therapeutic
      issues are critical, since according to the vast majority of international
      consensus guidelines luminal A tumors are best treated by endocrine therapy,
      whilst an additional adjuvant chemotherapy will be proposed to patients
      harbouring luminal B breast cancer. By providing precise histopathological,
      phenotypic and molecular characterization of luminal breast tumors, the
      pathologist is actually the cornerstone of this therapeutic decision. Herein we
      aim to review the state-of-the-art knowledge on luminal breast carcinomas, with a
      perspective of routine clinical practice in 2015. 

PMID- 26118876
TI  - [Advanced luminal breast cancer (hormone receptor-positive, HER2 negative): New
      therapeutic options in 2015].
AB  - Despite improvements in early detection, surgery and systemic therapy, metastatic
      breast cancer remains a major cause of death. Luminal type breast cancers
      expressing hormone estrogen receptor (ER) or progesterone (PR) and without HER2
      overexpression are generally sensitive to endocrine therapy, but raise the issue
      of the occurrence of resistance to treatment, particularly at metastatic stage. A
      better understanding of hormone resistance may guide the development of new
      therapeutics. New strategies aim at enhancing and prolonging of endocrine
      sensitivity, by optimizing existing schemes, or by combining an endocrine therapy
      with a targeted therapies specific to hormone resistance pathways: ER signaling,
      PI3K/AKT/mTOR and Cyclin Dependent Kinase (CDK). Key corners of 2014 include
      confirmation of benefit of high dose fulvestrant, and commercialization of
      everolimus as the first mTOR inhibitor in this indication. Other strategies are
      being tested dealing with new endocrine therapies or new molecular targets such
      as PI3K inhibitors, insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-R) and histone
      deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Coming years may be fruitful and might radically
      change our way to treat these patients. 

PMID- 26118877
TI  - [Work ability in cancer patients: Six years assessment after diagnosis in a
      cohort of 153 workers].
AB  - PURPOSE: If several studies analyse the working abilities of cancer survivors two
      years after the diagnosis, few of them analyse the long term becoming at work of
      these patients. Here we study a cohort of 153 workers, 6 years after they
      returned to work after experiencing a cancer in 2005 or 2006. All these workers
      participated in a previous study realised in 2008, two years after the diagnosis.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fourty occupational physicians included 153 workers out of
      the 319 particpating in a first study conducted in 2008. Two questionnaires were
      completed by both the worker and the occupationnal physician. Twenty four
      patients' interviews and nine physician's interviews were also realized for
      qualitative analysis. RESULTS: Six years after they returned to work, 46% were
      still working in the same company. Among patients aged less than 55 years (113
      out of 153), they were 20% to leave the company (a 4% annual rate). Concerning
      the 83 salaries still at work, sequelaes of the disease are often still present:
      fatigue (57%), sleep disorders (56% vs 34% at 2 years), memory and concentration
      disorders (34%) and chronic pain (16%). Thirty one percent reported serious
      anxious disorders vs 29% in 2008. Difficulties are still present in 71% of the
      responders. Fourty percent of the nonexecutive workers feeled penalized.
      Qualitative study shows that a successfull return to work is associated with a
      friendly environement, the support of the company, and a long term accompagnying
      policy. CONCLUSIONS: Six years after returning to work, one employee out of two
      is still working in the same company. Far to disappear, the identified
      difficulties two years after the diagnosis are still present, long time after
      stopping the treatments. A successfull return to work needs an important support
      from both the company and the co-workers.

PMID- 26118878
TI  - [Advance in the biology of pancreatic of cancer].
AB  - The understanding of the biology of pancreatic carcinoma has greatly benefited
      from studies of genetic/epigenetic alterations and molecular expression in
      experimental models as well as precancerous and cancerous tissues by mean of
      molecular amplification and large-scale transcriptoma analysis. P16, TP53,
      DPC4/Smad4 tumor suppressor pathways are genetically inactivated in the majority
      of pancreatic carcinomas, whereas oncogenic k-ras is activated. The activating
      point mutation of the KRAS oncogene on codon 12 is the major event and occurs
      early in pancreatic carcinogenesis. At a late stage of tumor development, an
      increase of telomerase activity, an over expression of growth factors and/or
      their receptors (EGF, Nerve Growth Factor, gastrin), of pro-angiogenic factors
      (VEGF, FGF, PDGF), of invasiveness factors (metalloproteinases, tissue
      plasminogen activators) occurs. The microenvironment plays also a key role in the
      invasive and metastatic process of pancreatic carcinoma with a strong
      relationship between cancerous cells and pancreatic stellate cells as well as
      extracellular matrix. This microenvironment strongly participates to the tumor
      fibrosis, hypoxia and hypovascularization inducing an inaccessibility of drugs.
      Nowadays, the targeting of microenvironment takes a special place in the new
      therapeutic strategies of pancreatic cancer in combination with chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26118879
TI  - [Pancreatic adenocarcinoma: 10 years of progress].
AB  - Despite the pejorative prognosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, significant
      progress has been made during the past decade at all steps of tumour development.
      Sporadic preneoplastic lesions are better recognized and a case-by-case
      prophylactic resection can be proposed. Both the identification and the screening
      of relatives at risk are in development. Availability of FOLFIRINOX and
      gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel combinations has stopped the long period of
      failures with gemcitabine doublets. Improvement in chemotherapy may benefit to
      borderline and locally-advanced forms of this cancer. They are now better
      evaluated by imaging and often, induction chemotherapy is proposed that allows to
      achieve a tumor control and then better select patients eligible for surgery in
      order to avoid unuseful/incomplete resection. The role of radiation therapy and
      other emerging local treatments merits further assessment. More robust data are
      needed for prognostic and predictive biomarkers to help in the choice of
      treatments. Finally, intensification of supportive care and shortened delay to
      access the treatment should be a major goal to improve the management of this
      disease. 

PMID- 26118880
TI  - [DNA mismatch repair and BRAF status in colorectal cancer: Interest for the
      therapeutic management?].
AB  - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality
      in France. Recently, colorectal cancer subtyping consortium (CRCSC) identified 4
      consensus molecular subtypes (CMS). CMS1 is enriched for CRC with deficient DNA
      mismatch repair system (dMMR) and tumors with mutated BRAF. Intriguingly, CMS1 is
      characterized by better relapse-free survival but worse survival after relapse,
      compared with the other subtypes. In this review, we provide a comprehensive
      overview of prognostic and predictive impacts of MMR and BRAF status. We
      highlight immune checkpoints inhibitors as potentially future therapeutics for
      CRC with deficient MMR. We also focus on the management of BRAF mutant metastatic
      CRC, with a particular interest on targeted therapies. 

PMID- 26118881
TI  - [Olaparib in ovarian cancer with BRCA mutation].
AB  - With 4500 new cases and 3200 death each year, ovarian cancer is the first cause
      of mortality for gynecological cancer in France. Without any efficient screening,
      it is usually diagnosed around the age of 60 years at an advanced stage. The
      emergence of olaparib, a new targeted therapy, represents a major opportunity. 

PMID- 26118882
TI  - [Ibrutinib: A new drug of B-cell malignancies].
AB  - Ibrutinib (Imbruvica(r)) is a first-in-class, orally administered once-daily,
      that inhibits B-cell antigen receptor signaling downstream of Bruton's tyrosine
      kinase (BTK). Ibrutinib has been approved in USA in February 2014 and in France
      in October 2014 for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory mantle
      cell lymphoma (MCL) or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and for the treatment
      of patients with CLL and a chromosome 17 deletion (del 17p) or TP53 mutation. In
      clinical studies, ibrutinib induced an impressive overall response rate (68%) in
      patients with relapsed/refractory MCL (phase II study). In CLL, ibrutinib has
      shown to significantly improve progression-free survival, response rate and
      overall survival in patients with relapsed/refractory CLL, including in those
      with del 17p. Ibrutinib had an acceptable tolerability profile. Less than 10% of
      patients discontinued their treatment because of adverse events. Results are
      pending in other B-cell lymphomas subtypes such as in diffuse large B-cell
      lymphoma and in follicular lymphoma. An approval extension has already been
      enregistered for Waldenstrom disease in USA in January 2015. Given its efficacy
      and tolerability, ibrutinib is an emerging treatment option for patients with B
      cell malignancies.

PMID- 26118883
TI  - [Molecular targeted therapies and cytotoxics: Friends or foes?].

PMID- 26118884
TI  - [Is chemotherapy still a valid option for oncogene-addicted lung cancer? Yes].
AB  - With the emergence of molecular targeted therapies in the management of non-small
      cell lung cancer, the role of conventional chemotherapy can be questioned. This
      article presents the key arguments for the use of cytotoxics in presence of a
      targetable alteration. 

PMID- 26118885
TI  - [Is chemotherapy still an option in oncogene-addicted non-small cell lung cancer?
      No].
AB  - With the emergence of molecular targeted therapies in the management of non-small
      cell lung cancer, the role of conventional chemotherapy can be questioned. This
      article presents the key arguments against the use of cytotoxics in presence of a
      targetable alteration. 

PMID- 26118887
TI  - Second-hand smoke and the risk of tuberculosis: a systematic review and a meta
      analysis.
AB  - There is limited evidence and lack of consensus whether second-hand smoke (SHS)
      increases risk of tuberculosis (TB), which has substantial implications for
      unrestricted smoking indoors and TB control policies. We aimed to establish the
      association between SHS and the risk of acquiring and worsening of TB in non
      smokers. We identified 428 articles in the initial search and 12 comparative
      epidemiological studies met our inclusion criteria. Exposure to SHS was found to
      have a higher risk of TB infection [risk ratio (RR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) 0.90-1.57] compared to non-exposure; however, this did not reach statistical
      significance. There was marked variability (I 2 = 74%, P = 0.0008) between
      studies' results, which could be explained by the differences in the diagnostic
      criteria used. Exposure to SHS was found to be statistically significantly
      associated (RR 1.59, 95% CI 1.11-2.27) with the risk of TB disease. There was
      significant heterogeneity (I 2 = 77%, P = 0.0006) between studies' results, which
      was sourced to the internal characteristics of the studies rather than combining
      different study designs. We did not find any studies for SHS and TB treatment
      related outcomes. Thus, we conclude that SHS exposure may increase the risk of
      acquiring TB infection and progression to TB disease; however, the evidence
      remains scanty and weak. 

PMID- 26118888
TI  - The efficacy of CT for detection of right ventricular dysfunction in acute
      pulmonary embolism, and comparison with cardiac biomarkers.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate results from computed
      tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) indicative of right ventricular
      dysfunction (RVD), and to assess the relationship of these results with cardiac
      biomarkers and mortality among patients with acute PE. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This retrospective study involved 118 patients with acute PE proved by CTPA. CTPA
      variables were analyzed and compared with cardiac biomarkers and echocardiography
      (ECHO) findings. RESULTS: Compared with ECHO, the sensitivity, specificity,
      positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of CTPA for detection of
      RVD were 85.7, 91.7, 93.7, and 81.5 %, respectively. ROC curve analysis for
      prediction of RVD resulted in areas under the curve of 0.925 for RV dimension (95
      % CI 0.879-0.971, p < 0.001) and 0.913 for main pulmonary artery (MPA) diameter
      (95 % CI 0.863-0.963, p < 0.001). The optimum cut-off values for prediction of
      RVD were 37.5 mm for RV dimension and 29.1 mm for MPA diameter. These values were
      also statistically significantly greater for non-survivors than for survivors (p
      = 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively) and significantly associated with cardiac
      biomarkers. CONCLUSION: It was found that CTPA findings were significantly
      associated with the presence of RVD in ECHO, cardiac biomarkers, and mortality of
      patients with acute PE.

PMID- 26118889
TI  - CT prediction of the degree of ovarian torsion.
AB  - PURPOSE: Torsion angle determines the incidence of necrosis among patients with
      ovarian torsion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association
      between torsion angle and findings on CT scan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed CT scan findings obtained less than 36 h before surgery
      for 31 patients with ovarian torsion. Ovarian torsion angles measured
      intraoperatively ranged from 90 degrees  to 1260 degrees . Ovaries with torsion
      angles less than 360 degrees  rarely develop necrosis. Patients were divided into
      two groups according to torsion angle: <360 degrees  (Group A) and >=360 degrees 
      (Group B). A lesion corresponding to an enlarged fallopian tube and mesovarium
      containing dilated veins between the uterus and twisted ovary is referred to as a
      "mass-like swelling". RESULTS: A mass-like swelling occurred more often in Group
      B (p < 0.05) and had the highest correlation with torsion angles >=360 degrees .
      A mass-like swelling lacking enhancement or a high-density area was significantly
      different between the groups (p < 0.05) and was also indicative of torsion angles
      >=360 degrees . CONCLUSION: A mass-like swelling alone or with a high-density
      area or lack of enhancement suggests an ovarian torsion angle >=360 degrees . The
      presence of these findings predict ovarian necrosis and may allow ovary-sparing
      treatment.

PMID- 26118890
TI  - Humanized mouse models of human cytomegalovirus infection.
AB  - The generation of humanized mouse models in which immune deficient mice are
      engrafted with human tissues allows for the direct in vivo investigation of human
      restricted viruses. These humanized mouse models have been developed and improved
      over the past 30 years. It is now possible to achieve high levels of human cell
      engraftment producing human myeloid and lymphoid lineage cells. Humanized mouse
      models have been increasingly utilized in the study of human cytomegalovirus
      (HCMV), a human-specific beta-herpesvirus that infects myeloprogenitor cells and
      establishes a life-long latency in the infected host. This review focuses on the
      strengths and limitations of the current humanized mouse models used to study
      HCMV replication, pathogenesis and treatment. 

PMID- 26118891
TI  - Analysis of volatile components from Melipona beecheii geopropolis from Southeast
      Mexico by headspace solid-phase microextraction.
AB  - A head space solid-phase microextraction method combined with gas chromatography
      mass spectrometry was developed and optimised to extract and analyse volatile
      compounds of Melipona beecheii geopropolis. Seventy-three constituents were
      identified using this technique in the sample of geopropolis collected. The main
      compounds detected include beta-fenchene (14.53-15.45%), styrene (8.72-9.98%),
      benzaldehyde (7.44-7.82%) and the most relevant volatile components presents at
      high level in the geopropolis were terpenoids (58.17%). 

PMID- 26118892
TI  - Early-onset childhood vitiligo is associated with a more extensive and
      progressive course.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Vitiligo commonly presents in children, with half of all cases
      developing before 20 years of age. Although studies have characterized
      differences between pediatric and adult vitiligo, little is known about vitiligo
      presenting in early childhood. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical
      features of early-onset (<3 years old) and later-onset (3-18 years old) childhood
      vitiligo. METHODS: This retrospective case series examined patients given a
      diagnosis of vitiligo in a pediatric dermatology practice at an academic medical
      center from 1990 to 2014. Characteristics of the early- and later-onset groups
      were compared by chi(2) and t test for categorical and continuous variables,
      respectively. RESULTS: Of the 208 children in the study, 31 had early-onset and
      177 had later-onset disease. Early-onset vitiligo was associated with higher
      percentages of body surface area involvement and increased rates of disease
      progression during an average 1.9 years of follow-up. There were no significant
      differences between the 2 groups in repigmentation, vitiligo type, halo nevi,
      gender ratio, or personal and family history of autoimmune diseases. LIMITATIONS:
      This was a retrospective, single-institution study. CONCLUSION: Patients given a
      diagnosis of vitiligo at younger ages tend to have more extensive and progressive
      disease.

PMID- 26118893
TI  - Sprite streamer initiation from natural mesospheric structures.
AB  - Sprites are large, luminous electrical discharges in the upper atmosphere caused
      by intense cloud-to-ground lightning flashes, manifesting an impulsive coupling
      mechanism between lower and upper atmospheric regions. Their dynamics are
      governed by filamentary streamer discharges whose propagation properties have
      been well studied by past work. However, how they are initiated is still under
      active debate. It has recently been concluded that ionospheric/mesospheric
      inhomogeneities are required for their initiation, but it is an open question as
      to what the sources of those inhomogeneities are. Here we present numerical
      simulation results to demonstrate that naturally-existing, small-scale
      mesospheric structures such as those created by gravity waves via instability and
      breaking are viable sources. The proposed theory is supported by a recent, unique
      high-speed observation from aircraft flying at 14-km altitude. The theory
      naturally explains many aspects of observed sprite streamer initiation and has
      important implications for future observational work. 

PMID- 26118894
TI  - Ring Expansion to 1-Bromo-1-alumacyclonona-2,4,6,8-tetraene by Insertion of Two
      Alkyne Molecules into the Al-C Bonds.
AB  - Treatment of 1-bromo-2,3,4,5-tetraethylalumole (1) with 3-hexyne afforded the
      corresponding product 1-bromo-1-alumacyclonona-2,4,6,8-tetraene (2), accompanied
      by the formation of hexaethylbenzene. In the crystalline state, 2 forms a Br
      bridged dimer with a pseudo C2-symmetric and twisted AlC8 nine-membered ring.
      Deuterium-labeling experiments and DFT calculations on the reaction of 1 with 3
      hexyne suggested that 1-bromo-1-alumacyclohepta-2,4,6-triene, which is formed by
      the insertion of one molecule of 1-hexyne into the Al-C bond of alumole 1, is the
      key intermediate for the generation of 2 as well as hexaethylbenzene.

PMID- 26118895
TI  - Molecular profiling of gliomas: potential therapeutic implications.
AB  - Gliomas are the most common primary malignant brain tumor. Over the last decade,
      significant advances have been made in the molecular characterization of this
      tumor group, identifying predictive biomarkers or molecular actionable targets,
      and paving the way to molecular-based targeted therapies. This personalized
      therapeutic approach is effective and illustrated in the present review. Among
      many molecular abnormalities, BRAF mutation and mTOR activation in pilocytic
      astrocytomas and subependymal giant cell astrocytomas are actionable targets
      sensitive to vemurafenib and everolimus, respectively. Chromosome arms 1p/19q co
      deletion and IDH mutational status are pivotal in driving delivery of early
      procarbazine, lomustine and vincristine chemotherapy in anaplastic
      oligodendroglial tumors. Although consensus to assess MGMT promoter methylation
      is not reached yet, it may be useful in predicting resistance to temozolomide in
      elderly patients. 

PMID- 26118896
TI  - Chemogenetic ablation of dopaminergic neurons leads to transient locomotor
      impairments in zebrafish larvae.
AB  - To determine the impact of a controlled loss of dopaminergic neurons on locomotor
      function, we generated transgenic zebrafish, Tg(dat:CFP-NTR), expressing a cyan
      fluorescent protein-nitroreductase fusion protein (CFP-NTR) under the control of
      dopamine transporter (dat) cis-regulatory elements. Embryonic and larval
      zebrafish express the transgene in several groups of dopaminergic neurons,
      notably in the olfactory bulb, telencephalon, diencephalon and caudal
      hypothalamus. Administration of the pro-drug metronidazole (Mtz) resulted in
      activation of caspase 3 in CFP-positive neurons and in a reduction in dat
      positive cells by 5 days post-fertilization (dpf). Loss of neurons coincided with
      impairments in global locomotor parameters such as swimming distance, percentage
      of time spent moving, as well as changes in tail bend parameters such as time to
      maximal bend and angular velocity. Dopamine levels were transiently decreased
      following Mtz administration. Recovery of some of the locomotor parameters was
      observed by 7 dpf. However, the total numbers of dat-expressing neurons were
      still decreased at 7, 12, or 14 dpf, even though there was evidence for
      production of new dat-expressing cells. Tg(dat:CFP-NTR) zebrafish provide a model
      to correlate altered dopaminergic neuron numbers with locomotor function and to
      investigate factors influencing regeneration of dopaminergic neurons.

PMID- 26118897
TI  - Sex-specific alterations in hippocampal cannabinoid 1 receptor expression
      following adolescent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol treatment in the rat.
AB  - Marijuana use by adolescents has been on the rise since the early 1990s. With
      recent legalization and decriminalization acts passed, cannabinoid exposure in
      adolescents will undoubtedly increase. Human studies are limited in their ability
      to examine underlying changes in brain biochemistry making rodent models
      valuable. Studies in adult and adolescent animals show region and sex specific
      downregulation of the cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor following chronic cannabinoid
      treatment. However, although sex-dependent changes in behavior have been observed
      during the drug abstinence period following adolescent cannabinoid exposure,
      little is known about CB1 receptor expression during this critical time. In order
      to characterize CB1 receptor expression following chronic adolescent Delta-9
      tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure, we used [(3)H] CP55,940 binding to assess
      CB1 receptor expression in the dentate gyrus and areas CA1, CA2, and CA3 of the
      hippocampus in both male and female adolescent rats at both 24h and 2 weeks post
      chronic THC treatment. Consistent with other reported findings, we found
      downregulation of the CB1 receptor in the hippocampal formation at 24h post
      treatment. While this downregulation persisted in both sexes following two weeks
      of abstinence in the CA2 region, in females, this downregulation also persisted
      in areas CA1 and CA3. Expression in the dentate gyrus returned to the normal
      range by two weeks. These data suggest that selective regions of the hippocampus
      show persistent reductions in CB1 receptor expression and that these reductions
      are more widespread in female compared to male adolescents. 

PMID- 26118898
TI  - The use of non-adult vertebral dimensions as indicators of growth disruption and
      non-specific health stress in skeletal populations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Traditional methods of detecting growth disruption have focused on
      deficiencies in the diaphyseal length of the long bones. This study proposes the
      implementation of vertebral measurements (body height and transverse diameter of
      the neural canal) from non-adults (0-17 years) as a new methodology for the
      identification of growth disruption. METHODS: Measurements of vertebral body
      height and transverse diameter were taken from 96 non-adult skeletons and 40
      adult skeletons from two post-medieval sites in England (Bow Baptist, London and
      Coronation Street, South Shields). Non-adult measurements were plotted against
      dental age to construct vertebral growth profiles through which inter-population
      comparisons could be made. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that both sites
      experienced some growth retardation in infancy, evident as deficiencies in
      transverse diameter. However, analysis of vertebral body height revealed
      different chronologies of growth disruption between the sites, with a later age
      of attainment of skeletal maturity recorded in the Bow Baptist sample.
      DISCUSSION: These vertebral dimensions undergo cessation of growth at different
      ages, with transverse diameter being "locked-in" by ~1-2 years of age, while
      vertebral body height may continue to grow into early adulthood. These
      measurements can therefore provide complementary information regarding the timing
      of growth disruption within archaeological populations. Non-adult vertebral
      measurements can increase our osteobiographical understanding of the timings of
      episodes of health stress, and allow for the analysis of growth when other
      skeletal elements are fragmentary.

PMID- 26118899
TI  - Current practices in percutaneous nephrolithotomy in Mexico: results of a nation
      wide electronic survey.
AB  - Practice patterns and choice of technological instruments in PCNL are not always
      standardized. There are no previous reports on the PCNL practice tendencies and
      patterns in Latin America. The aim of the study is to describe the current
      practice patterns of PCNL among the members of the Mexican Society of Urology
      ("Sociedad Mexicana de Urologia"). Observational and descriptive study. A 9-item
      closed questionnaire on PCNL practice patterns was answered by members of the
      Mexican Society of Urology in a secure website hosted survey after e-mail
      invitation. A descriptive numerical and graphical analysis was performed. A total
      of 90 contestants were registered out of 492 potential participants. PCNL is
      performed by 80% of the participants, with an average of 16 procedures per year.
      Percutaneous tracts are commonly obtained by urologists on the same day of the
      procedure. Sequential and telescopic dilators are equally preferred over
      balloons. The pneumatic litotriptor is the most common choice and CT scan and X
      ray are equally used as follow-up. The practice patterns of PCNL from Mexican
      urologists are different from other international reports. Influence of socio
      economic circumstances is inferred.

PMID- 26118900
TI  - Duration of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Drug-eluting Stents Implantation: The
      Jury Is Still Out.

PMID- 26118901
TI  - Preparation and characterization of erythromycin molecularly imprinted polymers
      based on distillation-precipitation polymerization.
AB  - Erythromycin-imprinted polymers with excellent recognition properties were
      prepared by an innovative strategy called distillation-precipitation
      polymerization. The interaction between erythromycin and methacrylic acid was
      studied by ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, and the as-prepared materials
      were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning
      electron microscopy. Moreover, their binding performances were evaluated in
      detail by static, kinetic and selective sorption tests. It was found that the
      molecularly imprinted polymers afforded good morphology, monodispersity, and high
      adsorption capacity when the fraction of the monomers was 7 vol% in the whole
      reaction system, and the adsorption data for imprinted polymers correlated well
      with the Langmuir model. The maximum capacity of the imprinted and the non
      imprinted polymers for adsorbing erythromycin is 44.03 and 19.95 mg/g,
      respectively. The kinetic studies revealed that the adsorption process fitted a
      pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Furthermore, the imprinted polymers display
      higher affinity toward erythromycin, compared with its analogue roxithromycin. 

PMID- 26118902
TI  - Mechanistic insights on the iodine(III)-mediated alpha-oxidation of ketones.
AB  - The synthesis of alpha-substituted carbonyl compounds is of great importance due
      to their ubiquity in both natural and man-made biologically active compounds. The
      field of hypervalent iodine chemistry has been a great contributor to access
      these molecules. For example, the alpha-oxidation of carbonyl compounds has been
      one of the most investigated iodine(III)-mediated stereoselective
      transformations. Yet, it is also the transformation that has met the most
      challenge in terms of achieving high stereoselectivities. The different
      mechanistic pathways of the iodine(III)-mediated alpha-tosyloxylation of ketones
      have been investigated. The calculations suggest an unprecedented iodine(III)
      promoted enolization process. Indications that iodonium intermediates could serve
      as proficient Lewis acids are reported. This concept could have broad impact and
      foster new developments in the field of hypervalent iodine chemistry. 

PMID- 26118903
TI  - Quantifying epitope presentation using mass spectrometry.
AB  - Understanding the absolute quantities of MHC-bound epitopes (pMHC) presented on
      the surface of cells has long been a critical missing element in our knowledge of
      antigen presentation to T cells. Until recently, attaining such information has
      been restricted to the use of pMHC complex-specific monoclonal antibodies or T
      cell assays probing fractionated peptides eluted from cells. Although successful
      in a variety of cases, such approaches are limited in their scope and feasibility
      due to the nature of the reagents they are reliant upon. Here we report on the
      advancement of targeted mass spectrometry techniques to provide simultaneous and
      direct measurements of the relative and absolute levels of pMHC molecules and its
      potential for impact upon the field of antigen processing and presentation. 

PMID- 26118905
TI  - Diastereodivergent Asymmetric 1,4-Addition of Oxindoles to Nitroolefins by Using
      Polyfunctional Nickel-Hydrogen-Bond-Azolium Catalysts.
AB  - Diastereodivergency is a challenge for catalytic asymmetric synthesis. For many
      reaction types, the generation of one diastereomer is inherently preferred, while
      the other diastereomers are not directly accessible with high efficiency and
      require circuitous synthetic approaches. Overwriting the inherent preference by
      means of a catalyst requires control over the spatial positions of both reaction
      partners. We report a novel polyfunctional catalyst type in which a Ni(II) 
      bis(phenoxyimine) unit, free hydroxy groups, and an axially chiral bisimidazolium
      entity participate in the stereocontrol of the direct 1,4-addition of oxindoles
      to nitroolefins. Both epimers of the 1,4-adduct are accessible in excess on
      demand by changes to the ligand constitution and configuration. As the products
      have been reported to be valuable precursors to indole alkaloids, this method
      should allow access to their epimeric derivatives. 

PMID- 26118904
TI  - Trends in gastric cancer incidence: a period and birth cohort analysis in a well
      defined French population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of gastric cancer has declined over the past decades.
      Little is known about trends by site and histological subtype. The aim of this
      study was to analyze changes in gastric cancer incidence patterns in a French
      well-defined population. METHODS: Data on patients with an epithelial gastric
      cancer diagnosed between 1982 and 2011 were collected by the population-based
      digestive cancer registry of Burgundy (n = 4694). Time trends in gastric cancer
      incidence by period of diagnosis and birth cohort were analyzed by sex, subsite,
      and histological type. RESULTS: There was a decrease in incidence rates for
      antral carcinomas (-2.6 % per year in males, -2.5 % per year in females; p <
      0.001) and corpus carcinomas (-3.3 % and -3.2 %, respectively; p < 0.001). Annual
      percentage changes were not significant for fundus carcinomas in both sexes and
      cardia carcinoma in females, although they increased in males (+1.0 % per year; p
      < 0.02).When comparing the 1900 cohort and the 1950 cohort, there was a five- to
      sevenfold decrease in the cumulative risk at 0-79 years for corpus and antral
      carcinomas in both sexes and a threefold decrease for fundus carcinomas. There
      were minor variations for cardia carcinomas. There was a decrease of incidence
      both by period of diagnosis and by birth cohort for adenocarcinoma and colloid
      carcinoma. It was more marked for undifferentiated carcinoma. The variation for
      signet-ring carcinoma was minor. CONCLUSION: Temporal variations in incidence
      rates of gastric cancer differed according to subsite and histology, suggesting
      different etiological factors. Available analytical studies provide an
      explanation for the reported trends by subsite.

PMID- 26118906
TI  - The Anthelmintic Drug Niclosamide Inhibits the Proliferative Activity of Human
      Osteosarcoma Cells by Targeting Multiple Signal Pathways.
AB  - Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant tumor of bone with a high
      propensity for lung metastasis. Despite significant advances in surgical
      techniques and chemotherapeutic regimens over the past few decades, there has
      been minimal improvement in OS patient survival. There is an urgent need to
      identify novel antitumor agents to treat human OS. Repurposing the clinically
      used drugs represents a rapid and effective approach to the development of new
      anticancer agents. The anthelmintic drug niclosamide has recently been identified
      as a potential anticancer agent in human cancers. Here, we investigate if
      niclosamide can be developed as an anti-OS drug. We find that niclosamide can
      effectively inhibit OS cell proliferation and survival at low micromolar
      concentrations. Cell migration and wounding closure are significantly inhibited
      by niclosamide. Niclosamide induces cell apoptosis and inhibits cell cycle
      progression in OS cells. Analysis of niclosamide's effect on 11 cancer-related
      signal pathway reporters reveals that three of them, the E2F1, AP1, and c-Myc
      responsive reporters, are significantly inhibited. To a lesser extent, the
      HIF1alpha, TCF/LEF, CREB, NFkappaB, Smad/TGFbeta, and Rbpj/Notch pathway
      reporters are also inhibited, while the NFAT and Wnt/beta-catenin reporters are
      not significantly affected by niclosamide treatment. We demonstrate that the
      expression of c-Fos, c-Jun. E2F1, and c-Myc in OS cells is effectively inhibited
      by niclosamide. Furthermore, niclosamide is shown to effectively inhibit tumor
      growth in a mouse xenograft tumor model of human osteosarcoma cells. Taken
      together, these results strongly suggest that niclosamide may exert its
      anticancer activity in OS cells by targeting multiple signaling pathways. Future
      investigations should be directed to exploring the antitumor activity in
      clinically relevant OS models and ultimately in clinical trials. 

PMID- 26118907
TI  - An Innovative Fluorescent Semi-quantitative Methylation-specific PCR Method for
      the Determination of MGMT Promoter Methylation is Reflecting Intra-tumor
      Heterogeneity.
AB  - High grade gliomas (HGG) are usually associated with a very dismal prognosis,
      which was moderately improving in the last decade with the introduction of the
      alkylating agent temozolomide in their treatment. The methylation status of MGMT
      (O6 methylguanine DNA-methyltransferase) promoter is one of the strongest
      predictive and prognostic factors for the patient chemoresponse. For instance,
      the molecular method of assessment for MGMT promoter status is not standardized.
      In this background, we developed a fluorescent capillary gel electrophoresis
      based methylation specific-PCR. This technique allowed a semi-quantitative
      estimate of the relative ratio between methylated and unmethylated alleles. The
      efficacy and accuracy of the technique was assessed in a retrospective cohort of
      178 newly diagnosed adult HGGs, who were homogeneously treated. First, we
      analyzed the impact on survival of different cut-off points in the MGMT promoter
      methylation and, to go further, we correlated these different rates to other well
      known prognostic molecular factors involved in adult HGGs. This strategy allowed
      to validate our technique as a very sensitive technique (detection of a low
      methylation percentage, < 5%), which was feasible in fresh-frozen as well as in
      FFPE samples and had the propensity to detect intra-tumor heterogeneity. This
      technique identified a new sub-group of anaplastic oligodendrogliomas or
      oligoastrocytomas defined by a minor methylation and a worse outcome and,
      therefore, will help to substratify accurately into more homogeneous subgroups of
      methylated tumors. 

PMID- 26118908
TI  - Advanced lipid systems containing beta-carotene: stability under UV-vis radiation
      and application on porcine skin in vitro.
AB  - Phospholipid-based nanostructures, bicelles and bicosomes, are proposed as
      carriers of the antioxidant beta-carotene. The stability of these nanostructures
      and their carotenoid cargo was evaluated in an oxidation environment induced by
      ultraviolet A, visible and infrared A radiation (UVA-VIS-IRA). Additionally, the
      effect of these nanoaggregates on non-irradiated and irradiated skin
      microstructure was studied. The characterization of the lipid systems was
      performed using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and cryo-transmission electron
      microscopy (Cryo-TEM) and lipid peroxidation of the systems was determined by
      thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) assay. Moreover, the stability of beta-carotene in
      these lipid systems under this radiation was investigated using Raman
      spectroscopy. The results showed that the particle size of the bicelles did not
      change due to radiation. However, the size of the bicosomes increased slightly
      after irradiation. The TBARS assay showed the absence of peroxides in the
      bicelles and bicosomes, indicating the preservation of the lipid molecules under
      the radiation used. Raman experiments showed that bicosomes protected beta
      carotene from degradation induced by radiation better than liposomes or
      dissolution in chloroform. With respect to the skin microstructure, no changes
      after irradiation were observed via freeze substitution transmission electron
      microscopy (FSTEM). This technique also showed the presence of vesicular
      structures in the stratum corneum (SC) after treatment with bicosomes. 

PMID- 26118909
TI  - Characteristics of alpha males in Nepal gray langurs.
AB  - In species with strong male-male competition, access to females in multimale
      multifemale groups is usually regulated via a dominance hierarchy. The highest
      ranking (alpha) male often has priority of access and sires most offspring. The
      alpha male can change in three basic ways: (i) a recent immigrant or a resident
      challenges and becomes the new alpha; (ii) formation of a new group; (iii)
      succession-becoming alpha after higher ranking males have left. When, in a given
      primate population, the alpha male changes in different ways, two questions
      arise: (a) which is the most successful tactic and (b) do male attributes, such
      as age, aggressiveness or propensity to commit infanticide, affect the outcome?
      We examined these questions in the seasonally breeding Nepal gray langurs
      (Semnopithecus schistaceus) at Ramnagar, where new alpha males were either recent
      immigrants or residents. Success was measured as alpha tenure, residency
      duration, and the number of offspring sired (paternity exclusion based on DNA
      analysis, 28 infants). We documented 12 alpha-male tenures across two multimale
      multifemale groups between 1991 and 1997. The predominant mode of change was the
      immigrant tactic. Age had no effect perhaps because alpha males were among the
      youngest adult males in their group. As expected, infanticidal males performed
      similarly to non-infanticidal ones. Alpha tenure was highly variable and longer
      for immigrant alphas and hyper-aggressive ones. However, none of the tactics or
      attributes examined resulted in significantly longer residencies or more
      offspring, likely because of the timing of immigrations and stochastic effects
      (i.e., the number of conceptions occurring per alpha tenure). The influence of
      female mate choice on male reproductive success requires further investigation.
      Furthermore, it remains to be examined why resident alpha males-with their
      presumed better knowledge of their opponents -performed so poorly. Am. J.
      Primatol. 79:e22437, 2017. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26118910
TI  - Sleep neurobiology and critical care illness.
AB  - The intensive care unit (ICU) environment is not propitious for restoring sleep
      and many studies have reported that critically ill patients have severe sleep
      disruptions. However, sleep alterations in critically ill patients are specific
      and differ significantly from those in ambulatory patients. Polysomnographic
      patterns of normal sleep are frequently lacking in critically ill patients and
      the neurobiology of sleep is important to consider regarding alternative methods
      to quantify sleep in the ICU. This article discusses elements of sleep
      neurobiology affecting the specificity of sleep patterns and sleep alterations in
      patients admitted to the ICU. 

PMID- 26118911
TI  - Circadian dysrhythmias in the intensive care unit.
AB  - Circadian rhythms underlie nearly all physiologic functions and organ systems.
      Circadian abnormalities have attendant implications for critical illness
      survival. The intensive care unit (ICU) environment, with its lack of diurnal
      variation in sound, light, and social cues, may precipitate circadian
      dysrhythmias. Additional features of critical care, including mechanical
      ventilation and sedation, likely perpetuate circadian misalignment. Critical
      illness itself, from sepsis to severe brain injury, can compromise circadian
      health. Use of daylight, time-restricted feedings, and administration of
      melatonin can possibly restore circadian rhythm. However, further study is
      necessary to assess the effectiveness of these interventions and their impact on
      ICU outcomes. 

PMID- 26118912
TI  - Sleep and the endocrine system.
AB  - In this article, the effect of sleep and sleep disorders on endocrine function
      and the influence of endocrine abnormalities on sleep are discussed. Sleep
      disruption and its associated endocrine consequences in the critically ill
      patient are also reviewed. 

PMID- 26118913
TI  - Obesity hypoventilation syndrome in the critically ill.
AB  - This article summarizes available data on the obesity hypoventilation syndrome
      and its pertinence to intensivists, outlines clinical and pathophysiologic
      aspects of the disease, discusses multidisciplinary treatments, and reviews the
      available literature on outcomes specific to the critically ill patient. 

PMID- 26118914
TI  - Noninvasive ventilation in critically ill patients.
AB  - Since its first application in the late 1980s, noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has
      been the first-line intervention for certain forms of acute respiratory failure.
      NIV may be delivered through the patient's mouth, nose, or both using noninvasive
      intermittent positive pressure ventilation or continuous positive airway
      pressure. When applied appropriately, NIV may reduce morbidity and mortality and
      may avert iatrogenic complications and infections associated with invasive
      mechanical ventilation. This article provides physicians and respiratory
      therapists with a comprehensive, practical guideline for using NIV in critical
      care. 

PMID- 26118915
TI  - Restless legs syndrome.
AB  - Restless legs syndrome is a common sensorimotor disorder characterized by an urge
      to move, and associated with uncomfortable sensations in the legs (limbs).
      Restless legs syndrome can lead to sleep-onset or sleep-maintenance insomnia, and
      occasionally excessive daytime sleepiness, all leading to significant morbidity.
      Brain iron deficiency and dopaminergic neurotransmission abnormalities play a
      central role in the pathogenesis of this disorder, along with other
      nondopaminergic systems, although the exact mechanisms are still. Intensive care
      unit patients are especially vulnerable to have unmasking or exacerbation of
      restless legs syndrome because of sleep deprivation, circadian rhythm
      disturbance, immobilization, iron deficiency, and use of multiple medications
      that can antagonize dopamine. 

PMID- 26118917
TI  - Perioperative issues and sleep-disordered breathing.
AB  - Sleep-disordered breathing in the perioperative setting poses an increase in both
      perceived and demonstrated challenges for health care providers. Some of these
      challenges relate to identifying patients at high risk for obstructive sleep
      apnea prior to surgery. Other management challenges include identifying the
      proper monitoring techniques, using the correct mix of pharmacologic and
      nonpharmacologic strategies to manage these patients, and identifying the proper
      and safe disposition strategy after surgery. Additional populations, such as
      pediatrics and the morbidly obese, are also highlighted, which may help address
      questions in populations that are frequently managed in the critical care setting
      postoperatively. 

PMID- 26118916
TI  - Congestive heart failure and central sleep apnea.
AB  - Congestive heart failure (CHF) is among the most common causes of admission to
      hospitals in the United States, especially in those over age 65. Few data exist
      regarding the prevalence CHF of Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) owing to
      congestive heart failure in the intensive care unit (ICU). Nevertheless, CSR is
      expected to be highly prevalent among those with CHF. Treatment should focus on
      the underlying mechanisms by which CHF increases loop gain and promotes unstable
      breathing. Few data are available to determine prevalence of CSR in the ICU, or
      how CSR might affect clinical management and weaning from mechanical ventilation.

PMID- 26118918
TI  - Seizures in sleep: clinical spectrum, diagnostic features, and management.
AB  - Sleep is disrupted in most patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit and
      the disturbances are even more profound in patients impacted by epilepsy.
      Nocturnal seizures must be differentiated from other common nocturnal events,
      such as delirium, parasomnias, and sedation. Many antiepileptic drugs produce
      undesirable side effects on sleep architecture that may further predispose
      patients to insomnia during the night and excessive sedation and hypersomnolence
      during the day. Failure to recognize, correctly diagnose, and adequately manage
      these disturbances may lead to more prolonged hospitalization, increased risk for
      nosocomial infections, poorer health-related qualify of life, and greater health
      care financial burden. 

PMID- 26118920
TI  - Sleep in traumatic brain injury.
AB  - More than one-half million patients are hospitalized annually for traumatic brain
      injury (TBI). One-quarter demonstrate sleep-disordered breathing, up to 50%
      experience insomnia, and half have hypersomnia. Sleep disturbances after TBI may
      result from injury to sleep-regulating brain tissue, nonspecific neurohormonal
      responses to systemic injury, ICU environmental interference, and medication side
      effects. A diagnosis of sleep disturbances requires a high index of suspicion and
      appropriate testing. Treatment starts with a focus on making the ICU environment
      conducive to normal sleep. Treating sleep-disordered breathing likely has outcome
      benefits in TBI. The use of sleep promoting sedative-hypnotics and anxiolytics
      should be judicious. 

PMID- 26118919
TI  - Neuromuscular disorders and sleep in critically ill patients.
AB  - Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a frequent presenting manifestation of
      neuromuscular disorders and can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. If
      not recognized and addressed early in the clinical course, SDB can lead to
      clinical deterioration with respiratory failure. The pathophysiologic basis of
      SDB in neuromuscular disorders, clinical features encountered in specific
      neuromuscular diseases, and diagnostic and management strategies for SDB in
      neuromuscular patients in the critical care setting are reviewed. Noninvasive
      positive pressure ventilation has been a crucial advance in critical care
      management, improving sleep quality and often preventing or delaying mechanical
      ventilation and improving survival in neuromuscular patients. 

PMID- 26118921
TI  - Sedation in critically ill patients.
AB  - Sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU) is a topic that has been frequently
      researched, and debate still exists as to what are the best sedative agents for
      critically ill patients. There is increasing interest in sleep and circadian
      rhythm disturbances in the ICU and how they may impact on outcomes. In addition
      to patient-related and ICU environmental factors that likely impact sleep and
      circadian rhythm in the ICU, sedative and analgesic medications may also play a
      role. 

PMID- 26118922
TI  - Delirium in critically ill patients.
AB  - Delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU) is a common diagnosis, with an
      incidence ranging between 45% and 87%. Delirium represents a significant burden
      both to the patient and to the health care system, with a 3.2-fold increase in 6
      month mortality and annual US health care costs up to $16 billion. In this
      review, the diagnosis, epidemiology, and risk factors for delirium in the ICU are
      discussed. The pathophysiology of delirium and evolving prevention and treatment
      modalities are outlined. 

PMID- 26118923
TI  - Sleep and circadian rhythms in the intensive care unit.

PMID- 26118924
TI  - Chemical and Metabolic Profiling of Si-Ni Decoction Analogous Formulae by High
      performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Along with an indispensable role in healthcare system of China for centuries,
      Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) shows increasing usages as complementary
      therapy in western countries. To improve our understanding on their therapeutic
      effects, it's critical to unveil chemical compositions of TCM formula, the
      predominant form of therapy in TCM. However, intrinsic chemical complexity makes
      it a challenging task to perform analysis on each individual TCM formula even
      with most current state-of-art analytic techniques available. In this work we
      approached this question by focusing on analogous formulae, a unique category of
      TCM formulae grouped together based on shared herbs and/or similar TCM syndromes.
      Systematic chemical profiling on five Si-Ni decoctions (SNs) for cardiovascular
      diseases was performed by multistage MS and high-resolution MS (HR-MS)
      experiments. A total of 83 compounds, including alkaloids, flavonoids,
      ginsenosides, bile acids and triterpenoids, were described. Analysis on SNs
      treated rats detected 55 prototype compounds and 39 metabolites in the systemic
      circulation in vivo, which may contribute directly to their observed clinical
      efficacies. This approach offers great advantage to speed up identification of
      chemical compositions of formula and reveal the difference among these analogous
      formulae that may be related to diverse clinical effects. 

PMID- 26118925
TI  - Endoscopic Balloon Dilation of Esophageal Strictures in 9 Horses.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical treatment of esophageal strictures in horses is limited and
      the use of balloon dilatation is described in few cases. Long-term follow up
      after balloon dilatation and the use of intralesional corticosteroids has not
      been evaluated. OBJECTIVES: To describe the use of endoscopic guided, esophageal
      balloon dilatation in horses for cervical and thoracic esophageal strictures and
      administration of intralesional corticosteroids at the time of dilatation.
      ANIMALS: Nine horses from the hospital population with benign esophageal
      strictures. METHODS: Retrospective study: Medical records were reviewed from
      horses presented to the William R. Pritchard, Veterinary Medical Teaching
      Hospital at UC Davis from 2002 to 2013. Records were searched using the key
      words: equine, horse, balloon dilatation, bougienage, and esophageal stricture.
      RESULTS: Nine horses with esophageal strictures were treated with esophageal
      balloon dilatation. Five horses survived (survival at writing ranged from 2 to 11
      years after discharge) and all nonsurvivors were <1 year of age and presented
      with concurrent problems or developed complications including megaesophagus,
      unresolved esophageal obstruction requiring esophagostomy, or severe aspiration
      pneumonia. Four horses were treated with intralesional corticosteroids with no
      adverse effects noted in the survivors (n = 3). Four horses available for long
      term follow up were alive at 2, 5, 6, and 11 years after presentation and 3 of
      these horses were being fed a hay-based diet. CONCLUSIONS: Resolution of
      esophageal strictures in the horse can be performed successfully, safely, and
      under standing sedation using balloon dilatation. Intralesional corticosteroids
      might reduce the incidence of recurrent strictures.

PMID- 26118926
TI  - Anesthesia for liver transplantation.
AB  - Patients with end stage liver disease (ESLD) have complex problems such as
      cirrhotic cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, hepatopulmonary syndrome
      (HPS), portopulmonary hypertension (POPH), hepatic encephalopathy, intracranial
      hypertension, (ICP), left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO), high
      Model of end liver disease (MELD) scores, hyponatremia, and coagulopathies. The
      anesthesia management for liver transplantation can be very complex, dynamic and
      challenging. Anesthesia agents affect hepatic blood flow and anesthetic drug
      distribution, metabolism and elimination maybe altered in end stage liver
      disease. Other non-anesthetic agents such as nitric oxide, epoprosterenol, THAM,
      hypertonic saline, fibrinogen concentrates, fresh frozen plasma, platelets,
      packed red blood cells, recombinant plasminogen activator, calcium chloride,
      epinephrine etc. may play a vital role in the perioperative management of these
      patients. Intraoperative hemostasis and coagulation management can be very
      arduous as these patients may bleed or be at risk for thrombosis. Monitoring
      modalities such as Thromboelastography (TEG), Transcranial Doppler (TCD),
      Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE), Bispectral Index (BIS) and Optic Nerve
      Sheath Diameter (ONSD) ultrasound play a significant role in various
      circumstances. Surgical techniques include complete or partial occlusion of the
      inferior vena cava (IVC) with or without use of venovenous bypass (VVBP) or
      portocaval shunts. Post reperfusion syndrome (PRS) is a crucial event in this
      procedure, where patients may experience arrhythmia and/or cardiac arrest.
      Anesthetic handling of this phase has been recapitulated in detail. Provision of
      anesthesia services to the living liver transplant donor and pain management has
      been outlined. 

PMID- 26118929
TI  - Antagonistic functionalized nucleation and oxidative degradation in combustive
      formation of pyrene-based clusters mediated by triplet O and O2 : theoretical
      study.
AB  - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and carbonaceous nanoparticles can be
      oxidized right from their inception and all through their growth. Oxidation can
      also promote their degradation. This modelistic density functional theory (DFT)
      study explores, in a descriptive manner, if oxidation can mediate the earliest
      stages of nucleation ("functionalized nucleation"), though contrasted by mass
      declension triggered by oxidation itself. Initial O ((3) P) attack onto pyrene,
      chosen as a representative of a generic small PAH or nascent soot lamella, forms
      an oxyl diradical intermediate that can evolve into an open-shell epoxide,
      phenol, or ketone species or, alternatively, undergo mass depletion from the
      beginning (without impeding further additions). Open-shell intermediates can add
      O or O2 ((3) Sigmag (-) ) and ethyne, in any order, and open the way, through
      formation of carbon and oxygen bridges, to the addition of a second molecule of
      pyrene, whereas formation of direct carbon-carbon links between the two PAH-like
      parts might also occur. 

PMID- 26118928
TI  - HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors Bind to PPARalpha to Upregulate Neurotrophin
      Expression in the Brain and Improve Memory in Mice.
AB  - Neurotrophins are important for neuronal health and function. Here, statins,
      inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase and cholesterol lowering drugs, were found to
      stimulate expression of neurotrophins in brain cells independent of the
      mevalonate pathway. Time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)
      analyses, computer-derived simulation, site-directed mutagenesis, thermal shift
      assay, and de novo binding followed by electrospray ionization tandem mass
      spectrometry (ESI-MS) demonstrates that statins serve as ligands of PPARalpha and
      that Leu331 and Tyr 334 residues of PPARalpha are important for statin binding.
      Upon binding, statins upregulate neurotrophins via PPARalpha-mediated
      transcriptional activation of cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB).
      Accordingly, simvastatin increases CREB and brain-derived neurotrophic factor
      (BDNF) in the hippocampus of Ppara null mice receiving full-length lentiviral
      PPARalpha, but not L331M/Y334D statin-binding domain-mutated lentiviral
      PPARalpha. This study identifies statins as ligands of PPARalpha, describes
      neurotrophic function of statins via the PPARalpha-CREB pathway, and analyzes the
      importance of PPARalpha in the therapeutic success of simvastatin in an animal
      model of Alzheimer's disease. 

PMID- 26118930
TI  - Morphometric analysis and developmental comparison of embryos from carriers with
      balanced chromosomal rearrangements in preimplantation genetic diagnosis cycles.
AB  - The morphological parameters of embryos from 22 carriers with balanced
      chromosomal rearrangements (CRs) were quantified and evaluated to determine their
      possible link to chromosomal composition. The morphometric characteristics of 168
      embryos diagnosed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation were measured using an
      imaging tool and then analysed retrospectively. The mean zygotic diameter of
      normal-balanced embryos was significantly smaller compared with that of abnormal
      embryos (P=0.015). In addition, the reduction in total cytoplasmic volume for Day
      3 embryos was significantly lower in normal or balanced embryos than in abnormal
      embryos (P=0.027). Moreover, the pronuclear volumes of embryos that failed to
      reach the blastocyst stage were significantly smaller compared with those of
      blastocysts (P=0.016). These findings indicate that morphometric characteristics
      are correlated with developmental outcomes as well as with chromosomal
      composition in embryos from balanced CR carriers. However, an effective indicator
      of developmental outcomes may not accurately reflect chromosomal composition.
      Combining morphometric and traditional qualitative assessment may increase the
      precision and standardisation of embryo evaluation as well as contributing to
      improved efficiency of preimplantation genetic diagnosis by selecting embryos
      with high developmental potential and preferentially testing embryos predicted to
      have a low risk of chromosomal imbalance.

PMID- 26118931
TI  - The BIG Score and Prediction of Mortality in Pediatric Blunt Trauma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between in-hospital mortality and the BIG
      (composed of the base deficit [B], International normalized ratio [I], Glasgow
      Coma Scale [G]) score measured on arrival to the emergency department in
      pediatric blunt trauma patients, adjusted for pre-hospital intubation, volume
      administration, and presence of hypotension and head injury. We also examined the
      association between the BIG score and mortality in patients requiring admission
      to the intensive care unit (ICU). STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective 2001-2012 trauma
      database review of patients with blunt trauma <= 17 years old with an Injury
      Severity score >= 12. Charts were reviewed for in-hospital mortality, components
      of the BIG score upon arrival to the emergency department, prehospital
      intubation, crystalloids >= 20 mL/kg, presence of hypotension, head injury, and
      disposition. RESULTS: 50/621 (8%) of the study patients died. Independent
      mortality predictors were the BIG score (OR 11, 95% CI 6-25), prior fluid bolus
      (OR 3, 95% CI 1.3-9), and prior intubation (OR 8, 95% CI 2-40). The area under
      the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.95 (CI 0.93-0.98), with the
      optimal BIG cutoff of 16. With BIG <16, death rate was 3/496 (0.006, 95% CI 0.001
      0.007) vs 47/125 (0.38, 95% CI 0.15-0.7) with BIG >= 16, (P < .0001). In patients
      requiring admission to the ICU, the BIG score remained predictive of mortality
      (OR 14.3, 95% CI 7.3-32, P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: The BIG score accurately
      predicts mortality in a population of North American pediatric patients with
      blunt trauma independent of pre-hospital interventions, presence of head injury,
      and hypotension, and identifies children with a high probability of survival (BIG
      <16). The BIG score is also associated with mortality in pediatric patients with
      trauma requiring admission to the ICU.

PMID- 26118932
TI  - An Update on Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis and Food Allergies.

PMID- 26118927
TI  - NAD(+) Metabolism and the Control of Energy Homeostasis: A Balancing Act between
      Mitochondria and the Nucleus.
AB  - NAD(+) has emerged as a vital cofactor that can rewire metabolism, activate
      sirtuins, and maintain mitochondrial fitness through mechanisms such as the
      mitochondrial unfolded protein response. This improved understanding of NAD(+)
      metabolism revived interest in NAD(+)-boosting strategies to manage a wide
      spectrum of diseases, ranging from diabetes to cancer. In this review, we
      summarize how NAD(+) metabolism links energy status with adaptive cellular and
      organismal responses and how this knowledge can be therapeutically exploited. 

PMID- 26118933
TI  - Immunization of sea bream (Sparus aurata) juveniles against Photobacterium
      damselae subsp. piscicida by short bath: Effect on some pro-inflammatory
      molecules and the Mx gene expression.
AB  - Cytokines are a family of proteins derived from macrophages, lymphocytes,
      granulocytes, mast cells and epithelial cells and can be divided into interferons
      (IFNs), Interleukins (ILs) and Tumor Necrosis factors (TNFs) among others. The
      presence of cytokines in a wide number of fish species has been proved and
      several molecules types have been already cloned and sequenced. In this work some
      proinflamatory molecules and Mx gene were detected in the liver of vaccinated sea
      bream juveniles with an average body weight of 5 g. The method of immunization
      was by short bath and three different bacterins against the marine pathogen
      Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida were designed and used to immunize fish.
      Five genes encoding for five different molecules were analyzed by real time PCR:
      IL-1beta, IL Ir-2, Cox-2, Mx and TNFalpha. Gene expression was quantified along
      four days after fish immunization and results were compared among groups. Results
      show that the heat-inactivated vaccine stimulates the up-regulation of IL-1beta,
      IL Ir-2, Cox-2 and TNFalpha genes whereas the UV-light inactivated vaccine was
      the unique vaccine which stimulates the expression of Mx gene. The present is a
      novel study that shows by the first time the effect of the inactivation process
      of vaccines on the expression levels of genes involved in the defense against
      Photobacterium damselae subsp piscicida.

PMID- 26118934
TI  - The effect of banana (Musa acuminata) peels hot-water extract on the immunity and
      resistance of giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii via dietary
      administration for a long term: Activity and gene transcription.
AB  - The non-specific immune parameters, disease resistance and immune genes
      expressions in Macrobrachium rosenbergii were evaluated at 120 days of post
      feeding the diets containing the extracts of banana, Musa acuminate, fruit's peel
      (banana peels extract, BPE) at 0, 1.0, 3.0 and 6.0 g kg(-1). Results showed that
      prawns fed with a diet containing BPE at the level of 1.0, 3.0 and 6.0 g kg(-1)
      for 120 days had a significantly higher survival rate (30.0%, 40.0% and 56.7%,
      respectively) than those fed with the control diet after challenge with
      Lactococcus garvieae for 144 h, and the respective relative survival percentages
      were 22.2%, 33.3%, and 51.9%, respectively. Dietary BPE supplementation at 3.0
      and/or 6.0 g kg(-1) for 120 days showed a significant increase total haemocyte
      count (THC), granular cell (GC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity,
      phenoloxidase (PO) activity, transglutaminase (TG) activity, and phagocytic
      activity and clearance efficiency to L. garvieae infection, and meanwhile, the
      significant decrease in haemolymph clotting times and respiratory bursts (RBs)
      per haemocyte of prawns were revealed. Furthermore, the mRNA expressions of
      prophenoloxidase (proPO), lipopolysaccharide and beta-1,3-glucan binding protein
      (LGBP), peroxinectin (PE), transglutaminase (TG), and crustin (CT) were
      significantly increased. We therefore recommend that BPE can be used as an
      immunomodulator for prawns through dietary administration at 6.0 g kg(-1) for a
      long term (over 120 days) to modify immune responses and genes expression
      following the enhanced resistance against pathogens.

PMID- 26118935
TI  - The efficacy and safety of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin vs rabbit anti-T
      lymphocyte globulin in peripheral blood stem cell transplantation from unrelated
      donors.
AB  - The comparative efficacy and safety of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) at fixed
      doses in patients undergoing allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell
      transplantation from unrelated donors (UR-PBSCT) has not been evaluated. In this
      study, the records of 56 patients and 54 patients who received pre-transplant ATG
      Thymoglobulin (ATG-T) at a total dose of 10 mg/kg and ATG- Fresenius (ATG-F) at a
      total dose of 20 mg/kg, respectively, were retrospectively analyzed. ATG-F
      patients had a significantly lower probability of developing chronic graft-vs
      host disease (cGVHD) than those treated with ATG-T (p = 0.04). ATG-F was
      associated with a non-significant trend towards lower relapse rates and higher
      survival at 3- and 5-years of follow-up compared with ATG-T. A significantly
      greater proportion of ATG-T patients experienced chills and high fever than ATG-F
      patients (p < 0.01). The current findings suggest that ATG-F may more effectively
      and safely prevent cGVHD without increasing relapse rates in patients undergoing
      UR-PBSCT.

PMID- 26118936
TI  - The Reliability of the Reflux Finding Score Among General Otolaryngologists.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The reflux finding score (RFS) is a validated clinical severity scale
      for findings of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) on fiberoptic laryngoscopy. To our
      knowledge, there have been no studies to determine whether severity of patient
      symptoms influence the RFS; in addition, the reliability of the RFS has not been
      tested for general otolaryngologists. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study
      were (1) to determine whether the RFS for LPR is influenced by symptoms of reflux
      and (2) to determine the inter-rater reliability for general otolaryngologists in
      diagnosing LPR using the RFS. METHODS: Ten general otolaryngologists were
      selected to participate. Participants were asked to complete an Internet survey
      consisting of flexible endoscopic videos of larynges with varying physical
      findings of reflux and grade the severity of reflux using the RFS. The videos
      were randomly shown with and without accompanying patient symptoms. RESULTS: Our
      data suggest that patient symptoms influence the RFS. Inter-rater reliability for
      general otolaryngologists using the RFS is fair. CONCLUSIONS: Among general
      otolaryngologists in our study, the reliability and objectivity of the RFS in
      diagnosing reflux cannot be demonstrated.

PMID- 26118937
TI  - Maternal cardiac and obstetric performance in consecutive pregnancies in women
      with heart disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Second pregnancies are usually less complicated than first
      pregnancies, and have a better outcome in terms of fetal growth. We studied a
      group of women with heart disease to assess whether their second pregnancy was
      less complicated and resulted in a larger baby. DESIGN: Retrospective case
      control study. SETTING: Tertiary referral academic obstetric unit. POPULATION:
      First and second pregnancies in 77 women with congenital and acquired heart
      disease and in 154 control women were identified. METHODS: Data were collected
      from medical and obstetric records. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cardiac complications,
      obstetric complications, intra-partum events, birthweight and perinatal
      complications. RESULTS: The rate of obstetric complication was greater in first
      pregnancies in both the heart disease and the control groups (38% versus 26%, cf.
      20% versus 17%). In the heart disease group, the rate of cardiac complications
      was similar in first and second pregnancies (9% versus 6%). Overall,
      significantly more perinatal complications were seen in the heart disease group,
      with no significant difference between first and second pregnancies (36% versus
      27%, cf. 14% versus 12%). Median birthweight was significantly higher in second
      pregnancies in the control group (3308 versus 3519 g P < 0.001), but not
      significantly different between pregnancies in the heart disease group (3014
      versus 3133 g, P = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS: This case control study demonstrates that
      women with mild to moderate heart disease have similar pregnancy outcomes in
      consecutive pregnancies. However, while the median birthweight was higher in the
      control second pregnancies, it was not increased in the women with heart disease.
      TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: A study of women with heart disease to assess whether their
      second pregnancy was less complicated.

PMID- 26118938
TI  - Preparation of biodegradable PEGylated pH/reduction dual-stimuli responsive
      nanohydrogels for controlled release of an anti-cancer drug.
AB  - A facile and efficient method was developed to prepare the monodisperse
      biodegradable PEGylated pH and reduction dual-stimuli sensitive poly[methacrylic
      acid-co-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate-co-N,N
      bis(acryloyl)cystamine] (PMPB) nanohydrogels with dried particle size below 200
      nm via one-step distillation precipitation polymerization as a drug delivery
      system (DDS) for the controlled release of a wide-spectrum anti-cancer drug,
      doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX). Under normal physiological media, the
      nanohydrogels possessed high drug encapsulation efficiency (more than 96%) within
      48 h and exhibited good stability with a trifle premature drug release. However,
      rapid DOX release was achieved at lower pH or in the presence of reductive
      reagent glutathione (GSH) with a cumulative release of more than 85% within 30 h.
      Furthermore, the nanohydrogels manifested nontoxicity on HepG2 cells at a
      concentration of 10 MUg mL(-1) or lower. Based on the excellent characteristics
      of the nanohydrogels, such as low toxicity, impressive biodegradability, sharp
      dual responsiveness, adequate drug loading capacity and a high drug encapsulation
      efficiency, they were supposed to have potential application in the area of
      cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26118940
TI  - Reduction of aggression evoked by sounds using noncontingent reinforcement and
      time-out.
AB  - Some individuals with developmental disabilities engage in problem behavior to
      escape or avoid auditory stimuli. In this study, a 6-year-old boy with autism
      engaged in severe aggression in the presence of specific sounds. Following an
      assessment based on the procedures described by McCord, Iwata, Galensky,
      Ellingson, and Thomson (2001), we treated negatively reinforced behavior using
      noncontingent reinforcement and time-out from positive reinforcement in the
      absence of extinction. Treatment was effective in reducing aggression across
      multiple sounds. 

PMID- 26118939
TI  - Position Statement on the management of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion
      (CSII): The Italian Lazio experience.
AB  - This document has been developed by a group of Italian diabetologists with
      extensive experience in continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy
      to provide indications for the clinical management of CSII in diabetic patients
      (both type 1 and type 2) based on delivery mode operating in Italy. Although the
      potential benefits of pump therapy in achieving glycemic goals is now accepted,
      such results cannot be obtained without specific knowledge and skills being
      conveyed to patients during ad hoc educational training. To ensure that these new
      technologies reach their full effectiveness, as demonstrated theoretically and
      clinically, a careful assessment of the overall therapeutic and educational
      process is required, in both qualitative and quantitative terms. Therefore, to
      ensure the cost-effectiveness of insulin pump therapy and to justify
      reimbursement of therapy costs by the National Health System in Italy, in this
      article we present a model for diabetes and healthcare centers to follow that
      provides for different levels of expertise in the field of CSII therapy. This
      model will guarantee the provision of excellent care during insulin pump
      therapies, thus representing the basis for a successful outcome and expansion of
      this form of insulin treatment in patients with diabetes while also keeping costs
      under control.

PMID- 26118941
TI  - Return to competition, re-injury, and impact on performance of preseason shoulder
      injuries in Major League Baseball pitchers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Major league baseball (MLB) pitchers are vulnerable to overuse injury
      of the upper extremity, especially in the shoulder. Injuries sustained in the
      preseason may have negative impact on performance following return. The goal of
      this study was to document the frequency of preseason shoulder injury in these
      athletes, as well as risk for re-injury and impact on performance following
      return from injury. METHODS: A comprehensive search of MLB injury information
      from 2001 to 2010 of public databases yielded a cohort of MLB pitchers who
      sustained preseason shoulder injuries. These databases were utilized to obtain
      information regarding return to MLB competition, re-injury, and performance
      following return from injury. All performance metrics were compared to those of
      an age-matched control cohort. RESULTS: A total of 74 pitchers were identified
      who sustained a preseason shoulder injury. Only 39 (53%) returned that same
      season to pitch in the MLB competition. Of those that returned, nearly 50% of
      players were re-designated on the Disabled List during the return season. There
      was a decline in performance in earned run average and batting average against in
      the year of return. Compared to age-matched control pitchers, those with
      preseason shoulder injury had lower performance metrics across a number of
      outcomes. CONCLUSION: Preseason shoulder injury in MLB pitchers has the potential
      to result in high re-injury rates and decreased subsequent performance.

PMID- 26118942
TI  - Clinical and histological aspect of erythema dyschromicum perstans in Korea: A
      review of 68 cases.
AB  - Erythema dyschromicum perstans (EDP) is a hypermelanotic disorder of the
      idiopathic variety characterized by blue-gray macules in healthy individuals. It
      has been described mainly in patients from tropical areas of Central and South
      America. Our aim was to evaluate EDP in Korea through the analysis of
      retrospective case series with EDP and to describe the clinical and
      histopathological features. It was a retrospective study (2002-2012) of EDP
      confirmed by review of clinical photographs and biopsy specimens. The files of 68
      patients with EDP from six tertiary medical centers in Korea were included in
      this study. Of the 68 patients, 29 were male and 39 female. The age of patients
      ranged 3-76 years (mean, 33.9). Clinically, the majority of patients had lesions
      on the trunk (n = 47, 69.1%); the neck was affected in 27 cases, the upper
      extremities in 26, the face in 22 and the lower extremities in 16. Peripheral
      erythematous borders were observed in 12 patients (17.6%) and 11 patients had
      itching sensation at the lesion. Histopathologically, dermal melanophages and
      pigment incontinence were the most common findings. A follow up of more than 1
      year was obtained in 51 patients. Of these, only one patient experienced complete
      clearance without recurrence. Our study illustrates the clinical and
      histopathological findings of EDP in Koreans. Our multicenter data may contribute
      to the understanding of EDP. 

PMID- 26118943
TI  - Utilization and likelihood of radiologic diagnostic imaging in patients with
      implantable cardiac defibrillators.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine imaging utilization in a matched cohort of patients with and
      without implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) and to project magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) utilization over a 10-year period. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The Truven Health MarketScan Commercial claims and Medicare Supplemental health
      insurance claims data were used to identify patients with continuous health plan
      enrollment in 2009-2012. Patients with ICDs were identified using ICD-9 and CPT
      codes, and matched to patients with the same demographic and comorbidity profile,
      but no record of device implantation. Diagnostic imaging utilization was compared
      across the matched cohorts, in total, by imaging categories, and in
      subpopulations of stroke, back pain, and joint pain. MRI use in the nonimplant
      group over the 4-year period was extrapolated out to 10 years for ICD-indicated
      patients. RESULTS: A cohort of 18,770 matched patients were identified; average
      age 65.5 +/- 13.38 and 21.9% female. ICD patients had significantly less MRI
      imaging (0.23 0.70 SD vs. 0.00 0.08 SD, P < 0.0001) than nonimplant patients.
      Among patients with records of stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) (ICD 5%,
      nonimplant 4%) and accompanying diagnostic imaging, 44% of nonimplant patients
      underwent MRI vs. 1% of ICD patients (P < 0.0001). Forecast models estimated that
      53% to 64% of ICD-eligible patients may require an MRI within 10 years.
      CONCLUSION: MRI utilization is lower in ICD patients compared to nonimplant
      patients, yet the burden of incident stroke/TIA, back, and joint pain suggests an
      unmet need for MR-conditional devices.

PMID- 26118945
TI  - Targeted neural differentiation of murine mesenchymal stem cells by a protocol
      simulating the inflammatory site of neural injury.
AB  - Damaged neural tissue is regenerated by neural stem cells (NSCs), which represent
      a rare and difficult-to-culture cell population. Therefore, alternative sources
      of stem cells are being tested to replace a shortage of NSCs. Here we show that
      mouse adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be effectively
      differentiated into cells expressing neuronal cell markers. The differentiation
      protocol, simulating the inflammatory site of neural injury, involved brain
      tissue extract, fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor, supernatant
      from activated splenocytes and electrical stimulation under physiological
      conditions. MSCs differentiated using this protocol displayed neuronal cell
      morphology and expressed genes for neuronal cell markers, such as neurofilament
      light (Nf-L), medium (Nf-M) and heavy (Nf-H) polypeptides, synaptophysin (SYP),
      neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), neuron
      specific nuclear protein (NeuN), betaIII-tubulin (Tubb3) and microtubule
      associated protein 2 (Mtap2), which are absent (Nf-L, Nf-H, SYP, GAD, NeuN and
      Mtap2) or only slightly expressed (NCAM, Tubb3 and Nf-M) in undifferentiated
      cells. The differentiation was further enhanced when the cells were cultured on
      nanofibre scaffolds. The neural differentiation of MSCs, which was detected at
      the level of gene expression, was confirmed by positive immunostaining for Nf-L
      protein. The results thus show that the simulation of conditions in an injured
      neural tissue and inflammatory environment, supplemented with electrical
      stimulation under physiological conditions and cultivation of cells on a three
      dimensional (3D) nanofibre scaffold, form an effective protocol for the
      differentiation of MSCs into cells with neuronal markers. Copyright (c) 2015 John
      Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26118944
TI  - Multicenter randomized controlled trial on Duration of Therapy for Thrombosis in
      Children and Young Adults (the Kids-DOTT trial): pilot/feasibility phase
      findings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on pediatric venous
      thromboembolism (VTE) treatment have been challenged by unsubstantiated design
      assumptions and/or poor accrual. Pilot/feasibility (P/F) studies are critical to
      future RCT success. METHODS: The Kids-DOTT trial is a multicenter RCT
      investigating non-inferiority of a 6-week (shortened) versus 3-month
      (conventional) duration of anticoagulation in patients aged < 21 years with
      provoked venous thrombosis. Primary efficacy and safety endpoints are symptomatic
      recurrent VTE at 1 year and anticoagulant-related, clinically relevant bleeding.
      In the P/F phase, 100 participants were enrolled in an open, blinded-endpoint,
      parallel-cohort RCT design. RESULTS: No eligibility violations or randomization
      errors occurred. Of the enrolled patients, 69% were randomized, 3% missed the
      randomization window, and 28% were followed in prespecified observational cohorts
      for completely occlusive thrombosis or persistent antiphospholipid antibodies.
      Retention at 1 year was 82%. Interobserver agreement between local and blinded
      central determination of venous occlusion by imaging at 6 weeks after diagnosis
      was strong (k-statistic = 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.48-1.0). The
      primary efficacy and safety event rates were 3.3% (95% CI 0.3-11.5%) and 1.4%
      (95% CI 0.03-7.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The P/F phase of the Kids-DOTT trial has
      demonstrated the validity of vascular imaging findings of occlusion as a
      randomization criterion, and defined randomization, retention and endpoint rates
      to inform the fully powered RCT.

PMID- 26118946
TI  - Macrocyclic Gd(3+) complexes with pendant crown ethers designed for binding
      zwitterionic neurotransmitters.
AB  - A series of Gd(3+) complexes exhibiting a relaxometric response to zwitterionic
      amino acid neurotransmitters was synthesized. The design concept involves ditopic
      interactions 1) between a positively charged and coordinatively unsaturated
      Gd(3+) chelate and the carboxylate group of the neurotransmitters and 2) between
      an azacrown ether appended to the chelate and the amino group of the
      neurotransmitters. The chelates differ in the nature and length of the linker
      connecting the cyclen-type macrocycle that binds the Ln(3+) ion and the crown
      ether. The complexes are monohydrated, but they exhibit high proton relaxivities
      (up to 7.7 mM(-1)  s(-1) at 60 MHz, 310 K) due to slow molecular tumbling. The
      formation of ternary complexes with neurotransmitters was monitored by (1) H
      relaxometric titrations of the Gd(3+) complexes and by luminescence measurements
      on the Eu(3+) and Tb(3+) analogues at pH 7.4. The remarkable relaxivity decrease
      (~80 %) observed on neurotransmitter binding is related to the decrease in the
      hydration number, as evidenced by luminescence lifetime measurements on the
      Eu(3+) complexes. These complexes show affinity for amino acid neurotransmitters
      in the millimolar range, which can be suited to imaging concentrations of
      synaptically released neurotransmitters. They display good selectivity over non
      amino acid neurotransmitters (acetylcholine, serotonin, and noradrenaline) and
      hydrogenphosphate, but selectivity over hydrogencarbonate was not achieved. 

PMID- 26118947
TI  - Are overdoses treated by ambulance services an opportunity for additional
      interventions? A prospective cohort study.
AB  - AIMS: To assess whether people who inject drugs (PWID) and who are treated for
      overdose by ambulance services have a greater mortality risk compared with other
      PWID, and to compare mortality risk within potentially critical time-periods (1
      week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years) after an overdose attendance
      with the mortality risk within potentially non-critical time-periods (time before
      and/or after critical periods). DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. SETTING:
      Oslo, Norway. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 172 PWID street-recruited in 1997 and
      followed-up until the end of 2004. MEASUREMENTS: Interview data linked to data
      from ambulance records, Norwegian Correctional Services, Opioid Substitution
      Treatment records and National Cause of Death Registry. Separate Cox regression
      models (one for each critical time-period) were estimated. FINDINGS: Ambulance
      services treated 54% of the participants for an overdose during follow-up. The
      mortality rate was 2.8 per 100 person-years for those with an overdose and 3.3
      for those without; the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 1.3 (95% CI = 0.6, 2.6, P =
      0.482). Mortality risk was greater in all but the shortest critical time-period
      following ambulance attendance than in the non-critical periods. The mortality
      risk remained significantly elevated during critical periods, even when adjusted
      for total time spent in prison and substitution treatment. The HR ranged from 9.4
      (95% CI = 3.5, 25.4) in the month after an overdose to 13.9 (95% CI = 6.4, 30.2)
      in the 5-year period. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality risk among people who inject drugs
      is significantly greater in time-periods after an overdose attendance than
      outside these time-periods.

PMID- 26118948
TI  - Radiation Testing of the GERD Stimulation Therapy System Using a Particle
      Accelerator.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This testing was conducted to determine if exposure from a particle
      accelerator used to treat cancer patients would alter the performance of the
      EndoStim(r) neurostimulator when programmed either passively or actively and
      while being irradiated. METHODS: A total of 12 EndoStim Lower Esophageal
      Sphincter (LES) Stimulation System implantable neurostimulators were investigated
      in this research. Included were six each of the EndoStim I and EndoStim II. Half
      were used for passive testing, with the remaining half for active testing.
      Bremsstrahlung x-rays were delivered having a nominal energy of 18 MV at a rate
      of 6 Gy/min. A total dose of 80 Gy was achieved in testing minimally. RESULTS:
      Monitoring of stimulation frequency, amplitude, pulse width, stimulation time,
      and voltage was conducted using software developed by EndoStim along with an
      oscilloscope. No observed changes to the intended stimulation were noted and all
      scheduled parameter magnitudes were achieved with device operation. All
      functional parameter changes were within +/-10% from baseline. CONCLUSIONS:
      EndoStim I and EndoStim II implant pulse generators appear to be immune to x-ray
      radiation from the particle accelerator at energies up to 18 MV, at dose rates of
      up to 6 Gy/min, and up to cumulative doses of minimally 80 Gy. As there were no
      observable effects on neurostimulation requirements, the EndoStim LES Stimulation
      System implantable neurostimulators are capable of withstanding direct radiation.
      The recommendations of the manufacturer should be followed further regarding the
      labeling requirements for insured safety to patients.

PMID- 26118949
TI  - EXAMINING LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF AN INFANT MENTAL HEALTH HOME-BASED EARLY HEAD
      START PROGRAM ON FAMILY STRENGTHS AND RESILIENCE.
AB  - Infant Mental Health based interventions aim to promote the healthy development
      of infants and toddlers through promoting healthy family functioning to foster
      supportive relationships between the young child and his or her important
      caregivers. This study examined impacts of an Infant Mental Health home-based
      Early Head Start (IMH-HB EHS) program on family functioning. The sample includes
      152 low-income families in the Midwestern United States, expectant or parenting a
      child younger than 1 year of age, who were randomly assigned to receive IMH-HB
      EHS services (n = 75) or to a comparison condition (n = 77). Mothers who received
      IMH-HB EHS services reported healthier psychological and family functioning,
      outcomes that are consistent with the IMH focus, when their children were between
      the ages of 3 and 7 years of age. Specifically, mothers in the IMH-HB EHS group
      reported healthier family functioning and relationships, better coping skills
      needed to advocate for their families, and less stress in the parenting role
      versus those in the comparison condition. The study also examined support seeking
      coping, some of which changed differently over time based on program group
      assignment. Overall, findings suggest that the gains families achieve from
      participating in IMH-HB EHS services are maintained after services cease. 

PMID- 26118950
TI  - Docosahexaenoic acid inhibits mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in
      diabetic rats by decreasing the excitability of DRG neurons.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disease in human beings with
      characteristic symptoms of hyperglycemia, chronic inflammation and insulin
      resistance. One of the most common complications of early-onset diabetes mellitus
      is peripheral diabetic neuropathy, which is manifested either by loss of
      nociception or by allodynia and hyperalgesia. Dietary fatty acids, especially
      polyunsaturated fatty acids, have been shown the potential of anti-inflammation
      and modulating neuron excitability. The present study investigated the effects of
      docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the excitability of dorsal root ganglion (DRG)
      neurons in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes rats. The effects of DHA on the
      allodynia and hyperalgesia of diabetic rats were also evaluated. Dietary DHA
      supplementation effectively attenuated both allodynia and hyperalgesia induced by
      STZ injection. DHA supplementation decreased the excitability of DRG neurons by
      decreasing the sodium currents and increasing potassium currents, which may
      contribute to the effect of alleviating allodynia and hyperalgesia in diabetic
      rats. The results suggested that DHA might be useful as an adjuvant therapy for
      the prevention and treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy. 

PMID- 26118951
TI  - Immune-mediated adverse events of anticytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4
      antibody therapy in metastatic melanoma.
AB  - Ipilimumab, an antibody that blocks cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4
      (CTLA-4; CD152), was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2011 for the
      treatment of unresectable stage III or IV malignant melanoma. Although the
      addition of this particular immunotherapy has broadened treatment options, immune
      related adverse events (irAEs) are associated with ipilimumab therapy, including
      dermatologic effects, colitis and diarrhea, endocrine effects, hepatotoxicity,
      ocular effects, renal effects, neurologic effects, and others. In this article, a
      critical evaluation of the underlying mechanisms of irAEs associated with anti
      CTLA-4 therapy is presented. Additionally, potentially beneficial effects of
      combinational therapies to alleviate ipilimumab-induced irAEs in malignant
      melanoma are discussed. Future research is warranted to elucidate the efficacy of
      such combination therapies and specific biomarkers that would help to predict a
      clinical response to ipilimumab in patients with malignant melanoma.

PMID- 26118953
TI  - Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha protects
      cardiomyocytes from hypertrophy by suppressing calcineurin-nuclear factor of
      activated T cells c4 signaling pathway.
AB  - Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1alpha)
      is a crucial coregulator interacting with multiple transcriptional factors in the
      regulation of cardiac hypertrophy. The present study revealed that PGC-1alpha
      protected cardiomyocytes from hypertrophy by suppressing calcineurin-nuclear
      factor of activated T cells c4 (NFATc4) signaling pathway. Overexpression of PGC
      1alpha by adenovirus infection prevented the increased protein and messenger RNA
      expression of NFATc4 in phenylephrine (PE)-treated hypertrophic cardiomyocytes,
      whereas knockdown of PGC-1alpha by RNA silencing augmented the expression of
      NFATc4. An interaction between PGC-1alpha and NFATc4 was observed in both the
      cytoplasm and nucleus of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Adenovirus PGC-1alpha
      prevented the nuclear import of NFATc4 and increased its phosphorylation level of
      NFATc4, probably through repressing the expression and activity of calcineurin
      and interfering with the interaction between calcineurin and NFATc4. On the
      contrary, PGC-1alpha silencing aggravated PE-induced calcineurin activation,
      NFATc4 dephosphorylation, and nuclear translocation. Moreover, the binding
      activity and transcription activity of NFATc4 to DNA promoter of brain
      natriuretic peptide were abrogated by PGC-1alpha overexpression but were enhanced
      by PGC-1alpha knockdown. The effect of PGC-1alpha on suppressing the calcinuerin
      NFATc4 signaling pathway might at least partially contribute to the protective
      effect of PGC-1alpha on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. These findings provide novel
      insights into the role of PGC-1alpha in regulation of cardiac hypertrophy. 

PMID- 26118954
TI  - Frequency Shifts of a Quartz Crystal Microbalance Calculated with the Frequency
      Domain Lattice-Boltzmann Method: Application to Coupled Liquid Mass.
AB  - In recent years the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has seen an impressive
      evolution from a film-thickness monitor to a surface-analytical instrument with
      capabilities much beyond gravimetry. In particular, the instrument has often been
      applied to adsorbates from a liquid phase and, also, to samples with structure in
      the surface plane. In order to quantitatively predict frequency shifts induced by
      such samples from a model, one needs to compute the in-phase component of the
      area-averaged periodic tangential stress at the resonator surface. A method is
      described which performs this task, making use of a variant of the Lattice
      Boltzmann (LB) method. The algorithm differs from the conventional LB method in
      that it deals with oscillatory flows and only covers linear hydrodynamics. The
      adsorption of small particles (mimicking proteins) was chosen as an example to
      test the performance. These samples are acoustically thin, which simplifies the
      calculations. Also, the material's finite compliance can be neglected in this
      limit. The simulations predict the amount of solvent trapped between neighboring
      particles, which contributes to the adsorbate's apparent mass. The unknown amount
      of hydrodynamically coupled liquid is a serious problem in the interpretation of
      QCM experiments. On an experimental level, the amount of trapped solvent can be
      estimated from the comparison of the optical layer thickness (determined with
      ellipsometry) and the acoustic layer thickness (determined with a QCM). Since the
      amount of trapped liquid decreases when neighboring particles aggregate into
      clusters, this analysis can lead to a statement on the degree of clustering. The
      LB-based simulations show, though, that the relation between the cluster geometry
      and the amount of trapped solvent is highly nontrivial. The details of the
      geometry do matter. The LB-based algorithm can calculate the amount of trapped
      solvent for user-specified particle shapes, orientations, interparticle
      distances, and also distributions thereof. It is an essential step in the
      quantitative interpretation of QCM results obtained on thin samples with in-plane
      structure. 

PMID- 26118952
TI  - Targeting the inflammasome in rheumatic diseases.
AB  - Activation of the inflammasome, a protein complex responsible for many cellular
      functions, including the activation of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin
      (IL)-1beta and IL-18, has been identified as a key participant in many rheumatic
      diseases including autoimmune, inflammatory, and autoinflammatory syndromes. This
      review will discuss the recent advances in understanding the role of this complex
      in various rheumatic diseases. Furthermore, it will focus on available therapies,
      which directly and indirectly target the inflammasome and its downstream
      cytokines to quiet inflammation and possibly dampen autoimmune processes.

PMID- 26118956
TI  - A simple analytical method for heterogeneity corrections in low dose rate
      prostate brachytherapy.
AB  - In low energy brachytherapy, the presence of tissue heterogeneities contributes
      significantly to the discrepancies observed between treatment plan and delivered
      dose. In this work, we present a simplified analytical dose calculation algorithm
      for heterogeneous tissue. We compare it with Monte Carlo computations and assess
      its suitability for integration in clinical treatment planning systems. The
      algorithm, named as RayStretch, is based on the classic equivalent path length
      method and TG-43 reference data. Analytical and Monte Carlo dose calculations
      using Penelope2008 are compared for a benchmark case: a prostate patient with
      calcifications. The results show a remarkable agreement between simulation and
      algorithm, the latter having, in addition, a high calculation speed. The proposed
      analytical model is compatible with clinical real-time treatment planning systems
      based on TG-43 consensus datasets for improving dose calculation and treatment
      quality in heterogeneous tissue. Moreover, the algorithm is applicable for any
      type of heterogeneities. 

PMID- 26118955
TI  - Plasmodium falciparum adhesion domains linked to severe malaria differ in
      blockade of endothelial protein C receptor.
AB  - Cytoadhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes to endothelial
      protein C receptor (EPCR) is associated with severe malaria. It has been
      postulated that parasite binding could exacerbate microvascular coagulation and
      endothelial dysfunction in cerebral malaria by impairing the protein C-EPCR
      interaction, but the extent of binding inhibition has not been fully determined.
      Here we expressed the cysteine-rich interdomain region (CIDRalpha1) domain from a
      variety of domain cassette (DC) 8 and DC13 P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane
      protein 1 proteins and show they interact in a distinct manner with EPCR
      resulting in weak, moderate and strong inhibition of the activated protein C
      (APC)-EPCR interaction. Overall, there was a positive correlation between
      CIDRalpha1-EPCR binding activity and APC blockade activity. In addition, our
      analysis from a combination of mutagenesis and blocking antibodies finds that an
      Arg81 (R81) in EPCR plays a pivotal role in CIDRalpha1 binding, but domains with
      weak and strong APC blockade activity were distinguished by their sensitivity to
      inhibition by anti-EPCR mAb 1535, implying subtle differences in their binding
      footprints. These data reveal a previously unknown functional heterogeneity in
      the interaction between P. falciparum and EPCR and have major implications for
      understanding the distinct clinical pathologies of cerebral malaria and
      developing new treatment strategies. 

PMID- 26118957
TI  - Lysosome-Related Effector Vesicles in T Lymphocytes and NK Cells.
AB  - Lysosome-related secretory organelles combine metabolic functions of conventional
      lysosomes with an inducible secretory potential. Specialized variants of such bi
      functional organelles are present in several haematopoietic cell types that
      store, mobilize and/or secrete effector proteins, for example in mast cells,
      macrophages or cytotoxic effector cells. In the case of T lymphocytes and NK
      cells, it was believed that secretory lysosomes serve as a common storage and
      transport compartment for the most relevant cytotoxic effector proteins including
      FasL, perforin, granzymes and granulysin. However, recent observations suggest
      that cytotoxic effector cells might be able to mobilize two distinct lysosomal
      entities in order to react to differential stimulation with either FasL surface
      appearance or degranulation-associated release of perforin and granzymes. This
      assumption is supported by the proteomic characterization of enriched organelles
      from T and NK cells. FasL-associated light lysosomes biochemically segregate from
      morphologically distinct heavy lysosomes that preferentially contain granzymes,
      perforin and mature granulysin. Here, we briefly summarize the current knowledge
      about cargo proteins that are stored and transported in secretory vesicles and
      how these vesicles might be generated and mobilized. In addition, we describe
      common features and major differences of the two distinct effector organelles and
      discuss how these observations might expand existing models of cytotoxic effector
      function. 

PMID- 26118958
TI  - Molecular-based allergy diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in
      Aspergillus fumigatus-sensitized Japanese patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distinguishing between patients with allergic bronchopulmonary
      aspergillosis (ABPA) and Aspergillus fumigatus (Af)-sensitized asthmatic patients
      without ABPA is sometimes difficult owing to the IgE-cross-reactivity between Af
      and other fungal allergens. OBJECTIVE: To establish the usefulness of molecular
      based allergy diagnostics using allergen components from Af in distinguishing
      ABPA from Af-sensitized asthma without ABPA. METHODS: Sera from Japanese patients
      with ABPA (n = 53) and Af-sensitized asthma without ABPA (n = 253) were studied.
      The levels of IgE and IgG antibodies to allergen components from Af and IgE
      antibodies to different fugal allergen extracts were measured by ImmunoCAP.
      Comorbid atopic dermatitis (AD) was taken into consideration in the sensitization
      profile analysis. RESULTS: Patients with ABPA possessed significantly higher
      levels of IgE antibodies to Asp f 1, and Asp f 2 than asthmatic patients without
      ABPA. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for the levels
      of IgE to Asp f 1 and Asp f 2 as diagnostic markers of ABPA were 0.75 and 0.78,
      respectively. The presence of IgE positivity to Asp f 1 and/or Asp f 2 resulted
      in increased sensitivity while losing little specificity. Comorbid AD was
      associated with higher levels of IgE to Asp f 6 (manganese superoxide dismutase
      from Af, a ubiquitous pan-allergen in fungi) and low but positive levels of IgE
      to other Af-components, which hampered the serological discrimination of ABPA.
      CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The levels of IgE to Asp f 1 and/or Asp f 2
      can effectively differentiate ABPA from Af-sensitized asthma, suggesting that the
      amounts of IgE specific for these molecules are markers for genuine Af
      sensitization in ABPA. However, comorbid AD must be taken into consideration in
      the interpretation of high IgE to Asp f 6. Establishing of IgE-sensitization
      profiles using panel of Af-allergen components provides valuable information for
      distinguishing genuine vs. cross-reactive sensitization in Af-sensitized
      patients.

PMID- 26118959
TI  - The Association between High-Deductible Health Plan Transition and Contraception
      and Birth Rates.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between employer-mandated enrollment into
      high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and contraception and birth rates among
      reproductive-age women. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Using data from 2002 to 2008,
      we examined 1,559 women continuously enrolled in a Massachusetts health plan for
      1 year before and after an employer-mandated switch from an HMO to a HDHP,
      compared with 2,793 matched women contemporaneously enrolled in an HMO. STUDY
      DESIGN: We used an individual-level interrupted time series with comparison
      series design to examine level and trend changes in clinician-provided
      contraceptives and a differences-in-differences design to assess annual birth
      rates. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Employer, plan, and member
      characteristics were obtained from enrollment files. Contraception and childbirth
      information were extracted from pharmacy and medical claims. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:
      Monthly contraception rates were 19.0-24.0 percent at baseline. Level and trend
      changes did not differ between groups (p = .92 and p = .36, respectively). Annual
      birth rates declined from 57.1/1,000 to 32.7/1,000 among HDHP members and from
      61.9/1,000 to 56.2/1,000 among HMO controls, a 40 percent relative reduction in
      odds of childbirth (odds ratio = 0.60; p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Women who switched
      to HDHPs experienced a lower birth rate, which might reflect strategies to avoid
      childbirth-related out-of-pocket costs under HDHPs.

PMID- 26118960
TI  - Small conjugate-based theranostic agents: an encouraging approach for cancer
      therapy.
AB  - The advances in genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics have directed the
      development of new anticancer agents to reduce drug abuse and increase safe and
      specific drug treatment. Theranostics, combining therapy and diagnosis, is an
      appealing approach for chemotherapy in medicine which exhibits improved
      biodistribution, selective cancer targeting ability, reduced toxicity, masked
      drug efficacy, and minimum side effects. The role of diagnosis tools in
      theranostics is to collect the information of the diseased state before and after
      specific treatment. Magnetic particle-, mesoporous silica-, various carbon
      allotrope-, and polymer nanoparticle-based theranostic systems are well accepted
      and clinically significant. Currently, small conjugate-based systems have
      received much attention for cancer treatment and diagnosis. The structural
      architecture of these systems is relatively simple, compact, biocompatible, and
      unidirectional. In this tutorial review, we summarize the latest developments on
      small conjugate based theranostic agents for tumor treatment and diagnosis using
      fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). 

PMID- 26118961
TI  - TBX20 loss-of-function mutation associated with familial dilated cardiomyopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major cause of congestive heart
      failure, sudden cardiac death and cardiac transplantation. Aggregating evidence
      highlights the genetic origin of DCM. However, DCM is a genetically heterogeneous
      disorder, and the genetic components underlying DCM in most cases remain unknown.
      METHODS: The coding regions and splicing junction sites of the TBX20 gene were
      sequenced in 120 unrelated patients with idiopathic DCM. The available close
      relatives of the index patient carrying an identified mutation and 300 unrelated
      ethnically matched healthy individuals used as controls were genotyped for TBX20.
      The functional characteristics of the mutant TBX20 were assayed in contrast to
      its wild-type counterpart by using a dual-luciferase reporter assay system.
      RESULTS: A novel heterozygous TBX20 mutation, p.F256I, was identified in a family
      with DCM transmitted in an autosomal dominant fashion, which co-segregated with
      DCM in the family with complete penetrance. The missense mutation was absent in
      600 control chromosomes and the altered amino acid was completely conserved
      evolutionarily among various species. Functional assays revealed that the mutant
      TBX20 had significantly diminished transcriptional activity. Furthermore, the
      mutation markedly reduced the synergistic activation of TBX20 with NKX2-5 or
      GATA4. CONCLUSIONS: This study links TBX20 loss-of-function mutation to
      idiopathic DCM in humans for the first time, providing novel insight into the
      molecular mechanism underpinning DCM.

PMID- 26118962
TI  - Uncovering category specificity of genital sexual arousal in women: The critical
      role of analytic technique.
AB  - Based on analytic techniques that collapse data into a single average value, it
      has been reported that women lack category specificity and show genital sexual
      arousal to a large range of sexual stimuli including those that both match and do
      not match their self-reported sexual interests. These findings may be a
      methodological artifact of the way in which data are analyzed. This study
      examined whether using an analytic technique that models data over time would
      yield different results. Across two studies, heterosexual (N = 19) and lesbian (N
      = 14) women viewed erotic films featuring heterosexual, lesbian, and gay male
      couples, respectively, as their physiological sexual arousal was assessed with
      vaginal photoplethysmography. Data analysis with traditional methods comparing
      average genital arousal between films failed to detect specificity of genital
      arousal for either group. When data were analyzed with smoothing regression
      splines and a within-subjects approach, both heterosexual and lesbian women
      demonstrated different patterns of genital sexual arousal to the different types
      of erotic films, suggesting that sophisticated statistical techniques may be
      necessary to more fully understand women's genital sexual arousal response.
      Heterosexual women showed category-specific genital sexual arousal. Lesbian women
      showed higher arousal to the heterosexual film than the other films. However,
      within subjects, lesbian women showed significantly different arousal responses
      suggesting that lesbian women's genital arousal discriminates between different
      categories of stimuli at the individual level. Implications for the future use of
      vaginal photoplethysmography as a diagnostic tool of sexual preferences in
      clinical and forensic settings are discussed.

PMID- 26118963
TI  - The perceptions of a surgical cure.

PMID- 26118964
TI  - Tubal ligation could reduce mortality in endometrial cancer.

PMID- 26118965
TI  - Routine screening with CT not justified for occult cancer.

PMID- 26118966
TI  - Epidemiological features of viral encephalitis in Cangzhou of China with use of
      multiplex RT-PCR for five RNA viruses.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: With use of multiplex RT-PCR testing the five RNA viruses associated
      with viral encephalitis, the aim of research is to find out the epidemiological
      features of viral encephalitis in Cangzhou of China. METHODS: Patients
      hospitalized in Cangzhou central hospital with the diagnosis of viral
      encephalitis from January 2010 to December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed.
      The sensitivity and specificity of multiplex RT-PCR was compared with ELISA
      through testing CSF samples of enterovirus (EVs), Japanese encephalitis virus
      (JEV), mumps virus (MUV), measles virus (MV) and rubella virus (RV). RESULTS:
      Disease incidence of viral encephalitis in Cangzhou of China was 18.6 per 100
      thousand, and the main pathogen focused on EVs, MUV, JEV, MV and RV, which
      positive rate were 27.8%, 14.4%, 12.2%, 6.7% and 3.3% respectively. The
      sensitivity and specificity were all higher than ELISA. CONCLUSION: The most
      common pathogens responsible for viral encephalitis in Cangzhou, Hebei province,
      China, were EVs, and the multiplex RT-PCR was a rapid, sensitive, accurate method
      of testing the viruses responsible for causing these illnesses.

PMID- 26118967
TI  - 1,8-Naphthalimide derivatives: new leads against dynamin I GTPase activity.
AB  - Fragment-based in silico screening against dynamin I (dynI) GTPase activity
      identified the 1,8-naphthalimide framework as a potential scaffold for the design
      of new inhibitors targeting the GTP binding pocket of dynI. Structure-based
      design, synthesis and subsequent optimization resulted in the development of a
      library of 1,8-naphthalimide derivatives, called the NaphthaladynTM series, with
      compounds 23 and 29 being the most active (IC50 of 19.1 +/- 0.3 and 18.5 +/- 1.7
      MUM respectively). Compound 29 showed effective inhibition of clathrin-mediated
      endocytosis (IC50(CME) 66 MUM). The results introduce 29 as an optimised GTP
      competitive lead NaphthaladynTM compound for the further development of
      naphthalimide-based dynI GTPase inhibitors. 

PMID- 26118968
TI  - Diluted bitumen causes deformities and molecular responses indicative of
      oxidative stress in Japanese medaka embryos.
AB  - This study characterized the toxicity and physiological effects of unweathered
      diluted bitumen (Access Western Blend dilbit; AWB) to fish. Embryos of Japanese
      medaka (Oryzias latipes) were exposed for 17 days to dilutions of physically
      dispersed (water accommodated fraction; WAF) and chemically-dispersed (chemically
      enhanced WAF; CEWAF) dilbit. AWB dilbit exposure was not lethal to medaka, but
      resulted in a high prevalence of blue sac disease (BSD), impaired development,
      and abnormal or un-inflated swim bladders at hatch. Physiological effects were
      indicated by the relative mRNA levels of key genes associated with, among others,
      cell cycling and the response to mutations (p53), xenobiotic metabolism (ahr,
      arnt2), phase I (cyp1a) and II processes associated with oxidative stress (cat,
      g6pdh, hsp70, gst, gpx, gsr, nfe2, and sod). AWB dilbit treatment increased p53
      and cyp1a transcript levels (1.5-fold and >15-fold, respectively), with
      significant, but less pronounced changes in indicators of oxidative stress and
      metabolism. The exposure-related changes in embryotoxicity and mRNA synthesis
      were consistent with metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to
      reactive and toxic metabolites. Medaka embryos responded similarly to WAF and
      CEWAF treatments, but CEWAF was about 100 times more efficient in delivering
      toxic concentrations of PAHs. The toxicity of chemically-dispersed nujol, a non
      toxic mineral oil used as an experimental control, suggested that a portion of
      the observed effects of AWB could be attributed to excess dispersant in solution.
      This first study of the physiological effects of dilbit toxicity to fish embryos
      provides a baseline to compare toxicity between dilbit and conventional crude
      oils, and the groundwork for the development of molecular biomarkers of the
      sensitivity and level of risk of native Canadian fish species to dilbit exposure.

PMID- 26118969
TI  - Simple fluorescence-based high throughput cell viability assay for filamentous
      fungi.
AB  - Filamentous fungi are important model organisms to understand the eukaryotic
      process and have been frequently exploited in research and industry. These fungi
      are also causative agents of serious diseases in plants and humans. Disease
      management strategies include in vitro susceptibility testing of the fungal
      pathogens to environmental conditions and antifungal agents. Conventional methods
      used for antifungal susceptibilities are cumbersome, time-consuming and are not
      suitable for a large-scale analysis. Here, we report a rapid, high throughput
      microplate-based fluorescence method for investigating the toxicity of antifungal
      and stress (osmotic, salt and oxidative) agents on Magnaporthe oryzae and
      compared it with agar dilution method. This bioassay is optimized for the
      resazurin reduction to fluorescent resorufin by the fungal hyphae. Resazurin
      bioassay showed inhibitory rates and IC50 values comparable to the agar dilution
      method and to previously reported IC50 or MICs for M. oryzae and other fungi. The
      present method can screen range of test agents from different chemical classes
      with different modes of action for antifungal activities in a simple, sensitive,
      time and cost effective manner. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: A simple
      fluorescence-based high throughput method is developed to test the effects of
      stress and antifungal agents on viability of filamentous fungus Magnaporthe
      oryzae. This resazurin fluorescence assay can detect inhibitory effects
      comparable to those obtained using the growth inhibition assay with added
      advantages of simplicity, time and cost effectiveness. This high throughput
      viability assay has a great potential in large-scale screening of the chemical
      libraries of antifungal agents, for evaluating the effects of environmental
      conditions and hyphal kinetic studies in mutant and natural populations of
      filamentous fungi.

PMID- 26118970
TI  - A new glaucoma hypothesis: a role of glymphatic system dysfunction.
AB  - In a recent review article titled "A new look at cerebrospinal fluid
      circulation", Brinker et al. comprehensively described novel insights from
      molecular and cellular biology as well as neuroimaging research, which indicate
      that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) physiology is much more complex than previously
      believed. The glymphatic system is a recently defined brain-wide paravascular
      pathway for CSF and interstitial fluid exchange that facilitates efficient
      clearance of interstitial solutes, including amyloid-beta, from the brain.
      Although further studies are needed to substantiate the functional significance
      of the glymphatic concept, one implication is that glymphatic pathway dysfunction
      may contribute to the deficient amyloid-beta clearance in Alzheimer's disease. In
      this paper, we review several lines of evidence suggesting that the glymphatic
      system may also have potential clinical relevance for the understanding of
      glaucoma. As a clinically acceptable MRI-based approach to evaluate glymphatic
      pathway function in humans has recently been developed, a unique opportunity now
      exists to investigate whether suppression of the glymphatic system contributes to
      the development of glaucoma. The observation of a dysfunctional glymphatic system
      in patients with glaucoma would provide support for the hypothesis recently
      proposed by our group that CSF circulatory dysfunction may play a contributory
      role in the pathogenesis of glaucomatous damage. This would suggest a new
      hypothesis for glaucoma, which, just like Alzheimer's disease, might be
      considered then as an imbalance between production and clearance of neurotoxins,
      including amyloid-beta. 

PMID- 26118971
TI  - Comorbidity and survival among women with ovarian cancer: evidence from
      prospective studies.
AB  - The relationship between comorbidity and ovarian cancer survival has been
      controversial so far. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to summarize the
      existing evidence from prospective studies on this issue. Relevant studies were
      identified by searching the PubMed, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science databases
      through the end of January 2015. Two authors independently performed the
      eligibility evaluation and data abstraction. Random-effects models were used to
      estimate summary hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for
      overall survival. Eight prospective studies involving 12,681 ovarian cancer cases
      were included in the present study. The summarized HR for presence versus absence
      of comorbidity was 1.20 (95% CI = 1.11-1.30, n = 8), with moderate heterogeneity
      (I(2) = 31.2%, P = 0.179). In addition, the summarized HR for the highest
      compared with the lowest category of the Charlson's comorbidity index was 1.68
      (95% CI = 1.50-1.87, n = 2), without heterogeneity (I(2) = 0%, P = 0.476).
      Notably, a significant negative impact of comorbidity on ovarian cancer survival
      was observed in most subgroup analyses stratified by the study characteristics
      and whether there was adjustment for potential confounders. In conclusion, the
      findings of this meta-analysis suggest that underlying comorbidity is
      consistently associated with decreased survival in patients with ovarian cancer.
      Comorbidity should be taken into account when managing these patients.

PMID- 26118972
TI  - Impact of Antimicrobial Lipopeptides from Bacillus sp. on Suppression of Fusarium
      Yellows of Tatsoi.
AB  - Iturin A and surfactin are antimicrobial lipopeptides produced by antagonistic
      Bacillus spp. We herein demonstrated that both lipopeptides amended the soil
      mediated suppression of the soil-borne disease, Fusarium yellows of tatsoi
      (Brassica rapa var. rosularis). Significant disease suppression was conferred by
      the amendments of purified iturin A or surfactin to soil. However, an excess
      amount of iturin A or surfactin to soil resulted in the loss of disease
      suppression activity. 

PMID- 26118973
TI  - Integrating NiCo Alloys with Their Oxides as Efficient Bifunctional Cathode
      Catalysts for Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries.
AB  - The lack of high-efficient, low-cost, and durable bifunctional electrocatalysts
      that act simultaneously for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen
      evolution reaction (OER) is currently one of the major obstacles to
      commercializing the electrical rechargeability of zinc-air batteries. A
      nanocomposite CoO-NiO-NiCo bifunctional electrocatalyst supported by nitrogen
      doped multiwall carbon nanotubes (NCNT/CoO-NiO-NiCo) exhibits excellent activity
      and stability for the ORR/OER in alkaline media. More importantly, real air
      cathodes made from the bifunctional NCNT/CoO-NiO-NiCo catalysts further
      demonstrated superior performance to state-of-the-art Pt/C or Pt/C+IrO2 catalysts
      in primary and rechargeable zinc-air batteries. 

PMID- 26118975
TI  - Access to 3-O-Functionalized N-Acetylneuraminic Acid Scaffolds.
AB  - Direct access to 3-O-functionalized 2-alpha-N-acetylneuraminides and their
      corresponding 2,3-dehydro-2-deoxy-N-acetylneuraminic acid derivatives is
      described. Initially, a stereoselective ring-opening of the key intermediate N
      acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) 2,3-beta-epoxide with an alcohol provided the 3
      hydroxy alpha-glycoside. O-Alkylation of the C3 hydroxyl group generated novel 3
      O-functionalized Neu5Ac derivatives that provided the corresponding unsaturated
      derivatives upon elimination. 

PMID- 26118974
TI  - Managing teenage/young adult (TYA) brain tumors: a UK perspective.
AB  - Tumors of the CNS are among the commonest malignancies occurring in teenage/young
      adult patients (i.e., those aged between 15 and 24 years). The treatment of this
      patient population is challenging. Adolescence and young adulthood are a
      turbulent period of life, with physical, emotional, social and cognitive changes.
      Best practice advocates their treatment in dedicated teenage/young adult units,
      with multidisciplinary team input and access to clinical trials. Treatment of CNS
      malignancies is dependent upon histological subtype and staging, with varying
      combinations of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy used. Clinical trials
      directly targeted at this patient population are rare; treatments are based on
      pediatric protocols as studies have demonstrated improved outcomes in patients
      (with other malignancies) treated as such. Scope for improvement lies in
      minimizing patient risk of recurrence and long-term sequelae of treatment.
      Molecular characterization of tumors may provide further information.

PMID- 26118976
TI  - Lack of TAFI increases brain damage and microparticle generation after
      thrombolytic therapy in ischemic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) plays an important
      role in coagulation and fibrinolysis. Whereas TAFI deficiency may lead to a
      haemorrhagic tendency, data from TAFI knockout mice (TAFI-/-) are controversial
      and no differences have been reported in these animals after ischemic stroke.
      There are also no data regarding the role of circulating microparticles (MPs) in
      TAFI-/-. OBJECTIVES: to examine the effect of tPA on the rate of intracranial
      haemorrhage (ICH) and on MPs generated in a model of ischemic stroke in TAFI-/-
      mice. METHODS: Thrombin was injected into the middle cerebral artery (MCA) to
      analyse the effect of tPA (10mg/Kg) on the infarct size and haemorrhage in the
      absence of TAFI. Immunofluorescence for Fluoro-Jade C was performed on frozen
      brain slides to analyse neuronal degeneration after ischemia. MPs were isolated
      from mouse blood and their concentrations calculated by flow cytometry. RESULTS:
      Compared with saline, tPA significantly increased the infarct size in TAFI-/-
      mice (p<0.05). Although plasma fibrinolytic activity (fibrin plate assay) was
      higher in these animals, no macroscopic or microscopic ICH was detected. A
      positive signal for apoptosis and degenerating neurons was observed in the
      infarct area, being significantly higher in tPA treated TAFI-/- mice (p<0.05).
      Interestingly, higher numbers of MPs were found in TAFI-/- plasma as compared to
      wild type, after stroke (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TAFI deficiency results in
      increased brain damage in a model of thrombolysis after ischemic stroke, which
      was not associated with bleeding but with neuronal degeneration and MP
      production.

PMID- 26118978
TI  - Long-term functional outcomes after total tongue reconstruction: Consideration of
      flap types, volume, and functional results.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the long-term results of flap
      volume change, swallowing capacity, speech intelligibility, and differences
      between vertical rectus musculocutaneous (VRAM) and anterolateral
      musculocutaneous (ALT) free flaps in total tongue reconstruction. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 31 patients who
      underwent total tongue reconstruction with VRAM (24 cases) and ALT flap (7
      cases). The mean age of patients was 52.09 +/- 2.25 years. The tumor types were
      as follows: squamous cell carcinoma (28 cases), adenoid cystic carcinoma (2
      cases), and metastatic cancer (1 case). The flap volume was determined based on
      clinical and imaging examinations. Swallowing and speech function were analyzed
      using seven-point rating scales. RESULTS: All flaps survived eventually after
      surgery; however, 1 patient underwent VRAM flap experienced partial flap
      necrosis, wound dehiscence in 4 patients underwent VRAM flap, and infection in 3
      patients (VRAM; 2 patients, ALT; 1 patient). The mean follow-up period was 3.97
      +/- 0.54 years. The volume of the flaps remained relatively constant over time.
      The swallowing capacity positively correlated with the flap volume (P < 0.0001);
      however, the speech intelligibility did not correlate with the flap volume in
      analysis of total cohort. There were no statistical differences in functional
      outcomes between the two types of reconstructed flaps (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The
      preservation of flap volume was important to achieve superior swallowing
      capacity; however, it was insufficient to promote the speech outcome. The
      functional outcomes did not differ depending on the type of flap. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 37:190-196, 2017.

PMID- 26118977
TI  - EFTUD2 deficiency in vertebrates: Identification of a novel human mutation and
      generation of a zebrafish model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital microphthalmia and coloboma are severe developmental
      defects that are frequently associated with additional systemic anomalies and
      display a high level of genetic heterogeneity. METHODS: To identify the
      pathogenic variant in a patient with microphthalmia, coloboma, retinal dystrophy,
      microcephaly, and other features, whole exome sequencing analysis of the patient
      and parental samples was undertaken. To further explore the identified
      variant/gene, expression and functional studies in zebrafish were performed.
      RESULTS: Whole exome sequencing revealed a de novo variant, c.473_474delGA,
      p.(Arg158Lysfs*4), in EFTUD2 which encodes a component of the spliceosome
      complex. Dominant mutations in EFTUD2 cause Mandibulofacial Dysostosis, Guion
      Almeida type, which does not involve microphthalmia, coloboma, or retinal
      dystrophy; analysis of genes known to cause these ocular phenotypes identified
      several variants of unknown significance but no causal alleles in the affected
      patient. Zebrafish eftud2 demonstrated high sequence conservation with the human
      gene and broad embryonic expression. TALEN-mediated disruption was employed to
      generate a c.378_385 del, p.(Ser127Aspfs*23) truncation mutation in eftud2.
      Homozygous mutants displayed a reduced head size, small eye, curved body, and
      early embryonic lethality. Apoptosis assays demonstrated a striking increase in
      terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end
      labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells in the developing brain, eye, spinal cord, and
      other tissues starting at 30 hours postfertilization. CONCLUSION: This study
      reports a novel mutation in EFTUD2 in a Mandibulofacial Dysostosis, Guion-Almeida
      type patient with unusual ocular features and the generation of a first animal
      model of eftud2 deficiency. The severe embryonic phenotype observed in eftud2
      mutants indicates an important conserved role during development of diverse
      tissues in vertebrates.

PMID- 26118980
TI  - Correlation of High Mobility Group Box-1 Protein (HMGB1) with Clinicopathological
      Parameters in Primary Retinoblastoma.
AB  - HMGB1 is considered to be DNA chaperone as it binds without any specificity. It
      is the structural protein which alters nuclear homeostasis and genomic stability
      of chromatin. Its role in retinoblastoma (Rb) remains unclear. The aim of the
      present study was to evaluate the expression of HMGB1 protein in primary
      enucleated retinoblastomas. Expression of HMGB1 in 69 prospective cases of
      primary retinoblastoma were assessed by immunohistochemistry and reverse
      transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) technique and correlated with clinicopathological
      parameters. Immunohistochemical staining revealed expression of HMGB1 in 55.07 %
      (38/69) cases. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was performed on 31 fresh tumor tissues.
      mRNA expression was observed in 77.41 % (24/31) cases. Expression of HMGB1 was
      statistically significant with poor tumor differentiation (p = 0.0440) & optic
      nerve invasion (p = 0.0128). HMGB1 expression was frequently seen in poorly
      differentiated tumors and those with histopathological high risk factors.
      Therefore, HMGB1 may contribute to tumor invasiveness and could serve as a poor
      prognostic marker in Rb.

PMID- 26118981
TI  - Phylogenetic analysis of Bunyamwera and Ngari viruses (family Bunyaviridae, genus
      Orthobunyavirus) isolated in Kenya.
AB  - Orthobunyaviruses, tri-segmented, negative-sense RNA viruses, have long been
      associated with mild to severe human disease in Africa, but not haemorrhagic
      fever. However, during a Rift Valley fever outbreak in East Africa in 1997-1998,
      Ngari virus was isolated from two patients and antibody detected in several
      others with haemorrhagic fever. The isolates were used to identify Ngari virus as
      a natural Orthobunyavirus reassortant. Despite their potential to reassort and
      cause severe human disease, characterization of orthobunyaviruses is hampered by
      paucity of genetic sequences. Our objective was to obtain complete gene sequences
      of two Bunyamwera virus and three Ngari virus isolates from recent surveys in
      Kenya and to determine their phylogenetic positioning within the Bunyamwera
      serogroup. Newly sequenced Kenyan Bunyamwera virus isolates clustered closest to
      a Bunyamwera virus isolate from the same locality and a Central African Republic
      isolate indicating that similar strains may be circulating regionally. Recent
      Kenyan Ngari isolates were closest to the Ngari isolates associated with the 1997
      1998 haemorrhagic fever outbreak. We observed a temporal/geographical
      relationship among Ngari isolates in all three gene segments suggesting a
      geographical/temporal association with genetic diversity. These sequences in
      addition to earlier sequences can be used for future analyses of this neglected
      but potentially deadly group of viruses. 

PMID- 26118982
TI  - Significance of EGFR signaling pathway genetic alterations in radically resected
      non-small cell lung cancers from a Polish cohort. One institutional study.
AB  - PURPOSE: We evaluated the distribution and clinical impact of EGFR, KRAS and HER2
      copy number gains and EGFR, KRAS and BRAF activating mutations in resected non
      small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) from 151 Polish patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Quantitative PCR and DNA sequencing were used for copy number evaluation and
      mutational analysis, respectively. RESULTS: An increased EGFR CN was found in
      21.2% of the tumors, more commonly of the non-squamous histology (P=0.029),
      larger in size (P=0.004) and those obtained from women (P=0.040). HER2 copy gain
      was observed in 21.8% of the patients, more frequently with lymph node metastases
      (P=0.048) and stage IIIA disease (P=0.061). KRAS gain was found in 29.3% of the
      tumors, and was not associated with patients' clinicopathological features. No
      BRAF mutations were found. EGFR and KRAS mutation frequency and associations with
      clinicopathological characteristics did not differ significantly from those
      previously described for the NSCLC patients of Caucasian ethnicity. Strong
      associations existed between most of the analyzed alterations. In the
      multivariate model, EGFR mutations constituted an independent prognostic factor
      of the disease recurrence in adenocarcinoma patients (HR 7.20; 95%CI 1.31-39.48;
      P=0.023), while an increased EGFR copy number tended to indicate a shorter
      overall survival (HR 4.85; 95%CI 0.92-25.58; P=0.062). CONCLUSIONS: EGFR pathway
      genes alterations are frequent in NSCLCs from Polish patients and have a
      prognostic potential for patients' clinical outcome after a curative tumor
      resection. Gene CN evaluation by quantitative PCR provides comparable results and
      enables assay standardization, yet the optimal scoring system needs to be
      developed.

PMID- 26118983
TI  - Role of the flavonoid-rich fraction in the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities
      of Bauhinia forficata Link. (Fabaceae) leaves extract.
AB  - Bauhinia forficata Link. is utilised as an antidiabetic in Brazilian folk
      medicine; furthermore, its antioxidant properties suggest a potential usefulness
      in the prevention of diabetes complications associated with oxidative stress. The
      contribution of a flavonoid-rich fraction (FRF), HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS characterised,
      to the antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of B. forficata hydro-alcoholic
      leaves extract was evaluated for the first time. Both extract and FRF showed
      radical-scavenging activity and reducing power with a strong relationship with
      the flavonoid content found; hence, flavonoids are mainly responsible for the
      primary antioxidant activity of B. forficata extract. The extract significantly
      decreased FO-1 cell viability at the higher concentrations. FRF did not exert any
      effect; thus, flavonoids do not appear to be responsible for the cytotoxicity of
      the extract. The extract resulted virtually non-toxic against both Artemia salina
      and normal human lymphocytes, demonstrating potential selectivity in inhibiting
      cancer cell growth. Finally, no antimicrobial activity was observed against the
      bacteria and yeasts tested. 

PMID- 26118984
TI  - Peri-Surgical Nutrition: Perspectives and Perceptions.
AB  - Peri-surgical nutrition of veterinary patients is in its infancy, with
      considerable research to be performed to help improve quality of life in our
      small animal patients. Clues from human immunonutrition may be starting places
      for investigation. Considerations for future investigations should include
      essential nutrients, the underlying disease process, therapeutic goals, and
      species (dog or cat). There are guidelines for caloric requirements. Planning for
      nutritional support before surgery takes place is likely to be beneficial to
      patient outcomes. Taking into account case history, method of feeding, metabolic
      abnormalities, and possible immunonutrition should be part of a complete surgical
      nutritional plan. 

PMID- 26118985
TI  - Experimental evidence of new tetragonal polymorphs of silicon formed through
      ultrafast laser-induced confined microexplosion.
AB  - Ordinary materials can transform into novel phases at extraordinary high pressure
      and temperature. The recently developed method of ultrashort laser-induced
      confined microexplosions initiates a non-equilibrium disordered plasma state.
      Ultra-high quenching rates overcome kinetic barriers to the formation of new
      metastable phases, which are preserved in the surrounding pristine crystal for
      subsequent exploitation. Here we demonstrate that confined microexplosions in
      silicon produce several metastable end phases. Comparison with an ab initio
      random structure search reveals six energetically competitive potential phases,
      four tetragonal and two monoclinic structures. We show the presence of bt8 and
      st12, which have been predicted theoretically previously, but have not been
      observed in nature or in laboratory experiments. In addition, the presence of the
      as yet unidentified silicon phase, Si-VIII and two of our other predicted
      tetragonal phases are highly likely within laser-affected zones. These findings
      may pave the way for new materials with novel and exotic properties. 

PMID- 26118986
TI  - A Phosphine-Coordinated Boron-Centered Gomberg-Type Radical.
AB  - The P-coordinated boryl radical [Ph2P(naphthyl)BMes] (Mes=mesityl) was prepared
      by (electro)chemical reduction of the corresponding borenium salt or bromoborane.
      Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis in solution and DFT calculations
      indicate large spin density on boron (60-70%) and strong P-B interactions (P->B
      sigma donation and B->P negative hyperconjugation). The radical is persistent in
      solution and participates in a Gomberg-type dimerization process. The associated
      quinoid-type dimer has been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

PMID- 26118987
TI  - Glucose is a positive modulator for the activation of human recombinant glycine
      receptors.
AB  - The inhibitory glycine receptor (GlyR), a cys-loop ion channel receptor, mediates
      rapid synaptic inhibition in spinal cord, brainstem and higher centres of the
      mammalian central nervous system. Here, modulation of GlyR function by glucose
      and fructose was examined in recombinant alpha1 and alpha1/beta GlyRs using patch
      clamp methods. Glucose was a positive modulator of the receptor, reducing the
      average EC50 for glycine up to 4.5-fold. Glucose reduced cell-to-cell variability
      of glycine-mediated currents by stabilizing receptors with low EC50. Pre
      incubation with sugars for several hours also produced augmentation of current
      responses that persisted after sugar removal. Potentiation by sugars was most
      significant in the range between 5 and 20 mM, with EC50 values ~ 10 mM, i.e. at
      physiological levels. Addition of glucose had no significant influence on
      responses mediated by the other GlyR agonists like taurine, beta-alanine or
      ivermectin, indicating that glucose specifically augmented glycine receptor
      mediated responses, and did not act through indirect metabolic effects. Receptor
      modulation by glucose may account for differences in constants reported in the
      literature and may be clinically relevant for disorders with elevated blood
      glucose levels. Glucose and related sugars are essential metabolites. We
      identified glucose and fructose as positive modulators of the human inhibitory
      glycine receptor, a neuronal ligand-gated ion channel. Receptor-mediated currents
      were enhanced at physiological concentrations (~ 10 mM of sugar). Direct
      modulation of a synaptic receptor by glucose is relevant in clinical cases of
      elevated blood glucose, and may be considered in experimental protocols.

PMID- 26118988
TI  - Neutrophil elastase inhibitors: a patent review and potential applications for
      inflammatory lung diseases (2010 - 2014).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The proteolytic activity of neutrophil elastase (NE) not only
      destroys pathogens but also degrades host matrix tissues by generating a
      localized protease-antiprotease imbalance. In humans, NE is well known to be
      involved in various acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, asthma, acute lung injury, acute
      respiratory distress syndrome and cystic fibrosis. The regulation of NE activity
      is thought to represent a promising therapeutic approach, and NE is considered as
      an important target for the development of novel selective inhibitors to treat
      these diseases. AREAS COVERED: This article summarizes and analyzes patents on NE
      inhibitors and their therapeutic potential based on a review of patent
      applications disclosed between 2010 and 2014. EXPERT OPINION: According to this
      review of recent NE inhibitor patents, all of the disclosed inhibitors can be
      classified into peptide- and non-peptide-based groups. The non-peptide NE
      inhibitors include heterocyclics, uracil derivatives and deuterium oxide. Among
      the heterocyclic analogs, derivatives of pyrimidinones,
      tetrahydropyrrolopyrimidinediones, pyrazinones, benzoxazinones and hypersulfated
      disaccharides were introduced. The literature has increasingly implicated NE in
      the pathogenesis of various diseases, of which inflammatory destructive lung
      diseases remain a major concern. However, only a few agents have been validated
      for therapeutic use in clinical settings to date.

PMID- 26118989
TI  - Using isotopic evidence to assess the impact of migration and the two-layer
      hypothesis in prehistoric Northeast Thailand.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The nature of the agricultural transition in Southeast Asia has been
      a topic of some debate for archaeologists over the past decades. A prominent
      model, known as the two-layer hypothesis, states that indigenous hunter-gatherers
      were subsumed by the expansion of exotic Neolithic farmers into the area around
      2000 BC. These farmers had ultimate origins in East Asia and brought rice and
      millet agriculture. Ban Non Wat is one of the few archaeological sites in
      Southeast Asia where this model can potentially be tested. The site is located in
      the Mun River valley of Northeast Thailand, and divided into 12 phases that span
      over 2,000 years, from about 1750 BC to the end of the Iron Age (ca. 500 AD).
      These phases exhibit successive cultural changes, and current interpretation of
      the site is of an early hunter-gatherer population, with agriculturalists
      immigrating into the later phases. METHODS: We analyzed strontium, oxygen, and
      carbon isotopes in tooth enamel from over 150 individuals, dating from the
      Neolithic to Iron Age, to assess extrinsic origins and differences in diet
      between early and later phases. RESULTS: We find evidence of dietary and cultural
      differences between groups at Ban Non Wat during its early occupation, but little
      evidence for immigration from distinct environments beyond the Khorat Plateau of
      Northeast Thailand. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of consistent isotopic differences
      between early and later Neolithic occupants at Ban Non Wat means that the site
      does not conclusively support the two-layer hypothesis.

PMID- 26118990
TI  - Statistical models suggest presence of two distinct subpopulations of miniature
      EPSCs in fast-spiking interneurons of rat prefrontal cortex.
AB  - Properties of excitatory synaptic responses in fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs)
      and pyramidal neurons (PNs) are different; however, the mechanisms and
      determinants of this diversity have not been fully investigated. In the present
      study, voltage-clamp recording of miniature excitatory post-synaptic currents
      (mEPSCs) was performed of layer 2-3 FSIs and PNs in the medial prefrontal cortex
      of rats aged 19-22days. The average mEPSCs in the FSIs exhibited amplitudes that
      were two times larger than those of the PNs and with much faster rise and decay.
      The mEPSC amplitude distributions in both cell types were asymmetric and in FSIs,
      the distributions were more skewed and had two-times larger coefficients of
      variation than in the PNs. In PNs but not in FSIs, the amplitude distributions
      were fitted well by different skewed unimodal functions that have been used
      previously for this purpose. In the FSIs, the distributions were well
      approximated only by a sum of two such functions, suggesting the presence of at
      least two subpopulations of events with different modal amplitudes. According to
      our estimates, two-thirds of the mEPSCs in FSIs belong to the high-amplitude
      subpopulation, and the modal amplitude in this subpopulation is approximately two
      times larger than that in the low-amplitude subpopulation. Using different
      statistical models, varying binning size, and data subsets, we confirmed the
      robustness and consistency of these findings.

PMID- 26118991
TI  - Acute Toxic Effects of the Herbicide Formulation Focus((r)) Ultra on Embryos and
      Larvae of the Moroccan Painted Frog, Discoglossus scovazzi.
AB  - For regulatory and scientific purposes, there is a need to understand the
      sensitivity of a wider variety of wild species of amphibians and the
      sensitivities within their life stages to chemicals of widespread use such as
      herbicides. We investigated the acute toxic effects of the herbicide formulation
      Focus Ultra [with the active ingredient (a.i.) cycloxydim plus solvent naphtha
      and sodium dioctylsulphosuccinate as added substances] on embryos and early stage
      larvae of the Moroccan painted frog (Discoglossus scovazzi). Different clinical
      signs (twitching, convulsion, and narcosis) occurred at 40 and 80 mg/L in embryos
      (4 and 8 mg a.i./L) and narcotic effects (total immobilization or irregular
      escape responses) at 10, 15, and 20 mg/L in larvae (1, 1.5, and 2 mg a.i./L).
      Growth inhibition (total length), starting at 20 mg/L in embryos and 2.5 mg/L in
      larvae (2 and 0.25 mg a.i./L, respectively) was understood as sign of toxicity
      (retardation) and not as sign of teratogenicity. However, the connection to
      teratogenesis remained unclear though total length reduction occurred at
      concentrations <20 % of the 96-h LC50 value and at a minimum concentration that
      inhibits growth of only 17 % of the 96-h LC50 value. Starting at 20 mg/L,
      mortality in embryos significantly increased and at 15 mg/L in early larvae (2
      and 1.5 mg a.i./L, respectively). Mortality of larvae was enhanced during the
      first 24 h of exposure to 15 and 20 mg/L (1.5 and 2 mg a.i./L). Morphology of the
      embryos remained unobtrusive. In contrary, axial malformations significantly
      increased in the early larvae starting at 10 mg/L (1 mg a.i./L), a concentration
      free of lethal effects. In all considered end points, larvae were significantly
      more sensitive than embryos, probably because of developmental and physiological
      properties or different exposure and bioavailability of the compound. Focus Ultra
      induced comparable lethal and immobilization effects in D. scovazzi as it does to
      standard test organisms in pesticide approval. However, to validate the apparent
      safety in the field, which is based on calculated surface water concentrations of
      the a.i., more data on real contamination levels is necessary (e.g., peak
      concentrations, concentrations of added substances). Furthermore, sufficient
      buffer strips between the farmland and amphibian ponds must be considered, and
      the effects of the substance on terrestrial life stages have not been assessed
      yet. 

PMID- 26118992
TI  - The Effects of the LandguardTM A900 Enzyme on the Macroinvertebrate Community in
      the Salinas River, California, United States of America.
AB  - Agricultural use of organophosphate pesticides are responsible for surface water
      toxicity in California and has led to a number of impaired water body listings
      under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. Integrated passive-treatment systems
      can reduce pesticide loading in row crop runoff, but they are only partially
      effective for the more soluble organophosphates. The LandguardTM enzyme has been
      effectively proven as an on-farm management practice for the removal of
      chlorpyrifos and diazinon in furrow runoff, but it has not been used in larger
      scale treatment because of concerns regarding the potential impact on in-stream
      macroinvertebrates after chronic use. A first-order agricultural creek was
      treated with the Landguard enzyme for 30 days approximately 450 m upstream of its
      intersection with the Salinas River. Toxicity and pesticide chemistry were
      measured in the creek during treatment as well as in the river both upstream and
      downstream of the creek input before and after treatment. Benthic
      macroinvertebrates were also surveyed in the river before and after enzyme
      treatment. Low concentrations of organophosphate pesticides were detected in the
      creek, but Landguard removed detected concentrations of chlorpyrifos. Toxicity
      detected in the creek was likely caused by pyrethroid pesticides, and no toxicity
      was detected in river samples. There were no differences in habitat or
      macroinvertebrate assemblages between upstream and downstream samples or between
      pre- and post-treatment samples. These results indicate that chronic treatment of
      the creek with Landguard enzyme had no impact on macroinvertebrate community
      structure in the river. 

PMID- 26118993
TI  - Plant diversity drives soil microbial biomass carbon in grasslands irrespective
      of global environmental change factors.
AB  - Soil microbial biomass is a key determinant of carbon dynamics in the soil.
      Several studies have shown that soil microbial biomass significantly increases
      with plant species diversity, but it remains unclear whether plant species
      diversity can also stabilize soil microbial biomass in a changing environment.
      This question is particularly relevant as many global environmental change (GEC)
      factors, such as drought and nutrient enrichment, have been shown to reduce soil
      microbial biomass. Experiments with orthogonal manipulations of plant diversity
      and GEC factors can provide insights whether plant diversity can attenuate such
      detrimental effects on soil microbial biomass. Here, we present the analysis of
      12 different studies with 14 unique orthogonal plant diversity * GEC
      manipulations in grasslands, where plant diversity and at least one GEC factor
      (elevated CO2 , nutrient enrichment, drought, earthworm presence, or warming)
      were manipulated. Our results show that higher plant diversity significantly
      enhances soil microbial biomass with the strongest effects in long-term field
      experiments. In contrast, GEC factors had inconsistent effects with only drought
      having a significant negative effect. Importantly, we report consistent non
      significant effects for all 14 interactions between plant diversity and GEC
      factors, which indicates a limited potential of plant diversity to attenuate the
      effects of GEC factors on soil microbial biomass. We highlight that plant
      diversity is a major determinant of soil microbial biomass in experimental
      grasslands that can influence soil carbon dynamics irrespective of GEC. 

PMID- 26118994
TI  - Conditional Degradation of Plasmodium Calcineurin Reveals Functions in Parasite
      Colonization of both Host and Vector.
AB  - Functional analysis of essential genes in the malarial parasite, Plasmodium, is
      hindered by lack of efficient strategies for conditional protein regulation. We
      report the development of a rapid, specific, and inducible chemical-genetic tool
      in the rodent malaria parasite, P. berghei, in which endogenous proteins
      engineered to contain the auxin-inducible degron (AID) are selectively degraded
      upon adding auxin. Application of AID to the calcium-regulated protein
      phosphatase, calcineurin, revealed functions in host and vector stages of
      parasite development. Whereas depletion of calcineurin in late-stage schizonts
      demonstrated its critical role in erythrocyte attachment and invasion in vivo,
      stage-specific depletion uncovered roles in gamete development, fertilization,
      and ookinete-to-oocyst and sporozoite-to-liver stage transitions. Furthermore,
      AID technology facilitated concurrent generation and phenotyping of transgenic
      lines, allowing multiple lines to be assessed simultaneously with significant
      reductions in animal use. This study highlights the broad applicability of AID
      for functional analysis of proteins across the Plasmodium life cycle.

PMID- 26118997
TI  - Comparison of biological fitness in crosses between subspecies of Meccus
      phyllosomus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) in southern Mexico.
AB  - Understanding the biological parameters of some triatomine subspecies of Meccus
      phyllosomus (Burmeister) is a crucial first step in estimating the epidemiologic
      importance of this group. Biological parameters related to hatching, lifetime,
      number of blood meals to molt, percentage of females at the end of the cycle,
      number of laid eggs, and mortality for each instar of 3 M. phyllosomus subspecies
      [M. p. mazzottii (Usinger), M. p. pallidipennis (Stal), and M. p. phyllosomus]
      and their laboratory hybrids were evaluated and compared. No significant
      differences (P > 0.05) were found among the experimental hybrids (MaPa, MaPhy,
      PaPhy) and reciprocal cohorts. In 5 (hatching, number of blood meals to molt,
      accumulative mortality, percentage of females, and mean number of laid eggs) of
      the 6 studied parameters (with the exception of development time), the hybrid
      cohorts had better fitness results than the parental cohorts involved in each set
      of crosses. The increase in hybrid fitness found in our study could lead to an
      increase in the epidemiologic risks caused by transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi
      to humans.

PMID- 26118998
TI  - Indachlorins: nonplanar indanone-annulated chlorin analogues with panchromatic
      absorption spectra between 300 and 900 nm.
AB  - Indaphyrins, pyrrole-modified porphyrins containing a cleaved pyrrole beta,beta'
      bond and two annulated indanone moieties, possess unusually broadened and
      redshifted UV/Vis spectra because of their pi-expanded chromophores. The parent
      free base indaphyrin has been crystallographically characterized, highlighting
      its strongly ruffled conformation incorporating a helimeric twist. It was shown
      to be susceptible to regiospecific derivatizations at the opposite side of the
      ring-cleaved pyrrole (dihydroxylation, followed by functional group
      transformations of the resulting diol functionality), generating indaphyrin-based
      chlorin analogues, indachlorins, that incorporate a dihydroxypyrroline,
      pyrrolindione, oxazolone, or a morpholine moiety. Structural modifications
      resulted in further broadening and hyper- and bathochromic shifts of the optical
      spectra, some of which possess a nearly panchromatic absorption between 300 to
      well above 900 nm. The extents to which these modifications affect their solid
      state conformations were analyzed. 

PMID- 26118995
TI  - Global Mapping of the Inc-Human Interactome Reveals that Retromer Restricts
      Chlamydia Infection.
AB  - Chlamydia trachomatis is a leading cause of genital and ocular infections for
      which no vaccine exists. Upon entry into host cells, C. trachomatis resides
      within a membrane-bound compartment-the inclusion-and secretes inclusion membrane
      proteins (Incs) that are thought to modulate the host-bacterium interface. To
      expand our understanding of Inc function(s), we subjected putative C. trachomatis
      Incs to affinity purification-mass spectroscopy (AP-MS). We identified Inc-human
      interactions for 38/58 Incs with enrichment in host processes consistent with
      Chlamydia's intracellular life cycle. There is significant overlap between Inc
      targets and viral proteins, suggesting common pathogenic mechanisms among
      obligate intracellular microbes. IncE binds to sorting nexins (SNXs) 5/6,
      components of the retromer, which relocalizes SNX5/6 to the inclusion membrane
      and augments inclusion membrane tubulation. Depletion of retromer components
      enhances progeny production, revealing that retromer restricts Chlamydia
      infection. This study demonstrates the value of proteomics in unveiling host
      pathogen interactions in genetically challenging microbes.

PMID- 26118996
TI  - Parasite Calcineurin Regulates Host Cell Recognition and Attachment by
      Apicomplexans.
AB  - Apicomplexans invade a variety of metazoan host cells through mechanisms
      involving host cell receptor engagement and secretion of parasite factors to
      facilitate cellular attachment. We find that the parasite homolog of calcineurin,
      a calcium-regulated phosphatase complex central to signal transduction in
      eukaryotes, also contributes to host cell invasion by the malaria parasite
      Plasmodium falciparum and related Toxoplasma gondii. Using reverse-genetic and
      chemical-genetic approaches, we determine that calcineurin critically regulates
      and stabilizes attachment of extracellular P. falciparum to host erythrocytes
      before intracellular entry and has similar functions in host cell engagement by
      T. gondii. Calcineurin-mediated Plasmodium invasion is strongly associated with
      host receptors required for host cell recognition, and calcineurin function
      distinguishes this form of receptor-mediated attachment from a second mode of
      host-parasite adhesion independent of host receptors. This specific role of
      calcineurin in coordinating physical interactions with host cells highlights an
      ancestral mechanism for parasitism used by apicomplexans.

PMID- 26119000
TI  - Fundus Tessellation: Prevalence and Associated Factors: The Beijing Eye Study
      2011.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the prevalence of fundus tessellation and its associated
      factors. DESIGN: Population-based study. PARTICIPANTS: The Beijing Eye Study 2011
      included 3468 individuals with a mean age of 64.6+/-9.8 years (range, 50-93
      years). METHODS: Participants underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination.
      By using 45 degrees  color fundus photographs of the macula and optic disc,
      fundus tessellation, defined as variation in the visibility of the large
      choroidal vessels, was differentiated into 3 grades. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Fundus tessellation. RESULTS: Assessment of fundus tessellation was available for
      3442 individuals (99.6%) or 6789 eyes (98.6%). In multivariate analysis, a higher
      degree of fundus tessellation (mean, 0.84+/-0.79) was associated with older age
      (P < 0.001; standardized correlation coefficient beta, 0.14), male sex (P <
      0.001; beta, -0.08), lower body mass index (P = 0.04; beta, 0.03), worse best
      corrected visual acuity (P < 0.001; beta, 0.05), thinner subfoveal choroidal
      thickness (P < 0.001; beta, -0.51), longer axial length (P < 0.001; beta, 0.11),
      larger parapapillary beta zone (P < 0.001; beta, 0.08), lower prevalence of
      intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (P = 0.02; beta, -0.04), and
      lower prevalence of late AMD (P = 0.007; beta, -0.04). If parapapillary beta zone
      was dropped, higher glaucoma prevalence (P = 0.003) was associated with a higher
      degree of fundus tessellation. Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and retinal vein
      occlusions, mean blood pressure, and intraocular pressure were not (P > 0.10)
      associated with fundus tessellation. In a reverse manner, thinner subfoveal
      choroidal thickness was associated with a higher degree of fundus tessellation (P
      < 0.001; beta, -0.49) in the multivariate analysis. Subfoveal choroidal thickness
      decreased from 322+/-90 MUm (95% confidence interval [CI], 317-327) in eyes
      without fundus tessellation to 229+/-80 MUm in eyes with grade 1, to 122+/-52 MUm
      in eyes with grade 2, and to 81+/-37 MUm in eyes with grade 3 of fundus
      tessellation. CONCLUSIONS: Fundus tessellation is a surrogate for choroidal
      thinness and may be a clinical sign for a leptochoroid. After adjusting for
      ocular and systemic parameters, fundus tessellation also is associated with a
      larger parapapillary beta zone and higher glaucoma prevalence, and a lower
      prevalence of intermediate and late AMD. Its association with lower visual acuity
      warrants further investigation.

PMID- 26118999
TI  - Paraproteinemic Keratopathy: The Expanding Diversity of Clinical and Pathologic
      Manifestations.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe 7 patients with paraproteinemic keratopathy and to highlight
      the clinical and pathologic diversity of this rare entity and the importance of
      timely, systemic evaluation. DESIGN: Retrospective, multicenter collaborative
      case series. PARTICIPANTS: Seven patients with paraproteinemic keratopathy.
      METHODS: Clinical and pathologic records were reviewed to identify patients with
      well-documented corneal immunoglobulin deposits. Detailed ophthalmologic and
      medical histories were assembled. In 6 patients, corneal tissue was evaluated
      histochemically and immunohistochemically; in selected cases, corneal tissue was
      evaluated by in situ hybridization and ultrastructurally. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Visual acuity and anterior segment examination at presentation and follow-up;
      local therapy; systemic diagnosis and management; and histopathologic,
      immunohistochemical, in situ hybridization, and ultrastructural findings.
      RESULTS: Seven patients were identified with corneal immunoglobulin deposition.
      In addition to previously reported crystalline, nummular, patch-like, and lattice
      like corneal opacities, prominent corneal vascularization was present in 2
      patients mimicking interstitial keratitis and limbal stem cell deficiency. All
      patients had evidence of paraproteinemia in a setting of monoclonal gammopathy of
      undetermined significance, smoldering plasma cell myeloma, or Waldenstrom
      macroglobulinemia. Corneal findings were the first manifestation of systemic
      disease in 4 patients, and the diagnosis was not suspected in 3 of these
      patients. Pathologic evaluation of biopsied corneal and conjunctival tissues
      demonstrated immunoglobulin deposits. Previously unreported ultrastructural
      patterns in the cornea were noted: large scroll-like immunotactoid deposits,
      immune complex-like deposits, and randomly arranged fibrils morphologically
      intermediate between amyloid and immunotactoid deposits. Surgical intervention to
      improve vision was performed in 4 patients, with recurrence of deposits in 3
      patients. Three patients underwent systemic therapy with diminution of the
      deposits and improvement in vision in 1 patient. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical and
      pathologic expressions of corneal immunoglobulin deposits are protean and present
      a diagnostic challenge. Early recognition of this rare entity is important to
      address the potentially serious associated systemic disease.

PMID- 26119001
TI  - Frizzled-4 Variations Associated with Retinopathy and Intrauterine Growth
      Retardation: A Potential Marker for Prematurity and Retinopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To present the association between mutations affecting the Wnt-signaling
      receptor protein (FZD4), inherited vitreoretinopathies, and retinopathy of
      prematurity (ROP). DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of prospective samples at a
      tertiary referral center. PARTICIPANTS: Patients referred to our practice for
      management of a variety of pediatric vitreoretinopathies were offered
      participation in an ophthalmic biobank (421 participants with vitreoretinopathies
      were included in this study). Full-term healthy infants (n = 98) were recruited
      to the study as controls. METHODS: Patients with various vitreoretinopathies were
      prospectively enrolled in an ophthalmic biobank, approved by the Human
      Investigation Committee at William Beaumont Hospital. Retrospective genetic
      analysis of the FZD4 gene was performed (Sanger sequencing). Participants with a
      diagnosis of familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR), Norrie disease, Coats'
      disease, bilateral persistent fetal vasculature, and ROP were reviewed for the
      presence of a FZD4 variant. Data retrieval included status of retinopathy
      (including staging when possible), gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW) (when
      available), and family and birth histories. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The
      association of FZD4 variants with the presence of vitreoretinopathy. RESULTS: The
      sequence variation p.[P33S(;)P168S] is the most prevalent FZD4 variant and is
      statistically significant for ROP and FEVR (P = 4.6E-04 and P = 2.4E-03,
      respectively) compared with full-term newborns (P = 1.7E-01). In addition,
      infants expressing the sequence variation tended to have significantly lower BWs
      for respective GA (P = 0.04). This suggests that the FZD4 p.[P33S(;)P168S]
      variant may be a risk factor for retinopathy and restricted intrauterine growth.
      CONCLUSIONS: Testing for FZD4 gene mutations is useful in patients with suspected
      FEVR and ROP. The relatively high prevalence of the p.[P33S(;)P168S] variant in
      ROP and intrauterine growth restriction suggests that it also may be a marker for
      increased risk of developing ROP and preterm birth.

PMID- 26119002
TI  - Post-embryonic development in the mite suborder Opilioacarida, with notes on
      segmental homology in Parasitiformes (Arachnida).
AB  - In order to study homology among the major lineages of the mite (super)order
      Parasitiformes, developmental patterns in Opilioacarida are documented,
      emphasizing morphology of the earliest, post-embryonic instars. Developmental
      patterns are summarized for all external body structures, based on examination of
      material in four different genera. Development includes an egg, a 6-legged
      prelarva and larva, three 8-legged nymphal instars, and the adults, for the most
      complete ontogenetic sequence in Parasitiformes. The prelarva and larva appear to
      be non-feeding. Examination of cuticular structures over ontogeny allows
      development of an updated model for body segmentation and sensillar distribution
      patterns in Opilioacarida. This model includes a body made up of a well-developed
      ocular segment plus at most 17 additional segments. In the larvae and protonymphs
      each segment may carry up to six pairs of sensilla (setae or lyrifissures)
      arranged is distinct series (J, Z, S, Sv, Zv, Jv). The post-protonymphal instars
      add two more series (R and Rv) but no extra segments. This basic model is
      compatible with sensillar patterns in other Parasitiformes, leading to the
      hypothesis that all taxa in that (super)order may have the same segmental ground
      plan. The substantial segmental distortion implied in the model can be explained
      using a single process involving differential growth in the coxal regions of all
      appendage-bearing segments. 

PMID- 26119003
TI  - Seasonal analysis of Rickettsia species in ticks in an agricultural site of
      Slovakia.
AB  - Many rickettsiae of the spotted fever group are emerging pathogens causing
      serious diseases associated with vertebrate hosts. Ixodidae ticks are known as
      their vectors. Investigation of the relative abundance of questing Ixodes ricinus
      and their infection with Rickettsia spp. in an agricultural site comprising a
      game reserve in Slovakia was the aim of this study. In total, 2198 I. ricinus
      (492 larvae, 1503 nymphs and 203 adults) were collected by flagging the
      vegetation along 100 m(2) transects in Rozhanovce (eastern Slovakia): 334, 595
      and 1269 in 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively. Considering questing nymphs and
      adults, the highest relative density of 81 individuals/100 m(2) was observed in
      May 2013, the lowest of 0.3 individuals/100 m(2) in March 2012. A total of 1056
      ticks (853 nymphs, 100 females and 103 males; 2011: n = 329, 2012: n = 509 and
      2013: n = 218) were individually screened by PCR-based methods for the presence
      of Rickettsia spp. The overall prevalences were 7.3% for nymphs, 15% for females,
      7.8% for males; 7.0% in 2011, 8.4% in 2012, and 8.7% in 2013. The maximum
      prevalences were observed in July in nymphs and in May in adults. Sequencing
      showed infection with R. helvetica in 73 ticks (72.6% nymphs, 16.4% females, 11%
      males) and with R. monacensis in 11 ticks (8 nymphs, 3 females). The results
      showed the circulation of pathogenic Rickettsia species in the agricultural site
      and a potential risk for humans to encounter infected ticks.

PMID- 26119004
TI  - Three-Component Azidation of Styrene-Type Double Bonds: Light-Switchable Behavior
      of a Copper Photoredox Catalyst.
AB  - [Cu(dap)2]Cl effectively catalyzes azide addition from the Zhdankin reagent to
      styrene-type double bonds, and subsequent addition of a third component to the
      benzylic position. In the presence of light, a photoredox cycle is implicated
      with polar components such as methanol or bromide adding to a benzylic cation. In
      the absence of light, by contrast, double azidation takes place to give diazides.
      Therefore, regioselective double functionalization can be achieved in good to
      excellent yields, with a switch between light and dark controlling the degree of
      azidation.

PMID- 26119005
TI  - Anharmonic simulations of the vibrational spectrum of sulfated compounds:
      application to the glycosaminoglycan fragment glucosamine 6-sulfate.
AB  - Mid-infrared spectroscopy coupled with mass spectrometry is an appealing tool for
      the sequencing and structural elucidation of functional modifications in
      biopolymers, as it offers direct spectroscopic identification of the
      functionality where the traditional mass spectrometric approach is insufficient.
      Whereas the gas phase vibrational spectroscopy of peptides (and to a lesser
      extent saccharides) has been widely investigated, sulfation has attracted much
      less attention, despite its prevalence in natural polymers. The simulation of the
      vibrational spectra of such functionalized compounds is however notoriously
      challenging, which impairs the interpretation of spectroscopic data in terms of
      structure. Driven by a striking case of such a failure for a sulfated
      glycosaminoglycan fragment, we elaborate on an original hybrid GVPT2 anharmonic
      approach. This strategy offers a significantly improved accuracy in the
      description of the sulfate modes, without the recourse to empirical scaling
      factors, and with a greatly reduced computational cost which is otherwise
      prohibitive for molecules of this size. Alternatively, we propose a selection of
      reasonably accurate harmonic methods with adequate scaling factors optimized on a
      set of benchmark compounds. 

PMID- 26119006
TI  - Population status of chimpanzees in the Masito-Ugalla Ecosystem, Tanzania.
AB  - More than 75 percent of Tanzania's chimpanzees live at low densities on land
      outside national parks. Chimpanzees are one of the key conservation targets in
      the region and long-term monitoring of these populations is essential for
      assessing the overall status of ecosystem health and the success of implemented
      conservation strategies. We aimed to assess change in chimpanzee density within
      the Masito-Ugalla Ecosystem (MUE) by comparing results of re-walking the same
      line transects in 2007 and 2014. We further used published remote sensing data
      derived from Landsat satellites to assess forest cover change within a 5 km
      buffer of these transects over that same period. We detected no statistically
      significant decline in chimpanzee density across the surveyed areas of MUE
      between 2007 and 2014, although the overall mean density of chimpanzees declined
      from 0.09 individuals/km(2) in 2007 to 0.05 individuals/km(2) in 2014. Whether
      this change is biologically meaningful cannot be determined due to small sample
      sizes and large, entirely overlapping error margins. It is therefore possible
      that the MUE chimpanzee population has been stable over this period and indeed in
      some areas (Issa Valley, Mkanga, Kamkulu) even showed an increase in chimpanzee
      density. Variation in chimpanzee habitat preference for ranging or nesting could
      explain variation in density at some of the survey sites between 2007 and 2014.
      We also found a relationship between increasing habitat loss and lower mean
      chimpanzee density. Future surveys will need to ensure a larger sample size,
      broader geographic effort, and random survey design, to more precisely determine
      trends in MUE chimpanzee density and population size over time.

PMID- 26119007
TI  - Graphene-coated materials using silica particles as a framework for highly
      efficient removal of aromatic pollutants in water.
AB  - The substantial aggregation of pristine graphene nanosheets decreases its
      powerful adsorption capacity and diminishes its practical applications. To
      overcome this shortcoming, graphene-coated materials (GCMs) were prepared by
      loading graphene onto silica nanoparticles (SiO2). With the support of SiO2, the
      stacked interlamination of graphene was held open to expose the powerful
      adsorption sites in the interlayers. The adsorption of phenanthrene, a model
      aromatic pollutant, onto the loaded graphene nanosheets increased up to 100 fold
      compared with pristine graphene at the same level. The adsorption of GCMs
      increased with the loading amount of the graphene nanosheets and dramatically
      decreased with the introduction of oxygen-containing groups in the graphene
      nanosheets. The highly hydrophobic effect and the strong pi-pi stacking
      interactions of the exposed graphene nanosheets contributed to their superior
      adsorption of GCMs. An unusual GCM peak adsorption coefficient (Kd) was observed
      with the increase in sorbate concentration. The sorbate concentration at peak Kd
      shifted to lower values for the reduced graphene oxide and graphene relative to
      the graphene oxide. Therefore, the replacement of water nanodroplets attached to
      the graphene nanosheets through weak non-hydrogen bonding with phenanthrene
      molecules via strong pi-pi stacking interactions is hypothesized to be an
      additional adsorption mechanism for GCMs. 

PMID- 26119009
TI  - Life cycle assessment of three different management options for spent alkaline
      batteries.
AB  - The potential environmental impact of Landfilling, Incineration and Recycling of
      spent household alkaline batteries collected in continental Portugal was compared
      using LCA methodology and the Recipe Impact Assessment method. Major contributors
      and improvement opportunities for each system were identified and scenarios for
      2012 and 2016 legislation targets were evaluated. For 13 out of the 18 impact
      categories, the Recycling system is the worst alternative, Incineration is the
      worst option for 4 and Landfill is the worst option only for one impact category.
      However if additionally in each system the recovery of materials and energy is
      taken into account there is a noticeable advantage of the Recycling system for
      all the impact categories. The environmental profiles for 2012 and 2016 scenarios
      (25% and 45% recycling rates, respectively) show the dominance of the Recycling
      system for most of the impact categories. Based on the results of this study, it
      is questioned whether there are environmental benefits of recycling abroad the
      household alkaline batteries collected in continental Portugal and, since the low
      environmental performance of the Recycling system is particularly due to the
      international transport of the batteries to the recycling plant, is foreseen that
      a recycling facility located in Portugal, could bring a positive contribution to
      the environmental impact of the legislation compliance. 

PMID- 26119010
TI  - Recycling of a fine, heavy fluff automobile shredder residue by density and
      differential fragmentation.
AB  - A compilation of the physical properties of materials which might typically occur
      in automobile shredder residue and an analysis of their suitability for the
      separation of materials in fine (<15mm) heavy fluff ASR (fhf-ASR) is presented.
      Differences in density and resistance to crushing of fhf-ASR materials were
      identified as potentially the most suitable low cost, technologically simple
      means for the separating this waste into its three principal components - metals,
      minerals (glass/stones) and organics (plastics). Results presented of laboratory
      scale tests demonstrate that fhf-ASR can in large part be separated into three
      principal components. Tests were conducted with 0.63-2.0mm and 2-10mm fractions.
      Recovery of plastics by density separations were conducted with water only jigs
      for the 2-10mm fraction and shaker tables for the 0.63-2mm fraction. Comparisons
      are presented of the separations of glass and stones from metals obtained by
      linear screening and vibratory screening of roller mill and impact mill crushing
      products of the high density 2-10mm fraction. Equipment used for these tests are
      of a laboratory or demonstrative scale. It is reasonable to anticipate that
      industrial scale processing would produce significantly better results. The 2
      15mm fraction was found to constitute 91.6% of the fhf-ASR sampled. The metals
      content of the 2-10mm portion of this fraction was upgraded from 2.5% to 31% and
      76.9% with recoveries varying inversely with grade from 91.9% to 40.1%. From
      63.6% to 17.1% with a recovery of 93.5% of the organic materials. A residual
      product of fine sand of crushed glass/stones of 99.4% purity recovered 71.3% of
      these. 

PMID- 26119008
TI  - Pulse-Administered Toceranib Phosphate Plus Lomustine for Treatment of
      Unresectable Mast Cell Tumors in Dogs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nonresectable mast cell tumors (MCT) in dogs remain a therapeutic
      challenge, and investigation of novel combination therapies is warranted.
      Intermittent administration of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) combined with
      cytotoxic chemotherapy may effectively chemosensitize canine MCT while decreasing
      cost and adverse effects associated with either agent administered as
      monotherapy. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: The primary study objectives were to (1)
      identify the maximally tolerated dose (MTD), (2) determine the objective response
      rate (ORR) and (3) describe the adverse event profile of pulse-administered
      toceranib phosphate (TOC) combined with lomustine. ANIMALS: Forty-seven client
      owned dogs with measurable MCT. METHODS: Toceranib phosphate was given PO on days
      1, 3 and 5 of a 21-day cycle at a target dosage of 2.75 mg/kg. Lomustine was
      given PO on day 3 of each cycle at a starting dosage of 50 mg/m(2) . All dogs
      were concurrently treated with diphenhydramine, omeprazole, and prednisone.
      RESULTS: The MTD of lomustine was established at 50 mg/m(2) when combined with
      pulse-administered TOC; the dose-limiting toxicity was neutropenia. Forty-one
      dogs treated at the MTD were evaluable for outcome assessment. The ORR was 46% (4
      complete response, 15 partial response) and the overall median progression-free
      survival (PFS) was 53 days (1 to >752 days). On multivariate analysis, variables
      significantly associated with improved PFS included response to treatment,
      absence of metastasis, and no previous chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL
      IMPORTANCE: Combined treatment with pulse-administered TOC and lomustine
      generally is well tolerated and may be a reasonable treatment option for dogs
      with unresectable or metastatic MCT.

PMID- 26119011
TI  - Degradation of municipal solid waste in simulated landfill bioreactors under
      aerobic conditions.
AB  - In this study the municipal solid waste degradation processes in simulated
      landfill bioreactors under aerobic and anaerobic conditions is investigated. The
      effect of waste aeration on the dynamics of the aerobic degradation processes in
      lysimeters as well as during anaerobic processes after completion of aeration is
      presented. The results are compared with the anaerobic degradation process to
      determine the stabilization stage of waste in both experimental modes. The
      experiments in aerobic lysimeters were carried out at small aeration rate
      (4.41?10(-3)lmin(-1)kg(-1)) and for two recirculation rates (24.9 and 1.58lm(
      3)d(-1)). The change of leachate and formed gases composition showed that the
      application of even a small aeration rate favored the degradation of organic
      matter. The amount of CO2 and CH4 released from anaerobic lysimeter was about 5
      times lower than that from the aerobic lysimeters. Better stabilization of the
      waste was obtained in the aerobic lysimeter with small recirculation, from which
      the amount of CO2 produced was larger by about 19% in comparison with that from
      the aerobic lysimeter with large leachate recirculation. 

PMID- 26119012
TI  - Environmental and economic performance of plasma gasification in Enhanced
      Landfill Mining.
AB  - This paper describes an environmental and economic assessment of plasma
      gasification, one of the viable candidates for the valorisation of refuse derived
      fuel from Enhanced Landfill Mining. The study is based on life cycle assessment
      and life cycle costing. Plasma gasification is benchmarked against conventional
      incineration, and the study indicates that the process could have significant
      impact on climate change, human toxicity, particulate matter formation, metal
      depletion and fossil depletion. Flue gas emission, oxygen usage and disposal of
      residues (plasmastone) are the major environmental burdens, while electricity
      production and metal recovery represent the major benefits. Reductions in burdens
      and improvements in benefits are found when the plasmastone is valorised in
      building materials instead of landfilling. The study indicates that the overall
      environmental performance of plasma gasification is better than incineration. The
      study confirms a trade-off between the environmental and economic performance of
      the discussed scenarios. Net electrical efficiency and investment cost of the
      plasma gasification process and the selling price of the products are the major
      economic drivers. 

PMID- 26119014
TI  - Bone Metastasis-Related MicroRNAs: New Targets for Treatment?
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a new class of small noncoding RNAs of 19-25 nucleotides
      that function as negative posttranscriptional gene regulators. MiRNAs hybridize
      to the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of target mRNAs and repress translation or
      mediate mRNA cleavage. MiRNAs critically regulate tumorigenesis and progression
      by targeting oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, or genes related to
      proliferation, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. Different tumor types and tumors at
      different stages exhibit unique miRNA profiles. MiRNAs show promise as potential
      biomarkers for cancer diagnostics, progression, and response to treatment. The
      role of miRNAs in promoting bone metastases is under investigated. We summarize
      recent findings on the mechanisms by which miRNAs may regulate bone metastatic
      spread of breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and multiple myeloma. We
      review similarities and differences in miRNA profiles that may explain the
      variety of molecular pathways underling metastatic spread to the skeleton in
      different cancers. Finally, we discuss the exciting potential of using miRNAs as
      diagnostics and therapeutic targets to reduce the risk of bone metastases in
      cancer, from the perspective of data provided by recent pre-clinical and clinical
      studies.

PMID- 26119013
TI  - Does rumination mediate the relationship between mindfulness and depressive
      relapse?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Major depressive disorder is a significant mental illness that is
      highly likely to recur, particularly after three or more previous episodes.
      Increased mindfulness and decreased rumination have both been associated with
      decreased depressive relapse. The aim of this study was to investigate whether
      rumination mediates the relationship between mindfulness and depressive relapse.
      DESIGN: This prospective design involved a secondary data analysis for
      identifying causal mechanisms using mediation analysis. METHODS: This study was
      embedded in a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based
      cognitive therapy (MBCT) in which 203 participants (165 females, 38 males; mean
      age: 48 years), with a history of at least three previous episodes of depression,
      completed measures of mindfulness, rumination, and depressive relapse over a 2
      year follow-up period. Specific components of mindfulness and rumination, being
      nonjudging and brooding, respectively, were also explored. RESULTS: While higher
      mindfulness scores predicted reductions in rumination and depressive relapse, the
      relationship between mindfulness and relapse was not found to be mediated by
      rumination, although there appeared to be a trend. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      strengthen the argument that mindfulness may be important in preventing relapse
      but that rumination is not a significant mediator of its effects. The study was
      adequately powered to detect medium mediation effects, but it is possible that
      smaller effects were present but not detected. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Mindfulness
      may be one of several components of MBCT contributing to prevention of depressive
      relapse. Although the original rationale for MBCT rested largely on a model of
      relapse causally linked to rumination, our findings suggest that the mechanism by
      which mindfulness impacts relapse is more complex than a simple effect on
      rumination.

PMID- 26119015
TI  - Reliability of the anterior functional device in recording the centric relations
      of patients with posterior tooth loss.
AB  - STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: The recording of centric relations (CRs) in patients
      with posterior tooth loss is a process that is subject to inaccuracy. A number of
      techniques and devices, including the anterior functional device (AFD), have been
      developed in the pursuit of better results. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vivo
      study was to evaluate the reliability of the AFD for the recording of the CR in
      participants with different types of posterior tooth loss. MATERIAL AND METHODS:
      Two CR records were obtained (CR1, CR2), and 2 maximal intercuspal position
      records were obtained (MIP1, MIP2) by a single operator at intervals of 5
      minutes. This study included 45 participants of both sexes aged between 18 and 65
      years who were divided into 3 groups. The first group had intercalated tooth loss
      (n=19), the second group had distal extensions (n=11), and the third group had no
      tooth loss (n=15). The distance between the CR and MIP was termed the condylar
      displacement and was measured in millimeters in the vertical, horizontal, and
      transversal planes with a condylar position indicator (CPI). The condylar
      displacements between the CR and MIP in both stages of the study (D1 and D2) were
      compared with the CPI after mounting the casts on a semiadjustable articulator.
      Repeated-measures analyses of variance with one factor were used to compare the
      records for each group in each of the planes: right vertical (RV), left vertical
      (LV), horizontal right (HR), horizontal left (HL), and transverse (T)
      (alpha=.05). No significant differences between the records in any of the planes
      (RV, LV, HR, HL, or T) were observed; thus, the means of the records of each
      plane were used to compare the groups (the intercalated tooth loss, distal
      extension, and no tooth loss groups). The means of the records of the HR and HL
      planes were compared by ANOVA because the data were normally distributed. The
      means of the records of the RV, LV, and T planes were compared by using
      nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis tests because the data were non-normally
      distributed. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference (P >.05) was found
      between the condylar displacements for any of the studied variables in the 3
      considered groups: RV (.512), LV (.690), HR (.179), HL (.494), and T (.644).
      CONCLUSIONS: Repeatability of the condylar displacement was observed between the
      CR and MIP (D1, D2), which indicates the reliability of the AFD method for
      recording the CR in participants with posterior tooth loss. The AFD was
      demonstrated to be a user-friendly tool and permitted the recording and
      evaluation of excursive movements with tracings.

PMID- 26119016
TI  - Accuracy of mechanical torque-limiting devices for dental implants.
AB  - STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: A common complication in implant dentistry is unintentional
      implant screw loosening. The critical factor in the prevention of screw loosening
      is the delivery of the appropriate target torque value. Mechanical torque
      limiting devices (MTLDs) are the most frequently recommended devices by the
      implant manufacturers to deliver the target torque value to the screw. Two types
      of MTLDs are available: friction-style and spring-style. Limited information is
      available regarding the influence of device type on the accuracy of MTLDs.
      PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the accuracy of
      spring-style and friction-style MTLDs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Five MTLDs from 6
      different dental implant manufacturers (Astra Tech/Dentsply, Zimmer Dental,
      Biohorizons, Biomet 3i, Straumann [ITI], and Nobel Biocare) (n=5 per
      manufacturer) were selected to determine their accuracy in delivering target
      torque values preset by their manufacturers. All torque-limiting devices were new
      and there were 3 manufacturers for the friction-style and 3 manufacturers for the
      spring-style. The procedure of target torque measurement was performed 10 times
      for each device and a digital torque gauge (Chatillon Model DFS2-R-ND; Ametek)
      was used to record the measurements. Statistical analysis used nonparametric
      tests to determine the accuracy of the MTLDs in delivering target torque values
      and Bonferroni post hoc tests were used to assess pairwise comparisons. RESULTS:
      Median absolute difference between delivered torque values and target torque
      values of friction-style and spring-style MTLDs were not significantly different
      (P>.05). Accuracy of Astra Tech and Zimmer Dental friction-style torque-limiting
      devices were significantly different than Biohorizons torque-limiting devices
      (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: There is no difference between the accuracy of new friction
      style MTLDs and new spring-style MTLDs. All MTLDs fell within +/-10% of the
      target torque value. Astra Tech and Zimmer Dental friction-style torque-limiting
      devices were significantly more accurate than Biohorizons (C) torque-limiting
      devices (P<.05); however, all the torque-limiting devices fell within +/-10% of
      the target torque value preset by the manufacturers.

PMID- 26119017
TI  - Fatigue resistance of ultrathin CAD/CAM complete crowns with a simplified
      cementation process.
AB  - STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Traditional tooth preparation for complete crowns requires
      a substantial amount of hard tissue reduction. This is in contrast with the
      principles of minimally invasive dentistry. An ultrathin complete crown
      preparation is proposed instead. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was
      to assess the fatigue resistance and failure mode of computer-aided design and
      computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) ultrathin complete molar crowns placed
      with self-adhesive cement. Different restorative materials (resin nanoceramic
      [RNC], feldspathic ceramic [FEL], and lithium disilicate [LD]) were compared.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-five extracted molars with a standardized crown
      preparation were restored with the Cerec 3 CAD/CAM system using FEL, LD, or RNC
      (n=15). FEL and LD restorations were etched with hydrofluoric acid and silanated.
      RNC restorations and all preparations were treated with airborne-particle
      abrasion. All restorations (thickness=0.7 mm) were cemented with RelyX Unicem II
      Automix cement and submitted to cyclic isometric loading, beginning with a load
      of 200 N (5000 cycles) and followed by stages of 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, and
      1400 N at a maximum of 30 000 cycles each. The specimens were loaded until
      failure or for a maximum of 185 000 cycles. The failure mode was categorized as
      "catastrophic," "possibly reparable," or "reparable." The groups were compared
      using life table survival analysis (log rank test at alpha=.05). Previously
      published data from the same authors about traditional complete crowns (thickness
      1.5 mm) using the same experimental design were included for comparison. RESULTS:
      All specimens survived the fatigue test until the 600 N step. RNC, LD, and FEL
      failed at an average load of 1014 N (1 survival), 1123 N (2 survivals), and 987 N
      (no survivals), and no difference in survival rate was found. No catastrophic
      failures were reported after the fatigue test. Comparison with previously
      published data showed that 1.5-mm thick complete crowns demonstrated higher
      survival rates than the ultrathin restorations, independent of the material.
      CONCLUSIONS: The fatigue resistance of ultrathin complete molar crowns (placed
      with a simplified cementation process) made of RNC, LD, and FEL was not
      significantly different. All materials survived the normal range of masticatory
      forces. All failures were re-restorable. Regular crowns of 1.5 to 2.0 mm
      thickness may present higher survival rates than ultrathin ones.

PMID- 26119018
TI  - Cemented implant restoration: A technique for minimizing adverse biologic
      consequences.
AB  - The purpose of this technique was to eliminate excess cement from the implant
      restoration by using a 2-step cementation process. A custom acrylic resin
      abutment, a duplicate of the titanium abutment, is fabricated before the
      restoration is cemented. At cementation, cement is placed inside the restoration,
      which is placed onto the acrylic resin abutment outside the mouth. The majority
      of the excess cement from inside the restoration is expressed onto the acrylic
      resin abutment. The restoration is then placed on the titanium abutment inside
      the mouth. The result is a minimum amount of excess cement expressed intraorally.
      This technique minimizes the adverse biological consequences of leaving excess
      cement beneath implant-supported restorations. 

PMID- 26119019
TI  - Accuracy of computer-guided surgery: A comparison of operator experience.
AB  - STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Even though high-precision technologies have been used in
      computer-guided implant surgery, studies have shown that linear and angular
      deviations between the planned and placed implants can be expected. PURPOSE: The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of operator experience on the
      accuracy of implant placement with a computer-guided surgery protocol. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: Ten surgically experienced and 10 surgically inexperienced operators
      participated in this study. Each operator placed 1 dental implant (Replace
      Select) on the partially edentulous mandibular model that had been planned with
      software by following a computer-guided surgery (NobelGuide) protocol. Three
      dimensional information of the planned and placed implants were then
      superimposed. The horizontal and vertical linear deviations at both the apex and
      platform levels and the angular deviation were measured and compared between the
      experienced and inexperienced groups with the independent t test with Bonferroni
      adjustment (alpha=.01). The magnitude and direction of the horizontal deviations
      were also measured and recorded. RESULTS: No significant differences were found
      in the angular and linear deviations between the 2 groups (P>.01). Although not
      statistically significant (P>.01), the amount of vertical deviation in the
      coronal direction of the implants placed by the inexperienced operators was about
      twice that placed by the experienced operators. Overall, buccal apical deviations
      were most frequent and of the highest magnitude. CONCLUSIONS: When a computer
      guided protocol was used, the accuracy of the vertical dimension (depth of
      implant placement) was most influenced by the operator's level of experience.

PMID- 26119020
TI  - Interdisciplinary treatment of an adult with bilateral cleft lip and palate with
      missing premaxilla: The prosthodontic perspective.
AB  - Conventional orthognathic surgery and orthodontic techniques occasionally fail to
      completely correct the occlusal relationship and esthetic deficits of patients
      with cleft lip and palate and severe midface deficiency. Prosthodontic
      rehabilitation is often required to establish adequate occlusion and provide a
      more proportional facial appearance. This clinical report describes the
      interdisciplinary management of an adult with complete bilateral cleft lip and
      palate who was treated with distraction osteogenesis using a rigid external
      distraction device for maxillary advancement and his prosthodontic rehabilitation
      with a dual path removable partial overdenture to develop definitive facial and
      dental esthetic form. 

PMID- 26119021
TI  - Lateralized modulation of posterior alpha oscillations in children.
AB  - The evidence for a functionally inhibitory role of alpha oscillations is growing
      stronger, mostly derived from studies in healthy adults investigating spatial
      attention. It remains unexplored if the modulation of alpha band oscillations
      plays a similar functional role in typically developing children. The aim of this
      study was to characterize alpha modulations in children in relation to
      attentional performance. To this end, the posterior alpha activity (8-12Hz) in
      children between 7 and 10years old was measured using EEG while they performed a
      visuospatial covert attention task. We found that the alpha activity decreased in
      the hemisphere contralateral to the attended hemifield, whereas it relatively
      increased in the other hemisphere. In addition, we found that the degree of
      lateralized alpha modulation predicted performance on the attention task by
      negatively predicting the response time on invalid trials. Of note, children who
      were behaviorally less influenced by spatial cueing also were children with a
      clear lateralized alpha modulation pattern, with a significantly stronger alpha
      lateralization in the left hemisphere than children who were influenced more by
      spatial cueing. In addition, a bias to the right visual field such as that
      commonly observed in children, was significantly smaller or absent in the
      children influenced least by spatial cueing. Among all children, the magnitude of
      this visual field bias was positively related to the ability to modulate alpha
      activity. In conclusion, we have shown that the pattern of alpha oscillations
      modulated by attention is already present in 7-10year old typically developing
      children. Although a similar pattern is observed in adults, the consequences for
      behavior are different. The fact that alpha modulation is already present at this
      age opens up the possibility of using hemispheric alpha lateralization as a tool
      to study the physiological basis of attention deficits in clinical disorders such
      as ADHD. 

PMID- 26119022
TI  - Top-down attention regulates the neural expression of audiovisual integration.
AB  - The interplay between attention and multisensory integration has proven to be a
      difficult question to tackle. There are almost as many studies showing that
      multisensory integration occurs independently from the focus of attention as
      studies implying that attention has a profound effect on integration. Addressing
      the neural expression of multisensory integration for attended vs. unattended
      stimuli can help disentangle this apparent contradiction. In the present study,
      we examine if selective attention to sound pitch influences the expression of
      audiovisual integration in both behavior and neural activity. Participants were
      asked to attend to one of two auditory speech streams while watching a pair of
      talking lips that could be congruent or incongruent with the attended speech
      stream. We measured behavioral and neural responses (fMRI) to multisensory
      stimuli under attended and unattended conditions while physical stimulation was
      kept constant. Our results indicate that participants recognized words more
      accurately from an auditory stream that was both attended and audiovisually (AV)
      congruent, thus reflecting a benefit due to AV integration. On the other hand, no
      enhancement was found for AV congruency when it was unattended. Furthermore, the
      fMRI results indicated that activity in the superior temporal sulcus (an area
      known to be related to multisensory integration) was contingent on attention as
      well as on audiovisual congruency. This attentional modulation extended beyond
      heteromodal areas to affect processing in areas classically recognized as
      unisensory, such as the superior temporal gyrus or the extrastriate cortex, and
      to non-sensory areas such as the motor cortex. Interestingly, attention to
      audiovisual incongruence triggered responses in brain areas related to conflict
      processing (i.e., the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior insula). Based
      on these results, we hypothesize that AV speech integration can take place
      automatically only when both modalities are sufficiently processed, and that if a
      mismatch is detected between the AV modalities, feedback from conflict areas
      minimizes the influence of this mismatch by reducing the processing of the least
      informative modality. 

PMID- 26119023
TI  - Inferior-frontal cortex phase synchronizes with the temporal-parietal junction
      prior to successful change detection.
AB  - The inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) are
      believed to be core structures of human brain networks that activate when sensory
      top-down expectancies guide goal directed behavior and attentive perception. But
      it is unclear how activity in IFG and TPJ coordinates during attention demanding
      tasks and whether functional interactions between both structures are related to
      successful attentional performance. Here, we tested these questions in
      electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings in human subjects using a visual
      detection task that required sustained attentional expectancy in order to detect
      non-salient, near-threshold visual events. We found that during sustained
      attention the successful visual detection was predicted by increased phase
      synchronization of band-limited 15-30 Hz beta band activity that was absent prior
      to misses. Increased beta-band phase alignment during attentional engagement
      early during the task was restricted to inferior and lateral prefrontal cortex,
      but with sustained attention it extended to long-range IFG-TPJ phase
      synchronization and included superior prefrontal areas. In addition to beta, a
      widely distributed network of brain areas comprising the occipital cortex showed
      enhanced and reduced alpha band phase synchronization before correct detections.
      These findings identify long-range phase synchrony in the 15-30 Hz beta band as
      the mesoscale brain signal that predicts the successful deployment of attentional
      expectancy of sensory events. We speculate that localized beta coherent states in
      prefrontal cortex index 'top-down' sensory expectancy whose coupling with TPJ
      subregions facilitates the gating of relevant visual information.

PMID- 26119024
TI  - The number of objects determines visual working memory capacity allocation for
      complex items.
AB  - The goal of the present study was to examine whether visual working memory (WM)
      capacity allocation is determined solely by complexity, with the number of
      objects being redundant, as suggested by flexible resource models. Participants
      performed the change detection task with random polygons as stimuli, while we
      monitored the contralateral delay activity (CDA), an electrophysiological marker
      whose amplitude rises as WM load increases. In Experiment 1, we compared the WM
      maintenance of one whole polygon to a single half of the polygon, equating the
      number of items but varying the complexity level. Additionally, we compared the
      whole polygon to two halves of a polygon, thus roughly equating perceptual
      complexity but manipulating the number of items. The results suggested that only
      the number of objects determined WM capacity allocation: the CDA was identical
      when comparing one whole polygon to one polygon half, even though these
      conditions differed in complexity. Furthermore, the CDA amplitude was lower in
      the whole polygon condition relative to the two halves condition, even though
      both contained roughly the same amount of information. Experiment 2 extended
      these results by showing that two polygon halves that moved separately but then
      met and moved together were gradually integrated to consume similar WM capacity
      as one polygon half. Additionally, in both experiments we found an object benefit
      in accuracy, corroborating the important role of objects in WM. Our results
      demonstrate that WM capacity allocation cannot be explained by complexity alone.
      Instead, it is highly sensitive to objecthood, as suggested by discrete slot
      models. 

PMID- 26119025
TI  - New insights on the viral and host factors contributing to the airway
      pathogenesis caused by the respiratory syncytial virus.
AB  - The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most prevalent etiological agent of
      lower respiratory tract infections and the first cause of hospitalization in
      infants due to respiratory disease worldwide. However, efforts to develop safe
      and effective vaccines and antivirals have been challenged by an incomplete
      understanding of the RSV pathogenesis and the host immune response to RSV
      infection in the airways. Here, we discuss recent advances in understanding the
      interaction between RSV and the epithelium to induce pathogenesis in the airways,
      such as the role of the RSV NS2 protein in the airway epithelium, as well as the
      events involved in the RSV entry process. In addition, we summarize the cellular
      factors produced by airway epithelial cells (AECs) in response to RSV infection
      that lead to the activation of innate and adaptive immune responses, inducing
      lung inflammation and disease. Further, we discuss the possible contribution of a
      recently identified cytokine, thymic stromal lymphopoitein (TSLP), in the lung
      immunopathology caused by RSV. 

PMID- 26119026
TI  - Silencing Nociceptor Neurons Reduces Allergic Airway Inflammation.
AB  - Lung nociceptors initiate cough and bronchoconstriction. To elucidate if these
      fibers also contribute to allergic airway inflammation, we stimulated lung
      nociceptors with capsaicin and observed increased neuropeptide release and immune
      cell infiltration. In contrast, ablating Nav1.8(+) sensory neurons or silencing
      them with QX-314, a charged sodium channel inhibitor that enters via large-pore
      ion channels to specifically block nociceptors, substantially reduced ovalbumin-
      or house-dust-mite-induced airway inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness.
      We also discovered that IL-5, a cytokine produced by activated immune cells, acts
      directly on nociceptors to induce the release of vasoactive intestinal peptide
      (VIP). VIP then stimulates CD4(+) and resident innate lymphoid type 2 cells,
      creating an inflammatory signaling loop that promotes allergic inflammation. Our
      results indicate that nociceptors amplify pathological adaptive immune responses
      and that silencing these neurons with QX-314 interrupts this neuro-immune
      interplay, revealing a potential new therapeutic strategy for asthma.

PMID- 26119028
TI  - Prosthetic heart valves in pregnancy, outcomes for women and their babies: a
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Historically, pregnancies among women with prosthetic heart valves
      have been associated with an increased incidence of adverse outcomes. OBJECTIVES:
      Systematic review to assess risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes among women with a
      prosthetic heart valve(s) over the last 20 years. SEARCH STRATEGY: Electronic
      literature search of Medline, The Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing
      and Allied Health Literature and Embase to find recent studies. SELECTION
      CRITERIA: Studies of pregnant women with heart valve prostheses including trials,
      cohort studies and unselected case series. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Primary
      analysis calculated absolute risks and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for
      pregnancy outcomes using a random effects model. The Freeman-Tukey transformation
      was utilised in secondary analysis due to the large number of individual study
      outcomes with zero events. MAIN RESULTS: Eleven studies capturing 499 pregnancies
      among women with heart valve prostheses, including 256 mechanical and 59
      bioprosthetic, were eligible for inclusion. Pooled estimate of maternal mortality
      was 1.2/100 pregnancies (95% CI 0.5-2.2), for mechanical valves subgroup 1.8/100
      (95% CI 0.5-3.7) and bioprosthetic subgroup 0.7/100 (95% CI 0.1-4.5), overall
      pregnancy loss 20.8/100 pregnancies (95% CI 9.5-35.1), perinatal mortality
      5.0/100 births (95%CI 1.8-9.8) and thromboembolism 9.3/100 pregnancies (95% CI
      4.0-16.5). CONCLUSIONS: Women with heart valve prostheses experienced higher
      rates of adverse outcomes than expected in a general obstetric population;
      however, lower than previously reported. Women with bioprostheses had
      significantly fewer thromboembolic events compared to women with mechanical
      valves. Women should be counselled pre-pregnancy about risk of maternal death and
      pregnancy loss. Vigilant surveillance by a multidisciplinary team throughout the
      perinatal period remains warranted for these women and their infants. TWEETABLE
      ABSTRACT: Metaanalysis suggests improvement in #pregnancy outcomes among women
      with #heartvalveprostheses.

PMID- 26119027
TI  - Regional Blood Flow in the Normal and Ischemic Brain Is Controlled by Arteriolar
      Smooth Muscle Cell Contractility and Not by Capillary Pericytes.
AB  - The precise regulation of cerebral blood flow is critical for normal brain
      function, and its disruption underlies many neuropathologies. The extent to which
      smooth muscle-covered arterioles or pericyte-covered capillaries control
      vasomotion during neurovascular coupling remains controversial. We found that
      capillary pericytes in mice and humans do not express smooth muscle actin and are
      morphologically and functionally distinct from adjacent precapillary smooth
      muscle cells (SMCs). Using optical imaging we investigated blood flow regulation
      at various sites on the vascular tree in living mice. Optogenetic, whisker
      stimulation, or cortical spreading depolarization caused microvascular diameter
      or flow changes in SMC but not pericyte-covered microvessels. During early stages
      of brain ischemia, transient SMC but not pericyte constrictions were a major
      cause of hypoperfusion leading to thrombosis and distal microvascular occlusions.
      Thus, capillary pericytes are not contractile, and regulation of cerebral blood
      flow in physiological and pathological conditions is mediated by arteriolar SMCs.

PMID- 26119029
TI  - Combined effects of sex hormone-binding globulin and sex hormones on risk of
      incident type 2 diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to investigate the combined effects
      of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and sex hormones on the risk of type 2
      diabetes (T2D). METHODS: A nested case-control study of Chinese participants in
      the Environment, Inflammation and Metabolic Diseases Study (2008-13) was
      performed. Of the 3510 subjects free of diabetes, 145 men and 87 women developed
      diabetes over the 5-year follow-up. One age- and sex-matched control subject was
      selected for each case. Baseline concentrations of SHBG, estradiol, testosterone,
      and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) were divided into tertiles and
      subjects were classified as having low, intermediate and high levels accordingly.
      RESULTS: After multivariate adjustment, men with low SHBG levels had a fourfold
      greater risk of T2D than men with high SHBG levels. Conversely, men with high
      estradiol levels had a fourfold greater risk of T2D than men with low estradiol
      levels. Men with low SHBG + high estradiol had a 20-fold greater risk of T2D than
      men with high SHBG + low estradiol (odds ratio [OR] 20.23; 95% confidence
      interval [CI] 4.62-51.33). These risk associations in men were not observed for
      testosterone or DHEA-S, alone or in combination with SHBG. Compared with low
      SHBG, the risk of T2D decreased with increasing SHBG tertile (OR 0.92 [95% CI
      0.21-4.53], 0.14 [95% CI 0.10-0.74]; Ptrend  = 0.043) after multivariate
      adjustment in women. Estradiol, testosterone, and DHEA-S levels showed no
      association with T2D in women. CONCLUSION: Low SHBG in conjunction with high
      estradiol has an additive detrimental effect on the risk of T2D in men.

PMID- 26119030
TI  - Behavioral treatment of rumination: Research and clinical applications.
AB  - This brief review describes research on rumination treatment that emphasizes
      functional analysis, recent intervention methods (supplemental feeding, fixed
      time stimulus presentation, continuous access to preferred stimulation), clinical
      implications, and procedural recommendations. 

PMID- 26119031
TI  - A holistic measurement model of movement competency in children.
AB  - Different countries have different methods for assessing movement competence in
      children; however, it is unclear whether the test batteries that are used measure
      the same aspects of movement competence. The aim of this paper was to (1)
      investigate whether the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2) and
      Korperkoordinations Test fur Kinder (KTK) measure the same aspects of children's
      movement competence and (2) examine the factorial structure of the TGMD-2 and KTK
      in a sample of Australian children. A total of 158 children participated (M age =
      9.5; SD = 2.2). First, confirmatory factor analysis examined the independent
      factorial structure of the KTK and TGMD-2. Second, it was investigated whether
      locomotor, object control and body coordination loaded on the latent variable
      Movement Competency. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an adequate fit for
      both the KTK and TGMD-2. An adequate fit was also achieved for the final model.
      In this model, locomotor (r = .86), object control (r = .71) and body
      coordination (r = .52) loaded on movement competence. Findings support our
      hypothesis that the TGMD-2 and KTK measure discrete aspects of movement
      competence. Future researchers and practitioners should consider using a wider
      range of test batteries to assess movement competence. 

PMID- 26119032
TI  - Nodular cystic fat necrosis related to chronic minor local ischemia.

PMID- 26119033
TI  - Triexponential function analysis of diffusion-weighted MRI for diagnosing
      prostate cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate more detailed information noninvasively through on
      diffusion and perfusion in prostate cancer (PCa) using triexponential analysis of
      diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). METHODS: Sixty-three prostate cancer patients
      underwent preoperative 3.0 Tesla MRI including eight b-values DWI. Triexponential
      analysis was performed to obtain three diffusion coefficients (Dp , Df , Ds ), as
      well as fractions (Fp , Ff , Fs ). Each diffusion parameter for cancerous lesions
      and normal tissues was compared and the relationship between diffusion parameters
      and Gleason score (GS) was assessed. K(trans) , Ve , and the ratios of
      intracellular components measured in histopathological specimens were compared
      with diffusion parameters. RESULTS: Dp was significantly greater for cancerous
      lesions than normal peripheral zone (PZ) (P < 0.001), whereas Dp in transition
      zone (TZ) showed no significant difference (P = 0.74, 95% confidence interval
      (CI) = -4.69-6.48). Ds was significantly smaller for each cancerous lesions in PZ
      and TZ (P < 0.001, respectively). There was no significant difference in Df
      between cancerous lesions and normal tissues in PZ and TZ (P = 0.07, 95% CI = 
      0.29-0.12 and P = 0.53, 95% CI = -3.51-2.29, respectively). D obtained with
      biexponential analysis were significantly smaller in cancerous lesions than in
      normal tissue in PZ and TZ (P < 0.001 for both), while D* in PZ and TZ showed no
      significant difference (P = 0.14, 95% CI = -1.60-0.24 and P = 0.31, 95% CI = 
      3.43-1.16, respectively). Dp in PZ and TZ showed significant correlation with
      K(trans) (R = 0.85, P < 0.001; R = 0.81, P < 0.001, respectively), while D(*) in
      PZ obtained with biexponential analysis showed no such correlation (P = 0.08, 95%
      CI = -0.14-0.30). Fs was significantly correlated with intracellular space
      fraction evaluated in histopathological specimens in PZ and TZ cancer (R = 0.41,
      P < 0.05; R = 0.59, P < 0.001, respectively). Ff and Fs correlated significantly
      with GS in PZ and TZ cancer (PZ: R = -0.44, P < 0.05; R = 0.37, P < 0.05, TZ: R =
      -0.59, P < 0.05; R = 0.57, P < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: Triexponential
      analysis is a noninvasive approach that can provide more detailed information
      regarding diffusion and perfusion of PCa than biexponential analysis.

PMID- 26119035
TI  - The efficacy of a novel collagen-gelatin scaffold with basic fibroblast growth
      factor for the treatment of vocal fold scar.
AB  - Vocal fold scar remains a therapeutic challenge. Basic fibroblast growth factor
      (bFGF) was reported to have regenerative effects for vocal fold scar, although it
      has the disadvantage of rapid absorption in vivo. A collagen-gelatin sponge (CGS)
      can compensate for the disadvantage by providing a sustained release system. The
      current study evaluated the efficacy of CGS combined with bFGF on vocal fold
      scar, using rat fibroblasts for an in vitro model and a canine in vivo model. We
      prepared fibroblasts from scarred vocal folds (sVFs) in rats and showed that bFGF
      accelerated cell proliferation and suppressed expression levels of cleaved
      caspase 3 and alpha-smooth muscle actin. Has 1, Has 3, Fgf2, Hgf and Vegfa mRNA
      levels were significantly upregulated, while Col1a1 and Col3a1 were dose
      dependently downregulated, with a maximum effect at 100 ng/ml bFGF. In an in vivo
      assay, 6 weeks after lamina propria stripping, beagles were divided into three
      groups: CGS alone (CGS group); CGS with bFGF (7 ug/cm2 ; CGS + bFGF group); or a
      sham-treated group. Vibratory examination revealed that the glottal gap was
      significantly reduced in the bFGF group and the two implanted groups, whereas the
      CGS + bFGF group showed higher mucosal wave amplitude. Histological examination
      revealed significantly restored hyaluronic acid and elastin redistribution in the
      CGS + bFGF group and reductions in dense collagen deposition. These results
      provide evidence that CGS and bFGF combination therapy may have therapeutic
      potential and could be a promising tool for treating vocal fold scar. Copyright
      (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26119034
TI  - Astaxanthin prevents pulmonary fibrosis by promoting myofibroblast apoptosis
      dependent on Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission.
AB  - Promotion of myofibroblast apoptosis is a potential therapeutic strategy for
      pulmonary fibrosis. This study investigated the antifibrotic effect of
      astaxanthin on the promotion of myofibroblast apoptosis based on dynamin-related
      protein-1 (Drp1)-mediated mitochondrial fission in vivo and in vitro. Results
      showed that astaxanthin can inhibit lung parenchymal distortion and collagen
      deposition, as well as promote myofibroblast apoptosis. Astaxanthin demonstrated
      pro-apoptotic function in myofibroblasts by contributing to mitochondrial
      fission, thereby leading to apoptosis by increasing the Drp1 expression and
      enhancing Drp1 translocation into the mitochondria. Two specific siRNAs were used
      to demonstrate that Drp1 is necessary to promote astaxanthin-induced
      mitochondrial fission and apoptosis in myofibroblasts. Drp1-associated genes,
      such as Bcl-2-associated X protein, cytochrome c, tumour suppressor gene p53 and
      p53-up-regulated modulator of apoptosis, were highly up-regulated in the
      astaxanthin group compared with those in the sham group. This study revealed that
      astaxanthin can prevent pulmonary fibrosis by promoting myofibroblast apoptosis
      through a Drp1-dependent molecular pathway. Furthermore, astaxanthin provides a
      potential therapeutic value in pulmonary fibrosis treatment. 

PMID- 26119036
TI  - How to Make Weak Noncovalent Interactions Stronger.
AB  - By employing noncovalent interactions, chemists have constructed a variety of
      molecular aggregates with well-defined structures and fascinating properties. In
      fabricating stable and large molecular assemblies, noncovalent interactions with
      high binding strength are needed. This Concept summarizes some strategies to
      modify and optimize the structures of building blocks for making weak noncovalent
      interactions stronger. The strategies include: 1) Preorganization of binding
      sites; 2) spatial confinement effects; 3) multivalent enhancement; 4) synergistic
      binding with multiple forces. Examples of the fabrication of supramolecular
      architectures by utilizing these strategies are presented and discussed. Guidance
      is offered in the construction and fabrication of stable molecular assemblies and
      supramolecular materials. 

PMID- 26119038
TI  - Naloxone--does over-antagonism matter? Evidence of iatrogenic harm after
      emergency treatment of heroin/opioid overdose.
AB  - AIM: To analyse drug users' views and experiences of naloxone during emergency
      resuscitation after illicit opiate overdose to identify (i) any evidence of harm
      caused by excessive naloxone dosing ('over-antagonism'); and (ii) implications
      for the medical administration of naloxone within contemporary emergency
      settings. DESIGN: Re-analysis of a large qualitative data set comprising 70 face
      to-face interviews conducted within a few hours of heroin/opioid overdose
      occurring, observations from hospital settings and a further 130 interviews with
      illicit opiate users. Data were generated between 1997 and 1999. SETTING:
      Emergency departments, drug services and pharmacies in two Scottish cities.
      PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred illicit opiate users: 131 males and 69 females.
      FINDINGS: Participants had limited knowledge of naloxone and its pharmacology,
      yet described it routinely in negative terms and were critical of its medical
      administration. In particular, they complained that naloxone induced acute
      withdrawal symptoms, causing patients to refuse treatment, become aggressive,
      discharge themselves from hospital and take additional street drugs to counter
      the naloxone effects. Participants believed that hospital staff should administer
      naloxone selectively and cautiously, and prescribe counter-naloxone medication if
      dosing precipitated withdrawals. In contrast, observational data indicated that
      participants did not always know that they had received naloxone and hospital
      doctors did not necessarily administer it incautiously. CONCLUSIONS: Opiate users
      in urban Scotland repeatedly report harm caused by naloxone over-antagonism,
      although this is not evident in observational data. The concept of contemporary
      legend (a form of folklore that can be based on fact and provides a means of
      communicating and negotiating anxiety) helps to explain why naloxone has such a
      feared reputation among opiate users.

PMID- 26119037
TI  - Placental development during early pregnancy in sheep: estrogen and progesterone
      receptor messenger RNA expression in pregnancies derived from in vivo-produced
      and in vitro-produced embryos.
AB  - Sex steroids are important regulators of angiogenesis and growth in reproductive
      tissues, including the placenta. In experiment (exp.) 1, to examine the
      expression of a suite of sex steroid receptors throughout early pregnancy,
      maternal (caruncular [CAR]) and fetal (fetal membranes [FM]) placental tissues
      were collected on days 14 to 30 after mating and on day 10 after estrus
      (nonpregnant controls). In exp. 2, to examine the hypothesis that assisted
      reproductive technology would affect the expression of the same suite of sex
      steroid receptors, pregnancies were achieved through natural mating (NAT) or
      transfer of embryos from natural mating (NAT-ET), in vitro fertilization (IVF),
      or in vitro activation (IVA), and CAR and FM were collected on day 22. In exp. 1,
      for CAR messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of estrogen receptors (ESR) 1 and 2,
      nuclear (n) progesterone receptors (PGR) and membrane (m) PGRalpha, beta, and
      gamma were affected (P < 0.02) by pregnancy stage, as were ESR1, nPGR, and
      mPGRalpha, beta, and gamma for FM (P < 0.03). In exp. 2, for CAR, mRNA expression
      of ESR1 and nPGR was decreased (P < 0.001) in NAT-ET, IVF, and IVA groups
      compared with NAT. For FM, mRNA expression of ESR1 tended to be greater (P =
      0.10) in the IVA group compared with NAT and NAT-ET, and GPER1 was greater (P <
      0.05) in NAT-ET and IVF compared with NAT. These data establish the normal
      pattern of sex steroid receptor mRNA expression in maternal and fetal placenta
      during early pregnancy in sheep, and in addition, suggest that altered expression
      of placental sex steroid receptors may be an early event leading to poor
      placental vascularization and growth after assisted reproductive technology. 

PMID- 26119039
TI  - PCR-based retrospective evaluation of diagnostic samples for emergence of porcine
      deltacoronavirus in US swine.
AB  - Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) was first identified in Hong Kong in a regional
      surveillance study for Coronaviruses in 2012 and was detected for the first time
      in United States (US) swine in February 2014. However, it remains unknown if
      PDCoV had been introduced into the US prior to that time period. In the present
      study, 1734 clinical samples (903 cases) submitted to the Iowa State University
      Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ISU VDL) for enteric disease diagnosis between
      October 2012 and December 2013 were tested retrospectively for PDCoV using a
      virus-specific real-time reverse transcription (RT) PCR targeting conserved
      region of the membrane gene. PDCoV genome was first detected in a fecal sample
      collected on August 19th 2013 from Minnesota. Subsequently, PDCoV was observed in
      samples collected on August 20th and August 27th from Iowa and on August 29th
      from Illinois. Therefore, with available samples submitted to the ISU VDL, it can
      be inferred that PDCoV has been present in US swine at least since August 2013. 

PMID- 26119040
TI  - Predictors of Spinal Cord Stimulation Success.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: As many as 30% of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) patients fail to
      obtain long-term pain coverage, even with the strictest parameters of a
      successful trial, unremarkable psychological assessment, and ideal placement of
      the permanent device. Why these patients either never receive adequate benefit or
      lose benefit remains elusive. METHODS: We perform a retrospective review of our
      prospective database of SCS patients undergoing surgery for routine indications.
      Six-month postoperative follow-up data were available for 57 patients. Two
      providers who routinely saw the patients were asked to independently grade the
      patient's outcome in a blinded fashion on a Global Outcome Ratings scale of 1 to
      10, with 5 being 50% improvement at 6 months postoperation. A score of less than
      5 was deemed a failure. The impact of body mass index (BMI), random drug screen
      results, workers' compensation status, depression, and smoking were assessed.
      RESULTS: We report a phi correlation of 0.350 between smoking and failure (p =
      0.017). Smoking status is correlated with both lead migration revisions (phi =
      0.269) (p = 0.044) and with revision due to new pain symptoms (phi = 0.241) (p =
      0.072). Further, there is a trend of correlation (phi = 0.289) between drug use
      and patients (N = 3) who underwent device removal (p = 0.045). In this cohort,
      worker's compensation status, BMI, and depression did not impact outcome.
      CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco use correlates with less success with SCS at 6-month follow
      up. Whether that is because of issues with healing and our transmission of
      signals to the periphery warrants further exploration. These data provide further
      evidence that tobacco cessation is important to surgical results.

PMID- 26119041
TI  - Faithful expression of imprinted genes in donor cells of SCNT cloned pigs.
AB  - To understand if the genomic imprinting status of the donor cells is altered
      during the process of SCNT (somatic cell nuclear transfer), cloned pigs were
      produced by SCNT using PEF (porcine embryonic fibroblast) and P-PEF
      (parthenogenetic-PEF) cells as donors. Then, the gene expression and methylation
      patterns of H19, IGF2, NNAT and MEST were compared between PEF vs. C-PEF (cloned
      PEF), P-PEF vs. CP-PEF (cloned-P-PEF), respectively. Taken together, the results
      revealed that there was no significant difference in the expression of imprinted
      genes and conserved genomic imprints between the donor and cloned cells. 

PMID- 26119042
TI  - Formulation of attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) with safe EPA-exempt substance
      significantly diminishes the Anopheles sergentii population in a desert oasis.
AB  - Attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) is a highly effective method which targets
      mosquitoes based on their sugar foraging behavior, by presenting baits of
      attractive compounds in combination with sugar and oral toxin to local mosquito
      populations. Environmental concerns and insecticide selection-pressure have
      prompted investigations of novel, ecologically-harmless substances which can be
      used as insecticides. This study examined the efficacy of microencapsulated
      garlic-oil as the oral toxin component of ATSB for controlling Anopheles
      sergentii populations inhabiting desert-surrounded wetlands in Israel. ATSB
      solution containing 0.4% encapsulated garlic oil was applied to local vegetation
      around a streamlet located in the lower Jordan Valley. To determine the
      propensity of bait ingestion, and assess the potential ecological impact of the
      method, mosquito and non-target specimens were collected and tested for the
      presence of natural plant- or attractive sugar bait (ASB)-derived sugars. Over
      the experimental period, biting-pressure values in the ATSB treatment site
      decreased by 97.5%, while at the control site, treated with non-toxic ASB, no
      significant changes were observed. Approximately 70% of the mosquitoes collected
      before both treatments, as well as those captured following the application of
      ASB at the control site, were found to have ingested sugar prior to capture. Non
      target insects were minimally affected by the treatment when ATSB was applied to
      foliage of non-flowering plants. Of the non-Diptera species, only 0.7% of the
      sampled non-target insects were found to have ingested ASB-solution which was
      applied to green vegetation, compared with 8.5% which have foraged on ASB-derived
      sugars applied to flowering plants. Conversely, a high proportion of the non
      target species belonging to the order Diptera, especially non-biting midges, were
      found to have ingested foliage-applied ASB, with more than 36% of the specimens
      collected determined to have foraged on bait-derived sugars. These results prove
      that food-grade, EPA-exempt microencapsulated garlic oil is a highly effective
      insecticide which can be utilized for mosquito population control. The relatively
      short half-life of this active ingredient makes it a suitable for use in areas
      where repeated application is possible, limiting the accumulation of deleterious
      compounds and ensuring minimal environmental impact when applied in accordance
      with label recommendations.

PMID- 26119043
TI  - Leptin augments protective immune responses in murine macrophages and enhances
      potential of miltefosine against experimental visceral leishmaniasis.
AB  - Adverse side effects and drug resistance issues are the two most important
      drawbacks which influence the widespread use of existing antileishmanial drugs.
      Use of immune stimulating agent with standard antileishmanial might be helpful to
      minimize the toxic effect of drug, shorten the dose regimen and delay the
      emergence of resistance. In the present study, we explored the in vitro
      immunomodulatory potential of an immunomodulator, leptin with lower concentration
      of standard drug, miltefosine. The level of Th1/Th2 cytokines, production of
      nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species and phagocytic activity was assessed by
      ELISA, Griess reaction and flow cytometric analysis, respectively. Leptin at a
      concentration of 15MUg/mL showed heightened level of Th1 cytokines and nitric
      oxide generation from murine macrophages (J-774A.1 cells). Leptin (15MUg/mL) also
      reduces the effective concentration of miltefosine by 2-folds from 7.5MUM to
      3.7MUM. When given in conjunction with lower concentration of miltefosine (4MUM),
      leptin (15MUg/mL) significantly (***p<0.001) elevated the level of IL-12 (7.7
      fold), TNF-alpha (8.1 fold) and nitric oxide (6.6 fold) along with markedly
      (***p<0.001) suppressed level of IL-10 and TGF-beta when compared with untreated
      infected macrophages. Leptin plus miltefosine also induces the phagocytic ability
      (**p<0.01) of macrophages in comparison to leptin alone and miltefosine alone
      treated groups. These finding illustrate that leptin activates host macrophages
      to generate protective immune response for the successful elimination of
      Leishmania parasite at lower concentration of miltefosine and has potential for
      further exploration in experimental animal model of visceral leishmaniasis (VL).

PMID- 26119045
TI  - A radiomics model from joint FDG-PET and MRI texture features for the prediction
      of lung metastases in soft-tissue sarcomas of the extremities.
AB  - This study aims at developing a joint FDG-PET and MRI texture-based model for the
      early evaluation of lung metastasis risk in soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs). We
      investigate if the creation of new composite textures from the combination of FDG
      PET and MR imaging information could better identify aggressive tumours. Towards
      this goal, a cohort of 51 patients with histologically proven STSs of the
      extremities was retrospectively evaluated. All patients had pre-treatment FDG-PET
      and MRI scans comprised of T1-weighted and T2-weighted fat-suppression sequences
      (T2FS). Nine non-texture features (SUV metrics and shape features) and forty-one
      texture features were extracted from the tumour region of separate (FDG-PET, T1
      and T2FS) and fused (FDG-PET/T1 and FDG-PET/T2FS) scans. Volume fusion of the FDG
      PET and MRI scans was implemented using the wavelet transform. The influence of
      six different extraction parameters on the predictive value of textures was
      investigated. The incorporation of features into multivariable models was
      performed using logistic regression. The multivariable modeling strategy involved
      imbalance-adjusted bootstrap resampling in the following four steps leading to
      final prediction model construction: (1) feature set reduction; (2) feature
      selection; (3) prediction performance estimation; and (4) computation of model
      coefficients. Univariate analysis showed that the isotropic voxel size at which
      texture features were extracted had the most impact on predictive value. In
      multivariable analysis, texture features extracted from fused scans significantly
      outperformed those from separate scans in terms of lung metastases prediction
      estimates. The best performance was obtained using a combination of four texture
      features extracted from FDG-PET/T1 and FDG-PET/T2FS scans. This model reached an
      area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of 0.984 +/- 0.002, a
      sensitivity of 0.955 +/- 0.006, and a specificity of 0.926 +/- 0.004 in
      bootstrapping evaluations. Ultimately, lung metastasis risk assessment at
      diagnosis of STSs could improve patient outcomes by allowing better treatment
      adaptation. 

PMID- 26119044
TI  - Diverse functional outcomes of Plasmodium falciparum ligation of EPCR: potential
      implications for malarial pathogenesis.
AB  - Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (IRBC) expressing the domain
      cassettes (DC) 8 and 13 of the cytoadherent ligand P. falciparum erythrocyte
      membrane protein 1 adhere to the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR). By
      interfering with EPCR anti-coagulant and pro-endothelial barrier functions, IRBC
      adhesion could promote coagulation and vascular permeability that contribute to
      the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria. In this study, we examined the adhesion of
      DC8- and DC13-expressing parasite lines to endothelial cells from different
      microvasculature, and the consequences of EPCR engagement on endothelial cell
      function. We found that IRBC from IT4var19 (DC8) and IT4var07 (DC13) parasite
      lines adhered to human brain, lung and dermal endothelial cells under shear
      stress. However, the relative contribution of EPCR to parasite cytoadherence on
      different types of endothelial cell varied. We also observed divergent functional
      outcomes for DC8 cysteine-rich interdomain region (CIDR)alpha1.1 and DC13
      CIDRalpha1.4 domains. IT4var07 CIDRalpha1.4 inhibited generation of activated
      protein C (APC) on lung and dermal endothelial cells and blocked the APC-EPCR
      binding interaction on brain endothelial cells. IT4var19 CIDRalpha1.1 inhibited
      thrombin-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction in lung endothelial cells,
      whereas IT4var07 CIDRalpha1.4 inhibited the protective effect of APC on thrombin
      induced permeability. Overall, these findings reveal a much greater complexity of
      how CIDRalpha1-expressing parasites may modulate malaria pathogenesis through
      EPCR adhesion. 

PMID- 26119046
TI  - New Insights and Biomarkers for Type 1 Diabetes: Review for Scandinavian Journal
      of Immunology.
AB  - The increasing incidence of type 1 diabetes observed in the past 60 years has
      spawned massive efforts in multiple research fields to elucidate the aetiology of
      this disease. While GWAS studies provide a good genetic basis for the current
      knowledge, it is clear that environmental triggers and their influence in disease
      prevalence and origin are highly important. The realization of disease
      heterogeneity has created a requirement for better biomarkers to complement the
      known autoantibody markers and to more successfully predict the severity and
      onset time of the disease. Such biomarkers would be needed both for prevention as
      well as for monitoring disease activity and response to preventive and
      therapeutic measures. Systematic holistic approaches concentrating on the
      triggering molecular mechanisms, pancreatic beta cells, immune response, as well
      as the influence of diet and environment, are necessary to understand the disease
      pathogenesis and find a cure. The current genomic knowledge is being broadened
      with accompanying studies in epigenetics and transcriptomic regulation,
      metabolomics, proteomics and lipidomics, covering the whole system from beta
      cells, the profile and cellular balance of the infiltrating lymphocytes, to gut
      microbiota and viral infections. Here we highlight interesting recent findings in
      type 1 diabetes research. 

PMID- 26119047
TI  - Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate therapy: assessment of the alveolar bone
      structure in rats - a blind randomized controlled trial.
AB  - This study aimed to assess the effect of zoledronic acid exposure on structures
      of the alveolar bone of rats. The sample was composed of 42 male Wistar rats.
      Animals in the T1 and T2 groups received weekly doses of 0.2 mg/kg
      intraperitoneal zoledronic acid for 3 weeks, while animals in the T3 group
      received the same treatment for 8 weeks. The control groups C1, C2 and C3
      received equivalent doses of saline. The first upper molars of Wistar rats in the
      C2, T2, C3 and T3 groups were extracted. Cone-beam computerized tomography scans
      were performed, and the image density was analysed by grey levels. The presence
      and type of inflammatory infiltrate, vascularization and bone necrosis were
      assigned by histological qualitative scores. Histomorphometric analysis of bone
      density was performed in the groups without extraction. No significant
      differences were found in the bone grey density estimated by grey-level value and
      histomorphometric analysis between the C1 and T1 groups (P > 0.05). The grey
      levels in the T3 group were lower (P < 0.05) than in the C3 group, corresponding
      to the bone defect. Histological assessments showed the presence of bone necrosis
      in the T3 group and lower levels of bone remodelling in the test groups (T2 and
      T3) compared to the control groups (C2 and C3). The results of qualitative
      analyses did not differ significantly between the groups (P > 0.05). Zoledronic
      acid-exposed animals showed maxillary changes including reduced grey levels, the
      presence of bone necrosis and a higher prevalence of inflammatory signs.

PMID- 26119048
TI  - Barriers and Facilitators for Sustainability of Tele-Homecare Programs: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify the barriers and facilitators for sustainability of tele
      homecare programs implemented by home health nursing agencies for chronic disease
      management. DATA SOURCES: English-language articles on home telehealth in the
      CINAHL, PubMed/MEDLINE, PsychInfo, Web of Science, and Cochrane Reviews databases
      published from January 1996 to December 2013. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a
      systematic literature review. Data extraction using PRISMA guidelines and quality
      appraisal using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) were conducted on
      relevant empirical studies. Thematic analysis across the studies and narrative
      summaries were used to synthesize the findings from the included studies.
      PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Of the initial 3,920 citations, we identified 16 articles of
      moderate quality meeting our inclusion criteria. Perceptions on effectiveness of
      tele-homecare programs for achieving intended outcomes; tailoring of tele
      homecare programs to patient characteristics and needs; relationship and
      communication between patient, nurse, and other health care professional users of
      tele-homecare; home health organizational process and culture; and technology
      quality, capability, and usability impacted the sustainability of tele-homecare
      programs. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this systematic review provide
      implications for sustained usage of tele-homecare programs by home health nursing
      agencies and can help such programs realize their potential for chronic disease
      management.

PMID- 26119049
TI  - [Global risk management].
AB  - Risk management is a fundamental component of any successful company, whether it
      is in economic, societal or environmental aspect. Risk management is an
      especially important activity for companies that optimal security challenge of
      products and services is great. This is the case especially for the health sector
      institutions. Risk management is therefore a decision support tool and a means to
      ensure the sustainability of an organization. In this context, what methods and
      approaches implemented to manage the risks? Through this state of the art, we are
      interested in the concept of risk and risk management processes. Then we focus on
      the different methods of risk management and the criteria for choosing among
      these methods. Finally we highlight the need to supplement these methods by a
      systemic and global approach including through risk assessment by the audits. 

PMID- 26119050
TI  - High-alkali low-temperature polysulfide pulping (HALT) of Scots pine.
AB  - High-alkali low-temperature polysulfide pulping (HALT) was effectively utilised
      to prevent major polysaccharide losses while maintaining the delignification
      rate. A yield increase of 6.7 wt% on wood was observed for a HALT pulp compared
      to a conventionally produced kappa number 60 pulp with comparable viscosity.
      Approximately 70% of the yield increase was attributed to improved
      galactoglucomannan preservation and 30% to cellulose. A two-stage oxygen
      delignification sequence with inter-stage peroxymonosulphuric acid treatment was
      used to ensure delignification to a bleachable grade. In a comparison to
      conventional pulp, HALT pulp effectively maintained its yield advantage.
      Diafiltration trials indicate that purified black liquor can be directly
      recycled, as large lignin fractions and basically all dissolved polysaccharides
      were separated from the alkali-rich BL.

PMID- 26119051
TI  - Bioethanol production from sodium hydroxide/hydrogen peroxide-pretreated water
      hyacinth via simultaneous saccharification and fermentation with a newly isolated
      thermotolerant Kluyveromyces marxianu strain.
AB  - In this study, bioethanol production from NaOH/H2O2-pretreated water hyacinth was
      investigated. Pretreatment of water hyacinth with 1.5% (v/v) H2O2 and 3% (w/v)
      NaOH at 25  degrees C increased the production of reducing sugars (223.53 mg/g
      dry) and decreased the cellulose crystallinity (12.18%), compared with 48.67 mg/g
      dry and 22.80% in the untreated sample, respectively. The newly isolated
      Kluyveromyces marxianu K213 showed greater ethanol production from glucose (0.43
      g/g glucose) at 45  degrees C than did the control Saccharomyces cerevisiae angel
      yeast. The maximum ethanol concentration (7.34 g/L) achieved with K. marxianu
      K213 by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) from pretreated
      water hyacinth at 42  degrees C was 1.78-fold greater than that produced by angel
      yeast S. cerevisiae at 30  degrees C. The present work demonstrates that
      bioethanol production achieved via SSF of NaOH/H2O2-pretreated water hyacinth
      with K. marxianu K213 is a promising strategy to utilize water hyacinth biomass.

PMID- 26119052
TI  - Evaluation of functional microbial community's difference in full-scale and lab
      scale anaerobic digesters feeding with different organic solid waste: Effects of
      substrate and operation factors.
AB  - Samples taken from the full-scale and lab-scale anaerobic digesters feeding with
      different organic solid waste were investigated with assessment of the substrate
      effects. To understand the substrate effects on the microbial community
      diversity, heterogeneity, and functional structure, twelve samples were analyzed
      by constructing 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and statistical analysis. Microbial
      diversity varied according to substrate types and operating parameters. With
      acetoclastic methanogen of genus Methanosaeta predominated in full scale and
      Methanosarcina predominated in the lab-scale digesters, a significant difference
      archaeal communities were found. Principal component analysis clearly indicates
      that both bacterial and archaeal communities create independent clusters
      according to substrate types. However, the relationship between acetogenic
      bacteria and the acetoclastic methanogens had a similar variation tends in most
      of full-scale and lab-scale reactors. Canonical correlation analysis and variance
      partitioning analysis implied that bacterial and archaeal community variations
      were significantly affected by substrate and the operation conditions. 

PMID- 26119053
TI  - Hydrothermal microwave valorization of eucalyptus using acidic ionic liquid as
      catalyst toward a green biorefinery scenario.
AB  - The application of the acidic ionic liquid (IL), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium
      hydrogensulfate ([bmim]HSO4), as a catalyst in the hydrothermal microwave
      treatment (HMT) and green upgradation of eucalyptus biomass has been
      investigated. The process was carried out in a microwave reactor system at
      different temperatures (140-200 degrees C) and evaluated for severities. The
      xylooligosaccharides (XOS, refers to a DP of 2-6) yield up to 5.04% (w/w) of the
      initial biomass and 26.72% (w/w) of xylan were achieved. Higher temperature
      resulted in lower molecular weight product, and enhanced the concentration of
      monosaccharides and byproducts. The morphology and structure of the solid
      residues were performed using an array of techniques, such as SEM, XRD, FTIR, BET
      surface area, and CP/MAS (13)C NMR, by which the increase of crystallinity, the
      destruction of surface structure, and the changes in functional groups and
      compositions were studied after the pretreatment, thus significantly enhancing
      the enzymatic hydrolysis. 

PMID- 26119054
TI  - The first known case of alanine aminotransferase deficiency diagnosed during
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26119055
TI  - A concise guide to sustainable PEMFCs: recent advances in improving both oxygen
      reduction catalysts and proton exchange membranes.
AB  - The rising interest in fuel cell vehicle technology (FCV) has engendered a
      growing need and realization to develop rational chemical strategies to create
      highly efficient, durable, and cost-effective fuel cells. Specifically, technical
      limitations associated with the major constituent components of the basic proton
      exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), namely the cathode catalyst and the proton
      exchange membrane (PEM), have proven to be particularly demanding to overcome.
      Therefore, research trends within the community in recent years have focused on
      (i) accelerating the sluggish kinetics of the catalyst at the cathode and (ii)
      minimizing overall Pt content, while simultaneously (a) maximizing activity and
      durability as well as (b) increasing membrane proton conductivity without causing
      any concomitant loss in either stability or as a result of damage due to
      flooding. In this light, as an example, high temperature PEMFCs offer a promising
      avenue to improve the overall efficiency and marketability of fuel cell
      technology. In this Critical Review, recent advances in optimizing both cathode
      materials and PEMs as well as the future and peculiar challenges associated with
      each of these systems will be discussed. 

PMID- 26119056
TI  - Diagnostic use of recombinant Tha p 2 in the allergy to Thaumetopoea pityocampa.
AB  - Thaumetopoea pityocampa causes allergies and skin and ocular lesions. No
      commercial tools are currently available for the clinical diagnosis of this
      allergy. We aimed to develop an in vitro method for the diagnosis of this allergy
      to avoid patients undergoing in vivo tests with insect extracts. Recombinant Tha
      p 2 was produced and used in an ELISA validated with 15 allergic patients.
      Subsequently, 42 subjects recruited from a random sampling cross-sectional study
      were analysed. The ELISA sensitivity and specificity were 93.3% and 100%,
      respectively, for the allergic patients and 71.4% and 95.3%, respectively, for
      the epidemiological study. The positive ELISA results correlated with the skin
      prick test areas with the whole body and the setae extracts. Professional
      exposure and short latency of symptoms onset were risk factors for a positive
      result in the ELISA. In conclusion, our ELISA is very useful for T. pityocampa
      allergy diagnosis and for epidemiologic testing.

PMID- 26119057
TI  - To Twitter to Woo: Harnessing the power of social media (SoMe) in nurse education
      to enhance the student's experience.
AB  - This paper explores some of the difficulties, challenges and rewards for student
      nurses and nurse academics when harnessing social media (SoMe) as part of the
      overall learning experience. The paper draws upon data in the form of student
      voices, captured through an online planned Twitter chat. This data analysis
      provides the basis of a case study on the student experience in practice
      placements. A planned 1 h Twitter chat took place in June 2013, specifically
      aimed at student nurses. What transpired was an illuminating debate, eliciting
      responses from around the globe about learning in practice, mentors, and student
      support that lasted over 3 h. More importantly, the Twitter chat also included
      qualified nurses and mentors, listening and responding in real time, offering
      thoughts and solutions to how support and mentoring could be improved. This was
      in contrast to how students, locally, currently use a paper based questionnaire
      to give feedback in isolation. The authenticity of this feedback is often
      compromised by university link lecturers' who often provide a more sanitised
      version of this feedback to clinical placement. This paper explores whether it is
      possible to facilitate a realignment and capture the zeitgeist in order to
      provide the opportunity for enhancing learning in practice.

PMID- 26119058
TI  - Towards antivirals against chikungunya virus.
AB  - Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has re-emerged in recent decades, causing major
      outbreaks of chikungunya fever in many parts of Africa and Asia, and since the
      end of 2013 also in Central and South America. Infections are usually associated
      with a low mortality rate, but can proceed into a painful chronic stage, during
      which patients may suffer from polyarthralgia and joint stiffness for weeks and
      even several years. There are no vaccines or antiviral drugs available for the
      prevention or treatment of CHIKV infections. Current therapy therefore consists
      solely of the administration of analgesics, antipyretics and anti-inflammatory
      agents to relieve symptoms. We here review molecules that have been reported to
      inhibit CHIKV replication, either as direct-acting antivirals, host-targeting
      drugs or those that act via a yet unknown mechanism. This article forms part of a
      symposium in Antiviral Research on "Chikungunya discovers the New World." 

PMID- 26119059
TI  - Effects of sub-acute methanol extract treatment of Calliandra portoricensis root
      bark on antioxidant defence capacity in an experimental rat model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The attendant side effects associated with some synthetic drugs used
      in the management of diseases have led to the search for safer alternative
      therapies that are relatively cheaper with minimal side effects. METHODS: The
      methanol extract of Calliandra portoricensis root bark (CPRB) was orally
      administered at the doses of 5, 10, 20, and 25 mg/kg body weight for 14
      consecutive days of 5 rats in each group. The control rats were given distilled
      water. RESULTS: The 95% methanol extract of CPRB significantly (p<0.05) scavenged
      NO* and OH* radicals compared to vitamin C. The level of lipid peroxidative
      products (malondialdehyde, MDA) was significantly (p<0.05) attenuated in a dose
      dependent manner. Antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase and catalase
      were significantly (p<0.05) exercabated in both liver and kidney in a dose
      dependent manner. Furthermore, serum AST, alanine aminotransaminase and gamma
      glutamyltransferase (GGT) activity depicted non-significant (p>0.05) increase in
      the treated animals. The histological examination showed mild vacuolar, portal
      congestion and cell infiltration by mononuclear of the hepatic tissues.
      CONCLUSIONS: The study then concluded that a therapeutic dose of the methanol
      extract of CPRB triggered the antioxidant defence systems in male rats. It is,
      therefore, recommended that the doses should be carefully and clinically chosen
      because higher doses may cause some health risks.

PMID- 26119061
TI  - Probing heterobivalent binding to the endocytic AP-2 adaptor complex by DNA-based
      spatial screening.
AB  - The double helical DNA scaffold offers a unique set of properties, which are
      particularly useful for studies of multivalency in biomolecular interactions: (i)
      multivalent ligand displays can be formed upon nucleic acid hybridization in a
      self-assembly process, which facilitates spatial screening (ii) valency and
      spatial arrangement of the ligand display can be precisely controlled and (iii)
      the flexibility of the ligand display can be adjusted by integrating nick sites
      and unpaired template regions. Herein we describe the use of DNA-based spatial
      screening for the characterization of the adaptor complex 2 (AP-2), a central
      interaction hub within the endocytic protein network in clathrin-mediated
      endocytosis. AP-2 is comprised of a core domain and two, so-called appendage
      domains, the alpha- and the beta2-ear, which associate with cytoplasmatic
      proteins required for the formation or maturation of clathrin/AP-2 coated pits.
      Each appendage domain has two binding grooves which recognize distinct peptide
      motives with micromolar affinity. This provides opportunities for enhanced
      interactions with protein molecules that contain two (or more) different peptide
      motives. To determine whether a particular, spatial arrangement of binding motifs
      is required for high affinity binding we probed the distance-affinity
      relationships by means of DNA-programmed spatial screening with self-assembled
      peptide-DNA complexes. By using trimolecular and tetramolecular assemblies two
      different peptides were positioned in 2-22 nucleotide distance. The binding data
      obtained with both recombinant protein in well-defined buffer systems and native
      AP-2 in brain extract suggests that the two binding sites of the AP-2 alpha
      appendage can cooperate to provide up to 40-fold enhancement of affinity compared
      to the monovalent interaction. The distance between the two recognized peptide
      motives was less important provided that the DNA duplex segments were connected
      by flexible, single strand segments. By contrast, the experiments with a more
      rigid, duplex-spaced assembly revealed marked distance dependencies. Consequences
      for the function of adaptor proteins are discussed. 

PMID- 26119060
TI  - Formation of chloroform and tetrachloroethene by Sinorhizobium meliloti strain
      1021.
AB  - The mechanisms and organisms involved in the natural formation of volatile
      organohalogen compounds (VOX) are largely unknown. We provide evidence that the
      common and widespread soil bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 1021 is
      capable of producing up to 3338.6 +/- 327.8 ng l(-1) headspace volume of
      chloroform (CHCl3 ) and 807.8 +/- 13.5 ng l(-1)  headspace volume of
      tetrachloroethene (C2 Cl4 ) within 1 h when grown in soil extract medium. Biotic
      VOX formation has been suggested to be linked to the activity of halogenating
      enzymes such as haloperoxidases. We tested if the observed VOX formation by S.
      meliloti can be attributed to one of its chloroperoxidases (Smc01944) that is
      highly expressed in the presence of H2 O2. However, addition of 10 mmol l(-1) H2
      O2 to the S. meliloti cultures decreased VOX formation by 52% for chloroform and
      25% for tetrachloroethene, while viable cell numbers decreased by 23%.
      Interestingly, smc01944 gene expression increased 450-fold. The quantification of
      extracellular chlorination activity in cell suspension experiments did not
      provide evidence for a role of S. meliloti chloroperoxidases in the observed VOX
      formation. This suggests that a momentarily unknown mechanism which requires no
      H2 O2 might be responsible for the VOX formation by S. meliloti. Regardless of
      the underlying mechanism our results suggest that the soil bacterium S. meliloti
      might be an important source of VOX in soils. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE
      STUDY: Volatile organohalogen compounds (VOX) strongly influence atmospheric
      chemistry and Earth's climate. Besides anthropogenic emissions they are naturally
      produced by either abiotic or biotic pathways in various environments.
      Particularly in soils, microbial processes drive the natural halogen cycle but
      the direct link to microbial VOX formation has not been studied in detail yet. In
      this study we provide evidence that the common and widespread soil bacterium
      Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 1021 forms chloroform and tetrachloroethene. The
      potential contribution of S. meliloti to soil VOX release could significantly
      influence soil and atmospheric chemistry.

PMID- 26119062
TI  - Process of formulating USDA's Expanded Flavonoid Database for the Assessment of
      Dietary intakes: a new tool for epidemiological research.
AB  - The scientific community continues to be interested in potential links between
      flavonoid intakes and beneficial health effects associated with certain chronic
      diseases such as CVD, some cancers and type 2 diabetes. Three separate flavonoid
      databases (Flavonoids, Isoflavones and Proanthocyanidins) developed by the USDA
      Agricultural Research Service since 1999 with frequent updates have been used to
      estimate dietary flavonoid intakes, and investigate their health effects.
      However, each of these databases contains only a limited number of foods. The
      USDA has constructed a new Expanded Flavonoids Database for approximately 2900
      commonly consumed foods, using analytical values from their existing flavonoid
      databases (Flavonoid Release 3.1 and Isoflavone Release 2.0) as the foundation to
      calculate values for all the twenty-nine flavonoid compounds included in these
      two databases. Thus, the new database provides full flavonoid profiles for twenty
      nine predominant dietary flavonoid compounds for every food in the database.
      Original analytical values in Flavonoid Release 3.1 and Isoflavone Release 2.0
      for corresponding foods were retained in the newly constructed database.
      Proanthocyanidins are not included in the expanded database. The process of
      formulating the new database includes various calculation techniques. This
      article describes the process of populating values for the twenty-nine flavonoid
      compounds for every food in the dataset, along with challenges encountered and
      resolutions suggested. The new expanded flavonoid database released on the
      Nutrient Data Laboratory's website would provide uniformity in estimations of
      flavonoid content in foods and will be a valuable tool for epidemiological
      studies to assess dietary intakes. 

PMID- 26119063
TI  - A model of caregiver paediatric HIV disclosure decision-making.
AB  - Many of the over 3 million HIV-positive children will only be told of their
      status as adolescents. Knowing one's status may increase treatment adherence,
      reduce onward HIV transmission, increase trust in caregivers and maximise
      available support. Yet deciding whether, what, how and when to tell HIV-positive
      children about their condition is challenging for caregivers. We systematically
      review HIV disclosure theories before presenting a process model of caregiver
      paediatric HIV disclosure decision-making. The model, consisting of both a pre
      intention and a post-intention stage, integrates individual and contextual
      determinants. It aims to be situationally specific, broadly applicable and
      consistent with the empirical literature. Research and practice implications are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26119064
TI  - Prediction of development and maintenance of high albuminuria during chronic
      renin-angiotensin suppression by plasma proteomics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High albuminuria is a strong predictor of development of
      cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients. The search for predictors
      identifying patients at risk of developing high albuminuria or presenting a more
      rapid progression in this parameter may represent an effective strategy for
      adequate intervention and better outcome. METHODS AND RESULTS: Initially we
      investigated 24 patients presenting with normoalbuminuria, de novo albuminuria
      and sustained albuminuria. Plasma proteomics disclosed an upregulation of
      ceruloplasmin (CP), haptoglobin (HP) and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (ORM1) that in
      a second step were selected for validation using turbidimetry assay in a cohort
      of 105 subjects. The validation showed that HP and ORM1 proteins were increased
      in patients presenting with very high albuminuria and potential irreversible
      kidney damage. CP and HP correlated positively with albuminuria values in
      normoalbuminuric patients. Finally, the levels of ORM1 and CP were increased in
      patients who progressed in their levels of albuminuria. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings
      show that these proteins may potentially be useful for predicting the development
      of high albuminuria and to monitor renal damage.

PMID- 26119065
TI  - Evolutionary rescue can be impeded by temporary environmental amelioration.
AB  - Rapid evolutionary adaptation has the potential to rescue from extinction
      populations experiencing environmental changes. Little is known, however, about
      the impact of short-term environmental fluctuations during long-term
      environmental deterioration, an intrinsic property of realistic environmental
      changes. Temporary environmental amelioration arising from such fluctuations
      could either facilitate evolutionary rescue by allowing population recovery (a
      positive demographic effect) or impede it by relaxing selection for beneficial
      mutations required for future survival (a negative population genetic effect). We
      address this uncertainty in an experiment with populations of a bacteriophage
      virus that evolved under deteriorating conditions (gradually increasing
      temperature). Periodic environmental amelioration (short periods of reduced
      temperature) caused demographic recovery during the early phase of the
      experiment, but ultimately reduced the frequency of evolutionary rescue. These
      experimental results suggest that environmental fluctuations could reduce the
      potential of evolutionary rescue.

PMID- 26119066
TI  - Catalytic Stereoinversion of L-Alanine to Deuterated D-Alanine.
AB  - A combination of an achiral pyridoxal analogue and a chiral base has been
      developed for catalytic deuteration of L-alanine with inversion of
      stereochemistry to give deuterated D-alanine under mild conditions (neutral pD
      and 25  degrees C) without the use of any protecting groups. This system can also
      be used for catalytic deuteration of D-alanine with retention of stereochemistry
      to give deuterated D-alanine. Thus a racemic mixture of alanine can be
      catalytically deuterated to give an enantiomeric excess of deuterated D-alanine.
      While catalytic deracemization of alanine is forbidden by the second law of
      thermodynamics, this system can be used for catalytic deracemization of alanine
      with deuteration. Such green and biomimetic approach to catalytic stereocontrol
      provides insights into efficient amino acid transformations. 

PMID- 26119068
TI  - Potential Paths for the Hydrogen-Bond Relaxing With (H2O)N Cluster Size.
AB  - Relaxation of the inter- and intra-molecular interactions for the hydrogen bond
      (O:H-O) between undercoordinated molecules determines the unusual behavior of
      water nanodroplets and nanobubbles. However, probing such potentials remains
      unreality. Here we show that the Lagrangian solution [Huang et al., J. Phys.
      Chem. B, 2013. 117: 13639] transforms the observed H-O bond (x = H) and O:H
      nonbond (x = L) lengths and phonon frequencies (dx, ?x) [Sun et al., J. Phys.
      Chem. Lett., 2013. 4: 2565] into the respective force constants and bond energies
      (kx, Ex) and hence enables the mapping of the potential paths for the O:H-O bond
      relaxing with water cluster size. Results show that molecular undercoordination
      not only reduces the molecular size (dH) with enhanced H-O energy from the bulk
      value of 3.97 to 5.10 eV for a H2O monomer, but also enlarges the molecular
      separation (dL) with reduced O:H energy from 95 to 35 meV for a dimer. The H-O
      energy gain raises the melting point from bulk value 273 to 310 K for the skin
      and the O:H energy loss lowers the freezing temperature from bulk value 258 to
      202 K for 1.4 nm sized droplet, by dispersing the quasisolid phase boundaries.

PMID- 26119067
TI  - Singapore's regional health systems-a data-driven perspective on frequent
      admitters and cross utilization of healthcare services in three systems.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: With population health management being a priority in the
      Singapore, this paper aims to provide a data-driven perspective of the population
      health management initiatives to aid program planning and serves as a baseline
      for evaluation of future implemented programs. METHODS: A database with
      information on patient demographics, health services utilization, cost, diagnoses
      and chronic disease information from 2008 to 2013 for three regional health
      systems in Singapore was used for analysis. Patients with three or more inpatient
      admissions were considered as "Frequent Admitters." Health service utilization
      was quantified, and cross utilization of services was studied. One-year
      readmission rate for inpatients was studied, and a predictive model for
      readmission or death was developed. RESULTS: There were a total of 2.8 M patients
      in the database. Frequent admitters accounted for 0.9% of all patients with an
      average cost per patient of S$29 547. Of these, 89% had chronic diseases. Cross
      utilization of health services showed that 8.2% of the patients utilized services
      from more than one hospital with 19.6% utilizing hospital and polyclinic services
      in 2013. The highest risk of readmission or death was for those patients who had
      five or more inpatient episodes in each of the preceding 2 years. CONCLUSION: By
      understanding the profile of the patients and their utilization patterns in the
      three regional health systems, our study will help clinicians and decision makers
      design appropriate integrated care programs for patients with the aim of covering
      the healthcare needs for the enitre population across the healthcare spectrum in
      Singapore. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26119069
TI  - Tea consumption is not associated with reduced plasma folate concentration among
      Chinese pregnant women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between tea
      consumption and plasma folate concentration in populations with high and low
      prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in China. METHODS: Cross-sectional
      survey was conducted in three cities/counties in China, in which 1724 pregnant
      women during early second trimester were recruited and interviewed about tea
      consumption and folic acid use in 2011 to 2012. A total of 5-ml nonfasting blood
      sample was collected and plasma folate concentration was determined by
      microbiological assay. RESULTS: Approximately 16.2% of the women reported that
      they had ever drank tea during and before the current pregnancy, women with
      higher educational level, and those who resided in urban were more likely to
      drink tea. Most of them prefer green tea (55.2%); 13.6% of women drank tea ">6
      times/week," and 29.0% of them drank "less than once a week." The median of
      plasma folate concentration was 48.7 nmol/L in women who drank tea while it is
      45.2 nmol/L in women who did not drink tea, with no statistical difference. The
      results showed there was no association between tea drinking and plasma folate
      concentration in Chinese pregnant women stratified by folic acid supplementation
      and other selected characteristics. CONCLUSION: Low level of tea drinking is not
      associated with decreased plasma folate concentration in the Chinese populations
      with high and low prevalence of NTDs.

PMID- 26119071
TI  - Mineral Composition of Phosphate-Induced Calcification in a Rat Aortic Tissue
      Culture Model.
AB  - AIM: High phosphorus conditions promote vascular calcification (VC) in both
      chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and experimental models. However, the
      composition of medial calcification has not been accurately determined, so the
      objective of this study was to evaluate the mineral composition of calcification
      in a tissue culture model, not a cell culture system. METHODS: Aortic rings
      obtained from male Sprague-Dawley rats were incubated in serum-supplemented
      medium for 10 days. The inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentration of the medium was
      increased to induce VC, which was assessed by histology, imaging, and
      spectroscopy. The mineral composition of the calcification was analyzed using
      Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic imaging, scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) mapping.
      RESULTS: The calcium content significantly increased only in aortic rings
      cultured for 10 days in the high-Pi medium (HiP: 3.8 mmol/L). The concentration
      of the phosphate transporter Pit-1 in the aortic tissue exposed to HiP was higher
      than that in the control incubated sections. The FTIR images and spectra
      indicated that PO4(3-) was mostly distributed as hydroxyapatite in the medial
      calcification of aortic rings cultured in HiP. A small quantity of carbonate was
      identified. The SEM-EDX overlay map demonstrated that phosphorus and calcium
      simultaneously accumulated and localized in the area of medial calcification
      induced by exposure to HiP. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of accurate
      determination of the chemical composition of aortic medial calcification.
      Exposure to high Pi concentration augments aortic calcification via an increase
      in Pit-1, which mainly contains calcium phosphate.

PMID- 26119070
TI  - Identification of BST-2/tetherin-induced hepatitis B virus restriction and
      hepatocyte-specific BST-2 inactivation.
AB  - BST-2/tetherin is an interferon-inducible antiviral protein that blocks the
      release of various enveloped viruses, including HIV-1. Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a
      major cause of liver disease, belongs to the Hepadnaviridae family of enveloped
      DNA viruses. Whether BST-2 regulates HBV production is largely unknown. In this
      report, we have demonstrated that HBV particle release is modulated by BST-2 in a
      cell type-dependent fashion. In HEK293T cells, ectopically expressed or
      interferon-induced BST-2 strongly inhibited HBV release. BST-2 co-localized with
      HBV surface protein at multivesicular bodies (MVBs) and physically interacted
      with HBV particles. However, exogenous BST-2-induced HBV restriction was weak in
      Huh-7 hepatoma cells, and the interferon-induced anti-HBV effect was independent
      of BST-2 induction in hepatic L02 cells. Notably, HBV could promote HIV-1
      DeltaVpu virus release from BST-2-positive HepG2 hepatoma cells but not HeLa
      cells, whereas Vpu failed to efficiently inhibit BST-2-induced HBV restriction.
      HBx exhibited an enhanced interaction and co-localization with BST-2 in
      hepatocytes. These observations indicate that BST-2 restricts HBV production at
      intracellular MVBs but is inactivated by HBV through a novel mechanism requiring
      hepatocyte-specific cellular co-factors or a hepatocyte-specific environment.
      Further understanding of BST-2-induced HBV restriction may provide new
      therapeutic targets for future HBV treatments. 

PMID- 26119072
TI  - Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Sexuality the Magic Bullets.

PMID- 26119073
TI  - Indoor Tanning, Skin Cancer and the Young Female Patient: A Review of the
      Literature.
AB  - Young, non-Hispanic white females represent the population most likely to use
      indoor tanning facilities. This population may be at increased risk of skin
      cancer as recent meta-analyses support a strong association between cutaneous
      malignancy and indoor tanning. Public perception of the purported health benefits
      of indoor tanning may be partially to blame for the popularity of tanning salons
      as a desire to prepare skin prior to sun exposure is among the most commonly
      cited motivations for indoor tanning. Improving education and counseling to
      address misconceptions regarding tanning safety will require the participation of
      healthcare providers for both physical and psychological screenings as well as
      for information dissemination. This review presents the association between
      tanning bed use and skin cancer, biological effects of UV radiation exposure, UV
      burden associated with tanning devices, public perception of tanning, demographic
      and psychological profile of indoor tanners, and current legislation regulating
      tanning bed use. 

PMID- 26119074
TI  - The Interpretation of Repeat Positive Results for Gonorrhea and Chlamydia in
      Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of gonorrhea and/or chlamydia in a prepubertal child
      beyond the neonatal period is confirmatory of mucosal contact with infective
      bodily secretions and therefore highly concerning for sexual abuse. When such a
      diagnosis is made, a report to protective authorities is warranted so that safety
      and potential criminal activity may be evaluated concurrent with the medical
      management. Occasionally, despite perceived adequate medical management and
      protective safety plans, a child may present with a repeat positive result for
      sexually transmitted infections. In this scenario, it is important for medical
      providers to carefully consider and be aware of the possible reasons for the
      repeat positive result: (1) treatment failure, (2) a new infection from repeated
      abuse, or (3) a false-positive result due to the limitations of nonculture
      testing. CASE: Prepubertal sisters were diagnosed with gonorrhea and Chlamydia
      and treated with antibiotics, and the individual identified as having sexually
      abused them was removed from the home. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: Over a 4-month
      period, both children continued to have positive testing for chlamydia via the
      nucleic acid amplification test and/or culture. Concurrent with using alternate
      antibiotic treatment options, protective authorities were alerted to the fact
      that this was likely a reinfection. The investigative team later determined that
      a second adult, who tested positive for gonorrhea and chlamydia, was also
      sexually abusing both girls. Disclosures of abuse regarding both adult
      individuals were deemed credible by authorities and supported with collateral
      information.

PMID- 26119076
TI  - Anti-adipogenic effect of epiberberine is mediated by regulation of the
      Raf/MEK1/2/ERK1/2 and AMPKalpha/Akt pathways.
AB  - It has been reported that alkaloids derived from Coptis chinensis exert anti
      adipogenic activity on 3T3-L1 adipocytes by downregulating peroxisome
      proliferation-activity receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) and CCAAT/enhancer binding
      protein-alpha (C/EBP-alpha). However, the signaling-based mechanism of the
      inhibitory role of epiberberine in the early stages of 3T3-L1 adipocyte
      differentiation is uncharacterized. Here, we show that epiberberine had
      inhibitory effects on adipocyte differentiation and significantly decreased lipid
      accumulation by downregulating an adipocyte-specific transcription factor, sterol
      regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1). Furthermore, we observed that
      epiberberine markedly suppressed the differentiation-mediated phosphorylation of
      components of both the Raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase 1
      (MEK1)/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and AMP
      activated protein kinase-alpha1 (AMPKalpha)/Akt pathways. In addition, gene
      expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS) was significantly inhibited by treatment
      with epiberberine during adipogenesis. These results indicate that the anti
      adipogenic mechanism of epiberberine is associated with inhibition of
      phosphorylation of Raf/MEK1/ERK1/2 and AMPKalpha/Akt, followed by downregulation
      of the major transcription factors of adipogenesis, such as PPAR-gamma, C/EBP
      alpha, and SREBP-1, and FAS. Taken together, this study suggests that the anti
      adipogenic effect of epiberberine is mediated by downregulation of the
      Raf/MEK1/ERK1/2 and AMPKalpha/Akt pathways during 3T3-L1 adipocyte
      differentiation. Moreover, the anti-adipogenic effects of epiberberine were not
      accompanied by modulation of beta-catenin. 

PMID- 26119077
TI  - Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak associated with a contaminated food container in
      a school in Sichuan Province, China.
AB  - On 13 June 2013, a fever and diarrhoea outbreak occurred in a boarding school in
      Sichuan Province. We conducted a field investigation and compared food exposure
      of 81 case students and 104 control students (years 7 and 8) in order to identify
      the source of infection. There were 401 cases identified (399 students and two
      cooks). The attack rates were 23-46% in nursery, primary, and secondary schools,
      but 0% in the high school. Eighty-five percent of case students, consumed cowpea
      salad compared to 60% of control students at lunch on 12 June (odds ratio 3.1,
      95% confidence interval 1.3-7.8). The cowpeas were stored at room temperature for
      3 h in a bucket previously used to store raw ingredients. The bucket was cleaned
      using water without a disinfectant. There were two buckets of cowpea, one for the
      high-school students and another for the other students. This Salmonella outbreak
      was likely caused by the cowpea salad due to cross-contamination via a storage
      bucket. 

PMID- 26119078
TI  - Targeting microRNAs in heart failure.
AB  - MicroRNAs play pivotal roles in cardiac disease, and their therapeutic modulation
      raises exciting and unique opportunities, as well as challenges in the path
      toward clinical development and implementation. In this review, we provide a
      detailed overview of recent studies highlighting the important role of microRNAs
      in heart failure (HF) and the potential use of microRNA-based technology for
      diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of HF. We will focus on the strategies
      presently used for microRNA-based therapy by discussing their use and drawbacks,
      as well as the challenges and future directions for their development in the
      context of human HF. 

PMID- 26119079
TI  - Phytochemical constituents and chemosystematic significance of Chrozophora
      tinctoria (L.) Raf.
AB  - Twelve compounds were isolated from Chrozophora tinctoria (L.) Raf. They were
      identified as kaempferol, kaempferol 3-O-beta-glucopyranoside, kaempferol 3-O-(6"
      alpha-rhamnopyranosyl)-beta-glucopyranoside, quercetin, quercetin 3-O-beta
      glucopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-(6"-alpha-rhamnopyranosyl)-beta-glucopyranoside,
      apigenin, apigenin 7-O-beta-glucopyranoside, acacetin, gallic acid, methyl
      gallate and beta-sitosterol-3-O-beta-glucopyranoside. Their structures were
      elucidated by chemical and spectral methods. Furthermore, chemosystematics of the
      isolated compounds is briefly discussed. It was indicated that C. tinctoria is
      the only species of Chrozophora that has the capability to synthesis kaempferol
      aglycone and their glycosides, and the finding is supported by its distinct
      morphological and anatomical aspects. 

PMID- 26119080
TI  - Ipsilateral single stage conversion from BAHA to cochlear implant.
AB  - Profound unilateral sensorineural hearing loss is an indication for the placement
      of a bone anchored hearing aid. In a few unfortunate patients who later develop
      contralateral hearing loss, a cochlear implant becomes a good option. We present
      our experience in these cases and discuss our technique for single stage
      conversion from a bone anchored hearing aid to a cochlear implant. 

PMID- 26119081
TI  - Endoscopic surgical management of inspiratory stridor in newborns and infants.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Compare the incidence of endoscopic surgical treatment of patients
      with laryngomalacia to other aerodigestive pathology who may present with similar
      symptoms. METHODS: Consecutive case series with chart review of endoscopic
      surgical intervention in infants, aged 12 months or less, presenting with
      inspiratory stridor, in the absence of syndromic condition or prior history of
      intubation. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients were identified. The average age at
      the time of surgical intervention was 2.7 months. Endoscopic surgical management
      was directed at laryngomalacia (70%), vallecular cysts (23.3%), and anterior
      glottic webs (6.7%). All patients had nearly immediate resolution of the stridor
      and feeding difficulties. None required revision surgery, modified diets, or
      alternative means of enteric nutrition. CONCLUSIONS: Laryngomalacia was the most
      commonly encountered surgical indication for stridulous newborns and infants with
      severe symptoms. Like most previous descriptions, patients responded well to
      supraglottoplasty. Vallecular cysts accounted for about one-quarter of the
      infants treated. Clinicians should carefully consider the presence of other
      airway pathology, which may mimic laryngomalacia, in non-syndromic infants
      without a previous history of intubation. Endoscopic surgical management may be
      safe and effective.

PMID- 26119082
TI  - Lost cold Antarctic deserts inferred from unusual sulfate formation and isotope
      signatures.
AB  - The Antarctic ice cap significantly affects global ocean circulation and climate.
      Continental glaciogenic sedimentary deposits provide direct physical evidence of
      the glacial history of the Antarctic interior, but these data are sparse. Here we
      investigate a new indicator of ice sheet evolution: sulfates within the
      glaciogenic deposits from the Lewis Cliff Ice Tongue of the central
      Transantarctic Mountains. The sulfates exhibit unique isotope signatures,
      including delta(34)S up to +500/00 for mirabilite evaporites, Delta(17)O up to
      +2.30/00 for dissolved sulfate within contemporary melt-water ponds, and
      extremely negative delta(18)O as low as -22.20/00. The isotopic data imply that
      the sulfates formed under environmental conditions similar to today's McMurdo Dry
      Valleys, suggesting that ice-free cold deserts may have existed between the South
      Pole and the Transantarctic Mountains since the Miocene during periods when the
      ice sheet size was smaller than today, but with an overall similar to modern
      global hydrological cycle. 

PMID- 26119083
TI  - Towards a feasible and scalable production of bio-xerogels.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: The synthesis process of carbon xerogels is limited, mainly due to
      two drawbacks that prevent their introduction onto the market: (i) the long time
      required for producing the material and (ii) the reagents used for the synthesis,
      which are costly and harmful to the environment. Microwave radiation is expected
      to produce a reduction in time of more than 90%, while the use of tannin instead
      of resorcinol will probably result in a cost-effective carbonaceous material.
      EXPERIMENTS: Resorcinol-tannin-formaldehyde xerogels containing different amounts
      of tannin, either with or without a surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulphate), were
      synthesized by means of two different heating methods: conventional and microwave
      heating. The effects of the surfactant, the heating method and the addition of
      tannin upon the porous structure and the chemical composition of the final
      materials were evaluated. FINDINGS: It was found that the addition of surfactant
      is essential for obtaining highly porous xerogels when using tannins. The heating
      method also plays an important role, as conventionally synthesized samples
      display a greater volume of large pores. However, tannins are less sensitive to
      microwave radiation and their use results in tannin-formaldehyde xerogels that
      have a porous structure and chemical composition similar to those of resorcinol
      formaldehyde xerogels.

PMID- 26119084
TI  - Synthesis of 1D Fe3O4/P(MBAAm-co-MAA) nanochains as stabilizers for Ag
      nanoparticles and templates for hollow mesoporous structure, and their
      applications in catalytic reaction and drug delivery.
AB  - One-dimensional (1D) magnetic Fe3O4/P(MBAAm-co-MAA) nanochains were prepared by
      distillation-precipitation polymerization of MBAAm and MAA in the presence of
      Fe3O4 nanoparticles as building blocks under a magnetic heating stirrer, which
      played two critical roles: serving as magnetic field to induce the self-assembly
      of Fe3O4 nanoparticles into 1D nanochains and providing thermal energy to induce
      the polymerization of MAA and MBAAm on the surface of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles.
      The thickness of the P(MBAAm-co-MAA) layer can be easily tuned by adjusting the
      successive polymerization steps. The polymer layer that contained carboxyl groups
      was used as stabilizers for loading Ag nanoparticles and the reaction locus for
      deposition of outer silica layer via a sol-gel method in presence of C18TMS as
      the pore directing agent for tri-layer nanochains. The corresponding hollow
      mesoporous silica nanochains with movable maghemite cores (gamma-Fe2O3@mSiO2)
      were produced after removal of the polymer mid-layer and the alkyl groups of the
      pore directing agent via calcination of the tri-layer nanochains at high
      temperature. The Fe3O4/P(MBAAm-co-MAA)/Ag nanochains exhibited a highly catalytic
      efficiency and well reusable property toward the reduction of nitrophenol.
      Furthermore, the gamma-Fe2O3@mSiO2 nanochains possessed hollow mesoporous
      structure and high specific surface area (197.2 m(2) g(-1)) were used as a drug
      carrier, which displayed a controlled release property.

PMID- 26119085
TI  - Metal-Free Radical [2+2+1] Carbocyclization of Benzene-Linked 1,n-Enynes: Dual
      C(sp(3))-H Functionalization Adjacent to a Heteroatom.
AB  - A new metal-free oxidative radical [2+2+1] carbocyclization of benzene-linked 1,n
      enynes with two C(sp(3))-H bonds adjacent to the same heteroatom is described.
      This method achieves two C(sp(3))-H oxidative functionalizations and an
      annulation, thus providing efficient and general access to a variety of fused
      five-membered carbocyclic hydrocarbons.

PMID- 26119086
TI  - Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence: insights and impact on vaccine development.
AB  - The existing TB vaccine, the attenuated Mycobacterium bovis strain BCG, is
      effective in protecting infants from severe forms of the disease, while its
      efficacy in protecting adults from pulmonary TB is poor. In the last two decades,
      a renewed interest in TB resulted in the development of several candidate
      vaccines that are now entering clinical trials. However, most of these vaccines
      are based on a common rationale and aim to induce a strong T-cell response
      against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Recent advancements in the understanding of
      M. tuberculosis virulence determinants and associated pathogenic strategies are
      opening a new and broader view of the complex interaction between this remarkable
      pathogen and the human host, providing insights at molecular level that could
      lead to a new rationale for the design of novel antitubercular vaccines. A
      vaccination strategy that simultaneously targets different steps in TB
      pathogenesis may result in improved protection and reduced TB transmission.

PMID- 26119087
TI  - Dickkopf-related protein 3 is a potential Abeta-associated protein in Alzheimer's
      Disease.
AB  - Amyloid-beta (Abeta) is the most prominent protein in Alzheimer's disease (AD)
      senile plaques. In addition, Abeta interacts with a variety of Abeta-associated
      proteins (AAPs), some of which can form complexes with Abeta and influence its
      clearance, aggregation or toxicity. Identification of novel AAPs may shed new
      light on the pathophysiology of AD and the metabolic fate of Abeta. In this
      study, we aimed to identify new AAPs by searching for proteins that may form
      soluble complexes with Abeta in CSF, using a proteomics approach. We identified
      the secreted Wnt pathway protein Dickkopf-related protein 3 (Dkk-3) as a
      potential Abeta-associated protein. Using immunohistochemistry on human AD brain
      tissue, we observed that (i) Dkk-3 co-localizes with Abeta in the brain, both in
      diffuse and classic plaques. (ii) Dkk-3 is expressed in neurons and in blood
      vessel walls in the brain and (iii) is secreted by leptomeningeal smooth muscle
      cells in vitro. Finally, measurements using ELISA revealed that (iv) Dkk-3
      protein is abundantly present in both cerebrospinal fluid and serum, but its
      levels are similar in non-demented controls and patients with AD, Lewy body
      dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. Our study demonstrates that Dkk-3 is a
      hitherto unidentified Abeta-associated protein which, given its relatively high
      cerebral concentrations and co-localization with Abeta, is potentially involved
      in AD pathology. In this study, we propose that Dickkopf-related protein-3 (Dkk
      3) might be a novel Amyloid-beta (Abeta) associated protein. We demonstrate that
      Dkk-3 is expressed in the brain, especially in vessel walls, and co-localizes
      with Abeta in senile plaques. Furthermore, Dkk-3 levels in cerebrospinal fluid
      strongly correlate with Abeta40 levels, but were not suitable to discriminate non
      demented controls and patients with dementia.

PMID- 26119088
TI  - Deep soil carbon dynamics are driven more by soil type than by climate: a
      worldwide meta-analysis of radiocarbon profiles.
AB  - The response of soil carbon dynamics to climate and land-use change will affect
      both the future climate and the quality of ecosystems. Deep soil carbon (>20 cm)
      is the primary component of the soil carbon pool, but the dynamics of deep soil
      carbon remain poorly understood. Therefore, radiocarbon activity (Delta14C),
      which is a function of the age of carbon, may help to understand the rates of
      soil carbon biodegradation and stabilization. We analyzed the published 14C
      contents in 122 profiles of mineral soil that were well distributed in most of
      the large world biomes, except for the boreal zone. With a multivariate extension
      of a linear mixed-effects model whose inference was based on the parallel
      combination of two algorithms, the expectation-maximization (EM) and the
      Metropolis-Hasting algorithms, we expressed soil Delta14C profiles as a four
      parameter function of depth. The four-parameter model produced insightful
      predictions of soil Delta14C as dependent on depth, soil type, climate,
      vegetation, land-use and date of sampling (R2=0.68). Further analysis with the
      model showed that the age of topsoil carbon was primarily affected by climate and
      cultivation. By contrast, the age of deep soil carbon was affected more by soil
      taxa than by climate and thus illustrated the strong dependence of soil carbon
      dynamics on other pedologic traits such as clay content and mineralogy. 

PMID- 26119089
TI  - Echinococcosis: A 15-year epidemiological, clinical and outcome overview.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics and
      mortality of patients with cystic echinococcosis (CE) in northern Spain. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: A retrospective study of the medical records of patients diagnosed
      with CE and hospitalized from 1997 to 2011 in a University Hospital. RESULTS: A
      total of 76 patients (44 men) were diagnosed with CE. The mean age was 57.8 years
      (SD: 19.1 years; range: 14.9-92.7). The yearly average incidence was 1.08
      cases/100,000 inhabitants. The highest incidence was registered in patients aged
      70-79 years (22.7% of all cases). Liver was the main organ involved (92.1%),
      followed by lung (6.6%) and peritoneum (1.3%). Fifty-five patients (72%) received
      treatment: 2 (3.6%) medical treatment with albendazole, 27 (49%) surgical
      treatment, 3 (5.4%) medical treatment combined with cyst drainage, and 23 (42%)
      combined medical and surgical treatment. Eight patients had a recurrence. Twenty
      four (31.2%) patients died. No patient's death was attributed directly to
      hydatidosis, though mortality was significantly higher in the untreated vs. the
      treated patient group (57% vs. 22%, p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Hydatidosis treatment
      and diagnostic approaches remain heterogeneous. The liver continues being the
      main organ affected. Mortality was higher in patients who did not receive
      treatment. However, this result might have been influenced by other factors,
      mainly age.

PMID- 26119090
TI  - Exchange protein directly activated by cAMP encoded by the mammalian rapgef3
      gene: Structure, function and therapeutics.
AB  - Mammalian exchange protein directly activated by cAMP isoform 1 (EPAC1), encoded
      by the RAPGEF3 gene, is one of the two-membered family of cAMP sensors that
      mediate the intracellular functions of cAMP by acting as guanine nucleotide
      exchange factors for the Ras-like Rap small GTPases. Extensive studies have
      revealed that EPAC1-mediated cAMP signaling is highly coordinated
      spatiotemporally through the formation of dynamic signalosomes by interacting
      with a diverse array of cellular partners. Recent functional analyses of
      genetically engineered mouse models further suggest that EPAC1 functions as an
      important stress response switch and is involved in pathophysiological conditions
      of cardiac stresses, chronic pain, cancer and infectious diseases. These
      findings, coupled with the development of EPAC specific small molecule
      modulators, validate EPAC1 as a promising target for therapeutic interventions. 

PMID- 26119092
TI  - The largest relative testis size among primates and aseasonal reproduction in a
      nocturnal lemur, Mirza zaza.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Testis size is an indirect indicator of a species' mating system,
      along with sexual size and canine dimorphism, existence and usage of mating and
      advertisement calls as well as the spatial distribution of males and females
      ready to mate in solitary species. Upon its recent discovery, the northern giant
      mouse lemur Mirza zaza was suggested to have a polygynandrous mating system and
      to exhibit seasonal breeding. We tested these predictions in a field study in
      Sahamalaza National Park, NW Madagascar. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We caught 12 M.
      zaza, before and during the suggested mating period and obtained standard field
      morphometric measurements, including testes size. RESULTS: We show that M. zaza
      has the highest relative testis volume among primates, indicating strong sperm
      competition and polygynandrous mating. In addition, based on inferred age of
      captured animals, observed mating behavior, a female caught in met-estrus and
      data from captivity, we suggest M. zaza to be one of the few lemurs that breed
      aseasonally. DISCUSSION: Future field work on this endangered species is required
      to illuminate the causes and consequences of intense promiscuity and aseasonal
      breeding despite strong habitat seasonality, which distinguish M. zaza from most
      other nocturnal lemurs.

PMID- 26119091
TI  - Embryonal Fyn-associated substrate (EFS) and CASS4: The lesser-known CAS protein
      family members.
AB  - The CAS (Crk-associated substrate) adaptor protein family consists of four
      members: CASS1/BCAR1/p130Cas, CASS2/NEDD9/HEF1/Cas-L, CASS3/EFS/Sin and
      CASS4/HEPL. While CAS proteins lack enzymatic activity, they contain specific
      recognition and binding sites for assembly of larger signaling complexes that are
      essential for cell proliferation, survival, migration, and other processes. All
      family members are intermediates in integrin-dependent signaling pathways
      mediated at focal adhesions, and associate with FAK and SRC family kinases to
      activate downstream effectors regulating the actin cytoskeleton. Most studies of
      CAS proteins to date have been focused on the first two members, BCAR1 and NEDD9,
      with altered expression of these proteins now appreciated as influencing disease
      development and prognosis for cancer and other serious pathological conditions.
      For these family members, additional mechanisms of action have been defined in
      receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling, estrogen receptor signaling or cell
      cycle progression, involving discrete partner proteins such as SHC, NSP proteins,
      or AURKA. By contrast, EFS and CASS4 have been less studied, although structure
      function analyses indicate they conserve many elements with the better-known
      family members. Intriguingly, a number of recent studies have implicated these
      proteins in immune system function, and the pathogenesis of developmental
      disorders, autoimmune disorders including Crohn's disease, Alzheimer's disease,
      cancer and other diseases. In this review, we summarize the current understanding
      of EFS and CASS4 protein function in the context of the larger CAS family group. 

PMID- 26119093
TI  - Phase I study of combination of vorinostat, carboplatin, and gemcitabine in women
      with recurrent, platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or
      peritoneal cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Combining histone deacetylase inhibitors and chemotherapy is
      synergistic. This phase I study combined escalating vorinostat doses with
      constant doses of carboplatin and gemcitabine for the treatment of recurrent
      platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer. The objectives of this study were to determine
      the maximally tolerated dose of this combination; secondary objectives included
      preliminary response rate of this regimen and toxicity profile. METHODS: Fifteen
      patients with relapsed ovarian cancer were enrolled into this phase I study.
      Doses of carboplatin and gemcitabine were AUC 4 on day 1 and 1000 mg/m(2) on days
      1 and 8, respectively; cycles were administered every 21 days. Vorinostat was
      tested using four different schedules. The first dose level (DL A) tested
      vorinostat as daily oral dosing from days 1 to 14. DL B tested twice daily (BID)
      vorinostat dosing on days 1-3 and 8-10. DL C tested BID vorinostat dosing on days
      1, 2, 8, and 9, starting vorinostat 1 day prior to initiation of carboplatin and
      gemcitabine, and DL D tested vorinostat on days 1 and 2 with chemotherapy
      starting on day 2. RESULTS: All four DLs tested resulted in dose-limiting
      toxicities, and no MTD was determined. Toxicities were mostly hematologic. Seven
      patients were evaluable for RECIST assessment, and six of them had partial
      responses (PR) via RECIST. CONCLUSIONS: Combination of carboplatin, gemcitabine,
      and vorinostat has activity in relapsed platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer, but
      was difficult to combine because of hematologic toxicities in this phase I study.
      No maximally tolerated dose was found, and the study was terminated early.

PMID- 26119094
TI  - Residents' Experience in Breast Cancer Care.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: General surgeons commonly treat breast cancer (BC), hence
      necessitating adequate training during residency. We examined surgery residents'
      exposure to these conditions across postgraduate years (PGYs) to assess the
      proximity of involvement to commencement. STUDY DESIGN: We examined the BC
      operative profile by PGY using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical
      Quality Improvement Program Participant Use File (ACS NSQIP PUF, 2008-2011).
      Operations were classified using the Surgical Council on Resident Education
      curriculum complexity categories. Univariate analysis was performed using chi
      square, Fisher exact, analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis tests, as
      appropriate. RESULTS: Of 58,413 BC operations, 23,996 involved PGY1 to PGY5
      residents. A Surgical Council on Resident Education complexity was assigned to
      97.7% of operations studied (n = 23,432). PGY was inversely proportional to the
      number of operations performed. PGY1 to PGY3 residents covered most essential
      common operations (PGY1-3, 72% vs PGY4-5, 28%; p < 0.001). PGY1 and PGY2
      residents covered more than half of the complex operations (PGY1-2, 55% [n = 359]
      vs PGY3-5, 45% [n = 288]; p = 0.033). CONCLUSIONS: Although junior residents
      perform most of the BC cases in surgical residency, residents do participate in
      operations for BC across the continuum of the training years. Program directors
      should consider trainees' career aspirations to ensure adequate exposure to the
      operative and nonoperative management of this common disease before the
      transition to independent practice.

PMID- 26119095
TI  - Understanding Quality Issues in Your Surgical Department: Comparing the ACS NSQIP
      With Traditional Morbidity and Mortality Conferences in a Canadian Academic
      Hospital.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Review of surgical complications in traditional morbidity and
      mortality (M&M) rounds remains an important mechanism to identify and discuss
      quality-of-care issues. This process relies on case selection by providers;
      therefore, complications identified for review may differ from those captured in
      comprehensive quality programs such as the American College of Surgeons National
      Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). Additionally, although the ACS
      NSQIP captures robust data on complications in surgical wards, without strategies
      to disseminate this information to staff and improve practice, minimal change may
      result. The objective of this study was to compare complications identified by
      the ACS NSQIP with those captured in M&M conferences at a large Canadian academic
      hospital. METHODS: Retrospective medical record reviews of all patients admitted
      to the general surgery unit from March 2012 to March 2013 were reviewed. Number
      and types of complications were recorded for cases that were both submitted and
      reviewed in M&M rounds and those cases that were submitted but not reviewed.
      These complications were compared with those extracted from our local ACS NSQIP
      database. RESULTS: A total of 1348 general surgical procedures were performed.
      The ACS NSQIP captured complications in 143 patients compared with 58 patients
      identified for review in M&M rounds. Both the methods identified similar
      proportions of major and minor complications (ACS NSQIP 52% major, 48% minor; M&M
      58% major, 42% minor). More postoperative deaths were entered into the ACS NSQIP
      (12) than in M&M conferences (8 reviewed and 2 submitted). The ACS NSQIP
      identified higher proportions of surgical site infections and readmissions.
      However, M&M conferences captured additional complications in patients who did
      not undergo surgery and identified potential quality issues in patients who did
      not ultimately experience an adverse outcome. CONCLUSIONS: M&M rounds and the ACS
      NSQIP provide important and potentially complementary data on surgical quality.
      Incorporating the ACS NSQIP outcomes data into traditional M&M conferences may
      help to optimize quality improvement efforts.

PMID- 26119096
TI  - Preferences and Outcomes for Chemotherapy Teaching in a Postgraduate Obstetrics
      and Gynecology Training Program.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine whether chemotherapy teaching is a desired component of
      postgraduate training programs in obstetrics and gynecology and assess its effect
      on practicing clinicians. METHOD: After obtaining institutional review board
      approval, 99 individuals who completed postgraduate training at a single academic
      medical center between 2005 and 2013 were invited to complete an online survey.
      Descriptive statistics were used to summarize responses. RESULTS: Of the 99
      individuals, 68 (68%) completed the survey. Respondents included physicians
      currently practicing in both academic medicine (n = 36, 52.9%) and private
      practice (n = 24, 35.2%). Most respondents (n = 60, 88.2%) indicated that
      chemotherapy teaching was a desired feature of their training and expressed a
      preference for both formal didactics and direct clinical involvement (n = 55,
      80.2%). Benefits identified by respondents included improved insight into the
      management of symptoms commonly associated with chemotherapy (n = 55, 82.1%) and
      an enhanced ability to counsel patients referred for oncology care (n = 48,
      70.5%). All respondents who pursued training in gynecologic oncology following
      residency (n = 6) indicated that chemotherapy teaching favorably affected their
      fellowship experience. Of the 6 gynecologic oncologists, 3 (50%) who responded
      also indicated that chemotherapy teaching during residency improved their
      performance in fellowship interviews. CONCLUSION: Chemotherapy teaching was a
      desired feature of postgraduate training in general obstetrics and gynecology at
      the institution studied. Consideration should be given to creating curricula that
      incorporate the principles and practice of chemotherapy and address the needs of
      obstetrics and gynecology trainees who intend to pursue both general and
      subspecialty practice.

PMID- 26119097
TI  - Comprehensive Middle-Fidelity Simulator for Training in Aortic Root Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The current training in aortic root surgery is affected by several
      factors: complexity of surgical procedures and the complex 3-dimensional anatomy
      of the aortic root. The aortic root simulator proposed in this study is an
      additional low-cost, reusable, and portable tool to improve surgical skills in a
      middle-fidelity model. METHODS: The aortic root surgery simulator is a self-made
      portable box that can be used for an unrestricted number of procedures. It is
      supplied with a self-made aortic root substitute, which was tested to simulate
      the flexible property of the aortic root components. The building process is
      detailed in this study. Aortic root procedures were performed by use of this
      simulator, in which surgical handling was tested. The total cost was calculated
      in euros. RESULTS: Building the aortic root simulator resulted in the development
      of a new training tool for aortic root surgery. The use of silicone led to the
      construction of the aortic root components with similar diameters and properties
      as those of a real aortic root, which permitted performing the surgical
      procedures in unrestricted numbers. This involved the aortic valve including all
      types of aortic valve replacements such as interrupted and semicontinuous, and
      all types of aortic root procedures like enlargement, remodeling, reimplantation,
      and replacement. Moreover, the silicone allowed modeling of various pathological
      replicas of the aortic valve, which resulted in facilitating the practice of
      aortic valve repair techniques according to El Khoury's classification. The cost
      was approximately ?1. CONCLUSION: Surgical skills in aortic root surgery could be
      improved by using a middle-fidelity simulator. The high cost of the training for
      residents and junior surgeons could be reduced effectively through the use of
      this low-cost, portable, reusable simulator and its accessories (aorta and
      valves). Familiarity with performing the surgical procedures could reduce the
      time consumed in the operation room.

PMID- 26119098
TI  - Early Results from the Flexibility in Surgical Training Research Consortium:
      Resident and Program Director Attitudes Toward Flexible Rotations in Senior
      Residency.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the attitudes of residents and program directors (PDs)
      involved in flexible training to gauge satisfaction with this training paradigm
      and elicit limitations. DESIGN: Anonymous surveys were sent to residents and PDs
      in participant programs. Respondents were asked to rate responses on a 5-point
      Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree). SETTING: A total of
      9 residency programs that are collaborating to prospectively study the effect of
      flexible tracks on resident performance and outcome. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 138
      residents who were in clinical years 4 and 5 and 10 PDs. RESULTS: Of the 138
      possible residents, 100 responded to the resident survey (72.5% response rate).
      Among resident respondents, 33% were participating in a flexible track option.
      The most frequently listed specialties of focus were cardiothoracic surgery
      (19%), vascular surgery (13%), acute care surgery (11%), colorectal surgery (8%),
      surgical oncology (7%), and pediatric surgery (7%). Participants in flexible
      tracks tended to strongly agree that their career would be enhanced by flexible
      rotations; interestingly, of those not in flexible tracks, most tended to also
      agree that flexible rotations would enhance their future careers. Flexible track
      participants report receiving greater autonomy on flexible rotations and believe
      they would be better prepared for fellowship and career. They express overall
      very high satisfaction with the flexible experience. Limitations expressed by
      residents (in flexible tracks or not) include uncertainty for how this paradigm
      serves those interested in comprehensive general surgery, concern about
      scheduling difficulties, and some displeasure in missing high-volume general
      surgery rotations in lieu of specialty-focused rotations. The PD survey was
      completed by 8 of 9 PDs for a response rate of 89%. All the respondents agreed or
      strongly agreed that careers of residents are enhanced by flexible rotations and
      that important operative and clinical experiences are gained. Overall, 87.5% of
      PD respondents agreed or strongly agreed that those in flexible tracks have
      greater opportunities for mentorship in their chosen field. PDs also expressed
      high levels of satisfaction with flexible rotations. Limitations include concerns
      that the flexibility option presents scheduling difficulties and does not go far
      enough in reforming postgraduate education. CONCLUSIONS: This survey of 9
      residency programs participating in flexible tracks indicates satisfaction with
      this training option. The role of comprehensive general surgery as a training end
      point and scheduling difficulties remain as major challenges. Outcomes of
      graduates in these tracks and control peers are being prospectively evaluated.

PMID- 26119099
TI  - Copper(II) complexation of tacrine hybrids with potential anti-neurodegenerative
      roles.
AB  - The complexity and multifactorial nature of neurodegenerative diseases turn quite
      difficult the development of adequate drugs for their treatment. Multi-target
      analogues, in conjugation with natural moieties, have been developed in order to
      combine acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition with antioxidant properties, metal
      binding capacity and inhibition of amyloid-beta (Abeta) aggregation. Due to the
      recent interest on natural-based drugs and also the importance of studying the
      role of transition metal ions in the disease process, we herein evaluate the
      copper chelating capacity and inhibitory ability for self- and Cu-induced Abeta1
      42 aggregation of two nature-base hybrid model compounds obtained from
      conjugation of a tacrine moiety with a S-allylcystein (1) or S-propargylcystein
      (2) moiety. Both compounds show a moderate chelating power towards Cu(II) (pCu
      7.13-7.51, CL/CCu=10, CCu=10(-6)M, pH7.4), with predominant formation of 1:1
      complex species (CuL, CuH-1L) for which the coordination sphere involves the N
      amide and the NH2 amine of the cysteine derivative as well as the NH of tacrine.
      The compounds are able to improve the inhibition of Abeta aggregation in the
      presence of Cu(II) and this is slightly more relevant for the allyl derivative
      (1), a stronger copper chelator, than for the propargyl (2). Moreover, the
      presence of a chloro atom in the tacrine moiety and the size of the chain length
      between the two NH groups appeared also to improve the inhibition capacity for
      Abeta aggregation. 

PMID- 26119100
TI  - Synthesis of Polysubstituted gamma-Butenolides via a Radical Pathway: Cyclization
      of alpha-Bromo Aluminium Acetals and Comparison with the Cyclization of alpha
      Bromoesters at High Temperature.
AB  - Polysubstituted butenolides were obtained in good to high yields from alpha
      bromoesters derived from propargyl alcohols by a one-pot reaction involving the
      radical cyclization of alpha-bromo aluminium acetals, followed by the oxidation
      of the resulting cyclic aluminium acetals in an Oppenauer-type process and
      migration of the exocyclic C=C bond into the alpha,beta-position. Comparison with
      the direct cyclization of alpha-bromoesters at high temperature and under high
      dilution conditions is described. Deuterium-labelling experiments allowed us to
      uncover "invisible" 1,5-hydrogen atom transfers (1,5-HATs) that occur during
      these cyclization processes, together with the consequences of the latter in the
      epimerization of stereogenic centres. Compared to the classical approach, the
      cyclization of aluminium acetals proved to be highly chemoselective and its
      efficiency was illustrated by the short total syntheses of optically enriched
      gamma-butenolides isolated from Plagiomnium undulatum and from Kyrtuhrix
      maculans.

PMID- 26119101
TI  - New insights into pri-miRNA processing and accumulation in plants.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate many biological processes such as development,
      metabolism, and others. They are processed from their primary transcripts called
      primary miRNA transcripts (pri-miRNAs) by the processor complex containing the
      RNAse III enzyme, DICER-LIKE1 (DCL1), in plants. Consequently, miRNA biogenesis
      is controlled through altering pri-miRNA accumulation and processing, which is
      crucial for plant development and adaptation to environmental changes. Plant pri
      miRNAs are transcribed by DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and their
      levels are determined through transcription and degradation, whereas pri-miRNA
      processing is affected by its structure, splicing, alternative splicing, loading
      to the processor and the processor activity, which involve in many accessory
      proteins. Here, we summarize recent progresses related to pri-miRNA
      transcription, stability, and processing in plants.

PMID- 26119103
TI  - Contact between the beta1 and beta2 Segments of alpha-Synuclein that Inhibits
      Amyloid Formation.
AB  - Conversion of the intrinsically disordered protein alpha-synuclein (alpha-syn)
      into amyloid aggregates is a key process in Parkinson's disease. The sequence
      region 35-59 contains beta-strand segments beta1 and beta2 of alpha-syn amyloid
      fibril models and most disease-related mutations. beta1 and beta2 frequently
      engage in transient interactions in monomeric alpha-syn. The consequences of
      beta1-beta2 contacts are evaluated by disulfide engineering, biophysical
      techniques, and cell viability assays. The double-cysteine mutant alpha-synCC,
      with a disulfide linking beta1 and beta2, is aggregation-incompetent and inhibits
      aggregation and toxicity of wild-type alpha-syn. We show that alpha-syn delays
      the aggregation of amyloid-beta peptide and islet amyloid polypeptide involved in
      Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes, an effect enhanced in the alpha-synCC
      mutant. Tertiary interactions in the beta1-beta2 region of alpha-syn interfere
      with the nucleation of amyloid formation, suggesting promotion of such
      interactions as a potential therapeutic approach. 

PMID- 26119102
TI  - A population-based validation study of the DCIS Score predicting recurrence risk
      in individuals treated by breast-conserving surgery alone.
AB  - Validated biomarkers are needed to improve risk assessment and treatment decision
      making for women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast. The Oncotype
      DX DCIS Score (DS) was shown to predict the risk of local recurrence (LR) in
      individuals with low-risk DCIS treated by breast-conserving surgery (BCS) alone.
      Our objective was to confirm these results in a larger population-based cohort of
      individuals. We used an established population-based cohort of individuals
      diagnosed with DCIS treated with BCS alone from 1994 to 2003 with validation of
      treatment and outcomes. Central pathology assessment excluded cases with invasive
      cancer, DCIS < 2 mm or positive margins. Cox model was used to determine the
      relationship between independent covariates, the DS (hazard ratio (HR)/50 Cp
      units (U)) and LR. Tumor blocks were collected for 828 patients. Final evaluable
      population includes 718 cases, of whom 571 had negative margins. Median follow-up
      was 9.6 years. 100 cases developed LR following BCS alone (DCIS, N = 44;
      invasive, N = 57). In the primary pre-specified analysis, the DS was associated
      with any LR (DCIS or invasive) in ER+ patients (HR 2.26; P < 0.001) and in all
      patients regardless of ER status (HR 2.15; P < 0.001). DCIS Score provided
      independent information on LR risk beyond clinical and pathologic variables
      including size, age, grade, necrosis, multifocality, and subtype (adjusted HR
      1.68; P = 0.02). DCIS was associated with invasive LR (HR 1.78; P = 0.04) and
      DCIS LR (HR 2.43; P = 0.005). The DCIS Score independently predicts and
      quantifies individualized recurrence risk in a population of patients with pure
      DCIS treated by BCS alone.

PMID- 26119104
TI  - Water as a morphological probe to study polymer-filler interfaces: an original
      application of thermoporosimetry.
AB  - This paper is devoted to the characterization of polymer-filler interfaces by
      thermoporosimetry using water as a probe. Composites of EVA filled with aluminium
      hydroxide with high filler content for the required fire retardant properties
      have been studied. After water sorption at 90  degrees C, the composites have
      been analyzed by thermoporosimetry using water as a morphological probe. This
      technique first allowed studying the influence of the filler content and the
      specific surface area on the water uptake. The study with drying steps and two
      molecular probes (water and cyclohexane) has highlighted that water is confined
      at the interface and thus thermoporosimetry is a powerful tool to characterize
      interfaces in EVA-ATH composites. 

PMID- 26119105
TI  - Need for speed: Sexual maturation precedes social maturation in gray mouse
      lemurs.
AB  - The life history of mammals underlies a fast-slow continuum, ranging from "slow"
      species with large body size, delayed sexual maturation, low fertility, and long
      lifespan, to "fast" species showing the opposite traits. Primates fall into the
      "slow" category, considering their relatively low offspring numbers and delayed
      juvenile development. However, social and sexual maturation processes do not
      necessarily have to be completed simultaneously. The comparison of the timeframes
      for sexual and social maturation is largely lacking for primates, with the
      prominent exception of humans. Here, we compare both maturation processes in a
      basal primate, the gray mouse lemur, which ranges in many aspects at the fast end
      of the slow-fast life history continuum among primates. We compared the patterns
      and frequencies of various social and solitary behaviors in young adults (YA, 12
      13 months old) and older individuals (A, >=2 years) of both sexes outside estrus.
      Observations were conducted during mix-sexed dyadic encounter experiments under
      controlled captive conditions (eight dyads per age class). Results indicate that
      although all young adults were sexually mature, social maturation was not yet
      completed in all behavioral domains: Age-dependent differences were found in the
      number of playing dyads, female marking behavior, female aggression, and social
      tolerance. Thus, this study provides a first indication that social maturation
      lags behind sexual maturation in an ancestral nocturnal primate model, indicating
      that these two developmental schemes may have been decoupled early and throughout
      the primate lineage.

PMID- 26119106
TI  - Thickness of a metallic film, in addition to its roughness, plays a significant
      role in SERS activity.
AB  - In this paper we evaluate the effect of roughness and thickness of silver film
      substrates, fabricated on glass and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) templates, on
      surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) activity. While the silver substrates
      obtained on glass templates exhibit nm-scale roughness, the silver substrates on
      PDMS templates show larger roughness, on the order of 10 s of nm. These roughness
      values do not change significantly with the thickness of the silver film. The
      SERS intensities of 4-aminothiophenol (ATP) deposited on these substrates
      strongly depend on both roughness and thickness, with more significant
      contribution from the roughness on thinner films. FEM simulations of the electric
      field intensities on surfaces of different thicknesses for rough and flat
      surfaces suggest higher localized plamons on thinner, rough surfaces. This study
      indicates that, besides roughness, the thickness of the metallic layer plays a
      significant role in the SERS activity.

PMID- 26119107
TI  - Unaffected features of BSA stabilized Ag nanoparticles after storage and
      reconstitution in biological relevant media.
AB  - Silver-coated orthopedic implants and silver composite materials have been
      proposed to produce local biocidal activity at low dose to reduce post-surgery
      infection that remains one of the major contributions to the patient morbidity.
      This work presents the synthesis combined with the characterization, colloidal
      stability in biological relevant media, antimicrobial activity and handling
      properties of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NP) before and after freeze dry and
      storage. The nanomaterial was synthesized in aqueous solution with simple,
      reproducible and low-cost strategies using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the
      stabilizing agent. Ag-NP were characterized by means of the size distribution and
      morphology (UV-vis spectra, dynamic light scattering measurements and TEM
      images), charge as a function of the pH (zeta potential measurements) and
      colloidal stability in biological relevant media (UV-vis spectra and dynamic
      light scattering measurements). Further, the interactions between the protein and
      Ag-NP were evaluated by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and the
      antimicrobial activity was tested with two bacteria strains (namely
      Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis) mainly present in the
      infections caused by implants and prosthesis in orthopedic surgery. Finally, the
      Ag-NP dispersed in aqueous solution were dried and stored as long-lasting powders
      that were easily reconstituted without losing their stability and antimicrobial
      properties. The proposed methods to stabilize Ag-NP not only produce stable
      dispersions in media of biological relevance but also long-lasting powders with
      optimal antimicrobial activity in the nanomolar range. This level is much lower
      than the cytotoxicity determined in vitro on osteoblasts, osteoclasts and
      osteoarthritic chondrocytes. The synthesized Ag-NP can be incorporated as
      additive of biomaterials or pharmaceutical products to confer antimicrobial
      activity in a powdered form in different formulations, dispersed in aqueous and
      non-aqueous solutions or coated on the surface of different materials. 

PMID- 26119108
TI  - Dosimetric evaluation of whole-breast radiation therapy: clinical experience.
AB  - Radiation therapy of the intact breast is the standard therapy for preventing
      local recurrence of early-stage breast cancer following breast conservation
      surgery. To improve patient standard of care, there is a need to define a
      consistent and transparent treatment path for all patients that reduces
      significance variations in the acceptability of treatment plans. There is lack of
      consistency among institutions or individuals about what is considered an
      acceptable treatment plan: target coverage vis-a-vis dose to organs at risk
      (OAR). Clinical trials usually resolve these issues, as the criteria for an
      acceptable plan within the trial (target coverage and doses to OAR) are well
      defined. We developed an institutional criterion for accepting breast treatment
      plans in 2006 after analyzing treatment data of approximately 200 patients. The
      purpose of this article is to report on the dosimetric review of 623 patients
      treated in the last 18 months to evaluate the effectiveness of the previously
      developed plan acceptability criteria and any possible changes necessary to
      further improve patient care. The mean patient age is 61.6 years (range: 25.2 to
      93.0 years). The mean breast separation for all the patients is 21.0cm (range:
      12.4 to 34.9cm), and the mean planning target volume (PTV_eval) (breast volume
      for evaluation) is 884.0cm(3) (range: 73.6 to 3684.6cm(3)). Overall, 314 (50.4%)
      patients had the disease in the left breast and 309 (49.6%) had it in the right
      breast. A total of 147 (23.6%) patients were treated using the deep inspiration
      breath-hold (DIBH) technique. The mean normalized PTV_eval receiving at least 92%
      (V92% PD) and 95% (V95% PD) of the prescribed dose (PD) are more than 99% and
      97%, respectively, for all patients. The mean normalized PTV_eval receiving at
      least 105% (V105% PD) of the PD is less than 1% for all groups. The mean
      homogeneity index (HI), uniformity index (UI), and conformity index (CI) for the
      PTV_eval are 0.09 (range: 0.05 to 0.15), 1.07 (range: 0.46 to 1.11), and 0.98
      (range: 0.92 to 1.0), respectively. Our data confirm the significant advantage of
      using DIBH to reduce heart dose when compared with the free-breathing technique.
      The p values analyses of the results for the V5Gy, V10Gy, V15Gy, V20Gy, and V30Gy
      for the heart comparing DIBH and free-breathing techniques are well less than
      0.05 (i.e., p < 0.05). However, similar analyses for the lung give values greater
      than 0.05 (i.e., p > 0.05), indicating that there is no significant difference in
      lung dose comparing the 2 treatment techniques. 

PMID- 26119109
TI  - Validation of the "Metroticket" model in a cohort of patients transplanted for
      hepatocellular carcinoma in southern Brazil.
AB  - This retrospective study evaluated the ability of the Metroticket model to
      predict five-yr post-transplant survival in patients with hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) based only on explant data. Five-yr survival after transplant was
      estimated using the Metroticket Calculator, and observed survival was calculated
      using the Kaplan-Meier method. Metroticket-predicted survival was compared
      between deceased and surviving patients using the Mann-Whitney test. The accuracy
      of Metroticket estimates in discriminating between these two patient groups was
      assessed using the c-statistic. Median patient age (n = 109) was 55.7 yr, and
      72.5% of the sample were men. Metroticket-predicted and observed post-transplant
      survival at five yr was 71.1% and 58.7%, respectively. Predictions were
      calculated using the explant data of the 64 survivors and 45 deceased patients.
      Median five-yr survival was 72.9% in the former and 69.7% in the latter. The c
      statistic of the Metroticket model for distinguishing surviving from deceased
      patients was 0.55. In this cohort, the Metroticket model was unable to accurately
      predict five-yr post-transplant survival based only on explant data.

PMID- 26119110
TI  - Quantifying workspace and forces of surgical dissection during robot-assisted
      neurosurgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A prerequisite for successful robot-assisted neurosurgery is to use a
      hand-controller matched with characteristics of real robotic microsurgery. This
      study reports quantified data pertaining to the required workspace and exerted
      forces of surgical tools during robot-assisted microsurgery. METHODS: A surgeon
      conducted four operations in which the neuroArm surgical system, an image-guided
      computer-assisted manipulator specifically designed to perform robot-assisted
      neurosurgery, was employed to surgically remove brain tumors. The position,
      orientation, and exerted force of surgical tools were measured during operations.
      RESULTS: Workspace of the neuroArm manipulators, for the cases studied, was
      60*60*60 mm(3) while it offered orientation ranges of 103 degrees , 62 degrees 
      and 112 degrees . The surgical tools exerted a maximum force of 1.86 N with
      frequency band of less than 20 Hz. CONCLUSIONS: This data provides important
      information specific to neurosurgery that can be used to select among
      commercially available, or further design a customized, haptic hand-controller
      for robot-assisted neurosurgical systems. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons,
      Ltd.

PMID- 26119111
TI  - Confronting inequities: A scoping review of the literature on pharmacist practice
      and health-related disparities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An expanding body of literature is exploring the presence and impact
      of health and health care disparities among marginalized populations. This
      research challenges policy makers, health professionals, and scholars to examine
      how unjust and avoidable inequities are created at the societal, institutional,
      and individual level, and explore strategies for mitigating challenges.
      OBJECTIVES: Recognizing the significance of this broader conversation, this
      scoping review provides an overview of pharmacy-specific research attentive to
      health-related disparities. METHODS: Following Arksey and O'Malley's framework, a
      rigorous screening process yielded 93 peer-reviewed and 23 grey literature
      articles, each analyzed for core themes. RESULTS: Lending critical insight to how
      pharmacy practice researchers are conceptualizing and measuring health
      inequities, this review highlights three paths of inquiry evident across this
      literature, including research focused on what pharmacists know about
      marginalized groups, how pharmacists perceive these groups, and how they provide
      services. Striving to drive research and practice forward, this review details
      research gaps and opportunities, including a need to expand the scope of research
      and integrate knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: As pharmacists endeavor to provide
      equitable and impactful patient care, it is essential to understand challenges,
      and build strong evidence for meaningful action.

PMID- 26119112
TI  - Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]Indole Derivatives
      as Fungicides against Phytopathogenic Fungi.
AB  - Eighteen hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole derivatives were synthesized and evaluated
      their in vitro antifungal activities against five phytopathogenic fungal strains
      through the mycelium growth rate method. Analysis of the structure-activity
      relationship on these synthesized compounds revealed that the introduction of
      benzyl or substituted benzyl group at the C-3a or N-8 position of the
      pyrroloindoline scaffold conferred higher antifungal activity against all tested
      phytopathogenic fungi than compound 4a (both C-3a and N-8 positions are prenyl
      groups). Especially, compound 4r, among all the tested compounds, showed the most
      effective antifungal activity against Fusarium coeruleum, and Fusarium
      graminearum with IC50 values of 4.61 and 5.02 MUg/mL, respectively. Moreover, all
      synthesized compounds 4a-4r displayed higher activities against Curvularia lunata
      than the positive control thiabendazole, a commercial agricultural fungicide.

PMID- 26119113
TI  - A molecular approach towards the taxonomy of fresh water prawns Macrobrachium
      striatum and M. equidens (Decapoda, Palaemonidae) using mitochondrial markers.
AB  - Genus Macrobrachium includes freshwater prawns which inhabit most diverse
      habitats ranging from low saline areas to inland hill streams and impounded water
      bodies. Being morphologically conserved, this genus has been exposed to severe
      disputes related to their taxonomy, systematics and phylogeny. Macrobrachium
      striatum and M. equidens represent two morphologically related congeneric species
      within this genus. Earlier, M. striatum was considered as a striped form of M.
      equidens. Though these species are now well-described morphologically and
      differentiated into two species, no molecular level investigation has been
      carried out in support of their speciation. We report a study on M. striatum and
      M. equidens with emphasis to their molecular data through mitochondrial markers
      (16S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I). Results obtained from
      developed molecular markers of the two species revealed considerable genetic
      differentiation between them. Phylogram generated using Minimum evolution and
      Neighbour joining analyses differentiated M. striatum and M. equidens as two
      independent species. Genetic distance data showed high interspecific divergence
      (ranging from 3.9% to 17.0% for 16S rRNA sequences and 13.8% to 21.0% for COI
      sequences) between M. striatum and M. equidens confirming the findings of
      phylogram. Hence, it could be delineated that M. striatum and M. equidens
      represent two distinct species within genus Macrobrachium with emphasis to their
      morphology and genetics.

PMID- 26119114
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genome of a hydrocarbon-producing green alga Botryococcus
      braunii strain Showa.
AB  - Complete mitochondrial genome of Botryococcus braunii strain Showa was assembled
      and annotated. It contains 31 protein-coding genes, 23 tRNA genes and 3 rRNA
      (23S, 16S, 5S rRNA) genes. The 31 protein-coding genes include 5 atp genes, 3 cox
      genes, 9 nad genes, 12 ribosomal protein genes, cob and tatC genes. The presence
      of extra non-coding regions makes it currently the largest mitochondrial genome
      in Trebouxiophyceae. Phylogenetic analysis showed Botryococcus braunii strain
      Showa clustered into Trebouxiophyceae clade and had close genetic relationship
      with algae Coccomyxa sp. C-169.

PMID- 26119115
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the killifish Orestias sp.
      (Cyprinodontiformes, Cyprinodontidae) from the high Andean range.
AB  - The killifish genus Orestias is endemic to freshwater ecosystems in the High
      Andes of Peru, Bolivia and Chile. Phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies with
      partial mitochondrial genes have failed to resolve relationship among species,
      needing more comprehensive approaches. In this study, we described the complete
      mitochondrial genome of Orestias sp. from Lirima, northern Chile, with the aim to
      provide useful data for phylogenetic purposes and species delimitation. The
      mitochondrial genome was assembled with 2.6 million of reads obtained through an
      Ion Torrent (chip 318) sequencer. The circular sequence of 16,617 bp showed the
      following nucleotide composition: A, 26.7%, C, 27.1%, G, 17.0%, and T, 29.2%.
      Gene composition and structure were similar to other fish sequences available,
      and comprised 13 protein-coding genes, 12S and 16S rRNA, 22 tRNA genes, and a
      control region.

PMID- 26119116
TI  - The complete chloroplast genome sequence of the mulberry Morus notabilis
      (Moreae).
AB  - The complete chloroplast genome of the mulberry Morus notabilis (Moreae) has been
      reconstructed from the whole-genome Illumina sequencing data. The circular genome
      is 158,680 bp in size, and comprises a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of
      25,717 bp each, a large single-copy (LSC) region of 87,470 bp and a small single
      copy (SSC) region of 19,776 bp. The total A+T content is 63.6%, while the
      corresponding values of the LSC, SSC and IR region are 65.9%, 70.7% and 57.1%,
      respectively. The chloroplast genome contains 129 genes, including 84 protein
      coding genes (PCGs), eight ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and 37 transfer RNA (tRNA)
      genes. The maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analysis revealed that M.
      notabilis was more related to its congeners than to the others.

PMID- 26119117
TI  - Complete plastid genome of Astragalus mongholicus var. nakaianus (Fabaceae).
AB  - The first complete plastid genome (plastome) of the largest angiosperm genus,
      Astragalus, was sequenced for the Korean endangered endemic species A.
      mongholicus var. nakaianus. Its genome is relatively short (123,633 bp) because
      it lacks an Inverted Repeat (IR) region. It comprises 110 genes, including four
      unique rRNAs, 30 tRNAs, and 76 protein-coding genes. Similar to other closely
      related plastomes, rpl22 and rps16 are absent. The putative pseudogene with
      abnormal stop codons is atpE. This plastome has no additional inversions when
      compared with highly variable plastomes from IRLC tribes Fabeae and Trifolieae.
      Our phylogenetic analysis confirms the non-monophyly of Galegeae.

PMID- 26119118
TI  - Complete mitogenomes of King angelfish (Holacanthus passer) and Queen angelfish
      (Holacanthus ciliaris) (Teleostei: Pomacanthidae).
AB  - In this study, we used the next-generation sequencing method to deduce two
      complete mitogenomes of King angelfish (Holacanthus passer) and Queen angelfish
      (Holacanthus ciliaris) for the first time. The assembled mitogenome consists of
      16,620 bp in H. passer and 16,606 bp in H. ciliaris, showing 95% identities each
      other. Both mitogenomes follow the typical vertebrate arrangement, including 13
      protein coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs genes, and a non-coding
      control region of D-loop. D-loop contains 903 bp in H. passer and 888 bp in H.
      ciliaris and locates between tRNA-Pro and tRNA-Phe. The overall GC content is
      45.8% for H. passer and 46.2% for H. ciliaris. Complete mitogenomes of King
      angelfish and Queen angelfish deduced in this study provide essential and
      important DNA molecular data for further phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis
      for marine angelfish.

PMID- 26119119
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA control region of three mackerels, genus Rastrelliger:
      structure, molecular diversity and phylogenetic relationship.
AB  - The complete mitochondrial control regions (CR) of three mackerels (Rastrelliger
      spp.) were examined and analyzed. The CR contained three domains, in which three
      termination-associated sequences (TAS-I, TAS-II and TAS-III), two central
      conserved sequence blocks (CSB-E, CSB-D), three conserved sequence blocks (CSB-I,
      CSB-II, and CSB-III) and a putative promoter were detected. Molecular indices
      analyses of the aligned complete CR sequences showed high level of haplotype
      diversities and genetic divergences among the three species. The intraspecific
      divergence among species of this genus ranked from 0.25% to 1.62% and
      interspecific divergence from 1.90% to 4.30%. The phylogenetic tree shows
      monophyly with R. brachysoma as a basal species of Rastrelliger. Applying the
      average divergence rate for fish control regions, the results suggest that the
      time of separation among Rastrelligers could have occurred in the middle
      Pleistocene era.

PMID- 26119120
TI  - The complete mitogenome of Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens)
      (Chordata: Ziphiidae).
AB  - In this study, we used the next-generation sequencing method to deduce the
      complete mitogenome of Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens) for
      the first time. The nucleotide composition was asymmetric (33.3% A, 25.3% C,
      12.6% G, and 28.7% T) with an overall GC content of 37.9%. The length of the
      assembled mitogenome was 16,339 bp and follows the typical vertebrate
      arrangement, including 13 protein coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal
      RNAs genes, and a non-coding control region of D-loop. The D-loop contains 870 bp
      and is located between tRNA-Pro and tRNA-Phe. The complete mitogenome of Ginkgo
      toothed beaked whale deduced in this study provides essential and important DNA
      molecular data for further phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis for cetaceans.

PMID- 26119121
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the polychaete, Goniada japonica
      (Phyllodocida, Goniadidae).
AB  - The study determined the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the
      polychaete, Goniada japonica, which was first reported in the family of
      Goniadidae. A total of 7162 reads were generated by Illumina HiSeq2500 platform
      (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA) with an average depth of 58.41*. The mitogenome of
      G. japonica was 15,327 bp in size and consists of 37 typical genes (13 protein
      coding genes, 2 rRNA genes and 22 tRNA genes) and a putative control region. All
      the 37 genes were encoded on the heavy strand whose nucleotide compositions were
      35.08% of A, 33.69% of T, 11.66% of G, and 19.57% of C, showing a lower content
      of G + C (31.23%). The gene order of 15 major coding genes was identical to that
      of the Nereididae species. Phylogenetic analysis showed that G. japonica has a
      closer relationship with Tylorrhynchus heterochaetus of Nereididae.

PMID- 26119122
TI  - The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Amentotaxus argotaenia (Taxaceae).
AB  - The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Amentotaxus argotaenia was determined
      in this study. The genome is 136 657 bp in length and lacks one inverted repeat
      region. The overall GC content of the genome is 35.85% (protein-coding genes,
      36.90%; tRNA genes, 53.31%; rRNA genes, 52.99%; introns, 36.10%; intergenic
      spacers, 31.03%). The A. argotaenia chloroplast genome contains 118 unique genes,
      including 83 protein-coding genes, 31 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. Ten
      protein-coding genes and six tRNA genes have one intron, while ycf3 contains two.
      The coding regions occupy 60.27% of the genome length and the gene density is
      estimated to be 0.88 genes/kb. A maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis
      suggested that Amentotaxus is sister to Taxus within the Taxaceae family.

PMID- 26119123
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genomes of two orb-weaving spider Cyrtarachne
      nagasakiensis (Strand, 1918) and Hypsosinga pygmaea (Sundevall, 1831) (Araneae:
      Araneidae).
AB  - The complete mitogenomes of Cyrtarachne nagasakiensis and Hypsosinga pygmaea are
      determined to be 14,402 and 14,193 bp in length, with the A + T content of 75.7%
      and 76.1%, respectively. All protein-coding genes in both spiders start with the
      initiation codons (ATT, ATA, TTA or TTG) that are usually used in Araneae
      mitogenomes, and terminate with canonical stop codon TAA or TAG except for ND5 in
      both spiders and ND4L in H. pygmaea, which end with the incomplete codon TA or T
      instead. Most of the tRNAs lack the potential to form the typically cloverleaf
      shaped secondary structures and none of tandem repeats are present in the control
      regions of both spider mitogenomes. The phylogenetic analysis based on the
      Bayesian inference dataset shows a good resolution of relationship of C.
      nagasakiensis and H. pygmaea in Araneidae.

PMID- 26119124
TI  - Complete mitogenomes of Barred angelfish (Paracentropyge multifasciata) and
      Purplemask angelfish (Paracentropyge venusta) (Teleostei: Pomacanthidae).
AB  - In this study, we used the next-generation sequencing method to deduce two
      complete mitogenomes of Barred angelfish (Paracentropyge multifasciata) and
      Purplemask angelfish (Paracentropyge venusta) for the first time. The assembled
      mitogenome, consisting of 16 502 bp and 16 641 bp, showing 88.6% identity each
      other. Both mitogenome follow the typical vertebrate arrangement, including 13
      protein coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs genes and a non-coding
      control region of D-loop. D-loop contains 787 bp in P. multifasciata and 923 bp
      in P. venusta and locates between tRNA-Pro and tRNA-Phe. The overall GC content
      is 46.5% for P. multifasciata and 46.2% for P. venusta. Complete mitogenomes of
      P. multifasciata and P. venusta provide essential and important DNA molecular
      data for phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis for marine angelfish.

PMID- 26119125
TI  - Complete chloroplast genome sequence of Adenophora remotiflora (Campanulaceae).
AB  - The complete chloroplast genome of Adenophora remotiflora was determined in this
      study. The total genome size was 171 724 bp in length, containing a pair of
      inverted repeats of 27 437 bp, which were separated by large single copy and
      small single copy of 105 555 bp and 11 295 bp, respectively. The overall GC
      contents of the plastid genome were 38.8%. One hundred and twelve unique genes
      were annotated, including 78 protein coding genes, 30 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA
      genes. In these genes, 15 genes contained one intron and 2 genes had two introns.
      A phylogenetic tree showed that Adenophora remotiflora was closely related to
      Hanabusaya asiatica.

PMID- 26119126
TI  - Description of the mitochondrial genome of the tree coral Dendrophyllia arbuscula
      (Anthozoa, Scleractinia).
AB  - Dendrophylliidae is one of the few monophyletic families within the Scleractinia
      that embraces zooxanthellate and azooxanthellate species represented by both
      solitary and colonial forms. Among the exclusively azooxanthellate genera,
      Dendrophyllia is reported worldwide from 1 to 1200 m deep. To date, although
      three complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes from representatives of the family are
      available, only that from Turbinaria peltata has been formally published. Here we
      describe the complete nucleotide sequence of the mt genome from Dendrophyllia
      arbuscula that is 19 069 bp in length and comprises two rDNAs, two tRNAs, and 13
      protein-coding genes arranged in the canonical scleractinian mt gene order. No
      genes overlap, resulting in the presence of 18 intergenic spacers and one of the
      longest scleractinian mt genome sequenced to date.

PMID- 26119127
TI  - The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Fagopyrum cymosum.
AB  - Fagopyrum cymosum is a traditional medicinal plant. In this study, the complete
      chloroplast genome of Fagopyrum cymosum is presented. The total genome size is
      160,546 bp in length, containing a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 32,598 bp,
      separated by large single copy (LSC) and small single copy (SSC) of 84,237 bp and
      11,014 bp, respectively. Overall GC contents of the genome were 36.9%. The
      chloroplast genome harbors 126 annotated genes, including 91 protein coding
      genes, 29 tRNA genes, and six rRNA genes. Eighteen genes contain one or two
      introns. Phylogenetic analyses indicated a clear evolutionary relationship among
      species of Caryophyllales.

PMID- 26119128
TI  - Complete mitogenomes of Whitetail angelfish (Centropyge flavicauda) and
      Orangeback angelfish (Centropyge acanthops) (Teleostei: Pomacanthidae).
AB  - Whitetail Angelfish (Centropyge flavicauda) and Orangeback Angelfish (Centropyge
      acanthops) are known as pygmy angelfish due to their small body size (usually
      less than two inches). In this study, we used the next-generation sequencing
      method to deduce two complete mitogenomes of C. flavicauda and C. acanthops for
      the first time. The assembled mitogenome, consisting of 16 747 bp and 16 748 bp,
      was showing 99.2% identity each other. Both mitogenome follow the typical
      vertebrate arrangement, including 13 protein coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, two
      ribosomal RNAs genes and a non-coding control region of D-loop. D-loop contains
      895 bp in C. flavicauda and 896 bp in C. acanthops and locates between tRNA-Pro
      and tRNA-Phe. The overall GC content is 46.4% for C. flavicauda and C. acanthops.
      Complete mitogenomes of C. flavicauda and C. acanthops provide essential and
      important DNA molecular data for phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis for
      marine angelfish.

PMID- 26119130
TI  - Concordant species delimitation from multiple independent evidence: A case study
      with the Pachytriton brevipes complex (Caudata: Salamandridae).
AB  - Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data are widely used to delimit species.
      However, owing to its strict maternal inheritance in most species, mtDNA tracks
      female dispersion and dispersal only. The accuracy of mtDNA-derived species
      delimitation is often not explicitly tested using other independent evidence,
      such as nuclear DNA (nDNA) data, morphological data, or ecological data. Because
      species are independent evolutionary lineages that can form testable hypotheses,
      we present a multi-evidence case study on species delimitation that combines
      statistical approaches with spatially explicit ecological analysis. Montane
      salamanders of the Pachytriton brevipes complex (Salamandridae) from southeastern
      China exhibit conservative morphology and variable color patterning that impede
      species diagnosis. Recent studies proposed splitting P. brevipes into four
      species based on deep mtDNA divergence but also found discordance between mtDNA
      and nDNA trees. In this study, we test evolutionary independence of these
      hypothesized species lineages using two coalescent-based Bayesian methods (Bayes
      factor and BP&P). Despite significant conflict between mtDNA gene tree and the
      species phylogeny, the results reinforce the inference of at least four species
      in the complex as opposed to the one species recognized for over 130 years.
      Correlative ecological niche modeling and statistical analysis of environmental
      data indicate that suitable habitats for each species are isolated by
      incompatible intervening lowland regions, so the likelihood of gene flow among
      species is very low, which means species lineages should maintain their
      evolutionary independence. We demonstrate that concordance among independent
      evidence confirms species status, which forms the basis for accurate assessment
      of regional biodiversity.

PMID- 26119129
TI  - Improving thermal dose accuracy in magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound
      surgery: Long-term thermometry using a prior baseline as a reference.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate thermal dose volume (TDV) and non-perfused volume (NPV)
      of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatments in patients
      with soft tissue tumors, and describe a method for MR thermal dosimetry using a
      baseline reference. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Agreement between TDV and immediate
      post treatment NPV was evaluated from MRgFUS treatments of five patients with
      biopsy-proven desmoid tumors. Thermometry data (gradient echo, 3T) were analyzed
      over the entire course of the treatments to discern temperature errors in the
      standard approach. The technique searches previously acquired baseline images for
      a match using 2D normalized cross-correlation and a weighted mean of phase
      difference images. Thermal dose maps and TDVs were recalculated using the matched
      baseline and compared to NPV. RESULTS: TDV and NPV showed between 47%-91%
      disagreement, using the standard immediate baseline method for calculating TDV.
      Long-term thermometry showed a nonlinear local temperature accrual, where peak
      additional temperature varied between 4-13 degrees C (mean = 7.8 degrees C)
      across patients. The prior baseline method could be implemented by finding a
      previously acquired matching baseline 61% +/- 8% (mean +/- SD) of the time. We
      found 7%-42% of the disagreement between TDV and NPV was due to errors in
      thermometry caused by heat accrual. For all patients, the prior baseline method
      increased the estimated treatment volume and reduced the discrepancies between
      TDV and NPV (P = 0.023). CONCLUSION: This study presents a mismatch between in
      treatment and post treatment efficacy measures. The prior baseline approach
      accounts for local heating and improves the accuracy of thermal dose-predicted
      volume.

PMID- 26119131
TI  - Pirfenidone-induced photoleukomelanoderma in a patient with idiopathic pulmonary
      fibrosis.
AB  - This is believed to be the first report of pirfenidone-induced
      photoleukomelanoderma. We discuss the male predominance of photosensitivity
      induced by pirfenidone. Both ultraviolet (UV)-A and UV-B seemed to be included
      within the action spectrum of this disorder. Although pirfenidone is a key drug
      for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, clinicians should be aware of
      the high prevalence of photosensitivity and perform sufficient patient education
      for comprehensive photoprotection before prescription. 

PMID- 26119133
TI  - Cardiac disease in pregnancy - some good news.

PMID- 26119134
TI  - Changes in the rate of nicotine metabolism across pregnancy: a longitudinal
      study.
AB  - AIMS: Increased nicotine metabolism during pregnancy could explain why nicotine
      replacement therapy (NRT) appears to be less effective on smoking cessation in
      pregnancy than in non-pregnant smokers, but little is known about nicotine
      metabolism across pregnancy. This study was conducted to determine when changes
      in nicotine metabolism occur during pregnancy and to describe the magnitude of
      these changes. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study of pregnant smokers' nicotine
      metabolite ratio (NMR). SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 101 pregnant smokers recruited
      from hospital antenatal clinics in Nottingham, UK were asked to provide saliva
      samples at 8-14 weeks (n = 98), 18-22 weeks (n = 65), 32-36 weeks gestation (n =
      47), 4 weeks postpartum (n = 44) and 12 weeks postpartum (n = 47). MEASUREMENTS:
      Nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR) was measured using the ratio of cotinine to its
      primary metabolite trans-3'-hydroxycotinine. Multi-level modelling was used to
      detect any overall difference in NMR between time points. The 12 week postpartum
      NMR was compared with the NMRs collected antenatally and 4 weeks postpartum.
      FINDINGS: NMR changed over time (p = 0.0006). Compared with NMR at 12 weeks
      postpartum, NMR was significantly higher at 18-22 weeks (26% higher, 95% CI 12%
      to 38%) and 32-36 weeks (23% higher, 95% CI 9% to 35%). There was no significant
      difference between the 8-14 weeks gestation or 4 weeks postpartum NMR and 12
      weeks postpartum. CONCLUSIONS: Nicotine metabolism appears to be faster during
      pregnancy; this faster metabolism is apparent from 18 to 22 weeks of pregnancy
      and appears to fall by 4 weeks after childbirth.

PMID- 26119132
TI  - The circulating transcriptome as a source of non-invasive cancer biomarkers:
      concepts and controversies of non-coding and coding RNA in body fluids.
AB  - The gold standard for cancer diagnosis remains the histological examination of
      affected tissue, obtained either by surgical excision, or radiologically guided
      biopsy. Such procedures however are expensive, not without risk to the patient,
      and require consistent evaluation by expert pathologists. Consequently, the
      search for non-invasive tools for the diagnosis and management of cancer has led
      to great interest in the field of circulating nucleic acids in plasma and serum.
      An additional benefit of blood-based testing is the ability to carry out
      screening and repeat sampling on patients undergoing therapy, or monitoring
      disease progression allowing for the development of a personalized approach to
      cancer patient management. Despite having been discovered over 60 years ago, the
      clear clinical potential of circulating nucleic acids, with the notable exception
      of prenatal diagnostic testing, has yet to translate into the clinic. The recent
      discovery of non-coding (nc) RNA (in particular micro(mi)RNAs) in the blood has
      provided fresh impetuous for the field. In this review, we discuss the potential
      of the circulating transcriptome (coding and ncRNA), as novel cancer biomarkers,
      the controversy surrounding their origin and biology, and most importantly the
      hurdles that remain to be overcome if they are really to become part of future
      clinical practice.

PMID- 26119136
TI  - Increasing physical activity of children during school recess.
AB  - Physical activity is crucial for children's health. Fitbit accelerometers were
      used to measure steps of 6 elementary students during recess. The intervention
      included reinforcement, self-monitoring, goal setting, and feedback. Steps taken
      during the intervention phase (M = 1,956 steps) were 47% higher than in baseline
      (M = 1,326 steps), and the percentage of recess spent in moderate-to-vigorous
      physical activity was higher during intervention (M = 25%) than in baseline (M =
      4%). These methods successfully increased steps during recess and could be used
      to increase steps in other settings. 

PMID- 26119137
TI  - WNT/beta-catenin signaling affects cell lineage and pluripotency-specific gene
      expression in bovine blastocysts: prospects for bovine embryonic stem cell
      derivation.
AB  - Despite many attempts, true bovine embryonic stem cells (bESC) still remain
      elusive. The WNT pathway has been associated with stem cell control in
      vertebrates and its role in pluripotency maintenance has been proven for several
      mammalian species, including rodents and primates. Thus, we have aimed to
      investigate the effect of WNT activation on pluripotency marker gene expression
      in the inner cell mass (ICM) and the trophectoderm (TE) and to study the
      derivation potential of primary bESC lines from blastocysts obtained in the
      presence of the glycogen synthase kinase 3 inhibitor (GSK3i). WNT activity
      clearly exerted a positive effect on pluripotency gene expression in developing
      bovine embryos, manifested by upregulation of OCT4, NANOG, REX1, SOX2, c-MYC, and
      KLF4 in the ICM and downregulation of CDX2 in the TE. However, the prolonged
      exposition of preimplantation embryos to the GSK3i resulted in reduced potential
      to form primary ESC-like colonies. The results of bESC derivation experiments
      allowed us to speculate that the derived cell lines may share features of both
      naive and primed ESCs. Similar to mouse epiblast stem cells and human ESCs, the
      derived lines grew as flat monolayer colonies intolerant to passaging as single
      cells. JAK/STAT signaling was indispensable for proper colony formation and
      proliferation, yet LIF alone was inefficient to support self-renewal. Concomitant
      with the naive state of mouse ESCs, WNT activity supported by LIF had beneficial
      effects on cell culture propagation, survival after passage, morphology, and
      pluripotency-related marker gene expression. Moreover, colonies derived in the
      presence of LIF and GSK3i maintained KLF4 transcription over several passages,
      whereas EpiSCs virtually do not express KLF4. 

PMID- 26119135
TI  - Marked variability in clinical presentation and outcome of patients with C1q
      immunodeficiency.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Globally approximately 60 cases of C1q deficiency have been described
      with a high prevalence of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). So far treatment
      has been guided by the clinical presentation rather than the underlying C1q
      deficiency. Recently, it was shown that C1q production can be restored by
      allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Current literature lacks
      information on disease progression and quality of life of C1q deficient persons
      which is of major importance to guide clinicians taking care of patients with
      this rare disease. METHODS: We performed an international survey, of clinicians
      treating C1q deficient patients. A high response rate of >70% of the contacted
      clinicians yielded information on 45 patients with C1q deficiency of which 25 are
      published. RESULTS: Follow-up data of 45 patients from 31 families was obtained
      for a median of 11 years after diagnosis. Of these patients 36 (80%) suffer from
      SLE, of which 16 suffer from SLE and infections, 5 (11%) suffer from infections
      only and 4 (9%) have no symptoms. In total 9 (20%) of the C1q deficient
      individuals had died. All except for one died before the age of 20 years.
      Estimated survival times suggest 20% case-fatality before the age of 20, and at
      least 50% of patients are expected to reach their middle ages. CONCLUSION: Here
      we report the largest phenotypic data set on C1q deficiency to date, revealing
      high variance; with high mortality but also a subset of patients with an
      excellent prognosis. Management of C1q deficiency requires a personalized
      approach.

PMID- 26119138
TI  - Surfactant-free Gd(3+)-ion-containing carbon nanotube MRI contrast agents for
      stem cell labeling.
AB  - There is an ever increasing interest in developing new stem cell therapies.
      However, imaging and tracking stem cells in vivo after transplantation remains a
      serious challenge. In this work, we report new, functionalized and high
      performance Gd(3+)-ion-containing ultra-short carbon nanotube (US-tube) MRI
      contrast agent (CA) materials which are highly-water-dispersible (ca. 35 mg ml(
      1)) without the need of a surfactant. The new materials have extremely high T1
      weighted relaxivities of 90 (mM s)(-1) per Gd(3+) ion at 1.5 T at room
      temperature and have been used to safely label porcine bone-marrow-derived
      mesenchymal stem cells for MR imaging. The labeled cells display excellent image
      contrast in phantom imaging experiments, and TEM images of the labeled cells, in
      general, reveal small clusters of the CA material located within the cytoplasm
      with 10(9) Gd(3+) ions per cell. 

PMID- 26119139
TI  - Classification models for subthreshold generalized anxiety disorder in a college
      population: Implications for prevention.
AB  - Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most common psychiatric
      disorders on college campuses and often goes unidentified and untreated. We
      propose a combined prevention and treatment model composed of evidence-based self
      help (SH) and guided self-help (GSH) interventions to address this issue. To
      inform the development of this stepped-care model of intervention delivery, we
      evaluated results from a population-based anxiety screening of college students.
      A primary model was developed to illustrate how increasing levels of
      symptomatology could be linked to prevention/treatment interventions. We used
      screening data to propose four models of classification for populations at risk
      for GAD. We then explored the cost considerations of implementing this
      prevention/treatment stepped-care model. Among 2489 college students (mean age
      19.1 years; 67% female), 8.0% (198/2489) met DSM-5 clinical criteria for GAD, in
      line with expected clinical rates for this population. At-risk Model 1
      (subthreshold, but considerable symptoms of anxiety) identified 13.7% of students
      as potentially at risk for developing GAD. Model 2 (subthreshold, but high GAD
      symptom severity) identified 13.7%. Model 3 (subthreshold, but symptoms were
      distressing) identified 12.3%. Model 4 (subthreshold, but considerable worry)
      identified 17.4%. There was little overlap among these models, with a combined at
      risk population of 39.4%. The efficiency of these models in identifying those
      truly at risk and the cost and efficacy of preventive interventions will
      determine if prevention is viable. Using Model 1 data and conservative cost
      estimates, we found that a preventive intervention effect size of even 0.2 could
      make a prevention/treatment model more cost-effective than existing models of
      "wait-and-treat." 

PMID- 26119140
TI  - Predicting short-term positive affect in individuals with social anxiety
      disorder: The role of selected personality traits and emotion regulation
      strategies.
AB  - Recently, research has provided support for a moderate, inverse relationship
      between social anxiety and dispositional positive affect. However, the dynamics
      of this relationship remain poorly understood. The present study evaluates
      whether certain personality traits and emotion regulation variables predict short
      term positive affect for individuals with social anxiety disorder and healthy
      controls. Positive affect as measured by two self-report instruments was assessed
      before and after two tasks in which the participant conversed with either a
      friend or a romantic partner. Tests of models examining the hypothesized
      prospective predictors revealed that the paths did not differ significantly
      across diagnostic group and both groups showed the hypothesized patterns of
      endorsement for the emotion regulation variables. Further, a variable reflecting
      difficulty redirecting oneself when distressed prospectively predicted one
      measure of positive affect. Additional research is needed to explore further the
      role of emotion regulation strategies on positive emotions for individuals higher
      in social anxiety. 

PMID- 26119141
TI  - BDNF Val66Met, stress, and positive mothering: Differential susceptibility model
      of adolescent trait anxiety.
AB  - Etiological research has indicated the gene-environment interaction (G * E) on
      adolescent anxiety. This study aimed to examine how the BDNF Val66Met
      polymorphism interacted with stressful life events and positive mothering to
      influence youth trait anxiety. The study sample included 780 community
      adolescents of Chinese Han ethnicity (M = 13.6, 51.3% females). Participants'
      trait anxiety, exposure to stressful life events, and mother's warmth-reasoning
      were assessed by self-reported questionnaires. We found that BDNF Val66Met
      polymorphism significantly moderated the influences of stressful life events and
      mother's warmth-reasoning on adolescent anxiety. The influences were
      significantly greater in adolescents carrying one or two Val allele than those
      with Met/Met genotype. Moreover, the G * E interactions were more consistent with
      the differential susceptibility than the diathesis-stress model. Adolescents
      carrying Val allele who were more susceptible to adversity were also more likely
      to benefit from supportive experiences. These findings provide novel evidence for
      the role of BDNF Val66Met as a genetic susceptibility modulating the influences
      of stressful life events and mother's warmth-reasoning on adolescent anxiety. We
      speculate that BDNF Val66Met may moderate anxious youths' responses to
      mindfulness-based stress reduction program and family-based treatment targeting
      the enhancement of positive parenting.

PMID- 26119142
TI  - Effects of pre-incubation of eggs in fresh water and varying sperm concentration
      on fertilization rate in sterlet sturgeon, Acipenser ruthenus.
AB  - Standardization of fertilization protocols for sterlet Acipenser ruthenus is
      crucial for improving reproductive techniques and for conservation purposes. Our
      objectives were to determine the number of sperm (tested 430,000:1, 43,000:1,
      4300:1, 430:1 sperm to egg) required to fertilize eggs and explore how pre
      incubation of eggs in freshwater for 0min, 0.5min, 1min, and 10min interacts with
      different sperm ratios. Fertilization success ranged from 29.7% at 430:1 to 84.2%
      at 430,000:1. Pre-incubation time had no effect on fertilization success at
      430,000:1 and 43,000:1 sperm to egg ratios, while it was significant at the
      4300:1 and 430:1 ratios. The use of adequate experimental suboptimal sperm to egg
      ratio revealed a positive effect of pre-incubation time, such that at the 430:1
      ratio, 0.5min pre-incubation increased the fertilization rate than 10min. At 0min
      pre-incubation the proportion of fertilized eggs increased at the 430,000:1
      ratio, while at 1min fertilization increased at the 4300:1 ratio. At the 10min
      pre-incubation time, fertilization increased at the 43,000:1 ratio. Moreover, at
      the 0.5min pre-incubation time, the 43,000:1 ratio increased the fertilization
      rate than the 430:1 ratio. Generally, for 430:1 ratio, the fertilization rate is
      lower than in control. Transmission electron microscopy showed that pre
      incubation of eggs in water for <10min does not trigger a cortical reaction or
      the formation of a perivitelline space. Results suggest that with a low sperm to
      egg ratio 0.5 to 1min pre-incubation of eggs in freshwater prior to fertilization
      can enhance fertilization rate of sterlet. 

PMID- 26119144
TI  - A new isoflavanone from the trunk of Horsfieldia pandurifolia.
AB  - A new isoflavanone, 2,2'-epoxy-4'-methoxy-3,7-dihydroxyisoflavanone (1), and a
      new natural coumaranone, 2-hyroxy-2-(4'-methoxybenzyl)-6-methoxy-3-coumaranone
      (2), along with 26 known compounds, were first isolated from the trunk of
      Horsfieldia pandurifolia. Their structures were elucidated by the means of
      spectroscopic analysis. Compound 1 was assessed for its cytotoxicity against five
      human tumour lines (HL-60, SMMC-7721, A-549, MCF-7 and SW-480), and the result
      showed that it has no activity.

PMID- 26119145
TI  - Glycogen-rich clear cell carcinoma of the breast showing carcinomatous
      lymphangiosis and extremely aggressive clinical behavior.

PMID- 26119146
TI  - Reproductive aging and MCM8/9.

PMID- 26119147
TI  - The higher-order molecular organization of p62/SQSTM1.

PMID- 26119148
TI  - The 'inflammatory' control of hematopoietic stem cells.

PMID- 26119149
TI  - Repair of chromosomal breaks by NHEJ.

PMID- 26119150
TI  - Healed by our inner fish?

PMID- 26119151
TI  - SUMO in the DNA damage response.

PMID- 26119152
TI  - GWAS reveal novel IgA nephropathy risk loci.

PMID- 26119153
TI  - Bidirectional talk between AhR and Oct4.

PMID- 26119154
TI  - Ubiquitin signals the demise of AMPA receptors.

PMID- 26119155
TI  - Mitochondriolus: assembling mitoribosomes.

PMID- 26119156
TI  - Treg: tolerance vs immunity.

PMID- 26119157
TI  - Vimentin gets a new glow from zinc.

PMID- 26119158
TI  - CX3CR1 in multiple sclerosis.

PMID- 26119160
TI  - Development of decellularized scaffolds for stem cell-driven tissue engineering.
AB  - Organ transplantation is an effective treatment for chronic organ dysfunctioning
      conditions. However, a dearth of available donor organs for transplantation leads
      to the death of numerous patients waiting for a suitable organ donor. The
      potential of decellularized scaffolds, derived from native tissues or organs in
      the form of scaffolds has been evolved as a promising approach in tissue
      regenerative medicine for translating functional organ replacements. In recent
      years, donor organs, such as heart, liver, lung and kidneys, have been reported
      to provide acellular extracellular matrix (ECM)-based scaffolds through the
      process called 'decellularization' and proved to show the potential of
      recellularization with selected cell populations, particularly with stem cells.
      In fact, decellularized stem cell matrix (DSCM) has also emerged as a potent
      biological scaffold for controlling stem cell fate and function during tissue
      organization. Despite the proven potential of decellularized scaffolds in tissue
      engineering, the molecular mechanism responsible for stem cell interactions with
      decellularized scaffolds is still unclear. Stem cells interact with, and respond
      to, various signals/cues emanating from their ECM. The ability to harness the
      regenerative potential of stem cells via decellularized ECM-based scaffolds has
      promising implications for tissue-regenerative medicine. Keeping these points in
      view, this article reviews the current status of decellularized scaffolds for
      stem cells, with particular focus on: (a) concept and various methods of
      decellularization; (b) interaction of stem cells with decellularized scaffolds;
      (c) current recellularization strategies, with associated challenges; and (iv)
      applications of the decellularized scaffolds in stem cell-driven tissue
      engineering and regenerative medicine. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26119161
TI  - Genetic markers of type 2 diabetes: Progress in genome-wide association studies
      and clinical application for risk prediction.
AB  - Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has become a leading public health challenge worldwide. To
      date, a total of 83 susceptibility loci for T2D have been identified by genome
      wide association studies (GWAS). Application of meta-analysis and modern genotype
      imputation approaches to GWAS data from diverse ethnic populations has been key
      in the effort to discover T2D loci. Genetic information is expected to play a
      vital role in the prediction of T2D, and many efforts have been made to develop
      T2D risk models that include both conventional and genetic risk factors. Yet,
      because most T2D genetic variants identified have small effect size individually
      (10%-20% increased risk of T2D per risk allele), their clinical utility remains
      unclear. Most studies report that a genetic risk score combining multiple T2D
      genetic variants does not substantially improve T2D risk prediction beyond
      conventional risk factors. In this article, we summarize the recent progress of
      T2D GWAS and further review the incremental predictive performance of genetic
      markers for T2D.

PMID- 26119162
TI  - Effect of serum-derived albumin scaffold and canine adipose tissue-derived
      mesenchymal stem cells on osteogenesis in canine segmental bone defect model.
AB  - Composite biological and synthetic grafts with progenitor cells offer an
      alternative approach to auto- or allografts for fracture repair. This study was
      conducted to evaluate osteogenesis of autologous serum-derived albumin (ASA)
      scaffolds seeded with canine adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (Ad
      MSCs) in a canine segmental bone defect model. ASA scaffold was prepared with
      canine serum using cross-linking and freeze-drying procedures. Beta-tricalcium
      phosphate (beta-TCP) was mixed at the cross-linking stage. Ad-MSCs were seeded
      into the scaffold and incubated for one day before implantation. After 16 weeks,
      the grafts were harvested for histological analysis. The dogs were divided into
      five groups: control, ASA scaffolds with and without Ad-MSCs, and ASA scaffolds
      including beta-TCP with and without Ad-MSCs. ASA scaffolds with Ad-MSCs had a
      significantly larger area of increased opacity at the proximal and distal host
      cortex-implant interfaces in radiographs 16 weeks after implantation compared to
      the groups with beta-TCP (p < 0.05). Histomorphometric analysis showed that ASA
      scaffolds with Ad-MSCs had significantly greater new bone formation than other
      groups (p < 0.05). These results suggest that Ad-MSCs seeded into ASA scaffolds
      enhanced osteogenesis in the bone defect model, but that beta-TCP in the ASA
      scaffold might prevent penetration of the cells required for bone healing. 

PMID- 26119163
TI  - Isolation and immunomodulatory activity of bursal peptide, a novel bursal peptide
      from the chicken bursa of Fabricius.
AB  - The bursa of Fabricius (BF), which is unique to birds, serves as the central
      humoral immune organ and plays a significant role in B lymphocyte
      differentiation. In this study, a new bursal peptide (BP-IV) was isolated from
      BF, which promoted colony-forming unit pre-B formation and regulated B cell
      differentiation. BP-IV also exerted immunomodulatory effects on antigen-specific
      immune responses via both humoral and cellular immunity in chicken and mice that
      had been immunized with inactivated avian influenza virus (AIV; H9N2 subtype),
      including enhancing AIV-specific antibody and cytokine production. The results of
      this study provided novel insights into the use of a potential candidate reagent
      for B cell development and future immuno-pharmacological use. 

PMID- 26119164
TI  - Laparoscopic ovariectomy in dogs: comparison between laparoendoscopic single-site
      and three-portal access.
AB  - This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility and therapeutic safety of
      laparoendoscopic single-site ovariectomy (LESS-OVE) and 3-portal laparoscopic
      ovariectomy (Lap-OVE) in dogs. Ten female mixed breed dogs were included in the
      study. Dogs were divided into group 1 (LESS-OVE; n = 5) and group 2 (Lap-OVE; n =
      5). All procedures were performed by laparoscopic-skilled surgeons, and the
      anesthetic protocol was the same for all patients. In both groups, the ovarian
      vascular pedicle and ligaments were transected using a bipolar vessel
      sealer/divider device. The mean total surgical time was slightly longer in LESS
      OVE (36.6 +/- 3.5 min) than Lap-OVE (32.0 +/- 3.0 min); however, the differences
      were not significant. Perioperative complications were not reported in any group.
      Both laparoscopic techniques were shown to be equally feasible and safe for
      patients. However, surgeons found LESS-OVE to require more skill than Lap-OVE.
      Therefore, additional studies should be conducted to evaluate this novel approach
      in clinical veterinary practice, and a proper laparoscopic training program for
      veterinary surgeons should be developed. 

PMID- 26119165
TI  - Chitosan hemostatic dressing for control of hemorrhage from femoral arterial
      puncture site in dogs.
AB  - Removal of an introducer-sheath from a femoral artery after completing
      transarterial embolization of a patent ductus arteriosus can cause life
      threatening hemorrhage in dogs. In the present study, the effectiveness of
      chitosan acetate dressing in 10 experimental dogs was tested. Under general
      anesthesia, an introducer-sheath was placed into the femoral artery with
      percutaneous puncture using Seldinger's technique. The outer diameter of the
      introducer-sheaths varied from 3.0 to 4.0 mm with an introducer/artery ratio of
      80 to 123%. The artery's diameter was measured using ultrasonography. Following
      removal of the introducer-sheath, a chitosan acetate dressing was applied to the
      wound and held in place with manual compression for 10 min. Successful hemostasis
      was reached on 12 arteries. However, on two arteries, hemorrhage was
      uncontrollable and led to a hypovolemic shock during 10 min of manual
      compression. Possible causes of the negative outcome in two dogs were their old
      age and an introducer-sheath with a too large diameter. The chitosan acetate
      dressing was easy to use and the artery remained patent. Dogs could walk directly
      after recovery from anesthesia and their femoral arteries were saved. In
      conclusion, the outer diameter of the introducer-sheath should not exceed 3 mm or
      the inner diameter of the artery. 

PMID- 26119166
TI  - Cloned foal derived from in vivo matured horse oocytes aspirated by the short
      disposable needle system.
AB  - Transvaginal ultrasound-guided follicle aspiration is one method of obtaining
      recipient oocytes for equine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). This study was
      conducted: (1) to evaluate the possibility of oocyte aspiration from pre
      ovulatory follicles using a short disposable needle system (14-G) by comparing
      the oocyte recovery rate with that of a long double lumen needle (12-G); (2) to
      investigate the developmental competence of recovered oocytes after SCNT and
      embryo transfer. The recovery rates with the short disposable needle vs. the long
      needle were not significantly different (47.5% and 35.0%, respectively). Twenty
      six SCNT embryos were transferred to 13 mares, and one mare delivered a live
      offspring at Day 342. There was a perfect identity match between the cloned foal
      and the cell donor after analysis of microsatellite DNA, and the mitochondrial
      DNA of the cloned foal was identical with that of the oocyte donor. These results
      demonstrated that the short disposable needle system can be used to recover
      oocytes to use as cytoplasts for SCNT, in the production of cloned foals and for
      other applications in equine embryology. 

PMID- 26119168
TI  - Elevated level of renal xanthine oxidase mRNA transcription after
      nephropathogenic infectious bronchitis virus infection in growing layers.
AB  - To assess relationships between xanthine oxidase (XOD) and nephropathogenic
      infectious bronchitis virus (NIBV) infection, 240 growing layers (35 days old)
      were randomly divided into two groups (infected and control) of 120 chickens
      each. Each chicken in the control and infected group was intranasally inoculated
      with 0.2 mL sterile physiological saline and virus, respectively, after which
      serum antioxidant parameters and renal XOD mRNA expression in growing layers were
      evaluated at 8, 15 and 22 days post-inoculation (dpi). The results showed that
      serum glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities in the infected
      group were significantly lower than in the control group at 8 and 15 dpi (p <
      0.01), while serum malondialdehyde concentrations were significantly higher (p <
      0.01). The serum uric acid was significantly higher than that of the control
      group at 15 dpi (p < 0.01). In addition, the kidney mRNA transcript level and
      serum activity of XOD in the infected group was significantly higher than that of
      the control group at 8, 15 and 22 dpi (p < 0.05). The results indicated that NIBV
      infection could cause the increases of renal XOD gene transcription and serum XOD
      activity, leading to hyperuricemia and reduction of antioxidants in the body. 

PMID- 26119170
TI  - Genetic characterization of bovine viral diarrhea virus strains in Beijing, China
      and innate immune responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in persistently
      infected dairy cattle.
AB  - To acquire epidemiological data on the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and
      identify cattle persistently infected (PI) with this virus, 4,327 samples from
      Holstein dairy cows were screened over a four-year period in Beijing, China.
      Eighteen BVD viruses were isolated, 12 from PI cattle. Based on genetic analysis
      of their 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR), the 18 isolates were assigned to
      subgenotype BVDV-1m, 1a, 1d, 1q, and 1b. To investigate the innate immune
      responses in the peripheral-blood mononuclear cells of PI cattle, the expression
      of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), RIG-I-like receptors, interferon-alpha (IFN
      alpha), IFN-beta, myxovirus (influenza virus) resistance 1 (MX1), and interferon
      stimulatory gene 15 (ISG15) was assessed by qPCR. When compared with healthy
      cattle, the expression of TLR-7, IFN-alpha, and IFN-beta mRNA was downregulated,
      but the expression of MX1 and ISG-15 mRNA was upregulated in PI cattle.
      Immunoblotting analysis revealed that the expression of interferon regulatory
      factor 3 (IRF-3) and IRF-7 was lower in PI cattle than in healthy cattle. Thus,
      BVDV-1m and 1a are the predominant subgenotypes in the Beijing region, and the
      strains are highly divergent. Our findings also suggest that the TLR-7/IRF-7
      signaling pathway plays a role in evasion of host restriction by BVDV. 

PMID- 26119172
TI  - Profiling of antimicrobial resistance and plasmid replicon types in beta
      lactamase producing Escherichia coli isolated from Korean beef cattle.
AB  - In this study, 78 isolates of Escherichia coli isolated from Korean beef cattle
      farms were investigated for the production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase
      (ESBL) and/or AmpC beta-lactamase. In the disc diffusion test with ampicillin,
      amoxicillin, cephalothin, ceftiofur, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, and cefoxitin,
      38.5% of the isolates showed resistance to all of ampicillin, amoxicillin, and
      cephalothin. The double disc synergy method revealed that none of the isolates
      produced ESBL or AmpC beta-lactamases. DNA sequencing showed that all isolates
      encoded genes for TEM-1-type beta-lactamase. Moreover, 78.2% of the isolates
      transferred the TEM-1-type beta-lactamase gene via conjugation. In plasmid
      replicon typing of all donors, IncFIB and IncFIA were identified in 71.4% and
      41.0% of plasmids, respectively. In transconjugants, IncFIB and IncFIA were the
      most frequent types detected (61.5% and 41.0%, respectively). Overall, the
      present study indicates that selection pressures of antimicrobials on beta
      lactamases in beef cattle may be low relative to other livestock animals in
      Korea. Moreover, to reduce selection pressure and dissemination of beta
      lactamase, the long-term surveillance of antimicrobial use in domestic beef
      cattle should be established. 

PMID- 26119173
TI  - Success, failure and ambiguity of the dilution effect among competitors.
AB  - It remains challenging to predict variation in the magnitude of disease
      outbreaks. The dilution effect seeks to explain this variation by linking
      multiple host species to disease transmission. It predicts that disease risk
      increases for a focal host when host species diversity declines. However, when an
      increase in species diversity does not reduce disease, we are often unable to
      diagnose why. Here, we increase mechanistic and predictive clarity of the
      dilution effect with a general trait-based model of disease transmission in multi
      host communities. Then, we parameterise and empirically test our model with a
      multi-generational case study of planktonic disease. The model-experiment
      combination shows that hosts that vary in competitive ability (R*) and potential
      to spread disease (R0 ) can produce three qualitatively disparate outcomes of
      dilution on disease: the dilution effect can succeed, fail, or be
      ambiguous/irrelevant. 

PMID- 26119174
TI  - Analytical and clinical performance of Abbott RealTime MTB, an assay for
      detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in pulmonary specimens.
AB  - Nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT)-based assays provide fast and sensitive
      results compared to conventional TB tests. The performance of the new Abbott
      Molecular MTB assay for the qualitative detection of MTB complex using the
      automated m2000TM system or manual sample preparation is summarized in this
      paper. The assay detects eight MTB complex subspecies. The observed limit of
      detection (LOD) when used to test an MTB H37Rv panel was 2.45 colony forming
      units (cfu)/mL, while the claimed assay LOD with this MTB strain is 17 cfu/mL. No
      cross reactivity, or carryover were observed in the study. The clinical
      sensitivity of the assay was 93% overall; 99% in smear positive, culture positive
      specimens, and 81% in smear negative, culture positive samples. The clinical
      specificity was 97%. The inhibition rate in the study was 0.34%. The data suggest
      that Abbott RealTime MTB is a reliable, robust and sensitive assay for the
      molecular detection of MTB.

PMID- 26119176
TI  - The Role of Patient Factors, Cancer Characteristics, and Treatment Patterns in
      the Cost of Care for Medicare Beneficiaries with Breast Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize Medicare expenditures on initial breast cancer care
      and examine variation in expenditures across hospital referral regions (HRRs).
      DATA SOURCE: We identified 29,110 women with localized breast cancer diagnosed in
      2005-2008 and matched controls from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End
      Results-Medicare linked database. STUDY DESIGN: Using hierarchical generalized
      linear models, we estimated per patient Medicare expenditure on initial breast
      cancer care across HRRs and assessed the contribution of patient, cancer, and
      treatment factors to regional variation via incremental models. PRINCIPAL
      FINDINGS: Mean Medicare expenditure for initial breast cancer care was $19,255
      per patient. The average expenditures varied from $15,053 in the lowest-spending
      HRR quintile to $23,480 in the highest-spending HRR quintile. Patient
      sociodemographic, comorbidity, and tumor characteristics explained only 1.8
      percent of the difference in expenditures between the lowest- and highest
      spending quintiles, while use of specific treatment modalities explained 14.5
      percent of the difference. Medicare spending on radiation therapy differed the
      most across the quintiles, with the use of intensity modulated radiation therapy
      increasing from 1.7 percent in the lowest-spending quintile to 11.6 percent in
      the highest-spending quintile. CONCLUSIONS: Medicare expenditures on initial
      breast cancer care vary substantially across regions. Treatment factors are major
      contributors to the variation.

PMID- 26119175
TI  - Insights into the Mechanisms Involved in the Expression and Regulation of
      Extracellular Matrix Proteins in Diabetic Nephropathy.
AB  - Diabetic Nephropathy (DN) is believed to be a major microvascular complication of
      diabetes. The hallmark of DN includes deposition of Extracellular Matrix (ECM)
      proteins, such as, collagen, laminin and fibronectin in the mesangium and renal
      tubulo-interstitium of the glomerulus and basement membranes. Such an increased
      expression of ECM leads to glomerular and tubular basement membranes thickening
      and increase of mesangial matrix, ultimately resulting in glomerulosclerosis and
      tubulointerstitial fibrosis. The characteristic morphologic glomerular mesangial
      lesion has been described as Kimmelstiel-Wilson nodule, and the process at times
      is referred to as diabetic nodular glomerulosclerosis. Thus, the accumulation of
      ECM proteins plays a critical role in the development of DN. The relevant
      mechanism(s) involved in the increased ECM expression and their regulation in the
      kidney in diabetic state has been extensively investigated and documented in the
      literature. Nevertheless, there are certain other mechanisms that may yet be
      conclusively defined. Recent studies demonstrated that some of the new signaling
      pathways or molecules including, Notch, Wnt, mTOR, TLRs and small GTPase may play
      a pivotal role in the modulation of ECM regulation and expression in DN. Such
      modulation could be operational for instance Notch through Notch1/Jagged1
      signaling, Wnt by Wnt/beta- catenin pathway and mTOR via PI3-K/Akt/mTOR signaling
      pathways. All these pathways may be critical in the modulation of ECM expression
      and tubulo-interstitial fibrosis. In addition, TLRs, mainly the TLR2 and TLR4, by
      TLR2- dependent and TGF-beta-dependent conduits, may modulate ECM expression and
      generate a fibrogenic response. Small GTPase like Rho, Ras and Rab family by
      targeting relevant genes may also influence the accumulation of ECM proteins and
      renal fibrosis in hyperglycemic states. This review summarizes the recent
      information about the role and mechanisms by which these molecules and signaling
      pathways regulate ECM synthesis and its expression in high glucose ambience in
      vitro and in vivo states. The understanding of such signaling pathways and the
      molecules that influence expression, secretion and amassing of ECM may aid in
      developing strategies for the amelioration of diabetic nephropathy. 

PMID- 26119178
TI  - Putative role of border cells in generating spontaneous morphological activity
      within Kolliker's organ.
AB  - Kolliker's organ is a transient epithelial structure, comprising a major part of
      the organ of Corti during pre-hearing stages of development. The auditory system
      is spontaneously active during development, which serves to retain and refine
      neural connections. Kolliker's organ is considered a key candidate for generating
      such spontaneous activity, most likely through purinergic (P2 receptor)
      signalling and inner hair cell (IHC) activation. Associated with the spontaneous
      neural activity, ATP released locally by epithelial cells induces rhythmic
      morphological changes within Kolliker's organ, the purpose of which is not
      understood. These changes are accompanied by a shift in cellular refractive
      index, allowing optical detection of this activity in real-time. Using this
      principle, we investigated the origin of spontaneous morphological activity
      within Kolliker's organ. Apical turns of Wistar rat cochleae (P9-11) were
      dissected, and the purinergic involvement was studied following acute tissue
      exposure to a P2 receptor agonist (ATPgammaS) and antagonist (suramin). ATPgammaS
      induced a sustained darkening throughout Kolliker's organ, reversed by suramin.
      This effect was most pronounced in the region closest to the inner hair cells,
      which also displayed the highest frequency of intrinsic morphological events.
      Additionally, suramin alone induced swelling of this region, suggesting a tight
      regulation of cell volume by ATP-mediated mechanisms. Histological analysis of
      cochlear tissues demonstrates the most profound volume changes in the border cell
      region immediately adjacent to the IHCs. Together, these results underline the
      role of purinergic signalling in initiating morphological events within
      Kolliker's organ, and suggest a key involvement of border cells surrounding IHCs
      in regulating this spontaneous activity.

PMID- 26119179
TI  - Synaptic encoding and processing of auditory information in physiology and
      disease.

PMID- 26119177
TI  - Decreased temporal precision of neuronal signaling as a candidate mechanism of
      auditory processing disorder.
AB  - The sense of hearing is the fastest of our senses and provides the first all-or
      none action potential in the auditory nerve in less than four milliseconds. Short
      stimulus evoked latencies and their minimal variability are hallmarks of auditory
      processing from spiral ganglia to cortex. Here, we review how even small changes
      in first spike latencies (FSL) and their variability (jitter) impact auditory
      temporal processing. We discuss a number of mouse models with degraded FSL/jitter
      whose mutations occur exclusively in the central auditory system and therefore
      might serve as candidates to investigate the cellular mechanisms underlying
      auditory processing disorders (APD). 

PMID- 26119180
TI  - Influence of Guest Exchange on the Magnetization Dynamics of Dilanthanide Single
      Molecule-Magnet Nodes within a Metal-Organic Framework.
AB  - Multitopic organic linkers can provide a means to organize metal cluster nodes in
      a regular three-dimensional array. Herein, we show that isonicotinic acid N-oxide
      (HINO) serves as the linker in the formation of a metal-organic framework
      featuring Dy2 single-molecule magnets as nodes. Importantly, guest solvent
      exchange induces a reversible single-crystal to single-crystal transformation
      between the phases Dy2(INO)4(NO3)2?2 solvent (solvent=DMF (Dy2-DMF), CH3CN (Dy2
      CH3CN)), thereby switching the effective magnetic relaxation barrier (determined
      by ac magnetic susceptibility measurements) between a negligible value for Dy2
      DMF and 76 cm(-1) for Dy2-CH3CN. Ab initio calculations indicate that this
      difference arises not from a significant change in the intrinsic relaxation
      barrier of the Dy2 nodes, but rather from a slowing of the relaxation rate of
      incoherent quantum tunneling of the magnetization by two orders of magnitude.

PMID- 26119181
TI  - Integrated care in action: opening the "black box" of implementation.
AB  - The aim of this contribution is to explain how healthcare professionals implement
      policies for integrated care. More specifically, we aim to understand how these
      policies are received, interpreted and executed by primary care professionals. By
      opening the "black box" of policy implementation, we also explain how and why the
      process of implementation of the same policy diverges in practice. The research
      is framed according to both the neo-institutional and the change management
      perspectives. The empirical investigation is conducted through a documental
      analysis and a multiple-embedded case study. The results show that three forces
      affect and explain differences in the implementation processes: the unstable
      level of internal communication among the professionals involved, the limited use
      of power to resist to change and the poor learning process on the part of both
      the professionals and policy makers. The pressure of external institutions does
      not play a role in shaping the process. Through our study, we further knowledge
      about how healthcare professionals implement policies for integrated care, and we
      believe this is interesting, according to emerging evidence that variations in
      the effectiveness of policy outcomes may be explained by choices and potential
      distortions made during the initial stages of the policy implementation process.
      Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. StartCopTextCopyright (c) 2015 John
      Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26119182
TI  - CD21 -/low B cells: A Snapshot of a Unique B Cell Subset in Health and Disease.
AB  - B cells represent one of the cellular components of the immune system that
      protects the individual from invading pathogens. In response to the invader,
      these cells differentiate into plasma cells and produce large amounts of
      antibodies that bind to and eliminate the pathogen. A hallmark of autoimmune
      diseases is the production of autoantibodies i.e. antibodies that recognize self.
      Those that are considered pathogenic can damage tissues and organs, either by
      direct binding or when deposited as immune complexes. For decades, B cells have
      been considered to play a major role in autoimmune diseases by antibody
      production. However, as pathogenic autoantibodies appear to derive mainly from T
      cell dependent responses, T cells have been the focus for many years. The
      successful treatment of patients with autoimmune diseases with either B cell
      depletion therapy (rituximab) or inhibition of B cell survival (belimumab),
      suggested that not only the autoantibodies but also other B cell features are
      important. This has caused a surge of interest in B cells and their biology
      resulting in the identification of various subsets e.g. regulatory B cells,
      several memory B cell subsets etc. Also, in other conditions such as chronic
      viral infections and primary immunodeficiency, several B cell subsets with unique
      characteristics have been identified. In this review, we will discuss one of
      these subsets, a subset that is expanded in conditions characterized by chronic
      immune stimulation. This B cell subset lacks, or expresses low, surface levels of
      the complement receptor 2 (CD21) and has therefore been termed CD21(-/low) B
      cells. 

PMID- 26119184
TI  - Regulation and mechanism of leptin on lipid metabolism in ovarian follicle cells
      from yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco.
AB  - The present study was conducted to determine the effect of leptin on lipid
      metabolism in ovarian follicle cells of yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco.
      For that purpose, primary ovarian follicle cells were isolated from yellow
      catfish, cultured and subjected to different treatments (control, 0.1% DMSO,
      500ng/ml leptin, 500ng/ml leptin plus 100MUM wortmannin, 500ng/ml leptin plus
      50nM AG490, respectively) for 48h. Intracellular triglyceride (TG) content, the
      activities (CPT I, FAS, G6PD, and 6PGD) and/or expression level of several
      enzymes (CPT I, FAS, G6PD, 6PGD, ACCa and ACCb), as well as the mRNA expression
      of transcription factors (PPARalpha, PPARgamma and SREBP-1) involved in lipid
      metabolism were determined. Recombinant human leptin (rt-hLEP) incubation
      significantly reduced intracellular TG content, activities and mRNA levels of
      FAS, G6PD and 6PGD, SREBP-1 and PPARgamma, but enhanced activity and mRNA level
      of CPT I, PPARalpha and ACCa. Specific inhibitors AG490 and wortmannin of JAK
      STAT and IRS-PI3K signaling pathways prevented leptin-induced changes, indicating
      that JAK-STAT and IRS-PI3K signaling pathways were involved in the process of
      leptin-induced changes of lipid metabolism. Based on these observations above,
      for the first time, our study indicated that leptin reduced lipid deposition by
      activating lipolysis and suppressing lipogenesis in ovarian follicles of yellow
      catfish, and both JAK-STAT and IRS-PI3K signaling pathways were involved in the
      changes of leptin-induced lipid metabolism. 

PMID- 26119183
TI  - Bacterial population and biodegradation potential in chronically crude oil
      contaminated marine sediments are strongly linked to temperature.
AB  - Two of the largest crude oil-polluted areas in the world are the semi-enclosed
      Mediterranean and Red Seas, but the effect of chronic pollution remains
      incompletely understood on a large scale. We compared the influence of
      environmental and geographical constraints and anthropogenic forces (hydrocarbon
      input) on bacterial communities in eight geographically separated oil-polluted
      sites along the coastlines of the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The differences in
      community compositions and their biodegradation potential were primarily
      associated (P < 0.05) with both temperature and chemical diversity. Furthermore,
      we observed a link between temperature and chemical and biological diversity that
      was stronger in chronically polluted sites than in pristine ones where accidental
      oil spills occurred. We propose that low temperature increases bacterial richness
      while decreasing catabolic diversity and that chronic pollution promotes
      catabolic diversification. Our results further suggest that the bacterial
      populations in chronically polluted sites may respond more promptly in degrading
      petroleum after accidental oil spills.

PMID- 26119185
TI  - Effects of age and reproductive experience on the distribution of prolactin and
      growth hormone secreting cells in the anterior pituitary of a passerine.
AB  - Plasma prolactin (PRL) is released from lactotrophs in the anterior pituitary. As
      plasma PRL levels rise during incubation in domestic fowl, the number of
      lactotrophs (PRL-immunoreactive, PRL-IR cells) increases while the number of
      growth hormone secreting cells, somatotrophs (GH-IR cells), declines. We measured
      plasma PRL levels using radioimmunoassay (RIA) and examined the distribution of
      lactotrophs and somatotrophs in the anterior pituitary of breeding and
      nonbreeding zebra finches of known ages with and without prior breeding
      experience using fluorescent immunohistochemistry (IHC). Plasma PRL levels were
      higher in breeding than in nonbreeding birds, regardless of age, sex, or previous
      breeding history. PRL-IR cells were localized primarily, but not exclusively, to
      the cephalic aspect of the anterior pituitary (AP) and along the ventral margin.
      Birds with prior reproductive experience had more PRL-IR cells than birds with no
      prior reproductive experience and breeders had slightly higher PRL-IR cell counts
      than did nonbreeders, but there was no correlation between the number of PRL-IR
      cells and plasma PRL levels. GH-IR cells were concentrated in the caudal aspect
      of the AP with some cells in the cephalic lobe, but numbers did not differ
      between any of the groups studied. An increase in PRL-IR cells corresponded with
      an increase in GH-IR cells. An increase in lactotroph number with reproductive
      experience in zebra finches may facilitate future reproductive events by allowing
      for more robust PRL secretion and increased reproductive success. 

PMID- 26119186
TI  - Long-term follow-up of essential thrombocythemia patients treated with
      anagrelide: subgroup analysis according to JAK2/CALR/MPL mutational status.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anagrelide represents a treatment option for essential
      thrombocythemia, although its place in therapy remains controversial. AIM: To
      assess the impact of mutational status in response rates and development of
      adverse events during long-term use of anagrelide. METHODS: We retrospectively
      evaluated 67 patients with essential thrombocythemia treated with anagrelide
      during 68 (4-176) months. RESULTS: Mutational frequencies were 46.3%, 28.3%, and
      1.5% for JAK2V617F, CALR and MPL mutations. Anagrelide yielded a high rate of
      hematologic responses, which were complete in 49.25% and partial in 46.25%,
      without differences among molecular subsets. The rate of thrombosis during
      treatment was one per 100 patient-years, without excess bleeding. Anemia was the
      major adverse event, 30.3% at 5-yr follow-up, being more frequent in CALR(+) (P <
      0.05). Myelofibrotic transformation developed in 14.9% (12.9%, 21%, and 12.5% in
      JAK2V617F(+), CALR(+), and triple-negative patients, respectively, P = NS) and
      those treated >60 months were at higher risk, OR (95% CI) 9.32 (1.1-78.5), P <
      0.01, indicating the need for bone marrow monitoring during prolonged treatment.
      CONCLUSION: Although CALR(+) patients were at higher risk of developing anemia,
      anagrelide proved effective among all molecular subsets, indicating that
      mutational status does not seem to represent a major determinant of choice of
      cytoreductive treatment among essential thrombocythemia therapies.

PMID- 26119187
TI  - Microbiological diversity associated with the spontaneous wet method of coffee
      fermentation.
AB  - The evaluation of the microbiota present during coffee wet fermentation was done
      in two distinct regions of Minas Gerais, Brazil: one farm in the South of Minas
      Gerais (Lavras=L) and another farm in the savannah region (Monte Carmelo=MC). The
      yeast population ranged from 2.48 to 4.92 log CFU/g and from 2 to 4.81 log CFU/g,
      the mesophilic bacteria population ranged from 3.83 to 8.47 log CFU/g and from
      5.37 to 7.36 log CFU/g, and the LAB population ranged from 2.57 to 5.66 log CFU/g
      and from 3.40 to 4.49 log CFU/g in the L and MC farms, respectively. Meyerozyma
      caribbica and Hanseniaspora uvarum were the dominant yeasts in coffee wet
      fermentation at L farm, and Torulaspora delbrueckii was the dominant yeast at MC
      farm. The species Staphylococcus warneri and Erwinia persicina were the
      predominant bacteria at L farm, and Enterobacter asburiae and Leuconostoc
      mesenteroides were the dominant species at MC farm. Lactic acid was the principal
      acid detected, reaching 2.33 g/kg at L farm and 1.40 g/kg at MC farm by the end
      of the process. The volatiles composition was similar for roasted coffee from the
      two different regions and furans, acids, and alcohol were the main groups
      detected. Temporal Dominance Sensation (TDS) analyses showed that the coffee
      beverage from L farm was dominated by citrus and herbaceous sensory
      characteristics, while the coffee from MC farm was dominated by citrus,
      herbaceous, and nuts sensory characteristics. Evaluating the microbiota in these
      two regions was important in improving the knowledge of the microbial species
      present during coffee wet fermentation in Brazil.

PMID- 26119188
TI  - Potential spoilage yeasts in winery environments: Characterization and proteomic
      analysis of Trigonopsis cantarellii.
AB  - Wine microbiota is complex and includes a wide diversity of yeast species. Few of
      them are able to survive under the restrictive conditions of dry red wines. In
      our study we detected and identified seven yeast species of the order
      Saccharomycetales that can be considered potential spoilers of wines due to
      physiological traits such as acidogenic metabolism and off-odor generation:
      Arthroascus schoenii, Candida ishiwadae, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Pichia
      holstii, Pichia manshurica, Trigonopsis cantarellii, and Trigonopsis variabilis.
      Based on the prevalence of T. cantarellii isolates in the wine samples of our
      study, we further characterized this species, determined molecular and phenotypic
      features, and performed a proteomic analysis to identify differentially expressed
      proteins at mid-exponential growth phase in the presence of ethanol in the
      culture broth. This yeast species is shown to be able to grow in the presence of
      ethanol by expressing heat shock proteins (Hsp70, Hsp71) and a DNA damage-related
      protein (Rad24), and to be able to confer spoilage characteristics on wine. 

PMID- 26119189
TI  - Prediction of spoilage of tropical shrimp (Penaeus notialis) under dynamic
      temperature regimes.
AB  - The spoilage activity of Pseudomonas psychrophila and Carnobacterium
      maltaromaticum, two tropical shrimp (Penaeus notialis) spoilage organisms, was
      assessed in cooked shrimps stored at 0 to 28  degrees C. Microbiological,
      chemical and sensory analyses were performed during storage. P. psychrophila had
      a higher growth rate and showed a higher spoilage activity at temperatures from 0
      to 15  degrees C, while at 28  degrees C, C. maltaromaticum had a higher growth
      rate. The spoilage activity of P. psychrophila was found to be higher in cooked
      shrimp than in fresh shrimp. Observed shelf-life data of shrimps stored at
      constant temperatures were used to validate a previously developed model that
      predicts tropical shrimp shelf-life at constant storage temperatures. Models
      predicting the growth of the spoilage organisms as a function of temperature were
      constructed. The validation of these models under dynamic storage temperatures
      simulating temperature fluctuation in the shrimp supply chain showed that they
      can be used to predict the shelf-life of cooked and fresh tropical shrimps.

PMID- 26119190
TI  - Restoring the selectivity of modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar for
      the isolation of Campylobacter species using tazobactam, a beta-lactamase
      inhibitor.
AB  - Extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli have emerged
      as a contaminant on modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar (mCCDA) when
      attempting to selectively isolate Campylobacter spp. from poultry. E. coli are
      particularly problematic given their ability to grow under microaerophilic
      conditions and have been shown to outcompete Campylobacter species making
      Campylobacter detection or enumeration difficult. This paper recommends a novel
      method for restoring the selectivity of mCCDA using tazobactam, a beta-lactamase
      inhibitor. The method significantly inhibited ESBL E. coli growth in spiked or
      naturally contaminated broiler caecal samples (p<=0.01) when compared to
      conventional mCCDA. This effect was seen at concentrations as low as 1mg/L
      tazobactam. TmCCDA(1) was found to inhibit up to 8 log10 CFU/mL of ESBL E. coli
      in mixed pure cultures and 7.5 log10 CFU/mL in caecal samples. Furthermore TmCCDA
      concentrations up to 10 mg/L had no statistically significant inhibitory effect
      (p>=0.05) on the recovery of a panel of 27 Campylobacter jejuni and 5
      Campylobacter coli isolates when compared to conventional mCCDA. From this study
      it is suggested that tazobactam, which is more chemically stable than clavulanic
      acid or sulbactam, is more suitable for restoring the selectivity of mCCDA for
      the detection or isolation of campylobacters.

PMID- 26119191
TI  - Influence of 1 Alpha, 25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on T Helper 17 Cells and Related
      Cytokines in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune
      disease. Emerging data suggests that T helper 17 (Th17) cells play a pathogenic
      role in SLE and the increased number of these cells correlates with disease
      activity. In recent years, 1alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25VitD3) has been
      considered as an immunomodulatory factor. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of
      1,25VitD3 on Th17 cells and on the expression of related cytokines in SLE
      patients. METHOD: Thirty SLE patients (newly diagnosed or in remission) were
      sampled for 10 ml whole blood to isolate peripheral blood mononuclear cells
      (PBMCs) using Ficoll-Hypaque density gradient centrifugation. Isolated cells were
      cultured in the presence and absence of 50 nM 1,25VitD3. After incubation, cells
      were harvested and stimulated for 4-5 hours with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)
      and ionomycin in the presence of brefeldin A. IL-17 secreting cells were analyzed
      by flowcytometry. RNA was extracted from cultured cells, cDNA was synthesized,
      and the expression levels of IL-6, IL-17, IL-23 and TGF-beta genes were assessed
      by real-time PCR. RESULTS: The percentage of Th17 cells (CD3+CD8- IL-17+ T cells)
      decreased significantly in 1,25VitD3-treated cells (3.67 +/- 2.43%) compared to
      untreated cells (4.65 +/- 2.75%)( p=0.003). The expression of TGF-beta up
      regulated (1.38-fold) and the expression of IL-6 (50%), IL-17 (27%) and IL-23
      (64%) down regulated after 1,25VitD3 treatment. CONCLUSION: This study showed
      that 1,25VitD3 modulates Th17 related pathways in SLE patients and revealed the
      immunomodulatory effect of 1,25VitD3 on the Th17 mediated autoimmunity.

PMID- 26119192
TI  - Effect of Neutrophils on Nitric Oxide Production from Stimulated Macrophages.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During the initial phase of an infection, there is an upregulation of
      inducible nitric oxide synthase in the macrophages for the production of nitric
      oxide. This is followed by the recruitment of polymorphonuclear leukocytes
      (neutrophils) which release arginase. Arginase competes with inducible nitric
      oxide synthase for a common substrate L-arginine. OBJECTIVE: To investigate
      whether the entry of neutrophils and release of arginase can interfere with
      nitric oxide production from stimulated mouse macrophages. METHODS: Neutrophils
      were isolated from human blood and stimulated with cytodex-3 beads. Cultured
      macrophages were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide and interferon gamma with or
      without N (G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester or N (omega)-hydroxy-nor-L-arginine.
      Measurement of NO2-/NO3- and urea were done using the spectrophotometer. RESULTS:
      A significantly higher level of nitric oxide production from stimulated
      macrophages was observed compared to control. There was a decrease in nitric
      oxide production when stimulated macrophages were treated with the supernatant
      from activated neutrophils (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Arginase from neutrophils can
      modulate nitric oxide production from activated macrophages which may affect the
      course of infection by intracellular bacteria.

PMID- 26119193
TI  - Lipopolysaccharide Induced Activation of Toll Like Receptor 4 in Isolated Rat
      Heart Suggests a Local Immune Response in Myocardium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myocardial dysfunction is one of the major complications in patients
      with sepsis where there is a relationship between the blood level of cytokines
      and the onset of myocardial depression. In many cases of sepsis, the presence of
      Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been established. LPS Binding Protein (LBP) bound
      endotoxin is recognized by CD14/toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) complexes in innate
      immune cells which stimulates TNF-alpha release. OBJECTIVES: To investigate
      whether isolated rat heart is capable of producing TNF-alpha locally through TLR4
      activation by LPS. METHODS: Using langendorff method, LPS in 120 mL of the
      modified Krebs-Henseleit buffer solution (KHBS) at final concentration of 1 ug/mL
      was perfused at recycling mode. The effect of LPS on cardiac function was
      evaluated. To assess the TLR4 activity and TNF-alpha release, western blotting,
      real time-PCR, and ELISA were used. RESULTS: Compared with control, coronary
      perfusion pressure (CPP) as well as left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP),
      maximum and minimum rates of the left ventricular developed pressure (dP/dtmax;
      dP/dtmin; p<0.001) were depressed to a maximum level after 180 minutes recycling
      with LPS. This myocardial depression was associated with a significant increase
      in TLR4 expression (p<0.01), MyD88 activity (p<0.01) and TNF-alpha (p<0.05)
      concentration in the heart tissue. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show
      that heart is capable of producing TNF-alpha through TLR4 and MyD88 activation
      independent of classic immune system and suggest a local immune response.

PMID- 26119194
TI  - Investigating the Association of IL-17A and IL-17F with Susceptibility to Pre
      eclampsia in Iranian Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is one of the most important and life-threatening
      pregnancy disorders that affect at least 3-5% of all pregnancies. Imbalance in
      helper T cell functions may play a role in predisposing to PE or severity of the
      disease. Elevated frequencies of Th17 cells in the peripheral blood of PE
      patients have been reported. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) within
      IL-17 gene have been identified that may affect the IL-17 production. OBJECTIVES:
      To investigate the association between IL-17A (-197A/G) and IL-17F (+7488T/C)
      gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to PE in a group of Iranian women.
      Moreover, to study any correlation of the polymorphisms data with the level of IL
      17, at mRNA level in the paternal and maternal parts of the placentas and also at
      protein level in the peripheral and placental blood samples. METHODS: A group of
      261 PE patients and 278 age-matched healthy women with at least two previous
      normal pregnancies formed the cases and controls of this study. IL-17A (-197A/G)
      and IL-17F (+7488T/C) polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR-RFLP method. The
      protein level of IL-17A was assessed in the sera of 40 PE and 40 healthy women
      using ELISA method and mRNA expression was also measured in placental samples of
      19 PE and 19 control women using Q-PCR technique. RESULTS: Statistical analysis
      indicated that there were no differences in genotype, allele or haplotype
      frequencies regarding the studied SNPs between cases and controls. The level of
      IL-17A was elevated in the placental blood and the fetal tissue at protein and
      mRNA levels (p< 0.009 and p<0.000, respectively) in PE as compared with the
      healthy women. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of IL-17 cytokine in pre-eclampsia is not
      due to the studied cytokine polymorphisms but local production of IL-17 might
      have an effect on the predisposition to the disease.

PMID- 26119195
TI  - Increased Expression of Two Alternative Spliced Variants of CD1d Molecule in
      Human Gastric Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CD1d presents glycolipid antigens to invariant natural killer T
      (iNKT) cells. The role of CD1d in the development of peptic ulcer and gastric
      cancer has not been revealed, yet. OBJECTIVE: To clarify the expression of
      alternatively spliced variants of CD1d in peptic ulcer and gastric cancer.
      METHODS: Patients with dyspepsia were selected and divided into three groups of
      non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD), peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and gastric cancer (GC),
      according to their endoscopic and histopathological examinations. H. pylori
      infection was diagnosed by rapid urease test and histopathology. The expression
      levels of V2, V4, and V5 spliced variants of CD1d molecule were determined by
      quantitative Reverse Transcriptase PCR. RESULTS: Relative gene expression levels
      of V4 were higher in GC patients (n=37) than those in NUD (n=49) and PUD (n=51)
      groups (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). Moreover, GC patients showed higher
      expression levels of V5 compared to NUD and PUD groups (p<0.001 and p<0.001,
      respectively). Positive correlation coefficients were attained between V4 and V5
      expression in patients with PUD (r=0.734, p<0.0001) and GC (r=0.423, p<0.01), but
      not in patients with NUD. Among NUD patients, the expression levels of V4, but
      not V5, were higher in H. pylori-positive patients than in H. pylori-negative
      ones (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Collectively, both membrane-bound (V4) and soluble
      (V5) isoforms of CD1d were over-expressed in gastric tumor tissues, suggesting
      that they are involved in anti-tumor immune responses.

PMID- 26119196
TI  - Childhood Autoimmune Hepatitis in Bahrain: a Tertiary Center Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) in childhood has variable modes of
      presentation, and the disease should be suspected and excluded in all children
      presenting with symptoms and signs of prolonged or severe acute liver disease. In
      AIH, the liver biopsy histopathology shows inflammation in addition to presence
      of serum autoimmune antibodies and increased levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG).
      OBJECTIVES: To investigate the situation of childhood autoimmune hepatitis in
      Bahrain and to compare it with other studies worldwide. METHODS: A retrospective
      study describing the AIH pediatric cases diagnosed during the period of Jan 2005
      to Dec 2009. We report the clinical, biochemical, histopathological, and
      immunological findings, mainly autoimmune profile, in addition to response to
      treatment, of Bahraini children with autoimmune hepatitis. RESULTS: Five Bahraini
      children, three females and two males were diagnosed as autoimmune hepatitis
      during the study period. Their ages at presentation ranged from 9 to 15 (median
      10.6) years. One of our patients had a fulminating type. Two had other autoimmune
      related conditions, namely autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis and ulcerative
      colitis. All were AIH type 1. Variable response to conventional immunosuppressive
      therapy was found, from an excellent response with good prognosis, to cirrhosis,
      hepatic failure and liver transplantation. CONCLUSION: Childhood AIH is a rare
      medical problem in Bahrain, with both sexes affected and a variable response to
      immunosuppressive therapy.

PMID- 26119197
TI  - The Effect of HLA-DRB1 on Cholecystitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cholecystitis is one of the major digestive diseases. Its prevalence
      is particularly high in some populations. Significant risk factors associated
      with cholecystitis include age, sex, obesity, diet, parity and type 2 diabetes.
      OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between HLA-DRB1 and cholecystitis.
      METHODS: This case-control study included forty Iraqi Arab patients who had
      cholecystitis with multiple calculi treated by cholecystectomy admitted in the
      surgical ward at Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital Baghdad between September -2013 to
      June -2014. The control group consisted of forty healthy volunteers among the
      staff of Al-Kindy College of Medicine. Control and cholecystitis patients groups
      were typed for identifying the DRB1* alleles using DNA-based methodology (PCR
      SSOP). RESULTS: There was an increased frequency of HLA-DRB1*0301 in patients
      with cholecystitis compared with healthy controls (p=0.0442, odd ratio=4.1111,
      95% CI: 1.0372-16.2949). CONCLUSION: HLA-DRB1*0301, as a genetic factor, seems to
      have an association with cholecystitis.

PMID- 26119198
TI  - Q2DSTD NMR deciphers epitope-mapping variability for peptide recognition of
      integrin alphavbeta6.
AB  - Integrin alphavbeta6 is a cell surface arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)
      specific heterodimeric glycoprotein that is only expressed on epithelia during
      processes of tissue remodelling, including cancer. The specificity and molecular
      nature of interactions toward this integrin are poorly understood and new
      insights into such processes are important to cell biologists and pharmaceutical
      drug discovery. This study demonstrates the application of quantitative two
      dimensional saturation transfer (Q2DSTD) NMR to obtain precise details of peptide
      interactions with integrin alphavbeta6 and their correlation to specificity for
      the integrin. This approach highlights subtle but significant differences in
      ligand contact by three related 21-mer peptides: FMDV2, an alphavbeta6 specific
      peptide and DBD1 and LAP2T1 peptides that bind many alphav integrins in addition
      to alphavbeta6. FMDV2 and DBD1 differ only by the cyclisation of DBD1; a process
      that removes alphavbeta6 specificity. Q2DSTD NMR demonstrates these peptides
      experience significantly different interactions with the integrin; FMDV contacts
      primarily through four residues: 6Leu, 10Leu, 12Val and 13Leu, whereas DBD1 and
      LAP2T1 have more widespread contacts across their sequences. Q2DSTD NMR combined
      two-dimensional STD with quantitation by considering the relaxation of the ligand
      (CRL) to provide precise ligand contact information. This study also examines the
      role of CRL in the Q2DSTD process and how quantitation modifies STD data and
      unravels epitope-mapping variability to provide precise results that
      differentiate interactions at the atomic level for each peptide. 

PMID- 26119199
TI  - Clinical and microbiological features of infective endocarditis caused by
      aerococci.
AB  - PURPOSE: To define the clinical presentation of aerococcal infective endocarditis
      (IE) and the prevalence of synergy between penicillin and gentamicin on
      aerococcal isolates. METHODS: Cases of aerococcal IE between 2002 and 2014 were
      identified in the Swedish Registry of Infective Endocarditis (SRIE). MALDI-TOF MS
      was used to confirm species determination. The medical records were analysed and
      compared to cases reported to the SRIE caused by other pathogens. RESULTS:
      Sixteen cases of aerococcal IE, fourteen with Aerococcus urinae and two with
      Aerococcus sanguinicola, were confirmed. Etest-based methods and time-kill
      experiments suggested synergy between penicillin and gentamicin towards seven of
      fifteen isolates. The patients with aerococcal IE were significantly older than
      those with streptococci or Staphylococcus aureus IE. Most of the patients had
      underlying urinary tract diseases or symptoms suggesting a urinary tract focus of
      the infection. Seven patients with aerococcal IE presented with severe sepsis but
      ICU treatment was needed only in one patient and there was no fatality. Valve
      exchange surgery was needed in four patients and embolization was seen in three
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: This report is the largest on aerococcal IE and suggests
      that the prognosis is relatively favourable despite the fact that the patients
      are old and have significant comorbidities.

PMID- 26119202
TI  - Combined Cisplatin-Based Chemoembolization and Radiation Therapy for
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma Invading the Main Portal Vein.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and survival outcome of chemoembolization plus
      radiation therapy (RT) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with main
      portal vein (PV) tumor thrombosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective
      study evaluated 151 patients with HCC and main PV involvement (101 with Child
      Pugh class A liver function and 50 with Child-Pugh class B liver function)
      treated with combined cisplatin-based chemoembolization and RT. Medical records,
      imaging, and laboratory studies were reviewed, and complications, survival, and
      mortality rates were determined. RESULTS: After chemoembolization, major
      complications occurred in 19.9% of patients, with the rate of major complications
      significantly higher in Child-Pugh class B cases than in Child-Pugh class A cases
      (32% vs 13.9%; P = .016). The 30-day mortality rate was 0.7%. One hundred forty
      seven patients received adjuvant RT an average of 17.4 days after
      chemoembolization for main PV tumor thrombosis. Adjuvant RT could not be
      performed in four patients because of intolerance of the initial
      chemoembolization. There were no major complications after RT. The objective
      tumor response at 6 months was 25.2%, with a median survival of 12 months (14 mo
      in Child-Pugh class A cases and 8 mo in Child-Pugh class B cases). Patients with
      Child-Pugh class B liver function with extrahepatic metastases, no tumor
      response, and absence of second-line sorafenib treatment had poor survival.
      CONCLUSIONS: Chemoembolization combined with RT improves survival, with a median
      survival of 12 months in patients with HCC with main PV involvement.

PMID- 26119203
TI  - Midterm Clinical and Radiologic Outcomes after Percutaneous Interspinous Spacer
      Treatment for Neurogenic Intermittent Claudication.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the midterm clinical and radiologic outcome of percutaneous
      interspinous process spacer (IPS) treatment for neurogenic intermittent
      claudication (NIC) in patients who fail conservative treatment. METHODS:
      Consecutive patients with NIC, lumbar spinal stenosis confirmed on magnetic
      resonance imaging, failure of conservative management for at least 6 months, and
      treatment with percutaneous IPS were included. Visual analog scale (VAS) and
      Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores were recorded at baseline, 1 month, 1 year
      and 3 years after treatment. Spinal canal and foraminal cross-sectional areas
      were calculated from multidetector computed tomography at baseline and 1 year.
      RESULTS: There were 80 patients treated with 94 IPS devices; 83% of patients
      received a single IPS; 78% of IPS devices were placed at L4-L5. An IPS
      dislocation was the single periprocedural major complication. VAS score of 8.1 +/
      2 before treatment was reduced to 4.4 +/- 2 at 1 month after treatment (P =
      .0001); ODI score of 23.3 +/- 10 before treatment was reduced to 11.7 +/- 8.5 at
      1 month after treatment (P = .0001). These significant reductions were durable at
      1-year and 3-year follow-up evaluations (P < .01). Spinal canal and foraminal
      cross-sectional area increased by 15% at 1 year (P = .0001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients with NIC who failed conservative treatment and were treated with
      percutaneous IPS achieved significant gains in pain relief and reduced disability
      that remained durable at 3-year clinical follow-up evaluation. This outcome was
      accompanied by significant increases in spinal canal and foraminal cross
      sectional areas at the treated level.

PMID- 26119204
TI  - Irreversible Electroporation Can Effectively Ablate Hepatocellular Carcinoma to
      Complete Pathologic Necrosis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe full explant pathology and radiographic correlation in
      patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with irreversible
      electroporation (IRE) who subsequently underwent liver transplant. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In a retrospective study, 6 patients who had undergone IRE for HCC and
      subsequent orthotopic liver transplant during the period 2011-2013 were
      evaluated. Of the 6 patients, 4 had Child-Pugh class A cirrhosis, and 2 had class
      B cirrhosis. Irreversible electroporation was performed for a single focal HCC
      with median tumor diameter of 22 mm (range, 6-26 mm). After IRE, follow-up
      multiphasic cross-sectional imaging was performed at 1 month and every 3 months
      thereafter until liver transplant. Mean time between IRE and transplant was 10
      months (range, 3-17 mo). Assessment of imaging response was based on modified
      Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors. Liver explants were evaluated for
      necrosis and viable carcinoma in IRE-treated tumors. RESULTS: After IRE, all
      tumors showed a complete response on follow-up imaging. Five tumors showed
      complete pathologic necrosis without any viable carcinoma, sharply demarcated
      from the surrounding hepatic parenchyma. Bile ducts within the treatment area
      were preserved. A single tumor treated with a bipolar IRE probe had < 5% viable
      carcinoma cells at the periphery. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the
      efficacy of IRE for HCC based on pathologic evaluation and correlation to
      radiologic findings.

PMID- 26119205
TI  - A Neapolitan miracle.
AB  - The Italian scientific renaissance, that started when the Second World War was
      drawing to a close and reached its apex early in the Sixties--is widely discussed
      in literature. But there is also a second, maybe less visible but not less
      important renaissance in the Italian scientific world of the Fifties and Sixties:
      the Neapolitan renaissance, in which biophysics plays an important role.

PMID- 26119206
TI  - Are gluten-free foods healthier than non-gluten-free foods? An evaluation of
      supermarket products in Australia.
AB  - Despite tremendous growth in the consumption of gluten-free (GF) foods, there is
      a lack of evaluation of their nutritional profile and how they compare with non
      GF foods. The present study evaluated the nutritional quality of GF and non-GF
      foods in core food groups, and a wide range of discretionary products in
      Australian supermarkets. Nutritional information on the Nutrition Information
      Panel was systematically obtained from all packaged foods at four large
      supermarkets in Sydney, Australia in 2013. Food products were classified as GF if
      a GF declaration appeared anywhere on the product packaging, or non-GF if they
      contained gluten, wheat, rye, triticale, barley, oats or spelt. The primary
      outcome was the 'Health Star Rating' (HSR: lowest score 0.5; optimal score 5), a
      nutrient profiling scheme endorsed by the Australian Government. Differences in
      the content of individual nutrients were explored in secondary analyses. A total
      of 3213 food products across ten food categories were included. On average, GF
      plain dry pasta scored nearly 0.5 stars less (P< 0.001) compared with non-GF
      products; however, there were no significant differences in the mean HSR for
      breads or ready-to-eat breakfast cereals (P>= 0.42 for both). Relative to non-GF
      foods, GF products had consistently lower average protein content across all the
      three core food groups, in particular for pasta and breads (52 and 32% less, P<
      0.001 for both). A substantial proportion of foods in discretionary categories
      carried GF labels (e.g., 87% of processed meats), and the average HSR of GF
      discretionary foods were not systematically superior to those of non-GF products.
      The consumption of GF products is unlikely to confer health benefits, unless
      there is clear evidence of gluten intolerance.

PMID- 26119207
TI  - Is high job control a risk factor for poor quality of life in workers with high
      autism spectrum tendencies? A cross-sectional survey at a factory in Japan.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of autism spectrum (AS) tendencies and
      psychosocial job characteristics on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among
      factory workers. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was administered to 376 Japanese
      factory employees from the same company (response rate: 83.6%) in 2010.
      Psychosocial job characteristics, including job demand, job control, and social
      support, were evaluated using the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). AS tendencies
      was assessed using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and HRQOL was assessed
      using the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form General Health Survey (SF-8).
      Associations were investigated using multiple logistic regression analysis
      adjusted for confounders. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, AQ was
      positively (odds ratio [OR]: 3.94; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.70-9.73) and
      social support in the workplace was inversely (OR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.10-0.57)
      associated with poor mental HRQOL. No significant interaction was observed
      between AQ and JCQ subitems. Only social support was inversely associated with
      poor physical HRQOL (OR and 95% CI for medium social support: 0.45 and 0.21
      0.94), and a significant interaction between AQ and job control was observed
      (p=0.02), suggesting that high job control was associated with poor physical
      HRQOL among workers with high AQ, whereas low job control tended to be associated
      with poor physical HRQOL among others. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that AS
      tendencies have a negative effect on workers' HRQOL and social support is a
      primary factor in maintaining HRQOL. Moreover, a structured work environment can
      maintain physical HRQOL in workers with high AS tendencies since higher job
      control will be stressful.

PMID- 26119208
TI  - Gender and educational level modify the relationship between workplace
      mistreatment and health problems: a comparison between South Korea and EU
      countries.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study investigated effects of workers' cultural and personal
      characteristics on the relationship between workplace mistreatment and health
      problems in both South Korea and EU Countries. METHODS: Data were obtained from
      nationally representative interview surveys: the third Korean Working Conditions
      Survey (KWCS) in 2011 (50,032 participants) and fifth European Working Conditions
      Survey (EWCS) in 2010 (41,302 participants). The Pressure-State-Response model
      was adapted to explore differences in the relationship between mistreatment and
      health problems according to country, and logistic regression analysis was used
      after stratification of moderating factors. Workplace mistreatment, such as
      discrimination, violence, harassment, and self-reported health problems, were
      assessed by gender and educational level. RESULTS: Among KWCS participants, there
      were 4,321 victims (14.70%) of workplace mistreatment; among EWCS participants,
      there were 5,927 victims (17.89%). There was a significant positive association
      between workplace mistreatment and self-reported health problems. A stronger
      association was found among workers with higher educational levels in Korea (2-
      to 4-fold higher odds for mental and physical health problems), but there was no
      significant difference by education level in workers of EU Countries. Female
      Koreans who worked alone had a higher risk of health problems related to
      workplace mistreatment than other gender compositions in the workplace (the OR
      for psychological symptoms reached 6.631). In contrast, the gender composition of
      the work place did not significantly affect EU workers. CONCLUSIONS: Workplace
      mistreatment is significantly associated with physical and mental health
      problems, especially among workers with higher educational levels and females who
      work alone in Korea.

PMID- 26119209
TI  - No stress after 24-hour on-call shifts?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Irregular sleep patterns can adversely affect physiological functions
      and have been associated with increased physiological and psychological stress.
      Nocturnal work of physicians during 24-hour on-call shifts (OCS) disrupts the
      sleep/wake cycle. Chronic exposure to distress has been shown to affect
      cardiovascular homeostasis and to impair performance in neurocognitive and
      simulated clinical tasks. METHODS: In a prospective cohort study, biochemical and
      physiological stress parameters were assessed in 11 female and 9 male physicians
      (median age: 32 years, range 26-42 years) before a normal working day and after a
      24-hour OCS in internal medicine. In addition, various tests of attentional
      performance (TAP) were conducted. RESULTS: The levels of thyroid stimulating
      hormone (TSH) were significantly higher after a 24- hour OCS, while there were no
      significant changes in cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine levels. Heart
      rate variability and skin resistance increased following an OCS, although the
      differences were not statistically significant. Intrinsic alertness was
      comparable, while phasic alertness was significantly improved following a 24-hour
      OCS. Focused attention tended to be better following a night shift. There was no
      correlation with age or medical working experience; however, men experienced more
      stress than women. CONCLUSIONS: Following a 24-hour OCS, (i) TSH may be an early
      and sensitive biochemical predictor of stress; (ii) other classical biochemical
      stress parameters do not depict the psychological stress perceived by physicians;
      (iii) there may be a mismatch between experienced and objective stress levels;
      (iv) neurocognitive functions are not impaired, while performance may even be
      improved; and (v) men might be more sensitive to distress.

PMID- 26119210
TI  - Antibodies as a source of anti-infective peptides: an update.
AB  - This review focuses on antibodies (Abs) and their function in immune protection,
      with particular emphasis on microbicidal Abs. Some aspects of Abs and Ab-drug
      conjugates as targeting therapeutic agents are also discussed. The main aim,
      however, is devoted to Ab-derived peptides modulating functions of the immune
      system and to the latest experimental evidence of Abs as a source of anti
      infective and antitumor peptides derived from their complementarity determining
      regions and constant regions.

PMID- 26119211
TI  - Canopy warming caused photosynthetic acclimation and reduced seed yield in maize
      grown at ambient and elevated [CO2 ].
AB  - Rising atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2 ]) and attendant increases in growing
      season temperature are expected to be the most important global change factors
      impacting production agriculture. Although maize is the most highly produced crop
      worldwide, few studies have evaluated the interactive effects of elevated [CO2 ]
      and temperature on its photosynthetic physiology, agronomic traits or biomass,
      and seed yield under open field conditions. This study investigates the effects
      of rising [CO2 ] and warmer temperature, independently and in combination, on
      maize grown in the field throughout a full growing season. Free-air CO2
      enrichment (FACE) technology was used to target atmospheric [CO2 ] to 200 MUmol
      mol(-1) above ambient [CO2 ] and infrared heaters to target a plant canopy
      increase of 3.5  degrees C, with actual season mean heating of ~2.7  degrees C,
      mimicking conditions predicted by the second half of this century. Photosynthetic
      gas-exchange parameters, leaf nitrogen and carbon content, leaf water potential
      components, and developmental measurements were collected throughout the season,
      and biomass and yield were measured at the end of the growing season. As
      predicted for a C4 plant, elevated [CO2 ] did not stimulate photosynthesis,
      biomass, or yield. Canopy warming caused a large shift in aboveground allocation
      by stimulating season-long vegetative biomass and decreasing reproductive biomass
      accumulation at both CO2 concentrations, resulting in decreased harvest index.
      Warming caused a reduction in photosynthesis due to down-regulation of
      photosynthetic biochemical parameters and the decrease in the electron transport
      rate. The reduction in seed yield with warming was driven by reduced
      photosynthetic capacity and by a shift in aboveground carbon allocation away from
      reproduction. This field study portends that future warming will reduce yield in
      maize, and this will not be mitigated by higher atmospheric [CO2 ] unless
      appropriate adaptation traits can be introduced into future cultivars. 

PMID- 26119212
TI  - Licit and illicit substance use among people who inject drugs and the association
      with subsequent suicidal attempt.
AB  - AIM: To estimate associations between recent licit and illicit substance use and
      subsequent suicide attempt among people who inject drugs (PWID). DESIGN:
      Secondary analysis of longitudinal data from a prospective cohort study of PWID
      followed bi-annually between 2004 and 2011. SETTING: Montreal, Canada.
      PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred and ninety-seven PWID who reported injection drug use
      in the previous 6 months, contributing to a total of 4460 study visits. The
      median number of visits per participant was five (interquartile range: 3-8).
      MEASUREMENTS: An interviewer-administered questionnaire eliciting information on
      socio-demographic factors, detailed information on substance use patterns and
      related behaviours, mental health markers and suicide attempt. The primary
      exposure variables examined were past-month use of alcohol [heavy (>= 60 drinks);
      moderate (one to 59 drinks); none], sedative-hypnotics, cannabis, cocaine,
      amphetamine and opioids [regular (>= 4 days); occasional (1-3 days); none]. The
      outcome was a binary measure of suicide attempt assessed in reference to the
      previous 6 months. FINDINGS: In multivariate analyses, a positive association was
      found among licit substances between heavy alcohol consumption [adjusted odds
      ratio (AOR) = 2.05; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.12-3.75], regular use of
      sedative-hypnotics (AOR = 1.89; 95% CI = 1.21-2.95) and subsequent attempted
      suicide. Among illicit substances, occasional use of cannabis (AOR = 1.84; 95% CI
      = 1.09-3.13) had a positive association with subsequent suicide attempt. No
      statistically significant association was found for the remaining substances.
      CONCLUSION: Among people who inject drugs, use of alcohol, sedative-hypnotics and
      cannabis, but not cocaine, amphetamine or opioids, appears to be associated with
      an increased likelihood of later attempted suicide.

PMID- 26119213
TI  - Automatic fusion of lateral cephalograms and digital volume tomography data
      perspective for combining two modalities in the future.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This article investigates the combination of three-dimensional (3D)
      digital volume tomography data with two-dimensional (2D) cephalograms in
      dentomaxillofacial imaging. METHODS: An automatic hierarchical method to adjust
      the geometrical relations of these two modalities is presented. The approach is
      tested on phantom and patient case data, where the feasibility, usability and
      potential possibilities of the presented innovative method are highlighted.
      Digitally reconstructed radiographs are computed by casting rays through the 3D
      volume to get a 2D projection of the volume to produce realistic simulated
      cephalograms. Different similarity measures are considered based on variations of
      statistical and deterministic optimization procedures. Stability, precision and
      accuracy of the method are investigated. RESULTS: The presented algorithm
      demonstrates a reasonable solution of the corresponding 2D/3D registration
      problem. Exemplary results from phantom and patient case data are presented.
      Tooth movement could be determined, in contrast to the 2D lateral cephalogram,
      separated for each side in all three spatial directions. CONCLUSIONS: Achieved
      results are highlighted from a clinical point of view and demonstrate the
      clinical benefit in daily praxis.

PMID- 26119214
TI  - Reducing an already low dental diagnostic X-ray dose: does it make sense?
      Comparison of three cost-utility analysis methods used to assess two dental dose
      reduction measures.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To find a method that is suitable for providing an objective
      assessment of the cost effectiveness of a dose-reducing measure used for
      diagnostic dental X-ray exposures. METHODS: Three cost-utility analysis (CUA)
      methods were evaluated by comparing their assessments of two dose-reduction
      measures, a rectangular collimator and the combination of two devices that reduce
      the radiation dose received during orthodontic lateral cephalography. The
      following CUA methods were used: (1) the alpha value (AV), a monetary valuation
      of dose reduction used in the nuclear industry; (2) the value of a statistical
      life for valuation of the reduction in stochastic adverse effects; and (3) the
      time-for-time method, based on the postulate that risk reduction is effective
      when the number of years of life gained is more than the years that an average
      worker must work to earn the costs of the risk-reducing measure. The CUA methods
      were used to determine the minimum number of uses that was required for the dose
      reducing device to be cost effective. The methods were assessed for coherence
      (are comparable results achieved for comparable countries?) and adaptability (can
      the method be adjusted for age and gender of specific patient groups?). RESULTS:
      The performance of the time-for-time method was superior to the other methods.
      Both types of dose-reduction devices tested were assessed as cost effective after
      a realistic number of uses with all three methods except low AVs. CONCLUSIONS:
      CUA for the methods of X-ray dose reduction can be performed to determine if
      investment in low dose reduction is cost effective. The time-for-time method
      proved to be a coherent and versatile method for performing CUA.

PMID- 26119215
TI  - Risks, Outcomes, and Evidence-Based Interventions for Girls in the US Juvenile
      Justice System.
AB  - The proportion of the juvenile justice population that comprises females is
      increasing, yet few evidence-based models have been evaluated and implemented
      with girls in the juvenile justice system. Although much is known about the risk
      and protective factors for girls who participate in serious delinquency,
      significant gaps in the research base hamper the development and implementation
      of theoretically based intervention approaches. In this review, we first
      summarize the extant empirical work about the predictors and sequelae of juvenile
      justice involvement for girls. Identified risk and protective factors that
      correspond to girls' involvement in the juvenile justice system have been shown
      to largely parallel those of boys, although exposure rates and magnitudes of
      association sometimes differ by sex. Second, we summarize findings from
      empirically validated, evidence-based interventions for juvenile justice-involved
      youths that have been tested with girls. The interventions include Functional
      Family Therapy, Multisystemic Therapy, Multidimensional Family Therapy, and
      Treatment Foster Care Oregon (formerly known as Multidimensional Treatment Foster
      Care). We conclude that existing evidence-based practices appear to be effective
      for girls. However, few studies have been sufficiently designed to permit
      conclusions about whether sex-specific interventions would yield any better
      outcomes for girls than would interventions that already exist for both sexes and
      that have a strong base of evidence to support them. Third, we propose
      recommendations for feasible, cost-efficient next steps to advance the research
      and intervention agendas for this under-researched and underserved population of
      highly vulnerable youths. 

PMID- 26119216
TI  - Unique characteristics in Japanese dermatitis herpetiformis.

PMID- 26119217
TI  - New polyurethane/docosane microcapsules as phase-change materials for thermal
      energy storage.
AB  - Polyurethane microcapsules were prepared by mini-emulsion interfacial
      polymerization for encapsulation of phase-change material (n-docosane) for energy
      storage. Three steps were followed with the aim to optimize synthesis conditions
      of the microcapsules. First, polyurethane microcapsules based on silicone oil
      core as an inert template with different silicone oil/poly(ethylene glycol)/4,4'
      diphenylmethane diisocyanate wt % ratio were synthesized. The surface morphology
      of the capsules was analyzed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and the
      chemical nature of the shell was monitored by Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy (FT-IR). Capsules with the silicone oil/poly(ethylene glycol)/4,4'
      diphenylmethane diisocyanate 10/20/20 wt % ratio showed the best morphological
      features and shell stability with average particle size about 4 MUm, and were
      selected for the microencapsulation of the n-docosane. In the second stage, half
      of the composition of silicone oil was replaced with n-docosane and, finally, the
      whole silicone oil content was replaced with docosane following the same
      synthetic procedure used for silicone oil containing capsules. Thermal and
      cycling stability of the capsules were investigated by thermal gravimetric
      analysis (TGA) and the phase-change behavior was evaluated by differential
      scanning calorimetry (DSC). 

PMID- 26119218
TI  - Carbon Nanotube Driver Circuit for 6 * 6 Organic Light Emitting Diode Display.
AB  - Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) is expected to be a very promising material
      for flexible and transparent driver circuits for active matrix organic light
      emitting diode (AM OLED) displays due to its high field-effect mobility,
      excellent current carrying capacity, optical transparency and mechanical
      flexibility. Although there have been several publications about SWNT driver
      circuits, none of them have shown static and dynamic images with the AM OLED
      displays. Here we report on the first successful chemical vapor deposition (CVD)
      grown SWNT network thin film transistor (TFT) driver circuits for static and
      dynamic AM OLED displays with 6 * 6 pixels. The high device mobility of ~45
      cm(2)V(-1)s(-1) and the high channel current on/off ratio of ~10(5) of the SWNT
      TFTs fully guarantee the control capability to the OLED pixels. Our results
      suggest that SWNT-TFTs are promising backplane building blocks for future OLED
      displays.

PMID- 26119219
TI  - [Radioresistance parameters in head and neck cancers and methods to
      radiosensitize].
AB  - Head and neck cancers have been widely studied concerning their sensitivity to
      radiation therapy. Several parameters affect tumour response to radiation
      therapy. Some parameters are linked to the tumour. Large or invasive tumours,
      localization, such as oral cavity or adenopathy, are factors of radioresistance.
      Others parameters are linked to the patients themselves. Tobacco intoxication
      during radiotherapy and a low hemoglobin level contribute to radioresistance.
      More recently, a positive human papilloma virus (HPV) status has been reported to
      positively affect radiosensitivity. Finally, other parameters are related to
      tumour biology. Hypoxia, intrinsic radiosensitivity of tumour cells, tumour
      differentiation and repopulation (provided by Ki-67 index or EGFR level) are
      components of radiosensitivity. Currently, concurrent chemoradiotherapy is one of
      the gold standard treatments to overcome clinical outcome of locally advanced
      head and neck cancer. This combination increases locoregional control and
      survival. Taxane-based induction chemotherapy can also be an alternative. Another
      validated approach is the association of radiotherapy with cetuximab (EGFR
      targeting) but only one randomized study has been published. Fractionation
      modifications, especially hyperfractionation, have given positive results on both
      tumour control and survival. Strategies targeting hypoxia improve locoregional
      control but have less clinical impact. 

PMID- 26119220
TI  - Angioedema induced by cardiovascular drugs: new players join old friends.
AB  - During the last years, two new cardiovascular drug classes, namely inhibitors of
      DPP IV or neprilysin, have been developed. In both cases, there is clinical
      evidence for their potential to induce angioedema as known already from blockers
      of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). The majority of angioedema
      induced by DPP IV inhibitors occurs during concomitant treatment with ACEi and is
      therefore likely mediated by overactivation of bradykinin type 2 receptors (B2).
      In striking contrast, the molecular pathways causing angioedema induced by
      neprilysin inhibitors, that is, sacubitril, are unclear, although a contribution
      of bradykinin appears likely. Nevertheless, there is no clinical evidence
      suggesting that inhibition of B2 might relieve the symptoms and/or prevent
      invasive treatment including coniotomy or tracheotomy in angioedema caused by
      these drugs. Therefore, the risk of angioedema should always be considered,
      especially in ambulatory care situations where patients have no rapid access to
      intensive care. 

PMID- 26119221
TI  - Return to work after total hip and knee arthroplasty: results from a clinical
      study.
AB  - The aim of this study was to measure return to work and duration until return to
      work in patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA or TKA). This
      prospective study included patients under 65 years of age, undergoing THA or TKA,
      who provided information on their work status preoperatively (paid work yes/no
      and working hours) and 1 year thereafter (paid work yes/no, working hours and
      time until return to work). Seventy-one THA and 64 TKA patients had a paid job
      preoperatively. The employment rates 1 year postoperatively were 64/71 (90 %)
      after THA and 53/64 (83 %) after TKA. Of those who returned to work, 9/64 (14 %)
      of THA patients and 10/53 (19 %) of TKA patients worked less hours than
      preoperatively [mean decrease of 16 (SD 11.5) and 14 (SD 13.0) hours,
      respectively]. The mean time to return to work was 12.5 (SD 7.6) and 12.9 (SD
      8.0) weeks in THA and TKA, respectively. The majority of working patients who
      underwent THA or TKA returned to work, after approximately 12 weeks. A
      considerable proportion of the patients returning to work worked less hours than
      preoperatively. More research into patients who do not return or decrease their
      working hours is needed. 

PMID- 26119223
TI  - Effects of memantine on hippocampal long-term potentiation, gamma activity, and
      sensorimotor gating in freely moving rats.
AB  - Memantine, an uncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, is used for
      treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The mechanisms of memantine in
      relieving cognitive and behavioral symptoms are unclear, and this study attempts
      to elucidate its action on network and synaptic functions of the hippocampus. The
      effects of memantine on electrographic activity and hippocampal long-term
      potentiation (LTP) were investigated in freely moving rats. Basal dendritic
      excitation on hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells showed a robust LTP after theta
      frequency primed bursts, and the LTP was higher after 5-10 mg/kg intraperitoneal
      (ip) memantine pretreatment, as compared with saline pretreatment. Injection of
      scopolamine (5 mg/kg ip) before memantine failed to block the LTP-enhancing
      effect of memantine. Memantine as compared with saline pretreatment did not
      affect the LTP after an afterdischarge induced by high-frequency (200-Hz) train
      stimulation. Memantine (5 or 10 mg/kg ip) significantly enhanced gamma
      oscillations in the hippocampal local field potentials of 40-100 Hz during
      walking and awake immobility. Memantine at 10 mg/kg ip, but not at 5 mg/kg ip,
      increased prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response, while both 5 and
      10 mg/kg ip memantine enhanced the acoustic startle response as compared with
      saline-injected rats. These electrophysiological and behavioral effects of
      memantine are unique among N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists but are
      consistent with memantine's effects in improving cognitive and sensorimotor
      functions of Alzheimer's patients.

PMID- 26119224
TI  - Stroke risk interacts with Alzheimer's disease biomarkers on brain aging
      outcomes.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers and stroke risk factors independently predict
      cognitive impairment, likely through independent disease pathways. However,
      limited work has sought to describe the dynamic interplay between these important
      risk factors. This article evaluated the interaction between stroke risk and AD
      biomarkers on hippocampal volume and cognitive performance. We first evaluated
      the interaction between stroke risk factors and AD biomarkers using data from the
      Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI, n = 1202). We then extended
      our findings to an independent autopsy data set from the National Alzheimer's
      Coordinating Center (NACC, n = 1122) using measures of AD pathology. Stroke risk
      was quantified using the Framingham Stroke Risk Profile. In ADNI, stroke risk
      interacted with tau and amyloid levels in relation to baseline and longitudinal
      cognitive performance. Similarly, in NACC, stroke risk interacted with amyloid
      and tau positivity on cognitive performance. The effect of stroke risk factors on
      cognition was strongest in the absence of AD biomarkers or neuropathology,
      providing additional evidence that AD biomarkers and stroke risk factors relate
      to cognition through independent pathways.

PMID- 26119225
TI  - NLRP3 inflammasome activation by mitochondrial reactive oxygen species plays a
      key role in long-term cognitive impairment induced by paraquat exposure.
AB  - Exposure to environmental toxins such as pesticides is implicated in increasing
      Alzheimer's disease risk. In this study, we investigated the long-term effects of
      paraquat exposure on cognition of Alzheimer's disease animal model APP/PS1 mice
      and wild-type (WT) mice. Our results showed that APP/PS1 mice had exacerbated
      cognition impairment and elevated Abeta levels at 5 months after paraquat
      exposure, and that WT mice had cognition impairment at 5 and 16 months after
      paraquat exposure. In addition, increased mitochondrial oxidative stress and
      augmented brain inflammation were observed in both paraquat-exposed APP/PS1 mice
      and WT mice. Interestingly, activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, which triggers
      inflammation in response to mitochondrial stress, was enhanced in paraquat
      exposed mice. Moreover, transgenic mice overexpressing Prdx3, a key enzyme in
      detoxifying mitochondrial H2O2, had suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation,
      reduced brain inflammation, and attenuated cognition impairment after paraquat
      exposure. Together, our results indicate that NLRP3 inflammasome activation
      induced by mitochondrial reactive oxygen species plays a key role in mediating
      paraquat-induced long-term cognition decline by elevating brain inflammation.

PMID- 26119227
TI  - Oral nifedipine or intravenous labetalol for severe hypertension?

PMID- 26119226
TI  - Randomised clinical trial: a placebo-controlled study of intravenous golimumab
      induction therapy for ulcerative colitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha)-antagonism effectively treats
      ulcerative colitis (UC). The golimumab clinical programme evaluated subcutaneous
      (SC) and intravenous (IV) induction, and SC maintenance regimens, in TNFalpha
      antagonist-naive patients with moderate-to-severe active UC despite conventional
      treatment. AIM: To evaluate dose-response relationship, select IV golimumab
      induction doses for continued development, and evaluate the safety and efficacy
      of selected doses. METHODS: Adults with Mayo scores of 6-12 and endoscopic
      subscores >=2 were enrolled into this multicentre, randomised, double-blind,
      placebo-controlled, integrated Phase 2/3 dose-finding/dose-confirming study. In
      Phase 2, 176 patients were randomised (1:1:1:1) to a single IV infusion of
      placebo, 1-, 2- or 4-mg/kg golimumab. While Phase 2 data were analysed to select
      doses for continued development, 71 additional patients were randomised. Phase 3
      enrolment stopped after 44 additional patients were randomised (1:1:1) to
      placebo, 2- or 4-mg/kg golimumab. Due to insufficient power for the Phase 3
      primary endpoint analysis (clinical response at week 6), efficacy analyses are
      considered exploratory and include all randomised patients. RESULTS: No dose
      response was observed in Phase 2; however, higher serum golimumab exposure was
      associated with greater proportions of patients achieving more favourable
      clinical outcomes, clinical response and greater improvement in Mayo scores
      compared with placebo-treated patients and those with lower serum concentrations.
      Among all randomised patients, numerically greater proportions were in clinical
      response at week 6 in the 2- and 4-mg/kg golimumab groups compared with placebo
      [44.0% (33/75) and 41.6% (32/77) vs. 30.1% (22/73)]. CONCLUSIONS: Efficacy with
      single-dose golimumab IV induction was lower than expected and less than observed
      in the SC induction study. No new safety findings were observed.
      ClinicalTrials.gov Number, NCT00488774.

PMID- 26119228
TI  - Complete reversion of anti-infliximab immunization by methotrexate combination in
      a patient with psoriasis.

PMID- 26119229
TI  - Association Between Older Age and Increasing Gleason Score.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In order to help inform the discussion about the risks versus
      benefits of prostate cancer screening among older men, we determined whether
      advanced age is associated with a higher probability of harboring high-grade or
      high-risk disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End
      Results (SEER) database was used to identify 383,039 men diagnosed with prostate
      cancer in 2004-2011. The percentage of patients diagnosed with low-, intermediate
      , or high-risk disease or a Gleason score of 6, 7, or 8 to 10 was calculated by
      age range. As a secondary analysis, we examined whether this relationship was
      different in 2010-2011 versus 2007-2008 (before and after the 2009 publication of
      screening trials). RESULTS: The probability of Gleason score 8 to 10 or high-risk
      disease increased significantly with increasing age. The percentage of Gleason
      score 8 to 10 disease among men ages 50 to 54, 70 to 74, and 80 to 84 years was
      8.9%, 16.2%, and 28.5%, respectively, and the percentage of high-risk disease was
      14.3%, 22.4%, and 38.7% (P < .001). There were similar relationships among men
      with stage T1c disease. In addition, older men experienced a significant increase
      in the relative probability of high-risk or high-grade disease from 2007-2008 to
      2010-2011. CONCLUSION: In this large US-based cohort, older men had a much higher
      probability of high-grade or high-risk prostate cancer. Physicians and patients
      should take into account the higher risk of more aggressive or advanced disease
      in older men when discussing the risks and benefits of prostate-specific antigen
      screening with healthy older men with a substantial life expectancy.

PMID- 26119230
TI  - Treatment Sequencing in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: A
      Clinical Commentary.

PMID- 26119231
TI  - Fragment-based similarity searching with infinite color space.
AB  - Fragment-based searching and abstract representation of molecular features
      through reduced graphs have separately been used for virtual screening. Here, we
      combine these two approaches and apply the algorithm RedFrag to virtual screens
      retrospectively and prospectively. It uses a new type of reduced graph that does
      not suffer from information loss during its construction and bypasses the
      necessity of feature definitions. Built upon chemical epitopes resulting from
      molecule fragmentation, the reduced graph embodies physico-chemical and 2D
      structural properties of a molecule. Reduced graphs are compared with a
      continuous-similarity-distance-driven maximal common subgraph algorithm, which
      calculates similarity at the fragmental and topological levels. The performance
      of the algorithm is evaluated by retrieval experiments utilizing precompiled
      validation sets. By predicting and experimentally testing ligands for
      endothiapepsin, a challenging model protease, the method is assessed in a
      prospective setting. Here, we identified five novel ligands with affinities as
      low as 2.08 MUM.

PMID- 26119232
TI  - The combined and second exposure effect of copper (II) and chlortetracycline on
      fresh water algae, Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Microcystis aeruginosa.
AB  - In the experiment, Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Microcystis aeruginosa were chosen
      to test the individual, combined and second exposure effect of Cu(2+) and
      chlortetracycline (CTC). The 96 h EC50s of each test were calculated, with the
      ranges of 0.972-15.6 MUmol/L (Cu(2+)), 29.5-102.5 MUmol/L (CTC), 14.4-78.9
      MUmol/L (mixture). The combined toxicities were evaluated with toxicity units
      (TU) method. The toxicity of complex of Cu(2+) and chlortetracycline was analyzed
      using concentration addition (CA) model. In the initial test, the combined effect
      of the two substances was partly additive to C. pyrenoidosa and antagonistic to
      M. aeruginosa, while in the second exposure test, the combined effect was
      synergistic to both algae. The biochemical indicators measured in the experiment
      included chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm), MDA content, SOD activity and content
      of soluble proteins. When under combined stress, the biochemical features of both
      algae were significantly different between the initial test and the second
      exposure test.

PMID- 26119233
TI  - Increase in intracellular Ca(2+) level by phenylsulfamide fungicides,
      tolylfluanid and dichlofluanid, in rat thymic lymphocytes.
AB  - Tolylfluanid, a phenylsulfamide fungicide, is one of the many pesticides that are
      frequently detected in crops. Therefore, its health risk is a concern. Micromolar
      concentrations of tolylfluanid induce chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei in
      mammalian lymphocytes. The findings prompted us to study the cellular actions of
      tolylfluanid and another frequently detected pesticide, dichlofluanid, at
      submicromolar and micromolar concentrations. Of the cellular actions of
      chemicals, the action on cellular Ca(2+) homeostasis is important since Ca(2+) is
      involved in cell signaling and death. Consequently, in this study, the effects of
      phenylsulfamide fungicides were examined on rat thymocytes by using fluorescent
      probes in order to further characterize the cellular actions of phenylsulfamide
      fungicides. Both phenylsulfamide fungicides exhibited biphasic, early and late,
      increase in intracellular Ca(2+) levels. The early phase was dependent on
      intracellular Ca(2+) release and increased membrane Ca(2+) permeability. The late
      phase was owing to Ca(2+) influx via activation of store-operated Ca(2+) channels
      and the further increase of membrane ionic permeability. Voltage-dependent Ca(2+)
      channels were not involved. The increases in intracellular Ca(2+) levels by
      phenylsulfamide fungicides were observed at drug concentrations of 0.1 MUM or
      more (up to 10 MUM). Thus, it is plausible that micromolar concentrations of
      phenylsulfamide fungicides deregulate intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis in rat
      thymocytes. Both phenylsulfamide fungicides at 10 MUM promoted the transition
      from intact living cells to living cells with phosphatidylserine-exposed
      membranes. This was not the case for phenylsulfamide fungicides at 3 MUM. The
      potency of tolylfluanid was similar to that of dichlofluanid. Although the
      information on residual concentrations of tolylfluanid and dichlofluanid is very
      limited, their residual concentrations do not reach micromolar levels. It is
      unlikely that humans will develop adverse effects on exposure to phenylsulfamide
      fungicides under present environmental conditions.

PMID- 26119234
TI  - Aspp1 Preserves Hematopoietic Stem Cell Pool Integrity and Prevents Malignant
      Transformation.
AB  - Quiescent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are prone to mutagenesis, and
      accumulation of mutations can result in hematological malignancies. The
      mechanisms through which HSCs prevent such detrimental accumulation, however, are
      unclear. Here, we show that Aspp1 coordinates with p53 to maintain the genomic
      integrity of the HSC pool. Aspp1 is preferentially expressed in HSCs and
      restricts HSC pool size by attenuating self-renewal under steady-state
      conditions. After genotoxic stress, Aspp1 promotes HSC cycling and induces p53
      dependent apoptosis in cells with persistent DNA damage foci. Beyond these p53
      dependent functions, Aspp1 attenuates HSC self-renewal and accumulation of DNA
      damage in p53 null HSCs. Consequently, concomitant loss of Aspp1 and p53 leads to
      the development of hematological malignancies, especially T cell leukemia and
      lymphoma. Together, these data highlight coordination between Aspp1 and p53 in
      regulating HSC self-renewal and DNA damage tolerance and suggest that HSCs
      possess specific mechanisms that prevent accumulation of mutations and malignant
      transformation. 

PMID- 26119235
TI  - Transcriptional Mechanisms of Proneural Factors and REST in Regulating Neuronal
      Reprogramming of Astrocytes.
AB  - Direct lineage reprogramming induces dramatic shifts in cellular identity,
      employing poorly understood mechanisms. Recently, we demonstrated that expression
      of Neurog2 or Ascl1 in postnatal mouse astrocytes generates glutamatergic or
      GABAergic neurons. Here, we take advantage of this model to study dynamics of
      neuronal cell fate acquisition at the transcriptional level. We found that
      Neurog2 and Ascl1 rapidly elicited distinct neurogenic programs with only a small
      subset of shared target genes. Within this subset, only NeuroD4 could by itself
      induce neuronal reprogramming in both mouse and human astrocytes, while co
      expression with Insm1 was required for glutamatergic maturation. Cultured
      astrocytes gradually became refractory to reprogramming, in part by the repressor
      REST preventing Neurog2 from binding to the NeuroD4 promoter. Notably, in
      astrocytes refractory to Neurog2 activation, the underlying neurogenic program
      remained amenable to reprogramming by exogenous NeuroD4. Our findings support a
      model of temporal hierarchy for cell fate change during neuronal reprogramming. 

PMID- 26119237
TI  - Chronic social isolation affects thigmotaxis and whole-brain serotonin levels in
      adult zebrafish.
AB  - The popularity of the zebrafish has been growing in behavioral brain research.
      Previously utilized mainly in developmental biology and genetics, the zebrafish
      has turned out to possess a complex behavioral repertoire. For example, it is a
      highly social species, and individuals form tight groups, a behavior called
      shoaling. Social isolation induced changes in brain function and behavior have
      been demonstrated in a variety of laboratory organisms. However, despite its
      highly social nature, the zebrafish has rarely been utilized in this research
      area. Here, we investigate the effects of chronic social isolation (lasting 90
      days) on locomotor activity and anxiety-related behaviors in an open tank. We
      also examine the effect of chronic social isolation on levels of whole-brain
      serotonin and dopamine and their metabolites. We found that long-term social
      deprivation surprisingly decreased anxiety-related behavious during open-tank
      testing but had no effect on locomotor activity. We also found that serotonin
      levels, decreased significantly in socially isolated fish, but levels of dopamine
      and metabolites of these neurotransmitters 5HIAA and DOPAC, respectively,
      remained unchanged. Our results imply that the standard high density housing
      employed in most zebrafish laboratories may not be the optimal way to keep these
      fish, and open a new avenue towards the analysis of the biological mechanisms of
      social behavior and of social deprivation induced changes in brain function using
      this simple vertebrate model organism.

PMID- 26119236
TI  - Generation of Cynomolgus Monkey Chimeric Fetuses using Embryonic Stem Cells.
AB  - Because of their similarity to humans, non-human primates are important models
      for studying human disease and developing therapeutic strategies. Establishment
      of chimeric animals using embryonic stem cells (ESCs) could help with these
      investigations, but has not so far been achieved. Here, we show that cynomolgus
      monkey ESCs (cESCs) grown in adjusted culture conditions are able to incorporate
      into host embryos and develop into chimeras with contribution in all three germ
      layers and in germ cell progenitors. Under the optimized culture conditions,
      which are based on an approach developed previously for naive human ESCs, the
      cESCs displayed altered growth properties, gene expression profiles, and self
      renewal signaling pathways, suggestive of an altered naive-like cell state. Thus
      our findings show that it is feasible to generate chimeric monkeys using ESCs and
      open up new avenues for the use of non-human primate models to study both
      pluripotency and human disease.

PMID- 26119238
TI  - Effect of selective and non-selective serotonin receptor activation on L-DOPA
      induced therapeutic efficacy and dyskinesia in parkinsonian rats.
AB  - Selective activation of 5-HT1 receptors has been shown to produce near to full
      suppression of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) in animal models of Parkinson's
      disease; however, a reduction of the therapeutic effect of L-DOPA has been
      reported in several studies. Conversely, we recently found that increasing the
      serotonergic tone with chronic administration of the serotonin precursor 5
      hydroxy-tryptophan (5-HTP) can reduce LID in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats, without
      affecting L-DOPA efficacy. To directly compare the effects of selective versus
      non-selective serotonin receptor activation, here we first tested different acute
      doses of the 5-HT1A/1B receptor agonist eltoprazine and 5-HTP on LID in order to
      identify doses of the individual compounds showing similar anti-dyskinetic
      efficacy in L-DOPA-primed dyskinetic rats. About 50% reduction of LID was
      observed with 0.1 mg/kg and 24 mg/kg of eltoprazine and 5-HTP, respectively; we
      then compared the effect of the two drugs, individually and in combination, on L
      DOPA-induced stepping test in L-DOPA-naive parkinsonian animals and LID over
      three weeks of L-DOPA treatment. Results showed that eltoprazine induced
      significant worsening of L-DOPA-mediated performance in the stepping test, while
      5-HTP did not. Interestingly, combination of 5-HTP with eltoprazine prevented the
      reduction in the forelimb use induced by eltoprazine. Moreover, 5-HTP and
      eltoprazine given individually showed similar efficacy also upon chronic
      treatment, and had additive effect in dampening the appearance of LID when given
      in combination. Finally, chronic administration of eltoprazine and/or 5-HTP did
      not affect striatal serotonin innervation, compared to l-DOPA alone, as measured
      by serotonin transporter expression.

PMID- 26119239
TI  - Potentiation of the expression of cocaine-induced sensitization by a conditioned
      stressor.
AB  - Repeated exposures to physical stressors cross-sensitize to the locomotor
      activating effects of psychostimulants in rodents. In the present study, we
      examined the effect of a conditioned stressor on expression of cocaine-induced
      sensitization in rats. We determined whether a mint odor cue previously paired
      with footshock stress (FS) would elicit a sensitized locomotor response in
      cocaine pre-exposed rats. Rats were given once daily injections of cocaine (30
      mg/kg, i.p.) or saline for 6 days in activity monitoring chambers. Subsequently,
      and in a different and distinct context, equal numbers of rats in each drug
      condition were exposed to 10 min of brief, intermittent FS or no FS, either in
      the presence or absence of the mint odor cue. Upon re-exposure to the activity
      chambers (in which cocaine exposures had been given), all rats previously exposed
      to cocaine showed robust conditioned locomotion. In response to a cocaine
      challenge (10 mg/kg, i.p.), cocaine relative to saline pre-exposed rats showed a
      sensitized locomotor response. Finally, in those cocaine pre-exposed rats that
      had been given prior odor-FS pairings, concurrent delivery of the cocaine
      challenge and presentation of the odor cue markedly potentiated the expression of
      sensitization. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a facilitation of
      cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization by a conditioned stressor.

PMID- 26119240
TI  - Behavioral effects of deep brain stimulation of different areas of the Papez
      circuit on memory- and anxiety-related functions.
AB  - Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has gained interest as a potential therapy for
      advanced treatment-resistant dementia. However, possible targets for DBS and the
      optimal stimulation parameters are not yet clear. Here, we compared the effects
      of DBS of the CA1 sub-region of the hippocampus, mammillothalamic tract, anterior
      thalamic nucleus, and entorhinal cortex in an experimental rat model of dementia.
      Rats with scopolamine-induced amnesia were assessed in the object location task
      with different DBS parameters. Moreover, anxiety-related side effects were
      evaluated in the elevated zero maze and open field. After sacrifice, we applied c
      Fos immunohistochemistry to assess which memory-related regions were affected by
      DBS. When comparing all structures, DBS of the entorhinal cortex and CA1 sub
      region was able to restore memory loss when a specific set of stimulation
      parameters was used. No anxiety-related side effects were found following DBS.
      The beneficial behavioral performance of CA1 DBS rats was accompanied with an
      activation of cells in the anterior cingulate gyrus. Therefore, we conclude that
      acute CA1 DBS restores memory loss possibly through improved attentional and
      cognitive processes in the limbic cortex. 

PMID- 26119241
TI  - Tunable Molecular Logic Gates Designed for Imaging Released Neurotransmitters.
AB  - Tunable dual-analyte fluorescent molecular logic gates (ExoSensors) were designed
      for the purpose of imaging select vesicular primary-amine neurotransmitters that
      are released from secretory vesicles upon exocytosis. ExoSensors are based on the
      coumarin-3-aldehyde scaffold and rely on both neurotransmitter binding and the
      change in environmental pH associated with exocytosis to afford a unique turn-on
      fluorescence output. A pH-functionality was directly integrated into the
      fluorophore pi-system of the scaffold, thereby allowing for an enhanced
      fluorescence output upon the release of labeled neurotransmitters. By altering
      the pH-sensitive unit with various electron-donating and -withdrawing sulfonamide
      substituents, we identified a correlation between the pKa of the pH-sensitive
      group and the fluorescence output from the activated fluorophore. In doing so, we
      achieved a twelvefold fluorescence enhancement upon evaluating the ExoSensors
      under conditions that mimic exocytosis. ExoSensors are aptly suited to serve as
      molecular imaging tools that allow for the direct visualization of only the
      neurotransmitters that are released from secretory vesicles upon exocytosis. 

PMID- 26119242
TI  - Nanostructured conductive polymers for advanced energy storage.
AB  - Conductive polymers combine the attractive properties associated with
      conventional polymers and unique electronic properties of metals or
      semiconductors. Recently, nanostructured conductive polymers have aroused
      considerable research interest owing to their unique properties over their bulk
      counterparts, such as large surface areas and shortened pathways for charge/mass
      transport, which make them promising candidates for broad applications in energy
      conversion and storage, sensors, actuators, and biomedical devices. Numerous
      synthetic strategies have been developed to obtain various conductive polymer
      nanostructures, and high-performance devices based on these nanostructured
      conductive polymers have been realized. This Tutorial review describes the
      synthesis and characteristics of different conductive polymer nanostructures;
      presents the representative applications of nanostructured conductive polymers as
      active electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors and lithium-ion
      batteries and new perspectives of functional materials for next-generation high
      energy batteries, meanwhile discusses the general design rules, advantages, and
      limitations of nanostructured conductive polymers in the energy storage field;
      and provides new insights into future directions. 

PMID- 26119243
TI  - Rapid differentiation of mycobacteria by simplex real-time PCR with melting
      temperature calling analysis.
AB  - AIMS: This study aimed to develop a rapid, simple and cost-effective method for
      the differentiation of Mycobacterium species. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 80
      clinical mycobacterial isolates belonging to 12 different species and 16
      reference strains of 16 different species were differentiated by the simplex real
      time PCR coupled with melting temperature calling analysis. By comparing their
      melting profiles with those of the reference strains, all clinical mycobacterial
      isolates were differentiated as Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex or
      nontuberculous mycobacteria, and the latter were further divided into five
      groups. In comparison with 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer sequencing method
      as the gold standard method, both sensitivity and specificity of the assay were
      100% when it was used for the differentiation between Myco. tuberculosis complex
      and nontuberculous mycobacteria. CONCLUSIONS: The simplex real-time PCR coupled
      with melting temperature calling analysis could be an alternative method for the
      differentiation between Myco. tuberculosis complex and nontuberculous
      mycobacteria. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Rapid differentiation of
      mycobacteria could shorten the diagnostic time of mycobacterial diseases. It is
      also helpful for achieving optimal therapy and appropriate patient management.

PMID- 26119244
TI  - Peripheral arterial disease decreases muscle torque and functional walking
      capacity in elderly.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to compare values of force-velocity and
      functional walking capacity in elderly patients with intermittent claudication
      with respect to the control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 135
      individuals: 85-peripheral arterial disease (PAD) group diagnosed with stage II
      chronic lower limb ischemia, according to Fontaine's classification, and 50
      control group. The studies included an assessment of walking capacity using a six
      minute walk test (6MWT) and measurement of force-velocity parameters (peak torque
      PTQ, total work-TW, average power-AVGP) of the lower limbs obtained by means of a
      functional dynamometry under isokinetic conditions. RESULTS: The peripheral
      arterial disease group is characterized by significantly lower values of force
      velocity parameters compared to the control group (p<0.005). Walking capacity in
      this group is significantly reduced due to significant differences in the
      distance covered (p<0.0001), walking speed (p<0.01), and its intensity (p<0.01).
      Further, a positive correlation was found between the maximum distance specified
      in the six-minute walk test and lower limb muscle strength in the isokinetic
      test. CONCLUSIONS: Mean values of all force-velocity parameters and walk distance
      were significantly higher in the control group than in the peripheral arterial
      disease group. In the PAD group, in both men and women, the value of the
      agonist/antagonist ratio of both lower limbs are lower in men and women comparing
      to the control group. A rehabilitation program for patients with intermittent
      claudication must consider exercises improving strength, exercise capacity, and
      endurance in patients with PAD.

PMID- 26119245
TI  - The pathogenic role of the inflammasome in neurodegenerative diseases.
AB  - The inflammasome is a large macromolecular complex that contains multiple copies
      of a receptor or sensor of pathogen-derived or damage-derived molecular patterns,
      pro-caspase-1, and an adaptor called ASC (apoptotic speck containing protein with
      a CARD), which results in caspase-1 maturation. Caspase-1 then mediates the
      release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1beta and IL-18. These cytokines
      play critical roles in mediating immune responses during inflammation and innate
      immunity. Broader studies of the inflammasome over the years have implicated
      their roles in the pathogenesis of a variety of inflammatory diseases. Recently,
      studies have shown that the inflammasome modulates neuroinflammatory cells and
      the initial stages of neuroinflammation. A secondary cascade of events associated
      with neuroinflammation (such as oxidative stress) has been shown to activate the
      inflammasome, making the inflammasome a promising therapeutic target in the
      modulation of neurodegenerative diseases. This review will focus on the
      pathogenic role that inflammasomes play in neurologic diseases such as
      Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, and multiple sclerosis. We here
      review the role of the inflammasome in the pathogenesis of traumatic brain injury
      (TBI). TBI is initiated by physical force exerted to head, resulting in neuronal
      injury and death. Primary insult is followed by a secondary cascade of events
      following neuroinflammation such as mitochondrial dysfunction, production of
      reactive oxygen species, potassium effluxes, and release of circulating DNA.
      These events can potentially trigger the activation of NLRP3, NLRP1, and AIM2
      during TBI but have yet to be confirmed (dashed lines). NLRP3, NLRP1, and AIM2
      associate with the adaptor protein ASC, which initiates the cleavage of pro
      caspase-1 to the mature form of caspase-1 which cleaves pro-IL-1beta and pro-IL
      18 into their mature forms of IL-1beta and IL-18. 

PMID- 26119246
TI  - Complex structural dynamics of nanocatalysts revealed in Operando conditions by
      correlated imaging and spectroscopy probes.
AB  - Understanding how heterogeneous catalysts change size, shape and structure during
      chemical reactions is limited by the paucity of methods for studying catalytic
      ensembles in working state, that is, in operando conditions. Here by a correlated
      use of synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy and scanning transmission
      electron microscopy in operando conditions, we quantitatively describe the
      complex structural dynamics of supported Pt catalysts exhibited during an
      exemplary catalytic reaction-ethylene hydrogenation. This work exploits a
      microfabricated catalytic reactor compatible with both probes. The results
      demonstrate dynamic transformations of the ensemble of Pt clusters that spans a
      broad size range throughout changing reaction conditions. This method is
      generalizable to quantitative operando studies of complex systems using a wide
      variety of X-ray and electron-based experimental probes. 

PMID- 26119247
TI  - Stacked and H-Bonded Cytosine Dimers. Analysis of the Intermolecular Interaction
      Energies by Parallel Quantum Chemistry and Polarizable Molecular Mechanics.
AB  - Until now, atomistic simulations of DNA and RNA and their complexes have been
      executed using well calibrated but conceptually simple pair-additive empirical
      potentials (force fields). Although such simulations provided many valuable
      results, it is well established that simple force fields also introduce errors
      into the description, underlying the need for development of alternative
      anisotropic, polarizable molecular mechanics (APMM) potentials. One of the most
      abundant forces in all kinds of nucleic acids topologies is base stacking. Intra-
      and interstrand stacking is assumed to be the most essential factor affecting
      local conformational variations of B-DNA. However, stacking also contributes to
      formation of all kinds of noncanonical nucleic acids structures, such as
      quadruplexes or folded RNAs. The present study focuses on 14 stacked cytosine
      (Cyt) dimers and the doubly H-bonded dimer. We evaluate the extent to which an
      APMM procedure, SIBFA, could account quantitatively for the results of high-level
      quantum chemistry (QC) on the total interaction energies, and the individual
      energy contributions and their nonisotropic behaviors. Good agreements are found
      at both uncorrelated HF and correlated DFT and CCSD(T) levels. Resorting in SIBFA
      to distributed QC multipoles and to an explicit representation of the lone pairs
      is essential to respectively account for the anisotropies of the Coulomb and of
      the exchange-repulsion QC contributions. 

PMID- 26119249
TI  - Using 'appreciative inquiry' in India to improve infection control practices in
      maternity care: a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infections acquired during childbirth are a common cause of maternal
      and perinatal mortality and morbidity. Changing provider behaviour and
      organisational settings within the health system is key to reducing the spread of
      infection. OBJECTIVE: To explore the opinions of health personnel on health
      system factors related to infection control and their perceptions of change in a
      sample of hospital maternity units. DESIGN: An organisational change process
      called 'appreciative inquiry' (AI) was introduced in three maternity units of
      hospitals in Gujarat, India. AI is a change process that builds on recognition of
      positive actions, behaviours, and attitudes. In-depth interviews were conducted
      with health personnel to elicit information on the environment within which they
      work, including physical and organisational factors, motivation, awareness,
      practices, perceptions of their role, and other health system factors related to
      infection control activities. Data were obtained from three hospitals which
      implemented AI and another three not involved in the intervention. RESULTS:
      Challenges which emerged included management processes (e.g. decision-making and
      problem-solving modalities), human resource shortages, and physical
      infrastructure (e.g. space, water, and electricity supplies). AI was perceived as
      having a positive influence on infection control practices. Respondents also said
      that management processes improved although some hospitals had already undergone
      an accreditation process which could have influenced the changes described.
      Participants reported that team relationships had been strengthened due to AI.
      CONCLUSION: Technical knowledge is often emphasised in health care settings and
      less attention is paid to factors such as team relationships, leadership, and
      problem solving. AI can contribute to improving infection control by catalysing
      and creating forums for team building, shared decision making and problem solving
      in an enabling environment.

PMID- 26119250
TI  - Are human hands and feet affected by climate? A test of Allen's rule.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In recent years, several studies have shown that populations from
      cold, high-latitude regions tend to have relatively shorter limbs than
      populations from tropical regions, with most of the difference due to the
      relative length of the zeugopods (i.e., radius, ulna, tibia, fibula). This
      pattern has been explained either as the consequence of long-term climatic
      selection or of phenotypic plasticity, with temperature having a direct effect on
      bone growth during development. The aims of this study were to test whether this
      pattern of intra-limb proportions extended to the bones of the hands and feet,
      and to determine whether the pattern remained significant after taking into
      account the effects of neutral evolutionary processes related to population
      history. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Measurements of the limb bones, including the
      first metatarsal and metacarpal, were collected for 393 individuals from 10
      globally distributed human populations. The relationship between intra-limb
      indices and minimum temperature was tested using generalized least squares
      regression, correcting for spatial autocorrelation. RESULTS: The results
      confirmed previous observations of a temperature-related gradient in intra-limb
      proportions, even accounting for population history. This pattern extends to the
      hands, with populations from cold regions displaying a relatively shorter and
      stockier first metacarpal; however, the first metatarsal appears to be wider but
      not shorter in cold-adapted populations. DISCUSSION: The results suggest that
      climatic adaptation played a role in shaping variation in limb proportions
      between human populations. The different patterns shown by the hands and feet
      might be due to the presence of evolutionary constraints on the foot to maintain
      efficient bipedal locomotion.

PMID- 26119251
TI  - Single layers of WS2 nanoplates embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers as
      anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.
AB  - Single layers of WS2 nanoplates are uniformly embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon
      nanofibers (WS2@NCNFs) via a facile electrospinning method. Crystallization of
      the single-layered WS2 nanoplates and in situ nitrogen doping into the carbon
      nanofibers were simultaneously accomplished during a two-step heat treatment. The
      distinctive structure of the WS2@NCNFs enables outstanding electrochemical
      performances. 

PMID- 26119253
TI  - Spatial analysis of exposure to traffic-related air pollution at birth and
      childhood atopic asthma in Toronto, Ontario.
AB  - Findings from the Toronto Child Health Evaluation Questionnaire (TCHEQ) study
      indicate that early childhood exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is
      related to the onset of atopic childhood asthma. To test this hypothesis further,
      we investigated whether spatial patterns in the birth neighbourhood of TCHEQ
      subjects with atopic asthma (136 of 909 schoolchildren in grades 1-2) could be
      explained by TRAP and other risk factors. If a causal relationship exists between
      early childhood residential exposure to TRAP and the development of atopic
      asthma, we hypothesise that (1) clusters of current asthma should exist around
      the place of residence at birth, and (2) accounting for residential
      concentrations of TRAP at birth should explain some of the autocorrelation.
      Several high asthma clusters were observed. Adjusting for TRAP completely
      explained one cluster; elsewhere, clusters were only partially explained by TRAP.
      Findings suggest that exposure during early childhood to TRAP in Toronto is an
      important contributor to the development of the atopic asthma phenotype and
      reveal the likely importance of other risk factors not measured in the fixed
      effects of the model. 

PMID- 26119252
TI  - Let there be bioluminescence: development of a biophotonic imaging platform for
      in situ analyses of oral biofilms in animal models.
AB  - In the current study, we describe a novel biophotonic imaging-based reporter
      system that is particularly useful for the study of virulence in polymicrobial
      infections and interspecies interactions within animal models. A suite of
      luciferase enzymes was compared using three early colonizing species of the human
      oral flora (Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus
      sanguinis) to determine the utility of the different reporters for multiplexed
      imaging studies in vivo. Using the multiplex approach, we were able to track
      individual species within a dual-species oral infection model in mice with both
      temporal and spatial resolution. We also demonstrate how biophotonic imaging of
      multiplexed luciferase reporters could be adapted for real-time quantification of
      bacterial gene expression in situ. By creating an inducible dual-luciferase
      expressing reporter strain of S. mutans, we were able to exogenously control and
      measure expression of nlmAB (encoding the bacteriocin mutacin IV) within mice to
      assess its importance for the persistence ability of S. mutans in the oral
      cavity. The imaging system described in the current study circumvents many of the
      inherent limitations of current animal model systems, which should now make it
      feasible to test hypotheses that were previously impractical to model.

PMID- 26119254
TI  - Anticipation of electric shocks modulates low beta power and event-related fields
      during memory encoding.
AB  - In humans, the temporal and oscillatory dynamics of pain anticipation and its
      effects on long-term memory are largely unknown. Here, we investigated this open
      question by using a previously established behavioral paradigm in combination
      with magnetoencephalography (MEG). Healthy human subjects encoded a series of
      scene images, which was combined with cues predicting an aversive electric shock
      with different probabilities (0.2, 0.5 or 0.8). After encoding, memory for the
      studied images was tested using a remember/know recognition task. Behaviorally,
      pain anticipation did not modulate recollection-based recognition memory per se,
      but interacted with the perceived unpleasantness of the electric shock [visual
      analogue scale rating from 1 (not unpleasant) to 10 (highly unpleasant)]. More
      precisely, the relationship between pain anticipation and recollection followed
      an inverted u-shaped function the more unpleasant the shocks were rated by a
      subject. At the physiological level, this quadratic effect was mimicked in the
      event-related magnetic fields associated with successful memory formation ('DM
      effect') ~450ms after image onset at left frontal sensors. Importantly, across
      all subjects, shock anticipation modulated oscillatory power in the low beta
      frequency range (13-20Hz) in a linear fashion at left temporal sensors. Taken
      together, our findings indicate that beta oscillations provide a generic
      mechanism underlying pain anticipation; the effect on subsequent long-term
      memory, on the other hand, is much more variable and depends on the level of
      individual pain perception. As such, our findings give new and important insights
      into how aversive motivational states can drive memory formation. 

PMID- 26119255
TI  - Readout-segmented echo-planar imaging in diffusion-weighted MR imaging of acute
      infarction of the brainstem and posterior fossa: comparison of single-shot echo
      planar diffusion-weighted sequences.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of
      readout-segmented echo-planar imaging (rs-EPI) in the diagnosis of acute
      infarction of the brainstem and posterior fossa, by comparing its results with
      those of single-shot echo-planar imaging (ss-EPI) at 3-T magnetic resonance
      imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with acute infarctions of
      the brainstem and posterior fossa underwent both ss-EPI and rs-EPI. Two readers
      independently assessed two sets of diffusion-weighted (DW) images for the
      qualitative comparison of image quality. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), lesion
      contrast, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated for the assessment of
      image parameters. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the
      conspicuity of acute infarction upon qualitative comparison; however,
      distinctions of anatomical structures, susceptibility artifact, the presence of
      uncertain high signal intensity in the brain parenchyma, and overall image
      quality were significantly better in rs-EPI DW images. There were no significant
      differences in SNR, lesion contrast, CNR, and apparent diffusion coefficient
      values of acute infarction and normal thalamus between rs-EPI and ss-EPI.
      CONCLUSION: rs-EPI DWI is a clinically useful technique for evaluating lesions in
      the brainstem and posterior fossa by producing high-resolution DW images with
      reduced susceptibility artifact. However, there are no significant differences in
      the conspicuity of acute infarctions in the brainstem and posterior fossa between
      rs-EPI and ss-EPI.

PMID- 26119256
TI  - Ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric block used to rescue ineffective transversus
      abdominis plane block after cesarean delivery.

PMID- 26119257
TI  - Scleroderma and pulmonary hypertension complicating two pregnancies: use of
      neuraxial anesthesia, general anesthesia, epoprostenol and a multidisciplinary
      approach for cesarean delivery.
AB  - Literature regarding the anesthetic care of patients with scleroderma during
      labor and delivery is limited to remote case reports. No recent publications
      provide information on the anesthetic management of patients with coexisting
      pulmonary hypertension. This report describes the anesthetic and
      multidisciplinary management of two pregnant patients with concomitant
      scleroderma and pulmonary hypertension undergoing cesarean delivery; one with
      neuraxial anesthesia and one with general anesthesia. Considerations for
      neuraxial and general anesthesia in patients with concurrent scleroderma and
      pulmonary hypertension are discussed. 

PMID- 26119258
TI  - A systematic review of the effects of adding neostigmine to local anesthetics for
      neuraxial administration in obstetric anesthesia and analgesia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Drugs used in obstetric patients must accomplish two goals: efficacy
      and safety for both mother and fetus. Neostigmine has been co-administered
      epidurally and intrathecally with local anesthetics and other adjuncts in the
      obstetric setting. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy and
      incidence of adverse events related to the use of neostigmine in obstetric
      anesthesia. METHODS: A meta-analysis of randomized-controlled human trials was
      conducted using the data sources Google Scholar and PubMed (updated 1 November
      2014). Inclusion criteria were: random allocation to treatment; comparison of
      neostigmine or neostigmine with local anesthetics and/or other adjuvants versus
      placebo or placebo with local anesthetics and/or other adjuvants; and approval by
      an ethics committee. RESULTS: The use of neostigmine as an adjuvant in neuraxial
      anesthesia is associated with a reduction in the dose of local anesthetic during
      labor analgesia and postoperative analgesia following cesarean section: mean
      reduction of local anesthetic (ropivacaine or bupivacaine) vs. control -4.08 (95%
      CI -6.7 to -1.5) mg/h (P=0.002). The risk of nausea was increased vs. control
      with intrathecal neostigmine (OR 8.99 [95% CI 4.74 to 17.05], P <0.001) but not
      with epidural neostigmine (OR 0.97 [95% CI 0.46 to 2.05], P=0.94). Use of
      neuraxial neostigmine was associated with a decrease in the risk of pruritus but
      there was no increase in the incidence of hypotension, dizziness or sedation and
      no effect on the incidence of abnormal fetal heart rate patterns or Apgar scores.
      CONCLUSIONS: Neuraxial administration of neostigmine significantly reduces local
      anesthetic consumption without serious adverse side effects to the mother or
      fetus. However, neostigmine is only recommended for epidural administration as
      intrathecal use significantly increases the incidence of maternal nausea and
      vomiting.

PMID- 26119259
TI  - Chronic adhesive arachnoiditis after repeat epidural blood patch.
AB  - Epidural blood patching is an effective treatment for postdural puncture headache
      but has potential risks. Arachnoiditis is a very rare disabling condition and few
      cases have been described following an epidural blood patch. We present a case of
      chronic adhesive arachnoiditis in a parturient treated with a repeat epidural
      blood patch. A healthy 29-year-old woman had an accidental dural puncture
      following epidural insertion during labour. Initial treatment of postdural
      puncture headache with an epidural blood patch was ineffective and was therefore
      repeated. She gradually developed severe neurological symptoms consistent with
      arachnoiditis confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging. Despite intensive
      multimodal treatment with analgesics and physiotherapy, her neurological
      condition remains unresolved two years later. This serious but rare complication
      should encourage caution when treating parturients with postdural puncture
      headache with a repeat epidural blood patch. 

PMID- 26119260
TI  - The impact of poor psychosocial work environment on non-work-related sickness
      absence.
AB  - PURPOSE: We aimed to analyse the impact of psychosocial work environment on non
      work-related sickness absence (NWRSA) among a prospective cohort study,
      stratified using a random sampling technique. METHODS: Psychosocial variables
      were assessed among 15,643 healthy workers using a brief version of the Spanish
      adaptation of Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. A one year follow-up
      assessed the total count of NWRSA days. Zero-inflated negative binomial
      regression was used for multivariate analyses. RESULTS: After adjusting for
      covariates, low levels of job control and possibilities for development (Odds
      Ratio [OR]: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.01-1.36 [men]; OR: 1.39 95% CI: 1.09-1.77 [women]),
      poor social support and quality of leadership (OR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.11-1.50 [men];
      OR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.01-1.63 [women]), and poor rewards (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.14
      1.57 [men]; OR: 1.30; 95% CI: 1.01-1.66 [women]) predicted a total count of
      sickness absence greater than zero, in both men and women. Double presence was
      also significantly associated with NWRSA different than 0, but only among women
      (OR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.08-1.81). Analyses found no association between psychosocial
      risk factors at work and the total count (i.e., number of days) of sickness
      absences. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that work-related psychosocial factors
      may increase the likelihood of initiating an NWRSA episode, but were not
      associated with the length of the sickness absence episode. Among our large
      cohort we observed that some associations were gender-dependent, suggesting that
      future research should consider gender when designing psychosocial interventions
      aimed at decreasing sickness absences.

PMID- 26119261
TI  - Parasitic helminths and their beneficial impact on type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
AB  - It is estimated that by the year 2035 almost 600 million people will suffer from
      diabetes. In the case of type 2 diabetes, the strongest increase of diabetes
      incidence occurs in developing and newly industrialized countries. This increase
      correlates not only with a progressing sedentary lifestyle and nutritional
      changes, but also environmental changes. Similarly, the increase of type 1
      diabetes incidence in industrialized countries over the past decades cannot be
      explained by genetic factors alone, suggesting that environmental changes are
      also involved. One such environmental change is a reduced exposure to pathogens
      because of improved hygiene. Parasitic helminths modulate the immune system of
      their hosts and induce type 2 as well as regulatory immune responses. As pro
      inflammatory immune responses are crucial for the onset of both type 1 and type 2
      diabetes, helminth-induced immunomodulation may prevent diabetes onset and
      ameliorate insulin sensitivity. Several epidemiological studies in human and
      experimental animal models support such a protective effect of helminths for
      autoimmune diabetes. Recent studies further suggest that helminths may also
      provide such a beneficial effect for type 2 diabetes. In this review we summarize
      studies that investigated parasitic helminths and helminth-derived products and
      their impact on both type 1 and type 2 diabetes highlighting potential protective
      mechanisms.

PMID- 26119263
TI  - Trait rumination moderates the effect of mentation type on heart rate responses
      to stressor recall.
AB  - Ruminative thought about stressors has been linked to extended post-stressor
      cardiovascular activation, which in turn predicts negative long-term health
      outcomes. Past work indicates that the nature of thought (mental imagery or
      verbal thought) may shape cardiovascular responses. Some evidence suggests that
      individuals with rumination tendencies may be especially vulnerable to stress
      related cardiovascular activation, although it is unclear to what extent type of
      thought (imagery or verbal thought) influences this relationship. This study
      included a laboratory stressor followed by a stressor recall task in which
      mentation type was manipulated. Healthy undergraduate students (N = 138; 47%
      female) underwent a speech stressor and then were randomly assigned to complete a
      stressor recall task using either mental imagery or verbal-linguistic mentation.
      Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were measured throughout. Self-report
      trait rumination was measured at baseline. Results indicated that trait
      rumination and mentation type interacted to predict HR. Individuals with high
      trait rumination scores had significantly greater increases in HR during the
      verbal-linguistic conditions compared to the mental imagery conditions. There
      were no mentation type differences in the low trait ruminators, no differences in
      BP and no main effects of trait rumination. Results suggest that mentation type
      may be a key in understanding the relationship between rumination and
      cardiovascular activation, especially for trait ruminators. 

PMID- 26119262
TI  - A Cell-Permeable ATP Analogue for Kinase-Catalyzed Biotinylation.
AB  - ATP analogues have been powerful compounds for the study of kinase-catalyzed
      phosphorylation. However, the cell impermeability of ATP analogues has largely
      limited their use to in vitro lysate-based experiments. Herein, we report the
      first cell-permeable ATP analogue, ATP-polyamine-biotin (APB). APB is shown to
      promote biotin labeling of kinase substrates in live cells and has future
      applications in phosphoprotein purification and analysis. More generally, these
      studies provide a foundation for the development of additional cell-permeable ATP
      analogues for cell-signaling research.

PMID- 26119264
TI  - Paleo-soraphens: chemical total syntheses and biological studies.
AB  - The soraphens are natural products that exhibit a molecular structure different
      from what would have been expected by following its polyketidal assembly line.
      The most significant differences are the presence of a hemiketal instead of a
      trisubstituted double bond and a double bond at C9 and C10 where a saturated
      carbon chain was expected. We were interested in the biological activity of the
      soraphens with architectures as described by the polyketide synthase since we
      hypothesized that these modifications reflect the evolutionary optimization of
      the soraphens. Herein we describe four additional derivatives of the so-called
      paleo-soraphens and their biological profiling to provide a picture of the
      hypothetical evolutionary optimization of this family of natural products. The
      syntheses required a unified and convergent strategy and their biological
      profiling was performed with the aid of impedance measurements. The results of
      these biological experiments are consistent with the proposed evolutionary
      optimization of the soraphens. 

PMID- 26119265
TI  - Monitoring a CuO gas sensor at work: an advanced in situ X-ray absorption
      spectroscopy study.
AB  - X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and electrical measurements were
      used to elucidate the local structure and electronic changes of copper(II) oxide
      (CuO) nanostructures under working conditions. For this purpose, a sample holder
      layout was developed enabling the simultaneous analysis of the spectroscopic and
      electrical properties of the sensor material under identical operating
      conditions. The influence of different carrier gases (e.g., air and N2) on the
      CuO nanostructures behavior under reducing conditions (H2 gas) was studied to
      analyze how a particular gas atmosphere can modify the oxidation state of the
      sensor material in real time.

PMID- 26119266
TI  - Screening wild and semi-free ranging great apes for putative sexually transmitted
      diseases: Evidence of Trichomonadidae infections.
AB  - Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can persist endemically, are known to cause
      sterility and infant mortality in humans, and could have similar impacts in
      wildlife populations. African apes (i.e., chimpanzees, bonobos, and to a lesser
      extent gorillas) show multi-male mating behavior that could offer opportunities
      for STD transmission, yet little is known about the prevalence and impact of STDs
      in this endangered primate group. We used serology and PCR-based detection
      methods to screen biological samples from wild and orphaned eastern chimpanzees
      and gorillas (N = 172 individuals, including adults, and juveniles) for four
      classes of pathogens that either commonly cause human STDs or were previously
      detected in captive apes: trichomonads, Chlamydia spp., Treponema pallidum
      (syphilis and yaws), and papillomaviruses. Based on results from prior modeling
      and comparative research, we expected STD prevalence to be highest in females
      versus males and in sexually mature versus immature individuals. All samples were
      negative for Chlamydia, Treponema pallidum, and papillomaviruses; however, a high
      percentage of wild chimpanzee urine and fecal samples showed evidence of
      trichomonads (protozoa). Analysis revealed that females were more likely than
      males to have positive urine-but not fecal-samples; however, there was no
      evidence of age (sexual maturity) differences in infection status. Sequence
      analysis of chimpanzee trichomonad samples revealed a close relationship to
      previously described trichomonads within the genus Tetratrichomonas. Phylogenetic
      comparisons to archived sequences from multiple vertebrate hosts suggests that
      many of the chimpanzee parasites from our study are likely transmitted via fecal
      oral contact, but the transmission of some Tetratrichomonas sequence-types
      remains unknown and could include sexual contact. Our work emphasizes that only a
      fraction of infectious agents affecting wild apes are presently known to science,
      and that further work on great ape STDs could offer insights for the management
      of endangered great apes and for understanding human STD origins.

PMID- 26119267
TI  - Body diffusion kurtosis imaging: Basic principles, applications, and
      considerations for clinical practice.
AB  - Technologic advances enable performance of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) at
      ultrahigh b-values, where standard monoexponential model analysis may not apply.
      Rather, non-Gaussian water diffusion properties emerge, which in cellular tissues
      are, in part, influenced by the intracellular environment that is not well
      evaluated by conventional DWI. The novel technique, diffusion kurtosis imaging
      (DKI), enables characterization of non-Gaussian water diffusion behavior. More
      advanced mathematical curve fitting of the signal intensity decay curve using the
      DKI model provides an additional parameter Kapp that presumably reflects
      heterogeneity and irregularity of cellular microstructure, as well as the amount
      of interfaces within cellular tissues. Although largely applied for neural
      applications over the past decade, a small number of studies have recently
      explored DKI outside the brain. The most investigated organ is the prostate, with
      preliminary studies suggesting improved tumor detection and grading using DKI.
      Although still largely in the research phase, DKI is being explored in wider
      clinical settings. When assessing extracranial applications of DKI, careful
      attention to details with which body radiologists may currently be unfamiliar is
      important to ensure reliable results. Accordingly, a robust understanding of DKI
      is necessary for radiologists to better understand the meaning of DKI-derived
      metrics in the context of different tumors and how these metrics vary between
      tumor types and in response to treatment. In this review, we outline DKI
      principles, propose biostructural basis for observations, provide a comparison
      with standard monoexponential fitting and the apparent diffusion coefficient,
      report on extracranial clinical investigations to date, and recommend technical
      considerations for implementation in body imaging.

PMID- 26119268
TI  - A case of intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasm of pancreas with severe
      calcification, a potential pitfall in diagnostic imaging.
AB  - We experienced a case of intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasms (ITPN) of the
      pancreas with severe calcification, which complicated image diagnosis. A pancreas
      head tumor was detected in a Japanese female in her 50s. Early enhancement by
      contrast-enhanced CT and coarse calcification suggested a neuroendocrine tumor,
      although the obstruction and dilation of the main pancreatic duct appeared to be
      an intraductal tumor. An endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration
      biopsy specimen revealed adenocarcinoma tissue. Pancreaticoduodenectomy was
      performed, and the patient has been well without evidence of recurrence for over
      10 months. Pathological examination on the resected specimen revealed that the
      tumor showed papillary and tubulo-cribriform growth patterns. Together with
      typical immunohistochemical results, the final diagnosis of ITPN was made.
      Characteristically, this case showed extensive calcification of both psammoma
      body-type and non psammoma body-type with foamy macrophage aggregation. This is
      the first report of ITPN with two types of calcification and macrophage. Since
      calcification might be one of the characteristic histological findings in ITPN as
      shown in our case, the possibility of ITPN should be also considered when
      calcification is detected in pancreatic lesions by various imaging modalities. 

PMID- 26119270
TI  - Spleen function after preservation in a physiological solution.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the morphology and function
      of implanted autogenous spleen tissue after 24 h of preservation in a
      physiological solution. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-five male rats were divided
      into seven groups (n = 5): group 1, without surgical procedure; group 2, total
      splenectomy; group 3, total splenectomy and immediate implant of autogenous
      spleen tissue; group 4, total splenectomy and preservation of the entire spleen
      in lactated Ringer solution at room temperature for 24 h, followed by spleen
      sectioning and implantation; group 5, total splenectomy, followed by spleen
      sectioning and preservation in lactated Ringer solution at room temperature for
      24 h and subsequent implantation of the slices; group 6, total splenectomy and
      preservation of the entire spleen in lactated Ringer solution at 4 degrees C for
      24 h, followed by spleen sectioning and implantation; and group 7, total
      splenectomy, the spleen was sliced and preserved in lactate Ringer solution at 4
      degrees C for 24 h, followed by implantation of the slices. After 90 d,
      scintigraphic studies using sulfur colloid labeled with 99mTc of the liver,
      lungs, spleen, implants, and a blood clot were performed. Hematological
      (erythrogram, leukogram, and platelets) and histologic studies were carried out.
      RESULTS: The autogenous splenic implants regenerated in all animals that received
      those implants preserved at 4 degrees C and immediately after excision. The
      scintigraphic study showed a better phagocytic function in groups 1, 3, 6, and 7.
      No difference was observed in the hematological study. CONCLUSIONS: Spleen tissue
      preserved in lactated Ringer solution at 4 degrees C for 24 h maintains its
      vitality and capacity to recover hematological and phagocytic functions.

PMID- 26119269
TI  - Adverse Outcome Pathways and Drug-Induced Liver Injury Testing.
AB  - Drug-induced liver injury is a prominent reason for premarketing and
      postmarketing drug withdrawal and can be manifested in a number of ways, such as
      cholestasis, steatosis, and fibrosis. The mechanisms driving these toxicological
      processes have been well characterized and have been emdedded in adverse outcome
      pathway frameworks in recent years. This review evaluates these constructs and
      simultaneously illustrates their use in the preclinical testing of drug-induced
      liver injury. 

PMID- 26119271
TI  - Warming barium sulfate improves esophageal leak detection in pig model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Barium esophagograms have poor sensitivity in detecting leaks. We
      hypothesized that heating barium would decrease viscosity, facilitate
      extravasation, and enhance its sensitivity in detecting esophageal leaks.
      METHODS: We characterized the viscosity of barium at increasing temperatures. We
      measured the radiopacity of barium at 25 degrees C and 50 degrees C. We
      determined the smallest diameter defect in esophagus that barium can detect by
      perforating a porcine esophageal segment with angiocatheters of various
      diameters, injecting barium at 25 degrees C, and observing extravasation of
      contrast. We repeated this with barium heated to 30 degrees C, 40 degrees C, 50
      degrees C, and 70 degrees C. To determine the ability of barium to detect a
      staple line leak, we perforated a stapled esophageal segment by air insufflation,
      injected barium at different temperatures, and monitored extravasation. We used
      Visipaque, a water-soluble contrast agent, for comparison in all experiments.
      RESULTS: The viscosity of barium decreased with increasing temperature. The
      radiopacity of barium did not change with increasing temperature and was higher
      than that of Visipaque (P < 0.001). The size of the smallest detectable leak
      decreased from 2.1 mm with barium at 25 degrees C to 1.3 mm at 40 degrees C and
      1.1 mm with Visipaque (P < 0.0001). The sensitivity of staple line leak detection
      increased from 0% for barium at 25 degrees C to 80% (P = 0.02) with barium at 40
      degrees C. There was no significant difference in sensitivity between barium at
      40 degrees C and Visipaque. CONCLUSIONS: Barium warmed to 40 degrees C offers the
      best sensitivity of esophageal leak detection without compromising radiopacity.
      Barium at 40 degrees C may be the optimum choice for swallow study to detect
      esophageal leaks.

PMID- 26119272
TI  - Circulating CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells in colorectal cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor initiating cells are a small subset of cancer cells responsible
      for tumor growth and recurrence. The status of tumor initiating cells was
      measured using the surface markers CD133 (prominin-1) and ESA (epithelial
      specific antigen). The aims of this study were to investigate the significance of
      CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells in mesenteric venous blood (MVB) and tumor mass (TM) for
      overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in colorectal cancer (CRC)
      patients undergoing curative resection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 229 CRC
      patients undergoing curative resection were prospectively enrolled in the study.
      Using CD133 and ESA as surface markers, CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells were enumerated
      from MVB and TM using flow cytometry. RESULTS: We analyzed the presence of
      CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells in TM from 158 patients and found no correlation to patient
      DFS, OS, or clinical stage. In 135 patients, an analysis of CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells
      in MVB showed an inverse correlation with both DFS and OS (P = 0.014 and P =
      0.008, respectively). It exhibited an increase-then-decrease pattern with the
      peak in stage II patients. A multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated that the
      status of CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells in MVB, but not the TM, was a significant
      prognostic factor for DFS and OS (P = 0.003 and P = 0.011, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: The status of CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells in MVB, but not in TM, could be
      a useful indicator for predicting tumor recurrence and a prognostic marker for
      CRC patients.

PMID- 26119273
TI  - Quality and outcomes reporting in trauma using International Statistical
      Classification for Diseases, Ninth Revision codes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Use of the trauma and injury severity score (TRISS) for quality and
      outcomes assessment is challenged by the need for laborious collection of
      demographic and physiological data. We hypothesize that a novel stratification
      approach based on International Statistical Classification for Diseases, Ninth
      Revision (ICD-9) data that are readily available for trauma patients provides a
      more accurate and more easily obtainable alternative to TRISS with the potential
      for widespread use. METHODS: Data from the ACS National Trauma Data Bank were
      used to train and evaluate a regularized logistic regression model for mortality
      and linear regression models for hospital length of stay (HLOS) and intensive
      care unit length of stay (ILOS) using ICD-9 diagnostic and procedural codes.
      Model training was performed on data from 2008 (n = 124,625) and evaluation on
      data from 2009 (n = 120,079). The discrimination and calibration of each model
      based on ICD-9 codes were compared with those of TRISS. RESULTS: The mortality
      model using ICD-9 codes was comparable with that of TRISS in terms of the area
      under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.922 versus 0.921, P = not
      significant.) and achieved better results in terms of both integrated
      discrimination improvement (0.106, P < 0.001) and Hosmer-Lemeshow chi-squared
      value (294.15 versus 2043.20). The HLOS and ILOS models using ICD-9 codes also
      demonstrated improvements in both R(2) (0.64 versus 0.30 for HLOS, 0.68 versus
      0.34 for ILOS) and root mean-squared error (7.06 versus 8.62 for HLOS, 4.15
      versus 9.54 for ILOS). CONCLUSIONS: Use of ICD-9 codes for stratification
      provides a more accurate and more broadly applicable approach to quality and
      outcomes assessment in trauma patients than the labor-intensive gold standard of
      TRISS.

PMID- 26119274
TI  - Ultrasound microbubbles enhance human beta-defensin 3 against biofilms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The infection of orthopedic implantation devices with Staphylococcus
      has been a serious concern within the biomaterial community. Treatments are not
      always successful because of antibiotic-resistant bacteria biofilm infection.
      Recent studies have shown that combination of antibiotics with low-frequency
      ultrasound (US) can enhance the bactericidal activity effectively against the
      formation of biofilms in vitro pilot study. Meanwhile, microbubbles evolved as
      targeted drug-delivery agents can provide nuclei for inertial cavitation and
      lower the threshold for US-induced cavitation. Human beta-defensin 3 (HBD-3) is a
      cationic antimicrobial peptide considered particularly promising for future
      bactericidal employment and has effect on antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus
      biofilms. But the effect has not been reported when combined with US-targeted
      microbubble destruction (UTMD) in vivo. METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the
      effect of HBD-3 combined with UTMD on two tested Staphylococcus by the spread
      plate method, crystal violet staining, confocal laser scanning microscopy,
      scanning electron microscopy, and real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS:
      In the study, we found that the biofilm densities, the percentage of live cells,
      and the viable counts of two tested Staphylococcus that recovered from the
      biofilm on the titanium surface in mice were significantly decreased in the group
      of the HBD-3 combined with UTMD, compared with those of other groups.
      Furthermore, in the experiment, we found out that UTMD could enhance HBD-3
      activity, which inhibits the biofilm-associated genes expression of icaAD and the
      methicillin-resistance genes expression of MecA by promoting the icaR expression
      simultaneously. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of HBD-3 with UTMD can play a
      significant role on the elimination of the antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus
      biofilms in vivo.

PMID- 26119275
TI  - Protective effect of crocetin against burn-induced intestinal injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress and inflammation exert central roles in burn-induced
      intestinal injury. Crocetin, a natural carotenoid compound from gardenia fruits
      and saffron, has been shown to inhibit oxidative stress and inflammatory
      response. However, the possibility of crocetin to be used in the treatment of
      intestinal injury after burn injury has not been investigated. The purpose of the
      present study was to investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of crocetin
      in burn-induced intestinal injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Several free radical
      generating and lipid peroxidation models were used to systematically assess the
      antioxidant activities of crocetin in vitro. A common burn model was used to
      induce the intestinal injury in rats. Changes in the levels of malondialdehyde,
      superoxidase dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, tumor necrosis factor
      alpha, interleukin 6, polymorphonuclear neutrophil accumulation, intestinal
      permeability, and intestinal histology were examined. RESULTS: In several models
      of antioxidant activity, crocetin exhibited marked inhibitory action against free
      radicals and lipid peroxidation. Crocetin increased levels of antioxidant enzymes
      and reduced intestinal oxidative injury in burn models. In addition, crocetin
      inhibited polymorphonuclear neutrophil accumulation, ameliorated tumor necrosis
      factor alpha and interleukin 6 levels, intestinal permeability, and histological
      changes. CONCLUSIONS: Crocetin treatment may protect against burn-induced small
      intestinal injury, possibly by inhibiting burn-induced oxidative stress and
      inflammatory response.

PMID- 26119276
TI  - Diabetic foot infection caused by community-associated methicillin-resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus (USA300).

PMID- 26119277
TI  - Nanosilver pathophysiology in earthworms: Transcriptional profiling of secretory
      proteins and the implication for the protein corona.
AB  - Previously we have identified lysenin as a key protein constituent of the
      secretome from Eisenia fetida coelomocytes and revealed its critical importance
      in priming interactions between the cells and the protein corona around
      nanosilver. As alterations of the protein environment can directly affect the
      corona composition, the extent to which nanoparticles influence the cells'
      protein secretion profile is of remarkable interest that has rarely acquired
      attention. Here, we have probed transcriptional responses of E. fetida
      coelomocytes to the representative nanosilver NM-300K (15 nm) in a time-dependent
      manner (2, 4, 8 and 24 h at a low-cytotoxic concentration), and examined the
      implication of the temporal changes in transcriptional profiles of secretory
      proteins with a particular reference to that of lysenin. NM-300K was accumulated
      in/at the cells and lysenin was, after transient induction, gradually suppressed
      over time indicating a negative feedback cycle. This may limit further enrichment
      of lysenin in the corona and thereby decrease the lysenin-assisted uptake of the
      nanoparticles. Other differentially expressed genes were those involved in metal
      stress (likewise in AgNO3-stressed cells) and in Toll-like receptor (TLR)
      signaling. This offers an intriguing perspective of the nanosilver
      pathophysiology in earthworms, in which the conserved pattern recognition
      receptor TLRs may play an effector role.

PMID- 26119278
TI  - Active Site Mapping of Human Cathepsin F with Dipeptide Nitrile Inhibitors.
AB  - Cleavage of the invariant chain is the key event in the trafficking pathway of
      major histocompatibility complex class II. Cathepsin S is the major processing
      enzyme of the invariant chain, but cathepsin F acts in macrophages as its
      functional synergist which is as potent as cathepsin S in invariant chain
      cleavage. Dedicated low-molecular-weight inhibitors for cathepsin F have not yet
      been developed. An active site mapping with 52 dipeptide nitriles, reacting as
      covalent-reversible inhibitors, was performed to draw structure-activity
      relationships for the non-primed binding region of human cathepsin F. In a
      stepwise process, new compounds with optimized fragment combinations were
      designed and synthesized. These dipeptide nitriles were evaluated on human
      cysteine cathepsins F, B, L, K and S. Compounds 10 (N-(4-phenylbenzoyl)
      leucylglycine nitrile) and 12 (N-(4-phenylbenzoyl)leucylmethionine nitrile) were
      found to be potent inhibitors of human cathepsin F, with Ki values <10 nM. With
      all dipeptide nitriles from our study, a 3D activity landscape was generated to
      visualize structure-activity relationships for this series of cathepsin F
      inhibitors. 

PMID- 26119279
TI  - Delayed Trigeminal Motor Denervation after Pontine Hemorrhage.
AB  - Pontine hemorrhage is a life-threatening emergency which may result in high
      mortality and devastating disability. Trigeminal denervation is usually caused by
      neoplasms and trauma but rarely occurs after pontine hemorrhage. Herein, we
      present a patient with delayed trigeminal motor denervation who presents with
      progressive atrophy of the right temporalis and masseter muscles 1 year after
      pontine hemorrhage. Details of the pathogenesis and correlation between clinical,
      electrophysiological, and radiological findings are addressed.

PMID- 26119281
TI  - Axo-glial communication through neurexin-neuroligin signaling regulates
      myelination and oligodendrocyte differentiation.
AB  - Axonal transsynaptic signaling between presynaptic neurexin (NX) and postsynaptic
      neuroligin (NL) is essential for many properties of synaptic connectivity. Here,
      we demonstrate the existence of a parallel axo-glial signaling pathway between
      axonal NX and oligodendritic (OL) NL3. We show that this pathway contributes to
      the regulation of myelinogenesis, the maintenance of established myelination, and
      the differentiation state of the OL using in vitro models. We first confirm that
      NL3 mRNA and protein are expressed in OLs and in OL precursors. We then show that
      OLs in culture form contacts with non-neuronal cells exogenously expressing NL3's
      binding partners NX1alpha or NX1beta. Conversely, blocking axo-glial NX-NL3
      signaling by saturating NX with exogenous soluble NL protein (NL-ECD) disrupts
      interactions between OLs and axons in both in vitro and ex vivo assays.
      Myelination by OLs is tied to their differentiation state, and we find that
      blocking NX-NL signaling with soluble NL protein also caused OL differentiation
      to stall at an immature stage. Moreover, in vitro knockdown of NL3 in OLs with
      siRNAs stalls their development and reduces branching complexity. Interestingly,
      inclusion of an autism related mutation in the NL blocking protein attenuates
      these effects; OLs differentiate and the dynamics of OL-axon signaling occur
      normally as this peptide does not disrupt NX-NL3 axo-glial interactions. Our
      findings provide evidence not only for a new pathway in axo-glial communication,
      they also potentially explain the correlation between altered white matter and
      autism. GLIA 2015;63:2023-2039.

PMID- 26119280
TI  - Shp-2 contributes to anti-RSV activity in human pulmonary alveolar epithelial
      cells by interfering with the IFN-alpha-induced Jak/Stat1 pathway.
AB  - Src homology phosphotyrosyl phosphatase 2 (Shp-2) is a ubiquitously expressed
      protein that is involved in a variety of cellular processes, including antiviral
      interferon signalling pathways. In this study, we investigated the role of Shp-2
      in the host cell interactions of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We
      report significant changes in the expression of Shp-2 in human pulmonary alveolar
      epithelial cells (A549) upon RSV infection. We also report that blocking Shp-2
      does not affect viral replication or virus-induced interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha)
      production. Interestingly, whereas A549 cells were activated by IFN-alpha, the
      blocking of Shp-2 resulted in increased viral replication that was associated
      with the reduced expression of the IFN-stimulated genes of 2',5'-oligoadenylate
      synthetases and Mx1, and the concomitant inhibition of Stat1 tyrosine
      phosphorylation. Our findings suggest that Shp-2 contributes to the control of
      RSV replication and progeny production in pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells by
      interfering with IFN-alpha-induced Jak/Stat1 pathway activation rather than by
      affecting the production of IFN-alpha itself. 

PMID- 26119283
TI  - The role of leptin in psoriasis comprises a proinflammatory response by the
      dermal fibroblast.

PMID- 26119284
TI  - Anti-osmotic and antioxidant activities of gigantol from Dendrobium aurantiacum
      var. denneanum against cataractogenesis in galactosemic rats.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Dendrobium aurantiacum var. denneanumis
      widespread in southern China, locally known as "Shihu", "Huangcao" or "Fengdou",
      has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for antipyretic,
      immunomodulatory, anti-aging effects and eye benefiting. AIM OF THIS STUDY: To
      investigate the effects of gigantol extracted from the stem of D. aurantiacum
      var. denneanum on the formation of galactose-induced cataractogenesis and the
      potential mechanisms underlying these effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cataract
      lens models were induced by d-galactose both in vitro and in vivo. The
      transparency of the rat lenses in vitro and in vivo was observed with an
      anatomical microscope and a slit lamp microscope. The differential protein and
      action targets of gigantol were determined and compared among the control group,
      model group, and gigantol group using two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass
      spectrometry (MS). Enzyme kinetics was used to show the ability of gigantol to
      respress aldose reductase (AR) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS).
      Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). was used to detect repression of the
      expression of AR and iNOS genes. Molecular docking and dynamic simulation were
      used to predict the interaction points and combination patterns between gigantol,
      AR, and iNOS. RESULTS: Gigantol was found to prevent galactose-induced damage to
      the rat lenses both in vitro and in vivo, to delay lens turbidity, and to keep
      the lenses transparent. Differential proteomes, MS, and RT-qPCR showed AR and
      iNOS to be the target proteins of gigantol. Gigantol reduced the galactose
      induced AR and iNOS mRNA expression by 51.2% and 60.9%, respectively. The IC50 of
      gigantol for inhibition of AR and iNOS activities were 65.67 MUg/mL and 8.768
      MUg/mL, respectively. Gigantol-AR binding sites were Trp111, His110, Tyr48, and
      Trp20, and gigantol-iNOS binding sites were Ile195 and Gln257. The main forms of
      interaction were hydrophobic forces, hydrogen bonds, and van der Waals forces.
      CONCLUSION: Gigantol extracted from D. aurantiacum var. denneanum was found to
      inhibit galactose-induced formation of cataracts through repression of the gene
      expression and activity of AR and iNOS.

PMID- 26119285
TI  - A double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial of Serratulae quinquefoliae
      folium, a new source of beta-arbutin, in selected skin hyperpigmentations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arbutin is one of the most effective lightening substances. Serratula
      quinquefolia is a new source of its beta-anomer. The HPLC method showed that the
      solid content of this compound in the dried plant raw material accounts for
      6.86%. The leaves of Serratula quinquefolia do not contain hydroquinone. AIMS: To
      assess the efficacy of the aqueous extract from' leaf of five-leaf serratula as a
      skin-lightening agent. PATIENTS/METHODS: We did a randomized, placebo-controlled,
      double-blind trial. The study involved 102 women aged 26-55, with two kinds of
      hyperpigmentary diseases: melasma and lentigo solaris. Patients were randomly
      assigned to one of the treatment groups: a study group (N = 54) or a control
      group (N = 48). The study group applied the cream with the aqueous extract from
      leaf of five-leaf serratula containing 2.51% of arbutin. The cream was applied
      twice a day on the discolored side for 8 weeks. RESULTS: The experimental data
      showed that the cream with the extract causes decreased level of melanin in the
      skin pigmentation spot. Clinical effect in the form of lightening and evening
      skin tone on the discolored side was observed in 75.86% of the female patients
      with melasma and 56.00 % of the female patients with lentigo solaris.
      CONCLUSIONS: The cream with the aqueous extract from leaf of five-leaf serratula
      proved to be an effective and safe preparation for lightening skin discolorations
      (66.67 % of the female patients in the study group).

PMID- 26119286
TI  - Statistical analysis of electronic excitation processes: Spatial location,
      compactness, charge transfer, and electron-hole correlation.
AB  - We report the development of a set of excited-state analysis tools that are based
      on the construction of an effective exciton wavefunction and its statistical
      analysis in terms of spatial multipole moments. This construction does not only
      enable the quantification of the spatial location and compactness of the
      individual hole and electron densities but also correlation phenomena can be
      analyzed, which makes this procedure particularly useful when excitonic or charge
      resonance effects are of interest. The methods are first applied to bianthryl
      with a focus on elucidating charge-resonance interactions. It is shown how these
      derive from anticorrelations between the electron and hole quasiparticles, and it
      is discussed how the resulting variations in state characters affect the excited
      state absorption spectrum. As a second example, cytosine is chosen. It is
      illustrated how the various descriptors vary for valence, Rydberg, and core
      excited states, and the possibility of using this information for an automatic
      characterization of state characters is discussed.

PMID- 26119287
TI  - An evaluation of resistance to change with unconditioned and conditioned
      reinforcers.
AB  - Several reinforcer-related variables influence a response's resistance to change
      (Nevin, 1974). Reinforcer type (i.e., conditioned or unconditioned) is a
      reinforcer-related variable that has not been studied with humans but may have
      clinical implications. In Experiment 1, we identified unconditioned and
      conditioned reinforcers of equal preference. In Experiments 2, 3, and 4, we
      reinforced participants' behavior during a baseline phase using a multiple
      variable-interval (VI) 30-s VI 30-s schedule with either conditioned (i.e.,
      token) or unconditioned (i.e., food; one type of reinforcement in each component)
      reinforcement. After equal reinforcement rates across components, we introduced a
      disruptor. Results of Experiments 2 and 3 showed that behaviors were more
      resistant to extinction and distraction, respectively, with conditioned than with
      unconditioned reinforcers. Results of Experiment 4, however, showed that when
      prefeeding disrupted responding, behaviors were more resistant to change with
      unconditioned reinforcers than with conditioned reinforcers. 

PMID- 26119282
TI  - The role of the intensive care unit in real-time surveillance of emerging
      pandemics: the Italian GiViTI experience.
AB  - The prompt availability of reliable epidemiological information on emerging
      pandemics is crucial for public health policy-makers. Early in 2013, a possible
      new H1N1 epidemic notified by an intensive care unit (ICU) to GiViTI, the Italian
      ICU network, prompted the re-activation of the real-time monitoring system
      developed during the 2009-2010 pandemic. Based on data from 216 ICUs, we were
      able to detect and monitor an outbreak of severe H1N1 infection, and to compare
      the situation with previous years. The timely and correct assessment of the
      severity of an epidemic can be obtained by investigating ICU admissions,
      especially when historical comparisons can be made. 

PMID- 26119288
TI  - Gestational Weight Gain and Overweight in Children Aged 3-6 Years.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether gestational weight gain (GWG) was associated with
      increased odds of childhood overweight after accounting for pre-pregnancy BMI.
      METHODS: In a prospective cohort study based on a premarital and perinatal health
      care system in China, data of 100 612 mother-child pairs were obtained. The main
      exposure was GWG as both a continuous and categorical variable. The outcome
      measure was overweight, defined by age- and sex-specific cutoff values for body
      mass index (BMI) in children aged 3-6 years. RESULTS: A 1-kg increase in maternal
      GWG was associated with an increase of 0.009 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.007
      0.010, P < 0.001) in children's mean BMI; in the subgroup of pre-pregnancy
      overweight/obese mothers, the increase in children's BMI was 0.028 (95% CI, 0.017
      0.039, P < 0.001). Excessive GWG played an important role in childhood overweight
      when adequate GWG was used as the reference, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.21 (95%
      CI, 1.12-1.29). The risk was highest (OR 2.22; 95% CI, 1.79-2.76) in the children
      of mothers who were overweight/obese before pregnancy and gained excessive weight
      during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Greater maternal GWG was associated with greater
      offspring BMI, and the risk of overweight was doubled in children whose mothers
      were overweight/obese before pregnancy and gained excessive weight during
      pregnancy. As a result, maintenance of appropriate weight gain during pregnancy
      and prophylaxis of maternal overweight/obesity before pregnancy should be a
      strategy for preventing childhood overweight/obesity.

PMID- 26119289
TI  - The Risk of Opioid Intoxications or Related Events and the Effect of Alcohol
      Related Disorders: A Retrospective Cohort Study in German Patients Treated with
      High-Potency Opioid Analgesics.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Intoxications involving prescription opioids are a major public
      health problem in many countries. When taken with opioids, alcohol can enhance
      the effects of opioids, particularly in the central nervous system. However, data
      quantifying the impact of alcohol involvement in opioid-related intoxications are
      limited. METHODS: Using claims data from the German Pharmacoepidemiological
      Research Database (GePaRD), we conducted a retrospective cohort study based on
      users of high-potency opioid (HPO) analgesics during the years 2005-2009. HPO use
      was classified as extended-release, immediate-release or both. We calculated
      incidence rates (IRs) for opioid intoxications or related events as well as
      adjusted IR ratios (aIRR) comparing HPO-treated patients with alcohol-related
      disorders (ARDs) to those without ARDs overall and within each HPO category.
      RESULTS: During the study period, 308,268 HPO users were identified with an
      overall IR of 340.4 per 100,000 person-years [95 % confidence interval (CI) 325.5
      355.7]. The risk was highest when patients received concomitant treatment with
      extended- and immediate-release HPOs (IR 1093.8; 95 % CI 904.6-1310.9). ARDs
      increased the risk during HPO use by a factor of 1.7 and the highest aIRR was
      seen when comparing patients simultaneously exposed to extended- and immediate
      release HPOs with ARDs to those without ARD also after excluding patients with
      potential improper/non-medical HPO use. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians should be aware
      of these elevated risks in HPO patients with ARDs. Active patient education by
      healthcare providers regarding the risk of opioid intoxications or related events
      due to alcohol in conjunction with HPOs is warranted.

PMID- 26119290
TI  - Detection and characterisation of Complement protein activity in bovine milk by
      bactericidal sequestration assay.
AB  - While the Complement protein system in human milk is well characterised, there is
      little information on its presence and activity in bovine milk. Complement forms
      part of the innate immune system, hence the importance of its contribution during
      milk ingestion to the overall defences of the neonate. A bactericidal
      sequestration assay, featuring a Complement sensitive strain, Escherichia coli
      0111, originally used to characterise Complement activity in human milk was
      successfully applied to freshly drawn bovine milk samples, thus, providing an
      opportunity to compare Complement activities in both human and bovine milks.
      Although not identical in response, the levels of Complement activity in bovine
      milk were found to be closely comparable with that of human milk. Differential
      counts of Esch. coli 0111 after 2 h incubation were 6.20 and 6.06 log CFU/ml, for
      raw bovine and human milks, respectively - the lower value representing a
      stronger Complement response. Exposing bovine milk to a range of thermal
      treatments e.g. 42, 45, 65, 72, 85 or 95  degrees C for 10 min, progressively
      inhibited Complement activity by increasing temperature, thus confirming the heat
      labile nature of this immune protein system. Low level Complement activity was
      found, however, in 65 and 72  degrees C heat treated samples and in retailed
      pasteurised milk which highlights the outer limit to which high temperature,
      short time (HTST) industrial thermal processes should be applied if retention of
      activity is a priority. Concentration of Complement in the fat phase was evident
      following cream separation, and this was also reflected in the further loss of
      activity recorded in low fat variants of retailed pasteurised milk. Laboratory
      based churning of the cream during simulated buttermaking generated an aqueous
      (buttermilk) phase with higher levels of Complement activity than the fat phase,
      thus pointing to a likely association with the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM)
      layer.

PMID- 26119291
TI  - Primary cutaneous rhabdomyosarcoma: Case report and review of published work.

PMID- 26119292
TI  - The Blood-Brain Barrier as a Focus of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics
      Research.

PMID- 26119293
TI  - The Graphene Flagship-A Giant European Research Project.

PMID- 26119294
TI  - Using the Neptune project to benefit Australian aquatic animal health research.
AB  - Diseases of aquatic animals have had, and continue to have, a significant impact
      on aquatic animal health. In Australia, where fisheries and aquaculture are
      important industries, aquatic species have been subject to serious disease
      outbreaks, including pilchard herpesvirus, the cause of one of the largest wild
      fish kills ever recorded. At the same time, there is a consensus that Australia's
      parasite fauna are largely unknown, and that aquatic animal health information is
      difficult to access. Managing aquatic animal diseases is challenging because they
      may be entirely new, their hosts may be new to aquaculture, and specialist
      expertise and basic diagnostic tools may be lacking or absent. The Neptune
      project was created in response to these challenges, and it aims to increase
      awareness of aquatic animal diseases, improve disease management, and promote
      communication between aquatic animal health professionals in Australia. The
      project consists of an online database, a digital microscopy platform containing
      a whole-slide image library, a community space, and online communications
      technology. The database contains aquatic animal health information from
      published papers, government reports, and other sources, while the library
      contains slides of key diseases both endemic and exotic to Australia. These
      assets make Neptune a powerful resource for researchers, students, and
      biosecurity officials. 

PMID- 26119295
TI  - Anisakidae in beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas from Hudson Bay and Hudson
      Strait.
AB  - A total of 190 nematodes was isolated from the stomachs of 13 beluga whales
      Delphinapterus leucas from the Arctic part of Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait.
      Infection intensity ranged from 1 to 57 specimens and prevalence was 84.62%.
      Morphological examination of the nematodes revealed the presence of 3 species:
      Pseudoterranova decipiens sensu lato, Contracaecum osculatum s.l., and Anisakis
      simplex s.l. Molecular analysis by PCR-based restriction fragment length
      polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) resulted in the identification of 4 species:
      Pseudoterranova bulbosa, Contracaecum osculatum A and C, and Anisakis simplex
      sensu stricto. The nematodes were present in 3 developmental stages: L3 (159
      specimens), L4 (16 larvae), and adults (15 worms: 11 males and 4 females). 

PMID- 26119296
TI  - Modulation of Hsp60 in response to coral brown band disease.
AB  - Brown band disease (BrB), a virulent coral disease characterized by a dense
      concentration of ciliates ingesting coral tissue, is responsible for ongoing
      coral losses on Indo-Pacific reefs. Although several efforts have been made to
      identify the microbial communities associated with BrB and study the disease
      ecology, less attention has been given to the effect of ciliate presence on coral
      physiology. Levels of the mitochondrial heat shock protein 60-kDa (Hsp60, a
      biomarker indicative of cellular stress) were analyzed in apparently healthy
      coral polyps located at different distances along the advancing front of
      infection in Acropora muricata colonies affected by BrB in a Maldivian reef.
      Different Hsp60 levels were found in different parts of the same colony. Starting
      from a basal protein level in the healthy control colonies, a down-regulation of
      Hsp60 expression was detected near the ciliate band, indicating that the Hsp60
      defense activity was probably already compromised due to the rapid progression
      rate of the BrB ciliate on the diseased branches and/or to the etiology of the
      disease. Moving away from the band, the Hsp60 levels gradually returned to a
      state comparable to that found in the control, showing that cellular damage was
      confined to areas near the infection. In conclusion, we propose the analysis of
      Hsp60 modulation as a useful tool for examining physiological variations that are
      not detected at the morphological level in corals subjected to epizootic
      diseases, while providing new insights into the immune response of corals. 

PMID- 26119297
TI  - Goldfish Carassius auratus susceptibility to viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus
      genotype IVb depends on exposure route.
AB  - We assessed the susceptibility of goldfish Carassius auratus to infection by
      genotype IVb of the viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus. Goldfish were infected by
      intraperitoneal injections of 106 plaque-forming units (pfu) fish-1, single bath
      exposure of 105 pfu ml-1 for 24 h, or consumption of 0.4 g of commercial fish
      feed soaked in 107 pfu per 8 fish. The mortality rate of intraperitoneal-infected
      goldfish was 10 to 32%, although the virus was detected by quantitative RT-PCR in
      77% (65/84) of the survivors at the end of the 42 d trial, suggesting a carrier
      state. Severe gross lesions were observed in many of the moribund and dead
      goldfish such as hemorrhaging in the skin, fin, liver, kidney, brain, intestine,
      and eye as well as abdominal distension, bilateral exophthalmia, and
      splenomegaly. There was minimal morbidity or mortality in the immersion, feeding,
      or control groups. 

PMID- 26119298
TI  - Morphological and molecular characterization of Thelohanellus hoffmanni sp. nov.
      (Myxozoa) infecting goldfish Carassius auratus auratus.
AB  - A new species of the genus Thelohanellus Kudo, 1933 (Myxosporea, Bivalvulida) was
      isolated from the fins of goldfish Carassius auratus auratus (Linnaeus 1758). The
      fish had been imported from China by an Austrian retailer. Nodules from the
      margins of the fins contained pyriform myxospores with a singular polar capsule.
      In valvular view, the spores measured 12.2 um in length and 6.4 um in width. In
      sutural view, the thickness was 2.9 um. The polar capsule measured 4.2 * 3.1 um
      and contained a polar filament with 8 to 9 coils. Histological sections showed
      plasmodia of 0.2 to 4.0 mm diameter with the earlier developmental stages of the
      parasite in the periphery and the mature spores closer to the center. In the
      transmission electron microscope examination, the different developmental stages
      could be observed. Morphological data, host specificity, tissue tropism, and
      molecular analysis of the small subunit rDNA identify this parasite as a new
      species of Thelohanellus, which we have named Thelohanellus hoffmanni sp. nov. 

PMID- 26119299
TI  - Induction of mild enterocolitis in zebrafish Danio rerio via ingestion of Vibrio
      anguillarum serovar O1.
AB  - Vibrio anguillarum is the etiological agent of a fatal hemorrhagic disease known
      as vibriosis that affects a wide range of fish species, causing severe economic
      losses. Several investigations have been carried out to elucidate the virulence
      mechanisms of this pathogen and to develop rapid detection techniques and
      effective disease-prevention strategies. The aim of our study was to evaluate the
      most effective way to induce mild enteritis in a fish model, in order to allow
      further applications. The experiments were carried out using 2 methods of
      administration of V. anguillarum serotype O1 to adult zebrafish Danio rerio: via
      intraperitoneal injection and via ingestion of infected Artemia nauplii. The
      results showed that the intraperitoneal administration often caused massive fish
      death due to severe systemic involvement. In our experiments, the effect of
      intraperitoneal infection was evident 48 h post infection, with cumulative
      mortality within 7 d post infection with severe histopathological changes in
      kidney hematopoietic tissue and in the intestine. In contrast, oral infection via
      Artemia did not show systemic involvement and only a moderate degree of
      inflammatory influx of the mucosa, a partial recovery at 12 d post infection, and
      no mortality. For these reasons, oral infection with live food appears to be the
      most effective method to induce mild enteritis with a local inflammatory
      response. 

PMID- 26119300
TI  - Effect of a phytogenic feed additive on the susceptibility of Onchorhynchus
      mykiss to Aeromonas salmonicida.
AB  - In recent years, feed additives have increasingly been adopted by the aquaculture
      industry. These supplements not only offer an alternative to antibiotics but have
      also been linked to enhanced growth performance. However, the literature is still
      limited and provides contradictory information on their effectiveness. This is
      mainly due to the wide variety of available products and their complex mechanisms
      of action. Phytogenic feed additives have been shown to have antimicrobial
      effects and can improve growth performance. In the present study, we investigated
      the susceptibility of several fish pathogenic bacteria to a phytogenic essential
      oil product in vitro. In addition, we determined the protective effect of a
      commercial phytogenic feed additive containing oregano, anis and citrus oils on
      the resistance of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss to infection by Aeromonas
      salmonicida. The bacterium was administered through 3 different routes: intra
      peritoneal injection, immersion in a bacterial solution and cohabitation with
      infected fish. Mortality rates were significantly lower in infected rainbow trout
      that had received the feed additive: the overall mortality rate across all routes
      of infection was 18% in fish fed a diet containing the additive compared to 37%
      in fish that received unsupplemented feed. The route of infection also
      significantly impacted mortality, with average mortality rates of 60, 17.5 and 5%
      for intra-peritoneal injection, immersion and cohabitation, respectively. In
      general, fish were better protected against infection by immersion than infection
      by injection. 

PMID- 26119301
TI  - Pseudomonas fluorescens: identification of Fur-regulated proteins and evaluation
      of their contribution to pathogenesis.
AB  - Pseudomonas fluorescens is a Gram-negative bacterium and a common pathogen to a
      wide range of farmed fish. In a previous study, we found that the ferric uptake
      regulator gene (fur) is essential to the infectivity of a pathogenic fish isolate
      of P. fluorescens (wild-type strain TSS). In the present work, we conducted
      comparative proteomic analysis to examine the global protein profiles of TSS and
      the P. fluorescens fur knockout mutant TFM. Twenty-eight differentially produced
      proteins were identified, which belong to different functional categories. Four
      of these proteins, viz. TssP (a type VI secretion protein), PspA (a serine
      protease), OprF (an outer membrane porin), and ClpP (the proteolytic subunit of
      an ATP-dependent Clp protease), were assessed for virulence participation in a
      model of turbot Scophthalmus maximus. The results showed that the oprF and clpP
      knockouts exhibited significantly reduced capacities in (1) resistance against
      the bactericidal effect of host serum, (2) dissemination into and colonization of
      host tissues, and (3) inducing host mortality. In contrast, mutation of tssP and
      pspA had no apparent effect on the pathogenicity of TSS. Purified recombinant
      OprF, when used as a subunit vaccine, induced production of specific serum
      antibodies in immunized fish and elicited significant protection against lethal
      TSS challenge. Antibody blocking of the OprF in TSS significantly impaired the
      ability of the bacteria to invade host tissues. Taken together, these results
      indicate for the first time that in pathogenic P. fluorescens, Fur regulates the
      expression of diverse proteins, some of which are required for optimal infection.

PMID- 26119302
TI  - Vibrio tapetis isolated from vesicular skin lesions in Dover sole Solea solea.
AB  - Vibrio tapetis is primarily known as the causative agent for brown ring disease
      in bivalves, although it has been isolated from cultivated fish during
      mortalities on farms. Here we describe the first isolation of V. tapetis from
      wild-caught and subsequently captive-held Dover sole Solea solea. Pathological
      features consisted of multifocal circular greyish-white skin discolourations
      evolving into vesicular lesions and subsequent ulcerations on the pigmented side.
      On the non-pigmented side, multiple circular lesions-white at the center and red
      at the edges-were evident. Histological examination of the vesicular lesions
      revealed dermal fluid-filled spaces, collagen tissue necrosis and a mixed
      inflammatory infiltrate, with large numbers of small rod-shaped bacteria. In the
      deep skin lesions, loss of scales and dermal connective tissue, with degeneration
      and fragmentation of the myofibres bordering the ulceration, were noted.
      Serotyping, DNA-DNA hybridization and REP- and ERIC-PCR techniques showed that
      the retrieved isolates displayed a profile similar to the representative strain
      of genotype/serotype O2 which originally was isolated from carpet-shell clam
      Venerupis decussata and to which isolates obtained from wedge sole Dicologoglossa
      cuneata were also closely related. 

PMID- 26119303
TI  - Specific PCR for Myxobolus arcticus SSU rDNA in juvenile sockeye salmon
      Oncorhynchus nerka from British Columbia, Canada.
AB  - A PCR for the specific detection of the salmon brain parasite Myxobolus arcticus
      (Pugachev and Khokhlov, 1979) was developed using primers designed to amplify a
      1363 base pair fragment of the small subunit rDNA. The assay did not amplify DNA
      from 5 other Myxobolus species or from 7 other myxozoan species belonging to 5
      other genera. For juvenile sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum) collected
      from Chilko Lake, British Columbia (BC), Canada, in 2011, the prevalence by PCR
      was 96%, in contrast to 71% by histological examination of brain tissue. In 2010,
      the histological prevalence was 52.5%. Sequence identity between M. arcticus from
      Chilko Lake and other sites in BC ranged from 99.7 to 99.8% and was 99.6% for a
      Japanese sequence. In contrast, an M. arcticus sequence from Norway shared 95.3%
      identity with the Chilko Lake sequence, suggesting misidentification of the
      parasite. Chilko Lake sockeye salmon were previously reported free of infection
      with M. arcticus, and more research is required to understand the processes
      involved in the local and global dispersion of this parasite. 

PMID- 26119304
TI  - Hypericum Perforatum Hydroalcoholic Extract Mitigates Motor Dysfunction and is
      Neuroprotective in Intrastriatal 6-Hydroxydopamine Rat Model of Parkinson's
      Disease.
AB  - Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder with
      selective and progressive decline of nigral dopaminergic neurons. Hypericum
      perforatum L. (H. perforatum, St. John's wort) has been traditionally used for
      management of different disorders, especially mild-to-moderate depression. This
      study was conducted to evaluate the effect of H. perforatum extract against
      unilateral striatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) toxicity and to unmask some
      involved mechanisms. Intrastriatal 6-OHDA-lesioned rats were treated with H.
      perforatum hydroalcoholic extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg/day started 1 week pre
      surgery for 1 week post-surgery. The extract attenuated apomorphine-induced
      rotational behavior, decreased the latency to initiate and the total time on the
      narrow beam task, lowered striatal level of malondialdehyde and enhanced striatal
      catalase activity and reduced glutathione content, normalized striatal expression
      of glial fibrillary acidic protein, tumor necrosis factor alpha with no
      significant effect on mitogen-activated protein kinase, lowered nigral DNA
      fragmentation, and prevented damage of nigral dopaminergic neurons with a higher
      striatal tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity. These findings reveal the
      beneficial effect of H. perforatum via attenuation of DNA fragmentation,
      astrogliosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. 

PMID- 26119305
TI  - Neuroprotective Effect of Lutein on NMDA-Induced Retinal Ganglion Cell Injury in
      Rat Retina.
AB  - Lutein injection is a possible therapeutic approach for retinal diseases, but the
      molecular mechanism of its neuroprotective effect remains to be elucidated. The
      aim of this study was to investigate its protective effects in retinal ganglion
      cells (RGCs) against N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced retinal damage in vivo.
      Retinal damage was induced by intravitreal NMDA injection in rats. Each animal
      was given five daily intraperitoneal injections of Lutein or vehicle along with
      intravitreal NMDA injections. Electroretinograms were recorded. The number of
      viable RGCs was quantified using the retinal whole-mount method by
      immunofluorescence. Proteins were measured by Western blot assays. Lutein reduced
      the retinal damage and improved the response to light, as shown by an animal
      behavior assay (the black-and-white box method) in rats. Furthermore, Lutein
      treatment prevented the NMDA-induced reduction in phNR wave amplitude. Lutein
      increased RGC number after NMDA-induced retina damage. Most importantly, Bax,
      cytochrome c, p-p38 MAPK, and p-c-Jun were all upregulated in rats injected with
      NMDA, but these expression patterns were reversed by continuous Lutein uptake.
      Bcl-2, p-GSK-3beta, and p-Akt in the Lutein-treated eyes were increased compared
      with the NMDA group. Lutein has neuroprotective effects against retinal damage,
      its protective effects may be partly mediated by its anti-excitability
      neurotoxicity, through MAPKs and PI3K/Akt signaling, suggesting a potential
      approach for suppressing retinal neural damage. 

PMID- 26119307
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. Calcium intake and bone health].
AB  - Calcium is undoubtedly an essential nutrient. Many studies have confirmed a
      significant relationship between the intake of calcium, and bone quantity and
      density. With regard to Japanese dietary reference intake values, the reference
      calcium intake values have been determined while considering bone quantity.
      However, a correlation between calcium intake and bone fractures has not been
      established. In osteoporosis treatment and prevention guidelines, the recommended
      calcium preparation grade for osteoporosis treatment has been set at a low level.
      However, to ensure appropriate effectiveness of osteoporosis treatment, it is
      necessary to take an appropriate amount of calcium. In recent years, the calcium
      intake level for Japanese people has tended to decline, which emphasizes the need
      for taking an appropriate amount of calcium in the diet. 

PMID- 26119308
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. Bone and phosphorus intake].
AB  - Phosphorus is necessary for bone mineralization. Although adequate phosphorus
      intake is essential for skeletal mineralization, it is reported that excessive
      phosphorus intake can induce deleterious effect on bone. Recently, since the
      Japanese diet has been westernized, phosphorus intake by the meat and dairy
      products has increased. Furthermore, along with the development of processed
      foods, excessive intake of inorganic phosphorus from food additives has become a
      problem. An adverse effect on parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion from high
      phosphorus intake was seen only when calcium intake was inadequate. Dietary
      calcium to phosphorus ratio can be considered as one of the indicators that can
      predict the health of the bone. 

PMID- 26119306
TI  - The Distinct Role of ADAM17 in APP Proteolysis and Microglial Activation Related
      to Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with the
      symptom of cognitive impairment. The deposition of amyloid beta (Abeta) peptide
      is believed to be the primary cause to neuronal dystrophy and eventually
      dementia. Abeta is the proteolytic product from its precursor amyloid precursor
      protein (APP) by beta- and gamma- secretase. An optional cleavage by alpha
      secretase happens inside the Abeta domain. ADAM17 is supposed to be the regulated
      alpha-secretase of APP. Enhanced activity of ADAM17 leads to the increasing
      secretion of neuroprotective soluble APP alpha fragment and reduction of Abeta
      generation, which may be benefit to the disease. ADAM17 is then considered the
      potential therapeutic target for AD. Microglia activation and neuroinflammation
      is another important event in AD pathogenesis. Interestingly, ADAM17 also
      participates in the cleavage of many other membrane-bound proteins, especially
      some inflammatory factors related to microglia activation. The facilitating role
      of ADAM17 in inflammation and further neuronal damage has also been illustrated.
      In results, the activation of ADAM17 as the solution to AD may be a tricky task.
      The comprehensive consideration and evaluation has to be carried out carefully
      before the final treatment. In the present review, the distinct role of ADAM17 in
      AD-related APP shedding and neuroinflammatory microglial activation will be
      carefully discussed. 

PMID- 26119309
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. Vitamin D intake and bone].
AB  - Vitamin D insufficiency is one of the risk factors of osteoporosis. To know the
      vitamin D intake for the prevention of bone loss and fracture, it is necessary to
      evaluate the appropriate serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-D) concentration for bone
      health, and the vitamin D intake to maintain its concentration. Although vitamin
      D intake 15 and 20 MUg/d have been set as RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) in
      USA/Canada DRIs (Dietary reference intakes), 5.5 MUg/d has been set as AI
      (adequate intake) in Japanese DRIs (2015). While reference values in Japan and
      USA/Canada were quite different, both DRIs are common in that it aim to maintain
      the serum 25-D concentration to more than 50 nmol/L. In the present review,
      vitamin D intakes and bone health, vitamin D status in Japanese people, DRIs for
      vitamin D and improvement of vitamin D insufficiency are reviewed.

PMID- 26119310
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. The association of vitamin K intake and bone health].
AB  - The association of vitamin K with bone mineral density has been reported in some
      previous cohort studies and intervention studies. In cohort studies, higher
      vitamin K1 intake was associated with lower fracture incidence. Some intervention
      studies have described that vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 (menaquinone-4 : MK-4)
      supplementation were modestly efficacious in preventing fracture, but not in
      preserving bone mass. Although dietary reference intake (adequate intake : AI)
      for vitamin K was increased from previous value, current AI was determined as the
      dose sufficient to maintain normal blood coagulation with little mentioning to
      bone. Vitamin K intake greater than the current AI would be required for the bone
      health. 

PMID- 26119311
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. The vitamin D functions in osteoblasts and osteocytes].
AB  - The active form of vitamin D, 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1alpha,25 (OH)
      (2)D(3)), plays a key role in mineral and bone homeostasis. 1alpha,25 (OH)
      (2)D(3), through binding to the vitamin D receptor (VDR), a member of the nuclear
      receptor superfamily, regulates the expression of many genes in osteoblasts and
      osteocytes. The VDR functions in a largely 1alpha,25 (OH) (2)D(3)-controlled
      manner by interacting directly with vitamin D response elements located within
      regulatory regions that are linked to cell-specific target genes. However, the
      mechanism of VDR action on these bone cell types remains largely unknown. While
      the direct actions of 1alpha,25 (OH) (2)D(3) on bone cells are complex and
      include both cell autonomous and paracrine mechanisms. In this review, we discuss
      how the VDR affects the transcriptional response of these cells and contribute to
      bone homeostasis.

PMID- 26119312
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. Effect of isoflavones on bone health].
AB  - Effects of isoflavones on bone health in postmenopausal women are expected, since
      it shows weak estrogenic activity. In the observational study in Asia,
      association between intake of soy foods or isoflavone and bone mineral density
      and fracture prevention has been observed. In the meta-analysis of intervention
      trials of isoflavone in 60 years or less of postmenopausal women, 75 mg by day
      about 6 months to 1 year intervention of isoflavones induced suppression of
      significant decline of bone resorption markers in the urine was observed. On the
      other hand, intended for Westerners women in the study intervened isoflavones
      with calcium and vitamin D simultaneously, it is not observed effectiveness of
      isoflavones on the bone. Such a difference might be due to diversity in the
      individual metabolic capacity for isoflavones as well as the effects of presence
      or absence of other co-interventions nutrients.

PMID- 26119313
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. Functional foods for bone and cartilage tissues : Evidence
      for the action of collagen peptides].
AB  - Collagen peptides, including glucosamine, are well-known functional food
      materials that act on bone and cartilage tissues. Collagen peptides are used at a
      volume of about 6,000 tons per year as a raw material in Japan. Evidence for the
      action of collagen peptides for both bone and cartilage tissues has accumulated
      both at basic research level (in vivo and in vitro ) and clinically. To confirm
      the clinical effect of these peptides and clearly identify their mechanism of
      action at the molecular level, further clinical studies comprising disease-free
      subjects, alongside basic research studies, are required. 

PMID- 26119314
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. A novel function of phosphorus].
AB  - Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for bone formation by forming hydroxyapatite
      with calcium. Simultaneously, phosphorus is also a component of high energy bond
      of ATP, nucleic acids, and phospholipids. Recent studies have demonstrated that
      excess or lack of dietary phosphorus intake may cause vascular dysfunction,
      cardiac hypertrophy, and impaired glucose tolerance. Here, we introduce recent
      findings about the effects of high or low dietary phosphorus intake on several
      organs except for bone. 

PMID- 26119315
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. Vitamin D independent calcium absorption].
AB  - Vitamin D endocrine system is required for normal calcium and bone homeostasis.
      Trans-epithelial calcium absorption is initiated with calcium entry into the
      intestinal epithelial cells from luminal fluid through calcium permeable
      channels, and those expressions are strongly supported by vitamin D action. On
      the other hands, dietary treatment, mineral supplementation or restriction,
      successfully improves intestinal calcium absorption in global vitamin D receptor
      knock-out (VDR KO) mice, though vitamin D dependent active transport pathway is
      lacking. Dietary rescue of intestinal calcium absorption provided a positive
      calcium balance in this mouse model, and suggested that the major role of vitamin
      D function on calcium homeostasis was considered to be intestinal active
      absorption. To elucidate the entire process of intestinal calcium absorption,
      vitamin D independent calcium transport system was characterized into either
      trans-cellular or para-cellular process. 

PMID- 26119316
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. A prospect of calcium sensing receptor].
AB  - Following the discovery of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) in 1993, its
      pivotal role in disorders of calcium homeostasis was demonstrated. Compelling
      evidence suggests that the CaSR plays multiple roles extending well beyond not
      only regulating the level of extracellular Ca(2+), but also controlling diverse
      and crucial roles in human physiology and pathophysiology. This review covers
      current knowledge of the role of the CaSR in disorders of calcium homeostasis
      (familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia, neonatal severe hyperparathyroidism,
      autosomal dominant hypocalcemia, primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism,
      hypercalcemia of malignancy) as well as unrelated diseases such as breast and
      colorectal cancer, Alzheimer's disease and pancreatitis. In addition, it examines
      the use or potential use of CaSR agonists or antagonists in the management of
      disorders as diverse as hyperparathyroidism and Alzheimer's disease.

PMID- 26119317
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. The relationship between iron and phosphate metabolism].
AB  - Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is an essential hormone for phosphate
      metabolism. It has been shown that intravenous administration of some iron
      formulations including saccharated ferric oxide induces hypophosphatemic
      osteomalacia with high FGF23 levels. On the other hand, iron deficiency promotes
      FGF23 and induces hypophosphatemia in patients with autosomal dominant
      hypophosphatemic rickets (ADHR). While iron and phosphate metabolism is
      connected, the detailed mechanism of this connection remains to be clarified. 

PMID- 26119318
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. Sclerostin and bone metabolism].
AB  - Osteocytes orchestrate bone resorption and bone formation by controlling
      osteoclast and osteoblast activity. On the other hand, osteocytes secret FGF23
      (fibroblast growth factor 23), FGF23 acts on the kidney to control phosphate
      homeostasis. Sclerostin is also released from osteocytes and it regulated
      osteoblast activity through Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Therefore, an antibody that
      targets sclerostin is currently in phase- III clinical trials for the treatment
      of osteoporosis and it is expected as new therapeutics. 

PMID- 26119319
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. Nutritional management of osteoporosis].
AB  - Calcium intake was negatively associated with bone resorption marker such as DPD,
      NTX, and P1NP in Japanese postmenopausal osteoporotic patients. Not only to
      suppress bone resorption but also to keep higher hip bone mineral density were
      observed in the patients with higher intake of calcium than 800mg/day and higher
      vitamin D condition (more than 50nmol/L of serum 25 (OH) D). Higher calcium
      intake than 800mg/day from dairy and Tofu products, higher intake of vitamin D
      than 10MUg/day from fish, and higher intake of vitamin K from vegetables should
      be recommended in Japanese postmenopausal osteoporotic patients. We should also
      pay attention to their losing weight and excess intake of these nutrients from
      supplements. 

PMID- 26119320
TI  - [Bone and Nutrition. Nutrition care of renal osteodystrophy].
AB  - Renal osteodystrophy is the damage of bone morphology by CKD and treatment and
      occurred abnormal bone metabolism through renal dysfunction. It demonstrated that
      the control of P and Ca improves to normalization of mineral metabolism. Protein
      energy wasting and malnutrition are common in patients with CKD stage 5 and has
      been associated with life prognosis. In CKD patients, nutritional management is a
      critical role of treatment. Also it may be important of nutritional management
      that control P and Ca and improve nutritional status in renal osteodystrophy
      patients. 

PMID- 26119321
TI  - Highly Robust Palladium(II) alpha-Diimine Catalysts for Slow-Chain-Walking
      Polymerization of Ethylene and Copolymerization with Methyl Acrylate.
AB  - A series of sterically demanding alpha-diimine ligands bearing electron-donating
      and electron-withdrawing substituents were synthesized by an improved synthetic
      procedure in high yield. Subsequently, the corresponding Pd complexes were
      prepared and isolated by column chromatography. These Pd complexes demonstrated
      unique properties in ethylene polymerization, including high thermal stability
      and high activity, thus generating polyethylene with a high molecular weight and
      very low branching density. Similar properties were observed for ethylene/methyl
      acrylate copolymerization. Because of the high molecular weight and low branching
      density, the generated polyethylene and ethylene/methyl acrylate copolymer were
      semicrystalline solids. The (co)polymers had unique microstructures originating
      from the unique slow-chain-walking activity of these Pd complexes. 

PMID- 26119322
TI  - Coral population dynamics across consecutive mass mortality events.
AB  - Annual coral mortality events due to increased atmospheric heat may occur
      regularly from the middle of the century and are considered apocalyptic for coral
      reefs. In the Arabian/Persian Gulf, this situation has already occurred and
      population dynamics of four widespread corals (Acropora downingi, Porites
      harrisoni, Dipsastrea pallida, Cyphastrea micropthalma) were examined across the
      first-ever occurrence of four back-to-back mass mortality events (2009-2012).
      Mortality was driven by diseases in 2009, bleaching and subsequent diseases in
      2010/2011/2012. 2009 reduced P. harrisoni cover and size, the other events
      increasingly reduced overall cover (2009: -10%; 2010: -20%; 2011: -20%; 2012: 
      15%) and affected all examined species. Regeneration was only observed after the
      first disturbance. P. harrisoni and A. downingi severely declined from 2010 due
      to bleaching and subsequent white syndromes, while D. pallida and P. daedalea
      declined from 2011 due to bleaching and black-band disease. C. microphthalma
      cover was not affected. In all species, most large corals were lost while fission
      due to partial tissue mortality bolstered small size classes. This general
      shrinkage led to a decrease of coral cover and a dramatic reduction of fecundity.
      Transition matrices for disturbed and undisturbed conditions were evaluated as
      Life Table Response Experiment and showed that C. microphthalma changed the least
      in size-class dynamics and fecundity, suggesting they were 'winners'. In an
      ordered 'degradation cascade', impacts decreased from the most common to the
      least common species, leading to step-wise removal of previously dominant
      species. A potentially permanent shift from high- to low-coral cover with
      different coral community and size structure can be expected due to the
      demographic dynamics resultant from the disturbances. Similarities to degradation
      of other Caribbean and Pacific reefs are discussed. As comparable environmental
      conditions and mortality patterns must be expected worldwide, demographic
      collapse of many other coral populations may soon be widespread. 

PMID- 26119323
TI  - Endovascular stent thrombectomy: the new standard of care for large vessel
      ischaemic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Results of initial randomised trials of endovascular treatment for
      ischaemic stroke, published in 2013, were neutral but limited by the selection
      criteria used, early-generation devices with modest efficacy, non-consecutive
      enrollment, and treatment delays. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: In the past year, six
      positive trials of endovascular thrombectomy for ischaemic stroke have provided
      level 1 evidence for improved patient outcome compared with standard care. In
      most patients, thrombectomy was performed in addition to thrombolysis with
      intravenous alteplase, but benefits were also reported in patients ineligible for
      alteplase treatment. Despite differences in the details of eligibility
      requirements, all these trials required proof of major vessel occlusion on non
      invasive imaging and most used some imaging technique to exclude patients with a
      large area of irreversibly injured brain tissue. The results indicate that modern
      thrombectomy devices achieve faster and more complete reperfusion than do older
      devices, leading to improved clinical outcomes compared with intravenous
      alteplase alone. The number needed to treat to achieve one additional patient
      with independent functional outcome was in the range of 3.2-7.1 and, in most
      patients, was in addition to the substantial efficacy of intravenous alteplase.
      No major safety concerns were noted, with low rates of procedural complications
      and no increase in symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage. WHERE NEXT?:
      Thrombectomy benefits patients across a range of ages and levels of clinical
      severity. A planned meta-analysis of individual patient data might clarify
      effects in under-represented subgroups, such as those with mild initial stroke
      severity or elderly patients. Imaging-based selection, used in some of the recent
      trials to exclude patients with large areas of irreversible brain injury,
      probably contributed to the proportion of patients with favourable outcomes. The
      challenge is how best to implement imaging in clinical practice to maximise
      benefit for the entire population and to avoid exclusion of patients with smaller
      yet clinically important potential to benefit. Although favourable imaging
      identifies patients who might benefit despite long delays from symptom onset to
      treatment, the proportion of patients with favourable imaging decreases with
      time. Health systems therefore need to be reorganised to deliver treatment as
      quickly as possible to maximise benefits. On the basis of available trial data,
      intravenous alteplase remains the initial treatment for all eligible patients
      within 4.5 h of stroke symptom onset. Those patients with major vessel occlusion
      should, in parallel, proceed to endovascular thrombectomy immediately rather than
      waiting for an assessment of response to alteplase, because minimising time to
      reperfusion is the ultimate aim of treatment.

PMID- 26119324
TI  - Regulation of oogenesis in honey bee workers via programed cell death.
AB  - Reproductive division of labour characterises eusociality. Currently little is
      known about the mechanisms that underlie the 'sterility' of the worker caste, but
      queen pheromone plays a major role in regulating the reproductive state. Here we
      investigate oogenesis in the young adult honey bee worker ovary in the presence
      of queen pheromone and in its absence. When queen pheromone is absent, workers
      can activate their ovaries and have well-developed follicles. When queen
      pheromone is present, even though workers have non-activated ovaries, they
      continually produce oocytes which are aborted at an early stage. Therefore,
      irrespective of the presence of the queen, the young adult worker ovary contains
      oocytes. By this means young workers retain reproductive plasticity. The
      degeneration of the germ cells in the ovarioles of workers in the presence of
      queen pheromone has the morphological hallmarks of programmed cell death.
      Therefore the mechanistic basis of 'worker sterility' relies in part on the
      regulation of oogenesis via programmed cell death. Our results suggest that honey
      bees have co-opted a highly conserved checkpoint at mid-oogenesis to regulate the
      fertility of the worker caste. 

PMID- 26119325
TI  - Dispersive growth and laser-induced rippling of large-area singlelayer MoS2
      nanosheets by CVD on c-plane sapphire substrate.
AB  - Vapor-phase growth of large-area two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 nanosheets via
      reactions of sulfur with MoO3 precursors vaporized and transferred from powder
      sources onto a target substrate has been rapidly progressing. Recent studies
      revealed that the growth yield of high quality singlelayer (SL) MoS2 is
      essentially controlled by quite a few parameters including the temperature, the
      pressure, the amount/weight of loaded source precursors, and the cleanup of old
      precursors. Here, we report a dispersive growth method where a shadow mask is
      encapsulated on the substrate to 'indirectly' supply the source precursors onto
      the laterally advancing growth front at elevated temperatures. With this method,
      we have grown large-area (up to millimeters) SL-MoS2 nanosheets with a collective
      in-plane orientation on c-plane sapphire substrates. Regular ripples (~1 nm in
      height and ~50 nm in period) have been induced by laser scanning into the SL-MoS2
      nanosheets. The MoS2 ripples easily initiate at the grain boundaries and extend
      along the atomic steps of the substrate. Such laser-induced ripple structures can
      be fundamental materials for studying their effects, which have been predicted to
      be significant but hitherto not evidenced, on the electronic, mechanical, and
      transport properties of SL-MoS2.

PMID- 26119326
TI  - How actin/myosin crosstalks guide the adhesion, locomotion and polarization of
      cells.
AB  - Cell-tissue-tissue interaction is determined by specific short range forces
      between cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) and ligands of the tissue, long range
      repulsion forces mediated by cell surface grafted macromolecules and adhesion
      induced elastic stresses in the cell envelope. This interplay of forces triggers
      the rapid random clustering of tightly coupled linkers. By coupling of actin gel
      patches to the intracellular domains of the CAMs, these clusters can grow in a
      secondary process resulting in the formation of functional adhesion microdomains
      (ADs). The ADs can act as biochemical steering centers by recruiting and
      activating functional proteins, such as GTPases and associated regulating
      proteins, through electrostatic-hydrophobic forces with cationic lipid domains
      that act as attractive centers. First, I summarize physical concepts of cell
      adhesion revealed by studies of biomimetic systems. Then I describe the role of
      the adhesion domains as biochemical signaling platforms and force transmission
      centers promoting cellular protrusions, in terms of a shell string model of
      cells. Protrusion forces are generated by actin gelation triggered by molecular
      machines (focal adhesion kinase (FAK), Src-kinases and associated adaptors) which
      assemble around newly formed integrin clusters. They recruit and activate the
      GTPases Rac-1 and actin gelation promoters to charged membrane domains via
      electrostatic-hydrophobic forces. The cell front is pushed forward in a cyclic
      and stepwise manner and the step-width is determined by the dynamics antagonistic
      interplay between Rac-1 and RhoA. The global cell polarization in the direction
      of motion is mediated by the actin-microtubule (MT) crosstalk at adhesion
      domains. Supramolecular actin-MT assemblies at the front help to promote actin
      polymerization. At the rear they regulate the dismantling of the ADs through the
      Ca(++)-mediated activation of the protease calpain and trigger their disruption
      by RhoA mediated contraction via stress fibers. This article is part of a Special
      Issue entitled: Mechanobiology. 

PMID- 26119327
TI  - Neuronal and metastatic cancer cells: Unlike brothers.
AB  - During development neuronal cells traverse substantial distances across the
      developing tissue. In the mature organism, however, they are bound to the
      confines of the nervous system. Likewise metastatic cancer cells have the
      potential to establish auxiliary tumor sites in remote tissues or entirely
      different organs. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition is the transformation of
      proliferative cancer cells into a highly invasive state, which facilitates the
      crossing of tissue boundaries and migration across various environments. This
      review contributes a first look into the parallels and contrasts between physical
      aspects of neuronal and metastatic cancer cells. 

PMID- 26119328
TI  - Electrochemical properties of fiber-in-tube- and filled-structured TiO2 nanofiber
      anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.
AB  - Phase-pure anatase TiO2 nanofibers with a fiber-in-tube structure were prepared
      by the electrospinning process. The burning of titanium-oxide-carbon composite
      nanofibers with a filled structure formed as an intermediate product under an
      oxygen atmosphere produced carbon-free TiO2 nanofibers with a fiber-in-tube
      structure. The sizes of the nanofiber core and hollow nanotube were 140 and 500
      nm, respectively. The heat treatment of the electrospun nanofibers at 450 and 500
      degrees C under an air atmosphere produced grey and white filled-structured TiO2
      nanofibers, respectively. The initial discharge capacities of the TiO2 nanofibers
      with the fiber-in-tube and filled structures and the commercial TiO2 nanopowders
      were 231, 134, and 223 mA h g(-1) , respectively, and their corresponding charge
      capacities were 170, 100, and 169 mA h g(-1) , respectively. The 1000th discharge
      capacities of the TiO2 nanofibers with the fiber-in-tube and filled structures
      and the commercial TiO2 nanopowders were 177, 64, and 101 mA h g(-1) ,
      respectively, and their capacity retentions measured from the second cycle were
      89, 82, and 52 %, respectively. The TiO2 nanofibers with the fiber-in-tube
      structure exhibited low charge transfer resistance and structural stability
      during cycling and better cycling and rate performances than the TiO2 nanofibers
      with filled structures and the commercial TiO2 nanopowders. 

PMID- 26119329
TI  - A water resources simulation gaming model for the Invitational Drought
      Tournament.
AB  - A system dynamics-based simulation gaming model, developed as a component of
      Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Invitational Drought Tournament (IDT; Hill et
      al., 2014), is introduced in this paper as a decision support tool for drought
      management at the river-basin scale. This IDT Model provides a comprehensive and
      integrated overview of drought conditions, and illustrates the broad effects of
      socio-economic drought and mitigation strategies. It is intended to provide a
      safe, user-friendly experimental environment with fast run-times for testing
      management options, and to promote collaborative decision-making and consensus
      building. Examples of model results from several recent IDT events demonstrate
      potential effects of drought and the short-to longer-term effectiveness of
      policies selected by IDT teams; such results have also improved teams'
      understanding of the complexity of water resources systems and their management
      trade-offs. The IDT Model structure and framework can also be reconfigured
      quickly for application to different river basins.

PMID- 26119330
TI  - Handling preference heterogeneity for river services' adaptation to climate
      change.
AB  - Climate projection models for the Southern Mediterranean basin indicate a strong
      drought trend. This pattern is anticipated to affect a range of services derived
      from river ecosystems and consecutively deteriorate the sectoral outputs and
      household welfare. This paper aims to evaluate local residents' adaptation
      preferences for the Piave River basin in Italy. A Discrete Choice Experiment
      accounting for adaptation scenarios of the Piave River services was conducted and
      the collected data were econometrically analyzed using Random Parameters Logit,
      Latent Class and Covariance Heterogeneity models. In terms of policy-relevant
      outcomes, the analysis indicates that respondents are willing to pay for
      adaptation plans. This attitude is reflected on the compensating surplus to
      sustain the current state of the Piave, which corresponds to a monthly
      contribution of 80? per household. From an econometric point of view, the results
      show that it is not sufficient to take solely into account general heterogeneity,
      provided that distinct treatment of the heterogeneity produces rather different
      welfare estimates. This implies that analysts should examine a set of criteria
      when deciding on how to better approach heterogeneity for each empirical data
      set. Overall, non-market values of environmental services should be considered
      when formulating cost-effective adaptation measures for river systems undergoing
      climate change effects and appropriate heterogeneity approximation could render
      these values unbiased and accurate.

PMID- 26119331
TI  - Assessing the quality of the ecological component of English Environmental
      Statements.
AB  - Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a key tool to help ensure sustainable
      built development in more than 200 countries worldwide. Ecology is frequently a
      component of EIA and early reviews of Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA)
      chapters identified scope for improvement at almost every stage of the EcIA
      process, regardless of country. However, there have been no reviews of UK EcIA
      chapters since 2000, despite important changes in biodiversity and planning
      legislation, policy and guidance. In addition, no UK EcIA chapter reviews have
      attempted to assign a grade or score to EcIA chapters (as has been done for
      reviews of US, Finnish and Indian EcIA chapters). Furthermore, no EcIA chapter
      reviews have attempted to use a scoring system to identify which variables
      determine EcIA chapter information content, beyond straightforward comparisons of
      EcIA chapters before and after the introduction of guidelines. A variant of the
      Biodiversity Assessment Index (BAI) was used to assign scores between zero and
      one to EcIA chapters based on a series of 47 questions drawn from EU legislation
      and professional guidance. 112 EcIA chapters for proposed developments that were
      subsequently granted planning permission in England were assessed. The mean BAI
      score was less than 0.5, indicating the presence of considerable information gaps
      in the majority of EcIA chapters. Of 13 predictor variables identified as having
      the potential to affect EcIA chapter quality, 10 were identified as significantly
      related to the BAI scores. A backward stepwise Generalized Linear Model
      identified the use of professional guidance, the ecological consultancy type and
      the length of the EcIA chapter as having the greatest combined explanatory power.
      As a result, several recommendations are made to help improve future EcIA chapter
      content, including formal EcIA chapter review, publicising the professional
      guidance to consultants, the provision of training and the introduction of an
      accreditation scheme for consultants involved in EcIA This approach could be
      replicated in other countries that conduct EIA. Context-dependent EcIA chapter
      review criteria (as in this paper) would help to identify targeted
      recommendations for improvement. Alternatively, a global set of review criteria
      could highlight areas of best practice that could then be exported to other
      countries. 

PMID- 26119332
TI  - Coagulation/flocculation process with polyaluminum chloride for the remediation
      of oil sands process-affected water: Performance and mechanism study.
AB  - This study investigated the application of polyaluminum chloride (PACl) for the
      treatment of the oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). These coagulants are
      commonly used in water treatment with the most effective species reported to be
      Al13. PACl with 83.6% Al13 was synthesized using the slow base titration method
      and compared with a commercially available PACl in terms of aluminum species
      distribution, coagulation/flocculation (CF) performance, floc morphology, and
      contaminant removal. Both coagulants were effective in removing suspended solids,
      achieving over 96% turbidity removal at all applied coagulant doses (0.5-3.0 mM
      Al). The removal efficiencies of metals varied among different metals depending
      on their pKa values with metal cations having pKa values (Fe, Al, Ga, and Ti)
      below OSPW pH of 6.9-8.1 (dose dependent) being removed by more than 90%, while
      cations with higher pKa values (K, Na, Ca, Mg and Ni) had removals of less than
      40%. Naphthenic acids were not removed due to their low molecular weights,
      negative charges, and hydrophilic characteristics at the OSPW pH. At the highest
      applied coagulant dose of 3.0 mM Al, the synthetic PACl reduced Vibrio fischeri
      inhibition effect to 43.3 +/- 3.0% from 49.5 +/- 0.4% in raw OSPW. In contrast,
      no reduction of toxicity was found for OSPW treated with the commercial PACl.
      Based on water quality and floc analyses, the dominant CF mechanism for particle
      removal during OSPW treatment was considered to be enmeshment in the precipitates
      (i.e., sweep flocculation). Overall, the CF using synthesized PACl can be a
      valuable pretreatment process for OSPW to create wastewater that is more easily
      treated by downstream processes.

PMID- 26119333
TI  - Kinetics of trypsin-catalyzed hydrolysis determined by isothermal titration
      calorimetry.
AB  - Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was applied to determine enzymatic
      activity and inhibition. We measured the Michaelis-Menten kinetics for trypsin
      catalyzed hydrolysis of two substrates, casein (an insoluble macromolecule
      substrate) and Nalpha-benzoyl-dl-arginine beta-naphthylamide (a small substrate),
      and estimated the thermodynamic parameters in the temperature range from 20 to 37
      degrees C. The inhibitory activities of reversible (small molecule benzamidine)
      and irreversible (small molecule phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride and macromolecule
      alpha1-antitrypsin) inhibitors of trypsin were also determined. We showed the
      usefulness of ITC for fast and direct measurement of inhibition constants and
      half-maximal inhibitory concentrations and for predictions of the mechanism of
      inhibition. ITC kinetic assays could be an easy and straightforward way to
      estimate Michaelis-Menten constants and the effectiveness of inhibitors as well
      as to predict the inhibition mechanism. ITC efficiency was found to be similar to
      that of classical spectrophotometric enzymatic assays. 

PMID- 26119334
TI  - Sensitive voltammetric determination of thymol in essential oil of Carum copticum
      seeds using boron-doped diamond electrode.
AB  - Essential oil of Carum copticum seeds, obtained from a local shop, was extracted
      and content of thymol was analyzed using square-wave voltammetry at boron-doped
      diamond electrode. The effect of various parameters, such as pH of supporting
      electrolyte and square-wave voltammetric parameters (modulation amplitude and
      frequency), was examined. In Britton-Robinson buffer solution (pH 4), thymol
      provided a single and oval-shaped irreversible oxidation peak at +1.13 V versus
      silver/silver chloride potassium electrode (3M). Under optimal experimental
      conditions, a plot of peak height against concentration of thymol was found to be
      linear over the range of 4 to 100MUM consisting of two linear ranges: from 4 to
      20MUM (R(2)=0.9964) and from 20 to 100MUM (R(2)=0.9993). The effect of potential
      interferences such as p-cymene and gamma-terpinene (major components in essential
      oil of C. copticum seeds) was evaluated. Thus, the proposed method displays a
      sufficient selectivity toward thymol with a detection limit of 3.9MUM, and it was
      successfully applied for the determination of thymol in essential oil of C.
      copticum seeds. The Prussian blue method was used for validation of the proposed
      electroanalytical method. 

PMID- 26119335
TI  - Accuracy of Self-Reported Health Care Use in a Population-Based Sample of
      Homeless Adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of self-reported ambulatory care visits,
      emergency department (ED) encounters, and overnight hospitalizations in a
      population-based sample of homeless adults. DATA SOURCE: Self-report survey data
      and administrative health care utilization databases. STUDY DESIGN: Self-reported
      health care use in the past 12 months was compared to administrative encounter
      records among 1,163 homeless adults recruited in 2004-2005 from shelters and meal
      programs in Toronto, Ontario. DATA EXTRACTION METHODS: Self-reported health care
      use was assessed using a structured face-to-face survey. Each participant was
      linked to administrative databases using a unique personal health number or their
      first name, last name, sex, and date of birth. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The
      sensitivity of self-report for ambulatory care visits, ED encounters, and
      overnight hospitalizations was 89, 80, and 73 percent, respectively; specificity
      was 37, 83, and 91 percent. The mean difference between self-reported and
      documented number of encounters in the past 12 months was +1.6 for ambulatory
      care visits (95 percent CI = 0.4, 2.8), -0.6 for ED encounters (95 percent CI = 
      0.8, -0.4), and 0.0 for hospitalizations (95 percent CI = 0.0, 0.1). CONCLUSIONS:
      Adults experiencing homelessness are quite accurate reporters of their use of
      health care, especially for ED encounters and hospitalizations.

PMID- 26119336
TI  - Farm exposures are associated with lower percentage of circulating myeloid
      dendritic cell subtype 2 at age 6.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early life farm exposures have been shown to decrease the risk of
      allergic diseases. Dendritic cells (DCs) may mediate asthma-protective effect of
      farm exposures as they play an important role in the development of immunity and
      tolerance. Our aim was to investigate whether the numbers and phenotypes of
      circulating DCs at age 6 are associated with farming, asthma, and atopy in a
      selected sample of French and Finnish children from the PASTURE study. METHODS:
      We studied 82 farm and 86 nonfarm children with and without asthma. Using flow
      cytometry, BDCA1+ CD11c+ myeloid DC1s (mDC1), BDCA3+(high) mDC2s and BDCA2+
      plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) were identified and expressions of CD86, immunoglobulin
      like transcript 3 (ILT3) and ILT4 were analyzed. Questionnaires were used to
      assess prenatal and lifetime patterns of farm exposures and to define asthma.
      Atopic sensitization was defined by specific IgE measurements. RESULTS: The
      percentage of mDC2 cells was lower in farm children (0.033 +/- 0.001) than in
      nonfarm children (0.042 +/- 0.001; P = 0.008). Similar associations were found
      between mDC2 percentage and prenatal (P = 0.02) and lifetime exposure to farm
      milk (P = 0.03) and stables (P = 0.003), but these associations were not
      independent from farming. Asthma was positively associated with ILT4 + mDCs (P =
      0.04) and negatively with CD86 + pDCs (P = 0.048) but only in nonfarm children.
      CONCLUSIONS: Inverse association between farm exposure and mDC2 percentage
      suggest that this DC subset may play a role in farm-related immunoregulation.

PMID- 26119337
TI  - A new curvularin glycoside and its cytotoxic and antibacterial analogues from
      marine actinomycete Pseudonocardia sp. HS7.
AB  - Five curvularin macrolides (1-5) were isolated from the cultured broth of marine
      actinomycete Pseudonocardia sp. HS7 that was obtained from the cloacal aperture
      of sea cucumber Holothuria moebii. The structures of these isolates were
      characterized as (11S,15R)-11-hydroxycurvularin (1), (11R,15R)-11
      hydroxycurvularin (2), curvularin-7-O-alpha-D-glucopyranoside (3), trans
      dehydrocurvularin (4) and curvularin (5) based on their NMR and HRESIMS data as
      well as chemical degradation. Compound 3 is a new macrolide with a rare alpha-D
      glucopyranose substituent. Compounds 1-4, 5a and 5c (the acyl products of 5),
      suppressed the proliferation of all six tested cancer cell lines and 4 is the
      most active compound with IC50 values ranging from 0.59 to 3.39 MUM. The 11
      hydroxycurvularins 1 and 2 also showed antibacterial activity inhibiting the
      growth of Escherichia coli. 

PMID- 26119338
TI  - Pliocene cooling enhanced by flow of low-salinity Bering Sea water to the Arctic
      Ocean.
AB  - Warming of high northern latitudes in the Pliocene (5.33-2.58 Myr ago) has been
      linked to the closure of the Central American Seaway and intensification of North
      Atlantic Deep Water. Subsequent cooling in the late Pliocene may be related to
      the effects of freshwater input from the Arctic Ocean via the Bering Strait,
      disrupting North Atlantic Deep Water formation and enhancing sea ice formation.
      However, the timing of Arctic freshening has not been defined. Here we present
      neodymium and lead isotope records of detrital sediment from the Bering Sea for
      the past 4.3 million years. Isotopic data suggest the presence of Alaskan
      glaciers as far back as 4.2 Myr ago, while diatom and C37:4 alkenone records show
      a long-term trend towards colder and fresher water in the Bering Sea beginning
      with the M2 glaciation (3.3 Myr ago). We argue that the introduction of low
      salinity Bering Sea water to the Arctic Ocean by 3.3 Myr ago preconditioned the
      climate system for global cooling. 

PMID- 26119339
TI  - Investigation of multipotent postnatal stem cells from human maxillary sinus
      membrane.
AB  - Maxillary sinus membrane (MSM) elevation is a common surgical technique for
      increasing bone height in the posterior maxilla prior to dental implant
      placement. However, the biological nature of bone regeneration in MSM remains
      largely unidentified. In this study, MSM tissue was obtained from 16 individuals
      during orthognathic surgery and used to isolate MSM stem cells (MSMSCs) by single
      colony selection and STRO-1 cell sorting. The cell characteristics in terms of
      colony-forming ability, cell surface antigens, multi-differentiation potential
      and in vivo implantation were all evaluated. It was found that MSMSCs were of
      mesenchymal origin and positive for mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) markers such as
      STRO-1, CD146, CD29 and CD44; furthermore, under defined culture conditions,
      MSMSCs were able to form mineral deposits and differentiate into adipocytes and
      chondrocytes. When transplanted into immunocompromised rodents, MSMSCs showed the
      capacity to generate bone-like tissue and, importantly, maintain their MSC
      characteristics after in vivo implantation. These findings provide cellular and
      molecular evidence that MSM contains stem cells that show functional potential in
      bone regeneration for dental implant. 

PMID- 26119340
TI  - The Ras-Erk-ETS-Signaling Pathway Is a Drug Target for Longevity.
AB  - Identifying the molecular mechanisms that underlie aging and their
      pharmacological manipulation are key aims for improving lifelong human health.
      Here, we identify a critical role for Ras-Erk-ETS signaling in aging in
      Drosophila. We show that inhibition of Ras is sufficient for lifespan extension
      downstream of reduced insulin/IGF-1 (IIS) signaling. Moreover, direct reduction
      of Ras or Erk activity leads to increased lifespan. We identify the E-twenty six
      (ETS) transcriptional repressor, Anterior open (Aop), as central to lifespan
      extension caused by reduced IIS or Ras attenuation. Importantly, we demonstrate
      that adult-onset administration of the drug trametinib, a highly specific
      inhibitor of Ras-Erk-ETS signaling, can extend lifespan. This discovery of the
      Ras-Erk-ETS pathway as a pharmacological target for animal aging, together with
      the high degree of evolutionary conservation of the pathway, suggests that
      inhibition of Ras-Erk-ETS signaling may provide an effective target for anti
      aging interventions in mammals.

PMID- 26119341
TI  - The Developmental Rules of Neural Superposition in Drosophila.
AB  - Complicated neuronal circuits can be genetically encoded, but the underlying
      developmental algorithms remain largely unknown. Here, we describe a
      developmental algorithm for the specification of synaptic partner cells through
      axonal sorting in the Drosophila visual map. Our approach combines intravital
      imaging of growth cone dynamics in developing brains of intact pupae and data
      driven computational modeling. These analyses suggest that three simple rules are
      sufficient to generate the seemingly complex neural superposition wiring of the
      fly visual map without an elaborate molecular matchmaking code. Our computational
      model explains robust and precise wiring in a crowded brain region despite
      extensive growth cone overlaps and provides a framework for matching molecular
      mechanisms with the rules they execute. Finally, ordered geometric axon terminal
      arrangements that are not required for neural superposition are a side product of
      the developmental algorithm, thus elucidating neural circuit connectivity that
      remained unexplained based on adult structure and function alone.

PMID- 26119342
TI  - Mapping Nucleosome Resolution Chromosome Folding in Yeast by Micro-C.
AB  - We describe a Hi-C-based method, Micro-C, in which micrococcal nuclease is used
      instead of restriction enzymes to fragment chromatin, enabling nucleosome
      resolution chromosome folding maps. Analysis of Micro-C maps for budding yeast
      reveals abundant self-associating domains similar to those reported in other
      species, but not previously observed in yeast. These structures, far shorter than
      topologically associating domains in mammals, typically encompass one to five
      genes in yeast. Strong boundaries between self-associating domains occur at
      promoters of highly transcribed genes and regions of rapid histone turnover that
      are typically bound by the RSC chromatin-remodeling complex. Investigation of
      chromosome folding in mutants confirms roles for RSC, "gene looping" factor
      Ssu72, Mediator, H3K56 acetyltransferase Rtt109, and the N-terminal tail of H4 in
      folding of the yeast genome. This approach provides detailed structural maps of a
      eukaryotic genome, and our findings provide insights into the machinery
      underlying chromosome compaction. 

PMID- 26119343
TI  - Influence of CBCT parameters on the output of an automatic edge-detection-based
      endodontic segmentation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the optimal CBCT settings for an automatic edge
      detection-based endodontic segmentation procedure by assessing the accuracy of
      the root canal measurements. METHODS: 12 intact teeth with closed apexes were cut
      perpendicular to the root axis, at pre-determined levels to the reference plane
      (the first section made before acquisition). Acquisitions of each specimen were
      performed with Kodak 9000((r)) 3D (76 um, 14 bits; Kodak Carestream Health,
      Trophy, France) by using different combinations of milliamperes and kilovolts.
      Three-dimensional images were displayed and root canals were segmented with the
      MeVisLab software (edge-detection-based method; MeVis Research, Bremen, Germany).
      Histological root canal sections were then digitized with a 0.5- to 1.0-um
      resolution and compared with equivalent two-dimensional cone-beam reconstructions
      for each pair of settings using the Pearson correlation coefficient, regression
      analysis and Bland-Altman method for the canal area and Feret's diameter. After a
      ranking process, a Wilcoxon paired test was carried out to compare the pair of
      settings. RESULTS: The best pair of acquisition settings was 3.2 mA/60 kV.
      Significant differences were found between 3.2 mA/60 kV and other settings (p <
      0.05) for the root canal area and for Feret's diameter. CONCLUSIONS: The
      quantitative analyses of the root canal system with the edge-detection-based
      method could depend on acquisition parameters. Improvements in segmentation still
      need to be carried out to ensure the quality of the reconstructions when we have
      to deal with closer outlines and because of the low spatial resolution.

PMID- 26119344
TI  - Evaluation of the effective dose of cone beam CT and multislice CT for
      temporomandibular joint examinations at optimized exposure levels.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare the effective dose to patients from temporomandibular
      joint examinations using a dental CBCT device and a multislice CT (MSCT) device,
      both before and after dose optimization. METHODS: A Promax((r)) 3D (Planmeca,
      Helsinki, Finland) dental CBCT and a LightSpeed VCT((r)) (GE Healthcare, Little
      Chalfont, UK) multislice CT were used. Organ doses and effective doses were
      estimated from thermoluminescent dosemeters at 61 positions inside an
      anthropomorphic phantom at the exposure settings in clinical use. Optimized
      exposure protocols were obtained through an optimization study using a dry skull
      phantom, where four observers rated image quality taken at different exposure
      levels. The optimal exposure level was obtained when all included criteria were
      rated as acceptable or better by all observers. RESULTS: The effective dose from
      a bilateral examination was 184 uSv for Promax 3D and 113 uSv for LightSpeed VCT
      before optimization. Post optimization, the bilateral effective dose was 92 uSv
      for Promax 3D and 124 uSv for LightSpeed VCT. CONCLUSIONS: At optimized exposure
      levels, the effective dose from CBCT was comparable to MSCT.

PMID- 26119345
TI  - [Hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly].
AB  - Hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly is a rare and severe form of chronic
      malaria. This condition is a common cause of splenomegaly in endemic areas. The
      pathophysiology of hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly involves an intense
      immune reaction (predominantly B cell-driven) to repeated/chronic infections with
      Plasmodium sp. The diagnosis may be difficult, due to a poorly specific clinical
      presentation (splenomegaly, fatigue, cytopenias), a long delay between residence
      in a malaria-endemic area and onset of symptoms, and a frequent absence of
      parasites on conventional thin and thick blood smears. A strongly contributive
      laboratory parameter is the presence of high levels of total immunoglobulin M.
      When the diagnostic of hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly is considered, search
      for anti-Plasmodium antibodies and Plasmodium nucleic acids (genus and species)
      by PCR is useful. Diagnosis of hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly relies on the
      simultaneous presence of epidemiological, clinical, biological and follow-up
      findings. Regression of both splenomegaly and hypersplenism following
      antimalarial therapy allows the differential diagnosis with splenic lymphoma, a
      common complication of hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly. Although rare in
      Western countries, hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly deserves increased
      medical awareness to reduce the incidence of incorrect diagnosis, to prevent
      progression to splenic lymphoma and to avoid splenectomy. 

PMID- 26119346
TI  - Feasibility of immediate placement of single-tooth implants in the aesthetic
      zone: a 1-year randomized controlled trial.
AB  - AIM: To assess whether outcome of immediate implant placement and immediate
      provisionalization after 1 year was non-inferior to immediate implant placement
      and delayed provisionalization regarding Marginal Bone Level (MBL). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Forty patients with a failing tooth in the aesthetic zone were randomly
      assigned for immediate implant placement with immediate (n = 20) or delayed (n =
      20) provisionalization. Follow-up was at 1 month and after 1 year. The study was
      powered to detect a difference in MBL of <0.9 mm. Apart from MBL, soft tissue
      peri-implant parameters, aesthetic indexes and patient satisfaction were
      assessed. RESULTS: After 1 year, MBL changes were -0.75 +/- 0.69 mesially and 
      0.68 +/- 0.65 distally mm for the immediate group and -0.70 +/- 0.64 and -0.68 +/
      0.64 mm for the delayed group respectively (NS). Regarding differences in means,
      non-inferiority was observed after 1 year (mesially: Group A versus B: difference
      in mean 0.08 mm (95% CI -0.38 to 0.53, p = 0.71 distally: Group A versus B:
      difference in mean 0.09 mm (95% CI -0.37 to 0.56 mm, p = 0.66).No significant
      differences in the other outcome variables were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      showed that immediate placement and immediate provisionalization was non-inferior
      to immediate placement with delayed provisionalization. In addition, although not
      powered for these outcome variables, no clinically relevant differences in other
      outcomes were observed (www.isrtcn.com: ISRCTN57251089).

PMID- 26119347
TI  - Supramolecularly Regulated Ligands for Asymmetric Hydroformylations and
      Hydrogenations.
AB  - Herein we report the use of polyether binders as regulation agents (RAs) to
      enhance the enantioselectivity of rhodium-catalyzed transformations. For
      reactions of diverse substrates mediated by rhodium complexes of the alpha,omega
      bisphosphite-polyether ligands 1-5,a-d, the enantiomeric excess (ee) of
      hydroformylations was increased by up to 82 % (substrate: vinyl benzoate, 96 %
      ee), and the ee value of hydrogenations was increased by up to 5 % (substrate: N
      (1-(naphthalene-1-yl)vinyl)acetamide, 78 % ee). The ligand design enabled the
      regulation of enantioselectivity by generation of an array of catalysts that
      simultaneously preserve the advantages of a privileged structure in asymmetric
      catalysis and offer geometrically close catalytic sites. The highest
      enantioselectivities in the hydroformylation of vinyl acetate with ligand 4 b
      were achieved by using the Rb[B(3,5-(CF3)2 C6 H3)4] (RbBArF) as the RA. The
      enantioselective hydrogenation of the substrates 10 required the rhodium
      catalysts derived from bisphosphites 3 a or 4 a, either alone or in combination
      with different RAs (sodium, cesium, or (R,R)-bis(1-phenylethyl)ammonium salts).
      This design approach was supported by results from computational studies.

PMID- 26119348
TI  - Increase of widespread A, B1 and D Escherichia coli clones producing a high
      diversity of CTX-M-types in a Portuguese hospital.
AB  - AIM: To characterize temporal shifts in extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs)
      and clones of clinical Escherichia coli isolates. MATERIALS & METHODS: All ESBL
      producing E. coli isolates from a Portuguese hospital (n = 112; June 2006-June
      2007 and January-December 2010) were characterized by identification of
      phylogenetic groups, ESBL-types and virulence genes, XbaI-PFGE and MLST. RESULTS:
      We observed a substantial increase in widespread E. coli clones from phylogroups
      A, B1 and D (e.g., ST10, ST23, ST117, ST155, ST648) producing mainly CTX-M-1, 
      14, -32 or SHV-12, along with a decrease in the proportion of the predominant CTX
      M-15-producing B2-ST131 clone. CONCLUSION: The amplification of diverse CTX-M
      producing A, B1 and D clonal complexes, which have been long identified in
      Portuguese nonclinical settings, unveils a role for these reservoirs in the
      landscape of ESBL-producing E. coli in the clinical setting.

PMID- 26119351
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of novel niccolites
      [(CH3)2NH2][Fe(III)M(II)(HCOO)6] (M(II) = Zn, Ni, Cu).
AB  - We report the synthesis, X-ray diffraction, thermal, magnetic, Raman and IR
      studies of three heterometallic MOFs, [(CH3)2NH2][Fe(III)M(II)(HCOO)6] with M =
      Zn (DMFeZn), Ni (DMFeNi) and Cu (DMFeCu), crystallizing in the niccolite type
      structure. DMFeZn and DMFeNi crystallize in the trigonal structure (space group
      P3[combining macron]1c) while DMFeCu crystallizes in the monoclinic structure
      (space group C2/c). Magnetic investigation shows that DMFeZn remains paramagnetic
      down to the lowest temperature obtained in our experiment while DMFeNi and DMFeCu
      exhibit ferromagnetic order below 42 and 28.5 K, respectively. IR and Raman data
      confirm the structural model of the monoclinic DMFeCu and show evidence for
      stronger hydrogen bonds when compared to trigonal DMFeZn and DMFeNi. A different
      hydrogen bond network in the monoclinic DMFeCu when compared to trigonal DMFeZn
      and DMFeNi is responsible for the different behavior of these compounds upon
      cooling, that is, DMFeCu exhibits a sign of short range ordering of
      dimethylammonium cations at low temperatures while the trigonal analogues show
      evolution of dynamic disorder into static disorder. 

PMID- 26119350
TI  - Alcohol Attributable Fraction for Injury Morbidity from the Dose-Response
      Relationship of Acute Alcohol Consumption: Emergency Department Data from 18
      Countries.
AB  - AIMS: To calculate the alcohol-attributable fraction (AAF) of injury morbidity by
      volume of consumption prior to injury based on newly reported relative risk (RR)
      estimates. DESIGN: AAF estimates based on the dose-response RR estimates obtained
      from previous pair-matched case-crossover fractional polynomial analysis of mean
      volume in volume categories were calculated from the prevalence of drinking prior
      to injury in each volume category. SETTING: Thirty-seven emergency departments
      (EDs) across 18 countries. PARTICIPANTS: Probability samples of patients, with
      equal representation of each shift for each day of the week, totaling 14,026 who
      arrived at the ED within six hours of injury from ED studies conducted between
      2001 and 2011. MEASUREMENTS: AAF was analyzed by gender, age (18-30; >30), cause
      of injury (traffic, assault, fall, other), and country detrimental drinking
      pattern (DDP). FINDINGS: For the EDs analyzed, 16.4% of all injuries were
      estimated to be attributable to alcohol, and the AAF did not vary by age but was
      over twice as large for males (20.6%; 19.3-21.8) than for females (8.6%; 7.5
      9.7%). While females were at greater risk of injury than males at higher volume
      levels, lower prevalence of women drinking at higher levels contributed to
      overall lower AAF for women. Assault-related injuries showed the largest AAF
      (44.1%; 37.6-42.6). AAF was slightly higher for injuries from falls (14.3%; 12.9
      15.7) than motor vehicle crashes (11.1%; 9.3-12.9). AAF was higher in those
      countries with a DDP of 3 (18.6; 17.5-19.7) and 4 (19.4%; 17.3-21.6) than those
      with a DDP of 2 (12.0%; 10.5-13.5). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol-attributable injuries
      presenting in emergency departments are higher for males than females, for
      violence-related injuries compared with other types of injury, and for countries
      with more detrimental drinking patterns compared with those with less detrimental
      patterns.

PMID- 26119349
TI  - Meta-analysis of metabolic syndrome and benign prostatic hyperplasia in Chinese
      patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on benign
      prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), focusing on MetS and its relationship with prostate
      volume and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in Chinese patients by performing a
      meta-analysis. METHODS: We systematically searched the PubMed, Embase, China
      National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and VIP databases from inception to
      November 2014. All studies investigating the impact of MetS on prostate volume
      and PSA among BPH patients were included. Pooled mean difference (WMD) and 95%
      confidence interval (CI) were used to analyze the difference between patients
      with MetS and those without MetS. RESULTS: Sixteen studies enrolled 1895 BPH
      patients, of whom 2224 had MetS. Compared with those without MetS, BHP patients
      with MetS had significantly higher total prostate volume (WMD 10.15 ml; 95% CI
      7.37-12.93) and serum PSA level (WMD 0.53 ng/ml; 95% CI 0.17-0.88), respectively.
      In addition, annual prostate growth rate in patients with MetS was higher (WMD
      0.49 ml/year; 95% CI 0.24-0.73) than in those without MetS. CONCLUSIONS: This
      meta-analysis supports that the presence of MetS increases total prostate volume
      and annual prostate growth rate in Chinese BPH patients. Future studies are
      needed to explain the detailed underlying mechanisms.

PMID- 26119352
TI  - Nicotine administration in the wake-promoting basal forebrain attenuates sleep
      promoting effects of alcohol.
AB  - Nicotine and alcohol co-abuse is highly prevalent, although the underlying causes
      are unclear. It has been suggested that nicotine enhances pleasurable effects of
      alcohol while reducing aversive effects. Recently, we reported that nicotine acts
      via the basal forebrain (BF) to activate nucleus accumbens and increase alcohol
      consumption. Does nicotine suppress alcohol-induced aversive effects via the BF?
      We hypothesized that nicotine may act via the BF to suppress sleep-promoting
      effects of alcohol. To test this hypothesis, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were
      implanted with sleep-recording electrodes and bilateral guides targeted toward
      the BF. Nicotine (75 pmol/500 nL/side) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF;
      500 nL/side) was microinjected into the BF followed by intragastric alcohol (ACSF
      + EtOH and NiC + EtOH groups; 3 g/kg) or water (NiC + W and ACSF + W groups; 10
      mL/kg) administration. On completion, rats were killed and processed to localize
      injection sites in the BF. The statistical analysis revealed a significant effect
      of treatment on sleep-wakefulness. While rats exposed to alcohol (ACSF + EtOH)
      displayed strong sleep promotion, nicotine pre-treatment in the BF (NiC + EtOH)
      attenuated alcohol-induced sleep and normalized sleep-wakefulness. These results
      suggest that nicotine acts via the BF to suppress the aversive, sleep-promoting
      effects of alcohol, further supporting the role of BF in alcohol-nicotine co-use.

PMID- 26119353
TI  - Novel association between serum pentraxin-2 levels and advanced fibrosis in well
      characterised patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pentraxin-2 (PTX-2), a serum protein, inhibits inflammation and
      fibrosis, and recombinant PTX-2 is being tested as an anti-fibrotic agent. AIM:
      To evaluate the association between serum PTX-2 levels and fibrosis stage in
      patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: Serum pentraxin
      2 levels were compared between four groups of well-characterised patients
      including NAFLD with no fibrosis, NAFLD with mild-moderate fibrosis (stage 1-2),
      NAFLD with advanced fibrosis (stage 3-4), and age-sex matched non-NAFLD controls.
      RESULTS: Sixty subjects were included in the study. The mean age was 58.9 years,
      68% were male and 58% were Caucasian. In univariate analysis, serum PTX-2 levels
      significantly decreased from non-NAFLD controls to mild NAFLD with no fibrosis,
      to NAFLD with mild-moderate fibrosis and were lowest in patients with NAFLD and
      advanced fibrosis, in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.0001). In multivariable
      adjusted analyses controlling for age, sex, albumin, and CRP, the results
      remained consistent and statistically significant. Serum PTX-2 level had an AUROC
      of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.71-0.97) for the diagnosis of NAFLD, and an AUROC of 0.77 (95%
      CI: 0.65-0.90) for the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis in NAFLD. Serum PTX-2
      levels also decreased with increasing liver stiffness as estimated by magnetic
      resonance elastography (r = -0.31, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: PTX-2 levels are
      significantly lower in patients with NAFLD compared to non-NAFLD controls, and
      decline further in patients with advanced fibrosis. PTX-2 may therefore be both a
      biomarker of disease and a potential target for anti-fibrotic therapy with the
      recombinant pentraxin-2.

PMID- 26119354
TI  - Synthesis, crystal structures, and two-photon absorption of a series of
      cyanoacetic acid triphenylamine derivatives.
AB  - A specific series of chromophores (CN1, CN2, CN3, and CN4) have been synthesized,
      in which contained a triphenylamine moiety as the electron donor (D), a
      cyanoacetic acid moiety as the electron acceptor (A), vinylene or phenylethyne as
      the pi-bridge, and ethyoxyl groups as auxiliary electron donor (D') to construct
      the D-pi-A or D'-D-pi-A molecular configuration. Photophysical properties of them
      were systematically investigated. These results show that the chromophores
      display a solvatochromism (blue shift) and large Stokes shifts for their
      absorption bands with increasing polarity of the solvent. Furthermore, the
      chromophore CN4 shows the strongest intensity of two-photon excited fluorescence
      and largest two-photon absorption cross section (2783 GM) in the near infrared
      region. Finally, the connections between the structures and properties are
      systematically investigated relying on the information from linear and nonlinear
      optical properties, crytsal structures and quantum chemical calculation. 

PMID- 26119355
TI  - Scheduling the blended solution as industrial CO2 absorber in separation process
      by back-propagation artificial neural networks.
AB  - It is believe that 80% industrial of carbon dioxide can be controlled by
      separation and storage technologies which use the blended ionic liquids absorber.
      Among the blended absorbers, the mixture of water, N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA)
      and guanidinium trifluoromethane sulfonate (gua) has presented the superior
      stripping qualities. However, the blended solution has illustrated high viscosity
      that affects the cost of separation process. In this work, the blended
      fabrication was scheduled with is the process arranging, controlling and
      optimizing. Therefore, the blend's components and operating temperature were
      modeled and optimized as input effective variables to minimize its viscosity as
      the final output by using back-propagation artificial neural network (ANN). The
      modeling was carried out by four mathematical algorithms with individual
      experimental design to obtain the optimum topology using root mean squared error
      (RMSE), R-squared (R(2)) and absolute average deviation (AAD). As a result, the
      final model (QP-4-8-1) with minimum RMSE and AAD as well as the highest R(2) was
      selected to navigate the fabrication of the blended solution. Therefore, the
      model was applied to obtain the optimum initial level of the input variables
      which were included temperature 303-323 K, x[gua], 0-0.033, x[MDAE], 0.3-0.4, and
      x[H2O], 0.7-1.0. Moreover, the model has obtained the relative importance ordered
      of the variables which included x[gua]>temperature>x[MDEA]>x[H2O]. Therefore,
      none of the variables was negligible in the fabrication. Furthermore, the model
      predicted the optimum points of the variables to minimize the viscosity which was
      validated by further experiments. The validated results confirmed the model
      schedulability. Accordingly, ANN succeeds to model the initial components of the
      blended solutions as absorber of CO2 capture in separation technologies that is
      able to industries scale up.

PMID- 26119356
TI  - Molecular structure, IR spectra, and chemical reactivity of cisplatin and
      transplatin: DFT studies, basis set effect and solvent effect.
AB  - Three different density functional theory (DFT) methods were employed to study
      the molecular structures of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (CDDP) and trans
      diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (TDDP). The basis set effect on the structure was
      also investigated. By comparing the optimized structures with the experimental
      data, a relatively more accurate method was chosen for further study of the IR
      spectra and other properties as well as the solvent effect. Nineteen
      characteristic vibrational bands of the title compounds were assigned and
      compared with available experimental data. The number of characteristic peaks for
      the asymmetric stretching and deformation vibrations of N-H can serve as a
      judgment for the isomer between CDDP and TDDP. Significant solvent effect was
      observed on the molecular structures and IR spectra. The reduced density gradient
      analysis was performed to study the intramolecular interactions of CDDP and TDDP,
      and the nature of changes in the structures caused by the solvent was
      illustrated. Several descriptors determined from the energies of frontier
      molecular orbitals (HOMO and LUMO) were applied to describe the chemical
      reactivity of the title compounds. The molecular electrostatic potential (MESP)
      surfaces showed that the amino groups were the most favorable sites that
      nucleophilic reagents tend to attack, and CDDP was easier to be attacked by
      nucleophilic reagents than TDDP. 

PMID- 26119357
TI  - Exploring protein solution structure: Second moments of fluorescent spectra
      report heterogeneity of tryptophan rotamers.
AB  - Trp fluorescent spectra appear as a log-normal function but are usually analyzed
      with lambdamax, full width at half maximum, and the first moment of incomplete
      spectra. Log-normal analyses have successfully separated fluorescence
      contributions from some multi-Trp proteins but deviations were observed in single
      Trp proteins. The possibility that disparate rotamer environments might account
      for these deviations was explored by moment spectral analysis of single Trp
      mutants spanning the sequence of tear lipocalin as a model. The analysis required
      full width Trp spectra. Composite spectra were constructed using log-normal
      analysis to derive the inaccessible blue edge, and the experimentally obtained
      spectra for the remainder. First moments of the composite spectra reflected the
      site-resolved secondary structure. Second moments were most sensitive for
      spectral deviations. A novel parameter, derived from the difference of the second
      moments of composite and simulated log-normal spectra correlated with known
      multiple heterogeneous rotamer conformations. Buried and restricted side chains
      showed the most heterogeneity. Analyses applied to other proteins further
      validated the method. The rotamer heterogeneity values could be rationalized by
      known conformational properties of Trp residues and the distribution of nearby
      charged groups according to the internal Stark effect. Spectral heterogeneity
      fits the rotamer model but does not preclude other contributing factors. Spectral
      moment analysis of full width Trp emission spectra is accessible to most
      laboratories. The calculations are informative of protein structure and can be
      adapted to study dynamic processes. 

PMID- 26119358
TI  - Sensory and circuit mechanisms mediating lower urinary tract reflexes.
AB  - Neural control of continence and micturition is distributed over a network of
      interconnected reflexes. These reflexes integrate sensory information from the
      bladder and urethra and are modulated by descending influences to produce
      different physiological outcomes based on the information arriving from
      peripheral afferents. Therefore, the mode of activation of primary afferents is
      essential in understanding the action of spinal reflex pathways in the lower
      urinary tract. We present an overview of sensory mechanisms in the bladder and
      urethra focusing on their spinal integration, identify the cardinal spinal
      reflexes responsible for continence and micturition, and describe how their
      functional role is controlled via peripheral afferent activity.

PMID- 26119359
TI  - Oral application of lactic acid bacteria following treatment with antibiotics
      inhibits allergic airway inflammation.
AB  - AIMS: To investigate whether lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can exhibit anti-allergy
      properties in antibiotics-treated mice model. METHODS AND RESULTS: Antibiotic
      treatment affected the composition of the intestinal microbiota and its
      metabolites, and thus has a mild effect on Th1/Th2 balance. Oral administration
      of Streptococcus thermophilus CCFM218 (ST218) could not fully repair antibiotic
      induced damage to the intestinal microbiota and its metabolites, and restore them
      to their original condition. But ST218 treatment revealed a strong suppressive
      effect on airway inflammation characterized by reduced inflammatory cell
      infiltration and levels of Th2 cytokines in lung tissues, which was associated
      with an enhanced mucosal tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that ST218
      could alleviate allergic responses in mice treated with antibiotics, primarily
      through the modulation of mucosal and systemic responses rather than the
      restoration of the intestinal microbiota. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY:
      The rise in incidence in allergies may correlate with the widespread and liberal
      use of antibiotics. This study affirmed that one species of LAB ST218
      significantly reduces allergic airway inflammation in antibiotic-treated mice
      model.

PMID- 26119360
TI  - Preparation and use of varied natural tools for extractive foraging by bonobos
      (Pan Paniscus).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The tool-assisted extractive foraging capabilities of captive (zoo)
      and semi-captive (sanctuary) bonobo (Pan paniscus) groups were compared to each
      other and to those known in wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) cultures. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The bonobos were provided with natural raw materials and challenged
      with tasks not previously encountered, in experimental settings simulating
      natural contexts where resources requiring special retrieval efforts were hidden.
      They were shown that food was buried underground or inserted into long bone
      cavities, and left to tackle the tasks without further intervention. RESULTS: The
      bonobos used modified branches and unmodified antlers or stones to dig under
      rocks and in the ground or to break bones to retrieve the food. Antlers, short
      sticks, long sticks, and rocks were effectively used as mattocks, daggers,
      levers, and shovels, respectively. One bonobo successively struck a long bone
      with an angular hammer stone, completely bisecting it longitudinally. Another
      bonobo modified long branches into spears and used them as attack weapons and
      barriers. Bonobos in the sanctuary, unlike those in the zoo, used tool sets to
      perform sequential actions. DISCUSSION: The competent and diverse tool-assisted
      extractive foraging by the bonobos corroborates and complements the extensive
      information on similar tool use by chimpanzees, suggesting that such competence
      is a shared trait. Better performance by the sanctuary bonobos than the zoo group
      was probably due to differences in their cultural exposure and housing
      conditions. The bonobos' foraging techniques resembled some of those attributed
      to Oldowan hominins, implying that they can serve as referential models.

PMID- 26119362
TI  - CaCO3 and SrCO3 bioprecipitation by fungi isolated from calcareous soil.
AB  - The urease-positive fungi Pestalotiopsis sp. and Myrothecium gramineum, isolated
      from calcareous soil, were examined for their properties of CaCO3 and SrCO3
      biomineralization. After incubation in media amended with urea and CaCl2 and/or
      SrCl2 , calcite (CaCO3 ), strontianite (SrCO3 ), vaterite in different forms
      [CaCO3 , (Cax Sr1-x )CO3 ] and olekminskite [Sr(Sr,Ca)(CO3 )2 ] were
      precipitated, and fungal 'footprints' were observed on mineral surfaces. The
      amorphous precipitate mediated by Pestalotiopsis sp. grown with urea and
      equivalent concentrations of CaCl2 and SrCl2 was identified as hydrated Ca and Sr
      carbonates by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Liquid media experiments
      showed M. gramineum possessed the highest Sr(2+) removal ability, and ~ 49% of
      supplied Sr(2+) was removed from solution when grown in media amended with urea
      and 50 mM SrCl2 . Furthermore, this organism could also precipitate 56% of the
      available Ca(2+) and 28% of the Sr(2+) in the form of CaCO3 , SrCO3 and (Cax Sr1
      x )CO3 when incubated in urea-amended media and equivalent CaCl2 and SrCl2
      concentrations. This is the first report of biomineralization of olekminskite and
      coprecipitation of Sr into vaterite mediated by fungi. These findings suggest
      that urease-positive fungi could play an important role in the environmental
      fate, bioremediation or biorecovery of Sr or other metals and radionuclides that
      form insoluble carbonates. 

PMID- 26119364
TI  - Micro-nano structured Ni-MOFs as high-performance cathode catalyst for
      rechargeable Li-O2 batteries.
AB  - Rechargeable Li-O2 batteries with high theoretical energy density urgently
      require efficient cathode catalysts to improve their electrochemical performance.
      Here we first demonstrated the application of Ni-based organic frameworks of
      Ni(4,4'-bipy)(H3BTC) (4,4'-bipy = 4,4'-bipyridine; H3BTC = 1,3,5
      benzenetricarboxylic acid) (Ni-MOFs) as high-performance cathode catalysts for
      rechargeable Li-O2 batteries. It is found that Ni-MOFs with a three-dimensional
      (3D) micro-nano structure, open catalytic sites and large specific surface area
      can guarantee the free transfer of O2 and effective contact between the
      electrolyte and the catalytic sites. Preliminary testing of Ni-MOFs showed that
      they possess an extremely high capacity of 9000 mA h g(-1), a high round-trip
      efficiency of 80%, and a respectable cycling of 170 cycles without obvious
      voltage drop. Furthermore, plastic rechargeable Li-O2 batteries with Ni-MOFs as
      the cathode catalyst have been assembled, displaying an energy density of 478 Wh
      kg(-1). This study leads to both fundamental and technological advances of Ni
      MOFs as the cathode for rechargeable Li-O2 batteries. 

PMID- 26119363
TI  - Ascending and descending thoracic aorta calcification in type 2 diabetes
      mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Calcification of the thoracic aorta is a risk factor for
      cardiovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease but has not been well
      studied in diabetics. In addition, many studies consider aortic calcium as a
      single anatomic entity, whereas calcification of the ascending and descending
      portions of the thoracic aorta may represent separate phenotypes. We sought to
      characterize the prevalence of ascending and descending aortic calcium among
      diabetics and to assess their associations with cardiovascular risk factors,
      coronary artery calcium, and peripheral arterial disease. METHODS: Within the
      Penn Diabetes Heart Study, a cross-sectional study of subjects with type 2
      diabetes mellitus but without coronary or renal disease, we quantified Agatston
      scores of the ascending and descending thoracic aorta in 1739 subjects (63% male,
      61% Caucasian). Multivariate logistic and Tobit regressions were used to assess
      associations with cardiovascular risk factors, coronary calcium, and peripheral
      arterial disease. RESULTS: Of all subjects, 54% had thoracic aortic calcium; of
      these, 37% had calcium solely in the ascending thoracic aorta and 20% solely in
      the descending thoracic aorta. In multivariate regression, age, Caucasian race,
      systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking, and
      diabetes duration were independently associated with calcium of both the
      ascending and descending thoracic aorta (P < .001 for all). Ascending and
      descending aortic calcium were each independently associated with coronary
      calcium in multivariate regression, but only calcification of the descending
      thoracic aortic was associated with low ankle-brachial index. CONCLUSION:
      Ascending and descending thoracic aortic calcium have similar associations with
      traditional cardiovascular risk factors in diabetics and are independently
      associated with coronary artery calcium. Only calcium in the descending aorta is
      associated with peripheral arterial disease. Delineation of both phenotypes may
      provide information about the individualized vascular disease and risk profile of
      patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 26119365
TI  - Parametric Investigation of Batch Adsorption of Proteins onto Polymeric
      Particles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Effective bimolecular adsorption of proteins onto solid matrices is
      characterized by in-depth understanding of the biophysical features essential to
      optimize the adsorption performance. RESULTS: The adsorption of bovine serum
      albumin (BSA) onto anion-exchange Q-sepharose solid particulate support was
      investigated in batch adsorption experiments. Adsorption kinetics and isotherms
      were developed as a function of key industrially relevant parameters such as
      polymer loading, stirring speed, buffer pH, protein concentration and the state
      of protein dispersion (solid/aqueous) in order to optimize binding performance
      and adsorption capacity. Experimental results showed that the first order rate
      constant is higher at higher stirring speed, higher polymer loading, and under
      alkaline conditions, with a corresponding increase in equilibrium adsorption
      capacity. Increasing the stirring speed and using aqueous dispersion protein
      system increased the adsorption rate, but the maximum protein adsorption was
      unaffected. Regardless of the stirring speed, the adsorption capacity of the
      polymer was 2.8 mg/ml. However, doubling the polymer loading increased the
      adsorption capacity to 9.4 mg/ml. CONCLUSIONS: The result demonstrates that there
      exists a minimum amount of polymer loading required to achieve maximum protein
      adsorption capacity under specific process conditions.

PMID- 26119366
TI  - Efficacy of topical antibiotic administration on the inhibition of perioperative
      oral bacterial growth in oral cancer patients: a preliminary study.
AB  - Parenteral antibiotic prophylaxis is the current standard of therapy in clean
      contaminated oral cancer surgery. Nevertheless, the incidence of surgical site
      infection (SSI) in oral oncological surgery is relatively high, especially in
      major surgery with reconstruction and tracheotomy. The aims of this study were to
      investigate the perioperative condition related to microorganisms in the oral
      cavity and to examine the efficacy of the topical administration of tetracycline
      in reducing the number of bacteria in the oropharyngeal fluid during intubation.
      The number of oral bacteria was measured during intubation in patients undergoing
      major oral cancer surgery. The efficacy of the topical administration of
      tetracycline or povidone iodine gel in reducing the bacteria was then
      investigated. Bacteria in the oropharyngeal fluid grew from 10(6)CFU/ml to
      10(8)CFU/ml during the 3h after intubation (CFU, colony-forming units). When
      tetracycline was applied to the dorsum of the tongue, oral bacteria decreased
      immediately to 10(5)CFU/ml, and the number of bacteria in the oropharyngeal fluid
      was maintained below 10(7)CFU/ml for 7h. The concentration of tetracycline in the
      oropharyngeal fluid was extremely high for several hours after topical
      administration. The topical administration of tetracycline could reduce oral
      bacteria in patients undergoing clean-contaminated oral cancer surgery. This
      method is expected to be effective in the prevention of SSI.

PMID- 26119367
TI  - Sufficient Immunosuppression with Thymoglobulin Is Essential for a Successful
      Haplo-Myeloid Bridge in Haploidentical-Cord Blood Transplantation.
AB  - In haploidentical (haplo)-cord blood (CB) transplantations, early haplo donor
      engraftment serves as a myeloid bridge to sustainable CB engraftment and is
      associated with early neutrophil recovery. The conditioning regimens as published
      for haplo-cord protocols usually contain serotherapy, such as rabbit
      antithymocyte globulin (ATG) (Thymoglobulin, Genzyme, Cambridge, MA). However,
      reducing or omitting serotherapy is an important strategy to improve early immune
      reconstitution after transplantation. The need for serotherapy in successful
      haplo-cord transplantation, defined as having a haplo-derived myeloid bridge to
      CB engraftment, has not been investigated before. Two consecutive cohorts of
      patients underwent transplantation with haplo-CB. The first group underwent
      transplantation with haplo-CB for active infection and/or an underlying condition
      with expected difficult engraftment without a conventional donor available. They
      received a single unit (s) CB and haplo donor cells (CD34(+) selected, 5 * 10(6)
      CD34(+)/kg). The second cohort included patients with poor-risk malignancies, not
      eligible for other treatment protocols. They received a sCB and haplo donor cells
      (CD19/alphabetaTCR-depleted; 5 * 10(6) CD34(+)/kg). Retrospectively in both
      cohorts, active ATG (Thymoglobulin) levels were measured and post-hematopoietic
      cell transplantation area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. The influence of
      ATG exposure for having a successful haplo-myeloid bridge (early haplo donor
      engraftment before CB engraftment and no secondary neutropenia) and
      transplantation-related mortality (TRM) were analyzed as primary endpoints.
      Twenty patients were included (16 in the first cohort and 4 in the second
      cohort). In 58% of evaluable patients, there was no successful haplo-derived
      myeloid bridge to CB engraftment, for which a low post-transplantation ATG
      exposure appeared to be a predictor (P <.001). TRM in the unsuccessful haplo
      bridge group was 70% +/- 16% versus 12% +/- 12% in the successful haplo-bridge
      group (P = .012). In conclusion, sufficient in vivo T depletion with ATG is
      required for a successful haplo-myeloid bridge to CB engraftment.

PMID- 26119369
TI  - Metallocorroles as photocatalysts for driving endergonic reactions, exemplified
      by bromide to bromine conversion.
AB  - Photochemical oxidation of halide anions by visible light has been suggested for
      solar energy conversion processes. Post-transition metallocorroles are now
      disclosed as very efficient catalysts for the photoinduced transformation of
      bromide to bromine. The advantages of these catalysts are that they are very
      stable under the reaction conditions and that the energy levels of the oxidizing
      HOMO and the reducing LUMO are easily tuned. Insights into the mechanism of
      action obtained in this work is predicted to be very useful for the design of
      other systems that rely on photocatalysis for driving endergonic reactions. 

PMID- 26119368
TI  - Being stuck in a vice: The process of coping with severe depression in late life.
AB  - Articles describing older persons' experiences of coping with severe depression
      are, to our knowledge, lacking. This article is methodologically grounded in
      phenomenological hermeneutics, inspired by Paul Ricoeur, and applies a
      descriptive design with in-depth interviews for producing the data. We included
      18 older persons, 13 women and 5 men, with a mean age of 77.9 years, depressed to
      a severe or moderate degree, 1-2 weeks after admission to a hospital for
      treatment of depression. We found the metaphor "being in a vice" to capture the
      essence of meaning from the participants' stories, and can be understood as being
      stuck in an immensely painful existence entirely dominated by depression in late
      life. This is the first article where coping in older men and women experiencing
      the most severe phase of depression is explored. 

PMID- 26119370
TI  - Intracellular delivery cellulose-based bionanogels with dual temperature/pH
      response for cancer therapy.
AB  - Polysaccharide-based crosslinked nanogles (bionanogels) exhibiting multiple
      stimuli-responsive release of encapsulated therapeutics hold a great potential as
      tumor-targeting intracelluar durg delivery nanocarriers. Herein, we report the
      synthesis of monodisperse dual temperature/acidic pH-responsive bionanogels (DuR
      BNGs) by aqueous crosslinking polymerization through temperature-induced self
      association method. The DuR-BNGs have prolonged colloidal stability and
      negligible non-specific interactions with proteins. In response to acidic pH at
      higher temperature (above lower critical solution temperature), they exhibit
      synergistic release of anticancer drugs as a consequence of both acidic pH
      sensitivity of carboxymethyl cellulose and temperature-induced volume change of
      grafted thermoresponsive copolymers. In vitro cell culture results suggest that
      new colloidally-stable DuR-BNG is a promising candidate promoting dual stimuli
      responsive drug release for cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26119371
TI  - Fluorescence behavior of globular proteins from their bulk and thin film
      conformations in presence of mono-, di- and tri-valent ions.
AB  - Photoluminescence behavior of globular proteins, lysozyme and bovine serum
      albumin (BSA), from their bulk and thin film conformations have been studied in
      presence of mono-, di- and tri-valent ions by using fluorescence and UV-Vis
      spectroscopy at two different temperatures and the morphology of the protein thin
      films have been studied by using atomic force microscopy. Protein- and ion
      dependent dynamic and static quenching behaviors have been identified. While
      dynamic quenching is observed for lysozyme for all the three different valent
      ions, BSA shows no quenching for mono-valent (Na(+)) ions, dynamic quenching for
      di-valent (Ni(2+)) ions and static quenching for tri-valent (Fe(3+)) ions at
      pH~5.5. After heat treatment, as the conformation of the protein molecules
      changes, the quenching efficiency for lysozyme in presence of ions decreases but
      shows enhancement for BSA. In thin film geometry, the molecular conformation of
      both lysozyme and BSA modifies on the solid surfaces and hence quenching
      efficiency also modifies in comparison with that of bulk and as a result the
      quenching efficiency for lysozyme increases but decreases for the BSA film. 

PMID- 26119372
TI  - Blood coagulation and platelet adhesion on polyaniline films.
AB  - Polyaniline is a promising conducting polymer with still increasing application
      potential in biomedicine. Its surface modification can be an efficient way how to
      introduce desired functional groups and to control its properties while keeping
      the bulk characteristics of the material unchanged. The purpose of the study was
      to synthetize thin films of pristine conducting polyaniline hydrochloride, non
      conducting polyaniline base and polyaniline modified with poly(2-acrylamido-2
      methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PAMPSA) and investigate chosen parameters of
      their hemocompatibility. The modification was performed either by introduction of
      PAMPSA during the synthesis or by reprotonation of polyaniline base. The
      polyaniline hydrochloride and polyaniline base had no impact on blood coagulation
      and platelet adhesion. By contrast, the polyaniline reprotonated with PAMPSA
      completely hindered coagulation thanks to its interaction with coagulation
      factors Xa, Va and IIa. The significantly lower platelets adhesion was also found
      on this surface. Moreover, this film maintains its conductivity at pH of 6, which
      is an improvement in comparison with standard polyaniline hydrochloride losing
      most of its conductivity at pH of 4. Polyaniline film with PAMPSA introduced
      during synthesis had an impact on platelet adhesion but not on coagulation. The
      combined conductivity, anticoagulation activity, low platelet adhesion and
      improved conductivity at pH closer to physiological, open up new possibilities
      for application of polyaniline reprotonated by PAMPSA in blood-contacting
      devices, such as catheters or blood vessel grafts. 

PMID- 26119373
TI  - A nano-micro alternating multilayer scaffold loading with rBMSCs and BMP-2 for
      bone tissue engineering.
AB  - In this study, we develop a nano-micro alternating multilayer scaffold for bone
      tissue engineering by incorporation of monodispersed calcium alginate microbeads
      into electrospun polymer nanofibers. Both rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
      (rBMSCs) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) are simultaneously loaded into
      the microbeads, which are generated from a microfluidic device. The layer number
      of the scaffold can be readily controlled by alternately repeating the
      electrospinning and the microfluidic processes. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
      activity and Alizarin Red S staining results demonstrate that this rBMSCs and BMP
      2 loaded nano-micro alternating multilayer scaffold presents an outstanding
      osteogenic effect in vitro. Histological and immunohistochemical assessments
      further reveal that this multilayer scaffold has a significant capability of
      ectopic bone formation in vivo, enabling this newly developed scaffold to be
      suitable for wide applications in tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26119374
TI  - Stick-slip water penetration into capillaries coated with swelling hydrogel.
AB  - We have observed intriguing stick-slip behavior during capillary pressure driven
      filling of borosilicate microtubes coated with hydrogel on their inner wall.
      Swelling of hydrogel upon exposure to a translating waterfront is accompanied by
      "stick-and-slip" motion. This results in the macroscopic filling velocity for
      water penetration into glass capillaries coated with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)
      (PNIPAM) being constant throughout the filling process, and reduced by three
      orders of magnitude when compared to filling of uncoated capillaries. A simple
      scaling analysis is used to introduce a possible explanation by considering the
      mechanisms responsible for pinning and unpinning of the contact line. The
      explanation assumes that the time scale for water diffusion into a hydrogel film
      and the resulting swelling/change of the local meniscus contact angle define the
      duration of each "stick" event. The "slip" length scale is in turn established by
      the elastocapillary deformation of dry hydrogel at the pinning point of the
      contact line. The sequential dynamics of these processes then determine the rate
      of water filling into a swelling capillary. Collectively, these experimental and
      theoretical results provide a new conceptual framework for liquid motion confined
      by soft, dynamically evolving polymer interfaces, in which the system creates an
      energy barrier to further motion through elasto-capillary deformation, and then
      lowers the barrier through diffusive softening. This insight has implications for
      optimal design of microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices based on stimuli
      responsive smart polymers. 

PMID- 26119375
TI  - Differences in cancer drug assessment between Spain and the United Kingdom.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There is no Spanish Government agency resembling the National
      Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the United Kingdom (UK) that
      carries out a centralised evaluation and makes decisions about funding.
      Therefore, we aim to assess the differences between NICE and the Spanish bodies
      in terms of their respective processes. We compare the decisions concerning
      cancer drugs in the assessments made by NICE/Single Technology Appraisal with
      assessments made by MADRE methodology. METHODS: We included all cancer drugs
      assessed by NICE and all MADRE reports made using a shared reports process
      (GENESIS) and reports from Catalonia (CAMDHA) and Andalucia (GFTHA). We compared
      the number of drugs assessed, the decisions taken by NICE and Spanish
      organizations and timelines. RESULTS: Between January 2011 and December 2013 NICE
      appraised 24 cancer drugs. In Spain, 44 reports were produced using MADRE
      methodology. For the 14 drugs assessed by both NICE and Spanish bodies, NICE
      rejected a high proportion of the drugs (50% versus 26%). GENESIS, with a median
      of 8 months, made decisions more quickly than NICE (13.5 months) and GFTHA (17
      months). The slowest organisation was CAMDHA (24.5 months). CONCLUSIONS: More
      drugs are assessed in Spain than by NICE because there are more organisations in
      Spain doing this work and their processes are simpler. NICE rejects more drugs as
      it uses cost-effectiveness thresholds that lead to a 'not-recommended' decision,
      and Spanish bodies recommend cancer drugs for subgroups of patients where better
      results can be obtained. Timelines are better for Spanish Committees, probably
      because of the greater number of steps in the appraisal process by NICE.

PMID- 26119376
TI  - Bioturbation/bioirrigation effect on thallium released from reservoir sediment by
      different organism types.
AB  - Bioturbation can remobilize heavy metal in the sediments and may pose a risk for
      aquatic biota. The effects of bioturbation/bioirrigation by three different
      riverine organism types (Tubificid, Chironomid larvae, and Loach) on thallium
      release from contaminated sediment (10.0 +/- 1.1 mg Tl/kg sediment, dry wt.) were
      evaluated in this study. The bioturbation by the epibenthos clearly caused an
      increased turbidity in the overlying water, and the effect was in the order of
      Loach > Chironomid larvae > Tubificid. A significant release of Tl into the water
      column via the resuspended sediment particles was observed, especially for Loach.
      During the first few days, the leaching of dissolved Tl from sediment into water
      was fast, and the dissolved Tl under bioturbation/bioirrigation was much higher
      than the control group. However, after 14 days, the bioturbation/bioirrigation
      process seemed to suppress the release of Tl from the sediment particles to
      water, especially for sediment with Loach. This may partly be due to the sorption
      or coprecipitation of Tl simultaneous with the formation of iron and manganese
      hydrous oxides with increased pH values as a consequence of phytoplankton growth.
      Linear regression analysis confirmed that both the total and particulate Tl
      concentrations had good correlations with particulate Fe and Mn concentrations as
      well as turbidity in the overlying water. Additionally, planktonic bacteria may
      oxidize the Tl(I) to Tl(III), resulting in a reduced solubility of Tl by which
      Tl(OH)3 becomes the predominant form of Tl.

PMID- 26119377
TI  - A comparison of methods used to calculate normal background concentrations of
      potentially toxic elements for urban soil.
AB  - To meet the requirements of regulation and to provide realistic remedial targets
      there is a need for the background concentration of potentially toxic elements
      (PTEs) in soils to be considered when assessing contaminated land. In England,
      normal background concentrations (NBCs) have been published for several priority
      contaminants for a number of spatial domains however updated regulatory guidance
      places the responsibility on Local Authorities to set NBCs for their
      jurisdiction. Due to the unique geochemical nature of urban areas, Local
      Authorities need to define NBC values specific to their area, which the national
      data is unable to provide. This study aims to calculate NBC levels for Gateshead,
      an urban Metropolitan Borough in the North East of England, using freely
      available data. The 'median + 2MAD', boxplot upper whisker and English NBC
      (according to the method adopted by the British Geological Survey) methods were
      compared for test PTEs lead, arsenic and cadmium. Due to the lack of
      systematically collected data for Gateshead in the national soil chemistry
      database, the use of site investigation (SI) data collected during the planning
      process was investigated. 12,087 SI soil chemistry data points were incorporated
      into a database and 27 comparison samples were taken from undisturbed locations
      across Gateshead. The SI data gave high resolution coverage of the area and Mann
      Whitney tests confirmed statistical similarity for the undisturbed comparison
      samples and the SI data. SI data was successfully used to calculate NBCs for
      Gateshead and the median+2MAD method was selected as most appropriate by the
      Local Authority according to the precautionary principle as it consistently
      provided the most conservative NBC values. The use of this data set provides a
      freely available, high resolution source of data that can be used for a range of
      environmental applications.

PMID- 26119378
TI  - Long-term combined chemical and manure fertilizations increase soil organic
      carbon and total nitrogen in aggregate fractions at three typical cropland soils
      in China.
AB  - Soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass carbon (MBC)
      and nitrogen (MBN) are important factors of soil fertility. However, effects of
      the combined chemical fertilizer and organic manure or straw on these factors and
      their relationships are less addressed under long-term fertilizations. This study
      addressed changes in SOC, TN, MBC and MBN at 0-20 cm soil depth under three 17
      years (September 1990-September 2007) long-term fertilization croplands along a
      heat and water gradient in China. Four soil physical fractions (coarse free and
      fine free particulate organic C, cfPOC and ffPOC; intra-microaggregate POC, iPOC;
      and mineral associated organic C, MOC) were examined under five fertilizations:
      unfertilized control, chemical nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K)
      (NPK), NPK plus straw (NPKS, hereafter straw return), and NPK plus manure (NPKM
      and 1.5NPKM, hereafter manure). Compared with Control, manure significantly
      increased all tested parameters. SOC and TN in fractions distributed as MOC >
      iPOC > cfPOC > ffPOC with the highest increase in cfPOC (329.3%) and cfPTN
      (431.1%), and the lowest in MOC (40.8%) and MTN (45.4%) under manure. SOC
      significantly positively correlated with MBC, cfPOC, ffPOC, iPOC and MOC (R(2) =
      0.51-0.84, P < 0.01), while TN with cfPTN, ffPTN, iPTN and MTN (R(2) = 0.45-0.79,
      P < 0.01), but not with MBN, respectively. Principal component analyses explained
      86.9-91.2% variance of SOC, TN, MBC, MBN, SOC and TN in each fraction. Our
      results demonstrated that cfPOC was a sensitive SOC indicator and manure addition
      was the best fertilization for improving soil fertility while straw return should
      take into account climate factors in Chinese croplands.

PMID- 26119379
TI  - Historical levels of heavy metals reconstructed from sedimentary record in the
      Hejiang River, located in a typical mining region of Southern China.
AB  - Historical levels of Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, As, Fe, Al and Mn were found in C1
      and C2 sediment cores from the Hejiang River, which is located in a typical
      mining region of Southern China, the levels date back approximately 57 and 83
      years. Temporal variations in the core C1 around the mining peaked in the 1960s,
      after which they exhibited a decreasing trend, which reflects successful
      government management. Historical events such as the Pacific War and China's
      first 5-year economic plan were recorded in core C2, which was collected from the
      downstream portion of the Hejiang River. Enrichment factors (EF), geo
      accumulation (Igeo), and excess flux indicate that severe contamination occurred
      during the period between 1956 and 1985 due to the release of high amounts of
      mining waste from human activities around the core C1 region. The highest EF
      value was displayed by As (67); this was followed by Pb (64), Cd (39), and Zn
      (35). In contrast, the core C2 sediments exhibited minor pollution because of
      dilution from tributaries (the Fu River and the Daning River) that do not flow
      through the mined area and because C2 was farther from the source of the metals.
      The results of the risk assessment codes (RAC) for both cores indicate that Cd
      posed a high risk to the local environment. Principal component analysis (PCA)
      and correlation analysis (CA) revealed that accumulation of heavy metals was
      mainly due to mining pollution.

PMID- 26119380
TI  - Evaluation of the environmental performance of alternatives for polystyrene
      production in Brazil.
AB  - The global demand for polystyrene is supposed to reach an overall baseline of
      23.5 million tons by 2020. The market has experienced the effects of such growth,
      especially regarding the environmental performance of the production processes.
      In Brazil, renewable assets have been used to overcome the adverse consequences
      of this expansion. This study evaluates this issue for the production of
      Brazilian polystyrene resins, general-purpose polystyrene (GPPS) and high-impact
      polystyrene (HIPS). The effects of replacing fossil ethylene with a biobased
      alternative are also investigated. Life Cycle Assessment is applied for ten
      scenarios, with different technological approaches for renewable ethylene
      production and an alternative for obtaining bioethanol, which considers the
      export of electricity. The fossil GPPS and HIPS show a better performance than
      the partially renewable sources in terms of Climate Change (CC), Terrestrial
      Acidification (TA), Photochemical Oxidant Formation (POF), and Water Depletion
      (WD). The exception is Fossil Depletion (FD), a somewhat predictable result. The
      main environmental loads associated with the renewable options are related to the
      sugarcane production. Polybutadiene fails to provide greater additional impact to
      HIPS when compared to GPPS. With regard to obtaining ethylene from ethanol,
      Adiabatic Dehydration (AD) technology consumes less sugarcane than Adiabatic
      Dehydration at High Pressure (ADHP), which leads to gains in TA and POF. In
      contrast, ADHP was more eco-friendly for WD because of its lower water losses and
      in terms of CC because of the advantageous balance of fossil CO2(eq) at the
      agricultural stage and the lower consumption of natural gas in ethylene
      production. The electricity export is an auspicious environmental opportunity
      because it can counterbalance some of the negative impacts associated with the
      renewable route. According to a "cradle-to-grave" perspective, the partially
      renewable resins show a more favorable balance of carbon. This difference
      increases when sequestration and biogenic carbon emissions are considered.

PMID- 26119381
TI  - Toxicity of chlortetracycline and its metal complexes to model microorganisms in
      wastewater sludge.
AB  - Complexation of antibiotics with metals is a well-known phenomenon. Wastewater
      treatment plants contain metals and antibiotics, thus it is essential to know the
      effect of these complexes on toxicity towards microorganisms, typically present
      in secondary treatment processes. In this study, stability constants and toxicity
      of chlortetracycline (CTC) and metal (Ca, Mg, Cu and Cr) complexes were
      investigated. The calculated stability constants of CTC-metal complexes followed
      the order: Mg-CTC>Ca-CTC>Cu-CTC>Cr-CTC. Gram positive Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
      and Gram negative Enterobacter aerogenes (Ea) bacteria were used as model
      microorganisms to evaluate the toxicity of CTC and its metal complexes. CTC-metal
      complexes were more toxic than the CTC itself for Bt whereas for Ea, CTC and its
      metal complexes showed similar toxicity. In contrast, CTC spiked wastewater
      sludge (WWS) did not show any toxic effect compared to synthetic sewage. This
      study provides evidence that CTC and its metal complexes are toxic to bacteria
      when they are biologically available. As for WWS, CTC was adsorbed to solid part
      and was not biologically available to show measurable toxic effects. 

PMID- 26119382
TI  - Assessment of wastewater treatment alternatives for small communities: An
      analytic network process approach.
AB  - The selection of the most appropriate wastewater treatment (WWT) technology is a
      complex problem since many alternatives are available and many criteria are
      involved in the decision-making process. To deal with this challenge, the
      analytic network process (ANP) is applied for the first time to rank a set of
      seven WWT technology set-ups for secondary treatment in small communities. A
      major advantage of ANP is that it incorporates interdependent relationships
      between elements. Results illustrated that extensive technologies, constructed
      wetlands and pond systems are the most preferred alternatives by WWT experts. The
      sensitivity analysis performed verified that the ranking of WWT alternatives is
      very stable since constructed wetlands are almost always placed in the first
      position. This paper showed that ANP analysis is suitable to deal with complex
      decision-making problems, such as the selection of the most appropriate WWT
      system contributing to better understand the multiple interdependences among
      elements involved in the assessment. 

PMID- 26119383
TI  - Application of factor analysis and electrical resistivity to understand
      groundwater contributions to coastal embayments in semi-arid and hypersaline
      coastal settings.
AB  - Groundwater contributions and sources of salinity to Oso Bay in south Texas were
      investigated using multivariate statistical analysis of geochemical data and
      multitemporal electrical resistivity tomography surveys. Both analysis of
      geochemical data and subsurface imaging techniques identified two commonalities
      for the investigated system: 1) hypersaline water occurs near the
      groundwater/surface water interface during wet conditions creating reverse
      hydraulic gradients due to density effects. The development and downward movement
      of these fluids as continuous plumes deflect fresher groundwater discharge
      downward and laterally away from the surface; and 2) more pronounced upwelling of
      fresher groundwater occurs during drought periods when density inversions are
      more defined and are expected to overcome dispersion and diffusion processes and
      create sufficiently large-enough unstable gradients that induce density
      difference convection. Salinity mass-balance models derived from time-difference
      resistivity tomograph and in-situ salinity data reaffirm these findings
      indicating that groundwater upwelling is more prominent during dry to wet
      conditions in 2013 (~545.5m(3)/d) and is less pronounced during wet to dry
      conditions in 2012 (~262.7 m(3)/d) for the 224 m(2) area surveyed. Findings show
      that the highly saline nature of water in this area and changes in salinity
      regimes can be attributed to a combination of factors, namely: surface outflows,
      evapoconcentration, recirculation of hypersaline groundwaters, and potential
      trapped oil field brines. Increased drought conditions will likely exacerbate the
      rate at which salinity levels are increasing in bays and estuaries in semi-arid
      regions where both hypersaline groundwater discharge and high evaporation rates
      occur simultaneously.

PMID- 26119384
TI  - Nitrous oxide production and consumption by denitrification in a grassland:
      Effects of grazing and hydrology.
AB  - Denitrification is generally recognized as a major mechanism contributing to
      nitrous oxide (N2O) production, and is the only known biological process for N2O
      consumption. Understanding factors controlling N2O production and consumption
      during denitrification will provide insights into N2O emission variability, and
      potentially predict capacity of soils to serve as sinks or sources of N2O. This
      study investigated the effects of hydrology and grazing on N2O production and
      consumption in a grassland based agricultural watershed. A batch incubation study
      was conducted on soils (0-10 cm) collected along a hydrological gradient
      representing isolated wetland (Center), transient zone (Edge) and pasture upland
      (Upland), from both grazed and ungrazed areas. Production and consumption
      potentials of N2O were quantified on soils under four treatments, including (i)
      ambient condition, and amended with (ii) NO3(-), (iii) glucose-C, and (iv) NO3(-)
      +glucose-C. The impacts of grazing on N2O production and consumption were not
      observed. Soils in hydrologically distinct zones responded differently to N2O
      production and consumption. Under ambient conditions, both production and
      consumption rates of Edge soils were higher than those observed for Center and
      Upland soils. Results of amended incubations suggested NO3(-) was a key factor
      limiting N2O production and consumption rates in all hydrological zones. Over 5-d
      incubation with NO3(-) amendment, cumulative production and consumption of N2O
      for Center soils were 1.6 and 3.3 times higher than Edge soils, and 3.6 and 7.6
      times higher than Upland soils, respectively. However, cumulative N2O net
      production for Edge soils was the highest, with 2 to 3 times higher than Upland
      and Center soils. Our results suggest that the transient areas between wetland
      and upland are likely to be "hot spots" of N2O emissions in this ecosystem.
      Wetlands within agricultural landscapes can potentially function to reduce both
      NO3(-) leaching and N2O emissions.

PMID- 26119385
TI  - High fluvial export of dissolved organic nitrogen from a peatland catchment with
      elevated inorganic nitrogen deposition.
AB  - This study investigates seasonal concentrations and fluxes of nitrogen (N)
      species under stormflow and baseflow conditions in the peat dominated Kinder
      River catchment, south Pennines, UK. This upland region has experienced decades
      of high atmospheric inorganic N deposition. Water samples were collected
      fortnightly over one year, in combination with high resolution stormflow sampling
      and discharge monitoring. The results reveal that dissolved organic nitrogen
      (DON) constitutes ~54% of the estimated annual total dissolved nitrogen (TDN)
      flux (14.3 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1)). DON cycling in the catchment is influenced by
      hydrological and biological controls, with greater concentrations under summer
      stormflow conditions. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and DON are closely coupled,
      with positive correlations observed during spring, summer and autumn stormflow
      conditions. A low annual mean DOC:DON ratio (<25) and elevated dissolved
      inorganic N concentrations (up to 63MUmoll(-1) in summer) suggest that the Kinder
      catchment is at an advanced stage of N saturation. This study reveals that DON is
      a significant component of TDN in peatland fluvial systems that receive high
      atmospheric inputs of inorganic N.

PMID- 26119386
TI  - The build-up dynamic and chemical fractionation of Cu, Zn and Cd in road
      deposited sediment.
AB  - This study investigates the build-up dynamics of heavy metals on impervious urban
      surfaces with different antecedent dry-weather periods (ADPs) and land-use types.
      Solid-phase concentration (mg/kg), surface load (mg/m(2)), and chemical
      fractionation of Zn, Cu and Cd in bulk- and size-fractionated road-deposited
      sediment were determined. The inherent correlations among particle size
      distribution, ADP, land use, and chemical fractionation were analysed by
      hierarchical cluster analysis. Results show a clear build-up phenomenon of Cu and
      Zn at a city commercial centre and a highway area. Cd had complex build-up
      patterns. With regard to chemical fractionation, Zn and Cd could pose higher
      risks than Cu to aquatic biota after a longer ADP. Special attention should be
      paid to the significant risk in a rural area because of the high proportion of
      exchangeable chemical fractionation in terms of the unstable Cd component.
      Hierarchical cluster analysis indicates that ADP had a strong influence on build
      up processes of sediments and associated metals. The metal contents were very
      dependent on the particle size distribution. However, the chemical fractionation
      of metals was dependent to a lesser extent on the land-use type. 

PMID- 26119387
TI  - Physico-chemical characteristics affect the spatial distribution of pesticide and
      transformation product loss to an agricultural brook.
AB  - Diffuse entry of pesticide residues from agriculture into rivers is spatially
      unevenly distributed. Therefore, the identification of critical source areas
      (CSAs) may support water quality management in agricultural catchments. In
      contrast to former studies, we followed the hypothesis that not only hydrological
      and topographical characteristics but also physico-chemical properties of
      pesticide residues have a major influence on their loss to rivers and on
      corresponding formation of CSAs. We designed a virtual experiment, i.e. a
      numerical experiment as close as possible to environmental conditions, in a
      headwater catchment where pronounced spatial differences in hydrological
      transport processes were identified in the past. 144 scenarios with different
      combinations of adsorption coefficients (KOC = 10-1000 ml/g) and transformation
      half-lives (DT50 = 3-60 days) for pesticide parent compounds (PCs) and their
      transformation products (TPs) were simulated using the catchment-scale spatially
      distributed reactive transport model ZIN-AgriTra. Export fractions of substances
      in the virtual experiment ranged from 0.001-15% for pesticides and 0.001-1.8% for
      TPs. The results of the scenario investigations suggest that more of the
      calculated export mass variability could be attributed to KOC than to DT50 for
      both PCs and TPs. CSAs for TPs were spatially more equally distributed in the
      catchment than for PC export which was likely an effect of changing physico
      chemical properties during transformation. The ranking of highest export fields
      was different between PCs and TPs for most of the investigated scenarios but six
      fields appeared among the top ten export fields in 95% of the scenarios, which
      shows the influence of site characteristics such as tile drains or soil
      properties in the catchment. Thus, the highest export fields were determined by a
      combination of site characteristics and substance characteristics. Therefore,
      despite the challenge of widely differing physico-chemical characteristics of
      pesticides on the market, these characteristics are an important consideration
      when delineating pesticide residue CSAs.

PMID- 26119388
TI  - The utility of ground-penetrating radar and its time-dependence in the discovery
      of clandestine burials.
AB  - In the field of forensic investigation burial is a relatively common method of
      hiding a corpse. The location of clandestine graves is, however, a particularly
      difficult task in which multiple forensic disciplines such as anthropology,
      botany or archaeology can provide valuable assistance. The use of GPR (ground
      penetrating radar) has recently been introduced as a method in the detection of
      these graves, but what is the true potential of this tool in an operative search
      scenario? In this study a total of 11 pig carcasses were buried in two wooded
      areas, each presenting a similar soil composition. The animals were subsequently
      exhumed at regular intervals, ranging from 2 to 111 weeks, using systematic GPR
      analysis of the burial sites and archaeological recovery of the subjects that
      were then autopsied. GPR proved to be useful in recognizing anomalies at the
      chosen depths of burial and appeared to be dependent on the state of decay of the
      samples, producing only slight anomalous readings in the presence of skeletal
      remains: at 92 weeks from burial the difference in signal was weak and at 111
      weeks GPR survey offered no helpful information as to burial location. The
      experiment, in this particular context, determined the technique as being
      successful in the presence of recent burials, highlighting the need for a
      multidisciplinary approach in the operative search for buried human remains. 

PMID- 26119390
TI  - Theoretical study of the dark photochemistry of 1,3-butadiene via the
      chemiexcitation of Dewar dioxetane.
AB  - Excited-state chemistry is usually ascribed to photo-induced processes, such as
      fluorescence, phosphorescence, and photochemistry, or to bio- and
      chemiluminescence, in which light emission originates from a chemical reaction. A
      third class of excited-state chemistry is, however, possible. It corresponds to
      the photochemical phenomena produced by chemienergizing certain chemical groups
      without light - chemiexcitation. By studying Dewar dioxetane, which can be viewed
      as the combination of 1,2-dioxetane and 1,3-butadiene, we show here how the photo
      isomerization channel of 1,3-butadiene can be reached at a later stage after the
      thermal decomposition of the dioxetane moiety. Multi-reference
      multiconfigurational quantum chemistry methods and accurate reaction-path
      computational strategies were used to determine the reaction coordinate of three
      successive processes: decomposition of the dioxetane moiety, non-adiabatic energy
      transfer from the ground to the excited state, and finally non-radiative decay of
      the 1,3-butadiene group. With the present study, we open a new area of research
      within computational photochemistry to study chemically-induced excited-state
      chemistry that is difficult to tackle experimentally due to the short-lived
      character of the species involved in the process. The findings shall be of
      relevance to unveil "dark" photochemistry mechanisms, which might operate in
      biological systems under conditions of lack of light. These mechanisms might
      allow reactions that are typical of photo-induced phenomena. 

PMID- 26119389
TI  - Transcriptome-wide measurement of plant RNA secondary structure.
AB  - RNAs fold into intricate and precise secondary structures. These structural
      patterns regulate multiple steps of the RNA lifecycle, while also conferring
      catalytic and scaffolding functions to certain transcripts. Therefore, a full
      understanding of RNA posttranscriptional regulation requires a comprehensive
      picture of secondary structure. Here, we review several high throughput
      sequencing-based methods to globally survey plant RNA secondary structure. These
      methods are more accurate than computational prediction, and more scalable than
      physical techniques such as crystallography. We note hurdles to reliably
      measuring secondary structure, including RNA-binding proteins, RNA base
      modifications, and intramolecular duplexes. Finally, we survey the functional
      knowledge that has been gleaned from each of these methods, and identify some
      unanswered questions that remain. 

PMID- 26119391
TI  - EBV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the elderly involving Warthin
      tumor.

PMID- 26119392
TI  - Juvenile social relationships reflect adult patterns of behavior in wild geladas.
AB  - Unlike many mammals, primates spend much of their lives as reproductively
      immature juveniles. During the juvenile period, they develop social relationships
      and physical skills that both facilitate survival to adulthood and impact adult
      fitness. In this study, we use 2 years of observational data to examine the
      development of these skills across the juvenile period in a wild cercopithecine
      primate, the gelada (Theropithecus gelada). As adults, male and female geladas
      require different skills to be successful; we therefore expected sex differences
      in social behavior and partner choice during the juvenile period to already
      reflect these sex-specific trajectories. For example, males, who disperse at
      puberty and ultimately must challenge other adult males for access to mates,
      should invest in high-energy play-fighting with other males to develop fighting
      and rival assessment skills. In contrast, philopatric females, who remain with
      their close kin throughout their lives, should invest more in forming less
      physical and more-social bonds with other females within their group. As
      predicted, sex differences that foreshadowed sex-specific adult roles were
      apparent in play rates, the average number of play partners per individual,
      grooming partner types and social partner preferences. Males played more and had
      more play partners than same-age females. Males also groomed more often with
      individuals from outside their natal group than females, although no sex
      difference was observed in either grooming rates or number of grooming partners
      per individual. Females stopped playing earlier than males, and instead invested
      in grooming relationships with close relatives. Additionally, we found that
      individual play and grooming rates were temporally consistent for both males and
      females (i.e., from one year to the next year), suggesting that individuals
      exhibit stable behavioral phenotypes. We conclude by discussing how early life in
      geladas may shape adult behavior and reproductive strategies.

PMID- 26119393
TI  - Classifying CT/MR findings in patients with suspicion of hepatocellular
      carcinoma: Comparison of liver imaging reporting and data system and criteria
      free Likert scale reporting models.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) and a
      criteria-free Likert scale (LS) reporting models for classifying computed
      tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (CT/MR) findings of suspicious
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Imaging data of 281
      hepatic nodules in 203 patients were retrospectively included. Imaging
      characteristics including diameter, arterial hyperenhancement, washout, and
      capsule were reviewed independently by two groups of readers using LI-RADS and LS
      (range, score 1-5). LS is primarily based on the overall impression of image
      findings without using fixed criteria. Interreader agreement (IRA), intraclass
      agreement (ICA), and diagnostic performance were determined by Fleiss, Cohen's
      kappa (kappa), and logistic regression, respectively. RESULTS: There were 167
      contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) versus 114 MR data. Overall, IRA was moderate (kappa
      = 0.47, 0.52); IRA was moderate-to-good for arterial hyperenhancement, washout,
      and capsule (kappa = 0.56-0.69); excellent for diameter and tumor embolus (kappa
      = 0.99). Overall, ICA between LI-RADS and LS was moderate (kappa = 0.44-0.50);
      ICA was good for scores 1-2 (kappa = 0.71-0.90), moderate for scores 3 and 5
      (kappa = 0.41-0.52), but very poor for score 4 (kappa = 0.11-0.19). LI-RADS
      produced significantly lower accuracy (78.6% vs. 87.2%) and sensitivity (72.1%
      vs. 92.8%), higher specificity (97.3% vs. 71.2%) and positive likelihood ratio
      (+LR: 26.32 vs. 3.23) in diagnosis of HCC. CECT produced relatively low IRA, ICA,
      and diagnostic ability against MR. CONCLUSION: There were substantial variations
      in liver observations between LI-RADS and LS. Further study is needed to
      investigate ICA between CECT and MR.

PMID- 26119395
TI  - Parent, Alkylated, and Sulfur/Oxygen-Containing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
      in Mainstream Smoke from 13 Brands of Chinese Cigarettes.
AB  - China has the world's largest population of smokers with serious health
      consequences, yet we know a very limited spectrum of hazardous chemicals in
      cigarette smoke even for carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
      Here, we chose 13 popular cigarette brands sold in China markets, collected
      particulate matters in mainstream smoke using filter pads and an automatic
      smoking machine, and analyzed 56 PAHs, including 31 parent, 18 alkylated, and 7
      sulfur/oxygen-containing PAHs (S/O PAHs). The 56 PAHs in mainstream smoke totaled
      from 244.2 +/- 28.5 to 10254.8 +/- 481.5 ng cig(-1); parent, alkylated, and S/O
      PAHs shared 16-23%, 64-74%, and 6-18%, respectively. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) ranged
      1.1-41.6 ng cig(-1), while BaP equivalent concentrations (BaPeq) ranged 3.6-120.2
      ng cig(-1), but contributions to BaPeq by individual carcinogenic PAH species
      varied with cigarette brands. When these cigarette smoke source profiles were
      pooled together with those of other combustion ones available in the literature,
      we found that widely used diagnostic ratios of parent PAHs failed to distinguish
      cigarette smoke from other combustion sources, except that the ratio indeno[1,2,3
      cd]pyrene/(indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene + benzo[g,h,i]perylene) can largely separate
      cigarette smoke from vehicular emissions and that the ratio of Retene/(Retene +
      chrysene) can further discriminate cigarette smoke from coal combustion when
      alkylated PAHs are involved. 

PMID- 26119394
TI  - Impact of exogenous stress on TGF-beta inducible early gene 1 in human skin
      cells.

PMID- 26119396
TI  - Single nucleotide polymorphisms of TNF-Alpha gene in febrile seizures.
AB  - Febrile seizures (FS) is the most common seizure disorder during childhood. This
      study was performed in 78 patients with FS and 137 control subjects to assess
      polymorphisms of the TNF-alpha gene at positions -308 and -238, using the
      polymerase chain reaction and the sequence specific primers method. The highest
      positive allelic association that made the patients susceptible to FS was seen
      for TNF-alpha -238/G (p<0.0001). The GG genotype at TNF-alpha -238 was
      significantly higher in the patients with FS, compared to the controls
      (p=0.0001). Also, GA genotype at the same position was significantly lower in
      patients than in controls (P=0.0001). The GG haplotype had a significant positive
      association at TNF-alpha (308, 238) while GA haplotype showed a negative
      association (P<0.001). Our data support the idea that TNF-alpha single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms play a role in the pathogenesis of FS. 

PMID- 26119398
TI  - A novel missense mutation of RYR1 in familial idiopathic hyper CK-emia.
AB  - Persistent elevation of serum creatine kinase (CK) without any symptoms has been
      called idiopathic hyper CK-emia (IHCK). We examined a four-generation Japanese
      pedigree of familial IHCK. The multipoint linkage analysis of the pedigree showed
      seven clear peaks of logarithm of odds (LOD) scores (>1.4). By the exome
      sequencing followed by multiple filtering processes, we identified one novel
      heterozygous nonsynonymous single nucleotide variant (SNV), c.7034G>C, p.S2345T
      in the ryanodine receptor 1 gene, RYR1 cosegregated with IHCK in the pedigree.
      Mutation Taster predicted this substitution as "disease causing" (p=0.999). The
      PolyPhen-2 and PANTHER subPSEC scores for the substitution are 0.911 (possibly
      damaging) and -3.56 (probably damaging), respectively. We confirmed the absence
      of the SNV in 511 healthy Japanese individuals excluding the possibility of a
      normal variant with a very low frequency. Immunohistochemistry and Western
      blotting of biopsy samples consistently showed the expression level of RYR1
      reduced in the patient. In real-time RT-PCR, the mRNA expression level of RYR1
      was also significantly reduced in the patient (p=0.009). These results suggest
      that the novel nonsynonymous SNV contribute to the vulnerability of the RYR1
      protein through the dominant negative effect. We conclude that the SNV in the
      RYR1 gene is one of the responsible genes of IHCK. 

PMID- 26119399
TI  - Resequencing of early growth response 2 (EGR2) gene revealed a recurrent patient
      specific mutation in schizophrenia.
AB  - Abnormal myelination is considered as part of the pathophysiology of
      schizophrenia. We resequenced the genomic DNA of the EGR2, which has a specific
      function in the myelination of peripheral nervous system, in 543 schizophrenic
      patients and 554 non-psychotic controls. We identified six known SNPs, which were
      not associated with schizophrenia. Nevertheless, we discovered 24 rare mutations,
      some of them were patient-specific, including a recurrent mutation
      (p.P173_Y174insP), which might be associated with the pathogenesis of
      schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26119397
TI  - Inhibition of inflammation with celastrol fails to improve muscle function in
      dysferlin-deficient A/J mice.
AB  - The dysferlin-deficient A/J mouse strain represents a homologous model for limb
      girdle muscular dystrophy 2B. We evaluated the disease phenotype in 10 month old
      A/J mice compared to two dysferlin-sufficient, C57BL/6 and A/JOlaHsd, mouse lines
      to determine which functional end-points are sufficiently sensitive to define the
      disease phenotype for use in preclinical studies in the A/J strain. A/J mice had
      significantly lower open field behavioral activity (horizontal activity, total
      distance, movement time and vertical activity) when compared to C57BL/6 and
      A/JoIaHsd mice. Both A/J and A/JOIaHsd mice showed decreases in latency to fall
      with rotarod compared to C57BL/6. No changes were detected in grip strength,
      force measurements or motor coordination between these three groups. Furthermore,
      we have found that A/J muscle shows significantly increased levels of the pro
      inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha when compared to C57BL/6 mice, indicating an
      activation of NF-kappaB signaling as part of the inflammatory response in
      dysferlin-deficient muscle. Therefore, we assessed the effect of celastrol (a
      potent NF-kappaB inhibitor) on the disease phenotype in female A/J mice.
      Celastrol treatment for four months significantly reduced the inflammation in A/J
      muscle; however, it had no beneficial effect in improving muscle function, as
      assessed by grip strength, open field activity, and in vitro force contraction.
      In fact, celastrol treated mice showed a decrease in body mass, hindlimb grip
      strength and maximal EDL force. These findings suggest that inhibition of
      inflammation alone may not be sufficient to improve the muscle disease phenotype
      in dysferlin-deficient mice and may require combination therapies that target
      membrane stability to achieve a functional improvement in skeletal muscle.

PMID- 26119400
TI  - Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, risk of type 2 diabetes, and diabetes-related
      metabolic traits: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Elevated blood or urinary concentrations of endocrine-disrupting
      chemicals (EDCs) may be related to increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The
      aim of the present study was to assess the role of EDCs in affecting risk of T2D
      and related metabolic traits. METHODS: MEDLINE was searched for cross-sectional
      and prospective studies published before 8 March 2014 into the association
      between EDCs (dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyl [PCB], chlorinated pesticide,
      bisphenol A [BPA], phthalate) and T2D and related metabolic traits. Three
      investigators independently extracted information on study design, participant
      characteristics, EDC types and concentrations, and association measures. RESULTS:
      Forty-one cross-sectional and eight prospective studies from ethnically diverse
      populations were included in the analysis. Serum concentrations of dioxins, PCBs,
      and chlorinated pesticides were significantly associated with T2D risk; comparing
      the highest to lowest concentration category, the pooled relative risks (RR) were
      1.91 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44-2.54) for dioxins, 2.39 (95% CI 1.86
      3.08) for total PCBs, and 2.30 (95% CI 1.81-2.93) for chlorinated pesticides.
      Urinary concentrations of BPA and phthalates were also associated with T2D risk;
      comparing the highest to lowest concentration categories, the pooled RR were 1.45
      (95% CI 1.13-1.87) for BPA and 1.48 (95% CI 0.98-2.25) for phthalates. Further,
      EDC concentrations were associated with indicators of impaired fasting glucose
      and insulin resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent and non-persistent EDCs may
      affect the risk of T2D. There is an urgent need for further investigation of
      EDCs, especially non-persistent ones, and T2D risk in large prospective studies.

PMID- 26119401
TI  - AMPK-mediated regulation of neuronal metabolism and function in brain diseases.
AB  - The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a serine/threonine kinase that
      functions as a key energy sensor in a wide variety of tissues. This kinase has
      been a major drug target for metabolic diseases (e.g., type 2 diabetes) and
      cancers. For example, metformin (an activator of AMPK) is a first-line diabetes
      drug that protects against cancers. Abnormal regulation of AMPK has been
      implicated in several brain diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's
      disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and stroke. Given
      the emerging importance of neurodegenerative diseases in our aging societies,
      this review features the recent studies that have delineated the functions of
      AMPK in brain diseases and discusses their potential clinical implications or
      roles as drug targets in brain diseases. 

PMID- 26119402
TI  - Complement C4a inhibits the secretion of hepatitis B virus screened by surface
      enhanced laser desorption ionization time-flight mass spectrometry-based
      ProteinChip analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a kind of chronic liver disease caused by
      persistent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The study aims to seek the factors
      of host resistance to HBV and investigate their roles. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
      Protein profiles of 58 healthy controls and 121 CHB patients were obtained by
      SELDI-TOF/MS. Predicted protein was validated by ELISA. Protein expression was
      evaluated by Western blot in the persistently HBV expressing cell line HepG2.2.15
      and non-HBV expressing cell line HepG2. The level of HBV DNA was subsequently
      detected by quantitative real-time PCR in HepG2.2.15 cells with complement C4a
      treatment. RESULTS: Significantly altered protein peaks were found through
      statistical analysis, and m/z 4300 was predicted by databases and successfully
      matched with the fragment of complement C4a. According to ELISA, serum complement
      C4a was found to be significantly lower in CHB patients compared with healthy
      controls (p < 0.001) and the area under receiver operating characteristics curve
      is 0.78. Furthermore, complement C4a showed lower expression in HepG2.2.5 cells
      and the secretion of HBV DNA was inhibited by complement C4a. CONCLUSIONS AND
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The present study implied the important role of complement
      C4a in inhibiting the HBV DNA secretion in CHB.

PMID- 26119403
TI  - A Single-Center Randomized Trial of Intraoperative Zero-Balanced Ultrafiltration
      During Cardiopulmonary Bypass for Patients With Impaired Kidney Function
      Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The authors investigated whether zero-balance ultrafiltration (Z-BUF)
      during bypass significantly improves clinical and cost outcomes or biomarkers of
      kidney injury for patients with preoperative kidney impairment (estimated
      glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]<60 mL/minute) undergoing cardiac surgery.
      DESIGN: A single-center randomized controlled trial recruited, patients between
      2010 and 2013, with a 12-months follow-up. SETTING: Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One
      hundred ninety-nine patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary
      bypass (CPB). INTERVENTIONS: Patients were assigned randomly to receive zero
      balance ultrafiltration (Z-BUF) or not, with stratification for degree of kidney
      dysfunction and diabetes. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The authors assessed
      clinical efficacy and kidney function biomarkers. Cumulative probability of
      discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) was assessed by Kaplan-Meier plots
      and was found not to be significantly different between the two trial arms (p =
      0.61). After adjusting for EuroSCORE, diabetes, eGFR, cardioplegia types and type
      of surgery in a Cox proportional hazard model, hazard ratios (HR) for ICU length
      of stay between the Z-BUF and no-Z-BUF groups was not significantly different: HR
      (95% CI): 0.89 (0.66, 1.20; p = 0.44). In contrast, significant reductions in
      postoperative chest infections and the composite of clinical endpoints (death,
      strokes, and myocardial infarctions) in the Z-BUF group were observed. In
      addition, Z-BUF significantly abrogated the rise in the kidney damage markers
      urinary NGAL/creatinine ratio, urea, creatinine and eGFR during CPB and adverse
      events risks. CONCLUSIONS: Z-BUF during bypass surgery is associated with
      significant reductions in morbidity and biomarkers of CPB-induced acute kidney
      injury soon after CPB, which are indicative of clearance of inflammatory/immune
      mediators from the circulation.

PMID- 26119405
TI  - Chest Ultrasound: A New, Easy, and Radiation-Free Tool to Detect Retrosternal
      Clot After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

PMID- 26119404
TI  - Narrow, Highly Mobile Structure in the Right Atrium: Large Eustachian Valve,
      Prominent Chiari Network, Thrombus, Vegetation, or Flail Tricuspid Chordae
      Tendineae?

PMID- 26119406
TI  - Preoperative Echocardiography First Diagnosed and Intraoperative Echocardiography
      Altered the Surgical Plan in Intravenous Leiomyomatosis.

PMID- 26119407
TI  - An Unusual Case of Hypoxemia Improving Overnight in Idiopathic Pulmonary
      Fibrosis.

PMID- 26119408
TI  - Association of Robotic Totally Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
      Associated With a Preliminary Cardiac Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Program: A
      Retrospective Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The robotic totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass graft (TECAB)
      surgery reduces patients' recovery time. The present trial investigated the
      feasibility and safety of an initial enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) path
      for patients undergoing robotic beating-heart TECAB and compared it with both
      conventional surgery and traditional perioperative care. It was hypothesized that
      the preliminary ERAS pathway associated with a beating-heart TECAB procedure
      could have a synergistic effect on postoperative patient care. DESIGN:
      Observational retrospective study. SETTING: University hospital. PARTICIPANTS:
      Patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft and undergoing robotic
      beating-heart TECAB (n = 38) were compared with those undergoing standard surgery
      and perioperative care (n = 33). The outcomes were the possibility of tracheal
      extubation at the end of the surgery and the incidence of postoperative
      complications. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The main comorbidities were similar
      between the 2 groups. Extubation on the operating table in the TECAB group was
      possible in all cases without requiring prompt endotracheal tube reinsertion. The
      proportion of patients transfused was significantly lower in the TECAB group (p =
      0.009). In addition, the duration of intensive care unit and hospital stay were
      reduced significantly by 24 hours and by 4 days, respectively, in the TECAB group
      compared with the standard group (p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present results
      suggested that a program coupling a beating-heart TECAB with a preliminary ERAS
      path for patients requiring a single coronary revascularization is feasible and
      safe. This approach could reduce postoperative mechanical ventilation time,
      transfusion rate, and both intensive care unit and hospital stay.

PMID- 26119409
TI  - CASE 1-2016 Problem-Solving in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement:
      Cardiovascular Collapse, Myocardial Stunning, and Mitral Regurgitation.

PMID- 26119410
TI  - Meta-Analysis of Sodium Bicarbonate Therapy for Prevention of Cardiac Surgery
      Associated Acute Kidney Injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether or not perioperative
      administration of sodium bicarbonate had a preventive effect on cardiac surgery
      associated acute kidney injury (CSA-AKI) as shown in randomized controlled
      trials. DESIGN: The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using
      MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL),
      and KoreaMed. SETTING: The authors searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and
      KoreaMed without language and date restrictions. They used both MeSH and free
      text terms to identify relevant studies. Electronic searches were undertaken on
      July 31, 2014. PARTICIPANTS: Five randomized controlled studies included in this
      review. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There were no differences in the
      development of CSA-AKI among patients in the sodium bicarbonate group compared
      with those in the control group (5 trials, 1,092 patients; n = 233 of 547 in
      sodium bicarbonate (SB) group versus 225 of 545 in control group (SC); risk ratio
      (RR), 0.95; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.74-1.22. Also, there were no
      statistical differences in in-hospital mortality (3 trials, 573 patients; n = 21
      of 288 in SB versus 14 of 285 in SC; RR, 1.44; 95% CI, 0.76-2.72), need for renal
      replacement therapy (4 trials, 1,000 patients; n = 21 of 503 in SB versus 23 of
      497 in SC; RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.50-1.60), length of stay in the intensive care
      unit (ICU) (hours) (4 trials, n = 969 patients, weighted men difference (WMD),
      2.17; 95% CI, -1.15-5.49), and length of ventilation (hours) (4 trials, 969
      patients; WMD, 0.34; 95% CI,-0.80-1.48). CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative
      administration of sodium bicarbonate did not reduce the rate of CSA-AKI in
      randomized controlled trials. Therefore, use of perioperative administration of
      sodium bicarbonate for the prevention of CSA-AKI is questionable.

PMID- 26119411
TI  - Recurrent Seizures Following Cardiac Surgery: Risk Factors and Outcomes in a
      Historical Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the risk factors for and outcomes after recurrent
      seizures (RS) in patients following cardiac surgery. DESIGN: A historical cohort
      study. SETTING: A single-center university teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS:
      Cardiac surgery patients from April 2003 to September 2010 experiencing
      postoperative seizures. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
      Patients were divided into an isolated seizure group and an RS group. Risk
      factors for RS were determined using logistic regression. Intermediate-term
      follow-up was conducted by phone. Of 7,280 consecutive patients undergoing
      cardiac surgery, 61 (0.8%) experienced postoperative seizure and 36 (59%) of
      those experienced at least 1 recurrence. Of these, 32 (89%) experienced RS within
      24 hours of the first seizure, and 29 (81%) had grand mal seizures. Preoperative
      creatinine >=120 MUmol/L (p = 0.02), time until first seizure occurred (<=4
      hours; p = 0.01), and procedures involving the thoracic aorta were associated
      with RS (R(2) = 0.53, p<0.05). Patients with RS had longer intensive care unit
      stays (5.3 v 2.9 days, p = 0.03) and longer mechanical ventilation duration (53.3
      v 15.0 hours, p = 0.01). At a median follow-up of 21 months for the RS group and
      16 months for the isolated seizure group, restrictions, anticonvulsant use,
      morbidity, and mortality were similar between patients with isolated versus
      recurrent seizures. CONCLUSIONS: Higher preoperative creatinine, thoracic aortic
      surgery, and early seizure onset were associated with RS after cardiac surgery.
      When compared to isolated seizures, recurrence per se was not associated with
      significantly increased long-term morbidity or mortality.

PMID- 26119412
TI  - Rautenberg Factor: Transfusion Constraints During Cardiac Surgery.

PMID- 26119414
TI  - Enteric glia express proteolipid protein 1 and are a transcriptionally unique
      population of glia in the mammalian nervous system.
AB  - In the enteric nervous system (ENS), glia outnumber neurons by 4-fold and form an
      extensive network throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Growing evidence for the
      essential role of enteric glia in bowel function makes it imperative to
      understand better their molecular marker expression and how they relate to glia
      in the rest of the nervous system. We analyzed expression of markers of
      astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in the ENS and found, unexpectedly, that
      proteolipid protein 1 (PLP1) is specifically expressed by glia in adult mouse
      intestine. PLP1 and S100beta are the markers most widely expressed by enteric
      glia, while glial fibrillary acidic protein expression is more restricted. Marker
      expression in addition to cellular location and morphology distinguishes a
      specific subpopulation of intramuscular enteric glia, suggesting that a
      combinatorial code of molecular markers can be used to identify distinct
      subtypes. To assess the similarity between enteric and extraenteric glia, we
      performed RNA sequencing analysis on PLP1-expressing cells in the mouse intestine
      and compared their gene expression pattern to that of other types of glia. This
      analysis shows that enteric glia are transcriptionally unique and distinct from
      other cell types in the nervous system. Enteric glia express many genes
      characteristic of the myelinating glia, Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes,
      although there is no evidence of myelination in the murine ENS. GLIA 2015;63:2040
      2057.

PMID- 26119415
TI  - Seroincidence of non-typhoid Salmonella infections: convenience vs. random
      community-based sampling.
AB  - The incidence of reported infections of non-typhoid Salmonella is affected by
      biases inherent to passive laboratory surveillance, whereas analysis of blood
      sera may provide a less biased alternative to estimate the force of Salmonella
      transmission in humans. We developed a mathematical model that enabled a back
      calculation of the annual seroincidence of Salmonella based on measurements of
      specific antibodies. The aim of the present study was to determine the
      seroincidence in two convenience samples from 2012 (Danish blood donors, n = 500,
      and pregnant women, n = 637) and a community-based sample of healthy individuals
      from 2006 to 2007 (n = 1780). The lowest antibody levels were measured in the
      samples from the community cohort and the highest in pregnant women. The annual
      Salmonella seroincidences were 319 infections/1000 pregnant women [90%
      credibility interval (CrI) 210-441], 182/1000 in blood donors (90% CrI 85-298)
      and 77/1000 in the community cohort (90% CrI 45-114). Although the differences
      between study populations decreased when accounting for different age
      distributions the estimates depend on the study population. It is important to be
      aware of this issue and define a certain population under surveillance in order
      to obtain consistent results in an application of serological measures for public
      health purposes. 

PMID- 26119416
TI  - Golden retriever cystic uveal disease: a longitudinal study of iridociliary
      cysts, pigmentary uveitis, and pigmentary/cystic glaucoma over a decade in
      western Canada.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of iridociliary cysts, pigmentary uveitis
      (PU)/pigmentary cystic glaucoma (PCG) in golden retriever dogs in western Canada,
      the progression of iridociliary cysts to PU/PCG, and a mode of inheritance for
      this disorder. ANIMAL STUDIED: A total of 830 golden retriever dogs from Alberta,
      Saskatchewan, and Manitoba from 2004 to 2014 were studied. PROCEDURE: Data were
      compiled from Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF) or Orthopedic Foundation for
      Animals (OFA) records (n = 630) and clinical consultations (n = 200) for a
      retrospective assessment of iridociliary cysts, PU, and PCG. RESULTS: Total
      incidence of iridociliary cysts and PU from CERF/OFA data were 4.8% (n = 30/630)
      and 5.9% (n = 37/630), respectively. Incidence of PU increased with ages >4 years
      (12.7%, n = 32/251). Dogs diagnosed with thin-walled, attached iridociliary cysts
      had a high risk of being diagnosed with PU or PCG upon re-examination (56.5%, n =
      13/23). No dogs diagnosed with thick-walled, anterior chamber cysts (n = 7)
      developed PU or PCG within the time frame of the study. Data from clinical
      consultations confirmed that PU carried a poor prognosis for the affected eyes as
      44.9% (n = 22/49) of dogs progressed to PCG. PU- and PCG-affected dogs followed a
      familial pattern and there was an association with thin-walled iridociliary
      cysts. Pedigree analysis suggested an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with
      partial penetrance. CONCLUSIONS: Thin-walled iridociliary cysts are associated
      with PU and PCG. All breeding golden retriever dogs should be examined annually
      by an ophthalmologist. The incidence of this disorder is higher in western Canada
      than previous reports in North America.

PMID- 26119413
TI  - Translational aspects of cardiac cell therapy.
AB  - Cell therapy has been intensely studied for over a decade as a potential
      treatment for ischaemic heart disease. While initial trials using skeletal
      myoblasts, bone marrow cells and peripheral blood stem cells showed promise in
      improving cardiac function, benefits were found to be short-lived likely related
      to limited survival and engraftment of the delivered cells. The discovery of
      putative cardiac 'progenitor' cells as well as the creation of induced
      pluripotent stem cells has led to the delivery of cells potentially capable of
      electromechanical integration into existing tissue. An alternative strategy
      involving either direct reprogramming of endogenous cardiac fibroblasts or
      stimulation of resident cardiomyocytes to regenerate new myocytes can potentially
      overcome the limitations of exogenous cell delivery. Complimentary approaches
      utilizing combination cell therapy and bioengineering techniques may be necessary
      to provide the proper milieu for clinically significant regeneration. Clinical
      trials employing bone marrow cells, mesenchymal stem cells and cardiac progenitor
      cells have demonstrated safety of catheter based cell delivery, with suggestion
      of limited improvement in ventricular function and reduction in infarct size.
      Ongoing trials are investigating potential benefits to outcome such as morbidity
      and mortality. These and future trials will clarify the optimal cell types and
      delivery conditions for therapeutic effect. 

PMID- 26119417
TI  - Resolution of Roth spots in chronic myeloid leukaemia after treatment with
      imatinib.

PMID- 26119418
TI  - Image reconstruction from phased-array data based on multichannel blind
      deconvolution.
AB  - In this paper we consider image reconstruction from fully sampled multichannel
      phased array MRI data without knowledge of the coil sensitivities. To overcome
      the non-uniformity of the conventional sum-of-square reconstruction, a new
      framework based on multichannel blind deconvolution (MBD) is developed for joint
      estimation of the image function and the sensitivity functions in image domain.
      The proposed approach addresses the non-uniqueness of the MBD problem by
      exploiting the smoothness of both functions in the image domain through
      regularization. Results using simulation, phantom and in vivo experiments
      demonstrate that the reconstructions by the proposed algorithm are more uniform
      than those by the existing methods. 

PMID- 26119419
TI  - Towards the identification of multi-parametric quantitative MRI biomarkers in
      lupus nephritis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify potential biomarkers of the renal impairment in lupus
      nephritis using a multi-parametric renal quantitative MRI (qMRI) protocol
      including diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD),
      arterial spin labeling (ASL) and T1rho MRI between a cohort of healthy volunteers
      and lupus nephritis (LN) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The renal qMRI protocol
      was performed twice with repositioning in between on 10 LN patients and 10
      matched controls at 1.5 T. Navigator-gated and breath-hold acquisitions followed
      by non-rigid image registration were used to control respiratory motion. The
      repeatability of the 4 MRI modalities was evaluated with the intra-class
      correlation coefficient (ICC) and within-subject coefficient of variation (wsCV).
      Unpaired t-test and stepwise logistic regression were carried out to evaluate
      qMRI parameters between the LN and control groups. RESULTS: The reproducibility
      of the 4 qMRI modalities ranged from moderate to good (ICC=0.4-0.91, wsCV<=12%)
      with a few exceptions. T1rho MRI and ASL renal blood flow (RBF) demonstrated
      significant differences between the LN and control groups. Stepwise logistic
      regression yielded only one significant parameter (medullar T1rho) in
      differentiating LN from control groups with 95% accuracy. CONCLUSION: A
      reasonable degree of test-retest repeatability and accuracy of a multi-parametric
      renal qMRI protocol has been demonstrated in healthy volunteers and LN subjects.
      T1rho and ASL RBF are promising imaging biomarkers of LN.

PMID- 26119420
TI  - Determination of blood circulation times of superparamagnetic iron oxide
      nanoparticles by T2* relaxometry using ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI.
AB  - Blood circulation is an important determinant of the biodistribution of
      superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. Here we present a magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) technique based on the use of ultrafast echo times (UTE) for the
      noninvasive determination of blood half-lives at high particle concentrations,
      when conventional pulse sequences fail to produce a useful MR signal. Four
      differently coated iron oxide nanoparticles were administered intravenously at a
      dose of 500 MUmol Fe/kg bodyweight and UTE images of C57BL/6 mice were acquired
      on a 1-T ICON scanner (Bruker). T2* relaxometry was done by acquiring UTE images
      with echo times of 0.1, 0.8 and 1.6 ms. Blood circulation time was then
      determined by fitting an exponential curve to the time course of the measured
      relaxation rates. Circulation time was shortest for particles coated with malic
      acid (t1/2=23 min) and longest for particles coated with tartaric acid (t1/2=63
      min). UTE-based T2* relaxometry allows noninvasive determination of blood
      circulation time and is especially useful when high particle concentrations are
      present.

PMID- 26119421
TI  - Spatial variations in magnetic resonance-based diffusion of articular cartilage
      in knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate a pulse sequence combining stimulated echo diffusion
      preparation with a 3D segmented spoiled gradient echo (SPGR) acquisition for
      diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of knee cartilage in healthy and osteoarthritis
      (OA) populations for early diagnosis and characterization of OA. METHODS:
      Diffusion-weighted images of 40 subjects (20 healthy, 20 OA) at baseline and 20
      subjects (10 healthy, 10 OA) at one year were obtained. The subjects were
      classified according to Kellgren Lawrence (KL) and whole organ magnetic resonance
      imaging scoring (WORMS) method acquired at 3 T. Cartilage full thickness and
      laminar mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values were
      quantified. The reproducibility of MD and FA values was assessed in five healthy
      human subjects based on test-retest scans. RESULTS: In general, the full
      thickness MD values were higher in subjects with knee OA compared to healthy
      controls in both the baseline and follow up cohort. Laminar analysis MD and FA
      results were significantly different (p<0.05) between the bone-articular and
      articular layer with the articular layer having higher MD and lower FA value
      compared to the bone layer. The global reproducibility error was 6.5% for MD and
      11.6% for FA. CONCLUSION: The diffusion-weighted stimulated echo-based sequence
      may be used as a valuable tool for early diagnosis and characterization of knee
      OA at 3 T in the future.

PMID- 26119422
TI  - 3D T1 relaxometry pre and post gadoxetic acid injection for the assessment of
      liver cirrhosis and liver function.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the diagnostic value of a 3D dual-flip-angle (DFA) T1 mapping
      technique with whole liver coverage before and after gadoxetic acid injection for
      assessment of cirrhosis and liver function, compared to blood tests (APRI:
      aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      total of 133 patients who underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced liver MRI including a
      3D FLASH DFA-T1 mapping sequence before and 20min post-contrast (hepatobiliary
      phase, HBP) were included in this retrospective IRB approved study. T1 values
      (msec) were measured on pre-contrast and during HBP in liver parenchyma, DeltaT1
      (%) was calculated as [(T1 pre-T1 post)/T1 pre]*100. T1 and DeltaT1 values were
      compared between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients and between patients
      stratified using Child-Pugh and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores
      using Mann-Whitney U test. Diagnostic performance of T1 mapping parameters vs.
      APRI for diagnosing cirrhosis and for assessing degree of liver dysfunction was
      evaluated using ROC analysis. RESULTS: Fifty non-cirrhotic and 83 cirrhotic
      patients [Child-Pugh A (n=41), B (n=31) and C (n=11)] were included. There was no
      significant difference in pre-contrast T1 values between cirrhotic and non
      cirrhotic patients. T1-HBP and DeltaT1 values were significantly different in
      patients with cirrhosis (p<0.0001) and higher MELD scores (>17) (p=0.003).
      DeltaT1 showed significant strong correlations with Child-Pugh and MELD scores
      (r=-0.7, p<0.0001; r=-0.56, p<0.001 respectively). Similar AUCs (p=0.9) for
      detection of liver cirrhosis were observed for T1 HBP (0.83), DeltaT1 (0.86) and
      APRI (0.85); however APRI showed limited sensitivity (<=55%) in comparison with
      DeltaT1 (74.7%) and T1 HBP (80.7%). CONCLUSION: 3D DFA-T1 mapping sequence used
      before and after gadoxetic acid injection is useful for the diagnosis of
      cirrhosis and for the assessment of liver function.

PMID- 26119423
TI  - Comparative exploration of hydrogen sulfide and water transmembrane free energy
      surfaces via orthogonal space tempering free energy sampling.
AB  - Hydrogen sulfide (H2 S), a commonly known toxic gas compound, possesses unique
      chemical features that allow this small solute molecule to quickly diffuse
      through cell membranes. Taking advantage of the recent orthogonal space tempering
      (OST) method, we comparatively mapped the transmembrane free energy landscapes of
      H2 S and its structural analogue, water (H2 O), seeking to decipher the molecular
      determinants that govern their drastically different permeabilities. As revealed
      by our OST sampling results, in contrast to the highly polar water solute,
      hydrogen sulfide is evidently amphipathic, and thus inside membrane is favorably
      localized at the interfacial region, that is, the interface between the polar
      head-group and nonpolar acyl chain regions. Because the membrane binding affinity
      of H2 S is mainly governed by its small hydrophobic moiety and the barrier height
      inbetween the interfacial region and the membrane center is largely determined by
      its moderate polarity, the transmembrane free energy barriers to encounter by
      this toxic molecule are very small. Moreover when H2 S diffuses from the bulk
      solution to the membrane center, the above two effects nearly cancel each other,
      so as to lead to a negligible free energy difference. This study not only
      explains why H2 S can quickly pass through cell membranes but also provides a
      practical illustration on how to use the OST free energy sampling method to
      conveniently analyze complex molecular processes. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals,
      Inc. 

PMID- 26119424
TI  - Osteology and Cartilaginous Elements of Trilepida salgueiroi (Amaral, 1954)
      (Scolecophidia: Leptotyphlopidae).
AB  - Morphological and anatomical studies on the Leptotyphlopidae have increased in
      the past 10 years, providing important data on the systematics of this group,
      mainly focused on the skull and lower jaw morphology. However, most studies are
      based on a single specimen, rarely combining more than one single method of
      assessing morphological information. Therefore, several data on postcranial
      morphology, sexual dimorphism, and ontogenetic and intraspecific variation of
      leptotyphlopids remain poorly understood. Herein, we provide a detailed
      description of the cranial and postcranial skeleton of Trilepida salgueiroi based
      on more than 20 specimens (including males, females and juveniles), as well as a
      description of osteology and cartilaginous elements through the use of combined
      methodologies such as X-ray scanning, high resolution CT-scanning, and clearing
      and staining of articulated and disarticulated specimens. We also provide data on
      the presence/absence of dimorphic and intraspecific variation of the observed
      characters. The presence of a statolithic mass in the cavum vestibuli differs
      from the pattern found in other scolecophidians. A correlation of dorsal
      vertebrae with ventral and subcaudal scales was found (1:1), as well as total
      number of vertebrae with middorsal scales (1:1), thoracolumbar vertebrae and
      ventral scales (1:1), and a higher number of caudal vertebra with subcaudal
      scales (1.23:1). Intraspecific variation was found in several elements of the
      skull, lower jaw, pelvic girdle and vertebral number, but no evidence of sexual
      dimorphism was found in any of the species characters analysed. The homologies of
      several elements are discussed, although still remaining poorly understood and
      unknown.

PMID- 26119425
TI  - Use of Flow Cytometry for Quantitative Analysis of Metabolism of Viable but Non
      culturable (VBNC) Salmonella.
AB  - A simple and rapid assay method for analysis of the metabolic activity of viable
      but non-culturable (VBNC) Salmonella was established. An environmental isolate of
      Salmonella Enteritidis (SE), grown to the logarithmic phase, rapidly lost its
      culturability during incubation with 1-10 mM H2O2 in Luria-Bertani (LB) medium.
      To assess the viability of the bacteria, we measured 3 different metabolic
      activities: Respiratory activity by 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl-tetrazolium chloride
      (CTC) reduction, glucose uptake assessed with 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol
      4-yl)amino]-2-deoxyglucose (2-NBDG), and DNA synthesis activity evaluated by 5
      ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation. These activities were analyzed by
      both confocal laser-scanning microscopy and flow cytometry, together with colony
      formation assays on LB-agar plates. The results showed that some of the H2O2
      treated SE cells were in the VBNC state and that the extent of H2O2-induced
      decrease in each metabolic activity varied according to the activity. That is,
      glucose-uptake activity was not markedly changed, being kept at the highest
      level; whereas the respiratory activity was less than that of the glucose-uptake,
      and DNA synthesis activity was the lowest among them. These results suggest that
      the VBNC state might be characterized by different metabolic activities that vary
      and correspond to the kind and strength of the stress, threatening bacterial
      survival in an adverse environment. 

PMID- 26119426
TI  - Many private mutations originate from the first few divisions of a human
      colorectal adenoma.
AB  - Intratumoural mutational heterogeneity (ITH) or the presence of different private
      mutations in different parts of the same tumour is commonly observed in human
      tumours. The mechanisms generating such ITH are uncertain. Here we find that ITH
      can be remarkably well structured by measuring point mutations, chromosome copy
      numbers, and DNA passenger methylation from opposite sides and individual glands
      of a 6 cm human colorectal adenoma. ITH was present between tumour sides and
      individual glands, but the private mutations were side-specific and subdivided
      the adenoma into two major subclones. Furthermore, ITH disappeared within
      individual glands because the glands were clonal populations composed of cells
      with identical mutant genotypes. Despite mutation clonality, the glands were
      relatively old, diverse populations when their individual cells were compared for
      passenger methylation and by FISH. These observations can be organized into an
      expanding star-like ancestral tree with co-clonal expansion, where many private
      mutations and multiple related clones arise during the first few divisions. As a
      consequence, most detectable mutational ITH in the final tumour originates from
      the first few divisions. Much of the early history of a tumour, especially the
      first few divisions, may be embedded within the detectable ITH of tumour genomes.

PMID- 26119428
TI  - Frequency of metabolic syndrome in patients with knuckle pads.
AB  - Knuckle pads are hyperkeratotic, benign skin lesions that we commonly observe in
      obese patients. There is no study that investigates the association between
      metabolic syndrome (MetS) and knuckle pads. We aimed to investigate the frequency
      of MetS in patients with knuckle pads. Forty-seven patients with knuckle pads and
      46 age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled. The presence of MetS was
      evaluated according to National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment
      Panel III criteria. In the patient group, waist circumference (P < 0.01), body
      mass index (BMI; P < 0.01), and systolic (P < 0.01) and diastolic blood pressure
      (P < 0.01) were higher than controls, and most of the patients had a history of
      hypertension (P < 0.01). The presence of MetS was found in 66% of the patients
      with knuckle pads and in 52.2% of the controls (P = 0.25). In the patient group,
      compared with controls, more patients had blood pressure above reference values
      or were on antihypertensive therapy (70.2% and 43.5%, P = 0.017, respectively),
      and had greater waist circumference value (93.6% and 76.1%, P = 0.038,
      respectively). The presence of the other three criteria were similar in both
      groups. Although we found similar MetS frequency in both groups, patients with
      knuckle pads should be examined for the presence of MetS components, especially
      abdominal obesity and hypertension. 

PMID- 26119429
TI  - The influence of salt concentration on the chemical, ripening and sensory
      characteristics of Iranian white cheese manufactured by UF-Treated milk.
AB  - Iranian White cheese was manufactured from ultrafiltered cows' milk using
      different concentrations of salt consisting of 1, 2.5, 4% and salt free. Chemical
      composition, proteolysis, counts for lactic acid bacteria and sensory evaluation
      were examined during 90 d of ripening. It was found that the use of different
      salt concentrations significantly influenced all chemical composition,
      proteolysis, total number of lactic acid bacteria and sensory characteristics of
      the cheeses. Increasing the salt concentrations caused a proportional decrease in
      proteolysis determined by both urea-PAGE of caseins and RP-HPLC of peptides. With
      increased salt concentration, total number of lactic acid bacteria decreased.
      Cheeses with 1 and 2.5% salt were suitable and acceptable in odour and flavour
      that may be due to the proportional level of proteolysis products. In conclusion,
      reducing salt concentration from 4 to 2.5 and 1% had no ineligible effect on the
      quality and acceptability of the cheese.

PMID- 26119427
TI  - Radical Oxygen Species, Exercise and Aging: An Update.
AB  - It is now well established that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a dual role as
      both deleterious and beneficial species. In fact, ROS act as secondary messengers
      in intracellular signalling cascades; however, they can also induce cellular
      senescence and apoptosis. Aging is an intricate phenomenon characterized by a
      progressive decline in physiological functions and an increase in mortality,
      which is often accompanied by many pathological diseases. ROS are involved in age
      associated damage to macromolecules, and this may cause derangement in ROS
      mediated cell signalling, resulting in stress and diseases. Moreover, the role of
      oxidative stress in age-related sarcopenia provides strong evidence for the
      important contribution of physical activity to limit this process. Regular
      physical activity is considered a preventive measure against oxidative stress
      related diseases. The aim of this review is to summarize the currently available
      studies investigating the effects of chronic and/or acute physical exercise on
      the oxidative stress process in healthy elderly subjects. Although studies on
      oxidative stress and physical activity are limited, the available information
      shows that acute exercise increases ROS production and oxidative stress damage in
      older adults, whereas chronic exercise could protect elderly subjects from
      oxidative stress damage and reinforce their antioxidant defences. The available
      studies reveal that to promote beneficial effects of physical activity on
      oxidative stress, elderly subjects require moderate-intensity training rather
      than high-intensity exercise.

PMID- 26119431
TI  - A Mousetrap for Carbenium Ions: NMR Detectives at Work.

PMID- 26119430
TI  - Assessment of methylation status of locoregional lymph nodes in lung cancer using
      EBUS-NA.
AB  - Hypermethylation of the promoter region of tumor suppressor genes is associated
      with carcinogenesis in lung cancer (LC). Endobronchial ultrasound with needle
      aspiration (EBUS-NA) is a semi-invasive method for obtaining cell blocks from
      lymph nodes, which can be used for epigenetic analyses. To establish the
      relationship between methylation status of p16, DAPK, RASSF1a, APC and CDH13
      genes in lymph nodes sampled by EBUS-NA, tumor staging and prognosis. Methylation
      status of DAPK, p16, RASSF1a, APC and CDH13 genes was assessed in EBUS-NA cell
      blocks from LC patients and related to stage and survival. Eighty-five
      consecutive patients [mean age 67 (SD 8)] were included. Methylation of >=1 gene
      was found in 43 malignant nodes (67 %). A higher prevalence of RASSF1a
      methylation was observed in small cell lung cancer patients [9/10 (90 %) vs.
      15/53 (28 %); p < 0.001 chi(2) test]. Methylation of APC and/or p16 was related
      to advanced staging in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) [15/29 (52 %) vs. 6/24
      (25 %), p = 0.048, chi(2) test]. Patients with NSCLC showing methylation of APC
      and/or p16 had also lower 6-month survival (p = 0.019, log rank test), which
      persisted after adjustment for age and subtyping (HR = 6, 95 % CI [1.8-19.5], p =
      0.003, Cox regression). Epigenetic analyses are feasible in EBUS-NA cell blocks
      and may identify methylation patterns associated with worse prognosis.
      Methylation of p16 and APC genes in NSCLC patients was associated with advanced
      staging and lower 6-month survival.

PMID- 26119432
TI  - Screening for gestational diabetes in India: Where do we stand?

PMID- 26119433
TI  - Evaluation of the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in North Indians
      using the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study groups
      (IADPSG) criteria.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Currently, there is controversy regarding the diagnosis of gestational
      diabetes mellitus (GDM) as per the newer International Association of Diabetes
      and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) criteria. We studied the prevalence and
      associations of GDM in North Indians, diagnosed by the IADPSG criteria. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 332 pregnant women,
      predominantly belonging to lower and middle socioeconomic strata. The women were
      screened for GDM between 24 weeks and 28 weeks of gestation by 75g oral glucose
      tolerance test (OGTT) and GDM diagnosed by the IADPSG criteria. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of GDM was 41.9% [95% Confidence interval (CI) 36.6-47.2%]. Amongst
      the women diagnosed to have GDM, 91.4% had abnormal fasting plasma glucose (FPG),
      while 1-h and 2-h post-glucose (PG) levels were abnormal in 18.7% and 17.3% of
      women, respectively. No maternal factors were significantly associated with GDM.
      Birth weight of the neonates was similar in women with GDM as compared to those
      with normal glucose tolerance. In the entire group, fasting glucose levels were
      associated with the weight of the patient while 1-h PG levels were associated
      with weight, height, socioeconomic score, and parity. CONCLUSIONS: There is a
      very high prevalence rate of GDM using the IADPSG criteria in North Indian women
      of low and middle socioeconomic strata. Further studies are needed to assess the
      utility of applying these criteria in settings with limited resources.

PMID- 26119434
TI  - Toxicoepidemiology of acute poisoning cases in a secondary care hospital in rural
      South India: A five-year analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the trend of poisoning cases admitted to the Government
      District Headquarters Hospital, a secondary care center in Udhagamandalam,
      Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu, India, over a five-year period. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The number of cases that presented to the hospital annually (incidence,
      mortality, and case fatality rates), socio-demographic pattern, and the nature of
      the poison were noted. RESULTS: A total of 1860 poisoning cases (80 deaths) were
      reported during the period from October 2008 to September 2013. The incidence of
      poisoning was found to increase every year. The average incidence was 1.60 per
      1000 population, while the average case fatality rate and mortality rates were
      40.51 and 0.07, respectively. A total of 1148 (62%) were males. The majority of
      cases were seen in the 21-30 age group (41.24%). The poisonings were largely
      deliberate self-harm (n = 1,755; 94.35%), followed by accidental (n = 85; 4.57%).
      Agrochemicals were the main choice of poisoning agents and among these,
      organophosphates were the major cause. CONCLUSION: The data generated can help
      policy makers take decisions on the sale and availability of pesticides in this
      region.

PMID- 26119435
TI  - Short-term outcomes of a program developed to inculcate research essentials in
      undergraduate medical students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Participation in research during undergraduate studies may increase
      students' interest in research and inculcate research essentials in them. AIMS:
      The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the mentored
      student project (MSP) program. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: In the MSP program, students
      in groups (n = 3 to 5) undertook a research project, wrote a scholarly report,
      and presented the work as a poster presentation with the help of a faculty
      mentor. To begin with, the logic model of the program was developed to identify
      short-term outcomes of the program on students, mentors, and the institution. A
      quasi-experimental design was used to measure the outcomes. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A mixed method evaluation was done using a newly-developed questionnaire
      to assess the impact of the MSP on students' attitude, a multiple-choice question
      (MCQs) test to find out the impact on students' knowledge and grading of
      students' project reports and posters along with a survey to check the impact on
      skills. Students' satisfaction regarding the program and mentors' perceptions
      were collected using questionnaires. Evidence for validity was collected for all
      the instruments used for the evaluation. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Non-parametric
      tests were used to analyze data. Based on the scores, project reports and posters
      were graded into A (>70% marks), B (60-69% marks), and C (<59% marks) categories.
      The number of MSPs that resulted in publications, conference presentation and
      departmental collaborations were taken as impact on the institution. RESULTS:
      Students' response rate was 91.5%. The students' attitudes regarding research
      changed positively (P = 0.036) and score in the MCQ test improved (P < 0.001)
      after undertaking MSP. Majority of project reports and posters were of grade A
      category. The majority of the items related to skills gained and satisfaction had
      a median score of 4. The MSPs resulted in inter-departmental and inter
      institutional collaborations, 14 publications and 15 conference presentations. An
      area for improvement noted was to have the MSP implemented in the curriculum
      without increasing students' overall workload and stress. CONCLUSION: The study
      identified strengths and weaknesses of the MSP program. Our model of
      undergraduate research project may be incorporated in undergraduate medical
      programs to foster positive attitude and knowledge base about scientific research
      and to instil research skills among students.

PMID- 26119436
TI  - Allergic Rhinitis: A neglected disease - A community based assessment among
      adults in Delhi.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Allergic Rhinitis is rather erroneously viewed as a
      trivial disease. It is important in that it can significantly affect quality of
      life. There is paucity of community based prevalence studies on the disease in
      India. This study was planned to assess the prevalence of allergic rhinitis in
      adults, the proportion of asthmatics among them, risk factors associated and
      treatment seeking behaviour among the patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      community based cross sectional study was conducted in Mehrauli, South Delhi
      among 1200 adults, aged 30 years and over selected by systematic random sampling
      from two randomly selected wards. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect
      information regarding symptoms, risk factors and treatment seeking behaviour.
      Allergic Rhinitis was diagnosed as per ARIA guidelines. Spirometry was done to
      diagnose asthma among them. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to
      find the association of risk factors with disease. RESULTS: The prevalence of
      Allergic Rhinitis was found to be 11% (132 subjects) and 33.3% (44 patients)
      among them also had asthma. Overcrowding (aOR = 6.4), absence of cross
      ventilation (aOR = 2.5), occupational exposure to dust/ smoke (aOR = 2.1),
      tobacco smoking (aOR = 2.1), family history of allergic diseases (aOR = 2.7) and
      clinical allergy (aOR = 10.2) were found to be independent risk factors
      associated with Rhinitis. More patients of Rhinitis with asthma (75%) took
      treatment, relative to those without asthma (40%) who, mostly relied on home
      remedies (42%) or, did not seek any treatment (18%) (P = 0.031). Interpretations
      and Conclusion: The burden of Allergic Rhinitis is high with a considerable
      overlap with asthma. These allergic diseases and emphasize the importance of
      early and regular treatment.

PMID- 26119437
TI  - Postoperative coagulopathy after live related donor hepatectomy: Incidence,
      predictors and implications for safety of thoracic epidural catheter.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coagulopathy after living donor hepatectomy (LDH) may endanger donor
      safety during removal of thoracic epidural catheter (TEC). The present study was
      conducted to evaluate the extent and duration of immediate postoperative
      coagulopathy after LDH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of
      perioperative record of LDH over three years was conducted after IRB approval.
      Variables such as age, gender, BMI, ASA classification, liver volume on CT scan,
      preoperative and postoperative INR, platelet count (PC) and ALT of each donor for
      five days was noted. In addition, duration of surgery, remnant as percentage
      total liver volume (Remnant%), blood loss, day of peak in PC and INR were also
      noted. Coagulopathy was defined as being present if INR exceeded 1.5 or platelet
      count fell below 1 * 10 5 /mm 3 on any day. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20 for
      Windows. Between group comparison was made using the Student 't' test for
      continuous variables and chi square test for categorical variables. Univariate
      analysis was done. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to find
      independent factor associated with coagulopathy. RESULTS: Eighty four (84) donors
      had coagulopathy on second day (mean INR 1.9 +/- 0.42). Low BMI, % of remnant
      liver and duration of surgery were independent predictors of coagulopathy. Right
      lobe hepatectomy had more coagulopathy than left lobe and low BMI was the only
      independent predictor. There was no correlation of coagulopathy with age, gender,
      blood loss, presence of epidural catheter, postoperative ALT or duration of
      hospital stay. High INR was the main contributor for coagulopathy. CONCLUSIONS:
      Coagulopathy is seen after donor hepatectomy. We recommend removal of the
      epidural catheter after the fifth postoperative day when INR falls below 1.5.

PMID- 26119439
TI  - Pulmonary choriostoma in a case of tuberous sclerosis complex.
AB  - A 52 years old lady was diagnosed to have Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) on the
      basis of 2 major and one minor criterion. She had family history of similar
      complaints in her sister and two sons. There was involvement of kidney in the
      form of angiomyolipoma, skin in the form of facial angiofibroma and teeth with a
      dental pit. She had an unusual lung involvement in the form of multiple small
      choristomas. Choristoma was diagnosed on transbronchial lung biopsy and was
      present in the form of disorganised striated muscles. The reported pulmonary
      manifestations of TCS i.e. lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and multifocal
      micronodular pneumocyte hyperplasia (MMPH) are types of hamartomas. Hamartomas
      and choristomas are both types of disorganized tissue. 'Choristoma'of lung in TSC
      however is not reported. Clinopathological correlation of pulmonary hamartoma and
      choristoma, and treatment in TSC has been discussed. 

PMID- 26119438
TI  - Sildenafil in pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension.
AB  - Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening disease of varied
      etiologies. Although PAH has no curative treatment, a greater understanding of
      pathophysiology, technological advances resulting in early diagnosis, and the
      availability of several newer drugs have improved the outlook for patients with
      PAH. Sildenafil is one of the therapeutic agents used extensively in the
      treatment of PAH in children, as an off-label drug. In 2012, the United States
      Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) issued a warning regarding the of use high
      dose sildenafil in children with PAH. This has led to a peculiar situation where
      there is a paucity of approved therapies for the management of PAH in children
      and the use of the most extensively used drug being discouraged by the regulator.
      This article provides a review of the use of sildenafil in the treatment of PAH
      in children. 

PMID- 26119440
TI  - A case of paraneoplastic bullous pemphigoid in association with squamous cell
      carcinoma of lung.
AB  - Bullous pemphigoid is a chronic, autoimmune, acquired subepidermal blistering
      disorder. It is idiopathic in origin, and mainly seen in elderly individuals.
      Association between bullous pemphigoid and internal malignancies is reported in
      the literature, but the exact causal relation is not established. Paraneoplastic
      bullous pemphigoid is rarely reported in lung cancers, especially in squamous
      cell variety. So their presence should raise the suspicion of various internal
      malignancies including lung cancer. It is presented mainly with tense, large
      blisters over the erythematous base or over normal skin. Subepidermal blisters
      with tissue eosinophilia are characteristic histopathological features of bullous
      pemphigoid. Direct immunofluorescence shows linear deposits of IgG - complement
      complex along the dermoepidermal junction. Conventional treatment of bullous
      pemphigoid along with treatment of lung cancer (surgery, chemotherapy,
      radiotherapy) may result in successful resolution of skin lesions. Here, we
      report a rare association of paraneoplastic bullous phemphigoid and squamous cell
      carcinoma of lung in a 76-year-old male to increase the awareness among the
      clinicians regarding this variety of cutaneous paraneoplastic manifestation of
      lung cancer. 

PMID- 26119441
TI  - A typical case of myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fibers (MERRF) and the
      lessons learned.
AB  - Mitochondrial diseases have a special predilection to involve the brain in view
      of its high metabolic demand and the tendency for the formation of excitatory
      neurotransmitters when there is deficiency of intracellular ATP. These diseases
      have a great phenotypic variation and need a high degree of suspicion. However,
      some specific syndromes are well defined, both genotypically and phenotypically.
      Some of the drugs are potentially fatal mitochondrial poisons and an insight into
      that may be lifesaving as well as prevent serious morbidities.We report a typical
      case of myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fibers (MERRF) with classical
      phenotype and genotype. There was rapid multiaxial deterioration with the
      introduction of sodium valproate which partly reversed on introducing
      mitochondrial cocktail and withdrawal of the offending drug.Sodium valproate,
      phenobarbitone, chloramphenicol and many anti-viral agents are mitochondrial
      poisons that increase the morbidity and mortality in patients with mitochondrial
      disease. More harm to the patient can be avoided with insight into this
      information. 

PMID- 26119442
TI  - A successful twin pregnancy in a patient with HbE-beta-thalassemia in western
      India.
AB  - Improvements in medical facilities have helped a large number of clinically
      severe hemoglobin E (HbE)-beta-thalassemia patients reach adulthood.
      Consequently, there is a new challenge, that of managing women with HbE-beta
      thalassemia during pregnancy. In particular, they have a high risk of abortion,
      preterm delivery, intrauterine growth restriction, and thromboembolism. A 27-year
      old HbE-beta-thalassemia patient on regular transfusion, who was splenectomized
      and heptatitis C (HCV)-positive, conceived for the first time without any
      infertility treatment. However, there was incomplete abortion with heavy bleeding
      at 3 months of gestation, which required bilateral uterine artery angiography.
      The angiogram showed the left uterine artery to be moderately hypertrophied. This
      was embolized with 300-500 micron polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to stop the bleeding.
      Soon after, she conceived again with a twin pregnancy, and at 33.3 weeks of
      gestation, there was a normal delivery of twin girls without any postpartum
      hemorrhage or perineal tear. Both babies were given prematurity care. The mother
      and children were both normal up till the last follow-up 18 months after
      delivery, and both the girls are HbE heterozygous. Thorough monitoring of
      endocrine functions along with proper management of transfusions and iron
      overload can help in reducing the complications related to pregnancy in these
      patients. 

PMID- 26119443
TI  - Symptoms of degeneration of the pyramidal tracts in conventional magnetic
      resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging in a young woman with primary
      lateral sclerosis.
AB  - Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) is one of the forms of motor neuron disease
      (MND), affecting only upper motor neurons. The diagnosis of PLS should be made on
      different diagnostic criteria, for example, Pringle or Gordon, but it is usually
      a diagnosis of exclusion. There are no characteristic findings in standard
      laboratory and electrophysiological assessment. We present details of a 31-year
      old woman who had suffered from progressive paraparesis with right-side
      predominance. Conventional MRI of brain and spinal cord and diffusion tensor
      imaging (DTI) studies showed Hyperintense lesions in the upper part of the
      cervical spinal cord at the level C1 in lateral funicules, in the medulla
      oblongata at the pyramidal decussation and in the midbrain. Brain DTI revealed
      changes along the corticospinal tracts on fractional anisotropy (FA) maps. MRI of
      the thoracic spinal cord showed in T2-weighted images hyperintensive regions in
      the course of the lateral corticospinal tracts. This aided in PLS recognition. 

PMID- 26119444
TI  - Congenital bronchial atresia misdiagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis.

PMID- 26119445
TI  - Challenges in the diagnosis of breast cancer in the elderly.

PMID- 26119446
TI  - Echinacea-associated acute cholestatic hepatitis.

PMID- 26119447
TI  - Operation theatre utilization and efficiency.

PMID- 26119448
TI  - Performing audit in histopathology.

PMID- 26119449
TI  - Surgical safety checklist: Productive, nondisruptive, and the "right thing to
      do".

PMID- 26119450
TI  - Controlling legs for locomotion-insights from robotics and neurobiology.
AB  - Walking is the most common terrestrial form of locomotion in animals. Its great
      versatility and flexibility has led to many attempts at building walking machines
      with similar capabilities. The control of walking is an active research area both
      in neurobiology and robotics, with a large and growing body of work. This paper
      gives an overview of the current knowledge on the control of legged locomotion in
      animals and machines and attempts to give walking control researchers from
      biology and robotics an overview of the current knowledge in both fields. We try
      to summarize the knowledge on the neurobiological basis of walking control in
      animals, emphasizing common principles seen in different species. In a section on
      walking robots, we review common approaches to walking controller design with a
      slight emphasis on biped walking control. We show where parallels between robotic
      and neurobiological walking controllers exist and how robotics and biology may
      benefit from each other. Finally, we discuss where research in the two fields
      diverges and suggest ways to bridge these gaps. 

PMID- 26119451
TI  - National multi-institutional cooperative on urolithiasis in children: Age is a
      significant predictor of urine abnormalities.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pediatric nephrolithiasis is a growing problem and prior studies
      have shown the greatest increase in nephrolithiasis in the adolescent population.
      Metabolic abnormalities have historically been cited as the primary cause of
      pediatric nephrolithiasis; however, dietary and other factors such as obesity
      have also been studied with mixed results. OBJECTIVE: We reviewed the charts of
      pediatric patients with a history of nephrolithiasis to determine the number and
      types of metabolic abnormalities present on 24-h urine analysis. STUDY DESIGN: We
      retrospectively reviewed the charts of all pediatric patients with a history of
      nephrolithiasis from 1999-2013 across four different institutions. The subjects
      were excluded if they had a history of spina bifida, neurogenic bladder, cerebral
      palsy, isolated bladder stones, or if they were on medical therapy for
      nephrolithiasis before the first 24-h urine collection. RESULTS: There were 206
      subjects included in the analysis with an average age of 13 (+/-3.9) years. The
      patients were stratified into two age groups based on an apparent bimodal
      distribution of metabolic abnormalities, <=10 years and >10 years of age.
      Metabolic abnormalities were present in 130 children (63.1%) and there was a
      difference between the groups, with children <=10 years more likely to have a
      metabolic abnormality compared with those >10 years of age (75% vs. 60.6%, p =
      0.0443) on univariate analysis. In children <=10 years hypercalciuria was the
      most common disorder present (48.4%), and in children >10 years hypocitraturia
      was the most common disorder present (26.1%). Children <=10 years of age were
      more likely to have normal volume (p = 0.006), elevated urinary oxalate (p =
      0.0351), elevated urinary calcium (p < 0.001), elevated supersaturation of
      calcium phosphate (p < 0.001), and elevated supersaturation of calcium oxalate (p
      = 0.002). On multivariate analysis, children <=10 years of age were more likely
      to have normal volume, hyperoxaluria, elevated supersaturation of calcium
      phosphate and a trend towards hypercalciuria (Table). DISCUSSION: Our study
      reveals that younger children are more likely to have a metabolic abnormality
      present on 24-h urine analysis. This has important implications when deciding on
      treatment options, with younger children potentially requiring more aggressive
      management with medical therapy. Older children were more likely to have low
      urinary volume and their most common metabolic abnormality was hypocitraturia.
      Although dietary factors have not been established as the definitive reason
      behind the rising incidence of nephrolithiasis in the adolescent population,
      older children may benefit more from diet modification with a strong focus on
      increasing volume intake. CONCLUSION: We found differences in younger compared
      with older age groups in terms of the number and types of metabolic disorders
      present. Children <=10 years of age were more likely to have a metabolic disorder
      including elevations in calcium, oxalate and supersaturation of calcium
      phosphate, while children >10 years of age were more likely to have low urinary
      volume. These differences have important implications for future investigative
      studies on the rising incidence as well as the best course of treatment for
      children with nephrolithiasis.

PMID- 26119452
TI  - Is combined inner preputial inlay graft with tubularized incised plate in
      hypospadias repair worth doing?
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been noted that after tubularized incised plate urethroplasty
      (TIP) repair, the final meatal position is glanular but not at the optimum
      position. Inner preputial inlay graft combined with tubularized incised plate (G
      TIP) has been proposed for redo urethroplasty. We extended this indication to be
      the standard technique for primary hypospadias repair. We conduct this
      prospective study to obtain a wide, slit-like appearance neomeatus at the optimum
      position in the glans proper and to judge if hypospadias repair complications
      differ from TIP repair in the published data in the literature. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: This prospective study included 230 consecutive patients who underwent
      this technique. The study was conducted from November 2011 to August 2014 for all
      hypospadias cases to be repaired in a single stage regardless of the width and
      depth of urethral plate or the glans size and shape. Localization of the meatus
      was glanular in 13 patients, coronal in 75, distal penile in 112, mid penile in
      25 and proximal in five. The urethral plate was incised deeply and extended
      distally beyond the end of the plate by 3 mm in glans proper. The mucosal graft
      was harvested from the inner prepuce, inlayed and quilted in the incised urethral
      plate. The neourethra was created over a urethral catheter in two layers. The
      vascular dartos flap was mobilized dorsally and moved ventrally to cover the
      neourethral suture line as a barrier. RESULTS: The follow-up period ranged from 5
      to 36 months. Excellent cosmetic and functional results were achieved in 221 of
      230 patients (96.09%). Neither meatal stenosis nor urethral diverticulum were
      encountered. An excellent glanular position of a wide slit-like neomeatus was
      achieved using this technique. Nine patients (3.91%) developed urethrocutaneous
      fistula. Excellent urinary stream was reported by parents. CONCLUSIONS: Combined
      inner preputial graft with TIP urethroplasty secures the optimal glanular
      position of a wide slit-like neomeatus because of extension of the incision
      beyond the end of the plate, thus optimizing functional and cosmetic outcome with
      no meatal stenosis.

PMID- 26119453
TI  - Hydrophobic Cysteine Poly(disulfide)-based Redox-Hypersensitive Nanoparticle
      Platform for Cancer Theranostics.
AB  - Selective tumor targeting and drug delivery are critical for cancer treatment.
      Stimulus-sensitive nanoparticle (NP) systems have been designed to specifically
      respond to significant abnormalities in the tumor microenvironment, which could
      dramatically improve therapeutic performance in terms of enhanced efficiency,
      targetability, and reduced side-effects. We report the development of a novel L
      cysteine-based poly (disulfide amide) (Cys-PDSA) family for fabricating redox
      triggered NPs, with high hydrophobic drug loading capacity (up to 25 wt%
      docetaxel) and tunable properties. The polymers are synthesized through one-step
      rapid polycondensation of two nontoxic building blocks: L-cystine ester and
      versatile fatty diacids, which make the polymer redox responsive and give it a
      tunable polymer structure, respectively. Alterations to the diacid structure
      could rationally tune the physicochemical properties of the polymers and the
      corresponding NPs, leading to the control of NP size, hydrophobicity, degradation
      rate, redox response, and secondary self-assembly after NP reductive
      dissociation. In vitro and in vivo results demonstrate these NPs' excellent
      biocompatibility, high selectivity of redox-triggered drug release, and
      significant anticancer performance. This system provides a promising strategy for
      advanced anticancer theranostic applications.

PMID- 26119454
TI  - Paid Support Workers for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities; Their Current
      Knowledge of Hearing Loss and Future Training Needs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People with intellectual disabilities are more likely to have hearing
      loss than the general population. For those unable to self-advocate, the
      responsibility of detection and management falls to their caregivers. METHODS:
      This is the first cycle of a project using action research methodology to improve
      services. Twenty care workers were interviewed to understand their knowledge of
      hearing loss and hearing aids. Themes were generated using thematic analysis.
      FINDINGS: This group was better qualified than their peers but received minimal
      training in hearing loss. They were unable to accurately estimate expected
      prevalence and had a negative perception of hearing aids. Only 7% of service
      users were known to have hearing loss. CONCLUSIONS: Current training is not
      sufficient to provide the skills for detection and management of hearing
      problems. This group had clear ideas on methods of learning. Working in
      collaboration is necessary to achieve long-term change to practice.

PMID- 26119455
TI  - Signaling Control of Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells toward Mesendoderm.
AB  - Mesendoderm (ME) refers to the primitive streak in mammalian embryos, which has
      the ability to further differentiate into mesoderm and endoderm. A better
      understanding on the regulatory networks of ME differentiation of embryonic stem
      (ES) cells would provide important insights on early embryo patterning and a
      possible guidance for ES applications in regenerative medicine. Studies on
      developmental biology and embryology have offered a great deal of knowledge about
      key signaling pathways involved in primitive streak formation. Recently, various
      chemically defined recipes have been formulated to induce differentiation of ES
      cells toward ME in vitro, which greatly facilitate the elucidation of the
      regulatory mechanisms of different signals involved in ME specification. Among
      the extrinsic signals, transforming growth factor-beta/Activin signaling and Wnt
      signaling have been shown to be the most critical ones. On another side,
      intrinsic epigenetic regulation has been indicated to be important in ME
      determination. In this review, we summarize the current understanding on the
      extrinsic and intrinsic regulations of ES cells-to-ME differentiation and the
      crosstalk among them, aiming to get a general overview on ME specification and
      primitive streak formation. 

PMID- 26119456
TI  - A case of sudden cardiac death following Domperidone self-medication.
AB  - The phenomenon of sudden cardiac death is usually related to the worsening of
      existing heart conditions leading to ventricular arrhythmia (VA). One of the well
      known triggers of SCD is drug-induced prolongation of the QT interval, such as
      that caused by Domperidone (D). Despite its risk to prolong the QT interval and
      associated narrow therapeutic index, D is available as an over-the-counter (OTC)
      drug in many countries such as Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, China, South Africa,
      Mexico, New Zealand and Chile to treat gastroesophageal reflux and functional
      dyspepsia. The present paper reports a case of SCD that occurred some hours after
      D self-administration in a 47-year-old female subject with mitral valve prolapse,
      thus, predisposed to both VA and SCD. Despite the risks related to D
      administration, to the best of our knowledge, this particular issue has not been
      discussed in the medico-legal literature. For this reason, the forensic
      implications of D administration are discussed focusing on issues related to the
      self-administration as an OTC drug (as seen in this case), administration to
      incapacitated subjects, prescription to patients with contraindications and the
      off-label drug use of D at high and hazardous concentrations to stimulate
      lactation. 

PMID- 26119457
TI  - Diarylethene Self-Assembled Monolayers: Cocrystallization and Mixing-Induced
      Cooperativity Highlighted by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy at the Liquid/Solid
      Interface.
AB  - Stimulus control over 2D multicomponent molecular ordering on surfaces is a key
      technique for realizing advanced materials with stimuli-responsive surface
      properties. The formation of 2D molecular ordering along with photoisomerization
      was monitored by scanning tunneling microscopy at the octanoic acid/highly
      oriented pyrolytic graphite interface for a synthesized amide-containing
      diarylethene, which underwent photoisomerization between the open- and closed
      ring isomers and also a side-reaction to give the annulated isomer. The
      nucleation (Kn) and elongation (Ke) equilibrium constants were determined by
      analysis of the concentration dependence of the surface coverage by using a
      cooperative model at the liquid/solid interface. It was found that the annulated
      isomer has a very large equilibrium constant, which explains the predominantly
      observed ordering of the annulated isomer. It was also found that the presence of
      the closed-ring isomer induces cooperativity into the formation of molecular
      ordering composed of the open-ring isomer. A quantitative analysis of the
      formation of ordering by using the cooperative model has provided a new view of
      the formation of 2D multicomponent molecular ordering.

PMID- 26119458
TI  - Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Elastography in the Diagnosis of Thyroid
      Nodules: Useful or Not Useful?
AB  - The goal of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of acoustic
      radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography for differentiating benign from
      malignant thyroid nodules. One hundred and seventy-four pathologically proven
      thyroid nodules (139 benign, 35 malignant) in 154 patients (mean age: 49.2 +/-
      12.1 y; range: 16-72 y) were included in this study. Conventional ultrasound (US)
      and ARFI elastography using virtual touch tissue imaging (VTI) and virtual touch
      tissue quantification (VTQ) were performed to examine the thyroid nodules. Two
      blinded readers with different amounts of experience independently scored the
      likelihood of malignancy on the basis of a five-point scale in three different
      image-reading sets. The diagnostic performances among different image-reading
      sets and between the two readers were compared. The diagnostic specificity of
      both readers improved significantly after reading the VTI images or both VTI and
      VTQ images (all p < 0.05). After review of the results of both VTI and VTQ, the
      numbers of correctly diagnosed nodules increased in nodules <1.0 cm for both
      readers and in both nodular goiter and papillary thyroid carcinoma for the junior
      reader (p < 0.05). The nodules with definite diagnoses (i.e., confidence levels
      including definite benign and definite malignant cases) increased after review of
      VTI and VTQ images versus conventional US for the senior reader (p < 0.05). In
      conclusion, adding ARFI elastography improves the specificity in diagnosing
      malignant thyroid nodules compared with conventional US on its own. ARFI
      elastography particularly facilitates the specific diagnosis for thyroid nodules
      smaller than 1.0 cm. ARFI elastography is also able to increase the diagnostic
      confidence of the readers.

PMID- 26119459
TI  - Experimental application of ultrafast imaging to spectral tissue
      characterization.
AB  - Ultrasound ultrafast imaging (UI) allows acquisition of thousands of frames per
      second with a sustained image quality at any depth in the field of view.
      Therefore, it would be ideally suited to obtain good statistical sampling of fast
      moving tissues using spectral-based techniques to derive the backscatter
      coefficient (BSC) and associated quantitative parameters. In UI, an image is
      formed by insonifying the medium with plane waves steered at different angles,
      beamforming them and compounding the resulting radiofrequency images. We aimed at
      validating, experimentally, the effect of these beamforming protocols on the BSC,
      under both isotropic and anisotropic conditions. Using UI techniques with a
      linear array transducer (5-14 MHz), we estimated the BSCs of tissue-mimicking
      phantoms and flowing porcine blood at depths up to 35 mm with a frame rate
      reaching 514 Hz. UI-based data were compared with those obtained using single
      element transducers and conventional focusing imaging. Results revealed that UI
      compounded images can produce valid estimates of BSCs and effective scatterer
      size (errors less than 2.2 +/- 0.8 and 0.26 +/- 0.2 dB for blood and phantom
      experiments, respectively). This work also describes the use of pre-compounded UI
      images (i.e., steered images) to assess the angular dependency of circulating red
      blood cells. We have concluded that UI data sets can be used for BSC spectral
      tissue analysis and anisotropy characterization. 

PMID- 26119460
TI  - Lumbar Ultrasound Image Feature Extraction and Classification with Support Vector
      Machine.
AB  - Needle entry site localization remains a challenge for procedures that involve
      lumbar puncture, for example, epidural anesthesia. To solve the problem, we have
      developed an image classification algorithm that can automatically identify the
      bone/interspinous region for ultrasound images obtained from lumbar spine of
      pregnant patients in the transverse plane. The proposed algorithm consists of
      feature extraction, feature selection and machine learning procedures. A set of
      features, including matching values, positions and the appearance of black pixels
      within pre-defined windows along the midline, were extracted from the ultrasound
      images using template matching and midline detection methods. A support vector
      machine was then used to classify the bone images and interspinous images. The
      support vector machine model was trained with 1,040 images from 26 pregnant
      subjects and tested on 800 images from a separate set of 20 pregnant patients. A
      success rate of 95.0% on training set and 93.2% on test set was achieved with the
      proposed method. The trained support vector machine model was further tested on
      46 off-line collected videos, and successfully identified the proper needle
      insertion site (interspinous region) in 45 of the cases. Therefore, the proposed
      method is able to process the ultrasound images of lumbar spine in an automatic
      manner, so as to facilitate the anesthetists' work of identifying the needle
      entry site. 

PMID- 26119461
TI  - Use of Endoscopic Ultrasound to Evaluate Large Gastric Folds: Features Predictive
      of Malignancy.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) the
      features of the gastric wall that can be used to predict malignant disease in
      patients with large gastric folds. We retrospectively reviewed the EUS findings
      of 65 patients (26 with benign and 39 with malignant disease) with large gastric
      folds on endoscopy and EUS and analyzed the predictors of malignant disease
      (e.g., gastric wall thickness, preservation of five-layered structure, thickened
      layers). Gastric wall thickness (>=9.8 mm), thickened deep layer, thickened
      muscularis propria and non-preserved wall layer structures were significantly
      more prevalent in patients with malignant disease on EUS. Among them, gastric
      wall thickness (>=9.8 mm) (odds ratio = 6.72, 95% confidence interval = 1.23
      36.73, p = 0.028) and thickened muscularis propria (odds ratio = 37.14, 95%
      confidence interval = 7.02-196.49, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with
      malignant disease. Our data indicate that EUS is a useful tool for assessing
      large gastric folds and that gastric wall thickness (>=9.8 mm) and thickened
      muscularis propria are significant features predictive of malignant disease on
      EUS.

PMID- 26119462
TI  - Quantifying the Antiviral Effect of IFN on HIV-1 Replication in Cell Culture.
AB  - Type-I interferons (IFNs) induce the expression of hundreds of cellular genes,
      some of which have direct antiviral activities. Although IFNs restrict different
      steps of HIV replication cycle, their dominant antiviral effect remains unclear.
      We first quantified the inhibition of HIV replication by IFN in tissue culture,
      using viruses with different tropism and growth kinetics. By combining
      experimental and mathematical analyses, we determined quantitative estimates for
      key parameters of HIV replication and inhibition, and demonstrate that IFN mainly
      inhibits de novo infection (33% and 47% for a X4- and a R5-strain, respectively),
      rather than virus production (15% and 6% for the X4 and R5 strains,
      respectively). This finding is in agreement with patient-derived data analyses. 

PMID- 26119463
TI  - Electron microscopic morphometry of isolated rat brain porosome complex.
AB  - Porosomes are the universal secretory portals at the cell plasma membrane where
      secretory vesicles dock and transiently fuse via the kiss-and-run mechanism of
      cellular secretion, to release intravesicular cargo to the outside of the cell.
      During last two decades discovery of porosome and a great volume of work from
      different laboratories provide molecular insights on the structure, function, and
      composition of the porosome complex, especially the neuronal porosome. In rat
      neurons 12-17 nm cup-shaped lipoprotein porosomes present at presynaptic
      membrane. They possess a central plug and sometimes are with docked synaptic
      vesicles. Although earlier studies have greatly progressed our understanding of
      the morphology and the proteome and limited lipidome of the neuronal porosome
      complex, the current study was carried out to determine the morphology of the
      bare protein backbone of the neuronal porosome complex. Results from our study
      demonstrate that although the eight-fold symmetry of the immunoisolated porosome
      is maintained, and the central plug is preserved in the isolated structures,
      there is a loss in the average size of the porosome complex, possibly due to a
      loss of lipids from the complex.

PMID- 26119465
TI  - Optimal Normalization Tests for Muscle Activation of the Levator Scapulae,
      Pectoralis Minor, and Rhomboid Major: An Electromyography Study Using Maximum
      Voluntary Isometric Contractions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) test
      positions for the deeper-lying scapulothoracic muscles (ie, levator scapulae,
      pectoralis minor, rhomboid major), and to provide a standard set of a limited
      number of test positions that generate an MVIC in all scapulothoracic muscles.
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Physical and rehabilitation medicine
      department. PARTICIPANTS: Healthy subjects (N=21). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean peak electromyographic activity from levator
      scapulae, pectoralis minor, and rhomboid major (investigated with fine-wire
      electromyography) and from upper trapezius, middle trapezius, lower trapezius,
      and serratus anterior (investigated with surface electromyography) during the
      performance of 12 different MVICs. RESULTS: The results indicated that various
      test positions generated similar high mean electromyographic activity and that no
      single test generated maximum activity for a specific muscle in all subjects. The
      results of this study support using a series of test positions for normalization
      procedures rather than a single exercise to increase the likelihood of recruiting
      the highest activity in the scapulothoracic muscles. CONCLUSIONS: A standard set
      of 5 test positions was identified as being sufficient for generating an MVIC of
      all scapulothoracic muscles: seated T, seated U 135 degrees , prone T-thumbs up,
      prone V-thumbs up, and supine V-thumbs up. A standard set of test positions for
      normalization of scapulothoracic electromyographic data that also incorporates
      the levator scapulae, pectoralis minor, and rhomboid major muscles is 1 step
      toward a more comprehensive understanding of normal and abnormal muscle function
      of these muscles and will help to standardize the presentation of scapulothoracic
      electromyographic muscle activity.

PMID- 26119464
TI  - Patient Satisfaction and Perceived Quality of Care Among Older Adults According
      to Activity Limitation Stages.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether patient satisfaction and perceived quality of
      medical care are related to stages of activity limitations among older adults.
      DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey
      (MCBS) for calendar years 2001 to 2011. PARTICIPANTS: A population-based sample
      (N=42,584) of persons aged >=65 years living in the community. INTERVENTIONS: Not
      applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: MCBS questions were categorized under 5
      patient satisfaction and perceived quality dimensions: care coordination and
      quality, access barriers, technical skills of primary care physicians,
      interpersonal skills of primary care physicians, and quality of information
      provided by primary care physicians. Persons were classified into a stage of
      activity limitation (0-IV) derived from self-reported difficulty levels
      performing activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL. RESULTS:
      Compared with older beneficiaries with no limitations at ADL stage 0, the
      adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for stage I (mild) to stage III (severe) for
      satisfaction with care coordination and quality ranged from .85 (95% confidence
      interval [CI], .80-.92) to .79 (95% CI, .70-.89). Compared with ADL stage 0,
      satisfaction with access barriers ranged from OR=.81 (95% CI, .76-.87) at stage I
      to a minimum of OR=.67 (95% CI, .59-.76) at stage III. Similarly, compared with
      older beneficiaries at ADL stage 0, perceived quality of the technical skills of
      their primary care physician ranged from OR=.87 (95% CI, .82-.94) at stage I to a
      minimum of OR=.81 (95% CI, .72-.91) at stage III. CONCLUSIONS: Medicare
      beneficiaries at higher stages of activity limitation, although not necessarily
      the highest stage of activity limitation, reported less satisfaction with medical
      care.

PMID- 26119466
TI  - Gait Deviation Index Correlates With Daily Step Activity in Children With
      Cerebral Palsy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between the Gait Deviation Index (GDI), a
      multivariate measure of overall gait impairment, and measures of both community
      walking performance and walking capacity within the clinic setting in ambulatory
      children with cerebral palsy. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Gait
      analysis, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), and self-selected walking speed (WS) were
      conducted in laboratory and clinic settings. Activity monitoring was done in
      participants' community environment. PARTICIPANTS: Children with cerebral palsy
      (N=55; age range, 6-18y) with Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I
      to III. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The GDI was derived
      from gait analysis data as a measure of overall gait impairment; an activity
      monitor was used to capture community walking performance, and the 6MWT and WS
      were the clinic-based measures of walking capacity. RESULTS: Fifty-five children
      had a median GDI of 78.86 (range, 53.07-105.34). A moderate association was found
      between the GDI and daily step count (Spearman rho=.58; 95% confidence interval
      [CI], .37-.74; P<.0001). Weaker associations were found between the GDI and 6MWT
      (Spearman rho=.4718; 95% CI, .2283-.6597; P<.0003) and between the GDI and WS
      (Spearman rho=.3949; 95% CI, .1368-.6028; P<.0028). CONCLUSIONS: The GDI has a
      moderate association with daily step count, which suggests that interventions
      that positively change gait kinematics may also affect community walking
      performance. Although the GDI's deviation from the normal value provides valuable
      information, other measures are required to provide a complete picture of a
      child's walking capacity and performance.

PMID- 26119467
TI  - eQTL of bronchial epithelial cells and bronchial alveolar lavage deciphers GWAS
      identified asthma genes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified various genes
      associated with asthma, yet, causal genes or single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) remain elusive. We sought to dissect functional genes/SNPs for asthma by
      combining expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) and GWASs. METHODS: Cis-eQTL
      analyses of 34 asthma genes were performed in cells from human bronchial
      epithelial biopsy (BEC, n = 107) and from bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL, n =
      94). RESULTS: For TSLP-WDR36 region, rs3806932 (G allele protective against
      eosinophilic esophagitis) and rs2416257 (A allele associated with lower
      eosinophil counts and protective against asthma) were correlated with decreased
      expression of TSLP in BAL (P = 7.9 * 10(-11) and 5.4 * 10(-4) , respectively) and
      BEC, but not WDR36. Surprisingly, rs1837253 (consistently associated with asthma)
      showed no correlation with TSLP expression levels. For ORMDL3-GSDMB region,
      rs8067378 (G allele protective against asthma) was correlated with decreased
      expression of GSDMB in BEC and BAL (P = 1.3 * 10(-4) and 0.04) but not ORMDL3.
      rs992969 in the promoter region of IL33 (A allele associated with higher
      eosinophil counts and risk for asthma) was correlated with increased expression
      of IL33 in BEC (P = 1.3 * 10(-6) ) but not in BAL. CONCLUSIONS: Our study
      illustrates cell-type-specific regulation of the expression of asthma-related
      genes documenting SNPs in TSLP, GSDMB, IL33, HLA-DQB1, C11orf30, DEXI, CDHR3, and
      ZBTB10 affect asthma risk through cis-regulation of its gene expression. Whenever
      possible, disease-relevant tissues should be used for transcription analysis.
      SNPs in TSLP may affect asthma risk through up-regulating TSLP mRNA expression or
      protein secretion. Further functional studies are warranted.

PMID- 26119468
TI  - A new iridoid diglucoside from Harpagophytum procumbens.
AB  - A new iridoid diglucoside has been isolated from an aqueous extract of
      Harpagophytum procumbens secondary roots, together with six known compounds. Its
      structure has been assigned as 6'-O-glucopyranosyl-8-O-trans-coumaroylharpagide
      by spectroscopic means. 

PMID- 26119469
TI  - The deubiquitinating enzyme AMSH1 is required for rhizobial infection and nodule
      organogenesis in Lotus japonicus.
AB  - Legume-rhizobium symbiosis contributes large quantities of fixed nitrogen to both
      agricultural and natural ecosystems. This global impact and the selective
      interaction between rhizobia and legumes culminating in development of functional
      root nodules have prompted detailed studies of the underlying mechanisms. We
      performed a screen for aberrant nodulation phenotypes using the Lotus japonicus
      LORE1 insertion mutant collection. Here, we describe the identification of amsh1
      mutants that only develop small nodule primordia and display stunted shoot
      growth, and show that the aberrant nodulation phenotype caused by LORE1
      insertions in the Amsh1 gene may be separated from the shoot phenotype. In amsh1
      mutants, rhizobia initially became entrapped in infection threads with thickened
      cells walls. Some rhizobia were released into plant cells much later than
      observed for the wild-type; however, no typical symbiosome structures were
      formed. Furthermore, cytokinin treatment only very weakly induced nodule
      organogenesis in amsh1 mutants, suggesting that AMSH1 function is required
      downstream of cytokinin signaling. Biochemical analysis showed that AMSH1 is an
      active deubiquitinating enzyme, and that AMSH1 specifically cleaves K63-linked
      ubiquitin chains. Post-translational ubiquitination and deubiquitination
      processes involving the AMSH1 deubiquitinating enzyme are thus involved in both
      infection and organogenesis in Lotus japonicus. 

PMID- 26119470
TI  - Enhancing Clinical Content and Race/Ethnicity Data in Statewide Hospital
      Administrative Databases: Obstacles Encountered, Strategies Adopted, and Lessons
      Learned.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Eight grant teams used Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
      infrastructure development research grants to enhance the clinical content of and
      improve race/ethnicity identifiers in statewide all-payer hospital administrative
      databases. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Grantees faced common challenges, including
      recruiting data partners and ensuring their continued effective participation,
      acquiring and validating the accuracy and utility of new data elements, and
      linking data from multiple sources to create internally consistent enhanced
      administrative databases. Successful strategies to overcome these challenges
      included aggressively engaging with providers of critical sources of data,
      emphasizing potential benefits to participants, revising requirements to lessen
      burdens associated with participation, maintaining continuous communication with
      participants, being flexible when responding to participants' difficulties in
      meeting program requirements, and paying scrupulous attention to preparing data
      specifications and creating and implementing protocols for data auditing,
      validation, cleaning, editing, and linking. In addition to common challenges,
      grantees also had to contend with unique challenges from local environmental
      factors that shaped the strategies they adopted. CONCLUSIONS: The creation of
      enhanced administrative databases to support comparative effectiveness research
      is difficult, particularly in the face of numerous challenges with recruiting
      data partners such as competing demands on information technology resources.
      Excellent communication, flexibility, and attention to detail are essential
      ingredients in accomplishing this task. Additional research is needed to develop
      strategies for maintaining these databases when initial funding is exhausted.

PMID- 26119471
TI  - Functional Genetic Variation in Dopamine Signaling Moderates Prefrontal Cortical
      Activity During Risky Decision Making.
AB  - Brain imaging has revealed links between prefrontal activity during risky
      decision-making and striatal dopamine receptors. Specifically, striatal dopamine
      D2-like receptor availability is correlated with risk-taking behavior and
      sensitivity of prefrontal activation to risk in the Balloon Analogue Risk Task
      (BART). The extent to which these associations, involving a single neurochemical
      measure, reflect more general effects of dopaminergic functioning on risky
      decision making, however, is unknown. Here, 65 healthy participants provided
      genotypes and performed the BART during functional magnetic resonance imaging.
      For each participant, dopamine function was assessed using a gene composite score
      combining known functional variation across five genes involved in dopaminergic
      signaling: DRD2, DRD3, DRD4, DAT1, and COMT. The gene composite score was
      negatively related to dorsolateral prefrontal cortical function during risky
      decision making, and nonlinearly related to earnings on the task. Iterative
      permutations of all possible allelic variations (7777 allelic combinations) was
      tested on brain function in an independently defined region of the prefrontal
      cortex and confirmed empirical validity of the composite score, which yielded
      stronger association than 95% of all other possible combinations. The gene
      composite score also accounted for a greater proportion of variability in neural
      and behavioral measures than the independent effects of each gene variant,
      indicating that the combined effects of functional dopamine pathway genes can
      provide a robust assessment, presumably reflecting the cumulative and potentially
      interactive effects on brain function. Our findings support the view that the
      links between dopaminergic signaling, prefrontal function, and decision making
      vary as a function of dopamine signaling capacity. 

PMID- 26119472
TI  - Brain Activity During Cocaine Craving and Gambling Urges: An fMRI Study.
AB  - Although craving states are important to both cocaine dependence (CD) and
      pathological gambling (PG), few studies have directly investigated
      neurobiological similarities and differences in craving between these disorders.
      We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess brain activity in
      103 participants (30 CD, 28 PG, and 45 controls) while they watched videos
      depicting cocaine, gambling, and sad scenarios to investigate the neural
      correlates of craving. We observed a three-way urge type * video type *
      diagnostic group interaction in self-reported craving, with CD participants
      reporting strong cocaine cravings to cocaine videos, and PG participants
      reporting strong gambling urges to gambling videos. Neuroimaging data revealed a
      diagnostic group * video interaction in anterior cingulate cortex/ventromedial
      prefrontal cortex (mPFC), activating predominantly to cocaine videos in CD
      participants, and a more dorsal mPFC region that was most strongly activated for
      cocaine videos in CD participants, gambling videos in PG participants, and sad
      videos in control participants. Gender * diagnosis * video interactions
      identified dorsal mPFC and a region in posterior insula/caudate in which female
      but not male PG participants showed increased responses to gambling videos.
      Findings illustrate both similarities and differences in the neural correlates of
      drug cravings and gambling urges in CD and PG. Future studies should investigate
      diagnostic- and gender-specific therapies targeting the neural systems implicated
      in craving/urge states in addictions. 

PMID- 26119474
TI  - Primary osteosarcoma of the ovary.

PMID- 26119475
TI  - Elevated non-esterified fatty acid concentrations hamper bovine oviductal
      epithelial cell physiology in three different in vitro culture systems.
AB  - Elevated non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) have been recognized as an important
      link between lipolytic metabolic conditions and impaired fertility in high
      yielding dairy cows. However, NEFA effects on the oviductal micro-environment
      currently remain unknown. We hypothesize that elevated NEFAs may contribute to
      the complex pathology of subfertility by exerting a negative effect on bovine
      oviductal epithelial cell (BOEC) physiology. Therefore, the objectives of this
      study were to elucidate direct NEFA effects on BOEC physiology in three different
      in vitro cell culture systems. Bovine oviductal epithelial cells (four
      replicates) were mechanically isolated, pooled, and cultured as conventional
      monolayers, as explants, and in a polarized cell culture system with Dulbecco's
      modified Eagle's medium/F12-based culture medium. Bovine oviductal epithelial
      cells were exposed to an NEFA mixture of oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids for
      24 hours at both physiological and pathologic concentrations. A control (0 MUM
      NEFA) and a solvent control (0 MUM NEFA + 0.45% ethanol) group were implemented.
      Bovine oviductal epithelial cells physiology was assessed by means of cell number
      and viability, a sperm binding assay, transepithelial electric resistance (TER),
      and a wound-healing assay. Bovine oviductal epithelial cell morphology was
      assessed by scanning electron microscopy on cell polarity, presence of microvilli
      and cilia, and monolayer integrity. Bovine oviductal epithelial cell number was
      negatively affected by increasing NEFAs, however, cell viability was not. Sperm
      binding affinity significantly decreased with increasing NEFAs and tended (P =
      0.051) to be more affected by the direction of NEFA exposure in the polarized
      cell culture system. The absolute TER increase after NEFA exposure in the control
      (110 +/- 11 Omega.cm(2)) was significantly higher than that in all the other
      treatments and was also different depending on the exposure side. Bidirectional
      exposed monolayers were even associated with a significant TER reduction (-15 +/-
      10 Omega.cm(2); P < 0.05). Cell proliferation capacity showed a decreased cell
      migration with increasing NEFA concentrations but was irrespective of the
      exposure side. Bovine oviductal epithelial cell morphology was not affected. In
      conclusion, in an in vitro setting, NEFAs exert a negative effect on BOEC
      physiology but not morphology. Ultimately, these physiological alterations in its
      microenvironment may result in suboptimal development of the pre-implantation
      embryo and a reduced reproductive outcome in dairy cattle.

PMID- 26119473
TI  - Prognostic role of copeptin after stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis
      of observational studies.
AB  - Copeptin, the C-terminal part of provasopressin, has emerged as a novel
      prognostic marker after hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was
      to quantitatively assess the prognostic significance of plasma copeptin level on
      functional outcome and mortality in patients with acute stroke using a meta
      analysis of the available evidence. Thirteen relevant studies from 2,746 patients
      were finally included in our study. An elevated plasma copeptin level was
      associated with an increased risk of unfavorable outcome and mortality after
      stroke (OR 1.77; 95% CI, 1.44-2.19 and OR 3.90; 95% CI 3.07-4.95, respectively).
      The result of the pooled measure on standardized mean difference (SMD) was that
      plasma copeptin levels were found to be significantly higher in patients who died
      compared to survivors (SMD 1.70; 95% CI, 1.36-2.03). A stratified analysis by
      study region showed significant differences in SMD of copeptin, and the
      heterogeneity among studies was significantly decreased. However, the positive
      association of copeptin with poor prognosis after stroke was consistent in each
      stratified analysis. The present meta-analysis suggests that early measurement of
      plasma copeptin could provide better prognostic information about functional
      outcome and mortality in patients with acute stroke. 

PMID- 26119477
TI  - A principal mechanism for the cancer chemopreventive activity of phenethyl
      isothiocyanate is modulation of carcinogen metabolism.
AB  - Isothiocyanates are small molecules characterized by high chemical reactivity
      that allows them to interact readily with cellular constituents eliciting a
      plethora of biological activities. They are present exclusively in cruciferous
      vegetables, as glucosinolates, the intake of which has been associated with
      cancer chemoprevention. When the physical structure of these vegetables is
      disturbed, e.g. during mastication, the enzyme myrosinase is released and
      converts the glucosinolates to isothiocyanates (R-N=C=S), where R can be
      aliphatic or aromatic. Although sulforaphane, an aliphatic isothiocyanate, has
      received most attention worldwide, the most extensively studied aromatic
      isothiocyanate is phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), and there are substantial
      differences in biological activity between the two sub-classes. In animal cancer
      models, PEITC effectively antagonized the carcinogenicity of chemicals,
      especially nitrosocompounds. A principal mechanism of their action is to protect
      the integrity of DNA by decreasing the levels of the genotoxic metabolites of
      chemical carcinogens. Extensive studies established that PEITC modulates the
      metabolism of the tobacco-specific carcinogenic nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)
      1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) by inhibiting its cytochrome P450-mediated
      bioactivation. Moreover, PEITC is a potent inducer of detoxification enzymes such
      as quinone reductase, glutathione S-transferase and glucuronosyl transferase.
      PEITC is rapidly absorbed and is characterized by a large bioavailability; Cmax
      concentrations achieved in plasma after dietary intake are sufficient to modulate
      carcinogen metabolism. PEITC is primarily metabolized by glutathione conjugation
      and is excreted in the urine and bile as the mercapturate. The ability of PEITC
      to perturb carcinogen metabolism through modulation of cytochrome P450 and phase
      II detoxification enzymes is comprehensively and critically reviewed.

PMID- 26119476
TI  - Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of Bali bull (Bos javanicus)
      seminal plasma proteins and their relationship with semen quality.
AB  - The present study evaluated the relationship between Bali bull (Bos javanicus)
      seminal plasma proteins and different semen quality parameters. Semen samples
      from 10 mature Bali bulls were evaluated for conventional semen parameters
      (general motility, viability, and normal morphology), sperm functionality
      (acrosome reaction, sperm penetration rate, sperm penetration index), sperm
      kinetics (computer-assisted semen analysis parameters such as sperm velocity),
      and sperm morphology (acrosome and membrane integrity). Frozen-thawed semen with
      higher sperm motility, viability, acrosome integrity, and membrane integrity (P <
      0.05) are consistently higher in acrosome reaction and sperm penetration assay.
      Three bulls showed the highest, four bulls displayed the medium, and the
      remaining three bulls showed the lowest for all sperm parameters and SPA. The
      proteome maps of seminal plasma from high-quality and low-quality Bali bulls were
      also established. Seminal plasma of both high-quality and low-quality Bali bulls
      was subjected to two-dimensional SDS-PAGE with isoelectric point ranged from 3 to
      10 and molecular weight from 10 to 250 kDa. Approximately 116 spots were detected
      with Blue Silver stain, and of these spots, 29 were selected and identified by
      MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS/MS. A majority of the proteins visualized in the seminal plasma
      two-dimensional maps was successfully identified. An essential group of the
      identified spots represented binder of sperm 1 (BSP1), clusterin, spermadhesin,
      tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP-2), and phospholipase A2 (PLA2).
      Other proteins found in high abundance included seminal ribonuclease, serum
      albumin, cationic trypsin, and peptide similar to beta2 microglobulin. Thus, a
      reference map of Bali bull seminal plasma proteins has been generated for the
      very first time and can be used to relate protein pattern changes to
      physiopathologic events that may influence Bali bull reproductive performance.

PMID- 26119478
TI  - Crystal engineering of energetic materials: co-crystals of Ethylenedinitramine
      (EDNA) with modified performance and improved chemical stability.
AB  - In the area of energetic materials, co-crystallization is emerging as a new
      technology for modifying or enhancing the properties of existing energetic
      substances. Ethylenedinitramine (EDNA) is a known energetic material which
      requires attention partly due to its chemical instability originating with its
      two highly acidic protons. In order to stabilize EDNA, a co-crystallization
      approach targeting the acidic protons using a series of co-crystallizing agents
      with suitable hydrogen-bond acceptors was employed. Fifteen attempted co
      crystallizations resulted in eight successful outcomes and six of these were
      crystallographically characterized and all showed evidence of hydrogen bonds to
      the intended protons. Calculated detonation properties and experimental thermal
      and impact data for the co-crystals were obtained and compared with those of pure
      EDNA. The co-crystal of EDNA and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene was recognized as a
      more thermally stable alternative to EDNA while the co-crystal of EDNA and
      pyrazine N,N'-dioxide showed comparable detonation strengths (and much improved
      chemical stability) compared with that of EDNA. The co-crystals EDNA:4,4'
      bipyridine and EDNA:pyrazine N,N'-dioxide were found to be about 50 % less impact
      sensitive than EDNA, all of which illustrate how co-crystallizations can be
      utilized for successfully modifying specific aspects of energetic materials. 

PMID- 26119479
TI  - Delafloxacin, a non-zwitterionic fluoroquinolone in Phase III of clinical
      development: evaluation of its pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics
      and clinical efficacy.
AB  - Delafloxacin is a fluoroquinolone lacking a basic substituent in position 7. It
      shows MICs remarkably low against Gram-positive organisms and anaerobes and
      similar to those of ciprofloxacin against Gram-negative bacteria. It remains
      active against most fluoroquinolone-resistant strains, except enterococci. Its
      potency is further increased in acidic environments (found in many infection
      sites). Delafloxacin is active on staphylococci growing intracellularly or in
      biofilms. It is currently evaluated as an intravenous and intravenous/oral
      stepdown therapy in Phase III trials for the treatment of complicated skin/skin
      structure infections. It was also granted as Qualified Infectious Disease Product
      for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections and
      community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, due to its high activity on pneumococci
      and atypical pathogens.

PMID- 26119480
TI  - The views of parents who experience intergenerational poverty on parenting and
      play: a qualitative analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is minimal literature on how parents experiencing
      intergenerational poverty view their role as parents and the value they place on
      children's play. The objective of this study was to examine how these parents
      view their parenting role and their beliefs about children's play. METHODS:
      Thirteen mothers of preschool-aged children who experienced intergenerational
      poverty were recruited to the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted
      and were analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. RESULTS: Parents
      described their role as guiding their children to become 'good' people, to teach
      them skills and provide a routine within the home. There were two disconnections
      in the data including the view that whilst parenting was hard and lonely, it was
      also a private matter and participants preferred not to seek support. A second
      disconnection was in terms of their beliefs about play. Parents believed that
      whilst play was valuable to their child's development, it was not their role to
      play with children. However, if parents did play with their child, they noticed
      positive changes in their child's behaviour. CONCLUSION: The views of parents who
      experienced intergenerational poverty were similar to other reported findings in
      parenting studies. However, the current sample differed on not seeking help for
      support as well as not seeing their role as playing with their children, even
      though occasions of joining their child in play were associated with a positive
      change in their relationship with their child. This has implications for
      communicating about parenting issues with parents who have experienced
      intergenerational poverty.

PMID- 26119481
TI  - Functional differences between the arteries perfusing gas exchange and
      nutritional membranes in the late chicken embryo.
AB  - The chicken extraembryonic arterial system comprises the allantoic arteries,
      which irrigate the gas exchange organ (the chorioallantoic membrane, CAM) and the
      yolk sac (YS) artery, which irrigates the nutritional organ (the YS membrane). We
      compared, using wire myography, the reactivity of allantoic and YS arteries from
      19-day chicken embryos (total incubation 21 days). The contractions induced by
      KCl, the adrenergic agonists norepinephrine (NE, nonselective), phenylephrine
      (alpha1), and oxymetazoline (alpha2), electric field stimulation (EFS),
      serotonin, U46619 (TP receptor agonist), and endothelin (ET)-1 and the
      relaxations induced by acetylcholine (ACh), sodium nitroprusside (SNP, NO donor),
      forskolin (adenylate cyclase activator), and isoproterenol (beta-adrenergic
      agonist) were investigated. Extraembryonic allantoic arteries did not show alpha
      adrenergic-mediated contraction (either elicited by exogenous agonists or EFS) or
      ACh-induced (endothelium-dependent) relaxation, whereas these responses were
      present in YS arteries. Interestingly, the intraembryonic segment of the
      allantoic artery showed EFS- and alpha-adrenergic-induced contraction and ACh
      mediated relaxation. Moreover, glyoxylic acid staining showed the presence of
      catecholamine-containing nerves in the YS and the intraembryonic allantoic
      artery, but not in the extraembryonic allantoic artery. Isoproterenol- and
      forskolin-induced relaxation and ET-1-induced contraction were higher in YS than
      in allantoic arteries, whereas serotonin- and U46619-induced contraction and SNP
      induced relaxation did not significantly differ between the two arteries. In
      conclusion, our study demonstrates a different pattern of reactivity in the
      arteries perfusing the gas exchange and the nutritional membranes of the chicken
      embryo.

PMID- 26119482
TI  - Early second-hand smoke exposure and child and adolescent mental health: evidence
      from Hong Kong's 'Children of 1997' birth cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure is associated negatively
      with childhood behavioural problems in western settings. In a developed non
      western setting, we estimated the associations of early SHS exposure during the
      prenatal and postnatal periods with several aspects of adolescent mental health.
      DESIGN: Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate the adjusted
      associations of pre- and postnatal SHS exposure with adolescent mental health.
      SETTING: Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS: Population-representative "Children of 1997"
      birth cohort. Behavioural problems at ~11 years were available for 5598, self
      esteem at ~11 years for 6937 and depressive symptoms at ~13 years for 5797.
      MEASUREMENTS: SHS was categorized as no SHS exposure, occasional prenatal SHS
      exposure from non-parental sources, daily prenatal SHS exposure from non-parental
      sources, postnatal SHS exposure from non-parental sources, prenatal and postnatal
      SHS exposure from non-parental sources, occasional paternal smoking, daily
      paternal smoking and any maternal smoking. Behavioural problems were assessed
      from parent-reported Rutter score, self-esteem from self-reported Culture-Free
      Self-Esteem Inventory score and depressive symptoms from self-reported Patient
      Health Questionnaire-9 score. FINDINGS: Prenatal SHS exposure from non-parental
      sources was associated with behavioural problems at ~11 years (1.24, 95%
      confidence interval 0.20-2.28) adjusted for sex, age of assessment, survey mode
      (for depressive symptoms only), socio-economic position (SEP), mother's
      birthplace, gestational age and parity; paternal smoking and maternal smoking
      were associated with more mental health problems but also with lower SEP.
      CONCLUSIONS: In Hong Kong, prenatal second-hand tobacco smoke exposure appears to
      be a risk factor for behavioural problems at age 11 years independent of socio
      economic position.

PMID- 26119483
TI  - AEE-active cyclic tetraphenylsilole derivatives with ~100% solid-state
      fluorescence quantum efficiency.
AB  - Two new strongly AEE active (I/I0 ~ 94) tetraphenylsilole-containing
      cyclosiloxanes with cyan emissions (lambdaem = 500 nm) and ~100% solid state
      fluorescence quantum yields are reported. The intra- and intermolecular C-Hpi
      interactions in the crystal play a major role in the observed high solid state
      fluorescence quantum yields. 

PMID- 26119484
TI  - Novel peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma mutation in a family with
      familial partial lipodystrophy type 3.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Familial partial lipodystrophy type 3 (FPLD3) is an autosomal dominant
      disorder with loss of subcutaneous adipose tissue at the extremities and
      metabolic complications such as insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridaemia and
      hypertension. The aim of this study was to characterize the molecular basis of a
      family of 5 affected members with FPLD3. METHODS: A 61-year-old female index
      patient and her relatives were assessed by detailed clinical and biochemical
      examinations. Sequence analysis of the LMNA and PPARG gene was performed.
      Structure analysis of the identified mutation was carried out using published X
      ray crystal structures. RESULTS: A novel heterozygous PPARG mutation c.1040A>C
      was identified in all 5 patients of the family but not in unaffected controls.
      The resulting amino acid substitution p.Lys347Thr is located at the ligand
      binding domain (LBD) of the protein and is predicted to disrupt critical
      molecular interactions to the helix 12 of the LBD. CONCLUSIONS: A novel PPARG
      mutation leading to FPLD3 is described. The results emphasize the importance of
      the clinical diagnosis and of further molecular genetic analyses in patients with
      clinical signs of FPLD but unremarkable LMNA findings.

PMID- 26119485
TI  - Mutual induction of transcription factor PPARgamma and microRNAs miR-145 and miR
      329.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that are known to control mRNA
      translation. Most miRNAs are transcribed from specific genes with well-defined
      promoters located throughout the genome. The mechanisms that control miRNA
      expression under normal and pathological conditions are not yet understood
      clearly. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma is a ligand
      activated transcription factor that is extensively distributed in the CNS.
      PPARgamma activation induces neuroprotection by modulating genes that contain
      peroxisome proliferator response elements (PPREs) in their promoters. We
      presently evaluated if PPARgamma modulates miRNA expression. When adult rats were
      treated with PPARgamma agonist rosiglitazone, expression of 28 miRNAs altered
      significantly (12 up- and 16 down-regulated; 3-119 fold) in the cerebral cortex
      compared to vehicle-treated controls. In silico analysis showed 1-5 PPREs in the
      putative promoter regions (within 1 Kb upstream of the transcription start site)
      of these miRNA genes. Cotransfection with a PPARgamma constitutively expressing
      vector significantly induced the miR-145 and miR-329 promoter vectors (each have
      four PPREs), which was curtailed by point mutations of PPREs in their promoters.
      Interestingly, the PPARgamma promoter has binding sites for both these miRNAs and
      transfection with miR-329 mimic and miR-145 mimic induced the PPARgamma
      expression. Thus, these studies show a cyclical induction of miRNAs and
      PPARgamma, indicating that the pleiotropic beneficial effects of PPARgamma
      agonists might be modulated in part by miRNAs and their down-stream mRNAs. We
      proposed that promoters of many microRNAs contain the binding sites for the
      transcription factor PPARgamma. Activation of PPARgamma modulates the expression
      of these microRNAs. Two such PPARgamma-responsive microRNAs (miR-145 and miR-329)
      bind to PPARgamma promoter to induce its expression. This indicates the presence
      of a feedback loop by which transcription factors and microRNAs can modulate each
      other. 

PMID- 26119486
TI  - Augmented renal clearance in critically ill patients: etiology, definition and
      implications for beta-lactam dose optimization.
AB  - The renal clearance of antibiotics may be elevated in some critically ill
      patients. This paper reviews this recently described phenomenon, referred to as
      augmented renal clearance (ARC). ARC is considered to be driven by
      pathophysiological elevation of glomerular filtration, and is defined as a
      creatinine clearance >130mL/min/173m(2). This in turn promotes very low
      antibiotic concentrations. This effect may lead to adverse clinical outcomes,
      particularly with beta-lactam antibiotics, as they require prolonged exposure for
      optimal antibacterial activity. The use of extended or continuous infusions is an
      effective strategy to improve exposure. However, because the effect of ARC is
      potentially quite variable, regular therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) may be
      necessary to ensure all patients achieve effective concentrations. 

PMID- 26119487
TI  - The global challenge of new classes of antibacterial agents: an industry
      perspective.
AB  - With rising antibiotic resistance and the fear of returning to the pre-penicillin
      era, incentives are being provided for developing novel antibiotics. The hurdles
      faced by antibiotic developers include the difficulty in discovering novel
      chemicals that have selectivity and the increased regulatory scrutiny for safety
      and efficacy. Furthermore, the demonstration of superiority is essential in order
      to rationalize pricing and to assure a return on investment. Suggestions are
      provided to overcome each of these hurdles in order to prevent the antibiotic
      pipeline from running dry. 

PMID- 26119488
TI  - Treatment of bacterial infections in obese adult patients: how to appropriately
      manage antimicrobial dosage.
AB  - Obese patients may require bigger initial antimicrobial doses but the optimal
      approach to maintenance dose selection is limited. Key pharmacokinetic system
      parameters are higher in obese patients but often not proportional to total body
      weight (TBW). Fixed-dose selection risks under exposure while TBW-based dosing
      risks over exposure in obese patients. Alternate body size descriptors limit
      overdosing in obesity that is vital for antimicrobials with a narrow therapeutic
      index. Maintenance dose calculation of antimicrobials in obese patients is
      challenging in the absence of therapeutic drug monitoring. Approaches to
      antimicrobial dose selection in obesity based on estimated kidney function serves
      as a lesser but clinically applicable alternative. 

PMID- 26119489
TI  - The use of probiotics in aquaculture.
AB  - This study aims to present comprehensive notes for the use of probiotics in
      aquaculture. Probiotics have been proven to be positive promoters of aquatic
      animal growth, survival and health. In aquaculture, intestines, gills, the skin
      mucus of aquatic animals, and habitats or even culture collections and commercial
      products, can be sources for acquiring appropriate probiotics, which have been
      identified as bacteria (Gram-positive and Gram-negative) and nonbacteria
      (bacteriophages, microalgae and yeasts). While a bacterium is a pathogen to one
      aquatic animal, it can bring benefits to another fish species; a screening
      process plays a significant role in making a probiotic species specific. The
      administration of probiotics varies from oral/water routine to feed additives, of
      which the latter is commonly used in aquaculture. Probiotic applications can be
      either mono or multiple strains, or even in combination with prebiotic,
      immunostimulants such as synbiotics and synbiotism, and in live or dead forms.
      Encapsulating probiotics with live feed is a suitable approach to convey
      probiotics to aquatic animals. Dosage and duration of time are significant
      factors in providing desired results. Several modes of actions of probiotics are
      presented, while some others are not fully understood. Suggestions for further
      studies on the effects of probiotics in aquaculture are proposed. 

PMID- 26119490
TI  - Maximum ingested food size in captive anthropoids.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Maximum ingested food size (Vb ) is an empirically tested performance
      variable that can shed light on feeding energetics and adaptation in the
      masticatory system. Until now, this variable had been tested in strepsirrhines
      alone among primates. Here, we present the first data on Vb in a broad sample of
      anthropoid primates and describe scaling patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Vb data
      on anthropoids were collected under captive conditions at the Philadelphia Zoo
      and compared with published data on strepsirrhines. Data on Vb were scaled
      against individual body mass and were compared with experimentally determined
      toughness and stiffness values for the test foods. RESULTS: Unlike in
      strepsirrhines, where essentially Vb scales isometrically with body mass, Vb in
      anthropoids scales with negative allometry. There is a significant effect of food
      material properties on Vb , although bite size in anthropoids varies less based
      on food properties than in strepsirrhines. Large folivorous strepsirrhines follow
      the anthropoid trend in bite size scaling, but large frugivorous ones take
      especially large bites. DISCUSSION: Negative scaling of bite size in the
      anthropoids sampled could be due to reduced adaptation for gape. Some early
      anthropoids likely evolved adaptations for maximizing mechanical advantage and
      fatigue resistance in the chewing muscles, resulting in reduced gape. This might
      have channeled them toward smaller bites of more-resistant foods and away from
      taking large bites. This might also be the case for some folivorous
      strepsirrhines.

PMID- 26119491
TI  - Hydrophobically Modified Halloysite Nanotubes as Reverse Micelles for Water-in
      Oil Emulsion.
AB  - An easy strategy to obtain inorganic reverse micelles based on halloysite
      nanotubes (HNTs) and alkyltrimethylammonium bromides has been developed. The
      selective modification of the HNTs external surface with cationic surfactants
      endows to generate tubular nanostructures with a hydrophobic shell and a
      hydrophilic cavity. The influence of the surfactants alkyl chain on the HNTs
      functionalization degree has been investigated. The dynamic behavior of the
      surfactant/HNT hybrids in solvents with variable polarity has been correlated to
      their affinity toward hydrophobic media explored through partition experiments.
      The water-in-oil emulsion is able to solubilize copper sulfate, proving the
      incorporation and the loading of hydrophilic compounds into the HNTs lumen. Here
      we have fabricated ecocompatible reverse micelles with tunable
      hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface that might be suitable for industrial and
      biological applications as well as for selective organic synthesis. 

PMID- 26119492
TI  - A novel cholinergic epithelial cell with chemosensory traits in the murine
      conjunctiva.
AB  - We recently identified a specialized cholinergic cell type in tracheal and
      urethral epithelium that utilizes molecules of the canonical taste transduction
      signaling cascade to sense potentially harmful substances in the luminal content.
      Upon stimulation, this cell initiates protective reflexes. Assuming a sentinel
      role of such cells at mucosal surfaces exposed to bacteria, we hypothesized their
      occurrence also in ocular mucosal surfaces. Utilizing a mouse strain expressing
      eGFP under the promoter of the acetylcholine synthesizing enzyme, choline
      acetyltransferase (ChAT-eGFP), we observed a cholinergic cell in the murine
      conjunctiva. Singular cholinergic cells reaching the epithelial surface with
      slender processes were detected in fornical, but neither in bulbar nor palpebral
      epithelia. These cells were found neither in the lacrimal canaliculi, nor in the
      lacrimal sac and the nasolacrimal duct. Cholinergic conjunctival epithelial cells
      were immunoreactive for components of the canonical taste transduction signaling
      cascade, i.e. alpha-gustducin, phospholipase Cbeta2 and the monovalent cation
      channel TRPM5. Calcitonin gene-related peptide- and substance P-immunoreactive
      sensory nerve fibers were observed extending into the conjunctival epithelium
      approaching slender ChAT-eGFP-positive cells. In addition, we noted both ChAT
      eGFP expression and alpha-gustducin-immunoreactivity, albeit in different cell
      populations, in occasionally occurring lymphoid follicles of the nictitating
      membrane. The data show a previously unidentified cholinergic cell in murine
      conjunctiva with chemosensory traits that presumably utilizes acetylcholine for
      signaling. In analogy to similar cells described in the respiratory and urethral
      epithelium, it might serve to detect bacterial products and to initiate
      protective reflexes. 

PMID- 26119494
TI  - Marine protist diversity in European coastal waters and sediments as revealed by
      high-throughput sequencing.
AB  - Although protists are critical components of marine ecosystems, they are still
      poorly characterized. Here we analysed the taxonomic diversity of planktonic and
      benthic protist communities collected in six distant European coastal sites.
      Environmental deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) from three
      size fractions (pico-, nano- and micro/mesoplankton), as well as from dissolved
      DNA and surface sediments were used as templates for tag pyrosequencing of the V4
      region of the 18S ribosomal DNA. Beta-diversity analyses split the protist
      community structure into three main clusters: picoplankton-nanoplankton-dissolved
      DNA, micro/mesoplankton and sediments. Within each cluster, protist communities
      from the same site and time clustered together, while communities from the same
      site but different seasons were unrelated. Both DNA and RNA-based surveys
      provided similar relative abundances for most class-level taxonomic groups. Yet,
      particular groups were overrepresented in one of the two templates, such as
      marine alveolates (MALV)-I and MALV-II that were much more abundant in DNA
      surveys. Overall, the groups displaying the highest relative contribution were
      Dinophyceae, Diatomea, Ciliophora and Acantharia. Also, well represented were
      Mamiellophyceae, Cryptomonadales, marine alveolates and marine stramenopiles in
      the picoplankton, and Monadofilosa and basal Fungi in sediments. Our extensive
      and systematic sequencing of geographically separated sites provides the most
      comprehensive molecular description of coastal marine protist diversity to date. 

PMID- 26119495
TI  - Serum Free Light Chain Assessment Early After Stem Cell Transplantation as a
      Prognostic Factor in Multiple Myeloma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma is an incurable cancer commonly treated with stem
      cell transplantation (SCT). Response is traditionally evaluated 100 days after
      SCT, both to allow for hematopoietic reconstitution and due to immunoglobulins'
      long half-lives. Free light chains (FLC) have significantly shorter half-lives
      and may provide evidence of response or treatment failure earlier after SCT.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied 83 consecutive patients with
      multiple myeloma who underwent SCT and found 69 who had FLC measured 30 or 60
      days after SCT. Using conventional FLC response criteria, we considered a patient
      to be at high risk for early relapse if he or she failed to experience a partial
      response by day 30 or 60. RESULTS: After a median overall follow-up of only 335
      days, these high-risk patients had significantly shorter progression-free
      survival (median, 98 vs. 335 days, P = .001) and overall survival (366 days vs.
      median not reached, P = .016). CONCLUSION: Early FLC assessment either 1 or 2
      months after SCT using standard FLC response criteria was able to identify a
      subset of patients at high risk of early relapse, and these patients may benefit
      from earlier interventions.

PMID- 26119496
TI  - Probing the nature and resistance of the molecule-electrode contact in SAM-based
      junctions.
AB  - It is challenging to quantify the contact resistance and to determine the nature
      of the molecule-electrode contacts in molecular two-terminal junctions. Here we
      show that potentiodynamic and temperature dependent impedance measurements give
      insights into the nature of the SAM-electrode interface and other bottlenecks of
      charge transport (the capacitance of the SAM (C(SAM)) and the resistance of the
      SAM (R(SAM))), unlike DC methods, independently of each other. We found that the
      resistance of the top-electrode-SAM contact for junctions with the form of Ag(TS)
      SC(n)//GaO(x)/EGaIn with n = 10, 12, 14, 16 or 18 is bias and temperature
      independent and hence Ohmic (non-rectifying) in nature, and is orders of
      magnitude smaller than R(SAM). The C(SAM) and R(SAM) are independent of the
      temperature, indicating that the mechanism of charge transport in these SAM-based
      junctions is coherent tunneling and the charge carrier trapping at the interfaces
      is negligible.

PMID- 26119497
TI  - Biliary amphotericin B pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in critically ill
      liver transplant recipients receiving treatment with amphotericin B lipid
      formulations.
AB  - Fungal cholangitis is a potentially life-threatening condition. As amphotericin B
      (AmB) has a broad antimycotic spectrum, in this study its biliary penetration and
      activity was determined in two patients treated with liposomal AmB (L-AmB) and in
      one patient receiving AmB colloidal dispersion (ABCD). Biliary and plasma AmB
      levels were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography after
      purification by solid-phase extraction. For assessment of biliary AmB activity,
      isolates of Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata and Candida
      krusei were incubated in porcine bile at AmB concentrations of 0.025-5.00 mg/L.
      In addition, patient bile samples retrieved for AmB quantification were
      inoculated with the same Candida strains. Biliary AmB concentrations were lower
      and displayed a slower rise and decline than plasma levels. The highest
      penetration ratio, as expressed by the ratio between the area under the AmB
      concentration-time curve in bile and plasma (liberated AmB) over the sampling
      period (AUC0-n bile/AUC0-n LI plasma), was 0.28. Proliferation of C. albicans and
      C. tropicalis in bile was similar to that in culture medium, whereas growth of C.
      glabrata was diminished and proliferation of C. krusei was absent in bile. In
      comparison with culture medium, AmB activity decreased in spiked porcine bile. In
      all but one patient bile sample, fungal growth was delayed or lacking even when
      AmB was not detectable. However, no fungicidal effect was observed in patient
      bile at AmB concentrations up to 1.28 mg/L. Thus, a reliable response of fungal
      cholangitis to treatment with L-AmB or ABCD cannot be anticipated.

PMID- 26119499
TI  - Energy Storage Materials from Nature through Nanotechnology: A Sustainable Route
      from Reed Plants to a Silicon Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries.
AB  - Silicon is an attractive anode material in energy storage devices, as it has a
      ten times higher theoretical capacity than its state-of-art carbonaceous
      counterpart. However, the common process to synthesize silicon nanostructured
      electrodes is complex, costly, and energy-intensive. Three-dimensional (3D)
      porous silicon-based anode materials have been fabricated from natural reed
      leaves by calcination and magnesiothermic reduction. This sustainable and highly
      abundant silica source allows for facile production of 3D porous silicon with
      very good electrochemical performance. The obtained silicon anode retains the 3D
      hierarchical architecture of the reed leaf. Impurity leaching and gas release
      during the fabrication process leads to an interconnected porosity and the
      reductive treatment to an inside carbon coating. Such anodes show a remarkable Li
      ion storage performance: even after 4000 cycles and at a rate of 10 C, a specific
      capacity of 420 mA h g(-1) is achieved. 

PMID- 26119498
TI  - A second component of the SltA-dependent cation tolerance pathway in Aspergillus
      nidulans.
AB  - The transcriptional response to alkali metal cation stress is mediated by the
      zinc finger transcription factor SltA in Aspergillus nidulans and probably in
      other fungi of the pezizomycotina subphylum. A second component of this pathway
      has been identified and characterized. SltB is a 1272 amino acid protein with at
      least two putative functional domains, a pseudo-kinase and a serine-endoprotease,
      involved in signaling to the transcription factor SltA. Absence of SltB activity
      results in nearly identical phenotypes to those observed for a null sltA mutant.
      Hypersensitivity to a variety of monovalent and divalent cations, and to medium
      alkalinization are among the phenotypes exhibited by a null sltB mutant. Calcium
      homeostasis is an exception and this cation improves growth of sltDelta mutants.
      Moreover, loss of kinase HalA in conjunction with loss-of-function sltA or sltB
      mutations leads to pronounced calcium auxotrophy. sltA sltB double null mutants
      display a cation stress sensitive phenotype indistinguishable from that of single
      slt mutants showing the close functional relationship between these two proteins.
      This functional relationship is reinforced by the fact that numerous mutations in
      both slt loci can be isolated as suppressors of poor colonial growth resulting
      from certain null vps (vacuolar protein sorting) mutations. In addition to
      allowing identification of sltB, our sltB missense mutations enabled prediction
      of functional regions in the SltB protein. Although the relationship between the
      Slt and Vps pathways remains enigmatic, absence of SltB, like that of SltA, leads
      to vacuolar hypertrophy. Importantly, the phenotypes of selected sltA and sltB
      mutations demonstrate that suppression of null vps mutations is not dependent on
      the inability to tolerate cation stress. Thus a specific role for both SltA and
      SltB in the VPS pathway seems likely. Finally, it is noteworthy that SltA and
      SltB have a similar, limited phylogenetic distribution, being restricted to the
      pezizomycotina subphylum. The relevance of the Slt regulatory pathway to cell
      structure, intracellular trafficking and cation homeostasis and its restricted
      phylogenetic distribution makes this pathway of general interest for future
      investigation and as a source of targets for antifungal drugs. 

PMID- 26119500
TI  - Discovery of a 6-(pyridin-3-yl)benzo[d]thiazole template for optimization of
      hedgehog and PI3K/AKT/mTOR dual inhibitors.
AB  - Vismodegib is the first FDA approved cancer therapy based on inhibition of
      aberrant hedgehog signaling. Like most cancer therapies, vismodegib suffered from
      resistance, even during clinical development. Numerous reports demonstrated that
      simultaneous blockage of hedgehog and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways resulted in
      significantly superior outcomes compared with single agent alone in a number of
      animal disease models. The dual hedgehog and PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibition represented
      a promising approach not only to overcoming the resistance but also to delaying
      its onset. Here we report a series of compounds based on a 6-(pyridin-3
      yl)benzo[d]thiazole template which have demonstrated significant inhibition of
      both hedgehog and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways. This new scaffold can serve
      as a lead for further optimization. 

PMID- 26119501
TI  - Structure-activity relationships of furazano[3,4-b]pyrazines as mitochondrial
      uncouplers.
AB  - Chemical mitochondrial uncouplers are lipophilic weak acids that transport
      protons into the mitochondrial matrix via a pathway that is independent of ATP
      synthase, thereby uncoupling nutrient oxidation from ATP production. These
      uncouplers have potential for the treatment of diseases such as obesity,
      Parkinson's disease, and aging. We have previously identified a novel
      mitochondrial protonophore, named BAM15, which stimulates mitochondrial
      respiration across a broad dosing range compared to carbonyl cyanide p
      trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP). Herein, we report our investigations on
      the structure-activity relationship profile of BAM15. Our studies demonstrate the
      importance of the furazan, pyrazine, and aniline rings as well as pKa in
      maintaining its effective protonophore activity. 

PMID- 26119502
TI  - Salting-out and salting-in: competitive effects of salt on the aggregation
      behavior of soy protein particles and their emulsifying properties.
AB  - Emulsions stabilized by protein particles have gained increasing research
      attention due to their combined advantages of biocompatibility and superior
      stability. In this study, colloidal particles consisting of soy protein isolates
      (SPIs) prepared through a heat-treatment procedure are used to make oil-in-water
      emulsions at a protein concentration of 10 g L(-1) and a pH of 5.91. We
      investigate parallelly the effects of NaCl on the stability and rheological
      properties of the particle suspensions and their stabilized emulsions at salt
      concentrations of 0, 100 and 400 mM. The aggregation behavior of the particles is
      strongly dependent on the NaCl concentration, showing signs of sedimentation at
      low NaCl concentration (100 mM) but redispersion again at high NaCl concentration
      (400 mM). The extensive particle aggregation is beneficial to the formation of a
      continuous interfacial film for the emulsions, and hence results in a remarkable
      increase of creaming stability and interfacial viscoelastic moduli. The results
      can be explained in terms of two competitive effects of NaCl: salting-out and
      salting-in, which are attributed to complex electrostatic interactions between
      the particles as a function of NaCl concentration. The delicate balance between
      salting-out and salting-in provides an interesting insight into the nature of
      underlying protein particle interactions in aqueous suspensions and a possible
      mechanism for tailoring their emulsifying properties via salt effects. 

PMID- 26119503
TI  - Brief report: Moving prevention into schools: The impact of a trauma-informed
      school-based intervention.
AB  - Adolescents in disadvantaged communities have high rates of exposure to stress
      and trauma, which can negatively impact emotion regulation and executive
      functioning, increasing likelihood of school problems. This pilot study evaluated
      RAP Club, a 12-session school-based trauma-informed group intervention co
      facilitated by a mental health counselor and young adult community member that
      utilizes evidence-based cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness strategies. Seventh
      and eighth graders at two urban public schools serving low-income communities
      were assigned to receive RAP Club (n = 29) or regular school programming (n =
      20). RAP Club improved teacher-rated emotion regulation, social and academic
      competence, classroom behavior, and discipline. Higher program dose predicted
      improvements in several teacher-rated outcomes. Student self-report outcomes,
      however, did not vary by study group or dose. Even students with low baseline
      depression showed improvement in teacher-rated outcomes following program
      participation, supporting a model of universal program delivery to all students.
      Findings suggest RAP Club merits further study. 

PMID- 26119504
TI  - Development and validation of an UPLC-MS/MS method for the quantification of
      tamoxifen and its main metabolites in human scalp hair.
AB  - The aim of this study was to validate an earlier developed high-performance
      highly sensitive ultra performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry
      (UPLC-MS/MS) method for quantification of tamoxifen and its three main
      metabolites (N-desmethyl-tamoxifen, 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen and 4-hydroxy-N-desmethyl
      tamoxifen) in scalp hair. This non-invasive method might, by segmental analysis
      of hair, be useful in the determination of the concentration of drugs and its
      metabolites over time, which can be used to study a wide variety of clinical
      relevant questions. Hair samples (150-300 hair strands, cut as close to the scalp
      as possible from the posterior vertex region of the head) were collected from
      female patients taking tamoxifen 20mg daily (n=19). The analytes were extracted
      using a liquid-liquid extraction procedure with carbonate buffer at pH 8.8 and a
      mixture of n-hexane/isopropranol method, followed by UPLC-MS/MS chromatography,
      based on an earlier validated method. The calibration curves were linear in the
      range of 1.00-200 pmol for tamoxifen and N-desmethyl-tamoxifen, with lower limit
      of quantitation of 1.00 pmol and 0.100-20.0 pmol with lower limit of quantitation
      of 0.100 pmol for endoxifen and 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen. Assay performance was fair
      with a within-run and between-run variability less than 9.24 at the three quality
      control samples and less than 15.7 for the lower limit of quantitation.
      Importantly, a steep linear decline was observed from distal to proximal hair
      segments. Probably, this is due to UV exposure as we showed degradation of
      tamoxifen and its metabolites after exposure to UV-light. Furthermore, higher
      concentrations of tamoxifen were found in black hair samples compared to blond
      and brown hair samples. We conclude that measurement of the concentration of
      tamoxifen and its main metabolites in hair is possible, with the selective,
      sensitive, accurate and precise UPLC-MS/MS method. However, for tamoxifen, it
      seems not possible to determine exposure over time with segmental analysis of
      hair, probably largely due to the effect of UV irradiation. Further research
      should therefore focus on quantification of other anticancer drugs, in segmented
      scalp hair, that are less sensitive to UV irradiation.

PMID- 26119505
TI  - Simultaneous determination of leucine, isoleucine and valine in Beagle dog plasma
      by HPLC-MS/MS and its application to a pharmacokinetic study.
AB  - Leucine (Leu), isoleucine (Ile) and valine (Val) are three branched-chain amino
      acids (BCAAs), which have been widely used as dietary supplements for
      professional athletes and patients with liver failure or catabolic diseases. To
      date, no pharmacokinetic studies of BCAAs in vivo useful for the assessment of
      clinical effect following daily intake has been reported. Thus in this study, an
      HPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of Leu, Ile and Val in Beagle
      dog plasma using homoarginine as the internal standard was developed and
      validated in terms of specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and stability.
      This assay method was then applied to a pharmacokinetic study of BCAAs in dogs
      following oral administration of 0.25 g/kg and 0.50 g/kg BCAAs. The HPLC-MS/MS
      method was found to be sensitive and reproducible for quantification of BCAAs in
      dog plasma and successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study. All these BCAAs
      were well absorbed with a substantial increase in the plasma concentration after
      a baseline modification. No statistical significance was identified in different
      gender group and no drug accumulation was observed following multiple doses.

PMID- 26119507
TI  - Improving photocatalytic performance of ZnO via synergistic effects of Ag
      nanoparticles and graphene quantum dots.
AB  - Herein, we reported a simple and "green" method for preparing the ternary
      photocatalyst Ag-graphene quantum dots (GQDs)-ZnO. In this method, an aqueous
      solution of GQDs not only acted as a substituent for the organic solvent for
      preparing the ZnO precursor but was also used as a reducing agent for the in situ
      synthesis of Ag nanoparticles (NPs). X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning
      electron microscopy were employed to confirm the effects of the GQD solution as a
      solvent on the ZnO structure. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the
      synthesis of Ag NPs in the GQD solution as well as the formation of close
      interconnections between them. Furthermore, photocatalytic tests involving the
      degradation of Rhodamine B showed that the synthesized ternary photocatalyst
      displayed excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity, which was much higher
      than that of pure ZnO and binary photocatalysts such as Ag-ZnO and GQDs-ZnO. We
      believe that this method will lead to the "green" synthesis of hybrid
      metal/carbon/semiconductor photocatalysts with higher photocatalytic activities. 

PMID- 26119506
TI  - Pivotal Role of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase-Activated Protein Kinase 2 in
      Inflammatory Pulmonary Diseases.
AB  - Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-activated protein kinase (MK2) is
      exclusively regulated by p38 MAPK in vivo. Upon activation of p38 MAPK, MK2 binds
      with p38 MAPK, leading to phosphorylation of TTP, Hsp27, Akt, and Cdc25 that are
      involved in regulation of various essential cellular functions. In this review,
      we discuss current knowledge about molecular mechanisms of MK2 in regulation of
      TNF-alpha production, NADPH oxidase activation, neutrophil migration, and DNA
      damage-induced cell cycle arrest which are involved in the molecular pathogenesis
      of acute lung injury, pulmonary fibrosis, and non-small-cell lung cancer.
      Collectively current and emerging new information indicate that developing MK2
      inhibitors and blocking MK2-mediated signal pathways are potential therapeutic
      strategies for treatment of inflammatory and fibrotic lung diseases and lung
      cancer. 

PMID- 26119509
TI  - Contrasting responses to novelty by wild and captive orangutans.
AB  - Several studies have suggested that wild primates tend to behave with caution
      toward novelty, whereas captive primates are thought to be less neophobic, more
      exploratory, and more innovative. However, few studies have systematically
      compared captive and wild individuals of the same species to document this
      "captivity effect" in greater detail. Here we report the responses of both wild
      and captive orangutans to the same novel items. Novel objects were presented to
      wild orangutans on multiple platforms placed in the canopy and equipped with
      motion-triggered video cameras. The same and different novel objects were also
      presented to orangutans in two different zoos. The results demonstrate extreme
      conservatism in both Bornean and Sumatran wild orangutans, who gradually
      approached the novel objects more closely as they became familiar, but avoided
      contact with them over many encounters spanning several months. Their zoo-living
      conspecifics, in contrast, showed an immediate neophilic response. Our results
      thus confirm the "captivity effect." To the various ecological explanations
      proposed before (reduced risk and increased time and energy balance for captive
      individuals relative to wild ones), we add the social information hypothesis,
      which claims that individuals confronted with novel items preferentially rely on
      social cues whenever possible. This caution toward novelty disappears when human
      caretakers become additional role models and can also be eroded when all
      experience with novelty is positive.

PMID- 26119511
TI  - Three-dimensional imaging of vitiligo.

PMID- 26119512
TI  - An Ultrahigh Precision, High-Frequency Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Analyzer Based
      on Dual Isotope Dilution and Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy.
AB  - We present a novel method for continuous and automated shipboard measurements of
      dissolved inorganic carbon concentration ([DIC]) in surface water. The method is
      based on dual isotope dilution and cavity ring-down spectroscopy (DID-CRDS). In
      this method, seawater is continuously sampled and mixed with a flow of NaH(13)CO3
      solution that is also enriched in deuterated water (the spike). The isotopic
      composition of CO2 (delta(13)C(spiked_sample)) derived from the DIC in the
      mixture, and the D/H ratio of the mixed water (deltaD(spiked_sample)), are
      measured by CRDS analyzers. The D/H of the water in the mixture allows accurate
      estimates of the mixing ratio of the sample and the spike. [DIC] of the sample is
      then calculated from the mixing ratio, [DI(13)C] of the spike, and
      delta(13)C(spiked_sample). In the laboratory, the precision of the method is
      <0.02% (+/-0.4 MUmol kg(-1) when [DIC] = 2000 MUmol kg(-1)). A shipboard test was
      conducted in the Delaware Bay and Estuary. For 2 min average [DIC], a precision
      of <0.03% was achieved. Measurements from the DID-CRDS showed good agreement with
      independent measurements of discrete samples using the well-established
      coulometric method (mean difference = -1.14 +/- 1.68 MUmol kg(-1)), and the
      nondispersive infrared(NDIR)-based methods (mean difference = -0.9 +/- 4.73 MUmol
      kg(-1)).

PMID- 26119510
TI  - Biomechanical Screening of Cell Therapies for Vocal Fold Scar.
AB  - Candidate cell sources for vocal fold scar treatment include mesenchymal stromal
      cells from bone marrow (BM-MSC) and adipose tissue (AT-MSC). Mechanosensitivity
      of MSC can alter highly relevant aspects of their behavior, yet virtually nothing
      is known about how MSC might respond to the dynamic mechanical environment of the
      larynx. Our objective was to evaluate MSC as a potential cell source for vocal
      fold tissue engineering in a mechanically relevant context. A vibratory strain
      bioreactor and cDNA microarray were used to evaluate the similarity of AT-MSC and
      BM-MSC to the native cell source, vocal fold fibroblasts (VFF). Posterior
      probabilities for each of the microarray transcripts fitting into specific
      expression patterns were calculated, and the data were analyzed for Gene Ontology
      (GO) enrichment. Significant wound healing and cell differentiation GO terms are
      reported. In addition, proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated with
      immunohistochemistry. Results revealed that VFF shared more GO terms related to
      epithelial development, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, growth factor
      activity, and immune response with BM-MSC than with AT-MSC. Similarity in
      glycosaminoglycan and proteoglycan activity dominated the ECM analysis. Analysis
      of GO terms relating to MSC differentiation toward osteogenic, adipogenic, and
      chondrogenic lineages revealed that BM-MSC expressed fewer osteogenesis GO terms
      in the vibrated and scaffold-only conditions compared to polystyrene. We did not
      evaluate if vibrated BM-MSC recover osteogenic expression markers when returned
      to polystyrene culture. Immunostaining for Ki67 and cleaved caspase 3 did not
      vary with cell type or mechanical condition. We conclude that VFF may have a more
      similar wound healing capacity to BM-MSC than to AT-MSC in response to short-term
      vibratory strain. Furthermore, BM-MSC appear to lose osteogenic potential in the
      vibrated and scaffold-only conditions compared to polystyrene, potentially
      attenuating the risk of osteogenesis for in vivo applications. 

PMID- 26119513
TI  - Double transcatheter valve-in-valve therapy: A viable alternative for high-risk
      patients.

PMID- 26119514
TI  - Pig model gets to the dogma.

PMID- 26119515
TI  - Number of pigs born alive in parity 1 sows associated with lifetime performance
      and removal hazard in high- or low-performing herds in Japan.
AB  - Reproductive performance, lifetime performance and removal hazard were studied in
      commercial herds in order to detect prolific sows at an early-stage. Reproductive
      performance measurements that we assessed were number of pigs born alive (PBA)
      per litter, weaning-to-first-mating interval and farrowing rate (FR). Lifetime
      performance measurements included lifetime average PBA and lifetime average
      nonproductive days. In total, 213,514 parity records and 47,024 lifetime records
      of 96 herds were included. Sows were categorized into three groups based on the
      lower and upper 25th percentiles of PBA in parity 1:8 pigs or fewer, 9-12 pigs
      and 13 pigs or more. The herds were classified into high- and low-performing
      herds on the basis of the 50th percentile of pigs weaned per mated female per
      year. To compare the measurements between the sow groups taking account for the
      herd productivity groups, multivariate and single response models were applied to
      reproductive performance from first-farrowing and lifetime performance,
      respectively. A hazard model was fitted to survival data. Sows having 13 or more
      PBA in parity 1 had 1.0-1.4 more PBA per litter in all subsequent parities
      (P<0.05), 1.2-1.5% higher FR in parities 2-4 (P<0.05) and 3.4-3.7 higher lifetime
      average PBA than sows having 8 or lower PBA (P<0.01). However, there were no
      differences between the sow groups for weaning-to-first-mating interval in any
      parity (P>0.05). There were two-way interactions between the sow and herd groups
      for FR in parity 2 (P=0.01) and lifetime average nonproductive days (P=0.046). In
      low-performing herds, sows having 13 or more PBA in parity 1 had 3.9% higher FR
      at their next farrowings than sows having 8 or fewer PBA (P<0.05), although no
      such difference was found for high-performing herds (P>0.05). Sows in the low
      performing herds with 13 or more PBA in parity 1 also had 2.3 fewer lifetime
      average nonproductive days than sows having 8 or fewer PBA (P=0.01), although
      again no similar difference was found for high-performing herds (P=0.96). The
      removal hazards for sows having 13 or more PBA in parity 1 were lower than those
      for sows having 8 or fewer PBA (P<0.01), with no difference in hazards between
      the herd groups (P=0.62). In conclusion, PBA in parity 1 may help predict a
      prolific sow or low PBA sow. 

PMID- 26119516
TI  - Primary angle-closure glaucoma: an update.
AB  - Primary angle-closure glaucoma is potentially a devastating disease, responsible
      for half of glaucoma-related blindness worldwide. Angle closure is characterized
      by appositional approximation or contact between the iris and trabecular
      meshwork. It tends to develop in eyes with shallow anterior chambers, anteriorly
      positioned or pushed lenses, and angle crowding. Risk of primary angle-closure
      glaucoma is high among women, the elderly and the hyperopic, and it is most
      prevalent in Asia. Investigation into genetic mechanisms of glaucoma inheritance
      is underway. Diagnosis relies on gonioscopy and may be aided by anterior segment
      optical coherence tomography and ultrasound biomicroscopy. Treatment is designed
      to control intraocular pressure while monitoring changes to the angle and optic
      nerve head. Treatment typically begins with medical management through pressure
      reducing topical medications. Peripheral iridotomy is often performed to
      alleviate pupillary block, while laser iridoplasty has been found effective for
      mechanisms of closure other than pupillary block, such as plateau iris syndrome.
      Phacoemulsification, with or without goniosynechialysis, both in eyes with
      existing cataracts and in those with clear lenses, is thus far a viable treatment
      alternative. Long-term research currently underway will examine its efficacy in
      cases of angle closure in early stages of the disease. Endoscopic
      cyclophotocoagulation is another treatment option, which can be combined with
      cataract surgery. Trabeculectomy remains effective therapy for more advanced
      cases.

PMID- 26119517
TI  - Inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase improves microregional O2 balance in
      cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.
AB  - Objectives Return of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in focal cerebral
      ischaemia may not ensure proper distribution of blood flow to meet metabolic
      demand. This study was performed to determine how inhibition of neuronal nitric
      oxide synthase (NOS) during ischaemia-reperfusion would affect microregional O2
      supply/consumption balances and their variation. Methods Twenty minutes before
      middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion, a NOS inhibitor 7-nitroindazole (7-NI) 50
      mg/kg ip (7-NI group) or vehicle (control group) was administered. At 1 hour of
      ischaemia and 2 hours of reperfusion, rCBF, the size of cortical infarct and
      arteriolar and venular O2 saturations (20-60 MUm in diameter) using
      cryomicrospectrophotometry were determined. Results Ischaemia-reperfusion
      decreased the average venular O2 saturation and the ratio of O2
      supply/consumption. But, 7-NI treatment improved the average O2
      supply/consumption ratio and venular O2 saturation (57.6 +/- 1.3 vs 52.0 +/-
      3.8%) in ischaemia-reperfusion. The heterogeneity of venular O2 saturations
      reported as coefficient of variation (CV = 100 * SD/mean) was much smaller in the
      7-NI than the control group (8.8 vs 15.5). The number of veins with low O2
      saturation ( < 50%) was also smaller with the 7-NI (4/70) than the control group
      (18/70). The size of cortical infarct was smaller with 7-NI treatment. Discussion
      Our data suggest that inhibition of neuronal NOS by 7-NI improved microregional
      O2 balance in the ischaemic-reperfused cortex (IR-C). The improvement in
      microregional O2 balance could be one of the contributing factors to the reduced
      size of cortical infarct.

PMID- 26119518
TI  - Early Medical Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Gender Dysphoria: An
      Empirical Ethical Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Endocrine Society and the World Professional Association for
      Transgender Health published guidelines for the treatment of adolescents with
      gender dysphoria (GD). The guidelines recommend the use of gonadotropin-releasing
      hormone agonists in adolescence to suppress puberty. However, in actual practice,
      no consensus exists whether to use these early medical interventions. The aim of
      this study was to explicate the considerations of proponents and opponents of
      puberty suppression in GD to move forward the ethical debate. METHODS:
      Qualitative study (semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires) to
      identify considerations of proponents and opponents of early treatment (pediatric
      endocrinologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, ethicists) of 17 treatment teams
      worldwide. RESULTS: Seven themes give rise to different, and even opposing, views
      on treatment: (1) the (non-)availability of an explanatory model for GD; (2) the
      nature of GD (normal variation, social construct or [mental] illness); (3) the
      role of physiological puberty in developing gender identity; (4) the role of
      comorbidity; (5) possible physical or psychological effects of (refraining from)
      early medical interventions; (6) child competence and decision making authority;
      and (7) the role of social context how GD is perceived. Strikingly, the
      guidelines are debated both for being too liberal and for being too limiting.
      Nevertheless, many treatment teams using the guidelines are exploring the
      possibility of lowering the current age limits. CONCLUSIONS: As long as debate
      remains on these seven themes and only limited long-term data are available,
      there will be no consensus on treatment. Therefore, more systematic
      interdisciplinary and (worldwide) multicenter research is required.

PMID- 26119519
TI  - Nanocomposite semi-solid redox ionic liquid electrolytes with enhanced charge
      transport capabilities for dye-sensitized solar cells.
AB  - The ability of Pt nanostructures to induce the splitting of the I?I bond in
      iodine (triiodide) molecules is explored here to enhance electron transfer in the
      iodine/iodide redox couple. Following the dispersal of Pt nanoparticles at 2 %
      (weight) level, charge transport was accelerated in triiodide/iodide-containing
      1,3-dialkylimidazolium room-temperature ionic liquid. If both Pt nanoparticles
      and multi-walled carbon nanotubes were introduced into the ionic-liquid-based
      system, a solid-type (nonfluid) electrolyte was obtained. By using solid-state
      voltammetric (both sandwich-type and microelectrode-based) methodology, the
      apparent diffusion coefficients for charge transport increased to approximately
      1*10(-6)  cm(2)  s(-1) upon the incorporation of the carbon-nanotube-supported
      iodine-modified Pt nanostructures. A dye-sensitized solar cell comprising TiO2
      covered with a heteroleptic Ru(II) -type sensitizer (dye) and the semisolid
      triiodide/iodide ionic liquid electrolyte admixed with carbon-nanotube-supported
      Pt nanostructures yielded somewhat higher power conversion efficiencies (up to
      7.9 % under standard reporting conditions) than those of the analogous Pt-free
      system. 

PMID- 26119520
TI  - Anticholinergic Accumulation: A Slumbering Interaction between Drugs and Food
      Supplements.
AB  - Many compounds display anticholinergic effects which might give rise to cognitive
      impairment and even delirium. These side effects are caused by their ability to
      bind to muscarinic receptors in our brain. Especially with combination of
      compounds, these serious effects are seen. This phenomenon, known as
      anticholinergic accumulation, is especially seen in the elderly. A classification
      of drugs for anticholinergic side effects has been made based on clinical
      observations, the ACB score. Here, we aimed to substantiate this classification
      by comparing the affinity of numerous drugs for the muscarinic receptors to the
      ACB score. Additionally, a number of supplements were screened. The affinity of
      the compounds was determined by their ability to displace the radioligand
      [(3)H]pirenzepine of the muscarinic receptor induced by these compounds. Our
      results show that the affinity of a compound for the muscarinic receptors
      correlated with its ACB score. Also food supplements appeared to bind to these
      muscarinic receptors. Moreover, several drug-drug, supplement-supplement and
      supplement-drug combinations had an affinity that is higher than the affinity of
      single compounds. This explains the phenomenon of anticholinergic accumulation.
      In conclusion, care should be taken to drug-drug and supplement-drug combinations
      with respect to anticholinergic accumulation.

PMID- 26119521
TI  - Mechanisms underlying AQP4 accumulation in astrocyte endfeet.
AB  - The brain-blood interface holds the key to our understanding of how cerebral
      blood flow is regulated and how water and solutes are exchanged between blood and
      brain. The highly specialized astrocytic membranes that enwrap brain microvessels
      are salient constituents of the brain-blood interface. These endfoot membranes
      contain a distinct set of molecules that is anchored to the subendothelial basal
      lamina forming an endfoot-basal lamina junctional complex. Here we explore the
      mechanisms underpinning the formation of this complex. By use of a tailor made
      model system we show that endothelial cells promote AQP4 accumulation by exerting
      an inductive effect through extracellular matrix components such as agrin, as
      well as through a direct mechanical interaction with the endfoot processes.
      Through the compounds they secrete, the endothelial cells also increase AQP4
      expression. The present data suggest that the highly specialized gliovascular
      interface is established through inductive processes that include both chemical
      and mechanical factors. GLIA 2015;63:2073-2091.

PMID- 26119522
TI  - RAD51 G135C genetic polymorphism and their potential role in gastric cancer
      induced by Helicobacter pylori infection in Bhutan.
AB  - In order to evaluate the role of the RAD51 G135C genetic polymorphism on the risk
      of gastric cancer induced by Helicobacter pylori infection, we determined allele
      frequency and genotype distribution of this polymorphism in Bhutan--a population
      documented with high prevalence of gastric cancer and extremely high prevalence
      of H. pylori infection. The status of RAD51 G135C was examined by restriction
      fragment length polymorphism analysis of PCR amplified fragments and sequencing.
      Histological scores were evaluated according to the updated Sydney system. G135C
      carriers showed significantly higher scores for intestinal metaplasia in the
      antrum than G135G carriers [mean (median) 0.33 (0) vs. 0.08 (0), P = 0.008].
      Higher scores for intestinal metaplasia of G135C carriers compared to those of
      G135G carriers were also observed in H. pylori-positive patients [0.3 (0) vs. 0.1
      (0), P = 0.002] and H. pylori-positive patients with gastritis [0.4 (0) vs. 0.1
      (0), P = 0.002] but were not found in H. pylori-negative patients. Our findings
      revealed that a combination of H. pylori infection and RAD51 G135C genotype of
      the host showed an increasing score for intestinal metaplasia. Therefore, RAD51
      G135C might be the important predictor for gastric cancer of H. pylori-infected
      patients.

PMID- 26119523
TI  - Evaluation of systemic absorption and renal effects of topical ophthalmic
      flurbiprofen and diclofenac in healthy cats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate systemic absorption and renal effects of topically
      applied ophthalmic flurbiprofen and diclofenac in healthy cats. ANIMALS STUDIED:
      Twelve domestic shorthair cats. PROCEDURES: Cats were randomly assigned to two
      treatment groups (n = 6) and administered one drop (approximately 40 MUL) of
      either flurbiprofen 0.03% or diclofenac 0.1% in both eyes four times daily (6 am,
      12 pm, 6 pm, and 12 am) for 14 days. Blood samples were collected on days 0, 4,
      8, 14, 16, and 17 and analyzed by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry for
      flurbiprofen and diclofenac plasma concentrations. A complete blood count (CBC),
      serum chemistry, and urinalysis were analyzed at the beginning of the study (Day
      0) and at the end of topical drug administration (Day 15). RESULTS: Both drugs
      demonstrated systemic absorption. Flurbiprofen was detected (mean +/- SD) at day
      4 (237 +/- 65 ng/mL), day 8 (396 +/- 91 ng/mL), day 14 (423 +/- 56 ng/mL), day 16
      (350 +/- 66 ng/mL), and day 17 (270 +/- 62 ng/mL), and diclofenac was detected
      (mean +/- SD) at day 4 (130 +/- 44 ng/mL), day 8 (131 +/- 25 ng/mL), day 14 (150
      +/- 36 ng/mL), and sporadically on day 16 [corrected]. Flurbiprofen plasma
      concentration decreased slowly over 48 h after the last dose. No clinically
      significant abnormalities were noted in the serum blood urea nitrogen,
      creatinine, or urine specific gravity at the end of topical drug administration
      compared to the beginning of the study. CONCLUSIONS: Flurbiprofen and diclofenac
      were systemically absorbed after topical administration four times daily to both
      eyes of healthy cats. Flurbiprofen reached higher plasma concentrations compared
      to diclofenac.

PMID- 26119524
TI  - Autologous stem cell transplantation outcomes in elderly patients with B cell Non
      Hodgkin Lymphoma.
AB  - The precise role of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT)
      remains unclear in patients over 60 years of age. There is potential for
      increased procedural morbidity and mortality, and differences in disease biology
      that could impact outcomes. We performed a retrospective single-centre review of
      81 elderly B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma patients undergoing ASCT. Five-year
      overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) was 54.7% and 49.1%
      respectively. Non-relapse mortality (NRM) at 100 days and 1 year was 1.3% and
      2.5%, suggesting no major excess compared to younger cohorts. OS and PFS were
      significantly worse in those over 65 years compared to those aged 60-64 (47.6%
      vs. 57.7%, P = 0.0437, and 27.6% vs. 57.7%, P = 0.0052 at 5 years). This resulted
      largely from an increased relapse risk (RR) (53.8% vs. 30.1%, P = 0.0511) rather
      than excess NRM, and age remained independently significant for PFS on
      multivariate analyses [Hazard ratio 2.56 (1.35-4.84, P = 0.0052) for PFS and 1.89
      (0.99-3.61, P = 0.054) for OS]. Our data adds to the growing body of evidence
      demonstrating that ASCT can be an effective treatment strategy with an acceptable
      safety profile in selected elderly patients. Further evaluation of its overall
      benefit is warranted, however, in those over 65 years of age, as RR appears to be
      considerably higher.

PMID- 26119525
TI  - Fluoride as a factor initiating and potentiating inflammation in THP1
      differentiated monocytes/macrophages.
AB  - It is well known that exposure to fluorides lead to an increased ROS production
      and enhances the inflammatory reactions. Therefore we decided to examine whether
      cyclooxygenases (particular COX-2) activity and expression may be changed by
      fluoride in THP1 macrophages and in this way may change the prostanoids
      biosynthesis. In the present work we demonstrate that fluoride increased
      concentration of PGE2 and TXA2 in THP1 macrophages. Following exposure to 1-10
      MUM NaF, COX-2 protein and COX-2 transcript increased markedly. COX-2 protein up
      regulation probably is mediated by ROS, produced during fluoride-induced
      inflammatory reactions. Additional fluoride activates the transcription factor,
      nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, which is involved in the up-regulation of COX-2 gene
      expression. This study indicated that even in small concentrations fluoride
      changes the amounts and activity of COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes taking part in the
      initiating and development of inflammatory process.

PMID- 26119526
TI  - Associations of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Insertion/Deletion, Angiotensin II
      Receptor A1166C, and Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase 4b/a Gene Polymorphisms
      With Pregnancy Hypertensive Disorders: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - There have been numerous studies concerning the associations of angiotensin
      converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D), angiotensin II receptor 1
      (AT1R) gene A1166C, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene 4b/a
      polymorphisms with risk of pregnancy hypertensive disorders (PHDs). However, the
      results are inconsistent. A total of 83 eligible studies (10,354/18,446
      cases/controls) were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled odds ratios with
      corresponding 95% confidence intervals were used to calculate these associations.
      The effects of ethnicity and types of PHDs were also considered. Results showed
      significant associations between the ACE gene polymorphism and PHDs in all of the
      populations except that in Africa. The associations also existed in AT1R, eNOS
      gene polymorphism and PHDs in part of the gene models in the overall population.
      These results indicated the ACE gene polymorphism was associated with an
      increased risk of PHDs, whereas the eNOS and AT1R gene polymorphism only have
      increased susceptibility to PHDs in part of the gene models.

PMID- 26119527
TI  - Is molecular alignment an indispensable requirement in the MIA-QSAR method?
AB  - For a decade, the multivariate image analysis applied to quantitative structure
      activity relationship (MIA-QSAR) approach has been successfully used in the
      modeling of several chemical and biological properties of chemical compounds.
      However, the key pitfall of this method has been its exclusive applicability to
      congeneric datasets due to the prerequisite of aligning the chemical images with
      respect to the basic molecular scaffold. The present report aims to explore the
      use of the 2D-discrete Fourier transform (2D-DFT) as a means of opening way to
      the modeling, for the first time, of structurally diverse noncongruent chemical
      images. The usability of the 2D-DFT in QSAR modeling of noncongruent chemical
      compounds is assessed using a structurally diverse dataset of 100 compounds, with
      reported inhibitory activity against MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. An
      analysis of the statistical parameters of the built regression models validates
      their robustness and high predictive power. Additionally, a comparison of the
      results obtained with the 2D-DFT MIA-QSAR approach with those of the DRAGON
      molecular descriptors is performed, revealing superior performance for the
      former. This result represents a milestone in the MIA-QSAR context, as it opens
      way for the possibility of screening for new molecular entities with the desired
      chemical or therapeutic utility.

PMID- 26119528
TI  - Vagal Fibers Form Associations With Interstitial Cells of Cajal During Fetal
      Development.
AB  - Vagal intramuscular arrays (IMAs) have been shown to form complexes with
      intramuscular interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). We tested the hypothesis that
      associations between vagal nerve endings and ICC arise in fetal development.
      Intraganglionic laminar endings (IGLEs) and IMAs were identified by applying 1,1'
      dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanineperchlorate (DiI) to vagal nerve
      trunks and myenteric plexus (MP) and intramuscular (IM) ICC were immunolabeled
      with antibodies to c-Kit in fetal and early postnatal mice (E16-P7). At E16, c
      Kit immunoreactive cells were abundant in the primordial smooth muscle, with
      early ICC networks discernable by E18 and ongoing organization at P1 and P7. The
      distribution of vagal endings was found to change during the course of
      development, with significantly more putative IGLEs in the prenatal compared to
      the postnatal period and less IMAs in the prenatal compared to postnatal period.
      Associations of ICC with both IGLEs and IMAs were detected as early as E16 and
      were maintained into postnatal life. These findings suggest that vagal fibers
      begin to associate with ICC during prenatal development. Future studies will be
      needed to determine the mechanisms through which vagal endings and ICC interact.

PMID- 26119529
TI  - Phosphoproteomic Analysis Using the WW and FHA Domains as Biological Filters.
AB  - Protein phosphorylation plays a key role in regulating nearly all intracellular
      biological events. However, poorly developed phospho-specific antibodies and low
      phosphoprotein abundance make it difficult to study phosphoproteins. Cellular
      protein phosphorylation data have been obtained using phosphoproteomic
      approaches, but the detection of low-abundance or fast-cycling phosphorylation
      sites remains a challenge. Enrichment of phosphoproteins together with
      phosphopeptides may greatly enhance the spectrum of low-abundance but
      biologically important phosphoproteins. Previously, we used 14-3-3zeta to
      selectively enrich for HeLa cell lysate phosphoproteins. However, because 14-3-3
      does not isolate phosphoproteins lacking the 14-3-3-binding motif, we looked for
      other domains that could complementarily enrich for phosphoproteins. We here
      assessed and characterized the phosphoprotein binding domains Pin1-WW, CHEK2-FHA,
      and DLG1-GK. Using a strategy based on affinity chromatography, phosphoproteins
      were collected from the lysates of HeLa cells treated with phosphatase inhibitor
      or cAMP activator. We identified different subsets of phosphoproteins associated
      with WW or FHA after calyculin A, okadaic acid, or forskolin treatment. Our
      Kinase-Oriented Substrate Screening (KiOSS) method, which used phosphoprotein
      binding domains, showed that WW and FHA are applicable and useful for the
      identification of novel phospho-substrates for kinases and can therefore be used
      as biological filters for comprehensive phosphoproteome analysis. 

PMID- 26119531
TI  - My Daughter's Hair Won't Grow.

PMID- 26119530
TI  - Short-term monocular deprivation alters early components of visual evoked
      potentials.
AB  - KEY POINTS: Short-term monocular deprivation in adult humans produces a
      perceptual boost of the deprived eye reflecting homeostatic plasticity. Visual
      evoked potentials (VEPs) to transient stimuli change after 150 min of monocular
      deprivation in adult humans. The amplitude of the C1 component of the VEP at a
      latency of about 100 ms increases for the deprived eye and decreases for the non
      deprived eye after deprivation, the two effects being highly negatively
      correlated. Similarly, the evoked alpha rhythm increases after deprivation for
      the deprived eye and decreases for the non-deprived eye. The data demonstrate
      that primary visual cortex excitability is altered by a short period of monocular
      deprivation, reflecting homeostatic plasticity. ABSTRACT: Very little is known
      about plasticity in the adult visual cortex. In recent years psychophysical
      studies have shown that short-term monocular deprivation alters visual perception
      in adult humans. Specifically, after 150 min of monocular deprivation the
      deprived eye strongly dominates the dynamics of binocular rivalry, reflecting
      homeostatic plasticity. Here we investigate the neural mechanisms underlying this
      form of short-term visual cortical plasticity by measuring visual evoked
      potentials (VEPs) on the scalp of adult humans during monocular stimulation
      before and after 150 min of monocular deprivation. We found that monocular
      deprivation had opposite effects on the amplitude of the earliest component of
      the VEP (C1) for the deprived and non-deprived eye stimulation. C1 amplitude
      increased (+66%) for the deprived eye, while it decreased (-29%) for the non
      deprived eye. Source localization analysis confirmed that the C1 originates in
      the primary visual cortex. We further report that following monocular
      deprivation, the amplitude of the peak of the evoked alpha spectrum increased on
      average by 23% for the deprived eye and decreased on average by 10% for the non
      deprived eye, indicating a change in cortical excitability. These results
      indicate that a brief period of monocular deprivation alters interocular balance
      in the primary visual cortex of adult humans by both boosting the activity of the
      deprived eye and reducing the activity of the non-deprived eye. This indicates a
      high level of residual homeostatic plasticity in the adult human primary visual
      cortex, probably mediated by a change in cortical excitability.

PMID- 26119532
TI  - Case of generalized eruptive keratoacanthoma with probable Sjogren's syndrome.

PMID- 26119533
TI  - Association of a genetic marker at the bovine Janus kinase 2 locus (JAK2/RsaI)
      with milk production traits of four cattle breeds.
AB  - In addition to the main components of the somatotrophic axis (GH/GHR/IGF-I/IGF
      IR), great importance in the control of growth and development is also attached
      to the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) pathway. Induced by the GH/GHR complex, JAK2
      activates signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5), and in
      consequence, may be involved in the regulation of expression of insulin-like
      growth factor I (IGF-I) in the mammary gland. Silent mutation (rs110298451) has
      been identified within exon 20 using polymerase chain reaction-restriction
      fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). A total of 904 individuals of four dairy
      or dual-purpose breeds (Polish Holstein-Friesian, Montbeliarde, Simmental and
      Jersey) were genotyped. A genotypic imbalance in the populations was observed. In
      the case of dual-purpose breeds (Montbeliarde and Simmental), the frequencies of
      both alleles were almost equal. In contrary, the JAK2G allele was predominant in
      the Polish Holstein-Friesian breed while JAK2A allele in Jersey. A pronounced
      relationship between JAK2/RsaI polymorphism and milk production traits was found
      where, irrespective of breed and lactation order, the GG genotype was
      significantly associated with higher milk, protein and fat yields, as compared to
      the AA genotype. Heterozygous individuals were generally characterised by
      intermediate values of the analysed milk traits. It can be argued that the JAK2
      gene polymorphism is a potential marker for milk production traits. However, due
      to the fact that rs110298451 SNP does not directly affect amino acid sequence,
      other association studies involving missense mutation should also be performed. 

PMID- 26119535
TI  - Cobalt Boryl Complexes: Enabling and Exploiting Migratory Insertion in Base-Metal
      Mediated Borylation.
AB  - Cobalt boryl complexes, which have only been sporadically reported, can be
      accessed systematically with remarkable (but controllable) variation in the
      nature of the M-B bond. Complexes incorporating a very strong trans sigma-donor
      display unparalleled inertness, reflected in retention of the M-B bond even in
      the presence of extremely strong acid. By contrast, the use of the strong pi
      acceptor CO in the trans position, results in significant Co-B elongation and to
      labilization of the boryl ligand via unprecedented CO migratory insertion. Such
      chemistry provides a pathway for the generation of coordinative unsaturation,
      thereby enabling ligand substitution and/or substrate assimilation. Alkene
      functionalization by boryl transfer, a well-known reaction for noble metals such
      as Rh or Pt, can thus be effected by an 18-electron base-metal complex.

PMID- 26119534
TI  - Delivering CBT to Rural Latino Children with Anxiety Disorders: A Qualitative
      Study.
AB  - Qualitative methods were used to understand community perspectives about ways to
      deliver cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to rural Latino youth with anxiety.
      First, four focus groups were conducted with 28 bilingual Latino mental health
      providers to examine perceptions of CBT using telephone based, therapist
      supported bibliotherapy, and bibliotherapy without therapist support. Second,
      qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 Latino parents from a rural
      community to better understand attitudes toward CBT, and modes of service
      delivery. Qualitative findings revealed that parents were mostly positive about
      psychotherapy, and the core elements of CBT for anxiety. However, both parents
      and providers emphasized the need for adaptations to address practical and
      perceived barriers to treatment, such as time, convenience, homework, and
      literacy. Many parents spoke favorably of a telephone-based approach that could
      address many of their perceived barriers, while providers were expressed more
      negative views. Such findings are important for data-driven treatment development
      efforts.

PMID- 26119536
TI  - Chondrocyte differentiation for auricular cartilage reconstruction using a
      chitosan based hydrogel.
AB  - Tissue engineering with the use of biodegradable and biocompatible scaffolds is
      an interesting option for ear repair. Chitosan-Polyvinyl alcohol-Epichlorohydrine
      hydrogel (CS-PVA-ECH) is biocompatible and displays appropriate mechanical
      properties to be used as a scaffold. The present work, studies the potential of
      CS-PVA-ECH scaffolds seeded with chondrocytes to develop elastic cartilage
      engineered-neotissues. Chondrocytes isolated from rabbit and swine elastic
      cartilage were independently cultured onto CS-PVA-ECH scaffolds for 20 days to
      form the appropriate constructs. Then, in vitro cell viability and morphology
      were evaluated by calcein AM and EthD-1 assays and Scanning Electron Microscopy
      (SEM) respectively, and the constructs were implanted in nu/nu mice for four
      months, in order to evaluate the neotissue formation. Histological analysis of
      the formed neotissues was performed by Safranin O, Toluidine blue (GAG's),
      Verhoeff-Van Gieson (elastic fibers), Masson's trichrome (collagen) and Von Kossa
      (Calcium salts) stains and SEM. Results indicate appropriate cell viability,
      seeded with rabbit or swine chondrocyte constructs; nevertheless, upon
      implantation the constructs developed neotissues with different characteristics
      depending on the animal species from which the seeded chondrocytes came from.
      Neotissues developed from swine chondrocytes were similar to auricular cartilage,
      while neotissues from rabbit chondrocytes were similar to hyaline cartilage and
      eventually they differentiate to bone. This result suggests that neotissue
      characteristics may be influenced by the animal species source of the
      chondrocytes isolated. 

PMID- 26119537
TI  - Tuneable bioinspired lens.
AB  - Bioinspired lenses that rely on changes of curvature to achieve focus are
      interesting candidates for miniaturized tuneable lenses as they require fewer
      mechanical moving parts compared to their conventional counter-parts. The lens
      described in this manuscript closely mimics the design and actuation principle of
      the vertebrate lens. It consists of a liquid lens encapsulated in a transparent
      polymer membrane. Application of a radial strain changes the curvature of the
      lens thereby changing its focal length. The unstrained lens has a focal length of
      50 mm, which rises to a value of 100 mm at a maximum radial strain of 0.67%. This
      range compares favourably to both biological lenses and other published examples
      of biomimetic lenses. Finally we point out a few routes to improve the quality of
      the lens and expand its focal length range. 

PMID- 26119538
TI  - A Near-Infrared-Emissive Alkynyl-Protected Au24 Nanocluster.
AB  - An alkynyl-protected gold nanocluster [Au24(C=CPh)14(PPh3)4](SbF6)2 has been
      prepared by a direct reduction method. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals
      that the molecular structure contains a Au22 core that is made of two Au13
      centered cuboctahedra that share a square face. Two staple-like PhC=C-Au-C=CPh
      motifs are located around the center of the rod-like Au22 core. This Au24
      nanocluster is highly emissive in the near-infrared region with lambda(max)=925
      nm and the nature of the HOMO-LUMO transition is investigated by time-dependent
      DFT calculations.

PMID- 26119539
TI  - Eye disorders reported with the use of mefloquine (Lariam((r))) chemoprophylaxis-
      A drug safety database analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Between 80 and 90 million travellers visit malaria endemic areas
      annually and many require malaria chemoprophylaxis. The characterization of the
      risk and nature of eye disorders occurring during the use of malaria
      chemoprophylaxis is relevant for travel medicine advisors. METHODS: We did a
      database analysis on eye disorder adverse events reported for mefloquine (as
      Lariam(r)) using the F. Hoffmann-La Roche global drug safety database for the
      time frame February 1984 to January 18th, 2011. These adverse event reports were
      reviewed by a trained ophthalmologist. The analysis focused on 3 categories of
      eye disorders--Category 1: visual acuity; Category 2: anatomical parts of the eye
      and Category 3: neuro-ophthalmic events. To put our analysis in context, an
      extensive literature search on "mefloquine" and "eye disorders" was conducted.
      RESULTS: A total of 591 cases with 695 events assigned to the "Eye disorder" SOC
      in individuals exposed to mefloquine chemoprophylaxis were reported. The highest
      proportion of events (n = 493, 70.9%) was in Category 1: visual acuity (mainly
      visual impairment and blurred vision), followed by Category 3: neuro-ophthalmic
      events (n = 124, 17.8%). The majority of visual adverse events were non-serious
      but 37.7% (n = 223) of cases were classified as serious. Nine events of
      maculopathy were reported and 48 cases with 53 events described symptoms of optic
      neuropathy. CONCLUSIONS: Mefloquine, like other anti-malarials, may be associated
      with eye disorders. Prescribers of anti-malarials should inform travellers
      regarding the risk of potential ocular side effects. Users of chemoprophylaxis
      who experience visual disorders should be referred to an ophthalmologist.

PMID- 26119541
TI  - Epidemiology of elephantiasis with special emphasis on podoconiosis in Ethiopia:
      A literature review.
AB  - Elephantiasis is a symptom of a variety of diseases that is characterized by the
      thickening of the skin and underlying tissues, especially in the legs, male
      genitals and female breasts. Some conditions having this symptom include:
      Elephantiasis nostras, due to longstanding chronic lymphangitis; Elephantiasis
      tropica or lymphatic filariasis, caused by a number of parasitic worms,
      particularly Wuchereria bancrofti; non-filarial elephantiasis or podoconiosis, an
      immune disease caused by heavy metals affecting the lymph vessels; proteus
      syndrome, the genetic disorder of the so-called Elephant Man, etc. Podoconiosis
      is a type of lower limb tropical elephantiasis distinct from lymphatic
      filariasis. Lymphatic filariasis affects all population at risk, whereas
      podoconiosis predominantly affects barefoot subsistence farmers in areas with red
      volcanic soil. Ethiopia is one of the countries with the highest number of
      podoconiosis patients since many people are at risk to red-clay soil exposure in
      many parts of the country. The aim of this review was to know the current status
      and impact of podoconiosis and its relevance to elephantiasis in Ethiopia. To
      know the epidemiology and disease burden, the literatures published by different
      scholars were systematically reviewed. The distribution of the disease and
      knowledge about filarial elephantiasis and podoconiosis are not well known in
      Ethiopia. It is relatively well studied in southern Ethiopia but data from other
      parts of the country are limited. Moreover, programmes that focus on diagnosis,
      treatment, prevention and control of filarial elephantiasis and podoconiosis are
      also non-existent even in endemic areas. Furthermore, the disease mapping has not
      been carried out country-wide. Therefore, in order to address these gaps,
      Ethiopian Ministry of Health needs to take initiative for undertaking concrete
      research and mapping of the disease in collaboration with stakeholders. 

PMID- 26119540
TI  - Immigration, helminths and eosinophilia: A complex triad.

PMID- 26119542
TI  - Molecular determination of antifolate resistance associated point mutations in
      Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) and dihydropteroate
      synthetase (dhps) genes among the field samples in Arunachal Pradesh.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Antimalarial resistance in P. falciparum malaria
      parasite creates a serious obstacle in malaria control programme. Keeping this in
      mind, in the present study antifolate resistance associated point mutations in P.
      falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (Pfdhfr) and dihydropteroate synthetase
      (Pfdhps) genes among the field samples in Arunachal Pradesh were determined.
      METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 145 suspected malaria patients/healthy
      control subjects in malarious areas of Lohit and Changlang districts of Arunachal
      Pradesh, India during January 2012 to December 2013. RESULTS: In microscopic
      slide examination, 51.03% (74/145) were found malaria positive. Plasmodium
      falciparum mono-infection was observed in 62.16% (46/74) of total malaria
      positive cases. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed in all the P.
      falciparum positive samples for detection of 648 bp of Pfdhfr and 710 bp of
      Pfdhps genes. All the amplified products were analysed for detection of single
      nucleotide polymorphisms in dhfr and dhps genes. A total of four different
      genotypes of Pfdhfr gene were observed, of which double mutant allele ANRNI was
      mostly prevalent and it was found in 65.22% (30/46) cases. Likewise, four
      different haplotypes of Pfdhps gene were detected, of which triple mutant allele
      AGEAA shares 69.57% (32/46) followed by other haplotypes. In Pfdhfr-Pfdhps two
      locus mutations analysis, two isolates in Changlang district had shown quintuple
      mutant haplotype AIRNL-AGEAA, likely to be associated with treatment failure. The
      P. falciparum two locus dhfr-dhps haplotype (ANRNI-AGEAA) was observed in 56.52%
      (26/46) cases. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Overall, high grade of sulphadoxine
      pyrimethamine resistance associated genetic polymorphisms were observed among the
      P. falciparum parasite population in Arunachal Pradesh during the study period.

PMID- 26119543
TI  - Landmark-based geometric morphometric analysis of wing shape among certain
      species of Aedes mosquitoes in District Dehradun (Uttarakhand), India.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Insect wing morphology has been used in many studies to
      describe variations among species and populations using traditional
      morphometrics, and more recently geometric morphometrics. A landmark-based
      geometric morphometric analysis of the wings of three species of Aedes (Diptera:
      Culicidae), viz. Ae. aegypti, Ae. albopictus and Ae. pseudotaeniatus, at District
      Dehradun was conducted belling on the fact that it can provide insight into the
      population structure, ecology and taxonomic identification. METHODS: Adult Aedes
      mosquito specimens were randomly collected using aerial nets and morphologically
      examined and identified. The landmarks were identified on the basis of landmark
      based geometric morphometric analysis thin-plate spline (mainly the software tps
      Util 1.28; tps-Dig 1.40; tps-Relw 1.53; and tps-Spline 1.20) and integrated
      morphometrics programme (mainly twogroup win8 and PCA win8) were utilized.
      RESULTS: In relative warp (RW) analysis, the first two RW of Ae. aegypti
      accounted for the highest value (95.82%), followed by Ae. pseudotaeniatus
      (90.89%), while the lowest (90.12%) being recorded for Ae. albopictus. The
      bending energies of Ae. aegypti and Ae. pseudotaeniatus were quite identical
      being 0.1882 and 0.1858 respectively, while Ae. albopictus recorded the highest
      value of 0.9774. The mean difference values of the distances among Aedes species
      performing Hotelling's T 2 test were significantly high, predicting major
      differences among the taxa. In PCA analysis, the horizontal and vertical axis
      summarized 52.41 and 23.30% of variances respectively. The centroid size
      exhibited significant differences among populations (non-parametric Kruskal
      Wallis test, H = 10.56, p < 0.01). INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: It has been
      marked out that the geometric morphometrics utilizes powerful and comprehensive
      statistical procedures to analyze the shape differences of a morphological
      feature, assuming that the studied mosquitoes may represent different genotypes
      and probably come from one diverse gene pool.

PMID- 26119544
TI  - Detection of dengue virus in individual Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Delhi, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Delhi, the capital city of India, has so far witnessed
      several outbreaks of dengue fever since 1967 (last one reported in 2013).
      Improved virological and entomological surveillance are the only tools that can
      help in prevention of dengue as well as in the development of dengue control
      programmes. The aim of the study was to conduct a prospective field study to
      detect dengue virus in adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes collected from various
      localities represented by different socioeconomic groups in Delhi. METHODS: The
      study areas were selected and categorized into high, medium and low income groups
      on the basis of socioeconomical characteristics of the resident population, where
      dengue cases were reported during the past three years by MCD. Dengue viral
      infection was detected in the head squash of each adult mosquito by
      immunofluorescent assay (IFA) employing monoclonal antibodies against dengue
      virus (DENV). A total of 2408 females and 1206 males of Ae. aegypti were
      collected and tested by IFA. RESULTS: Out of 2408 Ae. aegypti females, 14 were
      found positive, with minimum infection rate (MIR) of 5.8 per 1000 mosquitoes.
      Among the 18 study areas, 11 localities were found positive for dengue virus
      infection. Low income group (LIG) areas showed highest mosquito infectivity
      (9.8), followed by medium income group (MIG), i.e. 6.2; while least was observed
      in high income group (HIG), i.e. 1.3. No vertical transmission of dengue virus
      could be detected in 1206 Ae. aegypti males collected. INTERPRETATION &
      CONCLUSION: The study concludes that there was high MIR in the identified
      localities of low and medium income groups. Estimation of MIR in a female Aedes
      mosquito in the existing arsenals for dengue surveillance would be an added
      advantage for early warning of dengue outbreak. The presence of infected
      mosquitoes in identified localities of Delhi was alarming and require rigorous
      vector surveillance so that the severe outbreaks can be prevented.

PMID- 26119545
TI  - Comparison of E and NS1 antigens capture ELISA to detect dengue viral antigens
      from mosquitoes.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: In the absence of an effective vaccine or specific
      antiviral therapy against dengue infection, the only available control measure
      remains focusing on the incrimination and reduction of vector (mosquito)
      populations to suppress virus transmission. Diagnosis of dengue in laboratory can
      be carried out using several approaches, however, their sensitivity and
      specificity vary from test-to-test. This study was conducted to evaluate the
      sensitivity and stability of viral envelope (E) and NS1 antigens detected by
      ELISA in dengue virus infected mosquitoes. METHODS: An in-house developed E-ELISA
      to detect dengue E antigens was first characterized by using cross-reactive
      monoclonal antibody (mAb) 42-3 and rabbit polyclonal antibodies as the capture
      and detector antibodies, respectively. The sensitivity of E-ELISA was compared
      with the Platelia Dengue NS1 Ag kit using experimentally infected or field-caught
      mosquitoes. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that the E-ELISA was capable of
      detecting viral antigens with the sensitivity of 69.57, 100, 52.38 and 66.67% for
      DENV-1 to DENV-4 infected mosquito pools, respectively. This was comparable to
      the Platelia Dengue NS1 Ag kit, detecting 100% of DENV-1 infected mosquito pools.
      Among 124 field-collected mosquito pools collected in the vicinity of localized
      outbreak areas; both E-ELISA and NS1 Ag kit confirmed nine RT-PCR positive
      samples with sensitivity and concordance rate up to 100%. INTERPRETATION &
      CONCLUSION: With the future potential of antigen capture ELISA to be used in the
      resource deprived regions, the study showed that E-ELISA has similar sensitivity
      and antigen stability as NS1 Ag kit to complement the current established
      virological surveillance in human. The improvement of the sensitivity in
      detecting DENV-3/4 will be needed to incorporate this method into routine
      mosquito surveillance system.

PMID- 26119546
TI  - Effectiveness and feasibility of methanol extracted latex of Calotropis procera
      as larvicide against dengue vectors of western Rajasthan, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Identification of novel effective larvicide from natural
      resources is essential to combat developing resistances, environmental concerns,
      residue problems and high cost of synthetic insecticides. Results of earlier
      laboratory findings have shown that Calotropis procera extracts showed
      larvicidal, ovicidal and refractory properties towards ovipositioning of dengue
      vectors; further, latex extracted with methanol was found to be more effective
      compared to crude latex. For testing efficacy and feasibility of extracted latex
      in field, the present study was undertaken in different settings of Jodhpur City,
      India against dengue vectors. METHODS: Study areas were selected based on
      surveillance design for the control of dengue vectors. During the study period
      domestic and peri-domestic breeding containers were treated with methanol
      extracted latex and mortality was observed after 24 h as per WHO guidelines.
      Latex was manually collected from internodes of Calotropis procera and extracted
      using methanol (AR) grade. RESULTS: Methanol extracted latex of C. procera was
      found effective and feasible larvicide against dengue vectors in the field
      conditions. Cement tanks, clay pots and coolers (breeding sites) were observed as
      key containers for the control of dengue transmission. INTERPRETATION &
      CONCLUSION: Today environmental safety is considered to be very important. Herbal
      composition prepared by the extraction of latex of C. procera can be used as an
      alternative approach for the control of dengue vectors. This will reduce the
      dependence on expensive products and stimulate local efforts to enhance the
      public involvement.

PMID- 26119547
TI  - Boric acid ovicidal trap for the management of Aedes species.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The use of low concentrations of boric acid as a
      potential and effective control agent for the eggs and immature stages of Aedes
      aegypti L. and Aedes albopictus Skuse (Diptera: Culicidae) is found to be safe
      and effective as compared to synthetic chemical insecticides. The study aims to
      determine the ovicidal concentration of boric acid, its effective concentration
      for oviposition attraction and the larval mortality concentration for Ae. aegypti
      and Ae. albopictus. METHODS: The ovicidal concentration of boric acid was
      determined by incubating the eggs in different concentrations of boric acid (0.1,
      0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1%). Different dilutions of boric acid were taken in the
      oviposition cup and the ovicidal concentration, effective concentration for
      oviposition attraction and the mean survival/mortality rate of III and IV instar
      Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus larvae were determined. RESULTS: The ovicidal
      concentration of boric acid for 100% mortality in Aedes sp eggs is 1%. Effective
      concentration for the oviposition attraction is 0.5%. At 1% concentration, larvae
      of both the species died within 24 h. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Boric acid is
      less toxic compared to different pesticides, and in low concentrations, it
      attracts the ovipositing female Aedes sp as well as fertile males. Dilute boric
      acid solution is an effective ovitrap since the eggs laid by mosquitoes either
      die or the larvae that hatch out from them do not survive in boric acid. Boric
      acid kills the males that come in contact with the solution, which are attracted
      to the trap by the females hovering around.

PMID- 26119548
TI  - Vectorial capacity of Culex gelidus (Theobald) mosquitoes to certain viruses of
      public health importance in India.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Culex gelidus, a widely prevalent mosquito in India and
      Southeast Asia region, is an important vector of Japanese encephalitis virus
      (JEV). Experimental studies have shown its potential to transmit West Nile,
      Kunjin, Murray Valley encephalitis and Ross River viruses. An attempt was
      therefore made to study its susceptibility and vector competence to some of the
      arboviruses of public health importance in India. METHODS: Mosquitoes were
      infected with six viruses, viz. JEV, chikungunya (CHIKV), Chandipura (CHPV),
      Chittoor (CHITV), Ingwavuma (INGV) and Umbre (UMBV) by intra thoracic inoculation
      to determine virus susceptibility and vector competence. Growth kinetics of the
      viruses were studied by determining the titres of inoculated mosquitoes on
      different days post-infection by titration in Vero E6 cells. Vector competence
      was studied by detecting the presence of the viruses in saliva of infected
      mosquitoes. RESULTS: All the six viruses were replicated in Cx. gelidus. JEV,
      CHPV, CHIKV and CHITV yielded > 5 log10TCID50/ml virus while UMBV and INGV
      yielded approx 4log10TCID50/ml virus. JEV, CHIKV and CHITV could be detected in
      the saliva of the infected mosquitoes, while CHPV, INGV and UMBV could not be
      detected in the saliva of the infected mosquitoes. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION:
      Replication potential and vector competence of Cx. gelidus to some of the viruses
      of public health importance in India, viz. JEV, CHIKV, CHITV etc, pose a serious
      threat to general population, especially in the wake of spurt in its population
      in certain parts of India.

PMID- 26119549
TI  - Susceptibility status of Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) to temephos from
      three districts of Tamil Nadu, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Dengue is the most rapidly expanding arboviral disease
      in India. Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue fever. Chemical
      insecticides have long been used in the vector control programmes along with
      other control measures. However, continuous use of insecticides targeting Ae.
      aegypti may lead to development of insecticide resistance. Though resistance in
      Ae. aegypti has been reported, the mutation in ace-1 gene associated with
      temephos resistance is not reported in natural populations. The present study
      aims to evaluate the susceptibility/resistance status of Ae. aegypti to temephos
      from three districts of Tamil Nadu. METHODS: Ae. aegypti larvae were sampled from
      different locations in three districts, viz., Dharmapuri, Salem and Namakkal. The
      standard WHO larval bioassay, biochemical assays and spotting of specific
      mutation (G119S) in the acetylcholinesterase gene, which is associated with
      organophosphate resistance, were carried out by PCR and sequencing. RESULTS: The
      results showed that larvae from Namakkal (NKL) population had an alteration in
      their susceptibility status (RR = 6.9 fold), while the other populations were
      moderately susceptible to insecticides. Biochemical assay showed increased
      activity for alpha- and beta-esterase in NKL, as well as evidence of
      acetylcholinesterase insensitivity. G119S mutation was detected in this
      population with high frequency of 0.24. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: The high
      activity of esterase, mixed-function oxidase (MFO) and ace-1 mutation frequency
      were closely associated with temephos resistance. Early detection of resistance
      alleles in natural vector population could be useful for the successful
      implementation of insecticide resistance management strategies. The results of
      this study provide baseline data on temephos resistance in Ae. aegypti
      populations.

PMID- 26119550
TI  - Evaluation of knowledge of the healthcare personnel working in Giresun province
      regarding Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever before and after educational training.
AB  - BACKGROUNDS & OBJECTIVES: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a highly
      fatal and contagious tick-borne viral disease. Healthcare workers (HCWs) should
      know how and with which symptoms can CCHF patients attend to hospitals, and be
      aware of nosocomial transmission capability. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the knowledge of HCWs working in Giresun province regarding CCHF.
      METHODS: This research was carried out during an educational programme arranged
      for healthcare personnel working in district state hospitals in June 2012. In
      total, 428 workers completed a self-administered questionnaire including personal
      demographic characteristics, general knowledge of CCHF disease, knowledge of
      nosocomial transmission and infection control during hospitalization. RESULTS:
      Almost all participants (95.3%) knew that the workers in livestock and
      agriculture were at risk. About 93.5% of participants knew that tick bite is the
      cause of CCHF transmission. In contrast to this high ratio, only 73 and 77%
      workers knew that CCHF can be transmitted by direct contact with animal's or
      patient's blood and body fluids, but after imparting relevant information in the
      form of one hour lecture given by a doctor expertised in infectious diseases, 92%
      gave correct answers. Nearly, all healthcare workers were aware that ticks should
      be removed by using fine-tipped tweezers without crushing (90.7%). Doctors were
      the most and the laboratory personnel the least well-informed groups. The
      knowledge degree significantly increased from 67.48 +/- 13.89 to 80.92 +/- 10.80
      points after providing the CCHF related information (p<0.05). INTERPRETATION &
      CONCLUSION: It was observed that the healthcare personnel working in district
      state hospitals of the province were moderately aware of CCHF disease. There is
      possibility of achieving improvement in their knowledge by educating them
      regarding CCHF and such educational programmes should be conducted from time-to
      time.

PMID- 26119551
TI  - Molecular detection of scrub typhus in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India.

PMID- 26119552
TI  - First observations of homodynamic populations of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in
      Southwest Europe.

PMID- 26119553
TI  - Declining trend of malaria in Car Nicobar Island, inhabited by the Nicobarese
      tribe: Plausible factors.

PMID- 26119554
TI  - Residual microfilaraemia in rural pockets of South India after five rounds of DEC
      plus albendazole administration as part of the LF elimination campaign.

PMID- 26119555
TI  - Four Decades of the Chemistry of Planar Hypercoordinate Compounds.
AB  - The idea of planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) was considered implausible for a
      hundred years after 1874. Examples of ptC were then predicted computationally and
      realized experimentally. Both electronic and mechanical (e.g., small rings and
      cages) effects stabilize these unusual bonding arrangements. Concepts based on
      the bonding motifs of planar methane and the planar methane dication can be
      extended to give planar hypercoordinate structures of other chemical elements.
      Numerous planar configurations of various central atoms (main-group and
      transition-metal elements) with coordination numbers up to ten are discussed
      herein. The evolution of such planar configurations from small molecules to
      clusters, to nanospecies and to bulk solids is delineated. Some experimentally
      fabricated planar materials have been shown to possess unusual electrical and
      magnetic properties. A fundamental understanding of planar hypercoordinate
      chemistry and its potential will help guide its future development. 

PMID- 26119556
TI  - Mathematical modelling of spatial sorting and evolution in a host-parasite
      system.
AB  - There have been numerous empirical and agent-based modelling studies on the
      spatial self-structuring of traits, particularly in regard to dispersal ability
      (termed spatial sorting) of cane toads in northern Australia, but few
      mathematical modelling studies. In this study, we formulate a reaction-diffusion
      based partial-integro-differential equation model based on an earlier model by
      Bouin et al. (2012) to examine this spatial self-structuring of traits in both a
      cane toad population and lungworm parasite population, which evolves with the
      cane toad population. In particular, the traits we focus on are dispersal ability
      for the cane toad population and both prepatent period and larval size for the
      lungworm parasite population. Apart from the spatial self-structuring of these
      traits, our results confirm a number of observations made in empirical and agent
      based studies; particularly, that there is a noticeable lag between the host and
      parasite population which is critically dependent on the parasite functional
      response to host densities, that older populations regress back to lower
      dispersal speeds and that spatial sorting can still occur with a disadvantage in
      reproductivity and/or survival in more motile individuals. Moreover, we find that
      such a disadvantage in reproductivity and/or survival is unlikely to be large if
      spatial sorting is to have a noticeable effect on the rate of range expansion, as
      it has been observed to have over the last 60 years in northern Australia. 

PMID- 26119557
TI  - [Completeness assessment of the Breton registry of congenital abnormalities: A
      checking tool based on hospital discharge data].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exhaustiveness is required for registries. In the Breton registry of
      congenital abnormalities, cases are recorded at the source. We use hospital
      discharge data in order to verify the completeness of the registry. In this
      paper, we present a computerized tool for completeness assessment applied to the
      Breton registry. METHODS: All the medical information departments were solicited
      once a year, asking for infant medical stays for newborns alive at one year old
      and for mother's stays if not. Files were transmitted by secure messaging and
      data were processed on a secure server. An identity-matching algorithm was
      applied and a similarity score calculated. When the record was not linked
      automatically or manually, the medical record had to be consulted. The
      exhaustiveness rate was assessed using the capture recapture method and the
      proportion of cases matched manually was used to assess the identity matching
      algorithm. RESULTS: The computerized tool bas been used in common practice since
      June 2012 by the registry investigators. The results presented concerned the
      years 2011 and 2012. There were 470 potential cases identified from the hospital
      discharge data in 2011 and 538 in 2012, 35 new cases were detected in 2011 (32
      children born alive and 3 stillborn), and 33 in 2012 (children born alive). There
      were respectively 85 and 137 false-positive cases. The theorical exhaustiveness
      rate reached 91% for both years. The rate of exact matching amounted to 68%; 6%
      of the potential cases were linked manually. CONCLUSION: Hospital discharge
      databases contribute to the quality of the registry even though reports are made
      at the source. The implemented tool facilitates the investigator's work. In the
      future, use of the national identifying number, when allowed, should facilitate
      linkage between registry data and hospital discharge data.

PMID- 26119558
TI  - Palladium-catalyzed mono-alpha-arylation of acetone at room temperature.
AB  - The first examples of acetone mono-alpha-arylation at room temperature are
      described, enabled by use of a [Pd(cinnamyl)Cl]2 /JosiPhos catalyst system.
      (Hetero)aryl chloride, bromide, and iodide electrophiles featuring or lacking
      ortho-substitution, and comprising a range of functionalities (e.g., alkoxy,
      cyano, fluoro, trifluoromethyl, or alkenyl) and heteroaryl motifs (e.g., pyrrole,
      pyridine, isoquinoline, quinoline, quinaldine, (benzo)thiophene, benzothiazole,
      or benzodioxole) were successfully accommodated. Proof-of-principle experiments
      confirm that other (hetero)aryl methyl ketones can also be employed in such room
      temperature mono-alpha-arylations. The established substrate scope is the most
      extensive reported to date for acetone mono-alpha-arylation under any conditions,
      and more generally represents the first room temperature ketone mono-alpha
      arylations employing a structurally diverse set of (hetero)aryl chlorides. 

PMID- 26119559
TI  - Long-term cancer control outcomes in patients with clinically high-risk prostate
      cancer treated with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: results from a multi
      institutional study of 1100 patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term cancer control outcomes in clinically high-risk prostate
      cancer (PCa) patients treated with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP)
      remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: To report on long-term biochemical recurrence (BCR)
      free survival, clinical recurrence (CR)-free survival, and salvage therapy rates
      in these patients. Given the heterogeneity of high-risk patients, a second
      objective was to stratify them according to their BCR risk (using preoperative
      parameters), in an effort to counsel them better preoperatively regarding their
      cancer control outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We evaluated 1100
      D'Amico high-risk PCa patients who underwent RARP between 2002 and 2013 at three
      tertiary care centers. OUTCOME MEASURES AND STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Outcomes
      consisted of BCR-free survival, CR-free survival, and salvage therapy rates.
      Regression tree analysis stratified patients into novel risk groups based on
      preoperative characteristics and corresponding BCR risk. Kaplan-Meier curves
      estimated BCR-free survival, CR-free survival, and salvage therapy rates in the
      entire cohort and after stratification according to the novel risk groups (RGs).
      RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Median age and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were 63
      yr and 6.5 ng/ml, respectively. Biopsy Gleason score (GS) was >=8 in 57.7%. Mean
      follow-up was 53 mo (median: 49 mo). At 10 yr, BCR-free survival, CR-free
      survival, and salvage therapy rates were 50%, 87%, and 37%, respectively.
      Regression tree analysis stratified patients into five novel RGs): RG1, very low
      risk (GS <=6); RG2, low risk (PSA <=10 ng/ml; GS: 7); RG3, intermediate risk (PSA
      <=10 ng/ml; GS >=8); RG4, high risk (PSA >10 ng/ml; GS: 7); RG5, very high risk
      (PSA >10 ng/ml; GS >=8). In these RGs, the 10-yr BCR-free survival rates were
      86%, 70%, 36%, 31%, and 26% (p<0.001), respectively; the 10-yr CR-free survival
      rates were 99%, 96%, 85%, 67%, and 55% (p<0.001), respectively; and the 10-yr
      salvage therapy rates were 9.8%, 16%, 42%, 47%, and 64% (p<0.001), respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with clinically high-risk PCa treated with RARP alone
      remain CR free at long term. Nonetheless, almost 37% of the patients at 10 yr
      require salvage therapy. Our novel tool allows accurate stratification of these
      heterogeneous patients according to their BCR, CR, and salvage therapy risks.
      This may help inform patients preoperatively about their cancer control outcomes
      postoperatively. PATIENT SUMMARY: Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy confers
      lasting long-term oncologic control in most high-risk prostate cancer patients.
      Our novel risk grouping might serve as a useful tool for setting expectations and
      counseling patients regarding their cancer control outcomes.

PMID- 26119560
TI  - Cytokine Panel for Response to Intravesical Therapy (CyPRIT): Nomogram of Changes
      in Urinary Cytokine Levels Predicts Patient Response to Bacillus Calmette-Guerin.
AB  - The response of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) to intravesical
      immunotherapy with bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) depends on adequate stimulation
      of an immune response. Although BCG has been used for decades, we lack tools to
      accurately predict response in individual patients. To address this deficiency,
      we initiated a clinical trial in patients with intermediate- and high-risk NMIBC.
      BCG was administered according to the Southwest Oncology Group protocol. Urine
      samples were collected for cytokine assay at baseline, immediately before and
      after BCG instillation at 6 wk, and immediately before and after the third BCG
      instillation of the first maintenance course. Levels of 12 cytokines were
      measured, and changes from baseline were calculated after treatment. A total of
      130 patients were enrolled. Increases in single cytokines correlated with
      recurrence, but the best predictor of recurrence was changes in a combination of
      cytokines. A nomogram (CyPRIT) constructed using urinary levels of nine inducible
      cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, IL-1ra, TRAIL, IFN-gamma, IL-12[p70], and TNF
      alpha) predicted the likelihood of recurrence with 85.5% accuracy (95% confidence
      interval 77.9-93.1%)." This cytokine panel and nomogram have potential for
      identifying patients at risk of tumor recurrence during BCG treatment to guide
      modification of the dose and duration of BCG immunotherapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01007058.

PMID- 26119561
TI  - Does Stepwise Voltage Ramping Protect the Kidney from Injury During
      Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy? Results of a Prospective Randomized Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal damage is more frequent with new-generation lithotripters.
      However, animal studies suggest that voltage ramping minimizes the risk of
      complications following extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL). In the
      clinical setting, the optimal voltage strategy remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To
      evaluate whether stepwise voltage ramping can protect the kidney from damage
      during SWL. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 418 patients with
      solitary or multiple unilateral kidney stones were randomized to receive SWL
      using a Modulith SLX-F2 lithotripter with either stepwise voltage ramping (n=213)
      or a fixed maximal voltage (n=205). INTERVENTION: SWL. OUTCOMES MEASUREMENTS AND
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The primary outcome was sonographic evidence of renal
      hematomas. Secondary outcomes included levels of urinary markers of renal damage,
      stone disintegration, stone-free rate, and rates of secondary interventions
      within 3 mo of SWL. Descriptive statistics were used to compare clinical outcomes
      between the two groups. A logistic regression model was generated to assess
      predictors of hematomas. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Significantly fewer hematomas
      occurred in the ramping group(12/213, 5.6%) than in the fixed group (27/205, 13%;
      p=0.008). There was some evidence that the fixed group had higher urinary beta2
      microglobulin levels after SWL compared to the ramping group (p=0.06). Urinary
      microalbumin levels, stone disintegration, stone-free rate, and rates of
      secondary interventions did not significantly differ between the groups. The
      logistic regression model showed a significantly higher risk of renal hematomas
      in older patients (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.05;
      p=0.04). Stepwise voltage ramping was associated with a lower risk of hematomas
      (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.19-0.80; p=0.01). The study was limited by the use of
      ultrasound to detect hematomas. CONCLUSIONS: In this prospective randomized
      study, stepwise voltage ramping during SWL was associated with a lower risk of
      renal damage compared to a fixed maximal voltage without compromising treatment
      effectiveness. PATIENT SUMMARY: Lithotripsy is a noninvasive technique for
      urinary stone disintegration using ultrasonic energy. In this study, two voltage
      strategies are compared. The results show that a progressive increase in voltage
      during lithotripsy decreases the risk of renal hematomas while maintaining
      excellent outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN95762080.

PMID- 26119562
TI  - Re: Marlon Perera, Matthew J. Roberts, Suhail A.R. Doi, Damien Bolton. Prostatic
      urethral lift improves urinary symptoms and flow while preserving sexual function
      for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
      Eur Urol 2015;67:704-13.

PMID- 26119564
TI  - Conversion of cheese whey into a fucose- and glucuronic acid-rich extracellular
      polysaccharide by Enterobacter A47.
AB  - Cheese whey was used as the sole substrate for the production of extracellular
      polysaccharides (EPS) by Enterobacter A47. An EPS concentration of 6.40 g L(-1)
      was reached within 3.2 days of cultivation, corresponding to a volumetric
      productivity of 2.00 g L(-1) d(-1). The produced EPS was mainly composed of
      glucuronic acid (29 mol%) and fucose (29 mol%), with lower contents of glucose
      and galactose (21 mol% each) and a total acyl groups content of 32 wt.%. The
      polymer had an average molecular weight of 1.8*10(6) Da, with a polydispersity
      index of 1.2, and an intrinsic viscosity of 8.0 dL g(-1). EPS aqueous solutions
      (1.0 wt.% in 0.01 M NaCl, at pH 8.0) presented a shear thinning behavior with a
      viscosity of the first Newtonian plateau approaching 0.1 Pas. This novel
      glucuronic acid-rich polymer possesses interesting rheological properties, which,
      together with its high content of glucuronic acid and fucose, two bioactive sugar
      monomers, confers it a great potential for use in high-value applications, such
      as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

PMID- 26119563
TI  - Stimulation of EphB2 attenuates tau phosphorylation through PI3K/Akt-mediated
      inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta.
AB  - Abnormal tau hyperphosphorylation is an early pathological marker of Alzheimer's
      disease (AD), however, the upstream factors that regulate tau phosphorylation are
      not illustrated and there is no efficient strategy to arrest tau
      hyperphosphorylation. Here, we find that activation of endogenous EphB2 receptor
      by ligand stimulation (ephrinB1/Fc) or by ectopic expression of EphB2 plus the
      ligand stimulation induces a remarkable tau dephosphorylation at multiple AD
      associated sites in SK-N-SH cells and human embryonic kidney cells that stably
      express human tau (HEK293-tau). In cultured hippocampal neurons and the
      hippocampus of human tau transgenic mice, dephosphorylation of tau proteins was
      also detected by stimulation of EphB2 receptor. EphB2 activation inhibits
      glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta), a crucial tau kinase, and activates
      phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt both in vitro and in vivo, whereas
      simultaneous inhibition of PI3K or upregulation of GSK-3beta abolishes the EphB2
      stimulation-induced tau dephosphorylation. Finally, we confirm that ephrinB1/Fc
      treatment induces tyrosine phosphorylation (activation) of EphB2, while deletion
      of the tyrosine kinase domain (VM) of EphB2 eliminates the receptor stimulation
      induced GSK-3beta inhibition and tau dephosphorylation. We conclude that
      activation of EphB2 receptor kinase arrests tau hyperphosphorylation through PI3K
      /Akt-mediated GSK-3beta inhibition. Our data provide a novel membranous target to
      antagonize AD-like tau pathology. 

PMID- 26119565
TI  - alpha-Synuclein interactions with phospholipid model membranes: Key roles for
      electrostatic interactions and lipid-bilayer structure.
AB  - alpha-Synuclein is a small presynaptic protein that is critically implicated in
      the onset of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. It has
      been assumed that the pathogenesis of alpha-synuclein is associated with its
      aggregation, while for its physiological function, binding of alpha-synuclein to
      the synaptic vesicle membrane appears to be most important. The present study
      investigated the mechanism of alpha-synuclein binding to the lipid membrane. Upon
      binding to negatively charged small unilamellar vesicles consisting of 1,2
      dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol or 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphoglycerol in the liquid-crystalline state, alpha-synuclein undergoes
      conformational transition from its native unfolded form to an alpha-helical
      structure. The positively charged N-terminal part of alpha-synuclein is likely to
      be involved in interactions with the negatively charged lipid surface. alpha
      Synuclein did not associate with vesicles consisting of the zwitterionic
      (neutral) lipids 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine or 1-palmitoyl-2
      oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. The data obtained by circular dichroism
      spectroscopy, fluorescence anisotropy measurements, differential scanning
      calorimetry, and calcein efflux assays indicate that in addition to electrostatic
      interactions, hydrophobic interactions are important in the association of alpha
      synuclein with membranes. The mechanism of alpha-synuclein binding to lipid
      membranes is primarily dependent on the surface charge density of the lipid
      bilayer and the phase state of the lipids. We propose that alpha-synuclein has a
      lipid ordering effect and thermally stabilises vesicles. 

PMID- 26119566
TI  - Interfacial stabilization of the antitumoral drug Paclitaxel in monolayers of GM1
      and GD1a gangliosides.
AB  - Molecular interactions between the anti-cancer agent Paclitaxel (Ptx), and two
      gangliosides with different sialic acid content, GM1 and GD1a, were investigated
      using the Langmuir film balance technique. Ptx showed interfacial activity
      reducing the air/water surface tension by 18 mN.m(-1). However, the drug was able
      to insert into preformed ganglioside monolayers at much higher surface pressures,
      indicating a preferential interaction of Ptx with GM1 and GD1a. Compression
      isotherms of binary mixtures of Ptx and GM1 or GD1a also indicated non-ideal
      mixed monolayers in which the drug became stabilized at the interface in the
      presence of gangliosides. Ptx reached much higher surface pressure values in the
      mixed monolayers than those sustained in pure Ptx, although partial desorption of
      the drug from the interface into the subphase was also observed at high Ptx
      contents. The mean molecular area of the mixtures showed condensation, mainly in
      the case of GD1a, whereas Ptx induced a decrease in the compressibility of
      monolayers when mixed with either GM1 or GD1a. Additionally, Brewster angle
      microscopy analysis indicated that higher amounts of Ptx are present at the mixed
      ganglioside/Ptx interface when compared to pure drug monolayers. Finally, GD1a
      micelles increased in size in the presence of Ptx, whereas GM1 micelles kept
      their diameter, according to dynamic light scattering measurements, which could
      be explained by the different properties of ganglioside monolayers. The results
      obtained on ganglioside-Ptx interactions allowed interpreting the different Ptx
      loading capacity of GM1 and GD1a, enabling them to act as potential drug
      carriers.

PMID- 26119567
TI  - A new phenolic compound with antioxidant activity from the branches and leaves of
      Pyrus pashia.
AB  - The branches and leaves of Pyrus pashia are used to cure abdominal pain and
      diarrhoea in Chinese folk medicine. A new phenilic compound, 4-O-beta-d
      glucopyranosylbenzyl-benzoate ester (1), along with 21 known ones (2-22) were
      isolated from the branches and leaves of this plant. Compounds 2 and 3 displayed
      remarkable antioxidant activities against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical
      (IC50 = 13.26 +/- 0.04 MUM, 13.28 +/- 0.11 MUM, respectively), which were at the
      same grade as positive control rutin. The caffeoyl group in compounds 2 and 3 was
      supposed to play an important role in the antioxidant activities.

PMID- 26119568
TI  - A conserved role for CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON genes during ovule development.
AB  - The evolution of plant reproductive strategies has led to a remarkable diversity
      of structures, especially within the flower, a structure characteristic of the
      angiosperms. In flowering plants, sexual reproduction depends notably on the
      development of the gynoecium that produces and protects the ovules. In
      Arabidopsis thaliana, ovule initiation is promoted by the concerted action of
      auxin with CUC1 (CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON1) and CUC2, two genes that encode
      transcription factors of the NAC family (NAM/ATAF1,2/CUC). Here we highlight an
      additional role for CUC2 and CUC3 in Arabidopsis thaliana ovule separation. While
      CUC1 and CUC2 are broadly expressed in the medial tissue of the gynoecium, CUC2
      and CUC3 are expressed in the placental tissue between developing ovules.
      Consistent with the partial overlap between CUC1, CUC2 and CUC3 expression
      patterns, we show that CUC proteins can physically interact, both in yeast cells
      and in planta. We found that the cuc2;cuc3 double mutant specifically harbours
      defects in ovule separation, producing fused seeds that share the seed coat, and
      suggesting that CUC2 and CUC3 promote ovule separation in a partially redundant
      manner. Functional analyses show that CUC transcription factors are also involved
      in ovule development in Cardamine hirsuta. Additionally we show a conserved
      expression pattern of CUC orthologues between ovule primordia in other
      phylogenetically distant species with different gynoecium architectures. Taken
      together these results suggest an ancient role for CUC transcription factors in
      ovule separation, and shed light on the conservation of mechanisms involved in
      the development of innovative structures. 

PMID- 26119569
TI  - Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of a Capitated Patient Navigation Program for
      Medicare Beneficiaries with Lung Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of implementing a patient navigation
      (PN) program with capitated payment for Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with
      lung cancer. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Cost-effectiveness analysis. STUDY
      DESIGN: A Markov model to capture the disease progression of lung cancer and
      characterize clinical benefits of PN services as timeliness of treatment and care
      coordination. Taking a payer's perspective, we estimated the lifetime costs, life
      years (LYs), and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and addressed uncertainties
      in one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION
      METHODS: Model inputs were extracted from the literature, supplemented with data
      from a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services demonstration project.
      PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Compared to usual care, PN services incurred higher costs but
      also yielded better outcomes. The incremental cost and effectiveness was $9,145
      and 0.47 QALYs, respectively, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness
      ratio of $19,312/QALY. One-way sensitivity analysis indicated that findings were
      most sensitive to a parameter capturing PN survival benefit for local-stage
      patients. CE-acceptability curve showed the probability that the PN program was
      cost-effective was 0.80 and 0.91 at a societal willingness-to-pay of $50,000 and
      $100,000/QALY, respectively. CONCLUSION: Instituting a capitated PN program is
      cost-effective for lung cancer patients in Medicare. Future research should
      evaluate whether the same conclusion holds in other cancers.

PMID- 26119572
TI  - Bacterial physiology: Obg controls bacterial persistence.

PMID- 26119570
TI  - Discovery of microbial natural products by activation of silent biosynthetic gene
      clusters.
AB  - Microorganisms produce a wealth of structurally diverse specialized metabolites
      with a remarkable range of biological activities and a wide variety of
      applications in medicine and agriculture, such as the treatment of infectious
      diseases and cancer, and the prevention of crop damage. Genomics has revealed
      that many microorganisms have far greater potential to produce specialized
      metabolites than was thought from classic bioactivity screens; however, realizing
      this potential has been hampered by the fact that many specialized metabolite
      biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) are not expressed in laboratory cultures. In
      this Review, we discuss the strategies that have been developed in bacteria and
      fungi to identify and induce the expression of such silent BGCs, and we briefly
      summarize methods for the isolation and structural characterization of their
      metabolic products. 

PMID- 26119571
TI  - HIV-1 assembly, release and maturation.
AB  - Major advances have occurred in recent years in our understanding of HIV-1
      assembly, release and maturation, as work in this field has been propelled
      forwards by developments in imaging technology, structural biology, and cell and
      molecular biology. This increase in basic knowledge is being applied to the
      development of novel inhibitors designed to target various aspects of virus
      assembly and maturation. This Review highlights recent progress in elucidating
      the late stages of the HIV-1 replication cycle and the related interplay between
      virology, cell and molecular biology, and drug discovery. 

PMID- 26119573
TI  - Permethyl Cobaltocenium (Cp*2Co+) as an Ultra-Stable Cation for Polymer Hydroxide
      Exchange Membranes.
AB  - Hydroxide (OH(-))-exchange membranes (HEMs) are important polymer electrolytes
      enabling the use of affordable and earth-abundant electrocatalysts for
      electrochemical energy-conversion devices such as HEM fuel cells, HEM
      electrolyzers, and HEM solar hydrogen generators. Many HEM cations exist,
      featuring desirable properties, but new cations are still needed to increase
      chemical stability at elevated temperatures. Here we introduce the permethyl
      cobaltocenium [(C5Me5)2Co(III)(+) or Cp(*)2Co(+)] as an ultra-stable organic
      cation for polymer HEMs. Compared with the parent cobaltocenium
      [(C5H5)2Co(III)(+) or Cp2Co(+)], Cp(*)2Co(+) has substantially higher stability
      and basicity. With polysulfone as an example, we demonstrated the feasibility of
      covalently linking Cp(*)2Co(+) cation to polymer backbone and prepared
      Cp(*)2Co(+)-functionalized membranes as well. The new cation may be useful in
      designing more durable HEM electrochemical devices. 

PMID- 26119574
TI  - Detection of bacterioplankton using PCR probes as a diagnostic indicator for
      drowning; the Leicester experience.
AB  - Bodies found immersed in water can pose difficulties to the investigating
      authorities. Pathologists may be assisted with the diagnosis by the use of tests
      such as the analysis for diatoms or the levels of strontium in the blood,
      although there is a recognised level of uncertainty associated with these tests.
      Recent work from Japan has shown that using molecular approaches, most recently
      real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays with TaqMan probes for
      bacterioplankton, it is possible to undertake rapid, less laborious, high
      throughput tests to differentiate freshwater from marine bacterioplankton and in
      doing so provide a molecular diagnostic test to assist in the diagnosis of
      drowning. We report the experiences of a United Kingdom forensic pathology unit
      in the use of this PCR based system for the diagnosis of drowning. We applied
      this technique to 20 adult and child cadavers from 4 bath, 12 freshwater, 2
      brackish and 2 salt water scenes both from within the United Kingdom and abroad.
      Drowning was concluded to be the cause of death in 16 of these 20 cases and the
      PCR method supported this conclusion in 12 of these 16 cases. The PCR did not
      provide evidence of drowning in the four cases where death was from other causes.
      We illustrate that this PCR method provides a rapid diagnostic supportive test
      for the diagnosis of drowning that can be applied to United Kingdom autopsy
      practice. 

PMID- 26119575
TI  - The lived experience of parents enabling participation of their child with a
      physical disability at home, at school and in the community.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to provide an in-depth exploration and
      understanding of parents' thoughts, feelings and concerns they experience while
      reflecting on their actions, challenges and needs in enabling their child's
      participation at home, at school and in the community. METHOD: A naturalistic
      inquiry with thirteen Dutch parents using interpretative phenomenological
      analysis. RESULTS: Analysis revealed three super-ordinate themes: "Parents'
      experiences and concerns about systems, laws and regulations", "Parents'
      experiences and thoughts about physical and/or social environment" and "Parents'
      experiences and feelings of finding and/or enabling an activity". Parents' often
      expressed feelings of disappointment derived from being misunderstood, from
      dealing with the complexity of systems, from hindrance of participation of their
      children by the social and the physical environment, and from the lack of leisure
      activities for their child. It is primarily restrictions in the physical and
      social environments that urge them to take actions, to experience challenges and
      think of needs. CONCLUSIONS: In-depth exploration and understanding of parents'
      articulated matters must be shared and taken seriously by policymakers and
      service providers. Parents' knowledge and experiences should be of major
      relevance to improve paediatric rehabilitation and other services for children
      with a physical disability. Implications for Rehabilitation To achieve tailored
      pediatric rehabilitation, involvement and needs of parents in enhancing their
      child's participation ought to be acknowledged. Active use of parents'
      experiences and knowledge regarding the participation of their child on different
      levels of decision making may improve daily services in pediatric rehabilitation.
      Aiming for optimal participation of a child with a physical disability at home,
      at school and in the community, the focus of pediatric rehabilitation needs to
      shift towards enabling, social and physical, environments.

PMID- 26119576
TI  - Quality of life of Finnish children with cerebral palsy.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the quality of life (QOL) of
      Finnish children with cerebral palsy (CP) in different parts of Finland from the
      children's and caregivers' perspectives. The acceptability of the Finnish version
      of the CP QOL-Child questionnaire for clinical use is also evaluated. METHOD:
      This study was conducted in 2010-2013 as a part of the national CP-project. It is
      based on validated CP QOL-Child questionnaires. Children between 9 and 12 years
      were asked to fill in the child-self-report version. Caregivers who had a 4- to
      12-year-old child with CP filled in parent-proxy reports. RESULTS: Responses were
      obtained from 63 children and 161 caregivers. The response rates were 63 and 60%,
      respectively. Overall QOL was reported to be fairly good with no significant
      regional differences within Finland. Children reported significantly higher QOL
      in all QOL-domains except "social wellbeing and acceptance" than their caregivers
      did. The results showed acceptable levels of internal consistency of the Finnish
      version of the CP QOL-Child. CONCLUSIONS: QOL of children with CP is quite good
      in Finland. However, barriers to participation and the impact of disability and
      pain impair QOL. The Finnish version of the CP QOL-Child questionnaire is an
      appropriate clinical tool to assess QOL. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: The
      used questionnaire provides an effective tool to identify areas for targeting
      support actions and to set goals for rehabilitation plans. The study brings
      forward the voices of children. It was found that pain has a great role in QOL,
      which should be taken into account when making rehabilitation plans. The
      participation of children with CP should be strengthened in every possible ways.

PMID- 26119577
TI  - Cultural influences on exercise participation and fall prevention: a systematic
      review and narrative synthesis.
AB  - PURPOSE: We aim to provide a systematic review of qualitative research evidence
      relevant to the experiences and perceptions of program providers and participants
      from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds regarding (i)
      exercise and (ii) fall prevention programs for older people. METHOD: Using a
      narrative synthesis approach, we reviewed published journal articles reporting
      qualitative data. Electronic and manual literature searches were conducted to
      identify 19 publications that met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 16 discussed
      exercise and three focused on broader fall prevention programs. However, no
      studies were identified that explored the perspective of the program providers.
      RESULTS: An overarching theme emerged identifying the influence of cultural
      values and perceptions on program participation. Also, identified were
      motivational, social and environmental influences. CONCLUSION: Exercise and fall
      prevention interventions need to be culturally appropriate and utilise the
      positive influences of social support, especially from physicians and family.
      While these findings can be used to inform the delivery of programs to these
      population groups, future studies should focus specifically on experiences and
      perceptions of older CALD people of fall prevention programs as well as the
      perspectives of program providers. Implications for Rehabilitation Program
      participation is influenced by cultural values and motivational, social and
      environmental factors. The meaning and importance of exercise can vary between
      and within cultures. Exercise and fall prevention interventions need to be
      culturally appropriate and utilise the positive influences of social support,
      especially from physicians and family. Providing information that falls can be
      prevented and the reasons why behaviours need to change will be more likely to
      encourage older people from CALD backgrounds to contemplate participation.

PMID- 26119578
TI  - Screening and facilitating further assessment for cognitive impairment after
      stroke: application of a shortened Montreal Cognitive Assessment (miniMoCA).
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the performance of a shortened
      version of the MoCA (miniMoCA), as a clinical cognitive impairment screening tool
      in stroke rehabilitation patients. METHODS: Cognitive status was assessed using
      the MoCA and Cognistat in 72 patients. Agreement between the tests was assessed
      using the Kappa statistic. The sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and
      negative predictive values (NPV) of a miniMoCA to a MoCA score <26 was also
      examined. RESULTS: A significant level of agreement was found between the MoCA
      and miniMoCA to the Cognistat in classifying patients by level of cognitive
      function. The miniMoCA showed a sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 92% (PPV
      98%, NPV 75%) to abnormal MoCA scores (<26). CONCLUSIONS: This study extends the
      utility of the miniMoCA as an optimal brief screening tool for cognitive
      impairment in stroke patients. Further research is needed to determine the
      validity of the miniMoCA against a neuropsychological test. IMPLICATIONS FOR
      REHABILITATION: Although the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a
      recommended tool to screen for cognitive impairment in stroke patients, its
      lengthy administration can lead to inconsistent screening of patients for post
      stroke cognitive function. In the current work, a shortened version of the MoCA
      (miniMoCA) was administered in a sample of stoke inpatients, utilizing only five
      of the eight original subtests. The proposed miniMoCA was found to streamline the
      administration of this screen test, while maintaining a heightened level of
      sensitivity for accurately identifying which patients do not require a more in
      depth cognitive assessment.

PMID- 26119579
TI  - European roe deer antlers as an environmental archive for fallout (236)U and
      (239)Pu.
AB  - Anthropogenic (236)U and (239)Pu were measured in European roe deer antlers
      hunted between 1955 and 1977 which covers and extends beyond the period of
      intensive nuclear weapons testing (1954-1962). The antlers were hunting trophies,
      and hence the hunting area, the year of shooting and the approximate age of each
      animal is given. Uranium and plutonium are known to deposit in skeletal tissue.
      Since antler histology is similar to bone, both elements were expected in
      antlers. Furthermore, roe deer shed their antlers annually, and hence antlers may
      provide a time-resolved environmental archive for fallout radionuclides. The
      radiochemical procedure is based on a Pu separation step by anion exchange (Dowex
      1 * 8) and a subsequent U purification by extraction chromatography using
      UTEVA((r)). The samples were measured by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry at the
      VERA facility (University of Vienna). In addition to the (236)U and (239)Pu
      concentrations, the (240)Pu/(239)Pu isotopic ratios were determined with a mean
      value of 0.172 +/- 0.023 which is in agreement with the ratio of global fallout
      (~0.18). Rather high (236)U/(238)U ratios of the order of 10(-6) were observed.
      These measured ratios, where the (236)U arises only from global fallout, have
      implications for the use of the (236)U/(238)U ratio as a fingerprint for nuclear
      accidents or releases from nuclear facilities. Our investigations have shown the
      potential to use antlers as a temporally resolved archive for the uptake of
      actinides from the environment.

PMID- 26119580
TI  - Impact of fluoroquinolones on human microbiota. Focus on the emergence of
      antibiotic resistance.
AB  - The aggregate of microorganisms residing on the surface of the skin, in the
      oropharynx and in the GI tract, known as the human microbiota, play a major role
      as natural reservoirs for bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Fluoroquinolones
      (FQ) are among the most prescribed antibiotics and a major increase in FQ
      resistance is occurring worldwide. High concentrations of FQ are found in
      microbial ecosystems explaining their profound effect on the clinically relevant
      bacteria that compose them. Yet, because of different local pharmacokinetics,
      distinct selective pressures occur in the different microbiota. Here we review
      the qualitative and quantitative impact of FQ on the three main human microbiota
      and their consequences, particularly in terms of emergence of antibiotic
      resistance. Finally, we review potential actions that could decrease the impact
      of FQs on microbiota.

PMID- 26119581
TI  - Duplex-selective ruthenium-based DNA intercalators.
AB  - We report the design and synthesis of small molecules that exhibit enhanced
      luminescence in the presence of duplex rather than single-stranded DNA. The local
      environment presented by a well-known [Ru(dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine)L2
      ](2+) -based DNA intercalator was modified by functionalizing the bipyridine
      ligands with esters and carboxylic acids. By systematically varying the number
      and charge of the pendant groups, it was determined that decreasing the
      electrostatic interaction between the intercalator and the anionic DNA backbone
      reduced single-strand interactions and translated to better duplex specificity.
      In studying this class of complexes, a single Ru(II) complex emerged that
      selectively luminesces in the presence of duplex DNA with little to no background
      from interacting with single-stranded DNA. This complex shows promise as a new
      dye capable of selectively staining double- versus single-stranded DNA in gel
      electrophoresis, which cannot be done with conventional SYBR dyes. 

PMID- 26119582
TI  - The furoxan nitric oxide donor, PRG150, evokes dose-dependent analgesia in a rat
      model of painful diabetic neuropathy.
AB  - Painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) is a type of peripheral neuropathic pain that
      is often intractable. Elevated nitric oxide (NO) from neuronal and non-neuronal
      sources in the somatosensory system is implicated in the pathobiology of
      peripheral neuropathic pain. However, in diabetes, nitrergic nerve degeneration
      to deplete NO bioactivity appears causal in the pathogenesis of irreversible
      autonomic neuropathy, another long term complication of diabetes. Hence, this
      study hypothesized that progressive NO depletion may underpin the pathobiology of
      PDN and that NO donors may alleviate PDN. Diabetes was induced in rats with
      intravenous streptozotocin (STZ) at 70 mg/kg and confirmed if blood glucose
      levels (BGLs) on day 10 post-STZ were >=15 mmol/L. Analgesic efficacy of
      subcutaneous (s.c.) bolus doses of the furoxan NO donor, PRG150 was assessed in
      the STZ-diabetic rat model of PDN at 10-, 14- and 24-weeks post-STZ relative to
      the sydnominine NO donor, SIN-1 and its prodrug, molsidomine. PRG150 produced
      dose-dependent analgesia in STZ-diabetic rats whereas SIN-1 and molsidomine
      evoked neuro-excitatory side-effects, but not analgesia. The 1000-fold larger
      doses of PRG150 needed to produce analgesia at 14- and 24-weeks (800 pmol/kg)
      c.f. 10-weeks (8 fmol/kg) post-STZ in rats, suggest that progressive NO depletion
      is also causal in PDN. Importantly, doses of PRG150 up to 10 000 fold higher than
      the analgesic dose did not produce hypotension in rats. The 50-fold greater
      release of NO by SIN-1 c.f. PRG150 in vitro, may underpin the neuro-excitatory
      rather than analgesic effects of SIN-1/molsidomine. PRG150 is worthy of further
      investigation as a potential novel analgesic for PDN.

PMID- 26119583
TI  - Relationship of three different types of low-carbohydrate diet to cardiometabolic
      risk factors in a Japanese population: the INTERMAP/INTERLIPID Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Low-carbohydrate diets (LCD) are a popular dietary strategy for weight
      reduction. The effects of LCD on long-term outcome vary depending on type of LCD,
      possibly due to the fact that effects on cardiometabolic risk factors may vary
      with different types of LCD. Accordingly, we studied these relations. METHODS: We
      assessed serum concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), low
      density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein
      (CRP), total cholesterol, glycated hemoglobin, and uric acid, and nutrient
      intakes by standardized methods in men and women ages 40-59 years from four
      population samples of Japanese in Japan (553 men and 544 women, combined). For
      people consuming usual, animal-based, and plant-based LCDs, we calculated LCD
      scores, based on relative level of fat, protein, and carbohydrate, by modifying
      the methods of Halton et al. Instead of calculating scores based on animal or
      vegetable fat, we used saturated fatty acids (SFA) or monounsaturated fatty acids
      (MUFA) + polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). RESULTS: In multivariate regression
      analyses with adjustment for site, age, sex, BMI, smoking, alcohol intake,
      physical activity, and years of education, all three LCD scores were
      significantly positively related to HDLc (all P < 0.001), but not to LDLc. The
      plant-based LCD score was significantly inversely related to log CRP (coefficient
      = -0.010, P = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: All three LCD scores were significantly
      positively related to HDLc. The plant-based LCD score was significantly inversely
      related to CRP. Carbohydrate intake below 50 % of total energy with higher
      intakes of vegetable protein and MUFA + PUFA, and lower intakes of SFA may be
      favorable for reducing cardiometabolic risk factors.

PMID- 26119584
TI  - Impacts of New Zealand's lowered minimum purchase age on context-specific
      drinking and related risks.
AB  - AIMS: The minimum purchase age (MPA) for alcohol in New Zealand (NZ) was reduced
      from 20 to 18 years in 1999. We assessed the degree to which this change was
      associated with alterations in uses of drinking contexts, drinking and related
      problems. METHODS: NZ National Alcohol Surveys among people 14+ years of age
      provided demographics, frequencies and amounts consumed in drinking places, and
      problem measures for 1995, 2000 and 2004. Censored regression estimates of
      parameters of a context-specific dose-response model identified MPA-associated
      changes in drinking and problems. RESULTS: The lowered MPA was associated with
      more frequent drinking at pubs/nightclubs among the newly of-age 18-19-year-olds
      (b = 15.26, P = 0.009), moderated drinking quantities at these places (b = -0.94,
      P = 0.034) and greater quantities consumed at home (b = 1.01, P = 0.010) and
      others' homes (b = 0.87; P = 0.029). Drinking frequency and quantity in the 16-17
      year age group increased at home (b = 22.11, P = 0.040 and b = 1.22, P = 0.002)
      and others' homes (b = 11.65, P = 0.002 and b = 0.91, P = 0.021). Problems
      associated with drinking contexts changed post-MPA (G(2)  >= 27.45, P <= 0.002),
      specifically increased association with drinking in pubs/nightclubs (b = 0.09, P
      < 0.001) across both age groups. CONCLUSIONS: The 1999 change in New Zealand's
      minimum purchase age for alcohol from 20 to 18 years appears to have been
      associated with substantive changes in uses of drinking contexts, drinking and
      associated drinking problems among 16-19-year-olds.

PMID- 26119585
TI  - The CDKAL1 gene is associated with impaired insulin secretion and glucose-related
      traits: the Cardiometabolic Risk in Chinese (CRC) study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Insulin secretion and insulin resistance, which affect metabolic
      homoeostasis, each have a significant genetic component. Cyclin- dependent kinase
      5 (CDK5) regulatory subunit-associated protein 1-like 1 (CDKAL1) rs10946398, a
      novel body mass index (BMI)-associated locus specifically in the Asian
      population, may impair insulin secretion and may be associated with insulin
      resistance and type 2 diabetes. Our objective was to investigate the impact of
      the rs10946398 polymorphism of CDKAL1 on insulin secretion, insulin resistance
      and glucose-related traits in the Chinese population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The
      study samples were based on a community-based health examination survey conducted
      in central China. Indices of insulin resistance and insulin secretion were
      derived from fasting glucose measurements and oral glucose tolerance tests
      (OGTTs). Using multivariate linear regression models, the relationships between
      the rs10946398 polymorphism of CDKAL1 and insulin secretion, insulin resistance
      and quantitative glucose-related traits were investigated in 2313 participants.
      RESULTS: The CDKAL1 rs10946398 C allele showed a significant association with
      decreased insulin secretion (beta = -0.05, P < 0.0005), but not with insulin
      resistance (beta = 0.02, P = 0.08). We also found that the CDKAL1 rs10946398 C
      allele was significantly associated with glucose-related traits (fasting glucose,
      fasting insulin, 2-h glucose and HbA1c). There was no significant relationship
      between rs10946398 and other metabolic traits. CONCLUSIONS: rs10946398 of CDKAL1
      was associated with markers of impaired insulin secretion. It is reasonable to
      infer that the relationship between CDKAL1 and metabolic diseases is mediated by
      its effect on glucose-related traits.

PMID- 26119586
TI  - SorCS1 variants and amyloid precursor protein (APP) are co-transported in neurons
      but only SorCS1c modulates anterograde APP transport.
AB  - Processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) into amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta)
      is crucial for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Because this
      processing is highly dependent on its intracellular itinerary, altered
      subcellular targeting of APP is thought to directly affect the degree to which
      Abeta is generated. The sorting receptor SorCS1 has been genetically linked to
      AD, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. We analyze two
      SorCS1 variants; one, SorCS1c, conveys internalization of surface-bound ligands
      whereas the other, SorCS1b, does not. In agreement with previous studies, we
      demonstrate co-immunoprecipitation and co-localization of both SorCS1 variants
      with APP. Our results suggest that SorCS1c and APP are internalized
      independently, although they mostly share a common post-endocytic pathway. We
      introduce functional Venus-tagged constructs to study SorCS1b and SorCS1c in
      living cells. Both variants are transported by fast anterograde axonal transport
      machinery and about 30% of anterograde APP-positive transport vesicles contain
      SorCS1. Co-expression of SorCS1b caused no change of APP transport kinetics, but
      SorCS1c reduced the anterograde transport rate of APP and increased the number of
      APP-positive stationary vesicles. These data suggest that SorCS1 and APP share
      trafficking pathways and that SorCS1c can retain APP from insertion into
      anterograde transport vesicles. Altered APP trafficking is thought to modulate
      its processing. SorCS1 has been suggested to function in APP trafficking. We
      analyzed if the two SorCS1 variants, SorCS1b and SorCS1c, tie APP to the cell
      surface or modify its internalization and intracellular targeting. We observed co
      localization and vesicular co-transport of APP and SorCS1, but independent
      internalization and sorting through a common post-endocytic pathway. Co
      expression of one variant, SorCS1c, reduced anterograde APP transport. These data
      demonstrate that SorCS1 and APP share trafficking pathways and that SorCS1c can
      retain APP from insertion into anterograde transport vesicles. 

PMID- 26119587
TI  - Systematic investigation of phthalocyanines, naphthalocyanines, and their aza
      analogues. Effect of the isosteric aza-replacement in the core.
AB  - A series of zinc complexes of phthalocyanine, naphthalocyanine and their aza
      analogues with alkylsulfanyl substituents was synthesized and characterized by UV
      vis and MCD spectroscopy, and their redox properties were investigated using CV,
      DPV, and SWV approaches as well as spectroelectrochemical methods. Aggregation,
      photostability, singlet oxygen production, and fluorescence quantum yields of the
      target complexes were studied as a function of the stepwise substitution of the
      aromatic C-H fragments by nitrogen atoms. The electronic structure and vertical
      excitation energies of the target compounds were probed by DFT-PCM and TDDFT-PCM
      approaches. Introduction of additional nitrogens into the structure leads to a
      hypsochromic shift of the Q-band and makes the macrocycle strongly electron
      deficient and more photostable. The impact on the photophysics is limited. The
      relationships between the type of macrocycle and the studied properties were
      defined. 

PMID- 26119588
TI  - Quantification of viable but nonculturable Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp.
      during sludge anaerobic digestion and their reactivation during cake storage.
AB  - AIMS: The presence of viable but nonculturable (VBNC) bacterial pathogens which
      often fail to be detected by cultivation and can regain the cultivability if the
      living conditions improve were reported. The objective of this study was to
      determine the occurrence of VBNC Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. in the
      biosolids during anaerobic digestion and its reactivation during the cake
      storage. METHODS AND RESULTS: The occurrence of VBNC Salmonella spp. and Shigella
      spp. during mesophilic, temperature-phased, thermophilic anaerobic digestion of
      sewage sludge and the subsequent storage were studied by RT-qPCR and most
      probable number (MPN) method. The VBNC incidence of Salmonella spp. and Shigella
      spp. during thermophilic digestion was four orders of magnitude higher than those
      of mesophilic digestion. Accordingly, higher resuscitation ratio of VBNC
      pathogens was also achieved in thermophilic digested sludge. As a result, the
      culturable Salmonella typhimurium contents in thermophilic digested sludge after
      cake storage were two orders of magnitude higher than mesophilic digestion. Both
      quantitative PCR and reverse transcription quantitative PCR assay results showed
      the two bacterial counting numbers remained stable throughout the cake storage.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the increase in the culturable Salmonella
      spp. and Shigella spp. after centrifugal dewatering was attributed to the
      resuscitation from the VBNC state to the culturable state. SIGNIFICANCE AND
      IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Thermophilic anaerobic digestion mainly induced Salmonella
      spp. and Shigella spp. into VBNC state rather than killed them, suggesting that
      the biological safety of sewage sludge by temperature-phased anaerobic digestion
      should be carefully assessed.

PMID- 26119589
TI  - Biomechanical and biophysical environment of bone from the macroscopic to the
      pericellular and molecular level.
AB  - Bones with complicated hierarchical configuration and microstructures constitute
      the load-bearing system. Mechanical loading plays an essential role in
      maintaining bone health and regulating bone mechanical adaptation (modeling and
      remodeling). The whole-bone or sub-region (macroscopic) mechanical signals,
      including locomotion-induced loading and external actuator-generated vibration,
      ultrasound, oscillatory skeletal muscle stimulation, etc., give rise to
      sophisticated and distinct biomechanical and biophysical environments at the
      pericellular (microscopic) and collagen/mineral molecular (nanoscopic) levels,
      which are the direct stimulations that positively influence bone adaptation.
      While under microgravity, the stimulations decrease or even disappear, which
      exerts a negative influence on bone adaptation. A full understanding of the
      biomechanical and biophysical environment at different levels is necessary for
      exploring bone biomechanical properties and mechanical adaptation. In this
      review, the mechanical transferring theories from the macroscopic to the
      microscopic and nanoscopic levels are elucidated. First, detailed information of
      the hierarchical structures and biochemical composition of bone, which are the
      foundations for mechanical signal propagation, are presented. Second, the
      deformation feature of load-bearing bone during locomotion is clarified as a
      combination of bending and torsion rather than simplex bending. The bone matrix
      strains at microscopic and nanoscopic levels directly induced by bone deformation
      are critically discussed, and the strain concentration mechanism due to the
      complicated microstructures is highlighted. Third, the biomechanical and
      biophysical environments at microscopic and nanoscopic levels positively
      generated during bone matrix deformation or by dynamic mechanical loadings
      induced by external actuators, as well as those negatively affected under
      microgravity, are systematically discussed, including the interstitial fluid flow
      (IFF) within the lacunar-canalicular system and at the endosteum, the
      piezoelectricity at the deformed bone surface, and the streaming potential
      accompanying the IFF. Their generation mechanisms and the regulation effect on
      bone adaptation are presented. The IFF-induced chemotransport effect, shear
      stress, and fluid drag on the pericellular matrix are meaningful and noteworthy.
      Furthermore, we firmly believe that bone adaptation is regulated by the
      combination of bone biomechanical and biophysical environment, not only the
      commonly considered matrix strain, fluid shear stress, and hydrostatic pressure,
      but also the piezoelectricity and streaming potential. Especially, it is
      necessary to incorporate bone matrix piezoelectricity and streaming potential to
      explain how osteoblasts (bone formation cells) and osteoclasts (bone resorption
      cells) can differentiate among different types of loads. Specifically, the
      regulation effects and the related mechanisms of the biomechanical and
      biophysical environments on bone need further exploration, and the incorporation
      of experimental research with theoretical simulations is essential. 

PMID- 26119590
TI  - Formation of Highly Ordered Spherical Aggregates from Drying Microdroplets of
      Colloidal Suspension.
AB  - The formation of highly ordered spherical aggregates of silica nanoparticles by
      the evaporation of single droplets of an aqueous colloidal suspension levitated
      (confined) in the electrodynamic quadrupole trap is reported. The transient and
      final structures formed during droplet evaporation have been deposited on a
      silicon substrate and then studied with SEM. Various successive stages of the
      evaporation-driven aggregation of nanoparticles have been identified: formation
      of the surface layer of nanoparticles, formation of the highly ordered spherical
      structure, collapse of the spherical surface layer leading to the formation of
      densely packed spherical aggregates, and rearrangement of the aggregate into the
      final structure of a stable 3D quasi-crystal. The evaporation-driven aggregation
      of submicrometer particles in spherical symmetry leads to sizes and morphologies
      of the transient and final structures significantly different than in the case of
      aggregation on a substrate. The numerical model presented in the article allows
      us to predict and visualize the observed aggregation stages and their dynamics
      and the final aggregates observed with SEM. 

PMID- 26119591
TI  - Phylogenetic relationships within the Cercocebus-Mandrillus clade as indicated by
      craniodental morphology: Implications for evolutionary biogeography.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The African papionin primates commonly known as mangabeys form a
      diphyletic group with white-eyelid mangabeys (Cercocebus) being most closely
      related to drills and mandrills (Mandrillus). However, the phylogenetic
      relationships among members of the Cercocebus-Mandrillus clade have not been
      investigated in detail, particularly from a morphological perspective. Early
      studies of white-eyelid mangabeys considered C. agilis to best represent the
      ancestral lineage and C. torquatus as the most derived species, the result of
      multiple biogeographic dispersal events. More recently, a sister-clade
      relationship between Mandrillus and either C. chrysogaster or C. torquatus has
      been proposed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Here we present the results of phylogenetic
      analyses based on 206 craniodental characters (103 representing males and females
      separately) of four species of Cercocebus and both species of Mandrillus.
      RESULTS: When all species of the Cercocebus-Mandrillus clade are analyzed without
      molecular constraints, results suggest that C. torquatus may indeed be more
      closely related to mandrills and drills than to other Cercocebus taxa. However,
      this topology lacks strong statistical support and may be attributable to
      incomplete lineage sorting and/or reticulation. When we employ a molecular
      backbone to constrain Cercocebus and Mandrillus monophyly, C. torquatus appears
      most basal, while C. agilis and C. chrysogaster form a derived clade. DISCUSSION:
      The molecular backbone view is also congruent with recent genetic analyses and
      assessments based on the fossil record, but awaits confirmation with additional
      data. This phylogeny suggests that Cercocebus and Cercocebus + Mandrillus arose
      in western equatorial Africa with subsequent dispersals westward, eastward, and
      possibly southward over the last > 3 million years. Am J Phys Anthropol 158:227
      241, 2015. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26119592
TI  - The impact of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator Disruption on cardiac
      function and stress response.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Altered cardiac function has been observed in cystic fibrosis
      transmembrane regulator (CFTR) knockout mice. However, whether this alteration is
      a direct effect of CFTR disruption in the heart, or is secondary due to systemic
      loss of CFTR, remains to be elucidated. METHODS: Cardiac function of mice with
      muscle-specific or global knockout of CFTR was evaluated at baseline and under
      beta-stimulation by MRI in vivo. Myocyte contractility and Ca2+ transients were
      measured in vitro. RESULTS: Both CFTR knockout models showed increased twist and
      torsion at baseline. Response to beta-stimulation was unaltered in muscle
      specific CFTR knockout mice and was slightly decreased in global CFTR knockout
      mice. Aortic diameter was also decreased in both mouse models. No difference was
      observed in myocyte contractility and Ca2+ transients. CONCLUSIONS: CFTR
      disruption leads to increased myocardial contractility at baseline, which may
      trigger untoward myocardial remodeling in CF patients that is independent of lung
      diseases.

PMID- 26119594
TI  - Unconventional membrane lipid biosynthesis in Xanthomonas campestris.
AB  - All bacteria are surrounded by at least one bilayer membrane mainly composed of
      phospholipids (PLs). Biosynthesis of the most abundant PLs
      phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and cardiolipin (CL) is
      well understood in model bacteria such as Escherichia coli. It recently emerged,
      however, that the diversity of bacterial membrane lipids is huge and that not yet
      explored biosynthesis pathways exist, even for the common PLs. A good example is
      the plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. It contains PE, PG and
      CL as major lipids and small amounts of the N-methylated PE derivatives
      monomethyl PE and phosphatidylcholine (PC = trimethylated PE). Xanthomonas
      campestris uses a repertoire of canonical and non-canonical enzymes for the
      synthesis of its membrane lipids. In this minireview, we briefly recapitulate
      standard pathways and integrate three recently discovered pathways into the
      overall picture of bacterial membrane biosynthesis.

PMID- 26119595
TI  - 2D ultrathin core-shell Pd@Pt(monolayer) nanosheets: defect-mediated thin film
      growth and enhanced oxygen reduction performance.
AB  - An operational strategy for the synthesis of atomically smooth Pt skin by a
      defect-mediated thin film growth method is reported. Extended ultrathin core
      shell structured d@Pt(monolayer) nanosheets (thickness below 5 nm) exhibit nearly
      seven-fold enhancement in mass-activity and surprisingly good durability toward
      oxygen reduction reaction as compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst.

PMID- 26119596
TI  - Identification of the transcriptional regulators by expression profiling infected
      with hepatitis B virus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The molecular pathogenesis of infection by hepatitis B virus with
      human is extremely complex and heterogeneous. To date the molecular information
      is not clearly defined despite intensive research efforts. Thus, studies aimed at
      transcription and regulation during virus infection or combined researches of
      those already known to be beneficial are needed. AIMS: With the purpose of
      identifying the transcriptional regulators related to infection of hepatitis B
      virus in gene level, the gene expression profiles from some normal individuals
      and hepatitis B patients were analyzed in our study. METHODS: In this work, the
      differential expressed genes were selected primarily. The several genes among
      those were validated in an independent set by qRT-PCR. Then the differentially co
      expression analysis was conducted to identify differentially co-expressed links
      and differential co-expressed genes. Next, the analysis of the regulatory impact
      factors was performed through mapping the links and regulatory data. In order to
      give a further insight to these regulators, the co-expression gene modules were
      identified using a threshold-based hierarchical clustering method. Incidentally,
      the construction of the regulatory network was generated using the computer
      software. RESULTS: A total of 137,284 differentially co-expressed links and 780
      differential co-expressed genes were identified. These co-expressed genes were
      significantly enriched inflammatory response. The results of regulatory impact
      factors revealed several crucial regulators related to hepatocellular carcinoma
      and other high-rank regulators. Meanwhile, more than one hundred co-expression
      gene modules were identified using clustering method. CONCLUSIONS: In our study,
      some important transcriptional regulators were identified using a computational
      method, which may enhance the understanding of disease mechanisms and lead to an
      improved treatment of hepatitis B. However, further experimental studies are
      required to confirm these findings.

PMID- 26119597
TI  - Regional variation in energy storage strategies in American glass eels from
      Eastern Canada.
AB  - Energy status was analyzed in glass eels captured during two early waves of
      arrival at the mouths of the Mersey River, Nova Scotia, Canada (MR), and Grande
      Riviere-Blanche, Quebec, Canada (GRB), and according to their salinity preference
      (freshwater, brackish, or saltwater). Glass eels captured in the GRB estuary were
      larger, more pigmented, and exhibited higher whole-body glycogen, phospholipid,
      and sterol and wax ester contents. Those from MR had a higher condition index and
      a higher whole-body triacylglycerol content, suggesting different patterns of
      storage and/or use of energy reserves. Within a river, a delay of two weeks in
      estuarine arrival was characterized by significantly lower energy reserves. No
      differences in energy storage were observed according to salinity preference.
      Thus, the results revealed the occurrence of different energy storage strategies
      according to glass eel migration distance and duration, but not according to
      salinity preference. 

PMID- 26119598
TI  - Is gill cortisol concentration a good acute stress indicator in fish? A study in
      rainbow trout and zebrafish.
AB  - Cortisol is the main biomarker of physiological stress in fish. It is usually
      measured in plasma, which requires blood collection. Though cortisol is produced
      in the anterior kidney, it can diffuse easily through cell membranes due to its
      lipophilic nature. Taking advantage of that, some non-invasive techniques have
      been developed to measure cortisol directly in the water from fish-holding tanks,
      in skin mucus or in scales. In this study, we explored the possibility to analyze
      fish cortisol from gill filaments as a reliable acute stress marker. Our results
      show that gill cortisol levels correlate well with plasma cortisol levels in both
      rainbow trout and zebrafish exposed or not to an acute stress protocol. Measuring
      cortisol in gill filaments increases the available possibilities for stress
      assessment in fish. Although this approach should yet be tested for its use with
      other stressors, it has several advantages: In relatively large fish (i.e. above
      30 g) gill cortisol levels could be measured in vivo. Sampling of gill biopsies
      is very fast and easy, and the procedure does not induce stress if properly
      performed, making it an ideal option for in vivo stress assessment. In small
      fish, the use of gill tissue to measure cortisol has important technical
      advantages with respect to the current methods using whole-body homogenates. Gill
      homogenates could be used directly for ELISA cortisol analysis, avoiding the need
      of tedious and expensive cortisol extraction protocols, and, since no organic
      solvent is required, contributing for a more environmentally friendly analysis.

PMID- 26119599
TI  - Hatching behavior of eastern long-necked turtles (Chelodina longicollis): The
      influence of asynchronous environments on embryonic heart rate and phenotype.
AB  - Variable temperatures within a nest cause asynchronous development within
      clutches of freshwater turtle embryos, yet synchronous hatching occurs and is
      thought to be an important survival strategy for hatchlings. Metabolic
      compensation and circadian rhythms in heart rates of embryonic turtles indicate
      the potential of communication between embryos in a nest. Heart rates were used
      to identify metabolic circadian rhythms in clutches of an Australian freshwater
      turtle (Chelodina longicollis) and determine whether embryos metabolically
      compensate and hatch synchronously when incubated in asynchronous environments.
      The effects of a group environment during incubation on egg development and
      incubation period were also investigated during the final 3 weeks of development.
      Chelodina longicollis hatch synchronously and metabolically compensate so that
      less advanced embryos catch up to more advanced clutch-mates. Heart rates of
      embryos remained stable from week 4-7 in asynchronous (M=89 bpm) and synchronous
      (M=92 bpm) groups and declined in the final 2 weeks of incubation (M=72 and 77
      bpm). Circadian rhythms were present throughout development and diel heart rates
      of embryos in asynchronous groups showed less deviation from the mean (M=-0.5
      bpm) than synchronous groups (M=-4 bpm). Eggs incubated in groups had a
      significantly shorter incubation period than eggs incubated individually.
      Phenotypic traits including size, performance, and growth of all hatchlings were
      not affected. Egg position within a turtle nest is important for coordinating
      development throughout incubation and facilitating synchronous hatching.

PMID- 26119600
TI  - Biosensing by Tandem Reactions of Structure Switching, Nucleolytic Digestion, and
      DNA Amplification of a DNA Assembly.
AB  - phi29 DNA polymerase (phi29DP) is able to carry out repetitive rounds of DNA
      synthesis using a circular DNA template by rolling circle amplification (RCA). It
      also has the ability to execute 3'-5' digestion of single-stranded but not double
      stranded DNA. A biosensor engineering strategy is presented that takes advantage
      of these two properties of phi29DP coupled with structure-switching DNA aptamers.
      The design employs a DNA assembly made of a circular DNA template, a DNA aptamer,
      and a pre-primer. The DNA assembly is unable to undergo RCA in the absence of
      cognate target owing to the formation of duplex structures. The presence of the
      target, however, triggers a structure-switching event that causes nucleolytic
      conversion of the pre-primer by phi29DP into a mature primer to facilitate RCA.
      This method relays target detection by the aptamer to the production of massive
      DNA amplicons, giving rise to dramatically enhanced detection sensitivity. 

PMID- 26119602
TI  - Thriving in the Midst of Distractions.

PMID- 26119601
TI  - Poor mobility predicts adverse outcome better than other frailty indices in
      patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical risk scoring systems are poor at predicting outcome in
      patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Frailty
      indices might more accurately predict outcome. AIMS: To examine multiple frailty
      indices as markers of performance to see whether they predict outcomes both in
      the shorter (30 days) and longer terms (5 years) in patients who have undergone
      TAVI. METHODS: Frailty indices (Mobility; Brighton Mobility Index, New York Heart
      Association (NYHA), Karnofsky Performance Index, Canadian Study Health
      Association (CSHA) clinical frailty scale, and Katz Index of Dependence) were
      assessed in 312 consecutive TAVI patients. Mortality tracking was obtained from
      the Office of National Statistics as of May 2014. RESULTS: Mean age was 81.2 +/-
      7.0 years; 53.2% were male. Mean Logistic EuroSCORE and STS were 17.4 +/- 9.4 and
      4.6 +/- 2.8, respectively. Mean peak aortic valve gradient and aortic valve area
      were 79.1 +/- 28.0 mm Hg and 0.72 +/- 0.25 cm(2) , respectively. 30-day mortality
      was 4.8%; long-term mortality (maximum 5.8 years, mean 2.2 +/- 1.5 years) was
      25.3%. Both univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed poor mobility (defined
      as severe impairment of mobility secondary to musculoskeletal or neurological
      dysfunction (Euroscore II risk)), as the best predictor of adverse outcome over
      both the short-term (OR 4.03, 95% CI (1.36-11.96), P = 0.012 (30 days)) and
      longer term (OR 2.15, 95% CI (1.33-3.48), P = 0.002, (2.2 +/- 1.5 years.)).
      CONCLUSION: Poor mobility predicts worse survival among patients undergoing TAVI,
      both in the shorter and longer terms. Our data suggest that mobility impairment,
      of either neurological or musculoskeletal etiology, is an appropriate screening
      measure when considering patients for TAVI.

PMID- 26119604
TI  - A Few Minutes With Brigid Gillespie.

PMID- 26119605
TI  - Can Efficient Smoke Evacuation Limit Aerosolization of Bacteria?
AB  - Preventing surgical site infections requires knowledge of the sources of wound
      contamination. One possible source of wound contamination is bacteria aerosolized
      in diathermy plume (ie, surgical smoke). This study used an experimental model of
      porcine tissue embedded with Serratia marcescens to determine the extent of
      viable bacteria present in surgical plume. The results showed that only blended
      current electrosurgery, not laser plume or coagulation electrosurgery, contains
      viable bacteria. Further, the study revealed that placing a suction device near
      the electrosurgical site reduced the number of aerosolized viable bacteria.
      Therefore, evacuating the electrosurgical plume may help reduce contamination of
      the surgical wound. Nurses may wish to advocate for the use of air suction
      devices as one way to protect patients from surgical site infections. 

PMID- 26119606
TI  - Postoperative Care of Patients Undergoing Same-Day Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.
AB  - Elective laparoscopic cholecystectomies are common outpatient surgical
      procedures. After briefly discussing cholecystectomy and its indications, best
      practices in phase I, phase II, and phase III recovery are discussed. Typical
      pharmaceutical regimens for controlling pain and postoperative nausea and
      vomiting are summarized. By implementing best practices, nurses can prevent and
      recognize complications. The criteria for discharge, extended recovery, and
      inpatient admission are discussed, along with the required patient discharge
      teaching using the teach-back technique, as well as patient and family teaching
      needs in the immediate postoperative period. Nurses can optimize the patient's
      surgical experience and promote safety by implementing best practices in all
      phases of recovery from laparoscopic cholecystectomy. 

PMID- 26119607
TI  - Back to Basics: Patient and Family Engagement.
AB  - Patient and family engagement is an active involvement in health care between
      patients, families, and their caregivers. Perioperative nurses should be active
      proponents of implementing patient engagement activities in the perioperative
      setting. This article introduces basic patient engagement concepts and how they
      can be implemented in the perioperative setting. 

PMID- 26119608
TI  - Robotic-Assisted Thoracic Surgery for Early-Stage Lung Cancer: A Review.
AB  - This review evaluates the benefits and disadvantages associated with the use of
      robotic-assisted technology in performing lobectomies in patients with early
      stage lung cancer. The author conducted a literature search of Ovid(r),
      MEDLINE(r), PubMed(r), and CINAHL(r) for articles published from 2005 to 2013.
      Search criteria included key terms such as robot, robotic, robotic-assisted
      lobectomy, and lung cancer. Of 922 articles, the author included a total of 12
      research-based published studies in the analysis and incorporated the findings
      into an evidence table. Results showed that robotic-assisted lobectomies are
      feasible safe procedures for patients with stage 1A or 1B lung cancer; however,
      there is a steep learning curve and long-term randomized studies evaluating
      robotic-assisted lobectomy and conventional posterolateral thoracotomy or video
      assisted thoracic lobectomy are needed. For patient safety, perioperative nurses
      should be aware of the length of time and experience required to perform these
      procedures, the costs, techniques, benefits, and disadvantages. 

PMID- 26119609
TI  - Perioperative Nursing Leaders Implement Clinical Practice Guidelines Using the
      Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice.
AB  - Many health care organizations, nursing leaders, and individual clinicians are
      not providing care consistently based on evidence and many are not aware of the
      evidence that is available. Preventable complications have an adverse effect on
      hospital reimbursement and the burden is placed on hospital personnel and nursing
      leaders to use current evidence to improve care and prevent complications, such
      as surgical site infections. Using AORN resources, leadership involvement and
      ownership, and implementing a theoretical model will contribute to implementing
      daily evidence-based practice and help to decrease the chasm between research and
      practice. 

PMID- 26119610
TI  - Crisis Management of Hypotension in the OR.
AB  - Perioperative nurses play a pivotal role in coordinating care during crises,
      employing their nursing skills to foster a positive outcome and collaborating
      with their colleagues and peers to achieve the desired resolution. Whether caring
      for a patient during a liver transplantation or one undergoing removal of a cyst,
      perioperative nurses know that a drop in the blood pressure may signal a
      momentary phenomenon or a critical event that can become a crisis. It is
      important for nurses to understand how the color of the patient's tissue, the
      strength of a pulse, or the downward trending of blood pressure readings can
      affect how well blood is distributed throughout the body and eventually adversely
      affect cellular viability with prolonged hypotension. Integrating the patient's
      objective data (ie, blood pressure readings, pulse oximetry) and subjective cues
      (ie, skin color) are important perioperative nursing skills that demonstrate
      clinical patient advocacy and judgment and are crucial for the successful
      treatment of hypotension.

PMID- 26119611
TI  - Using Personality Indicators to Enhance Nurse Leader Communication.

PMID- 26119612
TI  - Auditing Clinical Practice: Ensuring High Reliability at an Australian Hospital.

PMID- 26119613
TI  - Speaking Up to Reduce Noise in the OR.

PMID- 26119615
TI  - Clostridium difficile Relapse Secondary to Medication Access Issue.

PMID- 26119616
TI  - Computer Simulation Shows the Effect of Communication on Day of Surgery Patient
      Flow.
AB  - To improve patient flow in a surgical environment, practitioners and academicians
      often use process mapping and simulation as tools to evaluate and recommend
      changes. We used simulations to help staff visualize the effect of communication
      and coordination delays that occur on the day of surgery. Perioperative services
      staff participated in tabletop exercises in which they chose the delays that were
      most important to eliminate. Using a day-of-surgery computer simulation model,
      the elimination of delays was tested and the results were shared with the group.
      This exercise, repeated for multiple groups of staff, provided an understanding
      of not only the dynamic events taking place, but also how small communication
      delays can contribute to a significant loss in efficiency and the ability to
      provide timely care. Survey results confirmed these understandings. 

PMID- 26119617
TI  - Pressure Mapping Comparison of Four OR Surfaces.
AB  - Mortality and health care costs associated with hospital-acquired pressure ulcers
      (HAPUs) increase yearly. After four hours of surgery, the risk of developing a
      pressure ulcer increases by 33% for every 30 minutes of surgery. Prolonged
      immobility, lower blood pressures, and increased surface interface pressure may
      hinder the blood supply delivered to the skin, eventually leading to pressure
      ulcers. We measured and compared four different OR surfaces to identify the most
      effective pressure redistribution surface for prolonged OR procedures. The best
      surface attributes that provide efficient pressure redistribution should have the
      following properties: the lowest average interface pressure, the lowest peak
      interface pressure, and the highest skin contact area. Although all surfaces had
      similar average interface pressures, the air-inflated static seat cushion had the
      best pressure redistribution properties in the sacral region compared with the
      other surfaces tested.

PMID- 26119618
TI  - 3-D Storybook: Effects on Surgical Knowledge and Anxiety Among Four- to Six-Year
      Old Surgical Patients.
AB  - Inadequate surgical knowledge potentiates anxiety; however, no methodology
      simultaneously addresses anxiety and surgical knowledge. Our quasi-experimental
      study determined the effectiveness of a three-dimensional (3-D) storybook in
      increasing surgical knowledge and decreasing anxiety among young children
      scheduled for planned or required major surgeries. We studied 20 randomly
      assigned participants who received either the 3-D storybook or traditional health
      teaching. A presurgical knowledge questionnaire and modified Yale Preoperative
      Anxiety Scale assessed surgical knowledge and anxiety. Data were analyzed with
      one-way and repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance. Results showed
      that both groups had higher knowledge scores (F = 8.94; P = .008) and lower
      anxiety scores (F = 5.13; P = .036) after the intervention. The children who
      received information from the 3-D storybook exhibited a significantly higher
      posttest knowledge score (F = 11.71; P = .003) and lower anxiety score (F =
      10.05; P = .005) than the traditionally educated group of children. The 3-D
      storybook effectively increased surgical knowledge and decreased anxiety and
      could be used as an alternative method to prepare pediatric surgical patients.

PMID- 26119619
TI  - Intra-operative digital specimen radiology reduces re-operation rates in
      therapeutic mammaplasty for breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate our experience with intra
      operative imaging of therapeutic mammaplasty specimens at Edinburgh Breast Unit.
      METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of patients who underwent
      therapeutic mammaplasty in Edinburgh Breast Unit between 2007 and 2013 who had
      intraoperative specimen radiography. RESULTS: 98 (100%) patients who underwent
      therapeutic mammaplasty for breast cancer had intra-operative imaging using the
      faxitron((r)) system. 3 out of those 97 (3%) patients had a re-operation because
      of positive margins confirmed pathologically on cavity excision specimens, but
      only 1 out of 3 (1%) patients had residual breast cancer present within the re
      excision specimen. None required mastectomy. Median age was 58 (range 34-81).
      Median follow up was 3.1 years (range 6 months - 5.5 years). There was no local
      recurrence or conversion to mastectomy in this group. CONCLUSION: Complete
      excision rate in patients who had intra-operative imaging during therapeutic
      mammaplsty procedure was 97% in our group. Faxitron((r)) system is a useful
      adjunct in helping to achieve low incomplete excision rates.

PMID- 26119620
TI  - Ion specificity of macromolecules in crowded environments.
AB  - Macromolecular crowding plays a significant role in the solubility and stability
      of biomacromolecules. In this work, the thermo-sensitive poly(N
      isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) has been employed as a model system to study the
      specific ion effects on the solubility of macromolecules in crowded environments
      of dextran and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Our study demonstrates that crowding
      agents can interact with either anions or PNIPAM chains. The chaotropic anion
      SCN(-) interacts with dextran but does not interact with PEG. Both Cl(-) and
      CH3COO(-) do not interact with dextran and PEG. On the other hand, dextran can
      interact with PNIPAM as a hydrogen-bond donor, whereas PEG interacts with PNIPAM
      as a hydrogen-bond acceptor. The salting-in effect exerted by SCN(-) on PNIPAM is
      weakened in the crowded environment of dextran but is strengthened in the crowded
      environment of PEG due to the distinct anion-crowder interactions. In parallel,
      the salting-out effect generated by Cl(-) and CH3COO(-) on PNIPAM is weakened by
      the crowding of dextran but is strengthened by the crowding of PEG because of the
      different macromolecule-crowder interactions. Our study reveals that the ion
      specificity of macromolecules is altered significantly changing from dilute
      solutions to crowded environments. 

PMID- 26119621
TI  - Electronic medical record analysis of emergency room visits and hospitalizations
      in individuals with epilepsy and mental illness comorbidity.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition that significantly
      increases risk of injury and premature death. Rates of mental illness are also
      disproportionately high in those with epilepsy, which can be attributed in part
      to the stress and stigma associated with epilepsy. Psychiatric conditions
      generally complicate the management of epilepsy, and understanding how
      psychiatric comorbidity affects use of crisis-based health resources could inform
      care approaches that help improve epilepsy care. To better understand effects of
      psychiatric comorbidity on epilepsy burden, we conducted a 5-year retrospective
      analysis of data from a large safety-net healthcare network and compared the
      occurrence of negative health events (NHEs), defined as emergency department (ED)
      visits and hospitalizations, among individuals with epilepsy and mental illness
      (E-MI) vs. those with epilepsy alone (E). METHODS: Electronic health record (EHR)
      data from a large Midwestern U.S. safety-net healthcare system were queried to
      identify a study population of adults >=18years with a diagnosis of epilepsy,
      with or without mental illness. We assessed demographic and clinical
      characteristics for each of the 5years and compared NHEs between subgroups with E
      MI vs. E. An additional analysis focused on those individuals who remained in the
      healthcare system over the entire 5-year study time frame (January, 2010 to
      December, 2014). Annual and cumulative NHE counts and hospital length of stay for
      individuals with E-MI and E were assessed, as were hospital discharge diagnoses.
      RESULTS: The number (approximately 2000) and demographic characteristics of
      individuals with epilepsy who received care each year of the study period was
      relatively consistent. In 2014, mean age of individuals with epilepsy was 48
      (range: 18-95), 48.2% were women, 51.5% were White, 37.9% were African-American,
      and 8.6% were Hispanic. In 2014, there were 1616 (78.6%) individuals in the
      subgroup with E and 439 (21.4%) in the subgroup with E-MI. Most clinical and
      demographic variables between the subgroups with E-MI and E were similar, except
      that individuals with E-MI were less likely to be employed or commercially
      insured. Overall, NHEs were common, with over 1/4 (27.5%) of all individuals with
      epilepsy having an ED visit during the year, 13.7% having hospitalization, and
      34.2% having either an ED visit or hospitalization. Individuals with E-MI had
      significantly more NHEs compared to individuals with epilepsy only, as evidenced
      by higher rates of any NHE (p<.001), ED visits (p<.001), and hospitalizations
      (p<.001). The cumulative differential in ED and hospital use between subgroups
      with E-MI and E was substantial over a 5-year time period. While most NHEs were
      directly related to seizures for the overall group, substance-use complications
      appeared as a top reason for hospitalization only in the group with E-MI.
      CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with E-MI made up just over 20% of all people with
      epilepsy in a safety-net system and had higher rates of NHEs than those without
      mental illness. Better and earlier identification of individuals with E-MI,
      assistance with self-management including helping individuals to optimize
      ambulatory care settings as opposed to the ED, and treatment for substance use
      disorders could eventually reduce NHEs in this vulnerable subgroup of individuals
      with epilepsy.

PMID- 26119622
TI  - Validation of diagnostic tests for depressive disorder in drug-resistant mesial
      temporal lobe epilepsy.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the Hamilton
      Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the
      Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression Scale-Depression subscale (HADS-D) as diagnostic tests for depressive
      disorder in drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal
      sclerosis (MTLE-HS). METHODS: One hundred three patients with drug-resistant MTLE
      HS were enrolled. All patients underwent a neurological examination, interictal
      and ictal video-electroencephalogram (V-EEG) analyses, and magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI). Psychiatric interviews were based on DSM-IV-TR criteria and ILAE
      Commission of Psychobiology classification as a gold standard; HRSD, BDI, HADS,
      and HADS-D were used as psychometric diagnostic tests, and receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal threshold scores.
      RESULTS: For all the scales, the areas under the curve (AUCs) were approximately
      0.8, and they were able to identify depression in this sample. A threshold of >=9
      on the HRSD and a threshold of >=8 on the HADS-D showed a sensitivity of 70% and
      specificity of 80%. A threshold of >=19 on the BDI and HADS-D total showed a
      sensitivity of 55% and a specificity of approximately 90%. The instruments showed
      a negative predictive value of approximately 87% and a positive predictive value
      of approximately 65% for the BDI and HADS total and approximately 60% for the
      HRSD and HADS-D. CONCLUSIONS: HRSD>=9 and HADS-D>=8 had the best balance between
      sensitivity (approximately 70%) and specificity (approximately 80%). However,
      with these thresholds, these diagnostic tests do not appear useful in identifying
      depressive disorder in this population with epilepsy, and their specificity
      (approximately 80%) and PPV (approximately 55%) were lower than those of the
      other scales. We believe that the BDI and HADS total are valid diagnostic tests
      for depressive disorder in patients with MTLE-HS, as both scales showed
      acceptable (though not high) specificity and PPV for this type of study.

PMID- 26119623
TI  - Factors influencing the photocatalytic activity of rutile TiO2 nanorods with
      different aspect ratios for dye degradation and Cr(VI) photoreduction.
AB  - Shape-controlled rutile TiO2 nanorods (NRs) with large {110} and small {111}
      exposed facets were prepared by hydrothermal treatment of a peroxo titanic acid
      (PTA) solution. The aspect ratio of the NRs was controlled by the pH of the PTA
      solution and the addition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or polyvinyl pyrrolidone
      (PVP). The spatial separation of reduction and oxidation sites, where {110}
      facets act as reduction sites and {111} facets as oxidation ones, was revealed by
      tracking the distribution of Pt and PbO2 deposited on the NR surfaces. The MB
      degradation activity depended on the aspect ratio of the rutile NRs because of
      the different separation efficiencies of photo-generated carriers on different
      facets. Meanwhile, the Cr(VI) reduction activity was governed by the slight shift
      of the conduction-band potential of the rutile NRs estimated from Mott-Schottky
      plots, which may be caused by the variation of the content of {110} facets in the
      rutile NRs. Among the prepared rutile NRs, the sample prepared using a PTA
      solution at pH 4 containing 10 mg of PVA showed higher activity for
      photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction than Degussa P25. These results provide a
      feasible method to design efficient TiO2 photocatalysts with tunable
      photoreactivity for environmental applications.

PMID- 26119624
TI  - Tests for detecting overdispersion in models with measurement error in
      covariates.
AB  - Measurement error in covariates can affect the accuracy in count data modeling
      and analysis. In overdispersion identification, the true mean-variance
      relationship can be obscured under the influence of measurement error in
      covariates. In this paper, we propose three tests for detecting overdispersion
      when covariates are measured with error: a modified score test and two score
      tests based on the proposed approximate likelihood and quasi-likelihood,
      respectively. The proposed approximate likelihood is derived under the classical
      measurement error model, and the resulting approximate maximum likelihood
      estimator is shown to have superior efficiency. Simulation results also show that
      the score test based on approximate likelihood outperforms the test based on
      quasi-likelihood and other alternatives in terms of empirical power. By analyzing
      a real dataset containing the health-related quality-of-life measurements of a
      particular group of patients, we demonstrate the importance of the proposed
      methods by showing that the analyses with and without measurement error
      correction yield significantly different results.

PMID- 26119625
TI  - The bacteriology of hidradenitis suppurativa: a systematic review.
AB  - Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disabling skin disease
      consisting of recurrent nodules, sinuses, fistulas and scarring involving the
      intertriginous regions. HS is often a therapeutic challenge and most treatments
      are off-label. A better understanding of aetiology and pathogenesis of HS may
      facilitate the development of effective treatment. Although the clinical
      presentation is strongly reminiscent of bacterial infection, the role of bacteria
      remains controversial. Studies have isolated an array of different bacteria
      specimens. Consistent findings of Gram-positive cocci and Gram-positive rods
      including Staphylococus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) and
      Corynebacterium species in deep tissue samples have been demonstrated in HS and
      may constitute a central target for the immune system. Efficacy of antibiotics,
      that is rifampicin, clindamycin or tetracycline, supports a microbial role in
      disease pathogenesis. However, these antibiotics also work as immunomodulators of
      especially T cells, and the underlying mechanisms may therefore be more complex.
      We performed a systematic review of previous studies investigating the bacterial
      flora in hidradenitis suppurativa. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Royal Danish
      Library and Cochrane library (search date 11 December 2014). A total of 66 papers
      were identified and nine papers published between 1988 and 2014 matched our
      inclusion criteria, yielding bacteriological data of a total of 324 patients with
      HS (mean age 36.8 years and female/male ratio 215/109). This overview of the
      bacteriology may aid researchers and physicians exploring the potential role of
      bacteria in HS. Furthermore, to stimulate a broader debate, we also present
      different viewpoints on the possible role of bacteria in HS. 

PMID- 26119626
TI  - Mercury concentrations in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
      inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon, Florida: Patterns of spatial and temporal
      distribution.
AB  - Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon, FL
      (IRL) have tissue mercury concentrations among the highest reported worldwide.
      Analysis of total mercury (THg) concentrations in blood collected between 2003
      and 2012 showed a significant linear decrease over time (p=0.04). Significant
      differences in the spatial distribution of THg in resident IRL dolphins were also
      observed with a general gradient in concentration from north to south. Evaluation
      of local biogeochemistry and accumulation of mercury in prey species is needed to
      better understand factors influencing the distribution of Hg in the apex
      predator. Analyses of temporal and spatial patterns of exposure to THg in this
      sentinel species may have implications for both ecosystem and public health in
      the region. 

PMID- 26119627
TI  - Short-term impact of deep sand extraction and ecosystem-based landscaping on
      macrozoobenthos and sediment characteristics.
AB  - We studied short-term changes in macrozoobenthos in a 20m deep borrow pit. A
      boxcorer was used to sample macrobenthic infauna and a bottom sledge was used to
      sample macrobenthic epifauna. Sediment characteristics were determined from the
      boxcore samples, bed shear stress and near-bed salinity were estimated with a
      hydrodynamic model. Two years after the cessation of sand extraction,
      macrozoobenthic biomass increased fivefold in the deepest areas. Species
      composition changed significantly and white furrow shell (Abra alba) became
      abundant. Several sediment characteristics also changed significantly in the
      deepest parts. Macrozoobenthic species composition and biomass significantly
      correlated with time after cessation of sand extraction, sediment and
      hydrographical characteristics. Ecosystem-based landscaped sand bars were found
      to be effective in influencing sediment characteristics and macrozoobenthic
      assemblage. Significant changes in epifauna occurred in deepest parts in 2012
      which coincided with the highest sedimentation rate. We recommend continuing
      monitoring to investigate medium and long-term impacts. 

PMID- 26119628
TI  - Pollutant tracking for 3 Western North Atlantic sea grasses by remote sensing:
      Preliminary diminishing white light responses of Thalassia testudinum, Halodule
      wrightii, and Zostera marina.
AB  - Sea grasses are foundation species for estuarine ecosystems. The available light
      for sea grasses diminishes rapidly during pollutant spills, effluent releases,
      disturbances such as intense riverine input, and tidal changes. We studied how
      sea grasses' remote-sensing signatures and light-capturing ability respond to
      short term light alterations. In vivo responses were measured over the entire
      visible-light spectra to diminishing white-light on whole-living-plants' spectral
      reflectance, including 6h of full oceanic-light fluences from 10% to 100%. We
      analyzed differences by various reflectance indices. We compared the sea grasses
      species responses of tropical vs. temperate and intertidals (Halodule wrightii,
      and Zostera marina) vs. subtidal (Thalassia testudinum). Reflectance diminished
      with decreasing light intensity that coincided with greater accessory pigment
      stimulation (anthocyanin, carotenoids, xanthins). Chlorophyll a and Chlorophyll b
      differed significantly among species (Thalassia vs. Halodule). Photosynthetic
      efficiency diminished at high light intensities. The NDVI index was inadequate to
      perceive these differences. Our results demonstrate the leaf-level utility of
      data to remote sensing for mapping sea grass and sea grass stress. 

PMID- 26119629
TI  - THE IMPACT OF SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS ON QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC
      KIDNEY DISEASE IN GREECE.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quality of Life (QoL) is often poor in people undergoing dialysis and
      this sometimes contributes to the high rate of morbidity and mortality. The aim
      of our study is to assess the QoL of patients on haemodialysis in Greece and
      discuss the socio-demographic factors that affect QoL in this period of financial
      crisis. DESIGN/PATIENTS: Patients with CKD not on dialysis, plus those undergoing
      Haemodialysis (HD) and Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) were invited to complete the SF
      36 questionnaire electronically, supervised by a trained nurse. Patients were
      asked about their marital status, education level and monthly household income.
      Additionally, patients were requested to comment on their subjective financial
      difficulties. RESULTS: A total of 172 patients were enrolled in the study, 39 of
      them were undergoing PD, 90 on HD and 43 had CKD. Among those with CKD, on HD and
      PD, 9.3%, 17.8% and 23.1%, respectively, had 'some/a lot' difficulties in copying
      with financial problems. The physical component summary score was significant
      lower in HD, while the summary score of the mental component showed no
      differences between the groups. In multiple linear regression analysis, age and
      dialysis had significantly negative correlations with physical functioning
      scores. Those who were divorced or widowed tended to perform worse in physical
      scores compared with those who were married. Mental scores were affected only by
      coping with financial difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: In general terms, people with
      CKD patients present with a poor QoL. Apart from the burden of the renal disease
      per se, social and economic factors (divorce, financial difficulties) seem to
      aggravate their status, especially in this period of financial crisis.

PMID- 26119630
TI  - Calcium phosphate nanocoatings and nanocomposites, part I: recent developments
      and advancements in tissue engineering and bioimaging.
AB  - A number of materials have been applied as implant coatings and as tissue
      regeneration materials. Calcium phosphate holds a special consideration, due to
      its chemical similarity to human bone and, most importantly, its dissolution
      characteristics, which allow for bone growth and regeneration. The applications
      of molecular and nanoscale-based biological materials have been and will continue
      to play an ever increasing role in enhancing and improving the osseointegration
      of dental and orthopedic implants. More recently, extensive research efforts have
      been focused on the development and applications of fluorescent nanoparticles and
      nanocoatings for in vivo imaging and diagnostics as well as devising methods of
      adding luminescent or fluorescent capabilities to enhance the in vivo
      functionality of calcium phosphate-based biomedical materials. 

PMID- 26119631
TI  - Which shoulder motions cause subacromial impingement? Evaluating the vertical
      displacement and peak strain of the coracoacromial ligament by ultrasound speckle
      tracking imaging.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Subacromial impingement is a common cause of shoulder pain and one
      cause of rotator cuff disease. We aimed to identify which shoulder motions cause
      subacromial impingement by measuring the vertical displacement and peak strain of
      the coracoacromial ligament using ultrasound speckle tracking imaging. METHODS:
      Sixteen shoulders without shoulder disability were enrolled. All subjects were
      men, and the average age was 28.6 years. The vertical displacement and peak
      strain of the coracoacromial ligament were analyzed by the motion tracing program
      during the following active assisted motions (active motion controlled by the
      examiner): (1) forward flexion in the scapular plane, (2) horizontal abduction in
      the axial plane, (3) external rotation with the arm at 0 degrees  abduction
      (ER0), (4) internal rotation with the arm at 0 degrees  abduction (IR0), (5)
      internal rotation with the arm at 90 degrees  abduction (IR90), and (6) internal
      rotation at the back (IRB). RESULTS: The mean vertical displacement of the
      coracoacromial ligament during forward flexion (2.2 mm), horizontal abduction
      (2.2 mm), and IR90 (2.4 mm) was significantly greater than that during the other
      motions (ER0, -0.7 mm; IR0, 0.5 mm; IRB, 1.0 mm; P < .003). The mean peak strain
      was significantly higher in forward flexion (6.88%), horizontal abduction
      (6.58%), and IR90 (4.88%) than with the other motions (ER0, 1.42%; IR0, 1.78%;
      IRB, 2.61%; P < .003). CONCLUSIONS: Forward flexion, horizontal abduction, and
      IR90 showed higher vertical displacement and peak strain of the coracoacromial
      ligament, causing subacromial impingement. It is recommended that patients with
      impingement syndrome or a repaired rotator cuff avoid these shoulder motions.

PMID- 26119632
TI  - Assessment of the optimal shoulder outcome score for reverse shoulder
      arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With growing attention being paid to quality and cost-effectiveness
      in health care, outcome evaluations are becoming increasingly important. This
      determination can be especially difficult in reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA)
      given the complex pathology and extensive disabilities in this patient
      population. This study evaluated the use of 3 validated questionnaires used to
      assess outcomes for RSA. METHODS: Using a database of patients treated with RSA,
      we assessed preoperative and postoperative Constant-Murley Scores, American
      Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Scores, and Subjective Shoulder Values in 148
      shoulders. The outcomes at each scoring period were described, and the scores
      were compared with one another as well as with active range of motion. RESULTS:
      There were no significant differences in the mean improvement of any of the
      scores. Improvements in all of the outcome scales were correlated with each other
      and with improvement in forward elevation but not with external rotation.
      Multivariate regression analysis the 3 outcome measures was able to predict 38.9%
      of the variation in improvement in functional outcomes (forward elevation). This
      was only slightly greater than that provided by improvements in the outcome
      variable Constant-Murley score alone (36.7%). CONCLUSIONS: The 3 shoulder outcome
      scores evaluated, regardless of whether they were patient reported or physician
      based, appear to appropriately reflect improvements after RSA with equal
      validity. The objective physician-assessed Constant-Murley score had the
      strongest correlation with function of the arm, and use of a combination of all 3
      outcome scores did not increase the ability to predict range of motion compared
      with using the Constant-Murley score alone.

PMID- 26119633
TI  - The management of recurrent shoulder instability in patients with epilepsy: a 15
      year experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to review our experience with recurrent
      shoulder instability in epileptic patients and to discuss factors influencing its
      management. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted at a single facility.
      All patients with epilepsy and recurrent shoulder instability were included for
      study. RESULTS: A consecutive series of 33 patients with 49 unstable shoulders
      presented during a 15-year period. Mean age at the time of the index dislocation
      was 20 years (range, 9-31). There were 24 patients with 36 anteriorly unstable
      shoulders, 6 patients with 8 posteriorly unstable shoulders, and 3 patients with
      5 multidirectionally unstable shoulders. A large Hill-Sachs lesion was present in
      21 shoulders. Glenoid bone loss was seen in 11 cases and involved >25% of the
      anterior-inferior margin in 6 cases and >50% in 2 cases. Thirty-six shoulders in
      31 patients underwent surgery. Ongoing postoperative instability was found in 61%
      (22 of 36 shoulders) of the anterior group, 38% (3 of 8 shoulders) of the
      posterior group, and 40% (2 of 5 shoulders) of the multidirectional group.
      Skeletal reconstruction was found to be associated with a significantly lower
      rate of recurrence compared with an isolated soft tissue repair (P = .004).
      Glenohumeral arthrosis was found in 17 patients (22 shoulders) a mean of 12 years
      (range, 5-20) after the index dislocation. CONCLUSION: The presence of bone loss
      and degenerative changes are the principal factors affecting the specific
      surgical strategy employed to treat shoulder instability in patients with
      epilepsy.

PMID- 26119635
TI  - Anatomical study of the infraorbital foramen: A basis for successful infraorbital
      nerve block.
AB  - Detailed knowledge of variations of the infraorbital foramen (IOF) and the
      establishment of a constant reference point for needle insertion are important
      for safe and successful regional block and for avoiding iatrogenic injury to the
      nerve during surgery in the midfacial region. Infraorbital foramina from 133
      sides of 67 dry intact adult skulls of undetermined gender were examined for
      variations in shape, number, location in relation to bony landmarks, and
      relationship to the maxillary teeth. The angles of needle insertion in the
      sagittal and Frankfurt planes were determined. The infraorbital foramina were
      located at an average distance of 6.33 +/- 1.39 mm below the infraorbital margin,
      25.69 +/- 2.37 mm from the median plane, 15.19 +/- 1.70 mm from the lateral
      margin of the piriform aperture, and 28.41 +/- 2.82 mm above the maxillary
      alveolar border. The average angles of needle insertion through the IOF with the
      sagittal and Frankfurt planes were 21.14 degrees  +/- 10.10 degrees  and 31.79
      degrees  +/- 7.68 degrees , respectively. Multiple foramina were found in 21% of
      the hemi-skulls. The foramen was less than 2 mm in size in 23.31% of the hemi
      skulls. The position of the IOF with respect to the maxillary teeth varied from
      the interval between the canine and first premolar to the first molar, but in
      half of the specimens it lay in line with the second maxillary premolar tooth.
      The observations made in this study should be useful for planning infraorbital
      nerve block or surgery around the IOF.

PMID- 26119634
TI  - 3D scapular orientation on healthy and pathologic subjects using
      stereoradiographs during arm elevation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alterations of the scapular kinematics in different pathologic
      conditions have been widely studied. However, results have shown considerable
      discrepancies concerning the direction and the amplitude of scapular movement.
      The lack of consistency in the literature probably has several explanations. The
      purpose of this study was to analyze scapular orientation with the arm at rest
      and with 90 degrees  lateral elevation in healthy and pathologic subjects by use
      of stereoradiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All participants (n = 65) underwent
      a clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging of the shoulder to assess
      rotator cuff status. Participants were separated into 3 groups: healthy, rotator
      cuff tear (RCT), and RCT and subacromial impingement syndrome (RCT+ SIS). A 3
      dimensional model of the scapula was fitted to each low-dose stereoradiograph
      acquired with the arm at rest and 90 degrees  arm elevation. RESULTS: Orientation
      of the scapula with the arm at rest was not significantly different between
      groups. During lateral elevation, scapular orientation was not significantly
      different between the healthy group and the RCT group. However, upward rotation
      was significantly reduced in the RCT + SIS group. CONCLUSION: Alterations of
      scapular kinematics in symptomatic subjects are multifactorial. We observed a
      link between clinically assessed subacromial impingement and scapular orientation
      during lateral elevation of the arm.

PMID- 26119636
TI  - Calling all Campy--how routine investigation and molecular characterization
      impacts the understanding of campylobacteriosis epidemiology--Alaska, United
      States, 2004-2013.
AB  - Unlike most jurisdictions in the United States, Alaska performs pulsed-field gel
      electrophoresis (PFGE) characterization of all Campylobacter sp. isolates at the
      state public health laboratory--a practice that started in 2002. Moreover, in
      order to ensure early detection and response to campylobacteriosis outbreaks, the
      Alaska Section of Epidemiology has investigated all incident Campylobacter sp.
      case reports since 2004. This report summarizes the public health impact of
      routine incident case investigations and molecular characterization of all
      Campylobacter sp. isolates. In sum, we found that these efforts have contributed
      to better characterization of the epidemiology of campylobacteriosis in Alaska,
      and facilitated more rapid outbreak detection, more public health investigations,
      and earlier public health interventions.

PMID- 26119637
TI  - Exploring the potential of sequential simulation.
AB  - CONTEXT: Several recent papers have highlighted the need for better integrated
      care to improve health care for children and families. Our team spent a year
      exploring the potential of 'Sequential Simulation' (SqS) as a teaching tool to
      address this need with young people and multidisciplinary teams. SqS allows the
      simulation of a series of key events or 'crunch points' that come together to
      represent the patient journey, and highlights the impact of individuals on this
      journey. The pilot SqS was based on an adolescent with asthma - a common
      condition that requires excellent multidisciplinary care with the patient at the
      centre. INNOVATION: The SqS was designed using transportable sets and audio
      visual equipment to create realism. Actors were employed to play the roles of the
      young person and mother and health professionals played themselves. The SqS was
      run at different events with varied audiences, including young people, health
      professionals and teachers. It was used to explore the difficulties that can
      arise during a patient journey, the importance of communication throughout, and
      to highlight the significance of each individual in the patient experience.
      RESULTS: The SqS was met with enthusiasm and felt to be an innovative and
      effective way of promoting better teamwork and communication. It was well
      received at a school asthma education event for pupils and community teams,
      demonstrating its varied potential. The year was the first step in the
      introduction of this exciting new concept that has the potential to help promote
      better integrated care for paediatric patients and their families. Our team spent
      a year exploring the potential of 'Sequential Simulation' as a teaching tool [to
      provide better integrated care].

PMID- 26119638
TI  - Highly stable Na2/3 (Mn0.54 Ni0.13 Co0.13 )O2 cathode modified by atomic layer
      deposition for sodium-ion batteries.
AB  - For the first time, atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Al2 O3 was adopted to
      enhance the cyclic stability of layered P2-type Na2/3 (Mn0.54 Ni0.13 Co0.13 )O2
      (MNC) cathodes for use in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Discharge capacities of
      approximately 120, 123, 113, and 105 mA h g(-1) were obtained for the pristine
      electrode and electrodes coated with 2, 5, and 10 ALD cycles, respectively. All
      electrodes were cycled at the 1C discharge current rate for voltages between 2
      and 4.5 V in 1 M NaClO4 electrolyte. Among the electrodes tested, the Al2 O3
      coating from 2 ALD cycles (MNC-2) exhibited the best electrochemical stability
      and rate capability, whereas the electrode coated by 10 ALD cycles (MNC-10)
      displayed the highest columbic efficiency (CE), which exceeded 97 % after 100
      cycles. The enhanced electrochemical stability observed for ALD-coated electrodes
      could be a result of the protection effects and high band-gap energy (Eg =9.00
      eV) of the Al2 O3 coating layer. Additionally, the metal-oxide coating provides
      structural stability against mechanical stresses occurring during the cycling
      process. The capacity, cyclic stability, and rate performance achieved for the
      MNC electrode coated with 2 ALD cycles of Al2 O3 reveal the best results for
      SIBs. This study provides a promising route toward increasing the stability and
      CE of electrode materials for SIB application. 

PMID- 26119639
TI  - Carotid Subclavian Bypass and Stent Grafting for Mycotic Pseudoaneurysm of Right
      Subclavian Artery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The occurrence of mycotic pseudoaneurysms of the subclavian artery
      (SA) is rare. Only 3 cases of a combined open and endovascular treatment of true
      SA aneurysms have been reported. Conventional treatment for SA pseudoaneurysms is
      invasive thoracic surgery. Ours is a novel approach for mycotic pseudoaneurysm.
      METHODS: A 72 year-old man with gastric cancer developed vocal cord paralysis
      because of a mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the right SA, after Hickman line
      insertion. Because of the close proximity between the pseudoaneurysm at the
      origin of the SA and the innominate and common carotid arteries, a combined
      endovascular and open carotid SA bypass was performed. RESULTS: At 1-year follow
      up, he recovered well, remained cancer-free, with resolution of the
      pseudoaneurysm. Both the anastomoses and stents remained widely patent.
      CONCLUSIONS: This case represents the first reported successful treatment of a
      mycotic SA pseudoaneurysm through a combined open bypass and covered stenting,
      with encouraging outcomes at 1-year follow-up.

PMID- 26119640
TI  - Ruptured Mycotic Aortic Aneurysm after Bacille Calmette-Guerin Therapy.
AB  - To report a case of a ruptured mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysm (MAA) after
      intravesical Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) therapy because of bladder carcinoma.
      A 57-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital for follow-up computed
      tomography 14 months after transurethral resection of a papillary carcinoma of
      the bladder and intravesical BCG therapy. The CT scan revealed a ruptured MAA
      aneurysm and the patient underwent an endovascular repair with an aorto-bi-iliac
      stent graft. A ruptured MAA is a rare but lethal complication after BCG
      instillation therapy. The standard therapy is the open reconstruction but
      according to the literature an endovascular therapy in combination with long-term
      antibiotics should be considered as a bridging or a definite solution. 

PMID- 26119641
TI  - Review of pharmacotherapy options for the management of obesity.
AB  - PURPOSE: To highlight the prevalence and impact of obesity in the United States
      and provide nurse practitioners (NPs) with an overview of pharmacotherapy options
      for treatment of overweight and obese individuals. DATA SOURCE: A comprehensive
      review of the literature was conducted using multiple databases, including
      PubMed, MEDLINE, and Ovid. Keywords used to obtain relevant articles included
      obesity and drug, or orlistat, topiramate/phentermine, lorcaserin,
      bupropion/naltrexone, and liraglutide. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is a prevalent
      disease with more than two thirds of Americans being considered overweight and
      one third being obese. Obesity places patients at an increased risk for many
      comorbidities that impact patient health as well as public health. There are
      currently five approved medications for the chronic management of obesity, two of
      which were approved in 2014. These pharmacological therapies are options to aid
      weight loss in patients that are obese or those who are overweight with
      additional risk factors. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: NPs can assist patients
      struggling with their weight. With new pharmacotherapy options, there is an
      opportunity to add to diet and exercise in order to achieve increased weight
      loss. A decrease in obesity would potentially alleviate the burden on the
      healthcare system, both socially and economically, and improve patient quality of
      life.

PMID- 26119643
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26119642
TI  - Chronic Pain in HIV-Infected Patients: Relationship to Depression, Substance Use,
      and Mental Health and Pain Treatment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: As the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy, HIV has become
      a chronic disease for most individuals in developed countries. Chronic pain is a
      common occurrence for HIV-infected patients and has an impact on quality of life
      and antiretroviral adherence. The objective of this study was to examine
      relationships between chronic pain and depression, substance use, mental health
      treatment, and pain treatment in HIV-infected patients. DESIGN: Cross-sectional
      study. SETTING: Three primary care sites where HIV+ patients receive treatment.
      SUBJECTS: Two hundred and thirty eight HIV-infected primary care patients.
      METHODS: We collected self-report and chart-review information on demographics,
      HIV clinical status, chronic pain, depression, substance use, mental health
      treatment, and pain treatment. We collected data between October 2012 and
      November 2013. RESULTS: Of the patients enrolled in this study, 107 reported no
      chronic pain, 24 reported mild chronic pain, and 107 reported moderate-severe
      chronic pain. Participants in the moderate-severe pain group were more likely to
      have high levels of depressive symptoms than those in the no chronic pain group.
      Similarly, there was a significant relationship between chronic pain status and
      interference with life activities due to pain. Participants with moderate-severe
      chronic pain were more likely to be taking an antidepressant medication than
      those with mild chronic pain, and more likely to be taking a prescription opioid
      than the other two groups. We did not find a significant relationship between
      problematic substance use and chronic pain status. CONCLUSIONS: Despite
      pharmacologic treatment, moderate-severe chronic pain and elevated depression
      symptoms are common among HIV-infected patients and frequently co-occur.

PMID- 26119645
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26119644
TI  - Introduction: Role of mental health professionals in the care of infertile
      patients.
AB  - The authors of this Views and Reviews describe the evolution of the role of
      mental health counseling in infertility care. As the use of assisted reproductive
      technologies and third-party reproduction has grown, so too has the interest and
      demand for mental health services. A historical perspective is presented that
      sets the stage for subsequent discussions of key areas where mental health
      practitioners are able to contribute to the utility and outcomes of infertile
      patients as well as those involved in their care. This series of articles
      stresses the value of more comprehensive integration of mental health support
      into infertility practice and highlights practical opportunities to do so. 

PMID- 26119646
TI  - Endoscopic extraction of Fasciolopsis buski presenting as acute upper GI bleeding
      in a child.

PMID- 26119647
TI  - Novel technique for the management of staple line leaks after sleeve gastrectomy.

PMID- 26119648
TI  - Novel endoscopic approach for a large intraluminal duodenal ("windsock")
      diverticulum.

PMID- 26119649
TI  - Endoscopic management of stomal stenosis after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

PMID- 26119650
TI  - Double peroral endoscopic myotomy for achalasia.

PMID- 26119651
TI  - Role of Narrowband Ultraviolet B Phototherapy in the Treatment of Childhood
      Psoriasis in Asian Children.
AB  - Narrowband ultraviolet B (NBUVB) phototherapy is a well-established treatment
      modality for psoriasis. We performed a retrospective analysis of children of East
      Asian descent with psoriasis treated with NBUVB phototherapy at the National Skin
      Centre, Singapore, over a 5-year period between 2004 and 2008 and found that
      NBUVB phototherapy is safe and effective for the treatment of psoriasis in
      children of East Asian descent.

PMID- 26119652
TI  - Robotic liver resection for malignancy: Current status, oncologic outcomes,
      comparison to laparoscopy, and future applications.
AB  - Utilization of robotic techniques for resection of the liver is slowly gaining
      acceptance in specific situations and is now being applied to more challenging
      endeavors, such as major hepatectomy for cancer. This review provides a summary
      of robotic applications in liver surgery, with specific attention perioperative
      outcomes, oncologic outcomes, cost, and comparison to conventional laparoscopic
      techniques of liver resection. We also discuss future applications of robotic
      assisted liver surgery.

PMID- 26119653
TI  - Predictors and Outcomes of Routine Versus Optimal Medical Therapy in Stable
      Coronary Heart Disease.
AB  - Although randomized studies have shown optimal medical therapy (OMT) to be as
      efficacious as revascularization in stable coronary heart disease (CHD), the
      application of OMT in routine practice is suboptimal. We sought to understand the
      predictors of receiving OMT in stable CHD and its impact on clinical outcomes.
      All patients with stable CHD based on coronary angiography from October 2008 to
      September 2011 were identified in Ontario, Canada. OMT was defined as concurrent
      use of beta blocker, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor
      blocker, and statin. Aspirin use was not part of the OMT definition because of
      database limitations. Multivariable hierarchical logistic models identified
      predictors of OMT in the 12 months after angiography. Cox proportional hazard
      models with time-varying covariates for OMT and revascularization status examined
      differences in death and nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI). In these models,
      patients transitioned among 4 mutually exclusive treatment groups: no OMT and no
      revascularization, no OMT and revascularization, OMT and no revascularization,
      OMT and revascularization. Our cohort had 20,663 patients. Over a mean period of
      2.5 years, 8.7% had died. Only 61% received OMT within 12 months. The strongest
      predictor of receiving OMT at 12 months was OMT before the angiogram (odds ratio
      14.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] 13.17 to 15.75, p <0.001). Relative to no OMT
      and nonrevascularized patients, patients on OMT and revascularized had the
      greatest reduction in mortality (hazard ratio 0.52, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.60, p
      <0.001) and nonfatal MI (hazard ratio 0.74, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.84, p <0.001). In
      conclusion, our study highlights the low rate of OMT in stable CHD. Patients who
      received both OMT and revascularization achieved the greatest reduction in
      mortality and nonfatal MI. 

PMID- 26119654
TI  - On-Statin Resistin, Leptin, and Risk of Recurrent Coronary Events After
      Hospitalization for an Acute Coronary Syndrome (from the Pravastatin or
      Atorvastatin Evaluation and Infection Therapy-Thrombolysis in Myocardial
      Infarction 22 Study).
AB  - Resistin is an adipokine secreted by macrophages and inflammatory cells linked to
      insulin resistance and inflammation. Leptin is an adipokine regulator of appetite
      and obesity. Although circulating levels of both have been associated with
      atherosclerosis, few data have reported their relation to coronary events in the
      context of statin therapy. This study measured on-statin levels of both resistin
      and leptin through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a nested case-control
      cohort (n = 176 cases with coronary death, myocardial infarction, or unstable
      angina pectoris observed in follow-up matched 1:1 to 176 controls) derived from
      the Pravastatin or Atorvastatin Evaluation and Infection Therapy-Thrombolysis in
      Myocardial Infarction 22 study, a randomized controlled trial of atorvastatin 80
      mg/day versus pravastatin 40 mg/day in patients with a recent acute coronary
      syndrome. Resistin demonstrated a moderate association with high-sensitivity C
      reactive protein (hsCRP; Spearman rho = 0.25, p <0.0001). On-statin resistin
      levels were linked to recurrent coronary events in conditional logistic
      regression analysis adjusted for additional risk factors including hsCRP and
      history of diabetes (tertile 3 vs 1 adjusted odds ratio 2.08; 95% confidence
      interval [CI] 1.04 to 4.19). An additive risk was noted when patients were
      stratified by resistin and glycated hemoglobin levels. In contrast, leptin levels
      were associated with obesity, diabetes, triglycerides, and hsCRP (p <0.001 for
      each) but demonstrated no association with recurrent coronary events (tertile 3
      vs 1 adjusted odds ratio 0.72; 95% CI 0.28 to 1.83). In conclusion, on-statin
      resistin, but not leptin, is an independent marker of residual risk for recurrent
      coronary events in patients after hospitalization for an acute coronary syndrome.

PMID- 26119655
TI  - Meta-Analysis of Comparison of the Newer Oral P2Y12 Inhibitors (Prasugrel or
      Ticagrelor) to Clopidogrel in Patients With Non-ST-Elevation Acute Coronary
      Syndrome.
AB  - Newer oral P2Y12 inhibitors are more potent and have faster onset of action than
      clopidogrel. However, the efficacy and safety in patients with non-ST-elevation
      acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) are not well studied. A systemic search of
      MEDLINE and EMBASE databases was performed to identify randomized clinical trials
      comparing newer oral P2Y12 inhibitors (prasugrel or ticagrelor) to clopidogrel in
      patients with NSTE-ACS. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular
      death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke (major cardiovascular events
      [MACE]). Secondary outcomes were individual components of the primary outcome,
      all-cause mortality, and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) major and
      minor bleeding. A total of 31,470 patients with NSTE-ACS from 4 randomized
      clinical trials were included (newer oral P2Y12 inhibitors: 15,951; clopidogrel:
      15,519). Newer oral P2Y12 inhibitors significantly decreased MACE (relative risk
      [RR] 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.80 to 0.95) and MI (RR 0.85, 95% CI
      0.75 to 0.96) and showed a trend toward reduction of cardiovascular death (RR
      0.89, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.01). There was a significant increase in TIMI major
      bleeding (RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.50) and TIMI major or minor bleeding (RR
      1.20, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.42). Results were largely similar when stratified by
      ticagrelor versus prasugrel (pinteraction >0.05) except for increased TIMI
      major/minor bleeding with prasugrel than ticagrelor (pinteraction = 0.01). In
      conclusion, in patients with NSTE-ACS, newer oral P2Y12 inhibitors decrease MACE
      and MI at the expense of a significant increase in the risk of bleeding.
      Treatment of 1,000 patients with newer oral P2Y12 inhibitors will prevent 16 MACE
      and 13 MIs at the expense of increase in 6 major bleeding events. 

PMID- 26119656
TI  - The neutrophil function and lymphocyte profile of milk from bovine mammary glands
      infected with Streptococcus dysgalactiae.
AB  - Streptococcus dysgalactiae is a bacterium that accounts for a notable proportion
      of both clinical and subclinical intramammary infections (IMIs). Thus, the
      present study explores the function of milk neutrophils and the lymphocyte
      profile in mammary glands naturally infected with Streptococcus dysgalactiae.
      Here, we used 32 culture-negative control quarters from eight clinically healthy
      dairy cows with low somatic cell counts and 13 S. dysgalactiae-infected quarters
      from six dairy cows. Using flow cytometry, we evaluated the percentage of milk
      monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils, expression of CD62L, CD11b and CD44 by
      milk neutrophils, the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      production and phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus by milk neutrophils, and
      neutrophil viability. Furthermore, the percentages of B cell (CD21(+)) and T
      lymphocyte subsets (CD3(+)/CD4(+)/CD8(-); CD3(+)/CD8(+)/CD4(-); and CD3(+)/CD8(
      )/CD4(-)), and the expression of CD25 by T milk lymphocytes (CD3(+)) and T CD4(+)
      milk cells were also assessed by flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies. The
      present study showed a higher SCC and percentage of milk neutrophils, and a
      decrease in the percentage of milk monocytes/macrophages from S. dysgalactiae
      infected quarters when compared to uninfected ones. We also observed a higher
      expression of CD11b by milk neutrophils and a tendency toward a decrease in
      neutrophil apoptosis rate in S. dysgalactiae-infected quarters. In addition, the
      S. dysgalactiae-infected quarters had higher percentages of milk T cells (CD3(+))
      and their subset CD3(+)CD8(+)CD4(-) cells. Overall, the present study provided
      new insights into S. dysgalactiae IMIs, including distinct lymphocyte profiles,
      and a tendency toward an inhibition of apoptosis in milk neutrophils.

PMID- 26119657
TI  - Flexible flapping wings with self-organized microwrinkles.
AB  - Bio-inspired flapping wings with a wrinkled wing membrane were designed and
      fabricated. The wings consist of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic frames and a
      polymer film with microscale wrinkles inspired by bird feathers and the
      corrugations of insect wings. The flexural and tensile stiffness of the wrinkled
      film can be controlled by modifying the orientations and waveforms of the
      wrinkles, thereby expanding the design space of flexible wings for micro flapping
      wing aerial robots. A self-organization phenomenon was exploited in the
      fabrication of the microwrinkles such that microscale wrinkles spanning a broad
      wing area were spontaneously created. The wavy shape of these self-organized
      wrinkles was used as a mould, and a Parylene film was deposited onto the mould to
      form a wrinkled wing film. The effect of the waveforms of the wrinkles on the
      film stiffness was investigated theoretically, computationally and
      experimentally. Compared with a flat film, the flexural stiffness was increased
      by two orders of magnitude, and the tensile stiffness was reduced by two orders
      of magnitude. To demonstrate the effect of the wrinkles on the actual deformation
      of the flapping wings and the resulting aerodynamic forces, the fabricated
      wrinkled wings were tested using a tethered electric flapping mechanism.
      Chordwise unidirectional wrinkles were found to prevent fluttering near the
      trailing edge and to produce a greater aerodynamic lift compared with a flat wing
      or a wing with spanwise wrinkles. Our results suggest that the fine stiffness
      control of the wing film that can be achieved by tuning the microwrinkles can
      improve the aerodynamic performance of future flapping-wing aerial robots. 

PMID- 26119658
TI  - Scientific Fireworks to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Burgenstock
      Conference.

PMID- 26119659
TI  - Biomass Oxidation: Formyl C-H Bond Activation by the Surface Lattice Oxygen of
      Regenerative CuO Nanoleaves.
AB  - An integrated experimental and computational investigation reveals that surface
      lattice oxygen of copper oxide (CuO) nanoleaves activates the formyl C-H bond in
      glucose and incorporates itself into the glucose molecule to oxidize it to
      gluconic acid. The reduced CuO catalyst regains its structure, morphology, and
      activity upon reoxidation. The activity of lattice oxygen is shown to be superior
      to that of the chemisorbed oxygen on the metal surface and the hydrogen
      abstraction ability of the catalyst is correlated with the adsorption energy.
      Based on the present investigation, it is suggested that surface lattice oxygen
      is critical for the oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid, without further
      breaking down the glucose molecule into smaller fragments, because of C-C
      cleavage. Using CuO nanoleaves as catalyst, an excellent yield of gluconic acid
      is also obtained for the direct oxidation of cellobiose and polymeric cellulose,
      as biomass substrates.

PMID- 26119661
TI  - Inhibition of abscission layer formation by an interaction of two seed-shattering
      loci, sh4 and qSH3, in rice.
AB  - Loss of seed shattering was one of the key phenotypic changes selected for in the
      domestication of many crop species. Asian cultivated rice, Oryza sativa L., was
      domesticated from its wild ancestor, O. rufipogon, and three seed-shattering
      loci, qSH1, sh4 and qSH3, have been reported to be involved in the loss of seed
      shattering in cultivated rice. Here, we analysed the seed-shattering behaviour of
      wild rice using introgression lines carrying the cultivated alleles from O.
      sativa Nipponbare in the genetic background of wild rice, O. rufipogon W630. We
      first carried out fine mapping of the qSH3 region and found that the qSH3 locus
      is localized in an 850-kb region on chromosome 3. We then analysed the effects of
      the Nipponbare alleles at sh4 and qSH3 on seed-shattering behaviour in wild rice,
      as a mutation at qSH1 was not commonly found in rice cultivars. Seed-shattering
      behaviour did not change in the two types of introgression line independently
      carrying the Nipponbare-homozygous alleles at sh4 or qSH3 in the genetic
      background of wild rice. However, the introgression lines having the Nipponbare
      homozygous alleles at both sh4 and qSH3 showed a reduction in the degree of seed
      shattering. Histological and scanning electron microscopy analyses revealed that
      abscission layer formation was inhibited around the vascular bundles in these
      lines. Since the qSH3 region, as well as sh4, has been shown to be under
      artificial selection, the interaction of mutations at these two loci may have
      played a role in the initial loss of seed shattering during rice domestication. 

PMID- 26119660
TI  - Effects of intra- and interspecific competition on the sensitivity of Daphnia
      magna populations to the fungicide carbendazim.
AB  - The ecological risk assessment of pesticides is generally based on toxicity data
      obtained from single-species laboratory experiments and does not take into
      account ecological interactions such as competition or predation. Intraspecific
      and interspecific competition are expected to result in additional stress and
      might increase the sensitivity of aquatic populations to pesticide contamination.
      To test this hypothesis, the effects of the fungicide carbendazim were assessed
      on the population dynamics of the micro-crustacean Daphnia magna under different
      levels of intraspecific and interspecific competition for an algal food resource,
      using the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus as competing species. The experiments
      were performed in glass jars with three different carbendazim concentrations
      (i.e., 50, 100 and 150 ug/L), and had a duration of 25 days, with a 4-day pre
      treatment period in which competition was allowed to take place and a 21-day
      exposure period. The endpoints evaluated were D. magna total population abundance
      and population structure. Results of these experiments show that competition
      stress on its own had a significant influence on shaping D. magna population's
      structure, however, a different response was observed in the intraspecific and
      interspecific competition experiments. The use of a 4-day pre-treatment period in
      the intraspecific experiment already led to an absence of interactive effects due
      to the quick abundance confluence between the different intraspecific treatments,
      thus not allowing the observation of interactive effects between competition and
      carbendazim stress. Results of the interspecific competition experiment showed
      that rotifers were quickly outcompeted by D. magna and that D. magna even
      profited from the rotifer presence through exploitative competition, which
      alleviated the original stress caused by the algal resource limitation. These
      experiments suggest that competition interactions play an important role in
      defining population-level effects of pesticides in a more complex way than was
      hypothesized ("increasing competition leading to a sensitivity increase"), as the
      interspecific experiment showed. Therefore, these should be taken into account in
      the extrapolation of single-species toxicity data to protect higher levels of
      biological organization.

PMID- 26119662
TI  - Drosophila Ogg1 is required to suppress 8-oxo-guanine accumulation following
      oxidative stress.
AB  - Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during energy production processes are a
      major cause of oxidative DNA damage. A DNA glycosylase encoded by the Ogg1 gene
      removes oxidized guanine bases and is widely conserved. However, the biological
      role of the gene in individual organisms has not yet been characterized in
      Drosophila, which is a suitable model to study the influence of oxidative damage
      on senescence. Here, we performed a genetic analysis to confirm that Ogg1 plays
      an essential role in the removal of 8-oxo-guanines from nuclei. We first
      confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR that Ogg1 mRNA expression was reduced by
      30-55% in Ogg1 mutants and in flies expressing inducible Ogg1 dsRNA compared to
      control flies. We then showed that additional accumulation of 8-oxo-guanines
      occurred in the nuclei of epithelial midgut cells after paraquat feeding in flies
      with downregulated Ogg1 expression. We confirmed that a transposon possessing the
      UAS sequence was integrated in the 5'-UTR of the Ogg1 alleles and that it is
      oriented in the same transcriptional direction as the gene. Using the Gal4/UAS
      system, which enables us to induce ectopic expression in Drosophila, we induced
      overexpression of Ogg1 by 40-fold. We observed a lower amount of 8-oxo-guanine in
      the midgut epithelial cells of adults overexpressing Ogg1. These genetic data
      strongly suggest that the Drosophila Ogg1 ortholog CG1795 plays an essential role
      in the suppression of 8-oxo-guanines, consistent with its role in other
      organisms. Although adult flies with reduced Ogg1 expression failed to show
      elevated sensitivity to paraquat, those with Ogg1 overexpression showed
      resistance to oxidative stress by paraquat feeding and had a significantly longer
      lifespan in normal feeding conditions. These observations are consistent with the
      hypothesis that oxidative DNA damage by ROS accumulation is a major contributor
      to senescence. 

PMID- 26119663
TI  - Molecular phylogenetic characterization of common murine rodents from Manipur,
      Northeast India.
AB  - The Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia are hotspots of murine biodiversity,
      but no species from the Arakan Mountain system that demarcates the border between
      the two areas has been subjected to molecular phylogenetic analyses. We examined
      the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences in six murine species (the Rattus
      rattus species complex, R. norvegicus, R. nitidus, Berylmys manipulus, Niviventer
      sp. and Mus musculus) from Manipur, which is located at the western foot of the
      mountain range. The sequences of B. manipulus and Niviventer sp. examined here
      were distinct from available congeneric sequences in the databases, with sequence
      divergences of 10-15%. Substantial degrees of intrapopulation divergence were
      detected in R. nitidus and the R. rattus species complex from Manipur, implying
      ancient habitation of the species in this region, while the recent introduction
      by modern and prehistoric human activities was suggested for R. norvegicus and M.
      musculus, respectively. In the nuclear gene Mc1r, also analyzed here, the R.
      rattus species complex from Manipur was shown to possess allelic sequences
      related to those from the Indian subcontinent in addition to those from East
      Asia. These results not only fill gaps in the phylogenetic knowledge of each
      taxon examined but also provide valuable insight to better understand the
      biogeographic importance of the Arakan Mountain system in generating the species
      and genetic diversity of murine rodents. 

PMID- 26119664
TI  - Genetic diversity and population structure of the long-tailed goral, Naemorhedus
      caudatus, in South Korea.
AB  - The long-tailed goral, Naemorhedus caudatus, is an internationally endangered
      species. This species is distributed throughout Northeastern Asia including
      Northeastern China, the Russian Far East and the Korean peninsula. The population
      size of long-tailed gorals is currently decreasing in South Korea, and thus
      effective conservation of the animal is urgently needed. Although the evolution
      and phylogeny of this animal have been studied, population genetic studies are
      needed to design effective conservation and management strategies. To evaluate
      the present status of genetic diversity and genetic structure of long-tailed
      gorals in South Korea, we investigated genetic variability among 68 goral
      individuals from different regions, including 11 captive zoo animals, at 12
      microsatellite loci. The level of genetic diversity was moderate in wild goral
      populations, but lower in the captive group. The goral population from the lower
      northeast region of South Korea was distinct from the upper northeast population,
      probably due to the natural climatic and geographic conditions. The genetic
      characteristics of the captive group were more similar to those of the upper
      northeast population than the lower northeast, confirming that the zoo animals
      originated in the Seorak Mountain range. Direct translocations between the upper
      and lower northeast populations are not currently recommended considering the
      natural population structure and the moderate levels of genetic diversity in the
      two populations. This study highlights the importance of genetic information in
      designing effective conservation strategies and translocations of endangered
      animals, including the Korean goral. 

PMID- 26119665
TI  - CG-containing oligonucleotides and transcription factor-binding motifs are
      enriched in human pericentric regions.
AB  - Unsupervised data mining capable of extracting a wide range of information from
      big sequence data without prior knowledge or particular models is highly
      desirable in an era of big data accumulation for research on genes, genomes and
      genetic systems. By handling oligonucleotide compositions in genomic sequences as
      high-dimensional data, we have previously modified the conventional SOM (self
      organizing map) for genome informatics and established BLSOM for oligonucleotide
      composition, which can analyze more than ten million sequences simultaneously and
      is thus suitable for big data analyses. Oligonucleotides often represent motif
      sequences responsible for sequence-specific binding of proteins such as
      transcription factors. The distribution of such functionally important
      oligonucleotides is probably biased in genomic sequences, and may differ among
      genomic regions. When constructing BLSOMs to analyze pentanucleotide composition
      in 50-kb sequences derived from the human genome in this study, we found that
      BLSOMs did not classify human sequences according to chromosome but revealed
      several specific zones, which are enriched for a class of CG-containing
      pentanucleotides; these zones are composed primarily of sequences derived from
      pericentric regions. The biological significance of enrichment of these
      pentanucleotides in pericentric regions is discussed in connection with cell type
      and stage-dependent formation of the condensed heterochromatin in the
      chromocenter, which is formed through association of pericentric regions of
      multiple chromosomes. 

PMID- 26119666
TI  - beta-Globin gene cluster haplotypes of Hb D-Los Angeles in Mazandaran Province,
      Iran.
AB  - Several types of hemoglobin D (Hb D) are distinguishable by DNA analysis, and the
      aim of this study was to identify the types of Hb D variant and beta-globin gene
      haplotypes linked to Hb D in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. Fifty five
      individuals were identified as Hb D carriers, and PCR-RFLP analysis revealed that
      all 55 had the Hb D-Los Angeles type. To identify haplotypes associated with the
      beta(D) allele, family linkage analysis, using the PCR-RFLP method for seven
      polymorphisms in the beta-globin gene cluster, was carried out on families of 23
      of these 55 individuals. We observed three different haplotypes in association
      with Hb D-Los Angeles. In most cases (91.4%) beta(D) alleles were linked to
      haplotype I [+ - - - - + +]. Haplotype II [- + + - + + +] and an atypical
      haplotype [- + + - - + -] were each in association with the beta(D) allele in
      only one case (4.3%). This is the first report worldwide of the [- + + - - + -]
      haplotype in association with Hb D-Los Angeles. We conclude that more than 90% of
      the evaluated Hb D-Los Angeles alleles in Mazandaran have the same origin, and
      the two rare haplotypes may represent different genetic origins and/or other
      molecular events, such as gene conversion or recombination, in the region.

PMID- 26119667
TI  - Corrigendum: Mitochondrial genetic diversity, phylogeny and population structure
      of Hydropotes inermis in South Korea.

PMID- 26119669
TI  - Prolapse Recurrence after Transvaginal Mesh Removal.
AB  - PURPOSE: We determined the rate of pelvic organ prolapse recurrence after
      transvaginal mesh removal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following institutional review
      board approval a longitudinally collected database of women undergoing
      transvaginal mesh removal for complications after transvaginal mesh placement
      with at least 1 year minimum followup was queried for pelvic organ prolapse
      recurrence. Recurrent prolapse was defined as greater than stage 1 on examination
      or the need for reoperation at the site of transvaginal mesh removal. Outcome
      measures were based on POP-Q (Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification System) at the
      last visit. Patients were grouped into 3 groups, including group 1--recurrent
      prolapse in the same compartment as transvaginal mesh removal, 2--persistent
      prolapse and 3--prolapse in a compartment different than transvaginal mesh
      removal. RESULTS: Of 73 women 52 met study inclusion criteria from 2007 to 2013,
      including 73% who presented with multiple indications for transvaginal mesh
      removal. The mean interval between insertion and removal was 45 months (range 10
      to 165). Overall mean followup after transvaginal mesh removal was 30 months
      (range 12 to 84). In group 1 (recurrent prolapse) the rate was 15% (6 of 40
      patients). Four women underwent surgery for recurrent prolapse at a mean 7 of
      months (range 5 to 10). Two patients elected observation. The rate of persistent
      prolapse (group 2) was 23% (12 of 52 patients). Three women underwent prolapse
      reoperation at a mean of 10 months (range 8 to 12). In group 3 (de novo/different
      compartment prolapse) the rate was 6% (3 of 52 patients). One woman underwent
      surgical repair at 52 months. CONCLUSIONS: At a mean 2.5-year followup 62% of
      patients (32 of 52) did not have recurrent or persistent prolapse after
      transvaginal mesh removal and 85% (44 of 52) did not undergo any further
      procedure for prolapse. Specifically for pelvic organ prolapse in the same
      compartment as transvaginal mesh removal 12% of patients had recurrence, of whom
      8% underwent prolapse repair.

PMID- 26119668
TI  - Evaluation and Management of the Adolescent Varicocele.
AB  - PURPOSE: Varicocele is one of the most common genital conditions referred to
      pediatric urologists. Most adolescents with varicocele are asymptomatic and their
      fertility future (and surgery benefit) is largely unknown. This review assesses
      varicocele evaluation, management and indications for repair, as well as types
      and success of varicocelectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature
      review was performed on EmbaseTM, PubMed(r) and Google ScholarTM for adolescent
      varicocele. Original research articles and relevant reviews were examined, and a
      synopsis of these data was generated for a comprehensive review of clinical
      adolescent varicocele management. RESULTS: The prevalence of adolescent
      varicocele is similar to the adult population. While ultrasound is the most
      sensitive method for determining testicular volumes, orchidometer measurement may
      be adequate to gauge significant discordance. Significant hypotrophy of the
      affected testis with poor total testicular volume may indicate a testis at risk
      and warrant surgical repair. Similar findings have been noted with an associated
      high peak retrograde venous flow. Testicular hypotrophy often resolves following
      surgery but may also improve spontaneously if followed through adolescence.
      Continued scrotal pain despite adequate support or serial abnormal semen analysis
      in Tanner stage V boys is an indication for varicocelectomy. Artery and lymphatic
      sparing techniques (microscopic subinguinal or laparoscopic) are associated with
      the lowest risk of recurrence and complications. CONCLUSIONS: Overtreatment and
      under treatment are medically and financially costly. Abnormal serial semen
      analysis with or without testicular hypotrophy is an indication for varicocele
      repair. If observation remains the treatment, followup with an adult urologist
      should be encouraged until paternity is achieved.

PMID- 26119670
TI  - PnPP-19, a Synthetic and Nontoxic Peptide Designed from a Phoneutria nigriventer
      Toxin, Potentiates Erectile Function via NO/cGMP.
AB  - PURPOSE: We designed a peptide, PnPP-19, comprising the potential active core of
      the Phoneutria nigriventer native toxin PnTx2-6. We investigated its role on
      erectile function, and its toxicity and immunogenicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Erectile function was evaluated by the intracavernous pressure-to-mean arterial
      pressure ratio during electrical field stimulation on rat pelvic ganglia.
      Cavernous strips were contracted with phenylephrine and relaxation was induced by
      electrical field stimulation with or without PnPP-19 (10(-8) M). Activity on
      sodium channels was evaluated by electrophysiological screening of transfected
      channels on Xenopus oocytes and dorsal root ganglion cells. Antibodies were
      detected by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in mice previously treated
      with the peptide. Histopathological studies were performed with mouse organs
      treated with different doses of PnPP-19. RESULTS: PnPP-19 was able to potentiate
      erection at 4 and 8 Hz in vivo and ex vivo. It showed no toxicity and low
      immunogenicity in mice, and did not affect sodium channels or rat hearts. PnPP-19
      increased cyclic guanosine monophosphate levels at 8 Hz. This effect was
      inhibited by L-NAME (10(-4) M). Erectile function was partially inhibited by 7
      nitroindazole (10(-5) M), a selective inhibitor of neuronal nitric oxide
      synthase. CONCLUSIONS: PnPP-19 potentiates erection in vivo and ex vivo via the
      nitric oxide/cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway. It does not affect sodium
      channels or rat hearts and shows no toxicity and low immunogenicity. These
      findings make it a promising candidate as a novel drug in the therapy of erectile
      dysfunction.

PMID- 26119671
TI  - Age is Associated with Upgrading at Confirmatory Biopsy among Men with Prostate
      Cancer Treated with Active Surveillance.
AB  - PURPOSE: Active surveillance is increasingly recommended for older men with low
      risk prostate cancer. Although older men have higher all cause mortality, they
      also have higher prostate cancer specific mortality. We hypothesized that older
      age is associated with an increased risk of Gleason score upgrading at
      confirmatory biopsy when controlling for prostate volume. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      We retrospectively reviewed data on 1,130 patients with prostate cancer who were
      treated with active surveillance from 1991 through 2011. We included 646 patients
      with clinical Gleason 6 or less, stage T2a or less prostate cancer, a
      confirmatory biopsy within 2 years of diagnostic biopsy and prostate magnetic
      resonance imaging before confirmatory biopsy. The primary outcome was Gleason
      score upgrading to 7 or greater on confirmatory biopsy. We used logistic
      regression to estimate the effect of age on upgrading, adjusting for magnetic
      resonance imaging prostate volume and other potential confounders. RESULTS:
      Median age was 66 years (IQR 61-72) and median magnetic resonance imaging
      prostate volume was 41 ml (IQR 29-55). At confirmatory biopsy disease was
      upgraded in 55 of 646 patients (9%) and unchanged in 290 (45%) and biopsy was
      negative in 297 (46%). Older age was associated with higher odds of upgrading
      (adjusted OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.09, p=0.009). Larger prostate volume was
      associated with lower odds of upgrading (adjusted OR 0.80/10 ml increase, 95% CI
      0.7-0.9, p=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that older age is associated
      with an increased risk of misclassification on diagnostic biopsy. Older men who
      are interested in active surveillance should be counseled about the risks and
      benefits of confirmatory biopsy.

PMID- 26119672
TI  - Emmprin Expression Predicts Response and Survival following Cisplatin Containing
      Chemotherapy for Bladder Cancer: A Validation Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy before cystectomy is recommended. To our
      knowledge the subset of patients likely to benefit has not been identified. We
      validate emmprin and survivin as markers of chemotherapy response. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Tumor specimens were obtained before therapy from a total of 250
      patients with T1-T4 bladder cancer enrolled in 2 randomized trials comparing
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy before cystectomy with a surgery only arm. Protein
      expression was determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Expression was
      categorized according to predefined cutoffs reported in the literature. Data were
      analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox models. Patients in the
      chemotherapy cohort with negative emmprin expression had significantly higher
      down staging overall survival than those with positive expression (71% vs 38%,
      p<0.001). The values for cancer specific survival were 76% and 56%, respectively
      (p<0.027). In the cystectomy only cohort emmprin expression was not associated
      with overall survival (46% vs 35%, p=0.23) or cancer specific survival (55% vs
      51%, p=0.64). Emmprin negative patients had an absolute risk reduction of 25% in
      overall survival (95% CI 11-40) and a number needed to treat of 4 (95% CI 2.5
      9.3). Survivin expression was not useful as a biomarker in this study.
      Limitations were the retrospective design and heterogeneity coupled with the time
      difference between the trials. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with emmprin negative tumors
      have a better response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy before cystectomy than those
      with positive expression.

PMID- 26119673
TI  - Risk factors for merchant seafarer repatriation due to injury or illness at sea.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Repatriation represents a serious outcome of illness or injury among
      seafarers at sea. The aim of this study was to describe repatriation patterns due
      to injury and illness in a seafarer cohort, and determine risk factors for
      repatriation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study analysed a telemedicine database
      of 3,921 seafarer injury and illness cases over a 4 year period using descriptive
      statistics and logistic regression. RESULTS: There were 61 repatriations over the
      study period (1.6% of cases). Most repatriations were due to illness (38; 62.3%)
      as opposed to injury (23; 37.7%). Back injuries and gastrointestinal illness were
      the most frequent causes of repatriations. Using logistic regression, nationality
      was identified as a significant risk factor for repatriation. CONCLUSIONS: This
      study emphasizes illness as a major cause of seafarer repatriation, and suggests
      opportunities for future studies to identify potentially modifiable risk factors.

PMID- 26119674
TI  - Referring cruise ship patients to specialists in Norway--a welfare state with a
      national health care system.
AB  - Northern Europe is a popular cruise destination, but many non-Scandinavian cruise
      ship's doctors who are used to enthusiastic service from specialists ashore, get
      frustrated when referring passengers or crew to out-patient medical evaluation.
      Norway's national health care system is described and used as an example of
      medical conditions in a welfare state with a relatively well-functioning national
      health care system: Emergency cases are usually promptly admitted. Out-patient
      specialist consultations are available in public polyclinics, but waiting time
      can be considerable, also for patients from ships. Private specialists are fully
      booked weeks in advance and do not work from Friday to Monday and during
      holidays. Public and private medical service capacity is significantly reduced
      during the summer months. Hence, most specialists ashore are not eager to see
      demanding ship patients. Ship's doctors should limit referral to conditions that
      require specific procedures that are not available on the vessel but are
      necessary for the patient to be able to continue cruising or working aboard.
      Crewmembers who are unfit for work aboard, should instead be signed off and
      repatriated for diagnostic work-up and follow-up at home. In cases of
      hospitalisation or necessary referral ashore, the ship's doctor should always
      confer in advance with the company's ship's port agents and make necessary shore
      side arrangements through them. 

PMID- 26119675
TI  - Different serotypes of dengue virus (DENV) imported by Polish travellers from
      dengue endemic areas to Poland.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dengue viruses are the most widespread arboviruses (transmitted
      mainly by Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes), which have shown an
      unexpected geographic expansion. There are four dengue virus serotypes: DENV-1,
      DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4. Subsequent infections increase the risk of developing
      severe dengue fever. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples from travellers returning
      from the endemic area of dengue fever were examined with the reverse
      transcription-polymerase chain reaction method. Primers amplified 743 bp fragment
      of the NS5 and 3'UTR genomic region of mosquito-borne flaviviruses of JEV group
      were used. RESULTS: The sequences from the 10 examined patients were compared to
      available DENV sequences in GenBank database and the basic local alignment search
      tool (BLAST) results confirmed that the infective virus was DENV-1 (6 patients),
      DENV-2 (2 patients) and DENV-3 (2 patients). CONCLUSIONS: For the first time in
      Poland, dengue virus serotypes were determined in travellers returning from
      dengue-endemic areas.

PMID- 26119676
TI  - Fever of unknown origin in returning travellers.
AB  - The aim of the article is to discuss issues associated with the occurrence of
      febrile illnesses in leisure and business travellers, with a particular emphasis
      on fevers of unknown origin (FUO). FUO, apart from diarrhoeas, respiratory tract
      infections and skin lesions, are one of the most common health problems in
      travellers to tropical and subtropical countries. FUO are manifestations of
      various diseases, typically of infectious or invasive aetiology. In one out of 3
      cases, the cause of a fever in travellers returning from the hot climate zone is
      malaria, and therefore diagnostic tests should first aim at ruling out this
      specific disease entity. Other illnesses with persistent fever include dengue,
      enteric fever, viral hepatitis A, bacterial diarrhoeas and rickettsioses. Fever
      may also occur in travellers suffering from diseases of non-tropical origin, e.g.
      cosmopolitan respiratory tract or urinary tract infections, also, fever may
      coexist with other illnesses or injuries (skin rashes, bites, burns). 

PMID- 26119677
TI  - A case of severe stinging caused by venomous marine animal, "Portuguese man of
      war" (Physalia species) in all probability.
AB  - There are about 150 million jellyfish stings every year. "Portuguese man of war"
      is responsible for substantial proportion of stings worldwide. The biggest risk
      from a jellyfish stings may come from incorrect management. A 42-year-old woman
      was severely stung by venomous marine animal while bathing in waters of the Thai
      Gulf. It was most likely "Portuguese man of war". The patient didn't remember
      while being rescued. Looking at damages it seems that first aid was incorrect.
      Inappropriate and delayed management caused disfiguring scars. On the ground of
      this case, first aid for "Portuguese man of war" stings is reminded. 

PMID- 26119678
TI  - Predicted nine-year risk of diabetes among professional divers: a prospective
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess diabetes predictive score for
      professional divers followed-up in one medical centre in France. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This prospective study, performed during 2013, included professional
      divers who were followed in a French maritime medicine centre. Data about their
      professional history of diving and dive profiles were collected. The clinical and
      biological data collected included: age, waist circumference, biometrics, body
      mass index, smoking status, blood pressure, practicing sports, glycaemia,
      triglyceridaemia, total cholesterolaemia, HDL and LDL cholesterolaemia. The
      predicted 9-year risk of diabetes was calculated according to the DESIRE score.
      Data were analysed using Epidata(r) software, by Pearson c2 test or by Fisher's
      exact test, by analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis test, and by Spearman
      correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Out of the 64 deep-sea divers taking part in
      the study, diabetes risk was estimated for 60 divers. The predictive 9-year risk
      of diabetes was higher than 10% for 31.7% of the divers and higher than 30% for
      6.7% of the divers. CONCLUSIONS: In France, people with diabetes have been
      declared definitely medically unfit to dive. The interest to assess the
      prevalence of risk factors and the predictive risk of diabetes arises from the
      need for prevention.

PMID- 26119679
TI  - Mortality among retired offshore divers in Norway.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health effects of diving have been observed in divers who have not
      experienced any diving related accidents. The aim of the study was to study
      total, and cause specific mortality, in Norwegian retired professional offshore
      divers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out a mortality follow-up from 1997 to
      2013 in a group of men, born 1930-1973. The diving cohort consisted of 386 male
      professional divers diving in the North Sea in the pioneer period from 1965 to
      1990, of which 25 were dead. 1,467,769 Norwegian males were used as referents.
      This population was linked to the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry. RESULTS:
      Twenty five (6.5%) professional offshore divers had died. No differences were
      observed between divers and referents for overall mortality or for non-violent
      deaths, adjusted for year of birth. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of retired North
      Sea divers, the mortality pattern did not differ from that of the expected
      mortality.

PMID- 26119680
TI  - Descriptive study of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction in a sample of
      Croatian seafarers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given the general lack of studies on well-being in Croatian
      seafarers, the aim of this study was to determine the level and sources of their
      job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive
      study was conducted on a sample of Croatian seafarers (n = 530), employed in
      various functions on cargo ships. Using an online survey, we examined overall job
      satisfaction, and satisfaction with some specific aspects of work. Participants
      additionally responded to two open questions relating to the sources of their job
      satisfaction and job dissatisfaction, and these data were analysed using a
      qualitative approach. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results showed a moderate
      level of overall job satisfaction, while analysis of the 10 specific facets
      indicated that the participants are, on average, most satisfied with payment, and
      least satisfied with the achieved benefits and work organisation on board. The
      results of the qualitative analysis showed that among the main sources of job
      satisfaction are: financial stability and security, the ratio of work days to
      days off, and the quality of days off, and the nature and dynamics of the work.
      On the other hand, sources of dissatisfaction relate primarily to: separation
      from home and family, the status of Croatian seafarers in the Republic of
      Croatia, and working and living conditions on board.

PMID- 26119681
TI  - Seafarer fatigue: a review of risk factors, consequences for seafarers' health
      and safety and options for mitigation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The consequences of fatigue for the health and safety of seafarers
      has caused concern in the industry and among academics, and indicates the
      importance of further research into risk factors and preventive interventions at
      sea. This review gives an overview of the key issues relating to seafarer
      fatigue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature study was conducted aiming to
      collect publications that address risk factors for fatigue, short-term and long
      term consequences for health and safety, and options for fatigue mitigation at
      sea. Due to the limited number of publications that deals with seafarers,
      experiences from other populations sharing the same exposures (e.g. shift work)
      were also included when appropriate. RESULTS: Work at sea involves multiple risk
      factors for fatigue, which in addition to acute effects (e.g., impaired
      cognition, accidents) contributes through autonomic, immunologic and metabolic
      pathways to the development of chronic diseases that are particularly prevalent
      in seafarers. CONCLUSIONS: Taking into account the frequency of seafarer fatigue
      and the severity of its consequences, one should look into the efficacy of the
      current legislative framework and the industry's compliance, the manning of the
      international merchant fleet, and optimised working, living and sleeping
      conditions at sea. Considering circumstances at sea, e.g. working in shifts and
      crossing time zones, that cannot be altered, further assessment of the potentials
      of preventive interventions including fatigue prediction tools and individual
      fatigue mitigation management systems is recommended.

PMID- 26119682
TI  - Ship doctor's qualification--the fast track?

PMID- 26119683
TI  - The Chemistry of Redox-Flow Batteries.
AB  - The development of various redox-flow batteries for the storage of fluctuating
      renewable energy has intensified in recent years because of their peculiar
      ability to be scaled separately in terms of energy and power, and therefore
      potentially to reduce the costs of energy storage. This has resulted in a
      considerable increase in the number of publications on redox-flow batteries. This
      was a motivation to present a comprehensive and critical overview of the features
      of this type of batteries, focusing mainly on the chemistry of electrolytes and
      introducing a thorough systematic classification to reveal their potential for
      future development. 

PMID- 26119685
TI  - Moving toward Ylide-Stabilized Carbenes.
AB  - The effect of ylide substitution at the alpha position to the carbene carbon (Cc
      ) atom on the stability and sigma-donating ability of a number of cyclic carbenes
      has been studied theoretically. The stabilities of all of the carbenes were
      investigated from an evaluation of their singlet-triplet energy gaps and
      stabilization energies. All carbenes were found to have a stable singlet state.
      The energy of the sigma-symmetric lone-pair orbital at the Cc atom increases as a
      result of the introduction of ylide centers near to the Cc atom. This indicates
      an enhanced sigma-donating ability of the ylide-containing carbenes. The
      calculated carbonyl-stretching frequencies of the corresponding rhodium
      complexes, proton affinities, and nucleophilicity index values correlate well
      with the sigma basicity of the carbenes. 

PMID- 26119684
TI  - French guidelines for the management of chikungunya (acute and persistent
      presentations). November 2014.

PMID- 26119686
TI  - Dietary protein and lifespan across the metamorphic boundary: protein-restricted
      larvae develop into short-lived adults.
AB  - Restriction of nutrients in the adult diet extends lifespan across a diverse
      range of species, but less is known about the long-term effects of developmental
      dietary restriction. In particular, it is not known whether adult lifespan is
      influenced by developmental caloric restriction or macronutrient balance. We used
      the nutritional geometry approach to independently manipulate protein and
      carbohydrate contents of the larval diet in the neriid fly, Telostylinus
      angusticollis, and measured adult lifespan. We found that adult male and female
      lifespan was shortest when larvae were fed a protein restricted diet. Thus,
      protein restriction in the larval diet has the opposite effect of protein
      restriction in the adult diet (which prolongs life in this species and across a
      wide range of taxa). Adult lifespan was unaffected by larval dietary
      carbohydrate. These patterns persisted after controlling for larval diet effects
      on adult body size. We propose that larval and adult protein sources are used for
      distinct metabolic tasks: during development, dietary protein is used to build a
      durable soma that enhances adult lifespan, although excessive protein consumption
      partially reverses this effect. 

PMID- 26119687
TI  - Hepatocellular nodules expressing markers of hepatocellular adenomas in Budd
      Chiari syndrome and other rare hepatic vascular disorders.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: A broad range of hepatocellular nodules has been reported in
      hepatic vascular disorders. It is not clear whether hepatocellular adenoma (HCA)
      in this context share the same characteristics as conventional HCA. The aim of
      this study was to carry out a retrospective multicenter survey of hepatocellular
      nodules associated with hepatic vascular disorders. METHODS: Forty-five cases
      were reviewed, including 32 Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS). Benign nodules were
      subtyped using the HCA immunohistochemical panel. RESULTS: Nodules with a HCA
      morphology were observed in 11 cases. Six originated in BCS: two were liver fatty
      acid binding protein (LFABP) negative (one with malignant transformation); two
      expressed glutamine synthetase (GS) and nuclear b-catenin, two expressed C
      reactive protein (CRP). Among three cases with portal vein agenesis, one nodule
      was LFABP negative, two expressed GS and nuclear b-catenin, both with malignant
      transformation. In a Fallot tetralogy case, there were multiple LFABP negative
      nodules with borderline features and in a hepatoportal sclerosis case, the nodule
      looked like an inflammatory HCA. Two additional cases had nodules expressing CRP,
      without typical characteristics of inflammatory HCA. CONCLUSION: HCA of different
      immunohistochemical phenotype can develop in hepatic vascular disorders; they may
      have a different behavior compared to conventional HCA and be more at risk of
      malignant transformation.

PMID- 26119688
TI  - Activation of biliary tree stem cells within peribiliary glands in primary
      sclerosing cholangitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is characterised by fibro
      stenosing strictures involving extrahepatic and/or large intrahepatic bile ducts.
      Mechanisms leading to bile duct injury are poorly understood. We aimed to study
      the biliary tree stem cell compartment located in peribiliary glands of
      extrahepatic and large intrahepatic bile ducts and its role in the pathogenesis
      of biliary fibrosis in PSC. METHODS: Specimens containing extrahepatic or large
      intrahepatic bile ducts were obtained from normal liver (n=6), liver explants
      from patients with PSC (n=11), and primary biliary cirrhosis (n=6). Specimens
      were processed for histology, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence.
      RESULTS: In PSC samples, progressive hyperplasia and mucinous metaplasia of
      peribiliary glands were observed in large ducts with fibrosis, but not in
      inflamed ducts without fibrosis. Peribiliary gland hyperplasia was associated
      with progressive biliary fibrosis and the occurrence of dysplastic lesions.
      Hyperplasia of peribiliary glands was determined by the expansion of biliary tree
      stem cells, which sprouted towards the surface epithelium. In PSC, peribiliary
      glands and myofibroblasts displayed enhanced expression of Hedgehog pathway
      components. Peribiliary glands in ducts with onion skin-like fibrosis expressed
      epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition traits associated with components of
      Hedgehog pathway, markers of senescence and autophagy. CONCLUSIONS: The biliary
      tree stem cell compartment is activated in PSC, its activation contributes to
      biliary fibrosis, and is sustained by the Hedgehog pathway. Our findings suggest
      a key role for peribiliary glands in the progression of bile duct lesions in PSC
      and could explain the associated high risk of cholangiocarcinoma.

PMID- 26119689
TI  - Regulation of retinoid mediated cholesterol efflux involves liver X receptor
      activation in mouse macrophages.
AB  - Removal of cholesterol from macrophage-derived foam cells is a critical step to
      the prevention of atherosclerotic lesions. We have recently demonstrated the
      functional importance of retinoids in the regulation of the steroidogenic acute
      regulatory (StAR) protein that predominantly mediates the intramitochondrial
      transport of cholesterol in target tissues. In the present study, treatment of
      mouse macrophages with retinoids, particularly all-trans retinoic acid (atRA) and
      9-cis RA, resulted in increases in cholesterol efflux to apolipoprotein AI (Apo
      A1). Activation of the PKA pathway by a cAMP analog, (Bu)2cAMP, markedly
      augmented retinoid mediated cholesterol efflux. Macrophages overexpressing
      hormone-sensitive lipase increased the hydrolysis of cholesteryl esters and
      concomitantly enhanced the efficacy of retinoic acid receptor and liver X
      receptor (LXR) ligands on StAR and ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1)
      protein levels. RAs elevated StAR promoter activity in macrophages, and an
      increase in StAR levels augmented cholesterol efflux to Apo-A1, suggesting
      retinoid-mediated efflux of cholesterol involves enhanced oxysterol production.
      Further studies revealed that retinoids activate the LXR regulated genes, sterol
      receptor-element binding protein-1c and ABCA1. These findings provide insights
      into the regulatory events in which retinoid signaling effectively enhances
      macrophage cholesterol efflux and indicate that retinoid therapy may have
      important implications in limiting and/or regressing atherosclerotic
      cardiovascular disease. 

PMID- 26119690
TI  - Intravenous immunoglobulin enhances the killing activity and autophagy of
      neutrophils isolated from immunocompromised patients against multidrug-resistant
      bacteria.
AB  - Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is periodically administered to
      immunocompromised patients together with antimicrobial agents. The evidence that
      supports the effectiveness of IVIG is mostly based on data from randomized
      clinical trials; the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. A recent study
      revealed that killing of multidrug-resistant bacteria and drug-sensitive strains
      by neutrophils isolated from healthy donors is enhanced by an IVIG preparation.
      However, the effectiveness of IVIG in immunocompromised patients remains unclear.
      The present study found that IVIG increased both killing activity and O2(-)
      release by neutrophils isolated from six patients receiving immune-suppressive
      drugs after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT); these neutrophils
      killed both multidrug-resistant extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing
      Escherichia coli (E. coli) and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P.
      aeruginosa). Moreover, IVIG increased the autophagy of the neutrophils, which is
      known to play an important role in innate immunity. These results suggest that
      IVIG promotes both the killing activity and autophagy of neutrophils isolated
      from immunocompromised patients against multidrug-resistant bacteria. 

PMID- 26119691
TI  - Lateral diffusion contributes to FRET from lanthanide-tagged membrane proteins.
AB  - Diffusion can enhance Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) when donors or
      acceptors diffuse distances that are similar to the distances separating them
      during the donor's excited state lifetime. Lanthanide donors remain in the
      excited state for milliseconds, which makes them useful for time-resolved FRET
      applications but also allows time for diffusion to enhance energy transfer. Here
      we show that diffusion dramatically enhances FRET between membrane proteins
      labeled with lanthanide donors. This phenomenon complicates interpretation of
      experiments that use long-lived donors to infer association or proximity of
      mobile membrane proteins, but also offers a method of monitoring diffusion in
      membrane domains in real time in living cells. 

PMID- 26119692
TI  - Establishment and characterization of a reconstructed Chinese human epidermis
      model.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In vitro reconstructed human epidermis is a powerful tool for both
      basic research and industrial applications in dermatology, pharmacology and the
      cosmetic field. METHODS: By growing keratinocytes of Chinese origin on a collagen
      matrix after a submerged culture followed by an air-liquid interface culture, an
      in vitro reconstructed Chinese human epidermis model was obtained. This Chinese
      epidermis model was further characterized. RESULTS: The reconstructed human
      epidermis model (China EpiSkin model) exhibits morphological features similar to
      native skin and shows similar expression profile of proliferation (Ki67) and
      differentiation (K14 and K10 cytokeratins, filaggrin) markers. Corneodesmosomes,
      lamellar lipids, desmosomes, keratohyalin granules, keratin filaments and
      membrane-coating granules are also observed at the ultrastructure level.
      Moreover, China EpiSkin model contains most of the major lipid classes normally
      found in the native skin and potentially could present the properties of skin
      barrier. More importantly, the model production achieves high reproducibility and
      low intra- and inter-batch variations. CONCLUSION: This is the first
      reconstructed Chinese human epidermis model reported to meet the high quality
      standard with industrialized production criteria. This China EpiSkin model can be
      used for both skin research and safety assessment in vitro.

PMID- 26119693
TI  - Thermal properties of tannin extracted from Anacardium occidentale L. using TGA
      and FT-IR spectroscopy.
AB  - The chemical nature of the polyphenols of cashew kernel testa has been
      determined. Testa contains tannins, which present large molecular complexity and
      has an ancient use as tanning agents. The use of tannins extracted from cashew
      testa, considered in many places as a waste, grants an extra value to the cashew.
      In this work we have analysed through high performance liquid chromatography,
      infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermo gravimetric analysis the average
      molecular weight, main functional groups and thermal properties of tannins
      extracted from Anacardium occidentale L. The results of these analyses are
      compared with the commercial grade tannic acid. The FT-IR spectra showed bands
      characteristic of C = C, C-C and OH bonds. This important bioactive compound
      present in the cashew nut kernel testa was suggested as an interesting economical
      source of antioxidants for use in the food and nutraceutical industry. 

PMID- 26119694
TI  - JMJ24 binds to RDR2 and is required for the basal level transcription of silenced
      loci in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Transposable elements (TEs) and repetitive sequences are ubiquitously present in
      eukaryotic genomes which are in general epigenetically silenced by DNA
      methylation and/or histone 3 lysine 9 methylation (H3K9me). RNA-directed DNA
      methylation (RdDM) is the major pathway that initiates de novo DNA methylation in
      Arabidopsis and sets up a self-reinforcing silencing loop between DNA methylation
      and H3K9me. However, a key issue is the requirement of a basal level transcript
      from the target loci to initiate the RNA-based silencing. How the heterochromatic
      silenced loci are transcribed remains largely unknown. Here, we show that JMJ24,
      a JmjC domain-containing protein counteracts H3K9me to promote basal level
      transcription of endogenous silenced loci in Arabidopsis. JMJ24 functionally
      resembles the fission yeast JmjC protein Epe1. The transcript promoted by JMJ24
      is, at least in part, processed to small RNA to initiate the RdDM. Genome-wide
      transcriptome profiling indicates that transcript levels of TEs are more likely
      regulated by JMJ24, compared with protein-coding genes. Our data suggest that
      JMJ24 plays a conserved role in promoting basal level transcription of endogenous
      silenced loci to reinforce the silencing. We also provide evidence of a physical
      association between JMJ24 and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 2 (RDR2), which
      represents an evolved property of the RNA silencing pathway. 

PMID- 26119697
TI  - How controlled release technology can aid gene delivery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Many types of gene delivery systems have been developed to enhance
      the level of gene expression. Controlled release technology is a feasible gene
      delivery system which enables genes to extend the expression duration by
      maintaining and releasing them at the injection site in a controlled manner. This
      technology can reduce the adverse effects by the bolus dose administration and
      avoid the repeated administration. Biodegradable biomaterials are useful as
      materials for the controlled release-based gene delivery technology and various
      biodegradable biomaterials have been developed. AREAS COVERED: Controlled release
      based gene delivery plays a critical role in a conventional gene therapy and
      genetic engineering. In the gene therapy, the therapeutic gene is released from
      biodegradable biomaterial matrices around the tissue to be treated. On the other
      hand, the intracellular controlled release of gene from the sub-micro-sized
      matrices is required for genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is feasible for
      cell transplantation as well as research of stem cells biology and medicine.
      EXPERT OPINION: DNA hydrogel containing a sequence of therapeutic gene and the
      exosome including the individual specific nucleic acids may become candidates for
      controlled release carriers. Technologies to deliver genes to cell aggregates
      will play an important role in the promotion of regenerative research and
      therapy.

PMID- 26119695
TI  - Availability of New Medicaid Patient Appointments and the Role of Rural Health
      Clinics.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the willingness to accept new Medicaid patients among
      certified rural health clinics (RHCs) and other nonsafety net rural providers.
      DATA SOURCES: Experimental (audit) data from a 10-state study of primary care
      practices, county-level information from the Area Health Resource File, and RHC
      information from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. STUDY DESIGN: We
      generate appointment rates for rural and nonrural areas by patient-payer type
      (private, Medicaid, self-pay) to then motivate our focus on within-rural
      variation by clinic type (RHC vs. non-RHC). Multivariate linear models test for
      statistical differences and assess the estimates' sensitivity to the inclusion of
      control variables. DATA COLLECTION: The primary data are from a large field
      study. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Approximately 80 percent of Medicaid callers receive
      an appointment in rural areas-a rate more than 20 percentage points greater than
      nonrural areas. Importantly, within rural areas, RHCs offer appointments to
      prospective Medicaid patients nearly 95 percent of the time, while the rural
      (nonsafety net) non-RHC Medicaid rate is less than 75 percent. Measured
      differences are robust to covariate adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests
      that RHC status, with its alternative payment model, is strongly associated with
      new Medicaid patient acceptance. Altering RHC financial incentives may have
      consequences for rural Medicaid enrollees.

PMID- 26119696
TI  - Distinct functions of opioid-related peptides and gastrin-releasing peptide in
      regulating itch and pain in the spinal cord of primates.
AB  - How neuropeptides in the primate spinal cord regulate itch and pain is largely
      unknown. Here we elucidate the sensory functions of spinal opioid-related
      peptides and gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) in awake, behaving monkeys.
      Following intrathecal administration, beta-endorphin (10-100 nmol) and GRP (1-10
      nmol) dose-dependently elicit the same degree of robust itch scratching, which
      can be inhibited by mu-opioid peptide (MOP) receptor and GRP receptor (BB2)
      antagonists, respectively. Unlike beta-endorphin, which produces itch and
      attenuates inflammatory pain, GRP only elicits itch without affecting pain. In
      contrast, enkephalins (100-1000 nmol) and nociceptin-orphanin FQ (3-30 nmol) only
      inhibit pain without eliciting itch. More intriguingly, dynorphin A(1-17) (10-100
      nmol) dose-dependently attenuates both beta-endorphin- and GRP-elicited robust
      scratching without affecting pain processing. The anti-itch effects of dynorphin
      A can be reversed by a kappa-opioid peptide (KOP) receptor antagonist nor
      binaltorphimine. These nonhuman primate behavioral models with spinal delivery of
      ligands advance our understanding of distinct functions of neuropeptides for
      modulating itch and pain. In particular, we demonstrate causal links for itch
      eliciting effects by beta-endorphin-MOP receptor and GRP-BB2 receptor systems and
      itch-inhibiting effects by the dynorphin A-KOP receptor system. These studies
      will facilitate transforming discoveries of novel ligand-receptor systems into
      future therapies as antipruritics and/or analgesics in humans.

PMID- 26119698
TI  - Polyarteritis nodosa associated with necrosis of the tongue: a rare presentation
      in an adult patient.
AB  - Polyarteritis nodosa is a rare form of vasculitis of the medium-sized vessels,
      which leads to the formation of microaneurysms, thrombosis, organ ischaemia, and
      necrosis. Involvement of the oral cavity is rare. To our knowledge, this is the
      first case of localised polyarteritis nodosa in an adult with ulceration of the
      tongue and necrosis at the onset of the disease. The patient made a full recovery
      after the use of strong immunosuppressants. 

PMID- 26119699
TI  - Effect of maxillary advancement on the change in the soft tissues after treatment
      of patients with class III malocclusion.
AB  - The aesthetic outcome of treatment has become increasingly important to patients
      having orthognathic surgery. The aim of this observational cohort study based on
      clinical records was to evaluate the effect of maxillary advancement on changes
      to the soft tissues. We studied 53 patients with class III malocclusion (29 women
      and 24 men, mean (SD) age 28 (11) years). We identified all patients treated
      between 1 January 2002 and 30 December 2013 who could be monitored
      postoperatively for 6 months. To study the effect of maxillary advancement on
      changes to the soft tissue we distinguished between patients who had had less
      than 6mm, and those with 6mm advancement or more. In those who had had less than
      6mm, we found no significant changes in the soft tissue in the region of the
      nasolabial angle. However, the lip-chin- throat angle (p=0.016), cervical length
      (p=0.002), lower lip (p=0.007) and upper lip distance (p=0.0001) from the
      aesthetic line changed significantly. On the other hand, the changes to the soft
      tissue in the submental and nasolabial regions were significant in patients with
      6mm advancement or more, and indicated a clear improvement in the aesthetic
      outcome of this region. This aesthetic change for the good in the submental and
      nasolabial regions after maxillary advancement of 6mm or more should be
      considered when planning treatment, and reduction in the mandibular setback will
      reduce the risk of development of a double chin.

PMID- 26119700
TI  - Chin wing osteotomy for the correction of hyper-divergent skeletal class III
      deformity: technical modification.

PMID- 26119701
TI  - Evaporation of low-volatility components in polymeric dental resins.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study provides measurement of the volatility of selected
      photoinitiators and monomers used in dental adhesive resins. A detailed
      determination of the spatial and temporal character of camphorquinone (CQ)
      volatilization with respect to air flow conditions as well as media viscosity is
      assessed to gauge the effect of evaporative loss on the photopolymerization
      process and the photopolymers formed. METHODS: Vapor pressures of materials are
      measured by thermogravimetric analysis. A quantitative model assuming one
      dimensional Fickian diffusion with surface evaporation is presented and compared
      with measured photoinitiator volatilization from viscous and non-viscous resin
      samples, obtained by spectrophotometry and confocal microscopy. Model resins are
      prepared and subject to airthinning followed by photocuring, monitored in real
      time by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. RESULTS: Vapor pressure
      measurements of the individual components of the adhesive resin span nearly four
      orders of magnitude, with the photoinitiator CQ near the middle (0.6Pa) and the
      monomer HEMA at the upper end (10Pa). We see depth-averaged CQ loss from non
      viscous open films, while depthresolved measurements of viscous droplets show
      strong surface-localized CQ depletion. Good agreement is observed between
      measurements and the model. Finally, air-thinning of samples prepared with more
      volatile photoinitiator and monomer is shown to cause longer induction times,
      slower early-stage polymerization rates and lower late-stage degree of
      conversion. SIGNIFICANCE: Widely used compounds with vapor pressures as low as
      0.6Pa (0.001Torr) undergo significant volatilization from samples ventilated
      under conditions generally representative to clinically used air-thinning
      procedures, with the potential to adversely affect the photopolymerization of
      both viscous and non-viscous resins. The inverse relationship between air
      thinning and adhesive bond strength, observed elsewhere, may be partially caused
      by this same effect.

PMID- 26119702
TI  - Hexaarylbiimidazoles as visible light thiol-ene photoinitiators.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine if hexaarylbiimidazoles (HABIs)
      are efficient, visible light-active photoinitiators for thiol-ene systems. We
      hypothesize that, owing to the reactivity of lophyl radicals with thiols and the
      necessarily high concentration of thiol in thiol-ene formulations, HABIs will
      effectively initiate thiol-ene polymerization upon visible light irradiation.
      METHODS: UV-vis absorption spectra of photoinitiator solutions were obtained
      using UV-vis spectroscopy, while EPR spectroscopy was used to confirm radical
      species generation upon HABI photolysis. Functional group conversions during
      photopolymerization were monitored using FTIR spectroscopy, and thermomechanical
      properties were determined using dynamic mechanical analysis. RESULTS: The HABI
      derivatives investigated exhibit less absorptivity than camphorquinone at 469nm;
      however, they afford increased sensitivity at this wavelength when compared with
      bis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)-phenylphosphineoxide. Photolysis of the investigated
      HABIs affords lophyl radicals. Affixing hydroxyhexyl functional groups to the
      HABI core significantly improved solubility. Thiol-ene resins formulated with
      HABI photoinitiators polymerized rapidly upon irradiation with 469nm. The glass
      transition temperatures of the thiol-ene resin formulated with a
      bis(hydroxyhexyl)-functionalized HABI and photopolymerized at room and body
      temperature were 49.5+/-0.5 degrees C and 52.2+/-0.1 degrees C, respectively.
      SIGNIFICANCE: Although thiol-enes show promise as continuous phases for composite
      dental restorative materials, they show poor reactivity with the conventional
      camphorquinone/tertiary amine photoinitiation system. Conversely, despite their
      relatively low visible light absorptivity, HABI photoinitiators afford rapid
      thiol-ene photopolymerization rates. Moreover, minor structural modifications
      suggest pathways for improved HABI solubility and visible light absorption.

PMID- 26119704
TI  - Clinical experience with the use of daptomycin in a tertiary care teaching
      hospital in Barcelona, Spain.
AB  - AIM: We reviewed the clinical use of daptomycin in daily practice. MATERIALS &
      METHODS: Efficacy and safety were assessed in 175 consecutive patients given
      daptomycin for at least 72 h. RESULTS: Daptomycin was given as rescue treatment
      in 50.9% of cases. Bloodstream infection (34.8%) and skin/soft-tissue infection
      (19.4%) were the most frequent. In 62.3% of patients, the dose of <= 6 mg/kg/day
      was administered. Staphylococcus spp. were isolated in 52.6% of cases (MRSA in
      9.5%, CoNS in 34.3%) and Enterococcus spp. in 8.7%. Clinical success was 75% and
      microbiological eradication 48.6%. Two patients discontinued daptomycin due to
      hemolytic anemia of unlikely and possible relationship with daptomycin,
      respectively. CONCLUSION: Daptomycin was effective and well tolerated in patients
      with severe Gram-positive infections.

PMID- 26119705
TI  - Mu opioid receptor activation enhances regulator of G protein signaling 4
      association with the mu opioid receptor/G protein complex in a GTP-dependent
      manner.
AB  - The interaction of Regulator of G protein Signaling 4 (RGS4) with the rat mu
      opioid receptor (MOR)/G protein complex was investigated. Solubilized MOR from
      rat brain membranes was immunoprecipitated in the presence of RGS4 with
      antibodies against the N-terminus of MOR (anti-MOR10-70 ). Activation of MOR with
      [D-Ala(2) , N-Me-Phe(4) , Gly(5) -ol] enkephalin (DAMGO) during
      immunoprecipitation caused a 150% increase in Goalpha and a 50% increase in RGS4
      in the pellet. When 10 MUM GTP was included with DAMGO, there was an additional
      72% increase in RGS4 co-immunoprecipitating with MOR (p = 0.003). Guanosine 5'-O
      (3-thiotriphosphate) (GTPgammaS) increased the amount of co-precipitating RGS4 by
      93% (compared to DAMGO alone, p = 0.008), and the inclusion of GTPgammaS caused
      the ratio of MOR to RGS4 to be 1 : 1 (31 fmoles : 28 fmoles, respectively).
      GTPgammaS also increased the association of endogenous RGS4 with MOR. In His6
      RGS4/Ni(2+) -NTA agarose pull down experiments, 0.3 MUM GTPgammaS tripled the
      binding of Goalpha to His6 RGS4, whereas the addition of 100 MUM GDP blocked this
      effect. Importantly, activation of solubilized MOR with DAMGO in the presence of
      100 MUM GDP and 0.3 MUM GTPgammaS increased Goalpha binding to His6 RGS4/Ni(2+) 
      NTA agarose (p = 0.001). Regulators of G protein Signaling (RGS) shorten the time
      that G proteins are active. Activation of the mu opioid receptor (MOR) causes GTP
      to bind to and to activate Go (alphaobetagamma). RGS4 then binds to the activated
      alphao-GTP/MOR complex and accelerates the intrinsic GTPase of alphao. After
      alphao dissociates from MOR, RGS4 remains bound to the C-terminal region of MOR. 

PMID- 26119706
TI  - Indication bias or protopathic bias?

PMID- 26119707
TI  - Isocentric C-arm three-dimensional navigation versus conventional C-arm assisted
      C1-C2 transarticular screw fixation for atlantoaxial instability.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Isocentric C-arm 3D navigation has been widely used in superior
      cervical surgeries in recent years. Several clinical researches reported that
      navigation system was an effective support device for treatment of atlantoaxial
      instability. But there were few studies about the advantages of navigation system
      compared to conventional C-arm fluoroscopy in C1-C2 transarticular screw fixation
      for atlantoaxial instability. The aim of the study was to evaluate the precision
      of computer-assisted C1-C2 transarticular screw fixation (Magerl's technique) for
      atlantoaxial instability and compare the clinical results with conventional C-arm
      fluoroscopy. METHODS: Forty-two patients diagnosed as atlantoaxial instability
      who underwent C1-C2 transarticular screw fixation under two different fluoroscopy
      methods were studied. The Iso-C 3D navigation group included 18 patients and the
      other 24 patients were in the conventional C-arm group. The clinical and
      radiographic results were recorded and compared between the two groups. Patients
      were followed up with clinical examination and radiographs at a mean of 18.4
      months. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between two groups in the
      mean age, gender, and causes of atlantoaxial instability. The mean blood loss in
      the navigation group was 236.1 +/- 28.5 mL versus 308.3 +/- 21.2 mL in the
      conventional C-arm group. The radiation time was significantly reduced using 3D
      navigation (48.8 +/- 1.05 s versus 60.3 +/- 2.23 s). Overall, 97.2 % (35/36) of
      3D navigated screws and 91.7 % (44/48) of fluoroscopy screws were placed into the
      C1-C2 transarticular passages. Thirty-nine of forty patients showed evidence of
      solid fusion after 12 months on cervical plain radiographies or CT scans.
      CONCLUSIONS: On comparing the two imaging techniques, it was found that using Iso
      C 3D navigation can improve accuracy of the C1-C2 transarticular screws, decrease
      intra-operative fluoroscopic time and blood loss, and not prolong the operative
      time. This study demonstrates that Iso-C 3D navigation is a safe and effective
      means of guiding C1-C2 transarticular screw fixation for atlantoaxial
      instability.

PMID- 26119708
TI  - The efficacy of pedicle screw instrument in treatment of irreducible atlantoaxial
      dislocation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of pedicle screw instrument in treatment of
      irreducible atlantoaxial dislocation. PATIENTS AND METHOD: From June 2003 to
      February 2009, 14 cases of atlas dislocation with upper cervical cord compression
      were enrolled and anterior transoral soft tissue release combined with posterior
      reduction and pedicle screw fixation were performed. CT, MRI and radiograph were
      used preoperatively, and screw placement and bone graft were administered in all
      cases intraoperatively. Cervical collars were used for 3 months. RESULTS: Screws
      were successfully placed in atlas in all cases. The average follow-up period was
      18 months. Bone fusion was observed in all cases without the following
      complications: neurologic symptoms, internal fixation failure and redislocation.
      Neurological recovery was observed in all 14 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Pedicle screw
      instrument has the following advantages in atlas and axis injury treatment:
      direct screw placement, short-segment fusion, intraoperative reduction and high
      fusion rate, which should be a better surgical method for the treatment of
      atlantoaxial dislocation.

PMID- 26119709
TI  - Thermal necrosis induced by electrocauterization as a local adjuvant therapy in
      local aggressive bone tumors, what is the safe limit for surgical margins? An
      experimental study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In the current study, it was aimed to investigate the temperature
      change in the cavity wall and pathologic necrosis occurred during cauterization,
      which was applied at different voltages and time intervals. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The right tibias of 32 male rabbits were used. Three 2-mm-diameter holes
      were created on the cortical surface of the tibia using a hand-held drill. Using
      an electrocautery device, 55 mV was applied for 3 and 5 s and 65 mV was applied
      for 3 and 5 s. Maximum temperatures at 3 and 6 mm distance from the application
      site were measured. Biopsy specimens obtained at 3 and 6 mm distance from the
      application site were evaluated microscopically for bone cell viability and
      periosteal necrosis. RESULTS: Thirty-two rabbits were divided into four groups.
      In all groups, periosteal bone cells located at the region, extending from the
      application site to 3 mm distance, died. In this region, application of 55 mV for
      3 s caused peripheral necrosis. There were significant differences between the
      four groups in terms of maximum temperatures measured at 3 mm distance from the
      application site (p = 0.027). On the other hand, no significant differences were
      noted between the four groups in terms of maximum temperatures measured at 6 mm
      distance from the application site (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cauterization of the
      cavity wall in the spray mode at 55 mV for 3 s after tumor resection caused
      necrosis in the cavity wall, extending from the application site to 3 mm
      distance. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Experimental animal study, Level II.

PMID- 26119710
TI  - Comparison of pain relief between patient-controlled epidural analgesia and
      patient-controlled intravenous analgesia for patients undergoing spinal fusion
      surgeries.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This meta-analysis aimed to compare the postoperative analgesic
      effects of patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) and patient-controlled
      intravenous analgesia (PCIA) for patients undergoing spinal fusion surgeries.
      METHOD: Relevant articles were identified using computerized and manual search
      strategies. Statistical analyses were undertaken by the CMA 2.0 statistical
      software. RESULTS: Nine cohort studies with a total of 436 patients undergoing
      spinal fusion surgeries were incorporated in the present meta-analysis. There
      were significant differences between the PCEA and PCIA groups in the visual
      analogue scale score of patients undergoing spinal fusion [standardized mean
      difference = 0.27, 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) = 0.070-0.470, P = 0.008].
      However, no obvious difference was observed in the rate of side effects between
      the PCIA and PCEA groups (side effects: odds ratio = 0.957, 95 % CI = 0.536
      1.708, P = 0.882). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that PCEA may be more
      effective in relieving pain than PCIA for patients undergoing spinal fusion
      surgeries.

PMID- 26119711
TI  - Nurses aged over 50 and their perceptions of flexible working.
AB  - AIM: To explore the experiences and needs of older nurses in relation to flexible
      working and the barriers and facilitators to implementation within workplaces.
      BACKGROUND: An ageing nursing workforce and anticipated nursing workforce
      shortages require effective approaches to workforce retention. METHOD: A mixed
      method approach (focus group and individual interviews) with nurses aged over 50
      (n = 46) combined with analysis of district health board (DHB) flexible working
      policies. RESULTS: Participants had a good understanding of flexible working and
      recognised the importance of balancing their own needs with those of their
      organisation. Participants had legitimate reasons for making requests and became
      frustrated when turned down. They recommended job sharing, shorter shifts, no
      night shift and greater recognition of their work to improve retention. There was
      discrepancy between organisational policy (where this existed) and
      implementation. CONCLUSION: Organisations should review flexible working
      policies, ensuring these are understood and implemented at the unit level.
      Training of nurse managers is recommended. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT:
      Nurse managers must recognise the individual needs of nurses, be cognisant of
      workplace policies regarding flexible working, ensure these are implemented
      consistently and make the effort to recognise the work of older nurses.

PMID- 26119712
TI  - Characteristics and outcomes of Italian patients from the observational,
      multicentre, hypopituitary control and complications study (HypoCCS) according to
      tertiles of growth hormone peak concentration following stimulation testing at
      study entry.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether characteristics and outcomes of Italian patients
      in the observational global Hypopituitary Control and Complication Study
      (HypoCCS) differed according to the degree of GH deficiency (GHD). DESIGN:
      Patients were grouped by tertiles of stimulated GH peak concentration at baseline
      (Group A lowest tertile, n = 342; Group B middle tertile, n = 345; Group C
      highest tertile, n = 338). RESULTS: Baseline demographics, lipid levels, body
      mass index categories and mean Framingham cardiovascular risk indexes were
      similar in the three groups and remained substantially unchanged over time, with
      no subsequent significant between-group differences (except mean levels of
      triglycerides increased in the highest tertile group). GHD was adult-onset for
      >75% of patients in all groups. The percentage of patients with multiple
      pituitary deficiencies was higher in Group A than in the other groups; isolated
      GHD was reported with highest frequency in Group C. Patients in Group A received
      the lowest mean starting dose of GH. Hyperlipidaemia at baseline was reported in
      35.1%, 31.1% and 24.7% of patients in groups A, B and C, respectively (P =
      0.029). Mean duration of GH treatment was 7.21, 5.45 and 4.96 years,
      respectively. The proportion of patients with adverse events did not differ
      significantly between groups, with a low prevalence over time of diabetes and
      cancer. CONCLUSIONS: In Italian patients from HypoCCS, the level of GH deficit
      did not influence changes over time in metabolic parameters or adverse event
      profile, despite differences in GHD severity at baseline and in the starting GH
      dose.

PMID- 26119713
TI  - Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of polysaccharide fractions from
      litchi pulp.
AB  - Three litchi polysaccharide fractions (LPFs), LP-4, LP-6 and LP-8, were obtained
      by fractional precipitation using 40%, 60% and 80% ethanol, respectively. The
      physicochemical properties, chemical antioxidant, and cellular antioxidant and
      antiproliferative activities of the three polysaccharide fractions were compared.
      LP-6 contained the highest contents of uronic acid and binding protein among the
      three fractions, whereas LP-8 contained the least. Amino acid composition
      analysis of the binding protein revealed that LP-6 contained the most acidic and
      aromatic amino acids. However, LP-8 contained more galactose and mannose than LP
      4 and LP-6. LP-6 exhibited the highest chemical antioxidant activities, with an
      oxygen radical absorbance capacity of 28.14 MUmol TE per g DW. LP-8 exhibited
      higher cellular antioxidant activity and a greater inhibitory effect on the
      proliferation of A549, HepG2 and MGC-803 cells at a concentration of 100-800 MUg
      mL(-1) than LP-4 and LP-6. In summary, the different LPFs exhibited different
      antioxidant and antiproliferative activities with differential physicochemical
      properties. 

PMID- 26119714
TI  - A review of melanized (black) fungal contamination in pharmaceutical products-
      incidence, drug recall and control measures.
AB  - The aim of this study was to describe the incidence of contamination of
      pharmaceutical products by melanized fungi and to consider control measures in
      relation to bioburden and cleanrooms. This study reviews and analyses
      pharmaceutical product recalls and offers incidence rates of fungal detection
      from a typical cleanrooms. The recalls include some serious cases which resulted
      in the loss of life. Of different types of fungal contamination incidences some
      of the most damaging have been due to melanized fungi ('black mould'), such as
      Exserohilum rostratum. The focus of the article is with melanized fungi. The
      study concludes that, from the review of recent pharmaceutical product recalls,
      fungal contamination is either increasingly common within cleanroom environments
      or the accuracy of sampling and the level of reporting has risen. The prevalence
      of melanized fungi in pharmaceutical facilities rests on specific virulence
      factors particular to these types of fungi, which are outlined. The article
      identifies a gap in the way that such fungi are screened for using available
      cultural methods. The article provides some control strategies, including
      assessing the suitability of disinfectants and biocides, for reducing the risk of
      melanized fungal incidences within the pharmaceutical facility. Understanding the
      fungal risk to pharmaceutical products remains a poorly understood and often
      overlooked aspect of pharmaceutical microbiology. This article helps to identify
      this risk and offer some guidance to those involved with pharmaceutical products
      manufacture in relation to bio-contamination control strategies.

PMID- 26119715
TI  - Body mass as a confounding variable when predicting group size from orbit
      diameter and neocortex ratio.

PMID- 26119718
TI  - Percutaneous management of patients with acute coronary syndromes from
      unprotected left main disease: A comprehensive review and presentation of a
      treatment algorithm.
AB  - The patient with acute coronary syndrome, particularly with myocardial
      infarction, from an unprotected left main coronary stenosis represents one of the
      highest risk subgroups with mortality exceeding 25-50%. Once a patient develops
      cardiogenic shock, the risk of death during index hospitalization is exceedingly
      high. Percutaneous coronary intervention may improve short- and long-term
      outcome, particularly if performed prior to shock development. Should the patient
      survive index hospitalization, survival tends to be rather good. This review
      summarizes current knowledge and proposes a clinical algorithm for evaluation and
      treatment. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

PMID- 26119717
TI  - Inhibition of ligand-independent constitutive activation of the Met oncogenic
      receptor by the engineered chemically-modified antibody DN30.
AB  - An awesome number of experimental and clinical evidences indicate that
      constitutive activation of the Met oncogenic receptor plays a critical role in
      the progression of cancer toward metastasis and/or resistance to targeted
      therapies. While mutations are rare, the common mechanism of Met activation is
      overexpression, either by gene amplification ('addiction') or transcriptional
      activation ('expedience'). In the first instance ligand-independent kinase
      activation plays a major role in sustaining the transformed phenotype. Anti-Met
      antibodies directed against the receptor binding site behave essentially as
      ligand (Hepatocyte Growth Factor, HGF) antagonists and are ineffective to
      counteract ligand-independent activation. The monovalent chimeric MvDN30 antibody
      fragment, PEGylated to extend its half-life, binds the fourth IPT domain and
      induces 'shedding' of the Met extracellular domain, dramatically reducing both
      the number of receptors on the surface and their phosphorylation. Downstream
      signaling is thus inhibited, both in the absence or in the presence of the
      ligand. In vitro, MvDN30 is a strong inhibitor not only of ligand-dependent
      invasive growth, sustained by both paracrine and autocrine HGF, but notably, also
      of ligand-independent growth of 'Met-addicted' cells. In immunocompromised mice,
      lacking expression of Hepatocyte Growth Factor cross-reacting with the human
      receptor - thus providing, by definition, a model of 'ligand-independent' Met
      activation - PEGylated MvDN30 impairs growth of Met 'addicted' human gastric
      carcinoma cells. In a Met-amplified patient-derived colo-rectal tumor
      (xenopatient) MvDN30-PEG overcomes the resistance to EGFR targeted therapy
      (Cetuximab). The PEGylated MvDN30 is thus a strong candidate for targeting tumors
      sustained by ligand-independent Met oncogenic activation. 

PMID- 26119719
TI  - The ignored pandemic of typhoid.

PMID- 26119720
TI  - Which tissues are best for microbiological diagnosis in patients with pyogenic
      vertebral osteomyelitis undergoing needle biopsy?
AB  - Identification of the causative microorganism is important in the management of
      pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis (PVO). The aim of this study was to investigate
      whether culture positive rates differ between needle biopsy sites in patients
      with PVO, and which tissues are best for microbiological diagnosis. Between
      January 2005 and December 2013, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of PVO
      patients who had soft-tissue abscesses (paraspinal or psoas abscesses) and who
      received needle biopsy for microbiological diagnosis. Needle biopsy sites were
      classified into two anatomical categories: vertebral bodies, or soft tissues
      (intervertebral discs, paraspinal abscesses, or psoas abscesses). A generalized
      estimating equation model was developed to identify factors associated with
      tissue-culture positivity. During the study period a total of 136 tissues were
      obtained by needle biopsy from 128 PVO patients with soft-tissue abscesses. The
      culture positive rates of vertebral bodies and soft tissues were 39.7% (29/73),
      and 63.5% (40/63), respectively (p < 0.05). In a multivariate analysis, male
      gender (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.24, 95% CI 1.00-5.02), higher C-reactive
      protein (aOR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.15), positive blood culture (aOR 2.57, 95% CI
      1.01-6.59), and soft tissues as biopsy site compared with vertebral bodies (aOR
      2.28, 95% CI 1.08-4.78) were independent factors associated with tissue culture
      positivity. Soft tissues were the best sites for microbiological diagnosis in PVO
      patients undergoing needle biopsy. 

PMID- 26119721
TI  - Revival of old antibiotics: structuring the re-development process to optimize
      usage.

PMID- 26119722
TI  - Fever in melanoma: new drugs or bugs?

PMID- 26119723
TI  - Characteristics of patients and physicians correlated with regular influenza
      vaccination in patients treated for type 2 diabetes: a follow-up study from 2008
      to 2011 in southeastern France.
AB  - We studied a cohort of 110 823 patients treated with oral hypoglycaemic agents
      for type 2 diabetes in southeastern France from 1 January 2008 to 31 December
      2011, to identify influenza vaccination coverage trends and the patient and
      physician correlates of influenza vaccine (IFV) uptake. We used French national
      health insurance fund (NHIF) databases to identify these patients and collect
      data on their IFV reimbursement claims (IFVC) and patient and physician
      characteristics. We used multilevel multivariate polytomous logistic regressions
      to test the correlates of IFVC. Between 2008 and 2011 the annual IFVC rate varied
      from 33.7% to 32.3% in the 18-64 age group and from 69.5% to 61.1% in the 65 +
      age group, among whom we saw a clear trend towards reduced vaccination after
      2008. In the younger group, the probability of regular vaccination each year from
      2008 to 2011 increased with diabetes severity and duration, comorbidities, and
      the number of general practitioner and nurse visits; it was higher among patients
      seeing endocrinologists and lower among low-income patients than in other
      patients. In the older group, there was no association with either diabetes
      severity or physician specialty. These results suggest different patterns of
      correlates of influenza vaccination according to age. Endocrinologists might help
      to improve IFV uptake in the younger group of patients with type 2 diabetes.
      Communication strategies regarding influenza vaccination should be adapted to
      age, and collaboration between healthcare professionals should be reinforced to
      achieve vaccination objectives for these patients.

PMID- 26119724
TI  - Acclimation of Emiliania huxleyi (1516) to nutrient limitation involves precise
      modification of the proteome to scavenge alternative sources of N and P.
AB  - Limitation of marine primary production by the availability of nitrogen or
      phosphorus is common. Emiliania huxleyi, a ubiquitous phytoplankter that plays
      key roles in primary production, calcium carbonate precipitation and production
      of dimethyl sulfide, often blooms in mid-latitude at the beginning of summer when
      inorganic nutrient concentrations are low. To understand physiological mechanisms
      that allow such blooms, we examined how the proteome of E. huxleyi (strain 1516)
      responds to N and P limitation. We observed modest changes in much of the
      proteome despite large physiological changes (e.g. cellular biomass, C, N and P)
      associated with nutrient limitation of growth rate. Acclimation to nutrient
      limitation did however involve significant increases in the abundance of
      transporters for ammonium and nitrate under N limitation and for phosphate under
      P limitation. More notable were large increases in proteins involved in the
      acquisition of organic forms of N and P, including urea and amino acid/polyamine
      transporters and numerous C-N hydrolases under N limitation and a large
      upregulation of alkaline phosphatase under P limitation. This highly targeted
      reorganization of the proteome towards scavenging organic forms of macronutrients
      gives unique insight into the molecular mechanisms that underpin how E. huxleyi
      has found its niche to bloom in surface waters depleted of inorganic nutrients. 

PMID- 26119725
TI  - Asymmetric Synthesis of Axially Chiral Isoquinolones: Nickel-Catalyzed
      Denitrogenative Transannulation.
AB  - The first Ni(0)/bis(oxazoline)-catalyzed asymmetric denitrogenative
      transannulation of 1,2,3-benzotriazin-4(3H)-ones with bulky internal alkynes to
      form novel axially chiral isoquinolones in an atroposelective manner has been
      developed. This method provides direct asymmetric access to axially chiral
      isoquinolones with excellent functional-group tolerance in excellent yields and
      stereoselectivities from readily available starting materials under mild reaction
      conditions. These axially chiral isoquinolones exhibit high cytotoxicity against
      a number of human cancer cell lines. DFT calculations reveal the nature of the
      transition state in the key annulation step.

PMID- 26119726
TI  - Biomarkers of Tumour Radiosensitivity and Predicting Benefit from Radiotherapy.
AB  - Radiotherapy is an essential component of treatment for more than half of newly
      diagnosed cancer patients. The response to radiotherapy varies widely between
      individuals and although advances in technology have allowed the adaptation of
      radiotherapy fields to tumour anatomy, it is still not possible to tailor
      radiotherapy based on tumour biology. A biomarker of intrinsic radiosensitivity
      would be extremely valuable for individual dosing, aiding decision making between
      radical treatment options and avoiding toxicity of neoadjuvant or adjuvant
      radiotherapy in those unlikely to benefit. This systematic review summarises the
      current evidence for biomarkers under investigation as predictors of radiotherapy
      benefit. Only 10 biomarkers were identified as having been evaluated for their
      radiotherapy-specific predictive value in over 100 patients in a clinical
      setting, highlighting that despite a rich literature there were few high-quality
      studies for inclusion. The most extensively studied radiotherapy predictive
      biomarkers were the radiosensitivity index and MRE11; however, neither has been
      evaluated in a randomised controlled trial. Although these biomarkers show
      promise, there is not enough evidence to justify their use in routine practice.
      Further validation is needed before biomarkers can fulfil their potential and
      predict treatment outcomes for large numbers of patients. 

PMID- 26119727
TI  - Neurocognitive Effects Following Cranial Irradiation for Brain Metastases.
AB  - About 90% of patients with brain metastases have impaired neurocognitive function
      at diagnosis and up to two-thirds will show further declines within 2-6 months of
      whole brain radiotherapy. Distinguishing treatment effects from progressive
      disease can be challenging because the prognosis remains poor in many patients.
      Omitting whole brain radiotherapy after local therapy in good prognosis patients
      improves verbal memory at 4 months, but the effect of higher intracranial
      recurrence and salvage therapy rates on neurocognitive function beyond this time
      point is unknown. Hippocampal-sparing whole brain radiotherapy and postoperative
      stereotactic radiosurgery are investigational techniques intended to reduce
      toxicity. Here we describe the changes that can occur and review technological,
      pharmacological and practical approaches used to mitigate their effect in
      clinical practice. 

PMID- 26119728
TI  - Clonal Dynamics Reveal Two Distinct Populations of Basal Cells in Slow-Turnover
      Airway Epithelium.
AB  - Epithelial lineages have been studied at cellular resolution in multiple organs
      that turn over rapidly. However, many epithelia, including those of the lung,
      liver, pancreas, and prostate, turn over slowly and may be regulated differently.
      We investigated the mouse tracheal epithelial lineage at homeostasis by using
      long-term clonal analysis and mathematical modeling. This pseudostratified
      epithelium contains basal cells and secretory and multiciliated luminal cells.
      Our analysis revealed that basal cells are heterogeneous, comprising
      approximately equal numbers of multipotent stem cells and committed precursors,
      which persist in the basal layer for 11 days before differentiating to luminal
      fate. We confirmed the molecular and functional differences within the basal
      population by using single-cell qRT-PCR and further lineage labeling.
      Additionally, we show that self-renewal of short-lived secretory cells is a
      feature of homeostasis. We have thus revealed early luminal commitment of cells
      that are morphologically indistinguishable from stem cells.

PMID- 26119729
TI  - The Nuclear PolyA-Binding Protein Nab2p Is Essential for mRNA Production.
AB  - Polyadenylation of mRNA is a key step in eukaryotic gene expression. However,
      despite the major impact of poly(A) tails on mRNA metabolism, the precise roles
      of poly(A)-binding proteins (PABPs) in nuclear mRNA biogenesis remain elusive.
      Here, we demonstrate that rapid nuclear depletion of the S. cerevisiae PABP Nab2p
      leads to a global loss of cellular mRNA, but not of RNA lacking poly(A) tails.
      Disappearance of mRNA is a nuclear event, but not due to decreased transcription.
      Instead, the absence of Nab2p results in robust nuclear mRNA decay by the
      ribonucleolytic RNA exosome in a polyadenylation-dependent process. We conclude
      that Nab2p is required to protect early mRNA and therefore constitutes a crucial
      nuclear mRNA biogenesis factor.

PMID- 26119730
TI  - Suppression of PGC-1alpha Is Critical for Reprogramming Oxidative Metabolism in
      Renal Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - Long believed to be a byproduct of malignant transformation, reprogramming of
      cellular metabolism is now recognized as a driving force in tumorigenesis. In
      clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), frequent activation of HIF signaling
      induces a metabolic switch that promotes tumorigenesis. Here, we demonstrate that
      PGC-1alpha, a central regulator of energy metabolism, is suppressed in VHL
      deficient ccRCC by a HIF/Dec1-dependent mechanism. In VHL wild-type cells, PGC
      1alpha suppression leads to decreased expression of the mitochondrial
      transcription factor Tfam and impaired mitochondrial respiration. Conversely, PGC
      1alpha expression in VHL-deficient cells restores mitochondrial function and
      induces oxidative stress. ccRCC cells expressing PGC-1alpha exhibit impaired
      tumor growth and enhanced sensitivity to cytotoxic therapies. In patients, low
      levels of PGC-1alpha expression are associated with poor outcome. These studies
      demonstrate that suppression of PGC-1alpha recapitulates key metabolic phenotypes
      of ccRCC and highlight the potential of targeting PGC-1alpha expression as a
      therapeutic modality for the treatment of ccRCC.

PMID- 26119731
TI  - The Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Matches Energetic Supply with Cardiac
      Workload during Stress and Modulates Permeability Transition.
AB  - Cardiac contractility is mediated by a variable flux in intracellular calcium
      (Ca(2+)), thought to be integrated into mitochondria via the mitochondrial
      calcium uniporter (MCU) channel to match energetic demand. Here, we examine a
      conditional, cardiomyocyte-specific, mutant mouse lacking Mcu, the pore-forming
      subunit of the MCU channel, in adulthood. Mcu(-/-) mice display no overt baseline
      phenotype and are protected against mCa(2+) overload in an in vivo myocardial
      ischemia-reperfusion injury model by preventing the activation of the
      mitochondrial permeability transition pore, decreasing infarct size, and
      preserving cardiac function. In addition, we find that Mcu(-/-) mice lack
      contractile responsiveness to acute beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation and in
      parallel are unable to activate mitochondrial dehydrogenases and display reduced
      bioenergetic reserve capacity. These results support the hypothesis that MCU may
      be dispensable for homeostatic cardiac function but required to modulate Ca(2+)
      dependent metabolism during acute stress.

PMID- 26119732
TI  - Assembly of the Ebola Virus Nucleoprotein from a Chaperoned VP35 Complex.
AB  - Ebolavirus NP oligomerizes into helical filaments found at the core of the
      virion, encapsidates the viral RNA genome, and serves as a scaffold for
      additional viral proteins within the viral nucleocapsid. We identified a portion
      of the phosphoprotein homolog VP35 that binds with high affinity to nascent NP
      and regulates NP assembly and viral genome binding. Removal of the VP35 peptide
      leads to NP self-assembly via its N-terminal oligomerization arm. NP
      oligomerization likely causes a conformational change between the NP N- and C
      terminal domains, facilitating RNA binding. These functional data are
      complemented by crystal structures of the NP degrees -VP35 complex at 2.4 A
      resolution. The interactions between NP and VP35 illuminated by these structures
      are conserved among filoviruses and provide key targets for therapeutic
      intervention.

PMID- 26119733
TI  - Maternal dazap2 Regulates Germ Granules by Counteracting Dynein in Zebrafish
      Primordial Germ Cells.
AB  - Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the stem cells of the germline. Generally,
      germline induction occurs via zygotic factors or the inheritance of maternal
      determinants called germ plasm (GP). GP is packaged into ribonucleoprotein
      complexes within oocytes and later promotes the germline fate in embryos. Once
      PGCs are specified by either mechanism, GP components localize to perinuclear
      granular-like structures. Although components of zebrafish PGC germ granules have
      been studied, the maternal factors regulating their assembly and contribution to
      germ cell development are unknown. Here, we show that the scaffold protein Dazap2
      binds to Bucky ball, an essential regulator of oocyte polarity and GP assembly,
      and colocalizes with the GP in oocytes and in PGCs. Mutational analysis revealed
      a requirement for maternal Dazap2 (MDazap2) in germ-granule maintenance. Through
      molecular epistasis analyses, we show that MDazap2 is epistatic to Tdrd7 and
      maintains germ granules in the embryonic germline by counteracting Dynein
      activity.

PMID- 26119734
TI  - Plk1 and Mps1 Cooperatively Regulate the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint in Human
      Cells.
AB  - Equal mitotic chromosome segregation is critical for genome integrity and is
      monitored by the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). We have previously shown that
      the consensus phosphorylation motif of the essential SAC kinase Monopolar spindle
      1 (Mps1) is very similar to that of Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1). This prompted us
      to ask whether human Plk1 cooperates with Mps1 in SAC signaling. Here, we
      demonstrate that Plk1 promotes checkpoint signaling at kinetochores through the
      phosphorylation of at least two Mps1 substrates, including KNL-1 and Mps1 itself.
      As a result, Plk1 activity enhances Mps1 catalytic activity as well as the
      recruitment of the SAC components Mad1:C-Mad2 and Bub3:BubR1 to kinetochores. We
      conclude that Plk1 strengthens the robustness of SAC establishment at the onset
      of mitosis and supports SAC maintenance during prolonged mitotic arrest.

PMID- 26119735
TI  - mTORC1-Induced HK1-Dependent Glycolysis Regulates NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation.
AB  - The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) regulates activation of
      immune cells and cellular energy metabolism. Although glycolysis has been linked
      to immune functions, the mechanisms by which glycolysis regulates NLRP3
      inflammasome activation remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that mTORC1-induced
      glycolysis provides an essential mechanism for NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
      Moreover, we demonstrate that hexokinase 1 (HK1)-dependent glycolysis, under the
      regulation of mTORC1, represents a critical metabolic pathway for NLRP3
      inflammasome activation. Downregulation of glycolysis by inhibition of
      Raptor/mTORC1 or HK1 suppressed both pro-IL-1beta maturation and caspase-1
      activation in macrophages in response to LPS and ATP. These results suggest that
      upregulation of HK1-dependent glycolysis by mTORC1 regulates NLRP3 inflammasome
      activation.

PMID- 26119736
TI  - Identification of Hemagglutinin Residues Responsible for H3N2 Antigenic Drift
      during the 2014-2015 Influenza Season.
AB  - Influenza vaccines must be updated regularly because influenza viruses
      continuously acquire mutations in antibody binding sites of hemagglutinin (HA).
      The majority of H3N2 strains circulating in the Northern Hemisphere during the
      2014-2015 season are antigenically mismatched to the A/Texas/50/2012 H3N2 vaccine
      strain. Recent H3N2 strains possess several new HA mutations, and it is unknown
      which of these mutations contribute to the 2014-2015 vaccine mismatch. Here, we
      use reverse genetics to demonstrate that mutations in HA antigenic site B are
      primarily responsible for the current mismatch. Sera isolated from vaccinated
      humans and infected ferrets and sheep had reduced hemagglutination inhibition and
      in vitro neutralization titers against reverse-genetics-derived viruses
      possessing mutations in the HA antigenic site B. These data provide an antigenic
      explanation for the low influenza vaccine efficacy observed during the 2014-2015
      influenza season. Furthermore, our data support the World Health Organization's
      decision to update the H3N2 component of future vaccine formulations.

PMID- 26119737
TI  - Deficiency of UBE2T, the E2 Ubiquitin Ligase Necessary for FANCD2 and FANCI
      Ubiquitination, Causes FA-T Subtype of Fanconi Anemia.
AB  - Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare bone marrow failure and cancer predisposition
      syndrome resulting from pathogenic mutations in genes encoding proteins
      participating in the repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs). Mutations in 17
      genes (FANCA-FANCS) have been identified in FA patients, defining 17
      complementation groups. Here, we describe an individual presenting with typical
      FA features who is deficient for the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2), UBE2T.
      UBE2T is known to interact with FANCL, the E3 ubiquitin-ligase component of the
      multiprotein FA core complex, and is necessary for the monoubiquitination of
      FANCD2 and FANCI. Proband fibroblasts do not display FANCD2 and FANCI
      monoubiquitination, do not form FANCD2 foci following treatment with mitomycin C,
      and are hypersensitive to crosslinking agents. These cellular defects are
      complemented by expression of wild-type UBE2T, demonstrating that deficiency of
      the protein UBE2T can lead to Fanconi anemia. UBE2T gene gains an alias of FANCT.

PMID- 26119738
TI  - Natural Loss of Mps1 Kinase in Nematodes Uncovers a Role for Polo-like Kinase 1
      in Spindle Checkpoint Initiation.
AB  - The spindle checkpoint safeguards against chromosome loss during cell division by
      preventing anaphase onset until all chromosomes are attached to spindle
      microtubules. Checkpoint signal is generated at kinetochores, the primary
      attachment site on chromosomes for spindle microtubules. Mps1 kinase initiates
      checkpoint signaling by phosphorylating the kinetochore-localized scaffold
      protein Knl1 to create phospho-docking sites for Bub1/Bub3. Mps1 is widely
      conserved but is surprisingly absent in many nematode species. Here, we show that
      PLK-1, which targets a substrate motif similar to that of Mps1, functionally
      substitutes for Mps1 in C. elegans by phosphorylating KNL-1 to direct BUB-1/BUB-3
      kinetochore recruitment. This finding led us to re-examine checkpoint initiation
      in human cells, where we found that Plk1 co-inhibition significantly reduced Knl1
      phosphorylation and Bub1 kinetochore recruitment relative to Mps1 inhibition
      alone. Thus, the finding that PLK-1 functionally substitutes for Mps1 in
      checkpoint initiation in C. elegans uncovered a role for Plk1 in species that
      have Mps1.

PMID- 26119739
TI  - Microtubule-Associated Protein EB3 Regulates IP3 Receptor Clustering and Ca(2+)
      Signaling in Endothelial Cells.
AB  - The mechanisms by which the microtubule cytoskeleton regulates the permeability
      of endothelial barrier are not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that
      microtubule-associated end-binding protein 3 (EB3), a core component of the
      microtubule plus-end protein complex, binds to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate
      receptors (IP3Rs) through an S/TxIP EB-binding motif. In endothelial cells, alpha
      thrombin, a pro-inflammatory mediator that stimulates phospholipase Cbeta,
      increases the cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration and elicits clustering of IP3R3s.
      These responses, and the resulting Ca(2+)-dependent phosphorylation of myosin
      light chain, are prevented by depletion of either EB3 or mutation of the TxIP
      motif of IP3R3 responsible for mediating its binding to EB3. We also show that
      selective EB3 gene deletion in endothelial cells of mice abrogates alpha-thrombin
      induced increase in endothelial permeability. We conclude that the EB3-mediated
      interaction of IP3Rs with microtubules controls the assembly of IP3Rs into
      effective Ca(2+) signaling clusters, which thereby regulate microtubule-dependent
      endothelial permeability.

PMID- 26119740
TI  - Piwi Is a Key Regulator of Both Somatic and Germline Stem Cells in the Drosophila
      Testis.
AB  - The Piwi-piRNA pathway is well known for its germline function, yet its somatic
      role remains elusive. We show here that Piwi is required autonomously not only
      for germline stem cell (GSC) but also for somatic cyst stem cell (CySC)
      maintenance in the Drosophila testis. Reducing Piwi activity in the testis caused
      defects in CySC differentiation. Accompanying this, GSC daughters expanded beyond
      the vicinity of the hub but failed to differentiate further. Moreover, Piwi
      deficient in nuclear localization caused similar defects in somatic and germ cell
      differentiation, which was rescued by somatic Piwi expression. To explore the
      underlying molecular mechanism, we identified Piwi-bound piRNAs that uniquely map
      to a gene key for gonadal development, Fasciclin 3, and demonstrate that Piwi
      regulates its expression in somatic cyst cells. Our work reveals the cell
      autonomous function of Piwi in both somatic and germline stem cell types, with
      somatic function possibly via its epigenetic mechanism.

PMID- 26119741
TI  - Reciprocal Regulation between Enterovirus 71 and the NLRP3 Inflammasome.
AB  - Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the major etiological agent of hand, foot, and mouth
      disease (HFMD). Early studies showed that EV71-infected patients with severe
      complications exhibited elevated plasma levels of IL-1beta, indicating that EV71
      may activate inflammasomes. Our current study demonstrates that the NLRP3
      inflammasome plays a protective role against EV71 infection of mice in vivo. EV71
      replication in myeloid cells results in the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome
      and secretion of IL-1beta. Conversely, EV71 counteracts inflammasome activation
      through cleavage of NLRP3 by viral proteases 2A and 3C, which cleave NLRP3
      protein at the G493-L494 or Q225-G226 junction, respectively. Moreover, EV71 3C
      interacts with NLRP3 and inhibits IL-1beta secretion when expressed in mammalian
      cells. These results thus reveal a set of reciprocal regulations between
      enterovirus 71 and the NLRP3 inflammasome.

PMID- 26119742
TI  - The Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Selectively Matches Metabolic Output to Acute
      Contractile Stress in the Heart.
AB  - In the heart, augmented Ca(2+) fluxing drives contractility and ATP generation
      through mitochondrial Ca(2+) loading. Pathologic mitochondrial Ca(2+) overload
      with ischemic injury triggers mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP)
      opening and cardiomyocyte death. Mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake is primarily
      mediated by the mitochondrial Ca(2+) uniporter (MCU). Here, we generated mice
      with adult and cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of Mcu, which produced
      mitochondria refractory to acute Ca(2+) uptake, with impaired ATP production, and
      inhibited MPTP opening upon acute Ca(2+) challenge. Mice lacking Mcu in the adult
      heart were also protected from acute ischemia-reperfusion injury. However,
      resting/basal mitochondrial Ca(2+) levels were normal in hearts of Mcu-deleted
      mice, and mitochondria lacking MCU eventually loaded with Ca(2+) after stress
      stimulation. Indeed, Mcu-deleted mice were unable to immediately sprint on a
      treadmill unless warmed up for 30 min. Hence, MCU is a dedicated regulator of
      short-term mitochondrial Ca(2+) loading underlying a "fight-or-flight" response
      that acutely matches cardiac workload with ATP production.

PMID- 26119744
TI  - Nucleation and propagation of voltage-driven wrinkles in an inflated dielectric
      elastomer balloon.
AB  - Dielectric elastomer (DE) transducers frequently undergo voltage-induced large
      deformation, which may lead to mechanical instabilities. Here, we investigate
      wrinkle formation and propagation on the surface of a DE membrane mounted on an
      air chamber and subjected to a step voltage. Our experiments show that the
      geometric characteristics of the wrinkle morphology and the nucleation sites
      depend on the inflation pressure and the applied voltage. As the inflation
      pressure increases, the critical voltage used to nucleate the wrinkle decreases,
      while the location where the wrinkle nucleates shifts from the center to the
      boundary of the membrane. Moreover, by increasing the amplitude of the applied
      voltage, wrinkle morphology changes from stripe-like wrinkles to labyrinth-like
      wrinkles. Furthermore, we develop an analytical model to validate the
      experimental observations and map out the various wrinkle morphologies as a
      function of the applied pressure and voltage. A three dimensional phase diagram
      is constructed to help design new soft actuators. 

PMID- 26119743
TI  - Lam6 Regulates the Extent of Contacts between Organelles.
AB  - Communication between organelles is crucial for eukaryotic cells to function as
      one coherent unit. An important means of communication is through membrane
      contact sites, where two organelles come into close proximity allowing the
      transport of lipids and small solutes between them. Contact sites are dynamic in
      size and can change in response to environmental or cellular stimuli; however,
      how this is regulated has been unclear. Here, we show that Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae Lam6 resides in several central contact sites: ERMES (ER/mitochondria
      encounter structure), vCLAMP (vacuole and mitochondria patch), and NVJ (nuclear
      vacuolar junction). We show that Lam6 is sufficient for expansion of contact
      sites under physiological conditions and necessary for coordination of contact
      site size. Given that Lam6 is part of a large protein family and is conserved in
      vertebrates, our work opens avenues for investigating the underlying principles
      of organelle communication.

PMID- 26119745
TI  - Selection on a genetic polymorphism counteracts ecological speciation in a stick
      insect.
AB  - The interplay between selection and aspects of the genetic architecture of traits
      (such as linkage, dominance, and epistasis) can either drive or constrain
      speciation [1-3]. Despite accumulating evidence that speciation can progress to
      "intermediate" stages-with populations evolving only partial reproductive
      isolation-studies describing selective mechanisms that impose constraints on
      speciation are more rare than those describing drivers. The stick insect Timema
      cristinae provides an example of a system in which partial reproductive isolation
      has evolved between populations adapted to different host plant environments, in
      part due to divergent selection acting on a pattern polymorphism [4, 5]. Here, we
      demonstrate how selection on a green/melanistic color polymorphism counteracts
      speciation in this system. Specifically, divergent selection between hosts does
      not occur on color phenotypes because melanistic T. cristinae are cryptic on the
      stems of both host species, are resistant to a fungal pathogen, and have a mating
      advantage. Using genetic crosses and genome-wide association mapping, we quantify
      the genetic architecture of both the pattern and color polymorphism, illustrating
      their simple genetic control. We use these empirical results to develop an
      individual-based model that shows how the melanistic phenotype acts as a "genetic
      bridge" that increases gene flow between populations living on different hosts.
      Our results demonstrate how variation in the nature of selection acting on
      traits, and aspects of trait genetic architecture, can impose constraints on both
      local adaptation and speciation. 

PMID- 26119746
TI  - A Visual Pathway for Looming-Evoked Escape in Larval Zebrafish.
AB  - Avoiding the strike of an approaching predator requires rapid visual detection of
      a looming object, followed by a directed escape maneuver. While looming-sensitive
      neurons have been discovered in various animal species, the relative importance
      of stimulus features that are extracted by the visual system is still unclear.
      Furthermore, the neural mechanisms that compute object approach are largely
      unknown. We found that a virtual looming stimulus, i.e., a dark expanding disk on
      a bright background, reliably evoked rapid escape movements. Related stimuli,
      such as dimming, receding, or bright looming objects, were substantially less
      effective, and angular size was a critical determinant of escape initiation. Two
      photon calcium imaging in retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons revealed three
      retinorecipient areas that responded robustly to looming stimuli. One of these
      areas, the optic tectum, is innervated by a subset of RGC axons that respond
      selectively to looming stimuli. Laser-induced lesions of the tectal neuropil
      impaired the behavior. Our findings demonstrate a visually mediated escape
      behavior in zebrafish larvae exposed to objects approaching on a collision
      course. This response is sensitive to spatiotemporal parameters of the looming
      stimulus. Our data indicate that a subset of RGC axons within the tectum responds
      selectively to features of looming stimuli and that this input is necessary for
      visually evoked escape.

PMID- 26119747
TI  - A Recently Evolved Alternative Splice Site in the BRANCHED1a Gene Controls Potato
      Plant Architecture.
AB  - Amplification and diversification of transcriptional regulators that control
      development is a driving force of morphological evolution. A major source of
      protein diversity is alternative splicing, which leads to the generation of
      different isoforms from a single gene. The mechanisms and timing of intron
      evolution nonetheless remain unclear, and the functions of alternative splicing
      generated protein isoforms are rarely studied. In Solanum tuberosum, the
      BRANCHED1a (BRC1a) gene encodes a TCP transcription factor that controls lateral
      shoot outgrowth. Here, we report the recent evolution in Solanum of an
      alternative splice site in BRC1a that leads to the generation of two BRC1a
      protein isoforms with distinct C-terminal regions, BRC1a(Long) and BRC1a(Short),
      encoded by unspliced and spliced mRNA, respectively. The BRC1a(Long) C-terminal
      region has a strong activation domain, whereas that of BRC1a(S) lacks an
      activation domain and is predicted to form an amphipathic helix, the H domain,
      which prevents protein nuclear targeting. BRC1a(Short) is thus mainly
      cytoplasmic, while BRC1a(Long) is mainly nuclear. BRC1a(Long) functions as a
      transcriptional activator, whereas BRC1a(Short) appears to have no
      transcriptional activity. Moreover, BRC1a(Short) can heterodimerize with
      BRC1a(Long) and act as a dominant-negative factor; it increases BRC1a(Long)
      concentration in cytoplasm and reduces its transcriptional activity. This
      alternative splicing mechanism is regulated by hormones and external stimuli that
      control branching. The evolution of a new alternative splicing site and a novel
      protein domain in Solanum BRC1a led to a multi-level mechanism of post
      transcriptional and post-translational BRC1a regulation that effectively
      modulates its branch suppressing activity in response to environmental and
      endogenous cues. 

PMID- 26119748
TI  - Pattern-Induced Covert Category Learning in Songbirds.
AB  - Language is uniquely human, but its acquisition may involve cognitive capacities
      shared with other species. During development, language experience alters speech
      sound (phoneme) categorization. Newborn infants distinguish the phonemes in all
      languages but by 10 months show adult-like greater sensitivity to native language
      phonemic contrasts than non-native contrasts. Distributional theories account for
      phonetic learning by positing that infants infer category boundaries from modal
      distributions of speech sounds along acoustic continua. For example, tokens of
      the sounds /b/ and /p/ cluster around different mean voice onset times. To
      disambiguate overlapping distributions, contextual theories propose that phonetic
      category learning is informed by higher-level patterns (e.g., words) in which
      phonemes normally occur. For example, the vowel sounds /Iota/ and /e/ can occupy
      similar perceptual spaces but can be distinguished in the context of "with" and
      "well." Both distributional and contextual cues appear to function in speech
      acquisition. Non-human species also benefit from distributional cues for category
      learning, but whether category learning benefits from contextual information in
      non-human animals is unknown. The use of higher-level patterns to guide lower
      level category learning may reflect uniquely human capacities tied to language
      acquisition or more general learning abilities reflecting shared neurobiological
      mechanisms. Using songbirds, European starlings, we show that higher-level
      pattern learning covertly enhances categorization of the natural communication
      sounds. This observation mirrors the support for contextual theories of phonemic
      category learning in humans and demonstrates a general form of learning not
      unique to humans or language.

PMID- 26119749
TI  - Locomotion and Task Demands Differentially Modulate Thalamic Audiovisual
      Processing during Active Search.
AB  - Active search is a ubiquitous goal-driven behavior wherein organisms purposefully
      investigate the sensory environment to locate a target object. During active
      search, brain circuits analyze a stream of sensory information from the external
      environment, adjusting for internal signals related to self-generated movement or
      "top-down" weighting of anticipated target and distractor properties. Sensory
      responses in the cortex can be modulated by internal state, though the extent and
      form of modulation arising in the cortex de novo versus an inheritance from
      subcortical stations is not clear. We addressed this question by simultaneously
      recording from auditory and visual regions of the thalamus (MG and LG,
      respectively) while mice used dynamic auditory or visual feedback to search for a
      hidden target within an annular track. Locomotion was associated with strongly
      suppressed responses and reduced decoding accuracy in MG but a subtle increase in
      LG spiking. Because stimuli in one modality provided critical information about
      target location while the other served as a distractor, we could also estimate
      the importance of task relevance in both thalamic subdivisions. In contrast to
      the effects of locomotion, we found that LG responses were reduced overall yet
      decoded stimuli more accurately when vision was behaviorally relevant, whereas
      task relevance had little effect on MG responses. This double dissociation
      between the influences of task relevance and movement in MG and LG highlights a
      role for extrasensory modulation in the thalamus but also suggests key
      differences in the organization of modulatory circuitry between the auditory and
      visual pathways.

PMID- 26119750
TI  - SPD-2/CEP192 and CDK Are Limiting for Microtubule-Organizing Center Function at
      the Centrosome.
AB  - The centrosome acts as the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) during mitosis in
      animal cells. Microtubules are nucleated and anchored by gamma-tubulin ring
      complexes (gamma-TuRCs) embedded within the centrosome's pericentriolar material
      (PCM). The PCM is required for the localization of gamma-TuRCs, and both are
      steadily recruited to the centrosome, culminating in a peak in MTOC function in
      metaphase. In differentiated cells, the centrosome is often attenuated as an MTOC
      and MTOC function is reassigned to non-centrosomal sites such as the apical
      membrane in epithelial cells, the nuclear envelope in skeletal muscle, and down
      the lengths of axons and dendrites in neurons. Hyperactive MTOC function at the
      centrosome is associated with epithelial cancers and with invasive behavior in
      tumor cells. Little is known about the mechanisms that limit MTOC activation at
      the centrosome. Here, we find that MTOC function at the centrosome is completely
      inactivated during cell differentiation in C. elegans embryonic intestinal cells
      and MTOC function is reassigned to the apical membrane. In cells that divide
      after differentiation, the cellular MTOC state switches between the membrane and
      the centrosome. Using cell fusion experiments in live embryos, we find that the
      centrosome MTOC state is dominant and that the inactive MTOC state of the
      centrosome is malleable; fusion of a mitotic cell to a differentiated or
      interphase cell results in rapid reactivation of the centrosome MTOC. We show
      that conversion of MTOC state involves the conserved centrosome protein SPD
      2/CEP192 and CDK activity from the mitotic cell.

PMID- 26119751
TI  - A Secreted MIF Cytokine Enables Aphid Feeding and Represses Plant Immune
      Responses.
AB  - Aphids attack virtually all plant species and cause serious crop damages in
      agriculture. Despite their dramatic impact on food production, little is known
      about the molecular processes that allow aphids to exploit their host plants. To
      date, few aphid salivary proteins have been identified that are essential for
      aphid feeding, and their nature and function remain largely unknown. Here, we
      show that a macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is secreted in aphid
      saliva. In vertebrates, MIFs are important pro-inflammatory cytokines regulating
      immune responses. MIF proteins are also secreted by parasites of vertebrates,
      including nematodes, ticks, and protozoa, and participate in the modulation of
      host immune responses. The finding that a plant parasite secretes a MIF protein
      prompted us to question the role of the cytokine in the plant-aphid interaction.
      We show here that expression of MIF genes is crucial for aphid survival,
      fecundity, and feeding on a host plant. The ectopic expression of aphid MIFs in
      leaf tissues inhibits major plant immune responses, such as the expression of
      defense-related genes, callose deposition, and hypersensitive cell death.
      Functional complementation analyses in vivo allowed demonstrating that MIF1 is
      the member of the MIF protein family that allows aphids to exploit their host
      plants. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a cytokine that is secreted
      by a parasite to modulate plant immune responses. Our findings suggest a so-far
      unsuspected conservation of infection strategies among parasites of animal and
      plant species.

PMID- 26119753
TI  - Upconversion luminescence behavior of single nanoparticles.
AB  - Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have made a significant and valuable
      contribution to materials science, photophysics, and biomedicine due to their
      specific spectroscopic characteristics. However, the ensemble spectroscopy of
      UCNPs is limited because of the electronic behavior in average effect, which
      ignores the fact that these nanoparticles are heterogeneous. With regards to the
      research focus on heterogeneous intrinsic structures, unique photophysical
      phenomena, and advanced applications, the optical characterization of single
      UCNPs have been promoted to the frontier development of the UCNPs community. In
      this review, we give an overview of the importance of single UCNPs
      characterization, typical principles of UC, and single particle detection
      methods. Considerable emphasis is placed on the specific spectroscopic study of
      single UCNPs, which shows fantastic photophysical phenomena beyond ensemble
      measurement. Parallel efforts are devoted to the current applications of single
      UCNPs. 

PMID- 26119752
TI  - Genomic Evidence that Sexual Selection Impedes Adaptation to a Novel Environment.
AB  - Sexual selection is widely appreciated for generating remarkable phenotypic
      diversity, but its contribution to adaptation and the purging of deleterious
      mutations is unresolved. To provide insight into the impact of sexual selection
      on naturally segregating polymorphisms across the genome, we previously evolved
      12 populations of Drosophila serrata in a novel environment employing a factorial
      manipulation of the opportunities for natural and sexual selection. Here, we
      genotype more than 1,400 SNPs in the evolved populations and reveal that sexual
      selection affected many of the same genomic regions as natural selection,
      aligning with it as often as opposing it. Intriguingly, more than half of the 80
      SNPs showing treatment effects revealed an interaction between natural and sexual
      selection. For these SNPs, while sexual selection alone often caused a change in
      allele frequency in the same direction as natural selection alone, when natural
      and sexual selection occurred together, changes in allele frequency were greatly
      reduced or even reversed. This suggests an antagonism between natural and sexual
      selection arising from male-induced harm to females. Behavioral experiments
      showed that males preferentially courted and mated with high-fitness females, and
      that the harm associated with this increased male attention eliminated the female
      fitness advantage. During our experiment, females carrying otherwise adaptive
      alleles may therefore have disproportionally suffered male-induced harm due to
      their increased sexual attractiveness. These results suggest that a class of
      otherwise adaptive mutations may not contribute to adaptation when mating systems
      involve sexual conflict and male mate preferences.

PMID- 26119754
TI  - A precise automatic system for the hair assessment in hair-care diagnosis
      applications.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: One emerging subject in medical image processing is to
      quantitatively assess the health and the properties of cranial hairs, including
      density, diameter, length, level of oiliness, and others. This information helps
      hair specialists with making a more accurate diagnosis and the therapy required.
      We develop a practical hair counting algorithm. This analytic system calculates
      the number of hairs on a scalp using a digital microscope camera, providing
      accurate information for both the hair specialist and the patient. Our proposed
      hair counting algorithm is substantially more accurate than the Hough-based one,
      and is robust to curls, oily scalp, noise-corruption, and overlapping hairs,
      under various levels of illumination. Rather than manually counting the hairs on
      a person's scalp, the proposed system determines the density, diameter, length,
      and level of oiliness of the hairs. METHODS: We propose an automated system for
      counting the amount of hairs in the microscopy images. To reduce the effect of
      bright spots, we develop a robust morphological algorithm for color to smooth out
      the color and preserve the fidelity of the hair. Then, we utilize a modified
      Hough transform algorithm to detect the different hair lengths and to reduce any
      false detection due to noise. Our proposed system enables us to look at curved
      hairs as multiple pieces of straight lines. To avoid missing hairs when the
      thinning process is applied, we use edge information to discover any hidden or
      overlapping hairs. Finally, we employ a mutually associative regression method to
      label a group of line segments into a meaningful 'hair'. RESULTS: We demonstrated
      a novel approach for accurately computing the number of hairs, and successfully
      solved the three main obstacles in automated hair counting, including (i) oily
      and moist hairs, (ii) wavy and curly hairs, and (iii) under-estimation of the
      number of hairs occurs when hairs cross and occlude each other. The framework of
      this paper can be seen as the first step toward intelligent computer-aided
      medical image processing for cosmetic treatment applications. CONCLUSIONS: The
      goal of this study was to develop an automated hair counting system for clinical
      application using the microscope image from the hairs. The proposed method
      reduces the frequent errors and variances encountered when hairs are manually
      counted by human assessors. This clinical intelligent system can diagnose the
      health condition of a person's hair and can be applied in therapy recommendations
      by doctors for their patients.

PMID- 26119755
TI  - Crystallization of zirconia based thin films.
AB  - The crystallization kinetics of amorphous 3 and 8 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia
      (3YSZ and 8YSZ) thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), spray
      pyrolysis and dc-magnetron sputtering are explored. The deposited films were heat
      treated up to 1000  degrees C ex situ and in situ in an X-ray diffractometer. A
      minimum temperature of 275  degrees C was determined at which as-deposited
      amorphous PLD grown 3YSZ films fully crystallize within five hours. Above 325 
      degrees C these films transform nearly instantaneously with a high degree of
      micro-strain when crystallized below 500  degrees C. In these films the t'' phase
      crystallizes which transforms at T > 600  degrees C to the t' phase upon
      relaxation of the micro-strain. Furthermore, the crystallization of 8YSZ thin
      films grown by PLD, spray pyrolysis and dc-sputtering are characterized by in
      situ XRD measurements. At a constant heating rate of 2.4 K min(-1)
      crystallization is accomplished after reaching 800  degrees C, while PLD grown
      thin films were completely crystallized already at ca. 300  degrees C. 

PMID- 26119756
TI  - MiRNA-Mediated Regulation of the SWI/SNF Chromatin Remodeling Complex Controls
      Pluripotency and Endodermal Differentiation in Human ESCs.
AB  - MicroRNAs and chromatin remodeling complexes represent powerful epigenetic
      mechanisms that regulate the pluripotent state. miR-302 is a strong inducer of
      pluripotency, which is characterized by a distinct chromatin architecture. This
      suggests that miR-302 regulates global chromatin structure; however, a direct
      relationship between miR-302 and chromatin remodelers has not been established.
      Here, we provide data to show that miR-302 regulates Brg1 chromatin remodeling
      complex composition in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) through direct
      repression of the BAF53a and BAF170 subunits. With the subsequent overexpression
      of BAF170 in hESCs, we show that miR-302's inhibition of BAF170 protein levels
      can affect the expression of genes involved in cell proliferation. Furthermore,
      miR-302-mediated repression of BAF170 regulates pluripotency by positively
      influencing mesendodermal differentiation. Overexpression of BAF170 in hESCs led
      to biased differentiation toward the ectoderm lineage during EB formation and
      severely hindered directed definitive endoderm differentiation. Taken together,
      these data uncover a direct regulatory relationship between miR-302 and the Brg1
      chromatin remodeling complex that controls gene expression and cell fate
      decisions in hESCs and suggests that similar mechanisms are at play during early
      human development.

PMID- 26119757
TI  - Wind tunnel study of ammonia transfer from a manure pit fitted with a dairy
      cattle slatted floor.
AB  - In dairy cattle systems, most of the feces and urine go to the pit. At the manure
      pit level, mass transfer of NH3 ([Formula: see text]) has many factors, but
      practical difficulties hamper a controlled field evaluation. In this study, we
      propose a methodology for the determination of an alternative, more practical,
      pit transfer coefficient of NH3 (PTC), and compare it with [Formula: see text]
      determined from other scientific studies. The aims of this research study were:
      (1) to develop a wind tunnel set-up which mimics air flow patterns between the
      slats and above a clean section of a slatted floor section, featuring an aqueous
      NH3-emitting solution; and (2) to assess how air velocity, turbulence intensity,
      NH3 concentration ([NH3]) and PTC are influenced by inlet airflow ventilation
      rate (VR) forced deflection of the air above the slats into the manure pit
      through varying the deflection angle (DA) of a deflection panel and varying pit
      headspace height (HH). Main conclusions were: (1) the calculated PTC values
      presented a good fit to the power function of the air speed near the slats (u) (p
      < .001) while the average PTC (0.0039 m s(-1)) was comparable to [Formula: see
      text] values obtained from other studies, by remaining within the range of
      average values of 0.0015-0.0043 m s(-1); (2) VR and DA significantly impacted
      [NH3] profiles and PTC (p < .001) and (3) changing slurry pit from 0.10 to 0.90 m
      HH did not significantly impact [NH3] or PTC (p = .756 and p = .854,
      respectively).

PMID- 26119758
TI  - A visible light induced photoelectrochemical aptsensor constructed by aligned
      ZnO@CdTe core shell nanocable arrays/carboxylated g-C3N4 for the detection of
      Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 6 gene.
AB  - It was reported that Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 6 (PCSK6) can
      promote the progression of rheumatoid arthritis to a higher aggressive status. In
      this work, a novel visible light induced photoelectrochemical (PEC) platform was
      designed to detect PCSK6 gene. ZnO@CdTe nanocable arrays/carboxylated g-C3N4 used
      as the PEC signal generator. Hexagonal ZnO nanorods grew on ITO electrode
      firstly. CdTe were then electrodeposited on the ZnO nanorods surface to enhance
      the photogenerated h(+)/e(-) separation efficiency. Carboxylated g-C3N4 was
      utilized to improve h(+)/e(-) separation efficiency and anchor the capture probes
      of PCSK6 gene by the covalent bonding effect. The 5' and 3' primers captured
      PCSK6 ssDNA by the specific recognition. The linear range was 10 pg/mL to 20.0
      ng/mL with a detection limit of 2 pg/mL.

PMID- 26119759
TI  - Optimal treatment allocation for placebo-treatment comparisons in trials with
      discrete-time survival endpoints.
AB  - In many randomized controlled trials, treatment groups are of equal size, but
      this is not necessarily the best choice. This paper provides a methodology to
      calculate optimal treatment allocations for longitudinal trials when we wish to
      compare multiple treatment groups with a placebo group, and the comparisons may
      have unequal importance. The focus is on trials with a survival endpoint measured
      in discrete time. We assume the underlying survival process is Weibull and show
      that values for the parameters in the Weibull distribution have an impact on the
      optimal treatment allocation scheme in an interesting way. Additionally, we
      incorporate different cost considerations at the subject and measurement levels
      and determine the optimal number of time periods. We also show that when many
      events occur at the beginning of the trial, fewer time periods are more
      efficient. As an application, we revisit a risperidone maintenance treatment
      trial in schizophrenia and use our proposed methodology to redesign it and
      compare merits of our optimal design.

PMID- 26119760
TI  - Medicolegal Issues in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery and Complications.
AB  - Complications occur during and after endoscopic sinus surgery. Complications
      leading to temporary or most commonly permanent injury often are involved in
      litigation for malpractice. This article concentrates on areas of importance that
      are considered during medicolegal deliberations. 

PMID- 26119761
TI  - Does Image-Guided Surgery Reduce Complications?
AB  - Image-guided surgery (IGS) is progressively used in endoscopic sinus surgery
      (ESS), and surgeon comfort with the technology has increased. It remains a
      challenge to determine if the use of IGS in ESS leads to a reduction in surgical
      complications and improved outcomes. Current literature does not show a clear
      reduction in surgical complications. The routine use of IGS in ESS as a deterrent
      to medicolegal liability is not substantiated by recent reported data. There are
      particular situations in which IGS may be helpful, but its use is likely not
      required for routine ESS and seems best left to surgeon discretion. 

PMID- 26119762
TI  - Get on the ecosystem services bandwagon.

PMID- 26119764
TI  - Life cycle assessment in market, research, and policy: Harmonization beyond
      standardization.
AB  - This article introduces the special series "LCA in Market Research and Policy:
      Harmonization beyond standardization," which was generated from the 19th SETAC
      Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Case Study Symposium held November 2013, in Rome,
      Italy. This collection of invited articles reflects the purpose of symposium and
      focuses on how LCA can support the decision-making process at all levels (i.e.,
      in industry and policy contexts) and how LCA results can be efficiently
      communicated and used to support market strategies.

PMID- 26119766
TI  - Uncertainty in health Canada's drinking water aesthetic classifications.

PMID- 26119767
TI  - Monte Carlo-based distance analysis using unit mass resolution ICP-MS data for
      shellfish site of origin verification.

PMID- 26119768
TI  - Internet-based platforms for science communication.

PMID- 26119769
TI  - Pharmaceutical residues in the water cycle--Communicating precautionary measures.

PMID- 26119771
TI  - Plasma miR-15b-5p, miR-338-5p, and miR-764 as Biomarkers for Hepatocellular
      Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently, increasing research evidence indicates that miRNA plays
      important roles in oncogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The objective
      of this study was to investigate the potential of plasma miRNAs as biomarkers for
      HCC determination. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This trial included 4 phases: (i) miRNAs
      in tumor tissues were screened with a miRNA array for determining candidate
      miRNAs. (ii) Candidate miRNAs were measured by RT-qPCR in plasma of 10 HCC
      patients before and after surgery (7-10 days) for target miRNAs that displayed a
      pattern of postoperative decrease. (iii) Plasma levels of target miRNAs in 37 HCC
      patients, 29 cirrhosis patients, and 31 healthy controls were measured by RT-qPCR
      for determining potential biomarkers. (iv) The powers of biomarkers for
      differentiating HCC were validated and the correlations with clinicopathological
      variables of HCC patients were analyzed. RESULTS: miRNA array demonstrated an
      abnormal expression of 92 miRNAs in tumor tissues compared to adjacent non-tumor
      tissues. Of those molecules with an over-expressed level in tumor tissues and
      preoperative plasmas, a decrease in postoperative plasma was observed in miR-15b
      5p, miR-338-5p, and miR-764. Plasma levels of these miRNAs in HCC patients were
      higher than in the other 2 groups (P<0.05). Receiver-operator characteristic
      (ROC) curve analyses suggested these plasma miRNAs could be useful biomarkers for
      determining HCC. miR-338-5p yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.799
      (74.5% sensitivity and 82.8% specificity) and 0.909 (72.3% sensitivity and 99.68%
      specificity) to discriminate HCC patients from cirrhosis patients and healthy
      controls, respectively. The expression level of miR-338-5p was negatively
      correlated with the level of AFP (r=-0.306, P=0.036), and the expression level of
      miR-764 was positively correlated with the tumor size (r=0.371, P=0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Circulating miR-15b-5p, miR-338-5p, and miR-764 may be biomarkers
      for diagnosis of HCC.

PMID- 26119772
TI  - THE IMPACT OF CONTROLLED FLUID AND SALT INTAKE TRAINING IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING
      HAEMODIALYSIS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Serious complications can occur when patients have difficulty in
      adhering to fluid and salt recommendations. OBJECTIVES AND DESIGN: This study was
      designed as an experimental study with the aims of evaluating the effects of
      controlled fluid and salt intake training on the intra-dialytic process and on
      the level of patients' knowledge. The factors that had an impact on the training
      process were also evaluated. The effectiveness of the planned training was
      evaluated at 0, 1, 3 and 6 months. RESULTS: There were no significant differences
      in salt intake exceeding 3 g per day (p > 0.05) between the preliminary and final
      test, although a statistically significant change was observed at months 1 and 3.
      The effectiveness of the training decreased by the end of the 3rd month. A
      statistically significant change was obtained prior to and after the training at
      months 0, 1, 3 and 6 with respect to the rates of daily fluid intake exceeding
      1,500 ml, hypovolaemia, hypervolaemia, awareness of salt-rich food and correct
      calculation of daily fluid intake by the patients. Also a significant reduction
      was observed in the volume of oedema after the training. The patients' age,
      gender, marital status and educational background did not have a significant
      effect on daily salt intake of more than 3 g, daily fluid intake of more than
      1,500 ml, and level of knowledge regarding fluid and salt control. CONCLUSIONS:
      The training was effective at some time points in decreasing salt and fluid
      intake. This training should be repeated at certain intervals for the behavioural
      changes to become permanent.

PMID- 26119773
TI  - Update of mortality attributable to diabetes for the IDF Diabetes Atlas:
      Estimates for the year 2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mortality is an important measure of population health and is often
      used to assign priorities in health interventions. Estimating mortality due to
      diabetes has been challenging because more than a third of countries of the world
      have no reliable data available on mortality. Moreover estimating mortality
      attributable to Diabetes is especially challenging since most people die of a
      related vascular complication such as cardiovascular disease or renal failure.
      AIMS: The aim of the study was to provide estimate of the number of deaths
      attributable to diabetes for the year 2013. METHODS: A computerized disease model
      was used to obtain the estimates. Using WHO life tables for 2010 and IDF diabetes
      prevalence estimates for 2013, age and sex-specific relative risks of death for
      persons with diabetes were calculated, in order to estimate the number of deaths
      attributable to diabetes in people 20-79 years of age. RESULTS: This model
      estimated that globally, 8.4% of all-cause deaths were attributable to diabetes
      in adults aged 20-79 years, almost 5.1 million deaths. A sensitivity analysis
      adjusting relative risks by 20% found that the estimate of diabetes-attributable
      mortality to lie between 5.1% of total mortality (3.3 million deaths) and 10.1%
      of total mortality (6.6 million deaths). The highest rates of diabetes
      attributable mortality were found to be 25.7% in South-East Asian women aged
      between 50 and 59 years old. The highest number of deaths attributable to
      diabetes was found in countries with large populations: 1271,000 in China,
      1065,000 deaths in India, 386,400 in Indonesia, 197,300 in the Russian Federation
      and 192,700 in the United States of America. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, 1 in 12 of
      global all-cause deaths were estimated to be attributable to diabetes in adults.
      In general, the number and proportion of deaths was slightly higher in women than
      in men.

PMID- 26119774
TI  - Work-related accidents among the Iranian population: a time series analysis, 2000
      2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Work-related accidents result in human suffering and economic losses
      and are considered as a major health problem worldwide, especially in the
      economically developing world. OBJECTIVES: To introduce seasonal autoregressive
      moving average (ARIMA) models for time series analysis of work-related accident
      data for workers insured by the Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO)
      between 2000 and 2011. METHODS: In this retrospective study, all insured people
      experiencing at least one work-related accident during a 10-year period were
      included in the analyses. We used Box-Jenkins modeling to develop a time series
      model of the total number of accidents. RESULTS: There was an average of 1476
      accidents per month (1476.05+/-458.77, mean+/-SD). The final ARIMA (p,d,q)
      (P,D,Q)s model for fitting to data was: ARIMA(1,1,1)*(0,1,1)12 consisting of the
      first ordering of the autoregressive, moving average and seasonal moving average
      parameters with 20.942 mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). CONCLUSIONS: The
      final model showed that time series analysis of ARIMA models was useful for
      forecasting the number of work-related accidents in Iran. In addition, the
      forecasted number of work-related accidents for 2011 explained the stability of
      occurrence of these accidents in recent years, indicating a need for preventive
      occupational health and safety policies such as safety inspection.

PMID- 26119775
TI  - Role of binary toxin in the outcome of Clostridium difficile infection in a non
      027 ribotype setting.
AB  - Binary toxin (BT) has been associated with strains causing more severe
      Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), such as ribotype 027. Data on the outcome
      of patients having BT present in ribotypes other than 027 are scarce. Our
      objective was to investigate the association between BT isolates and outcome of
      CDI in a non-027 ribotype setting. We prospectively included CDI episodes
      (January-June 2013 and March-June 2014) from symptomatic patients aged >2 years.
      Epidemiological and clinical data were recorded. BT genes were detected using
      multiplex PCR. During the study period, we identified 326 episodes of CDI, of
      which 319 were available for molecular analysis. Of these, 54 (16.9%) were caused
      by C. difficile strains with BT. Most (90.7%) isolates with BT were ribotype
      078/126. CDI patients with BT-positive strains did not differ from those with BT
      negative strains in terms of recurrence (13.0% vs. 15.5%, P = 0.835), treatment
      failure (0.0% vs. 2.3%, P = 0.594), overall mortality (11.1% vs. 9.1%, P =
      0.612), or CDI-related mortality (0.0% vs. 1.9%, P = 0.612). Multivariate
      regression revealed no association between BT and poor outcome. In conclusion, in
      a non-027 setting, we found that most BT isolates were 078/126 and were not
      associated with poor outcome. 

PMID- 26119776
TI  - Synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and carbon dioxide by using
      organocatalysts.
AB  - The synthesis of cyclic carbonates through coupling of carbon dioxide with
      epoxides is 100 % atom economical and is already performed on an industrial
      scale. Its impact regarding the use of carbon dioxide as a renewable carbon
      source is expected to grow significantly in the near future, so that the
      development of efficient catalysts is of high interest in academia and industry.
      To improve the carbon footprint and sustainability of the cycloaddition reaction,
      the use of organocatalytic methods is a promising approach. Herein, available
      metal-free catalysts for the preparation of cyclic carbonates are described and
      elaborated concerning the overall sustainability of the process. Therefore, the
      required reaction conditions, as well as the activity of the catalysts and their
      reusability, are compared and evaluated. In addition to ammonium-, phosphonium-,
      or imidazolium-based single-component catalysts and their supported analogues,
      the growing field of research concerning dual catalysts are also discussed in
      detail. 

PMID- 26119777
TI  - Practical guidance on the recognition of uncontrolled asthma and its management.
AB  - PURPOSE: To highlight the significance of asthma in primary care and offer a
      practitioner-friendly interpretation of the asthma guidelines for the busy
      provider, while introducing new treatment options currently in clinical trials,
      such as the once-daily long-acting anticholinergic bronchodilator tiotropium
      Respimat. DATA SOURCES: Articles with relevant adult data published between 2004
      and 2015 were identified via PubMed. Additional references were obtained by
      reviewing bibliographies from selected articles. CONCLUSIONS: In the United
      States, uncontrolled or symptomatic asthma is common, with rates of 46%-78% in
      primary care. Uncontrolled asthma has a substantial impact on patients' quality
      of life and represents a significant healthcare burden. Nurse practitioners can
      improve patients' asthma control through education, monitoring, assessment, and
      treatment. Although asthma management guidelines are readily available, the
      authors recognize that nurse practitioners see patients with multiple
      comorbidities, all of which have treatment guidelines of their own. IMPLICATIONS
      FOR PRACTICE: Nurse practitioners have a compelling opportunity as frontline
      caregivers and patient educators to recognize and assess uncontrolled asthma,
      along with determining the steps necessary to help patients gain and maintain
      symptom control.

PMID- 26119778
TI  - Role modelling in medical education: the importance of teaching skills.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: By observation of role models, and participation in activities,
      students develop their attitudes, values and professional competencies.
      Literature suggests that clinical skills and knowledge, personality, and teaching
      skills are three main areas that students consider central to the identification
      of positive role models. The aim of this study was to explore junior medical
      students' opinions of the ideal attributes of a good role model in clinical
      tutors. METHODS: The study was conducted with one cohort (n = 301) of students
      who had completed year 1 of the medical programme in 2013. All students were
      asked to complete a questionnaire regarding the ideal attributes of a good role
      model in a clinical tutor. The questionnaire consisted of seven closed items and
      one open-ended question. RESULTS: The response rate to the questionnaire was
      265/301 (88%). Although students found all three key areas important in a good
      role model, students emphasised the importance of excellence in teaching skills.
      Specifically, students see good role models as being able to provide a
      constructive learning environment, a good understanding of the curriculum and an
      ability to cater to the learning needs of all students. Students see good role
      models as being able to provide a constructive learning environment CONCLUSION:
      While acknowledging the importance of a patient-centred approach, as well as
      clinical knowledge and skills, our findings reinforce the importance of the
      actual teaching abilities of role models within medical education.

PMID- 26119779
TI  - Oxidation pathways underlying the pro-oxidant effects of apigenin.
AB  - Apigenin, a natural flavone, is emerging as a promising compound for the
      treatment of several diseases. One of the hallmarks of apigenin is the generation
      of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), as judged by the oxidation of
      reduced dichlorofluorescein derivatives seen in many cell types. This study aimed
      to reveal some mechanisms by which apigenin can be oxidized and how apigenin
      derived radicals affect the oxidation of 5-(and-6)-chloromethyl-2',7'
      dichlorodihydrofluorescein (H(2)DCF), a probe usually employed to detect
      intracellular ROS. Apigenin induced a rapid oxidation of H(2)DCF in two different
      immortalized cell lines derived from rat and human hepatic stellate cells.
      However, apigenin did not generate ROS in these cells, as judged by
      dihydroethidium oxidation and extracellular hydrogen peroxide production. In cell
      free experiments we found that oxidation of apigenin leads to the generation of a
      phenoxyl radical, which directly oxidizes H(2)DCF with catalytic amounts of
      hydrogen peroxide. The net balance of the reaction was the oxidation of the probe
      by molecular oxygen due to redox cycling of apigenin. This flavonoid was also
      able to deplete NADH and glutathione by a similar mechanism. Interestingly,
      H(2)DCF oxidation was significantly accelerated by apigenin in the presence of
      horseradish peroxidase and xanthine oxidase, but not with other enzymes showing
      peroxidase-like activity, such as cytochrome c or catalase. We conclude that in
      cells treated with apigenin oxidation of reduced dichlorofluorescein derivatives
      does not measure intracellular ROS and that pro- and antioxidant effects of
      flavonoids deduced from these experiments are inconclusive and must be confirmed
      by other techniques.

PMID- 26119780
TI  - MKK3 deletion improves mitochondrial quality.
AB  - Sepsis, a severe response to infection, leads to excessive inflammation and is
      the major cause of mortality in intensive care units. Mitochondria have been
      shown to influence the outcome of septic injury. We have previously shown that
      MAP kinase kinase 3 (MKK3)(-/-) mice are resistant to septic injury and MKK3(-/-)
      macrophages have improved mitochondrial function. In this study we examined
      processes that lead to improved mitochondrial quality in MKK3(-/-) mouse
      embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and specifically the role of mitophagy in
      mitochondrial health. MKK3(-/-) MEFs had lower inflammatory cytokine release and
      oxidant production after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, confirming our
      earlier observations. MKK3(-/-) MEFs had better mitochondrial function as
      measured by mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and ATP, even after LPS
      treatment. We observed higher mitophagy in MKK3(-/-) MEFs compared to wild type
      (WT). Transmission electron microscopy studies showed longer and larger
      mitochondria in MKK3(-/-) MEFs, indicative of healthier mitochondria. We
      performed a SILAC (stable isotope labeling by/with amino acids in cell culture)
      study to assess differences in mitochondrial proteome between WT and MKK3(-/-)
      MEFs and observed increased expression of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes
      and respiratory complex subunits. Further, inhibition of mitophagy by Mdivi1 led
      to loss in MMP and increased cytokine secretion after LPS treatment in MKK3(-/-)
      MEFs. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that MKK3 influences mitochondrial
      quality by affecting the expression of mitochondrial proteins, including TCA
      cycle enzymes, and mitophagy, which consequently regulates the inflammatory
      response. Based on our results, MKK3 could be a potential therapeutic target for
      inflammatory diseases like sepsis. 

PMID- 26119781
TI  - Thioredoxin-dependent regulation of AIF-mediated DNA damage.
AB  - The thioredoxin (Trx) system is one major redox system in mammalian cells. One of
      its component, Trx, is involved in redox homeostasis and many cellular biological
      processes through participating in disulfide reduction, S-nitrosylation/S
      denitrosylation reactions and protein-protein interactions. In this study, we
      report the identification of a novel interaction between cytosolic/nuclear Trx1
      and apoptosis inducing factor (AIF), and the redox sensitivity and biological
      significance of the Trx-AIF interaction was characterized. Cytosolic Trx1 but not
      mitochondrial Trx2 was observed to interact with AIF under physiological
      conditions and Trx1's active site cysteines were crucial for the interaction.
      Under oxidative stress conditions, Trx-AIF interaction was disrupted. When the
      treated cells were allowed to recover from oxidative stress by means of removal
      of the oxidants, interaction between Trx1 and AIF was re-established time
      dependently, which underpins the biological relevance of a Trx-dependent redox
      regulation of AIF-mediated cell death. Indeed, in times of oxidative stress,
      nuclear translocation of AIF was found to occur concurrently with perturbations
      to the Trx-AIF interaction. Once localized in the nucleus, reduced Trx1 hindered
      the interaction between AIF and DNA, thereby bringing about an attenuation of AIF
      mediated DNA damage. In conclusion, characterization of the Trx-AIF interaction
      has led to an understanding of the effect of reduced Trx1 on possibly regulating
      AIF-dependent cell death through impeding AIF-mediated DNA damage. Importantly,
      identification of the novel interaction between Trx1 and AIF has provided
      opportunities to design and develop therapeutically relevant strategies that
      either promote or prevent this protein-protein interaction for the treatment of
      different disease states. 

PMID- 26119782
TI  - ENOS deficiency causes podocyte injury with mitochondrial abnormality.
AB  - The contribution of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) to podocyte
      integrity remains unclear. This study therefore examined podocytes and
      mitochondrial abnormalities in eNOS deficient mice. Absence of eNOS caused
      glomerular hypertrophy, along with occasional glomerular sclerosis and
      mesangiolysis. While many glomeruli did not have such advanced lesions,
      ultrastructural analysis showed cellular hypertrophy, vacuolization, lysosomal
      enlargement, and microvillus formation in podocytes of eNOS knockout (KO) mice.
      Increased oxidative stress was associated with mitochondrial abnormalities,
      including an increase in number, coupled with a reduction in size, of
      mitochondria in podocytes of eNOS-KO mice. While the levels of expression of
      several mitochondrial proteins were not altered, the d-17 mutation in
      mitochondrial DNA was significantly associated with the eNOS deficiency. Renal
      ATP level in the renal cortex and mitochondrial respiration in the primary
      podocytes were significantly lower in eNOS-KO mice, suggesting that renal
      mitochondria may be functionally impaired. Podocytes cultured with endothelial
      conditioned medium lacking NO consistently showed a greater degree of
      mitochondrial fragmentation and an increase in mitochondrial oxidative stress,
      with these mitochondrial alterations rescued by an NO donor. In conclusion, eNOS
      may be necessary to maintain podocyte integrity, especially mitochondrial
      function. 

PMID- 26119783
TI  - Roles of Nrf2 in cell proliferation and differentiation.
AB  - The Keap1-Nrf2 system plays pivotal roles in defense mechanisms by regulating
      cellular redox homeostasis. Nrf2 is an inducible transcription factor that
      activates a battery of genes encoding antioxidant proteins and phase II enzymes
      in response to oxidative stress and electrophilic xenobiotics. The activity of
      Nrf2 is regulated by Keap1, which promotes the ubiquitination and subsequent
      degradation of Nrf2 under normal conditions and releases the inhibited Nrf2
      activity upon exposure to the stresses. Though an impressive contribution of the
      Keap1-Nrf2 system to the protection from exogenous and endogenous electrophilic
      insults has been well established, a line of evidence has suggested that the
      Keap1-Nrf2 system has various novel functions, particularly in cell proliferation
      and differentiation. Because the proliferation and differentiation of diverse
      cell types are often influenced and modulated by the cellular redox balance, Nrf2
      has been considered to control these cellular processes by regulating the
      cellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, analyses of the
      genome-wide distribution of Nrf2 have identified new sets of Nrf2 target genes
      whose products are involved in cell proliferation and differentiation but not
      necessarily in the regulation of oxidative stress. Considering the most
      characteristic features of Nrf2 as an inducible transcription factor, a newly
      emerged concept proposes that the Keap1-Nrf2 system translates environmental
      stresses into regulatory network signals in cell fate determination. In this
      review, we introduce the contribution of Nrf2 to lineage-specific
      differentiation, maintenance and differentiation of stem cells, and proliferation
      of normal and cancer cells, and we discuss how the response to fluctuating
      environments modulates cell behavior through the Keap1-Nrf2 system. 

PMID- 26119784
TI  - Cyclic nitroxide radicals attenuate inflammation and Hyper-responsiveness in a
      mouse model of allergic asthma.
AB  - The effects of stable cyclic nitroxide radicals have been extensively
      investigated both in vivo and in vitro demonstrating anti-inflammatory,
      radioprotective, anti-mutagenic, age-retardant, hypotensive, anti-cancer and anti
      teratogenic activities. Yet, these stable radicals have not been evaluated in
      asthma and other airway inflammatory disorders. The present study investigated
      the effect of 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-N-oxyl (TPL) and 3
      carbamoyl-proxyl (3-CP) in a mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic
      asthma. Both 3-CP and TPL were non-toxic when administered either orally (1% w/w
      nitroxide-containing chow) or via intraperitoneal (IP) injection (~300 mg/kg).
      Feeding the mice orally demonstrated that 3-CP was more effective than TPL in
      reducing inflammatory cell recruitment into the airway and in suppressing airway
      hyper-responsiveness (AHR) in OVA-challenged mice. To characterize the optimal
      time-window of intervention and mode of drug administration, 3-CP was given
      orally during allergen sensitization, during allergen challenge or during both
      sensitization and challenge stages, and via IP injection or intranasal
      instillation for 3 days during the challenge period. 3-CP given via all modes of
      delivery markedly inhibited OVA-induced airway inflammation, expression of
      cytokines, AHR and protein nitration of the lung tissue. Oral administration
      during the entire experiment was the most efficient delivery of 3-CP and was more
      effective than dexamethasone a potent corticosteroid used for asthma treatment.
      Under a similar administration regimen (IP injection before the OVA challenge),
      the effect of 3-CP was similar to that of dexamethasone and even greater on AHR
      and protein nitration. The protective effect of the nitroxides, which
      preferentially react with free radicals, in suppressing the increase of main
      asthmatic inflammatory markers substantiate the key role played by reactive
      oxygen and nitrogen species in the molecular mechanism of asthma. The present
      results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of nitroxides for the treatment of
      asthma.

PMID- 26119785
TI  - Antitumor effect of pharmacologic ascorbate in the B16 murine melanoma model.
AB  - Because 5-year survival rates for patients with metastatic melanoma remain below
      25%, there is continued need for new therapeutic approaches. For some tumors,
      pharmacologic ascorbate treatment may have a beneficial antitumor effect and may
      work synergistically with standard chemotherapeutics. To investigate this
      possibility in melanoma, we examined the effect of pharmacologic ascorbate on B16
      F10 cells. Murine models were employed to compare tumor size following treatment
      with ascorbate, and the chemotherapeutic agents dacarbazine or valproic acid,
      alone or in combination with ascorbate. Results indicated that nearly all
      melanoma cell lines were susceptible to ascorbate-mediated cytotoxicity. Compared
      to saline controls, pharmacologic ascorbate decreased tumor size in both C57BL/6
      (P < 0.0001) and NOD-scid tumor bearing mice (P < 0.0001). Pharmacologic
      ascorbate was superior or equivalent to dacarbazine as an antitumor agent.
      Synergy was not apparent when ascorbate was combined with either dacarbazine or
      valproic acid; the latter combination may have additional toxicities.
      Pharmacologic ascorbate induced DNA damage in melanoma cells, as evidenced by
      increased phosphorylation of the histone variant, H2A.X. Differences were not
      evident in tumor samples from C57BL/6 mice treated with pharmacologic ascorbate
      compared to tumors from saline-treated controls. Together, these results suggest
      that pharmacologic ascorbate has a cytotoxic effect against melanoma that is
      largely independent of lymphocytic immune functions and that continued
      investigation of pharmacologic ascorbate in cancer treatment is warranted.

PMID- 26119786
TI  - OKN-007 decreases free radical levels in a preclinical F98 rat glioma model.
AB  - Free radicals are associated with glioma tumors. Here, we report on the ability
      of an anticancer nitrone compound, OKN-007 [Oklahoma Nitrone 007; a disulfonyl
      derivative of alpha-phenyl-tert-butyl nitrone (PBN)] to decrease free radical
      levels in F98 rat gliomas using combined molecular magnetic resonance imaging
      (mMRI) and immunospin-trapping (IST) methodologies. Free radicals are trapped
      with the spin-trapping agent, 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO), to form
      DMPO macromolecule radical adducts, and then further tagged by immunospin
      trapping by an antibody against DMPO adducts. In this study, we combined mMRI
      with a biotin-Gd-DTPA-albumin-based contrast agent for signal detection with the
      specificity of an antibody for DMPO nitrone adducts (anti-DMPO probe), to detect
      in vivo free radicals in OKN-007-treated rat F98 gliomas. OKN-007 was found to
      significantly decrease (P < 0.05) free radical levels detected with an anti-DMPO
      probe in treated animals compared to untreated rats. Immunoelectron microscopy
      was used with gold-labeled antibiotin to detect the anti-DMPO probe within the
      plasma membrane of F98 tumor cells from rats administered anti-DMPO in vivo. OKN
      007 was also found to decrease nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2,
      inducible nitric oxide synthase, 3-nitrotyrosine, and malondialdehyde in ex vivo
      F98 glioma tissues via immunohistochemistry, as well as decrease 3-nitrotyrosine
      and malondialdehyde adducts in vitro in F98 cells via ELISA. The results indicate
      that OKN-007 effectively decreases free radicals associated with glioma tumor
      growth. Furthermore, this method can potentially be applied toward other types of
      cancers for the in vivo detection of macromolecular free radicals and the
      assessment of antioxidants. 

PMID- 26119787
TI  - Nitric oxide diffusion to red blood cells limits extracellular, but not
      intraphagosomal, peroxynitrite formation by macrophages.
AB  - Macrophage-derived nitric oxide ((*)NO) participates in cytotoxic mechanisms
      against diverse microorganisms and tumor cells. These effects can be mediated by
      (*)NO itself or (*)NO-derived species such as peroxynitrite formed by its
      diffusion-controlled reaction with NADPH oxidase-derived superoxide radical anion
      (O(2)(*-)). In vivo, the facile extracellular diffusion of (*)NO as well as
      different competing consumption routes limit its bioavailability for the reaction
      with O(2)(*-) and, hence, peroxynitrite formation. In this work, we evaluated the
      extent by which (*)NO diffusion to red blood cells (RBC) can compete with
      activated macrophages-derived O(2)(*-) and affect peroxynitrite formation yields.
      Macrophage-dependent peroxynitrite production was determined by boron-based
      probes that react directly with peroxynitrite, namely, coumarin-7-boronic acid
      (CBA) and fluorescein-boronate (Fl-B). The influence of (*)NO diffusion to RBC on
      peroxynitrite formation was experimentally analyzed in co-incubations of (*)NO
      and O(2)(*-)-forming macrophages with erythrocytes. Additionally, we evaluated
      the permeation of (*)NO to RBC by measuring the intracellular oxidation of
      oxyhemoglobin to methemoglobin. Our results indicate that diluted RBC suspensions
      dose-dependently inhibit peroxynitrite formation, outcompeting the O(2)(*-)
      reaction. Computer-assisted kinetic studies evaluating peroxynitrite formation by
      its precursor radicals in the presence of RBC are in accordance with experimental
      results. Moreover, the presence of erythrocytes in the proximity of (*)NO and
      O(2)(*-)-forming macrophages prevented intracellular Fl-B oxidation pre-loaded in
      L1210 cells co-cultured with activated macrophages. On the other hand, Fl-B
      coated latex beads incorporated in the macrophage phagocytic vacuole indicated
      that intraphagosomal probe oxidation by peroxynitrite was not affected by nearby
      RBC. Our data support that in the proximity of a blood vessel, (*)NO consumption
      by RBC will limit the extracellular formation (and subsequent cytotoxic effects)
      of peroxynitrite by activated macrophages, while the intraphagosomal yield of
      peroxynitrite will remain unaffected.

PMID- 26119788
TI  - beta-Arrestin-1 protects against endoplasmic reticulum stress/p53-upregulated
      modulator of apoptosis-mediated apoptosis via repressing p-p65/inducible nitric
      oxide synthase in portal hypertensive gastropathy.
AB  - Portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) is a serious cause of bleeding in patients,
      and is associated with portal hypertension. beta-Arrestins (beta-arrestin-1 and
      beta-arrestin-2) are well-established mediators of endocytosis of G-protein
      coupled receptors (GPCRs), ubiquitination, and G-protein-independent signaling.
      The role of beta-arrestin-1 (beta-arr1) in mucosal apoptosis in PHG remains
      unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of beta-arr1 in
      PHG via its regulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress/p53-upregulated
      modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) apoptotic signaling. Gastric mucosal injury and
      apoptosis were studied in PHG patients and in PHG mouse models. The induction of
      beta-arr1 and the ER stress/PUMA signaling pathway were investigated, and the
      mechanisms of beta-arr1-regulated gastric mucosal apoptosis were analyzed in vivo
      and in vitro experiments. beta-arr1 and ER stress/PUMA signaling elements were
      markedly induced in the gastric mucosa of PHG patients and mouse models. Blockage
      of ER stress demonstrably attenuated the mucosal apoptosis of PHG, while targeted
      deletion of beta-arr1 significantly aggravated the injury and ER stress/PUMA
      mediated apoptosis. beta-arr1 limited the activation of p65 to repress TNF-alpha
      induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and NO release, which
      could regulate ER stress/PUMA-mediated mucosal apoptosis in PHG. In vivo and in
      vitro experiments further demonstrated that beta-arr1 protected against mucosal
      apoptosis by repressing TNF-alpha-induced iNOS expression via inhibiting the
      activation of p65. These results indicated that beta-arr1 regulated ER
      stress/PUMA-induced mucosal epithelial apoptosis through suppression of the TNF
      alpha/p65/iNOS signaling pathway activation and that beta-arr1 is a potential
      therapeutic target for PHG. 

PMID- 26119789
TI  - Reviving out-of-copyright medical illustrations for use in medical curricula.

PMID- 26119790
TI  - Accumulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid in soybean by hypoxia germination and
      freeze-thawing incubation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) can be synthesised by the GABA shunt
      and polyamine degradation pathway in plants under hypoxia stress and lower
      temperature. The hypoxia germination freeze-thawing incubation was used as a new
      technique for accumulating more GABA in soybean. RESULTS: Results showed that
      glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) and diamine oxidase (DAO) activity as well as GABA
      content increased during germination within 24 h under hypoxia. However, the
      contents of dry matters and protein decreased. When the hypoxia-treated sprouts
      were frozen at -18  degrees C for 12 h and thawed at 25  degrees C for 6 h, GABA
      content increased drastically to 7.21-fold of the non-frozen sprouts.
      Subsequently, the freeze-thawing sprouts were ground into homogenates and
      incubated. GABA content was 14.20-fold of the only-soaked seeds when homogenates
      was incubated at 45  degrees C for 80 min within 400 umol L(-1) pyridoxine (VB6)
      (pH 6.5). CONCLUSION: The hypoxia germination freeze-thawing incubation was an
      effective method for accumulating GABA in soybean. During incubation, DAO was
      more important for GABA formation in homogenate of germinated soybean compared
      with GAD.

PMID- 26119791
TI  - Expression and intracellular localization of TBC1D9, a Rab GTPase-accelerating
      protein, in mouse testes.
AB  - Membrane trafficking in male germ cells contributes to their development via cell
      morphological changes and acrosome formation. TBC family proteins work as Rab
      GTPase accelerating proteins (GAPs), which negatively regulate Rab proteins, to
      mediate membrane trafficking. In this study, we analyzed the expression of a Rab
      GAP, TBC1D9, in mouse organs and the intracellular localization of the gene
      products. Tbc1d9 showed abundant expression in adult mice testis. We found that
      the Tbc1d9 mRNA was expressed in primary and secondary spermatocytes, and that
      the TBC1D9 protein was expressed in spermatocytes and round spermatids. In 293T
      cells, TBC1D9-GFP proteins were localized in the endosome and Golgi apparatus.
      Compartments that were positive for the constitutive active mutants of Rab7 and
      Rab9 were also positive for TBC1D9 isoform 1. In addition, TBC1D9 proteins were
      associated with Rab7 and Rab9, respectively. These results indicate that TBC1D9
      is expressed mainly in spermatocytes, and suggest that TBC1D9 regulates membrane
      trafficking pathways related to Rab9- or Rab7-positive vesicles. 

PMID- 26119792
TI  - Maternal-infant separation impedes changes in feeding behavior during estrous
      cycle of rats.
AB  - Traumatic and stressful events during childhood are associated with the
      development of eating disorders. We conducted an animal study to test if
      association stress in childhood affects ingestive behavior later in life by using
      female rats that have an adjusted estrous cycle. First, electrical impedance of
      the vagina was conducted to test estrous cycle adjustment. Second, the effects of
      6 h per day maternal separation from birth to weaning, which models a
      psychologically stressful experience in childhood, was used to test feeding
      behavior during an ovarian cycle in female adult rats with matched estrous
      cycles. Food and water intake in maternal separated and non-separated rats was
      measured in each estrous phase. Non-separated rats showed periodical changes, but
      maternal separated rats showed no significant changes in food and water intake
      during an estrous cycle. An opposing tendency for food and water intake was seen
      between maternal separated and non-separated rats. These observations suggest
      that electrical impedance of the vagina showed the highest value in the estrous
      phase of rats housed in a reversed light-dark cycle, and maternal separation was
      found to disturb changes in feeding behavior during the estrous cycle. 

PMID- 26119793
TI  - Clinical Implications of Tapering Chronic Opioids in a Veteran Population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if patients receiving chronic opioid therapy can be
      tapered to lower opioid doses without a subsequent increase in pain. DESIGN:
      Retrospective and prospective chart review at a VA Medical Center. METHODS:
      Patients were included in the review if they were prescribed opioids chronically
      for at least 90 consecutive days and if a plan to taper opioid doses was agreed
      upon. Patients 89 years of age and older, patients with cancer, and patients
      exhibiting aberrant behavior were excluded. The primary endpoint was to determine
      the percent reduction of morphine equivalents (ME) over a 12-month period.
      Secondary endpoints included percent reduction of ME at 3 and 6 months, change in
      pain perception at 3, 6, and 12 months, and change in the number of adjuvant
      medications prescribed at 3, 6, and 12 months. Data were analyzed utilizing
      descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 50 patient charts were included in
      the study. The average percent reduction of opioid doses was 46% over a 12-month
      period. Seventy percent of patients either experienced no change in pain or had
      less pain when comparing baseline to 12 months. An equal percentage of patients
      either had no change in the number of adjuvant medications prescribed or had more
      adjuvant medications prescribed when comparing baseline to 12 months.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients in the population studied can be successfully tapered to
      lower opioid doses and may not necessarily experience more pain.

PMID- 26119794
TI  - Gerhard Quinkert (1927-2015).

PMID- 26119795
TI  - An Intriguing Case of Bright Red Blood per Rectum. Pneumatosis Cystoids
      Intestinalis.

PMID- 26119796
TI  - A Spiraling Case of Persistent Dysphagia. Diffuse Esophageal Spasm.

PMID- 26119797
TI  - Pancreatic Duct Dilatation in Elderly Patient With Abdominal Pain. Partial
      Supradiaphragmatic Herniation of the Pancreas.

PMID- 26119798
TI  - An Unusual Case of Abdominal Pain and Diarrhea. Tension-free Vaginal Tape Eroding
      Into the Ascending Colon.

PMID- 26119799
TI  - A Rare Gastric Tumor in a Young Woman. Gastric Plexiform Angiomyxoid
      Myofibroblastic Tumor.

PMID- 26119800
TI  - Infantile Bullous Pemphigoid Treated Using Intravenous Immunoglobulin: Case
      Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - We report a 5-month-old girl diagnosed with bullous pemphigoid who initially did
      not respond to systemic corticosteroids and dapsone but rapidly improved after
      the addition of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusions. A literature search
      revealed anecdotal cases of infantile bullous pemphigoid treated with IVIG,
      although variable treatment regimens were used, and some resistant cases required
      additional medications such as rituximab for clinical remission.

PMID- 26119801
TI  - The trefoil with single fruit sign in muscle magnetic resonance imaging is highly
      specific for dystrophinopathies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of the
      trefoil (three leaflets formed by relative sparing of the sartorius, gracilis,
      and adductor longus) with single fruit sign (relative sparing of the
      semitendinosus) in the evaluation of thigh muscle magnetic resonance imaging
      (MRI) for dystrophinopathies. METHODS: Five examiners blinded to any clinical
      data analyzed muscle MRI scans from 166 patients with dystrophinopathies (124
      cases confirmed genetically and 42 cases confirmed by immunohistochemistry) and
      from 244 control patients, all treated in our hospital from 2011 to 2014. The
      controls were patients with other neuromuscular disorders and with
      dystrophinopathies excluded by genetic testing and/or muscle biopsy. Examiners
      assessed the presence or absence of the trefoil with single fruit sign
      approximately at the middle thigh cross-section. Results were analyzed for
      diagnostic accuracy and inter-examiner agreement. RESULTS: Sensitivity of the
      trefoil with single fruit sign for all patients with dystrophinopathies was 41.6%
      (95% confidence interval (CI) of 34.0-49.5). However, specificity was 99.2% (95%
      CI 97.1-99.9). The positive predictive value (PPV) was 97.2% and negative
      predictive value (NPV) was 71.4%. Inter-examiner agreement was substantial
      (Kappa=0.66). The 69 dystrophinopathy patients whose MRIs exhibited the sign were
      significantly older than the 97 dystrophinopathy patients whose MRIs did not (Z=
      3.970, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The trefoil with single fruit sign is a potential
      imaging marker for diagnosis of dystrophinopathies.

PMID- 26119802
TI  - Focal liver lesions detection: Comparison of respiratory-triggering, triggering
      and tracking navigator and tracking-only navigator in diffusion-weighted imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare low b value (10s/mm(2)) spin-echo echo-planar (SE-EP)
      diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) acquired with respiratory-triggering (RT),
      triggering and tracking navigator (TT), tracking only navigator (TRON) techniques
      for image quality and focal liver lesions (FLL) detection in non-cirrhotic
      patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This bi-centric study was approved by the
      institutional review boards; informed consent was obtained. Eighty-three patients
      were prospectively included and SE-EP-DWI with RT, TT and TRON techniques were
      performed. DWI sequences were randomized and independently analyzed by two
      readers. The qualitative evaluation was based on a 3-point score for axial
      artifacts (motion, ghost, susceptibility artifacts and distortion) and stair-step
      artifacts. Sensitivity of FLL detection was calculated for all lesions together
      and after lesion size stratification (<= 10 mm, >10-20mm and >20mm). The standard
      of reference consisted of a retrospective reading of the conventional MRI, the
      three DWI sequences and by follow-up (12 months): a total of 409 FLL were
      detected. Data between sequences was compared with non-parametric tests. Cohen's
      kappa coefficient was used for inter-observer agreement. RESULTS: Image quality
      was comparable for RT and TT. TRON showed statistically significantly more axial
      artifacts for the two readers (p<0.05). Stair-step artifacts were not
      statistically significantly different between DWI sequences. Overall
      sensitivities for RT, TT, TRON were 85%, 86%, 82% and 86%, 89% 83%, respectively,
      for readers 1 and 2. The inter-observer agreement was very good. CONCLUSION:
      Image quality was better for RT and TT compared to TRON. Overall sensitivities
      for FLL detection were comparable between techniques and readers.

PMID- 26119803
TI  - Symptomatic intracranial vertebral artery atherosclerotic stenosis (>=70%) with
      concurrent contralateral vertebral atherosclerotic diseases in 88 patients
      treated with the intracranial stenting.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the safety, effect and instent restenosis rate of
      Wingspan stenting in treating patients with intracranial vertebral artery
      atherosclerotic stenosis (70-99%) concurrent with contralateral vertebral artery
      atherosclerotic diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-eight patients with
      severe symptomatic intracranial vertebral artery atherosclerotic stenosis (>=70%)
      combined with contralateral vertebral artery atherosclerotic diseases were
      treated with the Wingpsan stent. All the baseline, cerebral angiography, success
      rate, perioperative complications, clinical and imaging follow-up data were
      prospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The success rate of stenting was 100%, and the
      mean stenotic rate was reduced from prestenting (84.9+/-6.8)% to poststenting
      (17.2+/-5.9)%. The perioperative stroke rate was 1.1%. Among eighty patients
      (90.9%) with clinical follow-up 8-62 months (mean 29.3+/-17.2) poststenting, five
      (6.3%) had posterior circulation TIA only, three (3.8%) had mild stroke in the
      posterior circulation but recovered completely, and another five patients greater
      than 70 years old died of non-ischemic stroke. Imaging follow-up in 46 patients
      (52.3%) 5-54 months (mean 9.9+/-9.9) following stenting revealed instent
      restenosis in 12 patients (26.1%) including 7 (58.3%) symptomatic restenosis. Age
      and residual stenosis were the two factors to significantly (P<0.05) affect
      instent restenosis. CONCLUSION: Wingspan stenting in the intracranial vertebral
      artery atherosclerotic stenosis combined with contralateral vertebral artery
      atherosclerotic diseases has a low perioperative stroke rate and a good
      preventive effect on long-term ischemic stroke, but the instent restenosis rate
      is a little high.

PMID- 26119804
TI  - Protonation-Dependent Base Flipping at Neutral pH in the Catalytic Triad of a
      Self-Splicing Bacterial Group II Intron.
AB  - NMR spectroscopy has revealed pH-dependent structural changes in the highly
      conserved catalytic domain 5 of a bacterial group II intron. Two adenines with
      pK(a) values close to neutral pH were identified in the catalytic triad and the
      bulge. Protonation of the adenine opposite to the catalytic triad is stabilized
      within a G(syn)-AH(+) (anti) base pair. The pH-dependent anti-to-syn flipping of
      this G in the catalytic triad modulates the known interaction with the linker
      region between domains 2 and 3 (J23) and simultaneously the binding of the
      catalytic Mg(2+) ion to its backbone. Hence, this here identified shifted pK(a)
      value controls the conformational change between the two steps of splicing.

PMID- 26119805
TI  - Commercial sheep flocks--fatty acid and fat-soluble antioxidant composition of
      milk and cheese related to changes in feeding management throughout lactation.
AB  - Fatty acids (FAs), tocopherols and retinoids were analysed in raw milk and cheese
      from six commercial sheep flocks monitored from early lactation in winter to late
      lactation in summer. In winter, animals received concentrate and forage indoors;
      in early spring, animals grazed part-time on cultivated or natural valley
      grasslands; and from mid spring on, animals were kept outdoors constantly on
      mountain natural pastures. Mountain grazing in late lactation significantly
      increased the amount of healthy desirable unsaturated FAs such as C18:1t11 (VA),
      C18:2c9t11 (RA), C18:2t11c13, C18:3c9c12c15 (ALA) and C20:5c5c8c11c14c17 (EPA),
      and those of alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocotrienol of milk and cheese. Stepwise
      discriminant analysis was applied to classify cheese samples according to
      seasonal feeding management. The multivariate approach was able to discriminate
      beyond doubt mountain cheeses from those of indoor feeding and part-time valley
      grazing. 

PMID- 26119806
TI  - Evaluation of microelement contents in Clethra barbinervis as food for human and
      animals in contrasting geological areas.
AB  - The young leaves of Clethra barbinervis Sieb. et Zucc, which is a deciduous tree
      species found in secondary forests widely in Japan, are used in spring as a local
      traditional food by local populations, and the bark of this plant is also
      preferred by sika deer, Cervus nippon. However, C. barbinervis has been known to
      accumulate heavy metals in its leaves. Then, we aimed to clarify the
      characteristics of microelement contents in C. barbinervis and to discuss the
      value of this species as food for humans and animals through the analysis of
      seasonal changes and distribution in various organs of C. barbinervis growing
      under two different geological conditions. We found that C. barbinervis is an
      accumulating and tolerant plant for Ni, Co and Mn. It accumulates Ni from
      serpentine soil containing Ni at high concentration, and Co and Mn from acidic
      soils based on crystalline schist. The seasonal variation in element
      concentrations in leaves indicates that the young leaves contain Cu at high
      concentration and that eating them in spring season may be advantageous to
      humans, due to the associated increase in Cu intake. The high concentrations of
      Cu and Zn in the bark of C. barbinervis might explain why deer prefer to eat the
      bark of this species. 

PMID- 26119807
TI  - Impact of olfactory and auditory priming on the attraction to foods with high
      energy density.
AB  - ?]?Recent research suggests that non-attentively perceived stimuli may
      significantly influence consumers' food choices. The main objective of the
      present study was to determine whether an olfactory prime (a sweet-fatty odour)
      and a semantic auditory prime (a nutritional prevention message), both presented
      incidentally, either alone or in combination can influence subsequent food
      choices. The experiment included 147 participants who were assigned to four
      different conditions: a control condition, a scented condition, an auditory
      condition or an auditory-scented condition. All participants remained in the
      waiting room during15 min while they performed a 'lure' task. For the scented
      condition, the participants were unobtrusively exposed to a 'pain au chocolat'
      odour. Those in the auditory condition were exposed to an audiotape including
      radio podcasts and a nutritional message. A third group of participants was
      exposed to both olfactory and auditory stimuli simultaneously. In the control
      condition, no stimulation was given. Following this waiting period, all
      participants moved into a non-odorised test room where they were asked to choose,
      from dishes served buffet-style, the starter, main course and dessert that they
      would actually eat for lunch. The results showed that the participants primed
      with the odour of 'pain au chocolat' tended to choose more desserts with high
      energy density (i.e., a waffle) than the participants in the control condition (p
      = 0.06). Unexpectedly, the participants primed with the nutritional auditory
      message chose to consume more desserts with high energy density than the
      participants in the control condition (p = 0.03). In the last condition (odour
      and nutritional message), they chose to consume more desserts with high energy
      density than the participants in the control condition (p = 0.01), and the data
      reveal an additive effect of the two primes.

PMID- 26119808
TI  - Consumers' view on determinants to food satisfaction. A qualitative approach.
AB  - The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of the multiple
      determinants to food satisfaction from a consumer perspective. The study includes
      two focus groups with a total of 20 consumers varying in gender, age, employment
      and food interest. The results were divided into sections based on the main
      themes that arose from analysing the focus groups; i) sensory properties, ii)
      physical wellbeing, iii) expectations and desires, iv) the food context and v)
      comparison of the importance of the various determinants to satisfaction. Factors
      important for food satisfaction appear before as well as during and after intake.
      Before intake, the important factors are; expectations and desires based on
      memories about previous food experiences and the context in which the food is
      perceived. Physical wellbeing was mentioned important for the feeling of
      satisfaction, included in physical wellbeing is the experience of an appropriate
      energy level after intake. In general the sensory experience seems to be the
      primary determinant to satisfaction. The hedonic experience of eating could be
      enhanced by the social company and knowledge about the food inclusive health
      value and origin. Findings from the study will prospectively be used to develop a
      questionnaire. The questionnaire will be applied in case studies to measure
      factors influential in food satisfaction. 

PMID- 26119809
TI  - Special issue of Appetite: The proceedings of the American University Symposium
      on Childhood Obesity and Cognition.

PMID- 26119810
TI  - "It's like giving him a piece of me.": Exploring UK and Israeli women's accounts
      of motherhood and feeding.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study explored how Israeli and UK mothers integrate
      feeding into their conceptualisations of mothering 2-6 months post-partum.
      BACKGROUND: The nature and importance of motherhood is subject to differential
      contextual, cultural, political and historical influences. We set out to compare
      experiences of motherhood and feeding between these two countries using a
      qualitative approach. METHODS: Forty one women (mean age 36.4 +/- 2.7 years) from
      Israel and the UK, mostly married or in a committed relationship were interviewed
      about their experience of pregnancy, motherhood and feeding. Data were analysed
      thematically. RESULTS: The experience of motherhood in the early postnatal period
      was dominated, for all mothers, by the experience of breastfeeding and clustered
      around three representations of mothering, namely; 1) a devoted mother who
      ignores her own needs; 2) a mother who is available for her infant but
      acknowledges her needs as well; and 3) a struggling mother for whom motherhood is
      a burden. Such representations existed within both cultural groups and sometimes
      coexisted within the same mothers. UK women described more struggles within
      motherhood whereas a tendency towards idealising motherhood was observed for
      Israeli women. CONCLUSION: There are similarities in the ways that UK and Israeli
      women experienced motherhood and feeding. Where family life is strongly
      emphasized, mothers reported extremes of idealism and burden and associated an
      "ideal" mother with a breastfeeding mother. Where motherhood is represented as
      just one of many roles women take up, they are more likely to represent a "good
      enough" approach to mothering. Understanding the experience of motherhood and
      feeding in different cultural settings is important to provide the context for
      postnatal care specifically where mothers are reluctant to share problems or
      difficulties encountered.

PMID- 26119811
TI  - Response of appetite and potential appetite regulators following intake of high
      energy nutritional supplements.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The net clinical benefit of high-energy nutritional supplements
      (HENSDs) consumption is lower than expected. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the
      extent to which consumption of oral HENSD in the fasted state reduces energy
      intake in slim females during consecutive breakfast and lunch, and whether this
      relates to changes in appetite and metabolic appetite regulators. DESIGN: Twenty
      three females of 24.4 +/- 2.8 years with BMI of 18.2 +/- 0.8 kg/m(2) consumed
      HENSD (2.5 MJ) or PLACEBO (0.4 MJ) in fasted state in a single blind randomized
      cross-over study. Appetite and metabolic rate measurements and blood collection
      were conducted prior to and during 240 min after the intake of the supplements.
      Energy intake was recorded during ad libitum buffet breakfast and lunch served 60
      min and 240 min post supplementation respectively. RESULTS: Energy intake during
      breakfast was significantly (P < 0.01) lower in the HENSD trial but the net
      cumulative effect on energy intake was 1.07 +/- 0.34 MJ higher in the HENSD
      compared to PLACEBO. Plasma concentration of CCK and PYY and insulin and were
      significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the HENSD trial while appetite measures were
      not significantly different between HENSD and PLACEBO trials. Correlations for
      the within participant relations between the responses of plasma hormones and
      appetite scores were significant (P < 0.05) for PYY and insulin but not CCK. The
      energy expended above resting metabolic rate was significantly (P < 0.05) higher
      in the HENDS trial but relative increase in energy expenditure was not
      significantly different between the two trials. CONCLUSION: Oral high-energy
      nutritional supplements have a partial and relatively short lived suppressive
      action on energy intake and can be expected to increase net energy intake by
      approximately half the energy value of the supplement consumed.

PMID- 26119812
TI  - Individual differences in the interoceptive states of hunger, fullness and
      thirst.
AB  - Interoception is the ability to perceive internal bodily states. This involves
      the detection and awareness of static and changing afferent signals from the
      viscera, motivational states, affective reactions, and associated cognitions. We
      examined whether there are individual differences in any or all of these aspects
      of ingestion-related interoception and their possible causes. Individual
      variation in almost all aspects of interoception was documented for hunger,
      fullness and thirst - including how participants use, prioritise and integrate
      visceral, motivational, affective and cognitive information. Individual
      differences may arise from multiple causes, including genetic influences,
      developmental changes hypothesised to result from child feeding practices, and
      from conditions such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders and certain
      subtypes of obesity. A nutritionally poor diet, and dietary restraint, may also
      affect ingestion-related interoception. Finally, certain forms of brain injury,
      notably to the medial temporal lobes are associated with impaired ingestion
      related interoception. We conclude by examining the practical and theoretical
      consequences of these individual differences. 

PMID- 26119813
TI  - The prognostic value of white blood cell count-to-mean platelet volume ratio in
      patients with acute coronary syndrome.

PMID- 26119814
TI  - Pyridyl-functionalised 3H-1,2,3,4-triazaphospholes: synthesis, coordination
      chemistry and photophysical properties of low-coordinate phosphorus compounds.
AB  - Novel conjugated, pyridyl-functionalised triazaphospholes with either tBu or
      SiMe3 substituents at the 5-position of the N3 PC heterocycle have been prepared
      by a [3+2] cycloaddition reaction and compared with structurally related,
      triazole-based systems. Photoexcitation of the 2-pyridyl-substituted
      triazaphosphole gives rise to a significant fluorescence emission with a quantum
      yield of up to 12 %. In contrast, the all-nitrogen triazole analogue shows no
      emission at all. DFT calculations indicate that the 2-pyridyl substituted systems
      have a more rigid and planar structure than their 3- and 4-pyridyl isomers. Time
      dependent (TD) DFT calculations show that only the 2-pyridyl-substituted
      triazaphosphole exhibits similar planar geometry, with matching conformational
      arrangements in the lowest energy excited state and the ground state; this helps
      to explain the enhanced emission intensity. The chelating P,N-hybrid ligand forms
      a Re(I) complex of the type [(N^N)Re(CO)3 Br] through the coordination of
      nitrogen atom N(2) to the metal centre rather than through the phosphorus donor.
      Both structural and spectroscopic data indicate substantial pi-accepting
      character of the triazaphosphole, which is again in contrast to that of the all
      nitrogen-containing triazoles. The synthesis and photophysical properties of a
      new class of phosphorus-containing extended pi systems are described. 

PMID- 26119815
TI  - Improving Phenotypic Prediction by Combining Genetic and Epigenetic Associations.
AB  - We tested whether DNA-methylation profiles account for inter-individual variation
      in body mass index (BMI) and height and whether they predict these phenotypes
      over and above genetic factors. Genetic predictors were derived from published
      summary results from the largest genome-wide association studies on BMI (n ~
      350,000) and height (n ~ 250,000) to date. We derived methylation predictors by
      estimating probe-trait effects in discovery samples and tested them in external
      samples. Methylation profiles associated with BMI in older individuals from the
      Lothian Birth Cohorts (LBCs, n = 1,366) explained 4.9% of the variation in BMI in
      Dutch adults from the LifeLines DEEP study (n = 750) but did not account for any
      BMI variation in adolescents from the Brisbane Systems Genetic Study (BSGS, n =
      403). Methylation profiles based on the Dutch sample explained 4.9% and 3.6% of
      the variation in BMI in the LBCs and BSGS, respectively. Methylation profiles
      predicted BMI independently of genetic profiles in an additive manner: 7%, 8%,
      and 14% of variance of BMI in the LBCs were explained by the methylation
      predictor, the genetic predictor, and a model containing both, respectively. The
      corresponding percentages for LifeLines DEEP were 5%, 9%, and 13%, respectively,
      suggesting that the methylation profiles represent environmental effects. The
      differential effects of the BMI methylation profiles by age support previous
      observations of age modulation of genetic contributions. In contrast, methylation
      profiles accounted for almost no variation in height, consistent with a mainly
      genetic contribution to inter-individual variation. The BMI results suggest that
      combining genetic and epigenetic information might have greater utility for
      complex-trait prediction. 

PMID- 26119816
TI  - The Human Phenotype Ontology: Semantic Unification of Common and Rare Disease.
AB  - The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) is widely used in the rare disease community
      for differential diagnostics, phenotype-driven analysis of next-generation
      sequence-variation data, and translational research, but a comparable resource
      has not been available for common disease. Here, we have developed a concept
      recognition procedure that analyzes the frequencies of HPO disease annotations as
      identified in over five million PubMed abstracts by employing an iterative
      procedure to optimize precision and recall of the identified terms. We derived
      disease models for 3,145 common human diseases comprising a total of 132,006 HPO
      annotations. The HPO now comprises over 250,000 phenotypic annotations for over
      10,000 rare and common diseases and can be used for examining the phenotypic
      overlap among common diseases that share risk alleles, as well as between
      Mendelian diseases and common diseases linked by genomic location. The
      annotations, as well as the HPO itself, are freely available. 

PMID- 26119817
TI  - A Powerful Pathway-Based Adaptive Test for Genetic Association with Common or
      Rare Variants.
AB  - In spite of the success of genome-wide association studies (GWASs), only a small
      proportion of heritability for each complex trait has been explained by
      identified genetic variants, mainly SNPs. Likely reasons include genetic
      heterogeneity (i.e., multiple causal genetic variants) and small effect sizes of
      causal variants, for which pathway analysis has been proposed as a promising
      alternative to the standard single-SNP-based analysis. A pathway contains a set
      of functionally related genes, each of which includes multiple SNPs. Here we
      propose a pathway-based test that is adaptive at both the gene and SNP levels,
      thus maintaining high power across a wide range of situations with varying
      numbers of the genes and SNPs associated with a trait. The proposed method is
      applicable to both common variants and rare variants and can incorporate
      biological knowledge on SNPs and genes to boost statistical power. We use
      extensively simulated data and a WTCCC GWAS dataset to compare our proposal with
      several existing pathway-based and SNP-set-based tests, demonstrating its
      promising performance and its potential use in practice. 

PMID- 26119819
TI  - Serine 350 of human pregnane X receptor is crucial for its heterodimerization
      with retinoid X receptor alpha and transactivation of target genes in vitro and
      in vivo.
AB  - The human pregnane X receptor (hPXR), a member of the nuclear receptor
      superfamily, senses xenobiotics and controls the transcription of genes encoding
      drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters. The regulation of hPXR's
      transcriptional activation of its target genes is important for xenobiotic
      detoxification and endobiotic metabolism, and hPXR dysregulation can cause
      various adverse drug effects. Studies have implicated the putative
      phosphorylation site serine 350 (Ser(350)) in regulating hPXR transcriptional
      activity, but the mechanism of regulation remains elusive. Here we investigated
      the transactivation of hPXR target genes in vitro and in vivo by hPXR with a
      phosphomimetic mutation at Ser(350) (hPXR(S350D)). The S350D phosphomimetic
      mutation reduced the endogenous expression of cytochrome P450 3A4 (an hPXR target
      gene) in HepG2 and LS180 cells. Biochemical assays and structural modeling
      revealed that Ser(350) of hPXR is crucial for formation of the hPXR-retinoid X
      receptor alpha (RXRalpha) heterodimer. The S350D mutation abrogated
      heterodimerization in a ligand-independent manner, impairing hPXR-mediated
      transactivation. Further, in a novel humanized transgenic mouse model expressing
      the hPXR(S350D) transgene, we demonstrated that the S350D mutation alone is
      sufficient to impair hPXR transcriptional activity in mouse liver. This
      transgenic mouse model provides a unique tool to investigate the regulation and
      function of hPXR, including its non-genomic function, in vivo. Our finding that
      phosphorylation regulates hPXR activity has implications for development of novel
      hPXR antagonists and for safety evaluation during drug development. 

PMID- 26119820
TI  - Reactive oxygen species derived from xanthine oxidase interrupt dimerization of
      breast cancer resistance protein, resulting in suppression of uric acid excretion
      to the intestinal lumen.
AB  - The prevalence of hyperuricemia/gout increases with aging. However, the effect of
      aging on function for excretion of uric acid to out of the body has not been
      clarified. We found that ileal uric acid clearance in middle-aged rats (11-12
      months) was decreased compared with that in young rats (2 months). In middle-aged
      rats, xanthine oxidase (XO) activity in the ileum was significantly higher than
      that in young rats. Inosine-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are
      derived from XO, also decreased ileal uric acid clearance. ROS derived from XO
      decreased the active homodimer level of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP),
      which is a uric acid efflux transporter, in the ileum. Pre-administration of
      allopurinol recovered the BCRP homodimer level, resulting in the recovering ileal
      uric acid clearance. Moreover, we investigated the effects of ROS derived from XO
      on BCRP homodimer level directly in Caco-2 cells using hypoxanthine. Treatment
      with hypoxanthine decreased BCRP homodimer level. Treatment with hypoxanthine
      induced mitochondrial dysfunction, suggesting that the decreasing BCRP homodimer
      level might be caused by mitochondrial dysfunction. In conclusion, ROS derived
      from XO decrease BCRP homodimer level, resulting in suppression of function for
      uric acid excretion to the ileal lumen. ROS derived from XO may cause the
      suppression of function of the ileum for the excretion of uric acid with aging.
      The results of our study provide a new insight into the causes of increasing
      hyperuricemia/gout prevalence with aging. 

PMID- 26119821
TI  - Collaborating with Alexander Scriabine and the Miles Institute for Preclinical
      Pharmacology.
AB  - This article represents a timely opportunity to express my affection, admiration
      and gratitude to Professor David Triggle. David was my Ph.D. advisor as well as a
      key consultant in the 1980s and early 1990s for research programs at Miles
      Institute for Preclinical Pharmacology in West Haven, CT, the U.S. research
      operation of Bayer AG, in the areas of Ca(2+) and K(+) channel ligands. The
      binding methodology developed in his laboratory was used to search for an
      endogenous ligand for L-type Ca(2+) channels. We did not find the substance that
      we were searching for, a genetically-determined, competitive inhibitor for the
      1,4-dihydropyridine binding site, but instead isolated the endogenous ligand for
      the brain's own marijuana, anandamide. Devane, Mechoulam and coworkers first
      discovered that this compound was the endogenous ligand for delta-9
      tetrahydrocannabinol, the active substance in cannabis. The endogenous
      endocannabinoid system is now the target of many exciting new approaches to drug
      discovery. 

PMID- 26119822
TI  - From B.Sc. to Ph.D., my shuffle off to Buffalo.
AB  - From the fall of 1978 until the summer of 1982, I was a graduate student in the
      Laboratory of Dr. David Triggle in the Department of Biochemical Pharmacology,
      School of Pharmacy, State University of New York at Buffalo. This contribution
      permits me the opportunity to take you back in time into David's laboratory and
      tell you the story of how my early research career was borne and to provide a
      glimpse into some of the accomplishments that David, I and my fellow graduates
      students made. The central theme of my research was to bring together the many
      events that controlled the contraction of guinea-pig ileal longitudinal muscle,
      from the binding of muscarinic agonists, the movement of mono- and divalent
      cations that control depolarization to contraction itself and the differences
      between muscarinic and non-muscarinic mediated contraction and tachyphylaxis.
      From these studies, we were able to provide concrete data supporting a fluid
      muscarinic receptor-effector coupling model that challenged the concept of spare
      receptors. We also were able to develop methods to quantitate the binding sites
      for dihydropyrine calcium channel antagonists thereby opening the door to a flood
      of studies that furthered our understanding of these clinically employed drugs,
      providing a new target to elucidate the mechanism(s) of action of drugs that act
      outside of and within the central nervous system. 

PMID- 26119818
TI  - Recurrent Mutations in the Basic Domain of TWIST2 Cause Ablepharon Macrostomia
      and Barber-Say Syndromes.
AB  - Ablepharon macrostomia syndrome (AMS) and Barber-Say syndrome (BSS) are rare
      congenital ectodermal dysplasias characterized by similar clinical features. To
      establish the genetic basis of AMS and BSS, we performed extensive clinical
      phenotyping, whole exome and candidate gene sequencing, and functional
      validations. We identified a recurrent de novo mutation in TWIST2 in seven
      independent AMS-affected families, as well as another recurrent de novo mutation
      affecting the same amino acid in ten independent BSS-affected families. Moreover,
      a genotype-phenotype correlation was observed, because the two syndromes differed
      based solely upon the nature of the substituting amino acid: a lysine at TWIST2
      residue 75 resulted in AMS, whereas a glutamine or alanine yielded BSS. TWIST2
      encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor that regulates the
      development of mesenchymal tissues. All identified mutations fell in the basic
      domain of TWIST2 and altered the DNA-binding pattern of Flag-TWIST2 in HeLa
      cells. Comparison of wild-type and mutant TWIST2 expressed in zebrafish
      identified abnormal developmental phenotypes and widespread transcriptome
      changes. Our results suggest that autosomal-dominant TWIST2 mutations cause AMS
      or BSS by inducing protean effects on the transcription factor's DNA binding. 

PMID- 26119823
TI  - Duration of opioid receptor blockade determines biotherapeutic response.
AB  - Historically, studies on endogenous and exogenous opioids and their receptors
      focused on the mediation of pain, with excess opiate consumption leading to
      addiction. Opioid antagonists such as naloxone and naltrexone blocked these
      interactions, and still are widely used to reverse drug and alcohol overdose.
      Although specific opioid antagonists have been designed for mu, delta, and kappa
      opioid receptors, the general antagonists remain the most effective. With the
      discovery of the opioid growth factor (OGF)-OGF receptor (OGFr) axis as a novel
      biological pathway involved in homeostasis of replicating cells and tissues, the
      role of opioid receptor antagonists was expanded. An intermittent OGFr blockade
      by low dosages of naltrexone resulted in depressed cell replication, whereas high
      (or sustained) dosages of naltrexone that conferred a continuous OGFr blockade
      resulted in enhanced growth. More than 3 decades of research have confirmed that
      the duration of opioid receptor blockade, not specifically the dosage, by general
      opioid antagonists determines the biotherapeutic outcome. Dysregulation of the
      OGF-OGFr pathway is apparent in a number of human disorders including diabetes,
      multiple sclerosis, and cancer, and thus opioid antagonist disruption of
      interaction prevails as a therapeutic intervention. We review evidence that the
      duration of opioid receptor blockade is correlated with the magnitude and
      direction of response, and discuss the potential therapeutic effectiveness of
      continuous receptor blockade for treatment of diabetic complications such as
      corneal defects and skin wounds, and of intermittent receptor blockade by low
      dosages of naltrexone for treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer. 

PMID- 26119825
TI  - Acetyl aspartic acid, a novel active ingredient, demonstrates potential to
      improve signs of skin ageing: from consumer need to clinical proof.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The megatrend of population ageing is leading to a growing demand for
      "anti-ageing" treatments, especially to prevent or treat skin ageing. Facing an
      increasing offer, consumers are choosing more and more skin care products
      supported by a scientific rationale, active ingredients and clinical proof of
      efficacy. OBJECTIVE: Considering consumer expectations, this research led to the
      discovery of acetyl aspartic acid (A-A-A), a novel active ingredient to improve
      sagging skin and loss of skin firmness. RESULTS: This supplement is featuring
      seven manuscripts aiming at presenting the research and investigations from
      consumer insights, discovery of A-A-A, its in vitro activity confirmation, safety
      assessment, formulation and its dermal absorption to the clinical proof of
      efficacy, investigated through two pilots' double bind randomized and placebo
      controlled studies on photo-aged skin. CONCLUSION: This extensive research
      enabled us to discover A-A-A, as an active ingredient with potential to repair
      sign of skin ageing and supported by clinical proof of efficacy. This active
      ingredient will be soon launched in a commercial innovative skin care range,
      delivering desirable anti-wrinkle and skin lifting benefits.

PMID- 26119824
TI  - Influence of human behavior on cholera dynamics.
AB  - This paper is devoted to studying the impact of human behavior on cholera
      infection. We start with a cholera ordinary differential equation (ODE) model
      that incorporates human behavior via modeling disease prevalence dependent
      contact rates for direct and indirect transmissions and infectious host shedding.
      Local and global dynamics of the model are analyzed with respect to the basic
      reproduction number. We then extend the ODE model to a reaction-convection
      diffusion partial differential equation (PDE) model that accounts for the
      movement of both human hosts and bacteria. Particularly, we investigate the
      cholera spreading speed by analyzing the traveling wave solutions of the PDE
      model, and disease threshold dynamics by numerically evaluating the basic
      reproduction number of the PDE model. Our results show that human behavior can
      reduce (a) the endemic and epidemic levels, (b) cholera spreading speeds and (c)
      the risk of infection (characterized by the basic reproduction number). 

PMID- 26119826
TI  - Exploring diterpene metabolism in non-model species: transcriptome-enabled
      discovery and functional characterization of labda-7,13E-dienyl diphosphate
      synthase from Grindelia robusta.
AB  - Grindelia robusta or gumweed, is a medicinal herb of the sunflower family that
      forms a diverse suite of diterpenoid natural products. Its major constituents,
      grindelic acid and related grindelane diterpenoids accumulate in a resinous
      exudate covering the plants' surfaces, most prominently the unopened composite
      flower. Recent studies demonstrated potential pharmaceutical applications for
      grindelic acid and its synthetic derivatives. Mining of the previously published
      transcriptome of G. robusta flower tissue identified two additional diterpene
      synthases (diTPSs). We report the in vitro and in vivo functional
      characterization of an ent-kaurene synthase of general metabolism (GrTPS4) and a
      class II diTPS (GrTPS2) of specialized metabolism that converts geranylgeranyl
      diphosphate (GGPP) into labda-7,13E-dienyl diphosphate as verified by nuclear
      magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. Tissue-specific transcript abundance of GrTPS2
      in leaves and flowers accompanied by the presence of an endocyclic 7,13 double
      bond in labda-7,13E-dienyl diphosphate suggest that GrTPS2 catalyzes the first
      committed reaction in the biosynthesis of grindelic acid and related grindelane
      metabolites. With the formation of labda-7,13E-dienyl diphosphate, GrTPS2 adds an
      additional function to the portfolio of monofunctional class II diTPSs, which
      catalytically most closely resembles the bifunctional labda-7,13E-dien-15-ol
      synthase of the lycopod Selaginella moellendorffii. Together with a recently
      identified functional diTPS pair of G. robusta producing manoyl oxide, GrTPS2
      lays the biosynthetic foundation of the diverse array of labdane-related
      diterpenoids in the genus Grindelia. Knowledge of these natural diterpenoid
      metabolic pathways paves the way for developing biotechnology approaches toward
      producing grindelic acid and related bioproducts. 

PMID- 26119827
TI  - The Problem of Origins and Origins of the Problem: Influence of Language on
      Studies Concerning the Anomeric Effect.
AB  - Cause and effect: In science, language is often subordinated to empirical data,
      but words can influence our ability to understand and communicate science. This
      Essay argues that imprecise language has confounded studies that probe the
      interactions underlying the anomeric effect and related phenomena. 

PMID- 26119828
TI  - A novel intranasal breath-powered delivery system for sumatriptan: a review of
      technology and clinical application of the investigational product AVP-825 in the
      treatment of migraine.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: AVP-825, formerly 'OptiNose Sumatriptan,' is an investigational
      Breath-Powered(TM) Bi-Directional(TM) intranasal delivery system containing low
      dose sumatriptan (22 mg intranasal powder) that avoids limitations of other types
      of intranasal administration by taking advantage of unique features of nasal
      anatomy and physiology. AREAS COVERED: This review summarizes intranasal drug
      delivery for migraine, how the breath-powered technology works, and AVP-825
      pharmacokinetic, efficacy and safety/tolerability findings. To identify AVP-825
      clinical studies, a PubMed/MEDLINE database search was conducted with the terms
      AVP-825, OptiNose, OptiNose Sumatriptan, Breath-Powered Nasal Delivery or
      sumatriptan powder. Of 20 articles, 5 clinical studies were identified, including
      the head-to-head comparative COMPASS trial (AVP-825 vs oral sumatriptan) and two
      placebo-controlled studies. EXPERT OPINION: AVP-825 has faster sumatriptan
      absorption versus oral tablets or traditional liquid nasal spray. In Phase II/III
      randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, AVP-825 produced early and
      sustained efficacy with minimal triptan-related adverse effects. In COMPASS, AVP
      825 produced earlier reduction of migraine pain intensity and migraine-associated
      symptoms than 100 mg oral sumatriptan, and higher early rates of pain relief and
      pain freedom, similar sustained efficacy, and fewer atypical sensations. AVP-825
      has the potential to provide migraine patients with improved intranasal
      administration of sumatriptan that may enhance efficacy and tolerability.

PMID- 26119829
TI  - Morphological study of boar sperm during their passage through the female genital
      tract.
AB  - Once deposited in the female tract, sperm face a series of challenges that must
      be overcome to ensure the presence of an adequate normal sperm population close
      to the site of fertilization. Our aim was to evaluate the influence of the
      uterine milieu on boar sperm morphology. In experiment 1, sperm morphology was
      evaluated in the backflow (60 min after insemination) and within the uterotubal
      junction (UTJ) (collected ~24 h after insemination) following intrauterine sperm
      deposition (n = 6) and compared with the morphology of the sperm in the
      insemination dose. In experiment 2, the influence of the uterine fluid (UF) on
      sperm morphological modifications was evaluated. For this purpose, ejaculated (n
      = 4) and epididymal (n = 4) sperm were in vitro incubated with or without UF for
      2 and 24 h. In both experiments, sperm were classified as normal, having a
      cytoplasmic droplet (proximal or distal) or having tail defects. The results of
      experiment 1 pointed to an increase in morphologically abnormal sperm collected
      in the backflow (27.70%) and a reduction of the same in the UTJ (2.12%) compared
      with the insemination dose (17.75%) (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, incubation of
      ejaculated sperm with UF did not provoke any morphological modifications;
      however, when epididymal sperm were incubated with UF, a pronounced increase in
      the percentage of normal sperm was evident after 24 h compared with the initial
      dose (from 25.77% to 53.58%, P < 0.05), mainly due to distal cytoplasmatic
      droplet shedding (53.22 vs. 20.20%). In conclusion, almost all the sperm that
      colonize the UTJ had a normal morphology, with part of the abnormal sperm having
      been discarded in the backflow and part selected/modified on their way to the
      oviduct. UF seems to influence cytoplasmic distal droplet removal, as
      demonstrated previously in seminal plasma. 

PMID- 26119830
TI  - Targeting bone metastases in prostate cancer: improving clinical outcome.
AB  - Bone metastases develop in most patients with metastatic castration-resistant
      prostate cancer (mCRPC). They affect the structural integrity of bone,
      manifesting as pain and skeletal-related events (SREs), and are the primary cause
      of patient disability, reduced quality of life (QOL) and death. Understanding the
      pathophysiology of bone metastases resulted in the development of agents that
      improve clinical outcome, suggesting that managing both the systemic disease and
      associated bone events is important. Historically, the treatment of CRPC bone
      metastases with early radiopharmaceuticals and external beam radiation therapy
      was largely supportive; however, now, zoledronic acid and denosumab are integral
      to the therapeutic strategy for mCRPC. These agents substantially reduce skeletal
      morbidity and improve patient QOL. Radium-223 dichloride is the first bone
      targeting agent to show improved survival and reduced pain and symptomatic
      skeletal events in patients with mCRPC without visceral disease. Five other
      systemic agents are currently approved for use in mCRPC based on their ability to
      improve survival. These include the cytotoxic drugs docetaxel and cabazitaxel,
      the hormone-based therapies, abiraterone and enzalutamide, and the
      immunotherapeutic vaccine sipuleucel-T. Abiraterone and enzalutamide are able to
      reduce SREs and improve survival in this setting. Novel agents targeting tumour
      and bone cells are under clinical development. 

PMID- 26119831
TI  - Toxicity of aged gasoline exhaust particles to normal and diseased airway
      epithelia.
AB  - Particulate matter (PM) pollution is a leading cause of premature death,
      particularly in those with pre-existing lung disease. A causative link between
      particle properties and adverse health effects remains unestablished mainly due
      to complex and variable physico-chemical PM parameters. Controlled laboratory
      experiments are required. Generating atmospherically realistic aerosols and
      performing cell-exposure studies at relevant particle-doses are challenging. Here
      we examine gasoline-exhaust particle toxicity from a Euro-5 passenger car in a
      uniquely realistic exposure scenario, combining a smog chamber simulating
      atmospheric ageing, an aerosol enrichment system varying particle number
      concentration independent of particle chemistry, and an aerosol deposition
      chamber physiologically delivering particles on air-liquid interface (ALI)
      cultures reproducing normal and susceptible health status. Gasoline-exhaust is an
      important PM source with largely unknown health effects. We investigated acute
      responses of fully-differentiated normal, distressed (antibiotics-treated)
      normal, and cystic fibrosis human bronchial epithelia (HBE), and a proliferating,
      single-cell type bronchial epithelial cell-line (BEAS-2B). We show that a single,
      short-term exposure to realistic doses of atmospherically-aged gasoline-exhaust
      particles impairs epithelial key-defence mechanisms, rendering it more vulnerable
      to subsequent hazards. We establish dose-response curves at realistic particle
      concentration levels. Significant differences between cell models suggest the use
      of fully-differentiated HBE is most appropriate in future toxicity studies. 

PMID- 26119832
TI  - Provision and effect of quit-smoking counselling by primary care midwives.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: we aimed to evaluate the provision of quit-smoking counselling by
      midwives in the Netherlands and its effect on smoking behaviour and birth weight.
      DESIGN: quasi-experimental study in which we collected information from pregnant
      women who smoke throughout their pregnancy by extracting data from electronic
      patient files. SETTING: primary care midwifery practices. PARTICIPANTS: 851
      pregnant women who smoke, treated between 2011 and 2014. INTERVENTION: quit
      smoking counselling. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: the midwives decided to provide
      quit-smoking counselling to the participant or not. Non-counselled women were
      used as the control group. The primary outcome parameter was quit smoking,
      defined as 'quit smoking by end of pregnancy'. At intake, 67% of the women smoked
      1-9 cigarettes a day, 23% smoked 10-20 cigarettes a day and 4% more than 20
      cigarettes a day. The midwives began counselling with 42% of the participants,
      but seldom completed all the counselling steps. The average quit rate was 10% and
      average birth weight of the babies was 3200g. We found no difference in quit rate
      or birth weight between counselled women and those who were not. However, the
      data suggested that counselling is more effective when more steps of counselling
      are completed. KEY CONCLUSIONS: no effect was found of quit-smoking counselling
      on quit-smoking rate or birth weight. Possibly, counselling is effective when
      provided extensively throughout pregnancy. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: our study
      shows that provision of counselling can be improved.

PMID- 26119833
TI  - Widespread tsunami-like waves of 23-27 June in the Mediterranean and Black Seas
      generated by high-altitude atmospheric forcing.
AB  - A series of tsunami-like waves of non-seismic origin struck several southern
      European countries during the period of 23 to 27 June 2014. The event caused
      considerable damage from Spain to Ukraine. Here, we show that these waves were
      long-period ocean oscillations known as meteorological tsunamis which are
      generated by intense small-scale air pressure disturbances. An unique atmospheric
      synoptic pattern was tracked propagating eastward over the Mediterranean and the
      Black seas in synchrony with onset times of observed tsunami waves. This pattern
      favoured generation and propagation of atmospheric gravity waves that induced
      pronounced tsunami-like waves through the Proudman resonance mechanism. This is
      the first documented case of a chain of destructive meteorological tsunamis
      occurring over a distance of thousands of kilometres. Our findings further
      demonstrate that these events represent potentially dangerous regional phenomena
      and should be included in tsunami warning systems. 

PMID- 26119835
TI  - Characterization of hepatic fatty acids in mice with reduced liver fat by ultra
      short echo time (1)H-MRS at 14.1 T in vivo.
AB  - Alterations in the hepatic lipid content (HLC) and fatty acid composition are
      associated with disruptions in whole body metabolism, both in humans and in
      rodent models, and can be non-invasively assessed by (1)H-MRS in vivo. We used
      (1)H-MRS to characterize the hepatic fatty-acyl chains of healthy mice and to
      follow changes caused by streptozotocin (STZ) injection. Using STEAM at 14.1 T
      with an ultra-short TE of 2.8 ms, confounding effects from T2 relaxation and J
      coupling were avoided, allowing for accurate estimations of the contribution of
      unsaturated (UFA), saturated (SFA), mono-unsaturated (MUFA) and poly-unsaturated
      (PUFA) fatty-acyl chains, number of double bonds, PU bonds and mean chain length.
      Compared with in vivo (1) H-MRS, high resolution NMR performed in vitro in
      hepatic lipid extracts reported longer fatty-acyl chains (18 versus 15 carbons)
      with a lower contribution from UFA (61 +/- 1% versus 80 +/- 5%) but a higher
      number of PU bonds per UFA (1.39 +/- 0.03 versus 0.58 +/- 0.08), driven by the
      presence of membrane species in the extracts. STZ injection caused a decrease of
      HLC (from 1.7 +/- 0.3% to 0.7 +/- 0.1%), an increase in the contribution of SFA
      (from 21 +/- 2% to 45 +/- 6%) and a reduction of the mean length (from 15 to 13
      carbons) of cytosolic fatty-acyl chains. In addition, SFAs were also likely to
      have increased in membrane lipids of STZ-induced diabetic mice, along with a
      decrease of the mean chain length. These studies show the applicability of (1)H
      MRS in vivo to monitor changes in the composition of the hepatic fatty-acyl
      chains in mice even when they exhibit reduced HLC, pointing to the value of this
      methodology to evaluate lipid-lowering interventions in the scope of metabolic
      disorders.

PMID- 26119836
TI  - Bacterial meningitis: insights into pathogenesis and evaluation of new treatment
      options: a perspective from experimental studies.
AB  - Bacterial meningitis is associated with high mortality and morbidity rates.
      Bacterial components induce an overshooting inflammatory reaction, eventually
      leading to brain damage. Pathological correlates of neurofunctional deficits
      include cortical necrosis, damage of the inner ear and hippocampal apoptosis. The
      hippocampal dentate gyrus is important for memory acquisition and harbors a
      neuronal stem cell niche, thus being potentially well equipped for regeneration.
      Adjuvant therapies aimed at decreasing the inflammatory reaction, for example,
      dexamethasone, and those protecting the brain from injury have been evaluated in
      animal models of the disease. They include nonbacteriolytic antibiotics (e.g.,
      daptomycin), metalloproteinase inhibitors and modulators of the immunological
      response, for example, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Increasing research
      interest has recently been focused on interventions aimed at supporting
      regenerative processes.

PMID- 26119834
TI  - Dynamic aberrant NF-kappaB spurs tumorigenesis: a new model encompassing the
      microenvironment.
AB  - Recently it was discovered that a transient activation of transcription factor NF
      kappaB can give cells properties essential for invasiveness and cancer initiating
      potential. In contrast, most oncogenes to date were characterized on the basis of
      mutations or by their constitutive overexpression. Study of NF-kappaB actually
      leads to a far more dynamic perspective on cancer: tumors caused by diverse
      oncogenes apparently evolve into cancer after loss of feedback regulation for NF
      kappaB. This event alters the cellular phenotype and the expression of hormonal
      mediators, modifying signals between diverse cell types in a tissue. The result
      is a disruption of stem cell hierarchy in the tissue, and pervasive changes in
      the microenvironment and immune response to the malignant cells. 

PMID- 26119837
TI  - The law of mass action and the pharmacological concentration-effect curve:
      resolving the paradox of apparently non-dose-related adverse drug reactions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adverse drug reactions are sometimes described as being 'non-dose
      related' because no relationship has been found between increasing doses and
      either the intensity of the response or the proportion of individuals in whom the
      response occurs; furthermore, hypersensitivity reactions are often regarded as
      being non-dose-related, even if different doses have not been studied. However,
      the law of mass action implies that all pharmacological effects are concentration
      related and should increase in intensity with increasing dose. We set out to
      explain this paradox. METHODS: We searched for published adverse drug reactions
      that have been described as non-dose-related and analysed them. RESULTS: We
      identified four categories of explanations that resolve the paradox: (i) the
      reaction is not real; it may have occurred by chance or there may be
      methodological problems, such as bias or confounding factors; (ii) the dose
      response curve for the adverse effect reaches a maximum at doses lower than were
      studied (i.e. a hypersusceptibility reaction); this underpins the use of test
      doses to predict the possibility of an adverse reaction at therapeutic doses;
      (iii) susceptibility to the adverse reaction differs widely among individuals;
      and (iv) imprecision or inaccuracy in the measurement of either dose or effect
      obscures dose responsiveness. This last explanation encompasses: (a) reactions
      related to cumulative dose; (b) dissociation between dose and concentration
      through saturable pharmacokinetics; and (c) variability in the measurement of the
      effect. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: If an adverse drug reaction appears to be
      non-dose-related, the reasons should be sought, having these mechanisms in mind.

PMID- 26119839
TI  - Rapid diagnostics for Ebola in emergency settings.

PMID- 26119838
TI  - ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test kit for point-of-care and laboratory-based testing for
      Ebola virus disease: a field validation study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At present, diagnosis of Ebola virus disease requires transport of
      venepuncture blood to field biocontainment laboratories for testing by real-time
      RT-PCR, resulting in delays that complicate patient care and infection control
      efforts. Therefore, an urgent need exists for a point-of-care rapid diagnostic
      test for this disease. In this Article, we report the results of a field
      validation of the Corgenix ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test kit. METHODS: We performed
      the rapid diagnostic test on fingerstick blood samples from 106 individuals with
      suspected Ebola virus disease presenting at two clinical centres in Sierra Leone.
      Adults and children who were able to provide verbal consent or assent were
      included; we excluded patients with haemodynamic instability and those who were
      unable to cooperate with fingerstick or venous blood draw. Two independent
      readers scored each rapid diagnostic test, with any disagreements resolved by a
      third. We compared point-of-care rapid diagnostic test results with clinical real
      time RT-PCR results (RealStar Filovirus Screen RT-PCR kit 1.0; altona Diagnostics
      GmbH, Hamburg, Germany) for venepuncture plasma samples tested in a Public Health
      England field reference laboratory (Port Loko, Sierra Leone). Separately, we
      performed the rapid diagnostic test (on whole blood) and real-time RT-PCR (on
      plasma) on 284 specimens in the reference laboratory, which were submitted to the
      laboratory for testing from many clinical sites in Sierra Leone, including our
      two clinical centres. FINDINGS: In point-of-care testing, all 28 patients who
      tested positive for Ebola virus disease by RT-PCR were also positive by
      fingerstick rapid diagnostic test (sensitivity 100% [95% CI 87.7-100]), and 71 of
      77 patients who tested negative by RT-PCR were also negative by the rapid
      diagnostic test (specificity 92.2% [95% CI 83.8-97.1]). In laboratory testing,
      all 45 specimens that tested positive by RT-PCR were also positive by the rapid
      diagnostic test (sensitivity 100% [95% CI 92.1-100]), and 214 of 232 specimens
      that tested negative by RT-PCR were also negative by the rapid diagnostic test
      (specificity 92.2% [88.0-95.3]). The two independent readers agreed about 95.2%
      of point-of-care and 98.6% of reference laboratory rapid diagnostic test results.
      Cycle threshold values ranged from 15.9 to 26.3 (mean 22.6 [SD 2.6]) for the PCR
      positive point-of-care cohort and from 17.5 to 26.3 (mean 21.5 [2.7]) for the
      reference laboratory cohort. Six of 16 banked plasma samples from rapid
      diagnostic test-positive and altona-negative patients were positive by an
      alternative real-time RT-PCR assay (the Trombley assay); three (17%) of 18
      samples from individuals who were negative by both the rapid diagnostic test and
      altona test were also positive by Trombley. INTERPRETATION: The ReEBOV rapid
      diagnostic test had 100% sensitivity and 92% specificity in both point-of-care
      and reference laboratory testing in this population (maximum cycle threshold
      26.3). With two independent readers, the test detected all patients who were
      positive for Ebola virus by altona real-time RT-PCR; however, this benchmark
      itself had imperfect sensitivity. FUNDING: Abundance Foundation.

PMID- 26119840
TI  - Cerebral fat embolism after bone fractures.

PMID- 26119841
TI  - How mechanisms of habitat preference evolve and promote divergence with gene
      flow.
AB  - Habitat preference may promote adaptive divergence and speciation, yet the
      conditions under which this is likely are insufficiently explored. We use
      individual-based simulations to study the evolution and consequence of habitat
      preference during divergence with gene flow, considering four different
      underlying genetically based behavioural mechanisms: natal habitat imprinting,
      phenotype-dependent, competition-dependent and direct genetic habitat preference.
      We find that the evolution of habitat preference generally requires initially
      high dispersal, is facilitated by asymmetry in population sizes between habitats,
      and is hindered by an increasing number of underlying genetic loci. Moreover, the
      probability of habitat preference to emerge and promote divergence differs
      greatly among the underlying mechanisms. Natal habitat imprinting evolves most
      easily and can allow full divergence in parameter ranges where no divergence is
      possible in the absence of habitat preference. The reason is that imprinting
      represents a one-allele mechanism of assortative mating linking dispersal
      behaviour very effectively to local selection. At the other extreme, direct
      genetic habitat preference, a two-allele mechanism, evolves under restricted
      conditions only, and even then facilitates divergence weakly. Overall, our
      results indicate that habitat preference can be a strong reproductive barrier
      promoting divergence with gene flow, but that this is highly contingent on the
      underlying preference mechanism. 

PMID- 26119842
TI  - GJB2 and mitochondrial 12S rRNA susceptibility mutations in sudden deafness.
AB  - Genetic susceptibility may play an important role in the pathogenesis of sudden
      deafness. However, the specific genes involved are largely unknown. We sought to
      explore the frequency of GJB2 and mitochondrial 12S rRNA susceptibility mutations
      in patients with sudden deafness. Between September 2011 and May 2012, 62
      consecutive patients with sudden deafness were seen. In 50 of these, no
      etiological factors for sudden deafness were found. We detected GJB2 and
      mitochondrial 12S rRNA variants by direct sequencing in these 50 patients and in
      53-aged matched controls with normal hearing. In addition, we undertook
      functional analyses of the mitochondrial mutations which we detected, applying
      structural and phylogenetic analysis. GJB2 sequencing identified six mutations,
      including three pathogenic mutations (c.235delC, c.299-300delAT, c.109G>A) and
      three polymorphisms, in the study participants, giving an allele frequency of
      15.0 %. A homozygous c.109G>A mutation was detected in two participants. A total
      of 16 variants in mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene were identified in the
      participants. No significant differences were found in GJB2 heterozygosity or in
      mitochondrial 12S rRNA variants between patients with sudden deafness and in
      controls. Our results suggest that the homozygous GJB2 c.109G>A mutation may be a
      cause of sudden deafness involving both ears. This finding should increase
      awareness of the likely role of genetic factors in the etiology of sudden
      deafness in general. 

PMID- 26119843
TI  - Prognostic impact of second primary tumors in head and neck cancer.
AB  - The incidence of Second Primary Tumors in the upper aerodigestive tract varies
      from 5 to 30 %. Most of them are located either in the same anatomical region or
      in the lungs, and are related to a poor overall survival. Our objective is to
      assess the incidence of Second Primary Tumors, factors related to its outcome,
      frequent associations, and impact on overall survival. 27 patients with Second
      Primary Tumors were reviewed out of 307 with head and neck cancer, between 2002
      and 2011. Patients had a minimum follow-up period of 3 years, or until their
      death after the last treatment. Sex: 85.2 % were male; male:female ratio of 23:4.
      The mean age of appearance for the primary tumor was 66.8 years. Only 1 patient
      had a synchronous Second Primary Tumor, while 26 had metachronous Second Primary
      Tumors. Second neoplasms were grouped into synchronous and metachronous for
      statistical analysis. The following parameters were considered: age at diagnosis
      of the first tumor, gender, smoking and persistence of the habit, primary tumor's
      location in the larynx, association between two squamous cell carcinomas (index
      and second primary tumor), and radiotherapy for the primary tumor. The incidence
      of Second Primary Tumors was 8.79 %. Overall survival of metachronous tumors was
      95 months (7.9 years). The primary tumor's location that prevailed when
      developing a Second Primary Tumor was the larynx. Regarding the histology, the
      most common association was head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with head and
      neck squamous cell carcinoma (9 patients). The Second Primary Tumor was the cause
      of death in 51.9 % of the patients and its most frequent location was the lungs.
      19 patients underwent radiotherapy. Second Primary Tumors are common in the head
      and neck. The authors would like to enforce the importance of an extended follow
      up, since second neoplasms worsen considerably the patient's prognosis. Patients
      who keep on smoking after treatment decrease even more their overall survival. 

PMID- 26119844
TI  - Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation influences biomarkers of inflammation and
      oxidative stress in overweight and vitamin D-deficient women with polycystic
      ovary syndrome: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to determine the effects of calcium plus
      vitamin D supplementation on inflammatory factors and biomarkers of oxidative
      stress among overweight vitamin D-deficient women with polycystic ovary syndrome
      (PCOS). DESIGN, PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: This randomized double-blind placebo
      controlled clinical trial was performed among 104 overweight vitamin D-deficient
      women diagnosed with PCOS aged 18-40 years. Participants were randomly divided
      into four groups. Group A received 1000 mg calcium daily and vitamin D placebo
      weekly (N = 26), group B 50000 IU vitamin D weekly and calcium placebo daily (N =
      26), group C 1000 mg calcium daily plus 50000 IU vitamin D weekly (N = 26) and
      group D calcium placebo daily plus vitamin D placebo weekly (N = 26) for 8 weeks.
      Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and 8 weeks after intervention to
      measure inflammatory factors and biomarkers of oxidative stress. RESULTS: After 8
      weeks, individuals taking calcium plus vitamin D supplements had greater
      decreases in homoeostatic model assessment beta-cell function (HOMA-B) score (
      11.1 vs -8.6, -3.4 and 13.7, respectively, P = 0.03), serum high-sensitivity C
      reactive protein (hs-CRP) (-948.3 vs 802.3, -383.8 and 618.2 ng/ml, respectively,
      P = 0.04) and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations (-0.6 vs -0.5, -0.1 and
      0.6 MUmol/l, respectively, P = 0.009), and significant increases in plasma total
      antioxidant capacity (TAC) (35.2 vs 21.1, 22.5 and -153.8 mmol/l, respectively, P
      = 0.006) and glutathione (GSH) levels (216.0 vs 3.9, -47.5 and -160.8 MUmol/l,
      respectively, P = 0.001) compared with calcium alone, vitamin D alone and placebo
      groups. Calcium plus vitamin D cosupplementation did not influence plasma NO and
      catalase levels. CONCLUSIONS: We found that calcium plus vitamin D
      cosupplementation for 8 weeks among overweight and vitamin D-deficient women with
      PCOS had beneficial effects on inflammatory factor and biomarkers of oxidative
      stress.

PMID- 26119845
TI  - Liraglutide subcutaneous injection for weight loss: where does it fit?

PMID- 26119846
TI  - Effects of thonningianin A in natural foods on apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of
      HepG-2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
AB  - The anti-cancer activities of Thonningianin A on the HepG-2 human hepatocellular
      carcinoma cell line were evaluated by MTT assay, flow cytometry, quantitative
      real-time PCR and western blotting. Results showed that Thonningianin A
      effectively inhibited the proliferation of HepG-2 cells by inducing apoptosis, as
      evidenced by increase in the sub-G1 cell population, DNA fragmentation, and
      increase in the content of reactive oxygen species. Activation of caspase-9 and
      the subsequent activation of caspase-3 indicated that Thonningianin A-induced
      apoptosis is caspase-dependent. Thonningianin A also disrupted the mitochondrial
      membrane potential (Deltapsim) and down-regulated the Bcl-xL mRNA expression in
      HepG-2 cells. Thonningianin A induced cell cycle arrest by changing the cyclin D1
      and CDK4 mRNA expression levels. Moreover, western blotting showed that
      Thonningianin A significantly down-regulated the NF-kappa-B cell survival
      pathway, along with up-regulation of the expression level of phosphorylated P38
      and down-regulation of the expression level of phosphorylated ERK. The anti
      cancer activity of Thonningianin A was confirmed by the characteristic patterns
      of DNA fragmentation and cell cycle arrest, suggesting that Th A is an effective
      antitumor ingredient in natural plant foods, and is worthy of further study. 

PMID- 26119847
TI  - Population-specific stature estimation from long bones in the early medieval
      Pohansko (Czech Republic).
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We tested the effect of population-specific linear body proportions
      on stature estimation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used a skeletal sample of 31
      males and 20 females from the Early Medieval site at Pohansko (Breclav, Central
      Europe) and a comparative Central European Early Medieval sample of 45 males and
      28 females. We developed new population-specific equations for the Pohansko
      sample using anatomical reconstructions of stature, then compared percentage
      prediction errors (%PEs) of anatomical stature from limb bone lengths using the
      derived Pohansko equations with those previously derived from more general
      European and other Early Medieval samples. RESULTS: Among general European
      equations, the lowest %PEs for the Pohansko sample were obtained using the
      equations of Formicola and Franceschi: Am J Phys Anthropol 100 (1996) 83-88 and
      Ruff et al.: Am J Phys Anthropol 148 (2012) 601-617. However, unexpectedly, the
      choice between tibial latitudinal variants proposed by Ruff et al.: Am J Phys
      Anthropol 148 (2012) 601-617 appeared to be sex-specific, with northern and
      southern variants producing lower %PEs for males and females, respectively.
      Equations from Breitinger: Anthropol Anz 14 (1937) 249-274, Bach: Anthropol Anz
      29 (1965) 12-21, and Sjovold: Hum Evol 5 (1990) 431-447 provided poor agreement
      with anatomical stature. When applied to the comparative Central European Early
      Medieval sample, our new formulae have generally lower %PE than previously
      derived formulae based on other European Early Medieval samples (Maijanen and
      Niskanen: Int J Osteoarchaeol 20 (2010) 472-480; Vercellotti et al.: Am J Phys
      Anthropol 140 (2009) 135-142. CONCLUSIONS: The best agreement with anatomical
      stature among our newly developed equations was obtained using femoral+tibial
      length, followed by femoral length. Upper limb bone lengths resulted in higher
      %PEs. Variation in the tibia is likely to contribute most to potential bias in
      stature estimation. Am J Phys Anthropol 158:312-324, 2015. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26119848
TI  - Consistent antioxidant and antihypertensive effects of oral sodium nitrite in
      DOCA-salt hypertension.
AB  - Hypertension is a common disease that includes oxidative stress as a major
      feature, and oxidative stress impairs physiological nitric oxide (NO) activity
      promoting cardiovascular pathophysiological mechanisms. While inorganic nitrite
      and nitrate are now recognized as relevant sources of NO after their
      bioactivation by enzymatic and non-enzymatic pathways, thus lowering blood
      pressure, mounting evidence suggests that sodium nitrite also exerts antioxidant
      effects. Here we show for the first time that sodium nitrite exerts consistent
      systemic and vascular antioxidant and antihypertensive effects in the
      deoxycorticosterone-salt (DOCA-salt) hypertension model. This is particularly
      important because increased oxidative stress plays a major role in the DOCA-salt
      hypertension model, which is less dependent on activation of the renin
      angiotensin system than other hypertension models. Indeed, antihypertensive
      effects of oral nitrite were associated with increased plasma nitrite and nitrate
      concentrations, and completely blunted hypertension-induced increases in plasma 8
      isoprostane and lipid peroxide levels, in vascular reactive oxygen species, in
      vascular NADPH oxidase activity, and in vascular xanthine oxidoreductase
      activity. Together, these findings provide evidence that the oral administration
      of sodium nitrite consistently decreases the blood pressure in association with
      major antioxidant effects in experimental hypertension. 

PMID- 26119849
TI  - Histoplasmosis diagnosed after arthroscopy of the knee: case report.
AB  - Fungal arthritis is a rare complication of arthroscopic surgeries, but its
      possibility should always be considered due its deleterious effects on any joint.
      Infection caused by the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum is the most common cause of
      respiratory tract infections by fungi, meanwhile histoplasmosis arthritis is more
      rare than all other fungal infections. However, their atypical forms of arthritis
      and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment cannot be over-emphasized.
      Herein we report a case of knee monoarthritis in an immunocompetent patient with
      histoplasmosis arthritis following an arthroscopic meniscetomy, diagnosed by
      synovial biopsy and culture performed during a second arthroscopic procedure. The
      joint was debrided in this second intervention and the patient received
      itraconazole initially and fluconazole latter on. The arthritis subsided after 10
      months of treatment. 

PMID- 26119850
TI  - Simvastatin inhibits planktonic cells and biofilms of Candida and Cryptococcus
      species.
AB  - The antifungal activity of some statins against different fungal species has been
      reported. Thus, at the first moment, the in vitro antifungal activity of
      simvastatin, atorvastatin and pravastatin was tested against Candida spp. and
      Cryptococcus spp. Then, in a second approach, considering that the best results
      were obtained for simvastatin, this drug was evaluated in combination with
      antifungal drugs against planktonic growth and tested against biofilms of Candida
      spp. and Cryptococcus spp. Drug susceptibility testing was performed using the
      microdilution broth method, as described by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards
      Institute. The interaction between simvastatin and antifungals against planktonic
      cells was analyzed by calculating the fractional inhibitory concentration index.
      Regarding biofilm susceptibility, simvastatin was tested against growing biofilm
      and mature biofilm of one strain of each tested yeast species. Simvastatin showed
      inhibitory effect against Candida spp. and Cryptococcus spp. with minimum
      inhibitory concentration values ranging from 15.6 to 1000 mg L(-1) and from 62.5
      to 1000 mg L(-1), respectively. The combination of simvastatin with itraconazole
      and fluconazole showed synergism against Candida spp. and Cryptococcus spp.,
      while the combination of simvastatin with amphotericin B was synergistic only
      against Cryptococcus spp. Concerning the biofilm assays, simvastatin was able to
      inhibit both growing biofilm and mature biofilm of Candida spp. and Cryptococcus
      spp. The present study showed that simvastatin inhibits planktonic cells and
      biofilms of Candida and Cryptococcus species.

PMID- 26119851
TI  - Urine alpha1-microglobulin is a better marker for early tubular dysfunction than
      beta2-microglobulin among tenofovir-exposed human immunodeficiency virus-infected
      men who have sex with men.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Men who have sex with men are at risk of tenofovir nephrotoxicity due
      to its wide use in both treatment and prophylaxis for human immunodeficiency
      virus infection, but little is known about the urinary biomarkers of early renal
      dysfunction in this population. This study aims to identify useful biomarkers of
      early renal dysfunction among human immunodeficiency virus-infected men who have
      sex with men exposed to tenofovir. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study urinary
      alpha1-microglobulin, beta2-microglobulin, N-acetyl-beta-d-glucosaminidase and
      albumin were measured and expressed as the ratio-to-creatinine in 239 human
      immunodeficiency virus-infected men who have sex with men who were treatment
      naive or receiving antiretroviral therapy with tenofovir-containing or non
      tenofovir-containing regimens. Additionally, 56 patients in the non
      antiretroviral therapy group started a tenofovir-containing regimen and were
      assessed after 3 and 6 months on antiretroviral therapy. RESULTS: Both the
      frequency of alpha1-microglobulin proteinuria (alpha1-microglobulin-creatinine
      ratio >25.8mg/g) and the median urinary alpha1-microglobulin-creatinine ratio
      were higher in the tenofovir disoproxil fumarate group than the other two groups
      (all p<0.05). A higher frequency of beta2-microglobulin proteinuria (beta2
      microglobulin-creatinine ratio >0.68mg/g) was also observed in the tenofovir
      group (28.9%) compared to the non-tenofovir group (13.6%, p=0.024). There were no
      significant differences between groups for N-acetyl-beta-d-glucosaminidase and
      albumin. In the longitudinal study, the median urinary alpha1-microglobulin
      creatinine ratio after 3 and 6 months on tenofovir-containing therapy (16.8 and
      17.3mg/g) was higher than baseline (12.3mg/g, p=0.023 and 0.011, respectively),
      while no statistically important changes were observed in urinary beta2
      microglobulin-creatinine ratio or in the other biomarkers after 3 and 6 months on
      antiretroviral therapy (all p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Urinary alpha1-microglobulin
      seems to be a more sensitive and stable indicator of tubular dysfunction than
      urinary beta2-microglobulin for assessing tenofovir-related nephrotoxicity and
      can be significantly altered after tenofovir exposure.

PMID- 26119852
TI  - Natural killer cells in hepatitis B virus infection.
AB  - Natural killer cells are a unique type of lymphocytes with cytotoxic capacity,
      and play important roles against tumors and infections. Recently, natural killer
      cells have been increasingly valued in their effects in hepatitis B virus
      infection. Since hepatitis B virus is not cytopathic, the subsequent antiviral
      immune responses of the host are responsible for sustaining the liver injury,
      which may result in cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma. Many studies
      have confirmed that natural killer cells participate in anti-hepatitis B virus
      responses both in the early phase after infection and in the chronic phase via
      cytolysis, degranulation, and cytokine secretion. However, natural killer cells
      play dichotomic roles: they exert antiviral and immunoregulatory functions whilst
      contribute to the pathogenesis of liver injury. Here, we review the roles of
      natural killer cells in hepatitis B virus infection, introducing novel
      therapeutic strategies for controlling hepatitis B virus infection via the
      modulation of natural killer cells. 

PMID- 26119853
TI  - MRSA from Santa Catarina State, Southern Brazil: intriguing epidemiological
      differences compared to other Brazilian regions.
AB  - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most frequently
      isolated agents in both nosocomial and community settings. It is a constant
      challenge for antibacterial therapy. Therefore, it becomes essential to
      understand the epidemiology of MRSA isolates in the institution and/or region to
      guide empirical therapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the
      epidemiological characteristics of MRSA isolates in the state of Santa Catarina,
      Brazil, and determine if there is a clonal spread. We evaluated 124 clinical
      isolates of MRSA obtained from various anatomical sites from patients in the
      state of Santa Catarina in Southern Brazil. The antimicrobial susceptibility
      profile was evaluated by disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration
      (MIC) was determined by Etest and broth macrodilution. SCCmec types were
      determined by multiplex PCR and the clonal relationship among isolates was
      assessed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Antimicrobials that have
      demonstrated lower rates of resistance were tetracycline (20.2%),
      sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (20.2%) and chloramphenicol (12.9%). We did not
      detect any resistance to glycopeptides, daptomycin, linezolid, and tigecycline.
      SCCmec type III was predominant (54%), followed by type II (21.8%), consistent
      with other Brazilian studies. Twenty-six clones were observed grouping 72 (58%)
      isolates and no clonal relationship was observed between our isolates and the
      major epidemic clones circulating in Brazil. An intriguing distinct MRSA
      epidemiology was observed in Santa Catarina, compared to other Brazilian regions.

PMID- 26119854
TI  - Protocatechuic Acid from Alpinia oxyphylla Induces Schwann Cell Migration via
      ERK1/2, JNK and p38 Activation.
AB  - Alpinia oxyphylla MIQ (Alpinate Oxyphyllae Fructus, AOF) is an important
      traditional Chinese medicinal herb whose fruits is widely used to prepare tonics
      and is used as an aphrodisiac, anti salivary, anti diuretic and nerve-protective
      agent. Protocatechuic acid (PCA), a simple phenolic compound was isolated from
      the kernels of AOF. This study investigated the role of PCA in promoting neural
      regeneration and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Nerve regeneration is a
      complex physiological response that takes place after injury. Schwann cells play
      a crucial role in the endogenous repair of peripheral nerves due to their ability
      to proliferate and migrate. The role of PCA in Schwann cell migration was
      determined by assessing the induced migration potential of RSC96 Schwann cells.
      PCA induced changes in the expression of proteins of three MAPK pathways, as
      determined using Western blot analysis. In order to determine the roles of MAPK
      (ERK1/2, JNK, and p38) pathways in PCA-induced matrix-degrading proteolytic
      enzyme (PAs and MMP2/9) production, the expression of several MAPK-associated
      proteins was analyzed after siRNA-mediated inhibition assays. Treatment with PCA
      induced ERK1/2, JNK, and p38 phosphorylation that activated the downstream
      expression of PAs and MMPs. PCA-stimulated ERK1/2, JNK and p38 phosphorylation
      was attenuated by individual pretreatment with siRNAs or MAPK inhibitors (U0126,
      SP600125, and SB203580), resulting in the inhibition of migration and the uPA
      related signal pathway. Taken together, our data suggest that PCA extract
      regulate the MAPK (ERK1/2, JNK, and p38)/PA (uPA, tPA)/MMP (MMP2, MMP9) mediated
      regeneration and migration signaling pathways in Schwann cells. Therefore, PCA
      plays a major role in Schwann cell migration and the regeneration of damaged
      peripheral nerve. 

PMID- 26119855
TI  - Creation of a transcatheter fenestration in children with failure of Fontan
      circulation: Focus on extracardiac conduit connection.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We report our experience with a transcatheter technique to bypass the
      lung and to thus improve single-ventricle preload and reduce venous congestion in
      Fontan patients. BACKGROUND: In the absence of a dedicated power source to serve
      the pulmonary circulation and a significantly elevated transpulmonary pressure
      gradient, fenestration of the Fontan circulation is an option to improve
      hemodynamics in patients by relieving excessive systemic venous pressure. METHODS
      AND RESULTS: From 2005 to 2011, 22 transcatheter fenestrations were performed
      without any major complications in 19 patients (median age 3.2 years,
      interquartile range (IQR) 2.7-3.7 years)) with failing Fontan circulation and
      exceeding systemic venous pressure. In 16 patients, the procedure was performed
      for acute postoperative failure 1-24 days after surgery. After perforation of the
      conduit and atrial wall by a Brockenbrough needle and gradual balloon dilation,
      premounted stents were expanded to create a diabolo configuration with flaring
      stent edges, leaving a slight but definitive central waist. The procedure
      resulted in regression of pleural effusions and a significant decrease in
      systemic venous pressure. Clinical improvement was observed in 16 of the 19
      treated patients. Follow-up demonstrated sustained fenestration in 85% of treated
      patients for at least 24 months. CONCLUSION: Transcatheter creation of a Fontan
      fenestration is a safe approach despite the anatomic gap between the extracardiac
      conduit cavity and the atrial wall. Stent implantation allows defining the
      diameter of the fenestration, reduces spontaneous occlusion, and ensures
      sustained clinical improvement.

PMID- 26119856
TI  - Marked elevation of procalcitonin level can lead to a misdiagnosis of
      anaphylactic shock as septic shock.
AB  - The case of a 74-year-old woman who presented with hyperthermia and hypotension
      is reported. Laboratory test results revealed marked elevation of C-reactive
      protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels. The clinical presentation and
      laboratory test results were suggestive of septic shock. No infectious focus was
      identified. The shock recurred after what was subsequently understood to be an
      unintended re-challenge with risedronate sodium. Drug-induced anaphylactic shock
      was finally diagnosed. Anaphylactic shock may be misdiagnosed as septic shock in
      patients who present with markedly elevated PCT levels.

PMID- 26119857
TI  - Multidrug-resistant and heteroresistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and associated
      gene mutations in Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) among new and
      retreatment cases in 2011 in Ethiopia was 2.7% and 17.9%, respectively. However,
      data on heteroresistance and gene mutation profiles of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
      were not documented. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 413 TB
      positive clinical specimens submitted between 2012 and 2014 to Bahir Dar Regional
      Laboratory Center for confirmation of multidrug resistance. Resistance
      determining genes were analyzed using a line probe assay. RESULTS: Of 413M.
      tuberculosis isolates, 150 (36.3%) were multidrug-resistant, 19 (4.6%) were
      resistant only to rifampicin, and 26 (6.3%) were resistant to isoniazid. Of 169
      rifampicin-resistant and 176 isoniazid-resistant isolates, only eight (4.7%)
      showed rifampicin heteroresistance and only two (1.13%) showed isoniazid
      heteroresistance. Failing of the rpoB WT8 gene with corresponding hybridization
      of rpoB MUT3 (S531L substitution) accounted for 85 (50.3%) rifampicin-resistant
      mutations. Among 176 isoniazid-resistant isolates, 155 (88.1%) strains had the
      Ser315Thr1 substitution. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of multidrug-resistant M.
      tuberculosis was high in the study area. Ser531Leu and Ser315Thr1 substitutions
      were the highest gene mutations for rifampicin and isoniazid, respectively.

PMID- 26119859
TI  - Specific global responses to N and Fe nutrition in toxic and non-toxic
      Microcystis aeruginosa.
AB  - The bloom-forming cyanobacteria species Microcystis aeruginosa includes toxic and
      non-toxic (microcystin-producing) strains. Certain stress conditions stimulate
      synthesis of microcystin (MCYST) and enhance the binding of the MCYST molecule to
      proteins. In this quantitative proteomic study, we compared the response of a
      wild-type toxic strain PCC 7806, an mcyH(-) knockout non-toxic strain, and a
      naturally occurring non-toxic strain, PCC 7005, after 8 days in low iron (Fe) and
      nitrogen (N) starvation in order to assess the benefit of MCYST synthesis in non
      optimal conditions. Fe limitation increased MCYST synthesis and caused an
      accumulation of phycobilisome proteins and the ferric iron transporter FutA only
      in the toxic PCC 7806 but not the non-toxic strains. In N starvation,
      photosynthetic, C and N metabolism proteins were more abundant in the non-toxic
      strains, as were chaperones and proteases. Significant interaction between
      nutrient availability and toxicity existed for thioredoxin peroxidase and several
      thioredoxin-regulated proteins. We propose a competition of MCYST for binding
      sites in thioredoxin-regulated proteins during oxidative stress (low Fe) but not
      in growth-limiting conditions (low N). This then leads to differences in the
      regulation of C:N metabolism in toxic and non-toxic M. aeruginosa in nutrient
      replete and nutrient-limited conditions.

PMID- 26119860
TI  - Versatile Design Principles for Facile Access to Unstrained Conjugated
      Organoborane Macrocycles.
AB  - A facile and versatile approach was developed to access ambipolar boron
      containing macrocycles. Two examples of new conjugated cyclic motifs are
      presented with carbazole moieties as donors and borane moieties as acceptors
      embedded into the ring system. They were first predicted using computational
      methods. Possible targets with appropriately shaped pi-conjugated bridges that
      minimize the overall ring strain were identified and their geometry was optimized
      by DFT methods. The synthetic demonstration was then accomplished using
      organometallic condensation reactions under high dilution conditions. The
      resulting monodisperse macrocycles provide important insights into the design
      principles necessary for the preparation of new unstrained macrocycles with
      interesting optical and electronic characteristics. The current research also
      offers a more general approach to conjugated ambipolar B/N macrocycles as a
      promising new family of (opto)electronic materials. 

PMID- 26119861
TI  - Design and evaluation of a Monte Carlo based model of an orthovoltage treatment
      system.
AB  - The aim of this study was to develop a flexible framework of an orthovoltage
      treatment system capable of calculating and visualizing dose distributions in
      different phantoms and CT datasets. The framework provides a complete set of
      various filters, applicators and x-ray energies and therefore can be adapted to
      varying studies or be used for educational purposes. A dedicated user friendly
      graphical interface was developed allowing for easy setup of the simulation
      parameters and visualization of the results. For the Monte Carlo simulations the
      EGSnrc Monte Carlo code package was used. Building the geometry was accomplished
      with the help of the EGSnrc C++ class library. The deposited dose was calculated
      according to the KERMA approximation using the track-length estimator. The
      validation against measurements showed a good agreement within 4-5% deviation,
      down to depths of 20% of the depth dose maximum. Furthermore, to show its
      capabilities, the validated model was used to calculate the dose distribution on
      two CT datasets. Typical Monte Carlo calculation time for these simulations was
      about 10 minutes achieving an average statistical uncertainty of 2% on a standard
      PC. However, this calculation time depends strongly on the used CT dataset, tube
      potential, filter material/thickness and applicator size. 

PMID- 26119862
TI  - Fast isotropic banding-free bSSFP imaging using 3D dynamically phase-cycled
      radial bSSFP (3D DYPR-SSFP).
AB  - AIMS: Dynamically phase-cycled radial balanced steady-state free precession (DYPR
      SSFP) is a method for efficient banding artifact removal in bSSFP imaging. Based
      on a varying radiofrequency (RF) phase-increment in combination with a radial
      trajectory, DYPR-SSFP allows obtaining a banding-free image out of a single
      acquired k-space. The purpose of this work is to present an extension of this
      technique, enabling fast three-dimensional isotropic banding-free bSSFP imaging.
      METHODS: While banding artifact removal with DYPR-SSFP relies on the applied
      dynamic phase-cycle, this aspect can lead to artifacts, at least when the number
      of acquired projections lies below a certain limit. However, by using a 3D radial
      trajectory with quasi-random view ordering for image acquisition, this problem is
      intrinsically solved, enabling 3D DYPR-SSFP imaging at or even below the Nyquist
      criterion. The approach is validated for brain and knee imaging at 3 Tesla.
      RESULTS: Volumetric, banding-free images were obtained in clinically acceptable
      scan times with an isotropic resolution up to 0.56mm. CONCLUSION: The combination
      of DYPR-SSFP with a 3D radial trajectory allows banding-free isotropic volumetric
      bSSFP imaging with no expense of scan time. Therefore, this is a promising
      candidate for clinical applications such as imaging of cranial nerves or
      articular cartilage.

PMID- 26119863
TI  - Complications and follow up of subarachnoid hemorrhages.
AB  - Complications of subarachnoid hemorrhage are the major life threatening and
      functional components of the follow up of a ruptured aneurysm. Knowing how to
      identify these is a key challenge. They vary in type throughout the postoperative
      follow up period. The aim of this article is firstly to list the main
      complications of the acute phase (rebleeding, acute hydrocephalus, acute ischemic
      injury and non-neurological complications), the subacute phase (vasospasm) and
      the chronic phase of subarachnoid hemorrhages: (chronic hydrocephalus and
      cognitive disorders) and to describe their major clinical and radiological
      features. Secondly, we describe the long-term follow up strategy for patients who
      have suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage and have been treated endovascularly or
      by surgery. This follow up involves a combination of clinical consultations,
      cerebral MRI and at least one review angiogram. 

PMID- 26119864
TI  - Ultrasound shear wave velocity in skeletal muscle: A reproducibility study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was threefold: to assess the reliability of
      shear wave velocities (SWV) measurements in normal skeletal muscles; to evaluate
      intra- and inter-operator reproducibility of measurements for a specific site of
      the muscle and for the mean value in the whole muscle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two
      sets of measurements were performed at three weeks intervals of each other on 16
      volunteers by two radiologists on medial gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior
      muscles. Each muscle was evaluated in 5 different sites, with three measurements
      for each site in the transverse and longitudinal planes. Reliability of SWV
      measurements was assessed by means of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).
      RESULTS: Reliability of the three independent SWV measurements was excellent,
      slightly better in the longitudinal plane. Inter/intra-operator reproducibility
      per site was fair to good in the longitudinal plane and poor to fair in the
      transverse plane. For global values of the whole muscle, ICC showed good
      agreement in the longitudinal plane and fair agreement in the transverse plane.
      CONCLUSION: Quantitative SWV measurements are reliable when performed in rigorous
      conditions. In conditions that mirror clinical practice, inter/intra-operator
      reproducibility is moderate, better for longitudinal compared to transverse
      plane.

PMID- 26119865
TI  - Primary angiosarcoma of the breast: Diagnosis with computer-assisted MRI-guided
      radio-guided occult lesion localization (ROLL) technique.
AB  - Primary angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare type of breast cancer that
      represents approximately 0.04% of all primary breast tumors. We report herein a
      case of primary breast angiosarcoma that was only visible on magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) examination. The patient presented with a palpable right breast
      lump that was not visible either on ultrasonography and mammography. MRI showed a
      lesion of the right breast that presented washout kinetics. MRI-guided biopsy
      allowed histopathological examination of the tumor that was further confirmed as
      primary angiosarcoma. Subsequently, MRI guided ROLL (radio-guided occult lesion
      localization) technique was used for localizing the lesion prior to surgery. 

PMID- 26119866
TI  - Damage control interventional radiology (DCIR) in prompt and rapid endovascular
      strategies in trauma occasions (PRESTO): A new paradigm.
AB  - This article proposes an innovative concept of interventional radiology for
      hemodynamically unstable trauma patients. Damage control interventional radiology
      (DCIR) is an aggressive and time-conscious algorithm that prioritizes saving life
      of the hemorrhaging patient in extremis which conventional emergency
      interventional radiology (CEIR) cannot efficiently do. Briefly, DCIR aims to save
      life while CEIR aims to control bleeding with a constant concern to time
      awareness. This article also presents the concept of "Prompt and Rapid
      Endovascular Strategies in Traumatic Occasions" (PRESTO) that entirely oversees
      and manages trauma patients from arrival to the trauma bay until initial
      completion of hemostasis with endovascular techniques. PRESTO's "Start soon and
      finish sooner" relies on the earlier activation of interventional radiology team
      but also emphasizes on a rapid completion of hemostasis in which DCIR has been
      specifically tailored. Both DCIR and PRESTO expand the role of IR and represent a
      paradigm shift in the realm of trauma care. 

PMID- 26119867
TI  - MR imaging in the management of trachelectomy.

PMID- 26119868
TI  - Structure investigation of nanohybrid PDMA/silica hydrogels at rest and under
      uniaxial deformation.
AB  - Nano-hybrid hydrogels were prepared by cross-linking polymerization of N,N
      dimethylacrylamide (DMA) within a dispersion of silica nano-particles. Working at
      constant polymer/water ratio, the mechanical properties of hydrogels can be
      finely tuned by changing either the level of covalent cross-linker and/or the
      amount of particles that act as physical cross-linkers through specific
      adsorption of PDMA chains. Whatever is the cross-linking ratio (from 0 to 1
      mol%), the introduction of silica nano-particles dramatically improves the
      mechanical behavior of hydrogels with a concomitant increase of stiffness and
      nominal strain at failure. The physical interactions being reversible in nature,
      the dynamics of the adsorption/desorption process of PDMA chains directly
      controls the time-dependence of the mechanical properties. Small angle neutron
      scattering experiments, performed in contrast matching conditions, show that
      silica particles, which repel themselves at short range, remain randomly
      dispersed during the formation of the PDMA network. Although PDMA chains readily
      interact with silica particles, no significant variation of the polymer
      concentration was observed in the vicinity of silica surfaces. Together with the
      time dependence of physical interactions pointed out by mechanical analyses, this
      result is attributed to the moderate adsorption energy of PDMA chains with silica
      surfaces at pH 9. From 2D SANS experiments, it was shown that strain rapidly
      gives rise to a non affine deformation of the hybrid network with shearing due to
      the transverse compression of the particles. After loading at intermediate
      deformation, the particles recover their initial distribution due to the covalent
      network that is not damaged in these conditions. That is no longer true at high
      deformation where residual anisotropy is observed. 

PMID- 26119869
TI  - Combination of carbon dot and polymer dot phosphors for white light-emitting
      diodes.
AB  - We realized white light-emitting diodes with high color rendering index (85-96)
      and widely variable color temperatures (2805-7786 K) by combining three phosphors
      based on carbon dots and polymer dots, whose solid-state photoluminescence self
      quenching was efficiently suppressed within a polyvinyl pyrrolidone matrix. All
      three phosphors exhibited dominant absorption in the UV spectral region, which
      ensured the weak reabsorption and no energy transfer crosstalk. The WLEDs showed
      excellent color stability against the increasing current because of the similar
      response of the tricolor phosphors to the UV light variation. 

PMID- 26119870
TI  - Transumbilical laparoendoscopic single-site surgery versus conventional
      laparoscopy for the resection of retroperitoneal paragangliomas.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare transumbilical laparoendoscopic single-site surgery with
      conventional laparoscopy for the resection of retroperitoneal paragangliomas.
      METHODS: In the present case-control study, we compared 11 transumbilical
      laparoendoscopic single-site surgery procedures with 22 conventional laparoscopy
      procedures carried out to treat retroperitoneal paragangliomas between June 2004
      and October 2013 at Peking Union Medical Hospital, Beijing, China. Operative
      time, estimated intraoperative blood loss, blood transfusions, intraoperative
      hypertension, intraoperative hypotension, highest intraoperative systolic blood
      pressure, lowest intraoperative systolic blood pressure, postoperative fatigue
      time, postoperative systematic inflammation reaction syndrome, 24-h postoperative
      visual analog scale scores, postoperative hospital stay duration, and
      postoperative complications were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: There were no
      significant differences in patient characteristics. All surgical procedures were
      successfully completed in both groups. Minor complications occurred in one case
      in the laparoendoscopic single-site surgery group and in two cases in the
      conventional laparoscopy group. In the laparoendoscopic single-site surgery
      group, the operative time was longer than that in the conventional laparoscopy
      group (P = 0.001). There were no significant differences in terms of
      intraoperative hypertension, intraoperative hypotension, highest intraoperative
      systolic blood pressure, lowest intraoperative systolic blood pressure, estimated
      blood loss, postoperative fatigue time, postoperative hospital stay or systematic
      inflammation reaction syndrome between the two groups. The 24-h postoperative
      visual analog scale score was lower in the laparoendoscopic single-site surgery
      group (P = 0.002). No recurrence or metastases were observed over the duration of
      the postoperative follow up. CONCLUSIONS: In properly selected patients,
      transumbilical laparoendoscopic single-site surgery is a feasible, safe and
      effective procedure for the surgical treatment of retroperitoneal paragangliomas.

PMID- 26119871
TI  - Hessian facilitated analysis of optimally controlled quantum dynamics of systems
      with coupled primary and secondary states.
AB  - The efficacy of optimal control of quantum dynamics depends on the topology and
      associated local structure of the underlying control landscape defined as the
      objective as a function of the control field. A commonly studied control
      objective involves maximization of the transition probability for steering the
      quantum system from one state to another state. This paper invokes landscape
      Hessian analysis performed at an optimal solution to gain insight into the
      controlled dynamics, where the Hessian is the second-order functional derivative
      of the control objective with respect to the control field. Specifically, we
      consider a quantum system composed of coupled primary and secondary subspaces of
      energy levels with the initial and target states lying in the primary subspace.
      The primary and secondary subspaces may arise in various scenarios, for example,
      respectively, as sub-manifolds of ground and excited electronic states of a poly
      atomic molecule, with each possessing a set of rotational-vibrational levels. The
      control field may engage the system through electric dipole transitions that
      occur either (I) only in the primary subspace, (II) between the two subspaces, or
      (III) only in the secondary subspace. Important insights about the resultant
      dynamics in each case are revealed in the structural patterns of the
      corresponding Hessian. The Fourier spectrum of the Hessian is shown to often be
      complementary to mechanistic insights provided by the optimal control field and
      population dynamics. 

PMID- 26119872
TI  - Near-anode focusing phenomenon caused by the coupling effect of early
      precipitation and backward electromigration in electrokinetic remediation of MSWI
      fly ashes.
AB  - As electrokinetic remediation (EKR) is used to remediate contaminated soil, the
      focusing phenomenon is always the inevitable problems needing to be solved during
      the process. In this paper, EKR was chosen to extract the heavy metals in the
      municipal solid waste incineration fly ashes (FAs). The focusing phenomenon of FA
      in the sample region of the rectangular electrolyser was comprehensively studied.
      The formation of the focusing band was monitored and the redistribution of
      concentration for Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cd were displayed. The major and minor phases
      of FA particles have greatly changed before and after the experiment. A variety
      of carbonate hydroxides and phosphate were found at the end of the test. There
      are two focusing bands at S2 and S5, separately for all the four elements and the
      focusing bands in the S2 zone forming at the early stage existed nearly
      throughout the entire process. The pH gradient between S1 and S2 was detected at
      the onset of the experiment, and until the 12 day, the gradient barrier was
      obviously dropped down. The coupling effect of precipitation hindering and
      backward electromigration of anions is considered as the dominant force for the
      formation of the focusing band, which is different from the pure ion-induced
      potential gradient well trapping effect near the anode. The FA matrix enhancing
      and nitric acid enhancing can alleviate the focusing phenomenon and increase the
      concentration ratios to some extent.

PMID- 26119873
TI  - The Current State of Naive Human Pluripotency.
AB  - Naive or ground state pluripotency is a cellular state in vitro which resembles
      cells of the preimplantation epiblast in vivo. This state was first observed in
      mouse embryonic stem cells and is characterized by high rates of proliferation,
      the ability to differentiate widely, and global hypomethylation. Human
      pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) correspond to a later or "primed" stage of
      embryonic development. The conversion of hPSCs to a naive state is desirable as
      their features should facilitate techniques such as gene editing and more
      efficient differentiation. Here we review protocols which now allow derivation of
      naive human pluripotent stem cells by transgene expression or the use of media
      formulations containing inhibitors and growth factors and correlate this with
      pathways involved. Maintenance of these ground state cells is possible using a
      combination of basic fibroblast growth factor and human leukemia inhibitory
      factor together with dual inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta, and
      mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK). Close similarity between the
      ground state hPSC and the in vivo preimplantation epiblast have been shown both
      by demonstrating similar upregulation of endogenous retroviruses and correlation
      of global RNA-seq data. This suggests that the human naive state is not an in
      vitro artifact.

PMID- 26119874
TI  - Low CD23 expression correlates with high CD38 expression and the presence of
      trisomy 12 in CLL.
AB  - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by a neoplastic B-cell
      population coexpressing CD5 and CD23; however, the expression of CD23 is
      variable. In human, two isotypes of CD23 have been identified and related to
      different functions. The aim of our study was to investigate the relative
      expression of the two CD23 isotypes in CLL and find possible correlation with
      other prognostic factors. The expression of CD23 isotypes was analyzed in 54
      cases of CLL by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR.
      The immunophenotype of CLL cells was characterized by flow cytometry. We
      demonstrated a higher CD23a than CD23b expression of CLL cells. Our results also
      revealed two subsets of CLL cases with a distinct CD23 isotype expression
      pattern. Thirty-two percent of the cases (group CLL1) showed both low mRNA level
      of CD23 isotypes and high protein levels of CD20 and CD38 in contrast to group
      CLL2 with high CD23 mRNA levels. By correlating these results to the presence of
      prognostic factors determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization, we found
      that the majority of the cases of group CLL1 (14/17) carried trisomy 12. In
      summary, our results confirm a high CD23a/CD23b ratio of the CLL cells and
      demonstrate that in a subset of CLL cases, low CD23 expression together with high
      CD20 and CD38 expressions may serve as a surrogate for trisomy 12. Copyright (c)
      2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26119875
TI  - Different DNA methylation pattern of HPV16, HPV18 and HPV51 genomes in
      asymptomatic HPV infection as compared to cervical neoplasia.
AB  - Epigenetic alterations of human papillomavirus (HPV) genome play an important
      role in virus life cycle and carcinogenic progression. The aim of the current
      study was to investigate the correlation between the grade of cervical pathology
      and DNA methylation status within the L1 gene and the long control region (LCR)
      of HPV16, HPV18 and HPV51. HPV genomes were analyzed using bisulfite DNA
      modification procedure with the subsequent amplification of target DNA regions
      and sequencing. A collection of 202 cervical specimens was analyzed: 157 HPV16
      positive specimens, 21 HPV18-positive specimens and 24 HPV51-positive specimens.
      This study revealed that methylation of CpG was significantly more prevalent in
      L1 gene as compared to LCR region of all three studied HPV types and the degree
      of DNA methylation level correlated with the severity of cervical neoplasia. An
      increased DNA methylation level of HPV16 promoter region in case of cervical
      cancer was determined.

PMID- 26119876
TI  - Hepatitis B "e" antigen-mediated inhibition of HBV replication fitness and
      transcription efficiency in vitro.
AB  - A mutation at nucleotide 1896 (G1896A) is the most common cause for the loss of
      HBeAg. In contrast to clinical data, cell culture studies report a high
      replicating phenotype for the G1896A mutant. Differences between the wild-type
      and the G1896A mutant in early steps of HBV replication including the synthesis
      of pre-genomic RNA and transcripts have not been investigated. The G1896A mutant
      is associated with higher replication fitness, transcription efficiency and
      higher levels of secreted HBsAg than the wild-type. Interestingly, trans
      complementation of the G1896A mutant with HBeAg lowers the replication fitness
      and transcriptionefficiency to levels comparable to that of the wild-type. Our
      results highlight the role of HBeAg in modulating the early steps in HBV
      replication. In sum, our findings highlight the role of HBeAg in regulating
      hepatitis B virus replication fitness and transcription efficiency and new
      insights on the early steps of replication in the G1896A mutant.

PMID- 26119877
TI  - Decreased health-related physical fitness in adults with ankylosing spondylitis:
      a cross-sectional controlled study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: (1) Assess the health-related physical fitness of adults with
      ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and compare these to the general population, and (2)
      examine the relationships between physical fitness and condition-specific
      outcomes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, controlled study. SETTING: Exercise research
      laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-nine adults with AS (32 men, 7 women) and 39 age
      and gender-matched controls. INTERVENTION: Comprehensive physical fitness
      assessment, and completion of questionnaires assessing disease activity, physical
      function and quality-of-life. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Body composition was
      assessed by bio-impedance analysis. Flexibility was measured with the Bath AS
      Metrology Index (BASMI). Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by submaximal
      treadmill test with breath-by-breath gas analysis and heart rate monitoring.
      Muscular strength and endurance were measured by isokinetic dynamometry of
      concentric knee flexion/extension. RESULTS: The AS group demonstrated
      significantly lower cardiorespiratory fitness [mean difference -1.3mLmin(-1)kg(
      1) (95% CI -1.1 to -1.4)], flexibility [0.4 BASMI units (0.2 to 0.7)], muscular
      strength [-31.6 peak torque per body weight dominant knee extension (-56.1 to 
      7.1)], and increased body fat [0.4% (0.0 to 1.2)] compared to population controls
      (p<.05). There were significant associations between each fitness component and
      physical function (p<.05). Higher aerobic capacity was significantly associated
      with improved quality-of-life. Fitness was not significantly associated with
      disease activity. CONCLUSION: Adults with AS have significantly reduced health
      related physical fitness compared to population controls. Decreased body fat, and
      higher aerobic capacity, muscular fitness and flexibility are significantly
      associated with improved function. These findings have implications for
      clinicians assessing adults with AS, and for targeted-exercise prescription in
      this cohort.

PMID- 26119878
TI  - Stabilization of Silicon-Carbon Mixed Oxides.
AB  - The first carbene-stabilized silicon-carbon mixed oxide, (SiO2)2CO2 (4), was
      synthesized by CO2 oxidation of either carbene-stabilized disilicon, L:Si?Si:L
      (L: = :C{N(2,6-Pr(i)2C6H3)CH}2) (1), or carbene-stabilized Si2O3 (2) (which can
      be obtained via N2O oxidation of 1). The structure and bonding of 4 was probed by
      both experimental and computational methods. 

PMID- 26119881
TI  - Paediatricians require more information before they routinely co-administer the
      meningococcal B vaccine with routine infant vaccines.
AB  - AIM: The four-component meningococcal serogroup B (4CMenB) vaccine was licensed
      by the European Medicines Agency in 2013. We evaluated current practice regarding
      multiple vaccines and the attitudes of paediatricians towards the 4CMenB before
      it became available in Austria in 2014. METHODS: We sent 1624 Austrian
      paediatricians an email invitation to participate in our nationwide web-based
      survey and 231 responded. RESULTS: Most participants regarded the 4CMenB vaccine
      as a long-needed and necessary tool against meningococcal B disease. However,
      most participants would not co-administer this vaccine with other routine infant
      vaccines. The survey showed that 58.9% of paediatricians already co-administered
      the hexavalent vaccine with the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, but most of them
      would not add a third vaccine at the same visit. This was mainly due to lack of
      experience with the vaccine and also because they assumed that parents would not
      consent. Importantly, paediatricians said they wanted an explicit recommendation
      in the Austrian Immunisation Plan on the timing of the 4CMenB vaccine before they
      would confidently and routinely use it for infants. CONCLUSION: Paediatricians
      required more information for themselves and for parents before routinely co
      administering the 4CMenB vaccine. They also requested a national recommendation
      on its timing.

PMID- 26119880
TI  - Curcumin attenuates brain edema in mice with intracerebral hemorrhage through
      inhibition of AQP4 and AQP9 expression.
AB  - AIM: Aquaporins (AQPs) are the water-channels that play important roles in brain
      water homeostasis and in cerebral edema induced by brain injury. In this study we
      investigated the relationship between AQPs and a neuroprotective agent curcumin
      that was effective in the treatment of brain edema in mice with intracerebral
      hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: ICH was induced in mice by autologous blood infusion.
      The mice immediately received curcumin (75, 150, 300 mg/kg, ip). The Rotarod test
      scores, brain water content and brain expression of AQPs were measured post ICH.
      Cultured primary mouse astrocytes were used for in vitro experiments. The
      expression of AQP1, AQP4 and AQP9 and NF-kappaB p65 were detected using Western
      blotting or immunochemistry staining. RESULTS: Curcumin administration dose
      dependently reduced the cerebral edema at d 3 post ICH, and significantly
      attenuated the neurological deficits at d 5 post ICH. Furthermore, curcumin dose
      dependently decreased the gene and protein expression of AQP4 and AQP9, but not
      AQP1 post ICH. Treatment of the cultured astrocytes with Fe(2+) (10-100 MUmol/L)
      dose-dependently increased the expression and nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB
      p65 and the expression of AQP4 and AQP9, which were partly blocked by co
      treatment with curcumin (20 MUmol/L) or the NF-kappaB inhibitor PDTC (10
      MUmol/L). CONCLUSION: Curcumin effectively attenuates brain edema in mice with
      ICH through inhibition of the NF-kappaB pathway and subsequently the expression
      of AQP4 and AQP9. Curcumin may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for ICH.

PMID- 26119882
TI  - Peripheral arterial disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a
      prospective controlled study.
AB  - AIM: The aim of our study was to: (i) map out the presence of peripheral vascular
      disease in a sample of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients; and (ii)
      correlate our findings with disease characteristics, activity indices,
      traditional risk factors of atherosclerosis and thrombotic variables. METHODS:
      The study population comprised 120 SLE patients and 100 controls. Clinical data
      were collected for patients and controls with stress on clinical issues of SLE
      patients, including British Isles Lupus Assessment Group index score, anti-double
      stranded DNA titer C3 and C4 levels, and treatment taken, mainly steroids.
      Measurements of thrombotic variables were performed. Non-invasive arterial
      assessment was performed, including carotid duplex scanning and measurement of
      carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and peripheral arterial assessment
      and measurement of ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI). RESULTS: The mean age of
      SLE patients was 32 years and mean disease duration was 8 years. There were no
      statistically significant differences in the traditional vascular risk factors
      measured between SLE patients and controls. There were significantly higher
      plasma levels of thrombotic variables in SLE patients. The average IMT was
      statistically significantly greater in SLE patients compared to controls. Thirty
      SLE patients (25%) had an ABPI < 1.0 compared with six controls (6%), which was
      statistically significant. CONCLUSION: This study showed an increased prevalence
      of peripheral arterial disease in SLE patients as shown by the higher carotid
      artery IMT and lower ABPI in such patients compared with controls. Multiple risk
      factors are likely to be involved in such findings.

PMID- 26119883
TI  - Oxygen requirement as a screening tool for the detection of late pulmonary
      hypertension in extremely low birth weight infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many extremely low birth weight infants develop pulmonary
      hypertension late in their clinical course, and over 60% go undetected by early
      screening echocardiography. At present, no standardised screening protocol exists
      for detecting late pulmonary hypertension in extremely low birth weight infants.
      We assessed the utility of oxygen supplementation as a predictor of late
      pulmonary hypertension. METHODS: A retrospective single-centre review of
      extremely low birth weight infants with no evidence of CHD and those surviving
      for >30 days was performed. The association between oxygen ?30% at day of life 30
      and diagnosis of late pulmonary hypertension was estimated with an odds ratio and
      95% confidence interval using logistic regression. Doppler echocardiography was
      used to diagnose pulmonary hypertension in the infants. RESULTS: A total of 230
      infants met the study criteria. The incidence of late pulmonary hypertension was
      8.3% (19/230). Infants with late pulmonary hypertension were more likely to have
      a lower mean birth weight (667.1+/-144 versus 799.3+/-140 g, p=0.001) and more
      likely to be small for gestational age (47.4 versus 14.2%, p=0.004). Oxygen
      requirement ?30% at day of life 30 was associated with increased risk of late
      pulmonary hypertension (odds ratio=3.77, 95% confidence interval=1.42-10.00,
      p=0.008) in univariate analysis and after adjusting for birth weight (odds
      ratio=2.47, 95% confidence interval=0.89-6.84, p=0.08). CONCLUSIONS: The need of
      oxygen supplementation ?30% at day of life 30 may be a good screening tool for
      detecting late pulmonary hypertension in extremely low birth weight infants.

PMID- 26119884
TI  - Lower prosthesis-specific 10-year revision rate with crosslinked than with non
      crosslinked polyethylene in primary total knee arthroplasty.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: While highly crosslinked polyethylene has shown reduced
      in vivo wear and lower rates of revision for total hip arthroplasty, there have
      been few long-term studies on its use in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We
      compared the rate of revision of non-crosslinked polyethylene to that of
      crosslinked polyethylene in patients who underwent TKA for osteoarthritis.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: We examined data from the Australian Orthopaedic
      Association National Joint Replacement Registry on 302,214 primary TKA procedures
      with non-crosslinked polyethylene and 83,890 procedures with crosslinked
      polyethylene, all of which were performed for osteoarthritis. The survivorship of
      the different polyethylenes was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and was
      compared using proportional hazard models. RESULTS: The 10-year cumulative
      revision rate for non-crosslinked polyethylene was 5.8% (95% CI: 5.7-6.0) and for
      crosslinked polyethylene it was 3.5% (95% CI: 3.2-3.8) (> 6.5-year HR = 2.2 (1.5
      3.1); p < 0.001). There was no effect of surgical volume or method of prosthesis
      fixation on outcome. There were 4 different TKA designs that had a minimum of
      2,500 procedures in at least 1 of the polyethylene groups and a follow-up of >= 5
      years. 2 of these, the NexGen and the Natural Knee II, had a lower rate of
      revision for crosslinked polyethylene. The Scorpio NRG/Series 7000 and the
      Triathlon Knee did not show a lower rate of revision for crosslinked
      polyethylene. INTERPRETATION: There is a lower rate of revision for crosslinked
      polyethylene in TKA, and this appears to be prosthesis-specific and when it
      occurs is most evident in patients < 65 years of age. The difference in revision
      rates was mainly due to revisions because of lysis and loosening.

PMID- 26119885
TI  - Diagnostic value and accuracy of imprint cytology evaluation during image-guided
      core needle biopsies: Review of our experience at a large academic center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several studies have emphasized the value of on-site evaluation of
      imprint cytology (IC) performed on core needle biopsies (CNB) of breast,
      prostate, and lung, in terms of adequacy. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the diagnostic value and accuracy of rapid on-site IC of CNB
      specimens performed for liver, lung, lymph node, bone, and soft tissue masses to
      evaluate whether on-site preliminary diagnosis is sufficiently accurate to allow
      earlier, more efficient planning of ancillary studies with decreased turnaround
      time. METHODS: This morphology-based, retrospective study was approved by our
      Institutional Review Board. A total of 252 consecutive CNBs with on-site IC on
      masses of liver, lung, lymph node, bone, and soft tissue were included in this
      study. IC was reviewed by two cytopathology fellows and two board-certified
      cytopathologists who gave a categorical diagnosis (malignant/benign/atypical) and
      exact diagnosis when possible. Preliminary diagnoses were compared with
      corresponding histological CNB diagnoses. Sensitivity, specificity, positive
      predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy were
      calculated. RESULTS: Of the 252 cases reviewed, 30 cases were classified as
      atypical by IC and evaluated separately. Of the remaining 222 cases, IC
      classified an average of 154 (70%) as malignant, 54 (24%) as benign, and 14 (6%)
      as nondiagnostic. The corresponding distribution of histological diagnoses was
      151 (68%) malignant and 71 (32%) benign. Overall correlation of correct IC
      diagnoses was 80%, with a correlation of 91% in malignant cases and 59% in benign
      cases. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 96, 74, 92, and 87%,
      respectively. Diagnostic accuracy was 91%. There was no statistically significant
      difference in the accuracy of categorical diagnoses between IC and final
      histologic diagnosis. Atypical cases by IC were more likely to be malignant in
      lung and liver lesions (71% and 58%, respectively), than in lymph node, bone, or
      soft tissue lesions (17%, 0%, 0%, respectively). An exact diagnosis on IC was
      rendered in 113 (51%) cases, with an accuracy of 73%. Sensitivity, specificity,
      PPV, and NPV were 94, 41, 70, and 83%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Rapid on-site IC
      is a useful and valuable tool for evaluating adequacy of CNB as well as providing
      accurate information on a categorical basis (malignant versus benign), with
      greater diagnostic accuracy in cases of malignancy than for benign lesions. IC
      provides high sensitivity with high PPV in lung, liver, lymph node, bone, and
      soft tissue lesions. Exact preliminary diagnoses have good diagnostic accuracy.
      Considering the fundamentally different diagnostic and therapeutic approach based
      on histologic tumor type (e.g., in lung malignancies), on-site preliminary
      diagnosis may allow appropriate triaging of tissue for early planning of
      ancillary studies with decreased turnaround times. In addition, early diagnosis
      may reduce anxiety in patients and expedite treatment planning.

PMID- 26119886
TI  - Molecular engineering of organic dyes with a hole-extending donor tail for
      efficient all-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells.
AB  - We report a new concept for the design of metal-free organic dyes (OD5-OD9) with
      an extended donor-pi-acceptor (D-pi-A) molecular framework, in which the donor
      terminal unit is attached by a hole-extending side chain to retard back electron
      transfer and charge recombination; the pi-bridge component contains varied
      thiophene-based substituents to enhance the light-harvesting ability of the
      device. The best dye (OD9) has a D-A-pi-A configuration with the
      hexyloxyphenylthiophene (HPT) side chain as a hole-extension component and a
      benzothiadiazole (BTD) internal acceptor as a pi-extension component. The co
      sensitization of OD9 with the new porphyrin dye LW24 enhanced the light
      harvesting ability to 800 nm; thus, a power conversion efficiency 5.5 % was
      achieved. Photoinduced absorption (PIA) and transient absorption spectral (TAS)
      techniques were applied to account for the observed trend of the open-circuit
      voltage (VOC ) of the devices. This work provides insights into the molecular
      design, photovoltaic performance, and kinetics of charge recombination. 

PMID- 26119887
TI  - Rapid brief feedback intracerebral stimulation based on real-time
      desynchronization detection preceding seizures stops the generation of convulsive
      paroxysms.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the abortion of seizure generation using "minimal"
      intervention in hippocampi using two rat models of human temporal lobe epilepsy.
      METHODS: The recording or stimulation electrodes were implanted into both
      hippocampi (CA1 area). Using the kainic acid (chronic: experiment duration 24
      days) and the 4-aminopyridine (acute: experiment duration 2 h) models of
      paroxysms in rats, a real-time feedback stimulation paradigm was implemented,
      which triggered a short periodic electrical stimulus (5 Hz for 5 s) upon
      detecting a seizure precursor. Our seizure precursor detection algorithm relied
      on the monitoring of the real-time phase synchronization analysis, and
      detected/anticipated electrographic seizures as early as a few seconds to a few
      minutes before the behavioral and electrographic seizure onset, with a very low
      false-positive rate of the detection. RESULTS: The baseline mean seizure
      frequencies were 5.39 seizures per day (chronic) and 13.2 seizures per hour
      (acute). The phase synchrony analysis detected 88% (434 of 494) of seizures with
      a mean false alarm of 0.67 per day (chronic) and 83% (86 of 104) of seizures with
      a mean false alarm of 0.47 per hour (acute). The feedback stimulation reduced the
      seizure frequencies to 0.41 seizures per day (chronic) and 2.4 seizures per hour
      (acute). Overall, the feedback stimulation paradigm reduced seizure frequency by
      a minimum of 80% to a maximum of 100% in 10 rats, with 83% of the animals
      rendered seizure-free. SIGNIFICANCE: This approach represents a simple and
      efficient manner for stopping seizure development. Because of the short on-demand
      stimuli, few or no associated side effects are expected in clinical application
      in patients with epilepsy. Abnormal synchrony patterns are common features in
      epilepsy and other neurologic and psychiatric syndromes; therefore, this type of
      feedback stimulation paradigm could be a novel therapeutic modality for use in
      various neurologic and psychiatric disorders.

PMID- 26119889
TI  - Prediction impact curve is a new measure integrating intervention effects in the
      evaluation of risk models.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We propose a new measure of assessing the performance of risk models,
      the area under the prediction impact curve (auPIC), which quantifies the
      performance of risk models in terms of their average health impact in the
      population. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Using simulated data, we explain how the
      prediction impact curve (PIC) estimates the percentage of events prevented when a
      risk model is used to assign high-risk individuals to an intervention. We apply
      the PIC to the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study to illustrate its
      application toward prevention of coronary heart disease. RESULTS: We estimated
      that if the ARIC cohort received statins at baseline, 5% of events would be
      prevented when the risk model was evaluated at a cutoff threshold of 20%
      predicted risk compared to 1% when individuals were assigned to the intervention
      without the use of a model. By calculating the auPIC, we estimated that an
      average of 15% of events would be prevented when considering performance across
      the entire interval. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the PIC is a clinically
      meaningful measure for quantifying the expected health impact of risk models that
      supplements existing measures of model performance.

PMID- 26119888
TI  - Towards allele-level human leucocyte antigens genotyping - assessing two next
      generation sequencing platforms: Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine and Illumina
      MiSeq.
AB  - Human leucocyte antigens (HLA) typing has been a challenge due to extreme
      polymorphism of the HLA genes and limitations of the current technologies and
      protocols used for their characterization. Recently, next-generation sequencing
      techniques have been shown to be a well-suited technology for the complete
      characterization of the HLA genes. However, a comprehensive assessment of the
      different platforms for HLA typing, describing the limitations and advantages of
      each of them, has not been presented. We have compared the Ion Torrent Personal
      Genome Machine (PGM) and Illumina MiSeq, currently the two most frequently used
      platforms for diagnostic applications, for a number of metrics including total
      output, quality score per position across the reads and error rates after
      alignment which can all affect the accuracy of HLA genotyping. For this purpose,
      we have used one homozygous and three heterozygous well-characterized samples, at
      HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1. The total output of bases produced by
      the MiSeq was higher, and they have higher quality scores and a lower overall
      error rate than the PGM. The MiSeq also has a higher fidelity when sequencing
      through homopolymer regions up to 9 bp in length. The need to set phase between
      distant polymorphic sites was more readily achieved with MiSeq using paired-end
      sequencing of fragments that are longer than those obtained with PGM.
      Additionally, we have assessed the workflows of the different platforms for
      complexity of sample preparation, sequencer operation and turnaround time. The
      effects of data quality and quantity can impact the genotyping results; having an
      adequate amount of good quality data to analyse will be imperative for confident
      HLA genotyping. The overall turnaround time can be very comparable between the
      two platforms; however, the complexity of sample preparation is higher with PGM,
      while the actual sequencing time is longer with MiSeq. 

PMID- 26119890
TI  - A core syllabus for the teaching of neuroanatomy to medical students.
AB  - There is increasingly a call for clinical relevance in the teaching of biomedical
      sciences within all health care courses. However, this presupposes that there is
      a clear understanding of what can be considered core material within the
      curricula. To date, the anatomical sciences have been relatively poorly served by
      the development of core syllabuses, particularly for specialized core syllabuses
      such as neuroanatomy. One of the aims of the International Federation of
      Associations of Anatomists (IFAA) and of the European Federation for Experimental
      Morphology (EFEM) is to formulate, on an international scale, core syllabuses for
      all branches of the anatomical sciences using Delphi Panels consisting of
      anatomists, scientists, and clinicians to initially evaluate syllabus content. In
      this article, the findings of a Delphi Panel for neuroanatomy are provided. These
      findings will subsequently be published on the IFAA website to enable anatomical
      (and other cognate learned) societies and individual anatomists, clinicians, and
      students to freely comment upon, and elaborate and amend, the syllabuses. The aim
      is to set internationally recognized standards and thus to provide guidelines
      concerning neuroanatomical knowledge when engaged in course development.

PMID- 26119891
TI  - Comparative analysis of the antioxidant and anticancer activities of chestnut
      inner shell extracts prepared with various solvents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The chestnut inner shell (CIS) has long been used as a medicinal herb
      for strengthening the antioxidant in the cosmetic industry. However, little is
      known about the antioxidant and anticancer effects of the CIS. RESULTS: The
      antioxidant and anticancer effects of CIS extracts (CISEs) were investigated by
      the use of various methods and cancer cell lines, respectively. The total
      polyphenol content of CISEs using ethanol, methanol, butanol, ethyl acetate and
      water were 53.30, 43.98, 32.16, 26.79 and 11.53 mg gallic acid equivalents g(-1),
      respectively. The CISEs using ethanol and methanol exhibited high antioxidant
      activities in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, beta
      carotene bleaching and ferric reducing ability of plasma assays; the effects were
      equivalent to those of butylated hydroxytoluene. All CISEs at 2.5 mg mL(-1) were
      shown to have a cytotoxic effect over 50%, and the CISE using ethyl acetate at
      0.6 mg mL(-1) was proved to have 90% cytotoxic effect against the tested cancer
      cells. CONCLUSION: The ethanol and methanol CISEs had potent antioxidant effects,
      and the ethyl acetate CISE had the highest cytotoxicity. These results suggest
      that CISEs could be used as functional ingredients for antioxidant and anticancer
      effects in foods as extraction solvents.

PMID- 26119892
TI  - Bilateral Decompression via Microscopic TubularCrossing Laminotomy (MTCL) for
      Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Technique and Early Surgical Result.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and efficacy of
      bilateral decompression procedure via microscopic tubular crossing laminotomy
      (MTCL) for treating lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Seventeen patients with LSS
      underwent bilateral decompression via an MTCL procedure in which tubular
      retractor was placed. The mean age was 72 (range 59-84) years and there were 10
      men and 7 women. All patients underwent pre- and postoperative dynamic lumbar x
      ray, magnetic resonance (MR) image, and computed tomography. To verify the
      efficacy of this technique, pre- and postoperative cross-sectional area (CSA) of
      thecal sac, facet resection, and fatty infiltration (FI) of multifidus were
      measured. Clinical results were evaluated using Oswestry Disability Index (ODI),
      back and leg visual analog scale (VAS). The mean follow-up period was 17.5 months
      (range 12.1-21.2). 70.5% of MTCL was performed at the level of L4-5 and one case
      of dural violation (5.8%) was noted at the level of L5-S1. The mean preoperative
      CSA was 70.5 mm(2) (range 25.1-87.6) and it increased to 198.8 mm(2) (range 177.3
      219.2) postoperatively (p = 0.00). The mean facet resection rate was 18.4% (range
      9.9-26.9) and no radiological instability was noted postoperatively. MR image
      showed no increase in FI of the multifidus after 12 months of follow-up (p =
      0.53). Preoperative clinical symptoms improved significantly at postoperative 6
      months and 12 months of follow-up. These results indicate that an MTCL with use
      of tubular retractor system can be an effective procedure to achieve neural
      decompression for the treatment of LSS and it may be beneficial in preserving
      both facet joint and multifidus muscle. 

PMID- 26119893
TI  - Single-stage Anterior and Posterior Fusion Surgery for Correction of Cervical
      Kyphotic Deformity Using Intervertebral Cages and Cervical Lateral Mass Screws:
      Postoperative Changes in Total Spine Sagittal Alignment in Three Cases with a
      Minimum Follow-up of Five Years.
AB  - The surgical treatment of cervical kyphotic deformity remains challenging. As a
      surgical method that is safer and avoids major complications, the authors present
      a procedure of single-stage anterior and posterior fusion to correct cervical
      kyphosis using anterior interbody fusion cages without plating, as illustrated by
      three consecutive cases. Case 1 was a 78-year-old woman who presented with a
      dropped head caused by degeneration of her cervical spine. Case 2 was a 54-year
      old woman with athetoid cerebral palsy. She presented with cervical myelopathy
      and cervical kyphosis. Case 3 was a 71-year-old woman with cervical kyphotic
      deformity following a laminectomy. All three patients underwent anterior release
      and interbody fusion with cages and posterior fusion with cervical lateral mass
      screw (LMS) fixation. Postoperative radiographs showed that correction of
      kyphosis was 39 degrees  in case 1, 43 degrees  in case 2, and 39 degrees  in
      case 3. In all three cases, improvement of symptoms was established without major
      perioperative complications, solid fusion was achieved, and no loss of correction
      was observed at a minimum follow-up of 61 months. We also report that
      preoperative total spine sagittal malalignment was improved after corrective
      surgery for cervical kyphosis and was maintained at the latest follow-up in all
      three cases. The combination of anterior fusion cages and LMS is considered a
      safe and effective procedure in cases of severe cervical kyphotic deformity.
      Preoperative total spine sagittal malalignment improved, accompanied by
      correction of cervical kyphosis, and was maintained at last follow-up in all
      three cases. 

PMID- 26119894
TI  - Rate of Hanger Reflex Occurrence: Unexpected Head Rotation on Fronto-temporal
      Head Compression.
AB  - When the head is encircled with a wire clothes hanger and the unilateral fronto
      temporal region is compressed, the head rotates unexpectedly. As the mechanism is
      unclear, however, we have temporarily named this phenomenon as the "hanger
      reflex." We previously reported a case wherein this phenomenon was applied to
      treat cervical dystonia. Because little is known about this phenomenon, we
      determined how often this phenomenon is observed in healthy subjects. Study
      participants were 120 healthy Japanese adults (60 men and 60 women) aged 19-65
      years. A wire clothes hanger was applied to each subject's head. The longer side
      of the hanger was attached over the volunteer's fronto-temporal regions on both
      sides of the head in succession (i.e., two applications per volunteer). We
      evaluated whether the subjects felt the sensation of head rotation by using a
      questionnaire. The sensation of head rotation was observed in 95.8% of subjects.
      There were five non-responders (4.2%). In 85.4% of the trials, head rotation was
      observed in the direction that coincided with the side compressed by the hanger.
      There were no differences in responses between genders. The incident rate of the
      hanger reflex was remarkably high and most likely represents a prevalent
      phenomenon in humans. The mechanism underlying the reflex remains unknown.
      Further research should be performed to elucidate the underlying causes of the
      hanger reflex, which represents a potential treatment for cervical dystonia. 

PMID- 26119895
TI  - Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Lumbar Degenerative Disorders: Mini
      open TLIF and Corrective TLIF.
AB  - Minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) as a short
      fusion is widely accepted among the spine surgeons. However in the long fusion
      for degenerative kyphoscoliosis, corrective spinal fixation by an open method is
      thought to be frequently selected. Our objective is to study whether the mini
      open TLIF and corrective TLIF contribute to the improvement of the spinal
      segmental and global alignment. We divided the patients who performed lumbar
      fixation surgery into three groups. Group 1 (G1) consisted of mini-open TLIF
      procedures without complication. Group 2 (G2) consisted of corrective TLIF
      without complication. Group 3 (G3) consisted of corrective TLIF with
      instrumentation-related complication postoperatively. In all groups, the lumbar
      lordosis (LL) highly correlated with developing surgical complications. LL
      significantly changed postoperatively in all groups, but was not corrected in the
      normal range in G3. There were statistically significant differences in
      preoperative and postoperative LL and mean difference between the pelvic
      incidence (PI) and LL between G3 and other groups. The most important thing not
      to cause the instrumentation-related failure is proper correction of the sagittal
      balance. In the cases with minimal sagittal imbalance with or without coronal
      imbalance, short fusion by mini-open TLIF or long fusion by corrective TLIF
      contributes to good clinical results if the lesion is short or easily
      correctable. However, if the patients have apparent sagittal imbalance with or
      without coronal imbalance, we should perform proper correction of the sagittal
      spinal alignment introducing various technologies. 

PMID- 26119896
TI  - Anatomical Reproducibility of a Head Model Molded by a Three-dimensional Printer.
AB  - We prepared rapid prototyping models of heads with unruptured cerebral aneurysm
      based on image data of computed tomography angiography (CTA) using a three
      dimensional (3D) printer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the
      anatomical reproducibility and accuracy of these models by comparison with the
      CTA images on a monitor. The subjects were 22 patients with unruptured cerebral
      aneurysm who underwent preoperative CTA. Reproducibility of the microsurgical
      anatomy of skull bone and arteries, the length and thickness of the main
      arteries, and the size of cerebral aneurysm were compared between the CTA image
      and rapid prototyping model. The microsurgical anatomy and arteries were
      favorably reproduced, apart from a few minute regions, in the rapid prototyping
      models. No significant difference was noted in the measured lengths of the main
      arteries between the CTA image and rapid prototyping model, but errors were noted
      in their thickness (p < 0.001). A significant difference was also noted in the
      longitudinal diameter of the cerebral aneurysm (p < 0.01). Regarding the CTA
      image as the gold standard, reproducibility of the microsurgical anatomy of skull
      bone and main arteries was favorable in the rapid prototyping models prepared
      using a 3D printer. It was concluded that these models are useful tools for
      neurosurgical simulation. The thickness of the main arteries and size of cerebral
      aneurysm should be comprehensively judged including other neuroimaging in
      consideration of errors. 

PMID- 26119897
TI  - Inflammation Level after Decompression Surgery for a Rat Model of Chronic Severe
      Spinal Cord Compression and Effects on Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.
AB  - Delayed neurological deterioration in the absence of direct spinal cord insult
      following surgical decompression is a severe postoperative complication in
      patients with chronic severe spinal cord compression (SCC). The spinal cord
      ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) has been verified as a potential etiology of
      the complication. However, the exact pathophysiologic mechanisms of the
      decompression-related IRI remain to be defined. In this study, we developed a
      practical rat model of chronic severe SCC. To explore the underlying role of
      inflammation in decompression-related IRI, immunoreactivity of pro-inflammatory
      cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta
      (IL-1beta) before and after decompression were measured. In addition, expression
      level of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta was examined with Western blot.
      Immunohistochemical staining showed negative result in gray matters in the sham
      group and sham-decompression group. In the severe compression group, strong
      positive staining of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta were found, suggesting a dramatic
      infiltration of inflammatory cells in gray matters. Furthermore, the severe
      compression group showed a significant increase in expression level of TNF-alpha
      and IL-1beta as compared with the sham group (p < 0.05). In the severe
      compression-decompression group, both immunostaining and Western blot showed
      significant increase of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta levels in the spinal cord compared
      with the severe compression group (p < 0.05). The results demonstrated that
      surgical decompression plays a stimulative role in inflammation through
      increasing the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the rat model of chronic
      severe SCC injury. Inflammation may be one of the important pathological
      mechanisms of decompression-related IRI of chronic ischemia. 

PMID- 26119898
TI  - Cervical Laminoplasty: The History and the Future.
AB  - Cervical laminoplasty was developed as an alternative to cervical laminectomy for
      treatment of cervical myelopathy, in which hinges are created to lift the lamina.
      Various techniques of laminoplasty have since been developed after two prototype
      techniques: Hirabayashi's open-door laminoplasty and Kurokawa's spinous process
      splitting (double-door) laminoplasty. Several in vitro studies report superior
      biomechanical stability of the cervical spine after laminoplasty compared with
      laminectomy. In clinical situation, randomized control studies are scarce and
      superiority of one procedure over another is not uniformly shown. Lack of hard
      evidence supporting the purported advantages of laminoplasty over laminectomy,
      that is, reduced rate of postoperative instability and kyphosis development,
      while preserving range of motion (ROM), has been a weak selling point. Currently,
      laminoplasty is performed by majority of spine surgeons in Japan, but is rarely
      performed in the United States and Europe. Recent development in laminoplasty is
      preservation of muscle attachment, which enabled dynamic stabilization of the
      cervical spine by neck extensor muscles. After treatment with new laminoplasty
      techniques with active postoperative neck ROM exercises, postoperative
      instability, kyphosis, axial neck pain, and loss of ROM seems minimal. Well
      designed clinical trials to show the effectiveness and long-term outcome of this
      surgical procedure are warranted. 

PMID- 26119899
TI  - Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery for Degenerative Disease: A Review.
AB  - Anterior cervical spine surgery is an established surgical intervention for
      cervical degenerative disease and high success rate with excellent long-term
      outcomes have been reported. However, indications of surgical procedures for
      certain conditions are still controversial and severe complications to cause
      neurological dysfunction or deaths may occur. This review is focused mainly on
      five widely performed procedures by anterior approach for cervical degenerative
      disease; anterior cervical discectomy, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion,
      anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion, anterior cervical foraminotomy, and
      arthroplasty. Indications, procedures, outcomes, and complications of these
      surgeries are discussed. 

PMID- 26119900
TI  - Surgical Strategies for Cervical Spinal Neurinomas.
AB  - Cervical spinal neurinomas are benign tumors that arise from nerve roots. Based
      on their location, these tumors can also take the form of a dumbbell-shaped mass.
      Treatment strategies for these tumors have raised several controversial issues
      such as appropriate surgical indications and selection of surgical approaches for
      cervical dumbbell-shaped spinal neurinomas. In this report, we review previous
      literature and retrospectively analyze cervical spinal neurinoma cases that have
      been treated at our hospital. Surgical indications and approaches based on tumor
      location and severity are discussed in detail. Thus, with advances in
      neuroimaging and neurophysiological monitoring, we conclude that appropriate
      surgical approaches and intraoperative surgical manipulations should be chosen on
      a case-by-case basis. 

PMID- 26119901
TI  - Snapping Hip due to Gluteus Medius Tendinopathy: Ultrasound Imaging in the
      Diagnosis and Guidance for Prolotherapy.

PMID- 26119903
TI  - Community Factors in Differential Responses of Child Protective Services.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In response to criticisms of the traditional investigative model of
      child protective services (CPS) as adversarial, a Differential Response Model has
      emerged, with investigative and noninvestigative alternative response (AR) paths.
      The purpose of this study was to identify relationships of county-level community
      variables to response paths. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: Secondary analysis used data from
      the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System linked to county-level variables
      from the American Community Survey. The final dataset included 62,499 cases and
      98 counties from five states. MEASURES: Multilevel modeling was used to analyze
      the binary outcome variable of CPS response path (AR, non-AR). Predictor
      variables included indicators at child, county, and state levels. RESULTS: County
      level variables (housing vacancy, child poverty, unemployment, and households
      with public assistance) were significant predictors (p < .05) of CPS response
      path and accounted for 12.30% of variability in the final three-level model.
      Individual variables (report source, maltreatment type, child age, race, and
      number of children in the report) were also significant predictors. CONCLUSION:
      County-level community variables have significant relationships with CPS response
      paths and impact how CPS units respond to new referrals. Research is needed to
      apply advanced multilevel analytic procedures to more accurately model nested
      relationships.

PMID- 26119904
TI  - Hazards with ordering troponin in patients with low pretest probability of acute
      coronary syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In clinical practice, we progressively rely on biomarkers, without
      estimating the pretest probability. There is not enough support for the use of
      cardiac troponin (cTn) I in the management of noncardiac patients. We studied the
      rate at which this test was ordered, the prevalence of detection of a positive
      result in noncardiac patients, and the impact of this incidental finding on
      clinical management. METHODOLOGY: Patients admitted from December 2011 to 2013 to
      our community hospital with diagnosis of noncardiac disease who had positive cTn
      were included. Data collected included final diagnosis, patient disposition,
      cardiac monitoring, cardiology consult, and cardiac biomarker testing. RESULTS:
      Cardiac troponin I was ordered for 1700 patients in our emergency department.
      Seven hundred fifty patients had a positive cTn. Of the 750 patients, 412 had a
      positive cTn without any clinical suspicion of an acute coronary syndrome. An
      incidental finding of a positive cTn leads to ordering of cTn on average 4 times
      during admission, cardiac monitoring of 379 (91.99%) patients for at least 1 day,
      and a cardiac consultation for 268 (63.65%) of these patients. None of these
      patients was candidates for an invasive cardiac intervention. Seventy-eight
      (19.17%) patients were admitted to the cardiac care unit and subsequently
      transferred to the medical intensive care unit. CONCLUSIONS: A positive cTn in
      patients diagnosed with a nonacute coronary syndrome was associated with
      increased cardiac biomarker testing, telemetry monitoring, and cardiology
      consults. This study supports adherence to national guidelines for the use of
      cTn, to reduce hospital cost and resource utilization.

PMID- 26119905
TI  - Overtreatment of gonorrhea and chlamydial infections in 2 inner-city emergency
      departments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infections with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis
      (CT) are the most commonly reported sexually transmitted diseases in the United
      States. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to estimate the
      incidence of overtreatment of GC and CT infections in the emergency department
      (ED). The secondary objective was to determine if there are clinical variables
      that predict infection with GC and CT. METHODS: A retrospective medical record
      review was performed at 2 inner-city hospitals. Records were obtained from the
      evaluation of female patients who presented to the ED between January 1, 2012,
      and December 31, 2012, who were tested for GC and CT infection. A standardized
      form was used to extract specific information from each medical record. RESULTS:
      Data were extracted from 538 medical records. Of the 522 ED visits, 32 (6%)
      yielded test results positive for either GC or CT, including 3 that were positive
      for both. Treatment was administered to 101 patients (19%) and declined by an
      additional 9 (2%). Of those receiving antibiotics, 87 of 101 (0.86; 95%
      confidence interval, 0.77-0.92) had negative test results. Of those not offered
      antibiotics, 17 of 412 (0.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.07) had positive
      test results. The overtreatment proportion was similar at hospitals (55/66 [0.83]
      and 32/35 [0.91], respectively). Of clinical variables that were considered, only
      age less than 19 years was statistically associated with a positive test result
      for GC and CT. CONCLUSION: The rate of overtreatment for GC and CT was 86%. The
      practice of empirical treatment should be reconsidered.

PMID- 26119906
TI  - Multidimensional Design of Anticancer Peptides.
AB  - The computer-assisted design and optimization of peptides with selective cancer
      cell killing activity was achieved through merging the features of anticancer
      peptides, cell-penetrating peptides, and tumor-homing peptides. Machine-learning
      classifiers identified candidate peptides that possess the predicted properties.
      Starting from a template amino acid sequence, peptide cytotoxicity against a
      range of cancer cell lines was systematically optimized while minimizing the
      effects on primary human endothelial cells. The computer-generated sequences
      featured improved cancer-cell penetration, induced cancer-cell apoptosis, and
      were enabled a decrease in the cytotoxic concentration of co-administered
      chemotherapeutic agents in vitro. This study demonstrates the potential of
      multidimensional machine-learning methods for rapidly obtaining peptides with the
      desired cellular activities. 

PMID- 26119908
TI  - Minimally invasive transnasal approach to infratemporal fossa abscess.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infratemporal fossa abscess following odontogenic infection is not
      rare, and usually occurs as a sequela of dental disease. Infratemporal fossa
      abscess was previously treated with the combination of buccal incision and
      temporal incision, or via a transoral approach. METHOD: This paper reports a case
      of infratemporal fossa abscess in a 51-year-old female. RESULTS: The abscess was
      drained transnasally via an endoscopic modified medial maxillectomy approach,
      preserving the inferior turbinate and nasolacrimal duct. The pain remitted the
      next day and trismus had diminished in one week. CONCLUSION: The transnasal
      approach with endoscopic modified medial maxillectomy is a direct, minimally
      invasive method that provides a direct field of view for drainage of
      infratemporal fossa abscess. This approach is recommended for infratemporal fossa
      abscess.

PMID- 26119907
TI  - Molecular characterization of heat-shock protein 90 gene and its expression in
      Gobiocypris rarus juveniles exposed to pentachlorophenol.
AB  - Heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90) is an abundant and highly conserved molecular
      chaperone, and it fulfills a housekeeping function in contributing to the
      folding, maintenance of structural integrity, and proper regulation of a subset
      of cytosolic proteins. In this study, the full-length 2693-bp cDNA of HSP90 was
      cloned by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique from the liver of
      rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) for the first time, designated as GrHSP90. The
      complete coding sequence of GrHSP90 is 2181 bp in length, which encodes a
      polypeptide of 726 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 83.4 kDa and a
      theoretical isoelectric point of 4.90. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that
      deduced protein GrHSP90 had extensive sequence similarities to other fish HSP90s.
      Tissue distribution showed that GrHSP90 was constitutively expressed in a wide
      range of tissues including gill, blood, brain, fin, gonad, heart, intestine,
      kidney, liver, muscle, spleen, skin, and swim bladder. The highest expression was
      found in the gonad. Furthermore, significant increase in GrHSP90 mRNA in the
      liver was observed after exposure to pentachlorophenol >=8 ug/L (p < 0.05). Our
      results suggest that GrHSP90 is indeed an ortholog of the HSP90 family and may be
      act as a biomarker to assess the effect of environmental contaminant. 

PMID- 26119909
TI  - Glucagon and GLP-1 exhibit no synergistic enhancement of glucose-stimulated
      insulin secretion in mice.
AB  - The combination of glucagon and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has been
      suggested as an approach to target obesity, since the two hormones have
      complementary action on body weight. We examined whether complementary action of
      the two hormones also exist on insulin secretion. Female C57BL/6 mice were
      injected intravenously with glucose with or without GLP-1, glucagon or the
      combination of GLP-1 and glucagon at three different dose levels. Furthermore,
      freshly isolated mouse islets were incubated for 30min in the presence of 2.8,
      11.1 or 16.7mmol/l glucose or with 11.1mmol/l glucose in the presence of
      100nmol/l glucagon and/or GLP-1. It was found that at 1min after glucose
      injection alone, insulin rose to a peak level and this peak, as well as the 50min
      area under the insulin curve (AUC insulin) were dose-dependently augmented by GLP
      1 and glucagon. However, peak insulin with the two hormones together (with
      glucose) was not higher than after either single administration at any of the
      tested doses, i.e., no additive of synergistic action was observed by the
      combination on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Similar results were
      observed when calculating insulin for the whole test period. Also in vitro, both
      glucagon and GLP-1 augmented insulin secretion; however, there was no difference
      between the combined stimulation of insulin secretion by GLP-1 and glucagon
      together compared with either hormone alone. Insulin sensitivity did not exhibit
      significant changes from the glucose only condition. We conclude that the acute
      combined administration of the strongly insulinotropic GLP-1 and glucagon, both
      in vivo and in vitro, did not induce any additive or synergistic action on
      glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. This shows that the risk of a marked
      insulinotropic action when the two compounds are given together most likely does
      not result in increased risk of hypoglycemia. 

PMID- 26119910
TI  - Anion-, Solvent-, Temperature-, and Mechano-Responsive Photoluminescence in
      Gold(I) Diphosphine-Based Dimers.
AB  - A series of [Au2 (nixantphos)2](X)2 (nixantphos=4,6-bis(diphenylphosphino)
      phenoxazine; X=NO3, 1; CF3 COO, 2; CF3 SO3, 3; [Au(CN)2], 4; and BF4, 5)
      complexes that exhibit intriguing anion-switchable and stimuli-responsive
      luminescent photophysical properties have been synthesized and characterized.
      Depending on their anions, these complexes display yellow (3), orange (4 and 5),
      and red (1 and 2) emission colors. They exhibit reversible thermo-, mechano-, and
      vapochromic luminescence changes readily perceivable by the naked eye. Single
      crystal X-ray studies show that the [Au2 (nixantphos)2](2+) cations with short
      intramolecular Au???Au interactions are involved as donors in an infinite N-H???X
      (X=O and N) hydrogen-bonded chain formation with CF3 COO(-) (2 C) and
      aurophilically linked [Au(CN)2](-) counterions (4 C). Both crystals show
      thermochromic luminescence; their room temperature red (2 C) and orange (4 C)
      emission turns into yellow upon cooling to 77 K. They also exhibit reversible
      mechanochromic luminescence by changing their emission color from red to dark (2
      C), and orange to red (4 C). Compounds 1-5 also display reversible mechanochromic
      luminescence, altering their emission colors between orange (1) or red (2) to
      dark, as well as between yellow (3) or orange (4 and 5) to red. Detailed
      photophysical investigations and correlation with solid-state structural data
      established the significant role of N?H???X interactions in the stimuli
      responsive luminescent behavior.

PMID- 26119911
TI  - Silver nanoparticles embedded mesoporous SiO2 nanosphere: an effective
      anticandidal agent against Candida albicans 077.
AB  - Candida albicans is a diploid fungus that causes common infections such as
      denture stomatitis, thrush, urinary tract infections, etc. Immunocompromised
      patients can become severely infected by this fungus. Development of an effective
      anticandidal agent against this pathogenic fungus, therefore, will be very useful
      for practical application. In this work, Ag-embedded mesoporous silica
      nanoparticles (mSiO2@AgNPs) have successfully been synthesized and their
      anticandidal activities against C. albicans have been studied. The mSiO2@AgNPs
      nanoparticles (d ~ 400 nm) were designed using pre-synthesized Ag nanoparticles
      and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a precursor for SiO2 in the presence of
      cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as an easily removable soft template. A
      simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly approach has been adopted to
      synthesize silver (Ag) nanoparticles using silver nitrate and leaf extract of
      Azadirachta indica. The mesopores, with size-equivalent diameter of the micelles
      (d = 4-6 nm), were generated on the SiO2 surface by calcination after removal of
      the CTAB template. The morphology and surface structure of mSiO2@AgNPs were
      characterized through x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared
      spectroscopy (FTIR), particle size analysis (PSA), atomic force microscopy (AFM),
      field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET)
      and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The HRTEM
      micrograph reveals the well-ordered mesoporous structure of the SiO2 sphere. The
      antifungal activities of mSiO2@AgNPs on the C. albicans cell have been studied
      through microscopy and are seen to increase with increasing dose of mSiO2@AgNPs,
      suggesting mSiO2@AgNPs to be a potential antifungal agent for C. albicans 077.

PMID- 26119912
TI  - Examining the cognitive costs of counterfactual language comprehension: Evidence
      from ERPs.
AB  - Recent empirical research suggests that understanding a counterfactual event
      (e.g. 'If Josie had revised, she would have passed her exams') activates mental
      representations of both the factual and counterfactual versions of events.
      However, it remains unclear when readers switch between these models during
      comprehension, and whether representing multiple 'worlds' is cognitively
      effortful. This paper reports two ERP studies where participants read contexts
      that set up a factual or counterfactual scenario, followed by a second sentence
      describing a consequence of this event. Critically, this sentence included a noun
      that was either consistent or inconsistent with the preceding context, and either
      included a modal verb to indicate reference to the counterfactual-world or not
      (thus referring to the factual-world). Experiment 2 used adapted versions of the
      materials used in Experiment 1 to examine the degree to which representing
      multiple versions of a counterfactual situation makes heavy demands on cognitive
      resources by measuring individuals' working memory capacity. Results showed that
      when reference to the counterfactual-world was maintained by the ongoing
      discourse, readers correctly interpreted events according to the counterfactual
      world (i.e. showed larger N400 for inconsistent than consistent words). In
      contrast, when cues referred back to the factual-world, readers showed no
      difference between consistent and inconsistent critical words, suggesting that
      they simultaneously compared information against both possible worlds. These
      results support previous dual-representation accounts for counterfactuals, and
      provide new evidence that linguistic cues can guide the reader in selecting which
      world model to evaluate incoming information against. Crucially, we reveal
      evidence that maintaining and updating a hypothetical model over time relies upon
      the availability of cognitive resources.

PMID- 26119913
TI  - The significance of caudate volume for age-related associative memory decline.
AB  - Aging comes along with reduced gray matter (GM) volume in several cerebral areas
      and with cognitive performance decline in different cognitive domains. Moreover,
      regional GM volume is linked to specific cognitive sub processes in older adults.
      However, it remains unclear which regional changes in older individuals are
      directly associated with decreased cognitive performance. Moreover, most of the
      studies on this topic focused on hippocampal and prefrontal brain regions and
      their relation to memory and executive functioning. Interestingly, there are only
      a few studies that reported an association between striatal brain volume and
      cognitive performance. This is insofar surprising that striatal structures are
      (1) highly affected by age and (2) involved in different neural circuits that
      serve intact cognition. To address these issues, voxel-based morphometry (VBM)
      was used to analyze GM volume in 18 younger and 18 older adults. Moreover,
      several neuropsychological tests from different neuropsychological test batteries
      were applied to assess a broad range of cognitive domains. Older adults showed
      less GM volume than younger adults within frontal, striatal, and cerebellar brain
      regions. In the group of older adults, significant correlations were found
      between striatal GM volume and memory performance and between prefrontal/temporal
      GM volume and executive functioning. The only direct overlap between brain
      regions associated with regional atrophy and cognitive performance in older
      adults was found for the right caudate: older adults showed reduced caudate
      volume relative to younger adults. Moreover, caudate volume was positively
      correlated with associative memory accuracy in older adults and older adults
      showed poorer performances than younger adults in the respective associative
      memory task. Taken together, the current findings indicate the relevance of the
      caudate for associative memory decline in the aging brain.

PMID- 26119914
TI  - Effect of maternal exercise on biochemical parameters in rats submitted to
      neonatal hypoxia-ischemia.
AB  - Pregnancy is a critical period for brain metabolic programming, being affected by
      individual environment, such as nutrition, stress, and physical exercise. In this
      context, we previously reported a cerebral antioxidant upregulation and
      mitochondrial biogenesis in the offspring delivered from exercised mothers, which
      could provide neuroprotection against neonatal insults. Hypoxia-ischemia (HI)
      encephalopathy is one of the most studied models of neonatal brain injury;
      disrupting motor, cognitive, and learning abilities. Physiopathology includes
      oxidative stress, allied to mitochondria energy production failure, glutamatergic
      excitotoxicity, and cell death. In this study we evaluated the effect of maternal
      swimming during pregnancy on offspring's brain oxidative status evaluated
      fourteen days after HI stablishment. Swimming exercise was performed by female
      adult rats one week before and during pregnancy, in controlled environment. Their
      offspring was submitted to HI on postnatal day 7, and the brain samples for
      biochemical assays were obtained in the weaning. Contrary to our expectations,
      maternal exercise did not prevent the oxidative alterations observed in brain
      from HI-rats. In a general way, we found a positive modulation in the activities
      of antioxidant enzymes, measured two weeks after HI, in hippocampus, striatum,
      and cerebellum of pups delivered from exercised mothers. Reactive species levels
      were modulated differently in each structure evaluated. Considering the scenery
      presented, we concluded that HI elicited a neurometabolic adaptation in both
      brain hemispheres, particularly in hippocampus, parietal cortex, and cerebellum;
      while striatum appears to be most damaged. The protocol of aerobic maternal
      exercise was not enough to fully prevent HI-induced brain damages.

PMID- 26119915
TI  - Dehydroepiandrosterone administration improves memory deficits following
      transient brain ischemia through sigma-1 receptor stimulation.
AB  - Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is the most abundant neurosteroid synthesized de
      novo in the central nervous system. Oral DHEA administration elicits
      neuroprotection and cognitive improvement, but mechanisms underlying these
      functions in cerebral ischemia have remained unclear. Since DHEA is the
      endogenous ligand for the sigma-1 receptor (sigma1R), we determined whether oral
      DHEA administration prevents neuronal cell death and improves cognition via
      sigma1R stimulation in brain ischemia using a 20-min bilateral common carotid
      artery occlusion (BCCAO) mouse model. Twenty-four hours after BCCAO ischemia,
      mice were administered DHEA (15 or 30mg/kg p.o.) daily for 11 consecutive days.
      Memory deficits following brain ischemia were improved by DHEA administration
      dose-dependently. Accordingly, DHEA administration significantly prevented
      neuronal cell death in the hippocampal CA1 region in BCCAO mice. Interestingly,
      DHEA administration rescued decreases in Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein
      kinase II (CaMKII) autophosphorylation and phosphorylation of extracellular
      signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and protein kinase B (Akt) in the CA1 region.
      Moreover, DHEA administration significantly ameliorated decreases in adenosine 5'
      triphosphate (ATP) levels and decreased sigma1R expression levels in CA1
      following BCCAO ischemia. Finally, co-treatment of mice with the sigma1R
      antagonist NE-100 (1mg/kg, p.o.) blocked DHEA effects on memory improvement and
      neuroprotection in ischemic mice. Taken together, DHEA prevents neuronal cell
      death and activates CaMKII via sigma1R stimulation, thereby improving cognitive
      deficits following brain ischemia.

PMID- 26119917
TI  - Adaptation of the cortical somatosensory evoked potential following pulsed
      pneumatic stimulation of the lower face in adults.
AB  - Cortical adaptation to sustained sensory input is a pervasive form of short-term
      plasticity in neurological systems. Its role in sensory perception in health and
      disease, or predicting long-term plastic changes resulting from sensory training
      offers insight into the mechanisms of somatosensory and sensorimotor processing.
      A 4-channel electroencephalography (EEG) recording montage was placed bilaterally
      (C3-P3, C4-P4, F7-P3, F8-P4) to characterize the short-term effects of pulsed
      pneumatic orofacial stimulation on the cortical somatosensory evoked potential
      (cSEP) in twenty neurotypical adults (mean age=21+/-2.88 years). A servo
      controlled pneumatic amplifier was used to deliver a repetitive series of
      pneumatic pulse trains (six 50-ms pulses, 5-second intertrain interval) through a
      linked pair of custom acetal homopolymer probes (aka TAC-Cells) adhered to the
      nonglabrous skin of the lower face proximal to the right oral angle to
      synchronously activate mechanoreceptive afferents in the trigeminal nerve. Blocks
      of pulse trains were counterbalanced among participants and delivered at two
      rates, 2 and 4Hz. TAC-Cell stimulation of the lower face consistently evoked a
      series of cSEPs at P7, N20, P28, N38, P75, N85, and P115. The spatial
      organization and adaptation of the evoked cSEP was dependent on stimulus pulse
      index (1-6 within the pulse train, p=.012), frequency of stimulus presentation (2
      vs 4Hz, p<.001), component (P7-P115, p<.001), and recording montage (channels 1
      4, p<.001). Early component latencies (P7-N20) were highly stable in polarity
      (sign) and latency, and consistent with putative far-field generators (e.g.,
      trigeminal brainstem, ventroposteromedial thalamus).

PMID- 26119916
TI  - The combination of lithium and l-Dopa/Carbidopa reduces MPTP-induced abnormal
      involuntary movements (AIMs) via calpain-1 inhibition in a mouse model: Relevance
      for Parkinson's disease therapy.
AB  - Lithium has recently been suggested to have neuroprotective effects in several
      models of neurodegenerative disease including Parkinson's disease (PD). Levodopa
      (l-Dopa) replacement therapy remains the most common and effective treatment for
      PD, although it induces the complication of l-Dopa induced dyskinesia after years
      of use. Here we examined the potential use of lithium in combination with l
      Dopa/Carbidopa for both reducing MPTP-induced abnormal involuntary movements
      (AIMs) as well as protecting against cell death in MPTP-lesioned mice. Chronic
      lithium administration (0.127% LiCl in the feed) in the presence of daily l
      Dopa/Carbidopa injection for a period of 2 months was sufficient to effectively
      reduce MPTP-induced AIMs in mice. Mechanistically, lithium was found to suppress
      MPTP-induced calpain activities in vivo coinciding with down-regulation of
      calpain-1 but not calpain-2 expression in both the striatum (ST) and the brain
      stem (BS). Calpain inhibition has previously been associated with increased
      levels of the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis, tyrosine hydroxylase
      (TH), which is probably mediated by the up-regulation of the transcription
      factors MEF-2A and 2D. Lithium was found to induce up-regulation of TH expression
      in the ST and the BS, as well as in N27 rat dopaminergic cells. Further, histone
      acetyltransferase (HAT) expression was substantially up-regulated by lithium
      treatment in vitro. These results suggest the potential use of lithium in
      combination with l-Dopa/Carbidopa not only as a neuroprotectant, but also for
      reducing AIMs and possibly alleviating potential side-effects associated with the
      current treatment for PD.

PMID- 26119918
TI  - Neural measures of a Japanese consonant length discrimination by Japanese and
      American English listeners: Effects of attention.
AB  - This study examined automaticity of discrimination of a Japanese length contrast
      for consonants (mi?i vs. mi??i) in native (Japanese) and non-native (American
      English) listeners using behavioral measures and the event-related potential
      (ERP) mismatch negativity (MMN). Attention to the auditory input was manipulated
      either away from the auditory input via a visual oddball task (Visual Attend), or
      to the input by asking the listeners to count auditory deviants (Auditory
      Attend). Results showed a larger MMN when attention was focused on the consonant
      contrast than away from it for both groups. The MMN was larger for consonant
      duration increments than decrements. No difference in MMN between the language
      groups was observed, but the Japanese listeners did show better behavioral
      discrimination than the American English listeners. In addition, behavioral
      responses showed a weak, but significant correlation with MMN amplitude. These
      findings suggest that both acoustic-phonetic properties and phonological
      experience affects automaticity of speech processing. This article is part of a
      Special Issue entitled SI: Prediction and Attention. 

PMID- 26119919
TI  - In vitro and in vivo dermal absorption assessment of acetyl aspartic acid: a
      compartmental study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dermal absorption of
      acetyl aspartic acid (A-A-A) through an in vitro and in vivo evaluation with
      human skin after 6 and 24 h of topical application of a cosmetic formulation
      containing A-A-A at 1%. METHODS: The in vitro experiment was carried out using
      the Franz diffusion cells system with ex vivo human skin samples. The profile of
      diffusion of A-A-A was evaluated after 6 and 24 h. The in vivo experiment was
      performed on human volunteers following a tape-stripping protocol after 6 h of
      topical application. A-A-A was quantified in the main skin compartments, that is
      the skin surface, the stratum corneum, the skin and the receptor fluid using LC
      MS analysis. RESULTS: The 24-h in vitro experiment confirmed the great
      penetration potential of A-A-A in all skin compartments. After 6 h of topical
      application, the removed tape strips from both in vitro and in vivo experiments
      were analysed and the profile of diffusion of A-A-A was determined, allowing also
      an in vitro/in vivo comparison. The diffusion profile observed on the in vitro
      skin penetration test is highly representative of the in vivo situation evaluated
      on volunteers. CONCLUSION: The combination of in vitro with in vivo data
      confirmed that A-A-A has the capacity to diffuse through the skin after topical
      application and reach the dermis as the targeted skin layer for potential anti
      ageing benefits.

PMID- 26119920
TI  - Nanocarrier-based antioxidant therapy: promise or delusion?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oxidative stress has generally been recognized as an important
      factor in the pathogenesis of human diseases, making antioxidant therapy a
      plausible strategy to either prevent or treat human disorders. Yet so far,
      numerous antioxidant-based clinical trials aimed at developing clinically
      approved protocols have been disappointing and many reasons for their failure are
      being discussed, including the limited bioavailability of most antioxidants. To
      overcome the hurdles associated with the direct administration of antioxidant
      molecules, a variety of nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems are being
      developed. All the strategies currently being explored, however, appear in our
      opinion to underappreciate the crucial role reactive oxygen and nitrogen species
      (RO/NS) play in the regulation of the metabolome, as revealed by recent progress
      made in redox biology. AREAS COVERED: We briefly review antioxidant-based
      clinical trials and discuss the functions of RO/NS as crucial intracellular
      messengers. We emphasize the probable existence of three distinct concentration
      levels of RO/NS: a physiological level reflecting their functions as messenger
      molecules, an elevated level crucial for activation of protective pathways and a
      toxic level causing oxidative damage to cellular components. EXPERT OPINION: Site
      specific, multifunctional nanodrug delivery systems able to sense the actual
      intracellular concentrations of RO/NS and release antioxidants accordingly in
      order to only neutralize the pathologic excess of RO/NS need to be developed.

PMID- 26119922
TI  - How information structure influences the processing of rhythmic irregularities:
      ERP evidence from German phrases.
AB  - This study explores the influence of focus and givenness on the cognitive
      processing of rhythmic irregularities occurring in natural speech. Previous ERP
      studies showed that even subtle rhythmic deviations are detected by the brain if
      attention is directed towards the rhythmic structure. By using question-answer
      pairs, it was investigated whether subtle rhythmic irregularities in form of
      stress clashes (two adjacent stressed syllables) and stress lapses (two adjacent
      unstressed syllables) are still perceived when presented in post-focus position
      in an answer sentence and attention is directed away from them, towards the
      meaning of the element in narrow focus position by the preceding wh-question.
      Moreover, by visually presenting the lexical-semantic input of the deviating
      structure in the question, the influence of rhythmical and lexical properties in
      these two forms of rhythmic deviations are disentangled. While words in the
      present stress clash condition do not deviate from lexical stress, stress lapses
      contain deviations from metrical and lexical stress. The data reveal an early
      negativity effect for stress clashes but not for stress lapses, supporting the
      assumption that they are processed differently. The absence of a negative
      component for stress lapses indicates that the metrical deviation alone is not
      salient enough to be registered in non-focus position. Moreover, the lack of a
      late positive component suggests that subtle rhythmic deviations are less
      perceivable and hence more acceptable when presented in non-focus position. Thus,
      these results show that attentional shift induced by information structure
      influences the degree of the processing of rhythm. 

PMID- 26119921
TI  - The anatomical and functional specialization of the fusiform gyrus.
AB  - The fusiform gyrus (FG) is commonly included in anatomical atlases and is
      considered a key structure for functionally-specialized computations of high
      level vision such as face perception, object recognition, and reading. However,
      it is not widely known that the FG has a contentious history. In this review, we
      first provide a historical analysis of the discovery of the FG and why certain
      features, such as the mid-fusiform sulcus, were discovered and then forgotten. We
      then discuss how observer-independent methods for identifying cytoarchitectonical
      boundaries of the cortex revolutionized our understanding of cytoarchitecture and
      the correspondence between those boundaries and cortical folding patterns of the
      FG. We further explain that the co-occurrence between cortical folding patterns
      and cytoarchitectonical boundaries are more common than classically thought and
      also, are functionally meaningful especially on the FG and probably in high-level
      visual cortex more generally. We conclude by proposing a series of alternatives
      for how the anatomical organization of the FG can accommodate seemingly different
      theoretical aspects of functional processing, such as domain specificity and
      perceptual expertise. 

PMID- 26119923
TI  - Risks of Venous Thromboembolism, Stroke, Heart Disease, and Myelodysplastic
      Syndrome Associated With Hematopoietic Growth Factors in a Large Population-Based
      Cohort of Patients With Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the relationship between the receipt of colony-stimulating
      factors (CSFs) with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) and the risk of
      developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), stroke, heart disease, and
      myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS: We
      studied 80,925 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age >= 65 years in
      1992-2009 from the nationwide 16 areas of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End
      Results (SEER)-Medicare linked data. Cumulative incidence and the time to events
      Cox hazard regressions were used to explore the risks of outcomes in association
      with the receipt of CSFs and ESAs. RESULTS: Patients who received chemotherapy
      (CT) with both CSF and ESA were 58% more likely to develop VTE than those who
      received CT without CSF and ESA (hazard ratio, 1.58; 95% confidence interval,
      1.43-1.76). The risk of stroke appeared to be not associated with the use of CSF
      and ESA, whereas the risk of heart disease was only significantly elevated in
      those patients who did not receive CT but received ESA. The risk of acute myeloid
      leukemia or MDS was significantly increased 4- to 9-fold in patients who received
      ESA, regardless of receipt of CT or CSF. CONCLUSION: The use of ESAs was
      significantly associated with a substantially increased risk of MDS in patients
      with colorectal cancer. The use of CSFs and ESAs was also significantly
      associated with a moderately increased risk of VTE and a slightly elevated risk
      of heart disease.

PMID- 26119924
TI  - Increased regulatory T cells in acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Regulation in adaptive immune response balances a fine line that
      prevents instigation of self-damage or fall into unresponsiveness permitting
      abnormal cell growth. Mechanisms that keep this balance in check include
      regulatory T cells (Tregs). Tregs consist of a small but heterogeneous population
      which may be identified by the phenotype, CD3+CD4+CD25+CD127-. Role of Tregs in
      pathogenesis of cancers is thus far supported by evidence of increased Tregs in
      various cancers and may contribute to poorer prognosis. Tregs may also be
      important in acute leukemias. OBJECTIVE: A review of the literature on Tregs in
      acute leukemias was conducted and Tregs were determined in B-cell acute
      lymphoblastic leukemias (ALLs). RESULTS: Studies on Tregs in B-cell ALL are few
      and controversial. We observed a significantly increased percentage of Tregs
      (mean +/- SD, 9.72 +/- 3.79% vs. 7.05 +/- 1.74%; P = 0.047) in the bone
      marrow/peripheral blood of ALL (n = 17) compared to peripheral blood of normal
      controls (n = 35). A positive trend between Tregs and age (R = 0.474, P = 0.055,
      n = 17) implicates this factor of poor prognosis in B-cell ALL. DISCUSSION: Tregs
      in cancer are particularly significant in immunotherapy. The manipulation of the
      immune system to treat cancer has for a long time ignored regulatory mechanisms
      inducible or in place. In lymphoma studies tumor-specific mechanisms that are
      unlike conventional methods in the induction of Tregs have been hypothesized. In
      addition, tumor-infiltrating Tregs may present different profiles from peripheral
      blood pictures. Tregs will continue to be dissected to reveal their mysteries and
      their impact on clinical significance.

PMID- 26119926
TI  - Methodology exploration of specimen preparation for atom probe tomography from
      nanowires.
AB  - Semiconductor nanowires have been intensively explored for applications in
      electronics, photonics, energy conversion and storage. A fundamental and
      quantitative understanding of growth-structure-property relationships is central
      to applications where nanowires exhibit clear advantages. Atom Probe Tomography
      (APT) is able to provide 3 dimensional quantitative elemental distributions at
      atomic-resolution and is therefore unique in understanding the growth-structure
      property relationships. However, the specimen preparation with nanowires is
      extremely challenging. In this paper, two ion beam free specimen preparation
      methods for APT are presented which are efficient for various nanowires. 

PMID- 26119927
TI  - The evolving field of prognostication and risk stratification in MDS: Recent
      developments and future directions.
AB  - The clinical course of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is
      characterized by wide variability reflecting the underlying genetic and
      biological heterogeneity of the disease. Accurate prediction of outcomes for
      individual patients is an integral part of the evidence-based risk/benefit
      calculations that are necessary for tailoring the aggressiveness of therapeutic
      interventions. While several prognostication tools have been developed and
      validated for risk stratification, each of these systems has limitations. The
      recent progress in genomic sequencing techniques has led to discoveries of
      recurrent molecular mutations in MDS patients with independent impact on relevant
      clinical outcomes. Reliable assays of these mutations have already entered the
      clinic and efforts are currently ongoing to formally incorporate mutational
      analysis into the existing clinicopathologic risk stratification tools.
      Additionally, mutational analysis holds promise for going beyond prognostication
      to therapeutic selection and individualized treatment-specific prediction of
      outcomes; abilities that would revolutionize MDS patient care. Despite these
      exciting developments, the best way of incorporating molecular testing for use in
      prognostication and prediction of outcomes in clinical practice remains undefined
      and further research is warranted. 

PMID- 26119928
TI  - Lack of genetic diversity across diverse immune genes in an endangered mammal,
      the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii).
AB  - The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is threatened with extinction due to
      the spread of devil facial tumour disease. Polymorphisms in immune genes can
      provide adaptive potential to resist diseases. Previous studies in diversity at
      immune loci in wild species have almost exclusively focused on genes of the major
      histocompatibility complex (MHC); however, these genes only account for a
      fraction of immune gene diversity. Devils lack diversity at functionally
      important immunity loci, including MHC and Toll-like receptor genes. Whether
      there are polymorphisms at devil immune genes outside these two families is
      unknown. Here, we identify polymorphisms in a wide range of key immune genes, and
      develop assays to type single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within a subset of
      these genes. A total of 167 immune genes were examined, including cytokines,
      chemokines and natural killer cell receptors. Using genome-level data from ten
      devils, SNPs within coding regions, introns and 10 kb flanking genes of interest
      were identified. We found low polymorphism across 167 immune genes examined
      bioinformatically using whole-genome data. From this data, we developed long
      amplicon assays to target nine genes. These amplicons were sequenced in 29-220
      devils and found to contain 78 SNPs, including eight SNPS within exons. Despite
      the extreme paucity of genetic diversity within these genes, signatures of
      balancing selection were exhibited by one chemokine gene, suggesting that
      remaining diversity may hold adaptive potential. The low functional diversity may
      leave devils highly vulnerable to infectious disease, and therefore, monitoring
      and preserving remaining diversity will be critical for the long-term management
      of this species. Examining genetic variation in diverse immune genes should be a
      priority for threatened wildlife species. This study can act as a model for broad
      scale immunogenetic diversity analysis in threatened species. 

PMID- 26119929
TI  - Comparison of Cryotop and micro volume air cooling methods for cryopreservation
      of bovine matured oocytes and blastocysts.
AB  - This study was designed to compare the efficiency of the Cryotop method and that
      of two methods that employ a micro volume air cooling (MVAC) device by analyzing
      the survival and development of bovine oocytes and blastocysts vitrified using
      each method. In experiment I, in vitro-matured (IVM) oocytes were vitrified using
      an MVAC device without direct contact with liquid nitrogen (LN2; MVAC group) or
      directly plunged into LN2 (MVAC in LN2 group). A third group of IVM oocytes was
      vitrified using a Cryotop device (Cryotop group). After warming, vitrified
      oocytes were fertilized in vitro. There were no significant differences in
      cleavage and blastocyst formation rates among the three vitrified groups, with
      the rates ranging from 53.1% to 56.6% and 20.0% to 25.5%, respectively; however,
      the rates were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those of the fresh control
      group (89.3% and 43.3%, respectively) and the solution control group (87.3% and
      42.0%, respectively). In experiment II, in vitro-produced (IVP) expanded
      blastocysts were vitrified using the MVAC, MVAC in LN2 and Cryotop methods,
      warmed and cultured for survival analysis and then compared with the solution
      control group. The rate of development of vitrified-warmed expanded blastocysts
      to the hatched blastocyst stage after 24 h of culture was lower in the MVAC in
      LN2 group than in the solution control group; however, after 48-72 h of culture,
      the rates did not significantly differ between the groups. These results indicate
      that the MVAC method without direct LN2 contact is as effective as the standard
      Cryotop method for vitrification of bovine IVM oocytes and IVP expanded
      blastocysts. 

PMID- 26119925
TI  - Structure-Based Design of Inhibitors of Protein-Protein Interactions: Mimicking
      Peptide Binding Epitopes.
AB  - Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are involved at all levels of cellular
      organization, thus making the development of PPI inhibitors extremely valuable.
      The identification of selective inhibitors is challenging because of the shallow
      and extended nature of PPI interfaces. Inhibitors can be obtained by mimicking
      peptide binding epitopes in their bioactive conformation. For this purpose,
      several strategies have been evolved to enable a projection of side chain
      functionalities in analogy to peptide secondary structures, thereby yielding
      molecules that are generally referred to as peptidomimetics. Herein, we introduce
      a new classification of peptidomimetics (classes A-D) that enables a clear
      assignment of available approaches. Based on this classification, the Review
      summarizes strategies that have been applied for the structure-based design of
      PPI inhibitors through stabilizing or mimicking turns, beta-sheets, and helices. 

PMID- 26119930
TI  - Minimal asbestos exposure in germline BAP1 heterozygous mice is associated with
      deregulated inflammatory response and increased risk of mesothelioma.
AB  - Germline BAP1 mutations predispose to several cancers, in particular malignant
      mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is an aggressive malignancy generally associated with
      professional exposure to asbestos. However, to date, we found that none of the
      mesothelioma patients carrying germline BAP1 mutations were professionally
      exposed to asbestos. We hypothesized that germline BAP1 mutations might influence
      the asbestos-induced inflammatory response that is linked to asbestos
      carcinogenesis, thereby increasing the risk of developing mesothelioma after
      minimal exposure. Using a BAP1(+/-) mouse model, we found that, compared with
      their wild-type littermates, BAP1(+/-) mice exposed to low-dose asbestos fibers
      showed significant alterations of the peritoneal inflammatory response, including
      significantly higher levels of pro-tumorigenic alternatively polarized M2
      macrophages, and lower levels of several chemokines and cytokines. Consistent
      with these data, BAP1(+/-) mice had a significantly higher incidence of
      mesothelioma after exposure to very low doses of asbestos, doses that rarely
      induced mesothelioma in wild-type mice. Our findings suggest that minimal
      exposure to carcinogenic fibers may significantly increase the risk of malignant
      mesothelioma in genetically predisposed individuals carrying germline BAP1
      mutations, possibly via alterations of the inflammatory response. 

PMID- 26119931
TI  - Regulation of CD44E by DARPP-32-dependent activation of SRp20 splicing factor in
      gastric tumorigenesis.
AB  - CD44E is a frequently overexpressed variant of CD44 in gastric cancer. Mechanisms
      that regulate CD44 splicing and expression in gastric cancer remain unknown.
      Herein, we investigated the role of DARPP-32 (dopamine and cyclic adenosine
      monophosphate-regulated phosphoprotein, Mr 32000) in promoting tumor growth
      through regulation of CD44 splicing. Using western blot and quantitative real
      time PCR analysis, our results indicated that knockdown of endogenous DARPP-32
      markedly reduces the expression of CD44 V8-V10 (CD44E). Using a quantitative
      splicing luciferase reporter system, we detected a significant increase in the
      reporter activity following DARPP-32 overexpression (P<0.001). Conversely,
      knocking down endogenous DARPP-32 significantly attenuated the splicing activity
      (P<0.001). Further experiments showed that DARPP-32 regulates the expression of
      SRp20 splicing factor and co-exists with it in the same protein complex.
      Inhibition of alternative splicing with digitoxin followed by immunoprecipitation
      and immunoblotting indicated that DARPP-32 has an important role in regulating
      SRp20 protein stability. The knockdown of endogenous DARPP-32 confirmed that
      DARPP-32 regulates the SRp20-dependent CD44E splicing. Using tumor xenograft
      mouse model, knocking down endogenous DARPP-32 markedly reduced SRp20 and CD44E
      protein levels with a decreased tumor growth. The reconstitution of SRp20
      expression in these cells rescued tumor growth. In addition, we also demonstrated
      frequent co-overexpression and positive correlation of DARPP-32, SRp20 and CD44E
      expression levels in human gastric primary tumors. Our novel findings establish
      for the first time the role of DARPP-32 in regulating splicing factors in gastric
      cancer cells. The DARPP-32-SRp20 axis has a key role in regulating the CD44E
      splice variant that promotes gastric tumorigenesis. 

PMID- 26119932
TI  - Targeting melanoma with NT157 by blocking Stat3 and IGF1R signaling.
AB  - It is well known that specific signal transduction inhibitors rarely suffice as
      anti-cancer agents. In most cases, tumors possess primary drug resistance due to
      their inherent heterogeneity, or acquire drug resistance due to genomic
      instability and acquisition of mutations. Here we expand our previous study of
      the novel compound, NT157, and show that it acts as a dual-targeting agent that
      invokes the blockage of two signal transduction pathways that are central to the
      development and maintenance of multiple human cancers. We show that NT157 targets
      not only IGF1R-IRS1/2, as previously reported, but also the Stat3 signaling
      pathway and demonstrates remarkable anti-cancer characteristics in A375 human
      melanoma cells and in a metastatic melanoma model in mice.

PMID- 26119934
TI  - Focal adhesion kinase-promoted tumor glucose metabolism is associated with a
      shift of mitochondrial respiration to glycolysis.
AB  - Cancer cells often gains a growth advantage by taking up glucose at a high rate
      and undergoing aerobic glycolysis through intrinsic cellular factors that
      reprogram glucose metabolism. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a key transmitter of
      growth factor and anchorage stimulation, is aberrantly overexpressed or activated
      in most solid tumors, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs). We
      determined whether FAK can act as an intrinsic driver to promote aerobic
      glycolysis and tumorigenesis. FAK inhibition decreases and overexpression
      increases intracellular glucose levels during unfavorable conditions, including
      growth factor deficiency and cell detachment. Amplex glucose assay, fluorescence
      and carbon-13 tracing studies demonstrate that FAK promotes glucose consumption
      and glucose-to-lactate conversion. Extracellular flux analysis indicates that FAK
      enhances glycolysis and decreases mitochondrial respiration. FAK increases key
      glycolytic proteins, including enolase, pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), lactate
      dehydrogenase and monocarboxylate transporter. Furthermore, active/tyrosine
      phosphorylated FAK directly binds to PKM2 and promotes PKM2-mediated glycolysis.
      On the other hand, FAK-decreased levels of mitochondrial complex I can result in
      reduced oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Attenuation of FAK-enhanced
      glycolysis re-sensitizes cancer cells to growth factor withdrawal, decreases cell
      viability and reduces growth of tumor xenografts. These observations, for the
      first time, establish a vital role of FAK in cancer glucose metabolism through
      alterations in the OXPHOS-to-glycolysis balance. Broadly targeting the common
      phenotype of aerobic glycolysis and more specifically FAK-reprogrammed glucose
      metabolism will disrupt the bioenergetic and biosynthetic supply for uncontrolled
      growth of tumors, particularly glycolytic PDAC. 

PMID- 26119933
TI  - Glioma invasion mediated by the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)/CD271)
      requires regulated interaction with PDLIM1.
AB  - The invasive nature of glioblastoma renders them incurable by current therapeutic
      interventions. Using a novel invasive human glioma model, we previously
      identified the neurotrophin receptor p75(NTR) (aka CD271) as a mediator of glioma
      invasion. Herein, we provide evidence that preventing phosphorylation of p75(NTR)
      on S303 by pharmacological inhibition of PKA, or by a mutational strategy
      (S303G), cripples p75(NTR)-mediated glioma invasion resulting in serine
      phosphorylation within the C-terminal PDZ-binding motif (SPV) of p75(NTR).
      Consistent with this, deletion (DeltaSPV) or mutation (SPM) of the PDZ motif
      results in abrogation of p75(NTR)-mediated invasion. Using a peptide-based
      strategy, we identified PDLIM1 as a novel signaling adaptor for p75(NTR) and
      provide the first evidence for a regulated interaction via S425 phosphorylation.
      Importantly, PDLIM1 was shown to interact with p75(NTR) in highly invasive
      patient-derived glioma stem cells/tumor-initiating cells and shRNA knockdown of
      PDLIM1 in vitro and in vivo results in complete ablation of p75(NTR)-mediated
      invasion. Collectively, these data demonstrate a requirement for a regulated
      interaction of p75(NTR) with PDLIM1 and suggest that targeting either the PDZ
      domain interactions and/or the phosphorylation of p75(NTR) by PKA could provide
      therapeutic strategies for patients with glioblastoma. 

PMID- 26119935
TI  - YAP activation protects urothelial cell carcinoma from treatment-induced DNA
      damage.
AB  - Current standard of care for muscle-invasive urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) is
      surgery along with perioperative platinum-based chemotherapy. UCC is sensitive to
      cisplatin-based regimens, but acquired resistance eventually occurs, and a subset
      of tumors is intrinsically resistant. Thus, there is an unmet need for new
      therapeutic approaches to target chemotherapy-resistant UCC. Yes-associated
      protein (YAP) is a transcriptional co-activator that has been associated with
      bladder cancer progression and cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer. In
      contrast, YAP has been shown to induce DNA damage associated apoptosis in non
      small cell lung carcinoma. However, no data have been reported on the YAP role in
      UCC chemo-resistance. Thus, we have investigated the potential dichotomous role
      of YAP in UCC response to chemotherapy utilizing two patient-derived xenograft
      models recently established. Constitutive expression and activation of YAP
      inversely correlated with in vitro and in vivo cisplatin sensitivity. YAP
      overexpression protected while YAP knockdown sensitized UCC cells to chemotherapy
      and radiation effects via increased accumulation of DNA damage and apoptosis.
      Furthermore, pharmacological YAP inhibition with verteporfin inhibited tumor cell
      proliferation and restored sensitivity to cisplatin. In addition, nuclear YAP
      expression was associated with poor outcome in UCC patients who received
      perioperative chemotherapy. In conclusion, these results suggest that YAP
      activation exerts a protective role and represents a pharmacological target to
      enhance the anti-tumor effects of DNA damaging modalities in the treatment of
      UCC. 

PMID- 26119936
TI  - LKB1 deficiency enhances sensitivity to energetic stress induced by erlotinib
      treatment in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.
AB  - The tumor suppressor serine/threonine kinase 11 (STK11 or LKB1) is mutated in 20
      30% of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Loss of LKB1-adenosine
      monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling confers sensitivity to
      metabolic inhibition or stress-induced mitochondrial insults. We tested the
      hypothesis that loss of LKB1 sensitizes NSCLC cells to energetic stress induced
      by treatment with erlotinib. LKB1-deficient cells exhibited enhanced sensitivity
      to erlotinib in vitro and in vivo that was associated with alterations in energy
      metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction. Loss of LKB1 expression altered the
      cellular response to erlotinib treatment, resulting in impaired ATP homeostasis
      and an increase in reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, erlotinib selectively
      blocked mammalian target of rapamycin signaling, inhibited cell growth and
      activated apoptosis in LKB1-deficient cells. Erlotinib treatment also induced
      AMPK activation despite loss of LKB1 expression, which was partially reduced by
      the application of a calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2
      inhibitor (STO-609) or calcium chelator (BAPTA-AM). These findings may have
      significant implications for the design of novel NSCLC treatments that target
      dysregulated metabolic and signaling pathways in LKB1-deficient tumors. 

PMID- 26119937
TI  - MYC in pancreatic cancer: novel mechanistic insights and their translation into
      therapeutic strategies.
AB  - Owing to its aggressiveness, late detection and marginal therapeutic
      accessibility, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a most challenging
      malignant disease. Despite scientific progress in the understanding of the
      mechanisms that underly PDAC initiation and progression, the successful
      translation of experimental findings into effective new therapeutic strategies
      remains a largely unmet need. The oncogene MYC is activated in many PDAC cases
      and is a master regulator of vital cellular processes. Excellent recent studies
      have shed new light on the tremendous functions of MYC in cancer and identified
      inhibition of MYC as a likewise beneficial and demanding effort. This review will
      focus on mechanisms that contribute to deregulation of MYC expression in
      pancreatic carcinogenesis and progression and will summarize novel biological
      findings from recent in vivo models. Finally, we provide a perspective, how
      regulation of MYC in PDAC may contribute to the development of new therapeutic
      approaches. 

PMID- 26119938
TI  - Deacetylation of HSPA5 by HDAC6 leads to GP78-mediated HSPA5 ubiquitination at
      K447 and suppresses metastasis of breast cancer.
AB  - Heat-shock protein 5 (HSPA5) is a marker for poor prognosis in breast cancer
      patients and has an important role in cancer progression, including promoting
      drug resistance and metastasis. In this study, we identify that the specific
      lysine residue 447 (K447) of HSPA5 could be modified with polyubiquitin for
      subsequent degradation through the ubiquitin proteasomal system, leading to the
      suppression of cell migration and invasion of breast cancer. We further found
      that GP78, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, interacted with the C-terminal region of HSPA5
      and mediated HSPA5 ubiquitination and degradation. Knock down of GP78
      significantly increased the expression of HSPA5 and enhanced migration/invasive
      ability of breast cancer cells. Knock down of histone deacetylase-6 (HDAC6)
      increased the acetylation of HSPA5 at lysine residues 353 (K353) and reduced GP78
      mediated ubiquitination of HSPA5 at K447 and then increased cell
      migration/invasion. In addition, we demonstrate that E3 ubiquitin ligase GP78
      preferentially binds to deacetylated HSPA5. Notably, the expression levels of
      GP78 inversely correlated with HSPA5 levels in breast cancer patients. Patients
      with low GP78 expression significantly correlated with invasiveness of breast
      cancer, advanced tumor stages and poor clinical outcome. Taken together, our
      results provide new mechanistic insights into the understanding that
      deacetylation of HSPA5 by HDAC6 facilitates GP78-mediated HSPA5 ubiquitination
      and suggest that post-translational regulation of HSPA5 protein is critical for
      HSPA5-mediated metastatic properties of breast cancer. 

PMID- 26119939
TI  - Immunomodulatory drugs target IKZF1-IRF4-MYC axis in primary effusion lymphoma in
      a cereblon-dependent manner and display synergistic cytotoxicity with BRD4
      inhibitors.
AB  - Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
      localized predominantly in body cavities. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes
      virus (KSHV) is the causative agent of PEL. PEL is an incurable malignancy and
      has extremely poor prognosis when treated with conventional chemotherapy.
      Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) lenalidomide and pomalidomide are Food and Drug
      Administration-approved drugs for the treatment of various ailments. IMiDs
      display pronounced antiproliferative effect against majority of PEL cell lines
      within their clinically achievable concentrations, by arresting cells at G0/G1
      phase of cell cycle and without any induction of KSHV lytic cycle reactivation.
      Although microarray examination of PEL cells treated with lenalidomide revealed
      activation of interferon (IFN) signaling, blocking the IFN pathway did not block
      the anti-PEL activity of IMiDs. The anti-PEL effects of IMiDs involved cereblon
      dependent suppression of IRF4 and rapid degradation of IKZF1, but not IKZF3.
      Small hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of MYC enhanced the cytotoxicity of IMiDs.
      Bromodomain (BRD) and extra-terminal domain (BET) proteins are epigenetic
      readers, which perform a vital role in chromatin remodeling and transcriptional
      regulation. BRD4, a widely expressed transcriptional coactivator, belongs to the
      BET family of proteins, which has been shown to co-occupy the super enhancers
      associated with MYC. Specific BRD4 inhibitors were developed, which suppress MYC
      transcriptionally. Lenalidomide displayed synergistic cytotoxicity with several
      structurally distinct BRD4 inhibitors (JQ-1, IBET151 and PFI-1). Furthermore,
      combined administration of lenalidomide and BRD4 inhibitor JQ-1 significantly
      increased the survival of PEL bearing NOD-SCID mice in an orthotopic xenograft
      model as compared with either agent alone. These results provide compelling
      evidence for clinical testing of IMiDs alone and in combination with BRD4
      inhibitors for PEL. 

PMID- 26119940
TI  - Role of p14ARF-HDM2-p53 axis in SOX6-mediated tumor suppression.
AB  - Sex-determining region Y box 6 (SOX6) has been described as a tumor-suppressor
      gene in several cancers. Our previous work has suggested that SOX6 upregulated
      p21(Waf1/Cip1)(p21) expression in a p53-dependent manner; however, the underlying
      mechanism has remained elusive. In this study, we confirmed that SOX6 can
      suppress cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo by stabilizing p53 protein and
      subsequently upregulating p21. Co-immunoprecipitation and immunocytofluorescence
      assays demonstrated that SOX6 can promote formation of the p14ARF-HDM2-p53
      ternary complex by promoting translocation of p14ARF (p14 alternate reading frame
      tumor suppressor) to the nucleoplasm, thereby inhibiting HDM2-mediated p53
      nuclear export and degradation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with PCR
      assay proved that SOX6 can bind to a potential binding site in the regulatory
      region of the c-Myc gene. Furthermore, we confirmed that SOX6 can downregulate
      the expression of c-Myc, as well as its direct target gene nucleophosmin 1
      (NPM1), and that the SOX6-induced downregulation of NPM1 is linked to
      translocation of p14ARF to the nucleoplasm. Finally, we showed that the highly
      conserved high-mobility group (HMG) domain of SOX6 is required for SOX6-mediated
      p53 stabilization and tumor inhibitory activity. Collectively, these results
      reveal a new mechanism of SOX6-mediated tumor suppression involving p21
      upregulation via the p14ARF-HDM2-p53 axis in an HMG domain-dependent manner. 

PMID- 26119941
TI  - Evaluation of targeted therapies in advanced breast cancer: the need for large
      scale molecular screening and transformative clinical trial designs.
AB  - Breast cancer (BC) has been classified into four intrinsic subtypes through
      seminal studies employing gene expression profiling analysis of primary tumours,
      namely the luminal A and B subtypes, the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
      like subtype and the basal-like subtype. More recently, the emergence of high
      throughput genomic sequencing techniques, such as next-generation or massive
      parallel sequencing has expanded our understanding of the complex genomic
      landscapes of BC, with marked intertumour heterogeneity seen among different
      patients. In addition, increasing evidence indicates intratumour heterogeneity,
      with molecular differences observed within one patient, both spatially and
      longitudinally. These phenomena have an impact on the clinical development of
      molecularly targeted agents, with the classical paradigm of population-based
      clinical trials being no longer efficient. In the era of genomically driven
      oncology, three complementary tools can accelerate the clinical development of
      targeted agents for advanced BC as follows: (i) the implementation of molecular
      profiling of metastatic tumour lesions, as exemplified by the AURORA (Aiming to
      Understand the Molecular Aberrations in Metastatic Breast Cancer) programme; (ii)
      serial assessments of circulating tumour DNA, allowing a more thorough molecular
      interrogation of metastatic tumour burden; and (iii) new innovative clinical
      trial designs able to address the challenges of the increasing molecular
      fragmentation of BC. 

PMID- 26119942
TI  - p63 controls cell migration and invasion by transcriptional regulation of MTSS1.
AB  - Metastasis is a multistep cell-biological process, which is orchestrated by many
      factors, including metastasis activators and suppressors. Metastasis Suppressor 1
      (MTSS1) was originally identified as a metastasis suppressor protein whose
      expression is lost in metastatic bladder and prostate carcinomas. However, recent
      findings indicate that MTSS1 acts as oncogene and pro-migratory factor in
      melanoma tumors. Here, we identify and characterized a molecular mechanism
      controlling MTSS1 expression, which impinges on a pro-tumorigenic role of MTSS1
      in breast tumors. We found that in normal and in cancer cell lines DeltaNp63 is
      able to drive the expression of MTSS1 by binding to a p63-binding responsive
      element localized in the MTSS1 locus. We reported that DeltaNp63 is able to drive
      the migration of breast tumor cells by inducing the expression of MTSS1. Notably,
      in three human breast tumors data sets the MTSS1/p63 co-expression is a negative
      prognostic factor on patient survival, suggesting that the MTSS1/p63 axis might
      be functionally important to regulate breast tumor progression. 

PMID- 26119943
TI  - PML is required for telomere stability in non-neoplastic human cells.
AB  - Telomeres interact with numerous proteins, including components of the shelterin
      complex, whose alteration, similarly to proliferation-induced telomere
      shortening, initiates cellular senescence. In tumors, telomere length is
      maintained by Telomerase activity or by the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres
      mechanism, whose hallmark is the telomeric localization of the promyelocytic
      leukemia (PML) protein. Whether PML contributes to telomeres maintenance in
      normal cells is unknown. We show that in normal human fibroblasts the PML protein
      associates with few telomeres, preferentially when they are damaged.
      Proliferation-induced telomere attrition or their damage due to alteration of the
      shelterin complex enhances the telomeric localization of PML, which is increased
      in human T-lymphocytes derived from patients genetically deficient in telomerase.
      In normal fibroblasts, PML depletion induces telomere damage, nuclear and
      chromosomal abnormalities, and senescence. Expression of the leukemia protein
      PML/RARalpha in hematopoietic progenitors displaces PML from telomeres and
      induces telomere shortening in the bone marrow of pre-leukemic mice. Our work
      provides a novel view of the physiologic function of PML, which participates in
      telomeres surveillance in normal cells. Our data further imply that a diminished
      PML function may contribute to cell senescence, genomic instability, and
      tumorigenesis. 

PMID- 26119944
TI  - Heat-shock factor 2 is a suppressor of prostate cancer invasion.
AB  - Heat-shock factors (HSFs) are key transcriptional regulators in cell survival.
      Although HSF1 has been identified as a driver of carcinogenesis, HSF2 has not
      been explored in malignancies. Here, we report that HSF2 suppresses tumor
      invasion of prostate cancer (PrCa). In three-dimensional organotypic cultures and
      the in vivo xenograft chorioallantoic membrane model HSF2 knockdown perturbs
      organoid differentiation and promotes invasiveness. Gene expression profiling
      together with functional studies demonstrated that the molecular mechanism
      underlying the effect on tumor progression originates from HSF2 steering the
      switch between acinar morphogenesis and invasion. This is achieved by the
      regulation of genes connected to, for example, GTPase activity, cell adhesion,
      extracellular matrix and actin cytoskeleton dynamics. Importantly, low HSF2
      expression correlates with high Gleason score, metastasis and poor survival of
      PrCa patients, highlighting the clinical relevance of our findings. Finally, the
      study was expanded beyond PrCa, revealing that the expression of HSF2 is
      decreased in a wide range of cancer types. This study provides the first evidence
      for HSF2 acting as a suppressor of invasion in human malignancies. 

PMID- 26119945
TI  - Comparative genetic study of intratumoral heterogenous MYCN amplified
      neuroblastoma versus aggressive genetic profile neuroblastic tumors.
AB  - Intratumoral heterogeneous MYCN amplification (hetMNA) is an unusual event in
      neuroblastoma with unascertained biological and clinical implications. Diagnosis
      is based on the detection of MYCN amplification surrounded by non-amplified tumor
      cells by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). To better define the genetic
      features of hetMNA tumors, we studied the Spanish cohort of neuroblastic tumors
      by FISH and single nucleotide polymorphism arrays. We compared hetMNA tumors with
      homogeneous MNA (homMNA) and nonMNA tumors with 11q deletion (nonMNA w11q-). Of
      1091 primary tumors, 28 were hetMNA by FISH. Intratumoral heterogeneity of 1p,
      2p, 11q and 17q was closely associated with hetMNA tumors when analyzing
      different pieces for each case. For chromosome 2, 16 cases showed 2p intact, 4
      focal gain at 2p24.3 and 8 MNA. The lengths of the smallest regions of overlap
      (SROs) for 2p gains and 1p deletions were between the SRO lengths observed in
      homMNA and nonMNA w11q- tumors. Co-occurrence of 11q- and +17q was frequently
      found with the largest SROs for both aberrations. The evidence for and frequency
      of different genetic subpopulations representing a hallmark of the hetMNA
      subgroup of NB indicates, on one hand, the presence of a considerable genetic
      instability with different SRO of either gains and losses compared with those of
      the other NB groups and highlights and, on the other hand, the need for multiple
      sampling from distant and macroscopically and microscopically distinct tumor
      areas. Narrowing down the different SRO for both deletions and gains in NB groups
      would be crucial to pinpointing the candidate gene(s) and the critical gene
      dosage with prognostic and therapeutic significance. This complexity of segmental
      chromosomal aberration patterns reinforces the necessity for a larger cohort
      study using FISH and pangenomic techniques to develop a suitable therapeutic
      strategy for these patients. 

PMID- 26119947
TI  - Ultrasound diagnostics of the abdominal aorta: English version.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The ideal method for screening investigations is one
      which is as free as possible from side effects, is easily learnt, and can
      therefore be broadly used to detect abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) with a high
      degree of certainty. Although ultrasonography fulfils these criteria, the
      measurement method is not standardized. Different measurement methods are used in
      ultrasonography as well as in computed tomography (CT) studies and the
      measurement method is actually described sufficiently in only 57 % of cases.
      METHODS: This article provides a critical review of the current literature on
      measurement methods and the validity of ultrasonography for the determination of
      aortic diameter, particularly in AAA, and presents the measurement principles for
      making measurements as precisely as possible. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The most
      precise determination of aortic diameter is carried out by electrocardiogram
      (ECG) gating according to the leading-edge method with orthogonal slicing. Within
      the framework of screening investigations, sufficient measurement precision can
      be achieved by adherence to orthogonal slicing. Using these standardized
      measurement methods, ultrasonography shows valid and reproducible results even
      compared with CT and is the method of choice in screening investigations for AAA.

PMID- 26119946
TI  - Endothelial CXCR7 regulates breast cancer metastasis.
AB  - Atypical chemokine receptor CXCR7 (ACKR3) functions as a scavenger receptor for
      chemokine CXCL12, a molecule that promotes multiple steps in tumor growth and
      metastasis in breast cancer and multiple other malignancies. Although normal
      vascular endothelium expresses low levels of CXCR7, marked upregulation of CXCR7
      occurs in tumor vasculature in breast cancer and other tumors. To investigate
      effects of endothelial CXCR7 in breast cancer, we conditionally deleted this
      receptor from vascular endothelium of adult mice, generating
      CXCR7(DeltaEND/DeltaEND) animals. CXCR7(DeltaEND/DeltaEND) mice appeared
      phenotypically normal, although these animals exhibited a modest 35+/-3% increase
      in plasma CXCL12 as compared with control. Using two different syngeneic,
      orthotopic tumor implant models of breast cancer, we discovered that
      CXCR7(DeltaEND/DeltaEND) mice had significantly greater local recurrence of
      cancer following resection, elevated numbers of circulating tumor cells and more
      spontaneous metastases. CXCR7(DeltaEND/DeltaEND) mice also showed greater
      experimental metastases following intracardiac injection of cancer cells. These
      results establish that endothelial CXCR7 limits breast cancer metastasis at
      multiple steps in the metastatic cascade, advancing understanding of CXCL12
      pathways in tumor environments and informing ongoing drug development targeting
      CXCR7 in cancer. 

PMID- 26119948
TI  - In the end it's a replication problem: What measuring telomere length can tell us
      about idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

PMID- 26119949
TI  - Wohlfahrtiimonas chitiniclastica-associated osteomyelitis: a rare case report.
AB  - Wohlfahrtiimonas chitiniclastica is a rare pathogen that was first isolated from
      a parasitic fly, Wohlfahrtia magnifica. It is a very rare but an emerging human
      pathogen reported only in Europe and South America. Recently, it is reported to
      be an egressing zoonotic pathogen from different geographical locations. The
      present case represents the first report of this pathogen from a patient
      suffering from osteomyelitis from India and so far no reports are available
      regarding the W. chitiniclastica associated infections in Asian countries.
      Clinical awareness of such emerging human pathogens is crucial for the infectious
      disease containment.

PMID- 26119950
TI  - Robust hyperpolarized (13)C metabolic imaging with selective non-excitation of
      pyruvate (SNEP).
AB  - In vivo metabolic imaging using hyperpolarized [1-(13)C]pyruvate provides
      localized biochemical information and is particularly useful in detecting early
      disease changes, as well as monitoring disease progression and treatment
      response. However, a major limitation of hyperpolarized magnetization is its
      unrecoverable decay, due not only to T1 relaxation but also to radio-frequency
      (RF) excitation. RF excitation schemes used in metabolic imaging must therefore
      be able to utilize available hyperpolarized magnetization efficiently and
      robustly for the optimal detection of substrate and metabolite activities. In
      this work, a novel RF excitation scheme called selective non-excitation of
      pyruvate (SNEP) is presented. This excitation scheme involves the use of a
      spectral selective RF pulse to specifically exclude the excitation of [1
      (13)C]pyruvate, while uniformly exciting the key metabolites of interest (namely
      [1-(13)C]lactate and [1-(13)C]alanine) and [1-(13)C]pyruvate-hydrate. By
      eliminating the loss of hyperpolarized [1-(13)C]pyruvate magnetization due to RF
      excitation, the signal from downstream metabolite pools is increased together
      with enhanced dynamic range. Simulation results, together with phantom
      measurements and in vivo experiments, demonstrated the improvement in signal-to
      noise ratio (SNR) and the extension of the lifetime of the [1-(13)C]lactate and
      [1-(13)C]alanine pools when compared with conventional non-spectral selective
      (NS) excitation. SNEP has also been shown to perform comparably well with multi
      band (MB) excitation, yet SNEP possesses distinct advantages, including ease of
      implementation, less stringent demands on gradient performance, increased
      robustness to frequency drifts and B0 inhomogeneity as well as easier
      quantification involving the use of [1-(13)C]pyruvate-hydrate as a proxy for the
      actual [1-(13)C] pyruvate signal. SNEP is therefore a promising alternative for
      robust hyperpolarized [1-(13)C]pyruvate metabolic imaging with high fidelity.

PMID- 26119951
TI  - Beneficial Effects of Polygonum multiflorum on Hippocampal Neuronal Cells and
      Mouse Focal Cerebral Ischemia.
AB  - Beneficial effects of the water extract of Polygonum multiflorum (WEPM) and their
      mechanisms were investigated in HT22 hippocampal cells and hippocampus of middle
      cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mice. In HT22 cells against glutamate-induced
      oxidative stress, pretreatment with WEPM resulted in significantly reduced
      apoptotic neuronal death. Pretreatment with WEPM resulted in the suppression of
      ROS accumulation in connection with cellular Ca (2+) level after exposure to
      glutamate. Treatment with glutamate alone led to suppressed protein level of
      mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and phosphorylated cAMP response
      element binding protein (CREB); however, pretreatment with either WEPM or anti
      oxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) resulted in the significant enhancement of
      levels of these proteins. In addition, levels of mature BDNF expression and CREB
      phosphorylation were increased by combined treatment with WEPM, NAC, and
      intracellular Ca (2+) inhibitor BAPTA compared to other treatment groups. In MCAO
      mice, we confirmed the critical role of mature BDNF expression and CREB
      phosphorylation by WEPM in the neurons of the hippocampus. Our results suggest
      that WEPM mainly exerted beneficial effects on hippocampal neurons through the
      suppression of ROS accumulation and up-regulation of mature BDNF expression and
      CREB phosphorylation. 

PMID- 26119952
TI  - Butein Shows Cytotoxic Effects and Induces Apoptosis in Human Ovarian Cancer
      Cells.
AB  - Butein is a polyphenol, one of the compounds of chalcones, which are flavonoids
      that are widely biosynthesized in plants, and exhibits different pharmacological
      activities. Plants containing butein have been used in Chinese traditional
      medicine. Recently, it has been reported that butein suppresses proliferation and
      triggers apoptosis in various human cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. The aim of
      this study was to investigate its pro-apoptotic effect and mechanisms in two
      cultured human ovarian cancer cells (ES-2 and TOV-21G). The effects of butein on
      cell viability were assessed by a MTT assay at 3, 10, 30, and 100 MU/M. The
      apoptotic pathway related factors, including the mitochondrial transmembrane
      potential (MTP), cytochrome c, caspase cascade, and Bcl-2 family proteins, were
      examined. MTT assay revealed that butein was cytotoxic to both ovarian cancer
      cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. JC-1 flow cytometry, cytochrome c,
      and caspase activity assays revealed that butein damaged the MTP, increased the
      level of cytosol cytochrome c and the activities of caspase-3, -8, and -9 in the
      two ovarian cancer cells. Western blot analysis revealed that butein down
      regulated the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL and increased the pro
      apoptotic proteins Bax and Bad. These findings suggest that butein-induced
      apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells via the activation of both extrinsic and
      intrinsic pathways. In addition, butein also down-regulated the expressions of
      the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins, XIAP, survivin, CIAP-1, and CIAP-2.
      This indicates that the inhibition of IAP proteins was also involved in butein
      induced apoptosis. The results of our study suggest that butein may be a
      promising anticancer agent in treating ovarian cancer. 

PMID- 26119953
TI  - Artemisia capillaris Thunberg Produces Sedative-Hypnotic Effects in Mice, Which
      are Probably Mediated Through Potentiation of the GABAA Receptor.
AB  - The Artemisia group of plants has long been used as a traditional remedy for
      various conditions. The present study assessed the sleep-promoting (sedative
      hypnotic) effects of Artemisia capillaris Thunberg (A. capillaris), and
      elucidated a possible mechanism behind its effect. ICR mice were given A.
      capillaris extract (oral) at different dosages (50, 100, 200, 300, or 400 mg/kg),
      distilled water (oral; control), or diazepam (intraperitoneal; reference drug).
      One hour after administration, locomotion (open-field test) and motor
      coordination (rota-rod test) were assessed. The extract's effect on pentobarbital
      induced sleep was also evaluated. Additionally, electroencephalographic (EEG)
      recordings were measured in rats. To evaluate a possible mechanism behind its
      effects, changes in chloride ( Cl (-)) ion influx were measured in human
      neuroblastoma cells. As compared to the control group, mice treated with A.
      capillaris demonstrated significantly decreased locomotor activity and impaired
      motor balance and coordination. The extract also shortened the onset and
      lengthened the duration of sleep induced by pentobarbital sodium. These effects
      were comparable to that induced by diazepam. Furthermore, A. capillaris-treated
      rats showed increased delta and decreased alpha EEG waves; an
      electroencephalographic pattern indicative of relaxation or sedation. In
      neuroblastoma cells, the extract dose-dependently increased Cl (-) ion influx,
      which was blocked by co-administration of bicuculline, a GABAA receptor
      competitive antagonist, suggesting that its effects are mediated through the
      GABAA receptor- Cl (-) ion channel complex. Altogether, the results of the
      present study demonstrate that A. capillaris possesses potent sedative-hypnotic
      effects, which are probably mediated through potentiation of the GABAA receptor-
      Cl (-) ion channel complex. 

PMID- 26119954
TI  - Cinnamon and its Components Suppress Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation by
      Up-Regulating Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitors.
AB  - Cinnamomum cassia bark has been used in traditional herbal medicine to treat a
      variety of cardiovascular diseases. However, the antiproliferative effect of
      cinnamon extract on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and the corresponding
      restenosis has not been explored. Hence, after examining the effect of cinnamon
      extract on VSMC proliferation, we investigated the possible involvement of signal
      transduction pathways associated with early signal and cell cycle analysis,
      including regulatory proteins. Besides, to identify the active components, we
      investigated the components of cinnamon extract on VSMC proliferation. Cinnamon
      extract inhibited platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced VSMC
      proliferation and suppressed the PDGF-stimulated early signal transduction. In
      addition, cinnamon extract arrested the cell cycle and inhibited positive
      regulatory proteins. Correspondingly, the protein levels of p21 and p27 not only
      were increased in the presence of cinnamon extract, also the expression of
      proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was inhibited by cinnamon extract.
      Besides, among the components of cinnamon extract, cinnamic acid (CA), eugenol
      (EG) and cinnamyl alcohol significantly inhibited the VSMC proliferation.
      Overall, the present study demonstrates that cinnamon extract inhibited the PDGF
      BB-induced proliferation of VSMCs through a G0/G1 arrest, which down-regulated
      the expression of cell cycle positive regulatory proteins by up-regulating p21
      and p27 expression. 

PMID- 26119955
TI  - The Inhibitory Effect of Angelica tenuissima Water Extract on Receptor Activator
      of Nuclear Factor-Kappa-B Ligand-Induced Osteoclast Differentiation and Bone
      Resorbing Activity of Mature Osteoclasts.
AB  - Angelica tenuissima has been traditionally used in oriental medicine for its
      therapeutic effects in headache, toothache, and flu symptoms. It also exerts anti
      inflammatory activity via the inhibition of the expression of cyclooxygenase-2
      (COX-2). However, the effect of Angelica tenuissima on osteoclast differentiation
      has not been identified until recently. In this study, we first confirmed that
      Angelica tenuissima water extract (ATWE) significantly interrupted the formation
      of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive multinucleated cells
      (MNCs) in a dose-dependent manner without any cytotoxicity. Next, we clarified
      the underlying mechanisms linking the suppression effects of ATWE on the receptor
      activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis. At
      the molecular level, ATWE induced the dephosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal
      kinase (JNK) and Akt and decreased the degradation of IkappaB in RANKL-dependent
      early signaling pathways. Subsequently, ATWE caused impaired activation of the
      protein and mRNA levels of c-Fos and nuclear factor of activated T cell c1
      (NFATc1). Moreover, the disassembly of filamentous actin (F-actin) ring and anti
      resorptive activity of mature osteoclasts were triggered by ATWE treatment.
      Although ATWE did not enhance osteogenesis in primary osteoblasts, our results
      showed that ATWE is a potential candidate for anti-resorptive agent in
      osteoporosis, a common metabolic bone disorder. 

PMID- 26119956
TI  - Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine Penthorum chinense Pursh: A Phytochemical and
      Pharmacological Review.
AB  - Penthorum chinense Pursh (ganhuangcao), a traditional Chinese medicine, is used
      for the prevention and treatment of liver diseases, including hepatitis B,
      hepatitis C, and alcoholic liver damage. A wide range of investigations have been
      carried out on this herbal medicine from pharmacognosy to pharmaceuticals, as
      well as pharmacology. The extract of P. chinense was reported to have significant
      liver protective effects through anti-oxidation, reduction of key enzyme levels,
      inhibition of hepatitis B virus DNA replication, and promotion of bile secretion.
      Based on the current knowledge, flavonoids and phenols are considered to be
      responsible for P. chinense's bioactivities. The main purpose of this review is
      to provide comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of the phytochemical and
      pharmacological studies performed on P. chinense during the past few decades.
      Moreover, it intends to provide new insights into the research and development of
      this herbal medicine.

PMID- 26119957
TI  - Alpha-Pinene Exhibits Anti-Inflammatory Activity Through the Suppression of MAPKs
      and the NF-kappaB Pathway in Mouse Peritoneal Macrophages.
AB  - In this study, we found that alpha-pinene (alpha-pinene) exhibits anti
      inflammatory activity through the suppression of mitogen-activated protein
      kinases (MAPKs) and the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) pathway in mouse
      peritoneal macrophages. alpha-Pinene is found in the oils of many coniferous
      trees and rosemary. We investigated the inhibitory effects of alpha-Pinene on
      inflammatory responses induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) using mouse peritoneal
      macrophages. alpha-Pinene significantly decreased the LPS-induced production of
      interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and nitric oxide
      (NO). alpha-Pinene also inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and
      cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expressions in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Additionally,
      the activations of MAPKs and NF-kappaB were attenuated by means of alpha-pinene
      treatment. These results indicate that alpha-pinene has an anti-inflammatory
      effect and that it is a potential candidate as a new drug to treat various
      inflammatory diseases. 

PMID- 26119958
TI  - Anti-Colon Cancer Effects of 6-Shogaol Through G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest by p53/p21
      cdc2/cdc25A Crosstalk.
AB  - Chemopreventive agents can be identified from botanicals. Recently, there has
      been strong support for the potential of 6-shogaol, a natural compound from
      dietary ginger (Zingiber officinale), in cancer chemoprevention. However, whether
      6-shogaol inhibits the growth of colorectal tumors in vivo remains unknown, and
      the underlying anticancer mechanisms have not been well characterized. In this
      work, we observed that 6-shogaol (15 mg/kg) significantly inhibited colorectal
      tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model. We show that 6-shogaol inhibited HCT-116
      and SW-480 cell proliferation with IC50 of 7.5 and 10 MUM, respectively. Growth
      of HCT-116 cells was arrested at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, primarily
      mediated by the up-regulation of p53, the CDK inhibitor p21(waf1/cip1) and
      GADD45alpha, and by the down-regulation of cdc2 and cdc25A. Using p53(-/-) and
      p53(+/+) HCT-116 cells, we confirmed that p53/p21 was the main pathway that
      contributed to the G2/M cell cycle arrest by 6-shogaol. 6-Shogaol induced
      apoptosis, mainly through the mitochondrial pathway, and the bcl-2 family might
      act as a key regulator. Our results demonstrated that 6-shogaol induces cancer
      cell death by inducing G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. 6-Shogaol could be
      an active natural product in colon cancer chemoprevention. 

PMID- 26119959
TI  - Antiproliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Activity of Diarylheptanoids Isolated from
      the Bark of Alnus japonica in Human Leukemia Cell Lines.
AB  - Alnus japonica Steud is a tree that grows in damp areas of mountain valleys and
      has been used as a traditional medicine in Asia. We investigated the
      antiproliferative activity of hirsutanone (Hir) and oregonin (Ore) in human
      cancer cell lines and elucidated their mechanisms of action. A cytotoxicity study
      using a panel of 12 human cancer and 4 normal cell lines indicated that Hir
      exhibited potent antiproliferative activity against 4 leukemia (Jurkat, U937, THP
      1, and HL-60) and 2 colon cancer cell lines (HCT-15 and Colo205). Although Ore
      suppressed the cell growth of Jurkat and THP-1, its inhibitory potency was weaker
      than that of Hir. The IC50 values of Hir and Ore in Jurkat were 11.37 MUM and
      22.16 MUM, respectively. Further analysis on Jurkat cells demonstrated that Hir
      caused a sequence of events involved in apoptosis, including nuclear
      morphological changes and accumulation of cells with sub-G1 DNA content. Hir led
      to the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and activation of caspase
      3, -8, and -9. In addition, Hir-induced PARP cleavage was completely abolished by
      specific inhibitors to these caspases. Our data suggested that Hir is a potent
      antiproliferative compound against the 4 leukemia cell lines and the 2 colon
      cancer cell lines tested. Furthermore, Hir exerts antiproliferative actions via
      caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death. 

PMID- 26119960
TI  - Maintenance Therapy Improves Survival Outcomes in Patients with Advanced Non
      small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-analysis of 14 Studies.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim was to investigate whether maintenance therapy (MT) is
      sufficient or not to improve overall survival (OS) and progress-free survival
      (PFS) of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. METHODS:
      Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between 1990 and 2013 were
      retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, ISTP, clinicaltrials.org, and ASCO conference
      proceeding. Patients' characteristics, OS, progress-free survival, and hazard
      ratios were extracted. Data were analyzed using RevMan 5.2. Fourteen RCTs
      involving 6198 individuals were included. RESULTS: Compared with placebo,
      observation or best supportive care (BSC), patients receiving single agent (SA)
      MT had an improved OS (hazard ratio, HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.79-0.91; p < 0.05) and PFS
      (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.57-0.73; p < 0.05). In a sub-group analysis of SA MT versus
      placebo, observation or BSC, we found that switch MT using SA provided an
      improved OS (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.79-0.91; p < 0.05). For multiple agent (MA) versus
      SA MT, a prolonged PFS (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.52-0.88; p < 0.05) but not OS (HR 0.96,
      95% CI 0.86-1.07; p > 0.05) was observed for MA. A significant prolonged PFS was
      observed in MA switch MT (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.58-0.86; p < 0.05) versus SA MT.
      However, no significant improvement in OS was observed for MA versus SA MT,
      indicating that switch MT (HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.73-1.12; p > 0.05) and continuous MT
      (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.86-1.11; p > 0.05) showed similar effect on OS. CONCLUSION: SA
      switch MT is associated with improved OS and PFS in patients with advanced NSCLC.
      MA switch MT is sufficient to improve PFS, but not OS.

PMID- 26119961
TI  - 4beta-hydroxycholesterol as an endogenous CYP3A marker in cancer patients treated
      with taxanes.
AB  - AIM: Taxanes are anti-cancer agents used to treat several types of solid tumours.
      They are metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A, displaying a large
      pharmacokinetic (PK) variability. In this study, we evaluated the endogenous
      CYP3A4 marker 4beta-hydroxycholesterol (4beta-OHC) as a potential individual
      taxane PK predictor. METHODS: Serum 4beta-OHC and cholesterol concentrations were
      determined in 291 paclitaxel and 151 docetaxel-treated patients, and were
      subsequently correlated with taxane clearance. RESULTS: In the patients treated
      with paclitaxel, no clinically relevant correlations between the 4beta-OHC or
      4beta-OHC : cholesterol ratio and paclitaxel clearance were found. In the
      patients treated with docetaxel, 4beta-OHC concentration was weakly correlated
      with docetaxel clearance in males (r = 0.35 P = 0.01, 95% CI 0.08, 0.58). Of the
      10% patients with taxane outlier clearance values, 4beta-OHC did correlate with
      docetaxel clearance in males (r = 0.76, P = 0.03, 95% CI 0.12, 0.95). CONCLUSION:
      There was no clinical correlation between paclitaxel clearance and the CYP3A4
      activity markers 4beta-OHC or the 4beta-OHC : cholesterol ratio. A weak
      correlation was observed between 4beta-OHC and docetaxel clearance, but only in
      males. This endogenous CYP3A4 marker has limited predictive value for taxane
      clearance in patients.

PMID- 26119963
TI  - Modelling wound closure in an epithelial cell sheet using the cellular Potts
      model.
AB  - We use a two-dimensional cellular Potts model to represent the behavior of an
      epithelial cell layer and describe its dynamics in response to a microscopic
      wound. Using an energy function to describe properties of the cells, we found
      that the interaction between contractile tension along cell-cell junctions and
      cell-cell adhesion plays an important role not only in determining the dynamics
      and morphology of cells in the monolayer, but also in influencing whether or not
      a wound in the monolayer will close. Our results suggest that, depending on the
      balance between cell-cell adhesion and junctional tension, mechanics of the
      monolayer can either correspond to a hard or a soft regime that determines cell
      morphology and polygonal organization in the monolayer. Moreover, the presence of
      a wound in a hard regime, where junctional tension is significant, can lead to
      two results: (1) wound closure or (2) an initial increase and expansion of the
      wound area towards an equilibrium value. Theoretical approximations and
      simulations allowed us to determine the thresholds in the values of cell-cell
      adhesion and initial wound size that allow the system to lead to wound closure.
      Overall, our results suggest that around the site of injury, changes in the
      balance between contraction and adhesion determine whether or not non-monotonous
      wound closure occurs. 

PMID- 26119962
TI  - The antimicrobial propeptide hCAP-18 plasma levels in neutropenia of various
      aetiologies: a prospective study.
AB  - The underlying cause of neutropenia may be difficult to determine due to similar
      clinical presentation in many neutropenic conditions. The neutrophil protein hCAP
      18 (pro-LL-37) is a major component of neutrophil secondary granules and in this
      prospective study we assessed the use of hCAP-18 levels in blood plasma for
      differential diagnosis of neutropenic patients (n = 133) of various aetiologies.
      Plasma levels of hCAP-18 were determined using immunoblot and ELISA. Patients
      with severe congenital neutropenia (n = 23) presented with the lowest levels of
      plasma hCAP-18 and differential diagnostic accuracy revealed high sensitivity
      (100%) and specificity (98.8%) for hCAP-18 ELISA. The correlation coefficient of
      the hCAP-18 ELISA versus immunoblotting was (R = 0.831) and that of the peptide
      LL-37 ELISA versus immunoblotting was (R = 0.405) (P < 0.001). Plasma hCAP-18
      levels thus displayed high diagnostic value in differential diagnosis of chronic
      neutropenia. Neutropenic patients with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, Barth
      syndrome, Cohen syndrome, acute myeloid leukaemia and specific granule deficiency
      presented with reduced plasma hCAP-18 levels as well. The blood plasma level of
      hCAP-18 was thus low in conditions in which the neutrophil antibacterial
      propeptide hCAP-18 is deficient, i.e. severe congenital neutropenia and
      neutrophil-specific granule deficiency, and in conditions in which bone marrow
      myelopoiesis is negatively affected.

PMID- 26119964
TI  - Positive effect of growth hormone treatment in maternal uniparental disomy
      chromosome 14.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 14 (matUPD(14)) resembles
      Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). As positive effects of growth hormone (GH) are
      observed in individuals with PWS, treatment with GH may be useful in individuals
      with matUPD(14) as well. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of
      GH treatment on growth and body composition in children with matUPD(14). DESIGN:
      This is a prospective observational study of GH treatment in two girls with
      matUPD(14) during 2 years, and spontaneous growth in another matUPD(14) girl of
      similar age. PATIENTS: Three girls (patient A, B and C, aged 8.9, 11.4 and 12.7
      years, respectively) with matUPD(14) were included in this study. MEASUREMENTS:
      Patients A and B were treated with GH during 2 years. Patient C was not treated
      with GH, as she was diagnosed at an age at which she attained near-final height.
      Main outcome measures included height, weight, body proportions, IGF-1, bone age,
      and DXA scan for body composition. RESULTS: In both treated girls, a considerable
      increase in height (from -2.3SD and -1.2SD to -1.2SD and -0.6SD, respectively)
      and IGF-1 levels (from +0.1SD and -1.4SD to +1.3SD and +0.9SD, respectively) and,
      in patient A, a decrease in weight (+1.2 SD to -0.7SD), and improved body
      composition (fat percentage from 51.5% to 45.4%) were found. Both experienced
      improved muscle strength. CONCLUSIONS: GH treatment in matUPD(14) cases can show
      beneficial effects on growth and body composition if started in time. Larger,
      international studies to determine detailed effectivity and side effects are
      suggested.

PMID- 26119965
TI  - Gaining a 'proper sense' of what happens out there: An 'Academic Bush Camp' to
      promote rural placements for students.
AB  - Undergraduates who undertake rural placements often choose a rural career.
      Reluctance from universities to send students to rural settings limits placement
      numbers. The Western Australian Centre for Rural Health (WACRH) invited allied
      health and nursing academics and clinical placement coordinators from Western
      Australian (WA) universities to an Academic Bush Camp. Based on situated learning
      theory, this camp modelled student programs through experiential learning and
      structured workshops. It aimed to build relationships and showcase innovative
      rural learning opportunities. OBJECTIVE: To build relationships and showcase
      innovative rural learning opportunities. DESIGN: An evaluation of a residential
      camp based on situated learning theory. SETTING: The camp stated and finished in
      Geraldton, WA and was centered in Mt Magnet, WA a remote town 600 kilometres
      northeast of Perth. PARTICIPANTS: WACRH invited allied health and nursing
      academics and clinical placement coordinators from Western Australian (WA)
      universities. INTERVENTION: This camp modelled student programs through
      experiential learning and structured workshops. Online pre- and post-camp
      questionnaires included open-ended questions and questions on a 5-point Likert
      scale. Responses were analysed in SPSS 22 using descriptive statistics and
      Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Follow-up phone interviews six months later assessed
      longer-term reflections and changes in student placement practice. MAIN OUTCOME
      MEASURES: The main outcome measure was whether the camp met participants'
      expectations, and their knowledge about and interest in WACRH's programs.
      RESULTS: Twelve academics from five WA universities and seven health disciplines
      attended. Nine had previously lived or worked rurally. The camp met participants'
      expectations and all would recommend the opportunity to a colleague. Many valued
      the interaction with community and clinical placement partners and would have
      preferred more of this. The camp increased awareness of WACRH's programs and
      benefits of longer rural placements and a service-learning environment. Six
      months later, participants' familiarity with WACRH's placement model, supports
      and staff had led to an enhanced willingness to place students. CONCLUSION: Rural
      academics can influence rural placement intentions by demonstrating the
      infrastructure, learning and academic support available. A camp experience
      increases metropolitan academics' awareness of rural placement programs and
      willingness to encourage student participation. Participants with rural
      backgrounds appeared more receptive to rural learning possibilities.

PMID- 26119967
TI  - Breast augmentation in transgender women and the lack of adherence amongst
      plastic surgeons to professional standards of care.

PMID- 26119966
TI  - Mathematical model reveals how regulating the three phases of T-cell response
      could counteract immune evasion.
AB  - T cells are key players in immune action against the invasion of target cells
      expressing non-self antigens. During an immune response, antigen-specific T cells
      dynamically sculpt the antigenic distribution of target cells, and target cells
      concurrently shape the host's repertoire of antigen-specific T cells. The
      succession of these reciprocal selective sweeps can result in 'chase-and-escape'
      dynamics and lead to immune evasion. It has been proposed that immune evasion can
      be countered by immunotherapy strategies aimed at regulating the three phases of
      the immune response orchestrated by antigen-specific T cells: expansion,
      contraction and memory. Here, we test this hypothesis with a mathematical model
      that considers the immune response as a selection contest between T cells and
      target cells. The outcomes of our model suggest that shortening the duration of
      the contraction phase and stabilizing as many T cells as possible inside the long
      lived memory reservoir, using dual immunotherapies based on the cytokines
      interleukin-7 and/or interleukin-15 in combination with molecular factors that
      can keep the immunomodulatory action of these interleukins under control, should
      be an important focus of future immunotherapy research. 

PMID- 26119968
TI  - An investigation and comparison of the effectiveness of different exercise
      programmes in improving glucose metabolism and pancreatic beta cell function of
      type 2 diabetes patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Moderately intensive aerobic exercise can improve glucose metabolism
      and pancreatic beta cell function in diabetic patients. To date, there is no
      evidence to support the long-term effectiveness of home-based exercise
      interventions on these outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the
      effectiveness of two moderately intense exercise programmes on glucose metabolism
      and pancreatic beta cell function in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.
      METHODS: A randomised controlled trial of 120 T2DM patients (with a mean age of
      55.54 +/- 9.09 years) was conducted. Patients were assigned by block
      randomisation to either an aerobic exercise group (AEG), an accumulated million
      steps group (AMSG), or a control group (CG); each consisting of 40 patients.
      Glucose metabolism and pancreatic beta cell function of patients were measured at
      three time intervals for 1 year. RESULTS: There was no difference in baseline
      scores, and respective compliance rates for the AEG and AMSG were 94.4% and
      99.2%. After generalised estimating equation analysis, the AMSG results for
      glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) were significantly lower than those of the CG. The
      insulinogenic index-acute insulin response (BIGTT-AIR ) of both exercise groups
      was significantly higher than that of the CG. The AMSG group improved their
      overall HbA1c and BIGTT-AIR results compared with the AEG group after 3 months
      exercise programme (T1 ) and 12 months of implementation (T2 ). CONCLUSION: This
      study demonstrates that regardless of the type of exercise intervention, it is
      potentially beneficially effective for glucose metabolism and pancreatic beta
      cell function in T2DM patients. The AMSG had better glucose metabolism and
      pancreatic beta cell function compared with those in the AEG. Nurses can easily
      integrate exercise interventions into T2DM patient care plans.

PMID- 26119969
TI  - Placental and fetal cysteine dioxygenase gene expression in mouse gestation.
AB  - Nutrient sulfate is important for fetal development. The fetus has a limited
      capacity to generate sulfate and relies on maternal sulfate supplied via the
      placenta. The gestational age when fetal sulfate generation begins is unknown but
      would require cysteine dioxygenase (CDO1) which mediates a major step of sulfate
      production from cysteine. We investigated the ontogeny of Cdo1 mRNA expression in
      mouse fetal and placental tissues, which showed increasing levels from embryonic
      day 10.5 and was localised to the decidua and several fetal tissues including
      nasal cavities and brain. These findings suggest a role for Cdo1 in sulfate
      generation from mid-gestation. 

PMID- 26119971
TI  - Primary percutaneous coronary intervention by drug-eluting balloon angioplasty:
      the nonrandomized fourth arm of the DEB-AMI (drug-eluting balloon in ST-segment
      elevation myocardial infarction) trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a paclitaxel drug-eluting balloon (DEB) only strategy in
      primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI), aiming at a comparison with
      bare metal stent (BMS) alone, DEB followed by BMS, and paclitaxel eluting stent
      (PES), as assessed in the randomized Drug Eluting Balloon in Acute ST-Segment
      Elevation Myocardial Infarction (DEB-AMI) trial. BACKGROUND: DEB-only seems an
      attractive strategy in PPCI, as it obviates the risk of stent thrombosis.
      METHODS: This study is a prospective registry with the same inclusion/exclusion
      criteria used in the DEB-AMI trial, as it constitutes the fourth, nonrandomized,
      treatment arm of this trial. Patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial
      infarction were allocated to DEB-only (DIOR II, Eurocor GmbH, Bonn, Germany)
      after successful thrombus aspiration and predilatation. Primary endpoint was 6
      month angiographic in-balloon/stent late-luminal loss (LLL). Secondary endpoints
      were in-balloon/stent binary restenosis and major adverse cardiac events (MACE:
      death, myocardial infarction, target-vessel revascularization). RESULTS: Forty
      patients underwent PPCI by DEB-only. Procedural success was achieved in 97.5%
      with bail-out stenting required in 10.0% of procedures. In DEB-only, LLL was 0.51
      +/- 0.59 mm as compared to 0.74 +/- 0.57 mm in BMS (P = 0.44), 0.64 +/- 0.56 mm
      in DEB+BMS (P = 0.88) and 0.21 +/- 0.32 mm in PES (P < 0.01); in-balloon/stent
      binary restenosis rates were 22.2%, 23.8% (P = 0.67), 28.6% (P = 0.97), and 4.5%
      (P = 0.07), respectively; and MACE rates were 17.5%, 23.5% (P = 0.20), 20.0% (P =
      0.26), and 4.1% (P = 0.90), respectively. No acute or late thrombotic events
      occurred in the DEB-only group. CONCLUSIONS: PPCI by DEB-only in selected
      patients yielded an angiographic outcome comparable to BMS alone and DEB followed
      by BMS. PES proved angiographic superiority to DEB-only. DEB-only is therefore a
      potential treatment alternative during PPCI in patients with contra-indications
      to drug-eluting stents.

PMID- 26119970
TI  - Effects of prenatal factors and temperament on infant cortisol regulation in low
      income Mexican American families.
AB  - Prenatal psychosocial exposures can significantly affect infant health and
      development. Infants with higher temperamental negativity are theorized to be
      more susceptible to environmental exposures. We evaluated the interaction of
      prenatal maternal exposures and infant temperamental negativity to predict infant
      cortisol response to mildly challenging mother-infant interaction tasks.
      Participants included 322 Mexican American mother-infant dyads (mother age 18-42;
      82% Spanish-speaking; modal family income $10,000-$15,000). Mothers reported
      depressive symptoms and social support prenatally and infant temperamental
      negativity at 6 weeks postpartum. Salivary cortisol was collected from infants
      before and after mother-infant interaction tasks at 12 weeks. Higher prenatal
      maternal depressive symptoms and lower social support predicted higher cortisol
      among infants with higher temperamental negativity. Higher infant temperamental
      negativity predicted an increase in maternal distress and a decrease in social
      support from prenatal to 12 weeks postpartum. Interactive influences of maternal
      social-contextual factors and infant temperament may influence the development of
      infant neurobiological regulation and promote or strain maternal and infant
      adaptation over time.

PMID- 26119972
TI  - A case of XLF deficiency presented with diffuse large B cell lymphoma in the
      brain.

PMID- 26119973
TI  - Pyridylidene-Mediated Dihydrogen Activation Coupled with Catalytic Imine
      Reduction.
AB  - In recent years, dihydrogen activation at non-metallic centers has received
      increasing attention. A system in which dihydrogen is trapped by a pyridylidene
      intermediate that is generated from a pyridinium salt and a base is now reported.
      The dihydropyridine formed in this process can act as reducing agent towards
      organic electrophiles. By coupling the hydrogen-activation step with subsequent
      hydride transfer from the dihydropyridine to an imine, a catalytic process was
      established. Treatment of the N-phenylimine of phenyl trifluoromethyl ketone with
      5-20 mol% of N-mesityl-3,5-bis(2,6-dimethylphenyl)pyridinium triflate and 0.3-1.0
      equivalents of LiN(SiMe3)2 under 50 bar of hydrogen gas resulted in high
      conversion into the corresponding amine.

PMID- 26119974
TI  - Endomicrobium proavitum, the first isolate of Endomicrobia class. nov. (phylum
      Elusimicrobia)--an ultramicrobacterium with an unusual cell cycle that fixes
      nitrogen with a Group IV nitrogenase.
AB  - The bacterial tree contains many deep-rooting clades without any cultured
      representatives. One such clade is 'Endomicrobia', a class-level lineage in the
      phylum Elusimicrobia represented so far only by intracellular symbionts of
      termite gut flagellates. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of
      the first free-living member of this clade from sterile-filtered gut homogenate
      of defaunated (starch-fed) Reticulitermes santonensis. Strain Rsa215 is a
      strictly anaerobic ultramicrobacterium that grows exclusively on glucose, which
      is fermented to lactate, acetate, hydrogen and CO2. Ultrastructural analysis
      revealed a Gram-negative cell envelope and a peculiar cell cycle. The genome
      contains a single set of nif genes that encode homologues of Group IV
      nitrogenases, which were so far considered to have functions other than nitrogen
      fixation. We documented nitrogenase activity and diazotrophic growth by measuring
      acetylene reduction activity and (15)N2 incorporation into cell mass, and
      demonstrated that transcription of nifH and nitrogenase activity occur only in
      the absence of ammonium. Based on the ancestral relationship to 'Candidatus
      Endomicrobium trichonymphae' and other obligate endosymbionts, we propose the
      name 'Endomicrobium proavitum' gen. nov., sp. nov. for the first isolate of this
      lineage and the name 'Endomicrobia' class. nov. for the entire clade.

PMID- 26119975
TI  - Southern California tightens rules on air pollution.

PMID- 26119976
TI  - Dynamic photoinduced realignment processes in photoresponsive block copolymer
      films: effects of the chain length and block copolymer architecture.
AB  - A series of block copolymers composed of an amorphous poly(butyl methacrylate)
      (PBMA) block connected with an azobenzene (Az)-containing liquid crystalline
      (PAz) block were synthesized by changing the chain length and polymer
      architecture. With these block copolymer films, the dynamic realignment process
      of microphase separated (MPS) cylinder arrays of PBMA in the PAz matrix induced
      by irradiation with linearly polarized light was studied by UV-visible absorption
      spectroscopy, and time-resolved grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering
      (GI-SAXS) measurements using a synchrotron beam. Unexpectedly, the change in the
      chain length hardly affected the realignment rate. In contrast, the architecture
      of the AB-type diblock or the ABA-type triblock essentially altered the
      realignment feature. The strongly cooperative motion with an induction period
      before realignment was characteristic only for the diblock copolymer series, and
      the LPL-induced alignment change immediately started for triblock copolymers and
      the PAz homopolymer. Additionally, a marked acceleration in the photoinduced
      dynamic motions was unveiled in comparison with a thermal randomization process. 

PMID- 26119977
TI  - Emerging enantiomeric resolution materials with homochiral nano-fabrications.
AB  - The major scientific challenge of enantiomeric separation is to develop simple,
      rapid, and sensitive routine analytical methods. Generally, enantio-resolution is
      still based on "three-point interaction" theory, which indicates that homochiral
      sites are needed for enantio-selective interaction. However, in recent years,
      advanced materials with precise homochiral fabrication at the nanoscale have been
      synthesized, and have shown great potential in development of high-throughput
      enantio-resolution methods. This tutorial review summarizes fabrication and
      applications of homochiral materials for enantio-selective recognition and
      separation. These materials, which include intrinsic and restructured chiral
      metal surfaces, plasmonic nanostructures, coordination polymers, organic polymer
      sensors, and molecularly imprinted polymers, have been applied as sensors or
      chiral stationary phases (CSPs) for efficient enantio-resolution. 

PMID- 26119978
TI  - Epidural spinal involvement of Erdheim-Chester disease causing myelopathy.
AB  - We present a 25-year-old woman with Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) presenting with
      progressive myelopathy from multiple compressive spinal epidural lesions who
      required cervicothoracic decompression and fusion, and summarize the literature
      on epidural spinal involvement of ECD. ECD is a rare non-Langerhans histiocytosis
      affecting multiple organ systems through infiltration and characteristically
      causing multifocal osteosclerosis. Central nervous system involvement,
      particularly of the spine, is rare.

PMID- 26119979
TI  - Primary angiitis of the central nervous system presenting as a mass lesion.
AB  - We report a 51-year-old Asian man with primary angiitis of the central nervous
      system (PACNS) with atypical presentation as a mass lesion. PACNS is an uncommon
      condition causing inflammation and destruction of the blood vessels of the
      central nervous system. The aetiology is unclear and multiple mechanisms have
      been proposed. Its incidence is estimated at 2.4 per million per year, affecting
      patients of all ages (median 50 years) and more commonly Caucasian men. In
      Australia, 12 patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for PACNS between 1998
      and 2009 at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, a university-affiliated tertiary
      referral centre. The accurate and timely diagnosis of PACNS is very challenging
      due to disease mimicry and the absence of specific serological tests. This
      patient illustrates additional diagnostic difficulty with his atypical PACNS
      presentation as a mass lesion.

PMID- 26119980
TI  - Hydrothermal synthesis, evolution, and electrochemical performance of
      LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4 nanostructures.
AB  - LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4 (LMFP) materials are synthesized by the hydrothermal approach in
      an organic-free and surfactant-free aqueous solution. The phase and morphological
      evolution of the material intermediates at different reaction temperatures and
      times are characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM, respectively. The results show that
      during temperature increase, the solubility product (Ksp) of the precursors
      (Li3PO4, Fe3(PO4)2 and (Mn,Fe)3(PO4)2) is the decisive parameter for the
      precipitation processes. Once the temperature locates at the range of 100-110 
      degrees C, the unstable precursors dissolve quickly and then LMFP nuclei are
      formed, followed by a dissolution-reprecipitation process. As the reaction
      progresses, the primary particles self-aggregate to form rod or plate particles
      to reduce the overall surface energy through oriented attachment (OA) and the
      Ostwald ripening (OR) mechanism. Moreover, the resultant concentration of the
      precursor significantly affects the crystal size of LMFP by altering the
      supersaturation degree of solution at the nucleation stage. The carbon coated
      LMFP nanostructure synthesized at 0.6 mol L(-1) (resultant concentration of PO4(3
      )) delivers discharge capacities of 155, 100 and 81 mA h g(-1) at 0.1, 5 and 20 C
      rate, respectively. The understanding of nanostructural evolution and its
      influence on the electrochemical performance will pave a way for a high
      performance LMFP cathode. 

PMID- 26119981
TI  - Decreasing effect and mechanism of moisture content of sludge biomass by
      granulation process.
AB  - Disposal of a high volume of sludge significantly raises water treatment costs. A
      method for cultivating aerobic granules in a sequencing batch airlift bioreactor
      to significantly produce lower moisture content is described. Results indicate
      that optimization of settling time and control of the shear stresses acted on the
      granules. The diameter of the granule was within the range of 1.0-4.0 mm, and its
      sludge volume index was stabilized at 40-50 mL g(-1). Its specific gravity was
      increased by a factor of 0.0392, and specific oxygen uptake rate reached 60.126
      mg h(-1) g(-1). Moreover, the percentage of its moisture content in the reactor
      ranged from 96.73% to 97.67%, and sludge volume was reduced to approximately 60%,
      greatly due to the presence of extracellular polymeric substances in the
      granules, as well as changes in their hydrophobic protein content. The removal
      rate of chemical oxygen demand and [Formula: see text] reaches up to 92.6% and
      98%, respectively. The removal rates of total phosphorus is over 85%. Therefore,
      aerobic granular sludge process illustrates a good biological activity.

PMID- 26119982
TI  - The Corepressor Rcor1 Is Essential for Normal Myeloerythroid Lineage
      Differentiation.
AB  - Based on its physical interactions with histone-modifying enzymes, the
      transcriptional corepressor Rcor1 has been implicated in the epigenetic
      regulation blood cell development. Previously, we have demonstrated that Rcor1 is
      essential for the maturation of definitive erythroid cells and fetal survival. To
      determine the functional role of Rcor1 in steady-state hematopoiesis in the
      adult, we used a conditional knockout approach. Here, we show that the loss of
      Rcor1 expression results in the rapid onset of severe anemia due to a complete,
      cell autonomous block in the maturation of committed erythroid progenitors. By
      contrast, both the frequency of megakaryocyte progenitors and their capacity to
      produce platelets were normal. Although the frequency of common lymphoid
      progenitors and T cells was not altered, B cells were significantly reduced and
      showed increased apoptosis. However, Rcor1-deficient bone marrow sustained normal
      levels of B-cells following transplantation, indicating a non-cell autonomous
      requirement for Rcor1 in B-cell survival. Evaluation of the myelomonocytic
      lineage revealed an absence of mature neutrophils and a significant increase in
      the absolute number of monocytic cells. Rcor1-deficient monocytes were less
      apoptotic and showed ~100-fold more colony-forming activity than their normal
      counterparts, but did not give rise to leukemia. Moreover, Rcor1(-/-) monocytes
      exhibited extensive, cytokine-dependent self-renewal and overexpressed genes
      associated with hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell expansion including Gata2,
      Meis1, and Hoxa9. Taken together, these data demonstrate that Rcor1 is essential
      for the normal differentiation of myeloerythroid progenitors and for
      appropriately regulating self-renewal activity in the monocyte lineage.

PMID- 26119983
TI  - Molecular descriptors calculation as a tool in the analysis of the
      antileishmanial activity achieved by two series of diselenide derivatives. An
      insight into its potential action mechanism.
AB  - A molecular modeling study has been carried out on two previously reported series
      of symmetric diselenide derivatives that show remarkable antileishmanial in vitro
      activity against Leishmania infantum intracellular amastigotes and in infected
      macrophages (THP-1 cells), in addition to showing favorable selectivity indices.
      Series 1 consists of compounds that can be considered as central scaffold
      constructed with a diaryl/dialkylaryl diselenide central nucleus, decorated with
      different substituents located on the aryl rings. Series 2 consists of compounds
      constructed over a diaryl diselenide central nucleus, decorated in 4 and 4'
      positions with an aryl or heteroaryl sulfonamide fragment, thus forming the
      diselenosulfonamide derivatives. With regard to the diselenosulfonamide
      derivatives (2 series), the activity can be related, as a first approximation,
      with (a) the ability to release bis(4-aminophenyl) diselenide, the common
      fragment which can be ultimately responsible for the activity of the compounds.
      (b) the anti-parasitic activity achieved by the sulfonamide pharmacophore present
      in the analyzed derivatives. The data that support this connection include the
      topography of the molecules, the conformational behavior of the compounds, which
      influences the bond order, as well as the accessibility of the hydrolysis point,
      and possibly the hydrophobicity and polarizability of the compounds. 

PMID- 26119984
TI  - Designing of potential inhibitors against Staphylococcus aureus sortase A:
      Combined analogue and structure based approach with in vitro validation.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus sortase A is an attractive target of Gram-positive bacteria
      that plays a crucial role in anchoring of surface proteins to peptidoglycan
      present in bacterial cell wall. Inhibiting sortase A is an elementary and
      essential effort in preventing the pathogenesis. In this context, in silico
      virtual screening of in-house database was performed using ligand based
      pharmacophore model as a filter. The developed pharmacophore model AAHR 11
      consists of two acceptors, one hydrophobic and one ring aromatic feature. Top
      ranked molecule KKR1 was docked into the active site of the target. After
      profound analysis, it was analyzed and optimized based on the observations from
      its binding pose orientation. Upgraded version of KKR1 was KKR2 and has improved
      docking score, binding interactions and best fit in the binding pocket. KKR1
      along with KKR2 were further validated using 100 ns molecular dynamic studies.
      Both KKR1 and KKR2 contain Indole-thiazolidine moiety and were synthesized. The
      disk diffusion assay has good initial results (ZI of KKR1, KKR2 were 24, 38 mm at
      10 MUg/mL and ZI of Ampicillin was 22 at 10 MUg/mL) and calculated MICs of the
      molecules (KKR1 5.56+/-0.28 MUg/mL, KKR2 1.32+/-0.12 MUg/mL, Ampicillin 8+/-1.1
      MUg/mL) were in good agreement with standard drug Ampicillin. KKR1 has shown IC50
      of 1.23+/-0.14 MUM whereas the optimized lead molecule KKR2 show IC50 of 0.008+/
      0.07 MUM. Results from in silico were validated by in vitro studies and proved
      that indole-thiazolidine molecules would be useful for future development as lead
      molecules against S. aureus sortase A.

PMID- 26119985
TI  - Introducing biological features at diagnosis improves the relapse risk
      stratification in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia treated with ATRA
      and chemotherapy.

PMID- 26119986
TI  - bioCSL Limited's 2009 clinical trial to assess the immunogenicity and safety of
      trivalent influenza vaccine in US children raises concern.

PMID- 26119987
TI  - Improving eye care follow-up adherence in diabetic patients with ocular
      abnormalities: the effectiveness of patient contracts in a free, pharmacy-based
      eye screening.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Patient contracts are increasingly utilized in medical practice and
      have the potential to improve health outcomes in high-risk populations. However,
      as a relatively new tool, there has been limited research regarding the efficacy
      of patient contracts. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of
      vision impairment in adults in the US and only 50-60% of adults with diabetes
      adhere to annual dilated fundus exam recommendations. This study aimed to
      evaluate the impact of patient contracts on follow-up adherence in diabetic
      patients with ocular abnormalities after a free, pharmacy-based eye screening.
      STUDY DESIGN: This prospective study implemented a non-invasive, non-mydriatic
      fundus camera in an urban, community-based pharmacy setting to screen for ocular
      diseases in patients with diabetes. Patients were assigned to the contract or non
      contract group. Patients who signed a contract agreed to: 1) review their results
      with their primary care doctor, 2) follow-up with an ophthalmologist if their
      results were abnormal, and 3) inform research staff if/when they completed an eye
      care appointment. All study participants and their primary care doctors were
      notified of their results via mail. Follow-up questionnaires were administered to
      all patients by telephone three months after the screening results. RESULTS: 500
      patients were screened and 113 (22.6%) had abnormal results. Of the patients who
      had abnormal results, 83 (74.3%) were able to be contacted. Of the 83 patients
      who were able to be contacted, the majority of patients were African American
      (73.5%) and female (56.6%). The mean age was 54.7 years. Of those, 34 (41.0%)
      adhered to follow-up recommendations. There was no significant difference in
      follow-up adherence between the contract (38.1%) and non-contract group (43.9%)
      (P = 0.59). In addition, 70.4% of patients did not comply with at least one
      measure of the contract agreement. CONCLUSION: Contracts did not increase follow
      up adherence to eye appointments in diabetic patients with ocular abnormalities.
      The majority of patients did not comply with their contract and follow-up
      adherence was low in both groups. Most research has yielded mixed results
      regarding the efficacy of contracts in improving health outcomes. Therefore,
      different types of contracts or other patient-centered tools should be evaluated
      in order to increase follow-up adherence in patients at high risk for DR.

PMID- 26119988
TI  - Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours on doping and supplements in young football
      players in Italy.

PMID- 26119989
TI  - Population-level effects and recovery of aquatic invertebrates after multiple
      applications of an insecticide.
AB  - Standard risk assessment of plant protection products (PPP) combines "worst-case"
      exposure scenarios with effect thresholds using assessment (safety) factors to
      account for uncertainties. If needed, risks can be addressed applying more
      realistic conditions at higher tiers, which refine exposure and/or effect
      assessments using additional data. However, it is not possible to investigate the
      wide range of potential scenarios experimentally. In contrast, ecotoxicological
      mechanistic effect models do allow for addressing a multitude of scenarios.
      Furthermore, they may aid the interpretation of experiments such as mesocosm
      studies, allowing extrapolation to conditions not covered in experiments. Here,
      we explore how to use mechanistic effect models in the aquatic risk assessment of
      a model insecticide (Modelmethrin), applied several times per season but rapidly
      dissipating between applications. The case study focuses on potential effects on
      aquatic arthropods, the most sensitive group for this substance. The models
      provide information on the impact of a number of short exposure pulses on
      sensitive and/or vulnerable populations and, when impacted, assess recovery. The
      species to model were selected based on their sensitivity in laboratory and field
      (mesocosm) studies. The general unified threshold model for survival (GUTS)
      model, which describes the toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of chemicals in
      individuals, was linked to 3 individual-based models (IBM), translating
      individual survival of sensitive organisms into population-level effects. The
      impact of pulsed insecticide exposures on populations were modeled using the
      spatially explicit IBM metapopulation model for assessing spatial and temporal
      effects of pesticides (MASTEP) for Gammarus pulex, the Chaoborus IBM for
      populations of Chaoborus crystallinus, and the "IdamP" model for populations of
      Daphnia magna. The different models were able to predict the potential effects of
      Modelmethrin applications to key arthropod species inhabiting different aquatic
      ecosystems; the most sensitive species were significantly impacted unless
      respective mitigation measures were implemented (buffer zones resulting in
      reduced exposure). As expected the impact was stronger in shallow ditches as
      compared to deeper pond scenarios. Furthermore, as expected, recovery depended on
      factors such as temperature (affecting population growth rate and number of
      generations) and the occurence of nonimpacted aquatic ecosystems (their frequency
      and connectivity). These model predictions were largely in line with field
      observations and/or the results of a mesocosm study, providing additional
      evidence on the suitability and reliability of the models for risk assessment
      purposes. Because of their flexibility, models may predict the likelihood of
      unacceptable effects-based on previously defined protection goals-for a range of
      insecticide exposure scenarios and freshwater habitats.

PMID- 26119990
TI  - Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking of N-phenyl
      thiosemicarbazones as urease inhibitors.
AB  - Urease is an important enzyme which breaks urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide
      during metabolic processes. However, an elevated activity of urease causes
      various complications of clinical importance. The inhibition of urease activity
      with small molecules as inhibitors is an effective strategy for therapeutic
      intervention. Herein, we have synthesized a series of 19 benzofurane linked N
      phenyl semithiocarbazones (3a-3s). All the compounds were screened for enzyme
      inhibitor activity against Jack bean urease. The synthesized N-phenyl
      thiosemicarbazones had varying activity levels with IC50 values between 0.077 +/-
      0.001 and 24.04 +/- 0.14 MUM compared to standard inhibitor, thiourea (IC50 = 21
      +/- 0.11 MUM). The activities of these compounds may be due to their close
      resemblance of thiourea. A docking study with Jack bean urease (PDB ID: 4H9M)
      revealed possible binding modes of N-phenyl thiosemicarbazones.

PMID- 26119991
TI  - Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of new N(4)-Substituted 2'-deoxy-2'
      fluoro-4'-azido cytidine derivatives as potent anti-HBV agents.
AB  - A series of new 2'-deoxy-2'-beta-fluoro-4'-azido-beta-d-arabinofuranosyl cytidine
      derivatives bearing heteroatom-containing N(4)-substituents were designed and
      synthesized. Antiviral screening in HepG2.2.15 cells identified three analogs
      (1a, 1d &1g) with good anti-HBV activity and low cytotoxicty. Of them, compound
      1g exhibited significant inhibitory activity on both HBV antigens secretion
      (EC50, HBsAg = 9 nM, EC50, HBeAg = 0.25 MUM) and viral DNA replication
      (intracellular, EC50 = 0.099 MUM; extracellular, EC50 < 0.01 MUM). 

PMID- 26119992
TI  - Synthesis, cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity of thiourea derivatives
      incorporating 3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl moiety.
AB  - A total of 31 of thiourea derivatives was prepared reacting 3
      (trifluoromethyl)aniline and commercial aliphatic and aromatic isothiocyanates.
      The yields varied from 35% to 82%. All compounds were evaluated in vitro for
      antimicrobial activity. Derivatives 3, 5, 6, 9, 15, 24 and 27 showed the highest
      inhibition against Gram-positive cocci (standard and hospital strains). The
      observed MIC values were in the range of 0.25-16 MUg/ml. Inhibitory activity of
      thioureas 5 and 15 against topoisomerase IV isolated from Staphylococcus aureus
      was studied. Products 5 and 15 effectively inhibited the formation of biofilms of
      methicillin-resistant and standard strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis.
      Moreover, all obtained thioureas were evaluated for cytotoxicity and antiviral
      activity against a large panel of DNA and RNA viruses. Compounds 5, 6, 8-12, 15
      resulted cytotoxic against MT-4 cells (CC50 <= 10 MUM). 

PMID- 26119993
TI  - Palladium-Catalyzed Intramolecular Insertion of Alkenes into the Carbon-Nitrogen
      Bond of beta-Lactams.
AB  - The carbon-nitrogen bond of beta-lactams is cleaved by palladium(0), and an
      alkene is intramolecularly inserted therein. The following reductive elimination
      produces nitrogen-containing benzo-fused tricycles in good to high yields. 

PMID- 26119995
TI  - Leptin-induced mitochondrial fusion mediates hepatic lipid accumulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leptin alleviates metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance and
      obesity, although the precise mechanism of action is unclear. Mitochondrial
      fusion/fission states affect energy balance, but the association between
      mitochondrial fusion and lipid metabolism is also unknown. The aim of this study
      was to determine whether mitochondrial fusion/fission state regulates lipid
      accumulation and to understand the role of leptin in mitochondrial function and
      its mechanism of action in metabolic regulation. METHODS: Primary mouse
      hepatocytes were isolated from C57BL/6J mice and treated with leptin (25 ng ml(
      1)) for 3 days before determinations of mitochondrial morphology and fatty acid
      accumulation. Hyperglycemia in C57BL/6J mice was induced by providing a 30%
      fructose-rich diet (FRD) for 6 months, followed by intraperitoneal injections of
      leptin (1 mg kg(-1) per body weight) for 6 weeks (twice per week). RESULTS:
      Leptin triggered mitochondrial fusion and alleviated high glucose-induced fatty
      acid accumulation in primary hepatocytes by promoting mitochondrial fusion
      associated transcription factor peroxisome proliferative-activated receptor-alpha
      and co-activator peroxisome proliferative-activated receptor-gamma co-activator
      (PGC)-1alpha. In turn, these activate the fusion protein mitofusin 1 (Mfn-1). RNA
      silencing of Mfn-1 or PGC-1 blocked the inhibitory effect of leptin. Leptin
      treatment also elevated liver Mfn-1 and PGC-1alpha and improved lipid profiles in
      FRD mice. CONCLUSIONS: Mitochondrial fusion has a critical role in alleviating
      hepatic fatty acid accumulation. Leptin switches mitochondrial morphology via a
      PGC-1alpha-dependent pathway to improve hyperlipidemia.

PMID- 26119996
TI  - Parents have different perceptions of bed-wetting than children from six to 15
      years of age.
AB  - AIM: Enuresis is a common childhood disorder that negatively affects children's
      social and psychological well-being. This study investigated the psychological
      and emotional problems of children in Taiwan who wet the bed between the ages of
      six and 15 by comparing feedback from the children, their parents and a control
      group. METHODS: This case study featured 93 children with primary nocturnal
      enuresis from enuresis clinics, and their parents, and 98 nonenuretic controls
      and parents from the local community. All the parents completed the Behavioural
      and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS) and all the children completed the Teenage Self
      Concept Scale (TSCS). T-scores were used for statistical comparisons and high
      scores related to higher self-concept. RESULTS: The parents and their children
      displayed different perceptions of enuresis, with more behavioural and emotional
      problems in enuretic children. Older children and children with more severe
      enuresis reported more difficulties, and low maternal education was also a risk
      factor. CONCLUSION: Parental attitudes and perceptions towards bed-wetting were
      different from their children's. The children's age, enuresis severity and their
      mothers' educational level were potential risk factors that affected well-being.
      Health practitioners need to facilitate communication between enuretic children
      and their parents in addition to monitoring their psychological well-being.

PMID- 26119994
TI  - Mesoderm-specific transcript (MEST) is a negative regulator of human adipocyte
      differentiation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence suggests that many downstream pathologies
      of obesity are amplified or even initiated by molecular changes within the white
      adipose tissue (WAT). Such changes are the result of an excessive expansion of
      individual white adipocytes and could potentially be ameliorated via an increase
      in de novo adipocyte recruitment (adipogenesis). Mesoderm-specific transcript
      (MEST) is a protein with a putative yet unidentified enzymatic function and has
      previously been shown to correlate with adiposity and adipocyte size in mouse.
      OBJECTIVES: This study analysed WAT samples and employed a cell model of
      adipogenesis to characterise MEST expression and function in human. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: MEST mRNA and protein levels increased during adipocyte differentiation
      of human multipotent adipose-derived stem cells. Further, obese individuals
      displayed significantly higher MEST levels in WAT compared with normal-weight
      subjects, and MEST was significantly correlated with adipocyte volume. In
      striking contrast to previous mouse studies, knockdown of MEST enhanced human
      adipocyte differentiation, most likely via a significant promotion of peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor signalling, glycolysis and fatty acid
      biosynthesis pathways at early stages. Correspondingly, overexpression of MEST
      impaired adipogenesis. We further found that silencing of MEST fully substitutes
      for the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) as an
      inducer of adipogenesis. Accordingly, phosphorylation of the pro-adipogenic
      transcription factors cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) and
      activating transcription factor 1 (ATF1) were highly increased on MEST knockdown.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although we found a similar association between MEST and adiposity
      as previously described for mouse, our functional analyses suggest that MEST acts
      as an inhibitor of human adipogenesis, contrary to previous murine studies. We
      have further established a novel link between MEST and CREB/ATF1 that could be of
      general relevance in regulation of metabolism, in particular obesity-associated
      diseases.

PMID- 26119997
TI  - Effects of pharmaceutical cost containment policies on doctors' prescribing
      behavior: Focus on antibiotics.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We analyzed the effect of the outpatient prescription incentive
      program and price cuts of listed medicines in South Korea on prescription drug
      expenditures and prescription behaviors, focusing on antibiotics for the most
      common infectious diseases. METHODS: We used the National Health Insurance claims
      data from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2012. For 1625 primary clinics
      randomly sampled, we included all claims with principal diagnoses of acute upper
      respiratory tract infections (URTIs, J00-J06), acute lower respiratory tract
      infections (LRTIs, J20-J22), or otitis media (H65, H66). An interrupted time
      series analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Pharmaceutical spending per claim dropped
      immediately after the outpatient prescription incentive program only for otitis
      media (adults), but the secular trend shifted downward after the incentive
      program for all target diseases. The incentive program lowered the trend of
      antibiotic prescribing rate in otitis media (adults). The program was associated
      with an increase of the number of antibiotics prescribed in URTI (adults) and
      LRTI (children) and decrease in otitis media (adults). The broad markdown of drug
      prices reduced pharmaceutical expenditures immediately for all diseases, but
      without lasting effect. CONCLUSION: The direct financial incentives to physicians
      to reduce in prescription spending had the intended effect over time and can be
      an important tool to improve pharmaceutical spending management.

PMID- 26119998
TI  - Nuclear Localization and Gene Expression Modulation by a Fluorescent Sequence
      Selective p-Anisyl-benzimidazolecarboxamido Imidazole-Pyrrole Polyamide.
AB  - Synthetic pyrrole (P)-imidazole (I) containing polyamides can target
      predetermined DNA sequences and modulate gene expression by interfering with
      transcription factor binding. We have previously shown that rationally designed
      polyamides targeting the inverted CCAAT box 2 (ICB2) of the topoisomerase IIalpha
      (topo IIalpha) promoter can inhibit binding of transcription factor NF-Y, re
      inducing expression of the enzyme in confluent cells. Here, the A/T recognizing
      fluorophore, p-anisylbenzimidazolecarboxamido (Hx) was incorporated into the
      hybrid polyamide HxIP, which fluoresces upon binding to DNA, providing an
      intrinsic probe to monitor cellular uptake. HxIP targets the 5'-TACGAT-3'
      sequence of the 5' flank of ICB2 with high affinity and sequence specificity,
      eliciting an ICB2-selective inhibition/displacement of NF-Y. HxIP is readily
      taken up by NIH3T3 and A549 cells, and detected in the nucleus within minutes.
      Exposure to the polyamide at confluence resulted in a dose-dependent upregulation
      of topo IIalpha expression and enhanced formation of etoposide-induced DNA strand
      breaks.

PMID- 26119999
TI  - Non-canonical Bromodomain within DNA-PKcs Promotes DNA Damage Response and
      Radioresistance through Recognizing an IR-Induced Acetyl-Lysine on H2AX.
AB  - Regulatory mechanisms underlying gammaH2AX induction and the associated cell fate
      decision during DNA damage response (DDR) remain obscure. Here, we discover a
      bromodomain (BRD)-like module in DNA-PKcs (DNA-PKcs-BRD) that specifically
      recognizes H2AX acetyl-lysine 5 (K5ac) for sequential induction of gammaH2AX and
      concurrent cell fate decision(s). First, top-down mass spectrometry of radiation
      phenotypic, full-length H2AX revealed a radiation-inducible, K5ac-dependent
      induction of gammaH2AX. Combined approaches of sequence-structure
      modeling/docking, site-directed mutagenesis, and biochemical experiments
      illustrated that through docking on H2AX K5ac, this non-canonical BRD determines
      not only the H2AX-targeting activity of DNA-PKcs but also the over-activation of
      DNA-PKcs in radioresistant tumor cells, whereas a Kac antagonist, JQ1, was able
      to bind to DNA-PKcs-BRD, leading to re-sensitization of tumor cells to radiation.
      This study elucidates the mechanism underlying the H2AX-dependent regulation of
      DNA-PKcs in ionizing radiation-induced, differential DDR, and derives an
      unconventional, non-catalytic domain target in DNA-PKs for overcoming resistance
      during cancer radiotherapy.

PMID- 26120000
TI  - Selective N-Hydroxyhydantoin Carbamate Inhibitors of Mammalian Serine Hydrolases.
AB  - Serine hydrolase inhibitors, which facilitate enzyme function assignment and are
      used to treat a range of human disorders, often act by an irreversible mechanism
      that involves covalent modification of the serine hydrolase catalytic
      nucleophile. The portion of mammalian serine hydrolases for which selective
      inhibitors have been developed, however, remains small. Here, we show that N
      hydroxyhydantoin (NHH) carbamates are a versatile class of irreversible serine
      hydrolase inhibitors that can be modified on both the staying (carbamylating) and
      leaving (NHH) groups to optimize potency and selectivity. Synthesis of a small
      library of NHH carbamates and screening by competitive activity-based protein
      profiling furnished selective, in vivo-active inhibitors and tailored activity
      based probes for multiple mammalian serine hydrolases, including palmitoyl
      protein thioesterase 1, mutations of which cause the human disease infantile
      neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis.

PMID- 26120001
TI  - Structural Basis for beta-Carboline Alkaloid Production by the Microbial
      Homodimeric Enzyme McbB.
AB  - The beta-carboline (betaC) alkaloids occur throughout nature and exhibit diverse
      biological activities. In contrast to betaC alkaloid synthesis in plants, the
      biosynthesis in microorganisms remains poorly understood. The recently reported
      McbB from Marinactinospora thermotolerans is a novel enzyme proposed to catalyze
      the Pictet-Spengler (PS) reaction of L-tryptophan and oxaloacetaldehyde to
      produce the betaC scaffold of marinacarbolines. In this study, we solved the
      crystal structure of McbB complexed with L-tryptophan at 2.48 A resolution, which
      revealed the novel protein folding of McbB and the totally different structure
      from those of other PS condensation catalyzing enzymes, such as strictosidine
      synthase and norcoclaurine synthase from plants. Structural analysis and site
      directed mutagenesis confirmed that the previously proposed catalytic Glu97 at
      the active-site center functions as an acid and base catalyst. Remarkably, the
      structure-based mutants R72A and H87A, with expanded active-site cavities, newly
      accepted bulky phenylglyoxal as the aldehyde substrate, to produce 1-benzoyl-3
      carboxy-beta-carboline.

PMID- 26120002
TI  - DNA Electrochemistry Shows DNMT1 Methyltransferase Hyperactivity in Colorectal
      Tumors.
AB  - DNMT1, the most abundant human methyltransferase, is responsible for translating
      the correct methylation pattern during DNA replication, and aberrant methylation
      by DNMT1 has been linked to tumorigenesis. We have developed a sensitive signal
      on electrochemical assay for the measurement of DNMT1 activity in crude tissue
      lysates. We have further analyzed ten tumor sets and have found a direct
      correlation between DNMT1 hyperactivity and tumorous tissue. In the majority of
      samples analyzed, the tumorous tissue has significantly higher DNMT1 activity
      than the healthy adjacent tissue. No such correlation is observed in measurements
      of DNMT1 expression by qPCR, DNMT1 protein abundance by western blotting, or
      DNMT1 activity using a radiometric DNA labeling assay. DNMT1 hyperactivity can
      result from both protein overexpression and enzyme hyperactivity. DNMT1 activity
      measured electrochemically provides a direct measure of activity in cell lysates
      and, as a result, provides a sensitive and early indication of cancerous
      transformation. 

PMID- 26120003
TI  - Quantitative Evaluation for Uncertainty of Information About Patients' Injury
      Severity in a Hospital Disaster: A Simulation Study Using Shannon's Information
      Theory.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Reducing uncertainty about information on injury severity or number
      of patients is an important concern in managing equipment and rescue personnel in
      a disaster setting. A simplified disaster model was designed using Shannon's
      Information Theory to study the uncertainty of information in a triage scenario.
      Hypothesis A disaster triage scene with a specific number of injured patients
      represents a source of information regarding the extent of patients' disability.
      It is possible to quantify uncertainty of information regarding patients'
      incapacity as entropy if the information source and information arising from the
      source in Information Theory can be adapted to the disaster situation and the
      information on patients' incapacity that arises. METHODS: Five different
      scenarios of a fire disaster in a hospital were modeled. Information on patients'
      extent of impairment was converted to numerical values in relation to available
      equipment and the number of rescue personnel. Victims were 10 hospitalized
      patients with conditions of unknown severity. Triage criteria were created
      arbitrarily and consisted of four categories from Level 1 (able to walk) to Level
      4 (cardiac arrest). The five situations were as follows: (1) Case 1: no triage
      officer; (2) Case 2: one triage officer; (3) Case 3: one triage officer and a
      message that six patients could walk; (4) Case 4: one triage officer and a
      message that all patients could obey commands; and (5) Case 5: one triage officer
      and a message that all patients could walk. Entropy in all cases and the amount
      of information newly given in Cases 2 through 5 were calculated. RESULTS:
      Entropies in Cases 1 through 5 were 5.49, 2.00, 1.60, 1.00, and 0.00 bits/symbol,
      respectively. These values depict the uncertainty of probability of the triage
      categories arising in each situation. The amount of information for the triage
      was calculated as 3.49 bits (ie, 5.49 minus 2.00). In the same manner, the amount
      of information for the messages in Cases 3 through 5 was calculated as 0.4, 1.0,
      and 2.0 bits, respectively. These amounts of information indicate a reduction in
      uncertainty regarding the probability of the triage levels arising. CONCLUSION:
      It was possible to quantify uncertainty of information about the extent of
      disability in patients at a triage location and to evaluate reduction of the
      uncertainty by using entropy based on Shannon's Information Theory.

PMID- 26120004
TI  - Vitamin D deficiency in critically ill children with sepsis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data on the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in critically
      ill children with sepsis and its association with illness severity and outcome
      are limited. AIM: To investigate the prevalence of VDD in critically ill children
      with sepsis. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-four critically ill children with
      sepsis aged 1-12 years were prospectively enrolled in a paediatric intensive care
      unit (PICU) in North India over a 1-year period. Demographic data, clinical signs
      and risk factors for VDD, Paediatric Index of Mortality III (PRISM III) score,
      and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score were recorded. Plasma 25
      hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were measured by ELISA within 24 hours of
      admission. The occurrence of septic shock, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome
      (MODS) and healthcare-associated infection (HCAI), need for mechanical
      ventilation and catecholamines, length of PICU stay and mortality were also
      recorded. Cases were compared with 338 apparently healthy children for baseline
      variables and vitamin D status. RESULTS: Prevalence of VDD [25(OH)D level < 50
      nmol/L] was higher among critically ill children with sepsis compared to healthy
      controls (50.8% vs 40.2%, P = 0.04). VDD was not associated with any significant
      difference in baseline demographic variables or risk factors for VDD. Although
      there was a trend toward increased PRISM III score, septic shock, MODS, HCAI,
      need for mechanical ventilation and catecholamines, length of PICU stay, and
      mortality, the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: A high
      prevalence of VDD in critically ill children with sepsis was found but it was not
      associated with greater severity of illness or other clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26120005
TI  - Pulmonary sarcoidosis in a preschool patient.
AB  - Sarcoidosis is a rare disease, especially in the preschool age group where it
      usually presents with eye, joint, and skin involvement sparing the lungs.
      Multiple treatment regimes have been described with oral prednisolone being the
      usual first line treatment. We describe a case of a 4-year-old boy presenting
      with pulmonary sarcoidosis with no other organ involvement. The child was
      successfully managed with pulse intravenous methylprednisolone followed by oral
      prednisolone and has had a good outcome. This case reports a rare presentation of
      preschool sarcoidosis as well as the novel and successful use of pulse
      methylprednisolone in paediatric pulmonary sarcoidosis.

PMID- 26120006
TI  - Thiazolylidene-catalyzed cleavage of methyl oleate-derived alpha-hydroxy ketone
      to the corresponding free aldehydes.
AB  - The thiazolylidene-catalyzed cleavage of the alpha-hydroxy ketone derived from
      methyl oleate gave the corresponding aldehydes under nonoxidative conditions
      through a retro-benzoin process. The aldehydes produced are in equilibrium with
      their corresponding acyloins. To illustrate the synthetic utility of this
      protocol, the aldehydes were recovered by distillation. 

PMID- 26120007
TI  - Sudden unexplained death in childhood: A comparison of cases with and without a
      febrile seizure history.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We considered whether a subset of children with sudden unexplained
      death in childhood (SUDC) and a history of febrile seizures (FS) may parallel
      those in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). The prevalence of a history
      of FS was examined, and factors that may distinguish SUDC cases with and without
      FS were described. METHODS: Characteristics were assessed in 123 consecutive
      children with SUDC reported to the SUDC program (4/1/11-3/31/14) by their
      parents. Parental interview covered the decedent's medical history, circumstances
      of death, environmental factors, cause of death, and family medical history.
      Features of SUDC cases were compared by FS history. RESULTS: Overall, 31.7% of
      SUDC cases had a history of FS, among which 74.4% had simple FS. Compared to
      those without a history of FS, a history of FS was associated with a greater
      median age at death (p = 0.03) and death during the weekdays (p = 0.02). Terminal
      fever was similar in those with and without FS. The median time from FS to death
      was 6.0 months (interquartile range [IQR] 3.0-10.0). In all SUDC cases, prone
      position at death, death during sleep, and unwitnessed deaths predominated.
      SIGNIFICANCE: There are parallels among SUDC, sudden infant deaths, and sudden
      unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) with regard to prone position, unwitnessed
      deaths mostly during sleep, and male predominance. In children with SUDC and a
      history of FS, terminal fever may increase the risk for an unwitnessed terminal
      seizure. The greater than expected prevalence of a FS history and the proportion
      with terminal fever or illness in this cohort suggests that some SUDC deaths may
      be seizure related and therefore have potential commonalities with SUDEP.

PMID- 26120008
TI  - Ion pair liquid chromatography method for the determination of thiamine (vitamin
      B1) homeostasis.
AB  - A new method for reversed phase HPLC determination of thiamine and its major in
      vivo phosphorylation products, thiamine monophosphate (TMP) and thiamine
      pyrophosphate (TPP), was developed using tetrabutylammonium hydroxide as the ion
      pairing agent. The separation was performed on a Phenomenex Kinetex EVO C18
      column with a gradient of a phosphate-buffered aqueous solution of the ion-pair
      reagent and methanol. The duty cycle for the assay was 13 min and pyrithiamine
      was successfully used as the internal standard for the first time in a thiamine
      HPLC measurement protocol. Detection of the fluorescence derivatives of the
      analytes as well as the IS allowed for lower detection limits in order to support
      biological applications in cell culture models. The linearity, sensitivity,
      specificity, accuracy and precision of the method were evaluated and met the
      requirements specified by the US Food and Drug Administration. The calibration
      curves proved to be linear and the method was validated over the range from 1.0
      4000 nM for both cells and the media where complete recovery of the analytes was
      also achieved.

PMID- 26120011
TI  - A proposed new function of the cerebrospinal fluid.

PMID- 26120010
TI  - Evaluation of the effects of the weak CYP3A inhibitors atorvastatin and ethinyl
      estradiol/norgestimate on lomitapide pharmacokinetics in healthy subjects.
AB  - Lomitapide is a microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitor approved as an
      adjunctive treatment for adult patients with homozygous familial
      hypercholesterolemia. Lomitapide is extensively metabolized via cytochrome P450
      3A (CYP3A) and is a weak CYP3A inhibitor. Two phase 1 open-label, randomized
      (1:1), 2-arm drug interaction studies in healthy subjects assessed the effects of
      atorvastatin and ethinyl estradiol (EE)/norgestimate, both weak CYP3A inhibitors,
      on lomitapide pharmacokinetics with staggered (separated by 12 hours) or
      simultaneous administration. All subjects received a single dose of lomitapide
      (20 mg) in the evening on day 1. Atorvastatin (80 mg once daily, n = 32) or
      EE/norgestimate (0.035/0.25 mg once daily, n = 32) dosing was initiated on days
      11 or 8, respectively, with evening (arm 1) or morning (arm 2) dosing; at steady
      state (days 15 or 22), a single lomitapide dose was administered; CYP3A inhibitor
      dosing continued for 6 days. Blood samples for pharmacokinetic analysis were
      taken until 168 hours postdose. With atorvastatin, lomitapide exposure was
      increased by approximately 2-fold and 1.3-fold, respectively, with simultaneous
      and staggered administration, respectively. Simultaneous and staggered
      EE/norgestimate and lomitapide administration resulted in an approximately 1.3
      fold increase in lomitapide exposure. Reductions in lomitapide dose may be
      required for some patients when administered concomitantly with a weak CYP3A
      inhibitor.

PMID- 26120009
TI  - Epigenetic signaling in schizophrenia.
AB  - Histone modifications and DNA methylation represent central dynamic and
      reversible processes that regulate gene expression and contribute to cellular
      phenotypes. These epigenetic marks have been shown to play fundamental roles in a
      diverse set of signaling and behavioral outcomes. Psychiatric disorders such as
      schizophrenia and depression are complex and heterogeneous diseases with multiple
      and independent factors that may contribute to their pathophysiology, making
      challenging to find a link between specific elements and the underlying
      mechanisms responsible for the disorder and its treatment. Growing evidences
      suggest that epigenetic modifications in certain brain regions and neural
      circuits represent a key mechanism through which environmental factors interact
      with individual's genetic constitution to affect risk of psychiatric conditions
      throughout life. This review focuses on recent advances that directly implicate
      epigenetic modifications in schizophrenia and antipsychotic drug action. 

PMID- 26120012
TI  - Comparison of biochemical and immunological profile of pediatric patients with
      acute myeloid leukemia in relation to healthy individuals.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the biochemical and immunological profiles of pediatric
      patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with healthy children and adolescents.
      METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which 21 therapy-naive patients with
      AML were compared with a group of 24 healthy individuals. The following data were
      analyzed: serum proteins, leucocytes and subgroups, erythrocytes, hematocrit,
      hemoglobin, platelets, cytokines in peripheral blood mononuclear cells cultures
      under spontaneous and BCG- or PHA-stimulated conditions, immunoglobulin A, and
      erythrocytic glutathione. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software,
      considering as significant p-values<0.05. RESULTS: Serum albumin levels were
      higher (p<0.0001) in the control group, as well as all the parameters related to
      red blood cells (p<0.0001). For leucocytes and subgroups, no statistical
      difference was found between the AML and the control groups. For cytokines, the
      concentrations were significantly higher under spontaneous and BCG-stimulated
      conditions for TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-gamma in the control group. Under
      PHA-stimulated conditions, the concentration was higher (p=0.002) only for IL-6.
      No difference was found between the two groups for the other cytokines and for
      IgA in the saliva. Erythrocytic glutathione was higher (p<0.0001) in AML
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: It was possible to characterize the biochemical and
      immunological profile of pediatric patients with AML, as well as highlight some
      significant differences in these parameters when comparing with healthy children
      and adolescents.

PMID- 26120013
TI  - CORRIGENDUM: Clinical Presentation, Management and Outcome of Japanese Patients
      With Acute Myocardial Infarction in the Troponin Era--Japanese Registry of Acute
      Myocardial Infarction Diagnosed by Universal Definition (J-MINUET).
AB  - The authors apologize for the incorrect statement in the Methods section. The
      correct statement is shown below. Page 1256, right column, lines 10-12:
      Incorrect: Consecutive patients hospitalized within 48 h of onset of AMI at 28
      Japanese medical institutions were enrolled between July 2013 and May 2014.
      Correct: Consecutive patients hospitalized within 48 h of onset of AMI at 28
      Japanese medical institutions were enrolled between July 2012 and March 2014.

PMID- 26120016
TI  - Evaluation of one-year mortality after geriatric ankle fractures in patients
      admitted to nursing homes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The incidence of geriatric ankle fractures will undoubtedly
      increase as the population continues to grow. Many geriatric patients struggle to
      function independently after such injury and often require placement into nursing
      homes. The morbidity and mortality associated with nursing homes is well
      documented within the field of orthopaedic surgery. However, there is currently
      no study examining the mortality associated with nursing home placement following
      hospitalization for an ankle fracture. Therefore, the purpose of this study was
      to determine if geriatric patients admitted to nursing homes following an ankle
      fracture experience elevated mortality rates. METHODS: Patients were identified
      using diagnosis codes for ankle fractures from all 2008 part A Medicare claims,
      and those admitted to nursing homes were identified using a Minimum Data Set
      (MDS). The Medicare database was also analyzed for specific variables including
      over-all one year mortality, length of stay, age distribution, certain
      demographical characteristics, incidence of medical and surgical complications
      within 90 days, and the presence of comorbidities. Multivariate logistic
      regression analysis was used to determine if patients admitted to nursing homes
      had elevated mortality rates. RESULTS: 19,648 patients with ankle fractures were
      identified, and 11,625 (59.0%) of these patients went to a nursing home after
      hospitalization. Patients who went to a nursing home had higher Elixhauser and
      Deyo-Charlson comorbidity scores (p<0.0001). Nursing home patients also had
      significantly increased rates of postoperative medical and surgical
      complications. One year mortality was 6.9% for patients who did not go to a
      nursing home and 15.4% for patients who were admitted to a nursing home
      (p<0.0001). However, multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated no
      significant difference in one year mortality between patients admitted to nursing
      homes and those who were not (OR=1.1; 95% CI 0.99-1.24, p>0.05). DISCUSSION:
      Although admission to nursing home was significantly associated with increased
      mortality in a bivariate statistical model, this significance was lost during
      multivariate analysis. This suggests that other patient characteristics may play
      a more prominent role in determining one year mortality following geriatric ankle
      fractures.

PMID- 26120017
TI  - Femoral vein injury from a trochanteric hip fracture.

PMID- 26120018
TI  - Displaced proximal humeral fractures: when is surgery necessary?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several therapeutic methods have been traditionally used in the
      treatment of displaced proximal humeral fractures; however, the indication of
      these treatments is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare
      the medium-term functional results of four methods commonly used in the treatment
      of proximal humeral fractures [conservative treatment, proximal humeral nails
      (PHN), percutaneous K-wiring (PKW), and locking-plates (LP)] taking into
      consideration the type of fracture and the age of the patients. METHODS: We
      conducted a retrospective cohort study on patients with proximal humeral
      fractures treated with one of the following methods: conservative treatment, PHN,
      PKW, or LP. Functional results were assessed using the absolute Constant score
      and the disabilities of the arm shoulder and hand score (DASH). The functional
      outcome was analysed according to age (>=65 years and <65 years) and fracture
      type (displaced 2-fragment and 3-4-fragment fractures). RESULTS: A total of 113
      patients were included in the study, with a mean age of 65.3 SD 15.2 years and
      average follow-up time of 26.2 SD 12.6 months. Patients under 65 years had higher
      Constant scores when treated with PHN and PKW than those treated conservatively
      (77.2 vs. 54.7, p=0.01 and 74.0 vs. 54.7, p=0.03, respectively). Patients above
      65 years had higher Constant scores when treated with PKW compared to PHN and
      conservative treatment (68.7 vs. 51.9, p=0.02 and 68.7 vs. 55.9, p=0.029,
      respectively). In 2-fragment fractures, PKW resulted in higher Constant scores
      than conservative treatment (70.4 vs. 53.9, p=0.048). No differences were found
      in the final outcome between patients treated with LP and those treated
      conservatively regardless of age, and fracture type. There were also no
      differences between any of the evaluated methods in the treatment of 3-4-fragment
      fractures. CONCLUSION: The use of PKW was associated with better functional
      results than conservative treatment in individuals of all ages, especially in
      patients with 2-fragment fractures; PKW also achieved better functional results
      than PHN in elderly patients. PHN was superior to conservative treatment in young
      individuals. No significant differences were found between LP and conservative
      treatment in any of the analysed categories.

PMID- 26120019
TI  - Pantaloon femoral vein graft as "neoaorta" in infected aortic disease.
AB  - Infected abdominal aortic disease and graft infections pose a significant
      challenge for the vascular surgeon. Thorough radical debridement, either preceded
      by extra-anatomic bypass or followed by in situ aortic replacement, is the
      mainstay of treatment. The role of endovascular repair by stent grafts is being
      increasingly described but is limited to relatively less virulent mycotic
      aneurysms or as a "bridging" option in sick patients with florid sepsis that
      necessitates eventual delayed definitive surgical management. Autologous femoral
      vein has been an excellent conduit for aortic bifurcation reconstruction in this
      setting. Although various configurations of femoral vein conduit have been
      described for aortobi-iliac reconstruction, an in-depth knowledge of the venous
      anatomy, physiology, mechanisms of "profundization," and techniques of harvest
      and graft preparation is essential for efficient conduct of the operation and its
      optimal outcomes. We review in detail these aspects of "pantaloon" femoral vein
      graft creation as a "neoaorta".

PMID- 26120020
TI  - The comparison of the technical parameters in endotracheal intubation devices:
      the Cmac, the Vividtrac, the McGrath Mac and the Kingvision.
AB  - Currently, there are plenty of videolaryngoscopes that appear on the market. They
      have different specifications. Some of these features favor the fact that they
      are more suited for educational purposes of future operators and others can be
      characterized with an excellent clinical use. In this study we compared four
      types of videolaryngoscopes. The aim of the study was to compare the technical
      specifications of the above-mentioned devices for usefulness in clinical practice
      and correlate these parameters with the subjective evaluation of these
      videolaryngoscopes usage performed in practice by an experienced medical staff.
      All devices considered in this study participated in another multicenter clinical
      study on the basis of which we completed the subjective evaluation of the
      operators. In order to examine the technical parameters of the equipment we
      established the cooperation with the Department of Microelectronics at Technical
      University of Lodz. Mechanical and optical parameters and the endoscopic tube
      current were taken into consideration. The C-MAC has a camera with the widest
      viewing angle (the OX axis-63.1, the axis OY-47.8), which in combination with the
      largest diagonal size of the display enables the operator to see the details
      relevant to clinical practice. It has also the strongest lamp intensity of the
      devices mentioned in this comparison (7800 Lx). In comparison of the clinical use
      in almost all compared parameters the Cmac D-blade is a winner, although for
      clinical education purpose we consider the Vividtrac a better device. 

PMID- 26120021
TI  - Plasmonic Colloidosomes as Three-Dimensional SERS Platforms with Enhanced Surface
      Area for Multiphase Sub-Microliter Toxin Sensing.
AB  - Colloidosomes are robust microcapsules attractive for molecular sensing because
      of their characteristic micron size, large specific surface area, and dual-phase
      stability. However, current colloidosome sensors are limited to qualitative
      fluorogenic receptor-based detection, which restrict their applicability to a
      narrow range of molecules. Here, we introduce plasmonic colloidosome constructed
      from Ag nanocubes as an emulsion-based 3D SERS platform. The colloidosomes
      exhibit excellent mechanical robustness, flexible size tunability, versatility to
      merge, and ultrasensitivity in SERS quantitation of food/industrial toxins down
      to sub-femtomole levels. Using just 0.5 MUL of sample volumes, our plasmonic
      colloidosomes exhibit >3000-fold higher SERS sensitivity over conventional
      suspension platform. Notably, we demonstrate the first high-throughput multiplex
      molecular sensing across multiple liquid phases. 

PMID- 26120022
TI  - Oxymatrine attenuated hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in neonatal rats via
      improving antioxidant enzyme activities and inhibiting cell death.
AB  - Oxymatrine (OMT), an active constituent of Chinese herb Sophora flavescens Ait,
      has been proved to possess anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti
      apoptotic activities. Previous study has demonstrated that OMT had protective
      roles on multiple in vitro and in vivo brain injury models including regulation
      of apoptosis-related proteins caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2. In this study, we
      investigated whether this protective effect could apply to neonatal hypoxic
      ischemic brain damage. Seven-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with the
      left carotid artery ligation followed by exposure to 8% oxygen (balanced with
      nitrogen) for 2.5 h at 37  degrees C. In sham group rats, neither ligation nor
      hypoxia was performed. After two successive days intraperitoneal injection with
      OMT (30, 60 and 120 mg/kg), Nimodipine (1 mg/kg), and saline, brain infarct
      volume was estimated, histomorphology changes were performed by hematoxylin-eosin
      (HE) staining as well as electron microscopy. In addition, the activities of
      superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), and
      total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), as well as production of malondialdehyde
      (MDA) were assayed in ipsilateral hemisphere homogenates to evaluate the redox
      status after hypoxic-ischemic. Expression of apoptosis-related proteins Caspase
      3, Bax and Bcl-2 in brain were analyzed by western-blot analysis and
      immunofluorescence. Administration of OMT significantly decreased brain infarct
      volume and the percentage of injured cells, and ameliorated histopathology and
      morphological injury as well. Furthermore, OMT obviously increased the activities
      of SOD, GSH-Px, CAT and T-AOC, and decreased MDA content. Western-blot analysis
      showed a marked decrease in Caspase-3 expression and increase in the ratio of Bcl
      2/Bax after OMT (120 mg/kg) post-treatment as compared with hypoxic-ischemic
      group. These results suggest that OMT exerts a neuroprotective effect against
      hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in neonatal rats, which is likely to be mediated
      through increasing anti-oxidant enzyme activities and inhibiting cell death. 

PMID- 26120023
TI  - Biofilms in chronic rhinosinusitis: what is new and where next?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis is a common, heterogeneous condition. An
      effective means of mitigating disease in chronic rhinosinusitis patients remains
      elusive. A variety of causes have been implicated, with the biofilm theory
      gaining increasing prominence. OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the literature on
      the role of biofilms in chronic rhinosinusitis, in terms of pathophysiology and
      with regard to avenues for future treatment. METHODS: A systematic review of case
      series was performed using databases with independently developed search
      strategies, including Medline, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied
      Health Literature, Cochrane library, and Zetoc, in addition to conference
      proceedings and a manual search of literature, with the last search conducted on
      18 January 2014. The search terms included the following, used in various
      combinations to maximise the yield of articles identified: 'biofilms', 'chronic
      rhinosinusitis', 'DNase', 'extracellular DNA' and 'biofilm dispersal'. RESULTS:
      The existing evidence lends further support for the role of biofilms
      (particularly the Staphylococcus aureus phenotype) in more severe, recalcitrant
      disease and poorer surgical outcomes. CONCLUSION: Multimodality treatment, with a
      shift in paradigm to incorporate anti-biofilm strategies, is likely to form the
      mainstay of future recalcitrant chronic rhinosinusitis management.

PMID- 26120024
TI  - Calcium Hydride Catalyzed Highly 1,2-Selective Pyridine Hydrosilylation.
AB  - Reaction of the calcium hydride complex (DIPPnacnac-CaH?THF)2 with pyridine is
      much faster and selective than that of the corresponding magnesium hydride
      complex (DIPPnacnac = [(2,6-iPr2 C6 H3 )NC(Me)]2 CH). With a range of pyridine,
      picoline and quinoline substrates, exclusive transfer of the hydride ligand to
      the 2-position is observed and also at higher temperatures no 1,2->1,4
      isomerization is found. The heteroleptic product DIPPnacnac-Ca(1,2
      dihydropyridide)?(pyridine) shows fast ligand exchange into homoleptic calcium
      complexes and therefore could not be isolated. Calcium hydride reduction of
      isoquinoline gave well-defined homoleptic products which could be characterized
      by X-ray diffraction: Ca(1,2-dihydroisoquinolide)2 ?(isoquinoline)4 and Ca3 (1,2
      dihydroisoquinolide)6 ?(isoquinoline)6 . The striking selectivity difference in
      the dearomatization of pyridines by Mg or Ca complexes could be explained by DFT
      theory and was utilized in catalysis. Whereas hydroboration of pyridine with
      pinacol borane with a calcium hydride catalyst gave only minor conversion, the
      hydrosilylation of pyridine and quinolines with PhSiH3 yields exclusively 1,2
      dihydropyridine and 1,2-dihydroquinoline silanes with 80-90 % conversion. Similar
      results can be achieved with the catalyst Ca[N(SiMe3 )2 ]2 ?(THF)2 . These
      calcium complexes represent the first catalysts for the 1,2-selective
      hydrosilylation of pyridines. 

PMID- 26120025
TI  - Molecular-scale quantitative charge density measurement of biological molecule by
      frequency modulation atomic force microscopy in aqueous solutions.
AB  - Surface charge distributions on biological molecules in aqueous solutions are
      essential for the interactions between biomolecules, such as DNA condensation,
      antibody-antigen interactions, and enzyme reactions. There has been a significant
      demand for a molecular-scale charge density measurement technique for better
      understanding such interactions. In this paper, we present the local electric
      double layer (EDL) force measurements on DNA molecules in aqueous solutions using
      frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM) with a three-dimensional
      force mapping technique. The EDL forces measured in a 100 mM KCl solution well
      agreed with the theoretical EDL forces calculated using reasonable parameters,
      suggesting that FM-AFM can be used for molecular-scale quantitative charge
      density measurements on biological molecules especially in a highly concentrated
      electrolyte. 

PMID- 26120026
TI  - Predictive factors associated with adverse events in patients with toxic colitis:
      an analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Toxic colitis (TC) is a potentially lethal complication of
      inflammatory bowel disease and infectious colitis. METHODS: The National Surgical
      Quality Improvement Project dataset was queried to identify emergent colectomy
      for a primary diagnosis of TC using International Classification of Diseases,
      Ninth Revision codes. The study endpoints were 30-day mortality and 30-day
      morbidity. We performed multivariate logistic regression analyses to study
      factors associated with 30-day mortality. RESULTS: Of the 189 TC patients,
      mortality for colectomy was 26.5%, 42.3% experienced pulmonary complications,
      20.6% experienced sepsis complications, 17.5% experienced cardiovascular
      complications, 12.7% experienced renal complications, and 14.8% experienced wound
      complications. On multivariate analysis, independent factors associated with
      mortality were age 70 to 80 years (odds ratio [OR] 3.5), age greater than 80 (OR
      22.2), female sex (OR 4.1), uremia blood urea nitrogen greater than 40 (OR 4.1),
      coagulopathy international normalized ratio greater than 2 (OR 7.7), preoperative
      respiratory failure (OR 2.73), and preoperative steroid use (OR 3.9).
      CONCLUSIONS: Patients with TC are very ill. Poor outcome is associated with older
      age, female sex, preoperative azotemia, preoperative respiratory failure, and
      chronic steroid use. These factors will help acute care surgeons in preoperative
      risk assessment and could be an important addition to decision-making strategies.

PMID- 26120027
TI  - Protective role of naringin against cisplatin induced oxidative stress,
      inflammatory response and apoptosis in rat striatum via suppressing ROS-mediated
      NF-kappaB and P53 signaling pathways.
AB  - Cisplatin (Cis) is an effective chemotherapeutic agent successfully used in the
      treatment of a wide range of malignancies while its usage is limited due to its
      dose-dependent toxicity. The present study was conducted to investigate the
      efficacy of naringin, an ubiquitous flavonoid, against Cis-induced striatum
      injury in Wistar aged rats. Briefly, the experimental procedures were divided in
      two sets of experiments. In the first, the animals were divided into 4 groups:
      control, Nar 25mg/kg, Nar 50mg/kg and Nar 100mg/kg. In the second, the animals
      were divided into 4 groups: Cis (5mg/kg/week for 5 consecutive weeks), Cis+Nar
      (25mg/kg), Cis+Nar (50mg/kg) and Cis+Nar (100mg/kg). The administration of Cis
      (5mg/kg/week for 5 consecutive weeks) resulted in a decline in the concentrations
      of reduced glutathione and ascorbic acid. The activity of membrane bound ATPases
      and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were decreased while the activity of catalase
      (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were increased. Further, in striatum tissue,
      Cis significantly enhance the mRNA gene expression of P53, nuclear factor kappaB
      pathway (NFkappaB) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha). Oxidative/nitrosative
      stress was evident in Cis group by increased malondialdehyde (MDA), protein
      carbonyls (PCO), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrite concentration (NO).
      Naringin (25, 50 and 100mg/kg) administration was able to protect against
      deterioration in striatum tissue, abrogate the change in antioxidant enzyme
      activities and suppressed the increase in MDA, PCO, NO and TNF-alpha
      concentrations. Moreover, Nar inhibited P53, NFkB and TNF-alpha pathways mediated
      inflammation and apoptosis, and improved the histological changes induced by Cis.
      Thus, these findings demonstrated the neuroprotective nature of Nar by
      attenuating the pro-inflammatory and apoptotic mediators and improving
      antioxidant competence in striatum tissue. These results imply that Nar has
      perfect effect against Cis-induced striatum injury in aged rats, which should be
      developed as an effective food and healthcare product for the treatment of brain
      injury in the future. 

PMID- 26120028
TI  - Pre-clinical formulation screening, development and stability of acetyl aspartic
      acid for cosmetic application.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acetyl aspartic acid (A-A-A) was discovered through gene array
      analysis with corresponding connectivity mapping (Cmap). Using an in silico and
      in vitro approach, A-A-A was found increased keratinocyte regeneration, inhibited
      dermal expression of MMP making this compound a potential active ingredient for
      cosmetic application. OBJECTIVES: To determine the conditions to successfully
      formulate A-A-A for skin delivery investigation and in vivo clinical assessment
      by the systematic approach of pre-formulation testing of the active, screening of
      formulation type on active delivery and stability evaluations. METHODS:
      Analytical evaluation of A-A-A was undertaken using LC-MS ESI method. Formulation
      stability was evaluated using Brookfield viscometer, pH analysis, optical
      microscopy and organoleptic evaluations. RESULTS: Analytical evaluation of A-A-A
      shows that pH significantly impacts chemical stability of the molecule. A-A-A
      containing formulae show minimal differences to vehicle product throughout the
      testing. CONCLUSION: A-A-A is an active that can be successfully formulated in a
      cosmetic o/w emulsion within defined pH considerations.

PMID- 26120030
TI  - Foxf2 Is Required for Brain Pericyte Differentiation and Development and
      Maintenance of the Blood-Brain Barrier.
AB  - Pericytes are critical for cerebrovascular maturation and development of the
      blood-brain barrier (BBB), but their role in maintenance of the adult BBB, and
      how CNS pericytes differ from those of other tissues, is less well understood. We
      show that the forkhead transcription factor Foxf2 is specifically expressed in
      pericytes of the brain and that Foxf2(-/-) embryos develop intracranial
      hemorrhage, perivascular edema, thinning of the vascular basal lamina, an
      increase of luminal endothelial caveolae, and a leaky BBB. Foxf2(-/-) brain
      pericytes were more numerous, proliferated faster, and expressed significantly
      less Pdgfrbeta. Tgfbeta-Smad2/3 signaling was attenuated, whereas phosphorylation
      of Smad1/5 and p38 were enhanced. Tgfbeta pathway components, including Tgfbeta2,
      Tgfbetar2, Alk5, and integrins alphaVbeta8, were reduced. Foxf2 inactivation in
      adults resulted in BBB breakdown, endothelial thickening, and increased trans
      endothelial vesicular transport. On the basis of these results, FOXF2 emerges as
      an interesting candidate locus for stroke susceptibility in humans.

PMID- 26120029
TI  - Thirst and sodium appetite in rats with experimental nephrotic syndrome.
AB  - Nephrotic syndrome is a renal disease accompanied by abnormal body fluid balance.
      The present experiments investigated the role of behavioral mechanisms in
      contributing to disordered fluid homeostasis in rats with experimentally-induced
      nephrotic syndrome. The studies examined water and sodium ingestion under ad
      libitum conditions and in response to dehydration-related challenges in rats made
      nephrotic by treatment with the antibiotic, adriamycin. Rats with nephrotic
      syndrome had greater ad libitum water intakes beginning 3 weeks after treatment,
      but daily sodium (0.3M NaCl) intakes were not affected. Nephrotic rats showed
      attenuated water and sodium intakes after combined treatment with furosemide
      (10mg/kg) and captopril (2mg/kg), reduced water intakes after 20h of water
      deprivation, and diminished water intakes, plasma renin activity and aldosterone
      secretion after subcutaneous isoproterenol (30 MUg/kg). However, the adriamycin
      treated animals had normal water intakes in response to subcutaneous hypertonic
      saline (4% at 0.75 ml/100g) and central injections of angiotensin II (10, 20, and
      50 ng). The results suggest that water and sodium ingestion in response to
      hypovolemic/hypotensive stimuli are disturbed in nephrotic rats, and provide
      evidence that the disordered behaviors reflect disturbances of the peripheral
      renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.

PMID- 26120031
TI  - Chloroplast Stromules Function during Innate Immunity.
AB  - Inter-organellar communication is vital for successful innate immune responses
      that confer defense against pathogens. However, little is known about how
      chloroplasts, which are a major production site of pro-defense molecules,
      communicate and coordinate with other organelles during defense. Here we show
      that chloroplasts send out dynamic tubular extensions called stromules during
      innate immunity or exogenous application of the pro-defense signals, hydrogen
      peroxide (H2O2) and salicylic acid. Interestingly, numerous stromules surround
      nuclei during defense response, and these connections correlate with an
      accumulation of chloroplast-localized NRIP1 defense protein and H2O2 in the
      nucleus. Furthermore, silencing and knockout of chloroplast unusual positioning 1
      (CHUP1) that encodes a chloroplast outer envelope protein constitutively induces
      stromules in the absence of pathogen infection and enhances programmed cell
      death. These results support a model in which stromules aid in the amplification
      and/or transport of pro-defense signals into the nucleus and other subcellular
      compartments during immunity.

PMID- 26120033
TI  - RNA Binding Protein Nanos2 Organizes Post-transcriptional Buffering System to
      Retain Primitive State of Mouse Spermatogonial Stem Cells.
AB  - In many adult tissues, homeostasis relies on self-renewing stem cells that are
      primed for differentiation. The reconciliation mechanisms of these
      characteristics remain a fundamental question in stem cell biology. We propose
      that regulation at the post-transcriptional level is essential for homeostasis in
      murine spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Here, we show that Nanos2, an
      evolutionarily conserved RNA-binding protein, works with other cellular messenger
      ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) components to ensure the primitive status of SSCs
      through a dual mechanism that involves (1) direct recruitment and translational
      repression of genes that promote spermatogonial differentiation and (2)
      repression of the target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), a well-known negative
      pathway for SSC self-renewal, by sequestration of the core factor mTOR in mRNPs.
      This mechanism links mRNA turnover to mTORC1 signaling through Nanos2-containing
      mRNPs and establishes a post-transcriptional buffering system to facilitate SSC
      homeostasis in the fluctuating environment within the seminiferous tubule.

PMID- 26120034
TI  - The Prevalence of Hemoglobinopathies in Young Adolescents in the Province of
      Mugla in Turkey: Results of a Screening Program.
AB  - Thalassemia is an autosomal recessive inherited blood disorder. It is prevalent
      in Mediterranean countries such as Sardinia, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon and
      also Southeast Asia. Our aim was to investigate the carrier prevalence of
      thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies in adolescents who live in Mugla
      Province, Turkey. We analyzed retrospectively the surveys conducted at primary
      schools between 1997 and 2013. Complete blood count (CBC) and high performance
      liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to screen for thalassemia and
      hemoglobinopathies. Patients were diagnosed as having thalassemia trait if the
      mean corpuscular volume (MCV) was <= 80.0 fL, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (Hb)
      was <= 27.0 pg and Hb A2 levels were >= 3.5%. A total of 164,814 students were
      analyzed. The median age of the students was 13.5 years (minimum 13.0, maximum
      14.0). The total number of students with abnormal HPLC results was 5861 (3.8%).
      There was a significant decrease in the newborn of new thalassemia patients found
      with screening programs for hemoglobinopathies in Mugla Province from 1997 to
      2013. The number of students with abnormal HPLC results for thalassemia, sickle
      cell disease and other Hb traits were 3.2, 0.15 and 0.4%, respectively. It is
      important to recognize that including Hb, MCV, red blood cell (RBC) count and
      HPLC tests for carrier screening are necessary to find hemoglobinopathies. Our
      study supported that the number of new patients significantly decreased using
      these screening programs from 1997 to 2013.

PMID- 26120032
TI  - Deubiquitination of Ci/Gli by Usp7/HAUSP Regulates Hedgehog Signaling.
AB  - Hedgehog (Hh) signaling plays essential roles in animal development and tissue
      homeostasis, and its misregulation causes congenital diseases and cancers.
      Regulation of the ubiquitin/proteasome-mediated proteolysis of Ci/Gli
      transcription factors is central to Hh signaling, but whether deubiquitinase is
      involved in this process remains unknown. Here, we show that Hh stimulates the
      binding of a ubiquitin-specific protease Usp7 to Ci, which positively regulates
      Hh signaling activity through inhibiting Ci ubiquitination and degradation
      mediated by both Slimb-Cul1 and Hib-Cul3 E3 ligases. Furthermore, we find that
      Usp7 forms a complex with GMP-synthetase (GMPS) to promote Hh pathway activity.
      Finally, we show that the mammalian counterpart of Usp7, HAUSP, positively
      regulates Hh signaling by modulating Gli ubiquitination and stability. Our
      findings reveal a conserved mechanism by which Ci/Gli is stabilized by a
      deubiquitination enzyme and identify Usp7/HUASP as a critical regulator of Hh
      signaling and potential therapeutic target for Hh-related cancers.

PMID- 26120035
TI  - Direct Synthesis of Chiral Allenoates from the Asymmetric C-H Insertion of alpha
      Diazoesters into Terminal Alkynes.
AB  - The asymmetric C-H insertion of alpha-diazoesters into 1-alkynes was achieved
      using chiral cationic guanidinium salts and copper(I) complexes. Optically active
      2,4-disubstituted allenoates were generated under mild reaction conditions from
      various alpha-diazoesters and 1-alkynes in high yield (up to 99%) and
      enantioselectivity (up to 97:3 e.r.). Control experiments excluded the
      possibility of an asymmetric isomerization of alkynoates.

PMID- 26120036
TI  - Shooting through time: new insights from transcriptomic data.
AB  - Plant evo-devo research aims to identify the nature of genetic change
      underpinning the evolution of diverse plant forms. A transcriptomic study
      comparing gene expression profiles in the meristematic shoot tips of three
      distantly related vascular plants suggests that different genes were recruited to
      regulate similar meristematic processes during evolution. 

PMID- 26120037
TI  - Development of the larval migration inhibition test for comparative analysis of
      ivermectin sensitivity in cyathostomin populations.
AB  - Cyathostomins are the most prevalent parasitic pathogens of equids worldwide.
      These nematodes have been controlled using broad-spectrum anthelmintics; however,
      cyathostomin resistance to each anthelmintic class has been reported and
      populations insensitive to more than one class are relatively commonplace. The
      faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) is considered the most suitable method
      for screening anthelmintic sensitivity in horses, but is subject to variation and
      is relatively time-consuming to perform. Here, we describe a larval migration
      inhibition test (LMIT) to assess ivermectin (IVM) sensitivity in cyathostomin
      populations. This test measures the paralysing effect of IVM on the ability of
      third stage larvae (L3) to migrate through a pore mesh. When L3 from a single
      faecal sample were examined on multiple occasions, variation in migration was
      observed: this was associated with the length of time that the L3 had been stored
      before testing but the association was not significant. Half maximal effective
      concentration (EC50) values were then obtained for cyathostomin L3 from six
      populations of horses or donkeys that showed varying sensitivity to IVM in
      previous FECRTs. Larvae from populations indicated as IVM resistant by FECRT
      displayed significantly higher EC50 values in the LMIT than L3 from populations
      classified as IVM sensitive or L3 from populations that had not been previously
      exposed to IVM or had limited prior exposure. The analysis also showed that EC50
      values obtained using L3 from animals in which IVM faecal egg count reduction
      (FECR) levels had been recorded as <95% were significantly higher than EC50
      values obtained using L3 from animals for which FECR was measured as >95%. For
      one of the populations, time that had elapsed since IVM administration had an
      effect on the EC50 value obtained, with a longer time since treatment associated
      with lower EC50 values. These results indicate that the LMIT has value in
      discriminating IVM sensitivity amongst cyathostomin populations, but several
      factors were identified that need to be taken into account when executing the
      test and interpreting the derived data. 

PMID- 26120039
TI  - Early Dialysis and Adverse Outcomes After Hurricane Sandy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis patients have historically experienced diminished access
      to care and increased adverse outcomes after natural disasters. Although "early
      dialysis" in advance of a storm is promoted as a best practice, evidence for its
      effectiveness as a protective measure is lacking. Building on prior work, we
      examined the relationship between the receipt of dialysis ahead of schedule
      before the storm (also known as early dialysis) and adverse outcomes of patients
      with end-stage renal disease in the areas most affected by Hurricane Sandy. STUDY
      DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis, using claims data from the Centers for
      Medicare & Medicaid Services Datalink Project. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Patients
      receiving long-term hemodialysis in New York City and the state of New Jersey,
      the areas most affected by Hurricane Sandy. FACTOR: Receipt of early dialysis
      compared to their usual treatment pattern in the week prior to the storm.
      OUTCOMES: Emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and 30-day
      mortality following the storm. RESULTS: Of 13,836 study patients, 8,256 (60%)
      received early dialysis. In unadjusted logistic regression models, patients who
      received early dialysis were found to have lower odds of ED visits (OR, 0.75; 95%
      CI, 0.63-0.89; P=0.001) and hospitalizations (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.65-0.92;
      P=0.004) in the week of the storm and similar odds of 30-day mortality (OR, 0.80;
      95% CI, 0.58-1.09; P=0.2). In adjusted multivariable logistic regression models,
      receipt of early dialysis was associated with lower odds of ED visits (OR, 0.80;
      95% CI, 0.67-0.96; P=0.01) and hospitalizations (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66-0.94;
      P=0.01) in the week of the storm and 30-day mortality (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.52
      0.997; P=0.048). LIMITATIONS: Inability to determine which patients were offered
      early dialysis and declined and whether important unmeasured patient
      characteristics are associated with receipt of early dialysis. CONCLUSIONS:
      Patients who received early dialysis had significantly lower odds of having an ED
      visit and hospitalization in the week of the storm and of dying within 30 days.

PMID- 26120040
TI  - Immunogenetic heterogeneity in a widespread ungulate: the European roe deer
      (Capreolus capreolus).
AB  - Understanding how immune genetic variation is shaped by selective and neutral
      processes in wild populations is of prime importance in both evolutionary biology
      and epidemiology. The European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) has considerably
      expanded its distribution range these last decades, notably by colonizing
      agricultural landscapes. This range shift is likely to have led to bottlenecks
      and increased roe deer exposure to a new range of pathogens that until recently
      predominantly infected humans and domestic fauna. We therefore investigated the
      historical and contemporary forces that have shaped variability in a panel of
      genes involved in innate and acquired immunity in roe deer, including Mhc-Drb and
      genes encoding cytokines or toll-like receptors (TLRs). Together, our results
      suggest that genetic drift is the main contemporary evolutionary force shaping
      immunogenetic variation within populations. However, in contrast to the classical
      view, we found that some innate immune genes involved in micropathogen
      recognition (e.g. Tlrs) continue to evolve dynamically in roe deer in response to
      pathogen-mediated positive selection. Most studied Tlrs (Tlr2, Tlr4 and Tlr5) had
      similarly high levels of amino acid diversity in the three studied populations
      including one recently established in southwestern France that showed a clear
      signature of genetic bottleneck. Tlr2 implicated in the recognition of Gram
      positive bacteria in domestic ungulates, showed strong evidence of balancing
      selection. The high immunogenetic variation revealed here implies that roe deer
      are able to cope with a wide spectrum of pathogens and to respond rapidly to
      emerging infectious diseases. 

PMID- 26120041
TI  - Impact of heat stress on germinal vesicle breakdown and lipolytic changes during
      in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes.
AB  - Two studies were conducted with the overarching goal of determining the extent to
      which lipolytic changes relate to germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) in bovine
      oocytes matured under thermoneutral or hyperthermic conditions. To this end,
      cumulus-oocyte complexes underwent in vitro maturation for 0, 2, 4, 6 or 24 h at
      38.5 (first study) or 38.5 and 41.0 C (second study; heat stress applied up
      through first 12 h only, then shifted to 38.5 C). Independent of maturation
      temperature, triglyceride and phospholipid content decreased markedly by 2 h of
      in vitro maturation (hIVM; P < 0.0005). Content was lowest at 24 hIVM with no
      detectable impact of heat stress when exposure occurred during first 12 hIVM.
      Germinal vesicle breakdown occurred earlier in oocytes experiencing heat stress
      with effects observed as soon as 4 hIVM (P < 0.0001). Germinal vesicle breakdown
      was associated with lipolytic changes (R(2) = 0.2123 and P = 0.0030 for
      triglyceride content; R(2) = 0.2243 and P = 0.0026 for phospholipid content). ATP
      content at 24 hIVM was higher in oocytes experiencing heat stress (P = 0.0082).
      In summary, GVBD occurs sooner in heat-stressed oocytes. Although marked
      decreases in triglyceride and phospholipid content were noted as early as 2 hIVM
      and preceded GVBD, lipolytic changes such as these are not likely serving as an
      initial driver of GVBD in heat-stressed oocytes because changes occurred
      similarly in oocytes matured at thermoneutral conditions. 

PMID- 26120043
TI  - How short should short-term risk assessment be? Determining the optimum interval
      for START reassessment in a secure mental health service.
AB  - ACCESSIBLE SUMMARY: The Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START) is
      a tool used in some mental health services to assess patients to see if they are
      at risk of violence, self-harm, self-neglect or victimization. The recommended
      time between assessments is 3 months but there is currently no evidence to show
      that this is best practice. We have investigated whether assessing at 1- or 2
      month intervals would be more accurate and therefore facilitate more
      individualized risk management interventions. We found that many patients who
      were rated as low risk had been involved in risk behaviours before 3 months had
      passed; some patients who were rated at increased risk did not get involved in
      risk behaviours at all. Results are mixed for different outcomes but on balance,
      we think that the recommendation to conduct START assessment every 3 months is
      supported by the evidence. However, reassessment should be considered if risk
      behaviours are not prevented and teams should always consider whether risk
      management practices are too restrictive. ABSTRACT: The Short-Term Assessment of
      Risk and Treatability (START) guides assessment of potential adverse outcomes.
      Assessment is recommended every 3 months but there is no evidence for this
      interval. We aimed to inform whether earlier reassessment was warranted. We
      collated START assessments for N = 217 adults in a secure mental health hospital,
      and subsequent aggressive, self-harm, self-neglect and victimization incidents.
      We used receiver operating characteristic analysis to assess predictive validity;
      survival function analysis to examine differences between low-, medium-, and high
      risk groups; and hazard function analysis to determine the optimum interval for
      reassessment. The START predicted aggression and self-harm at 1, 2 and 3 months.
      At-risk individuals engaged in adverse outcomes earlier than low-risk patients.
      About half warranted reassessment before 3 months due to engagement in risk
      behaviour before that point despite a low-risk rating, or because of non
      engagement by that point despite an elevated risk rating. Risk assessment should
      occur at appropriate intervals so that management strategies can be individually
      tailored. Assessment at 3-month intervals is supported by the evidence. START
      assessments should be revisited earlier if risk behaviours are not prevented;
      teams should constantly re-evaluate the need for restrictive practices.

PMID- 26120042
TI  - In Vivo Fluorescence Immunohistochemistry: Localization of Fluorescently Labeled
      Cetuximab in Squamous Cell Carcinomas.
AB  - Anti-EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) antibody based treatment strategies
      have been successfully implemented in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
      (HNSCC). Unfortunately, predicting an accurate and reliable therapeutic response
      remains a challenge on a per-patient basis. Although significant efforts have
      been invested in understanding EGFR-mediated changes in cell signaling related to
      treatment efficacy, the delivery and histological localization in (peri-)tumoral
      compartments of antibody-based therapeutics in human tumors is poorly understood
      nor ever made visible. In this first in-human study of a systemically
      administered near-infrared (NIR) fluorescently labeled therapeutic antibody,
      cetuximab-IRDye800CW (2.5 mg/m(2), 25 mg/m(2), and 62.5 mg/m(2)), we show that by
      optical molecular imaging (i.e. denominated as In vivo Fluorescence
      Immunohistochemistry) we were able to evaluate localization of fluorescently
      labeled cetuximab. Clearly, optical molecular imaging with fluorescently labeled
      antibodies correlating morphological (peri-)tumoral characteristics to levels of
      antibody delivery, may improve treatment paradigms based on understanding true
      tumoral antibody delivery.

PMID- 26120038
TI  - Dental Health and Mortality in People With End-Stage Kidney Disease Treated With
      Hemodialysis: A Multinational Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dental disease is more extensive in adults with chronic kidney
      disease, but whether dental health and behaviors are associated with survival in
      the setting of hemodialysis is unknown. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective multinational
      cohort. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: 4,205 adults treated with long-term hemodialysis,
      2010 to 2012 (Oral Diseases in Hemodialysis [ORAL-D] Study). PREDICTORS: Dental
      health as assessed by a standardized dental examination using World Health
      Organization guidelines and personal oral care, including edentulousness;
      decayed, missing, and filled teeth index; teeth brushing and flossing; and dental
      health consultation. OUTCOMES: All-cause and cardiovascular mortality at 12
      months after dental assessment. MEASUREMENTS: Multivariable-adjusted Cox
      proportional hazards regression models fitted with shared frailty to account for
      clustering of mortality risk within countries. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up
      of 22.1 months, 942 deaths occurred, including 477 cardiovascular deaths.
      Edentulousness (adjusted HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.10-1.51) and decayed, missing, or
      filled teeth score >= 14 (adjusted HR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.33-2.17) were associated
      with early all-cause mortality, while dental flossing, using mouthwash, brushing
      teeth daily, spending at least 2 minutes on oral hygiene daily, changing a
      toothbrush at least every 3 months, and visiting a dentist within the past 6
      months (adjusted HRs of 0.52 [95% CI, 0.32-0.85], 0.79 [95% CI, 0.64-0.97], 0.76
      [95% CI, 0.58-0.99], 0.84 [95% CI, 0.71-0.99], 0.79 [95% CI, 0.65-0.95], and 0.79
      [95% CI, 0.65-0.96], respectively) were associated with better survival. Results
      for cardiovascular mortality were similar. LIMITATIONS: Convenience sample of
      clinics. CONCLUSIONS: In adults treated with hemodialysis, poorer dental health
      was associated with early death, whereas preventive dental health practices were
      associated with longer survival.

PMID- 26120044
TI  - Black tea extract improves anti-oxidant profile in experimental diabetic rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vivo anti-oxidant
      effect of black tea extract (BTE) supplemented to normal and alloxan-induced
      diabetic rats. METHODS: Black tea extract (BTE) was fed to control and
      experimental diabetic rats by gavage technique at a dose of 1 ml/100 g body
      weight/day. Markers of oxidative stress in blood were determined. RESULT: Results
      show a significant (P < 0.01) decrease (73%) in plasma anti-oxidant potential,
      increase in activity of plasma membrane redox system (122%), protein oxidation
      and lipid peroxidation in diabetic rats, BTE supplemented diabetic rats had
      improved anti-oxidant profile and lower protein and lipid peroxidation levels.
      Diabetic rats displayed lower intracellular glutathione (GSH), BTE
      supplementation improved GSH levels. CONCLUSION: Results of this study suggest
      that the 2.5% aqueous extract of black tea is effective to ameliorate diabetes
      associated oxidative stress parameters in experimental model of diabetes.

PMID- 26120045
TI  - Changes in the anti-oxidant system in adult epilepsy patients receiving anti
      epileptic drugs.
AB  - Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) have been widely used in patients with epilepsy. This
      study evaluated the adverse effects of two commonly prescribed AED monotherapies,
      carbamazepine (CBZ) and valproic acid (VPA). The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the influence of these anti-epileptic drugs on paraoxonase-1 (PON-1),
      glutathione S-transferase (GST) and acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) activities in
      the serum of adult patients with epilepsy. Of the 56 epileptic adults, 28 were
      given valproate, and the remaining 28 were given carbamazepine. Glutathione (GSH)
      levels in epilepsy patients receiving anti-epileptic drug treatment were
      insignificantly higher compared with controls. GST activity in epilepsy patients
      receiving anti-epileptic drug treatment was insignificantly lower compared with
      controls. PON1 and AChE activity in epilepsy patients receiving anti-epileptic
      drug treatment was significantly lower compared with controls. PON1 and AChE
      activities in the serum of patients treated with carbamazepine monotherapy were
      lower than in patients treated with valproic acid monotherapy. 

PMID- 26120047
TI  - Reply to 'Indication bias or protopathic bias?'.

PMID- 26120046
TI  - Reading during the composition of multi-sentence texts: an eye-movement study.
AB  - Writers composing multi-sentence texts have immediate access to a visual
      representation of what they have written. Little is known about the detail of
      writers' eye movements within this text during production. We describe two
      experiments in which competent adult writers' eye movements were tracked while
      performing short expository writing tasks. These are contrasted with conditions
      in which participants read and evaluated researcher-provided texts. Writers spent
      a mean of around 13 % of their time looking back into their text. Initiation of
      these look-back sequences was strongly predicted by linguistically important
      boundaries in their ongoing production (e.g., writers were much more likely to
      look back immediately prior to starting a new sentence). 36 % of look-back
      sequences were associated with sustained reading and the remainder with less
      patterned forward and backward saccades between words ("hopping"). Fixation and
      gaze durations and the presence of word-length effects suggested lexical
      processing of fixated words in both reading and hopping sequences. Word frequency
      effects were not present when writers read their own text. Findings demonstrate
      the technical possibility and potential value of examining writers' fixations
      within their just-written text. We suggest that these fixations do not serve
      solely, or even primarily, in monitoring for error, but play an important role in
      planning ongoing production. 

PMID- 26120049
TI  - A cross-sectional study of the clinical characteristics of cancer patients
      presenting to one tertiary referral emergency department.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There is increasing evidence of cancer patients presenting to
      emergency departments (ED). The study aim was to analyse the characteristics of
      adult cancer patients presenting to one ED. Understanding cancer patient
      presentations could assist in the development of new models of care. METHODS: A
      12 month retrospective audit was conducted of a random sample of cancer patients.
      Demographics and characteristic variables were analysed using descriptive,
      comparative and correlational statistics. RESULTS: The presentation rate for
      adult cancer patients was 1110 (2.4%) with 290 sampled. The common symptoms were
      fever (n = 54: 18.6%), abdominal pain (n = 34: 11.7%), and shortness of breath (n
      = 32: 11%). The majority of patients were allocated a Triage Category 2 (n = 94:
      32.4%) or Triage Category 3 (n = 131: 45.2%). The majority of patients presented
      between 2 and 15 times. For patients administered antibiotics the average time
      was 119.8 minutes (SD +/- 85.5). The average ED length of stay was mean 8.08
      hours with 271 patients (93.4%) admitted to the hospital. Of the 290 patients,
      105 (36.2%) had died within 12 months of ED presentation. CONCLUSION: The study
      has shown that while cancer patients are only a small percentage of ED
      presentations the vast majority are allocated high triage codes, have high
      admission rates and high mortality rates.

PMID- 26120048
TI  - Functional conservation of an ancestral Pellino protein in helminth species.
AB  - The immune system of H. sapiens has innate signaling pathways that arose in
      ancestral species. This is exemplified by the discovery of the Toll-like receptor
      (TLR) pathway using free-living model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster.
      The TLR pathway is ubiquitous and controls sensitivity to pathogen-associated
      molecular patterns (PAMPs) in eukaryotes. There is, however, a marked absence of
      this pathway from the plathyhelminthes, with the exception of the Pellino protein
      family, which is present in a number of species from this phylum. Helminth
      Pellino proteins are conserved having high similarity, both at the sequence and
      predicted structural protein level, with that of human Pellino proteins. Pellino
      from a model helminth, Schistosoma mansoni Pellino (SmPellino), was shown to bind
      and poly-ubiquitinate human IRAK-1, displaying E3 ligase activity consistent with
      its human counterparts. When transfected into human cells SmPellino is
      functional, interacting with signaling proteins and modulating mammalian
      signaling pathways. Strict conservation of a protein family in species lacking
      its niche signalling pathway is rare and provides a platform to examine the
      ancestral functions of Pellino proteins that may translate into novel mechanisms
      of immune regulation in humans. 

PMID- 26120050
TI  - The Measurement of Stable Carbon Isotope Ratios of Eight Methamidophos Samples.
AB  - Between December 2007 and January 2008, people suffered from food poisoning in
      the Japanese prefectures of Chiba and Hyogo after eating frozen dumplings (gyoza)
      produced in China, which had very high concentrations (1490-19,290 ppm) of
      methamidophos (O,S-dimethyl phosphoramidothioate). Thus, we measured the stable
      carbon isotope ratio of methamidophos using GC/C/IRMS to identify the source. We
      analyzed seven methamidophos reagents and one Chinese agricultural methamidophos
      chemical (MTD600) that contained many impurities. The delta13C values of the
      seven methamidophos reagents and MTD600 ranged from -49.230/00 to -31.900/00,
      with an average SD of 0.200/00, very high precision. This difference (17.330/00)
      was very large compared with that in previous reports and may be attributable to
      the material itself and the chemical processing of methamidophos. Criminals can
      easily obtain pesticides such as methamidophos; therefore, it is very important
      to identify the pesticide source and distribution route using stable isotopic
      science in the future.

PMID- 26120051
TI  - Phytochemicals potently inhibit migration of metastatic breast cancer cells.
AB  - Cell migration is a major process that drives metastatic progression of cancers,
      the major cause of cancer death. Existing chemotherapeutic drugs have limited
      efficacy to prevent and/or treat metastasis, emphasizing the need for new
      treatments. We focus on triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), the subtype of
      breast cancer with worst prognosis and no standard chemotherapy protocols. Here
      we demonstrate that a group of natural compounds, known as phytochemicals,
      effectively block migration of metastatic TNBC cells. Using a novel cell
      micropatterning technology, we generate consistent migration niches in standard
      96-well plates where each well contains a cell-excluded gap within a uniform
      monolayer of cells. Over time, cells migrate into and occupy the gap. Treating
      TNBC cells with non-toxic concentrations of phytochemicals significantly blocks
      motility of cells. Using a molecular analysis approach, we show that anti
      migratory property of phytochemicals is partly due to their inhibitory effects on
      phosphorylation of ERK1/2. This study provides a framework for future studies to
      understand molecular targets of phytochemicals and evaluate their effectiveness
      in inhibiting metastasis in animal models of cancer. 

PMID- 26120052
TI  - Effect of testosterone treatment on cardiac biomarkers in a randomized controlled
      trial of men with type 2 diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of testosterone treatment on cardiac biomarkers
      in men with type 2 diabetes (T2D). DESIGN: Randomized double-blind, parallel,
      placebo-controlled trial. PATIENTS: Men aged 35-70 years with T2D and a total
      testosterone level <=12.0 nmol/l (346 ng/dl) at high risk of cardiovascular
      events, median 10-year United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) coronary
      heart disease (CHD) risk 21% (IQR 16%, 27%). Eighty-eight participants were
      randomly assigned to 40 weeks of intramuscular testosterone undecanoate (n = 45)
      or matching placebo (n = 43). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: N-terminal pro B-type
      natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs
      cTnT). RESULT: Testosterone treatment reduced NT-proBNP (mean adjusted difference
      (MAD) in change over 40 weeks across the testosterone and placebo groups, -17.9
      ng/l [95% CI -32.4, -3.5], P = 0.047), but did not change hs-cTnT (MAD, 0.41 ng/l
      (95% CI -0.56, 1.39), P = 0.62). Six men, three in each group experienced an
      adverse cardiac event, displaying already higher baseline NT-proBNP (P < 0.01)
      and hs-cTnT levels (P = 0.01). At baseline, 10-year UKPDS CHD risk was associated
      positively with NT-proBNP (tau = 0.21, P = 0.004) and hs-cTnT (tau = 0.23, P =
      0.003) and inversely with testosterone (total testosterone tau = -0.18, P = 0.02,
      calculated free testosterone tau = -0.19, P = 0.01), but there was no significant
      association between testosterone and cardiac biomarkers (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
      In this trial of men with T2D and high cardiovascular risk, testosterone
      treatment reduced NT-proBNP and did not change hs-cTnT. Further studies should
      determine whether men with increased cardiac biomarkers prior to testosterone
      therapy are at higher risk of testosterone treatment-associated adverse cardiac
      events.

PMID- 26120053
TI  - Time-course of vascular dysfunction of brachial artery after transradial access
      for coronary angiography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prior studies have demonstrated endothelial and smooth muscle
      brachial artery dysfunction after transradial cardiac catheterization for
      diagnostic coronary angiography. The duration of this vascular dysfunction is
      unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the time-course of endothelial and smooth muscle
      cell dysfunction in the upstream brachial artery after transradial cardiac
      catheterization. METHODS: We studied 22 consecutive patients with suspected
      coronary artery disease (age 64.4 +/- 7.7 years) undergoing diagnostic
      transradial cardiac catheterization. Using high-resolution vascular ultrasound,
      we measured ipsilateral brachial artery diameter changes during reactive
      hyperemia (endothelium-dependent dilatation) and administration of sublingual
      nitroglycerin (endothelium-independent dilatation). The measurements were taken
      at baseline (before cardiac catheterization), 6 h, 24 h, 1 week, and 1 month
      postprocedure. The contralateral brachial artery served as a control. RESULTS:
      Ipsilateral brachial artery diameter during endothelium-dependent dilatation
      decreased significantly compared with the contralateral diameters at 6 h and 24 h
      after transradial cardiac catheterization (3.22 vs. 4.11 and 3.29 vs. 4.11,
      respectively, P < 0.001). The administration of nitroglycerin did not affect this
      difference. At 1 week and 1 month postprocedure there was no significant
      difference in diameter of the ipsilateral versus the contralateral brachial
      artery. As expected the contralateral brachial artery showed no significant
      changes in diameter. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that transradial cardiac
      catheterization causes transient vascular endothelial and smooth muscle
      dysfunction of the ipsilateral brachial artery, which resolves within 1 week
      postprocedure. These findings strongly suggest the absence of systemic vascular
      dysfunction after transradial catheterization both immediately postprocedure as
      well as 1 week postprocedure. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26120054
TI  - Teens that fear screams: A comparison of fear conditioning, extinction, and
      reinstatement in adolescents and adults.
AB  - This study investigated differences between adolescents and adults on fear
      conditioning, extinction, and reinstatement (i.e., the recovery of conditioned
      fear following re-exposure to the unconditioned stimulus [US] post-extinction).
      Participants underwent differential conditioning (i.e., the Screaming Lady) where
      one neutral face (CS+) was followed by the same face expressing fear and a loud
      scream (US) while another neutral face (CS-) remained neutral. Extinction
      involved non-reinforced presentations of both CSs, after which participants were
      reinstated (2xUSs) or not. On two self-report measures, both ages showed
      conditioning, good extinction learning and retention, and reinstatement-induced
      relapse. However, only adolescents showed conditioning, extinction, and
      reinstatement on the eye tracking measure; relapse on this measure could not be
      assessed in adults given they did not show initial conditioning. Lastly, higher
      levels of depression predicted stronger conditioning and weaker extinction in
      adolescents only. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for
      adolescent anxiety disorders.

PMID- 26120055
TI  - The effect of 2,5-di-(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (TBQ) on intracellular
      Ca2+ handling in rat ventricular myocytes.
AB  - 2,5-Di-(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (TBQ) is a reversible inhibitor of
      SERCA, potentially making it a useful tool to study the effects of SERCA
      inhibition in cardiac cells. However, it is unknown if TBQ also has effects on
      other components of ventricular Ca handling. The aim of these experiments was to
      characterise the effects of TBQ on Ca handling in rat ventricular myocytes and
      assess its suitability as a specific inhibitor of SERCA. This was achieved by
      voltage clamp via perforated patch and [Ca(2+)]i measurement using Fluo-3 AM. TBQ
      produced a fully reversible, concentration dependent decrease in the rate of
      systolic Ca decay. 10MUM TBQ decreased the amplitude of the systolic Ca transient
      by 48+/-5% and the rate of decay by 54+/-6%. SR Ca content was also reduced by
      62+/-4%. However, 10MUM TBQ also decreased the peak L-type Ca current by 23+/-7%.
      At higher concentrations (100MUM), TBQ also activated an outward current with a
      current-voltage relationship consistent with a potassium current. This outward
      current was abolished by Glibenclamide (100MUM). These data show that TBQ can be
      used to reversibly inhibit SERCA. However, at concentrations that decrease SERCA
      activity, TBQ also decreases the L-type Ca current and (at higher concentrations)
      activates an outward current which appears to be an ATP dependent potassium
      current. We conclude that TBQ cannot be used as a specific inhibitor of SERCA in
      rat ventricular myocytes. 

PMID- 26120056
TI  - Long-Term Effects of Neonatal Morphine Infusion on Pain Sensitivity: Follow-Up of
      a Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - Short-term and long-term effects of neonatal pain and its analgesic treatment
      have been topics of translational research over the years. This study aimed to
      identify the long-term effects of continuous morphine infusion in the neonatal
      period on thermal pain sensitivity, the incidence of chronic pain, and
      neurological functioning. Eighty-nine of the 150 participants of a neonatal
      randomized controlled trial on continuous morphine infusion versus placebo during
      mechanical ventilation underwent quantitative sensory testing and neurological
      examination at the age of 8 or 9 years. Forty-three children from the morphine
      group and 46 children from the placebo group participated in this follow-up
      study. Thermal detection and pain thresholds were compared with data from 28
      healthy controls. Multivariate analyses revealed no statistically significant
      differences in thermal detection thresholds and pain thresholds between the
      morphine and placebo groups. The incidence of chronic pain was comparable between
      both groups. The neurological examination was normal in 29 (76%) of the children
      in the morphine group and 25 (61%) of the children in the control group (P =
      .14). We found that neonatal continuous morphine infusion (10 MUg/kg/h) has no
      adverse effects on thermal detection and pain thresholds, the incidence of
      chronic pain, or overall neurological functioning 8 to 9 years later.
      Perspective: This unique long-term follow-up study shows that neonatal continuous
      morphine infusion (10 MUg/kg/h) has no long-term adverse effects on thermal
      detection and pain thresholds or overall neurological functioning. These findings
      will help clinicians to find the most adequate and safe analgesic dosing regimens
      for neonates and infants.

PMID- 26120057
TI  - A Long-Lived Luminal Subpopulation Enriched with Alveolar Progenitors Serves as
      Cellular Origin of Heterogeneous Mammary Tumors.
AB  - It has been shown that the mammary luminal lineage could be maintained by luminal
      stem cells or long-lived progenitors, but their identity and role in breast
      cancer remain largely elusive. By lineage analysis using Wap-Cre mice, we found
      that, in nulliparous females, mammary epithelial cells (MECs) genetically marked
      by Wap-Cre represented a subpopulation of CD61+ luminal progenitors independent
      of ovarian hormones for their maintenance. Using a pulse-chase lineage-tracing
      approach based on Wap-Cre adenovirus (Ad-Wap-Cre), we found that Ad-Wap-Cre
      marked nulliparous MECs were enriched with CD61+ alveolar progenitors (APs) that
      gave rise to CD61- alveolar luminal cells during pregnancy/lactation and could
      maintain themselves long term. When transformed by different oncogenes, they
      could serve as cells of origin of heterogeneous mammary tumors. Thus, our study
      revealed a type of long-lived AP within the luminal lineage that may serve as the
      cellular origin of multiple breast cancer subtypes.

PMID- 26120058
TI  - Automated Identification and Localization of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in 3D
      Intravital Microscopy Data.
AB  - Measuring three-dimensional (3D) localization of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs)
      within the bone marrow microenvironment using intravital microscopy is a rapidly
      expanding research theme. This approach holds the key to understanding the detail
      of HSC-niche interactions, which are critical for appropriate stem cell function.
      Due to the complex tissue architecture of the bone marrow and to the progressive
      introduction of scattering and signal loss at increasing imaging depths, there is
      no ready-made software to handle efficient segmentation and unbiased analysis of
      the data. To address this, we developed an automated image analysis tool that
      simplifies and standardizes the biological interpretation of 3D HSC
      microenvironment images. The algorithm identifies HSCs and measures their
      localization relative to surrounding osteoblast cells and bone collagen. We
      demonstrate here the effectiveness, consistency, and accuracy of the proposed
      approach compared to current manual analysis and its wider applicability to
      analyze other 3D bone marrow components. 

PMID- 26120060
TI  - Precipitating Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate to Create Ultrastable and Stimulable Foams.
AB  - Ultrastable foams are made very simply by adding salt (NaCl or KCl) to sodium
      dodecyl sulfate. The addition of high concentrations of salt leads to the
      precipitation of the surfactant on the bubble surfaces and as crystals in the
      interstices between the bubbles. As a consequence, the ageing of the foams is
      stopped to make them stable indefinitely, or until they are heated above the
      melting temperature of the crystals. The use of KCl is shown to be much more
      effective than that of NaCl because potassium dodecyl sulfate has a higher
      melting temperature and faster rates of crystallization. The crystalline
      structures have been investigated inside the foam using small angle neutron
      scattering. The larger lattice spacing of the crystals formed with NaCl in
      comparison with KCl has been evidenced. These simple temperature stimulable foams
      could have many potential applications. 

PMID- 26120059
TI  - Histone Demethylases KDM4A and KDM4C Regulate Differentiation of Embryonic Stem
      Cells to Endothelial Cells.
AB  - Understanding epigenetic mechanisms regulating embryonic stem cell (ESC)
      differentiation to endothelial cells may lead to increased efficiency of
      generation of vessel wall endothelial cells needed for vascular engineering. Here
      we demonstrated that the histone demethylases KDM4A and KDM4C played an
      indispensable but independent role in mediating the expression of fetal liver
      kinase (Flk)1 and VE-cadherin, respectively, and thereby the transition of mouse
      ESCs (mESCs) to endothelial cells. KDM4A was shown to bind to histones associated
      with the Flk1 promoter and KDM4C to bind to histones associated with the VE
      cadherin promoter. KDM4A and KDM4C were also both required for capillary tube
      formation and vasculogenesis in mice. We observed in zebrafish that KDM4A
      depletion induced more severe vasculogenesis defects than KDM4C depletion,
      reflecting the early involvement of KDM4A in specifying endothelial cell fate.
      These findings together demonstrate the essential role of KDM4A and KDM4C in
      orchestrating mESC differentiation to endothelial cells through the activation of
      Flk1 and VE-cadherin promoters, respectively. 

PMID- 26120061
TI  - Distribution of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the whole rat
      body and 25 compartments.
AB  - The steady state compositions of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
      (PUFA) throughout the various viscera and tissues within the whole body of rats
      have not previously been described in a comprehensive manner. Dams consumed diets
      containing 10wt% fat (15% linoleate and 3% alpha-linolenate). Male offspring
      (n=9) at 7-week of age were euthanized and dissected into 25 compartments. Total
      lipid fatty acids for each compartment were quantified by GC/FID and summed for
      the rat whole body; total n-6 PUFA was 12wt% and total n-3 PUFA was 2.1% of total
      fatty acids. 18:2n-6 accounted for 84% of the total n-6 PUFA, 20:4n-6 was 12%,
      18:3n-3 was 59% of the total n-3 PUFA, 20:5n-3 was 2.1%, and 22:6n-3 was 32%. The
      white adipose tissue contained the greatest amounts of 18:2n-6 (1.5g) and 18:3n-3
      (0.2g). 20:4n-6 was highest in muscle (60mg) and liver (57mg), while 22:6n-3 was
      greatest in muscle (46mg), followed by liver (27mg) and carcass (20mg). In terms
      of fatty acid composition expressed as a percentage, 18:2n-6 was the highest in
      the heart (13wt%), while 18:3n-3 was about 1.3wt% for skin, white adipose tissue
      and fur. 20:4n-6 was highest (21-25wt%) in the circulation, kidney, and spleen,
      while 22:6n-3 was highest in the brain (12wt%), followed by the heart (7.9wt%),
      liver (5.9wt%), and spinal cord (5.1wt%). Selectivity was greatest when comparing
      22:6n-3 in brain (12%) to white adipose (0.08%) (68-fold) and 22:5n-6 in testes
      (15.6%) compared to white adipose (0.02%), 780-fold. 

PMID- 26120062
TI  - Capillary droplet propulsion on a fibre.
AB  - A viscous liquid film coating a fibre becomes unstable and decays into droplets
      due to the Rayleigh-Plateau instability (RPI). Here, we report on the generation
      of uniform droplets on a hydrophobized fibre by taking advantage of this effect.
      In the late stages of liquid column breakup, a three-phase contact line can be
      formed at one side of the droplet by spontaneous rupture of the thinning film.
      The resulting capillary imbalance leads to droplet propulsion along the fibre. We
      study the dynamics and the dewetting speed of the droplet as a function of
      molecular weight as well as temperature and compare to a force balance model
      based on purely viscous dissipation. 

PMID- 26120063
TI  - Preparation of a porous Sn@C nanocomposite as a high-performance anode material
      for lithium-ion batteries.
AB  - A porous Sn@C nanocomposite was prepared via a facile hydrothermal method
      combined with a simple post-calcination process, using stannous octoate as the Sn
      source and glucose as the C source. The as-prepared Sn@C nanocomposite exhibited
      excellent electrochemical behavior with a high reversible capacity, long cycle
      life and good rate capability when used as an anode material for lithium ion
      batteries. 

PMID- 26120064
TI  - Total knee arthroplasty using patient-specific guides: Is there a learning curve?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient specific guides (PSG) have been reported to improve overall
      component alignment in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). With more surgeons likely
      to consider this method of TKA in the future, this study was performed to
      establish whether there is a learning curve with use of PSG in TKA. METHODS:
      Eighty-six consecutive PSG TKAs performed by one surgeon were retrospectively
      analyzed in two groups. The first 30 patients were compared to the second 56
      patients with regards to their operative times and post-operative multi-planar
      alignments on computed tomography (CT) scan. RESULTS: Mean operative time was
      higher in the initial 30 cases compared to the second 56 cases (85 min vs. 78
      min; p=0.001). No statistically significant differences were found in post
      operative TKA alignment between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests
      that there is a minimal learning curve with operative time associated with use of
      PSG in TKA. This study was unable to detect a significant learning curve with
      regards to restoration of mechanical knee alignment with the use of PSG in TKA.

PMID- 26120065
TI  - Metal containing cryptands as hosts for anions: evaluation of Cu(I)...X and
      pi...X interactions in halide-tricopper(I) complexes through relativistic DFT
      calculations.
AB  - More selective than crown ethers, cryptands arise as suitable hosts for several
      ions, with the size of the cavity and the behavior of the atoms belonging to the
      structure being the main factors governing their selectivity. Similar to
      metallacrowns, inorganic counterparts of crown ethers, the presence of metal
      centers in cryptands can offer significant advantages in terms of ion recognition
      as they provide positively charged sites, which allow them to encapsulate anions.
      Here, through density functional methodologies, we evaluate the preference of a
      tricopper(I) cryptand host toward a series of halide ions ranging from the hard
      fluoride to the soft iodide, where the more intense interactions are established
      with the hardest one, and the electrostatic term is the more relevant contributor
      to total interaction energy. Upon exploration of this electrostatic contribution
      in more detail, it is observed that as the guest becomes softer, the increase of
      higher order Coulombic terms, such as dipole-dipole, dipole-quadrupole, and
      quadrupole-quadrupole, acquires more relevance on going from 9.22% to 41.25%,
      denoting the key role and variation of such forces in inclusion systems with
      metal-containing hosts.

PMID- 26120066
TI  - Is Canine Eruption Velocity Affected by the Presence of Allograft Within a
      Repaired Alveolar Cleft?
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the rate of canine eruption in alveolar clefts repaired with
      cancellous autograft versus cancellous autograft mixed with allograft. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients in mixed dentition
      who underwent primary repair of uni- or bilateral alveolar cleft defects.
      Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the method of bony reconstruction
      (group 1, iliac crest autograft; group 2, iliac crest autograft harvested through
      a minimal access approach and mixed 1:2 with demineralized bone allograft).
      Secondary predictor variables were demographic and anatomic factors potentially
      related to canine eruption. The outcome variable was the velocity of canine
      eruption, measured as the change in vertical distance from the incisal edge to
      the maxillary occlusal plane (millimeters per month). Descriptive, bivariate, and
      linear regression statistics were computed. RESULTS: The study sample included 57
      alveolar cleft defects; 19 were repaired with autograft alone and 38 were
      repaired with autograft plus allograft. The sample's mean age was 9.9 +/- 2.3
      years at the time of repair. Thirty-one clefts (54.4%) were part of a bilateral
      deformity. Canine root formation was 50% complete at the time of surgery in most
      patients (59.6%). Mean duration of follow-up was 23.7 +/- 13.2 months. Mean
      canine eruption velocity was 0.20 +/- 0.18 mm per month and was not associated
      with the method of bony repair (P = .58). CONCLUSION: The use of allograft bone
      to augment bone graft volume results in similar rates of canine eruption compared
      with autograft bone alone.

PMID- 26120067
TI  - Cutaneous rash and dapsone-induced hypersensitivity syndrome a common
      manifestation in adult immune thrombocytopenia. Presentation and outcome in 16
      cases.

PMID- 26120068
TI  - Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 alters recurrence patterns and
      prognostic factors among patients with stage II/III gastric cancer: A propensity
      score matching analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A phase 3 evidence indicates that S-1 adjuvant is beneficial among
      East Asian patients with stage II/III gastric cancer (GC). However, little is
      known about the changes in prognostic factors and recurrence patterns after it
      has become widespread as a standard of care. The present study compared
      prognostic factors of patients with stage II/III GC treated with or without S-1
      adjuvant with formulate appropriate risk stratification strategies. METHODS: We
      enrolled 171 patients with stage II/III GC, 92 patients who underwent gastrectomy
      alone, and 79 patients treated with S-1 adjuvant. To balance more strictly the
      essential variables including stage of progression, we conducted propensity score
      analysis and 70 pairs of patients were generated from each group. Prognostic
      factors were compared between the groups and initial recurrence patterns were
      investigated to explore reasons for the change. RESULTS: In concordance with the
      previous phase 3 trial, overall and recurrence-free survival were better for the
      S-1 adjuvant group. In the surgery alone group, carcinoembryonic antigen >= 5
      ng/mL, total gastrectomy, vessel invasion, pT4, and stage 3 were identified as
      significant prognostic factors. In striking contrast, macroscopic tumor size >=
      50 mm was the only significant prognostic factor for the S-1 adjuvant group. The
      lower overall recurrence rate of the S-1 adjuvant group was attributable mainly
      to a significant decrease of peritoneal recurrence. CONCLUSION: Prognostic
      factors changed substantially after implementation of S-1 adjuvant treatment.
      Macroscopic tumor size should be considered for patient stratification and
      selection of treatment options for patients with stage II/III GC.

PMID- 26120069
TI  - Role of BRAF V600E mutation as an indicator of the extent of thyroidectomy and
      lymph node dissection in conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The extent of surgery for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is
      associated strongly with disease persistence, recurrence, and mortality. It is
      difficult, however, to determine the optimal extent for surgery. The BRAF
      mutation is well known for its diagnostic and prognostic value in PTC. Among the
      variants of PTC, the clinical importance of the BRAF mutation has been associated
      particularly with conventional PTC. The goal of this study was to clarify the
      role of the BRAF mutation as a determinant for the operative extent in
      conventional PTC. METHODS: Histopathology and BRAF mutation status of 3,019
      patients with conventional PTC were analyzed. With regard to the extent of
      surgery in PTC, focus was given to the factors of tumor bilaterality, central
      lymph node metastasis (CLNM), and lateral lymph node metastasis. In addition, the
      prognostic impact of BRAF mutation on loco-regional recurrence was investigated.
      RESULTS: The BRAF mutation was found to be an independent indicator of tumor
      bilaterality (odds ratio [OR] 1.484, P = .010); however, it was not an
      independent indicator of CLNM (OR 1.167, P = .254) or lateral lymph node
      metastasis (OR 0.647, P = .384). Moreover, it was not an independent indicator of
      CLNM in either the therapeutic or prophylactic central neck dissection. Finally,
      BRAF mutation positivity did not increase the risk of loco-regional recurrence
      (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.829, P = .523). CONCLUSION: The BRAF mutation is a
      possible indicator for determining the extent of thyroidectomy required but not
      for the extent of lymph node dissection and prognosis in patients with
      conventional PTC.

PMID- 26120070
TI  - Clinical comparison of laparoscopic and open liver resection after propensity
      matching selection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the radicality for and clinical
      advantages of laparoscopic liver resection, which is increasingly used, and the
      corresponding open procedure by propensity score matching analysis. METHODS: We
      analyzed 260 hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent initial liver
      resection at our department between January 2003 and June 2011, including 60
      laparoscopic (the Lap group) and 200 open cases (the Open group). Propensity
      scores were calculated for each patient via the use of various clinicopathologic
      features as covariates, and patients' survival was compared. RESULTS: The Lap
      group had more women and patients of advanced age (n = 60) than the Open group (n
      = 200). Tumor size (2.3 cm vs 3.5 cm median), multiple tumors (18.3% vs 41.0%),
      vascular invasion (15.0% vs 36.5%), poor differentiation status (11.2% vs 24.5%),
      intraoperative bleeding (110 mL vs 420 mL; median), and operative time (277
      minutes vs 312 minutes; median) were significantly more favorable in the Lap
      group than in the Open group because of a selection bias of the patients (Lap vs
      Open). The postoperative recurrence-free and overall survival rates were greater
      in the Lap group than in the Open group; however, when 35 patients from each
      group were analyzed after propensity score matching of clinicopathologic
      characteristics of the patients, intraoperative bleeding was lesser in the Lap
      group. The recurrence-free survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 75.0%, 43.8%,
      and 43.8%, respectively, in the Lap group and 73.6%, 49.3%, and 37.2%,
      respectively, in the Open group, which indicated no significant differences (P =
      .954). Similarly, the overall survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 93.9%,
      82.1%, and 82.1%, respectively, in the Lap group and 94.3%, 85.2%, and 61.8%,
      respectively, in the Open group, indicating no significant differences between
      the 2 groups (P = .672). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that laparoscopic liver
      resection is comparable with the corresponding open procedure in clinical safety
      and prognostic efficacy.

PMID- 26120071
TI  - Re: 'Preferred Strategy for Hemodialysis Access Creation in Elderly Patients'.

PMID- 26120072
TI  - Dealing with inter-expert variability in retinopathy of prematurity: A machine
      learning approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Understanding the causes of disagreement among experts
      in clinical decision making has been a challenge for decades. In particular, a
      high amount of variability exists in diagnosis of retinopathy of prematurity
      (ROP), which is a disease affecting low birth weight infants and a major cause of
      childhood blindness. A possible cause of variability, that has been mostly
      neglected in the literature, is related to discrepancies in the sets of important
      features considered by different experts. In this paper we propose a methodology
      which makes use of machine learning techniques to understand the underlying
      causes of inter-expert variability. METHODS: The experiments are carried out on a
      dataset consisting of 34 retinal images, each with diagnoses provided by 22
      independent experts. Feature selection techniques are applied to discover the
      most important features considered by a given expert. Those features selected by
      each expert are then compared to the features selected by other experts by
      applying similarity measures. Finally, an automated diagnosis system is built in
      order to check if this approach can be helpful in solving the problem of
      understanding high inter-rater variability. RESULTS: The experimental results
      reveal that some features are mostly selected by the feature selection methods
      regardless the considered expert. Moreover, for pairs of experts with high
      percentage agreement among them, the feature selection algorithms also select
      similar features. By using the relevant selected features, the classification
      performance of the automatic system was improved or maintained. CONCLUSIONS: The
      proposed methodology provides a handy framework to identify important features
      for experts and check whether the selected features reflect the pairwise
      agreements/disagreements. These findings may lead to improved diagnostic accuracy
      and standardization among clinicians, and pave the way for the application of
      this methodology to other problems which present inter-expert variability.

PMID- 26120073
TI  - JTSA: an open source framework for time series abstractions.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The evaluation of the clinical status of a patient is
      frequently based on the temporal evolution of some parameters, making the
      detection of temporal patterns a priority in data analysis. Temporal abstraction
      (TA) is a methodology widely used in medical reasoning for summarizing and
      abstracting longitudinal data. METHODS: This paper describes JTSA (Java Time
      Series Abstractor), a framework including a library of algorithms for time series
      preprocessing and abstraction and an engine to execute a workflow for temporal
      data processing. The JTSA framework is grounded on a comprehensive ontology that
      models temporal data processing both from the data storage and the abstraction
      computation perspective. The JTSA framework is designed to allow users to build
      their own analysis workflows by combining different algorithms. Thanks to the
      modular structure of a workflow, simple to highly complex patterns can be
      detected. The JTSA framework has been developed in Java 1.7 and is distributed
      under GPL as a jar file. RESULTS: JTSA provides: a collection of algorithms to
      perform temporal abstraction and preprocessing of time series, a framework for
      defining and executing data analysis workflows based on these algorithms, and a
      GUI for workflow prototyping and testing. The whole JTSA project relies on a
      formal model of the data types and of the algorithms included in the library.
      This model is the basis for the design and implementation of the software
      application. Taking into account this formalized structure, the user can easily
      extend the JTSA framework by adding new algorithms. Results are shown in the
      context of the EU project MOSAIC to extract relevant patterns from data coming
      related to the long term monitoring of diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS: The proof
      that JTSA is a versatile tool to be adapted to different needs is given by its
      possible uses, both as a standalone tool for data summarization and as a module
      to be embedded into other architectures to select specific phenotypes based on
      TAs in a large dataset.

PMID- 26120074
TI  - Error-processing abnormalities in pediatric anxiety and obsessive compulsive
      disorders.
AB  - Anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders are among the earliest occurring
      psychopathology and may derive from atypical maturation of neural networks for
      error processing. Psychological models have alternately suggested that over
      detection of errors, excessive caring about errors, or failure of errors to
      elicit regulatory control could associate with the expression of anxiety. In this
      review article, the potential relevance of error processing for anxiety and
      obsessive compulsive disorders is described in the context of neurophysiological
      and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research demonstrating altered
      brain response to errors in pediatric and adult patients. Finally, hypotheses
      about developmentally sensitive mechanisms of anxiety and obsessive compulsive
      disorders are drawn from the extant literature, and avenues for clinical
      translation are discussed.

PMID- 26120075
TI  - Pharmacodynamics and tolerability of repository corticotropin injection in
      healthy human subjects: A comparison with intravenous methylprednisolone.
AB  - Repository corticotropin injection (porcine adrenocorticotropic hormone [ACTH]
      analog) and intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) are used to treat inflammatory
      conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS) exacerbations and rheumatoid
      arthritis. This multiple-dose, randomized, crossover, open-label study evaluated
      and compared pharmacodynamic outcomes in subjects who received ACTH analog (80 U
      subcutaneously) or IVMP (1 g) daily for 5 days. Specific outcome measures
      included IVMP and cortisol concentrations, total cortisol-equivalent exposure,
      immune cell population changes, and tolerability. IVMP and ACTH analog increased
      granulocyte numbers and decreased lymphocyte counts; effects on both were
      significantly less pronounced with ACTH analog. Based on total cortisol
      equivalent exposure (assuming linearity), administration of 80 U of ACTH analog
      equates to 30 mg IVMP. Because IVMP doses significantly higher than 30 mg are
      usually required to treat MS exacerbations, the lower cortisol-equivalent
      exposure of 80 U ACTH analog supports the hypothesis that efficacy of ACTH analog
      results from both steroid-dependent and -independent properties. Adverse events
      were mild in severity; subject incidence for adverse-event reporting was similar
      following both regimens. The clinical relevance of these findings in autoimmune
      disease populations is unknown and requires further evaluation.

PMID- 26120076
TI  - Fatty acids in bacterium Dietzia sp. grown on simple and complex hydrocarbons
      determined as FAME by GC-MS.
AB  - The influence of growth substrates on the fatty acids produced by Dietzia sp.
      A14101 has been studied to investigate how qualitative and semi-quantitative
      information on fatty acids correlates with the ability of this strain to access
      and utilize a wide range of water-immiscible HC-substrates by modifying the FA
      content and thus also the properties of the cellular membrane. After incubation
      on different substrates and media, the profiles of fatty acids (FA) were analyzed
      by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The equivalent chain length
      (ECL) index calibration system was employed to identify FA. The effect of each
      substrate on the cell surface charge and on the hydrophobicity of the cellular
      membrane was also investigated. The results indicate that the variation of the
      content of saturated fatty acids (SAT-FA) versus mono-unsaturated fatty acids
      (MUFA) was found to be the most pronounced while branched FA exhibited much less
      variation in spite of different substrate regimes. The regulation of the ratio of
      SAT-FA and MUFA seems to be coupled with the regulation of the charge and
      hydrophobicity of the outer cellular surface. The exposure to a water immiscible
      substrate led to the development of the negative cellular surface charge,
      production of carotenoid-type pigments and increased hydrophobicity of the
      cellular surface. The specific aspects of the adaptation mechanism could have
      implications for bioremediation and/or (M)EOR applications. 

PMID- 26120077
TI  - Nanoscale reduction of graphene oxide thin films and its characterization.
AB  - In this paper, we report on a method to reduce thin films of graphene oxide (GO)
      to a spatial resolution better than 100 nm over several tens of micrometers by
      means of an electrochemical scanning probe based lithography. In situ tip-current
      measurements show that an edged drop in electrical resistance characterizes the
      reduced areas, and that the reduction process is, to a good approximation,
      proportional to the applied bias between the onset voltage and the saturation
      thresholds. An atomic force microscope (AFM) quantifies the drop of the surface
      height for the reduced profile due to the loss of oxygen. Complementarily,
      lateral force microscopy reveals a homogeneous friction coefficient of the
      reduced regions that is remarkably lower than that of native graphene oxide,
      confirming a chemical change in the patterned region. Micro Raman spectroscopy,
      which provides access to insights into the chemical process, allows one to
      quantify the restoration and de-oxidation of the graphitic network driven by the
      electrochemical reduction and to determine characteristic length scales. It also
      confirms the homogeneity of the process over wide areas. The results shown were
      obtained from accurate analysis of the shift, intensity and width of Raman peaks
      for the main vibrational bands of GO and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) mapped over
      large areas. Concerning multilayered GO thin films obtained by drop-casting we
      have demonstrated an unprecedented lateral resolution in ambient conditions as
      well as an improved control, characterization and understanding of the reduction
      process occurring in GO randomly folded multilayers, useful for large-scale
      processing of graphene-based material. 

PMID- 26120078
TI  - Knowledge and Usage of Emergency Contraceptives Among University Students in
      Ghana.
AB  - Contraceptive use is an important strategy for the prevention of unwanted
      pregnancy and avoidance of induced abortion. Of all the contraception methods,
      emergency contraceptive (EC) offers the last chance to achieve this. However, few
      studies have documented the use of EC among young people in Ghana. This study
      explored knowledge and usage of EC as well as the factors associated with it
      among University of Cape Coast students. Data were obtained on the knowledge and
      usage of ECs among University of Cape Coast students in 2013. Logistic regression
      analysis was used to investigate the association between students' socio
      demographic characteristics and EC knowledge and use. More male students (72%)
      than females (59%) were sexually active. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents
      had ever heard of EC and 36% had ever used EC. Although males were more likely to
      be sexually active, females were more likely to have knowledge of EC use compared
      to males. The study underscores the need to increase awareness regarding EC among
      University students in order to offer them the opportunity that EC provides if
      other forms of contraceptives are missed.

PMID- 26120079
TI  - Peptide Fragments of Odin-Sam1: Conformational Analysis and Interaction Studies
      with EphA2-Sam.
AB  - Odin is a protein belonging to the ANKS family, and has two tandem Sam domains.
      The first, Odin-Sam1, binds to the Sam domain of the EphA2 receptor (EphA2-Sam);
      this interaction could be crucial for the regulation of receptor endocytosis and
      might have an impact on cancer. Odin-Sam1 associates with EphA2-Sam by adopting a
      "mid-loop/end-helix" model. In this study three peptide sequences, encompassing
      the mid-loop interacting portion of Odin-Sam1 and its C-terminal alpha5 helix,
      were designed. Their conformational properties were analyzed by CD and NMR. In
      addition, their abilities to interact with EphA2-Sam were investigated by SPR
      studies. The peptides adopt a predominantly disordered state in aqueous buffer,
      but a higher helical content is evident in the presence of the cosolvent
      trifluoroethanol. Dissociation constants towards EphA2-Sam were in the high
      micromolar range. The structural findings suggest further routes for the design
      of potential anti-cancer therapeutics as inhibitors of EphA2-Sam heterotypic
      interactions. 

PMID- 26120080
TI  - Response to the Letter to the Editor: "The prognostic value of white blood cell
      count-to-mean platelet volume ratio in patients with acute coronary syndrome".

PMID- 26120081
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA copy number is reduced in male combat veterans with PTSD.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mitochondrial abnormalities may be involved in PTSD, although few
      studies have examined this. Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) in blood
      cells is an emerging systemic index of mitochondrial biogenesis and function. The
      present study assessed mtDNAcn in male combat-exposed veterans with PTSD compared
      to those without PTSD as well as its correlation with clinical scales. METHODS:
      mtDNAcn was assessed with a TaqMan multiplex assay in granulocytes of 43 male
      combat veterans with (n=43) or without (n=44) PTSD. Twenty of the PTSD subjects
      had co-morbid major depressive disorder (MDD). The Clinician Administered PTSD
      Scale (CAPS), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Early Trauma
      Inventory (ETI) and the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) were used for the
      clinical assessments. All analyses were corrected for age and BMI. RESULTS:
      mtDNAcn was significantly lower in subjects with PTSD (p<0.05). Within the PTSD
      group, those with moderate PTSD symptom severity had relatively higher mtDNAcn
      than those with mild or severe symptoms (p<0.01). Within the PTSD group, mtDNAcn
      was positively correlated with PANAS positive subscale ratings (p<0.01) but was
      not significantly correlated with PANAS negative subscale, ETI or BDI-II ratings.
      DISCUSSION: This study provides the first evidence of: (i) a significant decrease
      of mtDNAcn in combat PTSD, (ii) a possible "inverted-U" shaped relationship
      between PTSD symptom severity and mtDNAcn within PTSD subjects, and (iii) a
      direct correlation of mtDNAcn with positive affectivity within PTSD subjects.
      Altered mtDNAcn in PTSD may reflect impaired energy metabolism, which might
      represent a novel aspect of its pathophysiology.

PMID- 26120083
TI  - Demographic inference using genetic data from a single individual: Separating
      population size variation from population structure.
AB  - The rapid development of sequencing technologies represents new opportunities for
      population genetics research. It is expected that genomic data will increase our
      ability to reconstruct the history of populations. While this increase in genetic
      information will likely help biologists and anthropologists to reconstruct the
      demographic history of populations, it also represents new challenges. Recent
      work has shown that structured populations generate signals of population size
      change. As a consequence it is often difficult to determine whether demographic
      events such as expansions or contractions (bottlenecks) inferred from genetic
      data are real or due to the fact that populations are structured in nature. Given
      that few inferential methods allow us to account for that structure, and that
      genomic data will necessarily increase the precision of parameter estimates, it
      is important to develop new approaches. In the present study we analyze two
      demographic models. The first is a model of instantaneous population size change
      whereas the second is the classical symmetric island model. We (i) re-derive the
      distribution of coalescence times under the two models for a sample of size two,
      (ii) use a maximum likelihood approach to estimate the parameters of these models
      (iii) validate this estimation procedure under a wide array of parameter
      combinations, (iv) implement and validate a model rejection procedure by using a
      Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and a model choice procedure based on the AIC, and (v)
      derive the explicit distribution for the number of differences between two non
      recombining sequences. Altogether we show that it is possible to estimate
      parameters under several models and perform efficient model choice using genetic
      data from a single diploid individual. 

PMID- 26120082
TI  - Broad Anti-tumor Activity of a Small Molecule that Selectively Targets the
      Warburg Effect and Lipogenesis.
AB  - Malignant cells exhibit aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect) and become
      dependent on de novo lipogenesis, which sustains rapid proliferation and
      resistance to cellular stress. The nuclear receptor liver-X-receptor (LXR)
      directly regulates expression of key glycolytic and lipogenic genes. To disrupt
      these oncogenic metabolism pathways, we designed an LXR inverse agonist SR9243
      that induces LXR-corepressor interaction. In cancer cells, SR9243 significantly
      inhibited the Warburg effect and lipogenesis by reducing glycolytic and lipogenic
      gene expression. SR9243 induced apoptosis in tumors without inducing weight loss,
      hepatotoxicity, or inflammation. Our results suggest that LXR inverse agonists
      may be an effective cancer treatment approach. 

PMID- 26120084
TI  - Response to Letter to the Editor: 'Human skin allografts: Storage medium at 4
      degrees C and viability'.

PMID- 26120085
TI  - Facial burns from exploding microwaved foods: Case series and review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Microwave ovens allow for quick and simple cooking. However, the
      importance of adequate food preparation, prior to microwave cooking, and the
      consequences of inadequate preparation are not well-known. METHOD: The authors
      conducted a retrospective outcome analysis of all patients who sustained facial
      burns from microwaved foods and were treated at a UK regional burns unit over a
      six-year period. Patients were identified from clinical records. RESULTS: Eight
      patients presented following inadequate preparation of either tinned potatoes
      (n=4) or eggs (n=4). All patients sustained <2% total body surface area facial
      burns. Mean age was 41 years (range 21-68 years). Six cases (75%) had associated
      ocular injury. One received amniotic membrane grafts; this individual's vision
      remains poor twelve months after injury. DISCUSSION: Rapid dielectric heating of
      water within foods may produce high steam and vapour pressure gradients and cause
      explosive decompression [1,5,11]. Consumers may fail to recognise differential
      heating and simply cook foods for longer if they remain cool on the outer
      surface. Education on safe use and risks of microwave-cooked foods may help
      prevent these potentially serious injuries. CONCLUSION: Microwave ovens have
      become ubiquitous. The authors recognise the need for improved public awareness
      of safe microwave cooking. Burns resulting from microwave-cooked foods may have
      life-changing consequences.

PMID- 26120086
TI  - Perineal burn care: French working group recommendations. Burns 2014;40:655-663.

PMID- 26120087
TI  - The late clinical and forensic symptoms and signs of sulfur mustard.

PMID- 26120088
TI  - Validation of the prognostic burn index: a nationwide retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The burn index (BI=full thickness total burn surface area [TBSA]+1/2
      partial thickness TBSA) and prognostic burn index (PBI=BI+age) are clinically
      used particularly in Japan. However, few studies evaluated the validation of PBI
      with large sample size. We retrospectively investigated the relationships between
      PBI and mortality among burn patients using data from a nationwide database.
      METHODS: Data of all burn patients with burn index >=1 were extracted from the
      Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) inpatient database from 1 July
      2010 to 31 March 2013 (17,185 patients in 1044 hospitals). The primary endpoint
      was all-cause in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Overall in-hospital mortality was
      5.9% (1011/17,185). Mortality increased significantly as the PBI increased
      (Mantel-Haenszel trend test, P<0.001). The area under the receiver operating
      characteristic curve for PBI was 0.90 (95%CI, 0.90-0.91), and a PBI above a
      threshold of 85 showed the highest association with in-hospital mortality.
      Logistic regression analysis showed that PBI>=85 (odds ratio (OR), 14.6; 95%CI,
      12.1-17.6), inhalation injury with mechanical ventilation (OR, 13.0; 95%CI, 10.8
      15.7), Charlson Comorbidity Index>=2 (OR, 1.8; 95%CI, 1.5-2.3), and male gender
      (OR, 1.5; 95%CI, 1.3-1.8) were significant independent risk factors for death.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that a PBI above a threshold of 85 was
      significantly associated with mortality. The PBI and mechanical ventilation were
      the most significant factors predicting in-hospital mortality, after adjustment
      for inhalation injury, comorbidity, and gender.

PMID- 26120089
TI  - Orofacial contracture management outcomes following partial thickness facial
      burns.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine clinical outcomes following non-surgical exercise for
      contracture management post partial thickness orofacial burn. METHODS: A cohort
      of 229 patients with partial thickness orofacial burn was recruited over 3 years.
      Orofacial contracture management combining exercise and stretching was initiated
      within 48h of admission and continued until functional goals were consistently
      achieved. A second cohort of 120 healthy controls was recruited for normative
      comparison. Vertical and horizontal mouth opening measures were recorded at the
      start and completion of orofacial intervention for patients and once only for
      controls. RESULTS: At commencement of intervention, participants with orofacial
      burns had significantly (p<0.001) reduced vertical and horizontal mouth opening.
      Treatment duration averaged 30.7 days (SD=52.3). Post treatment significant
      (p<0.001) improvements in vertical and horizontal opening were noted. At
      treatment conclusion, a significant (p<0.01) difference remained between the
      burns cohort and control group for vertical mouth opening, though horizontal
      mouth opening was now statistically comparable to the controls. CONCLUSION: This
      study supports positive outcomes following orofacial contracture management for
      patients with partial thickness orofacial burn. Despite this, some functional
      loss remained with patients demonstrating persistent reduced vertical mouth
      opening at conclusion of treatment compared to their healthy counterparts.

PMID- 26120090
TI  - A novel approach to graft loss in burn using the CelluTomeTM epidermal harvesting
      system for spot grafting: a case report.

PMID- 26120091
TI  - Closing the health and nutrition gap in Odisha, India: A case study of how
      transforming the health system is achieving greater equity.
AB  - Health equity is high on the international agenda. This study provides evidence
      of how health systems can be strengthened to improve health equity in a low
      income state. The paper presents a case study of how the Government of Odisha in
      eastern India is transforming the health system for more equitable health and
      nutrition outcomes. Odisha has a population of over 42 million, high levels of
      poverty, and poor maternal and child health concentrated in its Southern
      districts and among Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste communities. Conducted
      between 2008 and 2012 with the Departments of Health and Family Welfare, and
      Women and Child Development, the study reviewed a wide range of literature
      including policy and programme documents, evaluations and studies, published and
      grey material, and undertook secondary analysis of state level household surveys.
      It identifies innovative and expanded provision of health services, reforms to
      the management and development of human resources for health, and the
      introduction of a number of cash transfer and entitlement schemes as contributing
      to closing the gap between maternal and child health and nutrition outcomes of
      Scheduled Tribes, and the Southern districts, compared to the state average. The
      institutional delivery rate for Scheduled Tribes has risen from 11.7% in 2005-06
      to 67.3% in 2011, and from 35.6% to 79.8% for all women. The social gradient has
      also closed for antenatal and postnatal care and immunisation. Nutrition
      indicators though improving are proving slower to budge. The paper identifies how
      political will, committed policy makers and fiscal space energised the health
      system to promote equity. Sustained political commitment will be required to
      continue to address the more challenging human resource, health financing and
      gender issues. 

PMID- 26120092
TI  - Response to: "No evidence for improved TORS post-treatment feeding tube
      dependency rate relative to standard therapy in early stage oropharyngeal
      cancer".

PMID- 26120093
TI  - Socioeconomic characteristics of patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma according
      to tumor HPV status, patient smoking status, and sexual behavior.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Patients with oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) have distinct risk factor
      profiles reflected in the human papillomavirus (HPV) status of their tumor, and
      these profiles may also be influenced by factors related to socioeconomic status
      (SES). The goal of this study was to describe the socioeconomic characteristics
      of a large cohort of patients with OPC according to HPV status, smoking status,
      and sexual behavior. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with OPC prospectively
      provided information about their smoking and alcohol use, socioeconomic
      characteristics, and sexual behaviors. HPV status was determined by a composite
      of immunohistochemistry for p16 expression, HPV in situ hybridization, and PCR
      assay in 356 patients. Standard descriptive statistics and logistic regression
      were used to compare socioeconomic characteristics between patient subgroups.
      RESULTS: Patients with HPV-positive OPC had higher levels of education, income,
      and overall SES. Among patients with HPV-positive OPC, never/light smokers had
      more than 5 times the odds of having at least a bachelor's degree and being in
      the highest level of SES compared with smokers. Patients with HPV-positive OPC
      and those with higher levels of education and SES had higher numbers of lifetime
      any and oral sex partners, although not all of these differences were
      significant. CONCLUSION: Socioeconomic differences among subgroups of OPC
      patients have implications for OPC prevention efforts, including tobacco
      cessation, behavior modification, and vaccination programs.

PMID- 26120094
TI  - Human papillomavirus DNA and p16(INK4a) expression in hypopharyngeal cancer and
      in relation to clinical outcome, in Stockholm, Sweden.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Hypopharyngeal cancer is a subset of head neck squamous cell
      carcinoma (HNSCC) with particularly poor prognosis. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is
      a risk factor for some HNSCC, and its presence is of prognostic value for certain
      subsites. However, its influence on survival in hypopharyngeal cancer has not
      been thoroughly investigated. Here we examine HPV DNA and p16(INK4a) (p16)
      overexpression in relation to clinical outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Hypopharyngeal tumour biopsies from 82 patients diagnosed 2008-2013 were examined
      for presence of HPV DNA by a bead-based multiplex assay and for p16 expression by
      immunohistochemistry, and the obtained data compared to that acquired previously
      from 109 patients diagnosed 2000-2007 at the same clinic. A survival analysis was
      then performed on 142 patients (from both studies) treated with curative intent
      and a 3-year follow-up time. RESULTS: Of the tumour biopsies 3/82 (3.7%) were
      HPV16 DNA and p16 positive, while 12/82 (14.6%) were p16 positive, equivalent to
      that in the previous study. Overall 3-year survival was significantly more
      favourable for patients with HPV16 DNA and p16 positive tumours as compared to
      survival of the other patients (86% vs. 31%, p=0.0185). A similar but not
      statistically significant trend was found for disease specific survival.
      CONCLUSION: HPV DNA and p16 positive hypopharyngeal cancer was rare and had not
      increased, but had a better clinical outcome as compared to other HPV-unrelated
      hypopharyngeal cancer. In addition, p16 overexpression was not a suitable
      surrogate marker for presence of HPV or for prediction of survival in this type
      of cancer.

PMID- 26120095
TI  - Host selection by an insect herbivore with spatially variable density dependence.
AB  - Many species of phytophagous insects do not oviposit preferentially on plants
      that yield high offspring performance. One proposed explanation is that
      negatively density-dependent offspring performance would select for females that
      disperse eggs among plants to minimize competition. Recent work showing larval
      density dependence often varies substantially among plants suggests that
      ovipositing females should not only respond to the density of competitors but
      also to traits predictive of the strength of density dependence mediated by
      plants. In this study, we used field and greenhouse experiments to examine
      oviposition behavior in an insect herbivore that experiences density-dependent
      larval performance and variability in the strength of that density dependence
      among host-plant individuals. We found females moved readily among plants in the
      field and had strong preferences for plants that mediate weak offspring density
      dependence. Females, however, did not avoid plants with high densities of
      competitors, despite the fact that offspring performance declines steeply with
      density on most plants in natural populations. This means females minimize the
      effects of density dependence on their offspring by choosing plants that mediate
      only weak larval density dependence, not by choosing plants with low densities of
      competitors. Our results suggest that explaining the lack of positive preference
      performance correlations in many systems may not be as simple as invoking density
      dependence. Resource selection behavior may depend not just on the presence or
      absence of density-dependent offspring performance but also on variation in the
      strength of offspring density dependence among sites within populations. 

PMID- 26120096
TI  - Guidelines in otorhinolaryngology: a critical view.

PMID- 26120097
TI  - High levels of sound pressure: acoustic reflex thresholds and auditory complaints
      of workers with noise exposure.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The clinical evaluation of subjects with occupational noise
      exposure has been difficult due to the discrepancy between auditory complaints
      and auditory test results. This study aimed to evaluate the contralateral
      acoustic reflex thresholds of workers exposed to high levels of noise, and to
      compare these results to the subjects' auditory complaints. METHODS: This
      clinical retrospective study evaluated 364 workers between 1998 and 2005; their
      contralateral acoustic reflexes were compared to auditory complaints, age, and
      noise exposure time by chi-squared, Fisher's, and Spearman's tests. RESULTS: The
      workers' age ranged from 18 to 50 years (mean=39.6), and noise exposure time from
      one to 38 years (mean=17.3). We found that 15.1% (55) of the workers had
      bilateral hearing loss, 38.5% (140) had bilateral tinnitus, 52.8% (192) had
      abnormal sensitivity to loud sounds, and 47.2% (172) had speech recognition
      impairment. The variables hearing loss, speech recognition impairment, tinnitus,
      age group, and noise exposure time did not show relationship with acoustic reflex
      thresholds; however, all complaints demonstrated a statistically significant
      relationship with Metz recruitment at 3000 and 4000Hz bilaterally. CONCLUSION:
      There was no significance relationship between auditory complaints and acoustic
      reflexes.

PMID- 26120099
TI  - Resonant dielectrophoresis and electrohydrodynamics for high-sensitivity
      impedance detection of whole-cell bacteria.
AB  - We present the co-integration of CMOS-compatible Al/Al2O3 interdigitated
      microelectrodes (IDEs) with an electrokinetic-driven macroelectrode for sensitive
      detection of whole-cell bacteria in a microfluidic channel. Two frequency ranges
      applied to the macroelectrode were identified to notably increase the bacterial
      coverage of the impedimetric sensor per unit time. Around 10 kHz, the bacterial
      cells were directed towards the IDE center thanks to AC electroosmosis (AC-EO)
      and the sensor capacitance linearly increased, achieving a limit of detection
      (LoD) of 3.5 * 10(5) CFU mL(-1) after an incubation time of 20 min with
      Staphylococcus epidermidis. At 63 MHz precisely, a resonance effect due to the
      device was found to dramatically increase the trapping of S. epidermidis on the
      sensor periphery, due to the combined actions of short-range contactless
      dielectrophoresis (cDEP) and long-range Joule heating electrothermal (J-ET) flow.
      Thanks to a flow-based method, the bacterial cells were redirected towards the
      sensor center and an LoD of 10(5) CFU mL(-1) was achieved within 20 min of
      incubation, which is almost two orders of magnitude better than the impedimetric
      sensor alone. Analytical models and 2D simulations using the Maxwell stress
      tensor (MST) provide a comprehensive analysis of the experimental results,
      especially about the spectral balance between cDEP, AC-EO and J-ET accounting for
      the 33-nm thick insulating layer atop the electrodes. Electrode CMOS
      compatibility confers portability, miniaturization and affordability capabilities
      for building point-of-care (PoC) diagnostic tests in a lab-on-a-chip (LoC). 

PMID- 26120098
TI  - Review of survival rates 20-years after conservative surgery for papillary
      thyroid carcinoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A less extensive thyroidectomy could be used for patients in the
      low risk group. OBJECTIVE: To perform a critical follow-up after lobectomy with
      isthmusectomy for the treatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma in patients with a
      single nodule limited to the periphery of the lobe. METHODS: Thirty-one patients
      with thyroid papillary carcinoma operated on till 1993 were selected. They had
      undergone lobectomy with isthmusectomy. This is a retrospective cohort study in
      which the oncological outcome (contralateral and regional recurrence) and the
      reoperation complications (recurrent nerve paralysis/paresis and
      hypoparathyroidism) were evaluated. Descriptive analysis was employed. RESULTS:
      In the last decade (2003-2013), 6 (20%) contralateral recurrences were observed
      in the remaining lobe and in 1 of these cases (3%), contralateral lymph node
      metastases were noted. A completion thyroidectomy plus lymphadenectomy was
      performed, without modification of global survival. CONCLUSION: Because of the
      rate of 20% of contralateral recurrence after a 20-year follow-up, we suggest
      modification of the surgical paradigm for total thyroidectomy as an initial
      therapy.

PMID- 26120101
TI  - Prevention of sulfur diffusion using MoS2-intercalated 3D-nanostructured graphite
      for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.
AB  - We report new three-dimensional (3D)-nanostructured MoS2-carbonaceous materials
      in which MoS2 sheets are intercalated between the graphite layers that possess a
      multiply repeated graphite/MoS2/graphite structure which prevents the aggregation
      of MoS2 and diffusion of sulfur from carbonaceous materials, enhancing the
      cycling stability of Li-ion batteries. We developed an efficient and scalable
      process applicable to mass production for synthesizing non-aggregated MoS2
      intercalated 3D hybrid-nanostructured graphite based on stress induced and
      microwave irradiation. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photospectroscopy, Raman
      spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and high-resolution
      transmission electron microscopy analyses demonstrated that the as-synthesized
      materials consisted of MoS2-intercalated 3D hybrid-nanostructured graphite
      platelets that had a multiply repeated graphite/MoS2/graphite structure. The
      obtained MoS2-graphite powder surpasses MoS2 as an anode material in terms of
      specific capacity, cyclic stability, and rate performances at high current
      densities for Li-ion batteries. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
      demonstrated that the graphite sheets not only reduced the contact resistance in
      the electrode but also facilitated electron transfer in the
      lithiation/delithiation processes. The superior electrochemical performances
      especially for the cycling stability of the Li-ion battery originate from
      prevention of the sulfur diffusion of the MoS2-intercalated 3D-nanostructured
      graphite. 

PMID- 26120100
TI  - Accuracy of physician assessment of treatment preferences and health status in
      elderly patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes.
AB  - Higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are rarely curable and have a poor
      prognosis. We investigated the accuracy of physicians' perception of patients'
      health status and the patients' preferences for involvement in treatment
      decisions. We examined 280 newly diagnosed higher-risk elderly MDS patients
      paired with their physicians. Survey tools included the European Organization for
      Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ
      C30) and the Control Preference Scale. Overall concordance was 49% for physician
      perception of patient preferences for involvement in treatment decisions. In
      36.4% of comparisons there were minor differences and in 14.6% there were major
      differences. In 44.7% of the patients preferring a passive role, physicians
      perceived them as preferring an active or collaborative role. Absence of the
      patient's request for prognostic information (P=0.001) and judging the patient as
      having a poor health status (P=0.036) were factors independently associated with
      the physicians' attitude toward a lower degree of patient involvement in clinical
      decisions. Agreement on health status was found in 27.5% of cases. Physicians
      most frequently tended to overestimate health status of patients who reported low
      level health status. The value of decision aid-tools in the challenging setting
      of higher-risk MDS should be investigated to further promote patient-centered
      care. 

PMID- 26120102
TI  - An investigation of a novel MnO2 network-Ni/PVDF double shell/core membrane as an
      anode for lithium ion batteries.
AB  - A novel MnO2 network-Ni/PVDF double shell/core fiber membrane is synthesized for
      the first time as an anode material for lithium ion batteries. The freestanding
      MnO2 nanosheet network is grown directly onto a conductive network-Ni/PVDF
      shell/core fiber membrane 3D current collector, avoiding the application of
      binders and conductive additives and simplifying the fabrication processing. The
      MnO2 nanosheet network can be tightly anchored to the Ni/PVDF fiber 3D current
      collector, and some small pores between the fibers and between the MnO2
      nanosheets lead to fast charge transfer and ion transport. The unique MnO2
      network-Ni/PVDF double shell/core fiber membrane exhibits a high charge/discharge
      capacity, long-term cycling stability and good rate capability. 

PMID- 26120103
TI  - Dye-sensitized InGaN nanowire arrays for efficient hydrogen production under
      visible light irradiation.
AB  - Solar water splitting is a key sustainable energy technology for clean, storable
      and renewable source of energy in the future. Here we report that Merocyanine-540
      dye-sensitized and Rh nanoparticle-decorated molecular beam epitaxially grown
      In0.25Ga0.75N nanowire arrays have produced hydrogen from
      ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and acetonitrile mixture solution under
      green, yellow and orange solar spectra (up to 610 nm) for the first time. An
      apparent quantum efficiency of 0.3% is demonstrated for wavelengths 525-600 nm,
      providing a viable approach to harness deep-visible and near-infrared solar
      energy for efficient and stable water splitting. 

PMID- 26120104
TI  - Fighting Stroke.

PMID- 26120105
TI  - Stroke detection and prevention in atrial fibrillation.

PMID- 26120106
TI  - In pursuit of normoglycaemia: the overtreatment of type 2 diabetes in general
      practice.

PMID- 26120107
TI  - The National Diabetes Prevention Programme: a pathway for prevention and
      wellbeing.

PMID- 26120108
TI  - Fit for work? How GPs' decisions about fitness to work can improve health.

PMID- 26120110
TI  - Continuity of care is very important.

PMID- 26120111
TI  - The inevitable demise of the independent contractor status.

PMID- 26120112
TI  - Patient co-payments for general practice.

PMID- 26120113
TI  - Tools of the Trade.

PMID- 26120115
TI  - Misshapen training.

PMID- 26120116
TI  - The teacher.

PMID- 26120117
TI  - A Digital Ache.

PMID- 26120118
TI  - RATs: Quality not Quantity.

PMID- 26120119
TI  - The Technophobe's Guide to the Digital Age.

PMID- 26120120
TI  - Prostate biopsy, childhood vaccination, oral health, and medical tourism.

PMID- 26120121
TI  - The NHS simply has to wake up to mobile.

PMID- 26120122
TI  - Law note: what treatment risks do I have to discuss with my patients?

PMID- 26120123
TI  - Unhistoric acts.

PMID- 26120124
TI  - Hope for US health care despite strong headwinds.

PMID- 26120129
TI  - Test in peace.

PMID- 26120130
TI  - Going beyond blame: reporting NHS medication errors in nursing home residents
      with diabetes.

PMID- 26120131
TI  - How can GPs and community health services work more effectively together?

PMID- 26120132
TI  - Street-level bureaucracy: an underused theoretical model for general practice?

PMID- 26120133
TI  - Cardiovascular risk assessment and lipid modification: NICE guideline.

PMID- 26120134
TI  - Receptionist rECognition and rEferral of Patients with Stroke (RECEPTS):
      unannounced simulated patient telephone call study in primary care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Timely
      recognition and referral are essential for treatment. AIM: To examine the ability
      of receptionists in general practices to recognise symptoms of stroke and direct
      patients to emergency care. DESIGN AND SETTING: Unannounced simulated patient
      telephone calls and prospective cross-sectional survey study in general practices
      in the Birmingham and Solihull area. METHOD: A total of 52 general practices
      participated in a total of 520 simulated telephone calls, with 183 receptionists
      completing questionnaires. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine
      likelihood of referral for immediate care by ease of vignette recognition and
      number of common stroke symptoms present. RESULTS: General practice receptionists
      correctly referred 69% of simulated calls for immediate care. Calls classed as
      'difficult' to recognise were less likely to be immediately referred. Compared
      with 'easy' calls: 'difficult' calls odds ratio (OR) 0.15, 95% confidence
      interval (CI) = 0.08 to 0.26; 'moderate' calls OR 0.55, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.92.
      Similarly, calls including one or two 'FAST' symptoms were less likely to be
      referred immediately (compared with three FAST symptoms: one symptom OR 0.30, 95%
      CI = 0.13 to 0.72; two symptoms OR 0.35, 95% CI = 0.15 to 0.83). CONCLUSION:
      General practice receptionists refer patients with stroke for immediate care when
      they present with several symptoms; however, they are less likely to refer
      patients presenting with only one symptom or less common symptoms of stroke.
      Optimum management of acute stroke in primary care requires interventions that
      improve receptionists' knowledge of lesser-known stroke symptoms.

PMID- 26120135
TI  - Diagnostic inertia in obesity and the impact on cardiovascular risk in primary
      care: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prevalence of diagnostic inertia (DI), defined as a failure to
      diagnose disease, has not been analysed in patients with obesity. AIM: To
      quantify DI for cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in patients with obesity, and
      determine its association with the cardiovascular risk score. DESIGN AND SETTING:
      Cross-sectional study of people >=40 years attending a preventive programme in
      primary healthcare centres in Spain in 2003-2004. METHOD: All patients with
      obesity attending during the first 6 months of the preventive programme were
      analysed. Participants had to be free of CVD (myocardial ischaemia or stroke) and
      aged 40-65 years; the criteria used to measure SCORE (Systematic COronary Risk
      Evaluation). Three subgroups of patients with obesity with no personal history of
      CVRF but with poor control of risk factors were established. Outcome variable was
      DI, defined as poor control of risk factors and no action taken by the physician.
      Secondary variables were diabetes, fasting blood glucose (FBG), body mass index
      (BMI), and SCORE. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) was determined using multivariate
      logistic regression models. RESULTS: Of 8687 patients with obesity in the
      programme, 6230 fulfilled SCORE criteria. Prevalence of DI in the three subgroups
      was: hypertension, 1275/1816 (70.2%) patients affected (95% CI = 68.1 to 72.3%);
      diabetes, 335/359 (93.3%) patients affected (95% CI = 90.7 to 95.9%);
      dyslipidaemia subgroup, 1796/3341 (53.8%) patients affected (95% CI = 52.1 to
      55.4%. Factors associated with DI for each subgroup were: for hypertension,
      absence of diabetes, higher BMI, and greater cardiovascular risk; for
      dyslipidaemia, diabetes, higher BMI, and greater cardiovascular risk (SCORE); and
      for diabetes, lower FBG levels, lower BMI, and greater cardiovascular risk.
      CONCLUSION: This study quantified DI in patients with obesity and determined that
      it was associated with a greater cardiovascular risk.

PMID- 26120136
TI  - Primary care organisational interventions for secondary prevention of ischaemic
      heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is the most common cause of death
      worldwide. AIM: To determine the long-term impact of organisational interventions
      for secondary prevention of IHD. DESIGN AND SETTING: Systematic review and meta
      analysis of studies from CENTRAL, MEDLINE((r)), Embase, and CINAHL published
      January 2007 to January 2013. METHOD: Searches were conducted for randomised
      controlled trials of patients with established IHD, with long-term follow-up, of
      cardiac secondary prevention programmes targeting organisational change in
      primary care or community settings. A random-effects model was used and risk
      ratios were calculated. RESULTS: Five studies were included with 4005
      participants. Meta-analysis of four studies with mortality data at 4.7-6 years
      showed that organisational interventions were associated with approximately 20%
      reduced mortality, with a risk ratio (RR) for all-cause mortality of 0.79 (95%
      confidence interval [CI] = 0.66 to 0.93), and a RR for cardiac-related mortality
      of 0.74 (95% CI = 0.58 to 0.94). Two studies reported mortality data at 10 years.
      Analysis of these data showed no significant differences between groups. There
      were insufficient data to conduct a meta-analysis on the effect of interventions
      on hospital admissions. Additional analyses showed no significant association
      between organisational interventions and risk factor management or appropriate
      prescribing at 4.7-6 years. CONCLUSION: Cardiac secondary prevention programmes
      targeting organisational change are associated with a reduced risk of death for
      at least 4-6 years. There is insufficient evidence to conclude whether this
      beneficial effect is maintained indefinitely.

PMID- 26120137
TI  - GPs' views on managing advanced chronic kidney disease in primary care: a
      qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become a significant part of the
      GP's workload since the introduction of the National Institute for Health and
      Care Excellence guidelines in 2008. Patients with advanced CKD (stages G4 and G5)
      often have comorbidities, varied disease progression, and are likely to be older.
      GPs may experience difficulties with management decisions for patients with
      advanced CKD, including when to refer to nephrology. AIM: To explore GPs' views
      of managing patients with advanced CKD and referral to secondary care. DESIGN AND
      SETTING: Qualitative study with GPs in four areas of England: London, Bristol,
      Birmingham, and Stevenage. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews with 19 GPs.
      Transcribed interviews were thematically analysed. RESULTS: GPs had little
      experience of managing patients with advanced CKD, including those on dialysis or
      having conservative care (treatment without dialysis or a transplant), and
      welcomed guidance. Some GPs referred patients based on renal function alone and
      some used wider criteria including age and multimorbidity. GPs reported a tension
      between national guidance and local advice, and some had learnt from experience
      that patients were discharged back to primary care. GPs with more experience of
      managing CKD referred patients later, or sometimes not at all, if there were no
      additional problems and if dialysis was seen as not in the patient's interests.
      CONCLUSION: GPs want guidance on managing older patients with advanced CKD and
      comorbidities, which better incorporates agreement between local and national
      recommendations to clarify referral criteria. GPs are not generally aware of
      conservative care programmes provided by renal units, however, they appear happy
      to contribute to such care or alternatively, lead conservative management with
      input from renal teams.

PMID- 26120138
TI  - CrisprGE: a central hub of CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing.
AB  - CRISPR system is a powerful defense mechanism in bacteria and archaea to provide
      immunity against viruses. Recently, this process found a new application in
      intended targeting of the genomes. CRISPR-mediated genome editing is performed by
      two main components namely single guide RNA and Cas9 protein. Despite the
      enormous data generated in this area, there is a dearth of high throughput
      resource. Therefore, we have developed CrisprGE, a central hub of CRISPR/Cas
      based genome editing. Presently, this database holds a total of 4680 entries of
      223 unique genes from 32 model and other organisms. It encompasses information
      about the organism, gene, target gene sequences, genetic modification,
      modifications length, genome editing efficiency, cell line, assay, etc. This
      depository is developed using the open source LAMP (Linux Apache MYSQL PHP)
      server. User-friendly browsing, searching facility is integrated for easy data
      retrieval. It also includes useful tools like BLAST CrisprGE, BLAST NTdb and
      CRISPR Mapper. Considering potential utilities of CRISPR in the vast area of
      biology and therapeutics, we foresee this platform as an assistance to accelerate
      research in the burgeoning field of genome engineering.

PMID- 26120139
TI  - MiDAS: the field guide to the microbes of activated sludge.
AB  - The Microbial Database for Activated Sludge (MiDAS) field guide is a freely
      available online resource linking the identity of abundant and process critical
      microorganisms in activated sludge wastewater treatment systems to available data
      related to their functional importance. Phenotypic properties of some of these
      genera are described, but most are known only from sequence data. The MiDAS
      taxonomy is a manual curation of the SILVA taxonomy that proposes a name for all
      genus-level taxa observed to be abundant by large-scale 16 S rRNA gene amplicon
      sequencing of full-scale activated sludge communities. The taxonomy can be used
      to classify unknown sequences, and the online MiDAS field guide links the
      identity to the available information about their morphology, diversity,
      physiology and distribution. The use of a common taxonomy across the field will
      provide a solid foundation for the study of microbial ecology of the activated
      sludge process and related treatment processes. The online MiDAS field guide is a
      collaborative workspace intended to facilitate a better understanding of the
      ecology of activated sludge and related treatment processes--knowledge that will
      be an invaluable resource for the optimal design and operation of these systems.

PMID- 26120141
TI  - From GED to College: Age Trajectories of Nontraditional Educational Paths.
AB  - Age patterns of secondary certification and college entry differ in complex and
      surprising ways for traditional graduates and GED recipients. Although GED
      recipients are less likely to enter college in their late teens, they catch up to
      traditional graduates in their 20s. Results show that adjusting for differences
      in the age trajectories of school continuation accounts for a substantial portion
      of the differences observed between the two groups. Important differences remain,
      however, in the type of college attended and the likelihood of college entry
      before age 21. Nonetheless, more GED recipients enroll in college than previous
      studies have suggested, and this interest in college identifies a useful place
      for policy to intervene to encourage school continuation for this group.

PMID- 26120140
TI  - BEAN 2.0: an integrated web resource for the identification and functional
      analysis of type III secreted effectors.
AB  - Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria inject type III secreted effectors (T3SEs) into
      host cells to sabotage their immune signaling networks. Because T3SEs constitute
      a meeting-point of pathogen virulence and host defense, they are of keen interest
      to host-pathogen interaction research community. To accelerate the identification
      and functional understanding of T3SEs, we present BEAN 2.0 as an integrated web
      resource to predict, analyse and store T3SEs. BEAN 2.0 includes three major
      components. First, it provides an accurate T3SE predictor based on a hybrid
      approach. Using independent testing data, we show that BEAN 2.0 achieves a
      sensitivity of 86.05% and a specificity of 100%. Second, it integrates a set of
      online sequence analysis tools. Users can further perform functional analysis of
      putative T3SEs in a seamless way, such as subcellular location prediction,
      functional domain scan and disorder region annotation. Third, it compiles a
      database covering 1215 experimentally verified T3SEs and constructs two T3SE
      related networks that can be used to explore the relationships among T3SEs. Taken
      together, by presenting a one-stop T3SE bioinformatics resource, we hope BEAN 2.0
      can promote comprehensive understanding of the function and evolution of T3SEs.

PMID- 26120142
TI  - Neighborhood Foreclosures, Racial/Ethnic Transitions, and Residential
      Segregation.
AB  - In this article, we use data on virtually all foreclosure events between 2005 and
      2009 to calculate neighborhood foreclosure rates for nearly all block groups in
      the United States to assess the impact of housing foreclosures on neighborhood
      racial/ethnic change and on broader patterns of racial residential segregation.
      We find that the foreclosure crisis was patterned strongly along racial lines:
      black, Latino, and racially integrated neighborhoods had exceptionally high
      foreclosure rates. Multilevel models of racial/ethnic change reveal that
      foreclosure concentrations were linked to declining shares of whites and
      expanding shares of black and Latino residents. Results further suggest that
      these compositional shifts were driven by both white population loss and minority
      growth, especially from racially mixed settings with high foreclosure rates. To
      explore the impact of these racially selective migration streams on patterns of
      residential segregation, we simulate racial segregation assuming that foreclosure
      rates remained at their 2005 levels throughout the crisis period. Our simulations
      suggest that the foreclosure crisis increased racial segregation between blacks
      and whites by 1.1 dissimilarity points, and between Latinos and whites by 2.2
      dissimilarity points.

PMID- 26120144
TI  - Enhanced Wireless Power Transmission Using Strong Paramagnetic Response.
AB  - A method of quasi-static magnetic resonant coupling has been presented for
      improving the power transmission efficiency (PTE) in near-field wireless power
      transmission, which improves upon the state of the art. The traditional source
      resonator on the transmitter side is equipped with an additional resonator with a
      resonance frequency that is tuned substantially higher than the magnetic field
      excitation frequency. This additional resonator enhances the magnetic dipole
      moment and the effective permeability of the power transmitter, owing to a
      phenomenon known as the strong paramagnetic response. Both theoretical
      calculations and experimental results show increased PTE due to amplification of
      the effective permeability. In measurements, the PTE was improved from 57.8% to
      64.2% at the nominal distance of 15 cm when the effective permeability was 2.6.
      The power delivered to load was also improved significantly, with the same 10 V
      excitation voltage, from 0.38 to 5.26 W.

PMID- 26120143
TI  - Reduction of hexavalent chromium by the thermophilic methanogen
      Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus.
AB  - Despite the significant progress on iron reduction by thermophilic
      microorganisms, studies on their ability to reduce toxic metals are still
      limited, despite their common co-existence in high temperature environments (up
      to 70 degrees C). In this study, Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus, an
      obligate thermophilic methanogen, was used to reduce hexavalent chromium.
      Experiments were conducted in a growth medium with H2/CO2 as substrate with
      various Cr6+ concentrations (0.2, 0.4, 1, 3, and 5 mM) in the form of potassium
      dichromate (K2Cr2O7). Time-course measurements of aqueous Cr6+ concentrations
      with the 1, 5-diphenylcarbazide colorimetric method showed complete reduction of
      the 0.2 and 0.4 mM Cr6+ solutions by this methanogen. However, much lower
      reduction extents of 43.6%, 13.0%, and 3.7% were observed at higher Cr6+
      concentrations of 1, 3 and 5 mM, respectively. These lower extents of
      bioreduction suggest a toxic effect of aqueous Cr6+ to cells at this
      concentration range. At these higher Cr6+ concentrations, methanogenesis was
      inhibited and cell growth was impaired as evidenced by decreased total cellular
      protein production and live/dead cell ratio. Likewise, Cr6+ bioreduction rates
      decreased with increased initial concentrations of Cr6+ from 13.3 to1.9 uM h-1. X
      ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy revealed a progressive
      reduction of soluble Cr6+ to insoluble Cr3+ precipitates, which was confirmed as
      amorphous chromium hydroxide by X-ray diffraction and selected area electron
      diffraction pattern. However, a small fraction of reduced Cr occurred as aqueous
      Cr3+. Scanning and transmission electron microscope observations of M.
      thermautotrophicus cells after Cr6+ exposure suggest both extra- and
      intracellular chromium reduction mechanisms. Results of this study demonstrate
      the ability of M. thermautotrophicus cells to reduce toxic Cr6+ to less toxic
      Cr3+ and its potential application in metal bioremediation, especially at high
      temperature subsurface radioactive waste disposal sites, where the temperature
      may reach ~70 degrees C.

PMID- 26120145
TI  - Chronicles of Gerhard-Henrik Armauer Hansen's Life and Work.
AB  - Gerhard-Henrik Armauer Hansen, a Norwegian scientist, discovered Mycobacterium
      leprae as the causative organism for leprosy, defying the hereditary affliction
      theory of the disease. He was born in Bergen, Norway in 1841 in a Danish family.
      After acquiring his medical degree in 1866 from the University of Oslo, he joined
      as an assistant physician in a leprosy hospital in Bergen. In 1873, he published
      his report claiming leprosy to be an infectious disease with a description of the
      infectious material in leprous tissue. His conviction of belief and an unstinted
      devotion to a lifetime of scientific research changed the way leprosy was
      approached as a disease. It was the fruit of his untiring work that the amended
      act of 1885 was passed, which resulted in steady decline in leprosy burden in
      Norway. In February 1912 he breathed his last, leaving behind an inspirational
      story of a brave heart scientist who fought all odds to unveil the truth for the
      benefit of mankind. 

PMID- 26120146
TI  - Oral Lichen Planus: An Update on Etiology, Pathogenesis, Clinical Presentation,
      Diagnosis and Management.
AB  - The mouth is a mirror of health or disease, a sentinel or early warning system.
      The oral cavity might well be thought as a window to the body because oral
      manifestations accompany many systemic diseases. In many instances, oral
      involvement precedes the appearance of other symptoms or lesions at other
      locations. Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic mucocutaneous disorder of
      stratified squamous epithelium of uncertain etiology that affects oral and
      genital mucous membranes, skin, nails, and scalp. LP is estimated to affect 0.5%
      to 2.0% of the general population. This disease has most often been reported in
      middle-aged patients with 30-60 years of age and is more common in females than
      in males. The disease seems to be mediated by an antigen-specific mechanism,
      activating cytotoxic T cells, and non-specific mechanisms like mast cell
      degranulation and matrix metalloproteinase activation. A proper understanding of
      the pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis of the disease becomes
      important for providing the right treatment. This article discusses the
      prevalence, etiology, clinical features, oral manifestations, diagnosis,
      complications and treatment of oral LP. 

PMID- 26120147
TI  - Treatment of Refractory Chronic Urticaria.
AB  - Chronic spontaneous urticaria is a distressing disease encountered frequently in
      clinical practice. The current mainstay of therapy is the use of second
      generation, non-sedating antihistamines. However, in patients who do not respond
      satisfactorily to these agents, a variety of other drugs are used. This article
      examines the available literature for frequently used agents including systemic
      corticosteroids, leukotriene receptor antagonists, dapsone, sulfasalazine,
      hydroxychloroquine, H2 antagonists, methotrexate, cyclosporine A, omalizumab,
      autologous serum therapy, and mycophenolate mofetil, with an additional focus on
      publications in Indian literature. 

PMID- 26120149
TI  - Shampoo and Conditioners: What a Dermatologist Should Know?
AB  - Dermatologists many a times encounter questions from patients and even colleagues
      asking about how to keep their hair looking clean, healthy and beautiful.
      Therefore, familiarity and a basic knowledge of the available hair care products
      will help them to guide their patients properly. A shampoo not only provides the
      cleaning of the scalp skin and hair as its primary function, but in addition also
      serves to condition and beautify hair and acts as an adjunct in the management of
      various scalp disorders. To achieve this, various ingredients in the correct
      proportion are mixed to provide a shampoo which is suitable for individuals
      having different hair types and hair need. Among the ingredients that go into the
      making of a shampoo are detergents, conditioners, thickeners, sequestering
      agents, pH adjusters, preservatives and specialty additives. Hair conditioners
      are designed to improve hair manageability, decrease hair static electricity and
      add luster. They are used in several ways depending upon the state of hair and
      requirement of the individual. This article attempts to put forward the basic and
      practical aspects regarding use of these products. 

PMID- 26120148
TI  - Treatment of Pediculosis Capitis.
AB  - An endeavour to delineate the salient details of the treatment of head lice
      infestation has been made in the present article. Treatment modalities including
      over the counter permethrin and pyrethrin, and prescription medicines, including
      malathion, lindane, benzyl alcohol, spinosad are discussed. Salient features of
      alternative medicine and physical treatment modalities are outlined. The problem
      of resistance to treatment has also been taken cognizance of. 

PMID- 26120150
TI  - Cowden Syndrome: Case Report, Update and Proposed Diagnostic and Surveillance
      Routines.
AB  - Cowden syndrome (CS) is an infrequent autosomal dominant multisystem
      genodermatosis, generally involving the skin, oral mucosa, thyroid, breast and
      gastrointestinal tract. It is characterized by a late onset in the 2(nd) or 3(rd)
      decade of life, an extraordinary potential for malignant transformation,
      especially of breast and thyroid, and an identifiable germline mutation. In 80%
      cases, the human tumor suppressor gene, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is
      mutated; mutations involving KILLIN, SDH B/D, PIK3CA and AKT1 genes account for
      the rest of the cases. Its clinical signs are not only the "essential pearls" for
      early and accurate diagnosis of CS but also help timely detection of neoplasia as
      they precede development of cancer by several years. We describe the first Indian
      and the third world report of polydactyly with CS, review this entity
      highlighting on recent clinical developments and emphasize on regular and
      thorough screening for prompt identification and management of the potentially
      malignant growths. We have also designed a baseline workup routine as well as a
      detailed screening program for these patients. 

PMID- 26120151
TI  - Response to Microneedling Treatment in Men with Androgenetic Alopecia Who Failed
      to Respond to Conventional Therapy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The efficacy of conventional therapy viz. finasteride and minoxidil
      in androgenetic alopecia (AGA) that is based on both preventing hair loss and
      promoting new hair growth, varies between 30% and 60%. This has led to a large
      number of patients unsatisfied who demand for a better cosmetic coverage over the
      scalp. Microneedling has recently been reported to be promising, effective and a
      safe treatment modality in the treatment of AGA. This augments the response of
      conventional therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four men with AGA were on
      finasteride and 5% minoxidil solution since 2 to 5 years. Though there was no
      worsening in their respective AGA stages with the therapy, they showed no new
      hair growth. They were subjected to microneedling procedure over a period of 6
      months along with their ongoing therapy. Patients were assessed with the use of
      the standardized 7-point evaluation scale and patients' subjective hair growth
      assessment scale. The patients were followed up for 18 months post microneedling
      procedure to assess the sustainability of the response. RESULTS: All patients
      showed a response of + 2 to + 3 on standardized 7-point evaluation scale. The
      response in the form of new hair growth started after 8-10 sessions. The
      patients' satisfaction was more than 75% in three patients and more 50% in one
      patient, on patients' subjective hair growth assessment scale. The obtained
      results were sustained post procedure during 18 months follow-up period.
      CONCLUSION: Treatment with microneedling showed an accelerated response with
      addition of microneedling procedure leading to significant scalp density. This is
      the first case series to report the boosting effect of microneedling with respect
      to new hair follicle stimulation in patients with androgenetic alopecia who were
      poor responders to conventional therapy.

PMID- 26120152
TI  - Elephantine Psoriasis with Papillomatosis and Alternating Hypogranulosis and
      Hypergranulosis.
AB  - Psoriasis is a disease of considerable clinical and histopathological diversity.
      We report a rare case of elephantine psoriasis responding very well to
      methotrexate. Histopathology revealed abnormal papillomatosis with finger-like
      projections in addition to alternating orthokeratosis with overlying
      hypergranulosis and parakeratosis with overlying hypogranulosis. We believe that
      this finding may represent an odd histopathologic type in elephantine psoriasis. 

PMID- 26120153
TI  - Spontaneous Acroangiodermatitis.
AB  - Acroangiodermatitis is a rare self-limited angioproliferative lesion which can be
      associated with congenital vascular malformations or acquired venous
      insufficiency. Despite of its benign character, differential diagnosis of this
      lesion is very important because it closely resembles Kaposi sarcoma. Here we
      present a 26-year-old male patient with unilateral, purplish-red colored papules
      on his right ankle which diagnosed as acroangiodermatitis and discuss
      histopathological features, differential diagnosis and treatment of this unusual
      condition. 

PMID- 26120154
TI  - Dermoscopy to Detect Signs of Subclinical Nail Involvement in Chronic Plaque
      Psoriasis: A Study of 68 Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Onychopathies constitute one of the major challenges faced by a
      dermatologist in terms of its early detection and diagnosis. Utility of
      dermoscope as a tool for detection is increasing by the day and its use in
      onychopathies needs to be explored. AIMS: To study the dermoscopic features of
      nails in patients of chronic plaque psoriasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a cross
      sectional study, a total of 68 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis were
      recruited. Dermoscopy of nail plate was conducted and were compared with equal
      number of age and sex matched healthy volunteers. RESULTS: Forty-six patients
      showed dermoscopic findings. Twenty-two patients did not show any dermoscopic
      findings. Coarse pits (18/46, P < 0.0001), onycholysis (10/46, P < 0.001), oil
      drop sign (2/46, P = 0.12) and splinter hemorrhages (5/46, P = 0.05) were seen.
      In addition certain findings of interest were stout, globose, dilated, pink- to
      red-colored nail bed vessels arranged longitudinally at the onychodermal band
      surrounded by a prominent halo (9/46, P = 0.01). In contrast, splinter
      hemorrhages appeared as streaks and were purple in color. CONCLUSION: In a
      psoriasis patient, dermoscope can be a useful tool to detect early nail
      involvement in psoriasis and aid in differentiating it from other disorders of
      nails.

PMID- 26120155
TI  - Vaccines in Dermatology.
AB  - A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a specific
      disease. More than two centuries have passed since the first successful vaccine
      for smallpox was developed. We've come a long way since. Today's vaccines are
      among the 21(st) century's most successful and cost-effective public health tools
      for preventing diseases. 

PMID- 26120156
TI  - Multiple Familial Trichoepithelioma with an Adjacent Basal Cell Carcinoma,
      Transformation or Collision - A Case Report and Review of Literature.
AB  - Trichoepithelioma is a benign tumor of follicular origin that presents as small,
      skin-colored papules predominantly on the face. When more than one family member
      is affected, the disease is known as multiple familial trichoepithelioma (MFT).
      It is a rare autosomal dominant skin disease. Malignant transformation is very
      rare. We describe here a case that developed malignant neoplasm in a setting of
      multiple trichoepithelioma. 

PMID- 26120157
TI  - Punctate Porokeratosis Palmaris et Plantaris.
AB  - Porokeratosis, a keratinization disorder, is probably a group of unrelated
      conditions with same distinctive histological appearance, featuring cornoid
      lamellae. A case of punctate porkeratosis in a 24 year old male patient is
      reported for its rarity. 

PMID- 26120158
TI  - Unmasking Diogenes Syndrome.
AB  - Diogenes syndrome is characterized by extreme self-neglect, social withdrawal,
      and poor personal and domestic hygiene. We report a case of Diogenes syndrome
      presenting with dermatitis passivata. An unusual "mask" of dirt resembling a
      carapace, onset of neglect after awareness of a breast lump and resumption of
      personal grooming and social activities after removal of the lump and counseling
      were seen. 

PMID- 26120159
TI  - Self-Mutilation in Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation.
AB  - Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) is the term applied to a
      heterogeneous group of disorders resulting in iron deposition in the basal
      ganglia. Well-known phenotypic features are progressive regression with extra
      pyramidal involvement and a variable course. A 10-year-old child born to
      consanguineous parents presented with progressive generalized opisthotonic
      dystonia, retrocollis, oromandibular dyskinesias, apraxia for swallowing, optic
      atrophy and severe self-mutilation of lips. MR imaging showed brain iron
      accumulation. Other causes of self-mutilation were excluded. Early infantile
      onset, ophisthotonic dystonia with oromandibular dyskinesias and characteristic
      MR images are suggestive of NBIA. There is only one case reported in the
      literature of self-mutilation in this condition. 

PMID- 26120160
TI  - Bilateral Multisegmental Zosteriform Leiomyoma Cutis: A Rare Entity.
AB  - Cutaneous leiomyomas are benign tumors derived from the smooth muscles of the
      skin. They are firm, skin-colored to brownish, frequently painful papules and
      nodules presenting either as a solitary tumor or multiple clustered lesions.
      Uncommon patterns of multiple leiomyoma cutis include linear, zosteriform, or
      dermatomal-like arrangement of lesions. We saw a 32-year-old man who presented
      with clusters of skin colored to reddish brown, occasionally painful papules and
      nodules distributed segmentally over C6 to T8 dermatomes on left side and T11 to
      L1 dermatomes on right side. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of cutaneous
      leiomyoma. The case is reported here for the occurrence of this benign cutaneous
      neoplasm in an extremely rare bilateral multisegmental distribution. 

PMID- 26120161
TI  - Huge Nevus Lipomatosus Cutaneous Superficialis on Back: An Unusual Presentation.
AB  - Nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis (NLCS) is a benign dermatosis,
      histologically characterized by the presence of mature ectopic adipocytes in the
      dermis. We hereby report a case of a 10-year-old boy who presented with multiple
      huge swellings on the scapular regions and lower back. The lesions were
      surmounted by small papules, along with peau-d orange appearance at places.
      Histology showed features consistent with NLCS. The case is being reported for
      the unusual clinical presentation. 

PMID- 26120162
TI  - Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome in an Indian Child.
AB  - Hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase-1 (HGPRT-1) leading to Lesch
      Nyhan syndrome (LNS) is one of the important causes of self-mutilation. Hereby,
      we report a case of LNS in a three and half-year-old male child, who presented
      with characteristic self-mutilating behavior. He had history of developmental
      delay, difficulty in social interaction, attention deficit and features of
      autism. His serum blood biochemistry was normal except for low hemoglobin levels
      and raised serum uric acid levels. With a diagnosis of LNS, the child was treated
      with allopurinol. With various modalities of physical restraint, his self
      mutilating behavior came under control and currently the patient is being
      followed up. 

PMID- 26120163
TI  - Uncommon Presentation of a Common Histiocytic Tumor: A Rare Entity.
AB  - Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is the most common form of non-Langerhans cell
      histiocytic lesion, characterized by benign, usually asymptomatic, self-healing
      yellowish brown papulonodular lesions of skin and other organs in the absence of
      metabolic disorder. The cells of origin of JXG are dermal dendrocytic cells.
      Histopathologically there is dermal infiltration of foamy or non-foamy
      histiocytes with or without giant cell. Immunohistochemistry shows CD68
      positivity with CD1a and S-100 negativity of lesional cells although S-100
      positive JXG have been reported. JXG may be associated with neurofibromatosis
      type one (NF 1) with increased risk of juvenile chronic myelogenous leukemia and
      other hematological malignancies. Our case was S-100 immunoreactive multiple,
      cutaneous JXGs with NF 1 without any visceral involvement or malignant
      complication. We are presenting this case due to its rarity. 

PMID- 26120164
TI  - A Cross-Sectional Study of Anti-Hepatitis B Antibody Status in STD Patients: Need
      for Improved Immunization.

PMID- 26120165
TI  - Amifostine Before Radiotherapy: A Rare Cause of SJS-TEN Overlap.

PMID- 26120166
TI  - Isolated Palmar Lichen Nitidus-A Diagnostic Challenge: First Case from Eastern
      India.

PMID- 26120167
TI  - The Curious Case of Prolactin Hormone.

PMID- 26120168
TI  - Unilateral Exanthem.

PMID- 26120169
TI  - Intractable Pruritus Caused by Pigeon Mites.

PMID- 26120170
TI  - Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Masquerading Paediatric SLE.

PMID- 26120171
TI  - Genital Porokeratosis: A Distinct Clinical Variant?

PMID- 26120172
TI  - Annular Erythematous Plaques on the Face, Trunk and Extremities of an Infant.

PMID- 26120173
TI  - Erratum: Effectiveness of a Multidisciplinary Itch Clinic in the Management of
      Chronic Pruritus: Erratum.

PMID- 26120174
TI  - Association of cytokine gene polymorphisms with psoriasis in cases from the Nile
      Delta of Egypt: Retraction.
AB  - [This retracts the article on p. 272 in vol. 56, PMID: 21772586.]. 

PMID- 26120175
TI  - Evaluation of Organelle Changes in Promastigotes of Unresponsive Leishmania
      Tropica to Meglumine Antimoniate in Comparison with Sensitive and Standard
      Isolates by Electron Microscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The control of leishmaniasis faces serious challenges because of
      resistance to the first-line antimonial drugs. We aimed to evaluate the
      differences in organelle changes of cultivated promastigotes obtained from skin
      lesions of sensitive and unresponsive isolates to meglumine antimoniate
      (Glucantime) by electron microscopy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was done in
      Bam city, southeastern Iran, in which the incidence of disease has sharply
      increased since the earthquake in 2003. The samples were taken from 66 patients
      who were referred to the cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) treatment center in Bam. A
      questionnaire was completed for each individual, recording their demographic
      characteristics and CL status. The scraping smears provided from the edge of
      active lesions with sterile blades were fixed with methanol, stained by Giemsa,
      and examined under a compound light microscope for amastigote form
      simultaneously. To prepare the specimens for transmission electron imaging,
      promastigotes were centrifuged and resuspened. RESULTS: Transmission electron
      microscopic study of the cultivated promastigotes revealed that there were
      alterations in the organelles and structures of sensitive isolates compared with
      unresponsive and standard ones. Organelles and structures such as mitochondria,
      kinetoplast, microtubules, cytoplasmic vacuoles, plasma membrane and vesicles
      were studied. The alterations such as disintegration of kinetoplast into thin
      filaments and condensation of kinetoplast DNA core, changes in size, number and
      location of vesicles and microtubules were observed. We noted intense cytoplasmic
      vacuolization, and considerable swelling of mitochondria. CONCLUSION: The
      significance and relevance of these changes might help understand drug resistance
      patterns and help localize the best target site for inactivating the organism.

PMID- 26120176
TI  - Evaluation of the Association Between Epstein-Barr Virus and Mycosis Fungoides.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common cutaneous T-cell
      lymphomas. Despite extensive studies, etiopathogenesis of MF is unknown.
      Environmental, infectious and genetic factors have been proposed as potential
      risk factors of MF. Herpes virus family members, especially Epstein-Barr virus
      (EBV), have been among the viral factors of interest in recent years. The aim of
      this study was to investigate the possible association of EBV infection with MF.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This case-control study was performed on skin biopsy
      samples of 57 MF patients referred to Pathology Department of Mashhad Emam Reza
      Hospital from 2000 to 2011 and also on 57 melanocytic nevus samples matched with
      patients for age and sex. The presence of EBV in samples was evaluated by
      polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analysis of the data was conducted with
      the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 11.5 (SPSS Inc., Chicago,
      IL, USA). RESULTS: In this study, out of 57 MF samples, there were 34 male and 23
      female patients, with male:female ratio of 1.04. Mean patient age was 51.4 years.
      There were 22 and 4 positive cases of EBV in the case and control groups,
      respectively. Chi-square statistical test showed that EBV was significantly
      higher in case group than control (P = 0.000). There was no correlation between
      the presence of EBV in samples with lesion type, age and gender of the patients.
      CONCLUSION: According to our study results, EBV is a likely etiologic agent or
      potential promoter in the pathogenesis of MF.

PMID- 26120177
TI  - Study of Oxidative Stress in Different Forms of Leprosy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium
      leprae. India records the highest number of new leprosy cases in the world.
      Oxidative stress may play a significant role in leprosy. AIM: The aim of the
      study was to evaluate oxidative stress in various forms of leprosy and compared
      to healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy newly diagnosed, untreated
      leprosy patients were selected as cases and sixty healthy controls. Oxidative
      stress was evaluated by measuring serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level and
      superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Student's unpaired t-test and Anova
      (Analysis of Variance) test were used for analysis of data. P < 0.05 was
      considered as significant. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant
      increase in the mean values of serum MDA level, MDA/SOD and a decrease in serum
      SOD activity in cases when compared to controls and the values were significantly
      associated with increased duration, bacterial load and multibacillary type in
      leprosy. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that there was oxidative stress in
      leprosy. This warrants antioxidant supplementation to prevent tissue injury.

PMID- 26120178
TI  - Study of the Distribution of Malassezia Species in Patients with Pityriasis
      Versicolor in Kolar Region, Karnataka.
AB  - CONTEXT: Pityriasis versicolor is a superficial, chronically recurring fungal
      infection caused by Malassezia species. Recently it has been revised
      taxanomically into 14 species, in that only 7 species have been well studied in
      relation to pityriasis versicolor. AIMS: To identify Malassezia species isolated
      from patients with pityriasis versicolor and to find out any correlation between
      the species with clinical presentation of lesions. SETTINGS AND DESIGN:
      Prospective study comprising of 100 clinically diagnosed cases of pityriasis
      versicolor attending Dermatology Outpatient Department over a period of 1 year.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical specimens were collected under aseptic
      precautions and subjected to culture on Sabouraud's Dextrose Agar overlaid with
      olive oil and modified Dixon agar. The isolates were identified by biochemical
      tests. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Statistical analysis was done using proportion,
      mean and chi-square test. RESULTS: Of the 100 cases, 73% were males, 26% were
      females and predominant age group was 21-30 years. Out of 100 samples, 70 yielded
      growth. The most common isolate was M. sympodialis (50%), followed by M. furfur
      (32.86%), M. globosa (14.28%) and M. slooffiae (2.86%). Among 100 cases, 74% had
      hypopigmented and 26% had hyperpigmented lesions. M. sympodialis and M. furur
      were predominantly isolated from hypopigmented lesions and M. globosa and M.
      slooffiae were found to be more common in hyperpigmented lesions. CONCLUSIONS: M.
      sympodialis was the most common isolate, followed by M. furfur, M. globosa and M.
      slooffiae. There was no significant difference in distribution of different
      species in patients with hypo or hyper pigmented lesions.

PMID- 26120179
TI  - Effectiveness of the Pulse Dye Laser Treatment in a Caucasian Women With
      Dermatosis Papulosa Nigra.
AB  - Dermatosis papulosa nigra (DPN) is a group of superficial, benign papules
      commonly in African-American and Asian persons. DPN is considered to be a form of
      seborrheic keratosis with a specific localization and it is less frequently
      described in the white population. Treatment modalities include cryosurgery,
      curettage, electrosurgery, shave removal, and different laser treatment. Pulsed
      dye laser (PDL) has traditionally been used to treat vascular lesions, but it has
      been shown to be effective in treatment of lentigines, ephelides, seborrheic
      keratosis, and rarely DPN. A 43-year-old white female presents with a 5 year-old
      history of hyperpigmented papules on malar region, neck and upper trunk. The
      patient is diagnosed with DPN based on her clinical and histopathological
      findings. The PDL treatment was used successfully. In our opinion PDL is an
      effective alternative cure option for DPN. 

PMID- 26120180
TI  - Buschke-Fischer-Brauer Keratoderma: Linear Variety Associated with Hodgkin's
      Lymphoma.
AB  - Palmo-plantar keratodermas (PPKD) are a diverse group of acquired and hereditary
      disorders, characterized by excessive thickening of the skin of palms and soles.
      Here, we report a case of Type I or Buschke-Fischer-Brauer variant of punctate
      palmo-plantar keratoderma, in a 66-year-old gentleman. The association of our
      case with Hodgkin's lymphoma along with linear configuration of lesions on the
      palms evoked the current report. 

PMID- 26120181
TI  - Granular Cell Tumor: An Uncommon Benign Neoplasm.
AB  - Granular cell tumor is a distinctly rare neoplasm of neural sheath origin. It
      mainly presents as a solitary asymptomatic swelling in the oral cavity, skin, and
      rarely internal organs in the middle age. Histopathology is characteristic,
      showing polyhedral cells containing numerous fine eosinophilic granules with
      indistinct cell margins. We present a case of granular cell tumor on the back of
      a 48-year-old woman which was painful, mimicking an adnexal tumor. 

PMID- 26120182
TI  - Extranodal NK/T-cell Lymphoma Mimicking Erythema Multiforme.
AB  - Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) is an extremely rare and an
      aggressive lymphoma. We report an interesting case of extranodal natural killer/T
      cell lymphoma in a middle-aged woman which mimicked erythema multiforme. The skin
      lesions of this case looked like erythema multiforme due to the tagetoid lesions
      and mucosal erosions. The two biopsies from her chest and scalp lesions were
      different. One exhibited the characteristics of CD4+ CD56+ CD8-mycosis fungoides
      whereas the other biopsy from her scalp showed classical ENKTL histopathological
      manifestation with positive CD56, cytotoxic proteins and Epstein-Barr virus
      encoded RNA (EBER). 

PMID- 26120183
TI  - Erythema Multiforme-like Secondary to Paraphenylenediamine Due to Henna Tattoo
      Plus Residual Hypopigmentation.
AB  - Temporary henna tattoos or pseudotattoos have become increasingly widespread
      among children and adolescent. A generalized skin reaction, type erythema
      multiforme-like reaction is unusual, and rarely reported. We describe the case of
      a 7-year-old boy who reported erythematous papular bull's-eye shaped lesions and
      consolidated edema primarily in the upper and lower extremities. These lesions
      were compatibles with erythema multiforme-like reaction. He also showed an
      erythematous-eczematous lesion on his leg, shaped like a dolphin. In this area, a
      temporary henna tattoo was painted 1-month earlier. Patch test was positive for
      paraphenylenediamine (PPD). Skin reactions due to henna are rare. Most of the
      reactions are due to additives, especially PPD, an aniline derivative, which is
      added to speed up the process of skin dyeing and to give a darker brown to black
      color ("black" henna). As henna tattoos are becoming increasingly popular,
      prevention requires the annual provision of information to consumers, especially
      young people and their parents. 

PMID- 26120184
TI  - Scleromyxedema: An Atypical Case.
AB  - Scleromyxedema is a rare, chronic and persistent idiopathic disorder
      characterized by a generalized papular eruption due to dermal mucin deposition
      with an increase in dermal collagen. Patients usually have associated
      paraproteinemia. We describe the case of a 59-year-old gentleman with features of
      scleromyxedema, who had severe pruritus, scalp involvement, unrestricted mobility
      and associated peripheral eosinophilia, but no monoclonal gammopathy. 

PMID- 26120185
TI  - Co-Existence of Multicentric Castleman's Disease and Kaposi's Sarcoma.
AB  - Castleman's disease (CD) or giant lymph node hyperplasia is a rare disorder that
      can be unicentric or multicentric. Multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) is
      manifested by generalized lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, polyclonal
      hypergammaglobulinemia, hematological abnormality, and constitutional symptoms.
      Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection is present in nearly 100% MCD associated
      with HIV-1 infection, but in about 50% of cases of HIV negative. Herein, we
      report a 77-year-old man with systemic involvement and skin lesions on the
      anterior aspect of both legs in the previous site of saphenous vein angioplasty.
      Co-existence of MCD with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) led us to present this rare case. 

PMID- 26120186
TI  - Features of Antihistamine-Resistant Chronic Urticaria and Chronic Urticaria
      During Exacerbation.

PMID- 26120187
TI  - Severe Granulomatous Rosacea in a Boy Successfully Treated with Topical Azelaic
      Acid.

PMID- 26120188
TI  - A Case of Inflammatory Linear Verrucous Epidermal Nevus on the Upper Eyelid.

PMID- 26120189
TI  - Delayed Burn Blister.

PMID- 26120190
TI  - An Interesting Case Report of Azathioprine-Induced Anagen Effluvium.

PMID- 26120191
TI  - A Case of Gloves and Socks Syndrome and Related Eruptions Caused by
      Coxsackievirus A4 Infection Mimicking Adult-onset Still's Disease.

PMID- 26120192
TI  - Nipple Hyperkeratosis Due to Malassezia Furfur Showing Excellent Response to
      Itraconazole.

PMID- 26120193
TI  - Transfusion Associated Graft Versus Host Disease.

PMID- 26120194
TI  - Pseudoporphyria: A Case Report.

PMID- 26120195
TI  - A Case of Hyper Immunoglobulin-E Syndrome Associated with Scrotal Tongue and
      Intraoral Hyperpigmentation.

PMID- 26120196
TI  - Linear and Whorled Nevoid Hypermelanosis With Tetralogy of Fallot.

PMID- 26120197
TI  - Rapid Onset of Bullous Erythema Ab Igne: A Case Report of Atypical Presentation.

PMID- 26120198
TI  - Recurrent and Diffuse Eczema with Severe Itch and Peripheral Eosinophilia in
      Healthy Middle Aged Woman.

PMID- 26120199
TI  - Multiple Shiny Papules on the Shaft of the Penis.

PMID- 26120200
TI  - Foul Smelling Discharging Tumor-like Lesions in an Immune-compromised Adult
      Female.

PMID- 26120201
TI  - Multiple Hypopigmented Truncal Papules.

PMID- 26120202
TI  - Long-term disturbance dynamics and resilience of tropical peat swamp forests.
AB  - 1. The coastal peat swamp forests of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, are undergoing
      rapid conversion, predominantly into oil palm plantations. This wetland ecosystem
      is assumed to have experienced insignificant disturbance in the past, persisting
      under a single ecologically-stable regime. However, there is limited knowledge of
      the past disturbance regime, long-term functioning and fundamentally the
      resilience of this ecosystem to changing natural and anthropogenic perturbations
      through time. 2. In this study, long-term ecological data sets from three
      degraded peatlands in Sarawak were collected to shed light on peat swamp forest
      dynamics. Fossil pollen and charcoal were counted in each sedimentary sequence to
      reconstruct vegetation and investigate responses to past environmental
      disturbance, both natural and anthropogenic. 3. Results demonstrate that peat
      swamp forest taxa have dominated these vegetation profiles throughout the last c.
      2000-year period despite the presence of various drivers of disturbance. Evidence
      for episodes of climatic variability, predominantly linked to ENSO events, and
      wildfires is present throughout. However, in the last c. 500 years, burning and
      indicators of human disturbance have elevated beyond past levels at these sites,
      concurrent with a reduction in peat swamp forest pollen. 4. Two key insights have
      been gained through this palaeoecological analysis: (i) peat swamp forest
      vegetation has demonstrated resilience to disturbance caused by burning and
      climatic variability in Sarawak in the late Holocene, however (ii) coincident
      with increased fire combined with human impact c. 500 years ago, these
      communities started to decline. 5.Synthesis. Sarawak's coastal peat swamps have
      demonstrated resilience to past natural disturbances, with forest vegetation
      persisting through episodes of fire and climatic variability. However,
      palaeoecological data presented here suggest that recent, anthropogenic
      disturbances are of a greater magnitude, causing the observed decline in the peat
      swamp forest communities in the last c. 500 years and challenging the ecosystem's
      persistence. This study greatly extends our knowledge of the ecological
      functioning of these understudied ecosystems, providing baseline information on
      the past vegetation and its response to disturbance. This understanding is
      central to developing management strategies that foster resilience in the
      remaining peat swamp forests and ensure continued provision of services, namely
      carbon storage, from this globally important ecosystem.

PMID- 26120203
TI  - AN EVALUATION OF PRIMARY DATA-COLLECTION MODES IN AN ADDRESS-BASED SAMPLING
      DESIGN.
AB  - As address-based sampling becomes increasingly popular for multimode surveys,
      researchers continue to refine data-collection best practices. While much work
      has been conducted to improve efficiency within a given mode, additional research
      is needed on how multimode designs can be optimized across modes. Previous
      research has not evaluated the consequences of mode sequencing on multimode mail
      and phone surveys, nor has significant research been conducted to evaluate mode
      sequencing on a variety of indicators beyond response rates. We conducted an
      experiment within the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health across the
      U.S. Risk Factor Survey (REACH U.S.) to evaluate two multimode case-flow designs:
      (1) phone followed by mail (phone-first) and (2) mail followed by phone (mail
      first). We compared response rates, cost, timeliness, and data quality to
      identify differences across case-flow design. Because surveys often differ on the
      rarity of the target population, we also examined whether changes in the
      eligibility rate altered the choice of optimal case flow. Our results suggested
      that, on most metrics, the mail-first design was superior to the phone-first
      design. Compared with phone-first, mail-first achieved a higher yield rate at a
      lower cost with equivalent data quality. While the phone-first design initially
      achieved more interviews compared to the mail-first design, over time the mail
      first design surpassed it and obtained the greatest number of interviews.

PMID- 26120205
TI  - The Minimum Legal Drinking Age and Crime.
AB  - We use variation from the minimum legal drinking age to estimate the causal
      effect of access to alcohol on crime. Using a census of arrests in California and
      a regression discontinuity design, we find that individuals just over age 21 are
      5.9% more likely to be arrested than individuals just under 21. This increase is
      mostly due to assaults, alcohol-related offenses, and nuisance crimes. These
      results suggest that policies that restrict access to alcohol have the potential
      to substantially reduce crime.

PMID- 26120206
TI  - Update of the Photometric Calibration of the LASCO-C2 Coronagraph Using Stars.
AB  - We present an update to the photometric calibration of the LASCO-C2 coronagraph
      onboard the SOHO spacecraft. We obtained the new calibration using data from the
      beginning of the mission in 1996 until 2013. We re-examined the LASCO-C2
      photometric calibration by comparing the past three calibrations and the present
      calibration with the goal of validating an in-flight calibration. We find a
      photometric calibration factor (PCF) that is very similar to the factor recently
      published in Gardes, Lamy, and Llebaria (Solar Phys.283, 667, 2013), which
      calculated a calibration between 1996 and 2009. The average of our PCF between
      1999 and 2009 is the same, within our margin of error, as the average given by
      Gardes, Lamy, and Llebaria (Solar Phys.283, 667, 2013) during the same time
      period. However, we find a different evolution of the calibration over the
      lifetime of the LASCO-C2 instrument compared with past results. We find that the
      sensitivity of the instrument is decreasing by a constant 0.20 [+/-0.03] % per
      year. We also find no significant difference in the signal degradation before and
      after the SOHO interruption. We discuss the effects of this new PCF on the
      calibrated data set and the potential impact on scientific results derived from
      the previous calibration.

PMID- 26120207
TI  - Highly functionalized donor-acceptor cyclopropanes applied toward the synthesis
      of the Melodinus alkaloids.
AB  - A series of highly substituted vinylcyclopropanes were prepared and examined as
      reaction partners in a palladium-catalyzed (3 + 2) cycloaddition with
      nitrostyrenes. Described herein are our efforts to synthesize an elusive 1,1
      divinylcyclopropane by several distinct approaches, and to apply surrogates of
      this fragment toward the synthesis of the Melodinus alkaloids.

PMID- 26120208
TI  - Total Synthesis of Nominal Cyclocinamide B and Investigation into the Identity of
      the Cyclocinamides.
AB  - The total synthesis of nominal cyclocinamide B, a cyclic peptide marine natural
      product, is reported together with an isomer of nominal cyclocinamide A. Initial
      attempts at the synthesis of the title compounds by inclusion of a turn inducer
      failed. However, direct synthesis succeeded in formation of the 14-membered
      cyclic peptide structure. Comparison of the data from all synthetic cyclocinamide
      A and B compounds with those of the natural products leads to the conclusion that
      the two natural products possess the same relative stereochemistry and that the
      true structures have not been defined.

PMID- 26120209
TI  - Electrophilic Carbonyl Activation: Competing Condensative Cyclizations of
      Tryptamine Derivatives.
AB  - A series of tryptamine derived bisindole substrates were subject to electrophilic
      activation of the functional grouping at their alpha-nitrogen in the form of
      iminium ions to enable cyclization onto the sterically hindered indole
      substructure. Our observations regarding divergent cyclization outcomes using
      electronically distinct bisindole substrates are described. Surprising preference
      for Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction and evidence for an intriguing reversible
      spirocyclization are discussed.

PMID- 26120210
TI  - Oxazoles for click chemistry II: synthesis of extended heterocyclic scaffolds.
AB  - New routes to 2, 4, 5-trisubstituted oxazoles were established whereby the
      substitution pattern was established by the structure of the starting
      nonsymmetrical acyloins. 2-Chloromethyl-4, 5-disubstituted oxazoles were prepared
      by refinements of an earlier described process whereby chloroacetyl esters of
      symmetrical and non-symmetrical acyloins were cyclized using an ammonium
      acetate/acetic acid protocol. After substitution is effected, the azide moiety is
      then installed by substitution under mild conditions. While dibrominated and
      iodinated phenyloxazoles are required for further synthetic elaboration, the
      cyclization reaction was found to be very sensitive to the relative positions of
      the halogens in the starting materials.

PMID- 26120211
TI  - Synthesis and bioactivity of MSH4 oligomers prepared by an A2 + B2 strategy.
AB  - Oligomers incorporating the tetrapeptide MSH4, the minimum active sequence of
      melanocyte stimulating hormone, were synthesized by an A2 + B2 strategy involving
      microwave-assisted copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. A2 contained an
      MSH4 core while B2 contained a (Pro-Gly)3 spacer. Soluble mixtures containing
      compounds with up to eight MSH4 units were obtained from oligomerizations at high
      monomer concentrations. The avidities of several oligomeric mixtures were
      evaluated by means of a competitive binding assay using HEK293 cells engineered
      to overexpress the melanocortin 4 receptor. When based on total MSH4
      concentrations, avidities were only minimally enhanced compared with a monovalent
      control. The lack of variation in the effect of ligands on probe binding is
      consistent with high off rates for MSH4 in both monovalent and oligomeric
      constructs relative to that of the competing probe.

PMID- 26120212
TI  - Metalated nitriles: SNi' cyclizations with a propargylic electrophile.
AB  - A rare 5-exo-dig SNi' cyclization with magnesiated and lithiated nitriles affords
      a cis-fused hydrindane bearing an exocyclic allene. The cyclization of the
      dilithiated nitrile pits a stereoelectronic preference for a trans-hydrindane
      against a cyclization through a less strained transition structure to the
      corresponding cis-hydrindane. Computational modeling suggests that the
      dilithiated nitrile cyclizes to a cis-hydrindane because the preferred transition
      structure positions the lithium cation in a cone of electron density that bridges
      the nitrile-bearing carbon, an alkoxide, and an electron-rich alkyne
      functionality.

PMID- 26120204
TI  - Diffuse Optics for Tissue Monitoring and Tomography.
AB  - This review describes the diffusion model for light transport in tissues and the
      medical applications of diffuse light. Diffuse optics is particularly useful for
      measurement of tissue hemodynamics, wherein quantitative assessment of oxy- and
      deoxy-hemoglobin concentrations and blood flow are desired. The theoretical basis
      for near-infrared or diffuse optical spectroscopy (NIRS or DOS, respectively) is
      developed, and the basic elements of diffuse optical tomography (DOT) are
      outlined. We also discuss diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS), a technique
      whereby temporal correlation functions of diffusing light are transported through
      tissue and are used to measure blood flow. Essential instrumentation is
      described, and representative brain and breast functional imaging and monitoring
      results illustrate the workings of these new tissue diagnostics.

PMID- 26120213
TI  - Enantioselective synthesis of metacycloprodigiosin via the "Wasserman pyrrole".
AB  - A concise, nine-step enantioselective total synthesis of metacycloprodigiosin is
      reported. The synthesis provides increased step-efficiency over the previous
      racemic and enantioselective syntheses of this compound. Key features of the work
      include investigations into a convergent oxidative coupling reaction and
      subsequent ring-closing metathesis to deliver an advanced pyrrole intermediate we
      name the "Wasserman pyrrole" that can be converted to metacycloprodigiosin in one
      step.

PMID- 26120214
TI  - Surprisingly Facile C-H Activation in the Course of Oxime-Directed Catalytic
      Asymmetric Hydroboration.
AB  - Deuterium-labeling studies carried out in conjunction with investigations into
      the directed catalytic asymmetric hydroboration of unsaturated oxime ethers
      reveal a surprisingly facile ortho-metallation or sigma-bond metathesis pathway
      that that diverts the expected course of CAHB to a tandem C-H
      activation/hydroboration reaction pathway.

PMID- 26120215
TI  - Design and Synthesis of (2-(5-Chloro-2,2-dimethyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-7
      yl)cyclopropyl)methanamine as a Selective Serotonin 2C Agonist.
AB  - A conformationally restricted analog of a selective cyclopropane-bearing
      serotonin 2C agonist was designed and synthesized. A 2,2-dimethyl-2,3
      dihydrobenzofuran scaffold was investigated as a constrained variant of a
      biologically active isopropyl phenyl ether. Construction of the required dimethyl
      2,3-dihydrobenzofuran intermediate began using a procedure that relied on a
      microwave-assisted alkylation reaction. The synthesis of the designed compound as
      its HCl salt is reported in a total of 12 steps and 17% overall yield. Biological
      evaluation revealed the constrained analog to be a selective serotonin 2C agonist
      with modest potency.

PMID- 26120216
TI  - An expedient synthesis of maraviroc (UK-427,857) via C-H functionalization.
AB  - A new, concise synthesis of the CCR-5 receptor antagonist maraviroc (UK-427,857)
      from 3-phenyl-1-propanol has been completed in four steps featuring a site
      selective C-H functionalization.

PMID- 26120217
TI  - Integrating The Stereotype Content Model (Warmth And Competence) And The Osgood
      Semantic Differential (Evaluation, Potency, And Activity).
AB  - We integrate two prominent models of social perception dimensionality. In three
      studies, we demonstrate how the well-established semantic differential dimensions
      of evaluation and potency relate to the stereotype content model dimensions of
      warmth and competence. Specifially, using a correlational design (Study 1) and
      experimental designs (Studies 2 and 3), we found that semantic differential
      dimensions run diagonally across stereotype content model quadrants. Implications
      of integrating classic and modern approaches of social perception are discussed.

PMID- 26120218
TI  - LOGISTIC NETWORK REGRESSION FOR SCALABLE ANALYSIS OF NETWORKS WITH JOINT
      EDGE/VERTEX DYNAMICS.
AB  - Change in group size and composition has long been an important area of research
      in the social sciences. Similarly, interest in interaction dynamics has a long
      history in sociology and social psychology. However, the effects of endogenous
      group change on interaction dynamics are a surprisingly understudied area. One
      way to explore these relationships is through social network models. Network
      dynamics may be viewed as a process of change in the edge structure of a network,
      in the vertex set on which edges are defined, or in both simultaneously. Although
      early studies of such processes were primarily descriptive, recent work on this
      topic has increasingly turned to formal statistical models. Although showing
      great promise, many of these modern dynamic models are computationally intensive
      and scale very poorly in the size of the network under study and/or the number of
      time points considered. Likewise, currently used models focus on edge dynamics,
      with little support for endogenously changing vertex sets. Here, the authors show
      how an existing approach based on logistic network regression can be extended to
      serve as a highly scalable framework for modeling large networks with dynamic
      vertex sets. The authors place this approach within a general dynamic exponential
      family (exponential-family random graph modeling) context, clarifying the
      assumptions underlying the framework (and providing a clear path for extensions),
      and they show how model assessment methods for cross-sectional networks can be
      extended to the dynamic case. Finally, the authors illustrate this approach on a
      classic data set involving interactions among windsurfers on a California beach.

PMID- 26120219
TI  - Algebra for All: California's Eighth-Grade Algebra Initiative as Constrained
      Curricula.
AB  - BACKGROUND/CONTEXT: Across the United States, secondary school curricula are
      intensifying as a growing proportion of students enroll in high-level academic
      math courses. In many districts, this intensification process occurs as early as
      eighth grade, where schools are effectively constraining their mathematics
      curricula by restricting course offerings and placing more students into Algebra
      I. This paper provides a quantitative single-case research study of policy-driven
      curricular intensification in one California school district. RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
      (1a) What effect did 8th eighth grade curricular intensification have on
      mathematics course enrollment patterns in Towering Pines Unified schools? (2b)
      How did the distribution of prior achievement in Towering Pines math classrooms
      change as the district constrained the curriculum by universalizing 8th eighth
      grade Algebra? (3c) Did 8th eighth grade curricular intensification improve
      students' mathematics achievement? SETTING: Towering Pines is an immigrant
      enclave in the inner-ring suburbs of a major metropolitan area. The district's 10
      middle schools together enroll approximately 4,000 eighth graders each year. The
      districts' students are ethnically diverse and largely economically
      disadvantaged. The study draws upon administrative data describing 8th eighth
      graders in the district in the 2004-20-05 through 2007-20-08 school years.
      INTERVENTION/PROGRAM/PRACTICE: During the study period, Towering Pines
      dramatically intensified middle school students' math curricula: In the 2004-20
      05 school year 32% of the district's 8th eighth graders enrolled in Algebra or a
      higher- level mathematics course; by the 2007-20-08 school year that proportion
      had increased to 84%. RESEARCH DESIGN: We use an interrupted time-series design,
      comparing students' 8th eighth grade math course enrollments, 10th grade math
      course enrollments, and 10th grade math test scores across the four cohorts,
      controlling for demographics and prior achievement. FINDINGS/RESULTS: We find
      that students' odds of taking higher level mathematics courses increased as this
      district implemented the state's Algebra mandate. However, even as the district
      implemented a constrained curriculum strategy, mathematics achievement growth
      between 6th sixth and 10th grade slowed and the achievement advantages associated
      with 8th eighth grade Algebra declined. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS: Our analyses
      suggest that curricular intensification increased the inclusiveness and decreased
      the selectivity of the mathematics tracking regime in Towering Pines middle
      schools. However, the findings suggest that this constrained curriculum strategy
      may have may have unintended negative consequences for student achievement.

PMID- 26120220
TI  - A Unified Family of Covariate-Adjusted Response-Adaptive Designs Based on
      Efficiency and Ethics.
AB  - Response-adaptive designs have recently attracted more and more attention in the
      literature because of its advantages in efficiency and medical ethics. To develop
      personalized medicine, covariate information plays an important role in both
      design and analysis of clinical trials. A challenge is how to incorporate
      covariate information in response-adaptive designs while considering issues of
      both efficiency and medical ethics. To address this problem, we propose a new and
      unified family of covariate-adjusted response-adaptive (CARA) designs based on
      two general measurements of efficiency and ethics. Important properties
      (including asymptotic properties) of the proposed procedures are studied under
      categorical covariates. This new family of designs not only introduces new
      desirable CARA designs, but also unifies several important designs in the
      literature. We demonstrate the proposed procedures through examples, simulations,
      and a discussion of related earlier work.

PMID- 26120221
TI  - Evaluation of geostatistical estimators and their applicability to characterise
      the spatial patterns of recreational fishing catch rates.
AB  - Western Australians are heavily engaged in recreational fishing activities with a
      participation rate of approximately 30%. An accurate estimation of the spatial
      distribution of recreational catch per unit effort (catch rates) is an integral
      component for monitoring fish population changes and to develop strategies for
      ecosystem-based marine management. Geostatistical techniques such as kriging can
      provide useful tools for characterising the spatial distributions of recreational
      catch rates. However, most recreational fishery data are highly skewed, zero
      inflated and when expressed as ratios are impacted by the small number problem
      which can influence the estimates obtained from the traditional kriging. The
      applicability of ordinary, indicator and Poisson kriging to recreational catch
      rate data was evaluated for three aquatic species with different behaviours and
      distribution patterns. The prediction performance of each estimator was assessed
      based on cross-validation. For all three species, the accuracy plot of the
      indicator kriging (IK) showed a better agreement between expected and empirical
      proportions of catch rate data falling within probability intervals of increasing
      size, as measured by the goodness statistic. Also, indicator kriging was found to
      be better in predicting the latent catch rate for the three species compared to
      ordinary and Poisson kriging. For each species, the spatial maps from the three
      estimators displayed similar patterns but Poisson kriging produced smoother
      spatial distributions. We show that the IK estimator may be preferable for the
      spatial modelling of catch rate data exhibiting these characteristics, and has
      the best prediction performance regardless of the life history and distribution
      patterns of those three species.

PMID- 26120222
TI  - Inter-rater reliability of cyclic and non-cyclic task assessment using the hand
      activity level in appliance manufacturing.
AB  - : This study evaluated the inter-rater reliability of the American Conference of
      Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH(r)) hand activity level (HAL), an
      observational ergonomic assessment method used to estimate physical exposure to
      repetitive exertions during task performance. Video recordings of 858 cyclic and
      non-cyclic appliance manufacturing tasks were assessed by sixteen pairs of raters
      using the HAL visual-analog scale. A weighted Pearson Product Moment-Correlation
      Coefficient was used to evaluate the agreement between the HAL scores recorded by
      each rater pair, and the mean weighted correlation coefficients for cyclic and
      non-cyclic tasks were calculated. Results indicated that the HAL is a reliable
      exposure assessment method for cyclic (r-bar w = 0.69) and non-cyclic work tasks
      (r-bar w = 0.68). When the two reliability scores were compared using a two
      sample Student's t-test, no significant difference in reliability (p = 0.63)
      between these work task categories was found. This study demonstrated that the
      HAL may be a useful measure of exposure to repetitive exertions during cyclic and
      non-cyclic tasks. RELEVANCE TO INDUSTRY: Exposure to hazardous levels of
      repetitive action during non-cyclic task completion has traditionally been
      difficult to assess using simple observational techniques. The present study
      suggests that ergonomists could use the HAL to reliably and easily evaluate
      exposures associated with some non-cyclic work tasks.

PMID- 26120223
TI  - Synthesis and Binding Affinity of Homologated Adenosine Analogues as A3 Adenosine
      Receptor Ligands.
AB  - Homologated analogues 3a and 3b of potent and selective A3 adenosine receptor
      ligands, IB-MECA and dimethyl-IB-MECA were synthesized from commercially
      available 1-O-acetyl-2,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-beta-d-ribofuranose (4) via Co2(CO)8
      catalyzed siloxymethylation as a key step. Unfortunately, homologated analogues
      3a and 3b did not show significant binding affinities at three subtypes of
      adenosine receptors, indicating that free rotation, resulting from homologation,
      induced unfavorable interactions in the binding site of the receptor maybe due to
      the presence of many conformations.

PMID- 26120224
TI  - The integration quagmire: Why we need to watch our steps.

PMID- 26120225
TI  - Nephroprotective activity of Bilvadi agada in gentamicin induced nephrotoxicity
      in male Wistar rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gentamicin (GM) nephrotoxicity accounts for 10-30% of the acute renal
      failure (ARF) among drug-induced ARF. In Ayurveda such side effects are
      considered as the poisonous effects of low potent poisons called gara visa.
      Bilvadi agada (BA), a classical formulation is indicated in gara visa and most of
      its ingredients have proven for their nephroprotective activity. AIM: The aim was
      to evaluate the effect of BA in GM-induced nephrotoxicity in male Wistar rats.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: BA, GM, normal saline were procured from standard
      companies. SETTINGS AND DESIGNS: Eighteen male Wistar rats were randomly divided
      into three groups, viz. Control group which received normal saline
      intraperitoneal (i.p.) daily for 8 days; toxic group received GM 80 mg/kg/day
      i.p. for 8 days, and trial group received both GM 80 mg/kg/day i.p. and BA 216
      mg/each rat weighing ~200 g orally 1 h after administration of GM. STATISTICS:
      All the values were expressed as mean +/- standard error and data were analyzed
      by applying one-way analysis of variance followed by Dunnett's test for multiple
      comparison. RESULTS: BA treated group showed a significant change (P < 0.05) in
      levels of serum creatinine, urine creatinine, and urine potassium. There was no
      significant change (P > 0.05) seen in serum potassium, sodium, chloride, calcium
      and phosphorus and urine sodium, chloride in all three groups. Glomerular
      congestion, interstitial edema, tubular necrosis, interstitial hemorrhage was
      reduced in BA treated group. The results of this study indicate that BA reduces
      GM-induced nephrotoxicity and it may be due to anti-inflammatory,
      immunomodulatory, diuretic and anti-oxidant properties of drugs. Further studies
      are necessary to explore the exact mechanism of BA in nephroprotection.

PMID- 26120226
TI  - Effect of Jyotismati seed oil on spatial and fear memory using scopolamine
      induced amnesia in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Treatment of memory impairment associated with dementia such as
      Alzheimer's disease is still inadequate and requires development of new drugs.
      OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the memory enhancing effect of Celastrus
      paniculatus seed oil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: C. paniculatus seed oil was mixed
      with equal amount of pure ghee and administered orally to mice in the dose of 200
      mg/kg/day. Piracetam was used as a standard nootropic. Elevated plus maze and
      passive avoidance tests were used as a models to test spatial and fear memory
      respectively. Scopolamine (3 mg/kg, i.p.), was used as an amnestic agent.
      RESULTS: Mice receiving C. paniculatus showed significant memory enhancement as
      compared to scopolamine group. The effect of C. paniculatus and combination of C.
      paniculatus with piracetam was comparable to that with piracetam alone.
      CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that C. paniculatus seed oil has
      memory enhancing effect and hence can be developed as a potential drug in the
      treatment of dementia.

PMID- 26120228
TI  - Antimalarial evaluation of the leaf latex of Aloe citrina and its major
      constituent.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malaria is one of the major obstacles to the socioeconomic
      development of several developing countries. Adequate treatment of the disease is
      becoming increasingly difficult due to the worsening problems of drug resistance
      in many parts of the world. Therefore, increased efforts in antimalarial drug
      discovery are urgently needed. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to evaluate
      the antimalarial activity of the leaf latex of Aloe citrina Carter and Brandham
      and its major constituent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The leaf latex of A. citrina
      was dissolved in methanol and subjected to preparative thin layer chromatography.
      Structure of the isolated compound was determined on the basis of its
      electrospray-ionization tandem mass spectrometry, (1)H, (13)C NMR and DEPT
      spectral data. The latex and its isolated compound were tested for their in vivo
      antimalarial activity using a 4-day suppressive test against chloroquine
      sensitive ANKA strain of Plasmodium berghei in mice. RESULTS: Homonataloin A/B
      was isolated as a major component of the latex. Both the latex and isolated
      compound exhibited significant (P < 0.001) antimalarial activity at a dose of 400
      mg/kg with parasite suppression of 60.59% and 67.52%, respectively. No
      significant adverse signs of toxicity were observed in mice treated with the leaf
      latex up to the highest dose (5000 mg/kg). CONCLUSION: The results of this study
      indicate that the antimalarial activity of the plant is attributed in part or in
      full to the presence of homonataloin A/B in the latex. It also validates the
      traditional use of the plant as an antimalarial agent.

PMID- 26120227
TI  - Evaluation of effects of Mandurabhasma on structural and functional integrity of
      small intestine in comparison with ferrous sulfate using an experimental model of
      iron deficiency anemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The present study was planned to assess effects of Mandurabhasma (MB)
      on structural and functional integrity of small intestine using an animal model
      of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in rat. METHODS: IDA was induced by giving iron
      deficient diet and retro-orbital bloodletting for 21 days in Wistar female rats.
      Rats (n = 72) were divided into six groups: (i) Control group, (ii) IDA rats,
      (iii) IDA rats receiving vehicle, (iv) rats receiving ferrous sulfate (40 mg/kg),
      (vi) rats receiving a low dose (22.5 mg/kg) of MB, (vi) rats receiving a high
      dose (45 mg/kg) of MB. Treatment was conducted for a period of 21 days followed
      by an assessment of change in hemoglobin (Hb) levels, lactase levels, lipid
      peroxidation activity by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and jejunal
      morphometry. RESULTS: In the present study, the lactase activity was markedly
      reduced in iron-deficient rats. Our study has demonstrated that intestinal
      morphology and MDA levels were not altered in the animals with IDA as compared to
      normal animals. In phase II, improvement in Hb response to ferrous sulfate was
      accompanied by an improvement in lactase activity. However, it significantly
      increased MDA levels with derangement of the normal villous structure. Rats
      receiving a low dose of MB did not have increased MDA levels. It did not alter
      the jejunal villous structure and improved lactase activity, but hematinic
      activity was found to be less than that of ferrous sulfate. Rats receiving a high
      dose of MB showed significantly improved Hb as well as lactase levels. They
      exhibited damage to the villous structure and increased MDA levels, but the
      effects were significantly less as compared to ferrous sulfate group. CONCLUSION:
      Rats receiving a high dose of MB have shown improvement in hematinic and lactase
      levels comparable to those receiving ferrous sulfate. However, it causes lesser
      oxidative damage as compared to ferrous sulfate. This is an encouraging finding
      because it indicates the potential of MB to cause lesser gastrointestinal side
      effects compared to ferrous sulfate.

PMID- 26120229
TI  - Pharmacognostic study and development of quality control parameters for fruit,
      bark and leaf of Zanthoxylum armatum (Rutaceae).
AB  - CONTEXT: Zanthoxylum armatum (Rutaceae) fruit, bark and leaves are used for
      various conditions of ailments in traditional systems of medicine since ancient
      times. AIMS: This study is designed to lay down the various pharmacognostic and
      phytochemical standards which will be helpful to ensure the purity, safety, and
      efficacy of this medicinal plant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Various methods
      including macroscopic, microscopic, physicochemical, and phytochemical methods
      were applied to determine the diagnostic features for the identification and
      standardization of intact and powdered drug of Z. armatum leaf, fruit, and bark.
      RESULTS: The shape, size, color, odor, surface characteristics were determined
      for the intact drug and powdered materials of leaf, bark and fruit of Z. armatum.
      Light and electron microscope images of cross-section of leaf and powdered
      microscopy revealed useful diagnostic features. Histochemical, phytochemical,
      physicochemical including fluorescence analysis of powdered drug proved useful to
      differentiate the powdered drug material. High performance liquid chromatography
      analysis showed the presence of important phytoconstituents such as gallic acid
      and rutin. CONCLUSION: The data generated from this study would be of help in the
      authentication of various parts of Z. armatum, an important constituent of
      various herbal drug formulations. The qualitative and quantitative microscopic
      features would prove useful for laying down pharmacopoeial standards. Morphology
      as well as various pharmacognostic aspects of different parts of the plant were
      studied and have been described here along with phytochemical, physicochemical
      studies, which will help in authentication and quality control.

PMID- 26120230
TI  - Effect of Calendula officinalis hydroalcoholic extract on passive avoidance
      learning and memory in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medicinal plants, owing to their different mechanisms such as
      antioxidants effects, may improve learning and memory impairments in diabetic
      rats. Calendula officinalis (CO), has a significant antioxidant activity. AIMS:
      To examine the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of CO on passive avoidance
      learning (PAL) and memory in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic male rats.
      SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A total of 32 adult male Wistar rats were randomly allocated
      to four groups: Control, diabetic, control + extract of CO and diabetic control +
      extract of CO groups with free access to regular rat diet. SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
      Diabetes in diabetic rats was induced by single intraperitoneal injection of 60
      mg/kg STZ. After confirmation of diabetes, oral administration of 300 mg/kg CO
      extract to extract-treated groups have been done. PAL was tested 8 weeks after
      onset of treatment, and blood glucose and body weight were measured in all groups
      at the beginning and end of the experiment. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The
      statistical analysis of data was performed by ANOVA followed by least significant
      difference post-hoc analysis. RESULTS: Diabetes decreased learning and memory.
      Effect of CO extract in retention test (after 24 and 48 h) has been shown a
      significant decrease in step-through latency and increase in time spent in the
      dark compartment part. Also the extract partially improved hyperglycemia and
      reduced body weight. CONCLUSION: Taken together, CO extract can improve PAL and
      memory impairments in STZ-diabetic rats. This improvement may be due to its
      antioxidant, anticholinergic activities or its power to reduce hyperglycemia.

PMID- 26120231
TI  - Innovative approach in the management of horse-shoe fistula-in-ano with
      Ksarasutra.
AB  - Fistula-in-ano is a common surgical problem. Horse-shoe fistulas usually have an
      internal opening in the posterior midline and extend anteriorly and laterally to
      one or both ischiorectal spaces by way of the deep potential space. The
      "Sambukavarta Bhagandara" described by Susruta can be correlated with the horse
      shoe type of fistula. In this condition, neither fistulotomy nor "Ksarasutra"
      treatment alone, are useful hence there is a need for newer innovative surgical
      techniques to tackle this challenging disease. An integral approach of incision
      and drainage of both the abscess on the arms of the horse-shoe fistula with
      Ksarasutra ligation at 6 o' clock position proves to be successful. We have tried
      the same technique with good results. No recurrence was found in the patients
      during the follow-up period of 6 months. A 45-year-old female with a known case
      of diabetes mellitus and hypertension approached with both right and left
      ischiorectal fossa inflammatory swelling. An innovative approach was used to
      manage horse-shoe fistula by making an additional opening below the anus at 6
      o'clock position. Apamarga Ksarasutra (medicated thread made using apamarga) was
      ligated through the additional opening to the internal opening at 6 o'clock
      position for draining through both the cavities. Ksarasutra was changed weekly
      and the fistula healed completely by 3 months. 

PMID- 26120232
TI  - A case study on the Ayurvedic management of cerebral palsy.
AB  - Cerebral palsy (CP) is the leading cause of childhood disability affecting
      function and development. CP is defined as a nonprogressive neuromotor disorder
      of cerebral origin. It cannot be correlated with any single disease or condition
      in Ayurveda, as it is a multi-factorial disease with clinical features of a wide
      variation. According to Vagbhata, it is classified in the disease categories of
      sahaja (hereditary) and garbhaja (congenital) and jataja (psychosomatic) type of
      diseases. Of the many types and subtypes of CP, none has any known "cure." Here,
      an effort was made to treat a 3-year-old male child with spastic type of CP using
      multiple Ayurveda treatment modalities. At the end of 94 days of treatment,
      Pancakarma procedures along with internal medication resulted in 10-15%
      improvement in the overall effect of therapy. 

PMID- 26120233
TI  - Wound healing effect of Vimlapanakarma with Jatyadi tailam in diabetic foot.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Diabetic Foot ulcer is the commonest burning problem in the
      society. Many histopathological studies show prolonged inflammatory phase in
      diabetic wounds. In Sushruta Samhita, Vimlapanakarma (gentle massage) quoted, as
      first line of treatment for Vranashotha (inflammation). CASE REPORT: A 70 yrs old
      male patient, presented with complaints of ulcer associated with severe pain and
      reddish skin discoloration over ventral aspect of 3(rd) toe of right foot since 2
      months. Vimlapanakarma performed with Jatyadi taila around the wound for about 15
      20 minutes daily for 10 days and follow-up done for period of 45 days.
      DISCUSSION: By Vimlapanakarma with Jatyadi taila there will be raised local
      temperature, due to which vasoconstriction is relieved and necessary nutrients,
      oxygen, insulin etc. are carried to the wound site, thereby improving the anoxic
      condition of wound. CONCLUSION: Vimlapanakarma showed significant role in wound
      healing of Diabetic Foot ulcer, in a short period of time 10 days with no
      recurrence seen till 45 days follow-up.

PMID- 26120234
TI  - Determination of in vitro free radical scavenging and antiproliferative effect of
      Pennisetum alopecuroides on cultured A549 human lung cancer cells.
AB  - CONTEXT: Pennisetum alopecuroides (Poaceae) is a grass predominantly distributed
      in tropics and sub tropics. It is used as a cattle feed in many regions. AIM: The
      objective of the present study was to investigate the in vitro free radical
      scavenging and antiproliferative activity of ethanol extract of P. alopecuroides
      (EEPA) on cultured A549 human lung cancer cell lines. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The
      anti-oxidant activity of ethanol extract was evaluated at dose level 12.5, 25,
      50, 100, and 200 MUg/ml. The in vitro antiproliferative activity was measured at
      doses of 10, 50, and 100 MUg/ml. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The free radical
      scavenging activity of the EEPA was determined by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl
      (DPPH) method and in vitro antiproliferative activity on A549 human lung cancer
      cells was conducted by using MTT assay method. RESULTS: The phytochemical
      screening revealed that the P. alopecuroides contained alkaloids, tannins,
      saponins, and flavonoids as the major secondary metabolites. The IC50 value of
      DPPH scavenging activity was found to be 44.41 MUg/ml and 31.02 MUg/ml  for a
      mixture of EEPA and standard ascorbic acid, respectively. In vitro MTT assay
      showed that EEPA had anti-proliferation effects on A549 cells in a dose dependent
      manner. CONCLUSIONS: This is the 1(st) time a pharmacological exploration of P.
      alopecuroides grasses has been conducted. We have shown that P. alopecuroides
      exhibits good free radical scavenging and strong in vitro cytotoxic activities
      against human lung cancer cell lines.

PMID- 26120235
TI  - Bacterial contamination in Thai Ayurveda products.

PMID- 26120236
TI  - Element- and charge-state-resolved ion energies in the cathodic arc plasma from
      composite AlCr cathodes in argon, nitrogen and oxygen atmospheres.
AB  - The energy distribution functions of ions in the cathodic arc plasma using
      composite AlCr cathodes were measured as a function of the background gas
      pressure in the range 0.5 to 3.5 Pa for different cathode compositions and gas
      atmospheres. The most abundant aluminium ions were Al+ regardless of the
      background gas species, whereas Cr2+ ions were dominating in Ar and N2 and Cr+ in
      O2 atmospheres. The energy distributions of the aluminium and chromium ions
      typically consisted of a high-energy fraction due to acceleration in the
      expanding plasma plume from the cathode spot and thermalised ions that were
      subjected to collisions in the plasma cloud. The fraction of the latter increased
      with increasing background gas pressure. Atomic nitrogen and oxygen ions showed
      similar energy distributions as the aluminium and chromium ions, whereas the
      argon and molecular nitrogen and oxygen ions were formed at greater distance from
      the cathode spot and thus less subject to accelerating gradients. In addition to
      the positively charged metal and gas ions, negatively charged oxygen and oxygen
      containing ions were observed in O2 atmosphere. The obtained results are intended
      to provide a comprehensive overview of the ion energies and charge states in the
      arc plasma of AlCr composite cathodes in different gas atmospheres as such
      plasmas are frequently used to deposit thin films and coatings.

PMID- 26120237
TI  - Inclusive Discourse? Local Media Coverage of the Terri Schiavo Case.
AB  - This article contributes to a more systematic understanding of the role of
      mainstream media in deliberative processes by analyzing how inclusive local
      newspapers are of diverse perspectives on the Terri Schiavo case. Using both
      Pearson's chi-square test and multinomial logistic regression, we assess how
      ownership, state political ideology, geographic location, and news format affect
      what ideas are included in the debate over whether Terri Schiavo's hydration and
      nutrition tubes should be removed as well as the tone with which these ideas are
      discussed. We find that mainstream newspapers are relatively inclusive of diverse
      ideas and perspectives-regardless of whether the newspaper is independently or
      corporately owned, the political leanings of the target audience, and the
      geographic location of the outlet. However, we also find that local newspapers do
      significantly differ from one another in terms of the frequency and tone with
      which they include diverse viewpoints. Our research suggests that local outlets
      downplay ideas that are likely to be regarded as controversial by their target
      audiences. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of this research for
      understanding the role of media in deliberative democratic processes in the
      United States.

PMID- 26120238
TI  - NIR to NIR upconversion in KYb2F7: RE3+ (RE = Tm, Er) nanoparticles for
      biological imaging.
AB  - Until recently, many contrast agents widely used in biological imaging have
      absorbed and emitted in the visible region, limiting their usefulness for deeper
      tissue imaging. In order to push the boundaries of deep tissue imaging with non
      ionizing radiation, contrast agents in the near infrared (NIR) regime, which is
      not strongly absorbed or scattered by most tissues, are being sought after.
      Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are attractive candidates since their
      upconversion emission is tunable with a very narrow bandwidth and they do not
      photobleach or blink. The upconversion produced by the nanoparticles can be
      tailored for NIR to NIR by carefully choosing the lanthanide dopants and dopant
      ratios such as KYb2F7: RE3+ (RE = Tm, Er). Spectroscopic characterization was
      done by analyzing absorption, fluorescence, and quantum yield data. In order to
      study the toxicity of the nanoparticles Monkey Retinal Endothelial Cells (MREC)
      were cultivated in 24 well plates and then treated with nanoparticles at
      different concentrations in triplicate to obtain the optimal concentration for in
      vivo experiments. It will be shown that these UCNPs do not elicit a strong toxic
      response such as quantum dots and some noble metal nanoparticles. 3-D optical
      slices of nanoparticle treated fibroblast cells were imaged using a confocal
      microscope where the nucleus and cytoplasm were stained with DAPI and Alexa Fluor
      respectively. These results presented support the initial assumption, which
      suggests that KYb2F7: RE3+ would be excellent candidates for NIR contrast agents.

PMID- 26120239
TI  - Participation and Well-Being Among Older Adults Living with Chronic Conditions.
AB  - This study explored the unique contribution of participation (daily activities
      and social roles) in explaining well-being of older adults living with chronic
      conditions and examined which aspect of participation (accomplishment of
      participation or satisfaction with participation) was more important in
      describing their well-being. Two hundred older adults with chronic conditions
      completed the following assessments: Satisfaction with Life Scale to measure well
      being; Assessment of Life Habits to evaluate two aspects of participation: (a)
      accomplishment of daily activities and social roles and (b) level of satisfaction
      with participation; Interpersonal Support Evaluation List to assess level of
      social support and Affect Balance scale to measure level of balance confidence.
      In addition, participants' level of mobility was assessed using the Timed Up and
      Go test. Regression analysis was performed. Results indicated that number of
      chronic conditions, social support and satisfaction with participation had a
      significant contribution to well-being and altogether explained 31% of its
      variance whereas accomplishment of participation did not play as significant role
      in the model. In conclusion, participation has a unique contribution to older
      adults' well-being where satisfaction with participation rather than the
      accomplishment of activities is of importance. Additional aspects of
      participation and level of disability are key factors identified for further
      inquiry.

PMID- 26120240
TI  - QUANTIFYING THE MOTION OF MAGNETIC PARTICLES IN EXCISED TISSUE: EFFECT OF
      PARTICLE PROPERTIES AND APPLIED MAGNETIC FIELD.
AB  - This article presents a method to investigate how magnetic particle
      characteristics affect their motion inside tissues under the influence of an
      applied magnetic field. Particles are placed on top of freshly excised tissue
      samples, a calibrated magnetic field is applied by a magnet underneath each
      tissue sample, and we image and quantify particle penetration depth by
      quantitative metrics to assess how particle sizes, their surface coatings, and
      tissue resistance affect particle motion. Using this method, we tested available
      fluorescent particles from Chemicell of four sizes (100 nm, 300 nm, 500 nm, and 1
      um diameter) with four different coatings (starch, chitosan, lipid, PEG/P) and
      quantified their motion through freshly excised rat liver, kidney, and brain
      tissues. In broad terms, we found that the applied magnetic field moved chitosan
      particles most effectively through all three tissue types (as compared to starch,
      lipid, and PEG/P coated particles). However, the relationship between particle
      properties and their resulting motion was found to be complex. Hence, it will
      likely require substantial further study to elucidate the nuances of transport
      mechanisms and to select and engineer optimal particle properties to enable the
      most effective transport through various tissue types under applied magnetic
      fields.

PMID- 26120241
TI  - Negative economic shocks and child schooling: Evidence from Rural Malawi.
AB  - This study investigates the impacts of negative economic shocks on child
      schooling in households of rural Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Sub
      Saharan Africa (SSA). Both individually-reported and community-level shocks are
      investigated. There is evidence that community level shocks negatively impact the
      school enrolment of children. The point estimates suggest that this effect is
      larger when shocks and school enrollment are reported by men as compared to
      women. But we cannot conclude with statistical confidence that the impact of
      idiosyncratic shocks is larger when reported by males than when reported by
      females. Similarly, although the point estimates suggest that the impact of
      community level shocks on the school enrolment of children is larger than that of
      idiosyncratic shocks, we cannot conclude with statistical significance that the
      impacts of community-level and idiosyncratic shocks are different.

PMID- 26120242
TI  - A Dual-Stream Neuroanatomy of Singing.
AB  - Singing requires effortless and efficient use of auditory and motor systems that
      center around the perception and production of the human voice. Although
      perception and production are usually tightly coupled functions, occasional
      mismatches between the two systems inform us of dissociable pathways in the brain
      systems that enable singing. Here I review the literature on perception and
      production in the auditory modality, and propose a dual-stream neuroanatomical
      model that subserves singing. I will discuss studies surrounding the neural
      functions of feedforward, feedback, and efference systems that control vocal
      monitoring, as well as the white matter pathways that connect frontal and
      temporal regions that are involved in perception and production. I will also
      consider disruptions of the perception-production network that are evident in
      tone-deaf individuals and poor pitch singers. Finally, by comparing expert
      singers against other musicians and nonmusicians, I will evaluate the possibility
      that singing training might offer rehabilitation from these disruptions through
      neuroplasticity of the perception-production network. Taken together, the best
      available evidence supports a model of dorsal and ventral pathways in auditory
      motor integration that enables singing and is shared with language, music,
      speech, and human interactions in the auditory environment.

PMID- 26120243
TI  - Can Social Ties be Harmful? Examining the Spread of Suicide in Early Adulthood.
AB  - Durkheim posited that social relationships protect individuals against suicide;
      however, substantial research demonstrates that suicide can spread through the
      very ties Durkheim theorized as protective. With this study, we use Waves I, III,
      and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, to investigate
      whether young adults' suicide attempts and thoughts are in part products of
      exposure to suicidal behaviors via their social relationships. We find that young
      adults who have had family members or friends attempt suicide are more likely to
      report suicide ideation or even suicide attempts, over both the short and long
      run. This finding is robust to many important controls for risk and protective
      factors for suicide. Our findings have implications for the sociology of suicide,
      not the least of which, is that social ties have the power to harm in addition to
      the power to protect.

PMID- 26120245
TI  - Anxiety, depression and smoking status among adults of Mexican heritage on the
      Texas-Mexico Border.
AB  - The goal of the current analysis is to examine relationships between smoking
      status and anxiety and depression among adults of Mexican heritage to inform the
      development of culturally relevant smoking cessations efforts. Mexican heritage
      residents (N=1,791) of the city of Brownsville, TX, aged 18 years or older,
      enrolled in the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort, were selected through two stage
      cluster sampling of randomly selected census tracts from the first and third
      quartile of SES using Census 2000. Among current smokers, anxiety and depression
      scores were highest among women who had not completed high school (p<0.05).
      Former smoking women, but not men, with at least a high school education and
      former smoking women born in the United States reported higher levels of anxiety
      and depression than never smoking women. Negative affective states may represent
      a greater barrier to smoking cessation among women than men.

PMID- 26120244
TI  - The Immigrant and Hispanic Paradoxes: A Systematic Review of Their Predictions
      and Effects.
AB  - A survey of the literature indicates that reported advantages of the Immigrant
      and Hispanic Paradox are inconsistent and equivocal. The healthy migrant
      hypothesis also suggests that current research approaches consider only "healthy"
      groups. Other methodological concerns include the simple underreporting of
      deaths, and that commonly used databases may not include all significant
      attributes and characteristics. We conducted a systematic review, synthesizing
      and identifying themes not explicitly found in the current literature. We also
      employ a simple quantitative index to assess the scholarly strength of
      references. Paradox protection appears uneven and is not generalizable across
      races, ethnicities, age groups and genders. In addition, acculturation, health
      behaviors and diet, ethnicity, acculturative stress, adolescence, undocumented
      and uninsured status, age of arrival in the United States and length of exposure,
      gender and age appear to be significant in predicting any beneficial effects.

PMID- 26120246
TI  - Hydra, a powerful model for aging studies.
AB  - Cnidarian Hydra polyps escape senescence, most likely due to the robust activity
      of their three stem cell populations. These stem cells continuously self-renew in
      the body column and differentiate at the extremities following a tightly
      coordinated spatial pattern. Paul Brien showed in 1953 that in one particular
      species, Hydra oligactis, cold-dependent sexual differentiation leads to rapid
      aging and death. Here, we review the features of this inducible aging phenotype.
      These cellular alterations, detected several weeks after aging was induced, are
      characterized by a decreasing density of somatic interstitial cell derivatives, a
      disorganization of the apical nervous system, and a disorganization of myofibers
      of the epithelial cells. Consequently, tissue replacement required to maintain
      homeostasis, feeding behavior, and contractility of the animal are dramatically
      affected. Interestingly, this aging phenotype is not observed in all H. oligactis
      strains, thus providing a powerful experimental model for investigations of the
      genetic control of aging. Given the presence in the cnidarian genome of a large
      number of human orthologs that have been lost in ecdysozoans, such approaches
      might help uncover novel regulators of aging in vertebrates.

PMID- 26120247
TI  - Compensation and Community Corrosion: Perceived Inequalities, Social Comparisons,
      and Competition Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
AB  - : After disasters, victim compensation programs are typically associated with
      individual healing and community rebuilding. But post-disaster compensation
      systems also have the potential to introduce confusion and competition, further
      fraying the social fabric of communities affected by trauma. To assess the
      perceived effects of disaster compensation processes on community social
      relations, as well as the mechanisms that underlie such effects, we turn to the
      case of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, after which BP implemented one of the
      largest compensation systems in U.S. HISTORY:  Using data from interviews of
      residents of four Gulf Coast communities, we examine the extent to which this
      claims process hindered efforts to recover from this disaster. Our data suggest
      that while BP money helped some residents in the Gulf during a difficult economic
      time, many interviewees perceived uncertainty, randomness, and unevenness in the
      compensation process, which led to negative social comparisons and competition
      among community members. Because of this animosity, we argue that BP's
      compensation system was a disruptive mechanism that contributed to community
      corrosion and introduced another source of psychological stress into already
      traumatized areas.

PMID- 26120248
TI  - Maternal Factors as Moderators or Mediators of PTSD Symptoms in Very Young
      Children: A Two-Year Prospective Study.
AB  - Research has suggested that parenting behaviors and other parental factors impact
      the long-term outcome of children's posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
      symptoms. In a sample of 62 children between the ages of one and six who
      experienced life-threatening traumas, PTSD was measured prospectively two years
      apart. Seven maternal factors were measured in a multi-method, multi-informant
      design. Both moderation and mediation models, with different theoretical and
      mechanism implications, were tested. Moderation models were not significant.
      Mediation models were significant when the mediator variable was maternal
      symptoms of PTSD or depression (measured at Time 1), self-report of maternal
      escape/avoidance coping (measured at Time 2), or self-report emotional
      sensitivity (measured at Time 2). Greater maternal emotional sensitivity was
      associated with greater Time 2 PTSD symptoms among children. Observational
      measures of emotional sensitivity as the mediator were not supported. Correlation
      of parents' and children's symptoms is a robust finding, however caution is
      warranted in attributing children's PTSD symptoms to insensitive parenting.

PMID- 26120249
TI  - Cubic Silica-Coated and Amine-Functionalized FeCo Nanoparticles with High
      Saturation Magnetization.
AB  - By systematically varying the reaction parameters in a liquid-phase reduction
      reaction, large FeCo nanocubes with tunable body diagonal lengths of 175, 350,
      and 450 nm were synthesized. The nanocubes were initially stabilized with
      poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and then coated with a relatively thin layer of
      silica (~55 nm thick), which allowed them to retain their cubic shape. The
      magnetization curves showed that the PVP-stabilized nanocubes exhibited a high
      saturation magnetization of 167 +/- 4 emu/g. The saturation magnetization,
      however, decreased upon coating with silica to 146 +/- 13 emu/g for the particles
      with 350 and 450 nm FeCo cores and 48 +/- 1 emu/g for the particles with 175 nm
      FeCo cores. The silica-coated FeCo nanocubes were then functionalized with 3
      (aminopropyl)-trimethoxysilane (APTMS), and a layer of surface-bound nanoparticle
      was generated by exposing the resultant amine-functionalized nanocubes to self
      assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold terminated with carboxylic-acid groups.

PMID- 26120250
TI  - Ecosystem service provision in a changing Europe: adapting to the impacts of
      combined climate and socio-economic change.
AB  - CONTEXT: Future patterns of European ecosystem services provision are likely to
      vary significantly as a result of climatic and socio-economic change and the
      implementation of adaptation strategies. However, there is little research in
      mapping future ecosystem services and no integrated assessment approach to map
      the combined impacts of these drivers. OBJECTIVE: Map changing patterns in
      ecosystem services for different European futures and (a) identify the role of
      driving forces; (b) explore the potential influence of different adaptation
      options. METHODS: The CLIMSAVE integrated assessment platform is used to map
      spatial patterns in services (food, water and timber provision, atmospheric
      regulation, biodiversity existence/bequest, landscape experience and land use
      diversity) for a number of combined climatic and socio-economic scenarios. Eight
      adaptation strategies are explored within each scenario. RESULTS: Future service
      provision (particularly water provision) will be significantly impacted by
      climate change. Socio-economic changes shift patterns of service provision: more
      dystopian societies focus on food provision at the expense of other services.
      Adaptation options offer significant opportunities, but may necessitate trade
      offs between services, particularly between agriculture- and forestry-related
      services. Unavoidable trade-offs between regions (particularly South-North) are
      also identified in some scenarios. CONCLUSIONS: Coordinating adaptation across
      regions and sectors will be essential to ensure that all needs are met: a factor
      that will become increasingly pressing under dystopian futures where inter
      regional cooperation breaks down. Integrated assessment enables exploration of
      interactions and trade-offs between ecosystem services, highlighting the
      importance of taking account of complex cross-sectoral interactions under
      different future scenarios of planning adaptation responses.

PMID- 26120251
TI  - More green infrastructure is required to maintain ecosystem services under
      current trends in land-use change in Europe.
AB  - Green infrastructure (GI), a network of nature, semi-natural areas and green
      space, delivers essential ecosystem services which underpin human well-being and
      quality of life. Maintaining ecosystem services through the development of GI is
      therefore increasingly recognized by policies as a strategy to cope with
      potentially changing conditions in the future. This paper assessed how current
      trends of land-use change have an impact on the aggregated provision of eight
      ecosystem services at the regional scale of the European Union, measured by the
      Total Ecosystem Services Index (TESI8). Moreover, the paper reports how further
      implementation of GI across Europe can help maintain ecosystem services at
      baseline levels. Current demographic, economic and agricultural trends, which
      affect land use, were derived from the so called Reference Scenario. This
      scenario is established by the European Commission to assess the impact of energy
      and climate policy up to 2050. Under the Reference Scenario, economic growth,
      coupled with the total population, stimulates increasing urban and industrial
      expansion. TESI8 is expected to decrease across Europe between 0 and 5 % by 2020
      and between 10 and 15 % by 2050 relative to the base year 2010. Based on
      regression analysis, we estimated that every additional percent increase of the
      proportion of artificial land needs to be compensated with an increase of 2.2 %
      of land that qualifies as green infrastructure in order to maintain ecosystem
      services at 2010 levels.

PMID- 26120252
TI  - Hybrid monopole/loop coil array for human head MR imaging at 7T.
AB  - The monopole coil and loop coil have orthogonal radiofrequency (RF) fields and
      thus are intrinsically decoupled electromagnetically if they are laid out
      appropriately. In this study, we proposed a hybrid monopole/loop technique which
      could combine the advantages of both loop arrays and monopole arrays. To
      investigate this technique, a hybrid RF coil array containing 4 monopole channels
      and 4 loop channels was developed for human head MR imaging at 7T. In vivo MR
      imaging and g-factor results using monopole-only channels, loop-only channels and
      all channels of the hybrid array were acquired and evaluated. Compared with the
      monopole-only and loop-only channels, the proposed hybrid array has higher SNR
      and better parallel imaging performance. Sufficient electromagnetic decoupling
      and diverse RF magnetic field (B1) distributions of monopole channels and loop
      channels may contribute to this performance improvement. From experimental
      results, the hybrid monopole/loop array has low g-factor and excellent SNR at
      both periphery and center of the brain, which is valuable for human head imaging
      at ultrahigh fields.

PMID- 26120253
TI  - Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening program in Poland.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is currently
      recommended by several vascular societies. In countries where it has been
      introduced the prevalence of AAAs differed greatly and was mainly related to
      cigarette smoking. The screening program also had an enormous impact on the
      decrease of AAA ruptures and reduced mortality rate. These facts have led to the
      introduction of the first screening program for AAAs in Poland. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of AAAs among men aged 60 years
      and older undergoing ultrasound examination of the abdominal aorta. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: A single ultrasonography of the abdomen was performed to assess the
      aorta from the renal arteries to the bifurcation and the diameter of the aorta
      was measured at its widest point. The cut-off value for determining an aortic
      aneurysm was set at a diameter of >= 30 mm. All ultrasonography measurements were
      performed by physicians in outpatient departments throughout the Kuyavian
      Pomeranian Province. Additionally, each subject had to fill out a questionnaire
      with demographic data, smoking habits, existing comorbidities and familial
      occurrence of AAAs. The study was conducted from October 2009 to November 2011.
      RESULTS: The abdominal aorta ultrasound examinations were carried out in 1556 men
      aged 60 years and older. The prevalence of AAA in the study population was 6.0 %
      (94 out of 1556). The average age of the men was 69 years (SD 6 years, range 60
      92 years). In the study population 55 % of the men smoked or had smoked and 3 %
      were aware of the presence of AAAs in family members. There were three risk
      factors significantly associated with the presence of AAAs: age (p < 0.05),
      smoking (72.3 % vs 53.9 %, p = 0.004) and family history of AAAs (9.6 % vs 2.7 %,
      p = 0.017). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of AAAs among men in Poland is higher than
      in other European countries and the USA. The screening program for AAAs is an
      easy and reliable method for detecting early stages of the disease and risk
      factors which are the driving forces for the development of AAAs.

PMID- 26120254
TI  - Global Burden of Neural Tube Defects, Risk Factors, and Prevention.
AB  - Neural tube defects (NTDs), serious birth defects of the brain and spine usually
      resulting in death or paralysis, affect an estimated 300,000 births each year
      worldwide. Although the majority of NTDs are preventable with adequate folic acid
      consumption during the preconception period and throughout the first few weeks of
      gestation, many populations, in particular those in low and middle resource
      settings, do not have access to fortified foods or vitamin supplements containing
      folic acid. Further, accurate birth defects surveillance data, which could help
      inform mandatory fortification and other NTD prevention initiatives, are lacking
      in many of these settings. The burden of birth defects in South East Asia is
      among the highest in the world. Expanding global neural tube defects prevention
      initiatives can support the achievement of the United Nations Millennium
      Development Goal 4 to reduce child mortality, a goal which many countries in
      South East Asia are currently not poised to reach, and the 63rd World Health
      Assembly Resolution on birth defects. More work is needed to develop and
      implement mandatory folic acid fortification policies, as well as supplementation
      programs in countries where the reach of fortification is limited.

PMID- 26120256
TI  - The transdiagnostic dimension of psychosis: implications for psychiatric nosology
      and research.
AB  - If psychosis is a transdiagnostic dimension, the expression of which is governed
      by a dynamic set of contextual and emotional factors that are amenable to
      treatment, current approaches in psychiatric nosology and therapeutic research
      may need to be revised. The dominant approach to date is to clinically and
      conceptually situate psychotic symptoms in the construct of schizophrenia.
      However, schizophrenia, which has a lifetime prevalence of 1%, only represents
      the poor outcome fraction of a much broader spectrum of psychotic disorders which
      have a lifetime prevalence of 3.5%. Therefore, research findings in schizophrenia
      may reflect mechanisms of prognosis rather than fundamental associations with
      psychosis and other symptom domains per se. Similarly, the discovery that up to
      30% of individuals with non-psychotic common mental disorders have subthreshold
      psychotic symptoms that situate them on the transdiagnostic dimension of
      psychosis - and which impact clinical severity and treatment response - indicates
      that the rigid separation between 'psychotic' and 'non-psychotic' hampers both
      clinical practice and research. Diagnostic manuals in psychiatry would benefit
      from a system of transdiagnostic dimensions, including a transdiagnostic
      dimension of psychosis. Introduction of transdiagnostic dimensions allows for a
      system combining a nomothetic (i.e., group-specific) categorical diagnosis with
      an idiographic (i.e., person-specific) combination of dimensional scores. The
      advantage of such a system is that it encourages consideration of how symptoms
      dynamically interact with each other in a network of psychopathology, and of how
      this network is impacted by the social world. 

PMID- 26120257
TI  - Finding a solution to psychosis: the emergence of a new path.
AB  - The transition from a dichotomous diagnostic classification system to the more
      holistic approach to understanding mental disorders engendered by the so-called
      biopsychosocial model has definite advantages, but it runs the risk of
      sacrificing methodological rigor to achieve all-inclusiveness. The Special
      Article by Bebbington on understanding psychosis in this issue attempts to show
      that high-quality psychosocial epidemiological research on the development of
      psychosis can, at least partially, overcome these limitations. Bebbington's
      emphasis on the importance of non-psychotic symptoms such as disturbance in sleep
      and mood in the development of psychosis provides a new perspective on the
      conceptualization of psychosis, but I remain unconvinced about the usefulness of
      such symptoms in the differentiation of valid sub-categories of schizophrenia or
      other psychoses. 

PMID- 26120258
TI  - Errata.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.11919/j.issn.1002-0829.215010.][This corrects
      the article DOI: 10.11919/j.issn.1002-0829.215014.]. 

PMID- 26120255
TI  - Unravelling psychosis: psychosocial epidemiology, mechanism, and meaning.
AB  - This paper reviews a revolution in our understanding of psychosis over the last
      20 years. To a major extent, this has resulted from a process of cross
      fertilization between psychosocial epidemiology and cognitive behavior therapy
      for psychosis (CBT-p). This encouraged complementary strategies for the
      acquisition and analysis of data. These include the use of a range of dependent
      variables related to psychosis, and the exploitation of data from cross-sectional
      and longitudinal epidemiological surveys, virtual reality experiments, experience
      sampling methodology, and treatment trials. The key element is to investigate
      social and psychological measures in relation to each other. This research has
      confirmed the role of the external social world in the development and
      persistence of psychotic disorder. In addition, several psychological drivers of
      psychotic experiences have been identified. There is now persuasive evidence that
      the influence of social factors in psychosis is significantly mediated by non
      psychotic symptoms, particularly mood symptoms and other attributes of affect
      such as insomnia. Psychotic symptoms are also driven by reasoning biases such as
      jumping to conclusions and belief inflexibility, though little is known about
      social influences on such biases. It is now clear that there are many routes to
      psychosis and that it takes many forms. Treatment of all kinds should take
      account of this: the dependence of CBT-p on a detailed initial formulation in
      terms of psychological processes and social influences is an example of the
      required flexibility. Individual mediators are now being targeted in specific
      forms of CBT-p, with good effect. This in turn corroborates the hypothesized role
      of non-psychotic symptoms in mediation, and attests to the power of the
      approaches described. 

PMID- 26120259
TI  - Prenatal choline and the development of schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The primary prevention of illness at the population level, the
      ultimate aim of medicine, seems out of reach for schizophrenia. Schizophrenia has
      a strong genetic component, and its pathogenesis begins long before the emergence
      of psychosis, as early as fetal brain development. Cholinergic neurotransmission
      at nicotinic receptors is a pathophysiological mechanism related to one aspect of
      this genetic risk. Choline activates these nicotinic receptors during fetal brain
      development. Dietary supplementation of maternal choline thus emerges as a
      possible intervention in pregnancy to alter the earliest developmental course of
      the illness. AIM: Review available literature on the relationship of choline
      supplementation or choline levels during pregnancy and fetal brain development.
      METHODS: A Medline search was used to identify studies assessing effects of
      choline in human fetal development. Studies of other prenatal risk factors for
      schizophrenia and the role of cholinergic neurotransmission in its
      pathophysiology were also identified. RESULTS: Dietary requirements for choline
      are high during pregnancy because of its several uses, including membrane
      biosynthesis, one-carbon metabolism, and cholinergic neurotransmission. Its
      ability to act directly at high concentrations as a nicotinic agonist is critical
      for normal brain circuit development. Dietary supplementation in the second and
      third trimesters with phosphatidyl-choline supports these functions and is
      associated generally with better fetal outcome. Improvement in inhibitory
      neuronal functions whose deficit is associated with schizophrenia and attention
      deficit disorder has been observed. CONCLUSION: Prenatal dietary supplementation
      with phosphatidyl-choline and promotion of diets rich in choline-containing foods
      (meats, soybeans, and eggs) are possible interventions to promote fetal brain
      development and thereby decrease the risk of subsequent mental illnesses. The low
      risk and short (sixmonth) duration of the intervention makes it especially
      conducive to population-wide adoption. Similar findings with folate for the
      prevention of cleft palate led to recommendations for prenatal pharmacological
      supplementation and dietary improvement. However, definitive proof of the
      efficacy of prenatal choline supplementation will not be available for decades
      (because of the 20-year lag until the onset of schizophrenia), so public health
      officials need to decide whether or not promoting choline supplementation is
      justified based on the limited information available.

PMID- 26120260
TI  - Efficacy and safety of the Chinese herbal medicine shuganjieyu with and without
      adjunctive repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for geriatric
      depression: a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pharmacological treatment of geriatric depression is often
      ineffective because patients cannot tolerate adequate doses of antidepressant
      medications. AIM: Examine the efficacy and safety of shuganjieyu - the first
      Chinese herbal medicine approved for the treatment of depression by China's drug
      regulatory agency -- with and without adjunctive treatment with repetitive
      transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of geriatric
      depression. METHODS: Sixty-five inpatients 60 or older who met ICD-10 criteria
      for depression were randomly assigned to an experimental group (shuganjieyu +
      rTMS) (n=36) or a control group (shuganjieyu + sham rTMS)(n=29). All participants
      received 4 capsules of shuganjieyu daily for 6 weeks. rTMS (or sham rTMS) was
      administered 20 minutes daily, five days a week for 4 weeks. Blinded raters used
      the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) and the Treatment Emergent
      Symptom Scale to assess clinical efficacy and safety at baseline and 1, 2, 4, and
      6 weeks after starting treatment. Over the six-week trial, there was only one
      dropout from the experimental group and two dropouts from the control group.
      RESULTS: None of the patients had serious side effects, but 40% in the
      experimental group and 50% in the control group experienced minor side effects
      that all resolved spontaneously. Both groups showed substantial stepwise
      improvement in depressive symptoms over the 6 weeks. Repeated measures ANOVA
      found no differences between the two groups. After 6 weeks, 97% of the
      experimental group had experienced a 25% or greater drop in the level of
      depression, but only 20% had experience a 50% or greater drop in the level of
      depression; the corresponding values in the control group were 96% and 19%. There
      were some minor, non-significant differences in the onset of the treatment effect
      between the different types of depressive symptoms, but by the second week of
      treatment all five HAMD-17 subscale scores had improved significantly in both
      groups. CONCLUSION: The Chinese herbal medicine shuganjieyu is effective and safe
      in the treatment of geriatric depression, but only a minority of patients have
      greater than 50% improvement in their depressive symptoms after 6 weeks of
      treatment. Adjunctive use of rTMS with shuganjieyu does not improve the overall
      outcome and does not significantly speed up the onset of action of shuganjieyu.

PMID- 26120261
TI  - Gene-based and pathway-based genome-wide association study of alcohol dependence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The organization of risk genes within signaling pathways may provide
      clues about the converging neurobiological effects of risk genes for alcohol
      dependence. AIM: Identify risk genes and risk gene pathways for alcohol
      dependence. METHODS: We conducted a pathway-based genome-wide association study
      (GWAS) of alcohol dependence using a gene-set-rich analytic approach.
      Approximately one million genetic markers were tested in the discovery sample
      which included 1409 European-American (EA) alcohol dependent individuals and 1518
      EA healthy comparison subjects. An additional 681 African-American (AA) cases and
      508 AA healthy subjects served as the replication sample. RESULTS: We identified
      several genome-wide replicable risk genes and risk pathways that were
      significantly associated with alcohol dependence. After applying the Bonferroni
      correction for multiple testing, the 'cellextracellular matrix interactions'
      pathway (p<2.0E-4 in EAs) and the PXN gene (which encodes paxillin) (p=3.9E-7 in
      EAs) within this pathway were the most promising risk factors for alcohol
      dependence. There were also two nominally replicable pathways enriched in alcohol
      dependence-related genes in both EAs (0.015<=p<=0.035) and AAs (0.025<=p<=0.050):
      the 'Na+/Cl- dependent neurotransmitter transporters' pathway and the 'other
      glycan degradation' pathway. CONCLUSION: These findings provide new evidence
      highlighting several genes and biological signaling processes that may be related
      to the risk for alcohol dependence.

PMID- 26120262
TI  - Are the revised diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease useful in low- and
      middle-income countries?
AB  - Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a leading cause of disease burden among elderly
      individuals that is increasingly important in middle-income countries like China
      where improvements in overall health (which increase longevity) and other factors
      are leading to a rapidly aging population. The diagnostic criteria for AD have
      recently been revised to reflect advances in the understanding of the condition
      over the past three decades. Different international organizations have proposed
      algorithms for diagnosing AD that subdivide the AD spectrum into overlapping
      stages and, in some cases, require the concurrent presence of memory impairment
      and specific biomarkers. There are, however, several substantial limitations to
      these revised criteria: highly trained clinicians are needed to make the fine
      discriminations between the stages; the role of the proposed biomarkers in the
      onset and course of AD remain uncertain; and assessment of these biomarkers
      requires the use of expensive, high-tech equipment by well-trained technicians.
      These problems limit the clinical utility of these diagnostic criteria,
      particularly in low-resource settings where the clinicians responsible for
      identifying and treating individuals with AD have limited training and where the
      equipment needed to identify the biomarkers are either non-existent or in short
      supply. 

PMID- 26120263
TI  - Clinical and research value of the new diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's
      disease.
AB  - The use of biomarkers in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been
      increasingly emphasized, but the feasibility and value of using biomarkers in
      clinical practice remain limited. However, the use of biomarkers in clinical and
      pharmaceutical research about AD may prove quite useful in clarifying the
      pathology underlying AD and, thus, help in the early identification of effective
      preventive and therapeutic interventions. Moreover, wide adoption of the new
      diagnostic criteria will improve comparability of research results across
      studies, and, thus, allow for the combination and comparison of study results
      using meta-analytic techniques - the types of analyses needed to definitively
      answer fundamental questions about the etiology, course, prevention, and
      treatment of AD. 

PMID- 26120264
TI  - Case report of visual hallucinations in anxiety.
AB  - Hallucinations rarely occur in individuals with anxiety disorders. This case
      report describes a 36-year-old male with Social Phobia and Agoraphobia with Panic
      Attacks who had prominent visual hallucinations that were both distressing and
      incapacitating. Treatment with sertraline 200 mg/d, clonazepam 1 mg/d, and
      propranolol 20 mg/day for one month completely resolved both his anxiety and the
      hallucinations, after which he was able to return to his social and occupational
      life. The report underscores the fact that visual hallucinations are not always
      indicators of a psychotic disorder, they may be present across a spectrum of
      mental disorders. In cases where hallucinations occur in nonpsychotic disorders,
      treatment of the underlying condition usually simultaneously resolves the
      associated hallucinations without the need to resort to the use of antipsychotic
      medication. Detailed analyses of such unusual cases can help improve our
      understanding of the pathogenesis of psychotic-like symptoms. 

PMID- 26120266
TI  - Improving Simulation-Based Algorithms for Fitting ERGMs.
AB  - Markov chain Monte Carlo methods can be used to approximate the intractable
      normalizing constants that arise in likelihood calculations for many exponential
      family random graph models for networks. However, in practice, the resulting
      approximations degrade as parameter values move away from the value used to
      define the Markov chain, even in cases where the chain produces perfectly
      efficient samples. We introduce a new approximation method along with a novel
      method of moving toward a maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) from an arbitrary
      starting parameter value in a series of steps based on alternating between the
      canonical exponential family parameterization and the mean-value
      parameterization. This technique enables us to find an approximate MLE in many
      cases where this was previously not possible. We illustrate these methods on a
      model for a transcriptional regulation network for E. coli, an example where
      previous attempts to approximate an MLE had failed, and a model for a well-known
      social network dataset involving friendships among workers in a tailor shop.
      These methods are implemented in the publicly available ergm package for R, and
      computer code to duplicate the results of this paper is included in the
      Supplemental Materials.

PMID- 26120265
TI  - Decision tree methods: applications for classification and prediction.
AB  - Decision tree methodology is a commonly used data mining method for establishing
      classification systems based on multiple covariates or for developing prediction
      algorithms for a target variable. This method classifies a population into branch
      like segments that construct an inverted tree with a root node, internal nodes,
      and leaf nodes. The algorithm is non-parametric and can efficiently deal with
      large, complicated datasets without imposing a complicated parametric structure.
      When the sample size is large enough, study data can be divided into training and
      validation datasets. Using the training dataset to build a decision tree model
      and a validation dataset to decide on the appropriate tree size needed to achieve
      the optimal final model. This paper introduces frequently used algorithms used to
      develop decision trees (including CART, C4.5, CHAID, and QUEST) and describes the
      SPSS and SAS programs that can be used to visualize tree structure. 

PMID- 26120267
TI  - Graphical Models for Ordinal Data.
AB  - A graphical model for ordinal variables is considered, where it is assumed that
      the data are generated by discretizing the marginal distributions of a latent
      multivariate Gaussian distribution. The relationships between these ordinal
      variables are then described by the underlying Gaussian graphical model and can
      be inferred by estimating the corresponding concentration matrix. Direct
      estimation of the model is computationally expensive, but an approximate EM-like
      algorithm is developed to provide an accurate estimate of the parameters at a
      fraction of the computational cost. Numerical evidence based on simulation
      studies shows the strong performance of the algorithm, which is also illustrated
      on data sets on movie ratings and an educational survey.

PMID- 26120268
TI  - Rationale and Considerations for the Internet-Based Delivery of Parent-Child
      Interaction Therapy.
AB  - Given the enormous individual, familial, and societal costs associated with early
      disruptive behavior disorders, transformative efforts are needed to develop
      innovative options for overcoming traditional barriers to effective care and for
      broadening the availability of supported interventions. This paper presents the
      rationale and key considerations for a promising innovation in the treatment of
      early-onset disruptive behavior disorders-that is, the development of an Internet
      based format for the delivery of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) directly
      to families in their own homes. Specifically, we consider traditional barriers to
      effective care, and discuss how technological innovations can overcome problems
      of treatment availability, accessibility, and acceptability. We then detail our
      current Internet-delivered PCIT treatment program (I-PCIT), which is currently
      being evaluated across multiple randomized clinical trials relative to waitlist
      comparison, and to traditional in-office PCIT. Embedded video clips of children
      treated with I-PCIT are used to illustrate novel aspects of the treatment.

PMID- 26120269
TI  - A Web-Based Self-Management Program for Recent Combat Veterans With PTSD and
      Substance Misuse: Program Development and Veteran Feedback.
AB  - Combat veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan commonly experience
      posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use problems. In addition,
      these veterans often report significant barriers to receiving evidence-based
      mental health and substance use care, such as individual beliefs that treatment
      will be unhelpful, inconvenient, or that they should be able to handle their
      problems on their own. To increase access to treatment for this underserved
      population, a Web-based patient self-management program that teaches cognitive
      behavioral therapy (CBT) skills to manage PTSD symptoms and substance misuse was
      developed. This paper describes and provides results from an iterative,
      multistage process for developing the Web-based program and seeks to inform
      clinicians in the field about the preferences of veterans for using a Web-based
      CBT program. Systematic feedback was gathered from (a) three expert clinicians in
      the field, (b) focus groups of combat veterans (n = 18), and (c) individual
      feedback sessions with combat veterans (n = 34). Clinician feedback led to the
      incorporation of motivational strategies to increase participant engagement and
      an optional module that guides written trauma exposure work. Focus group feedback
      guided the research team to frame the program in a strength-based approach and
      allows for maximum flexibility, adaptability, interactivity, and privacy for
      veterans. In individual feedback sessions, veterans generally found the program
      likable, easy to use, and relevant to their experiences; critiques of the program
      led to revised content meant to increase clarity and participant interest. Our
      findings provide specific guidance for clinicians who are interested in
      developing or providing technology-based treatment, including the need to gather
      feedback from an intervention's target audience when adapting a psychotherapeutic
      intervention and that the treatment must be highly interactive and private to
      engage clients.

PMID- 26120270
TI  - Levels of selected oxidative stress markers in the vitreous and serum of diabetic
      retinopathy patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: In diabetes, an impaired antioxidant defense system contributes to the
      development of diabetic retinopathy. The main objective of this paper was to find
      correlations of oxidative stress parameters within and between the vitreous and
      serum in patients with type 2 diabetes who had developed proliferative diabetic
      retinopathy. METHODS: The study included and compared two groups of patients who
      underwent vitrectomy: 37 patients with type 2 diabetes and proliferative
      retinopathy (PDR), and 50 patients with non-diabetic eye disorders (NDED).
      Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), advanced oxidized protein product
      (AOPP), and oxidative stress markers (direct lipid hydroperoxidation (LPO),
      malondialdehyde (MDA), total superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione (GSH))
      were measured in the vitreous and serum of both groups and correlated with one
      another, between humoral compartments and with gender, age, and serum glucose
      levels. RESULTS: In the vitreous of PDR patients, VEGF, LPO, and MDA (p<0.05)
      were increased and SOD values were slightly lowered (p<0.05) than in NDED
      patients. Vitreous AOPP and GSH showed no differences between the groups. In the
      serum, AOPP, MDA, and SOD were increased (p<0.05) and VEGF was slightly increased
      (p<0.05) in the PDR group compared to NDED. With regard to gender, similar
      changes were recorded for both groups, except for the lower serum MDA in males
      than females in the NDED group. Advanced age showed no significant effect on
      changes of measured parameters in the vitreous. In the serum, VEGF was positively
      correlated (p<0.05) and MDA and SOD negatively correlated (p<0.05) with
      increasing age. Among measured parameters within and between the vitreous and
      serum, several correlative links occurred in the PDR group that were not present
      in the NDED group. The most prominent correlation changes were between serum LPO
      and vitreal LPO, serum SOD and vitreal LPO, serum LPO and serum SOD, and vitreal
      VEGF and serum SOD. CONCLUSIONS: Among the selected oxidative stress markers, SOD
      and LPO were highly correlative in both the vitreous and serum in PDR compared to
      patients without metabolic disorders. Their correlations suggested that
      monitoring their mutual alterations might be informative during PDR development
      and should be considered in further research.

PMID- 26120271
TI  - Elevated LRP6 levels correlate with vascular endothelial growth factor in the
      vitreous of proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To measure intravitreal low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein
      6 (LRP6) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in the eyes of
      patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and to observe their
      correlation with PDR activity. METHODS: Fifty-five eyes of 55 patients were
      enrolled consecutively. Vitreous samples from 30 eyes with PDR and 25 eyes with
      nondiabetic macular disease were collected. Active PDR was present in 16 patients
      and quiescent PDR in 14 patients according to retinal neovascularization. LRP6
      and VEGF concentrations in samples were determined using enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: ELISA revealed significant increases in the
      vitreous levels of VEGF in eyes affected with PDR compared to the controls
      (p<0.001). The mean concentrations of LRP6 were also higher in the vitreous
      samples from patients with PDR compared to the nondiabetic controls: 39.85 ng/ml
      and 15.48 ng/ml, respectively (p=0.002). In addition, the vitreous levels of LRP6
      and VEGF were significantly higher in active PDR than in quiescent PDR (p=0.022
      and p=0.015, respectively). Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was
      found between intravitreal levels of LRP6 and VEGF in patients with PDR (r=0.567,
      p=0.001). However, comparison of patients with PDR with controls revealed that
      the plasma levels of LRP6 were not significantly different between the two groups
      (p=0.636). CONCLUSIONS: LRP6 and VEGF levels in the vitreous body from patients
      with PDR were increased and correlated mutually. LRP6 may be a good diagnostic
      biomarker and a new therapeutic target for PDR.

PMID- 26120272
TI  - Characterization of cells from patient-derived fibrovascular membranes in
      proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Epiretinal fibrovascular membranes (FVMs) are a hallmark of
      proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Surgical removal of FVMs is often
      indicated to treat tractional retinal detachment. This potentially informative
      pathological tissue is usually disposed of after surgery without further
      examination. We developed a method for isolating and characterizing cells derived
      from FVMs and correlated their expression of specific markers in culture with
      that in tissue. METHODS: FVMs were obtained from 11 patients with PDR during
      diabetic vitrectomy surgery and were analyzed with electron microscopy (EM),
      comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), immunohistochemistry, and/or digested
      with collagenase II for cell isolation and culture. Antibody arrays and enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to profile secreted angiogenesis
      related proteins in cell culture supernatants. RESULTS: EM analysis of the FVMs
      showed abnormal vessels composed of endothelial cells with large nuclei and
      plasma membrane infoldings, loosely attached perivascular cells, and stromal
      cells. The cellular constituents of the FVMs lacked major chromosomal aberrations
      as shown with CGH. Cells derived from FVMs (C-FVMs) could be isolated and
      maintained in culture. The C-FVMs retained the expression of markers of cell
      identity in primary culture, which define specific cell populations including
      CD31-positive, alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive (SMA), and glial fibrillary
      acidic protein-positive (GFAP) cells. In primary culture, secretion of
      angiopoietin-1 and thrombospondin-1 was significantly decreased in culture
      conditions that resemble a diabetic environment in SMA-positive C-FVMs compared
      to human retinal pericytes derived from a non-diabetic donor. CONCLUSIONS: C-FVMs
      obtained from individuals with PDR can be isolated, cultured, and profiled in
      vitro and may constitute a unique resource for the discovery of cell signaling
      mechanisms underlying PDR that extends beyond current animal and cell culture
      models.

PMID- 26120273
TI  - Fasudil hydrochloride, a potent ROCK inhibitor, inhibits corneal
      neovascularization after alkali burns in mice.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the effects and mechanisms of fasudil hydrochloride
      (fasudil) on and in alkali burn-induced corneal neovascularization (CNV) in mice.
      METHODS: To observe the effect of fasudil, mice with alkali-burned corneas were
      treated with either fasudil eye drops or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) four
      times per day for 14 consecutive days. After injury, CNV and corneal epithelial
      defects were measured. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and heme
      oxygenase-1(HO-1) was measured. The infiltration of polymorphonuclear neutrophils
      (PMNs) and the mRNA expressions of CNV-related genes were analyzed on day 14.
      RESULTS: The incidence of CNV was significantly lower after treatment with 100
      MUM and 300 MUM fasudil than with PBS, especially with 100 MUM fasudil.
      Meanwhile, the incidences of corneal epithelial defects was lower (n=15, all
      p<0.01). After treatment with 100 MUM fasudil, the intensity of DHE fluorescence
      was reduced in the corneal epithelium and stroma than with PBS treatment (n=5,
      all p<0.01), and the number of filtrated PMNs decreased. There were significant
      differences between the expressions of VEGF, TNF-a, MMP-8, and MMP-9 in the 100
      MUM fasudil group and the PBS group (n=8, all p<0.05). The production of HO-1
      protein in the 100 MUM fasudil group was 1.52+/-0.34 times more than in the PBS
      group (n=5 sample, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: 100 MUM fasudil eye drops administered
      four times daily can significantly inhibit alkali burn-induced CNV and promote
      the healing of corneal epithelial defects in mice. These effects are attributed
      to a decrease in inflammatory cell infiltration, reduction of ROS, and
      upregulation of HO-1 protein after fasudil treatment.

PMID- 26120274
TI  - Vasodilatory mechanisms of unoprostone isopropyl in isolated porcine retinal
      arterioles.
AB  - PURPOSE: To clarify the vasodilatory mechanism of unoprostone isopropyl (UI), we
      examined its effects on the retinal microvascular diameter to determine the
      dependence on the endothelium and/or smooth muscle to reveal the signaling
      mechanisms involved in this vasomotor activity. METHODS: Porcine retinal
      arterioles were isolated, cannulated, and pressurized without flow in vitro.
      Video microscopic techniques recorded the diametric responses to UI. RESULTS: The
      retinal arterioles dilated in response to UI in a dose-dependent (100 pM-10 uM)
      manner. The nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester
      (L-NAME) inhibited UI-induced vasodilation. The large-conductance Ca2+-activated
      K channel (BKCa channel) blocker iberiotoxin also inhibited UI-induced
      vasodilation. The residual vasodilation after L-NAME was eliminated with co
      administration of iberiotoxin. CONCLUSIONS: UI elicits dilation of the retinal
      arterioles mediated by NO release and BKCa channel activation.

PMID- 26120275
TI  - Expression of WW domain-containing oxidoreductase WWOX in pterygium.
AB  - PURPOSE: Pterygium was traditionally regarded as a degenerative disease, but
      certain characteristics suggest that pterygium is probably premalignant tissue.
      The human WWOX gene, encoding the WW domain containing oxidoreductase (WWOX, FOR,
      or WOX1), is a candidate tumor suppressor gene. In this study, we investigated
      the WWOX gene and protein expression in pterygium. METHODS: Pterygium tissues
      were obtained from patients (n=16, primary=8, recurrent=8) who received surgical
      excisions. Each tissue sample was further divided into head and body regions. The
      WWOX gene and protein expression were examined with immunohistochemistry, western
      blot, and quantitative PCR. For comparison, normal superior temporal bulbar
      conjunctivas were used as controls. RESULTS: Compared to the controls,
      upregulation of WWOX and its Tyr33 phosphorylation was observed in the head
      region of all pterygium specimens. In the head and body of the pterygium
      specimens, WWOX expression was significantly higher than in the controls. In
      addition, WWOX expression was stronger in recurrent pterygia than in primary
      pterygia. CONCLUSIONS: Increased WWOX expression, especially in the head region,
      is probably due to the invasiveness of the pterygium. Our results indicate that
      WWOX may play a role in pterygium progression and recurrence.

PMID- 26120277
TI  - A Method to Represent Heterogeneous Materials for Rapid Prototyping: The
      Matryoshka Approach.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to present a new method for representing
      heterogeneous materials using nested STL shells, based, in particular, on the
      density distributions of human bones. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Nested STL
      shells, called Matryoshka models, are described, based on their namesake Russian
      nesting dolls. In this approach, polygonal models, such as STL shells, are
      "stacked" inside one another to represent different material regions. The
      Matryoshka model addresses the challenge of representing different densities and
      different types of bone when reverse engineering from medical images. The
      Matryoshka model is generated via an iterative process of thresholding the
      Hounsfield Unit (HU) data using computed tomography (CT), thereby delineating
      regions of progressively increasing bone density. These nested shells can
      represent regions starting with the medullary (bone marrow) canal, up through and
      including the outer surface of the bone. FINDINGS: The Matryoshka approach
      introduced can be used to generate accurate models of heterogeneous materials in
      an automated fashion, avoiding the challenge of hand-creating an assembly model
      for input to multi-material additive or subtractive manufacturing.
      ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This paper presents a new method for describing heterogeneous
      materials: in this case, the density distribution in a human bone. The authors
      show how the Matryoshka model can be used to plan harvesting locations for
      creating custom rapid allograft bone implants from donor bone. An implementation
      of a proposed harvesting method is demonstrated, followed by a case study using
      subtractive rapid prototyping to harvest a bone implant from a human tibia
      surrogate.

PMID- 26120276
TI  - Inherited retinal diseases in dogs: advances in gene/mutation discovery.
AB  - 1. Inherited retinal diseases (RDs) are vision-threatening conditions affecting
      humans as well as many domestic animals. Through many years of clinical studies
      of the domestic dog population, a wide array of RDs has been phenotypically
      characterized. Extensive effort to map the causative gene and to identify the
      underlying mutation followed. Through candidate gene, linkage analysis, genome
      wide association studies, and more recently, by means of next-generation
      sequencing, as many as 31 mutations in 24 genes have been identified as the
      underlying cause for canine RDs. Most of these genes have been associated with
      human RDs providing opportunities to study their roles in the disease
      pathogenesis and in normal visual function. The canine model has also contributed
      in developing new treatments such as gene therapy which has been clinically
      applied to human patients. Meanwhile, with increasing knowledge of the molecular
      architecture of RDs in different subpopulations of dogs, the conventional
      understanding of RDs as a simple monogenic disease is beginning to change.
      Emerging evidence of modifiers that alters the disease outcome is complicating
      the interpretation of DNA tests. In this review, advances in the gene/mutation
      discovery approaches and the emerging genetic complexity of canine RDs are
      discussed.

PMID- 26120278
TI  - Parton distributions in the LHC era: MMHT 2014 PDFs.
AB  - We present LO, NLO and NNLO sets of parton distribution functions (PDFs) of the
      proton determined from global analyses of the available hard scattering data.
      These MMHT2014 PDFs supersede the 'MSTW2008' parton sets, but they are obtained
      within the same basic framework. We include a variety of new data sets, from the
      LHC, updated Tevatron data and the HERA combined H1 and ZEUS data on the total
      and charm structure functions. We also improve the theoretical framework of the
      previous analysis. These new PDFs are compared to the 'MSTW2008' parton sets. In
      most cases the PDFs, and the predictions, are within one standard deviation of
      those of MSTW2008. The major changes are the [Formula: see text] valence quark
      difference at small [Formula: see text] due to an improved parameterisation and,
      to a lesser extent, the strange quark PDF due to the effect of certain LHC data
      and a better treatment of the [Formula: see text] branching ratio. We compare our
      MMHT PDF sets with those of other collaborations; in particular with the NNPDF3.0
      sets, which are contemporary with the present analysis.

PMID- 26120279
TI  - Higgs production in association with a single top quark at the LHC.
AB  - We present a detailed study of Higgs boson production in association with a
      single top quark at the LHC, at next-to-leading order accuracy in QCD. We
      consider total and differential cross sections, at the parton level as well as by
      matching short distance events to parton showers, for both t-channel and s
      channel production. We provide predictions relevant for the LHC at 13 TeV
      together with a thorough evaluation of the residual uncertainties coming from
      scale variation, parton distributions, strong coupling constant and heavy quark
      masses. In addition, for t-channel production, we compare results as obtained in
      the 4-flavour and 5-flavour schemes, pinning down the most relevant differences
      between them. Finally, we study the sensitivity to a non-standard-model relative
      phase between the Higgs couplings to the top quark and to the weak bosons.

PMID- 26120281
TI  - On static black holes solutions in Einstein and Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity
      with topology [Formula: see text].
AB  - We study static black hole solutions in Einstein and Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet
      gravity with the topology of the product of two spheres, [Formula: see text], in
      higher dimensions. There is an unusual new feature of the Gauss-Bonnet black
      hole: the avoidance of a non-central naked singularity prescribes a mass range
      for the black hole in terms of [Formula: see text]. For an Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet
      black hole a limited window of negative values for [Formula: see text] is also
      permitted. This topology encompasses black strings, branes, and generalized
      Nariai metrics. We also give new solutions with the product of two spheres of
      constant curvature.

PMID- 26120282
TI  - Minimally Invasive Resection of Benign Esophageal Lesions.
AB  - Benign esophageal lesions include a wide variety of rare neoplasms, polyps, and
      cysts. In general, these lesions are asymptomatic and have little clinical
      importance. However, on occasion these lesions become symptomatic due to
      esophageal obstruction, airway obstruction, or compression of mediastinal
      structures. In these cases, as well as cases when it is unclear if the lesion is
      malignant or benign, surgical resection is recommended. Resection is most often
      performed by extramucosal enucleation, a procedure that is oftentimes well-suited
      for a minimally invasive approach. Here we discuss the general approach and
      operative techniques used for minimally invasive resection of benign esophageal
      lesions.

PMID- 26120283
TI  - Experimentally-induced Increases in Early Gesture Lead to Increases in Spoken
      Vocabulary.
AB  - Differences in vocabulary that children bring with them to school can be traced
      back to the gestures they produce at 1;2, which, in turn, can be traced back to
      the gestures their parents produce at the same age (Rowe & Goldin-Meadow, 2009b).
      We ask here whether child gesture can be experimentally increased and, if so,
      whether the increases lead to increases in spoken vocabulary. Fifteen children
      aged 1;5 participated in an 8-week at-home intervention study (6 weekly training
      sessions plus follow-up 2 weeks later) in which all were exposed to object words,
      but only some were told to point at the named objects. Before each training
      session and at follow-up, children interacted naturally with caregivers to
      establish a baseline against which changes in communication were measured.
      Children who were told to gesture increased the number of gesture meanings they
      conveyed, not only during training but also during interactions with caregivers.
      These experimentally-induced increases in gesture led to larger spoken
      repertoires at follow-up.

PMID- 26120284
TI  - Predicting Fault Prone Modules by the Dempster-Shafer Belief Networks.
AB  - This paper describes a novel methodology for predicting fault prone modules. The
      methodology is based on Dempster-Shafer (D-S) belief networks. Our approach
      consists of three steps: First, building the Dempster-Shafer network by the
      induction algorithm; Second, selecting the predictors (attributes) by the
      logistic procedure; Third, feeding the predictors describing the modules of the
      current project into the inducted Dempster-Shafer network and identifying fault
      prone modules. We applied this methodology to a NASA dataset. The prediction
      accuracy of our methodology is higher than that achieved by logistic regression
      or discriminant analysis on the same dataset.

PMID- 26120285
TI  - Ethnic Differences in Profiles of Mother-Child Interactions and Relations to
      Emerging School Readiness in African American and Latin American Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article examines ethnic similarities and differences in profiles
      of mother-child interaction qualities for low-income African American and Latin
      American mothers and associations with preschoolers' emerging school readiness.
      DESIGN: Videotaped mother-child interactions were collected at age 2.5 years from
      a sample of African American (n = 192) and Latin American (n = 210) families.
      Profiles of maternal behavior were identified in person-centered within-group
      analyses of five ratings of maternal behavior from the videotaped interactions.
      Mothering profile groups were examined for relations to child receptive language,
      behavior problems, and pre-academic school readiness measured at age 3.5 years.
      RESULTS: Latent class analyses yielded three similar profiles in the two
      ethnicities identified as Child-Oriented, Directive, and Harsh-Intrusive
      mothering, and a fourth profile of Withdrawn mothering only among the African
      American mothers. For African American children, Child-Oriented and Directive
      mothering were each associated with higher pre-academic school readiness and
      language scores than Harsh-Intrusive or Withdrawn mothering. For Latin American
      children, Child-Oriented mothering was associated with fewer child behavior
      problems than Harsh-Intrusive mothering, and higher school readiness scores than
      Directive mothering. CONCLUSIONS: Both similarities and differences were found
      between African American and Latin American families in observation- based
      mothering profiles and their linkages with preschoolers' school readiness.

PMID- 26120286
TI  - The Application of Electroencephalography to Investigate the Neural Bases of
      Parenting: A Review.

PMID- 26120287
TI  - Sexual Risk Behavior and STI Contraction Among Young Women With Prior Juvenile
      Justice Involvement.
AB  - Girls in the juvenile justice system are at increased risk for contracting
      HIV/AIDS. Sexual risk behavior was examined in 166 females with juvenile justice
      involvement who were followed from adolescence to young adulthood. Results
      indicated that childhood sexual abuse increased the incidence of unsafe sex
      during young adulthood, which was subsequently associated with contraction of a
      sexually transmitted infection (STI). Further, girls' comfort in talking with
      their partners about safer sex practices during adolescence moderated the
      association between childhood sexual abuse and unsafe sex, such that girls who
      had been sexually abused and were uncomfortable talking to their partners about
      safer sex during adolescence had an 8.5-fold increase in unsafe sex in young
      adulthood. The identification of behaviors amenable to intervention in the
      prevention of HIV/AIDS risk in this high-risk population is discussed.

PMID- 26120288
TI  - AM1/d-CB1: A Semiempirical Model for QM/MM Simulations of Chemical Glycobiology
      Systems.
AB  - A semiempirical method based on the AM1/d Hamiltonian is introduced to model
      chemical glycobiological systems. We included in the parameter training set
      glycans and the chemical environment often found about them in glycoenzymes.
      Starting with RM1 and AM1/d-PhoT models we optimized H, C, N, O, and P atomic
      parameters targeting the best performing molecular properties that contribute to
      enzyme catalyzed glycan reaction mechanisms. The training set comprising glycans,
      amino acids, phosphates and small organic model systems was used to derive
      parameters that reproduce experimental data or high-level density functional
      results for carbohydrate, phosphate and amino acid heats of formation, amino acid
      proton affinities, amino acid and monosaccharide dipole moments, amino acid
      ionization potentials, water-phosphate interaction energies, and carbohydrate
      ring pucker relaxation times. The result is the AM1/d-Chemical Biology 1 or AM1/d
      CB1 model that is considerably more accurate than existing NDDO methods modeling
      carbohydrates and the amino acids often present in the catalytic domains of
      glycoenzymes as well as the binding sites of lectins. Moreover, AM1/d-CB1
      computed proton affinities, dipole moments, ionization potentials and heats of
      formation for transition state puckered carbohydrate ring conformations, observed
      along glycoenzyme catalyzed reaction paths, are close to values computed using
      DFT M06-2X. AM1/d-CB1 provides a platform from which to accurately model
      reactions important in chemical glycobiology.

PMID- 26120289
TI  - Synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes Catalyzed by Triethylborane.
AB  - Triethylborane (TEB) was found to be a mild, efficient, and acid catalyst in
      electrophilic substitution reaction of indoles with aldehydes compounds to afford
      the corresponding bis(indolyl)methanes. Vibrindole A (5) and bis(indolyl)methanes
      derivatives 16 and 18 were synthesized using this methodology. Compound 16 is an
      intermediary in the synthesis of the natural bisindoles arsindoline B (2) and
      streptindole (6). The structure of vibrindole A (5) was unequivocally confirmed
      by a single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

PMID- 26120290
TI  - Domain adaptation of statistical machine translation with domain-focused web
      crawling.
AB  - In this paper, we tackle the problem of domain adaptation of statistical machine
      translation (SMT) by exploiting domain-specific data acquired by domain-focused
      crawling of text from the World Wide Web. We design and empirically evaluate a
      procedure for automatic acquisition of monolingual and parallel text and their
      exploitation for system training, tuning, and testing in a phrase-based SMT
      framework. We present a strategy for using such resources depending on their
      availability and quantity supported by results of a large-scale evaluation
      carried out for the domains of environment and labour legislation, two language
      pairs (English-French and English-Greek) and in both directions: into and from
      English. In general, machine translation systems trained and tuned on a general
      domain perform poorly on specific domains and we show that such systems can be
      adapted successfully by retuning model parameters using small amounts of parallel
      in-domain data, and may be further improved by using additional monolingual and
      parallel training data for adaptation of language and translation models. The
      average observed improvement in BLEU achieved is substantial at 15.30 points
      absolute.

PMID- 26120291
TI  - PERSONALITY DISORDERS AND THE PREDICTION OF ALCOHOL USE OUTCOMES FOR WOMEN:
      DIMENSIONAL VERSUS CATEGORICAL CLASSIFICATION.
AB  - The impending shift in DSM-5 from categorical to a hybrid categorical-dimensional
      diagnosis scheme has generated considerable interest in the relative merits of
      these respective approaches. This is particularly true for the diagnostically
      complex category of personality disorders (PDs). The present study assessed
      whether categorical or dimensional measures better predicted alcohol consumption
      in a sample of 102 women enrolled in a clinical trial comparing individual
      Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to conjoint CBT for alcohol use disorders
      (AUD). Linear regression was used to evaluate whether each PD diagnosis
      (categorical), or the number of PD symptoms endorsed per PD (dimensional) better
      predicted percent days drinking over the course of six months of treatment. PD
      criteria (dimensional) better predicted drinking for Paranoid, Borderline, and
      Obsessive-Compulsive PDs, while diagnosis (categorical) was a better predictor
      only for Passive-Aggressive PD. Both schemes predicted drinking outcomes for
      Avoidant, Dependent, and Depressive PDs, and neither was predictive for
      Narcissistic PD. These findings suggest that the addition of a dimensional
      approach for PDs potentially enhances the prediction of alcohol use outcomes.

PMID- 26120292
TI  - Intermolecular [3+2] Annulation of Cyclopropylanilines with Alkynes, Enynes, and
      Diynes via Visible Light Photocatalysis.
AB  - One-step synthesis of carbocycles substituted with amines from simple starting
      materials remains rare. We recently developed intermolecular [3+2] annulation of
      cyclopropylanilines with alkenes and alkynes that enable this one-step synthesis.
      Herein, we report our findings for a fullscale study of the annulation.
      Significant expansion of the substrate scope for both cyclopropylanilines and
      alkynes is achieved. A range of structurally diverse carbocycles substituted with
      amines is prepared.

PMID- 26120293
TI  - Digital Plasmonic Patterning for Localized Tuning of Hydrogel Stiffness.
AB  - The mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) can dictate cell fate
      in biological systems. In tissue engineering, varying the stiffness of hydrogels
      water-swollen polymeric networks that act as ECM substrates-has previously been
      demonstrated to control cell migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Here,
      "digital plasmonic patterning" (DPP) is developed to mechanically alter a
      hydrogel encapsulated with gold nanorods using a near-infrared laser, according
      to a digital (computer-generated) pattern. DPP can provide orders of magnitude
      changes in stiffness, and can be tuned by laser intensity and speed of writing.
      In vitro cellular experiments using A7R5 smooth muscle cells confirm cell
      migration and alignment according to these patterns, making DPP a useful
      technique for mechanically patterning hydrogels for various biomedical
      applications.

PMID- 26120295
TI  - Temperature-Induced Switchable Adhesion using Nickel-Titanium
      Polydimethylsiloxane Hybrid Surfaces.
AB  - A switchable dry adhesive based on a nickel-titanium (NiTi) shape-memory alloy
      with an adhesive silicone rubber surface has been developed. Although several
      studies investigate micropatterned, bioinspired adhesive surfaces, very few focus
      on reversible adhesion. The system here is based on the indentation-induced two
      way shape-memory effect in NiTi alloys. NiTi is trained by mechanical deformation
      through indentation and grinding to elicit a temperature-induced switchable
      topography with protrusions at high temperature and a flat surface at low
      temperature. The trained surfaces are coated with either a smooth or a patterned
      adhesive polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer, resulting in a temperature-induced
      switchable surface, used for dry adhesion. Adhesion tests show that the
      temperature-induced topographical change of the NiTi influences the adhesive
      performance of the hybrid system. For samples with a smooth PDMS layer the
      transition from flat to structured state reduces adhesion by 56%, and for samples
      with a micropatterned PDMS layer adhesion is switchable by nearly 100%. Both
      hybrid systems reveal strong reversibility related to the NiTi martensitic phase
      transformation, allowing repeated switching between an adhesive and a nonadhesive
      state. These effects have been discussed in terms of reversible changes in
      contact area and varying tilt angles of the pillars with respect to the substrate
      surface.

PMID- 26120294
TI  - Regulation of the Stem Cell-Host Immune System Interplay Using Hydrogel
      Coencapsulation System with an Anti-Inflammatory Drug.
AB  - The host immune system is known to influence mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-mediated
      bone tissue regeneration. However, the therapeutic capacity of hydrogel
      biomaterial to modulate the interplay between MSCs and T-lymphocytes is unknown.
      Here it is shown that encapsulating hydrogel affects this interplay when used to
      encapsulate MSCs for implantation by hindering the penetration of pro
      inflammatory cells and/or cytokines, leading to improved viability of the
      encapsulated MSCs. This combats the effects of the host pro-inflammatory T
      lymphocyte-induced nuclear factor kappaB pathway, which can reduce MSC viability
      through the CASPASE-3 and CAS-PASE-8 associated proapoptotic cascade, resulting
      in the apoptosis of MSCs. To corroborate rescue of engrafted MSCs from the insult
      of the host immune system, the incorporation of the anti-inflammatory drug
      indomethacin into the encapsulating alginate hydrogel further regulates the local
      microenvironment and prevents pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced apoptosis. These
      findings suggest that the encapsulating hydrogel can regulate the MSC-host immune
      cell interplay and direct the fate of the implanted MSCs, leading to enhanced
      tissue regeneration.

PMID- 26120296
TI  - Potential harmful health effects of inhaling nicotine-free shisha-pen vapor: a
      chemical risk assessment of the main components propylene glycol and glycerol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A shisha-pen is an electronic cigarette variant that is advertised to
      mimic the taste of a water pipe, or shisha. The aim of this study was to assess
      the potential harmful health effects caused by inhaling the vapor of a nicotine
      free shisha-pen. METHODS: Gas chromatography analysis was performed to determine
      the major components in shisha-pen vapor. Risk assessment was performed using
      puff volumes of e-cigarettes and "normal" cigarettes and a 1-puff scenario (one
      time exposure). The concentrations that reached the airways and lungs after using
      a shisha-pen were calculated and compared to data from published toxicity
      studies. RESULTS: The main components in shisha-pen vapor are propylene glycol
      and glycerol (54%/46%). One puff (50 to 70 mL) results in exposure of propylene
      glycol and glycerol of 430 to 603 mg/m(3) and 348 to 495 mg/m(3), respectively.
      These exposure concentrations were higher than the points of departure for airway
      irritation based on a human study (propylene glycol, mean concentration of 309
      mg/m(3)) and a rat study (glycerol, no-observed adverse effect level of 165
      mg/m(3)). CONCLUSIONS: Already after one puff of the shisha-pen, the
      concentrations of propylene glycol and glycerol are sufficiently high to
      potentially cause irritation of the airways. New products such as the shisha-pen
      should be detected and risks should be assessed to inform regulatory actions
      aimed at limiting potential harm that may be caused to consumers and protecting
      young people to take up smoking.

PMID- 26120280
TI  - Search for patterns by combining cosmic-ray energy and arrival directions at the
      Pierre Auger Observatory.
AB  - Energy-dependent patterns in the arrival directions of cosmic rays are searched
      for using data of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We investigate local regions
      around the highest-energy cosmic rays with [Formula: see text] eV by analyzing
      cosmic rays with energies above [Formula: see text] eV arriving within an angular
      separation of approximately 15[Formula: see text]. We characterize the energy
      distributions inside these regions by two independent methods, one searching for
      angular dependence of energy-energy correlations and one searching for
      collimation of energy along the local system of principal axes of the energy
      distribution. No significant patterns are found with this analysis. The
      comparison of these measurements with astrophysical scenarios can therefore be
      used to obtain constraints on related model parameters such as strength of cosmic
      ray deflection and density of point sources.

PMID- 26120297
TI  - Prone Position Is Useful in Thoracoscopic Enucleation of Esophageal Leiomyoma.
AB  - A 36-year-old man was admitted to our institute due to the diagnosis of
      esophageal submucosal tumor detected by a periodical upper gastrointestinal
      endoscopic examination without any complaint. Thoracoscopic enucleation of the
      lesion with the preoperative clinical diagnosis of esophageal leiomyoma was
      performed under general anesthesia in the prone position. After
      immunohistochemical examination, the pathological diagnosis was leiomyoma. There
      was no remarkable event during the postoperative hospital stay, and the patient
      was discharged on the 12th day after surgery. This case report suggests that the
      prone position might be superior to the left lateral decubitus position in
      thoracoscopic enucleation of esophageal leiomyoma. 

PMID- 26120298
TI  - Iatrogenic Colonic Perforation due to Computed Tomographic Colonography.
AB  - Although the complications of computed tomographic colonography (CTC) are very
      rare, CTC is associated with potential risk of colonic perforation. In the
      present report we describe two cases of colonic perforation secondary to CTC. In
      the first case with ascending colonic carcinoma, insertion of a rigid double
      balloon catheter caused direct rectal wall perforation. In the second case with
      obstructive colonic carcinoma, pneumoperitoneum developed due to automated carbon
      dioxide insufflation. Both patients were asymptomatic after examination and
      recovered without any complications. Based on the findings of the current cases,
      we recommend that a soft-tip catheter be used for CTC, and suggest that colonic
      perforation can occur even with automatic insufflation, depending on patient
      characteristics. 

PMID- 26120299
TI  - Helicobacter suis-Infected Nodular Gastritis and a Review of Diagnostic
      Sensitivity for Helicobacter heilmannii-Like Organisms.
AB  - Helicobacter heilmannii-like organisms (HHLOs) are associated with mucosa
      associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and peptic ulcer. However, the sensitivity of
      diagnostic tests for HHLOs, such as rapid urease test (RUT), urea breath test
      (UBT) and blood antibody, is not high. Tightly coiled spiral microorganisms were
      found in the gastric mucosal biopsy specimen of a 48-year-old asymptomatic woman.
      Her findings were positive for RUT and UBT, but negative for blood antibody and
      stool antigen against H. pylori. A 7-day course of esomeprazole, amoxicillin and
      clarithromycin was administered, resulting in the successful eradication of the
      HHLOs. Analysis of the 16S rRNA and urease genes suggested a diagnosis of the
      HHLO H. suis. The sensitivity results of RUT, UBT, culture, blood antibody,
      immunohistochemistry and stool antigen were 40.0, 14.8, 0, 23.1, 40.0 and 0%,
      respectively. We report asymptomatic nodular gastritis due to an HHLO.
      Histological techniques, most likely with smears, are expected to be the most
      effective method for diagnosing infections by HHLOs, and genetic diagnosis by
      polymerase chain reaction can be very useful to identify the species of HHLOs. 

PMID- 26120300
TI  - A Case of Intestinal Mastocytosis Misdiagnosed as Crohn's Disease.
AB  - Systemic mastocytosis (SM) is a rare, heterogeneous and progressive disease,
      characterized by the accumulation of atypical mast cells in various organs,
      including the gastrointestinal tract. Gastrointestinal symptoms are present in up
      to 80% of patients with SM, the most common being abdominal pain, diarrhea,
      nausea and vomiting. Up to 50% of patients with SM do not have classical skin
      lesions at presentation, and in these patients the diagnosis of SM can be
      difficult for years. Here we report a case of SM that initially mimicked
      inflammatory bowel disease, although the patient showed poor response to steroid
      therapy. The right diagnosis was made only on the surgical specimen obtained
      after emergency surgery for intestinal obstruction. SM should therefore be
      considered in the diagnostic approach in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms
      not attributable to other pathologies and in cases of suspected inflammatory
      bowel disease with unusual course. 

PMID- 26120301
TI  - Wilkie's Syndrome or Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome: Fact or Fantasy?
AB  - Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome (known as Wilkie's syndrome) is a rare
      cause of upper gastrointestinal obstruction. It is an acquired disorder in which
      acute angulation of the SMA causes compression of the third part of the duodenum
      between the SMA and the aorta. This is commonly due to loss of fatty tissue as a
      result of a variety of debilitating conditions. We report a 17-year-old female
      who presented with intermittent abdominal pain and intractable vomiting following
      significant weight loss after hospitalization for pneumonia. Symptoms persisted
      for 2 years and the patient underwent extensive invasive and non-invasive tests,
      but to no avail. Thereafter she developed acute high intestinal obstruction,
      which unraveled her diagnosis. This case emphasizes the challenges in the
      diagnosis of SMA syndrome and the need for increased awareness of this entity.
      This will improve early recognition in order to reduce irrelevant tests and
      unnecessary treatments. 

PMID- 26120302
TI  - Rare Neurological Manifestation of Celiac Disease.
AB  - Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated disease characterized by permanent
      gastrointestinal tract sensitivity to gluten in genetically predisposed
      individuals. It has varied clinical manifestations, ranging from gastrointestinal
      to extraintestinal, including neurological, skin, reproductive and psychiatric
      symptoms, which makes its diagnosis difficult and challenging. Known neurological
      manifestations of CD include epilepsy with or without occipital calcification,
      attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and ataxia, headache, neuropathies and
      behavior disorders. We present the case of a 14-year-old female with headaches
      and blurred vision for 1 year; she was noted to have papilledema on ophthalmic
      examination with increased cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure on lumber
      puncture and was diagnosed as a case of pseudotumor cerebri (PTC). Meanwhile her
      workup for chronic constipation revealed elevated tissue transglutaminase IgA and
      antiendomysial IgA antibodies. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with duodenal
      biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of CD. The patient was started on a gluten-free
      diet, leading to resolution of not only gastrointestinal symptoms but also to
      almost complete resolution of symptoms of PTC. This report describes the
      correlation of CD and PTC as its neurological manifestation. 

PMID- 26120303
TI  - Impact of Endoscopic Ultrasound Procedures in Various Pancreatobiliary Disorders
      in Indonesia Based on a Case Series in a Private Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a common
      technique for assessing the pancreas and the biliary system; however, the
      potential complications have raised concern among endoscopists and patients.
      Recently, the need of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) as an additional tool of
      assessment before the ERCP procedure has been increasing. The need of EUS in
      developing countries is still a matter of debate regarding the cost, investment,
      and training. Here, we report the significant impact of EUS on several unselected
      interesting cases of pancreatobiliary disorders. METHOD: We selected several
      interesting cases from the patients who underwent EUS at our private hospital in
      Jakarta, Indonesia. The EUS procedures were performed by one experienced
      endosonographer and one EUS trainee who are very experienced with transabdominal
      ultrasound. The equipment was an Olympus JF UCT 180 EUS scope which was connected
      to an Aloka IPF-1701C ultrasound machine (Tokyo, Japan). RESULTS: Five
      interesting cases were included from patients who underwent EUS due to
      pancreatobiliary disorders. The cases included recurrent pancreatitis due to
      pancreatic stone at the small branch that obstructed the main pancreatic duct,
      common bile duct (CBD) stone with insignificant duct dilatation, pancreatic head
      cancer with total obstruction at the distal CBD and portal vein infiltration,
      pancreas divisum in a young girl, and distal CBD mass that caused obstructive
      jaundice. CONCLUSIONS: The EUS procedure has shown a significant impact in
      managing patients with pancreatobiliary diseases. In most developing countries,
      EUS needs to be evaluated further regarding the cost, investment, and training.

PMID- 26120304
TI  - Diffuse Dermal Angiomatosis: A Clue to the Diagnosis of Atherosclerotic Vascular
      Disease.
AB  - Diffuse dermal angiomatosis (DDA) is a benign, acquired, reactive vascular
      proliferation. DDA is clinically characterized by painful purpuric plaque with
      central ulceration. The histopathologic hallmark is diffuse proliferation of
      endothelial cells that are arranged interstitially between collagen bundles of
      the reticular dermis. DDA has been reported in association with peripheral
      atherosclerotic disease, arteriovenous fistula and heavy smoking. We report the
      case of a 49-year-old Asian male with DDA who presented with a painful stellate
      shaped purpuric patch on the right thigh. Histopathologic examination showed
      proliferation of CD34-positive spindle cells in the dermis. Our patient underwent
      vascular bypass surgery along with tight control of cardiovascular risk factors,
      which yielded successful results. 

PMID- 26120305
TI  - Blastomycosis and Pregnancy: An Unusual Postpartum Disease Course.
AB  - Blastomyces dermatitidis is responsible for systemic mycoses. It is predominantly
      caused by inhalation of spores and often manifests as pneumonia, which can
      potentially disseminate; however, direct cutaneous inoculation may also occur.
      Blastomycosis in the perigravid period is exceedingly rare. The partial
      immunosuppressive state induced by pregnancy can engender more severe infections
      and is associated with a risk of vertical transmission. Published cases describe
      postpartum symptomatic improvement accompanying immune reconstitution, even in
      the absence of treatment. We present a 31-year-old gravid female with multifocal
      cutaneous blastomycosis. After delivering a healthy full-term infant with no
      evidence of congenital infection, the patient's cutaneous lesions continued to
      worsen. At 6 weeks postpartum she was treated with oral itraconazole and
      demonstrated clinical improvement after 5 months of therapy. This case highlights
      the importance of prompt disease recognition, understanding of risk factors and
      initiation of appropriate antifungal therapy of blastomycotic infection occurring
      in the unique setting of pregnancy. 

PMID- 26120306
TI  - Angiolymphoid Hyperplasia with Eosinophilia: A Case Report.
AB  - Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia is a rare disease considered as being
      a vascular malformation resulting from a subjacent arteriovenous shunt. It
      affects mostly the head of women between 20 and 40 years old and may present
      spontaneous involution. 

PMID- 26120307
TI  - Wells' Syndrome Mimicking Facial Cellulitis: A Report of Two Cases.
AB  - Wells' syndrome (WS), or eosinophilic cellulitis, is an uncommon inflammatory
      dermatosis of unknown etiology that typically presents with pruritic cellulitis
      like plaques on the extremities. Therefore, WS is often misdiagnosed as bacterial
      cellulitis due to its similarity in presentation. Here, we report two cases of WS
      that masqueraded as bacterial facial cellulitis. Under treatment with oral
      prednisone and/or a combination therapy with levocetirizine and hydroxyzine, both
      patients showed a dramatic improvement of the skin lesions. These cases highlight
      the need for clinicians to consider WS in the differential diagnosis when
      evaluating a patient with facial cellulitis that does not respond to an initial
      antimicrobial regimen. In addition, our cases suggest that combination therapy
      with levocetirizine and hydroxyzine may be successfully used as corticosteroid
      sparing treatment or to prevent relapse after the discontinuation of
      corticosteroid treatment. 

PMID- 26120308
TI  - Fatal Diaphragmatic Hernia following Radiofrequency Ablation for Hepatocellular
      Carcinoma: A Case Report and Literature Review.
AB  - An 81-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of right quadrant
      abdominal pain. On admission, his liver function was Child-Pugh grade C (10
      points). Computed tomography (CT) revealed a diaphragmatic herniation of bowel
      loops into the right thoracic cavity, accompanied by pleural effusion. Although
      diaphragmatic hernia was successfully repaired by emergency surgery, he died of
      liver failure 23 days after the surgery. A retrospective reading of CT images
      revealed the presence of diaphragmatic injury after radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
      which had been conducted 33 months before the development of diaphragmatic
      hernia. Of importance, the lesion of the diaphragmatic injury was located on the
      estimated needle track of RFA for hepatocellular carcinomas in segment 5 and
      segment 5/8, but not adjacent to their ablation areas. Subsequently,
      diaphragmatic perforation had been observed 24 months before admission. This
      suggests that diaphragmatic hernia caused by RFA is not necessarily due to
      thermal damage of ablation and is possibly life-threatening, at least in some
      patients with an impaired liver function. 

PMID- 26120309
TI  - Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma Initially Presenting as Atypical Cervical
      Lymphadenopathy.
AB  - Primary peritoneal carcinoma (PPC) is a rare cancer arising from the extraovarian
      peritoneum and is of mullerian origin. PPC and epithelial ovarian carcinoma share
      similar clinical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical features. Clinical
      symptoms and findings include abdominal distension and ascites. We experienced 2
      cases of PPC which initially presented with cervical lymphadenopathy. Here, we
      report the 2 cases and review the literature. 

PMID- 26120310
TI  - Primary Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Skin with Multiple Local Recurrences.
AB  - Primary adenoid cystic carcinoma (PACC) of the skin is a rare tumor with fewer
      than 70 cases studied in detail in the English literature. This type of tumor
      shows a prolonged course and a growth pattern usually manifested by multiple
      local recurrences and has a low potential for distant metastases. The most
      important modality for primary treatment is surgical resection followed by
      radiotherapy. We report a woman aged 43 years at the time of diagnosis, who
      presented with a slow-growing nodule in the right axilla without lymph node
      enlargement. A wide local excision was performed, and the histology revealed an
      adenoid cystic carcinoma. During the next 24 years, another four local
      recurrences were excised (the last one in 2015) and confirmed histologically to
      be adenoid cystic carcinoma. The patient was given 44 Gy of radiotherapy after
      the second surgery in 1996. PACC of the skin is a rare tumor with insufficient
      data concerning the efficacy of the surgical technique and chemotherapy and
      radiotherapy treatment, even more so in the case of multiple recurrences. After
      the last recurrence, the patient was offered an active follow-up based on the
      long tumor-free intervals in the past and because the site of the primary tumor
      allowed further surgical excisions in future recurrences. 

PMID- 26120311
TI  - Metastatic Breast Cancer with Extensive Osseous Metastasis Presenting with
      Symptomatic Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura and Anemia: A Case Report and Review
      of the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a rare acquired bleeding
      disorder with an estimated incidence of 1 in 10,000 people in the general
      population. The association of ITP with breast cancer is an even rarer entity
      with very limited reports in the English literature. CASE PRESENTATION: We report
      a case of a 51-year-old female with no significant past medical history who
      presented with sudden onset of malaise, syncope, gingival bleed and epistaxis.
      She was found to have severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count 6,000/MUl) and
      anemia (hemoglobin 7.2 g/dl). Her workup led to the diagnosis of metastatic
      ductal breast cancer with extensive bone metastasis. Bone marrow biopsy
      demonstrated myelophthisis which was initially thought to be consistent with her
      presentation of thrombocytopenia and anemia. Therefore, the patient was started
      on hormonal therapy for the treatment of her metastatic breast cancer. After 3
      months of therapy, she did not improve and developed severe mucosal bleeding. Her
      clinical presentation was suspicious for ITP and immune-mediated anemia, and
      hence she was started on steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin. The patient had
      a dramatic response to therapy with normalization of her platelet count and
      hemoglobin within 2 weeks. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first
      reported case of metastatic breast cancer presenting with symptomatic ITP and
      anemia, and both symptoms are postulated to be immune-mediated.

PMID- 26120312
TI  - Septic Cerebral Embolisation in Fulminant Mitral Valve Infective Endocarditis.
AB  - A 37-year-old male with known intravenous drug use was admitted with an acute
      onset of worsening confusion and speech impairment. His vitals and biochemical
      profile demonstrated severe sepsis, with a brain CT showing several lesions
      suspicious for cerebral emboli. He then went on to have a bedside transthoracic
      echocardiogram that was positive for vegetation on the mitral valve, with
      associated severe mitral regurgitation. Unfortunately, before he was stable
      enough to be transferred for valve surgery, he suffered an episode of acute
      pulmonary oedema requiring intubation and ventilation on intensive care unit. 

PMID- 26120313
TI  - Case of Small Vessel Disease Associated with COL4A1 Mutations following Trauma.
AB  - With this case report, we would like to heighten the awareness of clinicians
      about COL4A1 as a single-gene disorder causing cerebral small vessel disease and
      describe a previously unreported pathogenic missense substitution in COL4A1
      (p.Gly990Val) and a new clinical presentation. We identified a heterozygous
      putatively pathogenic mutation of COL4A1 in a 50-year-old female with a history
      of congenital cataracts and glaucoma who presented with multiple diffusion
      positive infarcts and areas of contrast enhancement following mild head trauma.
      We believe that this presentation of multiple areas of acute brain and vascular
      injury in the setting of mild head trauma is a new manifestation of this genetic
      disorder. Imaging findings of multiple acute infarcts and regions of contrast
      enhancement with associated asymptomatic old deep microhemorrhages and
      leukomalacia in adults after head trauma should raise a high suspicion for a
      COL4A1 genetic disorder. Radiographic patterns of significant leukoaraiosis and
      deep microhemorrhages can also be seen in patients with long-standing
      vasculopathy associated with hypertension, which our patient lacked. Our findings
      demonstrate the utility of genetic screening for COL4A1 mutations in young
      patients who have small vessel vasculopathy on brain imaging but who do not have
      significant cardiovascular risk factors. 

PMID- 26120314
TI  - Anterior Chamber Iris Claw Lens for the Treatment of Aphakia in a Patient with
      Megalocornea.
AB  - Megalocornea in isolation is a rare congenital enlargement of the cornea greater
      than 13 mm in diameter. Patients with megalocornea are prone to cataract
      formation, crystalline lens subluxation, zonular deficiencies and dislocation of
      the posterior chamber intraocular lens (PCIOL) within the capsular bag. A 55-year
      old male with megalocornea in isolation developed subluxation of the capsular bag
      and PCIOL. The PCIOL and capsular bag were explanted, and the patient was
      subsequently implanted with an anterior chamber iris claw lens. An anterior
      chamber iris claw lens is an effective option for the correction of aphakia in
      patients with megalocornea. 

PMID- 26120315
TI  - Foveal Exudative Macroaneurysm Treated with Intravitreal Ranibizumab.
AB  - PURPOSE: We report a case of a foveal macroaneurysm with long-standing macular
      edema in a rare location, successfully treated with intravitreal ranibizumab.
      METHODS: We report the case of a 52-year-old man with left eye long-term visual
      loss due to macular edema caused by a retinal macroaneurysm, localized about 400
      MUm from the center of the fovea, and its response to 6 monthly ranibizumab
      intravitreal injections. His best-corrected visual acuity and morphological data
      evaluated by optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography are
      presented. RESULTS: His best-corrected visual acuity improved from 1/10 to 3/10
      after the 3rd injection, and from 1/10 to 4/10 after the 6th one. The central
      retinal thickness was evaluated by optical coherence tomography and improved from
      310 to 233 MUm, with the resolution of both the associated serous detachments and
      the cystoid macular edema; an almost complete reabsorption of the hard exudates
      at the end of the treatment was also observed. The macroaneurysm lumen almost
      obliterated after the 3rd injection and completely collapsed at the end of
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal ranibizumab may be effective in the
      treatment of long-standing macular edema associated with foveal macroaneurysms.
      To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a retinal macroaneurysm
      located so close to the foveal avascular zone.

PMID- 26120316
TI  - Free-Floating Iris Cyst in a Patient with Recurrent Iritis.
AB  - PURPOSE: We describe an unusual clinical finding of a free-floating iris cyst in
      a patient with recurrent iritis. METHOD: The clinical finding of a free-floating
      iris cyst was recorded using slit-lamp photography. RESULTS: A 39-year-old male
      with a 5-year history of recurrent right iritis was found to have a small mobile
      iris cyst within his right anterior chamber, first identified 3 years ago. The
      patient did not experience any discomfort or visual symptoms resulting from the
      cyst. CONCLUSION: Surgical removal is not indicated for asymptomatic non
      progressive free-floating iris cysts. The significance of a free-floating iris
      cyst in the setting of recurrent iritis remains unknown.

PMID- 26120317
TI  - Sarcomatous Carcinoma of the Orbit: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Sarcomatous carcinomas (SCs) are rare tumours that contain malignant cells with
      epithelial and mesenchymal characteristics. SC rarely presents in the head and
      neck, and occurs even less often in the orbit. Only 8 cases of SCs located in the
      orbit or affecting the globe function have been described in the English
      literature. Here, we report a case of SC affecting the right orbit. SC is
      associated with a poor prognosis and advanced disease at presentation. Diagnosis
      is difficult, as histology often fails to definitively identify SC, necessitating
      a wide panel of molecular/immunological markers. Treatment options are generally
      aggressive but risky, and frequently yield poor results. Due to the rarity of SC,
      there has been little focus on the development of improved treatment options. 

PMID- 26120318
TI  - Unusual Fundus Autofluorescence Appearance in a Patient with Hydroxychloroquine
      Retinal Toxicity.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report an unusual fundus autofluorescence aspect in a patient with
      suspected hydroxychloroquine retinal toxicity. METHOD: Case report of an unusual
      presentation of a patient treated for 9 consecutive years with a therapeutically
      recommended dose of hydroxychloroquine. RESULT: We report the case of a 53-year
      old Caucasian female treated with 400 mg hydroxychloroquine for rheumatoid
      arthritis over 9 years, currently on methotrexate and folinic acid, who stopped
      treatment 3 years ago. The cumulative dose is estimated at 1.314 kg. She recently
      noticed a reduction of vision in both eyes to 0.34 logMAR, with colour vision
      problems and major distortion in central vision. Fundus autofluorescence revealed
      minimal foveal pigmentary changes and more pronounced changes in the retina
      elsewhere. Foveal changes were confirmed by optical coherence tomography in both
      eyes. The patient did not report any colour perception difficulties or night
      vision problems and has no family history of any eye condition. Her visual field
      tested by an optician was full, with some central changes. CONCLUSION: Retinal
      toxicity from hydroxychloroquine can present in a different aspect than the
      commonly known retinal toxicity, and it happens even after years of cessation of
      the drug. The role of cumulative dose in toxicity is supported in this paper.

PMID- 26120319
TI  - Cerebral Microbleeds and White Matter Hyperintensities in Cognitively Healthy
      Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Study Evaluating the Effect of Arterial
      Stiffness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Arterial stiffness reflects the ageing processes in the vascular
      system, and studies have shown an association between reduced cognitive function
      and cerebral small vessel disease. Small vessel disease can be visualized as
      white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and lacunar infarcts but also as cerebral
      microbleeds on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We aimed to investigate if
      arterial stiffness influences the presence of microbleeds, WMH and cognitive
      function in a population of cognitively healthy elderly. METHODS: The study
      population is part of the Swedish BioFinder study and consisted of 208
      individuals without any symptoms of cognitive impairment, who scored >27 points
      on the Mini-Mental State Examination. The participants (mean age, 72 years; 59%
      women) underwent MRI of the brain with visual rating of microbleeds and WMH.
      Arterial stiffness was measured with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV).
      Eight cognitive tests covering different cognitive domains were performed.
      RESULTS: Microbleeds were detected in 12% and WMH in 31% of the participants.
      Mean (+/-standard deviation, SD) cfPWV was 10.0 (+/-2.0) m/s. There was no
      association between the presence of microbleeds and arterial stiffness. There was
      a positive association between arterial stiffness and WMH independent of age or
      sex (odds ratio, 1.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-2.40, p < 0.05), but the
      effect was attenuated when further adjustments for several cardiovascular risk
      factors were performed (p > 0.05). Cognitive performance was not associated with
      microbleeds, but individuals with WMH performed slightly worse than those without
      WMH on the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (mean +/- SD, 35 +/- 7.8 vs. 39 +/- 8.1,
      p < 0.05). Linear regression revealed no direct associations between arterial
      stiffness and the results of the cognitive tests. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial stiffness
      was not associated with the presence of cerebral microbleeds or cognitive
      function in cognitively healthy elderly. However, arterial stiffness was related
      to the presence of WMH, but the association was attenuated when multiple
      adjustments were made. There was a weak negative association between WMH and
      performance in one specific test of attention. Longitudinal follow-up studies are
      needed to further assess the associations.

PMID- 26120320
TI  - Another Rare Unstable Hemoglobinopathy: Hemoglobin Casper/Southampton Associated
      with Moyamoya Disease.

PMID- 26120321
TI  - Accidental Thrombolysis in a Stroke Patient Receiving Apixaban.

PMID- 26120322
TI  - Plasma Catecholamine Profile of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients with Neurogenic
      Cardiomyopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the connection between sympathetic function and
      neurogenic cardiomyopathy (NC), and to determine whether NC is mediated primarily
      by circulating adrenal epinephrine (EPI) or neuronally transmitted norepinephrine
      (NE), following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS: This is a prospective
      observational investigation of consecutive severe-grade SAH patients. All
      participants had transthoracic echocardiography and serological assays for
      catecholamine levels - dopamine (DA), NE and EPI - within 48 h of hemorrhage
      onset. Clinical and serological independent predictors of NC were determined
      using multivariate logistic regression analyses, and the accuracy of predictors
      was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Multivariate
      linear regression analyses were used to evaluate correlations among the
      catecholamines. RESULTS: The investigation included a total of 94 subjects: the
      mean age was 55 years, 81% were female and 57% were Caucasian. NC was identified
      in approximately 10% (9/94) of cases. Univariate analyses revealed associations
      between NC and worse clinical severity (p = 0.019), plasma DA (p = 0.018) and NE
      levels (p = 0.024). Plasma NE correlated with DA levels (rho = 0.206, p = 0.046)
      and EPI levels (rho = 0.392, p < 0.001), but was predicted only by plasma EPI in
      bivariate [parameter estimate (PE) = 1.95, p < 0.001] and multivariate (PE =
      1.89, p < 0.001) linear regression models. Multivariate logistic regression
      analyses consistently demonstrated the predictive value of clinical grade for NC
      (p < 0.05 for all analyses) except in models incorporating plasma NE, where NC
      was independently predicted by NE level (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.01-1.55) over clinical
      grade (OR 4.19, 95% CI 0.874-20.1). ROC curves similarly revealed the greater
      accuracy of plasma NE [area under the curve (AUC) 0.727, 95% CI 0.56-0.90, p =
      0.02] over clinical grade (AUC 0.704, 95% CI 0.55-0.86, p = 0.05) for identifying
      the presence or absence of NC. CONCLUSIONS: Following SAH, the development of NC
      is primarily related to elevated plasma NE levels. Findings implicate a
      predominantly neurogenic process mediated by neuronal NE (and not adrenal EPI),
      but cannot exclude synergy between the catecholamines.

PMID- 26120324
TI  - Measurement of Soluble and Total Hexavalent Chromium in the Ambient Airborne
      Particles in New Jersey.
AB  - Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in ambient airborne particulate matter (PM) is a
      known pulmonary carcinogen and may have both soluble and insoluble forms. The sum
      of the two forms is defined as total Cr(VI). Currently, there were no methods
      suitable for large-scale monitoring of total Cr(VI) in ambient PM. This study
      developed a method to measure total Cr(VI) in ambient PM. This method includes PM
      collection using a Teflon filter, microwave extraction with 3% Na2CO3-2% NaOH at
      95 degrees C for 60 minutes, and Cr(VI) analysis by 1,5-diphenylcarbazide
      colorimetry at 540 nm. The recoveries of total Cr(VI) were 119.5 +/- 10.4% and
      106.3 +/- 16.7% for the Cr(VI)-certified reference materials, SQC 012 and SRM
      2700, respectively. Total Cr(VI) in the reference urban PM (NIST 1648a) was 26.0
      +/- 3.1 mg/kg (%CV = 11.9%) determined by this method. The method detection limit
      was 0.33 ng/m3. This method and the one previously developed to measure ambient
      Cr(VI), which is soluble in pH ~9.0 aqueous solution, were applied to measure
      Cr(VI) in ambient PM10 collected from three urban areas and one suburban area in
      New Jersey. The total Cr(VI) concentrations were 1.05-1.41 ng/m3 in the winter
      and 0.99-1.56 ng/m3 in the summer. The soluble Cr(VI) concentrations were 0.03
      0.19 ng/m3 in the winter and 0.12-0.37 ng/m3 in the summer. The summer mean
      ratios of soluble to total Cr(VI) were 14.3-43.7%, significantly higher than 4.2
      14.4% in the winter. The winter concentrations of soluble and total Cr(VI) in the
      suburban area were significantly lower than in the three urban areas. The results
      suggested that formation of Cr(VI) via atmospheric chemistry may contribute to
      the higher soluble Cr(VI) concentrations in the summer.

PMID- 26120323
TI  - Endothelial Repair in Childhood Arterial Ischaemic Stroke with Cerebral
      Arteriopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that recurrent arterial ischaemic stroke
      (AIS) in children with cerebral arteriopathy is associated with increased
      circulating endothelial cells and endothelial microparticles, consistent with
      ongoing endothelial injury. To date, however, little is known about endothelial
      repair responses in childhood AIS. We examined the relationship between the
      number and function of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC), the levels
      of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and AIS recurrence. METHODS: Flow
      cytometry was used to identify peripheral blood mononuclear cells positive for
      CD34/kinase insert domain-containing receptor (KDR). In a subgroup of patients (5
      in each group selected at random), monocytic EPC function was assessed by colony
      forming unit (EPC-CFU) capacity and incorporation into endothelial cell networks
      in Matrigel. BDNF was measured using ELISA. RESULTS: Thirty-five children, aged
      12 years (range: 5-16.5; 9 males), with AIS and cerebral arteriopathy were
      studied; 10 had recurrent AIS. CD34+/KDR+ cells were significantly higher in
      recurrent AIS compared to non-recurrent AIS patients (p = 0.005) and controls (p
      = 0.0002). EPC-CFU and EPC incorporation into endothelial cell networks were
      significantly reduced in recurrent compared to non-recurrent AIS patients (p =
      0.04 and p = 0.01, respectively). Levels of BDNF were significantly higher in
      recurrent compared to non-recurrent AIS patients (p = 0.0008) and controls (p =
      0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Children with recurrent AIS and cerebral arteriopathy had
      increased circulating CD34+/KDR+ cells and BDNF consistent with an endothelial
      repair response. However, EPC function was impaired. Future studies are needed to
      examine whether suboptimal endothelial repair contributes to childhood AIS
      recurrence.

PMID- 26120325
TI  - Two Oral Midazolam Preparations in Pediatric Dental Patients: A Prospective
      Randomised Clinical Trial.
AB  - Pharmacological sedation is an alternative behavior management strategy in
      pediatric dentistry. The aim of this study was to compare the behavioral and
      physiologic effects of "commercially midazolam syrup" versus "orally administered
      IV midazolam dosage form (extemporaneous midazolam (EF))" in uncooperative
      pediatric dental patients. Eighty-eight children between 4 to 7 years of age
      received 0.2-0.5 mg/kg midazolam in this parallel trial. Physiologic parameters
      were recorded at baseline and every 15 minutes. Behavior assessment was conducted
      objectively by Houpt scale throughout the sedation and North Carolina at baseline
      and during injection and cavity preparation. No significant difference in
      behavior was noted by Houpt or North Carolina scale. Acceptable behavior
      (excellent, very good, and good) was observed in 90.9% of syrup and 79.5% of EF
      subjects, respectively. Physiological parameters remained in normal range without
      significant difference between groups and no adverse effect was observed. It is
      concluded that EF midazolam preparation can be used as an acceptable alternative
      to midazolam syrup. 

PMID- 26120326
TI  - Understanding the Link between Social Organization and Crime in Rural
      Communities.
AB  - Rural communities make up much of America's heartland, yet we know little about
      their social organization, and how elements of their social organization relate
      to crime rates. The current study sought to remedy this gap by examining the
      associations between two measures of social organization - collective efficacy
      and social trust - with a number of structural community characteristics, local
      crime rates, and perceptions of safety in a sample of 27 rural and small town
      communities in two states. Measures of collective efficacy, social trust, and
      perceived safety, were gathered from key community members in 2006; other
      measures were drawn from the 2000 Census and FBI Uniform Crime Reporting system.
      A series of competing hypotheses were tested to examine the relative importance
      of social trust and collective efficacy in predicting local crime rates. Results
      do not support the full generalization of the social disorganization model.
      Correlational analyses showed that neither collective efficacy nor social trust
      had a direct association with community crime, nor did they mediate the
      associations between community structural characteristics and crime. However,
      perceived safety mediated the association between community crime and both
      measures of social organization. Analyses suggest that social trust may be more
      important than collective efficacy when understanding the effect of crime on a
      community's culture in rural areas. Understanding these associations in rural
      settings can aid decision makers in shaping policies to reduce crime and juvenile
      delinquency.

PMID- 26120327
TI  - An overview of systematic reviews of normal labor and delivery management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the scientific and medical advances for management of
      complicated health issues, the current maternity care setting has increased risks
      for healthy women and their babies. The aim of this study was to conduct an
      overview of published systematic reviews on the interventions used most commonly
      for management of normal labor and delivery in the first stage of labor.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The online databases through March 2013, limited to
      systematic reviews of clinical trials were searched. An updated search was
      performed in April 2014. Two reviewers independently assessed data inclusion,
      extraction, and quality of methodology. RESULTS: Twenty-three reviews (16
      Cochrane, 7 non-Cochrane), relating to the most common care practices for
      management of normal labor and delivery in the first stage of labor, were
      included. Evidence does not support routine enemas, routine perineal shaving,
      continuous electronic fetal heart rate monitoring, routine early amniotomy, and
      restriction of fluids and food during labor. Evidence supports continuity of
      midwifery care and support, encouragement to non-supine position, and freedom in
      movement throughout labor. There is insufficient evidence to support routine
      administration of intravenous fluids and antispasmodics during labor. More
      evidence is needed regarding delayed admission until active labor and use of
      partograph. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence-based maternity care emphasizes on the
      practices that increase safety for mother and baby. If policymakers and
      healthcare providers wish to promote obstetric care quality successfully, it is
      important that they implement evidence-based clinical practices in routine
      midwifery care.

PMID- 26120328
TI  - Impacts of insulin infusion protocol on blood glucose level and outcomes in acute
      coronary syndrome patients with diabetes mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute coronary syndrome is the most common disease in the world.
      Several studies suggest that hyperglycemia is associated with poor clinical
      outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to
      investigate the impact of insulin infusion protocol and conventional therapy on
      the blood glucose level and outcomes in acute coronary syndrome patients with
      diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 64 patients (32 in each
      group) with acute coronary syndrome and acute myocardial infarction, who were
      admitted to the coronary care unit in a hospital in Isfahan, Iran in 2012.
      Inclusion criterion was blood sugar (BS) of more than 180 mg/dl on admission.
      Patients in the intervention group received insulin with East Jefferson insulin
      infusion protocol for at least 4 h, and in the control group, the subjects
      received subcutaneous insulin (conventional therapy) for at least for 48 h.
      Independent t-test, Student's t-test, and Chi-square test were used to analyze
      the data. RESULTS: Groups were matched for baseline characteristics. Blood
      glucose was significantly reduced in the two groups (P < 0.001), and the mean
      blood glucose level in the interaction group was significantly less than in the
      control group (P = 0.0002). Hypoglycemia was 31.2% and 25% in the intervention
      and control groups, respectively. The frequency of hypoglycemia did not differ
      significantly between the two groups (P = 0.75). Time to reach target insulin
      level differed between the two groups (4.75 h in the intervention group and 36.93
      h in the control group; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our research showed that use of
      insulin infusion protocol is better in maintaining glycemia control compared to
      subcutaneous sliding scale method. The protocol allows nurses to commence and
      maintain the infusion more effectively and safely compared to the traditional
      method.

PMID- 26120329
TI  - Compilation of the neonatal palliative care clinical guideline in neonatal
      intensive care unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines are important instruments for increasing the
      quality of clinical practice in the treatment team. Compilation of clinical
      guidelines is important due to special condition of the neonates and the nurses
      facing critical conditions in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). With 98%
      of neonatal deaths occurring in NICUs in the hospitals, it is important to pay
      attention to this issue. This study aimed at compilation of the neonatal
      palliative care clinical guidelines in NICU. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study
      was conducted with multistage comparative strategies with localization in Isfahan
      in 2013. In the first step, the components of the neonatal palliative care
      clinical guidelines were determined by searching in different databases. In the
      second stage, the level of expert group's consensus with each component of
      neonatal palliative care in the nominal group and focus group was investigated,
      and the clinical guideline was written based on that. In the third stage, the
      quality and applicability were determined with the positive viewpoints of medical
      experts, nurses, and members of the science board of five cities in Iran. Data
      were analyzed by descriptive statistics through SPSS. RESULTS: In the first
      stage, the draft of neonatal palliative care was designed based on neonates',
      their parents', and the related staff's requirements. In the second stage, its
      rank and applicability were determined and after analyzing the responses, with
      agreement of the focus group, the clinical guideline was written. In the third
      stage, the means of indication scores obtained were 75%, 69%, 72%, 72%, and 68%
      by Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument.
      CONCLUSIONS: The compilation of the guideline can play an effective role in
      provision of neonatal care in nursing.

PMID- 26120330
TI  - Investigation of the causes of maternal mortality using root cause analysis in
      Isfahan, Iran in 2013-2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many maternal deaths caused are due to preventable causes during
      pregnancy and childbirth. Therefore, the detailed analysis of the root causes
      provides developing a plan and appropriate interventions to prevent these deaths
      occurring in the health system. This study aims to determine the causes of
      maternal mortality using root cause analysis (RCA) method. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This research is a descriptive explorative study. The data were collected from
      the files in the maternal health center and the interviews conducted with
      relevant personnel. The causes of maternal mortality and related reasons were
      determined by experts' team opinions and through a standard checklist of RCA.
      Causes consisted of the factors related to health services (human factors and
      structural factors), maternal family and social status, and maternal disease
      status. For each of these factors, analysis was performed to determine the root.
      In the end, interventional suggestions were developed to prevent the recurrence
      of similar deaths. RESULTS: Causes were classified into human factors, and
      structural factors in the area of planning and management and social status of
      mothers. The results showed that human factors were composed of lack of knowledge
      and skills in the medical team, unfamiliarity with their duties, lack of health
      care-based on protocols, etc. Structural factors included lack of follow-up after
      discharge and inadequate supervision of inspectors on academic qualified doctors.
      Maternal social and family status factor included lack of referral the mothers'
      to the health care center. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the RCA process, the most
      fundamental factor in creating these deaths was management errors at the level of
      universities and the Ministry of Health. These errors included inadequate
      supervision of medical education, failure to identify and introduce the
      instructions and guidelines related to the care of pregnant mothers by the health
      workers and experts, and lack of collective strategies to inform the public about
      the type and model of self-care in health centers. Based on the obtained results,
      the solutions proposed for elimination of root causes of maternal death are
      organizing sequential training courses tailored for the staff taking care of
      pregnant women, sending guidelines related to maternal health care to all private
      and public institutions, and informing the community to receive health care
      services by health centers and mass media.

PMID- 26120331
TI  - Effect of two polyethylene covers in prevention of hypothermia among premature
      neonates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: After the umbilical cord is cut, premature neonates face numerous
      problems including hypothermia. With regard to serious complications of
      hypothermia and incapability of conventional methods in preservation of neonates'
      temperature after admission, the researcher decided to conduct a study on the
      effects of two polyethylene covers in prevention of hypothermia among premature
      neonates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted on 96 neonates
      aged 28-32 weeks that randomly allocated, by drawing of lots, to three 32-subject
      groups as follows: Intervention group 1 (a plastic bag cover and a cotton hat),
      intervention group 2 (a plastic bag cover and a plastic hat), and a control group
      receiving routine care. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential
      statistics through SPSS V.14. RESULTS: Mean axillary temperatures in intervention
      groups 1 and 2 were different after admission and 1 and 2 h later, but this
      difference was not significant and the mean axillary temperature increased with
      time. Mean axillary temperature in the control group showed no significant
      difference at these time points and it did not increase with time. The mean
      temperatures in preterm infants were significantly higher in the intervention
      groups after admission and 1 and 2 h after birth, compared to the control group.
      Mean axillary temperature in intervention group 2 was significantly higher than
      in intervention group 1. CONCLUSIONS: Usage of a plastic bag cover and a plastic
      hat (with no risk of hyperthermia) is more effective in preventing hypothermia
      among neonates aged 28-32 weeks, compared to usage of a plastic bag cover and a
      cotton hat.

PMID- 26120332
TI  - Investigation of eating disorders in cancer patients and its relevance with body
      image.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Eating disorder is one of the most common health problems with
      clinical and psychological consequences, which can affect body image in cancer
      patients. Similar studies in this area for checking the status of this disorder
      and its relevance with body image in patients with cancer are limited. Therefore,
      this study was designed with the aim of determination of eating disorders in
      patients with cancer and their relevance with body image. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The research was a cross-correlation study. It was carried out in Sayed-Al
      Shohada Hospital affiliated to the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in
      2013. Two hundred and ten patients with cancer were selected and were asked
      tocomplete the demographic and disease characteristics questionnaire, the
      Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), and eating disorders
      questionnaire. SPSS statistical software, version 14 was used for statistical
      analysis'-Test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation coefficient
      were used for analyzing the obtained data. RESULTS: The mean values of age, body
      mass index (BMI), and duration of illness were 48.2 +/- 13.20 years, 24.6 +/-
      4.6kg/m(2), and 25.64 +/- 21.24months, respectively. Most patients were married
      (87%), without university education (96%), unemployed (67%), and with incomes
      below their requirement (52%). Most patients were diagnosed with breast cancer
      (36.5%). They received chemotherapy as the main treatment (56.2%). In addition,
      mean +/- SD of eating disorders and body image were 12.84 +/- 4.7 and184.40 +/-
      43.68, respectively. Also, 49.7% of patients with cancer had an eating disorder.
      Among these, 29% had experiences of anorexia and 20.7% had bulimia. There was a
      significant negative correlation between the score of body image and eating
      disorders (r = -0.47, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study showed that
      most patients with cancer had experienced symptoms of eating disorders. This may
      lead to a negative impact on the body image in these patients and may be the
      cause of further psychological and physical changes in these patients. The
      findings of this study can assist the healthcare team to pay more attention to
      eating disorders and body image in patients with cancer and also in considering
      the relationship of these issues in their evaluations.

PMID- 26120333
TI  - The relationship between different fatty acids intake and frequency of migraine
      attacks.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Migraine is a primary headache disorder that affects the
      neurovascular system. Recent studies have shown that consumption of some fatty
      acids such as omega-3 fatty acids improves migraine symptoms. The aim of the
      present study is to assess the association between usual intake of fatty acids
      such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and saturated
      fatty acids (SFA) with the frequency of migraine attacks. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      105 migraine patients with age ranging from 15 to 50 years participated in this
      cross-sectional study. Usual dietary consumption was assessed by using a semi
      quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Moreover, frequency of migraine
      attacks during 1 month period was determined in all participants. Data had been
      analyzed using independent sample t-test and linear regression test with
      adjustment of confounding variables. RESULTS: In this study, we found that lower
      intake of EPA (beta = -335.07, P = 0.006) and DHA (beta = -142.51, P = 0.001) was
      associated with higher frequency of migraine attacks. In addition, we observed
      similar relationship either in men or women. No significant association was found
      between dietary intake of SFA and the frequency of migraine attacks (beta = 
      0.032, P = 0.85). CONCLUSIONS: Frequency of migraine attacks was negatively
      associated with dietary intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. No
      significant relationship was found between SFA intake and migraine frequency.
      Further studies are required to shed light on our findings.

PMID- 26120334
TI  - Focusing on psychiatric patients' strengths: A new vision on mental health care
      in Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identifying and using the strengths of patients, in practice, is a
      new territory. Today, the need to educate nurses and psychiatric patients about
      positive psychology in practice and the importance of understanding and focusing
      on strengths is clear. However, little is known about the strengths the
      psychiatric patients use and experience. Thus, this study has been designed and
      conducted in order to understand how people with psychiatric disorders
      demonstrate their strengths. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, 13 semi
      structured, qualitative interviews with patients and 2 focus groups with nurses
      were carried out. In addition, a qualitative content analysis was used to
      identify significant strengths. RESULTS: Based on the results, the four main
      strengths consisted of: Finding a meaning in daily living, work as enduring
      strength, entertaining activities, and positive relationship. Patients also
      reported that health care providers rarely focused on patients' strengths, and
      experts confirmed these findings. Our findings indicate that patients' own
      strengths are a pivotal factor in getting through their illness from their
      perspective. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the enduring legacy of pessimism regarding
      psychiatric patients, these people have a repertoire of strengths. Nurses should,
      therefore, have a greater focus on eliciting and nourishing psychiatric patients'
      strengths in their care. It is suggested that the theoretical and practical
      aspects of patients' strengths be incorporated in nursing school curricula.

PMID- 26120335
TI  - The effect of pelvic floor muscle exercises program on sexual self-efficacy in
      primiparous women after delivery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Selection and acceptance of appropriate sexual behavior and sexual
      function are made difficult by low sexual self-efficacy in the postpartum period.
      The general purpose of this research is to define the effects of an 8-week pelvic
      floor muscle exercise program on sexual self-efficacy in primiparous women after
      childbirth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This clinical trial was performed on 79
      primiparous women who referred to health care centers, Mashhad, Iran in 2013, 8
      weeks after delivery, to receive health care services. They were selected by easy
      sampling. The samples were randomly assigned to either intervention or control
      group. The intervention group was trained in Kegel exercises for 8 weeks. Both
      groups were evaluated at 4 and 8 weeks. Data collection tools included:
      Demographic information, sexual self-efficacy, and Brink scale. Data were
      analyzed using repeated measures, Friedman test, t-test, and Mann-Whitney test.
      RESULTS: The results showed significant increase in pelvic floor muscle strength
      in the intervention group at 4 and 8 weeks after exercises (P < 0.0001), but no
      significant difference was observed in the control group (P = 0.368). There was a
      significant increase in sexual self-efficacy in the intervention (P < 0.0001) and
      control groups (P = 0.001) at 4 and 8 weeks after the start of the study.
      Comparison of the two groups showed a significant difference in sexual self
      efficacy after they performed these exercises (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The
      findings showed that 8-week pelvic muscle exercises increase the sexual self
      efficacy in women after delivery.

PMID- 26120336
TI  - The effect of an upper respiratory care program on incidence of ventilator
      associated pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients hospitalized in
      intensive care units.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common side effect in
      patients with an endotracheal tube. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an
      upper respiratory care program on the incidence of VAP in mechanically ventilated
      patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this clinical trial, 62 patients with
      endotracheal tube were selected and randomly allocated to intervention or control
      group. In the intervention group, an upper respiratory care program was performed
      and in the control group, routine care was done. Modified Clinical Pulmonary
      Infection Questionnaire was completed before, and on the third, fourth, and fifth
      day after intervention. Data were analyzed by repeated measure analysis of
      variance (ANOVA), chi-square, and independent t-test through SPSS 13. RESULTS:
      The results of this study showed that until the fourth day, the incidence of VAP
      was similar in both intervention and control groups (P > 0.05), but on the fifth
      day, the incidence of VAP in the intervention group was significantly lower than
      in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed
      that in patients with an endotracheal tube, an upper respiratory care program may
      reduce the incidence of VAP. Therefore, in order to prevent VAP, nurses are
      recommended to perform this upper respiratory care program.

PMID- 26120337
TI  - Effect of stress inoculation training on the levels of stress, anxiety, and
      depression in cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cancer is a broad group (over 270 types) of diseases. This disease,
      like other chronic diseases, occurs in all ages and ethnic groups, and is
      considered as a major health problem. Stress is one of the most important
      psychological factors influencing the occurrence of physical diseases, and can
      lead to severe anxiety, depression, and negative effects on health. It can also
      make individuals vulnerable to physical diseases, and in the long term, leads to
      death. This study was conducted to determine the effect of inoculation training
      on stress, anxiety, and depression in cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This study was conducted in 2013 as a clinical trial with convenient random
      sampling of patients from the chemotherapy clinic of Seyed Al-Shohada hospital of
      Isfahan. Forty patients with cancer who were eligible for the study were randomly
      assigned to either case or control group. The case and control groups had the
      same treatment plans, and the only difference was stress inoculation training
      administered in the case group, which was composed of eight 90-min sessions over
      8 weeks. Data were collected using Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales 42 (DASS
      42) questionnaire and demographic questionnaire, and analyzed by analysis of
      covariance (ANCOVA) and t-test in SPSS. RESULTS: The results showed that there
      was a significant difference between case and control groups in terms of stress,
      anxiety, and depression (P < 0.001). Stress inoculation training reduced stress,
      anxiety, and depression in cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: Stress inoculation
      training significantly reduced stress, anxiety, and depression. Therefore,
      teaching this skill and the strategies of coping with stress is recommended for
      these patients, in addition to medicational treatment.

PMID- 26120338
TI  - The effects of sesame oil on the prevention of amiodarone-induced phlebitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Phlebitis is the most common complication associated with peripheral
      intravenous infusion of amiodarone. The purpose of this study is to determine the
      effects of sesame oil on the prevention of amiodarone-induced phlebitis.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Thirty
      six patients hospitalized in a coronary care unit were randomly allocated into
      two groups using a convenience sampling method. Following peripheral intravenous
      cannulation, five drops of pure sesame oil were applied to the skin within a 10
      cm radius of the infusion site prior to the administration of amiodarone in the
      intervention group. Sesame oil was rubbed on the skin at the infusion site every
      6 h in the 24-h period of amiodarone infusion. In the control group, liquid
      paraffin, used as a placebo, was rubbed on the skin at the infusion site of
      amiodarone. Both groups were monitored for the development of phlebitis and its
      degree within the 24-h period of amiodarone infusion as well as 6 h after its
      administration. The incidence of phlebitis was confirmed and recorded by an
      assessor who was blind to the two groups. Data were analyzed using Statistical
      Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 18, and descriptive and inferential
      statistics such as Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier, Hazard ratio, independent t
      test, and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant
      difference between the two groups in their catheter survival after 30 h and 10
      min (P < 0.001). Over 60% of the patients (61.1%) in the intervention group did
      not show any sign of phlebitis, while 16.7% and 22.2% of the patients manifested
      signs of grade 2 and 3 phlebitis, respectively. In the control group, 22.2% of
      the patients showed no signs of phlebitis, while 5.6%, 27.8%, and 44.4% of the
      patients exhibited signs of grade 2, 3, and 4 phlebitis, respectively. The
      statistical analysis showed significant differences in the degree of phlebitis (P
      = 0.006) and the onset of phlebitis development (P < 0.001) between the two
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: It is recommended to apply sesame oil topically to the
      infusion site of amiodarone so as to reduce the rate of the development of
      amiodarone-related phlebitis.

PMID- 26120339
TI  - The relationship between family functioning and self-esteem in female high school
      students of Isfahan, Iran, in 2013-2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the most critical periods of the life of a person is
      adolescence. During this period, individuals face many problems such as low self
      esteem. Self-esteem can be influenced by many factors such as school, friends,
      and inner personality, but it seems that the family has a crucial role in shaping
      self-esteem. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the relationship
      between family functioning and self-esteem in female high school students in
      Isfahan, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive correlational study was
      performed with multi-stage random sampling method on 237 female high school
      students who met the inclusion criteria of the study. The data collection tools
      included Bloom's Family Functioning Scale and Pop's self-esteem questionnaire.
      The data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed through SPSS software.
      RESULTS: The results showed that the majority of the samples examined had
      moderate level self-esteem (48.5%) and family function (56.5%). There was a
      significant correlation between the dimensions of family functioning and areas of
      self-esteem (except for lack of independence, and public, academic, and physical
      self-esteem). In addition, the correlation between family aspirations and self
      esteem (r = 0.636, P < 0.01) was higher than other variables. Moreover, across
      the dimensions of family functioning, a significant negative correlation was
      found between the lack of independence and the family self-esteem subscale.
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study showed that adolescents' self-esteem is
      highly correlated with their family's performance. Therefore, to enhance the self
      esteem of adolescents, family-centered empowerment programs should be planned and
      implemented by health service providers, especially nurses, in order to improve
      and enhance family functioning.

PMID- 26120340
TI  - Challenges in nursing continuing education: A qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nursing continuing education with development of knowledge, skill,
      and attitude results in improvement of nursing activity, and thus improves the
      health care in the society. If the education is not planned and implement
      properly, it affects the patient care. This study was designed to explore the
      challenges of nursing continuing education in Isfahan University of Medical
      Sciences hospitals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research was conducted from April
      2012 to February 2013 in Isfahan, Iran. The sampling was begun with purposeful
      method and continued with snowball method. Thirty-nine participants were selected
      among the nurses of Alzahra, Kashani, and Noor hospitals, nursing and midwifery
      faculty, continuing education center, and the vice-chancellery for treatment. The
      participants were both learners and planners of continuing education program. In
      this descriptive explorative qualitative research, we interviewed 39 participants
      in five focus group and five individual interviews, until data saturation was
      achieved. We used semi-structured interviews and field notes for data gathering,
      and members checking, triangulation (data and method), peer debriefing, and peer
      review to increase the strength of data. Data were analyzed with thematic
      analysis method that was proposed by Broun and Clarke in 2006. RESULTS: Data
      analysis produced 175 initial codes, 8 subthemes, and 5 main themes. The main
      themes included: Learners related factors, teachers related factors, educational
      process related factors, inadequate facilities, and defective evaluation.
      CONCLUSIONS: According to the results, we need to revise the educational process
      in nursing continuing education. To achieve this goal, we need a team for needs
      assessment, planning, and evaluation. In addition, we must pay attention to
      educators' and learners' issues.

PMID- 26120341
TI  - Nurse-led action research project for expanding nurses' role in patient education
      in Iran: Process, structure, and outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient education is among the lowest met need of patients in Iran;
      therefore, expansion of that role can result in greater professional
      accountability. This study aimed to explain the practical science of the process,
      structure, and outcomes of a nurse-led action research project to expand the
      nurses' role in patient education in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was
      part of a participatory action research. Daily communications and monthly joint
      meetings were held from January 2012 to February 2014 for planning and
      management. These were based on the research protocol, and the conceptual
      framework included the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships
      process by means of Leadership for Change skills. Data were produced and gathered
      through participant observations. Administrative data included project records,
      official documents, artifacts, news, and reports, which were analyzed through
      qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: A participatory project was established
      with three groups of participants organized from both academic and clinical
      fields. These consisted of a "core research support team," "two steering
      committees," and community representatives of clients and professionals as
      "feedback groups." A seven-stage process, named the "Nurse Educators: Al-Zahra
      Role Expansion Action Research" (NEAREAR) process, resulted from the project, in
      which strategic issues were gradually developed and implemented through 32 action
      plans and quality improvement cycles of action research. Audits and supervision
      evaluations showed meaningful changes in capacity building components.
      CONCLUSIONS: A nurse-led ad hoc structure with academic-clinical partnerships and
      strategic management process was suggested as a possible practical model for
      expanding nurses' educational role in similar contexts. Implications and
      practical science introduced in this action research could also be applicable for
      top managers and health system policy makers in a wider range of practice.

PMID- 26120342
TI  - Client satisfaction of maternity care in Lorestan province Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Client satisfaction is an important indicator for assessment of the
      quality of care provided. Detecting patients dissatisfaction and trying to find
      the most effective and costly services is the basic way for improvement of
      service quality. The purpose of this study was to determine the satisfaction
      level of women in the maternity care centers (hospitals) of Lorestan University
      of Medical Sciences, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive cross
      sectional study, the satisfaction level of 200 patients who received care during
      childbirth in province hospitals was assessed using a researcher-made
      questionnaire. Women in maternity care units completed the questionnaires.
      RESULTS: The mean maternity care satisfaction score was 66.6 +/- 3.5. The lowest
      satisfaction level was related to getting to know the delivery room (64%) and
      vaginal examination (66%). The highest satisfaction score was related to
      confidentiality of the information (86%) and trusting the midwife (84%).
      Regarding the environmental factors, the lowest satisfaction was related to
      respecting silence in the pain room (69.5%) and the highest was related to
      cleanliness and hygiene of the delivery room (84%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      suggest the relative satisfaction of women receiving care in the health centers
      of Lorestan province; but this level of satisfaction does not mean that the
      delivery of care in this province is perfect. By reviewing the policies and the
      existing care programs regarding promoting the quality of services, managers can
      increase clients' satisfaction.

PMID- 26120343
TI  - The effect of melody on the physiological responses of heel sticks pain in
      neonates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: During health care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU),
      infants undergo extremely painful procedures, which may cause problems, if not
      controlled, such as changes in the pattern of respiratory rate, heart rate, and
      blood oxygen saturation. The present study aimed to find the effect of melody on
      the physiological responses of neonates' heel stick pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This quasi-experimental study was conducted in Alzahra Hospital (Isfahan, Iran)
      for 5 months. Fifty infants were selected through convenient sampling method and
      were randomly assigned in equal numbers to two groups (n = 25). In the melody
      group (intervention), a selected melody was played for the infants at a distance
      of 1 m from them, with a sound intensity of 65 dB, from 3 minutes before, during,
      and after the heel stick procedure, respectively, and their physiological
      responses were observed with a monitoring system and recorded at the afore
      mentioned time periods. Physiological responses were also recorded in the control
      group (no intervention) 3 min before, during, and after the heel stick procedure,
      respectively. RESULTS: Means of respiratory and pulse rates in the melody and
      control groups showed a significant difference at different time points. But the
      mean blood oxygen saturation in the melody group showed no significant difference
      at different time points, although the difference was significant in the control
      group. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that melody could maintain more balance in
      some physiological responses of infants, such as the respiratory rate and pulse
      rate during the Guthrie test. Therefore, melody is recommended to be used to
      prevent the destructive effects of pain in infants during painful procedures.

PMID- 26120344
TI  - Nurses' experience and role in infants with natal teeth.

PMID- 26120345
TI  - Personalized Medicine Across Disciplines and without Borders. Vural Ozdemir
      speaks to Hannah Wilson, Commissioning Editor.
AB  - Vural Ozdemir began his career as a medical doctor in Turkey in 1990, as a
      scientist at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (ON, Canada), where
      he obtained his MSc and PhD in clinical pharmacology (1998), and subsequently
      completed a 4-year postdoctoral fellowship in personalized medicine with the late
      Werner Kalow, a founding pioneer in the field of pharmacogenetics. Ozdemir
      contributed to the conception and development of the repeated drug administration
      (RDA) method as a novel way of measuring pharmacological heritability,
      pharmacogenetics of psychiatric drugs and studying the clinical role of CYP2D6
      genetic variations for endogenous neurotransmitter metabolism in the human brain.
      Recognizing that scientific knowledge is a product of both technology and social
      systems that often remain unaccounted for (e.g., human values, distribution of
      power and human agency, immigration, racial disparities, socioeconomic class and
      equity), Ozdemir discovered the literature in the field of science and technology
      studies, a rich scholarly enquiry that asks fundamental questions and challenges
      assumptions regarding the backstage of technoscience, situates technology within
      its political context and makes hitherto unseen connections that frame science in
      ways that enable robust, responsible and sustainable innovation. From 2008 to
      2012, Ozdemir was awarded a mid-career "science and society" fellowship in order
      to retool as independent faculty and senior scientist in science and technology
      studies (STS), conducting research on research and examining his own trade -
      pharmacogenetics science - as an insider on the outside. Recently, Ozdemir was
      awarded senior career support from the Scientific and Tehnological Research
      Council of Turkey, is an Associate Professor of both Communications and Human
      Genetics at the Faculty of Communications and serves as an advisor to the Rector
      for International Technology and Innovation Policy, Gaziantep University in
      Turkey. He is also a Visiting Professor (Global Health & Technology Foresight) at
      Amrita University in Kerala, India, and cofounder of the Data-Enabled Life
      Sciences Alliance (DELSA Global), an open innovation and knowledge translation
      platform in Seattle (WA, USA). Ozdemir was named as coinventor of 12 World
      Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) indexed patents in personalized
      medicine and has authored more than 130 peer reviewed articles and chapters on
      the translation of omics technologies into public health action, global
      technology governance, diagnostics innovation strategy, history of bioethics and
      the ethics-of-bioethics. 'Science Peace Corps' and 'Microgrants for Big Data' are
      two new knowledge translation and science communication concepts developed by
      Ozdemir for the global governance of biotechnology. He is Editor-in-Chief of
      OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (NY,
      USA).

PMID- 26120346
TI  - Effects of GUASHA on Heart Rate Variability in Healthy Male Volunteers under
      Normal Condition and Weightlifters after Weightlifting Training Sessions.
AB  - Objectives. This paper aims at exploring the effects of GUASHA on heart rate
      variability between healthy volunteers under normal condition and weightlifters
      after training sessions. Methods. Ten healthy male volunteers under normal
      condition and 15 male weightlifters after weightlifting training sessions were
      recruited into two groups. Electrocardiography was recorded before and
      immediately after 20-minute GUASHA. HRV was calculated in both the time domain
      and the frequency domain. Results. Stress index was reduced, while standard
      deviation of N-N intervals (SDNN), proportion derived by dividing the number of
      interval differences of successive N-N intervals greater than 50 ms, and root
      mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) were enhanced after GUASHA therapy
      in the two groups. The changes in SDNN and RMSSD were higher in the healthy men
      group than in the weightlifters group. In addition, low frequency was decreased
      whereas high frequency was significantly increased in healthy men after the
      GUASHA session. Conclusions. GUASHA therapy facilitates the parasympathetic
      nervous activity and modulates the balance between parasympathetic and
      sympathetic activities in both healthy men under normal condition and
      weightlifters after training sessions as indicated. Although the changes of the
      HRV parameters were similar in both groups, the responsiveness was more
      pronounced in healthy men than in male weightlifters. 

PMID- 26120347
TI  - Endangered Uyghur Medicinal Plant Ferula Identification through the Second
      Internal Transcribed Spacer.
AB  - The medicinal plant Ferula has been widely used in Asian medicine, especially in
      Uyghur medicine in Xinjiang, China. Given that various substitutes and closely
      related species have similar morphological characteristics, Ferula is difficult
      to distinguish based on morphology alone, thereby causing confusion and
      threatening the safe use of Ferula. In this study, internal transcribed spacer 2
      (ITS2) sequences were analyzed and assessed for the accurate identification of
      two salable Ferula species (Ferula sinkiangensis and Ferula fukangensis) and
      eight substitutes or closely related species. Results showed that the sequence
      length of ITS2 ranged from 451 bp to 45 bp, whereas guanine and cytosine contents
      (GC) were from 53.6% to 56.2%. A total of 77 variation sites were detected,
      including 63 base mutations and 14 insertion/deletion mutations. The ITS2
      sequence correctly identified 100% of the samples at the species level using the
      basic local alignment search tool 1 and nearest-distance method. Furthermore,
      neighbor-joining tree successfully identified the genuine plants F. sinkiangensis
      and F. fukangensis from their succedaneum and closely related species. These
      results indicated that ITS2 sequence could be used as a valuable barcode to
      distinguish Uyghur medicine Ferula from counterfeits and closely related species.
      This study may broaden DNA barcoding application in the Uyghur medicinal plant
      field. 

PMID- 26120348
TI  - Population-based human immunodeficiency virus 1 drug resistance profiles among
      individuals who experienced virological failure to first-line antiretroviral
      therapy in Henan, China during 2010-2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Henan, China, first-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) was
      implemented early in a large number of treatment-experienced patients who were
      more likely to have a drug resistance. Therefore, we investigated the human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 drug resistance profiles among patients in Henan
      who experienced virological failure to ART. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was
      administered in 10 major epidemic cities from May 2010 to October 2011. Adult
      patients who experienced virological failure (virus load >=1,000 copies/mL) with
      >1 year of first-line antiretroviral treatment consented to provide blood for
      genotype resistance testing. The clinical and demographic data were obtained from
      the patients' medical records. Logistic regression analysis was performed to
      determine the factors associated with >=1 significant drug resistance mutation.
      RESULTS: We included 3,235 patients with integral information and valid genotypic
      resistance data. The city, age, CD4 counts, virus load, treatment duration, and
      World Health Organization stage were associated with drug resistance, and 64.76%
      of patients acquired drug resistance. The nucleoside reverse transcriptase
      inhibitor (NRTI), non-(N)NRTI, and protease inhibitor resistance mutations were
      found in 50.26, 63.12, and 1.30% of subjects, respectively. Thymidine analogue
      mutations, NNRTI and even multidrug resistance complex were quite common in this
      patient cohort. CONCLUSION: Multiple and complex patterns of HIV-1 drug
      resistance mutations were identified among individuals who experienced
      virological failure to first-line ART in Henan, China during 2010-2011.
      Therefore, timely virological monitoring, therapy adjustments, and more varieties
      of drugs and individualized treatment should be immediately considered in this
      patient population.

PMID- 26120349
TI  - Landmark precision and reliability and accuracy of linear distances estimated by
      using 3D computed micro-tomography and the open-source TINA Manual Landmarking
      Tool software.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The wider availability of non-destructive and high-resolution
      methods, such as micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), has prompted its use in
      anatomical and morphometric studies. Yet, because of the actual scanning
      procedure and the processing of CT data by software that renders 3D surfaces or
      volumes, systematic errors might be introduced in placing landmarks as well as in
      estimating linear distances. Here we assess landmark precision and measurement
      reliability and accuracy of using micro-CT images of toad skulls and the TINA
      Manual Landmarking Tool software to place 20 landmarks and extract 24 linear
      distances. Landmark precision and linear distances calculated from 3D images were
      compared to the same landmarks and distances obtained with a 3D digitizer in the
      same skulls. We also compared landmarks and linear distances in 3D images of the
      same individuals scanned with distinct filters, since we detected variation in
      bone thickness or density among the individuals used. RESULTS: We show that
      landmark precision is higher for micro-CT than for the 3D digitizer. Distance
      reliability was very high within-methods, but decreased in 20 % when 3D digitizer
      and micro-CT data were joined together. Still, we did not find any systematic
      bias in estimating linear distances with the micro-CT data and the between
      methods errors were similar for all distances (around 0.25 mm). Absolute errors
      correspond to about 6.5 % of the distance's means for micro-CT resolutions and 3D
      digitizer comparisons, and to 3 % for the filter type analysis. CONCLUSIONS: We
      conclude that using micro-CT data for morphometric analysis results in acceptable
      landmark precision and similar estimates of most linear distances compared to 3D
      digitizer, although some distances are more prone to discrepancies between
      methods. Yet, caution in relation to the scale of the measurements needs to be
      taken, since the proportional between-method error is higher for smaller
      distances. Scanning with distinct filters does not introduce a high level of
      error and is recommended when individuals differ in bone density.

PMID- 26120350
TI  - Growth of curved and helical bacterial cells.
AB  - A combination of cell wall growth and cytoskeletal protein action gives rise to
      the observed bacterial cell shape. Aside from the common rod-like and spherical
      shapes, bacterial cells can also adopt curved or helical geometries. To
      understand how curvature in bacteria is developed or maintained, we examine how
      Caulobacter crescentus obtains its crescent-like shape. Caulobacter cells with or
      without the cytoskeletal bundle crescentin, an intermediate filament-like
      protein, exhibit two distinct growth modes, curvature maintenance that preserves
      the radius of curvature and curvature relaxation that straightens the cell (Fig.
      1). Using a proposed mechanochemical model, we show that bending and twisting of
      the crescentin bundle can influence the stress distribution in the cell wall, and
      lead to the growth of curved cells. In contrast, after crescentin bundle is
      disrupted, originally curved cells will slowly relax towards a straight rod over
      time. The model is able to quantitatively capture experimentally observed
      curvature dynamics. Furthermore, we show that the shape anisotropy of the cross
      section of a curved cell is never greater than 4%, even in the presence of
      crescentin.

PMID- 26120351
TI  - The multifunctional Ebola virus VP40 matrix protein is a promising therapeutic
      target.
AB  - The highly virulent nature of Ebola virus, evident from the 2014 West African
      pandemic, highlights the need to develop vaccines or therapeutic agents that
      limit the pathogenesis and spread of this virus. While vaccines represent an
      obvious approach, targeting virus interactions with host proteins that critically
      regulate the virus lifecycle also represent important therapeutic strategies.
      Among Ebola virus proteins at this critical interface is its matrix protein,
      VP40, which is abundantly expressed during infection and plays a number of
      critical roles in the viral lifecycle. In addition to regulating viral
      transcription, VP40 coordinates virion assembly and budding from infected cells.
      Details of the molecular mechanisms underpinning these essential functions are
      currently being elucidated, with a particular emphasis on its interactions with
      host proteins that control virion assembly and egress. This review focuses on the
      strategies geared toward developing novel therapeutic agents that target VP40
      specific control of host functions critical to virion transcription, assembly and
      egress.

PMID- 26120352
TI  - MU-Calpain as a Novel Target for Impairment of Nitric Oxide-Mediated Vascular
      Relaxation in Diabetes: A Mini Review.
AB  - Diabetes is one of the most prevalent metabolic disorders. In diabetes, incidence
      of coronary artery diseases and peripheral vascular diseases is increased 2- to 4
      fold and 10-fold, respectively, compared to healthy individuals. In spite of
      extensive studies, the underlying mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction (ED), an
      early event in the development of vascular diseases, remain incompletely
      understood in diabetes. This mini-review discusses the role and signaling
      pathways of calpains - a family of Ca2+-sensitive intracellular proteases in
      nitric oxide (NO)-mediated ED in diabetes. We conclude that activation of
      calpains, especially MU-calpain, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of
      NO-mediated ED and inflammatory responses in diabetes which is mainly via
      endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase (eNOS) inactivation/degradation in macro- and
      micro-vasculature. We review existing literature demonstrating that
      hyperhomocysteinemia, elevated plasma homocysteine level, potentiates
      hyperglycemia-induced ED via MU-calpain/PKCbeta2 activation-induced eNOS
      pThr497/495 and eNOS inactivation. MU-calpain may be a critical therapeutic
      target for NO-mediated ED in diabetes.

PMID- 26120353
TI  - An SEIV Epidemic Model for Childhood Diseases with Partial Permanent Immunity.
AB  - An SEIV epidemic model for childhood disease with partial permanent immunity is
      studied. The basic reproduction number R 0 has been worked out. The local and
      global asymptotical stability analysis of the equilibria are performed,
      respectively. Furthermore, if we take the treated rate tau as the bifurcation
      parameter, periodic orbits will bifurcate from endemic equilibrium when tau
      passes through a critical value. Finally, some numerical simulations are given to
      support our analytic results. 

PMID- 26120354
TI  - Developing a New Computer-Aided Clinical Decision Support System for Prediction
      of Successful Postcardioversion Patients with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - We propose a new algorithm to predict the outcome of direct-current electric
      (DCE) cardioversion for atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. AF is the most common
      cardiac arrhythmia and DCE cardioversion is a noninvasive treatment to end AF and
      return the patient to sinus rhythm (SR). Unfortunately, there is a high risk of
      AF recurrence in persistent AF patients; hence clinically it is important to
      predict the DCE outcome in order to avoid the procedure's side effects. This
      study develops a feature extraction and classification framework to predict AF
      recurrence patients from the underlying structure of atrial activity (AA). A
      multiresolution signal decomposition technique, based on matching pursuit (MP),
      was used to project the AA over a dictionary of wavelets. Seven novel features
      were derived from the decompositions and were employed in a quadratic
      discrimination analysis classification to predict the success of post-DCE
      cardioversion in 40 patients with persistent AF. The proposed algorithm achieved
      100% sensitivity and 95% specificity, indicating that the proposed computational
      approach captures detailed structural information about the underlying AA and
      could provide reliable information for effective management of AF. 

PMID- 26120355
TI  - NUFFT-Based Iterative Image Reconstruction via Alternating Direction Total
      Variation Minimization for Sparse-View CT.
AB  - Sparse-view imaging is a promising scanning method which can reduce the radiation
      dose in X-ray computed tomography (CT). Reconstruction algorithm for sparse-view
      imaging system is of significant importance. The adoption of the spatial
      iterative algorithm for CT image reconstruction has a low operation efficiency
      and high computation requirement. A novel Fourier-based iterative reconstruction
      technique that utilizes nonuniform fast Fourier transform is presented in this
      study along with the advanced total variation (TV) regularization for sparse-view
      CT. Combined with the alternating direction method, the proposed approach shows
      excellent efficiency and rapid convergence property. Numerical simulations and
      real data experiments are performed on a parallel beam CT. Experimental results
      validate that the proposed method has higher computational efficiency and better
      reconstruction quality than the conventional algorithms, such as simultaneous
      algebraic reconstruction technique using TV method and the alternating direction
      total variation minimization approach, with the same time duration. The proposed
      method appears to have extensive applications in X-ray CT imaging. 

PMID- 26120356
TI  - Deep Adaptive Log-Demons: Diffeomorphic Image Registration with Very Large
      Deformations.
AB  - This paper proposes a new framework for capturing large and complex deformation
      in image registration. Traditionally, this challenging problem relies firstly on
      a preregistration, usually an affine matrix containing rotation, scale, and
      translation and afterwards on a nonrigid transformation. According to
      preregistration, the directly calculated affine matrix, which is obtained by
      limited pixel information, may misregistrate when large biases exist, thus
      misleading following registration subversively. To address this problem, for two
      dimensional (2D) images, the two-layer deep adaptive registration framework
      proposed in this paper firstly accurately classifies the rotation parameter
      through multilayer convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and then identifies scale
      and translation parameters separately. For three-dimensional (3D) images, affine
      matrix is located through feature correspondences by a triplanar 2D CNNs. Then
      deformation removal is done iteratively through preregistration and demons
      registration. By comparison with the state-of-the-art registration framework, our
      method gains more accurate registration results on both synthetic and real
      datasets. Besides, principal component analysis (PCA) is combined with
      correlation like Pearson and Spearman to form new similarity standards in 2D and
      3D registration. Experiment results also show faster convergence speed. 

PMID- 26120357
TI  - Finger Vein Segmentation from Infrared Images Based on a Modified Separable
      Mumford Shah Model and Local Entropy Thresholding.
AB  - A novel method for finger vein pattern extraction from infrared images is
      presented. This method involves four steps: preprocessing which performs local
      normalization of the image intensity, image enhancement, image segmentation, and
      finally postprocessing for image cleaning. In the image enhancement step, an
      image which will be both smooth and similar to the original is sought. The
      enhanced image is obtained by minimizing the objective function of a modified
      separable Mumford Shah Model. Since, this minimization procedure is
      computationally intensive for large images, a local application of the Mumford
      Shah Model in small window neighborhoods is proposed. The finger veins are
      located in concave nonsmooth regions and, so, in order to distinct them from the
      other tissue parts, all the differences between the smooth neighborhoods,
      obtained by the local application of the model, and the corresponding windows of
      the original image are added. After that, veins in the enhanced image have been
      sufficiently emphasized. Thus, after image enhancement, an accurate segmentation
      can be obtained readily by a local entropy thresholding method. Finally, the
      resulted binary image may suffer from some misclassifications and, so, a
      postprocessing step is performed in order to extract a robust finger vein
      pattern. 

PMID- 26120359
TI  - A polynomial delay algorithm for the enumeration of bubbles with length
      constraints in directed graphs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The problem of enumerating bubbles with length constraints in
      directed graphs arises in transcriptomics where the question is to identify all
      alternative splicing events present in a sample of mRNAs sequenced by RNA-seq.
      RESULTS: We present a new algorithm for enumerating bubbles with length
      constraints in weighted directed graphs. This is the first polynomial delay
      algorithm for this problem and we show that in practice, it is faster than
      previous approaches. CONCLUSION: This settles one of the main open questions from
      Sacomoto et al. (BMC Bioinform 13:5, 2012). Moreover, the new algorithm allows us
      to deal with larger instances and possibly detect longer alternative splicing
      events.

PMID- 26120358
TI  - A Novel Application of Multiscale Entropy in Electroencephalography to Predict
      the Efficacy of Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor in Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. According to one
      hypothesis, AD is caused by the reduced synthesis of the neurotransmitter
      acetylcholine. Therefore, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors are considered
      to be an effective therapy. For clinicians, however, AChE inhibitors are not a
      predictable treatment for individual patients. We aimed to disclose the
      difference by biosignal processing. In this study, we used multiscale entropy
      (MSE) analysis, which can disclose the embedded information in different time
      scales, in electroencephalography (EEG), in an attempt to predict the efficacy of
      AChE inhibitors. Seventeen newly diagnosed AD patients were enrolled, with an
      initial minimental state examination (MMSE) score of 18.8 +/- 4.5. After 12
      months of AChE inhibitor therapy, 7 patients were responsive and 10 patients were
      nonresponsive. The major difference between these two groups is Slope 2 (MSE6 to
      20). The area below the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of Slope 2
      is 0.871 (95% CI = 0.69-1). The sensitivity is 85.7% and the specificity is 60%,
      whereas the cut-off value of Slope 2 is -0.024. Therefore, MSE analysis of EEG
      signals, especially Slope 2, provides a potential tool for predicting the
      efficacy of AChE inhibitors prior to therapy. 

PMID- 26120360
TI  - The use of routine outcome monitoring in child semi-residential psychiatry:
      predicting parents' completion rates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parents' perspectives on their children's treatment process and
      outcomes are valuable to treatment development and improvement. Participants'
      engagement in Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM) has, however, been difficult and
      may particularly be so in specialized settings, such as semi-residential
      psychiatry. In this paper, the use of a web-based ROM system implemented in a
      child semi-residential psychiatric setting is described and predictors associated
      with low completion rates of questionnaires by parents are identified. METHODS:
      Parents and the multidisciplinary team of 46 children admitted to semi
      residential psychiatric treatment participated in this study and completed a
      battery of questionnaires in three month intervals. RESULTS: The overall
      completion rate of both parents during ROM assessment was 77 % compared to 83 %
      of all clinicians involved. Completion of questionnaires by parents was higher
      around first assessments and declined after a year treatment. For eight clients
      at least one of the parents stopped filling out questionnaires during ROM
      measuring. Logistic multilevel analyses revealed initial treatment factors
      associated with a low completion of questionnaires by parents during ROM: high
      comorbidity of the child on DSM Axis I, single parenthood, a higher parental
      educational level and having a weaker therapeutic alliance regarding goal
      setting. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in this paper demonstrate relatively high
      completion of questionnaires by clinicians and parents when using ROM in child
      semi-residential psychiatry. Strong administrative and electronic support
      undoubtedly contributed to this result. Clinicians are encouraged to motivate
      parents to mutually invest in ROM, and to take into account factors indicating a
      possible lower completion of questionnaires by parents.

PMID- 26120361
TI  - The effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for anxiety in children and
      adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Anxiety is a common problem in children and adolescents with autism spectrum
      disorder (ASD). This meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the evidence
      for the use of psychosocial interventions to manage anxiety in this population.
      Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was the primary intervention modality
      studied. A comprehensive systematic search and study selection process was
      conducted. Separate statistical analyses were carried out for clinician-, parent
      , and self-reported outcome measures. Sensitivity analyses were conducted by
      removing any outlying studies and any studies that did not use a CBT
      intervention. A subgroup analysis was performed to compare individual and group
      delivery of treatment. Ten randomised control trials involving a total of 470
      participants were included. The overall SMD was d = 1.05 (95 % CI 0.45, 1.65; z =
      3.45, p = 0.0006) for clinician- reported outcome measures; d = 1.00 (95%CI 0.21,
      1.80; z = 2.47, p = 0.01) for parent-reported outcome measures; and d = 0.65
      (95%CI -0.10, 1.07; z = 1.63, p = 0.10) for self-reported outcome measures.
      Clinician- and parent-reported outcome measures showed that psychosocial
      interventions were superior to waitlist and treatment-as-usual control conditions
      at post-treatment. However, the results of self-reported outcome measures failed
      to reach significance. The sensitivity analyses did not significantly change
      these results and the subgroup analysis indicated that individual treatment was
      more effective than group treatment. The main limitations of this review were the
      small number of included studies as well as the clinical and methodological
      variability between studies. 

PMID- 26120362
TI  - Metabolic engineering of microbes for branched-chain biodiesel production with
      low-temperature property.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The steadily increasing demand for diesel fuels calls for renewable
      energy sources. This has attracted a growing amount of research to develop
      advanced, alternative biodiesel worldwide. Several major disadvantages of current
      biodiesels are the undesirable physical properties such as high viscosity and
      poor low-temperature operability. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop
      novel and advanced biodiesels. RESULTS: Inspired by the proven capability of wax
      ester synthase/acyl-coenzyme A, diacylglycerol acyltransferase (WS/DGAT) to
      generate fatty acid esters, de novo biosynthesis of fatty acid branched-chain
      esters (FABCEs) and branched fatty acid branched-chain esters (BFABCEs) was
      performed in engineered Escherichia coli through combination of the (branched)
      fatty acid biosynthetic pathway and the branched-chain amino acid biosynthetic
      pathway. Furthermore, by modifying the fatty acid pathway, we improved FABCE
      production to 273 mg/L and achieved a high proportion of FABCEs at 99.3 % of
      total fatty acid esters. In order to investigate the universality of this
      strategy, Pichia pastoris yeast was engineered and produced desirable levels of
      FABCEs for the first time with a good starting point of 169 mg/L. CONCLUSIONS: We
      propose new pathways of fatty acid ester biosynthesis and establish proof of
      concept through metabolic engineering of E. coli and P. pastoris yeast. We were
      able to produce advanced biodiesels with high proportions FABCEs and BFABCEs.
      Furthermore, this new strategy promises to achieve advanced biodiesels with
      beneficial low-temperature properties.

PMID- 26120363
TI  - Cytogenomic delineation and clinical follow-up of 10 Brazilian patients with
      Pallister-Killian syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pallister-Killian syndrome (PKS) is a sporadic genetic disorder
      caused by the presence of a tissue-specific mosaicism for isochromosome 12p -
      i(12) (p10) and is characterized by facial dysmorphism including coarse facies,
      upslanting palpebral fissures, bitemporal alopecia, pigmentary skin anomalies,
      developmental delay, hypotonia and seizures. Although typical clinical features
      of PKS commonly exist, clinicians often do not raise the possibility of this
      diagnosis. RESULTS: We reviewed the medical records of 10 patients with confirmed
      PKS followed in our service (since 1990 to 2015). Age at diagnosis varied from
      prenatal to 3 years and clinical features were consistent with those described in
      the literature. In all patients, peripheral blood karyotypes were normal and
      cytogenomic study was performed in order to confirm the diagnosis. Three of these
      patients had PKS diagnosis confirmed by buccal smear MLPA. CONCLUSION: An early
      conclusion from our results demonstrated that MLPA on buccal smears is a good and
      non-invasive method to detect extra copies of 12p and should be considered as the
      first exam, before a skin biopsy for a fibroblast karyotype is performed.

PMID- 26120364
TI  - Birth of a child with trisomy 9 mosaicism syndrome associated with paternal
      isodisomy 9: case of a positive noninvasive prenatal test result unconfirmed by
      invasive prenatal diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is currently used as a frontline
      screening test to identify fetuses with common aneuploidies. Occasionally,
      incidental NIPT results are conveyed to the clinician suggestive of fetuses with
      rare chromosome disease syndromes. We describe a child with trisomy 9 (T9)
      mosaicism where the prenatal history reported a positive NIPT result for T9 that
      was unconfirmed by conventional prenatal diagnosis. METHODS: NIPT was performed
      by low coverage whole genome plasma DNA sequencing. Karyotyping and fluorescent
      in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis with chromosome 9p-ter and 9q-ter probes
      was used to determine the somatic cell level of T9 mosaicism in the fetus and
      child. Quantitative fluorescent PCR (Q-PCR) of highly polymorphic short tandem
      repeat (STR) chromosome 9 markers was also performed to investigate the nature of
      the T9 mosaicism and the parental origin. RESULTS: A 22 month old girl presented
      with severe developmental delay, congenital cerebral dysplasia and congenital
      heart disease consistent with phenotypes associated with T9 mosaicism syndrome.
      Review of the prenatal testing history revealed a positive NIPT result for
      chromosome T9. However, follow up confirmatory karyotyping and FISH analysis of
      fetal cells returned a normal karyotype. Post-natal studies of somatic cell T9
      mosaicism by FISH detected levels of approximately 20 % in blood and buccal
      cells. Q-PCR STR analysis of family DNA samples suggested that the T9 mosaicism
      originated by post-zygotic trisomic rescue of a paternal meiotic II chromosome 9
      non-disjunction error resulting in the formation of two distinct somatic cell
      lines in the proband, one with paternal isodisomy 9 and one with T9. CONCLUSION:
      This study shows that NIPT may also be a useful screening technology to increase
      prenatal detection rates of rare fetal chromosome disease syndromes.

PMID- 26120365
TI  - Factors Associated With American Indian and White Adolescent Drug Selling in
      Rural Communities.
AB  - Relatively few studies have examined the correlates of adolescent drug selling in
      America, with most of these studies focusing on urban settings. The present study
      examines the risk and protective factors associated with drug selling among
      American Indian and white adolescents residing in a rural Northwestern state in
      the United States. Using survey data collected in 2010-2012, we conduct logistic
      regression analyses exploring the correlates of drug selling (n=568). Generally,
      we found support for prior explanations of drug selling, but identified some
      important race-specific differences. Specifically, we found that stress exposure
      was a risk factor for American Indians, but not whites. Conversely, academic
      achievement served as a protective factor for white adolescents but not American
      Indians. Our findings suggest that the race gap in rural drug selling can be
      explained by considering differences in social bonds, stress exposure, and
      exposure to substance using family and friends.

PMID- 26120366
TI  - Functional fingerprinting of human mesenchymal stem cells using high-throughput
      RNAi screening.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising candidates for cellular therapies
      ranging from tissue repair in regenerative medicine to immunomodulation in graft
      versus host disease after allogeneic transplantation or in autoimmune diseases.
      Nonetheless, progress has been hampered by their enormous phenotypic as well as
      functional heterogeneity and the lack of uniform standards and guidelines for
      quality control. In this study, we describe a method to perform cellular
      phenotyping by high-throughput RNA interference in primary human bone marrow
      MSCs. We have shown that despite heterogeneity of MSC populations, robust
      functional assays can be established that are suitable for high-throughput and
      high-content screening. We profiled primary human MSCs against human fibroblasts.
      Network analysis showed a kinome fingerprint that differs from human primary
      fibroblasts as well as fibroblast cell lines. In conclusion, this study shows
      that high-throughput screening in primary human MSCs can be reliably used for
      kinome fingerprinting. 

PMID- 26120367
TI  - First description of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants and beta
      lactamase encoding genes in non-typhoidal Salmonella isolated from humans, one
      companion animal and food in Romania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gastroenteritis attributable to Salmonella enterica and the
      continuous increase in antimicrobial resistance of this gut pathogen, which
      compromises the use of previously effective treatments, is of great concern for
      public health. This study was conducted in order to investigate the presence of
      plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants and beta-lactamase
      encoding genes, in S. enterica, isolated from humans, one companion animal and
      food. Moreover, the study aimed to identify potential vehicles of transmission of
      resistant strains to humans, with focus on food products (meat). METHODS: A total
      of 20 S. enterica isolates recovered from food (chicken and pork meat), one
      companion animal and humans (stool samples), were examined for their serotype,
      antimicrobial susceptibility and the presence of PMQR and beta-lactamase-encoding
      genes. Moreover, the genetic relatedness of nine Salmonella Infantis and ten
      Salmonella Enteritidis isolates was analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis
      (PFGE). RESULTS: Among all isolates, 15 (75%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR) and
      the majority of them proved to be resistant to nalidixic acid and
      fluoroquinolones (FQs) (ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin). Twelve isolates (60%)
      harboured at least one PMQR gene [qnrA, qnrB, qnrS, aac (6')-Ib-cr or qepA] while
      seven isolates (35%) carried at least one beta-lactamase-encoding gene (bla TEM,
      bla PSE-1, bla SHV or bla CTX-M). Moreover, two or more PMQR or beta-lactamase
      encoding genes co-existed in a single S. enterica isolate. A number of nine
      Salmonella Infantis, as well as the majority of Salmonella Enteritidis isolates
      analyzed by PFGE proved to be closely related. CONCLUSIONS: The study
      demonstrated the co-existence of PMQR and beta-lactamase-encoding genes among the
      Salmonella isolates recovered and confirmed that multiple mechanisms might be
      involved in the acquisition and spread of resistance determinants. The close
      genetic relatedness between the clinical and foodborne S. enterica isolates,
      suggested that chicken meat might be a possible cause of human salmonellosis in
      our country, during the study period. Results of this study might improve
      understanding of the antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and transmission
      dynamics of Salmonella spp. Here, we report for the first time the presence of
      PMQR and beta-lactamase-encoding genes in S. enterica isolates, recovered from
      humans, one companion animal and food, in Romania.

PMID- 26120368
TI  - Comparing recruitment, retention, and safety reporting among geographic regions
      in multinational Alzheimer's disease clinical trials.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Most Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials enroll participants
      multinationally. Yet, few data exist to guide investigators and sponsors
      regarding the types of patients enrolled in these studies and whether participant
      characteristics vary by region. METHODS: We used data derived from four
      multinational phase III trials in mild to moderate AD to examine whether regional
      differences exist with regard to participant demographics, safety reporting, and
      baseline scores on the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the 11-item
      Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog11), the
      Clinical Dementia Rating scale Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB), the Alzheimer's Disease
      Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living Inventory (ADCS-ADL), and the
      Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). We assigned 31 participating nations to 7
      geographic regions: North America, South America/Mexico, Western Europe/Israel,
      Eastern Europe/Russia, Australia/South Africa, Asia, and Japan. RESULTS: North
      America, Western Europe/Israel, and Australia/South Africa enrolled similar
      proportions of men, apolipoprotein E epsilon4 carriers, and participants with
      spouse study partners, whereas Asia, Eastern Europe/Russia, and South
      America/Mexico had lower proportions for these variables. North America and South
      America/Mexico enrolled older subjects, whereas Asia and South America/Mexico
      enrolled less-educated participants than the remaining regions. Approved AD
      therapy use differed among regions (range: 73% to 92%) and was highest in North
      America, Western Europe/Israel, and Japan. Dual therapy was most frequent in
      North America (48%). On the MMSE, North America, Western Europe/Israel, Japan,
      and Australia/South Africa had higher (better) scores, and Asia, South
      America/Mexico, and Eastern Europe/Russia had lower scores. Eastern Europe/Russia
      had more impaired ADAS-cog11 scores than all other regions. Eastern Europe/Russia
      and South America/Mexico had more impaired scores for the ADCS-ADL and the CDR
      SB. Mean scores for the CDR-SB in Asia were milder than all regions except Japan.
      NPI scores were lower in Asia and Japan than in all other regions. Participants
      in North America and Western Europe/Israel reported more adverse events than
      those in Eastern Europe/Russia and Japan. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest
      that trial populations differ across geographic regions on most baseline
      characteristics and that multinational enrollment is associated with sample
      heterogeneity. The data provide initial guidance with regard to the regional
      differences that contribute to this heterogeneity and are important to consider
      when planning global trials.

PMID- 26120369
TI  - Alzheimer's disease progression by geographical region in a clinical trial
      setting.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: To facilitate enrollment and meet local registration requirements,
      sponsors have increasingly implemented multi-national Alzheimer's disease (AD)
      studies. Geographic regions vary on many dimensions that may affect disease
      progression or its measurement. To aid researchers designing and implementing
      Phase 3 AD trials, we assessed disease progression across geographic regions
      using placebo data from four large, multi-national clinical trials of
      investigational compounds developed to target AD pathophysiology. METHODS: Four
      similarly-designed 76 to 80 week, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled
      trials with nearly identical entry criteria enrolled patients aged >=55 years
      with mild or moderate NINCDS/ADRDA probable AD. Descriptive analyses were
      performed for observed mean score and observed mean change in score from baseline
      at each scheduled visit. Data included in the analyses were pooled from the
      intent-to-treat placebo-assigned overall (mild and moderate) AD dementia
      populations from all four studies. Disease progression was assessed as change
      from baseline for each of 5 scales - the AD Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale
      (ADAS-cog11), the AD Cooperative Study- Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADCS
      ADL), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Clinical Dementia Rating scored
      by the sum of boxes method (CDR-SB), and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI).
      RESULTS: Regions were heterogeneous at baseline. At baseline, disease severity as
      measured by ADAS-cog11, ADCS-ADL, and CDR-SB was numerically worse for Eastern
      Europe/Russia compared with other regions. Of all regional populations, Eastern
      Europe/Russia showed the greatest cognitive and functional decline from baseline;
      Japan, Asia and/or S. America/Mexico showed the least cognitive and functional
      decline. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that in multi-national clinical trials,
      AD progression or its measurement may differ across geographic regions; this may
      be in part due to heterogeneity across populations at baseline. The observed
      differences in AD progression between outcome measures across geographic regions
      may generalize to 'real-world' clinic populations, where heterogeneity is the
      norm. TRIAL REGISTRATIONS: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00594568 - IDENTITY. Registered
      11 January 2008. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00762411 - IDENTITY2. Registered 26
      September 2008 ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00905372 - EXPEDITION. Registered 18 May
      2009 ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00904683 - EXPEDITION2. Registered 18 May 2009.

PMID- 26120370
TI  - The diversification of PHIS transposon superfamily in eukaryotes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: PHIS transposon superfamily belongs to DNA transposons and includes
      PIF/Harbinger, ISL2EU, and Spy transposon groups. These three groups have similar
      DDE domain-containing transposases; however, their coding capacity, species
      distribution, and target site duplications (TSDs) are significantly different.
      RESULTS: In this study, we systematically identified and analyzed PHIS
      transposons in 836 sequenced eukaryotic genomes using transposase homology search
      and structure approach. In total, 380 PHIS families were identified in 112
      genomes and 168 of 380 families were firstly reported in this study. Besides
      previous identified PIF/Harbinger, ISL2EU, and Spy groups, three new types
      (called Pangu, NuwaI, and NuwaII) of PHIS superfamily were identified; each has
      its own distinctive characteristics, especially in TSDs. Pangu and NuwaII
      transposons are characterized by 5'-ANT-3' and 5'-C|TNA|G-3' TSDs, respectively.
      Both transposons are widely distributed in plants, fungi, and animals; the NuwaI
      transposons are characterized by 5'-CWG-3' TSDs and mainly distributed in
      animals. CONCLUSIONS: Here, in total, 380 PHIS families were identified in
      eukaryotes. Among these 380 families, 168 were firstly reported in this study.
      Furthermore, three new types of PHIS superfamily were identified. Our results not
      only enrich the transposon diversity but also have extensive significance for
      improving genome sequence assembly and annotation of higher organisms.

PMID- 26120371
TI  - Fundus autofluorescence in the diagnosis and monitoring of acute retinal
      necrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute retinal necrosis (ARN), a vision threatening viral retinitis,
      is often diagnosed and treated based on clinical findings. These clinical
      features have been well characterized by various imaging modalities, but not
      using fundus autofluorescence (FAF), a noninvasive method of evaluating the
      neurosensory retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) based on the detection
      of endogenous fluorophores. FINDINGS: A patient diagnosed with ARN was followed
      over a 10-month period to identify and document the fundus findings using FAF
      imaging. Pathological changes present at the level of the neurosensory retina and
      RPE in ARN can be detected and characterized using fundus autofluorescence
      imaging. CONCLUSIONS: The borders of disease activity in ARN correlate with high
      contrast changes in autofluorescence patterns to facilitate monitoring of disease
      progression.

PMID- 26120372
TI  - Health and Work at Older Ages: Using Mortality to Assess the Capacity to Work
      across Countries.

PMID- 26120373
TI  - Risks deter but pleasures allure: Is pleasure more important?
AB  - The pursuit of unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking or binge drinking, not only
      carries various downside risks, but also provides pleasure. A parsimonious model,
      used in the literature to explain the decision to pursue an unhealthy activity,
      represents that decision as a tradeoff between risks and benefits. We build on
      this literature by surveying a rural population in South Africa to elicit the
      perceived riskiness and the perceived pleasure for various risky activities and
      to examine how these perceptions relate to the pursuit of four specific unhealthy
      behaviors: frequent smoking, problem drinking, seatbelt nonuse, and risky sex. We
      show that perceived pleasure is a significant predictor for three of the
      behaviors and that perceived riskiness is a significant predictor for two of
      them. We also show that the correlation between the riskiness rating and behavior
      is significantly different from the correlation between the pleasure rating and
      behavior for three of the four behaviors. Finally, we show that the effect of
      pleasure is significantly greater than the effect of riskiness in determining
      drinking and risky sex, while the effects of pleasure and riskiness are not
      different from each other in determining smoking and seatbelt nonuse. We discuss
      how our findings can be used to inform the design of health promotion strategies.

PMID- 26120374
TI  - Two Aromatic Rings Coupled a Sulfur-Containing Group to Favor Protein Electron
      Transfer by Instantaneous Formations of pi?S:pi<->pi:S?pi or pi?pi:S<->pi:pi?S
      Five-Electron Bindings.
AB  - The cooperative interactions among two aromatic rings with a S-containing group
      are described, which may participate in electron hole transport in proteins. Ab
      initio calculations reveal the possibility for the formations of the pi?S:pi<
      >pi:S?pi and pi?pi:S<->pi:pi?S five-electron bindings in the corresponding
      microsurrounding structures in proteins, both facilitating electron hole
      transport as efficient relay stations. The relay functionality of these two
      special structures comes from their low local ionization energies and proper
      binding energies, which varies with the different aromatic amino acids, S
      containing residues, and the arrangements of the same aromatic rings according to
      the local microsurroundings in proteins.

PMID- 26120375
TI  - A Structural Model for a Self-Assembled Nanotube Provides Insight into Its
      Exciton Dynamics.
AB  - The design and synthesis of functional self-assembled nanostructures is
      frequently an empirical process fraught with critical knowledge gaps about atomic
      level structure in these noncovalent systems. Here, we report a structural model
      for a semiconductor nanotube formed via the self-assembly of naphthalenediimide
      lysine (NDI-Lys) building blocks determined using experimental 13C-13C and 13C
      15N distance restraints from solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance supplemented
      by electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction data. The structural model
      reveals a two-dimensional-crystal-like architecture of stacked monolayer rings
      each containing ~50 NDI-Lys molecules, with significant pi-stacking interactions
      occurring both within the confines of the ring and along the long axis of the
      tube. Excited-state delocalization and energy transfer are simulated for the
      nanotube based on time-dependent density functional theory and an incoherent
      hopping model. Remarkably, these calculations reveal efficient energy migration
      from the excitonic bright state, which is in agreement with the rapid energy
      transfer within NDI-Lys nanotubes observed previously using fluorescence
      spectroscopy.

PMID- 26120377
TI  - IMAGE REGISTRATION ERROR ANALYSIS WITH APPLICATIONS IN SINGLE MOLECULE
      MICROSCOPY.
AB  - This paper is concerned with assessing localization errors emanating from the
      image registration of two monochromatic fluorescence microscopy images. Assuming
      an affine transform exists between images, registration in this setting typically
      involves using control points to solve a multivariate linear regression problem;
      however with measurement errors existing in both sets of variables the use of
      linear least squares is inappropriate. It is shown that image registration is an
      errors-in-variable problem and as such the correct method is to use generalized
      least squares. Traditionally this requires the measurement errors to be
      independent and identically distributed (iid); an assumption that is rarely
      satisfied in practical situations. An extension of the multivariate generalized
      least squares estimator that allows non-iid noise is applied. The distributional
      properties of the estimators are used to derive localization errors emanating
      from the image registration process in terms of photon counts and experimental
      parameters.

PMID- 26120376
TI  - Magnetic resonance guided high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation of
      musculoskeletal tumors.
AB  - This article reviews the fundamental principles and clinical experimental uses of
      magnetic resonance guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHIFU) ablation of
      musculoskeletal tumors. MRgHIFU is a noninvasive treatment modality that takes
      advantage of the ability of magnetic resonance to measure tissue temperature and
      uses this technology to guide high-intensity focused ultrasound waves to a
      specific focus within the human body that results in heat generation and complete
      thermal necrosis of the targeted tissue. Adjacent normal tissues are spared
      because of the accurate delivery of thermal energy, as well as, local blood
      perfusion that provides a cooling effect. MRgHIFU is approved by the Food and
      Drug Administration for the treatment of uterine fibroids and is used on an
      experimental basis to treat breast, prostate, liver, bone, and brain tumors.

PMID- 26120378
TI  - Tuning the Attempt Frequency of Protein Folding Dynamics via  Transition-State
      Rigidification: Application to Trp-Cage.
AB  - The attempt frequency or prefactor (k0) of the transition-state rate equation of
      protein folding kinetics has been estimated to be on the order of 10(6) s(-1),
      which is many orders of magnitude smaller than that of chemical reactions. Herein
      we use the mini-protein Trp-cage to show that it is possible to significantly
      increase the value of k0 for a protein folding reaction by rigidifying the
      transition state. This is achieved by reducing the conformational flexibility of
      a key structural element (i.e., an alpha-helix) formed in the transition state
      via photoisomerization of an azobenzene cross-linker. We find that this strategy
      not only decreases the folding time of the Trp-cage peptide by more than an order
      of magnitude (to ~100 ns at 25 degrees C) but also exposes parallel folding
      pathways, allowing us to provide, to the best of our knowledge, the first
      quantitative assessment of the curvature of the transition-state free-energy
      surface of a protein.

PMID- 26120379
TI  - A Review of Programs, Components and Outcomes in Biomedical Research Faculty
      Development.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: To review, compare and synthesize current faculty
      development programs and components. Findings are expected to facilitate research
      that will increase the competency and competitiveness of less-established
      biomedical research faculty. METHODS: We reviewed the current literature on
      research faculty development programs, and report on their type, components,
      outcomes and limitations. RESULTS: Nineteen articles met inclusion criteria.
      There were no prospective studies; most were observational and all lacked a
      control group. Mentoring was the most successful program type, and guided and
      participatory learning the most successful enabling mechanism, in achieving
      stated program goals. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are limited by the small number
      of current studies, wide variation in implementation, study design, and
      populations, and the lack of uniform metrics. However, results suggest that
      future prospective, randomized studies should employ quantitative criteria, and
      examine individual, human factors that predict "success."

PMID- 26120381
TI  - Use of dentomaxillofacial cone beam computed tomography in dentistry.
AB  - Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) was developed and introduced specifically
      for dento-maxillofacial imaging. CBCT possesses a number of advantages over
      medical CT in clinical practice, such as lower effective radiation doses, lower
      costs, fewer space requirements, easier image acquisition, and interactive
      display modes such as mutiplanar reconstruction that are applicable to
      maxillofacial imaging. However, the disadvantages of CBCT include higher doses
      than two-dimensional imaging; the inability to accurately represent the internal
      structure of soft tissues and soft-tissue lesions; a limited correlation with
      Hounsfield Units for standardized quantification of bone density; and the
      presence of various types of image artifacts, mainly those produced by metal
      restorations. CBCT is now commonly used for a variety of purposes in oral
      implantology, dento-maxillofacial surgery, image-guided surgical procedures,
      endodontics, periodontics and orthodontics. CBCT applications provide obvious
      benefits in the assessment of dentomaxillofacial region, however; it should be
      used only in correct indications considering the necessity and the potential
      hazards of the examination. 

PMID- 26120380
TI  - Advances of multidetector computed tomography in the characterization and staging
      of renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for approximately 90%-95% of kidney tumors.
      With the widespread use of cross-sectional imaging modalities, more than half of
      RCCs are detected incidentally, often diagnosed at an early stage. This may allow
      the planning of more conservative treatment strategies. Computed tomography (CT)
      is considered the examination of choice for the detection and staging of RCC.
      Multidetector CT (MDCT) with the improvement of spatial resolution and the
      ability to obtain multiphase imaging, multiplanar and three-dimensional
      reconstructions in any desired plane brought about further improvement in the
      evaluation of RCC. Differentiation of RCC from benign renal tumors based on MDCT
      features is improved. Tumor enhancement characteristics on MDCT have been found
      closely to correlate with the histologic subtype of RCC, the nuclear grade and
      the cytogenetic characteristics of clear cell RCC. Important information,
      including tumor size, localization, and organ involvement, presence and extent of
      venous thrombus, possible invasion of adjacent organs or lymph nodes, and
      presence of distant metastases are provided by MDCT examination. The preoperative
      evaluation of patients with RCC was improved by depicting the presence or absence
      of renal pseudocapsule and by assessing the possible neoplastic infiltration of
      the perirenal fat tissue and/or renal sinus fat compartment. 

PMID- 26120382
TI  - Contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging of the vasa vasorum of carotid artery
      plaque.
AB  - The vasa vasorum of carotid artery plaque is a novel marker of accurately
      evaluating the vulnerability of carotid artery plaque, which was associated with
      symptomatic cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease. The presence of
      ultrasound contrast agents in carotid artery plaque represents the presence of
      the vasa vasorum in carotid artery plaque because the ultrasound contrast agents
      are strict intravascular tracers. Therefore, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)
      is a novel and safe imaging modality for evaluating the vasa vasorum in carotid
      artery plaque. However, there are some issues that needs to be assessed to embody
      fully the clinical utility of the vasa vasorum in carotid artery plaque with
      CEUS. 

PMID- 26120383
TI  - Risk management in radiology departments.
AB  - Medical imaging and interventional radiology sustained prompt changes in the last
      few years, mainly as a result of technology breakthroughs, rise in workload,
      deficit in workforce and globalization. Risk is considered to be the chance or
      possibility of incurring loss or of a negative event happening that may cause
      injury to patients or medical practitioners. There are various causes of risks
      leading to harm and injury in radiology departments, and it is one of the
      objectives of this paper to scrutinize some of the causes. This will drive to
      consideration of some of the approaches that are used in managing risks in
      radiology. This paper aims at investigating risk management in radiology, and
      this will be achieved through a thorough assessment of the risk control measures
      that are used in the radiology department. It has been observed that the major
      focus of risk management in such medical setting is to reduce and eliminate harm
      and injury to patients through integration of various medical precautions. The
      field of Radiology is rapidly evolving due to technology advances and the
      globalization of healthcare. This ongoing development will have a great impact on
      the level of quality of care and service delivery. Thus, risk management in
      radiology is essential in protecting the patients, radiologists, and the medical
      organization in terms of capital and widening of the reputation of the medical
      organization with the patients. 

PMID- 26120384
TI  - Endovascular retrieval of a prematurely deployed covered stent.
AB  - Several techniques have been reported to address different endovascular device
      failures. We report the case of a premature deployment of a covered balloon
      mounted stent during endovascular repair of a post-traumatic carotid-cavernous
      fistula (CCF). A 50-year-old male suffered a fall resulting in loss of
      consciousness and multiple facial fractures. Five weeks later, he developed
      decreased left visual acuity, proptosis, chemosis, limited eye movements and
      cranial/orbit bruit. Cerebral angiography demonstrated a direct left CCF and
      endovascular repair with a 5.0 mm * 19 mm covered stent was planned. Once in the
      lacerum segment, increased resistance was encountered and the stent was withdrawn
      resulting in premature deployment. A 3 mm * 9 mm balloon was advanced over an
      exchange length microwire and through the stent lumen. Once distal to the stent,
      the balloon was inflated and slowly pulled back in contact with the stent. All
      devices were successfully withdrawn as a unit. The use of a balloon to retrieve a
      prematurely deployed balloon mounted stent is a potential rescue option if
      leaving the stent in situ carries risks. 

PMID- 26120385
TI  - Viability of Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 in Nutrient Broth, Luria-Bertani Broth
      and Brain Heart Infusion over 11 Weeks.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Escherichia coli is a widely studied prokaryotic system. A recent
      study had demonstrated that reduced growth of E. coli after extended culture in
      Luria-Bertani broth is a result of depletion of fermentable sugars but able to
      sustain extended cell culture due to the presence of amino acids, which can be
      utilized as a carbon source. However, this had not been demonstrated in other
      media. The study aimed to determine the growth and viability of E. coli ATCC 8739
      in 3 different media, Nutrient Broth (NB), Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) and Luria
      Bertani Broth (LB) over 11 weeks. METHODS: Growth of E. coli ATCC 8739 was
      determined by optical density. Viability was determined by serial dilution/spread
      plate enumeration. After 11 weeks, the media were exhausted by repeated culture.
      Glucose was added to the exhausted media to determine whether glucose is the
      growth-limiting factor. RESULTS: Our results showed that cell density in all 3
      media increased to about 1 * 10(9) cells/ml by the end of week 1, from the
      inoculation density of 2.67 * 10(5) cells/ml, peaked at about 1 * 10(13) cells/ml
      at week 4, before declining to about 5 * 10(7) cells/ml at week 7. Cell density
      is highly correlated to genomic DNA content (r(2) = 0.93) but poorly correlated
      to optical density (r(2)< 0.2). Our results also showed that the spent media were
      able to support further growth after glucose-supplementation. CONCLUSION: NB, LB
      and BHI are able to support extended periods of culture and glucose depletion is
      the likely reason for declining cell growth.

PMID- 26120386
TI  - Purslane Effect on GLP-1 and GLP-1 receptor in type 2 diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of purslane seeds in
      glucagon-like peptide-1 concentration and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor in
      women with diabetes. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study. The population
      was consisted of the city of Sari where diabetic women with diabetes II who had
      no history of using purslane seeds. All individuals used the same dose of
      metformin under the specialist supervision. Among these individuals, 16 were
      assigned at random to Purslane group and control group. The purslane group
      consumed 2.5 grams Purslane with lunch and along with 5 grams of purslane
      (Portulaca oleracea seeds 7.5 g daily) with dinner meals twice daily for 8 weeks.
      Blood sample was taken before and after 8 weeks, after 12 hours of fasting to 5
      ml of the left brachial vein. RESULTS: After 8 weeks using purslane seeds in the
      experimental group, a significant increase was seen in glucagon-like peptide-1
      concentrations (p<0.007), but there was no significant difference in the
      concentration of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (p <0.455). No significant
      relationship was found between changes in glucagon-like peptide-1 and its
      receptor. CONCLUSION: The use of purslane seeds improved Type II diabetes;
      therefore it can be effective in improving the health of women with diabetes.

PMID- 26120387
TI  - Application of Transtheoretical Model to Exercise in Office Staff.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transtheoretical model is identified as a comprehensive model for
      behavior exercise. The aim of this study was to check the situation of stage of
      change in exercise behavior of office personnel of Yazd city using
      transtheoretical model. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 220 office personnel
      selected from administrative offices of Yazd through two-stage cluster-sampling
      method. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire that included
      demographic variables and constructs of transtheoretical model. The reliability
      and validity of the instruments were examined and approved by experts. The data
      was analyzed using SPSS soft ware. RESULTS: 152 males (69.1%) and 68 females
      (30.9%) with an average age of 34+/-8.68 years were selected. Sixty percent of
      the subjects were in precontemplation and contemplation stages and only 7.3% were
      in action stages. Significant differences were found between TTM constructs and
      stages of change (P=0.000). The results also showed significant differences
      between components of decisional balance and behavioral process and cognitive
      process with the stages of change. We found that behavioral process of change and
      self efficacy were the most important variables for improving levels of exercise.
      CONCLUSION: Most of the participants were in the precontemplation and
      contemplation stages and most problems were related to behavioral process and
      self efficacy. Therefore, strategies and programs are needed to be taken into
      account to improve exercise among the staff.

PMID- 26120388
TI  - Determination of Job Stresses and Their Consequences in Drivers in Ilam.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Human factors cause 60-70 percent of automobile accidents. Everything
      related to people that is involved in and interacting with a system is considered
      to be a human factor. These factors can be psychological, biological, or social,
      and all of them can affect drivers' behaviors. Therefore, one of the negative and
      unfavorable effects of these factors is that they cause accidents. According to
      previous research, increases in the job stresses result in increases in the
      incidence of car accidents. Drivers who feel stressed often do not to observe the
      rules, and they may not even notice the warning signs. By measuring the job
      stress among drivers and its adverse effects, this research aimed to provide an
      appropriate managerial solution to reduce these problems. METHODS: The sample in
      this descriptive-analytical study consisted of 250 drivers who were selected and
      investigated. A job stress questionnaire was used as a means for collecting data.
      Health conditions were assessed by referring to clinical documents provided for
      the drivers. Accident data were included in the study using accident-related
      documentation. Two hundred and fifty drivers from Ilam, Iran participated and
      were analyzed in this study. This research is a cross-sectional study that was
      performed by dossiers and personal memoirs. Data were analyzed by SPSS16 and the
      chi-squared test. RESULTS: The study showed that the main factors that cause
      medium- to high-level stress are the physical environment, workload and ambiguity
      of duties. It also showed that the incidence and severity of accidents increased
      as stress levels increased. CONCLUSION: This study shows high prevalence of job
      stress amongst drivers in Ilam. The main causes of the prevalence of stress among
      drivers in Ilam City are physical environment, workload and ambiguity of duties,
      responsibility.

PMID- 26120389
TI  - Survey and comparison of sleep quality among fixed and changing shift staff in a
      steel factory in Tehran, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Given the hazardous nature of the work in steel factories and that
      the staff has to deal with hazardous equipment and machines, improper sleep
      quality and drowsiness among the works tackles performance and boosts rate of job
      accidents. This study is aimed to survey the quality of sleep and sleepiness
      status and the pertinent factors among the workers in a rolling mill and a steel
      production company in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: In a Cross-Sectional study 2011, 180
      workers were selected randomly from a rolling mill and a steel production company
      in Tehran. A questionnaire was designed to collect demographic data and variables
      of work condition. Pitersborg's sleep quality questionnaire was used to survey
      quality and problems of Participants' sleep. Epworth Sleepiness questionnaire was
      used to deals with sleepiness during work, studying, watching TV, or during time
      spent in public. RESULTS: Average score of sleep quality for the fixed shift
      staff and changing shift staff were 7.5+/-2.82 and 8.49+/-2.95 respectively.
      Surveys of sleep quality for the two groups of the participants based on T-test
      showed a significant difference between the two groups so that the changing shift
      staff group suffered poorer sleep quality (p=0.03). Comparison of average
      drowsiness scores between the two groups of participants based on Mann-Whitney
      test showed no significant difference (p>0.005). Chi square test showed a
      significant difference between severity of drowsiness and type of working shift
      (p =0.028 and 0.009). CONCLUSION: Staff in revolving shifts suffers poor sleep
      quality comparing with staff with fixed working shift. Moreover, type of working
      shift greatly affects severity of drowsiness as staff at different work shift
      experienced different level of sleepiness. It is essential to survey sleep
      disorder of the staff in the industry and pay more emphasis on sleep disorder
      epidemic in other fields of industry.

PMID- 26120390
TI  - Prevalence and patterns of physical activity among medical students in Bangalore,
      India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical activity is one of the leading health indicators. The
      objective was to study the prevalence and patterns of physical activity among
      young adults. METHODS: 259 Medical students (Men: Women = 116:143) in the age
      group of 18-22 yrs were interviewed using the official English long version of
      the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The total level of
      physical activity and activity in each of the 4 life domains - work, transport,
      domestic and gardening and leisure-time were estimated and was expressed as
      metabolic equivalent-hours per week (MET-hour/week). RESULTS: 41.3 % showed high
      levels of physical activity, 43.2% and 15.4 % of students showed moderate level
      and low level of physical activity respectively. 84.6 % (n=219) were engaged in
      work related activity and 80.7% (n= 209) showed transport related activity.
      Domestic and gardening physical activity represented 63.7 % (n=165) of
      individuals total activity and 67.2% of students showed leisure time activity.
      The average time spent in sitting was 7.06 hrs/day. The median of the total
      physical activity for the whole sample was 39.13 MET/hour/week and 18.10 for
      work, 4.40 for transportation, 2.60 for domestic and gardening and 4 for leisure
      time activity. There was significant gender difference observed with women having
      low physical activity. CONCLUSION: This study provides baseline information about
      the physical activity levels and patterns including sitting hours among Indian
      young adults using IPAQ that can used for comparison of data across different
      parts of world.

PMID- 26120391
TI  - Investigation of Occupational Stress and its Relationship with the Demographic
      Characteristics of Workers in Ilam, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Workers are more susceptible to stress disorder for several reasons.
      The aim of this study was to investigate occupational stress among workers and
      other personnel at the ZardjinBaft Workshop in Ilam, Iran, and to examine the
      relationship between occupational stress and several parameters, such as age,
      gender, marital status, educational level, work experience, tobacco use, body
      mass index (BMI), and the type of work. METHOD: This was a descriptive, cross
      sectional study that was performed in June 2010. The sample population that was
      studied consisted of all of the workers and other personnel (130 people) at
      ZardjinBaft Workshop in Ilam, Iran. They were studied using Cooper's standard
      questionnaire for stress in the work environment, and we examined the
      relationship between stress, as the dependent variable, and the eight independent
      variables mentioned in the Abstract. RESULTS: In the sample population that was
      studied, severe stress was not observed in most of the sections of the workshop.
      In addition, using the analysis of variance test (ANOVA), no significant
      relationship was observed between the average degree of stress and the average
      demographic characteristics. However, the average stress level had significant
      relationships with the level of education, work experience, and the type of work,
      suggesting that stress increases as the level of education increases. In
      addition, in the beginning and early years of employment, medium levels of stress
      were observed, and the prevalence of stress decreased after the first 10 years of
      employment. In addition, workers in the ventilation section of the factory had
      the highest stress levels. The fear of losing their jobs was the main factor that
      caused stress among the workers at ZardjinBaft Workshop in Ilam. CONCLUSION: We
      suggest that managers consider the high importance of stress in the work
      environment. They should be able to recognize when workers are stressed and offer
      them assistance and training. They also can eliminate the factors that cause
      stress in the work environment by taking preventive action. In parallel, workers
      should try to interact well with their managers and talk to her or him about the
      conditions of their jobs.

PMID- 26120392
TI  - The effect of the use of NP305 masks in improving respiratory symptoms in workers
      exposed to sulfuric acid mists in plating and pickling units.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plating and pickling processes are the most effective ways for
      increasing the strength of metal structures, and workers in these units are
      exposed to various contaminants, including acid mists. The aim of this study was
      to investigate the effect of protective masks in decreasing the respiratory
      symptoms and the aerobic capacity of workers that are exposed sulfuric acid mist.
      METHODS: This interventional study was based on National Institute for
      Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) standard 7903 in which silica gel tubes
      are used for sampling the air in plating and pickling units for eight hours.
      After the samples were acquired and prepared, they were analyzed by ion
      chromatography and were compared with the American Conference of Governmental
      Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) exposure limits. Respiratory symptoms were
      evaluated among two sets of test subjects, i.e., those who used NP305 masks in
      the workplace and those who did not use the mask. RESULTS: The results showed
      that the concentration of sulfuric acid mist in the plating units was greater
      than the exposure limits, and concentrations at this level can cause an increase
      in symptoms related to irritation of the airway and a slight decrease in
      respiratory capacity. In this study, smoking had no significant effect on the
      severity of pulmonary dysfunction. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the use
      of an NP305 mask is effective for decreasing symptoms resulting from exposure to
      sulfuric acid mist and improving respiratory capacity.

PMID- 26120393
TI  - Effect of six-week aerobic exercise on Chemerin and Resistin concentration in
      hypertensive postmenopausal women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical activity reduces symptoms of cardiovascular diseases. The
      aim of this study was to examine the effect of six-week aerobic exercise upon
      Chemerin and Resistin concentration in women with menopause who had hypertension.
      METHODS: The population of this quasi-experimental study included postmenopausal
      women diagnosed with hypertension. They were 50 to 55 years old and lived in
      Amol, a city in north part of Iran. Twenty volunteers were filled the personal
      consent and Health Questionnaire. They were randomly assigned to Experimental and
      control groups equally (n=10 per group). The experimental group conducted a 6
      week aerobic training program from 8-10am every day. RESULTS: Endurance exercise
      decreased Chemerin (t=10.41, P<0.000) and Resistin (t=2.42, P<0.051); indicating
      the decline of inflammation and cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSION: Considering
      anti-inflammatory effects of exercise, training plays an important role in
      reducing inflammatory indices in human; and endurance training can be a good
      strategy to deal with inflammation and cardiac- vascular risk factors.

PMID- 26120395
TI  - Short Report About the Inpatient Health Services Standards in Electronic Health
      Records.

PMID- 26120394
TI  - Application of WHO model for evaluating Patient Safety Friendly Hospital
      Initiatives (PSFHI) in an Eye hospital in Tehran, Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient safety is one of the major issues concerning the medical
      community and the World Health Organization (WHO) in most countries. This study
      aimed to evaluate the patient safety status in an Eye Hospital in Tehran, using
      the WHO model for Patient Safety Friendly Hospital Initiatives (PSFHI) in 2012.
      METHODS: This Cross-Sectional study was done in an Eye Hospital in Tehran.
      Measurement tool was a checklist related to the PSFHI, including 140 standards in
      three groups of critical, core and developmental. It was covering five domains
      of: a) Leadership and management, b) Patient and public involvement, c) Safe
      evidence-based clinical practices, d) Safe environment, and e) Lifelong learning.
      RESULTS: Compliance with critical, core and developmental standards were 77.78%,
      75.29%, and 21.42% respectively. The Rates of Meeting Standards in the leadership
      and management, patient and public involvement, safe evidence-based clinical
      practices, secure environment and for lifelong learning were 66.89%, 42.85%,
      75.68%, 73.68%, and 63.63% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The PSFHI standards play
      important role in improving patient safety using leadership, safety practices and
      creating good working conditions and environment for the staff. So focus on these
      standards is essential in improving the patient safety in hospitals in Iran.

PMID- 26120396
TI  - Analysis of Amygdala Nucleus in the Rat Brain: A review study.
AB  - Amygdale is one of the limbic related sub-cortical nuclei lying in the depth of
      temporal lobe and rostral of the inferior horn of lateral ventricle. In fact,
      amygdale is a nucleus complex that plays an important role in the emotional
      response, anger, fear, regulation of cardiovascular system, memory processes and
      learning and in pathophysiology of many diseases such as epilepsy, schizophrenia,
      Alzheimer, anxiety and depression. With regard to important of the amygdala in
      many critical functions, the cerebral disease and because of ethical problems
      most studies were done on animal models especially rats. Hence, in this review
      paper we tried to investigate different aspects of the rat amygdala complex
      including cyto, myelo and receptoarchitectonic. 

PMID- 26120398
TI  - Application of information technology may increase the efficacy of Confidential
      Unit Exclusion (CUE) in blood donors.
AB  - Confidential Unit Exclusion (CUE) refers to a procedure by which a blood donor
      designates confidentially whether his or her blood might not be safe for
      transfusion. It applies to situations in which an individual who is not eligible
      for blood donation in terms of blood safety feel pressured by others to donate
      his or her blood. A potential problem in the CUE system is misunderstanding of
      the procedure and its significance by blood donors as well as the lack of their
      confidence regarding the confidentiality of their private information. Since the
      Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provides a secure and confidential
      atmosphere, it is expected the application of ICT have a positive impact on the
      efficacy of CUE system. 

PMID- 26120397
TI  - Assessment of the prevalence of occupational accidents and their influential
      actors in an electricity distribution company during a five-year period.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occupational accidents have been considered as one of the most
      important crippling factors contributing to disabilities and life-threatening
      situations in many countries. This study was conducted to survey the prevalence
      of occupational accidents and the factors of that lead to injuries in an
      Electricity Distribution Company during a five-year period. METHODS: In this
      descriptive study, the accident report form included items asking about the
      season of the year when the accident occurred, the ages and the average age of
      those injured, the type of employment, work experience, nature of the injuries
      that occurred, parts of the body affected, treatments that were applied, average
      number of days lost per accident, the levels of education of those involved, and
      their marital status. Data was analyzed using SPSS. RESULTS: A total of 66
      Electricity Distribution Company workers were determined to be suffering from
      injuries due to accidents. The accidents mostly occurred in the summer (33%).
      Most of the injured workers (16.7%) belonged to the age groups of 25 to 29 and 40
      to 44; there were no accidents reported for workers who were less than 20. About
      48% of the accident victims had to be hospitalized. Furthermore, 35% of the
      accident victims were treated in outpatient clinics, and 7.4% of the accident
      victims died. We demonstrated that there were significant relationships between:
      1) marital status and accidental injuries (P<0.001); 2) the average age of those
      injured among both permanent and temporary workers (P<0.001), 3) the level of
      education and the consequences of the accidents (P<0.001), and 4) the average of
      days lost per accident in both the permanent and temporary workers (P<0.001). In
      this study, no significant relationships were found between the accident
      occurrence and age (P>0.05) or work experience and the distribution of the
      accidents (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: This study indicated that most of the injuries in
      these accidents were related to the nature of employment, marital status, and
      level of education. The results showed the necessity for providing appropriate
      safety training for the workers.

PMID- 26120399
TI  - Management of Mallet Fracture by Closed Extension-Block Pinning - A case based
      review of a novel technique.
AB  - Close reduction by extension-block K-wire fixation for acute mallet fracture is a
      relatively novel mode of treatment which is based on two sound orthopedic
      principles - stable arc splinting and early protected motion. Distal
      interphalangeal joint splinting is still the technique commonly used for mallet
      fractures with significant morbidity and only moderate functional outcome. We
      have demonstrated here Ishiguro's technique in a partially treated 2 weeks old
      mallet fracture with the flexion deformity at distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint
      after proper preoperative assessment. Peroperatively, proper anatomical
      localization of mallet fragment was done under fluoroscopy. Reduction of the
      avulsion fracture was done by extension block K-wire and intra-articular K-wire
      was inserted subsequently to hold the reduction in place and DIP joint in
      extension. Later on K-wires were removed at the end of 6 weeks follow up. Patient
      was subjected to the physiotherapy during the course of the treatment. Excellent
      functional outcome was noted at the end of three months. 

PMID- 26120400
TI  - Prevalence of HBc-Ab among HBs-Ag negative healthy blood donors in south of Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The risk of infection with transfusion-transmitted viruses, such as
      Hepatitis B virus (HBV), has been reduced markedly. However, a zero-risk blood
      supply remains a popular goal. Anti-hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) is
      considered to be an effective marker for occult HBV infection, and it has served
      a significant role in improving blood safety. The purpose of this study was to
      determine the seroprevalence of anti-HBc antibodies among blood donors. METHODS:
      During a period of six months in 2012, 1000 blood donors in Bandar Abbas were
      investigated for the presence of HBV infection markers. We used ELISA for the
      detection of HBsAg and chemiluminescence for the detection of HBsAb and anti-HBc
      antibodies. RESULTS: The prevalence of positive anti-HBc among the 1000 donors
      was 8.3%. Almost 2.3% of the donors were reactive for anti-HBc and negative for
      HBsAg. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that more than 2% of healthy blood donors in
      Bandar Abbas already have been exposed to HBV, although their HBsAg tests were
      negative. We suggest screening for anti-HBc to improve the safety of the blood
      supply.

PMID- 26120401
TI  - Assessment of patient safety culture among personnel in the hospitals associated
      with Islamic Azad University in Tehran in 2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient safety is an essential element in the quality of healthcare,
      and a clear knowledge of its culture in healthcare organizations will lead to
      both improved healthcare and patient safety. The aim of this study was to assess
      the patient safety culture at Islamic Azad University hospitals in Tehran, Iran,
      in 2013. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on clinical and
      diagnostic staff in all Islamic Azad University hospitals in Tehran in June 2013.
      The international "Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture" questionnaire was
      used as the measurement tool. RESULTS: In these hospitals, the overall positive
      score of patient safety culture was 35%. "Teamwork within units" (48% positive)
      was evaluated as reflecting the most knowledge of the aspects of patient safety
      culture, and "non-punitive response to error" (12% positive) was evaluated as
      reflecting the least knowledge of the aspects of patient safety culture.
      CONCLUSION: The patient safety culture in the hospitals that were studied should
      be improved. This goal could be achieved by reinforcing the basics of patient
      safety culture by teaching the staff members about the aspects of a positive
      patient safety culture and encouraging them to incorporate these aspects in their
      day-to-day activities.

PMID- 26120403
TI  - New corruption detected: Bogus impact factors compiled by fake organizations.

PMID- 26120402
TI  - Prevalence of and Factors Associated with Migraine in Medical Students at
      BandarAbbas, Southern Iran, in 2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Migraine is one of the most common etiologies for headache. This very
      common neurological disorder has a significant impact on patients' quality of
      life. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the prevalence of migraine
      among medical students in the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences (HUMS).
      METHODS: A total of 350 medical students were enrolled in our descriptive study.
      Data were collected using the standard questionnaire of the International
      Headache Association. The data were analyzed by SPSS 20.0 software using
      descriptive statistics, Chi-Square, and Independent Samples T-Test. A P-value of
      >=0.05 was considered statistically significant, since most public health
      professionals use this value as a standard. RESULTS: Among the medical students
      in our study, 24.6% had experienced frequent, severe headaches. The underlying
      causes of the headaches were diagnosed in 19.8% of the students. The prevalence
      of migraine in our study was 16.3% (mean age=21.28+/-2.71years). The prevalence
      varied by gender, and it was greater among male students. CONCLUSION: Our
      findings indicated that there was a high prevalence of migraine among the medical
      students in our study, and these findings were consistent with those of previous
      studies in Iran and other countries.

PMID- 26120404
TI  - Lifestyle factors and dietary intake of Iranian postgraduate students in
      Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
AB  - BACKGROUND: A student's lifestyle can change notably in a foreign country. The
      objective of this study was to determine factors associated with the body weight
      status of Iranian postgraduate students in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) 2009.
      METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was administered to 210 Iranian
      postgraduate students at UPM. Anthropometric factors also were measured using
      standard procedures. Body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) also were
      calculated. The chi-squared test, Spearman's rho, and the Pearson product-moment
      correlation coefficient were used to determine the associations between the
      variables that were studied. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to
      measure the amount of influence a predictor variable had on a outcome variable.
      RESULTS: There was no significant correlation between nutritional knowledge (P >
      0.05), weight-management knowledge (P > 0.05), and smoking (P > 0.05) and BMI.
      There were statistically significant correlations between gender (P < 0.01),
      physical activity (P < 0.05), protein (P < 0.01), carbohydrate (P < 0.01), fat (P
      < 0.01), fiber (P < 0.01), vitamin C (P < 0.05), calcium (P < 0.01), and iron (P
      < 0.01) and BMI. There were also relationships between body fat (P < 0.01), waist
      circumference (P < 0.01), hip circumference (P < 0.01) and WHR (P < 0.01) and
      BMI. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed the need for a nutrition promotion program
      for the Iranian students to help them change their negative food habits and
      improve their lifestyles.

PMID- 26120405
TI  - Review the number of accidents in Tehran over a two-year period and prediction of
      the number of events based on a time-series model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the significant dangers that threaten people's lives is the
      increased risk of accidents. Annually, more than 1.3 million people die around
      the world as a result of accidents, and it has been estimated that approximately
      300 deaths occur daily due to traffic accidents in the world with more than 50%
      of that number being people who were not even passengers in the cars. The aim of
      this study was to examine traffic accidents in Tehran and forecast the number of
      future accidents using a time-series model. METHODS: The study was a cross
      sectional study that was conducted in 2011. The sample population was all traffic
      accidents that caused death and physical injuries in Tehran in 2010 and 2011, as
      registered in the Tehran Emergency ward. The present study used Minitab 15
      software to provide a description of accidents in Tehran for the specified time
      period as well as those that occurred during April 2012. RESULTS: The results
      indicated that the average number of daily traffic accidents in Tehran in 2010
      was 187 with a standard deviation of 83.6. In 2011, there was an average of 180
      daily traffic accidents with a standard deviation of 39.5. One-way analysis of
      variance indicated that the average number of accidents in the city was different
      for different months of the year (P < 0.05). Most of the accidents occurred in
      March, July, August, and September. Thus, more accidents occurred in the summer
      than in the other seasons. The number of accidents was predicted based on an auto
      regressive, moving average (ARMA) for April 2012. The number of accidents
      displayed a seasonal trend. The prediction of the number of accidents in the city
      during April of 2012 indicated that a total of 4,459 accidents would occur with
      mean of 149 accidents per day during these three months. CONCLUSION: The number
      of accidents in Tehran displayed a seasonal trend, and the number of accidents
      was different for different seasons of the year.

PMID- 26120406
TI  - Effects of Nanoparticles on the Environment and Outdoor Workplaces.
AB  - Today, most parts of different nanotechnologies are growing and developing
      without any special rules and regulations. This could result in undesirable
      changes in the environment and affect workers in indoor and outdoor workplaces.
      Carbon-based nanoparticles, such as fullerenes, nanotubes, the oxides of metals
      such as iron and titanium, and natural inorganic compounds, including asbestos
      and quartz, can have biological effects on the environment and human health. The
      risk assessment of such nanoparticles requires evaluation of their mobility,
      reactivity, environmental toxicity, and stability. With the increasing use of
      nanoparticles for commercial and industrial purposes, the debate becomes whether
      the numerous benefits of nanoparticles can overcome the economic costs,
      environmental impacts, and unknown risks resulting from their use. To date, few
      studies have been conducted on the toxic and environmental effects that result
      from direct and indirect exposure to nanoparticles, and there are no clear
      standards to determine their effects. Lack of technical information in this
      regard has provided an appropriate context for supporters and opponents of
      nanoparticles to present contradictory and ill-considered results. Such an
      uncertain atmosphere has caused increased concerns about the effects of
      nanoparticles. Therefore, adequate studies to determine the exact, real risks of
      the use of nanoparticles are required. The information resulting from these
      studies can be useful in minimizing the environmental hazards that could arise
      from the use of nanoparticles. Thus, this paper briefly explains the
      classification of environmental nanoparticles and how to deal with their
      formation, diffusion, environmental fate and impacts, and our exposure to them. 

PMID- 26120408
TI  - A second chance for authors of hijacked journals to publish in legitimate
      journals.
AB  - This article proposes the republication of articles that have previously been
      published in counterfeit websites of hijacked journals. The paper also discusses
      the technical and ethical aspects of republishing such articles. 

PMID- 26120407
TI  - Misoprostol versus High Dose Oxytocin and Laminaria in Termination of Pregnancy
      in Second Trimester Pregnancies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2 recent decades, found drug regimen to induce abortion that are
      more effective than surgery. Prostaglandins especially misoprostol, oxytocin and
      osmotic dilators such as laminaria use for termination but the best method is
      unknown. Therefore we aimed to assess the comparison between the Misoprostol
      regimen and the highly concentrated oxytocin with laminaria regimen in second
      trimester of pregnancy termination. METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial,
      100 women with gestational age 14 to 24 week coming to hospital due to
      termination of pregnancy in the absence of uterine contractions and items of
      exclusion criteria enrolled to study and randomly assign to 2 groups and received
      misoprostol (group 1) or oxytocin (group 2). Data collected with use of
      observation, examination and demographic checklist. In group 1, in admission time
      and then every 6 hour patients received 200 ugr misoprostol until start the pain
      or vaginal bleeding or abortion in 48 hr. in group 2, patients first received
      laminaria in cervix with duration of 6 hr and then oxytocin 50 unit in 500 cc
      normal saline in 3 hr. after 1 hr rest, oxytocin dosage elevated as multiple into
      2 and continue until termination or maximum dose of 300 u in 500 cc normal
      saline. Data entered to SPSS software version 16 and analyzed with use of
      descriptive methods and also Chi-square and T-test. RESULTS: In each group
      enrolled 50 women that approximately no different in baseline characteristic.
      Number of abortion in misoprostol group was more than oxytocin group (P<0.001)
      and duration of abortion also was shorter than oxytocin in misoprostol group
      (P<0.001). Side effects in 23 (46%) women in misoprostol group were seen but no
      side effect seen in oxytocin group. Complementally interventions was seen in 31
      women (60%) in misoprostol group versus 32 women (62%) in oxytocin group but this
      difference was not significant (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that
      misoprostol is effective than oxytocin in termination of pregnancy but with
      attention to limitation of this study include of limited abortion causes due to
      legal laws, additional studies on different doses of misoprostol and oxytocin due
      to achieve to suitable regimen with lower side effects recommended.

PMID- 26120409
TI  - Comparative evaluation of eosinophils in normal mucosa, dysplastic mucosa and
      oral squamous cell carcinoma with hematoxylin-eosin, Congo red, and EMR1
      immunohistochemical staining techniques.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most common malignant lesion of
      the oral cavity, and it involves various molecular mechanisms. The development of
      oral squamous cell carcinoma is influenced by the host immune cells, such as
      eosinophils. The present study was conducted to compare the presence of
      eosinophils in normal mucosa, dysplastic mucosa, and oral squamous cell carcinoma
      by -hematoxylin- eosin staining, Congo red staining, and epidermal growth factor
      like (EGF-like) module containing a mucin-like hormone receptor1 (EMR1)
      immunohistochemical marker. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 60
      paraffinized samples were selected, consisting of 20 normal mucosae, 20
      dysplastic mucosae, and 20 squamous cell carcinoma samples. After confirmation of
      the diagnosis, the mean number of eosinophils was evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin,
      Congo red, and immunohystochemical staining techniques. The data were analyzed by
      SPSS-10 software using the Kruskal-Wallis and Friedman tests. RESULTS: The
      results showed that the number of eosinophils in dysplastic mucosa was
      significantly higher than the number in normal mucosa, and the number of
      eosinophils in squamous cell carcinoma was significantly higher than the number
      in dysplastic mucosa in all staining techniques (p<0.001). Moreover, the
      comparison of staining techniques showed a significantly higher number of
      eosinophils in EMR1immunohistochemicalmarker than were observed when Congo red
      and hematoxylin - eosin (H&E) staining techniques were used (p<0.001).
      CONCLUSION: It can be argued that eosinophil contributes to the identification of
      lesions that have a higher potential of malignant transformation. Moreover,
      eosinophil can be suggested as an indicator in the differentiation of oral
      lesions in cases with borderline diagnosis and in targeted molecular therapy.

PMID- 26120410
TI  - Parkinsonism: a rare manifestation of craniopharyngioma.
AB  - Craniopharyngioma is a non-glial, non-malignant intracranial tumor of ectodermal
      origin, which arises from a remnant of Rathke's pouch. This tumor accounts for
      5.6 to 13% of intracranial tumors in children. This paper discusses a case of
      craniopharyngioma in a five-year-old boy. An MRI scan of his brain showed a huge
      sella and supra sella cystic-solid lesion that had invaded the prepontine and
      interpeduncular cisterns, filling of 3rd ventricle and hydrocephalus. The patient
      operated via interhemispheric subfrontal through lamina terminalis and the tumor
      dissected from all part of brain stem and total resection achieved. After surgery
      Parkinsonism was worse for 3 days and levodopa started for 3 days. Parkinsonism
      was gone and after one week levodopa discontinued. This case practically implied
      that decompression of mass effect of tumor on brain stem and short-term
      management with levodopa can improve Parkinsonism due to midline compressive
      brain tumors without basal ganglia involvement. 

PMID- 26120411
TI  - Regional lymph node radiotherapy in breast cancer: single anterior
      supraclavicular field vs. two anterior and posterior opposed supraclavicular
      fields.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The treatment of lymph nodes engaged in breast cancer with
      radiotherapy leads to improved locoregional control and enhanced survival rates
      in patients after surgery. The aim of this study was to compare two treatment
      techniques, namely single anterior posterior (AP) supraclavicular field with plan
      depth and two anterior and posterior opposed (AP/PA) supraclavicular fields. In
      the study, we also examined the relationships between the depth of
      supraclavicular lymph nodes (SCLNs) and the diameter of the wall of the chest and
      body mass index (BMI). METHODS: Forty patients with breast cancer were analyzed
      using computed tomography (CT) scans. In planning target volume (PTV), the SCLNs
      and axillary lymph nodes (AXLNs) were contoured, and, with the attention to PTV,
      supraclavicular (SC) depth was measured. The dosage that reached the
      aforementioned lymph nodes and the level of hot spots were investigated using two
      treatment methods, i.e., 1) AP/PA and 2) AP with three-dimensional (3D) planning.
      Each of these methods was analyzed using the program Isogray for the 6 MV compact
      accelerator, and the diameter of the wall of the chest was measured using the CT
      scan at the center of the SC field. RESULTS: Placing the plan such that 95% of
      the target volume with 95% or greater of the prescribed dose of 50 Gy (V95) had
      >=95% concordance in both treatment techniques. According to the PTV, the depth
      of SCLNs and the diameter of the wall of the chest were 3-7 and 12-21cm,
      respectively. Regression analysis showed that the mean SC depth (the mean Plan
      depth) and the mean diameter of the wall of the chest were related directly to
      BMI (p<0.0001, adjusted R(2)=0.67) and (p<0.0001, adjusted R(2)=0.71),
      respectively. CONCLUSION: The AP/PA treatment technique was a more suitable
      choice of treatment than the AP field, especially for overweight and obese breast
      cancer patients. However, in the AP/PA technique, the use of a single-photon, low
      energy (6 MV) caused more hot spots than usual.

PMID- 26120412
TI  - Comparing the quality of preconception care provided in healthcare centers in
      Mashhad in 2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improving the quality of healthcare services is considered as the
      main strategy to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Providing
      appropriate healthcare for mothers and their newborn children is facilitated
      significantly by considering the mothers' health and welfare before pregnancy
      occurs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the quality of
      preconception care provided to women of reproductive age provided by five health
      centers in Mashhad in 2012 and 2013. METHODS: Multi-stage sampling was used to
      select the participants in this descriptive study. As a result, 360 women of
      reproductive age and 39 healthcare providers from 24 healthcare centers in
      Mashhad were selected to participate. The data gathering tool was a checklist
      based on the Donabedian model that includes the three dimensions of structure,
      process, and outcome. The data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 11.5),
      Kruskal-Wallis tests, ANOVA, and Spearman rank correlation. RESULTS: The results
      showed that preconception care at the 24 healthcare centers had essentially the
      same conditions. But in the process and outcome components, the quality of the
      preconception care at five of the health centers was significantly different
      (p=0.008). The highest quality of care processes was identified at health center
      number 3. The difference in the component of outcomes being followed up by the
      healthcare providers at five of the health centers was statistically significant
      (p=0.000); however, there were no significant differences found among the
      satisfaction and awareness of the women who participated at the five health
      centers. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the performance of health personnel
      in providing preconception care and providing follow-up care was not
      satisfactory.

PMID- 26120413
TI  - Nausea and vomiting in Iranian Traditional Medicine based on Avicenna's
      viewpoint.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nausea and vomiting decrease one's quality of life significantly,
      and, despite various treatments, they are still uncontrollable, especially in
      acute illness. Perhaps it would be useful to search for new concepts and
      therapies for dealing with these issues at other medical schools. The aim of this
      research was to elucidate the causes of nausea and vomiting in Iranian
      Traditional Medicine (ITM) based on Avicenna's viewpoint in The Book of "Canon of
      medicine". METHODS: We reviewed the Canon of Medicine and other reference
      textbooks of ITM to get the experts' viewpoints, such as Kamel-al-Sanaeh, Al
      Havi, and Zakhireh-kharazmshahi, and we searched PubMed, Scopus, Embase, ISI and
      Science Iranian Database (SID) in November and December 2014 using keywords.
      RESULTS: Basic terms associated with nausea and vomiting in ITM are Gha'y
      (vomiting), Tahavo'a (retching), Gathayan (nausea), and Taghallob-al-nafs
      (continuous nausea). Different factors can induce these problems with direct or
      indirect change in the quantity/quality of humors in the body's systems or the
      stomach. Treatments are based on the correction of humors and modifications of
      lifestyle. ITM has recommended medicinal herbs for severe nausea and vomiting.
      For example, they may be effective in treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and
      vomiting (CINV). CONCLUSION: ITM suggests that almost the nausea and vomiting
      associated with almost all major diseases originate from abnormalities in either
      the quantity/quality of humors. The gold standard for managing nausea and
      vomiting is lifestyle modifications with attention to responsible humors. Some
      therapeutic protocols in ITM may be applicable today. Perhaps redefining the
      diseases and updating the expression of these concepts and approaches can lead to
      the development of complementary and alternative treatments for nausea and
      vomiting.

PMID- 26120414
TI  - Factors associated with prostate cancer screening behavior among men over 50 in
      Fasa, Iran, based on the PRECEDE model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is one of the most common and lethal cancers in the
      world. The incidence of prostate cancer has been increasing in recent years. The
      purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with prostate cancer
      screening behaviors among men over 50 in Fasa, Iran, based on the PRECEDE model.
      METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 400 men over 50 were studied in Fasa,
      Iran. Data were collected via a questionnaire on demographic characteristics,
      such as age, number of children, occupation, education, marital status, smoking,
      and prostate cancer screening behaviors. Data were analyzed using SPSS software,
      version 16. Independent samples t-test and the Pearson Product Moment correlation
      coefficient were used for the statistical analyses. RESULTS: Men in the study had
      little knowledge (34.11+/-8.22) and attitude (28.23+/-7.23) about prostate cancer
      and screening behavior. Their mean scores about prostate cancer, screening
      behavior, quality of life, and general health were moderate. The subjects had low
      self-efficacy and perceived social support. Their mean scores of enabling factors
      and screening behaviors were at a low level. Pearson correlation scores showed a
      significant correlation between cancer prostate screening behavior and
      demographic variables, such as age (p=0.04, r=0.136), occupation (p=0.01,
      r=0.121), educational level (p=0.02, r=0.211), and marital status of the subjects
      (p=0.01, r=0.112), but there were not significant correlations with the number of
      children (p=0.12, r=0.092) and smoking (p=0.09, r=0.002). The T-test results
      showed significant relationships between age, occupation, and education of the
      subjects, and the PRECEDE model structures were significant for predisposing
      factors, enabling factors, and reinforcing factors (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The
      prostate cancer screening behaviors in men over 50 in Fasa, Iran, were at a low
      level. Due to predisposing factors, such as the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs
      of individuals, reinforcing factors can have an important role in the behaviors
      related to prostate screening, such as their families and health staffs as well
      as enabling factors, such as health financing, access to medicines and learning
      self-care. Educational interventions to improve these behaviors and the quality
      of life of these people seem essential.

PMID- 26120416
TI  - The story of fake impact factor companies and how we detected them.
AB  - Beginning about three years ago, the world of academic publishing has become
      infected by fake impact factors and misleading metrics that are launched by bogus
      companies. The misleading metrics and fake impact factors have damaged the
      prestige and reliability of scientific research and scholarly journals. This
      article presents the in-depth story of some of the main bogus impact factors, how
      they approached the academic world, and how the author identified them. Some
      names that they use are Universal Impact Factor (UIF), Global Impact Factor
      (GIF), and Citefactor, and there even is a fake Thomson Reuters Company. 

PMID- 26120415
TI  - Assessment of unhealthy days among Iranian reproductive age women in 2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unhealthy days are defined as the number of days during the past 30
      days that a woman has not had a feeling of wellbeing. Wellbeing includes the
      woman's judgments about the level of satisfaction and quality in her life.
      Assessment of a woman's perception of unhealthy days can be used to help her
      determine the extent of the burdens associated with mental and physical feelings
      that things are not going well in her life, job and relationship. This study was
      conducted to measure unhealthy days and the general health status in Iranian
      women of reproductive age based on their own perceptions. METHODS: The
      participants of this study were women of reproductive age who were referred to
      health centers in Mashhad, Iran, in 2012. With the stratified random sampling
      method, 220 women were included in the study. The health-related quality of life
      4 (HRQOL-4) questionnaire was used to assess the women's self-perceived unhealthy
      days. The data that were collected were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis, chi-squared,
      Pearson correlation, and logistic linear regression tests with SPSS 11.5.
      RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 32.6 years, and the median number
      of the self-perceived unhealthy days was 7.1 days (per month). In the domains of
      physical, mental, and disability unhealthy days, the data indicated 2 days, 2.1
      days, and 0.1 day in a month, respectively. Also, nearly half of the participants
      reported that their general health status was poor to fair. The Kruskal-Wallis
      test showed that there was a significant difference between unhealthy days in the
      different age groups (p=0.01) as well as for the physical (p=0.02) and mental
      domains (p=0.4). The results of the regression analysis showed that the number of
      physical unhealthy days increased with age, number of children, and education.
      The number of mental unhealthy days increased with age, and the number of
      disability days increased as the age at which they were married decreased
      (p<0.05). A significant inverse relationship was observed between physical
      unhealthy days and education, with the number of physical unhealthy days
      decreasing as the years of education increased (r=-0.19, p=0.005). CONCLUSION:
      Women with less education who were older than 40, who married at an early age,
      and had more children reported more unhealthy days. These results emphasize the
      importance of preventive and educational health interventions in these vulnerable
      groups based on their physical and mental needs.

PMID- 26120417
TI  - Presenting a model for dynamic facial expression changes in detecting drivers'
      drowsiness.
AB  - Drowsiness while driving is a major cause of accidents. A driver fatigue
      detection system that is designed to sound an alarm, when appropriate, can
      prevent many accidents that sometime leads to the loss of life and property. In
      this paper, we classify drowsiness detection sensors and their strong and weak
      points. A compound model is proposed that uses image processing techniques to
      study the dynamic changes of the face to recognize drowsiness during driving. 

PMID- 26120418
TI  - Effects of family-centered care on the satisfaction of parents of children
      hospitalized in pediatric wards in a pediatric ward in Chaloos in 2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Family-centered care (FCC) involves holistic care and requires
      cooperation with the family in planning, intervention, and the evolution of the
      care that is being provided. Many previous studies have provided results that
      indicate the importance of the family's involvement in pediatric care, but there
      is still resistance in doing so within the organizational culture of the
      hospitals in Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of FCC on
      the satisfaction of parents of children hospitalized in 2012 in the pediatric
      ward at Razi Hospital in Chaloos, Iran. METHODS: This Quasi-experimental study
      was conducted in 2012 in the pediatric ward at Razi Hospital in Chaloos, Iran.
      Seventy hospitalized children between the ages of 1 and 3 who suffered from
      diarrhea, vomiting, or pneumonia were selected through convenience sampling. They
      were divided randomly into two equal groups, a control group (routine care) and
      an experimental group (family-centered care). SPSS Statistics 14 software was
      used to analyze the data, and p<0.05 was considered to be significant. RESULTS:
      In the FCC group, the mean score of satisfaction among the parents of the
      children was 20 out of 90 before the intervention, but, after the FCC method was
      used, it increased to 83.2 out of 90. In addition, a significant difference was
      found between the scores of satisfaction for the control and experimental groups
      (p<0.001), and all parents of children in the experimental group expressed high
      satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that the practice of FCC in caring
      for the sick children can increase the satisfaction of their parents
      significantly. The role of the family's involvement is critical in every
      component of the intervention efforts, as shown by the constructs of
      participatory support, educational support, and psychological support. Thus, a
      notable implication here is that FCC may lead to increased quality of care and
      should be included in the educational programs of the nursing staff in pediatric
      ward.

PMID- 26120419
TI  - Comparing the effect of volar plate fixators and external fixators on outcome of
      patients with intra-articular distal radius fractures: A clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Distal radius fractures (DRFs) are much more prone to malunion than
      unstable extra-articular fractures. There is no clear consensus concerning what
      the proper treatment should be, and the best approach to use for displaced DRFs
      remains challenging. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of two different
      therapeutic surgical methods, i.e., volar plate fixators and external fixators,
      on outcomes of patients with intra-articular distal radius fractures. METHODS:
      From May 2010 to November 2014, 76 subjects who had experienced intra-articular
      fractures of the distal radius were enrolled in this double-blind, randomized,
      controlled trial in Imam Ali Hospital in Bojnourd, Iran. The patients were
      divided into two groups, i.e., 1) patients who were treated with internal
      fixation using the volar plate (group A) and 2) patients who were treated with
      external fixators (group B). The primary outcome was a composite measure of the
      patient's quality of life using three different scores, i.e., 1) the MAYO score,
      2) Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH (score, and 3) the Short
      Form (36) (SF-36) Health Survey score. RESULTS: A total of 76 patients were
      allocated randomly to groups A and B. The mean ages for external fixator cases
      and volar plate cases were 51.7 and 46.3, respectively. No significant age
      distribution was seen between the two groups (p=0.348). Gender distribution
      between the two groups was not significantly different (p=0.022). Grip power was
      significantly different between the two groups, but no significant differences
      were detected in range of motion (p=0.008, p=0.367, respectively). The MAYO score
      was significantly higher in the open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF)
      group, and, according to the SF-36 test, the ORIF group also a higher level of
      general mental and physical health, social functioning, and personal physical
      functioning than the other group. However, postoperatively, the mental discomfort
      and physical discomfort were more prevalent in the external fixator group. The
      DASH score was not significantly different between the two groups (p=0.124).
      CONCLUSIONS: ORIF and its subtitle, volar plate fixation, is a more preferred
      surgical procedure than the external fixator for the treatment of intra-articular
      distal radius fractures. This conclusion is important when one considers cost
      effectiveness and an earlier return to work. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is
      registered at the Thai Clinical Trial Registry (clinicaltrials.in.th) with the
      TCR identification number TCTR20150609002. FUNDING: The authors received no
      financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this
      article.

PMID- 26120420
TI  - Mapping hypersensitivity/allergic diseases in the International Classification of
      Diseases (ICD)-11: cross-linking terms and unmet needs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With the aim of actively contributing to the ongoing 11(th)
      International Classification of Diseases (ICD) revision, an international
      collaboration led by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
      (EAACI) has decided to revise the classification of hypersensitivity/allergic
      diseases and to validate it for ICD-11 by crowdsourcing the allergist community.
      However, understanding that the construction of a classification was necessary
      but not sufficient, we developed a mapping strategy in the attempt to better fit
      it to the ICD-11 linearization structure. METHODS: The cross-linking terms
      process has been constructed based on an algorithm in which we prioritized the
      pre-coordination, followed by the post-coordination when the first step was not
      possible. If the above strategies failed to identify the entries, the conditions
      were ruled as "non specific terms", "no code fit properly" or "missing terms".
      RESULTS: Amongst the 652 terms distributed in 5 main groups of the
      Hypersensitivity/Allergic Diseases classification, 169 terms fit directly the
      codes listed in the ICD-11 beta draft (October 2014 version), 26 were considered
      as "nonspecific term", 21 were linked to the Foundation by Index, 7 were recorded
      as inclusions and 2 were cited just in the definition of the condition. The post
      coordination was possible for 97 terms, mainly for drug hypersensitivity
      conditions. We noticed a considerable number of allergen references missing.
      CONCLUSION: The proposed strategy of cross-linking terms and the results of this
      process can actively contribute to updating the hypersensitivity and allergic
      conditions classification in the ICD-11 beta revision and underlines the need for
      either a new chapter in ICD-11 possibly entitled Hypersensitivity / Allergic
      Disorders or at the very least the aggregation of all such diseases under the
      "Diseases of Immune System" chapter in order for the overlaps to be double
      parented to the appropriate 'system' chapters.

PMID- 26120421
TI  - Dispersal depends on body condition and predation risk in the semi-aquatic
      insect, Notonecta undulata.
AB  - Dispersal is the movement of organisms across space, which has important
      implications for ecological and evolutionary processes, including community
      composition and gene flow. Previous studies have demonstrated that dispersal is
      influenced by body condition; however, few studies have been able to separate the
      effects of body condition from correlated variables such as body size. Moreover,
      the results of these studies have been inconsistent with respect to the direction
      of the relationship between condition and dispersal. We examined whether body
      condition influences dispersal in backswimmers (Notonecta undulata). We also
      tested whether an interaction between body condition and predation risk (another
      proximate factor that influences dispersal) could contribute to the previously
      observed inconsistent relationship between condition and dispersal. We imposed
      diet treatments on backswimmers in the laboratory, and measured the effects of
      food availability on body condition and dispersal in the field. We found that
      dispersal was a positive function of body condition, which may have important
      consequences for population characteristics such as the rate of gene flow and
      population growth. However, the effects of body condition and predation risk were
      additive, not interactive, and therefore, our data do not support the hypothesis
      that the interaction between condition and predation risk contributes to the
      inconsistency in the results of previous condition-dependent dispersal studies. 

PMID- 26120423
TI  - Plant-soil feedbacks from 30-year family-specific soil cultures: phylogeny, soil
      chemistry and plant life stage.
AB  - Intraspecific negative feedback effects, where performance is reduced on soils
      conditioned by conspecifics, are widely documented in plant communities. However,
      interspecific feedbacks are less well studied, and their direction, strength,
      causes, and consequences are poorly understood. If more closely related species
      share pathogens, or have similar soil resource requirements, plants may perform
      better on soils conditioned by more distant phylogenetic relatives. There have
      been few empirical tests of this prediction across plant life stages, and none of
      which attempt to account for soil chemistry. Here, we test the utility of
      phylogeny for predicting soil feedback effects on plant survival and performance
      (germination, seedling survival, growth rate, biomass). We implement a full
      factorial experiment growing species representing five families on five plant
      family-specific soil sources. Our experiments exploit soils that have been
      cultured for over 30 years in plant family-specific beds at Oxford University
      Botanic Gardens. Plant responses to soil source were idiosyncratic, and species
      did not perform better on soils cultured by phylogenetically more distant
      relatives. The magnitude and sign of feedback effects could, however, be
      explained by differences in the chemical properties of "home" and "away" soils.
      Furthermore, the direction of soil chemistry-related plant-soil feedbacks was
      dependent on plant life stage, with the effects of soil chemistry on germination
      success and accumulation of biomass inversely related. Our results (1) suggest
      that the phylogenetic distance between plant families cannot predict plant-soil
      feedbacks across multiple life stages, and (2) highlight the need to consider
      changes in soil chemistry as an important driver of population responses. The
      contrasting responses at plant life stages suggest that studies focusing on brief
      phases in plant demography (e.g., germination success) may not give a full
      picture of plant-soil feedback effects. 

PMID- 26120422
TI  - Population genetics of four heavily exploited shark species around the Arabian
      Peninsula.
AB  - The northwestern Indian Ocean harbors a number of larger marine vertebrate taxa
      that warrant the investigation of genetic population structure given remarkable
      spatial heterogeneity in biological characteristics such as distribution,
      behavior, and morphology. Here, we investigate the genetic population structure
      of four commercially exploited shark species with different biological
      characteristics (Carcharhinus limbatus, Carcharhinus sorrah, Rhizoprionodon
      acutus, and Sphyrna lewini) between the Red Sea and all other water bodies
      surrounding the Arabian Peninsula. To assess intraspecific patterns of
      connectivity, we constructed statistical parsimony networks among haplotypes and
      estimated (1) population structure; and (2) time of most recent population
      expansion, based on mitochondrial control region DNA and a total of 20
      microsatellites. Our analysis indicates that, even in smaller, less vagile shark
      species, there are no contemporary barriers to gene flow across the study region,
      while historical events, for example, Pleistocene glacial cycles, may have
      affected connectivity in C. sorrah and R. acutus. A parsimony network analysis
      provided evidence that Arabian S. lewini may represent a population segment that
      is distinct from other known stocks in the Indian Ocean, raising a new layer of
      conservation concern. Our results call for urgent regional cooperation to ensure
      the sustainable exploitation of sharks in the Arabian region. 

PMID- 26120424
TI  - Climate change creates rapid species turnover in montane communities.
AB  - Recent decades have seen substantial changes in patterns of biodiversity
      worldwide. Simultaneously, climate change is producing a widespread pattern of
      species' range shifts to higher latitudes and higher elevations, potentially
      creating novel assemblages as species shift at different rates. However, the
      direct link between species' turnover as a result of climate-induced range shifts
      has not yet been empirically evaluated. We measured rates of species turnover
      associated with species' range shifts in relatively undisturbed montane areas in
      Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and the Indo-Pacific. We show that
      species turnover is rapidly creating novel assemblages, and this can be explained
      by variable changes in species' range limits following warming. Across all the
      areas we analyzed, mean species' turnover was 12% per decade, which was nearly
      balanced between the loss of existing co-occurrences and the gain of novel co
      occurrences. Turnover appears to be more rapid among ectothermic assemblages, and
      some evidence suggests tropical assemblages may be responding at more rapid rates
      than temperate assemblages. 

PMID- 26120425
TI  - Sex-specific foraging behavior in response to fishing activities in a threatened
      seabird.
AB  - Some seabird species have learnt to efficiently exploit fishing discards from
      trawling activities. However, a discard ban has been proposed as necessary in
      Europe to ensure the sustainability of the seas. It is of crucial importance for
      the management and conservation purposes to study the potential consequences of a
      discard ban on the foraging ecology of threatened seabirds. We assessed the
      influence of fishing activities on the feeding habits of 22 male and 15 female
      Audouin's gulls (Larus audouinii) from the Ebro Delta (Mediterranean Sea) during
      the breeding period using GPS loggers together with Stable Isotope Analysis
      (SIA), which provided new insights into their foraging behavior and trophic
      ecology, respectively. GPS data revealed different sex-specific foraging patterns
      between workdays and weekends. Females were highly consistent in that they
      foraged at sea throughout the week even though discarding stops at weekends. In
      contrast, males switched from foraging at sea during the week (when discards are
      produced) to an increased use of rice field habitats at weekends (when fishermen
      do not work). This sex-specific foraging behavior could be related to specific
      nutritional requirements associated with previous egg production, an
      energetically demanding period for females. However, on a broader time scale
      integrated by the SIA, both sexes showed a high degree of individual
      specialization in their trophic ecology. The need to obtain detailed information
      on the dependence and response of seabirds to fishing activities is crucial in
      conservation sciences. In this regard, sex-specific foraging behavior in relation
      to fisheries has been overlooked, despite the ecological and conservation
      implications. For instance, this situation may lead to sex differentiation in
      bycatch mortality in longlines when trawlers do not operate. Moreover, any new
      fisheries policy will need to be implemented gradually to facilitate the
      adaptation of a specialized species to a discard ban scenario. 

PMID- 26120426
TI  - An approach to consider behavioral plasticity as a source of uncertainty when
      forecasting species' response to climate change.
AB  - The rapid ecological shifts that are occurring due to climate change present
      major challenges for managers and policymakers and, therefore, are one of the
      main concerns for environmental modelers and evolutionary biologists. Species
      distribution models (SDM) are appropriate tools for assessing the relationship
      between species distribution and environmental conditions, so being customarily
      used to forecast the biogeographical response of species to climate change. A
      serious limitation of species distribution models when forecasting the effects of
      climate change is that they normally assume that species behavior and climatic
      tolerances will remain constant through time. In this study, we propose a new
      methodology, based on fuzzy logic, useful for incorporating the potential
      capacity of species to adapt to new conditions into species distribution models.
      Our results demonstrate that it is possible to include different behavioral
      responses of species when predicting the effects of climate change on species
      distribution. Favorability models offered in this study show two extremes: one
      considering that the species will not modify its present behavior, and another
      assuming that the species will take full advantage of the possibilities offered
      by an increase in environmental favorability. This methodology may mean a more
      realistic approach to the assessment of the consequences of global change on
      species' distribution and conservation. Overlooking the potential of species'
      phenotypical plasticity may under- or overestimate the predicted response of
      species to changes in environmental drivers and its effects on species
      distribution. Using this approach, we could reinforce the science behind
      conservation planning in the current situation of rapid climate change. 

PMID- 26120427
TI  - Cryptic or pseudocryptic: can morphological methods inform copepod taxonomy? An
      analysis of publications and a case study of the Eurytemora affinis species
      complex.
AB  - Interest in cryptic species has increased significantly with current progress in
      genetic methods. The large number of cryptic species suggests that the resolution
      of traditional morphological techniques may be insufficient for taxonomical
      research. However, some species now considered to be cryptic may, in fact, be
      designated pseudocryptic after close morphological examination. Thus the "cryptic
      or pseudocryptic" dilemma speaks to the resolution of morphological analysis and
      its utility for identifying species. We address this dilemma first by
      systematically reviewing data published from 1980 to 2013 on cryptic species of
      Copepoda and then by performing an in-depth morphological study of the former
      Eurytemora affinis complex of cryptic species. Analyzing the published data
      showed that, in 5 of 24 revisions eligible for systematic review, cryptic species
      assignment was based solely on the genetic variation of forms without detailed
      morphological analysis to confirm the assignment. Therefore, some newly described
      cryptic species might be designated pseudocryptic under more detailed
      morphological analysis as happened with Eurytemora affinis complex. Recent
      genetic analyses of the complex found high levels of heterogeneity without
      morphological differences; it is argued to be cryptic. However, next detailed
      morphological analyses allowed to describe a number of valid species. Our study,
      using deep statistical analyses usually not applied for new species describing,
      of this species complex confirmed considerable differences between former cryptic
      species. In particular, fluctuating asymmetry (FA), the random variation of left
      and right structures, was significantly different between forms and provided
      independent information about their status. Our work showed that multivariate
      statistical approaches, such as principal component analysis, can be powerful
      techniques for the morphological discrimination of cryptic taxons. Despite
      increasing cryptic species designations, morphological techniques have great
      potential in determining copepod taxonomy. 

PMID- 26120428
TI  - Ecosystem recharge by volcanic dust drives broad-scale variation in bird
      abundance.
AB  - Across the globe, deserts and volcanic eruptions produce large volumes of
      atmospheric dust, and the amount of dust is predicted to increase with global
      warming. The effects of long-distance airborne dust inputs on ecosystem
      productivity are potentially far-reaching but have primarily been measured in
      soil and plants. Airborne dust could also drive distribution and abundance at
      higher trophic levels, but opportunities to explore these relationships are rare.
      Here we use Iceland's steep dust deposition gradients to assess the influence of
      dust on the distribution and abundance of internationally important ground
      nesting bird populations. Surveys of the abundance of breeding birds at 729
      locations throughout lowland Iceland were used to explore the influence of dust
      deposition on bird abundance in agricultural, dry, and wet habitats. Dust
      deposition had a strong positive effect on bird abundance across Iceland in dry
      and wet habitats, but not in agricultural land where nutrient levels are managed.
      The abundance of breeding waders, the dominant group of terrestrial birds in
      Iceland, tripled on average between the lowest and highest dust deposition
      classes in both wet and dry habitats. The deposition and redistribution of
      volcanic materials can have powerful impacts in terrestrial ecosystems and can be
      a major driver of the abundance of higher trophic-level organisms at broad
      spatial scales. The impacts of volcanic ash deposition during eruptions and
      subsequent redistribution of unstable volcanic materials are strong enough to
      override effects of underlying variation in organic matter and clay content on
      ecosystem fertility. Global rates of atmospheric dust deposition are likely to
      increase with increasing desertification and glacier retreat, and this study
      demonstrates that the effects on ecosystems are likely to be far-reaching, both
      in terms of spatial scales and ecosystem components. 

PMID- 26120429
TI  - Maternal effects and maternal selection arising from variation in allocation of
      free amino acid to eggs.
AB  - Maternal provisioning can have profound effects on offspring phenotypes, or
      maternal effects, especially early in life. One ubiquitous form of provisioning
      is in the makeup of egg. However, only a few studies examine the role of specific
      egg constituents in maternal effects, especially as they relate to maternal
      selection (a standardized selection gradient reflecting the covariance between
      maternal traits and offspring fitness). Here, we report on the evolutionary
      consequences of differences in maternal acquisition and allocation of amino acids
      to eggs. We manipulated acquisition by varying maternal diet (milkweed or
      sunflower) in the large milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus. Variation in
      allocation was detected by examining two source populations with different
      evolutionary histories and life-history response to sunflower as food. We
      measured amino acids composition in eggs in this 2 * 2 design and found
      significant effects of source population and maternal diet on egg and nymph mass
      and of source population, maternal diet, and their interaction on amino acid
      composition of eggs. We measured significant linear and quadratic maternal
      selection on offspring mass associated with variation in amino acid allocation.
      Visualizing the performance surface along the major axes of nonlinear selection
      and plotting the mean amino acid profile of eggs from each treatment onto the
      surface revealed a saddle-shaped fitness surface. While maternal selection
      appears to have influenced how females allocate amino acids, this maternal effect
      did not evolve equally in the two populations. Furthermore, none of the
      population means coincided with peak performance. Thus, we found that the
      composition of free amino acids in eggs was due to variation in both acquisition
      and allocation, which had significant fitness effects and created selection.
      However, although there can be an evolutionary response to novel food resources,
      females may be constrained from reaching phenotypic optima with regard to
      allocation of free amino acids. 

PMID- 26120430
TI  - Invasive plants may promote predator-mediated feedback that inhibits further
      invasion.
AB  - Understanding the impacts of invasive species requires placing invasion within a
      full community context. Plant invaders are often considered in the context of
      herbivores that may drive invasion by avoiding invaders while consuming natives
      (enemy escape), or inhibit invasion by consuming invaders (biotic resistance).
      However, predators that attack those herbivores are rarely considered as major
      players in invasion. Invasive plants often promote predators, generally by
      providing improved habitat. Here, we show that predator-promoting invaders may
      initiate a negative feedback loop that inhibits invasion. By enabling top-down
      control of herbivores, predator-promoting invaders lose any advantage gained
      through enemy escape, indirectly favoring natives. In cases where palatable
      invaders encounter biotic resistance, predator promotion may allow an invader to
      persist, but not dominate. Overall, results indicate that placing invaders in a
      full community context may reveal reduced impacts of invaders compared to
      expectations based on simple plant-plant or plant-herbivore subsystems. 

PMID- 26120431
TI  - Variation in the population structure between a natural and a human-modified
      forest for a pioneer tropical tree species not restricted to large gaps.
AB  - The distribution of tree species in tropical forests is generally related to the
      occurrence of disturbances and shifts in the local environmental conditions such
      as light, temperature, and biotic factors. Thus, the distribution of pioneer tree
      species is expected to vary according to the gap characteristics and with human
      disturbances. We asked whether there was variation in the distribution of a
      pioneer species under different environmental conditions generated by natural
      disturbances, and between two forests with contrasting levels of human
      disturbance. To answer this question, we studied the distribution patterns and
      population persistence of the pioneer tree species Croton floribundus in the size
      and age gap range of a primary Brazilian forest. Additionally, we compared the
      plant density of two size-classes between a primary and an early successional
      human-disturbed forest. Croton floribundus was found to be widespread and equally
      distributed along the gap-size gradient in the primary forest. Overall density
      did not vary with gap size or age (F-ratio = 0.062, P = 0.941), and while
      juveniles were found to have a higher density in the early successional forest (P
      = 0.021), tree density was found to be similar between forests (P = 0.058). Our
      results indicate that the population structure of a pioneer tree species with
      long life span and a broad gap-size niche preference varied between natural and
      human-disturbed forests, but not with the level of natural disturbance. We
      believe this can be explained by the extreme environmental changes that occur
      after human disturbance. The ecological processes that affect the distribution of
      pioneer species in natural and human-modified forests may be similar, but our
      results suggest they act differently under the contrasting environmental
      conditions generated by natural and human disturbances. 

PMID- 26120432
TI  - Black liquor and the hangover effect: fish assemblage recovery dynamics following
      a pulse disturbance.
AB  - Anthropogenic perturbations impact aquatic systems causing wide-ranging
      responses, from assemblage restructuring to assemblage recovery. Previous studies
      indicate the duration and intensity of disturbances play a role in the dynamics
      of assemblage recovery. In August 2011, the Pearl River, United States, was
      subjected to a weak black liquor spill from a paper mill which resulted in
      substantial loss of fish in a large stretch of the main channel. We quantified
      resilience and recovery of fish assemblage structure in the impacted area
      following the event. We compared downstream (impacted) assemblages to upstream
      (unimpacted) assemblages to determine initial impacts on structure. Additionally,
      we incorporated historic fish collections (1988-2011) to examine impacts on
      assemblage structure across broad temporal scales. Based on NMDS, upstream and
      downstream sites generally showed similar assemblage structure across sample
      periods with the exception of the 2 months postdischarge, where upstream and
      downstream sites visually differed. Multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA)
      indicated significant seasonal variation among samples, but found no significant
      interaction between impacted and unimpacted assemblages following the discharge
      event. However, multivariate dispersion (MVDISP) showed greater variance among
      assemblage structure following the discharge event. These results suggest that 2
      months following the disturbance represent a time period of stochasticity in
      regard to assemblage structure dynamics, and this was followed by rapid recovery.
      We term this dynamic the "hangover effect" as it represents the time frame from
      the cessation of the perturbation to the assemblage's return to predisturbance
      conditions. The availability and proximity of tributaries and upstream refugia,
      which were not affected by the disturbance, as well as the rapid recovery of
      abiotic parameters likely played a substantial role in assemblage recovery. This
      study not only demonstrates rapid recovery in an aquatic system, but further
      demonstrates the value of continuous, long-term, data collections which enhance
      our understanding of assemblage dynamics. 

PMID- 26120433
TI  - Long-term livestock exclusion facilitates native woody plant encroachment in a
      sandy semiarid rangeland.
AB  - The role of livestock grazing in regulating woody cover and biomass in grass
      dominant systems is well recognized. However, the way in which woody plant
      populations in respond when livestock are removed from grazing in the absence of
      other disturbances, such as fire, remains unclear.We conducted a 10-year,
      replicated fencing experiment in a sandy semiarid rangeland in northern China
      (which has a mean annual rainfall of 365 mm), where fires have been actively
      suppressed for decades.Fencing dramatically influenced the growth and age
      structure of the native tree species, Ulmus pumila, which is the sole dominant
      tree in the area. After a decade, the density of the U. pumila tree population in
      the fencing plots increased doubly and canopy cover increased triply. The
      proportion of both saplings (U 2 ) and young trees (U 3 ) increased in fencing
      plots but decreased in grazing plots after the 10-year treatment period. The
      effects of fencing on U. pumila trees varied by age class, with potential
      implications for the future structure of the U. pumila tree community. Decadal
      fencing led to approximately 80-fold increase in recruitment and a nearly 2.5
      fold decrease in the mortality of both U 2 and U 3 . Further, livestock grazing
      generated a "browsing trap" to the recruitment of both U 2 and U 3 , and had a
      small impact on the mortality of old trees. A long-term, fencing-driven shift in
      woody species composition was mediated via its effects on both recruitment and
      mortality rates.Synthesis and applications. Our results demonstrate that in the
      long-term absence of both fire and livestock, native woody plant encroachment
      tends to occur in sandy rangelands, transforming the woody plant demography in
      the process. The feasibility of full livestock exclusion in sandy rangelands
      requires further discussion. A balanced amount of livestock grazing may provide
      critical ecosystem services by regulating woody cover and mediating woody plant
      encroachment. 

PMID- 26120434
TI  - A joint individual-based model coupling growth and mortality reveals that tree
      vigor is a key component of tropical forest dynamics.
AB  - Tree vigor is often used as a covariate when tree mortality is predicted from
      tree growth in tropical forest dynamic models, but it is rarely explicitly
      accounted for in a coherent modeling framework. We quantify tree vigor at the
      individual tree level, based on the difference between expected and observed
      growth. The available methods to join nonlinear tree growth and mortality
      processes are not commonly used by forest ecologists so that we develop an
      inference methodology based on an MCMC approach, allowing us to sample the
      parameters of the growth and mortality model according to their posterior
      distribution using the joint model likelihood. We apply our framework to a set of
      data on the 20-year dynamics of a forest in Paracou, French Guiana, taking
      advantage of functional trait-based growth and mortality models already developed
      independently. Our results showed that growth and mortality are intimately linked
      and that the vigor estimator is an essential predictor of mortality, highlighting
      that trees growing more than expected have a far lower probability of dying. Our
      joint model methodology is sufficiently generic to be used to join two
      longitudinal and punctual linked processes and thus may be applied to a wide
      range of growth and mortality models. In the context of global changes, such
      joint models are urgently needed in tropical forests to analyze, and then
      predict, the effects of the ongoing changes on the tree dynamics in hyperdiverse
      tropical forests. 

PMID- 26120435
TI  - Interactions between density, home range behaviors, and contact rates in the
      Channel Island fox (Urocyon littoralis).
AB  - Many of the mechanisms underlying density-dependent regulation of populations,
      including contest competition and disease spread, depend on contact among
      neighboring animals. Understanding how variation in population density influences
      the frequency of contact among neighboring animals is therefore an important
      aspect to understanding the mechanisms underlying, and ecological consequences
      of, density-dependent regulation. However, contact rates are difficult to measure
      in the field and may be influenced by density through multiple pathways. This
      study explored how local density affects contact rates among Channel Island foxes
      (Urocyon littoralis) through two pathways: changes in home range size and changes
      in home range overlap. We tracked 40 radio-collared foxes at four sites on San
      Clemente Island, California. Fox densities at the four sites ranged from 2.8 +/-
      1.28 to 42.8 +/- 9.43 foxes/km(2). Higher fox densities were correlated with
      smaller home ranges (R (2) = 0.526, F 1,38 = 42.19, P < 0.001). Thirty foxes wore
      collars that also contained proximity loggers, which recorded the time and
      duration of occasions when collared foxes were within 5 m of one another. Contact
      rates between neighboring fox dyads were positively correlated with home range
      overlap (R (2)  = 0.341, P = 0.008), but not fox density (R (2)  = 0.012, P =
      0.976). Individuals at high densities had more collared neighbors with
      overlapping home ranges (R (2)  = 0.123, P = 0.026) but not an increase in the
      amount of contact between individual neighbors. This study was the first time
      contact rates were directly measured and compared to density and home range
      overlap. Results suggest that foxes exhibit a threshold in their degree of
      tolerance for neighbors, overlap is a reliable index of the amount of direct
      contact between island foxes, and disease transmission rates will likely scale
      with fox density. 

PMID- 26120436
TI  - Grazing intensifies degradation of a Tibetan Plateau alpine meadow through plant
      pest interaction.
AB  - Understanding the plant-pest interaction under warming with grazing conditions is
      critical to predict the response of alpine meadow to future climate change. We
      investigated the effects of experimental warming and grazing on the interaction
      between plants and the grassland caterpillar Gynaephora menyuanensis in an alpine
      meadow on the Tibetan Plateau in 2010 and 2011. Our results showed that grazing
      significantly increased nitrogen concentration in graminoids and sward openness
      with a lower sward height, sward coverage, and plant litter mass in the
      community. Grazing significantly increased G. menyuanensis body size and
      potential fecundity in 2010. The increases in female body size were about twofold
      greater than in males. In addition, grazing significantly increased G.
      menyuanensis density and its negative effects on aboveground biomass and
      graminoid coverage in 2011. We found that G. menyuanensis body size was
      significantly positively correlated with nitrogen concentration in graminoids but
      negatively correlated with plant litter mass. Even though warming did not
      significantly increased G. menyuanensis performance and the negative effects of
      G. menyuanensis on alpine meadow, the increases in G. menyuanensis growth rate
      and its negative effect on aboveground biomass under the warming with grazing
      treatment were significantly higher than those under the no warming with grazing
      treatment. The positive effects of grazing on G. menyuanensis performance and its
      damage were exacerbated by the warming treatment. Our results suggest that the
      fitness of G. menyuanensis would increase under future warming with grazing
      conditions, thereby posing a greater risk to alpine meadow and livestock
      production. 

PMID- 26097682
TI  - Reliability and reproducibility of spectral and time domain optical coherence
      tomography images before and after correction for patients with age-related
      macular degeneration.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the reproducibility and reliability of optical coherence
      tomography scans obtained using the time domain (TD-OCT) Stratus (TM) OCT, and
      the Spectral Domain (SD-OCT) Spectralis (TM) and Cirrus (TM) OCT devices before
      and after manual correction in eyes with either Neovascular (NV-AMD) or Non
      Neovascular (NNV-AMD) age-related macular degeneration. DESIGN: Prospective
      observational study. METHODS:  SETTING: University-based retina practice.
      PATIENTS: Thirty-six patients (50 eyes) with NV-AMD or NNV-AMD. PROCEDURE: OCT
      scans were taken simultaneously using one TD-OCT and two SD-OCT devices. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Macular thickness measurements were assessed before and after
      correction of the algorithm by constructing Bland-Altman plots for agreement and
      calculating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficients of
      repeatability (COR) to evaluate intraclass repeatability. RESULTS: Spectralis had
      the highest number of images needing manual correction.  All machines had high
      ICCs, with Spectralis having the highest.  Also, Bland-Altman plots indicated
      that there was low agreement between CirrusTM and StratusTM, SpectralisTM and
      StratusTM, while there was good agreement between the CirrusTM and SpectralisTM. 
      The CORs were lowest for Spectralis (TM) and similar and higher for Cirrus (TM)
      and Stratus (TM).  Agreement, CORs, and ICCs generally improved after manual
      correction, but only minimally.  CONCLUSION: Agreement is low between devices,
      except between both SD-OCT machines.  Manual correction tends to improve results.

PMID- 26120439
TI  - The chronic kalaemia conundrum.

PMID- 26120441
TI  - Eculizumab and drug-induced haemolytic-uraemic syndrome.
AB  - The monoclonal anti-C5 antibody eculizumab has been successfully tested in
      atypical haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (aHUS), with or without mutations in the
      regulatory proteins of the alternative pathway of the complement, and less
      convincingly in enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli-associated HUS. Here, we
      report a patient with mitomycin-C-induced HUS unresponsive to plasma exchanges.
      Eculizumab infusion was followed by a dramatic improvement of haematological
      parameters and renal function, suggesting a role of complement blockade in the
      management of refractory, drug-related HUS. 

PMID- 26120440
TI  - Mineralocorticoid receptor blockade-a novel approach to fight hyperkalaemia in
      chronic kidney disease.
AB  - Hyperkalaemia continues to be a major hazard of mineralocorticoid receptor
      blockade in an effort to retard the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
      In cardiac patients on mineralocorticoid receptor blockade, RLY-5016 which
      captures K(+) in the colon has been effective in reducing the risk of
      hyperkalaemia. This compound might be useful in CKD as well. 

PMID- 26120442
TI  - Extramedullary hematopoiesis in renal allograft.
AB  - Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH), defined as the presence of hematopoietic
      elements outside of the medullary cavity of bone, has been reported in patients
      with various hematopoietic neoplasms including myelofibrosis. EMH commonly occurs
      in the liver and spleen (resulting in hepatosplenomegaly) and uncommonly involves
      the kidney. EMH involving the allograft kidney has not been reported in English
      literature. Herein, we report the first case of EMH in allograft kidney in a
      patient with myelofibrosis. The clinical and pathological findings are described.
      Through comparison of the medullary neoplastic infiltrate with the renal
      allograft infiltrate, we postulate the neoplastic nature of the infiltrate in the
      allograft kidney. 

PMID- 26120443
TI  - Successful treatment of adult-onset collapsing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis
      with rituximab.
AB  - Collapsing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), or collapsing
      glomerulopathy (CG), responds poorly to commonly employed therapies, with a high
      proportion of patients progressing to end-stage renal disease. We report an adult
      in a nephrotic state, diagnosed with minimal-change disease on biopsy, who failed
      to respond to steroids, calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), mycophenolate mofetil and
      cyclophosphamide. Repeat biopsy showed CG. Treatment with 4 weekly doses of
      rituximab led to sustained remission of his nephrotic state. This is the first
      report of adult-onset CG that has responded favourably to rituximab. Rituximab
      could be a treatment option for patients with this difficult-to-treat condition. 

PMID- 26120444
TI  - Warfarin-related nephropathy in a patient with mild IgA nephropathy on dabigatran
      and aspirin.
AB  - Dabigatran is a direct thrombin inhibitor used as an alternative to warfarin for
      long-term anticoagulation. We describe a patient who developed acute kidney
      injury (AKI) in the setting of warfarin conversion to dabigatran, and a renal
      biopsy demonstrating acute tubular injury. Although the patient had undiagnosed
      IgA nephropathy that may have predisposed him to bleeding, AKI was due to heme
      associated tubular injury. We propose that severe hematuria in patients with
      underlying glomerular pathology treated with either dabigatran or warfarin may
      lead to toxic tubular injury through the accumulation of heme-proteins. 

PMID- 26120445
TI  - Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome occurring during continuous renal replacement
      therapy.
AB  - The dialysis disequilibrium syndrome (DDS) is characterized by progressive
      neurological symptoms and signs attributable to cerebral edema that occurs due to
      fluid shifts into the brain following a relatively rapid decrease in serum
      osmolality during hemodialysis (HD). Since continuous renal replacement therapy
      (CRRT) is less efficient at solute clearance than intermittent HD, it seems
      logical that this mode of therapy is less likely to cause DDS. This entity has
      not been previously reported to occur with this modality. Here, we report two
      cases of DDS associated with CRRT that provide insights into its
      pathophysiological mechanisms and suggest strategies for its prevention. 

PMID- 26120446
TI  - Curvilinear bodies in hydroxychloroquine-induced renal phospholipidosis
      resembling Fabry disease.
AB  - Inherited and acquired metabolic disorders are responsible for renal
      intracellular accumulation of phospholipids. Ultrastructural analysis revealing
      typical myeloid or zebra bodies was previously thought to be exclusive to Fabry
      disease. However, chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine toxicity can cause similar
      abnormalities. Recent studies have mentioned curvilinear bodies (CLB) in renal
      cells in such cases, never described in Fabry nephropathy. We report a 31-year
      old patient with systemic lupus erythematosus who was on long-term
      hydroxychloroquine treatment. The presence of zebra bodies on electron microscopy
      lead to initial interpretation of Fabry disease, but subsequent genetic analysis
      did not show a relevant mutation. Further evaluation revealed CLB in renal cells,
      supporting the diagnosis of hydroxycholoroquine-induced renal phospholipidosis. 

PMID- 26120447
TI  - Variant thoracic venous drainage and its hazards with catheter for haemodialysis.

PMID- 26120448
TI  - Pure red cell aplasia after treatment of renal anaemia with epoetin theta.

PMID- 26120449
TI  - Perirenal fibrosis: make your diagnosis.

PMID- 26120450
TI  - A woman with ascites and oliguria.

PMID- 26120451
TI  - Page kidney phenomenon secondary to an atypical presentation of Erdheim-Chester
      disease.

PMID- 26120452
TI  - Angiosarcoma in vascular access after transplantation.

PMID- 26120453
TI  - Reverse autoperitoneal dialysis resulting in pseudo acute renal failure.

PMID- 26120454
TI  - Peritonitis from Rothia mucilaginosa in a chronic peritoneal dialysis patient.

PMID- 26120455
TI  - Dialysis practice from the English NHS to the orient.

PMID- 26120456
TI  - Peritoneal dialysis: from bench to bedside.
AB  - Peritoneal dialysis was first employed in patients with acute renal failure in
      the 1940s and since the 1960s for those with end-stage renal disease. Its
      popularity increased enormously after the introduction of continuous ambulatory
      peritoneal dialysis in the end of 1970s. This stimulated both clinical and basic
      research. In an ideal situation, this should lead to cross-fertilization between
      the two. The present review describes two examples of interactions: one where it
      worked out very well and another where basic science missed the link with
      clinical findings. Those on fluid transport are examples of how old physiological
      findings on absorption of saline and glucose solutions were adopted in peritoneal
      dialysis by the use of glucose as an osmotic agent. The mechanism behind this in
      patients was first solved mathematically by the assumption of ultrasmall
      intracellular pores allowing water transport only. At the same time, basic
      science discovered the water channel aquaporin-1 (AQP-1), and a few years later,
      studies in transgenic mice confirmed that AQP-1 was the ultrasmall pore. In
      clinical medicine, this led to its assessment in patients and the notion of its
      impairment. Drugs for treatment have been developed. Research on biocompatibility
      is not a success story. Basic science has focussed on dialysis solutions with a
      low pH and lactate, and effects of glucose degradation products, although the
      first is irrelevant in patients and effects of continuous exposure to high
      glucose concentrations were largely neglected. Industry believed the bench more
      than the bedside, resulting in 'biocompatible' dialysis solutions. These
      solutions have some beneficial effects, but are evidently not the final answer. 

PMID- 26120457
TI  - Clinicopathological course of acute kidney injury following brown recluse
      (Loxoscles reclusa) envenomation.
AB  - We report a case of severe systemic loxoscelism in a previously healthy young
      man. This was associated with a Coombs-positive hemolytic anemia, striking
      leukomid reaction, renal failure, respiratory failure and cardiovascular
      collapse. This is the first documented case of a renal biopsy in a patient with
      renal failure after envenomation by the brown recluse spider. Associated systemic
      toxicity usually resolves but requires prompt recognition and supportive care in
      an intensive care setting. We also discuss the potential mechanism by which the
      venom of this small spider can lead to multiorgan failure and possibly death. 

PMID- 26120458
TI  - Leukocyte chemotactic factor 2 (LECT2) amyloidosis presenting as pulmonary-renal
      syndrome: a case report and review of the literature.
AB  - Leukocyte chemotactic factor-2 (LECT2) amyloidosis has been described as being
      associated with kidney disease; however, no clinical manifestations outside of
      the kidney have been previously reported. We describe a patient presenting with
      pulmonary-renal syndrome found to have deposition of amyloidogenic LECT2 (ALECT2)
      within both the lung and the kidney. This case is unique in regard to both the
      patient's clinical presentation of pulmonary-renal syndrome in the setting of
      amyloidosis and the biopsy finding of ALECT2 deposition within the lung. It also
      emphasizes the importance of tissue diagnosis in such cases, given that
      amyloidosis was not initially considered in the differential diagnosis. 

PMID- 26120459
TI  - Symptomatic lymphocele developing soon after acute renal allograft rejection:
      coincidental or causal connection?
AB  - A renal transplant patient developed a lymphocele soon after an episode of acute
      rejection (AR). The lymphocele rapidly increased in size causing transplant
      ureteric and venous obstruction, leading to acute graft dysfunction and swelling
      of the ipsilateral leg. We appraise the complex relationship that exists between
      AR, lymphangiogenesis and lymphocele formation to determine whether a case for a
      causal connection between AR and development of lymphocele can be made in our
      patient. 

PMID- 26120460
TI  - Calciphylaxis.

PMID- 26120461
TI  - Cutaneous involvement in haemolytic uraemic syndrome.

PMID- 26120462
TI  - Azathioprine-induced Sweet syndrome in ANCA-associated vasculitis.

PMID- 26120463
TI  - Acute renal failure due to Dengue myositis: a rare cause of pigment cast
      nephropathy.

PMID- 26120464
TI  - Gross hematuria after kidney transplantation.

PMID- 26120465
TI  - Colchicine-induced rhabdomyolysis following a concomitant use of clarithromycin
      in a haemodialysis patient with familial Mediterranean fever.

PMID- 26120466
TI  - Renal amyloidosis secondary to hidradenitis suppurativa.

PMID- 26120467
TI  - Stability of biochemical analytes of end stage renal failure patients on renal
      replacement therapy for urea-kinetic modeling in the home dialysis setting.

PMID- 26120469
TI  - Erratum: Mineralocorticoid receptor blockade-a novel approach to fight
      hyperkalaemia in chronic kidney disease.

PMID- 26120468
TI  - Knuckle cracking: secondary hyperparathyroidism and what your mother did not tell
      you.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Secondary hyperparathyroidism in end-stage renal disease patients
      has protean musculoskeletal manifestations. Some of our dialysis patients
      spontaneously vocalized that they had lost the ability to crack their knuckles
      and then experienced gratifying restoration after surgical parathyroidectomy. We
      propose that the physiology and mechanical basis of knuckle cracking would be
      affected by parathyroid-related mineral and bone disorders. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      We surveyed all of our chronic dialysis outpatients who had undergone surgical
      parathyroidectomy. Thirteen (~12% of the population) individuals were identified:
      eight males, age 37.7 +/- 12.5 years old, dialysis duration of 10.2 +/- 7.0 years
      and peak preoperative intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels of 2344 +/- 900
      pg/mL. Seven patients had no recollection of knuckle cracking issues, with
      surgery as remote as decades. Six individuals were able to provide adequate
      histories: four had postoperative restoration of knuckle cracking and expressed
      great satisfaction from the emotional relief from what appeared to be habitual
      knuckle cracking. Two of these patients reported rapid return of cracking,
      occurring in less than ~2 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of loss of
      knuckle cracking due to hyperparathyroidism and its cure in 67% of patients,
      following surgical parathyroidectomy. We propose that parathyroid (e.g. calcific)
      changes in articular structures (tendons, ligaments) cause reduced elasticity,
      limited joint surface separation upon flexion, attenuation of cavitation and
      thus, loss of the audible crack upon vacuum collapse. The psychological 'release'
      from habitual knuckle cracking may be a motivator from some patients to adhere to
      complex parathyroid regimens or to pursue surgical intervention.

PMID- 26120472
TI  - Decline in non-smoking workers' urine cotinine levels after increased smoking
      regulation in Korea.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify any association between implementing smoking regulation
      policies and workers' urine cotinine concentration levels in Korea. METHODS: From
      the first stage of the Korean National Environmental Health Survey conducted by
      the National Institute of Environmental Research from 2009 to 2011, 2,475 non
      smoking workers selected. We analyzed the trend in the changes of cotinine
      concentration in urine using the general linear model and linear regression, in
      various jobs as categorized by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
      and Korea Standard Classification of Occupations (KSCO). RESULTS: The urine
      cotinine concentration tended to decrease every year (2.91 ng/ml in 2009, 2.12
      ng/ml in 2010, and 1.31 ng/ml in 2011), showing a decreasing trend (P < 0.001).
      The total subjects' decreased cotinine concentration in urine between 2009 and
      2011 was 2.72 ng/ml (54.1 % relative decrease). The changes in each subgroup's
      urine cotinine concentration ranged from 1.59 to 6.03 ng/ml (33.2 to 77.5 %). All
      groups except for the managerial group (n = 49), which had a small sample size,
      had statistically significant negative regression coefficients (p < 0.05). The
      ranges of the decrease in urine cotinine were 2.75 ng/ml (53.6 %) for males and
      2.72 ng/ml (54.9 %) for females. The negative slope in urine cotinine level was
      statistically significantly greater in men than women. The changes in urine
      cotinine by occupation as classified by the NCHS occupational categories ranged
      from 2.43 to 3.36 ng/ml (46.6 to 61.5 % relative decrease). The negative slopes
      in urine cotinine levels of the white-collar and farm workers were statistically
      significantly greater than those of the service workers and blue-collar workers.
      The change by occupation as classified by the KSCO ranged from 1.59 to 6.03 ng/ml
      (a 33.2 to 77.5 % relative decrease). The negative slopes in urine cotinine
      levels of the professionals and related workers and clerks were statistically
      significantly greater than those of the service workers and plant and machine
      operators and assemblers. CONCLUSIONS: The cotinine concentration in urine among
      non-smoking worker groups tended to decline from 2009 to 2011. Such a result may
      be an indirect indicator of the effectiveness of smoking regulation policies
      including the revision of the National Health Promotion Act.

PMID- 26120470
TI  - 16S rRNA gene-based profiling of the human infant gut microbiota is strongly
      influenced by sample processing and PCR primer choice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Characterisation of the bacterial composition of the gut microbiota
      is increasingly carried out with a view to establish the role of different
      bacterial species in causation or prevention of disease. It is thus essential
      that the methods used to determine the microbial composition are robust. Here,
      several widely used molecular techniques were compared to establish the optimal
      methods to assess the bacterial composition in faecal samples from babies, before
      weaning. RESULTS: The bacterial community profile detected in the faeces of
      infants is highly dependent on the methodology used. Bifidobacteria were the most
      abundant bacteria detected at 6 weeks in faeces from two initially breast-fed
      babies using fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH), in agreement with data
      from previous culture-based studies. Using the 16S rRNA gene sequencing approach,
      however, we found that the detection of bifidobacteria in particular crucially
      depended on the optimisation of the DNA extraction method, and the choice of
      primers used to amplify the V1-V3 regions of 16S rRNA genes prior to subsequent
      sequence analysis. Bifidobacteria were only well represented among amplified 16S
      rRNA gene sequences when mechanical disruption (bead-beating) procedures for DNA
      extraction were employed together with optimised "universal" PCR primers. These
      primers incorporate degenerate bases at positions where mismatches to
      bifidobacteria and other bacterial taxa occur. The use of a DNA extraction kit
      with no bead-beating step resulted in a complete absence of bifidobacteria in the
      sequence data, even when using the optimised primers. CONCLUSIONS: This work
      emphasises the importance of sample processing methodology to downstream
      sequencing results and illustrates the value of employing multiple approaches for
      determining microbiota composition.

PMID- 26120473
TI  - Development of a novel approach to enhance the solubility of ftibamzone
      formulation.
AB  - Ftibamzone (FBZ) is known to be effective against herpes simplex virus that
      causes genital herpes but poor solubility of FBZ has reduced its therapeutic
      efficacy. We investigated water-soluble complexes of various nanoparticles with
      FBZ to improve its solubility as well as increase its absorption. Using phase
      solubility technique, we measured formation constant (K1:1 and K1:2) values at
      room temperature in pH 7 buffer. Solubility was determined by dissolving FBZ or
      FBZ-entrapped nanoparticles in phosphate buffers and pH adjusted to different pH
      range (2-12). The solutions were then equilibrated for 24 hours and then filtered
      and analyzed using HPCL. Nanoparticles were formulated using nanoprecipitation
      technique and cellular uptake of nanoparticle was determined by confocal
      microscope. No significant FBZ solubility was observed from pH 2 to 10 however we
      did notice a rapid increase in solubility from pH of 10 to 12 with FBZ solubility
      of 950 MUg/ml. Our log D against pH profile revealed that FBZ is characteristic
      of an acid drug since unionized group was dominant at low pH. FBZ interaction
      with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (mbetaCD) complexation/nanoparticles showed a
      greater solubility of FBZ compared with FBZ alone while complexation constants
      were determined to be K1:1 and K1:2 were 7.06*10-3 and 8.98*10-8 mM-1
      respectively. Only FBZ-chitosan nanoparticles were toxic against MDCK cells.
      Study demonstrates that FBZ-PLGA nanoparticles could significantly enhance the
      solubility and absorption of FBZ compared with FBZ alone and has the potential to
      be used as an effective delivery system for the treatment of genital herpes.

PMID- 26120474
TI  - Neuronal Activity, Mitogens, and mTOR: Overcoming the Hurdles for the Treatment
      of Glioblastoma Multiforme.
AB  - Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and other malignant gliomas are considered to be
      the most prevalent of primary malignant brain tumors. The incidence of these
      tumors per year is reported as 4.13 per 100,000 individuals per year. The median
      survival time following the diagnosis of GBM is approximately fifteen months in
      the setting of providing presently available treatments with surgical resection,
      radiation, and chemotherapy. Given these statistics, new strategies for the
      treatment of GBM and other aggressive tumors of the brain are warranted.

PMID- 26120471
TI  - Diagnostic and prognostic microRNAs in the serum of breast cancer patients
      measured by droplet digital PCR.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer circulating biomarkers include carcinoembryonic antigen
      and carbohydrate antigen 15-3, which are used for patient follow-up. Since
      sensitivity and specificity are low, novel and more useful biomarkers are needed.
      The presence of stable circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in serum or plasma
      suggested a promising role for these tiny RNAs as cancer biomarkers. To acquire
      an absolute concentration of circulating miRNAs and reduce the impact of
      preanalytical and analytical variables, we used the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR)
      technique. RESULTS: We investigated a panel of five miRNAs in the sera of two
      independent cohorts of breast cancer patients and disease-free controls. The
      study showed that miR-148b-3p and miR-652-3p levels were significantly lower in
      the serum of breast cancer patients than that in controls in both cohorts. For
      these two miRNAs, the stratification of breast cancer patients versus controls
      was confirmed by receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. In addition,
      we showed that higher levels of serum miR-10b-5p were associated with
      clinicobiological markers of poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed the
      usefulness of the ddPCR approach for the quantification of circulating miRNAs.
      The use of the ddPCR quantitative approach revealed very good agreement between
      two independent cohorts in terms of comparable absolute miRNA concentrations and
      consistent trends of dysregulation in breast cancer patients versus controls.
      Overall, this study supports the use of the quantitative ddPCR approach for
      monitoring the absolute levels of diagnostic and prognostic tumor-specific
      circulating miRNAs.

PMID- 26120475
TI  - Mechanisms of morphogenetic disorders in the lower jaw under the influence of
      heavy metal salts on the body.
AB  - In the experiment on the 36 mature rats, the peculiarities of morphological
      disorders in the lower jaw of rats under the influence of salts of chromium,
      lead, zinc, iron, copper, and manganese are showed. Profound morphological
      changes in bone and cartilaginous tissues of lower jaw are followed by disorders
      of bone mineral content. The importance of the S100 protein in morphological
      changes in bone and cartilaginous tissues under the influence of heavy metal
      salts is shown. 

PMID- 26120476
TI  - Cocaine use does not affect mean platelet volume.
AB  - Increased mean platelet volume (MPV) is a marker of platelet activation. Platelet
      activation with cocaine use is not well studied. We wanted to investigate MPV
      levels in patients with cocaine-associated chest pain (CACP) as a marker of
      platelet activation. Retrospectively, MPV of 82 consecutive patients with CACP
      (group 1) with positive urine drug screen (UDS), without acute myocardial
      infarction (AMI) (group 1A) and with AMI with elevated troponin (group 1B), were
      included in the study. The control group (group 2) consisted of 89 consecutive
      patients admitted during the same time period with acute chest pain (ACP) who had
      negative UDS and negative cardiac markers with a normal cardiac stress test or
      normal coronary angiogram. Analysis showed no statistically significant
      difference of MPV between group 1, 8.46 +/- 1.06 fL, versus group 2, 8.7 +/- 1.07
      fL; p = 0.142; and between group 1A, 8.46 +/- 1.05 fL, and group 1B, 8.46 +/-
      1.09 fL; p = 0.983. By multiple linear regression analysis, MPV was not
      influenced by cocaine abuse (R = 0.269, R (2) = 0.072, adjusted R (2) = -0.009, p
      = 0.562). MPV is not elevated in patients with cocaine use even when they had
      AMI. Further studies may be necessary to investigate the role of platelet
      activation in patients with cocaine use and chest pain. 

PMID- 26120477
TI  - Effect of the timing of delivery on perinatal outcomes at gestational
      hypertension.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the perinatal outcomes of women diagnosed with
      gestational hypertension and no proteinuria according to the gestational weeks.
      METHODS: We included women diagnosed with gestational hypertension between 2010
      and 2014 at our institution and excluded the patients with preeclampsia and
      chronic hypertension. Women with gestational hypertension were grouped according
      to the gestational weeks. One group consisted of the pregnancies between 37 and
      38*6, whereas the other group included pregnancies between 39 and 41 weeks. Then
      the outcomes of these pregnancies were compared with healthy women who had
      delivery between the same weeks (37-38*6 weeks and 39-41 weeks). We analyzed the
      mode of delivery, birth weight, and neonatal outcomes of these pregnancies.
      RESULTS: First and fifth minute Apgar scores were significantly decreased in
      women with gestational hypertension who had delivery between 39 and 41 weeks
      compared to healthy subjects (respectively, p = 0.005 and p = 0.033). Perinatal
      outcomes were adversely affected if the time of delivery was beyond 39 weeks in
      pregnancies complicated with gestational hypertension. CONCLUSION: We concluded
      that perinatal outcomes were adversely affected if the time of delivery was
      beyond 39 weeks in pregnancies complicated with gestational hypertension, and
      outcomes of such pregnancies can be improved if time for delivery is <39 weeks.

PMID- 26120478
TI  - Pathogenetic mechanisms of heavy metals effect on proapoptotic and proliferative
      potential of breast cancer.
AB  - MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chemical composition was studied with the help of the
      scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersion spectrometer.
      Immunohistochemical reaction showed the p53 and Ki-67 receptors expression. The
      study of DNA fragmentation was performed in agarose gel. RESULTS: There was an
      interrelation between the accumulations of the trace elements with the degree of
      cancer malignancy. There were 85% of cases with positive reaction to Ki-67 and
      40% cases with positive reaction to p53. We found a moderate correlation between
      the accumulation of microelements in the breast cancer tissue and the level of
      proliferative activity. We noted the combination of the increase of DNA
      fragmentation with the expression of p53 and Ki-67 receptors. CONCLUSIONS: The
      trace elements can cause the initiation and the progression of the tumorous
      growth, which is expressed in the increased proliferation of tumor cells. This
      leads to the destabilization of the genetic material which can be expressed in
      the synthesis of mutant p53 protein. Finally, it leads to the block of apoptosis
      and regulatory effects of cells. This can cause the tumor progression and the
      destabilization of the genome, which is reflected in the increased DNA
      fragmentation.

PMID- 26120479
TI  - The effects of urgent percutaneous coronary intervention on right ventricular
      systolic functions in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the importance of the right ventricle (RV) involvement has
      been known for many years in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction
      (STEMI), it is scarce in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS).
      OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the effects of urgent percutaneous coronary
      intervention (PCI) on the RV systolic functions in patients with NSTE-ACS.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-five patients diagnosed with NSTE-ACS and who
      underwent urgent PCI were prospectively investigated. RV systolic functions were
      analyzed and compared before and after PCI in all patients by using RV index of
      myocardial performance (RIMP), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion
      (TAPSE), two-dimensional (2D) RV fractional area change (FAC), and isovolumic
      acceleration (IVA) parameters with transthoracic echocardiography. RESULTS: Among
      95 NSTE-ACS patients, 31 had impaired RIMP, 13 had impaired TAPSE, 8 had
      decreased 2D FAC, and 32 had impaired IVA values at baseline. There was a
      significant increase in 2D FAC and IVA values after PCI. CONCLUSIONS: The right
      ventricular functions may also be affected in patients with NSTE-ACS, and urgent
      PCI has a significant effect on the recovery of right ventricular systolic
      functions in patients with NSTE-ACS.

PMID- 26120480
TI  - Comparison of an essential-oil-based oral rinse and chlorhexidine as adjuncts to
      scaling and root planing in the treatment of periodontal inflammation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present short-term follow-up study was to compare the
      effects of an essential oil (EO)-based oral rinse and chlorhexidine as adjuncts
      to scaling and root planing (SRP) in the treatment of periodontal inflammation.
      METHODS: In Group-1, SRP was performed and participants were instructed to rinse
      with EO-based oral rinse; in Group-2, SRP was performed and participants were
      instructed to rinse with chlorhexidine; and in Group-3, SRP was performed and
      participants were instructed to rinse with water. Periodontal parameters (plaque
      index [PI], bleeding-on-probing [BOP], and probing pocket depth [PPD] >= 4 mm)
      were assessed at baseline and after 7 and 30 days. RESULTS: In all groups,
      periodontal parameters (PI, BOP, and PPD >= 4 mm) were comparable at baseline. In
      Groups-1 and -2, there was a significant reduction in PI (P < 0.01), BOP (P <
      0.01), and PD >= 4 mm after 7 days and 30 days of follow-up than baseline. In
      Group-3, there was a significant reduction in PI (P < 0.01) and BOP (P < 0.01)
      after 7 days of follow-up compared to baseline. There was no difference in
      periodontal parameters after 7 days and 30 days of follow-up in Groups-1 and -2.
      CONCLUSION: EO-based oral rinses and chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) are
      acceptable adjuncts to SRP in the treatment of periodontal inflammation.

PMID- 26120482
TI  - Home Water Treatment Habits and Effectiveness in a Rural Arizona Community.
AB  - Drinking water quality in the United States (US) is among the safest in the
      world. However, many residents, often in rural areas, rely on unregulated private
      wells or small municipal utilities for water needs. These utilities may violate
      the Safe Drinking Water Act contaminant guidelines, often because they lack the
      required financial resources. Residents may use alternative water sources or
      install a home water treatment system. Despite increased home water treatment
      adoption, few studies have examined their use and effectiveness in the US. Our
      study addresses this knowledge gap by examining home water treatment in a rural
      Arizona community. Water samples were analyzed for metal(loid)s, and home
      treatment and demographic data were recorded in 31 homes. Approximately 42% of
      homes treated their water. Independent of source water quality, residents with
      higher income (OR = 1.25; 95%CI (1.00 - 1.64)) and education levels (OR = 1.49;
      95%CI (1.12 - 2.12)) were more likely to treat their water. Some contaminant
      concentrations were effectively reduced with treatment, while some were not. We
      conclude that increased educational outreach on contaminant testing and
      treatment, especially to rural areas with endemic water contamination, would
      result in a greater public health impact while reducing rural health disparities.

PMID- 26120481
TI  - Horseshoe kidney transplantation.
AB  - Horseshoe kidney is a fusion anomaly found in approximately one in 400-600
      people. Due to vascular and ureteral variations, transplantation with a horseshoe
      kidney presents a technical challenge. In our case, the isthmus connected the
      upper poles and contained parenchyma. It consisted of three renal arteries, five
      veins collected to the inferior vena cava, and two ureters and pyelons. It was
      implanted en bloc to the left side retroperitoneally. During the early period,
      cellular and humoral rejection was confirmed and treated. For a urine leak,
      double J catheters were implanted into both ureters. Later, the first catheter
      was removed. Subsequently, urinary sepsis developed, necessitating graftectomy.
      The uncommon anatomy of ureters and antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) may both be
      factors for a ureter tip necrosis led to an infected urinoma. After other
      Hungarian authors, we also report a horseshoe kidney transplantation that was
      technically successful. However, after an adequately treated but severe acute
      humoral rejection, the patient developed sepsis, and the kidney had to be
      removed. We conclude that transplantation with horseshoe kidney is technically
      feasible but may increase the risk for urinary complications and resultant
      infections. Careful consideration of risk and benefit is advised when a
      transplant professional is faced with this option. 

PMID- 26120483
TI  - Computational Optimization of Bioanalytical Parameters for the Evaluation of the
      Toxicity of the Phytomarker 1,4 Napthoquinone and its Metabolite 1,2,4
      trihydroxynapththalene.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Lawsone (1,4 naphthoquinone) is a non redox cycling compound that can
      be catalyzed by DT diaphorase (DTD) into 1,2,4-trihydroxynaphthalene (THN), which
      can generate reactive oxygen species by auto oxidation. The purpose of this study
      was to evaluate the toxicity of the phytomarker 1,4 naphthoquinone and its
      metabolite THN by using the molecular docking program AutoDock 4. METHODS: The 3D
      structure of ligands such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), nitric oxide synthase
      (NOS), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR), glucose 6
      phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate
      hydrogen (NADPH) were drawn using hyperchem drawing tools and minimizing the
      energy of all pdb files with the help of hyperchem by MM(+) followed by a semi
      empirical (PM3) method. The docking process was studied with ligand molecules to
      identify suitable dockings at protein binding sites through annealing and genetic
      simulation algorithms. The program auto dock tools (ADT) was released as an
      extension suite to the python molecular viewer used to prepare proteins and
      ligands. Grids centered on active sites were obtained with spacings of 54 * 55 *
      56, and a grid spacing of 0.503 was calculated. Comparisons of Global and Local
      Search Methods in Drug Docking were adopted to determine parameters; a maximum
      number of 250,000 energy evaluations, a maximum number of generations of 27,000,
      and mutation and crossover rates of 0.02 and 0.8 were used. The number of docking
      runs was set to 10. RESULTS: Lawsone and THN can be considered to efficiently
      bind with NOS, CAT, GSH, GR, G6PDH and NADPH, which has been confirmed through
      hydrogen bond affinity with the respective amino acids. CONCLUSION:
      Naphthoquinone derivatives of lawsone, which can be metabolized into THN by a
      catalyst DTD, were examined. Lawsone and THN were found to be identically potent
      molecules for their affinities for selected proteins.

PMID- 26120484
TI  - The Anticancer Role of Capsaicin in Experimentallyinduced Lung Carcinogenesis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Capsaicin (CAP) is the chief pungent principle found in the hot red
      peppers and the chili peppers that have long been used as spices, food additives
      and drugs. This study investigated the anticancer potential of CAP through its
      ability to modify extracellular matrix components and proteases during mice lung
      carcinogenesis. METHODS: Swiss albino mice were treated with benzo(a) pyrene (50
      mg/kg body weight dissolved in olive oil) orally twice a week for four successive
      weeks to induce lung cancer at the end of 14(th) week. CAP was administrated (10
      mg/kg body weight dissolved in olive oil) intraperitoneally. Extracellular matrix
      components were assayed; Masson's trichome staining of lung tissues was
      performed. Western blot analyses of matrix metalloproteases 2 and 9 were also
      carried out. RESULTS: In comparison with the control animals, animals in which
      benzo(a)pyrene had induced lung cancer showed significant increases in
      extracellular matrix components such as collagen (hydroxy proline), elastin,
      uronic acid and hexosamine and in glycosaminoglycans such as hyaluronate,
      chondroitin sulfate, keratan sulfate and dermatan sulfate. The above alterations
      in extracellular matrix components were effectively counteracted in
      benzo(a)pyrene along with CAP supplemented animals when compared to benzo(a)
      pyrene alone supplemented animals. The results of Masson's trichome staining for
      collagen and of, immunoblotting analyses of matrix metalloproteases 2 and 9
      further supported the biochemical findings. CONCLUSION: The apparent potential of
      CAP in modulating extracellular matrix components and proteases suggests that CAP
      plays a chemomodulatory and anti- cancer role working against experimentally
      induced lung carcinogenesis.

PMID- 26120485
TI  - Association of a Methanol Extract of Rheum undulatum L. Mediated Cell Death in
      AGS Cells with an Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Rheum undulatum L. has traditionally been used for the treatment of
      many diseases in Asia. However, its anti-proliferative activity in cancer has
      still not been studied. In the present study, we investigated the anti-cancer
      effects of methanol extract of Rheum undulatum L. (MERL) on human adenocarcinoma
      gastric cell lines (AGS). METHODS: To investigate the anti-cancer effect of MERL
      on AGS cells, we treated the AGS cells with varying con!centrations of MERL and
      performed 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT)
      assays. Cell cycle analyses, measurements of the mitochondrial membrane potential
      (MMP), caspase activity assays and Western blots were conducted to determine
      whether AGS cell death occurred by apoptosis. RESULTS: Treatment with MERL
      significantly inhibited growth of AGS cells in a concentration dependent manner.
      MERL treatment in AGS cells leaded to increased accumulation of apoptotic sub G1
      phase cells in a concentration dependent manner. In control cultures, 5.38% of
      the cells were in the sub G1 phase. In MERL treated cells, however, this
      percentage was significantly increased (9.95% at 70 MUg/mL, 15.94% at 140 MUg/mL,
      26.56% at 210 MUg/mL and 38.08% at 280 MUg/mL). MERL treatment induced the
      decreased expression of pro-caspase-8 and -9 in a concentration dependent manner,
      whereas the expression of the active form of caspase-3 was increased. A
      subsequent Western blot analysis revealed increased cleaved levels of poly (ADP
      ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein. Also, treatment with MERL increased the
      activities of caspase-3 and -9 compared with the control. MERL treatment
      increased the levels of the pro-apoptotic truncated Bid (tBid) and Bcl2
      Antagonist X (Bax) proteins and decreased the levels of the anti-apoptotic B-cell
      lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) protein, whose is the stabilization of mitochondria. However,
      inhibitions of p38, extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERKs) and C-Jun N
      terminal kinases (JNK) by MERL treatment did not affect cell death. CONCLUSION:
      These results suggest that MERL mediated cell death is associated with an
      intrinsic apoptotic pathway in AGS cells.

PMID- 26120486
TI  - The Effects of Sa-am Acupuncture Simpo-jeongkyeok Treatment on the Blood
      Pressure, Pulse Rate, and Body Temperature.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The present study evaluated the effects of sa-am acupuncture (SAA)
      simpo-jeongkyeok (SPJK) treatment on the blood pressure (BP), pulse rate (PR),
      and body temperature (BT) of patients with hwa byung (HB). METHODS: This patient
      assessor blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial included 50 volunteers,
      divided randomly into two groups. The treatment group underwent SPJK (PC9, LR1,
      PC3, KI10) while the control (sham) group received minimal needle insertion at
      non acupoints. The BP in both arms, PR, and BT at several acupoints were measured
      before and after treatment at the 1(st), 2(nd), 3(rd), and 4(th) visits and
      before treatment at the follow-up visit. We analyzed data by using the repeated
      measured analysis of variance (RM ANOVA), Mann-Whitney U, and wilcoxon signed
      rank tests; differences at P < 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: No
      significant differences in the systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood
      pressure (DBP) and PR between the treatment and control group were observed at
      each visit. However, the decrease in the SBP for the treatment group before and
      after each visit was significantly higher than it was in the control group. The
      SBP in both arms in the treatment group was decreased between visits 1 and 2, 1
      and 3, 1 and 4, and 1 and follow-up. The DBP in both arms and in the right arm
      between visits 1 and 3 in the treatment group showed decreases. A minimal BT
      increase for treatment at CV06 and CV12 and a minimal BT decrease for treatment
      at CV17 and (Ex) Yintang were found. Patients in the treatment group who visited
      more frequently experienced a greater decrease in the PR, but that effect was not
      maintained. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that SAA SPJK treatment has instant
      positive effects on the BP, PR, and BT in patients with HB, but the effects on
      the BP and PR are not maintained.

PMID- 26120487
TI  - Single-dose Intravenous Toxicology Testing of Daebohwalryeok Pharmcopuncture in
      Sprague-Dawley Rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to test the single-dose intravenous
      toxicity of Daebohwalryeok pharmacopuncture (DHRP) in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats
      and to estimate the crude lethal dose. METHODS: The experiments were conducted at
      Biotoxtech Co., a Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) laboratory, according to the GLP
      regulation and were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
      of Biotoxtech Co. (Approval no: 110156). The rats were divided into three groups:
      DHRP was injected into the rats in the two test groups at doses of 10 mL/kg and
      20 mL/kg, respectively, and normal saline solution was injected into the rats in
      the control group. Single doses of DHRP were injected intravenously into 6 week
      old SD rats (5 male and 5 female rats per group). General symptoms were observed
      and weights were measured during the 14 day observation period after the
      injection. After the observation period, necropsies were done. Then,
      histopathological tests were performed. Weight data were analyzed with a one-way
      analysis of variance (ANOVA) by using statistical analysis system (SAS, version
      9.2). RESULTS: No deaths and no statistical significant weight changes were
      observed for either male or female SD rats in either the control or the test
      groups during the observation period. In addition, no treatment related general
      symptoms or necropsy abnormalities were observed. Histopathological results
      showed no DHRP related effects in the 20 mL/kg DHRP group for either male or
      female rats. CONCLUSION: Under the conditions of this study, the results from
      single-dose intravenous injections of DHRP showed that estimated lethal doses for
      both male and female rats were above 20 mL/kg.

PMID- 26120488
TI  - A Pilot Study on Single-dose Toxicity Testing of Hominis placenta
      Pharmacopuncture in Sprague-Dawley Rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to analyze the toxicity and to find the
      lethal dose of the test substance Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture when used as
      a single-dose in 6 week old, male and female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. METHODS:
      All experiments were conducted at Biotoxtech (Chungwon, Korea), an institution
      authorized to perform non clinical studies, under the regulations of Good
      Laboratory Practice (GLP). SD rats were chosen for the pilot study. Doses of
      Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture extracts, 0.125, 0.25 and 0.5 mL, were
      administered to the experimental group, and 0.5 mL doses of normal saline
      solution were administered to the control group. This study was conducted under
      the approval of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. RESULTS: No deaths or
      abnormalities occurred in any of the groups. Also, no significant changes in body
      weights were observed among the groups, and no significant differences in
      hematology/biochemistry, necropsy, and histopathology results were noted.
      Hematologically, some changes in the male rats in two experimental groups were
      observed, but those changes had no clinical or toxicological meaning because they
      were not dose dependent. Histopathological tests on the injected parts showed
      cell infiltration in the male rats in one of the experimental groups; however,
      that result was due to spontaneous generation and had no toxicological meaning.
      Therefore, this study showed that Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture had no effect
      on the injected parts in terms of clinical signs, body weight, hematology,
      clinical chemistry, and necropsy. CONCLUSION: As a result of single-dose tests of
      the test substance Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture in 4 groups of rats, the
      lethal dose for both males and females exceeded 0.5 mL/animal. Therefore, the
      above findings suggest that treatment with Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture is
      relatively safe. Further studies on this subject are needed.

PMID- 26120489
TI  - Toxicity of Single-dose Intramuscular Injection of Samjeong Pharmacopuncture in
      Sprague-Dawley Rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out in order to find both the single-dose
      intramuscular injection toxicity and the approximate lethal dose of samjeong
      pharmacopuncture (SP) in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. METHODS: The SD rats in this
      study were divided into four groups, one control group (1.0 mL/animal, normal
      saline) and three experimental groups (0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mL/animal, SP). All
      groups consisted of five male and five female rats. SP was injected as a single
      dose intramuscularly at the thigh. After the injection, general symptoms and
      weight were observed for 14 days. After the observations had ended, hematologic
      and serum biochemical examinations, necropsy and a local tolerance test at the
      injection site were performed. The experiments were carried out at the Good
      Laboratory Practice firm, Biotoxtech Co. (Cheongwon, Chungbuk). Animal
      experiments were approved by the Ethics Committee (Approval Number: 130379).
      RESULTS: No deaths occurred in any of the three experimental groups. The
      injection of SP had no effects on the general symptoms, body weights, results of
      the hematologic, and serum biochemical examinations, and necropsy findings. In
      local tolerance tests at the injection sites, mild inflammation was observed in
      the experimental group, but it did not appear to be a treatment related effect.
      CONCLUSION: Under the conditions of this test, the results from the injection of
      SP suggest that the approximate lethal dose of SP is above 1.0 mL/animal for both
      male and female SD rats. Therefore, the clinical use of SP is thought to be safe.

PMID- 26120490
TI  - Single-dose Toxicity of ShinYangHur Herbal Acupuncture.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to analyze the single-dose toxicity of
      ShinYangHur (SYH) herbal acupuncture injected into the muscles of Sprague-Dawley
      (SD) rats. METHODS: The SYH herbal acupuncture was made in a clean room at the
      Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute (KPI, Korea-Good Manufacturing Practice, K
      GMP). After the mixing process with sterile distilled water, the pH was
      controlled to between 7.0 and 7.5. Then, NaCl was added to make a 0.9% isotonic
      solution by using sterilized equipment. All experiments were conducted at
      Biotoxtech, an institution authorized to perform non clinical studies under the
      regulations of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP). SD rats were chosen for the pilot
      study. Doses of SYH herbal acupuncture, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mL, were administered
      to the experimental groups, and a dose of normal saline solution, 1.0 mL, was
      administered to the control group. This study was conducted under the approval of
      the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. RESULTS: No deaths or abnormalities
      occurred in any of the four groups. No significant changes in weight,
      hematological parameters or clinical chemistry between the control group and the
      experimental groups were observed. To check for abnormalities in organs and
      tissues, we used microscopy was used to examine representative histological
      sections of each specified organ; the results showed no significant differences
      in any of the organs or tissues. CONCLUSION: The above outcomes suggest that
      treatment with SYH herbal acupuncture is relatively safe. Further studies on this
      subject are needed to yield more concrete evidence.

PMID- 26120491
TI  - Single-dose Toxicity of Water-soluble Ginseng Pharmacopuncture Injected
      Intramuscularly in Rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Radix Ginseng has been traditionally used as an adaptogen that acts
      on the adrenal cortex and stimulates or relaxes the nervous system to restore
      emotional and physical balance and to improve well-being in cases of degenerative
      disease and/or old age. Radix Ginseng has been used for a long time, but the
      safety of ginseng pharmacopuncture needs testing. This study was done to analyze
      the single-dose toxicity of water-soluble ginseng pharmacopuncture (GP)
      intramuscular injections in rats. METHODS: All experiments were performed at
      Biotoxtech, an institution authorized to perform non clinical studies under the
      regulations of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP). Each group contained 10 Sprague
      Dawley rats, 5 males and 5 females. GP was prepared in a sterile room at the
      Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute under regulations of Good Manufacturing
      Practice (GMP). GP dosages were 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 mL for the experimental groups;
      normal saline was administered to the control group. The animals general
      condition was examined daily for 14 days, and the rats were weighed on the
      starting day and at 3, 7 and 14 days after administration of the
      pharmacopuncture. Hematological and biochemistry tests and autopsies were done to
      test the toxicological effect of GP after 14 days. This study was performed with
      approval from the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee of Biotextech. RESULTS:
      No deaths were found in this single-dose toxicity test of intramuscular
      injections of GP, and no significant changes in the general conditions, body
      weights, hematological and biochemistry tests, and autopsies were observed. The
      local injection site showed no changes. Based on these results, the lethal dose
      was assumed to be over 1.0 mL/animal in both sexes. CONCLUSION: These results
      suggest that GP is relatively safe. Further studies, including a repeated
      toxicity test, are needed to provide more concrete evidence for the safety of GP.

PMID- 26120492
TI  - Erratum: Ethanolic Extract of Marsdenia condurango Ameliorates Benzo[a]pyrene
      induced Lung Cancer of Rats: Condurango Ameliorates BaP-induced Lung Cancer in
      Rats.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.3831/KPI.2014.17.011.]. 

PMID- 26120494
TI  - Social Media and Mentoring in Biomedical Research Faculty Development.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine how effective and collegial mentoring in biomedical
      research faculty development may be implemented and facilitated through social
      media. METHOD: The authors reviewed the literature for objectives, concerns, and
      limitations of career development for junior research faculty. They tabularized
      these as developmental goals, and aligned them with relevant social media
      strengths and capabilities facilitated through traditional and/or peer mentoring.
      RESULTS: The authors derived a model in which social media is leveraged to
      achieve developmental goals reflected in independent and shared projects, and in
      the creation and expansion of support and research networks. CONCLUSIONS: Social
      media may be successfully leveraged and applied in achieving developmental goals
      for biomedical research faculty, and potentially for those in other fields and
      disciplines.

PMID- 26120493
TI  - Reduced EGFR signaling enhances cartilage destruction in a mouse osteoarthritis
      model.
AB  - Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease and a major cause of pain and
      disability in older adults. We have previously identified epidermal growth factor
      receptor (EGFR) signaling as an important regulator of cartilage matrix
      degradation during epiphyseal cartilage development. To study its function in OA
      progression, we performed surgical destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM)
      to induce OA in two mouse models with reduced EGFR activity, one with genetic
      modification (Egfr(Wa5/+) mice) and the other one with pharmacological inhibition
      (gefitinib treatment). Histological analyses and scoring at 3 months post-surgery
      revealed increased cartilage destruction and accelerated OA progression in both
      mouse models. TUNEL staining demonstrated that EGFR signaling protects
      chondrocytes from OA-induced apoptosis, which was further confirmed in primary
      chondrocyte culture. Immunohistochemistry showed increased aggrecan degradation
      in these mouse models, which coincides with elevated amounts of ADAMTS5 and
      matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13), the principle proteinases responsible for
      aggrecan degradation, in the articular cartilage after DMM surgery. Furthermore,
      hypoxia-inducible factor 2alpha (HIF2alpha), a critical catabolic transcription
      factor stimulating MMP13 expression during OA, was also upregulated in mice with
      reduced EGFR signaling. Taken together, our findings demonstrate a primarily
      protective role of EGFR during OA progression by regulating chondrocyte survival
      and cartilage degradation. 

PMID- 26120495
TI  - Development of a Nationally Coordinated Evaluation Plan for the Ghana National
      Strategy for Key Populations.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Just as HIV prevention programs need to be tailored to the local
      epidemic, so should evaluations be country-owned and country-led to ensure use of
      those results in decision making and policy. The objective of this paper is to
      describe the process undertaken in Ghana to develop a national evaluation plan
      for the Ghana national strategy for key populations. METHODS: This was a
      participatory process that involved meetings between the Ghana AIDS Commission
      (GAC), other partners in Ghana working to prevent HIV among key populations, and
      MEASURE Evaluation. The process included three two-day, highly structured yet
      participatory meetings over the course of 12 months during which participants
      shared information about on-going and planned data and identified research
      questions and methods. RESULTS: An evaluation plan was prepared to inform
      stakeholders about which data collection activities need to be prioritized for
      funding, who would implement the study, the timing of data collection, the
      research question the data will help answer, and the analysis methods. The plan
      discusses various methods that can be used including the recommendation for the
      study design using multiple data sources. It has an evaluation conceptual model,
      proposed analyses, proposed definition of independent variables, estimated costs
      for filling data gaps, roles and responsibilities of stakeholders to carry out
      the plan, and considerations for ethics, data sharing and authorship. CONCLUSION:
      The experience demonstrates that it is possible to design an evaluation
      responsive to national strategies and priorities with country leadership,
      regardless of stakeholders' experiences with evaluations. This process may be
      replicable elsewhere, where stakeholders want to plan and implement an evaluation
      of a large-scale program at the national or subnational level that is responsive
      to national priorities and part of a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation
      system.

PMID- 26120496
TI  - Tapping Underserved Students to Reshape the Biomedical Workforce.
AB  - Low-income and underrepresented minority students remain a largely untapped
      source of new professionals that are increasingly needed to diversify and
      strengthen the biomedical workforce. Precollege enrichment programs offer a
      promising strategy to stop the "leak" in the biomedical pipeline. However, in the
      era of highly competitive science education funding, there is a lack of consensus
      about the elements that predict the long-term viability of such programs. In this
      commentary, the authors review the critical elements that contribute to the long
      term viability of university-based precollege biomedical pipeline programs.
      Successful programs are built on a foundation of responding to local community
      workforce needs, have access to local universities that provide an organizational
      home, and offer a direct pipeline to strong undergraduate science training and
      support for graduate or professional training. Such programs have shown that
      there are substantial pools of diverse students who can thrive academically when
      given enrichment opportunities. Replication of pipeline programs with long-term
      viability will be instrumental in reaching the large numbers of talented
      underserved students who are needed to diversify and strengthen the biomedical
      workforce over the coming decades.

PMID- 26120497
TI  - Self-Reporting Degradable Fluorescent Grafted Copolymer Micelles Derived from
      Biorenewable Resources.
AB  - A series of hydrolytically degradable fluorescent poly(ferulic acid-co-tyrosine)
      g-mPEG graft copolymers were synthesized and shown to undergo self-assembly in
      aqueous media to yield fluorescent micelles. The polymers and their micellar
      assemblies exhibited greater fluorescence emission intensity than did their small
      molecular building blocks, which provides a self-reporting character that has
      potential for monitoring the polymer integrity and also for performing in
      theranostics applications. The amphiphilic graft-copolymers were synthesized by
      Cu-assisted azide-alkyne "click" addition of azido-functionalized mPEG polymers
      onto fluorescent degradable hydrophobic copolymers displaying randomly
      distributed alkyne side-chain groups along their biorenewably derived
      poly(ferulic acid-co-tyrosine) backbones. The morphologies and photophysical
      properties of the supramolecular assemblies generated in aqueous solutions were
      evaluated by DLS, TEM, AFM, and steady-state optical spectroscopies. The 15-30 nm
      sized micelles behaved as broad-band emitters in the 350-600 nm range, which
      highlights their potential as self-reporting nanomaterials for in vitro studies.

PMID- 26120498
TI  - Long term efficacy and safety of Fludarabine, Cyclophosphamide and Rituximab
      regimen followed by (90)Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan consolidation for the treatment of
      relapsed grades 1 and 2 follicular lymphoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In this retrospective study, we investigated the efficacy and safety
      of radioimmunotherapy with (90)Yttrium- ibritumomab tiuxetan ((90)Y-RIT) in 9
      patients with recurrent follicular lymphoma (FL) who were treated in a
      consolidation setting after having achieved complete (CR) or partial remission
      (PR) with Fludarabine, Cyclophosphamide and Rituximab (FCR). METHODS: The median
      age was 63 years (range 46-77). All patients were relapsed with histologically
      confirmed CD20-positive (grade 1 or 2) FL, at relapse they received FCR every 28
      days: F (25 mg/m(2)x 3 days), C (1 gr/m(2) day 1) and R (375 mg/m(2) day 4) for 4
      cycles. Those who achieved at least a PR with <25 % bone marrow involvement were
      treated with (90)Y-RIT 11.1 or 14.8 MBq/Kg, at 3 months after completing FCR.
      Patients underwent a further restaging at 12 weeks after (90)Y-RIT with a total
      body CT scan, FDG-PET/CT and bilateral bone marrow biopsy. RESULTS: Nine patients
      completed the treatment: FCR followed by (90)Y-RIT (6 patients at 14.8 MBq/Kg, 3
      patients at 11.1 MBq/Kg). After FCR, 7 patients obtained CR and 2 PR; after (90)Y
      RIT 2 patients in PR converted to CR 12 weeks later. With a median follow up of
      95 months (range 20-114) since FCR and 88 months (range 13-104) since (90)Y-RIT 3
      deaths were not related to lymphoma; all 3 deceased patients obtained CR before
      (90)Y-RIT and died still in CR. The median overall (OS) and progression free
      survival (PFS) have not been reached, in this analysis both OS or PFS are 67 % at
      7.5 year. The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events were hematologic.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the long term efficacy and safety of 4 cycles
      of FCR followed by (90)Y-RIT in relapsed grades 1 and 2 FL and suggest that this
      regimen could be a therapeutic option for this setting of patients, specially at
      age of 60-75 with no unexpected toxicities.

PMID- 26120500
TI  - Local Health Department Provision of WIC Services Relative to Local "Need"-
      Examining 3 States and 5 Years.
AB  - Great variation exists in the nature of LHD service delivery and it varies, in
      part, relative to jurisdiction population size. Larger LHD jurisdictions may
      achieve an economy of scale in WIC service delivery that is not matched in
      smaller areas. Overall, we found that WIC service provision appears relatively
      consistent across study states and in the presence of increasing need, with
      greater responsiveness to need in urban areas. As demand for some preventive
      services increases LHDs in rural areas may need greater support than LHDs in
      large jurisdictions for meeting local demand. Unlike WIC, LHD-provided services
      that have less consistently maintained service-delivery guidelines may have a
      harder time responding to increasing need. The relative consistency of a
      federally-funded program such as WIC may serve as a good baseline for further
      study of less consistently delivered programs among LHDs. LHD service statistics
      can serve as useful data sources in measuring volume of service delivery relative
      to need.

PMID- 26120501
TI  - Methods for measuring diffusion of a social media-based health intervention.
AB  - This study evaluated the feasibility of measuring diffusion from a social
      networking community-level intervention. One year after completion of a
      randomized controlled HIV prevention trial on Facebook, 112 minority men who have
      sex with men (MSM) were asked to refer African-American and/or Latino sex
      partners to complete a survey. Results suggest that, compared to non-referrers,
      referrers spent more time online, controlling for age, race, education, and
      condition. Over 60% of referrals reported hearing about the intervention, and
      over half reported that the referrer talked to them about changing health
      behaviors. Results provide support and initial feasibility of using social
      networking for diffusing community-based HIV interventions.

PMID- 26120499
TI  - Kidney Regeneration: Lessons from Development.
AB  - A number of genes involved in kidney development are reactivated in the adult
      after acute kidney injury (AKI). This has led to the belief that tissue repair
      mechanisms recapitulate pathways involved in embryonic development after AKI. We
      will discuss evidence to support this hypothesis by comparing the mechanisms of
      development with common pathways known to regulate post-AKI repair, or that we
      identified as cell-specific candidates based on public datasets from recent AKI
      translational profiling studies. We will argue that while many of these
      developmental pathways are reactivated after AKI, this is not associated with
      general cellular reprogramming to an embryonic state. We will show that
      reactivation of these developmental genes is often associated with expression in
      cells that are not normally involved in mediating parallel responses in the
      embryo, and that depending on the cellular context, these responses can have
      beneficial or detrimental effects on injury and repair after AKI.

PMID- 26120502
TI  - Differentiation of extranodal non-Hodgkins lymphoma from squamous cell carcinoma
      of the maxillary sinus: a multimodality imaging approach.
AB  - This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a multimodality imaging approach for
      differentiating between primary extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and
      squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the maxillary sinus. Twelve NHLs and 29 SCCs of
      the maxillary sinus were included. CT findings, MR signal intensities, apparent
      diffusion coefficients (ADCs), and maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax)
      were correlated with two pathologies. On CT, permeative growth frequency was
      greater among NHLs than among SCCs (50 % vs. 10 %; p < 0.01), whereas destructive
      growth frequency was greater among SCCs than among NHLs (83 % vs. 33 %; p <
      0.01). On CT, remaining sinus wall within the tumor was more frequent with NHLs
      than with SCCs (92 % vs. 34 %; p < 0.01), whereas intratumoral necrosis was more
      frequent with SCCs than with NHLs (86 % vs. 17 %; p < 0.01). ADCs were lower for
      NHLs than for SCCs (0.61 vs. 0.95 * 10(-3) mm(2)/s; p < 0.01). No significant
      differences in MR signal intensities and SUVmax were observed. Tumor growth
      pattern, remaining sinus wall within the tumor, and intratumoral necrosis were
      useful CT findings for differentiating between NHLs and SCCs. ADC measurements
      could assist the differentiation of NHL from SCC. 

PMID- 26120503
TI  - Beneficial effect of phosphatidylcholine supplementation in alleviation of
      hypomania and insomnia in a Chinese bipolar hypomanic boy and a possible
      explanation to the effect at the genetic level.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Recent studies indicated that supplementation of
      phosphatidylcholine has been found to be beneficial for psychiatric diseases and
      Diacylglycerol Kinase, Eta (DGKH) protein was involved in regulating the
      metabolism of phosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol. This study reported a case of
      a 16-year-old Chinese boy with bipolar hypomania symptoms receiving
      supplementation of phosphatidylcholine, and a genetic study of a risk variant of
      DGKH gene was performed in an attempt to provide an explanation for the potential
      beneficial effect of phosphatidylcholine supplementation. CASE DESCRIPTION: We
      described a case of a 16-year-old boy with bipolar disorder, who suffered from
      monthly episodes of insomnia accompanied by hypomania for 5 months despite
      adherence to medication. After supplementation of phosphatidylcholine, he
      returned to a normal sleeping pattern and recovered from hypomania symptoms for
      approximately 14 months. Furthermore, genotyping results showed that this boy
      carries the risk genotype (G/C) in DGKH variant rs77072822 (adjusted p-value =
      0.025 after 2000 permutation tests). DISCUSSION AND EVALUATION: The 16-year-old
      boy appears to have benefited from the supplementation with phosphatidylcholine
      and recovered from hypomania symptoms. He carries a risk genotype in rs77072822
      which lies in the first intron of DGKH gene that was mostly reported to be
      associated with bipolar disorder. Thus, this finding is consistent with the
      hypothesis that alleviating the phosphatidylcholine deficiencies might accompany
      with the risk variants of DGKH gene, which might improve the efficacies of such
      supplementation and design new treatment strategies for bipolar disorder.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrated that a 16-year-old boy with hypomania
      symptoms responded well to supplementation of phosphatidylcholine and the boy
      carries a risk genotype in DGKH gene for bipolar disorder, which provides a
      possible explanation for the boy's beneficial effect at the genetic level.

PMID- 26120504
TI  - Impediments in foreign collaboration and conducting a high throughput molecular
      epidemiology research in India, an assessment from a feasibility study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer is one of the world's top ten cancers. Its
      incidence, especially in the form of squamous cell carcinoma, is very high in
      some Asian regions including Kashmir. Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh are three
      provinces of Jammu and Kashmir, the northern most state of India. The three
      regions represent ethnically diverse socio-cultural populations with different
      incidences of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), a suitable setting for
      epidemiological studies. Hence, comparing the lifestyle, dietary habits and gene
      pools between the three regions will help in elucidation of ESCC etiology
      further. Therefore, to assess the possibility of conducting a larger case control
      study, we carried out a feasibility study to identify the collaborators as well
      as to explore patient referral systems and available research facilities in the
      state. FINDINGS: We found conducting good cancer molecular epidemiology studies
      is difficult due to lack of proper research facilities and favourable
      administrative guidelines. The appropriate storage, transportation and analyses
      facilities of biological specimens for genome-wide association study and
      assessment of nutrition and exposure markers are unavailable or not sufficiently
      developed. Guidelines that can encourage scientific collaborations within the
      country seem unavailable. However, the administrative guidelines available under
      which the export of biological specimens out of India for analysis seems
      impossible. Consequently, Indian researchers are unable to collaborate with
      foreign scientists and render state of art research facilities inaccessible to
      them. Scientists in other parts of India may also confront with most of these
      impediments. CONCLUSION: The study found that for conducting conclusive molecular
      epidemiological studies in India, referral system in hospitals is not systematic,
      scientific research facilities are inadequate as well as the guidelines for
      foreign collaboration  are not favourable.

PMID- 26120505
TI  - A parallel algorithm for motion estimation in video coding using the bilinear
      transformation.
AB  - Accurate motion estimation between frames is important for drastically reducing
      data redundancy in video coding. However, advanced motion estimation methods are
      computationally intensive and their execution in real time usually requires a
      parallel implementation. In this paper, we investigate the parallel
      implementation of such a motion estimation technique. Specifically, we present a
      parallel algorithm for motion estimation based on the bilinear transformation on
      the well-known parallel model of the hypercube network and formally prove the
      time and the space complexity of the proposed algorithm. We also show that the
      parallel algorithm can also run on other hypercubic networks, such as butterfly,
      cube-connected-cycles, shuffle-exchange or de Bruijn network with only constant
      slowdown. 

PMID- 26120506
TI  - A cross-sectional study of Colombian University students' self-perceived
      lifestyle.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Fantastic Lifestyle Questionnaire was designed for enabling staff
      working in health sciences and physical activity (PA) areas to measure lifestyles
      (LS) in the general population. The aim of this study was to assess the lifestyle
      in a sample of university students. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional,
      descriptive, observational study involving 5,921 subjects' aged 18- to 30-years
      old (3,471 females) from three Colombian cities. Was applied "Fantastic"
      instrument (that consists of 25 closed items on the lifestyle), translated to
      Spanish in versions of three and five answers. RESULTS: Having a "good LS" was
      perceived by 57.4% of the females and 58.5% of the males; 14.0% of the females
      rating their LS as being "excellent" and males 19.3% (p < 0.001); 20.3% of the
      females and 36.6% of the males stated that they spent more than 20 min/day on PA
      (involving four or more times per week). Negative correlations between FANTASTIC
      score and weight (r = -0.113; p < 0.01), body mass index (BMI) (r = -0.152; p <
      0.01) and waist circumference (r = -0.178, p < 0.01) were observed regarding
      females, whilst the correlation concerning males was (r = -0.143, p < 0.05)
      between Fantastic score and weight, (r = -0.167 for BMI, p < 0.01) and (r = 
      0.175, p < 0.01 for diastolic blood pressure). In spite of the students being
      evaluated referring to themselves as having a healthy LS (i.e. giving a self
      perceived view of their LS), stated behaviour involving a health risk was
      observed in the domains concerning nutrition, PA and smoking. CONCLUSION:
      Specific diffusion, education and intervention action is thus suggested for
      motivating the adoption of healthy LS.

PMID- 26120507
TI  - Visceral to total obesity ratio and severe hydronephrosis are independently
      associated with prolonged pneumoperitoneum operative time in patients undergoing
      laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Our aim was to evaluate the effect of visceral obesity and impact of
      severe hydronephrosis on surgical complexity in patients undergoing laparoscopic
      radical nephroureterectomy (LRNU). METHODS: From January 2000 to December 2013,
      169 patients underwent radical nephroureterectomy at our institution. We
      retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 70 patients who underwent LRNU.
      We measured total fat area (TFA) and visceral fat area (VFA) at the level of the
      umbilicus using computed tomography. We defined accumulated visceral fat
      distribution as a VFA/TFA ratio >=0.45. Ipsilateral hydronephrosis was graded
      from 0 to 4 by two uro-radiologists blinded to the clinical outcomes. RESULTS:
      Among the 70 patients, VFA/TFA ratio was >=0.45 in 40 patients (57.1%) and 28
      (40.0%) had severe hydronephrosis (grade 3 or greater). Patients with a VFA/TFA
      ratio >=0.45 had significantly longer pneumoperitoneum and total operation times
      compared to their counterparts (p = 0.047 and p = 0.002, respectively). Patients
      with severe hydronephrosis had significantly longer pneumoperitoneum and total
      operative times compared to their counterparts (p = 0.006 and p = 0.002,
      respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a high
      VFA/TFA and severe hydronephrosis were independent predictive factors for
      prolonged pneumoperitoneum (p = 0.048, HR = 2.90; p = 0.015, HR = 3.82,
      respectively) and total operative times (p < 0.001, HR = 18.7; p = 0.003, HR =
      10.7; respectively). Other pre-clinical factors such as age, gender, BMI,
      clinical stage, tumor size, location, laterality, degree of perinephric
      stranding, and surgical procedure did not affect the operation times. CONCLUSION:
      The present data indicated that the visceral type of adipose accumulation and
      presence of severe hydronephrosis could provide preoperative information on the
      degree of technical difficulty associated with LRNU.

PMID- 26120508
TI  - Signal parameter estimation using fourth order statistics: multiplicative and
      additive noise environment.
AB  - Parameter estimation of various multi-component stationary and non-stationary
      signals in multiplicative and additive noise is considered in this paper. It is
      demonstrated that the parameters of complex sinusoidal signal, complex frequency
      modulated (FM) sinusoidal signal and complex linear chirp signal in presence of
      additive and multiplicative noise can be estimated using a new definition of the
      fourth order cumulant (FOC), and the computed accumulated FOC (AFOC). Analytical
      expressions for the FOC/AFOC of the above signals are derived. The concept of
      accumulated cumulant is introduced to handle the case of a non-stationary signal,
      for which the fourth order cumulant may be a function of both time and lag.
      Simulation study is carried out for all the three signals. In case of complex
      sinusoidal signals, the resul ts of parameter estimation show that the proposed
      method based on the new definition of fourth order cumulant performs better than
      an existing method based on fourth order statistics. The proposed method can be
      employed for parameter estimation of non-stationary signals also as mentioned
      above. For comparison purpose, the Cramer-Rao (CR) bound expressions are derived
      for all the signals considered for parameter estimation. The simulation results
      for non-stationary signals are compared with the CR bounds. 

PMID- 26120509
TI  - Analysis of the substrate inhibition of complete and partial types.
AB  - A simple graphical method was described for determining the kinetic parameters of
      substrate inhibition of complete and partial types. The method consists of
      plotting experimental data as [Formula: see text] versus the reciprocals of the
      substrate concentrations, where V max represents the maximal velocity. The
      reaction rate constant of enzyme-substrate-inhibitor complex [Formula: see text]
      can be calculated from the ordinate intercept of the linear relationship between
      [Formula: see text] and the reciprocal of the substrate concentrations at the
      higher and inhibitory concentrations of the substrate: partial type [Formula: see
      text] of the substrate inhibition gives straight lines intersecting with the
      ordinate at [Formula: see text], whereas complete substrate inhibition [Formula:
      see text] yields straight lines converging on the origin. The [Formula: see text]
      value also can be calculated from the slope by using the [Formula: see text]
      value determined. Validity of the method was confirmed by analyzing the substrate
      inhibition of phosphofructokinase II from E. coli. The present method provides a
      simple way for determining kinetic parameters of the substrate inhibition
      irrespective of complete and partial types. 

PMID- 26120510
TI  - The Biofilm Community-Rebels with a Cause.
AB  - Oral Biofilms are one of the most complex and diverse ecosystem developed by
      successive colonization of more than 600 bacterial taxa. Development starts with
      the attachment of early colonizers such as Actinomyces species and oral
      streptococci on the acquired pellicle and tooth enamel. These bacteria not only
      adhere to tooth surface but also interact with each other and lay foundation for
      attachment of bridging colonizer such as Fusobacterium nucleatum followed by late
      colonizers including the red complex species: Porphyromonas gingivalis,
      Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola-the founders of periodontal disease.
      As the biofilm progresses from supragingival sites to subgingival sites, the
      environment changes from aerobic to anaerobic thus favoring the growth of mainly
      Gram-negative obligate anaerobes while restricting the growth of the early Gram
      positive facultative aerobes. Microbes present at supragingival level are mainly
      related to gingivitis and root-caries whereas subgingival species advance the
      destruction of teeth supporting tissues and thus causing periodontitis. This
      review summarizes our present understanding and recent developments on the
      characteristic features of supra- and subgingival biofilms, interaction between
      different genera and species of bacteria constituting these biofilms and draws
      our attention to the role of some of the recently discovered members of the oral
      community.

PMID- 26120511
TI  - Of Mice and Men: Protective and Pathogenic Immune Responses to West Nile virus
      Infection.
AB  - West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne flavivirus, first emerged in the Western
      Hemisphere in 1999. Although the majority of infections are asymptomatic, WNV
      causes significant morbidity and mortality in a minority of individuals who
      develop neuroinvasive disease, in particular the elderly and immunocompromised.
      Research in animal models has demonstrated interactions between WNV and the
      innate and adaptive immune system, some of which protect the host and others
      which are deleterious. Studies of disease pathogenesis in humans are less
      numerous, largely due to the complexities of WNV epidemiology. Human studies that
      have been done support the notion that innate and adaptive immune responses are
      delicately balanced and may help or harm the host. Further human investigations
      are needed to characterize beneficial responses to WNV with the goal of such
      research leading to therapeutics and effective vaccines in order to control this
      emerging viral disease.

PMID- 26120512
TI  - Update on Antifungal Drug Resistance.
AB  - Invasive fungal infections remain a major source of global morbidity and
      mortality, especially among patients with underlying immune suppression.
      Successful patient management requires antifungal therapy. Yet, treatment choices
      are restricted due to limited classes of antifungal agents and the emergence of
      antifungal drug resistance. In some settings, the evolution of multidrug
      resistant strains insensitive to several classes of antifungal agents is a major
      concern. The resistance mechanisms responsible for acquired resistance are well
      characterized and include changes in drug target affinity and abundance, and
      reduction in the intracellular level of drug by biofilms and efflux pumps. The
      development of high-level and multidrug resistance occurs through a stepwise
      evolution of diverse mechanisms. The genetic factors that influence these
      mechanisms are emerging and they form a complex symphony of cellular interactions
      that enable the cell to adapt and/or overcome drug-induced stress. Drivers of
      resistance involve a complex blend of host and microbial factors. Understanding
      these mechanisms will facilitate development of better diagnostics and
      therapeutic strategies to overcome and prevent antifungal resistance.

PMID- 26120513
TI  - Food allergies resulting from immunological cross-reactivity with inhalant
      allergens: Guidelines from the German Society for Allergology and Clinical
      Immunology (DGAKI), the German Dermatology Society (DDG), the Association of
      German Allergologists (AeDA) and the Society for Pediatric Allergology and
      Environmental Medicine (GPA).
AB  - A large proportion of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergies in older
      children, adolescents and adults are caused by cross-reactive allergenic
      structures. Primary sensitization is most commonly to inhalant allergens (e.g.
      Bet v 1, the major birch pollen allergen). IgE can be activated by various cross
      reactive allergens and lead to a variety of clinical manifestations. In general,
      local and mild - in rare cases also severe and systemic - reactions occur
      directly after consumption of the food containing the cross-reactive allergen (e.
      g. plant-derived foods containing proteins of the Bet v 1 family). In clinical
      practice, sensitization to the primary responsible inhalant and/or food allergen
      can be detected by skin prick tests and/or in vitro detection of specific IgE.
      Component-based diagnostic methods can support clinical diagnosis. For individual
      allergens, these methods may be helpful to estimate the risk of systemic
      reactions. Confirmation of sensitization by oral provocation testing is important
      particulary in the case of unclear case history. New, as yet unrecognized
      allergens can also cause cross-reactions. The therapeutic potential of specific
      immunotherapy (SIT) with inhalant allergens and their effect on pollen-associated
      food allergies is currently unclear: results vary and placebo-controlled trials
      will be necessary in the future. Pollen allergies are very common. Altogether
      allergic sensitization to pollen and cross-reactive food allergens are very
      common in our latitudes. The actual relevance has to be assessed on an individual
      basis using the clinical information. Cite this as Worm M, Jappe U, Kleine-Tebbe
      J, Schafer C, Reese I, Saloga J, Treudler R, Zuberbier T, Wassmann A, Fuchs T,
      Dolle S, Raithel M, Ballmer-Weber B, Niggemann B, Werfel T. Food allergies
      resulting from immunological cross-reactivity with inhalant allergens. Allergo J
      Int 2014; 23: 1-16 DOI 10.1007/s40629-014-0004-6.

PMID- 26120514
TI  - Climate change and air pollution: Effects on pollen allergy and other allergic
      respiratory diseases.
AB  - The observational evidence indicates that recent regional changes in climate,
      particularly temperature increases, have already affected a diverse set of
      physical and biological systems in many parts of the world. Allergens patterns
      are also changing in response to climate change and air pollution can modify the
      allergenic potential of pollen grains especially in the presence of specific
      weather conditions. Although genetic factors are important in the development of
      asthma and allergic diseases, their rising trend can be explained only by changes
      occurring in the environment and urban air pollution by motor vehicles has been
      indicated as one of the major risk factors responsible for this increase. Despite
      some differences in the air pollution profile and decreasing trends of some key
      air pollutants, air quality is an important concern for public health in the
      cities throughout the world. Due to climate change, air pollution patterns are
      changing in several urbanized areas of the world with a significant effect on
      respiratory health. The underlying mechanisms of all these interactions are not
      well known yet. The consequences on health vary from decreases in lung function
      to allergic diseases, new onset of diseases, and exacerbation of chronic
      respiratory diseases. In addition, it is important to recall that an individual's
      response to pollution exposure depends on the source and components of air
      pollution, as well as meteorological conditions. Indeed, some air pollution
      related incidents with asthma aggravation do not depend only on the increased
      production of air pollution, but rather on atmospheric factors that favor the
      accumulation of air pollutants at ground level. Associations between
      thunderstorms and asthma morbidity of pollinosis-affected people have also been
      identified in multiple locations around the world (Fig.1). Cite this as D'Amato
      G, Bergmann KC, Cecchi L, Annesi-Maesano I, Sanduzzi A, Liccardi G, Vitale C,
      Stanziola A, D'Amato M. Climate change and air pollution - Effects on pollen
      allergy and other allergic respiratory diseases. Allergo J Int 2014; 23: 17-23
      DOI 10.1007/s40629-014-0003-7 A factor clouding the problem is that laboratory
      evaluations do not reflect what happens during natural exposition. Considering
      these aspects, governments worldwide, international organizations, and
      cooperations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Health
      Policy of the European Union (EU) are facing a growing problem of the respiratory
      effects induced by gaseous and particulate pollutants arising from motor vehicle
      emissions.

PMID- 26120515
TI  - Sphingosine-1-phosphate as signaling molecule in the skin: Relevance in atopic
      dermatitis.
AB  - Sphingolipids are essential molecules of the mammalian epidermis. Keratinocytes
      generate and secrete huge amounts of ceramide-precursors to the extracellular
      domain of the stratum corneum, where they are further metabolized to specific
      ceramide species. The arrangement of ceramides to well-organized lipid lamellae
      is essential to form the epidermal barrier. Besides their role as structural
      components sphingolipids are also critical molecules involved in the modulation
      of epidermal cells. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) has been identified as a
      prominent signaling molecule which regulates fundamental functions of
      keratinocytes and skin dendritic cells. Thus, S1P inhibits proliferation of
      keratinocytes and induces their differentiation. Moreover, antigen uptake,
      migration and cytokine production of dendritic cells are under the control of
      this sphingolipid. A dysregulation of the sphingolipid metabolism has been
      discussed in inflammatory skin disorders like atopic dermatitis. Animal models of
      contact dermatitis provide evidence that topical treatment with S1P is connected
      with an anti-inflammatory action suggesting a novel approach for the treatment of
      atopic dermatitis.

PMID- 26120516
TI  - Human heart as a shock organ in anaphylaxis.
AB  - Anaphylaxis is a potentially fatal, immediate hypersensitivity reaction. Mast
      cells and basophils, by elaborating vasoactive mediators and cytokines, are the
      main primary effector cells of anaphylaxis. Mast cells have been identified in
      human heart between myocardial fibers, perivascularly, in the adventitia, and in
      the arterial intima. Mast cells isolated from human heart tissue (HHMC) of
      patients undergoing cardiac transplantation express high affinity immunglobulin E
      (IgE) receptors (FcepsilonRI), C3a, C5a, and kit receptors (KIT). Anti-IgE, anti
      FcepsilonRI, and immunoglobulin superallergens induce in vitro secretion of
      preformed mediators (histamine, tryptase, chymase, and renin) and the de novo
      synthesis of cysteinyl leukotriene C4 (LTC4) and prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) from
      HHMC. Complement is activated and anaphylatoxin forms during anaphylaxis. C5a and
      C3a cause the in vitro release of histamine and tryptase from HHMC. Therapeutic
      (general anesthetics, protamine, etc.) and diagnostic agents (radio contrast
      media, etc.), which can cause anaphylactoid reactions, activate HHMC in vitro.
      Low concentrations of histamine and cysteinyl leukotrienes given to subjects
      undergoing diagnostic catheterisation caused significant systemic and coronary
      hemodynamic effects. These data indicate that human heart mast cells and their
      mediators play a role in severe anaphylactic reactions.

PMID- 26120517
TI  - Modern diagnosis of celiac disease and relevant differential diagnoses in the
      case of cereal intolerance.
AB  - At an incidence of 1:500, celiac disease (formerly sprue) is an important
      differential diagnosis in patients with malabsorption, abdominal discomfort,
      diarrhea and food intolerances. Celiac disease can induce a broad spectrum of
      both gastrointestinal and extraintestinal symptoms, e.g. dermatitis herpetiformis
      (Duhring's disease). A variety of oligo- and asymptomatic courses (e.g. anemia,
      osteoporosis, depression) through to refractory collagenic celiac disease are
      seen. In HLA-DQ2 and -8 predisposed individuals, celiac disease is provoked by
      contact with wheat gliadin fractions through a predominantly Th1 immune response
      and an accompanying Th2 response, which can eventually lead to villous atrophy.
      Using appropriate serological tests (IgA antibodies against tissue
      transglutaminase, endomysium and deamidated gliadin peptides) under sufficient
      gluten ingestion, the diagnosis can be made more reliably today than previously.
      The same IgG-based serological tests should be used in the case of IgA
      deficiency. Diagnosis can either be made in children and adolescents with anti
      transglutaminase titers exceeding ten times the standard for two of the above
      mentioned serological markers and HLA conformity or it is made by endoscopy and
      histological Marsh classification in adults and in cases of inconclusive
      serology. If clinically tolerated, gluten challenges are indicated in patients
      that already have reduced gluten intake, in borderline serological results,
      discordance between serological and histological results or in suspected food
      allergy. The diagnosis of celiac disease needs to be definitive and robust before
      establishing a gluten-free diet, since lifelong abstention from gluten (gliadin <
      20 mg/kg foodstuffs), cereal products (wheat, rye, barley and spelt) as well as
      from preparations and beverages containing gluten, is necessary. With effective
      elimination of gluten, the prognosis regarding complete resolution of small bowel
      inflammation is good. Refractory courses are seen only in rare cases, accompanied
      by enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma.

PMID- 26120518
TI  - Ash pollen allergy: reliable detection of sensitization on the basis of IgE to
      Ole e 1.
AB  - Background: Alongside hazel, alder and birch pollen allergies, ash pollen allergy
      is a relevant cause of hay fever during spring in the European region. For some
      considerable time, ash pollen allergy was not routinely investigated and its
      clinical relevance may well have been underestimated, particularly since ash and
      birch tree pollination times are largely the same. Ash pollen extracts are not
      yet well standardized and diagnosis is therefore sometimes unreliable. Olive
      pollen, on the other hand, is strongly cross-reactive with ash pollen and is
      apparently better standardized. Therefore, the main allergen of olive pollen, Ole
      e 1, has been postulated as a reliable alternative for the detection of ash
      pollen sensitization. Methods: To determine to what extent specific IgE against
      Ole e 1 in patients with ash pollen allergy is relevant, we included 183 subjects
      with ash pollen allergy displaying typical symptoms in March/April and positive
      skin prick test specific IgE against Ole e 1 (t224) and ash pollen (t25) and
      various birch allergens (Bet v 1, Bet v 2/v 4) in a retrospective study. Results:
      A significant correlation was seen between specific IgE against Ole e 1 and ash
      pollen, but also to a slightly lesser extent between IgE against Ole e 1 and skin
      prick test with ash pollen, the latter being even higher than IgE and skin prick
      test both with ash pollen. No relevant correlation was found with birch pollen
      allergens, demonstrating the very limited cross-reactivity between ash and birch
      pollen. Conclusion: It appears appropriate to determine specific IgE against Ole
      e 1 instead of IgE against ash pollen to detect persons with ash pollen allergy.
      Our findings may also support the idea of using possibly better standardized or
      more widely available olive pollen extracts instead of ash pollen extract for
      allergen-specific immunotherapy.

PMID- 26120519
TI  - Chlorhexidine allergy.

PMID- 26120520
TI  - Rupatadine: efficacy and safety of a non-sedating antihistamine with PAF
      antagonist effects.
AB  - Rupatadine is a modern non-sedating H1-antihistamine that also haswith additional
      antagonist effects on platelet-activating factor (PAF). Under the tradenames
      Rupafin(r) and Urtimed(r), Rrupatadine is approvedregistered in Germany for the
      treatment of allergic rhinitis and urticaria infor adults and children aged over
      12 years. In this review, the available literature available to date onregarding
      the pharmacological profile and clinical application of Rrupatadine is reviewed
      and compared to other conventional histamines. In conclusionFinally, the side
      effects, safety and interaction profileincompatibility of Rrupatadine are
      discussed. Due to CYP p450 metabolism, Rrupatadine should not be given together
      with Eerythromycin, Kketoconazole or grapefruit juice. Rupatadine has been found
      to be effective and safe Iin a variety of randomized clinical trials both in both
      seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis, as well as inbut also chronic urticaria
      Rupatadine has been found as effective and safe.

PMID- 26120522
TI  - Bronchitis and asthma in the setting of vitamin D deficiency.

PMID- 26120521
TI  - Guideline for acute therapy and management of anaphylaxis: S2 Guideline of the
      German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology (DGAKI), the Association
      of German Allergologists (AeDA), the Society of Pediatric Allergy and
      Environmental Medicine (GPA), the German Academy of Allergology and Environmental
      Medicine (DAAU), the German Professional Association of Pediatricians (BVKJ), the
      Austrian Society for Allergology and Immunology (OGAI), the Swiss Society for
      Allergy and Immunology (SGAI), the German Society of Anaesthesiology and
      Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI), the German Society of Pharmacology (DGP), the
      German Society for Psychosomatic Medicine (DGPM), the German Working Group of
      Anaphylaxis Training and Education (AGATE) and the patient organization German
      Allergy and Asthma Association (DAAB).

PMID- 26120523
TI  - Acupuncture in allergic rhinitis: A Mini-Review.
AB  - Acupuncture is a therapy method known for millennia with apparently polygenetic
      roots. It is traditionally practiced in East Asian countries. During the recent
      fifty years, it has found wide applications in Europe as well. Today acupuncture
      is one of the most important parts of modern complementary medicine. Questions
      concerning the mechanism of action and efficacy of acupuncture, among others in
      the treatment of allergic rhinitis, still lead to many scientific discussions.
      This review summarizes the modern understanding of possible mechanisms of
      acupuncture as well as it presents the current state of clinical studies relating
      to the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. Further
      investigations are necessary to confirm acupuncture as an effective therapy of
      allergic rhinitis.

PMID- 26120524
TI  - Mould allergens: Where do we stand with molecular allergy diagnostics?: Part 13
      of the series Molecular Allergology.
AB  - The official WHO/IUIS database (www.allergen.org) currently lists 77 mould
      allergens from a variety of protein families. To date, only eight recombinant
      single allergens from three mould species are available for molecular allergy
      diagnosis of mould sensitization. These include rAlt a 1, the major allergen in
      Alternaria alternata-sensitized individuals, and enolase rAlt a 6 with it
      potential cross-reactivity to mould, food and natural latex allergens. rAsp f 1,
      2, 3, 4 and 6 from Aspergillus fumigatus are available for diagnostic purposes;
      specific IgE to rAsp f 2, 4 and 6 is often positive in allergic bronchopulmonary
      aspergillosis (ABPA). The dehydrogenase rCla h 8 is considered a major allergen
      of Cladosporium herbarum with possible cross-reactivity to other dehydrogenase
      allergens. The narrow range of commercially available individual mould allergens
      should be expanded to include marker allergens typical for mould (e.g., serine
      proteases). In addition, standardization of total extracts needs to be improved
      in the future to guarantee valid mould products with defined allergen content for
      diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

PMID- 26120525
TI  - Author guidelines: Allergo Journal International.

PMID- 26120526
TI  - Molecular sIgE profile in infants and young children with peanut sensitization
      and eczema.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many children develop a sensitization to peanut in early infancy,
      even before peanut is introduced in their diet. Sensitization is particularly
      common in young children with eczema. There have been scant data available to
      date on the sensitization pattern for specific peanut allergens in this patient
      group. The aim of this study was to investigate the allergen profile of infants
      and young children with peanut sensitization and eczema. METHODS: Sera from 53
      children aged <= 20 months with eczema and sensitization to peanut but who had
      not yet consumed products containing peanuts were included in the analysis. Sera
      were analyzed using microarray immunoassay (ImmunoCAP ISAC). RESULTS: In total,
      63 % of peanut-sensitized children showed specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE)
      against at least one peanut allergen on the microarray. Specific IgE to the 7S
      globulin Ara h 1 was detected in 40 % of the children, to the 2S albumin Ara h 2
      in 30 % and to the 11S globulin Ara h 3 in 23 %. Only one child had sIgE to Arah
      8, the homologoue of Bet-v-1. Data on clinical relevance were available for 24 of
      53 children: 14 of 24 patients had objective allergic reactions to peanut, while
      10 children were peanut-tolerant. The seed storage protein Ara h 2 was not
      detected on microarray in 43 % (6 of 14) of children with peanut allergy. Two of
      these six children were mono-sensitized to Ara h 1 and two to Ara h 3, while in
      three children none of these seed storage proteins was detected. DISCUSSION: It
      could be shown that infants and young children with eczema and sensitization to
      peanut recognize predominantly seed storage proteins from peanut, even before the
      introduction of peanut into their diet. Sensitization to pollen-related food
      allergens seems to be rare at this age. At this age not only Ara h 2, but also
      Ara h 1 seems to be related to clinical relevance.

PMID- 26120527
TI  - Benefits and limitations of molecular diagnostics in peanut allergy: Part 14 of
      the series Molecular Allergology.
AB  - Allergic reactions to peanut (Arachis hypogaea, Ara h) are caused by
      immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated sensitizations to various proteins. The stability
      and relative proportion of these proteins in peanut determine the risk of
      hazardous reactions. Hazardous sensitization to seed storage proteins [S2
      albumins (Ara h 2, 6 and 7) > other seed storage proteins (Ara 1 and 3) >
      oleosins (Ara h 10 and 11)] are distinct from sensitizations to lipid transfer
      protein (Ara h 9) with moderate risk or cross-sensitizations to Bet v 1
      homologous PR-10 protein (Ara h 8) and to profilin (Ara h 5) with low risk. A
      specific IgE test, e.g. to Ara h 2 in the case of suspected systemic reaction, or
      where this should be ruled out, can facilitate easier risk assessment. Results,
      however, are only relevant in the presence of corresponding clinical symptoms.
      IgE sensitization to peanut extract without hazardous reactions is often caused
      in this part of the world by Bet v 1-related cross reactions (in birch pollen
      allergy sufferers), cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCD) or profilin
      sensitizations. In the case of doubt, clinical relevance can only be established
      by means of oral challenge, particularly since not all peanut allergens (e. g.,
      oleosins) are available as yet for diagnostic purposes.

PMID- 26120528
TI  - Cellular in vitro diagnosis of adverse drug reactions.
AB  - Adverse drug reactions can manifest clinically in a variety of ways. Whilst the
      majority can be explained by dose-dependent side effects, there is group of
      unpredictable immunological or non-immunological intolerances that represent a
      particular diagnostic challenge. Skin tests are frequently negative, whilst
      challenge tests are time-consuming and often hazardous. Against this backdrop,
      cellular in vitro tests play a particularly important role in the identification
      of the causative drug. Whilst basophil tests can be used in the case of
      immunoglobulin E (IgE)- as well as non-IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reactions, T
      cellular test methods assist in the diagnosis of drug eruptions. The reliability
      of individual tests can be affected by a variety of parameters, such as the
      pathomechanism underlying the drug reaction, the causative medication, or the
      point in time of testing. Not only is a sound knowledge of the basic principles
      of the individual assays an essential prerequisite for correctly indicating and
      interpreting this test method, but also an awareness of these additional factors.

PMID- 26120529
TI  - Clinical and diagnostic challenges of metal implant allergy using the example of
      orthopaedic surgical implants: Part 15 of the Series Molecular Allergology.
AB  - The focus of this review are allergic reactions to orthopaedic-surgical metal
      implants. The spectrum of metal implant associated potential allergic reactions
      encompasses eczema, impaired wound and fracture healing, infection-mimicking
      reactions, effusions, pain and loosening. Nickel, cobalt and chromium seem to be
      the predominant eliciting allergens. Despite the growing number of respective
      publications the topic "metal implant allergy" remains a diagnostic challenge.
      Initially, differential diagnoses should always be excluded in cooperation with
      surgery collegues. It is recommended to perform a combined evaluation of medical
      history, clinical findings, patch testing and histology. The lymphocyte
      transformation test (LTT) can indicate metal sensitization, but it needs careful
      interpretation. Allergists can provide a substantial contribution to this
      interdisciplinary topic.

PMID- 26120532
TI  - Abstracts, 9th German Allergy Congress, Wiesbaden, 2-4 October 2014.

PMID- 26120531
TI  - Author guidelines: Allergo Journal International.

PMID- 26120530
TI  - S3-Guideline on allergy prevention: 2014 update: Guideline of the German Society
      for Allergology and Clinical Immunology (DGAKI) and the German Society for
      Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ).
AB  - : The continued high prevalence of allergic diseases in Western industrialized
      nations combined with the limited options for causal therapy make evidence-based
      primary prevention necessary. The recommendations last published in the S3
      guideline on allergy prevention in 2009 have been revised and a consensus reached
      on the basis of an up-to-date systematic literature search. Evidence was sought
      for the period between May 2008 and May 2013 in the Cochrane and MEDLINE
      electronic databases, as well as in the reference lists of recent review
      articles. In addition, experts were surveyed for their opinions. The relevance of
      retrieved literature was checked by means of two filter processes: firstly
      according to title and abstract, and secondly based on the full text of the
      articles. Included studies were given an evidence grade, and a bias potential
      (low/high) was specified for study quality. A formal consensus on the revised
      recommendations was reached by representatives of the relevant specialist
      societies and (self-help) organizations (nominal group process). Of 3,284 hits,
      165 studies (one meta-analysis, 15 systematic reviews, 31 randomized controlled
      trials, 65 cohort studies, 12 case-control studies and 41 cross-sectional
      studies) were included and evaluated. Recommendations on the following remain
      largely unaltered: full breastfeeding for 4 months as a means of allergy
      prevention (hypoallergenic infant formula in the case of infants at risk);
      avoidance of overweight; fish consumption (during pregnancy/lactation and in the
      introduction of solid foods for infants); vaccination according to the
      recommendations of the German Standing Committee on Vaccination (Standige
      Impfkommission, STIKO); avoidance of air pollutants and tobacco exposure and
      avoidance of indoor conditions conducive to the development of mold. The
      assertion that a reduction in house-dust mite allergen content as a primary
      preventive measure is not recommended also remains unchanged. The introduction of
      solid foods into infant diet should not be delayed. In the case of children at
      risk cats should not be acquired as domestic pets. Keeping dogs is not associated
      with an increased risk of allergy. The updated guideline includes a new
      recommendation to consider the increased risk of asthma following delivery by
      cesarean section. Additional statements have been formulated on pre- and
      probiotic agents, psychosocial factors, medications, and various nutritional
      components. Revising the guideline by using an extensive evidence base has
      resulted not only in an endorsement of the existing recommendations, but also in
      modifications and in the addition of new recommendations. The updated guideline
      enables evidence-based and up-to-date recommendations to be made on allergy
      prevention. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: Supplementary material is
      available for this article at 10.1007/s40629-014-0022-4 and is accessible for
      authorized users.

PMID- 26120533
TI  - Lichenoid contact reaction to eugenol presenting as oral lichen planus.

PMID- 26120534
TI  - Bronchial asthma: is personalized therapy on the horizon?
AB  - In the last years there is an increasing trend towards personalized medicine for
      patients with asthma. This is due to the availability of novel specific
      therapies. These new compounds are supposed to be used in well-defined patient
      groups, which are likely to respond to these interventions. In addition to
      already used anti-IgE, novel monoclonal antibodies such as anti-IL-5 and anti-IL
      13 are becoming available. Currently clinical trials are ongoing to identify
      which patient population will respond to these novel therapies.

PMID- 26120536
TI  - Immunodeficiency in adults a practical guide for the allergist.
AB  - Knowing the clinical warning signs of immunodeficiency (ID) in adulthood is
      crucial for early detection of the over 200 forms of primary ID known to date.
      Many of these congenital diseases with a genetic background already manifest in
      childhood. Antibody deficiency diseases represent an important exception, with
      common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) being the most common form of ID. The
      median age of onset of CVID is 24 years. Unfortunately, the delay in diagnosis is
      still in excess of 4 years. General practitioners as well as allergists play a
      particularly important role in early detection. ID patients who present primarily
      with signs of immune dysregulation pose an even greater diagnostic challenge.
      Thus, autoimmune cytopenia, inflammatory bowel diseases, or sarcoid-like
      granulomatous inflammation can be the first manifestation in up to 20 % of ID
      patients. Secondary forms of ID [e. g., due to long-term corticosteroid
      treatment, HIV-infection, leukemia, lymphoma, nephrotic syndrome, malabsorption
      syndrome] need to be differentiated from primary antibody deficiency. Considering
      the overlap with allergic symptoms [ID accompanied by a susceptibility to eczema,
      elevated total IgE, blood eosinophilia], the present article discusses, the
      clinical warning signs of ID, the first diagnostic steps required and the option
      of further diagnostic work up at specialist centers for complex cases, as well as
      the treatment options for such cases.

PMID- 26120535
TI  - Quality of life in the setting of anaphylaxis and food allergy.
AB  - The diagnosis of a food allergy generally has a considerable impact on patients.
      Not does it result in dietary restrictions, it is often also associated with a
      constant threat scenario, given the risk of sudden allergic reactions, including
      life-threatening anaphylaxis. It is essential for patients to receive training on
      how to deal with emergency situations and make the correct decision regarding the
      use of emergency medication. Severe allergic reactions occur only rarely if
      patients are well informed. However, the fear of allergic reactions results in a
      significant impairment in quality of life (QoL). In recent years, numerous
      studies have been carried out on QoL in food-allergy and anaphylaxis patients.
      These studies provide insight into patient behaviour in everyday life. More
      importantly, by means of targeted and specific counselling, they also make it
      possible to reduce adverse effects on QoL and improve avoidance behaviour and
      compliance in terms of the requisite emergency measures. The present article
      summarizes the available data and formulates recommendations aimed at improving
      the care of food-allergy patients in terms of QoL and compliance.

PMID- 26120537
TI  - Glucoamylase: a current allergen in the baking industry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Over a 10 year period a decline in the rate of sensitizations to
      alpha-amylase (Aspergillus oryzae) was observed in bakers investigated for
      allergic obstructive airway disease. At the same time, glucoamylase (Aspergillus
      niger) was identified as the currently the most relevant allergen in
      sensitizations to enzymes in the baking industry. The aim of the present study
      was to investigate whether, over a period of 10 years and in the case of new
      onset disease, there had been any change in sensitization and exposure rates to
      enzymes used in the baking industry. METHODS: Total immunoglobulin-E (IgE) levels
      and specific IgE to baking enzymes were determined in 433 bakers investigated in
      the Baker's Asthma prevention program (Backerasthma Praventionsprogramm, BAP) of
      the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the foodstuffs and catering
      industry (Berufsgenossenschaft Nahrungsmittel und Gastgewerbe, BGN). At the same
      time personal dust exposure, including assessment of the level of alpha-amylase
      exposure in the area of exposure, was recorded. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:
      Serological investigations revealed a significant decline in the rate of
      sensitization to alpha-amylase from 26 % to 13 %. At 28 %, the rate of
      sensitization to the baking enzyme glucoamylase was significantly higher than to
      cellulase (16 %) and alpha-amylase among subjects in 2010. Multiple
      sensitizations to all three baking agents are common. In total, 30 % of affected
      bakers are currently sensitized to at least one of the baking enzymes
      investigated. Data from individual dust measurements revealed a decline in alpha
      amylase exposure while overall dust exposure remained almost unchanged. Today, 11
      % fewer bakers are exposed to alpha-amylase compared with ten years previously
      and, at the same time, enzyme concentrations in exposed bakers have dropped
      significantly. The high sensitization rate to glucoamylase in affected bakers
      gives cause to investigate exposure levels in bakeries and to assess
      sensitizations in the context of occupational disease proceedings.

PMID- 26120538
TI  - Marker allergens of weed pollen - basic considerations and diagnostic benefits in
      the clinical routine: Part 16 of the Series Molecular Allergology.
AB  - The term weed is referring to plants used as culinary herbs and medicinal plants
      as well as ecologically adaptive and invasive segetal plants. In Europe, pollen
      of ragweed, mugwort, English plantain and pellitory are the main elicitors of
      weed pollen allergies. Presently, 35 weed pollen allergens have been identified.
      The most relevant belong to the protein families of pectate lyases, defensin-like
      proteins, non-specific lipid transfer proteins, and Ole e 1-like proteins. The
      sensitization frequency depends on geographic regions and might affect more than
      50 % of pollen allergic patients in distinct regions. Due to overlapping
      flowering seasons, similar habitats, polysensitizations and cross-reactive (pan)
      allergens, it is difficult to diagnose genuine weed pollen sensitization using
      pollen extracts. Marker allergens for component-resolved diagnostics are
      available for the important weed pollen. These are Amb a 1 (ragweed), Art v 1
      (mugwort), Pla l 1 (English plantain) and Par j 2 (pellitory). Molecule-based
      approaches can be used to identify the primary sensitizer and thus enable
      selection of the appropriate weed pollen extracts for allergen immunotherapy.

PMID- 26120540
TI  - House dust mites known to be an allergen source for 50 years: Der p 1 still
      detectable in the original sample.

PMID- 26120541
TI  - Th22 cells in allergic disease.
AB  - During the last decade, the field of T cell immunology started to confuse the
      scientific community. More and more subtypes of T helper cells and their
      counterparts in the innate immune system are described. We are just at the
      beginning to understand which specific function the distinct subtypes fulfill.
      Th22 cells are terminally differentiated and very specialized T helper cells
      characterized by the secretion of their signature cytokine IL-22 and lack of IL
      4, IL-17 and IFN-gamma. The main function of Th22 cells is to protect epithelial
      barrier organs such as skin and lung, but also to modulate inflamed and injured
      tissue. This review summarizes our current knowledge on Th22 cells and their
      function in allergic disease. Cite this as Eyerich K, Eyerich S. Th22 cells in
      allergic disease. Allergo J Int 2015;24:1-7 DOI: 10.1007/s40629-015-0039-3.

PMID- 26120542
TI  - Change of paradigm: CD8+ T cells as important helper for CD4+ T cells during
      asthma and autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
AB  - The activation of naive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in response to antigen and their
      subsequent proliferation and differentiation into effectors are important
      features of a cell-mediated immune response. CD4+ T cells (also known as T helper
      cells, Th) differentiate into several subpopulations including Th1, Th2, Th9,
      Th17, Tfh and Treg cells, characterized by specific cytokine profiles and
      effector functions. However, recent evidence indicates that CD8+ T cells (termed
      cytotoxic T lymphocytes, CTLs or Tc cells) can differentiate into subpopulations
      with similar characteristics denoted as Tc2, Tc9, Tc17 and CD8+ Treg cells in
      addition to CTLs. Although these subpopulations accomplish important protective
      functions, their uncontrolled responses cause immunopathology including allergy
      and autoimmunity. Our recent findings indicate a change of paradigm: during these
      pathologic responses, CD8+ T cell subpopulations act as strong helpers for the
      activity of CD4+ T cells rather than being cytotoxic. In this review, we focus on
      the role of Th2, Th9, Th17 as well as Tc9 and Tc17 cells in asthma and autoimmune
      encephalomyelitis and on their interaction during these immunopathologic
      responses. Cite this as Huber M, Lohoff M. Change of paradigm: CD8+ T cells as
      important helper for CD4+ T cells during asthma and autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
      Allergo J Int 2015;24:8-15 DOI: 10.1007/s40629-015-0038-4.

PMID- 26120544
TI  - Guideline for authors: Allergo Journal International.

PMID- 26120543
TI  - Autoallergy in atopic dermatitis.
AB  - The term autoallergy denotes autoimmunity accompanying an atopic disease, with
      antigen-specific IgE as a hallmark. This phenomenon is discussed to contribute to
      a chronification of the disease and to shape the immune response in chronic
      atopic dermatitis (AD). In this review, we highlight recent insights into the
      autoallergic inflammation in AD. Different mechanisms underlying the
      allergenicity of autoallergens are discussed at the moment: intrinsic functions
      modulating the immune system as well as molecular mimicry may influence the
      allergenic potential of these proteins. Finally, the role of specific T cells is
      discussed. Cite this as: Hradetzky S, Werfel T, Roesner LM. Autoallergy in atopic
      dermatitis. Allergo J Int 2015; 24:16-22 DOI: 10.1007/s40629-015-0037-5.

PMID- 26120539
TI  - Guideline on allergen-specific immunotherapy in IgE-mediated allergic diseases:
      S2k Guideline of the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology
      (DGAKI), the Society for Pediatric Allergy and Environmental Medicine (GPA), the
      Medical Association of German Allergologists (AeDA), the Austrian Society for
      Allergy and Immunology (OGAI), the Swiss Society for Allergy and Immunology
      (SGAI), the German Society of Dermatology (DDG), the German Society of Oto- Rhino
      Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery (DGHNO-KHC), the German Society of Pediatrics
      and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ), the Society for Pediatric Pneumology (GPP), the
      German Respiratory Society (DGP), the German Association of ENT Surgeons (BV
      HNO), the Professional Federation of Paediatricians and Youth Doctors (BVKJ), the
      Federal Association of Pulmonologists (BDP) and the German Dermatologists
      Association (BVDD).
AB  - The present guideline (S2k) on allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) was
      established by the German, Austrian and Swiss professional associations for
      allergy in consensus with the scientific specialist societies and professional
      associations in the fields of otolaryngology, dermatology and venereology,
      pediatric and adolescent medicine, pneumology as well as a German patient
      organization (German Allergy and Asthma Association; Deutscher Allergie- und
      Asthmabund, DAAB) according to the criteria of the Association of the Scientific
      Medical Societies in Germany (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen
      Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften, AWMF). AIT is a therapy with disease-modifying
      effects. By administering allergen extracts, specific blocking antibodies, toler
      ance-inducing cells and mediators are activated. These prevent further
      exacerbation of the allergen-triggered immune response, block the specific immune
      response and attenuate the inflammatory response in tissue. Products for SCIT or
      SLIT cannot be compared at present due to their heterogeneous composition, nor
      can allergen concentrations given by different manufacturers be compared
      meaningfully due to the varying methods used to measure their active ingredients.
      Non-modified allergens are used for SCIT in the form of aqueous or physically
      adsorbed (depot) extracts, as well as chemically modified allergens (allergoids)
      as depot extracts. Allergen extracts for SLIT are used in the form of aqueous
      solutions or tablets. The clinical efficacy of AIT is measured using various
      scores as primary and secondary study endpoints. The EMA stipulates combined
      symptom and medication scores as primary endpoint. A harmonization of clinical
      endpoints, e. g., by using the combined symptom and medication scores (CSMS)
      recommended by the EAACI, is desirable in the future in order to permit the
      comparison of results from different studies. The current CONSORT recommendations
      from the ARIA/GA2LEN group specify standards for the evaluation, presentation and
      publication of study results. According to the Therapy allergen ordinance (TAV),
      preparations containing common allergen sources (pollen from grasses, birch,
      alder, hazel, house dust mites, as well as bee and wasp venom) need a marketing
      authorization in Germany. During the marketing authorization process, these
      preparations are examined regarding quality, safety and efficacy. In the opinion
      of the authors, authorized allergen preparations with documented efficacy and
      safety, or preparations tradeable under the TAV for which efficacy and safety
      have already been documented in clinical trials meeting WAO or EMA standards,
      should be preferentially used. Individual formulations (NPP) enable the
      prescription of rare allergen sources (e.g., pollen from ash, mugwort or
      ambrosia, mold Alternaria, animal allergens) for specific immunotherapy. Mixing
      these allergens with TAV allergens is not permitted. Allergic rhinitis and its
      associated co-morbidities (e. g., bronchial asthma) generate substantial direct
      and indirect costs. Treatment options, in particular AIT, are therefore evaluated
      using cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses. From a long-term perspective,
      AIT is considered to be significantly more cost effective in allergic rhinitis
      and allergic asthma than pharmacotherapy, but is heavily dependent on patient
      compliance. Meta-analyses provide unequivocal evidence of the efficacy of SCIT
      and SLIT for certain allergen sources and age groups. Data from controlled
      studies differ in terms of scope, quality and dosing regimens and require product
      specific evaluation. Therefore, evaluating individual preparations according to
      clearly defined criteria is recommended. A broad transfer of the efficacy of
      certain preparations to all preparations administered in the same way is not
      endorsed. The website of the German Society for Allergology and Clinical
      Immunology (www.dgaki.de/leitlinien/s2k-leitlinie-sit; DGAKI: Deutsche
      Gesellschaft fur Allergologie und klinische Immunologie) provides tables with
      specific information on available products for AIT in Germany, Switzerland and
      Austria. The tables contain the number of clinical studies per product in adults
      and children, the year of market authorization, underlying scoring systems,
      number of randomized and analyzed subjects and the method of evaluation (ITT,
      FAS, PP), separately given for grass pollen, birch pollen and house dust mite
      allergens, and the status of approval for the conduct of clinical studies with
      these products. Strong evidence of the efficacy of SCIT in pollen allergy-induced
      allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in adulthood is well-documented in numerous trials
      and, in childhood and adolescence, in a few trials. Efficacy in house dust mite
      allergy is documented by a number of controlled trials in adults and few
      controlled trials in children. Only a few controlled trials, independent of age,
      are available for mold allergy (in particular Alternaria). With regard to animal
      dander allergies (primarily to cat allergens), only small studies, some with
      methodological deficiencies are available. Only a moderate and inconsistent
      therapeutic effect in atopic dermatitis has been observed in the quite
      heterogeneous studies conducted to date. SCIT has been well investigated for
      individual preparations in controlled bronchial asthma as defined by the Global
      Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2007 and intermittent and mild persistent asthma
      (GINA 2005) and it is recommended as a treatment option, in addition to allergen
      avoidance and pharmacotherapy, provided there is a clear causal link between
      respiratory symptoms and the relevant allergen. The efficacy of SLIT in grass
      pollen-induced allergic rhinoconjunctivitis is extensively documented in adults
      and children, whilst its efficacy in tree pollen allergy has only been shown in
      adults. New controlled trials (some with high patient numbers) on house dust mite
      allergy provide evidence of efficacy of SLIT in adults. Compared with allergic
      rhinoconjunctivitis, there are only few studies on the efficacy of SLIT in
      allergic asthma. In this context, newer studies show an efficacy for SLIT on
      asthma symptoms in the subgroup of grass pollen allergic children, adolescents
      and adults with asthma and efficacy in primary house dust mite allergy-induced
      asthma in adolescents aged from 14 years and in adults. Aspects of secondary
      prevention, in particular the reduction of new sensitizations and reduced asthma
      risk, are important rationales for choosing to initiate treatment early in
      childhood and adolescence. In this context, those products for which the
      appropriate effects have been demonstrated should be considered. SCIT or SLIT
      with pollen or mite allergens can be performed in patients with allergic
      rhinoconjunctivitis using allergen extracts that have been proven to be effective
      in at least one double-blind placebo-controlled (DBPC) study. At present,
      clinical trials are underway for the indication in asthma due to house dust mite
      allergy, some of the results of which have already been published, whilst others
      are still awaited (see the DGAKI table "Approved/potentially completed studies"
      via www.dgaki.de/Leitlinien/s2k-Leitlinie-sit (according to
      www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu)). When establishing the indication for AIT,
      factors that favour clinical efficacy should be taken into consideration.
      Differences between SCIT and SLIT are to be considered primarily in terms of
      contraindications. In individual cases, AIT may be justifiably indicated despite
      the presence of contraindications. SCIT injections and the initiation of SLIT are
      performed by a physician experienced in this type of treatment and who is able to
      administer emergency treatment in the case of an allergic reaction. Patients must
      be fully informed about the procedure and risks of possible adverse events, and
      the details of this process must be documented (see "Treatment information
      sheet"; available as a handout via www.dgaki.de/Leitlinien/s2k-Leitlinie-sit).
      Treatment should be performed according to the manufacturer's product information
      leaflet. In cases where AIT is to be performed or continued by a different
      physician to the one who established the indication, close cooperation is
      required in order to ensure that treatment is implemented consistently and at low
      risk. In general, it is recommended that SCIT and SLIT should only be performed
      using preparations for which adequate proof of efficacy is available from
      clinical trials. Treatment adherence among AIT patients is lower than assumed by
      physicians, irrespective of the form of administration. Clearly, adherence is of
      vital importance for treatment success. Improving AIT adherence is one of the
      most important future goals, in order to ensure efficacy of the therapy. Severe,
      potentially life-threatening systemic reactions during SCIT are possible, but -
      providing all safety measures are adhered to - these events are very rare. Most
      adverse events are mild to moderate and can be treated well. Dose-dependent
      adverse local reactions occur frequently in the mouth and throat in SLIT.
      Systemic reactions have been described in SLIT, but are seen far less often than
      with SCIT. In terms of anaphylaxis and other severe systemic reactions, SLIT has
      a better safety profile than SCIT. The risk and effects of adverse systemic
      reactions in the setting of AIT can be effectively reduced by training of
      personnel, adhering to safety standards and prompt use of emergency measures,
      including early administration of i. m. epinephrine. Details on the acute
      management of anaphylactic reactions can be found in the current S2 guideline on
      anaphylaxis issued by the AWMF (S2-AWMF-LL Registry Number 061-025). AIT is
      undergoing some innovative developments in many areas (e. g., allergen
      characterization, new administration routes, adjuvants, faster and safer dose
      escalation protocols), some of which are already being investigated in clinical
      trials. Cite this as Pfaar O, Bachert C, Bufe A, Buhl R, Ebner C, Eng P,
      Friedrichs F, Fuchs T, Hamelmann E, Hartwig-Bade D, Hering T, Huttegger I, Jung
      K, Klimek L, Kopp MV, Merk H, Rabe U, Saloga J, Schmid-Grendelmeier P, Schuster
      A, Schwerk N, Sitter H, Umpfenbach U, Wedi B, Wohrl S, Worm M, Kleine-Tebbe J.
      Guideline on allergen-specific immunotherapy in IgE-mediated allergic diseases -
      S2k Guideline of the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology
      (DGAKI), the Society for Pediatric Allergy and Environmental Medicine (GPA), the
      Medical Association of German Allergologists (AeDA), the Austrian Society for
      Allergy and Immunology (OGAI), the Swiss Society for Allergy and Immunology
      (SGAI), the German Society of Dermatology (DDG), the German Society of Oto-Rhino
      Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery (DGHNO-KHC), the German Society of Pediatrics
      and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ), the Society for Pediatric Pneumology (GPP), the
      German Respiratory Society (DGP), the German Association of ENT Surgeons (BV
      HNO), the Professional Federation of Paediatricians and Youth Doctors (BVKJ), the
      Federal Association of Pulmonologists (BDP) and the German Dermatologists
      Association (BVDD). Allergo J Int 2014;23:282-319.

PMID- 26120545
TI  - Correspondence to the "Guideline for acute therapy and management of
      anaphylaxis".

PMID- 26120546
TI  - Reply to the correspondence to the "Guideline for acute therapy and management of
      anaphylaxis".

PMID- 26120547
TI  - Occupational allergy to beta-lactam antibiotics.

PMID- 26120548
TI  - Hypersensitivity reactions to modern antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs.
AB  - Anticoagulation and antiplatelet drugs are among the most commonly used medical
      drugs. In addition to the long-established heparins, hirudins, coumarins and
      antiplatelet drugs such as acetylsalicylic acid, numerous novel and predominantly
      synthetic pharmacologic agents have come onto the market in recent years. These
      new agents act at various sites in coagulation and have significantly broadened
      treatment options. Whilst immunological hypersensitivity reactions are on the
      whole rare, they have a considerable impact on patient management when they do
      occur. The present overview discusses the currently known hypersensitivity
      reactions to anticoagulant and antiplatelet agents, with particular attention to
      the newer substance classes including P2Y12 inhibitors, glycoprotein IIb/IIIb
      receptor antagonists, direct factor Xa inhibitors and direct thrombin inhibitors.

PMID- 26120549
TI  - Mites and other indoor allergens - from exposure to sensitization and treatment.
AB  - House dust mites, cats and dogs are amongst the most frequent sources of indoor
      allergens in Europe. The fact that the allergens of house dust mites cause
      allergic disease through inhalation of house dust was discovered in 1964. The
      diagnosis of mite allergy is regularly complicated by its often nonspecific
      symptoms, which frequently develop insidiously and by no means always include
      attacks of paroxysmal sneezing and itching. Antibody-based immunological
      detection methods can be used to measure exposure to mite allergens. The
      structure and function of more than 20 allergens from Dermatophagoides
      pteronyssinus and D. farina are known. Other relevant indoor allergens come from
      mammals kept in households. Here again, allergens have been described and
      diagnostic as well as exposure-measurement tools are available. It is important
      to remember indoor pests and other "unwelcome lodgers" as a possible cause in the
      case of unexplained symptoms experienced indoors. This short overview summarizes
      the current key points on the subject of "mites and other indoor allergens". The
      present article provides an overview of several articles published in a special
      issue of the German journal Allergologie [February 2015; 38(2)] on the subject of
      "Mites and other indoor allergens".

PMID- 26120550
TI  - Mammalian meat allergy: a diagnostic challenge.

PMID- 26120551
TI  - Authorised allergen products for intracutaneous testing may no longer be
      available in Germany: Allergy textbooks have to be re-written.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Beside the skin prick test, the intracutaneous test represents the
      most important skin test method for detecting type-1 allergies. With the
      incorporation of European directives into national law, test allergens used for
      allergy diagnosis are deemed medicinal products within the meaning of the German
      Medicinal Products Act (Arzneimittelgesetz) and therefore require marketing
      authorisation for distribution in Germany. The high costs of acquiring and
      maintaining these authorisations have lead to no new finished intracutaneous test
      products being authorized in Germany for more than 20 years. Instead, most
      manufacturers have voluntarily withdrawn their existing marketing authorisations
      for intracutaneous test extracts. The last manufacturer to offer approved
      finished allergen products for intracutaneous tests recently announced that it
      would now cease production and distribution of these solutions. METHODS: Research
      on the current European and German legislation; selective literature search in
      Medline, including national and international guidelines and Cochrane meta
      analyses; licensing information on the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute homepage
      (www.pei.de) as well as in the Bundesanzeiger (Federal Gazette). RESULTS:
      According to information on www.pei.de, marketing authorisations still existed as
      of 31.01.2015 for intracutaneous test solutions of six grass/cereal/herbal
      pollens, seven tree pollens, ten food allergens, twelve moulds and yeasts as well
      as two fungal mixtures, five house dust and storage mites and five animal
      epithelia/danders, all held by only one company in Germany. These marketing
      authorisations were granted between 16th March 1987 and 17th January 1992; more
      recent marketing authorisations do not exist. CONCLUSIONS: European legislation
      and the associated increase in production and licensing costs have already lead
      to numerous suppliers withdrawing their marketing authorisation for diagnostic
      test allergens - marketing authorisations for 443 diagnostic allergens were
      voluntarily withdrawn by manufacturers in 2013 alone. If the announced
      restrictions on the allergen portfolio go ahead, considerable problems in the
      management of allergy patients in Germany due to the discontinuation of the
      intracutaneous test are likely to be encountered. Moreover, the fact that a
      diagnostic procedure that has been established for decades seems set to disappear
      quite simply because all the requisite substances vanish from the market in one
      fell swoop may well be without parallel in modern medicine. The situation for
      skin prick test allergens is less dramatic, although, here again, the available
      range is becoming increasingly limited.

PMID- 26120552
TI  - Guideline for the diagnosis of drug hypersensitivity reactions: S2K-Guideline of
      the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology (DGAKI) and the German
      Dermatological Society (DDG) in collaboration with the Association of German
      Allergologists (AeDA), the German Society for Pediatric Allergology and
      Environmental Medicine (GPA), the German Contact Dermatitis Research Group (DKG),
      the Swiss Society for Allergy and Immunology (SGAI), the Austrian Society for
      Allergology and Immunology (OGAI), the German Academy of Allergology and
      Environmental Medicine (DAAU), the German Center for Documentation of Severe Skin
      Reactions and the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Products
      (BfArM).
AB  - Drug hypersensitivity reactions are unpredictable adverse drug reactions. They
      manifest either within 1-6 h following drug intake (immediate reactions) with
      mild to life-threatening symptoms of anaphylaxis, or several hours to days later
      (delayed reactions), primarily as exanthematous eruptions. It is not always
      possible to detect involvement of the immune system (allergy). Waiving diagnostic
      tests can result in severe reactions on renewed exposure on the one hand, and to
      unjustified treatment restrictions on the other. With this guideline, experts
      from various specialist societies and institutions have formulated
      recommendations and an algorithm for the diagnosis of allergies. The key
      principles of diagnosing allergic/hypersensitivity drug reactions are presented.
      Where possible, the objective is to perform allergy diagnostics within 4 weeks-6
      months following the reaction. A clinical classification of symptoms based on the
      morphology and time course of the reaction is required in order to plan a
      diagnostic work-up. In the case of typical symptoms of a drug hypersensitivity
      reaction and unequivocal findings from validated skin and/or laboratory tests, a
      reaction can be attributed to a trigger with sufficient confidence. However, skin
      and laboratory tests are often negative or insufficiently reliable. In such
      cases, controlled provocation testing is required to clarify drug reactions. This
      method is reliable and safe when attention is paid to indications and
      contraindications and performed under appropriate medical supervision. The
      results of the overall assessment are discussed with the patient and documented
      in an "allergy passport" in order to ensure targeted avoidance in the future and
      allow the use of alternative drugs where possible.

PMID- 26120553
TI  - Sleep, Performance, and Memory in Flies.
AB  - Drosophila has proven to be a powerful model to identify genes and circuits that
      impact sleep. While the majority of studies have primarily been interested in
      identifying manipulations that alter sleep time, a growing body of work has begun
      to focus on how changing sleep influences functional outcomes such as cognitive
      performance, structural plasticity, and metabolism to name a few. Evaluating
      sleep time provides an appropriate entry point into elucidating sleep function.
      However, it is not possible to fully understand how a manipulation has impacted
      sleep regulation without first establishing how it has affected the animals' well
      being. Synaptic plasticity and memory are important functional outcomes that can
      be used to asses an animal's status. In this manuscript, we review recent
      advances in studies examining sleep, memory, and performance. We conclude that as
      Drosophila sleep researchers expand their analysis beyond sleep time, the
      opportunities to discover the function of sleep will be enhanced.

PMID- 26120554
TI  - Non-Coding RNAs in Transcriptional Regulation: The review for Current Molecular
      Biology Reports.
AB  - Transcriptional gene silencing guided by small RNAs is a process conserved from
      protozoa to mammals. Small RNAs loaded into Argonaute family proteins direct
      repressive histone modifications or DNA cytosine methylation to homologous
      regions of the genome. Small RNA-mediated transcriptional silencing is required
      for many biological processes, including repression of transposable elements,
      maintaining the genome stability/integrity, and epigenetic inheritance of gene
      expression. Here we will summarize the current knowledge about small RNA
      biogenesis and mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in plants, Drosophila, C.
      elegans and mice. Furthermore, a rapidly growing number long non-coding RNAs
      (lncRNAs) have been implicated as important players in transcription regulation.
      We will discuss current models for long non-coding RNA-mediated gene regulation.

PMID- 26120556
TI  - Economic Inequality and Intergenerational Transfers: Evidence from Mexico.
AB  - Recent evidence of the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) of Mexico reveals that
      asset-based reallocations play a significant role in the financing of the
      expenditures by elderly Mexicans, whereas private and public transfers are used
      to support most of the expenditures for children. What that evidence does not
      consider, however, is the fact that differences in socioeconomic status (SES) may
      seriously distort the reallocation of intergenerational flows. Mexico has long
      been a country permeated by high levels of inequality, it is then necessary to
      include its effects in the analysis of intergenerational transfers. Furthermore,
      age reallocations of economic flows do change over time and such changes might
      also involve greater economic inequality. In this paper, I assess the effects of
      SES inequality on the reallocation of intergenerational flows using NTA estimates
      for two particular years, 1994 and 2004. I show that the reallocation of economic
      resources, mainly to children and the elderly, by SES changed substantially
      within this period. The main intergenerational effects associated with SES
      inequality are: a) equalizing effects of labor income and remittances, b) higher
      progressivity of public cash and educational transfers, and c) crowding-out
      effects between private and public transfers among the elderly.

PMID- 26120555
TI  - Sequencing of the TBX6 Gene in Families with Familial Idiopathic Scoliosis.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A hypothesis-driven study was conducted in a familial cohort to
      determine the potential association between variants within the TBX6 gene and
      Familial Idiopathic Scoliosis (FIS). OBJECTIVE: To determine if variants within
      exons of the TBX6 gene segregate with the FIS phenotype within a sample of
      families with FIS. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Idiopathic Scoliosis (IS) is a
      structural curvature of the spine whose underlying genetic etiology has not been
      established. IS has been reported to occur at a higher rate than expected in
      family members of individuals with congenital scoliosis (CS), suggesting that the
      two diseases might have a shared etiology. The TBX6 gene on chromosome 16p,
      essential to somite development, has been associated with CS in a Chinese
      population. Previous studies have identified linkage to this locus in families
      with FIS, and specifically with rs8060511, located in an intron of the TBX6 gene.
      METHODS: Parent-offspring trios from 11 families (13 trios, 42 individuals) with
      FIS were selected for Sanger sequencing of the TBX6 gene. Trios were selected
      from a large population of families with FIS in which a genome-wide scan had
      resulted in linkage to 16p. RESULTS: Sequencing analyses of the subset of
      families resulted in the identification of five coding variants. Three of the
      five variants were novel; the remaining two variants were previously
      characterized and account for 90% of the observed variants in these trios. In all
      cases, there was no correlation between transmission of the TBX6 variant allele
      and FIS phenotype. However, an analysis of regulatory markers in osteoblasts
      showed that rs8060511 is in a putative enhancer element. CONCLUSIONS: Although
      this study did not identify any TBX6 coding variants that segregate with FIS, we
      identified a variant that is located in a potential TBX6 enhancer element.
      Therefore, further investigation of the region is needed.

PMID- 26120557
TI  - Global Gene Expression Changes in Liver Following Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4
      alpha deletion in Adult Mice.
AB  - Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4alpha) is known as the master regulator of
      hepatic differentiation, which regulates over 60% of the hepatocyte specific
      genes. Recent studies including this (Walesky et al. Am J Physiol Gastrointest
      Liver Physiol. 304:G26-37, 2013) demonstrated that HNF4alpha also inhibits
      hepatocyte proliferation via repression of pro-mitogenic genes. In this study
      hepatocyte specific HNF4alpha knockout mice were generated using 2-3 month old
      HNF4alpha-floxed mice treated with Cre recombinase under Major Urinary Protein
      promoter delivered in AAV8 vector (MUP-iCre-AAV8). Control mice were treated with
      MUP-EGFP-AAV8. Livers were isolated from control and KO mice one week after AAV8
      administration and used for gene array analysis. These data revealed several new
      negative target genes of HNF4alpha, majority of which are pro-mitogeneic genes
      inhibited by HNF4alpha in adult hepatocytes.

PMID- 26120558
TI  - Interactions between psychological and environmental characteristics and their
      impacts on walking.
AB  - Due to walking's benefits to physical and mental health as well as to
      environmental and economic sustainability, numerous studies have examined
      psychological and environmental characteristics on their impacts on walking.
      However, understanding of how the interactions between psychological and
      environmental characteristics influence walking remains limited. Recently, both
      competitive mechanism and synergetic mechanism have been proposed, and a number
      of empirical studies have examined the interactions between psychological and
      environmental characteristics, but the results were inconsistent. We reviewed 11
      recent studies and discussed their difference in terms of studies population,
      outcomes, environmental characteristics, and psychological characteristics. We
      propose a framework that integrate both mechanisms and provides an explanation to
      the inconsistency. More important, the framework may stimulate further empirical
      researches and provide implications for policy intervention to promote walking.

PMID- 26120559
TI  - Physiological Competition of Brain Phenylalanine Accretion: Initial
      Pharmacokinetic Analyses of Aminoisobutyric and Methylaminoisobutyric Acids in
      Pahenu2-/- Mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Initial studies on the use of non-physiological amino acids (NPAAs) to
      block the accretion of Phe in the brain Pahenu2-/- mice revealed that 2
      aminoisobutyrate (AIB) and N-methyl-2-aminoisobutyrate (MAIB) were promising lead
      compounds whose pharmacokinetic parameters warranted investigation. METHODS:
      Control and Pahenu2-/- mice received intraperitoneal NPAA treatments as test
      compounds (150, 300 and 500 mg/kg, 1 or 7 days;) followed by collection of sera,
      liver and brain. LC-MS analysis was developed to quantify both AIB and MAIB in
      all matrices, and pharmacokinetic parameters for distribution, partitioning,
      accumulation and MAIB demethylation were determined. RESULTS: MAIB was partially
      converted to AIB in vivo. AIB and MAIB partitioned similarly from sera to brain
      and liver, with an approximate 10-fold higher accumulation in liver compared to
      brain. In comparison to MAIB, AIB accumulated to approximately 3 to 7-fold higher
      concentration in brain. Analysis of brain and liver revealed a trend toward
      decreased Phe with increased MAIB sera concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Our data
      support further pharmacokinetic characterization of MAIB and AIB in preparation
      for further preclinical safety, toxicity and tolerability studies of both AIB and
      MAIB.

PMID- 26120560
TI  - Clinical and pathological complete remission in a patient with metastatic renal
      cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with sunitinib: Is mRCC curable with targeted
      therapy?
AB  - We report a patient with metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) who
      presented with primary tumor in situ in the left kidney and metastases to bone,
      liver, lungs, and brain. After over 5 years of sunitinib therapy and subsequent
      cytoreductive left nephrectomy, the patient achieved radiographic complete
      response (CR) and had pathologic CR in the nephrectomy specimen. Durable clinical
      and pathological CRs are possible with targeted agents, even with primary tumor
      in situ and widely disseminated metastases. Ongoing research will define the
      optimal duration of systemic therapy in exceptional responders and identify the
      molecular determinants of response and resistance.

PMID- 26120561
TI  - The molecular ticks of the Drosophila circadian clock.
AB  - Drosophila is a powerful model to understand the mechanisms underlying circadian
      rhythms. The Drosophila molecular clock is comprised of transcriptional feedback
      loops. The expressions of the critical transcriptional activator CLK and its
      repressors PER and TIM are under tight transcriptional control. However,
      posttranslational modification of these proteins and regulation of their
      stability are critical to their function and to the generation of 24-hr period
      rhythms. We review here recent progress made in our understanding of PER, TIM and
      CLK posttranslational control. We also review recent studies that are uncovering
      the importance of novel regulatory mechanisms that affect mRNA stability and
      translation of circadian pacemaker proteins and their output.

PMID- 26120562
TI  - Heating and cooling the Drosophila melanogaster clock.
AB  - Most biological phenomena are under control of a circuit known as the 'molecular
      circadian clock.' Over the past forty years of research in Drosophila
      melanogaster, studies have made significant advances in our understanding of the
      molecular timing mechanism of this circuit, which is determined by a core
      inhibitory feedback loop. While the timing mechanism of the molecular circadian
      clock is endogenous, it is well established that exogenous cues such as light and
      temperature modulate its timing. In the following article, we summarize our
      current understanding of how temperature interacts with the molecular circadian
      clock in adult Drosophila.

PMID- 26120564
TI  - Female economic activity in Rural Malawi.
AB  - This study investigates economic activities and their determinants for women in
      households of rural Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
      (SSA). Three waves of household panel data for years 2006, 2008 and 2010 from the
      Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health (MLSFH) are used to examine
      female labor market participation. This study includes certain important
      characteristics of Malawian households i.e., polygamy, ethnicity, religion and
      self reported health status. The study reports five different labor market
      outcomes for women's participation i.e., agriculture related work, market & sales
      activities, cottage industry, other economic activities and out of the labor
      market. The study finds significant relationships between these five different
      labor market outcomes and age cohorts, ethnicity and marriage (monogamous or
      polygamous).

PMID- 26120565
TI  - Interdisciplinary Researches in Iran III: (Multi-Dimensional) Medical Signal
      Analysis Softwares.

PMID- 26120563
TI  - Disruption of dengue virus transmission by mosquitoes.
AB  - Current control efforts for mosquito-borne arboviruses focus on mosquito control
      involving insecticide applications, which are becoming increasingly ineffective
      and unsustainable in urban areas. Mosquito population replacement is an
      alternative arbovirus control concept aiming at replacing virus-competent vector
      populations with laboratory-engineered incompetent vectors. A prerequisite for
      this strategy is the design of robust anti-pathogen effectors that can ultimately
      be genetically driven through a wild-type population. Several anti-pathogen
      effector concepts have been developed that target the RNA genomes of arboviruses
      such as dengue virus in a highly sequence-specific manner. Design principles are
      based on long inverted-repeat RNA triggered RNA interference, catalytic
      hammerhead ribozymes, and trans-splicing Group I Introns that are able to induce
      apoptosis in virus-infected cells following splicing with target viral RNA.

PMID- 26120566
TI  - Comprehensive Performance Study of Magneto Cantilevers as a Candidate Model for
      Biological Sensors used in Lab-on-a-Chip Applications.
AB  - In recent years, demand for biological sensors which are capable of fast and
      accurate detection of minor amounts of pathogens in real-time form has been
      intensified. Acoustic wave (AW) devices whose performance is determined by mass
      sensitivity parameters and quality factor are used in biological sensors as
      platforms with high quality. Yet, current AW devices are facing many challenges
      such as the low value of their quality factor in practical applications and also
      their difficulty to use in liquids. The main focus of this article is to study on
      the magnetostrictive sensors which include milli/microcantilever (MSMC) type. In
      comparison with AW devices, MSMC has a lot of advantages; (1) its actuation and
      sensing unit is wirelessly controlled. (2) Its fabrication process is easy. (3)
      It works well in liquids. (4) It has a high-quality factor (in the air > 500).
      Simulation results demonstrate that the amount of quality factor depends on
      environment properties (density and viscosity), MSMC geometry, and its resonant
      behavior of harmonic modes. 

PMID- 26120567
TI  - Biomarker Discovery Based on Hybrid Optimization Algorithm and Artificial Neural
      Networks on Microarray Data for Cancer Classification.
AB  - The improvement of high-through-put gene profiling based microarrays technology
      has provided monitoring the expression value of thousands of genes
      simultaneously. Detailed examination of changes in expression levels of genes can
      help physicians to have efficient diagnosing, classification of tumors and
      cancer's types as well as effective treatments. Finding genes that can classify
      the group of cancers correctly based on hybrid optimization algorithms is the
      main purpose of this paper. In this paper, a hybrid particle swarm optimization
      and genetic algorithm method are used for gene selection and also artificial
      neural network (ANN) is adopted as the classifier. In this work, we have improved
      the ability of the algorithm for the classification problem by finding small
      group of biomarkers and also best parameters of the classifier. The proposed
      approach is tested on three benchmark gene expression data sets: Blood (acute
      myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia), colon and breast datasets. We
      used 10-fold cross-validation to achieve accuracy and also decision tree
      algorithm to find the relation between the biomarkers for biological point of
      view. To test the ability of the trained ANN models to categorize the cancers, we
      analyzed additional blinded samples that were not previously used for the
      training procedure. Experimental results show that the proposed method can reduce
      the dimension of the data set and confirm the most informative gene subset and
      improve classification accuracy with best parameters based on datasets. 

PMID- 26120568
TI  - Longitudinal Impedance Tomography for Blood Pressure Characterization of Valve
      Deformation.
AB  - Aorta is formed in a dynamic environment which gives rise to imbalances between
      many forces that tend to extend the diameter and length. Furthermore, internal
      forces tend to resist this extension. Impedance tomography can show this
      imbalance to stimulate the stenosis of aortic valve, growth of the elastic,
      collagen and to effectively reduce the stresses in the underlying tissue. In
      blood flow, auscultation noises occurred and in the echocardiography decrease in
      left ventricular ejection speed can be observed. In this paper, we have modeled
      an aorta based on anatomical studies to simulate natural, 20% and 30% stenosis as
      usual heart disease to early diagnosis. Valve deformation causes different
      impedance tomography in 3D mesh of aorta as blood pressure. Remodeling of aorta
      and its flow is found when a cylindrical slice of the fully retracted blood aorta
      is cut longitudinally through the wall. 

PMID- 26120569
TI  - Evaluation on Geant4 Hadronic Models for Pion Minus, Pion Plus and Neutron
      Particles as Major Antiproton Annihilation Products.
AB  - Geant4 is an open source simulation toolkit based on C++, which its advantages
      progressively lead to applications in research domains especially modeling the
      biological effects of ionizing radiation at the sub-cellular scale. However, it
      was shown that Geant4 does not give a reasonable result in the prediction of
      antiproton dose especially in Bragg peak. One of the reasons could be lack of
      reliable physic model to predict the final states of annihilation products like
      pions. Considering the fact that most of the antiproton deposited dose is
      resulted from high-LET nuclear fragments following pion interaction in
      surrounding nucleons, we reproduced depth dose curves of most probable energy
      range of pions and neutron particle using Geant4. We consider this work one of
      the steps to understand the origin of the error and finally verification of
      Geant4 for antiproton tracking. Geant4 toolkit version 9.4.6.p01 and Fluka
      version 2006.3 were used to reproduce the depth dose curves of 220 MeV pions
      (both negative and positive) and 70 MeV neutrons. The geometry applied in the
      simulations consist a 20 * 20 * 20 cm(3) water tank, similar to that used in CERN
      for antiproton relative dose measurements. Different physic lists including Quark
      Gluon String Precompound (QGSP)_Binary Cascade (BIC)_HP, the recommended setting
      for hadron therapy, were used. In the case of pions, Geant4 resulted in at least
      5% dose discrepancy between different physic lists at depth close to the entrance
      point. Even up to 15% discrepancy was found in some cases like QBBC compared to
      QGSP_BIC_HP. A significant difference was observed in dose profiles of different
      Geant4 physic list at small depths for a beam of pions. In the case of neutrons,
      large dose discrepancy was observed when LHEP or LHEP_EMV lists were applied. The
      magnitude of this dose discrepancy could be even 50% greater than the dose
      calculated by LHEP (or LHEP_EMV) at larger depths. We found that effect different
      Geant4 physic list in reproducing depth dose profile of the beam of pions was not
      negligible. Because the discrepancies were pronounced in smaller depth and also
      regarding the contribution of pions in deposited dose of a beam of antiproton,
      further investigation on choosing most suitable and accurate physic list for this
      purpose should be done. Furthermore, this study showed careful attention must be
      paid to choose the appropriate Geant4 physic list for neutron tracking depending
      to the applications criteria. We failed to find any agreement between results
      from Geant4 and Fluka to reproduce depth dose profile of pion with the energy
      range used in this study. 

PMID- 26120570
TI  - Designing and Dosimetry of a Shield for Photon Fields of Radiation Therapy in
      Oral Cavity Cancer.
AB  - The cancer of oral cavity is related to lesions of mucous membrane of tongue and
      gum that can be treated with radiation therapy. A lateral photon field can be
      used to treat this kind of tumor, which has a side-effect on normal tissue in the
      opposite side of the oral cavity. In this study the dosimetric effect of the
      various shields in oral cavity is evaluated. In this study, a special phantom
      similar to the structure of oral cavity with capability of film dosimetry was
      designed and constructed. The various shield slabs were made of five materials:
      Lead, Plexiglas, Acrylic resin, Silicon and Plaster. For irradiation, Cobalt 60
      (60Co) and 6 MV photon beams were used. The film dosimetry before and after the
      shield was performed using GAFCHROMIC EBT2 films. The film before the shield
      measures the magnitude of backscattering radiation from the shield. The
      prescribed dose was 150 cGy. Results showed that 3 cm of the lead in both
      energies had the maximum absorption of radiation. The absorbed dose to opposite
      side of shield for 6 MV photon beams and 60Co were 21 and 32 cGy, respectively.
      The minimum attenuation on radiation was observed in silicon shield for which the
      dose of opposite side were 116 and 147 cGy for 6 MV and 60Co respectively. The
      maximum backscattered dose was measured 177 cGy and 219 cGy using 3 cm thickness
      of lead, which was quite considerable. The minimum backscattering where for
      acrylic resin 101 and 118 cGy for 6 MV and cobalt. In this study, it was
      concluded that the amount of backscattering for 3 cm Lead shield is quite
      considerable and increases the dose significantly. A composite layer of shield
      with 1-2 cm lead and 1 cm acrylic resin can have the protective effect and low
      backscattering radiation at the same time. 

PMID- 26120571
TI  - Developing a Commercial Air Ultrasonic Ceramic Transducer to Transdermal Insulin
      Delivery.
AB  - The application of low-frequency ultrasound for transdermal delivery of insulin
      is of particular public interest due to the increasing problem of diabetes. The
      purpose of this research was to develop an air ultrasonic ceramic transducer for
      transdermal insulin delivery and evaluate the possibility of applying a new
      portable and low-cost device for transdermal insulin delivery. Twenty-four rats
      were divided into four groups with six rats in each group: one control group and
      three experimental groups. Control group (C) did not receive any ultrasound
      exposure or insulin (untreated group). The second group (T1) was treated with
      subcutaneous insulin (Humulin((r)) R, rDNA U-100, Eli Lilly and Co.,
      Indianapolis, IN) injection (0.25 U/Kg). The third group (T2) topically received
      insulin, and the fourth group (T3) received insulin with ultrasound waves. All
      the rats were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of ketamin hydrochloride
      and xylazine hydrochloride. Blood samples were collected after anesthesia to
      obtain a baseline glucose level. Additional blood samples were taken every 15 min
      in the whole 90 min experiment. In order for comparison the changes in blood
      glucose levels" to " In order to compare the changes in blood glucose levels. The
      statistical multiple comparison (two-sided Tukey) test showed a significant
      difference between transdermal insulin delivery group (T2) and subcutaneous
      insulin injection group (T1) during 90 min experiment (P = 0.018). In addition,
      the difference between transdermal insulin delivery group (T2) and ultrasonic
      transdermal insulin delivery group (T3) was significant (P = 0.001). Results of
      this study demonstrated that the produced low-frequency ultrasound from this
      device enhanced the transdermal delivery of insulin across hairless rat skin. 

PMID- 26120572
TI  - Validation of a Prototype Optical Computed Tomography System.
AB  - In radiation cancer treatments, the most of the side effects could be minimized
      using a proper dosimeter. Gel dosimeter is the only three-dimensional dosimeter
      and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard method for gel
      dosimeter readout. Because of hard accessibility and high cost of sample reading
      by MRI systems, some other alternative methods were developed. The optical
      computed tomography (OCT) method could be considered as the most promising
      alternative method that has been studied widely. In the current study, gel
      dosimeter scanning using a prototype optical scanner and validation of this
      optical scanner was performed. Optical absorbance of the irradiated gel samples
      was determined by both of conventional spectrophotometer and the fabricated OCT
      system at 632 nm. Furthermore, these irradiated vials were scanned by a 1.5 T
      MRI. The slope of the curves was extracted as the dose-response sensitivity. The
      R2-dose sensitivity measured by MRI method was 0.1904 and 0.113 for NIPAM and
      PAGAT gels, respectively. The optical dose sensitivity obtained by conventional
      spectrophotometer and the fabricated optical scanner was 0.0453 and 0.0442 for
      NIPAM gels and 0.0244 and 0.0242 for PAGAT gels, respectively. The scanning
      results of the absorbed dose values showed that the new OCT and conventional
      spectrophotometer were in fair agreement. From the results, it could be concluded
      that the fabricated system is able to quantize the absorbed dose values in
      polymer gel samples with acceptable accuracy. 

PMID- 26120573
TI  - Prevalence and Genotypic Characterization of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamases
      Produced by Gram Negative Bacilli at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Rural South
      Western Uganda.
AB  - AIM: To determine the prevalence and genotypic characterisation of extended
      spectrum beta-lactamases produced by gram negative bacilli isolated at Mbarara
      Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH). SAMPLES: Gram negative clinical isolates.
      STUDY DESIGN: Laboratory-based descriptive cross-sectional study. PLACE AND
      DURATION OF THE STUDY: MRRH, June and August 2012. METHODS: Gram negative
      clinical isolates were sub cultured, and identified using biochemical tests. They
      were screened for ESBL by using oxyimino-cephalosporins and confirmed by double
      disc synergy Genotyping was performed using the PCR for TEM, SHV and CTX-M.
      Susceptibility pattern for the extended spectrum beta-lactamases, (ESBL) -
      positive isolates to other antibiotic classes was performed by the Kirby Bauer
      Technique. RESULTS: A total of 484 isolates were included in the study. The
      commonest ESBL producers were Escherichia coli (34%), followed by unidentified
      coliforms (19.3%) and Klebsiella spp. (12.7%). Phenotypically, 88/484 were ESBL
      producers while genotypically 213/ 484 possessed ESBL genes. The ESBL genes were
      blaCTX-M (146; 70%), blaSHV (72; 34%) and blaTEM (100; 47%). 87of 213 isolates
      expressed more than one ESBL gene. Of these 36 (7.4%) produced blaCTX-M/blaSHV,
      28 (5.8%) blaCTX-M /blaTEM, 4 (0.8%) blaSHV/ blaTEM and 19 (3.9%) blaCTX
      M/blaSHV/blaTEM. Sixty two (16%) were phenotypically and genotypically positive,
      12 (3%) of the isolates were phenotypically positive but genotypically negative
      and 140 (37%) isolates were phenotypically negative but genotypically positive.
      The ESBL producers were highly susceptible to imipenem (95%), nitrofurantoin
      (66%) but less susceptible to ampicillin (4%) and ticarcillin (7%). CONCLUSION:
      ESBL production among the Gram-negative clinical isolates at MRRH is very high
      with several isolates possessing multiple genes. The ESBL producers are highly
      susceptible to imipenem, but very resistant to ciprofloxacin.

PMID- 26120574
TI  - In vitro Antibacterial Activity of Ocimum suave Essential Oils against
      Uropathogens Isolated from Patients in Selected Hospitals in Bushenyi District,
      Uganda.
AB  - AIMS: To determine antibacterial activity of Ocimum suave essential oils against
      bacterial uropathogens. STUDY DESIGN: A cross sectional and experimental study.
      PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Six selected hospitals in Bushenyi District, Uganda
      between June 2012 and July 2013. METHODOLOGY: Clean catch midstream urine samples
      were collected and inoculated on Cystine Lysine Electrolyte Deficient (CLED)
      agar. The plates were incubated at 37 degrees C for 24hrs to 48hrs. The O. suave
      essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation of leaves for 4hrs using a
      Clevenger apparatus. The oil was collected and dried over anhydrous sodium
      sulphate (Na2SO4) and kept at 4 degrees C till further use. The antimicrobial
      activity of O. suave essential oils against isolates was determined by agar well
      method. The MIC of O. suave essential oil extract was carried out by microbroth
      dilution method. RESULTS: Of the three hundred (300) midstream urine samples
      collected, 67(22.33%) had significant bacterial growth. Escherichia coli is the
      most common isolate (61.19%, n = 41). The essential oil from O. suave showed
      activity against isolates of E. coli, K. pneumoniae, S. aureus, E. feacalis, M.
      morganii, Citrobacter species, Enterobacter species and P. aeruginosa with mean
      zone of inhibition (ZI) ranging from 10-22 mm. The essential oils had no
      inhibitory activity on Acinetobacter species. The minimum inhibitory
      concentration (MIC) for O. suave essential oils ranged from 0.78 to 22 MUg/ml.
      This study showed that O. suave essential oils had MIC value of 0.78 MUg/ml
      against S. aureus and MIC values ranging from 3 to 22 MUg/ml against the other
      tested isolates. CONCLUSION: The most common uropathogen was E. coli (61.19% n =
      41). O. suave essential oils exhibited antibacterial activity against majority of
      the uropathogens, except Acinetobacter species, mean ZI of 10-22 mm and MIC of
      0.78 - 22 MUg/ml.

PMID- 26120575
TI  - Clinical and financial outcomes of switching insulin glargine to insulin detemir
      in a veteran population with type 2 diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although glargine and detemir are both FDA-approved in the U.S. as
      long-acting insulin analogues, inherent differences in the insulins may lead to
      varying outcomes. This study examined changes in clinical measures and associated
      costs for veterans with type 2 diabetes on insulin therapy converted from insulin
      glargine to insulin detemir. METHODS: A retrospective before-and-after comparison
      study was performed at a single-site medical center located in the southwestern
      U.S., comprising 133 Veterans diagnosed with type 2 diabetes receiving insulin
      therapy with glargine and converted to insulin detemir using a 1:1 unit dosage
      ratio. Patients' A1c, weight, body mass index, total daily dose, and estimated
      monthly insulin costs during and after conversion were compared employing
      Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. These measures were similarly assessed in patients at
      A1c goal (<7 %) prior to conversion. RESULTS: When switched from insulin glargine
      to insulin detemir, an increase in A1c (median of 7.7 % to 8.3 %, p < 0.01) and
      total daily dose (TDD: 40 to 46 units/day, p < 0.01) resulted. Monthly insulin
      costs decreased 19 % ($47 to $38, p < 0.01), or roughly a one-year savings of
      $110 per patient. An increase in A1c was similarly observed for patients at-goal
      prior to conversion but remained at-goal post-conversion (6.5 % to 6.7 %, p =
      0.02). CONCLUSION: The increase in A1c and TDD following conversion from insulin
      glargine to insulin detemir suggests that glargine requires a smaller amount of
      units to reach the same glycemic-lowering ability compared to detemir. Despite
      the observed insulin cost savings associated with detemir, future studies should
      also determine overall costs (including indirect) and benefits associated with
      switching from glargine to detemir among Veteran with Type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 26120577
TI  - Hypokalemia Associated with Colonic Pseudo-Obstruction (Ogilvie's Syndrome).
AB  - We report a case of hypokalemia resulting from colonic pseudo-obstruction or
      Ogilvie's syndrome. Colonic pseudo-obstruction is characterized by profuse watery
      diarrhea that has a low sodium and high potassium concentration. It is seen in a
      variety of medical and surgical conditions, but its exact cause remains unknown.
      It is thought to result from an imbalance of sympathetic and parasympathetic
      input in the distal colon. The diarrhea is secretory and driven by potassium
      secretion rather than the inhibition of sodium reabsorption or chloride
      secretion, which are the most common pathophysiologic mechanisms of secretory
      diarrhea. Affected patients often lose >100 mmol of potassium daily. Colonic
      pseudo-obstruction is associated with a dramatic upregulation of the maxiK or BK
      potassium channel. This channel plays a prominent role in flow-mediated potassium
      secretion in the connecting tubule and collecting duct and is also upregulated in
      the distal colon in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease and end-stage
      renal disease. In vitro studies show that the channel is regulated by
      catecholamine binding to the beta receptor and cyclic AMP upregulation,
      somatostatin and aldosterone, insights that can be used to help guide
      pharmacologic therapy. Nephrologists should be aware of colonic pseudo
      obstruction as a cause of extrarenal potassium loss. 

PMID- 26120576
TI  - ANCA-Associated Vasculitis in a Patient with Systematic Sclerosis and Sjogren's
      Syndrome: A Case Report.
AB  - A 65-year-old woman with a limited form of systematic sclerosis (SSc) and
      Sjogren's syndrome (SS) was admitted to our hospital for the evaluation of renal
      dysfunction. Her serum creatinine was 1.6 mg/dl, proteinuria was 1.6 g/day, and
      the urine sediment contained 20-29 erythrocytes/high-power field. Myeloperoxidase
      anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, anti-SS-A/SS-B antibodies and anti
      centromere antibodies were positive. A renal biopsy showed focal necrotizing
      glomerulonephritis with focal interstitial lymphoplasmacytic infiltration. A
      diagnosis of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) was
      made. A steroid therapy was initiated and AAV subsided. This is a rare case of
      AAV in a patient with anti-centromere-positive limited SSc and SS. 

PMID- 26120578
TI  - Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies-Negative Pauci-Immune Crescentic
      Glomerulonephritis Associated with Multiple Myeloma.
AB  - Pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis (PICGN) is most commonly associated
      with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). We report a case of chronic,
      sclerosing ANCA-negative PICGN discovered when a patient presented with multiple
      myeloma. A 57-year-old woman presented with complaints of nausea, emesis and
      weakness. She was found to be in renal failure with a serum creatinine of 9.4
      mg/dl, mild hyperkalemia and acidosis. She was noted to have normochromic,
      normocytic anemia with normal platelet and white cell counts, normal plasma
      proteins and serum protein electrophoresis. Further studies revealed increased
      concentrations of kappa and lambda light chains in a ratio of 34.89; a bone
      marrow biopsy found 12% plasma cells. Serum protein electrophoresis revealed no
      spike. ANCA, anti-glomerular basement membrane, antineutrophil antibody,
      hepatitis panel and serum complements were normal. A kidney biopsy result showed
      chronic sclerosing PICGN plus tubular necrosis, severe tubular atrophy,
      interstitial fibrosis and severe arteriosclerosis. Congo red stains were negative
      and electron microscopy showed no intraglomerular deposits. The patient was
      subsequently treated for myeloma with bortezomib and dexamethasone with good
      hematologic response but never recovered renal function. She remains on
      outpatient hemodialysis. Renal manifestations of myeloma often involve glomerular
      deposition disease, tubulointerstitial disease, with characteristic proteinaceous
      casts, or both. In contrast, our patient demonstrated neither of these findings
      but had chronic sclerosing PICGN. Crescentic glomerulonephritis occurring in
      patients with plasma cell dyscrasias has been previously reported, but the
      association remains extremely rare. 

PMID- 26120579
TI  - CK2 Secreted by Leishmania braziliensis Mediates Macrophage Association Invasion:
      A Comparative Study between Virulent and Avirulent Promastigotes.
AB  - CK2 is a protein kinase distributed in different compartments of Leishmania
      braziliensis: an externally oriented ecto-CK2, an intracellular CK2, and a
      secreted CK2. This latter form is constitutively secreted from the parasite
      (CsCK2), but such secretion may be highly enhanced by the association of specific
      molecules, including enzyme substrates, which lead to a higher enzymatic
      activity, called inductively secreted CK2 (IsCK2). Here, we examined the
      influence of secreted CK2 (sCK2) activity on the infectivity of a virulent L.
      braziliensis strain. The virulent strain presented 121-fold higher total CK2
      activity than those found in an avirulent strain. The use of specific CK2
      inhibitors (TBB, DRB, or heparin) inhibited virulent parasite growth, whereas no
      effect was observed in the avirulent parasites. When these inhibitors were added
      to the interaction assays between the virulent L. braziliensis strain and
      macrophages, association index was drastically inhibited. Polyamines enhanced
      sCK2 activity and increased the association index between parasites and
      macrophages. Finally, sCK2 and the supernatant of the virulent strain increased
      the association index between the avirulent strain and macrophages, which was
      inhibited by TBB. Thus, the kinase enzyme CK2 seems to be important to invasion
      mechanisms of L. braziliensis. 

PMID- 26120580
TI  - Development of In Vitro-In Vivo Correlation/Relationship Modeling Approaches for
      Immediate Release Formulations Using Compartmental Dynamic Dissolution Data from
      "Golem": A Novel Apparatus.
AB  - Different batches of atorvastatin, represented by two immediate release
      formulation designs, were studied using a novel dynamic dissolution apparatus,
      simulating stomach and small intestine. A universal dissolution method was
      employed which simulated the physiology of human gastrointestinal tract,
      including the precise chyme transit behavior and biorelevant conditions. The
      multicompartmental dissolution data allowed direct observation and qualitative
      discrimination of the differences resulting from highly pH dependent dissolution
      behavior of the tested batches. Further evaluation of results was performed using
      IVIVC/IVIVR development. While satisfactory correlation could not be achieved
      using a conventional deconvolution based-model, promising results were obtained
      through the use of a nonconventional approach exploiting the complex
      compartmental dissolution data. 

PMID- 26120581
TI  - Potential Peripartum Markers of Infectious-Inflammatory Complications in
      Spontaneous Preterm Birth.
AB  - Spontaneous preterm birth significantly contributes to the overall neonatal
      morbidity associated with preterm deliveries. Nearly 50% of cases are associated
      with microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity followed by an inflammatory
      response. Robust diagnostic tools for neonates jeopardized by infection and
      inflammation may thus decrease the overall neonatal morbidity substantially.
      Amniotic fluid retrieved during labor retains fetal and pregnancy-related protein
      fingerprint and its sampling does not place any unwanted stress on women. Using
      exploratory and targeted methods we analyzed proteomes of amniotic fluid sampled
      at the end of spontaneous preterm labor prior to delivery from women with and
      without infection and inflammation. Exploratory data indicated several amniotic
      fluid proteins to be associated with infectious-inflammatory complications in
      spontaneous preterm birth. LC-SRM analysis subsequently verified statistically
      significant changes in lipocalin-1 (P = 0.047 and AUC = 0.67, P = 0.046),
      glycodelin (P = 0.013 and AUC = 0.73, P = 0.013), and nicotinamide
      phosphoribosyltransferase (P = 0.018 and AUC = 0.71, P = 0.01). 

PMID- 26120583
TI  - Proteomic Analysis of Estrogen-Mediated Signal Transduction in Osteoclasts
      Formation.
AB  - Estrogen plays an important role in inhibiting osteoclast differentiation and
      protecting against bone loss from osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal
      women. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the effect of estrogen on
      osteoclasts are not well known. In the present study, we performed proteomics
      analysis and bioinformatics analysis to comprehensively compare the differential
      expression of proteins in receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand
      RANKL-induced osteoclasts in the presence and absence of estrogen. We identified
      6403 proteins, of which 124 were upregulated and 231 were downregulated by
      estrogen. Bioinformatics analysis showed that estrogen treatment interfered with
      77 intracellular pathways, including both confirmed canonical and unconfirmed
      pathways of osteoclast formation. Our findings validate the inhibitory effect of
      estrogen on osteoclasts via the promotion of apoptosis and suppression of
      differentiation and polarization and suggest that estrogen might inhibit
      osteoclast formation via other pathways, which requires further investigation and
      verification. 

PMID- 26120582
TI  - Strategies of Intracellular Pathogens for Obtaining Iron from the Environment.
AB  - Most microorganisms are destroyed by the host tissues through processes that
      usually involve phagocytosis and lysosomal disruption. However, some organisms,
      called intracellular pathogens, are capable of avoiding destruction by growing
      inside macrophages or other cells. During infection with intracellular pathogenic
      microorganisms, the element iron is required by both the host cell and the
      pathogen that inhabits the host cell. This minireview focuses on how
      intracellular pathogens use multiple strategies to obtain nutritional iron from
      the intracellular environment in order to use this element for replication.
      Additionally, the implications of these mechanisms for iron acquisition in the
      pathogen-host relationship are discussed. 

PMID- 26120585
TI  - Correlation between Gastric Mucosal Morphologic Patterns and Histopathological
      Severity of Helicobacter pylori Associated Gastritis Using Conventional Narrow
      Band Imaging Gastroscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Identifying specific gastric mucosal morphologic patterns
      useful for detecting Helicobacter pylori associated gastritis and correlation
      with histopathological severity. METHODS: The endoscopists classified the C-NBI
      gastroscopic findings into 5 gastric mucosal morphologic patterns as follows:
      type 1: regular arrangement of collecting venules, type 2: cone-shaped gastric
      pits, type 3: rod-shaped gastric pits with prominent sulci, type 4: ground glass
      like morphology, and type 5: dark brown patches with bluish margin and irregular
      border. Biopsies of all of the cases were then evaluated by 5 pathologists for
      definitive Helicobacter pylori diagnosis. RESULT: Type 1 and type 2 patterns were
      statistically significant in predicting Helicobacter pylori negative status
      (58/60, P < 0.01). Type 3, type 4, and type 5 patterns were statistically
      significant in predicting Helicobacter pylori positive status (132/140, P <
      0.01). Furthermore, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative
      predictive values of type 3, 4, or 5 morphologies for predicting Helicobacter
      pylori positive were 94.28%, 96.66%, 98.50%, and 87.87%, respectively, correlated
      well with inflammation grading according to the Sydney classification (P < 0.01).
      CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that gastric mucosal morphologic patterns in the
      Helicobacter pylori infected gastric mucosa can be reliably identified using C
      NBI gastroscopy with good correlation with inflammation grading.

PMID- 26120584
TI  - The Dual Role of Nrf2 in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Regulation of
      Antioxidant Defenses and Hepatic Lipid Metabolism.
AB  - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a progressive liver disease with ever
      growing incidence in the industrialized world. It starts with the simple
      accumulation of lipids in the hepatocyte and can progress to the more severe
      nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is associated with inflammation,
      fibrosis, and cirrhosis. There is increasing awareness that reactive oxygen
      species and electrophiles are implicated in the pathogenesis of NASH.
      Transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a
      positive regulator of the expression of a battery of genes involved in the
      protection against oxidative/electrophilic stress. In rodents, Nrf2 is also known
      to participate in hepatic fatty acid metabolism, as a negative regulator of genes
      that promote hepatosteatosis. We review relevant evidence in the literature that
      these two mechanisms may contribute to the protective role of Nrf2 in the
      development of hepatic steatosis and in the progression to steatohepatitis,
      particularly in young animals. We propose that age may be a key to explain
      contradictory findings in the literature. In summary, Nrf2 mediates the crosstalk
      between lipid metabolism and antioxidant defense mechanisms in experimental
      models of NAFLD, and the nutritional or pharmacological induction of Nrf2
      represents a promising potential new strategy for its prevention and treatment. 

PMID- 26120586
TI  - Altered Expression Levels of MMP1, MMP9, MMP12, TIMP1, and IL-1beta as a Risk
      Factor for the Elevated IOP and Optic Nerve Head Damage in the Primary Open-Angle
      Glaucoma Patients.
AB  - The aim of presented work was to analyze the impact of particular polymorphic
      changes in the promoter regions of the -1607 1G/2G MMP1, -1562 C/T MMP9, -82 A/G
      MMP12, -511 C/T IL-1beta, and 372 T/C TIMP1 genes on their expression level in
      POAG patients. Blood and aqueous humor samples acquired from 50 patients with
      POAG and 50 control subjects were used for QPCR and protein levels analysis by
      ELISA. In vivo promoter activity assays were carried on HTM cells using dual
      luciferase assay. All studied subjects underwent ophthalmic examination,
      including BCVA, intraocular pressure, slit-lamp examination, gonioscopy, HRT, and
      OCT scans. Patients with POAG are characterized by an increased mRNA expression
      of MMP1, MMP9, MMP12, and IL-1beta genes as compared to the control group (P <
      0.001). Aqueous humor acquired from patients with POAG displayed increased
      protein expression of MMP1, MMP9, MMP12, and IL-1beta compared to the control
      group (P < 0.001). Allele -1607 1G of MMP1 gene possesses only 42,91% of the 
      1607 2G allele transcriptional activity and allele -1562 C of MMP9 gene possesses
      only 21,86% of the -1562 T allele. Increased expression levels of
      metalloproteinases can be considered as a risk factor for the development of
      POAG. 

PMID- 26120587
TI  - Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Relationship with Metabolic Syndrome in Class
      III Obesity Individuals.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Obesity is represented mainly by abdominal obesity and insulin
      resistance (IR), both present in most individuals diagnosed with metabolic
      syndrome (MS). IR is the key risk factor in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic
      fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Objective. To relate NAFLD to MS in class III obese
      individuals. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional study with class III
      obese individuals, aged >= 20-60 years. Blood pressure measurement, weight,
      height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and blood glucose,
      insulin, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), and triglycerides data
      were obtained. HOMA-IR (homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance)
      calculation was carried out with a cutoff value of 2.71 for IR evaluation. The
      diagnosis of NAFLD was performed by liver biopsy and the diagnosis of MS was
      performed in accordance with the National Cholesterol Education Program/Adult
      Treatment Panel III (NCEPATP III). RESULTS: Of the 50 individuals evaluated, 86%
      were women and BMI means were 45.4 +/- 3.6 Kg/m(2). The overall individuals had
      NAFLD, 70% steatosis, and 30% steatohepatitis. The diagnosis of MS occurred in
      56% but showed no significant association with NAFLD (P = 0.254). Triglycerides
      (178 +/- 65.5 mg/dL) and insulin (28.2 +/- 22.6 mcU/mL) mean values were
      significantly higher in steatohepatitis (P = 0.002 and P = 0.042, resp.) compared
      to individuals with steatosis. IR was confirmed in 76% and showed a relationship
      with NAFLD severity. CONCLUSION: NAFLD was not related to MS; however, MS
      components, evaluated in isolation, as well as IR, were related to the presence
      and severity of NAFLD.

PMID- 26120588
TI  - Five-Photon Absorption and Selective Enhancement of Multiphoton Absorption
      Processes.
AB  - We study one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-photon absorption of three
      centrosymmetric molecules using density functional theory. These calculations are
      the first ab initio calculations of five-photon absorption. Even- and odd-order
      absorption processes show different trends in the absorption cross sections. The
      behavior of all even- and odd-photon absorption properties shows a
      semiquantitative similarity, which can be explained using few-state models. This
      analysis shows that odd-photon absorption processes are largely determined by the
      one-photon absorption strength, whereas all even-photon absorption strengths are
      largely dominated by the two-photon absorption strength, in both cases modulated
      by powers of the polarizability of the final excited state. We demonstrate how to
      selectively enhance a specific multiphoton absorption process.

PMID- 26120589
TI  - Perceptions of Primary Care Among Breast Cancer Survivors: The Effects of Weight
      Status.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obese breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are impacted by diminished
      quality of life (QOL), multiple comorbid conditions, and poor disease outcomes.
      Despite national guidelines recommending a healthy weight to improve QOL and
      outcomes posttreatment, support and education are not routinely provided to BCSs
      in primary care. To fill this gap, we assessed perceptions of primary care
      received among BCSs by weight status. METHODS: Cross-sectional surveys were
      administered to early-stage BCSs (N = 188) from 2 New Jersey cancer centers
      between May 2012 and July 2013. Sociodemographics, medical history, functional
      health status, perceived satisfaction with one's primary care provider (PCP), and
      PCP involvement in follow-up care were assessed. RESULTS: In total, 82% of
      overweight BCSs and 30% of obese BCSs reported not being told by their doctor
      that they were overweight or obese, despite these conditions being highly
      prevalent (35% and 35%, respectively). Obese BCSs were more likely than healthy
      weight BCSs to be African American, have a higher comorbidity score, poorer
      functional health, and greater satisfaction with their PCPs. CONCLUSION: The PCP
      patient encounter may represent an opportunity for PCPs to correct misperceptions
      and promote weight reduction efforts among BCSs, thus improving QOL and disease
      outcomes.

PMID- 26120590
TI  - Nutrient Excess in AMPK Downregulation and Insulin Resistance.
AB  - It is well established that chronic exposure to excess nutrients leads to insulin
      resistance (IR) in skeletal muscle. Since skeletal muscle is responsible for 70
      80% of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, skeletal muscle IR is a key
      pathological component of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Recent evidence suggests that
      inhibition of the nutrient-sensing enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is
      an early event in the development of IR in response to high glucose, branched
      chain amino acids (BCAA), or fatty acids (FA). Whether the decrease in AMPK
      activity is causal to the events leading to insulin resistance (increased
      mTOR/p70S6K signaling) remains to be determined. Interestingly, pharmacological
      activation of AMPK can prevent activation of mTOR/p70S6K and insulin resistance,
      while inhibition of mTOR with rapamycin prevents insulin resistance, but not AMPK
      downregulation. AMPK can be inhibited by increased energy state (reduced AMP/ATP
      ratio), decreased phosphorylation of its activation site (alphaThr172) (by
      decreased upstream kinase activity or increased phosphatase activity), increased
      inhibitory phosphorylation at alphaSer485/491, changes in redox state or hormone
      levels, or other yet to be identified mechanisms. Excess nutrients also lead to
      an accumulation of the toxic lipid intermediates diacylglycerol (DAG) and
      ceramides, both of which can activate various protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms,
      and contribute to IR. The mechanism responsible for the initial downregulation of
      AMPK in response to excess nutrients, and whether glucose, BCAA, and FA act
      through similar or different pathways requires further study. Identification of
      this mechanism and the relative importance of other events would be beneficial
      for designing novel pharmacological interventions to prevent and/or reverse IR.
      This review will focus on the some of the mechanisms responsible for AMPK
      downregulation and the relative sequence and importance of these events.

PMID- 26120591
TI  - Abnormal hippocampal-thalamic white matter tract development and positive symptom
      course in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Abnormal development of the hippocampus has been reported
      in adolescents at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis and thalamic abnormalities
      have been found. However, the white matter connections between the hippocampus
      and the thalamus have not been studied. The connections between these regions are
      of key importance to our understanding of the pathophysiology of psychosis.
      METHODS: Twenty-six UHR and 21 healthy age-matched controls were tested at a
      baseline assessment and 12 months later. Symptoms were assessed at both the time
      points and all the participants underwent diffusion tensor imaging scans. We used
      tractography to trace the white matter connections in each individual between the
      thalamus and hippocampus and then extracted fractional anisotropy (FA) to assess
      white matter structural integrity. RESULTS: There was a significant group by time
      interaction indicating that FA decreased in UHR, and increased in controls over
      12 months. Across both groups, baseline FA of the thalamic-hippocampal tract was
      predictive of positive symptoms at 12-month follow-up. Critically, this pattern
      remained significant in UHR individual group alone. At baseline, those with
      higher FA, indicative of abnormal white matter development, show higher positive
      symptoms 1 year later. CONCLUSIONS: Here, we provide evidence to indicate that
      there are differences in white matter development in hippocampal-thalamic
      connections, both of which are important nodes in networks associated with
      schizophrenia. Furthermore, abnormal developmental patterns in UHR individuals
      are associated with positive symptom course.

PMID- 26120592
TI  - Portable robot for autonomous venipuncture using 3D near infrared image guidance.
AB  - Venipuncture is pivotal to a wide range of clinical interventions and is
      consequently the leading cause of medical injury in the U.S. Complications
      associated with venipuncture are exacerbated in difficult settings, where the
      rate of success depends heavily on the patient's physiology and the
      practitioner's experience. In this paper, we describe a device that improves the
      accuracy and safety of the procedure by autonomously establishing a peripheral
      line for blood draws and IV's. The device combines a near-infrared imaging
      system, computer vision software, and a robotically driven needle within a
      portable shell. The device operates by imaging and mapping in real-time the 3D
      spatial coordinates of subcutaneous veins in order to direct the needle into a
      designated vein. We demonstrate proof of concept by assessing imaging performance
      in humans and cannulation accuracy on an advanced phlebotomy training model.

PMID- 26120594
TI  - The Spear and Shield intervention to increase the availability  and acceptability
      of voluntary medical male circumcision in  Zambia: a cluster randomised
      controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Widespread voluntary medical male circumcision in Africa could avert
      an estimated 3.436 million HIV infections and 300,000 deaths over the next 10
      years. Most Zambian men have expressed little interest in the procedure. We
      tested the effect of the Spear and Shield intervention designed to increase
      demand for voluntary medical male circumcision among these hard-to-reach men.
      METHODS: This cluster randomised controlled trial was done between Feb 1, 2012,
      and Oct 31, 2014, in Lusaka, Zambia, where HIV prevalence is 20.8%. 13 community
      health centres were stratified by HIV voluntary counselling and testing rates and
      patient census, and randomly assigned (5:5:3) to experimental (the intervention),
      control, or observation-only conditions. Community health centre health-care
      providers at all 13 sites received training in voluntary medical male
      circumcision. Eligible participants were aged at least 18 years, HIV-negative,
      uncircumcised, and had not proactively requested or planned for voluntary medical
      male circumcision at the time of enrolment. Trial statisticians did not
      participate in randomisation. After voluntary counselling and HIV testing,
      participants were recruited; female partners were invited to participate. The
      primary outcomes at the individual level were the likelihood of voluntary medical
      male circumcision by 12 months post-intervention, and condom use after voluntary
      medical male circumcision among participants receiving the intervention. The
      trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01688167. FINDINGS: 800
      uncircumcised HIV-negative men (400 in the experimental group, 400 in the control
      group) were enrolled. 161 participants in the experimental group and 96 in the
      control group had voluntary medical male circumcision (adjusted odds ratio 2.45,
      95% CI 1.24-4.90; p=0.02). Condom use was examined in participants who had
      voluntary medical male circumcision and reported sexual activity within 1 month
      of a post-circumcision assessment (88 in the experimental group and 64 in the
      control group). Condom use over time increased in the experimental group (p=0.03)
      but not in the control group (p=0.2). One patient died in each group; no adverse
      events related to study participation were reported. INTERPRETATION:
      Comprehensive HIV prevention programmes can increase the demand for and uptake of
      voluntary medical male circumcision services. FUNDING: US National Institutes of
      Health/National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH095539).

PMID- 26120595
TI  - Accumulation of N-Acylphosphatidylserines and N-Acylserines in the Frontal Cortex
      in Schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While schizophrenia is generally considered a neurodevelopment
      disorder, our basic understanding of the biochemical processes involved in
      disease etiology and/or progression is limited. One class of biochemical
      mediators that has been suggested to play a role in the development of
      schizophrenia is N-acyl ethanolamine metabolites of N
      acylphosphatidylethanolamines. However, no investigations of N
      acylphosphatidylserines or their N-acylserine metabolites have been published.
      METHODS: We undertook a targeted postmortem lipidomics analysis of N
      acylphosphatidylserines (NAPS) and N-acylserines (NAS) in gray matter of the
      frontal cortex of schizophrenia subjects. RESULTS: Our data are the first to
      demonstrate that NAPS and NAS are present in human brain. Furthermore, NAPS and
      their bioactive metabolites, N-acylserines (NAS), were found to be significantly
      elevated in the frontal cortex of schizophrenia subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated
      levels of NAPS lipid pools in schizophrenia may result in complex alterations in
      the structural function of neuronal membranes while increases in NAS may alter
      signal transduction pathways.

PMID- 26120596
TI  - Differential Association of Niemann-Pick C1 Gene Polymorphisms with Maternal
      Prepregnancy Overweight and Gestational Diabetes.
AB  - A genome-wide association study (GWAS) and subsequent replication studies in
      diverse ethnic groups indicate that common Niemann-Pick C1 gene (NPC1)
      polymorphisms are associated with morbid-adult obesity or diabetes independent of
      body weight. The objectives for this prospective cross-sectional study were to
      determine allele frequencies for NPC1 polymorphisms (644A>G, 1926C>G, 2572A>G,
      and 3797G>A) and association with metabolic disease phenotypes in an ethnically
      diverse New Mexican obstetric population. Allele frequencies for 1926C>G,
      2572A>G, and 3797G>A were significantly different between race/ethnic groups (non
      Hispanic white, Hispanic, and Native American). The results also indicated a
      significant pairwise linkage-disequilibrium between each of the four NPC1
      polymorphisms in race/ethnic groups. Moreover, the derived and major allele for
      1926C>G was associated (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.10-3.96, P = 0.022) with increased risk
      for maternal prepregnancy overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9kg/m2) while the ancestral and
      major allele for 2572A>G was associated (OR 4.68, 95% CI 1.23-17.8, P = 0.024)
      with increased risk for gestational diabetes in non-Hispanic whites, but not
      Hispanics or Native Americans. In summary, this is the first transferability
      study to investigate common NPC1 polymorphisms in a multiethnic population and
      demonstrate a differential association with increased risk for maternal
      prepregnancy overweight and gestational diabetes.

PMID- 26120597
TI  - Melatonin in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: How Does the Evidence Fit
      Together?
AB  - Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are prevalent neurodevelopmental conditions,
      affecting 1 in 68 children in the United States alone. Sleep disturbance,
      particularly insomnia, is very common in children diagnosed with ASD, with
      evidence supporting overlapping neurobiological and genetic underpinnings. One of
      the most well studied mechanisms related to ASD and insomnia is dysregulation of
      the melatonin pathway, which has been observed in many individuals with ASD
      compared to typically developing controls. Furthermore, variation in genes whose
      products regulate endogenous melatonin modify sleep patterns in humans and have
      also been implicated in some cases of ASD. However, the relationship between
      comorbid insomnia, melatonin processing, and genes that regulate endogenous
      melatonin levels in ASD is complex and requires further study to fully elucidate.
      The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current findings related
      to the effects of genetic variation in the melatonergic pathway on risk for
      expression of sleep disorders in children with ASD. In addition, functional
      findings related to endogenous levels of melatonin and pharmacokinetic profiles
      in this patient population are evaluated.

PMID- 26120598
TI  - Suppression of experimental arthritis through AMP-activated protein kinase
      activation and autophagy modulation.
AB  - Autophagy plays a central role in various disease processes. However, its
      contribution to inflammatory arthritides such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is
      unclear. We observed that autophagy is engaged in the K/BxN serum transfer model
      of RA but autophagic flux is severely impaired. Metformin is an anti-diabetic
      drug that has been shown to stimulate autophagy. Induction of autophagic flux,
      through metformin-mediated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation and
      interruption of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling mitigated the
      inflammation in experimental arthritis. Further investigation into the effects of
      metformin suggest that the drug directly activates AMPK and dose-dependently
      suppressed the release of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and MCP-1 by macrophages while
      enhancing the release of IL-10 in vitro. In vivo, metformin treatment
      significantly suppressed clinical arthritis and inflammatory cytokine production.
      Mechanistic studies suggest that metformin exerts its anti-inflammatory effects
      by correcting the impaired autophagic flux observed in the K/BxN arthritis model
      and suppressing NF-kappaB-mediated signaling through selective degradation of
      IkappaB kinase (IKK). These findings establish a central role for autophagy in
      inflammatory arthritis and argue that autophagy modulators such as metformin may
      represent potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of RA.

PMID- 26120599
TI  - Protective Effect of Topiramate on Hyperglycemia-Induced Cerebral Oxidative
      Stress, Pericyte Loss and Learning Behavior in Diabetic Mice.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus-associated damage to the microvasculature of the brain is
      caused by hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress, which results in pericyte loss,
      blood-brain barrier disruption, and impaired cognitive function. Oxidative
      stress, in diabetes, is caused by reactive oxygen species produced during
      accelerated respiration (mitochondrial oxidative metabolism of glucose). The rate
      of respiration is regulated by mitochondrial carbonic anhydrases (CAs).
      Inhibition of these enzymes protects the brain from diabetic damage. Previously,
      we reported that topiramate, a mitochondrial CA inhibitor, at a dose of 50
      mg/kg/day protects the brain in diabetes by reducing oxidative stress and
      restoring pericyte numbers. Topiramate has high affinity for both mitochondrial
      CAs; therefore, it is conceivable that a much lower dose may inhibit these
      enzymes and thus protect the brain from hyperglycemia-induced oxidative damage.
      Therefore, in an effort to reduce the toxicity associated with higher doses of
      topiramate, the current study was designed to investigate the effect of 1.0 mg/kg
      topiramate on reducing oxidative stress, restoring pericyte numbers in the brain,
      and improving the impaired learning behavior in diabetic mouse. Diabetes was
      induced by a one-time injection of streptozotocin and topiramate was administered
      daily for 12 weeks. Levels of oxidative stress, reduced glutathione (GSH) and 4
      hydroxy-2-trans-nonenal (HNE) were measured in the brain and pericyte/endothelial
      cell ratios in isolated brain microvessels. Learning behavior was assessed by T
      maze foot shock avoidance test. A significant decrease in GSH (control, 12.2 +/-
      0.4 vs. diabetic, 10.8 +/- 0.4 vs. diabetic + topiramate, 12.6 +/- 0.6, p<0.05)
      and an increase in HNE (control, 100 +/- 4.2, vs. diabetic, 127.3 +/- 8.8 vs.
      diabetic + topiramate, 93.9 +/- 8.4 p<0.05) in diabetic mice were corrected by
      topiramate treatment. Topiramate treatment also resulted in restoration of
      pericyte numbers in diabetic mice (control, 25.89 +/- 0.85 vs. diabetic, 18.14 +/
      0.66 vs. diabetic + topiramate, 24.35 +/- 0.53, p<0.001) and improvement in
      learning behavior. In conclusion, these data clearly demonstrate that topiramate
      at 1.0 mg/kg protects the mouse brain from diabetic damage. A 1.0 mg/kg
      topiramate in the mouse translates to a 5.0 mg daily dose in a 60 kg human, which
      may help slow the onset and progression of diabetic complications in the human
      brain.

PMID- 26120600
TI  - The Presence of Histamine and a Histamine Receptor in the Bivalve Mollusc,
      Crassostrea virginica.
AB  - Histamine, a biogenic amine, is a neurotransmitter in neurons and sensory
      receptors in invertebrates. Histamine has rarely been reported in bivalves. We
      used HPLC with pre-column derivatization using 2,3-naphthalenedicarboxaldehyde
      (NDA) as a fluorescent labeling agent to measure histamine in ganglia, and
      peripheral tissues of the oyster Crassostrea virginica. We also used Western Blot
      technique to look for the presence of a histamine receptor in the mantle rim.
      HPLC results found histamine present in ng amounts in both the cerebral and
      visceral ganglia, as well as the mantle rim and other peripheral tissues of C.
      virginica. The study confirms and quantifies histamine as an endogenous biogenic
      amine in C. virginica in the nervous system and innervated organs. Western Blot
      technique also identified a histamine H2-like receptor present in sensory tissue
      of the oyster's mantle rim.

PMID- 26120601
TI  - Multiplexed femtomolar quantitation of human cytokines in a fluoropolymer
      microcapillary film.
AB  - Sensitive quantitation of multiple cytokines can provide important diagnostic
      information during infection, inflammation and immunopathology. In this study
      sensitive immunoassay detection of human cytokines IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-12p70 and
      TNFalpha is shown for singleplex and multiplex formats using a novel miniaturized
      ELISA platform. The platform uses a disposable plastic multi-syringe aspirator
      (MSA) integrating 8 disposable fluoropolymer microfluidic test strips, each
      containing an array of ten 200 MUm mean i.d. microcapillaries coated with a set
      of monoclonal antibodies. Each MSA device thus performs 10 tests on 8 samples,
      delivering 80 measurements. Unprecedented levels of sensitivity were obtained
      with the novel fluoropolymer microfluidic material and simple colorimetric
      detection in a flatbed scanner. The limit of detection for singleplex detection
      ranged from 2.0 to 15.0 pg ml(-1), i.e. 35 and 713 femtomolar for singleplex
      cytokine detection, and the intra- and inter-assay coefficient of variation (CV)
      remained within 10%. In addition, a triplex immunoassay was developed for
      measuring IL-1beta, IL-12p70 and TNFalpha simultaneously from a given sample in
      the pg ml(-1) range. These assays permit high sensitivity measurement with rapid
      <15 min assay or detection from undiluted blood serum. The portability, speed and
      low-cost of this system are highly suited to point-of-care testing and field
      diagnostics applications. 

PMID- 26120602
TI  - Investigating the relationship between changes in collagen fiber orientation
      during skin aging and collagen/water interactions by polarized-FTIR microimaging.
AB  - Upon chronological aging, human skin undergoes structural and molecular
      modifications, especially at the level of type I collagen. This macromolecule is
      one of the main dermal structural proteins and presents several age-related
      alterations. It exhibits a triple helical structure and assembles itself to form
      fibrils and fibers. In addition, water plays an important role in stabilizing the
      collagen triple helix by forming hydrogen-bonds between collagen residues.
      However, the influence of water on changes of dermal collagen fiber orientation
      with age has not been yet understood. Polarized-Fourier Transform Infrared (P
      FTIR) imaging is an interesting biophotonic approach to determine in situ the
      orientation of type I collagen fibers, as we have recently shown by comparing
      skin samples of different ages. In this work, P-FTIR spectral imaging was
      performed on skin samples from two age groups (35- and 38-year-old on the one
      hand, 60- and 66-year-old on the other hand), and our analyses were focused on
      the effect of H2O/D2O substitution. Spectral data were processed with fuzzy C
      means (FCM) clustering in order to distinguish different orientations of collagen
      fibers. We demonstrated that the orientation was altered with aging, and that D2O
      treatment, affecting primarily highly bound water molecules, is more marked for
      the youngest skin samples. Collagen-bound water-related spectral markers were
      also highlighted. Our results suggest a weakening of water/collagen interactions
      with age. This non-destructive and label-free methodology allows us to understand
      better the importance of bound water in collagen fiber orientation alterations
      occurring with skin aging. Obtaining such structural information could find
      benefits in dermatology as well as in cosmetics. 

PMID- 26120603
TI  - Oxides in silver-graphene nanocomposites: electrochemical signatures and
      electrocatalytic implications.
AB  - Herein we report an electrochemical approach to establish the presence of silver
      oxides in silver-reduced graphene oxide (Ag-rGO) nanocomposites synthesised under
      alkaline conditions. The recorded electrochemical signatures, further supported
      and validated by UV-Vis spectroscopy, XRD and TEM analysis, clearly establish the
      presence of an oxide phase of silver in the nanodimensional silver present in Ag
      rGO. The Ag-rGO was tested for its electrocatalytic and electrosensing activity
      for hydroquinone (H2Q) and ascorbic acid (AA). The presented results establish
      that the electrocatalytic and electrosensing potential of the Ag-rGO for H2Q and
      AA can be enhanced through electroreduction of the oxide phase of silver in these
      nanocomposites. Our results prove that the electrocatalytic and electroanalytic
      activities of electroreduced Ag-rGO for AA are better than most of the electrode
      materials reported so far in the literature. 

PMID- 26120604
TI  - Detecting miRNA by producing RNA: a sensitive assay that combines rolling-circle
      DNA polymerization and rolling circle transcription.
AB  - Target miRNA was detected by producing RNA: rolling circle polymerization (RCP)
      and rolling circle transcription (RCT) were interlinked to provide dual
      amplification, producing multiplied malachite green (MG) aptamers, and a signal
      was generated by the SERS (surface-enhanced Raman scattering) quantification of
      the MG molecules that were bound to the transcripts. 

PMID- 26120605
TI  - Two-step energy transfer enables use of phenylalanine in action-EET for distance
      constraint determination in gaseous biomolecules.
AB  - Two-step energy transfer is potentially useful for exploring macromolecular
      structure, but it has not been observed previously in the gas-phase. Single step
      excitation energy transfer (EET) has been recently documented for tyrosine and
      tryptophan containing peptides, but not for phenylalanine. Herein, we report
      sequential energy transfer from phenylalanine to tyrosine to a disulfide,
      resulting in homolytic cleavage of a sulfur-sulfur bond. Interestingly, energy
      transfer from phenylalanine is only observed in the presence of tyrosine and only
      occurs within certain distance constraints. Isolated, electronically excited
      phenylalanine is known to have an extremely long lifetime in the gas phase,
      potentially suggesting quicker relaxation occurs via energy transfer to tyrosine.
      Alternatively, the direct overlap of states between phenylalanine and disulfide
      bonds is predicted to be poor, in which case tyrosine would serve to bridge the
      gap. In either case, the distance constraints imposed by this two-step EET are
      shown to be useful for evaluation and determination of gaseous biomolecular
      structure. 

PMID- 26120606
TI  - Achieving high power efficiency and low roll-off OLEDs based on energy transfer
      from thermally activated delayed excitons to fluorescent dopants.
AB  - Achieving high power efficiencies at high-brightness levels is still an important
      issue for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on the thermally activated
      delayed fluorescence (TADF) mechanism. Herein, enhanced electroluminescence
      efficiencies were achieved in fluorescent OLEDs using a TADF molecule, (4s,6s)
      2,4,5,6-tetra(9H-carbazol-9-yl)isophthalonitrile (4CzIPN), as a host and
      quinacridone derivatives (QA) as fluorescent dopants. 

PMID- 26120607
TI  - A computational study of the quantum transport properties of a Cu-CNT composite.
AB  - The quantum transport properties of a Cu-CNT composite are studied using a non
      equilibrium Green's function approach combined with the self-consistent-charge
      density-functional tight-binding method. The results show that the electrical
      conductance of the composite depends strongly on CNT density and alignment but
      more weakly on chirality. Alignment with the applied bias is preferred and the
      conductance of the composite increases as its mass density increases. 

PMID- 26120608
TI  - Optical properties of prodigiosin and obatoclax: action spectroscopy and
      theoretical calculations.
AB  - Prodiginine molecules (prodigiosin and obatoclax) are well-known pH-chromic dyes
      with promising anti-tumor properties. They present multiple tautomeric and
      rotameric forms. The protonation state and the structure of such flexible ligands
      in interaction with a protein are crucial to understand and to model the
      protein's biological activities. The determination of the protonation state via
      UV/vis absorption is possible if the ligand spectra of the neutral and protonated
      states are sufficiently different, and also if we can eliminate other factors
      potentially impacting the spectrum. Upon measuring the absorption spectra of the
      ligand in solution, varying solvents and pH values, we have determined that the
      optical properties of prodigiosin and obatoclax depend on the protonation state
      and not on the solvent permittivity constant. In parallel, action spectroscopy
      (using tunable lasers coupled to ion traps) in the gas phase of protonated and
      sodiated prodigiosin and obatoclax molecules has been performed to evaluate the
      sensitivity of the charge and the conformational state to their optical
      properties free of solvent. The spectra are interpreted using computational
      simulations of molecular structures and electronic excitations. The excitation
      energies are only slightly sensitive to various isomerizations, and may be used
      to distinguish between protonated and deprotonated states, even in the presence
      of a sodium counter-ion. 

PMID- 26120609
TI  - Study of photophysical properties of 5-deazaalloxazine and 1,3-dimethyl-5
      deazaalloxazine in dependence of pH using different spectral techniques.
AB  - The photophysical properties of 5-deazaalloxazine and 1,3-dimethyl-5
      deazalloxazine at different pH values were characterized using absorption
      spectra, fluorescence emission spectra, fluorescence excitation spectra,
      synchronous fluorescence spectra and total fluorescence spectra. Their ionised
      and/or neutral forms were discussed in comparison with those obtained for other
      derivatives of 5-deazaalloxazine and/or 5-deazaisoalloxazine. Steady-state and
      time-resolved techniques were used to study the protonation/deprotonation
      equilibria between cationic and neutral forms of both compounds and between
      neutral and monoanionic forms of 5-deazalloxazine, as well as between monoanionic
      forms of this compound and its dianion. We estimated pKa values for these
      equilibria both in the ground and excited states. Our steady-state and time
      resolved measurements indicate that the cation of 5-deazaalloxazine in its
      isoalloxazinic form exhibits fluorescence that is quenched by protons in a
      dynamic process. Contrary to that, the cation of 1,3-dimethyl-5-deazaalloxazine
      has almost no fluorescence. Additionally, we found that the neutral forms of 5
      deazalloxazine and 1,3-methyl-5-deazalloxazine are also quenched in acidic
      conditions by protons. In basic conditions, 5-deazaalloxazine forms two
      structurally different anions, namely the alloxazinic monoanion and the
      isoalloxazinic monoanion; both simultaneously dissociate into the isoalloxazinic
      dianion at even higher pH values. The synchronous fluorescence spectra and total
      fluorescence spectra demonstrated their suitability to characterize and
      differentiate different fluorescent forms of 5-deazalloxazine, namely: the
      cation, the neutral form, two monoanions, and the dianion, in a wide pH range. 

PMID- 26120610
TI  - Nanoparticles in ionic liquids: interactions and organization.
AB  - Ionic liquids (ILs), defined as low-melting organic salts, are a novel class of
      compounds with unique properties and a combinatorially great chemical diversity.
      Ionic liquids are utilized as synthesis and dispersion media for nanoparticles as
      well as for surface functionalization. Ionic liquid and nanoparticle hybrid
      systems are governed by a combined effect of several intermolecular interactions
      between their constituents. For each interaction, including van der Waals,
      electrostatic, structural, solvophobic, steric, and hydrogen bonding, the
      characterization and quantitative calculation methods together with factors
      affecting these interactions are reviewed here. Various self-organized structures
      based on nanoparticles in ionic liquids are generated as a result of a balance of
      these intermolecular interactions. These structures, including colloidal glasses
      and gels, lyotropic liquid crystals, nanoparticle-stabilized ionic liquid
      containing emulsions, ionic liquid surface-functionalized nanoparticles, and
      nanoscale ionic materials, possess properties of both ionic liquids and
      nanoparticles, which render them useful as novel materials especially in
      electrochemical and catalysis applications. This review of the interactions
      within nanoparticle dispersions in ionic liquids and of the structure of
      nanoparticle and ionic liquid hybrids provides guidance on the rational design of
      novel ionic liquid-based materials, enabling applications in broad areas. 

PMID- 26120611
TI  - Difference in TiO2 photocatalytic mechanism between rutile and anatase studied by
      the detection of active oxygen and surface species in water.
AB  - Various kinds of TiO2 photocatalysts have been practically applied in various
      fields. Knowing the exact surface properties is a prerequisite to develop further
      and efficient applications. However, the cause of the essential difference in the
      activities of the two polymorphs of TiO2, rutile and anatase, has not been
      clearly elucidated yet. We tried to clarify the cause in terms of active oxygen
      species (OH, O2(-), and H2O2) photogenerated on the surfaces, which are
      considered practically involved in the photocatalytic reactions. It was revealed
      that for anatase the rate of OH generation was high, but it decreased in the
      presence of H2O2. On the other hand, for rutile, OH generation was very low but
      it increased in the presence of H2O2. The formation rate of O2(-) for rutile was
      higher than that for anatase, suggesting that the photoinduced reduction process
      should not be accountable for the higher photocatalytic activity of anatase.
      Since the Ti-Ti distance on a rutile surface is smaller than that for anatase,
      rutile is capable of forming a surface structure such as Ti-OO-Ti, leading to
      readily form O2. The mechanism of fast coupling of two photoinduced conduction
      band holes to form Ti-OO-Ti was proposed, which is accountable for the lower
      reactivity of rutile. This mechanism was verified by the analysis of surface
      species with ATR-IR spectroscopy. 

PMID- 26120612
TI  - Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome: comprehensive electrophysiologic assessment with
      the help of a single PVC.

PMID- 26120613
TI  - Obituary.

PMID- 26120614
TI  - ["As a physician one stands on thin ice"].

PMID- 26120615
TI  - [Leprosy - a neglected disease].

PMID- 26120616
TI  - [In Memoriam--Jean Mouchet (1920-2014). A great figure of tropical medical
      entomology].

PMID- 26120617
TI  - IN MEMORIAM.

PMID- 26120618
TI  - Response.

PMID- 26120619
TI  - Response.

PMID- 26120620
TI  - Response.

PMID- 26120621
TI  - Response.

PMID- 26120622
TI  - Response.

PMID- 26120623
TI  - Re: Correspondence to 'Cancer risk in adult residents near nuclear power plants
      in Korea - a cohort study of 1992-2010' (1) & subsequent debate (2, 3).

PMID- 26120624
TI  - Protein binder woes.

PMID- 26120625
TI  - THE AUTHOR FILE: Erin Margaret Schuman.

PMID- 26120626
TI  - POINTS OF SIGNIFICANCE: Bayesian statistics.

PMID- 26120627
TI  - RNA structure served in vivo.

PMID- 26120629
TI  - SPLITTING Cas9.

PMID- 26120628
TI  - Deep views into living mice.

PMID- 26120630
TI  - Shape-shifting MRI probes.

PMID- 26120631
TI  - Protein dynamics for the masses.

PMID- 26120632
TI  - Neurons pick up the heat.

PMID- 26120633
TI  - Solving XFEL's image problem.

PMID- 26120634
TI  - We are pleased to present this Special Issue on New Frontiers in Tendon Research.

PMID- 26120635
TI  - The Past, Present, and Future of the Wellness Movement: An Interview with Dr.
      Bill Hettler.

PMID- 26120636
TI  - Interconnectedness, Quantum Physics, and Awe.

PMID- 26120637
TI  - How Culture Interacts with the Concept of Wellness: The Role Wellness Plays in a
      Global Environment.

PMID- 26120638
TI  - The Multi-Dimensions of Wellness: The Vital Role of Terms and Meanings.

PMID- 26120639
TI  - Is Wellness Going Back to the Future?

PMID- 26120640
TI  - Making Something Great! The 25th Annual Art and Science of Health Promotion
      Conference.

PMID- 26120641
TI  - REPLY BY THE AUTHORS.

PMID- 26120642
TI  - Neoplastic plasma cells mimic mature neutrophils in plasma cell myeloma with
      t(11;14)(q13;q32).

PMID- 26120643
TI  - Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians position statement on acute ischemic
      stroke.
AB  - The CAEP Stroke Practice Committee was convened in the spring of 2013 to revisit
      the 2001 policy statement on the use of thrombolytic therapy in acute ischemic
      stroke. The terms of reference of the panel were developed to include national
      representation from urban academic centres as well as community and rural centres
      from all regions of the country. Membership was determined by attracting
      recognized stroke leaders from across the country who agreed to volunteer their
      time towards the development of revised guidance on the topic. The guideline
      panel elected to adopt the GRADE language to communicate guidance after review of
      existing systematic reviews and international clinical practice guidelines.
      Stroke neurologists from across Canada were engaged to work alongside panel
      members to develop guidance as a dyad-based consensus when possible. There was no
      unique systematic review performed to support this guidance, rather existing
      efficacy data was relied upon. After a series of teleconferences and face to face
      meetings, a draft guideline was developed and presented to the CAEP board in June
      of 2014. The panel noted the development of significant new evidence to inform a
      number of clinical questions related to acute stroke management. In general terms
      the recommendations issued by the CAEP Stroke Practice Committee are supportive
      of the use of thrombolytic therapy when treatment can be administered within 3
      hours of symptom onset. The committee is also supportive of system-level changes
      including pre-hospital interventions, the transport of patients to dedicated
      stroke centers when possible and tele-health measures to support thrombolytic
      therapy in a timely window. Of note, after careful deliberation, the panel
      elected to issue a conditional recommendation against the use of thrombolytic
      therapy in the 3-4.5 hour window. The view of the committee was that as a result
      of a narrow risk benefit balance, one that is considerably narrower than the same
      considerations under 3 hours, a significant number of informed patients and
      families would opt against the risk of early intracranial hemorrhage and the
      possibility of increased 90-day mortality that is not seen for more timely
      treatment. Furthermore, the frequently impaired nature of patients suffering an
      acute stroke and the difficulties in asking families to make life and death
      decisions in a highly time-sensitive context led the panel to restrict a strong
      endorsement of thrombolytic to the 3 hour outermost limit. The committee noted as
      well that Health Canada has not approved a thrombolytic agent beyond a three hour
      window in acute ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26120644
TI  - Response.

PMID- 26120645
TI  - Response.

PMID- 26120646
TI  - Atlantoaxial instability and Chiari malformation--response.

PMID- 26120647
TI  - The psychometric properties of the dash and quickdash--response.

PMID- 26120648
TI  - Retraction: C terminus L-type Ca2+ channel  calmodulin-binding domains are 'auto
      agonist' ligands  in rabbit ventricular myocytes.

PMID- 26120649
TI  - Retraction: Cytoskeletal disrupting agents prevent calmodulin kinase, IQ domain
      and voltage-dependent facilitation of L-type Ca2+ channels.

PMID- 26120650
TI  - Retraction: Calmodulin kinase and a calmodulin-binding 'IQ' domain facilitate L
      type Ca2+ current in rabbit ventricular myocytes by a common mechanism.

PMID- 26120651
TI  - [Oligoprogression].

PMID- 26120652
TI  - [Cognitive deficits following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in
      childhood].

PMID- 26120653
TI  - [Recommended duration of androgen suppression of localized pancreatic cancer
      before radiotherapy is still uncertain].

PMID- 26120654
TI  - [Therapeutic approach in persistent diabetic macular edema].
AB  - Terminology of persistent diabetic macular edema has been initially reserved to
      cases unresponsive to conventional laser photocoagulation according to ETDRS
      criteria. While knowledge about pathophysiology of macular edema evolved and new
      drugs became available, the terminology of persistent diabetic macular edema
      expanded to include resistance to most current therapies. The purpose of this
      paper is to review medical and surgical options in the treatment of such
      difficult cases according to literature data and personal experience.

PMID- 26120655
TI  - [Macular serpiginous choroiditis complicated by macular hole].
AB  - Macular serpiginouschoroiditis is a rare variant of serpiginous choroiditis
      characterized by a severe recurrent inflammation of both central choroid and
      retinal pigment epithelium. Visual prognosis is severe due to subsequent
      distruction of retinal structures. Permanent central visual loss is the
      consequence of retinal pigment epithelium hyper or hypoplasia and/or subretinal
      neovascularization leading to fibrous scarring. This article reports the unusual
      case of rapid development of a macular hole soon after the onset of
      characteristic clinical features. Despite anti-inflammatory treatment and
      successful macular hole surgery the visual function remained significantly
      impaired by secondary central retinal pigment epithelium changes.

PMID- 26120656
TI  - Can Separate Be Equal? Ending the Segregation of Mental Health.

PMID- 26120657
TI  - Studies on South-east Asian fireflies: Abscondita, a new genus with details of
      life history, flashing patterns and behaviour of Abs. chinensis (L.) and Abs.
      terminalis (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae).
AB  - Abscondita, a new genus of fireflies from South-east Asia, is described from
      males and females of Abs. anceyi (Olivier 1883), Abs. cerata (Olivier 1911), Abs.
      chinensis (L. 1767), Abs. perplexa (Walker 1858), Abs. promelaena (Walker 1858)
      and Abs. terminalis (Olivier 1883), all transferred from Luciola Laporte. Both L.
      dubia Olivier 1903 and L. dejeani Gemminger 1870 are synonymised with Luciola
      perplexa (Walker), and L. aegrota Olivier 1891 and L. melaspis Bourgeois 1909
      with L. promelaena Walker. Females are characterised by their bursa plates.
      Larvae are associated and described for Abs. anceyi (Olivier), Abs. chinensis
      (L.) and Abs. terminalis (Olivier). Taxonomic issues regarding the identification
      of species with very similar colouration of pale dorsum and black tipped elytra
      are addressed and in some cases resolved. A neotype for Luciola chinensis (L.) is
      erected and Luciola praeusta (Kiesenwetter 1874) is synonymised with L. chinensis
      (L.). Descriptions of life histories, biology and flashing patterns of
      populations of Abs. chinensis and Abs. terminalis from central China are
      included. A bs. terminalis is the first Asian firefly known to possess multiple
      flash trains where males are documented to display with repeating flash trains.

PMID- 26120659
TI  - A new species of the genus Basidissus (Coleoptera: Anthribidae) from east
      Madagascar, with a key to species..
AB  - A new species, Basidissus bendai Tryzna & Baiat sp. nov. (Anthribidae:
      Anthribinae: Platyrhinini), from east Madagascar is described, female genitalia
      are studied and illustrated, and the mobility of the stylus of the toothed plate
      is discussed. Colour photographs as well as a key to Madagascan species of the
      genus Basidissus are provided.

PMID- 26120658
TI  - The genus Cyphoderopsis Carpenter (Collembola: Paronellidae) in Thailand and a
      faunal transition at the Isthmus of Kra in Troglopedetinae.
AB  - The genus Cyphoderopsis Carpenter is recorded for the first time from continental
      Southeast Asia, with four new species described from Peninsular Thailand. New
      characters of taxonomic importance are introduced. The new species herein
      described are distinguished from other species of the genus by the following
      combination of characters: dens with two rows of spines, absence of eyes and
      pigment, and claw with inner teeth. They differ among them in the number of inner
      teeth on claw, morphology of tenent hairs (pointed versus clavate), number of
      dental spines and number of central macrochaetae on Th.II (3+3 versus 4+4). The
      genus Cyphoderopsis in Thailand is shown to be restricted to the South of the
      Isthmus of Kra, while the closely related genus, Troglopedetes Absolon, replaces
      it further north, providing new evidence that the Isthmus of Kra is an important
      biogeographical boundary in Southeast Asia. A checklist and a key to world
      species of the genus are given.

PMID- 26120660
TI  - A new genus and species of ambush bugs from South Africa (Hemiptera: Heteroptera:
      Reduviidae: Phymatinae).
AB  - Doesburgella gen. nov. and its type species D. dilatata sp.nov (Hemiptera,
      Heteroptera: Reduviidac, Phymatinae; Macrocephalini) are described from South
      Africa.

PMID- 26120662
TI  - Descriptions of the final stadium larva and female adult of Coeliccia mingxiensis
      Xu (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platycnemididae).
AB  - The final stadium larva of Coeliccia mingxiensis Xu is described and illustrated.
      The female adult is also described for the first time. The larva can be easily
      separated from all known Coeliccia larvae by the following distinct morphological
      characters: (1) prementum longest in all known Coeliccia larvae; median lobe with
      4 pairs of premental setae and palpal lobe with 6 palpal setae; (2) caudal gills
      shortest of all known Coeliccia larvae when compared with body length; median
      gill rounded at apex and lateral gill with a small median projection at apex. The
      female is similar to the male in many respects, differing chiefly in several
      respects as follows: the transverse yellow band on vertex of head broader and
      straighter than in male; antehumeral stripe on mesepisternum somewhat incurved
      basally, not forming a strong hook, which is present in male; distal abdomen with
      obviously different colour pattern; anal appendages brownish-black, shorter than
      S10; vulvar scales robust, brownish-yellow, projecting well beyond end of
      abdomen.

PMID- 26120661
TI  - Revision of the ocellatus species-group of the genus Plumarius Philippi 1873
      (Hymenoptera, Chrysidoidea, Plumariidae), with description of three new species
      from Argentina.
AB  - This contribution presents the study of species-group of Plumarius Philippi 1873,
      as the result of a survey of the morphological variation in males. The group is
      characterized by the large ocelli and transverse head. It consists of the
      following three new species: P. culminatus Diez, Fidalgo & Roig-Alsina, sp. nov.,
      P. ocellatus Diez, Fidalgo & Roig-Alsina, sp. nov., and P. stangei Diez, Fidalgo
      & Roig-Alsina, sp. nov. A characterization of the group, descriptions, and
      illustrations are provided.

PMID- 26120663
TI  - Description of the larva of Neuraeschna claviforcipata Martin, 1909 (Insecta:
      Odonata: Aeshnidae).
AB  - The ultimate stadium larva of Neuraeschna claviforcipata is described and
      illustrated based on an F-0 exuvia of a reared female from northern Amazonas
      State, Brazil. This larva differs from the other two known larvae of the genus in
      lacking the spiny lateral prominence of the mandible, and in having only a short
      spine each side of the median cleft of the prementum; labium is shorter and
      cercus longer. Noteworthy is the presence of a hair brush on each occipital lobe
      behind mesal angle of compound eye. The larva was found in a small blackwater
      pool with abundant leaf litter in an open, "campina"-type habitat, with sandy
      soil and low, bushy vegetation.

PMID- 26120664
TI  - Phytoseiidae in European grape (Vitis vinifera L.): bio-ecological aspects and
      keys to species (Acari: Mesostigmata).
AB  - The family Phytoseiidae includes many species of predators involved in the
      control of mite pests of crops all over the world. In European vineyards, these
      natural enemies play a key role in plant protection as their presence usually
      makes the use of acaricides unnecessary. Each species has its specific biological
      features. It is thus of great interest to identify the species reported on grape,
      Vitis vinifera. The present paper, based on a world database of the family
      Phytoseiidae and on an analysis of more than 250 publications, presents the 54
      species of Phytoseiidae belonging to 15 genera reported on V. vinifera in Europe,
      and identification keys to species. Online versions of the key (dichotomous and
      polytomous) with illustrations are available at
      http://wwwl.montpellier.inra.fr/CBGP/phytoseiidae/sitewebvineyards2/index.htm. An
      analysis of the biogeographic distribution of these species and their prey has
      also been carried out. Most species reported on V. vinifera in Europe are rare;
      only five species are frequently observed: Kampimodromus aberrans, Typhlodromus
      (Typhlodromus) pyri, Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) exhilaratus, Euseius finlandicus
      and Phytoseius finitimus. The 12 countries where Phytoseiidae have been reported
      from grapes have been unevenly surveyed, the most well-known faunas being from
      Italy, Greece and France. These species are reported to prey upon the main
      species of mite pests of grapes.

PMID- 26120665
TI  - New genera of Dicrepidiina from the Neotropical Region (Coleoptera, Elateridae,
      Elaterinae, Ampedini).
AB  - Two genera of Dicrepidiina, Paranoplischius gen. nov. and Paratractosomus gen.
      nov., and three species, Paranoplischius modestus sp. nov., P. nigellus sp. nov.
      and Paratractosomus sulciventris sp. nov., from South America, are described and
      illustrated. A provisional key to the genera of Dicrepidiina is also included.

PMID- 26120666
TI  - The fossil pulmonate snails of Sandelzhausen (Early/Middle Miocene, Germany):
      Succineidae, Testacelloidea and Helicoidea.
AB  - Sandelzhausen is an Early/Middle Miocene (Mammal Neogene zone MN5) fossil site
      near Mainburg, S Germany, and despite its small size it harbors a rich fossil
      record. Hundreds of fossil continental mollusks, almost exclusively pulmonates
      snails, were recovered during the excavations, but never received due attention
      by researchers. Here, the second part of a formal taxonomical treatment of the
      fossil pulmonates from Sandelzhausen is presented, dealing with the superfamilies
      Succineoidea, Testacelloidea and Helicoidea, and including the description of a
      new hygromiid species. The following species were found in the material: Succinea
      minima (Succineidae); Palaeoglandina sp. (Spiraxidae); Testacella zellii
      (Testacellidae); Klikia cf. coarctata (Elonidae); Cepaea cf. eversa, Cepaea cf.
      sylvestrina and Tropidomphalus cf. incrassatus (Helicidae); ?Helicodonta sp. and
      Helicodontidae indet. (Helicodontidae); Leucochroopsis kleinii and Urticicola
      perchtae sp. nov. (Hygromiidae).

PMID- 26120667
TI  - Revalidation of Saguinus ursula Hoffmannsegg (Primates: Cebidae: Callitrichinae).
AB  - In this study, we review the taxonomy of Saguinus niger (E. Geoffroy) and
      revalidate Saguinus ursula Hoffmannsegg as a distinct species. The revalidation
      is based on pelage coloration, and the pattern of morphological divergence is
      corroborated by molecular data. Samples from the east bank of the Tocantins River
      (S. ursulus) were distinct from specimens of S. niger from the west bank in
      having mid-dorsal hair with an wide (5.0-55 mm) intermediary band of bright and
      golden buffy color; long (ca. 23-26 mm) dorsal hair at the inter-scapular region;
      and naked (not noticeably haired) face, hands and fingers. Saguinus ursulus and
      S. niger are allopatric, and Tocantins River is putatively acting as an effective
      barrier for gene flow. A lectotype to S. ursulus from syntypes was designated.

PMID- 26120668
TI  - Nesticus dimensis new species, a new troglobitic spider from Turkey (Araneae,
      Nesticidae), with comments on its phylogenetic relationships.
AB  - A new troglobitic spider species, Nesticus dimensis n. sp. (felmale male),
      inhabiting the Dim Cave of Alanya (Antalya Prov., Turkey) is diagnosed and
      described. The new species belongs to the Eastern Mediterranean Nesticus Group,
      which includes N. eremita and N. speluncarum as the most common and widespread
      species along with N. arenstorffi and N. henderickxi. Evolutionary relationships
      of the taxa belonging to this group of species are discussed on the basis of
      morphological and molecular data (using cox1, rrnL and H3 gene sequence data).

PMID- 26120669
TI  - A new species of Apocellus Erichson, 1839 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) from
      Argentina with ecological notes.
AB  - Apocellus andinus sp. nov. from Argentina is described and illustrated, detailed
      information on its ecology is provided, and a key to species of Apocellus from
      southwestern South America is given. This species was collected in riparian areas
      of a mountain dam at 1355 m elevation, and it was found in an unstable wetland
      environment in association with species tolerant to human perturbations.
      Lectotypes are designated for Apocellus argentinus Bernhauer, 1908 and Apocellus
      opacus Bernhauer, 1908.

PMID- 26120670
TI  - Annotated checklist and keys for cumaceans (Crustacea: Peracarida) from the
      Tropical Eastern Pacific, with six new species from the Southern Mexican Pacific.
AB  - In the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) 23 species of cumaceans are known, however
      none of these species has been previously registered in the southern Pacific
      coast of Mexico. The examination of 378 specimens resulted in six new species,
      belonging to two families and five genera, Coricuma zurai sp. nov., Cyclaspis
      boquillensis sp. nov., Cyclaspis hyalinus sp. nov., Cumella (Cumewingia)
      carmeinae sp. nov., Elassocumella krakeri sp. nov. and Nannastacus corallinus sp.
      nov. The genus Coricuma Watling & Breedy, 1988, increases its geographical range
      from Costa Rica to Mexico, and a second species is described. Recorded for the
      first time in the Eastern Pacific are the genera Elassocumella Watling, 1991 and
      Nannastacus Bate, 1865. An annotated checklist and illustrated key to all species
      of cumaceans recognised from the Tropical Eastern Pacific are included.

PMID- 26120671
TI  - New species of scaly crickets (Orthoptera: Mogoplistinae) from Bukit Fraser,
      Malay Peninsula.
AB  - Two new species of Mogoplistinae from Bukit Fraser, Pahang of Malay Peninsula are
      described: Micrornebius malaya sp. n. and Ornebius albalatus sp. n.

PMID- 26120672
TI  - Caught in speciation? A new host for Conchodytes meleagrinae Peters, 1852
      (Decapoda, Caridea, Palaemonidae).
AB  - During fieldwork in 2009 at Ternate, Indonesia, a pair of a pontoniine shrimp
      species belonging to the genus Conchodytes was collected from a bivalve mollusk
      of the genus Spondylus. This constitutes the first record of a species of the
      genus Conchodytes associated with a spondylid host. The specimens can be
      distinguished from other known Conchodytes species based on both morphology and
      colour pattern. Its COI barcode however, strongly resembles those obtained from
      three specimens of C. meleagrinae and is nested in the C. meleagrinae clade of
      the reconstructed phylogeny. Based on morphology and colouration only the
      specimens associated with the Spondylus bivalve would have been described as a
      species new to science. The modest conflicting molecular data have lead the
      authors to fully describe and figure the Spondylus associated specimens and
      compare them with the Pinctada associated specimens. Based on the present
      information it is decided not to give the Spondylus associated specimens the
      status as a distinct species but regard them as host-related (colour)morph of
      Conchodytes meleagrinae.

PMID- 26120673
TI  - Chauliodites niedzwiedzkii sp. n. (Grylloblattida: Chaulioditidae) from Triassic
      sediments of Poland.
AB  - A new representative of the family Chaulioditidae (Insecta, Grylloblattida),
      Chauliodites niedzwiedzkii sp. n., is described from the Upper Olenekian-Lower
      Anisian sediments of Palegi in Holy Cross Mountains, Poland. This is the first
      formal description of any fossil insect from Palegi area.

PMID- 26120674
TI  - A new species of Tyrannomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Sri Lanka.
AB  - Tyrannomyrmex legatus sp. nov. is described based on a single worker collected
      from leaf litter in dipterocarp forest in southern Sri Lanka. A key is presented
      to separate the three known species of Tyrannomyrmex. A probable male specimen of
      the genus from the Philippines is noted. Tyrannomyrmex is placed within the tribe
      Solenopsidini and close to the genus Monomorium.

PMID- 26120675
TI  - Paracloeodes caldensis (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae), an atypical new species from
      the Colombian Andes.
AB  - In the present work, an atypical new species of Paracloeodes Day (Ephemeroptera:
      Baetidae) is described based on nymphs collected in the Caldas Department,
      Central Cordillera of Colombia. This represents the first report of the genus
      from Colombia. The main characteristics that distinguish the new species from
      congeners are: abundant setae on femora, antennae length twice the width of the
      head capsule, maxilla with palp twice the length of the galea-lacinia, segment II
      of the labial palp with a rounded projection and 2.5 times the width of segment
      III, tarsal claws half the length of their respective tarsi and the abdominal
      color pattern. The concepts of the genera Paracloeodes, Varipes and Rivudiva are
      discussed in light of the discovery of P. caldensis n. sp.

PMID- 26120676
TI  - New species of the genus Ontholestes Ganglbauer, 1895 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae:
      Staphylininae) from Yakutia.

PMID- 26120677
TI  - New replacement name for the genus Longitergus Pham, Bai, Heiss & Cai, 2013
      (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aradidae).

PMID- 26120678
TI  - Ontogenetic development and redescription of Tribolonychus collyerae (Acari:
      Tetranychidae).
AB  - Tribolonychus collyerae Zhang & Martin is redescribed based on the larva,
      protonymph, deutonymph and adult male and female specimens from New Zealand. The
      ontogenetic development of chaetotaxy in Tribolonychus and the number and
      position of solenidia on tibia I are discussed. Patterns of setal addition on leg
      III and IV from larva to adult in Trilobonychus are different from the basic
      pattern of the Tetranychinae and allied genus Neonidulus.

PMID- 26120679
TI  - A new species of the genus Sonotetranychus (Acari: Tetranychidae) from New
      Zealand.
AB  - The genus Sonotetranychus consisted of seven species prior to this study.
      Sonotetranychus menziesii sp. nov., collected on Nothofagus menziesii and N.
      fusca from New Zealand, is described based on females, protonymphs, deutonymphs
      and a male. An updated key to the species of Sonotetranychus is provided.

PMID- 26120680
TI  - Cossyphodini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Pimeliinae) in South Africa, Namibia and
      adjacent regions: New species and records, key to genera, and Old World species
      catalogue.
AB  - Cossyphodini Wasmann, 1899 (Tenebrionidae: Pimeliinae) from South Africa, Namibia
      and adjacent regions are revised, and newly collected material is presented. All
      species are figured, including as much as possible type specimens of African taxa
      for comparison. New species are described: Cossyphodes andreaei sp. n. and
      Cossyphodes caecus sp. n. (both South Africa), Cossyphodes naukluftensis sp. n.
      (Namibia). New synonyms include: Cossyphodes freudei Basilewsky, 1957
      (Cossyphodes uhligi Ferrer, 2004 syn. n.), Cossyphodes wasmanni Reichensperger,
      1915 (Cossyphodes brincki Andreae, 1961 syn. n., Cossyphodes reichenspergeri
      Andreae, 1961 syn. n.). Lectotypes are designated for Cossyphodes arnoldi Brauns,
      1925 and Cossyphodes wasmanni Reichensperger, 1915. The aedeagus is of lesser
      value for species separation. Keys to the four genera in South Africa and
      adjacent regions, as well as species of Cossyphodes in South Africa are
      presented. A catalogue of all Cossyphodini from the Old World including full
      references is added.

PMID- 26120681
TI  - The taxonomic value of the structures for the insertion of the stylet muscles in
      the Eutardigrada, and description of a new genus.
AB  - The new genus Dastychius has been instituted for the species Isohypsibius
      improvisus Dastych, 1984. It has claws of the Isohypsibius type, rigid buccal
      tube without ventral lamina and with ridge-shaped apophyses for the insertion of
      the stylet muscles; peribuccal lamellae absent; peribuccal papulae seem to be
      present but the datum should be confirmed; pharyngeal bulb with apophyses and
      placoids, lunules present in the known species; smooth eggs laid in the exuvium.
      The apophyses for the insertion of the stylet muscles have some peculiarities
      that justify the institution of a new genus. They are long, uninterrupted ridges
      tailing off caudally almost reaching the stylet supports; at almost a quarter of
      their length they have an incision and a septum never noted in other genera of
      Eutardigrada. In the author's opinion it is possible to hypothesize that all the
      structures for the insertion of the stylet muscles recognizable in the
      Eutardigrada may be derived from long ridge-shaped apophyses (but without
      incision and septum). The comparison of the shape of the apophyses for the
      insertion of the stylet muscles in the Eutardigrada seems to indicate that this
      character has taxonomic value at level of genus but not at family level.

PMID- 26120682
TI  - Crenicichla taikyra (Teleostei: Cichlidae), a new species of pike cichlid from
      the middle rio Parana, Argentina.
AB  - Crenicichla taikyra, new species, is described from the middle rio Parana,
      Argentina. Crenicichla taikyra is distinguished from the other species of the
      genus by the following combination of characters: lower pharyngeal tooth plate
      stout, bearing molariform teeth, ascending arm of premaxilla longer than the
      dentigerous arm, posterior edge of preoperculum serrated, a well developed
      suborbital stripe, and absence of scattered dark dots on flanks. Molariform teeth
      on pharyngeal jaws is a derived character among Crenicichla species, however this
      character state has appeared several times in unrelated species.

PMID- 26120683
TI  - A new species of Neosclerocalyptus Paula Couto (Mammalia: Xenarthra: Cingulata):
      the oldest record of the genus and morphological and phylogenetic aspects.
AB  - Among South American Quaternary Glyptodontidae (Mammalia, Cingulata),
      Neosclerocalyptus Paula Couto represents one of the best known genera. Prior to
      this contribution, four species were recognized. N. pseudornatus (Ameghino) and
      N. ornatus (Owen) (Ensenadan Age/Stage, early-middle Pleistocene); N. gouldi
      Zurita (Bonaerian Age/Stage, middle Pleistocene-late Pleistocene), and N.
      paskoensis (Zurita) (Lujanian Age/Stage, late Pleistocene-early Holocene). One of
      the most notable characters of the species of the genus is a modified area
      located in the distal part of the nasals, recently interpreted as a neomorphic
      structure derived from the ossification of the nasal cartilages. In this
      contribution, a new species of Neosclerocalyptus (N. castellanosi sp. nov.),
      which in turn represents the oldest record of the genus, is presented and
      described. In addition, a cladistic analysis is carried out to test the monophyly
      of Neosclerocalyptus and the phylogenetic position of this new species. The
      material comes from Vorohuean (late Pliocene) levels in the surroundings of Mar
      del Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Among other morphological
      characters, this new species has ossified nasal cartilages restricted to the
      latero-dorsal area of the nasals, whereas in the remaining species these
      structures are more expanded and both sides contact in the midline of the skull.
      In turn, the phylogenetic analysis confirmed the monophyly of Neosclerocalyptus,
      whereas N. castellanosi sp. nov. appears closely related to N. pseudornatus,
      being N. ornatus the sister taxa of this clade. On the other hand, N. gouldi + N.
      paskoensis constitute the other clade. The clade constituted by Hoplophorus
      euphractus Lund + Panochthus intermedius Lydekker constitutes the sister taxa of
      Neosclerocalyptus.

PMID- 26120684
TI  - Correction and addition to "Contribution to the knowledge of the Polia praecipua
      (Staudinger, 1895) species complex with description of a new species from China
      (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Hadenini)".

PMID- 26120685
TI  - Checklist of Turkish Opiinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae).
AB  - The Opiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) species recorded from Turkey until the end
      of 2011 are listed, the present total number being 182. Changes with respect to
      the previous Turkish fauna are briefly annotated and the distributions for all
      the species in each of the 68 biogeographical provinces of Turkey are presented.
      After the publication of our previous fauna, 174 species have been recorded as
      new to Turkey. Of these, 105 species are distributed only in Asian Turkey and ten
      species are distributed only in European Turkey, while 73 species occur in both.
      The presented checklist covers synonyms, zoogeographical region(s), hosts, host
      plants of the host species and parasitoid data for the species. In total, 182
      species belonging to ten genera are reported for Turkey. The number of species of
      each genus is represented by: Atormus van Achterberg, 1997: one; Biosteres
      Foerster, 1862: 17; Bitomus Szepligeti, 1910: three; Diachasma Foerster, 1862:
      one; Diachasmimorpha Viereck, 1913: one; Eurytenes Foerster, 1862: three;
      Indiopius Fischer, 1966: three; Opius Wesmael, 1835: 151, Psyttalia Walker, 1860:
      one; Sternaulopius Fischer, 1965: one.

PMID- 26120686
TI  - A new giant Atractus (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) from Ecuador, with notes on some
      other large Amazonian congeners.
AB  - We describe a new species of Atractus from Cordillera de los Guacamayos in the
      Andes of Ecuador. This new species is the largest known species of Atractus,
      reaching almost 120 cm in total length with a robust habitus. We also use
      multivariate statistical analyses of morphometric data to look into the taxonomic
      confusion involving other large, banded/blotched, species of Atractus in Western
      Amazonia. We show that A. snethlageae has a widespread distribution in Amazonia
      and has been repeatedly confused with A. major in Ecuador owing to its color
      polymorphism. Our multivariate statistical analyses support previous suggestions
      to recognize A. snethlageae as a distinct species relative to A. flammigerus.
      Taxonomic accounts are provided for both A. major and A. snethlageae including
      detailed color pattern descriptions. We also find that there are no valid
      morphological differences to support recognizing A. arangoi as a separate species
      from A. major; consequently we synonymize the former name with the latter.

PMID- 26120687
TI  - Namalycastis occulta n. sp. and a new record of N. borealis (Polychaeta:
      Nereididae: Namanereidinae) from the Northwestern Caribbean Sea.
AB  - The nereidid polychaete genus Namalycastis Hartman, 1959 has been recorded almost
      exclusively in non-marine environments. This genus includes species having four
      pairs of tentacular cirri, and its species mainly differ by the relative size of
      dorsal cirri in posterior chaetigers. Namalycastis occulta n. sp. is described
      based upon non-mature and mature specimens collected in the intertidal from
      Chetumal Bay, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Its distinctive features are the lack of
      notopodial spinigers, eyes, and teeth in the mandibles. Namalycastis borealis
      Glasby was found in Tamalcab Island, Chetumal Bay and it is the first record for
      Mexico. Analyses of the intraspecific variability, a key to the known species in
      the Grand Caribbean region, and commentaries about some taxonomic topics are also
      included.

PMID- 26120688
TI  - Comparative description of larvae of the European species of Distoleon Banks: D.
      annulatus (Klug, 1834) and D. tetragrammicus (Fabricius, 1798) (Neuroptera,
      Myrmeleontidae).
AB  - The third instar larva of Distoleon annulatus (Klug, 1834) is described for the
      first time and compared with the larva of the other known species of the genus in
      Europe: D. tetragrammicus (Fabricius, 1798). Diagnostic characters of the larvae
      of the genus Distoleon, as well as the interspecific differences, are provided
      and illustrated. Larvae of Distoleon appear to be morphologically conservative
      and they are mainly recognized by means of the pigmentation pattern.

PMID- 26120689
TI  - A new species of Dexoris (Coleoptera: Lycidae) and parallel evolution of
      brachyptery in the soft-bodied elateroid beetles.
AB  - Dexoris chome sp. nov. is described from South Pare mountains, Tanzania, based on
      a male specimen. This is the only Dexoris with shortened elytra, rudimentary hind
      wings and large, larviform abdomen. Unlike males of other species in the genus,
      D. chome sp. nov. has a modified number of palpomeres and remarkably short,
      robust legs and antennae. Such modifications are similar to those in the neotenic
      female of Omalisus fontisbellaquei Fourcroy, 1785 (Omalisidae), suggesting
      analogous morphological changes in unrelated lineages supposedly caused by
      similar modifications of their metamorphosis. The distribution of all 11 known
      species of African Dexoris closely overlap with the location of the hypothesized
      centres for evolution of new species in the Afrotropical region.

PMID- 26120690
TI  - Revision of the plant bug genus Cylapocoris Carvalho (Hemiptera: Heteroptera:
      Miridae: Cylapinae), with descriptions of seven new species from Costa Rica,
      Brazil, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
AB  - The plant bug genus Cylapocoris Carvalho, 1954 is revised. Seven new species:
      Cylapocoris costaricaensis sp. nov., C. cucullatus sp. nov., C. fulvus sp. nov.,
      C. laevigatus sp. nov., C. marmoreus sp. nov., C. plectipennis sp. nov., and C.
      simplex sp. nov. are described from Costa Rica, Brazil, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
      The genus Adcylapocoris Carvalho, 1989 is synonymized with Cylapocoris. Five
      species: C. castaneus (Carvalho, 1989), C. funebris (Distant, 1883), C. pilosus
      Carvalho, 1954, C. sulinus Carvalho & Gomes 1971, and C. tiquiensis Carvalho,
      1954 are redescribed. Illustrations of the male genitalia, color photographs of
      dorsal and lateral views of the adult of most species, scanning electron
      micrographs of selected structures of C. simplex, and keys to species of the
      genus Cylapocoris are provided.

PMID- 26120691
TI  - New species and records of Scolytodes (Coleoptera, Curculionidae: Scolytinae)
      from South America.
AB  - Seventeen new species of Scolytodes Ferrari are described from Venezuela,
      Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina: Scolytodes cenchros, S. concavifrons, S.
      conpunctus, S. fraterniatratus, S. frontocarinatus, S. solarius and S. trigonus
      from Cecropia leafstalks; S. pascopomus from a fruit husk; S. obovatus, S.
      clusiaphilus, S. clusiapraelatus and S. uniseriatus from Clusia litter sifting;
      S. grossepunctatus and S. fulvus from general litter sifting; and S. inusitatus,
      S. sagittarius and S. sus collected by flight intercept traps. The synonymy of S.
      imitans and S. nitidissimus is confirmed. Additional South American records are
      given for S. chapuisi (Ecuador), S. interpunctatus (Peru), S. maurus (Ecuador),
      and S. suspectus (Ecuador), all taken from Cecropia leafstalks, and S. similis
      (Peru) and S. unipunctatus (Bolivia).

PMID- 26120692
TI  - The structure and musculature of male terminalia in the tribe Xanthorhoini Pierce
      and related tribes (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Larentiinae), with particular
      reference to the Palaearctic and Australian regions.
AB  - The musculature of the male genitalia was reviewed for the tribe Xanthorhoini and
      related tribes (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Larentiinae). The genitalia morphology
      of males of 11 species was discussed and illustrated, and nine paired and
      unpaired genital muscles identified. Muscles m1, m2(10), m5(7), m6(5), m7(6),
      m8(3) and m21 have similar position in all species considered in the paper.
      Comparative morphology of the male terminalia and position of extensors of the
      valvae m3(2) and flexors m4 confirmed the previously uncertain separation of
      Euphyiini and Scotopterygini. Cataclysmini share musculature characters with the
      tribe Xanthorhoini. The generic affiliation of Xanthorhoe biriviata (Borkhausen)
      is questionable considering an unusual location of muscles m4. Generally, the
      places of attachment of the muscles m3(2) and m4 to the sclerites afford valuable
      characters for the higher classification of this group.

PMID- 26120693
TI  - Taxonomy and biology of a new species of Pincushion Millipede of the genus
      Monographis (Diplopoda: Polyxenidae) from Australia.
AB  - Monographis queenslandicus n. sp. is described from Brisbane, Queensland,
      Australia. The genus Monographis may be divided into two groups based on the
      arrangement of sensilla on the 6th antennal article. Species with a crescent
      shape arrangement are M. kraepelini, M. annandalei, M. baihualingensis, M.
      demangei and M. mirus; species with a triangular arrangement are M. tamoyensis,
      M. yunnanensis and M. queenslandicus n. sp.

PMID- 26120694
TI  - Nesting biology of Paravespa rex (von Schulthess 1924) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae:
      Eumeninae) in the Crimea, Ukraine.
AB  - Paravespa rex is the only species of the wasp genus Paravespa that occurs in
      Europe. Females of this species nest in clay loam soil of proluvial terraces and
      deluvial aprons of badlands. The nests are vertical burrows 10-12 cm deep,
      surmounted by turrets of two distinct architectural forms: funnel-shaped and
      curved. The nests contain 1-3 vertical cells (mean-1.9) not different from the
      other parts of nest burrow. An egg is laid onto the bottom of the cell without
      attaching; it stands vertically via the moist adhesive surface of the bottom and
      then with the help of the position of the first prey, which is laid around the
      egg. The species is univoltine; prepupae hibernate in the cocoon for one or
      several years. Females hunt for caterpillars of two species of the noctuid genus
      Heliotis; 3-7 caterpillars (mean-3.7) are stored per cell. Adult feeding is
      recorded on flowers of Thymus tauricus. Males look for females at their water
      collecting sites. Only a third of the cells are successful; the other ones are
      damaged by rain and the gold wasp, Chrysis valesiana, parasitizing in the nests.
      Nest-building and hunting activity of the species is described with the duration
      of certain nesting acts. Nesting biology of Paravespa species, rarity of P. rex,
      turret function, egg position, and measures for species conservation are
      discussed.

PMID- 26120695
TI  - New species of Drymopsalta Heath Cicadas (Cicadidae: Cicadettinae: Cicadettini)
      from Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, with overview of genus.
AB  - Three new species are described in the genus Drymopsalta Ewart, previously known
      only from D. crepitum Ewart and D. daemeli Distant. The three new species occur
      in Southern Queensland and Northern Territory. D. wallumi sp. nov. occurs along
      coastal S.E. Queensland, whereas D. hobsoni sp. nov. is restricted to the
      Bringalily State Forest, near Inglewood, southern inland Queensland. D. acrotela
      sp. nov. is found in the Litchfield National Park and other locations near
      Jabaluka, Cahills Crossing, E. Alligator River and Nourlangie, all across the
      northern Northern Territory. D. crepitum occurs on the Cape York Peninsular
      extending into the southern Gulf, while D. daemeli occurs in two localised
      regions in central coastal N.S.W. Each of the species inhabits heath vegetation,
      often spilling-over into adjacent tree foliage. The species of Drymopsalta are
      small and inconspicuous cicadas (< 15 mm body length) with relatively high
      frequency songs (~15 to 22 kHz). The temporal structures of the normal calling
      songs follow a similar pattern in each species, consisting of the emission of
      short chirps (comprising 2-16 ticks). Between the chirps are emitted one (D.
      wallumi, D. hobsoni, D. acrotela), two (D. daemeli) or 1-9 (D. crepitum)
      intervening single ticks. The species can be distinguished by the timing and the
      number of these single ticks relative to the adjacent chirps with the notable
      exception of D. hobsoni and D. acrotela. The calling songs of these two
      allopatric species are indistinguishable, an unusual feature in Australian
      cicadas. Two additional song variants are described, a more unstructured chirping
      song without intervening single ticks observed in each of the species except D.
      crepitum, and periodic extended buzzing echemes emitted within the calling songs
      (excepting the D. wallumi song).

PMID- 26120696
TI  - Serina Gredler (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora: Enidae), the continuous-peristomed
      mountain snails endemic to the eastern slope of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.
AB  - In this paper we initiate a taxonomic review of the genus Serina Gredler, endemic
      to the eastern slope of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, namely S Gansu, SW Sichuan,
      SE Xizang Autonomous Region and N Yunnan of China. We describe the genital
      anatomy for some species and the shell morphology for all known species: Serina
      belae (Hilber), S. cathaica Gredler, S. egressa Sturany, S. prostoma (Ancey), S.
      ser Gredler, S. subser Gredler, S. soluta (Mollendorff) and S. vincentii
      (Gredler). Based on the re-evaluation of both shell and genitalian
      differentiations we prefer to classify the taxon egressa as a separate species
      rather than a subspecies of S. ser. In our study we come to the conclusion that
      S. soluta inflata Yen and S. soluta stenochila (Mollendorff) should be regarded
      as synonyms of S. soluta due to the insufficient differentiation among them.
      Buliminus (Holcauchen) tubios Annandale, Bulimus prostoma leucochila Ancey and
      Serina deqenensis Chen, Zhou and Luo were conspecific with Serina prostoma and
      that Serina sobrina (Preston) was conspecific with Clausiliopsis szechenyi
      (Bottger). We propose a new species Serina denticulata n. sp. from the Southern
      Gansu Plateau. Furthermore we discuss the phylogenetic relationship among the
      genera Serina, Clausiliopsis Mollendorff, Pupopsis Gredler, and Pupinidius
      Mo1lendorff based on the morphological data from twelve relevant species.

PMID- 26120697
TI  - Revision of species of the genus Tephritis Latreille 1804 (Diptera: Tephritidae)
      with entire apical spot.
AB  - Eleven species of the genus Tephritis with an uncommon banded wing pattern and/or
      solid apical crossband/spot instead of apical fork, mainly from the Palaearctic
      Middle East, are described and keyed, including Tephritis afrostriata new
      species, T. cameo new species, T gladius new species, T. ochroptera new species,
      and T. robusta new species. The following synonymy is established: Tephritis
      admissa Hering 1961 = T. conflata Dirlbek & Dirlbek 1995 new synonym. Lectotypes
      for T. angulatofasciata Portschinsky 1892 and T. tatarica Portschinsky 1892 are
      designated. New distribution records are reported. Tephritis tatarica is recorded
      to be reared Alfredia nivea Kar. et Kir.; T. admissa, T. cameo, T. gladius, and
      T. ochroptera were swept from Cousinia spp., which very probably are their host
      plants.

PMID- 26120698
TI  - A review of the anglerfish genus Chaunax (Lophiiformes: Chaunacidae) from New
      Zealand and adjacent waters, with descriptions of four new species.
AB  - Species of the anglerfish genus Chaunax Lowe, 1846 from the New Zealand region
      are taxonomically reviewed with six species recognized and described: Chaunax
      penicillatus McCulloch; C. nudiventer Ho & Shao, a new record for New Zealand;
      and four species new to science. Chaunax flavomaculatus sp. nov. distinguished by
      having its skin covered with a mix of numerous bifurcated and simple spinules,
      large yellow spots on dorsal surface of fresh specimens, and brownish coloured
      escal cirri; Chaunax mulleus sp. nov. by having a uniformly pink body with a deep
      red colour on ventral surfaces of the outer pectoral-fin and pelvic-fin, and
      lower part of caudal fin; Chaunax reticulatus sp. nov. by having cirri on the
      dorsal surface of head, and a pale reticulate colour pattern on a greyish
      background dorsally; and Chaunax russatus sp. nov. by its very wide illicial
      trough that is usually as wide or wider than the diameter of the pupil, and
      uniformly deep red body colour with creamy white to fuzzy greyish spots or
      patches on its dorsal surface. A key to species recognized from the study area is
      given.

PMID- 26120699
TI  - Lost and found: One of the world's most elusive amphibians, Pseudophilautus
      stellatus (Kelaart 1853) rediscovered.
AB  - Pseudophilautus stellatus (Kelaart 1853) has been rediscovered from the Peak
      Wilderness, Central Hills of Sri Lanka. The species, till now known only from its
      lost holotype, was the first shrub frog described from Sri Lanka, and had not
      been reported since then. It was thought to have become extinct for nearly 157
      years, being the amphibian species "lost" for the longest amount of time. Here we
      designate a neotype from the material collected at what we consider its type
      locality, having considered characters of the lost holotype and provide a
      complete description. We have conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis, on
      which basis the species is well differentiated from all other Pseudophilautus
      sequenced so far, and placed in a clade together with P. femoralis, P.
      frankenbergi, P. mooreorum, and P. poppiae.

PMID- 26120700
TI  - Biology and systematics of gall-inducing triozids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea)
      associated with Psidium spp. (Myrtaceae).
AB  - Psidium myrtoides (Myrtaceae) shelters the gall inducer Nothotrioza myrtoidis
      gen. et sp. n. (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) which is described and illustrated here.
      Nothotrioza belongs to the family Triozidae and is probably most closely related
      to Neolithus, a monotypic Neotropical genus associated with Sapiun
      (Euphorbiaceae). Three species are recognized within Nothotrioza: the type
      species N. myrtoidis sp. n. associated with Psidium myrtoides, N. cattleiani sp.
      n. (misidentified by Butignol & Pedrosa-Macedo as Neotrioza tavaresi) with
      Psidium cattleianum, and N. tavaresi (Crawford) comb. n. (from Neotrioza) with an
      unidentified species of Malpighiaceae, respectively. A lectotype is designated
      here for Neotrioza tavaresi. Also, the diversity of insect galls associated with
      P. myrtoides and the biology of N. myrtoidis were examined. N. myrtoidis presents
      five instars and an annual life cycle synchronised with the phenology of P.
      myrtoides. Gall size was proportional to the insect developmental stages, and
      rates of parasitism and mortality were 15.7 % and 29.8 %, respectively. The red
      colour is an important macroscopic diagnostic feature of the gall that could be
      associated with parasite-free condition of the galling insect. The biological
      features presented by the system Psidium myrtoides--Nothotrioza myrtoidis are in
      accordance with other systems involving sucking galling insects, however, it is
      exceptional by its univoltine life cycle associated with a perennial plant in the
      Neotropics. The galls induced by the three known Nothotrioza spp. are
      morphologically similar, i.e. closed, globoid and unilocular, as well as the
      opening mechanism for releasing the adults.

PMID- 26120701
TI  - Morphometric and bioacoustic data on three species of Pseudopaludicola Miranda
      Ribeiro, 1926 (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Leiuperinae) described from Chapada dos
      Guimaraes, Mato Grosso, Brazil, with the revalidation of Pseudopaludicola
      ameghini (Cope, 1887).
AB  - Due to minute size, overall morphological similarities, scarcity of diagnostic
      characters after preservation, and usual sympatric or even syntopic occurrence of
      two or more species of Pseudopaludicola, the taxonomy of the genus is not yet a
      matter of consensus. Three species in the genus Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro,
      1926 were described by Cope in 1887, based on material obtained at Chapada dos
      Guimaraes, mid-western state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. One of these species,
      Pseudopaludicola ameghini, was subsequently synonymized to P. mystacalis. In this
      paper we present morphological and bioacoustic evidences supporting a full
      specific status for the three sympatric species of Pseudopaludicola described
      from Chapada dos Guimaraes, including Pseudopaludicola ameghini Cope, 1887.

PMID- 26120702
TI  - A new species of Andean poison frog, Andinobates (Anura: Dendrobatidae), from the
      northwestern Andes of Colombia.
AB  - The poison frogs of the Colombian Andes, Pacific lowlands and Panama have been
      recently recognized as a new, monophyletic and well-supported genus: Andinobates.
      The species richness and distribution within Andinobates remain poorly understood
      due to the paucity of geographic, genetic and phenotypic data. Here we use a
      combination of molecular, bioacoustic and morphometric evidence to describe a new
      species of Andean poison frog: Andinobates cassidyhornae sp. nov. from the high
      elevation cloud forests of the Colombian Cordillera Occidental, in the
      northwestern Andes. The new species is associated to the bombetes group and
      characterized by a unique combination of ventral and dorsal color patterns. Data
      on 1119 bp from two mitochondrial markers allowed us to reject the null
      hypotheses that A. cassidyhornae sp. nov. is part of the phenotypically similar
      and geographically less distant species: A. opisthomelas, A. virolinensis or A.
      bombetes. The best available phylogenetic trees and the genetic distance to other
      Andinobates species further support this decision. Altogether, the advertisement
      call parameters unambiguously separated A. cassidyhornae sp. nov. calls from the
      calls of the three closest species. The new species adds to a poorly known and
      highly endangered genus of poison frogs that requires further studies and urgent
      conservation measures.

PMID- 26120703
TI  - A new species of salamander (Caudata: Plethodontidae, Bolitoglossa) from Sierra
      Nevada de Merida, Venezuela.
AB  - In this article, a new species of salamander of the genus Bolitoglossa (Eladinea)
      from the cloud forest near La Mucuy in Sierra Nevada de Merida, Venezuelan Andes,
      is described. Bolitoglossa mucuyensis sp. nov. differs from all Venezuelan
      salamanders, except B. orestes, by a larger SVL/TL ratio, and from La Culata
      salamander B. orestes by a reduced webbing extension of the front and hind limbs.
      Additionally, B. mucuyensis sp. nov. and B. orestes diverge 3.12% in terms of the
      nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene, as previously reported, and in 8.1% for
      the cytb gene as shown in this study.

PMID- 26120704
TI  - Two new species of Distaplia (Tunicata: Ascidiacea) from the SW Atlantic,
      Argentina.
AB  - The ascidian fauna from the Southwestern Atlantic (Argentine Sea) have scarcely
      been studied and have rarely been sampled. The existing scanty ascidian records
      are from specimens collected by dredging many decades ago. During samplings in
      the San Matias Gulf (Rio Negro, Patagonia), two new Distaplia species were found.
      Distaplia naufragii sp. nov. was collected in the subtidal zone attached to a
      shipwreck, while the other species, Distaplia fortuita sp. nov. was found
      released by the tides in the sandy intertidal zone. These two new species differ
      deeply from each other in the size and morphology of their zooids. They represent
      one third of the known species belonging to the family Holozoidae in the SW
      Atlantic. These results reinforce the importance of new studies in this extensive
      but little explored area that is, in addition, susceptible to invasion by non
      native species.

PMID- 26120705
TI  - Chewing lice of genus Myrsidea (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae) from Turdidae
      (Passeriformes) of Costa Rica, with descriptions of seven new species.
AB  - A total of 166 individuals from 10 bird species belonging to the family Turdidae
      were examined for chewing lice in Costa Rica during 2004, 2009 and 2010. A total
      of 12 species of the louse genus Myrsidea were collected from 54 birds, including
      four previously named, seven new undescribed species, and one identified as
      Myrsidea sp. Names, descriptions and illustrations are given for the seven new
      species of Myrsidea. They and their type hosts are: Myrsidea assimilis sp. nov.
      ex Turdus assimilis (Cabanis, 1850), M. cerrodelamuertensis sp. nov. ex Catharus
      gracilirostris (Salvin, 1865). M. hrabaki sp. nov. ex Myadestes melanops (Salvin,
      1865), M. obsoleti sp. nov. ex Turdus obsoletus (Lawrence, 1862), M. quinchoi sp.
      nov. ex Catharus frantzii (Cabanis, 1861), M. tapanti sp. nov. ex Catharus
      fuscater (Lafresnaye, 1845), and M. tapetapersi sp. nov. ex Turdus nigrescens
      (Cabanis, 1861). Records of four named and one unidentified species of Myrsidea
      from other Costa Rican thrushes are also given and discussed.

PMID- 26120706
TI  - Descriptions of the final instar larvae of seven Chinese Chlorogomphidae species,
      with taxonomic notes on adults (Odonata: Anisoptera).
AB  - The larvae of seven species of Chlorogomphidae from South China are described
      based on reared larvae, i.e. Chlorogomphus kitawakii Karube, C. nasutus nasutus
      Needham, C. papilio Ris, C. shanicus Wilson, C. usudai Ishida, C. yokoii Karube
      and Chloropetalia soarer Wilson. The adult female of C. kitawakii is first
      described. Biological information on Chlorogomphidae is provided and a diagnosis
      of the family proposed.

PMID- 26120707
TI  - A lost species or the loss of stripes? The case of Contomastix lizards from Cabo
      Polonio, Uruguay, with observations on C. lacertoides (Dumeril & Bibron) and
      Cnemidophorus grandensis Cope (Squamata, Teiidae).
AB  - The main goal of this manuscript is the reevaluation of the taxonomic status of
      the teiid lizard Contomastix charrua, known only from Cabo Polonio, a small
      coastal rocky outcrop in southeastern Uruguay. This species was erected on the
      basis of the presence of a second pair of ceratobranchials and longer cornua in
      the hyoid bone, in addition to a reduced expression of the pattern of coloration
      as compared with C. lacertoides. Nevertheless, we found that both species have
      indistinguishable hyoid morphology, bearing C. lacertoides a noticeable second
      pair of ceratobranchials. Besides, we realized that the pattern of coloration in
      this species is more variable than previously considered. As a result of the
      present work, C. charrua is included in the synonymy of C. lacertoides. In
      addition, we provide some observations on the holotype of Cnemidophorus
      grandensis, a junior synonym of C. lacertoides.

PMID- 26120708
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of a tessaratomid bug, Eusthenes cupreus
      (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha: Tessaratomidae).
AB  - The 16,299 bp long mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of a tessaratomid bug,
      Eusthenes cupreus (Westwood), is reported and analyzed. The mitogenome represents
      the first sequenced complete mitogenome of the heteropteran family
      Tessaratomidae. The mitogenome of E. cuopreus is a typical circular DNA molecule
      with a total AT content of 74.1%, and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22
      transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and a control region.
      The gene arrangement is identical with the most common type in insects. Most PCGs
      start with the typical ATN codon, except that the initiation codon for COI is
      TTG. All tRNAs possess the typical clover-leaf structure, except tRNASer(AGN), in
      which the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm forms a simple loop. Six domains with 45
      helices and three domains with 27 helices are predicted in the secondary
      structures of rrnL and rrnS, respectively. The control region is located between
      rrnS and tRNA(Ile), including some short microsatellite repeat sequences. In
      addition, three different repetitive sequences are found in the control region
      and the tRNA(Ile)-tRNA(Gln)-tRNA(Met)-ND2 gene cluster. One of the unusual
      features of this mitogenome is the presence of one tRNA(Gln)-like sequence in the
      control region. This extra tRNA(Gln)-like sequence is 73 bp long, and the
      anticodon arm is identical to that of the regular tRNA(Gln).

PMID- 26120709
TI  - Redescription of Parapercis macrophthalma (Pietschmann, 1911) and description of
      a new species of Parapercis (Pisces: Pinguipedidae) from Taiwan.
AB  - Parapercis macrophthalina is confirmed as a valid species and redescribed on the
      basis of the holotype and other specimens collected from the type locality,
      Taiwan, and Japan. It is morphologically similar to P. muronis Tanaka, 1918, but
      differs in having five vertical transverse bars that extend well below the
      lateral line versus five oblique transverse bars, with the third to fifth bars
      ending on or above the lateral line. A new species is also described on the basis
      of a specimen collected from southwestern Taiwan. It is distinct in having
      numerous pores interconnected by canals on the head, forming 10 vertical or
      oblique rows on the cheek and opercular apparatus, predorsal scales extending to
      the level of the posterior margin of the eye, four dorsal-fin spines, six oblique
      bars laterally on the body, and a combination of other characters. A key to
      species of Parapercis with narrow transverse bars on the upper body is provided.

PMID- 26120710
TI  - Two new species of Protimesius from northern Brazil (Opiliones: Laniatores:
      Stygnidae).
AB  - Two new species of Protimesius Roewer, 1913 (Stygnidae), are described from
      northern Brazil. Protimesius regalo sp. nov. is described from Lageado, state of
      Tocantins. This is a large species and can be easily distinguished from the
      already described species of Protimesius by the presence of four apical mesal
      acute tubercles on tibia IV and two dorsal rows of tubercles on male patella IV.
      Protimesius jirau sp. nov. is described from Porto Velho, state of Rond6nia. This
      species is similar to P. cirio in having a large, pointed, dorso-apical apophysis
      on the male trochanter IV. However, it can be distinguished from P. cirio by the
      absence of a ventral row of tubercles on the male femur IV, as well as the
      presence of a ventral row of tubercles and two postero-distal apophyses on the
      male tibia IV. A new cladistic analysis for the genus is presented, and a key is
      given for the 18 species of Protimesius for which males are known.

PMID- 26120711
TI  - A new fossil caridean shrimp (Crustacea: Decapoda) from the Cretaceous (Albian)
      of the Romualdo Formation, Araripe Basin, northeastern Brazil.
AB  - A new fossil caridean shrimp, Kellnerius jamacaruensis n. gen. n. sp., of the
      early Cretaceous (Albian) from the Romualdo Formation, Araripe Basin,
      northeastern Brazil is described and illustrated. The new species is compared to
      known fossil palaemonids found in Brazil. Kellnerius jamacaruensis n. gen. n. sp.
      is easily differentiated from the other palaemonids by a rostrum with 5 spines,
      an enlarged scaphocerite that is longer than the rostrum, and a third somite with
      a distinct groove in the tergite that does not extend to the pleurite.

PMID- 26120713
TI  - The Cholevinae of Romania (exclusive of Leptodirini) (Coleoptera, Leiodidae) with
      special reference to the hypogeal records.
AB  - The first catalogue of the Romanian Cholevinae (excluding Leptodirini) is
      presented, based on revised and new records. The overall distribution and
      distribution in Romania are documented for every species, with particular
      reference to subterranean environment (caves and subterranean superficial
      environment). Epigeal and hypogeal records are listed separately. Thirty two of
      forty nine species group taxa recorded in the Romanian fauna occur both in the
      epigeal and subterranean environment, 14 of them frequently recorded in the
      latter. Many species, dependant on the subterranean environment during certain
      stages of their life cycle, are considered troglophilic or subtroglophilic:
      Choleva cisteloides dacica Jeannel 1922, Ch. glauca Britten, 1918, Catops picipes
      Fabricius, 1792, C. longulus Kellner, 1846 and C. tristis Panzer, 1874. The
      Romanian fauna of Cholevinae is more similar to that of the Central Europe than
      the Balkan Peninsula.

PMID- 26120715
TI  - Contribution to the knowledge of Chinese Phasmatodea I: A review of Neohiraseini
      (Phasmatodea: Phasmatidae: Lonchodinae) from Hainan Province, China, with
      descriptions of one new genus, five new species and three new subspecies, and
      redescriptions of Pseudocentema Chen, He & Li and Qiongphasma Chen, He & Li.
AB  - This study deals with three genera, seven species and four subspecies of the
      tribe Neohiraseini Hennemann & Conle, 2008 from Hainan Province, China. The
      genera Pseudocententa Chen, He & Li, 2002 and Qiongphasma Chen, He & Li, 2002 are
      revised and redescribed, including descriptions of four new species, P. liui
      spec. nov., Q. bispinosus spec. nov., Q. huishanensis spec. nov. and Q.
      wuzhishanense spec. nov., and three new subspecies, Q. bispinosus bispinosus
      subspec. nov., Q. b. minor subspec. nov. and Q. jianfengense obtusicristata
      subspec. nov. First descriptions are given for the male and egg of Pseudocentema
      bispinatum Chen & He, 2002 and for the female of Q. jianfengense jianfengense
      Chen & He, 2002 sen. str. A new genus, Neoqiongphasma gen. nov., is established
      for N. diaoluoshanensis spec. nov., distinguished from Pseudocentema by its
      spinose thorax and from Qiongphasma by its unarmed head.

PMID- 26120714
TI  - Symphurus orientalis (Bleeker) redefined based on morphological and molecular
      characters (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae).
AB  - Aphoristia (= Symphurus) orientalis Bleeker 1879, collected from an unspecified
      depth and location in Japanese waters, is the first described species of
      symphurine tonguefish from Indo-Pacific waters. The original description with
      accompanying illustration is based on the unique holotype specimen and provides
      limited diagnostic characters for this taxon. Subsequent to its description, the
      holotype of A. orientalis has been lost. Limited diagnostic information and loss
      of the holotype have caused considerable confusion to subsequent systematic
      studies regarding the identity of this and similar tonguefish species occurring
      in the Indo-West Pacific region. Several, often-cited, taxonomic accounts
      purportedly redescribing S. orientalis are erroneous because they include more
      than one species in these redescriptions. These erroneous redescriptions not only
      confused the species concept of S. orientalis (Bleeker), but also confounded the
      systematics of similar Indo-West Pacific tonguefishes. Symphurus novemfasciatus
      Shen and Lin, described on two specimens collected in southern Taiwan, shares
      many morphological and pigmentation features similar to those of S. orientalis.
      Morphological data from a large series of tonguefishes collected in Taiwanese and
      Japanese waters, as well as molecular data from a smaller number of specimens
      from these locations, including the type locality of S. novemfasciatus, confirm
      the presence of only one species, S. orientalis (Bleeker), among these specimens.
      Symphurus novemfasciatus Shen and Lin is therefore regarded as ajunior subjective
      synonym of S. orientalis. Symphurus orientalis is redefined based on a large
      series of specimens identified by a consistent set of morphological criteria, and
      a neotype is designated to stabilize nomenclature and systematics of this
      species. Symphurus orientalis differs from congeners by its combination of: a
      predominant 1-2-2-2-2 pattern of interdigitation of proximal dorsal-fin
      pterygiophores and neural spines, 12 caudal-fin rays, 9 abdominal and 52-55 total
      vertebrae, four hypurals, 96-101 dorsal-fin rays, 82-89 anal-fin rays, 87-99
      longitudinal scale rows, 37-42 transverse scales, 5-11 (usually) distinct,
      complete or incomplete, blackish-brown crossbands on the ocular side, uniformly
      white blind side, and conspicuous bluish-black peritoneum. Documenting
      morphological variation for S. orientalis represents the most important step
      towards clarification of the identity of this and other symphurine tonguefish
      species from this region. Reliable identification of specimens of S. orientalis
      also provides the foundation for evaluating the status of several other, poorly
      known, nominal species of Indo-West Pacific tonguefishes that have features
      similar to those of S. orientalis. Improved identifications will lead to better
      knowledge on the geographic distribution of S. orientalis and these other
      species, as well as to improve estimates of biodiversity and the biogeography of
      Indo-West Pacific symphurine tonguefishes.

PMID- 26120712
TI  - Taxonomy of the super-cryptic Hyperolius nasutus group of long reed frogs of
      Africa (Anura: Hyperoliidae), with descriptions of six new species.
AB  - Specimens from across the range of the Hyperolius nasutus species group were
      sequenced for two mitochondrial genes and one nuclear gene. Advertisement calls
      were recorded from the same specimens where possible, and morphological
      characters were compared. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood produced a
      tree indicating 16 clades. The clades show little or no overlap in combinations
      of 16S sequence difference, shared tyr haplotypes, advertisement call parameters,
      snout profiles and webbing. On the basis of these data we recognise H. acuticeps,
      H. adspersus, H. benguellensis, H. dartevellei, H. igbettensis, H. nasutus, H.
      nasicus, H. poweri, H. viridis and describe six new species: Hyperolius
      friedemanni sp. nov. Mercurio & Rodel, Hyperolius howelli sp. nov. Du Preez &
      Channing, Hyperolius inyangae sp. nov. Channing, Hyperolious jacobseni sp. nov.
      Channing, Hyperolius rwandae sp. nov. Dehling, Sinsch, R6del & Channing, and
      Hyperolius lupiroensis sp. nov. Channing. Hyperolius lamottei is confirmed to be
      outside the H. nasutus group clade. Hyperolius granulatus, H. oxyrhynchus, H.
      punctulatus and H. sagitta are assigned as junior synonyms. As our results are
      based on a small number of specimens, these hypotheses await testing with larger
      sample sizes and more characters. A species distribution model suggests where
      outlier populations might be found.

PMID- 26120716
TI  - Revision of the Indian Microplitis Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae:
      Microgastrinae), with description of one new species.
AB  - The Indian fauna of the genus Microplitis Foerster, 1862 is revised. An
      illustrated key to eight species including the description of one new species, M.
      murkyi sp. nov., is provided. Six previously described species, namely: M.
      ajmerensis Rao & Kurian, M. demolitor Wilkinson, M. indicus Marsh, M. manilae
      Ashmead, M. prodeniae Rao & Kurian, and M. spodopterae Rao & Kurian are
      elaborated with taxonomical variations and extended distribution. Two species, M.
      bageshri Sathe, Inamdar & Dawale and M. dipika (Bhatnagar) are considered
      incertae sedis. A new combination is suggested for Snellenius maculipennis
      (Szepligeti) which is placed into synonymy with Microplitis. Information on
      taxonomic history of the genus, diagnostic characters of all the included
      species, distribution and host relationships are provided.

PMID- 26120717
TI  - Review of the bamboo-feeding species of tribe Evacanthini (Hemiptera:
      Cicadellidae) with description of two new species from China.
AB  - The bamboo-feeding species of tribe Evacanthini are reviewed. They include 9
      genera and 13 species: Angustella leucostriata Li & Wang, 1991, Boundarus
      nigronotus Zhang, Zhang & Wei, 2010a, Carinata kelloggii (Baker, 1923), C.
      nigrofasciata Li & Wang, 1994a, Convexana fleura Chen, Yang & Li, 2012,
      Evacanthus repexus Distant, 1908, Onukia guttata Li & Wang, 1991, O. nigra Li &
      Wang, 1991, Parapythatnus suiyangensis Li & Li, 2011, Taperus fasciatus Li &
      Wang, 1994b, T. luchunensis Zhang, Zhang & Wei, 2010b and the two new species,
      Bundera bambusana sp. nov. and Paraonukia wangnioensis sp. nov. The new species
      are described and all the species are photographed and illustrated. A key to
      these 13 species is also given.

PMID- 26120718
TI  - Orchidophaga gastrodiacola Kato, 2006, is Chyliza vittata Meigen, 1826 (Diptera:
      Psilidae): discussion on its taxonomy and biology.
AB  - Morphological features of a Japanese fly that developes in orchids, Orchidophaga
      gastrodiacola Kato, 2006, assigned to the family Scathophagidae, are reviewed and
      this species is proposed as a junior synonym of Chyliza vittata Meigen, 1826, of
      the family Psilidae. Morphological features of specimens from Japan correspond
      well with those from European. Japanese specimens of this transpalaearctic
      species utilize buds and stems of the achlorophyllous mycoheterotrophic Gastrodia
      elata Blume. This association is an exceptional habitat in comparisons to other
      congeners and European specimens of the same species.

PMID- 26120719
TI  - A new synonym of Sericothrips from China and Japan (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).
AB  - Nine species are listed in the genus Sericothrips (Thripidae: Sericothripinae)
      (Mound 2013), and all of these species have the abdominal tergites completely
      covered with microtrichia medially (Mound & Tree 2009). S. marginalis Kud6 was
      described from Japan on a large number of specimens, including a micropterous
      holotype and macropterous females and micropterous males. These specimens were
      collected from plants in the families Poaceae and Fabaceae (Kudo 1991). Specimens
      from Japan were examined by the first author (including one paratype in SCAU),
      and three paratypes were also checked by the second author and compared with
      Chinese specimens of S. houji (Chou & Feng 1990). We were not able to find any
      character differences between these two species, and therefore place S.
      marginalis in synonymy with S. houji.

PMID- 26120720
TI  - A review of the ecology and distribution of Protoribates (Oribatida, Oripodoidea,
      Haplozetidae) in Alberta, Canada, with the description of a new species.
AB  - The oribatid mite genus Protoribates Berlese (Haplozetidae) is reviewed for North
      America and the genus diagnosis is revised to account for the North American
      species, Protoribates robustior (Jacot, 1937) is redescribed and newly reported
      from western North America and a new species from Alberta is described.
      Protoribates haughlandae sp. n. is bisexual, heterotridactylous, and lives
      primarily in the peat soils of fens and bogs. Protoribates robustior is all
      female, monodactylous, and occurs primarily in dry forests or in dry, treeless
      sites dominated by grasses, sedges, and shrubs. Both species feed on fungal
      hyphae and spores, but P. haughlandae also is an opportunistic predator and/or
      necrophage of small arthropods and P. robustior gut contents often include
      material that resembles plant cell walls. Examination of type specimens confirms
      that Protoribates prionotus (Woolley, 1968) is a junior synonym of the widespread
      Protoribates lophotrichus (Berlese, 1904). A key to differentiate Lagenobates
      from Protoribates and to identify the 7 species of the latter that are known or
      reported from North America is provided.

PMID- 26120721
TI  - The Protohermes dichrous species group (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), with
      description of two new species from eastern Malaysia.
AB  - A dobsonfly species group, the Protohermes dichrous group, endemic to Borneo, is
      characterized by the straight directed male ninth gonostylus with a narrow base
      and the elongate male ectoproct. Protohermes goodgeri sp. nov. and P. karubei sp.
      nov. from northern Borneo (eastern Malaysia) are herein described as new species
      placed in the P. dichrous group.

PMID- 26120722
TI  - Three new species of Kerria (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea: Tachardiidae),
      a redesciption of K. yunnanensis Ou & Hong, and a revised key to species of
      Kerria.
AB  - Three new species of lac insect, Kerria Targioni-Tozzetti viz., Kerria
      manipurensis Ahmad & Ramamurthy sp. nov., Kerria maduraiensis Ahmad & Ramamurthy
      sp. nov., and Kerria thrissurensis Ahmad & Ramamurthy sp. nov. are described and
      illustrated. Kerria yunnanensis Ou & Hong is illustrated and redescribed, and a
      key to the known species of Kerria is provided. The usefulness of star pores as a
      diagnostic character in the subgeneric divisions of Kerria is also discussed.

PMID- 26120723
TI  - Two new species of Xenysmoderodes from China (Coleoptera: Curculionidae:
      Ceutorhynchinae).
AB  - Xenysmoderodes Yoshitake, 2007, belonging to the tribe Mecysmoderini, was
      described as a monotypic genus from Japan, including the species X. sasajii
      Yoshitake. Two new species, X. concavius sp. nov. and X. flos sp. nov., are
      described here from China, providing a new country record for this genus. We
      revise the description of the genus based on three species and present an updated
      key to the species.

PMID- 26120724
TI  - Review of the genus Cassidinoma Hincks (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae:
      Omocerini).
AB  - The Neotropical genus Cassidinoma Hincks is revised. A new synonymy is proposed:
      Cassidinoma denticulata (Boheman) = Cassidinoma monstrosa (Boheman) syn. n. The
      diagnosis, description, distribution, and biology are reviewed, and new
      distribution records are included. Illustrations of the habitus of adult and
      morphological structures are also added.

PMID- 26120725
TI  - Revision of the genus Acallopistus Schoenherr (Coleoptera, Curculionidae,
      Curculioninae, Nerthopini). .
AB  - The genus Acallopistus (Curculioninae, Nerthopini) is revised. Eight species are
      recognized as valid: A. vellicosus Schoenherr, A. abutilonis Marshall, A. fallax
      Boheman, A. guttatus Boheman, A. crassirostris Hustache and three new species, A.
      dissimilis, A. hibisci and A. dentirostris. The following new synonymies are
      proposed: A. maculithorax Hustache and A. senegalensis Hustache = A. vellicosus
      Schoenherr, A. pardalis Gyllenhal = A. guttatus Boheman. Lectotypes are
      designated for A. vellicosus Schoenherr, A. abutilonis Marshall, A. guttatus
      Boheman, A. crassirostris Hustache and A. malvae Boheman; one neotype is
      designated for A. fallax Boheman. The species A. malvae Boheman is excluded from
      the genus Acallopistus. A key to species, diagnosis of each species, together
      with habitus photographs and line illustrations of male and female genitalia are
      provided.

PMID- 26120726
TI  - Two new species of Halictophagus (Strepsiptera, Halictophagidae) from the
      Dominican Republic.
AB  - Halictophagus trigonodontos Cook, n. sp. and Halictophagus dominicus Cook, n. sp.
      are described from the Dominican Republic. The stout and heavily-sclerotized
      mandibles of H. trigonodontos are unusual for the genus. The genus Halictophagus
      and the subfamily Halictophaginae have previously been characterized as having
      non-sclerotized mandibles. However, H. trigonodontos and H. dominicus have
      sclerotized mandibles, as do other previously describes Halictophagus species.
      The subfamily Halictophaginae, including genera Halictophagus and
      Stenocranophilus, can still be separated from Coriophaginae by not having a head
      capsule with sulci and sutures as is found in Coriophaginae.

PMID- 26120727
TI  - Three new bathyal raphitomine gastropods (Mollusca: Conoidea) from the Indo
      Pacific region.
AB  - Three new species of Conoidea are described from Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and
      Philippines. Awheaturris lozoueti sp. nov., from Philippines, is the first
      representative in the recent Indo-Pacific molluscan fauna of a hitherto Miocene
      fossil genus. Taranis adenensis sp. nov., from Gulf of Aden, is the first species
      certainly referable to genus Taranis Jeffreys, 1870 reported in the Gulf of Aden
      and the smallest described member of this genus in the Indo-Pacific region.
      Mioawateria vivens sp. nov. represents the first member of the genus Mioawateria
      Vella, 1954 reported in the Red Sea. The status of Mioawateria is discussed and
      photographs of its type species, Awateria (Mioawateria) personata Powell, 1942,
      from the Pliocene of New Zealand, are presented for the first time.

PMID- 26120728
TI  - Larva of Nothotrichia shasta Harris & Armitage (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) from
      California, USA, with its phylogenetic and taxonomic implications.
AB  - Nothotrichia Flint 1967 is a small genus of infrequently collected
      microcaddisflies known from Chile and Brazil in South America, Costa Rica in
      Central America, and the United States in North America. Previously known only
      from adult specimens, we provide the first description and illustration of a
      larva in the genus, the larva of N. shasta from California, USA. We provide
      characters to separate Nothotrichia from other similar genera and an updated key
      to larval Hydroptilidae modified from that of Wiggins (1996). Larval characters
      provide additional evidence for the phylogeny and classification of the genus,
      which we now place tentatively in tribe Ochrotrichiini (subfamily Hydroptilinae).

PMID- 26120729
TI  - A new species of the genus Prethopalpus from Hainan Island, China (Araneae:
      Oonopidae).

PMID- 26120730
TI  - Emergence and Spread of New Races of Wheat Stem Rust Fungus: Continued Threat to
      Food Security and Prospects of Genetic Control.
AB  - Race Ug99 (TTKSK) of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, detected in Uganda in
      1998, has been recognized as a serious threat to food security because it
      possesses combined virulence to a large number of resistance genes found in
      current widely grown wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties and germplasm, leading
      to its potential for rapid spread and evolution. Since its initial detection,
      variants of the Ug99 lineage of stem rust have been discovered in Eastern and
      Southern African countries, Yemen, Iran, and Egypt. To date, eight races
      belonging to the Ug99 lineage are known. Increased pathogen monitoring activities
      have led to the identification of other races in Africa and Asia with additional
      virulence to commercially important resistance genes. This has led to localized
      but severe stem rust epidemics becoming common once again in East Africa due to
      the breakdown of race-specific resistance gene SrTmp, which was deployed recently
      in the 'Digalu' and 'Robin' varieties in Ethiopia and Kenya, respectively.
      Enhanced research in the last decade under the umbrella of the Borlaug Global
      Rust Initiative has identified various race-specific resistance genes that can be
      utilized, preferably in combinations, to develop resistant varieties. Research
      and development of improved wheat germplasm with complex adult plant resistance
      (APR) based on multiple slow-rusting genes has also progressed. Once only the Sr2
      gene was known to confer slow rusting APR; now, four more genes-Sr55, Sr56, Sr57,
      and Sr58-have been characterized and additional quantitative trait loci
      identified. Cloning of some rust resistance genes opens new perspectives on rust
      control in the future through the development of multiple resistance gene
      cassettes. However, at present, disease-surveillance-based chemical control,
      large-scale deployment of new varieties with multiple race-specific genes or
      adequate levels of APR, and reducing the cultivation of susceptible varieties in
      rust hot-spot areas remains the best stem rust management strategy. 

PMID- 26120732
TI  - 4,5-Substituted 3-Isoxazolols with Insecticidal Activity Act as Competitive
      Antagonists of Housefly GABA Receptors.
AB  - The insect GABA receptor (GABAR), which is composed of five RDL subunits,
      represents an important target for insecticides. A series of 4,5-disubstituted 3
      isoxazolols, including muscimol analogues, were synthesized and examined for
      their activities against four splice variants (ac, ad, bc, and bd) of housefly
      GABARs expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Muscimol was a more potent agonist than GABA
      in all four splice variants, whereas synthesized analogues did not exhibit
      agonism but rather antagonism in housefly GABARs. The introduction of bicyclic
      aromatic groups at the 4-position of muscimol and the simultaneous replacement of
      the aminomethyl group with a carbamoyl group at the 5-position to afford six 4
      aryl-5-carbamoyl-3-isoxazolols resulted in compounds that exhibited significantly
      enhanced antagonism with IC50 values in the low micromolar range in the ac
      variant. The inhibition of GABA-induced currents by 100 MUM analogues was
      approximately 1.5-4-fold greater in the ac and bc variants than in the ad and bd
      variants. 4-(3-Biphenylyl)-5-carbamoyl-3-isoxazolol displayed competitive
      antagonism, with IC50 values of 30, 34, 107, and 96 MUM in the ac, bc, ad, and bd
      variants, respectively, and exhibited moderate insecticidal activity against
      houseflies, with an LD50 value of 5.6 nmol/fly. These findings suggest that these
      3-isoxazolol analogues are novel lead compounds for the design and development of
      insecticides that target the orthosteric site of housefly GABARs. 

PMID- 26120731
TI  - B cell autophagy mediates TLR7-dependent autoimmunity and inflammation.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease, defined
      by loss of B cell self-tolerance that results in production of antinuclear
      antibodies (ANA) and chronic inflammation. While the initiating events in lupus
      development are not well defined, overexpression of the RNA-recognizing toll-like
      receptor (TLR)7 has been linked to SLE in humans and mice. We postulated that
      autophagy plays an essential role in TLR7 activation of B cells for the induction
      of SLE by delivering RNA ligands to the endosomes, where this innate immune
      receptor resides. To test this hypothesis, we compared SLE development in Tlr7
      transgenic (Tg) mice with or without B cell-specific ablation of autophagy (Cd19
      Cre Atg5(f/f)). We observed that in the absence of B cell autophagy the 2
      hallmarks of SLE, ANA and inflammation, were eliminated, thus curing these mice
      of lupus. This was also evident in the significantly extended survival of the
      autophagy-deficient mice compared to Tlr7.1 Tg mice. Furthermore,
      glomerulonephritis was ameliorated, and the serum levels of inflammatory
      cytokines in the knockout (KO) mice were indistinguishable from those of control
      mice. These data provide direct evidence that B cells require TLR7-dependent
      priming through an autophagy-dependent mechanism before autoimmunity is induced,
      thereafter involving many cell types. Surprisingly, hyper-IgM production
      persisted in Tlr7.1 Tg mice in the absence of autophagy, likely involving a
      different activation pathway than the production of autoantibodies. Furthermore,
      these mice still presented with anemia, but responded with a striking increase in
      extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH), possibly due to the absence of pro
      inflammatory cytokines. 

PMID- 26120734
TI  - Self-Assembling Nano-Architectures Created from a Protein Nano-Building Block
      Using an Intermolecularly Folded Dimeric de Novo Protein.
AB  - The design of novel proteins that self-assemble into supramolecular complexes is
      an important step in the development of synthetic biology and nanotechnology.
      Recently, we described the three-dimensional structure of WA20, a de novo protein
      that forms an intermolecularly folded dimeric 4-helix bundle (PDB code 3VJF ). To
      harness the unusual intertwined structure of WA20 for the self-assembly of
      supramolecular nanostructures, we created a protein nanobuilding block (PN
      Block), called WA20-foldon, by fusing the dimeric structure of WA20 to the
      trimeric foldon domain of fibritin from bacteriophage T4. The WA20-foldon fusion
      protein was expressed in the soluble fraction in Escherichia coli, purified, and
      shown to form several homooligomeric forms. The stable oligomeric forms were
      further purified and characterized by a range of biophysical techniques. Size
      exclusion chromatography, multiangle light scattering, analytical
      ultracentrifugation, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analyses indicate
      that the small (S form), middle (M form), and large (L form) forms of the WA20
      foldon oligomers exist as hexamer (6-mer), dodecamer (12-mer), and octadecamer
      (18-mer), respectively. These findings suggest that the oligomers in multiples of
      6-mer are stably formed by fusing the interdigitated dimer of WA20 with the
      trimer of foldon domain. Pair-distance distribution functions obtained from the
      Fourier inversion of the SAXS data suggest that the S and M forms have barrel-
      and tetrahedron-like shapes, respectively. These results demonstrate that the de
      novo WA20-foldon is an effective building block for the creation of self
      assembling artificial nanoarchitectures. 

PMID- 26120733
TI  - 2-Aminopyridines with a Truncated Side Chain To Improve Human Neuronal Nitric
      Oxide Synthase Inhibitory Potency and Selectivity.
AB  - We have analyzed a recently obtained crystal structure of human neuronal nitric
      oxide synthase (nNOS) and then designed and synthesized several 2-aminopyridine
      derivatives containing a truncated side chain to avoid the hydrophobic pocket
      that differentiates human and rat nNOS in an attempt to explore alternative
      binding poses along the substrate access channel of human nNOS. Introduction of
      an N-methylethane-1,2-diamine side chain and conformational constraints such as
      benzonitrile and pyridine as the middle aromatic linker were sufficient to
      increase human and rat nNOS binding affinity and inducible and endothelial NOS
      selectivity. We found that 14b is a potent inhibitor; the binding modes with
      human and rat nNOS are unexpected, inducing side chain rotamer changes in Gln478
      (rat) at the top of the active site. Compound 19c exhibits Ki values of 24 and 55
      nM for rat and human nNOS, respectively, with 153-fold iNOS and 1040-fold eNOS
      selectivity. 19c has 18% oral bioavailability. 

PMID- 26120735
TI  - Robotic-Assisted Procedures in Pediatric Surgery: A Critical Appraisal of the
      Current Best Evidence in Comparison to Conventional Minimally Invasive Surgery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In recent years, the use of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) has
      expanded within pediatric surgery. Although increasing numbers of pediatric RAS
      case-series have been published, the level of evidence remains unclear, with
      authors mainly focusing on the comparison with open surgery rather than the
      corresponding laparoscopic approach. The aim of this study was to critically
      appraise the published literature comparing pediatric RAS with conventional
      minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in order to evaluate the current best level of
      evidence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature-based search for studies
      comparing pediatric RAS with corresponding MIS procedures was performed using
      multiple electronic databases and sources. The level of evidence was determined
      using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine (OCEBM) criteria. RESULTS: A
      total of 20 studies met defined inclusion criteria, reporting on five different
      procedures: fundoplication (n=8), pyeloplasty (n=8), nephrectomy (n=2), gastric
      banding (n=1), and sleeve gastrectomy (n=1). Included publications comprised 5
      systematic reviews and 15 cohort/case-control studies (OCEBM Level 3 and 4,
      respectively). No studies of OCEBM Level 1 or 2 were identified. Limited evidence
      indicated reduced operative time (pyeloplasty) and shorter hospital stay
      (fundoplication) for pediatric RAS, whereas disadvantages were longer operative
      time (fundoplication, nephrectomy, gastric banding, and sleeve gastrectomy) and
      higher total costs (fundoplication and sleeve gastrectomy). There were no
      differences reported for complications, success rates, or short-term outcomes
      between pediatric RAS and conventional MIS in these procedures. Inconsistency was
      found in study design and follow-up with large clinical heterogeneity.
      CONCLUSIONS: The best available evidence for pediatric RAS is currently OCEBM
      Level 3, relating only to fundoplication and pyeloplasty. Therefore, higher
      quality studies and comparative data for other RAS procedures in pediatric
      surgery are required.

PMID- 26120736
TI  - Triterpenoids from the barks of Terminalia chebula.
AB  - Two new triterpenoids, termichebuloside A (1), an unusual dimeric triterpenoid
      saponin, and termichebulolide (2), an oleanolic acid-type lactone, along with 11
      known triterpenoids, were isolated from MeOH extract of the barks of Terminalia
      chebula. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated to be arjunglucoside I-(3-O
      19',23-O-19')-18,19-seco-19-hydroxyarjunglucoside I (1) and 2alpha,3beta,23
      trihydroxyolean-11,13(18)-dien-28,19beta-olide (2), respectively, on the basis of
      spectroscopic evidences and biogenetic consideration. 

PMID- 26120737
TI  - Commentary on Stiers and colleagues' guidelines for competency development and
      measurement in rehabilitation psychology postdoctoral training.
AB  - Comments on the article, "Guidelines for competency development and measurement
      in rehabilitation psychology postdoctoral training," by Stiers et al. (see record
      2014-55195-001). Stiers and colleagues have provided a thorough and well
      conceived set of guidelines that lay out the competencies expected for graduates
      of postdoctoral residencies in rehabilitation psychology, accompanied by a set of
      more specific, observable indicators of the residents' competence level. This
      work is an important aspect of the broader project of the Rehabilitation
      Psychology Specialty Council (APA Division 22, the American Board of
      Rehabilitation Psychology, the Foundation for Rehabilitation Psychology, the
      Academy of Rehabilitation Psychology, and the Council of Rehabilitation
      Psychology Postdocotral Training Programs) to develop overall guidelines for
      programs providing postdoctoral training in this field (Stiers et al., 2012).

PMID- 26120738
TI  - Defining the treatment targets and active ingredients of rehabilitation:
      Implications for rehabilitation psychology.
AB  - PURPOSE: Rehabilitation is a complex field incorporating many disciplines,
      settings, interventions, and populations, with patient goals ranging from
      improvement in function to enhanced participation in societal roles. Although
      there has been progress in measuring the inputs to the rehabilitation process,
      such as patient characteristics, and the outputs (i.e., outcomes) of the process,
      little attention has been devoted to specifying and measuring the process itself:
      the treatment. In this article, the authors describe a framework by which
      rehabilitation interventions, including those delivered by rehabilitation
      psychologists, may be defined according to the treatment theories underlying
      them. RESULTS: The tripartite structure of a treatment theory-the targets, active
      ingredients, and mechanisms of action-may be specified, often in hypothesized
      form, for each treatment component used to effect desired changes for each
      patient. Targets are specific, measurable aspects of patient functioning in which
      change is desired; active ingredients are specific, measurable actions performed
      by a clinician to effect these changes; and mechanisms of action are the often
      invisible and inferred ways in which ingredients work to cause the desired
      effects. To illustrate these concepts, the authors present how they might be
      applied in 2 areas of treatment that frequently involve rehabilitation
      psychologists: management of memory disorders and interventions for chronic pain.
      CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: This type of systematic approach to defining and,
      ultimately, measuring the quality and quantity (dose) of specific treatments
      stands to enhance research, practice, and training in rehabilitation as well as
      communication across the treatment team and other stakeholders in the process and
      outcomes of rehabilitation.

PMID- 26120739
TI  - Comments on defining the targets, mechanisms, and active ingredients of
      rehabilitation.
AB  - Hart and Ehde (2015) provide a cogent framework for conceptualizing
      rehabilitation psychology interventions, within a broader classification of
      rehabilitation treatments. The tripartite structure of treatment seems simple and
      straightforward but, with further consideration, reveals a depth of complexity
      and richness.

PMID- 26120740
TI  - Key dimensions of impairment, self-report, and environmental supports in persons
      with traumatic brain injury.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To determine key dimensions relevant to recovery in the
      postacute period for persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to determine
      the ability of scores on these dimensions to predict participation outcomes for
      persons with TBI. RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN: This was a prospective cohort,
      observational study of 504 persons with medically documented TBI. Participants
      completed a comprehensive battery of measures including cognitive tests;
      questionnaires assessing self-report of physical, cognitive, and emotional
      symptoms and strengths; environmental supports; and a measure of participation
      outcome. RESULTS: Participants were a predominantly male, ethnically/racially
      diverse sample of persons with complicated mild, moderate, and severe TBI.
      Variable cluster analysis identified 12 key dimensions of cognitive function,
      neurobehavioral complaints, personal strengths, physical symptoms and function,
      environmental supports, and performance validity. In unadjusted analyses, all 12
      dimensions were predictive of participation outcome. In multivariable regression
      analysis with adjustment of all predictors for all other predictors, dimensions
      measuring memory, independence and self-esteem, resilience, emotional distress,
      physical functioning, and economic and family support made unique contributions
      to predicting participation outcome. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Findings add to
      our understanding of key aspects of functioning and self-perception for persons
      with TBI. Knowledge of the profile of an individual patient on these 12
      dimensions may assist with development of a treatment approach for the person
      with TBI. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26120741
TI  - The association of negative attributions with irritation and anger after brain
      injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Study objectives were to examine associations of irritation and anger
      with negative attributions, and associations of negative attributions with trait
      aggression in participants with traumatic brain injury (TBI). PARTICIPANTS: Forty
      eight participants with moderate to severe TBI participated in this study.
      Participants were primarily male (68.8%), and on average, approximately 5 years
      postinjury. DESIGN: Prospective study using a quasi-experimental design. MAIN
      MEASURES: Participants were presented with 21 vignettes that hypothetically led
      to negative consequences for the participant. Stories portrayed characters'
      actions as benign, ambiguous, or hostile. After each vignette, participants rated
      how irritated and angry they would be, and how intentional, hostile, and
      blameworthy they perceived the characters' actions. Participants' trait
      aggression was evaluated with the aggression questionnaire. RESULTS: Irritation
      and anger ratings were strongly correlated with intent, hostility, and blame
      ratings of the character (p < .001). Trait aggression was significantly
      associated with attributions of intent, hostility, and blame (p < .001).
      CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings suggest that irritation and anger after
      TBI may be linked to the negative attributions they make about others' behaviors.
      Findings further indicate a relationship between negative attributions and trait
      aggression. Thus, individuals with TBI who have higher trait aggression may have
      a tendency to make more negative attributions about others' behaviors, and in
      turn, have stronger feelings of irritation and anger as a response. Future
      studies with healthy controls and larger sample sizes are needed to build upon
      this clinically relevant topic.

PMID- 26120742
TI  - Integrating the ICF with positive psychology: Factors predicting role
      participation for mothers with multiple sclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Being a mother has become a realizable life role for women with
      disabilities and chronic illnesses, including multiple sclerosis (MS).
      Identifying psychosocial factors that facilitate participation in important life
      roles-including motherhood-is essential to help women have fuller lives despite
      the challenge of their illness. By integrating the International Classification
      of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and a positive psychology
      perspective, this study examined how environmental social factors and positive
      personal factors contribute to daily role participation and satisfaction with
      parental participation. METHOD: One hundred and 11 community-dwelling mothers
      with MS completed Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scales, the Medical Outcome
      Study Social Support Survey, the Short Form-36, and the Parental Participation
      Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses examined associations between social
      support and positive personal factors (environmental mastery, self-acceptance,
      purpose in life) with daily role participation (physical and emotional) and
      satisfaction with parental participation. One-way ANOVAs tested synergistic
      combinations of social support and positive personal factors. RESULTS: Social
      support predicted daily role participation (fewer limitations) and greater
      satisfaction with parental participation. Positive personal factors contributed
      additional unique variance. Positive personal factors and social support
      synergistically predicted better function and greater satisfaction than either
      alone. CONCLUSION: Integrating components of the ICF and positive psychology
      provides a useful model for understanding how mothers with MS can thrive despite
      challenge or impairment. Both positive personal factors and environmental social
      factors were important contributors to positive role functioning. Incorporating
      these paradigms into treatment may help mothers with MS participate more fully in
      meaningful life roles.

PMID- 26120743
TI  - Illness perceptions and adherence to exercise therapy in cardiac rehabilitation
      participants.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: Two complementary frameworks, the common sense model, and
      social-cognitive theory, were used. The first purpose of this study was to
      compare 2 groups varying in their illness perceptions (strong vs. weak) on
      baseline differences in theory-based exercise cognitions (self-regulatory
      efficacy and outcome expectations), and health-related quality of life (HRQL).
      The second purpose was to examine illness perception group differences in cardiac
      rehabilitation exercise participation following 3 months of exercise therapy.
      RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN: Newly enrolled cardiac rehabilitation participants (N =
      49) completed baseline measures of illness perceptions, self-regulatory efficacy,
      outcome expectations, and HRQL. Cardiac rehabilitation exercise minutes were
      measured at baseline (after 2 weeks of participation) and following 3 months of
      cardiac rehabilitation. RESULTS: Individuals were successfully classified into
      strong and weak illness perception groups using cluster analysis. Analyses of
      variance indicated significant group differences on negative outcome expectations
      (p < .05), where the strong illness perception group reported greater negative
      outcome expectations. The strong illness perception group also reported
      significantly lower physical and mental HRQL as compared to their weak illness
      perception counterparts (p < .01). Parallel differences in cardiac rehabilitation
      exercise participation at 3 months were also observed (p < .05).
      CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: This study was a first attempt to utilize the common
      sense model and social-cognitive theory to examine individuals engaged in
      rehabilitation to reduce cardiac risk. The findings suggest that complementary
      use of these 2 frameworks to study individual illness perception differences
      relative to psychological beliefs and adherence to exercise therapy may aid
      understanding of correlates of exercise adherence among cardiac rehabilitation
      participants.

PMID- 26120744
TI  - Clinical utility of the LANSE-A in adolescents with traumatic brain injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical utility of a brief cognitive screening
      instrument, the Lebby-Asbell Neurocognitive Screening Examination for Adolescents
      (LANSE-A) in 12-17 year-old adolescents with traumatic brain injury in an
      inpatient rehabilitation setting. METHOD: Retrospective study of 56 referred
      patients, evaluated at a median of 32 days postinjury. Regression analysis was
      used to determine the contribution of the LANSE-A to prediction of discharge
      status, as assessed with the Functional Independence Measure for Children
      (WeeFIM). RESULTS: After controlling for premorbid complicating factors, parental
      education, duration to follow commands, and WeeFIM Cognition score obtained upon
      admission, the LANSE-A Visual Memory and Verbal Association subtests accounted
      for a statistically significant amount of unique variance in the WeeFIM Cognition
      score obtained at discharge. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The LANSE-A improves
      prediction of acute rehabilitation outcomes of adolescents with traumatic brain
      injury.

PMID- 26120745
TI  - A brief cognitive-behavioral intervention for sleep in individuals with chronic
      noncancer pain: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: Chronic pain has a significant negative impact on the quality
      of life, including sleep disruption. There is compelling evidence that cognitive
      behavioral therapy can be effective in treating sleep disorders. To our
      knowledge, no research has been carried out on brief cognitive-behavioral
      educational interventions in individuals with chronic pain. This study was
      conducted to determine whether a brief education session that incorporates sleep
      hygiene and cognitive-behavioral strategies would help improve the sleep of
      individuals with chronic pain. RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN: Eighty-five patients from
      a tertiary care Multidisciplinary Pain Centre completed all aspects of the study.
      This sample was randomized into 2 groups: a treatment group who received a brief
      cognitive-behavioral educational session, and a control group who did not. All
      participants completed a daily sleep diary for 28 days. Measures on sleep
      quality, beliefs and attitudes about sleep, pain, disability, and mood were
      recorded at baseline. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between
      groups on demographic, pain, disability, mood measures, or sleep quality at
      baseline. Overall, 42% of the individuals who completed this study had depression
      scores above the clinical cutoff. This sample reported a high level of pain
      related disability. Individuals in the treatment group had significantly reduced
      sleep onset latency compared to controls. No significant differences between
      groups on the number of times waking or hours slept. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS:
      Our findings suggest that there is potential for a brief educational intervention
      to have a positive impact on some aspects of sleep in the chronic pain
      population.

PMID- 26120746
TI  - Recognizing encephalopathy and delirium in the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation
      setting.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the prevalence, underlying mechanisms, and
      challenges of treating encephalopathy and delirium in the postsurgical and
      medically compromised cardiopulmonary patient receiving services on an acute
      inpatient rehabilitation unit. Additionally, pertinent information is provided on
      conducting an evaluation to assess for neurocognitive sequelae of the above
      mentioned conditions to help achieve better treatment outcomes. METHOD: Review of
      the medical and neuropsychology literature is provided along with 2 case reports
      to illustrate evaluation of a persisting toxic-metabolic encephalopathy and a
      resolving delirium and the treatment team's effectiveness in producing a more
      optimal treatment outcome. The unique role of the rehabilitation psychologist,
      special treatment considerations, and the importance of integrated follow-up
      neurorehabilitation services for the cardiopulmonary patient and caregivers also
      are emphasized. RESULTS: Encephalopathy and delirium are 2 related, but somewhat
      different, conditions that can emerge postoperatively, any time during acute care
      hospitalization, and often enough, during impatient or subacute-care
      rehabilitation. Their association with long-term harm and poor outcome warrant
      early identification and immediate medical intervention. IMPLICATIONS:
      Encephalopathy and delirium can significantly affect rehabilitation outcomes and,
      as such, rehabilitation psychologists are encouraged to systematically screen for
      the presence of delirium and encephalopathy in the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation
      setting so to enhance treatment efficacy and quality of life in affected
      individuals.

PMID- 26120747
TI  - Measurement characteristics and clinical utility of the Patient Health
      Questionnaire-9 among individuals with spinal cord injury.
AB  - This Rehabilitation Measures Database summary provides a review of the
      psychometric properties of the PHQ-9 individuals with SCI. A full review of the
      PHQ-9 as well as reviews of over 300 other instruments can be found at
      www.rehabmeasures.org.

PMID- 26120748
TI  - Intrinsic Optical Activity and Large-Amplitude Displacement: Conformational
      Flexibility in (R)-Glycidyl Methyl Ether.
AB  - The dispersive optical activity of (R)-(-)-glycidyl methyl ether (R-GME) has been
      interrogated under ambient vapor-phase and solution-phase conditions, with
      quantum-chemical analyses built on density functional (B3LYP and CAM-B3LYP) and
      coupled-cluster (CCSD) implementations of linear-response theory exploited to
      interpret experimental findings. Inherent flexibility of the heavy atom skeleton
      leads to nine low-lying structural isomers that possess distinct chiroptical and
      physicochemical properties, as evinced by marked changes in the magnitude and the
      sign of rotatory powers observed in various media. These species are
      interconverted by independent motion along two large-amplitude torsional
      coordinates and are stabilized differentially by interaction with the
      surroundings, thereby reapportioning their relative contributions to the
      collective response evoked from a thermally equilibrated ensemble. The intrinsic
      behavior exhibited by isolated (vapor-phase) R-GME molecules was calculated
      through use of both conformer-averaging and restricted vibrational-averaging
      procedures, the former affording moderately good agreement with measurements of
      optical rotatory dispersion (ORD) and the latter providing strong evidence for
      sizable effects arising from vibrational degrees of freedom. A similar conformer
      averaging ansatz based on the polarizable-continuum model (PCM) for implicit
      solvation was deployed to elucidate R-GME specific-rotation parameters acquired
      for six dilute solutions. This approach gave reasonable predictions for sodium D
      line (589.3 nm) experiments performed in the extremes of solvent polarity
      represented by cyclohexane and acetonitrile but failed to reproduce the overall
      shape of ORD profiles and suggested more complex processes might be involved in
      the case of an aromatic medium. 

PMID- 26120749
TI  - Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

PMID- 26120750
TI  - [Gender and physical activity in Mexican women with experience of migration to
      the USA].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the influence of gender on the practice of physical
      activity, in women with experiences of migration to the U.S.A. METHODS:
      Qualitative design with methods based on grounded theory. The information was
      obtained through in-depth interviews of 19 women living in rural localities in
      the central zone of Mexico. RESULTS: Through this analysis, a core category
      arose: social criticism of physical exercise. The results show that married women
      do not perform physical exercise because, due social norms, it is socially
      frowned upon and men are responsible for making the decision to permit it.
      Gender, female identity, women's role as subordinates to men, and social
      criticism are elements that contribute to understanding the lack of physical
      activity among these women. CONCLUSION: We suggest that healthcare programs be
      designed to promote physical activity among adult women in rural areas, taking
      gender perspective and the population's context into account.

PMID- 26120751
TI  - [Human papilloma virus vaccination in teenage girls: a focus group evaluation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The low immunization coverage levels for the human papilloma virus
      vaccine has led to a need to analyze the causes that affect the decision to
      vaccinate, as expressed by those directly involved in making this decision 
      teenage girls. METHODOLOGY: Therefore, we proposed an assessment with a focus
      group methodology. An evaluation with a pilot group and four focal groups was
      carried out in Tirant lo Blanc of Gandia secondary school. The girls that made up
      the groups belonged to different populations within the health department,
      including vaccinated, non-vaccinated, and incorrectly vaccinated teenage girls.
      RESULTS: The girls talked about their experiences, knowledge and opinions with
      respect to HPV vaccination, which could be summarized as showing a large
      knowledge gap and the existence of erroneous ideas. CONCLUSION: A change in
      direction, involving the development of educational campaigns that empowers girls
      and their families to make suitable decisions, is necessary.

PMID- 26120752
TI  - [Sexual and reproductive health in university students at an institution of
      higher learning in Colombia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the state of sexual and reproductive health in students
      at a public university in the Colombian Caribbean, with an emphasis on sexually
      transmitted diseases (STDs), fertility, sexuality, pregnancy and violence.
      METHODS: Cross-sectional survey study. University students, enrolled in the
      second semester of 2010 and who completed a self-administered survey based on the
      Reproductive Health survey of the Pan American Health Organization, were
      selected. Qualitative data was tabulated and graphed using measures of central
      tendency for quantitative variables. RESULTS: The age of population studied was
      around 20 years old, came from the urban area (57.9 %; IC95 %=54.7-61.1), was
      predominantly heterosexual (89.7 %), with an age of initiation of sexual activity
      of less than 18 years old, 11.8 % promiscuity, mainly using the condom as a
      Family Planning Method (FPM) (55 %). Although they had prior information on
      sexual health, STDs and FPMs, they did not behave according to this due to low
      education about HIV transmission routes, low incidence of serological tests for
      STDs, and high risk behavior (sex/alcohol/drugs). It was observed that 12.3 % had
      a history of pregnancy, physical violence (21.6 %) and sexual violence (4.6 %)
      with a predominant silence from the victims of sexual abuse (61.8 %). CONCLUSION:
      The sample reflects the student population in this region of Colombia. We plan to
      organize a health program with medical and psychological support to reduce the
      rates of STDs and unplanned pregnancies, preparing the adolescent for this
      important step in their life and serving as a model for other Latin American
      universities.

PMID- 26120753
TI  - [Direct costs involved in providing medical attention associated with traffic
      accidents in Bogota].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the cost of medical attention associated with traffic
      accidents in Bogota, Colombia. METHODS: Prospective observational study with data
      from adult patients attended to in the emergency centers of 6 hospitals. RESULTS:
      Average total cost per patient was $1'112.000 COP. Average daily cost of
      hospitalized patients was $1'200.000 COP. Average cost of ambulatory treated
      patients ascended to $247.400 COP. Cost per accident calculated was $2'333.700
      COP. In the whole city during study period, total medical costs were around
      $2.301'028.200 COP. All data was expressed in 2011 Colombian pesos. CONCLUSION:
      The medical cost of transit accidents is a significant economic burden.

PMID- 26120754
TI  - [Suicide attempts treated at public health units of Fortaleza-Ceara, Brazil].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the main characteristics of victims of
      suicide attempts treated at public health units of Fortaleza-Ceara, Brazil.
      METHODS: With a quantitative approach, we used a questionnaire with structured
      questions and the Beck Scale for depression. We worked with a convenience sample
      of 360 victims in Psychosocial Care Centers (General/Alcohol-Drug/Infant to
      Teen), Doutor Jose Frota Hospital, and the Apoio a Vida Project . RESULTS: In the
      statistical analysis, the dependent variable of more than one suicide attempt was
      used, associated to the independent variables. Multivariate analysis, with more
      than one attempt and significance (p<0.05), maintained association: male OR=2,1
      (IC95 %: 1,2-3,6), p=0,005; feeling rejected, RC=2,4, (IC95 %:1,4-3,9), p=0,001;
      admission to psychiatric hospital, RC=3,4 (IC95 %:2,0-5,7), p=0,000; believing to
      have disappointed someone, RC=2,4 (IC95 %:1,3-4,4), p=0,005; depression, RC=1,0
      (IC95 %: 1,0-1,0), p=0,001. CONCLUSION: The data shows the need for greater
      attention to this population, in the sense of promoting differentiated service
      support, either psychological or psychiatric, to improve people's lives.

PMID- 26120756
TI  - [Variables involved in the individual and collective practice of healthy habits].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To conduct a descriptive review of the concepts related to the
      practice of healthy habits by identifying the main variables associated with
      their managment in terms of health promotion actions. METHODOLOGY: In
      consultation with groups working in health promotion in the city of performed by
      consulting databases and documentary sources. The strategy and criteria for the
      selection of documents was previously defined. Finally, we proceeded to
      organizing and structuring the information. RESULTS: It was established that, to
      promote healthy habits, four groups of behavior are involved: a) consumption, b)
      phyisical activity and hygiene, c) safety, and d) social participation. All of
      these are reviewed in order to point out the main concepts contained in each.
      CONCLUSION: The promotion of healthy habits must involve not only the
      transmission of behaviors associated with them. It must also involve
      understanding and adapting these habits to the environments of life in which
      people operate, with consideration for the different roles that they perform and
      the psychological and cultural demands that each space implies.

PMID- 26120755
TI  - [Knowledge of human papilloma virus (HPV) and acceptance of vaginal self-sampling
      among Mexican woman].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between the level of knowledge about human
      papilloma virus and the acceptance of vaginal self-sampling as a cervical cancer
      diagnostic test among Mexican women who have already experienced vaginal self
      sampling at home. METHODS: A structured questionnaire consisting of 22 questions
      was applied to 690 women in the state of Morelos who had taken a vaginal self
      sample at home. The aspects explored were the level of knowledge about
      transmission of the human papilloma virus, identification of the virus as a
      necessary cause of cervical cancer, and clinical manifestations of infection and
      treatment. A knowledge index was constructed, identifying the relationship
      between the index and the women's acceptance of self-sampling, and their degree
      of trust in the procedure. The statistical analysis included a logistic
      regression with estimates of measures of association and their respective 95%
      confidence intervals. RESULTS: The level of knowledge about human papillomavirus
      showed a positive association with the degree of acceptance of vaginal self
      sampling (OR 2.9; 95% CI 1.0-5.01) and the women's level of confidence (OR 2.9;
      95% CI 1.8-4.67). The level of knowledge increased with level of education and
      was higher in younger women. CONCLUSIONS: In order for women with an increased
      risk of cervical cancer to continue participating in vaginal self-sampling, they
      must be well informed about the virus. This is especially true for older women,
      those with lower levels of education, and those in lower socioeconomic levels.

PMID- 26120757
TI  - [The process of eliminating neonatal Tetanus in Colombia, 1989-2005].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the country's progress in eliminating neonatal tetanus
      based on the information obtained from epidemiologic surveillance. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: A retrospective descriptive study of the epidemiological surveillance of
      neonatal tetanus in Colombia in the period ranging from 1989 to 2005. Available
      information was consulted regarding confirmations of this event of interest for
      Public Health. RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 830 cases of neonatal
      tetanus were reported. In 1989, the rate of neonatal tetanus in Colombia was 0.22
      per 1000 live births. In 2005, this value was reduced to 0.01 cases per 1000 live
      births; a reduction of nearly 94 %. CONCLUSIONS: Given the information provided
      by epidemiological surveillance, Colombia has achieved the goal of maintaining a
      rate<1 case per 1000 live births. Nevertheless, even one case anywhere in the
      country should be considered a failure of the healthcare system.

PMID- 26120758
TI  - [Estimate equation of body composition of the elderly male].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aims to develop and validate a predictive body composition
      equation in elderly men. METHODOLOGY: Correlational study using a sample of 85
      men with 69.5+/-5,8 years from Vitoria, Brazil. The sample was divided in two
      groups: the regression group (n=54) was used to develop the predictive equation
      and a validation group (n=31). The following measurements: skinfolds (S), bone
      diameter (BD) and body circumferences (BC), body fat percent (%BF) measure by
      DXA. The predictive equations were developed using multiple linear regressions
      and validated through the stepwise method. Equations were compared using
      Student's T test for paired samples. Residual scores were analyzed using the
      Blant and Altman method. RESULTS: The regression group had 68.5+/-4,5 years,
      78,5+/-14,4 kg; 1,6+/-0,6 m, and % BF 30.4+/-6,8. The validation group had 71.2+/
      7.4 years, body weight 75.2+/-11 kg, height 1.6+/-0.5 m, and % BF 29.4+/-7.7. The
      resulting predictive equation is % body fat =23.371+0.337 (BC abdomen)-1.464 (BC
      left arm)+0.501 (S calf)+0.175 (body weight)-0.741 (BD acromial)-0.415 (BC
      biiliocristal)+0.374 (Cleft tight) + 0.370 (BC neck). The best-fit plot was
      significant due to the correlation coefficient r=0.8. The r2 was 0.8, meaning
      that the independent variables are able to explain 87 % of the estimate. The EPE
      was 2.6 %. CONCLUSION: In light of the current results, the equation was
      considered adequate to estimate body composition in elderly men. The equation can
      be a simple and accurate alternative to estimate body fat in this population.

PMID- 26120759
TI  - [Evaluation of the BD MGITTM technique for identifying the Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis complex].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate BD MGITTM TBc(r) technique for identifying the
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex using isolates obtained in liquid and solid
      media. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted in which 117 isolates were
      analyzed by the immune-chromatography technique obtained from solid and liquid
      cultures to identify the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The kappa
      coefficient was calculated to determine the degree of agreement between the two
      methods .When there were different results, they were confirmed with a
      conventional test. The tool used to analyze the data was Epidat 3.1 RESULTS: The
      BD MGITTM TBc(r) methodology performed in solid and liquid culture isolates,
      showed an excellent degree of agreement with a kappa coefficient 0.84.
      CONCLUSION: The BD MGITTM TBc(r) technique using solid media culture isolates for
      the identification of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex has a good
      correlation compared to results obtained from liquid media culture isolates. The
      Reference National Laboratory recommends the use of this technique for the
      identification of species in solid media culture isolates.

PMID- 26120760
TI  - [Efficacy and safety of medication use for the cessation of tobacco addiction: A
      review of Clinical Practice Guidelines].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapy for smoking
      cessation in the context of clinical practice guidelines (CPG). METHODS: A
      systematic review of CPGs was conducted, aimed at adapting recommendations for
      Colombia following the ADAPTE methodology. Outcomes comprised 6-months or higher
      smoking cessation rates and intervention safety. CPGs were peer-assessed based on
      DELBI. Results from aggregative studies included in selected CPGs were obtained.
      RESULTS: Pharmacotherapy doubles smoking cessation rates as compared with
      placebos (rates @25% and up to 27 % when combined with counseling). The highest
      efficacy was observed for ansyolitic and antidepressive drugs (8.7 % to 19.4 %),
      and the lowest for nicotine replacement therapy -NRT- (5.2 % to 12.9 %).
      Nortriptiline shows an efficacy similar to that of bupropion (@10%). With limited
      exceptions, combined pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation has shown no
      significant increase in cessation rates. CONCLUSIONS: NRT, varenicline, bupropion
      and nortriptiline are effective treatments for smoking cessation. Combination of
      drugs deserves further clinical evidence and should be restricted to highly
      dependent smokers or initial therapeutic failure. Cost-effectiveness analyses
      might help to introduce smoking cessation programs in low and middle income
      countries.

PMID- 26120761
TI  - [Factors that influence comorbidity from panic disorder and PTSD after
      earthquakes].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: After the earthquake and tsunami in Chile (F-27), we studied the
      effect of socio-demographic factors, exposure to the event, and state aid
      received on comorbidity from panic disorder (PD) and posttraumatic stress
      disorder (PTSD). METHOD: Surveys that include the administration of the Davidson
      Trauma Scale (DTS) to 246 inhabitants. RESULTS: 19.1 % comorbidity was found
      (r=.583, R2=.340, p<.01). Females homeowners have a higher risk of PD and PTSD.
      State aid is associated with more cases of PD. CONCLUSIONS: We designed
      risk/resistance profilesagainst earthquakes/tsunamis and an instrument to detect
      cases at risk of PTSD. We suggest guidelines so that the government can improve
      its role after disasters.

PMID- 26120762
TI  - [Social determinants of health and the occurrence of oral cancer: a systematic
      literature review].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to review the literature on the social
      determinants of health and its association with the development of oral cancer
      METHODS: A systematic search was performed in Pubmed database to access relevant,
      available articles published up until 2012. Reference lists of selected articles
      were examined to identify additional articles. Twenty-one articles were included
      in the study RESULTS: Despite the difficulties in making comparisons between the
      articles, due to lack of uniformity in the definition of social determinants of
      health and the small number of publications on the subject, the results showed a
      strong association between oral cancer and social deprivation; socioeconomic
      status and income; education and occupation Conclusion It is important that
      further work be conducted to study more in depth this association, to better
      understand the occurrence of oral cancer and it prevention. In addition, the
      development of social policies aimed at improving people's living conditions is
      required, since the results show that better living conditions constitute a
      protective factor for oral cancer.

PMID- 26120763
TI  - Behavioral science priorities in residency education: The perspective of
      practicing family physicians.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The family medicine residency behavioral science curriculum is more
      effective if prioritized to match what is needed in practice after graduation.
      Two prior studies (Kendall, Marvel, & Cruickshank, 2003; Marvel & Major, 1999)
      identified physician priorities for behavioral science education. The present
      study extends this research to include topics from more recent curriculum
      guidelines and examines the extent to which size of community and perceived
      competence correlate with prioritization of Washington state family physicians.
      METHOD: Practicing family physicians in Washington state (N = 2,270) were invited
      to complete the survey. Respondents provided demographic and practice
      information. Respondents then rated, on a scale from 1 to 4, 35 behavioral
      science topics on 2 different scales including (a) priority to be given in
      residency education and (b) perceived level of competence. RESULTS: A total of
      486 responded and 430 completed both priority and competence scales for a
      response rate of 19%. The top half of 35 topics of the present study included the
      top 13 topics found in the 2 prior studies. Priority and competence scales were
      moderately correlated (r = .48, n = 430, p = .001). There was a small significant
      correlation with size of community and priority ratings (r = .13, n = 435, p =
      .006). DISCUSSION: Family physicians in Washington state prioritize behavioral
      science topics in residency education similar to Colorado and Mississippi. The
      results of this study support recent ACGME guidelines, in that training should
      focus on common psychiatric illnesses, including depression and anxiety, and
      interpersonal processes. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26120764
TI  - Growing up with an ill parent: An examination of family characteristics and
      parental illness features.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Existing literature suggests that the children of ill parents are
      vulnerable to a variety of psychosocial difficulties such as depression and
      anxiety. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the impact of family
      characteristics (parental involvement, familial support, stress experienced as a
      result of parental illness) and parental illness features (severity, duration,
      recovery status, frequency of symptoms, course) on the psychosocial functioning
      (depression, anxiety, life satisfaction) of late adolescents who have grown up
      with an ill parent but no longer live with their parents. METHOD: Participants
      were 71 college students with a parent who experienced a chronic medical
      condition while they were growing up. Participants provided information regarding
      family characteristics, parental illness features, and the impact of parental
      illness. Impact of parental illness was assessed using the Impact of Illness
      Scale. Participants also completed measures of depression, anxiety, and life
      satisfaction. RESULTS: Participants' reported impact of parent illness was
      positively correlated with participant depression and anxiety. Several family
      characteristics and parental illness features were significantly associated with
      participant psychosocial functioning. In particular, lower parental involvement
      was correlated with greater participant depression and anxiety, as well as lower
      life satisfaction. DISCUSSION: These findings extend our understanding of the
      impact of parental illness on late adolescents' psychosocial functioning. Results
      could have clinical applications for psychosocial interventions in children and
      families coping with chronic illness. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26120765
TI  - Fatal Outcome of Multiple Clinical Presentations of Human Herpesvirus 8-related
      Disease After Solid Organ Transplantation.
AB  - Kaposi sarcoma is the most common human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8)-related disease
      described after solid organ transplantation. Multicentric Castleman disease and
      hemophagocytic syndrome are other potential HHV-8-induced entities but are less
      frequently reported. We describe the case of a liver transplant recipient who
      presented with an acute febrile illness 1 year after transplantation with a
      rapidly fatal outcome. Autopsy revealed 3 distinct HHV-8-related entities: Kaposi
      sarcoma, HHV-8-associated multicentric Castleman disease with microlymphomas and
      a severe hemophagocytic syndrome. Retrospective serologic tests suggested that
      HHV-8 was likely transmitted by the seropositive donor at the time of
      transplantation. To our knowledge, this is the first case of copresentation of 3
      clinical presentations of HHV-8-mediated human disease in the post-transplant
      setting. Considering the absence of systematic screening of organ
      donors/recipients for HHV-8 infection, HHV-8-related illness should be suspected
      in transplant recipients who present with acute febrile illness, systemic
      symptoms, lymphadenopathies, and/or multiorgan failure to rapidly document the
      diagnosis and provide timely an adequate treatment. 

PMID- 26120767
TI  - Photoredox-Catalyzed Intramolecular Aminodifluoromethylation of Unactivated
      Alkenes.
AB  - A photoredox catalyzed aminodifluoromethylation of unactivated alkenes has been
      developed in which HCF2SO2Cl is used as the HCF2 radical source. Sulfonamides
      were active nucleophiles in the final step of a tandem
      addition/oxidation/cyclization process to form pyrrolidines, and esters were
      found to cyclize to form lactones. Thus, a variety of pyrrolidines and lactones
      were obtained in moderate to excellent yield. In order for the cyclization
      reactions to be efficient, a combination of a copper catalyst (Cu(dap)2Cl) and
      silver carbonate was crucial to suppressing a competing chloro,
      difluoroalkylation process. 

PMID- 26120766
TI  - Disturbed Flow Induces Autophagy, but Impairs Autophagic Flux to Perturb
      Mitochondrial Homeostasis.
AB  - AIM: Temporal and spatial variations in shear stress are intimately linked with
      vascular metabolic effects. Autophagy is tightly regulated in intracellular bulk
      degradation/recycling system for maintaining cellular homeostasis. We postulated
      that disturbed flow modulates autophagy with an implication in mitochondrial
      superoxide (mtO2(*-)) production. RESULTS: In the disturbed flow or oscillatory
      shear stress (OSS)-exposed aortic arch, we observed prominent staining of p62, a
      reverse marker of autophagic flux, whereas in the pulsatile shear stress (PSS)
      exposed descending aorta, p62 was attenuated. OSS significantly increased (i)
      microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) II to I ratios in human aortic
      endothelial cells, (ii) autophagosome formation as quantified by green
      fluorescent protein (GFP)-LC3 dots per cell, and (iii) p62 protein levels,
      whereas manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) overexpression by recombinant
      adenovirus, N-acetyl cysteine treatment, or c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)
      inhibition reduced OSS-mediated LC3-II/LC3-I ratios and mitochondrial DNA damage.
      Introducing bafilomycin to Earle's balanced salt solution or to OSS condition
      incrementally increased both LC3-II/LC3-I ratios and p62 levels, implicating
      impaired autophagic flux. In the OSS-exposed aortic arch, both anti-phospho-JNK
      and anti-8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) staining for DNA damage were
      prominent, whereas in the PSS-exposed descending aorta, the staining was nearly
      absent. Knockdown of ATG5 with siRNA increased OSS-mediated mtO2(*-), whereas
      starvation or rapamycin-induced autophagy reduced OSS-mediated mtO2(*-),
      mitochondrial respiration, and complex II activity. INNOVATION: Disturbed flow
      mediated oxidative stress and JNK activation induce autophagy. CONCLUSION: OSS
      impairs autophagic flux to interfere with mitochondrial homeostasis. Antioxid.
      Redox Signal. 23, 1207-1219.

PMID- 26120769
TI  - Intraoperative protective mechanical ventilation for prevention of postoperative
      pulmonary complications: a comprehensive review of the role of tidal volume,
      positive end-expiratory pressure, and lung recruitment maneuvers.
AB  - Postoperative pulmonary complications are associated with increased morbidity,
      length of hospital stay, and mortality after major surgery. Intraoperative lung
      protective mechanical ventilation has the potential to reduce the incidence of
      postoperative pulmonary complications. This review discusses the relevant
      literature on definition and methods to predict the occurrence of postoperative
      pulmonary complication, the pathophysiology of ventilator-induced lung injury
      with emphasis on the noninjured lung, and protective ventilation strategies,
      including the respective roles of tidal volumes, positive end-expiratory
      pressure, and recruitment maneuvers. The authors propose an algorithm for
      protective intraoperative mechanical ventilation based on evidence from recent
      randomized controlled trials. 

PMID- 26120771
TI  - Use of the Modified Emotional Stroop Task to Detect Suicidality in College
      Population.
AB  - This cross-sectional study investigated the usefulness of the emotional Stroop
      task (EST) as a behavioral marker for suicidal behaviors in a college population.
      Eight hundred twenty college students were asked to perform on the EST and to
      respond to suicide-related self-report measures. The results indicated that past
      suicide attempters were slower in responding to the word "suicide" as compared to
      nonattempters, and female past attempters showed more delayed response when their
      most recent attempt was made in the past 12 months. We did not find evidence that
      the EST could outperform the traditional self-report measures.

PMID- 26120770
TI  - Halothane modulates the type i interferon response to influenza and minimizes the
      risk of secondary bacterial pneumonia through maintenance of neutrophil
      recruitment in an animal model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To minimize the risk of pneumonia, many anesthesiologists delay
      anesthesia-requiring procedures when patients exhibit signs of viral upper
      respiratory tract infection. Postinfluenza secondary bacterial pneumonias (SBPs)
      are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. An increased host susceptibility to
      SBP postinfluenza has been attributed to physical damage to the pulmonary
      epithelium, but flu-induced effects on the immune system are being shown to also
      play an important role. The authors demonstrate that halothane mitigates the risk
      of SBP postflu through modulation of the effects of type I interferon (IFN).
      METHODS: Mice (n = 6 to 15) were exposed to halothane or ketamine and treated
      with influenza and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Bronchoalveolar lavage and lung
      homogenate were procured for the measurement of inflammatory cells, cytokines,
      chemokines, albumin, myeloperoxidase, and bacterial load. RESULTS: Halothane
      exposure resulted in decreased bacterial burden (7.9 +/- 3.9 * 10 vs. 3.4 +/- 1.6
      * 10 colony-forming units, P < 0.01), clinical score (0.6 +/- 0.2 vs. 2.3 +/-
      0.2, P < 0.0001), and lung injury (as measured by bronchoalveolar lavage albumin,
      1.5 +/- 0.7 vs. 6.8 +/- 1.6 mg/ml, P < 0.01) in CD-1 mice infected with flu for 7
      days and challenged with S. pneumoniae on day 6 postflu. IFN receptor A1 knockout
      mice similarly infected with flu and S. pneumoniae, but not exposed to halothane,
      demonstrated a reduction of lung bacterial burden equivalent to that achieved in
      halothane-exposed wild-type mice. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that the
      use of halogenated volatile anesthetics modulates the type I IFN response to
      influenza and enhance postinfection antibacterial immunity.

PMID- 26120772
TI  - When higher working memory capacity hinders insight.
AB  - Higher working memory capacity (WMC) improves performance on a range of cognitive
      and academic tasks. However, a greater ability to control attention sometimes
      leads individuals with higher WMC to persist in using complex, attention
      demanding approaches that are suboptimal for a given task. We examined whether
      higher WMC would hinder insight problem solving, which is thought to rely on
      associative processes that operate largely outside of close attentional control.
      In addition, we examined whether characteristics of the insight problems
      influence whether this negative relationship will be revealed. In Experiment 1,
      participants completed matchstick arithmetic problems, which require a similar
      initial problem representation for all problems. Higher WMC was associated with
      less accurate insight problem solving. In Experiment 2, participants completed
      insight word problems, which require substantially different representations for
      each problem. Higher WMC was again negatively associated with insight, but only
      after statistically controlling for shared variance between insight and
      incremental problem-solving accuracy. These findings suggest that WMC may benefit
      performance on fundamental processes common to both incremental and insight
      problem solving (e.g., initial problem representation), but hinder performance on
      the processes that are unique to insight (e.g., solution and restructuring). By
      considering the WMC of the individual, and the nature of the insight task, we may
      better understand the process of insight and how to best support it. (PsycINFO
      Database Record 

PMID- 26120773
TI  - Bridging gaps in common ground: Speakers design their gestures for their
      listeners.
AB  - Communication is shaped both by what we are trying to say and by whom we are
      saying it to. We examined whether and how shared information influences the
      gestures speakers produce along with their speech. Unlike prior work examining
      effects of common ground on speech and gesture, we examined a situation in which
      some speakers have the same amount of mutually shared experience with their
      listener but the relevance of the information from shared experience is different
      for listeners in different conditions. Additionally, speakers and listeners in
      all conditions shared a visual perspective. Speakers and listeners solved a
      version of the Tower of Hanoi task together. Speakers then solved a second
      version of the task without the listener present with the manner of disk movement
      manipulated; the manner was either the same as or different from the version that
      had been solved with the listener present. Thus, speakers' knowledge of the
      relevance of shared knowledge was manipulated. We measured the content of speech
      along with the physical form and content of the accompanying hand gesture.
      Although speakers did not modulate their spoken language, speakers who knew their
      listeners had not previously experienced the appropriate manner of completion
      gestured higher in space, highlighting manner information, but without altering
      the physical gesture trajectory. Thus, gesture can be sensitive to the knowledge
      of listeners even when speech is not. Speakers' gestures can play an independent
      role in reflecting common ground between speakers and listeners, perhaps by
      simultaneously incorporating both speaker and listener perspectives. (PsycINFO
      Database Record 

PMID- 26120774
TI  - Carving executive control at its joints: Working memory capacity predicts
      stimulus-stimulus, but not stimulus-response, conflict.
AB  - Three experiments examined the relation between working memory capacity (WMC) and
      2 different forms of cognitive conflict: stimulus-stimulus (S-S) and stimulus
      response (S-R) interference. Our goal was to test whether WMC's relation to
      conflict-task performance is mediated by stimulus-identification processes
      (captured by S-S conflict), response-selection processes (captured by S-R
      conflict), or both. In Experiment 1, subjects completed a single task presenting
      both S-S and S-R conflict trials, plus trials that combined the 2 conflict types.
      We limited ostensible goal-maintenance contributions to performance by requiring
      the same goal for all trial types and by presenting frequent conflict trials that
      reinforced the goal. WMC predicted resolution of S-S conflict as expected: Higher
      WMC subjects showed reduced response time interference. Although WMC also
      predicted S-R interference, here, higher WMC subjects showed increased error
      interference. Experiment 2A replicated these results in a version of the conflict
      task without combined S-S/S-R trials. Experiment 2B increased the proportion of
      congruent (nonconflict) trials to promote reliance on goal-maintenance processes.
      Here, higher WMC subjects resolved both S-S and S-R conflict more successfully
      than did lower WMC subjects. The results were consistent with Kane and Engle's
      (2003) 2-factor theory of cognitive control, according to which WMC predicts
      executive-task performance through goal-maintenance and conflict-resolution
      processes. However, the present results add specificity to the account by
      suggesting that higher WMC subjects better resolve cognitive conflict because
      they more efficiently select relevant stimulus features against irrelevant,
      distracting ones.

PMID- 26120776
TI  - Flavin-Protein Complexes: Aromatic Stacking Assisted by a Hydrogen Bond.
AB  - Enzyme-catalyzed reactions often rely on a noncovalently bound cofactor whose
      reactivity is tuned by its immediate environment. Flavin cofactors, the most
      versatile catalyst encountered in biology, are often maintained within the
      protein throughout numbers of complex ionic and aromatic interactions. Here, we
      have investigated the role of pi-pi stacking and hydrogen bond interactions
      between a tyrosine and the isoalloxazine moiety of the flavin adenine
      dinucleotide (FAD) in an FAD-dependent RNA methyltransferase. Combining several
      static and time-resolved spectroscopies as well as biochemical approaches, we
      showed that aromatic stacking is assisted by a hydrogen bond between the phenol
      group and the amide of an adjacent active site loop. A mechanism of recognition
      and binding of the redox cofactor is proposed. 

PMID- 26120777
TI  - Erratum.

PMID- 26120775
TI  - beta-Guanidinopropionic acid extends the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster via
      an AMP-activated protein kinase-dependent increase in autophagy.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)
      controls autophagy through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Unc-51
      like kinase 1 (ULK1/Atg1) signaling, which augments the quality of cellular
      housekeeping, and that beta-guanidinopropionic acid (beta-GPA), a creatine
      analog, leads to a chronic activation of AMPK. However, the relationship between
      beta-GPA and aging remains elusive. In this study, we hypothesized that feeding
      beta-GPA to adult Drosophila produces the lifespan extension via activation of
      AMPK-dependent autophagy. It was found that dietary administration of beta-GPA at
      a concentration higher than 900 mm induced a significant extension of the
      lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster in repeated experiments. Furthermore, we
      found that Atg8 protein, the homolog of microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B
      light chain 3 (LC3) and a biomarker of autophagy in Drosophila, was significantly
      upregulated by beta-GPA treatment, indicating that autophagic activity plays a
      role in the effect of beta-GPA. On the other hand, when the expression of Atg5
      protein, an essential protein for autophagy, was reduced by RNA interference
      (RNAi), the effect of beta-GPA on lifespan extension was abolished. Moreover, we
      found that AMPK was also involved in this process. beta-GPA treatment
      significantly elevated the expression of phospho-T172-AMPK levels, while
      inhibition of AMPK by either AMPK-RNAi or compound C significantly attenuated the
      expression of autophagy-related proteins and lifespan extension in Drosophila.
      Taken together, our results suggest that beta-GPA can induce an extension of the
      lifespan of Drosophila via AMPK-Atg1-autophagy signaling pathway.

PMID- 26120778
TI  - Are alcohol outlet densities strongly associated with alcohol-related outcomes? A
      critical review of recent evidence.
AB  - ISSUES: There have been reviews on the association between density of alcohol
      outlets and harm including studies published up to December 2008. Since then the
      number of publications has increased dramatically. The study reviews the more
      recent studies with regard to their utility to inform policy. APPROACH: A
      systematic review found more than 160 relevant studies (published between January
      2009 and October 2014). The review focused on: (i) outlet density and assaultive
      or intimate partner violence; (ii) studies including individual level data; or
      (iii) 'natural experiments'. KEY FINDINGS: Despite overall evidence for an
      association between density and harm, there is little evidence on causal
      direction (i.e. whether demand leads to more supply or increased availability
      increases alcohol use and harm). When outlet types (e.g. bars, supermarkets) are
      analysed separately, studies are too methodologically diverse and partly
      contradictory to permit firm conclusions besides those pertaining to high outlet
      densities in areas such as entertainment districts. Outlet density commonly had
      little effect on individual-level alcohol use, and the few 'natural experiments'
      on restricting densities showed little or no effects. IMPLICATIONS AND
      CONCLUSIONS: Although outlet densities are likely to be positively related to
      alcohol use and harm, few policy recommendations can be given as effects vary
      across study areas, outlet types and outlet cluster size. Future studies should
      examine in detail outlet types, compare different outcomes associated with
      different strengths of association with alcohol, analyse non-linear effects and
      compare different methodologies. Purely aggregate-level studies examining total
      outlet density only should be abandoned. [Gmel G, Holmes J, Studer J. Are alcohol
      outlet densities strongly associated with alcohol-related outcomes? A critical
      review of recent evidence. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015].

PMID- 26120779
TI  - Long-term outcome of infliximab in severe chronic and refractory systemic
      sarcoidosis: a report of 16 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Infliximab (IFX) appears to be effective in refractory sarcoidosis.
      However, data are lacking regarding its efficacy in severe sarcoidosis (i.e. with
      cardiac and/or neurological involvement). METHODS: Retrospective single-centre
      study including 16 unselected consecutive patients with biopsy proven, severe,
      and resistant sarcoidosis, who were treated by infliximab (3 or 5 mg /kg at 0, 2
      and 6 weeks, then every 8 weeks) between 2005 and 2013. RESULTS: Following IFX
      therapy we observed an improvement in 92% of cases, with a marked decrease of the
      severity score [median score 6 (3-12) vs. 2 (1-8), p<0.0001] and trend toward
      steroid sparing effect [12.5 (0-40) vs. 8.5 mg/d (0-30), p=0.11] between baseline
      and the end of follow-up, respectively. Regarding the index organ response, we
      observed a remission of cardiac and central nervous system involvements in 4 out
      of 4 and 11 out 12 cases, respectively. Thirty-eight percent of patients
      experienced a relapse. After a median follow-up of 57 months (2 to 91), we
      observed 7 (44%) infectious complications, 1 paradoxical cutaneous granuloma and
      1 leucoencephalopathy. Infectious complications were mostly observed in male [6/7
      (86%), p=0.06], with a longer duration of steroids (108 vs. 39 months, p=0.11)
      and immunosuppressant use prior IFX (42 vs. 24 months, p=0.08) compared to their
      negative counterpart, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: IFX was efficient in severe and
      refractory sarcoidosis. Infectious complications were frequent and occurred
      mainly in male patients with longer duration of steroids and immunosuppressant
      use prior to IFX.

PMID- 26120780
TI  - Chemiresistive sensing behavior of SnO2 (n)-Cu2O (p) core-shell nanowires.
AB  - We report the synthesis of SnO2-Cu2O n-p core-shell nanowires (C-S NWs) and their
      use as chemiresistive sensors for detecting trace amounts of gas. The n-p C-S NWs
      were synthesized by a two-step process, in which the core SnO2 nanowires were
      prepared by the vapor growth technique and subsequently the Cu2O shell layers
      were deposited by atomic layer deposition. A systematic investigation of the
      sensing capabilities of the n-p C-S NWs, particularly as a function of shell
      thickness, revealed the underlying sensing mechanism. The radial modulation of
      the hole-accumulation layer is intensified under shells thinner than the Debye
      length. On the other hand, the contribution of volume fraction to resistance
      modulation is weakened. By the combination of these two effects, an optimal
      sensing performance for reducing gases is obtained for a critical p-shell
      thickness. In contrast, the formation of p-shell layers deteriorates the NO2
      sensing performance by blocking the expansion of the hole-accumulation layer due
      to the presence of p-n heterointerface. 

PMID- 26120781
TI  - Comment on "Improved Calibration of Voltammetric Sensors for Studying
      Pharmacological Effects on Dopamine Transporter Kinetics in Vivo".

PMID- 26120783
TI  - Approaching the limit of Cu(II)/Cu(I) mixed valency in a Cu(I)Br2-N
      methylquinoxalinium hybrid compound.
AB  - A novel 1D hybrid salt (MQ)[CuBr2]infinity (MQ = N-methylquinoxalinium) is
      reported. Structural, spectroscopic and magnetic investigations reveal a minimal
      Cu(II) doping of less than 0.1%. However it is not possible to distinguish Cu(I)
      and Cu(II). The unusually close packing of the organic moieties and the dark
      brown colour of the crystals suggest a defect electronic structure. 

PMID- 26120782
TI  - A comparison of location of acute symptomatic vs. 'silent' small vessel lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute lacunar ischaemic stroke, white matter hyperintensities, and
      lacunes are all features of cerebral small vessel disease. It is unclear why some
      small vessel disease lesions present with acute stroke symptoms, whereas others
      typically do not. AIM: To test if lesion location could be one reason why some
      small vessel disease lesions present with acute stroke, whereas others accumulate
      covertly. METHODS: We identified prospectively patients who presented with acute
      lacunar stroke symptoms with a recent small subcortical infarct confirmed on
      magnetic resonance diffusion imaging. We compared the distribution of the acute
      infarcts with that of white matter hyperintensity and lacunes using computational
      image mapping methods. RESULTS: In 188 patients, mean age 67 +/- standard
      deviation 12 years, the lesions that presented with acute lacunar ischaemic
      stroke were located in or near the main motor and sensory tracts in (descending
      order): posterior limb of the internal capsule (probability density 0.2/mm(3)),
      centrum semiovale (probability density = 0.15/mm(3)), medial lentiform
      nucleus/lateral thalamus (probability density = 0.09/mm(3)), and pons
      (probability density = 0.02/mm(3)). Most lacunes were in the lentiform nucleus
      (probability density = 0.01-0.04/mm(3) ) or external capsule (probability density
      = 0.05/mm(3)). Most white matter hyperintensities were in centrum semiovale
      (except for the area affected by the acute symptomatic infarcts), external
      capsules, basal ganglia, and brainstem, with little overlap with the acute
      symptomatic infarcts (analysis of variance, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Lesions that
      present with acute lacunar ischaemic stroke symptoms may be more likely noticed
      by the patient through affecting the main motor and sensory tracts, whereas white
      matter hyperintensity and asymptomatic lacunes mainly affect other areas. Brain
      location could at least partly explain the symptomatic vs. covert development of
      small vessel disease.

PMID- 26120784
TI  - Ionic Liquid Facilitates the Conjugative Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes
      Mediated by Plasmid RP4.
AB  - The dissemination and propagation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is an
      emerging global health concern. In our previous study, the ionic liquid (IL) 1
      butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIm][PF6]) had been proven to
      facilitate the dissemination of ARGs via horizontal gene transfer. In this study,
      we further confirm that this compound facilitates the horizontal transfer of
      plasmid RP4 through a conjugation mechanism and not by natural transformation.
      The mechanisms for [BMIm][PF6] promoting conjugative transfer are attributable to
      enhancing the mRNA expression levels of conjugative and global regulatory genes,
      as well as by inhibiting the genes that are responsible for the vertical transfer
      of cell growth. [BMIm][PF6] significantly enhanced the expression of the outer
      membrane porin proteins (OMPs) OmpC and OmpA and the corresponding mRNA
      expression levels of ompC and ompA genes in recipient bacteria, which contributed
      to pore formation and increased cell membrane permeability. The increased
      expression of pilin and pili allowed the donor pilus to attach to and access the
      recipient cells, thereby assisting cell-to-cell contact to facilitate the
      conjugative transfer of plasmid RP4. To the best of our knowledge, this is the
      first insightful exploration of [BMIm][PF6] facilitating the conjugative transfer
      of ARGs mediated by plasmid RP4 and of several other ILs with different cations
      or anions that are capable of promoting plasmid transfer. It is therefore
      suggested that the application of some ILs in industrial processes should be
      carefully evaluated before their bulk emission into the environment. 

PMID- 26120786
TI  - Polymer@MOF@MOF: "grafting from" atom transfer radical polymerization for the
      synthesis of hybrid porous solids.
AB  - The application of a core-shell architecture allows the formation of a polymer
      coated metal-organic framework (MOF) maintaining high surface area (2289-2857
      m(2) g(-1)). The growth of a MOF shell from a MOF core was used to spatially
      localize initiators by post-synthetic modification. The confinement of initiators
      ensures that polymerization is restricted to the outer shell of the MOF. 

PMID- 26120785
TI  - Immunization of Mice with Anthrax Protective Antigen Limits Cardiotoxicity but
      Not Hepatotoxicity Following Lethal Toxin Challenge.
AB  - Protective immunity against anthrax is inferred from measurement of vaccine
      antigen-specific neutralizing antibody titers in serum samples. In animal models,
      in vivo challenges with toxin and/or spores can also be performed. However,
      neither of these approaches considers toxin-induced damage to specific organ
      systems. It is therefore important to determine to what extent anthrax vaccines
      and existing or candidate adjuvants can provide organ-specific protection against
      intoxication. We therefore compared the ability of Alum, CpG DNA and the CD1d
      ligand alpha-galactosylceramide (alphaGC) to enhance protective antigen-specific
      antibody titers, to protect mice against challenge with lethal toxin, and to
      block cardiotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. By measurement of serum cardiac Troponin
      I (cTnI), and hepatic alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate
      aminotransferase (AST), it was apparent that neither vaccine modality prevented
      hepatic intoxication, despite high Ab titers and ultimate survival of the
      subject. In contrast, cardiotoxicity was greatly diminished by prior
      immunization. This shows that a vaccine that confers survival following toxin
      exposure may still have an associated morbidity. We propose that organ-specific
      intoxication should be monitored routinely during research into new vaccine
      modalities. 

PMID- 26120787
TI  - Abdominal Fat Distribution and Cardiovascular Risk in Men and Women With
      Different Levels of Glucose Tolerance.
AB  - CONTEXT: Regional fat distribution rather than overall obesity has been
      recognized as important to understanding the link between obesity and
      cardiovascular disease. OBJECTIVE: We examined the associations of abdominal
      visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT)
      with cardiovascular risk factors in a Caucasian population of men and women with
      normal glucose tolerance, prediabetes, or screen-detected diabetes. DESIGN,
      SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was based on cross-sectional analysis of
      data from 1412 adults age 45-80 years. VAT and SAT were assessed by ultrasound.
      The associations of VAT and SAT with blood pressure and lipids were examined by
      linear regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, smoking, alcohol, physical
      activity, glucose tolerance status (GTS), medication use, and body mass index.
      Effect modification by GTS and sex was examined, and stratified analyses
      performed. RESULTS: Independent of SAT and overall obesity, VAT was associated
      with higher triglyceride and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
      levels in both men and women and additionally associated with higher total
      cholesterol in men. SAT was independently associated with higher total
      cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in both sexes, and SAT
      was additionally associated with higher triglyceride and lower HDL cholesterol
      levels in women and with higher blood pressure in participants with diabetes.
      CONCLUSION: Both abdominal VAT and SAT are independent of overall obesity
      associated with cardiovascular risk in a population of men and women at low to
      high risk of diabetes or with screen-detected diabetes.

PMID- 26120788
TI  - ApoE4 Determines the Reduction in LDL-C After GH Replacement Therapy in Children
      With an Idiopathic GH Deficiency.
AB  - CONTEXT: GH activates the expression of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors,
      leading to decreased LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C). Apolipoprotein (apo) E4 carriers
      suppress LDL receptor expression, rendering high LDL-C concentrations.
      OBJECTIVES: We examined whether GH-deficient children carrying apoE4 exhibited a
      greater reduction in LDL-C after GH replacement therapy. DESIGN AND SETTING: We
      determined lipoprotein profiles after 0, 4, and 12 months of GH treatment in
      children with an idiopathic GH deficiency. We compared the effects of GH
      treatment on LDL-C by apoE phenotype. SUBJECTS: In total, 66 children with
      idiopathic GH deficiency and 89 healthy children were classified into subgroups
      according to apoE phenotype. INTERVENTION: The intervention included GH
      replacement therapy for 12 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The relationship
      between apoE phenotype and reduced LDL-C induced by GH treatment was measured.
      RESULTS: Concentrations of LDL-C and apoB were highest in the apoE4/3 group (n =
      13), second highest in the apoE3/3 group (n = 46), and lowest in the apoE3/2
      group (n = 7), whereas apoE concentrations were highest in the apoE3/2 group and
      lowest in the apoE4/3 group. The apoE4/3 group had significantly reduced LDL-C
      and apoB concentrations at months 4 and 12, whereas the apoE3/3 and apoE3/2
      groups showed no changes. LDL-C concentrations did not differ among the three
      groups after 12 months. The trend in apoE concentration did not change among the
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Children with a GH deficiency carrying apoE4 had higher
      baseline LDL-C concentrations and experienced a greater reduction in LDL-C after
      GH replacement therapy than those without apoE4.

PMID- 26120789
TI  - Mean Platelet Volume Is Closely Associated With Serum Glucose Level but Not With
      Arterial Stiffness and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - CONTEXT: Mean platelet volume (MPV) has been suggested as a predictive biomarker
      for cardiovascular disease. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the association
      between MPV and subclinical atherosclerosis in Korean patients with type 2
      diabetes. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 1205 patients with type 2
      diabetes mellitus. Both brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity measurements and an
      ultrasound assessment of carotid atherosclerosis were done. Subclinical
      atherosclerosis was assessed by the presence of high brachial-ankle pulse wave
      velocity (>1743 cm/sec), carotid atherosclerosis (intima-media thickness > 0.8 mm
      or the presence of plaques), and carotid stenosis (>=50% of luminal narrowing).
      The subjects were stratified into quartiles according to MPV, and the
      relationship between MPV and subclinical atherosclerosis was analyzed. RESULTS:
      High MPV quartiles were linearly associated with fasting glucose and glycated
      hemoglobin but not with diabetic duration or insulin resistance. The prevalence
      of high pulse wave velocity, carotid atherosclerosis, and carotid stenosis did
      not differ between the quartiles in men and women. Multivariate logistic
      regression analyses revealed no association between MPV and high pulse wave
      velocity, carotid atherosclerosis, and carotid stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: MPV was
      strongly associated with the severity of glycemic control but not significantly
      associated with the early and late stages of atherosclerotic vascular changes in
      type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Our results suggest that MPV is not a reliable
      marker for subclinical atherosclerosis in a diabetic population. This is possibly
      confounded by the close association of MPV with poor glycemic control. Further
      research is needed to broaden and validate the results.

PMID- 26120790
TI  - Serum Testosterone (T) Level Variability in T Gel-Treated Older Hypogonadal Men:
      Treatment Monitoring Implications.
AB  - CONTEXT: The optimal frequency for on-treatment serum T measurement used for dose
      adjustment after transdermal T gel application is unknown, especially in older
      men with thinner skin and slower metabolic clearance. OBJECTIVES: The objectives
      of the study was to determine the variability of postgel application serum T
      concentrations and assess whether single levels are reflective of average serum T
      concentrations over 24 hours (Cavg0-24). DESIGN: This was a double-blinded,
      placebo-controlled randomized trial. SETTING: The study was conducted at five
      academic centers. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-seven symptomatic men 65 years old or older
      with an average of two morning T concentration less than 275 ng/dL participated
      in the study. INTERVENTION(S): Transdermal T or placebo gel was applied for 120
      +/- 14 days. Monthly dose adjustments were made if necessary to target serum T
      between 400 and 500 to 800 ng/dL. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Variability of serum T 2
      hours after the gel application on two outpatient visits and at multiple time
      points over 24 hours during the inpatient day was measured. RESULTS: On-treatment
      T levels varied substantially on the 2 ambulatory days and over 24 hours during
      the inpatient day. Ambulatory 2-hour postapplication T levels did not correlate
      significantly with either 2-hour postapplication serum T or Cavg0-24 measured
      during the inpatient day. Only 22.2% of men receiving T had a Cavg0-24 within the
      target range of 500-800 ng/dL; 81.5% had a Cavg0-24 within the broader 300-1000
      ng/dL range. CONCLUSION: Large within-individual variations in serum T after T
      gel application render ambulatory 2-hour postapplication T level a poor indicator
      of average serum T on another day. Our data point out the limitations of dose
      adjustments based on a single postapplication serum T measurement.

PMID- 26120791
TI  - Lipoprotein-Free Mitotane Exerts High Cytotoxic Activity in Adrenocortical
      Carcinoma.
AB  - CONTEXT: Mitotane (o,p'-DDD), the only approved drug for advanced adrenocortical
      carcinoma (ACC), is a lipophilic agent that accumulates into circulating
      lipoprotein fractions and high-lipid-containing tissues. OBJECTIVE: The aim of
      our study was to evaluate the in vivo and in vitro biological implication of
      serum lipoproteins on pharmacological action of mitotane. Distribution and
      concentration of mitotane were studied in plasma and adrenal tissue samples from
      mitotane-treated patients. The effect of lipoprotein-bound or lipoprotein-free
      (LP-F) mitotane was analyzed on proliferation and apoptosis of human
      adrenocortical H295R cells. A retrospective study of patients with ACC treated or
      not with statins was also performed. RESULTS: o,p'-DDD distribution among very
      low-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein
      (HDL), and LP-F fractions obtained after plasma ultracentrifugation of 23 of
      mitotane-treated patients was widely distributed in each subfraction. A positive
      correlation was observed between mitotane levels in plasma and in LDL, HDL, but
      also LP-F compartment. Intratumor o,p'-DDD concentrations in five ACC samples of
      mitotane-treated patients were found to be independent of cholesterol transporter
      expression, scavenger receptors, and LDL receptors. In vitro studies showed
      significant higher antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects and higher cell and
      mitochondrial uptake of mitotane when H295R cells were grown in LP-F medium.
      Finally, retrospective study of an ACC cohort of 26 mitotane-treated patients
      revealed that statin therapy was significantly associated with a higher rate of
      tumor control. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, our in vitro and in vivo studies provided
      compelling evidence for a greater efficacy of LP-F mitotane. Patients with ACC
      may thus benefit from therapeutic strategies that aim to increase LP-F mitotane
      fraction.

PMID- 26120792
TI  - Recent Changes in the Clinical Outcome of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma With
      Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis.
AB  - CONTEXT: The prognosis of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with cervical lymph node
      (LN) metastasis has changed with increased detection of subclinical metastatic
      LNs. The number and size of metastatic LNs were proposed as new prognostic
      factors in PTC with cervical LN metastasis (N1). OBJECTIVE: The objective of the
      study was to evaluate changes in N1 PTC characteristics and clinical outcome over
      time and to confirm the prognostic value of the number and size of metastatic
      LNs. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: This study included 1815 N1 PTC patients diagnosed
      between 1997 and 2011. Patients were classified into three risk groups according
      to the number and size of metastatic LNs: very low risk, five or fewer and 0.2 cm
      or less; low risk, five or fewer and 0.2 cm or greater; and high risk, more than
      five. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Response to initial therapy and disease-free
      survival (DFS) was measured. RESULTS: Metastatic LNs became smaller, and the
      ratio of metastatic LNs, which represents the extent of LN involvement and the
      completeness of surgery, decreased significantly over time. The proportion of
      patients with excellent response significantly increased from 33% to 67% over
      time (P < .001). These improvements were more evident in the low- and high-risk
      groups than in the very low-risk group. The DFS 5 years after initial surgery was
      also significantly increased from 73% to 91% over time (P < .001). The new LN
      classification was strongly associated with outcome. Patients in the very low
      risk group had longer DFS than those in the low- and high-risk groups during the
      study period. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical outcome of N1 PTC has significantly
      changed over time with the earlier detection of thyroid cancers with less
      extensive LN involvement. More complete surgical neck dissection also might be
      responsible for these changes. The number and size of metastatic LNs are
      important prognostic factors of recurrence in N1 PTC.

PMID- 26120793
TI  - Seasonal Variability in Vitamin D Levels No Longer Detectable in Primary
      Hyperparathyroidism.
AB  - CONTEXT: Seasonal variability in 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and PTH levels in
      the general population has been associated with differences in bone turnover
      markers, bone density, and fracture risk. Seasonal variability in 25(OH)D and PTH
      levels has also been reported in primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). OBJECTIVE:
      Given the widespread use of vitamin D supplements, we sought to determine whether
      patients with PHPT still demonstrated seasonal variation in 25(OH)D levels.
      DESIGN AND SETTING: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a university
      medical center at a Northeastern U.S. latitude (New York, NY). PATIENTS: One
      hundred patients with PHPT participated in the study. OUTCOME MEASURES: We
      assessed vitamin D supplement use and seasonal variation in serum 25(OH)D.
      RESULTS: Patients had PHPT ([mean +/- SD] calcium, 10.8 +/- 1.0 mg/dL; PTH, 85 +/
      48 pg/mL) with a mean 25(OH)D level of 29 +/- 10 ng/mL. Although only one fifth
      of participants had vitamin D deficiency (19% < 20 ng/mL), more than half were
      either deficient or insufficient (54% < 30 ng/mL). Sun exposure varied by season,
      but there were no seasonal differences in levels of 25(OH)D, PTH, bone markers,
      or bone mineral density, or in the prevalence of 25(OH)D less than 20 or less
      than 30 ng/mL. Most of the participants (65%) took supplemental vitamin D (dose
      among users: mean, 1643 +/- 1496 IU; median, 1000 IU daily), and supplement users
      had markedly better vitamin D status than nonusers (25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL: 8 vs 40%;
      P < .0001; < 30 ng/mL: 40 vs 80%; P = .0001; >= 30 ng/mL: 60 vs 20%; P = .0001).
      CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence of seasonal variation in 25(OH)D levels or PHPT
      disease severity in the Northeastern United States. This change is likely due to
      widespread high vitamin D supplement intake, which has resulted in better vitamin
      D status among supplement users and can mask the effect of season on serum
      25(OH)D levels.

PMID- 26120794
TI  - 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Can Interfere With a Common Assay for 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D
      in Vitamin D Intoxication.
AB  - CONTEXT: Vitamin D intoxication is characterized by elevated serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and suppressed serum 1,25-dihydroxvitamin D
      (1,25(OH)2D). We evaluated two adolescents with hypercalcemia due to vitamin D
      intoxication; both had elevated serum 1,25(OH)2D by Diasorin RIA, but normal
      serum 1,25(OH)2D concentrations by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
      (LC-MS/MS). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the effect of 25(OH)D2 and
      25(OH)D3 on 1,25(OH)2D concentration determined using RIA and LC-MS/MS. METHODS:
      Pools of normal serum and an artificial serum matrix were prepared and aliquots
      were spiked with >99% pure 25(OH)D2 or 25(OH)D3 (50-700 ng/mL). Samples were
      maintained at 4 degrees C or heated to 56 degrees C, and the concentrations of
      vitamin D metabolites were measured by LC-MS/MS and Diasorin RIA. RESULTS: Median
      1,25(OH)2D increased by 114% with RIA and 21% with LC-MS/MS with addition of 100
      ng/mL 25(OH)D3, and 349% (RIA) and 117% (LC-MS/MS) with 700 ng/mL of 25(OH)D3.
      Each 1-ng/mL increase in 25(OH)D3 increased 1,25(OH)2D by 0.231 pg/mL (RIA) and
      0.121 pg/mL (LC-MS/MS). Spiking with 25(OH)D2 led to similar changes. Heat
      inactivation of serum, and using an artificial serum matrix, were associated with
      similar effects of 25(OH)D on 1,25(OH)2D assays. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D
      intoxication with high serum levels of 25(OH)D2 or 25(OH)D3 can be associated
      with elevated levels of 1,25(OH)2D due to interference in a commonly used RIA. A
      similar but attenuated effect also occurs when 1,25(OH)2D is measured using LC
      MS/MS but does not seem to be clinically significant. The basis for this effect
      on the LC-MS/MS assay is presently uncertain.

PMID- 26120797
TI  - Transvenous Approach to Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations: Challenging the
      Axioms of Arteriovenous Malformation Therapy?
AB  - : A compartmental conceptualization of intracranial arteriovenous malformations
      (AVMs) allows recognition of feeding arteries, an intervening plexiform nidus,
      and draining veins. AVM therapy involves eliminating the nidus, which is the
      source of hemorrhage, without compromising normal arterial and venous drainage of
      the brain. Traditional methods of AVM therapy through microsurgery and
      endovascular embolization involve arterial devascularization, with preservation
      of AVM venous drainage, until the nidus is excluded. The transvenous approach in
      treating vascular malformations was popularized by successful treatment models
      for dural arteriovenous fistulas. More recently, high-flow intracranial AVMs are
      being managed with transvenous endovascular approaches, although this novel
      technique has its challenges and perils. We review the current literature on
      transvenous AVM therapy and highlight its role for AVM therapy in the present
      day.

PMID- 26120796
TI  - Structural basis of enzymatic benzene ring reduction.
AB  - In chemical synthesis, the widely used Birch reduction of aromatic compounds to
      cyclic dienes requires alkali metals in ammonia as extremely low-potential
      electron donors. An analogous reaction is catalyzed by benzoyl-coenzyme A
      reductases (BCRs) that have a key role in the globally important bacterial
      degradation of aromatic compounds at anoxic sites. Because of the lack of
      structural information, the catalytic mechanism of enzymatic benzene ring
      reduction remained obscure. Here, we present the structural characterization of a
      dearomatizing BCR containing an unprecedented tungsten cofactor that transfers
      electrons to the benzene ring in an aprotic cavity. Substrate binding induces
      proton transfer from the bulk solvent to the active site by expelling a Zn(2+)
      that is crucial for active site encapsulation. Our results shed light on the
      structural basis of an electron transfer process at the negative redox potential
      limit in biology. They open the door for biological or biomimetic alternatives to
      a basic chemical synthetic tool.

PMID- 26120798
TI  - New Protocol for Skin Landmark Registration in Image-Guided Neurosurgery:
      Technical Note.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Newer versions of the commercial Medtronic StealthStation allow the
      use of only 8 landmark pairs for patient-to-image registration as opposed to 9
      landmarks in older systems. The choice of which landmark pair to drop in these
      newer systems can have an effect on the quality of the patient-to-image
      registration. OBJECTIVE: To investigate 4 landmark registration protocols based
      on 8 landmark pairs and compare the resulting registration accuracy with a 9
      landmark protocol. METHODS: Four different protocols were tested on both phantoms
      and patients. Two of the protocols involved using 4 ear landmarks and 4 facial
      landmarks and the other 2 involved using 3 ear landmarks and 5 facial landmarks.
      Both the fiducial registration error and target registration error were evaluated
      for each of the different protocols to determine any difference between them and
      the 9-landmark protocol. RESULTS: No difference in fiducial registration error
      was found between any of the 8-landmark protocols and the 9-landmark protocol. A
      significant decrease (P < .05) in target registration error was found when using
      a protocol based on 4 ear landmarks and 4 facial landmarks compared with the
      other protocols based on 3 ear landmarks. CONCLUSION: When using 8 landmarks to
      perform the patient-to-image registration, the protocol using 4 ear landmarks and
      4 facial landmarks greatly outperformed the other 8-landmark protocols and 9
      landmark protocol, resulting in the lowest target registration error.

PMID- 26120799
TI  - Can Preoperative Imaging Predict Tumor Involvement of the Anterior Clinoid in
      Clinoid Region Meningiomas?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anterior clinoid region meningiomas may infiltrate the bone over
      which they arise, therefore requiring an anterior clinoidectomy to achieve a
      Simpson grade 1 resection. A clinoidectomy, however, is not without risks.
      OBJECTIVE: We performed a study of diagnostic accuracy investigating whether
      preoperative imaging could predict tumor involvement of the clinoid, and thereby
      tailor the degree of bony removal. METHODS: Patients having undergone resection
      of a clinoid region meningioma between 2001 and 2011 were identified. Included in
      further analysis were those patients in whom a clinoidectomy was performed with
      subsequent pathologically confirmed presence or absence of tumor in the clinoid
      process on decalcified specimens. Two neuroradiologists, blinded to pathology
      results, independently reviewed available preoperative imaging and stated whether
      or not they anticipated the clinoid to be involved by tumor. Interobserver
      agreement and the ability to accurately predict tumor involvement of the clinoid
      were then analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients were included in the final
      analysis. Interobserver agreement was 100%. Sensitivity and specificity of
      preoperative imaging to predict tumor involvement was 89% and 52%, respectively,
      with positive and negative likelihood ratios of 1.85 and 0.20. Positive and
      negative predictive values were 73% and 76%, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      Preoperative imaging of clinoid region meningiomas can accurately predict the
      presence or absence of tumor involvement of the clinoid in only approximately 75%
      of cases. In light of the fact that a quarter of patients with radiographically
      negative clinoids will have tumor present on pathological analysis, we recommend
      a clinoidectomy for all clinoid region meningiomas.

PMID- 26120801
TI  - Hepatitis C Virus Treatment and Injection Drug Users: It Is Time to Separate Fact
      From Fiction.

PMID- 26120800
TI  - Resective Epilepsy Surgery for Tuberous Sclerosis in Children: Determining
      Predictors of Seizure Outcomes in a Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are no established variables that predict the success of
      curative resective epilepsy surgery in children with tuberous sclerosis complex
      (TSC). OBJECTIVE: We performed a multicenter observational study to identify
      preoperative factors associated with seizure outcome in children with TSC
      undergoing resective epilepsy surgery. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was
      performed in eligible children at New York Medical Center, Miami Children's
      Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, BC Children's Hospital, Hospital for Sick
      Children, and Sainte-Justine Hospital between January 2005 and December 2013. A
      time-to-event analysis was performed. The "event" was defined as seizures after
      resective epilepsy surgery. RESULTS: Seventy-four patients (41 male) were
      included. The median age of the patients at the time of surgery was 120 months
      (range, 3-216 months). The median time to seizure recurrence was 24.0 +/- 12.7
      months. Engel Class I outcome was achieved in 48 (65%) and 37 (50%) patients at 1
      and 2-year follow-up, respectively. On univariate analyses, younger age at
      seizure onset (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-4.00,
      P = .04), larger size of predominant tuber (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.99-1.06, P =
      .12), and resection larger than a tuberectomy (HR: 1.86, 95% CI: 0.92-3.74, P =
      .084) were associated with a longer duration of seizure freedom. In multivariate
      analyses, resection larger than a tuberectomy (HR: 2.90, 95% CI: 1.17-7.18, P =
      .022) was independently associated with a longer duration of seizure freedom.
      CONCLUSION: In this large consecutive cohort of children with TSC and medically
      intractable epilepsy, a greater extent of resection (more than just the tuber) is
      associated with a greater probability of seizure freedom. This suggests that the
      epileptogenic zone may include the cortex surrounding the presumed offending
      tuber.

PMID- 26120802
TI  - Phenotypic variation in epidermolytic ichthyosis: clinical and functional
      evaluation of the novel p.(Met339Lys) mutation in the L12 domain of KRT1.

PMID- 26120803
TI  - Doping of Graphene by Low-Energy Ion Beam Implantation: Structural, Electronic,
      and Transport Properties.
AB  - We investigate the structural, electronic, and transport properties of
      substitutional defects in SiC-graphene by means of scanning tunneling microscopy
      and magnetotransport experiments. Using ion incorporation via ultralow energy ion
      implantation, the influence of different ion species (boron, nitrogen, and
      carbon) can directly be compared. While boron and nitrogen atoms lead to an
      effective doping of the graphene sheet and can reduce or raise the position of
      the Fermi level, respectively, (12)C(+) carbon ions are used to study possible
      defect creation by the bombardment. For low-temperature transport, the
      implantation leads to an increase in resistance and a decrease in mobility in
      contrast to undoped samples. For undoped samples, we observe in high magnetic
      fields a positive magnetoresistance that changes to negative for the doped
      samples, especially for (11)B(+)- and (12)C(+)-ions. We conclude that the
      conductivity of the graphene sheet is lowered by impurity atoms and especially by
      lattice defects, because they result in weak localization effects at low
      temperatures. 

PMID- 26120804
TI  - Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and non-opioids for acute renal
      colic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal colic is acute pain caused by urinary stones. The prevalence of
      urinary stones is between 10% and 15% in the United States, making renal colic
      one of the common reasons for urgent urological care. The pain is usually severe
      and the first step in the management is adequate analgesia. Many different
      classes of medications have been used in this regard including non-steroidal anti
      inflammatory drugs and narcotics. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review was to
      assess benefits and harms of different NSAIDs and non-opioids in the treatment of
      adult patients with acute renal colic and if possible to determine which
      medication (or class of medications) are more appropriate for this purpose.
      Clinically relevant outcomes such as efficacy of pain relief, time to pain
      relief, recurrence of pain, need for rescue medication and side effects were
      explored. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Renal Group's Specialised
      Register (to 27 November 2014) through contact with the Trials' Search Co
      ordinator using search terms relevant to this review. SELECTION CRITERIA: Only
      randomised or quasi randomised studies were included. Other inclusion criteria
      included adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of renal colic due to
      urolithiasis, at least one treatment arm included a non-narcotic analgesic
      compared to placebo or another non-narcotic drug, and reporting of pain outcome
      or medication adverse effect. Patient-rated pain by a validated tool, time to
      relief, need for rescue medication and pain recurrence constituted the outcomes
      of interest. Any adverse effects (minor or major) reported in the studies were
      included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Abstracts were reviewed by at least two
      authors independently. Papers meeting the inclusion criteria were fully reviewed
      and relevant data were recorded in a standardized Cochrane Renal Group data
      collection form. For dichotomous outcomes relative risks and 95% confidence
      intervals were calculated. For continuous outcomes the weighted mean difference
      was estimated. Both fixed and random models were used for meta-analysis. We
      assessed the analgesic effects using four different outcome variables: patient
      reported pain relief using a visual analogue scale (VAS); proportion of patients
      with at least 50% reduction in pain; need for rescue medication; and pain
      recurrence. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 test. MAIN RESULTS: A total
      of 50 studies (5734 participants) were included in this review and 37 studies
      (4483 participants) contributed to our meta-analyses. Selection bias was low in
      34% of the studies or unclear in 66%; performance bias was low in 74%, high in
      14% and unclear in 12%; attrition bias was low in 82% and high in 18%; selective
      reporting bias low in 92% of the studies; and other biases (industry funding) was
      high in 4%, unclear in 18% and low in 78%.Patient-reported pain (VAS) results
      varied widely with high heterogeneity observed. For those comparisons which could
      be pooled we observed the following: NSAIDs significantly reduced pain compared
      to antispasmodics (5 studies, 303 participants: MD -12.97, 95% CI -21.80 to -
      4.14; I2 = 74%) and combination therapy of NSAIDs plus antispasmodics was
      significantly more effective in pain control than NSAID alone (2 studies, 310
      participants: MD -1.99, 95% CI -2.58 to -1.40; I2 = 0%).NSAIDs were significantly
      more effective than placebo in reducing pain by 50% within the first hour (3
      studies, 197 participants: RR 2.28, 95% CI 1.47 to 3.51; I2 = 15%). Indomethacin
      was found to be less effective than other NSAIDs (4 studies, 412 participants: RR
      1.27, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.60; I2 = 55%). NSAIDs were significantly more effective
      than hyoscine in pain reduction (5 comparisons, 196 participants: RR 2.44, 95% CI
      1.61 to 3.70; I2 = 28%). The combination of NSAIDs and antispasmodics was not
      superior to NSAIDs only (9 comparisons, 906 participants: RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.89 to
      1.13; I2 = 59%). The results were mixed when NSAIDs were compared to other non
      opioid medications.When the need for rescue medication was evaluated, Patients
      receiving NSAIDs were significantly less likely to require rescue medicine than
      those receiving placebo (4 comparisons, 180 participants: RR 0.35, 95% CI 0.20 to
      0.60; I2 = 24%) and NSAIDs were more effective than antispasmodics (4 studies,
      299 participants: RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.84; I2 = 65%). Combination of NSAIDs
      and antispasmodics was not superior to NSAIDs (7 comparisons, 589 participants:
      RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.57; I2 = 10%). Indomethacin was less effective than
      other NSAIDs (4 studies, 517 participants: RR 1.36, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.94; I2 =
      14%) except for lysine acetyl salicylate (RR 0.15, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.65).Pain
      recurrence was reported by only three studies which could not be pooled: a higher
      proportion of patients treated with 75 mg diclofenac (IM) showed pain recurrence
      in the first 24 hours of follow-up compared to those treated with 40 mg piroxicam
      (IM) (60 participants: RR 0.05, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.81); no significant difference
      in pain recurrence at 72 hours was observed between piroxicam plus phloroglucinol
      and piroxicam plus placebo groups (253 participants: RR 2.52, 95% CI 0.15
      to12.75); and there was no significant difference in pain recurrence within 72
      hours of discharge between IM piroxicam and IV paracetamol (82 participants: RR
      1.00, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.54).Side effects were presented inconsistently, but no
      major events were reported. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Although due to variability in
      studies (inclusion criteria, outcome variables and interventions) and the
      evidence is not of highest quality, we still believe that NSAIDs are an effective
      treatment for renal colic when compared to placebo or antispasmodics. The
      addition of antispasmodics to NSAIDS does not result in better pain control. Data
      on other types of non-opioid, non-NSAID medication was scarce.Major adverse
      effects are not reported in the literature for the use of NSAIDs for treatment of
      renal colic.

PMID- 26120805
TI  - Ag nanocluster-based label-free catalytic and molecular beacons for amplified
      biosensing.
AB  - By employing DNAzyme as a recognition group and amplifier, and DNA-stabilized
      silver nanoclusters (DNA/AgNCs) as signal reporters, we reported for the first
      time a label-free catalytic and molecular beacon as an amplified biosensing
      platform for highly selective detection of cofactors such as Pb(2+) and L
      histidine.

PMID- 26120806
TI  - Altered one-carbon metabolism in posttraumatic stress disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with increased
      morbidity and mortality through somatic conditions, particularly cardiovascular
      disease. The one-carbon metabolism in connection with the hypothalamic-pituitary
      adrenal (HPA)-axis may be an important mediator of this increased cardiovascular
      risk. METHODS: In a mixed-gender sample of 49 PTSD patients and 45 healthy
      controls we therefore investigated: (1) alterations in the one-carbon metabolism
      as reflected in fasting plasma concentrations of homocysteine, folate, vitamins
      B6 and B12, and (2) associations of these one-carbon metabolites with the HPA
      axis hormones cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate (DHEA-S).
      RESULTS: After correction for confounders, PTSD patients had significantly
      elevated homocysteine (z = 2.963, p = .003) compared to controls, but normal
      levels of folate, vitamin B6 and B12. Comorbid depression did not explain the
      observed higher homocysteine levels. Patients showed increased risk for moderate
      hyperhomocysteinemia (OR = 7.0, chi(2) = 7.436, p = .006). Additionally,
      homocysteine was associated with PTSD severity (z = 2.281, p = .005). Moreover,
      all HPA-axis hormones were associated with folate in both patients and controls
      (all p's <= .011), while DHEA-S influenced folate in patients (z = 2.089, p =
      .037). LIMITATIONS: Our clinical sample is relatively small and therefore small
      sized effects may have remained undetected. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates
      that: (1) the one-carbon metabolism is altered in PTSD patients, (2) earlier
      findings of higher homocysteine in male PTSD patients are generalized to female
      patients, (3) homocysteine is negatively associated with PTSD severity, and (4)
      HPA-axis alterations are associated with the one-carbon metabolism. Longitudinal
      studies are needed to determine whether elevated homocysteine levels reflect
      preexisting risk factors and/or consequences of psychological trauma.

PMID- 26120807
TI  - Suicidality-based prediction of suicide attempts in a community-dwelling elderly
      population: Results from the Osan Mental Health Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Data on outcomes of suicidality in the community-dwelling elderly are
      scarce. We investigated the association of suicidality with the suicide attempts
      in a community-dwelling elderly cohort. METHODS: In the Osan Mental Health
      Survey, 848 randomly sampled elderly Koreans participated in the baseline
      evaluation, 623 completed 2-year follow-up evaluation and 32 died during the
      follow-up period. The survey was conducted between February 2010 and January
      2013. We evaluated suicidality using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric
      Interview suicidality module that includes both suicidal ideation and attempts.
      RESULTS: The incidences of suicidality and suicide attempts were 70.7 and 13.1
      per 1000 persons per year, respectively. Suicidality was associated with
      increased risk of suicide attempts (odds ratio (OR) = 3.84, 95% CI = 1.06-13.87).
      Two men with suicidality committed suicide by self-poisoning. Moderate to high
      intensity daily exercise decreased the risk of suicidality to become persistent
      or recurrent (OR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.12-0.81). Low education level (OR = 2.41, 95%
      CI = 1.21-4.77) and depression (OR = 3.02, 95% CI = 1.65-5.53) were associated
      with risk of incident suicidality. LIMITATIONS: Study sample was enrolled from a
      single city of Korea, and the size of the study sample was small. CONCLUSIONS: We
      may reduce suicide attempts by screening for suicidality and implementing
      exercise programs in community-dwelling elderly people.

PMID- 26120808
TI  - Glucose metabolism alterations in patients with bipolar disorder.
AB  - Patients with bipolar disorder (BD) are more frequently affected by metabolic
      syndrome (MetS) than the general population, but the neurobiological correlates
      underlying such association are still not clarified and few studies in BD have
      evaluated the role of regulators of lipid and glucose metabolism. The present
      study was aimed to investigate putative alterations in markers linked to
      metabolic dysfunctions as C-peptide, Ghrelin, GIP, GLP-1, Glucagon, Insulin,
      Leptin, PAI-1 (total), Resistin and Visfatin in a sample of BD patients compared
      to controls. Furthermore, associations between changes of metabolic markers and
      relevant clinical features, such as severity of symptomatology, number and type
      of past mood episodes, drug treatments and presence/absence of metabolic
      alterations (MetS, diabetes and cardiovascular disease) were analyzed. A total of
      57 patients with BD and 49 healthy controls were recruited. The main results
      showed lower serum levels of Glucagon, GLP-1, Ghrelin, and higher levels of GIP
      in BD patients as compared to controls (p = 0.018 for Ghrelin; p < 0.0001 for
      Glucagon; p < 0.0001 for GLP-1; p < 0.0001 for GIP). Further, Glucagon and GLP-1
      levels were significantly associated with the number of past mood episodes. These
      findings support the hypothesis that alterations in Glucagon, GLP-1, GIP and
      Ghrelin might be involved in BD pathogenesis and might represent useful
      biomarkers for the development of preventive and personalized therapies in this
      disorder.

PMID- 26120809
TI  - Loudness dependence of auditory evoked potentials (LDAEP) in clinical monitoring
      of suicidal patients with major depression in comparison with non-suicidal
      depressed patients and healthy volunteers: A follow-up-study.
AB  - Differences in central serotonergic function due to affective disorders and due
      to extraordinary situations like suicidality may be visualized using the loudness
      dependence of auditory evoked potentials (LDAEP). Twenty patients (mean age 43.25
      +/- 10.85, age range 20-61, 11 male) suffering from a major depressive episode
      who had either acutely attempted suicide or who had suicidal plans and behavior,
      which are reflected by item 3 of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale >= 3
      (suicidality), were included in the study. Furthermore, we intended to compare
      their LDAEP to those of non-suicidal depressed patients as well as to healthy
      volunteers, each matched according to age and gender. LDAEP measurement and
      psychometric tests took place about 2, 5, 9, 16 and 30 days after acute suicidal
      action or suicide attempts. In contrast to previous results, significant
      differences in LDAEP could not have been shown in between the suicidal group, or
      by comparing results of suicidal patients to non-suicidal depressed patients or
      to healthy volunteers. However, when the LDAEP of non-suicidal depressed patients
      were compared to healthy volunteers, there was a trend for a higher LDAEP in the
      healthy volunteers. Further studies are necessary to detect and describe further
      influences on serotonergic function and confounding factors like medication,
      smoking, age, gender, comorbidities and methods of suicidal attempts.

PMID- 26120810
TI  - Novel signal amplification strategy for ultrasensitive sandwich-type
      electrochemical immunosensor employing Pd-Fe3O4-GS as the matrix and SiO2 as the
      label.
AB  - An ultrasensitive sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor based on a novel
      signal amplification strategy was developed for the quantitative determination of
      human immunoglobulin G (IgG). Pd nanocubes functionalized magnetic graphene sheet
      (Pd-Fe3O4-GS) was employed as the matrix to immobilize the primary antibodies
      (Ab1). Owing to the synergetic effect between Pd nanocubes and magnetic graphene
      sheet (Fe3O4-GS), Pd-Fe3O4-GS can provide an obviously increasing electrochemical
      signal by electrochemical catalysis towards hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Silicon
      dioxide (SiO2) was functionalized as the label to conjugate with the secondary
      antibodies (Ab2). Due to the larger steric hindrance of the obtained conjugate
      (SiO2@Ab2), the sensitive decrease of the electrochemical signal can be achieved
      after the specific recognition between antibodies and antigens. In this sense,
      this proposed immunosensor can achieve a high sensitivity, especially in the
      presence of low concentrations of IgG. Under optimum conditions, the proposed
      immunosensor offered an ultrasensitive and specific determination of IgG down to
      3.2 fg/mL. This immunoassay method would open up a new promising platform to
      detect various tumor markers at ultralow levels for early diagnoses of different
      cancers.

PMID- 26120811
TI  - Exonuclease III-based target recycling for ultrasensitive homogeneous monitoring
      of HIV DNA using Ag(+)-coordinated hairpin probe.
AB  - A new homogeneous electrochemical sensing strategy based on exonuclease III
      assisted target recycling amplification was utilized for simple, rapid and highly
      sensitive detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) DNA on an
      immobilization-free Ag(I)-assisted hairpin DNA through the cytosine-Ag(+)
      cytosine coordination chemistry. The assay involved target-induced strand
      displacement reaction accompanying dissociation of the chelated Ag(+) in the
      hairpins and exonuclease III-triggered target recycling. Initially, the added
      target DNA hybridized with hairpin DNA to disrupt the Ag(I)-coordinated hairpin
      probe and releases the coordinated Ag(+) ion. Then, the newly formed DNA double
      stranded DNA could be cleaved by exonuclease III, and released target HIV DNA,
      which retriggered the strand-displacement reaction with the hairpin for target
      recycling, thereby resulting in formation of numerous free Ag(+) ions in the
      detection cell. The released Ag(+) ions can be readily captured by the negatively
      charged electrode, and subsequent anodic-stripping voltammetric detection of the
      captured Ag(+) ions are conducted to form the anodic current for the production
      of the electronic signal within the applied potential. Under optimal conditions,
      the exonuclease III-based sensing system exhibited good electrochemical responses
      for the detection of HIV DNA at a concentration as low as 23 fM.

PMID- 26120812
TI  - Highly exposed Pt nanoparticles supported on porous graphene for electrochemical
      detection of hydrogen peroxide in living cells.
AB  - In this study, we developed a novel biosensor based on highly exposed Pt
      nanoparticles (Pt NPs) decorated porous graphene (PG) for the reliable detection
      of extracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) released from living cells. The
      commercially available low-cost hydrophilic CaCO3 spheres were used as template
      for preparing PG. The porous structure provided larger surface area and more
      active sites. Due to the porous structure of PG, the Pt NPs supported on PG were
      not secluded by aggregated graphene layers and were highly exposed to target
      molecules. Ultrafine Pt NPs were well dispersed and loaded on PG by a method of
      microwave assistance. Electrochemical performances of the Pt/PG nanocomposites
      modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) were investigated. The electrocatalytic
      reduction of H2O2 showed a wide linear range from 1 to 1477 MUM, with a high
      sensitivity of 341.14 MUA mM(-1) cm(-2) and a limit of detection (LOD) as low as
      0.50 MUM. Moreover, the Pt/PG/GCE exhibited excellent anti-interference property,
      reproducibility and long-term storage stability. Because of these remarkable
      analytical advantages, the constructed sensor was used to determine H2O2 released
      from living cells with satisfactory results. The superior catalytic activity
      makes Pt/PG nanocomposites a promising candidate for electrochemical sensors and
      biosensors design.

PMID- 26120813
TI  - Triple functional DNA-protein conjugates: Signal probes for Pb(2+) using
      evanescent wave-induced emission.
AB  - We describe here a Pb(2+)-dependent DNAzyme-based evanescent wave-induced
      emission (EWIE) biosensing platform using triple functional DNA-protein
      conjugates as signal probes for Pb(2+) detection. Upon reaction with Pb(2+), the
      substrate strand is cleaved, releasing an invasion fragment, which is then
      hybridized with the complementary DNA strand immobilized on magnetic beads, while
      dissociating of the original hybridized signal probes. The signal probes,
      consisting of a streptavidin moiety and a Cy5.5 labeled DNA moiety, act
      simultaneously as signal conversion, signal recognition and signal report
      elements. Detection of the signal probes is accomplished by first adsorbing to
      the desthiobiotin-modified optical fiber, followed by fluorescence emission
      induced by an evanescent field. A linear calibration was obtained from 20 nM to
      800 nM with a detection limit of 1 nM. The optical fiber system is robust enough
      for 250 sensing cycles and can be stored at room temperature over one month.
      These results demonstrate that application of DNA-streptavidin conjugates has
      been extended to DNAzyme-based biosensors, maintaining activity, specificity,
      regeneration and long-term storage ability.

PMID- 26120814
TI  - A high-performance nonenzymatic piezoelectric sensor based on molecularly
      imprinted transparent TiO2 film for detection of urea.
AB  - Transparent photocatalytic surfaces are of ever increasing importance for the
      enhancement of the photocatalytic efficiency. Here, the highly ordered
      transparent TiO2 nanotube arrays were prepared by the anodization and thermal
      annealing of titanium layer deposited onto the glass substrate, and a novel
      nonenzymatic piezoelectric sensor was developed for urea detection based on the
      modification of molecularly imprinted TiO2 thin film onto transparent TiO2
      nanotube arrays. The performance of the fabricated sensor was evaluated and the
      results indicated that the sensor exhibited high sensitivity in urea detection,
      with a linear range from 0.04 to 120 MUM and a limit of detection of 0.01 MUM.
      Moreover, the sensor presented outstanding selectivity while used in coexisting
      systems containing various interferents with high concentration. The analytical
      application of the urea sensor confirmed the feasibility of urea detection in
      urine sample.

PMID- 26120815
TI  - A new fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dot system modified by the fluorophore
      labeled ssDNA for the analysis of 6-mercaptopurine and Hg (II).
AB  - A simple, environmentally friendly hydrothermal method was used to prepare
      strongly luminescent, nitrogen-doped carbon dots (NCDs) with the use of Chinese
      yams as a source of carbon and nitrogen. Such NCDs have an average size of 2.7+/
      1.4 nm; they emit blue light at 420 nm and have a quantum yield of up to 9.3%.
      Thus, carboxyfluorescein (FAM)-DNA macro-molecules were assembled on the surfaces
      of the NCDs, and stabilised by strong pi-pi stacking; the so formed hybrid nano
      sensors were found to have an ultra-sensitive response to 6-mercaptopurine (6
      MP). A strong emission and enhancement of yellow radiation was observed from FAM.
      Furthermore, due to the specific interactions between DNA and Hg(2+), which
      resulted in the formation of the T-Hg(2+)-T (T: thymine base) complex - a large,
      conjugated system, which formed between NCDs, DNA and 6-MP, was broken up. Thus,
      the fluorescence from FAM was quenched. The detection limits for 6-MP and Hg(2+)
      were 0.67 and 1.26 nM, respectively. The proposed method was applied for the
      determination of 6-MP in human serum and Hg(2+) in water samples with
      satisfactory results.

PMID- 26120816
TI  - G-quadruplex DNAzyme-based electrochemiluminescence biosensing strategy for
      VEGF165 detection: Combination of aptamer-target recognition and T7 exonuclease
      assisted cycling signal amplification.
AB  - The expression profile of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is highly
      correlated with the occurrence and development of cancer. This work reports an
      electrochemiluminescence (ECL) approach for highly sensitive detection of
      VEGF165. This approach comprises aptamer-target recognition, T7 exonuclease (T7
      Exo)-assisted cycling signal amplification and efficient quenching of ECL of
      CdS:Eu nanocrystals (NCs) by using DNAzyme. In this assay, CdS:Eu NCs were used
      as the ECL substrate, A guanine (G)-rich single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) sequence and
      VEGF165 aptamer were co-immobilized on the surface of the CdS:Eu NCs modified
      glassy carbon electrode. After recognition and binding to VEGF165, the aptamer
      moved away from the electrode surface and induced the proposed cyclic cleavage of
      the target DNA with T7 Exo. A large amount of G-rich ssDNA was released on the
      CdS:Eu film and folded into G-quadruplex/hemin DNAzyme in the presence of hemin
      and K(+), consequently decreasing the ECL intensity of CdS:Eu. A good linearity
      was obtained for VEGF165 detection within the range of 1 pM to 20 nM with a
      detection limit of 0.2 pM. This assay could be a universal and promising protocol
      for detection of various biomarkers for early clinical diagnosis.

PMID- 26120817
TI  - A label-free electrochemiluminescence immunosensor based on KNbO3-Au
      nanoparticles@Bi2S3 for the detection of prostate specific antigen.
AB  - A high sensitive label-free electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor was
      fabricated for the detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA) based on
      potassium niobate-Au nanoparticles@bismuth sulfide (KNbO3-Au NPs@Bi2S3) modified
      glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The prepared Bi2S3 nanosheets exhibited strong and
      stable cathodic ECL activity. The synthesized KNbO3-Au NPs was firstly used to
      fabricate ECL modified electrodes and Bi2S3 nanosheets worked as luminophores for
      the first time in ECL sensors. Au NPs were used to combine with Bi2S3 and anti
      PSA via the Au-S covalent bond and Au-NH2 covalent bond without the usage of
      crosslinking agents respectively, further enhancing the sensitivity and stability
      of immunosensor. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the ECL signal of
      KNbO3-Au NPs@Bi2S3 linearly decreased with the increase of PSA concentration in
      the range of 0.005-5 ng/mL with a detection limit of 3 pg/mL. The preparated
      label-free ECL immunosensor exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity, good
      repeatability and long-term stability. The applicability of the proposed ECL
      immunosensor was also evaluated by detecting PSA in real samples.

PMID- 26120818
TI  - Asymmetry in the Collision Judgments of People With Homonymous Field Defects and
      Left Hemispatial Neglect.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although the impact of homonymous visual field defects (HFDs) on
      mobility has been investigated previously, the emphasis has been on obstacle
      detection. Relatively little is known about HFD patients' ability to judge
      collisions once an obstacle is detected. We investigated this using a walking
      simulator. METHODS: Patients with HFDs (n = 29) and subjects with normal vision
      (NV; n = 21) were seated in front of a large screen on which a visual simulation
      of walking was displayed. They made collision judgments for a human figure that
      appeared for 1 second at lateral offsets from the virtual walking path. A
      perceived-collision threshold was calculated for right and left sides. RESULTS:
      Symmetrical collision thresholds (same on left and right sides) were measured for
      participants with NV (n = 21), and right (n = 9) and left (n = 7) HFD without
      hemispatial neglect. Participants with left neglect (n = 10) showed significant
      asymmetry with thresholds smaller (compared to the NV group and other HFD groups)
      on the blind (P < 0.001) and larger on the seeing (P = 0.05) sides. Despite the
      asymmetry, the overall width of the zone of perceived collision risk was not
      different, suggesting a relatively uniform rightward deviation in judgments of
      the left neglect group. CONCLUSIONS: Left neglect was associated with rightward
      asymmetry in collision judgments, which may cause collisions on the left side
      even when an obstacle is detected. These behaviors may represent the spatial
      misperceptions in body midline described previously in patients with left
      neglect.

PMID- 26120819
TI  - Genome-Wide Analysis of Ocular Adnexal Lymphoproliferative Disorders Using High
      Resolution Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Array.
AB  - PURPOSE: We identified the genomic signature of ocular adnexal
      lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs), especially ocular adnexal mucosa-associated
      lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, IgG4-related ophthalmic disease (IgG4-ROD),
      reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (RLH), and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
      METHODS: We included 52 subjects with ocular adnexal LPDs (13 orbital MALT
      lymphomas, 16 conjunctival MALT lymphomas, 13 IgG4-RODs, 4 RLHs, and 6 DLBCLs)
      who had been treated at the Tokyo Medical University Hospital from 2008 to 2012.
      Genomic DNA was extracted from the tumor tissues and subjected to high-resolution
      single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-A) karyotyping using GeneChip Human
      Mapping 250K SNP arrays. The array data were investigated using Copy Number
      Analysis for GeneChips (CNAG) software. RESULTS: In ocular adnexal MALT
      lymphomas, the most frequent copy number (CN) gain region was trisomy 3 detected
      in 31% (9/29), followed by trisomy 18 in 17% (5/29), and 6p and 21q in 14%
      (4/29). The most frequent CN loss regions were 6q and 9p, detected in 7% (2/29).
      Uniparental disomy was detected on 6q in 14% (4/29), followed by 3q in 10%
      (3/29). Copy number variations (CNVs) were not detected in IgG4-RODs and RLHs.
      Conversely, CNVs were more frequent in DLBCLs than in ocular adnexal MALT
      lymphomas. Copy number variations were detected in 77% (10/13) of orbital MALT
      lymphomas and in 67% (11/16) of conjunctival MALT lymphomas. CONCLUSIONS: High
      resolution single nucleotide polymorphism array is a useful method for
      discriminating ocular adnexal lymphomas from benign LPDs. The differences in the
      chromosomal abnormality patterns may reflect the activity of ocular adnexal LPDs.

PMID- 26120820
TI  - Electrospun Collagen Fibers with Spatial Patterning of SDF1alpha for the Guidance
      of Neural Stem Cells.
AB  - Producing gradients of biological cues into nerve conduits is crucial for nerve
      guidance and regeneration. Herein, the fabrication of gradients of stromal cell
      derived factor-1alpha (SDF1alpha) on electrospun collagen mats is reported using
      an electrohydrodynamic jet printing technique. The fabrication of various
      SDF1alpha gradated patterns on collagen fibrous mats is successfully demonstrated
      including shallow continuous gradient, steep continuous gradient, and step
      gradient by controlling the processing parameters. The SDF1alpha graded collagen
      scaffolds show a long-term stable gradient, as SDF1alpha is fused with a unique
      peptide of collagen binding domain (CBD), and CBD-SDF1alpha can specifically bind
      to the collagen mat. Such graded scaffolds exhibit sustained release of
      SDF1alpha. Further examination of neural stem cell (NSC) response to the CBD
      SDF1alpha gradients with various patterns show that the NSCs can sense the CBD
      SDF1alpha gradients, display a polarized morphology, and tend to migrate toward
      the region with a higher CBD-SDF1alpha content. The collagen mats with CBD
      SDF1alpha gradients guide gradual distribution of NSCs, and NSC-differentiated
      neurons and astrocytes after seeding for 1 and 7 d. This new class of CBD
      SDF1alpha gradient scaffolds can potentially be employed for guided nerve
      regeneration. 

PMID- 26120821
TI  - Enhanced dipicolinic acid production during the stationary phase in Bacillus
      subtilis by blocking acetoin synthesis.
AB  - Bacterial bio-production during the stationary phase is expected to lead to a
      high target yield because the cells do not consume the substrate for growth.
      Bacillus subtilis is widely used for bio-production, but little is known about
      the metabolism during the stationary phase. In this study, we focused on the
      dipicolinic acid (DPA) production by B. subtilis and investigated the metabolism.
      We found that DPA production competes with acetoin synthesis and that acetoin
      synthesis genes (alsSD) deletion increases DPA productivity by 1.4-fold. The
      mutant showed interesting features where the glucose uptake was inhibited,
      whereas the cell density increased by approximately 50%, resulting in similar
      volumetric glucose consumption to that of the parental strain. The metabolic
      profiles revealed accumulation of pyruvate, acetyl-CoA, and the TCA cycle
      intermediates in the alsSD mutant. Our results indicate that alsSD-deleted B.
      subtilis has potential as an effective host for stationary-phase production of
      compounds synthesized from these intermediates. 

PMID- 26120822
TI  - Hydrogen-sulfide-mediated vasodilatory effect of nucleoside 5'
      monophosphorothioates in perivascular adipose tissue.
AB  - Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is synthesized in perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) and
      induces vasorelaxation. We examined whether the sulfur-containing AMP and GMP
      analogs AMPS and GMPS can serve as the H2S donors in PVAT. H2S production by
      isolated rat periaortic adipose tissue (PAT) was measured with a polarographic
      sensor. In addition, phenylephrine-induced contractility of aortic rings with (+)
      or without (-) PAT was examined. Isolated PAT produced H2S from AMPS or GMPS in
      the presence of the P2X7 receptor agonist BzATP. Phenylephrine-induced
      contractility of PAT(+) rings was lower than of PAT(-) rings. AMPS or GMPS had no
      effect on the contractility of PAT(-) rings, but used together with BzATP reduced
      the contractility of PAT(+) rings when endogenous H2S production was inhibited
      with propargylglycine. A high-fat diet reduced endogenous H2S production by PAT.
      Interestingly, AMPS and GMPS were converted to H2S by PAT of obese rats, and
      reduced contractility of PAT(+) aortic rings isolated from these animals even in
      the absence of BzATP. We conclude that (i) AMPS and GMPS can be hydrolyzed to H2S
      by PAT when P2X7 receptors are activated, (ii) a high-fat diet impairs endogenous
      H2S production by PAT, (iii) AMPS and GMPS restore the anticontractile effects of
      PAT in obese animals without P2X7 stimulation. 

PMID- 26120823
TI  - Focal mass-like autoimmune pancreatitis complicated by obviously elevated CA19-9:
      Efficacy of follow-up imaging.

PMID- 26120825
TI  - Efficacy of Grass Pollen Allergen Sublingual Immunotherapy Tablets for Seasonal
      Allergic Rhinoconjunctivitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses of sublingual
      immunotherapy (SLIT) for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis
      (SARC) have shown a modest clinical benefit compared with placebo. Furthermore,
      indirect comparison by meta-analyses showed that subcutaneous immunotherapy is
      more effective than SLIT. Despite these data, SLIT has become the most prescribed
      treatment of SARC in Europe in recent years, and it was approved by the US Food
      and Drug Administration for the treatment of SARC to grass pollen in the United
      States on April 1, 2014. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of the
      grass pollen sublingual tablets licensed as drugs in the treatment of patients
      with SARC to grass pollen. DATA SOURCES: Computerized bibliographic searches of
      MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov (from inception to
      April 30, 2014) were supplemented with a manual search of reference lists. STUDY
      SELECTION: Randomized clinical trials were included if they compared the grass
      pollen SLIT tablets approved by regulatory authorities in the European Union and
      the United States for SARC with placebo. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Data on
      populations, interventions, and outcomes were extracted from each RCT according
      to the intent-to-treat method by 2 independent observers and were combined using
      the method by DerSimonian and Laird. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary end
      point was the difference in the symptom score and medication score between SLIT
      and placebo. We pooled data using random-effects meta-analysis, with standardized
      mean differences (SMDs) and 95% CIs reported. RESULTS: Data were available in 13
      RCTs for the symptom score (4659 patients) and in 12 RCTs for the medication
      score (4558 patients). We found a small treatment benefit in the symptom score
      (SMD, -0.28; 95% CI, -0.37 to -0.19; P < .001) and in the medication score (SMD, 
      0.24; 95% CI, -0.31 to -0.17; P < .001). Adverse events were reported in 1384 of
      2259 patients (61.3%) receiving SLIT and in 477 of 2279 patients (20.9%)
      receiving placebo. Seven patients in the SLIT group reported treatment-related
      adverse events requiring epinephrine. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Findings show a
      small benefit of the grass pollen sublingual tablets in reducing symptoms and in
      decreasing the use of symptomatic medication (antihistamines and corticosteroids)
      in patients with SARC. Considering the low magnitude of the benefit, the
      convenience and easy administration do not seem to be sufficient reasons for the
      choice of SLIT.

PMID- 26120826
TI  - Efficient and reproducible CH3NH3PbI(3-x)(SCN)x perovskite based planar solar
      cells.
AB  - We report the addition of a small amount of Pb(SCN)2 into PbI2 in a two-step
      solution method. The resulting CH3NH3PbI(3-x)(SCN)x perovskite films present
      larger-sized crystals and fewer traps than CH3NH3PbI3. Their planar solar cells
      exhibit a maximum power conversion efficiency of 11.07% with remarkably high
      reproducibility and good stability.

PMID- 26120824
TI  - Validation of the 'drinking expectancy questionnaire for men who have sex with
      men' in Peru.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Alcohol use disorders are highly prevalent among men who
      have sex with men (MSM) in Peru, where the HIV epidemic is concentrated 100-fold
      greater among MSM than in the general population. Drinking expectancies have been
      associated with the intent to drink and engage in high-risk behaviours. Assessing
      them in this population may uncover attractive intervention targets that in turn
      can be used to reduce problematic drinking and risky sexual behaviours. The
      drinking expectancy questionnaire for MSM (DEQ-MSM) was developed to accurately
      measure drinking expectancies, specifically among MSM. This study aimed to
      validate this instrument for the first time in Spanish, in South America and
      among MSM in Peru. DESIGN AND METHODS: To validate the DEQ-MSM among Spanish
      speaking MSM in Peru, we used exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis in a
      sample of 5148 MSM, including 700 transgender women (TGW). RESULTS: Exploratory
      factor analysis showed a two-factor structure to the Spanish version of the DEQ
      MSM (DEQ-MSM-S), which was similar for MSM and TGW. The reliability of the
      translated DEQ-MSM was excellent (alpha = 0.91). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The
      DEQ-MSM-S was shown to be highly reliable in a large population of Peruvian MSM
      and TGW. This short instrument can be effectively integrated into research or
      clinical practice, in order to identify alcohol-consuming, high-risk MSM, who can
      then be directed for further screening and/or intervention. Future research
      should aim to associate the Spanish version of the DEQ-MSM with risky sexual
      behaviours among this population, in order to identify potential intervention
      targets. [Vagenas P, Wickersham JA, Calabrese SK, Lama JR, Benites CM, Pun M,
      Sanchez J, Altice FL. Validation of the 'drinking expectancy questionnaire for
      men who have sex with men' in Peru. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;34:559-66].

PMID- 26120827
TI  - Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Dabigatran Etexilate Mimics, a
      Novel Class of Thrombin Inhibitors.
AB  - Human alpha-thrombin is a particularly promising target for anticoagulant
      therapy, and identification of oral small-molecular inhibitors of thrombin
      remains a research focus. On the basis of the X-ray crystal structure of human
      alpha-thrombin and its inhibitor dabigatran, we designed and synthesized a series
      of dabigatran etexilate mimics containing a novel tricyclic fused scaffold. The
      biological evaluations reveal that all of the compounds possess moderate activity
      of antiplatelet aggregation induced by thrombin in vitro. Moreover, compound I-8,
      which contains 2-hydroxymethyl-3,5,6-trimethylpyrazine (HTMP), a cleavable moiety
      with antiplatelet activity, shows the best anticoagulant effect among the tested
      compounds in vivo. Those synthesized compounds that have better in vitro activity
      were subjected to bleeding complication tests, and the results demonstrate that
      the novel compounds are less likely to have bleeding risk than dabigatran
      etexilate. 

PMID- 26120828
TI  - Vitamin D Levels Decline with Rising Number of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in
      Healthy Adults: Association with Adipokines, Inflammation, Oxidative Stress and
      Advanced Glycation Markers.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypovitaminosis D associates with obesity, insulin resistance,
      hypertension, and dyslipoproteinemia. We asked whether the presence of multiple
      cardiometabolic risk factors, and which particular combination, exerts additive
      negative effects on 25(OH)D3 levels; and whether 25(OH)D3 levels associate with
      markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In non
      diabetic medication-free adults central obesity (waist-to-height ratio > 0.5);
      elevated blood pressure (systolic BP>=130 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP >=85 mm Hg);
      increased atherogenic risk (log(TAG/HDL) >= 0.11); and insulin resistance (QUICKI
      < 0.322) were considered as cardiometabolic risk factors. 25(OH)D3 status was
      classified as deficiency (25(OH)D3 <=20 ng/ml); insufficiency (levels between 20
      to-30 ng/ml), or as satisfactory (>30 ng/ml). Plasma adipokines, inflammatory and
      oxidative stress markers, advanced glycation end-products, and their soluble
      receptor were determined. RESULTS: 162 subjects were cardiometabolic risk factors
      free, 162 presented increased (i.e. 1 or 2), and 87 high number (i.e. 3 or 4) of
      cardiometabolic risk factors. Mean 25(OH)D3 decreased with rising number of
      manifested risk factors (36 +/- 14 ng/ml, 33 +/- 14 ng/ml, and 31 +/- 15 ng/ml,
      respectively; pANOVA: 0.010), while prevalence of hypovitaminosis D did not
      differ significantly. Elevated blood pressure and insulin resistance appeared as
      significant determinants of hypovitaminosis D. Subjects presenting these risk
      factors concurrently displayed the lowest 25(OH)D3 levels (29 +/- 15 ng/ml).
      Plasma adipokines, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, advanced glycation
      end-products, and their soluble receptor generally differed significantly between
      the groups, but only advanced oxidation protein products and advanced glycation
      end-products associated fluorescence of plasma showed significant independent
      association with 25(OH)D3 levels. CONCLUSION: In apparently healthy adults
      increasing number of cardiometabolic risk factors associates with poorer 25(OH)D3
      status, while the association between 25(OH)D3 status and inflammatory or
      oxidative stress markers remains equivocal.

PMID- 26120830
TI  - Expression of Concern: RNAi-Dependent and Independent Control of LINE1
      Accumulation and Mobility in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells.

PMID- 26120829
TI  - [18F]FDG Accumulation in Early Coronary Atherosclerotic Lesions in Pigs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Inflammation is an important contributor to atherosclerosis
      progression. A glucose analogue 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) has been used
      to detect atherosclerotic inflammation. However, it is not known to what extent
      [18F]FDG is taken up in different stages of atherosclerosis. We aimed to study
      the uptake of [18F]FDG to various stages of coronary plaques in a pig model.
      METHODS: First, diabetes was caused by streptozotocin injections (50 mg/kg for 3
      days) in farm pigs (n = 10). After 6 months on high-fat diet, pigs underwent dual
      gated cardiac PET/CT to measure [18F]FDG uptake in coronary arteries. Coronary
      segments (n = 33) were harvested for ex vivo measurement of radioactivity and
      autoradiography (ARG). RESULTS: Intimal thickening was observed in 16 segments
      and atheroma type plaques in 10 segments. Compared with the normal vessel wall,
      ARG showed 1.7+/-0.7 times higher [18F]FDG accumulation in the intimal thickening
      and 4.1+/-2.3 times higher in the atheromas (P = 0.004 and P = 0.003,
      respectively). Ex vivo mean vessel-to-blood ratio was higher in segments with
      atheroma than those without atherosclerosis (2.6+/-1.2 vs. 1.3+/-0.7, P = 0.04).
      In vivo PET imaging showed the highest target-to-background ratio (TBR) of 2.7.
      However, maximum TBR was not significantly different in segments without
      atherosclerosis (1.1+/-0.5) and either intimal thickening (1.2+/-0.4, P = 1.0) or
      atheroma (1.6+/-0.6, P = 0.4). CONCLUSIONS: We found increased uptake of [18F]FDG
      in coronary atherosclerotic lesions in a pig model. However, uptake in these
      early stage lesions was not detectable with in vivo PET imaging. Further studies
      are needed to clarify whether visible [18F]FDG uptake in coronary arteries
      represents more advanced, highly inflamed plaques.

PMID- 26120831
TI  - Expression of Five Endopolygalacturonase Genes and Demonstration that MfPG1
      Overexpression Diminishes Virulence in the Brown Rot Pathogen Monilinia
      fructicola.
AB  - Monilinia fructicola is a devastating pathogen on stone fruits, causing blossom
      blight and fruit rot. Little is known about pathogenic mechanisms in M.
      fructicola and related Monilinia species. In this study, five
      endopolygalacturonase (endo-PG) genes were cloned and functionally characterized
      in M. fructicola. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed that
      the five MfPG genes are differentially expressed during pathogenesis and in
      culture under various pH regimes and carbon and nitrogen sources. MfPG1 encodes
      the major endo-PG and is expressed to significantly higher levels compared to the
      other four MfPGs in culture and in planta. MfPG1 function during pathogenesis was
      evaluated by examining the disease phenotypes and gene expression patterns in M.
      fructicola MfPG1-overexpressing strains and in strains carrying the beta
      glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene fused with MfPG1 (MfPG1-GUS). The MFPG1-GUS
      reporter was expressed in situ in conidia and hyphae following inoculation of
      flower petals, and qRT-PCR analysis confirmed MfPG1 expression during
      pathogenesis. MfPG1-overexpressing strains produced smaller lesions and higher
      levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on the petals of peach and rose flowers
      than the wild-type strain, suggesting that MfPG1 affecting fungal virulence might
      be in part resulted from the increase of ROS in the Prunus-M. fructicola
      interactions. 

PMID- 26120832
TI  - A Critical Role of the mTOR/eIF2alpha Pathway in Hypoxia-Induced Pulmonary
      Hypertension.
AB  - Enhanced proliferation of pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle cells
      (PASMCs) is a key pathological component of vascular remodeling in hypoxia
      induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH). Mammalian targeting of rapamycin (mTOR)
      signaling has been shown to play a role in protein translation and participate in
      the progression of pulmonary hypertension. Eukaryotic translation initiation
      factor-2alpha (eIF2alpha) is a key factor in regulation of cell growth and cell
      cycle, but its role in mTOR signaling and PASMCs proliferation remains unknown.
      Pulmonary hypertension (PH) rat model was established by hypoxia. Rapamycin was
      used to treat rats as an mTOR inhibitor. Proliferation of primarily cultured rat
      PASMCs was induced by hypoxia, rapamycin and siRNA of mTOR and eIF2alpha were
      used in loss-of-function studies. The expression and activation of eIF2alpha,
      mTOR and c-myc were analyzed. Results showed that mTOR/eIF2alpha signaling was
      significantly activated in pulmonary arteries from hypoxia exposed rats and
      PASMCs cultured under hypoxia condition. Treatment with mTOR inhibitor for 21
      days attenuated vascular remodeling, suppressed mTOR and eIF2alpha activation,
      inhibited c-myc expression in HPH rats. In hypoxia-induced PASMCs, rapamycin and
      knockdown of mTOR and eIF2alpha by siRNA significantly abolished proliferation
      and increased c-myc expression. These results suggest a critical role of the
      mTOR/eIF2alphapathway in hypoxic vascular remodeling and PASMCs proliferation of
      HPH. 

PMID- 26120833
TI  - Action Mechanism of Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 (FGF-2) in the Promotion of
      Periodontal Regeneration in Beagle Dogs.
AB  - Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) enhances the formation of new alveolar bone,
      cementum, and periodontal ligament (PDL) in periodontal defect models. However,
      the mechanism through which FGF-2 acts in periodontal regeneration in vivo has
      not been fully clarified yet. To reveal the action mechanism, the formation of
      regenerated tissue and gene expression at the early phase were analyzed in a
      beagle dog 3-wall periodontal defect model. FGF-2 (0.3%) or the vehicle
      (hydroxypropyl cellulose) only were topically applied to the defect in FGF-2 and
      control groups, respectively. Then, the amount of regenerated tissues and the
      number of proliferating cells at 3, 7, 14, and 28 days and the number of blood
      vessels at 7 days were quantitated histologically. Additionally, the expression
      of osteogenic genes in the regenerated tissue was evaluated by real-time PCR at 7
      and 14 days. Compared with the control, cell proliferation around the existing
      bone and PDL, connective tissue formation on the root surface, and new bone
      formation in the defect at 7 days were significantly promoted by FGF-2.
      Additionally, the number of blood vessels at 7 days was increased by FGF-2
      treatment. At 28 days, new cementum and PDL were extended by FGF-2. Moreover, FGF
      2 increased the expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and osteoblast
      differentiation markers (osterix, alkaline phosphatase, and osteocalcin) in the
      regenerated tissue. We revealed the facilitatory mechanisms of FGF-2 in
      periodontal regeneration in vivo. First, the proliferation of fibroblastic cells
      derived from bone marrow and PDL was accelerated and enhanced by FGF-2. Second,
      angiogenesis was enhanced by FGF-2 treatment. Finally, osteoblastic
      differentiation and bone formation, at least in part due to BMP-2 production,
      were rapidly induced by FGF-2. Therefore, these multifaceted effects of FGF-2
      promote new tissue formation at the early regeneration phase, leading to enhanced
      formation of new bone, cementum, and PDL. 

PMID- 26120834
TI  - Targeting Homologous Recombination in Notch-Driven C. elegans Stem Cell and Human
      Tumors.
AB  - Mammalian NOTCH1-4 receptors are all associated with human malignancy, although
      exact roles remain enigmatic. Here we employ glp-1(ar202), a temperature
      sensitive gain-of-function C. elegans NOTCH mutant, to delineate NOTCH-driven
      tumor responses to radiotherapy. At <=20 degrees C, glp-1(ar202) is wild-type,
      whereas at 25 degrees C it forms a germline stem cell/progenitor cell tumor
      reminiscent of human cancer. We identify a NOTCH tumor phenotype in which all
      tumor cells traffic rapidly to G2/M post-irradiation, attempt to repair DNA
      strand breaks exclusively via homology-driven repair, and when this fails die by
      mitotic death. Homology-driven repair inactivation is dramatically
      radiosensitizing. We show that these concepts translate directly to human cancer
      models. 

PMID- 26120835
TI  - Formation of a Trimeric Xpo1-Ran[GTP]-Ded1 Exportin Complex Modulates ATPase and
      Helicase Activities of Ded1.
AB  - The DEAD-box RNA helicase Ded1, which is essential in yeast and known as DDX3 in
      humans, shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm and takes part in several
      basic processes including RNA processing and translation. A key interacting
      partner of Ded1 is the exportin Xpo1, which together with the GTP-bound state of
      the small GTPase Ran, facilitates unidirectional transport of Ded1 out of the
      nucleus. Here we demonstrate that Xpo1 and Ran[GTP] together reduce the RNA
      stimulated ATPase and helicase activities of Ded1. Binding and inhibition of Ded1
      by Xpo1 depend on the affinity of the Ded1 nuclear export sequence (NES) for Xpo1
      and the presence of Ran[GTP]. Association with Xpo1/Ran[GTP] reduces RNA
      stimulated ATPase activity of Ded1 by increasing the apparent KM for the RNA
      substrate. Despite the increased KM, the Ded1:Xpo1:Ran[GTP] ternary complex
      retains the ability to bind single stranded RNA, suggesting that Xpo1/Ran[GTP]
      may modulate the substrate specificity of Ded1. These results demonstrate that,
      in addition to transport, exportins such as Xpo1 also have the capability to
      alter enzymatic activities of their cargo. 

PMID- 26120836
TI  - Correction: Colostrum of Healthy Slovenian Mothers: Microbiota Composition and
      Bacteriocin Gene Prevalence.

PMID- 26120837
TI  - Hyaluronic Acid: Perspectives in Upper Aero-Digestive Tract. A Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To date, topical therapies guarantee a better delivery of high
      concentrations of pharmacologic agents to the mucosa of the upper aerodigestive
      tract (UADT). The use of topical drugs, which are able to reduce mucosal
      inflammation and to improve healing tissues, can represent a relevant therapeutic
      advance. Topical sodium hyaluronate (SH) has recently been recognized as adjuvant
      treatment in the chronic inflammatory disease of the UADT. AIMS: The aim of our
      work was to review the published literature regarding all the potential
      therapeutic effects of SH in the chronic inflammatory disease of UADT. METHODS:
      Relevant published studies were searched in Pubmed, Google Scholar, Ovid using
      keywords ("sodium hyaluronate" and "upper airways") or Medical Subject Headings.
      RESULTS: At the end of our selection process, sixteen publications have been
      included. Six of them in the post-operative period of nasal-sinus surgery, 2 of
      them in pediatric patients affected by recurrent upper respiratory tract
      infections, 4 of them in reducing symptoms and preventing exacerbations of
      chronic upper airways in adult population, 4 of them in patients with chronic
      inflammatory disease of UADT, including gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD).
      CONCLUSIONS: Topical administration of SH plays a pivotkey role in the
      postoperative phase of patients undergoing FESS and nasal surgery, and positive
      results are generally observed in all the patients suffering from UADT chronic
      inflammatory disease.

PMID- 26120839
TI  - Blinded Outcome Assessment Was Infrequently Used and Poorly Reported in Open
      Trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Unblinded outcome assessment can lead to biased estimates of treatment
      effect in randomised trials. We reviewed published trials to assess how often
      blinded assessment is used, and whether its use varies according to the type of
      outcome or assessor. DESIGN AND SETTING: A review of parallel group, individually
      randomised phase III trials published in four general medical journals (BMJ,
      Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet, and New England Journal
      of Medicine) in 2010. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Whether assessment of the primary
      outcome was blinded, and whether this differed according to outcome or assessor
      type. RESULTS: We identified 258 eligible trials. Of these, 106 (41%) were
      reported as double-blind, and 152 (59%) as partially or fully open-label (that
      is, they included some groups who were unblinded, such as patients, those
      delivering the intervention, or those in charge of medical care). Of the 152 open
      trials, 125 required outcome assessment. Of these 125 trials, only 26% stated
      that outcome assessment was blinded; 51% gave no information on whether
      assessment was blinded or not. Furthermore, 18% of trials did not state who
      performed the assessment. The choice of outcome type (e.g. instrument measured,
      rated, or naturally occurring event) did not appear to influence whether blinded
      assessment was performed (range 24-32% for the most common outcome types).
      However, the choice of outcome assessor did influence blinding; independent
      assessors were blinded much more frequently (71%) than participant (5%) or
      physician (24%) assessors. Despite this, open trials did not use independent
      assessors any more frequently than double-blind trials (17% vs. 18%
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Blinding of outcome assessors is infrequently used
      and poorly reported. Increased use of independent assessors could increase the
      frequency of blinded assessment.

PMID- 26120838
TI  - Placental Features of Late-Onset Adverse Pregnancy Outcome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Currently, no investigations reliably identify placental dysfunction
      in late pregnancy. To facilitate the development of such investigations we aimed
      to identify placental features that differ between normal and adverse outcome in
      late pregnancy in a group of pregnancies with reduced fetal movement. METHODS:
      Following third trimester presentation with reduced fetal movement (N = 100),
      placental structure ex vivo was measured. Placental function was then assessed in
      terms of (i) chorionic plate artery agonist responses and length-tension
      characteristics using wire myography and (ii) production and release of
      placentally derived hormones (by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and
      enzyme linked immunosorbant assay of villous tissue and explant conditioned
      culture medium). RESULTS: Placentas from pregnancies ending in adverse outcome (N
      = 23) were ~25% smaller in weight, volume, length, width and disc area (all
      p<0.0001) compared with those from normal outcome pregnancies. Villous and
      trophoblast areas were unchanged, but villous vascularity was reduced (median
      (interquartile range): adverse outcome 10 (10-12) vessels/mm2 vs. normal outcome
      13 (12-15), p = 0.002). Adverse outcome pregnancy placental arteries were
      relatively insensitive to nitric oxide donated by sodium nitroprusside compared
      to normal outcome pregnancy placental arteries (50% Effective Concentration 30
      (19-50) nM vs. 12 (6-24), p = 0.02). Adverse outcome pregnancy placental tissue
      contained less human chorionic gonadotrophin (20 (11-50) vs. 55 (24-102) mIU/mg,
      p = 0.007) and human placental lactogen (11 (6-14) vs. 27 (9-50) mg/mg, p =
      0.006) and released more soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (21 (13-29) vs. 5 (2
      15) ng/mg, p = 0.01) compared with normal outcome pregnancy placental tissue.
      CONCLUSION: These data provide a description of the placental phenotype of
      adverse outcome in late pregnancy. Antenatal tests that accurately reflect
      elements of this phenotype may improve its prediction.

PMID- 26120840
TI  - Analysis of Prostate Deformation during a Course of Radiation Therapy for
      Prostate Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Accurate analysis of the correlation between deformation of the prostate
      and displacement of its center of gravity (CoG) is important for efficient
      radiation therapy for prostate cancer. In this study, we addressed this problem
      by introducing a new analysis approach. METHOD: A planning computed tomography
      (CT) scan and 7 repeat cone-beam CT scans during the course of treatment were
      obtained for 19 prostate cancer patients who underwent three-dimensional
      conformal radiation therapy. A single observer contoured the prostate gland only.
      To evaluate the local deformation of the prostate, it was divided into 12
      manually defined segments. Prostate deformation was calculated using in-house
      developed software. The correlation between the displacement of the CoG and the
      local deformation of the prostate was evaluated using multiple regression
      analysis. RESULTS: The mean value and standard deviation (SD) of the prostate
      deformation were 0.6 mm and 1.7 mm, respectively. For the majority of the
      patients, the local SD of the deformation was slightly lager in the superior and
      inferior segments. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the anterior
      posterior displacement of the CoG of the prostate had a highly significant
      correlation with the deformations in the middle-anterior (p < 0.01) and middle
      posterior (p < 0.01) segments of the prostate surface (R2 = 0.84). However, there
      was no significant correlation between the displacement of the CoG and the
      deformation of the prostate surface in other segments. CONCLUSION: Anterior
      posterior displacement of the CoG of the prostate is highly correlated with
      deformation in its middle-anterior and posterior segments. In the radiation
      therapy for prostate cancer, it is necessary to optimize the internal margin for
      every position of the prostate measured using image-guided radiation therapy.

PMID- 26120841
TI  - Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant from MRL/MpJ Super-Healer Mice Does Not Improve
      Articular Cartilage Repair in the C57Bl/6 Strain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Articular cartilage has been the focus of multiple strategies to
      improve its regenerative/ repair capacity. The Murphy Roths Large (MRL/MpJ)
      "super-healer" mouse demonstrates an unusual enhanced regenerative capacity in
      many tissues and provides an opportunity to further study endogenous cartilage
      repair. The objective of this study was to test whether the super-healer
      phenotype could be transferred from MRL/MpJ to non-healer C57Bl/6 mice by
      allogeneic bone marrow transplant. METHODOLOGY: The healing of 2mm ear punches
      and full thickness cartilage defects was measured 4 and 8 weeks after injury in
      control C57Bl/6 and MRL/MpJ "super-healer" mice, and in radiation chimeras
      reconstituted with bone marrow from the other mouse strain. Healing was assessed
      using ear hole diameter measurement, a 14 point histological scoring scale for
      the cartilage defect and an adapted version of the Osteoarthritis Research
      Society International scale for assessment of osteoarthritis in mouse knee
      joints. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Normal and chimeric MRL mice showed significantly
      better healing of articular cartilage and ear wounds along with less severe signs
      of osteoarthritis after cartilage injury than the control strain. Contrary to our
      hypothesis, however, bone marrow transplant from MRL mice did not confer improved
      healing on the C57Bl/6 chimeras, either in regards to ear wound healing or
      cartilage repair. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: The elusive cellular basis for the
      MRL regenerative phenotype still requires additional study and may possibly be
      dependent on additional cell types external to the bone marrow.

PMID- 26120842
TI  - Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Sedentary Behaviour and Physical Activity Are
      Independently Associated with the Metabolic Syndrome, Results from the SCAPIS
      Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies on the relation between lifestyle and the metabolic
      syndrome lack one or several aspects of the physical activity pattern in the
      analyses or cardiorespiratory fitness. Likewise, both uni- and triaxial
      accelerometry have been used, though, the predictive validity of these two modes
      has not been compared. OBJECTIVES: The aims of the present study were firstly to
      investigate the independent relation between cardiorespiratory fitness and
      physical activity pattern to the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and secondly to
      examine the predictive validity of uni- and triaxial accelerometry, respectively.
      METHODS: Data was extracted from the SCAPIS pilot study (n=930, mean age 57.7
      yrs). Physical activity pattern was assessed by accelerometry. Cardiorespiratory
      fitness was estimated using cycle ergometry. MetS was defined per the Adult
      Treatment Panel III from the National Cholesterol Education Program definition.
      RESULTS: Time spent sedentary (OR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.54-4.24 for T3 vs T1), in
      light intensity (OR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.28-0.90) and in moderate-to-vigorous
      activity (OR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.18-0.61), as well as cardiorespiratory fitness (OR:
      0.24, 95% CI:0.12-0.48), were all independently related to the prevalence of MetS
      after adjustment for potential confounders, fitness and/or the other aspects of
      the physical activity pattern. In addition, we found that triaxial analyses were
      more discriminant, with ORs farther away from the reference group and additional
      significant ORs. CONCLUSION: The finding that several aspects of the physical
      activity pattern reveal independent relations to the MetS makes new possible
      targets for behaviour change of interest, focusing on both exercise and everyday
      life. When assessing the risk status of a patient, it is advised that triaxial
      accelerometry is used.

PMID- 26120843
TI  - Factors Associated with Reduced Quality of Life in Polio Survivors in Korea.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to assess health-related quality of life in polio
      survivors (PS) compared with that in the general population in Korea. Polio
      survivors (n = 120) from outpatient clinics at two hospitals, healthy controls
      (HC, n = 121) and members of the general population with activity limitations
      (AL, n = 121) recruited through a proportional-allocation, systematic sampling
      strategy from the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
      were surveyed with self-rated health-related quality of life (Euro QoL five
      dimensions). The proportion of participants who reported problems in mobility,
      usual activity, and symptoms of anxiety/depression were higher in the PS group
      compared with the HC and AL groups. There was no significant difference in the
      self-care dimension across the groups. Polio-specific questionnaire, pain,
      depression, fatigue, Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) and Short Physical
      Performance Battery (SPPB) were assessed in the PS group. Those with post
      poliomyelitis syndrome had greater problems in mobility, usual activity, and
      depression/anxiety. Polio survivors, especially those with more pain and fatigue
      symptoms, and those who did not have access to medical services had poorer health
      related quality of life. These findings afford useful information for potential
      intervention improving quality of life in polio survivors. 

PMID- 26120844
TI  - Contrasting Lesion Dynamics of White Syndrome among the scleractinian corals
      Porites spp.
AB  - White syndrome (WS) is currently the most prevalent disease of scleractinian
      corals in the Indo-Pacific region, with an ability to exist in both epizootic and
      enzootic states. Here, we present results of an examination of WS lesion dynamics
      and show that potentially associated traits of host morphology (i.e., branching
      vs. massive), lesion size, and tissue deposition rate influence disease severity
      and recovery. Lesion healing rate was positively correlated with initial lesion
      size in both morphologies, but the rate at which lesions healed differed between
      morphologies. New lesions in branching Porites cylindrica appeared less
      frequently, were smaller and healed more quickly, but were more abundant than in
      closely-related massive Porites sp(p). The positive association between lesion
      size and healing rate was partly explained by geometry; branching limited lesion
      maximum size, and larger lesion margins contained more polyps producing new
      tissue, resulting in faster healing. However, massive colonies deposited tissue
      more slowly than branching colonies, resulting in slower recovery and more
      persistent lesions. Corallite size and density did not differ between species and
      did not, therefore, influence healing rate. We demonstrated multiple modes of
      pathogen transmission, which may be influenced by the greater potential for
      pathogen entrainment in branching vs. massive morphologies. We suggest that
      attributes such as colony morphology and species-specific growth rates require
      consideration as we expand our understanding of disease dynamics in colonial
      organisms such as coral. 

PMID- 26120845
TI  - Clinical and Angioarchitectural Risk Factors Associated with Intracranial
      Hemorrhage in Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate which clinical and angioarchitectural features were
      associated with the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage in patients with
      intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed the clinical and angioarchitectural features of 236
      consecutive patients diagnosed with DAVF in our department from April 2009 to
      November 2013. Two groups of patients, with or without intracranial hemorrhage as
      clinical presentation at the initial diagnosis, were analysed to identify the
      differences in clinical and angioarchitectural features in univariate analysis. A
      multivariate logistic regression model was also developed to assess the
      independent contribution of the potential risk factors. Associations were
      considered significant for p<0.05. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients (23.7%) presented
      with intracranial hemorrhage at the initial diagnosis of DAVF. In univariate
      analysis, male patients (p = 0.002), patients with medical history of smoking
      (p<0.001) or alcohol consumption (p = 0.022), and DAVFs located at the tentorium
      (p = 0.010), frontalbasal (p = 0.007), foramen magnum (p = 0.043) or cerebral
      convexity (p<0.001) were associated with an increased risk of intracranial
      hemorrhage. A higher risk of hemorrhagic occurrence was also observed in DAVFs
      with superficial cortical venous drainage (p<0.001), deep venous drainage (p =
      0.003), occluded venous sinus (p<0.032), or higher Borden type (p<0.001). A
      multivariate logistic regression model showed that intracranial hemorrhage in
      patients with DAVFs was correlated with higher Borden classification (OR 5.880;
      95% CI, 3.370-10.257; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Venous drainage pattern was the only
      independent risk factor of intracranial hemorrhage in our patients with
      intracranial DAVF. The other potential risk factors may be confounding factors in
      predicting intracranial hemorrhage.

PMID- 26120846
TI  - Determinants and Experiences of Repeat Pregnancy among HIV-Positive Kenyan Women-
      A Mixed-Methods Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with repeat pregnancy subsequent to an
      index pregnancy among women living with HIV (WLWH) in western Kenya who were
      enrolled in a 24-month phase-II clinical trial of triple-ART prophylaxis for
      prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and to contextualize social and
      cultural influences on WLWH's reproductive decision making. METHODS: A mixed
      methods approach was used to examine repeat pregnancy within a 24 month period
      after birth. Counselor-administered questionnaires were collected from 500 WLWH.
      Forty women (22 with a repeat pregnancy; 18 with no repeat pregnancy) were
      purposively selected for a qualitative interview (QI). Simple and multiple
      logistic regression analyses were performed for quantitative data. Thematic
      coding and saliency analysis were undertaken for qualitative data. RESULTS:
      Eighty-eight (17.6%) women had a repeat pregnancy. Median maternal age was 23
      years (range 15-43 years) and median gestational age at enrollment was 34 weeks.
      In multiple logistic regression analyses, living in the same compound with a
      husband (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 2.33; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14,
      4.75) was associated with increased odds of repeat pregnancy (p <= 0.05). Being
      in the 30-43 age group (AOR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.87), having talked to a
      partner about family planning (FP) use (AOR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.98), and prior
      usage of FP (AOR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.82) were associated with a decrease in
      odds of repeat pregnancy. QI findings centered on concerns about modern
      contraception methods (side effects and views that they 'ruined the womb') and a
      desire to have the right number of children. Religious leaders, family, and the
      broader community were viewed as reinforcing cultural expectations for married
      women to have children. Repeat pregnancy was commonly attributed to contraception
      failure or to lack of knowledge about post-delivery fertility. CONCLUSIONS: In
      addition to cultural context, reproductive health programs for WLWH may need to
      address issues related to living circumstances and the possibility that
      reproductive-decision making may extend beyond the woman and her partner.

PMID- 26120847
TI  - Reduced Dopamine Transporter Availability and Neurocognitive Deficits in Male
      Patients with Alcohol Dependence.
AB  - Dopamine plays an important role in the development of alcohol dependence,
      cognitive dysfunction, and is regulated via dopamine transporter activity.
      Although dopamine transporter activity is critically involved in alcohol
      dependence, studies observing this relationship are limited. Thus the current
      study examined whether dopamine transporter availability is associated with
      developing of alcohol dependence and cognitive dysfunction. Brain imaging with
      99mTc-TRODAT-1 as a ligand was used to measure dopamine transporter availability
      among 26 male patients with pure alcohol dependence and 22 age- and sex- matched
      healthy volunteers. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and Tridimensional
      Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) were administered to assess neurocognitive
      functioning and personality traits, respectively. Compared to healthy controls,
      patients with alcohol dependence showed a significant reduction in dopamine
      transporter availability (p < 0.001), as well as diminished performance on the
      WCST (p < 0.001). Dopamine transporter availability was negatively correlated
      with both total and perseverative WCST errors among healthy controls, but only
      patients with alcohol dependence showed a positive correlation between dopamine
      transporter availability and a harm avoidance personality profile. Thus,
      reductions in dopamine transporter availability may play a pathophysiological
      role in the development of pure alcohol dependence, given its association with
      neurocognitive deficits. Moreover, personality may influence the development of
      pure alcohol dependence; however, additional clinical subgroups should be
      examined to confirm this possibility. 

PMID- 26120848
TI  - Bi-Directional Tuning of Amygdala Sensitivity in Combat Veterans Investigated
      with fMRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Combat stress can be followed by persistent emotional consequences.
      It is thought that these emotional consequences are caused in part by increased
      amygdala reactivity. It is also thought that amygdala hyper-reactivity results
      from decreased inhibition from portions of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in
      which activity is negatively correlated with activity in the amygdala. However,
      experimental support for these proposals has been inconsistent. METHODS: We
      showed movies of combat and civilian scenes during a functional magnetic
      resonance imaging (fMRI) session to 50 veterans of recent combat. We collected
      skin conductance responses (SCRs) as measures of emotional arousal. We examined
      the relation of blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) signal in the amygdala
      and ACC to symptom measures and to SCRs. RESULTS: Emotional arousal, as measured
      with SCR, was greater during the combat movie than during the civilian movie and
      did not depend on symptom severity. As expected, amygdala signal during the less
      arousing movie increased with increasing symptom severity. Surprisingly, during
      the more-arousing movie amygdala signal decreased with increasing symptom
      severity. These differences led to the unexpected result that amygdala signal in
      highly symptomatic subjects was lower during the more-arousing movie than during
      the less-arousing movie. Also unexpectedly, we found no significant inverse
      correlation between any portions of the amygdala and ACC. Rather, signal
      throughout more than 80% of the ACC showed a strong positive correlation with
      signal throughout more than 90% of the amygdala. CONCLUSIONS: Amygdala reactivity
      can be tuned bi-directionally, either up or down, in the same person depending on
      the stimulus and the degree of post-traumatic symptoms. The exclusively positive
      correlations in BOLD activity between the amygdala and ACC contrast with findings
      that have been cited as evidence for inhibitory control of the amygdala by the
      ACC. The conceptualization of post-traumatic changes in neural function should be
      reconsidered.

PMID- 26120849
TI  - The Nucleotide-Free State of the Multidrug Resistance ABC Transporter LmrA:
      Sulfhydryl Cross-Linking Supports a Constant Contact, Head-to-Tail Configuration
      of the Nucleotide-Binding Domains.
AB  - ABC transporters are integral membrane pumps that are responsible for the import
      or export of a diverse range of molecules across cell membranes. ABC transporters
      have been implicated in many phenomena of medical importance, including cystic
      fibrosis and multidrug resistance in humans. The molecular architecture of ABC
      transporters comprises two transmembrane domains and two ATP-binding cassettes,
      or nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs), which are highly conserved and contain
      motifs that are crucial to ATP binding and hydrolysis. Despite the improved
      clarity of recent structural, biophysical, and biochemical data, the seemingly
      simple process of ATP binding and hydrolysis remains controversial, with a major
      unresolved issue being whether the NBD protomers separate during the catalytic
      cycle. Here chemical cross-linking data is presented for the bacterial ABC
      multidrug resistance (MDR) transporter LmrA. These indicate that in the absence
      of nucleotide or substrate, the NBDs come into contact to a significant extent,
      even at 4 degrees C, where ATPase activity is abrogated. The data are clearly not
      in accord with an inward-closed conformation akin to that observed in a crystal
      structure of V. cholerae MsbA. Rather, they suggest a head-to-tail configuration
      'sandwich' dimer similar to that observed in crystal structures of nucleotide
      bound ABC NBDs. We argue the data are more readily reconciled with the notion
      that the NBDs are in proximity while undergoing intra-domain motions, than with
      an NBD 'Switch' mechanism in which the NBD monomers separate in between ATP
      hydrolysis cycles. 

PMID- 26120850
TI  - Truncating Homozygous Mutation of Carboxypeptidase E (CPE) in a Morbidly Obese
      Female with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Intellectual Disability and
      Hypogonadotrophic Hypogonadism.
AB  - Carboxypeptidase E is a peptide processing enzyme, involved in cleaving numerous
      peptide precursors, including neuropeptides and hormones involved in appetite
      control and glucose metabolism. Exome sequencing of a morbidly obese female from
      a consanguineous family revealed homozygosity for a truncating mutation of the
      CPE gene (c.76_98del; p.E26RfsX68). Analysis detected no CPE expression in whole
      blood-derived RNA from the proband, consistent with nonsense-mediated decay. The
      morbid obesity, intellectual disability, abnormal glucose homeostasis and
      hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism seen in this individual recapitulates phenotypes
      in the previously described fat/fat and Cpe knockout mouse models, evidencing the
      importance of this peptide/hormone-processing enzyme in regulating body weight,
      metabolism, and brain and reproductive function in humans. 

PMID- 26120851
TI  - Policing behaviors, safe injection self-efficacy, and intervening on injection
      risks: Moderated mediation results from a randomized trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aim to use conditional or moderated mediation to simultaneously
      test how and for whom an injection risk intervention was efficacious at reducing
      receptive needle sharing among female sex workers who inject drugs (FSWs-IDUs) in
      Mexico. METHODS: Secondary analysis of data from a randomized trial. A total of
      300 FSW-IDUs participated in Mujer Mas Segura in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and were
      randomized to an interactive injection risk intervention or a didactic injection
      risk intervention. We measured safe injection self-efficacy as the hypothesized
      mediator and policing behaviors (being arrested and syringe confiscation) as
      hypothesized moderators. In total, 213 women provided complete data for the
      current analyses. RESULTS: Conditional (moderated) mediation showed that the
      intervention affected receptive needle sharing through safe injection self
      efficacy among women who experienced syringe confiscation. On average, police
      syringe confiscation was associated with lower safe injection self-efficacy (p =
      .04). Among those who experienced syringe confiscation, those who received the
      interactive (vs. didactic) intervention reported higher self-efficacy, which in
      turn predicted lower receptive needle sharing (p = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Whereas
      syringe confiscation by the police negatively affected safe injection self
      efficacy and ultimately injection risk behavior, our interactive intervention
      helped to "buffer" this negative impact of police behavior on risky injection
      practices. The theory-based, active skills building elements included in the
      interactive condition, which were absent from the didactic condition, helped
      participants' self-efficacy for safer injection in the face of syringe
      confiscation.

PMID- 26120852
TI  - [Impact of a health education program on the elderly's knowledge about
      cardiovascular diseases].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To verify the impact of a health education program on elderly
      patients' knowledge of cardiovascular diseases. METHODS: A qualitative study with
      a participatory approach. The population was composed of seven elderly patients
      who took part in eight educational interventions on issues related to
      cardiovascular health. The data was analyzed with thematic content analysis.
      RESULTS: The content analysis showed that participatory interventions promoted
      knowledge expansion and that, after intervention, subjects were more self
      confident about the most appropriate preventive measures to avoid cardiovascular
      risks. It was found also that health education with a participatory approach
      positively impacted the formation of more critical subjects who were able to
      argue and make healthier choices. CONCLUSION: The study showed that the
      participatory approach is an effective strategy when the intention is to increase
      significant knowledge to minimize health risks.

PMID- 26120853
TI  - [The knowledge acquired during and adherence to a postgraduate course concerned
      with mental health aimed at school counselors].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the academic performance in, and adherence to, a
      postgraduate course focused on promotion, prevention, identification, and early
      intervention with regard to the different mental problems and pathologies
      affecting children and adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a before-and
      after intervention study involving a postgraduate course. The population of
      school counselors from the Colombian regions of Boyaca and Cundinamarca were
      invited to participate in a postgraduate course that addressed mental health.
      Their knowledge was evaluated before and after having received it. RESULTS: The
      school counselors performed well on the academic test, with 48.5 % of the
      population obtaining a score of 4.0/5.0 before the intervention. After the
      course, 61.2 % achieved the same score. It was thus considered that the course
      functioned as a tool for improving knowledge about promotion, prevention,
      recognition, and early intervention with regard to mental health in educational
      institutions. There was a 90.6 % adherence to the 120-hour-long postgraduate
      course. CONCLUSION: The postgraduate course seemed to have a positive impact in
      terms of the knowledge acquired about mental health, and there was good adherence
      to the course.

PMID- 26120854
TI  - [Exposure to VOCs in furniture factories in two populations in northern
      Colombia].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Assess the exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs)in furniture
      handicraft factories workers in two populations of Sucre (Sincelejo and Sampues),
      North of Colombia.Identify possible signs and/or symptoms related to exposure to
      these contaminants. METHODS: This was an analytical cross sectional study (2011),
      using a questionnaire. Study population consisted of 66 individuals, 41 exposed
      and 25 controls. Personal samples were collected for concentration quantifying of
      benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (both groups) and contrasting them
      with health effects possible attributed to these contaminants. RESULTS: The
      concentrations of benzene, toluene and m/p-xylene were higher in the exposed
      group (9.5 mg/m(3), 8.1 mg/m(3) and 12.1 mg/m(3))compared with the control group
      (0.2 mg/m(3), 0.3 mg/m(3) and 0.03 mg/m(3)). Muscular pain 82.9 % (PR=3.8;
      CI95%:1.2-11.8) and somnolence 65.9 % (PR=4.9; CI95%:1.7-14.7)were associated
      with a higher exposure.Factor such as mixtures of solvents (thinner) in the work
      and vehicles' traffic can contribute to these results. CONCLUSIONS: Several
      sources contribute to increases personal exposure of VOCs in furniture handicraft
      factories workers North of Colombia. Additionally, excessive use of these
      compounds may be generating adverse effects on the health of workers.

PMID- 26120855
TI  - [Serological Profiles of Hepatitis-B HBcAb-Positive Blood donors ].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the serological profiles for HBV in blood donors that were
      anti-HBc reactive and non-reactive to HBsAg in four Colombian cities. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A prospective transversal study was conducted during 17 months,
      applying a complete serological profile for HBV in samples from blood donors that
      were anti-HBc reactive and non-reactive to HBsAg, results were analyzed employing
      descriptive statistics using Microsoft Excel and Epiinfo V. 3.5.1. RESULTS: From
      donors reactive to anti-HBc, 75.0 % shown some additional infection marker for
      HBV. 1.3 % of blood donors had serological markers for chronical infection with
      hepatitis B, and a case had reactivity only for hepatitis B surface antigen
      (HBsAg). 6.1 % of donors showed a vaccination serological profile, only with
      reactivity to anti-HBsAg antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: With this study, anti-HBc blood
      screening importance was confirmed.

PMID- 26120856
TI  - [Intestinal Parasitism in Terena Indigenous People of the Province of Mato Grosso
      do Sul, Brazil].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Considering that intestinal protozoans and helminths infect more than
      half of the world population, with high prevalence in the poorest regions, the
      objective of this study was to conduct parasitological research among indigenous
      Terena people established in the state of MatoGrosso do Sul. An inquiry was
      performed to find the incidence of parasitism in these communities. METHODOLOGY:
      134 aliquots of feces from individuals of the indigenous community were examined.
      Samples were conserved in Merthiolate-iodine-formol solution (MIF). The
      laboratory exams were carried out using the techniques of Hoffman, Pons and
      Janer; Willis and Kinyoun. RESULTS: We identified infections of nematode
      helminths of the species Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostomidae, Enterobius
      vermicularis, Strongyloides stercoralis, and Trichuris trichiura; and cestodes of
      the species Hymenolepis nana and Taenia spp. Also found were the protozoan
      species: Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia lamblia, Endolimax nana, Entamoeba coli,
      and Entamoeba histolytica. 23.1 % of the samples studied were negative. Of the
      76.9 % of samples with parasites, there were non-statistically significant
      differences in parasitism between men and women examined between 1 and 33 years
      of-age. There were also no significant differences between monospecific
      parasitism and with concurrent species. In terms of parasitic diversity, seven
      species of nematode and cestodes helminths were found along with five species of
      Archamoebae protozoa: flagellates and enterozoans. CONCLUSIONS: These results
      were the basis for orientation and appropriate drug intervention and reveal the
      need for the implementation governmental, social and educational measures to
      improve the living conditions of that community.

PMID- 26120857
TI  - [Satisfaction of patients accessing the primary level of care (outpatient) in
      Bogota].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess outpatients'? perceptions of medical care. METHODOLOGY: A
      telephone survey was administered to patients treated in two different months in
      2012 with a focus on socio-demographic variables, access to care, physician
      patient relationships, and on the process of medical care. RESULTS: 804 patients
      were surveyed. The average time of access to care was 9.6 days. 78 % reported
      having been able to tell the doctor everything that they felt, 60 % reported that
      the doctor explained what they had, and one in four patients said that the doctor
      asked about their families. 30 % felt complete relief after medical care. The
      average rating of care was 7.9 (SD +/-1.7). Variables related to the highest
      ratings were: having been able to tell that doctor everything that they felt (OR
      7.5 CI 95 % 1.8-31), having been examined (OR 7.5 CI95 % 1.5-38.5), that the
      doctor explained what they had (OR 5.2 CI 95 % 1.8-15), that the doctor asked
      about the family (OR 5.8 CI95 % 2.1-16.1), and if doctor had treated them
      formerly (OR 3.5 CI95 % 1.4-8.6). CONCLUSIONS: Extensive communication with the
      patient is as important as dealing with the disease in the medical act.

PMID- 26120858
TI  - [Construction and validation of TQWL-42: a quality of work life measurement
      instrument].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to build an instrument that evaluates
      quality of working life (QW:) in a comprehensive way that is in line with the
      WHOQOL instruments and is based on QWL's classic theoretical models, directed
      toward contemporary Brazilian society. METHODS: The content validation was
      performed through analysis by researchers in the area of QWL, and the
      verification of internal consistency was performed with Cronbach's alpha. The
      instrument was administered to 143 individuals. RESULTS: The final version of the
      instrument consists of 47 questions, with five for sampling knowledge and the
      remaining 42 divided into five spheres that take into account the dimensions of
      QWL.. Cronbach's alpha obtained from the administration of the instrument was
      0.8568. A SPSS syntax and a tool in Microsoft Excel that performs the automated
      calculation after data tabulation was developed to calculate the results.
      CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the goal of validating a comprehensive instrument
      with satisfactory psychometrical characteristics for the evaluation of QWL based
      on contemporary Brazilian culture was reached. This tool may be used without a
      need for SPSS utilization.

PMID- 26120859
TI  - [Evaluation of the mercury accumulating capacity of pepper (Capsicum annuum)].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the mercury accumulating capacity in contaminated soils from
      the community of Mina Santa Cruz, in the south of the department of Bolivar,
      Colombia, of the pepper plant (Capsicum annuum), in order to establish the risk
      to the health of the consuming population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples were
      taken from tissues (roots, stems, and leaves) of pepper plants grown in two soils
      contaminated with mercury and a control soil during the first five months of
      growth to determine total mercury through cold vapor atomic absorption
      spectrometry. Total mercury was determined in the samples of pepper plant fruits
      consumed in Mina Santa Cruz. RESULTS: The mean concentrations of total mercury in
      the roots were higher than in stems and leaves. Accumulation in tissues was
      influenced by mercury levels in soil and the growth time of the plants. Mercury
      concentrations in fruits of pepper plant were lower than tolerable weekly intake
      provided by WHO. CONCLUSION: Percent of translocation of mercury to aerial parts
      of the plant were low in both control and contaminated soils. Despite low levels
      of mercury in this food, it is necessary to minimize the consumption of food
      contaminated with this metal.

PMID- 26120860
TI  - [Diabetes mellitus: Contribution to changes in the life expectancy in Mexico
      1990, 2000, and 2010].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the level and trend of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Mexico,
      and its contribution to the changes in temporary life expectancy between 20 and
      100 years of age, in the period 1990-2010. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data comes from
      National Mortality Vital Statistics and from the Population Census from the
      Mexican National Institute of Geography and Statistics (INEGI). We calculated
      standardized mortality rates. To analyze the impact of DM on the temporary life
      expectancy (80e20) we used Pollard?s method. RESULTS: Between 1990 and 2010, the
      standardized mortality rate for people 20 years and older increased by 224 %. The
      contribution of DM for men to the change in life expectancy during 1990-2000 was
      a reduction of 0.31 years; for women was a reduction of 0.32 years; in the period
      2000-2010 the reduction continued for both men and women (0.34 and 0.12 years
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Mortality from DM continues to increase, especially
      for men, but for women a modest reduction was observed. It is essential to apply
      health services and programs aimed at reducing mortality from this cause, focused
      on prevention, early detection and timely treatment, with concrete actions on
      vulnerable groups.

PMID- 26120861
TI  - [Structural determinants in countries with decreased prevalence of HIV/AIDS
      infection between 2001 and 2011].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study aims analyze and compare structural features in
      order to establish a model about the decline in HIV/AIDS infection (greater than
      or equal to 25 %) in twenty-two countries between 2001 and 2011. METHODS:
      Retrospective cohort focused on social determinants of health perspective. The
      methodology was mainly documentary (epidemic behavior) and quantitative (simple
      linear regression model for economic and health variables). RESULTS: The major
      indicators that influence the decrease in the prevalence of HIV are: GDP per
      capita, health expenditure per capita and the Gini index CONCLUSIONS: Structural
      determinants, as well as inequities, may or not influence the decrease in
      prevalence of HIV. This hypothesis could be applied to other public health
      issues.

PMID- 26120862
TI  - [Systematic Review of Factors Associated with the Presence of Cytoplasmic
      Droplets in Boars].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors associated with the presence of cytoplasmic
      droplets in boars. METHODS: A systematic review was carried out in which 133
      articles were found, 70 were eliminated due to duplication, and 65 were finally
      selected: 57 in Cab Abstract, 39 in Pub Med, 20 in Agricola, and 17 in Science
      Direct. Forty-seven articles were found with an available full text. Data was
      tabulated in EpiData Entry and transferred to the Stata version 12.0 program.
      RESULTS: Factors Associated with cytoplasmic droplets are: Climatic and
      environmental variables; ejaculation frequency with intervals of less than three
      weeks; spermatic morphologic alterations in tail (coiled and distal reflex); DNA
      fragmentation; and enzymatic factors related to seminal biochemistry. Work
      carried out in equatorial climate regions or that focused on the analysis of the
      implications of CDs in artificial insemination centers was not found.
      CONCLUSIONS: The information is characterized by a wide heterogeneity and
      diversity studies. A contribution was made to Veterinary Public Health in
      Colombia on the importance of CGs as factors that limit reproductive processes in
      swine. It was not possible to determine the temporal relationship between the
      cause and effect of CDs.

PMID- 26120863
TI  - [Mercury in ASGM and its impact on water resources used for domestic water
      supply].
AB  - In regions affected by artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), the
      inhalation of mercury vapor and the ingestion of fish contaminated with this
      metal constitute the main sources of mercury contamination that affect human
      health. Nevertheless, according to the World Health Organization, another source
      of contamination is polluted water. Although mercury in freshwater is usually
      found in very low concentrations because it is swiftly consumed by aquatic
      microorganisms, evidence shows that under specific circumstances its
      concentration in water can reach high levels, even surpassing the 2.0 MUg/L
      stipulated by Colombian legislation for use as a domestic water supply. Mercury
      concentrations above 3.0 MUg/L have been found in some Colombian municipalities,
      and above 8.0 MUg/L in other regions around the world. Even though mercury
      consumption via water is a minor concern, along with other alimentary sources
      this low mercury concentration contributes to the total burden that affects human
      health. 

PMID- 26120864
TI  - Coxiella burnetii infection in a patient from a rural area of Monteria, Colombia.
AB  - Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii. In Colombia, there have been
      very few human cases reported to date. This report describes the case of a 56
      year-old patient with a background in agriculture and livestock handling. An
      indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) showed high titers of IgG for C. burnetii
      anti-phase I (1: 256) and anti-phase II (1:1024). For the next six months the
      patient's IgG antibody titers remained high, and after treatment with
      doxycycline, the IgG antibody titers decreased to 50% (anti-phase I 1:128 and
      anti-phase II 1:512); this profile suggests an infection of C. burnetii. 

PMID- 26120865
TI  - The Effect of a Meditative Movement Intervention on Quality of Sleep in the
      Elderly: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Sleep disorders are one of the most common difficulties
      facing older people. Meditative movement interventions (MMIs), a new category of
      exercise integrating physical activity and meditation (e.g., t'ai chi, yoga, and
      qigong), may benefit older people with sleep problems. This systematic review
      synthesized the evidence on the effect of MMIs on older people's quality of
      sleep. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, the Cochrane Library,
      the China Science and Technology Journal Database (CSTJ) and the China National
      Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched-from 1950 to March 2014-for
      randomized controlled trials. Articles were screened and selected by two
      researchers. Data were extracted from the included studies using specified forms.
      The same researchers independently evaluated the quality of each article. A meta
      analysis was conducted to examine the pooled effect of MMI on sleep quality
      compared with the control groups. RESULTS: Fourteen of 1049 studies were
      included, involving 1225 participants. Interventions included t'ai chi, yoga,
      qigong, and multicomponent MMI and lasted 12-24 weeks. Ten studies had a low risk
      of bias. The interventions resulted in significantly better sleep quality scores
      than either active therapy or usual care/wait-list controls (standardized mean
      difference, -0.70;95% confidence interval, -0.96 to -0.43). Subgroup analyses
      revealed that the effect of MMI on sleep quality was not influenced by the type
      or duration of the intervention. However, pooled results of studies with
      intervention frequency of fewer than 3 times per week did not show a positive
      effect on sleep quality. Lower-quality studies had larger effect sizes than high
      quality studies. No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: The current review
      demonstrated that MMI had a moderate effect on improving the quality of sleep for
      older people with sleep complaints. However, the evidence is inconclusive because
      of the varying study quality and MMI modalities. This study highlights the need
      for higher-quality randomized, controlled trials and more sufficient fidelity of
      intervention implementation to confirm the results. It also highlights the need
      for comparing the effectiveness of MMI on different subgroups of the elderly
      population.

PMID- 26120866
TI  - Therapeutic blockade of interleukin-6 by tocilizumab in the management of AA
      amyloidosis and chronic inflammatory disorders: a case series and review of the
      literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: AA amyloidosis is the most serious potential complication of chronic
      inflammatory disorders. The main aim of treatment is to suppress inflammation
      thereby inhibiting serum amyloid A protein (SAA), which is the precursor of AA
      amyloid fibrils, to prevent or halt amyloid deposition. Interleukin (IL)-6
      blockade is frequently effective in inflammatory conditions, however, there are
      few published data on its use in AA amyloidosis or the systemic autoinflammatory
      diseases (SAIDs) or chronic inflammatory conditions. We assessed clinical and
      serological responses and adverse events associated with tocilizumab (TCZ) use in
      20 adult patients with inflammatory disorders refractory to other treatments,
      including 70% with AA amyloidosis and four with renal transplants. METHODS: In
      addition to routine haematology and biochemistry (including SAA) blood panels,
      patients with AA amyloidosis underwent SAP scintigraphy to quantify amyloid load.
      Those with SAIDs underwent genetic analysis to identify mutations/variants in
      known associated genes. Quality of life (QoL) was surveyed using SF-36v2(r).
      RESULTS: Whole-cohort median pre-treatment SAA fell from 70 to 4 mg/L within 10
      days of the first dose; this response has been maintained over an on-treatment
      follow-up period of 23 months (p<0.0001). AA amyloid deposits either regressed or
      remained stable. QoL improved in several domains. Infections were the predominant
      adverse effect experienced, but none resulted in permanent discontinuation of
      therapy. CONCLUSIONS: This small series shows that in patients with treatment
      refractory chronic inflammatory conditions TCZ can be effective in suppressing
      inflammation, and in those with AA amyloidosis, can lead to regression of amyloid
      deposits. Longer follow-up is required to determined long-term safety and
      efficacy in these conditions.

PMID- 26120867
TI  - Experimental Inoculation of Egyptian Rousette Bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) with
      Viruses of the Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus Genera.
AB  - The Egyptian rousette bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) is a natural reservoir for
      marburgviruses and a consistent source of virus spillover to humans. Cumulative
      evidence suggests various bat species may also transmit ebolaviruses. We
      investigated the susceptibility of Egyptian rousettes to each of the five known
      ebolaviruses (Sudan, Ebola, Bundibugyo, Tai Forest, and Reston), and compared
      findings with Marburg virus. In a pilot study, groups of four juvenile bats were
      inoculated with one of the ebolaviruses or Marburg virus. In ebolavirus groups,
      viral RNA tissue distribution was limited, and no bat became viremic. Sudan viral
      RNA was slightly more widespread, spurring a second, 15-day Sudan virus serial
      euthanasia study. Low levels of Sudan viral RNA disseminated to multiple tissues
      at early time points, but there was no viremia or shedding. In contrast, Marburg
      virus RNA was widely disseminated, with viremia, oral and rectal shedding, and
      antigen in spleen and liver. This is the first experimental infection study
      comparing tissue tropism, viral shedding, and clinical and pathologic effects of
      six different filoviruses in the Egyptian rousette, a known marburgvirus
      reservoir. Our results suggest Egyptian rousettes are unlikely sources for
      ebolaviruses in nature, and support a possible single filovirus-single reservoir
      host relationship. 

PMID- 26120868
TI  - Quantification of SAHA-Dependent Changes in Histone Modifications Using Data
      Independent Acquisition Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) are important regulators of
      chromatin structure and gene expression. Quantitative analysis of histone PTMs by
      mass spectrometry remains extremely challenging due to the complex and
      combinatorial nature of histone PTMs. The most commonly used mass spectrometry
      based method for high-throughput histone PTM analysis is data-dependent
      acquisition (DDA). However, stochastic precursor selection and dependence on MS1
      ions for quantification impede comprehensive interrogation of histone PTM states
      using DDA methods. To overcome these limitations, we utilized a data-independent
      acquisition (DIA) workflow that provides superior run-to-run consistency and
      postacquisition flexibility in comparison to DDA methods. In addition, we
      developed a novel DIA-based methodology to quantify isobaric, co-eluting histone
      peptides that lack unique MS2 transitions. Our method enabled deconvolution and
      quantification of histone PTMs that are otherwise refractory to quantitation,
      including the heavily acetylated tail of histone H4. Using this workflow, we
      investigated the effects of the histone deacetylase inhibitor SAHA
      (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid) on the global histone PTM state of human breast
      cancer MCF7 cells. A total of 62 unique histone PTMs were quantified, revealing
      novel SAHA-induced changes in acetylation and methylation of histones H3 and H4. 

PMID- 26120869
TI  - Protective Role of Ternatin Anthocyanins and Quercetin Glycosides from Butterfly
      Pea (Clitoria ternatea Leguminosae) Blue Flower Petals against Lipopolysaccharide
      (LPS)-Induced Inflammation in Macrophage Cells.
AB  - Twelve phenolic metabolites (nine ternatin anthocyanins and three glycosylated
      quercetins) were identified from the blue flowers of Clitoria ternatea by high
      performance liquid chromatography diode array detection and electrospray
      ionization/mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS(n)). Three anthocyanins not
      reported in this species before show fragmentation pattern of the ternatin class.
      Extracts were fractionated in fractions containing flavonols (F3) and ternatin
      anthocyanins (F4). In general, C. ternatea polyphenols showed anti-inflammatory
      properties in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7
      macrophage cells with distinct molecular targets. Flavonols (F3) showed strong
      inhibition of COX-2 activity and partial ROS suppression. On the other hand, the
      ternatin anthocyanins (F4) inhibited nuclear NF-kappaB translocation, iNOS
      protein expression, and NO production through a non-ROS suppression mechanism.
      Accordingly, quercetin glycosides and ternatin anthocyanins from the blue flower
      petals of C. ternatea may be useful in developing drugs or nutraceuticals for
      protection against chronic inflammatory diseases by suppressing the excessive
      production of pro-inflammatory mediators from macrophage cells. 

PMID- 26120870
TI  - Luciferin Amides Enable in Vivo Bioluminescence Detection of Endogenous Fatty
      Acid Amide Hydrolase Activity.
AB  - Firefly luciferase is homologous to fatty acyl-CoA synthetases. We hypothesized
      that the firefly luciferase substrate d-luciferin and its analogs are fatty acid
      mimics that are ideally suited to probe the chemistry of enzymes that release
      fatty acid products. Here, we synthesized luciferin amides and found that these
      molecules are hydrolyzed to substrates for firefly luciferase by the enzyme fatty
      acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). In the presence of luciferase, these molecules
      enable highly sensitive and selective bioluminescent detection of FAAH activity
      in vitro, in live cells, and in vivo. The potency and tissue distribution of FAAH
      inhibitors can be imaged in live mice, and luciferin amides serve as exemplary
      reagents for greatly improved bioluminescence imaging in FAAH-expressing tissues
      such as the brain. 

PMID- 26120871
TI  - High through-plane thermal conduction of graphene nanoflake filled polymer
      composites melt-processed in an L-shape kinked tube.
AB  - Design of materials to be heat-conductive in a preferred direction is a crucial
      issue for efficient heat dissipation in systems using stacked devices. Here, we
      demonstrate a facile route to fabricate polymer composites with directional
      thermal conduction. Our method is based on control of the orientation of fillers
      with anisotropic heat conduction. Melt-compression of solution-cast
      poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and graphene nanoflake (GNF) films in an L-shape
      kinked tube yielded a lightweight polymer composite with the surface normal of
      GNF preferentially aligned perpendicular to the melt-flow direction, giving rise
      to a directional thermal conductivity of approximately 10 W/mK at 25 vol % with
      an anisotropic thermal conduction ratio greater than six. The high directional
      thermal conduction was attributed to the two-dimensional planar shape of GNFs
      readily adaptable to the molten polymer flow, compared with highly entangled
      carbon nanotubes and three-dimensional graphite fillers. Furthermore, our
      composite with its density of approximately 1.5 g/cm(3) was mechanically stable,
      and its thermal performance was successfully preserved above 100  degrees C even
      after multiple heating and cooling cycles. The results indicate that the
      methodology using an L-shape kinked tube is a new way to achieve polymer
      composites with highly anisotropic thermal conduction. 

PMID- 26120873
TI  - Support Morphology-Dependent Catalytic Activity of Pd/CeO2 for Formaldehyde
      Oxidation.
AB  - To eliminate indoor formaldehyde (HCHO) pollution, Pd/CeO2 catalysts with
      different morphologies of ceria support were employed. The palladium
      nanoparticles loaded on {100}-faceted CeO2 nanocubes exhibited much higher
      activity than those loaded on {111}-faceted ceria nanooctahedrons and nanorods
      (enclosed by {100} and {111} facets). The HCHO could be fully converted into CO2
      over the Pd/CeO2 nanocubes at a GHSV of 10,000 h(-1) and a HCHO inlet
      concentration of 600 ppm at ambient temperature. The prepared catalysts were
      characterized by a series of techniques. The HRTEM, ICP-MS and XRD results
      confirmed the exposed facets of the ceria and the sizes (1-2 nm) of the palladium
      nanoparticles with loading amounts close to 1%. According to the Pd 3d XPS and H2
      TPR results, the status of the Pd-species was dependent on the morphologies of
      the supports. The {100} facets of ceria could maintain the metallic Pd species
      rather than the {111} facets, which promoted HCHO catalytic combustion. The Raman
      and O 1s XPS results revealed that the nanorods with more defect sites and oxygen
      vacancies were responsible for the easy oxidation of the Pd-species and low
      catalytic activity.

PMID- 26120872
TI  - G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 2 (GRK2) and 5 (GRK5) Exhibit Selective
      Phosphorylation of the Neurotensin Receptor in Vitro.
AB  - G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) play an important role in the
      desensitization of G protein-mediated signaling of G protein-coupled receptors
      (GPCRs). The level of interest in mapping their phosphorylation sites has
      increased because recent studies suggest that the differential pattern of
      receptor phosphorylation has distinct biological consequences. In vitro
      phosphorylation experiments using well-controlled systems are useful for
      deciphering the complexity of these physiological reactions and understanding the
      targeted event. Here, we report on the phosphorylation of the class A GPCR
      neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1) by GRKs under defined experimental conditions
      afforded by nanodisc technology. Phosphorylation of NTSR1 by GRK2 was agonist
      dependent, whereas phosphorylation by GRK5 occurred in an activation-independent
      manner. In addition, the negatively charged lipids in the immediate vicinity of
      NTSR1 directly affect phosphorylation by GRKs. Identification of phosphorylation
      sites in agonist-activated NTSR1 revealed that GRK2 and GRK5 target different
      residues located on the intracellular receptor elements. GRK2 phosphorylates only
      the C-terminal Ser residues, whereas GRK5 phosphorylates Ser and Thr residues
      located in intracellular loop 3 and the C-terminus. Interestingly,
      phosphorylation assays using a series of NTSR1 mutants show that GRK2 does not
      require acidic residues upstream of the phospho-acceptors for site-specific
      phosphorylation, in contrast to the beta2-adrenergic and MU-opioid receptors.
      Differential phosphorylation of GPCRs by GRKs is thought to encode a particular
      signaling outcome, and our in vitro study revealed NTSR1 differential
      phosphorylation by GRK2 and GRK5. 

PMID- 26120874
TI  - Pb17O8Cl18: A Promising IR Nonlinear Optical Material with Large Laser Damage
      Threshold Synthesized in an Open System.
AB  - Mid-IR nonlinear optical (NLO) materials are of great importance in modern laser
      frequency conversion technology and optical parametric oscillator processes.
      However, the commercially available IR NLO crystals (e.g., AgGaQ2 (Q = S, Se) and
      ZnGeP2) suffer from two obstacles, low laser damage thresholds (LDTs) and the
      difficulty of obtaining high-quality crystals, both of which seriously hinder
      their applications. The introduction of Cl, an element with a large
      electronegativity, and Pb, a relatively heavy element to promote the optical
      properties, affords an oxide-based IR NLO material, Pb17O8Cl18 (POC). High
      quality POC single crystals with sizes of up to 7 mm * 2 mm * 2 mm have been
      grown in an open system. Additionally, POC exhibits a large LDT of 408 MW/cm(2),
      12.8 times that of AgGaS2. POC also exhibits an excellent second harmonic
      generation response: 2 times that of AgGaS2, the benchmark IR NLO crystal at 2090
      nm, and 4 times that of KDP, the standard UV NLO crystal at 1064 nm. Thus, we
      believe that POC is a promising IR NLO material. 

PMID- 26120875
TI  - Asteltoxins from the Entomopathogenic Fungus Pochonia bulbillosa 8-H-28.
AB  - New asteltoxins C (3) and D (4) were found in the extract of the entomopathogenic
      fungus Pochonia bulbillosa 8-H-28. Compound 2, which was spectroscopically
      identical with the known asteltoxin B, was isolated, and structural analysis led
      to a revision of the structure of asteltoxin B. Compounds 2 and 4 have a novel
      tricyclic ring system connected to a dienyl alpha-pyrone structure. Compound 3
      has a 2,8-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octane ring similar to that of asteltoxin (1).
      Compound 3 showed potent antiproliferative activity against NIAS-SL64 cells
      derived from the fat body of Spodoptera litura larvae, while 2 and 4 were
      inactive. 

PMID- 26120877
TI  - Direct On-Chip Optical Plasmon Detection with an Atomically Thin Semiconductor.
AB  - The determination to develop fast, efficient devices has led to vast studies on
      photonic circuits but it is difficult to shrink these circuits below the
      diffraction limit of light. However, the coupling between surface plasmon
      polaritons and nanostructures in the near-field shows promise in developing next
      generation integrated circuitry. In this work, we demonstrate the potential for
      integrating nanoplasmonic-based light guides with atomically thin materials for
      on-chip near-field plasmon detection. Specifically, we show near-field electrical
      detection of silver nanowire plasmons with the atomically thin semiconductor
      molybdenum disulfide. Unlike graphene, atomically thin semiconductors such as
      molybdenum disulfide exhibit a bandgap that lends itself for the excitation and
      detection of plasmons. Our fully integrated plasmon detector exhibits plasmon
      responsivities of ~255 mA/W that corresponds to highly efficient plasmon
      detection (~0.5 electrons per plasmon). 

PMID- 26120878
TI  - An examination of the leftward cradling bias among typically developing adults
      high on autistic traits.
AB  - The leftward cradling bias is the tendency to cradle infants on the left side of
      the body and it has been linked with hemispheric asymmetry for emotional
      processing. This study examines this phenomenon using a real-size infant doll in
      typically developing adults who score high in the Reading the Mind in the Eyes,
      the Autistic Spectrum Quotient and the Empathy Quotient, measures that assess
      autistic traits among typically developing individuals. Results revealed that
      this group showed a reduced tendency to cradle on the left compared to
      participants who score within the normal range on the above measurements. This
      study provides further support for the justification of the leftward cradling
      bias upon brain lateralization on emotional processing. Study limitations and
      suggestions for future research are discussed. 

PMID- 26120876
TI  - Serotonin (5-HT) 5-HT2A Receptor (5-HT2AR):5-HT2CR Imbalance in Medial Prefrontal
      Cortex Associates with Motor Impulsivity.
AB  - A feature of multiple neuropsychiatric disorders is motor impulsivity. Recent
      studies have implicated serotonin (5-HT) systems in medial prefrontal cortex
      (mPFC) in mediating individual differences in motor impulsivity, notably the 5
      HT2AR receptor (5-HT2AR) and 5-HT2CR. We investigated the hypothesis that
      differences in the ratio of 5-HT2AR:5-HT2CR protein expression in mPFC would
      predict the individual level of motor impulsivity and that the engineered loss of
      the 5-HT2CR would result in high motor impulsivity concomitant with elevated 5
      HT2AR expression and pharmacological sensitivity to the selective 5-HT2AR
      antagonist M100907. High and low impulsive rats were identified in a 1-choice
      serial reaction time task. Native protein levels of the 5-HT2AR and the 5-HT2CR
      predicted the intensity of motor impulsivity and the 5-HT2AR:5-HT2CR ratio in
      mPFC positively correlated with levels of premature responses in individual
      outbred rats. The possibility that the 5-HT2AR and 5-HT2CR act in concert to
      control motor impulsivity is supported by the observation that high phenotypic
      motor impulsivity associated with a diminished mPFC synaptosomal 5-HT2AR:5-HT2CR
      protein:protein interaction. Knockdown of mPFC 5-HT2CR resulted in increased
      motor impulsivity and triggered a functional disruption of the local 5-HT2AR:5
      HT2CR balance as evidenced by a compensatory upregulation of 5-HT2AR protein
      expression and a leftward shift in the potency of M100907 to suppress impulsive
      behavior. We infer that there is an interactive relationship between the mPFC 5
      HT2AR and 5-HT2CR, and that a 5-HT2AR:5-HT2CR imbalance may be a functionally
      relevant mechanism underlying motor impulsivity. 

PMID- 26120879
TI  - Development and function of follicular helper T cells.
AB  - Most currently available vaccines rely on the induction of long-lasting
      protective humoral immune responses by memory B cells and plasma cells. Antibody
      responses against most antigens require interactions between antigen-specific B
      cells and CD4(+) T cells. Follicular helper T cells (TFH cells) are specialized
      subset of T cells that provide help to B cells and are essential for germinal
      center formation, affinity maturation, and the development of high-affinity
      antibodies. TFH-cell differentiation is a multistage process involving B-cell
      lymphoma 6 and other transcription factors, cytokines, and costimulation through
      inducible costimulator (ICOS) and several other molecules. This article reviews
      recent advances in our understanding of TFH cell biology, including their
      differentiation, transcriptional regulation, and function.

PMID- 26120880
TI  - Social Participation and Disability among Children from Underserved Immigrant and
      Nonimmigrant Households.
AB  - The population of immigrant children in the United States has increased
      dramatically. Little is known about how immigrant children, especially those with
      disabilities, fare on outcomes relevant to occupational therapy such as
      participation in home, school, and community activities. Using secondary data
      from the Making Connections survey, we compared social participation outcomes and
      predictors for children with/without disabilities from underserved immigrant and
      nonimmigrant households in a sample of 2,295 children aged 3 to 17 years. We
      found that social participation rates differed significantly for children based
      on their disability and immigrant status and were lowest for immigrant children
      with disabilities. Several contextual factors were found to be associated with
      social participation of immigrant children, such as health insurance coverage,
      household education, household connectedness with the neighborhood, and access to
      computers and the Internet. Implications of these findings for occupational
      therapy practice and research are discussed.

PMID- 26120881
TI  - Should We Give Routine Postoperative Intravenous Fluids After Cleft Surgery?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In 2012, the James Lind Alliance, together with the Craniofacial
      Society of Great Britain and Ireland and the Cleft Lip and Palate Association,
      set priorities for unanswered questions in cleft management. One of these
      priorities included postoperative fluid management. The authors' postoperative
      regimen does not include intravenous fluids unless the child fails to achieve
      adequate oral intake by the first evening postoperatively. This audit evaluated
      whether this is appropriate and safe practice. METHODS: All patients undergoing
      cleft-related surgery by a single surgeon in a single center during August 2011
      to August 2012 were included. Patient age, weight, and surgery type were recorded
      together with fluid requirement, length of stay, and any returns to theater or
      readmissions. RESULTS: Of the 79 patients included, none required readmission or
      return to theater, and the mean length of stay was 1.72 days. Nineteen patients
      (24%) required intravenous fluids, but these tended to be the older children in
      the group (P value .034). In the youngest patients undergoing primary lip repair,
      only 1 of 20 required intravenous fluids. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates
      that, especially in the younger patients, omitting intravenous fluids as a
      postoperative routine is associated with a shorter length of stay without an
      increased complication rate. The authors advocate early postoperative feeding and
      the return to physiological fluid balance.

PMID- 26120882
TI  - Transoral Robotic Cleft Palate Surgery.
AB  - Objective   This study aimed to assess the safety and feasibility of transoral
      robotic surgery for the reconstruction of soft palatal clefts. Design   The
      application of transoral robotic surgery for soft palate muscle reconstruction
      was investigated. The da Vinci Surgical Robot was first used on a cadaver to
      assess the optimal positioning of the patient and the robot. The robot was then
      used for the dissection and reconstruction of palatal muscles in 10 consecutive
      patients with palatal clefts. The procedures were documented using video and
      still photography. A group of 30 control patients were subjected to surgery with
      manual instruments. Surgical and clinical outcomes were evaluated with at least 6
      months of follow-up (8 +/- 1 months). Results   The use of the surgical robot on
      a cadaver provided great dexterity and excellent 3D depth perception. The
      transoral access was efficient and safe for the precise dissection,
      reorientation, and suturing of palatal muscles. In our series, the surgical
      duration was longer for the robotic approach than for the manual approach (87 +/-
      6 minutes versus 122 +/- 8 minutes, P < .0001). No intraoperative or
      postoperative complications occurred in either group. CONCLUSIONS: A robotic
      surgical approach can be used safely for palatal surgery. We believe that the
      precise dissection of the palatal muscles provided by the robotic system might
      reduce damage to the vascularization and innervation of these muscles, as well as
      damage to the mucosal surfaces that could cause fistula formation. In addition,
      this technique might improve palatal function and Eustachian tube function in
      cleft palate patients.

PMID- 26120883
TI  - Speech, Language, and Reading in 10-Year-Olds With Cleft: Associations With
      Teasing, Satisfaction With Speech, and Psychological Adjustment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the use of multidisciplinary services, little research has
      addressed issues involved in the care of those with cleft lip and/or palate
      across disciplines. The aim was to investigate associations between speech,
      language, reading, and reports of teasing, subjective satisfaction with speech,
      and psychological adjustment. DESIGN: Cross-sectional data collected during
      routine, multidisciplinary assessments in a centralized treatment setting,
      including speech and language therapists and clinical psychologists.
      PARTICIPANTS: Children with cleft with palatal involvement aged 10 years from
      three birth cohorts (N = 170) and their parents. OUTCOME MEASURES: Speech: SVANTE
      N. Language: Language 6-16 (sentence recall, serial recall, vocabulary, and
      phonological awareness). Reading: Word Chain Test and Reading Comprehension Test.
      Psychological measures: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and extracts
      from the Satisfaction With Appearance Scale and Child Experience Questionnaire.
      RESULTS: Reading skills were associated with self- and parent-reported
      psychological adjustment in the child. Subjective satisfaction with speech was
      associated with psychological adjustment, while not being consistently associated
      with speech therapists' assessments. Parent-reported teasing was found to be
      associated with lower levels of reading skills. Having a medical and/or
      psychological condition in addition to the cleft was found to affect speech,
      language, and reading significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Cleft teams need to be aware of
      speech, language, and/or reading problems as potential indicators of
      psychological risk in children with cleft. This study highlights the importance
      of multiple reports (self, parent, and specialist) and a multidisciplinary
      approach to cleft care and research.

PMID- 26120884
TI  - Serial Presurgical Orthopedics for Eye Repositioning and Optimization of Soft
      Tissue Repair in an Infant With Tessier No. 4 Cleft.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A male patient with Tessier No. 4 cleft (unilateral left) presented at
      20 days of age. The cleft defect beginning between the cupid bow and oral
      commissure extended to the ipsilateral orbital floor, skirting the nose and
      lacrimal duct while passing through the cheek medial to the infraorbital nerve.
      With the lesser segment disposed 16 mm transversely, the wide gap included an
      absence of orbital floor and lower eyelid. A deficient midfacial platform caused
      a severe inferior globe dystopia, superiorly displaced left ala base, and severe
      vertical shortening between ala-canthus and ala-globe. INTERVENTION: A modified
      Latham device applied directional orthopedics to contract the cleft gap and with
      an eye part added to elevate the dystopic globe. Two different Latham devices
      used in succession were each applied for 4 weeks. Lastly, a removable plate
      further repositioned the eye. Each appliance was designed to differentially move
      the noncleft and cleft segments of the maxilla. Presurgical orthopedics began at
      3 weeks lasted 14 weeks. Intraoperatively at 17 weeks, the inferior globe
      dystopia was effectively reduced, and the cleft gaps were nearly closed and
      aligned at the orbital floor, cheek, and the alveolus. Respecting the aesthetic
      units of face became possible with the soft-tissue repair yet were tight enough
      in the malar region to retract the lower lid. CONCLUSION: The presurgical
      directional orthopedic and eye-globe mechanics were sufficient to enable medial
      canthal repositioning, sustainable correction of orbital distopia, and optimized
      primary soft-tissue repair. Early result suggests that surgery with presurgical
      orthopedics is superior to surgery alone.

PMID- 26120885
TI  - Social Interactions of School-Aged Children With Craniofacial Anomalies: Mothers'
      Perspectives and Advice.

PMID- 26120886
TI  - Congenital Ulcerated Lip Hemangioma Treated With a Cleft Lip Technique.
AB  - A neonate presented to our clinic for evaluation of unusual congenital cleft lip.
      The clinical follow-up showed at first an ulceration of the lesion and then a
      stable result after propanolol systemic therapy. After 18 months of clinical
      follow-up, surgical treatment was performed, which consisted of double unilimb Z
      plasty according to Mulliken's microform cleft lip repair. Knowing the existence
      of these strange vascular anomalies of the lip will allow us to improve the
      differential diagnosis and treatment plan.

PMID- 26120887
TI  - An Assessment of 30-Day Complications in Primary Cleft Palate Repair: A Review of
      the 2012 ACS NSQIP Pediatric.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study uses the American College of Surgeons Pediatric National
      Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP Pediatric), a multicenter
      database, to identify risk factors for complications after cleft palate repair.
      DESIGN: Patients undergoing Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes 42200 and
      42205 were extracted from the 2012 ACS NSQIP Pediatric. Patients older than 36
      months or those who had undergone an additional surgery that altered the risk
      were excluded. Outcome variables were combined to create a complication variable.
      Fisher's exact, Pearson chi-square, and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used for
      analysis. RESULTS: Eligibility criteria were met by 751 patients. Of these, 192
      (25.6%) had unilateral clefts, 146 (19.4%) bilateral, and 413 (55.0%) were
      unspecified. The average age at time of surgery for those without and with
      complications was 421.1 +/- 184.8 and 433.6 +/- 168.0 days, respectively (P =
      .76). Of the 21 (2.8%) patients with complications, respiratory complications
      were the most common. Risk factors associated with complications included
      American Society of Anesthesiologists classification of 3 (P = .003), nutritional
      support (P = .013), esophageal/gastric/intestinal disease (P = .016), oxygen
      support (P = .003), structural pulmonary/airway abnormality (P = .011), and
      impaired cognitive status (P = .009). Patients undergoing concurrent laryngoscopy
      (P = .048) or other surgeries (P = .047) were also found to be associated with
      increased complications. The 30-day fistula rate was 0.5%, and the readmission
      rate was 1.9%. CONCLUSION: Perioperative complications for primary palatoplasty
      were 2.8% according to the ACS NSQIP Pediatric. Preoperative patient-related
      factors as well as concurrent surgeries may affect 30-day complication rates.
      These results help target those at greater risk for complications and allow for
      appropriate interventions to mitigate risks.

PMID- 26120889
TI  - Generalised EPG treatment effect in a cochlear implant user maintained after 2
      years.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate speech therapy using
      electropalatography (EPG) in home training of persistent articulation errors in a
      cochlear implant user with hearing impairment. There was a particular focus on
      aspects of maintenance of training effects and possible transfer to connected
      speech. METHOD: The participant was a young woman, deaf from early childhood and
      a cochlear implant user from pre-school age. Treatment effects were evaluated
      using a single-subject design with multiple measures. RESULT: Instrumental and
      perceptual outcome measures showed a clear improvement in the production of the
      treatment target /g/ in single words and sentences after 4 months of therapy (17
      hours). The results were maintained at 3, 6 and 24 months after intervention.
      Also, /g/ in connected speech, consisting of text reading and spontaneous speech,
      showed a significant difference between before and after treatment and at long
      term follow-up. CONCLUSION: The results show that EPG used in home training can
      be an efficient method for treating persistent speech disorders associated with
      hearing impairment and that the treatment effect appears to maintain.

PMID- 26120888
TI  - SIRT3-SOD2-mROS-dependent autophagy in cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity and salvage
      by melatonin.
AB  - Cadmium is one of the most toxic metal compounds found in the environment. It is
      well established that Cd induces hepatotoxicity in humans and multiple animal
      models. Melatonin, a major secretory product of the pineal gland, has been
      reported to protect against Cd-induced hepatotoxicity. However, the mechanism
      behind this protection remains to be elucidated. We exposed HepG2 cells to
      different concentrations of cadmium chloride (2.5, 5, and 10 MUM) for 12 h. We
      found that Cd induced mitochondrial-derived superoxide anion-dependent autophagic
      cell death. Specifically, Cd decreased SIRT3 protein expression and activity and
      promoted the acetylation of SOD2, superoxide dismutase 2, mitochondrial, thus
      decreasing its activity, a key enzyme involved in mitochondrial ROS production,
      although Cd did not disrupt the interaction between SIRT3 and SOD2. These effects
      were ameliorated by overexpression of SIRT3. However, a catalytic mutant of SIRT3
      (SIRT3(H248Y)) lacking deacetylase activity lost the capacity to suppress Cd
      induced autophagy. Notably, melatonin treatment enhanced the activity but not the
      expression of SIRT3, decreased the acetylation of SOD2, inhibited mitochondrial
      derived O2(*-) production and suppressed the autophagy induced by 10 MUM Cd.
      Moreover, 3-(1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)pyridine, a confirmed selective SIRT3
      inhibitor, blocked the melatonin-mediated suppression of autophagy by inhibiting
      SIRT3-SOD2 signaling. Importantly, melatonin suppressed Cd-induced autophagic
      cell death by enhancing SIRT3 activity in vivo. These results suggest that
      melatonin exerts a hepatoprotective effect on mitochondrial-derived O2(*-)
      stimulated autophagic cell death that is dependent on the SIRT3/SOD2 pathway. 

PMID- 26120890
TI  - Correlation of Internet Use for Health Care Engagement Purposes and HIV Clinical
      Outcomes Among HIV-Positive Individuals Using Online Social Media.
AB  - The authors aimed to describe cell phone and Internet use and assess the
      correlation of Internet use for health care engagement purposes and HIV clinical
      outcomes among HIV-positive individuals. The authors conducted a national survey
      using online social media to examine cell phone and Internet use, self-reported
      HIV viral load (detectable vs. undetectable), and antiretroviral adherence rating
      (excellent vs. less than excellent). Participants (N = 1,494) were asked about
      their Internet use for health care engagement purposes (including e-mailing
      health care providers, refilling medications online, and making medical
      appointments online). Approximately 95% of participants accessed the Internet
      nearly daily or daily in the past month (mean hours on Internet use per day =
      5.2) and 55.5% used the Internet for health care engagement purposes. Those who
      used the Internet for any health care engagement purposes had a 1.52-fold odds of
      reporting an undetectable viral load (p = .009) and a 1.49-fold odds of reporting
      excellent adherence (p = .001). Although Internet access and use were similar
      across racial/ethnic, educational, and socioeconomic groups, disparities existed
      with the use of the Internet for health care engagement purposes among
      racial/ethnic minorities, those with low to moderate financial stability, lower
      education, and history of incarceration. The authors' data reveal that among HIV
      positive users of online social media, use of the Internet for health care
      engagement purposes is associated with better self-reported virologic and
      adherence outcomes.

PMID- 26120891
TI  - Antidepressant-like effect of simvastatin in diabetic rats.
AB  - Diabetes mellitus is accompanied by hormonal and neurochemical changes that can
      be associated with anxiety and depression. I investigated the antidepressant
      effect of simvastatin (SMV) on diabetic rats. Rats were divided into control
      (CTR) and streptozotocin-induced diabetic (STZ) groups and were orally
      administered 0, 5, or 10 mg/kg of SMV daily for 14 days, then exposed to the
      forced swimming test (FST). Our results showed that diabetic rats had higher
      immobility duration than the CTR rats, and SMV decreased this depressive-like
      behavior in the diabetic rats. However, clomipramine lowered the immobility time
      in the CTR and STZ rats. STZ decreased serotonin concentration in the
      hippocampus, which was reversed by SMV and clomipramine. The dopamine
      concentration in the hippocampus decreased in the STZ groups compared with the
      CTR groups. However, SMV and clomipramine had no significant effect on the
      dopamine levels in either the CTR or STZ groups. Corticosterone levels were
      increased in the untreated STZ group; SMV and clomipramine significantly
      decreased corticosterone levels in the STZ groups, but had no effect on the CTR
      groups. In conclusion, SMV exerts an antidepressant-like effect on diabetic rats
      that are submitted to the FST. The antidepressant-like effect of SMV in the FST
      appears to be mediated, at least in part, by the biochemical changes to the blood
      levels of corticosterone and of serotonin concentration in the hippocampus.

PMID- 26120892
TI  - Acute Kidney Injury Requiring Dialysis in Severe Sepsis.
AB  - RATIONALE: Understanding the changing incidence and impact of acute kidney injury
      requiring dialysis in patients with severe sepsis will allow better risk
      stratification, design of clinical trials, and guide resource allocation.
      OBJECTIVES: To assess the longitudinal incidence of acute kidney injury requiring
      dialysis and its impact on mortality in patients with severe sepsis. METHODS:
      Retrospective cohort study of adults (>=20 yr) hospitalized with severe sepsis
      from 2000 to 2009 in the United States using a nationally representative
      database. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We calculated the incidences of acute
      kidney injury requiring dialysis and mortality over time. We used linear
      regression to assess temporal trends. We used logistic regression to estimate the
      odds of acute kidney injury requiring dialysis and mortality. Of the estimated
      5,257,907 hospitalizations with severe sepsis, 6.1% had acute kidney injury
      requiring dialysis. The odds of acquiring acute kidney injury requiring dialysis
      increased by 14% in 2009 compared with 2000. Mortality in patients with acute
      kidney injury requiring dialysis was higher (43.6% vs. 24.9%; P < 0.001). After
      multivariable adjustment, odds of mortality declined 61% by the year 2009. Acute
      kidney injury requiring dialysis remained an independent predictor of mortality
      in patients with severe sepsis, although its influence on mortality declined with
      time. CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of acute kidney injury requiring dialysis in
      patients with severe sepsis has increased over time; conversely, associated
      mortality has declined. The likelihood of demise from acute kidney injury
      requiring dialysis in patients with severe sepsis has also declined.

PMID- 26120893
TI  - Medical legal partnership and health informatics impacting child health:
      Interprofessional innovations.
AB  - Dramatic differences in health are closely related to degrees of social and
      economic disadvantage. Poverty-induced hardships such as food insecurity, utility
      shut-offs, and substandard housing, all have the potential to negatively impact
      the health of families. In an effort to better address social determinants of
      health in pediatric primary health care settings using the Medical Legal
      Partnership (MLP) model of health care delivery, an interprofessional team of
      investigators came together to design an innovative process for using
      computerized clinical decision support to identify health-harming legal and
      social needs, improve the delivery of appropriate physician counseling, and
      streamline access to legal and social service professionals when non-medical
      remedies are required. This article describes the interprofessional nature of the
      MLP model itself, illustrates the work that was done to craft this innovative
      health informatics approach to implementing MLP, and demonstrates how
      pediatricians, social workers and attorneys may work together to improve child
      health outcomes. 

PMID- 26120894
TI  - E-Learning with virtual teammates: A novel approach to interprofessional
      education.
AB  - The Institute of Medicine identified interprofessional education (IPE) as a key
      innovation for achieving the triple aim of better care, better outcomes, and
      reduced healthcare costs. Yet, a shortage of qualified faculty and difficulty
      with aligning learners' schedules often prevent sustainable and scalable IPE. A
      virtual IPE intervention was developed to circumvent these barriers and compared
      to a blended-learning IPE intervention. We used a pre-test and post-test design
      with two comparison interventions to test the effects of these IPE interventions
      on changes in teamwork knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The interventions were
      delivered to pre-licensure learners at a large, metropolitan medical and a
      nursing school. We used one-sample and independent-sample t-tests to analyze data
      from 220 learners who received the blended-learning intervention in 2011 and 540
      learners who received the virtual learning intervention in 2012. The students in
      the blended-learning intervention did not significantly (p < 0.05) outperform the
      students in the virtual learning intervention for any of the measured outcomes,
      except for medical students' attitudes around team value. Virtual IPE learning is
      an effective, scalable, and sustainable solution for imparting foundational
      teamwork knowledge in health profession students. 

PMID- 26120895
TI  - Partnership to promote interprofessional education and practice for population
      and public health informatics: A case study.
AB  - Team-based healthcare delivery models, which emphasize care coordination, patient
      engagement, and utilization of health information technology, are emerging. To
      achieve these models, expertise in interprofessional education, collaborative
      practice across professions, and informatics is essential. This case study from
      informatics programs in the Academic Health Center (AHC) at the University of
      Minnesota and the Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT) at the Minnesota
      Department of Health presents an academic-practice partnership, which focuses on
      both interprofessionalism and informatics. Outcomes include the Minnesota
      Framework for Interprofessional Biomedical Health Informatics, comprising
      collaborative curriculum development, teaching and research, practicums to
      promote competencies, service to advance biomedical health informatics, and
      collaborative environments to facilitate a learning health system. Details on
      these Framework categories are presented. Partnership success is due to
      interprofessional connections created with emphasis on informatics and to
      committed leadership across partners. A limitation of this collaboration is the
      need for formal agreements outlining resources and roles, which are vital for
      sustainability. This partnership addresses a recommendation on the future of
      interprofessionalism: that both education and practice sectors be attuned to each
      other's expectations and evolving trends. Success strategies and lessons learned
      from collaborations, such as that of the AHC-OHIT that promote both
      interprofessionalism and informatics, need to be shared. 

PMID- 26120896
TI  - Increasing medical students' understanding of the role of occupational
      therapists.
AB  - Understanding the roles and responsibilities of different healthcare
      professionals allows for collaborative care to occur. This article describes the
      evaluation of a student-designed, case-based educational module about the roles
      and responsibilities of occupational therapists (OTs) designed to increase the
      knowledge of occupational therapy among medical students. The study used a quasi
      experimental, pre-/post-test design. Independent paired t-tests showed medical
      students' mean score on the OT Awareness Education Module at post-test was
      significantly greater than their mean score at pre-test. Results demonstrated how
      using an evidence-based approach to design an educational strategy can increase
      the knowledge of one member of the healthcare team about the role of another
      within a short period. This study documented an effective approach for educating
      future physicians about the roles and responsibilities of occupational therapy as
      they prepare to make decisions affecting patient care outcomes. 

PMID- 26120897
TI  - Antioxidant Capacity: Experimental Determination by EPR Spectroscopy and
      Mathematical Modeling.
AB  - A new method of determining antioxidant capacity based on a mathematical model is
      presented in this paper. The model was fitted to 1000 data points of electron
      paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy measurements of various food product
      samples such as tea, wine, juice, and herbs with Trolox equivalent antioxidant
      capacity (TEAC) values from 20 to 2000 MUmol TE/100 mL. The proposed mathematical
      equation allows for a determination of TEAC of food products based on a single
      EPR spectroscopy measurement. The model was tested on the basis of 80 EPR
      spectroscopy measurements of herbs, tea, coffee, and juice samples. The proposed
      model works for both strong and weak antioxidants (TEAC values from 21 to 2347
      MUmol TE/100 mL). The determination coefficient between TEAC values obtained
      experimentally and TEAC values calculated with proposed mathematical equation was
      found to be R(2) = 0.98. Therefore, the proposed new method of TEAC determination
      based on a mathematical model is a good alternative to the standard EPR method
      due to its being fast, accurate, inexpensive, and simple to perform. 

PMID- 26120898
TI  - Trans-Carotid Placement of Balloon Expandable Covered Stent for Unplanned Left
      Carotid Coverage during Endovascular Repair of Distal Arch Aneurysm.
AB  - We present a technique for endovascular management of unplanned coverage of the
      left common carotid artery during endovascular repair of a distal aortic arch
      aneurysm. A balloon expandable covered stent was placed into the proximal left
      common carotid artery by neck incision. 

PMID- 26120899
TI  - Minimally Invasive Implantation of the EDWARDS INTUITY Rapid Deployment Aortic
      Valve Via a Right Minithoracotomy.
AB  - During the past decade, many surgeons have focused their interest on the
      development and improvement of minimally invasive techniques for aortic valve
      replacement. Although the minimally invasive approaches for the treatment of
      mitral valve disease have been standardized, the preferred route for aortic valve
      replacement remains a matter of debate. Access through a right minithoracotomy
      avoids opening the sternum; however, it requires a greater surgical ability and a
      learning period, even for experienced surgeons. This enhances the role of
      sutureless prostheses because these devices are associated with easier placement,
      excellent hemodynamic performance, and acceptable rates of pacemaker implantation
      and paravalvular leak. Herein, we report a series of 10 consecutive patients who
      received an EDWARDS INTUITY rapid deployment valve (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine,
      CA USA) by a right minithoracotomy. 

PMID- 26120900
TI  - Interaction of methamphetamine abuse, tobacco abuse, and gender in the brain.

PMID- 26120901
TI  - Caveat Emptor on Sublingual Immunotherapy.

PMID- 26120902
TI  - Combined lysis of thrombus with ultrasound and systemic tissue plasminogen
      activator for emergent revascularization in acute ischemic stroke (CLOTBUST-ER):
      design and methodology of a multinational phase 3 trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We designed a Phase 3 clinical trial to determine the safety and
      efficacy of adding transcranial ultrasound using an operator-independent
      headframe to recombinant tissue-plasminogen-activator for the treatment of acute
      ischemic stroke. METHODS: Combined lysis of thrombus with ultrasound and systemic
      tissue-plasminogen-activator for emergent revascularization in acute ischemic
      stroke is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial that will
      enroll subjects with the following main inclusion criteria: less than 4.5 hours
      from symptom onset (three-hours in US and Canada), age 18-80 years, baseline
      National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score >= 10, and premorbid modified
      Rankin-score of 0-1, eligibility for full dose recombinant tissue-plasminogen
      activator. Subjects will receive two-hours of 2-MHz pulsed wave transcranial
      ultrasound (target group) or sham ultrasound (control group). The projected
      sample size is approximately 824 subjects. RESULTS: The primary endpoint, based
      on intention-to-treat criteria of patients enrolled within three-hours of symptom
      onset is the comparison between target and control groups of modified-Rankin
      score scores at day 90 poststroke assessed using the proportional odds method.
      The study will have two planned interim analyses after approximately one-third
      and two-thirds of subjects have reached the 90-day modified-Rankin-score
      evaluation. Safety outcomes are symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage within 24 h
      and an overall analysis of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Since intravenous
      recombinant tissue-plasminogen-activator remains the only medical therapy to
      reverse ischemic stroke applicable in the emergency department, our trial will
      determine if the additional use of transcranial ultrasound improves functional
      outcomes in patients with severe acute ischemic stroke (NCT#01098981).

PMID- 26120903
TI  - New Insights into the Functions of Transcription Factors that Bind the RNA
      Polymerase Secondary Channel.
AB  - Transcription elongation is regulated at several different levels, including
      control by various accessory transcription elongation factors. A distinct group
      of these factors interacts with the RNA polymerase secondary channel, an opening
      at the enzyme surface that leads to its active center. Despite investigation for
      several years, the activities and in vivo roles of some of these factors remain
      obscure. Here, we review the recent progress in understanding the functions of
      the secondary channel binding factors in bacteria. In particular, we highlight
      the surprising role of global regulator DksA in fidelity of RNA synthesis and the
      resolution of RNA polymerase traffic jams by the Gre factor. These findings
      indicate a potential link between transcription fidelity and collisions of the
      transcription and replication machineries. 

PMID- 26120905
TI  - Acute in vivo toxicity mitigation of PEI-coated maghemite nanoparticles using
      controlled oxidation and surface modifications toward siRNA delivery.
AB  - A ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN)-based doping step was used for the fabrication of
      core maghemite nanoparticles (NPs) that enabled the obtainment of colloid
      particles with a view to a high-level nanoparticle (NP) surface doping by
      Ce(III/IV). Such doping of Ce(III/IV) cations enables one to exploit their quite
      rich coordination chemistry for ligand coordinative binding. In fact, they were
      shown to act as powerful Lewis acid centers for attaching any organic (Lewis
      base) ligand such as a 25 kDa branched PEI polymer. Resulting conPEI25-CAN-gamma
      Fe2O3 NPs have been fully characterized before a successful implementation of
      siRNA loading and cell delivery/gene silencing using a well-known dual luciferase
      system. This attractive result emphasized their significant potential as an NP
      platform technology toward additional MRI and/or drug delivery (peptide)-relating
      end applications. However, due to their high positive charge, PEI polymers can
      cause severe in vivo toxicity due to their interaction with negatively charged
      red blood cells (RBC), resulting in RBC aggregation and lysis, leading to
      thrombosis and, finally, to animal death. In order to mitigate these acute toxic
      effects, two different types of surface modifications were performed. One
      modification included the controlled oxidation of 0.1-5% of the PEI amines before
      or after conjugation to the NPs, using hydrogen peroxide or potassium persulfate.
      The other type of modification was the addition of a second biocompatible
      polyanionic polymer to the PEI grafted NPs, based on the concept of a layer-by
      layer (LbL) technique. This modification is based on the coordination of another
      polyanionic polymer on the NPs surface in order to create a combined hybrid PEI
      and polyanionic polymer nanosystem. In both cases, the surface modification
      successfully mitigated the NP acute in vivo toxicity, without compromising the
      silencing efficiency. 

PMID- 26120904
TI  - Synthetic Proteins and Peptides for the Direct Interrogation of alpha-Synuclein
      Posttranslational Modifications.
AB  - alpha-Synuclein is the aggregation-prone protein associated with Parkinson's
      disease (PD) and related neurodegenerative diseases. Complicating both its
      biological functions and toxic aggregation are a variety of posttranslational
      modifications. These modifications have the potential to either positively or
      negatively affect alpha-synuclein aggregation, raising the possibility that the
      enzymes that add or remove these modifications could be therapeutic targets in
      PD. Synthetic protein chemistry is uniquely positioned to generate site
      specifically and homogeneously modified proteins for biochemical study. Here, we
      review the application of synthetic peptides and proteins towards understanding
      the effects of alpha-synuclein posttranslational modifications. 

PMID- 26120906
TI  - Impact of musculoskeletal ultrasound on clinical practice in paediatric
      rheumatology.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) is an imaging technique
      increasingly used in paediatric rheumatology. The aim of our study was to
      evaluate the extent to which MSUS may influence the diagnosis and management
      decisions in daily clinical practice in paediatric rheumatology. METHODS: All
      child patients attending our PR unit over a 3-month period were included. A
      consultant rheumatologist assessed juvenile patients and weighted the need for
      MSUS assessment under a Likert scale from 0 (not necessary) to 5 (very necessary)
      with scanning performed when the Likert score was greater than 0. The
      rheumatologist completed a questionnaire used to report previous and current
      diagnosis, therapeutic decisions and disease activity. An assistant
      rheumatologist who was blinded to the questionnaire carried out the MSUS scanning
      of selected joints. After MSUS examination, a second questionnaire was completed
      by the consultant rheumatologist reporting changes in diagnosis and systemic and
      local treatment, if applicable. RESULTS: We included 111 patients [73 (65.8%)
      female]. Fifteen (13.5%) were new patients and 96 (86.5%) follow-up patients.
      Fifty-one (45.9%) patients were diagnosed with JIA. 65 (58.6%) patients qualified
      for MSUS. A total of 108 joints from 65 patients were clinically assessed with 93
      (86.1%) joints deemed to require complementary MSUS assessment (mean assessed
      joints 1.4 per patient). Of the 65 patients undergoing MSUS, 38 (58.5%) patients
      there was a change in diagnosis, therapeutic decisions or both following the MSUS
      information. CONCLUSIONS: MSUS may play a significant role in local diagnosis and
      therapeutic decisions among follow-up JIA patients and could help in the
      management of rheumatic diseases in children. Further longitudinal studies are
      needed to confirm the impact of MSUS in paediatric rheumatology.

PMID- 26120908
TI  - Reference-dependent risk sensitivity as rational inference.
AB  - Existing explanations of reference-dependent risk sensitivity attribute it to
      cognitive imperfections and heuristic choice processes. This article shows that
      behavior consistent with an S-shaped value function could be an implication of
      rational inferences about the expected values of alternatives. Theoretically, I
      demonstrate that even a risk-neutral Bayesian decision maker, who is uncertain
      about the reliability of observations, should use variability in observed
      outcomes as a predictor of low expected value for outcomes above a reference
      level, and as a predictor of high expected value for outcomes below a reference
      level. Empirically, I show that combining past outcomes using an S-shaped value
      function leads to accurate predictions about future values. The theory also
      offers a rationale for why risk sensitivity consistent with an inverse S-shaped
      value function should occur in experiments on decisions from experience with
      binary payoff distributions.

PMID- 26120907
TI  - Separating decision and encoding noise in signal detection tasks.
AB  - In this article we develop an extension to the signal detection theory framework
      to separately estimate internal noise arising from representational and decision
      processes. Our approach constrains signal detection theory models with decision
      noise by combining a multipass external noise paradigm with confidence rating
      responses. In a simulation study we present evidence that representation and
      decision noise can be separately estimated over a range of representative
      underlying representational and decision noise level configurations. These
      results also hold across a number of decision rules and show resilience to rule
      miss-specification. The new theoretical framework is applied to a visual
      detection confidence-rating task with 3 and 5 response categories. This study
      compliments and extends the recent efforts of researchers (Benjamin, Diaz, & Wee,
      2009; Mueller & Weidemann, 2008; Rosner & Kochanski, 2009; Kellen, Klauer, &
      Singmann, 2012) to separate and quantify underlying sources of response
      variability in signal detection tasks.

PMID- 26120909
TI  - Affixation in semantic space: Modeling morpheme meanings with compositional
      distributional semantics.
AB  - The present work proposes a computational model of morpheme combination at the
      meaning level. The model moves from the tenets of distributional semantics, and
      assumes that word meanings can be effectively represented by vectors recording
      their co-occurrence with other words in a large text corpus. Given this
      assumption, affixes are modeled as functions (matrices) mapping stems onto
      derived forms. Derived-form meanings can be thought of as the result of a
      combinatorial procedure that transforms the stem vector on the basis of the affix
      matrix (e.g., the meaning of nameless is obtained by multiplying the vector of
      name with the matrix of -less). We show that this architecture accounts for the
      remarkable human capacity of generating new words that denote novel meanings,
      correctly predicting semantic intuitions about novel derived forms. Moreover, the
      proposed compositional approach, once paired with a whole-word route, provides a
      new interpretative framework for semantic transparency, which is here partially
      explained in terms of ease of the combinatorial procedure and strength of the
      transformation brought about by the affix. Model-based predictions are in line
      with the modulation of semantic transparency on explicit intuitions about
      existing words, response times in lexical decision, and morphological priming. In
      conclusion, we introduce a computational model to account for morpheme
      combination at the meaning level. The model is data-driven, theoretically sound,
      and empirically supported, and it makes predictions that open new research
      avenues in the domain of semantic processing. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26120910
TI  - Signal detection and threshold modeling of confidence-rating ROCs: A critical
      test with minimal assumptions.
AB  - An ongoing discussion in the recognition-memory literature concerns the question
      of whether recognition judgments reflect a direct mapping of graded memory
      representations (a notion that is instantiated by signal detection theory) or
      whether they are mediated by a discrete-state representation with the possibility
      of complete information loss (a notion that is instantiated by threshold models).
      These 2 accounts are usually evaluated by comparing their (penalized) fits to
      receiver operating characteristic data, a procedure that is predicated on
      substantial auxiliary assumptions, which if violated can invalidate results. We
      show that the 2 accounts can be compared on the basis of critical tests that
      invoke only minimal assumptions. Using previously published receiver operating
      characteristic data, we show that confidence-rating judgments are consistent with
      a discrete-state account. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26120911
TI  - Hidden processes in structural representations: A reply to Abbott, Austerweil,
      and Griffiths (2015).
AB  - In recent work exploring the semantic fluency task, we found evidence indicative
      of optimal foraging policies in memory search that mirror search in physical
      environments. We determined that a 2-stage cue-switching model applied to a
      memory representation from a semantic space model best explained the human data.
      Abbott, Austerweil, and Griffiths demonstrate how these patterns could also
      emerge from a random walk applied to a network representation of memory based on
      human free-association norms. However, a major representational issue limits any
      conclusions that can be drawn about the process model comparison: Our process
      model operated on a memory space constructed from a learning model, whereas their
      model used human behavioral data from a task that is quite similar to the
      behavior they attempt to explain. Predicting semantic fluency (e.g., how likely
      it is to say cat after dog in a sequence of animals) from free association (how
      likely it is to say cat when given dog as a cue) should be possible with a
      relatively simple retrieval mechanism. The 2 tasks both tap memory, but they also
      share a common process of retrieval. Assuming that semantic memory is a network
      from free-association behavior embeds variance due to the shared retrieval
      process directly into the representation. A simple process mechanism is then
      sufficient to simulate semantic fluency because much of the requisite process
      complexity may already be hidden in the representation. (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26120912
TI  - Decreased SAPK/JNK signalling affects cytokine release and STAT3 activation in
      psoriatic fibroblasts.

PMID- 26120914
TI  - Suicide Disclosure in Suicide Attempt Survivors: Does Family Reaction Moderate or
      Mediate Disclosure's Effect on Depression?
AB  - Existing literature has found a link between disclosure of a stigmatized identity
      and improved mental health; however, research on the impact of suicide disclosure
      to family members is scarce. Suicide attempt survivors (n = 74) in the United
      States were examined to assess whether family reaction moderates or mediates the
      relationship between suicide disclosure and subsequent depression symptoms.
      Family reaction did not moderate but did mediate the relationship between
      disclosure and depression symptoms while controlling for time since most recent
      attempt. Higher rates of disclosure predicted more positive family reactions,
      which in turn predicted less severe depression symptoms. Findings indicate that
      family members can play an essential role in the recovery process after an
      attempt occurs, which has important implications for both researchers and
      clinicians who seek to decrease stigma for attempt survivors while simultaneously
      decreasing the likelihood of future attempts.

PMID- 26120915
TI  - Test or toy? Materiality and the measurement of infant intelligence.
AB  - Adopting a material culture perspective, this article interrogates the
      composition of the copy of the Cattell Infant Intelligence Scale housed at the
      University of Toronto Scientific Instruments Collection. As a deliberately
      assembled collection of toys, the Cattell Scale makes clear the indefinite
      boundary between test and toy in 20th-century American psychology. Consideration
      of the current condition of some of the material constituents of this particular
      Cattell Scale provides valuable insight into some of the elusive practices of
      intelligence testers in situ and highlights the dynamic nature of the testing
      process. At the same time, attending to the materiality of this intelligence test
      reveals some of the more general assumptions about the nature of intelligence
      inherent in tests for young children. The scale and others like it, I argue,
      exposes psychologists' often-uncritical equation of childhood intelligence with
      appropriate play undertaken with an appropriate toy, an approach complicit in,
      and fostered by, midcentury efforts to cultivate particular forms of selfhood.
      This analysis serves as an example of the kind of work that may be done on the
      history of intelligence testing when the material objects that were (and are)
      inherently a part of the testing process are included in historical scholarship.

PMID- 26120916
TI  - Freeman's transorbital lobotomy as an anomaly: A material culture examination of
      surgical instruments and operative spaces.
AB  - In 1946, Walter Freeman introduced the transorbital ice pick lobotomy. Touted as
      a procedure that could be learned and subsequently performed by psychiatrists
      outside of the operating room, the technique was quickly criticized by
      neurosurgeons. In this article, we take a material culture approach to consider 2
      grounds upon which neurosurgeons based their objections-surgical instruments and
      operative spaces. On both counts, Freeman was in contravention of established
      normative neurosurgical practices and, ultimately, his technique was exposed as
      an anomaly by neurosurgeons. Despite its rejection, the transorbital lobotomy
      became entrenched in contemporary memory and remains the emblematic procedure of
      the psychosurgery era.

PMID- 26120917
TI  - The Utica crib: Biography of an unknown barbarous object.
AB  - During the latter half of the 19th century, a device known popularly as the
      "Utica crib" became widely used in asylums and state hospitals across North
      America. The design varied to an extent between institutions but generally
      consisted of an enclosed, rectangular box made from combinations of wood slats or
      metal screening, with a hinged lid that could be latched closed on one side. The
      box was large enough to allow a person to lie straight inside with the lid
      closed. It has generally been described as no more than a restraint device used
      to confine patients in a recumbent position. In this article, I resituate the
      Utica crib in its broader historical context, focusing on the key role it played
      in the boundary debates faced by North American alienists. Particular attention
      is paid to the challenge from British alienists with regard to the nonrestraint
      movement and the attack from neurologists concerning the purported expertise of
      alienists.

PMID- 26120918
TI  - Neglect of the foreign invisible: Historiography and the navigation of
      conflicting sensibilities.
AB  - This essay is intended first as a contribution to historiography, and only second
      as a contribution to the history of developmental psychology. It is therefore a
      discussion--primarily--of the doing of the history of psychology, rather than of
      its content. Briefly put: American psychology, including its associated
      approaches to the history of psychology, is not adequately equipped to benefit
      fully from the contributions of foreign scholars. To make the resulting argument
      clear, two archive-driven microhistories are reviewed, contrasted, augmented with
      new archival research, and synthesized: Yeh Hsueh's (2004) examination of the
      nomination process at Harvard University that led to the awarding of an honorary
      doctorate to Jean Piaget in 1936, and Marc Ratcliff and Paloma Borella's (2013)
      examination-just recently published in French-of a similar process that resulted
      in Piaget's hiring at Geneva in 1929 and his eventual promotion in 1940.
      Comparing the authors' different approaches to similar content then affords this
      article's larger argument: we need to broaden our sensibilities so we can see
      high-quality foreign contributions for what they are. Several interesting
      insights result if we do. Among them: although Piaget's theory is today
      mistakenly criticized for being asocial, and this serves as justification for
      countering his early works with Vygotsky's posthumous critique, it emerges from
      these archival studies that Piaget may have in fact chosen to present himself and
      his work as nonsociological (when this was not the case) for reasons unrelated to
      his intellectual project. Such examples then broaden the discussion of "neglect
      of the foreign invisible" to include suppression--even censorship (by self or
      other)--which in turn reflects the primary problem afforded by
      internationalization: by what standards are we to judge the contributions of
      "foreigners" into "our" discipline?

PMID- 26120919
TI  - Florence Goodenough and child study: The question of mothers as researchers.
AB  - This article examines the views of early developmental psychologist Florence
      Goodenough, summarizing her contributions to the field, her complex viewpoints on
      science and gender issues, and her arguments for maternal record-keeping as a
      valuable scientific strategy, as drawn from her writings in textbooks, popular
      magazine articles, and private correspondence. During the 1920s, 1930s, and
      1940s, when Goodenough enjoyed a high professional profile as a research
      scientist, the field of child psychology shifted from focus on producing applied
      knowledge to benefit parents and educators to a preference for laboratory
      controlled basic science approaches to understanding development. Goodenough
      championed observation and other descriptive methods, including use of mothers as
      data collectors in the home, even while these approaches were increasingly
      discredited by prominent peers in the United States. I argue that Goodenough's
      allegiance to maternal record-keeping highlights a forgotten strand of context
      sensitive, descriptive work that survived despite its general disparagement among
      proponents of a narrower version of strictly experimental developmental science
      emerging in the 1920s.

PMID- 26120920
TI  - Searching for the structure of early American psychology: Networking
      Psychological Review, 1909-1923.
AB  - This study continues a previous investigation of the intellectual structure of
      early American psychology by presenting and analyzing 3 networks that
      collectively include every substantive article published in Psychological Review
      during the 15-year period from 1909 to 1923. The networks were laid out such that
      articles (represented by the network's nodes) that possessed strongly correlated
      vocabularies were positioned closer to each other spatially than articles with
      weakly correlated vocabularies. We identified distinct research communities
      within the networks by locating and interpreting the clusters of lexically
      similar articles. We found that the Psychological Review was in some turmoil
      during this period compared with its first 15 years attributable, first, to
      Baldwin's unexpected departure in 1910; second, to the pressures placed on the
      discipline by United States entry into World War I; and, third, to the emergence
      of specialty psychology journals catering to research communities that had once
      published in the Review. The journal emerged from these challenges, however, with
      a better-defined mission: to serve as the chief repository of theoretical
      psychology in the United States.

PMID- 26120921
TI  - The origins and professionalization of cognitive psychotherapy in Argentina.
AB  - The growing popularity of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has helped reshape
      the mental health scene in the city of Buenos Aires, historically the stronghold
      of psychoanalysis. In the early 1980s, CBT was infrequently used and sometimes
      overtly resisted in the field of mental health. Almost 3 decades later, the
      impact of CBT has increased dramatically in Argentina, not only in independent
      practice but also in the health system and in everyday life. This article aims to
      describe the process by which Argentine psychotherapists first adopted this new
      theoretical framework.

PMID- 26120922
TI  - Research report on a new volume on the crises in Italian psychology.

PMID- 26120924
TI  - Creating a new problem: The use of baclofen in the management of alcohol use
      disorder.

PMID- 26120925
TI  - Statins and subarachnoid hemorrhage in Medicare patients with unruptured cerebral
      aneurysms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Statins have been shown to decrease aneurysm progression and rupture
      in two experimental settings: animals with cerebral aneurysm and humans with
      abdominal aortic aneurysms. AIMS: To investigate statin use and outcomes in
      humans with unruptured cerebral aneurysms through Medicare administrative data.
      METHODS: We used a 40% random sample Medicare denominator file and corresponding
      inpatient, outpatient (2003-2011), and prescription (2006-2011) claims to conduct
      a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with unruptured cerebral
      aneurysms, between 2003 and 2011. We used propensity score-adjusted models to
      investigate the association between statin use and risk of subarachnoid
      hemorrhage. Secondary analyses repeated the main models stratified on tobacco use
      status and separately assessed other composite outcomes. RESULTS: We identified
      28 931 patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms (average age 72.0 years, 72.6%
      female); mean follow-up was 30.0 months; 41.3% used statins. Overall, 593
      patients developed subarachnoid hemorrhage, and 703 underwent treatment before
      subarachnoid hemorrhage. Current or recent statin use was not associated with a
      difference in subarachnoid hemorrhage risk (odds ratio, 1.03; 95% conflict of
      interest 0.86-1.23); models stratified on tobacco use status were nearly
      identical. No association was observed between statin use and the composite
      outcome of subarachnoid hemorrhage or aneurysm treatment (odds ratio, 0.94; 95%
      conflict of interest, 0.84-1.06). The risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage or out-of
      hospital death was lower among statin users (odds ratio, 0.69; 95% conflict of
      interest, 0.64-0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Statin use by patients with unruptured
      cerebral aneurysms was not associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage risk. Given
      the prior animal experimental studies demonstrating a protective effect, further
      prospective studies are needed to investigate the potential relationship.

PMID- 26120927
TI  - Visible Light Photorelease of Carboxylic Acids via Charge-Transfer Excitation of
      N-Methylpyridinium Iodide Esters.
AB  - Iodide contrast sensitization to direct irradiation of charge transfer salts
      incurs carboxylic acid release via visible light absorption. The photochemical
      reduction of N-methyl-4-pyridinium iodide esters to release carboxylic acids is
      examined using (1)H NMR analysis. Photolysis reactions are carried out under
      mild, biphasic solvent conditions using a household LED lamp. Carboxylic acid
      release is reported in high yields, and the viability of this method for
      synthetic chemistry is demonstrated through a macroscale reaction. 

PMID- 26120926
TI  - Paradoxical Elevation of High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Association with
      Lacunar-Type Cerebral Infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between high
      density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) levels and the risk of lacunar infarction
      (LI) in a retrospective cohort study in China. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We recruited
      229 patients with obsolete brain infarctions single side (SOBI), 218 with
      obsolete brain infarctions bilateral sides (BOBI), 193 with both acute stroke and
      obsolete lacunar infarctions single side (AI&SOBI), 113 with both acute stroke
      and obsolete lacunar infarctions bilateral sides (AI&BOBI), and 203 without any
      infarctions (Control). RESULTS: 1) The plasma levels of HDLC in group BOBI,
      AI&SOBI, and AI&BOBI were higher than in the control group, and lower in group
      SOBI than in the control group (p<0.01). 2) The plasma levels of HDLC in group
      AI&SOBI were significantly higher than in group SOBI (p<0.01). 3) The plasma
      levels of HLDL were similar between group AI&SOBI and AI&BOBI. 4) There were
      significant relationships between HDLC and acute lacunar stroke, even after
      adjusting for these factors such as age, sex, triglyceride, total cholesterol,
      low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and history of diabetes (p=0.001). 4)
      Compared with the controls, the calculation of odds ratios indicated relative
      risk estimates of higher HDLC for acute lacunar stroke with obsolete lacunar
      infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated HDLC may be an independent predictor of
      recurrent stroke with obsolete lacunar infarctions single side in Chinese people,
      justifying clinical trials for secondary prevention of stroke by generally
      increasing HLDL level. According to the difference between single and bilateral
      side multiple silent lacunar infarcts, it is inferred that HDLC may increase the
      risk of atherothrombotic infarction but reduce the risk of cardioembolic
      infarction in the general Chinese population.

PMID- 26120928
TI  - Influences on the drinking of heavier drinkers: Interactional realities in
      seeking to 'change drinking cultures'.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: 'Changing drinking culture' is a prominent goal in the
      Australian state of Victoria's current alcohol strategy-seeking a shift so that
      'excessive drinking isn't seen as the norm'. As a social activity, there is a
      strong collective aspect to drinking and associated behaviour: customs within the
      drinking group and at the level of social worlds of drinking operate both to
      increase and to control drinking patterns and associated behaviours. The paper
      considers how risky drinkers and those in social worlds of heavy drinking
      experience others' expectations about drinking. DESIGN AND METHODS: Using
      Victorian population survey responses (n = 2092 adults who had consumed alcohol
      in previous year) to identify those in a social world of group drinking, and a
      subcategory who are also risky drinkers, the paper explores pressures on those in
      these categories both to drink more and to drink less, whether from family
      members, from work colleagues, or from friends. RESULTS: Those who are both risky
      and social drinkers are much more likely than other drinkers to report pressures
      to drink more from friends and workmates, and even from family members, although
      they more often report pressures from family members to drink less than to drink
      more. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to change a drinking culture, it is
      argued, must take account of the collective nature of drinking and of the
      interplay of influences at interpersonal and subcultural levels if they are to be
      effective in reducing rates of heavy drinking and alcohol problems. [Room R,
      Callinan S, Dietze P. Influences on the drinking of heavier drinkers:
      Interactional realities in seeking to 'change drinking cultures'. Drug Alcohol
      Rev 2015].

PMID- 26120929
TI  - Glucosamine-Anchored Graphene Oxide Nanosheets: Fabrication, Ultraviolet
      Irradiation, and Electrochemical Properties.
AB  - A biofunctionalized graphene oxide (GO) nanosheet with improved physicochemical
      properties is useful for electrocatalysis and sensor development. Herein, a new
      class of functionalized GO with a chemically anchored biomolecule glucosamine is
      developed. Structural and chemical analyses confirm the glucosamine anchoring.
      Ultraviolet irradiation transforms the surface chemistry of GO. Glucosamine
      anchored GO nanosheets exhibit improved cyclic voltammetric and amperometric
      sensing activity toward the model redox probe, ruthenium(II) and N
      acetylneuraminic acid, respectively. The biomolecular anchoring and ultraviolet
      irradiation helped to tune and enhance the properties of GO, which may find
      multiple applications in optimizing sensor platforms. 

PMID- 26120930
TI  - Redox-Sensitive PEG-Polypeptide Nanoporous Particles for Survivin Silencing in
      Prostate Cancer Cells.
AB  - We report the engineering of intracellular redox-responsive nanoporous
      poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(l-lysine) particles (NPEG-PLLs). The obtained
      particles exhibit no toxicity while maintaining the capability to deliver a small
      interfering RNA sequence (siRNA) targeting the anti-apoptotic factor, survivin,
      in prostate cancer cells. The redox-mediated cleavage of the disulfide bonds
      stabilizing the NPEG-PLL-siRNA complex results in the release of bioactive siRNA
      into the cytosol of prostate cancer PC-3 cells, which, in turn, leads to the
      effective silencing (~59 +/- 8%) of the target gene. These findings, obtained
      under optimal conditions, indicate that NPEG-PLLs may protect the therapeutic
      nucleic acid in the extracellular and intracellular environments, thus preventing
      the occurrence of competitive interactions with serum and cytosolic proteins as
      well as degradation by RNase. The intracellular trafficking and final fate of the
      NPEG-PLLs were investigated by a combination of deconvolution microscopy,
      fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, and super-resolution structured
      illumination microscopy. A significant impairment of cell survival was observed
      in cells concomitantly exposed to paclitaxel and siRNA-loaded NPEG-PLLs. Overall,
      our findings indicate that NPEG-PLLs represent a highly loaded depot for the
      delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids to cancer cells.

PMID- 26120931
TI  - Qualification and Verification of Serological Biomarker Candidates for Lung
      Adenocarcinoma by Targeted Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Although many
      biomarkers have been identified for lung cancer, their low specificity and
      sensitivity present an urgent need for the identification of more candidate
      biomarkers. In this study, we conducted MRM-based targeted analysis to evaluate
      the potential utility of a list of candidate proteins for lung cancer diagnosis.
      A total of 1249 transitions of 420 peptides representing 102 candidate proteins
      from our previous study and the literature were first screened by MRM analysis in
      pooled plasma samples, resulting in 78 proteins remaining in the list. Relative
      quantification of these 78 proteins was further performed in 60 individual plasma
      samples from lung adenocarcinoma patients in stages I-III and matched healthy
      control subjects. Ultimately, nine proteins were found to be able to distinguish
      patients from controls. Further combinations of five, three, and two candidate
      marker proteins improved the sensitivity to discriminate patients from controls
      and resulted in a merged AUC value of nearly 1.00 in stages I-III patients versus
      controls. Our results highlighted several possible markers for lung
      adenocarcinoma, and the proposed protein panels require further validation in a
      larger cohort to evaluate their potential use in clinical applications or
      development of therapeutics. 

PMID- 26120932
TI  - Enantiopure Peptide-Functionalized Metal-Organic Frameworks.
AB  - We present herein the first example of metal-organic frameworks
      postfunctionalized with peptides. Our microwave-assisted postsynthetic
      modification method yields enantiopure peptides anchored inside MOF cavities. Al
      MIL-101-NH2, In-MIL-68-NH2, and Zr-UiO-66-NH2 were chosen as starting platforms.
      A single amino acid and various oligopeptides are grafted with yields up to 60%
      after a 30 min microwave-assisted coupling-deprotection sequence. This allows
      efficient preparation of a library of functional hybrid solids for molecular
      recognition applications such as sensing, separation, or asymmetric catalysis, as
      demonstrated here for the chiral aldol reaction. 

PMID- 26120933
TI  - Redox-Active Sites in Auricularia auricula-judae Dye-Decolorizing Peroxidase and
      Several Directed Variants: A Multifrequency EPR Study.
AB  - Peroxide-activated Auricularia auricula-judae dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP)
      forms a mixed Trp377 and Tyr337 radical, the former being responsible for
      oxidation of the typical DyP substrates (Linde et al. Biochem. J., 2015, 466, 253
      262); however, a pure tryptophanyl radical EPR signal is detected at pH 7 (where
      the enzyme is inactive), in contrast with the mixed signal observed at pH for
      optimum activity, pH 3. On the contrary, the presence of a second tyrosine
      radical (at Tyr147) is deduced by a multifrequency EPR study of a variety of
      simple and double-directed variants (including substitution of the above and
      other tryptophan and tyrosine residues) at different freezing times after their
      activation by H2O2 (at pH 3). This points out that subsidiary long-range electron
      transfer pathways enter into operation when the main pathway(s) is removed by
      directed mutagenesis, with catalytic efficiencies progressively decreasing.
      Finally, self-reduction of the Trp377 neutral radical is observed when reaction
      time (before freezing) is increased in the absence of reducing substrates (from
      10 to 60 s). Interestingly, the tryptophanyl radical is stable in the Y147S/Y337S
      variant, indicating that these two tyrosine residues are involved in the self
      reduction reaction. 

PMID- 26120934
TI  - Label-Free Electrical Immunosensor for Highly Sensitive and Specific Detection of
      Microcystin-LR in Water Samples.
AB  - Microcystin-LR (MCLR) is one of the most commonly detected and toxic cyclic
      heptapeptide cyanotoxins released by cyanobacterial blooms in surface waters, for
      which sensitive and specific detection methods are necessary to carry out its
      recognition and quantification. Here, we present a single-walled carbon nanotube
      (SWCNTs)-based label-free chemiresistive immunosensor for highly sensitive and
      specific detection of MCLR in different source waters. MCLR was initially
      immobilized on SWCNTs modified interdigitated electrode, followed by incubation
      with monoclonal anti-MCLR antibody. The competitive binding of MCLR in sample
      solutions induced departure of the antibody from the antibody-antigen complexes
      formed on SWCNTs, resulting in change in the conductivity between source and
      drain of the sensor. The displacement assay greatly improved the sensitivity of
      the sensor compared with direct immunoassay on the same device. The immunosensor
      exhibited a wide linear response to log value of MCLR concentration ranging from
      1 to 1000 ng/L, with a detection limit of 0.6 ng/L. This method showed good
      reproducibility, stability and recovery. The proposed method provides a powerful
      tool for rapid and sensitive monitoring of MCLR in environmental samples. 

PMID- 26120936
TI  - Multiple context mere exposure: Examining the limits of liking.
AB  - Recent evidence suggests that increased liking of exposed stimuli-a phenomenon
      known as the mere exposure effect-is dependent on experiencing the stimuli in the
      same context at exposure and test. Three experiments extended this work by
      examining the effect of presenting target stimuli in single and multiple exposure
      contexts. Target face stimuli were repeatedly paired with nonsense words, which
      took the role of contexts, across exposure. On test, the mere exposure effect was
      found only when the target face stimuli were presented with nonsense word cues
      (contexts) with which they had been repeatedly paired. The mere exposure effect
      was eliminated when exposure to target face stimuli with the nonsense word cues
      (contexts) was minimal, despite the overall number of exposures to the target
      face being equated across single- and multiple-context exposure conditions. The
      results suggest that familiarity of the relationship between stimuli and their
      context, not simply familiarity of the stimuli themselves, leads to liking. The
      finding supports a broader framework, which suggests that liking is partly a
      function of the consistency between past and present experiences with a target
      stimulus.

PMID- 26120935
TI  - PI3K Phosphorylation Is Linked to Improved Electrical Excitability in an In Vitro
      Engineered Heart Tissue Disease Model System.
AB  - Myocardial infarction, a prevalent cardiovascular disease, is associated with
      cardiomyocyte cell death, and eventually heart failure. Cardiac tissue
      engineering has provided hopes for alternative treatment options, and high
      fidelity tissue models for drug discovery. The signal transduction mechanisms
      relayed in response to mechanoelectrical (physical) stimulation or biochemical
      stimulation (hormones, cytokines, or drugs) in engineered heart tissues (EHTs)
      are poorly understood. In this study, an EHT model was used to elucidate the
      signaling mechanisms involved when insulin was applied in the presence of
      electrical stimulation, a stimulus that mimics functional heart tissue
      environment in vitro. EHTs were insulin treated, electrically stimulated, or
      applied in combination (insulin and electrical stimulation). Electrical
      excitability parameters (excitation threshold and maximum capture rate) were
      measured. Protein kinase B (AKT) and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)
      phosphorylation revealed that insulin and electrical stimulation relayed
      electrical excitability through two separate signaling cascades, while there was
      a negative crosstalk between sustained activation of AKT and PI3K. 

PMID- 26120937
TI  - H-phosphonate-mediated sulfonylation of heteroaromatic N-oxides: a mild and metal
      free one-pot synthesis of 2-sulfonyl quinolines/pyridines.
AB  - A smart H-phosphonate-mediated synthetic strategy for the sulfonylation of
      heteroaromatic N-oxides has been developed, by which a large variety of 2
      sulfonyl quinolines/pyridines were synthesized starting from easily available
      sulfonyl chlorides, diisopropyl H-phosphonate and pyridine/quinoline N-oxides in
      one pot under metal-free conditions at room temperature. 

PMID- 26120938
TI  - Tissue-specificity of heparan sulfate biosynthetic machinery in cancer.
AB  - Heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans are key components of cell microenvironment
      and fine structure of their polysaccharide HS chains plays an important role in
      cell-cell interactions, adhesion, migration and signaling. It is formed on non
      template basis, so, structure and functional activity of HS biosynthetic
      machinery is crucial for correct HS biosynthesis and post-synthetic modification.
      To reveal cancer-related changes in transcriptional pattern of HS biosynthetic
      system, the expression of HS metabolism-involved genes (EXT1/2, NDST1/2, GLCE,
      3OST1/HS3ST1, SULF1/2, HPSE) in human normal (fibroblasts, PNT2) and cancer
      (MCF7, LNCaP, PC3, DU145, H157, H647, A549, U2020, U87, HT116, KRC/Y) cell lines
      and breast, prostate, colon tumors was studied. Real-time RT-PCR and Western-blot
      analyses revealed specific transcriptional patterns and expression levels of HS
      biosynthetic system both in different cell lines in vitro and cancers in vivo.
      Balance between transcriptional activities of elongation- and post-synthetic
      modification- involved genes was suggested as most informative parameter for HS
      biosynthetic machinery characterization. Normal human fibroblasts showed
      elongation-oriented HS biosynthesis, while PNT2 prostate epithelial cells had
      modification-oriented one. However, cancer epithelial cells demonstrated common
      tendency to acquire fibroblast-like elongation-oriented mode of HS biosynthetic
      system. Surprisingly, aggressive metastatic cancer cells (U2020, DU145, KRC/Y)
      retained modification-oriented HS biosynthesis similar to normal PNT2 cells,
      possibly enabling the cells to keep like-to-normal cell surface glycosylation
      pattern to escape antimetastatic control. The obtained results show the cell type
      specific changes of HS-biosynthetic machinery in cancer cells in vitro and tissue
      specific changes in different cancers in vivo, supporting a close involvement of
      HS biosynthetic system in carcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26120939
TI  - The Coagulant Factor Xa Induces Protease-Activated Receptor-1 and Annexin A2
      Dependent Airway Smooth Muscle Cytokine Production and Cell Proliferation.
AB  - During asthma exacerbation, plasma circulating coagulant factor X (FX) enters the
      inflamed airways and is activated (FXa). FXa may have an important role in
      asthma, being involved in thrombin activation and an agonist of protease
      activated receptor-1 (PAR-1). Extracellular annexin A2 and integrins are also
      implicated in PAR-1 signaling. In this study, the potential role of PAR-1 in
      mediating the effects of FXa on human airway smooth muscle (ASM) cell cytokine
      production and proliferation was investigated. FXa (5-50 nM), but not FX,
      stimulated increases in ASM IL-6 production and cell number after 24- and 48-hour
      incubation, respectively (P < 0.05; n = 5). FXa (15 nM) also stimulated increases
      in the levels of mRNA for cytokines (IL-6), cell cycle-related protein (cyclin
      D1), and proremodeling proteins (FGF-2, PDGF-B, CTGF, SM22, and PAI-1) after 3
      hour incubation (P < 0.05; n = 4). The actions of FXa were insensitive to
      inhibition by hirudin (1 U/ml), a selective thrombin inhibitor, but were
      attenuated by SCH79797 (100 nM), a PAR-1 antagonist, or Cpd 22 (1 MUM), an
      inhibitor of integrin-linked kinase. The selective targeting of PAR-1, annexin
      A2, or beta1-integrin by small interfering RNA and/or by functional blocking
      antibodies also attenuated FXa-evoked responses. In contrast, the targeting of
      annexin A2 did not inhibit thrombin-stimulated ASM function. In airway biopsies
      of patients with asthma, FXa and annexin A2 were detected in the ASM bundle by
      immunohistochemistry. These findings establish FXa as a potentially important
      asthma mediator, stimulating ASM function through actions requiring PAR-1 and
      annexin A2 and involving integrin coactivation.

PMID- 26120940
TI  - Do Prescription Drug Ads Tell Consumers Enough About Benefits and Side Effects?
      Results From the Health Information National Trends Survey, Fourth
      Administration.
AB  - Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising (DTCA) is a major source of
      consumer information about prescription drugs. The present study updates 2002
      U.S. Food and Drug Administration phone survey questions that found that 44% and
      61% of consumers thought that DTCA did not include enough information about
      benefits and risks, respectively. The present study was administered by mail
      using a nationally representative sample, and provides a more in-depth
      understanding of how these beliefs relate to demographic and health
      characteristics. Data collected from 3,959 respondents to the National Cancer
      Institute's 2011 Health Information National Trends Survey find results similar
      to the 2002 survey: 46% and 52% of respondents thought that DCTA did not include
      enough information about benefits and risks, respectively. Respondents fell into
      four groups: 23% agreed that DTCA tells enough about drug benefits and risks, 41%
      disagreed, 18% expressed no opinion, and 18% had discordant beliefs. DTCA
      attitudes were negatively associated with education, income, and whether
      respondents purchase prescription drugs; attitudes were positively associated
      with whether respondents understand prescription drug information. This study
      confirms that a plurality of Americans believe that DTCA does not include enough
      information about benefits and risks, suggesting that the educational effect of
      DTCA could be improved. 

PMID- 26120942
TI  - Palladium-catalysed decarboxylative nitrile insertion via C-H activation or self
      coupling of indole-2-carboxylic acids: a new route to indolocarbolines and
      triindoles.
AB  - Palladium catalysed-reaction of indole carboxylic acids with nitriles in the
      presence of Ag2CO3 proceeds via decarboxylative dual C-H activation leading to
      the nitrile insertion products, triazaindeno-fluorenes (indolocarbolines); in the
      absence of nitrile, diindolocarbazoles (heptacyclic triindoles or triazatruxenes)
      are formed. 

PMID- 26120943
TI  - Tuning the depth of bowl-shaped phosphine hosts: capsule and pseudo-cage
      architectures in host-guest complexes with C60 fullerene.
AB  - Bowl-shaped phosphine molecules, whose bowl geometry can be controlled by a
      variation of the axial substituent, were synthesized, and used as host molecules
      to encapsulate C60. Host molecules with relatively shallow bowls formed a chiral
      capsule, while hosts with deeper bowls formed an achiral pseudo-cage. 

PMID- 26120944
TI  - Drug-Induced Systemic Hypersensitivity Reaction Associated With Ziprasidone: An
      Atypical Occurrence.

PMID- 26120945
TI  - Perphenazine-Associated Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic State.

PMID- 26120946
TI  - Sortase A-mediated multi-functionalization of protein nanoparticles.
AB  - We report here a new strategy to enable fast, covalent, and site-directed
      functionalization of protein nanoparticles using Sortase A-mediated ligation
      using functional proteins ranging from monomeric to large tetrameric structures.
      Easy purification of the modified E2 nanoparticles is achieved by
      functionalization with a thermo-responsive elastin-like-peptide. The resulting
      protein nanoparticles remained intact and active even after repeated phase
      transitions, suggesting their use in biocatalysis, biosensing, and imaging
      applications. 

PMID- 26120948
TI  - Assessing Single Upconverting Nanoparticle Luminescence by Optical Tweezers.
AB  - We report on stable, long-term immobilization and localization of a single
      colloidal Er(3+)/Yb(3+) codoped upconverting fluorescent nanoparticle (UCNP) by
      optical trapping with a single infrared laser beam. Contrary to expectations, the
      single UCNP emission differs from that generated by an assembly of UCNPs. The
      experimental data reveal that the differences can be explained in terms of
      modulations caused by radiation-trapping, a phenomenon not considered before but
      that this work reveals to be of great relevance. 

PMID- 26120949
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26120950
TI  - [Care-Dependency in Parkinson's Disease: More Frequent than Assumed?].
AB  - AIMS: Parkinson's disease (PD) increases the risk of care-dependency (CDP). While
      motor functions worsen continuously, the assignment of patients to CDP occurs
      categorically. It is unknown how many patients are already sufficiently severely
      impaired to be categorised as CDP yet do not have an officially acknowledged
      level of CDP. METHODS: A random sample of 1,449 PD outpatients was clinically
      characterised by office-based neurologists, including impairments of activities
      of daily living (ADL with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating scale (UPDRS
      subscale II) as well as regarding the presence of dementia according to DSM-IV
      criteria and the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE). Depression was screened for with
      the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). For each patient the
      officially acknowledged level of CDP was documented; for patients without
      official CDP level, the clinician appraised whether the patient was care
      dependent anyhow. RESULTS: 266 patients (18.3%) were officially acknowledged as
      care-dependent, while n=121 patients (8.5%) were not, yet were appraised to be
      care-dependent according to the clinician. Compared to non-CDP patients, they
      differed on every measure considered. Compared to patients with an official CDP,
      their PD duration was significantly shorter (6.0 vs. 8.0 years, p<0.01) and they
      were less severely impaired in ADL (13.3 vs. 15.5, p<0.01). They did not differ
      regarding the rates of dementia (52.9 vs. 44.9%, p=0.203) or depression according
      to the MADRS (13.1 vs. 13.1, p=0.989). CONCLUSIONS: ADL impairments are the most
      important predictor for CDP while dementia and depression are not considered
      despite the impairments that are additionally caused by them.

PMID- 26120951
TI  - Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Assays: Are They More Predictive of In Vivo
      Efficacy than 2D Monolayer Cell-Based Assays?

PMID- 26120952
TI  - The Satisfaction with Daily Occupations (SDO-13) Scale: Psychometric Properties
      among Clients in Primary Care in Sweden.
AB  - This article describes the results to expand and develop the use of the
      Satisfaction with Daily Occupations (SDO-13) Scale. Data were collected in
      primary care before (I) and after intervention (II) among clients with stress
      related disorders and musculoskeletal pain. The Cronbach's alpha values of the
      SDO-13 Scale were 0.80 and 0.88. Convergent validity was assessed against global
      occupational satisfaction and general health, resulting in rs = -0.65 (p < 0.001)
      and rs = -0.46 (p < 0.001). The SDO-13 Scale could not discriminate between the
      primary care sample and a psychiatric sample (p = 0.15), whereas number of
      current occupations could (p < 0.001). The SDO-13 was not sensitive to change (p
      = 0.92). Future studies need to explore criterion and construct validity based on
      more dissimilar samples and more standardized interventions. Applications of
      these results to practice are discussed. 

PMID- 26120953
TI  - Semicrystalline Structure-Dielectric Property Relationship and Electrical
      Conduction in a Biaxially Oriented Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Film under High
      Electric Fields and High Temperatures.
AB  - Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-based homopolymers and copolymers are attractive
      for a broad range of electroactive applications because of their high dielectric
      constants. Especially, biaxially oriented PVDF (BOPVDF) films exhibit a DC
      breakdown strength as high as that for biaxially oriented polypropylene films. In
      this work, we revealed the molecular origin of the high dielectric constant via
      study of a commercial BOPVDF film. By determination of the dielectric constant
      for the amorphous phase in BOPVDF, a high value of ca. 21-22 at 25  degrees C was
      obtained, and a three-phase (i.e., lamellar crystal/oriented interphase/amorphous
      region) semicrystalline model was proposed to explain this result. Meanwhile,
      electronic conduction mechanisms in BOPVDF under high electric fields and
      elevated temperatures were investigated by thermally stimulated depolarization
      current (TSDC) spectroscopy and leakage current studies. Space charge injection
      from metal electrodes was identified as a major factor for electronic conduction
      when BOPVDF was poled above 75  degrees C and 20 MV/m. In addition, when silver
      or aluminum were used as electrodes, new ions were generated from electrochemical
      reactions under high fields. Due to the electrochemical reactions between PVDF
      and the metal electrode, a question is raised for practical electrical
      applications using PVDF and its copolymers under high-field and high-temperature
      conditions. A potential method to prevent electrochemical degradation of PVDF is
      proposed in this study. 

PMID- 26120954
TI  - Impact of initial symptom for accurate diagnosis of vertebral artery dissection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been recognized that spontaneous vertebral artery dissection
      without neurological symptoms is not rare and easily misdiagnosed. Clinical clue
      for diagnosis of vertebral artery dissection includes initial symptoms such as
      headache, neck pain, or dizziness. AIM: To assess the role of initial symptoms
      for diagnosis of spontaneous vertebral artery dissection. METHODS: Between
      September 2007 and January 2014, we retrospectively reviewed clinical records of
      83 patients with unilateral vertebral artery dissection without consciousness
      disturbance at admission. Based on the diagnostic criteria of the Spontaneous
      Cervicocephalic Arterial Dissections Study, the patients were divided into three
      groups: possible, probable, and definite cases of vertebral artery dissection.
      Initial symptoms were collected at the time of diagnosis from medical record for
      the presence or absence of headache, neck pain, tinnitus and vertigo, as well as
      the area of pain and its characteristics. RESULTS: The numbers of definite,
      probable, and possible vertebral artery dissection were 39, 26, and 18,
      respectively. Out of 83 cases, unilateral or bilateral headache was the most
      commonly seen (in 60 cases), followed by neck pain (in 41 cases) and vertigo (in
      20 cases). Statistically, unilateral headache and/or neck pain was more common in
      cases with definite vertebral artery dissection group compared with other
      classification of the Spontaneous Cervicocephalic Arterial Dissections Study (P =
      0.040). Vertigo was also associated with the stratification of Spontaneous
      Cervicocephalic Arterial Dissections Study criteria (P = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: In
      our study, headache and/or neck pain, especially unilateral presentation, and
      vertigo were symptoms associated with the stratification of Spontaneous
      Cervicocephalic Arterial Dissections Study criteria. Physicians should carefully
      obtain clinical history for the presence of a unilateral headache and/or neck
      pain and vertigo when vertebral artery dissection is suspected in patients with
      or without objective neurological signs.

PMID- 26120955
TI  - Diastolic Stunning as a Marker of Severe Coronary Artery Stenosis: Analysis by
      Speckle Tracking Radial Strain in the Resting Echocardiogram.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Two-dimensional speckle tracking (2DST) stress echocardiography
      detects postischemic myocardial diastolic stunning. However, the use of 2DST at
      rest for detecting diastolic stunning in ischemia is unclear. RESULTS: Thirty
      nine patients (age = 65 +/- 12 years; male/female = 34/5) with effort angina
      pectoris that was confirmed by stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy were
      enrolled. Ischemic area (I) was determined in the middle LV short axial view
      using stress myocardial scintigraphy. The area opposite to it was defined as
      nonischemic area (non-I). Midventricular parasternal short-axis (SAX) radial
      strains were estimated using 2DST at rest on the following day. LV diastolic
      function was evaluated using diastolic index (DI, changes in the regional LV
      radial strain during diastole) and radial strain rate (SR) during early diastolic
      period. These parameters were compared between I and non-I before and 1 month
      after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the I of 3 coronary vessels.
      For the I, the DI was lower (38 +/- 27 vs. 55 +/- 27; P = 0.003) and SR was
      higher (-1.6 +/- 0.6 vs. -1.9 +/- 0.8; P = 0.007) than in non-I before PCI. One
      month after PCI, the DI and SR recovered to 53 +/- 27 (P = 0.008) and -2.1 +/-
      0.8 (P = 0.006), respectively. Furthermore, the DI of the LAD and LCX
      significantly improved (P = 0.0004 and 0.002, respectively); the RCA area showed
      tendency to improve (P = 0.092), and the SR also improved (P < 0.05) in all areas
      after PCI. CONCLUSION: Diastolic stunning in ischemic areas can be detected using
      2DST at rest and recover 1 month after PCI.

PMID- 26120956
TI  - IL-33 induces Egr-1-dependent TSLP expression via the MAPK pathways in human
      keratinocytes.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease in which T-helper
      type 2 (Th2)-type immune responses are dominant. Th2 cytokine, interleukin (IL)
      33 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) have been suggested to have an
      important role in AD. IL-33 is highly expressed in AD, but its role in AD has not
      yet been fully understood. To further identify the role of IL-33 in AD, we
      investigated the expression of TSLP induced by IL-33 in keratinocytes. This study
      revealed that IL-33 induced TSLP expression in human keratinocytes. Early growth
      response protein 1 (Egr)-1, which is an inflammatory transcriptional factor, is
      induced by IL-33. IL-33-mediated TSLP induction in keratinocytes was suppressed
      by treatment with mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors or small
      interfering RNA against Egr-1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay
      indicated the direct involvement of Egr-1 in IL-33-mediated TSLP induction. Taken
      together, these findings indicate that IL-33 may increase TSLP expression through
      an Egr-1-dependent mechanism via ERK1/2, JNK and p38 activation in keratinocytes.
      These data suggest that the IL-33-ERK/JNK/p38/Egr-1/TSLP axis is involved in
      allergic skin Th2 inflammation, and it may be a novel therapeutic target. 

PMID- 26120957
TI  - Serum Brain Natriuretic Peptide Concentration 60 Days After Surgery as a
      Predictor of Long-Term Prognosis in Patients Implanted With a Left Ventricular
      Assist Device.
AB  - Mechanical circulatory support by a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is used
      to bridge patients with advanced heart failure to transplant or as a definitive
      treatment. We retrospectively sought predictors of long-term outcome in a cohort
      of 83 patients who had undergone LVAD treatment. We subjected perioperative
      clinical data of patients to statistical analysis to establish parameters
      associated with all-cause mortality, and the cutoff values, sensitivity, and
      specificity of those that had a statistically significant relation with survival.
      Mean follow-up was 717 days (standard deviation, 334 days; range, 17-1,592 days).
      Fourteen patients (16.8%) died, but nine (10.8%) were weaned from support. Serum
      brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration measured 60 days after implantation
      was significantly associated with all-cause mortality. The optimal BNP cutoff
      value to predict death during LVAD support was 322 pg/ml, with a sensitivity of
      71.4% and specificity of 79.8%. Two-year survival was 92.0% in those with 60 days
      serum BNP concentration <322 pg/ml compared with 70.5% in those in whom it was
      >=322 pg/ml (p = 0.003). The relation between BNP and survival likely reflects
      recovery of native myocardial function and improvements in global health and
      should assist clinicians in the on-going management of long-term LVAD therapy. 

PMID- 26120958
TI  - In Vitro Study of a Medical Device to Enhance Arteriovenous Fistula Eligibility
      and Maturation.
AB  - The arteriovenous fistula eligibility (AFE) system (Flow Forward Medical, Olathe,
      KS) is a small, temporary, wearable rotary blood pump system designed to rapidly
      dilate peripheral veins in hemodialysis patients and improve outcomes after
      arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation. A benchtop pulsatile mock circulatory loop
      was developed to model forearm circulation and to compare the hemodynamics of the
      AFE system with those of a conventional radiocephalic AVF. The AFE system
      maintained a mean wall shear stress (mWSS) within the 2.5-7.5 Pa target range for
      cephalic outflow veins of 2-6 mm diameter, which when applied clinically will
      provide better control of mWSS during the outflow vein maturation process when
      compared with a conventional AVF. These results support further study to
      determine whether or not vein preconditioning with the AFE system under
      controlled levels of mWSS will promote improved AVF outcomes.

PMID- 26120959
TI  - Dejerine Hand Phenomenon.

PMID- 26120960
TI  - Amyloid myopathy masquerading as polymyositis.

PMID- 26120961
TI  - Different immune cells mediate mechanical pain hypersensitivity in male and
      female mice.
AB  - A large and rapidly increasing body of evidence indicates that microglia-to
      neuron signaling is essential for chronic pain hypersensitivity. Using multiple
      approaches, we found that microglia are not required for mechanical pain
      hypersensitivity in female mice; female mice achieved similar levels of pain
      hypersensitivity using adaptive immune cells, likely T lymphocytes. This sexual
      dimorphism suggests that male mice cannot be used as proxies for females in pain
      research. 

PMID- 26120962
TI  - Human representation of visuo-motor uncertainty as mixtures of orthogonal basis
      distributions.
AB  - In many laboratory visuo-motor decision tasks, subjects compensate for their own
      visuo-motor error, earning close to the maximum reward possible. To do so, they
      must combine information about the distribution of possible error with values
      associated with different movement outcomes. The optimal solution is a
      potentially difficult computation that presupposes knowledge of the probability
      density function (pdf) of visuo-motor error associated with each possible planned
      movement. It is unclear how the brain represents such pdfs or computes with them.
      In three experiments, we used a forced-choice method to reveal subjects' internal
      representations of their spatial visuo-motor error in a speeded reaching
      movement. Although subjects' objective distributions were unimodal, close to
      Gaussian, their estimated internal pdfs were typically multimodal and were better
      described as mixtures of a small number of distributions differing only in
      location and scale. Mixtures of a small number of uniform distributions
      outperformed other mixture distributions, including mixtures of Gaussians. 

PMID- 26120963
TI  - Nuclear pore complex remodeling by p75(NTR) cleavage controls TGF-beta signaling
      and astrocyte functions.
AB  - Astrocytes modulate neuronal activity and inhibit regeneration. We show that
      cleaved p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)) is a component of the nuclear pore
      complex (NPC) required for glial scar formation and reduced gamma oscillations in
      mice via regulation of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta signaling. Cleaved
      p75(NTR) interacts with nucleoporins to promote Smad2 nucleocytoplasmic
      shuttling. Thus, NPC remodeling by regulated intramembrane cleavage of p75(NTR)
      controls astrocyte-neuronal communication in response to profibrotic factors. 

PMID- 26120964
TI  - The medial entorhinal cortex is necessary for temporal organization of
      hippocampal neuronal activity.
AB  - The superficial layers of the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) are a major input to
      the hippocampus. The high proportion of spatially modulated cells, including grid
      cells and border cells, in these layers suggests that MEC inputs are critical for
      the representation of space in the hippocampus. However, selective manipulations
      of the MEC do not completely abolish hippocampal spatial firing. To determine
      whether other hippocampal firing characteristics depend more critically on MEC
      inputs, we recorded from hippocampal CA1 cells in rats with MEC lesions. Theta
      phase precession was substantially disrupted, even during periods of stable
      spatial firing. Our findings indicate that MEC inputs to the hippocampus are
      required for the temporal organization of hippocampal firing patterns and suggest
      that cognitive functions that depend on precise neuronal sequences in the
      hippocampal theta cycle are particularly dependent on the MEC. 

PMID- 26120965
TI  - Common circuit design in fly and mammalian motion vision.
AB  - Motion-sensitive neurons have long been studied in both the mammalian retina and
      the insect optic lobe, yet striking similarities have become obvious only
      recently. Detailed studies at the circuit level revealed that, in both systems,
      (i) motion information is extracted from primary visual information in parallel
      ON and OFF pathways; (ii) in each pathway, the process of elementary motion
      detection involves the correlation of signals with different temporal dynamics;
      and (iii) primary motion information from both pathways converges at the next
      synapse, resulting in four groups of ON-OFF neurons, selective for the four
      cardinal directions. Given that the last common ancestor of insects and mammals
      lived about 550 million years ago, this general strategy seems to be a robust
      solution for how to compute the direction of visual motion with neural hardware. 

PMID- 26120966
TI  - Impaired recollection of visual scene details in adults with autism spectrum
      conditions.
AB  - Subtle memory deficits observed in autism spectrum conditions (ASC) have often
      been characterized as reflecting impaired recollection and it has been proposed
      that a relational binding deficit may underlie the recollection impairment.
      However, subjective recollection and relational binding have not been measured
      within the same task in ASC to date and it is unclear whether a relational
      binding deficit can provide a full account of recollection impairments in ASC.
      Relational memory has also not been compared with item memory when the demands of
      the 2 tasks are comparable. To assess recollection, relational memory, and item
      memory within a single task in ASC, 24 adults with ASC and 24 typically developed
      adults undertook a change detection memory task that assessed recollection of
      item-specific and spatial details. Participants studied rendered indoor and
      outdoor scenes and, in a subsequent recognition memory test, distinguished scenes
      that had not changed from those that had either undergone an item change (a
      different item exemplar) or a relational (spatial) change, which was followed by
      a subjective recollection judgment. The ASC group identified fewer item changes
      and spatial changes, to a similar degree, which was attributable to a specific
      reduction in recollection-based recognition relative to the control group. These
      findings provide evidence that recollection deficits in ASC may not be driven
      entirely by a relational binding deficit.

PMID- 26120967
TI  - Cytokine and Adipokine Levels in Patients with Premalignant Oral Lesions or in
      Patients with Oral Cancer Who Did or Did Not Receive 1alpha,25-Dihydroxyvitamin
      D3 Treatment upon Cancer Diagnosis.
AB  - Differences in levels of inflammation-modulating cytokines and adipokines in
      patients with premalignant oral lesions versus in patients that develop squamous
      cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) were assessed. Also assessed was the
      impact of treating HNSCC patients with the immune regulatory mediator, 1alpha,25
      dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], on modulators of inflammation. Compared to
      healthy controls, patients with premalignant oral lesions had increases in their
      systemic levels of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-17, and increases in
      the adipokine, leptin. However, levels of these pro-inflammatory cytokines and
      adipokine were reduced in patients with HNSCC. Treatment of HNSCC patients with
      1,25(OH)2D3 increased levels of each of the measured immune mediators. Levels of
      the anti-inflammatory adipokine, adiponectin, were shifted inversely with the
      levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and with leptin. These studies
      demonstrate heightened immune reactivity in patients with premalignant lesions,
      which wanes in patients with HNSCC, but which is restored by treatment with
      1,25(OH)2D3. 

PMID- 26120968
TI  - High-level expression and phosphorylation of phytochrome B modulates flowering
      time in Arabidopsis.
AB  - Optimal timing of flowering in higher plants is crucial for successful
      reproduction and is coordinated by external and internal factors, including light
      and the circadian clock. In Arabidopsis, light-dependent stabilization of the
      rhythmically expressed CONSTANS (CO) is required for the activation of FLOWERING
      LOCUS T (FT), resulting in the initiation of flowering. Phytochrome A and
      cryptochrome photoreceptors stabilize CO in the evening by attenuating the
      activity of the CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1-SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA-105 1 (COP1
      SPA1) ubiquitin ligase complex, which promotes turnover of CO. In contrast,
      phytochrome B (phyB) facilitates degradation of CO in the morning and delays
      flowering. Accordingly, flowering is accelerated in phyB mutants. Paradoxically,
      plants overexpressing phyB also show early flowering, which may arise from an
      early phase of rhythmic CO expression. Here we demonstrate that overexpression of
      phyB induces FT transcription at dusk and in the night without affecting the
      phase or level of CO transcription. This response depends on the light-activated
      Pfr form of phyB that inhibits the function of the COP1-SPA1 complex by direct
      interactions. Our data suggest that attenuation of COP1 activity results in the
      accumulation of CO protein and subsequent induction of FT. We show that
      phosphorylation of Ser-86 inhibits this function of phyB by accelerating dark
      reversion and thus depletion of Pfr forms in the night. Our results explain the
      early flowering phenotype of phyB overexpression and reveal additional features
      of the molecular machinery by which photoreceptors mediate photoperiodism. 

PMID- 26120969
TI  - Restrictions for Medicaid Reimbursement of Sofosbuvir for the Treatment of
      Hepatitis C Virus Infection in the United States.
AB  - The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate state Medicaid policies for
      the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with sofosbuvir in the United
      States. Medicaid reimbursement criteria for sofosbuvir were evaluated in all 50
      states and the District of Columbia. The authors searched state Medicaid Web
      sites between 23 June and 7 December 2014 and extracted data in duplicate. Any
      differences were resolved by consensus. Data were extracted on whether sofosbuvir
      was covered and the criteria for coverage based on the following categories:
      liver disease stage, HIV co-infection, prescriber type, and drug or alcohol use.
      Of the 42 states with known Medicaid reimbursement criteria for sofosbuvir, 74%
      limit sofosbuvir access to persons with advanced fibrosis (Meta-Analysis of
      Histologic Data in Viral Hepatitis [METAVIR] fibrosis stage F3) or cirrhosis
      (F4). One quarter of states require persons co-infected with HCV and HIV to be
      receiving antiretroviral therapy or to have suppressed HIV RNA levels. Two thirds
      of states have restrictions based on prescriber type, and 88% include drug or
      alcohol use in their sofosbuvir eligibility criteria, with 50% requiring a period
      of abstinence and 64% requiring urine drug screening. Heterogeneity is present in
      Medicaid reimbursement criteria for sofosbuvir with respect to liver disease
      staging, HIV co-infection, prescriber type, and drug or alcohol use across the
      United States. Restrictions do not seem to conform with recommendations from
      professional organizations, such as the Infectious Diseases Society of America
      and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Current
      restrictions seem to violate federal Medicaid law, which requires states to cover
      drugs consistent with their U.S. Food and Drug Administration labels.

PMID- 26120970
TI  - miR-30c and miR-193 are a part of the TGF-beta-dependent regulatory network
      controlling extracellular matrix genes in liver fibrosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently emerged as novel regulators in liver
      fibrosis. miR-30c and miR-193 are involved in fibrotic remodeling processes and
      cancer development, respectively. This study aimed to explore the role of miR-30c
      and miR-193 in liver fibrosis. METHODS: The regulation of miRNAs in carbon
      tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis was analyzed by microarray. Expression
      patterns of miR-193 and miR-30c were further confirmed in fibrotic liver samples
      obtained from two murine models of hepatic fibrosis and human tissues. On a
      functional level, miRNA levels were analyzed in the context of transforming
      growth factor (TGF-beta) mediated activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs).
      Finally, predicted targets were assessed for their roles in fibrosis by
      transfecting murine HSCs with miRNA mimics. RESULTS: Microarray analysis in
      murine fibrotic livers revealed a panel of 44 dysregulated miRNAs. In addition to
      previously established miRNAs known to be regulated in liver fibrosis in a TGF
      beta-dependent manner (e.g., miR-29, miR-133), miR-193 and miR-30c were observed
      to be specifically downregulated not only in experimental hepatofibrogenesis but
      also in human liver fibrosis, while they showed a reciprocal expression pattern
      after recovery from liver fibrosis. Functional experiments confirmed the TGF-beta
      dependent downregulation of these respective new miRNAs in HSCs. Finally, we
      identified TGF-beta2 and SNAIL1, important regulators of extracellular matrix, as
      potential target genes of miR-193 and miR-30 in liver fibrosis. CONCLUSION: These
      results suggest that miR-30 and miR-193 are members of a network of miRNAs
      modifying the TGF-beta-dependent regulation of extracellular matrix-related genes
      in HSCs in the manifestation and resolution of liver fibrosis.

PMID- 26120971
TI  - Risk for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Person, Place, and Precision Prevention.

PMID- 26120972
TI  - Self-supported fibrous porous aromatic membranes for efficient CO2/N2
      separations.
AB  - In this paper, we describe a new synthesis protocol for the preparation of self
      supported hollow fiber membranes composed of porous aromatic framework PAF-56P
      and PSF. PAF-56P was facilely prepared by the cross-coupling reaction of triangle
      shaped cyanuric chloride and linear p-terophenyl monomers. The prepared PAF-56P
      material possesses an extended conjugated network, the structure of which is
      confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared characterizations, as well
      as a permanent porosity with a BET surface area of 553.4 m(2) g(-1) and a pore
      size of 1.2 nm. PAF-56P was subsequently integrated with PSF matrix into PAF
      56P/PSF asymmetric hollow fiber membranes via the dry jet-wet quench method
      employing PAF-56P/PSF suspensions. Scanning electron microscopy studies show that
      PAF-56P particles are embedded in the PSF matrix to form continuous membranes.
      Fabricated PAF-56P/PSF membranes were further exploited for CO2 capture, which
      was exemplified by gas separations of CO2/N2 mixtures. The PAF-56P/PSF membranes
      show a high selectivity of CO2 over N2 with a separation factor of 38.9 due to
      the abundant nitrogen groups in the PAF-56P framework. A preferred permeance for
      CO2 in the binary CO2/N2 gas mixture is obtained in the range of 93-141 GPU due
      to the large CO2 adsorption capacity and a large pore size of PAF-56P.
      Additionally, PAF-56P/PSF membranes exhibit excellent thermal and mechanical
      stabilities, which were examined by thermal analysis and gas separation tests
      with the dependencies of temperatures and pressures. The merits of high
      selectivity for CO2, good stability, and easy scale up make PAF-56P/PSF hollow
      fiber membranes of great interest for the industrial separations of CO2 from the
      gas exhausts. 

PMID- 26120974
TI  - [Modern pathogenetic aspects of development of cerebral chronic ischemia].
AB  - Key mechanisms of the development of cerebral blood circulation insufficiency are
      presented. The following initial patters are analyzed: primary cytokine response,
      endothelial dysfunction and functioning of neurovascular units. Current
      conceptions on the development of pathological apoptosis and neuroplasticity are
      considered.

PMID- 26120973
TI  - A systematic review of behavioural interventions to reduce preoperative alcohol
      use.
AB  - ISSUES: Preoperative alcohol use is associated with an increase in postoperative
      morbidity and mortality. Short-term abstinence prior to elective surgery has been
      shown to reduce postoperative risks. Therefore, behavioural intervention (BI)
      targeting risky drinking may have significant utility in preventing surgical
      complications. APPROACH: The literature was systematically reviewed to identify
      the scope and outcomes of BIs aiming to reduce alcohol use in risky drinkers
      before they underwent surgery. Five databases were searched using PRISMA
      criteria. Of 1243 studies identified, four met pre-established inclusion
      criteria: (i) implementation of a BI prior to an elective surgery; (ii) the BI
      targeted alcohol use among risky drinkers; and (iii) printed in English. KEY
      FINDINGS: Two studies indicated significant reductions in alcohol use at follow
      ups, and one study demonstrated reductions in postoperative risks. These findings
      are encouraging, but in light of methodological limitations, the efficacy of
      preoperative BIs for risky drinking could not be determined. IMPLICATIONS: Future
      efforts to screen and implement BIs addressing alcohol use in preoperative
      patients should carefully define risky drinking, allow ample time for recruitment
      prior to surgery, implement empirically supported interventions, examine the
      impact of relevant covariates, and consider the statistical power needed to
      detect change in postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: Given the strong link
      between preoperative alcohol use and postoperative risks, additional research on
      preoperative BIs is critically needed. Existing research suggests several
      promising directions for research that may enhance future intervention efforts
      with this high-risk population. [Fernandez AC, Claborn KR, Borsari B. A
      systematic review of behavioural interventions to reduce preoperative alcohol
      use. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;34:508-20].

PMID- 26120975
TI  - [Neck pain and headache as the only manifestation of cervical artery dissection].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze clinical and neuroimaging data in patients with neck pain
      and headache as the only manifestation of the internal carotid artery (ICA)
      dissection (ICAD) and vertebral artery (VA) dissection (VAD). MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: One hundred and sixty-one patients (mean age - 37.4+/-4,99 years, 84
      women, 52%) with cervical artery dissection (CAD) verified by magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) were enrolled. Neck pain and headache were the only CAD
      manifestation in 33 patients (mean age 37,3+/-7,4 yars, 28 women, 85%). RESULTS:
      The localization of the dissections in these patients was the following: one VA
      (15 patients), two VA (9), one ICA (7), two ICA (1), one ICA + two VA (1). The
      whole number of dissected arteries was 45: extracranial localization - 38, extra
      intracranial - 6, intracranial - 1. Dissection led to stenosis of the arterial
      lumen in 41 arteries, to occlusion - in 2 and to dual lumen in 2 arteries. Small
      aneurism was found in 4 arteries. Combination of headache and the neck pain was
      observed in 26 out of 33 patients (79%), the only headache in 4 patients, the
      only neck pain in 3 patients. Along with this, 9 out of 24 VAD patients had the
      shoulder and/or arm pain. Headache in VAD patients was located more often in the
      occipital region (18 out of 24) that had never been observed in ICAD patients
      (p=0.0009). Fronto-temporal pain was observed more often in ICAD patients (5 out
      of 8 patients) than in VAD (2 out of 24 patients) (p=0.003). Neck pain in all VAD
      patients in comparison with 3 out ofI8 [CAD patients had posterior localization
      (p=0,007). Anterolateral neck pain was observed in 4 out ofI8 ICAD patients and
      in no patients with VAD (p=0.0009). The pain appearance was abrupt in all ICAD
      patients and most of the VAD patients. In 8 VAD patients the pain has been
      increasing during several hours. The pain intensity was severe in 19 patients,
      moderate in 12 and mild in 2. The characteristics of the pain were as following:
      constrictive/dull (26 patients), throbbing (1 patient) or combined (6 patients).
      Pain was increasing in a stepwise manner during the first days in 14 out of 24
      VAD patients and in no one of ICAD patients (p=0.008). The mean pain duration
      period was 31 8 +/- 15,7 days. Pain relief drugs were ineffective or had a short
      effect in 97% of patient. CONCLUSION: Isolated pain is more characteristic for
      women with VAD. Usually pain is presented as a combination of headache and neck
      pain. Pain localization, mode of appearance and the course are different in VAD
      and ICAD. The rarity of occlusion among patients with <<pain-only>> manifestation
      let to suggest that the intramural hematoma in this group of patients spreads to
      the adventitia that can reflect media weakness. Arterial wall changes underlying
      its weakness seem to be sex-hormone dependent taking into consideration the high
      predominace of women in cad manifested by isolated pain.

PMID- 26120976
TI  - [Cerebrospinal fluid in clinical aspects of tuberculosis of the central nervous
      system].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical features of tuberculosis of the meninges and
      central nervous system (TM) with detailed characterization of changes in the
      composition of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the initial period of the disease.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed the results of the examination of 42 patients,
      aged from 17 to 49 years, who were hospitalized in 2005-2014. RESULTS AND
      CONCLUSION: Most of the patients were admitted in the hospital in early acute
      disease onset. Along with the description of inflectional and cerebral symptoms,
      meningeal signs, disorders of consciousness and focal symptoms, we presented cell
      count values, protein and glucose concentrations at initial examination of CSF as
      well as the results of additional examination and specific therapy issues. The
      importance of combining treatment standards and individualization of therapy of
      TM patients is emphasized.

PMID- 26120977
TI  - [Play behavior in people with various degrees of pathological gambling risk].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We studied play behavior of customers of betting offices. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: A study included 216 people who were surveyed using the Canadian problem
      gambling index. According to the results of the test, we stratified the sample by
      the risk of pathological gambling. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of
      people with medium and high risk of pathological gambling was identified.
      Significant differences in the characteristics of gambling behavior were found.
      We described the qualitative and quantitative indicators of gaming activity that
      proved the appearance of the addicted dominant in the high-risk group (changes in
      the motivational sphere, financial loss, using alternative forms of the game, the
      regular play activity and low level of the reflection of problems caused by the
      game).

PMID- 26120978
TI  - [Sleep disorders and circadian rhythms in diseases of the cardiovascular system].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study disturbances of sleep and circadian rhythms in patients with
      cardiovascular diseases taking into account the level of melatonin secretion and
      to optimize a complex approach to their treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      study included patients with cardiovascular diseases with- (n=121) and without
      (n=105) cerebrovascular diseases (CVD). All patients received melaxen in dose 3
      mg daily 30-40 min before sleep. Examination of patients included assessment of
      neurological status, psychometric scales, the definition of circadian rhythm of
      the heart and blood pressure, determination of 6-SOMT in daily urine. RESULTS:
      Pathological changes in circadian rhythms affected sleep disturbances, emotional
      and cognitive disorders and were associated with a reduction in the level of 6
      SOMT in the urine. These changes were most pronounced in patients with CVD and
      stroke. The inclusion of melaxen in the comprehensive regimen of treatment
      improved sleep, reduced mood disorders and normalized the circadian heart rate
      profile and blood pressure. CONCLUSION: The data obtained allowed to consider
      melaxen as an effective tool in the complex therapy of patients with CVD.

PMID- 26120979
TI  - [Experience of botulinum toxin in treatment of writer's cramp].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of botulinum toxin type A (BTA)
      injections in patients with writer's cramp (WC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We treated
      29 patients, in general, 49 BTA injections were performed. To determine points
      for the injections, we used ultrasound examination of the forearm including the
      time of writing. RESULTS: Patients reported subjective improvement in 75.9% after
      the first injection. Positive results as assessed with the WCRS were seen in
      82.7% of the patients. We observed muscle weakness in the hands of 17.2% of the
      patients. Most of the patients were satisfied with the result of the injection
      and agreed on the need to re-injection when clinical effect of BTA had decreased.
      CONCLUSION: To determine the indications for BTA injections in PS, an individual
      approach to the development of schemes of injections and calculation of dose is
      needed. Treatment of BTA should be used in severe forms of WC with social
      significance to the patients.

PMID- 26120980
TI  - [Efficacy of baclosan in combined therapy of muscular-tonic pain syndrome in the
      early postoperative period in patients after microdiscectomy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A comparative analysis of the efficacy of baclosan in adjuvant therapy
      of muscular-tonic pain syndromes in the early postoperative period after
      microdiscectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and three patients (65 men and
      38 women, mean age 42+/-5,0 years) were divided into two sex- and age-matched
      groups depending on the treatment. Patients of group 1 received baclosan in the
      combination with standard therapy, patients of group 2 received standard therapy.
      Patients were assessed before treatment, at 3 and 10 days of treatment. RESULTS
      AND CONCLUSION: Treatment effect (maximum relief of pain and anxiety-depressive
      syndromes) was achieved earlier in group 1 compared to group 2. The questions of
      substantiation of pathogenetic action of baclosan effect in the complex therapy
      of muscular-tonic pain syndromes in patients after microdiscectomy are
      considered.

PMID- 26120981
TI  - [The effect of the succinic acid preparation on the dynamics of neurological and
      emotional disturbances in patients with dorsopathy].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the dynamics of neurological and emotional disturbances in
      patients with dorsopathy treated with cytoflavin. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We
      examined 120 patients aged from 21 to 55 years, mean age 38+/-9 years. All
      patients received nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs, myorelaxants, vitamins. The
      main group comprised 67 patients who received cytoflavin (10ml of the solution in
      one injection once a day in 200 ml of isotonic solution of sodium chloride
      intravenously in drops in the morning during 10 days) in addition to standard
      treatment. The comparison group included 53 patients who received standard
      treatment during 10 days. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The use of cytoflavin allowed
      earlier arresting of the pain syndrome, restored the disturbed sensitivity,
      improved emotional status and decreased the severity of a neuropathic pain
      component.

PMID- 26120982
TI  - [Lipid spectrum changes and ECG in patients with paranoid schizophrenia in the
      course of therapy with atypical antipsychotics].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study correlations between parameters of lipid metabolism and ECG
      in patients with schizophrenia in light of therapy with atypical antipsychotics.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined 42 patients with paranoid schizophrenia. All
      patients received atypical neuroleptics - seroquel, zyprexa, and rispolept. A
      group of controls included 25 healthy people. RESULTS: There was a significant
      increase (p=0.0002) in body mass (in average by 1.5 kg) in 88% patients. A
      significant increase in the concentration of serum triglycerides was identified
      as well. The concentration of VLDL in the patients with schizophrenia was 2 times
      higher compared to controls. After treatment, VLDL concentration increased even
      more considerably An increase in atherogenic index (AI) was up to 3.1 in patients
      with schizophrenia compared to 2.2 in controls. After treatment, Al increased up
      to 4 that demonstrated the high risk of development of atherosclerosis. A
      significant increase in QT interval in the ECG and heart rate (p=0.03) was
      revealed only in patients receiving rispolept. In patients receiving zyprexa and
      seroquel only heart rate was increased. CONCLUSION: The antipsychotics studied
      increase the risk of development of cardiovascular pathology.

PMID- 26120983
TI  - [Computerized method of objectification of dizziness and vertigo and differential
      diagnostic of vestibulopathies].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To create a complex computerized method of objectification of
      dizziness and vertigo, and differentiation of vestibulopathies of various geneses
      using electrooculography approach that allows to record and analyze spontaneous,
      vestibular- and visually-induced eye movements, with the following classification
      (discriminant) analysis of the results obtained. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study
      involved 69 patients of different sex and age complained of dizziness, vertigo
      and disequilibrium, and 64 healthy men. Based on the results of clinical
      examination, patients were divided into three groups: patients with peripheral
      vestibulopathy, patients with central vestibulopathy and patients with
      psychogenic vestibulopathy. Electrooculography was performed using the hardware
      software complex (HSC) "OCULOSTIM-CM". RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Significant
      diagnostic parameters based on the recognition and analysis of spontaneous,
      vestibular- and visually-induced eye movements were coefficients of efficacy and
      increased frequency of fixation saccades and smooth pursuit with- and without
      retinal optokinetic stimulation. We developed the algorithm and complex
      computerized method for differentiation of different types of vestibulopathy.

PMID- 26120984
TI  - [Inflammatory mechanisms of fatigue syndrome in Parkinson's disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study clinical characteristics of fatigue syndrome in patients with
      Parkinson's disease (PD) and a role of inflammation in its development. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: We examined 98 patients with confirmed diagnosis of PD and 18
      healthy people. Clinical examination included an analysis of anamnesis and
      objective somatic symptoms. The unified Parkinson's disease rating scale, The
      Hoehn and Yahr scale, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) scale, the
      Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
      (HADS), The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Vein's Autonomic Symptoms
      Questionnaire (VASQ) were used for quantitative assessment. Serum concentrations
      of IL-6 were measured in 65 patients and 18 controls using ELISA. RESULTS AND
      CONCLUSION: In PD patients, fatigue assessed with MFI-20 was recorded in 46 (47%)
      cases and fatigue as assessed with MFIS in 45 (46%) of cases. High frequency and
      severity of fatigue syndrome were observed. The most prominent components in the
      structure of fatigue were physical fatigue, reduced motivation and decreased
      activity. Signs of fatigue increased with disease progression. Correlation
      between fatigue and axial motor symptoms of PD is of interest. Patients had
      higher serum IL-6 levels compared to the controls. Concentrations of IL-6 were
      correlated with fatigue severity and its main components (general and physical
      fatigue, decreased activity) and with depression level.

PMID- 26120986
TI  - [The peculiarities of the support therapy and adherence to the treatment in
      psychiatric outpatients].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study peculiarities of the support therapy and factors hampering
      the compliance in psychiatric outpatients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We questioned
      1042 patients with mental diseases and 580 persons in their close social
      environment using the method of anonymous social questionnaire. RESULTS: The most
      of the respondents (78.2%) received "classic" psychotropic drugs, 21.8% - the
      drugs of new generations. One third of the patients (37.56%) did not take the
      prescribed medicine. The reasons for refusal were: polypragmasia (74.39%), poor
      drug tolerance (38.17%), the complex scheme of drug dosage regimen, the negative
      experience of the previous therapy (35.62%) and the lack of information about
      peculiarities of the disease (59.73%). CONCLUSION: Introduction of methods of
      psychosocial rehabilitation, in particular, psychoeducational and
      multiprofessional treatment programs, is required for psychiatric practice to
      improve the quality of outpatient care.

PMID- 26120987
TI  - [Factors of psychiatric treatment satisfaction in inpatients with neurotic and
      depressive disorders].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Factors of patients' satisfaction with medical care vary depending on
      the level of care and medical specialty. Patient's satisfaction with psychiatric
      care is understudied. An aim of the present study is to find out the factors of
      satisfaction with psychiatric care in inpatients with neurotic and depressive
      disorders. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample included 356 inpatients suffering
      from neurotic or depressive disorders. The patients were questioned using PAPI
      questionnaire designed for this study. Statistical analysis was performed using
      multiple regression. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Key factors of satisfaction with
      medical care included quality of work of nurses and psychiatrists, hospital ward
      comfort, the number and quality of psychotherapeutic sessions, psychiatrists'
      empathy and aptitude to provide the patient with information about the disease
      and treatment. Multiple regression equation explained 81% of the variance of
      patients' satisfaction.

PMID- 26120985
TI  - [Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic synergism between neuropeptides and lithium
      in the neurotrophic and neuroprotective action of cerebrolysin].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the synergism between neuropeptides and lithium ions.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: An experimental model of stroke (chronic bilateral
      occlusion of the common carotid arteries in rats), neuronal culture studies,
      histomorphological analyses, determination of micronutrient profile of brain
      substrates were used. RESULTS: A complex of experimental studies revealed that
      the effect of cerebrolysin is influenced by the synergism between lithium ions
      and the neuropeptide contentof this drug. Pharmacokinetic synergism promotes the
      accumulation of lithium in brain tissues during cerebrolysin treatment. The
      existence of the pharmacokinetic synergism is evident from the potentiation of
      neuroprotective effects of the drug under the action of lithium ions established
      in the model of stroke. CONCLUSION: Lithium ions potentiate neuroprotective
      effects of cerebrolysin.

PMID- 26120988
TI  - [The effect of vasonit on the structural/functional state of erythrocyte
      cytoplasmic membrane in patients with ischemic stroke].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of vasonit on the structural/functional state of
      erythrocyte cytoplasmic membrane in patients with ischemic stroke (11) using
      atomic-power microscopy in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined 45 patients
      with II. Patients of the main group (n=30) received vasonit and standard
      treatment, 15 patients of the comparison group received only standard treatment.
      To assess the severity of patient's condition, we used the NIH stroke scale,
      modified Rankin scale, the Barthel index and the Rivermead Mobility index. Dried
      erythrocyte preparations were made to study erythrocyte cytoplasmic membrane.
      Scanning was performed using an atomic-power microscope manufactured by "SOLVER
      P47-Pro" (NT-MDT, Russia). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A statistically significant
      positive dynamics of neurological deficit and patient's functional state was
      found in the 14" day of the study. A significant decrease in Young's modulus
      value was identified in the main group that suggested the increase in the
      elasticity of erythrocyte cytoplasmic membrane.

PMID- 26120989
TI  - [Febrile children's convulsions].
AB  - The data of the world literature on treatment children's febrile convulsions were
      generalized. Regimens of immediate treatment and intermittent prophylaxis of
      febrile convulsions were instituted.

PMID- 26120990
TI  - [Modern classification and clinical psychiatry].

PMID- 26120991
TI  - [Neurovisualisation predictors of malignant cerebral infarction and hemorrhagic
      transformation].
AB  - Neuroimaging plays a central role in the assessment of patients with acute
      ischemic stroke. Within a few minutes, modern multimodal imaging protocols can
      provide one with comprehensive information about prognosis, management, and
      outcome of the disease, and may detect changes in the intracranial structures
      reflecting severity of the ischemic injury depicted by four Ps: parenchyma (of
      the brain), pipes (i.e., the cerebral blood vessels), penumbra, and permeability
      (of the blood brain barrier). In this article, we have reviewed neuroradiological
      predictors of malignant middle cerebral artery infarction and hemorrhagic
      transformation in light of the aforementioned four Ps. 

PMID- 26120992
TI  - [Tactics of antihypertensive therapy in patients with hypertonic crisis
      complicated with hemorrhagic stroke].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine an optimal tactics of antihypertensive therapy in
      patients with hypertonic crisis complicated with hemorrhagic stroke. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: We examined 86 inpatients, 42 men and 44 women, aged 46-87 years, with
      hypertonic crisis complicated with hemorrhagic stroke. The severity of
      neurological deficit, parameters of cardiac output and Kaplan-Meier survival
      curve based on the level of arterial pressure (AP) were assessed. RESULTS: The
      best survival rate of the patients with systolic blood pressure >162 mm Hg to the
      20th min from the beginning of treatment with the greater rate of its increase
      was established. The efficacy of antihypertensive therapy did not depend on the
      baseline neurological deficit. The remote survival rate did not depend on such
      factors as sex, age, baseline AP level, AP, frequency of heart contractions,
      hematoma's volume.

PMID- 26120993
TI  - [Dislocation syndrome in patients with severe massive ischemic stroke].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the severity of brain dislocation, the rate of its
      progression according to CT results and clinical signs of dislocation syndrome
      (DS) in patients with unfavorable form of massive ischemic stroke (MII). MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: We analyzed the results of examination and treatment of 114 patients
      with unfavorable course of MII. Patients were stratified by the type of DS course
      into two groups: group 1 with unfavorable course (91 patients) and group 2 with
      favorable course (23 patients). Patients were compared by disease course and
      outcome as well as by progression rate and severity of brain dislocation. Twenty
      seven patients of group 1 underwent decompressive craniectomy (DC). RESULTS: All
      patients of group 1 had DS decompensation and, therefore DS course was assessed
      as unfavorable. All patients of group 1, who received only conservative
      treatment, died from brain dislocation. In patients treated with DC in addition
      to conservative treatment, the fatality rate was 48%. In this group, we singled
      out 3 variants of DS course: fulminant, progressive and delayed. In patients of
      group 2, the fatality rate was 52%. The patients died from non-cranial
      complications and DS course in this group was regarded as favorable. CONCLUSION:
      In patients with unfavorable course of MII, the risk of fatal outcome from
      temporal-tentorial impaction is determined both by the severity and progression
      rate of transverse dislocation of the middle brain structures. DS in patients
      with unfavorable course of MII can have favorable or unfavorable course. The
      unfavorable course is characterized by fulminant, progressive or delayed DS
      progression rate. The unfavorable course of DS is an absolute indication of
      administration of DC.

PMID- 26120994
TI  - [Characteristics of microcirculation in patients with acute ischemic stroke and
      chronic cerebral ischemia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study microcirculation in patients with acute ischemic stroke (IS)
      using the method of laser Doppler fluorimetry (LDF). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We
      examined 19 patients with acute carotid IS, including 12 patients who received
      thrombolytic therapy. The reference group included 22 patients with chronic
      cerebral ischemia without a history of IS. Computed and magnetic resonance
      tomography of the brain, ultrasound diagnosis of head and neck vessels, the study
      of the changes in neurological status, emotional sphere, cognitive functions and
      laboratory methods were used. RESULTS: An index of total blood flow in the
      microcirculatory bed on the side of stroke was lower compared to that in patients
      with chronic cerebral ischemia. The study of parameters of microcirculatory bed
      regulation revealed an increase of blood inflow into the microcirculatory bed
      with the augmentation of the myogenic activity of arterioles and primarily the
      nutritional regimen of microhemocirculation. A decrease in the myogenic activity
      in the microcirculation system and nutritional direction of microhemodynamics
      were noted in patients with large IS. In some cases, non-nutritional regimen
      and/or venule congestion were observed. CONCLUSION: The study of the
      microcirculation system with the LDF method can be used as the method of early
      diagnosis of unfavorable variants of cerebral microcirculation that is necessary
      for outcome prognosis and its correction.

PMID- 26120995
TI  - [Prevention of venous thromboembolism in the acute stroke].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of preventive measures to reduce VTE rates
      among patients with severe stroke in intensive care unit (ICU). MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: The efficacy and safety of previously developed protocol for VTE
      prevention was assessed in 378 stroke patients in the ICU who received different
      levels of preventive measures. Subjects were distributed into three groups. We
      assessed neurological status of all patients on admission and in the course of
      stroke, and performed ultrasound scanning of lower limb veins for groups II and
      III. RESULTS: The rate of VTE events remained high regardless of the level of
      preventive measures. However, we observed a changing nature of PE from massive to
      nonmassive without increasing the rate of hemorrhagic complications while the
      strict protocol of VTE prevention with mandatory use of low molecular weight
      heparins was applied, including patients with hemorrhagic stroke. CONCLUSION: The
      use of the proposed protocol of VTE prevention in routine care for patients with
      stroke in ICU is safe and may significantly reduce the incidence of fatal
      pulmonary embolism.

PMID- 26120996
TI  - [Insomnia and sleep-related breathing disturbances are the new risk factors for
      ischemic stroke].
AB  - Sleep disorders have an extremely negative impact on human vital functioning,
      encompassing both mental and somatic sphere. A large number of clinical trials
      have shown an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and their complications,
      including the risk of ischemic stroke, in patients suffering from insomnia or
      sleep-related breathing disturbances. These types of sleep disorders are the most
      common in the structure of all violations of sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea
      syndrome is the most clinically significant type of sleep-related breathing
      disturbances. A number of pathophysiological mechanisms that may be responsible
      for the negative impact of sleep disorders was identified. In order to treat
      insomnia, behavioral techniques, including the normalization of sleep hygiene,
      behavioral and cognitive therapy, medication treatment, are used. Continuous
      Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy is currently the method of choice in the
      treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome of any etiology. 

PMID- 26120997
TI  - [Surgical treatment of putamen hematomas].
AB  - We present the current data on surgical treatment of putamen hematomas and
      describe clinical presentation of this disease and its diagnosis including
      radiologic diagnosis. The results of most prominent publications devoted to the
      study of surgical treatment efficacy are presented. Indications to surgical
      treatment of the disease are discussed. 

PMID- 26120998
TI  - [An expert assessment of medical care quality in patients with acute disturbances
      of cerebral blood flow at prehospital stage].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the criteria of expert assessment of medical care quality in
      patients with acute disturbances of cerebral blood flow at prehospital stage in
      the Smolensk region. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed the adequacy of medical
      care to regulation documents of the Russian Federation and worked out several
      assessment criteria. Based on these criteria, we selected and analyzed 190
      ambulance care records over 1 month. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The quality of
      ambulance care was estimated on a three-level scale: satisfactory, satisfactory
      with minor deficiencies, unsatisfactory. In the Smolensk region, it is
      characterized by relatively low estimates. These criteria allow to fairly assess
      the quality of medical care for patients with acute disturbances of cerebral
      blood flow at prehospital stage.

PMID- 26120999
TI  - [Prognosis of morbidity of stroke in the Dagestan Republic].
AB  - A prognosis of morbidity and mortality of stroke in the Republic of Dagestan is
      presented. Using the data of stroke register of the Republic of Dagestan for the
      period 2009-2011, logistic regression models for predicting the development of
      the situation with stroke within the next 7 years were built. 

PMID- 26121000
TI  - [Etiology of stroke in children].
AB  - The lecture contains information on terminology, etiology and pathogenesis of
      stroke in children. The current statistics on the incidence of stroke in the
      pediatric population, prognosis and principles of early diagnosis are presented.
      Different states, complicating stroke in children are described. 

PMID- 26121001
TI  - [Neurorehabilitation of patients after stroke and brain injury].
AB  - Cerebral vascular diseases, traumatic brain injuries are frequent causes of
      fatality and severe disability. A complex of measures seems to be perspective to
      restore the brain functions impaired due to the focal brain lesion. Main stages
      of the formation of neurorehabilitation as independent discipline are considered.
      The progress in this field and the problems that need to be resolved are
      analyzed. The contribution of Russian scientists (neurologists, neurosurgeons,
      psychologists) to the development of neurorehabilitation is highlighted. 

PMID- 26121002
TI  - [The use of mexidol in the intensive treatment of acute severe ischemic stroke].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy and safety of early use of mexidol in the acute
      stage of severe ischemic stroke (IS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A study included 112
      patients, aged from 35 to 85 years, with a severe IS. Patients were stratified
      into two age and sex- matched groups. The main group (n=59) received mexidol in
      dose of 500 mg daily intravenously during 10 days in addition to standard
      treatment. The comparison group (n=53) received standard treatment only. RESULTS:
      In the main group, the percentage of good outcomes, assessed by the Rankin scale,
      was higher in earlier as well in delayed treatment and the fatality was lower
      compared to the comparison group. CONCLUSION: Mexidol increased the efficacy of
      treatment and may be recommended for treatment of patients with severe carotid
      IS.

PMID- 26121003
TI  - CHIVA method for the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many surgical approaches are available to treat varicose veins
      secondary to chronic venous insufficiency. One of the least invasive techniques
      is the ambulatory conservative hemodynamic correction of venous insufficiency
      method (cure conservatrice et hemodynamique de l'insuffisance veineuse en
      ambulatoire (CHIVA)), an approach based on venous hemodynamics with deliberate
      preservation of the superficial venous system. This is an update of the review
      first published in 2013. OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy and safety of the
      CHIVA method with alternative therapeutic techniques to treat varicose veins.
      SEARCH METHODS: The Trials Search Co-ordinator of the Cochrane Peripheral
      Vascular Diseases Group searched the Specialised Register (April 2015), the
      Cochrane Register of Studies (2015, Issue 3) and clinical trials databases. The
      review authors searched PubMed (April 2015). There was no language restriction.
      We contacted study authors to obtain more information when necessary. SELECTION
      CRITERIA: We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the CHIVA
      method versus any other treatments. Two review authors independently selected and
      evaluated the studies. One review author extracted data and performed the
      quantitative analysis. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two independent review
      authors extracted data from the selected papers. We calculated the risk ratio
      (RR), mean difference (MD), the number of people needed to treat for an
      additional beneficial outcome (NNTB), and the number of people needed to treat
      for an additional harmful outcome (NNTH), with 95% confidence intervals (CI)
      using Review Manager 5. MAIN RESULTS: No new studies were identified for this
      update. We included four RCTs with 796 participants (70.5% women). Three RCTs
      compared the CHIVA method with vein stripping, and one RCT compared the CHIVA
      method with compression dressings in people with venous ulcers. We judged the
      quality of the evidence of the included studies as low to moderate due to
      imprecision caused by the low number of events and because the studies were open.
      The overall risk of bias across studies was high because neither participants nor
      outcome assessors were blinded to the interventions. The primary endpoint,
      clinical recurrence, pooled between studies over a follow-up of 3 to 10 years,
      showed more favorable results for the CHIVA method than for vein stripping (721
      people; RR 0.63; 95% CI 0.51 to 0.78; I(2) = 0%, NNTB 6; 95% CI 4 to 10) or
      compression dressings (47 people; RR 0.23; 95% CI 0.06 to 0.96; NNTB 3; 95% CI 2
      to 17). Only one study reported data on quality of life (presented graphically)
      and these results significantly favored the CHIVA method.The vein stripping group
      had a higher risk of side effects than the CHIVA group; specifically, the RR for
      bruising was 0.63 (95% CI 0.53 to 0.76; NNTH 4; 95% CI 3 to 6) and the RR for
      nerve damage was 0.05 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.38; I(2) = 0%; NNTH 12; 95% CI 9 to 20).
      There were no statistically significant differences between groups regarding the
      incidence of limb infection and superficial vein thrombosis. AUTHORS'
      CONCLUSIONS: The CHIVA method reduces recurrence of varicose veins and produces
      fewer side effects than vein stripping. However, we based these conclusions on a
      small number of trials with a high risk of bias as the effects of surgery could
      not be concealed and the results were imprecise due to low number of events. New
      RCTs are needed to confirm these results and to compare CHIVA with approaches
      other than open surgery.

PMID- 26121004
TI  - Dichloroacetate and Trichloroacetate Toxicity in AML12 Cells: Role of Oxidative
      Stress.
AB  - The toxicity of the drinking water disinfection by products dichloroacetate (DCA)
      and trichloroacetate (TCA) was studied in the alpha mouse liver (AML12) cells at
      concentrations ranging between 770 and 4100 ppm and at incubation times ranging
      from 24 to 72 h. Cellular viability, superoxide anion (SA) and lipid peroxidation
      (LP) production, as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were determined.
      DCA and TCA resulted in time- and concentration-dependent decreases in cellular
      viability, and also in significant increases in SA and LP production, and in SOD
      activity at specific concentrations and time points. The effective toxic
      concentrations of the compounds in these cells were found to be 10-fold higher
      than those producing similar effects in the mouse liver. It has been concluded
      that the AML12 is a good screening system to identify toxic concentrations of the
      halaocetates present in the drinking water that may need further in vivo testing.

PMID- 26121005
TI  - Environmental Benefits and Burdens of Phosphorus Recovery from Municipal
      Wastewater.
AB  - The environmental benefits and burdens of phosphorus recovery in four centralized
      and two decentralized municipal wastewater systems were compared using life cycle
      assessment (LCA). In centralized systems, phosphorus recovered as struvite from
      the solids dewatering liquid resulted in an environmental benefit except for the
      terrestrial ecotoxicity and freshwater eutrophication impact categories, with
      power and chemical use offset by operational savings and avoided fertilizer
      production. Chemical-based phosphorus recovery, however, generally required more
      resources than were offset by avoided fertilizers, resulting in a net
      environmental burden. In decentralized systems, phosphorus recovery via urine
      source separation reduced the global warming and ozone depletion potentials but
      increased terrestrial ecotoxicity and salinization potentials due to application
      of untreated urine to land. Overall, mineral depletion and eutrophication are
      well-documented arguments for phosphorus recovery; however, phosphorus recovery
      does not necessarily present a net environmental benefit. While avoided
      fertilizer production does reduce potential impacts, phosphorus recovery does not
      necessarily offset the resources consumed in the process. LCA results indicate
      that selection of an appropriate phosphorus recovery method should consider both
      local conditions and other environmental impacts, including global warming, ozone
      depletion, toxicity, and salinization, in addition to eutrophication and mineral
      depletion impacts. 

PMID- 26121006
TI  - Two-Photon Spectroscopy as a New Sensitive Method for Determining the DNA Binding
      Mode of Fluorescent Nuclear Dyes.
AB  - A new optical strategy to determine the binding modes (intercalation vs groove
      binding) of small fluorescent organic molecules with calf thymus DNA was
      developed using two-photon absorption (TPA) spectroscopy. Two-photon excited
      emission was utilized to investigate a series of fluorescent nuclear dyes. The
      results show that TPA cross-sections are able to differentiate the fine details
      between the DNA binding modes. Groove binding molecules exhibit an enhanced TPA
      cross-section due to the DNA electric field induced enhancement of the transition
      dipole moment, while intercalative binding molecules exhibit a decrease in the
      TPA cross-section. Remarkably, the TPA cross-section of 4,6-bis(4-(4
      methylpiperazin-1-yl)phenyl) pyrimidine is significantly enhanced (13.6-fold)
      upon binding with DNA. The sensitivity of our TPA methodology is compared to
      circular dichroism spectroscopy. TPA demonstrates superior sensitivity by more
      than an order of magnitude at low DNA concentrations. This methodology can be
      utilized to probe DNA interactions with other external molecules such as
      proteins, enzymes, and drugs. 

PMID- 26121007
TI  - Enhancement of the 1-Octanol/Water Partition Coefficient of the Anti-Inflammatory
      Indomethacin in the Presence of Lidocaine and Other Local Anesthetics.
AB  - Side effects and excessive potentiation of drug efficacy caused by polypharmacy
      are becoming important social issues. The apparent partition coefficient of
      indomethacin (log P'IND) increases in the presence of lidocaine, and this is used
      as a physicochemical model for investigating polypharmacy. We examined the
      changes in log P'IND caused by clinically used local anesthetics-lidocaine,
      tetracaine, mepivacaine, bupivacaine, and dibucaine-and by structurally similar
      basic drugs-procainamide, imipramine, and diltiazem. The quantitative structure
      activity relationship study of log P'IND showed that the partition coefficient
      values (log PLA) and the structural entropic terms (DeltaSobs, log f) of the
      additives affect log P'IND. These results indicate that the local anesthetics and
      structurally similar drugs function as phase-transfer catalysts, increasing the
      membrane permeability of indomethacin via heterogeneous intermolecular
      association. Therefore, we expect that the potency of indomethacin, an acidic
      nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, will be increased by concurrent
      administration of the other drugs. 

PMID- 26121008
TI  - Rapid Electrochemical Detection of New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase Genes To
      Enable Point-of-Care Testing of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae.
AB  - The alarming rate at which antibiotic resistance is occurring in human pathogens
      causes a pressing need for improved diagnostic technologies aimed at rapid
      detection and point-of-care testing to support quick decision making regarding
      antibiotic therapy and patient management. Here, we report the successful
      development of an electrochemical biosensor to detect bla(NDM), the gene encoding
      the emerging New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, using label-free electrochemical
      impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The presence of this gene is of critical concern
      because organisms harboring bla(NDM) tend to be multiresistant, leaving very few
      treatment options. For the EIS assay, we used a bla(NDM)-specific PNA probe that
      was designed by applying a new approach that combines in silico probe design and
      fluorescence-based DNA microarray validation with electrochemical testing on gold
      screen-printed electrodes. The assay was successfully demonstrated for synthetic
      targets (LOD = 10 nM), PCR products (LOD = 100 pM), and direct, amplification
      free detection from a bla(NDM)-harboring plasmid. The biosensor's specificity,
      preanalytical requirements, and performance under ambient conditions were
      demonstrated and successfully proved its suitability for further point-of-care
      test development.

PMID- 26121009
TI  - Correction to "Supramolecular Autoregulation".

PMID- 26121011
TI  - Increasing the effective energy barrier promoted by the change of a counteranion
      in a Zn-Dy-Zn SMM: slow relaxation via the second excited state.
AB  - The trinuclear complex [ZnCl(MU-L)Dy(MU-L)ClZn]PF6 exhibits a single-molecule
      magnetic behaviour under zero field with a relatively large effective energy
      barrier of 186 cm(-1). Ab initio calculations reveal that the relaxation of the
      magnetization is symmetry-driven (the Dy(III) ion possesses a C2 symmetry) and
      occurs via the second excited state. 

PMID- 26121010
TI  - Activation of IL-8 via PI3K/Akt-dependent pathway is involved in leptin-mediated
      epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human breast cancer cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Previous studies have revealed that leptin may be
      involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a crucial initiator of
      cancer progression to facilitate metastatic cascade, increase tumor recurrence,
      and ultimately cause poor prognosis. However, the underlying mechanism remains
      unclear. The aim of our present study was to investigate the effect of leptin on
      EMT of breast cancer cells and the underlying mechanism. RESULTS: Our data
      demonstrated that leptin significantly increased the phosphorylation of STAT3,
      Akt, and ERK1/2, elevated the expression of IL-8, and induced breast cancer cells
      to undergo EMT. The effect of leptin on IL-8 could visibly abolished by the
      inhibitor of PI3K LY294002. In addition, leptin-induced EMT of breast cancer
      cells was blocked by anti-IL-8 antibodies. Examination of the expression of ObR,
      leptin, IL-8 and EMT-related biomarkers in patient specimens demonstrated that
      malignant breast carcinoma with lymph node metastases (LNM), which represents
      poor prognosis, expressed higher levels of ObR, leptin, IL-8 than other types of
      breast cancer, and displayed more obvious EMT transversion. In vivo xenograft
      experiment revealed that leptin signally promoted tumor growth and metastasis and
      increased the expressions of IL-8 and EMT-related biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results support that leptin-induced EMT in breast cancer cells requires IL-8
      activation via the PI3K/Akt signal pathway.

PMID- 26121012
TI  - Physical activity in adolescents who later developed schizophrenia: A prospective
      case-control study from the Young-HUNT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adults suffering from schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders
      report low levels of physical activity. In addition, these patients have an
      increased risk of overweight and poor nutritional habits. Less is known about
      patterns and levels of physical activity before the onset of disease. AIMS: The
      purpose of the study was to investigate whether there were specific patterns of
      physical activity in the premorbid phase of schizophrenia and whether these
      participants differed from those with bipolar disorder (BD). A group of healthy
      controls (HC) was also included. METHODS: The study was a prospective,
      longitudinal, comparative cohort design in which 15 adolescents who later
      developed schizophrenia and 18 with later BD were compared with HC. Data were
      analysed using non-parametric statistical tests. RESULTS: Patients with a
      diagnosis of schizophrenia were less physically active with fewer days per week
      (p < 0.05) and fewer hours per week (p < 0.05) in the premorbid phase than both
      BD and HC. They also participated less in team sports than HC (p < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that individuals who develop schizophrenia in
      their teens may be at risk of establishing a lifestyle harmful to health. From a
      preventive perspective it is important to gain more knowledge about the
      connections between health habits and later development of disease.

PMID- 26121013
TI  - Lactation and the Marijuana-Using Mother.

PMID- 26121014
TI  - Quantification of vancomycin-resistant enterococci and corresponding resistance
      genes in a sewage treatment plant.
AB  - This study aimed to analyze vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and their
      resistance genes, vanA and vanB, to examine their presence in sewage treatment
      systems. Water samples were collected from primary sedimentation tank inlet,
      aeration tank, final sedimentation tank overflow outlet, and disinfection tank.
      Enterococcal strains were determined their vancomycin susceptibility by the
      minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test. Vancomycin-resistance genes (vanA
      and vanB) were quantified by real-time PCR. The sewage treatment process indeed
      decreased the number of most enterococci contained in the entering sewage, with a
      removal rate of >= 5 log. The MIC test showed that two enterococcal strains
      resistant to a high concentration of vancomycin (>128 MUg mL(-1)). However, most
      of the enterococcal strains exhibited sensitivity to vancomycin, indicating that
      VRE were virtually absent in the sewage treatment systems. On the other hand,
      vancomycin-resistance genes were detected in all the sewage samples, including
      those collected from the chlorination disinfection tank. The highest copy numbers
      of vanA (1.5 * 10(3) copies mL(-1)) and vanB (1.0 * 10(3) copies mL(-1)) were
      detected from the water sample of effluent water and chlorinated water,
      respectively. Therefore, antibiotic resistance genes remain in the sewage
      treatment plant and might discharged into water environments such as rivers and
      coastal areas.

PMID- 26121015
TI  - Biotechnologically obtained nanocomposites: A practical application for
      photodegradation of Safranin-T under UV-Vis and solar light.
AB  - This research was undertaken to determine the potential of biologically obtained
      ZnS-TiO2 nanocomposites to be used as catalysts in the photodegradation of
      organic pollutants, namely, Safranin-T. The photocatalysts were prepared by
      modifying the surface of commercial TiO2 particles with naturally produced ZnS,
      using sulfide species produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria and metal
      contaminated wastewaters. Comparative studies using powder X-ray diffraction
      (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), prior and after photodegradation,
      were carried out in order to monitor possible structural and morphological
      changes on the particles. Adsorption properties and specific areas were
      determined by the Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) method. The final solutions were
      characterized by UV-Vis and chemical oxygen demand (COD) content in order to
      determine Safranin-T concentration and toxicity. The influence of the catalyst
      amount, initial pH and dye concentration was also evaluated. Finally, the
      efficiency of the precipitates as catalysts in sunlight-mediated photodegradation
      was investigated, performing two scale experiments by using different volumes of
      dye-contaminated water (150 mL and 10 L). All tested composites showed potential
      to be used as photocatalysts for the degradation of Safranin-T, although the ZnS
      TiO2_0.06 composite (0.06 g of TiO2 per 50 mL of the zinc solution) was the most
      effective. This substantiates the applicability of these biologically obtained
      materials as efficient photocatalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants,
      in laboratorial conditions and under direct sunlight.

PMID- 26121016
TI  - Sulfamethoxazole in poultry wastewater: Identification, treatability and
      degradation pathway determination in a membrane-photocatalytic slurry reactor.
AB  - The presence of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in a real-time poultry wastewater was
      identified via HPLC analysis. Subsequently, SMX removal from the poultry
      wastewater was investigated using a continuous-mode membrane-photocatalytic
      slurry reactor (MPSR). The real-time poultry wastewater was found to have an SMX
      concentration of 0-2.3 mg L(-1). A granular activated carbon supported TiO2 (GAC
      TiO2) was synthesized, characterized and used in MPSR experiments. The optimal
      MPSR condition, i.e., HRT ~ 125 min and catalyst dosage 529.3 mg L(-1), for
      complete SMX removal was found out using unconstrained optimization technique.
      Under the optimized condition, the effect of SMX concentration on MPSR
      performance was investigated by synthetic addition of SMX (i.e., 1, 25, 50, 75
      and 100 mg L(-1)) into the wastewater. Interestingly, complete removals of total
      volatile solids (TVS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and SMX were observed
      under all SMX concentrations investigated. However, a decline in SMX removal rate
      and proportionate increase in transmembrane-pressure (TMP) were observed when the
      SMX concentration was increased to higher levels. In the MPSR, the SMX
      mineralization was through one of the following degradation pathways: (i)
      fragmentation of the isoxazole ring and (ii) the elimination of methyl and amide
      moieties followed by the formation of phenyl sulfinate ion. These results show
      that the continuous-mode MPSR has great potential in the removal for SMX
      contaminated real-time poultry wastewater and similar organic micropollutants
      from wastewater.

PMID- 26121017
TI  - Plumage color and reproductive output of eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis)
      nesting near a mercury-contaminated river.
AB  - Despite the growing evidence of mercury's impact on ecosystems, few studies have
      looked at the environmental impact of mercury pollution on terrestrial songbirds
      and the complex ways through which mercury might influence their fitness. In 2007
      2008 eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) were monitored on mercury contaminated and
      reference sites for blood and feather mercury, reproductive success and plumage
      coloration. Higher tissue mercury accumulation was associated with plumage that
      was overall brighter and shifted towards the UV portion of the spectrum. In
      females, long-term mercury exposure, as indicated by feather mercury, was
      associated with smaller clutches of eggs. In males, recent mercury exposure, as
      indicated by blood mercury, was associated with a reduction in the proportion of
      hatchlings that fledged, potentially through reduced male provisioning of
      offspring. Reproductive success and plumage color are closely linked in bluebirds
      through mate choice, and our findings indicate that mercury contamination is
      associated with reproductive success directly and possibly indirectly, through
      coloration of bluebirds. 

PMID- 26121018
TI  - Dietary exposure to, and internal organ transfer of, selected halogenated organic
      compounds in birds eating fish from the Southern Baltic.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a marine diet on the
      accumulation, magnification, maternal transfer and detoxification of chlorinated
      organic pollutants on the highest trophic level in the Baltic Sea. Results showed
      that birds eating whole herring received the highest doses of herbicides >
      pesticides > fungicides > polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) > polychlorinated
      dibenzo-para-dioxins (PCDDs). The toxicity of PCDD/Fs in a penguin's 24-h
      alimentary exposure was estimated at 7.77 ng TEQ-WHO2005. Among pesticides, the
      highest concentrations--both in fish and penguin tissue--were those of the pp-DDE
      isomer. In terms of herbicides, simazine and terbutrine were predominant. The
      majority of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) underwent accumulation and
      magnification, and these factors were observed to increase with the birds' age.
      Guano was found to be an effective means of elimination for all of the studied
      xenobiotics. Maternal transfer of PCDD/Fs into eggs from internal tissues was
      most prominent for highly chlorinated dioxins and low chlorinated furans.

PMID- 26121019
TI  - Evaluation of semidecentralized emergency drinking water treatment.
AB  - This study evaluates the potential for a novel semidecentralized approach that
      uses coagulant disinfectant products (CDPs) for humanitarian water treatment, by
      testing two commercially available products (CDP-W and CDP-T). Their performances
      were evaluated against the relevant water quality treatment objectives (The
      Sphere Project) under laboratory conditions, using a standardized testing
      protocol with both synthetic and natural surface test waters. Tests indicated a
      satisfactory performance by one of the products (CDP-W) with respect to
      humanitarian water quality objectives, (i.e., free chlorine residual, pH, and
      turbidity) that was dependent on initial water quality characteristics. Adequate
      bacterial inactivation (final thermotolerant coliform concentration of < 1
      cfu/100 mL) was always attained and log reductions of up to 5 were achieved. The
      other product (CDP-T) did not exhibit any measurable coagulation and disinfection
      properties, indicating the variability of product quality and the need to conduct
      evaluations such as the ones presented in this study. Such results are of
      relevance to relief agencies delivering water supply interventions.

PMID- 26121020
TI  - Biocatalytic spectrophotometric method to detect paracetamol in water samples.
AB  - A biocatalytic methodology based on the quantification of the laccase inhibition
      during the oxidation of a standard substrate ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis(3
      ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) for the indirect determination of
      paracetamol in drinking water has been developed. The method displayed a fast
      response time (20 s), and high selectivity to paracetamol in presence of
      interfering substances such as naproxen, estradiol, ketoprofen, sulfamethoxazole,
      and diclofenac. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ)
      were noticed to be 0.55 uM and 8.3 uM, respectively. By comparing the catalytic
      constants value KM and kcat for ABTS oxidation in the absence and presence of
      various concentrations of paracetamol, a competitive-type inhibition was
      disclosed. On the other hand, the close value between Ki and KM indicates similar
      binding affinity of the enzyme to ABTS and paracetamol corroborated by docking
      studies. The methodology was successfully applied to real water samples,
      presenting an interesting potential for further development of a biosensor to
      paracetamol detection.

PMID- 26121021
TI  - Removal of cationic dye methylene blue by zero-valent iron: Effects of pH and
      dissolved oxygen on removal mechanisms.
AB  - Effects of pH and dissolved oxygen on mechanisms for decolorization and total
      organic carbon (TOC) removal of cationic dye methylene blue (MB) by zero-valent
      iron (ZVI) were systematically examined. Decolorization and TOC removal of MB by
      ZVI are attributed to the four potential mechanisms, i.e. reduction, degradation,
      precipitation and adsorption. The contributions of four mechanisms were
      quantified at pH 3.0, 6.0 and 10.0 in the oxic and anoxic systems. The maximum
      efficiencies of decolorization and TOC removal of MB were found at pH 6.0. The
      TOC removal efficiencies at pH 3.0 and 10.0 were 11.0 and 17.0%, respectively
      which were considerably lower as compared with 68.1% at pH 6.0. The adsorption,
      which was favorable at higher pH but was depressed by the passive layer formed on
      the ZVI surface at alkaline conditions, characterized the effects of pH on
      decolorization and TOC removal of MB. The efficiencies of decolorization and TOC
      removal at pH 6.0 under the anoxic condition were 73.0 and 59.0%, respectively,
      which were comparable to 79.9 and 55.5% obtained under the oxic condition. In the
      oxic and anoxic conditions, however, the contributions of removal mechanisms were
      quite different. Although the adsorption dominated the decolorization and TOC
      removal under the oxic condition, the contribution of precipitation was largely
      superior to that of adsorption under the anoxic condition. 

PMID- 26121023
TI  - The quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials.

PMID- 26121022
TI  - A novel cellulose-dioctyl phthate-baker's yeast biosorbent for removal of Co(II),
      Cu(II), Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II).
AB  - In this work, dioctyl phthalate (Dop) was used as a highly plasticizing material
      to coat and link the surface of basic cellulose (Cel) with baker's yeast for the
      formation of a novel modified cellulose biosorbent (Cel-Dop-Yst).
      Characterization was accomplished by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT
      IR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
      measurements. The feasibility of using Cel-Dop-Yst biosorbent as an efficient
      material for removal of Co(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) ions was
      explored using the batch equilibrium technique along with various experimental
      controlling parameters. The optimum pH values for removal of these metal ions
      were characterized in the range of 5.0-7.0. Cel-Dop-Yst was identified as a
      highly selective biosorbent for removal of the selected divalent metal ions. The
      Cel-Dop-Yst biosorbent was successfully implemented in treatment and removal of
      these divalent metal ions from industrial wastewater, sea water and drinking
      water samples using a multistage microcolumn technique. 

PMID- 26121024
TI  - Noninvasive Diagnosis of Fetal Gender: Utility of Combining DYS14 and SRY.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Diagnosis of fetal gender early in pregnancy is very useful as it
      would prevent invasive fetal sampling in almost half the cases at risk of
      inheriting X-linked disorders or those affecting sexual differentiation.
      Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) using circulating cell-free fetal (cff) DNA
      from maternal circulation has emerged as a useful alternative to existing methods
      for prenatal diagnosis of gender. NIPD eliminates the risk of miscarriage from
      invasive prenatal diagnosis and the necessity of possessing specialized obstetric
      skills for fetal tissue sampling. The aim of this study was to compare two Y
      chromosome markers-SRY and DYS14-for their utility in the diagnosis of fetal
      gender. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty-eight plasma samples from pregnant women
      between 9 and 25 weeks of gestation were analyzed. Real-time polymerase chain
      reaction was performed on cff DNA extracted from maternal plasma to detect fetal
      Y chromosome with SRY (n=27) and DYS14 (n=48) markers. RESULTS: We observed 100%
      sensitivity and 85.6% specificity in noninvasive Y chromosome detection with the
      combined use of DYS14 and SRY markers (n=27) compared with the results obtained
      on using DYS14 (n=48 sensitivity 94%; specificity 71.4%) and SRY (n=27,
      sensitivity 84%; specificity 92.8%) markers alone. CONCLUSION: Our results show
      that the test performance improved with the employment of two Y-amplification
      assays.

PMID- 26121025
TI  - Does Tramadol Increase the Severity of Nicotine Dependence? A Study in an
      Egyptian Sample.
AB  - In Egypt, tramadol abuse is increasing, especially among youths and the middle-
      aged. Tobacco smoking is a worldwide health problem responsible for more deaths
      and disease than any other noninfectious cause. To investigate if there is a
      relationship between tramadol and nicotine dependence. 48 tramadol addicts
      completed a demographic sheet, drug use questionnaire, and the Fagerstrom Test
      for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). Numbers of cigarettes smoked were recorded every
      week or two weeks at follow-up or by phone calls, and the FTND was completed
      again five weeks after abstinence. All participants underwent full psychiatric
      assessment, plus a urine toxicology screening at first visit, and once again
      during follow-ups. All subjects of the study were cigarette smokers. The mean
      numbers of cigarettes smoked per day were 13, 31.8, 20.2, and 14.3 during the
      phase before tramadol taking, addiction phase, two weeks and five weeks after
      stopping tramadol. The mean FTND score dropped from 6.67 during the tramadol
      addiction phase to 4.31 only five weeks after stopping tramadol. Tramadol
      increases the severity of nicotine dependence. The relation seems to be bi
      directional, so increased cigarette smoking also increases tramadol intake. 

PMID- 26121026
TI  - Association of Hearing Loss and Tinnitus with Health-Related Quality of Life: The
      Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hearing loss and tinnitus are global public health concerns. There
      have been some studies suggesting a relationship between hearing loss and
      tinnitus and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but there have been
      no large cross-sectional epidemiologic studies of a representative sample of the
      entire country population investigating this possible association. OBJECTIVE: The
      aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between hearing loss and
      tinnitus and HRQoL in South Korea using data from the Korea National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Surveys during 2010-2012. METHODS: Cross-sectional data of
      11,266 adults who completed the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination
      Surveys were analyzed. Subjects were divided into four groups as follows: normal
      hearing without tinnitus, normal hearing with tinnitus, hearing loss without
      tinnitus, and hearing loss with tinnitus. RESULTS: Among the population that was
      >=19 years of age, the prevalence of unilateral hearing loss was 9.69% and that
      of tinnitus in the prior 12 months was 32.76%. The hearing loss with tinnitus
      group had the highest percentage of subjects who responded "some or extreme
      problems" in all five dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities,
      pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression) of HRQoL. After adjustment for age,
      gender, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol intake, regular exercise, house
      income, education level, diabetes, hypertension, and stress level, the HRQoL odds
      ratios (OR) were 1.47 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-2.02) for mobility,
      1.59 (95% CI, 1.07-2.37) for usual activity, and 1.84 (95% CI, 1.25-2.70) for
      anxiety/depression in the hearing loss with tinnitus group, compared with the
      normal hearing without tinnitus group. The ORs for the normal hearing with
      tinnitus group compared with the hearing loss without tinnitus group was
      increased in all five dimensions of HRQoL after adjustment for confounders.
      CONCLUSION: Hearing loss with tinnitus has a considerable impact on HRQoL in the
      Korean population. In our study, the hearing loss without tinnitus group showed
      better a HRQoL than the normal hearing with tinnitus group.

PMID- 26121027
TI  - Neonatal Pulmonary Macrophage Depletion Coupled to Defective Mucus Clearance
      Increases Susceptibility to Pneumonia and Alters Pulmonary Immune Responses.
AB  - Resident immune cells (e.g., macrophages [MPhis]) and airway mucus clearance both
      contribute to a healthy lung environment. To investigate interactions between
      pulmonary MPhi function and defective mucus clearance, a genetic model of
      lysozyme M (LysM) promoter-mediated MPhi depletion was generated, characterized,
      and crossed with the sodium channel beta subunit transgenic (Scnn1b-Tg) mouse
      model of defective mucus clearance. Diphtheria toxin A-mediated depletion of
      LysM(+) pulmonary MPhis in wild-type mice with normal mucus clearance resulted in
      lethal pneumonia in 24% of neonates. The pneumonias were dominated by Pasteurella
      pneumotropica and accompanied by emaciation, neutrophilic inflammation, and
      elevated Th1 cytokines. The incidence of emaciation and pneumonia reached 51%
      when LysM(+) MPhi depletion was superimposed on the airway mucus clearance defect
      of Scnn1b-Tg mice. In LysM(+) MPhi-depleted Scnn1b-Tg mice, pneumonias were
      associated with a broader spectrum of bacterial species and a significant
      reduction in airway mucus plugging. Bacterial burden (CFUs) was comparable
      between Scnn1b-Tg and nonpneumonic LysM(+) MPhi-depleted Scnn1b-Tg mice. However,
      the nonpneumonic LysM(+) MPhi-depleted Scnn1b-Tg mice exhibited increased airway
      inflammation, the presence of neutrophilic infiltration, and increased levels of
      inflammatory cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid compared with Scnn1b-Tg
      mice. Collectively, these data identify key MPhi-mucus clearance interactions
      with respect to both infectious and inflammatory components of muco-obstructive
      lung disease. 

PMID- 26121029
TI  - Novel Functions and Regulation of Cryptic Cellobiose Operons in Escherichia coli.
AB  - Presence of cellobiose as a sole carbon source induces mutations in the chb and
      asc operons of Escherichia coli and allows it to grow on cellobiose. We
      previously engineered these two operons with synthetic constitutive promoters and
      achieved efficient cellobiose metabolism through adaptive evolution. In this
      study, we characterized two mutations observed in the efficient cellobiose
      metabolizing strain: duplication of RBS of ascB gene, (beta-glucosidase of asc
      operon) and nonsense mutation in yebK, (an uncharacterized transcription factor).
      Mutations in yebK play a dominant role by modulating the length of lag phase,
      relative to the growth rate of the strain when transferred from a rich medium to
      minimal cellobiose medium. Mutations in ascB, on the other hand, are specific for
      cellobiose and help in enhancing the specific growth rate. Taken together, our
      results show that ascB of the asc operon is controlled by an internal putative
      promoter in addition to the native cryptic promoter, and the transcription factor
      yebK helps to remodel the host physiology for cellobiose metabolism. While
      previous studies characterized the stress-induced mutations that allowed growth
      on cellobiose, here, we characterize the adaptation-induced mutations that help
      in enhancing cellobiose metabolic ability. This study will shed new light on the
      regulatory changes and factors that are needed for the functional coupling of the
      host physiology to the activated cryptic cellobiose metabolism. 

PMID- 26121028
TI  - miR-155 Controls Lymphoproliferation in LAT Mutant Mice by Restraining T-Cell
      Apoptosis via SHIP-1/mTOR and PAK1/FOXO3/BIM Pathways.
AB  - Linker for Activation of T cells (LAT) is an adapter protein that is essential
      for T cell function. Knock-in mice with a LAT mutation impairing calcium flux
      develop a fatal CD4+ lymphoproliferative disease. miR-155 is a microRNA that is
      correlated with hyperproliferation in a number of cancers including lymphomas and
      leukemias and is overexpressed in mutant LAT T cells. To test whether miR-155 was
      merely indicative of T cell activation or whether it contributes to
      lymphoproliferative disease in mutant LAT mice, we interbred LAT mutant and miR
      155-deficient mice. miR-155 deficiency markedly inhibited lymphoproliferative
      disease by stimulating BIM-dependent CD4+ T cell apoptosis, even though ERK
      activation and T cell proliferation were increased in double mutant CD4+ T cells.
      Bim/Bcl2l11 expression is activated by the forkhead transcription factor FOXO3.
      Using miR-155-deficient, LAT mutant T cells as a discovery tool, we found two
      connected pathways that impact the nuclear translocation and activation of FOXO3
      in T cells. One pathway is mediated by the inositide phosphatase SHIP-1 and the
      serine/threonine kinases AKT and PDK1. The other pathway involves PAK1 and JNK
      kinase activation. We define crosstalk between the two pathways via the kinase
      mTOR, which stabilizes PAK1. This study establishes a role for PAK1 in T cell
      apoptosis, which contrasts to its previously identified role in T cell
      proliferation. Furthermore, miR-155 regulates the delicate balance between PAK1
      mediated proliferation and apoptosis in T cells impacting lymphoid organ size and
      function. 

PMID- 26121031
TI  - Correction: Examining the Predictive Validity of NIH Peer Review Scores.

PMID- 26121030
TI  - Patterns of MHC-G-Like and MHC-B Diversification in New World Monkeys.
AB  - The MHC class I (MHC-I) region in New World monkeys (Platyrrhini) has remained
      relatively understudied. To evaluate the diversification patterns and
      transcription behavior of MHC-I in Platyrrhini, we first analyzed public genomic
      sequences from the MHC-G-like subregion in Saimiri boliviensis, Ateles geoffroyi
      and Callicebus moloch, and from the MHC-B subregion in Saimiri boliviensis. While
      S. boliviensis showed multiple copies of both MHC-G-like (10) and -B (15) loci,
      A. geoffroyi and C. moloch had only three and four MHC-G-like genes,
      respectively, indicating that not all Platyrrhini species have expanded their MHC
      I loci. We then sequenced MHC-G-like and -B cDNAs from nine Platyrrhini species,
      recovering two to five unique cDNAs per individual for both loci classes. In two
      Saguinus species, however, no MHC-B cDNAs were found. In phylogenetic trees, MHC
      G-like cDNAs formed genus-specific clusters whereas the MHC-B cDNAs grouped by
      Platyrrhini families, suggesting a more rapid diversification of the former.
      Furthermore, cDNA sequencing in 12 capuchin monkeys showed that they transcribe
      at least four MHC-G-like and five MHC-B polymorphic genes, showing haplotypic
      diversity for gene copy number and signatures of positive natural selection at
      the peptide binding region. Finally, a quantitative index for MHC:KIR affinity
      was proposed and tested to predict putative interacting pairs. Altogether, our
      data indicate that i) MHC-I genes has expanded differentially among Platyrrhini
      species, ii) Callitrichinae (tamarins and marmosets) MHC-B loci have limited or
      tissue-specific expression, iii) MHC-G-like genes have diversified more rapidly
      than MHC-B genes, and iv) the MHC-I diversity is generated mainly by genetic
      polymorphism and gene copy number variation, likely promoted by natural selection
      for ligand binding. 

PMID- 26121032
TI  - Technical Study of a Standalone Photovoltaic-Wind Energy Based Hybrid Power
      Supply Systems for Island Electrification in Malaysia.
AB  - Energy is one of the most important factors in the socioeconomic development of a
      country. In a developing country like Malaysia, the development of islands is
      mostly related to the availability of electric power. Power generated by
      renewable energy sources has recently become one of the most promising solutions
      for the electrification of islands and remote rural areas. But high dependency on
      weather conditions and the unpredictable nature of these renewable energy sources
      are the main drawbacks. To overcome this weakness, different green energy sources
      and power electronic converters need to be integrated with each other. This study
      presents a battery storage hybrid standalone photovoltaic-wind energy power
      supply system. In the proposed standalone hybrid system, a DC-DC buck-boost
      bidirectional converter controller is used to accumulates the surplus hybrid
      power in the battery bank and supplies this power to the load during the hybrid
      power shortage by maintaining the constant dc-link voltage. A three-phase voltage
      source inverter complex vector control scheme is used to control the load side
      voltage in terms of the voltage amplitude and frequency. Based on the simulation
      results obtained from MATLAB/Simulink, it has been found that the overall hybrid
      framework is capable of working under variable weather and load conditions. 

PMID- 26121033
TI  - Genetic Polymorphisms Associated with Hearing Threshold Shift in Subjects during
      First Encounter with Occupational Impulse Noise.
AB  - Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the most significant occupational health
      issue worldwide. We conducted a genome-wide association study to identify single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with hearing threshold shift in young
      males undergoing their first encounter with occupational impulse noise. We report
      a significant association of SNP rs7598759 (p < 5 x 10(-7); p = 0.01 after
      permutation and correction; Odds Ratio = 12.75) in the gene coding for nucleolin,
      a multifunctional phosphoprotein involved in the control of senescence and
      protection against apoptosis. Interestingly, nucleolin has been shown to mediate
      the anti-apoptotic effect of HSP70, a protein found to prevent ototoxicity and
      whose polymorphisms have been associated with susceptibility to NIHL. Increase in
      nucleolin expression has also been associated with the prevention of apoptosis in
      cells undergoing oxidative stress, a well-known metabolic sequela of noise
      exposure. To assess the potential role of nucleolin in hearing loss, we tested
      down-regulation of nucleolin in cochlear sensory cells HEI-OC1 under oxidative
      stress conditions and report increased sensitivity to cisplatin, a
      chemotherapeutic drug with ototoxic side effects. Additional SNPs were found with
      suggestive association (p < 5 x 10(-4)), of which 7 SNPs were located in genes
      previously reported to be related to NIHL and 43 of them were observed in 36
      other genes previously not reported to be associated with NIHL. Taken together,
      our GWAS data and in vitro studies reported herein suggest that nucleolin is a
      potential candidate associated with NIHL in this population.

PMID- 26121034
TI  - Combinatorial Effects of Fatty Acid Elongase Enzymes on Nervonic Acid Production
      in Camelina sativa.
AB  - Very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) with chain lengths of 20 carbons and longer
      provide feedstocks for various applications; therefore, improvement of VLCFA
      contents in seeds has become an important goal for oilseed enhancement. VLCFA
      biosynthesis is controlled by a multi-enzyme protein complex referred to as fatty
      acid elongase, which is composed of beta-ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS), beta
      ketoacyl-CoA reductase (KCR), beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratase (HCD) and enoyl
      reductase (ECR). KCS has been identified as the rate-limiting enzyme, but little
      is known about the involvement of other three enzymes in VLCFA production. Here,
      the combinatorial effects of fatty acid elongase enzymes on VLCFA production were
      assessed by evaluating the changes in nervonic acid content. A KCS gene from
      Lunaria annua (LaKCS) and the other three elongase genes from Arabidopsis
      thaliana were used for the assessment. Five seed-specific expressing constructs,
      including LaKCS alone, LaKCS with AtKCR, LaKCS with AtHCD, LaKCS with AtECR, and
      LaKCS with AtKCR and AtHCD, were transformed into Camelina sativa. The nervonic
      acid content in seed oil increased from null in wild type camelina to 6-12% in
      LaKCS-expressing lines. However, compared with that from the LaKCS-expressing
      lines, nervonic acid content in mature seeds from the co-expressing lines with
      one or two extra elongase genes did not show further increases. Nervonic acid
      content from LaKCS, AtKCR and AtHCD co-expressing line was significantly higher
      than that in LaKCS-expressing line during early seed development stage, while the
      ultimate nervonic acid content was not significantly altered. The results from
      this study thus provide useful information for future engineering of oilseed
      crops for higher VLCFA production. 

PMID- 26121035
TI  - Sex Differences in Biological Markers of Health in the Study of Stress, Aging and
      Health in Russia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The apparent contradiction that women live longer but have worse
      health than men, the so called male-female health-survival paradox, is very
      pronounced in Russia. The present study investigates whether men in Moscow are
      healthier than women at the level of biomarkers, and whether the associations
      between biomarkers and subjective health have sex-specific patterns. MATERIALS:
      Previously collected data in the study of Stress, Aging, and Health in Russia
      (SAHR, n = 1800) were used to examine sex differences in biomarkers and their
      associations with physical functioning and self-rated health. RESULTS: The
      present study found mixed directions and magnitudes for sex differences in
      biomarkers. Women were significantly disadvantaged with regard to obesity and
      waist circumference, whereas men had a tendency toward higher prevalence of
      electrocardiographic abnormalities. No sex differences were indicated in the
      prevalence of immunological biomarkers, and mixed patterns were found for lipid
      profiles. Many biomarkers were associated with physical functioning and general
      health. Obesity and waist circumference were related to lower physical
      functioning among females only, while major Q-wave abnormalities with high
      probabilities of myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter
      were associated with physical functioning and self-rated health among males only.
      CONCLUSION: No clear patterns of sex differences in prevalence of high-risk
      levels of biomarkers suggest that the male-female health-survival paradox is
      weaker at the level of health biomarkers. We found some evidence that certain
      biomarkers reflecting pathophysiological changes in the organism that do not
      possess acute health risks, but over many years may lead to physical disability,
      are associated with physical functioning and self-rated health in women, whereas
      others reflecting more serious life-threatening pathophysiological changes are
      associated with physical functioning and self-rated health in men.

PMID- 26121036
TI  - Elevated Intracranial Pressure and Cerebral Edema following Permanent MCA
      Occlusion in an Ovine Model.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke has a
      disproportionately high mortality due to the rapid development of refractory
      space-occupying cerebral edema. Animal models are essential in developing
      successful anti-edema therapies; however to date poor clinical translation has
      been associated with the predominately used rodent models. As such, large animal
      gyrencephalic models of stroke are urgently needed. The aim of the study was to
      characterize the intracranial pressure (ICP) response to MCA occlusion in our
      recently developed ovine stroke model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 30 adult female
      Merino sheep (n = 8-12/gp) were randomized to sham surgery, temporary or
      permanent proximal MCA occlusion. ICP and brain tissue oxygen were monitored for
      24 hours under general anesthesia. MRI, infarct volume with triphenyltetrazolium
      chloride (TTC) staining and histology were performed. RESULTS: No increase in
      ICP, radiological evidence of ischemia within the MCA territory but without space
      occupying edema, and TTC infarct volumes of 7.9+/-5.1% were seen with temporary
      MCAO. Permanent MCAO resulted in significantly elevated ICP, accompanied by 30%
      mortality, radiological evidence of space-occupying cerebral edema and TTC
      infarct volumes of 27.4+/-6.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Permanent proximal MCAO in the sheep
      results in space-occupying cerebral edema, raised ICP and mortality similar to
      human malignant MCA stroke. This animal model may prove useful for pre-clinical
      testing of anti-edema therapies that have shown promise in rodent studies.

PMID- 26121038
TI  - Considering the Spatial Layout Information of Bag of Features (BoF) Framework for
      Image Classification.
AB  - The spatial pooling method such as spatial pyramid matching (SPM) is very crucial
      in the bag of features model used in image classification. SPM partitions the
      image into a set of regular grids and assumes that the spatial layout of all
      visual words obey the uniform distribution over these regular grids. However, in
      practice, we consider that different visual words should obey different spatial
      layout distributions. To improve SPM, we develop a novel spatial pooling method,
      namely spatial distribution pooling (SDP). The proposed SDP method uses an
      extension model of Gauss mixture model to estimate the spatial layout
      distributions of the visual vocabulary. For each visual word type, SDP can
      generate a set of flexible grids rather than the regular grids from the
      traditional SPM. Furthermore, we can compute the grid weights for visual word
      tokens according to their spatial coordinates. The experimental results
      demonstrate that SDP outperforms the traditional spatial pooling methods, and is
      competitive with the state-of-the-art classification accuracy on several
      challenging image datasets. 

PMID- 26121037
TI  - Combined Serum Biomarkers in Non-Invasive Diagnosis of Non-Alcoholic
      Steatohepatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic steatoheaptitis (NASH), the critical stage of non
      alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is of chronic progression and can develop
      cirrhosis even hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, non-invasive biomarkers
      for NASH diagnosis remain poorly applied in clinical practice. Our study aims at
      testing the accuracy of the combination of cytokeratin-18 M30 fragment (CK-18
      M30), fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL
      1Ra), pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in
      diagnosing NAFLD and NASH. METHODS: 179 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD were
      enrolled as training group, 91 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects were
      recruited at the same time as controls. 63 other NAFLD patients were separately
      collected as validation group. 45 alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) patients,
      50 hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients, 52 hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients were
      also included. Serum biomarker levels were measured by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Serum levels of CK-18-M30, FGF-21, IL-1Ra and PEDF
      increased, while OPG decreased in a stepwise fashion in controls, non-NASH NAFLD
      patients and NASH patients (P < 0.01). The area under receiver-operating
      characteristics curve to diagnose NASH was 0.86 for CK-18-M30, 0.89 for FGF-21,
      0.89 for IL-1Ra, 0.89 for PEDF and 0.89 for OPG. CK-18-M30 had 70% negative
      predictive value (NPV) and 79% positive predictive value (PPV) to diagnose NASH.
      A 5-step approach measuring CK-18-M30 followed by FGF21, IL-1Ra, PEDF and OPG
      gradually improved the NPV to 76% and PPV to 85%, which reached 80% and 76%
      respectively in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: Compared to single biomarker,
      stepwise combination of CK-18-M30, FGF-21, IL-1Ra, PEDF and OPG can further
      improve the accuracy in diagnosing NASH.

PMID- 26121039
TI  - Structural Basis for the Specificity of Human NUDT16 and Its Regulation by
      Inosine Monophosphate.
AB  - Human NUDT16 is a member of the NUDIX hydrolase superfamily. After having been
      initially described as an mRNA decapping enzyme, recent studies conferred it a
      role as an "housecleaning" enzyme specialized in the removal of hazardous
      (deoxy)inosine diphosphate from the nucleotide pool. Here we present the crystal
      structure of human NUDT16 both in its apo-form and in complex with its product
      inosine monophosphate (IMP). NUDT16 appears as a dimer whose formation generates
      a positively charged trench to accommodate substrate-binding. Complementation of
      the structural data with detailed enzymatic and biophysical studies revealed the
      determinants of substrate recognition and particularly the importance of the
      substituents in position 2 and 6 on the purine ring. The affinity for the IMP
      product, harboring a carbonyl in position 6 on the base, compared to purine
      monophosphates lacking a H-bond acceptor in this position, implies a catalytic
      cycle whose rate is primarily regulated by the product-release step. Finally, we
      have also characterized a phenomenon of inhibition by the product of the
      reaction, IMP, which might exclude non-deleterious nucleotides from NUDT16
      mediated hydrolysis regardless of their cellular concentration. Taken together,
      this study details structural and regulatory mechanisms explaining how substrates
      are selected for hydrolysis by human NUDT16. 

PMID- 26121040
TI  - Native Electrophoresis-Coupled Activity Assays Reveal Catalytically-Active
      Protein Aggregates of Escherichia coli beta-Glucuronidase.
AB  - beta-glucuronidase is found as a functional homotetramer in a variety of
      organisms, including humans and other animals, as well as a number of bacteria.
      This enzyme is important in these organisms, catalyzing the hydrolytic removal of
      a glucuronide moiety from substrate molecules. This process serves to break down
      sugar conjugates in animals and provide sugars for metabolism in bacteria. While
      beta-glucuronidase is primarily found as a homotetramer, previous studies have
      indicated that the human form of the protein is also catalytically active as a
      dimer. Here we present evidence for not only an active dimer of the E. coli form
      of the protein, but also for several larger active complexes, including an
      octomer and a 16-mer. Additionally, we propose a model for the structures of
      these large complexes, based on computationally-derived molecular modeling
      studies. These structures may have application in the study of human disease, as
      several diseases have been associated with the aggregation of proteins. 

PMID- 26121041
TI  - Identification of Burkholderia pseudomallei Near-Neighbor Species in the Northern
      Territory of Australia.
AB  - Identification and characterization of near-neighbor species are critical to the
      development of robust molecular diagnostic tools for biothreat agents. One such
      agent, Burkholderia pseudomallei, a soil bacterium and the causative agent of
      melioidosis, is lacking in this area because of its genomic diversity and
      widespread geographic distribution. The Burkholderia genus contains over 60
      species and occupies a large range of environments including soil, plants,
      rhizospheres, water, animals and humans. The identification of novel species in
      new locations necessitates the need to identify the true global distribution of
      Burkholderia species, especially the members that are closely related to B.
      pseudomallei. In our current study, we used the Burkholderia-specific recA
      sequencing assay to analyze environmental samples from the Darwin region in the
      Northern Territory of Australia where melioidosis is endemic. Burkholderia recA
      PCR negative samples were further characterized using 16s rRNA sequencing for
      species identification. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that over 70% of the
      bacterial isolates were identified as B. ubonensis indicating that this species
      is common in the soil where B. pseudomallei is endemic. Bayesian phylogenetic
      analysis reveals many novel branches within the B. cepacia complex, one novel B.
      oklahomensis-like species, and one novel branch containing one isolate that is
      distinct from all other samples on the phylogenetic tree. During the analysis
      with recA sequencing, we discovered 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the
      reverse priming region of B. oklahomensis. A degenerate primer was developed and
      is proposed for future use. We conclude that the recA sequencing technique is an
      effective tool to classify Burkholderia and identify soil organisms in a
      melioidosis endemic area. 

PMID- 26121043
TI  - Resibufogenin Induces G1-Phase Arrest through the Proteasomal Degradation of
      Cyclin D1 in Human Malignant Tumor Cells.
AB  - Huachansu, a traditional Chinese medicine prepared from the dried toad skin, has
      been used in clinical studies for various cancers in China. Resibufogenin is a
      component of huachansu and classified as bufadienolides. Resibufogenin has been
      shown to exhibit the anti-proliferative effect against cancer cells. However, the
      molecular mechanism of resibufogenin remains unknown. Here we report that
      resibufogenin induces G1-phase arrest with hypophosphorylation of retinoblastoma
      (RB) protein and down-regulation of cyclin D1 expression in human colon cancer HT
      29 cells. Since the down-regulation of cyclin D1 was completely blocked by a
      proteasome inhibitor MG132, the suppression of cyclin D1 expression by
      resibufogenin was considered to be in a proteasome-dependent manner. It is known
      that glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) induces the proteasomal
      degradation of cyclin D1. The addition of GSK-3beta inhibitor SB216763 inhibited
      the reduction of cyclin D1 caused by resibufogenin. These effects on cyclin D1 by
      resibufogenin were also observed in human lung cancer A549 cells. These findings
      suggest that the anti-proliferative effect of resibufogenin may be attributed to
      the degradation of cyclin D1 caused by the activation of GSK-3beta. 

PMID- 26121044
TI  - Comparisons and Uncertainty in Fat and Adipose Tissue Estimation Techniques: The
      Northern Elephant Seal as a Case Study.
AB  - Fat mass and body condition are important metrics in bioenergetics and
      physiological studies. They can also link foraging success with demographic
      rates, making them key components of models that predict population-level
      outcomes of environmental change. Therefore, it is important to incorporate
      uncertainty in physiological indicators if results will lead to species
      management decisions. Maternal fat mass in elephant seals (Mirounga spp) can
      predict reproductive rate and pup survival, but no one has quantified or
      identified the sources of uncertainty for the two fat mass estimation techniques
      (labeled-water and truncated cones). The current cones method can provide
      estimates of proportion adipose tissue in adult females and proportion fat of
      juveniles in northern elephant seals (M. angustirostris) comparable to labeled
      water methods, but it does not work for all cases or species. We reviewed
      components and assumptions of the technique via measurements of seven early-molt
      and seven late-molt adult females. We show that seals are elliptical on land,
      rather than the assumed circular shape, and skin may account for a high
      proportion of what is often defined as blubber. Also, blubber extends past the
      neck-to-pelvis region, and comparisons of new and old ultrasound instrumentation
      indicate previous measurements of sculp thickness may be biased low. Accounting
      for such differences, and incorporating new measurements of blubber density and
      proportion of fat in blubber, we propose a modified cones method that can isolate
      blubber from non-blubber adipose tissue and separate fat into skin, blubber, and
      core compartments. Lastly, we found that adipose tissue and fat estimates using
      tritiated water may be biased high during the early molt. Both the tritiated
      water and modified cones methods had high, but reducible, uncertainty. The
      improved cones method for estimating body condition allows for more accurate
      quantification of the various tissue masses and may also be transferrable to
      other species. 

PMID- 26121047
TI  - Natural Occurrence of Alternaria Toxins in Wheat-Based Products and Their Dietary
      Exposure in China.
AB  - A total of 181 wheat flour and 142 wheat-based foods including dried noodle,
      steamed bread and bread collected in China were analyzed for alternariol (AOH),
      alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tentoxin (TEN) and tenuazonic acid (TeA) by
      ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass
      spectrometry. TeA was the predominant toxin found in 99.4% wheat flour samples at
      levels ranging from 1.76 MUg/kg to 520 MUg/kg. TEN was another Alternaria toxin
      frequently detected in wheat flour samples (97.2%) at levels between 2.72 MUg/kg
      and 129 MUg/kg. AOH and AME were detected in 11 (6.1%) samples at levels ranging
      from 16.0 MUg/kg to 98.7 MUg/kg (AOH) and in 165 (91.2%) samples with a range
      between 0.320 MUg/kg and 61.8 MUg/kg (AME). AOH was quantified at higher levels
      than AME with the ratio of AOH/AME ranging from 1.0 to 3.7. Significant linear
      regressions of correlation in toxin concentrations were observed between AOH and
      AME, AME and TeA, TEN and TeA, AOH+AME and TeA. At an average and 95th
      percentile, dietary exposure to AOH and AME in the Chinese general population and
      different age subgroups exceeded the relevant threshold value of toxicological
      concern (TTC), with the highest exposure found in children which deserves human
      health concern. TEN and TeA seem unlikely to be health concerns for the Chinese
      via wheat-based products but attention should be paid to synergistic or additive
      effects of TeA with AOH, AME, TEN and a further assessment will be performed once
      more data on toxicity-guided fractionation of the four toxins are available. It
      is necessary to conduct a systemic surveillance of Alternaria toxins in raw and
      processed foods in order to provide the scientific basis for making regulations
      on these toxins in China. 

PMID- 26121046
TI  - Altered Interactions between the Gut Microbiome and Colonic Mucosa Precede
      Polyposis in APCMin/+ Mice.
AB  - Mutation of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC gene), an early event in the
      adenoma-carcinoma sequence, is present in 70-80% of sporadic human colorectal
      adenomas and carcinomas. To test the hypothesis that mutation of the APC gene
      alters microbial interactions with host intestinal mucosa prior to the
      development of polyposis, culture-independent methods (targeted qPCR assays and
      Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene V1V2 hypervariable region) were used to
      compare the intestinal microbial composition of 30 six-week old C57BL/6 APCMin/+
      and 30 congenic wild type (WT) mice. The results demonstrate that similar to 12
      14 week old APCMin/+ mice with intestinal neoplasia, 6 week old APCMin/+ mice
      with no detectable neoplasia, exhibit an increased relative abundance of
      Bacteroidetes spp in the colon. Parallel mouse RNA sequence analysis, conducted
      on a subset of proximal colonic RNA samples (6 APCMin/+, 6 WT) revealed 130
      differentially expressed genes (DEGs, fold change >= 2, FDR <0.05). Hierarchical
      clustering of the DEGs was carried out by using 1-r dissimilarity measurement,
      where r stands for the Pearson correlation, and Ward minimum variance linkage, in
      order to reduce the number of input variables. When the cluster centroids
      (medians) were included along with APC genotype as input variables in a negative
      binomial (NB) regression model, four of seven mouse gene clusters, in addition to
      APC genotype, were significantly associated with the increased relative abundance
      of Bacteroidetes spp. Three of the four clusters include several downregulated
      genes encoding immunoglobulin variable regions and non-protein coding RNAs. These
      results support the concept that mutation of the APC gene alters colonic
      microbial interactions prior to polyposis. It remains to be determined whether
      interventions directed at ameliorating dysbiosis in APCMin/+mice, such as through
      probiotics, prebiotics or antibiotics, could reduce tumor formation. 

PMID- 26121049
TI  - Selective targeting of Mycobacterium smegmatis with trehalose-functionalized
      nanoparticles.
AB  - Silica and iron oxide nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 6 to 40 nm were
      functionalized with trehalose. The trehalose-conjugated nanoparticles showed
      strong interactions with Mycobacterium smegmatis (M. smegmatis) and minimal
      interactions with macrophage (RAW 264.7) or A549 cells. In addition, trehalose
      conjugated silica nanoparticles selectively interacted with M. smegmatis on M.
      smegmatis-treated A549 cells, demonstrating high potential of trehalose in
      developing targeted therapy for treating mycobacterial infection. 

PMID- 26121050
TI  - Structured Ni catalysts on porous anodic alumina membranes for methane dry
      reforming: NiAl2O4 formation and characterization.
AB  - This communication presents the successful design of a structured catalyst based
      on porous anodic alumina membranes for methane dry reforming. The catalyst with a
      strong Ni-NiAl2O4 interaction shows both excellent activity and stability. 

PMID- 26121048
TI  - Modelling the Abundances of Two Major Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)
      Species in the Niayes Area of Senegal.
AB  - In Senegal, considerable mortality in the equine population and hence major
      economic losses were caused by the African horse sickness (AHS) epizootic in
      2007. Culicoides oxystoma and Culicoides imicola, known or suspected of being
      vectors of bluetongue and AHS viruses are two predominant species in the vicinity
      of horses and are present all year-round in Niayes area, Senegal. The aim of this
      study was to better understand the environmental and climatic drivers of the
      dynamics of these two species. Culicoides collections were obtained using OVI
      (Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute) light traps at each of the 5 sites for three
      nights of consecutive collection per month over one year. Cross Correlation Map
      analysis was performed to determine the time-lags for which environmental
      variables and abundance data were the most correlated. C. oxystoma and C. imicola
      count data were highly variable and overdispersed. Despite modelling large
      Culicoides counts (over 220,000 Culicoides captured in 354 night-traps), using on
      site climate measures, overdispersion persisted in Poisson, negative binomial,
      Poisson regression mixed-effect with random effect at the site of capture models.
      The only model able to take into account overdispersion was the Poisson
      regression mixed-effect model with nested random effects at the site and date of
      capture levels. According to this model, meteorological variables that contribute
      to explaining the dynamics of C. oxystoma and C. imicola abundances were: mean
      temperature and relative humidity of the capture day, mean humidity between 21
      and 19 days prior a capture event, density of ruminants, percentage cover of
      water bodies within a 2 km radius and interaction between temperature and
      humidity for C. oxystoma; mean rainfall and NDVI of the capture day and
      percentage cover of water bodies for C. imicola. Other variables such as soil
      moisture, wind speed, degree days, land cover or landscape metrics could be
      tested to improve the models. Further work should also assess whether other
      trapping methods such as host-baited traps help reduce overdispersion. 

PMID- 26121052
TI  - Nursing Staff Develop a Video to Prevent Falls: A Quality Improvement Project.
AB  - Many fall prevention strategies exist with some degree of effectiveness. Evidence
      to support 1 unique bundling of strategies is limited. The purpose of this
      article is to describe a staff-driven quality improvement initiative to develop a
      video in partnership with patients and families to prevent falls when
      hospitalized. Since the video's release, the fall rate has decreased by 29.4%. 

PMID- 26121051
TI  - Late Sodium Current in Human Atrial Cardiomyocytes from Patients in Sinus Rhythm
      and Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - Slowly inactivating Na+ channels conducting "late" Na+ current (INa,late)
      contribute to ventricular arrhythmogenesis under pathological conditions.
      INa,late was also reported to play a role in chronic atrial fibrillation (AF).
      The objective of this study was to investigate INa,late in human right atrial
      cardiomyocytes as a putative drug target for treatment of AF. To activate Na+
      channels, cardiomyocytes from transgenic mice which exhibit INa,late (DeltaKPQ),
      and right atrial cardiomyocytes from patients in sinus rhythm (SR) and AF were
      voltage clamped at room temperature by 250-ms long test pulses to -30 mV from a
      holding potential of -80 mV with a 100-ms pre-pulse to -110 mV (protocol I).
      INa,late at -30 mV was not discernible as deviation from the extrapolated
      straight line IV-curve between -110 mV and -80 mV in human atrial cells.
      Therefore, tetrodotoxin (TTX, 10 MUM) was used to define persistent inward
      current after 250 ms at -30 mV as INa,late. TTX-sensitive current was 0.27+/-0.06
      pA/pF in ventricular cardiomyocytes from DeltaKPQ mice, and amounted to 0.04+/
      0.01 pA/pF and 0.09+/-0.02 pA/pF in SR and AF human atrial cardiomyocytes,
      respectively. With protocol II (holding potential -120 mV, pre-pulse to -80 mV)
      TTX-sensitive INa,late was always larger than with protocol I. Ranolazine (30
      MUM) reduced INa,late by 0.02+/-0.02 pA/pF in SR and 0.09+/-0.02 pA/pF in AF
      cells. At physiological temperature (37 degrees C), however, INa,late became
      insignificant. Plateau phase and upstroke velocity of action potentials (APs)
      recorded with sharp microelectrodes in intact human trabeculae were more
      sensitive to ranolazine in AF than in SR preparations. Sodium channel subunits
      expression measured with qPCR was high for SCN5A with no difference between SR
      and AF. Expression of SCN8A and SCN10A was low in general, and lower in AF than
      in SR. In conclusion, We confirm for the first time a TTX-sensitive current
      (INa,late) in right atrial cardiomyocytes from SR and AF patients at room
      temperature, but not at physiological temperature. While our study provides
      evidence for the presence of INa,late in human atria, the potential of such
      current as a target for the treatment of AF remains to be demonstrated. 

PMID- 26121053
TI  - Measuring Unfinished Nursing Care: What to Consider When Choosing and Scoring
      Surveys.
AB  - Unfinished nursing care is common in the inpatient setting and is associated with
      negative patient outcomes. This indicator is being assessed with increasing
      frequency to determine the quality of nursing services. Measurement bias was
      identified in this comparison of unfinished care surveys. Potential sources of
      bias should be considered when selecting and scoring unfinished nursing care
      surveys for quality assessment. 

PMID- 26121054
TI  - Hospital Culture of Transitions in Care: Survey Development.
AB  - Understanding hospital culture is important to effectively manage patient flow.
      The purpose of this study was to develop a survey instrument that can assess a
      hospital's culture related to in-hospital transitions in care. Key transition
      themes were identified using a multidisciplinary team of experts from 3 health
      care systems. Candidate items were rigorously evaluated using a modified Delphi
      technique. Findings indicate 8 themes associated with hospital culture-mediating
      transitions. Forty-four items reflect the themes. 

PMID- 26121055
TI  - Missed Nursing Care and Unit-Level Nurse Workload in the Acute and Post-Acute
      Settings.
AB  - This study replicates previous research on the nature and causes of missed
      nursing care and adds an explanatory variable: unit-level nurse workload (patient
      turnover percentage). The study was conducted in California, which legally
      mandates nurse staffing ratios. Findings demonstrated no significant relationship
      between patient turnover and missed nursing care. 

PMID- 26121056
TI  - Facility Characteristics and Risk of Developing Pressure Ulcers in US Nursing
      Homes.
AB  - This research studied 12,507 residents in 1174 nursing homes from the 2004
      National Nursing Home Survey. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to
      predict risk-adjusted probabilities of pressure ulcers with 4 stages. A medical
      director or a director of nursing on board reduced the odds of ulcers. Facilities
      offering clusters of beds for rehabilitation and special care programs for
      hospice care or behavior problems reduced the odds of stage IV ulcers.

PMID- 26121057
TI  - Ameliorating Effects of Biochar Derived from Poultry Manure and White Clover
      Residues on Soil Nutrient Status and Plant growth Promotion--Greenhouse
      Experiments.
AB  - Biochar application to agricultural soils is rapidly emerging as a new management
      strategy for its potential role in carbon sequestration, soil quality
      improvements, and plant growth promotion. The aim of our study was to investigate
      the effects of biochars derived from white clover residues and poultry manure on
      soil quality characteristics, growth and N accumulation in maize (Zea mays L.)
      and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in a loam soil under greenhouse
      conditions. Treatments comprised of: untreated control; mineral N fertilizer
      (urea N, UN) at the rate of 200, and 100 mg N kg(-1), white clover residues
      biochar (WCRB), poultry manure biochar (PMB) at 30 Mg ha(-1), and the possible
      combinations of WCRB+PMB (50:50), UN+WCRB (50:50), UN+PMB (50:50), and
      UN+WCRB+PMB (50:25:25). The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized
      design with three replications. Results indicated a significant increase in the
      growth and biomass production of maize and wheat supplemented with biochars alone
      or mixed with N fertilizer. Biochars treatments showed varying impact on plant
      growth depended upon the type of the biochar, and in general plant growth under
      PMB was significantly higher than that recorded under WCRB. The growth
      characteristics in the combined treatments (half biochar+half N) were either
      higher or equivalent to that recorded under full fertilizer N treatment (N200).
      The biochar treatments WCRB, PMB, and WCRB+PMB (50:50) increased maize shoot N by
      18, 26 and 21%, respectively compared to the control while wheat shoot N did not
      show positive response. The N-uptake by maize treated with WCRB, PMB, and
      WCRB+PMB (50:50) was 54, 116, and 90 mg g(-1) compared to the 33 mg g(-1) in the
      control while the N-uptake by wheat was 41, 60, and 53 mg g(-1) compared to 24 mg
      g(-1) in the control. The mixed treatments (half biochar+half N) increased N
      uptake by 2.3 folds in maize and 1.7 to 2.5 folds in wheat compared to the N100
      showing increasing effect of biochar on N use efficiency of applied N. Post
      harvest soil analysis indicated a significant increase in pH, organic matter,
      organic C, total N, C:N, and porosity (% pore space) by the added biochars while
      bulk density (BD) was significantly decreased. The organic matter content in the
      soil amended with biochars ranged between 19.5 and 23.2 g kg(-1) compared to 11.7
      and 10.2 g kg(-1) in the control and N fertilizer treatments while the BD of
      biochars amended soils (WCRB, PMB, and WCRB+PMB) was 1.07, 1.17, and 1.11 g cm(
      3) compared to 1.28 g cm(-1) in the control. In summary, the results of present
      study highlight the agronomic benefits of biochars in improving the quality of
      the soil, and promoting growth, yield and N accumulation of both maize and wheat
      with a consequent benefit to agriculture.

PMID- 26121058
TI  - Spectroscopic analysis and in vitro imaging applications of a pH responsive AIE
      sensor with a two-input inhibit function.
AB  - A novel terpyridine derivative formed stable aggregates in aqueous media
      (DMSO/H2O = 1/99) with dramatically enhanced fluorescence compared to its organic
      solution. Moreover, the ultra-violet absorption spectra also demonstrated
      specific responses to the incorporation of water. The yellow emission at 557 nm
      changed to a solution with intense greenish luminescence only in the presence of
      protons and it conformed to a molecular logic gate with a two-input INHIBIT
      function. This molecular-based material could permeate into live cells and remain
      undissociated in the cytoplasm. The new aggregation induced emission (AIE) pH
      type bio-probe permitted easy collection of yellow luminescence images on a
      fluorescent microscope. As designed, it displayed striking green emission in
      organelles at low internal pH. This feature enabled the self-assembled structure
      to have a whole new function for the pH detection within the field of cell
      imaging. 

PMID- 26121059
TI  - Transcutaneous Peripheral Nerve Stimulation for Occipitalis Nerve Block.

PMID- 26121060
TI  - Nocturnal Glucose Metabolism in Type 1 Diabetes: A Study Comparing Single Versus
      Dual Tracer Approaches.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding the effect size, variability, and underlying physiology
      of the dawn phenomenon is important for next-generation closed-loop control
      algorithms for type 1 diabetes (T1D). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We used an iterative
      protocol design to study 16 subjects with T1D on individualized insulin pump
      therapy for two successive nights. Endogenous glucose production (EGP) rates at 3
      a.m. and 7 a.m. were measured with [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose as a single tracer,
      infused from midnight to 7 a.m. in all subjects. To explore possibility of tracer
      recycling due to prolonged [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose infusion, which was highly
      probable after preplanned interim data analyses, we infused a second tracer, [6
      (3)H]glucose, from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. in the last seven subjects to measure EGP at
      7 a.m. RESULTS: Cortisol concentrations increased during both nights, but changes
      in glucagon and insulin concentration were inconsistent. Although the plasma
      glucose concentrations rose from midnight to 7 a.m. during both nights, EGP
      measured with [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. did not differ
      during Night 1 but fell in Night 2. However, EGP measured with [6-(3)H]glucose at
      7 a.m. was higher than that measured with [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose during both
      nights, thereby suggesting tracer recycling probably underestimating EGP
      calculated at 7 a.m. with [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose. Likewise, EGP was higher at 7
      a.m. with [6-(3)H]glucose than at 3 a.m. with [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose during both
      nights. CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrate a consistent overnight rise in glucose
      concentrations through increased EGP, mediated likely by rising cortisol
      concentrations. The observations with the dual tracer approach imply significant
      tracer recycling leading to underestimation of EGP measured by longer-duration
      tracer infusion.

PMID- 26121061
TI  - Health resource use and costs of vilazodone and other selective serotonin re
      uptake inhibitors in treating major depressive disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are widely prescribed
      antidepressants. This claims database study compared healthcare resource use and
      costs among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) treated with vilazodone
      vs other SSRIs. METHODS: Adults with an MDD diagnosis and >= 1 prescription fill
      for vilazodone, citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, or sertraline
      were identified from administrative claims data (2010-2012). Patients who
      concomitantly used adjunctive medication, either a second-generation
      antidepressant or antipsychotic, were excluded. All-cause and MDD-related
      healthcare resource use and costs (in 2012 USD) were compared between patients
      treated with vilazodone vs other SSRIs over a 6-month follow-up period using
      unadjusted and multivariable analyses. RESULTS: The study cohort included 49 861
      patients (mean age = 44.0 years; 70% female). Compared with the vilazodone cohort
      (n = 3527), patients in the citalopram (n = 12 187), escitalopram (n = 8275),
      fluoxetine (n = 10 142), paroxetine (n = 3146), and sertraline (n = 12 584)
      cohorts had significantly more all-cause inpatient hospital visits, longer
      hospital stays and more frequent emergency department visits, following the index
      date, after adjusting for baseline characteristics. All-cause medical service
      costs (inpatient + outpatient + emergency department visits) were significantly
      higher across all other SSRI cohorts vs vilazodone by $758-$1165 (p < 0.05).
      Similarly, all-cause total costs, were significantly or numerically (non
      significantly) higher across all SSRI cohorts vs vilazodone by $351-$780.
      LIMITATIONS: The was no clinical measurement of disease severity, partial
      coverage of the Medicare-eligible population, and short follow-up. CONCLUSION:
      MDD treatment with vilazodone was associated with significantly lower rates of
      inpatient and emergency services, and with significantly lower all-cause medical
      service costs and numerically (non-significantly) lower total costs to payers
      than with the other SSRIs included in this study.

PMID- 26121063
TI  - Customised 3D Printing: An Innovative Training Tool for the Next Generation of
      Orbital Surgeons.
AB  - Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is the process by which three dimensional
      data fields are translated into real-life physical representations. 3D printers
      create physical printouts using heated plastics in a layered fashion resulting in
      a three-dimensional object. We present a technique for creating customised,
      inexpensive 3D orbit models for use in orbital surgical training using 3D
      printing technology. These models allow trainee surgeons to perform 'wet-lab'
      orbital decompressions and simulate upcoming surgeries on orbital models that
      replicate a patient's bony anatomy. We believe this represents an innovative
      training tool for the next generation of orbital surgeons. 

PMID- 26121062
TI  - Probing DNA Stiffness through Optical Fluctuation Analysis of Plasmon Rulers.
AB  - The distance-dependent plasmon coupling between biopolymer tethered gold or
      silver nanoparticles forms the foundation for the so-called plasmon rulers. While
      conventional plasmon ruler applications focus on the detection of singular events
      in the far-field spectrum, we perform in this Letter a ratiometric analysis of
      the continuous spectral fluctuations arising from thermal interparticle
      separation variations in plasmon rulers confined to fluid lipid membranes. We
      characterized plasmon rulers with different DNA tethers and demonstrate the
      ability to detect and quantify differences in the plasmon ruler potential and
      tether stiffness. The influence of the nature of the tether (single-stranded
      versus double-stranded DNA) and the length of the tether is analyzed. The
      characterization of the continuous variation of the interparticle separation in
      individual plasmon rulers through optical fluctuation analysis provides
      additional information about the conformational flexibility of the tether
      molecule(s) located in the confinement of the deeply subdiffraction limit
      interparticle gap and enhances the versatility of plasmon rulers as a tool in
      Biophysics and Nanotechnology. 

PMID- 26121065
TI  - Drug Discovery Goes Three-Dimensional: Goodbye to Flat High-Throughput Screening?
AB  - Immortalized cells, generated from two-dimensional cell culture techniques, are
      widely used in compound screening, lead optimization, and drug candidate
      selection. However, such cells lack many characteristics of cells in vivo. This
      could account for the high failure rates of lead candidates in clinical
      evaluation. New approaches from cell biology, materials science, and
      bioengineering are increasing the utility of three-dimensional (3D) culture.
      These approaches have become more compatible with automation and, thus, provide
      more physiologically relevant cells for high-throughput/high-content screening,
      notably in oncology drug discovery. Techniques range from simple 3D spheroids,
      comprising one or more cell types, to complex multitissue organoids cultured in
      extracellular matrix gels or microfabricated chips. Furthermore, each approach
      can be applied to stem cells, such as induced pluripotent stem cells, thereby
      providing additional phenotypic relevance and the exciting potential to enable
      screening in disease-specific cell types. 

PMID- 26121064
TI  - A double-tuned (1) H/(23) Na resonator allows (1) H-guided (23) Na-MRI in
      ischemic stroke patients in one session.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Established imaging methods are still not confident in the
      determination of stroke onset. Sodium imaging in animal models and lately in
      humans implicates that the sodium signal intensity within the ischemic lesion
      increases in a time-dependent fashion. Sodium imaging usually requires a time
      consuming change of resonators or magnetic resonance imaging systems. To avoid
      this, we used a double-tuned (1) H/(23) Na birdcage head coil in combination with
      a protocol minimizing T1 - and T2 *-weighting effects for measurement of sodium
      intensity in acute stroke patients. METHODS: Multinuclear (1) H/(23) Na data sets
      were obtained from 16 stroke patients [75 +/- 9.9 (standard deviation) years old]
      4-130 h after symptom onset. The protocol was acquired on a clinical 3T magnetic
      resonance imaging site using a double-tuned (1) H/(23) Na birdcage head coil.
      Sodium signal intensity within the lesion and homologous contralateral side was
      measured and compared. RESULTS: With an acquisition time of the complete magnetic
      resonance imaging protocol of 22 min, a nonlinear sodium signal intensity
      increase within the lesion over time after stroke onset was acknowledged. Onset
      time within six-hours showed an increase of only 8% or less, whereas onset time
      beyond 8.5 h demonstrated increases of 36% or more reaching a maximum of 170% >
      120 h. In addition, some patients showed a difference in sodium signal intensity
      compared with diffusion weighted imaging lesion. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a double
      tuned (1) H/(23) Na birdcage head coil in a clinical setting 'allowed sodium
      intensity measurements' in a justifiable time also for acute stroke patients, and
      heterogenous sodium signal intensity in the diffusion weighted imaging lesion
      might represent differences in tissue damage or repair.

PMID- 26121066
TI  - Enhanced red upconversion emission, magnetoluminescent behavior, and bioimaging
      application of NaSc0.75Er0.02Yb0.18Gd0.05F4@AuNPs nanoparticles.
AB  - The present study reports significant enhancement in the red upconversion
      emission of Er(3+) in NaSc0.8Er0.02Yb0.18F4 upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs),
      via a two step process, (i) codoping of Gd(3+) ion at Sc(3+) site and (ii)
      attaching gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) at the surface of these codoped
      nanostructures, and further probes the use of these Gd:UCNPs@AuNPs for bioimaging
      application. The Gd(3+) codoping tailors the particle size (reduces) of UCNPs and
      bring out Er(3+)-Yb(3+) ion pair in close proximity, which promotes the cross
      relaxation mechanism and boosts the population in red emitting level (4)F9/2.
      Further, attachment of AuNPs on the surface of UCNPs gives 2-fold advantages,
      that is, reduction in green band (through resonance energy transfer with
      efficiency 31.54%) and enhancement in red band (through plasmonic effect). It
      gives red to green (R/G) ratio nearly 20:1 (almost single band red UC), which is
      quite promising for imaging application. In addition to this, codoping of Gd(3+)
      enhances the magnetic moment appreciably and the obtained magnetic moment for
      NaSc0.75Er0.02Yb0.18Gd0.05F4 UCNPs (~1.7 emu/g) is close to the reported values
      for bioseparation in case of NPs. This shows the potential of the material for
      multimodal (optical and magnetic both) imaging application. These
      magnetoluminescence particles were found safe up to 1 mg/mL dose as assessed by
      cytotoxicity measurement in human cervical cancer (HeLa) and lung cancer (A549)
      cells. Ultrafine nanoparticles, transparent, and stable colloidal solution and
      the unique red UC emission endow these NPs as optical probe for imaging
      applications. 

PMID- 26121067
TI  - 8-methoxypsoralen plus UVA (PUVA) therapy normalizes signalling of phosphorylated
      component of mTOR pathway in psoriatic skin of K5.hTGFbeta1 transgenic mice.

PMID- 26121068
TI  - Deficiency of the parathyroid hormone-related peptide nuclear localization and
      carboxyl terminal sequences leads to premature skin ageing partially mediated by
      the upregulation of p27.
AB  - We previously reported that deficiency of the PTHrP nuclear localization sequence
      (NLS) and C-terminus in PTHrP knockin (PTHrP KI) mice resulted in premature
      ageing of skin. P27, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, was upregulated in
      PTHrP KI mice and acted as a downstream target of the PTHrP NLS to regulate the
      proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. To determine the effects of p27
      deficiency on premature skin ageing of PTHrP KI mice, we compared the skin
      phenotypes of PTHrP KI mice to those of p27 knockout (p27(-/-) ) mice and to
      those of double homozygous p27-deficient and PTHrP KI (p27(-/-) PTHrP KI) mice at
      2 weeks age. Compared with wild-type littermates, PTHrP KI mice displayed thinner
      skin and decreased subcutaneous fat and collagen fibres, decreased skin cell
      proliferation and increased apoptosis, higher expression of p27, p19 and p53 and
      lower expression of cyclin E and CDK2, and increased reactive oxygen species
      levels and decreased antioxidant capacity. Deficiency of p27 in the PTHrP KI mice
      at least in part corrected the skin premature ageing phenotype resulting in
      thicker skin and increased subcutaneous fat and collagen. These alternations were
      associated with higher expression of CDK2 and cyclin E, lower expression of p19
      and p53, and enhanced antioxidant capacity with increased skin cell proliferation
      and inhibition of apoptosis. Our results indicate that the NLS and C-terminus of
      PTHrP play a critical role in preventing skin from premature ageing that is
      partially mediated by p27. 

PMID- 26121069
TI  - Progress in Neonatal Neurology with a Focus on Neuroimaging in the Preterm
      Infant.
AB  - There have been tremendous changes in the methods used to evaluate brain injury
      in the preterm infant in the past 30 years. In particular, major improvements
      have been made in how we use neuroimaging techniques and now magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) is used more often and considered complimentary to routine and
      sequential cranial ultrasound. The focus has shifted from severe lesions such as
      large intraventricular and parenchymal hemorrhages and cystic periventricular
      leukomalacia to assessing and understanding the etiology of more subtle noncystic
      white matter injury, punctate hemorrhage, and cerebellar lesions. The more severe
      lesions that dominated the early period of preterm neonatal brain imaging occur
      less frequently but are still associated with major disabilities, such as,
      cerebral palsy, while subtle white matter injury and cerebellar lesions are more
      often associated with cognitive and behavioral problems, which have become the
      most prevalent issues among the survivors of extremely preterm birth. 

PMID- 26121070
TI  - Circulating Histones Are Major Mediators of Cardiac Injury in Patients With
      Sepsis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of circulating histones on cardiac injury
      and dysfunction in a murine model and patients with sepsis. DESIGN: Prospective,
      observational clinical study with in vivo and ex vivo translational laboratory
      investigations. SETTING: General ICU and university research laboratory.
      SUBJECTS: Sixty-five septic patients and 27 healthy volunteers. Twelve-week-old
      male C57BL/6N mice. INTERVENTIONS: Serial blood samples from 65 patients with
      sepsis were analyzed, and left ventricular function was assessed by
      echocardiography. Patients' sera were incubated with cultured cardiomyocytes in
      the presence or absence of antihistone antibody, and cellular viability was
      assessed. Murine sepsis was initiated by intraperitoneal Escherichia coli
      injection (10(8) colony-forming unit/mouse) in 12-week-old male C57BL/6N mice,
      and the effect of antihistone antibody (10 mg/kg) was studied. Murine blood
      samples were collected serially, and left ventricular function was assessed by
      intraventricular catheters and electrocardiography. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
      RESULTS: Circulating histones and cardiac troponins in human and murine plasma
      were quantified. In 65 patients with sepsis, circulating histones were
      significantly elevated compared with healthy controls (n = 27) and linearly
      correlated with cardiac troponin T levels (rs = 0.650; p < 0.001), noradrenaline
      doses required to achieve hemodynamic stability (rs = 0.608; p < 0.001),
      Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores (p = 0.028), and mortality (p =
      0.008). In a subset of 36 septic patients without prior cardiac disease, high
      histone levels were significantly associated with new-onset left ventricular
      dysfunction (p = 0.001) and arrhythmias (p = 0.01). Left ventricular dysfunction
      only predicted adverse outcomes when combined with elevated histones or cardiac
      troponin levels. Furthermore, patients' sera directly induced histone-specific
      cardiomyocyte death ex vivo, which was abrogated by antihistone antibodies. In
      vivo studies on septic mice confirmed the cause-effect relationship between
      circulating histones and the development of cardiac injury, arrhythmias, and left
      ventricular dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Circulating histones are novel and important
      mediators of septic cardiomyopathy, which can potentially be utilized for
      prognostic and therapeutic purposes.

PMID- 26121071
TI  - Time to Appropriate Antibiotic Therapy Is an Independent Determinant of
      Postinfection ICU and Hospital Lengths of Stay in Patients With Sepsis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the timing of appropriate antibiotic therapy as a
      determinant of postinfection hospital and ICU lengths of stay in patients with
      sepsis. DESIGN: Single-center retrospective cohort study (January 2008-December
      2012). SETTING: One thousand two hundred fifty-bed academic hospital. PATIENTS:
      One thousand fifty-eight consecutive blood culture positive patients.
      INTERVENTIONS: We retrospectively identified adult patients with severe sepsis or
      septic shock. Timing of appropriate antibiotic therapy was determined from blood
      culture collection time to the administration of the first dose of antibiotic
      therapy with documented in vitro susceptibility against the identified pathogen.
      We constructed generalized linear models to examine the determinants of
      attributable lengths of stay. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The median
      (interquartile range) time from blood culture collection to the administration of
      appropriate antibiotic therapy was 6.7 hours (0.0-23.3 hr). Linear regression
      analysis adjusting for severity of illness and comorbid conditions identified
      time to appropriate antibiotic therapy to be an independent determinant of
      postinfection ICU length of stay (0.095-d increase per hr of time to deliver
      appropriate antibiotic therapy; 95% CI, 0.057-0.132 d; p < 0.001) and
      postinfection hospital length of stay (0.134-d increase per hr of time to deliver
      appropriate antibiotic therapy; 95% CI, 0.074-0.194 d; p < 0.001). Other
      independent determinants associated with increasing ICU length of stay and
      hospital length of stay were mechanical ventilation (both ICU and hospital
      lengths of stay) and incremental peak WBC counts (hospital length of stay only).
      Incremental changes in severity of illness assessed by Acute Physiology and
      Chronic Health Evaluation II scores and comorbidity burden assessed by the
      Charlson comorbidity score were independently associated with decreases in ICU
      length of stay and hospital length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: We identified time to
      appropriate antibiotic therapy in patients with sepsis to be an independent
      determinant of postinfection ICU and hospital lengths of stay. Clinicians should
      implement local strategies aimed at timely delivery of appropriate antibiotic
      therapy to improve outcomes and reduce length of stay.

PMID- 26121072
TI  - Variations in the Operational Process of Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Therapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The process of withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy remains poorly
      described in the current literature despite its importance for patient comfort
      and optimal end-of-life care. We conducted a structured review of the published
      literature to summarize patterns of withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy
      processes in adult ICUs. DATA SOURCES: Electronic journal databases were searched
      from date of first issue until April 2014. STUDY SELECTION: Original research
      articles describing processes of life-support therapy withdrawal in North
      American, European, and Australian ICUs were included. DATA EXTRACTION: From each
      article, we extracted definitions of withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy,
      descriptions and order of interventions withdrawn, drugs administered, and timing
      from withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy until death. DATA SYNTHESIS: Fifteen
      articles met inclusion criteria. Definitions of withdrawal of life-sustaining
      therapy varied and focused on withdrawal of mechanical ventilation; two studies
      did not present operational definitions. All studies described different aspects
      of process of life-support therapy withdrawal and measured different time periods
      prior to death. Staggered patterns of withdrawal of life-support therapy were
      reported in all studies describing order of interventions withdrawn, with
      vasoactive drugs withdrawn first followed by gradual withdrawal of mechanical
      ventilation. Processes of withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy did not seem to
      influence time to death. CONCLUSIONS: Further description of the operational
      processes of life-sustaining therapy withdrawal in a more structured manner with
      standardized definitions and regular inclusion of measures of patient comfort and
      family satisfaction with care is needed to identify which patterns and processes
      are associated with greatest perceived patient comfort and family satisfaction
      with care.

PMID- 26121073
TI  - The Impact of Timing of Antibiotics on Outcomes in Severe Sepsis and Septic
      Shock: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We sought to systematically review and meta-analyze the available
      data on the association between timing of antibiotic administration and mortality
      in severe sepsis and septic shock. DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive search criteria
      was performed using a predefined protocol. STUDY SELECTION:  INCLUSION CRITERIA:
      adult patients with severe sepsis or septic shock, reported time to antibiotic
      administration in relation to emergency department triage and/or shock
      recognition, and mortality. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: immunosuppressed populations,
      review article, editorial, or nonhuman studies. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers
      screened abstracts with a third reviewer arbitrating. The effect of time to
      antibiotic administration on mortality was based on current guideline
      recommendations: 1) administration within 3 hours of emergency department triage
      and 2) administration within 1 hour of severe sepsis/septic shock recognition.
      Odds ratios were calculated using a random effect model. The primary outcome was
      mortality. DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 1,123 publications were identified and 11
      were included in the analysis. Among the 11 included studies, 16,178 patients
      were evaluable for antibiotic administration from emergency department triage.
      Patients who received antibiotics more than 3 hours after emergency department
      triage (< 3 hr reference) had a pooled odds ratio for mortality of 1.16 (0.92
      1.46; p = 0.21). A total of 11,017 patients were evaluable for antibiotic
      administration from severe sepsis/septic shock recognition. Patients who received
      antibiotics more than 1 hour after severe sepsis/shock recognition (< 1 hr
      reference) had a pooled odds ratio for mortality of 1.46 (0.89-2.40; p = 0.13).
      There was no increased mortality in the pooled odds ratios for each hourly delay
      from less than 1 to more than 5 hours in antibiotic administration from severe
      sepsis/shock recognition. CONCLUSION: Using the available pooled data, we found
      no significant mortality benefit of administering antibiotics within 3 hours of
      emergency department triage or within 1 hour of shock recognition in severe
      sepsis and septic shock. These results suggest that currently recommended timing
      metrics as measures of quality of care are not supported by the available
      evidence.

PMID- 26121074
TI  - Mannitol Improves Brain Tissue Oxygenation in a Model of Diffuse Traumatic Brain
      Injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Based on evidence supporting a potential relation between
      posttraumatic brain hypoxia and microcirculatory derangements with cell edema, we
      investigated the effects of the antiedematous agent mannitol on brain tissue
      oxygenation in a model of diffuse traumatic brain injury. DESIGN: Experimental
      study. SETTING: Neurosciences and physiology laboratories. SUBJECTS: Adult male
      Wistar rats. INTERVENTIONS: Thirty minutes after diffuse traumatic brain injury
      (impact-acceleration model), rats were IV administered with either a saline
      solution (traumatic brain injury-saline group) or 20% mannitol (1 g/kg)
      (traumatic brain injury-mannitol group). Sham-saline and sham-mannitol groups
      received no insult. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Two series of experiments were
      conducted 2 hours after traumatic brain injury (or equivalent) to investigate 1)
      the effect of mannitol on brain edema and oxygenation, using a multiparametric
      magnetic resonance-based approach (n = 10 rats per group) to measure the apparent
      diffusion coefficient, tissue oxygen saturation, mean transit time, and blood
      volume fraction in the cortex and caudoputamen; 2) the effect of mannitol on
      brain tissue PO2 and on venous oxygen saturation of the superior sagittal sinus
      (n = 5 rats per group); and 3) the cortical ultrastructural changes after
      treatment (n = 1 per group, taken from the first experiment). Compared with the
      sham-saline group, the traumatic brain injury-saline group had significantly
      lower tissue oxygen saturation, brain tissue PO2, and venous oxygen saturation of
      the superior sagittal sinus values concomitant with diffuse brain edema. These
      effects were associated with microcirculatory collapse due to astrocyte swelling.
      Treatment with mannitol after traumatic brain injury reversed all these effects.
      In the absence of traumatic brain injury, mannitol had no effect on brain
      oxygenation. Mean transit time and blood volume fraction were comparable between
      the four groups of rats. CONCLUSION: The development of posttraumatic brain edema
      can limit the oxygen utilization by brain tissue without evidence of brain
      ischemia. Our findings indicate that an antiedematous agent such as mannitol can
      improve brain tissue oxygenation, possibly by limiting astrocyte swelling and
      restoring capillary perfusion.

PMID- 26121075
TI  - Characteristics, Outcomes, and Predictability of Critically Ill Obstetric
      Patients: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pregnant/postpartum patients requiring ICUs admission in
      Argentina, describe characteristics of mothers and outcomes for mothers/babies,
      evaluate risk factors for maternal-fetal-neonatal mortality; and compare outcomes
      between patients admitted to public and private health sectors. DESIGN:
      Multicenter, prospective, national cohort study. SETTING: Twenty ICUs in
      Argentina (public, 8 and private, 12). PATIENTS: Pregnant/postpartum (< 42 d)
      patients admitted to ICU. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
      Three hundred sixty-two patients were recruited, 51% from the public health
      sector and 49% from the private. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation
      II was 8 (4-12); predicted/observed mortality, 7.6%/3.6%; hospital length of
      stay, 7 days (5-13 d); and fetal-neonatal losses, 17%. Public versus private
      health sector patients: years of education, 9 +/- 3 versus 15 +/- 3; transferred
      from another hospital, 43% versus 12%; Acute Physiology and Chronic Health
      Evaluation II, 9 (5-13.75) versus 7 (4-9); hospital length of stay, 10 days (6-17
      d) versus 6 days (4-9 d); prenatal care, 75% versus 99.4%; fetal-neonatal losses,
      25% versus 9% (p = 0.000 for all); and mortality, 5.4% versus 1.7% (p = 0.09).
      Complications in ICU were multiple-organ dysfunction syndrome (34%), shock (28%),
      renal dysfunction (25%), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (20%); all
      predominated in the public sector. Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (during
      first 24 hr of admission) score of at least 6.5 presented the best discriminative
      power for maternal mortality. Independent predictors of maternal-fetal-neonatal
      mortality were Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, education
      level, prenatal care, and admission to tertiary hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Patients
      spent a median of 7 days in hospital; 3.6% died. Maternal-fetal-neonatal
      mortality was determined not only by acuteness of illness but to social and
      healthcare aspects like education, prenatal control, and being cared in
      specialized hospitals. Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (during first 24 hr of
      admission), easier to calculate than Acute Physiology and Chronic Health
      Evaluation II, was a better predictor of maternal outcome. Evident health
      disparities existed between patients admitted to public versus private hospitals:
      the former received less prenatal care, were less educated, were more frequently
      transferred from other hospitals, were sicker at admission, and developed more
      complications; maternal and fetal-neonatal mortality were higher. These findings
      point to the need of redesigning healthcare services to account for these
      inequities.

PMID- 26121076
TI  - Comparison of Needle Insertion and Guidewire Placement Techniques During Internal
      Jugular Vein Catheterization: The Thin-Wall Introducer Needle Technique Versus
      the Cannula-Over-Needle Technique.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: For needle insertion and guidewire placement during central venous
      catheterization, a thin-wall introducer needle technique and a cannula-over
      needle technique have been used. This study compared these two techniques
      regarding the success rates and complications during internal jugular vein
      catheterization. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled study. SETTING: A
      university-affiliated hospital. PATIENTS: Two hundred sixty-six patients
      scheduled for thoracic surgery, gynecologic surgery, or major abdominal surgery,
      who required central venous catheterization. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were
      randomly assigned to either the thin-wall introducer needle group (n = 134) or
      the cannula-over-needle group (n = 132). Central venous catheterization was
      performed on the right internal jugular vein under assistance with real-time
      ultrasonography. Needle insertion and guidewire placement were performed using a
      thin-wall introducer needle technique in the thin-wall introducer needle group
      and a cannula-over-needle technique in the cannula-over-needle group.
      MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The guidewire placement on the first skin puncture
      was regarded as a successful guidewire insertion on the first attempt. The number
      of puncture attempts for internal jugular vein catheterization was recorded.
      Internal jugular vein was assessed by ultrasonography to identify complications.
      The rate of successful guidewire insertion on the first attempt was higher in the
      thin-wall introducer needle group compared with the cannula-over-needle group
      (87.3% vs 77.3%; p = 0.037). There were fewer puncture attempts in the thin-wall
      introducer needle group than in the cannula-over-needle group (1.1 +/- 0.4 vs 1.3
      +/- 0.6; p = 0.026). There was no significant difference in complications of
      internal jugular vein catheterization between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The
      thin-wall introducer needle technique showed a superior success rate for first
      attempt of needle and guidewire insertion and required fewer puncture attempts
      during internal jugular vein catheterization.

PMID- 26121077
TI  - Addressing the gender gap: Prolonged exposure for PTSD in veterans.
AB  - As the proportion of women serving in the United States military continues to
      increase, more female veterans are being treated for posttraumatic stress
      disorder (PTSD) in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care settings.
      Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy is an evidence-based treatment for PTSD and is
      often used in VA settings. However, only a few studies have investigated the
      effectiveness of PE specifically for female veterans with appropriate power.
      Results of these studies have varied, with similar effects between female and
      male veterans on par with civilian effects, and more recently, better outcomes
      for female veterans receiving PE compared with male veterans. The current study
      contextualizes the evidence from those studies and considers new data regarding
      clinical outcomes pre- and posttreatment for a large (N = 325) sample of male and
      female veterans treated with PE in a PTSD specialty clinic. Results indicate a
      large statistically significant decrease in PTSD as measured by PTSD Checklist
      (PCL) scores for both male and female veterans treated with PE (d = 1.33). No
      difference in effectiveness and no difference in treatment completion rates were
      found between male and female veterans. Our findings support the effectiveness of
      PE for the treatment of PTSD in female as well as male veterans. Results are
      compared and contrasted to previous findings in the literature taking into
      account heterogeneity in methodological and ecological factors among the studies.
      Emphasis is placed on context of care issues to further the empirical
      conversation regarding meeting the mental health needs of female veterans.
      (PsycINFO Database Record

PMID- 26121078
TI  - Stable radicals and biochemical compounds in embryos and endosperm of wheat
      grains differentiating sensitive and tolerant genotypes--EPR and Raman studies.
AB  - The aim of this study was to uncover the specific species in grains that might
      differentiate the wheat genotypes according to their tolerance to oxidative
      stress. Measurements by EPR and Raman spectroscopy techniques were used to
      examine whole grains and their parts (embryo, endosperm, seed coat) originating
      from four wheat genotypes with differing tolerance to drought stress. Raman
      spectra showed that, in spite of the similar amounts of proteins in whole grains
      from tolerant and sensitive genotypes, in tolerant ones they were accumulated
      mainly in embryos. Moreover, in embryos from these grains, a higher content of
      unsaturated fatty acids was observed. Endosperm of grains from the tolerant
      genotype, richer with starch than that of sensitive one, exhibited higher content
      of amylopectin. Detailed analysis of EPR signals and simulation procedures of the
      spectra allowed the estimation of the nature of interactions of Fe(III) and
      Mn(II) with organic and inorganic structures of grains and the character of
      organic stable radicals. Three types of these radicals: carbohydrate, semiquinone
      and phenoxyl, were identified. The amounts of these radicals were higher in
      grains of sensitive genotypes, mostly because of differences in carbohydrate
      radical content in endosperm. Taking into account the level of radical
      concentration and greater capacity for radical formation in grains from plants of
      lower tolerance to stress, the content of radicals, especially of a carbohydrate
      nature, was considered as a marker of the plant resistance to stress conditions. 

PMID- 26121079
TI  - Spermine and lutein quench chlorophyll fluorescence in isolated PSII antenna
      complexes.
AB  - Non photochemical quenching is a spontaneous mechanism that protects plants and
      algae from photodamage. In the last two decades, carotenoids through the
      xanthophylls cycle have been proposed to play a key role in quenching of
      chlorophyll. More recently, the involvement of endogenous polyamines in energy
      dependent component of non photochemical quenching has been suggested by several
      research groups. In the present contribution, the combined effect of spermine and
      the xanthophylls, zeaxanthin and lutein on the fluorescence of antenna complexes
      of photosystem II was tested in vitro. Lutein caused significant quenching on
      trimeric and monomeric antenna complexes, whereas zeaxanthin under our
      experimental conditions had negligible effect. Spermine has been shown to allow
      fluorescence quenching to be induced in isolated antenna in the absence of
      DeltapH and to accelerate quenching formation. The simultaneous treatment of
      spermine and lutein maximizes quenching even at relatively low concentrations. 

PMID- 26121080
TI  - Sample size planning for the noninferiority or equivalence of a linear contrast
      with cost considerations.
AB  - Tests of equivalence have been used by psychological and social researchers to
      demonstrate the equivalence of 2 group means. However, there is a need for better
      methods of sample size planning if there are more than 2 groups and the aim is to
      carry out a linear contrast of population means, especially if cost constraints
      and variance heterogeneity among groups are considered. Therefore, this study
      presents an iterative procedure of sample size estimation for testing the linear
      contrast of noninferiority/superiority and equivalence, respectively, by using
      the proposed group size allocation ratios, especially if some group sizes are
      fixed at certain values. The proposed method has the advantages of minimizing
      total cost at the designated power or maximizing the statistical power if the
      total budget has a limit. Three illustrative examples show the key points of the
      proposed approach the effectiveness of determining sample sizes is demonstrated
      in terms of empirical Type I errors and power of computer simulation. Because
      software or applets to determine the sample size for equivalence and
      noninferiority/superiority testing are not widely available, the authors provide
      R programs for ease of use. They conclude by emphasizing the need for systematic
      thinking on sample size planning with regard to the related research and
      evaluation frameworks, and some directions for further research are also
      discussed.

PMID- 26121082
TI  - Convergence of regenerative medicine and synthetic biology to develop
      standardized and validated models of human diseases with clinical relevance.
AB  - In order to progress beyond currently available medical devices and implants, the
      concept of tissue engineering has moved into the centre of biomedical research
      worldwide. The aim of this approach is not to replace damaged tissue with an
      implant or device but rather to prompt the patient's own tissue to enact a
      regenerative response by using a tissue-engineered construct to assemble new
      functional and healthy tissue. More recently, it has been suggested that the
      combination of Synthetic Biology and translational tissue-engineering techniques
      could enhance the field of personalized medicine, not only from a regenerative
      medicine perspective, but also to provide frontier technologies for building and
      transforming the research landscape in the field of in vitro and in vivo disease
      models. 

PMID- 26121083
TI  - Increased messenger RNA levels of the mesenchymal cadherin-11 in the peripheral
      blood of systemic sclerosis patients correlate with diffuse skin involvement.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Cadherin-11 is a cell-cell adhesion molecule also involved in
      cellular migration and invasion. Experimental studies implicated this molecule in
      inflammatory arthritis and fibrosing conditions. Moreover, cadherin-11 protein is
      hyper-expressed on fibroblasts and macrophages in the skin of systemic sclerosis
      (SSc) patients, whereas the respective mRNA levels correlate with skin thickness.
      Herein, we searched for possible cadherin-11 expression also in cells that
      circulate in SSc peripheral blood. METHODS: Cadherin-11 mRNA was quantified by
      real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in 3 ml blood samples
      obtained from 71 SSc patients (aged 53+/-2 years, 65 women) and 35 control non
      SSc patients with Raynaud's phenomenon. RESULTS: Cadherin-11 mRNA transcripts
      were detected in blood samples from 39% of patients with diffuse SSc, versus 16%
      of those with limited SSc, versus 6% and 16% of patients with idiopathic or
      associated with other connective tissue diseases Raynaud's phenomenon,
      respectively (p=0.049). Cadherin-11 mRNA levels in SSc patients were increased by
      3.74-fold comparing to controls (p=0.036). By multivariate logistic regression
      analysis we found that diffuse skin involvement correlated, independently of age,
      gender, disease duration, lung involvement, digital ulcers, inflammatory indices
      or anti-Scl-70 autoantibody presence, with cadherin-11 mRNA positivity (p=0.028),
      but also with increased cadherin-11 mRNA levels (>=3-fold of non-SSc levels,
      p=0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Cadherin-11 may be hyper-expressed in the peripheral blood
      of diffuse SSc patients. Studies on the origin and possible pathogenic function
      of these circulating cells may shed light into the complex disease pathogenesis
      and further support the notion that cadherin-11 is a potential therapeutic target
      in SSc.

PMID- 26121084
TI  - Synthesis of Carbohydrate Capped Silicon Nanoparticles and their Reduced
      Cytotoxicity, In Vivo Toxicity, and Cellular Uptake.
AB  - The development of smart targeted nanoparticles (NPs) that can identify and
      deliver drugs at a sustained rate directly to cancer cells may provide better
      efficacy and lower toxicity for treating primary and advanced metastatic tumors.
      Obtaining knowledge of the diseases at the molecular level can facilitate the
      identification of biological targets. In particular, carbohydrate-mediated
      molecular recognitions using nano-vehicles are likely to increasingly affect
      cancer treatment methods, opening a new area in biomedical applications. Here,
      silicon NPs (SiNPs) capped with carbohydrates including galactose, glucose,
      mannose, and lactose are successfully synthesized from amine terminated SiNPs.
      The MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] analysis
      shows an extensive reduction in toxicity of SiNPs by functionalizing with
      carbohydrate moiety both in vitro and in vivo. Cellular uptake is investigated
      with flow cytometry and confocal fluorescence microscope. The results show the
      carbohydrate capped SiNPs can be internalized in the cells within 24 h of
      incubation, and can be taken up more readily by cancer cells than noncancerous
      cells. Moreover, these results reinforce the use of carbohydrates for the
      internalization of a variety of similar compounds into cancer cells. 

PMID- 26121081
TI  - Brain Imaging and Blood Biomarker Abnormalities in Children With Autosomal
      Dominant Alzheimer Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Brain imaging and fluid biomarkers are characterized in children at
      risk for autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease (ADAD). OBJECTIVE: To characterize
      and compare structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), resting-state and task
      dependent functional MRI, and plasma amyloid-beta (Abeta) measurements in
      presenilin 1 (PSEN1) E280A mutation-carrying and noncarrying children with ADAD.
      DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional measures of structural and
      functional MRI and plasma Abeta assays were assessed in 18 PSEN1 E280A carriers
      and 19 noncarriers aged 9 to 17 years from a Colombian kindred with ADAD.
      Recruitment and data collection for this study were conducted at the University
      of Antioquia and the Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe in Medellin, Colombia, between
      August 2011 and June 2012. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: All participants had blood
      sampling, structural MRI, and functional MRI during associative memory encoding
      and resting-state and cognitive assessments. Outcome measures included plasma
      Abeta1-42 concentrations and Abeta1-42:Abeta1-40 ratios, memory encoding
      dependent activation changes, resting-state connectivity, and regional gray
      matter volumes. Structural and functional MRI data were compared using automated
      brain mapping algorithms and search regions related to AD. RESULTS: Similar to
      findings in adult mutation carriers, in the later preclinical and clinical stages
      of ADAD, mutation-carrying children were distinguished from control individuals
      by significantly higher plasma Abeta1-42 levels (mean [SD]: carriers, 18.8 [5.1]
      pg/mL and noncarriers, 13.1 [3.2] pg/mL; P < .001) and Abeta1-42:Abeta1-40 ratios
      (mean [SD]: carriers, 0.32 [0.06] and noncarriers, 0.21 [0.03]; P < .001), as
      well as less memory encoding task-related deactivation in parietal regions (eg,
      mean [SD] parameter estimates for the right precuneus were -0.590 [0.50] for
      noncarriers and -0.087 [0.38] for carriers; P < .005 uncorrected). Unlike
      carriers in the later stages, mutation-carrying children demonstrated increased
      functional connectivity of the posterior cingulate cortex with medial temporal
      lobe regions (mean [SD] parameter estimates were 0.038 [0.070] for noncarriers
      and 0.190 [0.057] for carriers), as well as greater gray matter volumes in
      temporal regions (eg, left parahippocampus; P < . 049, corrected for multiple
      comparisons). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Children at genetic risk for ADAD have
      functional and structural brain changes and abnormal levels of plasma Abeta1-42.
      The extent to which the underlying brain changes are either neurodegenerative or
      developmental remains to be determined. This study provides additional
      information about the earliest known biomarker changes associated with ADAD.

PMID- 26121085
TI  - Rare A2ML1 variants confer susceptibility to otitis media.
AB  - A duplication variant within the middle ear-specific gene A2ML1 cosegregates with
      otitis media in an indigenous Filipino pedigree (LOD score = 7.5 at reduced
      penetrance) and lies within a founder haplotype that is also shared by 3 otitis
      prone European-American and Hispanic-American children but is absent in non
      otitis-prone children and >62,000 next-generation sequences. We identified seven
      additional A2ML1 variants in six otitis-prone children. Collectively, our studies
      support a role for A2ML1 in the pathophysiology of otitis media. 

PMID- 26121086
TI  - Mutational dynamics between primary and relapse neuroblastomas.
AB  - Neuroblastoma is a malignancy of the developing sympathetic nervous system that
      is often lethal when relapse occurs. We here used whole-exome sequencing, mRNA
      expression profiling, array CGH and DNA methylation analysis to characterize 16
      paired samples at diagnosis and relapse from individuals with neuroblastoma. The
      mutational burden significantly increased in relapsing tumors, accompanied by
      altered mutational signatures and reduced subclonal heterogeneity. Global allele
      frequencies at relapse indicated clonal mutation selection during disease
      progression. Promoter methylation patterns were consistent over disease course
      and were patient specific. Recurrent alterations at relapse included mutations in
      the putative CHD5 neuroblastoma tumor suppressor, chromosome 9p losses, DOCK8
      mutations, inactivating mutations in PTPN14 and a relapse-specific activity
      pattern for the PTPN14 target YAP. Recurrent new mutations in HRAS, KRAS and
      genes mediating cell-cell interaction in 13 of 16 relapse tumors indicate
      disturbances in signaling pathways mediating mesenchymal transition. Our data
      shed light on genetic alteration frequency, identity and evolution in
      neuroblastoma. 

PMID- 26121089
TI  - Selection BIAS: Stereotypes and discrimination related to having a history of
      cancer.
AB  - Although great strides have been made in increasing equality and inclusion in
      organizations, a number of stigmatized groups are overlooked by diversity
      initiatives, including people with a history of cancer. To examine the workplace
      experiences of these individuals in selection contexts, we conducted 3
      complementary studies that assess the extent to which cancer is disclosed, the
      stereotypes associated with cancer in the workplace, and discrimination resulting
      from these stereotypes. In a pilot study, we surveyed 196 individuals with a
      history of cancer (across 2 samples) about their workplace disclosure habits. In
      Study 1, we explored stereotypes related to employees with a history of cancer
      using the framework outlined by the stereotype content model. In Study 2, we used
      a field study to assess the experiences of job applicants who indicated they were
      "cancer survivors" (vs. not) with both formal and interpersonal forms of
      discrimination. This research shows that cancer is disclosed at relatively high
      rates (pilot study), those with a history of cancer are stereotyped as being
      higher in warmth than competence (Study 1), and the stereotypes associated with
      those who have had cancer result in actual discrimination toward them (Study 2).
      We discuss the theory behind these findings and aim to inform both science and
      practice with respect to this growing workplace population.

PMID- 26121088
TI  - The support of human genetic evidence for approved drug indications.
AB  - Over a quarter of drugs that enter clinical development fail because they are
      ineffective. Growing insight into genes that influence human disease may affect
      how drug targets and indications are selected. However, there is little guidance
      about how much weight should be given to genetic evidence in making these key
      decisions. To answer this question, we investigated how well the current archive
      of genetic evidence predicts drug mechanisms. We found that, among well-studied
      indications, the proportion of drug mechanisms with direct genetic support
      increases significantly across the drug development pipeline, from 2.0% at the
      preclinical stage to 8.2% among mechanisms for approved drugs, and varies
      dramatically among disease areas. We estimate that selecting genetically
      supported targets could double the success rate in clinical development.
      Therefore, using the growing wealth of human genetic data to select the best
      targets and indications should have a measurable impact on the successful
      development of new drugs. 

PMID- 26121087
TI  - Relapsed neuroblastomas show frequent RAS-MAPK pathway mutations.
AB  - The majority of patients with neuroblastoma have tumors that initially respond to
      chemotherapy, but a large proportion will experience therapy-resistant relapses.
      The molecular basis of this aggressive phenotype is unknown. Whole-genome
      sequencing of 23 paired diagnostic and relapse neuroblastomas showed clonal
      evolution from the diagnostic tumor, with a median of 29 somatic mutations unique
      to the relapse sample. Eighteen of the 23 relapse tumors (78%) showed mutations
      predicted to activate the RAS-MAPK pathway. Seven of these events were detected
      only in the relapse tumor, whereas the others showed clonal enrichment. In
      neuroblastoma cell lines, we also detected a high frequency of activating
      mutations in the RAS-MAPK pathway (11/18; 61%), and these lesions predicted
      sensitivity to MEK inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Our findings provide a
      rationale for genetic characterization of relapse neuroblastomas and show that
      RAS-MAPK pathway mutations may function as a biomarker for new therapeutic
      approaches to refractory disease.

PMID- 26121090
TI  - Accumulative job demands and support for strength use: Fine-tuning the job
      demands-resources model using conservation of resources theory.
AB  - Absenteeism associated with accumulated job demands is a ubiquitous problem. We
      build on prior research on the benefits of counteracting job demands with
      resources by focusing on a still untapped resource for buffering job demands-that
      of strengths use. We test the idea that employees who are actively encouraged to
      utilize their personal strengths on the job are better positioned to cope with
      job demands. Based on conservation of resources (COR) theory, we hypothesized
      that job demands can accumulate and together have an exacerbating effect on
      company registered absenteeism. In addition, using job demands-resources theory,
      we hypothesized that perceived organizational support for strengths use can
      buffer the impact of separate and combined job demands (workload and emotional
      demands) on absenteeism. Our sample consisted of 832 employees from 96
      departments (response rate = 40.3%) of a Dutch mental health care organization.
      Results of multilevel analyses indicated that high levels of workload strengthen
      the positive relationship between emotional demands and absenteeism and that
      support for strength use interacted with workload and emotional job demands in
      the predicted way. Moreover, workload, emotional job demands, and strengths use
      interacted to predict absenteeism. Strengths use support reduced the level of
      absenteeism of employees who experienced both high workload and high emotional
      demands. We conclude that providing strengths use support to employees offers
      organizations a tool to reduce absenteeism, even when it is difficult to redesign
      job demands.

PMID- 26121091
TI  - Catching rudeness is like catching a cold: The contagion effects of low-intensity
      negative behaviors.
AB  - In this article we offer a new perspective to the study of negative behavioral
      contagion in organizations. In 3 studies, we investigate the contagion effect of
      rudeness and the cognitive mechanism that explains this effect. Study 1 results
      show that low-intensity negative behaviors like rudeness can be contagious, and
      that this contagion effect can occur based on single episodes, that anybody can
      be a carrier, and that this contagion effect has second-order consequences for
      future interaction partners. In Studies 2 and 3 we explore in the laboratory the
      cognitive mechanism that underlies the negative behavioral contagion effect
      observed in Study 1. Specifically, we show that rudeness activates a semantic
      network of related concepts in individuals' minds, and that this activation
      influences individual's hostile behaviors. In sum, in these 3 studies we show
      that just like the common cold, common negative behaviors can spread easily and
      have significant consequences for people in organizations.

PMID- 26121092
TI  - Constituent attachment and voluntary turnover in low-wage/low-skill service work.
AB  - This paper draws on life stage theory, ethnographic research conducted in the
      service sector, and evidence for secondary segmentation within the low-wage/low
      skill labor force to offer evidence that social bond development with coworkers
      can help reduce the high rate of turnover observed in low-wage/low-skill service
      work. Contrary to the belief that these employees will leave before social ties
      can develop, constituent attachment was found to be the only significant
      predictor of turnover in 2 samples of front-line service workers in a casual
      dining, national restaurant chain after controlling for other aspects of work
      that can create a sense of attachment to a job, and other job attitudes, such as
      satisfaction and commitment. However, the effect was dependent on developmental
      life stage. Constituent attachment reduced turnover among workers classified as
      emerging adults, whereas constituent attachment did little to affect turnover
      among nonemerging adults. Implications of the results are discussed with respect
      to the value of considering segmentation in future research on turnover in the
      service sector and the use of life stage theory for understanding the leaving
      behavior of workers in different stages of adulthood.

PMID- 26121093
TI  - Regulation of Unperturbed DNA Replication by Ubiquitylation.
AB  - Posttranslational modification of proteins by means of attachment of a small
      globular protein ubiquitin (i.e., ubiquitylation) represents one of the most
      abundant and versatile mechanisms of protein regulation employed by eukaryotic
      cells. Ubiquitylation influences almost every cellular process and its key role
      in coordination of the DNA damage response is well established. In this review we
      focus, however, on the ways ubiquitylation controls the process of unperturbed
      DNA replication. We summarise the accumulated knowledge showing the leading role
      of ubiquitin driven protein degradation in setting up conditions favourable for
      replication origin licensing and S-phase entry. Importantly, we also present the
      emerging major role of ubiquitylation in coordination of the active DNA
      replication process: preventing re-replication, regulating the progression of DNA
      replication forks, chromatin re-establishment and disassembly of the replisome at
      the termination of replication forks. 

PMID- 26121094
TI  - OsARID3, an AT-rich Interaction Domain-containing protein, is required for shoot
      meristem development in rice.
AB  - The shoot apical meristem (SAM) produces all of the plant's aerial organs. The
      SAM is established either during embryogenesis or experimentally in in vitro
      tissue culture. Although several factors including the Class I KNOTTED1-LIKE
      HOMEOBOX (KNOXI) proteins, auxin, and cytokinin are known to play essential roles
      in SAM development, the underlying mechanisms of SAM formation and maintenance
      are still largely not understood. Herein we demonstrate that OsARID3, a member of
      the rice (Oryza sativa) AT-rich Interaction Domain (ARID) family, is required for
      SAM development. Disruption of OsARID3 leads to a defective SAM, early seedling
      lethality, and impaired capacity of in vitro shoot regeneration. We show that the
      expression levels of several KNOXI genes and the biosynthetic genes for auxin and
      cytokinin are significantly altered in the Osarid3 mutant calli. Moreover, we
      determine that auxin concentrations are increased, whereas cytokinin levels are
      decreased, in Osarid3 calli. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation results
      demonstrate that OsARID3 binds directly to the KNOXI gene OSH71, the auxin
      biosynthetic genes OsYUC1 and OsYUC6, and the cytokinin biosynthetic genes OsIPT2
      and OsIPT7. We also show through electrophoretic mobility shift assays that
      OsARID3 specifically binds to the AT-rich DNA sequences of the identified target
      genes. We conclude that OsARID3 is an AT-rich specific DNA-binding protein and
      that it plays a major role in SAM development in rice. 

PMID- 26121095
TI  - Limited Access to New Hepatitis C Virus Treatment Under State Medicaid Programs.

PMID- 26121096
TI  - Effects of Excessive Antibiotic Use in Nursing Homes.

PMID- 26121098
TI  - Neuroimaging, Pain Sensitivity, and Neuropsychological Functioning in School-Age
      Neonatal Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Survivors Exposed to Opioids and
      Sedatives.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Animal studies found negative long-term effects of exposure to
      sedatives and opioids in early life, especially when administered in the absence
      of pain. Around the world, children who require extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation receive opioids and sedatives for extended periods, generally in the
      absence of major pain as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulation is
      considered minor surgery. Therefore, our objective was to determine the long-term
      effects of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment with respect to pain
      sensitivity, brain functioning during pain, brain morphology, and
      neuropsychological functioning in humans. DESIGN: Prospective follow-up study.
      SETTING: Level III university hospital. SUBJECTS: Thirty-six extracorporeal
      membrane oxygenation survivors (8.1-15.5 yr) and 64 healthy controls (8.2-15.3
      yr). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We measured detection and pain thresholds,
      brain activity during pain (functional MRI), brain morphology (high-resolution
      structural MRI), and neuropsychological functioning and collected information
      regarding the subject's experience of chronic pain. We found a significant
      difference in the detection threshold for cold measured in a reaction time
      dependent fashion (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation group, 29.9 degrees C [SD,
      1.4]; control group, 30.6 degrees C [SD, 0.8]; p < 0.01), but no differences in
      other modalities or in pain sensitivity between groups. Furthermore, no
      differences in brain activation during pain, brain morphology, or in the
      occurrence of chronic pain were observed. However, extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation survivors performed significantly worse on a verbal memory test
      compared with controls (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: While the most critically ill
      newborns receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and, relatedly, large doses
      of opioids and sedatives for extended periods, global measures of pain
      sensitivity and neurobiological and neuropsychological development appear to have
      minor long-term consequences. Possible memory deficits in extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation survivors require additional study, but neonatal extracorporeal
      membrane oxygenation treatment and associated exposure to opioids and sedatives
      seem less harmful to humans than expected from animal studies.

PMID- 26121097
TI  - Detection of Multiple Respiratory Viruses Associated With Mortality and Severity
      of Illness in Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Respiratory viral infection is a common source of morbidity and
      mortality in children. Coinfection with multiple viruses occurs frequently;
      however, the clinical significance of concomitant viral pathogens is unclear. We
      hypothesized that presence of more than one respiratory virus is associated with
      increased morbidity and mortality when compared with children with a single
      respiratory virus. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A tertiary care
      hospital. PATIENTS: All children at Duke Children's Hospital over a 2-year period
      with isolation of a virus on an extended viral respiratory panel result.
      Demographic data, comorbidities, and details of hospital encounter were recorded.
      INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-five
      hospital encounters demonstrated positive extended viral respiratory panels.
      Immunocompromised status (37%) and respiratory comorbidities (23%) were common.
      Twenty-eight patients (12%) tested positive for multiple viruses, with adenovirus
      (23/28) and respiratory syncytial virus (15/28) most prevalent in patients with
      multiple viruses. Viral codetection was associated with increased use of
      noninvasive ventilation (p = 0.02), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (p =
      0.02), increased likelihood of moderate or severe illness (p = 0.005), and
      increased mortality (p = 0.01). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that this
      mortality association persisted for children with normal immune function (p =
      0.003) and children with no comorbidities (p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Children with
      multiple respiratory viruses may be at increased risk of moderate or severe
      illness and mortality, with previously healthy children potentially being at
      greatest risk. Further studies are indicated to determine the significance and
      generalizability of this finding and to better understand the pathophysiology of
      viral coinfection.

PMID- 26121099
TI  - Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Predicts Renal Injury
      Following Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the course of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated
      lipocalin and urinary kidney injury molecule-1 levels in young children during
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and concomitant continuous hemofiltration.
      Furthermore, to evaluate whether these levels predict outcome. DESIGN:
      Prospective observational cohort study from July 2010 to July 2013. SETTING: ICU
      of a level III university children's hospital. PATIENTS: Thirty-one
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation-treated children up to 1 year were included.
      INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients were weaned from
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation after a median of 162 hours (interquartile
      range, 83-304). Throughout the study, 58% of the patients met the criteria for
      acute kidney injury (i.e., Risk Injury Failure Loss End-Stage Renal Disease-Risk
      or higher defined as an increase in serum creatinine corresponding to >= 150%
      when compared with age-specific reference values). Levels of both biomarker
      patterns changed significantly throughout extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
      (urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, p < 0.001 and urinary kidney
      injury molecule-1, p = 0.005, linear mixed model analyses). Urinary neutrophil
      gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels were already high before extracorporeal
      membrane oxygenation, whereas urinary kidney injury molecule-1 levels increased
      throughout the first extracorporeal membrane oxygenation day and peaked at 12-24
      hours. Also, urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels at 12-24
      hours of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy were higher among patients
      with acute kidney injury post extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (p = 0.002,
      Mann-Whitney U test). Biomarker levels did not differ between survivors and
      nonsurvivors. CONCLUSIONS: The increased urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated
      lipocalin and urinary kidney injury molecule-1 levels confirm that renal tubular
      damage occurs in critically ill infants in need of extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation. The fact that the maximal urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated
      lipocalin levels were measured 24 hours earlier than urinary kidney injury
      molecule-1 supports the use of biomarker combinations rather than a single
      biomarker to identify patients at risk of acute kidney injury. Finally, since
      urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels at 12-24 hours of
      extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy were associated with acute kidney
      injury post extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, this marker may facilitate more
      timely adjustment of therapeutic interventions.

PMID- 26121100
TI  - Evidence-Based Pediatric Outcome Predictors to Guide the Allocation of Critical
      Care Resources in a Mass Casualty Event.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: ICU resources may be overwhelmed by a mass casualty event, triggering
      a conversion to Crisis Standards of Care in which critical care support is
      diverted away from patients least likely to benefit, with the goal of improving
      population survival. We aimed to devise a Crisis Standards of Care triage
      allocation scheme specifically for children. DESIGN: A triage scheme is proposed
      in which patients would be divided into those requiring mechanical ventilation at
      PICU presentation and those not, and then each group would be evaluated for
      probability of death and for predicted duration of resource consumption,
      specifically, duration of PICU length of stay and mechanical ventilation.
      Children will be excluded from PICU admission if their mortality or resource
      utilization is predicted to exceed predetermined levels ("high risk"), or if they
      have a low likelihood of requiring ICU support ("low risk"). Children entered
      into the Virtual PICU Performance Systems database were employed to develop
      prediction equations to assign children to the exclusion categories using
      logistic and linear regression. Machine Learning provided an alternative strategy
      to develop a triage scheme independent from this process. SETTING: One hundred
      ten American PICUs SUBJECTS: : One hundred fifty thousand records from the
      Virtual PICU database. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The
      prediction equations for probability of death had an area under the receiver
      operating characteristic curve more than 0.87. The prediction equation for
      belonging to the low-risk category had lower discrimination. R for the prediction
      equations for PICU length of stay and days of mechanical ventilation ranged from
      0.10 to 0.18. Machine learning recommended initially dividing children into those
      mechanically ventilated versus those not and had strong predictive power for
      mortality, thus independently verifying the triage sequence and broadly verifying
      the algorithm. CONCLUSION: An evidence-based predictive tool for children is
      presented to guide resource allocation during Crisis Standards of Care,
      potentially improving population outcomes by selecting patients likely to benefit
      from short-duration ICU interventions.

PMID- 26121101
TI  - Pilot Randomized Trials in Pediatric Critical Care: A Systematic Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pilot trials are smaller randomized controlled trials conducted to
      inform the design and assess the feasibility of a large-scale trials. The
      objectives of this systematic review were to describe pilot trials in pediatric
      critical care, their conclusions about the clinical implications of the results,
      and the need for future research and to determine the frequency of large follow
      up trials. DATA SOURCES: The Evidence in Pediatric Intensive Care database
      (http://epicc.mcmaster.ca), a comprehensive repository of published pediatric
      critical care randomized controlled trials and the World Health Organization's
      Clinical Trials Registry Platform. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials
      described in the publication as "pilot," "feasibility," "proof-of-concept,"
      "exploratory," "phase 2," "vanguard," or "preliminary." DATA EXTRACTION: Pairs of
      reviewers screened studies for eligibility and abstracted data independently.
      DATA SYNTHESIS: We found 32 pilot trials (12.2% of all pediatric critical care
      randomized controlled trials) published before July 2014, varying in size from 6
      to 165 children. Pilot trials were significantly smaller than those not described
      as pilots, but other key characteristics were not significantly different. The
      authors of 16 publications (48.4%) included explicit and specific conclusions
      about the design or feasibility of larger trials based on the results of the
      pilot trial. In 20 publications (64.5%), the authors made conclusions about
      clinical efficacy based on results of the pilot trial. Four of the 32 pilot
      trials (12.9%) led to larger trials, two of which have been published.
      CONCLUSIONS: Published pilot trials in pediatric critical care often focus on
      clinical outcomes. They uncommonly report explicit feasibility outcomes, criteria
      for success, or rationale for the pilot sample size. These pilot trials
      infrequently lead to larger trials. Understanding and addressing the reasons for
      this are key to the success of pediatric critical care research.

PMID- 26121102
TI  - Comparison of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy versus sorafenib monotherapy
      in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Sorafenib is the standard treatment for advanced hepatocellular
      carcinoma (HCC) with distant metastasis, unresectable HCC, and those refractory
      to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) or with macroscopic vascular
      invasion (MVI). The application of sorafenib has been approved by the Japanese
      Government-sponsored Medicare for unresectable HCC. In this retrospective cohort
      study we aimed to compare various aspects of HAIC with sorafenib in the treatment
      of Child-Pugh A patients with advanced HCC who were otherwise free of
      extrahepatic metastasis. METHODS: Altogether 177 patients with advanced HCC at
      Child-Pugh class A who were free of extrahepatic metastasis were retrospectively
      enrolled. The patients were divided into the HAIC group (n = 136) and the
      sorafenib group (n = 41), and were followed up until their death or withdrawal of
      therapy. Responses to treatment and overall survival were determined and compared
      between the two groups. RESULTS: The proportion of patients with complete
      response, partial response, stable disease and progressive disease were 5.9%,
      25.0%, 40.4% and 21.3% in the HAIC and 2.4%, 2.4%, 43.9% and 41.5% in the
      sorafenib group, respectively. The response rate was higher in the HAIC group
      than in the sorafenib group (30.9% vs 4.8%). The median survival time was 10
      months in both HAIC and sorafenib groups. In patients with macroscopic vascular
      invasion (MVI) by the case-control method, the response rate was higher in the
      HAIC group than in the sorafenib group. Overall survival was longer in the HAIC
      group than in the sorafenib group (14 months vs 7 months, P = 0.005).
      Multivariate analysis identified MVI (hazard ratio 2.4, P = 0.018) as an
      independent prognostic factor of survival in the sorafenib group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Response rate to HAIC was higher than that to sorafenib monotherapy. Prognosis
      was favorable in HAIC responders despite MVI. HAIC might be a potential treatment
      option for advanced HCC without extrahepatic metastasis.

PMID- 26121104
TI  - Polysiloxane-based block copolymers with marine bacterial anti-adhesion
      properties.
AB  - Di- and triblock copolymers based on tert-butyldimethylsilyl methacrylate (MASi)
      and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) macro-RAFT agents were synthesized resulting in
      copolymers with predictable molar masses and low dispersities (D < 1.2). The
      block copolymers exhibited two glass transition temperatures, corresponding to
      the PDMS- and poly(tert-butyldimethylsilyl methacrylate) (PMASi)-enriched phases,
      respectively. Contact angle measurements revealed the influence of the copolymer
      composition on their surface free energy, with block copolymers exhibiting
      surface free energies as low as 15.0 mJ m(-2). A laboratory assay using 96-well
      plates was used to assess the activity of the block copolymers against two marine
      bacteria (Pseudoalteromonas sp. and Shewanella sp.) isolated from the
      Mediterranean Sea. Coatings based on PDMS-based block copolymers demonstrated
      anti-adhesive performances against the two strains better than that of the
      coating containing only PMASi-based polymers. Coatings based on diblock
      copolymers demonstrated antifouling performances in the field that were better
      than those of the corresponding coatings containing triblock copolymers. Results
      of both lab and field assays showed that the antifouling properties were related
      to coatings possessing the highest receding water contact angle. 

PMID- 26121103
TI  - Design of Environmentally Responsive Fluorescent Polymer Probes for Cellular
      Imaging.
AB  - We report the development of environmentally responsive fluorescent polymers. The
      reversible temperature-induced phase transition of copolymers composed of N
      isopropylacrylamide and a fluorescent monomer based on the fluorescein (FL),
      coumarin (CO), rhodamine (RH), or dansyl (DA) skeleton was used as a molecular
      switch to control the fluorescence intensity. The poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)
      (PNIPAAm) chain showed an expanded coil conformation below the lower critical
      solution temperature (LCST) due to hydration, but it changed to a globular form
      above the LCST due to dehydration. Through the combination of a polarity
      sensitive fluorophore with PNIPAAm, the synthetic fluorescent polymer displayed a
      response to external temperature, with the fluorescence strength dramatically
      changing close to the LCST. Additionally, the P(NIPAAm-co-FL) and P(NIPAAm-co-CO)
      polymers, containing fluorescein and coumarin groups, respectively, exhibited pH
      responsiveness. The environmental responsiveness of the reported polymers is
      derived directly from the PNIPAAm and fluorophore structures, thus allowing for
      the cellular uptake of the fluorescence copolymer by RAW264.7 cells to be
      temperature-controlled. Cellular uptake was suppressed below the LCST but
      enhanced above the LCST. Furthermore, the cellular uptake of both P(NIPAAm-co-CO)
      and P(NIPAAm-co-RH) conjugated with a fusogenic lipid, namely, l-alpha
      phosphatidylethanolamine, dioleoyl (DOPE), was enhanced. Such lipid-conjugated
      fluorescence probes are expected to be useful as physiological indicators for
      intracellular imaging. 

PMID- 26121105
TI  - Why the 'last drinking occasion' approach to measuring alcohol consumption should
      be avoided.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: There has been debate about which type of measurement
      instrument gives the best alcohol consumption estimates. This study used alcohol
      consumption data for a simulated population to compare the last drinking occasion
      (LDO) method against the true alcohol consumption. The LDO method requires
      respondents to indicate the quantity consumed at the LDO, and this information is
      used to calculate population estimates. DESIGN AND METHODS: We simulated three
      hypothetical distributions of alcohol consumption, each with different underlying
      drinking patterns and each representing an idealised example of the distribution
      of alcohol consumption in Norway, Russia and France under specified conditions.
      We investigated the level of agreement between LDO consumption and the within
      person average consumption, and the expected bias that arises when parameters of
      interest such as means, percentiles, exceedance proportions, differences in group
      means, correlation and regression coefficients, attributable fractions, and
      estimated disease risk functions, are calculated from LDO consumption. RESULTS:
      Severe bias was found when LDO consumption was used to calculate common
      parameters of interest in alcohol and health research. The bias is caused by poor
      agreement between consumption at the LDO and the within-person 'true' or average
      consumption. The asymptotically expected bias is particularly problematic because
      it is unpredictable in terms of direction and magnitude, it varies across groups
      and populations, and it is probably impossible to adjust for. DISCUSSION AND
      CONCLUSION: Future data collections should avoid relying on the LDO method as a
      measure of typical alcohol consumption, despite its ease of administration.
      [Osthus S, Brunborg GS. Why the 'last drinking occasion' approach to measuring
      alcohol consumption should be avoided. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;34:549-58].

PMID- 26121106
TI  - Second allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with severe
      aplastic anemia.
AB  - The outcome of 55 children with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) who received a
      second hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was retrospectively
      analyzed using the registration data of the Japanese Society for Hematopoietic
      Cell Transplantation. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and failure-free survival
      (FFS) after the second transplantation were 82.9% (95% confidence interval (CI),
      69.7-90.8)) and 81.2% (95% CI, 67.8-89.4), respectively. FFS was significantly
      better when the interval between the first and second transplantation was >60
      days (88.9%; 95% CI, 73.0-95.7) than when it was ?60 days (61.4%; 95% CI, 33.3
      80.5; P=0.026). All 12 patients who were conditioned with regimens containing
      fludarabine and melphalan were alive with hematopoietic recovery. These findings
      justify the recommendation of a second HSCT for children with SAA who have
      experienced graft failure after first HSCT. 

PMID- 26121107
TI  - Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant induces the molecular aging of T
      cells in multiple myeloma.

PMID- 26121108
TI  - Salvage bortezomib-dexamethasone and high-dose melphalan (HDM) and autologous
      stem cell support (ASCT) in myeloma patients at first relapse after HDM with
      ASCT. A phase-2 trial.
AB  - Until recently, only retrospective studies had been published on salvage high
      dose melphalan (HDM) with autologous stem cell 'transplantation' (ASCT). In a
      prospective, nonrandomized phase-2 study, we treated 53 bortezomib-naive patients
      with bortezomib-dexamethasone as induction and bortezomib included in the
      conditioning regimen along with the HDM. Median progression-free survival (PFS),
      time to next treatment (TNT) and overall survival (OS) after start of reinduction
      therapy were 21.6, 22.8 and 46.6 months, respectively. For 49 patients who
      completed salvage bortezomib-HDM(II) with ASCT, there was no significant
      difference of PFS and TNT after HDM (II) compared with after the initial HDM(I),
      and thus patients were their own controls (PFS (I: 20.1 vs II: 19.3 months
      (P=0.8)) or TNT (I: 24.4 vs II: 20.7 months (P=0.8)). No significant differences
      in the response rates after salvage ASCT compared with the initial ASCT.
      Bortezomib-HDM conditioning combo was feasible, and toxicity was as expected for
      patients treated with bortezomib and ASCT. In conclusion, in bortezomib-naive
      patients treated at first relapse with salvage ASCT including bortezomib, PSF and
      TNT did not differ significantly from initial ASCT and median OS was almost 5.5
      years with acceptable toxicity. A recent prospective randomized study confirms
      salvage ASCT to be an effective treatment. 

PMID- 26121109
TI  - Outcomes of patients with therapy-related AML/myelodysplastic syndrome (t
      AML/MDS) following hematopoietic cell transplantation.
AB  - We studied outcomes of 65 consecutive patients with therapy-related
      AML/myelodyplastic syndrome (t-AML/MDS) who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic
      cell transplantation (HCT). Previously published scores of HCT-CI, CIBMTR, EBMT
      and Comorbidity-age index were also evaluated. Median follow-up of survivors was
      72 months (range 16-204). At 2 years, overall survival (OS) was 34% (95%
      confidence interval (CI) 23-45). Nineteen patients (29%) had monosomal karyotype
      (MK). Patients with MK had an OS of 21% (95% CI 7-41) at 2 years. Abnormal
      adverse cytogenetics, unrelated donor, bone marrow graft and CIBMTR score were
      significant risk factors for OS on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis,
      abnormal adverse cytogenetics (hazard ratio (HR) 2.7; 95% CI 1.02-7.2; P
      value=0.02) and unrelated donor (HR 2.7; 95% CI 1.5-5.0; P-value=0.0013) were
      independent factors for survival. Non-relapse mortality (NRM) at 2 years was 31%
      (95% CI 15-47). Donor type was the only factor that was significant for NRM with
      matched related donors having an NRM of 20% (95% CI 0-42) whereas unrelated
      donors had NRM of 60% (95% CI 40-80; P-value=0.0007). In conclusion, patients
      with t-AML/MDS have poor OS. Unrelated donor is a significant risk factor for
      both higher NRM and decreased OS. Cytogenetics are predictive for OS. 

PMID- 26121110
TI  - Successful management of cutaneous BCG dissemination in a child affected by SCID
      and receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

PMID- 26121111
TI  - Lower dose anti-thymocyte globulin for GvHD prophylaxis results in improved
      survival after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
AB  - In vivo T-cell depletion with anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) can attenuate GvHD
      but may increase infection and relapse risks. ATG-Fresenius (ATG-F) at a dose of
      60 mg/kg was standard GvHD prophylaxis in unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (HSCT) at our institution. We changed to an incremental reduced
      dose regimen of 35 mg/kg and extended ATG prophylaxis to include older matched
      related donor transplants considered to be at higher risk of GvHD. A total of 265
      adults with hematological malignancies receiving a first allogeneic HSCT after
      myeloablative conditioning between 2009 and 2014 were analyzed in this cohort
      study. Patients had either received higher dose (n=32) or lower dose ATG-F (n=88)
      or no ATG (n=145). ATG-F was associated with slower engraftment and less chronic
      GvHD, whereas no effect was noted on acute grade II-IV GvHD and relapse
      incidence. Transplant-related mortality (TRM) was lower and survival higher with
      lower dose, but not with higher dose ATG-F. Both ATG-F groups were associated
      with more viral reactivation, viral disease and bacterial blood stream infection,
      but not invasive fungal infection, and with slower immune reconstitution. The
      recently adopted strategy of using lower doses of ATG-F in unrelated and older
      age-related donor HSCT appears to reduce TRM without increasing disease relapse,
      leading to slightly enhanced survival.

PMID- 26121112
TI  - Human herpesvirus 6B reactivation and delirium are frequent and associated events
      after cord blood transplantation.
AB  - Human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) frequently reactivates after cord blood
      transplantation (CBT). We previously reported an association between HHV-6B
      reactivation and delirium after hematopoietic cell transplantation. In this
      prospective study, 35 CBT recipients underwent twice-weekly plasma PCR testing
      for HHV-6 and thrice-weekly delirium assessment until day 84. There was a
      quantitative association between HHV-6B reactivation and delirium in univariable
      (odds ratio, 2.88; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.97-8.59) and bivariable
      models. In addition, intensified prophylaxis with high-dose valacyclovir
      mitigated HHV-6B reactivation (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.14-1.08).
      Larger trials are needed to explore the utility of HHV-6B prophylaxis after CBT. 

PMID- 26121113
TI  - 3D-Printed Artificial Microfish.
AB  - Hydrogel microfish featuring biomimetic structures, locomotive capabilities, and
      functionalized nanoparticles are engineered using a rapid 3D printing platform:
      microscale continuous -optical printing (MUCOP). The 3D-printed -microfish
      exhibit chemically powered and magnetically guided propulsion, as well as highly
      efficient detoxification capabilities that highlight the technical versatility of
      this platform for engineering advanced functional microswimmers for diverse
      biomedical applications.

PMID- 26121114
TI  - Development of Prediction Models for the Reactivity of Organic Compounds with
      Ozone in Aqueous Solution by Quantum Chemical Calculations: The Role of
      Delocalized and Localized Molecular Orbitals.
AB  - Second-order rate constants (kO3) for the reaction of ozone with micropollutants
      are essential parameters for the assessment of micropollutant elimination
      efficiency during ozonation in water and wastewater treatment. Prediction models
      for kO3 were developed for aromatic compounds, olefins, and amines by quantum
      chemical molecular orbital calculations employing ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) and
      density functional theory (B3LYP) methods. The kO3 values for aromatic compounds
      correlated well with the energy of a delocalized molecular orbital first
      appearing on an aromatic ring (i.e., the highest occupied molecular orbital
      (HOMO) or HOMO-n (n >= 0) when the HOMO is not located on the aromatic ring); the
      number of compounds tested (N) was 112, and the correlation coefficient (R(2))
      values were 0.82-1.00. The kO3 values for olefins and amines correlated well with
      the energy of a localized molecular orbital (i.e., the natural bond orbital
      (NBO)) energy of the carbon-carbon pi bond of olefins (N = 45, R(2) values of
      0.82-0.85) and the NBO energy of the nitrogen lone-pair electrons of amines (N =
      59, R(2) values of 0.81-0.83), respectively. Considering the performance of the
      kO3 prediction model and the computational costs, the HF/6-31G method is
      recommended for all aromatic groups and olefins investigated herein, whereas the
      HF/MIDI!, HF/6-31G*, or HF/6-311++G** methods are recommended for amines. Based
      on their mean absolute errors, the above models could predict kO3 within a factor
      of 4, on average, relative to the experimentally determined values. Overall, good
      correlations were also observed (R(2) values of 0.77-0.96) between kO3
      predictions by quantum molecular orbital descriptors in this study and by the
      Hammett (sigma) and Taft (sigma*) constants from previously developed
      quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models. Hence, the quantum
      molecular orbital descriptors are an alternative to sigma and sigma*-values in
      QSAR applications and can also be utilized to estimate unknown sigma or sigma*
      values.  .

PMID- 26121115
TI  - Dressings and topical agents for arterial leg ulcers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is estimated that people in industrialised countries have a 1%
      chance of suffering from a leg ulcer at some time in their life. The majority of
      leg ulcers are associated with circulation problems; poor blood return in the
      veins causes venous ulcers (around 70% of ulcers) and poor blood supply to the
      legs causes arterial ulcers (around 22% of ulcers). Treatment of arterial leg
      ulcers is directed towards correcting the poor arterial blood supply, for example
      by correcting arterial blockages (either surgically or pharmaceutically). If the
      blood supply has been restored, these arterial ulcers can heal following
      principles of good wound care. Dressings and topical agents make up a part of
      good wound care for arterial ulcers but there are many products available and it
      is unclear what impact these have on ulcer healing. This is an update of a review
      first published in 2003. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether topical agents and
      wound dressings affect healing in arterial ulcers. To compare healing rates,
      patient-centred outcomes and costs between wound dressings and topical agents.
      SEARCH METHODS: For this update the Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Diseases Group
      Trials Search Co-ordinator searched the Specialised Register (last searched
      November 2014) and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)
      (the Cochrane Library) (2014, Issue 10). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised
      controlled trials (RCTs), or controlled clinical trials (CCTs) evaluating
      dressings and topical agents in the treatment of arterial leg ulcers were
      eligible for inclusion. The participants had to have ulcers that were described
      as arterial, and the time to healing, proportion completely healed, or rate of
      reduction in ulcer area had to be reported. All wound dressings and topical
      agents were eligible for inclusion in this review. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:
      The two review authors independently extracted information on the participants'
      characteristics, the interventions, and outcomes using a standardised data
      extraction form. Disagreements between the review authors were resolved through
      discussion. MAIN RESULTS: One trial met the inclusion criteria, which was a small
      trial that compared 2% ketanserin ointment in polyethylene glycol (PEG) with
      vehicle alone (PEG) control, changed twice a day in 40 participants with arterial
      leg ulcers. The overall quality of the evidence was low with a single small
      included study which showed inadequate reporting of the results and had too short
      a follow-up time (eight weeks) to be able to capture sufficient healing events to
      allow comparisons to be made. In addition, the study was of low methodological
      quality. The majority of the 'risk of bias' domains received an 'unclear' risk
      rating as very little information was provided in the text on the methods of the
      study. The trial demonstrated increased wound healing in the ketanserin group,
      compared with the control group, but the trial was too small and had too short a
      follow-up period (eight weeks) to be able to determine whether there was any
      difference in healing rates. It should also be noted that ketanserin is not
      licensed in all countries for use in humans. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is
      insufficient evidence to determine whether the choice of topical agent or
      dressing affects the healing of arterial leg ulcers.

PMID- 26121116
TI  - Positional Isomers of Tetramethoxypyrene-based Mono- and Biradicals.
AB  - The positional isomers of tert-butylnitroxide (NO) substituted 4,5,9,10
      tetramethoxypyrene-based mono- and biradical are synthesized. While the biradical
      2,7-TMPNO in which two NO radical moieties are attached at the nodal plane of
      pyrene adopts a semiquinoid structure, the 1,6- and 1,8-isomers of the same exist
      in biradical form. The tuning of the antiferromagnetic exchange interactions is
      achieved by synthesizing the positional isomers of the biradical while
      maintaining the same radical moiety as well as the pi spacer. 

PMID- 26121117
TI  - Inactivation of Human Nevus Tissue Using High Hydrostatic Pressure for Autologous
      Skin Reconstruction: A Novel Treatment for Giant Congenital Melanocytic Nevi.
AB  - Giant congenital melanocytic nevi are intractable lesions associated with a risk
      of melanoma. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) technology is a safe physical method
      for producing decellularized tissues without chemicals. We have reported that HHP
      can inactivate cells present in various tissues without damaging the native
      extracellular matrix (ECM). The objectives of this study were to inactivate human
      nevus tissue using HHP and to explore the possibility of reconstructing skin
      using inactivated nevus in combination with cultured epidermis (CE). Human nevus
      specimens 8 mm in diameter were pressurized by HHP at 100, 200, 500, and 1000 MPa
      for 10 min. The viability of specimens just after HHP, outgrowth of cells, and
      viability after cultivation were evaluated to confirm the inactivation by HHP.
      Histological evaluation using hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical
      staining for type IV collagen was performed to detect damage to the ECM of the
      nevus. The pressurized nevus was implanted into the subcutis of nude mice for 6
      months to evaluate the retention of human cells. Then, human CE was applied on
      the pressurized nevus and implanted into the subcutis of nude mice. The viability
      of pressurized nevus was not detected just after HHP and after cultivation, and
      outgrowth of fibroblasts was not observed in the 200, 500, and 1000 MPa groups.
      Human cells were not observed after 6 months of implantation in these groups. No
      apparent damage to the ECM was detected in all groups; however, CE took on nevus
      in the 200 and 500 MPa groups, but not in the 1000 MPa group. These results
      indicate that human nevus tissue was inactivated by HHP at more than 200 MPa;
      however, HHP at 1000 MPa might cause damage that prevents the take of CE. In
      conclusion, all cells in nevus specimens were inactivated after HHP at more than
      200 MPa and this inactivated nevus could be used as autologous dermis for
      covering full-thickness skin defects after nevus removal. HHP between 200 and 500
      MPa will be optimal to reconstruct skin in combination with cultured epidermal
      autograft without damage to the ECM.

PMID- 26121118
TI  - Localized Excitation of Ti(3+) Ions in the Photoabsorption and Photocatalytic
      Activity of Reduced Rutile TiO2.
AB  - In reduced TiO2, electronic transitions originating from the Ti(3+)-induced
      states in the band gap are known to contribute to the photoabsorption, being in
      fact responsible for the material's blue color, but the excited states accessed
      by these transitions have not been characterized in detail. In this work we
      investigate the excited state electronic structure of the prototypical rutile
      TiO2(110) surface using two-photon photoemission spectroscopy (2PPE) and density
      functional theory (DFT) calculations. Using 2PPE, an excited resonant state
      derived from Ti(3+) species is identified at 2.5 +/- 0.2 eV above the Fermi level
      (EF) on both the reduced and hydroxylated surfaces. DFT calculations reveal that
      this excited state is closely related to the gap state at ~1.0 eV below EF, as
      they both result from the Jahn-Teller induced splitting of the 3d orbitals of
      Ti(3+) ions in reduced TiO2. Localized excitation of Ti(3+) ions via 3d -> 3d
      transitions from the gap state to this empty resonant state significantly
      increases the TiO2 photoabsorption and extends the absorbance to the visible
      region, consistent with the observed enhancement of the visible light induced
      photocatalytic activity of TiO2 through Ti(3+) self-doping. Our work reveals the
      physical origin of the Ti(3+) related photoabsorption and visible light
      photocatalytic activity in prototypical TiO2 and also paves the way for the
      investigation of the electronic structure and photoabsorption of other metal
      oxides. 

PMID- 26121119
TI  - Looking into Living Cell Systems: Planar Waveguide Microfluidic NMR Detector for
      in Vitro Metabolomics of Tumor Spheroids.
AB  - The complex cell metabolism and its link to oncogenic signaling pathways have
      received huge interest within the last few years. But the lack of advanced
      analytical tools for the investigation of living cell metabolism is still a
      challenge to be faced. Therefore, we designed and fabricated a novel miniaturized
      microslot NMR detector with on-board heater integrated with a microfluidic device
      as NMR sample holder. For the first time, a tumor spheroid of 500 MUm diameter
      and consisting of 9000 cells has been studied noninvasively and online for 24 h.
      The dynamic processes of production and degradation of 23 intra- and
      extracellular metabolites were monitored. Remarkably high concentrations of
      lactate and alanine were observed, being an indicator for a shift from oxidative
      to glycolytic metabolism. In summary, this methodical development has proven to
      be a successful analytical tool for the elucidation of cellular functions and
      their corresponding biochemical pathways. Additionally, the planar geometry of
      the microslot NMR detector allows the hyphenation with versatile lab-on-a chip
      (LOC) technology. This opens a new window for metabolomics studies on living
      cells and can be implemented into new application fields in biotechnology and
      life sciences. 

PMID- 26121120
TI  - The highly sensitive and facile colorimetric detection of the glycidyl azide
      polymer based on propargylamine functionalized gold nanoparticles using click
      chemistry.
AB  - A highly sensitive and facile colorimetric sensor for the glycidyl azide polymer
      explosive was developed based on propargylamine functionalized gold nanoparticles
      using click chemistry. 

PMID- 26121121
TI  - Hepatic Steatosis: Assessment with Acoustic Structure Quantification of US
      Imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the diagnostic performance of acoustic structure
      quantification (ASQ) for the assessment of hepatic steatosis by using hydrogen 1
      ((1)H) magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy as the reference standard and to
      compare ASQ with hepatorenal ratio. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study
      was approved by an institutional review board, and informed written consent was
      obtained from all participants. ASQ and MR spectroscopy were performed in 89
      participants (mean age, 41.48 years +/- 14.16; 35 men, 54 women) without history
      of chronic liver disease. Obtained were focal disturbance (FD) ratio by using
      ASQ, hepatic fat fraction (HFF) by using MR spectroscopy, and hepatorenal ratio
      by using a histogram. Correlation coefficient, intraclass correlation
      coefficient, and receiver operating curve analyses were performed. RESULTS: FD
      ratio measured with ASQ had a strong linear correlation with HFF measured with MR
      spectroscopy after logarithmic transformation of both variables (r = -0.87; P <
      .001). By using HFF of 5.79% as a cutoff value of 10% hepatic steatosis, 29 of 89
      participants (32.6%) were categorized into the group with hepatic steatosis of
      10% or greater (mean HFF, 13.18% +/- 4.89). The area under curve of the FD ratio
      for diagnosing hepatic steatosis 10% or greater was 0.959 (95% confidence
      interval: 0.895, 0.990) with sensitivity of 86.2% (95% confidence interval:
      68.3%, 96.0%) and specificity of 100% (95% confidence interval: 94.0%, 100.0%) by
      using a cutoff value of 0.1; the area under curve and specificity of the FD ratio
      were significantly higher than those of the hepatorenal ratio (respectively,
      0.772 and 73.3%; respective P values, .001 and <.001). CONCLUSION: This pilot
      study in a cohort of patients with hepatic steatosis without other parenchymal
      disease suggested ASQ may be valuable for the quantification of hepatic steatosis
      and detection of hepatic steatosis 10% or greater in living liver donors.

PMID- 26121122
TI  - Beta-blocker use in severe sepsis and septic shock: a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recent growing evidence suggests that beta-blocker treatment could
      improve cardiovascular dynamics and possibly the outcome of patients admitted to
      intensive care with severe sepsis or septic shock. DESIGN: Systematic review.
      DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE and EMBASE healthcare databases. REVIEW METHODS: To
      investigate this topic, we conducted a systematic review of the above databases
      up to 31 May 2015. Due to the clinical novelty of the subject, we also included
      non-randomized clinical studies. We focused on the impact of beta-blocker
      treatment on mortality, also investigating its effects on cardiovascular, immune
      and metabolic function. Evidence from experimental studies was reviewed as well.
      RESULTS: From the initial search we selected 10 relevant clinical studies. Five
      prospective studies (two randomized) assessed the hemodynamic effects of the
      beta1-blocker esmolol. Heart rate decreased significantly in all, but the impact
      on other parameters differed. The imbalance between prospective studies' size (10
      to 144 patients) and the differences in their design disfavor a meta-analysis.
      One retrospective study showed improved hemodynamics combining metoprolol and
      milrinone in septic patients, and another retrospective study found no
      association between beta-blocker administration and mortality. We also found
      three case series. Twenty-one experimental studies evaluated the hemodynamic,
      immune and/or metabolic effects of selective and/or non-selective beta-blockers
      in animal models of sepsis (dogs, mice, pigs, rats, sheep), yielding conflicting
      results. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst there is not enough prospective data to conduct a
      meta-analysis, the available clinical data are promising. We discuss the ability
      of beta blockade to modulate sepsis-induced alterations at cardiovascular,
      metabolic, immunologic and coagulation levels.

PMID- 26121123
TI  - Dysphonia in extremely preterm children: A longitudinal observation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Dysphonia is a potential long-term complication of preterm birth.
      Childhood voice disorders caused by vocal hyperfunction resolve with pubertal
      changes to the vocal mechanism in many cases. In extremely preterm children,
      whose voice quality is affected by supraglottic hyperfunction adapted secondary
      to underlying structural laryngeal pathology sustained during neonatal
      intubation, the prognosis is unknown. METHODS: A pilot study was conducted to
      assess the incidence and severity of dysphonia in children born at < 25 weeks'
      gestation. Ten individuals, aged between 9.67 and 17.08 years, presented for
      repeat assessment in a replication and extension of the original study. The mean
      period between assessments was 2.85 (SD 0.38) years. The primary outcome measure
      was the severity score on the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice
      (CAPE-V), with the Acoustic Voice Quality Index score as the secondary outcome
      measure. Scores on the Pediatric Voice Handicap Index were also compared.
      RESULTS: Perceptual dysphonia severity scores were significantly lower on repeat
      assessment, but no differences were observed in objective or quality of life
      scores. Individual variation was observed: the difference in CAPE-V scores ranged
      from -36 to + 1. No participant presented with normal voice quality on repeat
      assessment. DISCUSSION: Analysis of group data masked individual variability in
      this series. Mechanisms underlying such individual variation are currently
      unknown. These data suggest that dysphonia is persistent in extremely preterm
      children. CONCLUSION: Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the
      progression of voice disorders in extremely preterm children, to inform
      prognostic predictors and treatment decisions.

PMID- 26121124
TI  - Response to Jansson et al.

PMID- 26121125
TI  - Race, Employment Disadvantages, and Heavy Drinking: A Multilevel Model.
AB  - We intended to determine (1) whether stress from employment disadvantages led to
      increased frequency of heavy drinking and (2) whether race had a role in the
      relationship between such disadvantages and heavy drinking. Study data came from
      the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a prospective study that has followed
      a representative sample of youth since 1979. Our study employed data from 11
      particular years, during which the survey included items measuring respondents'
      heavy drinking. Our final sample numbered 10,171 respondents, which generated
      75,394 person-waves for data analysis. Both of our hypotheses were supported by
      results from multilevel mixed-effects linear regression capturing the time
      varying nature of three employment disadvantages and of the heavy-drinking
      outcome. Results show that more-frequent heavy drinking was associated with
      employment disadvantages, and that disadvantages' effects on drinking were
      stronger for Blacks and Hispanics than for Whites. That worsening employment
      disadvantages have worse effects on minority groups' heavy drinking (compared to
      Whites) probably contributes to the racial health disparities in our nation.
      Policies and programs addressing such disparities are especially important during
      economic downturns. 

PMID- 26121126
TI  - Contribution of Fetal, but Not Adult, Pulmonary Mesothelium to Mesenchymal
      Lineages in Lung Homeostasis and Fibrosis.
AB  - The lung is enveloped by a layer of specialized epithelium, the pulmonary
      mesothelium. In other organs, mesothelial cells undergo epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition and contribute to organ stromal cells. The contribution of pulmonary
      mesothelial cells (PMCs) to the developing lung has been evaluated with differing
      conclusions. PMCs have also been indirectly implicated in lung fibrosis in the
      progressive, fatal lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. We used fetal or
      postnatal genetic pulse labeling of PMCs to assess their fate in murine
      development, normal lung homeostasis, and models of pulmonary fibrosis. We found
      that most fetal PMC-derived mesenchymal cells (PMCDCs) expressed markers of
      pericytes and fibroblasts, only a small minority expressed smooth muscle markers,
      and none expressed endothelial cell markers. Postnatal PMCs did not contribute to
      lung mesenchyme during normal lung homeostasis or in models of lung fibrosis.
      However, fetal PMCDCs were abundant and actively proliferating within fibrotic
      regions in lung fibrosis models, suggesting that they actively participate in the
      fibrotic process. These data clarify the role of fetal and postnatal PMCDCs in
      lung development and disease. 

PMID- 26121127
TI  - "Who Doesn't?"--The Impact of Descriptive Norms on Corruption.
AB  - Corruption poses one of the major societal challenges of our time. Considerable
      advances have been made in understanding corruption on a macro level, yet the
      psychological antecedents of corrupt behavior remain largely unknown. In order to
      explain why some people engage in corruption while others do not, we explored the
      impact of descriptive social norms on corrupt behavior by using a novel
      behavioral measure of corruption. We conducted three studies to test whether
      perceived descriptive norms of corruption (i.e. the belief about the prevalence
      of corruption in a specific context) influence corrupt behavior. The results
      indicated that descriptive norms highly correlate with corrupt behavior--both
      when measured before (Study 1) or after (Study 2) the behavioral measure of
      corruption. Finally, we adopted an experimental design to investigate the causal
      effect of descriptive norms on corruption (Study 3). Corrupt behavior in the
      corruption game significantly drops when participants receive short anti
      corruption descriptive norm primes prior to the game. These findings indicate
      that perceived descriptive norms can impact corrupt behavior and, possibly, could
      offer an explanation for inter-personal and inter-cultural variation in corrupt
      behavior in the real world. We discuss implications of these findings and draw
      avenues for future research.

PMID- 26121128
TI  - Full-Genome Sequencing as a Basis for Molecular Epidemiology Studies of
      Bluetongue Virus in India.
AB  - Since 1998 there have been significant changes in the global distribution of
      bluetongue virus (BTV). Ten previously exotic BTV serotypes have been detected in
      Europe, causing severe disease outbreaks in naive ruminant populations.
      Previously exotic BTV serotypes were also identified in the USA, Israel,
      Australia and India. BTV is transmitted by biting midges (Culicoides spp.) and
      changes in the distribution of vector species, climate change, increased
      international travel and trade are thought to have contributed to these events.
      Thirteen BTV serotypes have been isolated in India since first reports of the
      disease in the country during 1964. Efficient methods for preparation of viral
      dsRNA and cDNA synthesis, have facilitated full-genome sequencing of BTV strains
      from the region. These studies introduce a new approach for BTV characterization,
      based on full-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analyses, facilitating the
      identification of BTV serotype, topotype and reassortant strains. Phylogenetic
      analyses show that most of the equivalent genome-segments of Indian BTV strains
      are closely related, clustering within a major eastern BTV 'topotype'. However,
      genome-segment 5 (Seg-5) encoding NS1, from multiple post 1982 Indian isolates,
      originated from a western BTV topotype. All ten genome-segments of BTV-2 isolates
      (IND2003/01, IND2003/02 and IND2003/03) are closely related (>99% identity) to a
      South African BTV-2 vaccine-strain (western topotype). Similarly BTV-10 isolates
      (IND2003/06; IND2005/04) show >99% identity in all genome segments, to the
      prototype BTV-10 (CA-8) strain from the USA. These data suggest repeated
      introductions of western BTV field and/or vaccine-strains into India, potentially
      linked to animal or vector-insect movements, or unauthorised use of 'live' South
      African or American BTV-vaccines in the country. The data presented will help
      improve nucleic acid based diagnostics for Indian serotypes/topotypes, as part of
      control strategies. 

PMID- 26121129
TI  - The Effects of Methylene Blue on Autophagy and Apoptosis in MRI-Defined Normal
      Tissue, Ischemic Penumbra and Ischemic Core.
AB  - Methylene blue (MB) USP, which has energy-enhancing and antioxidant properties,
      is currently used to treat methemoglobinemia and cyanide poisoning in humans. We
      recently showed that MB administration reduces infarct volume and behavioral
      deficits in rat models of ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury. This study
      reports the underlying molecular mechanisms of MB neuroprotection following
      transient ischemic stroke in rats. Rats were subjected to transient (60-mins)
      ischemic stroke. Multimodal MRI during the acute phase and at 24 hrs were used to
      define three regions of interest (ROIs): i) the perfusion-diffusion mismatch
      salvaged by reperfusion, ii) the perfusion-diffusion mismatch not salvaged by
      reperfusion, and iii) the ischemic core. The tissues from these ROIs were
      extracted for western blot analyses of autophagic and apoptotic markers. The
      major findings were: 1) MB treatment reduced infarct volume and behavioral
      deficits, 2) MB improved cerebral blood flow to the perfusion-diffusion mismatch
      tissue after reperfusion and minimized harmful hyperperfusion 24 hrs after
      stroke, 3) MB inhibited apoptosis and enhanced autophagy in the perfusion
      diffusion mismatch, 4) MB inhibited apoptotic signaling cascades (p53-Bax-Bcl2
      Caspase3), and 5) MB enhanced autophagic signaling cascades (p53-AMPK-TSC2-mTOR).
      MB induced neuroprotection, at least in part, by enhancing autophagy and reducing
      apoptosis in the perfusion-diffusion mismatch tissue following ischemic stroke.

PMID- 26121130
TI  - SIRT3 & SIRT7: Potential Novel Biomarkers for Determining Outcome in Pancreatic
      Cancer Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: The sirtuin gene family has been linked with tumourigenesis, in both a
      tumour promoter and suppressor capacity. Information regarding the function of
      sirtuins in pancreatic cancer is sparse and equivocal. We undertook a novel study
      investigating SIRT1-7 protein expression in a cohort of pancreatic tumours. The
      aim of this study was to establish a protein expression profile for SIRT1-7 in
      pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) and to determine if there were
      associations between SIRT1-7 expression, clinico-pathological parameters and
      patient outcome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis of SIRT1-7
      protein levels was undertaken in a tissue micro-array comprising 77 resected
      PDACs. Statistical analyses determined if SIRT1-7 protein expression was
      associated with clinical parameters or outcome. RESULTS: Two sirtuin family
      members demonstrated significant associations with clinico-pathological
      parameters and patient outcome. Low level SIRT3 expression in the tumour
      cytoplasm correlated with more aggressive tumours, and a shorter time to relapse
      and death, in the absence of chemotherapeutic intervention. Low levels of nuclear
      SIRT7 expression were also associated with an aggressive tumour phenotype and
      poorer outcome, as measured by disease-free and disease-specific survival time,
      12 months post-diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that SIRT3 and SIRT7
      possess tumour suppressor properties in the context of pancreatic cancer. SIRT3
      may also represent a novel predictive biomarker to determine which patients may
      or may not respond to chemotherapy. This study opens up an interesting avenue of
      investigation to potentially identify predictive biomarkers and novel therapeutic
      targets for pancreatic cancer, a disease that has seen no significant improvement
      in survival over the past 40 years.

PMID- 26121131
TI  - Out of Lust or Jealousy: The Effects of Mate-Related Motives on Study-Time
      Allocation to Faces Varying in Attractiveness.
AB  - Although a growing number of empirical studies have revealed that activating mate
      related motives might exert a specific set of consequences for human cognition
      and behaviors, such as attention and memory, little is known about whether mate
      related motives affect self-regulated learning. The present study examined the
      effects of mate-related motives (mate-search and mate-guarding) on study-time
      allocation to faces varying in attractiveness. In two experiments, participants
      in mate-related priming conditions (Experiment 1: mate-search; Experiment 2: mate
      guarding) or control conditions studied 20 female faces (10 highly attractive, 10
      less attractive) during a self-paced study task, and then were given a yes/no
      face recognition task. The finding of Experiment 1 showed that activating a mate
      search motive led the male participants to allocate more time to highly
      attractive female faces (i.e., perceived potential mates) than to less attractive
      ones. In Experiment 2, female participants in the mate-guarding priming condition
      spent more time studying highly attractive female faces (i.e., perceived
      potential rivals) than less attractive ones, compared to participants in the
      control condition. These findings illustrate the highly specific consequences of
      mate-related motives on study-time allocation, and highlight the value of
      exploring human cognition and motivation within evolutionary and self-regulated
      learning frameworks. 

PMID- 26121132
TI  - Evaluation of Dewatering Performance and Fractal Characteristics of Alum Sludge.
AB  - The dewatering performance and fractal characteristics of alum sludge from a
      drinking-water treatment plant were investigated in this study. Variations in
      residual turbidity of supernatant, dry solid content (DS), specific resistance to
      filtration (SRF), floc size, fractal dimension, and zeta potential were analyzed.
      Sludge dewatering efficiency was evaluated by measuring both DS and SRF. Results
      showed that the optimum sludge dewatering efficiency was achieved at 16 mg?L(-1)
      flocculant dosage and pH 7. Under these conditions, the maximum DS was 54.6%, and
      the minimum SRF was 0.61 * 10(10) m?kg(-1). Floc-size measurements demonstrated
      that high flocculant dosage significantly improved floc size. Correlation
      analysis further revealed a strong correlation between fractal dimension and floc
      size after flocculation. A strong correlation also existed between floc size and
      zeta potential, and flocculants with a higher cationic degree had a larger
      correlation coefficient between floc size and zeta potential. In the flocculation
      process, the main flocculation mechanisms involved adsorption bridging under an
      acidic condition, and a combination between charge neutralization and adsorption
      bridging interaction under neutral and alkaline conditions.

PMID- 26121133
TI  - Integrating Crop Growth Models with Whole Genome Prediction through Approximate
      Bayesian Computation.
AB  - Genomic selection, enabled by whole genome prediction (WGP) methods, is
      revolutionizing plant breeding. Existing WGP methods have been shown to deliver
      accurate predictions in the most common settings, such as prediction of across
      environment performance for traits with additive gene effects. However,
      prediction of traits with non-additive gene effects and prediction of genotype by
      environment interaction (G*E), continues to be challenging. Previous attempts to
      increase prediction accuracy for these particularly difficult tasks employed
      prediction methods that are purely statistical in nature. Augmenting the
      statistical methods with biological knowledge has been largely overlooked thus
      far. Crop growth models (CGMs) attempt to represent the impact of functional
      relationships between plant physiology and the environment in the formation of
      yield and similar output traits of interest. Thus, they can explain the impact of
      G*E and certain types of non-additive gene effects on the expressed phenotype.
      Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC), a novel and powerful computational
      procedure, allows the incorporation of CGMs directly into the estimation of whole
      genome marker effects in WGP. Here we provide a proof of concept study for this
      novel approach and demonstrate its use with synthetic data sets. We show that
      this novel approach can be considerably more accurate than the benchmark WGP
      method GBLUP in predicting performance in environments represented in the
      estimation set as well as in previously unobserved environments for traits
      determined by non-additive gene effects. We conclude that this proof of concept
      demonstrates that using ABC for incorporating biological knowledge in the form of
      CGMs into WGP is a very promising and novel approach to improving prediction
      accuracy for some of the most challenging scenarios in plant breeding and applied
      genetics. 

PMID- 26121134
TI  - Molecular Mechanisms Mediating the Adaptive Regulation of Intestinal Riboflavin
      Uptake Process.
AB  - The intestinal absorption process of vitamin B2 (riboflavin, RF) is carrier
      mediated, and all three known human RF transporters, i.e., hRFVT-1, -2, and -3
      (products of the SLC52A1, 2 & 3 genes, respectively) are expressed in the gut. We
      have previously shown that the intestinal RF uptake process is adaptively
      regulated by substrate level, but little is known about the molecular
      mechanism(s) involved. Using human intestinal epithelial NCM460 cells maintained
      under RF deficient and over-supplemented (OS) conditions, we now show that the
      induction in RF uptake in RF deficiency is associated with an increase in
      expression of the hRFVT-2 & -3 (but not hRFVT-1) at the protein and mRNA levels.
      Focusing on hRFVT-3, the predominant transporter in the intestine, we also
      observed an increase in the level of expression of its hnRNA and activity of its
      promoter in the RF deficiency state. An increase in the level of expression of
      the nuclear factor Sp1 (which is important for activity of the SLC52A3 promoter)
      was observed in RF deficiency, while mutating the Sp1/GC site in the SLC52A3
      promoter drastically decreased the level of induction in SLC52A3 promoter
      activity in RF deficiency. We also observed specific epigenetic changes in the
      SLC52A3 promoter in RF deficiency. Finally, an increase in hRFVT-3 protein
      expression at the cell surface was observed in RF deficiency. Results of these
      investigations show, for the first time, that transcriptional and post
      transcriptional mechanisms are involved in the adaptive regulation of intestinal
      RF uptake by the prevailing substrate level. 

PMID- 26121135
TI  - Dual Action of Myricetin on Porphyromonas gingivalis and the Inflammatory
      Response of Host Cells: A Promising Therapeutic Molecule for Periodontal
      Diseases.
AB  - Periodontitis that affects the underlying structures of the periodontium,
      including the alveolar bone, is a multifactorial disease, whose etiology involves
      interactions between specific bacterial species of the subgingival biofilm and
      the host immune components. In the present study, we investigated the effects of
      myricetin, a flavonol largely distributed in fruits and vegetables, on growth and
      virulence properties of Porphyromonas gingivalis as well as on the P. gingivalis
      induced inflammatory response in host cells. Minimal inhibitory concentration
      values of myricetin against P. gingivalis were in the range of 62.5 to 125
      MUg/ml. The iron-chelating activity of myricetin may contribute to the
      antibacterial activity of this flavonol. Myricetin was found to attenuate the
      virulence of P. gingivalis by reducing the expression of genes coding for
      important virulence factors, including proteinases (rgpA, rgpB, and kgp) and
      adhesins (fimA, hagA, and hagB). Myricetin dose-dependently prevented NF-kappaB
      activation in a monocyte model. Moreover, it inhibited the secretion of IL-6, IL
      8 and MMP-3 by P. gingivalis-stimulated gingival fibroblasts. In conclusion, our
      study brought clear evidence that the flavonol myricetin exhibits a dual action
      on the periodontopathogenic bacterium P. gingivalis and the inflammatory response
      of host cells. Therefore, myricetin holds promise as a therapeutic agent for the
      treatment/prevention of periodontitis. 

PMID- 26121136
TI  - Nanohybrids from nanotubular J-aggregates and transparent silica nanoshells.
AB  - Organic-inorganic nanohybrids have been synthesized by in situ coating
      supramolecular nanotubular J-aggregates with helically wound silica ribbons,
      reflecting the J-aggregates' superstructure. The J-aggregates retain their
      morphology and optical properties in the nanohybrids, and display improved
      stability against elevated temperatures, chemical ambient and photo-bleaching. 

PMID- 26121137
TI  - Amblyomma americanum as a Bridging Vector for Human Infection with Francisella
      tularensis.
AB  - The gamma-proteobacterium Francisella tularensis causes seasonal tick-transmitted
      tularemia outbreaks in natural rabbit hosts and incidental infections in humans
      in the south-central United States. Although Dermacentor variabilis is considered
      a primary vector for F. tularensis, Amblyomma americanum is the most abundant
      tick species in this endemic region. A systematic study of F. tularensis
      colonization of A. americanum was undertaken to better understand its potential
      to serve as an overwintering reservoir for F. tularensis and as a bridging vector
      for human infections. Colony-reared A. americanum were artificially fed F.
      tularensis subspecies holarctica strain LVS via glass capillaries and
      colonization levels determined. Capillary-fed larva and nymph were initially
      infected with 10(4) CFU/tick which declined prior to molting for both stages, but
      rebounded post-molting in nymphs and persisted in 53% at 10(3) to 10(8) CFU/nymph
      at 168 days post-capillary feeding (longest sampling time in the study). In
      contrast, only 18% of adults molted from colonized nymphs maintained LVS
      colonization at 10(1) to 10(5) CFU/adult at 168 days post-capillary feeding
      (longest sampling time). For adults, LVS initially colonized the gut and
      disseminated to salivary glands by 24 h and had an ID50 of <5CFU in mice.
      Francisella tularensis infected the ovaries of gravid females, but transmission
      to eggs was infrequent and transovarial transmission to hatched larvae was not
      observed. The prolonged persistence of F. tularensis in A. americanum nymphs
      supports A. americanum as an overwintering reservoir for F. tularensis from which
      seasonal epizootics may originate; however, although the rapid dissemination of
      F. tularensis from gut to salivary glands in adults A. americanum is compatible
      with intermittent feeding adult males acting as bridging vectors for incidental
      F. tularensis infections of humans, acquisition of F. tularensis by adults may be
      unlikely based on adult feeding preference for larger mammals which are not
      involved in maintenance of sylvatic tularemia.

PMID- 26121138
TI  - Genome-Wide Association Analysis for Blood Lipid Traits Measured in Three Pig
      Populations Reveals a Substantial Level of Genetic Heterogeneity.
AB  - Serum lipids are associated with myocardial infarction and cardiovascular disease
      in humans. Here we dissected the genetic architecture of blood lipid traits by
      applying genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 1,256 pigs from Laiwu,
      Erhualian and Duroc * (Landrace * Yorkshire) populations, and a meta-analysis of
      GWAS in more than 2,400 pigs from five diverse populations. A total of 22 genomic
      loci surpassing the suggestive significance level were detected on 11 pig
      chromosomes (SSC) for six blood lipid traits. Meta-analysis of GWAS identified 5
      novel loci associated with blood lipid traits. Comparison of GWAS loci across the
      tested populations revealed a substantial level of genetic heterogeneity for
      porcine blood lipid levels. We further evaluated the causality of nine
      polymorphisms nearby or within the APOB gene on SSC3 for serum LDL-C and TC
      levels. Of the 9 polymorphisms, an indel showed the most significant association
      with LDL-C and TC in Laiwu pigs. But the significant association was not
      identified in the White Duroc * Erhualian F2 resource population, in which the
      QTL for LDL-C and TC was also detected on SSC3. This indicates that population
      specific signals may exist for the SSC3 QTL. Further investigations are warranted
      to validate this assumption. 

PMID- 26121140
TI  - Synthesis of dendritic Pt-Ni-P alloy nanoparticles with enhanced electrocatalytic
      properties.
AB  - Dendritic Pt-Ni-P alloy NPs with different chemical compositions were
      successfully synthesized via a facile wet-chemical route. Owing to the unique
      dendritic nanostructures and synergistic electronic effects of P, Ni, and Pt
      atoms, the as-prepared dendritic Pt-Ni-P alloy NPs exhibit a higher
      electrocatalytic activity than dendritic Pt-Ni alloy NPs and commercial Pt/C. 

PMID- 26121139
TI  - Channel Activity of Cardiac Ryanodine Receptors (RyR2) Determines Potency and
      Efficacy of Flecainide and R-Propafenone against Arrhythmogenic Calcium Waves in
      Ventricular Cardiomyocytes.
AB  - Flecainide blocks ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2) channels in the open state,
      suppresses arrhythmogenic Ca2+ waves and prevents catecholaminergic polymorphic
      ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) in mice and humans. We hypothesized that
      differences in RyR2 activity induced by CPVT mutations determines the potency of
      open-state RyR2 blockers like flecainide (FLEC) and R-propafenone (RPROP) against
      Ca2+ waves in cardiomyocytes. Using confocal microscopy, we studied Ca2+ sparks
      and waves in isolated saponin-permeabilized ventricular myocytes from two CPVT
      mouse models (Casq2-/-, RyR2-R4496C+/-), wild-type (c57bl/6, WT) mice, and WT
      rabbits (New Zealand white rabbits). Consistent with increased RyR2 activity,
      Ca2+ spark and wave frequencies were significantly higher in CPVT compared to WT
      mouse myocytes. We next obtained concentration-response curves of Ca2+ wave
      inhibition for FLEC, RPROP (another open-state RyR2 blocker), and tetracaine
      (TET) (a state-independent RyR2 blocker). Both FLEC and RPROP inhibited Ca2+
      waves with significantly higher potency (lower IC50) and efficacy in CPVT
      compared to WT. In contrast, TET had similar potency in all groups studied.
      Increasing RyR2 activity of permeabilized WT myocytes by exposure to caffeine
      (150 uM) increased the potency of FLEC and RPROP but not of TET. RPROP and FLEC
      were also significantly more potent in rabbit ventricular myocytes that
      intrinsically exhibit higher Ca2+ spark rates than WT mouse ventricular myocytes.
      In conclusion, RyR2 activity determines the potency of open-state blockers FLEC
      and RPROP for suppressing arrhythmogenic Ca2+ waves in cardiomyocytes, a
      mechanism likely relevant to antiarrhythmic drug efficacy in CPVT. 

PMID- 26121141
TI  - Shared Segment Analysis and Next-Generation Sequencing Implicates the Retinoic
      Acid Signaling Pathway in Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (TAPVR).
AB  - Most isolated congenital heart defects are thought to be sporadic and are often
      ascribed to multifactorial mechanisms with poorly understood genetics. Total
      Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (TAPVR) occurs in 1 in 15,000 live-born infants
      and occurs either in isolation or as part of a syndrome involving aberrant left
      right development. Previously, we reported causative links between TAVPR and the
      PDGFRA gene. TAPVR has also been linked to the ANKRD1/CARP genes. However, these
      genes only explain a small fraction of the heritability of the condition. By
      examination of phased single nucleotide polymorphism genotype data from 5
      distantly related TAPVR patients we identified a single 25 cM shared, Identical
      by Descent genomic segment on the short arm of chromosome 12 shared by 3 of the
      patients and their obligate-carrier parents. Whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis
      identified a non-synonymous variant within the shared segment in the retinol
      binding protein 5 (RBP5) gene. The RBP5 variant is predicted to be deleterious
      and is overrepresented in the TAPVR population. Gene expression and functional
      analysis of the zebrafish orthologue, rbp7, supports the notion that RBP5 is a
      TAPVR susceptibility gene. Additional sequence analysis also uncovered
      deleterious variants in genes associated with retinoic acid signaling, including
      NODAL and retinol dehydrogenase 10. These data indicate that genetic variation in
      the retinoic acid signaling pathway confers, in part, susceptibility to TAPVR. 

PMID- 26121142
TI  - A Comparative Analysis on Assessment of Land Carrying Capacity with Ecological
      Footprint Analysis and Index System Method.
AB  - Land carrying capacity (LCC) explains whether the local land resources are
      effectively used to support economic activities and/or human population. LCC can
      be evaluated commonly with two approaches, namely ecological footprint analysis
      (EFA) and the index system method (ISM). EFA is helpful to investigate the
      effects of different land categories whereas ISM can be used to evaluate the
      contributions of social, environmental, and economic factors. Here we compared
      the two LCC-evaluation approaches with data collected from Xiamen City, a typical
      region where rapid economic growth and urbanization are found in China. The
      results show that LCC assessments with EFA and ISM not only complement each other
      but also are mutually supportive. Both assessments suggest that decreases in
      arable land and increasingly high energy consumption have major negative effects
      on LCC and threaten sustainable development for Xiamen City. It is important for
      the local policy makers, planners and designers to reduce ecological deficits by
      controlling fossil energy consumption, protecting arable land and forest land
      from converting into other land types, and slowing down the speed of
      urbanization, and to promote sustainability by controlling rural-to-urban
      immigration, increasing hazard-free treatment rate of household garbage, and
      raising energy consumption per unit industrial added value. Although EFA seems
      more appropriate for estimating LCC for a resource-output or self-sufficient
      region and ISM is more suitable for a resource-input region, both approaches
      should be employed when perform LCC assessment in any places around the world. 

PMID- 26121144
TI  - Origin of the facet dependence in the hydrogenation catalysis of olefins:
      experiment and theory.
AB  - Shape-controlled Pd nanocrystals are used as model catalysts to demonstrate facet
      dependent catalysis in the hydrogenation of olefins. The close packed Pd{111}
      shows high catalytic activity for styrene but not for trans-stilbene. However,
      the open Pd{100} facets hydrogenate both olefins. DFT calculations reveal that
      the hydrogenation reactivity critically depends on the stability of half
      hydrogenated intermediates. 

PMID- 26121143
TI  - Proteomics and Transcriptomics of BJAB Cells Expressing the Epstein-Barr Virus
      Noncoding RNAs EBER1 and EBER2.
AB  - In Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent infection, the EBV-encoded RNAs EBER1 and
      EBER2 accumulate in the host cell nucleus to ~10(6) copies. While the expression
      of EBERs in cell lines is associated with transformation, a mechanistic
      explanation of their roles in EBV latency remains elusive. To identify EBER
      specific gene expression features, we compared the proteome and mRNA
      transcriptome from BJAB cells (an EBV-negative B lymphoma cell line) stably
      transfected with an empty plasmid or with one carrying both EBER genes. We
      identified ~1800 proteins with at least 2 SILAC pair measurements, of which only
      8 and 12 were up- and downregulated >= 2-fold, respectively. One upregulated
      protein was PIK3AP1, a B-cell specific protein adapter known to activate the PI3K
      AKT signaling pathway, which regulates alternative splicing and translation in
      addition to its pro-survival effects. In the mRNA-seq data, the mRNA levels for
      some of the proteins changing in the SILAC data did not change. We instead
      observed isoform switch events. We validated the most relevant findings with
      biochemical assays. These corroborated the upregulation of PIK3AP1 and AKT
      activation in BJAB cells expressing high levels of both EBERs and EBNA1 (a
      surrogate of Burkitt's lymphoma EBV latency I) relative to those expressing only
      EBNA1. The mRNA-seq data in these cells showed multiple upregulated oncogenes
      whose mRNAs are enriched for 3'-UTR AU-rich elements (AREs), such as ccl3, ccr7,
      il10, vegfa and zeb1. The CCL3, CCR7, IL10 and VEGFA proteins promote cell
      proliferation and are associated with EBV-mediated lymphomas. In EBV latency,
      ZEB1 represses the transcription of ZEBRA, an EBV lytic phase activation factor.
      We previously found that EBER1 interacts with AUF1 in vivo and proposed
      stabilization of ARE-containing mRNAs. Thus, the ~10(6) copies of EBER1 may
      promote not only cell proliferation due to an increase in the levels of ARE
      containing genes like ccl3, ccr7, il10, and vegfa, but also the maintenance of
      latency, through higher levels of zeb1.

PMID- 26121145
TI  - Finger Flexor Force Influences Performance in Senior Male Air Pistol Olympic
      Shooting.
AB  - The ability to stabilize the gun is crucial for performance in Olympic pistol
      shooting and is thought to be related to the shooters muscular strength. The
      present study examines the relation between performance and finger flexor force
      as well as shoulder abduction isometric force in senior male air pistol shooting.
      46 Spanish national level shooters served as test subjects of the study. Two
      maximal force tests were carried out recording handgrip and deltoid force data
      under competition conditions, during the official training time at national
      Spanish championships. Performance was measured as the total score of 60 shots at
      competition. Linear regressions were calculated to examine the relations between
      performance and peak and average finger flexor forces, peak and average finger
      flexor forces relative to the BMI, peak and average shoulder abduction isometric
      forces, peak shoulder abduction isometric force relative to the BMI. The
      connection between performance and other variables such as age, weight, height,
      BMI, experience in years and training hours per week was also analyzed.
      Significant correlations were found between performance at competition and
      average and peak finger flexor forces. For the rest of the force variables no
      significant correlations were found. Significant correlations were also found
      between performance at competition and experience as well as training hours. No
      significant correlations were found between performance and age, weight, height
      or BMI. The study concludes that hand grip strength training programs are
      necessary for performance in air pistol shooting. 

PMID- 26121146
TI  - Investigation of Ground-Level Ozone and High-Pollution Episodes in a Megacity of
      Eastern China.
AB  - Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) was used for the long-term
      observation of ground-level ozone (O3) from March 2010 to March 2013 over
      Shanghai, China. The 1-hour average concentration of O3 was 27.2 +/- 17.0 ppbv.
      O3 level increased during spring, reached the peak in late spring and early
      summer, and then decreased in autumn and finally dropped to the bottom in winter.
      The highest monthly average O3 concentration in June (41.1 ppbv) was nearly three
      times as high as the lowest level recorded in December (15.2 ppbv). In terms of
      pollution episodes, 56 hourly samples (on 14 separate days) in 2010 exceeded the
      1-hour ozone limit of 200 MUg/m3 specified by the Grade II of the Chinese Ambient
      Air Quality Standards (CAAQS, revised GB 3095-2012). Utilizing the Hybrid Single
      Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, the primary
      contribution to high ozone days (HODs) was identified as the regional
      transportation of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and high concentrations of O3
      from the chemical industrial zone in the Jinshan district of Shanghai. HODs
      showed higher concentrations of HONO and NO2 than non-episode conditions,
      implying that HONO at high concentration during HODs was capable of increasing
      the O3 concentration. The photolysis rate of HONO was estimated, suggesting that
      the larger number of OH radicals resulting from high concentrations of HONO have
      a considerable impact on ozone concentrations. 

PMID- 26121147
TI  - Structural and Biochemical Characterization of the Francisella tularensis
      Pathogenicity Regulator, Macrophage Locus Protein A (MglA).
AB  - Francisella tularensis is one of the most infectious bacteria known and is the
      etiologic agent of tularemia. Francisella virulence arises from a 33 kilobase
      (Kb) pathogenicity island (FPI) that is regulated by the macrophage locus protein
      A (MglA) and the stringent starvation protein A (SspA). These proteins interact
      with both RNA polymerase (RNAP) and the pathogenicity island gene regulator
      (PigR) to activate FPI transcription. However, the molecular mechanisms involved
      are not well understood. Indeed, while most bacterial SspA proteins function as
      homodimers to activate transcription, F. tularensis SspA forms a heterodimer with
      the MglA protein, which is unique to F. tularensis. To gain insight into MglA
      function, we performed structural and biochemical studies. The MglA structure
      revealed that it contains a fold similar to the SspA protein family.
      Unexpectedly, MglA also formed a homodimer in the crystal. Chemical crosslinking
      and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) studies showed that MglA is able to self
      associate in solution to form a dimer but that it preferentially heterodimerizes
      with SspA. Finally, the MglA structure revealed malate, which was used in
      crystallization, bound in an open pocket formed by the dimer, suggesting the
      possibility that this cleft could function in small molecule ligand binding. The
      location of this binding region relative to recently mapped PigR and RNAP
      interacting sites suggest possible roles for small molecule binding in MglA and
      SspA*MglA function. 

PMID- 26121148
TI  - Improving Negative Emotion Recognition in Young Offenders Reduces Subsequent
      Crime.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children with antisocial behaviour show deficits in the perception of
      emotional expressions in others that may contribute to the development and
      persistence of antisocial and aggressive behaviour. Current treatments for
      antisocial youngsters are limited in effectiveness. It has been argued that more
      attention should be devoted to interventions that target neuropsychological
      correlates of antisocial behaviour. This study examined the effect of emotion
      recognition training on criminal behaviour. METHODS: Emotion recognition and
      crime levels were studied in 50 juvenile offenders. Whilst all young offenders
      received their statutory interventions as the study was conducted, a subgroup of
      twenty-four offenders also took part in a facial affect training aimed at
      improving emotion recognition. Offenders in the training and control groups were
      matched for age, SES, IQ and lifetime crime level. All offenders were tested
      twice for emotion recognition performance, and recent crime data were collected
      after the testing had been completed. RESULTS: Before the training there were no
      differences between the groups in emotion recognition, with both groups
      displaying poor fear, sadness and anger recognition. After the training fear,
      sadness and anger recognition improved significantly in juvenile offenders in the
      training group. Although crime rates dropped in all offenders in the 6 months
      following emotion testing, only the group of offenders who had received the
      emotion training showed a significant reduction in the severity of the crimes
      they committed. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that emotion recognition can be
      relatively easily improved in youths who engage in serious antisocial and
      criminal behavior. The results suggest that improved emotion recognition has the
      potential to reduce the severity of reoffending.

PMID- 26121150
TI  - Suicide Is Still With Us.

PMID- 26121149
TI  - Gene Expression Profiling of H9c2 Myoblast Differentiation towards a Cardiac-Like
      Phenotype.
AB  - H9c2 myoblasts are a cell model used as an alternative for cardiomyocytes. H9c2
      cells have the ability to differentiate towards a cardiac phenotype when the
      media serum is reduced in the presence of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA), creating
      multinucleated cells with low proliferative capacity. In the present study, we
      performed for the first time a transcriptional analysis of the H9c2 cell line in
      two differentiation states, i.e. embryonic cells and differentiated cardiac-like
      cells. The results show that RA-induced H9c2 differentiation increased the
      expression of genes encoding for cardiac sarcomeric proteins such as troponin T,
      or calcium transporters and associated machinery, including SERCA2, ryanodine
      receptor and phospholamban as well as genes associated with mitochondrial energy
      production including respiratory chain complexes subunits, mitochondrial creatine
      kinase, carnitine palmitoyltransferase I and uncoupling proteins.
      Undifferentiated myoblasts showed increased gene expression of pro-survival
      proteins such as Bcl-2 as well as cell cycle-regulating proteins. The results
      indicate that the differentiation of H9c2 cells lead to an increase of
      transcripts and protein levels involved in calcium handling, glycolytic and
      mitochondrial metabolism, confirming that H9c2 cell differentiation induced by RA
      towards a more cardiac-like phenotype involves remodeled mitochondrial function.
      PI3K, PDK1 and p-CREB also appear to be involved on H9c2 differentiation.
      Furthermore, complex analysis of differently expressed transcripts revealed
      significant up-regulation of gene expression related to cardiac muscle
      contraction, dilated cardiomyopathy and other pathways specific for the cardiac
      tissue. Metabolic and gene expression remodeling impacts cell responses to
      different stimuli and determine how these cells are used for biochemical assays. 

PMID- 26121151
TI  - Metacognitive Deficits in Schizophrenia: Presence and Associations With
      Psychosocial Outcomes.
AB  - Early formulations of schizophrenia suggested that the disorder involves a loss
      of ability to form integrated ideas about oneself, others, and the world,
      resulting in reductions in complex goal-directed behaviors. Exploring this
      position, the current review describes evidence that persons with schizophrenia
      experience decrements in their ability to form complex ideas about themselves and
      to ultimately use that knowledge to respond to psychological and social
      challenges. Studies are detailed that find greater levels of these impairments,
      defined as metacognitive deficits, in persons with schizophrenia in both early
      and later phases of illness as compared with other clinical and community groups.
      Furthermore, studies linking metacognitive deficits with poorer psychosocial
      functioning and other variables closely linked to outcomes are summarized.
      Clinical implications are also discussed. 

PMID- 26121152
TI  - An Examination of Executive Functioning in Young Adults Exhibiting Body-Focused
      Repetitive Behaviors.
AB  - Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), including hair pulling, nail biting,
      and skin picking are repetitive, habitual, and compulsive in nature. Although
      characteristic of disorders such as trichotillomania and skin picking disorder,
      BFRBs are associated with other psychiatric conditions as well. To date, research
      has failed to examine neurocognitive risk factors, particularly executive
      functioning, implicated in BFRBs utilizing a transdiagnostic approach. The
      present study recruited 53 participants (n = 27 demonstrating BFRBs and n = 26
      randomly selected controls) from a larger sample of young adults. Participants
      completed an automated neurocognitive test battery including tasks of cognitive
      flexibility, working memory, and planning and organization. Results revealed that
      participants in the BFRB group demonstrated significantly poorer cognitive
      flexibility (d = 0.63) than controls. No differences were noted in other
      neurocognitive domains. However, planning and organization demonstrated a
      significant relationship with various BFRB severity measures. Implications,
      limitations, and avenues for further research are discussed. 

PMID- 26121153
TI  - Housing First and the Risk of Failure: A Comment on Westermeyer and Lee (2013).
AB  - Over the last 5 years, community policies in response to homelessness have
      shifted toward offering permanent housing accompanied by treatment supports,
      without requiring treatment success as a precondition. The US Department of
      Veterans Affairs (VA) has embraced this "Housing First" approach. A 2013 report
      sounds a contrarian note. In a 16-person quasi-experimental study, 8 veterans who
      entered VA's permanent supportive housing did poorly, whereas 8 veterans who
      remained in more traditional treatment did well. In this commentary, we suggest
      that the report was problematic in the conceptualization of the matters it sought
      to address and in its science. Nonetheless, it highlights challenges that must
      not be ignored. From this report and other research, we now know that even more
      attention is required to support clinical recovery for Housing First clients.
      Successful implementation of Housing First requires guidance from agency leaders,
      and their support for clinical staff when individual clients fare poorly. 

PMID- 26121154
TI  - Housing First/HUD-VASH: Importance, Flaws, and Potential for Transformation:
      Response to Commentary.
AB  - This paper consists of responses to issues raised in the accompanying Commentary.
      Our response is organized under three topics: (1) reasons regarding the
      importance of issues, (2) the need for a comprehensive framework in housing
      placement, and (3) conceptualization and scientific design (with details on
      contemporary methods for investigating unanticipated consequences when
      randomization is no longer feasible). Recurrences to substance use disorder in
      the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) housing placement condition are
      noted within hours or days, with rapid implementation of planned contingencies,
      and avoidance of enabling. Recurrences in the Housing First/HUD-VASH (HF/H-V)
      condition escape notice for weeks to months, and continued use is accepted as a
      core principle of the program. HF/H-V contingencies occur later for major
      disruptions, leading to discharge. For patients recruited from our clinic, HF/H-V
      performed poorly when compared to a long-accepted standard of care, the ASAM
      placement criteria. 

PMID- 26121156
TI  - VERO stable cell lines expressing full-length human epidermal growth factor
      receptors 2 and 3: platforms for subtractive phage display.
AB  - Cross-talk between human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and 3 (HER2 and HER3)
      may potentially contribute to therapeutic resistance in human breast cancer.
      Subtractive phage display allows highly specific selection for antibody fragments
      directed against cells surface HER2 and HER3. The strategies to select
      conformation- and activation-specific antibodies against HER2 and HER3 require
      tightly regulated HER2 and HER3 expressing cells that allow controlled
      activation/inactivation of these receptors during panning procedures. To achieve
      this, first, we found that the VERO cell line is an appropriate cell line for
      heterogeneous expression of HER2 and HER3, and then we established a panel of
      VERO stable cell lines expressing high levels of HER2 and HER3 alone and in
      combination. We also showed that HER2 and HER3 expressed in VERO cells were
      biologically active and could form heterodimer following neuregulin1 treatment.
      The cell line established here not only provided platforms for phage display
      based methods but also could be used in any HER-related studies. 

PMID- 26121155
TI  - Symptoms of Eating Disorders and Depression in Emerging Adults with Early-Onset,
      Long-Duration Type 1 Diabetes and Their Association with Metabolic Control.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study analyzed the prevalence of and association between
      symptoms of eating disorders and depression in female and male emerging adults
      with early-onset, long-duration type 1 diabetes and investigated how these
      symptoms are associated with metabolic control. METHODS: In a nationwide
      population-based survey, 211 type 1 diabetes patients aged 18-21 years completed
      standardized questionnaires, including the SCOFF questionnaire for eating
      disorder symptoms and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for symptoms of
      depression and severity of depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 score). Multiple linear and
      logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between eating
      disorder and depressive symptoms and their associations with HbA1c. RESULTS: A
      total of 30.2% of the women and 9.5% of the men were screening positive for
      eating disorders. The mean PHQ-9 score (standard deviation) was 5.3 (4.4) among
      women and 3.9 (3.6) among men. Screening positive for an eating disorder was
      associated with more severe depressive symptoms among women (betawomen 3.8,
      p<0.001). However, neither eating disorder symptoms nor severity of depressive
      symptoms were associated with HbA1c among women, while HbA1c increased with the
      severity of depressive symptoms among men (betamen 0.14, p=0.006). CONCLUSIONS:
      Because of the high prevalence of eating disorder and depressive symptoms, their
      interrelationship, and their associations with metabolic control, particularly
      among men, regular mental health screening is recommended for young adults with
      type 1 diabetes.

PMID- 26121157
TI  - A Golgi-localized two-photon probe for imaging zinc ions.
AB  - We report a two-photon fluorescent probe which shows a strong two photon excited
      fluorescence enhancement in response to Zn(2+), easy loading into the cells,
      Golgi-localizing ability, low cytotoxicity, and high photostability. Two-photon
      microscopy imaging revealed that this probe allows for real-time monitoring of
      the changes in Golgi Zn(2+) as well as their 3D distributions in live cells and
      tissues. 

PMID- 26121158
TI  - Structural Stability and Flexibility Direct the Selection of Activating Mutations
      in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Kinase.
AB  - Herein we investigate the potential of novel methods of molecular dynamics
      analysis to provide information on the key factors that underlie the preferential
      localization and the effects of mutations modulating protein activities.
      Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinases are selected as a test case. The
      combined analysis of protein energetics and internal dynamics indicates a clear
      polarization in the native protein, whereby a highly stable and ordered scaffold
      in one domain, namely the C-lobe, is combined to a flexible and loosely
      stabilized domain, the N-lobe. The subdivision in two portions with different
      properties directs the presence of point mutations mainly to the N-lobe. This
      allows modulating protein flexibility so that the protein can more efficiently
      sample the conformations necessary for substrate recognition, while leaving the
      stability of the protein unperturbed. In this context, comparative simulations of
      EGFR in the wild type sequence and in the presence of the activating oncogenic
      mutation G719S reveal flexibility changes in several key regions, involving in
      particular the part of the kinase devoted to the regulation of substrate
      recognition (regulatory core) and an increase in the number of stabilizing
      interactions in the N-lobe for the activated mutant. Our approaches represent a
      promising and simple strategy toward rationalizing the effects of mutations in
      modulating enzymatic activities. 

PMID- 26121159
TI  - Re: Cost-effectiveness of continuous subcutaneous apomorphine in the treatment of
      Parkinson's Disease in the UK and Germany.

PMID- 26121160
TI  - Healthcare costs of pregnancy in systemic lupus erythematosus: retrospective
      observational analysis from a US health claims database.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Systemic lupus erythematosus is a complex autoimmune disease, most
      frequently affecting women of childbearing age. Women with lupus are at increased
      risk of pregnancy complications that are exacerbated by active disease. Despite
      this, their use of medications and hospital resources has not been extensively
      studied. METHODS: Retrospective analyses of the Truven Health MarketScan database
      (2006-2012) aimed to quantify drug and resource utilization in pregnant women
      with lupus, as well as the incidence of pregnancy complications in these
      patients. Records of women aged 12-54 were reviewed and both lupus patients and
      pregnancies identified. Pregnant women with lupus were matched 1:5 with either
      pregnant women without lupus, or non-pregnant women with lupus. RESULTS:
      Pregnancies with lupus were associated with increased complications when compared
      to pregnancies without lupus. During pregnancy, the use of immunosuppressants
      decreased in pregnant women with lupus, as did rheumatologist visits, while the
      number of women not treated with any immunosuppressant increased. Pregnant women
      with lupus showed higher overall treatment costs than controls. However, compared
      to non-pregnant women with lupus, medication costs actually dropped, possibly due
      to the withdrawal of medications from these patients or women becoming pregnant
      while disease activity was low. CONCLUSIONS: The large database analyses reported
      here revealed that pregnancies in women with lupus were associated with a higher
      risk of complications, higher healthcare costs, and fewer prescribed medications,
      including immunosuppressants, than the control groups. The increased risk of
      complications and decreased immunosuppressant use suggest that patients require
      additional guidance from physicians to give them the best chance of experiencing
      a safe pregnancy. Indeed, despite the recognized role active lupus plays in
      increasing pregnancy complications, women with lupus had fewer rheumatology
      visits during pregnancy, although their visits to their general
      practitioner/primary healthcare provider increased, highlighting the need for
      team-based co-ordination care between OBGYN physicians and rheumatologists.

PMID- 26121161
TI  - Impact of initiation of asenapine on patterns of utilization and cost of
      healthcare resources associated with the treatment of bipolar I disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of initiation of asenapine on "real-world" levels
      of utilization and cost of healthcare services for the treatment of bipolar I
      disorder (BPD) in the US. METHODS: Using two large US healthcare claims databases
      that collectively included commercially insured patients aged < 65 years and
      Medicare enrollees, this study identified all adults (>= 18 years) with evidence
      of BPD who began therapy with asenapine between 2009-2012. The date of the
      earliest claim for asenapine during this period was deemed the 'index date', and
      patients without continuous enrollment for the 6-month periods before and after
      this date were excluded ('pre-index' and 'post-index', respectively). Healthcare
      claims with a BPD diagnosis, plus psychiatric medications and the costs thereof
      (2012 dollars) were deemed 'BPD-related'. Differences in BPD-related utilization
      and cost of healthcare services were compared between the pre- and post-index
      periods. RESULTS: A total of 1403 patients met all selection criteria; the mean
      age was 42.8 years and 70.6% were women. Relative to pre-index, significant
      decreases were noted in post-index use of BPD-related healthcare services, most
      notably admissions (from 24.0% to 12.3% during the post-index period) and
      emergency department visits (from 4.6% to 2.6%) (both p < 0.05). While pharmacy
      costs increased, mean total post-index BPD-related healthcare costs were $979
      lower than pre-index ($5002 vs $5981; p < 0.05), primarily due to the decrease in
      BPD-related admissions. CONCLUSIONS: Relative to the 6-month period beforehand,
      levels of utilization of BPD-related healthcare services and costs decreased
      during the 6-month period immediately following initiation of asenapine therapy.

PMID- 26121162
TI  - A Case of Unilateral Hypnic Headache: Rapid Response to Ramelteon, a Selective
      Melatonin MT1/MT2 Receptor Agonist.

PMID- 26121163
TI  - Effects of "Reduced" and "Business-As-Usual" CO2 Emission Scenarios on the Algal
      Territories of the Damselfish Pomacentrus wardi (Pomacentridae).
AB  - Turf algae are a very important component of coral reefs, featuring high growth
      and turnover rates, whilst covering large areas of substrate. As food for many
      organisms, turf algae have an important role in the ecosystem. Farming damselfish
      can modify the species composition and productivity of such algal assemblages,
      while defending them against intruders. Like all organisms however, turf algae
      and damselfishes have the potential to be affected by future changes in seawater
      (SW) temperature and pCO2. In this study, algal assemblages, in the presence and
      absence of farming Pomacentrus wardi were exposed to two combinations of SW
      temperature and pCO2 levels projected for the austral spring of 2100 (the B1
      "reduced" and the A1FI "business-as-usual" CO2 emission scenarios) at Heron
      Island (GBR, Australia). These assemblages were dominated by the presence of red
      algae and non-epiphytic cyanobacteria, i.e. cyanobacteria that grow attached to
      the substrate rather than on filamentous algae. The endpoint algal composition
      was mostly controlled by the presence/absence of farming damselfish, despite a
      large variability found between the algal assemblages of individual fish.
      Different scenarios appeared to be responsible for a mild, species specific
      change in community composition, observable in some brown and green algae, but
      only in the absence of farming fish. Farming fish appeared unaffected by the
      conditions to which they were exposed. Algal biomass reductions were found under
      "reduced" CO2 emission, but not "business-as-usual" scenarios. This suggests that
      action taken to limit CO2 emissions may, if the majority of algae behave
      similarly across all seasons, reduce the potential for phase shifts that lead to
      algal dominated communities. At the same time the availability of food resources
      to damselfish and other herbivores would be smaller under "reduced" emission
      scenarios. 

PMID- 26121164
TI  - Conduction Mechanisms in CVD-Grown Monolayer MoS2 Transistors: From Variable
      Range Hopping to Velocity Saturation.
AB  - We fabricate transistors from chemical vapor deposition-grown monolayer MoS2
      crystals and demonstrate excellent current saturation at large drain voltages
      (Vd). The low-field characteristics of these devices indicate that the electron
      mobility is likely limited by scattering from charged impurities. The current
      voltage characteristics exhibit variable range hopping at low Vd and evidence of
      velocity saturation at higher Vd. This work confirms the excellent potential of
      MoS2 as a possible channel-replacement material and highlights the role of
      multiple transport phenomena in governing its transistor action. 

PMID- 26121166
TI  - P63 Positive Mucoepidermoid Tumor of the Lacrimal Sac with Associated Papilloma.
AB  - We report a case of a 44-year-old man who presented with a left medial canthal
      mass and epiphora. Imaging was suggestive of a mass continuous with the
      nasolacrimal sac. Subsequent surgical exploration revealed a mass adherent to
      bone with invasion of the lacrimal system. Histological examination revealed a
      squamous/transitional cell papilloma overlying a low-grade mucoepidermoid
      carcinoma (MEC). Complete surgical resection was completed and pathology
      confirmed the diagnosis. This is the first case in which a MEC has been reported
      concurrently with an overlying papilloma, providing support for the hypothesis
      that MECs arise from papillomas in the lacrimal sac. Additionally, the tissue
      stained positive for p63, which is congruent with MEC immunoreactivity in the
      salivary gland. The description of these unique histopathological findings may
      assist in definitive diagnosis and improve our understanding of the
      pathophysiology underlying lacrimal sac MEC tumors. 

PMID- 26121165
TI  - Bacterial Exposures and Associations with Atopy and Asthma in Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The increase in prevalence of asthma and atopic diseases in Western
      countries has been linked to aspects of microbial exposure patterns of people. It
      remains unclear which microbial aspects contribute to the protective farm effect.
      OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify bacterial groups
      associated with prevalence of asthma and atopy, and to quantify indoor exposure
      to some of these bacterial groups. METHODS: A DNA fingerprinting technique,
      denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), was applied to mattress dust
      samples of farm children and control children in the context of the GABRIEL
      Advanced study. Associations between signals in DGGE and atopy, asthma and other
      allergic health outcomes were analyzed. Quantitative DNA based assays (qPCR) for
      four bacterial groups were applied on the dust samples to seek quantitative
      confirmation of associations indicated in DNA fingerprinting. RESULTS: Several
      statistically significant associations between individual bacterial signals and
      also bacterial diversity in DGGE and health outcomes in children were observed.
      The majority of these associations showed inverse relationships with atopy, less
      so with asthma. Also, in a subsequent confirmation study using a quantitative
      method (qPCR), higher mattress levels of specifically targeted bacterial groups -
      Mycobacterium spp., Bifidobacteriaceae spp. and two different clusters of
      Clostridium spp. - were associated with a lower prevalence of atopy. CONCLUSION:
      DNA fingerprinting proved useful in identifying bacterial signals that were
      associated with atopy in particular. These findings were quantitatively confirmed
      for selected bacterial groups with a second method. High correlations between the
      different bacterial exposures impede a clear attribution of protective effects to
      one specific bacterial group. More diverse bacterial flora in mattress dust may
      link to microbial exposure patterns that protect against development of atopic
      diseases.

PMID- 26121167
TI  - A Phase 1 exercise dose escalation study for stroke survivors with impaired
      walking.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Targeted exercise and increased practice can improve the mobility of
      stroke survivors. However, many stroke survivors continue to have reduced
      physical work capacity and impaired walking, and experience frequent falls after
      participating in physical rehabilitation programs. AIM: In this Phase 1 study, we
      used a dose escalation method, common in pharmaceutical trials, to determine the
      maximum tolerable dose of multimodal exercise in community-dwelling stroke
      survivors with mobility impairment. METHODS: Stroke survivors 14-59 months
      poststroke participated in a 12-week (36 sessions) multimodal exercise program
      implemented using a cumulative 3 + 3 dose escalation design (featuring increasing
      doses in successive cohorts of three participants), with set dose-limiting
      tolerance criteria. The exercise intervention included challenging balance
      activities, strength, and endurance training. The program was individualized and
      focused on task-specific requirements for walking in the community. RESULTS: Six
      survivors participated before escalation was ceased. Four participants were able
      to tolerate up to 10.5 h/week of exercise, which included 283 min of endurance,
      182 min of task practice, 138 min of strengthening, and 28 min resting. The
      program led to increased walking distance (Six-Minute Walk Test) and faster
      mobility (4 Square Step Test, Timed Up and Go Test), with pre-postimprovements
      averaging 23-41%. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first multimodal exercise dose
      escalation study in stroke. The maximal dose of exercise identified was
      dramatically higher than the dose typically delivered to stroke survivors in
      current trials. We now plan to confirm safety and feasibility of this program in
      a larger Phase II trial.

PMID- 26121168
TI  - Morphometric correlates of dysarthric deficit in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
AB  - Our objective was to investigate the volumetric correlates of speech in
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Twenty-three ALS patients had a structural
      3D MRI scan, neuropsychological, linguistic and speech assessments. Twenty-three
      healthy adults of comparable age, education, white-matter hyperintensity load and
      intracranial volumes were also recruited. Between-group differences in grey
      matter and white matter (WM) were examined to characterize ALS patients
      accurately. The association between residual speech and volumetric maps was
      studied in these patients. Results demonstrated that ALS patients showed a
      pattern of WM reduction, which was located in peri-cortical motor/premotor fibres
      bilaterally, and in a large volume extending from the pons/midbrain to the
      cerebellum. A speech composite score was computed, and this was positively
      associated with premotor/supplementary-motor WM bilaterally, and right cerebellar
      WM. Since premotor associations were found in volumes where ALS patients showed
      WM reduction, this region is believed to be directly involved in speech execution
      in this group. Since cerebellar associations were instead found in volumes free
      from shrinkage, this region is interpreted as playing a modulatory role,
      compensating for the impact of ALS pathology. 

PMID- 26121169
TI  - Predictors of impaired communication in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients
      with tracheostomy-invasive ventilation.
AB  - Predictors of communication impairment in patients with amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis (ALS) using tracheostomy-invasive ventilation (TIV) were investigated.
      Seventy-six ALS patients using TIV were enrolled and classified into three
      subgroups of communication ability: patients who could communicate with
      communication devices (Stage I), patients who had difficulty with communication
      (Stage II, III, or IV), and patients who could not communicate by any means
      (Stage V). Predictors of communication impairment were analysed by the Cox
      proportional hazard model. Results demonstrated that there were no significant
      differences in disease duration between subgroups. Within 24 months after disease
      onset, patients who needed TIV and tube feeding, developed oculomotor impairment
      or became totally quadriplegic and progressed from Stage I to II and V
      significantly earlier. Multivariate analyses revealed that within 24 months from
      onset, the need for TIV and progression to total quadriplegia were significant
      events in patients who progressed to Stage II, whereas the development of
      oculomotor limitation was significant in patients who progressed to Stage V. In
      conclusion, TIV, impaired oculomotor movement and total quadriplegia are
      predictors of severe communication impairment. Rapid disease progression might
      indicate future communication impairment after the use of TIV. We highly
      recommend early detection of impaired communication and identification of the
      best methods of communication. 

PMID- 26121170
TI  - A revision of the El Escorial criteria - 2015.

PMID- 26121171
TI  - Associations between executive functions and long-term stress reactions after
      extreme trauma: A two-year follow-up of the Utoya survivors.
AB  - Terror attacks cause variation in everyday functioning across several domains.
      This paper focuses on the individual long-term costs in terms of clinical
      symptoms and cognitive (e.g., shifting, inhibition, and spatial working memory)
      difficulties associated with these symptoms in 24 survivors of a terror attack in
      Norway. Another 24 controls were included for comparison purposes. Participants
      were administered a battery of clinical and neurocognitive tests. Results showed
      that all clinical variables differed as a function of group, ps <= .001, eta2 >=
      .64, but no significant differences were revealed for the neurocognitive
      measures. In the survivor group, shifting capacity and its interaction with
      gender predicted intrusion symptoms, p = .045, etap2 = .338, and symptoms of
      avoidance, p = .008, etap2 = .453. We discuss the findings in relation to
      theoretical models and therapeutic interventions.

PMID- 26121172
TI  - Predicting professional quality of life among professional and volunteer
      caregivers.
AB  - This study is one of the few that has compared volunteers' professional quality
      of life (PQL), which includes secondary traumatic stress (STS), burnout, and
      compassion satisfaction (CS), to those of professional caregivers. In addition,
      the research compared the ethical behavior of volunteers with that of
      professional therapists and examined the connection between years of experience,
      ethical behavior, and PQL. One hundred eighty-three volunteers and professional
      caregivers filled out a sociodemographic questionnaire, an Ethical Behavior
      Questionnaire and the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) questionnaire. The
      results indicated that professional caregivers report lower levels of STS and
      burnout, and higher levels of CS and ethical behavior compared with volunteer
      caregivers. Moreover, the findings suggest that ethical behavior correlates with
      STS, burnout, and CS. Ethical behavior has a protective value for mental health
      caregivers. The discussion emphasizes the value of a professional code of ethics
      and ethical training for professional and volunteering caregivers.

PMID- 26121173
TI  - Early PTSD symptom sub-clusters predicting chronic posttraumatic stress following
      sexual assault.
AB  - Contemporary models of PTSD disaggregate this disorder into sub-clusters that
      differentially impact functioning. Severity of different types of PTSD symptoms
      in the acute posttrauma period may be predictive of the course of PTSD over time.
      Few research studies, however, have examined the predictive utility of PTSD sub
      clusters. This study sought to determine the relative predictive validity of 4
      sub-clusters, namely reexperiencing, strategic avoidance, emotional numbing, and
      hyperarousal, assessed within 1 month of a sexual assault. Women (N=120) who had
      been sexually assaulted completed self-report measures at 1 and 4 months
      postassault. Linear regression analyses revealed that early reexperiencing and
      emotional numbing sub-clusters uniquely contributed to the prediction of PTSD
      symptoms at month 4 (strategic avoidance and hyperarousal did not). To help
      explain and contextualize these findings, we explored the extent to which
      posttraumatic cognitions mediated the relationship between acute reexperiencing
      and emotional numbing and later PTSD symptoms. Simultaneous multiple mediation
      analyses revealed that general negative cognitions about the self significantly
      mediated the relationship between both reexperiencing and emotional numbing and
      month 4 PTSD symptoms. These findings have significant clinical implications,
      pointing to the importance of targeting posttraumatic cognitions in the acute
      posttrauma phase.

PMID- 26121174
TI  - Hypervigilance in college students: Associations with betrayal and dissociation
      and psychometric properties in a Brief Hypervigilance Scale.
AB  - Betrayal trauma theory (Freyd, 1994, 1996) proposes that traumas high in social
      betrayal are expected to lead to psychological outcomes of dissociation, amnesia,
      and/or shame because these responses are adaptive to a survivor trying to
      preserve a necessary relationship in the face of mistreatment. Within the field
      of trauma studies more generally, there is substantial support for the
      proposition that traumas that cause intense fear should lead to posttraumatic
      anxiety and hypervigilance. Despite ample evidence for both theorized causal
      pathways, very few studies have tested associations between betrayal exposure,
      hypervigilance, and dissociation. The current study had 2 aims: first, as no self
      report measure of hypervigilance had been developed for nonveteran populations,
      we sought to identify a subset of Hypervigilance Questionnaire (Knight, 1993)
      items that validly and reliably measure hypervigilance within college
      undergraduates (n = 489; 62.6% female, 69.9% Caucasian) with and without elevated
      levels of posttraumatic stress. Second, we tested the associations among trauma
      history, hypervigilance, and dissociation. Psychometric analyses revealed 5
      hypervigilance items we introduce as the Brief Hypervigilance Scale. Partial
      correlations revealed that each posttraumatic response was not related to a
      history of low betrayal trauma (i.e. non-interpersonal trauma) controlling for
      betrayal trauma (i.e. interpersonal trauma), but was related to betrayal trauma
      controlling for low betrayal trauma. These associations remained significant
      after controlling for the other posttraumatic response (i.e. hypervigilance or
      dissociation). Follow-up analyses revealed that hypervigilance was independently
      associated with adult, but not child high betrayal trauma, and the opposite was
      true for dissociation. Implications for theory, research, and clinical practice
      are discussed.

PMID- 26121175
TI  - Treatment initiation and dropout from prolonged exposure and cognitive processing
      therapy in a VA outpatient clinic.
AB  - Emerging data suggest that few veterans are initiating prolonged exposure (PE)
      and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and dropout levels are high among those
      who do start the therapies. The goal of this study was to use a large sample of
      veterans seen in routine clinical care to 1) report the percent of eligible and
      referred veterans who (a) initiated PE/CPT, (b) dropped out of PE/CPT, (c) were
      early PE/CPT dropouts, 2) examine predictors of PE/CPT initiation, and 3) examine
      predictors of early and late PE/CPT dropout. We extracted data from the medical
      records of 427 veterans who were offered PE/CPT following an intake at a Veterans
      Health Administration (VHA) PTSD Clinical Team. Eighty-two percent (n = 351) of
      veterans initiated treatment by attending Session 1 of PE/CPT; among those
      veterans, 38.5% (n = 135) dropped out of treatment. About one quarter of veterans
      who dropped out were categorized as early dropouts (dropout before Session 3). No
      significant predictors of initiation were identified. Age was a significant
      predictor of treatment dropout; younger veterans were more likely to drop out of
      treatment than older veterans. Therapy type was also a significant predictor of
      dropout; veterans receiving PE were more likely to drop out late than veterans
      receiving CPT. Findings demonstrate that dropout from PE/CPT is a serious problem
      and highlight the need for additional research that can guide the development of
      interventions to improve PE/CPT engagement and adherence.

PMID- 26121176
TI  - Correlates of improvement in substance abuse among dually diagnosed veterans with
      post-traumatic stress disorder in specialized intensive VA treatment.
AB  - Substantial rates of substance use comorbidity have been observed among veterans
      with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), highlighting the need to identify
      patient and program characteristics associated with improved outcomes for
      substance abuse. Data were drawn from 12,270 dually diagnosed veterans who sought
      treatment from specialized intensive Veterans Health Administration PTSD programs
      between 1993 and 2011. The magnitude of the improvement in Addiction Severity
      Index (ASI) alcohol and drug use composite scores from baseline was moderate,
      with effect sizes (ES) of -.269 and -.287, respectively. Multivariate analyses
      revealed that treatment in longer-term programs, being prescribed psychiatric
      medication, and planned participation in reunions were all associated with
      slightly improved outcomes. Reductions in substance use measures were associated
      with robust improvements in PTSD symptoms and violent behavior. These findings
      suggest not only synergistic treatment effects linking improvement in PTSD
      symptoms with substance use disorders among dually diagnosed veterans with PTSD,
      but also to reductions in violent behavior. Furthermore, the findings indicate
      that proper discharge planning in addition to intensity and duration of treatment
      for dually diagnosed veterans with severe PTSD may result in better outcomes.
      Further dissemination of evidence-based substance abuse treatment may benefit
      this population.

PMID- 26121177
TI  - CD1d knockout mice exhibit aggravated contact hypersensitivity responses due to
      reduced interleukin-10 production predominantly by regulatory B cells.
AB  - Conflicting observations have been reported concerning the role of CD1d-dependent
      natural killer T (NKT) cells in contact hypersensitivity (CHS), supporting either
      a disease-promoting or downregulatory function. We studied the role of NKT cells
      in CHS by comparing the immune response in CD1d knockout (CD1d KO) and wild-type
      (Wt) mice after contact allergen exposure. For induction of CHS, C57BL/6 CD1d KO
      mice (n = 6) and C57BL/6 Wt mice (n = 6) were sensitised with 1% (w/v)
      dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) or vehicle for three consecutive days and
      subsequently challenged with a single dose of 0.5% DNCB (w/v) on the ears fifteen
      days later. We demonstrate that CD1d KO mice, as compared with Wt littermates,
      have more pronounced infiltration of mononuclear cells in the skin (29.1%
      increase; P < 0.001), lower frequencies of interleukin-10(+) B cells (B(regs) )
      in the spleen (53.2% decrease; P < 0.05) and peritoneal cavity (80.8% decrease; P
      < 0.05) and increased production of interferon-gamma (3-fold; P < 0.05) after
      DNCB sensitisation and challenge, which suggests an important regulatory and
      protective role of CD1d-dependent NKT cells in CHS in our model, at least in part
      via regulation of IL-10 producing B(regs) .

PMID- 26121178
TI  - Improve First-Cycle Efficiency and Rate Performance of Layered-Layered
      Li1.2Mn0.6Ni0.2O2 Using Oxygen Stabilizing Dopant.
AB  - The poor first-cycle Coulombic efficiency and rate performance of the Li-rich
      layered-layered oxides are associated with oxygen gas generation in the first
      activation charging and sluggish charge transportation along the layers. In this
      work, we report that barium doping improves the first-cycle efficiency of Li-rich
      layered-layered Li1.2Mn0.6Ni0.2O2 via suppression of the oxidation of O(2-) ions
      in the first charging. This effect can be attributed to the stabilizing effect of
      the barium cations on the oxygen radical intermediates generated during the
      oxidation of O(2-). Meanwhile, because the stabilized oxygen radicals likely
      facilitate the charge transportation in the layered-layered structure, the barium
      doped Li1.2Mn0.6Ni0.2O2 exhibits significant improvement in rate performance.
      Stabilizing the oxygen radicals could be a promising strategy to improve the
      electrochemical performance of Li-rich layered-layered oxides. 

PMID- 26121179
TI  - Room for Death--International museum-visitors' preferences regarding the end of
      their life.
AB  - Just as pain medications aim to relieve physical suffering, supportive
      surrounding for death and dying may facilitate well-being and comfort. However,
      little has been written of the experience of or preferences for the surroundings
      in which death and dying take place. In this study, we aim to complement our
      research from perspectives of patients, family members and staff, with
      perspectives from an international sample of the general public. Data derives
      from a project teaming artists and craftspeople together to create prototypes of
      space for difficult conversations in end-of-life (EoL) settings. These prototypes
      were presented in a museum exhibition, "Room for Death", in Stockholm in 2012. As
      project consultants, palliative care researchers contributed a question to the
      public viewing the exhibition, to explore their reflections: "How would you like
      it to be around you when you are dying?" Five-hundred and twelve responses were
      obtained from visitors from 46 countries. While preliminary analysis pointed to
      many similarities in responses across countries, continued analysis with a
      phenomenographic approach allowed us to distinguish different foci related to how
      preferences for surroundings for EoL were conceptualized. Responses were
      categorized in the following inductively-derived categories: The familiar death,
      The 'larger-than life' death, The lone death, The mediated death, The calm and
      peaceful death, The sensuous death, The 'green' death, and The distanced death.
      The responses could relate to a single category or be composites uniting
      different categories in individual combinations, and provide insight into
      different facets of contemporary reflections about death and dying. Despite the
      selective sample, these data give reason to consider how underlying assumptions
      and care provision in established forms for end-of-life care may differ from
      people's preferences. This project can be seen as an example of innovative
      endeavors to promote public awareness of issues related to death and dying,
      within the framework of health-promoting palliative care. 

PMID- 26121180
TI  - Quality of Life in Head and Neck Cancer Patient-Caregiver Dyads: A Systematic
      Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As we learn about patient experiences with head and neck cancer, it
      is also important to consider caregivers so that family-centered care can be
      improved. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this systematic review was to (a) identify
      the research questions, methods, and measures that have been examined in quality
      of-life studies with head and neck cancer patients and their caregivers (dyads)
      and (b) identify gaps and future directions for research and practice. METHODS:
      We conducted a systematic search of electronic databases using keywords (head and
      neck cancer, caregiver, quality of life) and included studies that assessed
      quality of life-related constructs in both patients and caregivers. A dyadic
      quality-of-life conceptual model guided the summary of observations. RESULTS:
      Thirteen studies met eligibility criteria. The most common research questions
      included comparing patient and caregiver quality of life, examining relationships
      between personal and clinical factors in 1 dyad member and a quality-of-life
      outcome in the other, and exploring relationships between interpersonal processes
      and quality of life. Psychological quality-of-life constructs were most commonly
      studied. There was substantial variability in study findings, in part due to
      differences in study questions and samples. CONCLUSIONS: Future research is
      needed to examine longitudinal interpersonal processes in head and neck cancer.
      Unique caregiving tasks should be inventoried, and dyadic data analysis
      techniques should be used. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Head and neck cancer
      dramatically affects quality of life in patients and caregivers, and quality
      clinical care requires a dyadic focus. Oncology nurses have a unique opportunity
      to develop and implement dyadic illness management models for head and neck
      cancer.

PMID- 26121181
TI  - Epithelial deletion of podoplanin is dispensable for re-epithelialization of skin
      wounds.
AB  - The mucin-like transmembrane protein podoplanin (PDPN) is prominently represented
      in tumor-associated gene expression signatures of numerous types of cancer
      including squamous cell carcinoma, and gain-of-function and knockdown approaches
      in tissue culture strongly suggested an important role of PDPN in cell
      proliferation, migration and adhesion. PDPN is absent during epidermal
      homeostasis but is highly expressed in basal keratinocytes during cutaneous wound
      healing. Enhanced motility of immortalized keratinocytes upon ectopic PDPN
      overexpression argues for wound healing defects upon podoplanin deficiency in
      keratinocytes; however, in vivo data that unequivocally define the impact of PDPN
      by functional studies in a physiologically relevant system are still missing.
      Here, we have applied an in vivo loss-of-function approach by generating a novel
      transgenic mouse line with keratinocyte-specific podoplanin deficiency.
      Performing cutaneous full-thickness excisional wounds to examine re
      epithelialization capacity, unexpectedly, no defects were observed in wound
      healing properties of mutant mice. Similarly, PDPN-deficient primary
      keratinocytes showed no impairment in migration, adhesion or proliferation. Thus,
      PDPN function is not rate-limiting for re-epithelialization but may be
      functionally compensated by an as yet unknown protein. Our data also call for in
      vivo functional studies on PDPN in settings of skin tumor development and
      progression to clarify PDPN's role in skin pathology. 

PMID- 26121182
TI  - The Importance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health in Neurology:
      What's in a Name?

PMID- 26121183
TI  - The PCA learning effect: An emerging correlate of face memory during childhood.
AB  - Human adults implicitly learn the prototype and the principal components of the
      variability distinguishing faces (Gao & Wilson, 2014). Here we measured the
      implicit learning effect in adults and 9-year-olds, and with a modified child
      friendly procedure, in 7-year-olds. All age groups showed the implicit learning
      effect by falsely recognizing the average (the prototype effect) and the
      principal component faces as having been seen (the PCA learning effect). The PCA
      learning effect, but not the prototype effect increased between 9years of age and
      adulthood and at both ages was the better predictor of memory for the actually
      studied faces. In contrast, for the 7-year-olds, the better predictor of face
      memory was the prototype effect. The pattern suggests that there may be a
      developmental change between ages 7 and 9 in the mechanism underlying memory for
      faces. We provide the first evidence that children as young as age 7 can extract
      the most important dimensions of variation represented by principal components
      among individual faces, a key ability that grows stronger with age and comes to
      underlie memory for faces. 

PMID- 26121184
TI  - The impact of abatacept treatment on the vasculature in patients with rheumatoid
      arthritis.

PMID- 26121185
TI  - Generalized social anxiety disorder: A still-neglected anxiety disorder 3 decades
      since Liebowitz's review.
AB  - In the 3 decades since Liebowitz's review of 'a neglected anxiety disorder,'
      controversy and challenges have remained in the study of social anxiety disorder
      (SAD). This review examines evidence around the classification and subtyping of
      SAD, focusing on generalized SAD. Substantial discrepancies and variation in
      definition, epidemiology, assessment, and treatment of generalized SAD exist as
      the international literature on it has grown. In East Asian cultures in
      particular, study of taijin kyofusho has been important to a broadened
      conceptualization of SAD into generalized SAD. Despite important progress with
      biological and other studies, many challenges in the understanding of generalized
      SAD will remain in the years to come. 

PMID- 26121186
TI  - A Weibull statistics-based lignocellulose saccharification model and a built-in
      parameter accurately predict lignocellulose hydrolysis performance.
AB  - Renewable energy from lignocellulosic biomass has been deemed an alternative to
      depleting fossil fuels. In order to improve this technology, we aim to develop
      robust mathematical models for the enzymatic lignocellulose degradation process.
      By analyzing 96 groups of previously published and newly obtained lignocellulose
      saccharification results and fitting them to Weibull distribution, we discovered
      Weibull statistics can accurately predict lignocellulose saccharification data,
      regardless of the type of substrates, enzymes and saccharification conditions. A
      mathematical model for enzymatic lignocellulose degradation was subsequently
      constructed based on Weibull statistics. Further analysis of the mathematical
      structure of the model and experimental saccharification data showed the
      significance of the two parameters in this model. In particular, the lambda
      value, defined the characteristic time, represents the overall performance of the
      saccharification system. This suggestion was further supported by statistical
      analysis of experimental saccharification data and analysis of the glucose
      production levels when lambda and n values change. In conclusion, the constructed
      Weibull statistics-based model can accurately predict lignocellulose hydrolysis
      behavior and we can use the lambda parameter to assess the overall performance of
      enzymatic lignocellulose degradation. Advantages and potential applications of
      the model and the lambda value in saccharification performance assessment were
      discussed. 

PMID- 26121187
TI  - Alphalpha 2a-Adrenoceptor Gene Expression and Early Life Stress-Mediated
      Propensity to Alcohol Drinking in Outbred Rats.
AB  - Stressful events early in life, later high alcohol consumption and vulnerability
      to alcohol use disorder (AUD) are tightly linked. Norepinephrine is highly
      involved in the stress response and the alpha2A-adrenoceptor, which is an
      important regulator of norepinephrine signalling, is a putative target in
      pharmacotherapy of AUD. The aim of the present study was to investigate the
      effects of early-life stress and adult voluntary alcohol drinking on the alpha2A
      adrenoceptor. The relative expression and promoter DNA methylation of the Adra2a
      gene were measured in the hypothalamus, a key brain region in stress regulation.
      A well-characterized animal model of early-life stress was used in combination
      with an episodic voluntary drinking in adulthood. Alcohol drinking rats with a
      history of early-life stress had lower Adra2a expression than drinking rats not
      exposed to stress. Alcohol intake and Adra2a gene expression were negatively
      correlated in high-drinking animals, which were predominantly rats subjected to
      early-life stress. The results provide support for a link between early-life
      stress, susceptibility for high alcohol consumption, and low Adra2a expression in
      the hypothalamus. These findings can increase our understanding of the
      neurobiological basis for vulnerability to initiate risk alcohol consumption and
      individual differences in the response to alpha2A-adrenoceptor agonists. 

PMID- 26121188
TI  - Forecasting and Analyzing the Disease Burden of Aged Population in China, Based
      on the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Forecasting the disease burden of the elderly will contribute to make
      a comprehensive assessment about physical and mental status of the elderly in
      China and provide a basis for reducing the negative consequences of aging society
      to a minimum. METHODS: This study collected data from a public database online
      provided by Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Grey model GM (1, 1) was used to
      forecast all-cause and disease-specific rates of disability adjusted life years
      (DALYs) in 2015 and 2020. RESULTS: After cross-sectional and longitudinal
      analysis, we found that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were still the greatest
      threats in the elderly, followed by injuries. As for 136 predicted causes, more
      than half of NCDs increased obviously with age, less than a quarter of
      communicable, material, neonatal, and nutritional disorders or injuries had
      uptrend. CONCLUSIONS: The findings display the health condition of the Chinese
      elderly in the future, which will provide critical information for scientific and
      sociological researches on preventing and reducing the risks of aging society.

PMID- 26121189
TI  - Physical Activity and Snus: Is There a Link?
AB  - The study aimed at assessing the link between physical activity (PA), sports
      activity and snus use among young men in Switzerland. Data from the Cohort Study
      on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF) were used to measure PA with the
      International Physical Activity Questionnaire and sports activity with a single
      item. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to measure the
      association between snus use, PA and sports activity. Similar models were run for
      smoking and snuff use. Snus use increased in a dose-response association with PA
      (high level: OR = 1.72; 95% CI 1.16-2.55) and with individuals exercising once a
      week or more often (OR = 1.65; 95% CI 1.26-2.16; p < 0.001) or almost every day
      (OR = 2.27; 95% CI 1.72-3.01; p < 0.001) in separate models. Entered
      simultaneously, only sports and exercise maintained a basically unchanged
      significant dose-response relationship, whereas PA became non-significant. A non
      significant dose-response relation was found for cigarette smoking and snuff use,
      indicating that the association with sport is specific to snus and not to tobacco
      use in general or smokeless tobacco in particular. This study showed that the
      association between snus use and sports is not specific to Nordic countries. 

PMID- 26121190
TI  - Cardiovascular mortality associated with 5 leading risk factors: national and
      state preventable fractions estimated from survey data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Impressive decreases in cardiovascular mortality have been achieved
      through risk factor reduction and clinical intervention, yet cardiovascular
      disease remains a leading cause of death nationally. OBJECTIVE: To estimate up-to
      date preventable fractions of cardiovascular mortality associated with
      elimination and reduction of 5 leading risk factors nationally and by state in
      the United States. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and cohort studies. SETTING:
      Nationally representative and state-representative samples of the U.S.
      population. PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged 45 to 79 years. MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported
      risk factor status in the BRFSS (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) 2009
      2010 was corrected to approximate clinical definitions. The relative hazards of
      cardiovascular death (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision,
      codes I00 to I99) associated with risk factors were estimated using data from
      NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) (1988-1994 and 1999
      2004, followed through 2006). RESULTS: The preventable fraction of cardiovascular
      mortality associated with complete elimination of elevated cholesterol levels,
      diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and smoking was 54.0% for men and 49.6% for
      women in 2009 to 2010. When the more feasible target of reducing risk factors to
      the best achieved levels in the states was considered, diabetes (1.7% and 4.1%),
      hypertension (3.8% and 7.3%), and smoking (5.1% and 4.4%) were independently
      associated with the largest preventable fractions among men and women,
      respectively. With both targets, southern states had the largest preventable
      fractions, and western states had the smallest. LIMITATION: Self-reported state
      data; mortality hazards relied on baseline risk factor status. CONCLUSION: Major
      modifiable cardiovascular risk factors collectively accounted for half of
      cardiovascular deaths in U.S. adults aged 45 to 79 years in 2009 to 2010. Fewer
      than 10% of cardiovascular deaths nationally could be prevented if all states
      were to achieve risk factor levels observed in the best-performing states.
      PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

PMID- 26121191
TI  - Computed Tomography Radiation Dose in Patients With Suspected Urolithiasis.

PMID- 26121192
TI  - A gut feeling about immunity.

PMID- 26121045
TI  - Application of DNA Barcodes in Asian Tropical Trees--A Case Study from
      Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve, Southwest China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Within a regional floristic context, DNA barcoding is more useful to
      manage plant diversity inventories on a large scale and develop valuable
      conservation strategies. However, there are no DNA barcode studies from tropical
      areas of China, which represents one of the biodiversity hotspots around the
      world. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A DNA barcoding database of an Asian
      tropical trees with high diversity was established at Xishuangbanna Nature
      Reserve, Yunnan, southwest China using rbcL and matK as standard barcodes, as
      well as trnH-psbA and ITS as supplementary barcodes. The performance of tree
      species identification success was assessed using 2,052 accessions from four
      plots belonging to two vegetation types in the region by three methods: Neighbor
      Joining, Maximum-Likelihood and BLAST. We corrected morphological field
      identification errors (9.6%) for the three plots using rbcL and matK based on
      Neighbor-Joining tree. The best barcode region for PCR and sequencing was rbcL
      (97.6%, 90.8%), followed by trnH-psbA (93.6%, 85.6%), while matK and ITS obtained
      relative low PCR and sequencing success rates. However, ITS performed best for
      both species (44.6-58.1%) and genus (72.8-76.2%) identification. With trnH-psbA
      slightly less effective for species identification. The two standard barcode rbcL
      and matK gave poor results for species identification (24.7-28.5% and 31.6
      35.3%). Compared with other studies from comparable tropical forests (e.g.
      Cameroon, the Amazon and India), the overall performance of the four barcodes for
      species identification was lower for the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve, possibly
      because of species/genus ratios and species composition between these tropical
      areas. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Although the core barcodes rbcL and matK were
      not suitable for species identification of tropical trees from Xishuangbanna
      Nature Reserve, they could still help with identification at the family and genus
      level. Considering the relative sequence recovery and the species identification
      performance, we recommend the use of trnH-psbA and ITS in combination as the
      preferred barcodes for tropical tree species identification in China.

PMID- 26121193
TI  - Heterogeneity of autoimmune diseases: pathophysiologic insights from genetics and
      implications for new therapies.
AB  - Recent advances in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) across autoimmune and
      immune-mediated diseases have augmented our understanding of pathogenic
      mechanisms underlying these diseases. This has further highlighted their
      heterogeneous nature, both within and between diseases. Furthermore, varying
      responses to therapy have also served to underline the importance of this
      heterogeneity in the manner in which these diseases are diagnosed and treated.
      Here we discuss our current understanding of the shared pathways of autoimmunity,
      including the tumor necrosis factor (TNF), major histocompatibility complex
      (MHC), interleukin 23 receptor (IL23R) and protein tyrosine phosphatase non
      receptor type 22 (PTPN22) pathways. In addition, we summarize effective specific
      therapies tested across major autoimmune diseases, highlighting the insight they
      have provided into disease mechanisms and their implications for potential future
      improvements. 

PMID- 26121194
TI  - Influence of nutrient-derived metabolites on lymphocyte immunity.
AB  - Organisms need to protect themselves against potential dangers from their
      surroundings, yet they require constant and intimate interactions with the same
      environment for their survival. The immune system is instrumental for protection
      against invading organisms and their toxins. The immune system consists of many
      cell types and is highly integrated within other tissues. Immune activity is
      particularly enriched at surfaces that separate the host from its environment,
      such as the skin and the gastrointestinal tract. This enables protection at sites
      directly at risk but also enables environmental factors to influence the
      maturation and function of immune structures and cells. Recent work has indicated
      that the diet in particular is able to influence the immune system and thus
      affect the development of inflammatory disease. This review aims to highlight
      recent work on how external factors, with a focus on those derived from the diet
      such as vitamin A, can have a direct or indirect deterministic influence on the
      activity and function of immunity. 

PMID- 26121195
TI  - The emerging role of resident memory T cells in protective immunity and
      inflammatory disease.
AB  - Over the past decade, it has become clear that there is an important subset of
      memory T cells that resides in tissues-tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells.
      There is an emerging understanding that TRM cells have a role in human tissue
      specific immune and inflammatory diseases. Furthermore, the nature of the
      molecular signals that maintain TRM cells in tissues is the subject of much
      investigation. In addition, whereas it is logical for TRM cells to be located in
      barrier tissues at interfaces with the environment, these cells have also been
      found in brain, kidney, joint and other non-barrier tissues in humans and mice.
      Given the biology and behavior of these cells, it is likely that they have a role
      in chronic relapsing and remitting diseases of both barrier and non-barrier
      tissues. In this Review we discuss recent insights into the biology of TRM cells
      with a particular focus on their roles in disease, both proven and putative. 

PMID- 26121196
TI  - IL-12 and IL-23 cytokines: from discovery to targeted therapies for immune
      mediated inflammatory diseases.
AB  - The cytokine interleukin-12 (IL-12) was thought to have a central role in T cell
      mediated responses in inflammation for more than a decade after it was first
      identified. Discovery of the cytokine IL-23, which shares a common p40 subunit
      with IL-12, prompted efforts to clarify the relative contribution of these two
      cytokines in immune regulation. Ustekinumab, a therapeutic agent targeting both
      cytokines, was recently approved to treat psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and
      related agents are in clinical testing for a variety of inflammatory disorders.
      Here we discuss the therapeutic rationale for targeting these cytokines, the
      unintended consequences for host defense and tumor surveillance and potential
      ways in which these therapies can be applied to treat additional immune
      disorders. 

PMID- 26121199
TI  - Feasibility of Routinely Offering Early Combined Antiretroviral Therapy to HIV
      infected Infants in a Resource-limited Country: The ANRS-PediaCAM Study in
      Cameroon.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of HIV is increasingly available for infants in
      resource-limited settings. We assessed the timing of events until combined
      antiretroviral therapy (cART) initiation in infants diagnosed before 7 months of
      age in Cameroon. METHODS: The ANRS-PediaCAM cohort included HIV-infected infants
      followed from birth associated with prevention of mother-to-child transmission
      activities (group 1) or diagnosed for any other reason before 7 months of age
      (group 2). All infants were offered free cART early after diagnosis. Frequency
      and factors associated with no or delayed cART initiation, were studied using
      univariable and multivariable logistic regressions. RESULTS: Between 2007 and
      2011, 210 HIV-infected infants (group 1: 69; group 2: 141) were included. Fewer
      group 1 (14.3%) than group 2 (59.1%) infants were symptomatic (World Health
      Organization stage 3 or 4). Overall, 5.7% (n = 12) died before receiving any
      cART. Of the remaining 198 infants, 3.0% (n = 6) were not treated. The median age
      at initiating cART was 4.1 months [interquartile range (IQR): 3.2-5.6]. The
      median time until cART initiation after HIV testing was 6.2 weeks (IQR: 4.4-9.4)
      in group 1 and 5.1 weeks (IQR: 2.9-9.4) in group 2. No or delayed cART, observed
      for 37.9% (75 of 198) of the infants, was associated with clinical site [adjusted
      odds ratio (aOR): 4.8; 95% confidence interval: (2.1-11.2)], late diagnosis [aOR:
      2.0 (0.9-4.1)], and delayed pretherapeutic biological assessment [aOR: 3.7 (1.4
      10.0)]. CONCLUSIONS: Although most children included were treated before age 7
      months, the initiation of therapy was delayed for more than 1 in 3. The period
      around HIV diagnosis is critical and should be better managed to reduce delays
      before cART initiation.

PMID- 26121197
TI  - Inflammasomes: mechanism of action, role in disease, and therapeutics.
AB  - The inflammasomes are innate immune system receptors and sensors that regulate
      the activation of caspase-1 and induce inflammation in response to infectious
      microbes and molecules derived from host proteins. They have been implicated in a
      host of inflammatory disorders. Recent developments have greatly enhanced our
      understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which different inflammasomes are
      activated. Additionally, increasing evidence in mouse models, supported by human
      data, strongly implicates an involvement of the inflammasome in the initiation or
      progression of diseases with a high impact on public health, such as metabolic
      disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Finally, recent developments pointing
      toward promising therapeutics that target inflammasome activity in inflammatory
      diseases have been reported. This review will focus on these three areas of
      inflammasome research. 

PMID- 26121201
TI  - Risk Factors for Bloodstream Infection After Living-donor Liver Transplantation
      in Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative bloodstream infection (BSI) is the most important
      determinant of recipient morbidity and mortality after liver transplantation
      (LT). Children who underwent LT are at the highest risk of developing BSI because
      of the significant surgical intervention, use of multiple devices, and
      administration of immunosuppressive agents. However, information regarding the
      risk factors for BSI in children after LT is limited. METHODS: We retrospectively
      reviewed 210 children who underwent living-donor LT at the largest pediatric LT
      center in Japan. Patients' characteristics, blood culture results and clinical
      outcomes were extracted from electronic medical records. Univariate and
      multivariate analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for BSI.
      RESULTS: Among the 210 LT recipients, 53 (25%) recipients experienced 86 episodes
      of BSI during the observational period. The source of the BSI was identified only
      in 38%: catheter-related BSI (27%) peritonitis (7%), urinary tract infection
      (2%), pneumonia (1%) and infectious endocarditis (1%). A multivariate analysis
      demonstrated that body weight (P = 0.03), volume of blood loss during LT (P <
      0.001) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia positivity (P = 0.04) were
      independently associated with the development of BSI. The risk factors for BSI
      differed when we analyzed the subjects according to age (<=24 months and >24
      months), blood loss and pediatric end-stage liver disease/model for end-stage
      liver disease versus positive CMV antigenemia. CONCLUSIONS: The volume of blood
      loss, postoperative CMV antigenemia positivity and body weight were associated
      with the development of BSI after LT in pediatric living-donor recipients. To
      identify the age-specific predictors of BSI in children who underwent LT, age
      specific analyses are crucial.

PMID- 26121200
TI  - Immunogenicity and Safety of a 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Given
      With DTaP Vaccine in Healthy Infants in Japan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 13-Valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) provides broader
      protection against pneumococcal disease than 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate
      vaccine (PCV7). This study performed in Japan compared the safety and
      immunogenicity of PCV13 with PCV7. METHODS: Healthy Japanese infants received
      PCV13 and diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP), PCV7 and
      DTaP or DTaP alone subcutaneously as a 3-dose infant series, with a fourth dose
      at 12 months of age. Antigen-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) serum concentrations
      and opsonophagocytic activity and DTaP antibodies were measured 1 month after
      doses 3 and 4. RESULTS: After 3 and 4 doses, the proportion of subjects in the
      PCV13 + DTaP group achieving IgG concentrations >=0.35 MUg/mL to the 7 serotypes
      common to PCV13 and PCV7 was noninferior to that of the PCV7 + DTaP group. IgG
      geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) in the PCV13 + DTaP group were lower than
      but noninferior to the PCV7 + DTaP group GMCs. For the 6 additional pneumococcal
      serotypes, the proportion of PCV13 + DTaP group responders achieving IgG
      concentrations >=0.35 MUg/mL and IgG GMCs (except serotype 3 after dose 4) was
      noninferior to the lowest PCV7 + DTaP group pneumococcal response in PCV7
      recipients, and responses to the 6 additional antigens were significantly higher.
      The majority of the subjects achieved prespecified antibody levels to DTaP
      antigens. GMCs to DTaP antigens were comparable among groups, except filamentous
      hemagglutinin (numerically higher in the DTaP alone group after dose 4).
      CONCLUSIONS: PCV13 + DTaP was as immunogenic as PCV7 for the 7 common
      pneumococcal antigens and elicited significantly higher responses to the 6
      additional antigens. DTaP responses were comparable across groups. PCV13 given
      with DTaP was safe and well tolerated.

PMID- 26121198
TI  - Innate lymphoid cells in the initiation, regulation and resolution of
      inflammation.
AB  - A previously unappreciated cell type of the innate immune system, termed innate
      lymphoid cells (ILCs), has been characterized in mice and humans and found to
      influence the induction, regulation and resolution of inflammation. ILCs have an
      important role in these processes in mouse models of infection, inflammation and
      tissue repair. Further, disease-association studies in defined patient
      populations have identified significant alterations in ILC responses, suggesting
      a potential role for these cell populations in human health and disease. In this
      review we discuss the emerging family of ILCs, the role of ILCs in inflammation,
      and how current or novel therapeutic strategies could be used to selectively
      modulate ILC responses and limit chronic inflammatory diseases. 

PMID- 26121202
TI  - Risk Factors for Measles in HIV-infected Children and Adolescents in Botswana.
AB  - We conducted a matched case-control study of 566 HIV-infected children in
      Botswana during a 2009-2010 measles outbreak to identify the risk factors for
      measles. Children in the oldest age quartile (>=13.1 years) were 4-fold more
      likely to acquire measles than those in the youngest quartile (<7.1 years). HIV
      infected older children and adolescents may benefit from additional measles
      vaccination. 

PMID- 26121203
TI  - Correlation of a Vancomycin Pharmacokinetic Model and Trough Serum Concentrations
      in Pediatric Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vancomycin trough concentrations specific to pediatric patients have
      yet to be validated that achieve an area under the curve (AUC) over 24 hours to
      minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratio >=400. The primary objective of this
      study was to validate a pharmacokinetic model in a pediatric hospital and
      determine the correlation between a calculated AUC/MIC ratio and measured trough
      vancomycin concentration. METHODS: A retrospective evaluation of patients aged 3
      months to 18 years prescribed vancomycin at a pediatric hospital between January
      2012 and June 2013. The correlation between patient-specific AUC/MIC and measured
      vancomycin trough concentration was assessed. RESULTS: Forty pediatric patients
      with 40 vancomycin trough concentrations and documented Staphylococcus aureus
      cultures were included in the study. Median age was 8.5 (interquartile range, 2
      14.3) years, median weight 28.7 (range, 14-50.2) kg, and mean baseline serum
      creatinine 0.51 +/- 0.3 mg/dL. The mean daily dose of vancomycin prescribed was
      58 +/- 13.8 mg/kg/d. The mean vancomycin trough concentration was 11 +/- 5.5
      mcg/mL, and the mean AUC/MIC was 534 +/- 373. No correlation was found between
      trough concentration and AUC/MIC (r = 0.082, p = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      validates the clinical applicability of a pharmacokinetic model for calculating
      vancomycin clearance to determine patient-specific AUC over 24 hours in
      pediatrics. Trough concentrations associated with proposed therapeutic AUC/MIC
      ratios were lower than reported in the adult population. Further research is
      needed to determine if AUC/MIC, trough concentration, or both is best for
      monitoring therapeutic efficacy of vancomycin in pediatrics.

PMID- 26121204
TI  - Clinical Endpoints for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prophylaxis Trials in Infants
      and Children in High-income and Middle-income Countries.
AB  - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) continues to cause significant clinical and
      economic burden around the world. Historically, RSV-associated hospitalization
      was used as a primary endpoint for RSV prophylaxis trials in infants. However,
      because of the changing epidemiology and healthcare system landscape, this
      endpoint has become a critical bottleneck on the pathway to licensure for new
      therapeutics. A panel of 7 RSV experts was convened (Chicago, IL, May 22, 2014)
      to evaluate the challenges of defining RSV prevention endpoints for clinical
      trials and to develop endpoints that are clinically meaningful while minimizing
      subjectivity and bias to achieve sufficient consistency of response for
      regulatory approval. Particular consideration was given to the ability to collect
      data systematically and consistently in countries with different healthcare
      practices and systems, while capturing the greatest proportion of disease impact.
      The group consensus was that a clinically meaningful primary endpoint could
      include medically attended RSV illness in settings beyond RSV-associated
      hospitalizations alone, in particular, a composite reduction in hospitalization,
      emergency room or urgent care center visits because of an RSV respiratory
      infection. Relevant secondary endpoints included reductions in RSV lower
      respiratory tract infection, RSV-related intensive care unit rates, subsequent
      recurrent wheezing or asthma and direct and indirect costs. 

PMID- 26121206
TI  - Adipose-derived stem cells: A candidate for liver regeneration.
AB  - The scarcity of donor livers and the impracticality of hepatocyte transplantation
      represent the biggest obstacles for the treatment of liver failure. Adipose
      derived stem cells, with their ability to differentiate into the hepatic lineage,
      provide a reliable alternative cell source with clear ethical and practical
      advantages. Moreover, adipose-derived stem cells can effectively repair liver
      damage by the dominant indirect pattern and increase the number of hepatocytes by
      the secondary direct pattern. In recent years, the development of the indirect
      pattern, which mainly includes immunomodulatory and trophic effects, has become a
      hot topic in the field of cell engineering. Therefore, adipose-derived stem cells
      are considered to be ideal therapeutic stem cells for human liver regeneration.
      In this article, we reviewed the advantages of adipose-derived stem cells in
      liver regeneration, and explore their underlying mechanisms. 

PMID- 26121205
TI  - Respiratory Viral Detections During Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Periods in Young
      Andean Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Viruses are commonly detected in children with acute respiratory
      illnesses (ARIs) and in asymptomatic children. Longitudinal studies of viral
      detections during asymptomatic periods surrounding ARI could facilitate
      interpretation of viral detections but are currently scant. METHODS: We used
      reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to analyze respiratory samples
      from young Andean children for viruses during asymptomatic periods within 8-120
      days of index ARI (cough or fever). We compared viral detections over time within
      children and explored reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction cycle
      thresholds (CTs) as surrogates for viral loads. RESULTS: At least 1 respiratory
      virus was detected in 367 (43%) of 859 samples collected during asymptomatic
      periods, with more frequent detections in periods with rhinorrhea (49%) than
      those without (34%, P < 0.001). Relative to index ARI with human rhinovirus
      (HRV), adenovirus (AdV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza
      virus detected, the same viruses were also detected during 32, 22, 10 and 3% of
      asymptomatic periods, respectively. RSV was only detected 8-30 days after index
      RSV ARI, whereas HRV and AdV were detected throughout asymptomatic periods. Human
      metapneumovirus and influenza were rarely detected during asymptomatic periods
      (<3%). No significant differences were observed in the CT for HRV or AdV during
      asymptomatic periods relative to ARI. For RSV, CTs were significantly lower
      during ARI relative to the asymptomatic period (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings indicate that influenza, human metapneumovirus, parainfluenza virus and
      RSV detections in children with an ARI usually indicate a causal relationship.
      When HRV or AdV is detected during ARI, the causal relationship is less certain.

PMID- 26121207
TI  - LbL Assembly of Albumin on Nitric Oxide-Releasing Silica Nanoparticles Using
      Suramin, a Polyanion Drug, as an Interlayer Linker.
AB  - Preformed protein corona of nanoparticles can be utilized as a promising
      formulation strategy for improving nano drug delivery. Nitric oxide (NO) is a
      labile molecule with extensive therapeutic implications. In this study, we test
      whether preformation of protein coatings can enhance the performance of NO
      delivering nanoparticles. S-Nitroso (SNO) silica nanoparticles (SNO-SiNPs) were
      prepared using a nanoprecipitation method. For the first time, bovine serum
      albumin (BSA) was used to coat NO-releasing nanoparticles, facilitated by a
      polyanionic drug, suramin, under a layer-by-layer (LbL) scheme. Bare and coated
      nanoparticles were characterized by zeta-potential, size, and spectroscopic
      measurements. We demonstrate that albumin/suramin-surface coassembly has
      advantages in preventing particle aggregation during lyophilization, controlling
      NO release and exerting an enhanced anticancer effect. 

PMID- 26121208
TI  - High-performance multilayer composite membranes with mussel-inspired polydopamine
      as a versatile molecular bridge for CO2 separation.
AB  - It is desirable to develop high-performance composite membranes for efficient CO2
      separation in CO2 capture process. Introduction of a highly permeable
      polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) intermediate layer between a selective layer and a
      porous support has been considered as a simple but efficient way to enhance gas
      permeance while maintaining high gas selectivity, because the introduced
      intermediate layer could benefit the formation of an ultrathin defect-free
      selective layer owing to the circumvention of pore penetration phenomenon.
      However, the selection of selective layer materials is unfavorably restricted
      because of the low surface energy of PDMS. Various highly hydrophilic membrane
      materials such as amino group-rich polyvinylamine (PVAm), a representative
      facilitated transport membrane material for CO2 separation, could not be facilely
      coated over the surface of the hydrophobic PDMS intermediate layer uniformly.
      Inspired by the hydrophilic nature and strong adhesive ability of polydopamine
      (PDA), PDA was therefore selected as a versatile molecular bridge between
      hydrophobic PDMS and hydrophilic PVAm. The PDA coating endows a highly compatible
      interface between both components with a large surface energy difference via
      multiple-site cooperative interactions. The resulting multilayer composite
      membrane with a thin facilitated transport PVAm selective layer exhibits a
      notably enhanced CO2 permeance (1887 GPU) combined with a slightly improved
      CO2/N2 selectivity (83), as well as superior structural stability. Similarly, the
      multilayer composite membrane with a hydrophilic CO2-philic Pebax 1657 selective
      layer was also developed for enhanced CO2 separation performance. 

PMID- 26121209
TI  - Prevalence of cognitive enhancer use among New Zealand tertiary students.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Cognitive enhancers (CE) such as methylphenidate,
      amphetamines and modafinil are becoming more commonly used in non-medical
      situations. This study explored the prevalence and motivations for CE use in a
      New Zealand university. DESIGN AND METHODS: Students from the Schools of
      Pharmacy, Nursing, Medicine, Law and Accounting at a university in New Zealand
      were invited to complete a paper-based questionnaire that elicited their views on
      the prevalence, reasons for use and attitudes towards use of CEs. Questionnaires
      were distributed at the end of a third-year lecture (August-October 2012).
      Reasons for use and attitudes towards use was measured using a 7-point Likert
      scale from strongly agree (1) to strongly disagree (7). Descriptive and
      prevalence statistics were calculated. Inferential statistics were generated to
      explore the overall associations between CE use and how the respondents had first
      learnt about CEs, and to investigate reasons for CE use. RESULTS: The response
      fraction was 88.6 % (442/499) and the prevalence of CE use was 6.6% (95%
      confidence interval 4.5-9.0). Commonly cited reasons for use were to get high [M
      = 4.43, standard deviation (SD) 2.36], experimentation (M = 4.17, SD 2.36),
      increase alertness (M = 3.55, SD 2.48), to help concentrate (M = 3.48, SD 2.42),
      to help stay awake (M = 3.20, SD 2.33), to help study (M = 3.10, SD 2.47) and to
      concentrate better while studying (M = 3.00, SD 2.43). DISCUSSION AND
      CONCLUSIONS: Use of CEs was uncommon in contrast to the prevalence reported in
      the USA. The reasons for use also varied depending on which CE was used. Students
      who use CEs have differing attitudes towards their acceptability, which warrants
      further research about how these attitudes influence their use and attitudes
      towards academic performance. [Ram S(S), Hussainy S, Henning M, Jensen M, Russell
      B. Prevalence of cognitive enhancer use among New Zealand tertiary students. Drug
      Alcohol Rev 2016;35:245-351].

PMID- 26121210
TI  - Predicting the Risk of a Second Basal Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - A third of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) patients will develop subsequent BCCs. We
      aimed to develop a simple model to predict the absolute risk of a second BCC. We
      observed 14,628 participants of Northern European ancestry from a prospective
      population-based cohort study. BCCs were identified using a linkage with the
      Dutch Pathology Registry (Pathological Anatomy National Automated Archive).
      Predictors for a second BCC included 13 phenotypic, lifestyle, and tumor-specific
      characteristics. The prediction model was based on the Fine and Gray regression
      model to account for the competing risk of death from other causes. Among 1,077
      participants with at least one BCC, 293 developed a second BCC at a median of 3
      years. Several well-known risk factors for a first BCC were not prognostic for a
      second BCC, whereas having more than one initial BCC was the strongest predictor.
      Discriminative ability at 3 years was reasonable (bootstrap validated c
      index=0.65). Three groups were created, with 7, 12, and 28% risk of a second BCC
      within 3 years. We conclude that a combination of readily available clinical
      characteristics can reasonably identify patients at high risk of a second BCC.
      External validation and extension with stronger predictors is desirable to
      further improve risk prediction. 

PMID- 26121211
TI  - Cathelicidin LL-37 Induces Semaphorin 3A Expression in Human Epidermal
      Keratinocytes: Implications for Possible Application to Pruritus.

PMID- 26121212
TI  - Cyclic Alopecia and Abnormal Epidermal Cornification in Zdhhc13-Deficient Mice
      Reveal the Importance of Palmitoylation in Hair and Skin Differentiation.
AB  - Many biochemical pathways involved in hair and skin development have not been
      investigated. Here, we reported on the lesions and investigated the mechanism
      underlying hair and skin abnormalities in Zdhhc13(skc4) mice with a deficiency in
      DHHC13, a palmitoyl-acyl transferase encoded by Zdhhc13. Homozygous affected mice
      showed ragged and dilapidated cuticle of the hair shaft (CUH, a hair anchoring
      structure), poor hair anchoring ability, and premature hair loss at early telogen
      phase of the hair cycle, resulting in cyclic alopecia. Furthermore, the
      homozygous affected mice exhibited hyperproliferation of the epidermis, disturbed
      cornification, fragile cornified envelope (CE, a skin barrier structure), and
      impaired skin barrier function. Biochemical investigations revealed that
      cornifelin, which contains five palmitoylation sites at cysteine residues (C58,
      C59, C60, C95, and C101), was a specific substrate of DHHC13 and that it was
      absent in the CUH and CE structures of the affected mice. Furthermore, cornifelin
      levels were markedly reduced when two palmitoylated cysteines were replaced with
      serine (C95S and C101S). Taken together, our results suggest that DHHC13 is
      important for hair anchoring and skin barrier function and that cornifelin
      deficiency contributes to cyclic alopecia and skin abnormalities in Zdhhc13(skc4)
      mice. 

PMID- 26121215
TI  - Stabilization of Boiling Nuclei by Insoluble Gas: Can a Nanobubble Cloud Exist?
AB  - Liquid boiling that starts off with an insoluble gas bubble is thermodynamically
      analyzed. This case is an idealization of very low gas solubility and very slow
      diffusion of this gas in the boiling liquid. The analysis is made for a
      spherical, freely suspended bubble as well as for a bubble attached to a solid
      surface. The results predict the spontaneous formation of a stable, critical
      bubble at pressures higher than the saturation pressure. Stable critical radii
      are also predicted for pressures lower than the saturation pressure but in
      addition to unstable, larger critical bubbles. These bubbles are affected by the
      presence and nature of a solid surface. The present analysis provides a basis for
      a feasible explanation of the long-debated, long-time stability of nanobubbles. 

PMID- 26121213
TI  - The Androgen Receptor Antagonizes Wnt/beta-Catenin Signaling in Epidermal Stem
      Cells.
AB  - Activation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in adult mouse epidermis leads to
      expansion of the stem cell compartment and redirects keratinocytes in the
      interfollicular epidermis and sebaceous glands (SGs) to differentiate along the
      hair follicle (HF) lineages. Here we demonstrate that during epidermal
      development and homeostasis there is reciprocal activation of the androgen
      receptor (AR) and beta-catenin in cells of the HF bulb. AR activation reduced
      beta-catenin-dependent transcription, blocked beta-catenin-induced induction of
      HF growth, and prevented beta-catenin-mediated conversion of SGs into HFs.
      Conversely, AR inhibition enhanced the effects of beta-catenin activation,
      promoting HF proliferation and differentiation, culminating in the formation of
      benign HF tumors and a complete loss of SG identity. We conclude that AR
      signaling has a key role in epidermal stem cell fate selection by modulating
      responses to beta-catenin in adult mouse skin. 

PMID- 26121214
TI  - Impaired gp100-Specific CD8(+) T-Cell Responses in the Presence of Myeloid
      Derived Suppressor Cells in a Spontaneous Mouse Melanoma Model.
AB  - Murine tumor models that closely reflect human diseases are important tools to
      investigate carcinogenesis and tumor immunity. The transgenic (tg) mouse strain
      tg(Grm1)EPv develops spontaneous melanoma due to ectopic overexpression of the
      metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (Grm1) in melanocytes. In the present study, we
      characterized the immune status and functional properties of immune cells in
      tumor-bearing mice. Melanoma development was accompanied by a reduction in the
      percentages of CD4(+) T cells including regulatory T cells (Tregs) in CD45(+)
      leukocytes present in tumor tissue and draining lymph nodes (LNs). In contrast,
      the percentages of CD8(+) T cells were unchanged, and these cells showed an
      activated phenotype in tumor mice. Endogenous melanoma-associated antigen
      glycoprotein 100 (gp100)-specific CD8(+) T cells were not deleted during tumor
      development, as revealed by pentamer staining in the skin and draining LNs. They,
      however, were unresponsive to ex vivo gp100-peptide stimulation in late-stage
      tumor mice. Interestingly, immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells
      (MDSCs) were recruited to tumor tissue with a preferential accumulation of
      granulocytic MDSC (grMDSCs) over monocytic MDSC (moMDSCs). Both subsets produced
      Arginase-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and transforming growth
      factor-beta and suppressed T-cell proliferation in vitro. In this work, we
      describe the immune status of a spontaneous melanoma mouse model that provides an
      interesting tool to develop future immunotherapeutical strategies. 

PMID- 26121216
TI  - Facile interchange of 3d and 4f ions in single-molecule magnets: stepwise
      assembly of [Mn4 ], [Mn3Ln] and [Mn2Ln2 ] cages within calix[4]arene scaffolds.
AB  - The central Mn(II) ions in a series of calix[4]arene-stabilised butterflies can
      be sequentially replaced with Ln(III) ions, maintaining the structural integrity
      of the molecule but transforming its magnetic properties. The replacement of
      Mn(II) for Gd(III) allows for the examination of the transferability of spin
      Hamiltonian parameters within the family as well as permitting their reliable
      determination. The introduction of the 4f ions results in weaker intramolecular
      magnetic exchange, an increase in the number of low-lying excited states, and an
      increase in magnetisation relaxation, highlighting the importance of exchange
      over single-ion anisotropy for the observation of SMM behaviour in this family of
      complexes. The presence of the [TM(II/III) (TBC[4])(OH)(solvent)] metalloligand
      (TM=transition metal, TBC=p-tBu-calix[4]arene) suggests that magnetic
      calix[n]arene building blocks can be employed to encapsulate a range of different
      "guests" within structurally robust "hosts". 

PMID- 26121217
TI  - Nickel Cobaltite Nanostructures for Photoelectric and Catalytic Applications.
AB  - Bimetallic oxide nickel cobaltite (NiCo2 O4 ) shows extensive potential for
      innovative photoelectronic and energetic materials owing to their distinctive
      physical and chemical properties. In this review, representative fabrications and
      applications of NiCo2 O4 nanostructures are outlined for photoelectronic
      conversion, catalysis, and energy storage, aiming to promote the development of
      NiCo2 O4 nanomaterials in these fields through an analysis and comparison of
      their diverse nanostructures. Firstly, a brief introduction of the spinel
      structures, properties, and morphologies of NiCo2 O4 nanomaterials are presented.
      Then, the advanced progress of NiCo2 O4 nanomaterials for both photoelectronic
      conversion and energy fields is summarized including such examples as solar
      cells, electrocatalysis, and lithium ion batteries. Finally, further prospects
      and promising developments of NiCo2 O4 nanomaterials in these significant fields
      are proposed. 

PMID- 26121218
TI  - Novel Two- and Three-Dimensional Organometallic-Organic Hybrid Materials Based on
      Polyphosphorus Complexes.
AB  - The reaction of the silver salt Ag[Al{OC(CF3)3}4] (1) with the P2 ligand complex
      [Cp2Mo2(CO)4(eta(2)-P2)] (2) and the organic ditopic linker trans-1,2-di(pyridine
      4-yl)ethene (dpe) results in the formation of four novel organometallic-organic
      hybrid compounds. Depending on the reaction conditions, the two-dimensional
      networks [{Cp2Mo2(CO)4(MU4,eta(1:1:2:2)-P2)}(MU,eta(1:1)
      C12H10N2)Ag]n[Al{OC(CF3)3}4]n.0.075nCH2Cl2.1.425nC6H6 (3) and
      [{Cp2Mo2(CO)4(MU3,eta(2:2:2)-P2)}2(MU,eta(1:1)
      C12H10N2)3Ag2]n[Al{OC(CF3)3}4]2n.2nC7H8 (4) are accessible. The latter shows a
      two-dimensional (2D) -> 2D interpenetration structure. Furthermore, the formation
      of a unique three-dimensional polymer [{Cp2Mo2(CO)4(MU4,eta(1:1:2:2)
      P2)}(MU,eta(1:1)-C12H10N2)Ag]n[Al{OC(CF3)3}4]n.0.3nCH2Cl2 (5b) together with
      another 2D polymer [{Cp2Mo2(CO)4(MU4,eta(1:1:2:2)-P2)}(MU,eta(1:1)
      C12H10N2)3Ag2]n[Al{OC(CF3)3}4]2n.0.75CH2Cl2.0.5C7H8 (5a) was observed. In three
      of these polymers, unprecedented organometallic nodes were realized including
      one, two, or even four silver cations. All products were characterized by X-ray
      structural analysis and classified by the structural characteristics in three
      different network topologies. 

PMID- 26121219
TI  - Correction to In Situ Formation of Carbon Nanotubes Encapsulated within Boron
      Nitride Nanotubes via Electron Irradiation.

PMID- 26121221
TI  - DNA with Parallel Strand Orientation: A Nanometer Distance Study with Spin Labels
      in the Watson-Crick and the Reverse Watson-Crick Double Helix.
AB  - Parallel-stranded (ps) DNA characterized by its sugar-phosphate backbones
      pointing in the same direction represents an alternative pairing system to
      antiparallel-stranded (aps) DNA with the potential to inhibit transcription and
      translation. 25-mer oligonucleotides were selected containing only dA.dT base
      pairs to compare spin-labeled nucleobase distances over a range of 10 or 15 base
      pairs in ps DNA with those in aps DNA. By means of the copper(I)-catalyzed
      Huisgen-Meldal-Sharpless alkyne-azide cycloaddition, the spin label 4-azido
      2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl was clicked to 7-ethynyl-7-deaza-2'
      deoxyadenosine or 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine to yield 25-mer oligonucleotides
      incorporating two spin labels. The interspin distances between spin labeled
      residues were determined by pulse EPR spectroscopy. The results reveal that in ps
      DNA these distances are between 5 and 10% longer than in aps DNA when the labeled
      DNA segment is located near the center of the double helix. The interspin
      distance in ps DNA becomes shorter compared with aps DNA when one of the spin
      labels occupies a position near the end of the double helix. 

PMID- 26121222
TI  - Rapid and Automated Quantification of Microalgal Lipids on a Spinning Disc.
AB  - We have developed a fully integrated centrifugal microfluidic device for rapid on
      site quantification of lipids from microalgal samples. The fully automated serial
      process involving cell sedimentation and lysis, liquid-liquid extraction, and
      colorimetric detection of lipid contents was accomplished within 13 min using a
      lab-on-a-disc. The presented organic solvent-tolerable (for n-hexane, ethanol)
      microfluidic disc was newly fabricated by combining thermal fusion bonding and
      carbon dot-based valving techniques. It is expected that this novel platform will
      possibly contribute toward sustainable biofuel applications by providing a
      practical solution for on-site monitoring of lipid accumulation in microalgal
      samples, thus providing imperative contribution toward energy and environmental
      purposes of centrifugal microfluidic technology. 

PMID- 26121223
TI  - Catalytic Asymmetric Arylation of alpha-Aryl-alpha-diazoacetates with Aniline
      Derivatives.
AB  - The asymmetric arylation of diazo compounds with aniline derivatives
      cooperatively catalyzed by an achiral dirhodium complex and a chiral spiro
      phosphoric acid is reported. The reaction provides a new method for the facile
      synthesis of alpha-diarylacetates, versatile building blocks with a diaryl
      tertiary chiral center, in good yields (up to 95%) with high enantioselectivities
      (up to 97% ee). Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that the arylation
      reaction proceeds via a stepwise process, in which the enantioselectivity is
      controlled by a chiral spiro phosphoric acid-promoted proton shift in a
      zwitterionic intermediate. This work represents the first asymmetric
      intermolecular C(sp(2))-H bond insertion reaction with arenes. 

PMID- 26121224
TI  - N-Heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed [3+3] cyclocondensation of bromoenals with
      aldimines: highly enantioselective synthesis of dihydropyridinones.
AB  - The N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed [3+3] cyclocondensation of bromoenals and
      aldimines was developed to give the corresponding dihydropyridinones in good
      yields with excellent enantioselectivities. 

PMID- 26121225
TI  - SR-FTIR Coupled with Principal Component Analysis Shows Evidence for the Cellular
      Bystander Effect.
AB  - Synchrotron radiation-Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) microscopy coupled
      with multivariate data analysis was used as an independent modality to monitor
      the cellular bystander effect. Single, living prostate cancer PC-3 cells were
      irradiated with various numbers of protons, ranging from 50-2,000, with an energy
      of either 1 or 2 MeV using a proton microprobe. SR-FTIR spectra of cells, fixed
      after exposure to protons and nonirradiated neighboring cells (bystander cells),
      were recorded. Spectral differences were observed in both the directly targeted
      and bystander cells and included changes in the DNA backbone and nucleic bases,
      along with changes in the protein secondary structure. Principal component
      analysis (PCA) was used to investigate the variance in the entire data set. The
      percentage of bystander cells relative to the applied number of protons with two
      different energies was calculated. Of all the applied quantities, the dose of 400
      protons at 2 MeV was found to be the most effective for causing significant
      macromolecular perturbation in bystander PC-3 cells. 

PMID- 26121226
TI  - Defining Blood Processing Parameters for Optimal Detection of gamma-H2AX Foci: A
      Small Blood Volume Method.
AB  - Biodosimetric methods used to measure the effects of radiation are critical for
      estimating the health risks to irradiated individuals or populations. The direct
      measurement of radiation-induced gamma-H2AX foci in peripheral blood lymphocytes
      is one approach that provides a useful end point for triage. Despite the
      documented advantages of the gamma-H2AX assay, there is considerable variation
      among laboratories regarding foci formation in the same exposure conditions and
      cell lines. Taking this into account, the goal of our study was to evaluate the
      influence of different blood processing parameters on the frequency of gamma-H2AX
      foci and optimize a small blood volume protocol for the gamma-H2AX assay, which
      simulates the finger prick blood collection method. We found that the type of
      fixative, temperature and blood processing time markedly affect the results of
      the gamma-H2AX assay. In addition, we propose a protocol for the gamma-H2AX assay
      that may serve as a potential guideline in the event of large-scale radiation
      incidents. 

PMID- 26121227
TI  - Variation in RBE for Survival of V79-4 Cells as a Function of Alpha-Particle
      (Helium Ion) Energy.
AB  - High linear energy transfer (LET) alpha particles are important with respect to
      the carcinogenic risk associated with human exposure to ionizing radiation, most
      notably to radon and its progeny. Additionally, the potential use of alpha
      particle-emitting radionuclides in radiotherapy is increasingly being explored.
      Within the body the emitted alpha particles slow down, traversing a number of
      cells with a range of energies and therefore with varying efficiencies at
      inducing biological response. The LET of the particle typically rises from
      between ~70-90 keV MUm(-1) at the start of the track (depending on initial
      energy) to a peak of ~237 keV MUm(-1) towards the end of the track, before
      falling again at the very end of its range. To investigate the variation in
      biological response with incident energy, a plutonium-238 alpha-particle
      irradiator was calibrated to enable studies with incident energies ranging from
      4.0 MeV down to 1.1 MeV. The variation in clonogenic survival of V79-4 cells was
      determined as a function of incident energy, along with the relative variation in
      the initial yields of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) measured using the FAR
      assay. The clonogenic survival data also extends previously published data
      obtained at the Medical Research Council (MRC), Harwell using the same cells
      irradiated with helium ions, with energies ranging from 34.9 MeV to 5.85 MeV.
      These studies were performed in conjunction with cell morphology measurements on
      live cells enabling the determination of absorbed dose and calculation of the
      average LET in the cell. The results show an increase in relative biological
      effectiveness (RBE) for cell inactivation with decreasing helium ion energy
      (increasing LET), reaching a maximum for incident energies of ~3.2 MeV and
      corresponding average LET of 131 keV MUm(-1), above which the RBE is observed to
      fall at lower energies (higher LETs). The effectiveness of single alpha-particle
      traversals (relevant to low-dose exposure) at inducing cell inactivation was
      observed to increase with decreasing energy to a peak of ~68% survival
      probability for incident energies of ~1.8 MeV (average LET of 190 keV MUm(-1))
      producing ~0.39 lethal lesions per track. However, the efficiency of a single
      traversal will also vary significantly with cell morphology and angle of
      incidence, as well as cell type. 

PMID- 26121228
TI  - Solid Cancer Incidence in the Techa River Incidence Cohort: 1956-2007.
AB  - Previously reported studies of the Techa River Cohort have established
      associations between radiation dose and the occurrence of solid cancers and
      leukemia (non-CLL) that appear to be linear in dose response. These analyses
      include 17,435 cohort members alive and not known to have had cancer prior to
      January 1, 1956 who lived in areas near the river or Chelyabinsk City at some
      time between 1956 and the end of 2007, utilized individualized dose estimates
      computed using the Techa River Dosimetry System 2009 and included five more years
      of follow-up. The median and mean dose estimates based on these doses are
      consistently higher than those based on earlier Techa River Dosimetry System 2000
      dose estimates. This article includes new site-specific cancer risk estimates and
      risk estimates adjusted for available information on smoking. There is a
      statistically significant (P = 0.02) linear trend in the smoking-adjusted all
      solid cancer incidence risks with an excess relative risk (ERR) after exposure to
      100 mGy of 0.077 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.013-0.15. Examination of
      site-specific risks revealed statistically significant radiation dose effects
      only for cancers of the esophagus and uterus with an ERR per 100 mGy estimates in
      excess of 0.10. Esophageal cancer risk estimates were modified by ethnicity and
      sex, but not smoking. While the solid cancer rates are attenuated when esophageal
      cancer is removed (ERR = 0.063 per 100 mGy), a dose-response relationship is
      present and it remains likely that radiation exposure has increased the risks for
      most solid cancers in the cohort despite the lack of power to detect
      statistically significant risks for specific sites. 

PMID- 26121229
TI  - Subject-Based versus Population-Based Care after Radiation Exposure.
AB  - In a mass casualty radiation event situation, individualized therapy may
      overwhelm available resources and feasibility issues suggest a need for the
      development of population-based strategies. To investigate the efficacy of a
      population-based strategy, Chinese macaques (n = 46) underwent total-body
      irradiation and received preemptive antibiotics, IV hydration on predetermined
      postirradiation days and were then compared to macaques (n = 48) that received
      subject-based care in which blood transfusions, IV hydration, nutritional
      supplementation and antibiotic supportive measures were provided. Estimated
      radiation doses for LD30/60, LD50/60 and LD70/60 of animals with subject-based
      care: 6.83 Gy (6.21, 7.59), 7.44 Gy (6.99, 7.88) and 8.05 Gy (7.46, 8.64),
      respectively, and for population-based care: 5.61 Gy (5.28, 6.17), 6.62 Gy (6.13,
      7.18) and 7.63 Gy (7.21, 8.20), respectively. Analysis of four time periods, 0-9,
      10-15, 16-25 and 26-60 days postirradiation, identified significant mortality
      differences during the period of 10-15 days. A subset analysis of higher
      radiation doses (6.75-7.20 Gy, n = 32) indicated hydration, nutrition and septic
      status were not significantly different between treatments. Whole blood
      transfusion treatment, administered only in subject-supportive care, was
      associated with significantly higher platelet and absolute neutrophil counts.
      Median platelet counts greater than 5,670 cells/MUl and absolute neutrophil
      counts greater than 26 cells/MUl during this period correlated with survival. We
      observed that the population-based treatment increased the LD50/60 compared to
      nontreatment (6.62 Gy vs. 4.92 Gy) and may be further optimized during days 10
      15, where strategic blood transfusions or other strategies to achieve increases
      in neutrophil and platelet counts may further increase survival rates in subjects
      exposed to high doses of radiation.

PMID- 26121230
TI  - Metal ion interactions with mAbs: Part 1.
AB  - Fragmentation in the hinge region of an IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) can affect
      product stability, potentially causing changes in potency and efficacy. Metals
      ions, such as Cu(2+), can bind to the mAb and undergo hydrolysis or oxidation,
      which can lead to cleavage of the molecule. To better understand the mechanism of
      Cu(2+)-mediated mAb fragmentation, hinge region cleavage products and their rates
      of formation were studied as a function of pH with and without Cu(2+). More
      detailed analysis of the chemical changes was investigated using model linear and
      cyclic peptides (with the sequence of SCDKTHTC) derived from the upper hinge
      region of the mAb. Cu(2+) mediated fragmentation was determined to be
      predominantly via a hydrolytic pathway in solution. The sites and products of
      hydrolytic cleavage are pH and strain dependent. In more acidic environments,
      rates of Cu(2+) induced hinge fragmentation are significantly slower than at
      higher pH. Although the degradation reaction rates between the linear and cyclic
      peptides are not significantly different, the products of degradation vary. mAb
      fragmentation can be reduced by modifying His, which is a potential metal binding
      site and a known ligand in other metalloproteins. These results suggest that a
      charge may contribute to stabilization of a specific molecular structure involved
      in hydrolysis, leading to the possible formation of a copper binding pocket that
      causes increased susceptibility of the hinge region to degradation. 

PMID- 26121231
TI  - Adherence to denosumab in the treatment of osteoporosis and its utilization in
      the Czech Republic.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective was to analyze adherence and current trends in
      utilization and prescription practice patterns of the anti-RANKL monoclonal
      antibody denosumab in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis (OP). METHODS:
      The prescription-based database of the General Health Insurance Company of the
      Czech Republic that covers approximately 60% of the Czech population (6 million)
      was used as the data source. Medication possession ratio (MPR) and persistence
      were calculated for all patients (both OP medication-naive and medication
      experienced) with postmenopausal OP from the start of their therapy with
      denosumab 60 mg per ml subcutaneous injection within a period between September
      2011, i.e. first denosumab availability, and May 2014. Clinical data such as
      fractures, co-morbidities and co-medication were not analyzed. RESULTS: A total
      of 7904 women treated with denosumab were analyzed; 93.8% of patients were
      identified as compliant (MPR >=0.8) while 6.2% were non-compliant (MPR < 0.8).
      Persistence (base case, i.e. refill gap <=30 days) was 59.1% after 12 months and
      34.8% after 24 months. By 2013, i.e. within 2 years, denosumab became the second
      most utilized and most costly drug after oral bisphosphonates. CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite relatively high MPR and persistence rate observed in denosumab treatment,
      adherence enhancing strategies, focused on persistence in particular, are still
      needed. The uptake of denosumab has been rapid, its utilization keeps rising
      swiftly, and denosumab already represents a significant part of the osteoporosis
      therapy budget.

PMID- 26121232
TI  - Phytoremediation of domestic wastewaters in free water surface constructed
      wetlands using Azolla pinnata.
AB  - Two constructed wetlands, one with Azolla pinnata plant (CW1) and the other
      without (CW2) for treating domestic wastewaters were developed. Fifteen water
      parameters which include: Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand
      (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Suspended Solid (TSS), Total
      Phosphorus (TP), Total Nitrogen (TN), Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH3N), Turbidity, pH,
      Electrical Conductivity (EC), Iron (Fe), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), and
      heavy metals such as Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) were analyzed using standard
      laboratory procedures. The experiments were conducted in two (dry and wet)
      seasons simultaneously. Results showed considerable reductions in all parameters
      and metals including Zn in CW1 compared with CW2 in the two seasons considered
      while Pb and Mn were not detected throughout the study. Zn concentration levels
      reduced significantly in both seasons just as removal efficiencies of 70.03% and
      64.51% were recorded for CW1 while 35.17% and 33.45% were recorded for CW2 in
      both seasons. There were no significant differences in the removal efficiencies
      of Fe in both seasons as 99.55%, 59.09%, 88.89%, and 53.56% were recorded in CW1
      and CW2 respectively. Azolla pinnata has proved effective in domestic wastewater
      phytoremediation studies. 

PMID- 26121233
TI  - Bone Morphogenic Protein 4 Mediates NOX1-Dependent eNOS Uncoupling, Endothelial
      Dysfunction, and COX2 Induction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - We have recently shown that angiotensin II-mediated uncoupling of endothelial
      nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) contributes to endothelial dysfunction in
      streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus. However, it has remained unclear
      whether and how eNOS uncoupling occurs in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the
      consequences of such in regulating vascular function. Here we investigated a role
      of bone morphogenic protein (BMP)-4 in mediating eNOS uncoupling, endothelial
      dysfunction, and inflammation in db/db mice. Circulating levels of BMP4 were
      markedly elevated in db/db mice but not in mice with type 1 diabetes mellitus, in
      which angiotensin II levels were significantly increased. Infusion of BMP4
      antagonist noggin into db/db mice (15 MUg/kg/day, 4 weeks) abolished eNOS
      uncoupling activity while restoring tetrahydrobiopterin (H(4)B) bioavailability.
      The impaired endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in db/db aortas was
      significantly improved by noggin infusion. Exposure of aortic endothelial cells
      to BMP4 (50 ng/mL, 24 hours) resulted in eNOS uncoupling, which was attenuated by
      H(4)B precursor sepiapterin or small interfering RNA silencing nicotinamide
      adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase isoform 1 (NOX1). Interestingly, BMP4
      dependent NOX1 up-regulation was abrogated by sepiapterin, implicating a NOX1
      uncoupled eNOS-NOX1 feed-forward loop. BMP4 induction of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2)
      expression and vascular cell adhesion protein 1 was found in db/db mice.
      Consistently, COX2 was up-regulated by BMP4 in endothelial cells, which was
      attenuated by sepiapterin, implicating an upstream role of eNOS uncoupling in
      COX2-mediated inflammatory activation. Taken together, our data for the first
      time reveal a novel role of BMP4 in inducing NOX1-dependent eNOS uncoupling in
      T2DM, which may promote development of novel therapeutics restoring endothelial
      function in T2DM.

PMID- 26121234
TI  - Role of Nongenomic Signaling Pathways Activated by Aldosterone During Cardiac
      Reperfusion Injury.
AB  - Aldosterone (Aldo) activates both genomic and nongenomic signaling pathways in
      the cardiovascular system. Activation of genomic signaling pathways contributes
      to the adverse cardiac actions of Aldo during reperfusion injury; however, the
      extent nongenomic signaling pathways contribute has been difficult to identify
      due to lack of a specific ligand that activates only nongenomic signaling
      pathways. Using a pegylated aldosterone analog, aldosterone-3
      carboxymethoxylamine-TFP ester conjugated to methoxypegylated amine (Aldo-PEG),
      we are able for the first time to distinguish between nongenomic and genomic
      cardiac actions of Aldo. We confirm Aldo-PEG activates phosphorylation of ERK1/2
      in rat cardiomyocyte H9c2 cells similar to Aldo and G protein-coupled receptor 30
      (GPR30 or GPER) agonist G1. GPER antagonist, G36, but not mineralocorticoid
      receptor (MR) antagonist spironolactone, prevented ERK1/2 phosphorylation by
      Aldo, Aldo-PEG, and G1. The selective nongenomic actions of Aldo-PEG are
      confirmed, with Aldo-PEG increasing superoxide production in H9c2 cells to
      similar levels as Aldo but having no effect on subcellular localization of MR.
      Striatin serves as a scaffold for GPER and MR, with GPER antagonist G36, but not
      spironolactone, restoring MR-striatin complexes. Aldo-PEG had no effect on MR
      dependent transcriptional activation, whereas Aldo increased transcript levels of
      serum-regulated kinase 1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. Using our ex vivo
      experimental rat model of myocardial infarction, we found aggravated infarct size
      and apoptosis by Aldo but not Aldo-PEG. Our studies confirm that in the heart,
      activation of nongenomic signaling pathways alone are not sufficient to trigger
      the deleterious effects of aldosterone during myocardial reperfusion injury. 

PMID- 26121235
TI  - Minireview: Spatial Programming of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Activity: Decoding
      Signaling in Health and Disease.
AB  - Probing the multiplicity of hormone signaling via G protein-coupled receptors
      (GPCRs) has demonstrated the complex signal pathways that underlie the multiple
      functions these receptors play in vivo. This is highly pertinent for the GPCRs
      key in reproduction and pregnancy that are exposed to cyclical and dynamic
      changes in their extracellular milieu. How such functional pleiotropy in GPCR
      signaling is translated to specific downstream cellular responses, however, is
      largely unknown. Emerging data strongly support mechanisms for a central role of
      receptor location in signal regulation via membrane trafficking. In this review,
      we discuss current progress in our understanding of the role membrane trafficking
      plays in location control of GPCR signaling, from organized plasma membrane
      signaling microdomains, potentially provided by both distinct endocytic and
      exocytic pathways, to more recent evidence for spatial control within the
      endomembrane system. Application of these emerging mechanisms in their relevance
      to GPCR activity in physiological and pathophysiological conditions will also be
      discussed, and in improving therapeutic strategies that exploits these mechanisms
      in order to program highly regulated and distinct signaling profiles. 

PMID- 26121237
TI  - Autophagy governs erythroid differentiation both in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Although the importance of autophagy in determination of cell fate
      has been much explored in recent years, its definite role in regulating erythroid
      differentiation remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, human erythroleukemic
      cell line K562 was employed as a cell model for studying erythroid
      differentiation in vitro. Starvation and rapamycin were used to induce autophagy,
      whereas Baf-A1 and CRISPR/Cas9/Atg7 were used to inhibit late and early phase of
      autophagy, respectively. The mice model of autophagy activation and autophagy
      deletion were established, and red blood cell counts and flow cytometry were used
      to analyze erythroid differentiation in vivo. RESULTS: The results showed that
      the transcriptional levels of alpha-globin and gamma-globin, and the ratio of
      hemoglobin-positive cells all significantly increased in K562 cells with
      starvation and rapamycin treatment, which were blocked by autophagy inhibitor,
      Baf-A1 or Atg7 gene knockout. In the autophagy-enhanced mouse model, the number
      of mature erythrocytes significantly increased, while in Atg7-deleted mouse
      model, erythroid differentiation was severely blocked. CONCLUSION: It is
      concluded that autophagy is indispensible in the development, maturation, and
      homeostasis of erythroid cells both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings support
      the potential strategy for erythroleukemia treatment and production of
      erythroblasts in vitro by modulating autophagy.

PMID- 26121238
TI  - Tailoring flavins for visible light photocatalysis: organocatalytic [2+2]
      cycloadditions mediated by a flavin derivative and visible light.
AB  - A new application of flavin derivatives in visible light photocatalysis was
      found. 1-Butyl-7,8-dimethoxy-3-methylalloxazine, when irradiated by visible
      light, was shown to allow an efficient cyclobutane ring formation via an
      intramolecular [2+2] cycloaddition of both styrene dienes, considered as electron
      rich substrates, and electron-poor bis(arylenones), presumably proceeding via an
      energy transfer mechanism. 

PMID- 26121236
TI  - Matrix metalloproteinases as therapeutic targets for idiopathic pulmonary
      fibrosis.
AB  - Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a restrictive lung disease that is
      associated with high morbidity and mortality. Current medical therapies are not
      fully effective at limiting mortality in patients with IPF, and new therapies are
      urgently needed. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteinases that, together,
      can degrade all components of the extracellular matrix and numerous nonmatrix
      proteins. MMPs and their inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs), have been
      implicated in the pathogenesis of IPF based upon the results of clinical studies
      reporting elevated levels of MMPs (including MMP-1, MMP-7, MMP-8, and MMP-9) in
      IPF blood and/or lung samples. Surprisingly, studies of gene-targeted mice in
      murine models of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) have demonstrated that most MMPs promote
      (rather than inhibit) the development of PF and have identified diverse
      mechanisms involved. These mechanisms include MMPs: (1) promoting epithelial-to
      mesenchymal transition (MMP-3 and MMP-7); (2) increasing lung levels or activity
      of profibrotic mediators or reducing lung levels of antifibrotic mediators (MMP
      3, MMP-7, and MMP-8); (3) promoting abnormal epithelial cell migration and other
      aberrant repair processes (MMP-3 and MMP-9); (4) inducing the switching of lung
      macrophage phenotypes from M1 to M2 types (MMP-10 and MMP-28); and (5) promoting
      fibrocyte migration (MMP-8). Two MMPs, MMP-13 and MMP-19, have antifibrotic
      activities in murine models of PF, and two MMPs, MMP-1 and MMP-10, have the
      potential to limit fibrotic responses to injury. Herein, we review what is known
      about the contributions of MMPs and TIMPs to the pathogenesis of IPF and discuss
      their potential as therapeutic targets for IPF. 

PMID- 26121239
TI  - Vitamin D Receptor Gene Ablation in the Conceptus Has Limited Effects on
      Placental Morphology, Function and Pregnancy Outcome.
AB  - Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several pregnancy
      complications attributed to impaired or abnormal placental function, but there
      are few clues indicating the mechanistic role of vitamin D in their pathogenesis.
      To further understand the role of vitamin D receptor (VDR)-mediated activity in
      placental function, we used heterozygous Vdr ablated C57Bl6 mice to assess fetal
      growth, morphological parameters and global gene expression in Vdr null
      placentae. Twelve Vdr+/- dams were mated at 10-12 weeks of age with Vdr+/- males.
      At day 18.5 of the 19.5 day gestation in our colony, females were euthanised and
      placental and fetal samples were collected, weighed and subsequently genotyped as
      either Vdr+/+, Vdr+/- or Vdr-/-. Morphological assessment of placentae using
      immunohistochemistry was performed and RNA was extracted and subject to
      microarray analysis. This revealed 25 genes that were significantly
      differentially expressed between Vdr+/+ and Vdr-/- placentae. The greatest
      difference was a 6.47-fold change in expression of Cyp24a1 which was
      significantly lower in the Vdr-/- placentae (P<0.01). Other differentially
      expressed genes in Vdr-/- placentae included those involved in RNA modification
      (Snord123), autophagy (Atg4b), cytoskeletal modification (Shroom4), cell
      signalling (Plscr1, Pex5) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling
      (Deptor and Prr5). Interrogation of the upstream sequence of differentially
      expressed genes identified that many contain putative vitamin D receptor elements
      (VDREs). Despite the gene expression differences, this did not contribute to any
      differences in overall placental morphology, nor was function affected as there
      was no difference in fetal growth as determined by fetal weight near term. Given
      our dams still expressed a functional VDR gene, our results suggest that cross
      talk between the maternal decidua and the placenta, as well as maternal vitamin D
      status, may be more important in determining pregnancy outcome than conceptus
      expression of VDR. 

PMID- 26121240
TI  - Direct Gamete Sequencing Reveals No Evidence for Segregation Distortion in House
      Mouse Hybrids.
AB  - Understanding the molecular basis of species formation is an important goal in
      evolutionary genetics, and Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities are thought to be
      a common source of postzygotic reproductive isolation between closely related
      lineages. However, the evolutionary forces that lead to the accumulation of such
      incompatibilities between diverging taxa are poorly understood. Segregation
      distorters are believed to be an important source of Dobzhansky-Muller
      incompatibilities between hybridizing species of Drosophila as well as
      hybridizing crop plants, but it remains unclear if these selfish genetic elements
      contribute to reproductive isolation in other taxa. Here, we collected viable
      sperm from first-generation hybrid male progeny of Mus musculus castaneus and M.
      m. domesticus, two subspecies of rodent in the earliest stages of speciation. We
      then genotyped millions of single nucleotide polymorphisms in these gamete pools
      and tested for a skew in the frequency of parental alleles across the genome. We
      show that segregation distorters are not measurable contributors to observed
      infertility in these hybrid males, despite sufficient statistical power to detect
      even weak segregation distortion with our novel method. Thus, reduced hybrid male
      fertility in crosses between these nascent species is attributable to other
      evolutionary forces. 

PMID- 26121241
TI  - Substitution in Amino Acid 70 of Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Changes the
      Adipokine Profile via Toll-Like Receptor 2/4 Signaling.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: It has been suggested that amino acid (aa) substitution at
      position 70 from arginine (70R) to glutamine (70Q) in the genotype 1b hepatitis C
      virus (HCV) core protein is associated with insulin resistance and worse
      prognosis. However, the precise mechanism is still unclear. The aim of this study
      was to investigate the impact of the substitution at position 70 in HCV core
      protein on adipokine production by murine and human adipocytes. METHODS: The
      influence of treatment with HCV core protein (70R or 70Q) on adipokine production
      by both 3T3-L1 and human adipocytes were examined with real-time PCR and enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and triglyceride content was also analyzed.
      The effects of toll-like receptor (TLR)2/4 inhibition on IL-6 production by 3T3
      L1 induced by HCV core protein were examined. RESULTS: IL-6 production was
      significantly increased and adiponectin production was reduced without a change
      in triglyceride content by treatment with 70Q compared to 70R core protein in
      both murine and human adipocytes. IL-6 induction of 3T3-L1 cells treated by 70Q
      HCV core protein was significantly inhibited with anti-TLR2 antibody by 42%, and
      by TLR4 inhibitor by 40%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that extracellular HCV
      core protein with substitution at position 70 enhanced IL-6 production and
      reduced adiponectin production from visceral adipose tissue, which can cause
      insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, and ultimately development of HCC.

PMID- 26121242
TI  - Specificity and Strain-Typing Capabilities of Nanorod Array-Surface Enhanced
      Raman Spectroscopy for Mycoplasma pneumoniae Detection.
AB  - Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a cell wall-less bacterial pathogen of the human
      respiratory tract that accounts for > 20% of all community-acquired pneumonia
      (CAP). At present the most effective means for detection and strain-typing is
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), which can exhibit excellent
      sensitivity and specificity but requires separate tests for detection and
      genotyping, lacks standardization between available tests and between labs, and
      has limited practicality for widespread, point-of-care use. We have developed and
      previously described a silver nanorod array-surface enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
      (NA-SERS) biosensing platform capable of detecting M. pneumoniae with
      statistically significant specificity and sensitivity in simulated and true
      clinical throat swab samples, and the ability to distinguish between reference
      strains of the two main genotypes of M. pneumoniae. Furthermore, we have
      established a qualitative lower endpoint of detection for NA-SERS of < 1 genome
      equivalent (cell/MUl) and a quantitative multivariate detection limit of 5.3 +/-
      1 cells/MUl. Here we demonstrate using partial least squares- discriminatory
      analysis (PLS-DA) of sample spectra that NA-SERS correctly identified M.
      pneumoniae clinical isolates from globally diverse origins and distinguished
      these from a panel of 12 other human commensal and pathogenic mycoplasma species
      with 100% cross-validated statistical accuracy. Furthermore, PLS-DA correctly
      classified by strain type all 30 clinical isolates with 96% cross-validated
      accuracy for type 1 strains, 98% cross-validated accuracy for type 2 strains, and
      90% cross-validated accuracy for type 2V strains. 

PMID- 26121243
TI  - Innovative use of the taxol binding peptide overcomes key challenges of stable
      and high drug loading in polymeric nanomicelles.
AB  - Despite widespread clinical use, delivery of taxane chemotherapeutics remains a
      challenge due to poor solubility and lack of selectively. Polymeric nanomicelle
      strategies have been pursued to overcome these issues; however current
      formulations are often limited by low drug loading and poor serum stability. To
      achieve a drug delivery system that addresses these issues, poly(D,L-lactide-co-2
      methyl-2-carboxytrimethylene carbonate)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) was covalently
      modified with the taxol binding peptide - a peptide from the beta-tubulin-taxane
      binding site. This modification resulted in drug loadings five times higher than
      unmodified polymers, which is significantly higher than typical hydrophobic
      modifications, including with benzyl and docetaxel functionalization. Unlike many
      formulations with high drug loading, these nanomicelles were stable in serum for
      up to 24 h and maintained docetaxel cytotoxicity. By incorporating the taxane
      binding peptide into the polymer chemistry, a new twist was applied to an old
      problem, which is broadly applicable to other polymeric micelle systems and drug
      peptide combinations in general.

PMID- 26121244
TI  - Correction: Allopregnanolone Preclinical Acute Pharmacokinetic and
      Pharmacodynamic Studies to Predict Tolerability and Efficacy for Alzheimer's
      Disease.

PMID- 26121245
TI  - A short GC rich DNA derived from microbial origin targets tubulin/microtubules
      and induces apoptotic death of cancer cells.
AB  - A short GC rich DNA derived from microbial origin interacts with
      tubulin/microtubules activates p53 over expression and induces apoptotic death of
      human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells. 

PMID- 26121246
TI  - Construct Validity of the Chinese Version of the Activities of Daily Living
      Rating Scale III in Patients with Schizophrenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Chinese version of the Activities of Daily Living Rating Scale
      III (ADLRS-III), which has 10 domains, is commonly used for assessing activities
      of daily living (ADL) in patients with schizophrenia. However, construct validity
      (i.e., unidimensionality) for each domain of the ADLRS-III is unknown, limiting
      the explanations of the test results. PURPOSE: This main purpose of this study
      was to examine unidimensionality of each domain in the ADLRS-III. We also
      examined internal consistency and ceiling/floor effects in patients with
      schizophrenia. METHODS: From occupational therapy records, we obtained 304 self
      report data of the ADLRS-III. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to
      examine the 10 one-factor structures. If a domain showed an insufficient model
      fit, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to investigate the factor
      structure and choose one factor representing the original construct. Internal
      consistency was examined using Cronbach's alpha (alpha). Ceiling and floor
      effects were determined by the percentage of patients with the maximum and
      minimum scores in each domain, respectively. RESULTS: CFA analyses showed that 4
      domains (i.e., leisure, picture recognition, literacy ability, communication
      tools use) had sufficient model fits. These 4 domains had acceptable internal
      consistency (alpha = 0.79-0.87) and no ceiling/floor effects, except the leisure
      domain which had a ceiling effect. The other 6 domains showed insufficient model
      fits. The EFA results showed that these 6 domains were two-factor structures.
      CONCLUSION: The results supported unidimensional constructs of the leisure,
      picture recognition, literacy ability, and communication tool uses domains. The
      sum scores of these 4 domains can be used to represent their respective domain
      specific functions. Regarding the 6 domains with insufficient model fits, we have
      explained the two factors of each domain and chosen one factor to represent its
      original construct. Future users may use the items from the chosen factors to
      assess domain-specific functions in patients with schizophrenia.

PMID- 26121247
TI  - Comprehensive Analysis and Characterization of Linear Antigenic Domains on HN
      Protein from Genotype VII Newcastle Disease Virus Using Yeast Surface Display
      System.
AB  - Circulation of genotype VII Newcastle disease virus (NDV) has posed a great
      threat for the poultry industry worldwide. Antibodies against Hemagglutinin
      neuraminidase (HN), a membrane protein of NDV with critical roles in NDV
      infection, have been reported to provide chickens protection from NDV infection.
      In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the in vivo antibody responses against
      the linear antigenic domains of the HN protein from genotype VII NDV using a
      yeast surface display system. The results revealed four distinct regions of HN,
      P1 (1-52aa), P2 (53-192aa), P3 (193-302aa) and P4 (303-571aa), respectively,
      according to their antigenic potency. Analysis by FACS and ELISA assay indicated
      P2 to be the dominant linear antigenic domain, with the immunogenic potency to
      protect the majority of chickens from NDV challenge. In contrast, the P1, P3 and
      P4 domains showed weak antigenicity in vivo and could not protect chickens from
      NDV challenge. These results provide important insight into the characteristic of
      humoral immune responses elicited by HN of NDV in vivo. 

PMID- 26121248
TI  - High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Induces Specific Changes in Respiration
      and Electron Leakage in the Mitochondria of Different Rat Skeletal Muscles.
AB  - High intensity interval training (HIIT) is characterized by vigorous exercise
      with short rest intervals. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plays a key role in muscle
      adaptation. This study aimed to evaluate whether HIIT promotes similar H2O2
      formation via O2 consumption (electron leakage) in three skeletal muscles with
      different twitch characteristics. Rats were assigned to two groups: sedentary
      (n=10) and HIIT (n=10, swimming training). We collected the tibialis anterior (TA
      fast), gastrocnemius (GAST-fast/slow) and soleus (SOL-slow) muscles. The fibers
      were analyzed for mitochondrial respiration, H2O2 production and citrate synthase
      (CS) activity. A multi-substrate (glycerol phosphate (G3P), pyruvate, malate,
      glutamate and succinate) approach was used to analyze the mitochondria in
      permeabilized fibers. Compared to the control group, oxygen flow coupled to ATP
      synthesis, complex I and complex II was higher in the TA of the HIIT group by 1.5
      , 3.0- and 2.7-fold, respectively. In contrast, oxygen consumed by mitochondrial
      glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (mGPdH) was 30% lower. Surprisingly, the oxygen
      flow coupled to ATP synthesis was 42% lower after HIIT in the SOL. Moreover,
      oxygen flow coupled to ATP synthesis and complex II was higher by 1.4- and 2.7
      fold in the GAST of the HIIT group. After HIIT, CS activity increased 1.3-fold in
      the TA, and H2O2 production was 1.3-fold higher in the TA at sites containing
      mGPdH. No significant differences in H2O2 production were detected in the SOL.
      Surprisingly, HIIT increased H2O2 production in the GAST via complex II,
      phosphorylation, oligomycin and antimycin by 1.6-, 1.8-, 2.2-, and 2.2-fold,
      respectively. Electron leakage was 3.3-fold higher in the TA with G3P and 1.8
      fold higher in the GAST with multiple substrates. Unexpectedly, the HIIT protocol
      induced different respiration and electron leakage responses in different types
      of muscle. 

PMID- 26121249
TI  - Changes in Antioxidant Defense Capability and Lipid Profile after 12-Week Low-
      Intensity Continuous Training in Both Cigarette and Hookah Smokers: A Follow-Up
      Study.
AB  - To examine the impact of low-intensity continuous training program on antioxidant
      defense capability and lipid profile in male cigarette or hookah smokers. Forty
      three male adults participated in a 12-week continuous training program at an
      intensity of 40% of VO2max. All subjects were subjected to anthropometric,
      physical and biochemical tests before and after the training program. The
      increase of Glutathione reductase (GR) and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is
      significant only for cigarette smokers (CS) and hookah smokers (HS) groups. The
      Malondialdehyde (MDA) decrease and alpha-tocopherol increase are significant only
      for HS group. GPx was increased in NS, CS and HS by 2.6% (p< 0.01), 2% (p< 0.05)
      and 1.7% (p< 0.05) respectively. Likewise, significant improvements of high
      density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL
      C) and TC/HDL-C ratio were observed in three groups. En contrast no significant
      changes were recorded in triglycerides (TG). Also, significant reduction of total
      cholesterol (TC) for CS group (p< 0.01) and HS groups (p< 0.05). This continuous
      training program appears to have an important role in lipid levels improving and
      oxidative stress attenuation.

PMID- 26121250
TI  - Bisexual Behaviors, HIV Knowledge, and Stigmatizing/Discriminatory Attitudes
      among Men Who Have Sex with Men.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the correlates for bisexual behaviors, HIV knowledge, and
      HIV/AIDS-related stigmatizing/discriminatory attitudes among men who have sex
      with men (MSM). METHODS: A cross-sectional survey among MSM was conducted in 2011
      to provide demographics, sexual behaviors, HIV knowledge, HIV/AIDS-related
      stigmatizing/discriminatory attitudes, and services in Jinan, Qingdao, and Yantai
      of Shandong Province of China. RESULTS: Of 1230 participants, 82.8% were single,
      85.7% aged <35 years, and 47.2% received college or higher education. There were
      28.6% MSM who reported to be married or cohabitating or ever had sex with woman
      in the past 6 months (P6M). 74.5% had >=6 HIV-related knowledge score. The
      average total score of stigmatizing/discriminatory attitude was 37.4+/
      4.4(standard deviation). Bisexual behavior was independently associated with
      higher levels of HIV/AIDS-related stigma/discrimination(AOR = 1.1, 95% CI:1.0
      1.1), older age(AOR = 1.2, 95%CI:1.1-1.2), and lower HIV-related knowledge
      score(AOR = 1.6, 95%CI:1.2-2.2). HIV knowledge score >=6 was independently
      associated with lower levels of HIV/AIDS-related stigma/discrimination(AOR = 1.3,
      95%CI:1.2-1.3), less bisexual behaviors(AOR = 0.6, 95%CI:0.5-0.9), ever received
      a test for HIV in the past 12 months (P12M)(AOR = 3.2, 95%CI:2.3-4.5), college or
      higher level education(AOR = 1.9, 95%CI:1.4-2.6), consistent condom use with men
      in P6M(AOR=6.9, 95%CI:4.6-10.6), recruited from internet or HIV testing sites(AOR
      = 11.2, 95%CI:8.0-16.1) and bars, night clubs, or tea houses(AOR = 2.5, 95%CI:1.7
      4.8). Expressing higher levels of HIV/AIDS-related stigmatizing/discriminatory
      attitudes was independently associated with bisexual behaviors(Abeta = 0.9,
      95%CI:0.4-1.4), lower HIV-related knowledge score(Abeta = 3.6, 95%CI:3.0-4.1),
      the number of male sex partners in the past week >=2(Abeta = 1.4, 95%CI:1.0-1.9),
      unprotected male anal sex in P6M(Abeta = 1.0, 95%CI:0.5-1.6), and inversely
      associated with ever received HIV test(Abeta = 1.4, 95%CI:0.8-2.0) and peer
      education in P12M(Abeta = 1.4, 95%CI:0.9-1.9). CONCLUSION: HIV/AIDS-related
      stigmatizing/discriminatory attitudes were associated with bisexual behaviors,
      low HIV testing rate, lower HIV-related knowledge and risk behaviors. This study
      called for innovative programs that would reduce HIV/AIDS-related
      stigmatizing/discriminatory attitudes and bisexual behaviors and improve the
      uptake of prevention service among MSM.

PMID- 26121252
TI  - Quantitative Evaluation of the Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ) for Comparing
      Herbicides.
AB  - Various indicators of pesticide environmental risk have been proposed, and one of
      the most widely known and used is the environmental impact quotient (EIQ). The
      EIQ has been criticized by others in the past, but it continues to be used
      regularly in the weed science literature. The EIQ is typically considered an
      improvement over simply comparing the amount of herbicides applied by weight.
      Herbicides are treated differently compared to other pesticide groups when
      calculating the EIQ, and therefore, it is important to understand how different
      risk factors affect the EIQ for herbicides. The purpose of this work was to
      evaluate the suitability of the EIQ as an environmental indicator for herbicides.
      Simulation analysis was conducted to quantify relative sensitivity of the EIQ to
      changes in risk factors, and actual herbicide EIQ values were used to quantify
      the impact of herbicide application rate on the EIQ Field Use Rating. Herbicide
      use rate was highly correlated with the EIQ Field Use Rating (Spearman's rho
      >0.96, P-value <0.001) for two herbicide datasets. Two important risk factors for
      herbicides, leaching and surface runoff potential, are included in the EIQ
      calculation but explain less than 1% of total variation in the EIQ. Plant surface
      half-life was the risk factor with the greatest relative influence on herbicide
      EIQ, explaining 26 to 28% of the total variation in EIQ for actual and simulated
      EIQ values, respectively. For herbicides, the plant surface half-life risk factor
      is assigned values without any supporting quantitative data, and can result in
      EIQ estimates that are contrary to quantitative risk estimates for some
      herbicides. In its current form, the EIQ is a poor measure of herbicide
      environmental impact. 

PMID- 26121251
TI  - A Potential Role for the Inhibition of PI3K Signaling in Glioblastoma Therapy.
AB  - Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor and among
      the most difficult to treat malignancies per se. In almost 90% of all GBM
      alterations in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR have been found, making this survival cascade a
      promising therapeutic target, particular for combination therapy that combines an
      apoptosis sensitizer, such as a pharmacological inhibitor of PI3K, with an
      apoptosis inducer, such as radio- or chemotherapy. However, while in vitro data
      focusing mainly on established cell lines has appeared rather promising, this has
      not translated well to a clinical setting. In this study, we analyze the effects
      of the dual kinase inhibitor PI-103, which blocks PI3K and mTOR activity, on
      three matched pairs of GBM stem cells/differentiated cells. While blocking PI3K
      mediated signaling has a profound effect on cellular proliferation, in contrast
      to data presented on two GBM cell lines (A172 and U87) PI-103 actually
      counteracts the effect of chemotherapy. While we found no indications for a
      potential role of the PI3K signaling cascade in differentiation, we saw a clear
      and strong contribution to cellular motility and, by extension, invasion. While
      blocking PI3K-mediated signaling concurrently with application of chemotherapy
      does not appear to be a valid treatment option, pharmacological inhibitors, such
      as PI-103, nevertheless have an important place in future therapeutic approaches.

PMID- 26121253
TI  - Sleep-disordered breathing decreases after opioid withdrawal: results of a
      prospective controlled trial.
AB  - An increased cardiovascular event rate in elderly patients under opioid
      medications was recently reported. One reason for this increase could be the
      occurrence of nocturnal apnea and hypoxia, as a consequence of sleep-disordered
      breathing (SDB). Using a controlled study, we prospectively analyzed SDB using
      polysomnography in a total of 18 patients before and after opioid withdrawal
      (opioid withdrawal group [OG]) and 14 patients before and after comprehensive
      pain management (without any strong-acting opioids) who served as the control
      group (CG). To analyze the differences, unpaired/paired t tests and Mann-Whitney
      U tests/Wilcoxon rank tests were used. At baseline, the OG presented more
      nocturnal apneas/hypopneas than the CG with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 41.4
      +/- 27.8 vs 21.8 +/- 15.9 (P = 0.018). After treatment, the AHI decreased
      significantly only in the withdrawal group (OG: 16.7 +/- 8.9; CG: 20.1 +/- 12.9)
      (P < 0.01). Before treatment, none of the CG but half of the OG patients showed
      central apnea, which disappeared afterwards. A mean O2 saturation during rapid
      eye movement sleep lower than 90% was found in 27.5% of the OG patients before
      opioid withdrawal and in none of the patients after withdrawal (P < 0.01). The
      AHI was not significantly affected by body mass index, age, or sex. Obviously,
      nocturnal apnea and O2 desaturation occurred more frequently, as was clinically
      expected in patients with opioid intake; these findings may explain the opioid
      associated cardiovascular morbidity. Thus, SDB may be a risk at lower opioid
      doses than hitherto described, and particular caution should be exercised in
      patients with comorbidities that might make them vulnerable to the consequences
      of SDB. 

PMID- 26121254
TI  - Nerve growth factor-induced synapse-like structures in contralateral sensory
      ganglia contribute to chronic mirror-image pain.
AB  - Elevated nerve growth factor (NGF) in the contralateral dorsal root ganglion
      (DRG) mediates mirror-image pain after peripheral nerve injury, but the
      underlying mechanism remains unclear. Using intrathecal injection of NGF
      antibodies, we found that NGF is required for the development of intra-DRG
      synapse-like structures made by neurite sprouts of calcitonin gene-related
      peptide (CGRP(+)) nociceptors and sympathetic axons onto neurite sprouts of
      Kv4.3(+) nociceptors. These synapse-like structures are formed near NGF-releasing
      satellite glia surrounding large DRG neurons. Downregulation of the postsynaptic
      protein PSD95 with a specific shRNA largely eliminates these synapse-like
      structures, suppresses activities of Kv4.3(+) but not CGRP(+) nociceptors, and
      attenuates mirror-image pain. Furthermore, neutralizing the neurotransmitter
      norepinephrine or CGRP in the synapse-like structures by antibodies has similar
      analgesic effect. Thus, elevated NGF after peripheral nerve injury induces
      neurite sprouting and the formation of synapse-like structures within the
      contralateral DRG, leading to the development of chronic mirror-image pain.

PMID- 26121256
TI  - Long-acting reversible contraception: Findings from the Understanding Fertility
      Management in Contemporary Australia survey.

PMID- 26121255
TI  - Neuropathic pain as part of chronic widespread pain: environmental and genetic
      influences.
AB  - Chronic widespread pain (CWP) has complex aetiology and forms part of the
      fibromyalgia syndrome. Recent evidence suggests a higher frequency of neuropathic
      pain features in those with CWP than previously thought. The aim of this study
      was to determine the prevalence of neuropathic pain features in individuals with
      CWP and to estimate the influence of genetic and environmental factors on
      neuropathic pain in CWP. Validated questionnaires (the London Fibromyalgia
      Screening Study questionnaire and PainDETECT questionnaire) were used to classify
      twins as having CWP and neuropathic pain, respectively. The prevalence of CWP was
      14.7% (n = 4324), and of the 1357 twins invited to complete neuropathic pain
      screening, 15.9% of those having CWP demonstrated features of neuropathic pain.
      Neuropathic pain was found to be heritable (A = 37%; 95% confidence interval
      [CI]: 23%-50%) with unique environmental factors accounting for 63% (95% CI: 49%
      79%) of the variance. Heritability of neuropathic pain and CWP were found to be
      correlated, 0.54 (95% CI: 0.42-0.65). Increasing age, raised body mass index,
      female gender, and smoking were all risk factors for neuropathic pain (P < 0.05),
      and CWP (P < 0.05). High socioeconomic status showed negative correlation with
      neuropathic pain (P = 0.003) and CWP (P = 0.001). Bivariate analysis of the 2
      pain traits revealed that genetic predisposition to neuropathic pain is shared
      with that for CWP. This is the first study to provide formal heritability
      estimates for neuropathic pain in CWP. The findings suggest that at least some of
      the genetic factors underlying the development of neuropathic pain and CWP are
      the same. 

PMID- 26121258
TI  - Tool for Rapid & Easy Identification of High Risk Diabetic Foot: Validation &
      Clinical Pilot of the Simplified 60 Second Diabetic Foot Screening Tool.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most diabetic foot amputations are caused by ulcers on the skin of
      the foot i.e. diabetic foot ulcers. Early identification of patients at high risk
      for diabetic foot ulcers is crucial. The 'Simplified 60-Second Diabetic Foot
      Screening Tool' has been designed to rapidly detect high risk diabetic feet,
      allowing for timely identification and referral of patients needing treatment.
      This study aimed to determine the clinical performance and inter-rater
      reliability of 'Simplified 60 Second Diabetic Foot Screening Tool' in order to
      evaluate its applicability for routine screening. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The tool
      was independently tested by n=12 assessors with n=18 Guyanese patients with
      diabetes. Inter-rater reliability was assessed by calculating Cronbach's alpha
      for each of the assessment items. A minimum value of 0.60 was considered
      acceptable. Reliability scores of the screening tool assessment items were:
      'monofilament test' 0.98; 'active ulcer' 0.97; 'previous amputation' 0.97;
      'previous ulcer' 0.97; 'fixed ankle' 0.91; 'deformity' 0.87; 'callus' 0.87;
      'absent pulses' 0.87; 'fixed toe' 0.80; 'blisters' 0.77; 'ingrown nail' 0.72; and
      'fissures' 0.55. The item 'stiffness in the toe or ankle' was removed as it was
      observed in only 1.3% of patients. The item 'fissures' was also removed due to
      low inter-rater reliability. Clinical performance was assessed via a pilot study
      utilizing the screening tool on n=1,266 patients in an acute care setting in
      Georgetown, Guyana. In total, 48% of patients either had existing diabetic foot
      ulcers or were found to be at high risk for developing ulcers. CONCLUSIONS:
      Clinicians in low and middle income countries such as Guyana can use the
      Simplified 60-Second Diabetic Screening Tool to facilitate early detection and
      appropriate treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. Implementation of this screening
      tool has the potential to decrease diabetes related disability and mortality.

PMID- 26121257
TI  - Pericentriolar Targeting of the Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus GAG Protein.
AB  - The Gag protein of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is the chief determinant
      of subcellular targeting. Electron microscopy studies show that MMTV Gag forms
      capsids within the cytoplasm and assembles as immature particles with MMTV RNA
      and the Y box binding protein-1, required for centrosome maturation. Other
      betaretroviruses, such as Mason-Pfizer monkey retrovirus (M-PMV), assemble
      adjacent to the pericentriolar region because of a cytoplasmic targeting and
      retention signal in the Matrix protein. Previous studies suggest that the MMTV
      Matrix protein may also harbor a similar cytoplasmic targeting and retention
      signal. Herein, we show that a substantial fraction of MMTV Gag localizes to the
      pericentriolar region. This was observed in HEK293T, HeLa human cell lines and
      the mouse derived NMuMG mammary gland cells. Moreover, MMTV capsids were observed
      adjacent to centrioles when expressed from plasmids encoding either MMTV Gag
      alone, Gag-Pro-Pol or full-length virus. We found that the cytoplasmic targeting
      and retention signal in the MMTV Matrix protein was sufficient for pericentriolar
      targeting, whereas mutation of the glutamine to alanine at position 56 (D56/A)
      resulted in plasma membrane localization, similar to previous observations from
      mutational studies of M-PMV Gag. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy
      studies showed that MMTV capsids accumulate around centrioles suggesting that,
      similar to M-PMV, the pericentriolar region may be a site for MMTV assembly.
      Together, the data imply that MMTV Gag targets the pericentriolar region as a
      result of the MMTV cytoplasmic targeting and retention signal, possibly aided by
      the Y box protein-1 required for the assembly of centrosomal microtubules. 

PMID- 26121259
TI  - The recyclable synthesis of hierarchical zeolite SAPO-34 with excellent MTO
      catalytic performance.
AB  - A facile and green route has been developed for the synthesis of hierarchical
      zeolite catalysts by recycling of waste mother-liquors. After three recycles of
      mother-liquors, the obtained hierarchical SAPO-34 zeolites retain high
      crystallinity, texture properties, and acidity, as well as excellent MTO
      catalytic performance as compared to the initially prepared catalysts. 

PMID- 26121260
TI  - A FOXM1 Dependent Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition in Retinal Pigment Epithelium
      Cells.
AB  - The integrity of the epithelium is maintained by a complex but regulated
      interplay of processes that allow conversion of a proliferative state into a
      stably differentiated state. In this study, using human embryonic stem cell
      (hESC) derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) cells as a model; we have
      investigated the molecular mechanisms that affect attainment of the epithelial
      phenotype. We demonstrate that RPE undergo a Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition in
      culture before acquiring an epithelial phenotype in a FOXM1 dependent manner. We
      show that FOXM1 directly regulates proliferation of RPE through transcriptional
      control of cell cycle associated genes. Additionally, FOXM1 modulates expression
      of the signaling ligands BMP7 and Wnt5B which act reciprocally to enable
      epithelialization. This data uncovers a novel effect of FOXM1 dependent
      activities in contributing towards epithelial fate acquisition and furthers our
      understanding of the molecular regulators of a cell type that is currently being
      evaluated as a cell therapy. 

PMID- 26121261
TI  - Longevity of Mycobacterium bovis in Raw and Traditional Souring Milk as a
      Function of Storage Temperature and Dose.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unpasteurised fresh and souring dairy products form an essential
      component of household diets throughout many rural communities in southern
      Africa. The presence of milk-borne zoonotic pathogens such as Mycobacterium bovis
      (M. bovis), the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis and zoonotic tuberculosis
      in humans, constitute a public health threat, especially in remote areas with
      poor disease surveillance in livestock and highly compromised human health due to
      HIV/AIDS. METHODS: In this study we used culture to determine the longevity of M.
      bovis in experimentally inoculated fresh and naturally souring milk obtained from
      communal cattle in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The effect of
      bacterial load and storage temperature on the survival of M. bovis was evaluated
      by spiking mixtures of fresh milk and starter soured milk (aMasi) culture with
      three concentrations of bacteria (10(2), 10(4), 10(7) colony forming units/ml),
      followed by incubation under controlled laboratory conditions that mimicked
      ambient indoor (20 degrees C) and outdoor (33 degrees C) temperatures and
      periodic sampling and testing over time (0-56 days). RESULTS: M. bovis cultured
      from samples of the fresh and souring milk was identified by PCR analysis. At the
      highest spiking concentration (10(7) cfu/ml), M. bovis survived for at least 2
      weeks at 20 degrees C; but, at all concentrations in the 33 degrees C treatment,
      M. bovis was absent by three days after inoculation. Logistic regression analysis
      was used to assess the effects of bacterial concentration and time since
      inoculation, as well as determine the potential half-life of M. bovis in raw
      souring milk. Given the most favourable tested conditions for bacterial survival
      (20 degrees C), approximately 25% of mycobacteria were alive after one day of
      storage (95% CI: 9-53%), giving an estimated half-life of M. bovis in raw souring
      milk of approximately 12 hours (95% CI: 7-27 hours). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      demonstrates that M. bovis may survive in fresh and souring milk for periods of
      time that represent a risk of exposure to people consuming these products, as
      well as domestic or wild animal populations that have reported opportunities to
      consume homemade unpasteurised dairy products. The temperature at which the milk
      is soured and stored substantially affects the survival time of M. bovis.

PMID- 26121262
TI  - Relating Essential Proteins to Drug Side-Effects Using Canonical Component
      Analysis: A Structure-Based Approach.
AB  - The molecular mechanism of many drug side-effects is unknown and difficult to
      predict. Previous methods for explaining side-effects have focused on known drug
      targets and their pathways. However, low affinity binding to proteins that are
      not usually considered drug targets may also drive side-effects. In order to
      assess these alternative targets, we used the 3D structures of 563 essential
      human proteins systematically to predict binding to 216 drugs. We first
      benchmarked our affinity predictions with available experimental data. We then
      combined singular value decomposition and canonical component analysis (SVD-CCA)
      to predict side-effects based on these novel target profiles. Our method predicts
      side-effects with good accuracy (average AUC: 0.82 for side effects present in
      <50% of drug labels). We also noted that side-effect frequency is the most
      important feature for prediction and can confound efforts at elucidating
      mechanism; our method allows us to remove the contribution of frequency and
      isolate novel biological signals. In particular, our analysis produces 2768
      triplet associations between 50 essential proteins, 99 drugs, and 77 side
      effects. Although experimental validation is difficult because many of our
      essential proteins do not have validated assays, we nevertheless attempted to
      validate a subset of these associations using experimental assay data. Our focus
      on essential proteins allows us to find potential associations that would likely
      be missed if we used recognized drug targets. Our associations provide novel
      insights about the molecular mechanisms of drug side-effects and highlight the
      need for expanded experimental efforts to investigate drug binding to proteins
      more broadly. 

PMID- 26121264
TI  - Tightly-Coupled Plant-Soil Nitrogen Cycling: Comparison of Organic Farms across
      an Agricultural Landscape.
AB  - How farming systems supply sufficient nitrogen (N) for high yields but with
      reduced N losses is a central challenge for reducing the tradeoffs often
      associated with N cycling in agriculture. Variability in soil organic matter and
      management of organic farms across an agricultural landscape may yield insights
      for improving N cycling and for evaluating novel indicators of N availability. We
      assessed yields, plant-soil N cycling, and root expression of N metabolism genes
      across a representative set of organic fields growing Roma-type tomatoes (Solanum
      lycopersicum L.) in an intensively-managed agricultural landscape in California,
      USA. The fields spanned a three-fold range of soil carbon (C) and N but had
      similar soil types, texture, and pH. Organic tomato yields ranged from 22.9 to
      120.1 Mg ha-1 with a mean similar to the county average (86.1 Mg ha-1), which
      included mostly conventionally-grown tomatoes. Substantial variability in soil
      inorganic N concentrations, tomato N, and root gene expression indicated a range
      of possible tradeoffs between yields and potential for N losses across the
      fields. Fields showing evidence of tightly-coupled plant-soil N cycling, a
      desirable scenario in which high crop yields are supported by adequate N
      availability but low potential for N loss, had the highest total and labile soil
      C and N and received organic matter inputs with a range of N availability. In
      these fields, elevated expression of a key gene involved in root N assimilation,
      cytosolic glutamine synthetase GS1, confirmed that plant N assimilation was high
      even when inorganic N pools were low. Thus tightly-coupled N cycling occurred on
      several working organic farms. Novel combinations of N cycling indicators (i.e.
      inorganic N along with soil microbial activity and root gene expression for N
      assimilation) would support adaptive management for improved N cycling on organic
      as well as conventional farms, especially when plant-soil N cycling is rapid. 

PMID- 26121265
TI  - Assessment of Sublethal and Transgenerational Effects of Pirimicarb on the Wheat
      Aphids Rhopalosiphum padi and Sitobion avenae.
AB  - The wheat aphids, Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus) and Sitobion avenae (Fabricius),
      are key pests on wheat crops worldwide. Management practices rely primarily on
      insecticides. The pirimicarb (carbamate) is used extensively as an effective
      insecticide to control these two aphids. In addition to the mortality caused by
      pirimicarb, various sublethal effects may occur in aphids when exposed to low
      lethal or sublethal doses. Understanding the general effect of pirimicarb on
      aphids could help increasing rational use of this insecticide. Under laboratory
      conditions, we assessed the sublethal effects of a low lethal concentration of
      pirimicarb (LC25) on biological traits and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity
      of R. padi and S. avenae. Both direct and transgenerational effects, i.e. on
      parent and the F1 generations were assessed, respectively. We found that R. padi
      and S. avenae responded differentially to the LC25 of pirimicarb. The parent
      generation of R. padi showed a 39% decrease in fecundity and multiple
      transgenerational effects were observed in the F1 generation; overall juvenile
      development, reproductive period, adult longevity and lifespan were longer than
      those of the control group. By contrast, LC25 of pirimicarb showed almost no
      effects on S. avenae biological traits in both the parent and F1 generations;
      only the pre-reproductive duration was reduced in F1 generations. Demographic
      parameter estimates (e.g. rm) showed similar trend, i.e. significant negative
      effect on R. padi population growth and no effect on S. avenae. However, AChE
      activity decreased in both R. padi and S. avenae treated by the LC25 of
      pirimicarb. We demonstrated sublethal and transgenerational effects of pirimicarb
      in the two wheat aphid species; it hinted at the importance of considering
      sublethal effects (including hormesis) of pirimicarb for optimizing Integrated
      Pest Management (IPM) of wheat aphids. 

PMID- 26121266
TI  - Emergence of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi in Italy.
AB  - In developed countries, typhoid fever is often associated with persons who travel
      to endemic areas or immigrate from them. Typhoid fever is a systemic infection
      caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. Because of the emergence of
      antimicrobial resistance to standard first-line drugs, fluoroquinolones are the
      drugs of choice. Resistance to ciprofloxacin by this Salmonella serovar
      represents an emerging public health issue. Two S. enterica ser. Typhi strains
      resistant to ciprofloxacin (CIP) were reported to the Italian surveillance system
      for foodborne and waterborne diseases (EnterNet-Italia) in 2013. The strains were
      isolated from two Italian tourists upon their arrival from India. A retrospective
      analysis of 17 other S. enterica ser. Typhi strains isolated in Italy during 2011
      2013 was performed to determine their resistance to CIP. For this purpose, we
      assayed for susceptibility to antimicrobial agents and conducted PCR and
      nucleotide sequence analyses. Moreover, all strains were typed using pulsed-field
      gel electrophoresis to evaluate possible clonal relationships. Sixty-eight
      percent of the S. enterica ser. Typhi strains were resistant to CIP (MICs, 0.125
      16 mg/L), and all isolates were negative for determinants of plasmid-mediated
      quinolone resistance. Analysis of sequences encoding DNA gyrase and topoisomerase
      IV subunits revealed mutations in gyrA, gyrB, and parC. Thirteen different clonal
      groups were detected, and the two CIP-resistant strains isolated from the
      individuals who visited India exhibited the same PFGE pattern. Because of these
      findings, the emergence of CIP-resistant S. enterica ser. Typhi isolates in Italy
      deserves attention, and monitoring antibiotic susceptibility is important for
      efficiently managing cases of typhoid fever. 

PMID- 26121267
TI  - Headache and Alcohol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The notion that alcohol intake may trigger headache is well known.
      Historical data as well as clinical experience indicate that this may be the case
      for headache patients as well persons without known headache disorders. This
      monograph reviews the medical literature about alcohol as a headache trigger,
      what headache types are triggered, and why. METHODS: Literature search primarily
      using the terms "alcohol and headache," "migraine and alcohol," "cluster headache
      and alcohol," and "alcohol hangover headache," as well as combined search, was
      performed, limiting the search to the last decade. Relevant articles were picked.
      RESULTS: The search "alcohol and headache" yielded 918 hits for the decade 2004
      2014. Combined search gave substantially less, and 30 papers were reviewed, of
      which 25 are included in this review. DISCUSSION: Epidemiological studies find
      some correlations between alcohol intake and mainly primary headache disorders,
      such as migraine and cluster headache. Cultural differences in alcohol
      consumption are probably reflected in some of the results and conclusions. Both
      migraine and cluster headaches may be triggered by alcohol; however, which type
      of alcoholic beverage triggers these headaches is not clear. There is no single
      mechanism that explains the pathophysiology of alcohol-induced headache, other
      that hangover headache in some may be triggered by inactive alcohol dehydrogenase
      2. Alcohol-induced headache may be diagnosed as a secondary headache, while in
      patients with migraine or cluster headache alcohol intake may act as a trigger
      for these primary headaches. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Based on the
      literature, there is no reason to tell headache patients in general to abstain
      from alcohol. Individual dispositions as well as cultural factors may play a role
      in alcohol-induced headache.

PMID- 26121268
TI  - Structuring Light by Concentric-Ring Patterned Magnetic Metamaterial Cavities.
AB  - Ultracompact and tunable beam converters pose a significant potential for modern
      optical technologies ranging from classical and quantum communication to optical
      manipulation. Here we design and demonstrate concentric-ring patterned structures
      of magnetic metamaterial cavities capable of tailoring both polarization and
      phase of light by converting circularly polarized light into a vector beam with
      an orbital angular momentum. We experimentally illustrate the realization of both
      radially and azimuthally polarized vortex beams using such concentric-ring
      patterned magnetic metamaterials. These results contribute to the advanced
      complex light manipulation with optical metamaterials, making it one step closer
      to realizing the simultaneous control of polarization and orbital angular
      momentum of light on a chip. 

PMID- 26121263
TI  - Accessibility to Reperfusion Therapy Among Women with Acute Myocardial
      Infarction: Impact on Hospital Mortality.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The available evidence about the effect of gender and/or sex on
      mortality differences is contradictory. Our aim is to assess the impact of gender
      on the access to reperfusion therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome
      with ST-segment elevation (STEMI), and secondly, to analyze the effect of delay
      on the differences with regard to hospital mortality. METHODS: A retrospective
      cohort study was conducted among consecutive patients with STEMI included in the
      ARIAM-SEMICYUC registry (2010-2013). RESULTS: A total of 4816 patients were
      included (22.09% women). Women were older, presented with longer patient delay
      (90 vs. 75 minutes, p=0.0066), higher risk profile (GRACE>140: 75.1% vs. 56.05%,
      p<0.0001), and received less reperfusion therapy (68.8% vs. 74.7%, p<0.0001) with
      longer total reperfusion time (307 vs. 240 minutes, p<0.0001). Women received
      less thrombolysis (24.53% vs. 29.98%, p<0.0001) and longer door-to-needle time
      (85 vs. 70 minutes, p 0.0023). We found no differences regarding primary
      percutaneous coronary intervention or door-to-balloon time. Women also had higher
      hospital mortality (crude odds ratio 2.54, 95% confidence interval 1.99-3.26,
      p<0.0001), which persisted after controlling the effect of patient delay, age,
      risk (GRACE), and reperfusion (adjusted odds ratio 1.43, 95% confidence interval
      1.0-2.06, p=0.0492). Using TIMI or Killip risk scores as risk estimates yielded
      nonsignificant results. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with men, women with STEMI have
      worse access to reperfusion and higher hospital mortality. The impact of the
      differences in accessibility on mortality gap remains uncertain.

PMID- 26121271
TI  - Giant Blue Nevus: A New Association to Nevus of Ota.
AB  - Nevus of Ota, also known as oculodermal melanocytosis, is a congenital pigmentary
      condition that can affect structures in the distribution of the ophthalmic and
      maxillary divisions of the trigeminal cranial nerve. Malignant transformation,
      although rare, may occur within nevus of Ota and result in uveal, cutaneous,
      orbital or even dural melanoma. We present a new association of Nevus of Ota
      complicated with a giant orbital Blue Nevus in a young white male and the
      management of this tumor. 

PMID- 26121269
TI  - The miRNA Profile of Platelets Stored in a Blood Bank and Its Relation to
      Cellular Damage from Storage.
AB  - Millions of blood products are transfused each year, and many lives are directly
      affected by transfusion. Platelet concentrate (PC) is one of the main products
      derived from blood. Even under good storage conditions, PC is likely to suffer
      cell damage. The shape of platelets changes after 5 to 7 days of storage at 22
      degrees C. Taking into consideration that some platelet proteins undergo changes
      in their shape and functionality during PC storage. Sixteen PC bags were
      collected and each PC bag tube was cut into six equal pieces to perform
      experiments with platelets from six different days of storage. Thus, on the first
      day of storage, 1/6 of the tube was used for miRNA extraction, and the remaining
      5/6 was stored under the same conditions until extraction of miRNAs on each the
      following five days. Samples were sequenced on an Illumina Platform to
      demonstrate the most highly expressed miRNAs. Three miRNAs, mir127, mir191 and
      mir320a were validated by real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) in 100 PC bags
      tubes. Our method suggests, the use of the miRNAs mir127 and mir320a as
      biomarkers to assess the "validity period" of PC bags stored in blood banks for
      long periods. Thus, bags can be tested on the 5th day of storage for the relative
      expression levels of mir127 and mir320a. Thus, we highlight candidate miRNAs as
      biomarkers of storage damage that can be used as tools to evaluate the quality of
      stored PC. The use of miRNAs as biomarkers of damage is unprecedented and will
      contribute to improved quality of blood products for transfusions. 

PMID- 26121272
TI  - High levels of von Willebrand factor and low levels of its cleaving protease,
      ADAMTS13, are associated with stroke in young HIV-infected patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stroke associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection may
      occur through a variety of mechanisms. Von Willebrand factor is a marker of
      endothelial dysfunction, and is elevated in human immunodeficiency virus
      infection. High levels of von Willebrand factor, a protein involved in platelet
      adhesion and aggregation, and low levels of ADAMTS13, a metalloproteinase that
      cleaves von Willebrand factor, have been associated with an increased risk of
      thrombosis. AIM: To investigate the role of von Willebrand factor and ADAMTS13 in
      the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus-related stroke in young
      patients. METHODS: A case-control study (n = 100) comprising three participant
      groups: human immunodeficiency virus-positive antiretroviral therapy-naive young
      strokes (n = 20), human immunodeficiency virus-negative young strokes (n = 40),
      and human immunodeficiency virus-positive antiretroviral therapy-naive nonstroke
      controls (n = 40). von Willebrand factor and ADAMTS13 levels were measured in
      plasma samples collected five- to seven-days poststroke. RESULTS: Human
      immunodeficiency virus-positive stroke participants had higher von Willebrand
      factor levels than human immunodeficiency virus-negative strokes (173.5% vs.
      135%, P = 0.032). They tended to have higher levels of von Willebrand factor than
      human immunodeficiency virus-positive nonstroke controls (173.5% vs. 129%, P =
      0.061). Human immunodeficiency virus-positive stroke participants had lower
      levels of ADAMTS13 than human immunodeficiency virus-positive nonstroke controls
      (0% vs. 23.5% P = 0.018) most likely due to the effect of the acute stroke.
      However, in the nonstroke group, these levels were significantly reduced compared
      with population norms. von Willebrand factor levels in all human immunodeficiency
      virus-positive participants were negatively correlated with CD4 counts.
      CONCLUSIONS: Stroke in human immunodeficiency virus infection is associated with
      a prothrombotic state, characterized by elevated von Willebrand factor and low
      ADAMTS13 levels.

PMID- 26121270
TI  - High BRAF Mutation Frequency and Marked Survival Differences in Subgroups
      According to KRAS/BRAF Mutation Status and Tumor Tissue Availability in a
      Prospective Population-Based Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Cohort.
AB  - RAS and BRAF mutations impact treatment and prognosis of metastatic colorectal
      cancer patients (mCRC), but the knowledge is based on trial patients usually not
      representative for the general cancer population. Patient characteristics,
      treatment and efficacy according to KRAS, BRAF and MSI status were analyzed in a
      prospectively collected unselected population-based cohort of 798 non-resectable
      mCRC patients. The cohort contained many patients with poor performance status
      (39% PS 2-4) and elderly (37% age>75), groups usually not included in clinical
      trials. Patients without available tissue micro array (TMA) (42%) had worse
      prognostic factors and inferior survival (all patients; 7m vs 11m, chemotherapy
      treated;12m vs 17m). The 92 patients (21%) with BRAF mutation had a poor
      prognosis regardless of microsatellite instability, but receipt of 1-2nd
      chemotherapy was similar to wildtype BRAF patients. Median survival in this
      cohort varied from 1 month in BRAF mutated patients not given chemotherapy to 26
      months in wildtype KRAS/BRAF patients <75 years in good PS. TMA availability,
      BRAF mutation and KRAS mutation were all independent prognostic factors for
      survival. The observed 21% BRAF mutation incidence is higher than the previously
      and repeatedly reported incidence of 5-12% in mCRC. Screening for BRAF mutations
      before selection of treatment is relevant for many patients, especially outside
      clinical trials. A BRAF mutation only partly explained the very poor prognosis of
      many mCRC patients. Survival in unselected metastatic colorectal cancer patients
      is extremely variable and subgroups have an extremely short survival compared to
      trial patients. Patients without available TMA had worse prognostic factors and
      shorter survival, which questions the total generalizability of present TMA
      studies and implies that we lack information on the biologically worst mCRC
      cases. Lack of available tissue is an important underexposed issue which
      introduces sample bias, and this should be recognized more clearly when
      conclusions are made from translational mCRC studies. 

PMID- 26121273
TI  - The serum lipid profiles of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients: A study from
      south-west China and a meta-analysis.
AB  - Associations between the fasting levels of serum lipid and amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis (ALS) in Chinese populations remain largely unknown. Our objective was
      to analyse data from a cohort of ALS patients to determine these associations.
      Four hundred and thirteen ALS patients and 400 age- and gender-matched healthy
      controls were included. Fasting serum lipid concentration of all subjects,
      including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high-density
      lipoprotein (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG), were measured at the time of first
      visit. The revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) was used to assess the
      severity of ALS. Systems Analysis by Review Manager 5 was used to evaluate
      differences in dyslipidaemia between ALS patients and controls. Results showed
      that ALS patients with higher triglyceride levels had longer survival time
      compared to patients with lower triglyceride levels (p < 0.05). We found a median
      prolonged life expectancy of 5.8 months for patients with serum triglyceride
      levels above the median of 127.5 mg/dl. Cox regression analysis indicated that
      disease duration and age were positively correlated with death, and triglyceride
      was positively correlated with survival. A meta-analysis indicated that there
      were no significant differences in mean total cholesterol, TG, LDL or the LDL/HDL
      ratio between patients and controls. In conclusion, high serum TG might be a
      protective factor for the survival of patients with ALS. 

PMID- 26121274
TI  - The longitudinal cerebrospinal fluid metabolomic profile of amyotrophic lateral
      sclerosis.
AB  - Neurochemical biomarkers are urgently sought in ALS. Metabolomic analysis of
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H-NMR)
      spectroscopy is a highly sensitive method capable of revealing nervous system
      cellular pathology. The (1)H-NMR CSF metabolomic signature of ALS was sought in a
      longitudinal cohort. Six-monthly serial collection was performed in ALS patients
      across a range of clinical sub-types (n = 41) for up to two years, and in healthy
      controls at a single time-point (n = 14). A multivariate statistical approach,
      partial least squares discriminant analysis, was used to determine differences
      between the NMR spectra from patients and controls. Significantly predictive
      models were found using those patients with at least one year's interval between
      recruitment and the second sample. Glucose, lactate, citric acid and,
      unexpectedly, ethanol were the discriminating metabolites elevated in ALS. It is
      concluded that (1)H-NMR captured the CSF metabolomic signature associated with
      derangements in cellular energy utilization connected with ALS, and was most
      prominent in comparisons using patients with longer disease duration. The
      specific metabolites identified support the concept of a hypercatabolic state,
      possibly involving mitochondrial dysfunction specifically. Endogenous ethanol in
      the CSF may be an unrecognized novel marker of neuronal tissue injury in ALS. 

PMID- 26121275
TI  - Asymmetry in the discrimination of quantity: The role of stimulus generalization.
AB  - In order to evaluate 1 account for the asymmetry that has been found with
      discriminations based on stimulus magnitude, in 5 autoshaping experiments, 2
      groups of pigeons received a discrimination between 5 and 20 squares presented on
      a TV screen. One group received a 20+/5- discrimination, with food signaled by 20
      squares but not 5 squares; the other group received the opposite discrimination,
      5+/20-. The 20+/5- discrimination was acquired more readily than 5+/20- in
      Experiments 1, 3a, 3b, and 4. For Experiment 1, the screen was white for the
      intertrial interval (ITI) and the stimuli were black squares on a white
      background; for Experiment 3a, the screen was black for the ITI and the stimuli
      were black squares on a white background; and for Experiments 3b and 4, the
      screen was white for the ITI and the stimuli were white squares on a black
      background. In Experiment 2, the stimuli were black squares on a white
      background, but they were separated by an ITI in which 288 black squares were
      presented against a white background. The 20+/5- discrimination was now acquired
      more slowly than the 5+/20- discrimination. The asymmetry in the acquisition of
      the magnitude discriminations in each experiment is attributed to inhibition
      being associated with the stimuli present during the ITI. The generalization of
      this inhibition, along a dimension related to the number of squares on the
      screen, is then assumed to disrupt the acquisition of 1 discrimination to a
      greater extent than the other.

PMID- 26121277
TI  - Klk8 is required for microabscess formation in a mouse imiquimod model of
      psoriasis.

PMID- 26121276
TI  - Immunological Response to Single Pathogen Challenge with Agents of the Bovine
      Respiratory Disease Complex: An RNA-Sequence Analysis of the Bronchial Lymph Node
      Transcriptome.
AB  - Susceptibility to bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is multi-factorial and is
      influenced by stress in conjunction with infection by both bacterial and viral
      pathogens. While vaccination is broadly used in an effort to prevent BRD, it is
      far from being fully protective and cases diagnosed from a combination of
      observed clinical signs without any attempt at identifying the causal pathogens
      are usually treated with antibiotics. Dairy and beef cattle losses from BRD are
      profound worldwide and genetic studies have now been initiated to elucidate host
      loci which underlie susceptibility with the objective of enabling molecular
      breeding to reduce disease prevalence. In this study, we employed RNA sequencing
      to examine the bronchial lymph node transcriptomes of controls and beef cattle
      which had individually been experimentally challenged with bovine respiratory
      syncytial virus, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, bovine viral diarrhea virus,
      Pasteurella multocida, Mannheimia haemolytica or Mycoplasma bovis to identify the
      genes that are involved in the bovine immune response to infection. We found that
      142 differentially expressed genes were located in previously described
      quantitative trait locus regions associated with risk of BRD. Mutations affecting
      the expression or amino acid composition of these genes may affect disease
      susceptibility and could be incorporated into molecular breeding programs. Genes
      involved in innate immunity were generally found to be differentially expressed
      between the control and pathogen-challenged animals suggesting that variation in
      these genes may lead to a heritability of susceptibility that is pathogen
      independent. However, we also found pathogen-specific expression profiles which
      suggest that host genetic variation for BRD susceptibility is pathogen dependent.

PMID- 26121278
TI  - Efficient electrochemical CO2 conversion powered by renewable energy.
AB  - The catalytic conversion of CO2 into industrially relevant chemicals is one
      strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Along these lines,
      electrochemical CO2 conversion technologies are attractive because they can
      operate with high reaction rates at ambient conditions. However, electrochemical
      systems require electricity, and CO2 conversion processes must integrate with
      carbon-free, renewable-energy sources to be viable on larger scales. We utilize
      Au25 nanoclusters as renewably powered CO2 conversion electrocatalysts with CO2 
      > CO reaction rates between 400 and 800 L of CO2 per gram of catalytic metal per
      hour and product selectivities between 80 and 95%. These performance metrics
      correspond to conversion rates approaching 0.8-1.6 kg of CO2 per gram of
      catalytic metal per hour. We also present data showing CO2 conversion rates and
      product selectivity strongly depend on catalyst loading. Optimized systems
      demonstrate stable operation and reaction turnover numbers (TONs) approaching 6 *
      10(6) molCO2 molcatalyst(-1) during a multiday (36 h total hours) CO2
      electrolysis experiment containing multiple start/stop cycles. TONs between 1 *
      10(6) and 4 * 10(6) molCO2 molcatalyst(-1) were obtained when our system was
      powered by consumer-grade renewable-energy sources. Daytime photovoltaic-powered
      CO2 conversion was demonstrated for 12 h and we mimicked low-light or nighttime
      operation for 24 h with a solar-rechargeable battery. This proof-of-principle
      study provides some of the initial performance data necessary for assessing the
      scalability and technical viability of electrochemical CO2 conversion
      technologies. Specifically, we show the following: (1) all electrochemical CO2
      conversion systems will produce a net increase in CO2 emissions if they do not
      integrate with renewable-energy sources, (2) catalyst loading vs activity trends
      can be used to tune process rates and product distributions, and (3) state-of-the
      art renewable-energy technologies are sufficient to power larger-scale, tonne per
      day CO2 conversion systems. 

PMID- 26121279
TI  - Perinatal dioxin exposure and psychosocial and behavioral development in school
      aged children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to elucidate the association between
      psychosocial and behavioral problems in children at school age and dioxin level
      in breast milk or estimated dioxin exposure (EDE) through breastfeeding in the
      general Japanese population. METHODS: Dioxin level of breast milk at 1month of
      age and breastfeeding ratio through the first year of life were used to calculate
      the EDE of infants born in 1998-2005 in Japan. The Japanese Social Difficulties
      Questionnaire (SDQ) for the assessment of children's behavior was sent by mail to
      mothers whose breast milk underwent the dioxin survey, at the time when their
      infants were aged 6-13 years. RESULTS: The study subjects were 175 pairs of
      mothers and their first infants (79 boys, 96 girls). The mean total dioxin levels
      of breast milk were 18.3 and 19.8 (pgTEQ/g fat) and EDEs were 16.4 and 19.6
      (ngTEQ/kg/year) in boys and girls, respectively. In linear multiple regression
      analyses after adjusting for age at SDQ, maternal age, birth weight and maternal
      smoking habit, dioxin level in breast milk was not significantly related to the
      total difficulties score (TDS) of SDQ in boys, B=2.29 (95% CI -7.60-12.18), or in
      girls, B=-1.04 (95% CI -9.24-7.15). EDE correlated to the TDS in neither boys, B=
      0.99 (95% CI -4.14-2.15), nor girls, B=1.08 (95% CI -2.69-4.85). CONCLUSION: No
      evidence was found of a correlation between perinatal dioxin exposure and
      behavioral and psychosocial problems of children measured by SDQ. These results
      support the benefits of recommending breastfeeding.

PMID- 26121280
TI  - Postnatal changes in skin water content in preterm infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preterm infants have immature skin, which contributes to skin
      problems. Very little is known about postnatal changes in the skin, despite the
      clinical importance of this issue. AIM: To assess temporal changes in skin water
      content in preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective observational study.
      SUBJECTS: Infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit were included in
      this study. OUTCOME MEASURES: Skin water content was measured at five different
      skin regions using dielectric methods at a depth of 1.5mm. Skin water content was
      measured on postnatal day 1 in 101 infants, and the correlation between skin
      water content and gestational week was analyzed. Measurements were also made on
      postnatal days 2, 3, and 7, and every 7days thereafter until the corrected age of
      37weeks in 87 of the 101 infants. Temporal changes were statistically analyzed
      after dividing participants into seven groups by gestational age. RESULTS: On
      postnatal day 1, skin water content correlated inversely with gestational age at
      all skin regions. Skin water content decreased significantly over time,
      converging to the level of term infants by the corrected age of 32-35weeks.
      CONCLUSIONS: Skin water content at a depth of 1.5mm was related to corrected age
      and reached the level of term infants by the corrected age of approximately 32
      35weeks.

PMID- 26121282
TI  - Pineal Melatonin in a Sub-chronic Tryptophan Depletion Female Rat Model of
      Treatment-resistant Depression.

PMID- 26121281
TI  - Monosodium Glutamate Dietary Consumption Decreases Pancreatic beta-Cell Mass in
      Adult Wistar Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The amount of dietary monosodium glutamate (MSG) is increasing
      worldwide, in parallel with the epidemics of metabolic syndrome. Parenteral
      administration of MSG to rodents induces obesity, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia,
      insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. However, the impact of dietary MSG is
      still being debated. We investigated the morphological and functional effects of
      prolonged MSG consumption on rat glucose metabolism and on pancreatic islet
      histology. METHODS: Eighty adult male Wistar rats were randomly subdivided into 4
      groups, and test rats in each group were supplemented with MSG for a different
      duration (1, 3, 6, or 9 months, n=20 for each group). All rats were fed ad
      libitum with a standard rat chow and water. Ten test rats in each group were
      provided MSG 2 mg/g body weight/day in drinking water and the 10 remaining rats
      in each group served as non-MSG treated controls. Oral glucose tolerance tests
      (OGTT) were performed and serum insulin measured at 9 months. Animals were
      sacrificed at 1, 3, 6, or 9 months to examine the histopathology of pancreatic
      islets. RESULTS: MSG-treated rats had significantly lower pancreatic beta-cell
      mass at 1, 6 and 9 months of study. Islet hemorrhages increased with age in all
      groups and fibrosis was significantly more frequent in MSG-treated rats at 1 and
      3 months. Serum insulin levels and glucose tolerance in MSG-treated and untreated
      rats were similar at all time points we investigated. CONCLUSION: Daily MSG
      dietary consumption was associated with reduced pancreatic beta-cell mass and
      enhanced hemorrhages and fibrosis, but did not affect glucose homeostasis. We
      speculate that high dietary MSG intake may exert a negative effect on the
      pancreas and such effect might become functionally significant in the presence or
      susceptibility to diabetes or NaCl; future experiments will take these crucial
      cofactors into account.

PMID- 26121283
TI  - Pericytes in wound healing: friend or foe?

PMID- 26121284
TI  - Personality, self-perceptions, and daily variability in perceived usefulness
      among older adults.
AB  - Age-based self-stereotyping is associated with a variety of long-term physical
      health and psychological well-being outcomes for older people. However, little is
      known about how older individuals' day-to-day experiences of functional
      limitations may be related to concurrent self-appraisals on dimensions
      representing negative age stereotypes. We examined how distal personality traits
      and global self-perceptions of aging at baseline affect processing of daily
      experiences relevant to age-based self-stereotyping over time. Data from the 100
      day Internet-based Personal Understanding of Life and Social Experiences (PULSE)
      study (N = 98, age = 52 - 88) were used to examine the link between personality
      and self-perceptions of aging to differences in 2 age stereotype-relevant daily
      experiences: cognitive limitations and variation in usefulness. Multilevel random
      coefficient models suggested that personality and self-perceptions of aging were
      associated with the level of usefulness and the frequency of reporting trouble
      concentrating during the study period. Daily experiences of trouble concentrating
      were significantly associated with lower perceived usefulness on that day, and
      conscientiousness moderated this relationship. By linking personality and global
      self-perceptions to daily experiences, our findings contribute toward
      understanding self-stereotyping processes by which personality and perceptions
      may affect long-term outcomes.

PMID- 26121285
TI  - Global perceived stress predicts cognitive change among older adults.
AB  - Research on stress and cognitive aging has primarily focused on examining the
      effects of biological and psychosocial indicators of stress, with little
      attention provided to examining the association between perceived stress and
      cognitive aging. We examined the longitudinal association between global
      perceived stress (GPS) and cognitive change among 116 older adults (M(age) = 80,
      SD = 6.40, range = 67-96) in a repeated measurement burst design. Bursts of 6
      daily cognitive assessments were repeated every 6 months over a 2-year period,
      with self-reported GPS assessed at the start of every burst. Using a double
      exponential learning model, 2 parameters were estimated: (a) asymptotic level
      (peak performance), and (b) asymptotic change (the rate at which peak performance
      changed across bursts). We hypothesized that greater GPS would predict slowed
      performance in tasks of attention, working memory, and speed of processing and
      that increases in GPS across time would predict cognitive slowing. Results from
      latent growth curve analyses were consistent with our first hypothesis and
      indicated that level of GPS predicted cognitive slowing across time. Changes in
      GPS did not predict cognitive slowing. This study extends previous findings by
      demonstrating a prospective association between level of GPS and cognitive
      slowing across a 2-year period, highlighting the role of psychological stress as
      a risk factor for poor cognitive function.

PMID- 26121286
TI  - Cerebrovascular function associated with fluid, not crystallized, abilities in
      older adults: A transcranial Doppler study.
AB  - The brain is dependent on the cerebrovascular system, particularly
      microvasculature, for a consistent blood supply; however, age-related changes in
      this system affect neuronal and therefore cognitive function. Structural vascular
      markers and vascular disease appear to preferentially affect fluid cognitive
      abilities, sparing crystallized abilities. We sought to investigate the
      relationships between cerebrovascular function and cognitive domains. Fifty
      individuals between 60 and 75 years of age (31 women, 19 men) underwent cognitive
      testing: Wechsler Vocabulary and Matrix Reasoning subtests (crystallized and
      fluid ability measures, respectively Wechsler, 2011), and the Addenbrooke's
      Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R; general cognitive ability; Mioshi, Dawson,
      Mitchell, Arnold, & Hodges, 2006). Transcranial Doppler (TCD) measures were also
      collected at rest and during a cognitive word-generation task, from which a
      lateralization index was calculated. Lower pulsatility index at rest, and greater
      left lateralization during the TCD cognitive task were associated with better
      performance on the Matrix Reasoning but not the Vocabulary test; these effects
      were independent from each other and from any vascular comorbidity burden. These
      functional findings confirm previous structural studies, which revealed that
      fluid abilities are more vulnerable to cerebrovascular dysfunction than
      crystallized abilities, and identify two (likely related) mechanisms: degraded
      cerebrovascular integrity (indexed by pulsatility index) and a delateralization
      of function. Cerebrovascular dysfunction is a key contributor to cognitive aging
      that deserves further attention, particularly in relation to early diagnostic
      markers of impairment and monitoring of vascular (e.g., physical activity)
      interventions.

PMID- 26121287
TI  - Age-related differences in inhibitory control predict audiovisual speech
      perception.
AB  - Audiovisual (AV) speech perception is the process by which auditory and visual
      sensory signals are integrated and used to understand what a talker is saying
      during face-to-face communication. This form of communication is markedly
      superior to speech perception in either sensory modality alone. However, there
      are additional lexical factors that are affected by age-related cognitive changes
      that may contribute to differences in AV perception. In the current study, we
      extended an existing model of spoken word identification to the AV domain, and
      examined the cognitive factors that contribute to age-related and individual
      differences in AV perception of words varying in lexical difficulty (i.e., on the
      basis of competing items). Young (n = 49) and older adults (n = 50) completed a
      series of cognitive inhibition tasks and a spoken word identification task. The
      words were presented in auditory-only, visual-only, and AV conditions, and were
      equally divided into lexically hard (words with many competitors) and lexically
      easy (words with few competitors). Overall, young adults demonstrated better
      inhibitory abilities and higher identification performance than older adults.
      However, whereas no relationship was observed between inhibitory abilities and AV
      word identification performance in young adults, there was a significant
      relationship between Stroop interference and AV identification of lexically hard
      words in older adults. These results are interpreted within the framework of
      existing models of spoken-word recognition with implications for how cognitive
      deficits in older adults contribute to speech perception.

PMID- 26121288
TI  - Happiness and age in European adults: The moderating role of gross domestic
      product per capita.
AB  - Studies of happiness levels across the life span have found support for two rival
      hypotheses. The positivity effect states that as people get older, they
      increasingly attend to positive information, which implies that happiness remains
      stable or increases with age, whereas the U-shaped hypothesis posits a
      curvilinear shape resulting from a dip during midlife. Both have been presented
      as potentially universal hypotheses that relate to cognitive and/or biological
      causes. The current study examined the happiness-age relationship across 29
      European nations (N = 46,301) to explore whether it is moderated by national
      wealth, as indexed by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. It was found that
      eudaimonic and hedonic happiness remained relatively stable across the life span
      only in the most affluent nations; in poorer nations, there was either a
      fluctuating or steady age-associated decline. These findings challenge the
      cultural universality of the happiness-age relationship and suggest that models
      of how age relates to happiness should include the socioeconomic level of
      analysis.

PMID- 26121289
TI  - Emotional well-being and interactions with older adults' close social partners:
      Daily variation in social context matters.
AB  - Close social partners may contribute to or detract from older adults' health and
      well-being, in part because daily emotions are closely coupled with the quality
      of daily social interactions. This study examines variation in this sensitivity
      to interactions with social partners across the contexts of emotional closeness,
      interactions with others, and experienced relationship satisfaction across the
      study period. Using data from the 100-day web-based personal understanding of
      life and social experiences (PULSE) study, the authors examined the unique
      contribution of older adults' closest and other social partners to daily
      experiences of positive and negative affect and considered transitory state-like
      aspects of sensitivity that vary within individuals across the context of social
      interactions on that day. Participants in this microlongitudinal study (N = 99,
      M(age) = 62.3) identified their 5 closest social partners and then reported daily
      contact satisfaction with those partners as well as positive and negative affect.
      Multivariate multilevel analysis showed sensitivity of positive and negative
      affect to the quality of social interactions to vary across participant-defined
      hierarchies of closeness. Sensitivity to interactions with the closest partner
      also varied within individuals depending on the quality of interactions with
      others on that day and also across individual differences in the level of
      experienced relationship satisfaction during the study period. Together, the
      findings suggest that emotional responses to social interactions vary according
      to the context of daily social experiences, as well as accumulated social
      experiences over time.

PMID- 26121290
TI  - When and why do old adults outsource control to the environment?
AB  - Old adults' tendency to rely on information present in the environment rather
      than internal representations has been frequently noted, but is not well
      understood. The fade-out paradigm provides a useful model situation to study this
      internal-to-external shift across the life span: Subjects need to transition from
      an initial, cued task-switching phase to a fade-out phase where only 1 task
      remains relevant. Old adults exhibit large response-time "fade-out costs," mainly
      because they continue to consult the task cues. Here we show that age differences
      in fade-out costs remain very large even when we insert between the task
      switching and the fade-out phase 20 single-task trials without task cues (during
      which even old adults' performance becomes highly fluent; Experiment 1), but
      costs in old adults are eliminated when presenting an on-screen instruction to
      focus on the 1 remaining task at the transition point between the task-switching
      and fade-out phase (Experiment 2). Furthermore, old adults, but not young adults,
      also exhibited "fade-in costs" when they were instructed to perform an initial
      single-task phase that would be followed by the cued task-switching phase
      (Experiment 3). Combined, these results show that old adults' tendency to
      overutilize external support is not a problem of perseverating earlier-relevant
      control settings. Instead, old adults seem less likely to initiate the necessary
      reconfiguration process when transitioning from 1 phase to the next because they
      use underspecified task models that lack the higher-level distinction between
      those contexts that do and that do not require external support.

PMID- 26121291
TI  - Prevalence of Childhood Exposure to Violence, Crime, and Abuse: Results From the
      National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: It is important to estimate the burden of and trends for violence,
      crime, and abuse in the lives of children. OBJECTIVE: To provide health care
      professionals, policy makers, and parents with current estimates of exposure to
      violence, crime, and abuse across childhood and at different developmental
      stages. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The National Survey of Children's
      Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV) includes a representative sample of US telephone
      numbers from August 28, 2013, to April 30, 2014. Via telephone interviews,
      information was obtained on 4000 children 0 to 17 years old, with information
      about exposure to violence, crime, and abuse provided by youth 10 to 17 years old
      and by caregivers for children 0 to 9 years old. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURE:
      Exposure to violence, crime, and abuse using the Juvenile Victimization
      Questionnaire. RESULTS: In total, 37.3% of youth experienced a physical assault
      in the study year, and 9.3% of youth experienced an assault-related injury. Two
      percent of girls experienced sexual assault or sexual abuse in the study year,
      while the rate was 4.6% for girls 14 to 17 years old. Overall, 15.2% of children
      and youth experienced maltreatment by a caregiver, including 5.0% who experienced
      physical abuse. In total, 5.8% witnessed an assault between parents. Only 2
      significant rate changes could be detected compared with the last survey in 2011,
      namely, declines in past-year exposure to dating violence and lifetime exposure
      to household theft. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Children and youth are exposed to
      violence, abuse, and crime in varied and extensive ways, which justifies
      continued monitoring and prevention efforts.

PMID- 26121292
TI  - Temporal trends in bisphenol A exposure in the United States from 2003-2012 and
      factors associated with BPA exposure: Spot samples and urine dilution complicate
      data interpretation.
AB  - Nationally representative data on urinary levels of BPA and its metabolites in
      the United States from the 2003-2004 to 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Surveys (NHANES) were used to estimate daily BPA intakes and examine
      temporal trends. Additionally, NHANES data on lifestyle/demographic/dietary
      factors previously reported to be associated with BPA exposures were examined to
      assess the resiliency of the reported associations (whether the association is
      maintained across the five surveys). Finally, various approaches for addressing
      issues with the use of BPA concentration data from spot urine samples were
      examined for their effect on trends and associations. Three approaches were
      assessed here: (i) use of generic literature-based 24-h urine excretion volumes,
      (ii) use of creatinine adjustments, and (iii) use of individual urine flow rate
      data from NHANES. Based on 2011-2012 NHANES urinary BPA data and assumptions
      described in this paper, the median daily intake for the overall population is
      approximately 25 ng/kg day; median intake estimates were approximately two to
      three orders of magnitude below current health-based guidance values. Estimates
      of daily BPA intake have decreased significantly compared to those from the 2003
      2004 NHANES. Estimates of associations between lifestyle/demographic/dietary
      factors and BPA exposure revealed inconsistencies related to both NHANES survey
      year and the three approaches listed above; these results demonstrate the
      difficulties in interpreting urinary BPA data, despite efforts to account for
      urine dilution and translation of spot sample data to 24-h data. The results
      further underscore the importance of continued research on how to best utilize
      urinary measures of environmental chemicals in exposure research. Until a
      consensus is achieved regarding the best biomonitoring approaches for assessing
      exposures to short-lived chemicals using urine samples, research on factors
      associated with BPA exposures should include - and report results from -
      assessments using both volume-based urinary BPA and creatinine-adjusted urinary
      BPA data.

PMID- 26121293
TI  - Zinc compound air releases from Toxics Release Inventory facilities and
      cardiovascular disease mortality rates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inhaled zinc has been found in association with cardiopulmonary
      toxicity. However, limited human epidemiologic studies are available. This study
      analyzed the association between covariate-adjusted cardiovascular (CVD)
      mortality rates and zinc compound air releases in the United States. METHODS: We
      conducted an ecological analysis on the association between zinc compound air
      releases for 1991-2000 using the Toxics Release Inventory database and average
      age-adjusted CVD mortality for 2006-2010, adjusting for race/ethnicity
      composition and several health and socioeconomic factors. Models were estimated
      for males and females and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. RESULTS:
      Zinc compound air releases were positively associated with increased adjusted CVD
      mortality rates in all four models (beta=0.0085, p<0.0001 for males in
      nonmetropolitan counties; beta=0.0093, p<0.0001 for males in metropolitan
      counties; beta=0.0145, p<0.0001 for females in nonmetropolitan counties; and
      beta=0.0098, p<0.0001 for females in metropolitan counties). Results were largely
      robust to various sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION: This study provides
      epidemiological evidence for possible CVD health impacts of inhaled zinc in the
      United States. Although the strongest effect was found for females in
      nonmetropolitan counties, the associations were consistent in nonmetropolitan or
      metropolitan counties for both genders.

PMID- 26121294
TI  - Is health workforce planning recognising the dynamic interplay between health
      literacy at an individual, organisation and system level?
AB  - The growing demands on the health system to adapt to constant change has led to
      investment in health workforce planning agencies and approaches. Health workforce
      planning approaches focusing on identifying, predicting and modelling workforce
      supply and demand are criticised as being simplistic and not contributing to
      system-level resiliency. Alternative evidence- and needs-based health workforce
      planning approaches are being suggested. However, to contribute to system-level
      resiliency, workforce planning approaches need to also adopt system-based
      approaches. The increased complexity and fragmentation of the healthcare system,
      especially for patients with complex and chronic conditions, has also led to a
      focus on health literacy not simply as an individual trait, but also as a dynamic
      product of the interaction between individual (patients, workforce)-,
      organisational- and system-level health literacy. Although it is absolutely
      essential that patients have a level of health literacy that enables them to
      navigate and make decisions, so too the health workforce, organisations and
      indeed the system also needs to be health literate. Herein we explore whether
      health workforce planning is recognising the dynamic interplay between health
      literacy at an individual, organisation and system level, and the potential for
      strengthening resiliency across all those levels.

PMID- 26121295
TI  - The potential of random forest and neural networks for biomass and recombinant
      protein modeling in Escherichia coli fed-batch fermentations.
AB  - Product quality assurance strategies in production of biopharmaceuticals
      currently undergo a transformation from empirical "quality by testing" to
      rational, knowledge-based "quality by design" approaches. The major challenges in
      this context are the fragmentary understanding of bioprocesses and the severely
      limited real-time access to process variables related to product quality and
      quantity. Data driven modeling of process variables in combination with model
      predictive process control concepts represent a potential solution to these
      problems. The selection of statistical techniques best qualified for bioprocess
      data analysis and modeling is a key criterion. In this work a series of
      recombinant Escherichia coli fed-batch production processes with varying
      cultivation conditions employing a comprehensive on- and offline process
      monitoring platform was conducted. The applicability of two machine learning
      methods, random forest and neural networks, for the prediction of cell dry mass
      and recombinant protein based on online available process parameters and two
      dimensional multi-wavelength fluorescence spectroscopy is investigated. Models
      solely based on routinely measured process variables give a satisfying prediction
      accuracy of about +/- 4% for the cell dry mass, while additional spectroscopic
      information allows for an estimation of the protein concentration within +/- 12%.
      The results clearly argue for a combined approach: neural networks as modeling
      technique and random forest as variable selection tool. 

PMID- 26121296
TI  - Road traffic injuries in northern Laos: trends and risk factors of an
      underreported public health problem.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Road traffic injuries (RTI) have become a leading cause for
      admissions at Luang Namtha Provincial Hospital (LNPH) in rapidly developing
      northern Laos. Objectives were to investigate trends, risk factors and better
      estimates of RTI. METHODS: Repeated annual surveys were conducted with structured
      questionnaires among all RTI patients at LNPH from 2007 to 2011. Hospital and
      police data were combined by capture-recapture method. RESULTS: The majority of
      1074 patients were young [median 22 years (1-88)], male (68%), motorcyclists
      (76%), drove without licence (85%) and without insurance (95%). Most accidents
      occurred during evenings and Lao New Year. Serious motorbike injuries were
      associated with young age (1-15 years), male sex (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.1-4.6) and
      drivers (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-4.3); more serious head injuries with alcohol
      consumption (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.7-3.7), male sex (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.4-3.7) and no
      helmet use (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.4). No helmet use was associated with young age,
      time period, pillion passengers (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.6-4.7), alcohol (OR 1.9, 95% CI
      1.2-2.8) and no driver license (OR 2.0; 95% CI 1.1-3.4). Main reasons not to wear
      helmets were not possessing one, and being pillion passenger. Capture-recapture
      analysis showed four times higher RTI estimates than officially reported.
      Mortality rate was 11.6/100.000 population (95% CI 5.1-18.1/100.000).
      CONCLUSIONS: RTI were substantially underestimated. Combining hospital with
      police data can provide better estimates in resource-limited settings. Preventive
      programmes and law enforcement have to target male drivers, alcohol, licensing
      and helmet use, especially among children and pillion passengers. Increased
      efforts are needed during evening time and special festivals.

PMID- 26121297
TI  - Shewanella sp. O23S as a Driving Agent of a System Utilizing Dissimilatory
      Arsenate-Reducing Bacteria Responsible for Self-Cleaning of Water Contaminated
      with Arsenic.
AB  - The purpose of this study was a detailed characterization of Shewanella sp. O23S,
      a strain involved in arsenic transformation in ancient gold mine waters
      contaminated with arsenic and other heavy metals. Physiological analysis of
      Shewanella sp. O23S showed that it is a facultative anaerobe, capable of growth
      using arsenate, thiosulfate, nitrate, iron or manganite as a terminal electron
      acceptor, and lactate or citrate as an electron donor. The strain can grow under
      anaerobic conditions and utilize arsenate in the respiratory process in a broad
      range of temperatures (10-37  degrees C), pH (4-8), salinity (0%-2%), and the
      presence of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Se, V and Zn). Under reductive
      conditions this strain can simultaneously use arsenate and thiosulfate as
      electron acceptors and produce yellow arsenic (III) sulfide (As2S3) precipitate.
      Simulation of As-removal from water containing arsenate (2.5 mM) and thiosulfate
      (5 mM) showed 82.5% efficiency after 21 days of incubation at room temperature.
      Based on the obtained results, we have proposed a model of a microbially mediated
      system for self-cleaning of mine waters contaminated with arsenic, in which
      Shewanella sp. O23S is the main driving agent. 

PMID- 26121298
TI  - Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients Exhibit Reduced Expression of CLEC16A
      Isoforms in Peripheral Leukocytes.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic autoimmune disease with
      multiple etiological factors. The SLE susceptibility locus on chromosome 16p13
      encodes a novel gene CLEC16A and its functional relationship with SLE is unclear.
      This study aimed to investigate the expression correlation of the two major
      CLEC16A spliced transcripts with SLE development. Expressions of the long (V1)
      and short (V2) CLEC16A isoforms in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)
      were assayed by quantitative real time PCR and compared between healthy
      individuals and SLE patients. Correlation of CLEC16A isoform expression levels
      with SLE susceptibility, disease severity and twelve clinical parameters were
      also evaluated. Full length transcripts of CLEC16A V1 and V2 isoforms were
      readily amplified from PBMCs of healthy controls and patients at varying
      abundance. Compared with healthy controls (n = 86), expression levels of V1 and
      V2 were significantly reduced by ~two- and four-fold respectively in SLE patients
      (n = 181). The relative V2/V1 ratio was also significantly reduced by
      approximately two-fold. With regard to SLE disease parameters, only a weak
      positive correlation was found between CLEC16A V1 expression levels and SLE
      disease activity index (SLEDAI) score. Taken together, CLEC16A was found to be a
      susceptibility factor for SLE, with possible contribution to the development of
      the disease. 

PMID- 26121299
TI  - Proteomic Identification of Target Proteins of Thiodigalactoside in White Adipose
      Tissue from Diet-Induced Obese Rats.
AB  - Previously, galectin-1 (GAL1) was found to be up-regulated in obesity-prone
      subjects, suggesting that use of a GAL1 inhibitor could be a novel therapeutic
      approach for treatment of obesity. We evaluated thiodigalactoside (TDG) as a
      potent inhibitor of GAL1 and identified target proteins of TDG by performing
      comparative proteome analysis of white adipose tissue (WAT) from control and TDG
      treated rats fed a high fat diet (HFD) using two dimensional gel electrophoresis
      (2-DE) combined with MALDI-TOF-MS. Thirty-two spots from a total of 356 matched
      spots showed differential expression between control and TDG-treated rats, as
      identified by peptide mass fingerprinting. These proteins were categorized into
      groups such as carbohydrate metabolism, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, signal
      transduction, cytoskeletal, and mitochondrial proteins based on functional
      analysis using Protein Annotation Through Evolutionary Relationship (PANTHER) and
      Database for Annotation, Visualization, Integrated Discovery (DAVID)
      classification. One of the most striking findings of this study was significant
      changes in Carbonic anhydrase 3 (CA3), Voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1),
      phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1 (PEBP1), annexin A2 (ANXA2) and
      lactate dehydrogenase A chain (LDHA) protein levels between WAT from control and
      TDG-treated groups. In addition, we confirmed increased expression of thermogenic
      proteins as well as reduced expression of lipogenic proteins in response to TDG
      treatment. These results suggest that TDG may effectively prevent obesity, and
      TDG-responsive proteins can be used as novel target proteins for obesity
      treatment. 

PMID- 26121300
TI  - Evaluation of the Interactions between Water Extractable Soil Organic Matter and
      Metal Cations (Cu(II), Eu(III)) Using Excitation-Emission Matrix Combined with
      Parallel Factor Analysis.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to evaluate the binding behavior of Cu(II) and
      Eu(III) with water extractable organic matter (WEOM) in soil, and assess the
      competitive effect of the cations. Excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence
      spectrometry was used in combination with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) to
      obtain four WEOM components: fulvic-like, humic-like, microbial degraded humic
      like, and protein-like substances. Fluorescence titration experiments were
      performed to obtain the binding parameters of PARAFAC-derived components with
      Cu(II) and Eu(III). The conditional complexation stability constants (logKM) of
      Cu(II) with the four components ranged from 5.49 to 5.94, and the Eu(III) logKM
      values were between 5.26 to 5.81. The component-specific binding parameters
      obtained from competitive binding experiments revealed that Cu(II) and Eu(III)
      competed for the same binding sites on the WEOM components. These results would
      help understand the molecular binding mechanisms of Cu(II) and Eu(III) with WEOM
      in soil environment. 

PMID- 26121301
TI  - Do the Effects of Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in PAD Patients
      Differ from Other Atherosclerotic Disease?
AB  - Atherosclerosis is considered a generalized disease. Similar or identical
      etiopathogenetic mechanisms and risk factors are involved in various
      atherosclerotic diseases, and the positive effects of preventive measures on
      atherogenesis in different parts of the arterial system were shown. However,
      until know, great emphasis has been placed on the aggressive pharmacological
      management of coronary artery disease (CHD), while less attention has been
      devoted to the management of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), despite its
      significant morbidity and mortality. Data on the efficacy of preventive measures
      in PAD patients have mostly been gained from subgroup analyses from studies
      devoted primarily to the management of coronary patients. These data have shown
      that treatment of risk factors for atherosclerosis with drugs can reduce
      cardiovascular events also in patients with PAD. The effects of some preventive
      procedures in PAD patients differ from coronary patients. Aspirin as a basic
      antiplatelet drug has been shown to be less effective in PAD patients than in
      coronary patients. The latest Antithrombotic Trialists' Collaboration (ATC) meta
      analysis demonstrates no benefit of aspirin in reducing cardiovascular events in
      PAD. Statins reduce cardiovascular events in all three of the most frequently
      presented cardiovascular diseases, including PAD to a comparable extent. Recent
      studies indicate that in PAD patients, in addition to a reduction in
      cardiovascular events, statins may have some hemodynamic effects. They prolong
      walking distance and improve quality of life. Similarly, angiotensin enzyme
      inhibitors are also effective in the prevention of cardiovascular events in
      coronary, cerebrovascular, as well as PAD patients and show positive effects on
      the walking capacity of patients with intermittent claudication. In PAD patients,
      the treatment of hypertension and diabetes also effectively prevents
      cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. As PAD patients are at a highest risk of
      cardiovascular complications, the risk factors of atherosclerosis should be
      treated intensively in this group of patients. Most of the preventive measures,
      including the drugs used for prevention of CHD, are also effective in PAD
      patients. 

PMID- 26121302
TI  - Cloning and Characterization of Surface-Localized alpha-Enolase of Streptococcus
      iniae, an Effective Protective Antigen in Mice.
AB  - Streptococcus iniae is a major fish pathogen that can also cause human
      bacteremia, cellulitis and meningitis. Screening for and identification of
      protective antigens plays an important role in developing therapies against S.
      iniae infections. In this study, we indicated that the alpha-enolase of S. iniae
      was not only distributed in the cytoplasm and associated to cell walls, but was
      also secreted to the bacterial cell surface. The functional identity of the
      purified recombinant alpha-enolase protein was verified by its ability to
      catalyze the conversion of 2-phosphoglycerate (2-PGE) to phosphoenolpyruvate
      (PEP), and both the recombinant and native proteins interacted with human
      plasminogen. The rabbit anti-rENO serum blockade assay shows that alpha-enolase
      participates in S. iniae adhesion to and invasion of BHK-21 cells. In addition,
      the recombinant alpha-enolase can confer effective protection against S. iniae
      infection in mice, which suggests that alpha-enolase has potential as a vaccine
      candidate in mammals. We conclude that S. iniae alpha-enolase is a moonlighting
      protein that also associates with the bacterial outer surface and functions as a
      protective antigen in mice. 

PMID- 26121303
TI  - The trajectory of fidelity in a multiyear trial of the family check-up predicts
      change in child problem behavior.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Therapist fidelity to evidence-based family interventions has
      consistently been linked to child and family outcomes. However, few studies have
      evaluated the potential ebb and flow of fidelity of therapists over time. We
      examined therapist drift in fidelity over 4 years in the context of a Family
      Check-Up prevention services in early childhood (ages 2-5 years). METHOD: At age
      2, families engaging in Women, Infants, and Children Nutritional Supplement
      Program services were randomized and offered annual Family Check-Ups. Seventy
      nine families with a child in the clinical range of problem behaviors at age 2
      years were included in this analysis. RESULTS: Latent growth modeling revealed a
      significant linear decline in fidelity over time (M = -0.35, SD = 0.35) and that
      steeper declines were related to less improvement in caregiver-reported problem
      behaviors assessed at ages 7.5/8.5 years (b = -.69, p = .003; beta = -.95, 95% CI
      [-2.11, -0.22]). CONCLUSION: These findings add to the literature concerning the
      need to continually monitor therapist fidelity to an evidence-based practice over
      time to optimize family benefits. Limitations and directions for future research
      are discussed.

PMID- 26121305
TI  - Contemporary Nationwide Patterns of Active Surveillance Use for Prostate Cancer.

PMID- 26121304
TI  - Underascertainment of acute hepatitis C virus infections in the U.S. surveillance
      system: a case series and chart review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2010, the incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the
      United States was estimated to be 17 000 cases annually, based on 850 acute HCV
      cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by local public
      health authorities. Absence of symptomatic disease and lack of a specific
      laboratory test for acute infection complicates diagnosis and surveillance.
      OBJECTIVE: To validate estimates of the incidence of acute HCV infection by
      determining the reporting rate of clinical diagnoses of acute infection to the
      Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and Centers for Disease Control
      and Prevention. DESIGN: Case series and chart review. SETTING: Two hospitals and
      the state correctional health care system in Massachusetts. PATIENTS: 183
      patients clinically diagnosed with acute HCV infection from 2001 to 2011 and
      participating in a research study. MEASUREMENTS: Rate of electronic case
      reporting of acute HCV infection to the MDPH and rate of subsequent confirmation
      according to national case definitions. RESULTS: 149 of 183 (81.4%) clinical
      cases of acute HCV infection were reported to the MDPH for surveillance
      classification. The MDPH investigated 43 of these reports as potential acute
      cases of HCV infection based on their surveillance requirements; ultimately, only
      1 met the national case definition and was counted in nationwide statistics
      published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Discordance in
      clinical and surveillance classification was often related to missing clinical or
      laboratory data at the MDPH as well as restrictive definitions, including
      requirements for negative hepatitis A and B laboratory results. LIMITATION:
      Findings may not apply to other jurisdictions because of differences in resources
      for surveillance. CONCLUSION: Clinical diagnoses of acute HCV infection were
      grossly underascertained by formal surveillance reporting. Incomplete clinician
      reporting, problematic case definitions, limitations of diagnostic testing, and
      imperfect data capture remain major limitations to accurate case ascertainment
      despite automated electronic laboratory reporting. These findings may have
      implications for national estimates of the incidence of HCV infection. PRIMARY
      FUNDING SOURCE: National Institutes of Health.

PMID- 26121306
TI  - In situ study of the initiation of hydrogen bubbles at the aluminium metal/oxide
      interface.
AB  - The presence of excess hydrogen at the interface between a metal substrate and a
      protective oxide can cause blistering and spallation of the scale. However, it
      remains unclear how nanoscale bubbles manage to reach the critical size in the
      first place. Here, we perform in situ environmental transmission electron
      microscopy experiments of the aluminium metal/oxide interface under hydrogen
      exposure. It is found that once the interface is weakened by hydrogen
      segregation, surface diffusion of Al atoms initiates the formation of faceted
      cavities on the metal side, driven by Wulff reconstruction. The morphology and
      growth rate of these cavities are highly sensitive to the crystallographic
      orientation of the aluminium substrate. Once the cavities grow to a critical
      size, the internal gas pressure can become great enough to blister the oxide
      layer. Our findings have implications for understanding hydrogen damage of
      interfaces. 

PMID- 26121307
TI  - VITREOMACULAR TRACTION AFTER DEXAMETHASONE INTRAVITREAL IMPLANT (OZURDEX)
      INJECTION: THE EFFECT OF ANOMALOUS POSTERIOR VITREOUS DETACHMENT.
AB  - PURPOSE: To describe an unusual macular complication after dexamethasone
      intravitreal implant (Ozurdex) injection. METHODS: Case history and macular
      optical coherence tomography findings are described. The report describes a
      patient with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and vitreoschisis who received
      Ozurdex treatment for diabetic macular edema. RESULTS: After Ozurdex injection,
      visual acuity worsened because of newly formed vitreomacular traction that was
      demonstrated on optical coherence tomography imaging. A mechanism is proposed by
      which the medication might have contributed to this outcome. CONCLUSION: In this
      patient with vitreoschisis, a thickened posterior hyaloid membrane and traction
      developed after Ozurdex injection. The authors recommend careful evaluation of
      the macula before injection, particularly in diabetic patients with
      vitreoschisis.

PMID- 26121308
TI  - Serum Albumin-Alginate Microparticles Prepared by Transacylation: Relationship
      between Physicochemical, Structural and Functional Properties.
AB  - Our laboratory develops a method of microencapsulation using a transacylation
      reaction in a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion. The method is based on the creation of
      amide bonds between free amine functions of a protein (human serum albumin (HSA))
      and ester groups of propylene glycol alginate (PGA) in the inner aqueous phase
      after alkalization. The aim of this work is to study the influence of
      physicochemical properties of HSA-PGA mixtures on microparticle characteristics.
      Microparticles were prepared varying the concentrations of PGA and HSA, then
      characterized (inner structure, size, swelling rate, release kinetics). PGA and
      each polymer mixture used in the microencapsulation procedure were examined in
      order to elucidate the mechanism of microstructure formation. It was found that
      the morphology and functional properties of HSA-alginate microparticles were
      related to the two polymer concentrations in the aqueous solution. Actually, the
      polymer concentration variations led to physicochemical changes, which affected
      the microparticle structure and functional properties. 

PMID- 26121309
TI  - Hit Recycling: Discovery of a Potent Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitor by in Silico
      Target Fishing.
AB  - In silico target fishing is an emerging tool in drug discovery, which is mostly
      used for primary target or off-target prediction and drug repositioning. In this
      work, we developed an in silico target fishing protocol to identify the primary
      target of GV2-20, a false-positive hit highlighted in a cell-based screen for 14
      3-3 modulators. Although GV2-20 does not bind to 14-3-3 proteins, it showed
      remarkable antiproliferative effects in CML cells, thus raising interest toward
      the identification of its primary target. Six potential targets of GV2-20 were
      prioritized in silico and tested in vitro. Our results show that the molecule is
      a potent inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase 2 (CA2), thus confirming the predictive
      capability of our protocol. Most notably, GV2-20 experienced a remarkable
      selectivity for CA2, CA7, CA9, and CA12, and its scaffold was never explored
      before as a chemotype for CA inhibition, thus becoming an interesting lead
      candidate for further development. 

PMID- 26121310
TI  - Alcohol outlet density and violence: A geographically weighted regression
      approach.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: We investigate the relationship between outlet density (of
      different types) and violence (as measured by police activity) across the North
      Island of New Zealand, specifically looking at whether the relationships vary
      spatially. DESIGN AND METHODS: We use New Zealand data at the census area unit
      (approximately suburb) level, on police-attended violent incidents and outlet
      density (by type of outlet), controlling for population density and local social
      deprivation. We employed geographically weighted regression to obtain both global
      average and locally specific estimates of the relationships between alcohol
      outlet density and violence. RESULT: We find that bar and night club density, and
      licensed club density (e.g. sports clubs) have statistically significant and
      positive relationships with violence, with an additional bar or night club is
      associated with nearly 5.3 additional violent events per year, and an additional
      licensed club associated with 0.8 additional violent events per year. These
      relationships do not show significant spatial variation. In contrast, the effects
      of off-licence density and restaurant/cafe density do exhibit significant spatial
      variation. However, the non-varying effects of bar and night club density are
      larger than the locally specific effects of other outlet types. DISCUSSION AND
      CONCLUSION: The relationships between outlet density and violence vary
      significantly across space for off-licences and restaurants/cafes. These results
      suggest that in order to minimise alcohol-related harms, such as violence,
      locally specific policy interventions are likely to be necessary. [Cameron MP,
      Cochrane W, Gordon C, Livingston M. Alcohol outlet density and violence: A
      geographically weighted regression approach. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:280-288].

PMID- 26121312
TI  - Asymmetric Synthesis of Fluorinated Isoindolinones through Palladium-Catalyzed
      Carbonylative Amination of Enantioenriched Benzylic Carbamates.
AB  - The asymmetric synthesis of fluorinated isoindolinones has been achieved by a
      palladium-catalyzed aminocarbonylation reaction of the corresponding alpha
      fluoroalkyl o-iodobenzylamines. A base-mediated anti beta-hydride elimination
      process was suggested to explain the partial erosion of the optical purity
      observed in some cases. This mechanistic rationale enabled the minimization of
      this partial racemization by fine-tuning the pKa of the base. 

PMID- 26121311
TI  - Nanoplex-Mediated Codelivery of Fibroblast Growth Factor and Bone Morphogenetic
      Protein Genes Promotes Osteogenesis in Human Adipocyte-Derived Mesenchymal Stem
      Cells.
AB  - This study highlights the importance of transfection mediated coordinated bone
      morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) signaling
      in promoting osteogenesis. We employed plasmids independently encoding BMP-2 and
      FGF-2 complexed with polyethylenimine (PEI) to transfect human adipose derived
      mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs) in vitro. The nanoplexes were characterized for
      size, surface charge, in vitro cytotoxicity, and transfection ability in hADMSCs.
      A significant enhancement in BMP-2 protein secretion was observed on day 7 post
      transfection of hADMSCs with PEI nanoplexes loaded with both pFGF-2 and pBMP-2
      (PEI/(pFGF-2+pBMP-2)) versus transfection with PEI nanoplexes of either pFGF-2
      alone or pBMP-2 alone. Osteogenic differentiation of transfected hADMSCs was
      determined by measuring osteocalcin and Runx-2 gene expression using real time
      polymerase chain reactions. A significant increase in the expression of Runx-2
      and osteocalcin was observed on day 3 and day 7 post-transfection, respectively,
      by cells transfected with PEI/(pFGF-2+pBMP-2) compared to cells transfected with
      nanoplexes containing pFGF-2 or pBMP-2 alone. Alizarin Red staining and atomic
      absorption spectroscopy revealed elevated levels of calcium deposition in hADMSC
      cultures on day 14 and day 30 post-transfection with PEI/(pFGF-2+pBMP-2) compared
      to other treatments. We have shown that codelivery of pFGF-2 and pBMP-2 results
      in a significant enhancement in osteogenic protein synthesis, osteogenic marker
      expression, and subsequent mineralization. This research points to a new
      clinically translatable strategy for achieving efficient bone regeneration.

PMID- 26121313
TI  - Prostaglandin E2 increases proximal tubule fluid reabsorption, and modulates
      cultured proximal tubule cell responses via EP1 and EP4 receptors.
AB  - Renal prostaglandin (PG) E2 regulates salt and water transport, and affects
      disease processes via EP1-4 receptors, but its role in the proximal tubule (PT)
      is unknown. Our study investigates the effects of PGE2 on mouse PT fluid
      reabsorption, and its role in growth, sodium transporter expression, fibrosis,
      and oxidative stress in a mouse PT cell line (MCT). To determine which PGE2 EP
      receptors are expressed in MCT, qPCR for EP1-4 was performed on cells stimulated
      for 24 h with PGE2 or transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta), a known mediator
      of PT injury in kidney disease. EP1 and EP4 were detected in MCT, but EP2 and EP3
      are not expressed. EP1 was increased by PGE2 and TGFbeta, but EP4 was unchanged.
      To confirm the involvement of EP1 and EP4, sulprostone (SLP, EP1/3 agonist),
      ONO8711 (EP1 antagonist), and EP1 and EP4 siRNA were used. We first show that
      PGE2, SLP, and TGFbeta reduced H(3)-thymidine and H(3)-leucine incorporation. The
      effects on cell-cycle regulators were examined by western blot. PGE2 increased
      p27 via EP1 and EP4, but TGFbeta increased p21; PGE2-induced p27 was attenuated
      by TGFbeta. PGE2 and SLP reduced cyclinE, while TGFbeta increased cyclinD1, an
      effect attenuated by PGE2 administration. Na-K-ATPase alpha1 (NaK) was increased
      by PGE2 via EP1 and EP4. TGFbeta had no effect on NaK. Additionally, PGE2 and
      TGFbeta increased fibronectin levels, reaching 12-fold upon co-stimulation. EP1
      siRNA abrogated PGE2-fibronectin. PGE2 also increased ROS generation, and ONO
      8711 blocked PGE2-ROS. Finally, PGE2 significantly increased fluid reabsorption
      by 31 and 46% in isolated perfused mouse PT from C57BL/6 and FVB mice,
      respectively, and this was attenuated in FVB-EP1 null mice. Altogether PGE2
      acting on EP1 and EP4 receptors may prove to be important mediators of PT injury,
      and salt and water transport. 

PMID- 26121314
TI  - Gene fusion detection in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded benign fibrous
      histiocytomas using fluorescence in situ hybridization and RNA sequencing.
AB  - Benign fibrous histiocytomas (FH) can be subdivided into several morphological
      and clinical subgroups. Recently, gene fusions involving either one of two
      protein kinase C genes (PRKCB and PRKCD) or the ALK gene were described in FH. We
      here wanted to evaluate the frequency of PRKCB and PRKCD gene fusions in FH.
      Using interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization on sections from formalin
      fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumors, 36 cases could be analyzed. PRKCB or PRKCD
      rearrangements were seen in five tumors: 1/7 regular, 0/3 aneurysmal, 0/6
      cellular, 2/7 epithelioid, 0/1 atypical, 2/10 deep, and 0/2 metastatic lesions.
      We also evaluated the status of the ALK gene in selected cases, finding
      rearrangements in 3/7 epithelioid and 0/1 atypical lesions. To assess the gene
      fusion status of FH further, deep sequencing of RNA (RNA-Seq) was performed on
      FFPE tissue from eight cases with unknown gene fusion status, as well as on two
      FH and six soft tissue sarcomas with known gene fusions; of the latter eight
      positive controls, the expected fusion transcript was found in all but one, while
      2/8 FH with unknown genetic status showed fusion transcripts, including a novel
      KIRREL/PRKCA chimera. Thus, also a third member of the PRKC family is involved in
      FH tumorigenesis. We conclude that gene fusions involving PRKC genes occur in
      several morphological (regular, cellular, aneurysmal, epithelioid) and clinical
      (cutaneous, deep) subsets of FH, but they seem to account for only a minority of
      the cases. In epithelioid lesions, however, rearrangements of PRKC or ALK were
      seen, as mutually exclusive events, in the majority (5/7) of cases. Finally, the
      study also shows that RNA-Seq is a promising tool for identifying gene fusions in
      FFPE tissues.

PMID- 26121315
TI  - Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 is a novel target to improve net
      ultrafiltration in methylglyoxal-induced peritoneal injury.
AB  - Appropriate fluid balance is important for good clinical outcomes and survival in
      patients on peritoneal dialysis. We recently reported that lymphangiogenesis
      associated with fibrosis developed in the peritoneal cavity via the transforming
      growth factor-beta1-vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) pathway. We
      investigated whether VEGF receptor-3 (VEGFR-3), the receptor for VEGF-C and -D,
      might be a new target to improve net ultrafiltration by using adenovirus
      expressing soluble VEGFR-3 (Adeno-sVEGFR-3) in rodent models of peritoneal injury
      induced by methylglyoxal (MGO). We demonstrated that lymphangiogenesis developed
      in these MGO models, especially in the diaphragm, indicating that
      lymphangiogenesis is a common feature in the peritoneal cavity with inflammation
      and fibrosis. In MGO models, VEGF-D was significantly increased in the diaphragm;
      however, VEGF-C was not significantly upregulated. Adeno-sVEGFR-3, which was
      detected on day 50 after administration via tail vein injections, successfully
      suppressed lymphangiogenesis in the diaphragm and parietal peritoneum in mouse
      MGO models without significant effects on fibrosis, inflammation, or
      neoangiogenesis. Drained volume in the peritoneal equilibration test using a 7.5%
      icodextrin peritoneal dialysis solution (the 7.5% icodextrin peritoneal
      equilibration test) was improved by Adeno-sVEGFR-3 on day 22 (P<0.05) and day 50
      after reduction of inflammation (P<0.01), indicating that the 7.5% icodextrin
      peritoneal equilibration test identifies changes in lymphangiogenesis. The solute
      transport rate was not affected by suppression of lymphangiogenesis. In human
      peritoneal dialysis patients, the dialysate to plasma ratio of creatinine
      positively correlated with the dialysate VEGF-D concentration (P<0.001). VEGF-D
      mRNA was significantly higher in the peritoneal membranes of patients with
      ultrafiltration failure, indicating that VEGF-D is involved in the development of
      lymphangiogenesis in peritoneal dialysis patients. These results indicate that
      VEGFR-3 is a new target to improve net ultrafiltration by suppressing lymphatic
      absorption and that the 7.5% icodextrin peritoneal equilibration test is useful
      for estimation of lymphatic absorption.

PMID- 26121316
TI  - Identification, by systematic RNA sequencing, of novel candidate biomarkers and
      therapeutic targets in human soft tissue tumors.
AB  - Human sarcomas comprise a heterogeneous group of more than 50 subtypes broadly
      classified into two groups: bone and soft tissue sarcomas. Such heterogeneity and
      their relative rarity have made them challenging targets for classification,
      biomarker identification, and development of improved treatment strategies. In
      this study, we used RNA sequencing to analyze 35 primary human tissue samples
      representing 13 different sarcoma subtypes, along with benign schwannoma, and
      normal bone and muscle tissues. For each sarcoma subtype, we detected unique
      messenger RNA (mRNA) expression signatures, which we further subjected to
      bioinformatic functional analysis, upstream regulatory analysis, and microRNA
      (miRNA) targeting analysis. We found that, for each sarcoma subtype,
      significantly upregulated genes and their deduced upstream regulators included
      not only previously implicated known players but also novel candidates not
      previously reported to be associated with sarcoma. For example, the schwannoma
      samples were characterized by high expression of not only the known associated
      proteins GFAP and GAP43 but also the novel player GJB6. Further, when we
      integrated our expression profiles with miRNA expression data from each sarcoma
      subtype, we were able to deduce potential key miRNA-gene regulator relationships
      for each. In the Ewing's sarcoma and fibromatosis samples, two sarcomas where miR
      182-5p is significantly downregulated, multiple predicted targets were
      significantly upregulated, including HMCN1, NKX2-2, SCNN1G, and SOX2. In
      conclusion, despite the small number of samples per sarcoma subtype, we were able
      to identify key known players; concurrently, we discovered novel genes that may
      prove to be important in the molecular classification of sarcomas and in the
      development of novel treatments.

PMID- 26121319
TI  - Overexpression of SULT2B1b is an independent prognostic indicator and promotes
      cell growth and invasion in colorectal carcinoma.
AB  - Aberrant expression of cytosolic sulfotransferase 2B1b (SULT2B1b) has been
      reported in several human malignancies. However, the expression pattern and
      clinical significance of SULT2B1b in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) remains unknown.
      Real-time quantitative PCR, western blot, and immunohistochemistry analyses were
      used to determine SULT2B1b expression in CRC clinical samples and CRC-derived
      cell lines. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional regression analyses were used to
      evaluate the association between SULT2B1b expression and patient survival in two
      independent cohorts of 485 patients with CRC. Gain- and loss-of-function
      approaches were employed to investigate the role of SULT2B1b in regulation of CRC
      cell growth and invasion. We found that SULT2B1b expression was frequently
      upregulated in CRC clinical samples and CRC-derived cell lines and was
      significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and TNM stage in both the
      training and validation cohorts. Patients with higher intratumoral SULT2B1b
      expression had a significantly shorter disease-specific survival (DSS) and
      disease-free survival (DFS) than those with lower expression. Importantly,
      increased expression of SULT2B1b significantly predicted poor DSS and DFS and was
      an independent unfavorable prognostic indicator for stage II patients in both
      cohorts. Functional studies revealed that overexpression of SULT2B1b promoted CRC
      cell growth and invasion in vitro. Conversely, knockdown of SULT2B1b inhibited
      these processes. In conclusion, our findings suggest that SULT2B1b expression
      correlates with disease progression and metastasis and may serve as a novel
      prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for patients with CRC.

PMID- 26121320
TI  - Sialic acid supplementation ameliorates puromycin aminonucleoside nephrosis in
      rats.
AB  - Defects in sialylation are known to have serious consequences on podocyte
      function leading to collapse of the glomerular filtration barrier and the
      development of proteinuria. However, the cellular processes underlying aberrant
      sialylation in renal disease are inadequately defined. We have shown in cultured
      human podocytes that puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) downregulates enzymes
      involved in sialic acid metabolism and redox homeostasis and these can be rescued
      by co-treatment with free sialic acid. The aim of the current study was to
      ascertain whether sialic acid supplementation could improve renal function and
      attenuate desialylation in an in vivo model of proteinuria (PAN nephrosis) and to
      delineate the possible mechanisms involved. PAN nephrotic rats were supplemented
      with free sialic acid, its precursor N-acetyl mannosamine or the NADPH oxidase
      inhibitor apocynin. Glomeruli, urine, and sera were examined for evidence of
      kidney injury and therapeutic efficacy. Of the three treatment regimens, sialic
      acid had the broadest efficacy in attenuating PAN-induced injury. Proteinuria and
      urinary nephrin loss were reduced. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that
      podocyte ultrastructure, exhibited less severe foot process effacement. PAN
      induced oxidative stress was ameliorated as evidenced by a reduction in
      glomerular NOX4 expression and a downregulation of urine xanthine oxidase levels.
      Sialylation dysfunction was improved as indicated by reduced urinary
      concentrations of free sialic acid, restored electrophoretic mobility of
      podocalyxin, and improved expression of a sialyltransferase. These data indicate
      that PAN induces alterations in the expression of enzymes involved in redox
      control and sialoglycoprotein metabolism, which can be ameliorated by sialic acid
      supplementation possibly via its properties as both an antioxidant and a
      substrate for sialylation.

PMID- 26121317
TI  - Clinical significance of the integrin alpha6beta4 in human malignancies.
AB  - Integrin alpha6beta4 is a cellular adhesion molecule that binds to laminins in
      the extracellular matrix and nucleates the formation of hemidesmosomes. During
      carcinoma progression, integrin alpha6beta4 is released from hemidesmosomes,
      where it can then signal to facilitate multiple aspects of tumor progression
      including sustaining proliferative signaling, tumor invasion and metastasis,
      evasion of apoptosis, and stimulation of angiogenesis. The integrin achieves
      these ends by cooperating with growth factor receptors including EGFR, ErbB-2,
      and c-Met to amplify downstream pathways such as PI3K, AKT, MAPK, and the Rho
      family small GTPases. Furthermore, it dramatically alters the transcriptome
      toward a more invasive phenotype by controlling promoter DNA demethylation of
      invasion and metastasis-associated proteins, such as S100A4 and autotaxin, and
      upregulates and activates key tumor-promoting transcription factors such as the
      NFATs and NF-kappaB. Expression of integrin alpha6beta4 has been studied in many
      human malignancies where its overexpression is associated with aggressive
      behavior and a poor prognosis. This review provides an assessment of integrin
      alpha6beta4 expression patterns and their prognostic significance in human
      malignancies, and describes key signaling functions of integrin alpha6beta4 that
      contribute to tumor progression.

PMID- 26121322
TI  - Powerful Bis-facially Pyrazolate-Bridged Dinuclear Ruthenium Epoxidation
      Catalyst.
AB  - A new bis-facial dinuclear ruthenium complex, {[Ru(II)(bpy)]2(MU-bimp)(MU
      Cl)}(2+), 2(2+), containing a hexadentate pyrazolate-bridging ligand (Hbimp) and
      bpy as auxiliary ligands has been synthesized and fully characterized in solution
      by spectrometric, spectroscopic, and electrochemical techniques. The new compound
      has been tested with regard to its capacity to oxidize water and alkenes. The in
      situ generated bis-aqua complex, {[Ru(II)(bpy)(H2O)]2(MU-bimp)}(3+), 3(3+), is an
      excellent catalyst for the epoxidation of a wide range of alkenes. High turnover
      numbers (TN), up to 1900, and turnover frequencies (TOF), up to 73 min(-1), are
      achieved using PhIO as oxidant. Moreover, 3(3+) presents an outstanding
      stereospecificity for both cis and trans olefins toward the formation of their
      corresponding epoxides due to specific interactions transmitted by its ligand
      scaffold. A mechanistic analysis of the epoxidation process has been performed
      based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations in order to better
      understand the putative cooperative effects within this dinuclear catalyst. 

PMID- 26121321
TI  - Development of a High-Throughput Functional Screen Using Nanowell-Assisted Cell
      Patterning.
AB  - Living-cell-based screens can facilitate lead discovery of functional
      therapeutics of interest. A versatile and scalable method is reported that uses
      dense arrays of nanowells for imparting defined patterns on monolayers of cells.
      It is shown that this approach can coordinate a multi-component biological assay
      by designing and implementing a high-throughput, functional nanoliter-scale
      neutralization assay to identify neutralizing antibodies against HIV.

PMID- 26121318
TI  - MicroRNAs in the pathobiology of sarcomas.
AB  - Sarcomas are a rare and heterogeneous group of tumors. The last decade has
      witnessed extensive efforts to understand the pathobiology of many aggressive
      sarcoma types. In parallel, we have also begun to unravel the complex gene
      regulation processes mediated by microRNAs (miRNAs) in sarcomas and other
      cancers, discovering that microRNAs have critical roles in the majority of both
      oncogenic and tumor suppressor signaling networks. Expression profiles and a
      greater understanding of the biologic roles of microRNAs and other noncoding RNAs
      have considerably expanded our current knowledge and provided key pathobiological
      insights into many sarcomas, and helped identify novel therapeutic targets. The
      limited number of sarcoma patients in each sarcoma type and their heterogeneity
      pose distinct challenges in translating this knowledge into the clinic. It will
      be critical to prioritize these novel targets and choose those that have a broad
      applicability. A small group of microRNAs have conserved roles across many types
      of sarcomas and other cancers. Therapies that target these key microRNA-gene
      signaling and regulatory networks, in combination with standard of care
      treatment, may be the pivotal component in significantly improving treatment
      outcomes in patients with sarcoma or other cancers.

PMID- 26121323
TI  - Picosecond Solvation and Rotational Dynamics: An Attempt to Reinvestigate the
      Mystery of Alcohol-Water Binary Mixtures.
AB  - In this article, we have investigated the anomalous behavior of two alcohol-water
      (tert-butyl alcohol (TBA)-water and ethanol-water) binary mixtures using
      femtosecond fluorescence upconversion technique. Recently, Gupta and Patey
      (Gupta, R.; Patey, G. N. J. Chem. Phys. 2012, 137, 034509(1)-034509(12)) have
      used four force fields to simulate TBA-water binary mixtures. Surprisingly, two
      of them do not identify any aggregation of TBA molecules. We have calculated
      average solvation time of Coumarin 480 (C480) using two different methods. Our
      results indicate slowdown in solvation time in the mole fraction ranges XT = 0.09
      0.15, XT = 0.40-0.46 and XE = 0.06-0.08, XE = 0.20-0.25 for TBA-water and ethanol
      water binary mixtures, respectively. Additionally, we have detected another
      anomalous region at XT ~ 0.03. Slow solvation responses in the ranges XT = 0.40
      0.46 and XE = 0.20-0.25 are probably due to the higher shear viscosity of the
      medium. However, XT = 0.09-0.15 and XE = 0.06-0.08 are the manifestation of
      aggregation induced structural transition of alcohol molecules. Hindered rotation
      of C480 in the ranges XT = 0.04-0.09 and XE = 0.03-0.07 corroborates our
      solvation dynamics results. From temperature dependent anisotropy measurements,
      we have shown that aggregation of alcohol molecules increases with increase in
      temperature. 

PMID- 26121324
TI  - The secondary release of mercury in coal fly ash-based flue-gas mercury removal
      technology.
AB  - The secondary release of mercury from coal fly ash is a negative by-product from
      coal-fired power plants, and requires effective control to reduce environmental
      pollution. Analysing particle size distribution and composition of the coal fly
      ash produced by different mercury removing technologies indicates that the
      particles are generally less than 0.5 mm in size and are composed mainly of SiO2,
      Al2O3, and Fe2O3. The relationships between mercury concentration in the coal fly
      ash, its particle size, and loss of ignition were studied using different mercury
      removing approaches. The research indicates that the coal fly ash's mercury
      levels are significantly higher after injecting activated carbon or brominating
      activated carbon when compared to regular cooperating-pollution control
      technology. This is particularly true for particle size ranges of >0.125, 0.075
      0.125, and 0.05-0.075 mm. Leaching experiments revealed the secondary release of
      mercury in discarded coal fly ash. The concentration of mercury in the coal fly
      ash increases as the quantity of injecting activated carbon or brominating
      activated carbon increases. The leached concentrations of mercury increase as the
      particle size of the coal fly ash increases. Therefore, the secondary release of
      mercury can be controlled by adding suitable activated carbon or brominating
      activated carbon when disposing of coal fly ash. Adding CaBr2 before coal
      combustion in the boiler also helps control the secondary release of mercury, by
      increasing the Hg(2+) concentration in the leachate. This work provides a
      theoretical foundation for controlling and removing mercury in coal fly ash
      disposal. 

PMID- 26121325
TI  - GLP-1 Receptor Mediated Targeting of a Fluorescent Zn(2+) Sensor to Beta Cell
      Surface for Imaging Insulin/Zn(2+) Release.
AB  - The pancreatic islet beta cell plays an essential role in maintaining the normal
      blood glucose level by releasing insulin. Loss of functional beta cell mass leads
      to diabetes-a disease affecting ~9% of the population worldwide. There has been
      great interest and intense effort in developing imaging probes for monitoring
      islet beta cells, and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) has emerged as a
      valuable biomarker for targeting beta cells. However, efforts thus far in GLP-1R
      mediated beta cell labeling and imaging has largely, if not exclusively, focused
      on developing imaging probes for monitoring beta cell mass, and few studies have
      investigated imaging beta cell function (insulin release) through GLP-1R. We now
      report the design and synthesis of a bioconjugate, ZIMIR-Ex4(9-39), that consists
      of a fluorescent Zn(2+) sensor and a truncated exendin 4 peptide for imaging
      insulin/Zn(2+) release in islet beta cells. In vitro, the conjugate bound to
      Zn(2+) with high affinity and displayed a robust fluorescence enhancement upon
      Zn(2+) chelation. When added to beta cells at submicromolar concentration, ZIMIR
      Ex4(9-39) rapidly labeled cell surface in minutes to report the dynamics of
      insulin/Zn(2+) release with high spatiotemporal resolution. Future explorations
      of this approach may lead to probes for tracking beta cell function using
      different imaging modalities.

PMID- 26121326
TI  - Imidazolium salt-modified porous hypercrosslinked polymers for synergistic CO2
      capture and conversion.
AB  - A new type of imidazolium salt-modified porous hypercrosslinked polymer (BET
      surface area up to 926 m(2) g(-1)) was reported. These porous materials exhibited
      good CO2 capture capacities (14.5 wt%) and catalytic activities for the
      conversion of CO2 into various cyclic carbonates under metal-free conditions. The
      synergistic effect of CO2 capture and conversion was observed. 

PMID- 26121327
TI  - Centenarian Rates and Life Expectancy Related to the Death Rates of Multiple
      Sclerosis, Asthma, and Rheumatoid Arthritis and the Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes
      in Children.
AB  - The autoimmune diseases are among the 10 leading causes of death for women and
      the number two cause of chronic illness in America as well as a predisposing
      factor for cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Patients of some autoimmune
      diseases have shown a shorter life span and are a model of accelerated
      immunosenescence. Conversely, centenarians are used as a model of successful
      aging and have shown several immune parameters that are better preserved and
      lower levels of autoantibodies. The study reported here focused on clarifying the
      connection between longevity and some autoimmune and allergic diseases in 29
      developed Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
      countries, because multidisciplinary analyses of the accelerated or delayed aging
      data could show a distinct relationship pattern, help to identify common factors,
      and determine new important factors that contribute to longevity and healthy
      aging. The relationships between the mortality rates data of multiple sclerosis
      (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), asthma, the incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D)
      from one side and centenarian rates (two sets) as well as life expectancy data
      from the other side were assessed using regression models and Pearson correlation
      coefficients. The data obtained correspond to an inverse linear correlation with
      different degrees of linearity. This is the first observation of a clear tendency
      of diminishing centenarian rates or life expectancy in countries having higher
      death rates of asthma, MS, and RA and a higher incidence of T1D in children. The
      conclusion is that most probably there are common mechanistic pathways and
      factors affecting the above diseases and at the same time but in the opposite
      direction the processes of longevity. Further study, comparing genetic data,
      mechanistic pathways, and other factors connected to autoimmune diseases with
      those of longevity could clarify the processes involved, so as to promote
      longevity and limit the expansion of those diseases in the younger and older
      population. 

PMID- 26121329
TI  - Leucanthemum vulgare Lam. crude oil phytoremediation.
AB  - Sites with crude oil pollution have been successfully treated using
      phytoremediation, but expanding the range of plants that can be used and
      understanding how exposure impacts the plants are two areas of study that are
      important to continue. Leucanthemum vulgare has been shown to grow well under a
      variety of stressful conditions. To examine L. vulgare's ability to both survive
      crude oil exposure and to reduce crude oil concentrations in soil, plants were
      placed in soil containing 0, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% or 10% w/w crude oil. Total Petroleum
      Hydrocarbons (TPH) concentration, peroxidase and catalase activity, proline and
      phenol content in roots and leaves were determined at the start of planting and
      every 2 months for six months. L. vulgare roots were successfully colonized with
      mycorrhizae under all conditions. Results showed positive correlation between
      antioxidant compound concentration and crude oil contamination. Also, a
      significant reduction occurred in TPH content of soil over time in planted pots
      as compared to controls. The lowest TPH content was recorded after 6 months under
      all treatments. Results showed L. vulgare could survive crude oil exposure and
      enhance reducing of crude oil from soil.

PMID- 26121328
TI  - Osteoporotic fractures and associated hospitalizations among patients treated
      with teriparatide compared to a matched cohort of patients not treated with
      teriparatide.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare fractures and fracture-related resource utilization (RU)
      among patients with a recent fracture and treated with teriparatide (TPTD) to a
      matched cohort of patients not treated with TPTD (non-TPTD). RESEARCH DESIGN AND
      METHODS: Women aged 50 years or older initiating TPTD (N = 5314; index date
      between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2012) were identified in an insurance
      claims database. Patients with fragility fracture (hip, pelvis, clavicle,
      humerus, wrist, leg or spine) during the 12 months prior to the index date (N =
      1164) were selected to control for unmeasured confounding due to absence of bone
      mineral density test levels. TPTD patients were matched to the non-TPTD cohort
      using propensity score and exact matching (N = 912). Relative risk (RR) of
      fracture and fracture-related RU were estimated by Cox proportional hazard
      modeling, adjusted for potential fracture risk factors. RESULTS: Fractures were
      observed in 4.6%, 8.6%, 10.3%, and 11.3% of TPTD patients and in 9.2%, 15.2%,
      19.2% and 21.7% of non-TPTD patients over 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, respectively.
      The adjusted RR reduction in TPTD was 36% (RR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.44-0.94) during 6
      months, 27% (RR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.54-0.97) during 12 months, 28% (RR = 0.72, 95%
      CI: 0.55-0.93) during 18 months, and 28% (RR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.56-0.92) during 24
      months versus matched non-TPTD patients. Fracture-related RU followed a similar
      trend to that observed for fracture risk. CONCLUSIONS: This real-world study
      found TPTD to be more effective in reducing risk of fragility fractures as early
      as 6 months with continuous treatment benefit up to 24 months compared to a
      matched non-TPTD cohort. TPTD patients experienced lower rates of fracture
      related RU than non-TPTD patients. Key study limitations include the inability to
      confirm reported diagnostic and procedural codes and the absence of uninsured and
      individually insured patients in the claims database.

PMID- 26121330
TI  - Polycaprolactone-based in situ implant containing curcumin-PLGA nanoparticles
      prepared using the multivariate technique.
AB  - Studies on the effect of curcumin/PLGA ratio (CPR), stabilizer (PVA)
      concentration, homogenization speed, homogenization time, and sonication time on
      mean particle size (MPS) and percentage drug encapsulation (PDE) were performed
      using the multivariate technique. MPS and PDE were found to be more dependent on
      the interaction of sonication time with the other variables. Curcumin was
      released in a sustained manner from curcumin-PLGA nanoparticles (CPN). CPN
      improved the survival rate of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC)-bearing mice and
      controlled the EAC-induced change in hematological parameters. Histopathology of
      vital organs showed that the formulation was safe. Polycaprolactone was used in
      preparing an in situ implant containing CPN. 

PMID- 26121331
TI  - Analysis of Selenium Levels in Osteosarcoma Patients and the Effects of Se
      Methylselenocysteine on Osteosarcoma Cells In Vitro.
AB  - The form of selenium appears to be important for preventing cancer in humans.
      Here, we evaluated selenium levels in the serum and bone tissue samples from
      osteosarcoma patients using atomic absorption spectrometry. The in vitro effects
      of Se-methylselenocysteine (Se-MSC) on growth, cell cycle status, and apoptosis
      of osteosarcoma cells were assessed using the WST-1 assay, Hoechst
      33342/propidium iodide staining, and flow cytometry, respectively. In
      osteosarcoma cases, the mean serum selenium levels in osteosarcoma tissue and
      normal bone were 0.08 mg/kg and 0.03 mg/kg, respectively (P < 0.05). Serum
      selenium levels in osteosarcoma and non-osteosarcoma cases were 0.09 mg/L and
      0.08 mg/L, respectively (P > 0.05). Se-MSC-treated MG63 cells showed altered
      cellular morphology, decreased viability in a time- and dose-dependent manner,
      and an increase in the sub-G1 cell population. Se-MSC also downregulated Bcl-2
      expression and upregulated Bax. Se-MSC inhibited the proliferation of the drug
      resistant osteosarcoma cell line Saos-2/MTX300 and enhanced the inhibitory effect
      of pirarubicin on MG63 cells. Our data demonstrate that selenium levels are
      significantly higher in osteosarcoma tissue than normal bone tissue in
      osteosarcoma patients. The results also support the anticancer effects of Se-MSC
      in osteosarcoma. Further development of Se-MSC as an ancillary chemotherapy agent
      in osteosarcoma is warranted.

PMID- 26121332
TI  - alpha-Aminoisobutyric acid incorporation induces cell permeability and antiviral
      activity of HIV-1 major homology region fragments.
AB  - The design of a cell penetrating antiviral peptide, which is derived from the
      major homology region of HIV-1 capsid protein and includes the non-coded alpha
      aminoisobutyric acid, provides functional evidence for the role of the conserved
      region in the HIV assembly process and demonstrates the correlation between
      conformational stability and cellular permeability. 

PMID- 26121333
TI  - A platinum shell for ultraslow ligand exchange: unmodified DNA adsorbing more
      stably on platinum than thiol and dithiol on gold.
AB  - Due to the ultraslow ligand exchange rate on Pt, non-thiolated DNA is adsorbed on
      platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) more stably than thiolated and even dithiolated
      DNA on AuNPs. Adsorption kinetics, capacity and stability are systematically
      compared as a function of DNA sequence. The Pt conjugates can tolerate extreme
      pH, salt, and thiol molecules. Taking advantage of the optical properties of
      AuNPs and the extreme stability of DNA on PtNPs, DNA-functionalized Au@Pt NPs are
      prepared using a cost-effective and more stable bioconjugation method. The DNA
      directed assembly of non-thiolated DNA conjugates is also demonstrated. 

PMID- 26121334
TI  - Inactivation of p53 Is Sufficient to Induce Development of Pulmonary Hypertension
      in Rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PA-SMCs) in pulmonary arterial
      hypertension (PAH) show similarities to cancer cells. Due to the growth
      suppressive and pro-apoptotic effects of p53 and its inactivation in cancer, we
      hypothesized that the p53 pathway could be altered in PAH. We therefore explored
      the involvement of p53 in the monocrotaline (MCT) rat model of pulmonary
      hypertension (PH) and the pathophysiological consequences of p53 inactivation in
      response to animal treatment with pifithrin-alpha (PFT, an inhibitor of p53
      activity). METHODS AND RESULTS: PH development was assessed by pulmonary arterial
      pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy and arterial wall thickness. The effect
      of MCT and PFT on lung p53 pathway expression was evaluated by western blot.
      Fourteen days of daily PFT treatment (2.2 mg/kg/day), similar to a single
      injection of MCT (60 mg/kg), induced PH and aggravated MCT-induced PH. In the
      first week after MCT administration and prior to PH development, p53, p21 and
      MDM2 protein levels were significantly reduced; whereas PFT administration
      effectively altered the protein level of p53 targets. Anti-apoptotic and pro
      proliferative effects of PFT were revealed by TUNEL and MTT assays on cultured
      human PA-SMCs treated with 50 MUM PFT. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacological inactivation
      of p53 is sufficient to induce PH with a chronic treatment by PFT, an effect
      related to its anti-apoptotic and pro-proliferative properties. The p53 pathway
      was down-regulated during the first week in the rat MCT model. These in vivo
      experiments implicate the p53 pathway at the initiation stages of PH
      pathogenesis.

PMID- 26121335
TI  - Estrous Cycle-Dependent Phasic Changes in the Stoichiometry of Hippocampal
      Synaptic AMPA Receptors in Rats.
AB  - Cognitive function can be affected by the estrous cycle. However, the effect of
      the estrous cycle on synaptic functions is poorly understood. Here we show that
      in female rats, inhibitory-avoidance (IA) task (hippocampus-dependent contextual
      fear-learning task) drives GluA2-lacking Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors (CP
      AMPARs) into the hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses during all periods of the estrous
      cycle except the proestrous period, when estrogen levels are high. In addition,
      IA task failed to drive CP-AMPARs into the CA3-CA1 synapses of ovariectomized
      rats only when estrogen was present. Thus, changes in the stoichiometry of AMPA
      receptors during learning depend on estrogen levels. Furthermore, the induction
      of long-term potentiation (LTP) after IA task was prevented during the proestrous
      period, while intact LTP is still expressed after IA task during other period of
      the estrous cycle. Consistent with this finding, rats conditioned by IA training
      failed to acquire hippocampus-dependent Y-maze task during the proestrous period.
      On the other hand, during other estrous period, rats were able to learn Y-maze
      task after IA conditioning. These results suggest that high estrogen levels
      prevent the IA learning-induced delivery of CP-AMPARs into hippocampal CA3-CA1
      synapses and limit synaptic plasticity after IA task, thus preventing the
      acquisition of additional learning. 

PMID- 26121337
TI  - Wavelength-switchable photocurrent in a hybrid TiO2-Ag nanocluster
      photoelectrode.
AB  - A hybrid TiO2-Ag nanocluster (NC) photoelectrode demonstrates unique wavelength
      switchable photocurrent. By simply tuning the light wavelength from ultraviolet
      (UV) to visible light, the photocurrent generated on a single electrode can be
      switched from anodic to cathodic current, in which the Ag NCs behave like a new
      type of visible light active photocatalyst. 

PMID- 26121336
TI  - Safety and Efficacy of Thermal Ablation for Small Renal Masses in Solitary
      Kidney: Evidence from Meta-Analysis of Comparative Studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate comparative renal functional preservation, perioperative
      and oncologic outcomes, and complications of thermal ablation (TA) versus partial
      nephrectomy (PN) in management of Small renal masses (SRMs) in solitary kidney.
      METHODS AND FINDINGS: Medline, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library
      were systematically searched. A meta-analysis for comparative studies comparing
      TA with PN was performed. According to predefined inclusion criteria, seven
      datasets were identified from 8 observational studies including a total of 628
      patients. Cumulated data showed the changes of creatinine (p=0.02) and estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (p<0.0001) in TA arm were significantly less
      than these in PN arm. Significantly less new-set chronic kidney disease (CKD) was
      observed in TA group (p=0.04). In terms of postoperative dialysis rate, the
      difference favoring TA was also noted, though there is no statistical
      significance (p=0.09). With regard to perioperative outcomes, our data
      demonstrated that patients who underwent TA had significantly shorter operation
      time (p=0.002), less blood loss (p<0.0001), shorter length of stay (p<0.00001),
      and less transfusion rate (p=0.01) than those underwent PN. In addition, patients
      underwent TA suffered less intra- and postoperative complications (p=0.007,
      p<0.00001; respectively). With regard to oncologic outcomes, disease-free
      survival (DFS) (p<0.00001) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) (p=0.01) in the PN
      arm were significantly better than these of the TA arm. But, TA yielded a
      comparable overall survival to PN (p=0.40). Sensitivity analyses led to very
      similar results with overall results, and confirmed its stability. CONCLUSIONS:
      Our analysis indicates that PN have advantage in controlling cancer recurrence.
      However, TA is associated with significantly better renal functional preservation
      and perioperative outcomes, and less complications without increasing overall
      death. Our data suggest that indication for TA may be extended to select younger,
      healthier patients who desire a much less invasive therapeutic option.

PMID- 26121338
TI  - Mortality following Stroke, the Weekend Effect and Related Factors: Record
      Linkage Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased mortality following hospitalisation for stroke has been
      reported from many but not all studies that have investigated a 'weekend effect'
      for stroke. However, it is not known whether the weekend effect is affected by
      factors including hospital size, season and patient distance from hospital.
      OBJECTIVE: To assess changes over time in mortality following hospitalisation for
      stroke and how any increased mortality for admissions on weekends is related to
      factors including the size of the hospital, seasonal factors and distance from
      hospital. METHODS: A population study using person linked inpatient, mortality
      and primary care data for stroke from 2004 to 2012. The outcome measures were,
      firstly, mortality at seven days and secondly, mortality at 30 days and one year.
      RESULTS: Overall mortality for 37 888 people hospitalised following stroke was
      11.6% at seven days, 21.4% at 30 days and 37.7% at one year. Mortality at seven
      and 30 days fell significantly by 1.7% and 3.1% per annum respectively from 2004
      to 2012. When compared with week days, mortality at seven days was increased
      significantly by 19% for admissions on weekends, although the admission rate was
      21% lower on weekends. Although not significant, there were indications of
      increased mortality at seven days for weekend admissions during winter months
      (31%), in community (81%) rather than large hospitals (8%) and for patients
      resident furthest from hospital (32% for distances of >20 kilometres). The
      weekend effect was significantly increased (by 39%) for strokes of 'unspecified'
      subtype. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality following stroke has fallen over time. Mortality
      was increased for admissions at weekends, when compared with normal week days,
      but may be influenced by a higher stroke severity threshold for admission on
      weekends. Other than for unspecified strokes, we found no significant variation
      in the weekend effect for hospital size, season and distance from hospital.

PMID- 26121339
TI  - Correction: Selective Targeting of CTNNB1-, KRAS- or MYC-Driven Cell Growth by
      Combinations of Existing Drugs.

PMID- 26121340
TI  - Two New Genera of Planktonic Ciliates and Insights into the Evolution of the
      Family Strombidiidae (Protista, Ciliophora, Oligotrichia).
AB  - Oligotrich ciliates are common marine microplankters, but their biodiversity and
      evolutionary relationships have not been well-documented. Morphological
      descriptions and small subunit rRNA gene sequences of two new species
      representing two new strombidiid genera, Sinistrostrombidium cupiformum gen.
      nov., sp. nov. and Antestrombidium agathae gen. nov., sp. nov. are presented, and
      their taxonomy and molecular phylogeny are analyzed. Sinistrostrombidium gen.
      nov. is characterized by a sinistrally spiraled girdle kinety and a longitudinal
      ventral kinety. Antestrombidium gen. nov. is distinguished by tripartite somatic
      kineties (circular and ventral kineties plus dextrally spiraled girdle kinety).
      Sinistrostrombidium and Antestrombidium branched separately from one another in
      phylogenetic trees, clustering with different clades of strombidiids. The new
      genera added to the diversities of ciliary patterns and small subunit rRNA gene
      sequences in strombidiids leads to presentation of a new hypothesis about
      evolution of the 12 known strombidiid genera, based on ciliary pattern and partly
      supported by molecular evidence. In addition, our new morphological and molecular
      analyses support establishment of a new order Lynnellida ord. nov., characterized
      by an open adoral zone of membranelles without differentiation of anterior and
      ventral membranelles, for Lynnella, but we remain unable to assign the genus to a
      subclass with confidence. 

PMID- 26121341
TI  - The Wnt Co-Receptor Lrp5 Is Required for Cranial Neural Crest Cell Migration in
      Zebrafish.
AB  - During vertebrate neurulation, cranial neural crest cells (CNCCs) undergo
      epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), delaminate from the neural plate
      border, and migrate as separate streams into different cranial regions. There,
      they differentiate into distinct parts of the craniofacial skeleton. Canonical
      Wnt signaling has been shown to be essential for this process at different levels
      but the involved receptors remained unclear. Here we show that the frizzled co
      receptor low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-related protein 5 (Lrp5) plays a
      crucial role in CNCC migration and morphogenesis of the cranial skeleton. Early
      during induction and migration of CNCCs, lrp5 is expressed ubiquitously but later
      gets restricted to CNCC derivatives in the ventral head region besides different
      regions in the CNS. A knock-down of lrp5 does not interfere with induction of
      CNCCs but leads to reduced proliferation of premigratory CNCCs. In addition, cell
      migration is disrupted as CNCCs are found in clusters at ectopic positions in the
      dorsomedial neuroepithelium after lrp5 knock-down and transient CRISPR/Cas9 gene
      editing. These migratory defects consequently result in malformations of the
      craniofacial skeleton. To date, Lrp5 has mainly been associated with bone
      homeostasis in mammals. Here we show that in zebrafish, lrp5 also controls cell
      migration during early morphogenetic processes and contributes to shaping the
      craniofacial skeleton. 

PMID- 26121343
TI  - Ghrelin Supresses Sympathetic Hyperexcitation in Acute Heart Failure in Male
      Rats: Assessing Centrally and Peripherally Mediated Pathways.
AB  - The hormone ghrelin prevents a dangerous increase in cardiac sympathetic nerve
      activity (SNA) after acute myocardial infarction (MI), although the underlying
      mechanisms remain unknown. This study aimed to determine whether ghrelin's
      sympathoinhibitory properties stem either from directly within the central
      nervous system, or via modulation of specific cardiac vagal inhibitory afferents.
      Cardiac SNA was recorded in urethane-anesthetized rats for 3 hours after the
      ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery (ie, MI). Rats received
      ghrelin either sc (150 MUg/kg) or intracerebroventricularly (5 MUg/kg)
      immediately after the MI. In another two groups, the cervical vagi were
      denervated prior to the MI, followed by sc injection of either ghrelin or
      placebo. Acute MI induced a 188% increase in cardiac SNA, which was significantly
      attenuated in ghrelin-treated rats for both sc or intracerebroventricularly
      administration (36% and 76% increase, respectively). Consequently, mortality
      (47%) and the incidence of arrhythmic episodes (12 per 2 h) were improved with
      both routes of ghrelin administration (<13% and less than five per 2 h,
      respectively). Bilateral vagotomy significantly attenuated the cardiac SNA
      response to acute MI (99% increase). Ghrelin further attenuated the sympathetic
      response to MI in vagotomized rats so that the SNA response was comparable
      between vagotomized and vagal-intact MI rats treated with ghrelin. These results
      suggest that ghrelin may act primarily via a central pathway within the brain to
      suppress SNA after MI, although peripheral vagal afferent pathways may also
      contribute in part. The exact region(s) within the central nervous system whereby
      ghrelin inhibits SNA remains to be fully elucidated. 

PMID- 26121344
TI  - Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Introduction.

PMID- 26121342
TI  - Rapid Glucocorticoid Feedback Inhibition of ACTH Secretion Involves Ligand
      Dependent Membrane Association of Glucocorticoid Receptors.
AB  - The hypothesis that rapid glucocorticoid inhibition of pituitary ACTH secretion
      mediates a feedforward/feedback mechanism responsible for the hourly
      glucocorticoid pulsatility was tested in cultured pituitary cells. Perifusion
      with 30 pM CRH caused sustained the elevation of ACTH secretion. Superimposed
      corticosterone pulses inhibited CRH-stimulated ACTH release, depending on prior
      glucocorticoid clearance. When CRH perifusion started after 2 hours of
      glucocorticoid-free medium, corticosterone levels in the stress range (1 MUM)
      caused a delayed (25 min) and prolonged inhibition of CRH-stimulated ACTH
      secretion, up to 60 minutes after corticosterone withdrawal. In contrast, after 6
      hours of glucocorticoid-free medium, basal corticosterone levels inhibited CRH
      stimulated ACTH within 5 minutes, after rapid recovery 5 minutes after
      corticosterone withdrawal. The latter effect was insensitive to actinomycin D but
      was prevented by the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, RU486, suggesting
      nongenomic effects of the classical glucocorticoid receptor. In hypothalamic
      derived 4B cells, 10 nM corticosterone increased immunoreactive glucocorticoid
      receptor content in membrane fractions, with association and clearance rates
      paralleling the effects on ACTH secretion from corticotrophs. Corticosterone did
      not affect CRH-stimulated calcium influx, but in AtT-20 cells, it had biphasic
      effects on CRH-stimulated Src phosphorylation, with early inhibition and late
      stimulation, suggesting a role for Src phosphorylation on the rapid
      glucocorticoid feedback. The data suggest that the nongenomic/membrane effects of
      classical GR mediate rapid and reversible glucocorticoid feedback inhibition at
      the pituitary corticotrophs downstream of calcium influx. The sensitivity and
      kinetics of these effects is consistent with the hypothesis that pituitary
      glucocorticoid feedback is part of the mechanism for adrenocortical ultradian
      pulse generation. 

PMID- 26121345
TI  - Safety and Tolerability of Esomeprazole in Children With Gastroesophageal Reflux
      Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate safety, tolerability, and symptom improvement with once
      daily esomeprazole in children with endoscopically proven gastroesophageal reflux
      disease (GERD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this 8-week, multicenter, randomized,
      uncontrolled, double-blind study, children ages 1 to 11 years were stratified by
      weight to receive esomeprazole 5 or 10 mg (children < 20 kg) or 10 or 20 mg
      (children >= 20 kg) once daily. Safety and tolerability was assessed by
      evaluating adverse events (AEs; both treatment- and non-treatment-related AEs)
      and changes from baseline in medical history, physical examinations, and clinical
      laboratory tests. Investigators scored symptom severity every 2 weeks using the
      Physician's Global Assessment (PGA). Patients' parents rated GERD symptoms of
      heartburn, acid regurgitation, and epigastric pain (none to severe, 0-3) at
      baseline (based on past 72 hours) and daily (from past 24 hours). RESULTS: Of 109
      patients randomized, 108 had safety data. AEs were experienced by 68.0% and 65.2%
      of children < 20 kg receiving esomeprazole 5 and 10 mg, respectively, and 83.9%
      and 82.8% of children >= 20 kg receiving esomeprazole 10 and 20 mg, respectively,
      regardless of causality. Overall, only 9.3% of patients reported 13 treatment
      related AEs; the most common were diarrhea (2.8% [3/108]), headache (1.9%
      [2/108]), and somnolence (1.9% [2/108]). Vomiting, a serious AE in 2 patients,
      was not judged by the investigator to be related to treatment. At the final
      visit, PGA scores improved significantly from baseline (P < 0.001). Of 58
      patients with moderate to severe baseline PGA symptom scores, 91.4% had lower
      scores by the final visit. GERD symptom scores were significantly improved from
      baseline to the final week of the study in all of the treatment groups (P < 0.01)
      CONCLUSIONS: In children ages 1 to 11 years with endoscopically proven GERD,
      esomeprazole (at daily doses of 5, 10, or 20 mg) was generally well tolerated.
      The frequency and severity of GERD-related symptoms were significantly reduced
      during the active treatment period.

PMID- 26121346
TI  - Pharmacokinetics and Acid-suppressive Effects of Esomeprazole in Infants 1-24
      Months Old With Symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the pharmacokinetics and acid-suppressive effects of
      esomeprazole in infants with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: In this single-blind, randomized, parallel-group study, 50 infants 1 to
      24 months old with symptoms of GERD, and >= 5% of time with intraesophageal pH <4
      during 24-hour dual pH monitoring, received oral esomeprazole 0.25 mg/kg (n = 26)
      or 1 mg/kg (n = 24) once daily for 1 week. Intraesophageal and intragastric pH
      were recorded at 1 week, and blood samples were taken for pharmacokinetic
      analysis. RESULTS: At baseline, mean percentages of time with intragastric pH > 4
      and intraesophageal pH < 4 were 30.5% and 11.6%, respectively, in the
      esomeprazole 0.25 mg/kg group and 28.6% and 12.5% in the esomeprazole 1 mg/kg
      group. After 1 week of treatment, times with intragastric pH >4 were 47.9% and
      69.3% in the esomeprazole 0.25 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg groups, respectively (P < 0.001
      vs baseline), and times with intraesophageal pH < 4 were 8.4% (P < 0.05 vs
      baseline) and 5.5% (P < 0.001 vs. baseline), respectively. The mean number of
      acid reflux episodes of > 5 minutes duration decreased from 6 at baseline to 3
      and 2 with esomeprazole 0.25 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg, respectively. The geometric mean
      AUC0-t of esomeprazole were 0.24 and 1.79 MUmol . h/L for the 0.25 mg/kg and 1
      mg/kg dosages of esomeprazole, respectively. Both esomeprazole dosages were well
      tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Oral treatment with esomeprazole 0.25 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg
      was well tolerated and provided dose-related acid suppression, dose-related
      exposure to esomeprazole, and decreased esophageal acid exposure in infants 1-24
      months old with GERD.

PMID- 26121347
TI  - Esomeprazole for the Treatment of Erosive Esophagitis in Children: An
      International, Multicenter, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Double-Blind (for Dose)
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acid suppression with a proton pump inhibitor is standard treatment
      for gastroesophageal reflux disease and erosive esophagitis in adults and
      increasingly is becoming first-line therapy for children aged 1-17 years. We
      evaluated endoscopic healing of erosive esophagitis with esomeprazole in young
      children with gastroesophageal reflux disease and described esophageal histology.
      METHODS: Children aged 1-11 years with endoscopically or histologically confirmed
      gastroesophageal reflux disease were randomized to esomeprazole 5 or 10 mg daily
      (< 20 kg) or 10 or 20 mg daily (>= 20 kg) for 8 weeks. Patients with erosive
      esophagitis underwent an endoscopy after 8 weeks to assess healing of erosions.
      RESULTS: Of 109 patients, 49% had erosive esophagitis and 51% had histologic
      evidence of reflux esophagitis without erosive esophagitis. Of the 45 patients
      who had erosive esophagitis and underwent follow-up endoscopy, 89% experienced
      erosion resolution. Dilation of intercellular space was reported in 24% of
      patients with histologic examination. CONCLUSIONS: Esomeprazole (0.2-1.0 mg/kg)
      effectively heals macroscopic and microscopic erosive esophagitis in this
      pediatric population with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Dilation of
      intercellular space may be an important histologic marker of erosive esophagitis
      in children.

PMID- 26121348
TI  - Healing of Erosive Esophagitis and Improvement of Symptoms of Gastroesophageal
      Reflux Disease After Esomeprazole Treatment in Children 12 to 36 Months Old.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate erosive esophagitis healing and
      symptom improvement with once-daily esomeprazole in children ages 12 to 36 months
      with endoscopically or histologically proven gastroesophageal reflux disease
      (GERD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from children ages 12 to 36 months were
      included in a post-hoc analysis of an 8-week, multicenter, randomized, and double
      blind by dose strata study of patients ages 1 to 11 years with endoscopically or
      histologically confirmed GERD. Children were randomized to receive esomeprazole 5
      or 10 mg once daily. Patients underwent endoscopy and, if required, mucosal
      biopsy at baseline. Patients who had erosive esophagitis (graded using the Los
      Angeles classification system) at baseline underwent a follow-up endoscopy at
      final study visit to assess healing of erosive esophagitis. Investigators scored
      severity of GERD symptoms at baseline and every 2 weeks using the Physician
      Global Assessment. RESULTS: Thirty-one of 109 primary study patients ages 12 to
      36 months were included in the post hoc analysis. At baseline, 15 patients
      (48.4%) had erosive esophagitis, underwent follow-up endoscopy, and were healed
      after 8 weeks of esomeprazole treatment. Of the 19 patients with moderate-to
      severe baseline Physician Global Assessment symptom scores, 84.2% had lower
      scores by the final visit. Following esomeprazole treatment, GERD symptoms were
      significantly improved from baseline to final visit (P <= 0.0018). CONCLUSIONS:
      Esomeprazole 5 or 10 mg may be used to successfully treat erosive esophagitis and
      symptoms of GERD in children as young as 1 year. Moreover, although not yet
      validated in pediatric patients, the Los Angeles classification system was useful
      in grading erosive esophagitis in children ages 12 to 36 months.

PMID- 26121349
TI  - Esomeprazole for the Treatment of GERD in Infants Ages 1-11 Months.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is present in pediatric
      patients when reflux of gastric contents causes troublesome symptoms and/ or
      complications. The present study evaluates the efficacy and safety of
      esomeprazole in infants ages 1 to 11 months with GERD. METHODS: In this
      multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group,
      treatment-withdrawal study, infants received open-label, weight-adjusted doses of
      esomeprazole (2.5-10 mg) once daily for 2 weeks. Infants with symptom improvement
      were randomized to esomeprazole (weight-adjusted doses [2.5-10 mg]) or placebo
      for 4 weeks. The primary endpoint was time to discontinuation owing to symptom
      worsening based on global assessments by the parent/guardian and physician.
      Adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: Of the 98 patients enrolled, 81 (82.7%)
      experienced symptom improvement determined by physician global assessment (PGA)
      during open-label esomeprazole treatment; 80 entered the double-blind phase.
      During this phase, discontinuation rates owing to symptom worsening were 48.8%
      (20/41) for placebo-treated versus 38.5% (15/39) for esomeprazole-treated
      patients (hazard ratio 0.69; P = 0.28). Posthoc analysis of infants with
      symptomatic GERD (ie, no diagnostic procedure performed) revealed that time to
      discontinuation was significantly longer with esomeprazole than placebo (hazard
      ratio 0.24; P = 0.01); the complementary subgroup difference was not significant
      (hazard ratio 1.39; P = 0.48). Esomeprazole was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: The
      discontinuation rate owing to symptom worsening did not differ significantly
      between infants receiving esomeprazole versus those receiving placebo. Improved
      diagnostic criteria in this age group are needed to identify infants with GERD
      who may benefit from acid suppression therapy.

PMID- 26121350
TI  - "Give, but Give until It Hurts": The Modulatory Role of Trait Emotional
      Intelligence on the Motivation to Help.
AB  - Two studies investigated the effect of trait Emotional Intelligence (trait EI) on
      people's motivation to help. In Study 1, we developed a new computer-based
      paradigm that tested participants' motivation to help by measuring their
      performance on a task in which they could gain a hypothetical amount of money to
      help children in need. Crucially, we manipulated participants' perceived efficacy
      by informing them that they had been either able to save the children (positive
      feedback) or unable to save the children (negative feedback). We measured trait
      EI using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF)
      and assessed participants' affective reactions during the experiment using the
      PANAS-X. Results showed that high and low trait EI participants performed
      differently after the presentation of feedback on their ineffectiveness in
      helping others in need. Both groups showed increasing negative affective states
      during the experiment when the feedback was negative; however, high trait EI
      participants better managed their affective reactions, modulating the impact of
      their emotions on performance and maintaining a high level of motivation to help.
      In Study 2, we used a similar computerized task and tested a control situation to
      explore the effect of trait EI on participants' behavior when facing failure or
      success in a scenario unrelated to helping others in need. No effect of feedback
      emerged on participants' emotional states in the second study. Taken together our
      results show that trait EI influences the impact of success and failure on
      behavior only in affect-rich situation like those in which people are asked to
      help others in need. 

PMID- 26121351
TI  - An Au(I)-catalyzed rearrangement/cyclization cascade toward the synthesis of 2
      substituted-1,4,5,6-tetrahydrocyclopenta[b]pyrrole.
AB  - An Au(I)-catalyzed tandem reaction for the synthesis of 2-phenyl-1,4,5,6
      tetrahydrocyclopenta[b]pyrrole derivatives from 1-(1-hydroxy-3-phenylprop-2-yn-1
      yl)cyclobutanol and primary amines or NH4OAc has been developed to afford a
      series of polysubstituted pyrroles in moderate to good yields.

PMID- 26121353
TI  - Topographic and Bioclimatic Determinants of the Occurrence of Forest and
      Grassland in Tropical Montane Forest-Grassland Mosaics of the Western Ghats,
      India.
AB  - The objective of this analysis was to identify topographic and bioclimatic
      factors that predict occurrence of forest and grassland patches within tropical
      montane forest-grassland mosaics. We further investigated whether interactions
      between topography and bioclimate are important in determining vegetation
      pattern, and assessed the role of spatial scale in determining the relative
      importance of specific topographic features. Finally, we assessed the role of
      elevation in determining the relative importance of diverse explanatory factors.
      The study area consists of the central and southern regions of the Western Ghats
      of Southern India, a global biodiversity hotspot. Random forests were used to
      assess prediction accuracy and predictor importance. Conditional inference
      classification trees were used to interpret predictor effects and examine
      potential interactions between predictors. GLMs were used to confirm predictor
      importance and assess the strength of interaction terms. Overall, topographic and
      bioclimatic predictors classified vegetation pattern with approximately 70%
      accuracy. Prediction accuracy was higher for grassland than forest, and for
      mosaics at higher elevations. Elevation was the most important predictor, with
      mosaics above 2000 m dominated largely by grassland. Relative topographic
      position measured at a local scale (within a 300 m neighbourhood) was another
      important predictor of vegetation pattern. In high elevation mosaics, northness
      and concave land surface curvature were important predictors of forest
      occurrence. Important bioclimatic predictors were: dry quarter precipitation,
      annual temperature range and the interaction between the two. The results
      indicate complex interactions between topography and bioclimate and among
      topographic variables. Elevation and topography have a strong influence on
      vegetation pattern in these mosaics. There were marked regional differences in
      the roles of various topographic and bioclimatic predictors across the range of
      study mosaics, indicating that the same pattern of grass and forest seems to be
      generated by different sets of mechanisms across the region, depending on spatial
      scale and elevation.

PMID- 26121352
TI  - Molecular Details of Olfactomedin Domains Provide Pathway to Structure-Function
      Studies.
AB  - Olfactomedin (OLF) domains are found within extracellular, multidomain proteins
      in numerous tissues of multicellular organisms. Even though these proteins have
      been implicated in human disorders ranging from cancers to attention deficit
      disorder to glaucoma, little is known about their structure(s) and function(s).
      Here we biophysically, biochemically, and structurally characterize OLF domains
      from H. sapiens olfactomedin-1 (npoh-OLF, also called noelin, pancortin, OLFM1,
      and hOlfA), and M. musculus gliomedin (glio-OLF, also called collomin, collmin,
      and CRG-L2), and compare them with available structures of myocilin (myoc-OLF)
      recently reported by us and R. norvegicus glio-OLF and M. musculus latrophilin-3
      (lat3-OLF) by others. Although the five-bladed beta-propeller architecture
      remains unchanged, numerous physicochemical characteristics differ among these
      OLF domains. First, npoh-OLF and glio-OLF exhibit prominent, yet distinct,
      positive surface charges and copurify with polynucleotides. Second, whereas npoh
      OLF and myoc-OLF exhibit thermal stabilities typical of human proteins near 55
      degrees C, and most myoc-OLF variants are destabilized and highly prone to
      aggregation, glio-OLF is nearly 20 degrees C more stable and significantly more
      resistant to chemical denaturation. Phylogenetically, glio-OLF is most similar to
      primitive OLFs, and structurally, glio-OLF is missing distinguishing features
      seen in OLFs such as the disulfide bond formed by N- and C- terminal cysteines,
      the sequestered Ca2+ ion within the propeller central hydrophilic cavity, and a
      key loop-stabilizing cation-pi interaction on the top face of npoh-OLF and myoc
      OLF. While deciphering the explicit biological functions, ligands, and binding
      partners for OLF domains will likely continue to be a challenging long-term
      experimental pursuit, we used structural insights gained here to generate a new
      antibody selective for myoc-OLF over npoh-OLF and glio-OLF as a first step in
      overcoming the impasse in detailed functional characterization of these
      biomedically important protein domains. 

PMID- 26121354
TI  - Tissue-Specific Evolution of Protein Coding Genes in Human and Mouse.
AB  - Protein-coding genes evolve at different rates, and the influence of different
      parameters, from gene size to expression level, has been extensively studied.
      While in yeast gene expression level is the major causal factor of gene
      evolutionary rate, the situation is more complex in animals. Here we investigate
      these relations further, especially taking in account gene expression in
      different organs as well as indirect correlations between parameters. We used RNA
      seq data from two large datasets, covering 22 mouse tissues and 27 human tissues.
      Over all tissues, evolutionary rate only correlates weakly with levels and
      breadth of expression. The strongest explanatory factors of purifying selection
      are GC content, expression in many developmental stages, and expression in brain
      tissues. While the main component of evolutionary rate is purifying selection, we
      also find tissue-specific patterns for sites under neutral evolution and for
      positive selection. We observe fast evolution of genes expressed in testis, but
      also in other tissues, notably liver, which are explained by weak purifying
      selection rather than by positive selection. 

PMID- 26121355
TI  - Work Content and Serious Mental Illness among Middle-Aged Men: Results from a 6
      Year Longitudinal Study in Japan.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to determine prospective associations between
      work content after a working life of more than 20 years and serious mental
      illness among Japanese men aged 50 to 59 years, using a nationwide population
      based survey. METHODS: Data were extracted from a national longitudinal survey of
      middle-aged and elderly persons previously conducted by the Ministry of Health,
      Labour and Welfare in Japan. We analyzed data across 10 work content categories
      for Japanese men who had been working in the same job type or industry for over
      20 years. As part pf the survey, participants completed the Kessler (K)6 scale
      each year to determine their level of psychological distress (with scores >=13
      indicating serious mental illness). Cox discrete time proposal hazard regression
      analysis was used to examine potential associations between work content and
      serious mental illness from 2005 to 2010. Further adjustments were made for other
      sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle factors. RESULTS: The current
      study involved a total of 11,942 participants with a mean (+/- standard deviation
      [SD]) of follow-up was 3.4 (+/- 2.0) years, during which time 892 participants
      (7.5%) had been classified as having a new-onset serious mental illness. Men who
      had worked in service jobs and in manufacturing jobs at baseline were more likely
      to develop serious mental illness than those in managerial jobs (hazard ratio
      1.37, 1.30, 95% confidence intervals 1.04-1.80, 1.02-1.65) after adjustment for
      confounding variables. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that Japanese men aged
      50 to 59 years who have worked in service and manufacturing jobs after a working
      life of over 20 years have an increased risk of serious mental illness during
      follow-up. Identifying the most at-risk work content category after a working
      life of over 20 years would be an essential part of providing more effective
      interventions for psychological distress among Japanese men in this age group.

PMID- 26121356
TI  - Search, Memory, and Choice Error: An Experiment.
AB  - Multiple attribute search is a central feature of economic life: we consider much
      more than price when purchasing a home, and more than wage when choosing a job.
      An experiment is conducted in order to explore the effects of cognitive
      limitations on choice in these rich settings, in accordance with the predictions
      of a new model of search memory load. In each task, subjects are made to search
      the same information in one of two orders, which differ in predicted memory load.
      Despite standard models of choice treating such variations in order of
      acquisition as irrelevant, lower predicted memory load search orders are found to
      lead to substantially fewer choice errors. An implication of the result for
      search behavior, more generally, is that in order to reduce memory load (thus
      choice error) a limited memory searcher ought to deviate from the search path of
      an unlimited memory searcher in predictable ways-a mechanism that can explain the
      systematic deviations from optimal sequential search that have recently been
      discovered in peoples' behavior. Further, as cognitive load is induced
      endogenously (within the task), and found to affect choice behavior, this result
      contributes to the cognitive load literature (in which load is induced
      exogenously), as well as the cognitive ability literature (in which cognitive
      ability is measured in a separate task). In addition, while the information
      overload literature has focused on the detrimental effects of the quantity of
      information on choice, this result suggests that, holding quantity constant, the
      order that information is observed in is an essential determinant of choice
      failure. 

PMID- 26121357
TI  - Relationship among Medical Student Resilience, Educational Environment and
      Quality of Life.
AB  - CONTEXT: Resilience is a capacity to face and overcome adversities, with personal
      transformation and growth. In medical education, it is critical to understand the
      determinants of a positive, developmental reaction in the face of stressful,
      emotionally demanding situations. We studied the association among resilience,
      quality of life (QoL) and educational environment perceptions in medical
      students. METHODS: We evaluated data from a random sample of 1,350 medical
      students from 22 Brazilian medical schools. Information from participants
      included the Wagnild and Young's resilience scale (RS-14), the Dundee Ready
      Educational Environment Measure (DREEM), the World Health Organization Quality of
      Life questionnaire - short form (WHOQOL-BREF), the Beck Depression Inventory
      (BDI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). RESULTS: Full multiple linear
      regression models were adjusted for sex, age, year of medical course, presence of
      a BDI score >= 14 and STAI state or anxiety scores >= 50. Compared to those with
      very high resilience levels, individuals with very low resilience had worse QoL,
      measured by overall (beta=-0.89; 95% confidence interval =-1.21 to -0.56) and
      medical-school related (beta=-0.85; 95%CI=-1.25 to -0.45) QoL scores, environment
      (beta=-6.48; 95%CI=-10.01 to -2.95), psychological (beta=-22.89; 95%CI=-25.70 to 
      20.07), social relationships (beta=-14.28; 95%CI=-19.07 to -9.49), and physical
      health (beta=-10.74; 95%CI=-14.07 to -7.42) WHOQOL-BREF domain scores. They also
      had a worse educational environment perception, measured by global DREEM score
      (beta=-31.42; 95%CI=-37.86 to -24.98), learning (beta=-7.32; 95%CI=-9.23 to 
      5.41), teachers (beta=-5.37; 95%CI=-7.16 to -3.58), academic self-perception
      (beta=-7.33; 95%CI=-8.53 to -6.12), atmosphere (beta=-8.29; 95%CI=-10.13 to 
      6.44) and social self-perception (beta=-3.12; 95%CI=-4.11 to -2.12) DREEM domain
      scores. We also observed a dose-response pattern across resilience level groups
      for most measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students with higher resilience
      levels had a better quality of life and a better perception of educational
      environment. Developing resilience may become an important strategy to minimize
      emotional distress and enhance medical training.

PMID- 26121359
TI  - Correction: Surface Vulnerability of Cerebral Cortex to Major Depressive
      Disorder.

PMID- 26121358
TI  - Overwintering Is Associated with Reduced Expression of Immune Genes and Higher
      Susceptibility to Virus Infection in Honey Bees.
AB  - The eusocial honey bee, Apis mellifera, has evolved remarkable abilities to
      survive extreme seasonal differences in temperature and availability of resources
      by dividing the worker caste into two groups that differ in physiology and
      lifespan: summer and winter bees. Most of the recent major losses of managed
      honey bee colonies occur during the winter, suggesting that winter bees may have
      compromised immune function and higher susceptibility to diseases. We tested this
      hypothesis by comparing the expression of eight immune genes and naturally
      occurring infection levels of deformed wing virus (DWV), one of the most
      widespread viruses in A. mellifera populations, between summer and winter bees.
      Possible interactions between immune response and physiological activity were
      tested by measuring the expression of vitellogenin and methyl farnesoate
      epoxidase, a gene coding for the last enzyme involved in juvenile hormone
      biosynthesis. Our data show that high DWV loads in winter bees correlate with
      reduced expression of genes involved in the cellular immune response and
      physiological activity and high expression of humoral immune genes involved in
      antibacterial defense compared with summer bees. This expression pattern could
      reflect evolutionary adaptations to resist bacterial pathogens and economize
      energy during the winter under a pathogen landscape with reduced risk of
      pathogenic viral infections. The outbreak of Varroa destructor infestation could
      have overcome these adaptations by promoting the transmission of viruses. Our
      results suggest that reduced cellular immune function during the winter may have
      increased honey bee's susceptibility to DWV. These results contribute to our
      understanding of honey bee colony losses in temperate regions. 

PMID- 26121360
TI  - Correction: Rough-Fuzzy Clustering and Unsupervised Feature Selection for Wavelet
      Based MR Image Segmentation.

PMID- 26121361
TI  - Comparison of the Efficacy of Entecavir and Tenofovir in Nucleos(T)ide Analogue
      Experienced Chronic Hepatitis B Patients.
AB  - The efficacy of entecavir (ETV) and tenofovir (TDF) for the treatment of
      nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA)-experienced chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients has
      been little studied. Here, we compare the efficacy of both ETV and TDF in NA
      experienced CHB patients without detectable genotypic resistance. This
      retrospective cohort study included consecutive NA-experienced patients who had
      neither current nor previous genotypic resistance and had received ETV or TDF for
      at least 6 months. Overall, 202 patients (146 patients in the ETV group and 56 in
      the TDF group) were analyzed. The cumulative probabilities of complete virologic
      suppression (CVS) at month 12 were 76.1% in the ETV group and 95.0% in the TDF
      group (P<0.001), respectively. The TDF-treated group achieved CVS more rapidly
      than the ETV group for both Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative and -positive
      patients (P = 0.006 and < 0.001, respectively), and for those with both low (<
      2,000 IU/mL) and high (>= 2,000 IU/mL) HBV DNA levels (P = 0.01 and 0.002,
      respectively). TDF group had an increased probability of achieving CVS (hazard
      ratio, 2.242; 95% confidence interval, 1.587-3.165; P = 0.001), after adjustment
      for HBV DNA level, the presence of HBeAg, and a history of CVS during prior
      treatment. During the treatment period, 23 patients (15.8%) in the ETV group
      developed virologic breakthrough, compared to none in the TDF group. The
      cumulative probabilities of developing virologic breakthrough and ETV-resistance
      at month 24 were 9.7% and 5.3%, respectively. In conclusion, TDF is preferable to
      ETV for achieving CVS in NA-experienced CHB patients without genotypic
      resistance. 

PMID- 26121362
TI  - Positive Effect of Large Birth Intervals on Early Childhood Hemoglobin Levels in
      Africa Is Limited to Girls: Cross-Sectional DHS Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Short birth intervals are independently associated with increased
      risk of adverse maternal, perinatal, infant and child outcomes. Anemia in
      children, which is highly prevalent in Africa, is associated with an increased
      risk of morbidity and mortality. Birth spacing is advocated as a tool to reduce
      anemia in preschool African children, but the role of gender differences and
      contextual factors has been neglected. The present study aims to determine to
      what extent the length of preceding birth interval influences the hemoglobin
      levels of African preschool children in general, as well as for boys and girls
      separately, and which contextual factors thereby play a crucial role. METHODS AND
      FINDINGS: This cross-sectional study uses data from Demographic and Health
      Surveys (DHS) conducted between 2003 and 2011 in 20 African countries. All
      preschool children aged 6-59 months with a valid hemoglobin measurement and a
      preceding birth interval of 7-72 months as well as their corresponding
      multigravida mothers aged 21-49 years were included in the study. Hemoglobin
      levels of children and mothers were measured in g/l, while birth intervals were
      calculated as months difference between consecutive births. Multivariate analyses
      were done to examine the relationship between length of preceding birth interval
      and child hemoglobin levels, adjusted for factors at the individual, household,
      community, district, and country level. A positive linear relationship was
      observed between birth interval and the 49,260 included children's hemoglobin
      level, whereby age and sex of the child, hemoglobin level of the mother,
      household wealth, mother's education and urbanization of place of residence also
      showed positive associations. In the interaction models, the effect of a month
      increase in birth interval is associated with an average increase of 0.025 g/l in
      hemoglobin level (P = 0.001) in girls, while for boys the effect was not
      significant. In addition, for girls, the effect of length of preceding birth
      interval was highest in young mothers and mothers with higher hemoglobin levels,
      while for boys, the highest effect was noticed for those living in more highly
      educated regions. Finally, significantly higher hemoglobin levels of girls
      compared to boys were observed at birth but with increasing age, the sex
      difference in hemoglobin level gradually becomes smaller. CONCLUSIONS: A longer
      birth interval has a modest positive effect on early childhood hemoglobin levels
      of girls, and this effect is strongest when their mothers are in their early
      twenties and have a high hemoglobin level. Remarkably, although the physiological
      iron requirement is higher for boys than girls, birth spacing has little
      influence on hemoglobin levels of preschool boys. We speculate that the
      preference for male offspring in large parts of Africa significantly influences
      nutritional patterns of African preschool boys and girls, and as such also
      determines the different effect of birth spacing. Finally, gender aspects should
      be considered in intervention programs that aim to improve anemia in African
      children.

PMID- 26121363
TI  - The Negative Correlation between Fiber Color and Quality Traits Revealed by QTL
      Analysis.
AB  - Naturally existing colored cotton was far from perfection due to having genetic
      factors for lower yield, poor fiber quality and monotonous color. These factors
      posed a challenge to colored cotton breeding and innovation. To identify novel
      quantitative trait loci (QTL) for fiber color along with understanding of
      correlation between fiber color and quality in colored cotton, a RIL and two F2
      populations were generated from crosses among Zong128 (Brown fiber cotton) and
      two white fiber cotton lines which were then analyzed in four environments. Two
      stable and major QTLs (qLC-7-1, qFC-7-1) for fiber lint and fuzz color were
      detected accounting for 16.01%-59.85% of the phenotypic variation across multiple
      generations and environments. Meanwhile, some minor QTLs were also identified on
      chromosomes 5, 14, 21 and 24 providing low phenotypic variation (<5%) from only
      F2 populations, not from the RILs population. Especially, a multiple-effect locus
      for fiber color and quality has been detected between flanking markers NAU1043
      and NAU3654 on chromosome 7 (A genome) over multiple environments. Of which, qLC
      7-1, qFC-7-1 were responsible for positive effects and improved fiber color in
      offsprings. Meanwhile, the QTLs (qFL-7-1, qFU-7-1, qFF-7-1, qFE-7-1, and qFS-7-1)
      for fiber quality had negative effects and explained 2.19%-8.78% of the
      phenotypic variation. This multiple-effect locus for fiber color and quality may
      reveal the negative correlation between the two types of above traits, so paving
      the way towards cotton genetic improvement. 

PMID- 26121364
TI  - Obsessions and Compulsions in Postpartum Women Without Obsessive Compulsive
      Disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To describe the prevalence of obsessions and compulsions and the
      specific symptoms present in postpartum women without obsessive compulsive
      disorder (OCD). METHODS: In this prospective cohort, women were screened with the
      Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale at 2 weeks postpartum. Demographics and
      comorbid psychiatric symptoms were compared between women with screen-positive
      OCD, screen-negative OCD but with some endorsed symptoms (subclinical OCD), and
      no OCD symptoms. The prevalence of each specific set of obsessive and compulsive
      symptoms and the rate of impairment from those symptoms were compared. RESULTS:
      Of the 461 women included, 52 (11.2%) screened positive for OCD, while 173
      (37.5%) reported experiencing subclinical obsessions or compulsions. This
      subclinical OCD was associated with an increased rate of depression (24%) and
      state-trait anxiety (8%) compared with women who did not endorse experiencing any
      obsessions or compulsions. Aggressive, religious, and somatic obsessions as well
      as obsessions with symmetry, when present, were most likely to result in OCD
      screen positivity. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of all women who screen negative for
      OCD experienced obsessions or compulsions that did not result in OCD screen
      positivity. However, the presence of these subclinical obsessions and compulsions
      is associated with an increased rate of depression or anxiety.

PMID- 26121366
TI  - Pasteur's Experiment Performed at the Nanoscale: Manual Separation of Chiral
      Molecules, One by One.
AB  - Understanding the principles of molecular recognition is a difficult task and
      calls for investigation of appropriate model systems. Using the manipulation
      capabilities of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) we analyzed the chiral
      recognition in self-assembled dimers of helical hydrocarbons at the single
      molecule level. After manual separation of the two molecules of a dimer with a
      molecule-terminated STM tip on a Cu(111) surface, their handedness was
      subsequently determined with a metal atom-terminated tip. We find that these
      molecules strongly prefer to form heterochiral pairs. Our study shows that single
      molecule manipulation is a valuable tool to understand intermolecular recognition
      at surfaces. 

PMID- 26121365
TI  - A Biofilm Pocket Model to Evaluate Different Non-Surgical Periodontal Treatment
      Modalities in Terms of Biofilm Removal and Reformation, Surface Alterations and
      Attachment of Periodontal Ligament Fibroblasts.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: There is a lack of suitable in vitro models to evaluate
      various treatment modalities intending to remove subgingival bacterial biofilm.
      Consequently, the aims of this in vitro-study were: a) to establish a pocket
      model enabling mechanical removal of biofilm and b) to evaluate repeated non
      surgical periodontal treatment with respect to biofilm removal and reformation,
      surface alterations, tooth hard-substance-loss, and attachment of periodontal
      ligament (PDL) fibroblasts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Standardized human dentin
      specimens were colonized by multi-species biofilms for 3.5 days and subsequently
      placed into artificially created pockets. Non-surgical periodontal treatment was
      performed as follows: a) hand-instrumentation with curettes (CUR), b)
      ultrasonication (US), c) subgingival air-polishing using erythritol (EAP) and d)
      subgingival air-polishing using erythritol combined with chlorhexidine
      digluconate (EAP-CHX). The reduction and recolonization of bacterial counts,
      surface roughness (Ra and Rz), the caused tooth substance-loss (thickness) as
      well as the attachment of PDL fibroblasts were evaluated and statistically
      analyzed by means of ANOVA with Post-Hoc LSD. RESULTS: After 5 treatments,
      bacterial reduction in biofilms was highest when applying EAP-CHX (4 log10). The
      lowest reduction was found after CUR (2 log10). Additionally, substance-loss was
      the highest when using CUR (128+/-40 um) in comparison with US (14+/-12 um), EAP
      (6+/-7 um) and EAP-CHX (11+/-10) um). Surface was roughened when using CUR and
      US. Surfaces exposed to US and to EAP attracted the highest numbers of PDL
      fibroblasts. CONCLUSION: The established biofilm model simulating a periodontal
      pocket combined with interchangeable placements of test specimens with multi
      species biofilms enables the evaluation of different non-surgical treatment
      modalities on biofilm removal and surface alterations. Compared to hand
      instrumentation the application of ultrasonication and of air-polishing with
      erythritol prevents from substance-loss and results in a smooth surface with
      nearly no residual biofilm that promotes the reattachment of PDL fibroblasts.

PMID- 26121367
TI  - Phomopsis Stem Canker: A Reemerging Threat to Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in
      the United States.
AB  - Phomopsis stem canker causes yield reductions on sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)
      on several continents, including Australia, Europe, and North America. In the
      United States, Phomopsis stem canker incidence has increased 16-fold in the
      Northern Great Plains between 2001 and 2012. Although Diaporthe helianthi was
      assumed to be the sole causal agent in the United States, a newly described
      species, D. gulyae, was found to be the primary cause of Phomopsis stem canker in
      Australia. To determine the identity of Diaporthe spp. causing Phomopsis stem
      canker in the Northern Great Plains, 275 infected stems were collected between
      2010 and 2012. Phylogenetic analyses of sequences of the ribosomal DNA internal
      transcribed spacer region, elongation factor subunit 1-alpha, and actin gene
      regions of representative isolates, in comparison with those of type specimens,
      confirmed two species (D. helianthi and D. gulyae) in the United States.
      Differences in aggressiveness between the two species were determined using the
      stem-wound method in the greenhouse; overall, D. helianthi and D. gulyae did not
      vary significantly (P<=0.05) in their aggressiveness at 10 and 14 days after
      inoculation. These findings indicate that both Diaporthe spp. have emerged as
      sunflower pathogens in the United States, and have implications on the management
      of this disease.

PMID- 26121368
TI  - Strategies to promote peripheral nerve regeneration: electrical stimulation
      and/or exercise.
AB  - Enhancing the regeneration of axons is often considered to be a therapeutic
      target for improving functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury. In this
      review, the evidence for the efficacy of electrical stimulation (ES), daily
      exercise and their combination in promoting nerve regeneration after peripheral
      nerve injuries in both animal models and in human patients is explored. The
      rationale, effectiveness and molecular basis of ES and exercise in accelerating
      axon outgrowth are reviewed. In comparing the effects of ES and exercise in
      enhancing axon regeneration, increased neural activity, neurotrophins and
      androgens are considered to be common requirements. Similarly, there are sex
      specific requirements for exercise to enhance axon regeneration in the periphery
      and for sustaining synaptic inputs onto injured motoneurons. ES promotes nerve
      regeneration after delayed nerve repair in humans and rats. The effectiveness of
      exercise is less clear. Although ES, but not exercise, results in a significant
      misdirection of regenerating motor axons to reinnervate different muscle targets,
      the loss of neuromuscular specificity encountered has only a very small impact on
      resulting functional recovery. Both ES and exercise are promising experimental
      treatments for peripheral nerve injury that seem to be ready to be translated to
      clinical use. 

PMID- 26121369
TI  - Metabolism of Multiple Aromatic Compounds in Corn Stover Hydrolysate by
      Rhodopseudomonas palustris.
AB  - Lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysates hold great potential as a feedstock for
      microbial biofuel production, due to their high concentration of fermentable
      sugars. Present at lower concentrations are a suite of aromatic compounds that
      can inhibit fermentation by biofuel-producing microbes. We have developed a
      microbial-mediated strategy for removing these aromatic compounds, using the
      purple nonsulfur bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris. When grown
      photoheterotrophically in an anaerobic environment, R. palustris removes most of
      the aromatics from ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) treated corn stover hydrolysate
      (ACSH), while leaving the sugars mostly intact. We show that R. palustris can
      metabolize a host of aromatic substrates in ACSH that have either been previously
      described as unable to support growth, such as methoxylated aromatics, and those
      that have not yet been tested, such as aromatic amides. Removing the aromatics
      from ACSH with R. palustris, allowed growth of a second microbe that could not
      grow in the untreated ACSH. By using defined mutants, we show that most of these
      aromatic compounds are metabolized by the benzoyl-CoA pathway. We also show that
      loss of enzymes in the benzoyl-CoA pathway prevents total degradation of the
      aromatics in the hydrolysate, and instead allows for biological transformation of
      this suite of aromatics into selected aromatic compounds potentially recoverable
      as an additional bioproduct. 

PMID- 26121370
TI  - Hemicyanine dyes derived from 2,3,3-trimethyl-3H-indolium as candidates for non
      covalent protein probes.
AB  - Non-covalent interaction of hemicyanine dyes, derivatives of 2,3,3-trimethyl-3H
      indolium with bovine serum albumin has been studied by spectral method. For this
      purpose, three hemicyanine dyes containing N-(2-carboxyethyl)-2,3,3-trimethyl-3H
      indolium moiety were synthesized and their UV/Vis and fluorescence spectra,
      aggregation, photostability and association with bovine serum albumin were
      studied. The hemicyanine dyes with 2-ethylcarboxylic group was found to interact
      with bovine serum albumin, which is probably due to negative charge on the dye
      molecule at the expense of the carboxylic group and the ability to form hydrogen
      bonds with albumin. 

PMID- 26121371
TI  - Dynamic changes of intramural hematoma in patients with acute spontaneous
      internal carotid artery dissection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We prospectively investigated temporal and spatial evolution of
      intramural hematomas in patients with acute spontaneous internal carotid artery
      dissection using repeated magnetic resonance imaging over six-months. AIM: The
      aim of the present study was to assess dynamic changes of intramural hematoma in
      patients with acute spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection at multiple
      follow-up time-points with T1w, PD/T2w, and magnetic resonance angiography.
      METHODS: We performed serial multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging in 10
      patients with spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection on admission, at
      days 1, 3, 7-14 and at months 1.5, 3, and 6. We calculated the volume and
      extension of the hyperintense intramural hematoma using T1w and PD/T2w fat
      suppressed sequences and assessed the degree of stenosis due to the hematoma
      using magnetic resonance angiography. RESULTS: Mean interval from symptom onset
      to first magnetic resonance imaging was two-days (SD 2.7). Two patients presented
      with ischemic stroke, three with transient ischemic attacks, and five with pain
      and local symptoms only. Nine patients had a transient increase of the intramural
      hematoma volume, mainly up to day 10 after symptom onset. Fifty percent had a
      transient increase in the degree of the internal carotid artery stenosis on MRA,
      one resulting in a temporary occlusion. Lesions older than one-week were
      predominantly characterized by a shift from iso- to hyperintese signal on T2w
      images. At three-month follow-up, intramural hematoma was no longer detectable in
      80% of patients and had completely resolved in all patients after six-months.
      CONCLUSIONS: Spatial and temporal dynamics of intramural hematomas after
      spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection showed an early volume increase
      with concomitant progression of the internal carotid artery stenosis in 5 of 10
      patients. Although spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection overall carries
      a good prognosis with spontaneous hematoma resorption in all our patients, early
      follow-up imaging may be considered, especially in case of new clinical symptoms.

PMID- 26121372
TI  - The impact of traffic light color-coding on food health perceptions and choice.
AB  - Government regulators and consumer packaged goods companies around the world
      struggle with methods to help consumers make better nutritional decisions. In
      this research we find that, depending on the consumer, a traffic light color
      coding (TLC) approach to product labeling can have a substantial impact on
      perceptions of foods' health quality and food choice. Across 3 lab experiments
      and a field experiment, we find that TLC labels provide nondieters with an
      information processing cue that directly influences evaluations in a manner that
      is consistent with the "stop" and "go" logic behind the traffic light labels. In
      contrast, we find that dieters do not simply adopt the red, yellow, and green
      cues into their health quality evaluations. Instead, regardless of the color, the
      TLC approach increases the depth at which dieters process label information.
      Dieters tend to focus on the costs of consumption and, as a result, lower their
      health quality evaluations. In a field study, measuring actual behavior in a
      grocery store, health quality evaluations predicted consumption and consistent
      with the color coding of the labels nondieters consumed the most when they were
      presented with a predominantly green label.

PMID- 26121373
TI  - Violent video games: The effects of narrative context and reward structure on in
      game and postgame aggression.
AB  - The potential influence of video game violence on real-world aggression has
      generated considerable public and scientific interest. Some previous research
      suggests that playing violent video games can increase postgame aggression. The
      generalized aggression model (GAM) attributes this to the generalized activation
      of aggressive schemata. However, it is unclear whether game mechanics that
      contextualize and encourage or inhibit in-game violence moderate this
      relationship. Thus, we examined the effects of reward structures and narrative
      context in a violent video game on in-game and postgame aggression. Contrary to
      GAM-based predictions, our manipulations differentially affected in-game and
      postgame aggression. Reward structures selectively affected in-game aggression,
      whereas narrative context selectively affected postgame aggression. Players who
      enacted in-game violence through a heroic character exhibited less postgame
      aggression than players who enacted comparable levels of in-game violence through
      an antiheroic character. Effects were not attributable to self-activation or
      character-identification mechanisms, but were consistent with social-cognitive
      context effects on the interpretation of behavior. These results contradict the
      GAM's assertion that violent video games affect aggression through a generalized
      activation mechanism. From an applied perspective, consumer choices may be aided
      by considering not just game content, but the context in which content is
      portrayed.

PMID- 26121374
TI  - Evaluating the accuracy of size perception on screen-based displays: Displayed
      objects appear smaller than real objects.
AB  - Accurate perception of the size of objects in computer-generated imagery is
      important for a growing number of applications that rely on absolute scale, such
      as medical visualization and architecture. Addressing this problem requires both
      the development of effective evaluation methods and an understanding of what
      visual information might contribute to differences between virtual displays and
      the real world. In the current study, we use 2 affordance judgments--perceived
      graspability of an object or reaching through an aperture--to compare size
      perception in high-fidelity graphical models presented on a large screen display
      to the real world. Our goals were to establish the use of perceived affordances
      within spaces near to the observer for evaluating computer graphics and to assess
      whether the graphical displays were perceived similarly to the real world. We
      varied the nature of the affordance task and whether or not the display enabled
      stereo presentation. We found that judgments of grasping and reaching through can
      be made effectively with screen-based displays. The affordance judgments revealed
      that sizes were perceived as smaller than in the real world. However, this
      difference was reduced when stereo viewing was enabled or when the virtual
      display was viewed before the real world.

PMID- 26121375
TI  - Enhancing the energy density of asymmetric stretchable supercapacitor based on
      wrinkled CNT@MnO2 cathode and CNT@polypyrrole anode.
AB  - With the advantages of high stickiness and stretchability of the hydrogel
      electrolyte as well as the resilient properties of film electrodes, the facile
      "prestrain-stick-release" strategy can be utilized for the assembly of a
      stretchable supercapacitor. Two major issues of concern are the relatively low
      mechanical strength of the hydrogel electrolyte and the low energy density of the
      assembled device. Herein, vinyl group grafted silica (CH2?CH-SiO2) nanoparticles
      were used as a nanoparticle cross-linker for polyacrylamide (PAAM), enhancing the
      tensile strength of 844 kPa at the strain of 3400% for the KCl-CH2?CH-SiO2/PAAM
      hydrogel electrolyte. Besides, carbon nanotube supported polypyrrole (CNT@PPy)
      and manganese dioxide (CNT@MnO2) film electrodes are prepared to assemble the
      stretchable asymmetric CNT@MnO2//KCl-CH2?CH-SiO2/PAAM//CNT@PPy supercapacitor,
      significantly enhancing the potential window to 0-2.0 V and achieving a high
      energy density of 40 Wh kg(-1) at the power density of 519 kW kg(-1) with the
      strain of 100%, which is the best known for the reported stretchable
      supercapacitors. 

PMID- 26121376
TI  - Impact of immunosuppressive therapy on hepatitis B vaccination in inflammatory
      bowel diseases.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The vaccination rate against hepatitis B virus (HBV) is low
      in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. The Consensus from the European
      Crohn's and Colitis Organisation on opportunistic infections recommends testing
      all IBD patients for HBV at diagnosis and vaccinating all HBV-negative patients.
      We compared the efficacy of HBV vaccine between IBD patients and healthy controls
      and investigated the impact of immunosuppressive therapy on vaccine response in
      IBD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IBD patients and healthy adult workers were
      vaccinated against HBV following a standard protocol (at 0, 1, and 6 months;
      Engerix B). The efficacy of vaccination was evaluated at 8 months by a titer of
      antibodies against hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs). RESULTS: Among 164
      participants (96 with IBD and 68 healthy workers), the level of anti-HBs was
      greater than 10 IU/l in 80.2 and 94.1% (P=0.0115) of IBD patients and healthy
      controls, respectively, and anti-HBs levels greater than 100 IU/l were seen in
      45.8 versus 77.9% (P<0.0001) of IBD patients and healthy controls, respectively.
      The median level of anti-HBs was significantly higher in healthy controls
      (497.0+/-386.2) than in IBD patients (253.9+/-34.5) (P<0.0001). None of the
      baseline characteristics of IBD patients, including immunomodulators and
      antitumor necrosis factor therapy, influenced the vaccine response. In the
      multivariate analysis, ileal disease was the only factor associated with a lower
      response to the vaccine (odds ratio=3.2; 95% confidence interval=1.0-9.7;
      P=0.049). CONCLUSION: The response rate to HBV vaccination is significantly lower
      in IBD patients than in the general population. Immunosuppressive therapy for IBD
      did not influence the vaccine response.

PMID- 26121377
TI  - Chronic kidney disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Continued progression of kidney disease will lead to renal function
      too low to sustain healthy life. In developed countries, such people will be
      offered renal replacement therapy in the form of dialysis or renal
      transplantation. Requirement for dialysis or transplantation is termed end-stage
      renal disease (ESRD). METHODS AND OUTCOMES: We conducted a systematic review,
      aiming to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of a low
      sodium diet to reduce progression rate of chronic kidney disease? What are the
      effects of a low-protein diet to reduce progression rate of chronic kidney
      disease? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important
      databases up to September 2014 (Clinical Evidence overviews are updated
      periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this
      overview). RESULTS: We found seven studies that met our inclusion criteria. We
      performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this systematic overview we present information relating to the
      effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: low-protein diet versus
      control, different low-protein diets versus each other (low-protein diet versus
      very low-protein diet), low-sodium diet versus control, different low-sodium
      diets versus each other.

PMID- 26121378
TI  - Transfemoral versus Transapical Aortic Implantation for Aortic Stenosis Based on
      No Significant Difference in Logistic EuroSCORE: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - Background Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has gained increasing
      acceptance for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). The present meta
      analysis was performed to assess if the transapical (TA) approach has any benefit
      in reduction of mortality and complications relative to the transfemoral (TF)
      approach for patients with AS. Methods All relevant studies comparing TF-TAVI and
      TA-TAVI from January 2002 to November 2013 were retrieved from Medline and Embase
      databases. The relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to
      evaluate the difference between two groups. Heterogeneity assumption was assessed
      by an I (2) test. The random-effect model or fixed-effect model was used to
      estimate summary effect based on I (2) test. Results Nine studies conformed to
      the predefined criteria, including 666 patients in the TF-TAVI group and 457
      patients in the TA-TAVI group. No difference was found in all-cause mortality at
      30 days and beyond 1 year between the two groups (30 days: 9.2% versus 11.4%; RR,
      0.72; 95% CI, 0.47 to 1.11; p = 0.14 and beyond 1 year: RR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.59 to
      1.56; p = 0.86). There was a trend toward increased incidence of stroke in
      patients in the TF-TAVI group (4.7% versus 2.6%; RR, 1.64; 95% CI, 0.75 to 3.58;
      p = 0.21), and the incidence of vascular complication and postoperative heart
      block were significantly increased in patients having TF-TAVI (vascular
      complications: 14.7% versus 7.1%; RR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.15 to 3.61; p = 0.01 and
      heart block: 13.4% versus 4.6%; RR, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.10 to 5.83; p = 0.03).
      Additionally, more patients in the TF-TAVI group required permanent pacemaker
      relative to the TA-TAVI group (10.8% versus 3.4%; RR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.41 to 5.32;
      p = 0.003). Conclusions Among patients with AS with no significant difference in
      logistic EuroSCORE, TA-TAVI has a lower risk of vascular complication and
      postoperative heart block but a similar incidence of stroke and mortality
      compared with TF-TAVI. Accordingly, TA approach is a promising and feasible
      option for the patients with severe AS. 

PMID- 26121379
TI  - Subclinical Hypothyroidism Might Increase the Risk of Postoperative Atrial
      Fibrillation after Aortic Valve Replacement.
AB  - Background To evaluate the influence of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) on the
      development of postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients undergoing
      aortic valve replacement surgery with extracorporeal circulation. Methods A
      prospective study in a tertiary hospital between July 2005 and December 2013 in
      which all patients undergoing aortic valve replacement with no other valve
      surgery were consecutively included. Patients who were in preoperative sinus
      rhythm were selected and they underwent thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating
      hormone determination in the month before surgery. Postoperative AF was defined
      as the development of AF during hospital admittance. Descriptive analysis and
      binary logistic regression were performed for the target variable. Results A
      total of 467 patients were studied, with 35 cases of SCH. The incidence of
      postoperative AF was 57% in the group with SCH versus 30.3% (p = 0.001) in the
      group without hypothyroidism, without significant differences in other
      postoperative complications. In the logistic regression analysis, the independent
      predictors of postoperative AF were SCH, age, and aortic clamping time. SCH
      multiplies the odds ratio of postoperative AF by 3.14 (95% confidence interval:
      1.24-7.96). Conclusion SCH behaves like a risk factor for the development of
      postoperative AF in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement with
      extracorporeal circulation. Other studies are needed to determine whether
      preoperative T4 replacement therapy and/or more aggressive AF prophylaxis can
      prevent this complication in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement. 

PMID- 26121380
TI  - Prolonged Activated Clotting Time after Protamine Administration Does Not
      Indicate Residual Heparinization after Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Pediatric Open
      Heart Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In open heart surgery, heparinization is commonly neutralized using
      an empirical heparin:protamine ratio ranging between 1:1 and 1:1.5. However,
      these ratios may result in protamine overdose that should be avoided for its
      negative side effects on the coagulation system. This study aimed to indicate the
      appropriate treatment for prolonged activated clotting time (ACT) after protamine
      administration following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in pediatric open heart
      surgery by investigating the underlying reasons for it. METHODS: Twenty-seven
      children (<10 kg) undergoing open heart surgery were included. Heparin was
      administered only before CPB (400 IU/kg) and in the pump priming volume for CPB
      (2,000 IU) and was neutralized by 1:1 protamine after CPB. The blood heparin
      concentration was measured using anti-Xa assay. ACT and blood concentrations of
      heparin, coagulation factors, thrombin-antithrombin complex, and prothrombin
      fragment 1 + 2 were assessed. A rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM; Tem
      International GmbH, Munchen, Bayern, Germany) was used to confirm the coagulation
      status and residual heparin after protamine administration. RESULTS: Anti-Xa
      assay showed that there is no residual heparin in the blood after 1:1 protamine
      administration. Nevertheless, ACT (128.89 +/- 3.09 seconds before heparin
      administration) remained prolonged (177.14 +/- 5.43 seconds at 10 minutes after
      protamine, 182.00 +/- 5.90 seconds at 30 minutes after protamine). The blood
      concentrations of coagulation factors were significantly lower than those before
      heparin administration (p < 0.01). The low FIBTEM MCF of ROTEM (4.43 +/- 0.32 mm)
      at 10 minutes after protamine indicated low fibrinogen concentration. CONCLUSION:
      Prolonged ACT after heparin neutralization by 1:1 protamine administration does
      not necessarily indicate residual heparin, but low blood concentrations of
      coagulation factors should be considered as a reason as well. Accordingly, supply
      of coagulation factors instead of additional protamine should be considered.

PMID- 26121381
TI  - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and
      executive functioning in emerging adults.
AB  - The current study examined attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and
      anxiety symptoms in relation to self-reported executive functioning deficits in
      emerging adults. College students (N = 421; ages 17-25; 73.1% female) completed
      self-reports of ADHD, anxiety, and executive functioning in a laboratory setting.
      Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that self-reported executive
      functioning deficits were significantly related to all 3 symptom domains.
      Executive functioning deficits were most strongly related to inattention followed
      by hyperactivity/impulsivity and anxiety. Analyses based on clinical groups
      revealed that groups with ADHD and comorbid anxiety showed greater deficits on
      self-regulation of emotion and self-organization/problem solving than those with
      ADHD only or anxiety only. Groups with ADHD showed greater deficits with self
      motivation and self-restraint than those with anxiety only. All clinical groups
      differed from a control group on executive functioning deficits. Overall, anxiety
      symptoms appear to be associated with college students' self-reported executive
      functioning deficits above and beyond relationships with ADHD symptomatology.
      Further, those with ADHD and anxiety appear to show increased difficulties with
      self-regulation of emotion and self-organization/problem solving, a domain which
      appears to overlap substantially with working memory. Future studies should seek
      to replicate our findings with a clinical population, utilize both report-based
      and laboratory task measures of executive functioning, and integrate both state
      and trait anxiety indices into study designs. Finally, future studies should seek
      to determine how executive functioning deficits can be best ameliorated in
      emerging adults with ADHD and anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record 

PMID- 26121382
TI  - Measurement invariance of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire in Asian,
      Pacific Islander, White, and multiethnic populations.
AB  - The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ; Raine, 1991) is one of the most
      commonly used self-report measures of schizotypal personality traits. Previous
      work has found that the SPQ has a 3- or 4-factor structure, but most of this work
      was with White participants. Little is known about the psychometric properties of
      the scale in Pacific Islander populations, and some evidence suggests scores may
      differ between White and Asian participants. The current study included 398
      Asian, 293 White, 159 Pacific Islander, and 308 multiethnic nonclinical
      participants. A 4-factor model fit the data well, and this factor structure
      displayed configural and metric invariance, suggesting that the factor structure
      is the same across these diverse groups. However, results provided mixed evidence
      for scalar invariance, suggesting the scale may lack scalar invariance in these
      populations. Follow-up analyses revealed that the questionable scalar invariance
      was related to the intercepts of the Ideas of Reference and Suspiciousness
      subscales in the White sample. This suggests that mean comparisons among ethnic
      groups involving the Ideas of Reference and Suspiciousness subscales are not
      appropriate.

PMID- 26121383
TI  - Does response distortion statistically affect the relations between self-report
      psychopathy measures and external criteria?
AB  - Given that psychopathy is associated with narcissism, lack of insight, and
      pathological lying, the assumption that the validity of self-report psychopathy
      measures is compromised by response distortion has been widespread. We examined
      the statistical effects (moderation, suppression) of response distortion on the
      validity of self-report psychopathy measures in the statistical prediction of
      theoretically relevant external criteria (i.e., interview measures, laboratory
      tasks) in a large sample of offenders (N = 1,661). We conducted 378 moderation
      and 378 suppression analyses to examine the response distortion hypothesis. The
      substantial majority of analyses (97% moderation, 83% suppression) offered no
      support for this hypothesis. Nevertheless, suppression analyses revealed
      consistent evidence that controlling for response distortion slightly increased
      the relations between the fearless dominance and coldheartedness features of
      psychopathy and maladaptive outcomes. Our findings are largely inconsistent with
      the popular notion that the validity of self-report psychopathy measures is
      markedly diminished by response distortion. Further research is necessary to
      determine whether these findings generalize to other populations or contexts.

PMID- 26121384
TI  - Compliance on neuropsychological performance validity testing in patients with
      borderline personality disorder.
AB  - Complaints of cognitive dysfunction are common in patients with borderline
      personality disorder (BPD), and they are often accompanied by deficits on
      neuropsychological testing. Prior studies of BPD, however, did not evaluate
      compliance on neuropsychological performance validity testing, which could
      partially account for cognitive deficits observed in patients. The aims of the
      current study were to evaluate the frequency at which patients with BPD show less
      than adequate compliance on performance validity testing, and whether patients
      showing less compliance perform lower on standardized neuropsychological
      measures. Fifty outpatients with BPD completed the Victoria Symptom Validity
      Test, a 2-alternative, forced-choice recognition test as part of a larger
      neuropsychological test battery for research on cognitive functioning in BPD. As
      a group, patients with BPD made more errors and had longer response latencies on
      seemingly difficult items as compared to healthy individuals. Based on
      established guidelines for interpretation of performances on the Victoria Symptom
      Validity Test, 2% of the sample was classified as probably not compliant, 10%
      questionably compliant, and 88% compliant. Patients with questionably or probably
      not compliant performances had lower estimated premorbid intellectual functioning
      and displayed poorer response control on neuropsychological testing than
      compliant patients. These findings highlight the value of incorporating
      performance validity testing in neuropsychological studies of patients with BPD
      and suggest that prior research on the disorder should be interpreted with
      caution because the results may not be based on valid performances.

PMID- 26121385
TI  - Psychometric properties of Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale in Portuguese language.
AB  - Sleep effort is generally defined as the attempt to force and induce sleep in a
      voluntary manner. This study aimed to document the psychometric properties of a
      brief measure of sleep effort--the Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale--in its European
      (Portuguese) version using a large sample (N = 2,995). The results supported the
      good internal consistency of the overall scale scores (alpha = .79). Potential
      construct validity was evaluated with various methods, including criterion
      validity. There was also a convergent validity indicator. Principal components
      analysis revealed a 1-dimensional structure that accounted for 45% of the total
      variance. This preliminary study suggests that this Portuguese version of the
      Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale is a measure of sleep behavior suitable for research
      and clinical purposes. However, more studies are needed, particularly with
      clinical groups.

PMID- 26121386
TI  - Positive and negative item wording and its influence on the assessment of callous
      unemotional traits.
AB  - This study examined the item functioning of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional
      Traits (ICU) in an ethnically diverse sample 1,190 of first-time justice-involved
      adolescents (mean age = 15.28 years, SD = 1.29). On elimination of 2 items, the
      total ICU score provided a reliable (internally consistent and stable) and valid
      (correlated with and predictive of measures of empathy, school conduct problems,
      delinquency, and aggression) continuous measure of callous and unemotional (CU)
      traits. A shortened, 10-item version of the total scale, developed from item
      response theory (IRT) analyses, appeared to show psychometric properties similar
      to those of the full ICU and, thus, could be used as an abbreviated measure of CU
      traits. Finally, item analyses and tests of validity suggested that the factor
      structure of the ICU reported in a large number of past studies could reflect
      method variance related to the ICU, including equal numbers of positively and
      negatively worded items. Specifically, positively worded items (i.e., items for
      which higher ratings are indicative of higher levels of CU traits) were more
      likely to be rated in the lower response categories, showed higher difficulty
      levels in IRT analyses (i.e., discriminated best at higher levels of CU traits),
      and were more highly correlated with measures of antisocial and aggressive
      behavior. On the basis of these findings, we recommend using the total ICU as a
      continuous measure of CU traits and do not recommend continued use of the
      subscale structure that has been reported in multiple past studies.

PMID- 26121387
TI  - Recovery Assessment Scale: Testing validity with Portuguese community-based
      mental health organization users.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to develop the Portuguese version of the
      Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS-P), and to assess the validity of the findings
      using the revised test, with 213 users from 5 nonprofit community-based mental
      health organizations. Participants in the assessment completed a self-reported
      survey investigating their sense of personal recovery, personal empowerment,
      capabilities achievement, psychiatric symptoms' frequency, and demographic data.
      Evidence from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using the 24-item
      version of the test, validated a 4-factor structure for the RAS-P model based on
      the dimensions of Personal Goals and Hope, Managing Help Needs, Supportive
      Interpersonal Relationships, and Life Beyond Symptoms, consistent with components
      of the recovery process. Convergent and discriminant validity was also achieved
      using bivariate correlation coefficients among the 4 subscales' scores, between
      the overall scale and the subscales, and in relation to external variables.
      Findings allowed for the interpretation that the RAS-P is measuring a particular
      psychological construct, which is different from symptoms of the mental illness.
      A hypothesized significant association with personal empowerment and with
      capabilities achievement was demonstrated. Positive association was also found
      between participants' use of recovery-oriented services such as independent
      housing or supported employment programs. The RAS-P scores also revealed
      excellent internal consistency for the overall scale (alpha = .90), and good
      consistency for the subscales (>.75), which attest to its precision in
      measurement. In conclusion, the study proved the RAS-P a reliable and useful tool
      in the context of the community mental health practice.

PMID- 26121388
TI  - Measuring executive function in early childhood: A case for formative
      measurement.
AB  - This study tested whether individual executive function (EF) tasks were better
      characterized as formative or reflective indicators of the latent construct of
      EF. EF data that were collected as part of the Family Life Project (FLP), a
      prospective longitudinal study of families who were recruited at the birth of a
      new child (N = 1,292), when children were 3, 4, and 5 years old. Vanishing tetrad
      tests were used to test the relative fit of models in which EF tasks were used as
      either formative or reflective indicators of the latent construct of EF in the
      prediction of intellectual ability (at Age 3), attention-deficit hyperactivity
      disorder symptoms (at Ages 3 to 5 years), and academic achievement (at
      kindergarten). Results consistently indicated that EF tasks were better
      represented as formative indicators of the latent construct of EF. Next,
      individual tasks were combined to form an overall measure of EF ability in ways
      generally consistent with formative (i.e., creating a composite mean score) and
      reflective (i.e., creating an EF factor score) measurement. The test-retest
      reliability and developmental trajectories of EF differed substantially,
      depending on which overall measure of EF ability was used. In general, the across
      time stability of EF was markedly higher when represented as a factor score
      versus composite score. Results are discussed with respect to the ways in which
      the statistical representation of EF tasks can exert a large impact on inferences
      regarding the developmental causes, course, and consequences of EF.

PMID- 26121390
TI  - Measuring the Performance of Health Insurance Marketplaces.

PMID- 26121389
TI  - Antigen-Specific versus Non-Antigen-Specific Immunoadsorption in ABO-Incompatible
      Renal Transplantation.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: ABO-incompatible (ABOi) renal transplantation (RTx) from living
      donors is an established procedure to expand the donor pool for patients with end
      stage renal disease. Immunoadsorption (IA) is a standard procedure for the
      removal of preformed antibodies against the allograft. In this study, antigen
      specific and non-antigen-specific IA in ABOi RTx were compared. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: 10 patients underwent antigen-specific IA (Glycosorb group) and 13
      patients non-antigen-specific IA (Immunosorba group). The effects of both
      procedures regarding antibody reduction, number of treatments, complications,
      costs, as well as the allograft function and patient survival were compared
      between both groups. RESULTS: Although the IgG levels were reduced equally by
      both procedures (p=0.82), the reduction of the IgM level was more effective in
      the Glycosorb group (p=0.0172). Patients in both groups required a median number
      of 6 IA before ABOi RTx. Allograft function at one year after AB0i RTx was
      similar in both groups (estimated glomerular filtration rate: 66 vs. 64
      ml/min/1.73m2 respectively), with a death-censored graft survival of 90.0% and
      92.3% respectively. Complication rates did not differ between procedures. Due to
      the reuse of non-antigen-specific Immunosorba columns, costs were considerably
      lower in this group; however, the use of the Immunosorba-based IA was less time
      efficient. CONCLUSION: Considering upcoming alternatives as simultaneous
      performance of dialysis and IA or a possible reuse of Glycosorb columns, this
      might become less relevant in the future.

PMID- 26121391
TI  - COX inhibition enhances inflammatory immune cell infiltration in UV-irradiated
      human skin: implications for the treatment of sunburn.

PMID- 26121392
TI  - South Asians and Anglo Australians with heart disease in Australia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to determine cardiovascular disease
      (CVD) risk tactors and compare presentation and severity of ischaemic heart
      disease (IHD) among South Asians (SAs) and Anglo Australians (AAs). METHODS: A
      retrospective clinical case audit was conducted at a public tertiary hospital.
      The study population included SA and AA patients hospitalised for IHD. Baseline
      characteristics, evidence of diabetes and other CVD risk factors were recorded.
      Angiography data were also included to determine severity, and these were
      assessed using a modified Gensini score. RESULTS: SAs had lower mean (+/- s.d.)
      age of IHD presentation that AAs (52 +/- 9 vs 55 +/- 9 years, respectively; P =
      0.02), as well as a lower average body mass index (BMI; 26 +/- 4 vs 29 +/- 6
      kg/m2, respectively; P = 0.005), but a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes (57%
      vs 31%, respectively; P = 0.00 1). No significant differences were found in
      coronary angiography parameters. There were no significant differences in the
      median (interquartile range) Gensini score between SAs and AAs (43.5 (27-75) vs
      44 (26.5-68.5), respectively), median vessel score (1 (1-2) vs 2 (1-3),
      respectively) or multivessel score (37% (33/89) vs 54% (22/41), respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that in those with established IHD, cardiovascular
      risk factors, such as age at onset and BMI, differ between SAs and AAs and these
      differences should be considered in the prevention and management of IHD.

PMID- 26121393
TI  - Post-harvest light treatment increases expression levels of recombinant proteins
      in transformed plastids of potato tubers.
AB  - Plastid genetic engineering represents an attractive system for the production of
      foreign proteins in plants. Although high expression levels can be achieved in
      leaf chloroplasts, the results for non-photosynthetic plastids are generally
      discouraging. Here, we report the expression of two thioredoxin genes (trx f and
      trx m) from the potato plastid genome to study transgene expression in
      amyloplasts. As expected, the highest transgene expression was detected in the
      leaf (up to 4.2% of TSP). The Trx protein content in the tuber was approximately
      two to three orders of magnitude lower than in the leaf. However, we demonstrate
      that a simple post-harvest light treatment of microtubers developed in vitro or
      soil-grown tubers induces up to 55 times higher accumulation of the recombinant
      protein in just seven to ten days. After the applied treatment, the Trx f levels
      in microtubers and soil-grown tubers increased to 0.14% and 0.11% of TSP,
      respectively. Moreover, tubers stored for eight months maintained the capacity of
      increasing the foreign protein levels after the light treatment. Post-harvest
      cold induction (up to five times) at 4 degrees C was also detected in
      microtubers. We conclude that plastid transformation and post-harvest light
      treatment could be an interesting approach for the production of foreign proteins
      in potato. 

PMID- 26121394
TI  - Lactobacillus kunkeei YB38 from honeybee products enhances IgA production in
      healthy adults.
AB  - AIMS: To identify lactic acid bacterial isolates, which promote immunoglobulin A
      (IgA) production in honeybee products and honeybees (Apis mellifera). METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Pyrosequencing analysis of the microbiota of honeybee products and
      honeybees revealed the predominance of Lactobacillus kunkeei in honey, bee
      pollen, bee bread and royal jelly. Lactobacillus kunkeei was isolated from bee
      pollen, bee bread and honey stomach, and its effect on IgA production was
      evaluated in vitro. Heat-killed YB38 and YB83 isolates from bee pollen promoted
      IgA production in mouse Peyer's Patch cells and had little mitogenic activity or
      effect on IL-2 production in mouse spleen cells in comparison with Listeria
      monocytogenes, which does exhibit mitogen activity. A pilot study in 11 healthy
      adults showed that 4-week intake of 1000 mg day(-1) heat-killed YB38 increased
      secretory IgA (SIgA) concentrations and secretion in saliva with no adverse
      effects. CONCLUSION: Heat-killed Lact. kunkeei YB38 from bee pollen increases IgA
      production and may safely improve immune responsiveness. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT
      OF THE STUDY: This is the first report of microbiota analysis of royal jelly and
      the immune efficacy of Lact. kunkeei from honeybee products in humans.

PMID- 26121395
TI  - Iridium-Catalysed ortho-Directed Deuterium Labelling of Aromatic Esters--An
      Experimental and Theoretical Study on Directing Group Chemoselectivity.
AB  - Herein we report a combined experimental and theoretical study on the deuterium
      labelling of benzoate ester derivatives, utilizing our developed iridium N
      heterocyclic carbene/phosphine catalysts. A range of benzoate esters were
      screened, including derivatives with electron-donating and -withdrawing groups in
      the para- position. The substrate scope, in terms of the alkoxy group, was
      studied and the nature of the catalyst counter-ion was shown to have a profound
      effect on the efficiency of isotope exchange. Finally, the observed
      chemoselectivity was rationalized by rate studies and theoretical calculations,
      and this insight was applied to the selective labelling of benzoate esters
      bearing a second directing group. 

PMID- 26121396
TI  - Redox-Active Profile Characterization of Remirea maritima Extracts and Its
      Cytotoxic Effect in Mouse Fibroblasts (L929) and Melanoma (B16F10) Cells.
AB  - Remirea maritima is a tropical plant with a reticulated root system belonging to
      the family Cyperaceae, also known to have biologically active secondary
      metabolites. However, very few data on R. maritima's biological actions are
      available and there are no reports regarding the redox-active profile of this
      plant. In this study, we examined the total phenolic content of Remirea maritima
      hydroalcoholic (RMHA) extracts, redox properties against different reactive
      species generated in vitro and their cytotoxic effect against fibroblasts (L929)
      and melanoma (B16F10) cells. Total reactive antioxidant potential index (TRAP)
      and total antioxidant reactivity (TAR) results revealed that RMHA at all
      concentrations tested showed significant antioxidant capacity. RMHA was also
      effective against hydroxyl radical formation, reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+ and in
      scavenging nitric oxide (NO) radicals. In vitro, the level of lipid peroxidation
      was reduced by RMHA extract and the data showed significant oxidative damage
      protection. The RMHA cytotoxicity was evaluated by a neutral red assay in
      fibroblast (L929) and melanome (B16F10) cells. The obtained results showed that
      the RMHA (40 and 80 ug/mL, respectively) reduced 70% of the viable cells. In
      conclusion, this study represents the first report regarding the antioxidant and
      anti-proliferative potential of R. maritima against B16F10 melanoma cells. 

PMID- 26121397
TI  - Transport of Twelve Coumarins from Angelicae Pubescentis Radix across a MDCK
      pHaMDR Cell Monolayer-An in Vitro Model for Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability.
AB  - Angelicae Pubescentis Radix (APR), a widely used traditional Chinese medicine, is
      reported to have central nervous system activities. The purpose of this study was
      to characterize the blood-brain barrier permeability of twelve coumarins from APR
      including umbelliferone (1), osthol (2), scopoletin (3), peucedanol (4),
      ulopterol (5), angepubebisin (6), psoralen (7), xanthotoxin (8), bergapten (9),
      isoimperatorin (10), columbianadin (11), and columbianetin acetate (12) with an
      in vitro model using a MDCK-pHaMDR cell monolayer. The cell monolayer was
      validated to be suitable for the permeation experiments. The samples' transports
      were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography and their apparent
      permeability coefficients (Papp) were calculated. According to the Papp value,
      most coumarins could be characterized as well-absorbed compounds except for 4, 10
      and 11 which were moderately absorbed ones, in concentration-dependent and time
      dependent manners. The results of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitor (verapamil)
      experiments showed that the transport of coumarin 4 was affected by the transport
      protein P-gp. Sigmoid functions between permeability log(Papp AP-BL*MW0.5) and
      log D (at pH 7.4) were established to analyze the structure-activity relationship
      of coumarins. The results provide useful information for discovering the
      substance basis for the central nervous system activities of APR, and predicting
      the permeability of other coumarins through BBB. 

PMID- 26121398
TI  - The Emergence of Quinone Methides in Asymmetric Organocatalysis.
AB  - Quinone methides (QMs) are highly reactive compounds that have been defined as
      "elusive" intermediates, or even as a "synthetic enigma" in organic chemistry.
      Indeed, there were just a handful of examples of their utilization in catalytic
      asymmetric settings until some years ago. This review collects organocatalytic
      asymmetric reactions that employ QMs as substrates and intermediates, from the
      early examples, mostly based on stabilized QMs bearing specific substitution
      patterns, to more recent contributions, which have dramatically expanded the
      scope of QM chemistry. In fact, it was only very recently that the generation of
      QMs in situ through strategies compatible with organocatalytic methodologies has
      been realized. This tactic has finally opened the gate to the full exploitation
      of these unstable intermediates, leading to a series of remarkable disclosures.
      Several types of synthetically powerful asymmetric addition and cycloaddition
      reactions, applicable to a broad range of QMs, are now available. 

PMID- 26121399
TI  - Overexpression of Rat Neurons Nitric Oxide Synthase in Rice Enhances Drought and
      Salt Tolerance.
AB  - Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to play an important role in the plant response
      to biotic and abiotic stresses in Arabidopsis mutants with lower or higher levels
      of endogenous NO. The exogenous application of NO donors or scavengers has also
      suggested an important role for NO in plant defense against environmental stress.
      In this study, rice plants under drought and high salinity conditions showed
      increased nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and NO levels. Overexpression of
      rat neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) in rice increased both NOS activity and NO
      accumulation, resulting in improved tolerance of the transgenic plants to both
      drought and salt stresses. nNOS-overexpressing plants exhibited stronger water
      holding capability, higher proline accumulation, less lipid peroxidation and
      reduced electrolyte leakage under drought and salt conditions than wild rice.
      Moreover, nNOS-overexpressing plants accumulated less H2O2, due to the observed
      up-regulation of OsCATA, OsCATB and OsPOX1. In agreement, the activities of CAT
      and POX were higher in transgenic rice than wild type. Additionally, the
      expression of six tested stress-responsive genes including OsDREB2A, OsDREB2B,
      OsSNAC1, OsSNAC2, OsLEA3 and OsRD29A, in nNOS-overexpressing plants was higher
      than that in the wild type under drought and high salinity conditions. Taken
      together, our results suggest that nNOS overexpression suppresses the stress
      enhanced electrolyte leakage, lipid peroxidation and H2O2 accumulation, and
      promotes proline accumulation and the expression of stress-responsive genes under
      stress conditions, thereby promoting increased tolerance to drought and salt
      stresses. 

PMID- 26121400
TI  - A detection advantage for facial threat in the absence of anger.
AB  - Quickly and accurately perceiving the potential for aggression in others is
      adaptive and beneficial for self-protection. Superior detection of facial threat
      is demonstrated by studies in which transient threat indices (i.e., angry
      expressions) are identified more efficiently than are transient approach indices
      (i.e., happy expressions). Not all signs of facial threat are temporary, however:
      Persistent, biologically based craniofacial attributes (e.g., low eyebrow ridge)
      are also associated with a perceived propensity for aggression. It remains
      unclear whether such static properties of the face elicit comparable attentional
      biases. We used a novel visual search task of faces for the present study that
      lacked explicit displays of emotion, but varied on perceived threat via
      manipulated craniofacial structure. A search advantage for threatening facial
      elements surfaced, suggesting that efficient detection of threat is not limited
      to the perception of anger, but rather extends to more latent facial signals of
      aggressive potential. Although all stimuli were primarily identified as
      emotionally neutral, thus confirming that the effect does not require emotional
      content, individual variation in the perception of structurally threatening faces
      as angry was associated with a greater detection advantage. These results
      indicate that attributing anger to objectively emotionless faces may serve as a
      mechanism for their heightened salience and influence important facets of social
      perception and interaction.

PMID- 26121401
TI  - The integration of care for mental health, substance abuse, and other behavioral
      health conditions into primary care: executive summary of an American College of
      Physicians position paper.
AB  - Behavioral health care includes care for patients around mental health and
      substance abuse conditions, health behavior change, life stresses and crises, and
      stress-related physical symptoms. Mental and substance use disorders alone are
      estimated to surpass all physical diseases as a major cause of worldwide
      disability by 2020. The literature recognizes the importance of the health care
      system effectively addressing behavioral health conditions. Recently, there has
      been a call for the use of the primary care delivery platform and the related
      patient-centered medical home model to effectively address these conditions. This
      position paper focuses on the issue of better integration of behavioral health
      into the primary care setting. It provides an environmental scan of the current
      state of conditions included in the concept of behavioral health and examines the
      arguments for and barriers to increased integration into primary care. It also
      examines various approaches of integrated care delivery and offers a series of
      policy recommendations that are based on the reviewed information and evidence to
      inform the actions of the American College of Physicians and its members
      regarding advocacy, research, and practice. 

PMID- 26121402
TI  - Longitudinal Associations Between Neighborhood Physical and Social Environments
      and Incident Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
      (MESA).
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Neighborhood environments may influence the risk for developing type
      2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but, to our knowledge, no longitudinal study has
      evaluated specific neighborhood exposures. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether long
      term exposures to neighborhood physical and social environments, including the
      availability of healthy food and physical activity resources and levels of social
      cohesion and safety, are associated with incident T2DM during a 10-year period.
      DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We used data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of
      Atherosclerosis, a population-based cohort study of adults aged 45 to 84 years at
      baseline (July 17, 2000, through August 29, 2002). A total of 5124 participants
      free of T2DM at baseline underwent 5 clinical follow-up examinations from July
      17, 2000, through February 4, 2012. Time-varying measurements of neighborhood
      healthy food and physical activity resources and social environments were linked
      to individual participant addresses. Neighborhood environments were measured
      using geographic information system (GIS)- and survey-based methods and combined
      into a summary score. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) of incident T2DM
      associated with cumulative exposure to neighborhood resources using Cox
      proportional hazards regression models adjusted for age, sex, income, educational
      level, race/ethnicity, alcohol use, and cigarette smoking. Data were analyzed
      from December 15, 2013, through September 22, 2014. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:
      Incident T2DM defined as a fasting glucose level of at least 126 mg/dL or use of
      insulin or oral antihyperglycemics. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 8.9
      years (37,394 person-years), 616 of 5124 participants (12.0%) developed T2DM
      (crude incidence rate, 16.47 [95% CI, 15.22-17.83] per 1000 person-years). In
      adjusted models, a lower risk for developing T2DM was associated with greater
      cumulative exposure to indicators of neighborhood healthy food (12%; HR per
      interquartile range [IQR] increase in summary score, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.79-0.98])
      and physical activity resources (21%; HR per IQR increase in summary score, 0.79
      [95% CI, 0.71-0.88]), with associations driven primarily by the survey exposure
      measures. Neighborhood social environment was not associated with incident T2DM
      (HR per IQR increase in summary score, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.88-1.07]). CONCLUSIONS AND
      RELEVANCE: Long-term exposure to residential environments with greater resources
      to support physical activity and, to a lesser extent, healthy diets was
      associated with a lower incidence of T2DM, although results varied by measurement
      method. Modifying neighborhood environments may represent a complementary,
      population-based approach to prevention of T2DM, although further intervention
      studies are needed.

PMID- 26121403
TI  - Single-nucleotide-resolution mapping of m6A and m6Am throughout the
      transcriptome.
AB  - N(6)-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant modified base in eukaryotic mRNA
      and has been linked to diverse effects on mRNA fate. Current mapping approaches
      localize m6A residues to transcript regions 100-200 nt long but cannot identify
      precise m6A positions on a transcriptome-wide level. Here we developed m6A
      individual-nucleotide-resolution cross-linking and immunoprecipitation (miCLIP)
      and used it to demonstrate that antibodies to m6A can induce specific mutational
      signatures at m6A residues after ultraviolet light-induced antibody-RNA cross
      linking and reverse transcription. We found that these antibodies similarly
      induced mutational signatures at N(6),2'-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am), a
      modification found at the first nucleotide of certain mRNAs. Using these
      signatures, we mapped m6A and m6Am at single-nucleotide resolution in human and
      mouse mRNA and identified small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) as a new class of m6A
      containing non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). 

PMID- 26121407
TI  - ASSOCIATION BETWEEN AQUEOUS HUMOR CXC MOTIF CHEMOKINE LIGAND 13 LEVELS AND
      SUBFOVEAL CHOROIDAL THICKNESS IN NORMAL OLDER SUBJECTS.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the association of subfoveal choroidal thickness with
      intraocular inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. METHODS: The subjects
      consisted of 76 eyes of consecutive cataract patients at the Japan Community
      Health Care Organization Tokyo Shinjuku Medical Center between September 2010 and
      August 2012. In addition, two autopsy eyes from elderly males were used for
      immunohistochemical study. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured using
      spectral domain optical coherence tomography before cataract surgery. At the
      beginning of cataract surgery, a sample of undiluted aqueous humor was manually
      aspirated and the concentrations of the following cytokines were determined using
      a multiplex cytokine assay: IP-10, MCP-1, MMP-9, IL-6, IL-10, CXCL1, CXCL12,
      CXCL13, and CCL11. The association of subfoveal choroidal thickness with
      intraocular cytokine concentration was analyzed. Expression of CXCL13 was
      examined in autopsy eyes. RESULTS: Among these factors, higher concentration of
      CXCL13 was associated with thicker choroid. In particular, multiple regression
      analysis showed that the concentration of CXCL13 was associated with subfoveal
      choroidal thickness (P = 0.001), independently of axial length (P = 0.049). By
      immunostaining, CXCL13 was clearly detected in choroidal endothelial cells.
      CONCLUSION: Aqueous humor concentration of CXCL13 is correlated with subfoveal
      choroidal thickness in normal subjects.

PMID- 26121404
TI  - Assembly and diploid architecture of an individual human genome via single
      molecule technologies.
AB  - We present the first comprehensive analysis of a diploid human genome that
      combines single-molecule sequencing with single-molecule genome maps. Our hybrid
      assembly markedly improves upon the contiguity observed from traditional shotgun
      sequencing approaches, with scaffold N50 values approaching 30 Mb, and we
      identified complex structural variants (SVs) missed by other high-throughput
      approaches. Furthermore, by combining Illumina short-read data with long reads,
      we phased both single-nucleotide variants and SVs, generating haplotypes with
      over 99% consistency with previous trio-based studies. Our work shows that it is
      now possible to integrate single-molecule and high-throughput sequence data to
      generate de novo assembled genomes that approach reference quality. 

PMID- 26121406
TI  - Protein structure determination by combining sparse NMR data with evolutionary
      couplings.
AB  - Accurate determination of protein structure by NMR spectroscopy is challenging
      for larger proteins, for which experimental data are often incomplete and
      ambiguous. Evolutionary sequence information together with advances in maximum
      entropy statistical methods provide a rich complementary source of structural
      constraints. We have developed a hybrid approach (evolutionary coupling-NMR
      spectroscopy; EC-NMR) combining sparse NMR data with evolutionary residue-residue
      couplings and demonstrate accurate structure determination for several proteins 6
      41 kDa in size. 

PMID- 26121405
TI  - Assessment of a method to characterize antibody selectivity and specificity for
      use in immunoprecipitation.
AB  - Antibodies are used in multiple cell biology applications, but there are no
      standardized methods to assess antibody quality-an absence that risks data
      integrity and reproducibility. We describe a mass spectrometry-based standard
      operating procedure for scoring immunoprecipitation antibody quality. We
      quantified the abundance of all the proteins in immunoprecipitates of 1,124 new
      recombinant antibodies for 152 chromatin-related human proteins by comparing
      normalized spectral abundance factors from the target antigen with those of all
      other proteins. We validated the performance of the standard operating procedure
      in blinded studies in five independent laboratories. Antibodies for which the
      target antigen or a member of its known protein complex was the most abundant
      protein were classified as 'IP gold standard'. This method generates quantitative
      outputs that can be stored and archived in public databases, and it represents a
      step toward a platform for community benchmarking of antibody quality. 

PMID- 26121408
TI  - Correspondence.

PMID- 26121410
TI  - Mimicking enzymatic active sites on surfaces for energy conversion chemistry.
AB  - Metal-organic supramolecular chemistry on surfaces has matured to a point where
      its underlying growth mechanisms are well understood and structures of defined
      coordination environments of metal atoms can be synthesized in a controlled and
      reproducible procedure. With surface-confined molecular self-assembly, scientists
      have a tool box at hand which can be used to prepare structures with desired
      properties, as for example a defined oxidation number and spin state of the
      transition metal atoms within the organic matrix. From a structural point of
      view, these coordination sites in the supramolecular structure resemble the
      catalytically active sites of metallo-enzymes, both characterized by metal
      centers coordinated to organic ligands. Several chemical reactions take place at
      these embedded metal ions in enzymes and the question arises whether these
      reactions also take place using metal-organic networks as catalysts. Mimicking
      the active site of metal atoms and organic ligands of enzymes in artificial
      systems is the key to understanding the selectivity and efficiency of enzymatic
      reactions. Their catalytic activity depends on various parameters including the
      charge and spin configuration in the metal ion, but also on the organic
      environment, which can stabilize intermediate reaction products, inhibits
      catalytic deactivation, and serves mostly as a transport channel for the
      reactants and products and therefore ensures the selectivity of the enzyme.
      Charge and spin on the transition metal in enzymes depend on the one hand on the
      specific metal element, and on the other hand on its organic coordination
      environment. These two parameters can carefully be adjusted in surface confined
      metal-organic networks, which can be synthesized by virtue of combinatorial
      mixing of building synthons. Different organic ligands with varying functional
      groups can be combined with several transition metals and spontaneously assemble
      into ordered networks. The catalytically active metal centers are adequately
      separated by the linking molecules and constitute promising candiates for
      heterogeneous catalysts. Recent advances in synthesis, characterization, and
      catalytic performance of metal-organic networks are highlighted in this Account.
      Experimental results like structure determination of the networks, charge and
      spin distribution in the metal centers, and catalytic mechanisms for
      electrochemical reactions are presented. In particular, we describe the activity
      of two networks for the oxygen reduction reaction in a combined scanning
      tunneling microscopy and electrochemical study. The similarities and differences
      of the networks compared to metallo-enzymes will be discussed, such as the metal
      surface that operates as a geometric template and concomitantly functions as an
      electron reservoir, and how this leads to a new class of bioinspired catalysts.
      The possibility to create functional two-dimensional coordination complexes at
      surfaces taking inspiration from nature opens up a new route for the design of
      potent nanocatalyst materials for energy conversion. 

PMID- 26121409
TI  - Green solvents in carbohydrate chemistry: from raw materials to fine chemicals.

PMID- 26121411
TI  - Failing to 'carry the people along'.

PMID- 26121412
TI  - Amino Acid Chirality and Ferrocene Conformation Guided Self-Assembly and Gelation
      of Ferrocene-Peptide Conjugates.
AB  - The self-assembly and gelation behavior of a series of mono- and disubstituted
      ferrocene (Fc)-peptide conjugates as a function of ferrocene conformation and
      amino acid chirality are described. The results reveal that ferrocene-peptide
      conjugates self-assemble into organogels by controlling the conformation of the
      central ferrocene core, through inter- versus intramolecular hydrogen bonding in
      the attached peptide chain(s). The chirality controlled assembling studies showed
      that two monosubstituted Fc conjugates FcCO-LFLFLA-OMe and FcCO-LFLFDA-OMe form
      gels with nanofibrillar network structures, whereas the other two diastereomers
      FcCO-DFLFLA-OMe and FcCO-LFDFLA-OMe exclusively produced straight nanorods and
      non-interconnected small fibers, respectively. This suggests the potential tuning
      of gelation behavior and nanoscale morphology by altering the chirality of
      constituted amino acids. The current study confirms the profound effect of
      diastereomerism and no influence of enantiomers on gelation. Correspondingly, the
      diastereomeric and enantiomeric Fc[CO-FFA-OMe]2 were constructed for the study of
      chirality-organized structures.

PMID- 26121414
TI  - Flexible guide-RNA design for CRISPR applications using Protospacer Workbench.

PMID- 26121415
TI  - Chemically modified guide RNAs enhance CRISPR-Cas genome editing in human primary
      cells.
AB  - CRISPR-Cas-mediated genome editing relies on guide RNAs that direct site-specific
      DNA cleavage facilitated by the Cas endonuclease. Here we report that chemical
      alterations to synthesized single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) enhance genome editing
      efficiency in human primary T cells and CD34(+) hematopoietic stem and progenitor
      cells. Co-delivering chemically modified sgRNAs with Cas9 mRNA or protein is an
      efficient RNA- or ribonucleoprotein (RNP)-based delivery method for the CRISPR
      Cas system, without the toxicity associated with DNA delivery. This approach is a
      simple and effective way to streamline the development of genome editing with the
      potential to accelerate a wide array of biotechnological and therapeutic
      applications of the CRISPR-Cas technology. 

PMID- 26121417
TI  - Detection of Defect-Induced Magnetism in Low-Dimensional ZnO Structures by
      Magnetophotocurrent.
AB  - The detection of defect-induced magnetic order in single low-dimensional oxide
      structures is in general difficult because of the relatively small yield of
      magnetically ordered regions. In this work, the effect of an external magnetic
      field on the transient photocurrent measured after light irradiation on different
      ZnO samples at room temperature is studied. It has been found that a magnetic
      field produces a change in the relaxation rate of the transient photocurrent only
      in magnetically ordered ZnO samples. This rate can decrease or increase with
      field, depending on whether the magnetically ordered region is in the bulk or
      only at the surface of the ZnO sample. The phenomenon reported here is of
      importance for the development of magneto-optical low-dimensional oxides devices
      and provides a new guideline for the detection of magnetic order in low
      dimensional magnetic semiconductors. 

PMID- 26121416
TI  - Macromolecular Crystallography for Synthetic Abiological Molecules: Combining
      xMDFF and PHENIX for Structure Determination of Cyanostar Macrocycles.
AB  - Crystal structure determination has long provided insight into structure and
      bonding of small molecules. When those same small molecules are designed to come
      together in multimolecular assemblies, such as in coordination cages,
      supramolecular architectures and organic-based frameworks, their crystallographic
      characteristics closely resemble biological macromolecules. This resemblance
      suggests that biomacromolecular refinement approaches be used for structure
      determination of abiological molecular complexes that arise in an aggregate
      state. Following this suggestion we investigated the crystal structure of a
      pentagonal macrocycle, cyanostar, by means of biological structure analysis
      methods and compared results to traditional small molecule methods. Cyanostar
      presents difficulties seen in supramolecular crystallography including whole
      molecule disorder and highly flexible solvent molecules sitting in macrocyclic
      and intermolecule void spaces. We used the force-field assisted refinement
      method, molecular dynamics flexible fitting algorithm for X-ray crystallography
      (xMDFF), along with tools from the macromolecular structure determination suite
      PHENIX. We found that a standard implementation of PHENIX, namely one without
      xMDFF, either fails to produce a solution by molecular replacement alone or
      produces an inaccurate structure when using generic geometry restraints, even at
      a very high diffraction data resolution of 0.84 A. The problems disappear when
      taking advantage of xMDFF, which applies an optimized force field to realign
      molecular models during phasing by providing accurate restraints. The structure
      determination for this model system shows excellent agreement with the small
      molecule methods. Therefore, the joint xMDFF-PHENIX refinement protocol provides
      a new strategy that uses macromolecule methods for structure determination of
      small molecules and their assemblies. 

PMID- 26121418
TI  - Synthesis and Properties of the Heterospin (S1 = S2 = (1)/2) Radical-Ion Salt
      Bis(mesitylene)molybdenum(I) [1,2,5]Thiadiazolo[3,4-c][1,2,5]thiadiazolidyl.
AB  - Low-temperature interaction of [1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (1)
      with MoMes2 (Mes = mesitylene/1,3,5-trimethylbenzene) in tetrahydrofuran gave the
      heterospin (S1 = S2 = (1)/2) radical-ion salt [MoMes2](+)[1](-) (2) whose
      structure was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD). The structure
      revealed alternating layers of the cations and anions with the Mes ligands
      perpendicular, and the anions tilted by 45 degrees , to the layer plane. At 300 K
      the effective magnetic moment of 2 is equal to 2.40 MUB (theoretically expected
      2.45 MUB) and monotonically decreases with lowering of the temperature. In the
      temperature range 2-300 K, the molar magnetic susceptibility of 2 is well
      described by the Curie-Weiss law with parameters C and theta equal to 0.78 cm(3)
      K mol(-1) and -31.2 K, respectively. Overall, the magnetic behavior of 2 is
      similar to that of [CrTol2](+)[1](-) and [CrCp*2](+)[1](-), i.e., changing the
      cation [MAr2](+) 3d atom M = Cr (Z = 24) with weak spin-orbit coupling (SOC) to a
      4d atom M = Mo (Z = 42) with stronger SOC does not affect macroscopic magnetic
      properties of the salts. For the XRD structure of salt 2, parameters of the
      Heisenberg spin-Hamiltonian were calculated using the broken-symmetry DFT and
      CASSCF approaches, and the complex 3D magnetic structure with both the
      ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AF) exchange interactions was revealed
      with the latter as dominating. Salt 2 is thermally unstable and slowly loses the
      Mes ligands upon storage at ambient temperature. Under the same reaction
      conditions, interaction of 1 with MoTol2 (Tol = toluene) proceeded with partial
      loss of the Tol ligands to afford diamagnetic product. 

PMID- 26121419
TI  - The Online Big Blue Test for Promoting Exercise: Health, Self-Efficacy, and
      Social Support.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent articles have documented the influence of self-efficacy and
      social support on exercising. Simultaneously, insulin use is also related to the
      perception of self-efficacy and social support in patients with diabetes. We
      combine these two ideas through the Big Blue Test experience in a social
      networking site and propose to analyze whether a change in blood sugar levels
      after completion of the Big Blue Test and insulin use are related to the
      perception of self-efficacy and social support in patients with diabetes.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: To undergo the Big Blue Test, 3,926 participants
      voluntarily joined the Diabetes Hands Foundation. Responses were analyzed using
      descriptive analysis. RESULTS: The participants who reduced their blood glucose
      after exercise the least were those with lower self-efficacy and also with lower
      perceived social support. There seems to have been no relationship between
      changes in blood sugar level and the explicit intention of doing exercise in the
      future. Insulin-dependent participants demonstrated a lower perception of self
      efficacy and social support than non-insulin-dependent participants. CONCLUSIONS:
      Change in blood glucose level or being insulin-dependent or not do not explain
      completely a health behavior such as exercise. Hence, self-efficacy and social
      support have an impact on behavioral change such as exercise to become a habit in
      people with diabetes, and this experience through a social networking site is an
      important tool for this behavioral change. For exercise to become a habit in
      people with diabetes, it is necessary to consider not only the crucial
      physiological variables, but also those psychological variables that clearly have
      an impact on behavioral change.

PMID- 26121420
TI  - Acetylcholinesterase-Fc Fusion Protein (AChE-Fc): A Novel Potential
      Organophosphate Bioscavenger with Extended Plasma Half-Life.
AB  - Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is the physiological target of organophosphate nerve
      agent compounds. Currently, the development of a formulation for prophylactic
      administration of cholinesterases as bioscavengers in established risk situations
      of exposure to nerve agents is the incentive for many efforts. While
      cholinesterase bioscavengers were found to be highly effective in conferring
      protection against nerve agent exposure in animal models, their therapeutic use
      is complicated by short circulatory residence time. To create a bioscavenger with
      prolonged plasma half-life, compatible with biotechnological production and
      purification, a chimeric recombinant molecule of HuAChE coupled to the Fc region
      of human IgG1 was designed. The novel fusion protein, expressed in cultured cells
      under optimized conditions, maintains its full enzymatic activity, at levels
      similar to those of the recombinant AChE enzyme. Thus, this novel fusion product
      retained its binding affinity toward BW284c5 and propidium, and its bioscavenging
      reactivity toward the organophosphate-AChE inhibitors sarin and VX. Furthermore,
      when administered to mice, AChE-Fc exhibits exceptional circulatory residence
      longevity (MRT of 6000 min), superior to any other known cholinesterase-based
      recombinant bioscavengers. Owing to its optimized pharmacokinetic performance,
      high reactivity toward nerve agents, and ease of production, AChE-Fc emerges as a
      promising next-generation organophosphate bioscavenger. 

PMID- 26121421
TI  - Cu(II)-Dy(III) and Co(III)-Dy(III) based single molecule magnets with multiple
      slow magnetic relaxation processes in the Cu(II)-Dy(III) complex.
AB  - Two dinuclear Schiff-base complexes [Cu(II)Dy(III)] and [Co(III)Dy(III)] have
      been synthesized and structurally characterized. The AC susceptibility
      measurements taken at BDC = 0.2 T show a slow magnetic relaxation typical for
      single-molecule magnets. Unusual is the presence of three relaxation branches in
      [Cu(II)Dy(III)]; the slowest (low-frequency) process possesses the barrier to
      spin reversal of U/kB = 2.8 K and an extrapolated relaxation time as slow as tau0
      = 0.11 s. The intermediate-frequency process is typical for SMM of this class
      with U/kB = 122 K and tau0 = 9.9 * 10(-7) s; an onset of the high-frequency
      process is evidenced and this is the fastest. In contrast, the [Co(III)Dy(III)]
      complex free of exchange coupling exhibits only a single relaxation path with SMM
      parameters U/kB = 113 K and tau0 = 7.0 * 10(-9) s. 

PMID- 26121422
TI  - Knockdown of Brm and Baf170, Components of Chromatin Remodeling Complex,
      Facilitates Reprogramming of Somatic Cells.
AB  - The SWI/SNF (SWItch/Sucrose NonFermentable or BAF, Brg/Brahma-associated factors)
      complexes are epigenetic modifiers of chromatin structure and undergo progressive
      changes in subunit composition during cellular differentiation. For example, in
      embryonic stem cells, esBAF contains Brg1 and Baf155, while their homologs, Brm
      and Baf170, are present in BAF of somatic cells. In this study, we sought to
      determine whether Brm and Baf170 play any roles in induced pluripotent stem cell
      (iPSC) reprogramming by using shRNA-mediated knockdown studies in the mouse
      model. We found that knocking down Brm during early, mid, and late stages (days
      3, 6, and 9 after initial iPSC induction) and knocking down Baf170 during late
      stage (day 9) reprogramming improve the numbers of iPSC colonies formed. We
      further showed that inhibition of these somatic BAF components also promotes
      complete reprogramming of partially reprogrammed somatic cells (pre-iPSCs).
      Finally, we found that the expression of Brm and Baf170 during reprogramming was
      regulated by Jak/Stat3 activity. Taken together, these data suggest that
      inhibiting somatic BAF improves complete reprogramming by facilitating the
      activation of the pluripotency circuitry. 

PMID- 26121423
TI  - Efficacy of fingolimod in patients with highly active relapsing-remitting
      multiple sclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: There is a need to identify effective switch therapies for patients
      with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who experience high disease
      activity despite receiving disease-modifying therapy (DMT). The objective of this
      study was to assess the efficacy of fingolimod versus placebo in patients with
      RRMS who had experienced high disease activity despite previously receiving DMT,
      using post hoc analyses of two phase 3 trials: FREEDOMS (NCT00289978) and
      FREEDOMS II (NCT00355134). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Clinical and magnetic
      resonance imaging outcomes over 24 months were analyzed in patients from FREEDOMS
      and FREEDOMS II who had received treatment in the previous year and had: (1) >=1
      relapse in the previous year and either >=1 gadolinium (Gd) enhancing T1 lesion
      or >=9 T2 lesions at baseline and/or (2) as many or more relapses in the year
      before baseline as in the previous year (as per fingolimod's EU label). MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: The inclusion criteria were fulfilled by 249 and 257 patients
      in the fingolimod and placebo groups, respectively. Annualized relapse rates were
      reduced by 48% for fingolimod versus placebo (p < 0.001). Fingolimod reduced the
      risk of 3 month and 6 month confirmed disability progression by 34% (p = 0.031)
      and 45% (p = 0.016), respectively, versus placebo. Brain volume loss was reduced
      by 46% for fingolimod versus placebo (p < 0.001). The reduction in Gd-enhancing
      T1 lesion counts for fingolimod versus placebo was 65% (p < 0.001). Furthermore,
      fingolimod reduced the number of new or newly enlarged T2 lesions by 69% relative
      to placebo (p < 0.001). LIMITATION: The analyses are post hoc, but the population
      is specified by the European Medicines Agency in the label for fingolimod.
      CONCLUSIONS: Fingolimod demonstrated efficacy across all four key RRMS disease
      measures analyzed in patients with high disease activity despite previous DMT.

PMID- 26121424
TI  - Group II intron lariat: Structural insights into the spliceosome.
AB  - Group II introns are self-splicing catalytic RNAs found in bacteria and the
      organelles of fungi and plants. They are thought to share a common ancestor with
      the spliceosome, which catalyzes the removal of nuclear introns from pre-mRNAs in
      eukaryotes. Recent structural and biochemical evidence supports the hypothesis
      that the spliceosome has a catalytic RNA core homologous to that found in group
      II introns. The crystal structure of a eukaryotic group IIB intron was recently
      determined and reveals the architecture of a branched lariat RNA that is also
      formed by the spliceosome. Here we describe the active site components of this
      intron and propose a model for RNA splicing involving dynamic base triples in the
      catalytic triad. Based on this structure, we draw analogies to the U2/U6 snRNA
      pairing and RNA-protein interactions that form in the active site of the
      spliceosome. 

PMID- 26121425
TI  - Calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the foramen magnum--Case report and review of the
      literature.
AB  - We present a case of a 29-year-old male with a calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the
      neuraxis (CAPNON) located in the region of the foramen magnum, treated
      successfully by complete resection. After a 2-year follow-up the patient remains
      recurrence free. Clinical and histopathological characterization of CAPNON is
      provided with special emphasis on the intraoperative and neuroradiological
      features of the lesion. 

PMID- 26121426
TI  - Blood coagulation factor XIII-A subunit Val34Leu polymorphisms and intracerebral
      hemorrhage risk: A meta-analysis of case-control studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies investigating the association between factor XIII-A
      subunit (FXIII-A) Val34Leu polymorphisms and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) had
      provided inconsistent results and no large systematic review or meta-analysis had
      been conducted regarding this issue. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis to
      confirm whether the FXIII-A Val34Leu polymorphisms increased the risk of ICH.
      Relevant studies were identified from the Pubmed, Medline, Embase, China National
      Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese Biomedicine Databases published up to
      September 2013. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for
      FXIII-A Val34Leu polymorphisms and ICH were calculated in a fixed-effects model
      or a random-effects model when appropriate. We also carried out the stratified
      analyses and sensitivity analyses by region, source of control group, and sample
      size. RESULTS: Eight eligible studies were reviewed. As FXIII Val34Leu was absent
      or had a very low prevalence among East Asians, only six studies in Caucasians
      were analyzed, involving 564 cases and 1276 controls. Overall, the Leu allele of
      FXIII gene had a trend to slightly increased odds of having ICH, but there is no
      statistic significance (OR1.23, 95% CI 0.94-1.61, P = 0.13). The OR of genotypes
      Leu+(Leu/Leu or Leu/Val) for the risk of ICH was 1.21, 95% CI 0.98-1.50, P =
      0.08. And the OR of recessive model genotypes was 1.53, 95% CI 0.81-2.88, P =
      0.19. There was no difference of the association between the Leu allele of FXIII
      gene and risk of ICH in stratified analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis
      suggests that there is no evidence for strong association between FXIII Val34Leu
      polymorphisms and ICH, but Leu allele of FXIII gene might slightly increase the
      risk of ICH in Caucasians. Since limited studies and subjects were included,
      larger scale association studies exploring the gene-gene interactions and gene
      environment interactions are necessary to further validate the association.

PMID- 26121427
TI  - Impact of hydrocarbons from a diesel fuel on the germination and early growth of
      subantarctic plants.
AB  - Special Antarctic Blend (SAB) is a diesel fuel dominated by aliphatic
      hydrocarbons that is commonly used in Antarctic and subantarctic regions. The
      past and present use of SAB fuel at Australia's scientific research stations has
      resulted in multiple spills, contaminating soils in these pristine areas. Despite
      this, no soil quality guidelines or remediation targets have been developed for
      the region, primarily due to the lack of established indigenous test species and
      subsequent biological effects data. In this study, twelve plant species native to
      subantarctic regions were collected from Macquarie Island and evaluated to
      determine their suitably for use in laboratory-based toxicity testing, using
      germination success and seedling growth (shoot and root length) as endpoints. Two
      soil types (low and high organic carbon (OC)) were investigated to reflect the
      variable OC content found in soils on Macquarie Island. These soils were spiked
      with SAB fuel and aged for 14 days to generate a concentration series of SAB
      contaminated soils. Exposure doses were quantified as the concentration of total
      petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH, nC9-nC18) on a soil dry mass basis. Seven species
      successfully germinated on control soils under laboratory conditions, and four of
      these species (Colobanthus muscoides Hook.f., Deschampsia chapmanii Petrie,
      Epilobium pendunculare A.Cunn. and Luzula crinita Hook.f.) showed a dose
      dependent inhibition of germination when exposed to SAB-contaminated soils.
      Contaminated soils with low OC were generally more toxic to plants than high
      organic carbon soils. Increasing soil-TPH concentrations significantly inhibited
      shoot and root growth, and root length was identified as the most sensitive
      endpoint. Although the test species were tolerant to SAB-contaminated soils in
      germination assays, development of early life stages (up to 28 days) were
      generally more sensitive indicator of exposure effects, and may be more useful
      endpoints for future testing.

PMID- 26121428
TI  - A switch-on MRI contrast agent for noninvasive visualization of methylmercury.
AB  - This communication presents the first Gd(III)-based T1 MRI contrast agent, o
      MeHgGad, for noninvasive visualization of CH3Hg(+). o-MeHgGad showed a relaxivity
      enhancement of 62% in the presence of 1 equiv. of CH3Hg(+). Moreover, a
      noticeable contrast enhancement was recorded in the liver, kidney, and intestine
      of mice exposed to CH3Hg(+). Thus, the newly designed contrast agent has the
      potential to be used for in vivo bio-imaging of CH3Hg(+) and could be useful for
      biomedical applications.

PMID- 26121429
TI  - Palladium-catalyzed oxalyl amide assisted direct ortho-alkynylation of
      arylalkylamine derivatives at delta and epsilon positions.
AB  - Palladium-catalyzed oxalyl amide directed ortho-alkynylation of arylalkylamine
      derivatives is reported for the first time. A wide variety of beta-arylethamine
      and gamma-arylpropamine derivatives are compatible with this protocol. This
      method provides a general means to synthesize substituted alkynylarylalkylamine
      derivatives, highlighting the ability of oxalyl amide in promoting C-H
      functionalization at unique delta and epsilon positions. 

PMID- 26121430
TI  - A facile Pt catalyst regeneration process significantly improves the catalytic
      activity of Pt-organic composites for the O2 reduction reaction.
AB  - Combination of the "nano-size" effect and Cl(-) complexation ability causes
      massive electrodissolution of Pt under acidic conditions to promote the
      regeneration of Pt-organic composites and to significantly improve the catalytic
      performance of the O2 reduction reaction. 

PMID- 26121431
TI  - Acute Effects of Deep Tissue Foam Rolling and Dynamic Stretching on Muscular
      Strength, Power, and Flexibility in Division I Linemen.
AB  - Behara, B and Jacobson, BH. Acute effects of deep tissue foam rolling and dynamic
      stretching on muscular strength, power, and flexibility in Division I linemen. J
      Strength Cond Res 31(4): 888-892, 2017-A recent strategy to increase sports
      performance is a self-massage technique called myofascial release using foam
      rollers. Myofascial restrictions are believed to be brought on by injuries,
      muscle imbalances, overrecruitment, and/or inflammation, all of which can
      decrease sports performance. The purpose of this study was to compare the acute
      effects of a single-bout of lower extremity self-myofascial release using a
      custom deep tissue roller (DTR) and a dynamic stretch protocol. Subjects
      consisted of NCAA Division 1 offensive linemen (n = 14) at a Midwestern
      university. All players were briefed on the objectives of the study and
      subsequently signed an approved IRB consent document. A randomized crossover
      design was used to assess each dependent variable (vertical jump [VJ] power and
      velocity, knee isometric torque, and hip range of motion was assessed before and
      after: [a] no treatment, [b] deep tissue foam rolling, and [c] dynamic
      stretching). Results of repeated-measures analysis of variance yielded no pretest
      to posttest significant differences (p > 0.05) among the groups for VJ peak power
      (p = 0.45), VJ average power (p = 0.16), VJ peak velocity (p = 0.25), VJ average
      velocity (p = 0.23), peak knee extension torque (p = 0.63), average knee
      extension torque (p = 0.11), peak knee flexion torque (p = 0.63), or average knee
      flexion torque (p = 0.22). However, hip flexibility was statistically significant
      when tested after both dynamic stretching and foam rolling (p = 0.0001). Although
      no changes in strength or power was evident, increased flexibility after DTR may
      be used interchangeably with traditional stretching exercises.

PMID- 26121432
TI  - Velocity Drives Greater Power Observed During Back Squat Using Cluster Sets.
AB  - This investigation compared the kinetics and kinematics of cluster sets (CLU) and
      traditional sets (TRD) during back squat in trained (RT) and untrained (UT) men.
      Twenty-four participants (RT = 12, 25 +/- 1 year, 179.1 +/- 2.2 cm, 84.6 +/- 2.1
      kg; UT = 12, 25 +/- 1 year, 180.1 +/- 1.8 cm, 85.4 +/- 3.8 kg) performed TRD (4 *
      10, 120-second rest) and CLU (4 * (2 * 5) 30 seconds between clusters; 90 seconds
      between sets) with 70% one repetition maximum, randomly. Kinematics and kinetics
      were sampled through force plate and linear position transducers. Resistance
      trained produced greater overall force, velocity, and power; however, similar
      patterns were observed in all variables when comparing conditions. Cluster sets
      produced significantly greater force in isolated repetitions in sets 1-3, while
      consistently producing greater force due to a required reduction in load during
      set 4 resulting in greater total volume load (CLU, 3302.4 +/- 102.7 kg; TRD,
      3274.8 +/- 102.8 kg). Velocity loss was lessened in CLU resulting in
      significantly higher velocities in sets 2 through 4. Furthermore, higher
      velocities were produced by CLU during later repetitions of each set. Cluster
      sets produced greater power output for an increasing number of repetitions in
      each set (set 1, 5 repetitions; sets 2 and 3, 6 repetitions; set 4, 8
      repetitions), and the difference between conditions increased over subsequent
      sets. Time under tension increased over each set and was greater in TRD. This
      study demonstrates greater power output is driven by greater velocity when back
      squatting during CLU; therefore, velocity may be a useful measure by which to
      assess power.

PMID- 26121433
TI  - ALTERED CIRCULATING LEVELS OF RETINOL BINDING PROTEIN 4 AND TRANSTHYRETIN IN
      RELATION TO INSULIN RESISTANCE, OBESITY, AND GLUCOSE INTOLERANCE IN ASIAN
      INDIANS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) has been implicated in metabolic
      disorders including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but few studies have looked
      at transthyretin (TTR) with which RBP4 is normally bound to in the circulation.
      We report on the systemic levels of RBP4 and TTR and their associations with
      insulin resistance, obesity, prediabetes, and T2DM in Asian Indians. METHODS: Age
      matched individuals with normal glucose tolerance (NGT, n = 90), impaired glucose
      tolerance (IGT, n = 70) and T2DM (n = 90) were recruited from the Chennai Urban
      Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES). Insulin resistance was estimated using the
      homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). RBP4 and TTR levels
      were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Circulatory
      RBP4 and TTR levels (in MUg/mL) were highest in T2DM (RBP4: 13 +/- 3.9, TTR: 832
      +/- 310) followed by IGT (RBP4: 10.5 +/- 3.2; TTR: 720 +/- 214) compared to NGT
      (RBP4: 8.7 +/- 2.5; TTR: 551 +/- 185; P<.001). Compared to nonobese NGT
      individuals, obese NGT, nonobese T2DM, and obese T2DM had higher RBP4 (8.1 vs.
      10.6, 12.1, and 13.2 MUg/mL, P<.01) and TTR levels (478 vs. 737, 777, and 900
      MUg/mL, P<.01). RBP4 but not TTR was significantly (P<.001) correlated with
      insulin resistance even among NGT subjects. In regression analysis, RBP4 and TTR
      showed significant associations with T2DM after adjusting for confounders (RBP4
      odds ratio [OR]: 1.107, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.008-1.216; TTR OR: 1.342,
      95% CI: 1.165-1.547). CONCLUSION: Circulatory levels of RBP4 and TTR showed a
      significant associations with glucose intolerance, obesity, T2DM and RBP4
      additionally, with insulin resistance.

PMID- 26121434
TI  - SIGNIFICANT ELEVATION OF GROWTH HORMONE LEVEL IMPACTS SURGICAL OUTCOMES IN
      ACROMEGALY.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Transsphenoidal adenomectomy (TSA) is first-line treatment for
      acromegaly. Our aim was to determine the impact of pre-operative biochemical
      parameters on the outcomes of surgery. METHODS: Retrospective case series of 79
      consecutive acromegalics operated between 1994 and 2013. Inclusion criteria were:
      first TSA, pathology-confirmed growth hormone (GH) adenoma, and follow-up >3
      months. Biochemical remission was defined as normal insulin-like growth factor 1
      (IGF-1) without adjuvant therapy during follow-up. RESULTS: Median follow-up was
      35.4 months (range, 3 to 187 months). Logistic regression analysis showed that
      the best model to predict long-term remission included the following pre
      operative markers: GH, tumor diameter, and cavernous sinus invasion (CSI) (area
      under the curve, 0.933). A threshold GH of 40 ng/mL was associated with long-term
      remission (sensitivity, 97%; specificity, 42%). Group A (GH >40 ng/mL) comprised
      19 patients (9 men); age, 43 +/- 13 years; tumor diameter, 2.7 +/- 1.0 cm; 73.7%
      with CSI; and pre-operative median GH, 77.8 ng/mL (interquartile range [IQR],
      66.7 to 107.0 ng/mL). Three patients (15%) in group A achieved remission at 3
      months, but 2 patients recurred during follow-up. Group B (GH <=40 ng/mL)
      comprised 60 patients (25 men); age, 47 +/- 13 years; tumor diameter, 1.6 +/- 1.0
      cm; 35% with CSI, preoperative median GH, 6.9 ng/mL (IQR, 3.4 to 16.9 ng/mL).
      Thirty-five patients (58%) in group B achieved remission at 3 months without
      recurrence during follow-up. Group A had larger tumors and a higher proportion of
      tumors with CSI (P<.05). CONCLUSION: Both GH and IGF-1 should be measured pre
      operatively, as highly elevated GH levels negatively impact long-term surgical
      remission. This strategy allows early identification of patients who require
      adjuvant therapy and may decrease time to biochemical control.

PMID- 26121435
TI  - PITUITARY MRI FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH PITUITARY AND ECTOPIC ACTH-DEPENDENT
      CUSHING SYNDROME: DOES A 6-MM PITUITARY TUMOR SIZE CUT-OFF VALUE EXCLUDE ECTOPIC
      ACTH SYNDROME?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Expert opinion and a consensus statement on Cushing syndrome (CS)
      indicate that in a patient with a clinical presentation and biochemical studies
      consistent with a pituitary etiology, the presence of a pituitary tumor >=6 mm is
      highly suggestive of Cushing disease (CD). The purpose of the present study was
      to determine the optimal pituitary tumor size that can differentiate between
      patients with CD and ectopic adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) secretion (EAS)
      and obviate the need for inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS). METHODS: We
      performed a retrospective study of 130 patients seen between 2000 and 2012
      including 104 patients with CD and 26 patients with EAS. RESULTS: A pituitary
      lesion was reported in 6/26 (23%) patients with EAS and 71/104 (68.3%) patients
      with CD, with median (range) sizes of 5 mm (3-14) and 8 mm (2-31), respectively.
      All tumors in the EAS group measured <=6 mm except for 1 that measured 14 mm. The
      presence of a pituitary tumor >6 mm in size had 40% sensitivity and 96%
      specificity for the diagnosis of CD. ACTH levels >209 pg/mL and serum potassium
      <2.7 mmol/L were found in patients with EAS. All patients with EAS had a 24-hour
      urine free cortisol (UFC) >3.4 times the upper limit of normal (*ULN) Conclusion:
      Pituitary incidentalomas as large as 14 mm in size can be seen in patients with
      EAS. However, the 6-mm tumor size cut-off value provided 96% specificity and may
      be a reasonable threshold to proceed with surgery without the need for IPSS when
      the biochemical data support a pituitary etiology.

PMID- 26121436
TI  - GUIDELINES TO IMPROVE PERIOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT OF DIABETES MELLITUS: ASSESSMENT
      OF THE IMPACT OF CHANGE ACROSS TIME.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Assess the impact of guidelines on the care of patients with diabetes
      undergoing elective surgery. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team developed
      perioperative guidelines. Overall changes in key measures were evaluated after
      guidelines were introduced and compared with a historical cohort. RESULTS: The
      historical cohort included 254 surgical procedures, and the post-guidelines
      implementation cohort comprised 1,387. Glucose monitoring was performed
      preoperatively in 93% of cases in the post-guidelines implementation cohort and
      in 88% in the historical cohort (P<.01), but the percentage of cases with
      measurements decreased over 12 months (from 95% to 91%, P = .044). Glucose was
      intraoperatively monitored in 67% of cases after guidelines were introduced and
      in 29% historically (P<.01); the post-guidelines implementation percentage
      decreased over 12 months from 67% to 55% (P<.01). The performance of glucose
      monitoring in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) did not differ (86% vs. 87%, P
      = .57), but it decreased over 12 months, from 91% to 84% (P<.01). After
      introduction of the guidelines, insulin use increased in the preoperative,
      intraoperative, and PACU areas (all P<=.01) but decreased by the end of 12 months
      (all P<.01). Mean preoperative and PACU glucose levels in the post- guidelines
      implementation cohort were significantly lower than in the historical cohort
      (P<.01). CONCLUSION: Multidisciplinary management guidelines for diabetes
      patients undergoing surgery can improve the performance of key measures of care.
      Although adherence to recommendations generally remained higher after guideline
      implementation than in the historical period, the improvement in several measures
      began to decline over time.

PMID- 26121437
TI  - NORMOMAGNESEMIC GITELMAN SYNDROME PATIENTS EXHIBIT A STRONGER REACTION TO
      THIAZIDE THAN HYPOMAGNESEMIC PATIENTS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In recent decades, the thiazide test has been introduced to aid the
      diagnosis of Gitelman syndrome (GS), but the effect of thiazide in
      normomagnesemic GS patients is currently unknown. This study was conducted to
      compare the thiazide test results of normomagnesemic and hypomagnesemic GS
      patients. METHODS: Seventeen GS patients with SLC12A3 gene mutations were
      enrolled, five of whom did not have a history of hypomagnesemia. The clinical
      data were documented, and SLC12A3 gene screening was performed. The thiazide test
      was performed in all of the patients and 20 healthy controls. A receiver
      operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the sensitivity and
      specificity of the thiazide test in the diagnosis of GS. RESULTS: A 7-fold
      increase in sodium and chloride excretion was observed after thiazide application
      in healthy controls, and an approximately 2-fold increase was found in the 5
      normomagnesemic GS patients; however, there was no change in the 12
      hypomagnesemic GS patients. A weaker reaction to thiazide was observed in
      hypomagnesemic compared with normomagnesemic GS patients. The clearance of
      chloride in 1 patient was overestimated because of chronic renal function
      insufficiency (CRI). When a reasonable cutoff value for chloride fractional
      excretion was selected, the thiazide test was 95% sensitive and 94.1% specific
      for the diagnosis of GS. CONCLUSION: Hypomagnesemic GS patients exhibited greater
      sodium-chloride cotransporter dysfunction than normomagnesemic GS patients. When
      CRI occurs, the chloride and sodium clearance rates, rather than the fractional
      excretion, should be used in the evaluation of the thiazide test results.

PMID- 26121438
TI  - DIABETES AND PREDIABETES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN MORBIDLY OBESE CHILDREN
      COMPARED WITH OBESE CHILDREN.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and
      characteristics of comorbidities in obese and morbidly obese children with a
      comparison between the 2 sets of children. METHODS: This was a retrospective
      electronic chart review of obese and morbidly obese children and adolescents as
      defined by body mass index. We evaluated medical history of comorbid conditions,
      medication use, and cardiovascular risk markers, including blood pressure, lipid
      profile, and glycosylated hemoglobin. RESULTS: There were 1,111 subjects (African
      American = 635; non-Hispanic white = 364; Hispanic = 36; others = 86), of which
      274 were obese and 837 were morbidly obese children with a mean age of 12.7 +/-
      3.37 years. Morbidly obese children had a higher prevalence of prediabetes (19.5%
      of obese versus 27.3% of morbidly obese; P<.0001) and type 2 diabetes (39.8% of
      obese versus 52.4% of morbidly obese; P<.0001). Use of medications for treatment
      of asthma was significantly higher in the morbidly obese group compared with the
      obese group (21% versus 14%; P = .01). CONCLUSION: Morbidly obese children have a
      higher prevalence of diabetes, prediabetes, and use of asthma medications
      compared with obese children.

PMID- 26121439
TI  - HRPT2- (CDC73) RELATED HEREDITARY HYPERPARATHYROIDISM: A CASE SERIES FROM WESTERN
      INDIA.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe a case series of HRPT2- (CDC73) related hereditary primary
      hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) from western India. METHODS: We present a case series
      of 4 families (7 patients) with PHPT caused by CDC73 gene mutations. RESULTS: The
      mean age of presentation of the 4 index cases was 27.25 +/- 9.8 years. Two family
      members were identified through biochemical screening (Cases 1b and 2b), while 1
      mutation-positive family member did not manifest any features of PHPT or
      hyperparathyroidism jaw tumor syndrome (HPT-JT) syndrome (Case 2c). Biochemistry
      showed increased serum calcium (mean: 13.21 +/- 1.24 mg/dL), low serum phosphorus
      (mean: 1.78 +/- 0.44 mg/dL), and high parathyroid hormone (PTH, mean: 936 +/-
      586.9 pg/mL). All patients had a uniglandular presentation and underwent single
      adenoma excision initially except Cases 2a and 2b, who underwent subtotal
      parathyroidectomy at baseline. Two cases experienced PHPT recurrence (Cases 3 and
      4), while 1 remained uncured due to parathyroid carcinoma (Case 1a). Other
      associated syndromic features like ossifying jaw fibromas were present in 2
      patients, renal cysts in 3 patients, and uterine involvement in 2 patients. Two
      families had novel germline CDC73 mutations (Families 1 and 3), while the other 2
      had reported mutations. Family 2 had familial isolated PHPT without any other
      features of HPT-JT syndrome. CONCLUSION: Our findings reaffirm the need for
      genetic analysis of patients with PHPT, especially those with younger age of
      disease onset; recurrent disease; and associated features like polycystic
      kidneys, endometrial involvement, ossifying jaw tumors, or parathyroid carcinoma.

PMID- 26121440
TI  - HISTORICAL AND CURRENT PERSPECTIVE IN THE USE OF THYROID EXTRACTS FOR THE
      TREATMENT OF HYPOTHYROIDISM.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the history, refinements, implementation, physiology, and
      clinical outcomes achieved over the past several centuries of thyroid hormone
      replacement strategies. METHODS: A Medline search was initiated using the
      following search terms: bioidentical thyroid hormone, thyroid hormone extract,
      combination thyroxine (T4) and tri-iodothyronine (T3) therapy, homeopathic
      thyroid hormone therapy, and thyroid hormone replacement. Pertinent articles of
      interest were identified by title (and where available abstract) for further
      review. Additional references were identified during a review of the identified
      literature. RESULTS: A rich history of physician intervention in thyroid
      dysfunction was identified dating back more than 2 millennia. Although not
      precisely documented, thyroid ingestion from animal sources had been used for
      centuries but was finally scientifically described and documented in Europe over
      130 years ago. Since the reports by Bettencourt and Murray, there has been a
      continuous documentation of outcomes, refinement of hormone preparation
      production, and updating of recommendations for the most effective and safe use
      of these hormones for relieving the symptoms of hypothyroidism. As the thyroid
      extract preparations contain both levothyroxine (LT4) and liothyronine (LT3),
      current guidelines do not endorse their use as controlled studies do not clearly
      document enhanced objective outcomes compared with LT4 monotherapy. Among current
      issues cited, the optimum ratio of LT4 to LT3 has yet to be determined, and the
      U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not appear to be monitoring the
      thyroid hormone ratios or content in extract preparations on the market. Taken
      together, these limitations are important detriments to the use of thyroid
      extract products. CONCLUSION: The evolution of thyroid hormone therapies has been
      significant over the extended period of time they have been in use to treat
      hypothyroidism. Although numerous websites continue to advocate the use of
      thyroid hormone extracts as a superior therapy for hypothyroidism, none of the
      most recent guidelines of major endocrine societies recommend thyroid extract use
      for hypothyroidism.

PMID- 26121441
TI  - CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND LONG-TERM OUTCOME OF PATIENTS WITH ECTOPIC ACTH
      SYNDROME DUE TO BRONCHIAL CARCINOID TUMORS: A ONE-CENTER EXPERIENCE.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the diagnostic features and long-term outcome of patients
      with bronchial carcinoid tumors with ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
      syndrome (EAS), treated in our department. METHODS: We studied 10 cases with EAS
      and histologically confirmed bronchial carcinoid tumors, diagnosed from 1992
      until 2006. Diagnosis was based upon blood, urine, radiologic, and interventional
      tests. Disease status at the time of the last follow-up was the primary outcome
      measure. RESULTS: Clinical manifestations included Cushingoid features (100%),
      psychiatric symptoms (90%), hypertension (70%), diabetes/impaired glucose
      tolerance (40%), osteoporosis (10%), and hypokalemia (10%). The average time from
      the onset of symptoms until diagnosis was 14.2 +/- 17.0 months. None of the
      patients exhibited a positive cortisol or ACTH response to corticotropin
      releasing hormone (CRH) test, and none showed a positive gradient on bilateral
      inferior petrosal sinus sampling (BIPSS). All tumors were identified by computed
      tomography and by octreotide scintigraphy in 8 patients. All patients underwent
      surgical resection of the tumor, and 2 patients had adjuvant radiation therapy.
      The mean follow-up was 126.6 +/- 63.3 months. At latest follow-up, 8 patients
      were in remission and 2 had recurrence of the EAS; both had a multifocal tumor.
      The 2 patients submitted to adjuvant radiation therapy were in remission at their
      latest follow-up, despite local invasion and lymph node metastases. CONCLUSION:
      CRH test and BIPSS are the most useful methods in diagnosing EAS. For
      localization, repeated imaging studies are necessary. Surgical treatment is
      effective in most cases. Adjunctive radiotherapy may be useful in patients with
      lymph node metastases. Patients with multifocal disease should be monitored for
      potential recurrence.

PMID- 26121442
TI  - EVALUATION OF PARA- AND PERIRENAL FAT THICKNESS AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH
      METABOLIC DISORDERS IN POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare para- and perirenal fat (PFT) and
      subcutaneous abdominal fat (SFT) measurements between patients with polycystic
      ovary syndrome (PCOS) and control subjects and to assess the possible relation
      with metabolic disorders. METHODS: This study included 68 patients with PCOS and
      40 age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy controls. We evaluated
      anthropometric, hormonal, and metabolic parameters, and abdominal ultrasonography
      was performed to measure PFT and SFT. RESULTS: The mean PFT values were 6.1 +/-
      2.9 mm in patients with PCOS and 4.3 +/- 2.3 mm in healthy controls (P = .002).
      SFT values were also higher in the patient group (9.6 +/- 5 mm) compared to
      healthy subjects (3.5 +/- 0.5 mm) (P = .017). A significant positive correlation
      was found between PFT and BMI (r = 0.368), waist circumference (WC) (r = 0.441),
      Ferriman-Gallwey (FG) score (r = 0.313), blood pressure (systolic, SBP, r =
      0.213; diastolic, DBP, r = 0.215), plasma glucose (r = 0.195), homeostasis model
      assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, r = 0.273), SFT (r = 0.555). Conversely,
      negative correlations were found between PFT and estradiol (r = -0.218) and sex
      hormone-binding globulin (SHBG, r = -0.304). Nonobese PCOS patients (6.1 +/- 3.07
      mm) had higher PFT values than nonobese controls (3.47 +/- 1.5 mm); however, SFT
      measurements did not differ (P = .086). In multiple linear regression analysis,
      SFT (P = .006) was a significant and independent predictor for PFT, along with WC
      (P = .023). In a stepwise model, SFT was the predictor of PFT (P = .001).
      CONCLUSION: PFT values were higher particularly in nonobese PCOS patients
      compared to nonobese control subjects. There was a significant interaction
      between PCOS and obesity on PFT.

PMID- 26121444
TI  - Visual Vignette.

PMID- 26121443
TI  - SERUM THYROTROPIN CONCENTRATIONS ARE NOT PREDICTIVE OF AGGRESSIVE BREAST CANCER
      BIOLOGY IN EUTHYROID INDIVIDUALS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The potential influence of hypothyroidism on breast cancer remains
      incompletely understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the
      relationship between serum thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone, TSH)
      concentration and markers of aggressive breast cancer biology as defined by
      receptor expression profile, tumor grade, and American Joint Committee on Cancer
      (AJCC) stage characteristics. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of
      patients from 2002 to 2014. All breast cancer patients who had complete receptor
      (estrogen receptor, ER; progesterone receptor, PR; and human epidermal growth
      factor receptor 2, Her2/neu) and prediagnosis serum TSH data (n = 437) were
      included. All patients had 1 of 6 receptor profiles: ER+ PR+ Her2/neu-, ER+ PR-
      Her2/neu-, ER+ PR+ Her2/neu+, ER+ PR- Her2/neu+, ER- PR- Her2/neu+, or ER- PR-
      Her2/neu-. Log-transformed serum TSH concentrations were analyzed using
      multinomial and logistic regressions to identify potential relationships with
      markers of breast cancer aggressiveness. RESULTS: Increasing serum TSH
      concentration was associated with a lower probability of having the receptor
      expression profile ER+ PR+ Her2/neu+ compared to patients with the ER+ PR+
      Her2/neu- profile (odds ratio [OR] = 0.52, P = .0045). No significant
      associations between other receptor expression profiles and serum TSH
      concentration were found. All time-weighted and unweighted median serum TSH
      concentrations were within normal limits. No significant associations between
      serum TSH concentration and tumor grade, overall AJCC stage, tumor size (T),
      lymph node positivity (N), or presence of metastasis (M) were observed.
      CONCLUSIONS: Serum TSH was not associated with markers of breast cancer
      aggressiveness in our cohort.

PMID- 26121445
TI  - SELECTIVE HYPOALDOSTERONISM: A REVIEW.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Selective hypoaldosteronism (SH) is a condition manifested by
      hyperkalemia due to low aldosterone secretion with normal cortisol. One of the
      obstacles in diagnosis is the awareness of the condition itself. The objective of
      this review is to highlight what is known about the epidemiology,
      pathophysiology, etiology, presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of SH. METHODS:
      Literature search was performed on PubMed and Ovid Medline for articles which
      contained hypoaldosteronism as a major topic. RESULTS: The recent literature on
      this topic is surprisingly limited. Few recent review articles were found, none
      of which were in English and less than 5 years old. Case reports and genetic
      literature were also included in this review, as they contain the most recent
      reports of SH in the literature. CONCLUSION: Awareness about SH will hopefully
      help physicians to identify patients at risk as well as decide on treatment if
      any therapy is required.

PMID- 26121446
TI  - THE ABSENCE OF THYROID DISEASE IN AN AUSTRALIAN HEPATITIS C COHORT TREATED WITH
      TRIPLE COMBINATION THERAPY: A PARADIGM SHIFT.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of thyroid disease in triple combination
      therapy with interferon (IFN)-alpha, ribavirin (RBV), and protease inhibitors
      (boceprevir and telaprevir) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)
      infection in an Australian hepatitis C cohort. Also, to compare with those who
      received dual RBV and IFN in the past. METHODS: A preliminary, retrospective, and
      nested case control study of thyroid disease in patients who underwent triple
      combination therapy for chronic HCV infection compared with dual therapy at a
      major tertiary referral hospital center. Fifty-nine patients were treated with
      such therapy at the Hunter New England Area Hepatitis C Treatment Center. Of
      these, 38 were treated with boceprevir and 21 with telaprevir. All had genotype 1
      HCV infection. The main outcome measures included (1) the prevalence of thyroid
      disease (TD), including hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, and (2) thyroid
      outcome comparison with patients who had received dual therapy. RESULTS: There
      was no case of TD detected for the entire duration of therapy with triple anti
      HCV therapy. There was a significant absence of TD in the protease inhibitor
      treated group. CONCLUSION: No case of TD was detected during the treatment of HCV
      patients with protease inhibitor-based triple therapy. The reasons for this are
      unclear. Larger studies are necessary to confirm this finding.

PMID- 26121447
TI  - ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MIFEPRISTONE DOSE, EFFICACY, AND TOLERABILITY IN PATIENTS
      WITH CUSHING SYNDROME.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between dose, clinical response (based on
      independent evaluation of metabolic, physical, neurologic, and social
      assessments), and safety of mifepristone treatment in patients with endogenous
      Cushing syndrome (CS). METHODS: This post hoc analysis included 40 clinical
      responders and 50 participants who received a dose of mifepristone (safety
      population) in the 24-week phase 3 SEISMIC (Study of the Efficacy and Safety of
      Mifepristone in the Treatment of Endogenous Cushing Syndrome) trial. The dose of
      mifepristone at the initial clinical response was analyzed, and the rate of
      serious adverse events (SAEs) and AEs reported in >=20% of patients were compared
      to average mifepristone doses over time. RESULTS: Among the clinical responders,
      85% and 35% had their initial clinical responses at mifepristone doses >=600 and
      >=900 mg/day, respectively. The SAE rate did not increase with a higher dose over
      time. The AE rates for fatigue, headache, nausea, and peripheral edema declined
      significantly at weeks 16 to 24 (all P<.05 vs. weeks 1-2) as the study progressed
      and mifepristone doses were increased. Other AEs such as hypokalemia, vomiting,
      and decreased appetite did not significantly increase from weeks 1 to 2 as
      mifepristone doses were increased. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of clinical
      responders in the SEISMIC trial received mifepristone doses >=600 mg/day
      suggesting that higher doses were required to achieve optimal clinical benefit in
      patients with endogenous CS. Notably, mifepristone dose escalations did not
      result in any significant or concordant increase in the rates of SAEs and common
      AEs.

PMID- 26121449
TI  - RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF GLYCEMIC CONTROL FOLLOWING TRANSITION FROM THE INTENSIVE
      CARE UNIT IN A NATIONAL SAMPLE OF U.S. HOSPITALS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Retrospective study to evaluate glycemic control outcomes after
      transition from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a non-ICU area in a national
      sample of U.S. hospitals. METHODS: Mean point-of-care blood glucose (POC-BG) data
      were assessed overall and at 24 hours before and up to 72 hours after the
      transition. Comparisons in glucose variability (standard deviation of POC-BG
      data) were assessed. Impact on glycemic control was evaluated after accounting
      for hospital characteristics through logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: POC
      BG data were obtained from 576 hospitals. Overall mean (SD) POC-BG values in ICU
      versus non-ICU areas were 176 (24) versus 169 (21) mg/dL (P<.01). Mean (SD) of
      the ICU POC-BG data were 76 (16) versus 73 (16) mg/dL in the non-ICU data
      (P<.01). However, when comparing values of POC-BG in the last 24-hour ICU period
      with those from up to 72 hours posttransition, we found no differences,
      indicative of overall stable glycemic control and variability after transition.
      Any deterioration of glucose control following the transition was significantly
      associated with hospital size (P<.01): the smallest hospitals had the highest
      percentage of these cases. In addition, geographic region showed significant
      variability (P = .04), with hospitals in the Midwest and West having the highest
      proportion of cases in which glycemic control worsened following the transition.
      CONCLUSION: Glycemic control and variability did not change after transition from
      the ICU, but outcomes may depend on certain hospital characteristics. Inpatient
      glycemic control assessment should move beyond just cross-sectional studies and
      consider the impact of transitioning across inpatient areas. Other statistical
      approaches to studying this question should be evaluated.

PMID- 26121448
TI  - VITAMIN D-BINDING PROTEIN IN HEALTHY PRE- AND POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN: RELATIONSHIP
      WITH ESTRADIOL CONCENTRATIONS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between endogenous serum estradiol and
      vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) and total, free, and bioavailable 25
      hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentrations in pre- and postmenopausal women.
      METHODS: In 165 healthy women (ages, 26 to 75 years) not taking any form of
      exogenous estrogen, the serum concentrations of estradiol, 25OHD, DBP,
      parathyroid hormone, and albumin were measured. Free and bioavailable 25OHD (free
      + albumin-bound) levels were calculated from total 25OHD, DBP, and serum albumin
      levels. RESULTS: Premenopausal women had higher serum 25OHD (31.5 +/- 7.9 ng/mL),
      DBP (45.3 +/- 6.2 mg/dL), and estradiol (52.8 +/- 35.0 pg/mL) levels than
      postmenopausal women (26.5 +/- 4.9 ng/mL, 41.7 +/- 5.7 mg/dL, and 12.9 +/- 4.9
      pg/mL), respectively. In addition, the calculated free and bioavailable 25OHD
      levels were higher in pre- than postmenopausal women (P<.05). Serum estradiol
      correlated with DBP (r = 0.22; P<.01) and total 25OHD (r = 0.27; P<.01). In
      multivariate regression models (with or without serum 25OHD), estradiol was
      independently associated with DBP (P<.05). CONCLUSION: Lower estradiol level is
      one of the factors that contribute to lower DBP levels in older women. Our data
      indicate that besides well-known factors such as age, gender, and race, serum
      estradiol concentrations are also a physiologic predictor of DBP concentration.

PMID- 26121450
TI  - EFFECTIVENESS OF INPATIENT INSULIN ORDER SETS USING HUMAN INSULINS IN
      NONCRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS IN A RURAL HOSPITAL.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recent guidelines recommend a physiologic approach to non-intensive
      care unit (ICU) inpatient glucose management utilizing basal-bolus with
      correctional (BBC) insulin over traditional sliding-scale insulin monotherapy.
      Unfortunately, few studies exist using a BBC approach restricted to human
      insulins (regular and neutral protamine Hagedorn [NPH]). This study evaluated
      changes in provider prescribing patterns, effects on blood glucose, and safety
      with implementation of hospital order sets for BBC using human insulins. METHODS:
      Order sets were developed for non-ICU inpatients, consisting of basal, prandial,
      and correctional insulin using NPH and regular human insulins. Evaluation
      compared a 4-month period before (admissions, n = 274) with a 4-month period
      after order set availability (n = 302). Primary outcome was change in insulin
      prescribing patterns. Secondary outcomes included use of nonpreferred diabetes
      treatments, hemoglobin A1c testing, mean daily blood glucose, and incidence of
      hypoglycemia. RESULTS: Use of BBC insulin regimen increased from 10.6 to 27.5%
      after order set implementation (P<.001). Use of oral antihyperglycemic agents
      decreased from 24.1 to 14.9% after implementation (P = .006). Hemoglobin A1c
      testing rose from 50.0 to 62.3% after (P = .003). Mean daily blood glucose
      improved, with an estimated mean difference of 14.4 mg/dL (95% confidence
      interval, 2.2 to 26.5 mg/dL) over hospital days 3 through 9 (P = .02). There was
      no significant change in the incidence of moderate or severe hypoglycemia.
      CONCLUSION: Implementation of hospital-wide human insulin order sets led to
      improvements in prescribing practices and blood glucose control, without
      increasing the incidence of hypoglycemia. These order sets may be useful for
      facilities limited by formulary and cost considerations to the use of older human
      insulins.

PMID- 26121451
TI  - PATIENTS ACHIEVING GOOD GLYCEMIC CONTROL (HBA1c <7%) EXPERIENCE A LOWER RATE OF
      HYPOGLYCEMIA WITH INSULIN DEGLUDEC THAN WITH INSULIN GLARGINE: A META-ANALYSIS OF
      PHASE 3A TRIALS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Meta-analysis to compare hypoglycemia rates of basal insulin degludec
      (IDeg) with insulin glargine (IGlar) in patients with diabetes achieving good
      glycemic control (hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c] <7% at end of trial). METHODS: In a
      preplanned meta-analysis, patient data from 7 randomized, treat-to-target, 26- or
      52-week trials in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or type 2
      diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who administered IDeg (n = 2,899) or IGlar (n = 1,431)
      once daily were analyzed. Using a negative binomial regression model, this meta
      analysis compared hypoglycemia rates in patients achieving HbA1c <7% at end of
      trial with IDeg (n = 1,347) and IGlar (n = 697). RESULTS: In all trials, IDeg was
      noninferior to IGlar in HbA1c reduction from baseline. At end of trial, 2,044
      patients (T2DM, n = 1,661; T1DM, n = 383) achieved HbA1c <7%. The overall
      confirmed hypoglycemia rate, defined as plasma glucose <56 mg/dL or severe
      hypoglycemia if requiring assistance, was significantly lower with IDeg versus
      IGlar (estimated rate ratio [ERR] IDeg:IGlar, 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI],
      0.76 to 0.98). The nocturnal confirmed hypoglycemia rate, defined as occurring
      between midnight and 6:00 am, was significantly lower with IDeg (ERR, 0.63; 95%
      CI, 0.52 to 0.77). In the maintenance period (16 weeks onward when average
      insulin dose and glycemic levels stabilized), the overall confirmed hypoglycemia
      rate was significantly lower (ERR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.68 to 0.92) and the nocturnal
      confirmed hypoglycemia rate was significantly lower (ERR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.45 to
      0.72) with IDeg versus IGlar. CONCLUSION: Patients with T1DM and T2DM achieved
      HbA1c <7% with significantly lower rates of overall and nocturnal confirmed
      hypoglycemia with IDeg versus IGlar. The lower hypoglycemia rate with IDeg was
      more pronounced in the maintenance period.

PMID- 26121452
TI  - THE EFFECT OF PHLEBOTOMY-INDUCED HEMOLYSIS ON INSULIN LEVEL DETERMINATION.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of phlebotomy-induced hemolysis on serum insulin
      and C-peptide measurement by an immunochemiluminometric assay. METHODS: As part
      of a study designed to evaluate beta-cell function in a group of adults with
      newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, we tested insulin and C-peptide levels in 1,048
      samples. In order to evaluate the effect of phlebotomy-induced hemolysis, we
      determined insulin and C-peptide levels simultaneously in hemolyzed and
      nonhemolyzed samples. RESULTS: Forty-seven (4.5%) of the 1,048 samples were
      affected by hemolysis. In 26 cases, we had paired hemolyzed and nonhemolyzed
      serum samples that allowed a simultaneous comparison. We found that all degrees
      of hemolysis led to a significant decrease in insulin level. In hemolyzed serum,
      the median (interquartile range) of the insulin was 5.6 (1.8 to 24.3) mIU/L,
      versus 21.3 (11.4 to 48.5) mIU/L in nonhemolyzed serum, representing a 25 to 98%
      loss. This phenomenon was not found for C-peptide levels. CONCLUSION: Clinicians
      have to be aware that even a mild degree of phlebotomy-induced hemolysis has a
      significant effect on serum insulin level determination, which can lead to
      misinterpretation of test results. This finding has important implications,
      especially in the evaluation of suspected cases of hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia.

PMID- 26121453
TI  - CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN ADRENAL INCIDENTALOMA: EXPERIENCE FROM ONE CENTER.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcome in patients with adrenal incidentaloma
      (AI). METHODS: A retrospective evaluation of 637 patients with AI referred to a
      tertiary center over 8 years. Radiologic and hormonal evaluations were performed
      at baseline. Follow-up imaging was carried out if necessary, and hormonal
      evaluation was performed at 24 months according to national guidelines. RESULTS:
      The mean age was 62.7 +/- 11.6 years, and the mean AI size was 25.3 +/- 17.0 mm
      at presentation. Hormonal evaluation revealed that 85.4% of all tumors were
      nonfunctioning adenomas, 4.1% subclinical Cushing syndrome (SCS), 1.4%
      pheochromocytoma, 1.4% primary hyperaldosteronism, 0.8% Cushing syndrome, 0.6%
      adrenocortical carcinoma, 0.3% congenital adrenal hyperplasia, 2.2% metastasis to
      adrenals, and 3.8% other lesions of benign origin. Bilateral tumors were found in
      11%, and compared to unilateral tumors, SCS was more prevalent. Only 2 cases were
      reclassified during follow-up, both as SCS, but neither had had a dexamethasone
      suppression test performed at initial work-up. In patients diagnosed with an
      adrenal metastasis, 92.9% were deceased within 2 years. Excluding those with
      malignant tumors, 12.9% of patients died during the study period of up to 11
      years due to other causes than adrenal. CONCLUSION: Most AIs were benign, but a
      small fraction of tumors were functional and malignant. The prognosis of patients
      with adrenal metastasis was extremely poor, but otherwise, the mortality rate was
      similar to that for the general population. Follow-up of AIs <4 cm with an
      initial nonfunctional profile and benign radiologic appearance appears
      unwarranted, but screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia should be
      considered.

PMID- 26121454
TI  - MORNING SERUM CORTISOL LEVEL AFTER TRANSSPHENOIDAL SURGERY FOR PITUITARY ADENOMA
      PREDICTS HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL FUNCTION DESPITE INTRAOPERATIVE
      DEXAMETHASONE USE.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Perioperative glucocorticoid (GC) is rarely needed in patients
      undergoing transsphenoidal surgery (TSS). We instituted a steroid-sparing
      protocol in the settings of intraoperative dexamethasone use. We evaluated the
      safety of using a cut off cortisol level of 14 MUg/dL on postoperative day (POD)
      1 and -6 after dexamethasone use during the surgery. We also analyzed the
      efficacy of serial morning cortisol levels for weaning GC replacement. METHODS:
      The charts of 48 adult patients who received dexamethasone 4 mg intraoperatively
      were reviewed. Morning cortisol levels were measured on POD-1. Patients with
      cortisol >=14 MUg/dL were discharged without CG replacement. Morning cortisol
      level was checked routinely on POD-6, and GC replacement was initiated when the
      level was <14 MUg/dL. Serial cortisol levels were measured in patients requiring
      GC after the first postoperative week. RESULTS: Overall, 67% patients had POD-1
      cortisol >=14 MUg/dL and did not require GC on discharge. After POD-6, 83% of
      patients were not on GC replacement. A cosyntropin stimulation testing (CST) was
      only performed in 3 patients. There were no hospital admissions for adrenal
      crisis during the postoperative period. CONCLUSION: A steroid-sparing protocol
      with POD-1 and -6 morning cortisol levels can be safely and effectively used in
      the settings of intraoperative dexamethasone administration. It leads to
      avoidance of GC in more than two-thirds of patients on discharge and more than
      80% of patients after the first postoperative week. We found that dynamic adrenal
      testing could be omitted in the majority of patients by using serial morning
      cortisol levels to assess the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.

PMID- 26121455
TI  - A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF REAL-TIME AND STATIC ULTRASONOGRAPHY DIAGNOSES FOR THE
      INCIDENTAL DETECTION OF DIFFUSE THYROID DISEASE.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of real
      time and static ultrasonography (US) for the incidental detection of diffuse
      thyroid disease (DTD). METHODS: In 118 consecutive patients, a single radiologist
      performed real-time US before thyroidectomy. For static US, the same radiologist
      retrospectively investigated the sonographic findings on a picture-archiving and
      communication system after 3 months. The diagnostic categories of both real-time
      and static US diagnoses were determined based on the number of abnormal findings,
      and the diagnostic indices were calculated by a receiver operating characteristic
      (ROC) curve analysis using the histopathologic results as the reference standard.
      RESULTS: Histopathologic results included normal thyroid (n = 77), Hashimoto
      thyroiditis (n = 11), non-Hashimoto lymphocytic thyroiditis (n = 29), and diffuse
      hyperplasia (n = 1). Normal thyroid and DTD showed significant differences in
      echogenicity, echotexture, glandular margin, and vascularity on both real-time
      and static US. There was a positive correlation between US categories and
      histopathologic results in both real-time and static US. The highest diagnostic
      indices were obtained when the cutoff criteria of real-time and static US
      diagnoses were chosen as indeterminate and suspicious for DTD, respectively. The
      ROC curve analysis showed that real-time US was superior to static US in
      diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSION: Both real-time and static US may be helpful for
      the detection of incidental DTD, but real-time US is superior to static US for
      detecting incidental DTD.

PMID- 26121456
TI  - DAILY INPATIENT GLYCEMIC SURVEY (DINGS): A PROCESS TO REMOTELY IDENTIFY AND
      ASSIST IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS WITH DIABETES AND
      HYPERGLYCEMIA.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and glycemic variability have been
      associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and overall costs of care in
      hospitalized patients. At the Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, New York, a
      process aimed to improve inpatient glycemic control by remotely assisting primary
      care teams in the management of hyperglycemia and diabetes was designed. METHODS:
      An electronic query comprised of hospitalized patients with glucose values <70
      mg/dL or >350 mg/dL is generated daily. Electronic medical records (EMRs) are
      individually reviewed by diabetes specialist providers, and management
      recommendations are sent to primary care teams when applicable. Glucose data was
      retrospectively examined before and after the establishment of the daily
      inpatient glycemic survey (DINGS) process, and rates of hyperglycemia and
      hypoglycemia were compared. RESULTS: Patient-day mean glucose slightly but
      significantly decreased from 177.6 +/- 64.4 to 173.2 +/- 59.4 mg/dL (P<.001). The
      percentage of patient-days with any value >350 mg/dL also decreased from 9.69 to
      7.36% (P<.001), while the percentage of patient-days with mean glucose values in
      the range of 90 to 180 mg/dL increased from 58.1 to 61.4% (P<.001). Glycemic
      variability, assessed by the SD of glucose, significantly decreased from 53.9 to
      49.8 mg/dL (P<.001). Moreover, rates of hypoglycemia (<70 mg/dL) decreased
      significantly by 41% (P<.001). CONCLUSION: Quality metrics of inpatient glycemic
      control improved significantly after the establishment of the DINGS process
      within our facility. Prospective controlled studies are needed to confirm a
      causal association.

PMID- 26121457
TI  - HLA DQ2 HAPLOTYPE, EARLY ONSET OF GRAVES DISEASE, AND POSITIVE FAMILY HISTORY OF
      AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS ARE RISK FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING CELIAC DISEASE IN PATIENTS
      WITH GRAVES DISEASE.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of celiac disease (CD) in patients with different
      autoimmune diseases including Graves disease (GD) remains a challenge. The aims
      of our study were to: (1) assess the prevalence of CD in Polish patients with GD
      and (2) evaluate the prevalence of CD in the subgroups of patients with GD
      divided on the basis of clinical and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing
      criteria. METHODS: The prospective study was conducted at an academic referral
      center. The study groups consisted of consecutive, euthyroid patients with GD (n
      = 232) and healthy volunteers without autoimmune thyroid diseases (n = 122). The
      diagnosis of CD was based on elevated immunoglobulin A autoantibodies to the
      enzyme tissue transglutaminase (IgA-TTG) and small intestine biopsy findings.
      RESULTS: CD was diagnosed in 8 patients with GD (3.4%) and 1 healthy volunteer
      (0.8%). The development of CD in patients with GD was strongly associated with
      HLA-DQ2 haplotype (as predicted from linkage disequilibria, 14.6% vs. 1.5%, P =
      .009; odds ratio [OR] = 11.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-252.7): 6 patients
      with CD carried HLA-DRB1(*)03, 1 carried an HLA-DRB1(*)04 allele, and 1 had an
      HLA-DRB1(*)07/(*)11 genotype. Multivariate analysis showed independent
      associations between CD and early GD onset (P = .014, OR = 9.6), autoimmunity in
      family (P = .029, OR = 6.3) and gastroenterologic symptoms (P = .031, OR = 8.1).
      CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest that serologic screening for CD may
      be considered in GD patients (1) with the HLA alleles typical for CD, (2) with an
      early onset of GD, or (3) a family history of autoimmunity. Moreover, the
      diagnosis of CD should be explored in euthyroid GD patients with nonspecific
      gastrointestinal symptoms.

PMID- 26121458
TI  - Visual Vignette.

PMID- 26121459
TI  - HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER PERCUTANEOUS RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION OF
      COLD, SOLID, BENIGN THYROID NODULES: A 2-YEAR FOLLOW-UP STUDY IN 40 PATIENTS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We studied the impact of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) on health
      related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with benign thyroid nodules (TN) in a
      2-year follow-up. METHODS: Forty patients (35 women and 5 men; age, 54.9 +/- 14.3
      years) with cold thyroid solitary nodules or a dominant nodule within a
      normofunctioning multi-nodular goiter (volume range, 6.5 to 90.0 mL) underwent
      RFA of thyroid nodular tissue under ultrasound real-time assistance. RESULTS:
      Data are mean and standard deviation. Energy delivered was 37,154 +/- 18,092
      joules, with an output power of 37.4 +/- 8.8 watts. Two years after RFA, nodule
      volume decreased from 30.0 +/- 18.2 mL to 7.9 +/- 9.8 mL (-80.1 +/- 16.1% of
      initial volume; P<.0001). Thyroid-stimulating hormone, free triiodothyronine, and
      free thyroxine levels remained stable. Symptom score measured on a 0- to 10-cm
      visual analogue scale (VAS) declined from 5.6 +/- 3.1 cm to 1.9 +/- 1.3 cm
      (P<.0001). Cosmetic score (VAS 0-10 cm) declined from 5.7 +/- 3.2 cm to 1.9 +/-
      1.5 cm (P<.0001). Two patients became anti-thyroglobulin antibody-positive.
      Physical Component Summary (PCS)-12 improved from 50.4 +/- 8.9 to 54.5 +/- 5.3,
      and the Mental Component Summary (MCS)-12 improved from 36.0 +/- 13.3 to 50.3 +/-
      6.3 (P<.0001 for both score changes). CONCLUSION: Our 2-year follow-up study
      confirms that RFA of benign TNs is effective in reducing nodular volume and
      compressive and cosmetic symptoms, without causing thyroid dysfunction or life
      threatening complications. Our data indicate that the achievement of these
      secondary endpoints is associated with HRQL improvement, measured both as PCS and
      MCS.

PMID- 26121460
TI  - BASAL-BOLUS REGIMEN WITH INSULIN ANALOGUES VERSUS HUMAN INSULIN IN MEDICAL
      PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IN LATIN AMERICA.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Few randomized studies have focused on the optimal management of non
      intensive care unit patients with type 2 diabetes in Latin America. We compared
      the safety and efficacy of a basal-bolus regimen with analogues and human
      insulins in general medicine patients admitted to a University Hospital in
      Asuncion, Paraguay. METHODS: In a prospective, open-label trial, we randomized
      134 nonsurgical patients with blood glucose (BG) between 140 and 400 mg/dL to a
      basal-bolus regimen with glargine once daily and glulisine before meals (n = 66)
      or Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH) twice daily and regular insulin before meals
      (n = 68). Major outcomes included differences in daily BG levels and frequency of
      hypoglycemic events between treatment groups. RESULTS: There were no differences
      in the mean daily BG (157 +/- 37 mg/dL versus 158 +/- 44 mg/dL; P = .90) or in
      the number of BG readings within target <140 mg/dL before meals (76% versus 74%)
      between the glargine/glulisine and NPH/regular regimens. The mean insulin dose in
      the glargine/glulisine group was 0.76 +/- 0.3 units/kg/day (glargine, 22 +/- 9
      units/day; glulisine, 31 +/- 12 units/day) and was not different compared with
      NPH/regular group (0.75 +/- 0.3 units/kg/day [NPH, 28 +/- 12 units/day; regular,
      23 +/- 9 units/day]). The overall prevalence of hypoglycemia (<70 mg/dL) was
      similar between patients treated with NPH/regular and glargine/glulisine (38%
      versus 35%; P = .68), but more patients treated with human insulin had severe
      (<40 mg/dL) hypoglycemia (7.6% versus 25%; P = .08). There were no differences in
      length of hospital stay or mortality between groups. CONCLUSION: The basal-bolus
      regimen with insulin analogues resulted in equivalent glycemic control and
      frequency of hypoglycemia compared to treatment with human insulin in
      hospitalized patients with diabetes.

PMID- 26121461
TI  - HYPERGLYCEMIA AND HOSPITAL TRANSITIONS: STILL A LONG ROAD AHEAD.

PMID- 26121462
TI  - PITUITARY DYSFUNCTION IN DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY: MEDICAL AND ETHICAL CONCERNS.

PMID- 26121463
TI  - PHYSICIANS' SELF-PERCEPTIONS OF CARE FOR EMERGING ADULTS WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Establishing care with adult providers is essential for emerging
      adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) transitioning from pediatric care. Although
      research evaluating the transition from pediatric to adult care has been focused
      primarily on patients' perceptions, little is known about the adult providers'
      perspectives. We sought to ascertain adult providers' perspectives of caring for
      the medical and psychosocial needs of this patient population. METHODS: We
      developed and mailed a survey to 79 regional adult endocrinologists and 186
      primary care physicians (PCPs) identified through 2 regional insurance plans.
      Questions addressed perceived aptitude in clinical aspects of diabetes
      management, importance and availability of diabetes team members, and opinions
      regarding recommended transition methods. RESULTS: The response rate was 43% for
      endocrinologists and 13% for PCPs. Endocrinologists reported higher aptitude in
      insulin management (P<.01). PCPs reported greater aptitude in screening and
      treating depression (P<0.01). Although endocrinologists and PCPs did not differ
      in their views of the importance of care by a comprehensive team,
      endocrinologists reported better access to diabetes educators and dieticians than
      PCPs (P<.01). Recommended transition methods were described as useful.
      CONCLUSION: These preliminary results suggest that endocrinologists are better
      prepared to assume diabetes care of emerging adults, whereas PCPs may be better
      prepared to screen and treat associated depression. Future studies are needed to
      determine if a medical home model with cooperative management improves care for
      emerging adults with T1D.

PMID- 26121464
TI  - ABSENCE OF A THYROID PHENOTYPE IN SORTILIN-DEFICIENT MICE.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The Vps10p family member sortilin is expressed in thyroid epithelial
      cells where it contributes to recycling of the thyroid hormone precursor
      thyroglobulin (Tg), a process that is thought to render hormone release more
      effective. Here we investigated the functional impact of sortilin in the thyroid
      gland using sortilin-deficient mice. METHODS: We measured free T4, thyroid
      stimulating hormone (TSH) and Tg serum levels and studied thyroid morphology in
      14 sortilin-deficient (Sort1)(-/-)and 12 wildtype (WT) mice. RESULTS: Serum free
      T4 levels did not differ between Sort1(-/-)and WT females but were significantly
      lower in Sort1(-/-)males compared with WT (P = .0424). Neither serum TSH nor Tg
      levels differed between Sort1(-/-)and WT mice, regardless of sex. On the same
      line, no thyroid histology differences were observed. CONCLUSION: Our findings
      seem to exclude a role of sortilin in thyroid hormone secretion, although it is
      possible that the absence of sortilin may result in a thyroid phenotype if
      combined with other molecular defects of thyroid hormone synthesis and secretion
      or under iodine deficiency.

PMID- 26121466
TI  - Hydrologic-Process-Based Soil Texture Classifications for Improved Visualization
      of Landscape Function.
AB  - Soils lie at the interface between the atmosphere and the subsurface and are a
      key component that control ecosystem services, food production, and many other
      processes at the Earth's surface. There is a long-established convention for
      identifying and mapping soils by texture. These readily available, georeferenced
      soil maps and databases are used widely in environmental sciences. Here, we show
      that these traditional soil classifications can be inappropriate, contributing to
      bias and uncertainty in applications from slope stability to water resource
      management. We suggest a new approach to soil classification, with a detailed
      example from the science of hydrology. Hydrologic simulations based on common
      meteorological conditions were performed using HYDRUS-1D, spanning textures
      identified by the United States Department of Agriculture soil texture triangle.
      We consider these common conditions to be: drainage from saturation, infiltration
      onto a drained soil, and combined infiltration and drainage events. Using a k
      means clustering algorithm, we created soil classifications based on the modeled
      hydrologic responses of these soils. The hydrologic-process-based classifications
      were compared to those based on soil texture and a single hydraulic property, Ks.
      Differences in classifications based on hydrologic response versus soil texture
      demonstrate that traditional soil texture classification is a poor predictor of
      hydrologic response. We then developed a QGIS plugin to construct soil maps
      combining a classification with georeferenced soil data from the Natural Resource
      Conservation Service. The spatial patterns of hydrologic response were more
      immediately informative, much simpler, and less ambiguous, for use in
      applications ranging from trafficability to irrigation management to flood
      control. The ease with which hydrologic-process-based classifications can be
      made, along with the improved quantitative predictions of soil responses and
      visualization of landscape function, suggest that hydrologic-process-based
      classifications should be incorporated into environmental process models and can
      be used to define application-specific maps of hydrologic function. 

PMID- 26121465
TI  - Economic Evaluation alongside Multinational Studies: A Systematic Review of
      Empirical Studies.
AB  - PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: This study seeks to explore methods for conducting economic
      evaluations alongside multinational trials by conducting a systematic review of
      the methods used in practice and the challenges that are typically faced by the
      researchers who conducted the economic evaluations. METHODS: A review was
      conducted for the period 2002 to 2012, with potentially relevant articles
      identified by searching the Medline, Embase and NHS EED databases. Studies were
      included if they were full economic evaluations conducted alongside a
      multinational trial. RESULTS: A total of 44 studies out of a possible 2667 met
      the inclusion criteria. Methods used for the analyses varied between studies,
      indicating a lack of consensus on how economic evaluation alongside multinational
      studies should be carried out. The most common challenge appeared to be related
      to addressing differences between countries, which potentially hinders the
      generalisability and transferability of results. Other challenges reported
      included inadequate sample sizes and choosing cost-effectiveness thresholds.
      CONCLUSIONS: It is recommended that additional guidelines be developed to aid
      researchers in this area and that these be based on an understanding of the
      challenges associated with multinational trials and the strengths and limitations
      of alternative approaches. Guidelines should focus on ensuring that results will
      aid decision makers in their individual countries.

PMID- 26121467
TI  - Metal-organic framework-derived porous carbon polyhedra for highly efficient
      capacitive deionization.
AB  - Porous carbon polyhedra (PCP) were prepared through direct carbonization of
      zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 and used as an electrode material for capacitive
      deionization. The results show that PCP treated at 1200  degrees C exhibit the
      highest electrosorption capacity of 13.86 mg g(-1) when the initial NaCl
      concentration is 500 mg l(-1), due to their high accessible surface area and low
      charge transfer resistance. 

PMID- 26121468
TI  - Three-Dimensional Surface Parameters and Multi-Fractal Spectrum of Corroded
      Steel.
AB  - To study multi-fractal behavior of corroded steel surface, a range of fractal
      surfaces of corroded surfaces of Q235 steel were constructed by using the
      Weierstrass-Mandelbrot method under a high total accuracy. The multi-fractal
      spectrum of fractal surface of corroded steel was calculated to study the multi
      fractal characteristics of the W-M corroded surface. Based on the shape feature
      of the multi-fractal spectrum of corroded steel surface, the least squares method
      was applied to the quadratic fitting of the multi-fractal spectrum of corroded
      surface. The fitting function was quantitatively analyzed to simplify the
      calculation of multi-fractal characteristics of corroded surface. The results
      showed that the multi-fractal spectrum of corroded surface was fitted well with
      the method using quadratic curve fitting, and the evolution rules and trends were
      forecasted accurately. The findings can be applied to research on the mechanisms
      of corroded surface formation of steel and provide a new approach for the
      establishment of corrosion damage constitutive models of steel. 

PMID- 26121469
TI  - Research on the Effect of Electrical Signals on Growth of Sansevieria under Light
      Emitting Diode (LED) Lighting Environment.
AB  - The plant electrical signal has some features, e.g. weak, low-frequency and time
      varying. To detect changes in plant electrical signals, LED light source was used
      to create a controllable light environment in this study. The electrical signal
      data were collected from Sansevieria leaves under the different illumination
      conditions, and the data was analyzed in time domain, frequency domain and time
      frequency domain, respectively. These analyses are helpful to explore the
      relationship between changes in the light environment and electrical signals in
      Sansevieria leaves. The changes in the plant electrical signal reflected the
      changes in the intensity of photosynthesis. In this study, we proposed a new
      method to express plant photosynthetic intensity as a function of the electrical
      signal. That is, the plant electrical signal can be used to describe the state of
      plant growth. 

PMID- 26121470
TI  - t-Darpp Promotes Enhanced EGFR Activation and New Drug Synergies in Her2-Positive
      Breast Cancer Cells.
AB  - Trastuzumab has led to improved survival rates of HER2+ breast cancer patients.
      However, acquired resistance remains a problem in the majority of cases. t-Darpp
      is over-expressed in trastuzumab-resistant cell lines and its over-expression is
      sufficient for conferring the resistance phenotype. Although its mechanism of
      action is unknown, t-Darpp has been shown to increase cellular proliferation and
      inhibit apoptosis. We have reported that trastuzumab-resistant BT.HerR cells that
      over-express endogenous t-Darpp are sensitized to EGFR inhibition in the presence
      (but not the absence) of trastuzumab. The purpose of the current study was to
      determine if t-Darpp might modulate sensitivity to EGFR inhibitors in trastuzumab
      resistant cells. Using EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors AG1478, gefitinib and
      erlotinib, we found that trastuzumab-resistant SK.HerR cells were sensitized to
      EGFR inhibition, compared to SK-Br-3 controls, even in the absence of
      trastuzumab. t-Darpp knock-down in SK.HerR cells reversed their sensitivity to
      EGFR inhibition. Increased EGFR sensitivity was also noted in SK.tDp cells that
      stably over-express t-Darpp. High levels of synergy between trastuzumab and the
      EGFR inhibitors were observed in all cell lines with high t-Darpp expression.
      These cells also demonstrated more robust activation of EGFR signaling and showed
      greater EGFR stability than parental cells. The T75A phosphorylation mutant of t
      Darpp did not confer sensitivity to EGFR inhibition nor activation of EGFR
      signaling. The over-expression of t-Darpp might facilitate enhanced EGFR
      signaling as part of the trastuzumab resistance phenotype. This study suggests
      that the presence of t-Darpp in HER2+ cancers might predict the enhanced response
      to dual HER2/EGFR targeting. 

PMID- 26121471
TI  - Immunization with an ApoB-100 Related Peptide Vaccine Attenuates Angiotensin-II
      Induced Hypertension and Renal Fibrosis in Mice.
AB  - Recent studies suggest the potential involvement of CD8+ T cells in the
      pathogenesis of murine hypertension. We recently reported that immunization with
      apoB-100 related peptide, p210, modified CD8+ T cell function in angiotensin II
      (AngII)-infused apoE (-/-) mice. In this study, we hypothesized that p210 vaccine
      modulates blood pressure in AngII-infused apoE (-/-) mice. Male apoE (-/-) mice
      were immunized with p210 vaccine and compared to unimmunized controls. At 10
      weeks of age, mice were subcutaneously implanted with an osmotic pump which
      released AngII for 4 weeks. At 13 weeks of age, p210 immunized mice showed
      significantly lower blood pressure response to AngII compared to controls. CD8+ T
      cells from p210 immunized mice displayed a different phenotype compared to CD8+ T
      cells from unimmunized controls. Serum creatinine and urine albumin to creatinine
      ratio were significantly decreased in p210 immunized mice suggesting that p210
      vaccine had renal protective effect. At euthanasia, inflammatory genes IL-6, TNF
      alpha, and MCP-1 in renal tissue were down-regulated by p210 vaccine. Renal
      fibrosis and pro-fibrotic gene expression were also significantly reduced in p210
      immunized mice. To assess the role of CD8+ T cells in these beneficial effects of
      p210 vaccine, CD8+ T cells were depleted by CD8 depleting antibody in p210
      immunized mice. p210 immunized mice with CD8+ T cell depletion developed higher
      blood pressure compared to mice receiving isotype control. Depletion of CD8+ T
      cells also increased renal fibrotic gene expression compared to controls. We
      conclude that immunization with p210 vaccine attenuated AngII-induced
      hypertension and renal fibrosis. CD8+ T cells modulated by p210 vaccine could
      play an important role in the anti-hypertensive, anti-fibrotic and renal
      protective effect of p210 vaccine. 

PMID- 26121472
TI  - Upregulation of TMEM16A Protein in Bronchial Epithelial Cells by Bacterial
      Pyocyanin.
AB  - Induction of mucus hypersecretion in the airway epithelium by Th2 cytokines is
      associated with the expression of TMEM16A, a Ca2+-activated Cl- channel. We asked
      whether exposure of airway epithelial cells to bacterial components, a condition
      that mimics the highly infected environment occurring in cystic fibrosis (CF),
      also results in a similar response. In cultured human bronchial epithelial cells,
      treatment with pyocyanin or with a P. aeruginosa culture supernatant caused a
      significant increase in TMEM16A function. The Ca2+-dependent Cl- secretion,
      triggered by stimulation with UTP, was particularly enhanced by pyocyanin in
      cells from CF patients. Increased expression of TMEM16A protein and of MUC5AC
      mucin by bacterial components was demonstrated by immunofluorescence in CF and
      non-CF cells. We also investigated TMEM16A expression in human bronchi by
      immunocytochemistry. We found increased TMEM16A staining in the airways of CF
      patients. The strongest signal was observed in CF submucosal glands. Our results
      suggest that TMEM16A expression/function is upregulated in CF lung disease,
      possibly as a response towards the presence of bacteria in the airways. 

PMID- 26121473
TI  - De novo Transcriptome Assemblies of Rana (Lithobates) catesbeiana and Xenopus
      laevis Tadpole Livers for Comparative Genomics without Reference Genomes.
AB  - In this work we studied the liver transcriptomes of two frog species, the
      American bullfrog (Rana (Lithobates) catesbeiana) and the African clawed frog
      (Xenopus laevis). We used high throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data to
      assemble and annotate these transcriptomes, and compared how their baseline
      expression profiles change when tadpoles of the two species are exposed to
      thyroid hormone. We generated more than 1.5 billion RNA-seq reads in total for
      the two species under two conditions as treatment/control pairs. We de novo
      assembled these reads using Trans-ABySS to reconstruct reference transcriptomes,
      obtaining over 350,000 and 130,000 putative transcripts for R. catesbeiana and X.
      laevis, respectively. Using available genomics resources for X. laevis, we
      annotated over 97% of our X. laevis transcriptome contigs, demonstrating the
      utility and efficacy of our methodology. Leveraging this validated analysis
      pipeline, we also annotated the assembled R. catesbeiana transcriptome. We used
      the expression profiles of the annotated genes of the two species to examine the
      similarities and differences between the tadpole liver transcriptomes. We also
      compared the gene ontology terms of expressed genes to measure how the animals
      react to a challenge by thyroid hormone. Our study reports three main
      conclusions. First, de novo assembly of RNA-seq data is a powerful method for
      annotating and establishing transcriptomes of non-model organisms. Second, the
      liver transcriptomes of the two frog species, R. catesbeiana and X. laevis, show
      many common features, and the distribution of their gene ontology profiles are
      statistically indistinguishable. Third, although they broadly respond the same
      way to the presence of thyroid hormone in their environment, their
      receptor/signal transduction pathways display marked differences. 

PMID- 26121474
TI  - Visible Light Induces Melanogenesis in Human Skin through a Photoadaptive
      Response.
AB  - Visible light (400-700 nm) lies outside of the spectral range of what
      photobiologists define as deleterious radiation and as a result few studies have
      studied the effects of visible light range of wavelengths on skin. This oversight
      is important considering that during outdoors activities skin is exposed to the
      full solar spectrum, including visible light, and to multiple exposures at
      different times and doses. Although the contribution of the UV component of
      sunlight to skin damage has been established, few studies have examined the
      effects of non-UV solar radiation on skin physiology in terms of inflammation,
      and limited information is available regarding the role of visible light on
      pigmentation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of visible
      light on the pro-pigmentation pathways and melanin formation in skin. Exposure to
      visible light in ex-vivo and clinical studies demonstrated an induction of
      pigmentation in skin by visible light. Results showed that a single exposure to
      visible light induced very little pigmentation whereas multiple exposures with
      visible light resulted in darker and sustained pigmentation. These findings have
      potential implications on the management of photo-aggravated pigmentary
      disorders, the proper use of sunscreens, and the treatment of depigmented
      lesions. 

PMID- 26121475
TI  - What Explains Child Malnutrition of Indigenous People of Northeast India?
AB  - Household risk factors affecting child health, particularly malnutrition, are
      mainly basic amenities like drinking water, toilet facility, housing and fuel
      used for cooking. This paper considered the collective impact of basic amenities
      measured by an index specially constructed as the contextual factor of child
      malnutrition. The contextual factor operates at both the macro and micro levels
      namely the state level and the household level. The importance of local
      contextual factors is especially important when studying the nutritional status
      of children of indigenous people living in remote and inaccessible regions. This
      study has shown the contextual factors as potential factors of malnutrition among
      children in northeast India, which is home to the largest number of tribes in the
      country. In terms of macro level contextual factor it has been found that 8.9 per
      cent, 3.7 per cent and 3.6 per cent of children in high, medium and low risk
      households respectively, are severely wasted. Lower micro level household health
      risks, literate household heads, and scheduled tribe households have a negating
      effect on child malnutrition. Children who received colostrum feeding at the time
      of birth and those who were vaccinated against measles are also less subject to
      wasting compared to other children, and these differences are statistically
      significant. 

PMID- 26121476
TI  - Decoy Receptor 3 Improves Survival in Experimental Sepsis by Suppressing the
      Inflammatory Response and Lymphocyte Apoptosis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Unbalanced inflammatory response and lymphocyte apoptosis is associated
      with high mortality in septic patients. Decoy receptor 3 (DcR3), a member of the
      tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, is an anti-inflammatory and anti
      apoptotic factor. Recently, DcR3 expression was found to be increased in septic
      patients. This study evaluated the therapeutic effect and mechanisms of DcR3 on
      cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis in mice. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice
      were subjected to CLP-induced polymicrobial sepsis. DcR3 Fc was intravenously
      injected 30 min before and 6 h after CLP. Bacterial clearance, cytokine
      production, histology, lymphocyte apoptosis and survival were evaluated.
      Furthermore, we investigated the systemic effects of DcR3 in in vitro lymphocyte
      apoptosis regulation. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that DcR3 protein
      treatments significantly improved survival in septic mice (p <0.05). Treatment
      with DcR3 protein significantly reduced the inflammatory response and decreased
      lymphocyte apoptosis in the thymus and spleen. Histopathological findings of the
      lung and liver showed milder impairment after DcR3 administration. In vitro
      experiments showed that DcR3 Fc inhibited Fas-FasL mediated lymphocyte apoptosis.
      CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with the DcR3 protein protects mice from sepsis by
      suppressing the inflammatory response and lymphocyte apoptosis. DcR3 protein may
      be useful in treatment of sepsis.

PMID- 26121477
TI  - Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Induce Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Mediated
      Autophagic Cell Death via Mitochondria-Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane
      Disruption in Normal Lung Cells.
AB  - Nanomaterials are used in diverse fields including food, cosmetic, and medical
      industries. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NP) are widely used, but their
      effects on biological systems and mechanism of toxicity have not been elucidated
      fully. Here, we report the toxicological mechanism of TiO2-NP in cell organelles.
      Human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE14o-) were exposed to 50 and 100 MUg/mL
      TiO2-NP for 24 and 48 h. Our results showed that TiO2-NP induced endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) stress in the cells and disrupted the mitochondria-associated
      endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAMs) and calcium ion balance, thereby
      increasing autophagy. In contrast, an inhibitor of ER stress,
      tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), mitigated the cellular toxic response,
      suggesting that TiO2-NP promoted toxicity via ER stress. This novel mechanism of
      TiO2-NP toxicity in human bronchial epithelial cells suggests that further
      exhaustive research on the harmful effects of these nanoparticles in relevant
      organisms is needed for their safe application. 

PMID- 26121478
TI  - The Effect of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists on Weight Loss in Type 2
      Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Mixed Treatment Comparison Meta-Analysis.
AB  - AIMS: To determine the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists
      compared with placebo and other anti-diabetic agents on weight loss in overweight
      or obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Electronic searches
      were conducted for randomised controlled trials that compared a glucagon-like
      peptide-1 receptor agonist therapy at a clinically relevant dose with a
      comparator treatment (other type 2 diabetes treatment or placebo) in adults with
      type 2 diabetes and a mean body mass index >= 25 kg/m2. Pair-wise meta-analyses
      and mixed treatment comparisons were conducted to examine the difference in
      weight change at six months between the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists
      and each comparator. RESULTS: In the mixed treatment comparison (27 trials), the
      glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists were the most successful in terms of
      weight loss; exenatide 2 mg/week: -1.62 kg (95% CrI: -2.95 kg, -0.30 kg),
      exenatide 20 MUg: -1.37 kg (95% CI: -222 kg, -0.52 kg), liraglutide 1.2 mg: -1.01
      kg (95%CrI: -2.41 kg, 0.38 kg) and liraglutide 1.8 mg: -1.51 kg (95% CI: -2.67
      kg, -0.37 kg) compared with placebo. There were no differences between the GLP-1
      receptor agonists in terms of weight loss. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides
      evidence that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist therapies are associated
      with weight loss in overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes with no
      difference in weight loss seen between the different types of GLP-1 receptor
      agonists assessed.

PMID- 26121479
TI  - Warming-Induced Decline of Picea crassifolia Growth in the Qilian Mountains in
      Recent Decades.
AB  - Warming-induced drought has widely affected forest dynamics in most places of the
      northern hemisphere. In this study, we assessed how climate warming has affected
      Picea crassifolia (Qinghai spruce) forests using tree growth-climate
      relationships and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) along the
      Qilian Mountains, northeastern Tibet Plateau (the main range of Picea
      crassifolia). Based on the analysis on trees radial growth data from the upper
      tree line and the regional NDVI data, we identified a pervasive growth decline in
      recent decades, most likely caused by warming-induced droughts. The drought
      stress on Picea crassifolia radial growth were expanding from northeast to
      southwest and the favorable moisture conditions for tree growth were retreating
      along the identical direction in the study area over the last half century.
      Compared to the historical drought stress on tree radial growth in the 1920s,
      recent warming-induced droughts display a longer-lasting stress with a broader
      spatial distribution on regional forest growth. If the recent warming continues
      without the effective moisture increasing, then a notable challenge is developed
      for Picea crassifolia in the Qilian Mountains. Elaborate forest management is
      necessary to counteract the future risk of climate change effects in this region.

PMID- 26121480
TI  - A Comparison of Entecavir and Lamivudine for the Prophylaxis of Hepatitis B Virus
      Reactivation in Solid Tumor Patients Undergoing Systemic Cytotoxic Chemotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nucleos(t)ide analogues reduce the incidence of hepatitis B virus
      (HBV) reactivation in cancer patients undergoing systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy
      but the experience of solid tumors remains limited. Aims. The aim of this study
      was to compare the efficacy of entecavir and lamivudine in the prophylaxis of HBV
      reactivation in solid tumor patients undergoing systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy.
      METHODS: HBsAg seropositive patients undergoing systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy
      for solid tumors with prophylactic entecavir and lamivudine between January 2006
      and June 2013 were retrospectively investigated. The incidence of HBV
      reactivation and outcome of the patients were analyzed. The risk factors of HBV
      reactivation were examined. RESULTS: A total of 213 patients (entecavir group, 70
      patients; lamivudine group, 143 patients) were evaluated. Less incidence of HBV
      reactivation was noticed in entecavir group than in lamivudine group (0% vs.
      7.0%, P = 0.02). No HBV reactivation was noticed in the patients with a baseline
      HBV DNA level < 2000 IU/mL. A baseline HBV DNA level >= 2000 IU/mL, HBeAg, and
      lamivudine were significantly associated with HBV reactivation. Subgroup analysis
      of the patients with a baseline HBV DNA level >= 2000 IU/mL found that lamivudine
      was significantly associated with HBV reactivation. Most of the reactivation
      events were properly managed by using tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. The
      incidence of hepatitis during chemotherapy and disruption of chemotherapy was
      similar between patients using entecavir and lamivudine with a baseline HBV DNA
      level >= or < 2000 IU/mL. CONCLUSIONS: A baseline HBV DNA level >= 2000 IU/mL,
      HBeAg, and lamivudine were the risk factors of HBV reactivation during systemic
      cytotoxic chemotherapy in solid tumor patients. Entecavir was superior to
      lamivudine in terms of less incidence of reactivation in the patients with a
      baseline HBV DNA level >= 2000 IU/mL. Both agents were equally efficacious in the
      patients with HBV DNA levels < 2000 IU/mL.

PMID- 26121481
TI  - Discovery of Highly Isoform Selective Thiazolopiperidine Inhibitors of
      Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase gamma.
AB  - A series of high affinity second-generation thiazolopiperidine inhibitors of
      PI3Kgamma were designed based on some general observations around lipid kinase
      structure. Optimization of the alkylimidazole group led to inhibitors with higher
      levels of PI3Kgamma selectivity. Additional insights into PI3K isoform
      selectivity related to sequence differences in a known distal hydrophobic pocket
      are also described. 

PMID- 26121482
TI  - Correction: A Maize Jasmonate Zim-Domain Protein, ZmJAZ14, Associates with the
      JA, ABA, and GA Signaling Pathways in Transgenic Arabidopsis.

PMID- 26121483
TI  - Correction: EGCG Enhances Cisplatin Sensitivity by Regulating Expression of the
      Copper and Cisplatin Influx Transporter CTR1 in Ovary Cancer.

PMID- 26121484
TI  - Assessment of Hemostasis after Plasma Exchange Using Rotational Thrombelastometry
      (ROTEM).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE)-based protocols immediately before
      cadaveric donor kidney transplantation have been extensively used in highly
      sensitized recipients. Plasma is generally preferred over human albumin as
      replacement fluid to avoid depletion of coagulation factors and perioperative
      bleeding. The aim of this study was to estimate bleeding risk after TPE replaced
      with albumin using rotational thromboelastography (ROTEM). METHODOLOGY: Ten
      patients without overt coagulation abnormalities underwent TPE. Standard
      laboratory coagulation tests (thromboplastin time, activated partial
      thromboplastin time (aPTT), international normalized ratio (INR), thrombin
      clotting time, fibrinogen levels and antithrombin activity) were compared with
      thrombelastometry analysis (EXTEM and INTEM tests) before and after TPE.
      PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: TPE significantly reduced fibrinogen levels (482 +/- 182 vs.
      223 +/- 122 mg/dL), antithrombin activity (103 +/- 11 vs. 54 +/- 11 %), and
      prolonged aPTT (28 +/- 3 vs. 45 +/- 8 s), thromboplastin time (108 +/- 11 vs. 68
      +/- 11 %), INR (0.95 +/- 0.06 vs. 1.25 +/- 0.16), and thrombin clotting time (18
      +/- 2 vs. 20 +/- 3 s). INTEM and EXTEM analyses revealed significantly prolonged
      clot-formation time and reduced maximum clot firmness. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:
      TPE replaced with albumin induces significant changes in global hemostasis
      parameters thus potentially increasing bleeding risk. Therefore, pretransplant
      TPE should be considered carefully in indicated patients before kidney
      transplantation. The role of the ROTEM point-of-care test to estimate the risk of
      bleeding in renal transplantation needs to be evaluated in further studies.

PMID- 26121485
TI  - Mammography Screening in a Large Health System Following the U.S. Preventive
      Services Task Force Recommendations and the Affordable Care Act.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Practice recommendations for mammography screening were issued by the
      U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in 2009 and expansion of insurance coverage
      was provided under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act soon
      thereafter, yet the influence of these changes on screening practices in the
      United States is not known. METHODS: To determine changes in mammography
      screening and their associations with new practice recommendations and the
      Affordable Care Act, we examined patient-level data from 249,803 screening
      mammograms from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2012 in a large community
      based health system in the northwestern United States. Associations were
      determined by an intervention analysis of time-series data method. RESULTS: Among
      women screened, 64% were age 50-74 years; 84% self-identified as white race; 62%
      had commercial insurance; and 70% were seen in facilities located in metropolitan
      areas. Practice recommendations were associated with decreased screening volumes
      among women age <40 (-37.4 mammograms/month; -39.4% change; P<0.001), 40-49 (
      106.0 mammograms/month; -11.2% change; P<0.001), and >=75 (-54.7
      mammograms/month; -10.0% change; P<0.001), but not women age 50-74.
      Implementation of the Affordable Care Act was associated with increased screening
      among women age 50-74 (+184.3 mammograms/month; +7.2% change; P=0.001), but not
      women <40 or >=75; increases for age 40-49 were of borderline statistical
      significance (+56.9 mammograms/month; +6% change; P=0.06). Practice
      recommendations were also associated with decreased screening for women with
      commercial insurance, while the Affordable Care Act was associated with increased
      screening for women with Medicare, Medicaid, or other noncommercial sources of
      payment. CONCLUSIONS: Mammography screening volumes in a large community health
      system decreased among women age <50 and >=75 in association with new U.S.
      Preventive Services Task Force practice recommendations, while insurance coverage
      changes under the Affordable Care Act were associated with increased screening
      volumes among women age 50-74.

PMID- 26121486
TI  - Diabetes Mellitus and the Risk of Depressive and Anxiety Disorders in Australian
      Women: A Longitudinal Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Longitudinal studies examining the risk of depressive and anxiety
      disorders associated with diabetes are limited. This study examined the
      association between diabetes and the risk of depressive and anxiety disorders in
      Australian women using longitudinal data. METHODS: Data were from a sample of
      women who were part of an Australian pregnancy and birth cohort study. Data
      comprised self-reported diabetes mellitus and the subsequent reporting of
      depressive and anxiety disorders. Mood disorders were assessed according to the
      Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, obtained
      from participants using Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI)-Auto
      (WHO WMH-CIDI CAPI, version 21.1.3). Multiple regression models with adjustment
      for important covariates were used. RESULTS: Women with diabetes had a higher
      lifetime prevalence of any depressive and/or anxiety disorder than women without
      diabetes. About 3 in 10 women with diabetes experienced a lifetime event of any
      depressive disorder, while 1 in 2 women with diabetes experienced a lifetime
      event of any anxiety disorder. In prospective analyses, diabetes was only
      significantly associated with a 30-day episode of any anxiety disorder (odds
      ratio [OR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-2.15). In the case of lifetime
      disorders, diabetes was significantly associated with any depressive disorder (OR
      1.37, 95% CI 1.03-1.84), major depressive disorder (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.01-1.85),
      and posttraumatic stress disorder (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.01-2.02). CONCLUSIONS: The
      findings suggest that the presence of diabetes is a significant risk factor for
      women experiencing current anxiety disorders. However, in the case of depression,
      the association with diabetes only held for women who had experienced past
      episodes, there was no association with current depression. This suggests that
      the evidence is not strong enough to support a direct effect of diabetes as a
      cause of mood disorders.

PMID- 26121487
TI  - Graphene Near-Degenerate Four-Wave Mixing for Phase Characterization of Broadband
      Pulses in Ultrafast Microscopy.
AB  - We investigate near-degenerate four-wave mixing in graphene using femtosecond
      laser pulse shaping microscopy. Intense near-degenerate four-wave mixing signals
      on either side of the exciting laser spectrum are controlled by amplitude and
      phase shaping. Quantitative signal modeling for the input pulse parameters shows
      a spectrally flat phase response of the near-degenerate four-wave mixing due to
      the linear dispersion of the massless Dirac Fermions in graphene. Exploiting
      these properties we demonstrate that graphene is uniquely suited for the
      intrafocus phase characterization and compression of broadband laser pulses,
      circumventing disadvantages of common methods utilizing second or third harmonic
      light. 

PMID- 26121488
TI  - Mitochondrial dysfunction and Parkinson disease: a Parkin-AMPK alliance in
      neuroprotection.
AB  - Although a subject of intense research, the etiology of Parkinson disease (PD)
      remains poorly understood. However, a wide range of studies conducted over the
      past few decades have collectively implicated aberrant mitochondrial homeostasis
      as a key contributor to the development of PD. Particularly strong support for
      this came from the recent demonstration that parkin, a familial PD-linked gene,
      is a critical regulator of mitochondrial quality control. Indeed, Parkin appears
      to be involved in all stages of the mitochondrial life cycle (i.e., from
      biogenesis to its exit from the cell (via mitophagy). Interestingly, the role of
      Parkin in the biogenesis and clearance of mitochondria is akin to that performed
      by the energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), suggesting that the two
      proteins might act in a functionally converging manner to maintain the quality of
      cellular mitochondria. In this review, we discuss the contribution of
      mitochondrial dysfunction to PD pathogenesis and the role of Parkin and AMPK in
      preserving neuronal mitochondrial homeostasis. Alongside this, we will also
      articulate our thoughts on the potential alliance between Parkin and AMPK in
      offering neuroprotection through their ability to maintain energy balance in the
      brain. 

PMID- 26121489
TI  - The immunomodulatory properties of adult skin-derived precursor Schwann cells:
      implications for peripheral nerve injury therapy.
AB  - Skin-derived precursor Schwann cell (SKPSC) therapy has been identified as a
      potentially beneficial treatment for peripheral nerve injuries. One hypothesised
      mechanism by which SKPSCs enhance recovery is via the modulation of macrophages.
      In the present study, we investigated the immunomodulatory properties of adult
      rat SKPSCs, and demonstrated that these cells expressed a battery of cytokines,
      including interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin (IL)-1beta, and, most
      abundantly, IL-6. Whereas macrophages exposed to depleted or fibroblast
      conditioned medium secreted minimal amounts of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF
      alpha), in the presence of SKPSC-conditioned medium, macrophages secreted > 500
      pg/mL TNF-alpha. Following the transplantation of SKPSCs into injured rat sciatic
      nerves, we observed an SKPSC density-dependent increase in the number of
      macrophages (Pearson's r = 0.66) and an SKPSC density-dependent decrease in
      myelin debris (Pearson's r = -0.68). To determine the effect of IL-6 in a
      proinflammatory context, macrophage cultures were primed with either
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/IFN-gamma/IL-1beta or LPS/IFN-gamma/IL-1beta + IL-6, and
      this showed a 212% and 301% increase in the number of inducible nitric oxide
      synthase (iNOS)-positive proinflammatory macrophages respectively. In contrast to
      neurons exposed to conditioned medium from unprimed macrophages, neurons treated
      with conditioned medium from proinflammatory-primed macrophages showed a 13-26%
      reduction in neurite outgrowth. Anti-IL-6 antibody combined with SKPSC transplant
      therapy following nerve injury did not alter macrophage numbers or debris
      clearance, but instead reduced iNOS expression as compared with SKPSC + IgG
      treated rats. SKPSC + anti-IL-6 treatment also resulted in a two-fold increase in
      gastrocnemius compound muscle action potential amplitudes as compared with SKPSC
      + IgG treatment. Understanding the mechanisms underlying immunomodulatory aspects
      of SKPSC therapy and developing approaches to manipulate these responses are
      important for advancing Schwann cell-based therapies.

PMID- 26121490
TI  - A molecular biomarker to diagnose community-acquired pneumonia on intensive care
      unit admission.
AB  - RATIONALE: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) accounts for a major proportion of
      intensive care unit (ICU) admissions for respiratory failure and sepsis.
      Diagnostic uncertainty complicates case management, which may delay appropriate
      cause-specific treatment. OBJECTIVES: To characterize the blood genomic response
      in patients with suspected CAP and identify a candidate biomarker for the rapid
      diagnosis of CAP on ICU admission. METHODS: The study comprised two cohorts of
      consecutively enrolled patients treated for suspected CAP on ICU admission.
      Patients were designated CAP (cases) and no-CAP patients (control subjects) by
      post hoc assessment. The first (discovery) cohort (101 CAP and 33 no-CAP
      patients) was enrolled between January 2011 and July 2012; the second
      (validation) cohort (70 CAP and 30 no-CAP patients) between July 2012 and June
      2013. Blood was collected within 24 hours of ICU admission. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
      RESULTS: Blood microarray analysis of CAP and no-CAP patients revealed shared and
      distinct gene expression patterns. A 78-gene signature was defined for CAP, from
      which a FAIM3:PLAC8 gene expression ratio was derived with area under curve of
      0.845 (95% confidence interval, 0.764-0.917) and positive and negative predictive
      values of 83% and 81%, respectively. Robustness of the FAIM3:PLAC8 ratio was
      ascertained by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in the validation cohort.
      The FAIM3:PLAC8 ratio outperformed plasma procalcitonin and IL-8 and IL-6 in
      discriminating between CAP and no-CAP patients. CONCLUSIONS: CAP and no-CAP
      patients presented shared and distinct blood genomic responses. We propose the
      FAIM3:PLAC8 ratio as a candidate biomarker to assist in the rapid diagnosis of
      CAP on ICU admission. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT
      01905033).

PMID- 26121491
TI  - HIV-1 Genetic Diversity and Its Impact on Baseline CD4+T Cells and Viral Loads
      among Recently Infected Men Who Have Sex with Men in Shanghai, China.
AB  - The HIV-1 epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) has been spreading
      throughout China. Shanghai, a central gathering place for MSM, is facing a
      continuously increasing incidence of HIV-1 infection. In order to better
      understand the dynamics of HIV-1 diversity and its influence on patient's immune
      status at baseline on diagnosis, 1265 newly HIV-1-infected MSM collected from
      January 2009 to December 2013 in Shanghai were retrospectively analyzed for
      genetic subtyping, CD4+T cell counts, and viral loads. HIV-1 phylogenetic
      analysis revealed a broad viral diversity including CRF01_AE (62.13%), CRF07_BC
      (24.51%), subtype B (8.06%), CRF55_01B (3.24%), CER67_01B (0.95%), CRF68_01B
      (0.4%), CRF08_BC (0.08%) and CRF59_01B (0.08%). Twenty-four unique recombination
      forms (URFs) (1.98%) were identified as well. Bayesian inference analysis
      indicated that the introduction of CRF01_AE strain (1997) was earlier than
      CRF07_BC strain (2001) into MSM population in Shanghai based on the time of the
      most recent common ancestor (tMRCA). Three epidemic clusters and five sub
      clusters were found in CRF01_AE. Significantly lower CD4+T cell count was found
      in individuals infected with CRF01_AE than in those infected with CRF07_BC
      infection (P<0.01), whereas viral load was significantly higher those infected
      with CRF01_AE than with CRF07_BC (P<0.01). In addition, the patients with >45
      years of age were found to have lower CD4+T cell counts and higher viral loads
      than the patients with <25 years of age (P<0.05). This study reveals the presence
      of HIV-1 subtype diversity in Shanghai and its remarkable influence on clinical
      outcome. A real-time surveillance of HIV-1 viral diversity and phylodynamics of
      epidemic cluster, patient's baseline CD4+T cell count and viral load would be of
      great value to monitoring of disease progression, intervention for transmission,
      improvement of antiretroviral therapy strategy and design of vaccines. 

PMID- 26121492
TI  - Single Exposure to near Roadway Particulate Matter Leads to Confined Inflammatory
      and Defense Responses: Possible Role of Metals.
AB  - Inhalation of traffic-associated atmospheric particulate matter (PM2.5) is
      recognized as a significant health risk. In this study, we focused on a single
      ("subclinical response") exposure to water-soluble extracts from PM collected at
      a roadside site in a major European city to elucidate potential components that
      drive pulmonary inflammatory, oxidative, and defense mechanisms and their
      systemic impacts. Intratracheal instillation (IT) of the aqueous extracts induced
      a 24 h inflammatory response characterized by increased broncho-alveolar lavage
      fluid (BALF) cells and cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-alpha), increased reactive oxygen
      species production, but insignificant lipids and proteins oxidation adducts in
      mouse lungs. This local response was largely self-resolved by 48 h, suggesting
      that it could represent a subclinical response to everyday-level exposure.
      Removal of soluble metals by chelation markedly diminished the pulmonary PM
      mediated response. An artificial metal solution (MS) recapitulated the PM extract
      response. The self-resolving nature of the response is associated with activating
      defense mechanisms (increased levels of catalase and glutathione peroxidase
      expression), observed with both PM extract and MS. In conclusion, metals present
      in PM collected near roadways are largely responsible for the observed transient
      local pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress. Simultaneous activation of the
      antioxidant defense response may protect against oxidative damage. 

PMID- 26121494
TI  - Prognostic importance of weight change on short-term functional outcome in acute
      ischemic stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Controversy exists regarding the question of whether weight change
      decreases or increases the risk of mortality. AIM: The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the prognostic importance of weight change on short-term outcomes in
      acute ischemic stroke patients. METHODS: A total of 654 patients with acute
      ischemic stroke were enrolled in this study from March 2010 to May 2013. We
      assessed the weight change of each participant between admission and discharge
      from the Department of Neurology. Weight change was defined as change >=0.05
      kg/baseline body mass index unit. We evaluated the short-term outcomes using a
      modified Rankin Scale at three-months after the onset of a stroke. RESULTS: Among
      the 654 patients, 35.2% were included in the weight-change group. Weight loss
      occurred in 24.6% of the participants during the hospital stay following the
      stroke, which lasted an average of nine-days. Compared with the weight-stable
      group, the pronounced weight-loss group had a higher risk of unfavorable outcomes
      (odds ratio 2.43; 95% confidence interval 1.12-5.25). CONCLUSIONS: Short-term
      weight loss after stroke appears to be more common than we expected, and our
      results suggest that it is associated with unfavorable functional outcomes.
      Therefore, clinical nutrition should be considered as a component of medical
      treatment and weight loss should be monitored as an indicator of malnutrition.

PMID- 26121495
TI  - Extinction learning as a moderator of d-cycloserine efficacy for enhancing
      exposure therapy in posttraumatic stress disorder.
AB  - Augmentation of exposure therapy with d-cycloserine (DCS) has proven efficacious
      across anxiety disorders, although results in PTSD have been mixed. Work in
      animals and anxiety-disordered patients suggest that the potentiating effects of
      DCS are dependent on the level of extinction learning during extinction training
      and exposure treatment, respectively. The aim of the current study was to
      replicate and extend previous work by examining the association between the
      degree of extinction learning and DCS efficacy in our randomized clinical trial
      on DCS (50 mg) versus placebo enhancement of exposure therapy in a chronic mixed
      trauma PTSD sample (N=67; de Kleine, Hendriks, Kusters, Broekman, & van Minnen,
      2012). The decline in subjective units of distress ratings collected during and
      across the exposure sessions were evaluated as indices of extinction learning.
      First, we examined whether extinction learning during an exposure session
      moderated DCS effects on self-reported PTSD symptoms at the next session. Second,
      we examined whether averaged extinction learning over the course of treatment
      interacted with group assignment to predict change over time and post treatment
      outcome. We did not find evidence that DCS effects were moderated by the degree
      of extinction learning, although, extinction learning was related to outcome
      regardless of group assignment. In PTSD, not one extinction-learning index has
      been consistently linked to DCS enhanced exposure treatment outcome. More
      (experimental) work needs to been done to unravel the complex interplay between
      extinction learning and DCS enhancement, especially in PTSD patients.

PMID- 26121493
TI  - Inhibition of the Inositol Kinase Itpkb Augments Calcium Signaling in Lymphocytes
      and Reveals a Novel Strategy to Treat Autoimmune Disease.
AB  - Emerging approaches to treat immune disorders target positive regulatory kinases
      downstream of antigen receptors with small molecule inhibitors. Here we provide
      evidence for an alternative approach in which inhibition of the negative
      regulatory inositol kinase Itpkb in mature T lymphocytes results in enhanced
      intracellular calcium levels following antigen receptor activation leading to T
      cell death. Using Itpkb conditional knockout mice and LMW Itpkb inhibitors these
      studies reveal that Itpkb through its product IP4 inhibits the Orai1/Stim1
      calcium channel on lymphocytes. Pharmacological inhibition or genetic deletion of
      Itpkb results in elevated intracellular Ca2+ and induction of FasL and Bim
      resulting in T cell apoptosis. Deletion of Itpkb or treatment with Itpkb
      inhibitors blocks T-cell dependent antibody responses in vivo and prevents T cell
      driven arthritis in rats. These data identify Itpkb as an essential mediator of T
      cell activation and suggest Itpkb inhibition as a novel approach to treat
      autoimmune disease. 

PMID- 26121496
TI  - Anxiety sensitivity and post-traumatic stress reactions: Evidence for intrusions
      and physiological arousal as mediating and moderating mechanisms.
AB  - A growing body of research has implicated anxiety sensitivity (AS) and its
      dimensions in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However,
      the mechanism(s) that may account for the association between AS and PTSD remains
      unclear. Using the "trauma film paradigm," which provides a prospective
      experimental tool for investigating analog intrusion development, the present
      study examines the extent to which intrusions mediate the association between AS
      and the development of posttraumatic stress reactions. After completing a measure
      of AS and state mood, unselected participants (n = 45) viewed a 10 min film of
      graphic scenes of fatal traffic accidents and then completed a second assessment
      of state mood. Participants then kept a daily diary to record intrusions about
      the film for a one-week period. Post-traumatic stress reactions about the film
      were then assessed after the one-week period. The results showed that general AS
      and physical and cognitive concerns AS predicted greater post-traumatic stress
      reactions about the film a week later. Furthermore, the number of intrusions the
      day after viewing the traumatic film, but not fear and disgust in response to the
      trauma film, mediated the association between general AS (and AS specifically for
      physical and cognitive concerns) and post-traumatic stress reactions a week
      later. Subsequent analysis also showed that physiological arousal during initial
      exposure to the traumatic film moderated the association between general AS and
      the number of intrusions reported the day after viewing the film. The
      implications of these analog findings for conceptualizing the mechanism(s) that
      may interact to explain the role of AS in the development of PTSD and its
      effective treatment are discussed.

PMID- 26121497
TI  - Fast perception of binocular disparity.
AB  - Is depth perception from binocular disparities-stereopsis-slow or fast? Many of
      the temporal properties of stereopsis are known. For example, rapidly changing
      disparities are perceptually difficult to track, which suggests that stereopsis
      is generally slow. But, remarkably, this basic question has not yet been
      addressed. We compared speed-accuracy trade-off functions between 2 forced-choice
      discriminations: 1 based on stereoscopic depth and 1 based on luminance.
      Unexpectedly, both speed-accuracy trade-off functions deviated from chance levels
      of accuracy at the same response time-approximately 200 ms-with stereo accuracy
      increasing, on average, more slowly than luminance accuracy after this initial
      delay. Thus, the initial processing of disparity for perceived depth took no
      longer than the initial processing of luminance for perceived brightness. This
      finding, that binocular disparities are available early during visual processing,
      means that depth is perceived quickly, and, intriguingly, that disparities may be
      more important for everyday visual function than previously thought.

PMID- 26121498
TI  - The attentional cost of receiving a cell phone notification.
AB  - It is well documented that interacting with a mobile phone is associated with
      poorer performance on concurrently performed tasks because limited attentional
      resources must be shared between tasks. However, mobile phones generate auditory
      or tactile notifications to alert users of incoming calls and messages. Although
      these notifications are generally short in duration, they can prompt task
      irrelevant thoughts, or mind wandering, which has been shown to damage task
      performance. We found that cellular phone notifications alone significantly
      disrupted performance on an attention-demanding task, even when participants did
      not directly interact with a mobile device during the task. The magnitude of
      observed distraction effects was comparable in magnitude to those seen when users
      actively used a mobile phone, either for voice calls or text messaging.

PMID- 26121499
TI  - A deficit perceiving slow motion after brain damage and a parallel deficit
      induced by crowding.
AB  - Motion perception is known to involve at least 2 kinds of mechanisms-lower level
      signal detectors and higher level algorithms for comparing object positions over
      time. When stimulus motion is modal (continuously visible), it is generally
      assumed that processing via lower level mechanisms is sufficient to make accurate
      motion judgments. We investigated the possibility that higher level mechanisms
      may also be involved in the processing of slow motion, even when it is smooth and
      continuous. This possibility was suggested by results from a brain-damaged
      patient, JKI, who showed left visual field deficits in both the explicit
      representation of object position and judgments concerning the direction of slow,
      but not fast, smooth motion. We investigated the possibility further by using
      crowding to induce a behaviorally similar motion-perception deficit in healthy
      observers. Crowding, which is known to impair object-position representation,
      impaired direction judgments for slow, but not for faster, smooth motion. The
      results suggest an everyday role for higher level mechanisms in the perception of
      slow motion, and they reinforce the taxonomy of motion perception in terms of
      underlying processing mechanisms as opposed to stimulus properties.

PMID- 26121500
TI  - Syntactic processing in the absence of awareness and semantics.
AB  - The classical view that multistep rule-based operations require consciousness has
      recently been challenged by findings that both multiword semantic processing and
      multistep arithmetic equations can be processed unconsciously. It remains
      unclear, however, whether pure rule-based cognitive processes can occur
      unconsciously in the absence of semantics. Here, after presenting 2 words
      consciously, we suppressed the third with continuous flash suppression. First, we
      showed that the third word in the subject-verb-verb format (syntactically
      incongruent) broke suppression significantly faster than the third word in the
      subject-verb-object format (syntactically congruent). Crucially, the same effect
      was observed even with sentences composed of pseudowords (pseudo subject-verb
      adjective vs. pseudo subject-verb-object) without any semantic information. This
      is the first study to show that syntactic congruency can be processed
      unconsciously in the complete absence of semantics. Our findings illustrate how
      abstract rule-based processing (e.g., syntactic categories) can occur in the
      absence of visual awareness, even when deprived of semantics.

PMID- 26121501
TI  - ZnxGe1-xO 3D micronano structures with excellent performance as anode material in
      lithium ion battery.
AB  - As anode material used in power storage device, lithium ion battery (LIB) for
      example, ZnO has not been recognized as a promising candidate, although which
      shows advantages like environmental benign, low cost, and large reservation.
      Several problems, such as volume expansion, pulverization, and active substance
      detachment because of the particular lithiation kinetics, which result in very
      high irreversible capacity and following fading, can account for the present
      situation. Here in this work, we report the self-assembly of ZnxGe1-xO three
      dimensional (3D) micronano structures and achieve enormous improvement on both
      recyclability and rate performance. After the 100th cycle, the capacity remains
      ~690 mAh/g at the rate of 100 and ~510 mA/g at the rate of 500 mAh/g. The
      capacity recovered rapidly even the rates alternating repeatedly between 50 mA/g
      and 3.5A/g. Ex situ observation reveals that substance detachment and
      nanoparticle agglomeration were avoided, benefiting from the firm 3D space
      configuration. As the Li(+) insertion, the 3D architectures fracture
      hierarchically with releasing the volume-expansion produced strain. Stable and
      smooth Li(+)/electrons path would form in these nanoparticles integrated
      microfragments, which act as the working unit free of further detachment. These
      facts demonstrate that ZnO based anode materials are anticipant to be good
      candidate in LIB device through rational design of advanced mirco-nano structures
      without introduction of carbon coating. 

PMID- 26121502
TI  - Revisiting the analysis of impedance data for double layer capacitance.
AB  - A method was developed to extract double layer capacitance (C(dl)) from data
      displaying time constant dispersion at a frequency where the phase angle reached
      its maximum (f1). This method was implemented in a set of synthetic data and the
      Kramers-Kronig (K-K) transformable experimental data for mild steel in an acidic
      solution. The double layer capacitance values were compared with ones extracted
      from the constant phase element (CPE) parameters, Y(o) and alpha, at a frequency
      where the imaginary part of the impedance reached its maximum (f2). A significant
      closeness of the results was reached for two different frequencies.

PMID- 26121503
TI  - Vietnam Veterans--Thank Them for Their Service.

PMID- 26121505
TI  - Caring for Vietnam Veterans.
AB  - Veterans of the Vietnam era are now the largest group of United States Veterans,
      and are at or approaching Social Security and Medicare eligibility. As a result,
      it is likely that home care clinicians will be caring for many patients who are
      Vietnam Veterans. The purpose of this article is to increase awareness of the
      unique healthcare needs of Vietnam Veterans. Having an understanding of military
      and Veteran culture can help inform home healthcare clinicians in ways to manage
      the unique healthcare needs of Veterans and engage previously learned behaviors
      and attitudes from military service. In addition, knowing the types of exposures
      and health risks specific to this era could be beneficial in identifying
      potential problems that may have not yet been addressed. 

PMID- 26121507
TI  - Best Practices for Managing Medical Equipment and Supplies Stored in a Vehicle.
AB  - Home care clinicians often have to transport supplies to patients' homes, and
      remove and transport items from the home after care is provided. This article
      will provide guidelines and best practices for the proper methods of managing and
      storing infection prevention and control supplies and regulated medical waste in
      a home care clinician's personal vehicle. 

PMID- 26121509
TI  - Smoking Cessation Strategies for Patients with COPD.
AB  - Smoking cessation remains the priority intervention for patients suffering from
      chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to slow progression of lung tissue
      damage, decrease symptoms, and enhance quality of life. This article highlights
      ways home healthcare clinicians can incorporate Prochaska's stages of change to
      individualize smoking cessation interventions for COPD patients. By assessing
      patients' readiness-to-quit and implementing evidence-based teaching techniques,
      including motivational interviewing, home healthcare clinicians can identify
      specific strategies to promote smoking cessation and enhance the health and
      quality of life for this population. 

PMID- 26121510
TI  - Dyspnea Management of Hospice Patients.
AB  - Up to 70% of hospice patients are reported to experience dyspnea at end of life.
      Despite the high prevalence of this burdensome symptom, there is little in the
      literature to guide effective treatment. Assessment of subjective symptoms and
      objective signs as well as physical, psychospiritual, sociocultural, or
      environmental barriers is critical to an effective plan of care. The purpose of
      the article is to review the current literature on assessment and management of
      dyspnea in hospice patients and provide implications for hospice clinicians. 

PMID- 26121511
TI  - Welcoming Home the Patient with a New Ostomy.
AB  - The 5-day average inpatient hospital length-of-stay postostomy limits
      opportunities for patients and family members to master self-care of the new
      ostomy prior to discharge. The literature suggests premature discharge, poor care
      coordination, lack of symptom reporting and follow-up as the primary factors
      supporting causes of readmissions. Home care nurses are faced with failed
      handoffs, limited resources, poor care coordination, payor restrictions, and
      knowledge and skill deficits that negatively impact safe and effective discharge
      practices of patients with a new ostomy. This article describes an evolving
      community standard related to nursing care of the patient with a new ostomy as
      identified by the Baltimore Wound, Ostomy, Continence (WOC) Nursing Affiliate.
      Case managers, discharge planners, intake team members, and home care nurses
      benefit from ongoing education from WOC nurse experts to master the skills needed
      to care for patients with ostomies. 

PMID- 26121512
TI  - Implementation of Transition in Care and Relationship Based Care to Reduce
      Preventable Rehospitalizations.
AB  - Home healthcare agencies are accountable for preventing rehospitalization, yet
      many struggle to make progress with this metric. The purpose of this article is
      to share how our organization turned to two frameworks, Transitions in Care and
      Relationship-Based Care, to prevent unnecessary rehospitalizations. Appreciative
      inquiry, motivational interviewing, and action plans are used by our Transitional
      Care Nurses to engage and motivate patients to manage chronic diseases and
      achieve desirable health outcomes. Implementation of a Transitional Care Program
      has led our organization to improve the health of our patients and to decrease
      rehospitalization rates. 

PMID- 26121513
TI  - Type 2 Diabetes and Bariatric Surgery.

PMID- 26121514
TI  - Oral Syringes: A Crucial and Economical Risk-Reduction Strategy That Has Not Been
      Fully Utilized.

PMID- 26121515
TI  - A Day in the Life of a Nursing Student During a Hospice Rotation.

PMID- 26121516
TI  - Common Questions About Pacemakers and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators.

PMID- 26121517
TI  - Quality Measures in Home Care: How Can We Prepare?

PMID- 26121518
TI  - Human Touch Trumps Technology.

PMID- 26121519
TI  - [The Anterior "Triple-/Quadruple" Technique for C1/C2 Trauma in the Elderly:
      First Experience with 16 Patients].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In geriatric patients the management of odontoid type II fractures
      is complicated by osteoporosis and atlantoaxial arthritis (spondylarthritis
      C1/C2) with an increased lever arm. Furthermore, a few of the odontoid fractures
      are accompanied by an atlas fracture resulting in the "atlantoaxial unhappy
      triad". Posterior C1/C2 spondylodesis with bilateral Magerl screws and C1 hooks
      is a strong biomechanical construct, however, the posterior approach is
      associated with several drawbacks such as increased risk of infection and
      increased blood loss. In contrast, the anterior bilateral C1/C2 transarticular
      screw fixation with additional odontoid screw fixation is also a known technique.
      Advantages of the anterior approach are shorter surgery time, lower
      intraoperative blood loss and lower risk of infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In
      this retrospective study, all geriatric patients with an atlantoaxial arthritis
      and odontoid or combined atlantoaxial fracture treated at our institution between
      01/2012 and 12/2014 with an anterior screw fixation were included. Following
      closed reduction, the surgical management was performed over a standard right
      anterior approach. At the end of surgery, operation time and blood loss were
      documented. During the hospital stay radiological follow-up of the upper cervical
      spine were performed to analyse the screw position. We also report the length of
      stay on intensive care unit, the hospital course and demographic data of the
      patients. Follow-up was planned after 6 weeks, 6, 12 and 18 months. During follow
      up COMI evaluation and X-rays of the cervical spine were made. RESULTS AND
      CONCLUSION: This study included 16 patients who underwent surgery for C1-C2
      lesions. There were 9 females and 7 males. Median age at the time of operation
      was 76 years. At the time of surgery, fractures were classified as follows: 8
      patients showed an "atlantoaxial unhappy triad", 8 patients had a type II
      odontoid fracture complicated by osteoporosis and atlantoaxial arthritis
      (spondylarthritis C1/C2). Average time for operative treatment was 100 +/- 36.35
      minutes with a median intraoperative fluoroscopy time of 161 seconds. The
      intraoperative blood loss was minimal (45 +/- 22.80 ml). Length of stay was
      documented with 10 (+/- 4.60) days whereby the patients spent on average 0.8 days
      in the intensive care unit postoperatively. No serious morbidities, such as
      esophageal perforation, carotid artery laceration, neurological deterioration,
      and airway obstruction were reported. All cases of transient dysphagia resolved
      gradually and spontaneously without therapy. In 4 cases (25 %) we detected a
      penetration of the atlantooccipital joint without functional impairment. In one
      case we have seen an implant failure. The technique of anterior screw fixation of
      odontoid and bilateral transarticular C1-C2 anterior screw fixation provides a
      fast surgery without higher morbidity. Based on our findings, this technique and
      its feasibility is an alternative to known posterior C1/C2 spondylodesis in the
      elderly.

PMID- 26121520
TI  - [The Biological Knife II - Fracture Healing and Pharmacological Interactions].
AB  - The reasons for delayed fracture healing or non-union formation are
      multifactorial. Mechanical factors are well known to influence the process of
      fracture healing. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the biological
      conditions that have to be achieved for adequate bone healing. Treatment of non
      unions is still demanding and we have only poor options to stimulate the bone
      healing process. Therefore, it is important to optimise the biological conditions
      to avoid non-union formation. Beside patient-related factors, pharmacological
      drugs are able to impede or stimulate fracture healing. Especially geriatric
      patients show a pre-existing drug medication due to different co-morbidities.
      However, also younger patients are frequently treated with different drugs for
      infection prophylaxis, analgesia or thrombosis prophylaxis. The aim of the
      current review article is to give an overview about the influence of different
      pharmacological agents on the process of fracture healing. A deeper understanding
      of a drug-related influence on fracture healing could help the medical
      practitioner to optimise the general conditions for adequate fracture healing,
      i.e., by avoiding specific pharmacological agents. Vice versa some drugs could be
      used to stimulate fracture healing in the future. 

PMID- 26121521
TI  - [The Biological Knife I--Fracture Healing and Patient-Dependent Influencing
      Factors].
AB  - Despite our growing knowledge about the mechanisms of fracture healing, about 5
      to 10 % of all fractures show impaired healing or non-union formation. We have
      learned about the biomechanical requirements for adequate fracture healing,
      leading to sophisticated osteosynthesis techniques and specific implant systems.
      A poor "biology" is often made responsible for the failure of bone healing.
      However, the underlying "biological" mechanisms are multifactorial and poorly
      understood. There is a lack of knowledge and clinical evidence about specific
      biological factors which influence fracture healing. However, it is the
      responsibility of the medical practitioner to address all factors that could
      negatively influence fracture healing, while respecting general principles of
      conservative or operative fracture management. The current review aims to
      summarise patient-related factors that influence fracture healing including co
      morbidities of the patient just as well as life style-related factors such as
      smoking, nutrition and alcohol consumption. It is hardly possible to prove a
      significant influence for each of these factors in clinical studies, because
      homogeneous cohorts and very high patient numbers would be needed. Nevertheless,
      a deeper knowledge about these factors potentially influencing fracture healing
      could help us to improve fracture healing and decrease the number of non-unions
      in our patients. Just as well as the surgeons performs precise incisions with a
      knife, a precise analysis and improvement of the "biology" are possible and
      recommended.

PMID- 26121522
TI  - A comparison between general rheumatologists and scleroderma experts with respect
      to following systemic sclerosis guidelines.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine if there are differences between expert and non-expert
      rheumatologists in systemic sclerosis (SSc) management. METHODS: Information
      relating to demographics, complications, investigations, and treatment of SSc
      patients was obtained from an online survey to members of the Canadian
      Rheumatology Association (CRA), and selected chart audits. Results were compared
      to data from a SSc database ('experts', Canadian Scleroderma Research Group-
      CSRG). RESULTS: The online survey (61/300 respondents; 20% response rate) found
      that most agreed with the EULAR SSc guidelines. Some exceptions were only 47%
      said they ordered annual echocardiograms and 45% pulmonary function tests. Chart
      audits of 70 SSc patients from 7 community rheumatology practices revealed no
      significant differences in their treatment from SSc guidelines, but some
      investigations differed compared to the CSRG. There was site variability among
      community practices relating to investigations, and treatment. Patients receiving
      an echocardiogram within the previous year varied from 10-90%, and PA pressure
      was reported in 30-100% of SSc patients among sites. Overall, 91% of SSc patients
      on chart audit had ever received an echocardiogram, but in 30% of cases there was
      no PA pressure recorded vs. only 19% in CSRG (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to
      SSc experts, general rheumatologists did not differ in their practices for many
      SSc guidelines despite the fact that they do not see many SSc patients when
      compared to SSc experts, but there was site variability. An apparent difference
      is that although echocardiograms are being ordered, PA pressures are missing
      which could lead to late detection of PAH.

PMID- 26121523
TI  - The ascent of man: Theoretical and empirical evidence for blatant dehumanization.
AB  - Dehumanization is a central concept in the study of intergroup relations. Yet
      although theoretical and methodological advances in subtle, "everyday"
      dehumanization have progressed rapidly, blatant dehumanization remains
      understudied. The present research attempts to refocus theoretical and empirical
      attention on blatant dehumanization, examining when and why it provides
      explanatory power beyond subtle dehumanization. To accomplish this, we introduce
      and validate a blatant measure of dehumanization based on the popular depiction
      of evolutionary progress in the "Ascent of Man." We compare blatant
      dehumanization to established conceptualizations of subtle and implicit
      dehumanization, including infrahumanization, perceptions of human nature and
      human uniqueness, and implicit associations between ingroup-outgroup and human
      animal concepts. Across 7 studies conducted in 3 countries, we demonstrate that
      blatant dehumanization is (a) more strongly associated with individual
      differences in support for hierarchy than subtle or implicit dehumanization, (b)
      uniquely predictive of numerous consequential attitudes and behaviors toward
      multiple outgroup targets, (c) predictive above prejudice, and (d) reliable over
      time. Finally, we show that blatant-but not subtle-dehumanization spikes
      immediately after incidents of real intergroup violence and strongly predicts
      support for aggressive actions like torture and retaliatory violence (after the
      Boston Marathon bombings and Woolwich attacks in England). This research extends
      theory on the role of dehumanization in intergroup relations and intergroup
      conflict and provides an intuitive, validated empirical tool to reliably measure
      blatant dehumanization.

PMID- 26121524
TI  - Close relationships and self-regulation: How relationship satisfaction
      facilitates momentary goal pursuit.
AB  - In the new millennium, scholars have built a robust intersection between close
      relationships research and self-regulation research. However, virtually no work
      has investigated how the most basic and broad indicator of relationship quality,
      relationship satisfaction, affects self-regulation and vice versa. In the present
      research, we show that higher relationship satisfaction promotes a motivational
      mind-set that is conducive for effective self-regulation, and thus for goal
      progress and performance. In Study 1-a large-scale, intensive experience sampling
      project of 115 couples (total N = 230)-we closely tracked fluctuations in state
      relationship satisfaction (SRS) and 4 parameters of effective self-regulation
      according to our conceptual model. Dyadic process analyses showed that
      individuals experiencing higher SRS than they typically do exhibited higher
      levels of (a) perceived control, (b) goal focus, (c) perceived partner support,
      and (d) positive affect during goal pursuit than they typically exhibit.
      Together, these 4 self-regulation-relevant variables translated into higher rates
      of daily progress on specific, idiographic goals. In Study 2 (N = 195), we
      employed a novel experimental manipulation of SRS, replicating the link between
      SRS and parameters of effective self-regulation. Taken together, these findings
      suggest that momentary increases in relationship satisfaction may benefit
      everyday goal pursuit through a combination of cognitive and affective
      mechanisms, thus further integrating relationship research with social-cognitive
      research on goal pursuit.

PMID- 26121526
TI  - Extracting Time-Accurate Acceleration Vectors From Nontrivial Accelerometer
      Arrangements.
AB  - Sports-related concussions are of significant concern in many impact sports, and
      their detection relies on accurate measurements of the head kinematics during
      impact. Among the most prevalent recording technologies are videography, and more
      recently, the use of single-axis accelerometers mounted in a helmet, such as the
      HIT system. Successful extraction of the linear and angular impact accelerations
      depends on an accurate analysis methodology governed by the equations of motion.
      Current algorithms are able to estimate the magnitude of acceleration and hit
      location, but make assumptions about the hit orientation and are often limited in
      the position and/or orientation of the accelerometers. The newly formulated
      algorithm presented in this manuscript accurately extracts the full linear and
      rotational acceleration vectors from a broad arrangement of six single-axis
      accelerometers directly from the governing set of kinematic equations. The new
      formulation linearizes the nonlinear centripetal acceleration term with a finite
      difference approximation and provides a fast and accurate solution for all six
      components of acceleration over long time periods (>250 ms). The approximation of
      the nonlinear centripetal acceleration term provides an accurate computation of
      the rotational velocity as a function of time and allows for reconstruction of a
      multiple-impact signal. Furthermore, the algorithm determines the impact location
      and orientation and can distinguish between glancing, high rotational velocity
      impacts, or direct impacts through the center of mass. Results are shown for ten
      simulated impact locations on a headform geometry computed with three different
      accelerometer configurations in varying degrees of signal noise. Since the
      algorithm does not require simplifications of the actual impacted geometry, the
      impact vector, or a specific arrangement of accelerometer orientations, it can be
      easily applied to many impact investigations in which accurate kinematics need to
      be extracted from single-axis accelerometer data. 

PMID- 26121525
TI  - Wanting to maximize the positive and minimize the negative: implications for
      mixed affective experience in American and Chinese contexts.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated that European Americans have fewer mixed
      affective experiences (i.e., are less likely to experience the bad with the good)
      compared with Chinese. In this article, we argue that these cultural differences
      are due to "ideal affect," or how people ideally want to feel. Specifically, we
      predict that people from individualistic cultures want to maximize positive and
      minimize negative affect more than people from collectivistic cultures, and as a
      result, they are less likely to actually experience mixed emotions (reflected by
      a more negative within-person correlation between actual positive and negative
      affect). We find support for this prediction in 2 experience sampling studies
      conducted in the United States and China (Studies 1 and 2). In addition, we
      demonstrate that ideal affect is a distinct construct from dialectical view of
      the self, which has also been related to mixed affective experience (Study 3).
      Finally, in Study 4, we demonstrate that experimentally manipulating the desire
      to maximize the positive and minimize the negative alters participants' actual
      experience of mixed emotions during a pleasant (but not unpleasant or combined
      pleasant and unpleasant) TV clip in the United States and Hong Kong. Together,
      these findings suggest that across cultures, how people want to feel shapes how
      they actually feel, particularly people's experiences of mixed affect.

PMID- 26121527
TI  - Autosomal-dominant cutis laxa resulting from an intronic mutation in ELN.

PMID- 26121528
TI  - Situational Context and Perceived Threat Modulate Approachability Judgements to
      Emotional Faces.
AB  - Facial expressions of emotion play a key role in guiding social judgements,
      including deciding whether or not to approach another person. However, no
      research has examined how situational context modulates approachability
      judgements assigned to emotional faces, or the relationship between perceived
      threat and approachability judgements. Fifty-two participants provided
      approachability judgements to angry, disgusted, fearful, happy, neutral, and sad
      faces across three situational contexts: no context, when giving help, and when
      receiving help. Participants also rated the emotional faces for level of
      perceived threat and labelled the facial expressions. Results indicated that
      context modulated approachability judgements to faces depicting negative
      emotions. Specifically, faces depicting distress-related emotions (i.e., sadness
      and fear) were considered more approachable in the giving help context than both
      the receiving help and neutral context. Furthermore, higher ratings of threat
      were associated with the assessment of angry, happy and neutral faces as less
      approachable. These findings are the first to demonstrate the significant role
      that context plays in the evaluation of an individual's approachability and
      illustrate the important relationship between perceived threat and the evaluation
      of approachability. 

PMID- 26121529
TI  - Cellular basis of detrusor smooth muscle contraction.

PMID- 26121530
TI  - A Traditional Diet Is Associated with a Reduced Risk of Eczema and Wheeze in
      Colombian Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diet might influence the risk of allergic diseases. Evidence from
      developing countries with high prevalence of childhood asthma is scant. METHODS:
      Information on wheeze, rhinitis, and eczema was collected from 3209 children aged
      6-7 years in 2005, who were taking part in the International Study on Asthma and
      Allergy in Children (ISAAC) in Colombia. Intake frequency of twelve food groups
      was assessed. Associations between each food group and current wheeze, rhino
      conjunctivitis, and eczema were investigated with multiple logistic regressions,
      adjusting for potential confounders. Simes' procedure was used to test for
      multiple comparisons. RESULTS: 14.9% of children reported wheeze in the last 12
      months, 16% rhino-conjunctivitis, and 22% eczema. Eczema was negatively
      associated with consumption of fresh fruits and pulses three or more times per
      week (adjusted Odds ratio (aOR): 0.64; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.49 to
      0.83; p value = 0.004; and aOR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.47 to 0.80; p value < 0.001,
      respectively). Current wheeze was negatively associated with intake of potatoes
      (aOR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.62, p value = 0.005), whilst this outcome was
      positively associated with consumption of fast food (aOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.32 to
      2.35, p value = 0.001). These associations remained statistically significant
      after controlling for multiple comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: A traditional diet might
      have a protective effect against eczema and wheeze in Colombian children, whilst
      intake of fast foods increases this risk.

PMID- 26121532
TI  - Trajectories of fathers' psychological distress across the early parenting
      period: Implications for parenting.
AB  - Fathers' parenting behavior is a likely key mechanism underlying the consistent
      associations between paternal mental health difficulties and poor emotional
      behavioral outcomes for children. This study investigates the association between
      fathers' mental health trajectories and key parenting behaviors (warmth,
      hostility, consistency) spanning the first 8-9 years postpartum. Secondary
      analyses of 5 waves of data from 2,662 fathers participating in the Longitudinal
      Study of Australian Children were conducted. Latent growth class analysis was
      used to identify distinct trajectories of fathers' distress (Kessler-6; Kessler
      et al., 2003), and latent growth models estimated parenting warmth, hostility,
      and consistency. Multiple group analyses were conducted to describe and compare
      the course of parenting behaviors for fathers assigned to the distress
      trajectories identified. Two distinct classes of fathers were identified based on
      the trajectories of distress: minimal distress (92%) and persistent and
      increasing distress (8%). The latter group reported significantly lower parenting
      warmth when their children were 8-9 years and lower consistency and higher
      hostility across all study intervals. The postnatal and early parenting period is
      a critical time for the development of parenting behaviors that are important for
      children's development. Engagement and support for fathers around well-being and
      parenting is vital for promoting optimal family and child developmental outcomes.

PMID- 26121531
TI  - Factors Affecting 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentration in Response to Vitamin D
      Supplementation.
AB  - Sun exposure is the main source of vitamin D. Due to many lifestyle risk factors
      vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency is becoming a worldwide health problem. Low
      25(OH)D concentration is associated with adverse musculoskeletal and non
      musculoskeletal health outcomes. Vitamin D supplementation is currently the best
      approach to treat deficiency and to maintain adequacy. In response to a given
      dose of vitamin D, the effect on 25(OH)D concentration differs between
      individuals, and it is imperative that factors affecting this response be
      identified. For this review, a comprehensive literature search was conducted to
      identify those factors and to explore their significance in relation to
      circulating 25(OH)D response to vitamin D supplementation. The effect of several
      demographic/biological factors such as baseline 25(OH)D, aging, body mass
      index(BMI)/body fat percentage, ethnicity, calcium intake, genetics, oestrogen
      use, dietary fat content and composition, and some diseases and medications has
      been addressed. Furthermore, strategies employed by researchers or health care
      providers (type, dose and duration of vitamin D supplementation) and environment
      (season) are other contributing factors. With the exception of baseline 25(OH)D,
      BMI/body fat percentage, dose and type of vitamin D, the relative importance of
      other factors and the mechanisms by which these factors may affect the response
      remains to be determined. 

PMID- 26121533
TI  - Neurophysiological Correlates of Children's Processing of  Interparental  
      Conflict Cues.
AB  - This study builds on the literature on child exposure to marital conflict by
      testing whether mother-reported marital conflict exposure predicts a child's P3
      event-related potential (ERP) components generated in response to viewing quasi
      marital conflict photos. We collected ERP data from 23 children (9-11 years of
      age) while presenting photos of actors pretending to be a couple depicting
      interpersonal anger, happiness, and neutrality. To elicit the P3 ERP, stimuli
      were presented using an oddball paradigm, with angry and happy photos presented
      on 20% of trials each and neutral photos presented on the remaining 60% of
      trials. Angry photos were the target in 1 block, and happy photos were the target
      in the other block. In the angry block, children from high-conflict homes had
      shorter reaction times (RTs) on happy trials than on neutral trials, and children
      from low-conflict homes had shorter RTs on angry trials than on happy trials.
      Also within the angry block, children generated larger P3s on angry trials than
      on happy trials, regardless of exposure to conflict. Further, children from high
      conflict homes generated larger P3s on angry trials and on happy trials compared
      with neutral trials, but children from low-conflict homes did not. Results are
      discussed in terms of implications for children's processing of displays of
      interpersonal emotion.

PMID- 26121534
TI  - Relationship stigma and relationship outcomes in interracial and same-sex
      relationships: Examination of sources and buffers.
AB  - Interracial and same-sex romantic relationships are more common and socially
      accepted in the United States than ever before; yet, stigmatization of these
      relationships persists, with consequences for relationship dynamics. We conducted
      an online survey study with adults living in the United States in interracial and
      same-sex relationships to examine associations of relationship stigma from
      family, friends, and public with several relationship outcomes (i.e., investment,
      satisfaction, intimate partner aggression victimization and perpetration,
      commitment, intimacy, trust, passion, love, sexual communication, and sexual
      satisfaction), as well as the potential buffering roles of egalitarianism and
      dyadic coping. Regression analyses with 480 participants support that above and
      beyond individually experienced discrimination and other well-known predictors of
      relationship outcomes, relationship stigma from friends in particular was
      associated with lower relationship commitment, trust, love, and sexual
      communication, as well as greater odds of intimate partner aggression
      victimization. Egalitarianism and dyadic coping moderated some of the
      associations of relationship stigma from family, friends, and public with
      relationship outcomes, supporting their potential roles as buffers. These
      findings suggest many avenues for future research and implications for clinicians
      working with interracial and same-sex couples, individuals in those couples, and
      their families. Given increasing prevalence of interracial and same-sex
      relationships and marriages, more work should continue to explore these couples'
      experiences and how best to support them.

PMID- 26121535
TI  - Effectiveness and moderators of the preventive intervention kids in divorce
      situations: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - Children of divorced parents have an increased risk of a variety of problems in
      comparison to children from intact families. Therefore, several intervention
      programs have been developed directed at children of divorced parents. Yet,
      empirical data on the effectiveness of these interventions are limited. This
      study evaluated the school-based, child-directed prevention program Kids In
      Divorce Situations (KIDS) using a randomized controlled trial. The sample
      consisted of 156 children randomly assigned at the school level into an
      experimental (80 children) and control condition (76 children). In addition, 131
      mothers and 76 fathers participated in the study. Four assessments took place: a
      pretest, a posttest, and two follow-up assessments conducted 6 months and 1 year
      after finishing KIDS. Latent growth analyses demonstrated that the intervention
      significantly reduced child-reported emotional problems and enhanced child
      reported communication with the father and mother-reported communication with the
      child. The effect sizes ranged from .30-.63. Few moderation effects of gender,
      time since divorce, or perceived parental conflict on the intervention effects
      were found. After parental divorce, a limited school-based intervention for
      children can be efficacious in promoting children's emotional well-being and
      parent-child communication.

PMID- 26121536
TI  - How to Monitor Patients Receiving Direct Oral Anticoagulants for Stroke
      Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation: A Practice Tool Endorsed by Thrombosis Canada,
      the Canadian Stroke Consortium, the Canadian Cardiovascular Pharmacists Network,
      and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

PMID- 26121537
TI  - Variability in Antibiotic Use Across Nursing Homes and the Risk of Antibiotic
      Related Adverse Outcomes for Individual Residents.
AB  - IMPORTANCE: Antibiotics are frequently and often inappropriately prescribed to
      patients in nursing homes. These antibiotics pose direct risks to recipients and
      indirect risks to others residing in the home. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether
      living in a nursing home with high antibiotic use is associated with an increased
      risk of antibiotic-related adverse outcomes for individual residents. DESIGN,
      SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this longitudinal open-cohort study performed from
      January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2011, we studied 110,656 older adults
      residing in 607 nursing homes in Ontario, Canada. EXPOSURES: Nursing home-level
      antibiotic use was defined as use-days per 1000 resident-days, and facilities
      were classified as high, medium, and low use according to tertile of use.
      Multivariable logistic regression modeling was performed to assess the effect of
      nursing home-level antibiotic use on the individual risk of antibiotic-related
      adverse outcomes. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Antibiotic-related harms included
      Clostridium difficile, diarrhea or gastroenteritis, antibiotic-resistant
      organisms (which can directly affect recipients and indirectly affect
      nonrecipients), allergic reactions, and general medication adverse events (which
      can affect only recipients). RESULTS: Antibiotics were provided on 2,783,000 of
      50,953,000 resident-days in nursing homes (55 antibiotic-days per 1000 resident
      days). Antibiotic use was highly variable across homes, ranging from 20.4 to
      192.9 antibiotic-days per 1000 resident-days. Antibiotic-related adverse events
      were more common (13.3%) in residents of high-use homes than among residents of
      medium-use (12.4%) or low-use homes (11.4%) (P < .001); this trend persisted even
      among the residents who did not receive antibiotic treatments. The primary
      analysis indicated that residence in a high-use nursing home was associated with
      an increased risk of a resident experiencing an antibiotic-related adverse event
      (adjusted odds ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.07-1.42; P = .003). A sensitivity analysis
      examining nursing home-level antibiotic use as a continuous variable confirmed an
      increased risk of resident-level antibiotic-related harms (adjusted odds ratio,
      1.004 per additional day of nursing home antibiotic use; 95% CI, 1.001-1.006; P =
      .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Antibiotic use is highly variable across nursing
      homes; residents of high-use homes are exposed to an increased risk of antibiotic
      related harms even if they have not directly received these agents. Antibiotic
      stewardship is needed to improve the safety of all nursing home residents.

PMID- 26121538
TI  - Direct measurement on the geometric phase of a double quantum dot qubit via
      quantum point contact device.
AB  - We propose a direct measurement scheme to read out the geometric phase of a
      coupled double quantum dot system via a quantum point contact(QPC) device. An
      effective expression of the geometric phase has been derived, which relates the
      geometric phase of the double quantum dot qubit to the current through QPC
      device. All the parameters in our expression are measurable or tunable in
      experiment. Moreover, since the measurement process affects the state of the
      qubit slightly, the geometric phase can be protected. The feasibility of the
      scheme has been analyzed. Further, as an example, we simulate the geometrical
      phase of a qubit when the QPC device is replaced by a single electron
      transistor(SET). 

PMID- 26121539
TI  - A Case-matched Comparative Study of Laparoscopic Versus Open Distal
      Pancreatectomy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although the laparoscopic approach to distal pancreatectomy for
      benign and malignant diseases is largely replacing open surgery in some centers,
      well-designed studies comparing these approaches are limited. We present a case
      matched study that compares the outcomes of laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy
      (LDP) to open distal pancreatectomy (ODP). METHODS: Of 112 patients (51 female)
      who underwent surgery between January 2002 and December 2011, 44 patients were
      matched on a 1:1 basis (22 LDP, 22 ODP) according to age, sex, and tumor size.
      Outcomes were compared on an intention-to-treat basis. Data shown represent
      median where appropriate. RESULTS: The laparoscopic and open groups were
      comparable for age (57 vs. 59.9 y, P=0.980), sex distribution (P=1.000), tumor
      size (3 vs. 4 cm, P=0.904), and the frequency of benign versus malignant disease
      (P=0.920). LDP was associated with significantly lower blood loss (100 vs. 500
      mL, P=0.001), higher spleen preservation rate (45% vs. 18%, P=0.029), as well as
      shorter high dependency unit stay (1 vs. 5 d, P=0.001) and postoperative hospital
      stay (5 vs. 14 d, P=0.017). There was no significant difference in operating time
      (245 vs. 240 min, P=0.602) and postoperative morbidity (13.6% vs. 27.2%,
      P=0.431). In patients with malignant disease, there were no differences in R0
      resection margin status (90% vs. 85.7%, P=0.88), the numbers of lymph nodes
      retrieved (12.7 vs. 14.1, P=0.82), the 1- and 2-year survival rates (89% vs. 81%,
      P=0.54 and 74.2% vs. 71.5%, P=0.63, respectively), and the mean duration of
      survival (45 vs. 31 mo, P=0.157). CONCLUSIONS: The laparoscopic approach to
      distal pancreatectomy offers advantages over open surgery in terms of reductions
      in operative trauma and duration of postoperative recovery without compromising
      the oncologic resection.

PMID- 26121540
TI  - Totally Percutaneous Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Using the Preclosing Technique:
      Towards the Least Invasive Therapeutic Alternative.
AB  - Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) offers a minimally invasive approach for the
      treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms, whereas arterial closure devices have
      made totally percutaneous EVAR feasible. This is a retrospective analysis of
      patients undergoing EVAR in a single institution, between May 2011 and October
      2014 using surgical or percutaneous access. Hemostasis after percutaneous access
      was achieved with 2 Perclose ProGlide suture-mediated devices and a preclosing
      technique. Technical success, local complications, procedural times, length of
      hospitalization, and need for analgesics are recorded and compared between
      groups. Among 82 patients/164 groins, 120/164 (73%) groins underwent percutaneous
      and 44/146 (27%) surgical access. An average 2.2 devices per access site was
      used. Technical success was 95% (114/120). Local complications (3.3% vs. 11.4%,
      P=0.05), procedural times (90 vs. 112 min, P=0.05), hospitalization (2 vs. 5 d,
      P<0.001), and postoperative analgesics (0.7 vs. 4.4 g IV paracetamol, P=0.01)
      were significantly reduced after percutaneous access which overall seems safe and
      effective to perform EVAR. 

PMID- 26121541
TI  - Harness Traction Technique (HARNESS): Novel Method for Controlling the
      Transection Plane During Laparoscopic Hepatectomy.
AB  - We present our experience using a novel method for controlling the transection
      plane, which we termed as the Harness Traction Technique (HARNESS) and evaluate
      its usefulness. From May 2009 to March 2012, laparoscopic hepatectomies using
      HARNESS were performed on 35 patients. After the superficial hepatic parenchyma
      on the line was transected at 1 to 2 cm depth, 5 mm tape was placed along the
      groove of the line and tied to prevent it from slipping off. Tape was tied and
      pulled using a forceps toward the best direction for minimizing the bleeding,
      moving the transection point to the appropriate position and creating good
      tension for parenchymal transection at the transection point. There were no
      conversions to laparotomy or intraoperative complications. HARNESS is useful for
      controlling the dissection line during laparoscopic hepatectomy, leading to
      precise and safe laparoscopic liver parenchymal dissection. 

PMID- 26121542
TI  - BiClamp-Fracture Method in Pure Laparoscopic Hepatectomy: Verifying its Efficacy
      Irrespective of Liver Stiffness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transecting cirrhotic liver in pure laparoscopic hepatectomy (PLH) is
      generally considered technically demanding. We have preferentially used BiClamp
      in PLH by fracturing liver parenchyma using this device. The aim of the current
      study was to retrospectively verify the efficacy of BiClamp-fracture method in
      transecting cirrhotic parenchyma. METHODS: The medical records of 21 patients who
      underwent PLH using BiClamp-fracture method between April 2011 and September 2014
      were examined. The patients were divided into the Nonstiff group (F0-F2, n=11)
      and the Stiff group (F3 and F4, n=10) and various surgical factors were compared
      between the groups. RESULTS: The mean operation time, the mean intraoperative
      blood loss, and the mean postoperative hospital stay in the Stiff group were
      comparable with those in the Nonstiff group. There were no postoperative
      complications in both groups. CONCLUSION: BiClamp-fracture method was effective
      in transecting liver parenchyma irrespective of liver stiffness in PLH.

PMID- 26121543
TI  - Laparoscopic Left Hemihepatectomy for Left-sided Hepatolithiasis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hepatolithiasis is a prevalent disease in the southeastern coastal
      regions of China. Partial hepatectomy is the most definitive treatment for
      hepatolithiasis. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of the laparoscopic
      left hemihepatectomy (LLH) for left-sided hepatolithiasis. METHODS: The clinical
      data of 37 consecutive patients who underwent pure LLH for left-sided
      hepatolithiasis at Yinzhou Second Hospital between March 2009 and December 2013
      were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Pure LLH was performed successfully in 36
      patients. Because of severe adhesions from previous choledochotomy, 1 patient was
      converted to open procedure. The mean operative time was 257.9 minutes (range,
      188 to 396 min). The mean duration of postoperative hospital stay was 11.7 days
      (range, 8 to 21 d). There were 2 (5.4 %) cases of postoperative bile leakage, 2
      (5.4%) cases of intra-abdominal fluid collection, and 1 (2.7%) case of incisional
      infection, which were successfully managed conservatively. Residual stones were
      observed in 2 (5.4%) patients. The residual stones were located in the common
      bile duct in these cases and were removed through the T-tube tract by
      choledochoscopy. During a mean follow-up of 31.3 months (range, 6 to 63 mo),
      recurrent stones were detected in 2 (5.4%) patients and were successfully treated
      with endoscopic sphincterotomy. CONCLUSIONS: LLH for left-sided hepatolithiasis
      is feasible and safe in selected patients.

PMID- 26121544
TI  - Results of Immediate Discharge From Postanesthesia Care Unit to Home After
      Laparoscopic Appendectomy for Acute Nonperforated Appendicitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study examines the efficacy and safety of immediate discharge
      from the postanesthesia care unit after laparoscopic appendectomy for patients
      with acute nonperforated appendicitis. METHODS: A retrospective study of 114
      laparoscopic appendectomy cases was performed. Seventy-four patients met
      inclusion criteria of having uncomplicated acute appendicitis. Patient
      demographics, operative times, length of postoperative stay, and complication
      rates were analyzed. RESULTS: Only 3 of the 74 patients failed to be discharged
      immediately. Mean postoperative discharge time was 130.5 minutes with 86% of
      patients leaving within 3 hours. Delay in voiding was the most common cause of
      stays longer than 4 hours. Six of the 74 patients (8%) returned to the emergency
      room without need for readmission. There were no complications associated with
      the early discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate discharge from the postanesthesia
      care unit for patients with acute nonperforated appendicitis appears safe and
      effective in the community hospital setting.

PMID- 26121545
TI  - Muscle Relaxation in Laparoscopic Surgery: What is the Evidence for Improved
      Operating Conditions and Patient Outcome? A Brief Review of the Literature.
AB  - When neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) were introduced into clinical practice
      in 1942, the event was called the "second revolution in anesthesia." Despite some
      significant side effects, NMBAs have remained in the anesthetists' repertoire,
      not at least because muscle relaxation has been claimed to allow or facilitate
      many surgical procedures. Aim of this literature review was to investigate the
      evidence for the use of NMBA as well as the optimum depth of neuromuscular
      blockade during laparoscopic surgery. Muscle relaxation may optimize laparoscopic
      operating conditions by preventing patient movement and achieving more intra
      abdominal space for a given intra-abdominal insufflation pressure. In this
      context, deeper than normally maintained levels of neuromuscular blockade appear
      to be superior. However, the decision to utilize deeper than standard muscle
      relaxation should currently be based on a risk-benefit analysis for each
      individual patient. Thus good communication between surgeon and anesthetist
      remains crucial to achieve best outcomes. 

PMID- 26121546
TI  - Xylitol Gum Chewing to Achieve Early Postoperative Restoration of Bowel Motility
      After Laparoscopic Surgery.
AB  - Our objective was to evaluate the effects of postoperative xylitol gum chewing on
      gastrointestinal functional recovery after laparoscopy. Altogether, 120 patients
      undergoing elective gynecologic laparoscopy were randomly divided into 2 groups
      of 60 each (final numbers: 53 controls, 56 patients). Controls underwent a
      routine postoperative regimen. Starting 6 hour after surgery, study patients
      chewed mint-flavored, sugarless xylitol gum until flatus occurred thrice a day.
      Other postoperative management was routine. First bowel sounds, first flatus,
      first bowel movement, and discharge times were recorded. Symptoms included
      abdominal distension, nausea, and vomiting. First flatus and first bowel sounds
      occurred significantly (P<0.001) earlier in the study patients. No significant
      differences were found for first defecation time, hospitalization duration, or
      mild/severe intestinal obstruction (all P>0.05). Thus, xylitol gum chewing after
      laparoscopy can effectively shorten the time to first flatus and helps with
      postoperative gastrointestinal functional recovery. It is simple, convenient, and
      well tolerated. 

PMID- 26121547
TI  - Economic Implications of Providing Emergency Cholecystectomy for All Patients
      With Biliary Pathology: A Retrospective Analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study assessed the safety and efficacy of acute laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy (ALC) in patients presenting with biliary pathology. The
      potential savings plus income generation for the hospital were calculated.
      METHODS: All patients undergoing emergency cholecystectomy were identified from
      computerized and hand-written theater records to ensure complete capture. Length
      of stay, procedure time, patient demographics, and postoperative complications
      were recorded. Tariffs for conservative versus acute management were calculated.
      Total admissions and readmissions with biliary pathology (acute cholecystitis,
      biliary colic, gallstone pancreatitis, and obstructive jaundice) over a 12-month
      period were recorded. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients undergoing ALC were
      identified. There was only 1 major complication (1 postoperative bleed managed
      laparoscopically). ALC for all admissions would result in savings of L 695,918
      over 12 months. The implementation of ALC for all patients would result in a
      small loss in revenue when compared with elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (L
      15,495) provided that all operations could be accommodated on established
      operating lists. Implementing ALC on all appropriate biliary admissions could
      generate up to 3 cholecystectomies daily for a population base of 1 million.
      CONCLUSIONS: ALC is cost-effective and safe. It can be offered to all patients
      with biliary pathology provided they are fit enough for surgery.

PMID- 26121548
TI  - Surgical Outcomes of Laparoscopic Liver Resection in Elderly Patients: A
      Comparative Study From a Single Center.
AB  - The life expectancy continues to gradually increase worldwide. Laparoscopic liver
      resection (LLR) was recently reported to be a relatively safe procedure for
      treatment of liver disease because of the development of new techniques and
      instruments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcomes of
      elderly patients who underwent LLR. Of these 61 patients who underwent LLR in our
      institute from January 2010 through April 2014, 21 were aged 75 years and above
      (group E), and 40 were aged below 75 years (group NE). Patient characteristics
      were retrospectively analyzed between the 2 groups. The results showed that
      patient characteristics were similar between the 2 groups, although the incidence
      of hypertension was significantly greater among patients in group E. There were
      no significant differences in the incidence of postoperative complications or
      length of hospital stay between the 2 groups. In conclusion, LLR for elderly
      patients was a feasible procedure compared with nonelderly patients. 

PMID- 26121549
TI  - Strategic Approach to the Splenic Artery in Laparoscopic Spleen-preserving Distal
      Pancreatectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy (LSPDP) is an
      ideal procedure in selected patients with benign or low-grade malignant tumors in
      the body/tail of the pancreas. We describe our procedure and experience with
      splenic vessel-preserving LSPDP (SVP-LSPDP) in a retrospective case series.
      METHODS: Six consecutive patients underwent SVP-LSPDP from January 2011 to
      September 2013. We evaluated the courses of the splenic artery by preoperative
      computed tomography and applied an individualized approach (the superior approach
      or inferior approach) to the splenic artery. RESULTS: All of the operations were
      successful. The median surgical duration was 249 minutes. The median blood loss
      was 0 mL. Pathologic examination revealed 4 cases of insulinoma, 1 case of solid
      pseudopapillary tumor, and 1 case of pancreatic metastasis from renal carcinoma.
      CONCLUSIONS: In performing SVP-LSPDP, it is effective to make a strategic choice
      between 2 different approaches according to the course of splenic artery.

PMID- 26121550
TI  - Molecular metal phosphonates.

PMID- 26121552
TI  - Electronic doping and redox-potential tuning in colloidal semiconductor
      nanocrystals.
AB  - Electronic doping is one of the most important experimental capabilities in all
      of semiconductor research and technology. Through electronic doping, insulating
      materials can be made conductive, opening doors to the formation of p-n junctions
      and other workhorses of modern semiconductor electronics. Recent interest in
      exploiting the unique physical and photophysical properties of colloidal
      semiconductor nanocrystals for revolutionary new device technologies has
      stimulated efforts to prepare electronically doped colloidal semiconductor
      nanocrystals with the same control as available in the corresponding bulk
      materials. Despite the impact that success in this endeavor would have, the
      development of general and reliable methods for electronic doping of colloidal
      semiconductor nanocrystals remains a long-standing challenge. In this Account, we
      review recent progress in the development and characterization of electronically
      doped colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals. Several successful methods for
      introducing excess band-like charge carriers are illustrated and discussed,
      including photodoping, outer-sphere electron transfer, defect doping, and
      electrochemical oxidation or reduction. A distinction is made between methods
      that yield excess band-like carriers at thermal equilibrium and those that inject
      excess charge carriers under thermal nonequilibrium conditions (steady state).
      Spectroscopic signatures of such excess carriers, accessible by both equilibrium
      and nonequilibrium methods, are reviewed and illustrated. A distinction is also
      proposed between the phenomena of electronic doping and redox-potential shifting.
      Electronically doped semiconductor nanocrystals possess excess band-like charge
      carriers at thermal equilibrium, whereas redox-potential shifting affects the
      potentials at which charge carriers are injected under nonequilibrium conditions,
      without necessarily introducing band-like charge carriers at equilibrium.
      Detection of the key spectroscopic signatures of band-like carriers allows
      distinction between these two regimes. Both electronic doping and redox-potential
      shifting can be powerful tools for tuning the performance of nanocrystals in
      electronic devices. Finally, key chemical challenges associated with nanocrystal
      electronic doping are briefly discussed. These challenges are centered largely on
      the availability of charge-carrier reservoirs with suitable redox potentials and
      on the relatively poor control over nanocrystal surface traps. In most cases, the
      Fermi levels of colloidal nanocrystals are defined by the redox properties of
      their surface traps. Control over nanocrystal surface chemistries is therefore
      essential to the development of general and reliable strategies for
      electronically doping colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals. Overall, recent
      progress in this area portends exciting future advances in controlling
      nanocrystal compositions, surface chemistries, redox potentials, and charge
      states to yield new classes of electronic nanomaterials with attractive physical
      properties and the potential to stimulate unprecedented new semiconductor
      technologies. 

PMID- 26121553
TI  - Alcohol, ageing and Australia.

PMID- 26121551
TI  - Inter-Individual Differences in the Oral Bacteriome Are Greater than Intra-Day
      Fluctuations in Individuals.
AB  - Given the advent of massively parallel DNA sequencing, human microbiome is
      analyzed comprehensively by metagenomic approaches. However, the inter- and intra
      individual variability and stability of the human microbiome remain poorly
      characterized, particularly at the intra-day level. This issue is of crucial
      importance for studies examining the effects of microbiome on human health. Here,
      we focused on bacteriome of oral plaques, for which repeated, time-controlled
      sampling is feasible. Eighty-one supragingival plaque subjects were collected
      from healthy individuals, examining multiple sites within the mouth at three time
      points (forenoon, evening, and night) over the course of 3 days. Bacterial
      composition was estimated by 16S rRNA sequencing and species-level profiling,
      resulting in identification of a total of 162 known bacterial species. We found
      that species compositions and their relative abundances were similar within
      individuals, and not between sampling time or tooth type. This suggests that
      species-level oral bacterial composition differs significantly between
      individuals, although the number of subjects is limited and the intra-individual
      variation also occurs. The majority of detected bacterial species (98.2%;
      159/162), however, did not fluctuate over the course of the day, implying a
      largely stable oral microbiome on an intra-day time scale. In fact, the stability
      of this data set enabled us to estimate potential interactions between rare
      bacteria, with 40 co-occurrences supported by the existing literature. In
      summary, the present study provides a valuable basis for studies of the human
      microbiome, with significant implications in terms of biological and clinical
      outcomes. 

PMID- 26121554
TI  - MgI2 -mediated chemoselective cleavage of protecting groups: an alternative to
      conventional deprotection methodologies.
AB  - The scope of MgI2 as a valuable tool for quantitative and mild chemoselective
      cleavage of protecting groups is described here. This novel synthetic approach
      expands the use of protecting groups, widens the concept of orthogonality in
      synthetic processes, and offers a facile opportunity to release compounds from
      solid supports. 

PMID- 26121556
TI  - Metallophilic Contacts in 2-C6F4PPh2 Bridged Heterobinuclear Complexes: A
      Crystallographic and Computational Study.
AB  - Treatment of the bis(chelate) complex trans-[Pd(kappa(2)-2-C6F4PPh2)2] (7) with
      PMe3 gave trans-[Pd(kappaC-2-C6F4PPh2)2(PMe3)2] (13) as a mixture of syn- and
      anti-isomers. Reaction of 13 with CuCl, AgCl, or [AuCl(tht)] (tht =
      tetrahydrothiophene) gave the heterobinuclear complexes [(Me3P)2Pd(MU-2
      C6F4PPh2)2MCl] [M = Cu (14), Ag (15), Au (16)], from which the corresponding
      salts [(Me3P)2Pd(MU-2-C6F4PPh2)2M]PF6 [M = Cu (17), Ag (18), Au (19)] could be
      prepared by abstraction of the chloro ligand with TlPF6; 18, as well as its
      triflato (20) and trifluoroacetato (21) analogues, were also prepared directly
      from 13 and the appropriate silver salt. Reaction of 13 with [AuCl(PMe3)] gave
      the zwitterionic complex [(Me3P)PdCl(MU-2-C6F4PPh2)2Au] (24) in which the 2
      C6F4PPh2 ligands are in a head-to-head arrangement. In contrast, the analogous
      reaction with [AuCl(PPh3)] gave [(Ph3P)PdCl(MU-2-C6F4PPh2)2Au] (25) with a head
      to-tail ligand arrangement. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies of complexes
      14-21 show short metal-metal separations [2.7707(11)-2.9423(3) A] suggestive of
      attractive noncovalent (dispersion) interactions, a conclusion that is supported
      by theoretical calculations of the electron localization function and the
      noncovalent interactions descriptor. 

PMID- 26121557
TI  - A Theoretical Study of Phosphoryl Transfers of Tyrosyl-DNA Phosphodiesterase I
      (Tdp1) and the Possibility of a "Dead-End" Phosphohistidine Intermediate.
AB  - Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase I (Tdp1) is a DNA repair enzyme conserved across
      eukaryotes that catalyzes the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester bond between the
      tyrosine residue of topoisomerase I and the 3'-phosphate of DNA. Atomic level
      details of the mechanism of Tdp1 are proposed and analyzed using a fully quantum
      mechanical, geometrically constrained model. The structural basis for the
      computational model is the vanadate-inhibited crystal structure of human Tdp1
      (hTdp1, Protein Data Bank entry 1RFF ). Density functional theory computations
      are used to acquire thermodynamic and kinetic data along the catalytic pathway,
      including the phosphoryl transfer and subsequent hydrolysis. Located transition
      states and intermediates along the reaction coordinate suggest an associative
      phosphoryl transfer mechanism with five-coordinate phosphorane intermediates.
      Similar to both theoretical and experimental results for phospholipase D, the
      proposed mechanism for hTdp1 also includes the thermodynamically favorable
      possibility of a four-coordinate phosphohistidine "dead-end" product. 

PMID- 26121555
TI  - Integration of actin dynamics and cell adhesion by a three-dimensional,
      mechanosensitive molecular clutch.
AB  - During cell migration, the forces generated in the actin cytoskeleton are
      transmitted across transmembrane receptors to the extracellular matrix or other
      cells through a series of mechanosensitive, regulable protein-protein
      interactions termed the molecular clutch. In integrin-based focal adhesions, the
      proteins forming this linkage are organized into a conserved three-dimensional
      nano-architecture. Here we discuss how the physical interactions between the
      actin cytoskeleton and focal-adhesion-associated molecules mediate force
      transmission from the molecular clutch to the extracellular matrix. 

PMID- 26121558
TI  - Photofragmentation Mechanisms of Chlorosulfonyl Isocyanate, ClSO2NCO, Excited
      with Synchrotron Radiation between 12 and 550 eV.
AB  - The unimolecular photofragmentation mechanisms of chlorosulfonyl isocyanate,
      ClSO2NCO, excited with tunable synchrotron radiation between 12 and 550 eV, were
      investigated by means of time-of-flight (TOF) coincidence techniques. The main
      fragmentation mechanism after single ionization, produced by irradiation of an
      effusive beam of the sample with synchrotron light in the valence electron
      region, occurs through the breaking of the Cl-S single bond, giving a chloride
      radical and a SO2NCO(+) fragment. This mechanism contrasts with the one observed
      for the related FSO2NCO, in which the rupture of the S-N bond originates the
      FSO2(+) fragment. The energies of the shallow- (S 2p, Cl 2p, and S 2s) and core
      shell (C 1s, N 1s, and O 1s) electrons were determined by X-ray absorption.
      Transitions between these shallow and core electrons to unoccupied molecular
      orbitals were also observed in the total ion yield (TIY) spectra. Fourteen
      different fragmentation mechanisms of the doubly charged parent ion,
      ClSO2NCO(2+), were inferred from the bidimensional photoelectron-photoion
      photoion-coincidence (PEPIPICO) spectra. The rupture of the S-N bond can evolve
      to form NCO(+)/SO2(*+), NCO(+)/SO(*+), or S(*+)/NCO(+) pairs of ions. The Cl-S
      bond breaking originates different mechanisms, Cl(+)/SO(*+), Cl(+)/S(*+),
      CO(*+)/S(*+), O(*+)/SO(*+), O(*+)/Cl(+), O(*+)/S(*+), C(*+)/S(*+), and
      C(*+)/O(*+) pairs being detected in coincidence as the final species. Another
      three coincidence islands can only be explained with an initial atomic
      rearrangement forming ClNCO(2+), ONCO(2+), and ClCO(2+), as precursors of
      CO(*+)/Cl(+), O(*+)/CO(*+), and C(*+)/Cl(+) pairs, respectively. The formation of
      Cl(*) radical is deduced from several mechanisms. 

PMID- 26121559
TI  - Metal loading of lanthanidopolymers driven by positive cooperativity.
AB  - This work demonstrates how the thermodynamic loading of monodisperse polymeric
      single-stranded multi-tridentate receptors of variable lengths is controlled by
      the nature of the metallic carrier Ln(hfac)3 (Ln is La, Eu or Y, and hfac is
      hexafluoroacetylacetonate). Whereas the intrinsic affinity of the tridentate
      binding site is maximum for medium-sized Eu(3+) and decreases for Y(3+), the
      contraction of the hydrodynamic radius of the polymer upon metal loading induces
      positive allosteric cooperativity for the smaller cations. The origin of this
      behaviour is rationalized within the frame of intermetallic dipole-dipole
      interactions modulated by the solvation potential of dipolar solutes in
      dielectric materials. Positive cooperativity produces local high-density of metal
      ions along the ligand strands (metal clustering) with potential interest in
      energy migration and sensing processes. 

PMID- 26121560
TI  - Betahistine plus piracetam dual therapy versus betahistine monotherapy for
      peripheral vestibular vertigo: a confounder-corrected subanalysis of the OSVaLD
      study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This subanalysis compared the efficacy of betahistine plus
      piracetam dual therapy versus betahistine monotherapy using data from OSVaLD, a 3
      month, open-label, observational study conducted in 2272 patients with peripheral
      vestibular vertigo. Of the 1898 patients included in the original efficacy
      population, 1076 were from countries where betahistine plus piracetam dual
      therapy was prescribed to >1 patient; 114 of these 1076 patients (11%) received
      the dual therapy and 567 (53%) were treated with betahistine monotherapy; these
      patients were selected for analysis. METHODS: Efficacy was assessed using the
      Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) total and subscale scores. Propensity-score
      matching was used to correct potential differences in patient baseline
      characteristics between treatment groups. In addition, a subgroup analysis
      evaluated 103 patients treated with betahistine because of insufficient efficacy
      with their existing treatment. RESULTS: In the propensity-score matched, total
      population evaluation, improvements in the DHI total and subscale scores were
      numerically greater in the betahistine plus piracetam group (n = 88) versus the
      betahistine group (n = 89) (DHI total, -42.9 vs. -37.6, respectively; DHI
      physical, -12.1 vs. -10.4; DHI emotional, -13.5 vs. -13.2) and statistically
      significant for the DHI functional score (-17.3 vs. -14.0, respectively, p =
      0.01). The percentage of patients with no impairment at final visit was 27% with
      betahistine and 47% with betahistine plus piracetam; odds ratio: 2.3, 95%
      confidence interval: 1.3-2.4 (p = 0.007). Similar results were obtained in the
      subgroup analyses for patients whose current vertigo treatment was insufficient.
      The overall incidence of adverse events was low and similar in both groups, and
      there were no discontinuations due to drug-related adverse events. CONCLUSIONS:
      By using propensity-score matching, which controls for potential heterogeneity in
      patient baseline characteristics and small patient numbers, the results of this
      analysis suggest that combined betahistine and piracetam may be more effective
      than betahistine alone in patients with peripheral vestibular vertigo.

PMID- 26121561
TI  - The efficacy and safety of canagliflozin across racial groups in patients with
      type 2 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Canagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, enhances
      urinary glucose excretion through an insulin-independent mode of action, and
      improves glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This
      study assessed the efficacy and safety of canagliflozin across racial groups.
      METHODS: The efficacy of canagliflozin 100 mg and 300 mg was evaluated by racial
      group using data pooled from four placebo-controlled phase 3 studies and two
      placebo-controlled sub-studies of a population of patients with inadequately
      controlled T2DM (N = 4158). Least-squares mean changes from baseline were
      calculated for hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), systolic blood pressure (SBP), body weight
      (BW), cholesterol, and triglycerides. Safety/tolerability evaluation included
      reporting of general and prespecified adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: A total of
      75% of patients were White, 13% were Asian, 4% were Black/African American, and
      8% were 'Other' (American Indian, Alaskan Native, mixed race, Native Hawaiian or
      other Pacific Islander, not reported, and unknown). Baseline demographics were
      similar for these groups. Dose-related reductions in HbA1c, BW, and SBP were
      observed with both canagliflozin doses in all racial groups. Canagliflozin was
      generally safe and well tolerated. Treatment with canagliflozin was associated
      with an increased rate of genital mycotic infections (GMIs) and urinary tract
      infections (UTIs) in all racial groups. GMIs were observed more often in
      Black/African American males and males from the 'Other' racial group, whereas
      UTIs and osmotic diuresis-related AEs were less common in Asians. Key study
      limitations include the high proportion of White patients compared with other
      racial groups and the fact that included studies were not powered to evaluate
      racial differences. CONCLUSION: Canagliflozin was generally well tolerated and
      consistently associated with reductions in HbA1c, BW, and SBP in patients with
      T2DM independent of racial background. (ClinicalTrials.gov numbers: NCT01081834;
      NCT01106677; NCT01106625; NCT01106690; and NCT01032629.).

PMID- 26121563
TI  - Passenger strand loading in overexpression experiments using microRNA mimics.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of gene function and manipulation of
      miRNAs is a central component of basic research. Modulation of gene expression by
      miRNA gain-of-function can be based on different approaches including
      transfection with miRNA mimics; artificial, chemically modified miRNA-like small
      RNAs. These molecules are intended to mimic the function of a miRNA guide strand
      while bypassing the maturation steps of endogenous miRNAs. Due to easy
      accessibility through commercial providers this approach has gained popularity,
      and accuracy is often assumed without prior independent testing. Our in silico
      analysis of over-represented sequence motifs in microarray expression data and
      sequencing of AGO-associated small RNAs indicate, however, that miRNA mimics may
      be associated with considerable side-effects due to the unwanted activity of the
      miRNA mimic complementary strand. 

PMID- 26121562
TI  - Prevalence of Compliance with a New Physical Activity Guideline for Preschool-Age
      Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Four expert panels from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and
      the United States issued physical activity (PA) recommendations for young
      children that are quite similar. The aim of this study was to determine
      compliance with the new PA guideline (defined as >=15 min/hr of total PA) in two
      independent samples of preschool children. METHODS: We conducted a cross
      sectional study of children attending preschools in Columbia, South Carolina. A
      total of 286 children in one sample and 337 children in a second sample
      participated. The main outcome of interest was total PA (sum of light, moderate,
      and vigorous intensity activity) measured by accelerometry. Compliance with the
      PA guideline was determined for both samples. Separately for each sample, mixed
      logistic models were used to determine whether there were differences in
      compliance with the PA guideline between groups based on sex, race/ethnicity,
      parent education, and weight status, controlling for preschool. RESULTS: Total PA
      was 14.5 and 15.2 min/hr in the first and second samples, respectively. The
      prevalence of meeting the PA guideline was 41.6% and 50.2% in the first and
      second samples, respectively. In both samples, more males than females met the
      guideline (53.5% vs. 33.5% and 57.6% vs. 45.9%) in the first and second samples,
      respectively (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one half of children in two
      independent samples met the guideline for PA in young children. Policies and
      practices designed to increase PA among preschool children are needed, given that
      most children are not meeting this PA guideline.

PMID- 26121564
TI  - Getting PrEPared for HIV Prevention Navigation: Young Black Gay Men Talk About
      HIV Prevention in the Biomedical Era.
AB  - Biomedical HIV prevention strategies, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and
      post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), represent new opportunities to reduce critically
      high HIV infection rates among young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM). We
      report results of 24 dyadic qualitative interviews (N=48), conducted in Los
      Angeles, CA, exploring how YBMSM and their friends view PrEP and PEP. Interviews
      were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Participants had widely divergent
      levels of knowledge about these prevention methods. Misconceptions and mistrust
      regarding PrEP were common, and concerns were expressed about PrEP-related stigma
      and the potential for gossip among peers who might assume a person on PrEP was
      HIV-positive. Yet participants also framed PrEP and PEP as valuable new options
      within an expanded "tool kit" of HIV prevention strategies that created
      possibilities for preventing new HIV infections, dating men with a different HIV
      status, and decreased anxiety about exposure to HIV. We organized themes around
      four main areas: (1) information and misinformation about biomedical HIV
      prevention; (2) expectations about PrEP, sexual behavior, and stigma; (3) gossip,
      disclosure, and "spreading the word" about PrEP and PEP; and (4) the roles of
      PrEP and PEP in an expanded HIV prevention tool kit. The findings suggest a need
      for guidance in navigating the increasingly complex array of HIV-prevention
      options available to YBMSM. Such "prevention navigation" could counter
      misconceptions and address barriers, such as stigma and mistrust, while helping
      YBMSM make informed selections from among expanded HIV prevention options. 

PMID- 26121565
TI  - Further comparisons of ABR response amplitudes, test time, and estimation of
      hearing threshold using frequency-specific chirp and tone pip stimuli in
      newborns: Findings at 0.5 and 2 kHz.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare auditory brainstem response (ABR) amplitudes evoked by 0.5
      and 2 kHz tone pip and narrowband chirp (NB CE-Chirp) stimuli when testing post
      screening newborns. To determine the difference in 'estimated hearing level'
      correction values. DESIGN: Tests were performed with tone pips and NB CE-Chirps
      at 0.5 or 2 kHz and the ABR threshold for each stimulus defined. Response
      amplitude, response quality (Fmp), and residual noise were compared for both
      stimuli. STUDY SAMPLE: Thirty-nine babies (42 ears) who passed our ABR discharge
      criterion at 4 kHz following referral from their newborn hearing screen. RESULTS:
      NB CE-Chirp responses were, on average, 31% larger than the tone pip responses at
      0.5 kHz and were 52% larger at 2 kHz. Fmp was significantly higher for NB CE
      Chirps. CONCLUSIONS: The advantages of NB CE-Chirps over tone pips we previously
      identified at 4 and 1 kHz extends to 0.5 and 2 kHz, which supports the use of NB
      CE-Chirps when testing newborns. We propose that ABR nHL threshold to eHL
      corrections for NB CE-Chirps should be approximately 5 dB less than corrections
      for tone pips at 0.5 and 2 kHz, mirroring our recommendation at 4 and 1 kHz.

PMID- 26121566
TI  - The isomeric effect of mercaptobenzoic acids on the preparation and fluorescence
      properties of copper nanoclusters.
AB  - A one-pot approach has been developed to synthesize copper nanocluster (Cu NC)
      aggregates from copper nitrate and mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA). Cu NCs prepared
      separately in the three isomers of MBA exhibit different physical and optical
      properties. 

PMID- 26121567
TI  - Supramolecular inclusion-based molecular integral rigidity: a feasible strategy
      for controlling the structural connectivity of uranyl polyrotaxane networks.
AB  - The assembly of two-dimensional (2D) large channel uranyl-organic polyrotaxane
      networks as well as structural regulation of uranyl-bearing units using jointed
      cucurbit[6]uril-based pseudorotaxanes with integral rigidity based on
      supramolecular inclusion is presented for the first time. This construction
      strategy concerning controlling molecular integral rigidity based on
      supramolecular inclusion may afford an entirely new methodology for coordination
      chemistry. 

PMID- 26121568
TI  - A Rare Subglottic Capillary Hemangioma.

PMID- 26121569
TI  - Two new flavonoids from Morus notabilis.
AB  - Phytochemical investigation of the twigs of Morus notabilis led to the isolation
      and characterization of two new flavonoids, notabilisin F (1) and notabilisin G
      (2). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic
      analysis. 

PMID- 26121570
TI  - Mesoporous crystalline-amorphous oxide nanocomposite network for high-performance
      lithium storage.
AB  - Mesoporous nanocomposites composed of crystalline and amorphous oxides network
      were successfully synthesized by a continuous aerosol spray process; electrodes
      made from such nanocomposites with a thin-layer of protective oxide coating
      exhibit high capacity and long cycling life for lithium storage. 

PMID- 26121571
TI  - Organogels formed by substituent-free pyrene-appended oligo(m-phenylene
      ethynylene)s.
AB  - A new class of pyrene-appended m-phenylene ethynylene oligomers, which bear no
      alkyl chains or heteroatoms, have been demonstrated to gelate organic solvents,
      and one of them forms chiral twisted gels in cyclohexane. 

PMID- 26121572
TI  - ARID3B Directly Regulates Ovarian Cancer Promoting Genes.
AB  - The DNA-binding protein AT-Rich Interactive Domain 3B (ARID3B) is elevated in
      ovarian cancer and increases tumor growth in a xenograft model of ovarian cancer.
      However, relatively little is known about ARID3B's function. In this study we
      perform the first genome wide screen for ARID3B direct target genes and ARID3B
      regulated pathways. We identified and confirmed numerous ARID3B target genes by
      chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) followed by microarray and quantitative RT
      PCR. Using motif-finding algorithms, we characterized a binding site for ARID3B,
      which is similar to the previously known site for the ARID3B paralogue ARID3A.
      Functionality of this predicted site was demonstrated by ChIP analysis. We next
      demonstrated that ARID3B induces expression of its targets in ovarian cancer cell
      lines. We validated that ARID3B binds to an epidermal growth factor receptor
      (EGFR) enhancer and increases mRNA expression. ARID3B also binds to the promoter
      of Wnt5A and its receptor FZD5. FZD5 is highly expressed in ovarian cancer cell
      lines, and is upregulated by exogenous ARID3B. Both ARID3B and FZD5 expression
      increase adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) components including collagen IV,
      fibronectin and vitronectin. ARID3B-increased adhesion to collagens II and IV
      require FZD5. This study directly demonstrates that ARID3B binds target genes in
      a sequence-specific manner, resulting in increased gene expression. Furthermore,
      our data indicate that ARID3B regulation of direct target genes in the Wnt
      pathway promotes adhesion of ovarian cancer cells. 

PMID- 26121573
TI  - Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease and Its Relationship with
      Meteorological Factors in Jiangsu Province, China.
AB  - Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is an important public health issue in
      mainland China, including Jiangsu Province. The main purpose of this study was to
      depict the epidemiological characteristics of HFMD and evaluate the effects of
      meteorological variables on its dynamics via spatiotemporal analytic methods,
      which is essential for formulating scientific and effective prevention and
      control strategies and measures. In total, 497,910 cases of HFMD occurred in the
      2009-2013 period, with an average annual incidence of 126.3 per 100,000 in
      Jiangsu. Out of these, 87.7% were under 5 years old with a male-to-female
      incidence ratio of 1.4. The dominant pathogens of the laboratory-confirmed cases
      were EV71 and CoxA16, accounting for 44.8% and 30.6% of all cases, respectively.
      Two incidence peaks were observed in each year, the higher occurring between
      April and June, the lower between November and December. The incidence ranged
      between 16.8 and 233.5 per 100,000 at the county level. The incidence in the
      South of the province was generally higher than that in the northern regions. The
      most likely spatiotemporal cluster detected by space-time scan analysis occurred
      in May-June of 2012 in the southern region. Average temperature and rainfall were
      positively correlated with HFMD incidence, while the number of days with rainfall
      >= 0.1mm, low temperature, high temperature and hours of sunshine were negatively
      related. Particularly, relative humidity had no relationship. In conclusion, the
      prevalence of HFMD in Jiangsu Province has an obvious feature of seasonality. The
      etiological composition changed dynamically and might be a latent driving force
      for the temporal variation of the incidence of HFMD. A moderately warm
      environment promotes the transmission of the HFMD viruses, while particularly
      cold and hot climate conditions restrain their transmission. 

PMID- 26121574
TI  - Elderly Peritoneal Dialysis Compared with Elderly Hemodialysis Patients and
      Younger Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: Competing Risk Analysis of a Korean
      Prospective Cohort Study.
AB  - The outcomes of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in elderly patients have not been
      thoroughly investigated. We aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes and risk
      factors associated with PD in elderly patients. We conducted a prospective
      observational nationwide adult end-stage renal disease (ESRD) cohort study in
      Korea from August 2008 to March 2013. Among incident patients (n = 830), patient
      and technical survival rate, quality of life, and Beck's Depression Inventory
      (BDI) scores of elderly PD patients (>=65 years, n = 95) were compared with those
      of PD patients aged <=49 years (n = 205) and 50~64 years (n = 192); and elderly
      hemodialysis (HD) patients (n = 315). The patient death and technical failure
      were analyzed by cumulative incidence function. Competing risk regressions were
      used to assess the risk factors for survival. The patient survival rate of
      elderly PD patients was inferior to that of younger PD patients (P<0.001).
      However, the technical survival rate was similar (P = 0.097). Compared with
      elderly HD patients, the patient survival rate did not differ according to
      dialysis modality (P = 0.987). Elderly PD patients showed significant improvement
      in the BDI scores, as compared with the PD patients aged <=49 years (P = 0.003).
      Low albumin, diabetes and low residual renal function were significant risk
      factors for the PD patient survival; and peritonitis was a significant risk
      factor for technical survival. Furthermore, low albumin and hospitalization were
      significant risk factors of patient survival among the elderly. The overall
      outcomes were similar between elderly PD and HD patients. PD showed the benefit
      in BDI and quality of life in the elderly. Additionally, the technical survival
      rate of elderly PD patients was similar to that of younger PD patients. Taken
      together, PD may be a comparable modality for elderly ESRD patients. 

PMID- 26121576
TI  - Comment on: HMGB1-dependent and -independent autophagy.
AB  - HMGB1 (high mobility group box 1), a ubiquitously expressed DNA-binding
      nucleoprotein, has not only been attributed with important functions in the
      regulation of gene expression but is thought to function as an important damage
      associated molecular pattern in the extracellular space. Recently, conditional
      Hmgb1 deletion strategies have been employed to overcome the perinatal mortality
      of global Hmgb1 deletion and to understand HMGB1 functions under disease
      conditions. From these studies, it has become evident that HMGB1 is not required
      for normal organ function. However, the different conditional ablation strategies
      have yielded contradictory results in some disease models. With nearly complete
      recombination in all transgenic mouse models, the main reason for opposite
      results is likely to lie within different targeting strategies. In summary,
      different targeting strategies need to be taken into account when interpreting
      HMGB1 functions, and further efforts need to be undertaken to compare these
      models side by side. 

PMID- 26121575
TI  - Predictors of Adherence to Multiple Clinical Preventive Recommendations among
      Adults with Diabetes in Spain.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe adherence to seven clinical preventive
      services among Spanish adults with diabetes, to compare adherence with people
      without diabetes and to identify predictor of adherence to multiple practices
      among adults with diabetes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study based on data obtained
      from the European Health Survey for Spain 2009 and the Spanish National Health
      Survey 2011. We analyzed those aged 40-69 years (n= 20,948). Diabetes status was
      self-reported. The study variables included adherence to blood pressure (BP)
      checkup, cholesterol measurement, influenza vaccination, dental examination,
      fecal occult blood test (FOBT), mammography and cytology. Independent variables
      included socio-demographic characteristics, variables related to health status
      and lifestyle factors. RESULTS: The study sample included 1,647 subjects with
      diabetes and 19,301 without. Over 90% had measured their BP and cholesterol in
      the last year, 44.4% received influenza immunization, 36.4% had a dental checkup
      within the year and only 8.1% underwent a FOBT. Among diabetic women 75.4% had
      received a mammography and 52.4% a cytology in the recommended periods. The
      adherence to BP and cholesterol measurements and influenza vaccination was
      significantly higher among those suffering diabetes and cytology and dental
      checkup were lower. Only 63.4% of people with diabetes had fulfilled half or more
      of the recommended practices. Female sex, higher educational level, being married
      or cohabiting, higher number of chronic conditions and number of physician visits
      increased the adherence to multiple preventive practices. For each unhealthy
      lifestyle reported the probability of having a higher adherence level decreased.
      CONCLUSIONS: Acceptable adherence is found for BP and cholesterol checkups and
      mammography. Unacceptably low rates were found for influenza vaccine, dental
      care, cytology and FOBT. Moreover, preventive services are provided neither
      equitably nor efficiently so future research needs to identify individual and
      organizational factors that allow interventions to reach these subjects with
      diabetes.

PMID- 26121577
TI  - Correction: Mouse Models of Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Reproduce
      the Heterogeneity of the Human Disease.

PMID- 26121578
TI  - Design and Performance of a New Severity Score for Intermediate Care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Application of illness-severity scores in Intermediate Care Units
      (ImCU) shows conflicting results. The aim of the study is to design a severity-of
      illness score for patients admitted to an ImCU. METHODS: We performed a
      retrospective observational study in a single academic medical centre in
      Pamplona, Spain. Demographics, past medical history, reasons for admission,
      physiological parameters at admission and during the first 24 hours of ImCU stay,
      laboratory variables and survival to hospital discharge were recorded. Logistic
      regression analysis was performed to identify variables for mortality prediction.
      RESULTS: A total of 743 patients were included. The final multivariable model
      (derivation cohort = 554 patients) contained only 9 variables obtained at
      admission to the ImCU: previous length of stay 7 days (6 points), health-care
      related infection (11), metastatic cancer (9), immunosuppressive therapy (6),
      Glasgow comma scale 12 (10), need of non-invasive ventilation (14), platelets
      50000/mcL (9), urea 0.6 g/L (10) and bilirubin 4 mg/dL (9). The ImCU severity
      score (ImCUSS) is generated by summing the individual point values, and the
      formula for determining the expected in-hospital mortality risk is: e(ImCUSS
      points*0.099 - 4,111)/(1 + e(ImCUSS points*0.099 - 4,11)1). The model showed
      adequate calibration and discrimination. Performance of ImCUSS (validation cohort
      = 189 patients) was comparable to that of SAPS II and 3. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness
      of-fit C test was chi2 8.078 (p=0.326) and the area under receiver operating
      curve 0.802. CONCLUSIONS: ImCUSS, specially designed for intermediate care, is
      based on easy to obtain variables at admission to ImCU. Additionally, it shows a
      notable performance in terms of calibration and mortality discrimination.

PMID- 26121579
TI  - Body Mass Index and Risk of Parkinson's Disease: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of
      Prospective Studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A number of epidemiologic studies examining the relationship between
      body mass index (BMI) and the future occurrence of Parkinson's disease (PD)
      reported largely inconsistent findings. We conducted a dose-response meta
      analysis of prospective studies to clarify this association. METHODS: Eligible
      prospective studies were identified by a search of PubMed and by checking the
      references of related publications. The generalized least squares trend
      estimation was employed to compute study-specific relative risks (RR) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) for an increase in BMI of 5 kg/m2, and the random
      effects model was used to compute summary RR and 95% CI. RESULTS: A total of 10
      prospective studies were included in the final analysis. An increase in BMI of 5
      kg/m2 was not associated with PD risk, with a summary RR of 1.00 (95% CI = 0.89
      1.12). Results of subgroup analysis found similar results except for a week
      positive association in studies that adjusted for alcohol consumption (RR = 1.13,
      95% CI = 0.99-1.29), and a week inverse association in studies that did not (RR =
      0.90, 95% CI = 0.78-1.04). In a separate meta-analysis, no significant
      association between overweight (25 kg/m2 <= BMI <=29.9 kg/m2), obesity (BMI>=30
      kg/m2) or excess weight (BMI>=25 kg/m2) and PD risk was observed. CONCLUSION:
      This meta-analysis does not support the notion that higher BMI materially
      increases PD risk. However, a week positive BMI-PD association that may be masked
      by confounders still cannot be excluded, and future prospective studies with a
      good control for potential confounding factors are needed.

PMID- 26121581
TI  - Influence of Fire Mosaics, Habitat Characteristics and Cattle Disturbance on
      Mammals in Fire-Prone Savanna Landscapes of the Northern Kimberley.
AB  - Patch mosaic burning, in which fire is used to produce a mosaic of habitat
      patches representative of a range of fire histories ('pyrodiversity'), has been
      widely advocated to promote greater biodiversity. However, the details of desired
      fire mosaics for prescribed burning programs are often unspecified. Threatened
      small to medium-sized mammals (35 g to 5.5 kg) in the fire-prone tropical
      savannas of Australia appear to be particularly fire-sensitive. Consequently, a
      clear understanding of which properties of fire mosaics are most instrumental in
      influencing savanna mammal populations is critical. Here we use mammal capture
      data, remotely sensed fire information (i.e. time since last fire, fire
      frequency, frequency of late dry season fires, diversity of post-fire ages in 3
      km radius, and spatial extent of recently burnt, intermediate and long unburnt
      habitat) and structural habitat attributes (including an index of cattle
      disturbance) to examine which characteristics of fire mosaics most influence
      mammals in the north-west Kimberley. We used general linear models to examine the
      relationship between fire mosaic and habitat attributes on total mammal abundance
      and richness, and the abundance of the most commonly detected species. Strong
      negative associations of mammal abundance and richness with frequency of late dry
      season fires, the spatial extent of recently burnt habitat (post-fire age <1 year
      within 3 km radius) and level of cattle disturbance were observed. Shrub cover
      was positively related to both mammal abundance and richness, and availability of
      rock crevices, ground vegetation cover and spatial extent of >=4 years unburnt
      habitat were all positively associated with at least some of the mammal species
      modelled. We found little support for diversity of post-fire age classes in the
      models. Our results indicate that both a high frequency of intense late dry
      season fires and extensive, recently burnt vegetation are likely to be
      detrimental to mammals in the north Kimberley. A managed fire mosaic that reduces
      large scale and intense fires, including the retention of >=4 years unburnt
      patches, will clearly benefit savanna mammals. We also highlighted the importance
      of fire mosaics that retain sufficient shelter for mammals. Along with fire, it
      is clear that grazing by introduced herbivores also needs to be reduced so that
      habitat quality is maintained. 

PMID- 26121580
TI  - Inhibition of the Prostaglandin Transporter PGT Lowers Blood Pressure in
      Hypertensive Rats and Mice.
AB  - Inhibiting the synthesis of endogenous prostaglandins with nonsteroidal anti
      inflammatory drugs exacerbates arterial hypertension. We hypothesized that the
      converse, i.e., raising the level of endogenous prostaglandins, might have anti
      hypertensive effects. To accomplish this, we focused on inhibiting the
      prostaglandin transporter PGT (SLCO2A1), which is the obligatory first step in
      the inactivation of several common PGs. We first examined the role of PGT in
      controlling arterial blood pressure blood pressure using anesthetized rats. The
      high-affinity PGT inhibitor T26A sensitized the ability of exogenous PGE2 to
      lower blood pressure, confirming both inhibition of PGT by T26A and the
      vasodepressor action of PGE2 T26A administered alone to anesthetized rats dose
      dependently lowered blood pressure, and did so to a greater degree in
      spontaneously hypertensive rats than in Wistar-Kyoto control rats. In mice, T26A
      added chronically to the drinking water increased the urinary excretion and
      plasma concentration of PGE2 over several days, confirming that T26A is orally
      active in antagonizing PGT. T26A given orally to hypertensive mice normalized
      blood pressure. T26A increased urinary sodium excretion in mice and, when added
      to the medium bathing isolated mouse aortas, T26A increased the net release of
      PGE2 induced by arachidonic acid, inhibited serotonin-induced vasoconstriction,
      and potentiated vasodilation induced by exogenous PGE2. We conclude that
      pharmacologically inhibiting PGT-mediated prostaglandin metabolism lowers blood
      pressure, probably by prostaglandin-induced natriuresis and vasodilation. PGT is
      a novel therapeutic target for treating hypertension. 

PMID- 26121582
TI  - Expression of SGLT1 in Human Hearts and Impairment of Cardiac Glucose Uptake by
      Phlorizin during Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1) is thought to be expressed in
      the heart as the dominant isoform of cardiac SGLT, although more information is
      required to delineate the subtypes of SGLTs in human hearts. Moreover, the
      functional role of SGLTs in the heart remains to be fully elucidated. We herein
      investigated whether SGLT1 is expressed in human hearts and whether SGLTs
      significantly contribute to cardiac energy metabolism during ischemia-reperfusion
      injury (IRI) via enhanced glucose utilization in mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: We
      determined that SGLT1 was highly expressed in both human autopsied hearts and
      murine perfused hearts, as assessed by immunostaining and immunoblotting with
      membrane fractionation. To test the functional significance of the substantial
      expression of SGLTs in the heart, we studied the effects of a non-selective SGLT
      inhibitor, phlorizin, on the baseline cardiac function and its response to
      ischemia-reperfusion using the murine Langendorff model. Although phlorizin
      perfusion did not affect baseline cardiac function, its administration during IRI
      significantly impaired the recovery in left ventricular contractions and rate
      pressure product, associated with an increased infarct size, as demonstrated by
      triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining and creatine phosphokinase activity
      released into the perfusate. The onset of ischemic contracture, which indicates
      the initiation of ATP depletion in myocardium, was earlier with phlorizin.
      Consistent with this finding, there was a significant decrease in the tissue ATP
      content associated with reductions in glucose uptake, as well as lactate output
      (indicating glycolytic flux), during ischemia-reperfusion in the phlorizin
      perfused hearts. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac SGLTs, possibly SGLT1 in particular, appear
      to provide an important protective mechanism against IRI by replenishing ATP
      stores in ischemic cardiac tissues via enhancing availability of glucose. The
      present findings provide new insight into the significant role of SGLTs in
      optimizing cardiac energy metabolism, at least during the acute phase of IRI.

PMID- 26121583
TI  - Angiographic Lesion Complexity Score and In-Hospital Outcomes after Percutaneous
      Coronary Intervention.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We devised a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) scoring system
      based on angiographic lesion complexity and assessed its association with in
      hospital complications. BACKGROUND: Although PCI is finding increasing
      application in patients with coronary artery disease, lesion complexity can lead
      to in-hospital complications. METHODS: Data from 3692 PCI patients were scored
      based on lesion complexity, defined by bifurcation, chronic total occlusion, type
      C, and left main lesion, along with acute thrombus in the presence of ST-segment
      elevation myocardial infarction (1 point assigned for each variable). RESULTS:
      The patients' mean age was 67.5 +/- 10.8 years; 79.8% were male. About half of
      the patients (50.3%) presented with an acute coronary syndrome, and 2218 (60.1%)
      underwent PCI for at least one complex lesion. The patients in the higher-risk
      score groups were older (p < 0.001) and had present or previous heart failure (p
      = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively). Higher-risk score groups had significantly
      higher in-hospital event rates for death, heart failure, and cardiogenic shock
      (from 0 to 4 risk score; 1.7%, 4.5%, 6.3%, 7.1%, 40%, p < 0.001); bleeding with a
      hemoglobin decrease of >3.0 g/dL (3.1%, 11.0%, 13.1%, 10.3%, 28.6%, p < 0.001);
      and postoperative myocardial infarction (1.5%, 3.1%, 3.8%, 3.8%, 10%, p = 0.004),
      respectively. The association with adverse outcomes persisted after adjustment
      for known clinical predictors (odds ratio 1.72, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The
      complexity score was cumulatively associated with in-hospital mortality and
      complication rate and could be used for event prediction in PCI patients.

PMID- 26121585
TI  - High-Resolution Correlative Microscopy: Bridging the Gap between Single Molecule
      Localization Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy.
AB  - Nanoscale characterization of living samples has become essential for modern
      biology. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) creates topological images of fragile
      biological structures from biomolecules to living cells in aqueous environments.
      However, correlating nanoscale structure to biological function of specific
      proteins can be challenging. To this end we have built and characterized a
      correlated single molecule localization microscope (SMLM)/AFM that allows
      localizing specific, labeled proteins within high-resolution AFM images in a
      biologically relevant context. Using direct stochastic optical reconstruction
      microscopy (dSTORM)/AFM, we directly correlate and quantify the density of
      localizations with the 3D topography using both imaging modalities along (F
      )actin cytoskeletal filaments. In addition, using photo activated light
      microscopy (PALM)/AFM, we provide correlative images of bacterial cells in
      aqueous conditions. Moreover, we report the first correlated AFM/PALM imaging of
      live mammalian cells. The complementary information provided by the two
      techniques opens a new dimension for structural and functional nanoscale biology.

PMID- 26121584
TI  - Low Completeness of Bacteraemia Registration in the Danish National Patient
      Registry.
AB  - Bacteraemia is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and timely
      access to relia-ble information is essential for health care administrators.
      Therefore, we investigated the complete-ness of bacteraemia registration in the
      Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR) containing hospital discharge diagnoses
      and surgical procedures for all non-psychiatric patients. As gold standard we
      identified bacteraemia patients in three defined areas of Denmark (~2.3 million
      inhabitants) from 2000 through 2011 by use of blood culture data retrieved from
      electronic microbiology databases. Diagnoses coded according to the International
      Classification of Diseases, version 10, and surgical procedure codes were
      retrieved from the DNPR. The codes were categorized into seven groups, ranked a
      priori according to the likelihood of bacteraemia. Completeness was analysed by
      contin-gency tables, for all patients and subgroups. We identified 58,139
      bacteraemic episodes in 48,450 patients; 37,740 episodes (64.9%) were covered by
      one or more discharge diagnoses within the sev-en diagnosis/surgery groups and
      18,786 episodes (32.3%) had a code within the highest priority group.
      Completeness varied substantially according to speciality (from 17.9% for
      surgical to 36.4% for medical), place of acquisition (from 26.0% for nosocomial
      to 36.2% for community), and mi-croorganism (from 19.5% for anaerobic Gram
      negative bacteria to 36.8% for haemolytic strepto-cocci). The completeness
      increased from 25.1% in 2000 to 35.1% in 2011. In conclusion, one third of the
      bacteraemic episodes did not have a relevant diagnosis in the Danish
      administrative registry recording all non-psychiatric contacts. This source of
      information should be used cautiously to iden-tify patients with bacteraemia. 

PMID- 26121586
TI  - Serendipitous SAD Solution for DMSO-Soaked SOCS2-ElonginC-ElonginB Crystals Using
      Covalently Incorporated Dimethylarsenic: Insights into Substrate Receptor
      Conformational Flexibility in Cullin RING Ligases.
AB  - Suppressor of cytokine signalling 2 (SOCS2) is the substrate-binding component of
      a Cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin ligase (CRL) complex that targets phosphorylated
      hormone receptors for degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. As a key
      regulator of the transcriptional response to growth signals, SOCS2 and its
      protein complex partners are potential targets for small molecule development. We
      found that crystals of SOCS2 in complex with its adaptor proteins, Elongin C and
      Elongin B, underwent a change in crystallographic parameters when treated with
      dimethyl sulfoxide during soaking experiments. To solve the phase problem for the
      new crystal form we identified the presence of arsenic atoms in the crystals, a
      result of covalent modification of cysteines by cacodylate, and successfully
      extracted anomalous signal from these atoms for experimental phasing. The
      resulting structure provides a means for solving future structures where the
      crystals must be treated with DMSO for ligand soaking approaches. Additionally,
      the conformational changes induced in this structure reveal flexibility within
      SOCS2 that match those postulated by previous molecular dynamics simulations.
      This conformational flexibility illustrates how SOCS2 can orient its substrates
      for successful ubiquitination by other elements of the CRL complex. 

PMID- 26121587
TI  - Does EBV alter the pathogenesis of malaria?
AB  - Plasmodium falciparum infections have been implicated in immune deficiencies
      resulting in ineffective control of Epstein-Barr virus, thereby increasing the
      risk of endemic Burkitt lymphoma in children. However, the impact of Epstein-Barr
      virus infections on the development of immunity to P. falciparum has not been
      studied in depth. In this review, we examine novel findings from animal co
      infection models and human immuno-epidemiologic studies to speculate on the
      impact of acute gammaherpesvirus co-infection on malarial disease severity.
      Children are often concurrently or sequentially infected with multiple pathogens,
      and this has implications for understanding the development of protective
      immunity as well as in the evaluation of vaccine efficacy. 

PMID- 26121589
TI  - Correction: Environmental Control on Fish and Macrocrustacean Spring Community
      Structure, on an Intertidal Sandy Beach.

PMID- 26121588
TI  - Cultivation-Based and Molecular Assessment of Bacterial Diversity in the
      Rhizosheath of Wheat under Different Crop Rotations.
AB  - A field study was conducted to compare the formationand bacterial communities of
      rhizosheaths of wheat grown under wheat-cotton and wheat-rice rotation and to
      study the effects of bacterial inoculation on plant growth. Inoculation of
      Azospirillum sp. WS-1 and Bacillus sp. T-34 to wheat plants increased root
      length, root and shoot dry weight and dry weight of rhizosheathsoil when compared
      to non-inoculated control plants, and under both crop rotations. Comparing both
      crop rotations, root length, root and shoot dry weight and dry weight of soil
      attached with roots were higher under wheat-cotton rotation. Organic acids
      (citric acid, malic acid, acetic acid and oxalic acid) were detected in
      rhizosheaths from both rotations, with malic acid being most abundant with 24.8+/
      2 and 21.3+/-1.5 MUg g(-1) dry soil in wheat-cotton and wheat-rice rotation,
      respectively. Two sugars (sucrose, glucose) were detected in wheat rhizosheath
      under both rotations, with highest concentrations of sucrose (4.08+/-0.5 MUg g(
      1) and 7.36+/-1.0 MUg g(-1)) and glucose (3.12+/-0.5 MUg g(-1) and 3.01+/- MUg g(
      1)) being detected in rhizosheaths of non-inoculated control plants under both
      rotations. Diversity of rhizosheath-associated bacteria was evaluated by
      cultivation, as well as by 454-pyrosequencing of PCR-tagged 16S rRNA gene
      amplicons. A total of 14 and 12 bacterial isolates predominantly belonging to the
      genera Arthrobacter, Azospirillum, Bacillus, Enterobacter and Pseudomonaswere
      obtained from the rhizosheath of wheat grown under wheat-cotton and wheat-rice
      rotation, respectively. Analysis of pyrosequencing data revealed Proteobacteria,
      Bacteriodetes and Verrucomicrobia as the most abundant phyla in wheat-rice
      rotation, whereas Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria,
      Planctomycetes and Cyanobacteria were predominant in wheat-cotton rotation. From
      a total of 46,971 sequences, 10.9% showed >=97% similarity with 16S rRNA genes of
      32 genera previously shown to include isolates with plant growth promoting
      activity (nitrogen fixation, phosphate-solubilization, IAA production). Among
      these, the most predominant genera were Arthrobacter, Azoarcus, Azospirillum,
      Bacillus, Cyanobacterium, Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas and Rhizobium.

PMID- 26121590
TI  - Low 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels Are Associated with Infections and Mortality in
      Patients with Cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Vitamin D, best known to regulate bone mineralization, has
      numerous additional roles including regulation inflammatory pathways. Recently,
      an increased incidence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) deficiency has been
      found in subjects suffering from liver diseases. We here investigated if low
      vitamin D levels might be associated with prognosis, inflammation and infectious
      complications in patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: We performed a prospective
      cohort study investigating the relation between 25(OH)D3 levels and stages of
      cirrhosis, mortality and complications of cirrhosis, including infections.
      RESULTS: 251 patients with cirrhosis were enrolled into the present prospective
      cohort study. 25(OH)D3 levels were quantified by radioimmunoassay from serum
      samples obtained at study inclusion. The mean follow-up time was 411 +/- 397 days
      with a range of 1-1382 days. 30 (12.0%) patients underwent liver transplantation
      and 85 (33.8%) individuals died within the study. The mean serum 25(OH)D3
      concentration was 8.93 +/- 7.1 ng/ml with a range of 1.0 to 46.0 ng/ml. 25(OH)D3
      levels differed significantly between Child Pugh scores and showed a negative
      correlation with the model of end stage liver disease (MELD) score. Patients with
      decompensated cirrhosis and infectious complications, had significantly lower
      25(OH)D3 levels compared to subjects without complications. Low 25(OH)D3 was
      associated with mortality in uni- as well as multivariate Cox regression models.
      CONCLUSIONS: 25(OH)D3 deficiency is associated with advanced liver disease and
      low 25(OH)D3 levels are an indicator for a poor outcome and are associated with
      infectious complications.

PMID- 26121591
TI  - Direction of Biological Motion Affects Early Brain Activation: A Link with Social
      Cognition.
AB  - A number of EEG studies have investigated the time course of brain activation for
      biological movement over this last decade, however the temporal dynamics of
      processing are still debated. Moreover, the role of direction of movement has not
      received much attention even though it is an essential component allowing us to
      determine the intentions of the moving agent, and thus permitting the
      anticipation of potential social interactions. In this study, we examined event
      related responses (ERPs) in 15 healthy human participants to light point walkers
      and their scrambled counterparts, whose movements occurred either in the radial
      or in the lateral plane. Compared to scrambled motion (SM), biological motion
      (BM) showed an enhanced negativity between 210 and 360ms. A source localization
      algorithm (sLORETA) revealed that this was due to an increase in superior and
      middle temporal lobe activity. Regarding direction, we found that radial BM
      produced an enhanced P1 compared to lateral BM, lateral SM and radial SM. This
      heightened P1 was due to an increase in activity in extrastriate regions, as well
      as in superior temporal, medial parietal and medial prefrontal areas. This
      network is known to be involved in decoding the underlying intentionality of the
      movement and in the attribution of mental states. The social meaning signaled by
      the direction of biological motion therefore appears to trigger an early response
      in brain activity. 

PMID- 26121592
TI  - Fetal and Childhood Exposure to Phthalate Diesters and Cognitive Function in
      Children Up to 12 Years of Age: Taiwanese Maternal and Infant Cohort Study.
AB  - Few studies have examined the association between environmental phthalate
      exposure and children's neurocognitive development. This longitudinal study
      examined cognitive function in relation to pre-and postnatal phthalate exposure
      in children 2-12 years old. We recruited 430 pregnant women in their third
      trimester in Taichung, Taiwan from 2001-2002. A total of 110, 79, 76, and 73
      children were followed up at ages 2, 5, 8, and 11, respectively. We evaluated the
      children's cognitive function at four different time points using the Bayley and
      Wechsler tests for assessing neurocognitive functions and intelligence (IQ).
      Urine samples were collected from mothers during pregnancy and from children at
      each follow-up visit. They were analyzed for seven metabolite concentrations of
      widely used phthalate esters. These esters included monomethyl phthalate,
      monoethyl phthalate, mono-butyl phthalate, mono-benzyl phthalate, and three
      metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, namely, mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate,
      mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate, and mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate.
      We constructed a linear mixed model to examine the relationships between the
      phthalate metabolite concentrations and the Bayley and IQ scores. We found
      significant inverse associations between the children's levels of urinary mono(2
      ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate and the sum of the three metabolites of di(2
      ethylhexyl) phthalate and their IQ scores (beta = -1.818; 95% CI: -3.061, -0.574,
      p = 0.004 for mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate; beta = -1.575; 95% CI: -3.037, 
      0.113, p = 0.035 for the sum of the three metabolites) after controlling for
      maternal phthalate levels and potential confounders. We did not observe
      significant associations between maternal phthalate exposure and the children's
      IQ scores. Children's but not prenatal phthalate exposure was associated with
      decreased cognitive development in the young children. Large-scale prospective
      cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings in the future. 

PMID- 26121593
TI  - Clinical Significance of MLH1 Methylation and CpG Island Methylator Phenotype as
      Prognostic Markers in Patients with Gastric Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To improve the outcome of patients suffering from gastric cancer, a
      better understanding of underlying genetic and epigenetic events in this
      malignancy is required. Although CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) and
      microsatellite instability (MSI) have been shown to play pivotal roles in gastric
      cancer pathogenesis, the clinical significance of these events on survival
      outcomes in patients with gastric cancer remains unknown. METHODS: This study
      included a patient cohort with pathologically confirmed gastric cancer who had
      surgical resections. A cohort of 68 gastric cancers was analyzed. CIMP and MSI
      statuses were determined by analyzing promoter CpG island methylation status of
      28 genes/loci, and genomic instability at 10 microsatellite markers,
      respectively. A Cox's proportional hazards model was performed for multivariate
      analysis including age, stage, tumor differentiation, KRAS mutation status, and
      combined CIMP/MLH1 methylation status in relation to overall survival (OS).
      RESULTS: By multivariate analysis, longer OS was significantly correlated with
      lower pathologic stage (P = 0.0088), better tumor differentiation (P = 0.0267)
      and CIMP-high and MLH1 3' methylated status (P = 0.0312). Stratification of CIMP
      status with regards to MLH1 methylation status further enabled prediction of
      gastric cancer prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: CIMP and/or MLH1 methylation status may
      have a potential to be prognostic biomarkers for patients with gastric cancer.

PMID- 26121595
TI  - Distribution System Water Quality Affects Responses of Opportunistic Pathogen
      Gene Markers in Household Water Heaters.
AB  - Illustrative distribution system operation and management practices shaped the
      occurrence and persistence of Legionella spp., nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM),
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and two amoebae host (Acanthamoeba spp., Vermamoeba
      vermiformis) gene markers in the effluent of standardized simulated household
      water heaters (SWHs). The interplay between disinfectant type (chlorine or
      chloramine), water age (2.3-5.7 days) and materials (polyvinyl chloride (PVC),
      cement or iron) in upstream simulated distribution systems (SDSs) profoundly
      influenced levels of pathogen gene markers in corresponding SWH bulk waters. For
      example, Legionella spp. were 3-4 log higher in SWHs receiving water from
      chloraminated vs chlorinated SDSs, because of disinfectant decay from
      nitrification. By contrast, SWHs fed with chlorinated PVC SDS water not only
      harbored the lowest levels of all pathogen markers, but effluent from the
      chlorinated SWHs were even lower than influent levels in several instances (e.g.,
      2 log less Legionella spp. and NTM for PVC and 3-5 log less P. aeruginosa for
      cement). However, pathogen gene marker influent levels correlated positively to
      effluent levels in the SWHs (P < 0.05). Likewise, microbial community structures
      were similar between SWHs and the corresponding SDS feed waters. This study
      highlights the importance and challenges of distribution system
      management/operation to help control opportunistic pathogens. 

PMID- 26121594
TI  - Hippocampal interplay with the nucleus accumbens is critical for decisions about
      time.
AB  - Human cognition depends upon the capacity to make decisions in the present that
      bear upon outcomes in the future. The nucleus accumbens, a recipient of direct
      projections from both the hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex, is known to
      contribute to these aspects of decision-making. Here we demonstrate that
      interaction of the nucleus accumbens with the hippocampus, but not the
      orbitofrontal cortex, is critical in shaping decisions that involve time trade
      offs. Compared with controls, rats with a disrupted hippocampal-accumbens
      interaction were strongly biased toward choosing stimuli that led to small and
      immediate food rewards over large and delayed ones. We show that this pattern of
      behavior cannot be ascribed to the impaired representation of stimulus value, the
      incapacity to wait, or a general disruption of decision-making. These results
      identify a hippocampal-accumbens circuit that may underlie a range of problems in
      which daily decisions are marked by a shift toward immediate gratification. 

PMID- 26121596
TI  - Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations: Mood, Cognition and Fatigue
      Following Stroke practice guidelines, update 2015.
AB  - Every year, approximately 62 000 people with stroke and transient ischemic attack
      are treated in Canadian hospitals, and the evidence suggests one-third or more
      will experience vascular-cognitive impairment, and/or intractable fatigue, either
      alone or in combination. The 2015 update of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice
      Recommendations: Mood, Cognition and Fatigue Module guideline is a comprehensive
      summary of current evidence-based recommendations for clinicians in a range of
      settings, who provide care to patients following stroke. The three consequences
      of stroke that are the focus of the this guideline (poststroke depression,
      vascular cognitive impairment, and fatigue) have high incidence rates and
      significant impact on the lives of people who have had a stroke, impede recovery,
      and result in worse long-term outcomes. Significant practice variations and gaps
      in the research evidence have been reported for initial screening and in-depth
      assessment of stroke patients for these conditions. Also of concern, an increased
      number of family members and informal caregivers may also experience depressive
      symptoms in the poststroke recovery phase which further impact patient recovery.
      These factors emphasize the need for a system of care that ensures screening
      occurs as a standard and consistent component of clinical practice across
      settings as stroke patients transition from acute care to active rehabilitation
      and reintegration into their community. Additionally, building system capacity to
      ensure access to appropriate specialists for treatment and ongoing management of
      stroke survivors with these conditions is another great challenge. 

PMID- 26121598
TI  - A Study on Serum Antithyroglobulin Antibodies Interference in Thyroglobulin
      Measurement in Fine-Needle Aspiration for Diagnosing Lymph Node Metastasis in
      Postoperative Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: Thyroglobulin measurement in fine-needle aspiration washout fluid (FNA
      Tg) is widely used for detection of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with
      papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Recent studies suggested that serum anti
      thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAbs) could interfere with FNA-Tg. We evaluated
      whether TgAbs can affect FNA-Tg when diagnosing LNM in postoperative patients
      with PTC. METHODS: From November 2006 to June 2011, a total of 239 LNs from 201
      patients who underwent bilateral thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine ablation
      therapy were included. The interactions between FNA-Tgs and serum TgAbs, and
      diagnostic performances between FNA with additional FNA-Tg and FNA alone
      according to the presence of serum TgAbs were evaluated using the generalized
      linear mixed model and the bootstrap method. RESULTS: From 106 (44.4%) malignant
      and 133 (55.6%) benign LNs, there were 32 (13.4%) LNs with detectable serum TgAb
      levels and 207 (86.6%) LNs with undetectable serum TgAb levels. In logistic
      regression analysis, a significant negative interaction was observed between FNA
      Tgs and serum TgAbs (p = 0.031). In the absence of serum TgAbs, the diagnostic
      performances were superior in the FNA with FNA-Tg than in the FNA only. However,
      in the presence of serum TgAbs, the diagnostic performances of the FNA with FNA
      Tg were not significantly different from the FNA only, even with a different
      cutoff value of FNA-Tg. CONCLUSIONS: Serum TgAbs may interfere with FNA-Tg
      studies and caution is advised while analyzing FNA-Tg for detection of LNM in
      patients with PTC.

PMID- 26121599
TI  - Analysis of metformin, sitagliptin and creatinine in human dried blood spots.
AB  - For analysis of the anti-diabetic drugs metformin and sitagliptin and the renal
      clearance marker creatinine in the same human dried blood spot (DBS) extract two
      liquid chromatography methods employing HPLC/UV and LC-ESI-MS/MS have been
      developed and validated. An accurate volume of 40MUL blood was spotted on a
      sampling paper which was extracted using 90% acetonitrile with 10% formic acid.
      The new methods were shown to be selective, accurate and precise. The validated
      ranges were 0.2-5MUg/mL for metformin, 1.5-15MUg/mL for creatinine and 3-500ng/mL
      for sitagliptin. Since drug analysis in DBS determines whole blood concentrations
      as opposed to the typically used plasma levels the partition ratios between human
      plasma and blood cells, c(P)/c(BC), were elucidated in vitro to gain insight into
      the significance of blood cells as compartment of distribution for both
      compounds. The c(P)/c(BC) was found to be 4.65+/-0.73 for metformin and 5.58+/
      0.98 for sitagliptin. While an accumulation of metformin in erythrocytes was
      already known we now present the first evidence that sitagliptin distributes into
      human blood cells. The analytical methods were also successfully applied to
      authentic capillary blood samples from two diabetic patients regularly taking a
      combination of metformin and sitagliptin. Both samples revealed analyte trough
      concentrations well above the lower limit of quantification of the respective
      compounds. Therefore, the present study offers a methodological basis for the DBS
      analysis of metformin and sitagliptin in relation to the patients' creatinine
      concentration. 

PMID- 26121600
TI  - Spinal cord stimulation for cancer-related pain in adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This is an update of a review first published in The Cochrane Library
      in Issue 3, 2013. Cancer-related pain places a heavy burden on public health with
      related high expenditure. Severe pain is associated with a decreased quality of
      life in patients with cancer. A significant proportion of patients with cancer
      related pain are under-treated. There is a need for more effective control of
      cancer-related pain. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) may have a role in pain
      management. The effectiveness and safety of SCS for patients with cancer-related
      pain is currently unknown. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review evaluated the
      effectiveness of SCS for cancer-related pain compared with standard care using
      conventional analgesic medication. We also appraised risk and potential adverse
      events associated with the use of SCS. SEARCH METHODS: This is an update of a
      review first published in The Cochrane Library in Issue 3, 2013. The search
      strategy for the update was the same as in the original review. We searched the
      following bibliographic databases in order to identify relevant studies: the
      Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library;
      MEDLINE; EMBASE; and CBM (Chinese Biomedical Database) in October 2014. We also
      handsearched relevant journals. There were no language restrictions. SELECTION
      CRITERIA: We planned to include randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that directly
      compared SCS with other interventions with regards to the effectiveness of pain
      management. We also planned to include cross-over trials that compared SCS with
      another treatment. We planned to identify non-randomised controlled trials but
      these would only be included if no RCTs could be found. DATA COLLECTION AND
      ANALYSIS: The literature search for the update of this review found 121
      potentially eligible articles. The initial search strategy yielded 430 articles.
      By scrutinising titles and abstracts, we found 412 articles irrelevant to the
      analytical purpose of this systematic review due to different scopes of diseases
      or different methods of intervention (intrathecal infusion system; oral
      medication) or aims other than pain control (spinal cord function monitoring,
      bladder function restoration or amelioration of organ metabolism). The remaining
      18 trials were reviewed as full manuscripts. No RCTs were identified. Fourteen
      sporadic case reports and review articles were excluded and four before-and-after
      case series studies (92 participants) were included. Two review authors
      independently selected the studies to be included in the review according to the
      prespecified eligibility criteria. A checklist for methodological quality of non
      randomised controlled trials was used (STROBE checklist) and all review authors
      discussed and agreed on the inclusion of trials and the results of the quality
      assessment. MAIN RESULTS: No new studies were identified for inclusion in this
      update of the review. Four before-and-after case series studies (a total of 92
      participants) met our criteria for inclusion in the previous version of the
      review. All included trials adopted a visual analogue scale (VAS) to evaluate
      pain relief. Heterogeneity existed in terms of baseline characteristics,
      electrode and stimulator parameters, level of implantation and route of
      implantation; each trial reported data differently. In two trials, pain relief
      was achieved in 76% (48/63) of participants at the end of the follow-up period.
      In the third trial, pre-procedure VAS was 6 to 9 (mean 7.43 ); the one-month post
      implant VAS was 2 to 4 (mean 3.07); the 12-month post-implant VAS was 1 to 3
      (mean 2.67). In the fourth trial, the pre-procedure VAS was 6 to 9 (mean 7.07); 1
      to 4 (mean 2.67) at one-month; 1 to 4 (mean 1.87) at 12 months. Analgesic use was
      largely reduced. The main adverse events were infection of sites of implantation,
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, pain at the sites of electrodes, dislodgement
      of the electrodes, and system failure; however, the incidence in participants
      with cancer could not be calculated. Since all trials were small, non-randomised
      controlled trials, they carried high or unclear risk of all types of bias.
      AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Since the first publication of this review, no new studies
      were identified. Current evidence is insufficient to establish the role of SCS in
      treating refractory cancer-related pain. Future randomised studies should focus
      on the implantation of SCS in participants with cancer-related pain.

PMID- 26121597
TI  - Tethering of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) to Beta Tricalcium Phosphate (betaTCP)
      via Fusion to a High Affinity, Multimeric betaTCP-Binding Peptide: Effects on
      Human Multipotent Stromal Cells/Connective Tissue Progenitors.
AB  - Transplantation of freshly-aspirated autologous bone marrow, together with a
      scaffold, is a promising clinical alternative to harvest and transplantation of
      autologous bone for treatment of large defects. However, survival proliferation,
      and osteogenic differentiation of the marrow-resident stem and progenitor cells
      with osteogenic potential can be limited in large defects by the inflammatory
      microenvironment. Previous studies using EGF tethered to synthetic polymer
      substrates have demonstrated that surface-tethered EGF can protect human bone
      marrow-derived osteogenic stem and progenitor cells from pro-death inflammatory
      cues and enhance their proliferation without detriment to subsequent osteogenic
      differentiation. The objective of this study was to identify a facile means of
      tethering EGF to clinically-relevant betaTCP scaffolds and to demonstrate the
      bioactivity of EGF tethered to betaTCP using stimulation of the proliferative
      response of human bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSC) as a
      phenotypic metric. We used a phage display library and panned against betaTCP and
      composites of betaTCP with a degradable polyester biomaterial, together with
      orthogonal blocking schemes, to identify a 12-amino acid consensus binding
      peptide sequence, LLADTTHHRPWT, with high affinity for betaTCP. When a single
      copy of this betaTCP-binding peptide sequence was fused to EGF via a flexible
      peptide tether domain and expressed recombinantly in E. coli together with a
      maltose-binding domain to aid purification, the resulting fusion protein
      exhibited modest affinity for betaTCP. However, a fusion protein containing a
      linear concatamer containing 10 repeats of the binding motif the resulting fusion
      protein showed high affinity stable binding to betaTCP, with only 25% of the
      protein released after 7 days at 37oC. The fusion protein was bioactive, as
      assessed by its abilities to activate kinase signaling pathways downstream of the
      EGF receptor when presented in soluble form, and to enhance the proliferation of
      hBMSC when presented in tethered form on commercial betaTCP bone regeneration
      scaffolds. 

PMID- 26121601
TI  - Numerical Methodology to Evaluate the Effects of Bone Density and Cement
      Augmentation on Fixation Stiffness of Bone-Anchoring Devices.
AB  - Bone quality is one of the reported factors influencing the success of bone
      anchors in arthroscopic repairs of torn rotator cuffs at the shoulder. This work
      was aimed at developing refined numerical methods to investigate how bone quality
      can influence the fixation stiffness of bone anchors. To do that bone biopsies
      were scanned at 26-MUm resolution with a high-resolution microcomputer tomography
      (micro-CT) scanner and their images were processed for virtual implantation of a
      typical design of bone anchor. These were converted to microfinite element (MUFE)
      and homogenized classical FE models, and analyses were performed to simulate
      pulling on the bone anchor with and without cement augmentation. Quantification
      of structural stiffness for each implanted specimen was then computed, as well as
      stress distributions within the bone structures, and related to the bone volume
      fraction of the specimens. Results show that the classical method is excellently
      correlated to structural predictions of the more refined MUFE method, despite the
      qualitative differences in local stresses in the bone surrounding the implant.
      Predictions from additional loading cases suggest that structural fixation
      stiffness in various directions is related to apparent bone density of the
      surrounding bone. Augmentation of anchoring with bone cement stiffens the
      fixation and alters these relations. This work showed the usability of
      homogenized FE (hFE) in the evaluation of bone anchor fixation and will be used
      to develop new methodologies for virtual investigations leading to optimized
      repairs of rotator cuff and glenoid Bankart lesions. 

PMID- 26121603
TI  - A comparative analysis on the in vivo toxicity of copper nanoparticles in three
      species of freshwater fish.
AB  - Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) are used extensively in a wide range of products and
      the potential for toxicological impacts in the aquatic environment is of high
      concern. In this study, the fate and the acute toxicity of spherical 50nm copper
      nanoparticles was assessed in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss),
      fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) and zebrafish (Danio rerio) for in vivo
      aqueous exposures following standardized OECD 203 guideline tests. The fate of
      the CuNPs in the aqueous media was temperature dependent. At the higher study
      temperature (26+/-1 degrees C), there was both an enhanced particle aggregation
      and higher rate of dissolution compared with that at the lower study temperature
      (15+/-1 degrees C). 96h LC50s of the CuNPs were 0.68+/-0.15, 0.28+/-0.04 and
      0.22+/-0.08mg Cu/L for rainbow trout, fathead minnow and zebrafish, respectively.
      The 96h lowest-observed-effect concentration (LOEC) for the CuNPs were 0.17,
      0.023 and <0.023mg/L for rainbow trout, fathead minnow, and zebrafish
      respectively, and are below the predicted environmental concentration of CuNPs
      for some aquatic environments suggesting a possible ecotoxicological risk to
      fish. Soluble copper was one of main drivers for the acute toxicity of the copper
      nanoparticles suspensions. Both CuNPs suspension and copper nitrate caused damage
      to gill filaments and gill pavement cells, with differences in sensitivity for
      these effects between the fish species studied. We show therefore common
      toxicological effects of CuNPs in different fish species but with differences in
      sensitivity with implications for hazard extrapolation between fish species.

PMID- 26121604
TI  - Increased acute toxicity to fish caused by pharmaceuticals in hospital effluents
      in a pharmaceutical mixture and after solar irradiation.
AB  - Hospital effluents are an important source of residual drugs and other classes of
      pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments. The raw wastewater from the studied
      hospital exhibited acute toxicity to vertebrate organisms, and Cyprinus carpio
      was the most sensitive organism tested. A mixture of 19 commonly used
      pharmaceuticals caused acute toxicity to C. carpio with an LC50 value of
      60.68mgL(-1) after 96h. This study demonstrated that irradiation for 1-5days
      significantly increased the acute toxicity of the pharmaceuticals to fish,
      leading to increased mortality after a 2-h exposure and approximately 40% of the
      surviving fish died within 28days. The pre-irradiated pharmaceutical mixture also
      induced strange behaviors in the fish that survived the test. The synergistic
      increase in toxicity caused by the photolysis and mixing of pharmaceuticals
      cannot be ignored and warrants further examination.

PMID- 26121602
TI  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in the control of HF development and cycling: the next
      frontiers in hair research.
AB  - Hair follicle development and its postnatal regeneration are characterized by
      dramatic changes in its microanatomy and cellular activity, which are controlled
      by multiple signalling pathways, transcription factors and epigenetic regulators,
      including microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNAs and their targets form remarkably diverse
      regulatory networks, playing a key role in the execution of gene expression
      programmes in the different cell lineages of the hair follicle. This review
      summarizes the roles of miRNAs in the control of hair follicle development,
      cycling and hair pigmentation, emphasizes the remaining problems/unanswered
      questions, and provides future directions in this rapidly growing and exciting
      area of research. 

PMID- 26121605
TI  - Galleria mellonella as a novel in vivo model for assessment of the toxicity of 1
      alkyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquids.
AB  - The larval form of the Greater Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella) was evaluated as a
      model system for the study of the acute in vivo toxicity of 1-alkyl-3
      methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquids. 24-h median lethal dose (LD50) values
      for nine of these ionic liquids bearing alkyl chain substituents ranging from 2
      to 18 carbon atoms were determined. The in vivo toxicity of the ionic liquids was
      found to correlate directly with the length of the alkyl chain substituent, and
      the pattern of toxicity observed was in accordance with previous studies of ionic
      liquid toxicity in other living systems, including a characteristic toxicity 'cut
      off' effect. However, G. mellonella appeared to be more susceptible to the toxic
      effects of the ionic liquids tested, possibly as a result of their high body fat
      content. The results obtained in this study indicate that G. mellonella
      represents a sensitive, reliable and robust in vivo model organism for the
      evaluation of ionic liquid toxicity.

PMID- 26121606
TI  - N-doped carbon-coated tungsten oxynitride nanowire arrays for highly efficient
      electrochemical hydrogen evolution.
AB  - It is highly desired but still challenging to develop active nonprecious metal
      hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts operating under all pH
      conditions. Herein, the development of three-dimensional N-doped carbon-coated
      tungsten oxynitride nanowire arrays on carbon cloth as a highly efficient and
      durable HER cathode was explored. The material delivers current densities of 10
      and 100 mA cm(-2) at overpotentials of 106 and 172 mV, respectively, in acidic
      medium, and it also performs well in neutral and basic electrolytes. 

PMID- 26121607
TI  - Age-dependent decline in fin regenerative capacity in the short-lived fish
      Nothobranchius furzeri.
AB  - The potential to regenerate declines with age in a wide range of organisms. A
      popular model system to study the mechanisms of regeneration is the fin of
      teleost fish, which has the ability to fully regrow upon amputation. Here, we
      used the short-lived killifish Nothobranchius furzeri to analyse the impact of
      aging on fin regeneration in more detail. We observed that young fish were able
      to nearly completely (98%) regenerate their amputated caudal fins within 4 weeks,
      whereas middle-aged fish reached 78%, old fish 57% and very old fish 46% of their
      original fin size. The difference in growth rate between young and old fish was
      already significant at 3 days post amputation (dpa) and increased with time. We
      therefore hypothesized that early events are crucial for the age-related
      differences in regenerative capacity. Indeed, we could observe a higher
      percentage of proliferating cells in early regenerating fin tissue of young fish
      compared with aged fish and larger fractions of apoptotic cells in aged fish.
      Furthermore, young fish showed peak upregulation of several genes involved in fgf
      and wnt/beta-catenin signalling at an earlier time point than old fish. Our
      findings suggest that regenerative processes are initiated earlier and that
      regeneration overall is more efficient in younger fish. 

PMID- 26121608
TI  - Vision and Control for UAVs: A Survey of General Methods and of Inexpensive
      Platforms for Infrastructure Inspection.
AB  - Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have gained significant attention in recent
      years. Low-cost platforms using inexpensive sensor payloads have been shown to
      provide satisfactory flight and navigation capabilities. In this report, we
      survey vision and control methods that can be applied to low-cost UAVs, and we
      list some popular inexpensive platforms and application fields where they are
      useful. We also highlight the sensor suites used where this information is
      available. We overview, among others, feature detection and tracking, optical
      flow and visual servoing, low-level stabilization and high-level planning
      methods. We then list popular low-cost UAVs, selecting mainly quadrotors. We
      discuss applications, restricting our focus to the field of infrastructure
      inspection. Finally, as an example, we formulate two use-cases for railway
      inspection, a less explored application field, and illustrate the usage of the
      vision and control techniques reviewed by selecting appropriate ones to tackle
      these use-cases. To select vision methods, we run a thorough set of experimental
      evaluations. 

PMID- 26121609
TI  - Low-Light Image Enhancement Using Adaptive Digital Pixel Binning.
AB  - This paper presents an image enhancement algorithm for low-light scenes in an
      environment with insufficient illumination. Simple amplification of intensity
      exhibits various undesired artifacts: noise amplification, intensity saturation,
      and loss of resolution. In order to enhance low-light images without undesired
      artifacts, a novel digital binning algorithm is proposed that considers
      brightness, context, noise level, and anti-saturation of a local region in the
      image. The proposed algorithm does not require any modification of the image
      sensor or additional frame-memory; it needs only two line-memories in the image
      signal processor (ISP). Since the proposed algorithm does not use an iterative
      computation, it can be easily embedded in an existing digital camera ISP pipeline
      containing a high-resolution image sensor. 

PMID- 26121610
TI  - MEMS Microphone Array Sensor for Air-Coupled Impact-Echo.
AB  - Impact-Echo (IE) is a nondestructive testing technique for plate like concrete
      structures. We propose a new sensor concept for air-coupled IE measurements. By
      using an array of MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) microphones, instead of
      a single receiver, several operational advantages compared to conventional
      sensing strategies in IE are achieved. The MEMS microphone array sensor is cost
      effective, less sensitive to undesired effects like acoustic noise and has an
      optimized sensitivity for signals that need to be extracted for IE data
      interpretation. The proposed sensing strategy is justified with findings from
      numerical simulations, showing that the IE resonance in plate like structures
      causes coherent surface displacements on the specimen under test in an area
      around the impact location. Therefore, by placing several MEMS microphones on a
      sensor array board, the IE resonance is easier to be identified in the recorded
      spectra than with single point microphones or contact type transducers. A
      comparative measurement between the array sensor, a conventional accelerometer
      and a measurement microphone clearly shows the suitability of MEMS type
      microphones and the advantages of using these microphones in an array arrangement
      for IE. The MEMS microphone array will make air-coupled IE measurements faster
      and more reliable. 

PMID- 26121611
TI  - Eco Assist Techniques through Real-time Monitoring of BEV Energy Usage
      Efficiency.
AB  - Energy efficiency enhancement has become an increasingly important issue for
      battery electric vehicles. Even if it can be improved in many ways, the driver's
      driving pattern strongly influences the battery energy consumption of a vehicle.
      In this paper, eco assist techniques to simply implement an energy-efficient
      driving assistant system are introduced, including eco guide, eco control and eco
      monitoring methods. The eco guide is provided to control the vehicle speed and
      accelerator pedal stroke, and eco control is suggested to limit the output power
      of the battery. For eco monitoring, the eco indicator and eco report are
      suggested to teach eco-friendly driving habits. The vehicle test, which is done
      in four ways, consists of federal test procedure (FTP)-75, new european driving
      cycle (NEDC), city and highway cycles, and visual feedback with audible warnings
      is provided to attract the driver's voluntary participation. The vehicle test
      result shows that the energy usage efficiency can be increased up to 19.41%. 

PMID- 26121612
TI  - Efficient and Secure Temporal Credential-Based Authenticated Key Agreement Using
      Extended Chaotic Maps for Wireless Sensor Networks.
AB  - A secure temporal credential-based authenticated key agreement scheme for
      Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) enables a user, a sensor node and a gateway node
      to realize mutual authentication using temporal credentials. The user and the
      sensor node then negotiate a common secret key with the help of the gateway node,
      and establish a secure and authenticated channel using this common secret key. To
      increase efficiency, recent temporal credential-based authenticated key agreement
      schemes for WSNs have been designed to involve few computational operations, such
      as hash and exclusive-or operations. However, these schemes cannot protect the
      privacy of users and withstand possible attacks. This work develops a novel
      temporal credential-based authenticated key agreement scheme for WSNs using
      extended chaotic maps, in which operations are more efficient than modular
      exponential computations and scalar multiplications on an elliptic curve. The
      proposed scheme not only provides higher security and efficiency than related
      schemes, but also resolves their weaknesses. 

PMID- 26121613
TI  - Observed Thermal Impacts of Wind Farms Over Northern Illinois.
AB  - This paper assesses impacts of three wind farms in northern Illinois using land
      surface temperature (LST) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging
      Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites for
      the period 2003-2013. Changes in LST between two periods (before and after
      construction of the wind turbines) and between wind farm pixels and nearby non
      wind-farm pixels are quantified. An areal mean increase in LST by 0.18-0.39 
      degrees C is observed at nighttime over the wind farms, with the geographic
      distribution of this warming effect generally spatially coupled with the layout
      of the wind turbines (referred to as the spatial coupling), while there is no
      apparent impact on daytime LST. The nighttime LST warming effect varies with
      seasons, with the strongest warming in winter months of December-February, and
      the tightest spatial coupling in summer months of June-August. Analysis of
      seasonal variations in wind speed and direction from weather balloon sounding
      data and Automated Surface Observing System hourly observations from nearby
      stations suggest stronger winds correspond to seasons with greater warming and
      larger downwind impacts. The early morning soundings in Illinois are
      representative of the nighttime boundary layer and exhibit strong temperature
      inversions across all seasons. The strong and relatively shallow inversion in
      summer leaves warm air readily available to be mixed down and spatially well
      coupled with the turbine. Although the warming effect is strongest in winter, the
      spatial coupling is more erratic and spread out than in summer. These results
      suggest that the observed warming signal at nighttime is likely due to the net
      downward transport of heat from warmer air aloft to the surface, caused by the
      turbulent mixing in the wakes of the spinning turbine rotor blades. 

PMID- 26121614
TI  - Optimal Parameter Design of Coarse Alignment for Fiber Optic Gyro Inertial
      Navigation System.
AB  - Two different coarse alignment algorithms for Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG) Inertial
      Navigation System (INS) based on inertial reference frame are discussed in this
      paper. Both of them are based on gravity vector integration, therefore, the
      performance of these algorithms is determined by integration time. In previous
      works, integration time is selected by experience. In order to give a criterion
      for the selection process, and make the selection of the integration time more
      accurate, optimal parameter design of these algorithms for FOG INS is performed
      in this paper. The design process is accomplished based on the analysis of the
      error characteristics of these two coarse alignment algorithms. Moreover, this
      analysis and optimal parameter design allow us to make an adequate selection of
      the most accurate algorithm for FOG INS according to the actual operational
      conditions. The analysis and simulation results show that the parameter provided
      by this work is the optimal value, and indicate that in different operational
      conditions, the coarse alignment algorithms adopted for FOG INS are different in
      order to achieve better performance. Lastly, the experiment results validate the
      effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. 

PMID- 26121615
TI  - In Opposition to Liberty: We Need a "Sovereign" to Govern Drug Claims.

PMID- 26121616
TI  - Long-Term Follow-Up of De Novo Use of mTOR and Calcineurin Inhibitors After
      Kidney Transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Long-term efficacy and safety of de novo use of the mammalian target
      of rapamycin inhibitors (mTORi) have been evaluated primarily using registry
      data. METHODS: This was a pooled retrospective analysis of data obtained from 10
      prospective randomized trials in de novo kidney transplant recipients (n = 581)
      receiving calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) combined with sirolimus (n = 329),
      everolimus (n = 128), or antimetabolites (n = 124). RESULTS: There were no
      differences in patient (84.5 versus 80.9 versus 89.7%, P = 0.996), graft (65.4
      versus 59.5 versus 73.1%, P = 0.868), and biopsy-confirmed acute rejection-free
      (78.1 versus 77.3 versus 79.0%, P = 0.976) survivals, respectively. The incidence
      of cytomegalovirus infection was lower (6 versus 3 versus 11%, P = 0.024) but
      treatment discontinuation was higher among patients receiving mTORi (66.0 versus
      47.7 versus 31.5%, P < 0.001), respectively. At 5 years, median estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (49.6 versus 43.9 versus 53.2 mL/min, P = 0.006) was
      lower and the proportion of patients with proteinuria (53 versus 40 versus 23%, P
      < 0.001) was higher among patients receiving mTORi, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:
      The efficacy of de novo use of mTORi is comparable with that of antimetabolites
      in kidney transplant recipients receiving calcineurin inhibitor. Apart from the
      lower cytomegalovirus infection rate, the safety profile is unfavorable, showing
      higher treatment discontinuation rates and higher incidence of proteinuria.

PMID- 26121617
TI  - Transfer of mRNA Encoding Invariant NKT Cell Receptors Imparts Glycolipid
      Specific Responses to T Cells and gammadeltaT Cells.
AB  - Cell-based therapies using genetically engineered lymphocytes expressing antigen
      specific T cell receptors (TCRs) hold promise for the treatment of several types
      of cancers. Almost all studies using this modality have focused on transfer of
      TCR from CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). The transfer of TCR from innate
      lymphocytes to other lymphocytes has not been studied. In the current study,
      innate and adaptive lymphocytes were transfected with the human NKT cell-derived
      TCRalpha and beta chain mRNA (the Valpha24 and Vbeta11 TCR chains). When primary
      T cells transfected with NKT cell-derived TCR were subsequently stimulated with
      the NKT ligand, alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer), they secreted IFN-gamma
      in a ligand-specific manner. Furthermore when gammadeltaT cells were transfected
      with NKT cell-derived TCR mRNA, they demonstrated enhanced proliferation, IFN
      gamma production and antitumor effects after alpha-GalCer stimulation as compared
      to parental gammadeltaT cells. Importantly, NKT cell TCR-transfected gammadeltaT
      cells responded to both NKT cell and gammadeltaT cell ligands, rendering them bi
      potential innate lymphocytes. Because NKT cell receptors are unique and universal
      invariant receptors in humans, the TCR chains do not yield mispaired receptors
      with endogenous TCR alpha and beta chains after the transfection. The
      transfection of NKT cell TCR has the potential to be a new approach to tumor
      immunotherapy in patients with various types of cancer. 

PMID- 26121618
TI  - Nickel-Catalyzed Insertion of Alkynes and Electron-Deficient Olefins into
      Unactivated sp(3) C-H Bonds.
AB  - Insertion of unsaturated systems such as alkynes and olefins into unactivated
      sp(3) C-H bonds remains an unexplored problem. We herein address this issue by
      successfully incorporating a wide variety of functionalized alkynes and electron
      deficient olefins into the unactivated sp(3) C-H bond of pivalic acid derivatives
      with excellent syn- and linear- selectivity. A strongly chelating 8
      aminoquinoline directing group proved beneficial for these insertion reactions,
      while an air-stable and inexpensive Ni(II) salt has been employed as the active
      catalyst.

PMID- 26121619
TI  - Experimental Evidence for Phonemic Contrasts in a Nonhuman Vocal System.
AB  - The ability to generate new meaning by rearranging combinations of meaningless
      sounds is a fundamental component of language. Although animal vocalizations
      often comprise combinations of meaningless acoustic elements, evidence that
      rearranging such combinations generates functionally distinct meaning is lacking.
      Here, we provide evidence for this basic ability in calls of the chestnut-crowned
      babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps), a highly cooperative bird of the Australian arid
      zone. Using acoustic analyses, natural observations, and a series of controlled
      playback experiments, we demonstrate that this species uses the same acoustic
      elements (A and B) in different arrangements (AB or BAB) to create two
      functionally distinct vocalizations. Specifically, the addition or omission of a
      contextually meaningless acoustic element at a single position generates a
      phoneme-like contrast that is sufficient to distinguish the meaning between the
      two calls. Our results indicate that the capacity to rearrange meaningless sounds
      in order to create new signals occurs outside of humans. We suggest that phonemic
      contrasts represent a rudimentary form of phoneme structure and a potential early
      step towards the generative phonemic system of human language. 

PMID- 26121620
TI  - The Cellular Proteins Grb2 and DDX3 Are Increased upon Human Cytomegalovirus
      Infection and Act in a Proviral Fashion.
AB  - While it is well established that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) upregulates many
      cellular proteins and incorporates several of them into its virion, little is
      known about the functional relevance of such virus-host interactions. Two
      cellular proteins, Grb2 and DDX3, gained our interest as they appeared enriched
      in virion particles and this incorporation depended on the viral tegument protein
      pp65, suggesting a functional relevance. We therefore tested whether the level of
      these proteins is altered upon HCMV infection and whether they support viral
      replication. Immunoblotting analyses of cellular fractions showed increased
      levels of both proteins in infected cells with a maximum at 2 d p.i. and a
      reduction of the soluble Grb2 fraction. Knockdown of either gene by transfection
      of siRNAs reduced viral spread not only of the cell culture adapted HCMV strain
      TB40/E but also of recent clinical isolates. Apparently, Grb2 and DDX3 are
      proviral cellular factors that are upregulated in infected cells. 

PMID- 26121622
TI  - [Pals don't evaluate pals...: or do they?].

PMID- 26121621
TI  - Individual, school-related and family characteristics distinguish co-occurrence
      of drinking and depressive symptoms in very young adolescents.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Alcohol misuse and depressed mood are common during early
      adolescence, and comorbidity of these conditions in adulthood is associated with
      poorer health and social outcomes, yet little research has examined the co
      occurrence of these problems at early adolescence. This study assessed risky and
      protective characteristics of pre-teens with concurrent depressed mood/early
      alcohol use in a large school-based sample. DESIGN AND METHODS: School children
      aged 10-14 years (n = 7289) from late primary and early secondary school classes
      in government, Catholic and independent sectors participated with parental
      consent in the cross-sectional Healthy Neighbourhoods Study. Key measures
      included depressed mood, recent alcohol use, school mobility, family relationship
      quality, school engagement and coping style. Multinomial logistic regression
      analyses were used to identify school and family-related factors that
      distinguished those with co-occurring drinking and depressive symptoms from those
      with either single condition. Gender and school-level interactions for each
      factor were evaluated. RESULTS: Co-occurring conditions were reported by 5.7% of
      students [confidence interval (CI)95 5.19, 6.19]. Recent drinkers were more
      likely than non-drinkers to have symptoms consistent with depression (odds ratio
      1.80; CI95 1.58, 2.03). Low school commitment was associated with co-occurring
      drinking/depressive symptoms (odds ratio 2.86; CI95 2.25, 3.65 compared with null
      condition). This association appeared to be weaker in the presence of adaptive
      stress-coping skills (odds ratio 0.18; CI95 0.14, 0.23). CONCLUSIONS: We have
      identified factors that distinguish pre-teens with very early co-occurrence of
      drinking and depressed mood, and protective factors with potential utility for
      school-based prevention programmes targeting these conditions. [Salom CL, Kelly
      AB, Alati R, Williams GM, Patton GC, Williams JW. Individual, school-related and
      family characteristics distinguish co-occurrence of drinking and depressive
      symptoms in very young adolescents. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:387-396].

PMID- 26121623
TI  - [Controversial Issues in Economic Evaluation (II): health Outcomes of Health Care
      Interventions].
AB  - In this second article of a series of three, we will discuss using the Metaplan
      technique on controversial issues of health outcomes in economic evaluation of
      health care interventions. The four-discussion areas focus on: choice of health
      outcomes measures, where any outcome measure is superior to another;
      extrapolation and transferability of health outcomes measures, which should not
      be assumed the results of an EEIS of one country to another without making
      certain adjustments; appropriate instruments to measure quality of life in Spain,
      where the EQ-5D was indicated as convenient due to its widespread international
      use; and, indirect comparisons, where the combination of both comparisons, direct
      and indirect, it would be advisable if the test for indirect estimates is
      consistent and has been validated. Finally, research lines to try to overcome the
      identified discrepancies were identified in each of these areas, some of those
      are: doing studies of correlation between scores of specific and generic
      instruments measuring quality of life; update or create a database of economic
      evaluations in Spain; estimating utilities for the Spanish population by existing
      generic and specific instruments; or, establish a common way to show the results
      of a meta-analysis network. 

PMID- 26121624
TI  - [Geographic Patterns of Mortality and Socioeconomic Inequalities in Mortality in
      Spain].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Estimates of socioeconomic inequalities in mortality coming from
      individual data sources were only available from Madrid, the Basque Country and
      the city of Barcelona. The aim of this study was to show the geographical pattern
      of mortality in different socio-economic groups, as well as that of inequalities
      in mortality in the whole Spanish territory. METHODS: All people aged 25 and
      older in the 2001 census were followed for seven years and two months to
      determine their vital status (196 470 401 person-years at risk and 2,379,558
      deaths). The socioeconomic variable was educational level. Age-adjusted mortality
      rate was estimated for women and men in every province and in each category of
      educational level. Inequalities in mortality in each province have been estimated
      by the ratio of mortality in subjects with primary or lower level of education
      compared to subjects with university education. RESULTS: In women, the lowest
      rate ratios -between 1.06 and 1.16- are observed in Palencia, Segovia,
      Guadalajara, Avila and Castellon and the highest -between 1.53 and 1,75- in
      Malaga, Las Palmas, Ceuta, Melilla and Toledo. In men, the lowest rate ratios 
      between 1.00 and 1.12- are observed in Guadalajara, Teruel, Cuenca, La Rioja and
      Avila and the highest -between 1.47 and 1,73- in Las Palmas, Cantabria, Murcia,
      Melilla and Ceuta. CONCLUSIONS: The geographical pattern of mortality rates in
      Spain varies by educational level. Inequalities in mortality by education have
      the lowest magnitude in central peninsular provinces.

PMID- 26121625
TI  - [Comparative Effectiveness of Remote Monitoring of People with Cardiac Pacemaker
      versus Conventional: quality of Life at the 6 Months].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of remote follow-up (RF) of people with pacemakers (PM) is
      limited in comparison to the hospital modality (HS), being still poor the
      scientific evidence that shows their comparative effectiveness. The aim of this
      study was to compare the quality of life in individuals with different modalities
      of follow-up. METHODS: Controlled, not randomized nor masked clinical trial, with
      data collection at pre and post-implantation of pacemakers during the 6 months
      follow-up. All patients over 18 years-old who were implanted a PM during the
      study period were selected (n = 83), and they were assigned to RF (n = 30) or HF
      (n = 53) groups according to their personal characteristics and patient's
      preferences. Baseline characteristics and number of visits to the hospital were
      analysed, the EuroQol-5D (EQ5D) questionnaire was administered to evaluate the
      health-related quality of life, and Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) to assess
      the functional capacity. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between
      both groups in relation to the baseline analysis, EQ5D (RF:0.7299; HF:0.6769) and
      DASI (RF:21.41; HF:19.99). At 6 months the quality of life was improved in both
      groups (EQ5D RF:0.8613; HF:0.8175; p = 0,439) still without significant
      differences between them. DASI score was similar to baseline (20.51 vs 21.80). RF
      group performed less transmissions/visits per patient (1.57) than hospital group
      (1.96; relative reduction 31%; p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Remote follow-up of
      people with pacemakers might be considered as an equivalent option to the
      hospital follow-up in relation to the quality of life and it reduces the number
      of hospital visits.

PMID- 26121626
TI  - [Clinical-Epidemiological Profile of Patients Initiating Intensive Statin Therapy
      for the Secondary Prevention of Vascular Disease in Spain].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The new recommendations regarding the utilization of high potency
      statins (intensive therapy) for the treatment of cardiovascular disease have been
      based on the extrapolation of data coming from clinical trials. The objective is
      to describe the clinical-epidemiological profile of statin therapy users for the
      secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in Spain and to examine the
      predictors for intensive therapy initiation. METHODS: Cross-sectional study from
      a sample of 88,751 patients aged >=45 years-old with previous cardiovascular
      disease which initiated statin therapy between 1st January 2007 to 31st December
      2011. Dose treatments >40 mg simvastatin daily (or equivalent dose if different
      statin) were considered intensive therapy treatment. Multivariable logistic
      regression models were built for dependent summary variables to examine the
      association between and the intensive therapy utilization (vs low-moderate
      intensity therapy). RESULTS: 16,857 adult patients receiving a first prescription
      of statin for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases were
      identified. Predictors for intensive therapy initiation were year of statin
      prescription, male gender (adjusted OR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.44-2.00), age >75 years
      old (1.39; 1.15-1.69), previous history of coronary artery disease (1.71; 1.44
      2.04), previous history of transient ischemic attack (1.24; 0,97-1.59), smoking
      (1.62; 1.34-1.95), hypertension (1.41; 1.20-1.65) and recent use of fibrates
      (2.32; 1.27-4.26). CONCLUSIONS: The onset of intensive therapy with statins in
      secondary was determined by the type of vascular event and age (>75 years-old in
      which the risk benefit balance could be controversial). No statistically
      significant differences were found according to the LDL-c levels.

PMID- 26121627
TI  - [Validation of the Spanish Version of Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate
      Partner Violence Survey (PREMIS)].
AB  - BACKGROUND: At the international level PREMIS -"Physician Readiness to Manage
      Intimate Partner Violence Survey"- is amongst the most comprehensive instruments
      to evaluate primary health care professionals' readiness. The aim of this study
      is to assess the reliability, internal consistency and construct validity of the
      Spanish version of this questionnaire. METHODS: After translation, back
      translation and assessment of content validity of the questionnaire, 200
      questionnaires were distributed to medical doctors and nurses working in 15
      primary health care centres located in 4 autonomous regions (Comunidad
      Valenciana, Castilla Leon, Murcia, Cantabria), in 2013. Cronbach's alpha,
      intraclass correlation and rho Spearman coefficients were calculated. RESULTS:
      the Spanish version of PREMIS encompasses 64 items. Cronbach's alpha coefficient
      was greater than or close to 0.7 in most of indices. Intraclass correlation
      coefficient of 0.87 and Spearman coefficient of 0.67 showed a high reliability.
      All correlations for the scale of Opinions, which is the only one that was
      considered factorial structure of the questionnaire PREMIS, were higher than
      0.30. CONCLUSIONS: the Spanish version of PREMIS obtained good internal validity,
      high reliability and predictive self-reported capacity of medical practitioners
      and nurses in Intimate Partner Violence cases in PHC centers.

PMID- 26121628
TI  - [Duration of the Reimbursement Process in Spain for Innovative Drugs Approved by
      the European Medicines Agency during the Period 2008-2013].
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Spain, the decision of Price and Reimbursement (P&R) of a new drug
      must be taken between 180-270 days. The objective of this study was to assess the
      reimbursement timing in Spain for innovative drugs approved by the European
      Medicines Agency (EMA) between January 2008 and December 2013 and to explore the
      potential impact of drug's price on this time. METHODS: Drugs approved were
      extracted from EMA's website, authorization dates in Spain from the Spanish
      Agency (AEMPS) and, P&R dates and prices from Nomenclator and BotPlus. Depending
      on days from approval to reimbursement, drugs were quick (<180), on time (180
      270) and delayed (>270). Depending on posology: chronic or acute. Depending on
      dispensing conditions: retail or hospital drugs. It was calculated: median,
      maximum, minimum, first, and third quartiles of time until reimbursement.
      RESULTS: 431 drugs were approved by EMA; 285 were innovative, from them 147 were
      approved by the AEMPS and reimbursed: 103 chronic and 44 acute. Median price/day
      was ?2.44 for chronic and ?21 for acute. From 2008-2011, 80% of drugs were
      reimbursed, in 2012 21% and in 2013 17%. Time from approval to reimbursement move
      from 230 days in 2009 to 431 days in 2013. From the 139 drugs with reimbursement
      date 33 were quick, 44 on time and 62 delayed. CONCLUSIONS: The median time from
      approval by the EMA of innovative drugs since the reimbursement in Spain in 2013
      is double that of 2008. The main driver of delays in the process of P&R seems to
      be the budget impact of the drug instead of its unit price.

PMID- 26121629
TI  - [Sociodemographic and Clinical Factors Associated with Informal Care in
      Hematologic Malignancy Patients: a Study Based on Different Phases of the
      Treatment, Spain].
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is little information on factors related to use of to informal
      care in cancer patients. Our objective is to study sociodemographic and clinical
      factors associated with use of informal care in patients with hematologic
      malignancy and analyze how these changes throughout different phases of the
      treatment. METHODS: 139 patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancy who
      received an haematopoietic stem cell transplantation between 2006-2011 in two
      Spanish hospitals completed the developed postal questionnaire. A binary logistic
      regression model was used to analyse the factors associated with use of informal
      care each of four phases of the treatment (pretransplant, first year, second and
      third year, and from the fouth to sixth year postransplant). Dependent variable
      was receive vs. not receive informal care. RESULTS: Patients diagnosed with acute
      leukemia had higher probability of receiving informal care during pretransplant
      period (OR = 6.394) and during the second and third year postransplantation (OR =
      42.212). In the long-term (4-6 years), multiple myeloma patients were the ones
      who required more informal care (OR = 15.977). Health status was statistically
      significant during all phases. Being male (OR = 0.263), having partner (OR =
      0.137) and being employed (OR = 0.110) were associated with lower likelihood of
      receiving informal care in the long-term. CONCLUSIONS: Over 75% of patients
      diagnosed with hematologic malignancy received informal care during pretrasplant
      and first year postransplant. Type of diagnosis and health status are decisive
      factors in the probability of receiving informal care at all phases, while the
      type of transplantation is not. Sociodemografic factors are relevant in the long
      term.

PMID- 26121630
TI  - [Impact of Teriparatide on Quality of Life in Osteoporotic Patients].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lost bone in osteoporotic patients increases the risk of fractures
      and back pain, and decreases quality of life. The aim of this study was to
      analyse the effect of teriparatide (TPTD) in osteoporotic patients with vertebral
      pain. METHODS: A prospective observational study between April 2006 and February
      2014 was done with 77 patients treated with teriparatide in the Pain Unit of
      Hospital Obispo Polanco of Teruel (Spain). Treatment duration was 18 or 24
      months. Pain was assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Health-related
      quality of life was measured using the European Quality of Life Questionnaire
      (EuroQol-5D) in order to obtain the social tariff (ST). Pre and post-treatment
      values were collected respectively. A descriptive and regression analysis was
      done. RESULTS: Improvement in pain was observed (80%) and in health-related
      quality of life (65%). The mean VAS improved (from 5.42 to 3.47 points) and the
      mean health status value too (from 0.36 to 0.58 points). The regression indicated
      an improvement of VAS in 0.441 for each initial VAS point, and of ST in 0.0528
      points for each 0.1 initial ST point. The probability of VAS reduction in 3
      points (OR = 2.021) was greater than in 2 points (OR = 1.695). CONCLUSIONS: TPTD
      reduces pain and improves quality of life of osteoporotic patients. The worse the
      baseline situation, the more patients' health improved, so it could be used as
      criteria for therapeutic decisions and health management.

PMID- 26121631
TI  - [Incidence of Bartonella Henselae Infection during the period 2009-2012 in the
      Valencian Community, Spain].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bartonella henselae is the causative agent of the disease caused by
      cat scratches and it has a worldwide distribution. The objective of the study was
      to investigate its incidence in the Valencian Community during the period 2009
      2012. METHODS: A study of the chosen microbiological tests for B. henselae during
      four years was carried out. Pacients with serology (IgM and IgG), culture, or PCR
      positive were considered case studies. Data from the Red de Vigilancia
      Microbiologica Valenciana (RedMIVA) depending on the "General Direction of Public
      Health" (Direccion General de Salud Publica) was used as the source of
      information. RESULTS: During the studied period, 14 cases were detected. The
      incidence rates were: 0,07 per 10(5) inhabitants and year of the Valencian
      Community, 0,10 per 10(5) inhabitants/year in the province of Alicante, with
      marked differences in relation to Valencia of 0,06 per 105 inhabitants/year and
      Castellon (with no cases). The temporal distribution of the cases were: 4 in
      2009, 4 in 2010, 3 in 2011, and 3 in 2012. 64% of the cases were women and 36%
      men. The median age was 21 years (range 1-65 years). Predominant age groups arose
      between 1-10 years (42%) and 31-40 years (28%). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of B.
      henselae in the Valencian Community is low. The data obtained suggest that its
      distribution varies depending on the geographical area in the Community. There is
      a predominance of young people.

PMID- 26121632
TI  - Unimolecular micelles of amphiphilic cyclodextrin-core star-like block copolymers
      for anticancer drug delivery.
AB  - Well-defined star-like amphiphilic polymers composed of a beta-cyclodextrin core,
      from which 21 hydrophobic poly(lactic acid) arms and hydrophilic poly(ethylene
      glycol) arms are grafted sequentially, form robust and uniform unimolecular
      micelles that are biocompatible and efficient in the delivery of anticancer
      drugs. 

PMID- 26121633
TI  - PVDF-HFP/ether-modified polysiloxane membranes obtained via airbrush spraying as
      active separators for application in lithium ion batteries.
AB  - Improved hybrid polymer electrolyte membranes are introduced based on ether
      modified polysiloxanes and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)
      yielding a safe separator membrane, which is able to be sprayed directly onto
      lithium ion battery active materials, with an active role for enhanced ion
      transport. 

PMID- 26121634
TI  - o-Carborane functionalized pentacenes: synthesis, molecular packing and ambipolar
      organic thin-film transistors.
AB  - New 6,13-bis[1'-(C=C)-2'-R-1',2'-C2B10H10]pentacenes (R = H, Me, Et, n-Bu) are
      synthesized and fully characterized. The results show that the alkyl substituents
      on the second cage carbon have a significant impact on the molecular packing, and
      the incorporation of the o-carboranyl moiety into a pi conjugated system can
      lower both LUMO and HOMO energy levels, converting a typical p-type semiconductor
      into an ambipolar one.

PMID- 26121635
TI  - A high-yield ionic liquid-promoted synthesis of boron nitride nanosheets by
      direct exfoliation.
AB  - Boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) with micron-sized edges were prepared in high
      yields by direct exfoliation of bulk hexagonal boron nitrides using ionic liquids
      (ILs). The ILs strongly attached onto BNNS surfaces, and dramatically enhanced
      the exfoliation, giving highly concentrated BNNS dispersions (~1.9 mg mL(-1)) and
      yields reaching ~50%. 

PMID- 26121636
TI  - Local and Regional Determinants of an Uncommon Functional Group in Freshwater
      Lakes and Ponds.
AB  - A combination of local and regional factors and stochastic forces is expected to
      determine the occurrence of species and the structure of communities. However, in
      most cases, our understanding is incomplete, with large amounts of unexplained
      variation. Using functional groups rather than individual species may help
      explain the relationship between community composition and conditions. In this
      study, I used survey data from freshwater lakes and ponds to understand factors
      that determine the presence of the floating plant functional group in the
      northeast United States. Of the 176 water bodies surveyed, 104 (59.1%) did not
      contain any floating plant species. The occurrence of this functional group was
      largely determined by local abiotic conditions, which were spatially
      autocorrelated across the region. A model predicting the presence of the floating
      plant functional group performed similarly to the best species-specific models.
      Using a permutation test, I also found that the observed prevalence of floating
      plants is no different than expected by random assembly from a species pool of
      its size. These results suggest that the size of the species pool interacts with
      local conditions in determining the presence of a functional group. Nevertheless,
      a large amount of unexplained variation remains, attributable to either
      stochastic species occurrence or incomplete predictive models. The simple
      permutation approach in this study can be extended to test alternative models of
      community assembly. 

PMID- 26121637
TI  - Genome-Wide Computational Analysis of Musa Microsatellites: Classification, Cross
      Taxon Transferability, Functional Annotation, Association with Transposons &
      miRNAs, and Genetic Marker Potential.
AB  - The development of organized, informative, robust, user-friendly, and freely
      accessible molecular markers is imperative to the Musa marker assisted breeding
      program. Although several hundred SSR markers have already been developed, the
      number of informative, robust, and freely accessible Musa markers remains
      inadequate for some breeding applications. In view of this issue, we surveyed
      SSRs in four different data sets, developed large-scale non-redundant highly
      informative therapeutic SSR markers, and classified them according to their
      attributes, as well as analyzed their cross-taxon transferability and utility for
      the genetic study of Musa and its relatives. A high SSR frequency (177 per Mbp)
      was found in the Musa genome. AT-rich dinucleotide repeats are predominant, and
      trinucleotide repeats are the most abundant in transcribed regions. A significant
      number of Musa SSRs are associated with pre-miRNAs, and 83% of these SSRs are
      promising candidates for the development of therapeutic SSR markers. Overall, 74%
      of the SSR markers were polymorphic, and 94% were transferable to at least one
      Musa spp. Two hundred forty-three markers generated a total of 1047 alleles, with
      2-8 alleles each and an average of 4.38 alleles per locus. The PIC values ranged
      from 0.31 to 0.89 and averaged 0.71. We report the largest set of non-redundant,
      polymorphic, new SSR markers to be developed in Musa. These additional markers
      could be a valuable resource for marker-assisted breeding, genetic diversity and
      genomic studies of Musa and related species. 

PMID- 26121638
TI  - Molecular Genetic Analysis and Evolution of Segment 7 in Rice Black-Streaked
      Dwarf Virus in China.
AB  - Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) causes maize rough dwarf disease or rice
      black-streaked dwarf disease and can lead to severe yield losses in maize and
      rice. To analyse RBSDV evolution, codon usage bias and genetic structure were
      investigated in 111 maize and rice RBSDV isolates from eight geographic locations
      in 2013 and 2014. The linear dsRNA S7 is A+U rich, with overall codon usage
      biased toward codons ending with A (A3s, S7-1: 32.64%, S7-2: 29.95%) or U (U3s,
      S7-1: 44.18%, S7-2: 46.06%). Effective number of codons (Nc) values of 45.63 in
      S7-1 (the first open reading frame of S7) and 39.96 in S7-2 (the second open
      reading frame of S7) indicate low degrees of RBSDV-S7 codon usage bias, likely
      driven by mutational bias regardless of year, host, or geographical origin.
      Twelve optimal codons were detected in S7. The nucleotide diversity (pi) of S7
      sequences in 2013 isolates (0.0307) was significantly higher than in 2014
      isolates (0.0244, P = 0.0226). The nucleotide diversity (pi) of S7 sequences in
      isolates from Jinan (0.0391) was higher than that from the other seven locations
      (P < 0.01). Only one S7 recombinant was detected in Baoding. RBSDV isolates could
      be phylogenetically classified into two groups according to S7 sequences, and
      further classified into two subgroups. S7-1 and S7-2 were under negative and
      purifying selection, with respective Ka/Ks ratios of 0.0179 and 0.0537. These
      RBSDV populations were expanding (P < 0.01) as indicated by negative values for
      Tajima's D, Fu and Li's D, and Fu and Li's F. Genetic differentiation was
      detected in six RBSDV subpopulations (P < 0.05). Absolute Fst (0.0790) and Nm
      (65.12) between 2013 and 2014, absolute Fst (0.1720) and Nm (38.49) between maize
      and rice, and absolute Fst values of 0.0085-0.3069 and Nm values of 0.56-29.61
      among these eight geographic locations revealed frequent gene flow between
      subpopulations. Gene flow between 2013 and 2014 was the most frequent. 

PMID- 26121639
TI  - Circulating IgM Requires Plasma Membrane Disruption to Bind Apoptotic and Non
      Apoptotic Nucleated Cells and Erythrocytes.
AB  - Autoimmunity is associated with defective phagocytic clearance of apoptotic
      cells. IgM deficient mice exhibit an autoimmune phenotype consistent with a role
      for circulating IgM antibodies in apoptotic cell clearance. We have extensively
      characterised IgM binding to non-apoptotic and apoptotic mouse thymocytes and
      human Jurkat cells using flow cytometry, confocal imaging and electron
      microscopy. We demonstrate strong specific IgM binding to a subset of Annexin-V
      (AnnV)+PI (Propidium Iodide)+ apoptotic cells with disrupted cell membranes.
      Electron microscopy studies indicated that IgM+AnnV+PI+ apoptotic cells exhibited
      morphologically advanced apoptosis with marked plasma membrane disruption
      compared to IgM-AnnV+PI+ apoptotic cells, suggesting that access to intracellular
      epitopes is required for IgM to bind. Strong and comparable binding of IgM to
      permeabilised non-apoptotic and apoptotic cells suggests that IgM bound epitopes
      are 'apoptosis independent' such that IgM may bind any cell with profound
      disruption of cell plasma membrane integrity. In addition, permeabilised
      erythrocytes exhibited significant IgM binding thus supporting the importance of
      cell membrane epitopes. These data suggest that IgM may recognize and tag damaged
      nucleated cells or erythrocytes that exhibit significant cell membrane
      disruption. The role of IgM in vivo in conditions characterized by severe cell
      damage such as ischemic injury, sepsis and thrombotic microangiopathies merits
      further exploration. 

PMID- 26121640
TI  - Salivary MicroRNA in Pancreatic Cancer Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in
      Western countries, with the lowest 1-year survival rate among commonly diagnosed
      cancers. Reliable biomarkers for pancreatic cancer diagnosis are lacking and are
      urgently needed to allow for curative surgery. As microRNA (miRNA) recently
      emerged as candidate biomarkers for this disease, we explored in the present
      pilot study the differences in salivary microRNA profiles between patients with
      pancreatic tumors that are not eligible for surgery, precancerous lesions,
      inflammatory disease or cancer-free patients as a potential early diagnostic
      tool. METHODS: Whole saliva samples from patients with pancreatic cancer (n = 7),
      pancreatitis (n = 4), IPMN (n = 2), or healthy controls (n = 4) were obtained
      during endoscopic examination. After total RNA isolation, expression of 94
      candidate miRNAs was screened by q(RT)PCR using Biomark Fluidgm. Human-derived
      pancreatic cancer cells were xenografted in athymic mice as an experimental model
      of pancreatic cancer. RESULTS: We identified hsa-miR-21, hsa-miR-23a, hsa-miR-23b
      and miR-29c as being significantly upregulated in saliva of pancreatic cancer
      patients compared to control, showing sensitivities of 71.4%, 85.7%, 85,7% and
      57%, respectively and excellent specificity (100%). Interestingly, hsa-miR-23a
      and hsa-miR23b are overexpressed in the saliva of patients with pancreatic cancer
      precursor lesions. We found that hsa-miR-210 and let-7c are overexpressed in the
      saliva of patients with pancreatitis as compared to the control group, with
      sensitivity of 100% and 75%, and specificity of 100% and 80%, respectively. Last
      hsa-miR-216 was upregulated in cancer patients as compared to patients diagnosed
      with pancreatitis, with sensitivity of 50% and specificity of 100%. In
      experimental models of PDAC, salivary microRNA detection precedes systemic
      detection of cancer cells markers. CONCLUSIONS: Our novel findings indicate that
      salivary miRNA are discriminatory in pancreatic cancer patients that are not
      eligible for surgery. In addition, we demonstrate in experimental models that
      salivary miRNA detection precedes systemic detection of cancer cells markers.
      This study stems for the use of salivary miRNA as biomarker for the early
      diagnosis of patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 26121641
TI  - Complement-Opsonized HIV-1 Overcomes Restriction in Dendritic Cells.
AB  - DCs express intrinsic cellular defense mechanisms to specifically inhibit HIV-1
      replication. Thus, DCs are productively infected only at very low levels with HIV
      1, and this non-permissiveness of DCs is suggested to go along with viral
      evasion. We now illustrate that complement-opsonized HIV-1 (HIV-C) efficiently
      bypasses SAMHD1 restriction and productively infects DCs including BDCA-1 DCs.
      Efficient DC infection by HIV-C was also observed using single-cycle HIV-C, and
      correlated with a remarkable elevated SAMHD1 T592 phosphorylation but not SAMHD1
      degradation. If SAMHD1 phosphorylation was blocked using a CDK2-inhibitor HIV-C
      induced DC infection was also significantly abrogated. Additionally, we found a
      higher maturation and co-stimulatory potential, aberrant type I interferon
      expression and signaling as well as a stronger induction of cellular immune
      responses in HIV-C-treated DCs. Collectively, our data highlight a novel
      protective mechanism mediated by complement opsonization of HIV to effectively
      promote DC immune functions, which might be in the future exploited to tackle HIV
      infection. 

PMID- 26121642
TI  - CD103+ CD11b+ Dendritic Cells Induce Th17 T Cells in Muc2-Deficient Mice with
      Extensively Spread Colitis.
AB  - Mucus alterations are a feature of ulcerative colitis (UC) and can drive
      inflammation by compromising the mucosal barrier to luminal bacteria. The exact
      pathogenesis of UC remains unclear, but CD4+ T cells reacting to commensal
      antigens appear to contribute to pathology. Given the unique capacity of
      dendritic cells (DCs) to activate naive T cells, colon DCs may activate
      pathogenic T cells and contribute to disease. Using Muc2-/- mice, which lack a
      functional mucus barrier and develop spontaneous colitis, we show that colitic
      animals have reduced colon CD103+ CD11b- DCs and increased CD103- CD11b+
      phagocytes. Moreover, changes in colonic DC subsets and distinct cytokine
      patterns distinguish mice with distally localized colitis from mice with colitis
      spread proximally. Specifically, mice with proximally spread, but not distally
      contained, colitis have increased IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-17, TNFalpha, and IFNgamma
      combined with decreased IL-10 in the distal colon. These individuals also have
      increased numbers of CD103+ CD11b+ DCs in the distal colon. CD103+ CD11b+ DCs
      isolated from colitic but not noncolitic mice induced robust differentiation of
      Th17 cells but not Th1 cells ex vivo. In contrast, CD103- CD11b+ DCs from colitic
      Muc2-/- mice induced Th17 as well as Th1 differentiation. Thus, the local
      environment influences the capacity of intestinal DC subsets to induce T cell
      proliferation and differentiation, with CD103+ CD11b+ DCs inducing IL-17
      producing T cells being a key feature of extensively spread colitis.

PMID- 26121643
TI  - Novel Imidazopyridine Derivatives Possess Anti-Tumor Effect on Human Castration
      Resistant Prostate Cancer Cells.
AB  - Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death
      afflicting United States males. Most treatments to-date for metastatic PCa
      include androgen-deprivation therapy and second-generation anti-androgens such as
      abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide. However, a majority of patients eventually
      develop resistance to these therapies and relapse into the lethal, castration
      resistant form of PCa to which no adequate treatment option remains. Hence, there
      is an immediate need to develop effective therapeutic agents toward this patient
      population. Imidazopyridines have recently been shown to possess Akt kinase
      inhibitory activity; thus in this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of
      novel imidazopyridine derivatives HIMP, M-MeI, OMP, and EtOP on different human
      castration-resistant PCa cells. Among these compounds, HIMP and M-MeI were found
      to possess selective dose- and time-dependent growth inhibition: they reduced
      castration-resistant PCa cell proliferation and spared benign prostate epithelial
      cells. Using LNCaP C-81 cells as the model system, these compounds also reduced
      colony formation as well as cell adhesion and migration, and M-MeI was the most
      potent in all studies. Further investigation revealed that while HIMP primarily
      inhibits PCa cell growth via suppression of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, M-MeI can
      inhibit both PI3K/Akt and androgen receptor pathways and arrest cell growth in
      the G2 phase. Thus, our results indicate the novel compound M-MeI to be a
      promising candidate for castration-resistant PCa therapy, and future studies
      investigating the mechanism of imidazopyridine inhibition may aid to the
      development of effective anti-PCa agents. 

PMID- 26121644
TI  - Doxorubicin Activates Hepatitis B Virus Replication by Elevation of p21
      (Waf1/Cip1) and C/EBPalpha Expression.
AB  - Hepatitis B virus reactivation is an important medical issue in cancer patients
      who undergo systemic chemotherapy. Up to half of CHB carriers receiving
      chemotherapy develop hepatitis and among these cases a notable proportion are
      associated with HBV reactivation. However, the molecular mechanism(s) through
      which various chemotherapeutic agents induce HBV reactivation is not yet fully
      understood. In this study, we investigated the role of the cell cycle regulator
      p21 (Waf1/Cip1) in the modulation of HBV replication when a common
      chemotherapeutic agent, doxorubicin, is present. We showed that p21 expression
      was increased by doxorubicin treatment. This elevation in p21 expression enhanced
      the expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha); such an
      increase is likely to promote the binding of C/EBPalpha to the HBV promoter,
      which will contribute to the activation of HBV replication. Our current study
      thus reveals the mechanism underlying doxorubicin modulation of HBV replication
      and provides an increased understanding of HBV reactivation in CHB patients who
      are receiving systemic chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26121645
TI  - Several N-Glycans on the HIV Envelope Glycoprotein gp120 Preferentially Locate
      Near Disulphide Bridges and Are Required for Efficient Infectivity and Virus
      Transmission.
AB  - The HIV envelope glycoprotein gp120 contains nine disulphide bridges and is
      highly glycosylated, carrying on average 24 N-linked glycans. Using a probability
      calculation, we here demonstrate that there is a co-localization of disulphide
      bridges and N-linked glycans in HIV-1 gp120, with a predominance of N-linked
      glycans in close proximity to disulphide bridges, at the C-terminal side of the
      involved cysteines. Also, N-glycans are frequently found immediately adjacent to
      disulphide bridges in gp120 at the N-terminal side of the involved cysteines. In
      contrast, N-glycans at positions close to, but not immediately neighboring
      disulphide bridges seem to be disfavored at the N-terminal side of the involved
      cysteines. Such a pronounced co-localization of disulphide bridges and N-glycans
      was also found for the N-glycans on glycoprotein E1 of the hepatitis C virus
      (HCV) but not for other heavily glycosylated proteins such as E2 from HCV and the
      surface GP from Ebola virus. The potential functional role of the presence of N
      glycans near disulphide bridges in HIV-1 gp120 was studied using site-directed
      mutagenesis, either by deleting conserved N-glycans or by inserting new N
      glycosylation sites near disulphide bridges. The generated HIV-1NL4.3 mutants
      were subjected to an array of assays, determining the envelope glycoprotein
      levels in mutant viral particles, their infectivity and the capture and
      transmission efficiencies of mutant virus particles by DC-SIGN. Three N-glycans
      located nearby disulphide bridges were found to be crucial for the preservation
      of several of these functions of gp120. In addition, introduction of new N
      glycans upstream of several disulphide bridges, at locations where there was a
      significant absence of N-glycans in a broad variety of virus strains, was found
      to result in a complete loss of viral infectivity. It was shown that the N-glycan
      environment around well-defined disulphide bridges of gp120 is highly critical to
      allow efficient viral infection and transmission. 

PMID- 26121646
TI  - A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials to Compare Long-Term Outcomes of
      Nissen and Toupet Fundoplication for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.
AB  - AIM: In recent years, several studies with large sample sizes and recent follow
      up data have been published comparing outcomes between laparoscopic Nissen
      fundoplication and laparoscopic Toupet fundoplication. It is now timely to be re
      evaluated and synthesized long-term efficacy and adverse events of both total and
      partial posterior fundoplication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic searches for
      RCTs comparing the outcome after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication and
      laparoscopic Toupet fundoplication were performed in the databases of MEDLINE,
      EMBASE, and the Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials. The data of
      evaluation in positive and adverse results of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication
      and laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication were extracted and compared using meta
      analysis. RESULTS: 13 RCTs were ultimately identified involving 814 (52.05%) and
      750 (47.95%) patients who underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication and
      laparoscopic Toupet fundoplication, respectively. The operative time,
      perioperative complications, postoperative satisfaction, recurrence, and the
      rates of medication adoption or re-operation due to recurrence were not
      significantly different between two groups. The two types of fundoplication both
      reinforced the anti-reflux barrier and elevated the lower esophageal sphincter
      pressure. However, rates of adverse results involving dysphasia, gas-bloat
      syndrome, inability to belch and re-operation due to severe dysphasia were
      significantly higher after LNF. In the subgroup analysis of wrap length<=2 cm,
      laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication was associated with a significantly higher
      incidence of postoperative dysphagia. However, in the subgroup wrap length>2 cm,
      the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic Toupet
      fundoplication might be the better surgery approach for gastroesophageal reflux
      disease with a lower rate of postoperative adverse results and equal
      effectiveness as Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication.

PMID- 26121647
TI  - Mortality and Length of Stay of Very Low Birth Weight and Very Preterm Infants: A
      EuroHOPE Study.
AB  - The objective of this paper was to compare health outcomes and hospital care use
      of very low birth weight (VLBW), and very preterm (VLGA) infants in seven
      European countries. Analysis was performed on linkable patient-level registry
      data from seven European countries between 2006 and 2008 (Finland, Hungary, Italy
      (the Province of Rome), the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, and Sweden). Mortality
      and length of stay (LoS) were adjusted for differences in gestational age (GA),
      sex, intrauterine growth, Apgar score at five minutes, parity and multiple
      births. The analysis included 16,087 infants. Both the 30-day and one-year
      adjusted mortality rates were lowest in the Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden and
      Norway) and Scotland and highest in Hungary and the Netherlands. For survivors,
      the adjusted average LoS during the first year of life ranged from 56 days in the
      Netherlands and Scotland to 81 days in Hungary. There were large differences
      between European countries in mortality rates and LoS in VLBW and VLGA infants.
      Substantial data linkage problems were observed in most countries due to
      inadequate identification procedures at birth, which limit data validity and
      should be addressed by policy makers across Europe. 

PMID- 26121648
TI  - Identification of a Conserved Linear B-Cell Epitope of Streptococcus dysgalactiae
      GapC Protein by Screening Phage-Displayed Random Peptide Library.
AB  - The GapC of Streptococcus dysgalactiae (S. dysgalactiae) is a highly conserved
      surface protein that can induce protective humoral immune response in animals.
      However, B-cell epitopes on the S. dysgalactiae GapC have not been well
      identified. In this study, a monoclonal antibody (mAb5B7) against the GapC1-150
      protein was prepared. After passive transfer, mAb5B7 could partially protect mice
      against S. dysgalactiae infection. Eleven positive phage clones recognized by
      mAb5B7 were identified by screening phage-displayed random 12-peptide library,
      most of which matched the consensus motif DTTQGRFD. The motif sequence exactly
      matches amino acids 48-55 of the S. dysgalactiae GapC protein. In addition, the
      motif 48DTTQGRFD55 shows high homology among various streptococcus species. Site
      directed mutagenic analysis further confirmed that residues D48, T50, Q51, G52
      and F54 formed the core motif of 48DTTQGRFD55. This motif was the minimal
      determinant of the B-cell epitope recognized by the mAb5B7. As expected, epitope
      peptide evoked protective immune response against S. dysgalactiae infection in
      immunized mice. Taken together, this identified conserved B-cell epitope within
      S. dysgalactiae GapC could provide very valuable insights for vaccine design
      against S. dysgalactiae infection. 

PMID- 26121649
TI  - Morphology and molecular phylogeny of an Indian population of Cyrtohymena citrina
      (Ciliophora, Hypotricha), including remarks on ontogenesis of Urosomoida
      Notohymena-Cyrtohymena group.
AB  - The oxytrichid ciliate Cyrtohymena citrina, isolated from a soil sample from
      India, is moderately flexible, measures about 105 * 35 MUm in life and possesses
      citrine cortical granules, mainly arranged around cirri and dorsal cilia.
      Morphology and ontogenesis was investigated using live observation and protargol
      impregnation, and 18S rDNA was sequenced. Ontogenesis of an Indian population of
      Urosomoida agilis was also investigated. All three genera included in the
      Urosomoida-Notohymena-Cyrtohymena group have long been characterized by the
      ontogenetic feature that "anlagen V and VI of proter originate de novo". This
      ontogenetic feature has been considered as the sole synapomorphy and an important
      diagnostic feature of the group. Based on current observations on ontogenesis of
      C. citrina and U. agilis, and previous observations of C. shii, Notohymena saprai
      and N. australis, the aforesaid ontogenetic feature is no longer true for the
      group. Indian population of C. citrina clusters with C. muscorum, Paraurosomoida,
      Urosomoida, Notohymena and Paraurostyla, and is placed away from Oxytricha
      granulifera; all oxytrichids in the cluster show deviation(s) from any of the
      typical oxytrichid features like Oxytricha pattern undulating membrane, 18
      frontoventral transverse cirri and fragmentation of dorsal kinety 3. Phylogenetic
      analyses supported non-monophyly of Cyrtohymena and other flexible-bodied
      oxytrichids.

PMID- 26121650
TI  - Diarrheal Illness and Healthcare Seeking Behavior among a Population at High Risk
      for Diarrhea in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
AB  - Diarrhea remains one of the major causes of death in Bangladesh. We studied
      diarrheal disease risk and healthcare seeking behavior among populations at high
      risk for diarrhea in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional
      survey conducted during April and September 2010. The prevalence of diarrhea was
      calculated by age-group and sex. A generalized estimating equation with logit
      link function was used to predict diarrheal disease risk and seeking care from a
      professional healthcare provider. Of 316,766 individuals, 10% were young children
      (<5 years). The prevalence of diarrhea was 16 per 1000 persons among all ages;
      young children accounted for 44 per 1000 persons. Prevalence of diarrhea was
      significantly higher (p=.003) among younger males (<15 years) compared to that
      among younger females. In contrast, prevalence of diarrhea was significantly
      higher (p<.0001) among older females (>=15 years) compared to that among older
      males. An increased risk for diarrhea was observed in young children, males, and
      those staying in rented houses, lower family members in the house, using non
      sanitary toilets, living in the area for short times, living in a community with
      less educated persons, living in a community with less use of safe water source
      for drinking, or living close to the hospital. About 80% of those with diarrhea
      sought care initially from a non-professional healthcare provider. Choice of the
      professional healthcare provider was driven by age of the patient, educational
      status of the household head, and hygienic practices by the household. The study
      reaffirms that young children are at greater risk for diarrhea. Like other
      developing countries most people in this impoverished setting of Dhaka are less
      likely to seek care from a professional healthcare provider than from a non
      professional healthcare provider, which could be attributed to a higher number of
      diarrheal deaths among young children in Bangladesh. Dissemination of information
      on health education, increasing the supply of skilled healthcare providers, and
      low-cost and quality healthcare services may encourage more people to seek care
      from professional healthcare providers, thus may help reduce child mortality in
      the country. Further studies are warranted to validate the results. 

PMID- 26121652
TI  - Correction: Repeated Exposure of Adult Rats to Transient Oxidative Stress Induces
      Various Long-Lasting Alterations in Cognitive and Behavioral Functions.

PMID- 26121651
TI  - Polymorphonuclear Cell Functional Impairment in Relapsing Remitting Multiple
      Sclerosis Patients: Preliminary Data.
AB  - Multiple Sclerosis patients run an increased risk of microbial infections, which
      leads to high rates of hospitalization and infection-related mortality. Although
      immunotherapy may increase infection risk in some cases, data as to the
      relationship among microbial factors, immunotherapy and alterations in the innate
      immunity of these patients are still scanty. On these grounds, this
      interdisciplinary study aims at investigating the role the functional activity of
      polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) play in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis at
      different stages. The in vitro ability of PMNs from patients, either untreated or
      treated with immunosuppressant or immunomodulatory drugs to kill Klebsiella
      pneumonia or Candida albicans, were investigated and compared to PMNs from
      healthy subjects. The release of various cytokines was also assessed, as was the
      production of reactive oxygen species and their ability to regulate apoptosis
      after microbial stimulation. Our results indicate that although patients have a
      normal number of PMNs, they have a statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction
      in intracellular killing activity. Although variations are strongly related to
      the therapeutic management of patients, they are independent from their disease
      stage. As no statistically significant differences were observed between patients
      and controls in cytokine release values, reactive oxygen species production or
      apoptosis, we came to the conclusion that other factors may be involved.
      Supportive validation of these results from further studies might well help in
      identifying a subset of patients at high risk of infection who could benefit from
      a closer follow-up and/or antibiotic prophylaxis. 

PMID- 26121653
TI  - Impaired Neonatal Outcome after Emergency Cerclage Adds Controversy to
      Prolongation of Pregnancy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Emergency cervical cerclage is one of the treatment options for the
      reduction of preterm birth. The aim of this study is to assess neonatal outcome
      after cerclage with special focus on adverse effects in very low birth weight
      infants. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. Classification of cerclages in
      history-indicated (HIC, n = 38), ultrasound-indicated (UIC, n = 29) and
      emergency/ physical examination-indicated (PEIC, n = 33) cerclage. Descriptive
      analysis of pregnancy and neonatal outcome (admission to NICU, duration of
      hospitalization, respiratory outcome (intubation, CPAP, FiO2max), neonatal
      complications (ROP, IVH)). Statistical comparison of perinatal parameters and
      outcome of neonates <1500 g after cerclage with a birth weight matched control
      group. RESULTS: Neonates <1500 g after PEIC show significantly impaired outcome,
      i.e. prolonged respiratory support (total ventilation in days, CPAP, FiO2max) and
      higher rates of neonatal complications (IVH >= II, ROP >= 2). Placental
      pathologic evaluation revealed a significantly higher rate of chorioamnionitis
      (CAM) after PEIC. Neonates <1500 g after UIC or HIC show no significant
      difference in neonatal complications or CAM. CONCLUSIONS: In our study PEIC is
      associated with adverse neonatal outcome in infants <1500 g. The high incidence
      of CAM indicates a potential inflammatory factor in the pathogenesis. Large well
      designed RCTs are required to give conclusive answers to the question whether to
      prolong or to deliver.

PMID- 26121654
TI  - National Cohort Study of Suicidality and Violent Criminality among Danish
      Immigrants.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Immigrant populations in western societies have grown in their size
      and diversity yet evidence is incomplete for their risks of suicidality and
      criminal violence. We examined these correlated harmful behaviours in a national
      cohort. AIMS: (i) Compare absolute risk between first and second generation
      immigrants, foreign-born adoptees and native Danes by plotting cumulative
      incidence curves to onset of early middle age; (ii) estimate sex-specific
      relative risks for these immigrant type subgroups vs. native Danes; (iii) examine
      effect modification by higher vs. lower socio-economic status. METHODS: In a
      cohort of over two million persons, attempted suicides and violent crimes were
      investigated using data from multiple interlinked registers. We plotted sex
      specific cumulative incidence curves and estimated incidence rate ratios.
      RESULTS: In the whole study cohort, 1414 people died by suicide, 46,943 attempted
      suicide, and 51,344 were convicted of committing a violent crime. Among all
      immigrant subgroups combined, compared with native Danes, relative risk of
      attempted suicide was greater in female immigrants (incidence rate ratio, 1.59;
      95% confidence interval: CI 1.54-1.64) than in male immigrants (1.26; CI 1.20
      1.32), and vice versa for relative risk of violent offending in male immigrants
      (2.36; CI 2.31-2.42) than in female immigrants (1.74; CI 1.62-1.87). Risk for
      both adverse outcomes was significantly elevated in virtually every gender
      specific immigrant type subgroup examined. Violent crime risk was markedly raised
      in first generation immigrant males and in the Danish born male children of two
      immigrant parents. However, male immigrants of lower social status had lower risk
      of attempted suicide than their native Danish peers. CONCLUSION: Young immigrants
      of both first and second generation status face serious challenges and
      vulnerabilities that western societies need to urgently address. Relative risk
      patterns for these adverse outcomes vary greatly between the genders and also by
      socioeconomic status. This high degree of heterogeneity points to the existence
      of modifiable factors that are amenable to positive change and a potential for
      effective intervention.

PMID- 26121655
TI  - Optimization of Mutation Pressure in Relation to Properties of Protein-Coding
      Sequences in Bacterial Genomes.
AB  - Most mutations are deleterious and require energetically costly repairs.
      Therefore, it seems that any minimization of mutation rate is beneficial. On the
      other hand, mutations generate genetic diversity indispensable for evolution and
      adaptation of organisms to changing environmental conditions. Thus, it is
      expected that a spontaneous mutational pressure should be an optimal compromise
      between these two extremes. In order to study the optimization of the pressure,
      we compared mutational transition probability matrices from bacterial genomes
      with artificial matrices fulfilling the same general features as the real ones,
      e.g., the stationary distribution and the speed of convergence to the
      stationarity. The artificial matrices were optimized on real protein-coding
      sequences based on Evolutionary Strategies approach to minimize or maximize the
      probability of non-synonymous substitutions and costs of amino acid replacements
      depending on their physicochemical properties. The results show that the
      empirical matrices have a tendency to minimize the effects of mutations rather
      than maximize their costs on the amino acid level. They were also similar to the
      optimized artificial matrices in the nucleotide substitution pattern, especially
      the high transitions/transversions ratio. We observed no substantial differences
      between the effects of mutational matrices on protein-coding sequences in genomes
      under study in respect of differently replicated DNA strands, mutational cost
      types and properties of the referenced artificial matrices. The findings indicate
      that the empirical mutational matrices are rather adapted to minimize mutational
      costs in the studied organisms in comparison to other matrices with similar
      mathematical constraints. 

PMID- 26121656
TI  - From virotherapy to oncolytic immunotherapy: where are we now?
AB  - Viruses have been suggested to be useful as anti-cancer agents since the early
      20th century, although following the advent of chemotherapy and radiotherapy work
      largely stopped until the 1990s when a number of groups began to explore the use
      of engineered viruses. This overview summarizes the development of the field from
      the 1990s to the present day, an era when oncolytic viruses have now demonstrated
      clear clinical benefit to patients. The hurdles and challenges which needed to be
      overcome are discussed, and in particular the importance of the immune component
      in achieving a therapeutic effect is highlighted. Today, oncolytic therapy is
      generally thought of as an immunotherapy, the term 'oncolytic immunotherapy'
      having been widely adopted. With the advent of immuno-oncology drugs based on
      immune checkpoint blockade, a clear rationale for synergy between the two
      approaches, and initial pre-clinical and clinical data suggesting this to be the
      case, it might be expected that oncolytic immunotherapy combined with checkpoint
      blockade will provide a cornerstone of future cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26121657
TI  - De Novo Assembly and Characterization of Fruit Transcriptome in Black Pepper
      (Piper nigrum).
AB  - Black pepper is one of the most popular and oldest spices in the world and valued
      for its pungent constituent alkaloids. Pinerine is the main bioactive compound in
      pepper alkaloids, which perform unique physiological functions. However, the
      mechanisms of piperine synthesis are poorly understood. This study is the first
      to describe the fruit transcriptome of black pepper by sequencing on Illumina
      HiSeq 2000 platform. A total of 56,281,710 raw reads were obtained and assembled.
      From these raw reads, 44,061 unigenes with an average length of 1,345 nt were
      generated. During functional annotation, 40,537 unigenes were annotated in Gene
      Ontology categories, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways, Swiss-Prot
      database, and Nucleotide Collection (NR/NT) database. In addition, 8,196 simple
      sequence repeats (SSRs) were detected. In a detailed analysis of the
      transcriptome, housekeeping genes for quantitative polymerase chain reaction
      internal control, polymorphic SSRs, and lysine/ornithine metabolism-related genes
      were identified. These results validated the availability of our database. Our
      study could provide useful data for further research on piperine synthesis in
      black pepper. 

PMID- 26121659
TI  - Routine ultrasound in late pregnancy (after 24 weeks' gestation).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diagnostic ultrasound is used selectively in late pregnancy where
      there are specific clinical indications. However, the value of routine late
      pregnancy ultrasound screening in unselected populations is controversial. The
      rationale for such screening would be the detection of clinical conditions which
      place the fetus or mother at high risk, which would not necessarily have been
      detected by other means such as clinical examination, and for which subsequent
      management would improve perinatal outcome. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects on
      obstetric practice and pregnancy outcome of routine late pregnancy ultrasound,
      defined as greater than 24 weeks' gestation, in women with either unselected or
      low-risk pregnancies. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and
      Childbirth Group's Trials Register (31 May 2015) and reference lists of retrieved
      studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: All acceptably controlled trials of routine
      ultrasound in late pregnancy (defined as after 24 weeks). DATA COLLECTION AND
      ANALYSIS: Three review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and
      risk of bias, extracted data and checked them for accuracy. MAIN RESULTS:
      Thirteen trials recruiting 34,980 women were included in the systematic review.
      Risk of bias was low for allocation concealment and selective reporting, unclear
      for random sequence generation and incomplete outcome data and high for blinding
      of both outcome assessment and participants and personnel. There was no
      difference in antenatal, obstetric and neonatal outcome or morbidity in screened
      versus control groups. Routine late pregnancy ultrasound was not associated with
      improvements in overall perinatal mortality. There is little information on long
      term substantive outcomes such as neurodevelopment. There is a lack of data on
      maternal psychological effects.Overall, the evidence for the primary outcomes of
      perinatal mortality, preterm birth less than 37 weeks, induction of labour and
      caesarean section were assessed to be of moderate or high quality with GRADE
      software. There was no association between ultrasound in late pregnancy and
      perinatal mortality (risk ratio (RR) 1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67 to
      1.54; participants = 30,675; studies = eight; I2 = 29%), preterm birth less than
      37 weeks (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.08; participants = 17,151; studies = two; I2
      = 0%), induction of labour (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.07; participants = 22,663;
      studies = six; I2 = 78%), or caesarean section (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.15;
      participants = 27,461; studies = six; I2 = 54%). Three additional primary
      outcomes chosen for the 'Summary of findings' table were preterm birth less than
      34 weeks, maternal psychological effects and neurodevelopment at age two. Because
      none of the included studies reported these outcomes, they were not assessed for
      quality with GRADE software. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Based on existing evidence,
      routine late pregnancy ultrasound in low-risk or unselected populations does not
      confer benefit on mother or baby. There was no difference in the primary outcomes
      of perinatal mortality, preterm birth less than 37 weeks, caesarean section
      rates, and induction of labour rates if ultrasound in late pregnancy was
      performed routinely versus not performed routinely. Meanwhile, data were lacking
      for the other primary outcomes: preterm birth less than 34 weeks, maternal
      psychological effects, and neurodevelopment at age two, reflecting a paucity of
      research covering these outcomes. These outcomes may warrant future research.

PMID- 26121661
TI  - Capping in situ with activated carbon in Trondheim harbor (Norway) reduces
      bioaccumulation of PCBs and PAHs in marine sediment fauna.
AB  - Three types of thin-layer caps with activated carbon (AC) were tested in situ in
      experimental plots (10 * 10 m) in Trondheim harbor, Norway, using AC + clay, AC
      only or AC + sand. One year after capping, intact sediment cores were collected
      from the amended plots for ex situ surveys of the capping efficiency in reducing
      the PAH and PCB aqueous concentrations and bioaccumulation by the polychaete
      Hediste diversicolor and the clam Abra nitida. Reduced pore water concentrations
      were observed in all AC treatments. The capping efficiency was in general AC +
      clay > AC-only > AC + sand. AC + clay reduced bioaccumulation of PAH and PCB
      congeners between 40% and 87% in the worms and between 67% and 97% in the clams.
      Sediment capped with AC-only also led to reduced bioaccumulation of PCBs, while
      AC + sand showed no reduction in bioaccumulation. Thus the best thin-layer
      capping method in this study was AC mixed with clay. 

PMID- 26121660
TI  - Identification of Cyclobutane Pyrimidine Dimer-Responsive Genes Using UVB
      Irradiated Human Keratinocytes Transfected with In Vitro-Synthesized Photolyase
      mRNA.
AB  - Major biological effects of UVB are attributed to cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers
      (CPDs), the most common photolesions formed on DNA. To investigate the
      contribution of CPDs to UVB-induced changes of gene expression, a model system
      was established by transfecting keratinocytes with pseudouridine-modified mRNA
      (Psi-mRNA) encoding CPD-photolyase. Microarray analyses of this model system
      demonstrated that more than 50% of the gene expression altered by UVB was
      mediated by CPD photolesions. Functional classification of the gene targets
      revealed strong effects of CPDs on the regulation of the cell cycle and
      transcriptional machineries. To confirm the microarray data, cell cycle
      regulatory genes, CCNE1 and CDKN2B that were induced exclusively by CPDs were
      selected for further investigation. Following UVB irradiation, expression of
      these genes increased significantly at both mRNA and protein levels, but not in
      cells transfected with CPD-photolyase Psi-mRNA and exposed to photoreactivating
      light. Treatment of cells with inhibitors of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)
      blocked the UVB-dependent upregulation of both genes suggesting a role for JNK in
      relaying the signal of UVB-induced CPDs into transcriptional responses. Thus,
      photolyase mRNA-based experimental platform demonstrates CPD-dependent and 
      independent events of UVB-induced cellular responses, and, as such, has the
      potential to identify novel molecular targets for treatment of UVB-mediated skin
      diseases. 

PMID- 26121663
TI  - Local Dynamic Joint Stability During Human Treadmill Walking in Response to Lower
      Limb Segmental Loading Perturbations.
AB  - Our purpose was to quantify changes in local dynamic stability (LDS) of the
      lumbar spine, hip, knee, and ankle in response to changes in lower limb segment
      mass, as well as to quantify temporal adaptations to segment loading during
      treadmill walking. Results demonstrate that increased mass distal to a joint
      yields either the maintenance of, or increased stabilization of, that particular
      joint relative to the unloaded condition. Increased mass proximal to a particular
      joint resulted in joint destabilization. The hip and ankle LDS were observed to
      change temporally, independent of segment loading condition, suggesting
      adaptation to walking on a treadmill interface. 

PMID- 26121662
TI  - Fabrication of 3D Scaffolds with Precisely Controlled Substrate Modulus and Pore
      Size by Templated-Fused Deposition Modeling to Direct Osteogenic Differentiation.
AB  - Scaffolds with tunable mechanical and topological properties fabricated by
      templated-fused deposition modeling promote increased osteogenic differentiation
      of bone marrow stem cells with increasing substrate modulus and decreasing pore
      size. These findings guide the rational design of cell-responsive scaffolds that
      recapitulate the bone microenvironment for repair of bone damaged by trauma or
      disease. 

PMID- 26121664
TI  - A Well-Defined Aluminum-Based Lewis Acid as an Effective Catalyst for Diels-Alder
      Transformations.
AB  - A catalytically active aluminum-based system for Diels-Alder transformations is
      reported. The system was generated by mixing a beta-diketiminate-stabilized
      aluminum bistriflate compound with Na[BAr(Cl) 4 (Ar(Cl) =3,5-Cl2 C6 H3). Solid
      state analysis of the catalytic system reveals a unique structure incorporating a
      two-dimensional coordination polymer. According to the experimental results
      obtained from several Diels-Alder transformations, the aluminum-based system
      appears to be a more practical and more robust alternative to the recently
      reported compounds based on carbon and silicon cations.

PMID- 26121665
TI  - mypub.org, a customizable URL shortener for the NCBI My Bibliography.

PMID- 26121666
TI  - Slow Cone Reflectance Changes during Bleaching Determined by Adaptive Optics
      Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope in Living Human Eyes.
AB  - To investigate the changes in the reflectance of human cone photoreceptors by an
      adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AO-SLO) during photobleaching. A
      custom-built AO-SLO with an observation light of 840-nm was used to measure the
      cone densities and the reflectance changes during bleaching by 630 nm red light
      emitting diodes. Measurements were made at 1 degrees  and 3 degrees  temporal to
      the fovea within an area of 1 degrees  * 1 degrees  in 8 eyes of 8 normal
      subjects. After dark-adaptation, images of the cone mosaics were recorded
      continuously for 5-min before, 5-min during, and after 5-min of light stimulation
      with a sampling rate of 5-Hz. The first positive peak (P1) was observed at 72.2
      +/- 15.0-s and a second positive peak (P2) at 257.5 +/- 34.5-s at 1 degrees . The
      increase of the reflectance of P1 was significantly larger at 1 degrees  (34.4 +/
      13.9%) than at 3 degrees  (26.0 +/- 10.5%; P = 0.03, Wilcoxon's signed rank
      test). The average cone density at 1 degrees  (51123.13 +/- 1401.23 cells/mm2)
      was significantly larger than that at 3 degrees  (30876.13 +/- 1459.28 cells/mm2;
      P <0.001, Wilcoxon's signed rank test). The changes in the reflectance of the
      cones during bleaching by red light had two peaks. The two peaks may be caused by
      regeneration of cone photopigment during bleaching. 

PMID- 26121667
TI  - Drosophila Lipophorin Receptors Recruit the Lipoprotein LTP to the Plasma
      Membrane to Mediate Lipid Uptake.
AB  - Lipophorin, the main Drosophila lipoprotein, circulates in the hemolymph
      transporting lipids between organs following routes that must adapt to changing
      physiological requirements. Lipophorin receptors expressed in developmentally
      dynamic patterns in tissues such as imaginal discs, oenocytes and ovaries control
      the timing and tissular distribution of lipid uptake. Using an affinity
      purification strategy, we identified a novel ligand for the lipophorin receptors,
      the circulating lipoprotein Lipid Transfer Particle (LTP). We show that specific
      isoforms of the lipophorin receptors mediate the extracellular accumulation of
      LTP in imaginal discs and ovaries. The interaction requires the LA-1 module in
      the lipophorin receptors and is strengthened by a contiguous region of 16
      conserved amino acids. Lipophorin receptor variants that do not interact with LTP
      cannot mediate lipid uptake, revealing an essential role of LTP in the process.
      In addition, we show that lipophorin associates with the lipophorin receptors and
      with the extracellular matrix through weak interactions. However, during
      lipophorin receptor-mediated lipid uptake, LTP is required for a transient
      stabilization of lipophorin in the basolateral plasma membrane of imaginal disc
      cells. Together, our data suggests a molecular mechanism by which the lipophorin
      receptors tether LTP to the plasma membrane in lipid acceptor tissues. LTP would
      interact with lipophorin particles adsorbed to the extracellular matrix and with
      the plasma membrane, catalyzing the exchange of lipids between them. 

PMID- 26121668
TI  - Seasonal Dynamics of Marine Microbial Community in the South Sea of Korea.
AB  - High-resolution 16S rRNA tag pyrosequencing was used to obtain seasonal snapshots
      of the bacterial diversity and community structure at two locations in Gosung Bay
      (South Sea, Korea) over a one year period. Seasonal sampling from the water
      column at each site revealed highly diverse bacterial communities containing up
      to 900 estimated Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). The Alphaproteobacteria and
      Gammaproteobacteria were the most abundant groups, and the most frequently
      recorded OTUs were members of Pelagibacter and Glaciecola. In particular, it was
      observed that Arcobacter, a genus of the Epsilonproteobacteria, dominated during
      summer. In addition, Psedoalteromonadaceae, Vibrionaceae and SAR11-1 were
      predominant members of the OTUs found in all sampling seasons. Environmental
      factors significantly influenced the bacterial community structure among season,
      with the phosphate and nitrate concentrations contributing strongly to the
      spatial distribution of the Alphaproteobacteria; the Gammaproteobacteria,
      Flavobacteria, and Actinobacteria all showed marked negative correlations with
      all measured nutrients, particularly silicon dioxide and chlorophyll-a. The
      results suggest that seasonal changes in environmental variables contribute to
      the dynamic structure of the bacterial community in the study area. 

PMID- 26121669
TI  - Kinetoplastid Specific RNA-Protein Interactions in Trypanosoma cruzi Ribosome
      Biogenesis.
AB  - RNA binding proteins (RBP) play essential roles in the highly conserved and
      coordinated process of ribosome biogenesis. Our laboratory has previously
      characterized two essential and abundant RBPs, P34 and P37, in Trypanosoma brucei
      which are required for several critical steps in ribosome biogenesis. The genes
      for these proteins have only been identified in kinetoplastid organisms but not
      in the host genome. We have identified a homolog of the TbP34 and TbP37 in a T.
      cruzi strain (termed TcP37/NRBD). Although the N-terminal APK-rich domain and RNA
      recognition motifs are conserved, the C-terminal region which contains putative
      nuclear and nucleolar localization signals in TbP34 and TbP37 is almost entirely
      missing from TcP37/NRBD. We have shown that TcP37/NRBD is expressed in T. cruzi
      epimastigotes at the level of mature mRNA and protein. Despite the loss of the C
      terminal domain, TcP37/NRBD is present in the nucleus, including the nucleolus,
      and the cytoplasm. TcP37/NRBD interacts directly with Tc 5S rRNA, but does not
      associate with polyadenylated RNA. TcP37/NRBD also associates in vivo and in
      vitro with large ribosomal protein TcL5 and, unlike the case of T. brucei, this
      association is strongly enhanced by the presence of 5S rRNA, suggesting that the
      loss of the C-terminal domain of TcP37/NRBD may alter the interactions within the
      complex. These results indicate that the unique preribosomal complex comprised of
      L5, 5S rRNA, and the trypanosome-specific TcP37/NRBD or TbP34 and TbP37 is
      functionally conserved in trypanosomes despite the differences in the C-termini
      of the trypanosome-specific protein components. 

PMID- 26121670
TI  - Factors Associated with the Perception of Speed among Recreational Skiers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Skiers have to differ between slow to moderate and fast skiing speed
      to determine their skiing style according to the ISO 11088 standard for setting
      binding release values. Despite existing evidence that males ski significantly
      faster than females, no sex-specific factor was inserted into the ISO 11088
      standard. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate factors potentially associated with the
      perception of individual skiing speed among recreational skiers. METHODS: Skiing
      speeds of 416 adult skiers (62% males,) were measured with a radar speed gun.
      Skiers were interviewed about their age, sex, skill level, risk taking behaviour
      and helmet use. Finally, skiers had to rate their perceived speed on one out of
      three speed categories (fast, moderate, slow). RESULTS: The measured mean speed
      of this cohort was 48.2+/-14.3 km/h (30.0+/-8.9 mph). A total of 32%, 52%, and
      16% of skiers perceived their actual speed as fast, moderate and slow,
      respectively. Mean speed differed significantly between the 3 speed categories
      with a mean of about 53.5+/-13.7 km/h (33.2+/-8.5 mph) for fast, 47.6+/-14.0 km/h
      (29.6+/-8.7 mph) for moderate, and 39.4+/-12.2 km/h (24.5+/-7.6 mph) for slow
      skiing, respectively. Sex (eta2 = .074), skill level (eta2 = .035) and risk
      taking behavior (eta2 = .033) showed significant differences of skiing speeds
      with regard to the 3 categories of speed perception (all p < .001) while age
      groups and ski helmet use did not. Males, more skilled skiers and risky skiers
      perceived their actual speed as fast, moderate and slow, when skiing up to 10
      km/h (6 mph) faster compared to females, less skilled and cautious skiers.
      CONCLUSION: The perception of skiing speed as fast, moderate or slow depends on
      sex, skill level, and risk taking behaviour. These findings should be considered
      when discussing the introduction of a sex factor into the ISO 11088 standard for
      setting binding release values.

PMID- 26121671
TI  - Executioner Caspase-3 and 7 Deficiency Reduces Myocyte Number in the Developing
      Mouse Heart.
AB  - Executioner caspase-3 and -7 are proteases promoting cell death but non-apoptotic
      roles are being discovered. The heart expresses caspases only during development,
      suggesting they contribute to the organ maturation process. Therefore, we aimed
      at identifying novel functions of caspases in heart development. We induced
      simultaneous deletion of executioner caspase-3 and -7 in the mouse myocardium and
      studied its effects. Caspase knockout hearts are hypoplastic at birth, reaching
      normal weight progressively through myocyte hypertrophy. To identify the
      molecular pathways involved in these effects, we used microarray-based
      transcriptomics and multiplexed quantitative proteomics to compare wild type and
      executioner caspase-deficient myocardium at different developmental stages.
      Transcriptomics showed reduced expression of genes promoting DNA replication and
      cell cycle progression in the neonatal caspase-deficient heart suggesting reduced
      myocyte proliferation, and expression of non-cardiac isoforms of structural
      proteins in the adult null myocardium. Proteomics showed reduced abundance of
      proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation accompanied by increased abundance
      of glycolytic enzymes underscoring retarded metabolic maturation of the caspase
      null myocardium. Correlation between mRNA expression and protein abundance of
      relevant genes was confirmed, but transcriptomics and proteomics indentified
      complementary molecular pathways influenced by caspases in the developing heart.
      Forced expression of wild type or proteolytically inactive caspases in cultured
      cardiomyocytes induced expression of genes promoting cell division. The results
      reveal that executioner caspases can modulate heart's cellularity and maturation
      during development, contributing novel information about caspase biology and
      heart development. 

PMID- 26121672
TI  - Viruses and the nuclear envelope.
AB  - Viruses encounter and manipulate almost all aspects of cell structure and
      metabolism. The nuclear envelope (NE), with central roles in cell structure and
      genome function, acts and is usurped in diverse ways by different viruses. It can
      act as a physical barrier to infection that must be overcome, as a functional
      barrier that restricts infection by various mechanisms and must be counteracted
      or indeed as a positive niche, important or even essential for virus infection or
      production of progeny virions. This review summarizes virus-host interactions at
      the NE, highlighting progress in understanding the replication of viruses
      including HIV-1, Influenza, Herpes Simplex, Adenovirus and Ebola, and molecular
      insights into hitherto unknown functional pathways at the NE. 

PMID- 26121673
TI  - Immediate versus Delayed Sequential Bilateral Cataract Surgery: A Systematic
      Review and Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Immediately sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS), the
      cataract surgery that is performed in both eyes simultaneously, is gaining
      popularity worldwide compared to the traditional treatment paradigm: delayed
      sequential bilateral cataract surgery (DSBCS), the surgery that is performed in
      each eye on a different day as a completely separate operation. ISBCS provides
      advantages to patients and patients' families in the form of fewer hospital
      visits. Additionally, patients enjoy rapid rehabilitation, lack of anisometropia 
      potentially reducing accidents and falls, and avoid suboptimal visual function
      in daily life. The hospital may benefit due to lower cost. OBJECTIVE: To perform
      a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate ISBCS and DSBCS. DATA SOURCES:
      Databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, CINAHL, Health Economic Evaluations
      Database (HEED), ISI Web of Science (Thomson-Reuters) and the Cochrane Library
      were searched. PARTICIPANTS: Not applicable. METHODS: Literature was
      systematically reviewed using EPPI-Reviewer 4 gateway. Meta-analysis was
      conducted using STATA v. 13.0. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95%
      confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and heterogeneity was assessed using I2
      statistics. Fixed-effect and random-effect models were computed based on
      heterogeneity. Meta-analysis was done by instrument used to calculate utility
      score. RESULTS: In total, 9,133 records were retrieved from multiple databases
      and an additional 128 records were identified through grey literature search.
      Eleven articles with 3,657 subjects were included for analysis. Our meta-analysis
      results indicated significant improvement in post-operative utility score using
      TTO, EQ5D, HUI3, VF-7, and VF-14 and a non-significant improvement using Catquest
      questionnaire for both surgeries. For ISBCS versus DSBCS, utility-specific fixed
      effect model provided an overall SMD of the utility score using the TTO method as
      0.12 (95% CI: -0.15, 0.40), EQ5D as 0.14 (95% CI: -0.14, 0.41), HUI3 as 0.12 (95%
      CI: -0.15, 0.40), VF-7 as -0.02 (95% CI: -0.15, 0.10), and Catquest Questionnaire
      as 1.45 (95% CI: -0.88, 2.01). The results for utility score, which were measured
      using various instruments, indicated non-significant improvement in the utility
      due to DSBCS compared to ISBCS. However, a significant improvement in post
      operative utility score was seen using Catquest questionnaire for ISBCS compared
      to DSBCS. The included studies using VF-14 instrument were highly heterogeneous
      (I2 = 97.1%). Results provided SMD of -0.25 (95% CI:-1.06, 0.57) using VF-14
      indicating non-significant improvement in the utility due to DSBCS compared to
      ISBCS surgery. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) significantly improved after
      both surgeries (overall SMD of BCVA due to ISBCS was -1.79 (95% CI: -2.45, -1.14)
      and due to DSBCS was -1.53 (95% CI: -2.25, -0.81)). A non-significant improvement
      was seen in BCVA due to ISBCS when compared to DSBCS (SMD = -0.18; 95% CI: -0.37,
      0.01). CONCLUSION: Both surgeries, ISBCS and DSBCS significantly improve
      patients' quality of life and visual acuity. Further, ISBCS may deliver certain
      additional benefits at the individual and societal levels as well.

PMID- 26121674
TI  - BRCA1 Regulates IFI16 Mediated Nuclear Innate Sensing of Herpes Viral DNA and
      Subsequent Induction of the Innate Inflammasome and Interferon-beta Responses.
AB  - The innate immune system pattern recognition receptors (PRR) are the first line
      of host defenses recognizing the various pathogen- or danger-associated molecular
      patterns and eliciting defenses by regulating the production of pro-inflammatory
      cytokines such as IL-1beta, IL-18 or interferon beta (IFN-beta). NOD-like
      receptors (NLRs) and AIM2-like receptors (ALRs) are cytoplasmic inflammasome
      sensors of foreign molecules, including DNA. IFI16, a sequence-independent
      nuclear innate sensor ALR, recognizes episomal dsDNA genomes of herpes viruses
      such as KSHV, EBV, and HSV-1 in the infected cell nuclei, forms an inflammasome
      complex with ASC and procaspase1, and relocates into the cytoplasm leading into
      Caspase-1 and IL-1beta generation. IFI16 also induces IFN-beta during HSV-1
      infection via the cytoplasmic STING-TBK1-IRF3 pathway. Thus far, whether IFI16
      recognizes foreign DNA directly or utilizes other host protein(s) is unknown.
      Here, we demonstrate that BRCA1, a DNA damage repair sensor and transcription
      regulator, is in complex with IFI16 in the host cell nucleus, and their
      association increases in the presence of nuclear viral genomes during de novo
      KSHV, EBV and HSV-1 infection, and in latent KSHV or EBV infection, but not by
      DNA damage responses (DDR) induced by bleomycin and vaccinia virus cytoplasmic
      dsDNA. BRCA1 is a constituent of the triggered IFI16-inflammasome and is
      translocated into the cytoplasm after genome recognition along with the IFI16
      inflammasome. The absence of BRCA1 abrogated IFI16-viral genome association,
      inflammasome assembly, IFI16 cytoplasmic localization, and Caspase-1 and IL-1beta
      production. The absence of BRCA1 also abolished the cytoplasmic IFI16-STING
      interaction, downstream IRF3 phosphorylation, nuclear translocation of pIRF3 and
      IFN-beta production during de novo KSHV and HSV-1 infection. These findings
      highlight that BRCA1 plays a hitherto unidentified innate immunomodulatory role
      by facilitating nuclear foreign DNA sensing by IFI16, subsequent assembly and
      cytoplasmic distribution of IFI16-inflammasomes leading into IL-1beta formation
      and the induction of IFN-beta via cytoplasmic signaling through IFI16-STING, TBK1
      and IRF3. 

PMID- 26121675
TI  - Maternal Serum Meteorin Levels and the Risk of Preeclampsia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Meteorin (METRN) is a recently described neutrophic factor with
      angiogenic properties. This is a nested case-control study in a longitudinal
      cohort study that describes the serum profile of METRN during different periods
      of gestation in healthy and preeclamptic pregnant women. Moreover, we explore the
      possible application of METRN as a biomarker. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Serum METRN
      was measured by ELISA in a longitudinal prospective cohort study in 37 healthy
      pregnant women, 16 mild preeclamptic women, and 20 healthy non-pregnant women
      during the menstrual cycle with the aim of assessing serum METRN levels and its
      correlations with other metabolic parameters. Immunostaining for METRN protein
      was performed in placenta. A multivariate logistic regression model was proposed
      and a classifier model was formulated for predicting preeclampsia in early and
      middle pregnancy. The performance in classification was evaluated using measures
      such as sensitivity, specificity, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC)
      curve. In healthy pregnant women, serum METRN levels were significantly elevated
      in early pregnancy compared to middle and late pregnancy. METRN levels are
      significantly lower only in early pregnancy in preeclamptic women when compared
      to healthy pregnant women. Decision trees that did not include METRN levels in
      the first trimester had a reduced sensitivity of 56% in the detection of
      preeclamptic women, compared to a sensitivity of 69% when METRN was included.
      CONCLUSIONS: The joint measurements of circulating METRN levels in the first
      trimester and systolic blood pressure and weight in the second trimester
      significantly increase the probabilities of predicting preeclampsia.

PMID- 26121676
TI  - Accuracy of Detecting Residual Disease After Cross Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy
      for Esophageal Cancer (preSANO Trial): Rationale and Protocol.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Results from the recent CROSS trial showed that neoadjuvant
      chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) significantly increased survival as compared to surgery
      alone in patients with potentially curable esophageal cancer. Furthermore, in the
      nCRT arm 49% of patients with a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 23% of patients
      with an adenocarcinoma (AC) had a pathologically complete response in the
      resection specimen. These results provide a rationale to reconsider and study the
      timing and necessity of esophagectomy in (all) patients after application of the
      CROSS regimen. OBJECTIVE: We propose a "surgery as needed" approach after
      completion of nCRT. In this approach, patients will undergo active surveillance
      after completion of nCRT. Surgical resection would be offered only to those
      patients in whom residual disease or a locoregional recurrence is highly
      suspected or proven. However, before a surgery as needed approach in oesophageal
      cancer patients (SANO) can be tested in a randomized controlled trial, we aim to
      determine the accuracy of detecting the presence or absence of residual disease
      after nCRT (preSANO trial). METHODS: This study is set up as a prospective,
      single arm, multicenter, diagnostic trial. Operable patients with potentially
      curable SCC or AC of the esophagus or esophagogastric junction will be included.
      Approximately 4-6 weeks after completion of nCRT all included patients will
      undergo a first clinical response evaluation (CRE-I) including endoscopy with
      (random) conventional mucosal biopsies of the primary tumor site and of any other
      suspected lesions in the esophagus and radial endo-ultrasonography (EUS) for
      measurement of tumor thickness and area. Patients in whom no locoregional or
      disseminated disease can be proven by cytohistology will be offered a postponed
      surgical resection 6-8 weeks after CRE-I (ie, approximately 12-14 weeks after
      completion of nCRT). In the week preceding the postponed surgical resection, a
      second clinical response evaluation (CRE-II) will be planned that will include a
      whole body PET-CT, followed again by endoscopy with (random) conventional mucosal
      biopsies of the primary tumor site and any other suspected lesions in the
      esophagus, radial EUS for measurement of tumor thickness and area, and linear EUS
      plus fine needle aspiration of PET-positive lesions and/or suspected lymph nodes.
      The main study parameter is the correlation between the clinical response
      assessment during CRE-I and CRE-II and the final pathological response in the
      resection specimen. RESULTS: The first patient was enrolled on July 23, 2013, and
      results are expected in January 2016. CONCLUSIONS: If this preSANO trial shows
      that the presence or absence of residual tumor can be predicted reliably 6 or 12
      weeks after completion of nCRT, a randomized trial comparing nCRT plus standard
      surgery versus chemoradiotherapy plus "surgery as needed" will be conducted (SANO
      trial). TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial Register: NTR4834;
      http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=4834 (archived by
      Webcite at http://www.webcitation.org/6Ze7mn67B).

PMID- 26121677
TI  - Modelling the Health Impact of an English Sugary Drinks Duty at National and
      Local Levels.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence associates excess refined sugar intakes with
      obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Worryingly, the estimated volume of
      sugary drinks purchased in the UK has more than doubled between 1975 and 2007,
      from 510 ml to 1140 ml per person per week. We aimed to estimate the potential
      impact of a duty on sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) at a local level in England,
      hypothesising that a duty could reduce obesity and related diseases. METHODS AND
      FINDINGS: We modelled the potential impact of a 20% sugary drinks duty on local
      authorities in England between 2010 and 2030. We synthesised data obtained from
      the British National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), drinks manufacturers,
      Office for National Statistics, and from previous studies. This produced a
      modelled population of 41 million adults in 326 lower tier local authorities in
      England. This analysis suggests that a 20% SSB duty could result in approximately
      2,400 fewer diabetes cases, 1,700 fewer stroke and coronary heart disease cases,
      400 fewer cancer cases, and gain some 41,000 Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs)
      per year across England. The duty might have the biggest impact in urban areas
      with young populations. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the growing body of
      evidence suggesting health benefits for a duty on sugary drinks. It might also
      usefully provide results at an area level to inform local price interventions in
      England.

PMID- 26121678
TI  - Association of Oxytocin Receptor Gene (OXTR) rs53576 Polymorphism with Sociality:
      A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - A common variant in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR), rs53576, has been broadly
      linked to socially related personality traits and behaviors. However, the pattern
      of published results is inconsistent. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to
      comprehensively evaluate the association. The literature was searched for
      relevant studies and effect sizes between individuals homozygous for the G allele
      (GG) and individuals with A allele carriers (AA/AG). Specifically, two indices of
      sociality were evaluated independently: i) general sociality (24 samples, n =
      4955), i.e., how an individual responds to other people in general; and ii) close
      relationships (15 samples, n = 5262), i.e., how an individual responds to
      individuals with closed connections (parent-child or romantic relationship). We
      found positive association between the rs53576 polymorphism and general sociality
      (Cohen's d = 0.11, p = .02); G allele homozygotes had higher general sociality
      than the A allele carriers. However, the meta-analyses did not detect significant
      genetic association between rs53576 and close relationships (Cohen's d = 0.01, p
      = .64). In conclusion, genetic variation in the rs53576 influences general
      sociality, which further implies that it is worthy to systematically examine
      whether the rs53576 is a valid genetic marker for socially related psychiatric
      disorders. 

PMID- 26121679
TI  - HIV-DNA Given with or without Intradermal Electroporation Is Safe and Highly
      Immunogenic in Healthy Swedish HIV-1 DNA/MVA Vaccinees: A Phase I Randomized
      Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We compared safety and immunogenicity of intradermal (ID) vaccination
      with and without electroporation (EP) in a phase I randomized placebo-controlled
      trial of an HIV-DNA prime HIV-MVA boost vaccine in healthy Swedish volunteers.
      METHODS: HIV-DNA plasmids encoding HIV-1 genes gp160 subtypes A, B and C; Rev B;
      Gag A and B and RTmut B were given ID at weeks 0, 6 and 12 in a dose of 0.6 mg.
      Twenty-five volunteers received vaccine using a needle-free device (ZetaJet) with
      (n=16) or without (n=9) ID EP (Dermavax). Five volunteers were placebo
      recipients. Boosting with recombinant MVA-CMDR expressing HIV-1 Env, Gag, Pol of
      CRF01_AE (HIV-MVA) or placebo was performed at weeks 24 and 40. Nine of the
      vaccinees received a subtype C CN54 gp140 protein boost together with HIV-MVA.
      RESULTS: The ID/EP delivery was very well tolerated. After three HIV-DNA
      immunizations, no statistically significant difference was seen in the IFN-gamma
      ELISpot response rate to Gag between HIV-DNA ID/EP recipients (5/15, 33%) and HIV
      DNA ID recipients (1/7, 14%, p=0.6158). The first HIV-MVA or HIV-MVA+gp140
      vaccination increased the IFN-gamma ELISpot response rate to 18/19 (95%). CD4+
      and/or CD8+ T cell responses to Gag or Env were demonstrable in 94% of vaccinees.
      A balanced CD4+ and CD8+ T cell response was noted, with 78% and 71% responders,
      respectively. IFN-gamma and IL-2 dominated the CD4+ T cell response to Gag and
      Env. The CD8+ response to Gag was broader with expression of IFN-gamma, IL-2, MIP
      1beta and/or CD107. No differences were seen between DNA vaccine groups. Binding
      antibodies were induced after the second HIV-MVA+/-gp140 in 93% of vaccinees to
      subtype C Env, with the highest titers among EP/gp140 recipients. CONCLUSION:
      Intradermal electroporation of HIV-DNA was well tolerated. Strong cell- and
      antibody-mediated immune responses were elicited by the HIV-DNA prime and HIV-MVA
      boosting regimen, with or without intradermal electroporation use. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN)
      60284968.

PMID- 26121680
TI  - Glycation of H1 Histone by 3-Deoxyglucosone: Effects on Protein Structure and
      Generation of Different Advanced Glycation End Products.
AB  - Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) culminate from the non-enzymatic reaction
      between a free carbonyl group of a reducing sugar and free amino group of
      proteins. 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG) is one of the dicarbonyl species that rapidly
      forms several protein-AGE complexes that are believed to be involved in the
      pathogenesis of several diseases, particularly diabetic complications. In this
      study, the generation of AGEs (Nepsilon-carboxymethyl lysine and pentosidine) by
      3-DG in H1 histone protein was characterized by evaluating extent of side chain
      modification (lysine and arginine) and formation of Amadori products as well as
      carbonyl contents using several physicochemical techniques. Results strongly
      suggested that 3-DG is a potent glycating agent that forms various intermediates
      and AGEs during glycation reactions and affects the secondary structure of the H1
      protein. Structural changes and AGE formation may influence the function of H1
      histone and compromise chromatin structures in cases of secondary diabetic
      complications. 

PMID- 26121681
TI  - Disruption of Rhino Demography by Poachers May Lead to Population Declines in
      Kruger National Park, South Africa.
AB  - The onslaught on the World's rhinoceroses continues despite numerous initiatives
      aimed at curbing it. When losses due to poaching exceed birth rates, declining
      rhino populations result. We used previously published estimates and growth rates
      for black rhinos (2008) and white rhinos (2010) together with known poaching
      trends at the time to predict population sizes and poaching rates in Kruger
      National Park, South Africa for 2013. Kruger is a stronghold for the south
      eastern black rhino and southern white rhino. Counting rhinos on 878 blocks 3x3
      km in size using helicopters, estimating availability bias and collating observer
      and detectability biases allowed estimates using the Jolly's estimator. The
      exponential escalation in number of rhinos poached per day appears to have
      slowed. The black rhino estimate of 414 individuals (95% confidence interval: 343
      487) was lower than the predicted 835 individuals (95% CI: 754-956). The white
      rhino estimate of 8,968 individuals (95% CI: 8,394-9,564) overlapped with the
      predicted 9,417 individuals (95% CI: 7,698-11,183). Density- and rainfall
      dependent responses in birth- and death rates of white rhinos provide
      opportunities to offset anticipated poaching effects through removals of rhinos
      from high density areas to increase birth and survival rates. Biological
      management of rhinos, however, need complimentary management of the poaching
      threat as present poaching trends predict detectable declines in white rhino
      abundances by 2018. Strategic responses such as anti-poaching that protect supply
      from illegal harvesting, reducing demand, and increasing supply commonly require
      crime network disruption as a first step complimented by providing options for
      alternative economies in areas abutting protected areas. 

PMID- 26121682
TI  - Early Risk Factors of Overweight Developmental Trajectories during Middle
      Childhood.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research is needed to identify early life risk factors associated
      with different developmental paths leading to overweight by adolescence.
      OBJECTIVES: To model heterogeneity in overweight development during middle
      childhood and identify factors associated with differing overweight trajectories.
      METHODS: Data was drawn from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development
      (QLSCD; 1998-2010). Trained research assistants measured height and weight
      according to a standardized protocol and conducted yearly home interviews with
      the child's caregiver (mother in 98% of cases). Information on several putative
      early life risk factors for the development of overweight were obtained,
      including factors related to the child's perinatal, early behavioral family and
      social environment. Group-based trajectories of the probability of overweight (6
      12 years) were identified with a semiparametric method (n=1678). Logistic
      regression analyses were used to identify early risk factors (5 months- 5 years)
      associated with each trajectory. RESULTS: Three trajectories of overweight were
      identified: "early-onset overweight" (11.0 %), "late-onset overweight" (16.6%)
      and "never overweight" (72.5%). Multinomial analyses indicated that children in
      the early and late-onset group, compared to the never overweight group, had 3
      common types of risk factors: parental overweight, preschool overweight history,
      and large size for gestational age. Maternal overprotection (OR= 1.12, CI: 1.01
      1.25), short nighttime sleep duration (OR=1.66, CI: 1.07-2.57), and immigrant
      status (OR=2.01, CI: 1.05-3.84) were factors specific to the early-onset group.
      Finally, family food insufficiency (OR=1.81, CI: 1.00-3.28) was weakly associated
      with membership in the late-onset trajectory group. CONCLUSIONS: The development
      of overweight in childhood follows two different trajectories, which have common
      and distinct risk factors that could be the target of early preventive
      interventions.

PMID- 26121683
TI  - Expression of Notch1 Correlates with Breast Cancer Progression and Prognosis.
AB  - Various studies have evaluated the significance of Notch1 expression in breast
      cancer, but the results have ever been disputed. By using 21 studies involving
      3867 patients, this meta-analysis revealed that the expression of Notch1 was
      significantly higher in breast cancer than in normal tissues (OR=7.21; 95%CI, 4.7
      11.07) and that higher Notch1 expression was associated with transition from
      ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to invasive cancer (OR=3.75; 95% CI, 1.8-7.78).
      Higher Notch1 activity was observed in the basal subtype of breast cancer
      (OR=2.53; 95% CI, 1.18-5.43). Moreover, patients with Notch1 overexpression
      exhibited significantly worse overall and recurrence-free survival. Our meta
      analysis suggests that Notch inhibitors may be useful in blocking the early
      progression of DCIS and that the outcomes of clinical trials for Notch1-targeting
      therapeutics could be improved by the molecular stratification of breast cancer
      patients. 

PMID- 26121685
TI  - Outcomes and Treatment of Lumbosacral Spinal Tuberculosis: A Retrospective Study
      of 53 Patients.
AB  - STUDY STRATEGY: A retrospective clinic study. PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy
      of conservative and surgical treatment for lumbosacral tuberculosis. METHODS:
      This study retrospectively reviewed 53 patients with lumbosacral tuberculosis who
      were treated in our institution between January 2005 and January 2011. There were
      29 males and 24 females with average ages of 37.53 +/- 17.28 years (range 6-72
      years). 11 patients were given only anti-TB drugs; the remainder underwent
      anterior debridement, interbody fusion with and without instrumentation, or one
      stage anterior debridement combined with posterior instrumentation. Outcome data
      for these patients included neurologic status, lumbosacral angle, erythrocyte
      sedimentation rate value(ESR) and C-reactive protein value(CRP) were assessed
      before and after treatment. RESULTS: The mean lumbosacral angles were 23.00
      degrees +/- 2.90 degrees  in the conservatively treated patients and 22.36
      degrees +/- 3.92o in the surgically treated patients. At the final follow-up,
      this had improved to 24.10o +/- 2.96 degrees  in the conservatively treated
      patients and 28.13 degrees  +/- 1.93 degrees  in the surgically treated patients
      (all P < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences before and after
      treatment in terms of ESR and CRP (all P < 0.05). All patients achieved bone
      fusion. The mean follow-up period was 32.34 +/- 8.13 months (range 18 to 55
      months). The neurological deficit did not worsen in any of the patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: It has been proven that conservative and surgical treatments are
      safe and effective and produce good clinical outcomes for patients with
      lumbosacral tuberculosis. The advantages of operation include thoroughness of
      debridement, decompression of the spinal cord, and adequate spinal stabilization.

PMID- 26121684
TI  - Current progress in nanotechnology applications for diagnosis and treatment of
      kidney diseases.
AB  - Significant progress has been made in nanomedicine, primarily in the form of
      nanoparticles, for theranostic applications to various diseases. A variety of
      materials, both organic and inorganic, have been used to develop nanoparticles
      with promise to achieve improved efficacy in medical applications as well as
      reduced systemic side effects compared to current standard of care medical
      practices. In particular, this article highlights the recent development and
      application of nanoparticles for diagnosing and treating nephropathologies. 

PMID- 26121687
TI  - Correction: Lateralized Readiness Potentials Reveal Properties of a Neural
      Mechanism for Implementing a Decision Threshold.

PMID- 26121686
TI  - Pleiotropic Effects of Bitter Taste Receptors on [Ca2+]i Mobilization,
      Hyperpolarization, and Relaxation of Human Airway Smooth Muscle Cells.
AB  - Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation and airflow obstruction from human
      airway smooth muscle (HASM) constriction due to increased local
      bronchoconstrictive substances. We have recently found bitter taste receptors
      (TAS2Rs) on HASM, which increase [Ca2+]i and relax the muscle. We report here
      that some, but not all, TAS2R agonists decrease [Ca2+]i and relax HASM contracted
      by G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that stimulate [Ca2+]i. This suggests both
      a second pathway by which TAS2Rs relax, and, a heterogeneity of the response
      phenotype. We utilized eight TAS2R agonists and five procontractile GPCR agonists
      in cultured HASM cells. We find that heterogeneity in the inhibitory response
      hinges on which procontractile GPCR is activated. For example, chloroquine
      inhibits [Ca2+]i increases from histamine, but failed to inhibit [Ca2+]i
      increases from endothelin-1. Conversely, aristolochic acid inhibited [Ca2+]i
      increases from endothelin-1 but not histamine. Other dichotomous responses were
      found when [Ca2+]i was stimulated by bradykinin, angiotensin, and acetylcholine.
      There was no association between [Ca2+]i inhibition and TAS2R subtype, nor
      whether [Ca2+]i was increased by Gq- or Gi-coupled GPCRs. Selected studies
      revealed a correlation between [Ca2+]i inhibition and HASM cell-membrane
      hyperpolarization. To demonstrate physiologic correlates, ferromagnetic beads
      were attached to HASM cells and cell stiffness measured by magnetic twisting
      cytometry. Consistent with the [Ca2+]i inhibition results, chloroquine abolished
      the cell stiffening response (contraction) evoked by histamine but not by
      endothelin-1, while aristolochic acid inhibited cell stiffening from endothelin
      1, but not from histamine. In studies using intact human bronchi, these same
      differential responses were found. Those TAS2R agonists that decreased [Ca2+]i,
      promoted hyperpolarization, and decreased HASM stiffness, caused relaxation of
      human airways. Thus TAS2Rs relax HASM in two ways: a low-efficiency de novo
      [Ca2+]i stimulation, and, a high-efficiency inhibition of GPCR-stimulated
      [Ca2+]i. Furthermore, there is an interaction between TAS2Rs and some GPCRs that
      facilitates this [Ca2+]i inhibition limb. 

PMID- 26121688
TI  - The Taxonomic Status of Mazama bricenii and the Significance of the Tachira
      Depression for Mammalian Endemism in the Cordillera de Merida, Venezuela.
AB  - We studied the taxonomy and biogeography of Mazama bricenii, a brocket deer
      classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, drawing on qualitative and quantitative
      morphology and sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene. We used
      Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM) to evaluate the hypothesis that M. bricenii of
      the Venezuelan Cordillera de Merida (CM) might have become isolated from
      populations of its putative sister species, Mazama rufina, in the Colombian
      Cordillera Oriental (CO). This hypothesis assumes that warm, dry climatic
      conditions in the Tachira Depression were unsuitable for the species. Our
      analyses did not reveal morphological differences between specimens
      geographically attributable to M. bricenii and M. rufina, and phylogenetic
      analyses of molecular data recovered M. bricenii nested within the diversity of
      M. rufina. These results indicate that M. bricenii should be regarded as a junior
      synonym of M. rufina. ENM analyses revealed the existence of suitable climatic
      conditions for M. rufina in the Tachira Depression during the last glacial
      maximum and even at present, suggesting that gene flow between populations in the
      CO and CM may have occurred until at least the beginning of the current
      interglacial period and may continue today. Because this pattern might
      characterize other mammals currently considered endemic to the CM, we examined
      which of these species match two criteria that we propose herein to estimate if
      they can be regarded as endemic to the CM with confidence: (1) that morphological
      or molecular evidence exists indicating that the putative endemic taxon is
      distinctive from congeneric populations in the CO; and (2) that the putative
      endemic taxon is restricted to either cloud forest or paramo, or both. Only
      Aepeomys reigi, Cryptotis meridensis, and Nasuella meridensis matched both
      criteria; hence, additional research is necessary to assess the true taxonomic
      status and distribution of the remaining species thought to be CM endemics. 

PMID- 26121689
TI  - Enhancing Interferon Regulatory Factor 7 Mediated Antiviral Responses and
      Decreasing Nuclear Factor Kappa B Expression Limit HIV-1 Replication in Cervical
      Tissues.
AB  - Establishment of a productive HIV-1 infection in the female reproductive tract
      likely depends on the balance between anti-viral and pro-inflammatory responses
      leading to activation and proliferation of HIV target cells. Immune modulators
      that boost anti-viral and depress pro-inflammatory immune responses may decrease
      HIV-1 infection or replication. Polyinosinic:polycytidylic [Poly (I:C)] has been
      reported to down-regulate HIV-1 replication in immune cell subsets and lymphoid
      tissues, yet the scope and mechanisms of poly (I:C) regulation of HIV-1
      replication in the cervicovaginal mucosa, the main portal of viral entry in women
      remain unknown. Using a relevant, underexplored ex vivo cervical tissue model, we
      demonstrated that poly (I:C) enhanced Interferon Regulatory Factor (IRF)7
      mediated antiviral responses and decreased tissue Nuclear Factor Kappa B
      (NFkappaB) RNA expression. This pattern of cellular transcription factor
      expression correlated with decreased HIV-1 transcription and viral release.
      Reducing IRF7 expression up-regulated HIV-1 and NFkappaB transcription, providing
      proof of concept for the critical involvement of IRF7 in cervical tissues. By
      combining poly (I:C) with a suboptimal concentration of tenofovir, the leading
      anti-HIV prophylactic microbicide candidate, we demonstrated an earlier and
      greater decrease in HIV replication in poly (I:C)/tenofovir treated tissues
      compared with tissues treated with tenofovir alone, indicating overall improved
      efficacy. Poly (I:C) decreases HIV-1 replication by stimulating IRF7 mediated
      antiviral responses while reducing NFkappaB expression. Early during the
      infection, poly (I:C) improved the anti-HIV-1 activity of suboptimal
      concentrations of tenofovir likely to be present during periods of poor adherence
      i.e. inconsistent or inadequate drug use. Understanding interactions between anti
      viral and pro-inflammatory immune responses in the genital mucosa will provide
      crucial insights for the identification of targets that can be harnessed to
      develop preventative combination strategies to improve the efficacy of topical or
      systemic antiviral prophylactic agents and protect women from HIV-1 and other
      sexually transmitted infections. 

PMID- 26121690
TI  - NLRP7, Involved in Hydatidiform Molar Pregnancy (HYDM1), Interacts with the
      Transcriptional Repressor ZBTB16.
AB  - Mutations in the maternal effect gene NLRP7 cause biparental hydatidiform mole
      (HYDM1). HYDM1 is characterized by abnormal growth of placenta and lack of proper
      embryonic development. The molar tissues are characterized by abnormal
      methylation patterns at differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of imprinted
      genes. It is not known whether this occurs before or after fertilization, but the
      high specificity of this defect to the maternal allele indicates a possible
      maternal germ line-specific effect. To better understand the unknown molecular
      mechanism leading to HYDM1, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen against an
      ovarian library using NLRP7 as bait. We identified the transcriptional repressor
      ZBTB16 as an interacting protein of NLRP7 and verified this interaction in
      mammalian cells by immunoprecipitation and confocal microscopy. Native protein
      analysis detected NLRP7 and ZBTB16 in a 480kD protein complex and both proteins
      co-localize in the cytoplasm in juxtanuclear aggregates. HYDM1-causing mutations
      in NLRP7 did not show altered patterns of interaction with ZBTB16. Hence, the
      biological significance of the NLRP7-ZBTB16 interaction remains to be revealed.
      However, a clear effect of harvesting ZBTB16 to the cytoplasm when the NLRP7
      protein is overexpressed may be linked to the pathology of the molar pregnancy
      disease. 

PMID- 26121691
TI  - SIRT3 Enhances Glycolysis and Proliferation in SIRT3-Expressing Gastric Cancer
      Cells.
AB  - SIRT3 is a key NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase in the mitochondria of
      mammalian cells, functioning to prevent cell aging and transformation via
      regulation of mitochondrial metabolic homeostasis. However, SIRT3 is also found
      to express in some human tumors; its role in these SIRT3-expressing tumor cells
      needs to be elucidated. This study demonstrated that the expression of SIRT3 was
      elevated in a group of gastric cancer cells compared to normal gastric epithelial
      cells. Although SIRT3 expression levels were increased in the gastric tumor
      tissues compared to the adjacent non-tumor tissues, SIRT3 positive cancer cells
      were more frequently detected in the intestinal type gastric cancers than the
      diffuse type gastric cancers, indicating that SIRT3 is linked with subtypes of
      gastric cancer. Overexpression of SIRT3 promoted cell proliferation and enhanced
      ATP generation, glucose uptake, glycogen formation, MnSOD activity and lactate
      production, which were inhibited by SIRT3 knockdown, indicating that SIRT3 plays
      a role in reprogramming the bioenergetics in gastric tumor cells. Further
      analysis revealed that SIRT3 interacted with and deacetylated the lactate
      dehydrogenase A (LDHA), a key protein in regulating anaerobic glycolysis,
      enhancing LDHA activity. In consistence, a cluster of glycolysis-associated genes
      was upregulated in the SIRT3-overexpressing gastric tumor cells. Thus, in
      addition to the well-documented SIRT3-mediated mitochondrial homeostasis in
      normal cells, SIRT3 may enhance glycolysis and cell proliferation in SIRT3
      expressing cancer cells. 

PMID- 26121692
TI  - Genetic Polymorphisms in Endothelin-1 as Predictors for Long-Term Survival and
      the Cardiac Index in Patients Undergoing On-Pump Cardiac Surgery.
AB  - Genetic variants within the endothelin-1 gene (EDN1) have been associated with
      several cardiovascular diseases and may act as genetic prognostic markers. Here,
      we explored the overall relevance of EDN1 polymorphisms for long-term survival in
      patients undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery. A prospectively collected cohort of
      455 Caucasian patients who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass
      was followed up for 5 years. The obtained genotypes and inferred haplotypes were
      analyzed for their associations with the five-year mortality rate (primary
      endpoint). The EDN1 T-1370G and K198N genotype distributions did not deviate from
      Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and the major allele frequencies were 83% and 77%,
      respectively. The cardiovascular risk factors were equally distributed in terms
      of the different genotypes and haplotypes associated with the two polymorphisms.
      The five-year mortality rate did not differ among the different EDN1 T-1370G and
      K198N genotypes and haplotypes. Haplotype analysis revealed that carriers of the
      G-T (compound EDN1 T-1370G G/K198N T) haplotype had a higher cardiac index than
      did non-carriers (p = 0.0008); however, this difference did not reach
      significance after adjusting for multiple testing. The results indicate that
      common variations in EDN1 do not act as prognostic markers for long-term survival
      in patients undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery. 

PMID- 26121693
TI  - Interpopulational Variations in Sexual Chemical Signals of Iberian Wall Lizards
      May Allow Maximizing Signal Efficiency under Different Climatic Conditions.
AB  - Sexual signals used in intraspecific communication are expected to evolve to
      maximize efficacy under a given climatic condition. Thus, chemical secretions of
      lizards might evolve in the evolutionary time to ensure that signals are
      perfectly tuned to local humidity and temperature conditions affecting their
      volatility and therefore their persistence and transmission through the
      environment. We tested experimentally whether interpopulational altitudinal
      differences in chemical composition of femoral gland secretions of male Iberian
      wall lizards (Podarcis hispanicus) have evolved to maximize efficacy of chemical
      signals in different environmental conditions. Chemical analyses first showed
      that the characteristics of chemical signals of male lizards differed between two
      populations inhabiting environments with different climatic conditions in spite
      of the fact that these two populations are closely related genetically. We also
      examined experimentally whether the temporal attenuation of the chemical stimuli
      depended on simulated climatic conditions. Thus, we used tongue-flick essays to
      test whether female lizards were able to detect male scent marks maintained under
      different conditions of temperature and humidity by chemosensory cues alone.
      Chemosensory tests showed that chemical signals of males had a lower efficacy
      (i.e. detectability and persistence) when temperature and dryness increase, but
      that these effects were more detrimental for signals of the highest elevation
      population, which occupies naturally colder and more humid environments. We
      suggest that the abiotic environment may cause a selective pressure on the form
      and expression of sexual chemical signals. Therefore, interpopulational
      differences in chemical profiles of femoral secretions of male P. hispanicus
      lizards may reflect adaptation to maximize the efficacy of the chemical signal in
      different climates. 

PMID- 26121694
TI  - Ohr Protects Corynebacterium glutamicum against Organic Hydroperoxide Induced
      Oxidative Stress.
AB  - Ohr, a bacterial protein encoded by the Organic Hydroperoxide Resistance (ohr)
      gene, plays a critical role in resistance to organic hydroperoxides. In the
      present study, we show that the Cys-based thiol-dependent Ohr of Corynebacterium
      glutamicum decomposes organic hydroperoxides more efficiently than hydrogen
      peroxide. Replacement of either of the two Cys residues of Ohr by a Ser residue
      resulted in drastic loss of activity. The electron donors supporting regeneration
      of the peroxidase activity of the oxidized Ohr of C. glutamicum were principally
      lipoylated proteins (LpdA and Lpd/SucB). A Deltaohr mutant exhibited
      significantly decreased resistance to organic hydroperoxides and marked
      accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in vivo; protein carbonylation was
      also enhanced notably. The resistance to hydrogen peroxide also decreased, but
      protein carbonylation did not rise to any great extent. Together, the results
      unequivocally show that Ohr is essential for mediation of organic hydroperoxide
      resistance by C. glutamicum. 

PMID- 26121695
TI  - Modeling Zinc Intake for Intervention and Scenario Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A large number of illnesses, afflicting one-third of the world's
      population, have been attributed to zinc deficiency. Inadequate dietary intake of
      bioavailable forms of zinc is considered the most frequent cause of zinc
      deficiency, which is most common in arid regions of developing countries.
      OBJECTIVE: To employ a modeling approach in a test population to analyze how best
      to eliminate zinc deficiency using different plausible dietary scenarios.
      METHODS: A comprehensive database was built upon food consumption patterns of two
      population groups residing in a village and a suburb in semiarid central Iran
      near Isfahan city. A database was created on zinc and phytic acid concentrations
      of different foods and ingredients consumed by the study populations. A zinc
      intake model was constructed and parameterized accounting for bioavailability and
      model input uncertainties. RESULTS: The zinc intake of about one-third of both
      study populations, which did not differ significantly in their rates of zinc
      deficiency, was below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for zinc. Scenario
      analyses predicted that at the current rate of food consumption, it would take up
      to 60 years for 97.5% of the population to meet their zinc EARs. Fortification of
      wheat flour and biofortification of wheat grains would result in 93% and 88% of
      the population, respectively, achieving their EARs in 15 years. CONCLUSIONS: The
      modeled results suggest that fortification and biofortification are the most
      effective and sustainable strategies to combat zinc deficiency. The methodology
      developed in this study is general and is shown to be a useful tool for the
      analysis of possible future trends and intervention scenarios.

PMID- 26121696
TI  - Acceptability of Two Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods by HIV-Positive Patients in
      Vietnam.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) has been found effective in
      treating severe acute malnutrition. Vietnam's National Institute of Nutrition
      (NIN), the Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD), and UNICEF
      collaborated to formulate a local RUTF called High-Energy Bar for Integrated
      Management of Acute Malnutrition (HEBI). RUTF might be useful to address
      malnutrition in HIV patients. OBJECTIVE: To compare the acceptability of the
      local RUTF and an imported RUTF among malnourished people with HIV in Vietnam
      Methods: The acceptability of HEBI and Plumpy'Nut was studied among 80 HIV
      positive children and 80 HIV-positive adults. In a crossover design, participants
      were randomly assigned to receive either Plumpy'Nut or HEBI for 2 weeks and were
      switched to the other product for the subsequent 2 weeks. A third (control) group
      of about 40 HIV-positive participants in each study was randomly assigned to
      receive no RUTF. Nurses took anthropometric measurements weekly, and the subjects
      or their caregivers monitored daily RUTF intake. RESULTS: Children consumed 69%
      of HEBI and 65% of Plumpy'Nut (p = .13). Adults consumed 91% of HEBI and 81% of
      Plumpy'Nut (p = .059). Both children (p = .058) and adults (p <= .0001) preferred
      HEBI. Significant gains were observed in percent weight (p = .035), weight-for
      age (p = .014), and body mass index (BMI)-for-age (p = .036) in children who
      received RUTF and in percent weight (p = .017) and BMI (p = .0048) in adults who
      received RUTF compared with the control groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this study in
      Vietnam, both HEBI and Plumpy'Nut were found acceptable by people with HIV.

PMID- 26121697
TI  - Prediction of Serum Zinc Levels in Mexican Children at 2 Years of Age Using a
      Food Frequency Questionnaire and Different Zinc Bioavailability Criteria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 2006 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey documented a
      prevalence of zinc deficiency of almost 30% in children under 2 years of age.
      OBJECTIVE: We sought to validate a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for
      quantifying dietary bioavailable zinc intake in 2-year-old Mexican children
      accounting for phytic acid intake and using serum zinc as a reference. METHODS:
      This cross-sectional study was nested within a longitudinal birth cohort of 333
      young children in Mexico City. Nonfasting serum zinc concentration was measured
      and dietary zinc intake was calculated on the basis of a semiquantitative FFQ
      administered to their mothers. The relationship between dietary zinc intake and
      serum zinc was assessed using linear regression, adjusting for phytic acid
      intake, and analyzed according to two distinct international criteria to estimate
      bioavailable zinc. Models were stratified by zinc deficiency status. RESULTS:
      Dietary zinc, adjusted for phytic acid intake, explained the greatest proportion
      of the variance of serum zinc. For each milligram of dietary zinc intake, serum
      zinc increased on average by 0.95 MUg/dL (0.15 MUmol/L) (p = .06). When
      stratified by zinc status, this increase was 0.74 MUg/dL (p = .12) for each
      milligram of zinc consumed among children with adequate serum zinc (n = 276),
      whereas among those children with zinc deficiency (n = 57), serum zinc increased
      by only 0.11 MUg/dL (p = .82). CONCLUSIONS: A semiquantitative FFQ can be used
      for predicting serum zinc in relation to dietary intake in young children,
      particularly among those who are zinc-replete, and when phytic acid or phytate
      intake is considered. Future studies should be conducted accounting for both zinc
      status and dietary zinc inhibitors to further elucidate and validate these
      findings.

PMID- 26121698
TI  - Integration of Nutrition Into Extension and Advisory Services: A Synthesis of
      Experiences, Lessons, and Recommendations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The need for nutrition-sensitive agriculture is well recognized and
      of growing interest to global development players. Extension and advisory
      services (EAS), with their established infrastructure, provide a unique
      opportunity for nutrition interventions to be implemented at scale with
      significant reach. OBJECTIVE: To assess current integration of nutrition in EAS,
      document training provided to EAS agents, and identify challenges and
      opportunities for the integration of nutrition. METHODS: A mixed methodology was
      used, which included a systematic literature review covering the following
      databases: PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Agris, Google Scholar, Econlit, and IBSS.
      In addition, online surveys and semistructured key informant interviews with
      stakeholders were performed. Data were collected between December 2012 and June
      2013. RESULTS: Based on this study, the most common integration of nutrition into
      EAS is through efforts to increase the availability of nutritious food. The
      nutrition training of extension agents is often inadequate, particularly in the
      realm beyond technical agricultural skill. Additionally, a lack of career
      opportunities discourages EAS agents form engaging with nutrition integration.
      The major challenges to integrating nutrition into EAS centered on lack of
      training for agents, unclear organizational mandates, lack of female inclusion,
      lack of mobility, and systemic challenges between agriculture and nutrition
      sectors. Key opportunities for integration efforts are engaging communities,
      creating a demand for nutrition, and use of innovative communications.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a large degree of variability across
      programs in the integration and implementation of nutrition activities into EAS,
      providing differing opinions on the feasibility of integration. Although the need
      for nutrition-sensitive agriculture is known, and there is agreement that EAS
      would provide a positive framework, there are still challenges impeding a simple
      integration of nutrition into EAS as a delivery platform.

PMID- 26121699
TI  - Identifying the Sociocultural Barriers and Facilitating Factors to Nutrition
      related Behavior Change: Formative Research for a Stunting Prevention Program in
      Ntchisi, Malawi.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement gains momentum globally,
      more attention and resources are being given to integrated nutrition
      interventions. In 2013, the Government of Malawi, with support from the World
      Food Programme and partners, initiated such an intervention in Ntchisi District.
      Aimed to reduce the prevalence of stunting, the intervention has several
      components, including the provision of a small-quantity, lipid-based nutrient
      supplement (SQ-LNS) for children aged 6 to 23 months. OBJECTIVE: This paper
      describes formative research findings derived from a Rapid Assessment Procedures
      (RAP) approach to inform the integrated nutrition intervention. METHODS: With a
      three-phase, emergent research design, this study utilized ethnographic methods
      including in-depth interviews, direct meal observations, and full-day child
      observations. Free lists and pile sorts were conducted to define food and illness
      domains through cultural domain analysis. Participants included community
      leaders, caregivers, health surveillance assistants, and children aged 6 to 23
      months. RESULTS: Community members felt that nutrition-related illnesses were
      less salient and threatening than other illnesses, and food quality was less
      important than food quantity. Household food allocation occurred in predictable
      patterns and varied by type of household member and season. Considered an energy
      giving food, the SQ-LNS was accepted, but health education and communications
      tailored to local understanding of nutrition and health are necessary to ensure
      its appropriate utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Tailoring a communications strategy to
      Ntchisi, Malawi could only be done through formative research to understand the
      sociocultural factors influencing nutrition-related behaviors. A RAP approach
      allowed for a comprehensive understanding of this local environment.

PMID- 26121700
TI  - Landscape Analysis of Nutrition-sensitive Agriculture Policy Development in
      Senegal.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Unlocking the agricultural potential of Africa offers a genuine
      opportunity to address malnutrition and drive development of the continent.
      OBJECTIVE: Using Senegal as a case study, to identify gaps and opportunities to
      strengthen agricultural policies with nutrition-sensitive approaches. METHODS: We
      carried out a systematic analysis of 13 policy documents that related to food
      production, agriculture, food security, or nutrition. Next, we collected data
      during a participatory analysis with 32 national stakeholders and in-depth
      interviews with 15 national experts of technical directorates of the different
      ministries that deal with agriculture and food production. RESULTS: The current
      agricultural context has various elements that are considered to enhance its
      nutrition sensitivity. On average, 8.3 of the 17 Food and Agriculture
      Organization guiding principles for agriculture programming for nutrition were
      included in the policies reviewed. Ensuring food security and increasing dietary
      diversity were considered to be the principal objectives of agricultural
      policies. Although there was considerable agreement that agriculture can
      contribute to nutrition, current agricultural programs generally do not target
      communities on the basis of their nutritional vulnerability. Agricultural
      programs were reported to have specific components to target female beneficiaries
      but were generally not used as delivery platforms for nutritional interventions.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study indicate the need for a coherent policy
      environment across the food system that aligns recommendations at the national
      level with local action on the ground. In addition, specific activities are
      needed to develop a shared understanding of nutrition and public health nutrition
      within the agricultural community in Senegal.

PMID- 26121701
TI  - Measuring the Food Access Dimension of Food Security: A Critical Review and
      Mapping of Indicators.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With food security now a top priority for many governments and for
      the global development community, there is heightened awareness of the need to
      improve our understanding and measurement of food security. OBJECTIVE: To bring
      clarity in the assessment of the food access dimension of food security at the
      household and individual level. METHODS: For the most commonly used indicators,
      we reviewed their original purpose and construction, at what levels (household or
      individual) they were designed to be used, what components (quality, quantity,
      safety, and cultural acceptability) they were intended to reflect, and whether or
      not they have been tested for validity and comparability across contexts.
      RESULTS: We identified nine indicators and grouped them in three broad
      categories: experience-based, coping strategies, and dietary diversity. The
      indicators only capture the quantity and quality components of food access; none
      of the indicators capture information on safety or cultural acceptability of food
      access. Household Dietary Diversity (HDDS) and Food Consumption Score (FCS) are
      often considered indicators of both quantity and quality, but they have not been
      validated for the latter. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend the use of experience-based
      indicators, HDDS, or FCS to assess household access to energy; experience-based
      indicators to assess household access to diet quality (defined qualitatively as
      not having to adopt practices that favor acquiring cheaper, less appealing, and
      less micronutrient-dense foods); and individual dietary diversity scores for
      women or children to assess individual access to diet quality, defined as
      micronutrient adequacy.

PMID- 26121702
TI  - Food for Survival: Diagnosing Crop Patterns to Secure Lower Threshold Food
      Security Levels in Farm Households of Burundi.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Burundi is one of the world's poorest countries, coming last in the
      Global Food Index (2013). Yet, a large majority of its population depends on
      agriculture. Most smallholder families do not produce enough to support their own
      families. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the optimal crop mix and resources needed to
      provide the family with food containing sufficient energy, fat, and protein.
      METHODS: This study uses mathematical programming to obtain the optimal crop mix
      that could maximize output given the constraints on production factor endowments
      and the need to feed the household. The model is calibrated with household-level
      data collected in 2010 in Ngozi Province in northern Burundi. Four models are
      developed, each representing a different farm type. The typology is based on 2007
      data. Model predictions are compared with data collected during a revisit of the
      area in 2012. RESULTS: By producing a smaller number of crops and concentrating
      on those in which they have a comparative advantage, and trading produce and
      input with other farms, large and medium-sized farms can improve their
      productivity and hire extra workers to supplement family labor. Predictions of
      crops to be planted coincided to a high degree with those that farmers planted 2
      years after our survey on newly acquired plots. CONCLUSIONS: Despite land
      scarcity, it is still possible for households that own land to find optimal crop
      combinations that can meet their minimal food security requirements while
      generating a certain level of income. Nearly landless households would benefit
      from the increased off-farm employment opportunities. With only 0.05 ha of land
      per capita, the annotation Nearly Landless is used to highlight the limited
      access to land observed in this farm category.

PMID- 26121703
TI  - Comparison of a Household Consumption and Expenditures Survey with Nationally
      Representative Food Frequency Questionnaire and 24-hour Dietary Recall Data for
      Assessing Consumption of Fortifiable Foods by Women and Young Children in
      Cameroon.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Household Consumption and Expenditures Surveys (HCES) are potential
      sources of data on dietary patterns for planning fortification programs, but they
      rarely have been compared with individual-level dietary assessment methods.
      OBJECTIVE: To compare apparent consumption of fortifiable foods estimated from
      the Third Cameroon Household Survey (ECAM3) with the results of a national
      dietary survey using food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and 24-hour recall (24HR)
      methods among women aged 15 to 49 years and children aged 12 to 59 months.
      METHODS: We estimated coverage and frequency of consumption in the previous week
      (ECAM3 and FFQ) and coverage and amount consumed on the previous day (ECAM3 and
      24HR) of refined vegetable oil, wheat flour, sugar, and bouillon cubes. RESULTS:
      Coverage in the past week as measured by the ECAM3 and FFQ, respectively, was 64%
      vs. 54% for oil, 60% vs. 92% for flour, 69% vs. 78% for sugar, and 85% vs. 96%
      for bouillon cubes. The different methods identified similar patterns of coverage
      among subgroups for oil, but patterns for other foods were variable. Frequency of
      consumption and previous-day coverage were lower with the ECAM3 than with the FFQ
      and 24HR, likely reflecting infrequent acquisition relative to intake. For women,
      the mean amounts consumed on the previous day (among consumers) were 43 vs. 29 g
      of oil, 71 vs. 83 g of flour, 42 vs. 32 g of sugar, and 5.0 vs. 2.4 g of bouillon
      cubes (ECAM and 24HR, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: HCES provide useful information
      on patterns of food access but inadequate information on individual consumption
      amounts to estimate appropriate food fortification levels.

PMID- 26121704
TI  - Is There an Enabling Environment for Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture in South
      Asia? Stakeholder Perspectives from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Almost half of all children in South Asia are stunted. Although
      agriculture has the potential to be a strong driver of undernutrition reduction
      and serves as the main source of livelihood for over half of South Asia's
      population, its potential to reduce undernutrition is currently not being
      realized. OBJECTIVE: The Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia
      (LANSA) research consortium seeks to understand how agriculture and agrifood
      systems can be better designed to improve nutrition in South Asia. In 2013 and
      2014, LANSA carried out interviews with stakeholders influential in, and/or
      knowledgeable of, agriculture-nutrition policy in India, Pakistan, and
      Bangladesh, to gain a better understanding of the institutional and political
      factors surrounding the nutrition sensitivity of agriculture in the region.
      METHODS: Semistructured interviews were carried out in India, Bangladesh, and
      Pakistan with a total of 56 stakeholders representing international
      organizations, research, government, civil society, donors, and the private
      sector. RESULTS: The findings point to mixed perspectives on countries' policy
      sensitivity toward nutrition. There was consensus among stakeholders on the
      importance of political commitment to nutrition, improving nutrition literacy,
      strengthening capacities, and improving the use of financial resources.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although there are different ways in which South Asian agriculture
      can improve its impact on nutrition, sensitizing key influencers to the
      importance of nutrition for the health of a country's population appears as a
      critical issue. This should in turn serve as the premise for political
      commitment, intersectoral coordination to implement nutrition-relevant policies,
      adequately resourced nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs, and
      sufficient capacities at all levels.

PMID- 26121705
TI  - Dr. Ricardo Bressani, Former Associate Editor of the Food and Nutrition Bulletin
      : 1926-2015.

PMID- 26121706
TI  - A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials of Conventional Stenting Versus
      Direct Stenting in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Direct stenting (DS) is commonly used during percutaneous coronary
      intervention for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) to prevent distal
      embolization; however, no guideline recommendations exist regarding DS. We sought
      to compare DS with conventional stenting (CS) in patients presenting with AMI in
      a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. METHODS: Studies were identified
      from EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane databases. To be included, randomized
      controlled trials must have compared DS with CS in patients with AMI. Data were
      extracted and articles were critically appraised by two authors. A fixed effects
      model was used, with Peto odds ratios (ORs). The primary endpoint was death from
      cardiovascular causes. RESULTS: Five trials (n = 754) met the eligibility
      criteria. ST-segment resolution occurred in 68.9% (146/212) in the DS group vs
      60.2% (127/211) in the CS group (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.00-2.27; P=.05; I2=52%). No
      reflow occurred in 6.6% in the DS group compared with 6.9% in the CS group (OR,
      0.78; 95% CI, 0.39-1.55; P=.48; I2=0%). DS was associated with a significant
      reduction in the risk of in-hospital cardiovascular death (OR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.06
      0.77; P=.02; I2=0%). No significant differences were observed in myocardial
      infarction (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.09-1.51; P=.17; I2=7%) or target lesion
      revascularization (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.36-3.97; P=.76; I2=0%). CONCLUSION: Small
      trials suggest a potential benefit to DS in AMI. Further large-scale randomized
      trials are warranted to confirm the benefit of this approach.

PMID- 26121707
TI  - Transradial Approach for Cardiac Catheterization in Patients With Negative
      Allen's Test.
AB  - AIMS: To assess the efficacy and safety of transradial approach regardless of the
      Allen's test results for coronary angiography and angioplasty. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: Prospective data collection of 1035 consecutive patients who underwent
      coronary angiography with or without ad hoc angioplasty through the radial
      approach was conducted. Baseline demographic and procedural data were recorded.
      Allen's test was evaluated in all subjects before the procedure and
      catheterization was performed from the radial approach irrespective of the
      results. Radial artery patency was evaluated at discharge clinically, or by
      Doppler examination if pulse was not palpable. A total of 256 patients (24.7%)
      were found to have a negative Allen's test and 779 patients (75.3%) had a
      positive test. The baseline and procedural characteristics were similar in both
      groups. No significant differences in complications were reported. Radial artery
      thrombosis was observed in 6.2% of the negative Allen's test group and 4.8% of
      the positive Allen's test group (P=.85), but this was clinically silent even in
      the negative Allen's test group. CONCLUSION: Transradial approach for coronary
      angiography and ad hoc angioplasty can be performed with similar efficacy and
      safety regardless of the Allen's test results before the procedure.

PMID- 26121717
TI  - Child Protection During Disasters.

PMID- 26121708
TI  - Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Compared With Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
      for Proximal Left Anterior Descending Artery Treatment in Patients With Acute
      Coronary Syndrome: Analysis From the ACUITY Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The optimal revascularization strategy in patients with acute
      coronary syndrome (ACS) and proximal left anterior descending (pLAD) coronary
      artery lesions is not well defined. The aim of this study was to compare the
      outcomes of ACS patients with pLAD culprit lesions receiving percutaneous
      coronary intervention (PCI) vs coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). METHODS: The
      ACUITY trial was a multicenter, prospective trial of patients with ACS treated
      with an early invasive strategy. Major adverse cardiac event (MACE; defined as
      death, myocardial infarction [MI], and repeat revascularization) and stroke were
      compared at 30 days and 1 year between PCI and CABG in patients with significant
      stenosis of the pLAD undergoing revascularization. Postprocedural major bleeding
      was evaluated at 30 days. RESULTS: Among patients with a significant pLAD
      stenosis (n = 842), a total of 562 (66.7%) underwent PCI and 280 (33.3%)
      underwent CABG. Baseline characteristics, including age, sex, diabetes, and TIMI
      risk score, were well matched between groups; however, patients undergoing PCI
      were more likely to have had previous CABG (21.9% vs 6.4%; P<.001). Death, MI,
      MACE, and stroke rates did not differ between groups at 1 year. PCI patients had
      lower bleeding rates (8.1% vs 52.4%; P<.001) and blood product transfusion at 30
      days (4.5% vs 41.3%; P<.001), but higher rates of unplanned revascularization at
      1 year (12.7% vs 5.2%; P<.01). These results were consistent in patients with
      single vs multivessel disease and in diabetics vs non-diabetics. CONCLUSIONS:
      Among ACS patients with pLAD culprit lesions, an initial revascularization
      strategy of PCI compared with CABG yields similar 1-year death, MI, and MACE
      rates, although unplanned revascularization is more common after PCI.

PMID- 26121718
TI  - Undesirable Effects of Media on Children: Why Limitation is Necessary?
AB  - Pervasive media environment is a social problem shared by most of the countries
      around the world. Several studies have been performed to highlight the undesired
      effects of media on children. Some of these studies have focused on the time
      spent by children watching television, playing with computers or using mobile
      media devices while some others have tried to explain the associations between
      the obesity, postural abnormalities or psychological problems of children, and
      their media use. This article discusses the recent approaches to curb influence
      of media on children, and the importance of family media literacy education
      programs with particular relevance to developing countries. 

PMID- 26121719
TI  - Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Kawasaki Disease.

PMID- 26121720
TI  - Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Advances in Molecular Genetics and Changing
      Strategies in Diagnosis, Prevention and Therapeutics.

PMID- 26121721
TI  - Blood N-terminal Pro-brain Natriuretic Peptide and Interleukin-17 for
      Distinguishing Incomplete Kawasaki Disease from Infectious Diseases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the diagnostic value of blood N-terminal pro-brain
      natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and interleukin-17(IL-17) for incomplete Kawasaki
      disease. METHODS: Patients with Kawasaki disease, Incomplete Kawasaki disease and
      unclear infectious fever were included in this retrospective study. Their
      clinical features, and laboratory test results of blood NT-proBNP and IL-17 were
      collected and compared. RESULTS: 766 patients with complete clinical information
      were recruited, consisting of 291 cases of Kawasaki disease, 74 cases of
      incomplete Kawasaki disease, and 401 cases of unclear infectious diseases. When
      the consistency with indicator 2 and 3 in Kawasaki disease diagnosis criteria was
      assessed with blood IL-17 ?11.55 pg/mL and blood NT-proBNP ? 225.5 pg/dL as the
      criteria, the sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing incomplete Kawasaki
      disease and infectious diseases reached 86.5% and 94.8%, respectively. When we
      chose the consistency with indicator 1 and 2 in Kawasaki disease diagnosis
      criteria, the appearance of decrustation and/or the BCG erythema, blood IL-17
      ?11.55 pg/mL and blood NT-Pro BNP ?225.5 pg/dL as the criteria, the sensitivity
      and specificity for distinguishing incomplete Kawasaki disease and infectious
      diseases was 43.2% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Blood NT-proBNP and IL-17
      are useful laboratory indicators for distinguishing incomplete Kawasaki disease
      and infectious diseases at the early stage.

PMID- 26121722
TI  - Genetic and Clinical Profile of Patients of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy:
      Experience from a Tertiary Care Center in Eastern India.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the genetic pattern, clinical profile and to find any
      correlation between them in patients of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. METHODS:
      Patients were selected from Neurogenetic clinic on the basis of clinical
      features, elevated serum CPK level and electromyographic features. After history
      and clinical examination, molecular genetic testing was performed by Polymerase
      Chain Reaction (PCR) technique. RESULTS: Among 100 patients, 73 patients had
      genetically confirmed disease while 8 cases were proven by biopsy, and thus a
      total 81 cases were further taken up for the study. Mean age of onset of clinical
      symptoms was 3.9 yrs; Valley sign and calf hypertrophy were most consistent
      features, while about 51% had facial weakness. Out of 73 genetically confirmed
      cases 53 (72.6%) showed deletion in distal exons and 12 (16.4%) showed deletion
      in both proximal and distal exons while 8 (10.9%) had only proximal deletion.
      There was no correlation between genetic pattern and clinical features.
      CONCLUSIONS: The positivity of PCR- based diagnosis is higher in our study
      possibly related to highly selective group of patients. Phenotype and genotype
      correlation was not seen.

PMID- 26121723
TI  - Impact of System Factors and Modifiable ICU Interventions on the Outcome of
      Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation in PICU.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of system factors and modifiable interventions on
      outcome of cardiac arrest in a pediatric intensive care unit. DESIGN:
      Retrospective medical record review. SETTING: Pediatric intensive care unit of a
      hospital in China. PARTICIPANTS: Children (age<14 yrs) who had cardiac arrest
      within our PICU over a period of two years. RESULTS: Sixty-one of the 94 cardiac
      arrest events were successfully resuscitated. There was no significant
      association between personal and unit factors with immediate outcomes in our
      unit. The rate of unsuccessful resuscitation in sedated patients and those
      without sedation was 26% and 50%, respectively. Unsuccessful resuscitation
      occurred in 19% of patients who were on positive pressure ventilation as compared
      with 74% for those without positive pressure ventilation. Arrests which had
      resuscitation attempts that lasted more than 30 min had 135-fold higher odds of
      unsuccessful outcome. 78% of patients who received base supplement at the time of
      arrest had unsuccessful resuscitation compared with 21% for those without base
      supplement. CONCLUSION: Our data shows no impact of system factors on the outcome
      of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation in our PICU. Pre-arrest sedation in pediatric
      critical ill patients might be beneficial to the outcome of cardiac arrests.

PMID- 26121724
TI  - Energy and Protein Intake During Pregnancy in Relation to Preterm Birth: A Case
      Control Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To find the association of maternal energy and protein intake with
      preterm birth. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Two hospitals at Lucknow in
      Northern India. PARTICIPANTS: Cases (n=350) were defined as mothers (age 18-40 y)
      of singleton live preterm (<37 wks) neonates. Controls (n=350) were mothers who
      delivered a singleton neonate, consecutive to enrolled case, after completing 37
      weeks of gestation. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant lower mean
      (SD) energy intake [cases 1624 (249) Kcal vs. controls 1911 (341) Kcal; P<0.001]
      and protein intake [cases 32.1 (6.1) vs. controls 37.2 (7.0); P<0.001] among
      women who delivered preterm neonates. Maternal energy and protein intake had
      significant positive correlation with neonatal weight, length, foot length, head
      circumference and chest circumference. CONCLUSION: Lower energy and protein
      intake during pregnancy is possibly associated with preterm birth.

PMID- 26121725
TI  - Oral Sucrose for Pain in Neonates During Echocardiography: A Randomized
      Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test the efficacy of oral sucrose in reducing pain/stress during
      echocardiography as estimated by Premature Infant Pain Profile score. DESIGN:
      Double-blind, parallel-group, randomized control trial. SETTING: Tertiary-care
      neonatal care unit located in Western India. PARTICIPANTS: Neonates with
      established enteral feeding, not on any respiratory support and with gestational
      age between 32 and 42 weeks requiring echocardiography. INTERVENTIONS: Neonates
      in intervention group received oral sucrose prior to echocardiography. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Assessment was done using Premature Infant Pain Profile score.
      RESULTS: There were 104 examinations; 52 in each group. Baseline characteristics
      like mean gestational age (37.6 vs. 37.1), birth weight (2.20 vs. 2.08), and
      feeding status (Breastfeeding- 59.6% vs. 44.2%, paladai feeding- 13.5% vs. 13.5%,
      and gavage feeding- 26.9% vs. 42.3%) were comparable. The mean (SD) premature
      infant pain profile score was significantly higher in control group [(7.4 (3.78)
      vs. 5.2 (1.92), P <0.001]. CONCLUSION: Oral sucrose significantly reduces pain,
      and is safe to administer to neonates.

PMID- 26121726
TI  - Long-term Complications of Congenital Esophageal Atresia, Single Institution
      Experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate general health condition of children operated for
      esophageal atresia, including complications from gastrointestinal tract and
      skeletal defects. METHODS: Between 1990 and 2005, 77 patients were operated for
      esophageal atresia in the Polish Mothers Health Memorial Hospital. The study was
      based on retrospective analysis of medical case records of all children with
      esophageal atresia. All living patients (n=51) were invited for follow-up
      studies. RESULTS: Pathological gastroesophageal reflux was found in 46.7% of
      children. Scoliosis was diagnosed in 20 patients. Chest deformations were
      observed in 43.3% children. CONCLUSION: The absence of clinical symptoms does not
      exclude the presence of gastroesophageal reflux in children operated for
      esophageal atresia. Children operated for esophageal atresia should be followed
      up regularly by a multispecialistic medical team.

PMID- 26121727
TI  - Cryptococcal Meningoencephalitis, A Tale of 50 Years.

PMID- 26121728
TI  - IAP Position Paper on Burden of Mumps in India and Vaccination Strategies.
AB  - JUSTIFICATION: Mumps, despite being a widely prevalent disease in the country, is
      considered as an insignificant public health problem mainly because of poor
      documentation of clinical cases and lack of published studies. In the absence of
      adequate published data on disease burden, Government of India has recently
      decided to introduce measles-rubella (MR) vaccine in its National Immunization
      Program and neglected mumps component. PROCESS: Following an IAP ACVIP meeting on
      December 6 and 7, 2014, a detailed review of burden of mumps in India along with
      vaccination strategies to control the disease was prepared. The draft was
      circulated amongst the members of the committee for review and approval. Revised
      final draft was later approved by IAP executive board in January 2015.
      OBJECTIVES: To provide a review of community burden of mumps in India; and to
      discuss the vaccination strategies to impress upon policymakers to include mumps
      vaccination in National immunization program. RECOMMENDATIONS: A total of 14
      studies and two media reports on mumps outbreak were retrieved. The outbreaks
      were reported from all the regions of the country. Mumps meningoencephalitis was
      responsible for 2.3% to 14.6% of all investigated hospitalized acute encephalitis
      syndrome or viral encephalitis cases in different studies. Data from Infectious
      Disease Surveillance (ID Surv) portal of IAP and Integrated Disease Surveillance
      Program (IDSP) of Government of India (GoI) were also reviewed. While a total of
      1052 cases were reported by the IDSurv, IDSP had investigated 72 outbreaks with
      1564 cases in 14 states during different time periods. Genotypes G (subtype G2)
      and C were found to be main genotypes of the mumps virus circulating in the
      country. Three studies studied serological status of young children and
      adolescents against mumps, and found susceptibility rates ranging from 32% to 80%
      in different age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Mumps poses a significant disease burden in
      India. This calls for inclusion of mumps vaccine in the National immunization
      program.

PMID- 26121729
TI  - Does Supplementation With Vitamin B12 and or Folic Acid Improve Growth ?

PMID- 26121732
TI  - Familial Hypomagnesemia with Secondary Hypocalcemia Mimicking Neurodegenerative
      Disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Familial hypomagnesemia with secondary hypocalcemia is a genetic
      disorder of magnesium metabolism that presents with refractory seizures in
      infancy. CASE CHARACTERISTICS: We herein report an infant with familial
      hypomagnesemia who presented as medically-refractory seizures and had cerebral
      atrophy on neuroimaging. Interestingly he had lost previous two siblings because
      of lack of correct diagnosis. INTERVENTION: Child was given oral magnesium
      supplementation and the seizures got controlled. MESSAGE: Familial hypomagnesemia
      should be considered in any child with recurrent or refractory hypocalcemic
      seizures.

PMID- 26121733
TI  - Acute Kidney Injury Following Plastic Bronchitis Associated with Influenza B
      Virus in a Child with Nephrotic Syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plastic bronchitis is a rare but life-threatening disorder and is
      usually associated with congenital heart disease or pulmonary disease. CASE
      CHARACTERISTICS: A 5-year-old boy with minimal change nephrotic syndrome who
      developed a relapse along with cough, fever and dyspnea. OBSERVATION: Chest X-ray
      showed atelectasis of right upper lobe of lung, and nasal swab was positive for
      influenza B virus. His respiratory condition worsened, and required ventilation;
      bronchoscopy revealed bronchial casts. This was followed by acute kidney injury
      which was successfully managed with hemodialysis. MESSAGE: Children with
      nephrotic syndrome on immunosuppressive agents can develop plastic bronchitis and
      acute kidney injury, following influenza virus infection.

PMID- 26121734
TI  - Appendicular Perforation in a Neonate Masquerading as Testicular Torsion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neonatal appendicitis is difficult to diagnose, and is associated
      with high mortality. CASE CHARACTERISTICS: A preterm (33 wk) neonate developed
      abdominal distension feeding intolerance and erythema of left inguinal region on
      day 4 of life. OBSERVATION: Testicular torsion was suspected but inguinal
      exploration revealed normal testis with feco-purulent fluid draining into
      processus vaginalis from peritoneal cavity. Laparotomy revealed inflamed and
      perforated appendix. Appendectomy and intravenous antibiotics led to a recovery.
      MESSAGE: Appendicitis in a neonate can rarely present with inguinal symptoms,
      masquerading as testicular torsion.

PMID- 26121735
TI  - Mid upper Arm Circumference for Detection of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Infants
      Aged Between One and Six Months.
AB  - This study conducted among 302 infants aimed to determine the most suitable mid
      upper arm circumference cutoff to diagnose severe acute malnutrition (weight-for
      length <-3 SD) in infants aged between 1 and 6 months. The cut off of 11.0 cm had
      the best performance (Youden index 0.63, sensitivity 82.5%, specificity 80.3%). 

PMID- 26121736
TI  - Vitamin D Deficiency Among Women in Labor and Cord Blood of Newborns.
AB  - 25-hydroxy Vitamin D levels of 106 maternal blood samples and cord blood levels
      of their newborns were studied. Maternal mean (SD) vitamin D level was 16.3
      (10.3) ng/mL, and mean (SD) cord blood level was 12.8 (8.5) ng/mL. Seventy-five
      (70.7% mothers (70.7%) and 88 (83%) newborns had hypovitaminosis- D. Seventy
      (93.3%) newborns of mothers with hypovitaminosis-D had low vitamin D levels.
      There was a strong correlation between maternal and newborn Vitamin D levels
      (r=0.6; P<0.001). There is a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in women in
      labor and their newborns. 

PMID- 26121737
TI  - Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis in Children, Experience from Eastern
      India.

PMID- 26121738
TI  - Macroamylasemia: A Benign Cause for High Serum Amylase.

PMID- 26121739
TI  - Acute Demyelinating Encephalomyelitis in a Neonate Secondary to Dengue Infection.

PMID- 26121740
TI  - Spontaneous Migration of Airway Foreign Body to the Gastrointestinal Tract.

PMID- 26121741
TI  - Single Magnet Ingestion- Individualizing the Algorithm.

PMID- 26121742
TI  - CDKL5 Encephalopathy: A Rare Cause of Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy.

PMID- 26121743
TI  - Hair Thread Tourniquet Syndrome of Penis Causing Urethral Fistula.

PMID- 26121744
TI  - Mirizzi Syndrome - An Uncommon Cause of Obstructive Jaundice in a Child.

PMID- 26121745
TI  - Chitinase 3-like-1 and its receptors in Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome-associated lung
      disease.
AB  - Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) comprises a group of inherited disorders caused
      by mutations that alter the function of lysosome-related organelles. Pulmonary
      fibrosis is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with subtypes
      HPS-1 and HPS-4, which both result from defects in biogenesis of lysosome-related
      organelle complex 3 (BLOC-3). The prototypic chitinase-like protein chitinase 3
      like-1 (CHI3L1) plays a protective role in the lung by ameliorating cell death
      and stimulating fibroproliferative repair. Here, we demonstrated that circulating
      CHI3L1 levels are higher in HPS patients with pulmonary fibrosis compared with
      those who remain fibrosis free, and that these levels associate with disease
      severity. Using murine HPS models, we also determined that these animals have a
      defect in the ability of CHI3L1 to inhibit epithelial apoptosis but exhibit
      exaggerated CHI3L1-driven fibroproliferation, which together promote HPS
      fibrosis. These divergent responses resulted from differences in the trafficking
      and effector functions of two CHI3L1 receptors. Specifically, the enhanced
      sensitivity to apoptosis was due to abnormal localization of IL-13Ralpha2 as a
      consequence of dysfunctional BLOC-3-dependent membrane trafficking. In contrast,
      the fibrosis was due to interactions between CHI3L1 and the receptor CRTH2, which
      trafficked normally in BLOC-3 mutant HPS. These data demonstrate that CHI3L1
      dependent pathways exacerbate pulmonary fibrosis and suggest CHI3L1 as a
      potential biomarker for pulmonary fibrosis progression and severity in HPS. 

PMID- 26121746
TI  - Glucocorticoid receptor antagonism decreases alcohol seeking in alcohol-dependent
      individuals.
AB  - Alcoholism, or alcohol use disorder, is a major public health concern that is a
      considerable risk factor for morbidity and disability; therefore, effective
      treatments are urgently needed. Here, we demonstrated that the glucocorticoid
      receptor (GR) antagonist mifepristone reduces alcohol intake in alcohol-dependent
      rats but not in nondependent animals. Both systemic delivery and direct
      administration into the central nucleus of the amygdala, a critical stress
      related brain region, were sufficient to reduce alcohol consumption in dependent
      animals. We also tested the use of mifepristone in 56 alcohol-dependent human
      subjects as part of a double-blind clinical and laboratory-based study. Relative
      to placebo, individuals who received mifepristone (600 mg daily taken orally for
      1 week) exhibited a substantial reduction in alcohol-cued craving in the
      laboratory, and naturalistic measures revealed reduced alcohol consumption during
      the 1-week treatment phase and 1-week post-treatment phase in mifepristone
      treated individuals. Mifepristone was well tolerated and improved liver-function
      markers. Together, these results support further exploration of GR antagonism via
      mifepristone as a therapeutic strategy for alcoholism. 

PMID- 26121747
TI  - MicroRNA-132 enhances transition from inflammation to proliferation during wound
      healing.
AB  - Wound healing is a complex process that is characterized by an initial
      inflammatory phase followed by a proliferative phase. This transition is a
      critical regulatory point; however, the factors that mediate this process are not
      fully understood. Here, we evaluated microRNAs (miRs) in skin wound healing and
      characterized the dynamic change of the miRNome in human skin wounds. miR-132 was
      highly upregulated during the inflammatory phase of wound repair, predominantly
      expressed in epidermal keratinocytes, and peaked in the subsequent proliferative
      phase. TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 induced miR-132 expression in keratinocytes, and
      transcriptome analysis of these cells revealed that miR-132 regulates a large
      number of immune response- and cell cycle-related genes. In keratinocytes, miR
      132 decreased the production of chemokines and the capability to attract
      leukocytes by suppressing the NF-kappaB pathway. Conversely, miR-132 increased
      activity of the STAT3 and ERK pathways, thereby promoting keratinocyte growth.
      Silencing of the miR-132 target heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF)
      phenocopied miR-132 overexpression in keratinocytes. Using mouse and human ex
      vivo wound models, we found that miR-132 blockade delayed healing, which was
      accompanied by severe inflammation and deficient keratinocyte proliferation.
      Together, our results indicate that miR-132 is a critical regulator of skin wound
      healing that facilitates the transition from the inflammatory to the
      proliferative phase. 

PMID- 26121748
TI  - High IFN-gamma and low SLPI mark severe asthma in mice and humans.
AB  - Severe asthma (SA) is a challenge to control, as patients are not responsive to
      high doses of systemic corticosteroids (CS). In contrast, mild-moderate asthma
      (MMA) is responsive to low doses of inhaled CS, indicating that Th2 cells, which
      are dominant in MMA, do not solely orchestrate SA development. Here, we analyzed
      broncholalveolar lavage cells isolated from MMA and SA patients and determined
      that IFN-gamma (Th1) immune responses are exacerbated in the airways of
      individuals with SA, with reduced Th2 and IL-17 responses. We developed a
      protocol that recapitulates the complex immune response of human SA, including
      the poor response to CS, in a murine model. Compared with WT animals, Ifng-/-
      mice subjected to this SA model failed to mount airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR)
      without appreciable effect on airway inflammation. Conversely, AHR was not
      reduced in Il17ra-/- mice, although airway inflammation was lower. Computer
      assisted pathway analysis tools linked IFN-gamma to secretory leukocyte protease
      inhibitor (SLPI), which is expressed by airway epithelial cells, and IFN-gamma
      inversely correlated with SLPI expression in SA patients and the mouse model. In
      mice subjected to our SA model, forced SLPI expression decreased AHR in the
      absence of CS, and it was further reduced when SLPI was combined with CS. Our
      study identifies a distinct immune response in SA characterized by a dysregulated
      IFN-gamma/SLPI axis that affects lung function. 

PMID- 26121749
TI  - IL-34 mediates acute kidney injury and worsens subsequent chronic kidney disease.
AB  - Macrophages (Mo) are integral in ischemia/reperfusion injury-incited (I/R
      incited) acute kidney injury (AKI) that leads to fibrosis and chronic kidney
      disease (CKD). IL-34 and CSF-1 share a receptor (c-FMS), and both cytokines
      mediate Mo survival and proliferation but also have distinct features. CSF-1 is
      central to kidney repair and destruction. We tested the hypothesis that IL-34
      dependent, Mo-mediated mechanisms promote persistent ischemia-incited AKI that
      worsens subsequent CKD. In renal I/R, the time-related magnitude of Mo-mediated
      AKI and subsequent CKD were markedly reduced in IL-34-deficient mice compared
      with controls. IL-34, c-FMS, and a second IL-34 receptor, protein-tyrosine
      phosphatase zeta (PTP-zeta) were upregulated in the kidney after I/R. IL-34 was
      generated by tubular epithelial cells (TECs) and promoted Mo-mediated TEC
      destruction during AKI that worsened subsequent CKD via 2 distinct mechanisms:
      enhanced intrarenal Mo proliferation and elevated BM myeloid cell proliferation,
      which increases circulating monocytes that are drawn into the kidney by
      chemokines. CSF-1 expression in TECs did not compensate for IL-34 deficiency. In
      patients, kidney transplants subject to I/R expressed IL-34, c-FMS, and PTP-zeta
      in TECs during AKI that increased with advancing injury. Moreover, IL-34
      expression increased, along with more enduring ischemia in donor kidneys. In
      conclusion, IL-34-dependent, Mo-mediated, CSF-1 nonredundant mechanisms promote
      persistent ischemia-incited AKI that worsens subsequent CKD. 

PMID- 26121752
TI  - Evidence-Based Practice: Be a Champion!

PMID- 26121750
TI  - Muscle-specific 4E-BP1 signaling activation improves metabolic parameters during
      aging and obesity.
AB  - Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) is a key
      downstream effector of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) that represses cap-dependent mRNA
      translation initiation by sequestering the translation initiation factor eIF4E.
      Reduced mTORC1 signaling is associated with life span extension and improved
      metabolic homeostasis, yet the downstream targets that mediate these benefits are
      unclear. Here, we demonstrated that enhanced 4E-BP1 activity in mouse skeletal
      muscle protects against age- and diet-induced insulin resistance and metabolic
      rate decline. Transgenic animals displayed increased energy expenditure; altered
      adipose tissue distribution, including reduced white adipose accumulation and
      preserved brown adipose mass; and were protected from hepatic steatosis. Skeletal
      muscle-specific 4E-BP1 mediated metabolic protection directly through increased
      translation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator
      1alpha (PGC-1alpha) and enhanced respiratory function. Non-cell autonomous
      protection was through preservation of brown adipose tissue metabolism, which was
      increased in 4E-BP1 transgenic animals during normal aging and in a response to
      diet-induced type 2 diabetes. Adipose phenotypes may derive from enhanced
      skeletal muscle expression and secretion of the known myokine FGF21. Unlike
      skeletal muscle, enhanced adipose-specific 4E-BP1 activity was not protective but
      instead was deleterious in response to the same challenges. These findings
      indicate that regulation of 4E-BP1 in skeletal muscle may serve as an important
      conduit through which mTORC1 controls metabolism. 

PMID- 26121753
TI  - Should Water Birth Be Offered as an Option for Childbearing Women?

PMID- 26121754
TI  - Lymphatic Filariasis in Children in Haiti.
AB  - Using available evidence and astute assessment skills, nurses and advanced
      practice nurses, as members of an inter-professional team, were able to assess,
      diagnose, and initiate treatment for a child with lymphatic filariasis within a
      global health practice setting. The lessons learned during health outreach trips
      to an underserved commune of Port-au-Prince, Haiti can promote an understanding
      of appropriate nursing practice related to this parasitic infection. They can
      also assist nursing students, nurse practitioner students, and faculties as
      members of a medical outreach team to promote sustainability which is a benchmark
      of nursing leadership in global health. 

PMID- 26121751
TI  - Flow-dependent expression of ectonucleotide tri(di)phosphohydrolase-1 and
      suppression of atherosclerosis.
AB  - The ability of cells to detect and respond to nucleotide signals in the local
      microenvironment is essential for vascular homeostasis. The enzyme ectonucleotide
      tri(di)phosphohydrolase-1 (ENTPD1, also known as CD39) on the surface of
      leukocytes and endothelial cells metabolizes locally released, intravascular ATP
      and ADP, thereby eliminating these prothrombotic and proinflammatory stimuli.
      Here, we evaluated the contribution of CD39 to atherogenesis in the
      apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-deficient) mouse model of atherosclerosis.
      Compared with control ApoE-deficient animals, plaque burden was markedly
      increased along with circulating markers of platelet activation in Cd39+/-Apoe-/-
      mice fed a high-fat diet. Plaque analysis revealed stark regionalization of
      endothelial CD39 expression and function in Apoe-/- mice, with CD39 prominently
      expressed in atheroprotective, stable flow regions and diminished in atheroprone
      areas subject to disturbed flow. In mice, disturbed flow as the result of partial
      carotid artery ligation rapidly suppressed endothelial CD39 expression. Moreover,
      unidirectional laminar shear stress induced atheroprotective CD39 expression in
      human endothelial cells. CD39 induction was dependent upon the vascular
      transcription factor Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) binding near the
      transcriptional start site of CD39. Together, these data establish CD39 as a
      regionalized regulator of atherogenesis that is driven by shear stress. 

PMID- 26121755
TI  - Discovering Self: Childbearing Adolescents' Maternal Identity.
AB  - PURPOSE: Adolescent pregnancy and motherhood have long been a topic of interest
      for many healthcare professionals. However, there are limited data on how
      childbearing adolescents incorporate motherhood identity into their sense of
      self. The purpose of this study was to explore how childbearing adolescents
      perceive motherhood as becoming part of their personal identity. STUDY DESIGN:
      This qualitative study using ethnographic data collection involved 7 months of
      observation, interaction, and interviews. METHODS: Data were collected from nine
      expectant adolescents during in-depth interviews. All participants were patients
      at a teen mother and child clinic staffed by certified nurse midwives and a
      pediatrician. RESULTS: Narrative content analysis revealed the overall theme of
      discovering self, with three major themes: confirming the pregnancy, the loss of
      my body, and imagining my child in my arms. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Adolescent
      mothers may need assistance to construct their maternal identity in order to
      strengthen self-perceptions and improve maternal/child outcomes.

PMID- 26121756
TI  - Implementing Skin-to-Skin Care in the Operating Room After Cesarean Birth.
AB  - BACKGROUND: After vaginal birth, newborns who have been skin-to-skin (STS) with
      their mother have greater temperature and glucose stability and higher exclusive
      breastfeeding rates at discharge. There are minimal data about STS in the
      operating room (OR) after cesarean birth. Although implementing STS in the OR can
      be challenging, it may promote positive maternal and infant outcomes. PURPOSE:
      The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate maternal
      satisfaction and maternal perception of pain when babies were placed STS
      immediately after cesarean birth in the OR. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This
      quality improvement project was conducted at Baylor All Saints Medical Center
      Andrews Women's Hospital, an urban, nonprofit, private hospital with an average
      of 5,000 births per year. Over a 90-day period, all women having cesarean birth
      were evaluated for two outcomes, maternal birth experience and pain perception
      during surgery. Following scheduled repeat cesarean, satisfaction of the birth
      experience was compared to the previous birth experience. Pain control during
      surgery of women having cesarean birth with and without STS was evaluated.
      Postpartum interviews with the new mothers and review of their anesthesia records
      were used to determine project findings. RESULTS: Maternal satisfaction was
      higher and maternal perception of pain was lower for women who experienced STS in
      the OR when compared to women where STS was not performed. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS:
      Babies can be placed STS in the OR with positive implications for mothers'
      satisfaction with the birth experience and their perception of pain during the
      surgical procedure. Infant safety should be supported by a nurse with the mother
      and baby during the STS process.

PMID- 26121757
TI  - Postpartum Depression Among Asian Indian Mothers.
AB  - PURPOSE: To explore Asian Indian mothers' perspectives of postpartum depression
      (PPD) and mental health help-seeking behavior. STUDY DESIGN: Qualitative
      exploratory design. METHODS: Using convenience sampling, postpartum mothers were
      recruited through flyers posted in public places and on social media sites.
      Postpartum depression risk was assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression
      Scale (EPDS) prior to qualitative interviews. Content analysis methods were used
      to extract themes from participant narratives. RESULTS: Twelve self-identified,
      married, Asian Indian mothers, aged between 29 and 40 years, living in Northern
      California, who gave birth to a healthy infant within the last 12 months, took
      part in this study. Scores on the EPDS indicated two participants were at an
      increased risk for developing PPD. Content analysis revealed two emerging themes:
      (1) Culture-specific postpartum practices and ceremonies and their role in
      maternal-infant postpartum recovery; and (2) Maternal mental health help-seeking
      behavior. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Nurses taking care of women during the extended
      prenatal and postpartum period have the unique opportunity to build rapport with
      their patients which can offer a window of opportunity to educate and help dispel
      myths about PPD symptoms and treatment. To promote successful maternal-infant
      outcomes, PPD education should be initiated at the first prenatal appointment,
      continue during the pregnancy, and be incorporated into well-baby visits through
      the first postpartum year. Education should include signs and symptoms of PPD as
      well as importance of timely mental-health help-seeking.

PMID- 26121758
TI  - Cardiac Arrest in Pregnancy.

PMID- 26121759
TI  - The Social Nature of Eating.

PMID- 26121760
TI  - Exploring Massive Open Online Courses for Nurses.

PMID- 26121761
TI  - Family-Centered Care and Preterm Babies.

PMID- 26121763
TI  - Newborn Safety in the Hospital.

PMID- 26121767
TI  - Index of countries/areas. Index, volume 20, 2015, Nos.1-26.

PMID- 26121766
TI  - [Response].

PMID- 26121768
TI  - Yellow fever in Africa and the Americas, 2014.

PMID- 26121769
TI  - Monthly report on dracunculiasis cases, January-May 2015.

PMID- 26121770
TI  - Provision of Early Intervention and Special Education Services to Eligible DoD
      Dependents. Final rule.
AB  - This rule reissues the current regulations and: Establishes policy, assigns
      responsibilities, and implements the non-funding and non-reporting provisions in
      DoD for: Provision of early intervention services (EIS) to infants and toddlers
      with disabilities and their families, as well as special education and related
      services to children with disabilities entitled under this part to receive
      education services from the DoD; implementation of a comprehensive,
      multidisciplinary program of EIS for infants and toddlers with disabilities and
      their families who, but for age, are eligible to be enrolled in DoD schools;
      provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE), including special
      education and related services, for children with disabilities, as specified in
      their individualized education programs (IEP), who are eligible to enroll in DoD
      schools; and monitoring of DoD programs providing EIS, and special education and
      related services for compliance with this part. This rule also establishes a DoD
      Coordinating Committee to recommend policies and provide compliance oversight for
      early intervention and special education.

PMID- 26121771
TI  - Evidence-Based Review and Discussion Points.

PMID- 26121772
TI  - Reply by Author.

PMID- 26121773
TI  - Reply by Author.

PMID- 26121774
TI  - The authors respond.

PMID- 26121775
TI  - Animal welfare: a bigger issue.

PMID- 26121776
TI  - Standards for detecting bacteria in chicken.

PMID- 26121777
TI  - Adopting dogs.

PMID- 26121778
TI  - Looking for alternatives for feral cats.

PMID- 26121779
TI  - [Learn from the Sea].

PMID- 26121780
TI  - [Future and Current Status of Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC) in Japan: Preface
      and Comments].
AB  - American Society of Anesthesiologists defines that monitored anesthesia care
      (MAC) is a specific anesthesia service for a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure.
      Indications for monitored anesthesia care include the nature of the procedure,
      the patient's clinical condition and/or the potential need to convert to a
      general or regional anesthetic. In the USA, MAC is popular as an anesthesiologist
      service provided for an individual patient. MAC is also becoming increasingly
      popular in Japan. However, most Japanese anesthesiologists are not involved in
      MAC, and instead, physicians belonging to other departments such as internal
      medicine and pediatrics are in charge for MAC. Several guidelines for MAC during
      MRI in children and endoscopy in adults have recently been published in Japan. In
      the featured articles, we are dealing with the future and current status of MAC
      in Japan. Through the featured articles, I hope readers would know what to do
      next for us anesthesiologists in order to provide safe and useful MAC in Japan.

PMID- 26121781
TI  - [Sedation as a Part of Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC) and Its Introduction to
      Japanese Clinical Practice].
AB  - To relieve or eliminate distress caused by invasive medical procedures, sedation
      is often used in routine clinical practice. Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) is
      needed in patients who receive increased doses of sedatives and/or analgesics,
      which may suppress the respiratory, cardiac, and/or vascular systems. Deep
      sedation, in particular, suppreses the nomal protective reflexes. It requires
      careful monitoring and intervention for patients. In Japan, sedation is performed
      in a large number of cases. It is unreasonable that only anesthesiologists
      administer MAC. In fact, sedation is often performed by non-anesthesiologists. In
      these circumstances, education and training for non-anesthesiologists are
      important

PMID- 26121782
TI  - [Monitoring Required for Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC) and Specific MAC
      Methodologies].
AB  - Many physicians responsible for monitored anesthesia care (MAC) are not
      anesthesiologists and are not acquainted with treatment in response to sudden
      changes in patient condition. In particular, rapid response and early detection
      are essential for respiratory depression. Physicians engaged in MAC require
      pharmacological knowledge regarding sedative and analgesic medications, need to
      be able to accurately evaluate physiological responses to sedative and anesthetic
      levels, and need to be acquainted with emergency procedures such as basic life
      support (BLS) and advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS). Patient management
      focusing on both ventilation and oxygenation, through the use of capnography and
      continuous respiratory monitoring, in addition to oxygenation monitoring using a
      pulse oximeter, and measuring ECGs and blood pressure in the management of
      sedated patients, is also important.

PMID- 26121783
TI  - [The Monitored Anesthesia Care in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy--Current Situation
      in Japan].
AB  - Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC) in gastrointestinal endoscopy-treatment has been
      introduced in Japanese clinical situations recently. Nonetheless, MAC in
      gastrointestinal endoscopy-examination is not so popular unlike the North
      American situation because of the lack of trained sedation providers. However,
      Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society created the "Guidelines for sedation
      in endoscopic practice"in 2013 under the cooperation of the Japanese Society of
      Anesthesiologists. These guidelines for sedation in endoscopic practice made MAC
      more popular for pain relief of the patient, and the establishment of safe
      sedation system should be provided eventually. In this review article, the
      guidelines are introduced and discussed for the current clinical practice and for
      the future.

PMID- 26121784
TI  - [MAC for Pediatric Examinations].
AB  - MAC is often required for pediatric examinations outside of operating room. It is
      difficult to conduct MAC for pediatric population safely. In Japan, most MAC for
      pediatric examinations are not conducted by anesthesiologists but pediatricians.
      Following practices in other countries, Japan Pediatric Society, Japanese Society
      of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Japanese Society of Pediatric Radiology
      collaborated to establish the first Japanese guideline for pediatric sedation:
      Proposals about sedation for MRI examinations in 2013. This proposal consists of
      six parts; 1. informed consent 2. pre-sedation patient assessment, 3. back-up
      team for emergency, 4. pre-sedation NPO, 5. patient monitoring, and 6. post
      sedation care. Anesthesiologists are expected to play supervisor roles of
      sedation operation to make the sedation environment safe, even though they can
      not conduct sedation by themselves.

PMID- 26121785
TI  - [Monitored Anesthesia Care for Respiratory Endoscopy].
AB  - Sedation and/or analgesia are required during respiratory endoscopy procedure to
      reduce the patient's anxiety, unpleasantness and pain. At present most of
      diagnostic respiratory endoscopy cases are carried out outside the operating room
      without the involvement of anesthesiologists in Japan. Inadequate
      anesthesia/sedation may cause patient's discomfort and/or serious injury.
      Anesthesiologists are expected to play a part in the sedation and analgesia
      education/training for nonanesthesiologists to ameliorate patient satisfaction
      and safety. Interventional endoscopy procedures are more invasive and painful
      than simple diagnostic ones for patients, and sometimes result in a crisis such
      as respiratory tract bleeding and airway obstruction. Since the number of
      interventional cases and high-risk patients will increase with the society aging,
      peri-procedure management by anesthesiologists or monitored anesthesia care will
      become popular in the future.

PMID- 26121786
TI  - [Current Status and Issues of Sedation and Anesthesia in Cardiovascular
      Medicine].
AB  - Sedation or anesthesia is necessary in most of the patients undergoing catheter
      ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) because of longer procedure time and
      interventions causing pain and discomfort such as cardioversion, administration
      of adenosine or RF applications to the posterior left atrium. In the United
      States, AF ablation is performed under general anesthesia by anesthesiologists or
      anesthesia nurses in half of the patients and other half is under conscious
      sedation by cardiologists or nurses. In Japan, however, a nationwide survey
      revealed more than 95% of patients underwent AF ablation under conscious or deep
      sedation and most of them are performed by cardiologists who also have other
      responsibility. Current problems include a difficulty in management of
      respiration in patients with sleep apnea that often coincide with AF. Continuous
      positive airway pressure combined with nasal or oral airway and jaw elevation
      device is often used. Frequencies of monitoring of SP(O2), arterial blood
      pressure, BIS, and Et(CO)2 were 99%, 79%, 13.2% and 2% of patients, respectively,
      which suggests monitoring of consciousness level and ventilation may be
      insufficient Japanese Heart Rhythm Society started educational activities for
      safe sedation by themselves.

PMID- 26121787
TI  - [Monitored Anesthesia Care for Deep Brain Stimulation and Embolization of Brain
      Arteriovenous Malformation].
AB  - The aim of monitored anesthesia care (MAC) in neurosurgery and interventional
      neuroradiology is to provide optimal surgical conditions including patient
      immobility and comfort, facilitate intraoperative neuromonitoring, and rapidly
      treat any complication. The anesthetist has a crucial role in facilitating
      procedures, and this requires an understanding of specific procedures, their
      potential complications, and their management. Choice of anesthetic technique
      varies between centers with little data to support any specific technique.
      Dexmedetomidine is useful as a sedative and hypnotic for patients undergoing
      procedures without the need for tracheal intubation. We usually use
      dexmedetomidine in MAC.

PMID- 26121788
TI  - [Effect of Oral Rehydration Therapy before General Anesthesia on Satisfaction,
      Stress Response, and Hemodynamics in Surgical Patients for Laparoscopic
      Colectomy].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The recommended intake of clear liquids until 2 hours before surgery
      is reportedly safe and effective. We investigated whether oral rehydration
      therapy before surgery had improved satisfaction, stress response, and
      hemodynamics in patients during perioperative period. METHODS: Patients scheduled
      to undergo laparoscopic colectomy were enrolled and randomly divided into 2
      groups. The oral rehydration therapy (ORT) group (29 cases) was allowed to drink
      clear liquids until 2 hours before anesthesia induction and the control group (29
      cases) fasted from 21 : 00 the night before surgery. All patients entered the
      operating room at 8: 40. Patient satisfaction was examined after admission to the
      operating room. The volume and pH of gastric fluid were measured after anesthetic
      induction. The serum concentrations of cortisol and catecholamine were measured
      as stress response indicators after anesthetic induction and at the completion of
      surgery. Intraoperative hemodynamics was also recorded. RESULTS: There were no
      differences in patient satisfaction, stress response, and hemodynamics between
      the 2 groups. Intraoperative urine volume was significantly larger in the ORT
      group. Vomiting and aspiration were not observed in any patient CONCLUSIONS: Oral
      rehydration therapy until 2 hours before surgery seemed safe but did not improve
      satisfaction, stress response, and hemodynamics in perioperative patients.

PMID- 26121789
TI  - [Hypotonic Versus Isotonic Electrolyte Solution for Perioperative Fluid Therapy
      in Infants].
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of perioperative
      administration of an isotonic electrolyte solution with 1% glucose (IT) on blood
      sodium (Na+) and blood glucose (BG) concentrations in pediatric patients < 1-year
      old undergoing plastic surgery in comparison with a conventional hypotonic
      electrolyte solution with 2.6% glucose (HT). METHODS: Fifty Patients were
      randomly allocated to HT group and IT group. Na+ and BG were measured at
      induction of anesthesia (Tind), the end of surgery (Tend), and 4 hours after
      surgery (T4h). RESULTS: Patient characteristics were similar for the 2 groups. In
      the HT group, Na+ at Tend insignificantly dropped compared with that at Tind,
      whereas in the IT group Na+ was significantly elevated. Na+ at T4h significantly
      increased compared with that at Tend in each group. No cases developed new
      dysnatremia or dysglycemia in IT group. The incidence of hyponatremia at Tend was
      significantly lower in the IT group. A positive correlation between
      intraoperative Na+ concentration changes and the infusion duration was observed
      in the IT group. CONCLUSIONS: Isotonic solution with 1% glucose is suggested to
      be safe in infants during and after surgery.

PMID- 26121790
TI  - [Postoperative Management and Cost-effectiveness of Epidural Anesthesia in
      Patients undergoing Abdominal Aortic Replacement Surgery].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The use of epidural anesthesia for ablominal aortic replacement
      surgery may be problematic because of the amount of heparin used during the
      procedure, which places the patient at increased risk of epidural hematoma. We
      evaluated its benefits, risks, postoperative outcomes and costs. METHODS: We
      retrospectively collected data on 93 patients who underwent Y-graft infra-renal
      abdominal aortic replacement at our institution between 2008 and 2010. All
      patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for postoperative care.
      We compared the mortality rate, the time until extubation, length of ICU and
      postoperative hospital stay, and ICU cost of those who received epidural
      anesthesia comparing with those who did not. RESULTS: Thirty-two of the 93
      patients (34.4%) received epidural anesthesia, which was used for 2-5 (mean +/-
      SD ; 3.2 +/- 0.8) postoperative days. Postoperative mortality during the 2-year
      period was 3.3% in the group that did not receive epidural anesthesia (two
      patients) compared with 3.1% (one patient) in the epidural group (P = 1.00).
      Postoperative respiratory disorders were recorded in 1.6% of patients who did not
      receive an epidural (one patient) compared with 6.3% (two patients) in those that
      did (P = 0.27). There were no reports of epidural hemorrhage, hematoma or
      infection. Patients with epidurals were extubated earlier than those in the non
      epidural group (mean +/- standard deviation 5.5 +/- 7.2 hours versus 11.6 +/- 7.9
      hours, respectively P < 0.001), but there were no significant differences between
      the two groups in terms of ICU cost or length of ICU and postoperative hospital
      stay. CONCLUSIONS: Epidural anesthesia during abdominal aortic replacement
      facilitated more rapid extubation, but did not appear to influence other aspects
      of patient recovery or ICU costs.

PMID- 26121791
TI  - [Use of the i-gel for Tracheostomy in a Patient with Neck Deformity and Tracheal
      Stenosis].
AB  - We report a successful use of the i-gel for tracheostomy in a patient with severe
      neck deformity and tracheal stenosis. A 20-year-old man, 142 cm, 22 kg, was
      scheduled for tracheotomy. He had tracheal stenosis with hypoxemia, due to the
      pressure from the brachiocephalic artery, associated with severe progression of
      symptomatic scoliosis and thoracic deformity. Using a fiberoptic bronchoscope, we
      confirmed that there was no upper airway obstruction. After induction of
      anesthesia, facemask ventilation was easy. The i-gel was easily inserted, and
      fiberscope-aided tracheal intubation through the i-gel was attempted, but decided
      not to intubate the trachea, due to the degree of stenosis. Tracheostomy was
      performed, while a clear airway was maintained by the i-gel. We consider that the
      i-gel has a potential role for tracheostomy in a patient with neck deformity and
      tracheal stenosis.

PMID- 26121792
TI  - [Successful Awake Nasal Endotracheal Intubation with the McGrath
      Videolaryngoscope and a Soft-tipped Extra Firm Exchange Catheter in a Patient
      with a Necrotic Mandible].
AB  - Here we report a case of successful awake nasal intubation with the McGrath
      videolaryngscope (McGrath) in conjunction with a soft-tipped extra firm exchange
      catheter in a patient with a necrotic mandible developing a hole. An 81-year-old
      woman underwent partial tongue resection and cervical lymph node dissection.
      After additional radiation therapy, she developed a necrotic mandible with a hole
      from the oral cavity to the neck region. She was scheduled for resection of the
      necrotic mandible under general anesthesia. Upon sedation with dexmedetomidine
      1.0 MUg xkg-(1 )-xhr-(1 )and applying topical anesthesia with lido-aine, we
      inserted the McGrath orally and the soft- ipped extra firm tube exchange catheter
      (TE) nasally. Under the guide of the McGrath's monitor, we inserted the TE, using
      Magill forceps, into her trachea. A 6.0 mm internal diameter spiral tracheal tube
      was inserted via the TE uneventfully.

PMID- 26121793
TI  - [Monitoring of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials during Foramen Magnum
      Decompression of Chiari Malformation Type I Complicated with Syringomyelia: A
      Report of Two Cases].
AB  - Few reports exist on anesthetic management for foramen magnum decompression (FMD)
      of Chiari malformation type I (CM I) complicated with syringomyelia. In two such
      cases we monitored somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP). Case 1 : A 40-year-old
      woman presented with occipital headache and nuchal pain for 2 months; numbness
      and muscular weakness of bilateral upper limbs for a month. Magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI) scan showed CM I complicated with syringomyelia. Case 2 : A 32-year
      old man presented with numbness and muscular weakness of bilateral upper limbs
      for 5 months; numbness and muscular weakness of lower limbs for 2 months. MRI
      scan showed CM I complicated with syringomyelia. They underwent FMD. In both
      cases, general anesthesia was induced with remifentanil, propofol and rocuronium,
      and was maintained with oxygen, air, remifentanil and propofol. Moreover, we
      monitored SEP. Their operative courses were uneventful. In case 1, SEP latency
      became shorter after FMD. Her preoperative neurologic symptoms disappeared on
      first postoperative day. In contrast there was no change of SEP latency after FMD
      in case 2. His preoperative neurologic symptoms showed no change on fifth
      postoperative day. SEP monitoring may be a useful index for prediction of early
      recovery of neurologic symptoms after FMD.

PMID- 26121794
TI  - [Bispectral Index Electrodes May Induce Skin Lesions].
AB  - Bispectral index (BIS) monitoring has been used since the 1990 s, and many
      studies on BIS monitoring have demonstrated its usefulness and safety. Currently,
      BIS monitoring has become indispensable for observation of patients under general
      anesthesia. However, we observed the development of postoperative skin lesions in
      13 patients (11 female and 2 male; age range, 14-76 years) resulting from contact
      with the BIS electrodes between May 2012 and April 2013. None of the patients had
      a history of allergies or skin diseases prior to surgery. During the surgery,
      nine patients were placed in the supine position and four in the prone position.
      The duration of anesthesia ranged from 2 hr 7 min to 13 hr. The overall incidence
      of skin lesions was approximately 0.27% (13/4,900), and that in patients in the
      prone position was 3.1% (4/129). The skin lesions resolved within 1 week without
      scaring following the application of a steroid-containing ointment. Although the
      occurrence of such skin complications is rare, some patients may experience
      postoperative anxiety because skin lesions caused by BIS electrodes are
      noticeable. Therefore, both the usefulness of BIS monitoring and the potential
      skin complications should be explained to patients preoperatively prior to
      obtaining patient consent.

PMID- 26121795
TI  - [Anesthetic Management of an Infant with Rapidly Developed Hyponatremia due to
      Bowel Perforation during Enema Reduction Using Diluted Contrast Medium].
AB  - A 7-kg 8-month-old boy was transferred to our institution after failed enema
      reduction of intussusception elsewhere. During the redo intervention using a 6
      fold-diluted solution of Gastrografin with water as contrast medium, the bowel
      was perforated. Urgent surgical repair was planned and preoperative examination
      revealed serum sodium of 137 mEq x l(-1). On arrival in the operating room, the
      patient presented abdominal distension, drowsiness and tachypnea. His trachea was
      intubated and anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane. Arterial blood
      examination immediately before the surgery (approximate by 80 minutes after the
      previous blood test) showed the following findings: pH 7.27, base excess -8.5 mEq
      x l(-1) and sodium 122 mEq x l(-1). Watery ascites estimated at 450 ml was
      evacuated upon a peritoneal incision. At termination of anesthesia, serum sodium
      recovered to 133 mEq x l(-1), resulting from replenishment of electrolytes and
      sodium bicarbonate administration. The patient became fully awake and his trachea
      was extubated in the operating room. Gastrografin has osmolarity of 1,900 mOsm x
      l(-1), containing sodium of 158 mEq x l(-1). Massive intraperitoneal accumulation
      of diluted Gastrografin is a rational explanation for the rapidly developed
      hyponatremia, which can lead to hyponatremic encephalopathy, especially in
      infants. Prompt surgical intervention is therefore essential for successful
      management of such cases.

PMID- 26121796
TI  - [Successful Subarachnoid Phenol Block Therapy in a Patient with Pelvic Tumor
      related Rectal Tenesmus].
AB  - We report a successful case of subarachnoid phenol block therapy in a patient
      with refractory rectal tenesmus caused by metastatic breast cancer. A 50-year-old
      woman with pelvic metastasis of breast cancer had the constant desire for
      defecation and anal discomfort, although analgesics including opioids relieved
      her from low abdominal and anal pain. Computed tomography revealed rectal
      invasion of metastatic breast cancer and the diagnosis of tumor-related rectal
      tenesmus was made. Symptoms of rectal tenesmus were severe and drug-resistant.
      Subarachnoid phenol block in the sitting position, which was neurolytic saddle
      block and expected to inhibit rectal reflex, was performed and her symptom was
      dramatically relieved. The effect of the block continued until she died 19 days
      after. To our knowledge, we first report subarachnoid phenol block therapy for a
      patient with pelvic-tumor related rectal tenesmus.

PMID- 26121797
TI  - [Comparison of the Intracuff Pressure Increase by Upper Gastrointestinal
      Endoscope Insertion in TaperGuard Cuffed Tube and High-volume Low Pressure Cuffed
      Tracheal Tube: A Porcine Larynx Model Study].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the upper gastrointestinal
      endoscope (UGE) insertion-mediated cuff pressure increase between a tracheal tube
      with a tapered cuff (Taper) and or conventional high volume low pressure cuff
      (HVLP) utilizing a porcine larynx model. METHODS: The automated cuff pressure was
      adjusted to 10, 20, and 30 cmH2O. The Taper and HVLP cuff pressure increases by
      UGE insertion were measured. RESULTS: Significant cuff pressure increase was
      observed by UGE insertion regardless of initial cuff pressure. The cuff pressure
      of the Taper was significantly lower than that of the HVLP by UGE insertion.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the Taper may be more effective than the
      HVLP in preventing tracheal tube cuff increase by UGE insertion.

PMID- 26121798
TI  - [Preoperative Spirometry Leads Latent COPD Patients to be Discovered and
      Treated].
AB  - BACKGROUND AND METHODS: We have noticed the possibility that preoperative
      spirometry may discover latent COPD patients. When COPD is discovered before
      operation, we can start to treat COPD promptly. Consequently, the better
      perioperative care is given to COPD patients. On discharge, patients are referred
      to their family doctors, so that they can receive COPD treatment. RESULTS: There
      activities were started in July 2012. During the initial twelve months, 90
      patients of COPD II x III were discovered and treated before admission. FEV1.0
      was significantly improved (1.54 l vs. 1.71 l in average) on repeated spirometry
      on admission. There was no adverse event in COPD treatment All patients have
      shown good clinical courses. CONCLUSIONS: Latent COPD patients can be discovered
      by preoperative spirometry.

PMID- 26121799
TI  - [Minor Anesthesia for Minor Surgery].

PMID- 26121800
TI  - [The Effect of Remifentanil on the Estimated Target Effect-site Concentration
      (esTEC) of Propofol during Total Intravenous Anesthesia].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Using an algorithm by which the effect-site concentration of propofol
      (esTEC) necessary for BIS level set from information input from BIS monitor and
      TCI pump is estimated, the effect of remifentanil on esTEC was investigated.
      METHODS: In 14 abdominal/thoracic surgical patients managed under total
      intravenous anesthesia with propofol and remifetanil, the distribution of
      relation between the effect-site concentration of remifetanil and remifentanil
      esTEC was analyzed in a retrospective manner. RESULTS: While the propofol esTEC
      decreased in accordance with the increase of the effect-site concentration of
      remifetanil, the effect-site concentration of propofol esTEC45 for maintaining
      BIS 45 became within a certain range and with less dispersion when the
      concentration of remifetanil exceeded 10 ng x ml(-1). CONCLUSIONS: A mutual
      interaction was observed between propofol esTEC and remifetanil. For anesthetic
      management with less variation in BIS levels, it was considered that 10 ng x ml(
      1) or higher of the effect-site concentration of remifetanil would be necessary.

PMID- 26121801
TI  - [Effect of Preoperative Oral Rehydration on Onset Time and Recovery Time of
      Rocuronium].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Preoperative oral rehydration solution (ORS) prevents hypovolemia.
      The aim of this study was to compare the effect of intubating dose of rocuronium
      in patients taking and those not taking preoperative ORS. METHODS: Twenty
      patients, ASA I aged 20-50 years scheduled for elective surgery, were
      investigated and randomly assigned to two groups: drinking 1,500 ml ORS 6 to 2
      hours before anesthesia (ORS group) and nothing by mouth from 6 hours before
      anesthesia (control group). Anesthesia was maintained with propofol and
      remifentanil, and rocuronium 0.6 mg x kg(-1) was administrated. To evaluate the
      effect of rocuronium, acceleromyography at the adductor pollicis was performed
      using 0.1 Hz stimulation. Cardiac index (CI) and stroke volume variation (SVV)
      from FloTra/Vigileo, times to 95% twitch depression as onset time (OT), and times
      to first twitch re-detection (TR) were recorded. RESULTS: SVV was significantly
      lower in ORS group (P = 0.03), and CI showed no difference. In ORS group, TR was
      significantly shorter than that of control group (P=0.002), and OT tended to be
      prolonged (99.0 +/- 36.3 s vs. 84.0 +/- 37.5 s), but not significantly.
      CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative oral rehydration possibly increases circulating blood
      volume, and shortens the duration of rocuronium effect.

PMID- 26121802
TI  - [General Anesthesia for the Thoracoscopic Lung Resection Surgery in 12 Very
      Elderly Patients above 85 Years of Age].
AB  - We investigated perioperative management and clinical outcome of 12 patients who
      were 85 years old or older and received video-assisted thoracic surgery under
      general anesthesia. Although all the patients had preoperative respiratory
      complications or cardiovascular complications, they were discharged without any
      additional respiratory assistance such as home oxygen therapy. Our observation
      suggests that it is important to evaluate the indication of anesthesia from their
      daily activities and pulmonary function test even if they are oldest-old. If the
      patient demonstrates good physical function, he or she should not be excluded
      from anesthesia.

PMID- 26121803
TI  - [The Use of Thromboelastometry and Tranexamic Acid Reduces Blood Loss and
      Transfusion Requirements in Cardiac Surgery under Cardiopulmonary Bypass].
AB  - BACKGROUND: We evaluated whether using thromboelastometry and tranexamic acid
      influenced blood loss and transfusion requirements in cardiac surgery requiring
      cardiopulmonary bypass. METHODS: We perfomed a retrospective analysis examining
      perioperative coagulation results, and the transfusion requirements of
      concentrated red cells (CRCs), fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and platelet
      administration between 12 months before and 10 months after thromboelastometry
      and tranexamic acid had been introduced in our institution. We also recorded
      patients' demographic details, the surgery performed and patient outcomes.
      RESULTS: After the introduction of thromboelastometry and tranexamic acid, fewer
      units of CRC were transfused during surgery, and fewer patients required
      postoperative CRC transfusion. Intra- and postoperative FFP requirements were
      also reduced. Intraoperative blood loss, blood loss in the first 24 hr after
      surgery, and length of hospital stay were also reduced. CONCLUSIONS: The use of
      ROTEM and tranexamic acid can potentially reduce blood loss and transfusion
      requirements in cardiac surgery.

PMID- 26121804
TI  - [Outcome of the Pediatric Patients Who Required Repeated Cardiopulmonary Bypass
      during the Repair of Congenital Heart Disease].
AB  - BACKGROUND: We occasionally encounter clinical deterioration after
      discontinuation of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and are forced to reinstitute CPB
      during cardiac surgery. Some reports describe such cases occurring in adults, but
      few in infants and children. We retrospectively investigated the causes and
      outcomes of children requiring repeated CPB during the repair of congenital heart
      anomalies. METHODS: Patients who required repeated CPB during the repair of
      congenital heart anomalies in our institution from 2007 to 2012 were recruited
      into the study. Patient's background, diagnosis, surgical procedures, durations
      of total CPB and aortic cross-clamping, indications for re-CPB, procedures or
      treatment added after reinstitution of CPB and outcomes were collected. RESULTS:
      Out of 600 pediatric patients who underwent the repair of congenital heart
      disease during the study period, 34 required repeated CPB and were enrolled into
      the study. Mean age was 2 years and mean body weight was 9.9 kg. Twenty-six
      patients of 34 were weaned from the CPB after additional surgical repair with re
      bypass, one of whom died in the ICU. The remaining 8 patients were weaned from
      the CPB after medical treatment. One of 8 patients died in the ICU and 2 died
      after discharge from ICU. CONCLUSIONS: In cardiac surgery of congenital heart
      disease, pediatric patients who required repeated CPB showed high mortality but
      patients who received additional surgical repair to be weaned from CPB had better
      outcome compared with those who received medical treatment.

PMID- 26121805
TI  - [Changes in Electrolytic Concentration Resulting from Perioperative Amino Acid
      Fluid Administration].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Amino acid infusion is frequently selected to avoid hypothermia
      during surgery. However, changes in electrolytic concentration resulting from its
      use are unclear. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of amino acid
      on body temperature and changes in electrolytic concentrations. METHODS: Thirty
      women undergoing breast cancer surgery under general anesthesia were divided into
      the following three groups: no amino acid administration, low-dose administration
      (2 ml x kg(-1) x hr(-1)), and high-dose administration (4 ml x kg(-1) x hr(-1)).
      Esophageal temperature was recorded every ten minutes and arterial blood samples
      were obtained before and after surgery. Body temperatures at each time point and
      arterial blood gas data, including blood gases, electrodes, serum glucose, and
      hematocrit were compared between the three groups. RESULTS: Body temperature
      started to increase significantly 40 minutes after starting general anesthesia in
      the high-dose group, 90 minutes after starting general anesthesia in the low-dose
      group compared with the no amino acid group. Body temperature was maintained
      until surgery was completed. The concentration of sodium ion decreased
      significantly (2.4 mmol x l(-1)) in the high-dose group compared with the other
      two groups. The concentration of other electrolytes, including potassium,
      chloride, and calcium, did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative
      amino acid administration was effective in maintaining a stable body temperature
      during surgery under general anesthesia. However, sodium ion concentration might
      decrease after amino acid administration of 4 ml x kg(-1) x hr(-1) or greater.

PMID- 26121806
TI  - [Effectiveness of Sacral Intervertebral Epidural Block for Umbilical Hernia
      Repair in Children].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Effectiveness of sacral intervertebral epidural block (S 2-3 block)
      for umbilical hernia repair has not been clarified. METHOD: We investigate 24
      children, undergoing umbilical hernia repair; mean age of 3 years (age range: 20
      65 months). Under general anesthesia, epidural block was performed at S 2-3
      interspace with 1 ml x kg(-1) ropivacaine (0.2%) at injecting rate of 1 ml x sec(
      1) followed by 0.25 ml x kg(-1) normal saline. RESULTS: In all cases, neither
      systolic blood pressure nor heart rate increased > 15% from those just before the
      block. Postoperative analgesics were given in 6 patients (25%) rectally. Mean
      time between the block and the administration of analgesic was 10.5 hours.
      CONCLUSIONS: S 2-3 block can be effective for postoperative pain in umbilical
      hernia repair.

PMID- 26121807
TI  - [Airway Management Using McGrath MAC in a Pediatric Patient with a Laryngeal
      Saccular Cyst].
AB  - An 18-month-old female infant was scheduled for resection of a laryngeal saccular
      cyst inducing narrow airway. Since the cyst protruded from the left side of the
      epiglottis and the vocal cord was compressed to the right side, a difficult
      airway was anticipated. In addition, there was a risk of tracheal occlusion by
      rupture of the cyst Awake intubation was considered to be dangerous. Slow
      induction with sevoflurane and neuromusclar blockade was attempted, preparing
      reversal of the neuromusclar blockade. Fortunately, mask ventilation was achieved
      without difficulty. It was necessary to insert a tracheal tube avoiding the cyst
      We used McGrath MAC (Aircraft Medical Co., UK), which enabled us to manipulate
      the tracheal tube. A tracheal tube was successfully inserted under McGrath
      monitor guidance.

PMID- 26121808
TI  - [Anesthetic Management of a Patient with Corrected Transposition of Great
      Arteries for Cesarean Section].
AB  - A 30-year-old woman with corrected transposition of great arteries (c-TGA) was
      scheduled for elective cesarean section at 37 weeks of gestation. At previous
      cesarean section, she received general anesthesia for dyspnea and lower cardiac
      function by severe mitral regurgitation, with a pulmonary catheter inserted. In
      the current pregnancy, she had tricuspid regurgitation, but she had no signs of
      heart failure. Cardiac index (CI) and stroke volume variation (SVV) were
      monitored by the FloTrack, before induction of anesthesia. Because the CI was 3.6
      l x min(-1) x m(-2), and the SVV was 18%, we decided to perform combined spinal
      epidural anesthesia. Epidural anesthesia was performed at L1-2, and spinal
      anesthesia was performed at L3-4. Hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine 2.0 ml with
      fentanyl 10 MUg was given to the subarachnoid space. The total dose of
      phenylephrine administered was 150 MUg, and the CI as well as the SVV were stable
      during surgery. Her postpartum couse was uneventful. Anesthetic management of c
      TGA is discussed, and we should select anesthetic method carefully.

PMID- 26121809
TI  - [Anesthetic Management for Endoscopic Sinus Surgery in a Patient with
      Transplanted Heart--A Case Report].
AB  - A 19-year-old male patient with transplanted heart received endoscopic sinus
      surgery. He was with X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy, and was one year after the
      transplantation. Preanesthetic study showed lactate dehydrogenase elevation
      estimated to have derived from striated muscle. Heart function was normal, and
      other abnormal findings were not revealed. Total intravenous anesthesia was
      performed with propofol target controlled infusion and remifentanil. Rocuronium
      was administered only for oro-tracheal ntubation. After the operation, train-of
      four ratio was 95%, and he awoke from anesthesia smoothly. We did not use
      atropine, neostigmine or sugammadex to reverse neuromuscular blockade. No
      inotropic agent was administered. He was discharged from the hospital 5 days
      after the operation without any complications. We used usual anesthetic
      management but we had to be careful about both denervated heart and myopathy.

PMID- 26121810
TI  - [Anesthetic Management of Laparoscopic Nephrectomy for a Renal Cancer Patient
      with Distal Myopathy of Rimmed Vacuole].
AB  - A 56-year-old male with distal myopathy of rimmed vacuoles underwent laparoscopic
      nephrectomy. Anesthesia was induced with propofol, remifentanil and ketamine.
      Tracheal intubation using McGRATH was uneventful without using muscle relaxants.
      Then ultrasound-guided right thoracic paravertebral (TPVB) block was performed
      using 20 ml 0.75% ropivacaine with 10 ml 2% lidocaine by 3 injections of 10 ml
      each at T9 to T11. General anesthesia was maintained with propofol, remifentanil
      and ketamine monitoring bispectral index. Good surgical condition and
      pneumoperitoneum were maintained without using muscle relaxants. His
      postoperative course was smooth and uneventful, even though a small amount of
      fentanyl was administrated to relieve wound pain. This case suggests that McGRATH
      and ultrasound-guided TPVB can be one of the options to avoid using muscle
      relaxants in patient with neuromuscular disease.

PMID- 26121811
TI  - [Management of Pulmonary Blood Flow for a Patient with Congenital Pulmonary Vein
      Stenosis Undergoing Pulmonary Venous Obstruction Release and Pulmonary Artery
      Banding].
AB  - Congenital pulmonary vein stenosis (CPVS) is a rare fetal congenital heart
      disease with a prevalence of 1.7 per 100,000 children younger than two years of
      age. Because of the difficulty of maintaining the pulmonary blood flow, CPVS is
      associated with a 50% survival rate within five years of diagnosis. We describe a
      successful management of pulmonary blood flow for a 4-month-old-girl with CPVS,
      combined with atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect, undergoing
      pulmonary vein obstruction release (PVOR). In this case, CPVS was the only cause
      for pulmonary hypertension because there was no significant pressure gradient
      between each pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and the paired pulmonary vein
      pressure, indicating the normal pulmonary vascular structure prior to pulmonary
      vein stenosis. As pulmonary blood flow was estimated to be high after PVOR,
      pulmonary artery banding was also performed. Management of pulmonary blood flow
      is the most important issue for anesthesia of this surgery, especially in
      postcardiopulmonary bypass period, when the pulmonary vasoconstriction is induced
      by endothelial dysfuncion.

PMID- 26121812
TI  - [Perioperative Management of Emergency Gastrointestinal Surgery in a Patient with
      Left Ventricular Non-compaction].
AB  - Left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) is a rare congenital cardiomyopathy
      characterized by heart failure, arrhythmia, and embolic events. A 65-year-old
      man, previously diagnosed as LVNC, was admitted to the emergency department with
      severe abdominal pain. He was diagnosed as appendicitis and treated
      conservatively with antibiotics. The echocardiogram examination showed left
      ventricular ejection fraction of less than 25%, and his B-type natriuretic
      peptide assay was > 5,000 pg x ml(-1) on admission. Ten days after admission, he
      underwent emergency surgery for suspected perforation of vermiform appendix.
      Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was used for real-time evaluation of
      cardiac function and restrictive fluid management during surgery. He was
      transferred to intensive care unit (ICU) for postoperative care, and extubated 16
      hours after surgery. On the third postoperative day, he was discharged from ICU
      without any complications. We consider that perioperative hemodynamic management
      with TEE may be useful for gastrointestinal tract surgeries in patients with
      severe cardiac disease, such as LVNC.

PMID- 26121813
TI  - [Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Anesthesia Induction in a Patient with
      Severe Cardiorespiratory Impairment due to Mediastinal Angiosarcoma].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mediastinal angiosarcoma is a rare intrathoracic tumor that can cause
      severe pleural and pericardial fibrosis. CASE REPORT: We report the anesthetic
      management for pericardiectomy and pleurolysis in a 33-year-old patient with a
      mediastinal angiosarcoma. He presented with severe restrictive ventilatory
      impairment and heart failure due to fibrosis of the pleura and pericardium.
      Spirometry indicated a forced vital capacity of 0.66 l, while arterial blood gas
      analysis under noninvasive positive pressure ventilation indicated hypercapnia
      (pH 7.44; Pa(CO2) 59.2 mmHg). His cardiac index was 1.36 l x min(-1) x m(-2).
      Anesthesia induction and positive pressure ventilation are associated with an
      extremely high cardiorespiratory risk; therefore, veno-arterial-extracorporeal
      membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) with femoral cannulation was started prior to
      anesthesia induction. After achieving a stable circulation and adequate gas
      exchange, anesthesia was induced, and mechanical ventilation with intratracheal
      intubation was initiated. With ECMO and inotropic support stable hemodynamics was
      maintained throughout anesthesia induction and the operation was performed
      uneventfully under cardiopulmonary bypass. The patient was extubated on the first
      postoperative day and discharged one month after the operation. CONCLUSION: ECMO
      is a useful option to secure adequate gas exchange and circulation during
      anesthesia induction in patients with severe cardiopulmonary problems due to
      mediastinal tumors.

PMID- 26121814
TI  - [Emergency Tracheal Intubation Using Airwayscope in a Patient with Hematoma after
      Thyroidectomy].
AB  - We report a case of emergency awake intubation using Airwayscope (AWS) in a
      patient with difficulty of the ventilation combined with severe neck swelling due
      to hematoma after thyroidectomy. A 28-year-old woman with thyroid tumor received,
      general anesthesia induced, easily with facemask ventilation and tracheal
      intubation. Her trachea was extubated after she had become awake. Several minutes
      later, sudden swelling of the neck was observed, and she lost her consciousness.
      Despite attempts at facemask ventilation, hypoxia with bradycardia was observed.
      We judged that insertion of the supraglottic airway or the needle cannulation of
      the cricothyroid membrane would be difficult reducing the chance of re
      intubation. While we asked surgeons to prepare for emergency surgical
      tracheotomy, we attempted to intubate the trachea using the AWS under sedation.
      Despite difficulty in opening the mouth and swelling of the tongue, we managed to
      intubate the trachea. We consider that knowledge of difficult airway management
      (DAM) is necessary, but we must be flexible to judge which method should be used
      in each patient In addition we conclude that the AWS is useful for awake
      intubation.

PMID- 26121815
TI  - [Successful Tracheal Intubation Using Videolaryngoscope in an Infant with Massive
      Tongue Swelling].
AB  - We report use of videolaryngoscope for difficult airway management in an infant
      with severe tongue swelling after laceration repair. A 3-month-old male infant
      was transferred to our hospital for respiratory difficulty. He could not open his
      mouth sufficiently, and the examination revealed massive swelling of the left
      side of the tongue. Emergent surgical repair of the tongue was scheduled,
      anticipating a difficult airway. The venous line was kept patent preoperatively,
      and 8% sevoflurane was administered maintaining spontaneous ventilation. We then
      inserted the Pentax Airway Scope with an infant-sized Intlock (AWS-I) from the
      right side of the mouth and obtained a good view at laryngoscopy. A 3.5-mm
      tracheal tube was passed uneventfully under the view of AWS-I. The AWS-I is
      useful for difficult airway management in infants, preserving spontaneous
      ventilation.

PMID- 26121816
TI  - [A Case of Emergency Cesarean Section and Craniotomy in a 26 Week Pregnant
      Woman].
AB  - Intracranial hemorrhage is a rare complication during the pregnancy but carries a
      poor prognosis. We experienced a case of emergency cesarean section and
      craniotomy for removal of hematoma due to arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
      rupture. A 33-year-old woman at 26 weeks of pregnancy suffered a sudden onset of
      headache and disturbance of consciousness. She was diagnosed with left cerebral
      hemorrhage due to AVM rupture. Emergency cesarean section was followed by the
      surgical removal of the hematoma under general anesthesia. Postoperative courses
      of both mother and baby were satisfactory. The severity of illness of the mother
      strongly influences her fetus and vise versa. When performing cesarean section
      before craniotomy, anesthesia should be managed to prevent recurrence of
      intracranial hemorrhage during the cesarean section and atonic bleeding during
      the craniotomy. Anesthetist should have adequate knowledge and communicate
      adequately with obstetrician and pediatrician to achieve better prognosis for the
      intracranial hemorrhage during pregnancy.

PMID- 26121817
TI  - [Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator and Perioperative Magnet Application: A
      Case Report].
AB  - An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) can falsely recognize noise by
      monopolar electrocautery as tachyarrhythmia and deliver inappropriate
      antitachycardia therapy. Application of a clinical magnet on an ICD suspends
      antitachycardia therapy, but it has not been widely used for this purpose. A 67
      year-old male underwent laryngopharyngectomy, cervical esophagectomy, right neck
      dissection, tracheostomy and reconstruction with free jejunal transplant for
      recurrent hypopharyngeal cancer. He had an ICD (PARADYM DR8550, Sorin) implanted
      below the left clavicle for ventricular tachycardia and prolonged QT syndrome.
      During the operation, a clinical magnet was left on the ICD to disable
      antitachycardia therapy. The magnet mode of the ICD provided asynchronous AAI
      pacing at 96 beats x min(-1). The surgery proceeded uneventfully. No episode of
      ventricular tachyarrythmia or pacing inhibition by electromagnetic interference
      was observed on electrocardiogram. This case illustrated the potential role of a
      clinical magnet as an alternative to reprogramming of an ICD by a programmer in
      the perioperative management of a patient with an ICD when a technical expert to
      operate a programmer is not available.

PMID- 26121818
TI  - [Bupivacaine-induced Anaphylaxis in a Parturient Undergoing Cesarean Section].
AB  - We describe a case of anaphylaxis that occurred in a 33-year-old gravida 1, para
      1 term woman scheduled for cesarean delivery for breech presentation. Her past
      history was unremarkable except for orciprenaline allergy. Spinal anesthesia was
      performed at L3-4 using 2.5 ml of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine and 0.1 mg
      morphine. Seven minutes after spinal anesthesia, she complained of hoarseness and
      difficulty in breathing and 3 minutes later, blood pressure decreased to 76/51
      mmHg, and oxygen saturation to 87% with supplemental oxygen. Skin flushing was
      noted in the face and trunk of the body and anaphylaxis was diagnosed. She was
      treated with a rapid intravenous infusion and iv administration of phenylephrine
      (total dose 0.4 mg), ephedrine (total dose 25 mg), hydrocortisone and famotidine.
      Cesarean section was started 23 minutes after spinal anesthesia when blood
      pressure and oxygen saturation recovered. A male infant was delivered (18 minutes
      after the onset of anaphylactic event) with Apgar scores of 2 and 5 at 1 and 5
      min, respectively and resuscitated with mask ventilation. Umbilical artery blood
      gas analysis revealed pH 6.85, base excess -20.3 mmol x l (-1) and lactate 109 mg
      x dl (-1). The mother was discharged from the hospital on the 6th postoperative
      day. The baby's electroencephalogram, however, demonstrated a pattern consistent
      with mild hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Lymphocyte stimulation test revealed
      that she was allergic to bupivacaine. If maternal hypotension persists, i.m. or
      i.v. adrenaline should be administered immediately because maternal hypotension
      and hypoxemia may cause significant fetal morbidity and mortality and prompt
      cesarean section should be considered.

PMID- 26121819
TI  - [The Distance between the Sciatic Nerve Bifurcation and Popliteal Fossa in
      Japanese].
AB  - BACKGROUND: The bifurcation into tibial nerve and common peroneal nerve is
      generally targeted for sciatic nerve block at popliteal approach. However, it is
      sometimes difficult to determine the exact bifurcation point in clinical
      situation. The mean distance between the popliteal fossa and division of sciatic
      nerve (DPDSN) was reported approximately 6 cm +/- 2.5 cm in Caucasian cadaver
      study. We also studied DPDSN in Japanese cadaver to find ethnic difference.
      METHODS: We dissected and recorded DPDSN and distance from gluteal fold to heel
      (foot length : FL) in 15 cadavers. RESULTS: Mean DPDSN was 2.46 +/- 2.00 cm
      (range: 0 to 8.8 cm). The DPDSN and FL were not correlated. CONCLUSIONS: DPDSN of
      Japanese cadaver is shorter than the previously reported data in Caucasian
      cadaver. Since the DPDSN has inter-individual and intra-individual differences,
      we should estimate the DPDSN carefully in each leg using ultrasonography and
      nerve stimulator.

PMID- 26121820
TI  - [Postoperative Analgesia in Peritonectomy for Patients with Peritoneal Surface
      Malignancy].
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated the efficacy of postoperative analgesia in
      peritonectomy for patients with peritoneal surface malignancy, by comparing
      peripheral nerve block (PNB) with intravenous patient controlled analgesia (iv
      PCA) group to patient controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) group. METHODS: Forty
      one patients of PNB+iv-PCA group received ultrasound guided rectus sheath block
      (using 0.25% levobupivacaine 20 ml bilaterally) and posterior transversus
      abdominis plane block (30 ml bilaterally) after induction of anesthesia. Then, iv
      PCA with fentanyl was commenced before skin incision and 10 mg morphine was given
      1 hr before the end of surgery. Fifty eight patients of PCEA group received 5-6
      mg morphine epidural block at T6-7 or T7-8 before induction of anesthesia, and
      PCEA of 4-5 mg morphine and 200 ml normal saline was commenced before skin
      incision. When PCA showed inadequate effect for post- operative pain,
      flurbiprofen was used for all patients. RESULTS: The rate of administration of
      flurbiprofen during the first 24 hr after surgery was significantly lower in
      PNB+iv-PCA group. The duration of the first administration of flurbiprofen after
      extubation was significantly longer in PNB+iv-PCA group. Levobupivacaine (0.25%)
      100 ml for PNB was safe to use without complications. CONCLUSIONS: PNB+iv-PCA
      decreased the rate of administration of flurbiprofen as compared to PCEA for
      postoperative pain after peritonectomy.

PMID- 26121821
TI  - [Investigation of a Novel Intravenous Catheter "Safe Wing Cath"].
AB  - BACKGROUND: A Safe Wing Cath (SWC) is a novel intravenous catheter which has a
      unique needlestick injury safety mechanism. METHODS: We investigated the success
      rate of intravenous catheterization using SWC by questionnaire. Anesthesiologists
      were recruited who had no previous experience of using SWC. Two or three
      consecutive trials were subjected for investigation. RESULTS: During four months
      in 2012, 8 anesthesiologists were asked to do the job 23 times. The success rate
      was 62.5% at first use by each anesthesiologist 87.5% at second use, and 100% at
      third use. CONCLUSIONS: Experienced anesthesiologists can learn the technique of
      SWC on its second or third use.

PMID- 26121822
TI  - [Nitrous Oxide Exposure-mediated Increases in Cuff Pressure: A Comparison of
      Disposable Type and Re-use Type air-Q Devices].
AB  - BaCKGROUND: The present study aimed to compare nitrous oxide-mediated increases
      in cuff pressure between the disposable type air-Q (air-Q-DT) and re-use type air
      Q (air-Q-RU) in a simulated adult airway model. METHODS: Automated cuff pressure
      was adjusted to 10, 20, and 30 cmH2O. The air-Q-DT and air-Q-RU were exposed to
      80% nitrous oxide and cuff pressure was measured 15 and 30 minutes later.
      RESULTS: Cuff pressure of the air-Q-DT was significantly lower than that of the
      air-Q-RU after 15 and 30 minutes, regardless of the initial pressure.
      CONCLUSIONS: The polyvinyl chloride-based air-Q-DT may be more effective than the
      silicon-based air-Q-RU in preventing hyperinflation of the tracheal tube cuff in
      response to nitrous oxide exposure.

PMID- 26121823
TI  - [Efficacy of softband Ponto in young children with bilateral congenital microtia
      with aural atresia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate auditory developments and the effectiveness of children
      with congenital bilateral aural atresia after using softband Ponto and to compare
      them with children with normal hearing. METHOD: Twenty patients (age ranging from
      3 months to 21 months ) with bilateral aural atresia were studied. The air and
      bone auditory thresholds were assessed by auditory brain stem response (ABR). The
      infant-todder meaning auditory integration scale (IT-MAIS) was used to evaluate
      the auditory development at three time levels: baseline, 3 months and 6 months.
      RESULT: The average unaided bone conduction hearing thresholds of patients is
      (17.5 +/- 5.9)dB nHL,and the average air conduction hearing thresholds is (72.5
      +/- 9.3)dB nHL. The average VRA hearing thresholds of 5 patients is (30.5 +/-
      5.9) dB HL. The IT-MAIS total, detection and perception scores are improved
      specifically after wearing softband Ponto and approaching the normal level.
      CONCLUSION: Softband Ponto is suitable for infants with bilateral atresia.
      Results from these auditory development testing are encouraging. Softband Ponto
      should be used as a bridge for surgical implantations when temporal bone is thick
      enough.

PMID- 26121824
TI  - [Efficacy of cochlear implantation for bilateral severe Meniere's disease].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effecacy of cochlear implantation (CI) improving
      hearing of Lermoyez's syndrome, we retrospectively analyzed a case of Lermoyez's
      syndrome whose left ear was extremely severe sensorineural deafness and right ear
      was severe sensorineural deafness. METHOD: The patient had completed preoperative
      audiological examination , vestibular function and imaging examination, then was
      carried out bilateral endolymphatic sac decompression and left side CI. Follow up
      after the surgery. RESULT: The vertigo could be controlled very well after the
      bilateral endolymphatic sac decompression surgery, but the hearing loss couldn't
      be control, so CI was carried out to improve hearing and speech recognition rate.
      The contralateral hearing also improved significantly after the operation.
      CONCLUSION: Endolymphatic sac decompression can effectively control. Meniere's
      disease in patients with vertigo attacks. CI can improve patients' hearing, and
      speech recognition rate and, also could improve the quality of life. CI was the
      first choice for the patient of 4 stage Meniere's disease.

PMID- 26121825
TI  - [Study of ceiling effect of commonly used Chinese recognition materials in post
      lingual deafened patients with cochlear implant].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare outcomes effects of Chinese recognition
      materials in post-lingually deafened patients with cochlear implant. METHOD:
      Thirty-two post-lingually deafened cochlear implant users participated in the
      study. Each one of them was given a series of speech recognition tests including
      the speech recognition score of monosyllable words, spondee words, Chinese BKB
      sentences and MHINT in quiet, as well as speech recognition threshold of HOPE
      corpus in babble noise. Speech recognition scores and thresholds were compared
      among these test materials using histograms , scatter diagrams and statistical
      methods. RESULT: Recognition scores for spondee words, Chinese BKB sentences and
      MHINT were affected by ceiling effects, with 1,14 and 4 cases scored 100%
      respectivelty. Meanwhile, 17, 26 and 14 cases scored more than 85%
      correspondingly. On the other hand, speech recognition scores for monosyllable
      words in quiet and speech recognition threshold for HOPE corpus in babble noise
      were not affected. CONCLUSION: For a considerable part of post-lingually deafened
      patients using cochlear implant, some Chinese speech recognition materials have
      demonstrated different degrees of ceiling effects. While speech recognition
      scores for monosyllable words in quiet and recognition threshold for HOPE corpus
      in noise can evaluate the performance of speech recognition abilitymore
      objectively.

PMID- 26121826
TI  - [The effect of improving the physical and mental health on different
      rehabilitation programs for post-linguistic cochlear implantees].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the physical and mental health status of post-linguistic
      cochlear implantees, and then to explore the effectiveness on of different
      rehabilitation programs. METHOD: Mandarin hearing in noise test (MHINT), personal
      report of communication apprehension (PRCA-24) and Nijmegen cochlear implant
      questionnaire (NCIQ) were used to measure the hearing ability, mental health
      degree and the health related life quality in 36 post-linguistic cochlear implant
      users, respectively. The improvement of subjects' physical and mental health
      levels was compared with among different rehabilitation programs, including
      family training program, auditory habilitation program and psychological
      intervention program. RESULT: (1) Family training program only can improve the
      subject's hearing ability (P < 0.05), but failed to ease the communication
      apprehension; ((2) Auditory habilitation program can both significantly improve
      the subjects' hearing ability (P < 0.01) and ease the fear of talking face to
      face (P < 0.01); (3) Psychological intervention program can significantly
      increase the auditory abilities (P < 0.01), reduce the communication apprehension
      (P < 0.01) and improve the quality of life. CONCLUSION: Post-linguistic cochlear
      implantees had obvious mental symptoms. It was very important to design an
      effective rehabilitation program to improvement the living quality of hearing
      loss people.

PMID- 26121827
TI  - [Meta-analysis on effectiveness of prelingually deaf patients at different ages
      following cochlear implantation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical effeetiveness of prelingually deaf children
      after cochlear implantation at different ages so as to provide reasonable
      expectations for the patients and guidance for the clinical treatment. METHOD:
      Electronic databases PubMed, YZ365. COM, WANFANG DATA, CMJD, CHKD, CNKI were
      searched using relevant keywords. Extracted data included author, year of
      publication, diagnosis, et al. Reported treatment outcomes were clustered into
      speech discrimination and hearing abilities. Meta-analyses were performed on
      studies with numerical results using random or fixed effects model. RESULT: There
      were eight randomized control studies including 442 patients. Comparing speech
      perception of prelingually deaf children after cochlear implantation younger than
      three years old (experimental group) and 3-6 years old (control group), three and
      six months after operation showed that experimental group performed significantly
      worse than control group; 12 months after operation showed that experimental
      group performed significantly better than control group. Comparing hearing
      abilities, three and six months after operation showed that experimental group
      performed significantly worse than control group; 12 months after operation
      showed showed that experimental group performed significantly better than control
      group. Comparing speech perception of younger or older than 4. 5 years old
      children showed that after 1.5-2 years of operation children implanted younger
      than 4.5 years of age performed significantly better than children implanted
      older than 4.5 years old. Comparing speech perception of 7-12 years old children
      showed that after 3, 6, 12 months of operation patients of 7-12 years old
      performed significantly better than those children older than 12 years old.
      Comparing speech perception of implantation younger or older than 18 years old (7
      14 yeas old was group A, > 14-18 yeas old was group B, older than 18 yeas old was
      group C) showed that after one and four years of operation A > B > C, and there
      were significant differences among them. Comparing warble tone threshold average
      (WTA) showed that after one year of operation A < B < C, and there were
      significant differences among them. However, after four years of operation, there
      was no significant difference among them. CONCLUSION: Prelinguistically deafened
      patients younger than three years old with cochlear implantation, insisting on
      scienctific rehabilitation training for a long period of time can receive the
      optimal recovery effect. The older patients are suggested as early as possible
      receiving cochlear implantation. The longer they are implanted, the better
      results they will receive. Moreover, the younger age they are implanted, the
      faster postoperative language progress they will receive. Further controlled
      studies with longer follow-up periods and more person included may make the
      effectiveness of cochlear implantaion more reliable.

PMID- 26121828
TI  - [The effects of newborn genetic screening for GJB2 and hearing follow-ups].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of GJB2 mutations in newborns and provide
      clinical experience for newborn genetic screening. METHOD: Blood samples of 23
      836 newborns in Beijing from March 2012 to December 2013 were screened for hot
      spot mutations of GJB2 associated with hearing loss. The genetic screening
      results were comprehensively analyzed with hearing results in genetic counseling.
      RESULT: One or two pathogenic mutations of GJB2 were spotted in 622(2. 61%)
      individuals. Among them, numbers of newborns with 1 mutation of c. 35deiG,c.
      176191 del16,c. 235delC and c. 299300 delAT were 3,26,467 and 120. One compound
      heterozygote, and 5 homozygotes were also identified. Five hundred and fifty(88.
      6%)newborns were followed up by telephones and SMS (short message service) and
      325 newborns visit our genetic clinic regularly which were regarded as the
      research object. In the hearing screening, the referral rate for hearing loss in
      the first-step screening was 13.8% (45/325), and became 9.2% (30/325) upon
      retesting. Nine newborns (2. 8%) were diagnosed as hearing loss of different
      degrees as early as 3 months old,including 6 homozygous/compound heterozygote and
      3 heterozygotes. CONCLUSION: Patients with GJB2 mutations have various phenotype.
      Newborns with homozygous/compound heterozygous GJB2 mutations may pass the
      hearing screening at first. Carriers of GJB2 may also have hearing problems. The
      combination of genetic and audiological screening can play an important role in
      deafness detections of infants before key period of speech development.

PMID- 26121829
TI  - [Mutation analysis of 16 mutation spots related to children patients with non
      syndromic sensorineural hearing loss].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical signification of screening 16 target deafness
      mutations in GJB2, GJB3, SLC26A4, WFS1 and mitochondrial DNA 12S rRNA in 135
      children patients with non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss (NSHL) in Zibo
      City, Shandong province. METHOD: Peripheral blood samples of 135 subjects in the
      study diagnosed as NSHL were collected; Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and
      direct sequencing were used to analyze the 16 mutation spots. RESULT: Sixty-two
      cases of 135 patients (45.9%, 62/135) were found out to be carries of at least
      one pathogenic gene mutation. Among them, 24 cases (17.8%, 24/135) had two
      mutated alleles (homozygote and compound heterozygote), and 38 cases (28.1%,
      38/135) were single mutant carriers. Among all the children patients, 30 cases
      (22. 2%, 30/135) had SLC26A4 mutations, and 19 cases (14.1%, 19/135) had GJB2
      mutations. In the study 86 Mutant alleles were detected, and the allele frequency
      of SLC26A4 c. 766_2A > G and GJB2 c. 235delC was 11.11% (30/270) and 8.5%
      (23/270) respectively. The allele frequency of SLC26A4 c. 2168A > G and WFS1 c.
      2158A > G is 2.6% (7/270). CONCLUSION: SLC26A4 mutation is the primary cause of
      the patients with NSHL in this study, and GJB2 mutation is the secondary. The
      most common mutant form is c. 766_2A of SLC26A4, and the second is c. 235delC of
      GJB2. GJB3 and WFS1 mutations were detected, whereas mtDNA mutations were not
      found out in this study.

PMID- 26121830
TI  - [Analysis the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss with steroid from
      different administration routes].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss with
      steroid from different administration routes. METHOD: One hundred and eighty
      eight patients with diagnosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss were selected,
      in accordance with the random number table, and all patients were divided into
      three groups. With different administration routes, they were devided into
      systemic steroid therapy group, intratympanic steroid therapy group and
      postauricular steroid therapy group,and the curative effects were collected and
      analyzed. RESULT: The total effective rate was 78.26% in systemic steroid therapy
      group, 80.70% in intratympanic steroid therapy group and 80.65% in
      postauricularsteroid therapy group,and no statistical difference was detected
      among these three groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The treatment of sudden
      sensorineural hearing loss with steroid from different adminsthation routes all
      can achieve a relatively favorable prognosis, and there were no obvious different
      among those different treatments.

PMID- 26121831
TI  - [Study on correlation between otitis media with effusion and tracheal
      intubation].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the factors related to the occurrence of otitis media with
      effusion (OME) in patients with long-term tracheal intubation. METHOD: This
      retrospective study included 47 cases with endotracheal intubation more than 7
      days (endotracheal intubation group) and 20 cases without mechanically ventilated
      in the same period(control group). The relationships between secretory otitis
      media with age, gender, intubation method,duration of intubation, breathing
      patterns, consciousness, gastric tube position were analysed. RESULT: The study
      showed 27 out of 47 patients in endotracheal intubation group had OME, 9 cases
      had negative pressure in the middle ear and 11 patients were normal. No OME was
      found in control group, and 2 cases with negative pressure in bilateral middle
      ear were detected. The incidence of OME was significantly increased in patients
      with the application of ventilator in PEEP mode or nasotracheal tube, and with
      conscious disturbance or tracheal intubation using for more than 10 days. The
      presence of OME had a significantly higher rate in patients with nasal intake
      subjects than the oral intake subjects. The incidence of OME decreased
      significantly in patients using glucocorticoid. CONCLUSION: The incidence of OME
      increased in patients applied with tracheal intubation for more than 7 days.
      Ventilator in PEEP mode, nasotracheal tube, and conscious disturbance were
      closely related with OME. Application of glucocorticoids reduced the incidence of
      OME.

PMID- 26121832
TI  - [The clinical efficacy of composite acoustic therapy in patients of sudden
      deafness with tinnitus].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the composite acoustic therapy is effective to
      treat tinnitus in patients with sudden deafness and to explore the mechanisms.
      METHOD: Ninety-six cases (96 ears) were divided into experimental group and
      control group, and all the patients underwent drug treatment. The patients in
      experimental group were given personalized composite acoustic therapy in the
      first 30 days, music therapy in next 31-90 days, however, the patients in control
      group were not given sound therapy. Additionally, pure tone audiogram, tinnitus
      pitch and loudness as well as questionnaires (including THI, VAS, and SAS) were
      conducted for each patient before treatment, at day 30 and day 90 posttreatment.
      RESULT: Eighty-nine patients (n = 47 for experimental group and n = 42 for
      control group) completed the trial. The results of day 30 posttreatment showed
      there were no significant differences in VAS and hearing recovery rate between
      these two groups, but THI and SAS showed significant differences. The results of
      day 90 posttreatment showed significant differences in VAS (P < 0.05), THI (P <
      0.01) and SAS (P < 0.01), and no significant difference of hearing recovery rate
      was detected. The most significant changes of VAS appeared in the first 30 days
      of treatment. The hearing and tinnitus recovery in experimental group were better
      for the first 30 days of treatment than for the next 31-90 days, and similar
      results were obtaind in control group. (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Composite acoustic
      treatment combined with drug therapy can improve the tinnitus and anxiety
      symptoms of patients with sudden deafness, and the effect on hearing recovery
      still need to be confirmed in further studies.

PMID- 26121833
TI  - [The options of surgery and laryngeal preservation for hypopharyngeal cancer
      patients more than 65 years old].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the effectiveness of preserving laryngeal function for senile
      hypopharyngeal cancer patientsolder than 65. METHOD: The clinical data of 58
      surgery cases of senile hypopharyngeal cancer patients more than 65 years old
      were colleted and analyzed. Thirty-one cases preserved the laryngeal function,
      while the rest did not. Perfect preoperative preparation was done before surgery.
      Surgical resection specimens were sent to frozen-section examination. When the
      negative incisal margin was confirmed, the defect was repaired by the
      appilication of local stitching, ribbon muscle flap, major myocutaneous flaps,
      split thickness skin and replacement of esophagus by stomach. Radical
      radiotherapy was used after surgery. Survival rate was calculated by the Kaplan
      Meier method. Chi-square test was used to compare complications of the two
      groups. RESULT: The 3 years and 5 years survival rate for all cases were 48.3%
      (28/58) and 27.6% (16/58), respectively. For patients with laryngeal function
      preservation, the 3 years and 5 years survival rate were 51.6% (16/31), 29.0%
      (9/31), respectively. For cases without laryngeal function preservation, the 3
      years survival rate and 5 years survival rate were 44.4% (12/ 27), 25.9% (7/27),
      respectively. The result showed no obvious difference in survival rate between
      two groups (P > 0.05). Surgery complication rate were 45.2% (14/31) and 40.7%
      (11/27), without obvious differences between the two groups (P > 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: It is feasible for senile hypopharyngeal cancer patients to choose
      suitable operation based on their physical conditions and the tumor extension.
      The key issues include well perioperative treatment management, correct
      indications grasp, and intraoperative repair skills improvement.

PMID- 26121834
TI  - [The microsurgical anatomic research of the internal auditory canal area on the
      retrosigmold approach].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety of the circular round window and discus
      anatomic landmarks of posterior wall of internal auditory canal by investigating
      the microscopic anatomy of internal auditory canal area of the retrosigmold
      approach, which can provide the anatomical basis for acoustic neutrinomas
      surgery. METHOD: Fifteen adult cadaver heads (30 sides) fixed with formalin were
      used in the study. The retrosigmold approach operations were imitated to dissect
      the blood vessels and nerves in internal auditory canal area by opening round
      bony window and removing posterior wall of internal auditory canal. RESULT:
      Fifteen specimens of 30 sides circular bone window were opened without injury
      with transverse sinus and sigmoid sinus. The vertical distance between the
      highest point of bone window margo superior and the lowest point of transverse
      sinus margo inferior was (4.02 +/- 0.32) mm. The vertical distance from the most
      anterior point of bone window leading edge to the most posterior point of sigmoid
      sinus trailing edge was (6.31 +/- 0.43) mm. The internal auditory canal tubercle
      located in the anterior superior position of internal auditory canal. The
      vertical distance from the highest point of internal auditory canal tubercle to
      the upper margin of internal auditory canal was (2.31 +/- 0.32) mm. To expose the
      whole internal auditory canal, the length and width of the internal auditory
      canal posterior wall removal was (7.29 +/- 0.32) mm, (4.12 +/- 0.29) mm. Within
      this removal range, no case of cochlea, semicircular canal or venous was injured
      in 30 specimens. CONCLUSION: The method of opening round window through
      retrosigmold approach is simple, practial and convenient. With little variation
      and easiness of location, the sinternal auditory canal tubercle can be used in
      the identification of the internal auditory canal. When exposing the whole
      internal auditory canal, the removal scope of the posterior wall should be paid
      more attention to, in order to avoid the damage of cochlea, semicircular canal
      and jugular bulb.

PMID- 26121835
TI  - [Adenoid cystic carcinoma of external auditory canal: 8 cases report].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical and pathological features of adenoid cystic
      carcinoma(ACC) of external auditory canal (EAC, and analyze the possible factors
      related to prognosis. METHOD: One out of 8 patients with ACC of EAC underwent
      tumor open biopsy. 5 patients underwent the extensive tumor resection, and 2
      patients underwent the modified lateral temporal bone resection (1 of the 2
      subjoined a total parotidectomy). Five patients received the postoperative
      radiotherapy. RESULT: The time of follow up was 5-97 months. Two patients were
      loss to follow-up, 5 patients with disease free survival, and 1 patient survival
      with tumor. CONCLUSION: In this study, ACC of EAC is more often observed in
      female. The most common clinical manifestations are otalgia and neoplasm which
      grows slowly. The disease has high misdiagnosis rate. Surgical treatment is
      effective for it.

PMID- 26121836
TI  - [Exploration of the role of cisplatin on transformation of larvngeal tumor cells
      to stem-like cancer cells].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the possibility mechanism of non-side population cells
      (NSP) of Hep-2 be induced into stem-like cancer cells by chemotherapy drug-
      cisplatin. METHOD: Hep-2 cell lines were sorted by fluorescence-actived cell
      sorting. The acquired NSP cells in trail group were co-cultured with cisplatin
      for more than 48 hours,while the control group with normal saline(NS). Then
      identified the percentage of the side population (SP) cells by flow cytometer.
      The beta-catenin, notch-1 mRNA in trial and control group were detected using
      quantitative realtime PCR, and the beta-catenin, notch-1 protein in two groups
      were compared by Western blot. RESULT: The percentage of side population cells in
      two groups were (17.16 +/- 0.18)%, (10.05 +/- 1.20)%, respectively. There was
      significant difference between two groups (t = 5.844, P < 0.01). The expression
      of beta-catenin, notch-1 was higher in trail group by qRT-PCR; the protein levels
      of beta- catenin, notch-1 was found to inceased in the trail group by Western
      blot (t = 5.155, P = 0.031; t = 5.977, P = 0.004). Statistical analysis showed
      significant difference between two groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: NSP cells can
      be differentiated into stem-like cancer cells after being treating with
      cisplatin. The supposed mechanism is maybe through wnt/beta-catenin, notch
      signaling transduction pathway abnormalities.

PMID- 26121837
TI  - [Combined inhibition of Stat3 and HIF-1alpha for enhancement of radio- and chemo
      sensitivity in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of signal transducer and activator of
      transcription 3 (Stat3) and hypoxia-inducible factor-lalpha (HIF-1alpha) on the
      resistance effect of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma to radiation therapy and
      chemotherapy under the hypoxia circumstances. METHOD: Western blot was used to
      test the expression of p-Stat3 and HIF-1alpha in the Hep-2 cells under the
      hypoxia conditions. MTT assay was used to test the proliferation of Hep-2 cells
      after radiation therapy and chemotherapy; the Hep-2 cells were suppressed
      expression of Stat3 and/or HIF-1alpha. RESULT: (1) AG490 induced significant
      proliferation inhibition on Hep-2 cells and Hep-2HIF-1alpha-/- cells in vitro
      underthe hypoxia environments (P < 0.05); (2) Suppressing expression of Stat3
      reduced the expression of HIF-1alpha protein (P < 0.05); (3) Combined inhibition
      of Stat3 and HIF-1alpha enhanced radio- and chemo-sensitivity in laryngeal
      squamous carcinoma cells under hypoxia. CONCLUSION: Combined inhibition of Stat3
      and HIF-1alpha can further enhance radio- and chemo-sensitivity in laryngeal
      squamous carcinoma cells under hypixia compare than inhibiting Stat3 or HIF
      1alpha alone. Effectively blocking of HIF-1alpha pathway and suppressing the
      expression of Stat3, would be an effective method to enhance radio- and chemo
      sensitivity in laryngeal squamous carcinoma cells, which provides a new thought
      to reduce the resistance to treatment.

PMID- 26121838
TI  - [Modified technique of endoscopic myringoplasty for repairing big perforation
      located at the rear of tympanic membrane].

PMID- 26121839
TI  - [Study of the curative effect for middle and high frequency sudden sensorineural
      hearing loss by opisthotic dose way].

PMID- 26121840
TI  - [Clinical effects of treatment in large perforation of tympanic membrane with the
      tragus cartilage perichondrium].

PMID- 26121841
TI  - [External auditory canal cholesteatoma surgery].

PMID- 26121842
TI  - [The analysis of hearing screening results with 18,000 subjects].

PMID- 26121843
TI  - [The report of 26 cases on esophageal barium imaging positive misdiagnosed as
      esophageal foreign body].

PMID- 26121844
TI  - [Laryngeal obstruction caused by giant thyroglossal duct cyst: one case report].
AB  - Thyroglossal duct cyst is the most common congenital malformation of the neck. It
      is generally with non-specific symptoms. In our hospital, one case of laryngeal
      obstruction caused by giant thyroglossal duct cyst was cured, and this case was
      reported for reference.

PMID- 26121845
TI  - [One case report of nasal vestibule aggressive fibromatosis].
AB  - The patient had found local uplift on the left nasal vestibule area for 3 years.
      An 2.0 cm x 1.0 cm mass was found on the left nasal vestibule area, which had
      tough texture, clear boundaries and no tenderness. In the operation, the tumor
      was found located between the left maxilla and major alar cartilage with no
      capsule and unclear boundary. The tumor is aggressive fibromatosis, which has
      invasive growth in adjacent muscle tissue. Immunohistochemical results: Ki-67,
      Vimentin(+), SMA(+), CD31(+), CD34(+), CK(-), Desmin (-), S-100(-), LCA(-).
      DIAGNOSIS: Aggressive fibromatosis.

PMID- 26121846
TI  - [One case of nasal Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma].
AB  - Female patients, 41 years old, with the left nasal cavity bleeding intermittently
      and left nasal congestion 20 days as the chief complaint to the hospital.
      Physical examinationindicated dark red mass was at the front-end of left nasal
      cavity, which has not smooth surface with blood vessels and hemorrhagic
      secretions, and back up to the middle turbinate. Sinus enhancement 3D-CT showed
      soft tissue density can be found in the left nasal cavity,Scan CT value is 37-47
      HU, and enhanced and delay is about 69-78 HU. Nasal septum,middle turbinate and
      inferior turbinate bonewas visible damage. The pathologic biopsy of left nasal
      cavity lesions results conform to the Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma.

PMID- 26121847
TI  - [Two cases of synovial sarcoma in the head and neck].
AB  - Synovial sarcoma is a malignant soft tissue with unknown origin. Although head
      and neck region is the second common site of involvement, rare cases have been
      reported in Para nasal sinus and larynx. We presented two cases of synovial
      sarcoma, one of which arised from maxillary sinus and the other from laryx, and
      re- view the literature to sum up the diagnosis and treatment strategies. The
      conclusion is that synovial sarcoma in the head and neck still raises diagnostic
      and therapeutic issues. Surgical excision with wide margins is essential and
      necessary, usually associated radiotherapy. The effect of chemotherapy remains to
      explored.

PMID- 26121848
TI  - [The clinical significance of the Delphian lymph node metastasis in papillary
      thyroid carcinoma].
AB  - Thyroid cancer is one of the commonest head and neck cancer. According to the
      recent research, VI lymph nodes (also called the front area, including
      thyrocricoid lymph nodes, tracheal surrounding lymph nodes, thyroid surrounding
      lymph node,recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes, retropharyngeal lymph nodes) is
      the most common site of involvement in the differentiated thyroid carcinoma.
      Thyrocricoid lymph nodes known as the Delphian lymph node(DLN) is located between
      the thyroid cartilage and the cricoid cartilage. The DLN is one of the most
      accurate predictor. This paper reviewed the clinical significance of the DLN, the
      role of DLN metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer, and the relationship between
      tumor size, multicentricity and DLN metastasis. We also discussed the association
      between DLN metastasis and additional central compartment metastasis, as well as
      lateral compartment metastasis.

PMID- 26121849
TI  - [The research progress of relationship between the obstructive sleep apnea
      hypopnea syndrome and asthma].
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is characterized by repeated
      episodes of upper airway obstruction that results in brief periods of breathing
      cessation (apnea) or a marked reduction in airflow (hypopnea) during sleep.
      Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by
      revesible air-flow obstruction and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. This article
      reviewed related reseaches progress of relationship between the obstructive sleep
      apnea hypopnea syndrom and asthma in the vascular endothelial growth factor,
      systemic inflammation, leptin, obesity, gastroesophageal reflux disease and upper
      airway diseases, excessive daytime sleepiness and asthma control.

PMID- 26121850
TI  - [Effect of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields on Osteogenic Differentiation and
      Wnt/beta-catenin Signaling Pathway in Rat Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of pulsed electromagnetic tields (FEMFs) on
      osteogemc differentiation and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway in rat bone
      marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). METHODS: Rat BMSCs were isolated and the
      passage 3 cells were divided into 3 groups. Cells were cultured in LG-DMEM
      complete medium for 1 d to ensure fully adherent. Then, change the medium. Cells
      were maintained in complete medium (Control group) or in osteo-induction medium
      (OM group). The cells in PEMFs group were cultured in complete medium and exposed
      to 8 Hz, 3. 8 mT PEMF stimulation for 40 min/d. The intervention lasted for 21 d.
      Cell proliferation activity was determined by using MTT. The effects of PEMF
      onosteogenic differentiation were assessed by ALP and Alizarin Red S staining.
      Various osteoblast-relevant genes and genes of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling were
      analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: We. found that OM could
      significantly promote the proliferation of BMSC at 7 d, 14 d, 21 d (P<0. 05), but
      the effect was not obviously found in PEMFs group. For osteogenic
      differentiation, the positive rates of ALP or Alizarin Red S staining were
      detected higher in PEMFs/ OM group (P < 0. 05). Quantitative RT-PCR revealed
      PEMFs or OM could increase mRNA levels of Wnt1, Wnt3a, LRP5, beta-catenin, BMP-2,
      Runx2, ALP, OC at special time point (P<0. 05). Compared to OM group, PEMFs have
      a lower expression in each detection, but the trends were consistent. CONCLUSION:
      PEMFs (8 Hz, 3. 8 mT) could induce the osteogenic differentiation of rat BMSCs
      via activating Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.

PMID- 26121851
TI  - [The New Bacteria Expressing Recombinant Multi-epitope Vaccine against
      Helicobacter pylori and Its Microbiological Characteristics].
AB  - OJECTIVE: To construct the engineering bacteria with recombinant plasmid
      expressing the multi-epitope vaccine which composed of Helicobacter pylori urea
      membrane channel protein (UreI), Helicobacter pylori urease B subunit (UreB) and
      cholera toxin B subunit (CTB), and then to study it's microbiological
      characteristics. METHODS: The sequence contains some dominant epitopes of
      Helicobacter pylori UreI and UreB was designed, and ctB was added at the N
      terminal, all the sequence were linked by flexible linkers. Codon optimization
      was done according to Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21 (DE3) bias, the optimized
      sequence was designated BIB. BIB sequence was synthesized and cloned into plasmid
      pET28a(+). The recombinant plasmid was confirmed by restriction enzyme digestion
      and DNA sequencing. The recombinant protein BIB was expressed in E. coli BL21
      (DE3) and analyzed by Western blot. RESULTS: The plasmid of pET28a(+)/BIB was
      constructed successfully, confirmed by restriction enzyme digestion and DNA
      sequencing. The recombinant protein BIB with relative molecular mass about 33 x
      10(3) could be produced by E. coli BL21 (DE3) and was detected by Western blot.
      The relative molecular mass and N-terminal amino acid sequence of BIB were 100%
      identity with the design. CONCLUTION: The engineering bacteria with recombinant
      plasmid expressing the multi-epitope vaccine against Helicobacter pylori was
      constructed successfully. The recombinant protein BIB can be identified by anti
      Sydney strain 1 of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori SS1) polyclonal antibody and
      anti-CTB monoclonal antibody, which demonstrated that BIB has the expected
      antigenicity.

PMID- 26121852
TI  - [Prokaryotic Expression of Rv0757 Gene in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the
      Effect of Its Coding Protein on the Function of Macrophage].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To construct recombinant plasmid pET28a-Rv0757 with Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis (Mtb) Rv0757 gene, and to determine the effect of the protein of
      Rv0757 gene on ANA-1 cells. METHODS: We recombined the amplified Rv0757 gene into
      theprokaryotic plasmid pET28a (+). The expressed product was identified by SDS
      PAGE and Western blot. Murine macrophages were treated with purified protein
      PhoP. Survived cells, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), nitric oxide (NO), and cell
      apoptosis were detected after the treatment. RESULTS: We successfully constructed
      the recombinant plasmid pET28a-Rv0757. The target protein was confirmed by SDS
      PAGE and Western blot. The protein had no significant effect on cell numbers and
      LDH activities in the culture supernatant, but it inhibited the release of NO and
      apoptosis of ANA-1 cells. CONCLUSION: pET28a-Rv0757 plasmid with prokaryotic
      expression was successfully constructed. The targetprotein has no toxicity on
      macrophages, but it can inhibit NO release and cell apoptosis of ANA-1.

PMID- 26121853
TI  - [Construction of BAD Lentivirus Vector and Its Effect on Proliferation in A549
      Cell Lines].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To construct the recombinant lentivirus expressing vector BAD (Bcl-2
      associated death protein) gene and to study its effect on A549 cell
      proliferation. METHODS: The BAD gene was amplified from plasmid pAV-MCMV-BAD-GFP
      by PCR. The purified BAD gene fragment was inserted into a lentivirus vector
      (pLVX-IRES-ZsGreen 1), and the insertion was identified by PCR, restriction
      endonuclease analysis and DNA sequencing. A549 cells were then transfected with
      the packaged recombinant lentivirus, and resistant cell clones were selected with
      flow cytometry. The expression of BAD in A549 cell lines stably transduction with
      a lentivirus was examined using Western blot. The effect of BAD overexpression on
      proliferation of A549 cells was evaluated by using CCK-8 kit. RESULTS:
      Restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing showed that the full-length BAD
      gene (507 bp) had been successfully subcloned into the lentiviral vector to
      result in the recombinant vector pLVX-IRES-ZsGreen 1. Monoclonal cell lines BAD
      A549 was produced after transfection with the recombinant lentivirus and selected
      with flow cytometry. Stable expression of BAD protein was verified by Western
      blot. In vitro, the OD value in BAD group was significantly lower than that of
      control groups from 120-144 h (P<0. 05). CONCLUSION: A549 cell lines stably
      transduced with a lentivirus expressing the BAD gene had been successfully
      generated. In vitro, BAD overexpression significantly inhibited A549 cells
      proliferation.

PMID- 26121854
TI  - [Sodium Ferulate Attenuates Oxidative Stress Induced Inflammation via Suppressing
      NALP3 and NF-kappaB Signal Pathway].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of sodium ferulate on inflammation in human lung
      epithelial cells (A549) under oxidative stress and itsinfluence onthe expression
      of inflammasome NACHT-PYD-containing protein 3 (NALP3) and nuclear factor kappa B
      (NF-kappaB). METHODS: Human lung epithelial cells A549 cultured in vitro were
      divided into 4 groups, including control group, H2O2 (100umol/L) stress group, NF
      kappaB blockers group (PDTC 100 umol/L+ H2O2 100 umol/L), sodium ferulate (SF)
      intervention group (SF 400ug/mL+ H2O2 10umol/L). The expression of
      NALP3,IkappaBalpha protein were evaluated by Western blot, while mRNA levels of
      NALP3, NF-kappaB (P65) were measured by qRT-PCR. The level of interleukin-1beta
      (ILbeta1) were detected by ELISA. RESULTS: H2O2 not only increased the mRNA and
      protein expression levels of NALP3, but also enhanced the secretion of ILbeta1p
      in human lung epithelial cells A549 (P<0. 05) when compared with control group.
      NF-kappaB blockers PDTC and sodium ferulateresisted the effects of H2O2 on A549
      cells, that decreased the mRNA and protein expression of NALP3 and the mRNA
      expression of NF-kappaB (P65), reduced the degeneration of IkappaBalpha and the
      secretion of IL-1beta (P<0. 05) when compared to H2O2 stress group. CONCLUSION:
      SF may reduce the expression of NALP3 and IL-1beta by inhibiting NF-kappaB, so as
      to reduce the inflammation caused by oxidative stress.

PMID- 26121855
TI  - [Effect of Chlorogenic Acid on Hepatic Stellate Cell Proliferation, Generation
      and Degradation of Extracelluar Matrix].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of chlorogenic acid (CGA) on hepatic
      stellate cell proliferation and the expression and secretion of Collagen I,
      Collagen III, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and matrix
      metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2). METHODS: An immortalized rat hepatic stellate cell
      (HSC) line was cultured in vitro. The cells were divided into 5 groups: control
      group; platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) (10 ng/mL), PDGF+CGA (12.5 ug/mL),
      PDGF+CGA (25 ug/mL), PDGF+CGA (50 ug/mL) and CGA (50 ug/mL) group. After 24 hours
      treatment, the proliferation of HSC was detected by MTT method. The mRNA
      expression of Collagen I, Collagen III, TIMP-1 and MMP-2 were detected by RT-PCR.
      The protein levels of Collagen I, Collagen III, TIMP-1 and MMP-2 in the culture
      supernatant of HSC were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: PDGF increased the hepatic
      stellate cell proliferation, the mRNA expression and the protein levels of
      Collagen I, Collagen III and TIMP-1. (P < 0.05), which were significantly
      decreased by CGA (P < 0. 05). However, CGA had no significant influence on the
      expression of MMP-2. CONCLUSION: The antifibrotic effect of CGA may be related
      with the inhibition of hepatic stellate cell proliferation and generation of
      extracelluar matrix and promotion of extracelluar matrix degradation.

PMID- 26121856
TI  - [Effect of Phellinus Polysaccharide on Canonical Wnt Signaling in Synovium in
      Rats with Rheumatoid Arthritis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of Phellinus Polysaccharide (FPS) in
      activating canonical Wnt signaling in rats with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
      METHODS: Male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups (normal group, RA
      model group and PPS treated RA group), each with 10 rats. The RA model rats were
      prepared through intradermal injection of 0. 1 mL complete Freund's adjuvant into
      the right rear toes of the rats. The PPS treated RA rats were given 50 mg/kg PPS
      by gavage eight days after the introduction of RA. All rats were evaluated with
      arthritis score and paw swelling score at day 16, 20, 24, 28, 32. At day 28, the
      expressions of fibronectin gene, Wnt signal pathway negative regulation gene
      SFRP1,2 and Wnt key gene beta-catenin, C-myc, and ccndl were detected by real
      time qPCR. RESULTS: PPS significantly reduced the arthritis score and paw
      swelling score of RA model rats. Lower levels of expression of SFRP1, 2 and
      higher levels of expression of beta-catenin, C-myc, ccndl and fibronectin were
      found in the RA model rats compared with the normal controls. PPS increased the
      expression of SFRP1, 2 and decreased the expression of beta-catenin, C-myc, ccndl
      and fibronectin in the RA rats. CONCLUSION: PPS has significant therapeutic
      effect on RA model rats through inhibiting canonical Wnt signaling.

PMID- 26121857
TI  - [The Role of 5-Aza-CdR on Methylation of Promoter in RASSF1A Gene in Endometrial
      Carcinoma].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of demethylating drug 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5
      Aza-CdR) on methtylation status of the Ras-association domain familylA gene
      (RASSF1A) in human endometrial carcinoma. METHODS: Randomly'assign the human
      endometrial carcinoma cell line HEC-1-B into groups and use demethylating drug 5
      Aza-CdR of different concentration to treat them. Then Methylation-specific
      polymerase chain reaction (MSP), real-time PCR, Western blot, TUNEL technology
      were used to analyze methylation status of RASSF1A promoter CpG islands, RASSF1A
      mRNA expression, RASSF1A protein expression and apoptosis of HEC-1-B cell.
      RESULTS: High DNA methylation in RASSF1A gene promoter region, low RASSF1A mRNA
      level and protein expression and out of control of human endometrial carcinoma
      cell HEC-1-B apoptosis were observed. 5-Aza-CdR of different concentration could
      reverse RASSF1A gene's methylation status, recover the expression of mRNA and
      protein, and control the growth of HEC-1-B by inducing apoptosis. CONCLUSION:
      Aberrant methylation of RASSF1A in endometrial cancer as a therapeutic target,
      demethylating agent 5-Aza-CdR could be an effective way of gene therapy.

PMID- 26121858
TI  - [S-Adenosylmethionine Inhibits Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-C
      Protein and Cellular Proliferation in Gastric Cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore inhibitory effects of S-adenosylmethionine on vascular
      endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) protein and cellular proliferation in
      gastric cancer by regulating methylation status of VEGF-C promoter. METHODS: MTT
      analyses and nude mice model were employed to examine the effects of S-
      adenosylmethionine on inhibiting gastric cancer growth in vitro and in vivo. The
      protein expression of VEGF-C in gastric cancer cells was assessed by Western
      blot. The methylation status of VEGF-C promoter was assessed by bisulfite genomic
      DNA sequencing analysis. RESULTS: VEGF-C promoter was hypomethylated in MGC803
      and SGC7901. The treatment of S-adenosylmethionine resulted in a heavy
      hypermethylation of VEGF-C promoter, which consequently down regulated protein
      level of VEGF-C. S-adenosylmethionine effectively inhibited the growth of gastric
      cancer cells in vitro and in vivo (P<0. 05). CONCLUSION: S-adenosylmethionine can
      effectively reverse DNA hypomethylation on VEGF-C promoter which down-regulates
      VEGF-C protein expression and inhibit gastric cancer growth.

PMID- 26121859
TI  - [Effects of 18beta-glycyrrhetinic Acid on the Expression of CCL11, AQP1 and EOS
      in Nasal Mucosa of Allergic Rhinitis Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of 18beta-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) on the
      expression of eotaxin 1 (CCL11), aquaporin protein 1 (AQP1) and eosinophil (EOS)
      in nasal mucosa of allergic rhinitis (AR) rats. METHODS: Seventy six Wistar rats
      were randomly divided into 4 groups, normal control (NC) group, AR model (AR)
      group, loratadine (LOA) group and 18beta-GA group. All the mice in AR, LOA and
      18beta-GA groups were sensitized intraperitoneally with OVA and AL(OH), from day
      1-14, then induced by intranasal administration with OVA from day 14-21, while
      the mice in NC group were sensitized with saline. The mice in both LOA and 18beta
      GA group were given LOA and 18beta-GA once a day respectively from the 21 d,
      while the mice in AR and NC groups were administrated with saline. At the end of
      1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks, the behavioral changes of mice were observed and
      recorded, the level of CCL11 mRNA was measured by RT-QPCR, and AQP1 expression
      was investiaged by SP staing. EOS in nasal mucosa was studied with the methods of
      HE staining. RESULTS: Compared with NC group, AR group showed typical AR
      symptoms. With the treatments, AR symptom scores and the expression levels of
      CCL11, AQP1 and EOS in nasal mucosa were improved significantly (P<0. 05). When
      compared with AR group, the above statistics in LOA group were down-regulated
      evidently at different points in time (P<. 05). At the end of 1 week, the above
      detection results in 18beta-GA group were lower than those in AR group (P<0. 05).
      At the end of 2 weeks, those parameters approached to the levels of LOA and NC
      group significantly. CONCLUSION: 18beta-GA administration could down-regulate the
      expression levels of CCL11, AQP1 and EOS in nasal mucosa of allergic rhinitis
      rats and cast effects on inhibiting the progress of AR.

PMID- 26121860
TI  - [Cariporide Pretreatment Attenuates Lung Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rabbits].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of selective Na+/H+ exchanger antagonist
      Cariporide on ischemia-reperfusion induced lung injury. METHODS: Twenty four New
      Zealand White rabbits with lung ischemia-reperfusion model were established and
      randomly divided into four groups (n=6 per group) including sham group (S group),
      ischemia-reperfusion group (IR group), low potassium dextran group (LPD group)
      and Cariporide group (HOE group). Blood and lung tissue samples were obtained for
      blood gas, biochemical analyses and histologic examination. RESULTS: Systemic
      administration of HOE increased oxygenation index (arterial oxygen
      tension/fraction of inspire oxygen, PaO2/FiO2) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)
      activities, while decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, proinflammatory
      cytokines and natrium hydrogen exchanger-1 (NHEI) expressions, along with the
      reduction of lung water content (LWC) except for histologic evaluation scores (P<
      0. 05, versus IR group and LPD group). CONCLUSION: Systemic administration of
      Cariporide before ischemia could protects the lung from ischemia-reperfusion
      injury via decreasing NHE1 expression. The protective effect seems to be closely
      related to regulating intracellular calcium overload, oxidative damage and
      antioxidant enzyme activities and neutrophil infiltration.

PMID- 26121861
TI  - [Protective Effect of Activated Nrf2 against Hyperoxia-induced Lung Injury in
      Neonatal Rats].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2
      (Nrf2) agonist on the apoptosis of alveolar cell induced by hyperoxia and to
      explore whether Nrf2 activation could protect neonatal rats from hyperoxia
      induced lung injury. METHODS: 90 neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized
      into room air group (FiO2 =21%, N group), hyperoxia group (0 group) and Nrf2
      group (n=30 each). Neonatal rats in the 0 group and Nrf2 group received saline 0.
      2 mL and Nrf2 agonist 30 mg/kg respectively at the first and second day after
      birth, and were exposed in high concentration oxygen (95%) for 4 d. N group rats
      were fed in room air. The apoptotic index (AI) and Nrf2 expression of lung tissue
      were detected by TUNEL and immunohistochemistry staining respectively. RESULTS:
      Compared with 0 group (28. 8% +/- 3. 0%), the AI of alveolar. cell was lower in N
      group (0. 7%+/-0. 6%) and Nrf2 group (7. 2% +/- 0. 8%) (P<0. 01). The expression
      of Nrf2 was significantly higher in 0 group (926. 80 +/- 130. 51) and Nrf2 group
      (1038. 40+/-151. 12) than that in N group (30. 03+/-9. 99) (P<0. 01). CONCLUSION:
      Nrf2 activation could reduce the alveolar cellular apoptosis and protect neonatal
      rats from hyperoxia induced lung injury.

PMID- 26121862
TI  - [Genetic Polymorphisms in Wnt Signaling Pathway and Acute Leukemia].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the impacts of Wnt signaling pathway products
      polymorphisms of rs4135385, rs11079571 and rs7832767 located in beta-catenin gene
      (CTNNB1), Axin gene (AXIN2), and secreted frizzled-related protein gene (SFRP1)
      on the risk and treatment outcomes of acute leukemia. METHODS: Bone marrows
      (volume 1-1. 5 mL) were collected from 372 untreated patients with acute myeloid
      leukemia (AML) or acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and peripheral blood
      samples (2. 0 mL) were obtained from 401 healthy controls for the purpose of
      total DNA extraction. Polymorphisms of rs4135385, rs11079571 and rs7832767
      located in CTNNB1, AXIN2 and SFRP1 were genotyped with high-resolution melting
      method (HRM). Chi-square analyses were performed to compare the genotype and
      allele distributions of the three single nucleotides (SNPs) between the leukemia
      patients and healthy controls. Single factor variance tests were performed to
      compare the differences in clinical features among different genotype groups.
      Complete remission (CR) rates after induction chemotherapy were also compared
      between different genotype groups using Chi-square tests. RESULTS: No significant
      differences were found beiween the leukemia patients and healthy controls in the
      frequencies of alleles and genotypes of CTNNB1 rs4135385, SFRP1 rs7832767
      polymorphisms. Those with A allele in AXIN2 rs11079571 polymorphism was less
      likely to have acute myelomonocytic/monocytic leukemia than those with G allele
      (P = 0. 016, OR=0. 677, 95%CI:0. 439-0. 930). Acute bead monocyte/mononuclear
      cell leukemia (AML-M4/5)patients with AA genotype presented higher platelet count
      (P = 0. 040), and higher complete remission rate after chemotherapy (P = 0. 040),
      compared with the patients with AG and GG genotypes. CONCLUSION: AML-M4/5
      patients have less frequency of A allele in AXIN2 rs11079571 polymorphism than
      healthy controls. Patients carrying A allele have higher platelet counts and
      higher sensitivity to chemotherapy.

PMID- 26121863
TI  - [The Methylation of p16 Gene Promoter in Carcinogenesis and Development of Breast
      Cancer].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protein expression of the p16 gene and the
      methylation of its promoter in breast cancer, and to analyze the correlation
      between the p16 DNA methylation and the clinicopathological features. METHODS:
      Immuno-histochemistry technique (SP method) and methylation-specific-PCR (MSP)
      were used to detect p16 protein expression and the methylation of the p16
      promoter in 47 breast cancer samples as well as in 20 hyperplasia samples of
      mammary glands. Results The p16 protein expression in breast cancer samples
      significantly lower when compared with those of hyperplasia samples (48. 9% vs.
      70. 0%) and p16 methylation was more frequent in breast-tumor tissues when
      compared with those of hyperplasia samples (38. 3% vs. 20. 0%), but the
      statistical significance wasn't found (P> 0. 05). Down-regulation of p16 protein
      was negatively correlation with p16 gene hypermethylation (r= -0. 33, P =0. 02).
      Meanwhile, p16 methylation in breast cancer tissues correlated with histological
      type, lymph node metastasis, but not correlated with the age, tumor diameter, TNM
      stage, expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) gene
      status. CONCLUSION: The downregulation of p16 protein induced by promoter
      methylation of p16 gene may not contribute to early cancinogenesis, but may
      contribute to progression of breast cancer.

PMID- 26121864
TI  - [Expression of USP9X in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and Its Clinical
      Significance].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and clinical significance of ubiquitin
      specific protease 9X (USP9X) protein in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
      METHODS: USP9X proteins were detected in 71 cases of NSCLC and 20 cases of benign
      pulmonary tissues by immunohistochemical staining. The correlation between USP9X
      expression and 51 NSCLC clinicopathological parameters as well as survival rates
      were indicated. RESULTS: Higher rate [69. 0% (49/71)] of the expression of USP9X
      was observed in NSCLC samples, compared with 20. 0% (4/20) in benign pulmonary
      tissues (P<0. 001). Furthermore, the expression of USP9X proteins was positively
      associated with both histological types and lymph node metastasis (P<0. 05). The
      survival analysis showed that the survival rate was lower in patients with
      positive expressions of USP9X than in patients with negative expressions (P< 0.
      05). USP9X expression, together with histological types and TNM stage was an
      independent predictor for overall survival in the multivariate Cox regression
      model (P < 0. 05). CONCLUSION: Up-regulation of USP9X plays an important role in
      the invasion and progression of NSCLC and could be considered as a prognostic
      predictor for NSCLC.

PMID- 26121865
TI  - [The Antimicrobial Resistance Analysis of 73 Strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae
      Isolated from Infant Respiratory Tract].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To preliminary study of the resistance mechanisms of S. pneumoniae (S.
      pn) by determining the resistance rates and gene of S. pn isolated from the lower
      respiratory tract infection infants. METHODS: Drug susceptibility test with disk
      diffusion and broth micro-dilution was conducted to evaluate the resistance rates
      of 73 strains of S. pn isolated from the lower respiratory tract infection
      infants to penicillin, levofloxacin and other 10 antibiotics. PCR method was used
      to analysis the antimicrobial resistant genes tet M, mef A, erm A, erm B and int
      Tn of the isolates. RESULTS: The antibiotic resistance rates of the S. pn
      isolates to erythromycin, clindamycin and tetracycline were 95. 9%, 94. 5%, 87.
      7% and 0% to vancomycin when tested with disk diffusion method. The antibiotic
      resistance rates of these isolates to penicillin, cefotaxime and ceftriaxone were
      45. 2%, 47. 9% and 46. 6% respectively when tested with broth micro-dilution
      method. The carrier frequencies of tet M, mef A, erm A, erm B, int Tn genes in
      the 73 isolates were 91. 8%, 63. 0%, 58. 9%, 39. 7% and 61. 6% respectively.
      CONCLUSION: The S. pn strains isolated from infant respiratory tract in Chengdu
      perform a serious drug resistance problem, especially to routine antibiotics like
      erythromycin, clindamycin and tetracycline and cephalosporin, the resistance rate
      to levofloxacin, chloramphenicol remained at a low level; the resistance to
      tetracycline was closely related with the tet M gene fragment, the resistance to
      macrolide was mainly decided by active efflux pump and secondarily by the
      alternation of gene targeting, int Tn had close relation with tet M, erm B.

PMID- 26121866
TI  - [Relationship of Human Papillomavirus Subtypes and Multiple Infection with
      Different Cervical Precancerous Diseases in Sichuan Province].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of human papillomavirus (HPV) subtypes
      and multiple infections with different cervical precancerous diseases. METHODS:
      Retrospective study was done to review 1 226 patients with different cervical
      lesions who were pathologically diagnosed and scanned for HPV 23 subtypes with
      positive results from June 2006 to May 2012. These patients were divided into the
      following groups, chronic cervicitis, cervical condyloma, cervical
      intraepithelium neoplasia grade I (CIN I), grade II (CIN II), grade III (CINIII).
      RESULTS: There were significant differences in the proportion of HPV low risk
      types and high risk types between cervicitis, condyloma, CIN I group and CIN II +
      III groups (P<0. 05). HPV low risk types in condyloma group were mainly 6 and 11
      subtype, while the other four groups were 42 and 43 subtype. The four most
      prevalence high risk types were 58, 16, 52,18 subtype. The infection rates of
      HPV16 were significant different in cervicitis (11. 0%), CIN II (20. 3%), and CIN
      III (20. 2%)(P<0. 01), and the infection rates of HPV58 was quite different
      between cervicitis (15. 9%) and CIN II (21. 4%) (P<0. 05). HPV multiple infection
      rate in condyloma (68. 8%) was significant different from that of cervicitis (23.
      1%), CINI (26. 1%), CIN II (27. 8%) and CIN III (27. 1%) (P<0. 01); while the
      rest four groups were not significantly different (P>0. 05). CONCLUSION: There is
      a unique epidemiologic characteristic of HPV infection in Sichuan Province. The
      HPV low risk types were mainly 42 and 43, and high risk types were mainly 58, 16,
      52, 18. It seems that HPV multiple infection is not the leading cause of
      progression of cervical disease.

PMID- 26121867
TI  - [Vestibular Dysfunction in Patients with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
      without Vertigo].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To observe the vestibular dysfunction in sudden sensorineural hearing
      loss (SSHL) patients without vertigo. METHODS: Forty-two cases of unilateral SSHL
      without vertigo were enrolled in the study from May 2012 to May 2014. All
      patients underwent air conducted sound elicited oVEMP and cVEMP respectively.
      Some of them also received caloric test. Sixty-two SSHL patients with vertigo and
      twenty-five age-and gender-matched normal subjects were recruited as controls to
      analyze the vestibular dysfunction in SSHL patients without. vertigo. RESULTS:
      Abnormal oVEMP was observed in 54. 8% affected ears without vertigo (23/42), 64.
      5% ears with vertigo (40/62), and 26. 0% normal ears (13/50). Abnormal cVEMP was
      observed in 52. 4% affected ears without vertigo (22/42), 48. 4% ears with
      vertigo (30/62), and 14. 0% normal ears (7/50). Caloric test was operated in 21
      SSHL patients without vertigo and 29 patients with vertigo. Abnormal caloric test
      was observed in 52.4% (11/21) SSHL patients without vertigo and 75. 9% (22/29)
      SSHL patients with vertigo respectively. Statistical significance was found in
      oVEMP and cVEMP rates between SSHL without vertigo and normal group (P<0. 01).
      However, no significant statistical difference was found in oVEMP, cVEMP rates
      and caloric test between SSHL without vertigo and SSHL with vertigo group (P>0.
      05). CONCLUSION: Vestibular function could be damaged in SSHL patients without
      vertigo. The abnormal rates of oVEMP, cVEMP and caloric test in SSHL patients
      without vertigo were similar to that of SSHL patients with vertigo. The
      appearance of vertigo might be irrelevant to the range and extent of vestibular
      dysfunction.

PMID- 26121868
TI  - [The Cross-sectional Study on the Influence Factors for Encrustation of Double J
      Stent in Patients with Urolithiasis].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the influence factors for encrustation of double J stent in
      patients with urolithiasis. METHODS: In this study, there were 84 urolithiasis
      patients with double J stent included from February to July 2014 in our hospital.
      The encrustation on double J stent was evaluated by a PC stereo microscope. The
      nterrelated clinical data were obtained, then the factors which may affect the
      encrustation were studied by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean
      indwelling time was (17. 0+/-6. 0) d, and a thin encrustation formed on the
      stents for most cases [67/84(79. 8%)]. Compared with the cases who did not form a
      thin encrustation, those having a thin encrustation formation on the stent were
      younger [(44. 9+/-11. 5) vs. (54. 4+/-12. 6), P=0. 004]; The patients with
      proteinuria got a higher rate of encrustation [62/73(84. 9%) vs. 5/11 (45. 5%),
      P=0. 002]. The patients with urinary tract infection had a higher rate of
      encrustation [26/28(92. 9%) vs. 41/56(73. 2%), P 3. 035]. The patients with
      hematuriaalso got a higher rate of encrustation [67/80(83. 8%) vs. 0/4, P=0.
      001]. Different sex, retention time,serum calcium,inorganic phosphorus, uric
      acid, urine pH,lithiasis component had no effects on encrustation (P>0. 05).
      Logistic regression analysis showed that age and proteinuria was retained as
      idependent correlated factors with encrustation (P<0. 05), while hematuria and
      urinary tract infections had a low ntensity correlation with encrustation (P>0.
      05). CONCLUSION: For encrustation of double J stentin patients with urolithiasis,
      younger age, increased urinary protein, hematuria and infections are important
      risk-factors.

PMID- 26121869
TI  - [Childhood Overweight and Socioeconomic Status: Evidence from China].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of childhood overweight and its
      association with family socio-economic status (SES). METHODS: Data of children
      aged 7-18 years were extracted from the 1991-2009 China Health and Nutrition
      Survey. Childhood overweight was defined using criteria proposed by the China and
      International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). SES was measured with average household
      income per capita. The associations between SES and childhood body mass index
      (BMI) and overweight were analyzed by a multivariate linear regression model and
      a logistic regression model, respectively. RESULTS: A triple increase in
      household income and prevalence of childhood overweight was found during the
      period from 1991 to 2009. Increased household income was associated with
      increased childhood BMI. Children living in a low-income family were less likely
      to be overweight than those living in a high-income family [odds ratio (OR) = 0.
      490, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0. 266, 0. 904]. CONCLUSION: Childhood
      overweight is associated with household income. Family intervention can help
      control childhood overweight problem in China.

PMID- 26121870
TI  - [Prevalence and Risk Factors of Major Depression Disorders in Local Teachers
      Three Months after Lushan Earthquake].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of major depression
      disorder (MDD) in local teachers at an early stage post Lushan earthquake.
      METHODS: A prospective cohort study was undertaken, with 319 local teachers
      receiving diagnostic MDD assessment using MINI 14-22 d and 85-95 d after the
      earthquake, respectively. Possible predictive factors were identified using a
      self-developed questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression
      analyses were performed to determine the predictors of MDD. RESULTS: Fifteen (4.
      70%) local teachers were diagnosed with MDD. Those who had an injured direct
      relative [odds ratio (OR) = 6. 26], with inhabitable house (OR=4. 26), and felt
      easy to get sad 14-20 d weeks post earthquake (OR= 11. 45) were more likely to
      suffer from MDD than others. An anxious emotion 14-20 d post earthquake was a
      protective factor (OR=0. 14) of MDD. CONCLUSION: Post earthquake MDD in local
      teachers deserves concerns, especially for those who have injured relatives, with
      an inhabitable house, and who feel easy to get sad 14-20 d post earthquake.

PMID- 26121871
TI  - [A Survey of Maternal Dietary Behavior Based on Theory of Reasoned Action].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To detect the diet behavior and influencing factors of related
      behavior at different stages among pregnant women. METHODS: Based on the Theory
      of Reasoned Action (TRA), literature review, expert evaluation and preliminary
      investigation, we designed and finalized three questionnaires. Diet behaviors
      among women in early term, medium term and late term were investigated by using
      the questionnaires. RESULTS: 624 early term, 619 medium term and 738 late term
      valid questionnaires were returned. Participants ranged from 18 to 45 years of
      age. 74% pregnancy body mass index (BMI) was within the normal range. More than
      43% care taking was provided by the mother, followed by the husband. The
      participants had a good eating behavior on the whole. At 3 stages, carbohydrate
      intake, protein intake and fat intake were no significant difference when
      compared with that of recommended value (P> 0. 05). The pregnant women intaked
      insufficient cereal, beans, dairy and aquatic products, while fruit and nuts were
      more than needed (P<0. 05). Subjective norms influenced their eating behavior
      indirectly through influencing their behavior attitude and behavioral intention.
      The attitude could influence behavior directly without involving the intention.
      CONCLUSION: The participants had relatively good diet behavior, but still had
      problems on food choice and a reasonable combination of a variety of food.
      Subjective norms influenced their behavior attitude and behavioral intention. The
      mother had the strongest influence on the pregnant woman's diet attitude and
      behavioral intention among all those had direct contact with the pregnant woman.

PMID- 26121872
TI  - [Affinity Detection and Quantification of Receptors of TRAIL Based on Their
      Thermostability].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop a way for tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing
      ligand (TRAIL) receptors quantification in cancer via its' thermostability.
      METHODS: Endougenous alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity and denaturation
      temperature of pancreatic cancer cell lines AsPC-1 and Capan-2 were detected.
      Boiling treated recombinant protein death receptor 5 (DR5), named DR5 AP, as well
      as pancreatic cancer cells lines AsPC-1 and Capan-2 were incubated with AP-tagged
      TRAIL (AP-TRAIL), and then reacted with Reagent A and Reagent S, the substrate of
      AP, to quantitive and in site detection of the receptor. RESULTS: The endougenous
      AP activity of pancreatic cancer cells lines AsPC-1 and Capan-2 could not be
      totally inactivated by incubated at 65  degrees C, thus inhibited the detection
      of TRAIL receptor, but the activity was dramatically decreased after treated with
      boiling water, whereas the DR5-AP was thermal stable. The surface receptor of
      AsPC-1 and Capan-2 could be recognized and bound by AP-TRAIL after treated at 100
      degrees C, the readings were 2. 210+/-0. 393 and 2. 027+/-0. 019. CONCLUSION:
      The TRAIL receptors are thermostable and this may provide a better diagnosis and
      prognosis of cancer as well as personalize cancer therapy.

PMID- 26121873
TI  - [3D Reconstruction of PCL Based on MRI and CT Image Fusion].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) image of posterior cruciate
      ligament (PCL) based on MRI and CT image fusion. METHODS: CT and MRI scans were
      performed on 12 knees of young men. The Dicom data were extracted and unified.
      The outline of PCL on MRI imaging was drew and plugged into the CT data. Finally,
      the visible 3D image of PCL with adjacent bones was reconstructed. The imaging
      anatomical measurements were examined and compared with those in published
      literature. RESULTS: Two cases were excluded from this study because of data
      deviations. The 3D visible reconstruction of PCL was proved to be feasible on the
      other ten cases. CONCLUSION: Three-dimensional visible reconstruction of PCL
      based on CT and MRI image fusion is feasible, which can provide support for
      individualized treatment of PCL injuries. Further simplification with increased
      accuracy may be needed.

PMID- 26121874
TI  - [Improving Threshold Segmentation in 3D Reconstruction of Mandible CT Image].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop a new threshold segmentation method for mandible image
      segmentation. METHODS: CT data of 12 volunteers were exported into Mimics 10. 01.
      An improved method usinga narrowed threshold range (the maximum threshold range
      that can segment mandible without manual efforts) was developed in 3D
      reconstruction, and compared with the traditional method. We used dilation
      operations to make up the information loss of image borders, by which we obtained
      an approxinate segment result. A precise segment resultwas eventually arrived
      with the help of logical operations and region growing. We compared mean time
      consumptions of the two methods, as well as their 3D reconstruction results using
      Geomagic Studio 11. 0. RESULTS: The new method generated a success rate of 91.
      67% (11/12), with a mean time consumption of (319. 7+/-125. 3) s. The traditional
      method took much longer time [(1,261. 3+/-427. 3) s, P<0. 05] than the new
      method. Compared with the reconstruction results of traditional method, the new
      method had an outward deviation of (0. 066+/-0. 011) mm and an inward deviation
      of (0. 070+/-0. 008) mm. Such deviations were less than the minimum distance that
      a naked eye can discern. The lower limit of the widest threshold range which
      mandible could be isolated was (507. 72+/- 100. 31) HU, while the upper limit was
      (1,133. 33+/-47. 57) HU. CONCLUSION: The new method we proposed can improve the
      efficiency of threshold segmentation of mandible.

PMID- 26121875
TI  - [Comparison of Quantification of Myocardial Infarct Size by One Breath Hold
      Single Shot PSIR Sequence and Segmented FLASH-PSIR Sequence at 3. 0 Tesla MR].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the two sequences [single shot true-FISP-PSIR (single shot
      PSIR) and segmented-turbo-FLASH-PSIR (segmented-PSIR)] in the value of
      quantification for myocardial infarct size at 3. 0 tesla MRI. METHODS: 38
      patients with clinical confirmed myocardial infarction were served a
      comprehensive gadonilium cardiac MRI at 3. 0 tesla MRI system (Trio, Siemens).
      Myocardial delayed enhancement (MDE) were performed by single shot-PSIR and
      segmented-PSIR sequences separatedly in 12-20 min followed gadopentetate
      dimeglumine injection (0. 15 mmol/kg). The quality of MDE images were analysed by
      experienced physicians. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio
      (CNR) between the two techniques were compared. Myocardial infarct size was
      quantified by a dedicated software automatically (Q-mass, Medis). RESULTS: All
      objectives were scanned on the 3. 0T MR successfully. No significant difference
      was found in SNR and CNR of the image quality between the two sequences (P>0.
      05), as well as the total myocardial volume, between two sequences (P>0. 05).
      Furthermore, there were still no difference in the infarct size [single shot-PSIR
      (30. 87 +/- 15. 72) mL, segmented-PSIR (29. 26+/-14. 07) ml], ratio [single shot
      PSIR (22. 94%+/-10. 94%), segmented-PSIR (20. 75% +/- 8. 78%)] between the two
      sequences (P>0. 05). However, the average aquisition time of single shot-PSIR
      (21. 4 s) was less than that of the latter (380 s). CONCLUSION: Single shot-PSIR
      is equal to segmented-PSIR in detecting the myocardial infarct size with less
      acquisition time, which is valuable in the clinic application and further
      research.

PMID- 26121876
TI  - [Perinatal Management for Monochorionic Twin Reversed Arterial Perfusion
      Sequence].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the perinatal managementof monochorionic twin pregnancies
      complicated by twin reversed arterial perfusion (TRAP) sequence. METHODS: A
      retrospectively study was performed on the management and perinatal outcome of
      monochorionic multiple pregnanciescomplicated by TRAP sequence at West China
      Second University Hospital from May 2010 to May 2014. RESULTS: Thirteen cases of
      TRAP sequence were identified during the study period, included 4
      monochorionicmonoamniotic (MCMA) twins, 7 monochorionic diamniotic(MCDA) twins,1
      monochorionic-triamniotic (MCTA) triplet pregnancy and 1 MCDA triplet pregnancy.
      Gestational age at diagnosis of TRAP sequence was from 11+5 to 31+6 gestational
      weeks in 12 cases. TRAP sequence was diagnosed by post-mortem examination in the
      case of MCDA triplet pregnancy transferred to our hospital with inevitable
      abortion at 21+3 weeks. 9 cases underwent conservative management. In the
      conservative management group, intrauterine death of the pump twin occurred in
      two MCMA twins and 7 cases delivered a healthy pump twin between 31+3 and 39+5
      weeks of gestation. 2 cases were treated with bipolar cord coagulation of
      acardiac twin and delivered a healthy pump twin at 32+1 and 33+5 weeks of
      gestation. CONCLUSION: Early antenatal diagnosis of TRAP sequence is very
      important. Consultation with the parents is recommended as to the options of
      conservative management or intervention. Conservative management with close
      monitoring may be a safe option for TRAP sequence with a small acardiac twin.
      Bipolar cord coagulation of acardiac twin is a relatively safe and effective
      procedure in TRAP sequence with indications to intervention.

PMID- 26121877
TI  - [Two Methods of Internal Iliac Artery Exclusion in Endovascular Aorta Repair: a
      Middle-long Term Follow-up Study].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the middle and long term results of two internal iliac
      artery exclusionmethods (with or without coils) in endovascular aorta repair
      (EVAR). METHODS: Clinical data of patients who underwent EVAR from January 2006
      to December 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. The participants were divided
      into two group: coils were not used in Group A, but were used in Group B. The
      patients were followed up from June 2006 to June 2014. RESULTS: A total of 137
      patients (74 in Group A, 63 in Group B) were included in this study, with a mean
      age of 71. 6 years. The majority (124) of participants were men. Postoperative 30
      day mortality of the participants was 0. 73%. None of the participants developed
      pelvic and spinal ischemia. Claudication appeared in 9 patients (3 in Group A and
      6 in Group B). Ischemia in lower extremity happened in 5 patients (2 in Group A
      and 3 in Group B). Gluteal sore was reported by 5 patients (1 in Group A and 4 in
      Group B). One patient from Group B developed gluteal skin necrosis. No
      statistical difference in ischemia and stent occlusion was found between the two
      groups (P=0. 301, P=0. 108). However, patients in Group B stayed in hospitals
      longer (P<0. 001) than those in group A. One patient in Group B developed severe
      ischemic complication: skin and gluteus necrosis. CONCLUSION: Internal iliac
      artery exclusions with and without coilsresult in similar middle and long term
      outcomes measured by ischemic complications.

PMID- 26121878
TI  - [Efficacy and Safety of Tiotropium Bromide in the Treatment of Chronic
      Obstructive Pulmonary Disease--a Multi-center Randomized Clinical Trial].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of domestic tiotropium
      inhalation capsule in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
      with multi-center randomized clinical trial. METHODS: Patients with stable slight
      to moderate COPD were randomized into trial group (n=109) with tiotropium 18 pg
      Qd or control group (n =111) with ipratropium 40 ug Qid for a treatment of four
      weeks. The spirometry and scoring questionaire were recorded at different visits
      during the treatment. Rescue medication consumption and adverse events were
      recorded. Results Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) of both groups increased
      obviously 30 min and 3 h after first dosing. After four weeks treatments, FEV,
      and forced vital capacity (FVC) in both groups were improved obviously, and the
      improvement in tiotropium group was significantly higher than that ipratropium
      group. COPD symptom scores were significantly reduced in both groups, and the
      improvement in tiotropium group was significantly better than that in ipratropium
      group. There was no significant difference in rescue medication consumption
      between the two groups. The ratios of adverse events were 22. 02% and 15. 32% in
      tiotropium and ipratropium group, respectively (P=0. 23). CONCLUSION: Domestic
      tiotropium inhalation capsule is efficient and safe in the treatment of COPD.

PMID- 26121879
TI  - [Learning versus teaching. The new role of schools].

PMID- 26121880
TI  - [DECREASE OF DEHISCENCE AND OTHER COMPLICATIONS IN THE USE OF PERIPHERAL VENOUS
      LINES IN POST-OPERATIVE HEPATO-BILIARY AND VASCULAR SURGERY THROUGH THE USE OF
      NOBECUTAN(r) AEROSOL].
AB  - Peripheral venous canalization, its surveillance and maintenance is realized by
      nurses with a diagnostic or therapeutic purpose. In the surgery unit was observed
      frequent appearances of phlebitis, extravasations or dehiscence in the point
      puncture. In order to increase the quality cares and patient safety, it was
      searched for new guidelines for preventing or minimizing applications using
      Nobecutan(r) aerosol as a new technical and material to fix. It was selected by
      its characteristics: adhesive layer (helps to fix), elastic, transparent (allows
      to visualize insertion point), permeable and sealing material. It was intended to
      open up a new field to realize new studies and to implement new procedures by
      means of a randomized cross-sectorial descriptive study. The objectives were:
      reduce catheter changes, avoid dehiscence, reduce phlebitis, get a better
      fixation and determine Nobecutan(r) effectiveness to prevent complications. With
      obtained data, a data base was designed and analyzed by statistical software SPSS
      version 19.0 for Windows. According to obtained results and after discussion, it
      was concluded to apply Nobecutan(r) to decrease dehiscence in the insertion point
      and the numbers of intravenous lines changes during admittance. It wasn't found
      beneficial influence to phlebitis.

PMID- 26121881
TI  - [WOMEN AND RETIREMENT: KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRANSITION OF RETIREMENT OF WOMEN].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the transition involved in the retirement process for
      women who have worked in the Barcelona work context. DESIGN: Methodology
      qualitative, exploratory study. LOCATION: The study was carried out in Barcelona,
      between the years 2008-2011. PARTICIPANTS: Users of health centers that serve two
      profiles by type of work activity developed as managers and technical, or
      professional activity with little or no autonomy. MAIN INTERVENTTON: A technique
      discussion group was used until narratives did not add significantly to the
      information available. Transcription, analysis, coding, categorization, and
      content analysis to obtain the results. RESULTS: The results reflected
      differences between these profiles involved in the sample when analyzing data
      related to the meaning of their working lives, expectations of retirement, the
      motives which determine it, their health during the initial period and their
      adaptation to retirement. There were many similarities and few differences when
      analyzing family responsibilities/ workloads before and after retirement.
      CONCLUSIONS: These were based on the results described of the two distinct
      typologies of transition to retirement among women involved in the study in
      accordance with their profile of working life (the description used concepts and
      elements which model the Meleis Transition Theories as its basis). Some aspects
      of their experiences and needs are also stressed which, from a nursing
      perspective, lead to the identification of ambits, means of intervention which
      enable them to prepare and address this transition in a healthy way.

PMID- 26121882
TI  - [CONTROL OF FETAL WELL-BEING: BIOPHYSICS ANTEPARTUM MONITORING].
AB  - This article provides an update on the control of antepartum fetal well-being,
      including the biophysical monitoring with non-stressful and stressful test and
      its evaluation. The fetal heart rate--base line, variability and transitional
      increases in fetal heart rate--are described based on fetal movements, its
      clinical meaning and actions derived from it.

PMID- 26121884
TI  - [CROHN'S DISEASE PATIENTS' SATISFACTION WITH COLONOSCOPY VERSUS ENTERO MAGNETIC
      RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI)].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate satisfaction and preferences in Crohn's disease patients
      who have undergone a colonoscopy (CL) and a MRI colonography (MRI). As well as
      evaluate the effectiveness of the information system to collect the data. METHOD:
      A sectional pilot study conducted through a satisfaction survey questionnaire for
      patients diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD). Study patients were selected from
      the Gastroenterology Department in the Principe de Asturias University Hospital,
      where both the colonoscopy and the entero magnetic resonance imaging tests were
      done from the 1st of January to the 30th of June 2012. Surveys were conducted
      during July and August 2012. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients with Crohn's disease
      participated. Out of these, 24 were women and 24 were men. The mean age was 43
      years (SD: 13.8). The worst score was obtained at the time of preparation for
      both procedures. If patients could choose they would prefer CL 23, 16 MRI and 9
      were indifferent. CONCLUSIONS: The patients' preference for CL could be due to
      the administration of sedatives prior to the procedure. A procedure such as the
      CL which initially may result unpleasant for the patient is tolerated much better
      as a result of the sedation. In both tests, the preparations prior to the
      procedures are perceived as unpleasant. We will think about how to improve
      patients' tolerance to these preparations, maybe by giving more information as
      patients, because we don't know often how to do it properly, which could magnify
      this unpleasant perception.

PMID- 26121883
TI  - [DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF DRUGS OF ABUSE IN THE COMPLEJO HOSPITALARIO DE JAEN].
AB  - Drugs is, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), any substance
      introduced into a living organism by any route is capable of acting on the
      central nervous system. For decades, drug abuse has increased in the population
      of our country but not all drugs are an illegal drug. OBJECTIVES: The overall
      objective is the description of testing for drugs of abuse, and their
      distribution, as they were made in the Hospital Medico-Quirurgico (HMQ) and
      Neurotraumatologico (HNT) of the Hospital of Jaen, in 2012. Secondary objectives
      analyzed the differences in the tests as variables: sex, months of the year and
      age of the subject (patient). METHODOLOGY: We carry a description of differences
      by type of drug and associations of two, three, four or five drugs at once and
      finally, we study differences detected by drug or therapeutic use is illegal (of
      abuse). RESULTS: The results indicate a positive per 300 inhabitants, mostly men,
      adults and Hospital Neurotraumatologico. The most commonly detected drugs are
      benzodiazepines, alone or in association with cannabis.

PMID- 26121885
TI  - [SYSTEMATIZATION, ORDER AND SECURITY AS A RESULT OF THE NURSE ASSESSMENT IN
      PAEDIATRIC EMERGENCY: A METAMORPHOSIS PROCESS].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine from the health care professionals perspective the impact
      on clinical practice of incorporating an assessment tool for primary care
      paediatric emergency. METHOD: Qualitative study based on the collection of
      written documents. Twenty-four wide and detailed documents were collected.
      Thematic analysis was used. RESULTS: Participants were 9 nurses and 7
      paediatricians, all with experience in the Paediatric Emergency Department. The
      results are grouped into three areas: perception of previous situation; benefits
      perceived; difficulties of the change process related to the triage instrument.
      The benefits perceived include the achievement of the objectives related to
      triage as well as collateral benefits for the organization and distribution of
      structural resources, adequacy of human resources, self-assessment and
      professional recognition, improvement of team communication and users service
      perception. The difficulties identified are related to the feasibility of using
      this instrument when patient flow is high and to the need of specialized
      training. CONCLUSIONS: All participants perceived more benefits than
      disadvantages, and both nurses and paediatricians experienced the process as a
      positive experience. The introduction of the assessment tool had a broader impact
      than expected.

PMID- 26121886
TI  - [COMMUNICATION WITH TERMINALLY ILL PATIENT].
AB  - The communication is a essential therapeutic instrument in every process of
      relationship in the team patient-family, and mainly in the transmission of bad
      news. The communication is not just a simple transmission of information. It is a
      process whose goal is to enable the adaptation of the patient and family to their
      actual situation and where the "what", "how" and "how much do you want to know",
      are belonged to the own patient. Along this article, we will expose some thoughts
      that the team has to take into account when informing the patient. We are going
      to explain the SPIKES protocol, or its Spanish version EPICEE. 6-step protocol,
      based on those recommended by the experts to deliver bad news procedures. And
      finally we'll talk about the conspiracy of silence, one of the most common and
      difficult situations to handle in day to day due to paternalism by professionals
      and families, in which they prefer to hide the situation to the patient, thinking
      it's the best for him.

PMID- 26121887
TI  - [Diet and nutrition in the palliative care patient].

PMID- 26121888
TI  - "ROUTINE" PREOXYGENATION.

PMID- 26121889
TI  - THE IMPACT OF ENDOTRACHEAL TUBE VS. LARYNGEAL MASK AIRWAY ON THE INCIDENCE OF
      POSTOPERATIVE NAUSEA AND VOMITING: A SYSTEMIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of Endotracheal tube (ETT) vs. Laryngeal
      Mask Airway (LMA) on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients
      undergoing surgery with general anesthesia. METHODS: Key words searching from
      databases such as Medline, Embase, and Cochrane library provided 14 studies
      focusing on the use of EET vs. LMA for general anesthesia. Pooled estimate of
      relative risk with 95% confidence interval using random effect model was
      conducted. RESULTS: 14 studies were selected for meta-analysis with a total of
      1866 patients. 9 studies focused on the outcome of PONV in adult patients. It
      showed incidence of PONV with of LMA and ETT in adult of about 204/690 (30%) and
      145/725 (20%) respectively with [Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.69, 95% CI, 0.76-3.75, P =
      0.20]. Heterogeneity was high (I2 = 87%). Five studies focused on the outcome of
      PONV in pediatric patients with PONV in LMA and ETT group of 85/229 (37%) and
      72/222 (32%) respectively with (OR = 1.30, 95% CI, 0.61-2.76, P = 0.50).
      Heterogeneity was moderate at (I2 = 53%). When all patients were combined
      heterogeneity was high at 81% with OR = 1.56, 95% CI, 0.87-2.79, P = 0.14.
      CONCLUSION: Risk of PONV shows an increase trend toward the use of LMA. Larger
      randomized trials are needed to assess the impact of airway devices on PONV.

PMID- 26121890
TI  - RENAL PROTECTION IN THE CARDIAC SURGERY PATIENT: PERI-OPERATIVE SODIUM
      BICARBONATE INFUSION (POSBI) OR NOT?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute renal failure following cardiac surgery is not uncommon and
      carries a high level of morbidity and mortality. The aim of our study was to
      determine whether perioperative sodium bicarbonate infusion (POSBI) would
      decrease acute kidney injury in cardiac surgery patients and improve post
      operative outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 318 cardiac surgery
      patients from 2008-2011 was performed. Clinical parameters were compared in
      patients receiving POSBI versus sodium chloride. Serum creatinine levels were
      measured in the first five post-operative days. The primary outcome measured was
      the number of patients developing post-operative renal injury. Secondary outcomes
      included three-month mortality, intensive care unit and hospital length of stay.
      RESULTS: Patients given POSBI showed no significant differences compared to the
      normal saline cohort in regards to increases in serum creatinine [< 25% rise in
      Cr: 93% vs 94%; > 25% rise in Cr: 6% vs 6%; > 50% rise in Cr: 1% vs 1%; > 100%
      rise in Cr: 1% vs 0%, all with p-value > 0.99]. There were fewer patients with
      AKIN stage 1 renal failure receiving POSBI [8% vs 28%, p = 0.02] however there
      was no difference between POSBI and sodium chloride cohorts in AKIN stages 2 and
      3 renal failure. Mortality, duration of hospitalization and ICU stay were not
      statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: POSBI resulted in fewer patients
      developing AKIN stage 1 renal failure. Despite this, there appears to be little
      benefit in the prevention of acute kidney injury after 48 hours or mortality
      reduction in cardiac surgery patients.

PMID- 26121891
TI  - EFFECT OF ULTRASOUND-GUIDED SUBSARTORIAL APPROACH FOR SAPHENOUS NERVE BLOCK IN
      CASES WITH SAPHENOUS NERVE ENTRAPMENT IN ADDUCTOR CANAL FOR CONTROLLING CHRONIC
      KNEE PAIN.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Saphenous nerve neuropathy is one of the causes of chronic pain of
      the knee. Blockade of saphenous nerve under sonographich guide has been used for
      controlling pain in recent years. The goal of this study was to evaluate the
      effect of saphenous nerve block for controlling pain in patients with chronic
      knee pain. METHOD: Thirty five patients with chronic knee pain referred to Amir
      Alam hospital during June 2012-June 2013 were enrolled in this study. Under
      sonographic approach, subsartorial blockade of saphenous nerve conducted and
      patients were followed up for 3 months after treatment. Demographic data, ASA
      (American Society of Anesthesiologists) category, weight, height, complications
      of intervention and pain scores were recorded. RESULTS: In 54%, the NRS was zero
      30 minutes after intervention. In one patient (2.8%) all NRSs were 0 after
      intervention. We observed no sensory dysfunction in enrolled cases. CONCLUSION:
      The result of current study showed that ultrasound guided subsartorial approach
      is moderately effective in blockade of saphenous nerve in cases with saphenous
      nerve entrapment in adductor canal for controlling chronic knee pain.

PMID- 26121892
TI  - COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF ORAL VS. PERITONSILLAR INFILTRATION OF KETAMINE IN
      PAIN REDUCTION AFTER TONSILLECTOMY: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although oral ketamine has been used in some cases to reduce pain in
      children, the use of this drug to reduce pain after tonsillectomy has not been
      studied yet. METHODS: This double-blind clinical trial was conducted in 2009 in
      92 children who were aged three to nine years old, met ASA I or II criteria, and
      were candidate for tonsillectomy. Patients were divided randomly into two groups.
      Half an hour before general anesthesia, 5 mg/kg ketamine mixed in 2 cc/kg apple
      juice was given to the children in oral ketamine group and 2 cc/kg of apple juice
      alone was given to the children in the peritonsillar group. After general
      anesthesia and three minutes before surgery 1 cc of 0.9% normal saline in the
      oral group and 1cc of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) in the peritonsillar group was
      injected to the tonsil bed of patients. RESULTS: There was no difference between
      the two groups in terms of sex, age, and weight. Duration of surgery was
      significantly shorter in the peritonsillar group (P < 0.001) and the severity of
      postoperative bleeding was significantly higher in peritonsillar group (P =
      0.022). However, postoperative bleeding recurred in 25 patients (27%) and there
      was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The level of
      pain in children six hours after surgery according to CHEOPS criteria was
      significantly lower in the peritonsillar group (0.9 +/- 0.8) than in the oral
      group (2.6 +/- 1) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The finding of this study showed
      that, compared with the peritonsillar infiltration of ketamine, the use of oral
      ketamine before general anesthesia was less effective in reducing postoperative
      pain of tonsillectomy in children.

PMID- 26121893
TI  - THE IMPACT OF ANESTHETIC TECHNIQUES ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AFTER UROLOGICAL
      SURGERY.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a well-recognized
      complication of cardiac and noncardiac surgery. However, contradictory results
      concerning postoperative mental function have been reported. The aim is to
      determine the effect of anesthetic techniques (general or spinal) on cognitive
      functions using more sensitive neuropsychological tests in patients undergoing
      urological surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of thirty patients were
      enrolled in the study and assigned to receive either general (n = 15) or spinal
      (n = 15) anesthesia. A battery of neuropsychological tests including Wisconsin
      Card Sorting Test, Iowa Gambling Task, Stroop Color-Word Test, N-back Task and
      Continuous Performance Test was performed preoperatively and three days later.
      RESULTS: The two experimental groups were similar at baseline assessment of
      cognitive function. Although there were no statistically significant differences
      between general and spinal anesthetic groups with respect to Wisconsin Card
      Sorting Test and Iowa Gambling Task, a significant intergroup difference between
      pre-and postoperative N-back scores was detected in the general anesthesia group
      (p = 0.001 & p = 0.004). In addition, patients within this group had
      significantly higher error rates on the Stroop Color-Word (p = 0.019) and
      Continuous Performance Tests (p = 0.045). In contrast, patients receiving spinal
      anesthesia exhibited little change or marginal improvement on all subscales of
      the battery. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate significant decline in specific
      aspects of mental function among patients who were administered general
      anesthesia compared with the other technique. It seems that spinal anesthesia
      contributes to lower disturbance after surgery.

PMID- 26121894
TI  - COMPARISON BETWEEN C-MAC VIDEO-LARYNGOSCOPE AND MACINTOSH DIRECT LARYNGOSCOPE
      DURING CERVICAL SPINE IMMOBILIZATION.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Video-laryngoscopes have gained popularity in the recent years and
      have shown definite advantages over the conventional Macintosh direct
      laryngoscopes. However, there is still insufficient evidence comparing the C-MAC
      with the Macintosh for patients during manual inline stabilization (MILS).
      METHODS: This prospective, randomized, single blind study was carried out to
      compare tracheal intubation using the C-MAC video-laryngoscope and Macintosh
      laryngoscope in patients during MILS. Ninety consented patients, without features
      of difficult airway, who required general anesthesia and tracheal intubation were
      recruited. Intubation was performed with either the C-MAC video-laryngoscope or
      the Macintosh laryngoscope by one single investigator experienced with both
      devices. Various parameters which included Cormack and Lehane score, time to
      intubate, intubation attempts, optimization maneuvers, complications and
      hemodynamic changes were recorded over the initial period of 5 minutes. RESULTS:
      C-MAC video-laryngoscope performed significantly better with lower Cormack and
      Lehane grades, shorter time to intubate of 32.7 +/- 6.8 vs. 38.8 +/- 8.9 seconds
      (p = 0.001) and needed less optimization maneuvers. There were no significant
      differences seen in the intubation attempts, complications or hemodynamic status
      of the patients with either device. CONCLUSION: The C-MAC video-laryngoscope was
      superior to the Macintosh laryngoscope for patients requiring intubation when
      manual inline neck stabilization was applied.

PMID- 26121895
TI  - EFFECTS OF MEMANTINE ON PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH COMPLEX REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME--A
      RETROSPECTIVE STUDY.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Memantine was discovered in 1968 and is used as a treatment for
      Alzheimer's disease. We evaluated the use of memantine to treat complex regional
      pain syndrome in this retrospective study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 56 patients with
      CRPS, who were treated with trial of memantine for at least two months with 40mg
      QHS from 2007 until 2009. RESULTS: 34 females and 22 male patients. Age-46.0 +/-
      9.7 years. Number of years with CRPS-9.24 +/- 5.7 years. Mean age-46.0 +/- 9.7
      years. Memantine was started at 5 or 10 mg QHS, before being increased by 5 or
      10mg every 4-7 days, as tolerated, to a maximumdose of 40 mg - 60 mg, as
      tolerated. In all, 13 patients showed complete remission from CRPS with VAS 0 and
      the disappearance of allodynea for at least nine months after the use of
      memantine. In addition, 18 patients showed partial improvement of VAS and
      allodynea. Eight patients showed no improvement even after continuous use of
      memantine at a dose of 40 mg QHS for two months. Seven patients could not take
      more than 5 mg of memantine per day and had to stop it due to side effects. In
      terms of subjective improvement in short-term memory, nine patients showed much
      improvement, 14 patients showed some improvement, three patients showed no
      changes and one patient did not answer the questionnaire. Regarding subjective
      feelings of a having better quality of life, 17 patient answered yes, three did
      not feel any changes, six could not give an answer and two did not fill out the
      questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: Memantine is a promising option for the treatment of
      CRPS. A randomised controlled study is needed to evaluate its efficacy.

PMID- 26121896
TI  - EFFECTS OF DEXAMETHASONE AND PHENIRAMINE MALEATE ON HEMODYNAMIC AND RESPIRATORY
      PARAMETERS AFTER CEMENTATION IN CEMENTED PARTIAL HIP PROSTHESIS.
AB  - PURPOSE: To prevent hemodynamic and respiratory changes that are likely to occur
      during cementation in partial hip prosthesis by prophylactic use of pheniramine
      maleate and dexamethasone. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The study included 40 patients
      aged between 60 and 85 years with an American Society ofAnesthesiologists (ASA)
      grade of II-III who underwent partial hip prosthesis. Just after spinal
      anesthesia, 4 mL normal saline was pushed in patients in Group S, whereas 45.5 mg
      pheniramine maleate and 8 mg dexamethasone mixture was pushed intravenously in a
      total volume of 4 mL in patients in Group PD. RESULTS: Amounts of atropine and
      adrenaline administered after cementation were significantly higher in Group S
      than in Group PD (P < 0.05). There was a significant difference between SpO2
      values before and after cementation in Group S; SpO2 value was lower after
      cementation (P < 0.05) except for 1. min after cementation. SpO2 value increased
      1 min after cementation (P = 0.031) CONCLUSION: Prophylactic use of pheniramine
      maleate and dexamethasone in partial hip prosthesis led to an increase in SpO2
      value and a decrease in the utilization of adrenaline and atropine after
      cementation.

PMID- 26121897
TI  - EFFECT OF PREOPERATIVE ORAL PREGABALIN ON POSTOPERATIVE PAIN AFTER MASTECTOMY.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This was a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial to study the
      effects of a single oral dose of pregabalin 150 mg in postoperative pain
      management after mastectomy. METHODS:  DESIGN: forty nine patients ASA I or II,
      aged between 20-60 years, scheduled for mastectomy with or without axillary lymph
      nodes dissection (ALND) were recruited into this study. They were randomized into
      two groups, placebo (n = 24) or pregabalin (n = 25) receiving either oral
      pregabalin 150 mg or placebo when called to operation theatre (OT). The
      assessment of pain score were performed at recovery, 2, 4, 6 and 24 hours
      postoperatively at rest and on movement, using the verbal numeral rating score
      (VNRS). RESULTS: VNRS scores for pain at rest were lower in the pregabalin group
      at 2 (p = 0.024), 4 (p = 0.006) and 6 (p = 0.003) hours postoperatively, and also
      at 4 (p = 0.005) and 6 (p = 0.016) hours postoperatively on movement compared to
      the placebo group. Incidences. of dizziness were common, however, side effects
      such as nausea and vomiting, headache, somnolence and visual disturbance were low
      and comparable in both groups. CONCLUSION: A single dose of 150 mg pregabalin
      given preoperatively compared to placebo significantly reduced postoperative pain
      scores after mastectomy.

PMID- 26121898
TI  - CONSUMPTION TRENDS OF RESCUE ANTI-PSYCHOTICS FOR DELIRIUM IN INTENSIVE CARE UNITS
      (ICU DELIRIUM) SHOW INFLUENCE OF CORRESPONDING LUNAR PHASE CYCLES: A
      RETROSPECTIVE AUDIT STUDY FROM ACADEMIC UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN THE UNITED STATES.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The etiology of delirium in intensive care units (ICU) is usually
      multi-factorial. There is common "myth" that lunar phases affect human body
      especially human brains (and minds). OBJECTIVE: In the absence of any pre
      existing studies in ICU patients, the current retrospective study was planned to
      investigate whether lunar phases play any role in ICU delirium by assessing if
      lunar phases correlate with prevalence of ICU delirium as judged by the
      corresponding consumptions of rescue anti-psychotics used for delirium in ICU.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: After institutional review board approval with waived
      consent, the daily census of ICU patients from the administrative records was
      accessed at an academic university's Non-Cancer Hospital in a Metropolitan City
      of United States. Thereafter, the ICU pharmacy's electronic database was accessed
      to obtain data on the use of haloperidol and quetiapine over the two time periods
      for patients aged 18 years or above. Subsequently the data was analyzed for
      whether the consumption of haloperidol or quetiapine followed any trends
      corresponding to the lunar phase cycles. RESULTS: A total of 5382 pharmacy
      records of haloperidol equivalent administrations were analyzed for this study.
      The cumulative prevalence of incidents of haloperidol equivalent administrations
      peaked around the full moon period and troughed around the new moon period. As
      compared to male patients, female patients followed much more uniform trends of
      haloperidol equivalent administrations' incidents which peaked around the full
      moon period and troughed around the new moon period. Further sub-analysis of 70
      lunar cycles across the various solar months of the total 68-month study period
      revealed that haloperidol equivalent administrations' incidents peaked around the
      full moon periods during the months of November-December and around the new moon
      periods during the month of July which all are interestingly the major holiday
      months (a potential confounding factor) in the United States. CONCLUSION:
      Consumption trends of rescue anti-psychotics for ICU delirium revealed an
      influence by lunar phase cycles particularly that of full moon periods on female
      patients in the ICU.

PMID- 26121899
TI  - THE USE OF PARAVERTEBRAL BLOCKADE FOR ANALGESIA AFTER ANTERIOR-APPROACH TOTAL HIP
      ARTHROPLASTY.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anterior approaches for total hip arthroplasty (ATHA) are becoming
      increasingly popular. We postulated that the use of PVB of the T12, L1, and L2
      roots would provide adequate analgesia for ATHA while allowing motor sparing.
      METHODS: The medical records of 20 patients undergoing primary ATHA were
      reviewed. T12, L1 and L2 paravertebral blockade was accomplished with 3-4 ml of
      1% ropivacaine with epinephrine 1:200,000 and 0.5 mg/ml of preservative-free
      dexamethasone per level. Primary outcomes were mean opioid consumption in
      intravenous morphine equivalents and worst recorded visual analog scale (VAS)
      pain scores during postoperative days 0 to 2 (POD 0 to 2). RESULTS: Mean opioid
      consumption was 8.4 mg on POD0, 16.6 mg on POD1, and 9.8 mg on POD2. Median worst
      VAS scores were 2 for all time intervals except POD 0, which had a median value
      of 0. All patients had full hip motor strength the evening of POD0.19 patients
      were able to ambulate the afternoon of POD1. CONCLUSION: T12-L2 PVB, when
      utilized as part of a multimodal analgesic regimen, results in moderate opioid
      consumption, low VAS scores, preservation of hip motor function, and may be an
      effective regional anesthesia technique for ATHA.

PMID- 26121900
TI  - SUBTENON BUPIVACAINE INJECTION FOR POSTOPERATIVE PAIN RELIEF FOLLOWING PEDIATRIC
      STRABISMUS SURGERY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DOUBLE BLIND TRIAL.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Strabismus surgery in children is often associated with undesirable
      intraoperative and postoperative side effects including pain, postoperative
      nausea and vomiting (PONV), and occulocardiac reflex (OCR). Systemic analgesics
      have side effects and are contraindicated in some cases. We hypothesized that the
      preoperative subtenon injection of bupivacaine would reduce postoperative pain
      and the incidence of side effects adverse effects. METHODS: Sixty children (2 to
      6 years of age, ASA status I to II) were randomized to receive either subtenon
      bupivacaine 0.5% or a saline injection before the beginning of surgery in a
      double-blind manner. Pain scores using the Face, Legs, Cry, Activity, and
      Consolability (FLACC) scale, incidence of OCR and PONV, requirement of additional
      systemic analgesia, and time to discharge from the recovery room were compared.
      RESULTS: The pain scores were significantly lower in the subtenon bupivacaine
      group at 0 min (p = 0.0056) and at 30 min (p = 0.013). There was no significant
      difference between the two groups at the other time intervals. There was a
      significant reduction in the incidence of occulocardiac reflex and the incidence
      of vomiting in the subtenon bupivacaine group. Eight of the 27 patients in the
      subtenon bupivacaine group required additional systemic analgesia compared to 19
      of 29 controls. The time to discharge from recovery room was lower in the
      subtenon bupivacaine group. CONCLUSION: These data provide some evidence that a
      preoperative subtenon block with bupivacaine combined with general anesthesia
      allows efficient control of postoperative pain as well as a reduction in the
      incidence of OCR and PONV in young children undergoing strabismus surgery.

PMID- 26121901
TI  - STRAIGHT TO VIDEO: TONSILLAR INJURY DURING ELECTIVE GLIDESCOPE(o)-ASSISTED
      PEDIATRIC INTUBATION.
AB  - Airway management in pediatric patients presenting for tonsillectomy and
      adenoidectomy may prove challenging given the enlarged upper airway structures.
      Video Laryngoscopy (VL) can be very helpful but it does not come without risks.
      In this case report, we report an unfavorable outcome of VL in a pediatric
      patient with adenotonsillar hypertrophy.

PMID- 26121902
TI  - PERCUTANEOUS BALLOON COMPRESSION OF GASSERIAN GANGLION FOR THE TREATMENT OF
      TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA: AN EXPERIENCE FROM INDIA.
AB  - Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is characterized by unilateral, lancinating, paroxysmal
      pain in the dermatomal distribution area of trigeminal nerve. Percutaneous
      balloon compression (PBC) of Gasserian ganglion is an effective, comparatively
      cheaper and simple therapeutic modality for treatment of TN. Compression
      secondary to PBC selectively injures the large myelinated A-alfa (afferent)
      fibers that mediate light touch and does not affect A-delta and C-fibres, which
      carry pain sensation. Balloon compression reduces the sensory neuronal input,
      thus turning off the trigger to the neuropathic trigeminal pain. In this current
      case series, we are sharing our experience with PBC of Gasserian Ganglion for the
      treatment of idiopathic TN in our patients at an academic university-based
      medical institution in India. During the period of August 2012 to October 2013, a
      total of twelve PBCs of Gasserian Ganglion were performed in eleven patients
      suffering from idiopathic TN. There were nine female patients and two male
      patients with the age range of 35-70 years (median age: 54 years). In all
      patients cannulation of foramen ovale was done successfully in the first attempt.
      In eight out of eleven (72.7%) patients ideal 'Pear-shaped' balloon visualization
      could be achieved. In the remaining three patients (27.3%), inflated balloon was
      'Bullet-shaped'. In one patient final placement of Fogarty balloon was not
      satisfactory and it ruptured during inflation. This case was deferred for one
      week when it was completed successfully with 'Pear-shaped' balloon inflation.
      During the follow up period of 1-13 months, there have been no recurrences of TN.
      Eight out of eleven patients (72.7%) are completely off medicines (carbamazepine
      and baclofen) and other two patients are stable on very low doses of
      carbamazepine. All patients have reported marked improvement in quality of life.
      This case series shows that percutaneous balloon compression is a useful
      minimally invasive intervention for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.

PMID- 26121903
TI  - BEDSIDE RETAINED RADIAL ARTERY CATHETER REMOVAL IN A HEMODYNAMICALLY UNSTABLE
      NEUROCRITICALLY-ILL PATIENT: A CASE REPORT. .
AB  - Radial artery insertion is a common procedure in intensive care units. We
      describe a case of a critically-ill 73-year-old man in the neurocritical care
      unit with a subarachnoid hemorrhage whose radial arterial catheter tip was
      transected from the main line and was successfully managed with bedside retrieval
      of the catheter.

PMID- 26121904
TI  - ESOPHAGEAL PERFORATION FOLLOWING OROGASTRIC SUCTION CATHETER INSERTION IN AN
      ELDERLY PATIENT.
AB  - Esophageal rupture has been described following iatrogenic manipulation. In this
      report, we present an elderly lady admitted to the operative theater for
      laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Multiple intra-operative attempts to place a
      flexible orogastric tube were unsuccessful because of failure to advance. Post
      operatively, the patient developed sepsis and a right pleural effusion. She was
      transferred to the Intensive Care Unit and she was treated with antibiotics.
      Radiologic evaluation confirmed an esophago-pleural fistula. Surgical repair was
      urgently performed for closure of fistula and lung decortication. The patient
      recovered and was discharged home.

PMID- 26121905
TI  - PEDIATRIC ENDOTRACHEAL INTUBATION.

PMID- 26121906
TI  - Models of lipid droplets growth and fission in adipocyte cells.
AB  - Lipid droplets (LD) are spherical cellular inclusion devoted to lipids storage.
      It is well known that excessive accumulation of lipids leads to several human
      worldwide diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, hepatic steatosis and
      atherosclerosis. LDs' size range from fraction to one hundred of micrometers in
      adipocytes and is related to the lipid content, but their growth is still a
      puzzling question. It has been suggested that LDs can grow in size due to the
      fusion process by which a larger LD is obtained by the merging of two smaller
      LDs, but these events seems to be rare and difficult to be observed. Many other
      processes are thought to be involved in the number and growth of LDs, like the de
      novo formation and the growth through additional neutral lipid deposition in pre
      existing droplets. Moreover the number and size of LDs are influenced by the
      catabolism and the absorption or interaction with other organelles. The
      comprehension of these processes could help in the confinement of the pathologies
      related to lipid accumulation. In this study the LDs' size distribution, number
      and the total volume of immature (n=12), mature (n=12, 10-days differentiated)
      and lipolytic (n=12) 3T3-L1 adipocytes were considered. More than 11,000 LDs were
      measured in the 36 cells after Oil Red O staining. In a previous work Monte Carlo
      simulations were used to mimic the fusion process alone between LDs. We found
      that, considering the fusion as the only process acting on the LDs, the size
      distribution in mature adipocytes can be obtained with numerical simulation
      starting from the size distribution in immature cells provided a very high rate
      of fusion events. In this paper Monte Carlo simulations were developed to mimic
      the interaction between LDs taking into account many other processes in addition
      to fusion (de novo formation and the growth through additional neutral lipid
      deposition in pre-existing droplets) in order to reproduce the LDs growth and we
      also simulated the catabolism (fission and the decrease through neutral lipid
      exit from pre-existing droplets) to reproduce their size reduction observed in
      lipolytic conditions. The results suggest that each single process, considered
      alone, can not be considered the only responsible for the size variation
      observed, but more than one of them, playing together, can quite well reproduce
      the experimental data.

PMID- 26121907
TI  - Scaly Erythematous Patches in a Patient With Down Syndrome.

PMID- 26121908
TI  - The Effect of pH and Temperature on Cabbage Volatiles During Storage.
AB  - During storage of shredded cabbage, characteristic sulfurous volatile compounds
      are formed affecting cabbage aroma both negatively and positively. Selected ion
      flow tube-mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) was used to measure the concentration of
      cabbage volatiles during storage. The volatile levels of cabbage samples were
      measured at pH 3.3 to 7.4 at 4  degrees C for 14 d, and pH 3.3 at 25  degrees C
      for 5 d in order to determine the effect of pH and temperature. Aroma intensity,
      best aroma, freshness, and off odor were evaluated in a sensory test of the
      samples at 4  degrees C. The desirable volatile allyl isothiocyanate was lower in
      high pH samples (pH 7.4 and 6.4), whereas higher concentrations were detected in
      low pH samples (pH 3.3 and 4.6). Lipoxygenase volatiles, which produce a fresh
      green and leafy aroma in cabbage, were generated in very low amounts at any pH
      value. High pH samples generated significantly higher concentrations of off odors
      such as dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, and
      methanethiol. Sensory tests showed that higher pH samples had significantly
      stronger off odor and lower desirable cabbage aroma than lower pH samples. Thus,
      sensory results matched the volatile results in that samples at higher pH levels
      formed the highest amount of undesirable volatiles and the least amount of
      desirable volatiles. Storage at 25  degrees C produced similar concentrations of
      allyl isothiocyanate, but significantly higher levels of off odors, than at 4 
      degrees C. Shredded cabbage products should be stored in low pH dressings to
      minimize formation of off odors and maximize formation of characteristic,
      desirable cabbage odor. 

PMID- 26121909
TI  - Antenatal screening for hepatitis C: Universal or risk factor based?
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is no clear consensus on whether antenatal screening for
      hepatitis C (HCV) should be universal, or based on an assessment of risk factors.
      AIM: To report the HCV status and risk factors for HCV amongst women delivering
      at a tertiary metropolitan hospital in order to better understand the
      implications of changing from universal to risk factor based HCV screening.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: An audit of practice was performed at Mater Mothers'
      Hospitals (Brisbane) using routinely collected data from 2007 to 2013 (n =
      57,659). The demographic and clinical characteristics of HCV-positive women (n =
      281) were compared with those with a negative result (n = 57,378), and compared
      for the presence or absence of risk factors for HCV. RESULTS: From a cohort of
      57,659 women, 281 (0.5%) women were HCV positive. HCV-positive women were more
      likely to have received blood products (10.0 vs 3.1%; P < 0.001), have a history
      of illicit drug use (72.2 vs 9.8%; P < 0.001), and have at least one risk factor
      for HCV infection (92 vs 17%; P < 0.001). Of the HCV-positive women, only seven
      of the 281 (2.5%) had no identifiable risk factor, whilst most (83%) HCV-negative
      women did not have any documented risk factor for HCV infection. CONCLUSION: Most
      women testing positive for HCV antibodies have identifiable risk factors;
      however, a small number will not be detected if a risk factor based screening
      approach is adopted. The benefits of universal screening must be weighed against
      the potential cost savings of a risk factor based screening program.

PMID- 26121910
TI  - Chronic hypoxia facilitates Alzheimer's disease through demethylation of gamma
      secretase by downregulating DNA methyltransferase 3b.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Environmental factors and epigenetic mechanisms are believed to
      contribute to Alzheimer's disease (AD). We previously documented that prenatal
      hypoxia aggravated the cognitive impairment and neuropathology in offspring mice.
      Here, we investigate the chronic hypoxia-induced epigenetic modifications in AD.
      METHODS: The 3-month-old APP(swe)/PS1(dE9) mice were exposed to hypoxic
      environment 6 hour/day for 30 days, followed by learning and memory tests and
      biochemical and neuropathology measurement at the age of 4, 6, and 9 months.
      RESULTS: We found hypoxia exaggerated the neuropathology and cognitive impairment
      in AD mice. Chronic hypoxia induced demethylation on genomic DNA and decreased
      the expression of DNA methyltransferase 3b (DNMT3b) in vivo. We further found
      that DNMTs inhibition elevated the protein levels of amyloid precursor protein,
      beta- and gamma-secretases, whereas overexpression of DNMT3b suppressed the
      levels of them in vitro. DISCUSSION: Our study suggests chronic hypoxia can
      aggravate AD progression through demethylation of genes encoding gamma-secretase
      components by downregulation of DNMT3b.

PMID- 26121911
TI  - Enhanced osteoconductivity of polyethersulphone nanofibres loaded with bioactive
      glass nanoparticles in in vitro and in vivo models.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There is growing need for new scaffold constructions for synthetic
      bone graft substitutes to repair large bone lesions. A very promising and
      important class of new implants for tissue engineering is based on three
      dimensional scaffolds and bioceramics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study,
      after investigation of mechanical properties of polyethersulphone (PES)
      nanofibres, fabricated by electrospinning methodology and coated with bioactive
      glass (BG), cells of the MG-63 line were cultured on surfaces of these scaffolds.
      Their capacity to support MG-63 proliferation was also investigated in vitro by
      MTT assay. Osteoconductivity on these scaffolds was investigated by the common
      osteogenic markers alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, calcium mineral
      deposition and bone-related gene activation. Next, a bone reconstruction of rat
      critical-size defects model was evaluated using radiographic imaging analysis
      (digital mammography), computed tomography and histological examination. RESULTS:
      In vitro results indicated that biocompatibility and osteogenic markers of MG-63
      cells were significantly enhanced after coating PES with BG. Based on in vivo
      results, new bone formation in the defect site was enhanced in implanted rats in
      comparison with a control group. The highest reconstruction was observed in
      animals implanted with BG-coated nanofibres. CONCLUSIONS: Osteoconductivity of
      PES nanofibres was markedly enhanced after coating them with BG, and introduction
      of this construct as new bone-graft substitute for bone loss and defects is
      indicated.

PMID- 26121912
TI  - Effects of Selenium Supplementation on Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis in
      NOD.H-2h4 Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent clinical studies have demonstrated the suppressive effect of
      selenium (Se) treatment on serum thyroid-specific antibody titers in patients
      with autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT), but the mechanism underlying this process is
      not clear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of
      selenium on the incidence and severity of AIT, titers of thyroid autoantibodies,
      and selenoprotein expression in thyroid in a spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis
      (SAT) model. METHODS: NOD.H-2(h4) mice at four weeks of age were randomly divided
      into control, iodine supplement (SAT), and selenium supplement groups (SAT+Se).
      Mice were given 0.005% sodium iodide water for eight weeks to induce SAT and then
      0.3 mg/L sodium selenite in drinking water for 8 weeks and 16 weeks. The severity
      of lymphocytic infiltration in the thyroid, serum thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb)
      titers, serum selenium concentration, expression of glutathione peroxidase-1
      (GPx1), thioredoxin reductase-1 (Txnrd1), and peroxiredoxin 5 were measured.
      RESULTS: Serum selenium concentration significantly increased after selenium
      supplementation. Serum TgAb levels were significantly lower in the selenium group
      compared with the SAT group (p<0.05). The prevalence of thyroiditis and the
      degree of infiltration of lymphocytes decreased gradually over time in the group
      provided with selenium supplementation. The expression of GPx1 and Txnrd1 by
      Western blotting were found to be significantly higher in the SAT+Se group than
      in other groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that selenium
      treatment can increase the function of antioxidation by upregulating the
      expression of selenoproteins in the thyroid and have an inhibitory effect on TgAb
      titers, which may have an impact on AIT.

PMID- 26121913
TI  - Human papillomavirus genotype attribution for HPVs 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52
      and 58 in female anogenital lesions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines can potentially control cervical
      cancer and help to reduce other HPV-related cancers. We aimed to estimate the
      relative contribution (RC) of the nine types (HPVs 16/18/31/33/45/52/58/6/11)
      included in the recently approved 9-valent HPV vaccine in female anogenital
      cancers and precancerous lesions (cervix, vulva, vagina and anus). METHODS:
      Estimations were based on an international study designed and coordinated at the
      Catalan Institute of Oncology (Barcelona-Spain), including information on 10,575
      invasive cervical cancer (ICC), 1709 vulvar, 408 vaginal and 329 female anal
      cancer cases and 587 Vulvar Intraepitelial Neoplasia grade 2/3 (VIN2/3), 189
      Vaginal Intraepitelial Neoplasia grade 2/3 (VaIN2/3) and 29 Anal Intraepitelial
      Neoplasia grade 2/3 (AIN2/3) lesions. Consecutive histologically confirmed
      paraffin-embedded cases were obtained from hospital pathology archives from 48
      countries worldwide. HPV DNA-detection and typing was performed by SPF10-DEIA
      LiPA25 system and RC was expressed as the proportion of type-specific cases among
      HPV positive samples. Multiple infections were added to single infections using a
      proportional weighting attribution. RESULTS: HPV DNA prevalence was 84.9%, 28.6%,
      74.3% and 90.0% for ICC, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancers, respectively, and
      86.7%, 95.8% and 100% for VIN2/3, VaIN2/3 and AIN2/3, respectively. RC of the
      combined nine HPV types was 89.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 88.8-90.1)-ICC,
      87.1% (83.8-89.9)-vulvar, 85.5% (81.0-89.2)-vaginal, 95.9% (93.0-97.9)-female
      anal cancer, 94.1% (91.7-96.0)-VIN2/3, 78.7% (71.7-84.2)-VaIN2/3 and 86.2% (68.3
      96.1)-AIN2/3. HPV16 was the most frequent type in all lesions. Variations in the
      RC of HPVs 31/33/45/52/58 by cancer site were observed, ranging from 7.8% (5.0
      11.4)-female anal cancer to 20.5% (16.1-25.4)-vaginal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The
      addition of HPVs 31/33/45/52/58 to HPV types included in current vaccines
      (HPV16/18) could prevent almost 90% of HPV positive female anogenital lesions
      worldwide. Taking into account that most HPV-related cancers are ICC ones, the 9
      valent HPV vaccine could potentially avoid almost 88% of all female anogenital
      cancers.

PMID- 26121915
TI  - Spontaneous generation of functional osteoclasts from synovial fluid mononuclear
      cells as a model of inflammatory osteoclastogenesis.
AB  - In osteoimmunology, osteoclastogenesis is understood in the context of the immune
      system. Today, the in vitro model for osteoclastogenesis necessitates the
      addition of recombinant human receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand
      (RANKL) and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). The peripheral joints
      of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) are
      characterized by an immune-mediated inflammation that can lead to bone
      destruction. Here, we evaluate spontaneous in vitro osteoclastogenesis in
      cultures of synovial fluid mononuclear cells (SFMCs) activated only in vivo.
      SFMCs were isolated and cultured for 21 days at 0.5-1.0 * 10(6) cells/mL in
      culture medium. SFMCs and healthy control peripheral blood monocytes were
      cultured with RANKL and M-CSF as controls. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase
      (TRAP) positive multinucleated cells were found in the SFMC cultures after 21
      days. These cells expressed the osteoclast genes calcitonin receptor, cathepsin
      K, and integrin beta3, formed lacunae on dentin plates and secreted matrix
      metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and TRAP. Adding RANKL and M-CSF potentiated this
      secretion. In conclusion, we show that SFMCs from inflamed peripheral joints can
      spontaneously develop into functionally active osteoclasts ex vivo. Our study
      provides a simple in vitro model for studying inflammatory osteoclastogenesis. 

PMID- 26121916
TI  - A novel recombinant lineage's contribution to the outbreak of coxsackievirus A6
      associated hand, foot and mouth disease in Shanghai, China, 2012-2013.
AB  - Since late 2012, coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6) has gradually become the predominant
      pathogen responsible for hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) in several provinces of
      China. A total of 626 patients diagnosed with HFMD in Shanghai, China from
      January 2012 to September 2013 were enrolled in this study. Of these, 292 CVA6
      infected cases were subjected to clinical analyses. Whole-genome sequencing,
      recombination and phylogenetic analyses were also performed. A recombinant CVA6
      monophyletic lineage was found during an outbreak of CVA6-associated HFMDs in
      Shanghai, China in November 2012, and accounted for 21.9% (64/292) of the CVA6
      strains during the study period. Recombination analyses showed that the 2C gene
      of the novel CVA6 virus was probably derived from a coxsackievirus A4 (CVA4)
      strain circulating in the population. Clinical observation showed that this
      recombinant CVA6 virus led to a more generalized rash than did the non
      recombinant CVA6 virus. This newly emerged CVA6 lineage was associated with a
      considerable proportion of HFMD cases from 2012 to 2013 in Shanghai, and poses a
      potential threat to public health. 

PMID- 26121917
TI  - Controlled non-heart beating donor lung transplantation: initial experience in
      Spain.
AB  - Although the number of lung transplants in Spain is increasing annually, more
      organs are required to ease waiting lists. Controlled non-heart beating donors
      (NHBD) (Maastricht III) are a reality at international level, and contribute
      significantly to increasing donor numbers. In this study, we present our NHBD
      protocol and the initial experience in Spain using lung grafts from this type of
      donor. Three bilateral lung transplants were performed between January 2012 and
      December 2014. Preservation was by ex-vivo lung perfusion in 2 cases and by
      traditional cold ischemia in the other. None of the patients developed grade 3
      primary graft dysfunction, no in-hospital mortality was recorded and 1-year
      survival was 100%. These initial results, and international experience, should
      help to develop similar protocols to encourage the use of controlled non-heart
      beating donors.

PMID- 26121918
TI  - Metazoan parasites of blue jack mackerel Trachurus picturatus (Perciformes:
      Carangidae) from Portuguese mainland waters.
AB  - Blue jack mackerel, Trachurus picturatus, is a carangid fish which constitutes an
      important commercial resource in the north-east Atlantic. Its metazoan parasite
      community from Portuguese mainland waters was investigated here for the first
      time. Nine parasite taxa were found, most of which are common parasites of
      Trachurus spp. The parasite community was broadly similar to that of the Atlantic
      horse mackerel, T. trachurus, from the same region, but two digenean species were
      detected in blue jack mackerel, Monascus filiformis and Tergestia sp., which did
      not occur in horse mackerel from this region. A comparison with the two previous
      studies of T. picturatus parasite communities shows that continental-shelf
      regions are characterized by higher prevalences of digenean trematodes and an
      absence of trypanorhynch cestodes, in contrast with oceanic regions. 

PMID- 26121919
TI  - Vaginal reconstruction with pedicled vertical deep inferior epigastric perforator
      flap (diep) after pelvic exenteration. A consecutive case series.
AB  - Vaginal reconstruction after pelvic exenteration (PE) represents a challenge for
      the oncologic surgeon. Since the introduction of perforator flaps, using pedicled
      vertical DIEP (deep inferior epigastric perforator) flap allows to reduce the
      donor site complication rate. From November 2012 to December 2014, 27 PEs were
      performed in our institution. 13 patients who underwent PE with vaginal
      reconstruction and programmed DIEP procedure for gynecologic malignancies were
      registered. Nine patients underwent PE for recurrent disease and four for primary
      treatment. Six of the 13 patients have a preoperative fistula. Anterior PE was
      performed in 10 patients, and total PE in 3 patients. A vertical DIEP flap was
      performed in 10 patients using one or two medial perforators. The reasons for
      abortion of vertical DIEP flap procedure were: failure to localizing perforator
      vessels in two cases, and unavailability of plastic surgeon in one case. A
      vertical fascia-sparring rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap was then harvested.
      Median length of surgery was 335min, and 60min for DIEP harvesting and vaginal
      reconstruction. No flap necrosis occurred. One patient in the VRAM (vertical
      rectus abdominis myocutaneous) group experienced a late incisional hernia and one
      patient in the DIEP flap group required revision for vaginal stenosis. In our
      experience, DIEP flap represents our preferred choice of flap for circumferential
      vaginal reconstruction after PE. To achieve a high reproducibility, the
      technically demanding pedicled vertical DIEP flap has to be harvested by a
      trained surgeon, after strict evaluation of the preoperative imaging with
      identification and localization of perforator vessels. 

PMID- 26121920
TI  - Altered circulating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with keloid.
AB  - Evidence has suggested that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a crucial
      growth factor in regulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), plays a central
      role in keloid formation. However, the levels of circulating EPCs in patients
      with keloid have not yet been explored. The aim of this study was to determine
      the number of circulating EPCs in patients with keloid. Circulating EPCs (defined
      as CD45- CD34+CD133+VEGFR2+cells) and VEGF levels from 39 patients with keloid
      and 22 healthy controls (HCs) were assessed by flow cytometry and ELISA,
      respectively. EPCs were detectable in the peripheral blood of patients with
      keloid. The number of circulating EPCs and the levels of plasma VEGF were
      significantly higher in patients with keloid than in HCs. However, no correlation
      was found between the number of circulating EPCs and the serum VEGF levels. This
      study provides the first evidence that EPCs are increased in the peripheral blood
      of patients with keloid. Understanding the roles of EPCs in keloid fromation may
      lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for keloid.

PMID- 26121921
TI  - Bisphenol A: Human exposure and neurobehavior.
AB  - The effect of bisphenol A (BPA) exposure on human brain and behavior is a
      relatively new issue, and particular concerns have been raised about its
      potential impact on children. The primary objective of this review was to analyze
      the current state of knowledge on the association of environmental BPA exposure
      during pregnancy and/or childhood with child cognitive and/or behavior outcomes.
      All scientific publications until March 2015 that include examination of this
      relationship have been reviewed using the MEDLINE/PubMed database. Although
      research on this issue has not been abundant, an association with altered
      neurobehavior was reported by eight out of the twelve available articles,
      including aggressive behavior, attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder,
      depression and anxiety impairments, mostly in children exposed in utero,
      indicating disruption of the brain during this critical window of development.
      Despite the reduced number of studies and their heterogeneity, the results
      suggest that prenatal BPA exposure may have a negative impact on neurobehavioral
      functioning in children and that the effects may be sex-dependent. It is
      therefore necessary to be vigilant towards the potential adverse effects of
      ubiquitous low-level BPA exposure, although more studies in humans are required
      to convincingly confirm or rule out the association between BPA exposure and
      health. Meanwhile, it is desirable to inform women planning or undergoing
      pregnancy about measures to reduce or avoid exposure to BPA. We discuss some key
      aspects of the relationship between exposure and neurobehavioral outcomes. 

PMID- 26121923
TI  - Corrigendum: evidence for photogenerated intermediate hole polarons in ZnO.

PMID- 26121922
TI  - Cumulative lead exposure is associated with reduced olfactory recognition
      performance in elderly men: The Normative Aging Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Olfactory dysfunction has been identified as an early warning sign
      for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia and more. A few
      occupational and environmental exposures have also been associated with reduced
      olfactory function, although the effects of long term environmental exposure to
      lead on olfactory dysfunction have not been explored. Here we performed olfactory
      recognition testing in elderly men in a community-dwelling cohort and examined
      the association with cumulative lead exposure, as assessed by lead in tibial and
      patellar bone. METHODS: Olfactory recognition was measured in 165 men from the
      Normative Aging Study (NAS) who had previously taken part in bone lead
      measurements using K-X-ray fluorescence (KXRF). Olfactory recognition was
      measured using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT).
      Associations between olfactory recognition, global cognition and cumulative lead
      exposure were estimated using linear regression, with additional adjustment for
      age, smoking, and functional polymorphism status for hemochromatosis (HFE),
      transferrin (TfC2), glutathione-s-transferase Pi1 (GSTP1) and apolipoprotein E
      (APOE) genotypes. Sensitivity analyses explored olfactory recognition in men with
      high global cognitive function as measured using the Mini-Mental Status Exam
      (MMSE). RESULTS: The average age of the NAS participants at the time of olfactory
      recognition testing was 80.3 (standard deviation or SD=5.7) years. Mean tibia
      lead was 16.3 (SD=12.0) MUg/g bone, mean patella lead was 22.4 (SD=14.4)MUg/g
      bone, and mean UPSIT score was 26.9 out of 40 (SD=7.0). Consistent with previous
      findings, age at olfaction testing was negatively associated with UPSIT score.
      Tibia (but not patella) bone lead was negatively associated with olfaction
      recognition (per 15 MUg/g tibia lead: beta=-1.57; 95% CI: -2.93, -0.22; p=0.02)
      in models adjusted for smoking and age. Additional adjustment for education did
      not significantly change results. Of all the genes explored, only the presence of
      one or more HFE variant alleles was significantly associated with olfaction
      recognition (HFE beta=2.26; 95% CI: 0.09, 4.43; p=0.04). In a model containing
      the HFE term and a lead term, the tibia lead parameter estimate dropped by 21%
      (per 15 MUg/g tibia lead: beta=-1.25; 95% CI: -2.64, 0.14; p=0.08) while the HFE
      term dropped 15% (beta=1.91; 95% CI: -0.28, 4.10; p=0.09). None of the other gene
      terms were associated with olfactory recognition in this cohort, nor were any
      gene-lead interaction terms significant. Additional sensitivity analysis in men
      with MMSE scores of 25 or higher (n=149) showed a similar but slightly attenuated
      association between lead and olfactory recognition (per 15 MUg/g tibia lead beta=
      1.39; 95% CI: -3.00, 0.22; p=0.09). CONCLUSION: Cumulative exposure to lead is
      associated with reduced olfactory recognition in a cohort of elderly men. The
      association was similar but not significant in men with better cognitive function
      as measured by the MMSE. Iron metabolism gene status may also affect olfactory
      function.

PMID- 26121924
TI  - Antiallergic effects of peiminine through the regulation of inflammatory
      mediators in HMC-1 cells.
AB  - Peiminine is the main biologically active component derived from Fritillaria
      ussuriensis. Peiminine was investigated in various pulmonary diseases, but its
      antiallergic effect and the related mechanism have not been reported yet. The
      present study aimed to evaluate the effect of peiminine on mast cell-mediated
      allergic inflammation in HMC-1 cells. The pro-inflammatory cytokine production
      was measured using ELISA, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and
      nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs)
      pathway activation, as determined by Western blot analysis. Peiminine inhibits
      the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL
      8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-1beta (IL-1beta). It was shown
      to have inhibitory effects on MAPKs phosphorylation and NF-B expression in human
      mast cells (HMC)-1 using Western blot. HMC-1 cells were observed for confirmation
      of histamine release. Passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reactions were
      evaluated using an animal model and peiminine demonstrated inhibitory effects on
      IgE-dependent anaphylaxis. These results suggest that peiminine has regulatory
      potential for allergic inflammatory reactions mediated by HMC-1 cells. 

PMID- 26121925
TI  - Rehabilitation needs of the survivors of the 2013 Ya'an earthquake in China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the physical, functional and psychosocial rehabilitation
      needs of the injured survivors of the 2013 earthquake in Ya'an, China. DESIGN:
      Cross-sectional survey. METHODS: A total of 143 injured survivors (80 males, 63
      females, mean age 41.4 years (standard deviation (SD) 20.2)) were recruited for
      the study. A questionnaire was designed to collect their demographic and
      environmental information. Manual muscle testing and active range of motion
      (AROM) were used to assess physical function. The Modified Barthel Index was used
      to assess activities of daily living (ADL) and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
      - Self Rating Scale was used to assess psychological status. The rehabilitation
      needs of the injured survivors were identified based on the assessment results.
      RESULTS: Physical problems of the back and lower limbs were more severe than
      those of the upper limbs, as measured by MMT and AROM. Various degrees of
      dependence in ADL were measured in 74.2% of subjects, and psychological distress
      was present in more than 50% of subjects. Rehabilitation training prescribed by
      local therapists included functional training (74.8%), exercises (49.0%),
      provision of splints (44.8%), etc. Psychological interventions were re-commended
      to most of the patients. There were high levels of need for assistive devices,
      and home and community modifications. CONCLUSION: There is a high level of need
      for early rehabilitation in hospital, followed by continued home and community
      rehabilitation services, particularly for injured survivors who are returning to
      villages with very limited resources.

PMID- 26121926
TI  - Inflammation-adapted liver stiffness values for improved fibrosis staging in
      patients with hepatitis C virus and alcoholic liver disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: It is well known that inflammation increases liver stiffness
      (LS) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD)
      independent of fibrosis stage, but no inflammation-adapted cut-off values have
      been settled so far. An early identification of rapid fibrosers, however, is
      essential to decide whom to treat first with the novel but expensive antiviral
      drugs. METHODS: Liver stiffness, biopsy-proven fibrosis stages F0-F4 (METAVIR or
      Kleiner score) and routine laboratory parameters were studied in 2068 patients
      with HCV (n = 1391) and ALD (n = 677). RESULTS: Among the routine parameters for
      liver damage, AST correlated best with LS (HCV: r = 0.54, P < 0.0001 and ALD: r =
      0.34, P < 0.0001). In the absence of elevated transaminases, cut-off values were
      almost identical between HCV and ALD for F1-2, F3 and F4 (HCV: 5.1, 9.0 and 11.9
      kPa vs ALD: 4.9, 8.1 and 10.5 kPa). These cut-off values increased exponentially
      as a function of median AST level. The impact of AST on LS was higher in lobular
      pronounced ALD as compared to portal tract-localized HCV. Most notably, Cohen's
      weighted Kappa displayed an improved agreement of the novel AST-dependent cut-off
      values with histological fibrosis stage both for HCV (0.68 vs 0.65) and ALD (0.80
      vs 0.76). CONCLUSIONS: The novel AST-adapted cut-off values improve non-invasive
      fibrosis staging in HCV and ALD and may be also applied to other liver diseases.
      Especially in HCV, they could help to decide whom to treat first with the novel
      but expensive antiviral drugs.

PMID- 26121927
TI  - Sexual risk at first coitus: Does alcohol make a difference?
AB  - This study examines whether use of alcohol at first coitus is associated with
      increased sexual risk for young women. First coitus is the focus of the
      investigation because it is a memorable, formative experience that has
      implications for subsequent sexual health. A community sample of young women ages
      18-19 years (N = 227) completed retrospective interviews. Characteristics and
      perceptions of the first coital event were examined using chi squares and one-way
      multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to determine if there were differences
      based on alcohol-involvement. Alcohol-involved first coitus events occurred in
      social settings with risky partners, were rated less positively, and were non
      consensual relative to those that did not involve alcohol. Alcohol use was not
      related to condom use. Alcohol-involvement was associated with subsequent pairing
      of alcohol with sex and incapacitated rape. Adolescent alcohol use occurs in
      contexts that increases young women's sexual risk through exposure to risky
      partners. 

PMID- 26121928
TI  - Diagnostic accuracy of (18)F-FDG PET/CT compared with that of contrast-enhanced
      MRI of the breast at 3 T.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of prone (18)F-FDG PET/CT with that
      of contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) at 3 T in suspicious breast lesions. To
      evaluate the influence of tumour size on diagnostic accuracy and the use of
      maximum standardized uptake value (SUVMAX) thresholds to differentiate malignant
      from benign breast lesions. METHODS: A total of 172 consecutive patients with an
      imaging abnormality were included in this IRB-approved prospective study. All
      patients underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT and CE-MRI of the breast at 3 T in the prone
      position. Two reader teams independently evaluated the likelihood of malignancy
      as determined by (18)F-FDG PET/CT and CE-MRI independently. (18)F-FDG PET/CT data
      were qualitatively evaluated by visual interpretation. Quantitative assessment
      was performed by calculation of SUVMAX. Sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic
      accuracy, area under the curve and interreader agreement were calculated for all
      lesions and for lesions <10 mm. Histopathology was used as the standard of
      reference. RESULTS: There were 132 malignant and 40 benign lesions; 23 lesions
      (13.4%) were <10 mm. Both (18)F-FDG PET/CT and CE-MRI achieved an overall
      diagnostic accuracy of 93%. There were no significant differences in sensitivity
      (p = 0.125), specificity (p = 0.344) or diagnostic accuracy (p = 1). For lesions
      <10 mm, diagnostic accuracy deteriorated to 91% with both (18)F-FDG PET/CT and CE
      MRI. Although no significant difference was found for lesions <10 mm, CE-MRI at 3
      T seemed to be more sensitive but less specific than (18)F-FDG PET/CT.
      Interreader agreement was excellent (kappa = 0.85 and kappa = 0.92). SUVMAX
      threshold was not helpful in differentiating benign from malignant lesions.
      CONCLUSION: (18)F-FDG PET/CT and CE-MRI at 3 T showed equal diagnostic accuracies
      in breast cancer diagnosis. For lesions <10 mm, diagnostic accuracy deteriorated,
      but was equal for (18)F-FDG PET/CT and CE-MRI at 3 T. For lesions <10 mm, CE-MRI
      at 3 T seemed to be more sensitive but less specific than (18)F-FDG PET/CT.
      Quantitative assessment using an SUVMAX threshold for differentiating benign from
      malignant lesions was not helpful in breast cancer diagnosis.

PMID- 26121929
TI  - Validation of pixel-wise parametric mapping of myocardial blood flow with 13NH3
      PET in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Transmural abnormalities in myocardial blood flow (MBF) are important
      causes of ischaemia in patients with left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. The study
      aimed to test whether pixel-wise parametric mapping of (13)NH3 MBF can reveal
      transmural abnormalities in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
      METHODS: We submitted 11 HCM patients and 9 age-matched controls with
      physiological LV hypertrophy to rest and stress (dipyridamole) (13)NH3 PET. We
      measured MBF using a compartmental model, and obtained rest and stress parametric
      maps. Pixel MBF values were reorganized to obtain subendocardial and
      subepicardial MBF of LV segments. RESULTS: MBF at rest was higher in the
      subendocardial than in the subepicardial layer: 0.78 +/- 0.19 vs. 0.60 +/- 0.18
      mL/min/g in HCM patients; 0.92 +/- 0.24 vs. 0.75 +/- 0.24 mL/min/g in controls
      (both p < 0.0001). Transmural perfusion gradient (TPG = subendocardial
      MBF/subepicardial MBF) at rest was similar: 1.35 +/- 0.31 in HCM patients; 1.28
      +/- 0.27 in controls (NS). During stress, controls maintained higher
      subendocardial MBF: 2.44 +/- 0.54 vs. 1.96 +/- 0.67 mL/min/g tissue (p < 0.0001),
      with a TPG of 1.33 +/- 0.35 (NS vs. rest). In HCM patients, the difference
      between subendocardial and subepicardial MBF was reduced (1.46 +/- 0.48 vs. 1.36
      +/- 0.48 mL/min/g tissue, p < 0.01) and TPG decreased to 1.11 +/- 0.34 (p <
      0.0001 vs. rest and vs. controls). In HCM patients 8 of 176 segments had
      subendocardial MBF less than -2 * SD of the mean, versus none of 144 segments in
      controls (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Pixel-wise parametric mapping of (13)NH3 MBF
      enables the identification of transmural abnormalities in patients with HCM.

PMID- 26121931
TI  - ClpB/Hsp100 proteins and heat stress tolerance in plants.
AB  - High-temperature stress can disrupt cellular proteostasis, resulting in the
      accumulation of insoluble protein aggregates. For survival under stressful
      conditions, it is important for cells to maintain a pool of native soluble
      proteins by preventing and/or dissociating these aggregates. Chaperones such as
      GroEL/GroES (Hsp60/Hsp10) and DnaK/DnaJ/GrpE (Hsp70/Hsp40/nucleotide exchange
      factor) help cells minimize protein aggregation. Protein disaggregation is
      accomplished by chaperones belonging to the Caseinolytic Protease (Clp) family of
      proteins. ClpB/Hsp100 proteins are strikingly ubiquitous and are found in
      bacteria, yeast and multi-cellular plants. The expression of these proteins is
      regulated by heat stress (HS) and developmental cues. Bacteria and yeast contain
      one and two forms of ClpB proteins, respectively. Plants possess multiple forms
      of these proteins that are localized to different cellular compartments (i.e.
      cytoplasm/nucleus, chloroplast or mitochondria). Overwhelming evidence suggests
      that ClpB/Hsp100 proteins play decisive roles in cell adaptation to HS. Mutant
      bacteria and yeast cells lacking active ClpB/Hsp100 proteins are critically
      sensitive to high-temperature stress. Likewise, Arabidopsis, maize and rice
      mutants lacking cytoplasmic ClpB proteins are very sensitive to heat. In this
      study, we present the structural and functional attributes of plant ClpB forms. 

PMID- 26121930
TI  - (18)F-Alfatide II PET/CT in healthy human volunteers and patients with brain
      metastases.
AB  - PURPOSE: We report the biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of an integrin
      alphavbeta3 specific PET tracer (18)F-AlF-NOTA-E[PEG4-c(RGDfk)]2) (denoted as
      (18)F-Alfatide II). We also assessed the value of (18)F-Alfatide II in patients
      with brain metastases. METHODS: A series of torso (from the skull to the thigh)
      static images were acquired in five healthy volunteers (3 M, 2 F) at 5, 10, 15,
      30, 45, and 60 min after injection of (18)F-Alfatide II (257 +/- 48 MBq). Regions
      of interest (ROIs) were drawn manually, and the time-activity curves (TACs) were
      obtained for major organs. Nine patients with brain metastases were examined by
      static PET imaging with (18)F-FDG (5.55 MBq/kg) and (18)F-Alfatide II. RESULTS:
      Injection of (18)F-Alfatide II was well tolerated in all healthy volunteers, with
      no serious tracer-related adverse events found. (18)F-Alfatide II showed rapid
      clearance from the blood pool and kidneys. The total effective dose equivalent
      (EDE) and effective dose (ED) were 0.0277 +/- 0.003 mSv/MBq and 0.0198 +/- 0.002
      mSv/MBq, respectively. The organs with the highest absorbed dose were the kidneys
      and the spleen. Nine patients with 20 brain metastatic lesions identified by MRI
      and/or CT were enrolled in this study. All 20 brain lesions were visualized by
      (18)F-Alfatide II PET, while only ten lesions were visualized by (18)F-FDG, and
      13 by CT. CONCLUSION: F-Alfatide II is a safe PET tracer with a favorable
      dosimetry profile. The observed ED suggests that (18)F-Alfatide II is feasible
      for human studies. (18)F-Alfatide II has potential value in finding brain
      metastases of different cancers as a biomarker of angiogenesis.

PMID- 26121932
TI  - Enzymatic kinetic resolution of racemic ibuprofen: past, present and future.
AB  - This review is a journey concerning the investigations of the kinetic resolution
      of racemic ibuprofen for the last 20 years. The relevancy of the pharmacological
      uses of the S( + ) enantiomer along with its higher cost compared with racemic
      profen are the driving forces of a variety of scientific research studies
      addressing the enzymatic resolution of ibuprofen through enantiomeric
      esterification using lipases as biocatalysts. Lipases of fungal sources such as
      Candida rugosa, Rhizomucor miehei and the lipase B of Candida antarctica have
      been extensively studied both in homogeneous and heterogeneous (immobilized on
      solid supports) processes. In this context, the various alcohols and organic co
      solvents frequently used in the esterification of racemic ibuprofen are
      summarized and discussed in this review. Moreover, recent investigations using
      membranes as reactors coupled with the separation of the desired product and
      microfluidic devices are presented. Finally, some guidelines about future
      perspectives regarding the technology of the kinetic resolution of profens and
      research niches are given. 

PMID- 26121933
TI  - The 'price signal' for health care is loud and clear: A cross-sectional study of
      self-reported access to health care by disadvantaged Australians.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe self-reported inability to access health care and factors
      associated with lack of access among a socioeconomically disadvantaged group.
      METHOD: A cross-sectional survey with 906 adult clients of a large community
      welfare agency in New South Wales. Clients attending the service for emergency
      assistance completed a touchscreen survey. RESULTS: Inability to access health
      care in the prior year was reported by more than one-third of the sample (38%),
      compared to the 5% found for the general population. Dentists (47%), specialists
      (43%) or GPs (29%) were the least accessible types of health care. The main
      reason for inability to access health care was cost, accounting for 60% of
      responses. Almost half (47%) the sample reported delayed or non-use of medicines
      due to cost. Increasing financial stress was associated with increased inability
      to access GP or specialist care, medicines and imaging. Higher anxiety scores
      were associated with inability to access health care, and with cost-related
      inability to access medicines and imaging. CONCLUSION: For disadvantaged groups,
      cost-related barriers to accessing care are prominent and are disproportionately
      high - particularly regarding dentistry, specialist and GP care. IMPLICATIONS:
      Improvements in health outcomes for disadvantaged groups are likely to require
      strategies to reduce cost-related barriers to health care.

PMID- 26121936
TI  - Theoretical exploration of the nanoscale host-guest interactions between
      [n]cycloparaphenylenes (n = 10, 8 and 9) and fullerene C60: from single- to three
      potential well.
AB  - The nanoscale host-guest interactions between [n]cycloparaphenylene ([n]CPP; n =
      10, 8 and 9) nano-ring and fullerene C60 were explored theoretically. It is found
      that relatively small variations in the sizes of the [n]CPP host lead to very
      significant changes in encapsulation property toward the fullerene C60 guest.
      Expectedly, one stable inclusion-configuration of [10]CPP?C60 and one floating
      configuration of [8]CPP?C60 are located on the potential surfaces of the two
      complexes, respectively. Unexpectedly, besides a floating-configuration (F
      [9]CPP?C60), another stable inclusion-configuration (I-[9]CPP?C60) is also
      located on the potential surface of [9]CPP?C60 host-guest complex. Interaction
      energies and natural steric analysis show that these complexes are stabilized by
      balancing concave-convex pi-pi attractive and steric repulsive host-guest
      interactions. In contrast, the steric repulsive energy (Es) between host and
      guest of I-[9]CPP?C60 is as high as 233.12 kJ mol(-1), which is much larger than
      those in other complexes. The movements of C60 guest through the cavities of
      [n]CPP host (n = 10, 8 and 9) are simulated by calculating the energy profile,
      and the results interestingly reveal that the encapsulation of C60 by [10]CPP is
      in the manner of a single-potential well, by [8]CPP in the manner of a double
      potential well, and by [9]CPP in the special manner of a three-potential well. We
      predict that the movement of C60 guest through the cavity of [9]CPP host should
      be experimentally observable owing to the relatively low energy barrier (<50 kJ
      mol(-1), M06-2X/6-31G(d)). Charge population analysis shows that an obvious
      charge transfer between host and guest takes place during the formation of I
      [9]CPP?C60, which is different from those during the formation of [8]CPP?C60,
      [10]CPP?C60 and F-[9]CPP?C60. Additionally, the host-guest interaction regions
      were detected and visualized in real space based on the electron density and
      reduced density gradient. 

PMID- 26121935
TI  - Effects of preceding endoscopic mucosal resection on the efficacy and safety of
      radiofrequency ablation for treatment of Barrett's esophagus: results from the
      United States Radiofrequency Ablation Registry.
AB  - The effects of preceding endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) on the efficacy and
      safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for treatment of nodular Barrett's
      esophagus (BE) is poorly understood. Prior studies have been limited to case
      series from individual tertiary care centers. We report the results of a large,
      multicenter registry. We assessed the effects of preceding EMR on the efficacy
      and safety of RFA for nodular BE with advanced neoplasia (high-grade dysplasia or
      intramucosal carcinoma) using the US RFA Registry, a nationwide study of BE
      patients treated with RFA at 148 institutions. Safety outcomes included
      stricture, gastrointestinal bleeding, and hospitalization. Efficacy outcomes
      included complete eradication of intestinal metaplasia (CEIM), complete
      eradication of dysplasia (CED), and number of RFA treatments needed to achieve
      CEIM. Analyses comparing patients with EMR before RFA to patients undergoing RFA
      alone were performed with Student's t-test, Chi-square test, logistic regression,
      and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Four hundred six patients were treated with EMR before
      RFA for nodular BE, and 857 patients were treated with RFA only for non-nodular
      BE. The total complication rates were 8.4% in the EMR-before-RFA group and 7.2%
      in the RFA-only group (P = 0.48). Rates of stricture, bleeding, and
      hospitalization were not significantly different between patients treated with
      EMR before RFA and patients treated with RFA alone. CEIM was achieved in 84% of
      patients treated with EMR before RFA, and 84% of patients treated with RFA only
      (P = 0.96). CED was achieved in 94% and 92% of patients in EMR-before-RFA and RFA
      only group, respectively (P = 0.17). Durability of eradication did not differ
      between the groups. EMR-before-RFA for nodular BE with advanced neoplasia is
      effective and safe. The preceding EMR neither diminished the efficacy nor
      increased complication rate of RFA treatment compared to patients with advanced
      neoplasia who had RFA with no preceding EMR. Preceding EMR is not associated with
      poorer outcomes in RFA. 

PMID- 26121937
TI  - A national follow-up survey of UK graduates opinion of undergraduate oral surgery
      teaching.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A national follow-up survey was undertaken to determine whether
      dental graduates from 2009 perceived that their undergraduate oral surgery
      education had equipped them for general dental practice 4 years after graduating.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Graduates from the same 13 United Kingdom dental schools
      who had taken part in the original survey were invited to take part in this
      follow-up online survey. Their contact details were identified via the general
      dental council register, social media and alumni groups. RESULTS: In total, 161
      responded (2009b) which represents 16% of the graduates of the original survey in
      2009a. A similar percentage of these respondents perceived that the teaching in
      oral surgery had given them sufficient knowledge to undertake independent
      practice (83% and 79% in 2009a and 2009b, respectively). Most respondents (99% in
      both years) reported confidence in undertaking simple forceps exodontia.
      Confidence in surgical exodontia was poor in both surveys, but one area that
      appeared improved in the follow-up related to the sectioning of teeth (84% in
      2009b compared with 49% in 2009a). Areas of weakness identified in 2009 were
      reported to be improved in the follow-up. CONCLUSION: This follow-up survey
      supports the findings of the original survey. Future longitudinal studies would
      allow institutions to identify possible weaknesses in their curriculum and to
      track the career development of their graduates and facilitate robust data
      collection.

PMID- 26121938
TI  - Human Papillomavirus-related tumours of the oropharynx display a lower tumour
      hypoxia signature.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell
      carcinoma (OSCC) patients have improved prognosis compared to other head and neck
      (HNSCC) cancers. Since poor prognosis is associated with tumour hypoxia, we
      studied whether the hypoxic response is different in HPV-related cells and
      tumours. MATERIAL AND METHODS: HPV-positive and -negative cells were incubated in
      hypoxia and analyzed by qRTPCR, western blotting and cell proliferation assays.
      Tumours formed by xenografting these cells in nude mice were studied by IHC.
      HNSCC patient samples were analyzed by unsupervised clustering of hypoxia-related
      gene expression, quantitative real-time PCR (qRTPCR) and immunohistochemical
      (IHC) detection of neo-blood vessels. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: HPV-positive and 
      negative cells responded differently to hypoxia, in terms of gene expression (HIF
      1alpha, PHD-3, GLUT-1 and VEGF-A) and cell survival. Tumour xenografts formed by
      HPV-positive cells had fewer hypoxic areas than those formed by HPV-negative
      cells. HPV related tumours were less hypoxic, expressed lower levels of hypoxia
      responsive genes, and had a higher density of neo-blood vessels. HPV-related OSCC
      display lower tumour hypoxia, which could be linked to the distinct intrinsic
      abilities of HPV-positive tumour cells to adapt to hypoxia and to their better
      prognosis.

PMID- 26121939
TI  - BH3-mimetic small molecule inhibits the growth and recurrence of adenoid cystic
      carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the anti-tumor effect of BM-1197, a new potent and highly
      specific small molecule inhibitor of Bcl-2/Bcl-xL, in preclinical models of human
      adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). METHODS: Low passage primary human adenoid cystic
      carcinoma cells (UM-HACC-2A,-2B,-5,-6) and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models
      (UM-PDX-HACC) were developed from surgical specimens obtained from 4 patients.
      The effect of BM-1197 on cell viability and cell cycle were evaluated in vitro
      using this panel of low passage ACC cells. The effect of BM-1197 on tumor growth,
      recurrence and tumor cell apoptosis in vivo was evaluated with the PDX model of
      ACC (UM-PDX-HACC-5). RESULTS: Exposure of low passage primary human ACC cells to
      BM-1197 mediated an IC50 of 0.92-2.82 MUM. This correlated with an increase in
      the fraction of apoptotic cells (p<0.0001) and an increase in caspase-3 activity
      (p<0.0001), but no noticeable differences in cell cycle (p>0.05). In vivo, BM
      1197 inhibited tumor growth (p=0.0256) and induced tumor cell apoptosis
      (p=0.0165) without causing significant systemic toxicities, as determined by
      mouse weight over time. Surprisingly, weekly BM-1197 decreased the incidence of
      tumor recurrence (p=0.0297), as determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. CONCLUSION:
      These data demonstrated that single agent BM-1197 induces apoptosis and inhibits
      tumor growth in preclinical models of adenoid cystic carcinoma. Notably, single
      agent BM-1197 inhibited tumor recurrence, which is considered a major clinical
      challenge in the clinical management of adenoid cystic carcinoma. Collectively,
      these results suggest that patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma might benefit
      from therapy with a BH3-mimetic small molecule.

PMID- 26121940
TI  - MoS2 Heterojunctions by Thickness Modulation.
AB  - In this work, we report lateral heterojunction formation in as-exfoliated MoS2
      flakes by thickness modulation. Kelvin probe force microscopy is used to map the
      surface potential at the monolayer-multilayer heterojunction, and consequently
      the conduction band offset is extracted. Scanning photocurrent microscopy is
      performed to investigate the spatial photocurrent response along the length of
      the device including the source and the drain contacts as well as the monolayer
      multilayer junction. The peak photocurrent is measured at the monolayer
      multilayer interface, which is attributed to the formation of a type-I
      heterojunction. The work presents experimental and theoretical understanding of
      the band alignment and photoresponse of thickness modulated MoS2 junctions with
      important implications for exploring novel optoelectronic devices. 

PMID- 26121941
TI  - Optical tracking with two markers for robust prospective motion correction for
      brain imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Prospective motion correction (PMC) during brain imaging using camera
      based tracking of a skin-attached marker may suffer from problems including loss
      of marker visibility due to the coil and false correction due to non-rigid-body
      facial motion, such as frowning or squinting. A modified PMC system is introduced
      to mitigate these problems and increase the robustness of motion correction.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The method relies on simultaneously tracking two markers,
      each providing six degrees of freedom, that are placed on the forehead. This
      allows us to track head motion when one marker is obscured and detect skin
      movements to prevent false corrections. Experiments were performed to compare the
      performance of the two-marker motion correction technique to the previous single
      marker approach. RESULTS: Experiments validate the theory developed for adaptive
      marker tracking and skin movement detection, and demonstrate improved image
      quality during obstruction of the line-of-sight of one marker when subjects
      squint or when subjects squint and move simultaneously. CONCLUSION: The proposed
      methods eliminate two common failure modes of PMC and substantially improve the
      robustness of PMC, and they can be applied to other optical tracking systems
      capable of tracking multiple markers. The methods presented can be adapted to the
      use of more than two markers.

PMID- 26121942
TI  - Pseudoceramide stimulates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha
      expression in a murine model of atopic dermatitis: molecular basis underlying the
      anti-inflammatory effect and the preventive effect against steroid-induced
      barrier impairment.
AB  - Topical pseudoceramides are successfully used in skin barrier repair therapy for
      atopic dermatitis (AD) and demonstrated to reduce the adverse effects of topical
      glucocorticoids (GC). However, the molecular mechanisms involved are not fully
      understood. We investigated whether PC-9S
      (myristoyl/palmitoyloxostearamide/arachamide MEA, Neopharm, Daejeon, Korea), one
      of the synthetic pseudoceramides, could stimulate peroxisome proliferator
      activated receptor (PPAR)alpha expression in a hapten [oxazolone (oxa)]-induced
      AD murine model (oxa-AD mice) and subsequently improved permeability barrier,
      reduced inflammation, and increased antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) expression.
      Normal hairless mice and oxa-AD mice were topically treated twice daily with
      either PC-9S-containing physiologic lipid mixture (PLM), vehicle (PLM), or
      PPARalpha agonist for 4 days. Topical PC-9S significantly increased PPARalpha
      expression in mouse epidermis in vivo and in oxa-AD mice skin comparable with
      PPARalpha agonist. Topical PC-9S-containing PLM significantly reduced basal trans
      epidermal water loss (TEWL), surface pH, and mast cell infiltrates and prevented
      the decline of AMPs expression in oxa-AD mice, which were abrogated by PPARalpha
      antagonist. Then, oxa-AD mice were treated with super-potent topical GC twice
      daily for 4 days with or without PC-9S co-applications. Co-treatment with PC-9S
      containing PLM suppressed GC-induced increase in basal TEWL, epidermal thinning,
      reduced loricrin expression, and impaired barrier recovery and these effects were
      attenuated by PPARalpha antagonist. Collectively, our findings suggest that
      pseudoceramide PC-9S-induced stimulation of PPARalpha expression provides a new
      mechanism by which pseudoceramides show anti-inflammatory property, improve the
      permeability and antimicrobial barrier function, and prevent the negative effects
      of topical GC. 

PMID- 26121943
TI  - Influence of psoriasis on circulatory system function assessed in
      echocardiography.
AB  - Psoriasis vulgaris is a chronic disease with a multifactorial pathogenesis. It
      affects about 2-4 % of the population all over the world. In course of psoriatic
      arthritis, joints' damages are observed. In patients with psoriasis vulgaris and
      psoriatic arthritis, there is increased morbidity and mortality caused by
      cardiovascular diseases observed. The aim of the study is to analyze the
      echocardiography of patients with psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic arthritis on
      the basis of the literature available in PubMed database. Abnormalities found in
      echocardiography of patients with psoriasis include valvular defects (40.7 % of
      the patients), left ventricle diastolic dysfunction (27.8 %), and left ventricle
      hypertrophy (11.1 %). Left ventricle's systolic disorders, increased aorta
      stiffness index and increased pulmonary artery blood pressure were also observed
      in this group of patients. 

PMID- 26121944
TI  - Reply to "Misconceptions in the assessment of cough peak flow measurements for
      extubation or decanulation protocols".

PMID- 26121945
TI  - Enzymatic conversion of lignin into renewable chemicals.
AB  - The aromatic heteropolymer lignin is a major component of plant cell walls, and
      is produced industrially from paper/pulp manufacture and cellulosic bioethanol
      production. Conversion of lignin into renewable chemicals is a major unsolved
      problem in the development of a biomass-based biorefinery. The review describes
      recent developments in the understanding of bacterial enzymes for lignin
      breakdown, such as DyP peroxidases, bacterial laccases, and beta-etherase
      enzymes. The use of pathway engineering methods to construct genetically modified
      microbes to convert lignin to renewable chemicals (e.g. vanillin, adipic acid)
      via fermentation is discussed, and the search for novel applications for lignin
      (e.g. carbon fibre). 

PMID- 26121947
TI  - LivestockPlus: Forages, sustainable intensification, and food security in the
      tropics.
AB  - The increased use of grain-based feed for livestock during the last two decades
      has contributed, along with other factors, to a rise in grain prices that has
      reduced human food security. This circumstance argues for feeding more forages to
      livestock, particularly in the tropics where many livestock are reared on small
      farms. Efforts to accomplish this end, referred to as the 'LivestockPlus'
      approach, intensify in sustainable ways the management of grasses, shrubs, trees,
      and animals. By decoupling the human food and livestock feed systems, these
      efforts would increase the resilience of the global food system. Effective
      LivestockPlus approaches take one of two forms: (1) simple improvements such as
      new forage varieties and animal management practices that spread from farmer to
      farmer by word of mouth, or (2) complex sets of new practices that integrate
      forage production more closely into farms' other agricultural activities and agro
      ecologies. 

PMID- 26121946
TI  - Restoration of middle-ear input in fluid-filled middle ears by controlled
      introduction of air or a novel air-filled implant.
AB  - The effect of small amounts of air on sound-induced umbo velocity in an otherwise
      saline-filled middle ear (ME) was investigated to examine the efficacy of a novel
      balloon-like air-filled ME implant suitable for patients with chronically non
      aerated MEs. In this study, air bubbles or air-filled implants were introduced
      into saline-filled human cadaveric MEs. Umbo velocity, a convenient measure of ME
      response, served as an indicator of hearing sensitivity. Filling the ME with
      saline reduced umbo velocity by 25-30 dB at low frequencies and more at high
      frequencies, consistent with earlier work (Ravicz et al., Hear. Res. 195: 103-130
      (2004)). Small amounts of air (~30 MUl) in the otherwise saline-filled ME
      increased umbo velocity substantially, to levels only 10-15 dB lower than in the
      dry ME, in a frequency- and location-dependent manner: air in contact with the
      tympanic membrane (TM) increased umbo velocity at all frequencies, while air
      located away from the TM increased umbo velocity only below about 500 Hz. The air
      filled implant also affected umbo velocity in a manner similar to an air bubble
      of equivalent compliance. Inserting additional implants into the ME had the same
      effect as increasing air volume. These results suggest these middle-ear implants
      would significantly reduce conductive hearing loss in patients with chronically
      fluid-filled MEs. 

PMID- 26121948
TI  - Waterfowl foraging in winter-flooded ricefields: Any agronomic benefits for
      farmers?
AB  - Winter-flooding of ricefields provides foraging habitat to waterfowl, which in
      return may bring agronomic benefits to farmers. Our study experimentally tested
      the effect of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) on the standing stalks and weed seed
      bank in the Camargue (France), both of which present major challenges for
      farmers. Three duck densities were tested: (D1) 5 ducks ha(-1) (historical
      nocturnal density), (D2) 23 ducks ha(-1) (present nocturnal density), and (D3)
      300 ducks ha(-1) (Asian rice-duck farming density). The ducks reduced the stalks
      significantly: -27 % (D1), -52 % (D2), and -91 % (D3). Conversely, they decreased
      the number of seeds by only 3 % (D3) and the seed mass by about 21 % (D1 and D3),
      which was not significant. Besides they had no effect on seed species richness.
      This study clearly demonstrates that the winter-flooding effect on straw
      decomposition can be enhanced by waterfowl foraging, hence showing an agronomic
      benefit from ducks to farmers. However, there was no clear effect in terms of
      seed bank reduction.

PMID- 26121949
TI  - Addendum to the Special Issue Entitled Genetic Influences on Peer and Family
      Relationships Across Development.

PMID- 26121951
TI  - Against Genetic Tests for Athletic Talent: The Primacy of the Phenotype.
AB  - New insights into the genetics of sport performance lead to new areas of
      application. One area is the use of genetic tests to identify athletic talent.
      Athletic performances involve a high number of complex phenotypical traits. Based
      on the ACCE model (review of Analytic and Clinical validity, Clinical utility,
      and Ethical, legal and social implications), a critique is offered of the lack of
      validity and predictive power of genetic tests for talent. Based on the ideal of
      children's right to an open future, a moral argument is given against such tests
      on children and young athletes. A possible role of genetic tests in sport is
      proposed in terms of identifying predisposition for injury. In meeting ACCE
      requirements, such tests could improve individualised injury prevention and
      increase athlete health. More generally, limitations of science are discussed in
      the identification of talent and in the understanding of complex human
      performance phenotypes. An alternative approach to talent identification is
      proposed in terms of ethically sensitive, systematic and evidence-based holistic
      observation over time of relevant phenotypical traits by experienced observers.
      Talent identification in sport should be based on the primacy of the phenotype.

PMID- 26121950
TI  - Current Methodologies and Implications of Phase Identification of the Vertical
      Jump: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The vertical jump (VJ) is considered a key indicator of lower limb
      explosive strength. Previous research has established that rate of force
      development and time to peak force are linked closely to athletic ability and
      hence the ability to extract these accurately is of significance. OBJECTIVES: The
      objectives of this study were to (1) review the literature to ascertain what
      methods are currently used to extract jump phases from the force platform data
      and (2) compare identified methods on neutral data. METHODS: In Part 1, an
      electronic search was conducted using PubMed, Central, and EBSCO host (January
      1965 to April 2014). Articles were included if they (1) detailed how VJ phases
      from the force platform data were identified and (2) used only force platform
      data in the analysis. Additionally, study design and quality was independently
      examined. In Part 2, the three common methodologies identified were used to
      analyze a neutral pool of data to determine if any variance existed. RESULTS: For
      Part 1, a total of 19 studies met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis
      determined three methods of phase identification used in the literature from
      which to extract force-time variables. In Part 2, a one-way analysis of variance
      and Scheffe's post-hoc tests showed significant differences (p < 0.01) for force
      time variables (eccentric phase time, concentric phase time, time to peak force,
      rate of force development) between methods. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate
      that three common methods exist for determination of the VJ phases from force
      platform data. Consequently, each produce different values for force-time
      variables when used on a neutral data pool. There is a clear need for a robust
      agreed method for VJ analysis.

PMID- 26121952
TI  - Effect of tamoxifen on fatty degeneration and atrophy of rotator cuff muscles in
      chronic rotator cuff tear: An animal model study.
AB  - Fatty degeneration of the rotator cuff muscles is an irreversible change
      resulting from chronic rotator cuff tear and is associated with poor clinical
      outcomes following rotator cuff repair. We evaluated the effect of Tamoxifen, a
      competitive estrogen receptor inhibitor, on fatty degeneration using a mouse
      model for chronic rotator cuff tear. Sixteen adult mice were divided into two
      diet groups (Tamoxifen vs. Regular) and subjected to surgical creation of a large
      rotator cuff tear and suprascapular nerve transection in their left shoulder with
      the right shoulder serving as a control. The rotator cuff muscles were harvested
      at 16 weeks and subjected to histology and RT-PCR for adipogenic and myogenic
      markers. Histology showed substantially decreased atrophy and endomysial
      inflammation in Tamoxifen group, but no significant differences in the amount of
      intramuscular adipocytes and lipid droplets compared to the Regular group. With
      RT-PCR, the operated shoulders showed significant upregulation of myogenin and
      PPAR-gamma, and downregulation of myostatin compared to the nonsurgical shoulder.
      No significant differences of gene expression were found between the two diet
      groups. Our study demonstrated that tamoxifen diet leads to decreased muscle
      atrophy and inflammatory changes following chronic rotator cuff tear, but has no
      apparent effect on adipogenesis.

PMID- 26121953
TI  - Isolation of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells from small-volume umbilical cord
      blood units that do not qualify for the banking system.
AB  - The clinical application of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) has been
      extensively explored. In this study, we examined the availability of freshly
      donated umbilical cord blood (UCB) units that do not qualify for the Japanese
      banking system for transplantation because of their small volume as a source of
      MSCs. Forty-five UCB units were used. The median volume of each UCB unit and
      number of nucleated cells per unit were 40 mL and 5.39 * 10(8), respectively.
      MSCs were successfully isolated from 18 of 45 units (40 %). The MSC isolation
      rate was not affected by cell processing method or the interval between delivery
      and cell processing. The volume of the UCB unit and the mononuclear cell count
      were predictive factors of the MSC isolation rate. MSCs were effectively isolated
      by selecting UCB units with a volume of >=54 mL and containing >=1.28 * 10(8)
      mononuclear cells, yielding a MSC isolation rate of >70 %. UCB-derived MSCs were
      similar to bone marrow-derived MSCs in terms of their morphology, surface marker
      expression, and differentiation potential, apart from adipogenesis. Our data
      indicate that UCB units that are currently discarded due to inadequate volume
      should be reconsidered as a source of MSCs using the well-established UCB banking
      system. 

PMID- 26121954
TI  - The efficacy of prophylactic azithromycin on bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome
      after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine whether prophylactic azithromycin
      treatment prevents bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) after hematopoietic
      stem cell transplantation (HCT). A series of 1187 patients who underwent HCT
      between December 1993 and November 2013 at our tertiary referral center in South
      Korea were enrolled. The median age of these patients was 39.0 years, and 668
      (56.3 %) were men. Acute leukemia was the most common indication for HCT. During
      a median follow-up of 30.7 months after HCT, BOS was diagnosed in 82 patients
      (6.9 %) at a median of 12.3 months after HCT. One hundred patients received
      prophylactic azithromycin, of whom 12 developed BOS. BOS was significantly more
      frequent in patients who were treated with than without prophylactic azithromycin
      (12.0 versus 6.4 %, P = 0.036). Multivariate analysis revealed that a busulfan
      based conditioning regimen (HR 2.73, 95 % CI 1.66-6.45) was the only independent
      predictor of BOS. The prophylactic use of azithromycin was not associated with
      the development of BOS by multivariate analysis. Although the present study had
      some limitations such as its non-randomized retrospective design, differences in
      baseline patient characteristics between the two groups, and the preference for
      azithromycin use at our hospital, our findings suggest that prophylactic
      azithromycin seems to not prevent the development of BOS in HCT recipients.

PMID- 26121955
TI  - The use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of hemorrhagic cystitis
      after allogeneic stem cell transplantation from an unrelated donor.
AB  - Hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is a diffuse inflammation of the bladder of an
      infectious or non-infectious etiology, causing bleeding of the bladder mucosa.
      There are no explicit guidelines defining the appropriate treatment of HC.
      Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) is a non-invasive method involving the use of 100
      % oxygen under increased pressure, which penetrates to poorly perfused areas. The
      most appropriate group for treatment with HBO is patients with BK virus
      associated HC after allogenic human stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). In this
      report, we present five patients after alloHSCT from a matched unrelated donor
      with symptoms of HC successfully treated with HBO. All patients received therapy
      with 100 % oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber at 2.5 atmospheres for 60 min,
      delivered 5 days per week. Complete response with resolution of pain and
      hematuria, as well as eradication of viral load, was achieved by all the patients
      after a mean of 13 sessions (range 11-30) of HBO. These data indicate that HBO
      therapy is sufficient and effective in the treatment of HC, and represents a well
      tolerated procedure with good clinical and laboratory results after ineffective
      primary treatment.

PMID- 26121956
TI  - Functional abnormalities and changes in gene expression in fibroblasts and
      macrophages from the bone marrow of patients with acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - In bone marrow malignancies, little is known about the fate of stromal cells
      after replacement of normal cells by neoplastic hematopoietic ones. In this
      study, fibroblasts from patients with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic
      syndromes exhibited a significantly lower ability to support hematopoiesis
      originating from co-cultured allogeneic CD34-positive cells than did fibroblasts
      from healthy marrow. Conversely, macrophages from acute myeloid leukemia marrow
      significantly enhanced the production of blood cells compared with control
      macrophages. Aberrant function was associated with consistent changes in the
      expression of genes involved in hematopoietic stem cell control, such as
      cytokines and regulators of the Wnt signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26121957
TI  - Psychophysics and the anisotropy of time.
AB  - In psychophysics, experimental control over the presented stimuli is an important
      prerequisite. Due to the anisotropy of time, this prerequisite is not given in
      psychophysical experiments on time perception. Many important factors (e.g., the
      direction of perceived time flow) cannot be manipulated in timing experiments.
      The anisotropy of time is a peculiarity, which distinguishes the time dimension
      from other perceptual qualities. Here I summarize the anisotropy-related
      differences between the perception of time and the perception of other qualities.
      It is discussed to what extent these differences might affect results and
      interpretations in psychophysical experiments. In conclusion, I argue for a 'view
      from nowhen' on the psychophysical study of time perception. 

PMID- 26121958
TI  - Modulations of the experience of self and time.
AB  - Empirical findings in the Cognitive Sciences on the relationship between feeling
      states and subjective time have led to the assumption that time perception
      entails emotional and interoceptive states. The perception of time would
      thereafter be embodied; the bodily self, the continuous input from the body is
      the functional anchor of phenomenal experience and the mental self. Subjective
      time emerges through the existence of the self across time as an enduring and
      embodied entity. This relation is prominently disclosed in studies on altered
      states of consciousness such as in meditative states, under the influence of
      hallucinogens as well as in many psychiatric and neurological conditions. An
      increased awareness of oneself coincides with an increased awareness of time.
      Conversely, a decreased awareness of the self is associated with diminished
      awareness of time. The body of empirical work within different conceptual
      frameworks on the intricate relationship between self and time is presented and
      discussed. 

PMID- 26121959
TI  - Lipidomic and proteomic analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans lipid droplets and
      identification of ACS-4 as a lipid droplet-associated protein.
AB  - Lipid droplets are cytoplasmic organelles that store neutral lipids for membrane
      synthesis and energy reserves. In this study, we characterized the lipid and
      protein composition of purified Caenorhabditis elegans lipid droplets. These
      lipid droplets are composed mainly of triacylglycerols, surrounded by a
      phospholipid monolayer composed primarily of phosphatidylcholine and
      phosphatidylethanolamine. The fatty acid composition of the triacylglycerols is
      rich in fatty acid species obtained from the dietary Escherichia coli, including
      cyclopropane fatty acids and cis-vaccenic acid. Unlike other organisms, C.
      elegans lipid droplets contain very little cholesterol or cholesterol esters.
      Comparison of the lipid droplet proteomes of wild type and high-fat daf-2 mutant
      strains shows a very similar proteome in both strains, except that the most
      abundant protein in the C. elegans lipid droplet proteome, MDT-28, is relatively
      less abundant in lipid droplets isolated from daf-2 mutants. Functional analysis
      of lipid droplet proteins identified in our proteomic studies indicated an
      enrichment of proteins required for growth and fat homeostasis in C. elegans.
      Finally, we confirmed the localization of one of the newly identified lipid
      droplet proteins, ACS-4. We found that ACS-4 localizes to the surface of lipid
      droplets in the C. elegans intestine and skin. This study bolsters C. elegans as
      a model to study the dynamics and functions of lipid droplets in a multicellular
      organism. 

PMID- 26121960
TI  - Diet quality across early childhood and adiposity at 6 years: the Southampton
      Women's Survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poor diet quality in early childhood is inconsistently linked to
      obesity risk. Understanding may be limited by the use of cross-sectional data and
      the use of body mass index (BMI) to define adiposity in childhood. OBJECTIVE: The
      objective of this study is to examine the effects of continued exposure to diets
      of varying quality across early childhood in relation to adiposity at 6 years.
      METHODS: One thousand and eighteen children from a prospective UK birth cohort
      were studied. Diet was assessed using food frequency questionnaires when the
      children were aged 6 and 12 months, and 3 and 6 years; diet quality was
      determined according to scores for a principal component analysis-defined dietary
      pattern at each age (characterized by frequent consumption of fruits, vegetables
      and fish). At each age, children were allocated a value of 0/1/2 according to
      third of the distribution (bottom/middle/top) their diet quality score was in;
      values were summed to calculate an overall diet quality index (DQI) for early
      childhood (range 0-8). Obesity outcomes considered at 6 years were dual-energy X
      ray absorptiometry-assessed fat mass and BMI. RESULTS: One hundred and seven
      (11%) children had a DQI=0, indicating a consistently low diet quality, 339 (33%)
      had a DQI=1-3, 378 (37%) had a DQI=4-6 and 194 (19%) had a DQI=7-8. There was a
      strong association between lower DQI and higher fat mass z-score at 6 years that
      was robust to adjustment for confounders (fat mass s.d. per 1-unit DQI increase:
      beta=-0.05 (95% confidence interval (CI): -0.09, -0.01), P=0.01). In comparison
      with children who had the highest diet quality (DQI=7-8), this amounted to a
      difference in fat mass of 14% (95% CI: 2%, 28%) at 6 years for children with the
      poorest diets (DQI=0). In contrast, no independent associations were observed
      between DQI and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Continued exposure to diets of low quality
      across early childhood is linked to adiposity at the age of 6 years.

PMID- 26121961
TI  - Effects of insulin therapy on weight gain and fat distribution in the HF/HS-STZ
      rat model of type 2 diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Insulin therapy is required for many patients with the
      obesity-related disorder type 2 diabetes, but is also associated with weight
      gain. The specific location of adipose tissue location matters to cardiovascular
      disease (CVD) risk. We investigated effects of exogenous insulin on fat
      distribution in the high-fat/high-sucrose fed rat treated with streptozotocin
      (HF/HS-STZ) rat model of type 2 diabetes. We also examined effects of insulin
      therapy on circulating CVD markers, including adiponectin, triglycerides (TGs),
      total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Male SD rats
      were HF/HS fed for 5 weeks followed by STZ treatment to mimic the hallmarks of
      human obesity-associated insulin resistance followed by hyperglycemia. Magnetic
      resonance imaging and computed tomography were used to determine total fat,
      abdominal fat distribution and liver fat before and after insulin therapy in
      HF/HS-STZ rats. HbA1c%, TGs, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein and
      adiponectin were analyzed by conventional methods adapted for rats. RESULTS:
      Insulin therapy lowered HbA1c (P<0.001), increased body weight (P<0.001),
      increased lean mass (P<0.001) and led to a near doubling of total fat mass
      (P<0.001), with the highest increase in subcutaneous adipose tissue as compared
      with visceral adipose tissue (P<0.001). No changes in liver fat were observed
      after insulin therapy, whereas plasma TG and cholesterol levels were decreased
      (P<0.001, P<0.01), while high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and adiponectin levels
      were elevated (P<0.01, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Using the HF/HS-STZ rat as an
      animal model for type 2 diabetes, we find that insulin therapy modulates fat
      distribution. Specifically, our data show that insulin has a relatively positive
      effect on CVD-associated parameters, including abdominal fat distribution, lean
      body mass, adiponectin, TGs and HDL in HF/HS-STZ rats, despite a modest gain in
      weight.

PMID- 26121962
TI  - 'I don't feel trapped anymore...I feel like a bird': People with Learning
      Disabilities' Experience of Psychological Therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are very few studies that investigate the qualitative
      experiences of people with a learning disability who have engaged in
      psychological therapy. Indeed, having a learning disability has traditionally
      been an exclusion criterion for good quality research about psychological
      treatments (Psychotherapy and Learning Disability. Council Report CR116. London:
      Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2004; Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual
      Disabilities, 19, 2005 and 5). The current research was developed in response to
      a clinical psychology service recognizing the need to evaluate their
      psychological service and, as part of this evaluation, the importance of
      consulting with service users about their experience of psychological therapies.
      The overall aim of gaining this feedback would be to improve the service offered
      and to ensure that people receive the best psychological care. METHODS: Six
      service users with a learning disability were interviewed about their experience
      of individual psychological therapy. The interviews were analysed using
      interpretative phenomenological analysis. RESULTS: Themes were generated from the
      interviews which highlighted both positive and negative feedback on the
      psychological therapy process. The feedback covered areas such as access to
      therapy, feelings about therapy, preparing for therapy, skill development and
      collaborative working, accessibility and making therapy fun, challenges to
      confidentiality, positive feelings towards the therapist, aspects of the
      therapeutic relationship, therapy being challenging but helpful, and positive
      outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: These results have contributed to the evidence base that
      people with a learning disability are able to meaningfully engage in research and
      provide essential feedback on the services that they receive. No longer can
      people be excluded from individual psychological therapy or research just because
      of their label.

PMID- 26121963
TI  - Cognitive function in chronic rhinosinusitis: a controlled clinical study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive dysfunction in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS)
      has previously received little attention. Cognitive data generally includes only
      subjective measures and lack appropriate controls when cognition is considered.
      The purpose of this study was to characterize dimensions of cognitive function
      that are affected in patients with CRS compared to a control sample using
      subjective and objective measures of cognitive function. METHODS: Patients
      fulfilling diagnostic criteria for CRS and non-CRS controls were recruited from
      the same clinical reference population. Patient-reported cognitive dysfunction
      was assessed using the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and fatigue via the
      Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Objective cognitive function was assessed using a
      battery of tests from the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM)
      computerized platform. RESULTS: A total of 100 subjects were enrolled, including
      50 patients with active CRS and 50 control subjects. Patients with CRS scored
      significantly worse in subjective cognition as measured by total CFQ scores (38.3
      +/- 16.5 vs 30.9 +/- 12.5; p = 0.009) and the FSS (4.2 +/- 1.6 vs 3.0 +/- 1.5; p
      = 0.001). Patients with CRS were also found to have worse simple reaction time
      scores compared to controls without CRS (162.4 +/- 56.2 vs 193.0 +/- 44.6; p =
      0.003). These differences persisted regardless of polyp status. Performance
      differences for FSS and SRT measures remained significant after controlling for
      age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, allergic rhinitis, asthma, obstructive
      sleep apnea, depression, and antihistamine usage. CONCLUSION: Patients with CRS
      report significantly more cognitive dysfunction and fatigue on validated
      instruments and had worse reaction times on computerized testing. Further study
      is necessary to determine whether available treatments impact these measures.

PMID- 26121964
TI  - Evaluating Intervention Programs Targeting Parents to Manage Childhood Overweight
      and Obesity: A Systematic Review Using the RE-AIM Framework.
AB  - Intervention programs targeting parents to manage childhood overweight and
      obesity have emerged based on parents influence on the health behaviors of their
      children. The purpose of this review was to systematically evaluate intervention
      programs targeting parents to manage childhood overweight and obesity using the
      Reach, Efficacy, Adopt, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. There
      was a moderate risk of bias across all studies. The overall proportion of studies
      (n=7) reporting on each dimension of the RE-AIM framework ranged from 78.6%
      (reach) to 23.8% (maintenance). The majority of intervention programs
      demonstrated improvement in child BMI. However intervention programs did not
      reach families of diverse race/ethnicity, were provided by highly trained
      professionals, and demonstrated high attrition, thus limiting generalizability. 

PMID- 26121965
TI  - Reply.

PMID- 26121966
TI  - Acceleration of protein folding by four orders of magnitude through a single
      amino acid substitution.
AB  - Cis prolyl peptide bonds are conserved structural elements in numerous protein
      families, although their formation is energetically unfavorable, intrinsically
      slow and often rate-limiting for folding. Here we investigate the reasons
      underlying the conservation of the cis proline that is diagnostic for the fold of
      thioredoxin-like thiol-disulfide oxidoreductases. We show that replacement of the
      conserved cis proline in thioredoxin by alanine can accelerate spontaneous
      folding to the native, thermodynamically most stable state by more than four
      orders of magnitude. However, the resulting trans alanine bond leads to small
      structural rearrangements around the active site that impair the function of
      thioredoxin as catalyst of electron transfer reactions by more than 100-fold. Our
      data provide evidence for the absence of a strong evolutionary pressure to
      achieve intrinsically fast folding rates, which is most likely a consequence of
      proline isomerases and molecular chaperones that guarantee high in vivo folding
      rates and yields. 

PMID- 26121967
TI  - Interaction of enamel matrix proteins with human periodontal ligament cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: It has recently been shown that enamel matrix derivative (EMD)
      components (Fraction C, containing <6 kDa peptides (mainly a 5.3 kDa tyrosine
      rich amelogenin peptide (TRAP)), and Fraction A, containing a mixture of >6 kDa
      peptides (including a leucine-rich amelogenin peptide (LRAP))) differentially
      regulate osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells. The
      present study examined whether EMD and the EMD Fractions (i) bind and internalize
      into PDL cells and (ii) precipitate and form insoluble complexes on PDL cells.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Biotin-labelled EMD/EMD Fractions were incubated with PDL
      cells under various different culture conditions and confocal and electron
      microscopies were carried out to examine the binding and intracellular
      trafficking of these proteins. RESULTS: The results reported here show, for the
      first time, that at least some components in Fraction A and the TRAP peptide in
      Fraction C can bind and be internalized by human PDL cells via receptor-mediated
      endocytosis. In addition, Fraction A was found to form insoluble aggregate-like
      structures on PDL cells, whereas Fraction C was soluble in culture media.
      CONCLUSION: Soluble amelogenin isoform TRAP appears to be internalizing into a
      subset of PDL cells. Moreover, TRAP uptake is most likely controlled by receptor
      mediated endocytosis. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Information on interaction between PDL
      cells and EMD/TRAP might prove useful in designing targeted interventions (i.e.
      use of chemically prepared soluble amelogenin peptides) to repair/regenerate
      periodontal tissues. Such interventions can also (i) avoid the use of rather
      crude animal-derived enamel matrix protein (EMP)/EMD preparation and (ii)
      preparation of cost-effective and more controlled chemically synthesized
      amelogenin peptides for the clinical use.

PMID- 26121968
TI  - Consensus report of the European Federation of Conservative Dentistry: erosive
      tooth wear--diagnosis and management.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Due to an increased focus on erosive tooth wear (ETW), the European
      Federation of Conservative Dentistry (EFCD) considered ETW as a relevant topic
      for generating this consensus report. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This report is based
      on a compilation of the scientific literature, an expert conference, and the
      approval by the General Assembly of EFCD. RESULTS: ETW is a chemical-mechanical
      process resulting in a cumulative loss of hard dental tissue not caused by
      bacteria, and it is characterized by loss of the natural surface morphology and
      contour of the teeth. A suitable index for classification of ETW is the basic
      erosive wear examination (BEWE). Regarding the etiology, patient-related factors
      include the pre-disposition to erosion, reflux, vomiting, drinking and eating
      habits, as well as medications and dietary supplements. Nutritional factors
      relate to the composition of foods and beverages, e.g., with low pH and high
      buffer capacity (major risk factors), and calcium concentration (major protective
      factor). Occupational factors are exposition of workers to acidic liquids or
      vapors. Preventive management of ETW aims at reducing or stopping the progression
      of the lesions. Restorative management aims at reducing symptoms of pain and
      dentine hypersensitivity, or to restore esthetic and function, but it should only
      be used in conjunction with preventive strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Effective
      management of ETW includes screening for early signs of ETW and evaluating all
      etiological factors. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: ETW is a clinical condition, which calls
      for the increased attention of the dental community and is a challenge for the
      cooperation with other medical specialities.

PMID- 26121969
TI  - New: consensus reports of the European Federation of Conservative Dentistry.

PMID- 26121970
TI  - Fit of 4-unit FDPs from CoCr and zirconia after conventional and digital
      impressions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the marginal and internal fit of CAD/CAM-generated
      frameworks for 4-unit, fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) from zirconia (Z) and
      cobalt-chromium alloy (C) made with conventional (CI) and digital impressions
      (DI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A titanium model was digitized with an intraoral
      scanner (DI, LAVATM C.O.S.; 3M ESPE; Seefeld, Germany; n = 12). Additionally, 12
      conventional impressions were taken, and referring plaster casts were digitized
      by a laboratory-scanner (CI, LAVATM Scan ST; 3M ESPE; n = 12). Frameworks were
      fabricated (3M ESPE) from cobalt-chromium (DI-C, n = 12; CI-C, n = 12) and
      zirconia (DI-Z, n = 12; CI-Z, n = 12) from the same datasets. A replica technique
      was applied to measure the accuracy. The Mann-Whitney U statistical test was
      applied to detect statistical differences between each material and methodology
      groups in terms of fit. RESULTS: Frameworks from DI-C (median 19.07 MUm) showed
      significantly better marginal fit than CI-C (median 64.64 MUm, p < 0.001).
      Frameworks from DI-Z (median 52.50 MUm) showed significantly better marginal fit
      than CI-Z (median 72.94 MUm, p = 0.001). Additionally, frameworks from DI-C
      showed a significantly better marginal fit than DI-Z (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CI
      and DI led to a clinically acceptable marginal fit of 4-unit FDPs from cobalt
      chromium and zirconia. DI leads to better marginal fit of the cobalt-chromium
      frameworks; however, no effect on zirconia was found. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The
      results indicate that DI is suitable for fabricating 4-unit, cobalt-chromium and
      zirconia frameworks with regard to fit requirements.

PMID- 26121971
TI  - Three-dimensional culture of dental pulp stem cells in direct contact to
      tricalcium silicate cements.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Calcium silicate cements are biocompatible dental materials
      applicable in contact with vital tissue. The novel tricalcium silicate cement
      BiodentineTM offers properties superior to commonly used mineral trioxide
      aggregate (MTA). Objective of this study was to evaluate its cytocompatibility
      and ability to induce differentiation and mineralization in three-dimensional
      cultures of dental pulp stem cells after direct contact with the material.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Test materials included a new tricalcium silicate
      (BiodentineTM, Septodont, Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, France), MTA (ProRoot(r) MTA,
      DENSPLY Tulsa Dental Specialities, Johnson City, TN, USA), glass ionomer (KetacTM
      Molar AplicapTM, 3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany), human dentin disks and polystyrene.
      Magnetic activated cell sorting for to the surface antigen STRO-1 was performed
      to gain a fraction enriched with mesenchymal stem cells. Samples were allowed to
      set and dental pulp stem cells in collagen carriers were placed on top. Scanning
      electron microscopy of tricalcium silicate cement surfaces with and without cells
      was conducted. Cell viability was measured for 14 days by MTT assay. Alkaline
      phosphatase activity was evaluated (days 3, 7, and 14) and expression of
      mineralization-associated genes (COL1A1, ALP, DSPP, and RUNX2) was quantified by
      real-time quantitative PCR. Nonparametric statistical analysis for cell viability
      and alkaline phosphatase data was performed to compare different materials as
      well as time points (Mann-Whitney U test, alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: Cell viability
      was highest on tricalcium silicate cement, followed by MTA. Viability on glass
      ionomer cement and dentin disks was significantly lower. Alkaline phosphatase
      activity was lower in cells on new tricalcium silicate cement compared to MTA,
      whereas expression patterns of marker genes were alike. CONCLUSIONS: Increased
      cell viability and similar levels of mineralization-associated gene expression in
      three-dimensional cell cultures on the novel tricalcium silicate cement and
      mineral trioxide aggregate indicate that the material is cytocompatible and
      bioactive. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The tested new tricalcium silicate cement confirms
      its suitability as an alternative to MTA in vital pulp therapy.

PMID- 26121972
TI  - Periodontal pathogens and tetracycline resistance genes in subgingival biofilm of
      periodontally healthy and diseased Dominican adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the periodontopathogen
      prevalence and tetracycline resistance genes in Dominican patients with different
      periodontal conditions. METHODS: Seventy-seven samples were collected from
      healthy, gingivitis, chronic (CP) and aggressive (AgP) periodontitis patients.
      Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythia,
      Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella
      intermedia, Parvimonas micra, Eikenella corrodens and Dialister pneumosintes and
      11 resistance genes were studied by PCR. P. gingivalis fimA genotype was
      determined. RESULTS: In healthy patients, P. micra and P. intermedia were the
      most and least frequently detected, respectively. T. forsythia and E. corrodens
      appeared in 100% of gingivitis patients. Red complex, D. pneumosintes and E.
      corrodens were significantly more prevalent in CP compared to healthy patients.
      F. nucleatum and T. denticola were detected more frequently in AgP. A.
      actinomycetemcomitans was the most rarely observed in all groups. The fimA II
      genotype was the most prevalent in periodontitis patients. Seven tetracycline
      resistant genes were detected. tet(Q), tet(32) and tet(W) showed the greatest
      prevalence. tet(32) was significantly more prevalent in CP than in healthy
      patients. CONCLUSIONS: Red complex bacteria and D. pneumosintes were
      significantly the most prevalent species among periodontitis patients. T.
      forsythia was the most frequently detected in this population. To our knowledge,
      this is the first study describing the tet(32) gene in subgingival biofilm from
      healthy and periodontally diseased subjects. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study
      contributes to the knowledge on the subgingival microbiota and its resistance
      genes of a scarcely studied world region. Knowing the prevalence of resistance
      genes could impact on their clinical prescription and could raise awareness to
      the appropriate use of antibiotics.

PMID- 26121974
TI  - Nebulized bronchodilators instead of metered-dose inhalers for obstructive
      pulmonary symptoms.

PMID- 26121975
TI  - Belgian experience with triple therapy with boceprevir and telaprevir in genotype
      1 infected patients who inject drugs.
AB  - No data have been reported yet on treatment outcome in persons who inject drugs
      (PWID) infected with hepatitis C virus treated with boceprevir or telaprevir in
      combination with peginterferon (Peg IFN) and ribavirin (RBV). Additionally, there
      are concerns about the safety of boceprevir and telaprevir in some subgroups of
      patients with hepatitis C (HCV). In a cohort of HCV patients infected with
      genotype 1 in Belgium, treatment outcome of patients infected due to IV drug use
      was analyzed and compared with patients who have no history of substance use. The
      study population consisted of 179 patients: 78 PWID and 101 controls treated with
      boceprevir (n = 79) or telaprevir (n = 100) additional to Peg IFN and RBV; 53
      (30%) had advanced disease (F3, F4) and 79 (44%) had an antiviral therapy
      previously. There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics
      between both groups, except that PWID patients were more frequently infected with
      genotype 1a (67% vs 21%), were younger and were predominantly male. Psychiatric
      complaints during follow-up occurred more frequently in the PWID patients: 24%
      versus 11% (P = .02). Treatment failure for other reasons than absence of viral
      response was 70% and 64% in PWID and non-PWID respectively. The sustained viral
      response (SVR) rates were similar in both groups (71% in PWID vs 72% in non
      PWID); with a non-inferiority test with -5% margin there is a difference of -1%
      (95% CI [-15%, 13%]) and P = 0.30. There are no reasons to exclude PWID from
      treatment with boceprevir, telaprevir and novel antiviral therapies.

PMID- 26121973
TI  - Infection as cause of immobility and occurrence of venous thromboembolism:
      analysis of 1635 medical cases from the RIETE registry.
AB  - Several risk assessment models include infection and immobility among the items
      to be considered for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention. However,
      information on patients with infection leading to immobility and developing VTE
      are limited, as well as on the role of specific types of infection. Data were
      collected from the worldwide RIETE registry, including patients with symptomatic
      objectively confirmed VTE, and followed-up for at least 3 months. The overall
      population of RIETE at June 2013 (n = 47,390) was considered. Acute infection
      leading to immobility was reported in 3.9 % of non-surgical patients. Compared
      with patients immobilized due to dementia, patients with infection had a shorter
      duration of immobilization prior to VTE (less than 4 weeks in 94.2 vs. 25.9 % of
      cases; p < 0.001). During the 3-month follow-up, VTE patients with infection
      versus those with dementia had a lower rate of fatal bleeding (0.5 vs. 1.1 %; p <
      0.05) or fatal PE (1.7 vs. 3.5 %; p < 0.01). Patients with respiratory tract
      infections had more likely PE as initial VTE presentation than other types of
      infection (62.3 vs. 37.7 %; p < 0.001). Significantly more patients with
      pneumonia than those with other respiratory infections had received VTE
      prophylaxis (50.2 vs. 30.6 %; p < 0.001). Following VTE, patients with sepsis
      showed a significantly higher risk of fatal bleeding. Based on our real-world
      data, infection seems to contribute to the pathogenesis of VTE by accelerating
      the effects of immobility. Its role as VTE risk factor probably deserves further
      attention and specific assessment in order to optimize VTE prophylaxis and
      treatment.

PMID- 26121976
TI  - Anticancer drug sensitivity prediction in cell lines from baseline gene
      expression through recursive feature selection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An enduring challenge in personalized medicine is to select right
      drug for individual patients. Testing drugs on patients in large clinical trials
      is one way to assess their efficacy and toxicity, but it is impractical to test
      hundreds of drugs currently under development. Therefore the preclinical
      prediction model is highly expected as it enables prediction of drug response to
      hundreds of cell lines in parallel. METHODS: Recently, two large-scale
      pharmacogenomic studies screened multiple anticancer drugs on over 1000 cell
      lines in an effort to elucidate the response mechanism of anticancer drugs. To
      this aim, we here used gene expression features and drug sensitivity data in
      Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) to build a predictor based on Support Vector
      Machine (SVM) and a recursive feature selection tool. Robustness of our model was
      validated by cross-validation and an independent dataset, the Cancer Genome
      Project (CGP). RESULTS: Our model achieved good cross validation performance for
      most drugs in the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (>=80% accuracy for 10 drugs,
      >=75% accuracy for 19 drugs). Independent tests on eleven common drugs between
      CCLE and CGP achieved satisfactory performance for three of them, i.e., AZD6244,
      Erlotinib and PD-0325901, using expression levels of only twelve, six and seven
      genes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that drug response could
      be effectively predicted from genomic features. Our model could be applied to
      predict drug response for some certain drugs and potentially play a complementary
      role in personalized medicine.

PMID- 26121977
TI  - Lipopolysaccharide significantly influences the hepatic triglyceride metabolism
      in growing pigs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the practical commercial pig farms, inflammation is a perennial
      problem, yet most of studies on inflammation are focused on immune response.
      Actually, inflammation can induce body metabolism disorder which will finally
      influence animals' growth. In this study, we investigated the effect of acute
      inflammation on the triglyceride (TG) metabolism in the liver of growing pigs and
      the possible underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Twelve male growing pigs were
      randomly divided into two groups, a control group (received saline) and a LPS
      group (intramuscular injected with 15 MUg/kg LPS). Six hours after LPS injection,
      the pigs were euthanized and sampled. Biochemical indexes, inflammation factors,
      lipid metabolism related parameters and mitochondrial function were evaluated.
      The relationship between glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the key enzymes of de
      novo lipogenesis were also investigated by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay
      (ChIP). RESULTS: LPS induced a serious inflammation in the liver of growing pigs
      proved by liver morphologic changes, the up-regulated plasma cortisol, tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) content and gene expression of inflammation
      related genes in liver. For de novo lipogenesis, LPS significantly decreased the
      gene expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS), Acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1 (ACC-1)
      and Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1), and the protein expression of ACC-1 and
      SCD-1. For lipolysis, only the gene expression of adipose triglyceride lipase
      (ATGL) was decreased. LPS did nothing to the gene expression of hormone-sensitive
      lipase (HSL) and the lipolytic enzymes activities. For beta-oxidation, LPS
      significantly increased the protein expression of CPT-1alpha, but the gene
      expression of mitochondrial DNA-encoded genes and the activities of mitochondrial
      complex IV and V demonstrated no obviously changes. Furthermore, ChIP results
      showed that LPS significantly decreased the level of GR binding to ACC-1
      promoter. CONCLUSION: LPS infection has a profound impact on hepatic TG
      metabolism. This impact is mainly demonstrated by the significantly deceased de
      novo lipogenesis, and GR may involve in its regulation.

PMID- 26121978
TI  - Abdominal fascia closure following elective midline laparotomy: a surgical
      experience at a tertiary care hospital in Tanzania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The optimal strategy of abdominal wall closure after midline
      laparotomy has remained an issue of ongoing debate. This study was undertaken to
      describe our own experiences with abdominal fascial closure following elective
      midline laparotomy and compare with what is described in literature. METHODS:
      This was a descriptive prospective study of patients who underwent elective
      midline laparotomy at Bugando Medical Centre between March 2009 and February
      2014. RESULTS: A total of 872 patients (M:F = 2.8:1) were studied. The median age
      was 38 years. The fascia closure was performed with a continuous and interrupted
      sutures in 804 (92.2%) and 68 (7.8%) patients, respectively. Mass closure and
      layered closure were performed in 842 (96.6%) and 30 (3.4%) patients,
      respectively. Monofilament sutures were applied for fascia closure in 366 (42.0%)
      patients, multifilament sutures in 506 (58.0%) patients. Non-absorbable sutures
      were chosen in 304 (34.9%) patients, slowly absorbable sutures in 506 (58.0%),
      and moderately absorbable sutures in 62 (7.1%) patients. Sutures used for fascial
      closure were vicryl 464 (53.2%), nylon 250 (28.7%), prolene 62 (7.1%), PDSII 54
      (6.2%) and silk 42 (4.8%). Sutures with the strength of 0 were used in 214
      (24.4%) patients, with strength of 1 in 524 (60.1%) patients, and with strength
      of 2 in 134 (15.4%) patients. The mean time required for massive closure of the
      midline incision was 8.20 +/- 6.12 min whereas in layered closure, the mean time
      required for closure was 12.22 +/- 7.11 min and this was statistically
      significant (p = 0.002). Mass closure was significantly associated with low
      incidence of wound dehiscence and incisional hernia (p < 0.001). Continuous
      suture was significantly associated with low incidence of wound dehiscence and
      incisional hernia as compared to interrupted suture (p < 0.001). Non-absorbable
      sutures were significantly associated with increased incidence of persistent
      wound pain and stitch sinus as compared to absorbable sutures (p < 0.001). The
      use of monofilament sutures was insignificantly associated with low incidence of
      surgical site infection as compared to multifilament sutures (p = 0.051). Prolene
      was significantly associated with persistent wound pain as compared to vicryl (p
      = 0.017). CONCLUSION: Continuous mass closure with vicryl is commonly used for
      abdominal fascial closure following elective midline laparotomy in our setting
      and gives satisfactory results.

PMID- 26121979
TI  - The prevalence and pattern of deciduous molar hypomineralization and molar
      incisor hypomineralization in children from a suburban population in Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Molar Incisor Hypoplasia (MIH) and Deciduous Molar Hypoplasia (DMH)
      have significant impact on the quality of life of affected individuals. The
      objective of the study was to determine the prevalence, pattern and clinical
      presentation of MIH and DMH in children resident in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, and their
      association with sex and socioeconomic status of the children. METHODS:
      Information on age, sex and socioeconomic status was collected from 563 children
      aged 3 to 5 years and 8 to 10 years using a structured questionnaire through a
      household survey. Clinical examination was conducted to assess for the presence
      of DMH and MIH. The prevalence of DMH and MIH were determined. Tests of
      association between sex, socioeconomic status, prevalence, and pattern of
      presentation of both DMH and MIH were conducted using Pearson's Chi-squared test
      Fisher's exact test. RESULT: Fifteen (4.6%) of the 327 children aged 3 to 5 years
      and 23 (9.7%) of the 237 children aged 8 to 10 years had DMH and MIH
      respectively. There were no significant association between DMH, sex (p = 0.49)
      and socioeconomic status (p = 0.32). There were also no significant association
      between MIH, sex (p = 0.31) and socioeconomic status (p = 0.41). MIH/DMH co
      morbidity was observed in eight (34.8%) of the 23 children with MIH. The mandible
      and maxilla were affected equally. Antimere was not observed. CONCLUSION: The
      prevalence of DMH and the prevalence of MIH in the study population were high.
      DMH and MIH were not associated with sex and socioeconomic status. There was no
      specific pattern identified in the presentation of DMH and MIH. The prevalence of
      DMH/MIH co-morbidity is also high. Patients with DMH should be screened for MIH.

PMID- 26121981
TI  - DEAD-box RNA helicase DDX23 modulates glioma malignancy via elevating miR-21
      biogenesis.
AB  - Upregulation of microRNA-21 (miR-21) is known to be strongly associated with the
      proliferation, invasion, and radio-resistance of glioma cells. However, the
      regulatory mechanism that governs the biogenesis of miR-21 in glioma is still
      unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the DEAD-box RNA helicase, DDX23, promotes miR
      21 biogenesis at the post-transcriptional level. The expression of DDX23 was
      enhanced in glioma tissues compared to normal brain, and expression level of
      DDX23 was highly associated with poor survival of glioma patients. Specific
      knockdown of DDX23 expression suppressed glioma cell proliferation and invasion
      in vitro and in vivo, which is similar to the function of miR-21. We found that
      DDX23 increased the level of miR-21 by promoting primary-to-precursor processing
      of miR-21 through an interaction with the Drosha microprocessor. Mutagenesis
      experiments critically demonstrated that the helicase activity of DDX23 was
      essential for the processing (cropping) of miR-21, and we further found that
      ivermectin, a RNA helicase inhibitor, decreased miR-21 levels by potentially
      inhibiting DDX23 activity and blocked invasion and cell proliferation. Moreover,
      treatment of ivermectin decreased glioma growth in mouse xenografts. Taken
      together, these results suggest that DDX23 plays an essential role in glioma
      progression, and might thus be a potential novel target for the therapeutic
      treatment of glioma. 

PMID- 26121980
TI  - Genome-wide association analysis identified splicing single nucleotide
      polymorphism in CFLAR predictive of triptolide chemo-sensitivity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Triptolide is a therapeutic diterpenoid derived from the Chinese herb
      Tripterygium wilfordii Hook f. Triptolide has been shown to induce apoptosis by
      activation of pro-apoptotic proteins, inhibiting NFkB and c-KIT pathways,
      suppressing the Jak2 transcription, activating MAPK8/JNK signaling and modulating
      the heat shock responses. RESULTS: In the present study, we used lymphoblast cell
      lines (LCLs) derived from 55 unrelated Caucasian subjects to identify genetic
      markers predictive of cellular sensitivity to triptolide using genome wide
      association study. Our results identified SNPs on chromosome 2 associated with
      triptolide IC50 (p < 0.0001). This region included biologically interesting genes
      as CFLAR, PPIl3, Caspase 8/10, NFkB and STAT6. Identification of a splicing-SNP
      rs10190751, which regulates CFLAR alternatively spliced isoforms predictive of
      the triptolide cytotoxicity suggests its role in triptolides action. Our results
      from functional studies in Panc-1 cell lines further demonstrate potential role
      of CFLAR in triptolide toxicity. Analysis of gene-expression with cytotoxicity
      identified JAK1 expression to be a significant predictor of triptolide
      sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: Overall out results identified genetic factors
      associated with triptolide chemo-sensitivity thereby opening up opportunities to
      better understand its mechanism of action as well as utilize these biomarkers to
      predict therapeutic response in patients.

PMID- 26121982
TI  - Structure-Function Basis of Attenuated Inverse Agonism of Angiotensin II Type 1
      Receptor Blockers for Active-State Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor.
AB  - Ligand-independent signaling by the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) can be
      activated in clinical settings by mechanical stretch and autoantibodies as well
      as receptor mutations. Transition of the AT1R to the activated state is known to
      lower inverse agonistic efficacy of clinically used AT1R blockers (ARBs). The
      structure-function basis for reduced efficacy of inverse agonists is a
      fundamental aspect that has been understudied not only in relation to the AT1R
      but also regarding other homologous receptors. Here, we demonstrate that the
      active-state transition in the AT1R indeed attenuates an inverse agonistic effect
      of four biphenyl-tetrazole ARBs through changes in specific ligand-receptor
      interactions. In the ground state, tight interactions of four ARBs with a set of
      residues (Ser109(TM3), Phe182(ECL2), Gln257(TM6), Tyr292(TM7), and Asn295(TM7))
      results in potent inverse agonism. In the activated state, the ARB-AT1R
      interactions shift to a different set of residues (Val108(TM3), Ser109(TM3),
      Ala163(TM4), Phe182(ECL2), Lys199(TM5), Tyr292(TM7), and Asn295(TM7)), resulting
      in attenuated inverse agonism. Interestingly, V108I, A163T, N295A, and F182A
      mutations in the activated state of the AT1R shift the functional response to the
      ARB binding toward agonism, but in the ground state the same mutations cause
      inverse agonism. Our data show that the second extracellular loop is an important
      regulator of the functional states of the AT1R. Our findings suggest that the
      quest for discovering novel ARBs, and improving current ARBs, fundamentally
      depends on the knowledge of the unique sets of residues that mediate inverse
      agonistic potency in the two states of the AT1R. 

PMID- 26121983
TI  - Airway and Respiration Parameters Improve Following Vocal Fold Medialization: A
      Prospective Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Laryngeal medialization procedures such as injection
      laryngoplasty (IL) and thyroplasty type 1 (TT1) are standard techniques for the
      treatment of glottic insufficiency related to unilateral vocal fold paralysis
      (UVFP). These procedures reliably improve the voice and may also improve
      swallowing function. Despite the association of laryngeal paralysis with airway
      regulation, there is little published on the effect of UVFP and its surgical
      treatment on respiration. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the
      aerodynamic outcomes of UVFP patients before and after vocal fold medialization,
      either by IL or TT1. METHODS: Consecutive patients with dysphonia due to UVFP
      were included in this prospective study between 2012 and 2014. Nineteen patients
      were investigated (5 females, 14 males) with a mean age of 37.05 +/- 17.8 years.
      Eight patients were treated by IL while 11 patients received TT1. The patients
      were subjected to Modified Medical Research Council (MMRC) and Borg dyspnea
      scales, maximum phonation time (MPT) measurement, spirometry, and cycle
      ergometry, pre- and postoperatively at 2 months. RESULTS: There was a
      statistically significant increase in MPT from 5.5 +/- 3 seconds to 11.2 +/- 4.9
      seconds postoperatively (P < .001). The MMRC and Borg dyspnea scales also showed
      significant improvement postoperatively (P < .001, P = .006, respectively). The
      change in spirometric parameters (peak expiratory flow, forced expiratory volume
      in 1 second, forced vital capacity, and peak inspiratory flow) were
      nonsignificant, while there was a significant improvement in cycle ergometry test
      postoperatively (P = .018). CONCLUSION: Laryngeal medialization procedures such
      as IL and TT1 improve UVFP patients' respiration-related quality of life and
      aerodynamic performance with no significant changes in spirometry.

PMID- 26121984
TI  - HIV-associated lymphoma in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy:
      shifting the immunological landscape.
AB  - HIV infection increases the risk of many types of cancer, including lymphoma.
      Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has reduced, but not eliminated, the
      risk of HIV-associated lymphoma. There has been a substantial shift in the
      subtypes of lymphoma observed in HIV-infected patients treated with cART. In this
      review, we will first outline these changes based on epidemiological studies and
      describe the impact of cART on lymphoma risk and mortality. Then, we will discuss
      some immunological factors that may contribute to the increased risk of lymphoma
      persisting after the administration of cART, including immunological non-response
      to therapy, chronic B-cell activation and dysfunction, T follicular helper cells,
      natural killer cells and altered lymphopoiesis. A better understanding of the
      pathophysiologic mechanisms of HIV-associated lymphoma under effective cART will
      inform future treatment strategies. 

PMID- 26121985
TI  - Cross-cultural verification of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL questionnaire in mainland
      China.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Simplified by European Organization for Research and Treatment of
      Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30), EORTC Quality-of
      Life Questionnaire Core 15 Palliative Care (QLQ-C15-PAL) is specifically applied
      to evaluating palliative care patients' quality of life. AIM: This study examined
      cross-cultural adaptability and validity of QLQ-C15-PAL for evaluating quality of
      life of palliative care patients with advanced cancer in mainland China.
      PARTICIPANTS AND DESIGN: From May to October 2013, 243 palliative care patients
      in Tianjin Cancer Hospital completed the EORTC QLQ-C30. We extracted QLQ-C15-PAL
      data for analysis. Physicians completed the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
      Performance Status score and mental state assessment for each patient. RESULTS: A
      total of 243 patients completed the study. The compliance rate was high, with
      missing rate for each item ranging from 0% to 2.1%. In addition to emotional
      function, the remaining dimensions demonstrated a high reliability (Cronbach's
      alpha > 0.7). Whether we divided patients into two groups according to their
      Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status or divided patients into
      three groups according to mental status, both sets of results showed significant
      differences in QLQ-C15-PAL subscale scores (p < 0.05), indicating that the QLQ
      C15-PAL scale could be used to distinguish between the aforementioned subgroups.
      Overall quality of life was moderately correlated with fatigue (r = -0.406) but
      weakly correlated with other subscales. The proportion of variance (R(2)) ranged
      from 0.848 to 0.903, which showed that QLQ-C15-PAL subscale scores explained
      between 84.8% and 90.3% of the original QLQ-C30 score distribution. CONCLUSION:
      The Chinese version of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL questionnaire has high reliability
      and validity and is therefore suitable for clinical use in China to determine
      health-related quality of life in Chinese patients with advanced cancer.

PMID- 26121986
TI  - A "client-centred activities of daily living" intervention for persons with
      stroke: One-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare changes regarding perceived participation, independence in
      activities of daily living (ADL) and life satisfaction between 3, 6 and 12 months
      after inclusion in a study of a client-centred ADL intervention and usual ADL
      intervention after stroke. DESIGN: A multicentre randomized controlled trial.
      METHODS: Sixteen rehabilitation units were randomly assigned to provide client
      centred ADL intervention or usual ADL intervention. Eligible participants were
      persons <= 3 months after stroke who had been treated in a stroke unit, were
      dependent in two ADL domains, had not been diagnosed with dementia, and were able
      to understand instructions. Data collection was performed by blinded assessors.
      The primary outcome, perceived participation, was assessed with the Stroke Impact
      Scale 3.0, domain 8. The secondary outcomes, participation, independence in ADL,
      and life satisfaction, were assessed with validated instruments. For statistical
      power, 280 participants were required. Statistical analyses were performed on an
      intention-to-treat basis. RESULTS: There were no differences between the groups
      regarding changes in perceived participation, independence in ADL, or life
      satisfaction during the first 12 months. There was a trend towards a clinically
      meaningful positive change in perceived participation that favoured client
      centred ADL intervention. CONCLUSION: Further research is required to understand
      the benefits of client-centred interventions.

PMID- 26121987
TI  - A prospective study of insulin-like growth factor 1, its binding protein 3, and
      risk of endometriosis.
AB  - Several retrospective case-control studies suggested that insulin-like growth
      factor 1 (IGF-1) or insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) was
      associated with endometriosis. However, results are inconsistent and no
      prospective study exists. We prospectively evaluated associations between plasma
      levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 and laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis in a
      case-control study nested within the Nurses' Health Study II. Between blood
      collections in 1996-1999 and 2007, we ascertained 310 premenopausal women with
      incident endometriosis and 615 matched controls. We estimated incidence rate
      ratios and 95% confidence intervals using multivariable conditional logistic
      regression. We observed no statistically significant associations between
      endometriosis and IGF-1 (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.88, 95% confidence
      interval (CI): 0.61, 1.27; Ptrend = 0.48), IGFBP-3 (IRR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.80,
      1.57; Ptrend = 0.51), and the IGF-1:IGFBP-3 molar ratio (IRR = 0.94, 95% CI:
      0.66, 1.34; Ptrend = 0.64), comparing the top with the bottom tertile. IGF-1,
      IGFBP-3, and the molar ratio appeared to be positively associated with
      endometriosis risk among women aged <40 years at blood draw (IGF-1: IRR = 1.60,
      95% CI: 0.86, 2.98; IGFBP-3: IRR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.08, 3.16; IGF-1:IGFBP-3: IRR =
      1.57, 95% CI: 0.85, 2.88) but not among women aged >=40 years at blood draw (all
      Pheterogeneity <= 0.05). Overall, these data suggest that, if IGF-1 or IGFBP-3
      plays a role in the etiology of endometriosis, it is minimal and perhaps only
      among younger women. 

PMID- 26121988
TI  - The association between traumatic brain injury and suicide: are kids at risk?
AB  - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in late adolescence and adulthood is associated with
      a higher risk of suicide; however, it is unknown whether this association is also
      present in people who sustained a TBI during childhood. The purpose of the
      present study was to determine whether experiencing a TBI during childhood is a
      risk factor for suicide later in life and to examine whether the risk of suicide
      differs by sex or injury severity. A cohort of 135,703 children aged 0-17 years
      was identified from the Quebec population-based physician reimbursement database
      in 1987, and follow-up was conducted until 2008. Of the children in this cohort,
      21,047 had sustained a TBI. Using a survival analysis with time-dependent
      indicators of TBI, we found a higher risk of suicide for people who sustained a
      TBI during childhood (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.49, 95% confidence interval (CI):
      1.04, 2.14), adolescence (HR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.09, 2.26), and adulthood (HR =
      2.53, 95% CI: 1.79, 3.59). When compared with less severe injuries, such as
      concussions and cranial fractures, more severe injuries, such as intracranial
      hemorrhages, were associated with a higher risk of suicide (HR = 2.18 vs. 2.77,
      respectively). Repeated injuries were associated with higher risks of suicide in
      all age groups. 

PMID- 26121990
TI  - Children mix direct and indirect speech: evidence from pronoun comprehension.
AB  - This study investigates children's acquisition of the distinction between direct
      speech (Elephant said, "I get the football") and indirect speech (Elephant said
      that he gets the football), by measuring children's interpretation of first,
      second, and third person pronouns. Based on evidence from various linguistic
      sources, we hypothesize that the direct-indirect distinction is acquired
      relatively late. We also predict more mistakes for third person pronouns compared
      to first and second person pronouns. We tested 136 Dutch-speaking children
      between four and twelve in a referent selection task and found that children
      interpret pronouns in direct speech predominantly as in indirect speech,
      supporting our hypothesis about a late acquisition of the direct-indirect
      distinction. In addition, we found differences between I, you, and he that
      deviate from a simple first and second vs. third person split. We discuss our
      results in the light of cross-linguistic findings of direct-indirect mixing. 

PMID- 26121989
TI  - Associations Between Residential Proximity to Power Plants and Adverse Birth
      Outcomes.
AB  - Few studies have assessed the associations between residential proximity to power
      plants and adverse birth outcomes including preterm delivery (PTD), very preterm
      delivery (VPTD), and term low birth weight (LBW). We geocoded 423,719 singleton
      Florida births born from 2004 to 2005 and all active power plants and determined
      residential proximity to the nearest power plant for each birth. Prenatal
      exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 um in diameter for women living near
      different types of power plants was also determined by using National
      Environmental Public Health Tracking Network data. Logistic regression models
      were used to test the hypothesized associations. Women who lived closer to coal
      and solid waste power plants were exposed to higher levels of particulate matter
      less than 2.5 um in diameter compared with other types. We observed a 1.8% (95%
      confidence interval (CI): 1.3, 2.3) increased odds for PTD, 2.2% (95% CI: 1.0,
      3.4) for VPTD, and 1.1% (95% CI: 0.2, 2.0) for term LBW for each 5 km closer to
      any power plant. When stratifying by different fuel type, we found that only
      solid waste had an association with term LBW, whereas oil, gas, and solid waste
      all had an association with PTD and VPTD. Results were consistent when exposure
      was categorized by number of power plants. Our study found evidence of increasing
      odds of adverse birth outcomes among infants born to pregnant women living closer
      to power plants. More research is warranted to better understand the causal
      relationship.

PMID- 26121991
TI  - Foaming Properties of Whey Protein Isolate and lambda-Carrageenan Mixed Systems.
AB  - Heating protein with polysaccharide under neutral or near neutral pH can induce
      the formation of soluble complex with improved functional properties. The
      objective of our research was to investigate the effects of lambda-carrageenan
      (lambdaC) concentrations and pH on foaming properties of heated whey protein
      isolate (WPI) and lambdaC soluble complex (h-cpx) in comparison to heated WPI
      with added lambdaC (pWPI-lambdaC), and unheated WPI with lambdaC (WPI-lambdaC).
      In all 3 WPI-lambdaC systems at pH 7, increasing lambdaC concentration led to
      improved foamability until a certain concentration before it decreased. Despite
      their higher viscosity, both heated systems (pWPI-lambdaC and h-cpx) showed
      significantly better foamability and foam stability compared to WPI-lambdaC.
      Rheological results of foams with 0.25% lambdaC suggested that higher elasticity
      and viscous films were produced in h-cpx and pWPI-lambdaC systems corresponding
      to better foam stability. Foam microstructure images indicated that foams
      produced from h-cpx had thicker film and consisted of smaller initial bubble area
      and more uniform bubble size. Results from the effect of pH (6.2, 6.5, and 7.0)
      further confirmed that stronger interactions between WPI and lambdaC during
      heating contributed to the improved foaming properties. Foam stability was higher
      in h-cpx system at all 3 pH levels, especially under pH 6.2 where there were
      strongest interactions between the biopolymers. 

PMID- 26121992
TI  - Functional capacity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Looking beyond the lungs.

PMID- 26121993
TI  - Dose-dependency of clonidine's effects in ascitic cirrhotic rats: comparison with
      alpha1-adrenergic agonist midodrine.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation decreases response
      to diuretics, but both alpha1-adrenoceptor agonists and sympatholytic alpha2
      adrenoceptor agonists are recommended in the management of ascitic cirrhosis. We
      intend to compare the effects of increasing doses of clonidine (alpha2-agonist)
      vs. midodrine (alpha1-agonist) in advanced cirrhosis. METHODS: Renal function,
      mean arterial pressure (MAP), and hormonal status were measured in rats with
      ascitic cirrhosis due to 13-week CCl(4) administration (groups G1-G5), in control
      rats (Gc), and in rats with ascitic cirrhosis untreated (G6) or treated with
      daily diuretics (0.5 mg/kg furosemide plus 2 mg/kg K(+) -canrenoate during the
      11(th) -13(th) weeks of CCl(4)) (G7). G1-G5 cirrhotic rats received daily, during
      the 11(th)-13(th) CCl(4) weeks: clonidine 0.3 MUg only (G1), diuretics +
      clonidine 0.2 (G2), 0.5 (G3) or 1 MUg (G4), and diuretics + midodrine 1 mg/kg
      b.w. (G5). RESULTS: Cirrhotic rats in G1 or G2 had higher glomerular filtration
      rate, renal plasma flow and natriuresis than cirrhotic rats treated with
      diuretics (G7) (all P < 0.05). The addition of clonidine 0.2 MUg to diuretics (G2
      vs. G7) reduced serum norepinephrine (169 +/- 71 ng/L vs. 523 +/- 88 ng/L) and
      plasma renin activity (12 +/- 3 ng/ml/h vs. 25 +/- 5 ng/ml/h) (all P < 0.05).
      Midodrine did not improve the renal performance in ascitic rats treated with
      diuretics. In comparison to absolute cirrhotic controls (G6), MAP was lower in G4
      and higher in G5 (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Low-dose alpha2-agonists improve
      natriuresis and reduce SNS function and hyper-aldosteronism without affecting
      arterial pressure in experimental ascitic cirrhosis treated with diuretics.

PMID- 26121994
TI  - A three-dimensional in vitro culture model of Hailey-Hailey disease.

PMID- 26121995
TI  - A systems approach to reducing maternal obesity: The Health in Preconception,
      Pregnancy and Postbirth (HIPPP) Collaborative.
AB  - Obesity in our childbearing population has increased to epidemic proportions in
      developed countries; efforts to address this issue need to focus on prevention.
      The Health in Preconception, Pregnancy and Postbirth (HIPPP) Collaborative - a
      group of researchers, practitioners, policymakers and end-users - was formed to
      take up the challenge to address this issue as a partnership. Application of
      systems thinking, participatory systems modelling and group model building was
      used to establish research questions aiming to optimise periconception lifestyle,
      weight and health. Our goal was to reduce the burden of maternal obesity through
      systems change. 

PMID- 26121996
TI  - Dietary protein intake may reduce hospitalisation due to infection in Maori of
      advanced age: LiLACS NZ.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors related to hospital admission for infection,
      specifically examining nutrient intakes of Maori in advanced age (80+ years).
      METHOD: Face-to-face interviews with 200 Maori (85 men) to obtain demographic,
      social and health information. Diagnoses were validated against medical records.
      Detailed nutritional assessment using the 24-hour multiple-pass recall method was
      collected on two separate days. FOODfiles was used to analyse nutrient intake.
      National Health Index (NHI) numbers were matched to hospitalisations over a two
      year period (12 months prior and 12 months following dietary assessment).
      Selected International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes were used to
      identify admissions related to infection. RESULTS: A total of 18% of participants
      were hospitalised due to infection, most commonly lower respiratory tract
      infection. Controlling for age, gender, NZ deprivation index, diabetes, CVD and
      chronic lung disease, a lower energy-adjusted protein intake was independently
      associated with hospitalisation due to infection: OR (95%CI) 1.14 (1.00-1.29),
      p=0.046. CONCLUSIONS: Protein intake may have a protective effect on the
      nutrition-related morbidity of older Maori. Improving dietary protein intake is a
      simple strategy for dietary modification aiming to decrease the risk of
      infections that lead to hospitalisation and other morbidities.

PMID- 26121997
TI  - A central approach to splenorenal shunt in pediatric living donor liver
      transplantation.
AB  - The management of LSRS is a crucial problem to ensure a sufficient PV flow during
      pediatric LT. Although several techniques have been indicated to solve this
      problem, a more appropriate approach to LSRS is still needed in pediatric LT. We
      herein present a modified surgical approach to the ligation of LSRS via the left
      side of the IVC for a nine-month-old boy with severe portal hypertension and a
      history of Kasai portoenterostomy. LSRS was identified and exposed through the
      left side of the IVC and the dorsal surface of the pancreas from the superior
      side of the body of the pancreas. The post-operative course was uneventful with
      an excellent PV flow. The central approach for the ligation of LSRS is worth
      considering as an alternative procedure for a patient with collateral vessels and
      a history of multiple laparotomies. 

PMID- 26121998
TI  - A telephone-delivered multiple health behaviour change intervention for
      colorectal cancer survivors: making the case for cost-effective healthcare.
AB  - In patients with colorectal cancer, a trial of a telephone-delivered multiple
      health behaviour change intervention, using acceptance commitment therapy
      strategies, found benefits for health and psychosocial outcomes including
      increased physical activity, improved dietary habits and lower body mass index.
      Our aim was to address the health economic outcomes by assessing the health
      system cost and health utility impacts of the intervention. A cost-consequences
      analysis was performed using data from a two-group randomised controlled
      intervention trial (n = 410). Outcomes included health-related quality of life
      (HRQoL), health utility and health system costs. At 12 months, clinically
      meaningful improvements were found for SF-6D over time but no significant
      differences were found between groups (P = 0.95). The cost of delivering the 6
      month intervention was on average ?280 per person and made up 21% of overall
      healthcare costs for participants during the intervention period. Excluding
      intervention costs, costs were similar for health professional visits and
      medications across groups. Despite significant positive intervention effects on
      health behaviours, health utility and HRQoL scores were similar across groups. On
      the basis that intervention costs were small and physical activity, diet and
      weight management improved, on balance the intervention is potentially a
      worthwhile investment in healthcare funds. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ACTRN12608000399392.

PMID- 26121999
TI  - Epitaxial B-Graphene: Large-Scale Growth and Atomic Structure.
AB  - Embedding foreign atoms or molecules in graphene has become the key approach in
      its functionalization and is intensively used for tuning its structural and
      electronic properties. Here, we present an efficient method based on chemical
      vapor deposition for large scale growth of boron-doped graphene (B-graphene) on
      Ni(111) and Co(0001) substrates using carborane molecules as the precursor. It is
      shown that up to 19 at. % of boron can be embedded in the graphene matrix and
      that a planar C-B sp(2) network is formed. It is resistant to air exposure and
      widely retains the electronic structure of graphene on metals. The large-scale
      and local structure of this material has been explored depending on boron content
      and substrate. By resolving individual impurities with scanning tunneling
      microscopy we have demonstrated the possibility for preferential substitution of
      carbon with boron in one of the graphene sublattices (unbalanced sublattice
      doping) at low doping level on the Ni(111) substrate. At high boron content the
      honeycomb lattice of B-graphene is strongly distorted, and therefore, it
      demonstrates no unballanced sublattice doping. 

PMID- 26122000
TI  - Microscopic Positive Margins in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Is Not an
      Independent Predictor of Local Failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In contrast to other head and neck cancers, the impact of
      histological thyroid specimen margin status in differentiated thyroid cancer
      (DTC) is not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      prognostic value of margin status on local recurrence in DTC. METHOD: The records
      of 3664 consecutive patients treated surgically for DTC between 1986 and 2010
      were identified from an institutional database. Patients with less than total
      thyroidectomy, unresectable or gross residual disease, or M1 disease at
      presentation and those with unknown pathological margin status were excluded from
      analysis. In total, 2616 patients were included in the study; 2348 patients (90%)
      had negative margins and 268 patients (10%) had positive margins. Microscopic
      positive margin status was defined as tumor present at the specimen's edge on
      pathological analysis. Patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics were
      compared by Pearson's chi-squared test. Local recurrence free survival (LRFS) was
      calculated for each group using the Kaplan Meier method. RESULTS: The median age
      of the cohort was 48 years (range 7-91 years) and the median follow-up was 50
      months (range 1-330 months). Age, sex, and histology types were similar between
      groups. As expected, patients who had positive margins were more likely to have
      larger tumors (p<0.001), extrathyroidal extension (ETE) (p<0.001), multicentric
      disease (p<0.001), or nodal disease (p<0.001) and were more likely to receive
      adjuvant radioactive iodine therapy (p<0.001) as well as external beam
      radiotherapy (p<0.001). The LRFS at 5 years for patients with positive margins
      status was slightly poorer compared with patients with negative margins (98.9%
      vs. 99.5%, p=0.018). Twelve patients developed local recurrence-8/2348 (0.34%)
      patients with negative margins and 4/263 (1.52%) patients with positive margins.
      Univariate predictors of LRFS were sex (p=0.006), gross ETE (<0.001), and
      positive margins (p=0.018). However, when controlling for presence of gross ETE
      on multivariate analysis, microscopic positive margin status was not an
      independent predictor of LRFS (p=0.193). CONCLUSION: Patients with resectable, M0
      disease that undergo total thyroidectomy have an excellent five year LRFS of
      99.4%. Microscopic positive margin status was not a significant predictor for
      local failure after adjusting for ETE or pathological tumor (pT) stage.

PMID- 26122002
TI  - Antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent postoperative infectious morbidity in low-risk
      elective cesarean deliveries: a prospective randomized clinical trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness and cost of antibiotic chemoprophylaxis
      in reducing infectious morbidity in low-risk women undergoing elective cesarean
      delivery. METHODS: A prospective randomized clinical trial was performed at a
      single tertiary care center in Jinan, China between November 2012 and December
      2013. Women were randomized to receive either antibiotic prophylaxis or no
      antibiotics prior to elective cesarean delivery at term. The infectious morbidity
      (fever, surgical site infection - SSI, endometritis and urinary tract infection),
      routine blood tests and hospital costs were measured. RESULTS: Total of 414 women
      were enrolled into the study; and 202 women received antibiotic chemoprophylaxis
      and 212 women received no antibiotics. Demographic and clinical characteristics
      were similar between the two groups. Total of one case in the treatment group and
      four case in the non-treatment group developed endometritis, giving the
      postoperative infection rate of 1.2%, which was not statistically significant
      between the two groups (chi(2) = 1.679, p = 0.195). The secondary outcomes were
      also not different between the two groups, except the costs of hospitalization,
      which was significantly higher in the treatment group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      In low-risk women undergoing elective cesarean delivery at term, prophylactic
      antibiotics did not reduce the risk of postoperative infection, but significantly
      increased the cost of hospitalization.

PMID- 26122003
TI  - Temporal dynamics of anxiety phenotypes in a dental pulp injury model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Accumulating clinical and preclinical evidence indicates that chronic
      pain is often comorbid with persistent low mood and anxiety. However, the
      mechanisms underlying pain-induced anxiety, such as its causality, temporal
      progression, and relevant neural networks are poorly understood, impeding the
      development of efficacious therapeutic approaches. RESULTS: Here, we have
      identified the sequential emergence of anxiety phenotypes in mice subjected to
      dental pulp injury (DPI), a prototypical model of orofacial pain that correlates
      with human toothache. Compared with sham controls, mice subjected to DPI by
      mechanically exposing the pulp to the oral environment exhibited significant
      signs of anxiogenic effects, specifically, altered behaviors on the elevated plus
      maze (EPM), novelty-suppressed feeding (NSF) tests at 1 but not 3 days after the
      surgery. Notably, at 7 and 14 days, the DPI mice again avoided the open arm,
      center area, and novelty environment in the EPM, open field, and NSF tests,
      respectively. In particular, DPI-induced social phobia and increased repetitive
      grooming did not occur until 14 days after surgery, suggesting that DPI-induced
      social anxiety requires a long time. Moreover, oral administration of an anti
      inflammatory drug, ibuprofen, or an analgesic agent, ProTx-II, which is a
      selective inhibitor of NaV1.7 sodium channels, both significantly alleviated DPI
      induced avoidance in mice. Finally, to investigate the underlying central
      mechanisms, we pharmacologically blocked a popular form of synaptic plasticity
      with a GluA2-derived peptide, long-term depression, as that treatment
      significantly prevented the development of anxiety phenotype upon DPI.
      CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results suggest a temporally progressive causal
      relationship between orofacial pain and anxiety, calling for more in-depth
      mechanistic studies on concomitant pain and anxiety disorders.

PMID- 26122004
TI  - Distribution of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia on the cervix in Chinese
      women: pooled analysis of 19 population based screening studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Controversy remains whether a pattern of cervical intraepithelial
      neoplasia exists on the cervix. Our study aims at determining if the prevalence
      of histologically proven lesions differs by cervical four-quadrant location or by
      12 o'clock surface locations of diagnosis. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective,
      histopathological study of 19 different population based cervical cancer
      screening studies from 1999 to 2010 by Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of
      Medical Sciences. The Institutional Review Board for human research subjects at
      CHCAMS approved all of the studies. During the colposcopy procedure, participant
      received either 4-quadrant biopsy or directed biopsy with/without endocervical
      curettage. Data of all samples were stratified by the methods of sampling.
      Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine overall distribution of normal/CIN1,
      CIN2 and CIN3+ on the cervix. RESULTS: In total, 53,088 cervical samples were
      included in distribution analysis. 66.9% samples were obtained by random biopsy,
      16.1% were by directed biopsy, and 17.0% were by endocervical curettage. 95.9%of
      the biopsied samples were diagnosed as normal/CIN1, 2.0% were CIN2, and 2.1% were
      CIN3+. CIN2 and CIN3+ were most often found in quadrants 2 and 3 (chiKW2=46.6540,
      p<0.0001) and at the 4- and 7-o'clock positions by directed biopsy (ORCIN2=2.572,
      1.689, ORCIN3+=3.481, 1.678, respectively), and at the 5-, 6-, 7-, 9- and 12
      o'clock positions by random biopsy. CIN3+ was least often found at the 11-o'clock
      position by directed biopsy (OR=0.608). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a
      predisposition of specific locations on the cervix to CIN occurrence. Quadrants 2
      and 3, especially the 4- and 7-o'clock positions should be preferentially
      targeted during biopsy. The decision for random biopsy should be reconsidered in
      future studies.

PMID- 26122005
TI  - Development and cognitive testing of the Nottwil Environmental Factors Inventory
      in Canada, Switzerland and the USA.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To develop and pre-test the Nottwil Environmental Factors Inventory
      (NEFI), a questionnaire assessing the perceived impact of environmental factors
      on specific areas of participation (productive life, social life, and community
      life) experienced by people with spinal cord injury. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS: Thirty
      seven participants with spinal cord injury in Canada, Switzerland and the USA.
      METHODS: A first draft of the NEFI was developed based on a new theoretical
      model, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health
      (ICF) Core Sets for spinal cord injury, and expert consultation. Three rounds of
      cognitive testing were conducted to examine participants' comprehension of the
      conceptual framework and items, to identify challenges in cross-cultural
      measurement, and iteratively to refine the questionnaire. RESULTS: Participants
      were able to differentiate well between environmental factors influencing
      productive life and those influencing social life or community life, but not
      between environmental factors influencing social life and community life. Items
      intended to capture avoidance of participation due to barriers or overcoming of
      obstacles were generally well understood. CONCLUSION: For people with spinal cord
      injury, the NEFI may help to identify limiting and helpful environmental factors,
      while considering avoiding and overcoming behaviours. Quantitative validation and
      exploration of the possible use of the NEFI in other diagnostic groups is
      recommended.

PMID- 26122006
TI  - Down Syndrome Cell Adhesion Molecule , Mother of Innovations.

PMID- 26122007
TI  - Evidence that histone H1 is dispensable for proper meiotic recombination in
      budding yeast.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Histone H1, referred to as the linker histone, associates with the
      nucleosome core particle. While there is indication that the budding yeast
      version of histone H1 (Hho1) contributes to regulation of chromatin structure and
      certain chromatin-related processes, such as DNA double-strand break repair,
      cells lacking Hho1 are healthy and display subtle phenotypes. A recent report has
      revealed that Hho1 is required for optimal sporulation. The studies described
      here were conducted to determine whether Hho1 influences meiotic recombination,
      an event that occurs during sporulation, involves generation and repair of DNA
      double-strand breaks, and is critical for spore viability. FINDINGS: Through
      tetrad analysis, cells with or without Hho1 were compared for meiotic reciprocal
      recombination events within several chromosome XV intervals. Parameters
      investigated included crossover frequency (genetic map distance) and crossover
      interference. No significant differences were detected between the two cell
      types. In agreement with earlier studies, spore viability was not affected by
      Hho1 absence. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that complete absence of Hho1 from
      chromatin does not affect reciprocal recombination between homologous chromosomes
      during meiosis. Therefore, the basal level of Hho1 that remains after its
      reported depletion early in meiosis is unlikely to be important for regulating
      recombination. Furthermore, the subsequent accumulation of Hho1 as the haploid
      products mature does not appear to be crucial for spore viability.

PMID- 26122008
TI  - Erratum: Computational identification of multi-omic correlates of anticancer
      therapeutic response.

PMID- 26122009
TI  - Sputum matrix metalloproteinase-8 and -9 and tissue inhibitor of
      metalloproteinase-1 in bronchiectasis: clinical correlates and prognostic
      implications.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The triplet of airway infection, inflammation and
      bronchial wall destruction associated with excessive matrix metalloproteinases
      (MMP) release and imbalance of tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) is
      implicated in bronchiectasis. We sought to determine the associations between
      sputum MMP (MMP-8, MMP-9) and TIMP-1 and the severity of bronchiectasis; the
      utility of MMP in predicting risks of future bronchiectasis exacerbations (BE);
      and the changes in MMP levels during BE. METHODS: We recruited 102 patients with
      stable bronchiectasis and 22 healthy subjects. For bronchiectasis patients,
      baseline measurements consisted of sputum inflammation and MMP measurements,
      bacterial culture, spirometry and chest high-resolution computed tomography
      (HRCT). Bronchiectasis patients were followed up for 1 year to determine the
      frequency of BE. Changes in MMP levels during BE were assessed in 36
      bronchiectasis patients. RESULTS: Sputum MMP-8, MMP-9 and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio in
      bronchiectasis patients were significantly increased compared with healthy
      subjects. MMP-8 and MMP-9 levels, but not TIMP-1, were positively correlated with
      clinical measures, including HRCT scores, spirometry and Bronchiectasis Severity
      Index. Seventy-nine bronchiectasis patients were included in survival analyses of
      BE. Lower levels of baseline MMP-9 were associated with reduced risks of and a
      longer time to the first BE during follow-up. MMP-8 and MMP-9, but not TIMP-1 or
      MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio, were significantly heightened during BE. CONCLUSIONS: Sputum
      MMP might be useful biomarkers for the assessment of bronchiectasis severity and
      the prediction of future risks of BE. Our results provide the rationales for the
      future clinical application of MMP inhibitors.

PMID- 26122010
TI  - Cervical epidural blood patch--A literature review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Epidural blood patches (EBP) are rarely performed at the cervical
      levels, primarily due to fear of neurological complications such as spinal cord
      compression. We reviewed the literature to provide an evidence-based review of
      performance of cervical EBPs, with a specific focus on indication, technique,
      safety, and efficacy. DESIGN: A comprehensive electronic literature search was
      done to include studies that reported on performance of cervical EBPs in patients
      with CSF leak at the cervical level. Data regarding indication, level of CSF
      leak, level of cervical EBP, volume of blood used, efficacy, and complications
      were collected. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies, reporting on 19 patients were
      included. All patients presented with a headache that increased in the standing
      position, and improved in the supine position. All patients were identified to
      have a CSF leak at the cervical level. Eight patients first underwent a lumbar
      EBP, without complete, long-term relief. All these patients, along with 11
      patients who did not undergo a lumbar EPB prior to cervical EBP, reported
      complete, long-term pain relief. EBPs were mostly done in the prone position,
      using imaging guidance. An average of 5-8 mL of autologous blood was injected in
      the epidural space. No major neurological complications were reported in any
      patient. CONCLUSION: The review suggests that cervical EBP can be performed for
      cervical CSF leaks associated with positional headache without a significant risk
      of serious adverse events. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: Our review provides Class
      II level of evidence that cervical EBPs are safe and effective in reliving
      positional headache due to CSF leak.

PMID- 26122011
TI  - Association of microRNA 146a polymorphism rs2910164 and the risk of melanoma in
      an Italian population.

PMID- 26122012
TI  - Association of cord blood vitamin D at delivery with postpartum depression in
      Australian women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Observational studies have implicated low serum vitamin D (25
      hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)) levels in the development of mood disorders.
      Postpartum depression (PPD) is an important public health issue, although little
      is known about its association with serum 25(OH)D. AIMS: To determine the
      association between 25(OH)D at delivery and the subsequent risk of PPD at six
      weeks and six months postpartum in a large cohort of Australian women. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Cord blood samples from 1040 women participating in the
      docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to Optimise Maternal Infant Outcome randomised
      controlled trial were analysed for 25(OH)D by mass spectroscopy. Maternal PPD was
      assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at six weeks and six
      months postpartum. The association between standardised 25(OH)D and PPD was
      assessed, taking into account DHA treatment, social and demographic variables.
      RESULTS: There was no association between cord blood 25(OH)D concentration at
      delivery and PPD at either six weeks or six months postpartum. Cord blood 25(OH)D
      25-50 and >50 nmol/L at delivery was associated with decreased risk of PPD at six
      weeks postpartum compared with 25(OH)D <25 nmol/L in the control group, but not
      the DHA group. There was no association between cord blood 25(OH)D <25 nmol/L at
      delivery and PPD at six months postpartum. CONCLUSIONS: This largest study to
      date of 25(OH)D levels at delivery and PPD did not reveal a consistent link with
      PPD.

PMID- 26122013
TI  - The impact of migration on deaths and hospital admissions from work-related
      injuries in Australia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The shift from an industrial to a service-based economy has seen a
      decline in work-related injuries (WRIs) and mortality. How this relates to
      migrant workers, who traditionally held high-risk jobs is unknown. This study
      examined deaths and hospital admissions from WRI, among foreign and Australian
      born workers. METHODS: Tabulated population data from the 1991 to 2011 censuses,
      national deaths 1991-2002 and hospital admission for 2001-10. Direct age
      standardised mortality and hospital admission rates (DSRs) and rate ratios (RRs)
      were derived to examine differences in work-related mortality/hospital admissions
      by gender, country of birth, employment skill level and years of residence in
      Australia. RESULTS: DSRs and RRs were generally lower or no different between
      Australian and foreign-born workers. Among men, mortality DSRs were lower for
      nine of 16 country of birth groups, and hospital admissions DSRs for 14 groups.
      An exception was New Zealand-born men, with 9% (95%CI 9-13) excess mortality and
      24% (95%CI 22-26) excess hospital admissions. CONCLUSIONS: Four decades ago,
      foreign-born workers were generally at higher risk of WRI than Australian-born.
      This pattern has reversed. The local-born comprise 75% of the population and a
      pro-active approach to health and safety regulation could achieve large benefits.

PMID- 26122015
TI  - Corrigendum: Variability in mutational fitness effects prevents full lethal
      transitions in large quasispecies populations.

PMID- 26122014
TI  - Inhibitors of Protein Translocation Across the ER Membrane.
AB  - Protein translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) constitutes the first
      step of protein secretion. ER protein import is essential in all eukaryotic cells
      and is particularly critical in fast-growing tumour cells. Thus, the process can
      serve as target both for potential cancer drugs and for bacterial virulence
      factors. Inhibitors of protein transport across the ER membrane range from broad
      spectrum to highly substrate-specific and can interfere with virtually any stage
      of this multistep process, and even with transport of endocytosed antigens into
      the cytosol for cross-presentation. 

PMID- 26122016
TI  - Defining attributes of patient safety through a concept analysis.
AB  - AIM: The aim of this study was to report an analysis of the concept of patient
      safety. BACKGROUND: Despite recent increase in the number of work being done to
      clarify the concept and standardize measurement of patient safety, there are
      still huge variations in how the term is conceptualized and how to measure
      patient safety data across various healthcare settings and in research. DESIGN:
      Concept analysis. DATA SOURCES: A literature search was conducted through PubMed
      and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Plus using the
      terms 'patient safety' in the title and 'concept analysis,' 'attributes' or
      'definition' in the title and or abstract. All English language literature
      published between 2002-2014 were considered for the review. METHODS: Walker and
      Avant's method guided this analysis. RESULTS: The defining attributes of patient
      safety include prevention of medical errors and avoidable adverse events,
      protection of patients from harm or injury and collaborative efforts by
      individual healthcare providers and a strong, well-integrated healthcare system.
      The application of Collaborative Alliance of Nursing Outcomes indicators as
      empirical referents would facilitate the measurement of patient safety.
      CONCLUSION: With the knowledge gained from this analysis, nurses may improve
      patient surveillance efforts that identify potential hazards before they become
      adverse events and have a stronger voice in health policy decision-making that
      influence implementation efforts aimed at promoting patient safety, worldwide.
      Further studies are needed on development of a conceptual model and framework
      that can aid with collection and measurement of standardized patient safety data.

PMID- 26122017
TI  - Guidelines for safe practice of stereotactic body (ablative) radiation therapy.
AB  - The uptake of stereotactic ablative body radiation therapy (SABR)/stereotactic
      body radiation therapy (SBRT) worldwide has been rapid. The Australian and New
      Zealand Faculty of Radiation Oncology (FRO) assembled an expert panel of
      radiation oncologists, radiation oncology medical physicists and radiation
      therapists to establish guidelines for safe practice of SABR. Draft guidelines
      were reviewed by a number of international experts in the field and then
      distributed through the membership of the FRO. Members of the Australian
      Institute of Radiography and the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and
      Engineers in Medicine were also asked to comment on the draft. Evidence-based
      recommendations (where applicable) address aspects of departmental staffing,
      procedures and equipment, quality assurance measures, as well as organisational
      considerations for delivery of SABR treatments. Central to the guidelines is a
      set of key recommendations for departments undertaking SABR. These guidelines
      were developed collaboratively to provide an educational guide and reference for
      radiation therapy service providers to ensure appropriate care of patients
      receiving SABR. 

PMID- 26122018
TI  - Photothermal ablation of bone metastasis of breast cancer using PEGylated multi
      walled carbon nanotubes.
AB  - This study investigates therapeutic efficacy of photothermal therapy (PTT) in an
      orthotropic xenograft model of bone metastasis of breast cancer. The near
      infrared (NIR) irradiation on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWNTs) resulted in a
      rapid heat generation which increased with the MWNTs concentration up to 100
      MUg/ml. MWNTs alone exhibited no toxicity, but inclusion of MWNTs dramatically
      decreased cell viability when combined with laser irradiation. Thermographic
      observation revealed that treatment with 10 MUg MWNTs followed by NIR laser
      irradiation resulted in a rapid increase in temperature up to 73.4+/-11.98 
      degrees C in an intraosseous model of bone metastasis of breast cancer. In
      addition, MWNTs plus NIR laser irradiation caused a remarkably greater
      suppression of tumor growth compared with treatment with either MWNTs injection
      or NIR irradiation alone, significantly reducing the amount of tumor-induced bone
      destruction. All these demonstrate the efficacy of PTT with MWNTs for bone
      metastasis of breast cancer. 

PMID- 26122019
TI  - CYP2C9, CYP2C19, ABCB1 genetic polymorphisms and phenytoin plasma concentrations
      in Mexican-Mestizo patients with epilepsy.
AB  - We aimed to explore the possible influence of CYP2C9 (*2, *3 and IVS8-109 A>T),
      CYP2C19 (*2, *3 and *17) and ABCB1 (1236C>T, 2677G>A/T and 3435C>T) on phenytoin
      (PHT) plasma concentrations in 64 Mexican Mestizo (MM) patients with epilepsy
      currently treated with PHT in mono- (n=25) and polytherapy (n=39). Genotype and
      allele frequencies of these variants were also estimated in 300 MM healthy
      volunteers. Linear regression models were used to assess associations between the
      dependent variables (PHT plasma concentration and dose-corrected PHT
      concentration) with independent variables (CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and ABCB1 genotypes,
      ABCB1 haplotypes, age, sex, weight, and polytherapy). In multivariate models,
      CYP2C9 IVS8-109 T was significantly associated with higher PHT plasma
      concentrations (t(64)=2.27; P=0.03). Moreover, this allele was more frequent in
      the supratherapeutic group as compared with the subtherapeutic group (0.13 versus
      0.03, respectively; P=0.05, Fisher's exact test). Results suggest that CYP2C9
      IVS8-109 T allele may decrease CYP2C9 enzymatic activity on PHT. More research is
      needed to confirm findings.

PMID- 26122022
TI  - Hypertension: Benefit of pharmacists prescribing antihypertensive medication.

PMID- 26122020
TI  - Network analysis of gene expression in mice provides new evidence of involvement
      of the mTOR pathway in antipsychotic-induced extrapyramidal symptoms.
AB  - To identify potential candidate genes for future pharmacogenetic studies of
      antipsychotic (AP)-induced extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), we used gene expression
      arrays to analyze changes induced by risperidone in mice strains with different
      susceptibility to EPS. We proposed a systems biology analytical approach that
      combined the identification of gene co-expression modules related to AP
      treatment, the construction of protein-protein interaction networks with genes
      included in identified modules and finally, gene set enrichment analysis of
      constructed networks. In response to risperidone, mice strain with susceptibility
      to develop EPS showed downregulation of genes involved in the mammalian target of
      rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and biological processes related to this pathway.
      Moreover, we also showed differences in the phosphorylation pattern of the
      ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6), which is a major downstream effector of mTOR. The
      present study provides new evidence of the involvement of the mTOR pathway in AP
      induced EPS and offers new and valuable markers for pharmacogenetic studies.

PMID- 26122021
TI  - Germline and somatic genetic predictors of pathological response in neoadjuvant
      settings of rectal and esophageal cancers: systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Oncologists have pointed out an urgent need for biomarkers that can be useful for
      clinical application to predict the susceptibility of patients to preoperative
      therapy. This review collects, evaluates and combines data on the influence of
      reported somatic and germline genetic variations on histological tumor regression
      in neoadjuvant settings of rectal and esophageal cancers. Five hundred and twenty
      seven articles were identified, 204 retrieved and 61 studies included. Among 24
      and 14 genetic markers reported for rectal and esophageal cancers, respectively,
      significant associations in meta-analyses were demonstrated for the following
      markers. In rectal cancer, major response was more frequent in carriers of the
      TYMS genotype 2 R/2 R-2 R/3 R (rs34743033), MTHFR genotype 677C/C (rs1801133),
      wild-type TP53 and KRAS genes. In esophageal cancer, successful therapy appeared
      to correlate with wild-type TP53. These results may be useful for future research
      directions to translate reported data into practical clinical use.

PMID- 26122023
TI  - Cardiac resuscitation: Improving outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

PMID- 26122024
TI  - Gene therapy: Can SDF-1 improve cardiac function?

PMID- 26122025
TI  - Clinicopathological features and prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer: a
      comparison between younger (<60) and elderly (>=60) patients.
AB  - Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has attracted more attention both clinically
      and experimentally because of its high-risk biological characteristics and
      lacking of effective treatment method. The tumour characteristics, patterns of
      recurrence and metastasis, therapy methods and prognosis in younger TNBC patients
      have been widely formulated, but the relevant data of the elderly people are
      lacking. We conducted this retrospective study to compare and analyse the above
      related characteristics between the younger and elderly patients with TNBC to
      estimate the relevance for the elderly TNBC patients. A total of 1489 female
      patients with primary breast cancer were diagnosed and treated at the department
      of General Surgery, the Chinese PLA General Hospital, China, from January 2004 to
      December 2008. In the 1489 patients, 302 patients (20.28%) with TNBC
      histopathologically confirmed were retrospectively analysed. The 302 TNBC
      patients were divided into two groups: the younger (<60 years) group and the
      elderly (>=60 years) group. The relevant characteristics of the two groups were
      compared. There were no statistically significant differences between the two
      groups in common clinical data of the patients, clinicopathological features of
      tumour and the features of local recurrences and metastases of tumour, and the 5
      year disease-free survival and overall survival were all significantly higher in
      the elderly group than those in the younger group, although the elderly group
      patients accepted significantly less radiotherapy and chemotherapy than the
      younger group patients. The elderly and younger TNBC patients may belong to
      different subtypes of TNBC and we probably could take a more conservative and
      cautious attitude in choosing the post-operative adjuvant treatment for the
      elderly patients with TNBC.

PMID- 26122026
TI  - Self-Biased Hybrid Piezoelectric-Photoelectrochemical Cell with Photocatalytic
      Functionalities.
AB  - Utilizing solar energy for environmental and energy remediations based on
      photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) generation and water cleaning poses great challenges
      due to inadequate visible-light power conversion, high recombination rate, and
      intermittent availability of solar energy. Here, we report an energy-harvesting
      technology that utilizes multiple energy sources for development of sustainable
      operation of dual photocatalytic reactions. The fabricated hybrid cell combines
      energy harvesting from light and vibration to run a power-free photocatalytic
      process that exploits novel metal-semiconductor branched heterostructure (BHS) of
      its visible light absorption, high charge-separation efficiency, and
      piezoelectric properties to overcome the aforementioned challenges. The desirable
      characteristics of conductive flexible piezoelectrode in conjunction with
      pronounced light scattering of hierarchical structure originate intrinsically
      from the elaborate design yet facile synthesis of BHS. This self-powered
      photocatalysis system could potentially be used as H2 generator and water
      treatment system to produce clean energy and water resources. 

PMID- 26122027
TI  - Skin manifestations of chromosome 18q deletion syndrome.

PMID- 26122031
TI  - Withdrawn: Standard first-line immunosuppression for acquired severe aplastic
      anemia in adults.
AB  - Withdrawn by the publisher.

PMID- 26122028
TI  - Obesity reduces the pro-angiogenic potential of adipose tissue stem cell-derived
      extracellular vesicles (EVs) by impairing miR-126 content: impact on clinical
      applications.
AB  - BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Soluble factors and cell-derived extracellular vesicles
      (EVs) are crucial tissue repair mediators in cell-based therapy. In the present
      study, we investigate the therapeutic impact of EVs released by adipose tissue
      derived stem cells (ASCs) recovered from obese subjects' visceral and
      subcutaneous tissues. METHODS: ASCs were recovered from 10 obese (oASCs) and 6
      non-obese (nASCs) participants and characterized. In selected experiments, nASCs
      and oASCs were cultured with palmitic acid (PA) or high glucose (HG),
      respectively. EVs from obese (oEVs) and non-obese (nEVs) subjects' visceral and
      subcutaneous ASCs were collected after ultracentrifugation and analyzed for their
      cargo: microRNA-126 (miR-126), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and
      matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), and for their biological effects on
      endothelial cells (ECs). Western blotting analysis and loss- and gain-of function
      experiments were performed. RESULTS: oEVs show impaired angiogenic potential
      compared with nEVs. This effect depends on EV cargo: reduced content of VEGF, MMP
      2 and, more importantly, miR-126. We demonstrate, using gain- and loss-of
      function experiments, that this reduced miR-126 content leads to Spred1
      upregulation and the inhibition of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2
      mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in ECs. We also show that PA treatment
      of nASCs translates into the release of EVs that recapitulate oEV cargo.
      Moreover, HG treatment of oASCs further reduces miR-126 EV content and EV
      mediated in vitro angiogenesis. Finally, impaired pro-angiogenic potential is
      also detected in EVs released from obese subcutaneous adipose tissue-derived
      ASCs. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that obesity impacts on EV pro
      angiogenic potential and may raise concerns about the use of adipose tissue
      derived EVs in cell-based therapy in the obese setting.

PMID- 26122029
TI  - Sarcopenic obesity and risk of new onset depressive symptoms in older adults:
      English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We examined the role of sarcopenic obesity as a risk factor for new
      onset depressive symptoms over 6-year follow-up in a large sample of older
      adults. METHODS: The sample comprised 3862 community dwelling participants (1779
      men, 2083 women; mean age 64.6+/-8.3 years) without depressive symptoms at
      baseline, recruited from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. At baseline
      and 4-year follow-up, handgrip strength (kg) of the dominant hand was assessed
      using a hand-held dynamometer, as a measure of sarcopenia. The outcome was new
      onset depressive symptoms at 6-year follow-up, defined as a score of ?4 on the 8
      item Centre of Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Sarcopenic obesity was
      defined as obese individuals (body mass index ?30 kg m(-)(2)) in the lowest
      tertile of sex-specific grip strength (<35.3 kg men; <19.6 kg women). RESULTS:
      Using a multivariable logistic regression model, the risk of depressive symptoms
      was greatest in obese adults in the lowest tertile of handgrip strength (odds
      ratio (OR), 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.10, 2.89) compared with non
      obese individuals with high handgrip strength. Participants who were obese at
      baseline and had a decrease of more than 1 s.d. in grip strength over 4-year
      follow-up were at greatest risk of depressive symptoms (OR=1.97, 95% CI, 1.22,
      3.17) compared with non-obese with stable grip strength. CONCLUSIONS: A reduction
      in grip strength was associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms in obese
      participants only, suggesting that sarcopenic obesity is a risk factor for
      depressive symptoms.

PMID- 26122032
TI  - Epigenetic Regulation of Myocardial Homeostasis, Self-Regeneration and
      Senescence.
AB  - The adult myocardium has limited capacity to preserve, renew or rejuvenate
      itself. The local microenvironment may induce epigenetic changes affecting the
      survival, proliferation, function and senescence of cardiac cells at rest and
      following the exposure to different stressors. The cellular response to
      microenvironment is characterized by the release of ions, oxygen free radicals,
      auto/paracrine factors and RNAs that drive the magnitude of gene reprogramming
      through the interaction with specific promoters. The epigenetic alterations may
      act at transcriptional and post-transcriptional level and change cardiac
      physiological traits. The abnormal DNA methylation underlies the progressive
      decay of contractile function and the angiogenic ability; while, the histone
      acetylation promotes the survival, function and proliferation of cardiac cells in
      the presence of ischemic microenvironment. At least, the expression and secretion
      of microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs may regulate the threshold to stress
      tolerance of adult cardiac cells and induce the matrix turnover as well. Natural
      or synthetic active compounds effectively modulate the epigenetic state of
      cardiac cells. Plant foods contain many active compounds with epigenetic
      properties and might assume a clinical significance as natural cardiac
      regenerators or rejuvenators. Our review describes novel epigenetic mechanisms
      that underpin myocardial remodeling, repair/ regeneration or senescence in order
      to support the development of most effective and reproducible rescue therapy of
      adult heart. 

PMID- 26122033
TI  - Wnt Signaling in Rhabdomyosarcoma - A Potential Targeted Therapy Option.
AB  - Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue malignancy in the pediatric
      population and recapitulates many of the phenotypic and biological features of
      embryonic skeletal muscle. RMS is pathologically characterized by myogenic
      differentiation arrest. Dysregulation of pathways essential for myogenesis like
      contribute to the tumorigenesis of RMS. The Wnt signaling pathway is one of the
      major pathways required for normal myogenesis. Aberrant Wnt signaling has also
      been demonstrated in many types of cancer. The role of Wnt pathway in the
      pathogenesis of RMS is beginning to be appreciated. This review will go over
      current knowledge on biological roles of Wnt pathway in RMS and potential
      translational application in therapeutics.

PMID- 26122034
TI  - SIRT1 as a Promising Novel Therapeutic Target for Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion
      Injury and Cardiometabolic Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases, especially ischemic heart disease and
      cardiometabolic disease, remain to be the leading cause of morbidity and
      mortality worldwide. Despite recent progress in diagnostic and therapeutic
      approaches, the incidence of cardiovascular disease is still rising. Therefore,
      alternative favorable treatment is urgently needed to rescue the fast growing
      numbers of patients. OBJECTIVE: Herein we aimed to review the relevant role and
      explore the possibility of SIRT1 as a promising target for protection of heart
      from ischemia/reperfusion injury and cardiometabolic diseases. RESULTS: The
      activation of SIRT1 participates in a variety of important metabolic and
      physiologic processes including stress resistance, metabolism, apoptosis and
      energy balance in heart ischemia injury and cardiometabolic disease. CONCLUSION:
      Current medication targeting SIRT1 may represent a new therapeutic trend for the
      prevention of cardiovascular disease that is related to energy balance and
      metabolism.

PMID- 26122035
TI  - Release of Soluble Ligands for the Activating NKG2D Receptor: One More Immune
      Evasion Strategy Evolved by HIV-1 ?
AB  - Increasing lines of evidence indicate that NKG2D, an activating receptor of
      natural killer (NK) and CD8(+) T cells, plays an important role in immune
      responses against HIV-1. Through its ability to recognize a diverse array of
      ligands (NKG2DLs) induced by cell 'stress' such as viral infection, NKG2D
      delivers activating and co-stimulatory signals resulting in cytotoxicity and
      release of cytokines. Therefore, HIV-1 and other viruses have evolved clever
      mechanisms to counteract NKG2D-dependent immune responses. While, on one hand,
      the HIV-1 Vpr protein up-regulates NKG2DLs expression by activating the DNA
      damage response (DDR) pathway, other viral proteins (Nef and Vif) have developed
      the capacity to reduce NKG2DLs expression levels. In addition, recent evidences
      suggest that HIV-1-infected CD4(+) T cells may release NKG2DLs, particularly
      MICA, in soluble form, a phenomenon that has the potential to down-modulate NKG2D
      on circulating lymphocytes and allow evasion of NKG2D-mediated immune responses.
      Indeed, despite controversial, lower NKG2D expression was found on both NK and
      CD8(+) T cells in HIV-1-infected patients. This review discusses recent advances
      in the understanding of how HIV-1 affects the NKG2D/NKG2DLs system, with a
      special focus on virus-induced release of soluble NKG2DLs and its functional
      implications for the immune surveillance of the infected host. 

PMID- 26122036
TI  - Does a short-term increase in testosterone affect the intensity or persistence of
      territorial aggression? - An approach using an individual's hormonal reactive
      scope to study hormonal effects on behavior.
AB  - In this study, we describe an approach based on an individual's hormonal reactive
      scope to study short-term effects of hormones on behavior. The control of
      territorial aggression has been traditionally linked to testosterone. Males of
      some vertebrate species show an increase in testosterone during territorial
      interactions and implantation studies suggest that such an increase in
      testosterone enhances the intensity and persistence of aggression. Here, we
      tested whether a short-term maximum release of testosterone - based on an
      individual's hormonal reactive scope - affects the intensity or persistence of
      territorial aggression in male black redstarts, a bird species in which
      testosterone does not increase during territorial encounters. An injection with
      gonadotropin-releasing-hormone (GnRH) induced a physiological peak in plasma
      testosterone that was specific for each individual (=individual reactive scope).
      However, such short-term surges in an individual's testosterone concentration did
      not affect the intensity or persistence of aggression. In conclusion, this study
      demonstrated (1) that a species that naturally does not increase testosterone
      during male-male encounters would not benefit from such an increase in terms of
      being more aggressive, (2) that behavioral studies using GnRH-injections
      represent a promising approach to study species differences in androgen
      responsiveness, and (3) that injections of releasing or tropic hormones in
      general may be a suitable approach to study short-term influences of hormones on
      behavior. These injections effectively mimic the potential short-term changes in
      hormones that can occur in the real life of individuals and enable us to study
      the effects of hormonal changes on behavior or other traits within an ecological
      and evolutionary framework. 

PMID- 26122037
TI  - Investigating the contribution of short wavelengths in the alerting effect of
      bright light.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Short-wavelengths can have an acute impact on alertness, which is
      allegedly due to their action on intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion
      cells. Classical photoreceptors cannot, however, be excluded at this point in
      time as contributors to the alerting effect of light. The objective of this study
      was to compare the alerting effect at night of a white LED light source while
      wearing blue-blockers or not, in order to establish the contribution of short
      wavelengths. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 20 participants stayed awake under dim light
      (< 5 lx) from 23:00 h to 04:00 h on two consecutive nights. On the second night,
      participants were randomly assigned to one light condition for 30 min starting at
      3:00 h. Group A (5M/5F) was exposed to 500 MUW/cm(2) of unfiltered LED light,
      while group B (4M/6F) was required to wear blue-blocking glasses, while exposed
      to 1500 MUW/cm(2) from the same light device in order to achieve 500 MUW/cm(2) at
      eye level (as measured behind the glasses). Subjective alertness, energy, mood
      and anxiety were assessed for both nights at 23:30 h, 01:30 h and 03:30 h using a
      visual analog scale (VAS). Subjective sleepiness was assessed with the Stanford
      Sleepiness Scale (SSS). Subjects also performed the Conners' Continuous
      Performance Test II (CPT-II) in order to assess objective alertness. Mixed model
      analysis was used to compare VAS, SSS and CPT-II parameters. RESULTS: No
      difference between group A and group B was observed for subjective alertness,
      energy, mood, anxiety and sleepiness, as well as CPT-II parameters. Subjective
      alertness (p < 0.001), energy (p < 0.001) and sleepiness (p < 0.05) were, however
      improved after light exposure on the second night independently of the light
      condition. CONCLUSIONS: The current study shows that when sleepiness is high, the
      alerting effect of light can still be triggered at night in the absence of short
      wavelengths with a 30 minute light pulse of 500 MUW/cm(2). This suggests that the
      underlying mechanism by which a brief polychromatic light exposure improves
      alertness is not solely due to short-wavelengths through intrinsically
      photosensitive retinal ganglion cells.

PMID- 26122039
TI  - Cognitive behavioural therapy for depression: systematic review of imaging
      studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been shown to be an
      effective treatment for depression, the biological mechanisms underpinning it are
      less clear. This review examines if it is associated with changes identifiable
      with current brain imaging technologies. METHODS: To better understand the
      mechanisms by which CBT exerts its effects, we undertook a systematic review of
      studies examining brain imaging changes associated with CBT treatment of
      depression. RESULTS: Ten studies were identified, five applying functional
      magnetic resonance imaging, three positron emission tomography, one single photon
      emission computer tomography, and one magnetic resonance spectroscopy. No studies
      used structural MRI. Eight studies included a comparator group; in only one of
      these studies was there randomised allocation to another treatment. CBT
      associated changes were most commonly observed in the anterior cingulate cortex
      (ACC), posterior cingulate, ventromedial prefrontal cortex/orbitofrontal cortex
      (VMPFC/OFC) and amygdala/hippocampus. DISCUSSION: The evidence, such as it is,
      suggests resting state activity in the dorsal ACC is decreased by CBT. It has
      previously been suggested that treatment with CBT may result in increased
      efficiency of a putative 'dorsal cognitive circuit', important in cognitive
      control and effortful regulation of emotion. It is speculated this results in an
      increased capacity for 'top-down' emotion regulation, which is employed when
      skills taught in CBT are engaged. Though changes in activity of the dorsal ACC
      could be seen as in-keeping with this model, the data are currently insufficient
      to make definitive statements about how CBT exerts its effects. Data do support
      the contention that CBT is associated with biological brain changes detectable
      with current imaging technologies.

PMID- 26122040
TI  - Estrogen receptor alpha enhances the transcriptional activity of ETS-1 and
      promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of neuroblastoma cell in a
      ligand dependent manner.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is well known that estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) participates
      in the pathogenic progress of breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and head
      and neck squamous cell carcinoma. In neuroblastoma cells and related cancer
      clinical specimens, moreover, the ectopic expression of ERalpha has been
      identified. However, the detailed function of ERalpha in the proliferation of
      neuroblastoma cell is yet unclear. METHODS: The transcriptional activity of ETS-1
      (E26 transformation specific sequence 1) was measured by luciferase analysis.
      Western blot assays and Real-time RT-PCR were used to examine the expression of
      ERalpha, ETS-1 and its targeted genes. The protein-protein interaction between
      ERalpha and ETS-1 was determined by co-IP and GST-Pull down assays. The
      accumulation of ETS-1 in nuclear was detected by western blot assays, and the
      recruitment of ETS-1 to its targeted gene's promoter was tested by ChIP assays.
      Moreover, SH-SY5Y cells' proliferation, anchor-independent growth, migration and
      invasion were quantified using the MTT, soft agar or Trans-well assay,
      respectively. RESULTS: The transcriptional activity of ETS-1 was significantly
      increased following estrogen treatment, and this effect was related to ligand
      mediated activation of ERalpha. The interaction between the ERalpha and ETS-1 was
      identified, and enhancement of ERalpha activation would up-regulate the ETS-1
      transcription factor activity via modulating its cytoplasm/nucleus translocation
      and the recruitment of ETS-1 to its target gene's promoter. Furthermore,
      treatment of estrogen increased proliferation, migration and invasion of
      neuroblastoma cells, whereas the antagonist of ERalpha reduced those effects.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we provided evidences that activation of ERalpha
      promoted neuroblastoma cells proliferation and up-regulated the transcriptional
      activity of ETS-1. By investigating the role of ERalpha in the ETS-1 activity
      regulation, we demonstrated that ERalpha may be a novel ETS-1 co-activator and
      thus a potential therapeutic target in human neuroblastoma treatment.

PMID- 26122041
TI  - Health state utilities associated with major clinical events in the context of
      secondary hyperparathyroidism and chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and secondary
      hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) who require dialysis are at increased risk for
      cardiovascular events and bone fractures. To assist in economic evaluations, this
      study aimed to estimate the disutility of these events beyond the impact of CKD
      and SHPT. METHODS: A basic one-year health state was developed describing CKD and
      SHPT requiring dialysis. Further health states added acute events (cardiovascular
      events, fractures, and surgical procedures) or chronic post-event effects. Acute
      health states described a year including an event, and chronic health states
      described a year subsequent to an event. General population participants in
      Canada completed time trade-off interviews from which utilities were derived.
      Pairwise comparisons were made between the basic state and event, and between
      comparable health states. RESULTS: A total of 199 participants (54.8% female;
      mean age = 46.3 years) completed interviews. Each health state had >=130
      valuations. The mean (SD) utility of the basic health state was 0.60 (0.34). For
      acute events, mean utility differences versus the basic state were: myocardial
      infarction, -0.06; unstable angina, -0.05; peripheral vascular disease (PVD) with
      amputation, -0.33; PVD without amputation, -0.11; heart failure, -0.14; stroke, 
      0.30; hip fracture, -0.14; arm fracture, -0.04; parathyroidectomy, +0.02; kidney
      transplant, +0.06. Disutilities for chronic health states were: stable angina, 
      0.09; stroke, -0.27; PVD with amputation, -0.30; PVD without amputation, -0.12;
      heart failure, -0.14. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiovascular events and fractures were
      associated with lower utility scores, suggesting a perceived decrease in quality
      of life beyond the impact of CKD and SHPT.

PMID- 26122042
TI  - Lutein dietary supplementation attenuates streptozotocin-induced testicular
      damage and oxidative stress in diabetic rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus with the successive generation of reactive oxygen
      species signifies a major risk factor for testicular dysfunction. Antioxidant
      supplements are one of the best options to prevent such disorder. In the present
      study, lutein as dietary supplement has been used to explore its potential
      protective effects against diabetes-induced oxidative stress in testicular cells.
      METHODS: Diabetes was induced using a single i.p. injection of streptozotocin
      (STZ). Lutein was mixed with rat chow powder and supplemented to diabetic rats
      for 5 weeks. Serum testosterone levels were estimated. In testicular cells,
      thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total sulfhydryl groups (T-GSH),
      non-protein sulfhydryl groups (NP-SH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase
      (CAT) activities were measured. Pro-inflammatory mediators like tumor necrosis
      factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) were measured in the
      testis. Nucleic acids and total protein (TP) levels were also estimated in
      testicular cells. Histopathological changes were evaluated in testis. RESULTS:
      Serum testosterone level was significantly decreased in diabetic animals compared
      to controls. Diabetes markedly reduced T-GSH, NP-SH, CAT and SOD, while TBARS,
      TNF-alpha and IL-1beta levels were increased in the diabetic testis compared to
      non-diabetic controls. Lutein supplementation, significantly and dose dependently
      increased the serum testosterone level. The elevated TBARS levels were
      significantly decreased compared to diabetic group, while the decreased levels of
      T-GSH and NP-SH and activities of CAT and SOD were found increased by lutein
      treatments in dose dependent manner. Lutein pretreatment also inhibited the TNF
      alpha and IL-1beta levels compared to diabetic group. The decreased values of
      nucleic acids and total protein in diabetic group were also significantly
      increased in lutein supplemented groups. The histopathological evaluation
      revealed protection the damaged testicular cells in the diabetic rats by lutein
      supplementation. CONCLUSION: These findings showed that lutein has potential
      beneficial effects in diabetes-induced testicular damage, probably through its
      antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

PMID- 26122043
TI  - Extrahepatic metastases as initial manifestations of hepatocellular carcinoma: an
      Egyptian experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egypt has markedly
      increased in the recent years, mainly due to the high incidence of hepatitis C
      virus (HCV) infection. Consequently, the frequency of metastatic HCC has also
      increased. The current study presents a series of 47 patients who were initially
      diagnosed as metastatic HCC. METHODS: Forty seven patients with the diagnosis of
      extrahepatic metastases of HCC at initial presentation were included in the
      study. The sites of metastases were bones (17), lymph nodes (9), soft tissue (7),
      omentum (7), maxillary sinus (2), adrenal gland (2), brain (2) and skin (1). The
      diagnosis of metastatic HCC was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The
      patients included in the study were 38 males and 9 females, ranging from 40 to 80
      years (median 60 years). All patients were HCV-positive and 36 were cirrhotic.
      The diagnosis of primary HCC was confirmed in all cases, based on the typical
      hypervascular radiological features and/or high serum alpha-fetoprotein
      concentration, or histologic examination of liver biopsy. CONCLUSION: Metastasis
      of HCC should be put into consideration when evaluating metastatic carcinoma with
      unknown primary. This is of particular importance in the Egyptian population who
      has the highest prevalence of HCV infection in the world.

PMID- 26122044
TI  - Clinical audit for occupational therapy intervention for children with autism
      spectrum disorder: sampling steps and sample size calculation.
AB  - A priori sample size calculations are used to determine the adequate sample size
      to estimate the prevalence of the target population with good precision. However,
      published audits rarely report a priori calculations for their sample size. This
      article discusses a process in health services delivery mapping to generate a
      comprehensive sampling frame, which was used to calculate an a priori sample size
      for a targeted clinical record audit. We describe how we approached
      methodological and definitional issues in the following steps: (1) target
      population definition, (2) sampling frame construction, and (3) a priori sample
      size calculation. We recommend this process for clinicians, researchers, or
      policy makers when detailed information on a reference population is unavailable.

PMID- 26122045
TI  - The Streptomyces leeuwenhoekii genome: de novo sequencing and assembly in single
      contigs of the chromosome, circular plasmid pSLE1 and linear plasmid pSLE2.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Next Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS) and genome mining of
      actinomycetes and other microorganisms is currently one of the most promising
      strategies for the discovery of novel bioactive natural products, potentially
      revealing novel chemistry and enzymology involved in their biosynthesis. This
      approach also allows rapid insights into the biosynthetic potential of
      microorganisms isolated from unexploited habitats and ecosystems, which in many
      cases may prove difficult to culture and manipulate in the laboratory.
      Streptomyces leeuwenhoekii (formerly Streptomyces sp. strain C34) was isolated
      from the hyper-arid high-altitude Atacama Desert in Chile and shown to produce
      novel polyketide antibiotics. RESULTS: Here we present the de novo sequencing of
      the S. leeuwenhoekii linear chromosome (8 Mb) and two extrachromosomal replicons,
      the circular pSLE1 (86 kb) and the linear pSLE2 (132 kb), all in single contigs,
      obtained by combining Pacific Biosciences SMRT (PacBio) and Illumina MiSeq
      technologies. We identified the biosynthetic gene clusters for chaxamycin,
      chaxalactin, hygromycin A and desferrioxamine E, metabolites all previously shown
      to be produced by this strain (J Nat Prod, 2011, 74:1965) and an additional 31
      putative gene clusters for specialised metabolites. As well as gene clusters for
      polyketides and non-ribosomal peptides, we also identified three gene clusters
      encoding novel lasso-peptides. CONCLUSIONS: The S. leeuwenhoekii genome contains
      35 gene clusters apparently encoding the biosynthesis of specialised metabolites,
      most of them completely novel and uncharacterised. This project has served to
      evaluate the current state of NGS for efficient and effective genome mining of
      high GC actinomycetes. The PacBio technology now permits the assembly of
      actinomycete replicons into single contigs with >99 % accuracy. The assembled
      Illumina sequence permitted not only the correction of omissions found in GC
      homopolymers in the PacBio assembly (exacerbated by the high GC content of
      actinomycete DNA) but it also allowed us to obtain the sequences of the termini
      of the chromosome and of a linear plasmid that were not assembled by PacBio. We
      propose an experimental pipeline that uses the Illumina assembled contigs, in
      addition to just the reads, to complement the current limitations of the PacBio
      sequencing technology and assembly software.

PMID- 26122046
TI  - Association between intraoperative ventilator settings and plasma levels of
      soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products in patients without pre
      existing lung injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The soluble form of the receptor for advanced glycation
      end-products (sRAGE) is elevated and correlated with severity in patients with
      acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The impact of ventilator settings on
      plasma levels of sRAGE, in patients with or without pre-existing lung injury,
      remains under-investigated to date. Our objective was to assess the effects of a
      lung-protective ventilation strategy (combining low tidal volume, positive end
      expiratory pressure and recruitment maneuvers), as compared with a non-protective
      approach (with high tidal volume and zero end-expiratory pressure), on plasma
      levels of sRAGE in patients without lung injury undergoing major abdominal
      surgery. METHODS: Plasma samples were obtained from 95 patients enrolled in a
      large randomized controlled trial of lung-protective ventilation for major
      abdominal surgery. Plasma levels of sRAGE were measured in duplicate with an
      enzyme-linked immunoassay on day 1, immediately after surgery, and on
      postoperative days 1, 3 and 7. RESULTS: Early postoperative plasma levels of
      sRAGE were significantly lower in the lung-protective ventilation group (n = 47)
      than in the non-protective ventilation group (n = 48) (mean (standard deviation),
      1782 (836) vs 2171 (1678) pg/mL, respectively, P = 0.03). Intraoperative changes
      in plasma sRAGE were associated with postoperative hypoxemia and ARDS.
      CONCLUSIONS: A lung-protective ventilation strategy decreased plasma sRAGE in
      patients without lung injury undergoing major abdominal surgery compared with the
      patients with non-protective ventilation. This intraoperative decrease could
      reflect a lesser degree of epithelial injury.

PMID- 26122047
TI  - Expression and function of the LIM-homeodomain transcription factor Islet-1 in
      the developing and mature vertebrate retina.
AB  - The LIM-homeodomain transcription factor Islet-1 (Isl1) has been widely used as a
      marker of different subtypes of neurons in the developing and mature retina of
      vertebrates. During retinal neurogenesis, early Isl1 expression is detected in
      the nuclei of neuroblasts that give rise to ganglion, amacrine, bipolar, and
      horizontal cells. In the mature retina, Isl1 expression is restricted to the
      nuclei of ganglion cells, cholinergic amacrine cells, ON-bipolar cells, and
      subpopulations of horizontal cells. Recent studies have explored the functional
      mechanisms of Isl1 during specification and differentiation of these retinal cell
      types. Thus, conditional inactivation of Isl1 in the developing mouse retina
      disrupts retinal function, and also results in optic nerve hypoplasia, marked
      reductions in mature ganglion, amacrine, and bipolar cells, and a substantial
      increase in horizontal cells. Furthermore, conditional knockout shows delayed
      ganglion cell axon growth, ganglion cell axon guidance error, and ganglion cell
      nerve fiber defasciculation. These data together suggest a possible role for Isl1
      in the early differentiation and maintenance of different vertebrate retinal cell
      types. This review examines whether the expression pattern of Isl1 during
      vertebrate retinal development is conserved across vertebrate species, and
      discusses current understanding of the developmental functions of Isl1 in
      retinogenesis. 

PMID- 26122048
TI  - Angiography reveals novel features of the retinal vasculature in healthy and
      diabetic mice.
AB  - The mouse retina is a commonly used animal model for the study of pathogenesis
      and treatment of blinding retinal vascular diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.
      In this study, we aimed to characterize normal and pathological variations in
      vascular anatomy in the mouse retina using fluorescein angiography visualized
      with scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography (SLO-OCT). We
      examined eyes from C57BL/6J wild type mice as well as the Ins2(Akita) and Akimba
      mouse models of diabetic retinopathy using the Heidelberg Retinal Angiography
      (HRA) and OCT system. Angiography was performed on three focal planes to examine
      distinct vascular layers. For comparison with angiographic data, ex vivo
      analyses, including Indian ink angiography, histology and 3D confocal scanning
      laser microscopy were performed in parallel. All layers of the mouse retinal
      vasculature could be readily visualized during fluorescein angiography by SLO
      OCT. Blood vessel density was increased in the deep vascular plexus (DVP)
      compared with the superficial vascular plexus (SVP). Arteriolar and venular
      typologies were established and structural differences were observed between
      venular types. Unexpectedly, the hyaloid artery was found to persist in 15% of
      C57BL/6 mice, forming anastomoses with peripheral retinal capillaries.
      Fluorescein leakage was easily detected in Akimba retinae by angiography, but was
      not observed in Ins2(Akita) mice. Blood vessel density was increased in the DVP
      of 6 month old Ins2(Akita) mice, while the SVP displayed reduced branching in
      precapillary arterioles. In summary, we present the first comprehensive
      characterization of the mouse retinal vasculature by SLO-OCT fluorescein
      angiography. Using this clinical imaging technique, we report previously
      unrecognized variations in C57BL/6J vascular anatomy and novel features of
      vascular retinopathy in the Ins2(Akita) mouse model of diabetes. 

PMID- 26122049
TI  - Distribution of galanin receptors in the human eye.
AB  - The neuropeptide galanin (GAL) is widely distributed within intrinsic and
      extrinsic sources supplying the eye. It is involved in regulation of the vascular
      tone, thus important for ocular homeostasis. Since the presence/distribution of
      its receptors is unknown, we here screen for the presence of the various GAL
      receptors in the human eye. Meeting the Helsinki-Declaration, human eyes (n = 6;
      45-83 years of age, of both sex, post mortem time 10-19 h) were obtained from the
      cornea bank and prepared for immunohistochemistry against GAL receptors 1-3
      (GALR1-GALR3). Over-expressing cell assays served as positive controls and
      confocal laser-scanning microscopy was used for documentation. Cell assays
      reliably detected immunoreactivity for GALR1-3 and cross-reactions between
      antibodies used were not observed. In the cornea, GALR1-3 were detected in basal
      layers of the epithelium, stroma, endothelium, as well as in adjacent
      conjunctiva. In the iris, GALR1-3 were detected in iris sphincter and dilator,
      while iris vessels displayed immunoreactivity for GALR1 and GALR3. In the ciliary
      body, GALR1 was exclusively found in the non-pigmented epithelium while GALR3 was
      detected in the ciliary muscle and vessels. In the retina, GALR1 was present in
      fibers of the IPL, OPL, NFL, many cells of the INL and few cells of the ONL.
      GALR2 and GALR3 were present in few neurons of the INL, while GALR2 was also
      found surrounding retinal vessels. RPE displayed weak immunoreactivity for GALR2
      but intense immunoreactivity for GALR3. In the choroid, GALR1-3 were detectable
      in intrinsic choroidal neurons and nerve fibers of the choroidal stroma, and all
      three receptors were detected surrounding choroidal blood vessels, while the
      choriocapillaris was immunoreactive for GALR3 only. This is the first report of
      the various GALRs in the human eye. While the presence of GALRs in cornea and
      conjunctiva might be relevant for wound healing or inflammatory processes, the
      detection in iris vessels (GALR1, 2) and choroidal vessels (GALR1-3) highlights
      the role of GAL in vessel dynamics. Presence of GALR1 in ciliary body epithelium
      and GALR3 in ciliary vessels indicates involvement in aqueous humor production,
      whereas retinal GALR distribution might contribute to signal transduction. 

PMID- 26122050
TI  - MicroRNA-7a regulates Muller glia differentiation by attenuating Notch3
      expression.
AB  - miRNA-7a plays critical roles in various biological aspects in health and
      disease. We aimed to reveal roles of miR-7a in mouse retinal development by loss-
      and gain-of-function analyses of miR-7a. Plasmids encoding miR-7a or miR-7a-decoy
      (anti-sense miR-7a) were introduced into mouse retina at P0, and the retina was
      cultured as explant. Then, proliferation of retinal progenitors and
      differentiation of retinal subtypes were examined by immunostaining. miR-7a had
      no apparent effect on the proliferation of retinal progenitor cells. However, the
      expression of Muller glia marker, cyclin D3, was reduced by miR-7a overexpression
      and up-regulated by miR-7a decoy, suggesting that miR-7a negatively regulates
      differentiation of Muller glia. Targets of miR-7a, which were predicted by using
      a public program miRNA.org, and Notch3 was suggested to be one of candidate genes
      of miR-7a target. Notch3 3' UTR appeared to contain complementary sequence to the
      seed sequence of miR-7a. A reporter assay in NIH3T3 cells using a plasmid
      containing multiple repeats of potential target sequence of 3' Notch UTR showed
      that miR-7a suppress expression of reporter EGFP through 3'UTR region. Expression
      of sh-Notch3 and over-expression of NICD3 in retina suggested that miR-7a
      regulates Muller glia differentiation through attenuation of Notch3 expression.
      Taken together, we revealed that the miR-7a regulates the differentiation of
      Muller glia through the suppression of Notch3 expression. 

PMID- 26122051
TI  - The G7 and global health: inaction or incisive leadership?

PMID- 26122052
TI  - Managing the tide of childhood obesity.

PMID- 26122053
TI  - Child poverty in France: alarming trends.

PMID- 26122054
TI  - Capacity for science in sub-Saharan Africa.

PMID- 26122056
TI  - Planning for US Precision Medicine Initiative underway.

PMID- 26122057
TI  - Trans-Pacific trade pact triggers fears over drug prices.

PMID- 26122061
TI  - Making us as cruel as dogs: plague in 16th and 17th century England.

PMID- 26122060
TI  - Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum: Africa's veteran Ebola hunter.

PMID- 26122062
TI  - Ciaran Bernard John Woodman.

PMID- 26122063
TI  - Promotion of sports, physical activity, and a healthy lifestyle in Russia.

PMID- 26122064
TI  - Causes of child death: comparison of MCEE and GBD 2013 estimates.

PMID- 26122065
TI  - Causes of child death: comparison of MCEE and GBD 2013 estimates - Authors'
      reply.

PMID- 26122066
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 26122067
TI  - Eosinophilic myocarditis: a paraneoplastic event.

PMID- 26122068
TI  - Implementation of a two-group likelihood time-to-event continual reassessment
      method using SAS.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dose finding trials using model-based methods have the
      ability to handle the increasingly complex landscape being seen in clinical
      trials. Issues such as patient heterogeneity in trial populations are important
      to address in the designing of a trial in addition to the inclusion/exclusion
      criteria. Designs accommodating patient heterogeneity have been described using
      the continual reassessment method (CRM) and time-to-event CRM (TITE-CRM), yet,
      the implementation of these trials in practice have been limited. These methods
      and other model-based methods generally need statisticians to help design and
      conduct these trials. However, the statistical programs which facilitate the use
      of these methods, currently available focus on estimation in the one-sample case.
      METHODS: A SAS program to accommodate two groups using the TITE-CRM and
      likelihood estimation has been developed. The program consists of macros that
      assist with the planning and implementation of a trial accounting for patient
      heterogeneity. RESULTS: Description of the program is given as well as examples
      using the programs. For planning purposes, an example will be provided showing
      how the program can be used to guide sample size estimates for the trial.
      CONCLUSIONS: This program provides researchers with a valuable tool for designing
      dose-finding studies to account for the presence of patient heterogeneity and
      conduct a trial using a hypothetical example.

PMID- 26122069
TI  - Probing changes in corticospinal excitability following theta burst stimulation
      of the human primary motor cortex.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the intensity of transcranial magnetic
      stimulation (TMS) used to probe changes in corticospinal excitability influences
      the measured plasticity response to theta burst stimulation (TBS) of the human
      primary motor cortex. METHODS: Motor evoked potential (MEP) input/output (I/O)
      curves were recorded before and following continuous TBS (cTBS) (Experiment 1;
      n=18) and intermittent TBS (iTBS) (Experiment 2; n=18). RESULTS: The magnitude
      and consistency of MEP depression induced by cTBS was greatest when probed using
      stimulus intensities at or above 150% of resting motor threshold (RMT). In
      contrast, facilitation of MEPs following iTBS was strongest and most consistent
      at 110% of RMT. CONCLUSIONS: The plasticity response to both cTBS and iTBS is
      influenced by the stimulus intensity used to probe the induced changes in
      corticospinal excitability. SIGNIFICANCE: The results highlight the importance of
      the test stimulus intensity used to assess TBS-induced changes in corticospinal
      excitability when interpreting neuroplasticity data, and suggest that a number of
      test intensities may be required to reliably probe the plasticity response.

PMID- 26122070
TI  - Analysis of infant cortical synchrony is constrained by the number of recording
      electrodes and the recording montage.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess how the recording montage in the neonatal EEG influences the
      detection of cortical source signals and their phase interactions. METHODS: Scalp
      EEG was simulated by forward modeling 20-200 simultaneously active sources
      covering the cortical surface of a realistic neonatal head model. We assessed
      systematically how the number of scalp electrodes (11-85), analysis montage, or
      the size of cortical sources affect the detection of cortical phase synchrony.
      Statistical metrics were developed for quantifying the resolution and reliability
      of the montages. RESULTS: The findings converge to show that an increase in the
      number of recording electrodes leads to a systematic improvement in the detection
      of true cortical phase synchrony. While there is always a ceiling effect with
      respect to discernible cortical details, we show that the average and Laplacian
      montages exhibit superior specificity and sensitivity as compared to other
      conventional montages. CONCLUSIONS: Reliability in assessing true neonatal
      cortical synchrony is directly related to the choice of EEG recording and
      analysis configurations. Because of the high conductivity of the neonatal skull,
      the conventional neonatal EEG recordings are spatially far too sparse for
      pertinent studies, and this loss of information cannot be recovered by re
      montaging during analysis. SIGNIFICANCE: Future neonatal EEG studies will need
      prospective planning of recording configuration to allow analysis of spatial
      details required by each study question. Our findings also advice about the level
      of details in brain synchrony that can be studied with existing datasets or by
      using conventional EEG recordings.

PMID- 26122071
TI  - Atypical EEG abnormalities in genetic generalized epilepsies.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Bilateral, symmetric and synchronous generalized epileptiform activity
      is considered to be the typical electroencephalographic (EEG) abnormality in
      genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE). We sought to study atypical EEG abnormalities
      in a systematic way based on 24-h ambulatory EEG recordings. METHODS: The
      diagnosis of GGE was validated and classified into syndromes according to the
      International League against Epilepsy criteria. All participants underwent 24-h
      ambulatory EEG recording. Epileptiform discharges were counted and detailed
      information was entered into an electronic database. Amplitude asymmetry, focal
      onset/offset of paroxysms, focal discharges, atypical morphology and generalized
      paroxysmal fast rhythm were defined as atypical abnormalities. RESULTS: Of the
      total of 120 patients, 107 had abnormal EEGs, of which 66.4% had at least one
      atypical epileptiform abnormality on EEG. Atypical morphology was the most
      frequent abnormality in 93.4% of patients, followed by amplitude asymmetry
      (28.0%), focal discharges (21.5%), focal onset of paroxysms (13.1%), focal offset
      of paroxysms (8.2%) and generalized paroxysmal fast rhythm (1.9%). The analysis
      of individual discharges revealed that 76% of paroxysms were of atypical
      morphology. Significant associations were found between (a) amplitude asymmetry
      and state of arousal (p<0.001) as well as seizure-free duration (p 0.013); (b)
      atypical morphology and state of arousal (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: In GGE, there are
      both common and rare atypical epileptiform EEG abnormalities that may vary
      according to the state of arousal and seizure-free duration. SIGNIFICANCE:
      Awareness of these variations is important to avoid misdiagnosis.

PMID- 26122072
TI  - Convergence of flexor reflex and corticospinal inputs on tibialis anterior
      network in humans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Integration between descending and ascending inputs at supraspinal and
      spinal levels is a key characteristic of neural control of movement. In this
      study, we characterized convergence of the flexor reflex and corticospinal inputs
      on the tibialis anterior (TA) network in healthy human subjects. Specifically, we
      characterized the modulation profiles of the spinal TA flexor reflex following
      subthreshold and suprathreshold transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We also
      characterized the modulation profiles of the TA motor evoked potentials (MEPs)
      following medial arch foot stimulation at sensory and above reflex threshold.
      METHODS: TA flexor reflexes were evoked following stimulation of the medial arch
      of the foot with a 30 ms pulse train at innocuous intensities. TA MEPs were
      evoked following TMS of the leg motor cortex area. RESULTS: TMS at 0.7 and at 1.2
      MEP resting threshold increased the TA flexor reflex when TMS was delivered 40
      100 ms after foot stimulation, and decreased the TA flexor reflex when TMS was
      delivered 25-110 ms before foot stimulation. Foot stimulation at sensory and
      above flexor reflex threshold induced a similar time-dependent modulation in
      resting TA MEPs, that were facilitated when foot stimulation was delivered 40-100
      ms before TMS. The flexor reflex and MEPs recorded from the medial hamstring
      muscle were modulated in a similar manner to that observed for the TA flexor
      reflex and MEP. CONCLUSION: Cutaneomuscular afferents from the distal foot can
      increase the output of the leg motor cortex area. Descending motor volleys that
      directly or indirectly depolarize flexor motoneurons increase the output of the
      spinal FRA interneuronal network. The parallel facilitation of flexor MEPs and
      flexor reflexes is likely cortical in origin. SIGNIFICANCE: Afferent mediated
      facilitation of corticospinal excitability can be utilized to strengthen motor
      cortex output in neurological disorders.

PMID- 26122074
TI  - Quality of evidence of rehabilitation interventions in long-term care for people
      with severe disorders of consciousness after brain injury: A systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize existing rehabilitation interventions for patients
      with disorders of consciousness in long-term care and to evaluate the quality of
      evidence of these interventions. DATA SOURCES: Databases MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL,
      the Cochrane Library, CareLit and SoLit from January 2003 until July 2013. STUDY
      SELECTION: Studies were selected that focused on rehabilitation interventions for
      patients in a coma, vegetative state or minimally conscious state who were living
      in a long-term care setting. Interventions related to rehabilitation nursing,
      physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy were described. A
      total of 53 publications was included. DATA EXTRACTION: Two authors independently
      extracted the data and assessed the quality of reporting using the National
      Service Framework (NSF) for Long Term Neurological Conditions (LTNC). DATA
      SYNTHESIS: Out of all extracted rehabilitation interventions 12 categories were
      generated and described. Out of 53 publications 28 (52.8%) contained expert-based
      evidence and 25 (47.2%) presented research-based evidence. CONCLUSION: There are
      a multitude of different rehabilitation interventions for individuals with
      disorders of consciousness, which are established in clinical practice and
      supported by expert opinion. However, evidence regarding these interventions is
      weak and recommendations are strictly limited. The findings of this review may
      represent a basis for further research.

PMID- 26122073
TI  - A novel system for visualizing alphavirus assembly.
AB  - Alphaviruses are small, enveloped RNA viruses that form infectious particles by
      budding through the cellular plasma membrane. To help visualize and understand
      the intracellular assembly of alphavirus virions we have developed a bimolecular
      fluorescence complementation-based system (BiFC) that allows visualization of
      capsid and E2 subcellular localization and association in live cells. In this
      system, N- or C-terminal Venus fluorescent protein fragments (VN- and VC-) are
      fused to the N-terminus of the capsid protein on the Sindbis virus structural
      polyprotein, which results in the formation of fluorescent capsid-like structures
      in the absence of viral genomes that associate with the plasma membrane of cells.
      Mutation of the capsid autoprotease active site blocks structural polyprotein
      processing and alters the subcellular distribution of capsid fluorescence.
      Incorporating mCherry into the extracellular domain of the E2 glycoprotein allows
      the visualization of E2 glycoprotein localization and showed a close association
      of the E2 and capsid proteins at the plasma membrane as expected. These results
      suggest that this system is a useful new tool to study alphavirus assembly in
      live cells and may be useful in identifying molecules that inhibit alphavirus
      virion formation. 

PMID- 26122075
TI  - Antigenic composition and immunoreactivity differences between HEV recombinant
      capsid proteins generated from different genotypes.
AB  - Appreciable variability has been observed in hepatitis E virus (HEV) serological
      diagnostics. Four recombinant proteins (p166s) were generated from position 452
      to 617 aa of ORF2 of different HEV genotypes and used in an indirect ELISA to
      detect anti-HEV IgMs and IgGs in serially diluted sera of patients infected with
      different HEV genotypes (genotype 1, n=15; genotype 3, n=12; genotype 4, n=17).
      To evaluate the differences at a conformational level, 3D-structure models of
      p166s were predicted, and different bioinformatics tools were used to analyze the
      antigenic composition. With both anti-HEV IgMs and IgGs antibodies, there was a
      considerable variability between the four antigens immunoreactivities. In silico
      results revealed the region 483-533 aa with the highest antigenic potential and
      contains six key aa at positions 488, 489, 512, 533, 483 and 530. This
      immunoreactivity variation could affect diagnosis results and seroprevalence
      estimations and the identification in silico of a region highly antigenic would
      guide the development of efficient serological assays and epitope-based vaccines.

PMID- 26122077
TI  - An analytical approach to test and design upper limb prosthesis.
AB  - In this work the signal acquiring technique, the analysis models and the design
      protocols of the prosthesis are discussed. The different methods to estimate the
      motion intended by the amputee from surface electromyogram (SEMG) signals based
      on time and frequency domain parameters are presented. The experiment proposed
      that the used techniques can help significantly in discriminating the amputee's
      motions among four independent activities using dual channel set-up. Further,
      based on experimental results, the design and working of an artificial arm have
      been covered under two constituents--the electronics design and the mechanical
      assembly. Finally, the developed hand prosthesis allows the amputated persons to
      perform daily routine activities easily.

PMID- 26122076
TI  - Comparison between rapid and mixed maxillary expansion through an assessment of
      arch changes on dental casts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aim of this retrospective observational study was to compare upper
      and lower dental changes in patients treated with Rapid Maxillary Expansion (RME)
      and Mixed Maxillary Expansion (MME), assessed by dental cast analysis. METHODS:
      Treatment groups consisted of 42 patients: the RME group (n = 21) consisted of 13
      female and 8 male subjects with the mean age of 8.8 years +/- 1.37 at T0 and 9.6
      years +/- 1.45 at T1; the MME group (n = 21) consisted of 12 female and 9 male
      patients with a mean age of 8.9 years +/- 2.34 at T0 and 10.5 years +/- 2.08 at
      T1. The upper and lower arch analysis was performed on four dental bilateral
      landmarks, on upper and lower casts; also upper and lower arch depths were
      measured. The groups were compared using independent sample t-test to estimate
      dental changes in upper and lower arches. RESULTS: Before expansion treatment
      (T0), the groups were similar for all examined variables (p>0.05). In both RME
      and MME group, significant increments in all the variables for maxillary and
      mandibular arch widths were observed after treatment. No significant differences
      in maxillary and mandibular arch depths were observed at the end of treatment in
      both groups. An evaluation of the changes after RME and MME (T1) showed
      statistically significant differences in mandibular arch depth (p<0.001) and
      maxillary intercanine widths (p<0.05). Differences in maxillary arch depth and
      arch width measurements were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: RME and MME can be
      considered two effective treatment options to improve transverse arch dimensions
      and gain space in the dental arches. A greater lower arch expansion was observed
      in the MME group, which might be attributed to the "lip bumper effects" observed
      in the MME protocol.

PMID- 26122078
TI  - Helping cancer patients quit smoking by increasing their risk perception: a study
      protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite smoking cessation can largely improve cancer prognosis and
      quality of life, many patients continued smoking after the diagnosis of cancer.
      This study aims to test the effectiveness of a smoking cessation intervention
      using risk communication approach to help cancer patients quit smoking, and to
      improve their health related quality of life. METHODS: A cluster randomized
      controlled trial will be employed. Cancer patients who continued smoking after
      the diagnosis of cancer and have medical follow-up at the out-patient clinics of
      the five acute hospitals in Hong Kong will be invited to participate. Subjects in
      the experimental group will receive (1) health warnings of smoking based on a
      special designed leaflet; and (2) a patient-centred counseling from nurse
      counselors with emphasis on risk perceptions of smoking to cancer prognosis.
      Additionally, they will receive two more telephone counseling at 1-week and 1
      month. Control group receive standard care and a generic self-help smoking
      cessation booklet. Outcomes measure include (a) self-reported and the
      biochemically validated quit rate, (b) patient's smoking reduction by at least
      50% compared to baseline, (c) quit attempt(s), (d) change in the intention to
      quit, (e) change in risk perceptions of smoking, and (f) change in health related
      quality of life. DISCUSSION: This study will make an important contribution to
      evidence-based practice by testing the effectiveness of a tailored smoking
      cessation intervention for cancer patients. The results will support the
      development of clinical practice guidelines to promote smoking cessation in
      cancer patients to improve their prognosis and quality of life. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01685723. Registered 9 November 2012.

PMID- 26122080
TI  - Reliability and validity of a vertical numerical rating scale supplemented with a
      faces rating scale in measuring fatigue after stroke.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poststroke fatigue is a persistent and distressing symptom among
      stroke survivors. In this study, we investigated the reliability and validity of
      a vertical numerical rating scale supplemented with a faces rating scale (NRS
      FRS) in measuring poststroke fatigue. METHODS: The fatigue intensity of 106
      individuals with stroke was measured twice, 1 week apart, using a vertical NRS
      FRS to measure test-retest reliability. The intraclass correlation coefficient, a
      relative reliability index, was calculated to examine the degree of consistency
      and agreement between the two test occasions. Absolute reliability indices,
      including the standard error of measurement, minimal detectable change, and Bland
      Altman limits of agreement, were used to quantify measurement errors and
      determine systematic biases of the two test occasions. We also administered the
      vertical NRS concurrently as a comparator measure for assessing fatigue in 50
      consecutive patients with stroke who were recruited later in the study period.
      The Spearman rank correlation coefficient (rho) was used to examine the
      concurrent validity of the NRS-FRS. Discriminant validity was assessed by means
      of receiver operating characteristic curves, sensitivity, and specificity.
      RESULTS: The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.95 for the NRS-FRS. The
      standard error of measurement and the minimal detectable change at the 95 %
      confidence interval of the NRS-FRS were 0.50 and 1.39, respectively. The Bland
      Altman analyses showed no significant systematic bias between the repeated
      measurements. A narrow range of the limits of agreement was shown on the Bland
      Altman plot, indicating the NRS-FRS had high stability and low variation between
      the two test occasions. The correlations between the NRS-FRS and NRS were good at
      test (rho = 0.85) and retest (rho = 0.84). Compared with the NRS cutoff value of
      >=1, sensitivity with the NRS-FRS at test and retest was 94 and 92 % and
      specificity was 79 and 90 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides
      further evidence of the reliability and validity of the NRS-FRS in measuring
      fatigue intensity in patients with stroke. The NRS-FRS had high sensitivity and
      specificity. The NRS-FRS may be a reliable and valid measure for clinicians and
      researchers to assess fatigue and determine whether a real change has occurred in
      groups and at the individual level of patients with stroke.

PMID- 26122081
TI  - Care of patients in emergency department waiting rooms--an integrative review.
AB  - AIM: To conduct an integrative review of primary research examining patient care
      roles introduced into emergency department waiting rooms. BACKGROUND:
      Internationally, emergency departments are under pressure to meet increasing
      patient demand with limited resources. Several initiatives have been developed
      that incorporate a healthcare role in waiting rooms, to assess and initiate early
      interventions to decrease waiting times, detect patient deterioration and improve
      communication. The literature reporting these roles has not been systematically
      evaluated. DESIGN: Integrative review. DATA SOURCES: Published English-language
      peer reviewed articles in CINAHL, Scopus, Medline and Web of Knowledge between
      2003-2014. REVIEW METHODS: Identified literature was evaluated using an
      integrative review framework, incorporating methodological critique and narrative
      synthesis of findings. RESULTS: Six papers were included, with three waiting room
      roles identified internationally - clinical initiative nurse, Physician-Nurse
      Supplementary Assessment Team and clinical assistants. All roles varied in terms
      of definitions, scope, responsibilities and skill sets of individuals in the
      position. There was limited evidence that the roles decreased waiting times or
      improved patient care, especially during busy periods. Of note, staff members
      performing these roles require high-level therapeutic relationship and effective
      interpersonal skills with patients, family and staff. The role requires support
      from other staff, particularly during periods of high workload, for optimal
      functioning and effective patient care. CONCLUSION: Generalisations and practice
      recommendations are limited due to the lack of available literature. Further
      research is required to evaluate the impact emergency department waiting room
      roles have on patient outcomes and staff perspectives.

PMID- 26122079
TI  - Preclinical Development of New Therapy for Glycogen Storage Diseases.
AB  - Glycogen storage disease (GSD) consists of more than 10 discrete conditions for
      which the biochemical and genetic bases have been determined, and new therapies
      have been under development for several of these conditions. Gene therapy
      research has generated proof-of-concept for GSD types I (von Gierke disease) and
      II (Pompe disease). Key features of these gene therapy strategies include the
      choice of vector and regulatory cassette, and recently adeno-associated virus
      (AAV) vectors containing tissue-specific promoters have achieved a high degree of
      efficacy. Efficacy of gene therapy for Pompe disease depend upon the induction of
      immune tolerance to the therapeutic enzyme. Efficacy of von Gierke disease is
      transient, waning gradually over the months following vector administration.
      Small molecule therapies have been evaluated with the goal of improving standard
      of care therapy or ameliorating the cellular abnormalities associated with
      specific GSDs. The receptor-mediated uptake of the therapeutic enzyme in Pompe
      disease was enhanced by administration of beta2 agonists. Rapamycin reduced the
      liver fibrosis observed in GSD III. Further development of gene therapy could
      provide curative therapy for patients with GSD, if efficacy from preclinical
      research is observed in future clinical trials and these treatments become
      clinically available. 

PMID- 26122082
TI  - Ciliated hepatic foregut cyst: a report of 6 cases and a review of the English
      literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ciliated hepatic foregut cyst (CHFC) is a rare cystic lesion most
      commonly identified in segment 4 of the liver that arises from the embryonic
      foregut. The classic histologic pattern is comprised of 4 distinct layers (inner
      ciliated epithelial lining, smooth muscle, loose connective tissue, fibrous
      capsule). Although rare, cases of metaplastic and malignant epithelial lining
      have been described in CHFC. METHODS: We report 6 additional cases of CHFC, one
      of which had gastric metaplasia of the cyst lining, and review all reported cases
      of CHFC in the English literature. We describe the clinicopathologic analysis of
      6 cases, with selective immunohistochemical analysis on 1 case with gastric
      metaplasia. RESULTS: Cases occurred in 4 women and 2 men (average age 55 years,
      range 42 to 67 years). Cysts ranged in size from 0.7 to 17 cm (average 7.2 cm)
      and were grossly tan-pink to white with blood-filled contents. The majority were
      located in segment 4 of the liver, however 2 were located in the porta hepatis.
      Tumor serologies (CA19-9 and/or CEA) were performed in 3 cases; 1 case
      demonstrated elevated CA19-9, and 2 cases had laboratory values within normal
      limits. All cases showed the classic histologic findings, however one case
      additionally had extensive gastric metaplasia. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, CHFC
      is a rare diagnostic entity that should be considered in the differential
      diagnosis for cystic hepatic lesions, particularly those located in segment 4 of
      the liver. Metaplasia and squamous carcinoma can occur, therefore complete
      surgical excision is the recommended treatment.

PMID- 26122083
TI  - Caffeic acid phenethyl ester attenuates ionize radiation-induced intestinal
      injury through modulation of oxidative stress, apoptosis and p38MAPK in rats.
AB  - Caffeic acid phenyl ester (CAPE) is a potent anti-inflammatory agent and it can
      eliminate the free radicals. This study aimed to investigate the radioprotective
      effects of CAPE on X-ray irradiation induced intestinal injury in rats. Rats were
      intragastrically administered with 10 MUmol/kg/d CAPE for 7 consecutive days
      before exposing them to a single dose of X-ray irradiation (9Gy) to abdomen. Rats
      were sacrificed 72 h after exposure to radiation. We found that pretreatment with
      CAPE effectively attenuated intestinal pathology changes, apoptosis, oxidative
      stress, bacterial translocation, the content of nitric oxide and myeloperoxidase
      as well as the concentration of plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Pretreatment
      with CAPE also reversed the activation of p38MAPK and the increased expression of
      intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 induced by radiation in intestinal mucosa.
      Taken together, these results suggest that pretreatment with CAPE could be a
      promising candidate for treating radiation-induced intestinal injury.

PMID- 26122084
TI  - Automobile diesel exhaust particles induce lipid droplet formation in macrophages
      in vitro.
AB  - Exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP) has been associated with adverse
      cardiopulmonary health effects, which may be related to dysregulation of lipid
      metabolism and formation of macrophage foam cells. In this study, THP-1 derived
      macrophages were exposed to an automobile generated DEP (A-DEP) for 24h to study
      lipid droplet formation and possible mechanisms. The results show that A-DEP did
      not induce cytotoxicity. The production of reactive oxygen species was only
      significantly increased after exposure for 3h, but not 24h. Intracellular level
      of reduced glutathione was increased after 24h exposure. These results combined
      indicate an adaptive response to oxidative stress. Exposure to A-DEP was
      associated with significantly increased formation of lipid droplets, as well as
      changes in lysosomal function, assessed as reduced LysoTracker staining. In
      conclusion, these results indicated that exposure to A-DEP may induce formation
      of lipid droplets in macrophages in vitro possibly via lysosomal dysfunction.

PMID- 26122085
TI  - Cultural influences on palliative family caregiving: service recommendations
      specific to the Vietnamese in Canada.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Much of what is known about family caregiving at end-of-life in
      Canada has been studied within the context of various disease categories or
      across different care settings, rather than in relation to specific
      ethnic/cultural identities. Such homogeneity belies the impact of cultural and
      social factors on the experiences and outcomes of palliative and end-of-life
      (P/EOL) care. We know little about the end-of-life experiences of Vietnamese
      Canadian families. Consequently, there is a lack of understanding around how to
      best meet the needs of Vietnamese care recipients, caregivers, and their families
      via the health service system, whose services of which we know they have limited
      access. RESULTS: To determine a set of service recommendations for health care
      settings (including the home) specific to caring for Vietnamese (P/EOL) care
      recipients, caregivers and their families, a qualitative instrumental case-study
      design was employed. The perspectives of 18 adult Vietnamese family caregivers
      (FCGs) were obtained. In addition, seven semi-structured key informant interviews
      were implemented with a range of personnel from community service providers to
      front-line health care professionals. The ways in which caregiving was perceived
      and expressed were reflected in three thematic findings: (1) Natural: identity
      and care work; (2) Intentional: whole person care; and (3) Intensive: standards,
      struggle, and the context of care. Ten main recommendations have been vetted with
      service provider leaders and confirmed as being appropriate for uptake.
      CONCLUSIONS: The ten service recommendations for health care settings (including
      the home), if implemented, would contribute to improved P/EOL services for the
      Vietnamese population. Further research involves the evaluation of these policy
      and programs.

PMID- 26122086
TI  - A user-friendly workflow for analysis of Illumina gene expression bead array data
      available at the arrayanalysis.org portal.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Illumina whole-genome expression bead arrays are a widely used
      platform for transcriptomics. Most of the tools available for the analysis of the
      resulting data are not easily applicable by less experienced users.
      ArrayAnalysis.org provides researchers with an easy-to-use and comprehensive
      interface to the functionality of R and Bioconductor packages for microarray data
      analysis. As a modular open source project, it allows developers to contribute
      modules that provide support for additional types of data or extend workflows.
      RESULTS: To enable data analysis of Illumina bead arrays for a broad user
      community, we have developed a module for ArrayAnalysis.org that provides a free
      and user-friendly web interface for quality control and pre-processing for these
      arrays. This module can be used together with existing modules for statistical
      and pathway analysis to provide a full workflow for Illumina gene expression data
      analysis. The module accepts data exported from Illumina's GenomeStudio, and
      provides the user with quality control plots and normalized data. The outputs are
      directly linked to the existing statistics module of ArrayAnalysis.org, but can
      also be downloaded for further downstream analysis in third-party tools.
      CONCLUSIONS: The Illumina bead arrays analysis module is available at
      http://www.arrayanalysis.org . A user guide, a tutorial demonstrating the
      analysis of an example dataset, and R scripts are available. The module can be
      used as a starting point for statistical evaluation and pathway analysis provided
      on the website or to generate processed input data for a broad range of
      applications in life sciences research.

PMID- 26122087
TI  - Is the effect of smoking on rosacea still somewhat of a mystery?
AB  - CONTEXT: Rosacea is an inflammatory skin disease with a chronic course. In the
      past, the association between rosacea and smoking was examined only in a few
      studies. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence
      and the influence of smoking in rosacea patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This
      prospective cross-sectional study includes 200 rosacea patients and 200 age- and
      gender-matched rosacea-free controls. Using National Rosacea Society Expert
      Committee classification, we divided patients into three subgroups as having
      erythematotelangiectatic (ETR), papulopustular (PPR), and phymatous rosacea
      (PhR). Demographic data, risk factors, and smoking habits were recorded. RESULTS:
      In multivariate analysis, the prevalence of smoking was significantly higher
      (66%) among patients compared with controls. ETR subtype (43.5%) was found to be
      significantly higher among active smokers (p < 0.001). Considering the risk
      factors, caffeine intake and alcohol consumption could not be evaluated because
      of their never or rarely intake. Whereas rates of photosensitive skin type and
      positive family history were significantly prominent in ETR patients (p < 0.001).
      While PhR was mostly detected in men who are very old, a significant tendency was
      found to develop ETR in women. CONCLUSION: While a significantly increased risk
      of developing rosacea among smokers was observed in this study, ETR seems to be
      the disease of active smokers. Further studies are required for better
      understanding of the association between rosacea and smoking.

PMID- 26122088
TI  - Passive movement and active exercise for very young infants with congenital heart
      disease: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Delayed motor development is reported in patients with congenital
      heart disease (CHD). Exercise is widely used to facilitate motor development and
      improve motor ability. Exercise for adolescents and adults with CHD has been
      extensively studied. However, the evidence of exercise for infants with CHD is
      sparse. This study aims to identify the effect of passive movement and active
      exercise on motor development within very young CHD infants with cardiac
      catheterization. METHODS/DESIGN: A prospective and randomized controlled trial
      will be conducted in very young CHD infants with cardiac catheterization. A total
      of 147 infants with CHD will be randomized by a 1:1:1 allocation ratio by
      computer to an exercise intervention group, a home-based intervention group and a
      control group. The exercise intervention group will receive passive movement and
      active exercise from experienced physiotherapists in pediatrics three times a
      week for 12 weeks. The home-based intervention group will receive passive
      movement and active exercise from their parents or caregivers at home three times
      a week for 12 weeks. The control group will receive follow up only. The follow-up
      duration is 20 months. The primary outcome measures are the motor quotient
      measured by the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-II. The secondary outcome
      measures are the Ross score, ventricular function, bone quality, body length,
      weight, head circumference, upper arm circumference, and adverse events.
      DISCUSSION: This study has several important features, including the
      randomization process, the long follow-up duration, the control group, and the
      large sample size. The aim of this study is to determine whether 12-week passive
      movement and active exercise promotes motor development and produces other
      beneficial effects for very young CHD infants with cardiac catheterization.
      Therefore, this study will contribute new knowledge regarding the rehabilitation
      program in very young CHD infants with cardiac catheterization. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ChiCTR-IOR-15005909 (January 31, 2015).

PMID- 26122089
TI  - High genetic diversity declines towards the geographic range periphery of Adonis
      vernalis, a Eurasian dry grassland plant.
AB  - Genetic diversity is important for species' fitness and evolutionary processes
      but our knowledge on how it varies across a species' distribution range is
      limited. The abundant centre hypothesis (ACH) predicts that populations become
      smaller and more isolated towards the geographic range periphery - a pattern that
      in turn should be associated with decreasing genetic diversity and increasing
      genetic differentiation. We tested this hypothesis in Adonis vernalis, a dry
      grassland plant with an extensive Eurasian distribution. Its life-history traits
      and distribution characteristics suggest a low genetic diversity that decreases
      and a high genetic differentiation that increases towards the range edge. We
      analysed AFLP fingerprints in 28 populations along a 4698-km transect from the
      geographic range core in Russia to the western range periphery in Central and
      Western Europe. Contrary to our expectation, our analysis revealed high genetic
      diversity (range of proportion of polymorphic bands = 56-81%, He = 0.168-0.238)
      and low genetic differentiation across populations (Phi(ST) = 0.18). However, in
      congruence with the genetic predictions of the ACH, genetic diversity decreased
      and genetic differentiation increased towards the range periphery. Spanish
      populations were genetically distinct, suggesting a divergent post-glacial
      history in this region. The high genetic diversity and low genetic
      differentiation in the remaining A. vernalis populations is surprising given the
      species' life-history traits and points to the possibility that the species has
      been widely distributed in the studied region or that it has migrated from a
      diverse source in an East-West direction, in the past.

PMID- 26122090
TI  - Influence of different morphology of three-dimensional Cu(x)O with mixed facets
      modified air-cathodes on microbial fuel cell.
AB  - Three kinds of three-dimensional (3D) CuxO catalysts were prepared to modify
      activated carbon air-cathode using a facile electrochemical method with addition
      of surfactants. The maximum power density of MFC using SC-Cu air cathode (added
      sodium citrate into the electrolyte solution in electrodeposition process) was
      1550+/-47 mW m(-2), almost 77% higher than AC cathode. Specifically, the charge
      transfer resistance significantly decreased by 89% from 9.3980 Omega to 1.0640
      Omega compared to the control. Lumphy and mutually embedded filmy sheet structure
      were observed in SEM, which provided sufficient active sites for oxygen
      adsorption and diffusion. In XRD and TEM result, CuxO with mixed facets showed
      special structure which had a better performance. Crystallization condition of
      electrodeposited materials played a significant role in their nature
      electrochemical properties, morphology controlled by surfactant of CuxO exhibited
      high properties on the air-cathode MFC.

PMID- 26122091
TI  - Bioelectronic platforms for optimal bio-anode of bio-electrochemical systems:
      From nano- to macro scopes.
AB  - The current trend of bio-electrochemical systems is to improve strategies related
      to their applicability and potential for scaling-up. To date, literature has
      suggested strategies, but the proposal of correlations between each research
      field remains insufficient. This review paper provides a correlation based on
      platform techniques, referred to as bio-electronics platforms (BEPs). These BEPs
      consist of three platforms divided by scope scale: nano-, micro-, and macro-BEPs.
      In the nano-BEP, several types of electron transfer mechanisms used by
      electrochemically active bacteria are discussed. In the micro-BEP, factors
      affecting the formation of conductive biofilms and transport of electrons in the
      conductive biofilm are investigated. In the macro-BEP, electrodes and separators
      in bio-anode are debated in terms of real applications, and a scale-up strategy
      is discussed. Overall, the challenges of each BEP are highlighted, and potential
      solutions are suggested. In addition, future research directions are provided and
      research ideas proposed to develop research interest. 

PMID- 26122093
TI  - Regression analysis of longitudinal data with correlated censoring and
      observation times.
AB  - Longitudinal data occur in many fields such as the medical follow-up studies that
      involve repeated measurements. For their analysis, most existing approaches
      assume that the observation or follow-up times are independent of the response
      process either completely or given some covariates. In practice, it is apparent
      that this may not be true. In this paper, we present a joint analysis approach
      that allows the possible mutual correlations that can be characterized by time
      dependent random effects. Estimating equations are developed for the parameter
      estimation and the resulted estimators are shown to be consistent and
      asymptotically normal. The finite sample performance of the proposed estimators
      is assessed through a simulation study and an illustrative example from a skin
      cancer study is provided.

PMID- 26122094
TI  - Endorsement of addendae to common obstetric procedures, information pamphlets and
      a management guideline by AOFOG Maternal Fetal Medicine Committee.

PMID- 26122092
TI  - A flavanone from Baccharis retusa (Asteraceae) prevents elastase-induced
      emphysema in mice by regulating NF-kappaB, oxidative stress and
      metalloproteinases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pulmonary emphysema is characterized by irreversible airflow
      obstruction, inflammation, oxidative stress imbalance and lung remodeling,
      resulting in reduced lung function and a lower quality of life. Flavonoids are
      plant compounds with potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that
      have been used in folk medicine. Our aim was to determine whether treatment with
      sakuranetin, a flavonoid extracted from the aerial parts of Baccharis retusa,
      interferes with the development of lung emphysema. METHODS: Intranasal saline or
      elastase was administered to mice; the animals were then treated with sakuranetin
      or vehicle 2 h later and again on days 7, 14 and 28. We evaluated lung function
      and the inflammatory profile in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). The lungs
      were removed to evaluate alveolar enlargement, extracellular matrix fibers and
      the expression of MMP-9, MMP-12, TIMP-1, 8-iso-PGF-2alpha and p65-NF-kappaB in
      the fixed tissues as well as to evaluate cytokine levels and p65-NF-kappaB
      protein expression. RESULTS: In the elastase-treated animals, sakuranetin
      treatment reduced the alveolar enlargement, collagen and elastic fiber deposition
      and the number of MMP-9- and MMP-12-positive cells but increased TIMP-1
      expression. In addition, sakuranetin treatment decreased the inflammation and the
      levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and M-CSF in the BALF as well as the levels of NF
      kappaB and 8-iso-PGF-2alpha in the lungs of the elastase-treated animals.
      However, this treatment did not affect the changes in lung function. CONCLUSION:
      These data emphasize the importance of oxidative stress and metalloproteinase
      imbalance in the development of emphysema and suggest that sakuranetin is a
      potent candidate that should be further investigated as an emphysema treatment.
      This compound may be useful for counteracting lung remodeling and oxidative
      stress and thus attenuating the development of emphysema.

PMID- 26122095
TI  - Weight loss interventions and progression of diabetic kidney disease.
AB  - Progressive renal impairment (diabetic kidney disease (DKD)) occurs in upwards of
      40 % of patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and is a cause
      of significant morbidity and mortality. Means of attenuating the progression of
      DKD focus on amelioration of risk factors. Visceral obesity is implicated as a
      causative agent in impaired metabolic and cardiovascular control in T2DM, and
      various approaches primarily targeting weight have been examined for their impact
      on markers of renal injury and dysfunction in DKD. The current report summarises
      the evidence base for the impact of surgical, lifestyle and pharmacological
      approaches to weight loss on renal end points in DKD. The potential for a
      threshold of weight loss more readily achievable by surgical intervention to be a
      prerequisite for renal improvement is highlighted. Comparing efficacious non
      surgical weight loss strategies with surgical strategies in appropriately powered
      and controlled prospective studies is a priority for the field. 

PMID- 26122096
TI  - The truncated splice variant of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha,
      PPARalpha-tr, autonomously regulates proliferative and pro-inflammatory genes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha)
      controls lipid/energy homeostasis and inflammatory responses. The truncated
      splice variant PPARalpha-tr was suggested to exert a dominant negative function
      despite being unable to bind consensus PPARalpha DNA response elements. METHODS:
      The distribution and variability factor of each PPARalpha variant were assessed
      in the well-characterized cohort of human liver samples (N = 150) on the mRNA and
      protein levels. Specific siRNA-mediated downregulation of each transcript as well
      as specific overexpression with subsequent qRT-PCR analysis of downstream genes
      was used for investigation of specific functional roles of PPARalpha-wt and
      PPARalpha-tr forms in primary human hepatocytes. RESULTS: Bioinformatic analyses
      of genome-wide liver expression profiling data suggested a possible role of
      PPARalpha-tr in downregulating proliferative and pro-inflammatory genes. Specific
      gene silencing of both forms in primary human hepatocytes showed that induction
      of metabolic PPARalpha-target genes by agonist WY14,643 was prevented by
      PPARalpha-wt knock-down but neither prevented nor augmented by PPARalpha-tr knock
      down. WY14,643 treatment did not induce proliferative genes including MYC, CDK1,
      and PCNA, and knock-down of PPARalpha-wt had no effect, while PPARalpha-tr knock
      down caused up to 3-fold induction of these genes. Similarly, induction of pro
      inflammatory genes IL1B, PTGS2, and CCL2 by IL-6 was augmented by knock-down of
      PPARalpha-tr but not of PPARalpha-wt. In contrast to human proliferative genes,
      orthologous mouse genes were readily inducible by WY14,643 in PPARalpha-tr non
      expressing AML12 mouse hepatocytes. Induction was augmented by overexpression of
      PPARalpha-wt and attenuated by overexpression of PPARalpha-tr. Pro-inflammatory
      genes including IL-1beta, CCL2 and TNFalpha were induced by WY14,643 in mouse and
      human cells and both PPARalpha forms attenuated induction. As potential mechanism
      of PPARalpha-tr inhibitory action we suggest crosstalk with WNT/beta-catenin
      pathway. Finally, treatment with WY14,643 in the presence of PPARalpha-tr
      resulted in the significant reduction of cell viability of AML12 and human
      ovarian cancer cell line, SKOV3. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the truncated
      PPARalpha splice variant functions as an endogenous inhibitor of proliferative
      and pro-inflammatory genes in human cells and that its absence in mouse may
      explain species-specific differences in fibrate-induced hepatocarcinogenesis.

PMID- 26122098
TI  - A Simple High Efficiency Intra-Islet Transduction Protocol Using Lentiviral
      Vectors.
AB  - Successful normalization of blood glucose in patients transplanted with
      pancreatic islets isolated from cadaveric donors established the proof-of-concept
      that Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus is a curable disease. Nonetheless, major caveats to
      the widespread use of this cell therapy approach have been the shortage of islets
      combined with the low viability and functional rates subsequent to
      transplantation. Gene therapy targeted to enhance survival and performance prior
      to transplantation could offer a feasible approach to circumvent these issues and
      sustain a durable functional beta-cell mass in vivo. However, efficient and safe
      delivery of nucleic acids to intact islet remains a challenging task. Here we
      describe a simple and easy-to-use lentiviral transduction protocol that allows
      the transduction of approximately 80 % of mouse and human islet cells while
      preserving islet architecture, metabolic function and glucose-dependent
      stimulation of insulin secretion. Our protocol will facilitate to fully determine
      the potential of gene expression modulation of therapeutically promising targets
      in entire pancreatic islets for xenotransplantation purposes. 

PMID- 26122099
TI  - Pluripotent Stem Cells for Gene Therapy of Degenerative Muscle Diseases.
AB  - Human pluripotent stem cells represent a unique source for cell-based therapies
      and regenerative medicine. The intrinsic features of these cells such as their
      easy accessibility and their capacity to be expanded indefinitely overcome some
      limitations of conventional adult stem cells. Furthermore, the possibility to
      derive patient-specific induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in combination with
      the current development of gene modification methods could be used for autologous
      cell therapies of some genetic diseases. In particular, muscular dystrophies are
      considered to be a good candidate due to the lack of efficacious therapeutic
      treatments for patients to date, and in view of the encouraging results arising
      from recent preclinical studies. Some hurdles, including possible genetic
      instability and their efficient differentiation into muscle progenitors through
      vector/transgene-free methods have still to be overcome or need further
      optimization. Additionally, engraftment and functional contribution to muscle
      regeneration in pre-clinical models need to be carefully assessed before clinical
      translation. This review offers a summary of the advanced methods recently
      developed to derive muscle progenitors from pluripotent stem cells, as well as
      gene therapy by gene addition and gene editing methods using ZFNs, TALENs or
      CRISPR/Cas9. We have also discussed the main issues that need to be addressed for
      successful clinical translation of genetically corrected patient-specific
      pluripotent stem cells in autologous transplantation trials for skeletal muscle
      disorders. 

PMID- 26122097
TI  - The Skeletal Muscle Environment and Its Role in Immunity and Tolerance to AAV
      Vector-Mediated Gene Transfer.
AB  - Since the early days of gene therapy, muscle has been one the most studied tissue
      targets for the correction of enzyme deficiencies and myopathies. Several
      preclinical and clinical studies have been conducted using adeno-associated virus
      (AAV) vectors. Exciting progress has been made in the gene delivery technologies,
      from the identification of novel AAV serotypes to the development of novel vector
      delivery techniques. In parallel, significant knowledge has been generated on the
      host immune system and its interaction with both the vector and the transgene at
      the muscle level. In particular, the role of underlying muscle inflammation,
      characteristic of several diseases affecting the muscle, has been defined in
      terms of its potential detrimental impact on gene transfer with AAV vectors. At
      the same time, feedback immunomodulatory mechanisms peculiar of skeletal muscle
      involving resident regulatory T cells have been identified, which seem to play an
      important role in maintaining, at least to some extent, muscle homeostasis during
      inflammation and regenerative processes. Devising strategies to tip this balance
      towards unresponsiveness may represent an avenue to improve the safety and
      efficacy of muscle gene transfer with AAV vectors. 

PMID- 26122100
TI  - Adult Stem Cells and Skeletal Muscle Regeneration.
AB  - Satellite cells are unipotent stem cells involved in muscle regeneration.
      However, the skeletal muscle microenvironment exerts a dominant influence over
      stem cell function. The cell intrinsic complexity of the skeletal muscle niche
      located within the connective tissue between fibers includes motor neurons,
      tendons, blood vessels, immune response mediators and interstitial cells. All
      these cell types modulate the trafficking of stimuli responsible of muscle fiber
      regeneration. In addition, several stem cell types have been discovered in
      skeletal muscle tissue, mainly located in the interstitium. The majority of these
      stem cells appears to directly contribute to myogenic differentiation, although
      some of them are mainly implicated in paracrine effects. This review focuses on
      adult stem cells, which have been used for therapeutic purposes, mainly in animal
      models of chronic muscle degeneration. Emerging literature identifies other
      myogenic progenitors generated from pluripotent stem cells as potential
      candidates for the treatment of skeletal muscle degeneration. However, adult stem
      cells still represent the gold standard for future comparative studies. 

PMID- 26122101
TI  - Therapeutic Approaches for Dominant Muscle Diseases: Highlight on Myotonic
      Dystrophy.
AB  - Myotonic Dystrophy (DM), one of the most common neuromuscular disorders in
      adults, comprises two genetically distinct forms triggered by unstable expanded
      repeats in non-coding regions. The most common DM1 is caused by expanded CTG
      repeats in the 3'UTR of the DMPK gene, whereas DM2 is due to large expanded CCTG
      repeats in the first intron of the CNBP gene. Both mutations induce a pathogenic
      RNA gain-of-function mechanism. Mutant RNAs containing CUG or CCUG expanded
      repeats, which are retained in the nuclei as aggregates alter activities of
      alternative splicing regulators such as MBNL proteins and CELF1. As a
      consequence, alternative splicing misregulations of several pre-mRNAs are
      associated with DM clinical symptoms. Currently, there is no available cure for
      this dominant neuromuscular disease. Nevertheless, promising therapeutic
      strategies have been developed in the last decade. Preclinical progress in DM
      research prompted the first DM1 clinical trial based on antisense
      oligonucleotides promoting a RNase-H-mediated degradation of the expanded CUG
      transcripts. The ongoing Phase 1/2a clinical trial will hopefully give further
      insights into the quest to find a bona fide cure for DM1. In this review, we will
      provide an overview of the different strategies that were developed to neutralize
      the RNA toxicity in DM1. Different approaches including antisense oligonucleotide
      technologies, gene therapies or small molecules have been tested and validated in
      cellular and animal models. Remaining challenges and additional avenues to
      explore will be discussed. 

PMID- 26122102
TI  - Antibacterial and antibiotic resistance modifying activity of the extracts from
      Allanblackia gabonensis, Combretum molle and Gladiolus quartinianus against Gram
      negative bacteria including multi-drug resistant phenotypes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is becoming a serious problem
      worldwide. The discovery of new and effective antimicrobials and/or resistance
      modulators is necessary to tackle the spread of resistance or to reverse the
      multi-drug resistance. We investigated the antibacterial and antibiotic
      resistance modifying activities of the methanol extracts from Allanblackia
      gabonensis, Gladiolus quartinianus and Combretum molle against 29 Gram-negative
      bacteria including multi-drug resistant (MDR) phenotypes. METHODS: The broth
      microdilution method was used to determine the minimal inhibitory concentrations
      (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of the samples meanwhile the
      standard phytochemical methods were used for the preliminary phytochemical
      screening of the plant extracts. RESULTS: Phytochemical analysis showed the
      presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols and tannins in all studied extracts.
      Other chemical classes of secondary metabolites were selectively presents.
      Extracts from A. gabonensis and C. molle displayed a broad spectrum of activity
      with MICs varying from 16 to 1024 MUg/mL against about 72.41% of the tested
      bacteria. The extract from the fruits of A. gabonensis had the best activity,
      with MIC values below 100 MUg/mL on 37.9% of tested bacteria. Percentages of
      antibiotic-modulating effects ranging from 67 to 100% were observed against
      tested MDR bacteria when combining the leaves extract from C. molle (at MIC/2 and
      MIC/4) with chloramphenicol, kanamycin, streptomycin and tetracycline.
      CONCLUSION: The overall results of the present study provide information for the
      possible use of the studied plant, especially Allanblackia gabonensis and
      Combretum molle in the control of Gram-negative bacterial infections including
      MDR species as antibacterials as well as resistance modulators.

PMID- 26122103
TI  - Explaining the resurgent popularity of the wild: motivations for wild plant
      gathering in the Biosphere Reserve Grosses Walsertal, Austria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wild plant gathering becomes again a popular and fashionable activity
      in Europe after gathering practices have been increasingly abandoned over the
      last decades. Recent ethnobotanical research documented a diversity of gathering
      practices from people of diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds who
      gather in urban and rural areas. Few efforts were though made to study the
      motivations for gathering wild plants and to understand the resurgent popularity
      of wild plant gathering. This paper addresses the following research questions:
      (1) which motivations activate wild plant gatherers? (2) which motivation-types
      of gatherers exist in the Grosses Walsertal? (3) how do the motivations for
      gathering relate to the socio-demographic background of gatherers? METHODS: Field
      research was conducted in the Grosses Walsertal, Austria in the years 2008 and
      2009 in two field research periods. Thirty-six local farmers were first
      interviewed with semi-structured interviews. The motivations identified in these
      interviews were then included in a structured questionnaire, which was used to
      interview 353 residents of the valley. Pupils of local schools participated in
      the data collection as interviewers. Principal Component Analysis was used to
      categorize the motivations and to identify motivation-types of wild plant
      gatherers. Generalized Linear Models were calculated to identify relations
      between motivations and the socio-demographic background of gatherers. RESULTS:
      The respondents listed 13 different motivations for gathering wild plants and
      four motivations for not gathering. These 17 motivations were grouped in five
      motivation-types of wild plant gatherers, which are in decreasing importance:
      product quality, fun, tradition, not-gathering, income. Women, older respondents
      and homegardeners gather wild plants more often for fun; older respondents gather
      more often for maintaining traditions; non-homegardeners more frequently mention
      motivations for not gathering. CONCLUSIONS: The resurgent popularity of wild
      plant gathering comes along with an internalization of motivations: the main
      motivations for wild plant gathering changed from the external extrinsic
      motivation of gathering because of necessity towards the internalized extrinsic
      motivation of gathering for the highly esteemed product quality and the intrinsic
      motivation of gathering for the pleasure of the activity itself. This
      internalization of motivations supports the persistence of wild plant gathering,
      a positive self-perception of gatherers and good quality of engagement with wild
      plant gathering.

PMID- 26122104
TI  - Factors associated with the exposure of vaccines to adverse temperature
      conditions: the case of North West region, Cameroon.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adverse temperature recording in vaccine's cold chain is a major
      issue worldwide and this condition is known to compromise the quality of vaccines
      very rapidly. In Cameroon, with tropical climate, vaccines exposure to abnormal
      temperatures is very common. This study was conducted to identify factors
      associated to abnormal temperature recording in cold chain in the North West
      region. RESULTS: A total of 65 vaccinating health facilities were visited for the
      study from eight health districts. Concerning type of health facility, 48 (73.8%)
      of the health facilities were governmental facilities. About 50 (76.0%) of the
      facilities had a functional thermometer. Among the 50 health facilities with
      functional thermometer, abnormal temperatures were registered in 10 (20%) health
      facilities during data collection and 12 (24%) in the 2 months preceding
      collection. Factor significantly associated with abnormal temperature recording
      was the absence of an alternative power source (OR = 6.5, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION:
      The absence of an alternative source of power was significantly associated with
      abnormal temperature exposure in the 2 months preceding data collection. To
      improve on the quality of vaccines administered in North West region, each
      vaccinating health facility must have at least two sources of power supply.

PMID- 26122106
TI  - Does the Medicare 3-Day Rule Increase Length of Stay?
AB  - Medicare will only cover a stay in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) after TKA if
      the patient stays for at least 3 days at the inpatient hospital. The 3-day stay
      rule was instituted in 1965, to prevent over utilization of Medicare. We
      retrospectively reviewed 800 consecutive TKA, identifying patients that were
      discharged to rehab after surgery. 322 patients were discharged to SNF after
      surgery (209 Medicare, 113 private insurances). The LOS was 2.3 days for
      privately insured patients and 3.02 for Medicare recipients (P<0.05). No
      difference was found with regard to age, BMI, and ASA score. The Medicare 3-day
      rule independently increased the LOS in patients who required inpatient rehab,
      leading to increased cost. We suggest that this rule must be revised. 

PMID- 26122107
TI  - The 24th annual meeting of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons.

PMID- 26122105
TI  - The Neisseria gonorrhoeae Obg protein is an essential ribosome-associated GTPase
      and a potential drug target.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) is a Gram-negative pathogen that most
      commonly infects mucosal surfaces, causing sexually transmitted urethritis in men
      and endocervicitis in women. Serious complications associated with these
      infections are frequent and include pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic
      pregnancy, and infertility. The incidence of gonorrhea cases remains high
      globally while antibiotic treatment options, the sole counter measures against
      gonorrhea, are declining due to the remarkable ability of GC to acquire
      resistance. Evaluating of potential drug targets is essential to provide
      opportunities for developing antimicrobials with new mechanisms of action. We
      propose the GC Obg protein, belonging to the Obg/CgtA GTPase subfamily, as a
      potential target for the development of therapeutic interventions against
      gonorrhea, and in this study perform its initial functional and biochemical
      characterization. RESULTS: We report that NGO1990 encodes Obg protein, which is
      an essential factor for GC viability, associates predominantly with the large 50S
      ribosomal subunit, and is stably expressed under conditions relevant to infection
      of the human host. The anti-Obg antisera cross-reacts with a panel of
      contemporary GC clinical isolates, demonstrating the ubiquitous nature of Obg.
      The cellular levels of Obg reach a maximum in the early logarithmic phase and
      remain constant throughout bacterial growth. The in vitro binding and hydrolysis
      of the fluorescent guanine nucleotide analogs mant-GTP and mant-GDP by
      recombinant wild type and T192AT193A mutated variants of Obg are also assessed.
      CONCLUSIONS: Characterization of the GC Obg at the molecular and functional
      levels presented herein may facilitate the future targeting of this protein with
      small molecule inhibitors and the evaluation of identified lead compounds for
      bactericidal activity against GC and other drug-resistant bacteria.

PMID- 26122108
TI  - Midterm Results of Delta Ceramic-on-Ceramic Total Hip Arthroplasty.
AB  - This study reports mid-term results of Delta ceramic on ceramic (COC) in total
      hip arthroplasty (THA). Subjects received Delta COC THA in a prospective multi
      center study with either 28 mm (n=177) or 36 mm (n=168) articulations. Annual
      clinical and radiographic evaluations were performed, and patients were asked
      about hip noises. At mean 5.3-year follow-up there were 3 (0.9%) post-operative
      liner fractures. Nine revisions were performed (2 liner fracture, 4 stem
      loosening, 3 deep infection). Kaplan-Meier survivorship at 6 years was 96.9%
      (94.0-98.4). Twenty-six (7.5%) subjects reported squeaking, of whom none were
      revised. One (0.3%) subject could reproduce a sound in clinic. More patients
      reported squeaking with a 36 mm bearing (28 mm: 7/177, 36 mm: 19/168, P=0.013).

PMID- 26122109
TI  - MRI Findings Associated with Recalled Modular Femoral Neck Rejuvenate and ABG
      Implants.
AB  - MARS-MRI is suggested for the diagnosis of adverse local tissue reactions (ALTR)
      in patients with recalled femoral stems with modular necks, but there has been no
      major study looking at MARS-MRI findings in this population. A retrospective
      review was performed on 312 patients who received a modular neck hip implant
      between October 2007 and February 2012. 62% of patients had intra-articular
      effusions, with 27% containing debris. Extra-capsular effusions were present in
      35% of hips. 54% had synovitis and 5.4% had osteolysis. Tendinopathy and tendon
      disruption was present in the gluteus medius (58%/12%), hamstring (56%/12%),
      gluteus minimus (38%/7.7%) and iliopsoas (7.1%/4.8%). Abnormal MARS-MRI findings
      are associated with modular neck femoral components and can suggest underlying
      ALTR. MARS-MRI abnormalities merit serious consideration in this population. 

PMID- 26122110
TI  - Are Financial Conflicts of Interest for the Surgeon A Source of Concern for the
      Patient?
AB  - We surveyed 269 consecutive patients (81% response rate) with an anonymous
      questionnaire to assess their attitudes toward conflicts-of-interest (COIs)
      resulting from three financial relationships between orthopedic surgeons and
      orthopedic industry: (1) being paid as a consultant; (2) receiving research
      funding; (3) receiving product design royalties. The majority perceived these
      relationships favorably, with 75% agreeing that surgeons in such relationships
      are top experts in the field and two-thirds agreeing that surgeons engage in such
      relationships to serve patients better. Patients viewed surgeons who designed
      products more favorably than those who are consultants (P=0.03). The majority
      (74%) agreed that these COIs should be disclosed to patients. Given patients'
      desires for disclosure and their favorable perceptions of these relationships,
      open discussions about financial COIs is appropriate. 

PMID- 26122111
TI  - Total Joint Arthroplasty in Patients with Chronic Renal Disease: Is It Worth the
      Risk?
AB  - 26-27% of patients with end stage hip and knee arthritis requiring TJR have
      chronic renal disease. A multi-center, prospective clinical registry was queried
      for TJA's from 2006 to 2012, and 74,300 cases were analyzed. Renal impairment was
      quantified using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) to stratify each
      patient by stage of CRD (1-5). There was a significantly greater rate of overall
      complications in patients with moderate to severe CRD (6.1% vs. 7.6%, P<0.001).
      In those with CRD (Stage 3-5), mortality was twice as high (0.26% vs. 0.48%,
      P<0.001). Patients with Stage 4 and 5 CRD had a 213% increased risk of any
      complication (OR 2.13, 95% CI: 1.73-2.62). Surgeons may use these findings to
      discuss the risk-benefit ratio of elective TJR in patients with CRD. 

PMID- 26122112
TI  - Development of a Modern Knee Society Radiographic Evaluation System and
      Methodology for Total Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - To accompany the new clinical Knee Society Score, a committee was formed to
      develop an updated radiographic assessment and evaluation system. The purpose is
      to accumulate radiographic data in a standardized manner to facilitate more
      accurate interpretation, documentation and clinical correlation. We
      systematically reviewed the TKA radiographic evaluation literature as well as the
      original Knee Society Radiographic Evaluation and Scoring System. A modern system
      was developed, approved by the Knee Society membership, which ensured proper
      radiographic documentation of coronal and sagittal implant alignment, fixation
      interface integrity with respect to radiolucent lines and osteolysis, and a zonal
      classification system to document precise deficiency locations. It is hoped that
      data may be accumulated in a standardized manner with eventual formulation of
      implant risk "criteria" or "scores'. 

PMID- 26122114
TI  - Gynaecological laparoscopy deaths in Australia.
AB  - AIM: To determine the incidence and clinical features of laparoscopic
      gynaecological deaths in Australia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Gynaecological
      laparoscopic mortality data were obtained from the National Coronial Information
      Systems (NCIS) and Australian State Coroners Courts, for the period July 1 2000
      to December 31 2012. RESULTS: Eighteen deaths were identified, providing a
      mortality rate of approximately 1 per 70,000 laparoscopic procedures. The
      commonest cause of death was from bowel perforation, most of which were
      unrecognised during the operation. CONCLUSION: Gynaecologists should be trained
      to recognise and manage the rare event of laparoscopic perforation of a viscus or
      a blood vessel.

PMID- 26122113
TI  - Requirement of POL3 and POL4 on non-homologous and microhomology-mediated end
      joining in rad50/xrs2 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
AB  - Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) directly joins two broken DNA ends without
      sequence homology. A distinct pathway called microhomology-mediated end joining
      (MMEJ) relies on a few base pairs of homology between the recombined DNA. The
      majority of DNA double-strand breaks caused by endogenous oxygen species or
      ionizing radiation contain damaged bases that hinder direct religation. End
      processing is required to remove mismatched nucleotides and fill in gaps during
      end joining of incompatible ends. POL3 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes
      polymerase delta that is required for DNA replication and other DNA repair
      processes. Our previous results have shown that POL3 is involved in gap filling
      at 3' overhangs in POL4-independent NHEJ. Here, we studied the epistatic
      interaction between POL3, RAD50, XRS2 and POL4 in NHEJ using a plasmid-based
      endjoining assay in yeast. We demonstrated that either rad50 or xrs2 mutation is
      epistatic for end joining of compatible ends in the rad50 pol3-t or xrs2 pol3-t
      double mutants. However, the pol3-t and rad50 or pol3-t and xrs2 mutants caused
      an additive decrease in the end-joining efficiency of incompatible ends,
      suggesting that POL3 and RAD50 or POL3 and XRS2 exhibit independent functions in
      NHEJ. In the rad50 pol4 mutant, end joining of incompatible ends was not
      detected. In the rad50 or xrs2 mutants, NHEJ events did not contain any
      microhomology at the rejoined junctions. The pol3-t mutation restored MMEJ in the
      rad50 or xrs2 mutant backgrounds. Moreover, we demonstrated that NHEJ of
      incompatible ends required RAD50 and POL4 more than POL3. In conclusion, POL3 and
      POL4 have differential functions in NHEJ, independent of the RAD50-mediated
      repair pathway.

PMID- 26122116
TI  - Radiation Oncology Training Program Curriculum developments in Australia and New
      Zealand: Design, implementation and evaluation--What next?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Australian and New Zealand Radiation Oncology Training Program
      has undergone major changes to align with pedagogical principles and best
      evidence practice. The curriculum was designed around the Canadian Medical
      Education Directives for Specialists framework and involved structural programme
      changes and new in-training assessment. This paper summarises the work of
      programme design and implementation and presents key findings from an evaluation
      of the revised programme. METHODS: An independent team conducted the evaluation
      during the last year of the first 5-year curriculum cycle. Opinions were sought
      from trainees, supervisors and directors of training (DoTs) through online
      surveys, focused interviews and group consultations. One hundred nineteen
      participated in surveys; 211 participated in consultations. All training networks
      were represented. RESULTS: The new curriculum was viewed favourably by most
      participants with over 90% responding that it 'provided direction in attaining
      competencies'. Most (87/107; 81%) said it 'promotes regular, productive
      interaction between trainees and supervisors'. Adequacy of feedback to trainees
      was rated as only 'average' by trainees/trainers in one-third of cases.
      Consultations revealed this was more common where trainers were less familiar
      with curriculum tools. Half of DoTs/supervisors felt better supported. Nearly two
      third of all responders (58/92; 63%) stated that clinical service requirements
      could be met during training; 17/92 (18.5%) felt otherwise. When asked about
      'work-readiness', 59/90 (66%) respondents, including trainees, felt this was
      improved. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the 'new' curriculum has achieved
      many of its aims, and implementation has largely been successful. Outcomes focus
      future work on better supporting trainers in using curriculum tools and providing
      useful feedback to trainees.

PMID- 26122117
TI  - Protective effect of epigallocatechin gallate, a major constituent of green tea,
      against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury plays an important role in
      the acute kidney injury. The pathogenetic mechanisms potential I/R injury is
      involved in apoptosis and inflammation. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major
      constituent of green tea, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti
      apoptotic activities. This study aimed to explore the underlying effects and
      mechanisms of EGCG on renal I/R injury in a rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We
      induced renal I/R injury in SD rats by clamping the left renal artery for 45 min
      followed by 24-h reperfusion, along with a contralateral nephrectomy. We randomly
      allocated 30 rats to three groups (n = 10): sham group, IRI group, and EGCG
      group. We preconditioned rats intraperitoneally with EGCG (50 mg/kg) or vehicle
      (50 mg/kg) 45 min before inducing renal ischemia. We collected serum and kidneys
      at 24 h after reperfusion. Renal function and histologic damage were assessed. We
      also determined markers of inflammation and apoptosis in kidneys or serum.
      RESULTS: EGCG pretreatment can significantly reduce renal dysfunction, histologic
      change and the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, Bax and
      cleavage caspase 3 induced by I/R injury and increase the expression of Bax and
      caspase 3. Moreover, EGCG pretreatment can further induce the activation of p38
      mitogen-activated protein kinase in kidney, with no influence on the expression
      of p38. CONCLUSIONS: EGCG treatment can decrease renal ischemia-reperfusion
      injury by suppressing inflammation and cell apoptosis. Thus, EGCG may represent a
      potential strategy to reduce renal I/R injury.

PMID- 26122118
TI  - Effect of medical expulsive therapy on the health-related quality of life of
      patients with ureteral stones: a critical evaluation.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the possible effects of medical expulsive therapy (MET) on
      the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of the patients under watchful waiting
      for ureteral stones. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total 120 patients with ureteral
      stones were included into this study program. Patients were divided into two
      subgroups. While patients in group 1 received medical therapy only for colic pain
      if needed, patients in group 2 received MET (tamsulosin 0.4 mg/once daily) in
      addition to medical therapy. All cases were evaluated weekly during 1-month
      period, and the patients with persistent stones after this period in both groups
      were evaluated with respect to the analgesic requirement, number of renal colic
      attacks as well as emergency department (ED) visits along with the QOL scores.
      RESULTS: Mean values of patient age and stone burden were 37.14 +/- 2.46 years
      and 42.04 +/- 2.03 mm(2), respectively. Evaluation of the cases with residing
      stones after 4 weeks (28 cases in group 1 and 27 cases in group 2) with or
      without MET revealed following findings; renal colic, total amount of analgesic
      required and the mean number of ED visits were significantly lower in cases
      receiving MET. Evaluation of the mean HRQOL in terms of EQ-5D index and EQ-5D VAS
      values in both groups again demonstrated higher mean values in patients
      undergoing MET (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that MET for
      ureteral calculi during watchful waiting period could increase the HRQOL scores
      by lowering the number of both renal colic attacks and ED visits resulting in
      decreased analgesic need.

PMID- 26122119
TI  - Correlation between the androgen receptor status of the appendix testis and the
      efficacy of human chorionic gonadotropin treatment in undescended testis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare the androgen receptor (AR) status of the appendix testis (AT)
      in congenital undescended and retractile testes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty
      four appendix testes (AT) were removed from 21 boys to detect AR expression by
      immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining. Group 1 (n = 3) includes
      ATs from three patients with unilateral and group 2 (n = 6) with bilateral
      congenital undescended testis. All patients with bilateral form had been
      previously treated with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) without an acceptable
      effect. Group 3 (n = 12) includes ATs collected from 12 boys with acquired
      undescended testis or retractile testicle. Group 4 (n = 3) includes ATs from
      three young adults who received hCG treatment for undescended testis in their
      childhood and underwent open testicular biopsy to investigate infertility.
      Further seven ATs were collected to detect AR mRNA using RT-PCR analysis.
      RESULTS: Both immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining of ATs showed
      AR expression in 100 % of the cases in groups 3 and 4 (12/12 and 3/3), but there
      was no visible AR expression in groups 1 and 2 (0/3 and 0/6); however, RT-PCR
      analysis revealed mRNA expression of AR both in congenital undescended and in
      retractile testicles. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of AR in the epithelial cells of
      AT in patients with retractile testicle and its absence in patients with
      congenital undescended testis can be a possible cause of the effectiveness of
      hormonal treatment in retractile testis and its inefficacy in patients with
      congenital undescended testis.

PMID- 26122120
TI  - A novel rat model of catheter-associated urinary tract infection.
AB  - PURPOSE: The authors aimed to establish a rat model of catheter-associated UTIs
      using a complete urethral catheter. Bacterial growth in biofilms on urethral
      catheters was analyzed using standard culture methods to validate this model.
      METHODS: A total of 15 rats were divided into the following three groups
      according to the duration of indwelling catheter placement: a 2-week group (n =
      5, group 1), a 4-week group (n = 5, group 2), and a 6-week group (n = 5, group
      3). A urethral catheter was inserted with the distal end buried just beneath the
      urethra, and it was fixed inside of the urethra with a single suture starting at
      the vagina so that the suture knot was hidden inside of the vagina, preventing
      the rats from biting it off. A standard culture method was used to analyze
      bacterial growth in the biofilms. RESULTS: All 15 urethral catheters were intact
      at the end of the experiment. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli,
      Enterococcus spp., Enterococcus faecalis, and Corynebacterium spp. were
      identified in the biofilms on the urethral catheters. CONCLUSION: Our rat UTI
      model consisting of a complete urinary catheter is feasible. Our study may
      provide fundamental data for future biofilm studies incorporating molecular
      techniques, and even clinical studies.

PMID- 26122122
TI  - Differential Effects of Oxytocin on Agency and Communion for Anxiously and
      Avoidantly Attached Individuals.
AB  - Oxytocin promotes prosocial behavior, especially in those individuals who are low
      in affiliation (e.g., avoidantly attached individuals), but can exacerbate
      interpersonal insecurities in those preoccupied with closeness (e.g., anxiously
      attached individuals). One explanation for these opposing observations is that
      oxytocin induces a communal, other-orientation. Becoming more other oriented
      should help those people who focus on the self to the exclusion of others, but
      could be detrimental to those who are other focused but have little sense of an
      agentic self. Using a within-subjects design, we administered intranasal oxytocin
      and placebo to 40 males and measured their agency (self-orientation) and
      communion (other-orientation). Oxytocin produced a slight increase in communion
      for the average participant; however, as predicted, avoidantly attached
      individuals were especially likely to perceive themselves as more communal
      ("kind," "warm," "gentle," etc.) after receiving oxytocin than after receiving
      the placebo. There was no main effect of oxytocin on agency for the average
      participant; however, anxiously attached individuals showed a selective decrease
      in agency ("independent," "self-confident," etc.) following administration of
      oxytocin. These data help explain the complex social effects of oxytocin. 

PMID- 26122121
TI  - Signal transducer and activator of transcription 2 deficiency is a novel disorder
      of mitochondrial fission.
AB  - Defects of mitochondrial dynamics are emerging causes of neurological disease. In
      two children presenting with severe neurological deterioration following viral
      infection we identified a novel homozygous STAT2 mutation, c.1836 C>A
      (p.Cys612Ter), using whole exome sequencing. In muscle and fibroblasts from these
      patients, and a third unrelated STAT2-deficient patient, we observed extremely
      elongated mitochondria. Western blot analysis revealed absence of the STAT2
      protein and that the mitochondrial fission protein DRP1 (encoded by DNM1L) is
      inactive, as shown by its phosphorylation state. All three patients harboured
      decreased levels of DRP1 phosphorylated at serine residue 616 (P-DRP1(S616)), a
      post-translational modification known to activate DRP1, and increased levels of
      DRP1 phosphorylated at serine 637 (P-DRP1(S637)), associated with the inactive
      state of the DRP1 GTPase. Knockdown of STAT2 in SHSY5Y cells recapitulated the
      fission defect, with elongated mitochondria and decreased P-DRP1(S616) levels.
      Furthermore the mitochondrial fission defect in patient fibroblasts was rescued
      following lentiviral transduction with wild-type STAT2 in all three patients,
      with normalization of mitochondrial length and increased P-DRP1(S616) levels.
      Taken together, these findings implicate STAT2 as a novel regulator of DRP1
      phosphorylation at serine 616, and thus of mitochondrial fission, and suggest
      that there are interactions between immunity and mitochondria. This is the first
      study to link the innate immune system to mitochondrial dynamics and morphology.
      We hypothesize that variability in JAK-STAT signalling may contribute to the
      phenotypic heterogeneity of mitochondrial disease, and may explain why some
      patients with underlying mitochondrial disease decompensate after seemingly
      trivial viral infections. Modulating JAK-STAT activity may represent a novel
      therapeutic avenue for mitochondrial diseases, which remain largely untreatable.
      This may also be relevant for more common neurodegenerative diseases, including
      Alzheimer's, Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases, in which abnormalities of
      mitochondrial morphology have been implicated in disease pathogenesis.

PMID- 26122123
TI  - Organochlorine pesticide levels in maternal blood and placental tissue with
      reference to preterm birth: a recent trend in North Indian population.
AB  - Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been widely used in public health and
      agriculture programs in developed as well as developing countries, including
      India. Being xenoestrogenic in nature, OCPs may act as endocrine disruptors
      leading to preterm birth (PTB) through disturbance of normal estrogen
      progesterone ratio. PTB is the leading cause of neonatal deaths worldwide.
      Therefore, the present study is aimed to determine the extent to which persistent
      environmental chemicals may accumulate in pregnant women and placenta and
      ascertain possible associations between exposure level and period of gestation
      (POG), baby weight, and/or placental weight in PTB cases. Maternal blood and
      placenta samples of PTB cases (n = 50) and subjects of term delivery as controls
      (n = 50) were collected. OCP residue levels were estimated by the gas
      chromatography system equipped with an electron capture detector. Significantly
      higher levels of alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (alpha-HCH), beta
      hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD), and
      dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) were found in maternal blood of PTB cases
      as compared to control. Significantly higher levels of DDE and
      dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) were also found in placental tissue of PTB
      cases as compared to control group. There was a statistically significant
      negative correlation between maternal blood level of alpha-HCH and birth-weight
      (r = -0.299) and POG (r = -0.234). gamma-Hexachlorocyclohexane (gamma-HCH) and
      dieldrin had a negative correlation with placental weight (r = -0.401 and -0.256,
      respectively), and DDE and beta-HCH had a negative correlation with POG (r = 
      0.251 and -0.229, respectively). The presence of OCPs in maternal blood and
      placental tissue represents prenatal exposure hazard for fetuses due to chronic
      bioaccumulation and poor elimination with possible deleterious effect on health. 

PMID- 26122124
TI  - Response of micro- and mesozooplankton in the southwestern Bay of Bengal to a
      cyclonic eddy during the winter monsoon, 2005.
AB  - A cyclonic eddy (CE) in the southwestern Bay of Bengal (SWBoB; 10-15 degrees  N;
      81-87 degrees  E) during winter monsoon 2005 and associated changes in the open
      ocean hydrography and productivity patterns were studied using satellite
      observations and in situ measurements. Analysis of the satellite-derived sea
      surface height anomaly (SSHA) indicated the existence of a large eddy (10-15
      degrees  N; 81-87 degrees  E) from November to January, with its core centered at
      13 degrees  N and 82 degrees  E. The large positive wind stress curl (~1.8 * 10(
      7) N m(-2)) and resultant Ekman pumping (~3 * 10(-2) cm s(-1)) were identified as
      the prominent forcing mechanisms. In addition, the cyclonic storms and
      depressions experienced in the region during the study period seem to have served
      to maintain the strength of the CE through associated Ekman pumping. The cold
      (~26.6  degrees C), nutrient-enriched (NO3 > 2 MUM, PO4 > 0.73 MUM and SiO4 > 3
      MUM) upwelled waters in the upper layers of the CE enhanced the biological
      production (chl. a > 0.56 mg m(-3)). Dissolved oxygen in the surface waters was >
      200 MUM. The phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass recorded during the season was
      comparable or perhaps higher than the peak values reported from the northeastern
      Arabian Sea (chlorophyll a concentrations of 0.2 to 0.4 mg m(-3) and zooplankton
      biovolume 0.6 ml m(-3)) during winter. Occurrence of a higher mesozooplankton
      biovolume (0.8 ml m(-3)) and relatively low abundance of microzooplankton
      indicates the prevalence of a short food chain. In conclusion, high biological
      production, both at primary as well as secondary level, suggests the prevalence
      of an efficient food web as a result of physical forcing and subsequent
      ecological interactions evident up to tertiary level in an oligotrophic basin
      like BoB.

PMID- 26122125
TI  - Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of Akaki River,
      Lake Awassa, and Lake Ziway, Ethiopia.
AB  - The quantification of 14 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was carried out
      in sediment samples collected from Akaki River, Lake Awassa, and Lake Ziway,
      Ethiopia. The concentration of PAHs in the samples was determined using gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode,
      after microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), using acetone/n-hexane (1:1, v/v)
      mixture. The accuracy of the method was determined by extracting and analyzing
      New York/New Jersey waterway sediment standard reference material (SRM 1944). The
      measured concentrations of PAHs in SRM 1944 agreed well with the certified
      values. In samples from Akaki River, Lake Awassa, and Lake Ziway, the total
      content of PAHs determined ranged from 0 to 3070 ng/g (average 534 ng/g), 24.9 to
      413 ng/g (average 169 ng/g), and 15.0 to 305 ng/g (average 175 ng/g),
      respectively. Source ratios indicated that the PAHs were mainly from petrogenic
      origin. Sediments from all sampling sites indicated negligible levels of toxicity
      with no risk of adverse biological effects. 

PMID- 26122126
TI  - Microbial and chemical contamination of water, sediment and soil in the Nakivubo
      wetland area in Kampala, Uganda.
AB  - The reuse of domestic and industrial wastewater in urban settings of the
      developing world may harm the health of people through direct contact or via
      contaminated urban agricultural products and drinking water. We assessed chemical
      and microbial pollutants in 23 sentinel sites along the wastewater and faecal
      sludge management and reuse chain of Kampala, Uganda. Water samples were examined
      for bacteria (thermotolerant coliforms (TTCs), Escherichia coli and Salmonella
      spp.) and helminth eggs. Physico-chemical parameters were determined. Water,
      sediment and soil samples and edible plants (yams and sugar cane) were tested for
      heavy metals. Water samples derived from the Nakivubo wetland showed mean
      concentrations of TTCs of 2.9 * 10(5) colony-forming units (CFU)/100 mL. Mean E.
      coli was 9.9 * 10(4) CFU/100 mL. Hookworm eggs were found in 13.5% of the water
      samples. Mean concentrations of iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) were
      21.5, 3.3 and 0.14 mg/L, respectively. In soil samples, we found a mean lead (Pb)
      concentration of 132.7 mg/L. In yams, concentrations of Cd, chromium (Cr) and Pb
      were 4.4, 4.0 and 0.2 mg/L, while the respective concentrations in sugar cane
      were 8.4, 4.3 and 0.2 mg/L. TTCs and E. coli in the water, Pb in soil, and Cd, Cr
      and Pb in the plants were above national thresholds. We conclude that there is
      considerable environmental pollution in the Nakivubo wetland and the Lake
      Victoria ecosystem in Kampala. Our findings have important public health
      implications, and we suggest that a system of sentinel surveillance is being
      implemented that, in turn, can guide adequate responses.

PMID- 26122127
TI  - Could the presence of larger fractions of non-cyanobacterial species be used as a
      predictor of microcystin production under variable nutrient regimes?
AB  - The occurrence of cyanobacteria and microcystin is highly dynamic in natural
      environments and poses one of the biggest challenges to water resource
      management. While a number of drivers are known to be responsible for the
      occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms, the drivers of microcystin production are
      not adequately known. This study aims to quantify the effects of the changes in
      the structures of phytoplankton and cyanobacterial communities on the dynamics of
      microcystin production under highly variable nutrient concentration. In our
      study, nutrient variability could explain 64% of the variability in microcystin
      production. When changes in the fractions of non-cyanobacteria versus
      cyanobacteria genera were additionally included, 80% of the variability in
      microcystin production could be explained; under high nutrient concentrations,
      non-cyanobacterial phytoplankton groups were dominant over cyanobacteria and
      cyanobacteria produced more toxins. In contrast, changes in the cyanobacterial
      community structures could only explain a further 4% of the dynamics of
      microcystin production. As such, the dominance of non-cyanobacterial groups
      appears to be a useful factor to explain microcystin occurrence in addition to
      traditionally used factors such as absolute cyanobacterial cell numbers,
      especially when the nutrient regime is taken into account. This information could
      help to further refine the risk assessment frameworks which are currently used to
      manage the risk posed by cyanobacterial blooms.

PMID- 26122128
TI  - Assessing environmental risks for high intensity agriculture using the material
      flow analysis method--a case study of the Dongting Lake basin in South Central
      China.
AB  - This study primarily examined the assessment of environmental risk in high
      intensity agricultural areas. Dongting Lake basin was taken as a case study,
      which is one of the major grain producing areas in China. Using data obtained
      from 1989 to 2012, we applied Material Flow Analysis (MFA) to show the material
      consumption, pollutant output and production storage in the agricultural
      environmental system and assessed the environmental risk index on the basis of
      the MFA results. The results predicted that the status of the environmental
      quality of the Dongting Lake area is unsatisfactory for the foreseeable future.
      The direct material input (DMI) declined by 13.9%, the domestic processed output
      (DPO) increased by 28.21%, the intensity of material consumption (IMC) decreased
      by 36.7%, the intensity of material discharge (IMD) increased by 10%, the
      material productivity (MP) increased by 27 times, the environmental efficiency
      (EE) increased by 15.31 times, and the material storage (PAS) increased by 0.23%.
      The DMI and DPO was higher at rural places on the edge of cities, whereas the
      risk of urban agriculture has arisen due to the higher increasing rate of DMI and
      DPO in cities compared with the counties. The composite environmental risk index
      increased from 0.33 to 0.96, indicating that the total environmental risk changed
      gradually but seriously during the 24 years assessed. The driving factors that
      affect environmental risk in high intensity agriculture can be divided into five
      classes: social, economic, human, natural and disruptive incidents. This study
      discussed a number of effective measures for protecting the environment while
      ensuring food production yields. Additional research in other areas and certain
      improvements of this method in future studies may be necessary to develop a more
      effective method of managing and controlling agricultural-environmental
      interactions.

PMID- 26122129
TI  - Traumatic injuries of the thoracic aorta: The role of imaging in diagnosis and
      treatment.
AB  - Traumatic injury of the thoracic aorta remains the leading cause of death in
      multiple trauma patients and it requires urgent management. Computed tomography
      has a key diagnostic role and allows the clinician to choose an appropriate
      treatment strategy. The development of new classifications, based on a better
      understanding of the mechanisms of these injuries, has clarified the indications
      for treatment. Advances in techniques, especially in endovascular management,
      have contributed to improving prognosis for patients. Interventional radiology,
      which usually consists of endovascular placement of a covered stent, now
      constitutes the gold standard treatment in these injuries. Due to the potentially
      grave prognosis of these patients, it is crucial to know how to detect these
      injuries and to describe the imaging signs of serious damage. 

PMID- 26122131
TI  - NMR based biomarkers to study age-related changes in the human quadriceps.
AB  - Age-related sarcopenia is a major health issue. To improve elderly person quality
      of life, it is important to characterize age-associated structural changes within
      the skeletal muscle. NMR imaging offers quantitative tools to monitor these
      changes. We scanned 93 subjects: 33 young adults aged between 19 and 27 years old
      and 60 older adults between 69 and 80 years old. Their physical activity was
      assessed using a tri-axial accelerometer and they were classified either as
      active or sedentary. A standard multi-slice multi-echo (MSME) sequence was run
      and water T2 maps were extracted using a tri-exponential fit. Fat fraction was
      quantified using three-point Dixon technique. Each quadriceps muscle was
      characterized by: water T2 mean value, water T2 heterogeneity and the mean fat
      fraction. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) showed that water T2 mean values and its
      heterogeneity indices as well as fat fraction were significantly higher in the
      elderly group (p<0.05). Only fat fraction was significantly lower in the active
      group compared to the sedentary one (p<0.05). Linear regression confirmed the
      significant impact of age on these NMR parameters whereas physical activity
      impact was not systematic. NMR imaging provided a comprehensive assessment of the
      aging process impact on skeletal muscle composition. Water T2 increase might be
      related to changes in fiber typology while increased T2 heterogeneities might
      correlate with some degree of tissue disorganization, like the development of
      interstitial fibrosis. Fat fraction and water T2 heterogeneity increase was
      partly slowed down by physical activity. These changes were not gender dependent.

PMID- 26122130
TI  - Sustained dual drug delivery of anti-inhibitory molecules for treatment of spinal
      cord injury.
AB  - Myelin-associated inhibitors (MAIs) and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs)
      are major contributors to axon growth inhibition following spinal cord injury and
      limit functional recovery. The NEP1-40 peptide competitively binds the Nogo
      receptor and partially blocks inhibition from MAIs, while chondroitinase ABC
      (ChABC) enzymatically digests CSPGs, which are upregulated at the site of injury.
      In vitro studies showed that the combination of ChABC and NEP1-40 increased
      neurite extension compared to either treatment alone when dissociated embryonic
      dorsal root ganglia were seeded onto inhibitory substrates containing both MAIs
      and CSPGs. Furthermore, the ability to provide sustained delivery of biologically
      active ChABC and NEP1-40 from biomaterial scaffolds was achieved by loading ChABC
      into lipid microtubes and NEP1-40 into poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)
      microspheres, obviating the need for invasive intrathecal pumps or catheters.
      Fibrin scaffolds embedded with the drug delivery systems (PLGA microspheres and
      lipid microtubes) were capable of releasing active ChABC for up to one week and
      active NEP1-40 for over two weeks in vitro. In addition, the loaded drug delivery
      systems in fibrin scaffolds decreased CSPG deposition and development of a glial
      scar, while also increasing axon growth after spinal cord injury in vivo.
      Therefore, the sustained, local delivery of ChABC and NEP1-40 within the injured
      spinal cord may block both myelin and CSPG-associated inhibition and allow for
      improved axon growth. 

PMID- 26122132
TI  - Vitamin B12 deficiency in the institutionalized elderly: A regional study.
AB  - The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency increases with age and is suggested to
      be even higher in the elderly living in institutions. This retrospective study
      evaluated the vitamin B12 and folate status of 1996 institutionalized elderly
      residents aged over 65years. Among them, 34.9% had vitamin B12 deficiency (serum
      vitamin B12 <150pmol/L), 11.8% had folate deficiency (serum folate <6.8nmol/L),
      and 4.9% had both. The majority of vitamin B12 deficient residents (68%) had
      serum vitamin B12 between 100pmol/L and 149pmol/L. Macrocytosis was found in
      24.2% of vitamin B12 deficient residents. A significant increase in macrocytosis
      was associated with a decrease in serum vitamin B12 below 100pmol/L. Macrocytosis
      was most common in those with vitamin B12 ?69pmol/L (50.9%). Overall, vitamin B12
      deficiency is common in the institutionalized elderly, however macrocytosis
      cannot predict deficiency. More liberal testing for vitamin B12 status in the
      institutionalized elderly may be warranted. 

PMID- 26122133
TI  - Does fat get you skinny?

PMID- 26122134
TI  - Sappanone A exhibits anti-inflammatory effects via modulation of Nrf2 and NF
      kappaB.
AB  - Homoisoflavonoids constitute a small class of natural products. In the present
      study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of sappanone A (SPNA), a
      homoisoflavanone that is isolated from the heartwood of Caesalpinia sappan
      (Leguminosae), in murine macrophages. SPNA inhibited the production of nitric
      oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as well as the
      expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)
      and IL-6 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, SPNA
      protected C57BL/6 mice from LPS-induced mortality. Treatment of RAW264.7 cells
      with SPNA induced heme oxygenase (HO)-1 protein and mRNA expression and increased
      nuclear translocation of the nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) as well as
      the expression of Nrf2 target genes such as NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1
      (NQO1). Knockdown of Nrf2 by siRNA blocked SPNA-mediated HO-1 induction.
      SB203580, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor, blocked SPNA
      induced HO-1 expression and nuclear translocation of Nrf2, suggesting that SPNA
      induces HO-1 expression by activating Nrf2 through the p38 MAPK pathway.
      Consistent with the notion that the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway has anti-inflammatory
      properties, inhibiting HO-1 significantly abrogated the anti-inflammatory effects
      of SPNA in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, SPNA suppressed LPS-induced
      nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation via inhibiting Ser 536
      phosphorylation and transcriptional activity of RelA/p65 subunit of NF-kappaB.
      Taken together, these findings suggest that SPNA exerts its anti-inflammatory
      effect by modulating the Nrf2 and NF-kappaB pathways, and may be a valuable
      compound to prevent or treat inflammatory diseases.

PMID- 26122135
TI  - Effect of novel PKCtheta selective inhibitor AS2521780 on acute rejection in rat
      and non-human primate models of transplantation.
AB  - Selective inhibition of protein kinase Ctheta (PKCtheta) may be useful in
      inducing T cell-specific immunosuppression with a reduced rate of side effects.
      To our knowledge, however, no reports have been published regarding the selective
      inhibition of PKCtheta by small-molecule compounds in animal models of allograft
      rejection. Here, we investigated the effect of the newly synthesized PKCtheta
      selective inhibitor AS2521780 in mono- and combination therapies on acute
      rejection in ACI-to-Lewis rat cardiac and non-human primate (NHP) renal
      transplantation models. In the rat cardiac transplantation model, AS2521780
      significantly prolonged graft survival to 14days at 10mg/kg twice daily (b.i.d.)
      and to 20days at 30mg/kg b.i.d. In contrast, acute rejection occurred in all
      recipients in the non-treated group by Days 5 or 6 post-transplantation.
      Significant improvements (P<0.001) in graft survival were observed following
      treatment with a combination of AS2521780 at 3mg/kg b.i.d. and a suboptimal dose
      of tacrolimus (0.02mg/kg) or mycophenolate mofetil (15mg/kg). In the NHP renal
      transplantation model, AS2521780 at 3mg/kg b.i.d. and tacrolimus at 1mg/kg
      (suboptimal dose) significantly improved graft survival compared to tacrolimus
      alone (P<0.05). The present study of AS2521780 in rat cardiac and NHP renal
      transplantation models demonstrates the potential of PKCtheta as a novel drug
      target for organ transplantation. As AS2521780 was well tolerated and the dose of
      tacrolimus or mycophenolate mofetil can be reduced when used in combination with
      this drug, immunosuppressive regimens containing selective inhibitors of PKCtheta
      might have good safety profiles. 

PMID- 26122136
TI  - Ginsenoside Rg1 improves lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury by
      inhibiting inflammatory responses and modulating infiltration of M2 macrophages.
AB  - Ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1), the major effective component of ginseng, has been
      reported to have potent anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of
      ginsenoside Rg1 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced acute lung injury (ALI) in
      mice was unknown. The present study was designed to investigate the protective
      role of Rg1 on LPS-induced ALI and explore the potential mechanisms. The mice
      were divided randomly into four groups: the sham group, the LPS group and the
      LPS+Rg1 (40 mg/kg or 200mg/kg) pretreatment groups. All mice received Rg1 or an
      equivalent volume of phosphate buffer saline (PBS) intraperitoneally 1h before
      LPS administration. Edema quantification, histology, and apoptosis were detected
      6h after LPS administration. The number of inflammatory cells, the percentage of
      alternative activated (M2) macrophages and the exudate quantification in
      bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were evaluated. The caspase 3 expression, and
      the levels of phosphorylated IkappaB-alpha and p65 were tested. The results
      showed that the Rg1 pretreatment group markedly improved lung damage, modulated
      the infiltration of neutrophils and M2 macrophages, prevented the production of
      protein and proinflammatory cytokines in BALF, and inhibited apoptosis in lung.
      We also found that Rg1 suppressed NF-kappaB and caspase 3 activation. These data
      suggest that Rg1 plays a protective role against LPS-induced ALI by ameliorating
      inflammatory responses, regulating the infiltration of M2 macrophages, and
      inhibiting pulmonary cell apoptosis.

PMID- 26122137
TI  - Prostaglandin E2 blockade enhances the pulmonary anti-Cryptococcus neoformans
      immune reaction via the induction of TLR-4.
AB  - The present study aimed to explore whether the inhibition of prostaglandin E2
      enhances pulmonary anti-Cryptococcus neoformans immunity. Lung colony forming
      unit (CFU) assays demonstrated that the cryptococcal infection was dramatically
      depressed in mice given EP2 and EP4 or single EP antagonist treatment compared to
      the untreated wild type mice (p<0.05), leading to the increased survival of the
      infected mice by 8-9 days or 2-4 days, respectively. RT-PCR and flow cytometry
      assays showed that the expression of IFN-gamma, IL-17, IL-22 in M1 macrophages
      and IL-10 in M2 macrophages increased significantly at 1 week post-infection in
      mice with either EP2 or EP4 blockade (p<0.05). The polarization of alveolar
      macrophages showed that, at 1 week post infection, the alveolar macrophages in
      untreated wild type mice, TLR4(-/-) mice and TLR4(-/-) mice with EP2 and EP4
      blockade were strongly M2 polarized, whereas the alveolar macrophages in wild
      type mice with EP2 and EP4 blockade were M1 polarized. In conclusion, the
      blockade of EP2 and EP4 promotes mouse survival after cryptococcus infection by
      promoting the production of cytokines via TLR4, as well as the enhanced M1
      polarization of alveolar macrophages.

PMID- 26122138
TI  - Cortical microinfarcts on 7 T MRI in patients with spontaneous intracerebral
      hemorrhage.

PMID- 26122140
TI  - Mano a Mano for health professions students in Chile: a pilot HIV prevention
      program.

PMID- 26122141
TI  - Reflections on Mentorship on the Occasion of Dr Kurt J. Isselbacher's 90th
      Birthday.

PMID- 26122139
TI  - Association of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D status and genetic variation in the vitamin D
      metabolic pathway with FEV1 in the Framingham Heart Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vitamin D is associated with lung function in cross-sectional
      studies, and vitamin D inadequacy is hypothesized to play a role in the
      pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Further data are needed to
      clarify the relation between vitamin D status, genetic variation in vitamin D
      metabolic genes, and cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in lung function in
      healthy adults. METHODS: We estimated the association between serum 25
      hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and cross-sectional forced expiratory volume in the
      first second (FEV1) in Framingham Heart Study (FHS) Offspring and Third
      Generation participants and the association between serum 25(OH)D and
      longitudinal change in FEV1 in Third Generation participants using linear mixed
      effects models. Using a gene-based approach, we investigated the association
      between 241 SNPs in 6 select vitamin D metabolic genes in relation to
      longitudinal change in FEV1 in Offspring participants and pursued replication of
      these findings in a meta-analyzed set of 4 independent cohorts. RESULTS: We found
      a positive cross-sectional association between 25(OH)D and FEV1 in FHS Offspring
      and Third Generation participants (P=0.004). There was little or no association
      between 25(OH)D and longitudinal change in FEV1 in Third Generation participants
      (P=0.97). In Offspring participants, the CYP2R1 gene, hypothesized to influence
      usual serum 25(OH)D status, was associated with longitudinal change in FEV1 (gene
      based P<0.05). The most significantly associated SNP from CYP2R1 had a consistent
      direction of association with FEV1 in the meta-analyzed set of replication
      cohorts, but the association did not reach statistical significance thresholds
      (P=0.09). CONCLUSIONS: Serum 25(OH)D status was associated with cross-sectional
      FEV1, but not longitudinal change in FEV1. The inconsistent associations may be
      driven by differences in the groups studied. CYP2R1 demonstrated a gene-based
      association with longitudinal change in FEV1 and is a promising candidate gene
      for further studies.

PMID- 26122142
TI  - Exome Sequencing Reveals Germline SMAD9 Mutation That Reduces Phosphatase and
      Tensin Homolog Expression and Is Associated With Hamartomatous Polyposis and
      Gastrointestinal Ganglioneuromas.
AB  - Hamartomatous polyposis syndromes (HPS) account for a small but appreciable
      proportion of inherited gastrointestinal cancer predisposition syndromes;
      patients with HPS have an increased risk for colon and extracolonic malignancies.
      We present a unique case of familial juvenile polyposis syndrome associated with
      gastrointestinal ganglioneuromas of unknown etiology. The patient was tested for
      HPS-associated genes, but no mutation was detected. Exome sequencing identified a
      germline heterozygous mutation in SMAD9 (SMAD9(V90M)). This mutation was
      predicted to be an activating mutation. HEK cells transfected to express
      SMAD9(V90M) had reduced expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog; this
      reduction was also observed in a polyp from the patient. We have therefore
      identified a new susceptibility locus for HPS. Patients with hamartomatous
      polyposis in the colon associated with ganglioneuromatosis should be referred for
      genetic assessments. 

PMID- 26122143
TI  - Physician Non-adherence to Colonoscopy Interval Guidelines in the Veterans
      Affairs Healthcare System.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Colonoscopy can decrease colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality,
      although performing this procedure more frequently than recommended could
      increase costs and risks to patients. We aimed to determine rates and correlates
      of physician non-adherence to guidelines for repeat colonoscopy screening and
      polyp surveillance intervals. METHODS: We performed a multi-center,
      retrospective, observational study using administrative claims, physician
      databases, and electronic medical records (EMR) from 1455 patients (50-64 y old)
      who underwent colonoscopy in the Veterans Affairs healthcare system in fiscal
      year 2008. Patients had no prior diagnosis of CRC or inflammatory bowel disease,
      and had not undergone colonoscopy examinations in the previous 10 years. We
      compared EMR-documented, endoscopist-recommended intervals for colonoscopies with
      intervals recommended by the 2008 Multi-Society Task Force guidelines. RESULTS:
      The overall rate of non-adherence to guideline recommendations was 36% and ranged
      from 3% to 80% among facilities. Non-adherence was 28% for patients who underwent
      normal colonoscopies, but 45%-52% after colonoscopies that identified
      hyperplastic or adenomatous polyps. Most of all recommendations that were not
      followed recommended a shorter surveillance interval. In adjusted analyses, non
      adherence was significantly higher for patients whose colonoscopies identified
      hyperplastic (odds ratio [OR] = 3.1; 95% CI, 1.7-5.5) or high-risk adenomatous
      polyps (OR = 3.0; 95% CI, 1.2-8.0), compared to patients with normal colonoscopy
      examinations, but not for patients with low-risk adenomatous polyps (OR = 1.8;
      95% CI, 0.9-3.7). Nonadherence was also associated with bowel preparation
      quality, geographic region, Charlson comorbidity score, and colonoscopy
      indication. CONCLUSIONS: In a managed care setting with salaried physicians,
      endoscopists recommend repeat colonoscopy sooner than guidelines for more than
      one third of patients. Factors associated with non-adherence to guideline
      recommendations were colonoscopy findings, quality of bowel preparation, and
      geographic region. Targeting endoscopist about non-adherence to colonoscopy
      guidelines could reduce overuse of colonoscopy and associated healthcare costs.

PMID- 26122144
TI  - Sustainable equality--a goal to aspire to.

PMID- 26122145
TI  - Reforming public and global health in Germany.

PMID- 26122146
TI  - Mental health in China: what will be achieved by 2020?

PMID- 26122149
TI  - Canada lacks national suicide prevention strategy.

PMID- 26122147
TI  - Japan's vision for health care in 2035.

PMID- 26122150
TI  - Mounting cancer burden tests Africa's health resources.

PMID- 26122151
TI  - Constructing Scientific Communities: Citizen Science.

PMID- 26122152
TI  - Medical periodicals: mining the past.

PMID- 26122153
TI  - HPV vaccination crisis in Japan.

PMID- 26122154
TI  - Anti-inflammatory therapies in myocardial infarction.

PMID- 26122155
TI  - A 21st-century medical school.

PMID- 26122156
TI  - A 21st-century medical school - Authors' reply.

PMID- 26122157
TI  - Responses to the Chief Medical Officer's report 2013.

PMID- 26122158
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 26122160
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 26122159
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 26122161
TI  - Department of Error.

PMID- 26122162
TI  - Responses to the Chief Medical Officer's report 2013.

PMID- 26122163
TI  - Donovanosis causing lymphadenitis, mastoiditis, and meningitis in a child.

PMID- 26122164
TI  - Lgr5 positive stem cells sorted from small intestines of diabetic mice
      differentiate into higher proportion of absorptive cells and Paneth cells in
      vitro.
AB  - Intestinal epithelial stem cells (IESCs) can differentiate into all types of
      intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and Leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein
      coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) is a marker for IESC. Previous studies reported
      enhanced proliferation of IECs in diabetic mice. In this study, the in vitro
      differentiation of Lgr5 positive IESCs sorted from diabetic mice was further
      investigated. The diabetic mouse model was induced by streptozotocin (STZ), and
      crypt IECs were isolated from small intestines. Subsequently, Lgr5 positive IESCs
      were detected by flow cytometry (FCM) and sorted by magnetic activated cell
      sorting (MACS). Differentiation of the sorted IESCs was investigated by detecting
      the IEC markers in the diabetic mice using immunostaining, quantitative real-time
      reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blot
      analysis, which was compared with normal mice. We found that the proportion of
      Lgr5 positive cells in the crypt IECs of diabetic mice was higher than that of
      control mice (P < 0.05). Lgr5 positive IESCs could be significantly enriched in
      Lgr5 positive cell fraction sorted by MACS. Furthermore, the absorptive cell
      marker sucrase-isomaltase (SI) and the Paneth cell marker lysozyme 1 (Lyz1) were
      more highly expressed in the differentiated cells derived from Lgr5 positive
      IESCs of diabetic mice in vitro (P < 0.05). We demonstrate that the number of
      Lgr5 positive IESCs is significantly increased in the small intestines of STZ
      induced diabetic mice. Lgr5 positive IESCs sorted from the diabetic mice can
      differentiate into a higher proportion of absorptive cells and Paneth cells in
      vitro. We characterized the expression of Lgr5 in the small intestine of diabetic
      mice, and sorted Lgr5 positive intestinal epithelial stem cells (IESCs) for
      investigating their differentiation in vitro. We proved that the quantity of Lgr5
      positive IESCs was significantly increased in the small intestines of diabetic
      mice. IESCs sorted from the diabetic mice can differentiate into a higher
      proportion of absorptive cells and Paneth cells in vitro.

PMID- 26122165
TI  - sb203580 preconditioning recharges matrix-expanded human adult stem cells for
      chondrogenesis in an inflammatory environment - A feasible approach for
      autologous stem cell based osteoarthritic cartilage repair.
AB  - Autologous stem cells are a promising cell source for cartilage regeneration;
      however, cell replicative senescence and joint posttraumatic inflammation provide
      challenges in bringing this treatment modality to fruition. In this study, we
      hypothesized that preconditioning with p38 MAPK inhibitor (sb203580) would
      recharge decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) expanded human synovium
      derived stem cell (hSDSC) chondrogenesis in an inflammatory environment. We found
      that preconditioning with sb203580 greatly enhanced dECM expanded hSDSC
      proliferation and chondrogenic potential while supplementation with sb203580 in
      an induction medium dramatically retarded hSDSC chondrogenic differentiation,
      even for dECM expanded cells. We also found that sb203580 preconditioning
      enhanced matrix-expanded hSDSC chondrogenic capacity even in an interleukin-1 (IL
      1) induced inflammatory environment. Non-detectable expression of HLA-DR in the
      hSDSCs grown on allogeneic dECM indicates the feasibility of commercial
      preparation of these dECMs from healthy, young donors for patients who need
      autologous transplantation. Our study indicated that p38 MAPK inhibitor has a
      distinctive priming effect on dECM mediated stem cell cartilage regeneration.
      Combined rejuvenation with sb203580 and dECM expansion can precondition hSDSCs'
      resurfacing capacity for osteoarthritic patients with cartilage defects.

PMID- 26122166
TI  - Population genetic dynamics of an invasion reconstructed from the sediment egg
      bank.
AB  - Biological invasions are a global issue with far-reaching consequences for single
      species, communities and whole ecosystems. Our understanding of modes and
      mechanisms of biological invasions requires knowledge of the genetic processes
      associated with successful invasions. In many instances, this information is
      particularly difficult to obtain as the initial phases of the invasion process
      often pass unnoticed and we rely on inferences from contemporary population
      genetic data. Here, we combined historic information with the genetic analysis of
      resting eggs to reconstruct the invasion of Daphnia pulicaria into Lower Lake
      Constance (LLC) in the 1970s from the resting egg bank in the sediments. We
      identified the invader as 'European D. pulicaria' originating from meso- and
      eutrophic lowland lakes and ponds in Central Europe. The founding population was
      characterized by extremely low genetic variation in the resting egg bank that
      increased considerably over time. Furthermore, strong evidence for selfing and/or
      biparental inbreeding was found during the initial phase of the invasion,
      followed by a drop of selfing rate to low levels in subsequent decades. Moreover,
      the increase in genetic variation was most pronounced during early stages of the
      invasion, suggesting additional introductions during this period. Our study
      highlights that genetic data covering the entire invasion process from its
      beginning can be crucial to accurately reconstruct the invasion history of a
      species. We show that propagule banks can preserve such information enabling the
      study of population genetic dynamics and sources of genetic variation in
      successful invasive populations. 

PMID- 26122167
TI  - Human REM sleep: influence on feeding behaviour, with clinical implications.
AB  - Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep shares many underlying mechanisms with
      wakefulness, to a much greater extent than does non-REM, especially those
      relating to feeding behaviours, appetite, curiosity, exploratory (locomotor)
      activities, as well as aspects of emotions, particularly 'fear extinction'. REM
      is most evident in infancy, thereafter declining in what seems to be a
      dispensable manner that largely reciprocates increasing wakefulness. However,
      human adults retain more REM than do other mammals, where for us it is most
      abundant during our usual final REM period (fREMP) of the night, nearing
      wakefulness. The case is made that our REM is unusual, and that (i) fREMP retains
      this 'dispensability', acting as a proxy for wakefulness, able to be forfeited
      (without REM rebound) and substituted by physical activity (locomotion) when
      pressures of wakefulness increase; (ii) REM's atonia (inhibited motor output) may
      be a proxy for this locomotion; (iii) our nocturnal sleep typically develops into
      a physiological fast, especially during fREMP, which is also an appetite
      suppressant; (iv) REM may have 'anti-obesity' properties, and that the loss of
      fREMP may well enhance appetite and contribute to weight gain ('overeating') in
      habitually short sleepers; (v) as we also select foods for their hedonic
      (emotional) values, REM may be integral to developing food preferences and
      dislikes; and (vii) REM seems to have wider influences in regulating energy
      balance in terms of exercise 'substitution' and energy (body heat) retention.
      Avenues for further research are proposed, linking REM with feeding behaviours,
      including eating disorders, and effects of REM-suppressant medications. 

PMID- 26122169
TI  - Internal morphology of the nonsyndromic prematurely fused sagittal suture in the
      human skull--A preliminary micro-CT study.
AB  - Although nonsyndromic craniosynostosis (NSC) of the sagittal suture is a well
      known type of craniosynostosis, little is currently known about the internal
      morphology of this prematurely fused suture in modern humans. Recently, micro
      computed tomography (micro-CT) has been applied as a new tool for the
      quantitative evaluation of cranial suture morphology. However, so far there are
      only a small number of reports concerning studies of the internal morphology of
      prematurely fused sagittal suture in humans using micro-CT. The primary aim of
      this study was to examine the internal morphology of a completely obliterated
      sagittal suture in NSC. Two modern human skulls were used in this study: a skull
      of a child (aged 10 +/- 2.5 years) displaying NSC of the sagittal suture and a
      skull of an adult showing non-prematurely completely obliterated sagittal suture.
      Quantitative variables of the sagittal sutures were assessed using method
      proposed by the authors. Porosity, and relative thickness of three bone layers in
      two examined skulls (inner cortical, diploe and outer cortical) were analysed
      using micro-CT in three equal sections of the sagittal suture. In the case of the
      prematurely fused suture, there were statistically significant differences mainly
      in the mean values of the porosity, thickness and relative thickness of the
      diploe between the anterior part and the two other parts (central and posterior)
      of this suture. Significant differences were also observed in some of the
      analysed variables between the sections of the sagittal suture of the skull with
      NSC and the normal skull.

PMID- 26122168
TI  - Microneedles: an innovative platform for gene delivery.
AB  - The advent of microneedle (MN) technology has provided a revolutionary platform
      for the delivery of therapeutic agents, particularly in the field of gene
      therapy. For over 20 years, the area of gene therapy has undergone intense
      innovation and progression which has seen advancement of the technology from an
      experimental concept to a widely acknowledged strategy for the treatment and
      prevention of numerous disease states. However, the true potential of gene
      therapy has yet to be achieved due to limitations in formulation and delivery
      technologies beyond parenteral injection of the DNA. Microneedle-mediated
      delivery provides a unique platform for the delivery of DNA therapeutics
      clinically. It provides a means to overcome the skin barriers to gene delivery
      and deposit the DNA directly into the dermal layers, a key site for delivery of
      therapeutics to treat a wide range of skin and cutaneous diseases. Additionally,
      the skin is a tissue rich in immune sentinels, an ideal target for the delivery
      of a DNA vaccine directly to the desired target cell populations. This review
      details the advancement of MN-mediated DNA delivery from proof-of-concept to the
      delivery of DNA encoding clinically relevant proteins and antigens and examines
      the key considerations for the improvement of the technology and progress into a
      clinically applicable delivery system. 

PMID- 26122170
TI  - Maraviroc Clinical Test (MCT) as an alternative tool to decide CCR5-antagonists
      prescription in naive HIV-infected patients.
AB  - Our aim was to analyze the virological response to a combined antiretroviral
      therapy started after Maraviroc Clinical Test (MCT) in naive HIV-infected
      patients. Forty-one patients were exposed to MCT, based on an 8-day MVC
      monotherapy. If undetectability or a viral load reduction >1 log10 HIV-RNA
      copies/ml was achieved, a MVC-containing cART was prescribed. Forty patients
      showed a positive MCT; undetectability after 48weeks on cART was achieved in
      34/41 (82.9%) patients. The result of MCT was compared with a genotypic tropism
      method and with Trofile(r), showing 10.7% and 18.75% discordance rates,
      respectively. MCT is a reliable tool to decide CCR5-antagonists prescription,
      also in the naive scenario where most patients show a virological response to MVC
      independently the tropism result reported by genotypic or phenotypic methods. 

PMID- 26122172
TI  - Immunotherapies and immune biomarkers in Type 1 diabetes: A partnership for
      success.
AB  - The standard of care (SoC) for Type 1 diabetes (T1D) today is much the same as it
      was in the early 1920s, simply with more insulin options-fast-acting, slow
      acting, injectable, and inhalable insulins. However, these well-tolerated
      treatments only manage the symptoms and complications, but do nothing to halt the
      underlying immune response. There is an unmet need for better treatment options
      for T1D that address all aspects of the disease. For decades, we have
      successfully treated T1D in preclinical animal models with immune-modifying
      therapies that have not demonstrated comparable efficacy in humans. The path to
      bringing such options to the clinic will depend on the implementation and
      standard inclusion of biomarkers of immune and therapeutic efficacy in T1D
      clinical trials, and dictate if we can create a new SoC that treats the
      underlying autoimmunity as well as the symptoms it causes. 

PMID- 26122171
TI  - Biomarkers for antigen immunotherapy in allergy and type 1 diabetes.
AB  - Allergy and type 1 diabetes are immune mediated diseases that, despite being
      etiologically distinct, each have inappropriate activation and effector function
      of antigen-specific T cells in the pathogenic process. Understanding changes in
      the frequency and phenotype of these cells is critical to improve assessment of
      disease diagnosis and prognosis and effectively assess immunological response to
      therapy. In the setting of antigen-specific therapy in allergy and type 1
      diabetes, assays to monitor the immunological mechanisms of disease have been
      improving in recent years, and we are getting closer to an accurate understanding
      of how the cellular immune response is modulated during treatment. In this
      review, we summarize the current state of cell-based immune monitoring of antigen
      therapy trials. We then discuss emerging advances in antigen-specific biomarkers
      that are transforming our knowledge about allergy and that have the potential to
      dramatically impact our understanding of T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases,
      such as type 1 diabetes. 

PMID- 26122173
TI  - Effects of enzyme replacement therapy on immune function in ADA deficiency
      patient.

PMID- 26122174
TI  - The bacterial microbiota in inflammatory lung diseases.
AB  - Numerous lines of evidence, ranging from recent studies back to those in the
      1920s, have demonstrated that the lungs are NOT bacteria-free during health. We
      have recently proposed that the entire respiratory tract should be considered a
      single ecosystem extending from the nasal and oral cavities to the alveoli, which
      includes gradients and niches that modulate microbiome dispersion, retention,
      survival and proliferation. Bacterial exposure and colonization of the lungs
      during health is most likely constant and transient, respectively. Host
      microanatomy, cell biology and innate defenses are altered during chronic lung
      disease, which in turn, alters the dynamics of bacterial turnover in the lungs
      and can lead to longer term bacterial colonization, as well as blooms of well
      recognized respiratory bacterial pathogens. A few new respiratory colonizers have
      been identified by culture-independent methods, such as Pseudomonas fluorescens;
      however, the role of these bacteria in respiratory disease remains to be
      determined.

PMID- 26122177
TI  - The Raman optical activity of beta-D-xylose: where experiment and computation
      meet.
AB  - Besides its applications in bioenergy and biosynthesis, beta-d-xylose is a very
      simple monosaccharide that exhibits relatively high rigidity. As such, it
      provides the best basis to study the impact of different solvation shell radii on
      the computation of its Raman optical activity (ROA) spectrum. Indeed, this
      chiroptical spectroscopic technique provides exquisite sensitivity to
      stereochemistry, and benefits much from theoretical support for interpretation.
      Our simulation approach combines density functional theory (DFT) and molecular
      dynamics (MD) in order to efficiently account for the crucial hydration effects
      in the simulation of carbohydrates and their spectroscopic response predictions.
      Excellent agreement between the simulated spectrum and the experiment was
      obtained with a solvation radius of 10 A. Vibrational bands have been resolved
      from the computed ROA data, and compared with previous results on different
      monosaccharides in order to identify specific structure-spectrum relationships
      and to investigate the effect of the solvation environment on the conformational
      dynamics of small sugars. From the comparison with ROA analytical results, a
      shortcoming of the classical force field used for the MD simulations has been
      identified and overcome, again highlighting the complementary role of experiment
      and theory in the structural characterisation of complex biomolecules. Indeed,
      due to unphysical puckering, a spurious ring conformation initially led to
      erroneous conformer ratios, which are used as weights for the averaging of the
      spectral average, and only by removing this contribution was near perfect
      comparison between theory and experiment achieved. 

PMID- 26122176
TI  - Inflammation-regulating factors in ascites as predictive biomarkers of drug
      resistance and progression-free survival in serous epithelial ovarian cancers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Platinum-based combination therapy is the standard first-line
      treatment for women with advanced serous epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC).
      However, about 20 % will not respond and are considered clinically resistant. The
      availability of biomarkers to predict responses to the initial therapy would
      provide a practical approach to identify women who would benefit from a more
      appropriate first-line treatment. Ascites is an attractive inflammatory fluid for
      biomarker discovery as it is easy and minimally invasive to obtain. The aim of
      this study was to evaluate whether six selected inflammation-regulating factors
      in ascites could serve as diagnostic or drug resistance biomarkers in patients
      with advanced serous EOC. METHODS: A total of 53 women with stage III/IV serous
      EOC and 10 women with benign conditions were enrolled in this study. Eleven of
      the 53 women with serous EOC were considered clinically resistant to treatment
      with progression-free survival<6 months. Ascites were collected at the time of
      the debulking surgery and the levels of cytokines were measured by ELISA. The six
      selected cytokines were evaluated for their ability to discriminate serous EOC
      from benign controls, and to discriminate platinum resistant from platinum
      sensitive patients. RESULTS: Median ascites levels of IL-6, IL-10 and
      osteoprotegerin (OPG) were significantly higher in women with advanced serous EOC
      than in controls (P<=0.012). There were no significant difference in the median
      ascites levels of leptin, soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor
      (suPAR) and CCL18 among serous EOC women and controls. In Receiver Operator curve
      (ROC) analysis, IL-6, IL-10 and OPG had a high area under the curve value of
      0.905, 0.832 and 0.825 respectively for distinguishing EOC from benign controls.
      ROC analysis of individual cytokines revealed low discriminating potential to
      stratify patients according to their sensitivity to first-line treatment. The
      combination of biomarkers with the highest discriminating potential was with
      CA125 and leptin (AUC=0.936, 95% CI: 0.894-0.978). CONCLUSION: IL-6 was found to
      be strongly associated with advanced serous EOC and could be used in combination
      with serum CA125 to discriminate benign and EOC. Furthermore, the combination of
      serum CA125 and ascites leptin was a strong predictor of clinical resistance to
      first-line therapy.

PMID- 26122178
TI  - Retracted: Adsorption Features of Flavonoids on Macroporous Adsorption Resins
      Functionalized with Ionic Liquids.

PMID- 26122175
TI  - Application of whole genome and RNA sequencing to investigate the genomic
      landscape of common variable immunodeficiency disorders.
AB  - Common Variable Immunodeficiency Disorders (CVIDs) are the most prevalent cause
      of primary antibody failure. CVIDs are highly variable and a genetic causes have
      been identified in <5% of patients. Here, we performed whole genome sequencing
      (WGS) of 34 CVID patients (94% sporadic) and combined them with transcriptomic
      profiling (RNA-sequencing of B cells) from three patients and three healthy
      controls. We identified variants in CVID disease genes TNFRSF13B, TNFRSF13C, LRBA
      and NLRP12 and enrichment of variants in known and novel disease pathways. The
      pathways identified include B-cell receptor signalling, non-homologous end
      joining, regulation of apoptosis, T cell regulation and ICOS signalling. Our data
      confirm the polygenic nature of CVID and suggest individual-specific aetiologies
      in many cases. Together our data show that WGS in combination with RNA-sequencing
      allows for a better understanding of CVIDs and the identification of novel
      disease associated pathways. 

PMID- 26122179
TI  - Whole genome amplification with SurePlex results in better copy number alteration
      detection using sequencing data compared to the MALBAC method.
AB  - Current whole genome amplification (WGA) methods lead to amplification bias
      resulting in over- and under-represented regions in the genome. Nevertheless,
      certain WGA methods, such as SurePlex and subsequent arrayCGH analysis, make it
      possible to detect copy number alterations (CNAs) at a 10 Mb resolution. A more
      uniform WGA combined with massive parallel sequencing (MPS), however, could allow
      detection at higher resolution and lower cost. Recently, MALBAC, a new WGA
      method, claims unparalleled performance. Here, we compared the well-established
      SurePlex and MALBAC WGA for their ability to detect CNAs in MPS generated data
      and, in addition, compared PCR-free MPS library preparation with the standard
      enrichment PCR library preparation. Results showed that SurePlex amplification
      led to more uniformity across the genome, allowing for a better CNA detection
      with less false positives compared to MALBAC amplified samples. An even more
      uniform coverage was observed in samples following a PCR-free library
      preparation. In general, the combination of SurePlex and MPS led to the same
      chromosomal profile compared to a reference arrayCGH from unamplified genomic
      DNA, underlining the large potential of MPS techniques in CNA detection from a
      limited number of DNA material. 

PMID- 26122180
TI  - Bundap Marram Durn Durn: Engagement with Aboriginal women experiencing comorbid
      chronic physical and mental health conditions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore antecedents of health service engagement and experience
      among urban Aboriginal people with comorbid physical and mental health
      conditions. METHODS: Focus groups and interviews were conducted with Aboriginal
      people who had comorbid health conditions and were accessing Aboriginal and/or
      mainstream services. RESULTS: Nineteen participants, all women, were recruited.
      Participants' personal histories and prior experience of health services affected
      effective service utilisation. Participants' service experiences were
      characterised by long waiting times in the public health system and high
      healthcare staff turnover. Trusted professionals were able to act as brokers to
      other clinically and culturally competent practitioners. CONCLUSIONS: Many urban
      Aboriginal women attended health services with multiple comorbid conditions
      including chronic disease and mental health issues. Several barriers and enablers
      were identified concerning the capacity of services to engage and effectively
      manage Aboriginal patients' conditions. IMPLICATIONS: Results indicate the need
      to explore strategies to improve health care utilisation by urban Aboriginal
      women.

PMID- 26122182
TI  - Gynaecological cancer: ADAMTS mutations predict sensitivity to chemotherapy in
      ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26122181
TI  - ESR1 mutations-a mechanism for acquired endocrine resistance in breast cancer.
AB  - Approximately 70% of breast cancers are oestrogen receptor alpha (ER) positive,
      and are, therefore, treated with endocrine therapies. However, about 25% of
      patients with primary disease and almost all patients with metastases will
      present with or eventually develop endocrine resistance. Despite the magnitude of
      this clinical challenge, the mechanisms underlying the development of resistance
      remain largely unknown. In the past 2 years, several studies unveiled gain-of
      function mutations in ESR1, the gene encoding the ER, in approximately 20% of
      patients with metastatic ER-positive disease who received endocrine therapies,
      such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors. These mutations are clustered in a
      'hotspot' within the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of the ER and lead to ligand
      independent ER activity that promotes tumour growth, partial resistance to
      endocrine therapy, and potentially enhanced metastatic capacity; thus, ER LBD
      mutations might account for a mechanism of acquired endocrine resistance in a
      substantial fraction of patients with metastatic disease. In general, the absence
      of detectable ESR1 mutations in patients with treatment-naive disease, and the
      correlation between the frequency of patients with tumours harbouring these
      mutations and the number of endocrine treatments received suggest that, under
      selective treatment pressure, clonal expansion of rare mutant clones occurs,
      leading to resistance. Preclinical and clinical development of rationale-based
      novel therapeutic strategies that inhibit these ER mutants has the potential to
      substantially improve treatment outcomes. We discuss the contribution of ESR1
      mutations to the development of acquired resistance to endocrine therapy, and
      evaluate how mutated ER can be detected and targeted to overcome resistance and
      improve patient outcomes. 

PMID- 26122184
TI  - Breast cancer: PALOMA-3 confirms that CDK4/6 is a key therapeutic target.

PMID- 26122183
TI  - Inflammation and cancer: advances and new agents.
AB  - Tumour-promoting inflammation is considered one of the enabling characteristics
      of cancer development. Chronic inflammatory disease increases the risk of some
      cancers, and strong epidemiological evidence exists that NSAIDs, particularly
      aspirin, are powerful chemopreventive agents. Tumour microenvironments contain
      many different inflammatory cells and mediators; targeting these factors in
      genetic, transplantable and inducible murine models of cancer substantially
      reduces the development, growth and spread of disease. Thus, this complex network
      of inflammation offers targets for prevention and treatment of malignant disease.
      Much potential exists in this area for novel cancer prevention and treatment
      strategies, although clinical research to support targeting of cancer-related
      inflammation and innate immunity in patients with advanced-stage cancer remains
      in its infancy. Following the initial successes of immunotherapies that modulate
      the adaptive immune system, we assert that inflammation and innate immunity are
      important targets in patients with cancer on the basis of extensive preclinical
      and epidemiological data. The adaptive immune response is heavily dependent on
      innate immunity, therefore, inhibiting some of the tumour-promoting
      immunosuppressive actions of the innate immune system might enhance the potential
      of immunotherapies that activate a nascent antitumour response. 

PMID- 26122186
TI  - Lung cancer: Squiring immunotherapy to CheckMate.

PMID- 26122188
TI  - Association of measles and mumps with cardiovascular disease: The Japan
      Collaborative Cohort (JACC) study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Although it has been suggested that exposure to infections during
      childhood could decrease risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD),
      the evidence is scarce. We investigated the association of measles and mumps with
      CVD. METHODS: 43,689 men and 60,147 women aged 40-79 years at baseline (1988
      1990) completed a lifestyle questionnaire, including their history of measles and
      mumps, and were followed until 2009. Histories of infections were categorized as
      having no infection (reference), measles only, mumps only, or both infections.
      Hazard ratios (HR) for mortality from CVD across histories of infections were
      calculated. RESULTS: Men with measles only had multivariable HR (95% confidence
      interval) of 0.92 (0.85-0.99) for total CVD, those with mumps only had 0.52 (0.28
      0.94) for total stroke and 0.21 (0.05-0.86) for hemorrhagic stroke, and those
      with both infections had 0.80 (0.71-0.90) for total CVD, 0.71 (0.53-0.93) for
      myocardial infarction, and 0.83 (0.69-0.98) for total stroke. Women with both
      infections had 0.83 (0.74-0.92) for total CVD and 0.84 (0.71-0.99) for total
      stroke. We also compared subjects with measles only or mumps only (reference) and
      those with both infections. Men with both infections had 0.88 (0.78-0.99) for
      total CVD. Women with both infections had 0.85 (0.76-0.94) for total CVD, 0.79
      (0.67-0.93) for total stroke, 0.78 (0.62-0.98) for ischemic stroke and 0.78 (0.62
      0.98) for hemorrhagic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Measles and mumps, especially in case
      of both infections, were associated with lower risks of mortality from
      atherosclerotic CVD.

PMID- 26122189
TI  - Co-existence of vascular disease in different arterial beds: Peripheral artery
      disease and carotid artery stenosis--Data from Life Line Screening((r)).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a systemic vascular disorder, involving multiple
      arterial territories. This project sought to investigate the relationship between
      lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) and carotid artery stenosis (CAS)
      in a large self-referred population. METHODS: Data from the ankle brachial index
      (ABI) and carotid duplex ultrasound were analyzed from 3.67 million US subjects
      in the Life Line Screening program between 2004 and 2008. PAD was defined by
      ABI<0.9 and CAS was defined by greater than 50% stenosis. Multivariate logistic
      regression analysis was used to estimate odds of CAS by PAD status and severity.
      RESULTS: Mean age of the population was 63.7 +/- 10.6 years and 64% were women.
      The prevalence of PAD and CAS was 4.1% and 3.9%, respectively. Subjects with PAD
      had a higher prevalence of CAS than those without PAD (18.8% vs. 3.3%, P <
      0.0001). In multivariate analysis, PAD was associated with greater odds of CAS
      (OR 3.28, 95% CI 3.22-3.34). Both symptomatic (OR 3.66, 95% CI 3.58-3.75) and
      asymptomatic PAD (OR 2.91, 95% CI 2.84-2.98) was associated with CAS. Increasing
      severity of PAD was associated with greater odds of CAS (OR 2.32, 3.61, 4.19,
      5.14, and 7.59 for ABI categories 0.81-0.90, 0.71-0.80, 0.61-0.70, 0.41-0.60,
      <=0.40, respectively). CONCLUSION: Presence and severity of PAD was associated
      with prevalence of CAS in the large self-referred and self-paying Life Line
      cohort, regardless of lower extremity symptoms.

PMID- 26122191
TI  - Corrigendum: Generation of the SCN1A epilepsy mutation in hiPS cells using the
      TALEN technique.

PMID- 26122185
TI  - Opportunities and challenges of radiotherapy for treating cancer.
AB  - The past 20 years have seen dramatic changes in the delivery of radiation
      therapy, but the impact of radiobiology on the clinic has been far less
      substantial. A major consideration in the use of radiotherapy has been on how
      best to exploit differences between the tumour and host tissue characteristics,
      which in the past has been achieved empirically by radiation-dose fractionation.
      New advances are uncovering some of the mechanistic processes that underlie this
      success story. In this Review, we focus on how these processes might be targeted
      to improve the outcome of radiotherapy at the individual patient level. This
      approach would seem a more productive avenue of treatment than simply trying to
      increase the radiation dose delivered to the tumour. 

PMID- 26122192
TI  - Rational Design and Tuning of Functional RNA Switch to Control an Allosteric
      Intermolecular Interaction.
AB  - Conformational transitions of biomolecules in response to specific stimuli
      control many biological processes. In natural functional RNA switches, often
      called riboswitches, a particular RNA structure that has a suppressive or
      facilitative effect on gene expression transitions to an alternative structure
      with the opposite effect upon binding of a specific metabolite to the aptamer
      region. Stability of RNA secondary structure (-DeltaG degrees ) can be predicted
      based on thermodynamic parameters and is easily tuned by changes in nucleobases.
      We envisioned that tuning of a functional RNA switch that causes an allosteric
      interaction between an RNA and a peptide would be possible based on a predicted
      switching energy (DeltaDeltaG degrees ) that corresponds to the energy difference
      between the RNA secondary structure before (-DeltaG degrees before) and after (
      DeltaG degrees after) the RNA conformational transition. We first selected
      functional RNA switches responsive to neomycin with predicted DeltaDeltaG degrees
      values ranging from 5.6 to 12.2 kcal mol(-1). We then demonstrated a simple
      strategy to rationally convert the functional RNA switch to switches responsive
      to natural metabolites thiamine pyrophosphate, S-adenosyl methionine, and adenine
      based on the predicted DeltaDeltaG degrees  values. The DeltaDeltaG degrees 
      values of the designed RNA switches proportionally correlated with interaction
      energy (DeltaG degrees interaction) between the RNA and peptide, and we were able
      to tune the sensitivity of the RNA switches for the trigger molecule. The
      strategy demonstrated here will be generally applicable for construction of
      functional RNA switches and biosensors in which mechanisms are based on
      conformational transition of nucleic acids. 

PMID- 26122193
TI  - Serious outbreak of human metapneumovirus in patients with hematologic
      malignancies.
AB  - Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is an important cause of lower respiratory tract
      infection. In healthy subjects infections are usually mild and rarely necessitate
      hospitalization. However, more serious outcomes have been described for
      allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients. This study reports an outbreak of
      hMPV A2 infection in severely immunocompromised adult hematologic cancer patients
      in a tertiary care unit. HMPV RNA was detected in bronchoalveolar lavage or
      produced sputum from patients presenting with typical clinical features. A total
      of 15 patients were diagnosed in a period of 7 weeks. Molecular subtyping
      revealed infection with genotype A2a virus, implicating nosocomial transmission.
      Eleven patients (73%) were treated with intravenous immunoglobulins and
      ribavirin. Ten patients (65%) presented with severe dyspnea, five (33%) required
      mechanical ventilation. Four patients (26.6%) died from hMPV-associated pneumonia
      and consequent multi-organ failure. Thus, hMPV is a critical pathogen for
      patients with hematologic cancers warranting early detection. 

PMID- 26122194
TI  - Minimal residual disease of leukemia and the quality of cryopreserved human
      ovarian tissue in vitro.
AB  - Auto-transplant of cryopreserved ovarian tissue in leukemia patients carries a
      risk to reintroduce malignant cells. Maturation of ovarian follicles in vitro is
      a promising strategy to overcome the leukemic cell contamination. The follicle
      development and survival in 14 cryopreserved ovarian tissues with leukemia
      specific PCR marker was evaluated after 7 or 14 days culture. Minimal residual
      disease (MRD) quantification was assessed by real-time quantitative PCR in order
      to identify the MRD positive (n = 6) and negative (n = 8) samples and to monitor
      levels of MRD before and after culture. The morphology of ovarian follicles were
      studied by light microscopy. After culture, no statistical significant
      differences were detected in follicle densities between MRD positive- and
      negative samples. Ovarian MRD either decreased below undetectable or fluctuated
      near the baseline level after 7 and 14 days in culture. This study provides
      quantitative in vitro evidence that leukemia contamination does not affect the
      follicle survival in cryopreserved ovarian tissue. 

PMID- 26122195
TI  - Metabolic profile and psychological variables after bariatric surgery:
      association with weight outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aims to examine associations between metabolic profile and
      psychological variables in post-bariatric patients and to investigate if
      metabolic and psychological variables, namely high-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c),
      impulsivity, psychological distress, depressive and eating disorder symptoms are
      independently associated with percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) after
      bariatric surgery. METHODS: One hundred and fifty bariatric patients (BMI = 33.04
      +/- 5.8 kg/m(2)) who underwent to bariatric surgery for more than 28.63 +/- 4.9
      months were assessed through a clinical interview, a set of self-report measures
      and venous blood samples. Pearson's correlations were used to assess correlations
      between %EWL, metabolic and psychological variables. Multiple linear regression
      was conducted to investigate which metabolic and psychological variables were
      independently associated with %EWL, while controlling for type of surgery.
      RESULTS: Higher TG blood levels were associated with higher disordered eating,
      psychological distress and depression scores. HDL-C was associated with higher
      depression scores. Both metabolic and psychological variables were associated
      with %EWL. Regression analyses showed that, controlling for type of surgery,
      higher % EWL is significantly and independently associated with less disordered
      eating symptoms and lower TG and HbA_1c blood concentrations (R (2) aj = 0.383, F
      (4, 82) = 14.34, p < 0.000). CONCLUSION: An association between metabolic and
      psychological variables, particularly concerning TG blood levels, disordered
      eating and psychological distress/depression was found. Only higher levels of
      disordered eating, TG and HbA_1c showed and independent correlation with less
      weight loss. Targeting maladaptive eating behaviors may be a reasonable strategy
      to avoid weight regain and optimize health status post-operatively.

PMID- 26122196
TI  - Rotary scanning acquisition in ultra-low-field MRI.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop a method of achieving large field of view (FOV) imaging with
      a smaller amount of data in ultra-low-field (ULF) MRI. THEORY: In rotary scanning
      acquisition (RSA), data from the imaging object is acquired at multiple angles by
      rotating the object or the scanner. RSA is similar to radial-trajectory
      acquisition but simplifies the measurement and image reconstruction when
      concomitant fields are nonnegligible. METHODS: RSA was implemented to achieve
      large FOV with only three localized superconductive quantum interference device
      (SQUID) sensors at the ULF-MRI field of 50 MUT. RESULTS: Simulations suggest
      benefits of RSA, including reduced concomitant field artifacts, large FOV
      imaging, and SNR improvement. Experimental data demonstrate the feasibility of
      reconstructing large FOV images using only three SQUID sensors with 33% of the
      amount of data collected using a Cartesian trajectory. CONCLUSION: RSA can be
      useful in low-field, low-weight, or portable MRI to generate large FOV images
      with only a few sensors. Magn Reson Med 75:2255-2264, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26122197
TI  - Percutaneous recanalization for combined-type Budd-Chiari syndrome: strategy and
      long-term outcome.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility, strategy, and long-term outcome of
      percutaneous recanalization for combined-type Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS).
      METHODS: From December 2007 to August 2014, consecutive symptomatic combined-type
      BCS patients were treated by percutaneous recanalization in our centers. Inferior
      vena cava (IVC) recanalization was the first-stage treatment for all patients.
      Recanalization of one hepatic vein (HV) was the second-stage treatment for the
      selected patients. If the patient had the compensatory and patent accessory HV
      (AHV), we observed this patient for 7 days after IVC recanalization. If the
      symptoms of portal hypertension improved, HV recanalization was not needed.
      Otherwise, HV recanalization was performed. If the patient had no patent AHV, HV
      recanalization was performed 3 days after IVC recanalization. Data on technical
      success, clinical success, and follow-up were analyzed, respectively. RESULTS:
      Sixty-two symptomatic combined-type BCS patients were enrolled. Technical success
      of percutaneous recanalization was achieved in 60 patients. Among them, 52
      patients had the patent AHV and underwent single IVC recanalization, and 8
      patients had no patent AHV and underwent combined IVC and HV recanalization.
      Clinical success was achieved in all of the 60 patients. Three patients died
      during the follow-up. The cumulative 1-, 2-, and 4-year survival rates were
      98.3%, 96.5%, and 92.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous recanalization is
      suitable for most combined-type BCS patients. Treatment strategy can be made
      according to the situation of AHV. If the patient has the patent AHV, single IVC
      recanalization is enough. Otherwise, combined IVC and HV recanalization should be
      performed.

PMID- 26122198
TI  - Scaling behavior can be tricky: Comment on "Universal scaling for the dilemma
      strength in evolutionary games" by Z. Wang et al.

PMID- 26122199
TI  - The law of cooperation: Comment on "Universal scaling for the dilemma strength in
      evolutionary games" by Z. Wang et al.

PMID- 26122200
TI  - [Neuroleptic malignant syndrome : Rare cause of fever of unknown origin].
AB  - Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a possible cause of fever of unknown
      origin (FUO) and is a potentially fatal adverse effect of various drugs,
      especially of neuroleptics. First generation antipsychotics, such as received by
      the patient described in this article, are more likely to cause NMS than second
      generation antipsychotics. The key symptoms are the development of severe muscle
      rigidity and elevated temperature associated with the use of neuroleptic
      medication. Malignant catatonia (MC) is an important differential diagnosis of
      NMS. While neuroleptics can trigger NMS and must be immediately discontinued if
      NMS occurs, neuroleptic therapy represents the first line treatment for MC. This
      article describes the case of a patient with schizoaffective disorder where
      initially the diagnosis of NMS was not clear. Eventually, fever and a markedly
      elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) led to the correct diagnosis and the
      appropriate therapy with dantrolene, bromocriptine and amantadine. Furthermore, a
      thorough review of the currently available literature on NMS is provided. 

PMID- 26122201
TI  - Characterization of CCTalpha and evaluating its expression in the mud crab Scylla
      paramamosain when challenged by low temperatures alone and in combination with
      high and low salinity.
AB  - Chaperonin containing the T-complex polypeptide-1 (CCT), which is known to be
      involved in intracellular assembly and folding of proteins, is a class of
      chaperonin omnipresent in all forms of life. Previous studies showed that CCT
      played a vital role in cold hardiness of various animals. In order to understand
      the response of the polypeptide complex to low temperature challenge and other
      environmental stresses, a subunit of CCT (CCTalpha) was cloned from the mud crab
      Scylla paramamosain by expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis and rapid
      amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The full-length cDNA SpCCTalpha was of 1972 bp
      and contained a 1668 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polypeptide of 555
      amino acids with four conserved motifs. The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)
      levels of SpCCTalpha in ten tissues of adult S. paramamosain was subsequently
      examined and the highest expression was found in muscle, followed by gill,
      hepatopancreas, thoracic ganglion, hemocyte, heart, cerebral ganglion, stomach,
      eyestalk ganglion, and epidermis. The expressions of SpCCTalpha in the muscle of
      sub-adult crabs (pre-acclimated to 28  degrees C) subjected to the challenges of
      both lower temperatures (25, 20, 15, and 10  degrees C) alone and low
      temperatures (15 and 10  degrees C) in combination with salinity of 35 and 10
      were further investigated by fluorescent quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). It
      was revealed that when exposed to lower temperatures alone, the mRNA transcripts
      of the SpCCTalpha gene in the muscle were generally induced for significant
      higher expression at 10  degrees C treatment than the 25, 20, and 15  degrees C
      treatments; meanwhile, exposure to 15  degrees C also frequently led to
      significantly higher expression than those at 20 and 25  degrees C. This finding
      indicated that the up-regulation of SpCCTalpha was closely related to the cold
      hardiness of S. paramamosain. The results of an additional experiment challenging
      the sub-adult crabs with various combinations of low temperatures with different
      salinity conditions generally demonstrated that at both 10 and 15  degrees C, the
      expression of SpCCTalpha under the high salinity of 35 was significantly lower
      than that at low salinity of 10, implying that the damages caused by low
      temperatures with high salinity were less than that under low salinity.

PMID- 26122202
TI  - Comorbidity and correlates of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder in 6-8-year
      old children with ADHD.
AB  - This study aimed to characterize the nature and impact of disruptive mood
      dysregulation disorder (DMDD) in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity
      disorder (ADHD) including its co-occurrence with other comorbidities and its
      independent influence on daily functioning. Children with ADHD (6-8 years) were
      recruited through 43 Melbourne schools, using a 2-stage screening (parent and
      teacher Conners 3 ADHD index) and case-confirmation (Diagnostic Interview
      Schedule for Children, Version IV; [DISC-IV]) procedure. Proxy DMDD diagnosis was
      confirmed via items from the oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and major
      depressive disorder modules of the DISC-IV. Outcome domains included comorbid
      mental health disorders, academic functioning, social functioning, child and
      family quality of life, parent mental health, and parenting behaviors. Unadjusted
      and adjusted linear and logistic regression were used to compare children with
      comorbid ADHD and DMDD and children with ADHD without DMDD. Thirty-nine out of
      179 children (21.8 %) with ADHD had comorbid DMDD. Children with ADHD and DMDD
      had a high prevalence of ODD (89.7 %) and any anxiety disorder (41.0 %). Children
      with ADHD and DMDD had poorer self-control and elevated bullying behaviors than
      children with ADHD without DMDD. Children with ADHD and DMDD were similar to
      children with ADHD in the other domains measured when taking into account other
      comorbidities including ODD. One in five children with ADHD in their second year
      of formal schooling met criteria for DMDD. There was a very high diagnostic
      overlap with ODD; however, the use of a proxy DMDD diagnosis containing items
      from the ODD module of the DISC-IV may have artificially inflated the comorbidity
      rates. DMDD added to the burden of ADHD particularly in the area of social
      functioning.

PMID- 26122203
TI  - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia of the oropharyngeal cavity and paranasal sinuses: a
      case series and literature review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is an indolent B-lineage neoplasm
      responsible for 30% of all leukemias. The median age of onset is 67 years with a
      male predominance of 2:1. Localized infiltration in the oropharynx and paranasal
      sinuses is exceptionally rare. The aims of this study were (1) to add an
      additional case series of CLL with involvement of the oropharynx and paranasal
      sinuses to the literature and (2) to determine incidence and demographic data.
      METHODS: Retrospective chart review from 1990 to 2014. RESULTS: Five cases were
      found in our case series, representing 0.74% of the total number of cases
      analyzed (5/680). Sixteen additional cases were identified through literature
      review, resulting in a total of 21 cases of CLL (13 men, 8 women) with
      involvement of the oropharynx (n = 15) and paranasal sinuses (n = 6). The average
      age of patients with CLL in the oropharynx was 62 years whereas in the paranasal
      sinuses it was 52 years (p = 0.16). The average age of female cases was 62 years
      and the average age of male cases was 58 years (p = 0.63). Almost 85% (84.6%) of
      men had oropharynx invasion vs 50% of females (p = 0.15), which suggests a
      nonsignificant trend. CONCLUSION: The results of our study indicate that CLL
      infiltrates the oropharynx or paranasal sinuses in less than 1% of CLL cases.
      Although there seems to be no age bias between invasion in the oropharynx and the
      paranasal sinuses, there is a trend whereby women appear more likely to
      experience invasion of the paranasal sinuses.

PMID- 26122204
TI  - Water extract of brewers' rice induces apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells
      via activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8 and downregulates the Wnt/beta-catenin
      downstream signaling pathway in brewers' rice-treated rats with azoxymethane
      induced colon carcinogenesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Brewers' rice, is locally known as temukut, is a mixture of broken
      rice, rice bran, and rice germ. The current study is an extension of our previous
      work, which demonstrated that water extract of brewers' rice (WBR) induced
      apoptosis in human colorectal cancer (HT-29) cells. We also identified that
      brewers' rice was effective in reducing the tumor incidence and multiplicity in
      azoxymethane (AOM)-injected colon cancer rats. Our present study was designed to
      identify whether WBR confers an inhibitory effect via the regulation of upstream
      components in the Wnt signaling pathway in HT-29 cells. To further determine
      whether the in vitro mechanisms of action observed in the HT-29 cells inhibit the
      downstream signaling target of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, we evaluated the
      mechanistic action of brewers' rice in regulating the expressions and key protein
      markers during colon carcinogenesis in male Sprague-Dawley rats. METHODS: The
      mRNA levels of several upstream-related genes in the Wnt signaling pathway in HT
      29 cells treated with WBR were determined by quantitative real-time PCR analyses.
      Caspase-3 and -8 were evaluated using a colorimetric assay. Male Sprague-Dawley
      rats were administered two intraperitoneal injections of AOM in saline (15 mg/kg
      body weight) over a two-week period and received with 10, 20, and 40% (w/w)
      brewers' rice. The expressions and protein levels of cyclin D1 and c-myc were
      evaluated by immunohistochemical staining and western blotting, respectively.
      RESULTS: The overall analyses revealed that the treatment of HT-29 cells with WBR
      inhibited Wnt signaling activity through upregulation of the casein kinase 1
      (CK1) and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) mRNA levels. We discovered that the
      treatment of HT-29 cells with WBR resulted in the induction of apoptosis by the
      significant activation of caspase-3 and -8 activities compared with the control
      (P < 0.05). In vivo analyses indicated that brewers' rice diminished the beta
      catenin, cyclin D1, and c-myc protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: We provide evidence
      that brewers' rice can induce apoptosis and inhibit the proliferation of HT-29
      cells through regulation of caspase-dependent pathways and inhibit the Wnt/beta
      catenin downstream signaling pathway in vivo. We suggest that brewers' rice may
      be a useful dietary agent for colorectal cancer.

PMID- 26122205
TI  - Urbanization, Grassland, and Diet Influence Coyote (Canis latrans) Parasitism
      Structure.
AB  - Land use change can alter the ecological mechanisms that influence infectious
      disease exposure in animal populations. However, few studies have empirically
      integrated the environmental, spatial, and dietary patterns of wildlife
      epidemiology. We investigate how urbanization, habitat type, and dietary behavior
      are associated with coyote (Canis latrans) parasitism structure along a gradient
      of rural to urban land cover using multivariate redundancy analyses. Coyote fecal
      samples were collected in eight urban and six rural sites in Calgary, Alberta,
      Canada. Parasite and diet components were identified using common flotation
      procedures and fecal dietary analysis, respectively. Redundancy analysis was used
      to identify the best land cover, connectivity, and dietary predictors. We tested
      for significance using multiple permutation tests and ANOVAs. Significant factors
      affecting enteric parasite prevalence included dietary and land cover factors (R
      (2) = 0.4130, P < 0.05). Variation in dietary behavior was observed between urban
      and rural sites (R (2) = 0.4712, P < 0.05), as anthropogenic diet items (i.e.,
      garbage, crabapples) were strongly influenced by urbanization. Our research
      supports that developed habitat, grassland cover, and dietary choice interact to
      possibly influence the exposure of coyote hosts to enteric parasites and pioneers
      future investigation of disease ecology for natural populations in anthropogenic
      landscapes.

PMID- 26122207
TI  - [Low birth weight and obesity: causal or casual association?].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To present the conceptual foundations that explain how events
      occurring during intrauterine life may influence body development, emphasizing
      the interrelation between low birth weight and risk of obesity throughout life.
      DATA SOURCES: Google Scholar, Library Scientific Electronic Online (SciELO),
      EBSCO, Scopus, and PubMed were the databases. "Catch-up growth", "life course
      health", "disease", "child", "development", "early life", "perinatal
      programming", "epigenetics", "breastfeeding", "small baby syndrome", "phenotype",
      "micronutrients", "maternal nutrition", "obesity", and "adolescence" were
      isolated or associated keywords for locating reviews and epidemiological,
      intervention and experimental studies published between 1934 and 2014, with
      complete texts in Portuguese and English. Duplicate articles, editorials and
      reviews were excluded, as well as approaches of diseases different from obesity.
      DATA SYNTHESIS: Within 47 selected articles among 538 eligible ones, the thrifty
      phenotype hypothesis, the epigenetic mechanisms and the development plasticity
      were identified as fundamental factors to explain the mechanisms involved in
      health and disease throughout life. They admit the possibility that both
      cardiometabolic events and obesity originate from intrauterine nutritional
      deficiency, which, associated with a food supply that is excessive to the
      metabolic needs of the organism in early life stages, causes endocrine changes.
      However, there may be phenotypic reprogramming for low birth weight newborns from
      adequate nutritional supply, thus overcoming a restrictive intrauterine
      environment. Therefore, catch-up growth may indicate recovery from intrauterine
      constraint, which is associated with short-term benefits or harms in adulthood.
      CONCLUSIONS: Depending on the nutritional adequacy in the first years of life,
      developmental plasticity may lead to phenotype reprogramming and reduce the risk
      of obesity.

PMID- 26122206
TI  - Cultural and Economic Motivation of Pig Raising Practices in Bangladesh.
AB  - The interactions that pig raisers in Bangladesh have with their pigs could
      increase the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. Since raising pigs is a
      cultural taboo to Muslims, we aimed at understanding the motivation for raising
      pigs and resulting practices that could pose the risk of transmitting disease
      from pigs to humans in Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim country. These
      understandings could help identify acceptable strategies to reduce the risk of
      disease transmission from pigs to people. To achieve this objective, we conducted
      34 in-depth interviews among pig herders and backyard pig raisers in eight
      districts of Bangladesh. Informants explained that pig raising is an old
      tradition, embedded in cultural and religious beliefs and practices, the primary
      livelihood of pig herders, and a supplemental income of backyard pig raisers. To
      secure additional income, pig raisers sell feces, liver, bile, and other pig
      parts often used as traditional medicine. Pig raisers have limited economic
      ability to change the current practices that may put them at risk of exposure to
      diseases from their pigs. An intervention that improves their financial situation
      and reduces the risk of zoonotic disease may be of interest to pig raisers.

PMID- 26122209
TI  - The novel strategy of glucocorticoid drug development via targeting nongenomic
      mechanisms.
AB  - Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used in clinical practice as potent anti
      inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents. Unfortunately, they can also produce
      numerous and potentially serious side effects that limit their usage. This
      problem represents the driving force for the intensive search for novel GCs with
      a better benefit-risk ratio compared to conventional GCs. GCs are believed to
      take effects mainly through classical genomic mechanisms, which are also largely
      responsible for GCs' side effects. However, in addition to these genomic effects,
      GCs also demonstrate rapid genomic-independent activities. It has become
      increasingly evident that some of the anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, anti
      allergic and anti-shock effects of GCs could be mediated through nongenomic
      mechanisms. Thus, theoretically, trying to use nongenomic mechanisms of GCs more
      intensively may represent a novel strategy for development of GCs with low side
      effect profile. The new GCs' drugs will take clinical effects mainly via
      nongenomic mechanisms and do not execute the classical genomic mechanism to
      reduce side effects. 

PMID- 26122208
TI  - [Diet quality of preschool children aged 2 to 5 years living in the urban area of
      Pelotas, Brazil].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the dietary quality of preschool children in the urban area
      of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. METHODS: Dietary quality was
      measured according to the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), adapted to Brazil. Food
      consumption was obtained using the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). The index
      score was obtained by a score, ranging from 0 to 100, distributed in 13 food
      groups that characterize different components of a healthy diet. The better the
      quality of the diet, the closer the score is to 100. RESULTS: Dietary was
      evaluated in 556 preschoolers. The mean HEI score value was 74.4 points,
      indicating that diets need improvement. The mean scores were significantly higher
      among girls and in children from families with income between one and less than
      three minimum wages. CONCLUSIONS: The children showed vegetable consumption below
      the recommended level, while the food group of oils and fats, as well as the
      group of sugars, candies, chocolates and snacks were consumed in excess. It is
      important to reinforce guidelines to promote healthier eating habits, which may
      persist later in life.

PMID- 26122210
TI  - AzaHx, a novel fluorescent, DNA minor groove and G.C recognition element:
      Synthesis and DNA binding properties of a p-anisyl-4-aza-benzimidazole-pyrrole
      imidazole (azaHx-PI) polyamide.
AB  - The design, synthesis, and DNA binding properties of azaHx-PI or p-anisyl-4-aza
      benzimidazole-pyrrole-imidazole (5) are described. AzaHx, 2-(p-anisyl)-4-aza
      benzimidazole-5-carboxamide, is a novel, fluorescent DNA recognition element,
      derived from Hoechst 33258 to recognize G.C base pairs. Supported by theoretical
      data, the results from DNase I footprinting, CD, DeltaT(M), and SPR studies
      provided evidence that an azaHx/IP pairing, formed from antiparallel stacking of
      two azaHx-PI molecules in a side-by-side manner in the minor groove, selectively
      recognized a C-G doublet. AzaHx-PI was found to target 5'-ACGCGT-3', the Mlu1
      Cell Cycle Box (MCB) promoter sequence with specificity and significant affinity
      (K(eq) 4.0+/-0.2*10(7) M(-1)).

PMID- 26122211
TI  - Discovery of non-competitive thrombin inhibitor derived from competitive tryptase
      inhibitor skeleton: Shift in molecular recognition resulted from skeletal
      conversion of carboxylate into phosphonate.
AB  - A novel series of terminal and internal phosphonate esters based on our
      previously developed aryl carboxylate-type tryptase selective inhibitor 1 was
      synthesized. The potency of these synthesized compounds was assessed in vitro
      with an enzyme inhibition assay using three available serine proteases, that is,
      tryptase, trypsin, and thrombin. The internal phosphonate derivative 6 showed
      potent thrombin inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 1.0 MUM, whereas it
      exhibited no or only weak tryptase and trypsin inhibition at 10 MUM. The
      Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis indicates that the inhibition pattern of thrombin
      with 6 is non-competitive in spite of the fact that the lead carboxylate compound
      1 is competitive inhibitor. Therefore, the skeletal conversion of the carboxylate
      into a phosphonate alters the mode of molecular recognition of these inhibitors
      by thrombin.

PMID- 26122212
TI  - Antimicrobial activity of customary medicinal plants of the Yaegl Aboriginal
      community of northern New South Wales, Australia: a preliminary study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study is a collaboration between Macquarie University
      researchers and the Yaegl Aboriginal Community of northern NSW, Australia to
      investigate the antimicrobial potential of plants used in the topical treatment
      of wounds, sores and skin infections. Based on previously documented medicinal
      applications, aqueous and aqueous ethanolic extracts of Alocasia brisbanensis,
      Canavalia rosea, Corymbia intermedia, Hibbertia scandens, Ipomoea brasiliensis,
      Lophostemon suaveolens and Syncarpia glomulifera and the aqueous extracts of
      Smilax australis and Smilax glyciphylla were tested against common wound
      pathogens, including antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. METHODS: Plant
      material was prepared as aqueous extractions modelled on customary preparations
      and using 80% aqueous ethanol. Extracts were assayed against a selection of
      clinically relevant Gram positive (Streptococcus pyogenes and sensitive and
      resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram negative (Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium) bacteria and a fungus
      (Candida albicans) using disc diffusion and MTT microdilution methods. Viability
      of treated microorganisms was determined by subculturing from microdilution
      assays. RESULTS: The extracts of Corymbia intermedia, Lophostemon suaveolens and
      Syncarpia glomulifera had promising levels of antimicrobial activity (MIC 31
      1,000 ug/mL) against both antibiotic sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus
      aureus as well as the fungus Candida albicans (clinical isolate). CONCLUSION:
      Aqueous and 80% aqueous ethanolic extracts of Lophostemon suaveolens, Corymbia
      intermedia and Syncarpia glomulifera exhibited promising levels of antimicrobial
      activity against a range of both antibiotic sensitive and resistant strains of
      microorganisms. This is the first report of antimicrobial activities for C.
      intermedia and L. suaveolens and the leaves of S. glomulifera. This study
      demonstrates the value of customary knowledge in the identification of new
      sources of antimicrobial treatments.

PMID- 26122213
TI  - DYSMICROBISM, INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE AND THYROIDITIS: ANALYSIS OF THE
      LITERATURE.
AB  - The human body is colonized by a large number of microbes that are collectively
      referred to as the microbiota. They interact with the hosting organism and some
      do contribute to the physiological maintenance of the general good health thru
      regulation of some metabolic processes while some others are essential for the
      synthesis of vitamins and short-chain fatty acids. The abnormal variation, in the
      quality and/or quantity of individual bacterial species residing in the gastro
      intestinal tract, is called ?dysmicrobism?. The immune system of the host will
      respond to these changes at the intestinal mucosa level which could lead to
      Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). This inflammatory immune response could
      subsequently extend to other organs and systems outside the digestive tract such
      as the thyroid, culminating in thyroiditis. The goal of the present study is to
      review and analyze data reported in the literature about thyroiditis associated
      with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn?s
      Disease (CD). It was reported that similarities of some molecular bacterial
      components with molecular components of the host are considered among the factors
      causing IBD through an autoimmune reaction which could involve other non-immune
      cell types. The axis dysmicrobism-IBD-autoimmune reaction will be investigated as
      a possible etiopathogenic mechanism to Autoimmune Thyroiditis. If such is the
      case, then the employment of specific probiotic strains may represent a useful
      approach to moderate the immune system. 

PMID- 26122214
TI  - PERIODONTAL DISEASE AND BONE PATHOGENESIS: THE CROSSTALK BETWEEN CYTOKINES AND
      PORPHYROMONAS GINGIVALIS.
AB  - Periodontal disease is the most frequent cause of tooth loss among adults. It is
      defined as a plaque-induced inflammation of the periodontal tissues that results
      in a loss of support of the affected teeth. This process is characterized by
      destruction of the periodontal attachment apparatus, increased bone resorption
      with loss of crestal alveolar bone, apical migration of the epithelial
      attachment, and formation of periodontal pockets. Although the presence of
      periodontal pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis is a prerequisite, the
      progression of periodontal disease is dependent on the host response to
      pathogenic bacteria that colonize the tooth surface. Nowadays, a growing body of
      literature has accumulated to investigate the association between bone diseases,
      periodontal pathogens and periodontal diseases. The integration of pathogen
      associated molecular patterns from microorganisms with their surface receptors in
      the immune cells, induces the production of several cytokines and chemokines that
      present either a pro- and/or anti-inflammatory role and the activation of
      mechanisms of controlling this and the related disease, such as osteoporosis and
      rheumatoid arthritis. This review focuses on the evidence and significance of
      bone host cell invasion by Porphyromonas gingivalis in the pathogenesis of bone
      disorders, as well as the different lines of evidence supporting the role of
      cytokines in bone diseases. 

PMID- 26122215
TI  - CROSSTALK BETWEEN VITAMIN B AND IMMUNITY.
AB  - Vitamin B1 (thiamin) is considered to be the oldest vitamin and in 1936 R.R.
      Williams and colleagues determined its chemical structure and were able to
      synthesize this vitamin. Vitamin B1 influences pro-apoptotic proteins,
      mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome C release, protein kinases, p38
      MAPK, suppresses oxidative stress-induced NF-kappaB and has anti-inflammatory
      properties. Deficiency of vitamin B1 may cause beriberi, dysfunction of the
      nervous system, neuroinflammation, T cell infiltration, chemokine CCL2
      activation, over expression of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1, TNF, IL
      6, and arachidonic acid products, and induces expression of CD40 by the microglia
      and CD40L by astrocytes which provoke the death of neurons. Here we report the
      relationship between vitamin B complex and immunity. 

PMID- 26122216
TI  - THE INFLUENCE OF CARBON MONOXIDE ON THE SECRETION OF MELATONIN BY PINEALOCYTES
      MEASURED IN VITRO.
AB  - Photoperiod is considered the most important factor entraining the circannual
      physiological rhythms through changing circadian patterns of melatonin (MEL)
      secretion from the pineal gland. The pineal gland of mammals does not respond
      directly to light but is controlled by light via neuronal phototransduction
      originating in the retina. In accordance with humoral phototransduction
      hypothesis, the aim of this study was to determine whether an increased
      concentration of CO, as a carrier of a light signal in pineal cell culture,
      affects the synthesis of melatonin. This study demonstrates that a commonly used
      carbon monoxide donor (CORM-2) markedly stimulated melatonin release from pineal
      cells incubated in vitro in a time-dependent manner, but the mechanism whereby CO
      modulates MEL release needs to be further explored. 

PMID- 26122217
TI  - INHIBITORY EFFECT OF TETRAMETHYLPYRAZINE ON HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA: POSSIBLE
      ROLE OF APOPTOSIS AND CELL CYCLE ARREST.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer. An important
      approach to control HCC is chemoprevention. This study aims at investigating the
      antitumor effect of Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP). Rats were injected with N
      Nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) to establish HCC. Tumor development was observed. Liver
      function was evaluated. Apoptosis and cell cycle arrest-related makers and
      signaling cascades were determined by Western blot, RT-PCR and flow cytometric
      analysis. The administration of TMP could significantly inhibit tumor development
      in DEN-induced HCC rats, shown by reduced incidence of tumor, decreased number of
      tumor nodules and reduced maximal size of tumor. DEN-induced increase of
      aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and
      alkaline phosphatase activities were significantly inhibited by TMP. TMP
      exhibited inhibitory effect on HCC through induction of apoptosis and cell cycle
      arrest in rats. TMP induced apoptosis through increasing Bax, decreasing Bcl-2,
      increasing the release of cytochrome c, and activating caspase, which consisted
      of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. TMP induced G2/M cell cycle arrest
      through down-regulation of cyclin B1/cdc2. In addition, inhibition of Akt and ERK
      signaling and the antioxidant activities of TMP may also contribute to its
      antitumor effect. These data provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying
      the antitumor effect of TMP. 

PMID- 26122219
TI  - FLOW CYTOMETRIC DETECTION OF SUBHAPLOID NUCLEI IN HUMAN SPERM AS A MEASURE OF DNA
      FRAGMENTATION AND APOPTOSIS.
AB  - The use of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) is increasing worldwide. In
      order to predict the rate of pregnancy after ART the DNA fragmentation index
      (DFI) of ejaculated spermatocytes may be a better marker than conventional semen
      quality parameters. Spermatocytes with fragmented DNA are associated with
      apoptotic stages and are characterized by a low DNA content. The subhaploid
      nuclei of DNA-damaged spermatocytes can be easily detected by flow cytometry. We
      here analyzed the percentage of subhaploid nuclei of semen samples from 163
      patients aged 26 to 74 years who consulted one of the ten centres for
      reproductive medicine which routinely send sperm samples to our laboratory in
      order to determine special sperm parameters. The percentage of subhaploid nuclei
      indicating the DFI of spermatocytes did not correlate with age and sperm volume,
      but inversely correlated with sperm concentration and the percentage of motile
      spermatocytes. This is in concordance with previous studies which demonstrated
      that DNA damage of spermatozoa correlates with conventional semen quality
      parameters. Since DNA-damaged spermatocytes are associated with an impaired
      outcome of assisted conception technologies, this method could help to monitor
      sperm quality of subfertile men after measures to increase sperm quality and to
      improve selection criteria of cryopreserved sperm samples in assisted
      reproduction medicine. 

PMID- 26122218
TI  - KNOCKDOWN OF CASEIN KINASE 1e INHIBITS CELL PROLIFERATION AND INVASION OF
      COLORECTAL CANCER CELLS VIA INHIBITION OF THE Wnt/beta-CATENIN SIGNALING.
AB  - Deregulation of casein kinase 1 epsilon (CK1epsilon) is involved in the
      development of multiple pathological disorders such as cancer, however the
      function and molecular mechanism of CK1epsilonin cancer are still unclear. In the
      present study, we aimed to investigate the role of CK1epsilon in human colorectal
      cancer (CRC). The expression of CK1epsilon was examined by immunohistochemical
      assay using a tissue microarray procedure. A loss-of-function experiment was
      performed to observe the effects of lentivirus-mediated CK1epsilon shRNA (Lv
      shCK1epsilon) on cell proliferation and invasive potential by MTT and Transwell
      assays in CRC cell line (SW480). As a result, we found that the expression of
      CK1epsilon protein was significantly increased in CRC tissues compared with that
      in adjacent non-cancerous tissues (ANCT) (68.9% vs 42.2%, P=0.017) and was
      correlated with the Duke?s staging and depth of invasion in CRC patients
      (P=0.012; P=0.015). Knockdown of CK1epsilon reduced cell proliferation and
      invasion of CRC cells followed by the downregulation of wnt3alpha, beta-catenin,
      PCNA and MMP-9. In conclusion, our findings show that high expression of
      CK1epsilon is positively associated with the Duke?s staging and depth of invasion
      in CRC patients, and knockdown of CK1epsilon suppresses the growth and invasion
      of CRC cells through inhibition of the wnt/beta-catenin signaling, suggesting
      that CK1epsilon may serve as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of
      CRC. 

PMID- 26122220
TI  - MELATONIN ALLEVIATES BLEOMYCIN-INDUCED PULMONARY FIBROSIS IN MICE.
AB  - Pulmonary fibrosis occurs as a common end-stage sequela of a number of acute and
      chronic lung diseases. Eicosanoids exert crucial roles in inflammatory processes
      pertinent to fibrogenesis induction, however, the role of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX
      2) is not fully elucidated in most pulmonary fibrosis related-disorders.
      Recently, melatonin (MLN) has been introduced as an effective immuno-modulator
      and anti-oxidant agent. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of MLN
      on COX-2 expression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Animals were divided
      into five groups, including: 1) saline control, 2) 1% ethanol control, 3) MLN
      control, 4) bleomycin (BLM), in which mice were injected with BLM (15 mg/kg,
      i.p.) two times per week for four weeks, and 5) BLM+MLN, in which MLN was given
      to mice (10 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 minutes prior to BLM injections for four weeks. MLN
      administration significantly reduced body weight loss (P<0.05), the rate of
      mortality, edema formation, lung injury, COX-2 expression (P>0.05), interstitial
      tissue percentage volume (P<0.05), and also increased the alveolar space
      percentage volume. MLN attenuated the BLM-induced lung injury responses such as
      collagen accumulation and airway dysfunction in mice. Finally, histological
      evidence supported the ability of MLN to inhibit COX-2 expression. Thus, it may
      serve as a novel potential therapeutic agent for IPF. 

PMID- 26122221
TI  - THE EFFECT OF DIHYDROARTEMISININ ON THE PROLIFERATION, METASTASIS AND APOPTOSIS
      OF HUMAN OSTEOSARCOMA CELLS AND ITS MECHANISM.
AB  - This study aims to research the effect of dihydroartemisinin on the
      proliferation, metastasis and apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cells 143B and the
      underlying mechanism. This study designed five groups for experiment and control,
      using dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at concentrations
      of 15, 25, 35 MUmol.L-1 respectively. Experiments including methyl thiazolyl
      tetrazolium (MTT) assay, clone formation assay, Hoechst 33258 staining assay,
      luciferase reporter plasmid assay, Western blot and scratch test were carried
      out. In addition, SPSS 18.0 software from IBM was used for statistical analysis
      and all the data obtained from the experiments were expressed as mean +/- SD, and
      variance was used to compare the difference between the groups. DHA is proved to
      be able to inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma cells, as
      well as leaving a positive effect on apoptosis in the cytomorphosis. It achieves
      regulation over the human osteosarcoma cells by keeping the expression of related
      protein under control. 

PMID- 26122222
TI  - 4(alpha-L-RHAMNOSYLOXY)-BENZYL ISOTHIOCYANATE, A BIOACTIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL THAT
      DEFENDS CEREBRAL TISSUE AND PREVENTS SEVERE DAMAGE INDUCED BY FOCAL
      ISCHEMIA/REPERFUSION.
AB  - Natural compounds are a promising source to treat several pathologies. The
      present study shows the in vivo pharmacological beneficial effect of 4(alpha-L
      rhamnosyloxy)-benzyl isothiocyanate (glucomoringin isothiocyanate; GMG-ITC)
      obtained from glucomoringin (GMG; 4(alpha;-L-rhamnosyloxy)- benzyl
      glucosinolate), purified from Moringa oleifera seeds and hydrolyzed by myrosinase
      enzyme (&#946;-thioglucoside glucohydrolase; E.C. 3.2.1.147). Cerebral
      ischemia/reperfusion (CIR) was induced in rats according to a classic model of
      carotid artery occlusion for a time period of 1 h and the reperfusion time was
      prolonged for seven days. GMG-ITC (3.5 mg GMG/ml plus 30 MUl enzyme/rat; one ml
      i.p./rat) was administered 15 min after the beginning of ischemia and daily. The
      results clearly show that GMG-ITC possesses the capability to counteract the CIR
      induced damage reducing TNF-alpha release, IkappaB-alpha cytosolic
      degradation/NFkappaBp65 nuclear translocation, as well as several other direct or
      indirect markers of inflammation (phospho-ERK p42/44, p-selectin) and oxidative
      stress (inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS), MMP-9). GMG-ITC was shown to
      exert neuroprotective properties in preventing CIR-induced damage and the related
      cascade of inflammatory and oxidative mediators that exacerbate the progression
      of this disease in an experimental rat model. Our results clearly show that the
      tested phytochemical GMG-ITC possesses the capability to counteract CIR-induced
      damage. 

PMID- 26122223
TI  - ANTIPSYCHOTICS REVERSE P-GLYCOPROTEIN-MEDIATED DOXORUBICIN RESISTANCE IN HUMAN
      UTERINE SARCOMA MES-SA/Dx5 CELLS: A NOVEL APPROACH TO CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY.
AB  - Multidrug resistance (MDR) mediated by P-glycoprotein (Pgp) remains one of the
      major obstacles to effective cancer chemotherapy. Several chemosensitizers have
      been used in vivo and in vitro to reverse MDR but have exhibited several unwanted
      side effects. Antipsychotics are often administered to treat psychiatric
      disorders such as delirium, anxiety and sleep disorders in cancer patients during
      chemotherapy. The present in vitro study, examined the effects of two common
      antipsychotic compounds, haloperidol and risperidone, and a natural compound such
      as theobromine on reversing MDR Pgp-mediated, to evaluate their potential use as
      chemosensitizing agents. The human doxorubicin (doxo) resistant uterine sarcoma
      cells (MES-SA/Dx5) that overexpress Pgp (100-fold), were treated with the
      antipsychotic alone (1, 10 and 20 MUM) or in combination with different
      concentrations of doxo (2, 4 and 8 MUM). The accumulation and cytotoxicity of
      doxo (MTT assay) and cellular GSH content (GSH assay) in comparison with
      verapamil, a well-known Pgp inhibitor, used as reference molecule were examined.
      It was found that the three compounds significantly enhanced the intracellular
      accumulation of doxo in resistant cancer cells, when compared with cells
      receiving doxo alone (p<0.05). Furthermore, compounds showed strong potency to
      increase doxo cytotoxicity toward resistant MES-SA/Dx5 cells, when compared with
      untreated control cells. The antipsychotic compounds also significantly increased
      GSH content at all concentrations (> 30%) in resistant cells, when compared to
      untreated control cells (p<0.05). These findings suggest that the antipsychotics
      or their derivatives might represent a novel class of reversal agents for
      overcoming MDR in cancer therapy, in particular theobromine showed to be an
      effective Pgp inhibitor with the lowest toxicity. 

PMID- 26122224
TI  - INFLUENCE OF miR-373 ON THE INVASION AND MIGRATION OF BREAST CANCER AND THE
      EXPRESSION LEVEL OF TARGET GENES TXNIP.
AB  - An increasing number of people die from breast cancer every year. Consequently,
      more research has been concentrated on the study of this type of tumour, and miR
      373 resulted as an important gene for treating breast cancer. To explore the
      influence of miR-373 on the invasion and migration of breast cancer and the
      expression level of target gene TXNIP, a set of therapeutic methods were designed
      based on miR-373. The transfection was performed using miR-373 inhibitor; the
      concentration of miR-373 was controlled by inhibitor, and it was transfected into
      MCF-7 cell by lipofectin. Fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction was
      used to detect the expression level of miR-373 in cells after transfection as
      well as that of Caspase-3 and Caspase-8. MTT assay was used to detect the
      influence of miR-373 inhibitor on MCF-7 cells. The expression quantity of miR-373
      in cell and tissue of breast cancer with high-low invasion and migration ability
      was detected by qRT-PCR (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction), thus
      the influence of the expression quantity of miR-373 on the invasion and migration
      of cell was determined. The expression of miR-373, EMT and TXNIP was determined
      by Western blot. Through the identification of proteomics and bioinformatics, it
      was finally found that TXNIP was regulated by miR-373. The protein expression
      level of TXNIP was negatively correlated with the level of miR-373. Thus it was
      concluded that miR-373 could promote the invasion and migration of breast cancer.
      In addition, in the tissue and cell of breast cancer with different invasion and
      migration abilities, the expression level of TXNIP was negatively correlated with
      the level of miR-373. 

PMID- 26122225
TI  - HOW EXPRESSIONS OF CLAUDIN-1 AND MMP-2 IN RETINOBLASTOMA CORRELATE WITH
      HISTOLOGICAL DIFFERENTIATION AND OPTIC NERVE INVASION.
AB  - Retinoblastoma is a commonly seen and dangerous intraocular malignant tumor in
      infants. Studies have found that Claudin-1 and MMP-2, whose expressions may be
      connected, play roles in tissues of retinoblastoma. In this study we analyze and
      discuss changes of Claudin-1 and MMP-2 expressions, and the correlation between
      the expressions and retinoblastoma histological differentiation and optic nerve
      invasion. MaxVisionTM was applied to detect expressions of Claudin-1 and MMP-2 in
      45 samples of retinoblastoma and 15 paraffin-embedded samples of normal retina.
      The correlation between Claudin-1 expression and MMP-2 expression was analyzed
      based on chi-squared test and Spearman?s correlation test. Positive expressions
      of Claudin-1 in retinoblastoma were fewer than those in retina; higher positive
      expressions were found in differentiated tissues than in undifferentiated
      tissues; while compared to expressions in invasive optic nerves, Claudin-1
      expressed more positively in optic nerves without invasion. As for MMP-2, its
      expressions were higher in retinoblastoma than in normal retina; undifferentiated
      tissues had higher positive expressions than differentiated tissues, which were
      not statistically significant; higher positive expressions were detected in
      invasive optic nerves. Thus, it could be concluded that the correlation between
      Claudin-1 expression and MMP-2 expression in retinoblastoma was negative.
      Expressions of Claudin-1 were positively related to histological differentiation
      and optic nerve invasion of retinoblastoma; while MMp-2 expression had negative
      correlation with histological differentiation and optic nerve invasion of
      retinoblastoma. Claudin-1 and MMP-2 played a negative role in the optic nerve
      invasion and tumor development of retinoblastoma.

PMID- 26122226
TI  - SIDE EFFECTS OF TUBERCULOSIS TREATMENT WITH FIXED-DOSE COMBINATIONS.
AB  - This paper aimed to explore the therapeutic effect and safety of Fixed-dose
      Combinations (FDCs) on tuberculosis. A computer search was carried out to review
      the literature related to clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and
      clinical controlled trails (CCTs) on the curative effect and safety of treating
      pulmonary tuberculosis with FDCs. The results demonstrated that, in the 22
      studies examined, comparison of sputum negative conservation rate of treating
      smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis with FDCs and single drug, the relative
      risk (RR) value and 95% confidence interval (CI) were 1.02 (1.01, 1.03) and 1.01
      (1.00, 1.02), respectively, at the end of the 2nd month and 6th month (P<0.05),
      while comparison of the relapse rate within six months showed that RR value and
      95% CI was 1.72 (0.98, 3.02) (P>0.05). No statistically significant differences
      were found between the two groups in total occurrence of the rates of side
      effects pertaining to skin reaction, gastrointestinal tract side reaction,
      occurrence rate of liver and gall side reaction or occurrence rate of drug
      withdrawal because of side effects (P>0.05). After sensitivity analysis, it was
      found that occurrence rate of gastrointestinal tract side effects and occurrence
      rate of liver and gall side effects were unstable. All the findings suggest that
      the curative effect of treating tuberculosis with FDCs is better than that of a
      single drug. More reliable evidence is required since the safety evaluation
      results are not stable. 

PMID- 26122227
TI  - THE INFLUENCE OF POSTERIOR APPROACH CERVICAL INTRASPINAL TUMOR RESECTION ON THE
      STABILITY OF CERVICAL VERTEBRA.
AB  - This paper discusses the influence of posterior approach cervical intraspinal
      tumor resection on the stability of cervical vertebra. A total of 32 patients
      with cervical intraspinal tumor were included and divided into a group undergoing
      posterior approach bilateral vertebral lamina resection (group A) (n=16) and a
      group undergoing posterior approach semi-laminectomy (group B) (n=16). It was
      found, through follow-up visits, that the incidence rate of cervical instability
      of the patients was 25% and the incidence rate of cervical curvature
      deterioration of the patients was 37.5% in group A, whereas the two incidence
      rates of group B were 6.25% and 12.5% respectively; the incidence rates of
      cervical curvature deterioration and instability were significantly increased
      compared to group B (P< 0.05). It is concluded that, both regular posterior
      approach vertebral lamina resection and semi-laminectomy influence the
      biomechanical change of cervical vertebra, but the influence of the latter is
      less. Also, it is found that, applying titanium connectors and titanium nails for
      rigid internal fixation maintains the completeness and stability of the structure
      of the cervical vertebra. 

PMID- 26122228
TI  - BERBERIS VULGARIS FRUIT CRUDE EXTRACT AS A NOVEL ANTI-LEUKAEMIC AGENT.
AB  - Tumor protein p53 encoded by the TP53 gene in humans is known as a cancer
      biomarker in patients diagnosed with cancer, and it plays an essential role in
      apoptosis, genomic stability, and inhibition of angiogenesis. Cancer therapies
      with common chemotherapy methods are effective, as known, but have some side
      effects. Berberis vulgaris is traditionally administrated as a cancer drug. The
      current research aims to evaluate p53 as a biomarker in WEHI-3 cell line and to
      demonstrate the Berberis vulgaris fruit crude extract (BVFCE) as a new anticancer
      drug. For this purpose, we evaluated the effect of BVFCE in different
      concentrations against WEHI-3cell line in vitro and determined the quantitative
      level of p53 gene in the treated WEHI-3 cells. The results demonstrated that even
      at only 1 mg/ml concentration of Berberis vulgaris crude extract, there was a low
      level of p53 biomarker expression on WEHI-3 cells in comparison with doxorubicin.
      Therefore, the current study suggests BVFCE as a reliable anti-leukaemic drug and
      candidate for anticancer therapy. However, further investigation need be carried
      out to confirm its efficiency in vivo. 

PMID- 26122229
TI  - EFFECT OF PREGNANE XENOBIOTIC RECEPTOR ACTIVATION ON INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
      TREATED WITH RIFAXIMIN.
AB  - The causes and pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are still not
      clearly understood. This study aims to prove the important role of rifaximin
      played in inflammatory reaction caused by abnormity of the intestinal mucosal
      immune system. Intestinal microflora can greatly promote and maintain the
      inflammatory reaction of IBD, therefore, antibiotics can be used to treat IBD.
      Rifaximin is a medicine usually used for local intestinal infection. Many
      clinical and basic studies have shown that both a single application of rifaximin
      and the joint application with other medicines could achieve a good efficacy.
      This paper studied the activation of Pregnane Xenobiotic Receptor (PXR) in
      treating IBD with rifaximin and analyzed its efficacy in IBD when PXR was
      involved in the transport of medicine and metabolism. The results prove that
      rifaximin can not only serve as an anti-microbial drug, but can activate PXR and
      actually weaken the reaction of IBD. Thus it is safe to say that rifaximin has
      great potential in treating IBD. 

PMID- 26122230
TI  - CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF CAROTID ATHEROSCLEROSTIC PLAQUE IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS
      WITH HIGH RESOLUTION MAGNETIC RESONANCE ANGIOGRAPHY.
AB  - As the incidence of ischemic cerebrovascular disease increases continuously over
      the years, carotid atherosclerosis as an important dangerous factor has drawn a
      lot of attention from many experts and scholars. To explore the clinical
      significance of high resolution magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in carotid
      atherosclerosis and ischemic cerebrovascular disease, a group contrasting method
      was adopted. One hundred patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease and 100
      patients without ischemic cerebrovascular disease were taken as observation group
      and control group, respectively. High resolution MRA was used for examining and
      observing the development of carotid atherosclerostic plaque in patients in the
      two groups. We found that the proportion of carotid atherosclerostic plaque in
      the experimental group and control group had statistical difference (P<0.05); and
      the proportion of carotid atherosclerostic plaque in patients over 60 years of
      age was higher than in patients under 60 years, and the difference was
      statistically significant (P<0.05). The proportion of carotid atherosclerostic
      plaque in patients with high blood pressure was also higher than in patients
      without high blood pressure, and the difference was statistically significant
      (P<0.05). Moreover, the proportion of carotid atherosclerostic plaque in patients
      with hyperlipidemia was higher than in patients without hyperlipidemia, and the
      differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). We can therefrore draw a
      conclusion that the development of carotid atherosclerostic plaque affects the
      occurrence of ischemic cerebrovascular disease, which is related to patient?s
      age, level of blood pressure and blood lipids. In addition, high resolution MRA
      is helpful to early discovery of the formation of carotid atherosclerostic
      plaque. 

PMID- 26122231
TI  - Alpha case of multiple bilateral testicular capsule mast cell tumours in a dog.
AB  - A 5-year-old intact male German Shepherd dog was referred with a diagnosis of
      leishmaniasis. Several testicular masses were palpated during the physical
      examination, while the diagnostic screening yielded no remarkable findings. Fine
      needle aspiration cytology of the masses revealed the presence of intermediately
      differentiated mast cell tumours. Scrotal ablation and orchiectomy were performed
      as a definitive treatment option. The pathological examination of the surgical
      specimens confirmed the diagnosis of grade II mast cell tumours and showed that
      they were all confined to the testicular capsule. At 7 months post-admission, the
      dog exhibited neither postsurgical complications nor metastatic foci and was,
      therefore, given a favourable prognosis. Despite their exceptionally rare
      occurrence, mast cell tumours should be considered for the differential diagnosis
      of testicular tumours. 

PMID- 26122232
TI  - EXPRESSION MECHANISM AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF NOB1 IN GASTRIC CANCER TISSUE
      AND ADJACENT NORMAL TISSUE.
AB  - This paper studies the effect and relationship of NOB1 in the development of
      gastric cancer, based on an analysis of NOB1expression in gastric cancer tissue
      and adjacent tissue. Thirty gastric cancer tissue samples taken during surgery
      with complete pathological data and their related adjacent normal tissue were
      examined in this study. NOB1 protein expression in gastric cancer tissue and
      adjacent normal tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Real-time PCR
      was used to detect NOB1 mRNA expression, which provided a basis on which to
      explore the clinical pathological characteristics for patients with gastric
      cancer. Results show that NOB1 protein in gastric cancer tissue and adjacent
      normal tissue were diffusely expressed both in the cytoplasm and nucleus. The
      positive expression rate in gastric cancer tissue was 73%, higher than that in
      adjacent normal tissue (47%). Both the reference NAPDH and NOB1 amplification are
      reflected in the amplification curve in standard S-shape and the unimodal
      solubility curve which was not altered by non-specific amplification and primer
      dimer. NOB1 mRNA relative expression in cancer tissue was 4.899&#x2213;1.412.
      NOB1 expression had no direct relationship with the patients? age, gender, tumor
      differentiation or infiltration degree, lymphatic metastasis, distant metastasis
      nor pTNM periodization, but was directly related to the size of the tumor. All
      the findings in this paper suggest that NOB1 can be one of the focuses for
      diagnosing and treating gastric cancer and that its protein expression is likely
      to increase with the growth of tumor, thus playing a great role in the incidence
      and development of gastric cancer. 

PMID- 26122233
TI  - EXPRESSION AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF APOPTOSIS-ASSOCIATED PROTEINS SURVIVIN
      AND LIVIN IN CONDYLOMA ACUMINATUM.
AB  - The objective of the present study was to explore the expression and significance
      of survivin and Livin in lesions of Condyloma acuminatum (CA). Streptavidin
      peroxidase (SP) immunohistochemistry method was used to measure the expression of
      survivin, Livin and Ki-67 in 48 cases of CA and 25 cases of normal foreskin
      tissues. The positive expression rates of survivin, Livin and Ki-67 were 72.91%
      (35/48), 77.08% (37/48) and 85.42% (41/48) in CA tissues, and 4% (1/25), 4%
      (5/25) and 60% (15/25) in the control group, respectively. The expression
      intensity of survivin, Livin and Ki-67 in CA tissues (++ ~ +++) was significantly
      higher than that in the normal control group (- ~ ++). There were significant
      differences (P <0.05) both in the positive rates and the expression intensity of
      survivin, Livin and Ki-67 between the two groups. There was positive correlation
      between the expression of survivin and Livin in CA group (P < 0.01); the
      expressions of survivin and Ki-67 were positively correlated with each other (P <
      0.01); Livin and Ki-67 expressions were positively correlated with each other (P
      < 0.01). There were over-expressions and excessive proliferations of survivin and
      Livin in CA tissues, and apoptosis suppressors survivin and Livin were correlated
      with CA.

PMID- 26122234
TI  - EFFECT OF RELATIVE GENE EXPRESSION ON PLAQUE VULNERABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH
      STABLE ANGINA AND PATIENTS WITH ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME.
AB  - This study was conducted to investigate the effect of relative gene expression on
      plaque vulnerability in patients with either stable angina or acute coronary
      syndrome (ACS). A total of 30 patients with ACS, 28 patients with stable angina
      and 17 healthy volunteers were selected. High resolution ultrasound was used to
      detect carotid arterial intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque score, Sandwich
      enzyme linked immunoassay to determine the change of matrix metalloproteinase
      (MMP)-9 and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1. The three
      groups had no statistically significant difference in age, gender, total
      cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol. MMP-9, TIMP-1, MMP-9/TIMP-1 and IMT, total plaque score,
      soft plaque score and hard plaque score of patients? acute coronary syndrome were
      obviously higher than those with stable angina and normal people. It was also
      found that MMP-9 was in a positive correlation with IMT, total and soft plaques
      score, TIMP-1 was positively correlated with IMT as was MMP-9/TIMP-1. Regardless
      of age, IMT was in a positive correlation with MMP-9, TIMP-1 and MMP-9/TIMP-1 in
      partial correlation analysis. All these findings suggest that ACS patients have
      remarkably higher MMP-9, 1TIMP-1, MMP- 9/TIMP-1, IMT, total plaque score, soft
      plaque score and hard plaque score compared to patients with stable angina
      pectoris and healthy subjects (P<0.05) and there are positive correlations
      between MMP- 9, TIMP-1, 1MMP-8/TIMP-1, total plaque and soft plaque score. 

PMID- 26122235
TI  - EVALUATION OF ANTIVIRAL THERAPY TREATMENT FOR LIVER CIRRHOSIS CAUSED BY CHRONIC
      HEPATITIS C AND HEPATITIS C BY 31P-MRS, BASED ON METABOLITE DETECTION.
AB  - This study discusses the application of magnetic resonance spectrum (MRS) to
      evaluate the efficacy of antiviral therapy in the treatment of liver cirrhosis
      caused by chronic hepatitis C and hepatitis C, based on metabolite detection. A
      total of 54 patients with liver cirrhosis caused by chronic hepatitis C and
      hepatitis C were selected and divided into treatment group and control group. 31P
      MRS imaging was carried out on patients in the two groups both before receiving
      antiviral treatment and 6 months after treatment to compare the change of
      metabolite ratio (PE+PC)/(GPE+GPC). It was revealed that no statistically
      significant difference was found in the comparison of (PC+PE)/(GPC+GPE) ratio in
      the two groups before treatment, but the difference was found 6 months after
      treatment; ratio of (PC+PE)/ (GPC+GPE) in the treatment group distinctly
      decreased 6 months after treatment compared to before treatment, with a
      statistically significant difference, while the control group had no remarkable
      change or statistical significance. Moreover, 32 patients were found with
      sustained virus response to antiviral therapy. Of these, 25 patients possessed a
      decreased ratio of (PC+PE)/ (GPC+GPE), 4 remained without change and 3 had a
      slightly increased ratio after antiviral treatment. Of 12 patients with no
      response, 1 had a decreased ratio of (PC+PE)/ (GPC+GPE), 2 remained without
      change and 9 had a slightly increased ratio. The differences were all
      statistically significant in comparison of the two groups. 31P-MRS is thought to
      be effective for evaluating the efficacy of antiviral therapy through non
      invasive detection of liver energy metabolism. 

PMID- 26122236
TI  - META-ANALYSIS OF HIGH RISK FACTORS OF RESIDUE OR RELAPSE OF CERVICAL
      INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA AFTER CONIZATION.
AB  - This study assesses the high risk factors of residue or relapse after conization
      of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Literature on high risk factors of residue
      or relapse after conization of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia from January
      2006 to June 2011 were selected from the Pubmed Database, Elsevier Database,
      Chinese Biomedicine Database and Chinese Journal Full-text Database of China
      National Knowledge Internet (CNKI). Software RevMan 4. 2 provided by Cochrane
      collaboration network was used in the statistical analysis of the data. According
      to the inclusion criteria, 10 essays were retrieved, including 348 cases in case
      groups and 1,608 cases in control groups. Information about residue or relapse
      after conization, incisal edge, HIV infection after six months of surgery, age,
      menopause status was obtained through the above method. Meta-analysis showed that
      positive surgical margin groups had a higher residual or recurrence rate than
      negative surgical margin groups after conization; groups where glands were
      involved had a higher residual or recurrence rate than non-involved glands groups
      after conization; positive HR-HPV infection after six months of conization groups
      had higher residual or recurrence rates than negative HR-HPV infection groups; 50
      years or older groups had higher residual or recurrence rate than under 50 year
      old groups after conization; postmenopausal groups had higher residual or
      recurrence rate than premenopausal groups. Menopause, 50 years old or older,
      gland involvement, positive surgical margin and HR-HPV infection after six months
      are high risk factors of residue or relapse after alpha - beta conization of CIN.

PMID- 26122237
TI  - PROTEIN EXPRESSION OF METADHERIN AND SENSIBILITY OF BREAST CANCER MDA-MB-231
      CELLS TO TREATMENT BEFORE AND AFTER TRANSFECTION.
AB  - Breast cancer tends to have an increasing mortality, severely threatening the
      health of females. The invasion and metastasis of breast cancer are the leading
      causes of death. It has been reported that breast cancer is caused by the
      activation of a series of proto-oncogenes and inactivation of anti-oncogenes. In
      the present study, Real-time PCR and Western blot were used to detect the protein
      expression level of metadherin before and after transfecting MDA-MB-231 cells to
      identify the effect, while the sensitivity of MDA-MB-231 cells to 1 mg/L
      doxorubicin and 8mg/L taxol was measured by methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium
      bromide (MTT). The results demonstrated that mRNA and protein expression level of
      metadherin both improved after transfection. The inhibition effect of 1 mg/L
      doxorubicin and 8 mg/L taxol on breast cancer cells decreased after transfection.
      Detected by flow cytometry, the apoptosis rate of breast cancer cells was 39.68+/
      0.42%, 20.64+/-0.55%, respectively, under the effect of 1 mg/L doxorubicin; while
      under the effect of 8 mg/L taxol, the rate was 24.89+/-0.41% and 13.8+/-0.63%,
      respectively. Thus the inhibition effects of 1 mg/L doxorubicin and 8mg/L taxol
      to breast cancer cells and their effects on apoptosis were different, and the
      differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Based on the statistics on
      the expression level of metadherin after transfecting breast cancer cells MDA-MB
      231 and the exploration of the sensitivity of the cells to treatment, the effect
      of metadherin on breast cancer MDA-MB-232 cells was proved. 

PMID- 26122238
TI  - EFFICACY OF DIFFERENT RESECTIONS ON NON-MUSCLE-INVASIVE BLADDER CANCER AND
      ANALYSIS OF THE OPTIMAL SURGICAL METHOD.
AB  - This study aimed to analyze the clinical efficacy of different resections in
      treating non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), including partial
      cystectomy, transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) and holmium laser
      resection of bladder tumor. Two hundred and sixteen patients were recruited with
      NMIBC who were available for follow-up visits in hospital, including 62 cases
      treated with partial cystectomy, 90 cases treated with TURBT and 64 cases with
      holmium laser resection. Analysis was made on the cases with tumor relapse in the
      two years, on operation time, blood loss, time for indwelling urinary catheter,
      hospital stay and complications after operation. Results were compared to the
      clinical efficacy of these operation patterns. It was found that the two-year
      relapse rate for TURBT group, partial cystectomy group and Holmium laser
      resection group was 41%, 31%, and 33% respectively, and the difference had no
      statistical significance (p>0.05). Both the TURBT group and holmium laser
      resection group had shorter operation time, hospital stay and time for indwelling
      urinary catheter as well as much less blood loss when compared with the partial
      cystectomy group; the difference had statistical significance (p<0.001). In terms
      of complications, the TURBT group was likely to induce obturator nerve reflex and
      bladder perforation while the partial cystectomy group was likely to induce
      bladder spasm. Therefore, this study presumes that holmium laser resection and
      TURBT are much safer and quicker for recovery and obviously superior to the
      partial cystectomy. 

PMID- 26122239
TI  - CORRELATION BETWEEN C-erbB-2 WITH GASTRIC MUCOSAL ATYPICAL HYPERPLASIA AND
      GASTRIC CARCINOMA.
AB  - C-erbB-2 is a cancer gene originating from cells. The high-expression and
      amplification of C-erbB-2 and its protein products (P185) are found in a wide
      variety of tumors. The abnormal expression of C-erbB-2 has great influence on the
      occurrence and development of gastric carcinoma. This paper aimed to analyze the
      expression of C-erbB-2 in the tissues of gastric carcinoma, gastric mucosal
      atypical hyperplasia and gastritis, and discuss its role in the occurrence and
      development of gastric carcinoma. The morphological differences and connections
      among simple intestinal metaplasia (SIM), atypical intestinal metaplasia (AIM)
      and dysplasia in intestinal metaplasia through hematoxylin and eosin (HE)
      staining were studied. Three groups were set to detect the expression condition
      of C-erbB-2 by immunohistochemical method (IHC). The result showed that C-erbB-2
      had no significant difference in AIM and gastric carcinoma, that is, AIM was
      closely related to gastric carcinoma. The positive expression was demonstrated of
      C-erbB-2 products (P185) in medium and gastric mucosa dysplasia tissues and was
      29.41% and 66.67%, respectively, while it was 25%, 50% and 77.78% in high, medium
      and low differentiation of gastric carcinoma. It can be seen that there was a
      significant difference between them (P<0.05), and the expression degree was
      significantly enhanced (P<0.05); the expression degree in high differentiation
      gastric cancer tissue was significantly higher than the middle and low
      differentiation gastric cancer tissue. It was concluded that C-erbB-2 played an
      important role in the pathogenic mechanism of gastric carcinoma, and it might act
      on the later period of the gastric carcinoma, which provides objective reference
      index for the diagnosis and prognosis of gastric carcinoma and meanwhile provides
      instructional theoretical reference for the application of targeted drugs in the
      clinical treatment of gastric carcinoma. 

PMID- 26122240
TI  - THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY IDENTIFICATION FOR RHUBARB AND PHELLODENDRI AMURENSIS
      CORTEX IN SHUANG-BAI CATAPLASM AND STUDY OF SKIN IRRITATION ASSAY.
AB  - This paper aimed to raise a thin-layer chromatography (TLC) identification method
      for rhubarb and Phellodendri Amurensis Cortex and inspected skin irritation
      induced by them. It applied the TLC identification for Rhubarb and Phellodendri
      Amurensis Cortex in Shuang-bai cataplasm prescription. In this study six rabbits
      were divided into two groups to observe the skin irritation from Shuang-bai
      cataplasm on intact and defected skin. Another 36 were randomly divided into 6
      groups to observe the acute toxicity from Shuang-bai cataplasm on intact and
      defected skin. Also 30 guinea pigs were divided into 3 groups to observe skin
      allergy to Shuang-bai cataplasm. The results showed that the average weight of
      the group of intact-skin rabbits was 2.026+/-0.10 kg and 2.427+/-0.023 kg after
      medication; the average weight of the group of defected-skin rabbits was 2.170+/
      0.05 kg and 2.540+/-0.15 kg after medication; Shuang-bai cataplasm produced no
      irritation on intact or defected rabbit skin, no acute toxicity in rabbits and no
      allergy on the skin of guinea pigs. The skin allergy rate on guinea pigs of the
      medication group was 0 at each time quantum. Therefore, it can be concluded that
      this preparation produces no extreme skin irritation for rabbits, guinea pigs or
      human beings, and it can be safely put into practice. 

PMID- 26122241
TI  - THE INFLUENCE AND REGULATORY MECHANISM OF Y-BOX BINDING PROTEIN 1 IN OSTEOSARCOMA
      AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE.
AB  - This study quantified the expression of Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) by the
      immunohistochemical method based on pathological paraffin block specimens of
      aspiration biopsy from patients with osteosarcoma to explore the influence and
      regulatory mechanism of YB-1 in osteosarcoma and its significance. Patients were
      divided into two groups with high and low expressed YB-1, and results showed that
      7 cases (13.7%) and 18 cases (26.1%) were in level III, and 44 cases (86.3%) and
      51 cases (76.9%) were in level IV respectively, and patients with high YB-1
      expression quantity had higher malignant tumor degree (p=0.03). Moreover, the
      tumor necrosis rate induced by chemotherapy in the two groups were 21 cases
      (41.2%) and 38 cases (51.8%), respectively. By survival analysis, it was found
      that a 5-year overall survival rate of patients with high YB-1 expression and low
      YB-1 expression were 61.2% and 76.6%, respectively (p = 0.054), and 5-year event
      free survival rates were 52.5% and 72.4%, respectively (p = 0.033). Furthermore,
      metastasis rate of high YB-1 expression and low YB-1 expression were 41.8% and
      22.7%, respectively (p = 0.036), indicating that patients with high YB-1
      expression had higher pulmonary metastasis rate. Through further study, we
      discovered that possibly miR-382 plays a regulatory role in YB-1 gene in
      osteosarcoma. 

PMID- 26122242
TI  - GLYOXALASE I A111E, PARAOXONASE 1 Q192R AND L55M POLYMORPHISMS IN ITALIAN
      PATIENTS WITH SPORADIC CEREBRAL CAVERNOUS MALFORMATIONS: A PILOT STUDY.
AB  - It is already known that the conditions of increased oxidative stress are
      associated to a greater susceptibility to vascular malformations including
      cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs). These are vascular lesions of the CNS
      characterized by abnormally enlarged capillary cavities that can occur
      sporadically or as a familial autosomal dominant condition with incomplete
      penetrance and variable clinical expression attributable to mutations in three
      different genes: CCM1(Krit1), CCM2 (MGC4607) and CCM3 (PDCD10). Polymorphisms in
      the genes encoding for enzymes involved in the antioxidant systems such as
      glyoxalase I (GLO I) and paraoxonase I (PON I) could influence individual
      susceptibility to the vascular malformations. A single nucleotide polymorphism
      was identified in the exon 4 of GLO 1 gene that causes an amino acid substitution
      of Ala for Glu (Ala111Glu). Two common polymorphisms have been described in the
      coding region of PON1, which lead to glutamine -> arginine substitution at 192
      (Q192R) and a leucine -> methionine substitution at 55 (L55M). The polymorphisms
      were characterized in 59 patients without mutations in the CCM genes versus 213
      healthy controls by PCR/RFLP methods using DNA from lymphocytes. We found that
      the frequency of patients carrying the GLO1 A/E genotype among the case group
      (56%) was four-fold higher than among the controls (14.1%). In the cohort of CCM
      patients, an increase in the frequency of PON192 Q/R genotype was observed (39%
      in the CCM group versus 3.7% in the healthy controls). Similarly, an increase was
      observed in the proportion of individuals with the genotype R/R in the disease
      group (5%) in respect to the normal healthy cohort (0.5%). Finally, the frequency
      of the PON55 heterozygotes L/M genotype was 29% in patients with CCMs and 4% in
      the healthy controls. The same trend was observed in PON55 homozygous M/M
      genotype frequency (CCMs 20% vs controls 10%). The present study aimed to
      investigate the possible association of GLO1 A111E, PON1 Q192R and L55M
      polymorphisms with the risk of CCMs. We found that individuals with the GLO1 A /E
      genotype, PON192/QR-RR genotypes and PON55/LM-MM genotypes had a significantly
      higher risk of CCMs compared with the other genotypes. However, because CCM is a
      heterogeneous disease, other additional factors might be involved in the
      initiation and progression of CCM disease. 

PMID- 26122243
TI  - QUALITY OF LIFE FOLLOWING SURGICAL TREATMENT OF LOWER LIMB METASTASES IN LONG
      BONE.
AB  - Pathological fractures have a high incidence in musculo-skeletal oncology, and
      localization in long bone causes severe pain, disability and poor quality of
      life. The aim of this retrospective case series is to evaluate the clinical
      results, in particular regarding the quality of life, in patients affected by
      lower long bone pathological fractures surgically treated. We analyzed 93
      patients with pathological fractures of tibia and femur surgically treated in our
      Orthopaedic Department and followed up for at least 3 years or until their death.
      Intramedullary nailing or endoprosthetic reconstruction for pathologic fractures
      located in the metadiaphyseal and diaphyseal or proximal regions in advanced
      stage cancer patients are suitable methods for a stable fixation or
      reconstruction. These approaches guarantee a good mechanical stability, a faster
      mobilization, a better control of pain with an overall improvement in quality of
      life in all patients, confirmed also by the trend of the ECOG performance status
      and QOL-ACD. 

PMID- 26122244
TI  - POTENTIAL USE OF MELATONIN IN PROCEDURAL ANXIETY AND PAIN IN CHILDREN UNDERGOING
      BLOOD WITHDRAWAL.
AB  - The recognition of the value of pain, especially in the pediatric population, has
      increased over the last decade. It is known that pain-related anxiety can
      increase perceived pain intensity. There are several different approaches to the
      treatment of pre-procedural anxiety and procedural pain in children. Melatonin, a
      neurohormone with the profile of a novel hypnotic-anaesthetic agent, plays an
      important role in anxiolysis and analgesia. This study investigated the effects
      of oral melatonin premedication to reduce anxiety and pain in children having
      blood samples taken. The investigations were carried out on 60 children, aged 1
      14 years, divided into 2 equal groups. Using a computer-generated randomization
      schedule, patients were given either melatonin orally (0.5 mg/kg BW, max 5 mg) or
      placebo 30 min before blood draw. Pre-procedural anxiety was assessed using the
      scale from the Children?s Anxiety and Pain Scales, while procedural pain used the
      Face, Legs, Activity, Cry and Consolability assessment tool for children under
      the age of 3 years, Faces Pain Scale-Revised for children aged 3-8 years and
      Numeric Rating Scale for children over the age of 8 years. Oral administration of
      melatonin before the blood withdrawal procedure significantly reduced both
      anxiety (p<0.0005) and pain levels than placebo (p<0.0002 for children under 3
      years and p<0.0039 for children over 3 years). These data support the use of
      melatonin for taking blood samples due to its anxiolytic and analgesic
      properties. Further studies are needed to support the routine use of melatonin to
      alleviate anxiety and pain in pediatric patients having blood samples taken. 

PMID- 26122245
TI  - MIXED DENTITION SPACE ANALYSIS OF A SOUTHERN ITALIAN POPULATION: NEW REGRESSION
      EQUATIONS FOR UNERUPTED TEETH.
AB  - Mixed dentition analysis forms a critical aspect of early orthodontic treatment.
      In fact an accurate space analysis is one of the important criteria in
      determining whether the treatment plan may involve serial extraction, guidance of
      eruption, space maintenance, space regaining or just periodic observation of the
      patients. The aim of the present study was to calculate linear regression
      equations in mixed dentition space analysis, measuring 230 dental casts
      mesiodistal tooth widths, obtained from southern Italian patients (118 females,
      112 males, mean age 15+/-3 years). Student?s t-test or Wilcoxon test for
      independent and paired samples were used to determine right/left side and
      male/female differences. On the basis of the sum of the mesiodistal diameters of
      the 4 mandibular incisors as predictors for the sum of the widths of the canines
      and premolars in the mandibular mixed dentition, a new linear regression equation
      was found: y = 0.613x+7.294 (r= 0.701) for both genders in a southern Italian
      population. To better estimate the size of leeway space, a new regression
      equation was found to calculate the mesiodistal size of the second premolar using
      the sum of the four mandibular incisors, canine and first premolar as a
      predictor. The equation is y = 0.241x+1.224 (r= 0.732). In conclusion, new
      regression equations were derived for a southern Italian population. 

PMID- 26122246
TI  - Use of Imaging Techniques in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases That Minimize Radiation
      Exposure.
AB  - The use of imaging in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has
      grown exponentially in the last few years. This has raised concerns about the
      risk of high cumulative level of radiation exposure from medical imaging in IBD
      patients during their lifetime, especially when the disease begins in pediatric
      age. Physicians caring for IBD children should be aware of the malignant
      potential of ionizing radiation and of the availability of alternative radiation
      free techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography
      (US), in order to use them whenever possible. This review will focus on the value
      of US and MRI in pediatric IBD. 

PMID- 26122248
TI  - Screening and Prophylaxis for Varices in Children with Liver Disease.
AB  - Esophageal varices in children with portal hypertension are quite common.
      Bleeding from these varices frequently occurs. Prophylactic measures to prevent
      such bleeding can be undertaken either before ("primary," prompted by a screening
      endoscopy) or after ("secondary") an initial variceal bleed. There are no clear
      pediatric guidelines for primary or secondary prophylaxis of esophageal varices.
      Adult studies clearly support the use of pharmacologic (beta blockers) and
      endoscopic (endoscopic band ligation, EBL) management for both primary and
      secondary prophylaxis of esophageal varices in patients with portal hypertension.
      Pediatric studies are limited. There are inadequate data to recommend use of beta
      blockers to prevent variceal bleeding or rebleeding in children with portal
      hypertension. There is very limited support for EBL for primary prophylaxis in
      children and more compelling support for EBL for secondary prophylaxis. Further
      randomized controlled studies are needed but are difficult to implement in this
      vulnerable population. 

PMID- 26122247
TI  - Clinical Utility of Biomarkers in IBD.
AB  - There is no gold standard for the diagnosis and monitoring of inflammatory bowel
      diseases (IBD). Biomarkers are useful tools for the management of patients
      suffering from IBD. However, they should be used only when their additional
      information is useful for clinical decision-making. In principal, four situations
      during the management of an individual IBD patient can be discriminated from a
      clinical standpoint in which biomarkers provide useful information. First,
      biomarkers may be helpful when the diagnosis of IBD is established and aid in the
      discrimination between ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) is
      necessary. Second, biomarkers may be helpful in the prognostic evaluation of IBD
      severity or disease behavior and for early decisions on the best treatment. The
      third situation in which biomarkers are useful is the evaluation of disease
      activity during the disease course, for monitoring and for guidance of ongoing
      treatment. Finally, the fourth typical situation when biomarkers are of value is
      after surgery to predict or diagnose a relapse of the disease. From a clinical
      point of view, it may be more useful to discuss specific biomarkers and their
      individual value and impact in these four prototypic situations than to sum up
      advantages and disadvantages for each biomarker isolated from the clinical
      situation. Therefore, this overview is structured in chapters reflecting those
      four typical situations during the disease course of IBD patents to critically
      evaluate the potential and value of each of the biomarkers in the specific
      situation. 

PMID- 26122249
TI  - PPI-Refractory GERD: an Intriguing, Probably Overestimated, Phenomenon.

PMID- 26122250
TI  - Erratum to: Gestational Weight Gain and Health Outcomes 18 Years Later in Urban
      Black Women.

PMID- 26122251
TI  - From Theory to Measurement: Recommended State MCH Life Course Indicators.
AB  - PURPOSE: In May 2012, the Association of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Programs
      initiated a project to develop indicators for use at a state or community level
      to assess, monitor, and evaluate the application of life course principles to
      public health. DESCRIPTION: Using a developmental framework established by a
      national expert panel, teams of program leaders, epidemiologists, and
      academicians from seven states proposed indicators for initial consideration.
      More than 400 indicators were initially proposed, 102 were selected for full
      assessment and review, and 59 were selected for final recommendation as Maternal
      and Child Health (MCH) life course indicators. ASSESSMENT: Each indicator was
      assessed on five core features of a life course approach: equity, resource
      realignment, impact, intergenerational wellness, and life course evidence.
      Indicators were also assessed on three data criteria: quality, availability, and
      simplicity. CONCLUSION: These indicators represent a major step toward the
      translation of the life course perspective from theory to application. MCH
      programs implementing program and policy changes guided by the life course
      framework can use these initial measures to assess and influence their
      approaches.

PMID- 26122252
TI  - Determinants of Skilled Delivery Assistance in a Rural Population: Findings from
      an HDSS Site of Rural West Bengal, India.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examines the determinants of utilisation of skilled birth
      attendants (SBAs) amongst 2886 rural women in the state of West Bengal, India,
      using data from a survey of 2012-2013 conducted by the Birbhum Health and
      Demographic Surveillance System. METHOD: Multilevel logit regression models were
      estimated and qualitative investigations conducted to understand the determinants
      of utilisation of SBAs in rural West Bengal. RESULTS: Among women who delivered
      their last child during the 3 years preceding the survey, 69.1 % of deliveries
      were assisted by SBAs, while 30.9 % were home deliveries without any SBA
      assistance. Multivariate analysis revealed that apart from socio-demographic and
      economic factors (such as household affluence, women's education, birth order,
      uptake of comprehensive ANC check-ups, advice regarding danger signs of pregnancy
      and household's socio-religious affiliation), supply side factors, such as
      availability of skilled birth attendants in the village and all-weather roads,
      have significant effect on seeking skilled assistance. Our findings also show
      that unobserved factors at village level independently influence uptake of SBA
      assisted delivery. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: The present findings emphasise that
      both demand and supply side intervention strategies are essential prerequisites
      to enhance skilled birth attendance. Ample communication is observed at the
      individual level, but improving community level outreach and advocacy activities
      could generate further demand. SBAs can be better integrated by accommodating the
      socio-religious needs of local communities, such as providing female doctors and
      doctors with similar socio-religious backgrounds.

PMID- 26122253
TI  - The Effects of Prepregnancy Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain on Fetal
      Macrosomia Among American Indian/Alaska Native Women.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population is a high-risk
      group across many health indicators, including fetal macrosomia. We aimed to
      investigate the effects of prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational
      weight gain (GWG) on macrosomia and explore possible racial and geographical
      variations among AI/AN women. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was
      conducted from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System in eight states
      (2004-2011) among live, singleton, term births to AI/AN women 20 years or older.
      Prevalence of macrosomia (birth weight >= 4000 g) by select characteristics were
      estimated; differences were assessed with Chi-squares. Multivariable logistic
      regression was conducted to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for effects on
      macrosomia of BMI and GWG (enumerating the pounds women deviated from the
      Institute of Medicine guidelines for GWG) controlling for other factors in the
      total sample and stratified by race and state of residence. RESULTS: The
      prevalence of macrosomia was 14 %, ranging from 8 to 21 % (Utah-Alaska). Among
      AI/AN women, 30 % were obese prepregnancy and 50 % had excess GWG. Significant
      independent effects were found for macrosomia of prepregnancy overweight (aOR
      1.27; 95 % Confidence Interval 1.01-1.59), obesity (aOR 1.63; 1.29-2.07), and
      excess GWG (aOR 1.16; 1.13-1.20 per five pounds gained beyond appropriate).
      Adjusted estimates varied between race and state. CONCLUSIONS: Prepregnancy BMI
      and GWG are independent factors for macrosomia among AI/AN women. Future research
      should prioritize development, testing, and implementation of weight management
      programs, which account for variations among AI/AN women, both before and during
      pregnancy for BMI regulation and GWG control.

PMID- 26122254
TI  - The Relationship Between Maternal Education and Child Health Outcomes in Urban
      Australian Children in the First 12 Months of Life.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the relationship between maternal education and child
      health outcomes at 12 months of age in a cohort of children in urban Australia,
      and to determine whether this relationship could be explained by the intermediate
      factors of maternal health behaviour and the social environmental context.
      METHODS: Data were derived from The Environments for Health Living Griffith Birth
      Cohort Study. Women attending their third trimester antenatal appointment at one
      of three public hospitals were recruited between 2006 and 2010 and invited to
      complete a 48-item, baseline self-administered questionnaire. Twelve months
      following the birth of their baby, a follow-up questionnaire consisting of 63
      items was distributed. RESULTS: Women for whom complete follow-up data were not
      available were different from women who did complete follow-up data. The children
      of women with follow-up data-whom at the time of their pregnancy had not
      completed school or whose highest level of education was secondary school or a
      trade-had respectively a 59 and 57 % increased chance of having had a
      respiratory/infectious disease or injury in the first year of life (according to
      parent proxy-reports), compared to children of women with a tertiary education.
      When maternal behavioural and social environmental factors during pregnancy were
      included in the model (n=1914), the effect of secondary education was still
      evident but with a reduced odds ratio of 1.35 (95 % CI 1.07-1.72) and 1.19 (95 %
      CI 0.87-1.64), respectively. The effect of not having completed school was no
      longer significant. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that the relationship between
      maternal education and child outcomes may be mediated by maternal social
      environmental and behavioural factors. Results are likely an underestimation of
      the effect size, given the under representation in our cohort of participants
      with maternal characteristics associated with elevated risk of infant morbidity.

PMID- 26122255
TI  - Birth Outcomes in a Disaster Recovery Environment: New Orleans Women After
      Katrina.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine how the recovery following Hurricane Katrina affected
      pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: 308 New Orleans area pregnant women were interviewed
      5-7 years after Hurricane Katrina about their exposure to the disaster (danger,
      damage, and injury); current disruption; and perceptions of recovery.
      Birthweight, gestational age, birth length, and head circumference were examined
      in linear models, and low birthweight (<2500 g) and preterm birth (<37 weeks) in
      logistic models, with adjustment for confounders. RESULTS: Associations were
      found between experiencing damage during Katrina and birthweight (adjusted beta
      for high exposure = -158 g) and between injury and gestational age (adjusted beta
      = -0.5 days). Of the indicators of recovery experience, most consistently
      associated with worsened birth outcomes was worry that another hurricane would
      hit the region (adjusted beta for birthweight: -112 g, p = 0.08; gestational age:
      -3.2 days, p = 0.02; birth length: -0.65 cm, p = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Natural
      disaster may have long-term effects on pregnancy outcomes. Alternately, women who
      are most vulnerable to disaster may be also vulnerable to poor pregnancy outcome.

PMID- 26122256
TI  - The Role of Health Information Sources in Decision-Making Among Hispanic Mothers
      During Their Children's First 1000 Days of Life.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This qualitative research aimed to explore how health information
      sources inform decision-making among Hispanic mothers during their children's
      first 1000 days of life (conception-age 24 months), and to generate appropriate
      health information sources and communication strategies for future interventions.
      METHODS: We conducted seven focus groups with 49 Hispanic women who were pregnant
      or had children <2 years old. Domains included interpersonal and media sources,
      source trustworthiness, dealing with contradictory information, and how
      information affects decision-making. We used immersion/crystallization process
      for analysis. RESULTS: Trusted health information sources included health care
      providers, female and male family members, BabyCenter.com and other Internet
      sources, selected social media, and television. Some immigrant women reported
      preferring the Internet citing less established local support networks. Women
      highlighted the importance of validating health information through checking
      multiple sources for consistency and resolving contradictory information. Mothers
      expressed interest in receiving reliable website links from healthcare
      professionals and outreach to extended family. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: Cultural
      factors, including immigration status, are important in understanding the use of
      health information sources and their role in decision-making about pregnancy and
      child health among Hispanic mothers. Healthcare providers and public health
      professionals should consider Hispanic mothers health information environment and
      provide culturally-relevant communication strategies and interventions during
      this high information-seeking time period.

PMID- 26122257
TI  - Acute and Chronic Risk Preceding Suicidal Crises Among Middle-Aged Men Without
      Known Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse Problems: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods
      Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Suicides among men aged 35-64 years increased by 27% between 1999 and
      2013, yet little research exists to examine the nature of the suicide risk within
      this population. Many men do not seek help if they have mental health problems
      and suicides may occur in reaction to stressful circumstances. AIMS: We examined
      the precipitating circumstances of 600 suicides without known mental health or
      substance abuse (MH/SA) problems and with a recent crisis. Whether these suicides
      occurred within the context of an acute crisis only or in the context of chronic
      circumstances was observed. METHOD: Using data from the National Violent Death
      Reporting System and employing mixed-methods analysis, we examined the
      circumstances and context of a census of middle-aged male suicides (n = 600) in
      seven states between 2005 and 2010. RESULTS: Precipitating circumstances among
      this group involved intimate partner problems (IPP; 58.3%), criminal/legal
      problems (50.7%), job/financial problems (22.5%), and health problems (13.5%).
      Men with IPP and criminal/legal issues were more likely than men with health
      and/or job/financial issues to experience suicide in the context of an acute
      crisis only. CONCLUSION: Suicides occurring in reaction to an acute crisis only
      or in the context of acute and chronic circumstances lend themselves to
      opportunities for intervention. Further implications are discussed.

PMID- 26122258
TI  - Crisis Phones - Suicide Prevention Versus Suggestion/Contagion Effects.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There has been no systematic work on the short- or long-term impact
      of the installation of crisis phones on suicides from bridges. The present study
      addresses this issue. METHOD: Data refer to 219 suicides from 1954 through 2013
      on the Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida. Six crisis phones with signs
      were installed in July 1999. RESULTS: In the first decade after installation, the
      phones were used by 27 suicidal persons and credited with preventing 26 or 2.6
      suicides a year. However, the net suicide count increased from 48 in the 13 years
      before installation of phones to 106 the following 13 years or by 4.5 additional
      suicides/year (t =3.512, p < .001). CONCLUSION: Although the phones prevented
      some suicides, there was a net increase after installation. The findings are
      interpreted with reference to suggestion/contagion effects including the
      emergence of a controversial bridge suicide blog.

PMID- 26122259
TI  - Is Case Management Effective for Long-Lasting Suicide Prevention?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Case management services have been implemented in suicide prevention
      programs. AIMS: To investigate whether case management is an effective strategy
      for reducing the risks of repeated suicide attempts and completed suicides in a
      city with high suicide rates in northern Taiwan. METHOD: The Suicide Prevention
      Center of Keelung City (KSPC) was established in April 2005. Subjects included a
      consecutive sample of individuals (N = 2,496) registered in KSPC databases
      between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2011, with at least one episode of
      nonfatal self-harm. Subjects were tracked for the duration of the study. RESULTS:
      Of all the subjects, 1,013 (40.6%) received case management services; 416 (16.7%)
      had at least one other deliberate self-harm episode and 52 (2.1%) eventually died
      by suicide. No significant differences were found in the risks of repeated self
      harm and completed suicides between suicide survivors who received case
      management and those who refused the services. However, a significant reduction
      in suicide rates was found after KSPC was established. CONCLUSION: Findings
      suggest that case management services might not reduce the risks of suicide
      repetition among suicide survivors during long-term follow-up. Future
      investigation is warranted to determine factors impacting the downward trend of
      suicide rates.

PMID- 26122260
TI  - Lack of Trust in the Health-Care System After Losing a Child to Suicide.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lack of trust in the health-care system after losing a child to
      suicide may prevent bereaved parents from seeking professional treatment when
      needed, thus diminishing their chances of recovery. AIMS: This is the first large
      study to aim at evaluating the incidence of lack of trust in the health-care
      system and associated variables in suicide-bereaved parents. METHOD: This
      nationwide population-based survey included 569 parents who lost a child to
      suicide 2-5 years earlier and a matched comparison group of 326 nonbereaved
      parents. Using a study-specific questionnaire, we asked bereaved and nonbereaved
      parents if they trusted the health-care system and measured psychological and
      background variables. RESULTS: Prevalence of lack of trust in the health-care
      system differed between the bereaved (46.5%) and the nonbereaved parents (18.3%),
      giving a relative risk of 2.5 (95% CI = 2.0-3.3). After multivariable modeling,
      high scores of depression, living in big cities, and being single were identified
      as variables associated with lack of trust in suicide-bereaved parents.
      CONCLUSION: Suicide-bereaved parents show lack of trust in the health-care
      system. We present possible effect modifiers that may be considered in
      professional interventions aiming at influencing suicide-bereaved parents' level
      of trust.

PMID- 26122261
TI  - Plasma glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in patients with major
      depressive disorder: a preliminary study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Some clinical studies have reported reduced peripheral glial cell
      line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) level in elderly patients with major
      depressive disorder (MDD). We verified whether a reduction in plasma GDNF level
      was associated with MDD. METHOD: Plasma GDNF level was measured in 23 healthy
      control subjects and 23 MDD patients before and after 6 weeks of treatment.
      RESULTS: Plasma GDNF level in MDD patients at baseline did not differ from that
      in healthy controls. Plasma GDNF in MDD patients did not differ significantly
      from baseline to the end of treatment. GDNF level was significantly lower in
      recurrent-episode MDD patients than in first-episode patients before and after
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed significantly lower plasma GDNF
      level in recurrent-episode MDD patients, although plasma GDNF levels in MDD
      patients and healthy controls did not differ significantly. The discrepancy
      between our study and previous studies might arise from differences in the
      recurrence of depression or the ages of the MDD patients.

PMID- 26122263
TI  - Forensic ancestry analysis with two capillary electrophoresis ancestry
      informative marker (AIM) panels: Results of a collaborative EDNAP exercise.
AB  - There is increasing interest in forensic ancestry tests, which are part of a
      growing number of DNA analyses that can enhance routine profiling by obtaining
      additional genetic information about unidentified DNA donors. Nearly all ancestry
      tests use single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), but these currently rely on
      SNaPshot single base extension chemistry that can fail to detect mixed DNA.
      Insertion-deletion polymorphism (Indel) tests have been developed using dye
      labeled primers that allow direct capillary electrophoresis detection of PCR
      products (PCR-to-CE). PCR-to-CE maintains the direct relationship between input
      DNA and signal strength as each marker is detected with a single dye, so mixed
      DNA is more reliably detected. We report the results of a collaborative inter
      laboratory exercise of 19 participants (15 from the EDNAP European DNA Profiling
      group) that assessed a 34-plex SNP test using SNaPshot and a 46-plex Indel test
      using PCR-to-CE. Laboratories were asked to type five samples with different
      ancestries and detect an additional mixed DNA sample. Statistical inference of
      ancestry was made by participants using the Snipper online Bayes analysis portal
      plus an optional PCA module that analyzes the genotype data alongside calculation
      of Bayes likelihood ratios. Exercise results indicated consistent genotyping
      performance from both tests, reaching a particularly high level of reliability
      for the Indel test. SNP genotyping gave 93.5% concordance (compared to the
      organizing laboratory's data) that rose to 97.3% excluding one laboratory with a
      large number of miscalled genotypes. Indel genotyping gave a higher concordance
      rate of 99.8% and a reduced no-call rate compared to SNP analysis. All
      participants detected the mixture from their Indel peak height data and
      successfully assigned the correct ancestry to the other samples using Snipper,
      with the exception of one laboratory with SNP miscalls that incorrectly assigned
      ancestry of two samples and did not obtain informative likelihood ratios for a
      third. Therefore, successful ancestry assignments were achieved by participants
      in 92 of 95 Snipper analyses. This exercise demonstrates that ancestry inference
      tests based on binary marker sets can be readily adopted by laboratories that
      already have well-established CE regimes in place. The Indel test proved to be
      easy to use and allowed all exercise participants to detect the DNA mixture as
      well as achieving complete and concordant profiles in nearly all cases. Lastly,
      two participants successfully ran parallel next-generation sequencing analyses
      (each using different systems) and achieved high levels of genotyping concordance
      using the exercise PCR primer mixes unmodified. 

PMID- 26122264
TI  - Therapy and differential diagnosis of posterior reversible encephalopathy
      syndrome (PRES) during pregnancy and postpartum.
AB  - PURPOSE: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is an usually
      reversible neuro-radiological clinical entity characterized by headache,
      confusion, visual disturbances or blindness and seizures. It rarely occurs
      without seizures. METHODS: We conducted a literature review in MEDLINE about PRES
      during post partum and pregnancy, focusing on differential diagnosis and therapy.
      We reviewed 28 articles (case reports, original articles and reviews) describing
      PRES as well as a case of a severe, immediate postpartum HELLP syndrome
      (haemolysis, elevated liver enzyme levels, low platelet count) with PRES without
      generalized seizure. RESULTS: The development of PRES after delivery is unusual.
      Magnetic resonance imaging represents the gold standard for the diagnosis of this
      condition. White matter oedema in the posterior cerebral hemispheres is typical
      on neuroimaging. PRES is reversible when early diagnosis is established and
      appropriate treatment is started without delay. The pathogenesis of PRES is
      discussed and the importance of a prompt diagnosis is emphasized, as the crucial
      role of rapid blood press reduction. CONCLUSION: MRI is the diagnostic gold
      standard and it may be useful in the differential diagnosis. The goal of the
      therapy is to control elevated blood pressure and to prevent seizures or promptly
      manage it.

PMID- 26122265
TI  - Accuracy of information on medication use and adverse drug reactions recorded in
      pregnancy hand-held records.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregnancy hand-held records (PHR) are a personally controlled health
      record utilised in the promotion of continuity of care across pregnancy by
      providing a single resource for the recording of pregnancy-related health
      information. AIMS: To determine the accuracy of the PHR in relation to
      information on medications and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and to examine the
      frequency and nature of any identified discrepancies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 12
      week prospective clinical audit of 300 women admitted to either the antenatal or
      postnatal ward at a tertiary-level maternity hospital. A detailed medication
      history was completed for each woman by a pharmacist, with women interviewed
      about medication use prior to and during their pregnancy as well as any ADRs. The
      medication history and PHR were compared to identify discrepancies. RESULTS:
      Medication discrepancies were extremely common, with 254 (84.7%; 95% CI 80.6
      88.8%) women having at least one or more medication-related discrepancy involving
      686 (55%; 95% CI 52.2-57.8%) prescription and nonprescription medications. Most
      common reasons for prescription medication discrepancies included the medication
      details being incomplete (44%), missing (29%) or incorrect (17%). ADRs and
      allergy discrepancies were also common, identified among 59 (20%; 95% CI 15.5
      24.5%) women. CONCLUSIONS: The PHR is of low accuracy in relation to the
      recording of medications and ADRs. This warrants further research to examine the
      impact of these discrepancies on patient care and outcomes. The identification of
      strategies for improving the recording of information on medications and ADRs in
      the PHR is also required.

PMID- 26122266
TI  - Isoprene emission by poplar is not important for the feeding behaviour of poplar
      leaf beetles.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chrysomela populi (poplar leaf beetle) is a common herbivore in
      poplar plantations whose infestation causes major economic losses. Because plant
      volatiles act as infochemicals, we tested whether isoprene, the main volatile
      organic compound (VOC) produced by poplars (Populus x canescens), affects the
      performance of C. populi employing isoprene emitting (IE) and transgenic isoprene
      non-emitting (NE) plants. Our hypothesis was that isoprene is sensed and affects
      beetle orientation or that the lack of isoprene affects plant VOC profiles and
      metabolome with consequences for C. populi feeding. RESULTS:
      Electroantennographic analysis revealed that C. populi can detect higher
      terpenes, but not isoprene. In accordance to the inability to detect isoprene, C.
      populi showed no clear preference for IE or NE poplar genotypes in the choice
      experiments, however, the beetles consumed a little bit less leaf mass and laid
      fewer eggs on NE poplar trees in field experiments. Slight differences in the
      profiles of volatile terpenoids between IE and NE genotypes were detected by gas
      chromatography - mass spectrometry. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis by Fourier
      Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometer revealed genotype-, time- and
      herbivore feeding-dependent metabolic changes both in the infested and adjacent
      undamaged leaves under field conditions. CONCLUSIONS: We show for the first time
      that C. populi is unable to sense isoprene. The detected minor differences in
      insect feeding in choice experiments and field bioassays may be related to the
      revealed changes in leaf volatile emission and metabolite composition between the
      IE and NE poplars. Overall our results indicate that lacking isoprene emission is
      of minor importance for C. populi herbivory under natural conditions, and that
      the lack of isoprene is not expected to change the economic losses in poplar
      plantations caused by C. populi infestation.

PMID- 26122268
TI  - We specialize in change leadership: A call for hospitalists to lead the quest for
      workforce gender equity.

PMID- 26122267
TI  - Osteogenic changes in kidneys of hyperoxaluric rats.
AB  - Many calcium oxalate (CaOx) kidney stones develop attached to renal papillary sub
      epithelial deposits of calcium phosphate (CaP), called Randall's plaque (RP).
      Pathogenesis of the plaques is not fully understood. We hypothesize that abnormal
      urinary environment in stone forming kidneys leads to epithelial cells losing
      their identity and becoming osteogenic. To test our hypothesis male rats were
      made hyperoxaluric by administration of hydroxy-l-proline (HLP). After 28days,
      rat kidneys were extracted. We performed genome wide analyses of differentially
      expressed genes and determined changes consistent with dedifferentiation of
      epithelial cells into osteogenic phenotype. Selected molecules were further
      analyzed using quantitative-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Genes for runt related
      transcription factors (RUNX1 and 2), zinc finger protein Osterix, bone
      morphogenetic proteins (BMP2 and 7), bone morphogenetic protein receptor (BMPR2),
      collagen, osteocalcin, osteonectin, osteopontin (OPN), matrix-gla-protein (MGP),
      osteoprotegrin (OPG), cadherins, fibronectin (FN) and vimentin (VIM) were
      upregulated while those for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and cytokeratins 10 and 18
      were downregulated. In conclusion, epithelial cells of hyperoxaluric kidneys
      acquire a number of osteoblastic features but without CaP deposition, perhaps a
      result of downregulation of ALP and upregulation of OPN and MGP. Plaque formation
      may additionally require localized increases in calcium and phosphate and
      decrease in mineralization inhibitory potential. 

PMID- 26122269
TI  - Systematic review with meta-analysis of the impact of surgical fellowship
      training on patient outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The number of surgeons entering fellowship training before
      independent practice is increasing. This may have a negative impact on surgeons
      in training. The impact of fellowship training on patient outcomes is not yet
      known. This review aimed to investigate the impact of fellowship training in
      surgery on patient outcomes. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was
      conducted to identify studies exploring the structural and surgeon-specific
      characteristics of fellowship training on patient outcomes. Data from these
      studies were extracted, synthesized and reported qualitatively, or quantitatively
      through meta-analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-three studies were included. The mortality
      rate for patients in centres with an affiliated fellowship programme was lower
      than that for centres without (odds ratio 0.86, 95 per cent c.i. 0.84 to 0.88),
      as was the rate of complications (odds ratio 0.90, 0.78 to 1.02). Surgeons
      without fellowship training converted more laparoscopic operations to open
      surgery than those with fellowship training (risk ratio (RR) 1.04, 95 per cent
      c.i. 1.03 to 1.05). Comparison of outcomes for senior surgeons versus current
      fellows showed no differences in rates of mortality (RR 1.00, 1.00 to 1.01),
      complications (RR 1.03, 0.98 to 1.08) or conversion to open surgery (RR 1.01,
      1.00 to 1.01). CONCLUSION: Fellowship training appears to have a positive impact
      on patient outcomes.

PMID- 26122271
TI  - Genomic diagnosis by whole genome sequencing in a Korean family with atypical
      progeroid syndrome.
AB  - Clinical genomic diagnosis is unfamiliar to many dermatologists. Limited
      knowledge of bioinformatics has limited the use of the next generation sequencing
      method in dermatological clinics. We evaluated the usefulness of whole genome
      sequencing as a diagnostic approach to inherited dermatological disease. Here, we
      present our experience with two female siblings with atypical familial
      generalized lipodystrophy with diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. Whole genome
      sequencing was performed to diagnose the inherited disease. We compared control
      genomic databases using the Exome Aggregation Consortium, and filtered false
      positive calls with the segmental duplication, non-flagged single nucleotide
      variants and COSMIC mutation databases, and applied the prediction tools of SIFT
      and PolyPhen2. The two siblings who presented with generalized lipodystrophy were
      diagnosed with an atypical progeroid syndrome with a p.D136H mutation in the LMNA
      gene (NM_005572). We diagnosed a familial atypical progeroid syndrome using whole
      genome sequencing. In this paper, we present our experience with whole genome
      sequencing and demonstrate that it can provide useful information for clinical
      genomic diagnosis of inherited diseases with atypical clinical features, such as
      atypical progeroid syndrome. 

PMID- 26122270
TI  - Medical professionalism: what the study of literature can contribute to the
      conversation.
AB  - Medical school curricula, although traditionally and historically dominated by
      science, have generally accepted, appreciated, and welcomed the inclusion of
      literature over the past several decades. Recent concerns about medical
      professional formation have led to discussions about the specific role and
      contribution of literature and stories. In this article, we demonstrate how
      professionalism and the study of literature can be brought into relationship
      through critical and interrogative interactions based in the literary skill of
      close reading. Literature in medicine can question the meaning of
      "professionalism" itself (as well as its virtues), thereby resisting
      standardization in favor of diversity method and of outcome. Literature can also
      actively engage learners with questions about the human condition, providing a
      larger context within which to consider professional identity formation. Our
      fundamental contention is that, within a medical education framework, literature
      is highly suited to assist learners in questioning conventional thinking and
      assumptions about various dimensions of professionalism. 

PMID- 26122272
TI  - Grazing-induced changes in muscle microRNA-206 and -208b expression in
      association with myogenic gene expression in cattle.
AB  - To investigate the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in muscle type conversion, the
      effects of 4 months of grazing on the expression levels of miRNAs and mRNAs
      associated with skeletal muscle development were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR
      using the Biceps femoris muscle of Japanese Shorthorn cattle. After 4 months of
      grazing, the expression of muscle fiber type-associated miR-208b was higher in
      the grazed cattle than in the housed. In concordance with the pattern in miR-208b
      expression, the expression of MyoD, a myogenic regulatory factor associated with
      the shifting of muscle property to the fast type, was lower in the grazed cattle
      after 4 months of grazing than in the housed cattle. In addition, the expression
      of MyHC-2x (a fast type) was higher in the housed cattle than in the grazed,
      after 4 months of grazing. During the grazing period, miR-206 expression
      decreased in the housed cattle, whereas expression in the grazed cattle did not
      change, but rather remained higher than that of the housed cattle even at 3
      months after the grazing ended. These miRNAs including miR-206 persisting with
      muscles of grazed cattle may be associated with regulation of muscle gene
      expression during skeletal muscle adaptation to grazing. 

PMID- 26122274
TI  - Tele-intensivists can instruct non-physicians to acquire high-quality ultrasound
      images.
AB  - PURPOSE: Intensive care unit telemedicine (tele-ICU) uses audiovisual systems to
      remotely monitor and manage patients. Intensive care unit ultrasound can augment
      an otherwise limited bedside evaluation. To date, no studies have utilized tele
      ICU technology to assess the quality and clinical use of real-time ultrasound
      images. We assessed whether tele-intensivists can instruct nonphysicians to
      obtain high-quality, clinically useful ultrasound images. METHODS: This
      prospective pilot evaluated the effectiveness of a brief educational session of
      nonphysician "ultrasonographers" on their ability to obtain ultrasound images
      (right internal jugular vein, bilateral lung apices and bases, cardiac subxiphoid
      view, bladder) with real-time tele-intensivist guidance. All ultrasound screen
      images were simultaneously photographed with a 2-way camera and saved on the
      ultrasound machine. The tele-intensivist assessed image quality, and an
      independent ultrasound expert rated their use in guiding clinical decisions.
      RESULTS: The intensivist rated the tele-ICU camera images as high quality (70/77,
      91%) and suitable for guiding clinical decisions (74/77, 96%). Only bilateral
      lung apices demonstrated differences in quality and clinical use. All other
      images were rated noninferior and clinically useful. CONCLUSION: Tele
      intensivists can guide minimally trained nonphysicians to obtain high-quality,
      clinically useful ultrasound images. For most anatomic sites, tele-ICU images are
      of similar quality to those acquired directly by ultrasound.

PMID- 26122273
TI  - 4'-modified nucleoside analogs: potent inhibitors active against entecavir
      resistant hepatitis B virus.
AB  - Certain nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors (NRTIs) are
      effective against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and hepatitis B
      virus (HBV). However, both viruses often acquire NRTI resistance, making it
      crucial to develop more-potent agents that offer profound viral suppression.
      Here, we report that 4'-C-cyano-2-amino-2'-deoxyadenosine (CAdA) is a novel,
      highly potent inhibitor of both HBV (half maximal inhibitory concentration [IC50
      ] = 0.4 nM) and HIV-1 (IC50  = 0.4 nM). In contrast, the approved anti-HBV NRTI,
      entecavir (ETV), potently inhibits HBV (IC50  = 0.7 nM), but is much less active
      against HIV-1 (IC50  = 1,000 nM). Similarly, the highly potent HIV-1 inhibitor,
      4'-ethynyl-2-fluoro-2'-deoxyadenosine (EFdA; IC50  = 0.3 nM) is less active
      against HBV (IC50  = 160 nM). Southern analysis using Huh-7 cells transfected
      with HBV-containing plasmids demonstrated that CAdA was potent against both wild
      type (IC50  = 7.2 nM) and ETV-resistant HBV (IC50  = 69.6 nM for HBVETV
      RL180M/S202G/M204V), whereas ETV failed to reduce HBVETV-RL180M/S202G/M204V DNA
      even at 1 MUM. Once-daily peroral administration of CAdA reduced HBVETV
      RL180M/S202G/M204V viremia (P = 0.0005) in human-liver-chimeric/ HBVETV
      RL180M/S202G/M204V-infected mice, whereas ETV completely failed to reduce HBVETV
      RL180M/S202G/M204V viremia. None of the mice had significant drug-related body
      weight or serum human-albumin concentration changes. Molecular modeling suggests
      that a shallower HBV-RT hydrophobic pocket at the polymerase active site can
      better accommodate the slightly shorter 4'-cyano of CAdA-triphosphate (TP), but
      not the longer 4'-ethynyl of EFdA-TP. In contrast, the deeper HIV-1-RT pocket can
      efficiently accommodate the 4'-substitutions of both NRTIs. The ETV-TP's
      cyclopentyl ring can bind more efficiently at the shallow HBV-RT binding pocket.
      CONCLUSION: These data provide insights on the structural and functional
      associations of HBV- and HIV-1-RTs and show that CAdA may offer new therapeutic
      options for HBV patients.

PMID- 26122275
TI  - The Efficacy of Tolvaptan in Congestive Heart Failure Patients with and Without
      Hypoalbuminemia: A Pilot Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) with hypoalbuminemia is associated with poor
      response to conventional therapy. We investigated whether tolvaptan, a potent
      aquaretic agent, might be of benefit in HF patients with hypoalbuminemia.
      METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 40 patients hospitalized for HF. Patients
      received conventional therapy including loop diuretics. We subsequently added
      tolvaptan in the range of 3.75-15 mg daily and it was discontinued after
      improvement of HF symptoms. We compared clinical and laboratory data in HF
      patients with and without hypoalbuminemia (defined as serum albumin <3.0 g/dL).
      RESULTS: Tolvaptan was administered in 18 HF patients with hypoalbuminemia (Group
      A) and 22 HF patients without hypoalbuminemia (Group B). The mean serum albumin
      was 2.63 +/- 0.27 and 3.46 +/- 0.25 g/dL, respectively. The average urine output
      on tolvaptan increased significantly in both groups (1644.4 +/- 797.6-3011.6 +/-
      1453.8 mL/day, P = 0.004; 1459 +/- 612.7-2112.2 +/- 724.5 mL/day, P = 0.008;
      respectively). In addition, we observed higher urine output on therapy in Group A
      than in Group B (P = 0.015). There was a moderate negative correlation between
      serum albumin and average urine output on tolvaptan (r = -0.42, P = 0.007).
      CONCLUSIONS: The addition of tolvaptan to low dose loop diuretics might be an
      effective strategy for treatment of HF patients with hypoalbuminemia.

PMID- 26122276
TI  - Fathers' and mothers' attachment representations as predictors of preadolescents'
      attachment security: A ten-year follow-up of Finnish families.
AB  - The question of how mothers' and fathers' representations of attachment correlate
      ten years later with children's perceptions of attachment relationships was
      examined in a longitudinal study on Finnish families (N = 42). The parents
      completed the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) during the child's first year of
      life. At 11 years, the children filled out three scales on how secure they
      perceive the relationship with each parent. Parents' AAI classifications and AAI
      dimensions based on continuous scales were used as predictors of the
      preadolescents' attachment security. Regression analyses demonstrated that
      fathers' but not mothers' State-of-Mind and Experience dimensions predicted
      preadolescents' security of attachment to father. The discussion focuses on the
      predictive validity of the classical categorical versus the recently proposed
      continuous approach and the different roles of parents in transmitting security
      from one generation to another.

PMID- 26122277
TI  - Local and regional chromatin silencing in Candida glabrata: consequences for
      adhesion and the response to stress.
AB  - Candida glabrata is a fungal pathogen frequently found as a commensal in humans.
      To colonize and disseminate successfully in the mammalian host, C. glabrata must
      detect signals within the host and reprogram gene expression to respond
      appropriately to hostile environmental conditions. One of the layers of
      regulation of expression of many virulence-related genes (adhesin-encoding genes,
      genes involved in response to oxidative stress and xenobiotics) is achieved
      through epigenetic mechanisms. Local and regional silencing is mediated by the
      activity of two NAD(+)-dependent histone deacetylases, Hst1 and Sir2,
      respectively, repressing many virulence genes. Hst1 and Sir2 interact with
      different repressor complexes to achieve regional or local silencing. Sir2 can
      associate with Sir4, which is then recruited to the telomere by Rap1 and yKu.
      Deacetylation of the histone tails creates high affinity binding sites for new
      molecules of the Sir complex, thereby spreading the silent domain over >20 kb.
      Many of the adhesin-encoding EPA genes are subject to this regulation. Hst1 in
      turn associates with the Sum1-Rfm1 complex. Sum1 is a DNA-binding protein, which
      recognizes specific sites at individual promoters, recruiting Hst1 to specific
      genes involved in the response to oxidative stress and xenobiotics, which results
      in their repression. 

PMID- 26122278
TI  - Molecular cloning and characterization of the ATP citrate lyase from
      carotenogenic yeast Phaffia rhodozyma.
AB  - ATP citrate lyase (ACL), is a key cytosolic source of acetyl-CoA for fatty acid
      and sterol biosynthesis and appear to be involved in carotenoid biosynthesis in
      yeasts. Three homologous DNA sequences encoding ACLs in Phaffia rhodozyma were
      isolated i.e two genes and one cDNA. The two genes were multi-intronic, with 3450
      bp-coding sequences and both genes, as the cDNA, encoded identical 120.1-kDa
      polypeptides. Full-length amino acid sequences of these ACLs showed the two
      multidomains, PLN02235 and PLN02522, which are necessary for activity. The ACLs
      showed 82-87% similarity to putative ACLs from other basidiomycetes and 71%
      similarity to human ACL. The acl cDNA was used to express the heterologous ACL
      6XHis-tagged which was identified using MALDI-TOF-MS. The sequenced peptides with
      42.2% coverage showed 100% identity to the amino acid sequence generated in
      silico. The recombinant ACL purified to homogeneity showed an activity of 2 U.
      This is the first study to characterize a recombinant ACL from a carotenogenic
      yeast. The present study provides a key foundation for future studies to assess
      (a) the possible occurrence of alternative splicing, (b) identify the promoter(s)
      sequence(s) and (c) the involvement of ACL in the differential regulation of
      fatty acid and carotenoid biosynthesis in yeasts. 

PMID- 26122279
TI  - Effects of a Dissostichus mawsoni-CaM recombinant proteins feed additive on the
      juvenile orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) under the acute low
      temperature challenge.
AB  - The effects of Dissostichus mawsoni-Calmodulin (Dm-CaM) on growth performance,
      enzyme activities, respiratory burst, MDA level and immune-related gene
      expressions of the orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) exposed to the
      acute low temperature stress were evaluated. The commercial diet supplemented
      with Dm-CaM protein was fed to the groupers for 6 weeks. No significant
      difference was observed in the specific growth rates, weight gains and survivals.
      After the feeding trial, the groupers were exposed to acute low temperature
      challenge. The groupers fed with Dm-CaM additive diet showed a significant
      decrease in the respiratory burst activity, while the blood cell number increased
      significantly at 25  degrees C by comparing with the control and additive control
      group. The enzymatic activity of SOD, ACP and ALP increased significantly in Dm
      CaM additive group, while MDA level maintained stable with the lowest value. qRT
      PCR analysis indicated that the up-regulated transcript expressions of CaM, C3,
      SOD2, LysC and HSPA4 were observed in Dm-CaM additive group. These results
      indicated that Dm-CaM additive diet may regulate the grouper immune response to
      the acute low temperature challenge. 

PMID- 26122280
TI  - Extracellular ATP enhances radiation-induced brain injury through microglial
      activation and paracrine signaling via P2X7 receptor.
AB  - Activation of purinergic receptors by extracellular ATP (eATP) released from
      injured cells has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many neuronal disorders.
      The P2X7 receptor (P2X7R), an ion-selective purinergic receptor, is associated
      with microglial activation and paracrine signaling. However, whether ATP and
      P2X7R are involved in radiation-induced brain injury (RBI) remains to be
      determined. Here, we found that the eATP level was elevated in the cerebrospinal
      fluid (CSF) of RBI patients and was associated with the clinical severity of the
      disorder. In our experimental model, radiation treatment increased the level of
      eATP in the supernatant of primary cultures of neurons and glial cells and in the
      CSF of irradiated mice. In addition, ATP administration activated microglia,
      induced the release of the inflammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase-2, tumor
      necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 6, and promoted neuronal apoptosis.
      Furthermore, blockade of ATP-P2X7R interaction using P2X7 antagonist Brilliant
      Blue G or P2X7 knockdown suppressed radiation-induced microglial activation and
      proliferation in the hippocampus, and restored the spatial memory of irradiated
      mice. Finally, we found that the PI3K/AKT and nuclear factor kappaB mediated
      pathways were downstream of ATP-P2X7R signaling in RBI. Taken together, our
      results unveiled the critical role of ATP-P2X7R in brain damage in RBI,
      suggesting that inhibition of ATP-P2X7R axis might be a potential strategy for
      the treatment of patients with RBI. 

PMID- 26122281
TI  - Efficacy of feed enzymes in pig and poultry diets containing distillers dried
      grains with solubles: a review.
AB  - Distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a coproduct of the ethanol
      industry, are often used as feed material in livestock and poultry nutrition.
      Results of many experiments have indicated, however, that a high dietary level of
      DDGS can negatively affect the digestibility of nutrients and the performance of
      monogastric animals due to their high content of non-starch polysaccharides
      (NSP). Nevertheless, using high levels of DDGS as a protein source in livestock
      diets can be still economically justifiable in view of the rising prices of soya
      bean meal and other protein sources. The aim of some recent experiments with
      poultry and pigs was to improve the nutritional efficacy of high-NSP diets
      through the addition of feed enzymes. As presented and discussed in this review
      article, the efficacy of feed enzymes added to poultry and pig diets containing
      DDGS is not consistent and depends on many factors. However, NSP-hydrolysing
      enzymes generally seemed to be more efficient than phytases in terms of the
      digestibility of nutrients and the growth performance of poultry and pigs fed
      high-DDGS diets. For this reason, supplementation with NSP-hydrolysing enzymes
      could be an efficient way to enable the use of increased levels of DDGS in
      poultry and pig diets. 

PMID- 26122283
TI  - Advances in the management of rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - Modern early rheumatoid arthritis strategies are usually based upon a number of
      important overarching principles: 1. early diagnosis facilitates early
      commencement of disease modifying anti-rheumatic therapy; 2. early commencement
      of treatment reduces the long-term risk of erosive damage and functional decline;
      3. composite disease activity measures should be used to quantify global
      rheumatoid arthritis disease activity; and 4. therapy should be intensified until
      a predefined disease activity target has been achieved. A substantial minority of
      rheumatoid arthritis patients (approximately 40%) will experience an adequate
      response to methotrexate monotherapy; however, the remainder may require disease
      modifying anti-rheumatic combination therapy, and/or biologic therapy, to achieve
      disease activity targets. Importantly, short term trials of methotrexate
      monotherapy do not appear to disadvantage outcomes provided treatment continues
      to be intensified if disease activity targets are not achieved. 

PMID- 26122282
TI  - Validity of energy intake estimated by digital photography plus recall in
      overweight and obese young adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent reports have questioned the adequacy of self-report measures
      of dietary intake as the basis for scientific conclusions regarding the
      associations of dietary intake and health, and reports have recommended the
      development and evaluation of better methods for the assessment of dietary intake
      in free-living individuals. We developed a procedure that used pre- and post-meal
      digital photographs in combination with dietary recalls (DP+R) to assess energy
      intake during ad libitum eating in a cafeteria setting. OBJECTIVE: To compare
      mean daily energy intake of overweight and obese young adults assessed by a DP+R
      method with mean total daily energy expenditure assessed by doubly labeled water
      (TDEE(DLW)). METHODS: Energy intake was assessed using the DP+R method in 91
      overweight and obese young adults (age = 22.9+/-3.2 years, body mass index [BMI;
      calculated as kg/m(2)]=31.2+/-5.6, female=49%) over 7 days of ad libitum eating
      in a university cafeteria. Foods consumed outside the cafeteria (ie, snacks, non
      cafeteria meals) were assessed using multiple-pass recall procedures, using food
      models and standardized, neutral probing questions. TDEE(DLW) was assessed in all
      participants over the 14-day period. RESULTS: The mean energy intakes estimated
      by DP+R and TDEE(DLW) were not significantly different (DP+R=2912+/-661 kcal/d;
      TDEE(DLW)=2849+/-748 kcal/d, P=0.42). The DP+R method overestimated TDEE(DLW) by
      63+/-750 kcal/d (6.8+/-28%). CONCLUSION: Results suggest that the DP+R method
      provides estimates of energy intake comparable to those obtained by TDEE(DLW).

PMID- 26122284
TI  - Ablation of B7-H3 but Not B7-H4 Results in Highly Increased Tumor Burden in a
      Murine Model of Spontaneous Prostate Cancer.
AB  - The costimulatory molecules B7-H3 and B7-H4 are overexpressed in a variety of
      human tumors and have been hypothesized as possible biomarkers and
      immunotherapeutic targets. Despite this potential, the predominating uncertainty
      about their functional implication in tumor-host interaction hampers their
      evaluation as a target for cancer therapy. By means of a highly physiologic,
      spontaneous tumor model in mice, we establish a causal link between B7-H3 and
      host tumor control and found B7-H4 to be redundant.

PMID- 26122285
TI  - Risk factors associated with falls in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.
AB  - AIMS: This study investigated risk factors of falls in elderly patients with type
      2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A total of 211 patients aged ?60years (168 diabetic
      patients and 43 non-diabetic control subjects) were studied. Factors associated
      with falls in the past year were retrospectively examined using multiple logistic
      regression analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of patients who had a history of
      falls in the past year was twice as high as in diabetic patients compared in
      control subjects (36.9% vs. 18.6%, P<0.05). When diabetic patients were
      exclusively analyzed, the presence of any level of hypoglycemia and the Timed Up
      and Go test (TUG) scores correlated with patients' falls. The presence of
      hypoglycemia (OR 3.62, 95% CI: 1.242-10.534, P=0.018), cognitive impairment (OR
      3.63, 95% CI: 1.227-10.727, P=0.020), and high Fall Risk Index scores (OR 1.2,
      95% CI: 1.010-1.425, P=0.039) was independently correlated with the presence of
      multiple falls. When the diabetic patients were divided into three groups
      according to the frequency of hypoglycemia episodes, the prevalence of falls
      increased as the frequency of hypoglycemia increased. CONCLUSION: Hypoglycemia
      was a risk factor of falls in elderly type 2 diabetic patients.

PMID- 26122286
TI  - Hyperlactatemia in type 2 diabetes: Can physical training help?
AB  - Type 2 diabetic patients often exhibit hyperlactatemia in association with a
      reduced aerobic-oxidative capacity and a restricted lactate transport. Studies
      suggest a link between increased lactate levels and the manifestation and
      progression of insulin resistance. However, the specificities of molecular
      mechanisms remain unclear, and it is not entirely clear whether elevated lactate
      levels are a cause or consequence of type 2 diabetes. This review focuses on
      lactate as a key molecule in diabetes and provides an overview of how regular
      physical activity can be helpful in normalizing elevated lactate levels in type 2
      diabetic patients. Physical training may reduce lactate production and reinforce
      lactate transport and clearance among this particular patient group. We emphasize
      the crucial role physical training plays in the therapy of type 2 diabetes due to
      evidence that pharmacological treatment with metformin, which is commonly used in
      the first-line therapy of type 2 diabetes, does not help reducing lactate levels.

PMID- 26122288
TI  - Estradiol rapidly modulates spinogenesis in hippocampal dentate gyrus:
      Involvement of kinase networks.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue "Estradiol and cognition". Estradiol (E2)
      is locally synthesized within the hippocampus and the gonads. Rapid modulation of
      hippocampal synaptic plasticity by E2 is essential for synaptic regulation. The
      molecular mechanisms of modulation through the synaptic estrogen receptor (ER)
      and its downstream signaling, however, are largely unknown in the dentate gyrus
      (DG). We investigated the E2-induced modulation of dendritic spines in male adult
      rat hippocampal slices by imaging Lucifer Yellow-injected DG granule cells.
      Treatments with 1 nM E2 increased the density of spines by approximately 1.4-fold
      within 2h. Spine head diameter analysis showed that the density of middle-head
      spines (0.4-0.5 MUm) was significantly increased. The E2-induced spine density
      increase was suppressed by blocking Erk MAPK, PKA, PKC and LIMK. These
      suppressive effects by kinase inhibitors are not non-specific ones because the
      GSK-3beta antagonist did not inhibit E2-induced spine increase. The ER antagonist
      ICI 182,780 also blocked the E2-induced spine increase. Taken together, these
      results suggest that E2 rapidly increases the density of spines through kinase
      networks that are driven by synaptic ER.

PMID- 26122287
TI  - Natural variation in maternal care and cross-tissue patterns of oxytocin receptor
      gene methylation in rats.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Since the first report
      of maternal care effects on DNA methylation in rats, epigenetic modifications of
      the genome in response to life experience have become the subject of intense
      focus across many disciplines. Oxytocin receptor expression varies in response to
      early experience, and both oxytocin signaling and methylation status of the
      oxytocin receptor gene (Oxtr) in blood have been related to disordered social
      behavior. It is unknown whether Oxtr DNA methylation varies in response to early
      life experience, and whether currently employed peripheral measures of Oxtr
      methylation reflect variation in the brain. We examined the effects of early life
      rearing experience via natural variation in maternal licking and grooming during
      the first week of life on behavior, physiology, gene expression, and epigenetic
      regulation of Oxtr across blood and brain tissues (mononucleocytes, hippocampus,
      striatum, and hypothalamus). Rats reared by "high" licking-grooming (HL) and
      "low" licking-grooming (LL) rat dams exhibited differences across study outcomes:
      LL offspring were more active in behavioral arenas, exhibited lower body mass in
      adulthood, and showed reduced corticosterone responsivity to a stressor. Oxtr DNA
      methylation was significantly lower at multiple CpGs in the blood of LL versus HL
      males, but no differences were found in the brain. Across groups, Oxtr transcript
      levels in the hypothalamus were associated with reduced corticosterone secretion
      in response to stress, congruent with the role of oxytocin signaling in this
      region. Methylation of specific CpGs at a high or low level was consistent across
      tissues, especially within the brain. However, individual variation in DNA
      methylation relative to these global patterns was not consistent across tissues.
      These results suggest that blood Oxtr DNA methylation may reflect early
      experience of maternal care, and that Oxtr methylation across tissues is highly
      concordant for specific CpGs, but that inferences across tissues are not
      supported for individual variation in Oxtr methylation. 

PMID- 26122289
TI  - Estrogen involvement in social behavior in rodents: Rapid and long-term actions.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue ("Estradiol and cognition"). Estrogens
      have repeatedly been shown to influence a wide array of social behaviors, which
      in rodents are predominantly olfactory-mediated. Estrogens are involved in social
      behavior at multiple levels of processing, from the detection and integration of
      socially relevant olfactory information to more complex social behaviors,
      including social preferences, aggression and dominance, and learning and memory
      for social stimuli (e.g. social recognition and social learning). Three estrogen
      receptors (ERs), ERalpha, ERbeta, and the G protein-coupled ER 1 (GPER1),
      differently affect these behaviors. Social recognition, territorial aggression,
      and sexual preferences and mate choice, all requiring the integration of socially
      related olfactory information, seem to primarily involve ERalpha, with ERbeta
      playing a lesser, modulatory role. In contrast, social learning consistently
      responds differently to estrogen manipulations than other social behaviors. This
      suggests differential ER involvement in brain regions important for specific
      social behaviors, such as the ventromedial and medial preoptic nuclei of the
      hypothalamus in social preferences and aggression, the medial amygdala and
      hippocampus in social recognition, and the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in
      social learning. While the long-term effects of ERalpha and ERbeta on social
      behavior have been extensively investigated, our knowledge of the rapid, non
      genomic, effects of estrogens is more limited and suggests that they may mediate
      some social behaviors (e.g. social learning) differently from long-term effects.
      Further research is required to compare ER involvement in regulating social
      behavior in male and female animals, and to further elucidate the roles of the
      more recently described G protein-coupled ERs, both the GPER1 and the Gq-mER. 

PMID- 26122290
TI  - Neuropeptide Y administration reverses tricyclic antidepressant treatment
      resistant depression induced by ACTH in mice.
AB  - Depression is one of the most common mental disorders and a primary cause of
      disability. To better treat patients suffering this illness, elucidation of the
      underlying psychopathological and neurobiological mechanisms is urgently needed.
      Based on the above-mentioned evidence, we sought to investigate the effects of
      neuropeptide Y (NPY) treatment in tricyclic antidepressant treatment-resistant
      depression induced by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) administration. Mice
      were treated with NPY (5.84, 11.7 or 23.4mmol/MUl) intracerebroventricularly
      (i.c.v.) for one or five days. The levels of serum corticosterone, tryptophan
      (TRP), kynurenine (KYN), serotonin (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA),
      brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF) and
      indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity in the hippocampus were analyzed. The
      behavioral parameters (depressive-like and locomotor activity) were also
      verified. This study demonstrated that ACTH administration increased serum
      corticosterone levels, KYN, 5-HIAA levels, IDO activity (hippocampus), immobility
      in the forced swimming test (FST) and the latency to feed in the novelty
      suppressed feeding test (NSFT). In addition, ACTH administration decreased the
      BDNF and NGF levels in the hippocampus of mice. NPY treatment was effective in
      preventing these hormonal, neurochemical and behavioral alterations. It is
      suggested that the main target of NPY is the modulation of corticosterone and
      neuronal plasticity protein levels, which may be closely linked with
      pharmacological action in a model of tricyclic antidepressant treatment-resistant
      depression. Thus, this study demonstrated a protective effect of NPY on the
      alterations induced by ACTH administration in mice, indicating that it could be
      useful as a therapy for the treatment of tricyclic antidepressant treatment
      resistant depression. 

PMID- 26122291
TI  - The impact of luteinizing hormone and testosterone on beta amyloid (Abeta)
      accumulation: Animal and human clinical studies.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue "SBN 2014". Hormonal changes associated
      with ageing have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD),
      the most common form of dementia. Reductions in serum testosterone and increases
      in luteinizing hormone (LH) are established AD risk factors for dementia in men
      and have important roles in modulating AD pathogenesis. One of the defining
      features of AD is the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Abeta) in the brain, which
      has a key role in the neurodegenerative cascade. Both testosterone and LH have
      been shown to modulate CNS Abeta accumulation in animal studies, and associations
      with cerebral amyloid load in human studies have supported this. The underlying
      mechanisms by which these hormones modulate Abeta accumulation and contribute to
      neurodegeneration are not completely understood, however they have been shown to
      regulate Abeta metabolism, enhance its clearance and alter the processing of its
      parent molecule, the amyloid precursor protein. This review will discuss
      underlying mechanisms by which testosterone and LH modulate Abeta and provide an
      update on therapeutic approaches targeting these hormones. 

PMID- 26122292
TI  - Mice that are resistant to diet-induced weight loss have greater food
      anticipatory activity and altered melanocortin-3 receptor (MC3R) and dopamine
      receptor 2 (D2) gene expression.
AB  - Diet-induced weight loss varies considerably between individuals, but the
      mechanisms driving these individual differences remain largely unknown. Here we
      investigated whether key neuropeptides involved in the regulation of energy
      balance or reward systems were differentially expressed in mice that were prone
      or resistant to caloric restriction (CR) induced weight loss. Mice (n=30 males
      and n=34 females) were fed 70% of their own baseline ad libitum intake for
      25days, after which their brains were collected and expression of various
      neuropeptides were investigated and compared between the 10 male and 10 female
      mice that showed the greatest (high weight loss, HWL) or lowest weight loss (LWL)
      (n=40 in total). HWL mice showed a differential neuropeptide profile to LWL in
      both sexes, characterised by increased expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY), agouti
      related peptide (AgRP), leptin receptor (ObRb), and melanocortin 3 receptor
      (MC3R) in the arcuate nucleus. No changes in the expression of fat mass and
      obesity related gene (FTO) or suppressor of cytokine signalling 3 (Socs3) were
      observed. Levels of dopamine D2 receptor were decreased in the nucleus accumbens
      in HWL compared to LWL mice. HWL mice showed a stronger increase in food
      anticipatory activity (FAA) in response to CR than LWL mice. These results
      indicate that the mice prone to diet-induced weight loss experienced greater
      hunger, potentially driving their elevated FAA. 

PMID- 26122293
TI  - Fathering in rodents: Neurobiological substrates and consequences for offspring.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Paternal care, though
      rare among mammals, is routinely displayed by several species of rodents. Here we
      review the neuroanatomical and hormonal bases of paternal behavior, as well as
      the behavioral and neuroendocrine consequences of paternal behavior for
      offspring. Fathering behavior is subserved by many of the same neural substrates
      which are also involved in maternal behavior (for example, the medial preoptic
      area of the hypothalamus). While gonadal hormones such as testosterone, estrogen,
      and progesterone, as well as hypothalamic neuropeptides such as oxytocin and
      vasopressin, and the pituitary hormone prolactin, are implicated in the
      activation of paternal behavior, there are significant gaps in our knowledge of
      their actions, as well as pronounced differences between species. Removal of the
      father in biparental species has long-lasting effects on behavior, as well as on
      these same neuroendocrine systems, in offspring. Finally, individual differences
      in paternal behavior can have similarly long-lasting, if more subtle, effects on
      offspring behavior. Future studies should examine similar outcome measures in
      multiple species, including both biparental species and closely related
      uniparental species. Careful phylogenetic analyses of the neuroendocrine systems
      presumably important to male parenting, as well as their patterns of gene
      expression, will also be important in establishing the next generation of
      hypotheses regarding the regulation of male parenting behavior. 

PMID- 26122295
TI  - A friend in need: Time-dependent effects of stress on social discounting in men.
AB  - Stress is often associated with a tend-and-befriend response, a putative coping
      mechanism where people behave generously towards others in order to invest in
      social relationships to seek comfort and mutual protection. However, this
      increase in generosity is expected to be directed only towards a delimited number
      of socially close, but not distant individuals, because it would be maladaptive
      to befriend everyone alike. In addition, the endocrinological stress response
      follows a distinct temporal pattern, and it is believed that tend-and-befriend
      tendencies can be observed mainly under acute stress. By contrast, the aftermath
      (>1h after) of stress is associated with endocrinological regulatory processes
      that are proposed to cause increased executive control and reduced emotional
      reactivity, possibly eliminating the need to tend-and-befriend. In the present
      experiment, we set out to investigate how these changes immediately and >1h after
      a stressful experience affect social-distance-dependent generosity levels, a
      phenomenon called social discounting. We hypothesized that stress has a time
      dependent effect on social discounting, with decisions made shortly after
      (20min), but not 90min after stress showing increased generosity particularly to
      close others. We found that men tested 20min after stressor onset indeed showed
      increased generosity towards close but not distant others compared to non
      stressed men or men tested 90min after stressor onset. These findings contribute
      to our understanding on how stress affects prosocial behavior by highlighting the
      importance of social closeness and the timing of stress relative to the decision
      as modulating factors in this type of decision making in men. 

PMID- 26122296
TI  - Oral contraceptives and cognition: A role for ethinyl estradiol.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue "Estradiol and cognition". Estrogens have
      been seen to play a role in human cognitive abilities, but questions remain about
      the cognitive impact of ethinyl estradiol, which is contained in many oral
      contraceptives (OCs). Inconsistencies in past studies likely reflect small
      samples and heterogeneous groups of OC users. The aims of the present work were
      to examine OC effects on sex-typed spatial and verbal abilities by (a) comparing
      mental rotations and expressional fluency in normally-cycling (NC) women and men
      to OC users considered as a heterogeneous group and then to homogeneous groups of
      OC users created by classifying pills according to their active constituents, and
      (b) determining the relation between synthetic hormone doses in OCs and mental
      rotations and expressional fluency. Participants were 136 men, 93 NC women, and
      148 OC users, including homogeneous monophasic (n = 55) and triphasic (n = 43) OC
      groups, aged 18 to 30 years. Significant effects of OC use were seen in
      homogeneous group comparisons but not when OC users were considered as a
      heterogeneous group. On mental rotations, men outperformed women, and monophasic
      OC users outperformed NC women. The latter difference may be attributable to
      estradiol, as ethinyl estradiol was inversely related to spatial ability among OC
      users and was lower in monophasic than in triphasic users. On expressional
      fluency, NC women and monophasic OC users outperformed men, and monophasic users
      outperformed triphasic users. Thus, results show the importance of ethinyl
      estradiol and of considering pill constituents when studying the cognitive
      effects of OCs.

PMID- 26122294
TI  - Estrogen receptors in the central nervous system and their implication for
      dopamine-dependent cognition in females.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue "Estradiol and cognition". Over the past
      30 years, research has demonstrated that estrogens not only are important for
      female reproduction, but also play a role in a diverse array of cognitive
      functions. Originally, estrogens were thought to have only one receptor,
      localized exclusively to the cytoplasm and nucleus of cells. However, it is now
      known that there are at least three estrogen receptors (ERs): ERalpha, ERbeta and
      G-protein coupled ER1 (GPER1). In addition to being localized to nuclei, ERalpha
      and ERbeta are localized to the cell membrane, and GPER1 is also observed at the
      cell membrane. The mechanism through which ERs are associated with the membrane
      remains unclear, but palmitoylation of receptors and associations between ERs and
      caveolin are implicated in membrane association. ERalpha and ERbeta are mostly
      observed in the nucleus using light microscopy unless they are particularly
      abundant. However, electron microscopy has revealed that ERs are also found at
      the membrane in complimentary distributions in multiple brain regions, many of
      which are innervated by dopamine inputs and were previously thought to contain
      few ERs. In particular, membrane-associated ERs are observed in the prefrontal
      cortex, dorsal striatum, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus, all of which are
      involved in learning and memory. These findings provide a mechanism for the rapid
      effects of estrogens in these regions. The effects of estrogens on dopamine
      dependent cognition likely result from binding at both nuclear and membrane
      associated ERs, so elucidating the localization of membrane-associated ERs helps
      provide a more complete understanding of the cognitive effects of these hormones.

PMID- 26122298
TI  - Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS) and
      emotional processing - A behavioral and electrophysiological approach.
AB  - Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS) may have
      mood enhancement effects: higher DHEAS concentrations and DHEA/cortisol ratio
      have been related to lower depression scores and controlled trials of DHEA
      administration have reported significant antidepressant effects. The balance
      between DHEAS and DHEA has been suggested to influence brain functioning. We
      explored DHEAS, DHEA, cortisol, DHEA/cortisol and DHEAS/DHEA ratios relations to
      the processing of negative emotional stimuli at behavioral and brain levels by
      recording the electroencephalogram of 21 young women while performing a visual
      task with implicit neutral or negative emotional content in an audio-visual
      oddball paradigm. For each condition, salivary DHEA, DHEAS and cortisol were
      measured before performing the task and at 30 and 60min intervals. DHEA increased
      after task performance, independent of the implicit emotional content. With
      implicit negative emotion, higher DHEAS/DHEA and DHEA/cortisol ratios before task
      performance were related to shorter visual P300 latencies suggesting faster brain
      processing under a negative emotional context. In addition, higher DHEAS/DHEA
      ratios were related to reduced visual P300 amplitudes, indicating less processing
      of the negative emotional stimuli. With this study, we could show that at the
      electrophysiological level, higher DHEAS/DHEA and DHEA/cortisol ratios were
      related to shorter stimulus evaluation times suggesting less interference of the
      implicit negative content of the stimuli with the task. Furthermore, higher
      DHEAS/DHEA ratios were related to reduced processing of negative emotional
      stimuli which may eventually constitute a protective mechanism against negative
      information overload. 

PMID- 26122299
TI  - Hippocampal learning, memory, and neurogenesis: Effects of sex and estrogens
      across the lifespan in adults.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue "Estradiol and Cognition". There are sex
      differences in hippocampus-dependent cognition and neurogenesis suggesting that
      sex hormones are involved. Estrogens modulate certain forms of spatial and
      contextual memory and neurogenesis in the adult female rodent, and to a lesser
      extent male, hippocampus. This review focuses on the effects of sex and estrogens
      on hippocampal learning, memory, and neurogenesis in the young and aged adult
      rodent. We discuss how factors such as the type of estrogen, duration and dose of
      treatment, timing of treatment, and type of memory influence the effects of
      estrogens on cognition and neurogenesis. We also address how reproductive
      experience (pregnancy and mothering) and aging interact with estrogens to
      modulate hippocampal cognition and neurogenesis in females. Given the evidence
      that adult hippocampal neurogenesis plays a role in long-term spatial memory and
      pattern separation, we also discuss the functional implications of regulating
      neurogenesis in the hippocampus. 

PMID- 26122297
TI  - Trajectories and phenotypes with estrogen exposures across the lifespan: What
      does Goldilocks have to do with it?
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue "Estradiol and cognition". Estrogens
      impact the organization and activation of the mammalian brain in both sexes, with
      sex-specific critical windows. Throughout the female lifespan estrogens activate
      brain substrates previously organized by estrogens, and estrogens can induce non
      transient brain and behavior changes into adulthood. Therefore, from early life
      through the transition to reproductive senescence and beyond, estrogens are
      potent modulators of the brain and behavior. Organizational, reorganizational,
      and activational hormone events likely impact the trajectory of brain profiles
      during aging. A "brain profile," or quantitative brain measurement for research
      purposes, is typically a snapshot in time, but in life a brain profile is
      anything but static--it is in flux, variable, and dynamic. Akin to this, the only
      thing continuous and consistent about hormone exposures across a female's
      lifespan is that they are noncontinuous and inconsistent, building and rebuilding
      on past exposures to create a present brain and behavioral landscape. Thus,
      hormone variation is especially rich in females, and is likely the destiny for
      maximal responsiveness in the female brain. The magnitude and direction of
      estrogenic effects on the brain and its functions depend on a myriad of factors;
      a "Goldilocks" phenomenon exists for estrogens, whereby if the timing, dose, and
      regimen for an individual are just right, markedly efficacious effects present.
      Data indicate that exogenously-administered estrogens can bestow beneficial
      cognitive effects in some circumstances, especially when initiated in a window of
      opportunity such as the menopause transition. Could it be that the age-related
      reduction in efficacy of estrogens reflects the closure of a late-in-life
      critical window occurring around the menopause transition? Information from
      classic and contemporary works studying organizational/activational estrogen
      actions, in combination with acknowledging the tendency for maximal
      responsiveness to cyclicity, will elucidate ways to extend sensitivity and
      efficacy into post-menopause.

PMID- 26122300
TI  - The importance of neural aromatization in the acquisition, recall, and
      integration of song and spatial memories in passerines.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue "Estradiol and cognition". In addition to
      their well-studied and crucial effects on brain development and aging, an
      increasing number of investigations across vertebrate species indicate that
      estrogens like 17beta-estradiol (E2) have pronounced and rapid effects on
      cognitive function. The incidence and regulation of the E2-synthesizing enzyme
      aromatase at the synapse in regions of the brain responsible for learning,
      memory, social communication and other complex cognitive processes suggest that
      local E2 production and action affect the acute and chronic activity of
      individual neurons and circuits. Songbirds in particular are excellent models for
      the study of this "synaptocrine" hormone provision given that aromatase is
      abundantly expressed in neuronal soma, dendrites, and at the synapse across many
      brain regions in both sexes. Additionally, songbirds readily acquire and recall
      memories in laboratory settings, and their stereotyped behaviors may be
      manipulated and measured with relative ease. This leads to a rather unparalleled
      advantage in the use of these animals in studies of the role of neural
      aromatization in cognition. In this review we describe the results of a number of
      experiments in songbird species with a focus on the influence of synaptic E2
      provision on two cognitive processes: auditory discrimination reliant on the
      caudomedial nidopallium (NCM), a telencephalic region likely homologous to the
      auditory cortex in mammals, and spatial memory dependent on the hippocampus. Data
      from these studies are providing evidence that the local and acute provision of
      E2 modulates the hormonal, electrical, and cognitive outputs of the vertebrate
      brain and aids in memory acquisition, retention, and perhaps the confluence of
      memory systems. 

PMID- 26122302
TI  - Neuroplasticity in the maternal hippocampus: Relation to cognition and effects of
      repeated stress.
AB  - This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". It is becoming clear
      that the female brain has an inherent plasticity that is expressed during
      reproduction. The changes that occur benefit the offspring, which in turn secures
      the survival of the mother's genetic legacy. Thus, the onset of maternal
      motivation involves basic mechanisms from genetic expression profiles, to hormone
      release, to hormone-neuron interactions, all of which fundamentally change the
      neural architecture - and for a period of time that extends, interestingly,
      beyond the reproductive life of the female. Although multiple brain areas
      involved in maternal responses are discussed, this review focuses primarily on
      plasticity in the maternal hippocampus during pregnancy, the postpartum period
      and well into aging as it pertains to changes in cognition. In addition, the
      effects of prolonged and repeated stress on these dynamic responses are
      considered. The maternal brain is a marvel of directed change, extending into
      behaviors both obvious (infant-directed) and less obvious (predation, cognition).
      In sum, the far-reaching effects of reproduction on the female nervous system
      provide an opportunity to investigate neuroplasticity and behavioral flexibility
      in a natural mammalian model. 

PMID- 26122303
TI  - Intermittent dosing of rapamycin maintains antiepileptogenic effects in a mouse
      model of tuberous sclerosis complex.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Inhibitors of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway have
      antiepileptogenic effects in preventing epilepsy and pathologic and molecular
      mechanisms of epileptogenesis in mouse models of tuberous sclerosis complex
      (TSC). However, long-term treatment with mTOR inhibitors may be required to
      maintain efficacy and potentially has chronic side effects, such as
      immunosuppression. Attempts to minimize drug exposure will facilitate
      translational efforts to develop mTOR inhibitors as antiepileptogenic agents for
      patients with TSC. In this study, we tested intermittent dosing paradigms of mTOR
      inhibitors for antiepileptogenic properties in a TSC mouse model. METHODS:
      Western blot analysis of phosphorylation of S6 protein was used to assess the
      dose- and time-dependence of mTOR inhibition by rapamycin in control mice and
      conditional knockout mice with inactivation of the Tsc1 gene in glial fibrillary
      acidic protein (GFAP)-expressing cells (Tsc1(GFAP)CKO mice). Based on the Western
      blot studies, different dosing paradigms of rapamycin starting at postnatal day
      21 were tested for their ability to prevent epilepsy or pathologic abnormalities
      in Tsc1(GFAP)CKO mice: 4 days of rapamycin only (4-infinity), 4 days on-24 days
      off (4-24), and 4 days on-10 days off (4-10). RESULTS: mTOR activity was
      inhibited by rapamycin in a dose-dependent fashion and recovered to baseline by
      about 10 days after the last rapamycin dose. The 4-10 and 4-24 dosing paradigms
      almost completely prevented epilepsy and the 4-10 paradigm inhibited glial
      proliferation and megalencephaly in Tsc1(GFAP)CKO mice. SIGNIFICANCE:
      Intermittent dosing of rapamycin, with drug holidays of more than 3 weeks,
      maintains significant antiepileptogenic properties in mouse models of TSC. These
      findings have important translational applications in developing mTOR inhibitors
      as antiepileptogenic agents in TSC patients by minimizing drug exposure and
      potential side effects.

PMID- 26122304
TI  - The influence of areas of worklife fit and work-life interference on burnout and
      turnover intentions among new graduate nurses.
AB  - AIM: To examine the relationships among the overall person-job match in the six
      areas of worklife, work-life interference, new nurses' experiences of burnout and
      intentions to leave their jobs. BACKGROUND: As a large cohort of nurses
      approaches retirement, it is important to understand the aspects of the nurses
      work-life that are related to turnover among new graduate nurses to address the
      nursing workforce shortage. METHODS: Secondary analysis of data collected in a
      cross-sectional survey of 215 registered nurses working in Ontario acute
      hospitals was conducted using structural equation modelling. RESULTS: The fit
      indices suggested a reasonably adequate fit of the data to the hypothesised model
      [chi(2)  = 247, d.f. = 122, P = 0.001, chi(2) /d.f. = 2.32, Incremental Fit Index
      (IFI) = 0.954, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.953, Root Mean Square Error of
      Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.06]. Person-job match in six areas of worklife had a
      direct negative effect on burnout (emotional exhaustion and cynicism), which in
      turn had a direct positive effect on turnover intentions. Work-life interference
      also influenced turnover intentions indirectly through burnout. CONCLUSION: The
      study findings demonstrate that new graduate nurses' turnover intentions are a
      recurring problem, which could be reduced by improving nurses' working
      conditions. Retention of new graduate nurses could be enhanced by creating
      supportive working environments to reduce the susceptibility to workplace
      burnout, and ultimately, lower turnover intentions. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
      MANAGEMENT: Managers must employ strategies to enhance workplace conditions that
      promote a person-job fit and work-life balance to improve retention of new
      graduate nurses, and, thereby, lessen the nursing shortage.

PMID- 26122305
TI  - The role of endoscopic ultrasonography in endoscopic debridement of walled-off
      pancreatic necrosis--A single center experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years the significance of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)
      has increased. In our center we have also performed EUS-guided cystostomy since
      2011. Earlier we had performed this procedure without EUS. Introduction of EUS in
      our hospital has inspired us to perform a retrospective analysis of the influence
      of EUS use on the risk of complications and the effectiveness of endoscopic
      treatment of patients with WOPN. METHODS: Between years 2001 and 2013 176
      patients with symptomatic WOPN underwent endoscopic treatment in the Department
      of Gastroenterology and Hepatology of Medical University of Gdansk. The results
      and complications of treatment in relation to the use of EUS during
      drainage/debridement were compared retrospectively. RESULTS: 64 patients
      underwent EUS-guided drainage/debridement of WOPN (group 1). In the case of 112
      patients endoscopic drainage/debridement was performed without EUS control (group
      2). In group 1 therapeutic success was achieved in 60/64 (93.75%) patients in
      comparison to 104/112 (92.9%) patients in group 2 (P = 0.870). The mean duration
      of drainage/debridement in both groups was 25 days - 4-173 days in group 1 and 4
      112 days in group 2 (P = 0.519). The complications of endotherapy occurred in
      9/64 (14.06%) patients from group 1 in comparison to 29/112 (25.9%) patients from
      group 2 (P = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: In our study the use of EUS during endoscopic
      drainage/debridement of WOPN significantly reduced the number of procedure
      related complications, mainly gastrointestinal bleeding. However, it had no
      influence on the duration of treatment or the effectiveness of therapy.

PMID- 26122306
TI  - Minnelide, a novel drug for pancreatic and liver cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is the 10th leading cause of all new cancer cases
      for men and the fourth leading cause of death across genders, having very poor
      prognosis and survival rates. The current standard of care Gemcitabine fails to
      add any survival benefit for this disease (www.cancer.gov). Though the incidence
      of pancreatic cancer is found to be higher in developed countries, the aggressive
      biology of the cancer, its high rate of recurrence and chemo-resistance make it a
      formidable disease in all parts of the globe. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or
      liver cancer, on the other hand affects almost 750,000 people world wide with 84%
      of the cases coming from underdeveloped or developing countries RESULTS: Our
      studies show that Minnelide, a water soluble pro-drug of triptolide (active
      compound from a chinese herb) is very effective against a number of malignant
      diseases. CONCLUSION: The current study discusses the efficacy of this compound
      in pancreatic and liver cancer.

PMID- 26122301
TI  - Common and divergent psychobiological mechanisms underlying maternal behaviors in
      non-human and human mammals.
AB  - Maternal interactions with young occupy most of the reproductive period for
      female mammals and are absolutely essential for offspring survival and
      development. The hormonal, sensory, reward-related, emotional, cognitive and
      neurobiological regulators of maternal caregiving behaviors have been well
      studied in numerous subprimate mammalian species, and some of the importance of
      this body of work is thought to be its relevance for understanding similar
      controls in humans. We here review many of the important biopsychological
      influences on maternal behaviors in the two best studied non-human animals,
      laboratory rats and sheep, and directly examine how the conceptual framework
      established by some of the major discoveries in these animal "models" do or do
      not hold for our understanding of human mothering. We also explore some of the
      limits for extrapolating from non-human animals to humans. We conclude that there
      are many similarities between non-human and human mothers in the biological and
      psychological factors influencing their early maternal behavior and that many of
      the differences are due to species-characteristic features related to the role of
      hormones, the relative importance of each sensory system, flexibility in what
      behaviors are exhibited, the presence or absence of language, and the complexity
      of cortical function influencing caregiving behaviors. 

PMID- 26122308
TI  - Management of hypertrophic nonunion with failure of internal fixation by
      distraction osteogenesis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Distraction osteogenesis is employed in the management of
      hypertrophic nonunion associated with angular deformity and shortening. This
      study was aimed at evaluating the outcomes of Ilizarov apparatus without bone
      graft or open osteotomy in cases of hypertrophic nonunion not responding to
      treatment with internal fixation. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data
      of 12 patients (mean age, 46.5 years) treated for hypertrophic nonunion at our
      institution. All patients had two-plane angular deformities (mean, 19 degrees 
      and 23.5 degrees  in sagittal and frontal plane, respectively) and limb-length
      discrepancy (mean, 3.8cm). The Ilizarov apparatus was used to simultaneously
      treat the nonunion, malalignment, and limb-length discrepancy. RESULTS: The mean
      follow-up duration after the removal of the apparatus was 42 months. In all
      cases, bone union had been achieved within an average of 8 months after a single
      surgery, without the need for any additional procedure. Additionally, none of the
      patients had recurrence of limb-length discrepancy or malalignment during the
      follow-up period. Complications of superficial pin-tract infections and mild
      Achilles tendon contracture were observed, but they resolved over time. All
      patients were satisfied with the outcome of the surgery. CONCLUSION: Patients
      with hypertrophic nonunion associated with internal fixation failure can be
      treated by using the Ilizarov apparatus, thereby eliminating the need for bone
      graft or open osteotomy. Distraction osteogenesis appears to be effective as a
      minimally invasive percutaneous procedure in the treatment of hypertrophic
      nonunion with deformity and shortening.

PMID- 26122307
TI  - Health-related quality of life in young adults with congenital central
      hypoventilation syndrome due to PHOX2B mutations: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) is a rare genetic
      disease due to PHOX2B mutations. CCHS patients suffer from many autonomic
      disorders, dominated clinically by defective ventilatory automatisms. From birth,
      the life of CCHS patients depends on ventilatory support during sleep, involving
      a high burden of care. Whether or not this impairs the quality of life of these
      patients during adulthood remains unknown. METHODS: We applied the medical
      outcome study short form-36 (SF-36) to 12 CCHS patients aged 15-33 (9 women) at
      the time of their passage from pediatric to adult care. Scores for the SF-36
      dimensions were compared to the age- and gender-matched French reference
      population after transformation into standardized Z-scores. The SF-36 physical
      component summary score (PCS) and mental component summary score (MCS) were
      compared to American reference values. RESULTS: Median Z-scores were
      significantly different from zero for PF (physical functioning, p = 0.020) and GH
      (general health perception, p = 0.0342) and for PCS (p = 0.020). The other
      physical dimensions (RP, role limitation due to physical function; BP, bodily
      pain) and the mental dimensions (VT, vitality; SF, social functioning; RE, role
      limitation due to emotional function; MH, mental health) and MCS were not
      altered. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that, despite the physical constraints imposed
      by CCHS and its anxiogenic nature, this disease is associated with an impairment
      of health-related quality of life in young adults that remains moderate. Whatever
      the underlying explanations, these results convey hope to parents with a child
      diagnosed with CCHS and for patients themselves.

PMID- 26122309
TI  - Codon-optimized fluorescent mTFP and mCherry for microscopic visualization and
      genetic counterselection of streptococci and enterococci.
AB  - Despite the powerful potential of fluorescent proteins for labeling bacteria,
      their use has been limited in multi-species oral biofilm models. Fermentative
      metabolism by streptococcal species that initiate biofilm colonization results in
      an acidic, reduced microenvironment that may limit the activities of some
      fluorescent proteins which are influenced by pH and oxygen availability. The need
      to reliably distinguish morphologically similar strains within biofilms was the
      impetus for this work. Teal fluorescent protein (mTFP1) and red fluorescent
      protein (mCherry) were chosen because their fluorescent properties made them
      promising candidates. Since tRNA availability has been implicated in efficient
      translation of sufficient quantities of protein for maximum fluorescence, a
      streptococcal codon optimization approach was used. DNA was synthesized to encode
      either protein using codons most frequently used in streptococci; each coding
      region was preceded by an engineered ribosomal binding site and restriction sites
      for cloning a promoter. Plasmids carrying this synthesized DNA under control of
      the Streptococcus mutans lactate dehydrogenase promoter conferred fluorescence to
      nine representative streptococcal and two Enterococcus faecalis strains. Further
      characterization in Streptococcus gordonii showed that mTFP1 and mCherry
      expressions could be detected in cells grown planktonically, in biofilms, or in
      colonies on agar when expressed on an extrachromosomal plasmid or in single copy
      integrated into the chromosome. This latter property facilitated counterselection
      of chromosomal mutations demonstrating value for bacterial strain construction.
      Fluorescent and non-fluorescent bacteria were distinguishable at acidic pH. These
      codon-optimized versions of mTFP1 and mCherry have promising potential for use in
      multiple experimental applications. 

PMID- 26122310
TI  - A novel nucleic lateral flow assay for screening of PHA-producing haloarchaea.
AB  - Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are important for biodegradable plastic production,
      and prokaryotes play a very important role in PHA production. PHA synthase is a
      key enzyme for the polymerization of PHAs. There are four classes of PHA
      synthase. The phaC gene is necessary for the production of all classes of PHA
      synthase, whereas the phaE gene is necessary for the production of class III PHA
      synthase. This gene is a biomarker for microorganisms that contain class III PHA
      synthase, such as haloarchaea. Standard techniques for screening of PHA-producing
      haloarchaea require time for culturing and have poor specificity and sensitivity.
      Thus, the phaE biosensor was developed to overcome these issues. PCR and DNA
      lateral flow biosensor techniques were combined for construction of the phaE
      biosensor. The phaE biosensor has a high specificity for PHA-producing
      haloarchaea. The lowest amount of genomic DNA of Haloquadratum walsbyi DSM 16854
      that the phaE gene could be detected by the biosensor was approximately 250 fg.
      The phaE biosensor can be applied for screening of PHA-producing haloarchaea from
      environmental samples. The phaE biosensor is easy to handle and dispose. For
      screening PHA-producing haloarchaea, the phaE biosensor requires less time and
      costs less than the standard methods.

PMID- 26122311
TI  - Effect of mevalonic acid on cholesterol synthesis in bovine intramuscular and
      subcutaneous adipocytes.
AB  - Mevalonic acid (MVA) is a key material in the synthesis of cholesterol; indeed,
      intracellular cholesterol synthesis is also called the mevalonic acid pathway. 3
      Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) is an essential enzyme in
      cholesterol biosynthesis. This study suggests that MVA may play an important role
      in the differentiation of bovine adipose tissue in vivo. We investigated
      differential mRNA expression in bovine intramuscular preadipocytes (BIPs) and
      bovine subcutaneous preadipocytes (BSPs) by culturing cells from the longissimus
      dorsi muscle and subcutaneous fat tissues of Luxi yellow cattle. The morphology
      of lipid accumulation of bovine preadipocytes was detected by Oil Red O staining,
      and total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), and high
      density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) levels were measured. Temporospatial
      expression of HMGR was investigated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR). The TC, LDLC, and HDLC content did not significantly differ over
      time but increased slowly with increasing MVA concentration. HMGR expression
      increased over time and with increasing concentrations of MVA. MVA increased
      adipose cell proliferation in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. MVA
      stimulated HMGR expression in two cell types and its influence on adipocyte
      differentiation.

PMID- 26122312
TI  - Dietary metal toxicity to the marine sea hare, Aplysia californica.
AB  - Metal pollution from anthropogenic inputs is a concern in many marine
      environments. Metals accumulate in tissue and in excess cause toxicity in marine
      organisms. This study investigated the accumulation and effects of dietary metals
      in a macroinvertebrate. The green seaweed, Ulva lactuca and the red seaweed,
      Agardhiella subulata were each concurrently exposed to two concentrations (100 or
      1000 MUg/L) of five metals (Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd, and Zn). Additionally, U. lactuca was
      exposed to 10 MUg/L of the metal mixture as well as 10 or 100 MUg/L of each metal
      individually for 48 h. The seaweeds were then used as food for the sea hare,
      Aplysia californica for two to three weeks depending on the exposure
      concentration. Body mass of A. californica was measured weekly, and at the end of
      the exposure duration, metal concentrations were quantified in dissected organs
      (mouth, esophagus, crop, gizzard, ovotestis, heart, hepatopancreas, gill, and the
      carcass). Metal distribution and accumulation in the organs of A. californica
      varied with the metal. A. californica fed the metal-exposed diets had
      significantly reduced body weight by the end of the exposure periods, as compared
      to controls; however, differences were observed in the extent of growth
      reductions, dependent on exposure concentration, duration, and exposure regime
      (metal mixture versus individual metal-exposed diet). Metal mixture diets
      decreased A. californica growth more so than comparable individual metal diets,
      despite more metal accumulating in the individual metal diets. Additionally, Zn-
      and Cu-contaminated algal diets decreased control-normalized growth of A.
      californica significantly more than comparable Cd-, Pb-, or Ni-contaminated
      diets. The seaweed diets in this study contained environmentally relevant tissue
      metal burdens. Therefore, these results have implications for metals in marine
      systems.

PMID- 26122313
TI  - Metal and metallothionein distribution in different tissues of the Mediterranean
      clam Venerupis philippinarum during copper treatment and detoxification.
AB  - Filter feeding animals can accumulate large amount of contaminants in their body
      through particles filtered from seawater. In particular, copper is interesting
      since it plays important roles as co-factor of numerous proteins but its toxicity
      is well established, also because it can readily generate free radicals or
      oxidize cellular components through their redox activity. Its availability is
      tightly regulated within cells: it is immediately transferred to metallothionein
      (MT) that in turn provides efficient and specific mechanisms for its
      intracellular storage and transport. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      acute effect of sublethal copper concentrations in Venerupis philippinarum, by
      studying the kinetics of copper, zinc (for its interactions at the sites of
      intake or elimination with the accumulation of other essential and not essential
      trace metals) and metallothionein accumulation under laboratory conditions. The
      time-course of metal accumulation/elimination is similar in digestive gland and
      gills and importantly it is dose-dependent. Both copper and zinc increase slowly
      within cells, reaching a maximum concentration at the end of the exposure period.
      During the detoxification period, the metal levels in digestive gland and gills
      rapidly decrease, with different kinetics in the two tissues. Positive
      correlations between metallothionein accumulation and copper or zinc
      concentrations have been verified in both treated groups. The obtained data
      demonstrated the involvement of MTs in detoxification strategies after a recovery
      period in clean seawater. 

PMID- 26122314
TI  - Unmet Health Care Service Needs of Children With Disabilities in Penang,
      Malaysia.
AB  - Information on unmet health care needs reveal problems that are related to
      unavailability and inaccessibility of services. The study objectives were to
      determine the prevalence, and the reasons for unmet service needs among children
      with disabilities in the state of Penang, Malaysia. Caregivers of children with
      disabilities aged 0 to 12 years registered with the Penang Social Welfare
      Department in 2012 answered a self-administered mailed questionnaire. A total of
      305 questionnaires were available for analysis (response rate 37.9%). Services
      that were very much needed and yet highly unmet were dental services (49.6%
      needed, 59.9% unmet), dietary advice (30.9% needed, 63.3% unmet), speech therapy
      (56.9% needed, 56.8% unmet), psychology services (25.5% needed, 63.3% unmet), and
      communication aids (33.0% needed, 79.2% unmet). Access problems were mainly due
      to logistic issues and caregivers not knowing where to obtain services. Findings
      from this study can be used to inform strategies for service delivery and
      advocacy for children with disabilities in Penang, Malaysia. 

PMID- 26122315
TI  - Carbene insertion into a P-H bond: parent phosphinidene-carbene adducts from PH3
      and bis(phosphinidene)mercury complexes.
AB  - PH3 reacts with the in situ generated N-heterocyclic carbene DippNHC* (DippNHC* =
      1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene) to give the phosphanyl
      imidazolidine [(Dipp)NHC*-H]-[PH2]. Upon treatment with an ortho-quinone,
      [(Dipp)NHC*-H]-[PH2] is dehydrogenated to give the parent phosphinidene-carbene
      adduct (Dipp)NHC*[double bond, length as m-dash]PH. Alternative routes to
      [(Dipp)NHC*-H]-[PH2] and (Dipp)NHC*[double bond, length as m-dash]PH employ NaPH2
      and (TMS)3P7 (TMS = trimethylsilyl), respectively, as phosphorus sources. The
      adduct (Dipp)NHC*[double bond, length as m-dash]PH and the related adduct
      (Dipp)NHC[double bond, length as m-dash]PH ((Dipp)NHC = bis(2,6
      diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) possessing an unsaturated NHC backbone both
      react with HgCl2 to give the bis(carbene-phosphinidenyl) complexes
      [((Dipp)NHC*[double bond, length as m-dash]P)2Hg] and [((Dipp)NHC[double bond,
      length as m-dash]P)2Hg]. 

PMID- 26122316
TI  - Optimizing Eating Performance for Older Adults With Dementia Living in Long-term
      Care: A Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Review of research to date has been focusing on maintaining weight
      and nutrition with little attention on optimizing eating performance. OBJECTIVE:
      To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions on eating performance for older
      adults with dementia in long-term care (LTC). METHODS: A systematic review was
      performed. Five databases including Pubmed, Medline (OVID), EBM Reviews (OVID),
      PsychINFO (OVID), and CINAHL (EBSCOHost) were searched between January 1980 and
      June 2014. Keywords included dementia, Alzheimer, feed(ing), eat(ing),
      mealtime(s), oral intake, autonomy, and intervention. Intervention studies that
      optimize eating performance and evaluate change of self-feeding or eating
      performance among older adults (>=65 years) with dementia in LTC were eligible.
      Studies were screened by title and abstract, and full texts were reviewed for
      eligibility. Eligible studies were classified by intervention type. Study quality
      was accessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies, and
      level of evidence using the 2011 Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine
      (OCEBM) Levels of Evidence. RESULTS: Eleven intervention studies (five randomized
      controlled trials [RCTs]) were identified, and classified into four types:
      training program, mealtime assistance, environmental modification, and
      multicomponent intervention. The quality of the 11 studies was generally moderate
      (four studies were rated as strong, four moderate, and three weak in quality),
      with the main threats as weak designs, lack of blinding and control for
      confounders, and inadequate psychometric evidence for measures. Training programs
      targeting older adults (Montessori methods and spaced retrieval) demonstrated
      good evidence in decreasing feeding difficulty. Mealtime assistance offered by
      nursing staff (e.g., verbal prompts and cues, positive reinforcement, appropriate
      praise and encouragement) also showed effectiveness in improving eating
      performance. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: This review provided preliminary support
      for using training and mealtime assistance to optimize eating performance for
      older adults with dementia in LTC. Future effectiveness studies may focus on
      training nursing caregivers as interventionists, lengthening intervention
      duration, and including residents with varying levels of cognitive impairment in
      diverse cultures. The effectiveness of training combined with mealtime assistance
      may also be tested to achieve better resident outcomes in eating performance.

PMID- 26122317
TI  - Investigating the costs of major and minor cycling crashes in Tasmania,
      Australia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A pilot study to estimate the societal costs of cycling crashes in
      Tasmania. METHODS: A telephone-based questionnaire collected information on
      demographics, cycling habits and details of major and minor crashes. Costs were
      estimated from medical resource consumption, lost work and leisure time. RESULTS:
      The survey was completed by 136 cyclists. Participants reported 59 major crashes
      in five years preceding the interview and 27 minor crashes in 12 months. Mean
      (standard deviation) costs/major crash were $12,499 ($14,301), including direct
      medical costs $2,569 ($4,523), direct non-medical costs $372 ($728), indirect
      costs of $6,027 ($10,092) and costs of lost leisure time $3,531 ($7,062).
      Costs/minor crashes were $632 ($795), including direct non-medical costs of $225
      ($601), productivity losses of $117 ($210) and costs of lost leisure time $290
      (622). Total annual costs of major cycling crashes in Tasmania were $4,239,097
      ($4,850,255). CONCLUSIONS: Indirect costs and costs due to lost leisure time are
      major contributors to the total societal costs. The comprehensive quantification
      of costs of crashes will inform decision makers formulating policies that improve
      the safety of cyclists leading to reductions in the economic burden on society.

PMID- 26122318
TI  - An Interfacial Europium Complex on SiO2 Nanoparticles: Reduction-Induced Blue
      Emission System.
AB  - In this study, Eu-coated SiO2 nanoparticles have been prepared, consisting of an
      interfacial complex of Eu and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) at the solid surfaces of
      the SiO2/Eu nanostructures. The as-prepared SiO2/Eu/phen nanoparticles exhibits
      sharp red emission via energy transfer from the phen to the Eu(III). After
      sintering at 200  degrees C in air, the emission is tuned from red to blue. The
      blue emission is originated from Eu(II). This reduction-induced emissive
      phenomenon resulted from the electron-donating environment created by the
      surrounding phen and SiO2, which is the first reported fabrication of a stable
      Eu(II)-based emissive material using mild conditions (reaction in air and at low
      temperature) and an organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructure. The existence of two
      different stable oxidation states with characteristic emissions, blue emissive
      Eu(II) and red emissive Eu(III), suggests significant potential applications as
      novel luminescent materials with inorganic-organic hybrid structures. 

PMID- 26122320
TI  - Parathyroid function: Key role for dicer-dependent miRNAs.

PMID- 26122321
TI  - Closing the NET on impaired wound healing in diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 26122322
TI  - Paracetamol-induced endocrine disruption in human fetal testes.

PMID- 26122319
TI  - Cognitive and autonomic determinants of energy homeostasis in obesity.
AB  - Obesity ensues from an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure that
      results from gene-environment interactions, which favour a positive energy
      balance. A society that promotes unhealthy food and encourages sedentary
      lifestyle (that is, an obesogenic environment) has become a major contributory
      factor in excess fat deposition in individuals predisposed to obesity. Energy
      homeostasis relies upon control of energy intake as well as expenditure, which is
      in part determined by the themogenesis of brown adipose tissue and mediated by
      the sympathetic nervous system. Several areas of the brain that constitute
      cognitive and autonomic brain systems, which in turn form networks involved in
      the control of appetite and thermogenesis, also contribute to energy homeostasis.
      These networks include the dopamine mesolimbic circuit, as well as the opioid,
      endocannabinoid and melanocortin systems. The activity of these networks is
      modulated by peripheral factors such as hormones derived from adipose tissue and
      the gut, which access the brain via the circulation and neuronal signalling
      pathways to inform the central nervous system about energy balance and
      nutritional status. In this Review, I focus on the determinants of energy
      homeostasis that have emerged as prominent factors relevant to obesity. 

PMID- 26122323
TI  - The course of dry eye after phacoemulsification surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the course of dry
      eye syndrome after phacoemulsification surgery. METHODS: One hundred and ninety
      two eyes of 96 patients (30 males, 66 females) with chronic dry eye syndrome and
      cataract, who had undergone phacoemulsification surgery were enrolled in this
      study. RESULTS: Their mean age was 68.46 +/- 8.14 standard deviation (SD) (range
      56-83) years . Thirty of them (31 %) were males and 66 (69 %) were females.
      Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire scores increased
      postoperatively, but arrived preoperative levels at the end of 3rd month
      following the surgery. Fluorescein staining patterns according to Oxford Schema
      got worse postoperatively, however after postoperative 3rd month they got better
      and resembled preoperative patterns. The mean postoperative 1st day, 1st week and
      1st month Break-up Time (BUT) values were significantly lower than preoperative
      BUT value (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001), however 3rd month, 6th month, 1st
      year and 2nd year values were not significantly different from preoperative value
      (P = 0.441, P = 0.078, P = 0.145, P = 0.125). The mean postoperative 1st day, 1st
      week and 1st month Schirmer Test 1 (ST1) values were significantly lower than
      preoperative ST1 value (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001), however 3rd month, 6th
      month, 1st year and 2nd year values were not significantly different from
      preoperative value (P = 0.748, P = 0.439, P = 0.091, P = 0.214). CONCLUSION:
      Phacoemulsification surgery may aggravate the signs and symptoms of dry eye and
      affect dry eye test values in chronic dry eye patients in short-term. However, in
      long-term, signs and symptoms of dry eye decrease and dry eye test values return
      to preoperative values.

PMID- 26122324
TI  - Cerebral vascular findings in PAPA syndrome: cerebral arterial vasculopathy or
      vasculitis and a posterior cerebral artery dissecting aneurysm.
AB  - A young patient with PAPA (pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and acne)
      syndrome developed an unusual cerebral arterial vasculopathy/vasculitis (CAV)
      that resulted in subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured dissecting posterior
      cerebral artery (PCA) aneurysm. This aneurysm was successfully treated by
      endovascular coil sacrifice of the affected segment of the PCA. The patient made
      an excellent recovery with no significant residual neurologic deficit. 

PMID- 26122325
TI  - Transvenous sclerotherapy of a large symptomatic orbital venous varix using a
      microcatheter balloon and bleomycin.
AB  - An orbital venous varix is rare and can present with diplopia, proptosis, or
      hemorrhage. Treatment can be challenging, especially if the varix is in a
      posterior location within the orbit, since surgical exposure becomes difficult. A
      few case reports have been published describing transcatheter embolization of an
      orbital varix with coils, direct percutaneous injection of n-butyl cyanoacrylate
      glue, and the percutaneous injection of bleomycin. We present a case of a
      symptomatic orbital venous varix of the left inferior ophthalmic vein
      successfully treated with transvenous endovascular sclerotherapy using a
      microcatheter balloon and bleomycin. 

PMID- 26122326
TI  - Covered stents for exclusion of iatrogenic common carotid artery-internal jugular
      vein fistula and brachiocephalic artery pseudoaneurysm.
AB  - Covered stents have rarely been used in neuroendovascular procedures. We report
      the case of a 74-year-old woman with a complex iatrogenic vascular injury from
      attempted insertion of a hemodialysis catheter: concurrent brachiocephalic artery
      pseudoaneurysm and common carotid artery to internal jugular vein fistula. Both
      lesions were excluded successfully by using two balloon-expandable covered stents
      with a satisfactory short-term clinical and angiographic outcome. 

PMID- 26122328
TI  - Revision on Renal Sympathetic Ablation in the Treatment of Resistant
      Hypertension.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Hypertension is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world,
      with about 1 billion people affected and a possible increase to 1.5 billion by
      2025. Despite advances in treatment, a proportion of patients remain resistant to
      conventional treatment and uncontrolled, and this can adversely affect future
      cardiovascular events and mortality. This alarming growth is already reflected in
      an important public health problem and one of the largest economic burdens of
      health, requiring new approaches and development of different strategies to fight
      this problem. OBJECTIVES: This review will focus on the definition of resistant
      hypertension and its etiology, as well as in contemporary evidence supporting the
      usefulness of renal sympathetic denervation while addressing current and emerging
      devices, potential treatment indications in the future and unresolved issues that
      need to be addressed before renal sympathetic denervation can be adopted not only
      as a last resort exclusively for resistant hypertension. Finally an evaluation
      algorithm for patients with resistant hypertension which should be implemented
      before the execution of this technique will be proposed. RESULTS: Renal
      sympathetic denervation is a technique that possibly could have future
      implications in the population with hypertension, especially those with true
      resistant hypertension. This technique aims to reduce the renal sympathetic
      activation (a component in the pathophysiology of hypertension) through the
      destruction of the renal sympathetic nerves located in the adventitia of the
      renal arteries. There are several catheters that can be used; each with its
      specifications and therefore their selection should be made individually
      depending on the profile of the patient. However, a detailed pre-procedure
      evaluation is extremely important to exclude the large percentage of individuals
      with uncontrolled hypertension due to several factors that make it impossible to
      control blood pressure, but are likely to be corrected and as such should be
      treated first. CONCLUSION: Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy and
      safety both in resistant hypertension as in other co-morbidities. However, there
      is no marker to evaluate the effectiveness of this technique, neither a robust
      predictor of a stronger response in certain patients. Additionally there are
      several factors that seem to influence various parameters related to this
      technique. Therefore there is a need for additional studies to consolidate the
      data existing on the renal sympathetic denervation.

PMID- 26122329
TI  - Vascular Endothelial Primary Cilia: Mechanosensation and Hypertension.
AB  - Primary cilia are sensory organelles that extend from the cell surface and sense
      extracellular signals. Endothelial primary cilia protruding from the inner
      surface of blood vessel walls sense changes in blood flow and convert this
      mechanosensation into an intracellular biochemical/molecular signal, which
      triggers a cellular response. Primary endothelial cilia dysfunction may
      contribute to the impairment of this response and thus be directly implicated in
      the development of vascular abnormalities such as hypertension and aneurysms.
      Using both in vitro techniques as well as in vivo animal models, we and others
      have investigated fluid flow mechanosensory functions of endothelial cilia in
      cultured cells, animal models and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease
      (ADPKD) patients. More in-depth studies directed at identification of the
      mechanisms of fluid flow sensing will further enhance our knowledge of cilia
      dependent vascular pathology. Although the current treatments aimed at treating
      the cardiovascular symptoms in ADPKD patients successfully slowed the progression
      of cyst growth, there is growing evidence which suggests that drugs which
      interfere with primary cilia function or structure could reduce cardiovascular
      complications in ADPKD. This review is to summarize the most recent studies on
      primary endothelial cilia function in the vascular system and to present primary
      cilia as a novel therapeutic target for vascular hypertension. 

PMID- 26122330
TI  - Corrigendum: Role of Ran-regulated nuclear-cytoplasmic trafficking of pVHL in the
      regulation of microtubular stability-mediated HIF-1alpha in hypoxic
      cardiomyocytes.

PMID- 26122331
TI  - High-speed, high-resolution, multielemental laser ablation-inductively coupled
      plasma-time-of-flight mass spectrometry imaging: part I. Instrumentation and two
      dimensional imaging of geological samples.
AB  - Low-dispersion laser ablation (LA) has been combined with inductively coupled
      plasma-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ICP-TOFMS) to provide full-spectrum
      elemental imaging at high lateral resolution and fast image-acquisition speeds.
      The low-dispersion LA cell reported here is capable of delivering 99% of the
      total LA signal within 9 ms, and the prototype TOFMS instrument enables
      simultaneous and representative determination of all elemental ions from these
      fast-transient ablation events. This fast ablated-aerosol transport eliminates
      the effects of pulse-to-pulse mixing at laser-pulse repetition rates up to 100
      Hz. Additionally, by boosting the instantaneous concentration of LA aerosol into
      the ICP with the use of a low-dispersion ablation cell, signal-to-noise (S/N)
      ratios, and thus limits of detection (LODs), are improved for all measured
      isotopes; the lowest LODs are in the single digit parts per million for single
      shot LA signal from a 10-MUm diameter laser spot. Significantly, high
      sensitivity, multielemental and single-shot-resolved detection enables the use of
      small LA spot sizes to improve lateral resolution and the development of single
      shot quantitative imaging, while also maintaining fast image-acquisition speeds.
      Here, we demonstrate simultaneous elemental imaging of major and minor
      constituents in an Opalinus clay-rock sample at a 1.5 MUm laser-spot diameter and
      quantitative imaging of a multidomain Pallasite meteorite at a 10 MUm LA-spot
      size. 

PMID- 26122332
TI  - The complete plastid genome of Bunge's pine Pinus bungeana (Pinaceae).
AB  - The complete nucleotide sequence of Bunge's pine Pinus bungeana Zucc. ex Endl.
      chloroplast genome (cp DNA) was determined in this study. The cpDNA was 117 861
      bp in length, containing a pair of 475 bp inverted repeat regions (IRa and IRb),
      which were separated by large and small single copy regions (LSC and SSC) of 65
      373 and 51 538 bp, respectively. The cpDNA contained 111 genes, including 71
      protein-coding genes (71 PCG species), 4 ribosomal RNA genes (4 rRNA species) and
      36 tRNA genes (32 tRNA species). In these genes, 13 harbored a single intron and
      1 (ycf3) contained a couple of introns. The overall AT content of Bunge's pine
      cpDNA is 61.2%, while the corresponding values of the LSC, SSC and IR regions are
      61.9%, 60.2% and 62.5%, respectively. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on the
      maximum parsimony analysis suggested that all the sampled Pinus species clustered
      a monophyletic clade and have a high bootstrap support, and the cpDNA of P.
      bungeana is closely related to that of congeneric P. gerardiana.

PMID- 26122333
TI  - Complete mitogenome of a variegated racerunner, Eremias vermiculata, from north
      of Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China.
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome was determined from a variegated racerunner,
      Eremias vermiculata, which was collected from north of Tianshan Mountains,
      Xinjiang, China. The mitogenome sequence was 19,494 bp in size, containing 13
      protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and a control region (D-loop),
      which is similar to the typical mtDNA of vertebrates. All the protein-coding
      genes in E. vermiculata were distributed on the H-strand, except the ND6 gene and
      eight tRNA genes, which were encoded on the L-strand. The mitogenome sequence
      herein will provide fundamental data for further investigating the
      phylogeographical pattern of E. vermiculata, along with testing the barrier
      effect of the Tianshan Mountains to gene flow. A preliminary phylogenetic
      inference has been implemented with five racerunner species and several other
      related lacertid species.

PMID- 26122334
TI  - The phylogenetic position of the roughskin skate Dipturus trachyderma (Krefft &
      Stehmann, 1975) (Rajiformes, Rajidae) inferred from the mitochondrial genome.
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the roughskin skate Dipturus trachyderma is
      described from 1 455 724 sequences obtained using Illumina NGS technology. Total
      length of the mitogenome was 16 909 base pairs, comprising 2 rRNAs, 13 protein
      coding genes, 22 tRNAs and 2 non-coding regions. Phylogenetic analysis based on
      mtDNA revealed low genetic divergence among longnose skates, in particular, those
      dwelling the continental shelf and slope off the coasts of Chile and Argentina.

PMID- 26122335
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of the hybrid of Pagrus major (?) *
      Acanthopagrus schlegelii (?).
AB  - The complete mitochondrial sequence of the hybrid from red bream (Pagrus major ?)
      * black porgy (Acanthopagrus schlegelii ?) was firstly determined by using the
      PCR-based method. The total length of the mitogenome genes of the hybrid was 17
      028 bp in accordance with red bream, and it contained 13 protein-coding genes, 22
      transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and one control regions. Compared
      with the complete mitochondrial genome of its parents, the results showed that
      the hybrid of P. major (?) * A. schlegelii (?) was consistent with a maternal
      inheritance. All protein initiation codons are ATG, except for COX1 that begins
      with GTG. The complete mitogenome of the hybrid of P. major (?) * A. schlegelii
      (?) provides an important data set for the exploration of mitochondrial
      inheritance mechanism.

PMID- 26122336
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of Galeruca daurica (Joannis) (Coleoptera:
      Chrysomelidae).
AB  - Galeruca daurica (Joannis) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is one of important pests
      in the Inner Mongolia grasslands. The complete mitochondrial genome was
      sequenced. The genome is 16 615 bp long, with an AT content of 78.1%, containing
      37 typical animal mitochondrial genes and an AT-rich region. All 13 PCGs share
      the start codon ATN, and the usual termination codons (TAA and TAG) are found
      from 13 protein-coding genes, except for COI, COII, and ND4 (T). All the 22
      typical animal tRNA genes are found in G. daurica mt-genome, and most of the
      tRNAs could be folded into the classic cloverleaf secondary structure except for
      tRNA-Ser (AGN), which lacks the dihydrouracil (DHU) stem. The sizes of the large
      ribosomal RNA genes are 1276 bp long and small ribosomal RNA genes are 747 bp
      long. The AT content of the AT-rich region is 79.0%. Phylogenetic analysis
      supports that the coleopteran insects from the same family cluster in the same
      group, and Chrysomelidae and Tenebrionidae are basal to the Cerambycidae.
      Galeruca daurica has a closest relationship with Diabrotica barberi and
      Diabrotica virgifera.

PMID- 26122337
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genomes for Icelus spatula, Aspidophoroides olrikii and
      Leptoclinus maculatus: pan-Arctic marine fishes from Canadian waters.
AB  - Three Arctic marine fishes Icelus spatula, Aspidophoroides olrikii and
      Leptoclinus maculatus have been identified as target species for investigating
      the effects of ocean warming on population patterns in high-latitude marine
      habitats around Canada. In preparation for this research, we have resolved whole
      mitochondrial genome sequences of 16 384, 17 200 and 16 384 bp for each species,
      respectively. GC content for each species was 47.5%, 44.2% and 45.3%,
      respectively. Mitogenome gene composition included 13 protein-encoding genes, 2
      rRNA and 22 tRNA genes, for I. spatula and L. maculatus, consistent with other
      teleosts. Only 20 tRNA genes were annotated for A. olrikii, because tRNA-Pro and
      tRNA-Thr are poorly characterized and aberrantly located in this species.

PMID- 26122338
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genome of the Common redpoll (Carduelis flammea).
AB  - The Common redpoll (Carduelis flammea) is one species of family Fringillidae. In
      the present study, we determined the complete mitochondrial DNA sequences of this
      species. The mitochondrial genome of Common redpoll is a circular molecule of 16
      820 bp in size and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes
      and 1 control region. The total base composition is 31.35% for C, 14.14% for G,
      30.57% for A and 23.94% for T, respectively. The phylogenetic tree of Common
      redpoll and 12 other closely related Fringillidae species was built. These data
      will be useful for studying the genetic diversity within the species of Common
      redpoll and phylogenetic relationships among different Fringillidae species.

PMID- 26122339
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genome of the hybrid of Acipenser schrenckii (?) * Huso
      dauricus (?).
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the hybrid of Acipenser schrenckii
      (?) * Huso dauricus (?) (A * H) was first determined by a PCR-based sequencing
      method in this study. The mitochondrial was 16 687 bp in length, including 13
      protein genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and
      one control region. All genes were encoded on the heavy strain except for ND6 and
      eight tRNA genes. Base composition of the heavy strain was A (29.80%), T
      (24.42%), C (28.94%), G (16.82%), and with A + T bias of 54.26%. Compared with
      the complete mitochondrial genome of the parents, results showed the hybrid
      sturgeon was consistent with a maternal inheritance; however, we also found ND6
      and tRNA-Glu which were species-specific for the male parent H. dauricus. The
      complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the A * H provided an important data
      set for further study in mitochondrial inheritance mechanism.

PMID- 26122340
TI  - Complete mitochondrial genome of the endemic South Korean species Odontobutis
      interrupta (Perciformes, Odontobutidae).
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome of Odontobutis interrupta (Perciformes,
      Odontobutidae), a species endemic to South Korea, is reported here for the first
      time. The O. interrupta mitogenome is 16 802 base pairs in total length and
      includes 13 PCGs, small and large rRNAs, a control region and 22 tRNAs. Nine
      genes are encoded on the light strand and 29 on the heavy strand. The O.
      interrupta mitochondrial genome has a conserved gene order compared to four other
      Odontobutis species and Micropercops swinhonis, a closely related species. The
      data will provide useful molecular information for phylogenetic studies
      concerning Odontobutidae and its related species.

PMID- 26122341
TI  - DNA barcoding of two solitary ascidians, Herdmania momus Savigny, 1816 and
      Microcosmus squamiger Michaelsen, 1927 from Thoothukudi coast, India.
AB  - Morphology-based taxonomical studies of ascidians in India are meagre due to lack
      of ascidian taxonomist and limitations inherent in conventional system-based
      identification. The use of short fragment of mitochondrial DNA sequence is
      proving highly useful in identifying species in a situation where, the
      traditional morphology-based identification is difficult. In the present study,
      two adult solitary ascidians collected from the Thoothukudi coast were
      morphologically identified as Herdmania momus Savigny, 1816 and Microcosmus
      squamiger Michaelsen, 1927. The genomic DNA of these ascidians was isolated, COI
      gene was amplified, sequenced and submitted to the GenBank under the accession
      numbers KM058116, KM411616 and KJ944390. Homology search result using BLAST
      showed that H. momus showed 100% matched with other H. momus, while M. squamiger
      showed similarity with Pyura herdmani, a member of the same family Pyuridae. The
      phylogenetic and genetic distance was maximum in interspecies than in
      intraspecies. These COI sequences will allow the identification of the species
      through DNA barcoding technique. Here, we report for the first time the COI gene
      of H. momus, Savigny 1816 from the Indian coast.

PMID- 26122342
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Plotosus japonicus (Siluriformes:
      Plotosidae) and phylogenetic studies of Siluriformes.
AB  - In this study, we first determined and described the complete mitogenome sequence
      of Plotosus japonicus, which is a kind of marine fish widely distributed in
      Northwest Pacific. The complete mitogenome sequence is 16 472 bp in length,
      containing 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, a putative
      control region (CR) and a light-strand replication origin (OL). The overall base
      composition is 31.9% A, 24.7% T, 27.7% C, 15.7% G, with a slight AT bias (56.6%),
      similar to other vertebrate mitochondrial genomes. All the protein-coding genes
      use the initiation codon ATG except COI uses GTG. Most of them have TAA or TAG as
      the stop codon, while COII and ND4 use AGA, COIII and Cytb use an incomplete stop
      codon TA or T. Maximum Likelihood (ML) tree and Bayesian analyses based on
      concatenated nucleotide sequences of 12 mitochondrial protein-coding genes were
      constructed and both yielded identical topologies. These results are expected to
      provide useful molecular data for species identification and further phylogenetic
      studies of Siluriformes.

PMID- 26122343
TI  - The complete mitochondrial genome of Perca schrenkii (Perciformes: Percidae).
AB  - The complete mitochondrial genome of Perca schrenkii was obtained in the present
      study. The total length of the mitogenome was 16 536 bp in accordance with other
      teleost fish. It consisted of 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA
      genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes) and 2 main non-coding regions (the control
      region and the origin of the light strand replication). All protein-coding genes
      started with ATG except for COX1, which began with GTG. However, the termination
      codons of 13 protein-coding genes were varied with TAA, TA, T or TAG. The overall
      base composition in descending order was T 27.9%, C 27.7%, A 27.1% and G 17.4%,
      with a slight A + T bias. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence may provide
      important information for phylogenetic analysis and studies on the population
      genetics of P. schrenkii.

PMID- 26122344
TI  - Complete genome sequence and SNPs of Raja pulchra (Rajiformes, Rajidae)
      mitochondria.
AB  - Mitochondrial genomes were sequenced from five Raja pulchra individuals, and
      single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified by comparing previously
      announced sequences in this study. Total 117 SNPs were detected and they were
      present in 2 rRNA genes, 9 tRNA genes, 13 protein coding genes and non-coding
      region. One deleted polymorphic site, which was located in 16S rRNA gene, was
      observed in two individuals. Six polymorphic sites were non-synonymous SNPs,
      which were distributed in ND1, ND2, ATP6 and ND4 gene. Phylogenic analysis
      validated current taxa. The genome sequences of R. pulchra mitochondria could be
      comparable information for understanding species divergence and genomic variation
      among the populations.

PMID- 26122345
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of first-line induction and maintenance treatment sequences in
      non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the U.S.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Due to the lack of direct head-to-head trials, there are limited data
      regarding the comparative effectiveness of induction-maintenance sequences. The
      objective of this study was to develop a cost-effectiveness model to compare
      induction-maintenance sequences in the US for the treatment of advanced non
      squamous NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Decision analytic modelling was used to
      synthesize the treatment effect and baseline risk estimates for nine induction
      and maintenance treatment sequences, reflecting treatments used in the US. The
      model was structured using an area-under-the-curve approach and sensitivity
      analyses were conducted. Model validation was conducted by an independent third
      party. RESULTS: All active maintenance therapy-containing regimens, with the
      exception of gemcitabine+cisplatin (first-line)->erlotinib (maintenance), were
      more costly than induction-only regimens. Concerning treatments that may be cost
      effective, the incremental costs per life-year gained were $121,425, $148,994,
      and $191,270 for gemcitabine+cisplatin->erlotinib versus gemcitabine+cisplatin
      >best supportive care (BSC), pemetrexed+cisplatin->BSC versus
      gemcitabine+cisplatin->erlotinib, and for pemetrexed+cisplatin->pemetrexed versus
      pemetrexed+cisplatin->BSC, respectively. All other regimens were found to be
      dominated (carboplatin+paclitaxel->BSC; carboplatin+paclitaxel->erlotinib;
      carboplatin+paclitaxel->pemetrexed; bevacizumab+carboplatin+paclitaxel
      >bevacizumab) or extendedly dominated (cisplatin+gemcitabine->pemetrexed).
      Sensitivity analyses demonstrated stability. CONCLUSIONS: Depending on the
      specific cost-effectiveness threshold used by a decision maker, the most cost
      effective treatment sequence may include the referent comparator
      gemcitabine+cisplatin and the studied regimens of gemcitabine+cisplatin
      >erlotinib, pemetrexed+cisplatin->BSC, or pemetrexed+cisplatin->pemetrexed.

PMID- 26122346
TI  - Variant of BCL3 gene is strongly associated with five-year survival of non-small
      cell lung cancer patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: BCL3, a known atypical IkappaB family member, has been documented to
      be upregulated in hematological malignancies and in some solid tumors,
      functioning as a crucial player in tumor development. Recently, rs8100239, a tag
      Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) in BCL3 (T>A) has been identified, but there
      are no data regarding its involvement in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      initiation and progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To study the possible
      association of BCL3 with NSCLC, 268 patients and 279 healthy controls were
      genotyped for rs8100239. Moreover, BCL3 protein expression was also investigated
      in 112 NSCLC cases through an immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: NSCLC
      patients with AA genotype displayed significantly worse prognosis compared to T
      allele carriers (P<0.001), who had less frequent intermediate nuclear BCL3
      expression (P=0.042). In addition, overexpression of BCL3 was detected in tumor
      specimens, compared to normal tissue (P<0.001). Furthermore, BCL3 protein levels
      were associated with five-year survival (P=0.039), maximum diameter of lesion
      (P=0.012), grade (P=0.002) and relapse frequency (P=0.041). CONCLUSIONS: The
      present study is the first to show a relationship between the genetic variation
      rs8100239 of BCL3 and cancer patients' survival. It also represents the first
      quantitative evaluation of BCL3 expression in NSCLC. Our findings indicate that
      rs8100239 may be considered as a novel prognostic indicator, demonstrating also
      the overexpression of BCL3 protein in NSCLC and implicating this pivotal molecule
      in the pathogenesis of NSCLC.

PMID- 26122347
TI  - Perceived Educational Needs of the Integrated Care Psychiatric Consultant.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: With the increased implementation of models that integrate behavioral
      health with other medical care, there is a need for a workforce of integrated
      care providers, including psychiatrists, who are trained to deliver mental health
      care in new ways and meet the needs of a primary care population. However, little
      is known about the educational needs of psychiatrists in practice delivering
      integrated care to inform the development of integrated care training
      experiences. METHOD: The educational needs of the integrated care team were
      assessed by surveying psychiatric consultants who work in integrated care.
      RESULTS: A convenience sample of 52 psychiatrists working in integrated care
      responded to the survey. The majority of the topics included in the survey were
      considered educational priorities (>50% of the psychiatrists rated them as
      essential) for the psychiatric consultant role. Psychiatrists' perspectives on
      educational priorities for behavioral health providers (BHPs) and primary care
      providers (PCPs) were also identified. Almost all psychiatrists reported that
      they provide educational support for PCPs and BHPs (for PCP 92%; for BHP 96%).
      CONCLUSIONS: The information provided in this report suggests likely educational
      needs of the integrated care psychiatric consultant and provides insight into the
      learning needs of other integrated care team members. Defining clear priorities
      related to the three roles of the integrated care psychiatric consultant
      (clinical consultant, clinical educator, and clinical team leader) will be
      helpful to inform residency training programs to prepare psychiatrists for work
      in this emerging field of psychiatry.

PMID- 26122348
TI  - Both Feet In: Maintaining an Academic Focus During the Transition from Residency
      to a First Military Assignment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Maintenance of an academic focus is difficult for military residents
      transitioning into their first duty assignment. METHOD: Building upon previous
      work on this subject, the authors present an updated and expanded junior faculty
      development model organized around seven overlapping domains: mentorship,
      scholarship, research, career planning, openness to experience, networking with
      other disciplines, and responsibility seeking. Using these seven domains as a
      platform for discussion, the authors focus on challenges facing early-career
      military psychiatrists and provide guidance based upon personal experience and
      limited applicable research. RESULTS: The authors believe that highly successful
      early-career psychiatrists wishing to maintain an academic focus possess a
      proactive attitude, obtain skillful mentoring, work well with others, and are
      able to adapt to new environments. CONCLUSION: Through conscious planning and
      goal setting, they are able to capitalize on opportunities as they become
      available.

PMID- 26122349
TI  - Social Media Use in Psychiatric Graduate Medical Education: Where We Are and the
      Places We Could Go.
AB  - This commentary discusses the use of social media in psychiatric graduate medical
      education (GME) based on a systematic search of the literature. The authors
      conclude that research on social media use in psychiatric GME is in its infancy.
      For the most part, the few articles that have been published on this topic
      caution against the use of social media in psychiatric training. However, reports
      from other specialties, in which social media use in medical education has been
      more extensively studied, suggest that there may be significant benefits to
      incorporating social media into medical education. Although additional challenges
      may exist in implementing these tools in psychiatric education, the authors
      suggest that this is an emerging field of scholarship that merits further
      investigation. 

PMID- 26122350
TI  - Resident Evaluation of a Required Telepsychiatry Clinical Experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The authors explored resident experiences of telepsychiatry clinical
      training. This paper describes an analysis of evaluation forms completed by
      psychiatry residents following a required training experience in telepsychiatry.
      METHODS: Retrospective numeric and narrative data were collected from 2005 to
      2012. Using a five-point Likert-type scale (1 = strongly disagree and 5 =
      strongly agree), residents ranked the session based on the following
      characteristics: the overall experience, interest in participating in
      telepsychiatry in the future, understanding service provision to underserved
      areas, telepsychiatry as mode of service delivery, and the unique aspects of
      telepsychiatry work. The authors also conducted a content analysis of narrative
      comments in response to open-ended questions about the positive and negative
      aspects of the training experience. RESULTS: In all, 88% of residents completed
      (n = 335) an anonymous evaluation following their participation in telepsychiatry
      consultation sessions. Numeric results were mostly positive and indicated that
      the experience was interesting and enjoyable, enhanced interest in participating
      in telepsychiatry in the future, and increased understanding of providing
      psychiatric services to underserved communities. Narrative data demonstrated that
      the most valuable aspects of training included the knowledge acquired in terms of
      establishing rapport and engaging with patients, using the technology, working
      collaboratively, identifying different approaches used, and awareness of the
      complexity of cases. Resident desire for more training of this nature was
      prevalent, specifically a wish for more detail, additional time for discussion
      and debriefing, and further explanation of the unique aspects of telepsychiatry
      as mode of delivery. CONCLUSIONS: More evaluation of telepsychiatry training,
      elective or required, is needed. The context of this training offered potential
      side benefits of learning about interprofessional and collaborative care for the
      underserved.

PMID- 26122351
TI  - A "Middle Way": Introducing a Flexible Year-Long Program to Prepare for
      Certification in Addiction Medicine.

PMID- 26122352
TI  - Problem-Solving Skills and Suicidal Ideation Among Malaysian College Students:
      the Mediating Role of Hopelessness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recent evidence suggests that suicidal ideation has increased among
      Malaysian college students over the past two decades; therefore, it is essential
      to increase our knowledge concerning the etiology of suicidal ideation among
      Malaysian college students. This study was conducted to examine the relationships
      between problem-solving skills, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation among
      Malaysian college students. METHODS: The participants included 500 undergraduate
      students from two Malaysian public universities who completed the self-report
      questionnaires. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling estimated that college
      students with poor problem-solving confidence, external personal control of
      emotion, and avoiding style were more likely to report suicidal ideation.
      Hopelessness partially mediated the relationship between problem-solving skills
      and suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: These findings reinforce the importance of
      poor problem-solving skills and hopelessness as risk factors for suicidal
      ideation among college students.

PMID- 26122353
TI  - The Transcultural Psychiatry Reading Group: a Learner-Led Approach to Cultural
      Psychiatry.

PMID- 26122354
TI  - The Effect of Teaching Clinics on Prescribing Practices.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of lack of
      continuity in a teaching clinic and to ascertain the role of supervisory
      attending in treatment decisions in a teaching psychiatric clinic. METHODS: A
      retrospective evaluation of paired consecutive visits of patients attending an
      education clinic was performed. RESULTS: Medication changes occurred in 56.3% of
      all visit pairs. Visit pairs in which the resident was unchanged had
      significantly more medication changes than visit pairs in which the attending was
      unchanged. When the resident stays the same, the number of medication changes is
      high and does not change significantly even if the attending is the same or
      different. Similarly, when the resident is different, the number of medication
      changes is low and does not change significantly if the attending is the same or
      different. CONCLUSION: Residents, not the attending physicians, are more
      instrumental in medication changes in patients attending an education clinic.

PMID- 26122355
TI  - Psychiatry Resident Quality of Life.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate psychiatry resident
      physician quality of life. METHODS: A voluntary, anonymous, 10-min survey was e
      mailed to residents from all 14 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical
      Education (ACGME)-accredited programs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
      Included in the survey was the Multi-Cultural Quality of Life Inventory (MQLI).
      RESULTS: Response rate was 112 (34.1%). Internal consistency of the MQLI was high
      (Cronbach's alpha 0.92), and follow-up exploratory factor analysis extracted only
      one underlying factor (60.1% variance among all 10 items). Average total MQLI
      score was 80.6. No significant difference in MQLI total was found for therapy
      status, sex, or race. Post-graduate year (PGY) 4 residents scored higher on total
      MQLI score (86.7) (F = 2.80, p = 0.04) and ranked occupational functioning and
      community and services support subscales significantly higher (occupation F =
      2.73, p = 0.048, community F = 3.11, p = 0.030). Total MQLI score for residents
      over the age of 40 (n = 3) was significantly lower (F = 3.45, p = 0.019).
      CONCLUSION: Despite the stresses of residency training, residents from a variety
      of programs in one geographic area report an encouraging quality of life on the
      MQLI. Psychiatry resident quality of life is similar to that reported in other
      populations of mental health professionals.

PMID- 26122356
TI  - On contrast mechanisms in p-space imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: The effects of microstructure on susceptibility mapping have recently
      received increasing attention. In this work, the capability of p-space imaging to
      resolve subvoxel structure and susceptibility is assessed. METHODS: In a
      simulation study, the p-space contrast of axon bundles comprised of hollow
      cylinders is investigated. Various axon and susceptibility distributions are
      considered and compared with the corresponding case of a voxel with homogeneous
      substructure of the order of the voxel size. RESULTS: MR signal behavior for p
      space imaging of a voxel containing axon bundles and a voxel containing
      homogeneous substructure are nearly identical. CONCLUSION: p-Space imaging
      resolves subvoxel structure of the order of the voxel size. Due to dephasing
      effects, strong susceptibility variations alter p-space contrast. However, p
      space contrast is not directly linked to the susceptibility of the axon
      compartment. Magn Reson Med 75:2526-2533, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26122358
TI  - Expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease and lung cancer: potential link between inflammation and cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a risk factor for
      lung cancer (LC). Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) down-regulate the T
      cell receptor zeta chain (TCR zeta) through L-arginine deprivation and lead to T
      cell dysfunction and deficient antitumor immunity. We hypothesized that
      abnormally high levels of MDSCs in COPD patients may alter tumor
      immunosurveillance. METHODS: We compared the proportion of circulating MDSCs (Lin
      HLA-DR-/CD33+/CD11b+) (by flow cytometry), arginase I (ARG I) serum levels (by
      ELISA), and expression levels of TCR zeta on circulating lymphocytes (by flow
      cytometry) in 28 patients with LC, 62 subjects with COPD, 41 patients with both
      LC and COPD, 40 smokers with normal spirometry and 33 non-smoking controls. T
      cell proliferation assays were performed in a subgroup of participants (CFSE
      dilution protocol). RESULTS: We found that: (1) circulating MDSCs were up
      regulated in COPD and LC patients (with and without COPD); (2) MDSCs expansion
      was associated with TCR zeta down-regulation in the three groups; (3) in LC
      patients, these findings were independent of COPD and tobacco smoking exposure;
      (4) TCR zeta down-regulation correlates with T cell hyporesponsiveness in COPD
      and LC patients. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that tumor immunosurveillance
      might be impaired in COPD and may contribute to the increased risk of LC reported
      in these patients.

PMID- 26122357
TI  - Monitoring regulatory T cells in clinical samples: consensus on an essential
      marker set and gating strategy for regulatory T cell analysis by flow cytometry.
AB  - Regulatory T cell (Treg)-mediated immunosuppression is considered a major
      obstacle for successful cancer immunotherapy. The association between clinical
      outcome and Tregs is being studied extensively in clinical trials, but
      unfortunately, no consensus has been reached about (a) the markers and (b) the
      gating strategy required to define human Tregs in this context, making it
      difficult to draw final conclusions. Therefore, we have organized an
      international workshop on the detection and functional testing of Tregs with
      leading experts in the field, and 40 participants discussing different analyses
      and the importance of different markers and context in which Tregs were analyzed.
      This resulted in a rationally composed ranking list of "Treg markers".
      Subsequently, the proposed Treg markers were tested to get insight into the
      overlap/differences between the most frequently used Treg definitions and their
      utility for Treg detection in various human tissues. Here, we conclude that the
      CD3, CD4, CD25, CD127, and FoxP3 markers are the minimally required markers to
      define human Treg cells. Staining for Ki67 and CD45RA showed to provide
      additional information on the activation status of Tregs. The use of markers was
      validated in a series of PBMC from healthy donors and cancer patients, as well as
      in tumor-draining lymph nodes and freshly isolated tumors. In conclusion, we
      propose an essential marker set comprising antibodies to CD3, CD4, CD25, CD127,
      Foxp3, Ki67, and CD45RA and a corresponding robust gating strategy for the
      context-dependent analysis of Tregs by flow cytometry. 

PMID- 26122359
TI  - Severe sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome is related to left ventricle dysfunction and
      hypertrophy in acromegalic patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess whether sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) is a risk
      factor for development of acromegalic cardiomyopathy. METHODS: A descriptive,
      cross-sectional study of 32 patients with acromegaly (15 categorized as non
      controlled-NCA and 17 as controlled-CA) compared to 20 matched controls (by sex,
      age, and BMI) referred to the pulmonology department for suspected SAHS.
      Polysomnography, echocardiography (M-mode, 2-dimensional, and Doppler), and 12
      lead electrocardiography were performed in all participants. Development of
      cardiac morbidity (ischemia heart disease or heart failure) was evaluated after 7
      years. RESULTS: SAHS was diagnosed in 81.3% of patients with acromegaly and 85%
      of controls. Mild SAHS was more common in CA than in NCA patients (31.3% vs. 0%,
      p=0.048). There was a trend to greater prevalence of left ventricular diastolic
      dysfunction (LVDD) in acromegalic patients as compared to controls (58.1% vs.
      30%, p=0.05). Presence of severe SAHS in patients with acromegaly was related to
      greater risk of LVDD (90.9% vs. 40%, p=0.008; OR 2.3 [1.3-4.0]), LV hypertrophy
      (55.6% vs. 10.5%, p=0.02; OR 5.3 [1.3-22.2]), and cardiac events (87.5% vs.
      35.6%; p=0.01; OR 7.53 [1.07-53.24]). CONCLUSION: SAHS is highly prevalent in
      patients with acromegaly. Only in these patients was severe SAHS associated to
      hypertrophy, LV diastolic dysfunction, and cardiac events.

PMID- 26122360
TI  - Can we cure breast cancer?

PMID- 26122362
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26122361
TI  - Pancreaticoduodenectomy hospital resource utilization in octogenarians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is feasible in patients greater
      than or equal to 80 years, little is known about the potential strain on resource
      utilization. METHODS: Outcomes and inpatient charges were compared across age
      cohorts (I: <=70, II: 71 to 79, III: >=80 years) in 99 patients who underwent PD
      (2005 to 2013) at our institution. The generalized linear modeling approach was
      used to estimate the impact of age. RESULTS: Perioperative complications were
      equivalent among cohorts. Increasing age was associated with intensive care unit
      use, increased length of stay (LOS), and the likelihood of discharge to a skilled
      facility. After controlling for covariates, hospital charges were significantly
      higher in Cohort III (P = .006) and Cohort II (P = .035) when compared with
      Cohort I. However, hospital charges between Cohorts II and III were equivalent (P
      = .374). Complications (P = .005) and LOS (P < .001) were associated with higher
      hospital charges. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing age was associated with increased
      intensive care unit, LOS, and discharge to skilled facilities. However,
      octogenarians had equivalent PD charges and outcome measures when compared with
      septuagenarians and future studies should validate these findings in larger
      national studies.

PMID- 26122363
TI  - [Improving health literacy among older adults: Findings based on the IROHLA
      project].
AB  - Health literacy has been defined as the degree to which people are able to
      access, understand, appraise, and communicate information to make informed
      decisions about their health. It is therefore essential to be able to engage with
      the demands of different health contexts and to stay healthy. The topic of health
      literacy is thus receiving growing political and scientific attention and is
      becoming increasingly important in Germany too. Results of a survey on health
      literacy in Germany that were published by the AOK's scientific research
      institute, WidO, in 2014, stress the need for health literacy improvement. These
      results are briefly summarized. At a European level, the IROHLA (Intervention
      Research on Health Literacy among Ageing population) project was started in
      December 2012. IROHLA is aimed at introducing evidence-based guidelines for
      policy and practice to improve health literacy among the ageing population in the
      member states of the European Union (EU). The project consortium is led by the
      University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) and consists of 22 partners from nine
      EU member states. German partners in the project are the Federal Centre for
      Health Education (Bundeszentrale fur gesundheitliche Aufklarung-BZgA), the
      Federal Association of the AOK (AOK-Bundesverband), liveonline coaching, and
      Jacobs University Bremen. The purpose of this article is to present the major
      findings of the IROHLA project and to point out approaches to improving health
      literacy among older adults. A key aspect within IROHLA is the comprehensive
      approach, which targets multiple groups, i.e., individuals and their social
      environment, in addition to professionals and the health system.

PMID- 26122364
TI  - Transformation and characterization of an arsenic gene operon from urease
      positive thermophilic Campylobacter (UPTC) in Escherichia coli.
AB  - An arsenate susceptibility test was performed with transformed and cultured
      Escherichia coli DH5alpha cells, which carried recombinant DNA of full-length
      arsenic (ars) operon, namely a putative membrane permease, ArsP; a
      transcriptional repressor, ArsR; an arsenate reductase, ArsC; and an arsenical
      resistance membrane transporter, Acr3, from the Japanese urease-positive
      thermophilic Campylobacter lari (UPTC) CF89-12. The E. coli DH5alpha transformant
      showed reduced susceptibility to arsenate (~1536 MUg/mL), compared to the
      control. Thus, these ars four-genes from the UPTC CF89-12 strain cells could
      confer a reduced susceptibility to arsenate in the transformed and E. coli
      DH5alpha cells. E. coli transformants with truncated ars operons, acr3 (acr3) and
      arsC-acr3 (?arsC-acr3), of the ars operon, showed an MIC value of 384 MUg/mL
      (~384 MUg/mL), similar to the E. coli cells which carried the pGEM-T vector
      (control). Reverse transcription PCR confirmed in vivo transcription of
      recombinant full-length ars operon and deletion variants (?acr3 and ?arsC-acr3)
      in the transformed E. coli cells.

PMID- 26122365
TI  - A two-dimensional protein map of Pleurotus ostreatus microsomes-proteome
      dynamics.
AB  - Recent studies documented that several processes in filamentous fungi are
      connected with microsomal enzyme activities. In this work, microsomal
      subproteomes of Pleurotus ostreatus were analyzed by two-dimensional (2-D)
      polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption
      ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry analysis. To assess
      proteome dynamics, microsomal proteins were isolated from fungal cultures after 7
      and 12 days of cultivation. Additionally, 10 mg/L of 17alpha-ethinylestradiol
      (EE2) was treated with the cultures during 2 days. Despite the EE2 degradation by
      the fungus reached 97 and 76.3 % in 7- and 12-day-old cultures, respectively,
      only a minor effect on the composition of microsomal proteins was observed. The
      changes in protein maps related to ageing prevailed over those induced by EE2.
      Epoxide hydrolase, known to metabolize EE2, was detected in 12-day-old cultures
      only which suggests differences in EE2 degradation pathways utilized by fungal
      cultures of different age. The majority (32 %) of identified microsomal proteins
      were parts of mitochondrial energy metabolism.

PMID- 26122366
TI  - Improved mortality of the Formosan subterranean termite by fungi, when amended
      with cuticle-degrading enzymes or eicosanoid biosynthesis inhibitors.
AB  - Formosan subterranean termites (FST) were exposed to strains of Beauveria
      pseudobassiana (Bpb) and Isaria fumosorosea (Ifr) to determine virulence of the
      fungi. Once lethality was determined, sublethal doses of Bpb were combined with
      enzymes capable of degrading the insect cuticle to measure the potential to
      enhance fungal infection. Bpb applied to FST in combination with proteinases and
      a chitinase caused increased mortality over the fungus alone. Mortality was
      enhanced when Ifr was applied to FST in combination with a chitinase isolated
      from Serratia marcesans. A lipase isolated from Pseudomonas cepacia, when
      combined with Ifr, also resulted in greater mortality than all control
      treatments. FST were also exposed to the eicosanoid biosynthesis inhibitors
      (EBIs) dexamethasone (DEX), ibuprofen (IBU), and ibuprofen sodium salt (IBUNA),
      in combination with Ifr. Combining Ifr with IBUNA caused significantly increased
      mortality on days 6, 7, and 9. Cuticle-degrading enzymes and EBIs may have
      potential to enhance the pathogenic effect of a fungal control agent against the
      Formosan subterranean termite.

PMID- 26122367
TI  - ERG and FLI1 are useful immunohistochemical markers in phosphaturic mesenchymal
      tumors.
AB  - Phosphaturic mesenchymal tumors (PMT) are the most common cause of tumor-induced
      osteomalacia (TIO) related to mesenchymal neoplasms. The lineage of
      differentiation of PMTs has not been elucidated in existing literature. Fourteen
      cases of PMT were analyzed for this study to elucidate its lineage. We used
      vascular and/or lymphatic endothelial markers for the immunohistochemical
      analysis, which included CD31, CD34, factor VIII-related antigen, podoplanin,
      Freund's leukemia integration site 1 (FLI1), and avian v-ets erythroblastosis
      virus E26 oncogene homolog (ERG). FLI1 and ERG were stained in all cases with
      proportion of immunopositive tumor cells largely more than 50 %; staining
      intensity was moderate or strong for both FLI1 and ERG. The tumor cells were
      stained with CD31 and/or CD34, with significantly less staining than observed for
      FLI1 and ERG. The tumor cells were completely immunonegative for factor VIII
      related antigen and podoplanin. FLI1 and ERG are known to have considerable
      specificity to endothelial cells; ERG is more widely equipped in surgical
      pathology laboratories than FLI1. We concluded that ERG (or FLI1 if available) is
      useful marker for the diagnosis of PMT, and that PMTs may have an endothelial
      cell lineage.

PMID- 26122368
TI  - The negative influence of sperm cryopreservation on the quality and development
      of the embryo depends on the morphology of the oocyte.
AB  - The present case-control study aimed to identify the effect of sperm
      cryopreservation on the quality of the embryo and on the probability of
      blastocyst formation when oocytes free of dimorphisms are injected and when at
      least one dymorphism is present. The study included 22 186 zygotes, obtained from
      2802 patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles, in a private
      assisted reproduction center, using either fresh or cryopreserved sperm. The
      effect of sperm cryopreservation on the embryo quality on cleavage stage and
      blastocyst formation chance were evaluated when oocytes free of dimorphisms are
      injected and when at least one dymorphism is present. The quality of the embryo
      on cleavage stage as well as the chance for blastocyst formation was not
      influenced by the origin of the spermatozoa when the quality of the oocyte was
      not considered. When at least one oocyte defect was present, a negative influence
      of sperm cryopreservation on cleavage stage embryo quality and the chance for
      blastocyst formation was noted. In oocytes with extra-cytoplasmic dimorphisms,
      the injection of cryopreserved sperm did not affect the quality of the embryo
      during the cleavage stage, but did affect the chance for blastocyst formation.
      Conversely, in oocytes with intracytoplasmic defects, the quality of the embryos
      on cleavage stage and the chance of blastocyst formation were negatively
      influenced by the injection of cryopreserved sperm. The results suggest an oocyte
      quality-dependent negative effect of sperm cryopreservation on embryo quality and
      on the probability of blastocyst formation. 

PMID- 26122369
TI  - Non-metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: Resectable, Borderline Resectable, and Locally
      Advanced-Definitions of Increasing Importance for the Optimal Delivery of
      Multimodality Therapy.

PMID- 26122371
TI  - Attitudes and Perceptions of Surgical Oncology Fellows on ACGME Accreditation and
      the Complex General Surgical Oncology Certification.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With the first qualifying examination administered September 15,
      2014, complex general surgical oncology (CGSO) is now a board-certified
      specialty. We aimed to assess the attitudes and perceptions of current and future
      surgical oncology fellows regarding the recently instituted Accreditation Council
      for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accreditation. METHODS: A 29-question
      anonymous survey was distributed to fellows in surgical oncology fellowship
      programs and applicants interviewing at our fellowship program. RESULTS: There
      were 110 responses (79 fellows and 31 candidates). The response rate for the
      first- and second-year fellows was 66 %. Ninety-percent of the respondents were
      aware that completing an ACGME-accredited fellowship leads to board eligibility
      in CGSO. However, the majority (80 %) of the respondents stated that their
      decision to specialize in surgical oncology was not influenced by the ACGME
      accreditation. The fellows in training were concerned about the cost of the exam
      (90 %) and expressed anxiety in preparing for another board exam (83 %). However,
      the majority of the respondents believed that CGSO board certification will be
      helpful (79 %) in obtaining their future career goals. Interestingly, candidate
      fellows appeared more focused on a career in general complex surgical oncology (p
      = 0.004), highlighting the impact that fellowship training may have on organ
      specific subspecialization. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the surveyed surgical
      oncology fellows and candidates believe that obtaining board certification in
      CGSO is important and will help them pursue their career goals. However, the
      decision to specialize in surgical oncology does not appear to be motivated by
      ACGME accreditation or the new board certification.

PMID- 26122370
TI  - Percutaneous Preoperative Biliary Drainage for Resectable Perihilar
      Cholangiocarcinoma: No Association with Survival and No Increase in Seeding
      Metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) and percutaneous transhepatic
      biliary drainage (PTBD) are both used to resolve jaundice before surgery for
      perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHC). PTBD has been associated with seeding
      metastases. The aim of this study was to compare overall survival (OS) and the
      incidence of initial seeding metastases that potentially influence survival in
      patients with preoperative PTBD versus EBD. METHODS: Between 1991 and 2012, a
      total of 278 patients underwent preoperative biliary drainage and resection of
      PHC at 2 institutions in the Netherlands and the United States. Of these, 33
      patients were excluded for postoperative mortality. Among the 245 included
      patients, 88 patients who underwent preoperative PTBD (with or without previous
      EBD) were compared to 157 patients who underwent EBD only. Survival analysis was
      done with Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression with propensity score adjustment.
      RESULTS: Unadjusted median OS was comparable between the PTBD group (35 months)
      and EBD-only group (41 months; P = 0.26). After adjustment for propensity score,
      OS between the PTBD group and EBD-only group was similar (hazard ratio, 1.05; 95
      % confidence interval, 0.74-1.49; P = 0.80). Seeding metastases in the laparotomy
      scar occurred as initial recurrence in 7 patients, including 3 patients (3.4 %)
      in the PTBD group and 4 patients (2.7 %) in the EBD-only group (P = 0.71). No
      patient had an initial recurrence in percutaneous catheter tracts. CONCLUSIONS:
      The present study found no effect of PTBD on survival compared to patients with
      EBD and no increase in seeding metastases that developed as initial recurrence.
      These data suggest that PTBD can safely be used in preoperative management of
      PHC.

PMID- 26122372
TI  - Preoperative Contrast-Enhanced CT Versus 18F-FDG PET/CT Evaluation and the
      Prognostic Value of Extranodal Extension for Surgical Patients with Head and Neck
      Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Extranodal extension (ENE) is a poor prognostic indicator for
      patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but pretreatment
      detection assists with proper treatment planning. This study evaluated whether
      the ENE of HNSCC is accurately detected by computed tomography (CT) versus
      fluorine 18-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT
      and whether it has any impact on patient prognosis. METHODS: In this study, 186
      HNSCC patients were preoperatively evaluated using contrast-enhanced CT and (18)F
      FDG PET/CT. The histopathologic findings for the neck dissection samples served
      as a standard reference. McNemar's test and logistic regression using the
      generalized estimating equations were used to compare the diagnostic value of CT
      versus (18)F-FDG PET/CT, and Cox proportional hazard regression was used to
      assess the prognostic value of ENE. RESULTS: Among the 186 study patients, 113
      (60.8 %) had a neck metastasis, 44 (23.7 %) had pathologic ENE, and 37 (19.9 %)
      had macroscopic ENE. Radiologic ENE (rENE) on CT was documented for 48 patients
      (25.8 %) and 52 neck sides (19.8 %). Using 4.9 as the cutoff value for nodal
      maximum standardized uptake, (18)F-FDG PET/CT documented rENE for 44 patients
      (23.7 %) and 48 neck sides (18.3 %). Compared with (18)F-FDG PET/CT, CT detected
      ENE, with a specificity of 92.1 versus 74.4 % (p < 0.001) and an accuracy of 88.6
      versus 75.3 % (p < 0.001). However, rENE was not a significant predictor of
      recurrence or survival (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings showed that ENE of
      HNSCC is more accurately detected by using CT than by using (18)F-FDG PET/CT. The
      accurate pretreatment detection of ENE may help in the planning for HNSCC
      treatments.

PMID- 26122373
TI  - Reduced Expression of Adherens Junctions Associated Protein 1 Predicts Recurrence
      of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Curative Hepatectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) frequently recurs after curative
      resection. Therefore, the availability of sensitive biomarkers for progression
      and recurrence is essential for managing patients' clinical course. Adherens
      junctions associated protein 1 (AJAP1) may serve this purpose, because it
      mediates activities of tumor cells. METHODS: AJAP1 mRNA levels and those of genes
      encoding potential interacting proteins, such as SRC in HCC cell lines, and 144
      pairs of resected liver tissues were determined as well as the methylation status
      of the AJAP1 promoter and copy number changes at AJAP1 locus. The expression
      pattern of AJAP1 protein was evaluated using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: AJAP1
      mRNA levels varied among nine HCC cell lines, and AJAP1 expression was
      reactivated after demethylation of its promoter. AJAP1 mRNA levels correlated
      inversely with those of SRC in HCC cell lines and tissues. AJAP1 mRNA levels were
      suppressed in HCC tissues. The expression pattern of AJAP1 correlated
      significantly with that of AJAP1 mRNA. Low levels of AJAP1 mRNA in patients with
      HCC associated significantly with elevated levels of tumor markers, larger tumor
      size, serosal infiltration, vascular invasion, hypermethylation of the AJAP1
      promoter, and copy number loss at AJAP1 locus. Patients with low levels of AJAP1
      expression were more likely to experience shorter disease-free survival (DFS),
      and multivariate analysis identified low AJAP1 expression as an independent
      factor for predicting DFS. CONCLUSIONS: AJAP1 may function as a key regulatory
      molecule associated with the recurrence of HCC. Hypermethylation of the AJAP1
      promoter is a key regulatory mechanism controlling AJAP1 expression.

PMID- 26122374
TI  - Development and Validation of a Disease-Specific Instrument to Measure Diet
      Targeted Quality of Life for Postoperative Patients with Esophagogastric Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients who have undergone esophagectomy or gastrectomy have certain
      dietary limitations because of changes to the alimentary tract. This study
      attempted to develop a psychometric scale, named "Esophago-Gastric surgery and
      Quality of Dietary life (EGQ-D)," for assessment of impact of upper
      gastrointestinal surgery on diet-targeted quality of life. METHODS: Using
      qualitative methods, the study team interviewed both patients and surgeons
      involved in esophagogastric cancer surgery, and we prepared an item pool and a
      draft scale. To evaluate the scale's psychometric reliability and validity, a
      survey involving a large number of patients was conducted. Items for the final
      scale were selected by factor analysis and item response theory. Cronbach's alpha
      was used for assessment of reliability, and correlations with the short form (SF)
      12, esophagus and stomach surgery symptom scale (ES(4)), and nutritional
      indicators were analyzed to assess the criterion-related validity. RESULTS:
      Through multifaceted discussion and the pilot study, a draft questionnaire
      comprising 14 items was prepared, and a total of 316 patients were enrolled. On
      the basis of factor analysis and item response theory, six items were excluded,
      and the remaining eight items demonstrated strong unidimensionality for the final
      scale. Cronbach's alpha was 0.895. There were significant associations with all
      the subscale scores for SF-12, ES(4), and nutritional indicators. CONCLUSIONS:
      The EGQ-D scale has good contents and psychometric validity and can be used to
      evaluate disease-specific instrument to measure diet-targeted quality of life for
      postoperative patients with esophagogastric cancer.

PMID- 26122375
TI  - Liposuction for Advanced Lymphedema: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Complete
      Reduction of Arm and Leg Swelling.
AB  - PURPOSE: This research describes and evaluates a liposuction surgery and
      multidisciplinary rehabilitation approach for advanced lymphedema of the upper
      and lower extremities. METHODS: A prospective clinical study was conducted at an
      Advanced Lymphedema Assessment Clinic (ALAC) comprised of specialists in plastic
      surgery, rehabilitation, imaging, oncology, and allied health, at Macquarie
      University, Australia. Between May 2012 and 31 May 2014, a total of 104 patients
      attended the ALAC. Eligibility criteria for liposuction included (i) unilateral,
      non-pitting, International Society of Lymphology stage II/III lymphedema; (ii)
      limb volume difference greater than 25 %; and (iii) previously ineffective
      conservative therapies. Of 55 eligible patients, 21 underwent liposuction (15
      arm, 6 leg) and had at least 3 months postsurgical follow-up (85.7 % cancer
      related lymphedema). Liposuction was performed under general anesthesia using a
      published technique, and compression garments were applied intraoperatively and
      advised to be worn continuously thereafter. Limb volume differences, bioimpedance
      spectroscopy (L-Dex), and symptom and functional measurements (using the Patient
      Specific Functional Scale) were taken presurgery and 4 weeks postsurgery, and
      then at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months postsurgery. RESULTS: Mean presurgical limb volume
      difference was 45.1 % (arm 44.2 %; leg 47.3 %). This difference reduced to 3.8 %
      (arm 3.6 %; leg 4.3 %) by 6 months postsurgery, a mean percentage volume
      reduction of 89.6 % (arm 90.2 %; leg 88.2 %) [p < 0.001]. All patients had
      improved symptoms and function. Bioimpedance spectroscopy showed reduced but
      ongoing extracellular fluid, consistent with the underlying lymphatic pathology.
      CONCLUSIONS: Liposuction is a safe and effective option for carefully selected
      patients with advanced lymphedema. Assessment, treatment, and follow-up by a
      multidisciplinary team is essential.

PMID- 26122376
TI  - A Comparison of Radiocolloid and Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Imaging, Sentinel
      Lymph Node Mapping in Patients with Cervical Cancer Undergoing Laparoscopic
      Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: (99)TC combined with blue-dye mapping is considered the
      best sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping technique in cervical cancer. Indocyanine
      green (ICG) with near infrared fluorescence imaging has been introduced as a new
      methodology for SLN mapping. The aim of this study was to compare these two
      techniques in the laparoscopic treatment of cervical cancer. METHODS: Medical
      records of patients undergoing laparoscopic SLN mapping for cervical cancer with
      either (99)Tc and patent blue dye (Group 1) or ICG (Group 2) from April 2008
      until August 2012 were reviewed. Sensitivity, specificity, and overall and
      bilateral detection rates were calculated and compared. RESULTS: Fifty-eight
      patients were included in the study-36 patients in Group 1 and 22 patients in
      Group 2. Median tumor diameter was 25 and 29 mm, and mean SLN count was 2.1 and
      3.7, for Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Mean non-SLN (NSLN) count was 39 for both
      groups. SLNs were ninefold more likely to be affected by metastatic disease
      compared with NSLNs (p < 0.005). Sensitivity and specificity were both 100 %.
      Overall detection rates were 83 and 95.5 % (p = nonsignificant), and bilateral
      detection rates were 61 and 95.5 % (p < 0.005), for Groups 1 and 2, respectively.
      In 75 % of cases, SLNs were located along the external or internal iliac nodal
      basins. CONCLUSIONS: ICG SLN mapping in cervical cancer provides high overall and
      bilateral detection rates that compare favorably with the current standard of
      care.

PMID- 26122377
TI  - Does the adhesive strategy influence the post-operative sensitivity in adult
      patients with posterior resin composite restorations?: A systematic review and
      meta-analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed on the risk and
      intensity of postoperative sensitivity (POS) in posterior resin composite
      restorations bonded with self-etch (SE) and etch-and-rinse (ER) adhesives.
      SOURCE: A comprehensive search was performed in the MEDLINE via PubMeb, Scopus,
      Web of Science, LILACS, BBO and Cochrane Library and SIGLE without restrictions.
      The abstracts of the annual conference of the IADR (1990-2014), unpublished and
      ongoing trials registry were also searched. Dissertations and theses were
      searched using the ProQuest Dissertations and Periodicos Capes Theses databases.
      STUDY SELECTION: We included randomized clinical trials that compared the
      clinical effectiveness of SE and ER used for direct resin composite restorations
      in permanent dentition of adult patients. The risk/intensity of POS was the
      primary outcome. The risk of bias tool of the Cochrane Collaboration was used.
      The meta-analysis was performed on the studies considered 'low' risk of bias.
      DATA: After duplicates removal, 2600 articles were identified but only 29
      remained in the qualitative synthesis. Five were considered to be 'high' risk of
      bias and eleven were considered to be 'unclear' in the key domains, yielding 13
      studies for meta-analysis. The overall relative risk of the spontaneous POS was
      0.63 (95% CI 0.35 to 1.15), while the stimuli-induced POS was 0.99 (95% CI 0.63
      to 1.56). The overall standardized mean difference was 0.08 (95%CI -0.19 to
      0.35). No overall effect was revealed in the meta-analyses, meaning that no
      influence of the ER or SE strategy on POS. SIGNIFICANCE: The type of adhesive
      strategy (ER or SE) for posterior resin composite restorations does not influence
      the risk and intensity of POS. CRD42014006617.

PMID- 26122378
TI  - Xia-yu-xue decoction (XYXD) reduces carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver
      fibrosis through inhibition hepatic stellate cell activation by targeting NF
      kappaB and TGF-beta1 signaling pathways.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation is activated mainly by
      endotoxin and transforming growth factor (TGF-beta1) in chronic liver injury,
      consequently, can be important therapeutic targets. Xia-yu-xue decoction (XYXD),
      a classical recipe used in China to treat liver fibrosis, and has been revealed
      to inhibit hepatic fibrosis in animal models, the mechanism of action of XYXD
      remains elusive. In the present study, we evaluated whether XYXD reduced
      endotoxin and pro-fibrogenic pathways induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and TGF
      beta1 in HSCs. METHODS: The in vivo effect of XYXD on fibrosis progression was
      assessed in mice model induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), The in vitro
      effect of XYXD on mice GFP-Col-HSC cells was evaluated using LPS and TGF-beta1
      stimulation. RESULTS: XYXD treatment reduced CCl4-induced liver fibrosis and
      decreased hepatic hydroxyproline (Hyp) content, the mRNA levels of smooth muscle
      actin (alpha-SMA) and Col 1(alpha1) in fibrotic liver. XYXD suppressed nuclear
      factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation induced by LPS and TGF-beta1 assessed by
      using NF-kappaB-luciferase reporter. The expression of NF-kappaB target genes,
      chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 2
      (CXCL2) induced by LPS was suppressed after XYXD treatment. The expression of TGF
      beta1 targets genes, Col1(alpha1) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases
      (TIMP1) induced by TGF-beta1 was inhibit after XYXD treatment. CONCLUSION: XYXD
      treatment attenuates liver fibrosis by inhibiting HSC activation via inhibition
      of NF-kappaB and TGF-beta1 signaling pathway, thereby blocking the synthesis of
      Col1 (alpha1) and TIMP-1. These findings from present study suggest that XYXD may
      be a therapeutic decoction for liver fibrosis in which NF-kappaB and TGF-beta1
      are thought to take part.

PMID- 26122379
TI  - Minimally invasive redo discectomy for recurrent lumbar disc herniations.
AB  - The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate which minimally invasive
      techniques have been used for discectomy in recurrent lumbar disc herniation
      (LDH), to present the success and complication rates and to evaluate the
      advantages and limitations of each technique. Discectomy for recurrent LDH is
      accompanied by a higher morbidity rate compared with primary LDH. Because of the
      limited operating field, the majority of surgeons have been discouraged from
      utilising a minimally invasive approach for revision surgery. Minimally invasive
      techniques have gained ground in the treatment of primary LDH and an increasing
      number of patients are expressing interest in such techniques for the treatment
      of recurrent LDH. Microendoscopic discectomy (MED), endoscopic transforaminal and
      interlaminar discectomy (ETD and EID) have been used for treatment of recurrent
      LDH. The reported success rate is 60-95%. Full endoscopic techniques, especially
      ETD, showed favourable results concerning dural tear rates but have a demanding
      learning curve. The limitations of ETD include dislocated disc fragments or
      concomitant lateral recess stenosis, and MED is more effective in these
      instances. All three techniques have a low delayed instability rate. MED, ETD and
      EID are safe and efficient treatment options for surgical management of recurrent
      LDH with good success and low complication rates. At the same time, they offer
      the advantages of minimally invasive access. 

PMID- 26122380
TI  - Intrasphenoidal Rathke's cleft cyst.
AB  - We report a rare patient with an intrasphenoidal Rathke's cleft cyst (RCC) and
      review the literature. RCC are benign epithelium lined cysts containing mucoid
      material, which typically occur in a location that is either entirely
      intrasellar, or intrasellar with suprasellar extension (intra-suprasellar). RCC
      in a completely extrasellar location are uncommon. An intrasphenoidal RCC is
      extremely rare with only two patients reported in the literature to date.
      Preoperative diagnosis is difficult due to the uncommon location and absence of
      any characteristic radiological features. However, it remains of utmost clinical
      relevance because it may limit the operative management to biopsy sampling of the
      cyst wall and drainage of the contents via the transsphenoidal route. 

PMID- 26122381
TI  - Patient and treatment factors associated with survival among adult glioblastoma
      patients: A USA population-based study from 2000-2010.
AB  - In this study, we utilized the USA surveillance, epidemiology, and end results
      (SEER) database to examine factors influencing survival of glioblastoma
      multiforme (GBM) patients. GBM is the most common primary malignant brain tumor
      in adults and despite advances in treatment, prognosis remains poor. Using the
      SEER database, we defined a cohort of adult patients for the years 2000-2009 with
      confirmed GBM and minimum follow-up of 12 months. A total of 14,675 patients with
      GBM met the inclusion criteria. Demographic, clinical, and treatment variables
      were examined. Death was the primary outcome. Median survival time was 11 months.
      Patients had increasingly longer survival over the decade span. We found, on
      multivariate analysis, that significantly worse survival was associated with age
      >75 years, male sex, unmarried status, and non-Hispanic Caucasian race/ethnicity.
      Patients in the Northeast had a significantly lower risk of mortality. Patients
      with tumors that were non-lateralized and >3 cm fared worse. Patients who did not
      receive adjuvant radiation also had worse outcomes. Gross total resection
      imparted a survival advantage for patients compared to biopsy or partial
      resection. Thus, this report adds to the growing body of literature supporting
      the positive role of maximal resection on patient survival.

PMID- 26122382
TI  - Cervicomedullary neurocysticercosis causing obstructive hydrocephalus.
AB  - We present a 45-year-old man with tussive headache and blurred vision found to
      have obstructive hydrocephalus from a neurocysticercal cyst at the
      cervicomedullary junction who underwent surgical removal of the cyst. We
      performed a suboccipital craniectomy to remove the cervicomedullary cyst en bloc.
      Cyst removal successfully treated the patient's headaches without necessitating
      permanent cerebrospinal fluid diversion. Neurocysticercosis is the most common
      parasite infection of the central nervous system causing seizures and, less
      commonly, hydrocephalus. Intraventricular cysts or arachnoiditis usually cause
      hydrocephalus in neurocysticercosis but craniocervical junction cysts causing
      obstructive hydrocephalus are rare. Neurocysticercosis at the craniocervical
      junction may cause Chiari-like symptoms. In the absence of arachnoiditis and
      leptomeningeal enhancement, surgical removal of the intact cyst can lead to
      favorable outcomes. 

PMID- 26122383
TI  - Deep brain stimulation for chronic pain.
AB  - Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical intervention popularised in
      movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, and also reported to improve
      symptoms of epilepsy, Tourette's syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorders and
      cluster headache. Since the 1950s, DBS has been used as a treatment to relieve
      intractable pain of several aetiologies including post stroke pain, phantom limb
      pain, facial pain and brachial plexus avulsion. Several patient series have shown
      benefits in stimulating various brain areas, including the sensory thalamus
      (ventral posterior lateral and medial), the periaqueductal and periventricular
      grey, or, more recently, the anterior cingulate cortex. However, this technique
      remains "off label" in the USA as it does not have Federal Drug Administration
      approval. Consequently, only a small number of surgeons report DBS for pain using
      current technology and techniques and few regions approve it. Randomised, blinded
      and controlled clinical trials that may use novel trial methodologies are
      desirable to evaluate the efficacy of DBS in patients who are refractory to other
      therapies. New imaging techniques, including tractography, may help optimise
      electrode placement and clinical outcome. 

PMID- 26122384
TI  - Risk of anterior cruciate ligament fatigue failure is increased by limited
      internal femoral rotation during in vitro repeated pivot landings.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A reduced range of hip internal rotation is associated with increased
      peak anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) strain and risk for injury. It is unknown,
      however, whether limiting the available range of internal femoral rotation
      increases the susceptibility of the ACL to fatigue failure. HYPOTHESIS: Risk of
      ACL failure is significantly greater in female knee specimens with a limited
      range of internal femoral rotation, smaller femoral-ACL attachment angle, and
      smaller tibial eminence volume during repeated in vitro simulated single-leg
      pivot landings. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. METHODS: A custom
      built testing apparatus was used to simulate repeated single-leg pivot landings
      with a 4*-body weight impulsive load that induces knee compression, knee flexion,
      and internal tibial torque in 32 paired human knee specimens from 8 male and 8
      female donors. These test loads were applied to each pair of specimens, in one
      knee with limited internal femoral rotation and in the contralateral knee with
      femoral rotation resisted by 2 springs to simulate the active hip rotator
      muscles' resistance to stretch. The landings were repeated until ACL failure
      occurred or until a minimum of 100 trials were executed. The angle at which the
      ACL originates from the femur and the tibial eminence volume were measured on
      magnetic resonance images. RESULTS: The final Cox regression model (P = .024)
      revealed that range of internal femoral rotation and sex of donor were
      significant factors in determining risk of ACL fatigue failure. The specimens
      with limited range of internal femoral rotation had a failure risk 17.1 times
      higher than did the specimens with free rotation (P = .016). The female knee
      specimens had a risk of ACL failure 26.9 times higher than the male specimens (P
      = .055). CONCLUSION: Limiting the range of internal femoral rotation during
      repetitive pivot landings increases the risk of an ACL fatigue failure in
      comparison with free rotation in a cadaveric model. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Screening
      for restricted internal rotation at the hip in ACL injury prevention programs as
      well as in individuals with ACL injuries and/or reconstructions is warranted.

PMID- 26122385
TI  - Utility of the Instability Severity Index Score in Predicting Failure After
      Arthroscopic Anterior Stabilization of the Shoulder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The redislocation rate after arthroscopic stabilization for anterior
      glenohumeral instability is up to 30%. The Instability Severity Index Score
      (ISIS) was developed to preoperatively rationalize the risk of failure, but it
      has not yet been validated by an independent group. PURPOSE: To assess the
      utility of the ISIS in predicting failure of arthroscopic anterior shoulder
      stabilization and to identify other preoperative factors for failure. STUDY
      DESIGN: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: A case-control study
      was performed on 141 consecutive patients, comparing those who suffered failure
      of arthroscopic stabilization with those who had successful arthroscopic
      stabilization. The mean follow-up time was 47 months (range, 24-132 months). The
      ISIS was applied retrospectively, and an analysis was performed to establish
      independent risk factors for failure. A receiver operator coefficient curve was
      constructed to set a threshold ISIS for considering alternative surgery. RESULTS:
      Of 141 patients, 19 (13.5%) suffered recurrent instability. The mean ISIS of the
      failed stabilization group was higher than that of the successful stabilization
      group (5.1 vs 1.7; P < .001). Independent risk factors for failure were Hill
      Sachs lesion (P < .001), glenoid bone loss (P < .001), age <21 years at the time
      of surgery (P < .001), age at first dislocation (P = .01), competitive-level
      participation in sports (P < .001), and participation in contact or overhead
      sports (P = .03). The presence of glenoid bone loss carried the highest risk of
      failure (70%). There was a 70% risk of failure if the ISIS was >=4, as opposed to
      a 4% risk of failure if the ISIS was <4. CONCLUSION: This is the first completely
      independent study to confirm that the ISIS is a useful preoperative tool. It is
      recommended that surgeons consider alternative forms of stabilization if the ISIS
      is >=4.

PMID- 26122386
TI  - Factors associated with failure of nonoperative treatment in lateral
      epicondylitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lateral epicondylitis is a common cause of elbow pain that is treated
      with a variety of nonoperative measures and often improves with time. Minimal
      research is available on patients in whom these nonoperative treatments fail.
      PURPOSE: To identify baseline patient and disease factors associated with the
      failure of nonoperative treatment of lateral epicondylitis, defined as surgery
      after a period of nonoperative treatment. STUDY DESIGN: Case control study; Level
      of evidence, 3. METHODS: A total of 580 patients treated for lateral
      epicondylitis at a tertiary center between 2007 and 2012 were analyzed. Disease
      specific and patient demographic characteristics were compared between patient
      groups (nonoperative vs surgical treatment). A multivariable logistic regression
      model was created based on preliminary univariate testing to determine which
      characteristics were associated with failure of nonoperative treatment. RESULTS:
      Of the 580 patients, 92 (16%) underwent surgical treatment at a mean of 6 months
      (range, 0-31 months) from their initial visit. Univariate analysis demonstrated a
      potential association (P < .10) between operative management and the following
      factors at initial diagnosis: increased age, body mass index, duration of
      symptoms, presence of radial tunnel syndrome, prior injection, physical therapy,
      splinting, smoking, workers' compensation, a labor occupation, use of narcotics,
      use of antidepressant medications, and previous orthopaedic surgery. In the final
      multivariable model, a workers' compensation claim (odds ratio [OR], 8.1), prior
      injection (OR, 5.6), the presence of radial tunnel syndrome (OR, 3.1), previous
      orthopaedic surgery (OR, 3.2), and duration of symptoms >12 months (OR, 2.5)
      remained significant independent predictors of surgical treatment. CONCLUSION:
      This study identifies risk factors for surgical treatment for lateral
      epicondylitis. While these findings do not provide information regarding causal
      factors associated with surgery, these patient and disease-specific
      considerations may be helpful when counseling patients regarding treatment
      options and the likelihood of the success of continued nonoperative treatment.

PMID- 26122387
TI  - Development and verification of a protocol to quantify hip joint kinematics: an
      evaluation of ice hockey goaltender pads on hip motion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The butterfly save technique is commonly used by ice hockey
      goaltenders and has recently been identified as a potential mechanism for hip
      joint injuries due to the extreme body positions involved. Unfortunately,
      commonly used kinematic marker sets that determine these body positions are
      heavily influenced by skin motion artifact and are obscured by protective
      equipment, making it difficult to obtain reliable measures of hip motion.
      PURPOSE: To create a new kinematic protocol that could be used when protective
      equipment prevents typical marker placements and to use this protocol to quantify
      hip kinematics and butterfly performance in 4 different goalie pad conditions.
      STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. METHODS: A new marker set consisting
      of marker clusters attached to the lateral thigh and posterior leg was developed.
      This marker set was verified by evaluating the root mean square (RMS) difference
      between the developed testing marker set and the calibrated anatomic systems
      technique marker set during passive range of motion (ROM) tests. The testing
      marker set was then used in a repeated-measures study in which 12 junior
      goaltenders performed 5 butterfly movements on synthetic ice, in 4 different
      goalie pad conditions (control, flexible-wide leg channel, flexible-tight leg
      channel, and stiff-wide leg channel). RESULTS: The grouped RMS differences and
      SDs calculated during verification were 1.43 degrees  +/- 0.41 degrees , 1.0
      degrees  +/- 0.39 degrees , and 3.32 degrees  +/- 1.32 degrees  for hip flexion
      extension, abduction-adduction, and internal-external rotation, respectively.
      There was no significant main effect of goal pad condition on the peak amount of
      hip internal rotation; however, there was a significant main effect of goal pad
      condition on the butterfly width (P = .022). Post hoc comparisons revealed that
      the butterfly width was significantly smaller in the control pad condition
      compared with the flexible-tight pad condition (P = .03). CONCLUSION: The new
      marker set enabled measurements of hip joint kinematics while subjects are
      wearing protective equipment that are not possible with other marker sets.
      Interindividual variations in performance of the butterfly technique influenced
      the amount of hip internal rotation achieved; however, on average, goaltenders
      exceeded their active internal ROM during butterfly movements. CLINICAL
      RELEVANCE: Exceeding internal rotation range of hip motion may make goaltenders
      susceptible to hip injuries such as femoral acetabular impingement.

PMID- 26122388
TI  - Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia: a Genetic and Clinical Update.
AB  - Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a clonal stem cell disorder,
      characterized by peripheral blood monocytosis and overlapping features between
      myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Clonal
      cytogenetic changes are seen in up to 30 % patients, while approximately 90 %
      have detectable molecular abnormalities. Most patients are diagnosed in the
      seventh decade of life. Gene mutations in ten-eleven translocation (TET) oncogene
      family member 2 (TET2) (60 %), SRSF2 (50 %), ASXL1 (40 %), and RAS (20-30 %) are
      frequent, with only frame shift and nonsense ASXL1 mutations negatively impacting
      overall survival. With the lack of formal guidelines, management and response
      criteria are often extrapolated from MDS and MPN. Contemporary molecularly
      integrated CMML-specific prognostic models include the Groupe Francais des
      Myelodysplasies (GFM) model and the Molecular Mayo Model, both incorporating
      ASXL1 mutational status. Hypomethylating agents and allogeneic stem cell
      transplant remain the two most commonly used treatment strategies, with
      suboptimal results. Clinical trials exploiting epigenetic and signal pathway
      abnormalities, frequent in CMML, offer hope and promise. 

PMID- 26122389
TI  - Is There a Role for Flow Cytometry in the Evaluation of Patients With
      Myelodysplastic Syndromes?
AB  - This review focuses on the most recent literature concerning flow cytometry (FCM)
      application for diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Aberrant FCM results
      have been defined as abnormalities in at least three tested features comprising
      at least two bone marrow (BM) cell compartments. FCM results should be
      interpreted together with the BM smear cytology, the morphological assessment of
      BM biopsy, and cytogenetic results. Including FCM in the pre-treatment assessment
      may provide not only diagnostic but also prognostic information. Further studies
      are needed to evaluate the role of FCM in individual risk assessment for MDS
      patients and in therapy choice and/or follow-up. 

PMID- 26122390
TI  - Dietary Restriction Behaviors and Binge Eating in Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia
      Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder: Trans-diagnostic Examination of the Restraint
      Model.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare dietary restriction behaviors among adults with eating
      disorders involving binge eating, including anorexia nervosa-binge/purge subtype
      (AN-BE/P), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED), and to examine
      whether dietary restriction behaviors impact binge eating frequency across
      diagnoses. METHOD: Participants included 845 treatment seeking adults
      (M=30.42+10.76years) who met criteria for DSM-5 AN-BE/P (7.3%;n=62), BN
      (59.7%;n=504), and BED (33.0%;n=279). All participants self-reported their past
      and current eating disorder symptoms on the Eating Disorder Questionnaire.
      RESULTS: Adults with AN-BE/P and BN reported significantly more dietary
      restriction behaviors (e.g. eating fewer meals per day, higher frequency of
      fasting, consuming small and low calorie meals) in comparison to adults with BED.
      Adults with AN-BE/P and BN who reported restricting food intake via eating fewer
      meals per day had more frequent binge eating episodes. However, adults with BN
      who reported restricting food intake via eating small meals and low calorie meals
      had less frequent binge eating episodes. DISCUSSION: This study provides mixed
      support for the restraint model by suggesting that not all dietary restriction
      behaviors are associated with higher levels of binge eating. It may be that
      adults with BN who report a higher frequency of eating small and low calorie
      meals display more control over their eating in general, and therefore also have
      lower frequency of binge eating. Clinicians should assess for dietary restriction
      behaviors at the start of treatment prior to assuming that all forms of strict
      dieting and weight control behaviors similarly impact binge eating.

PMID- 26122391
TI  - SF-1 (NR5A1) expression is stimulated by the PKA pathway and is essential for the
      PKA-induced activation of LIPE expression in Y-1 cells.
AB  - In the adrenal cortex, corticotropin induces the expression of several genes
      encoding proteins involved in the synthesis and intracellular transport of
      steroid hormones via the protein kinase A (PKA) signalling pathway, and this
      process is mediated by steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1). This study was designed to
      elucidate the influence of the PKA and PKC pathways on the expression of the SF-1
      gene in mouse adrenocortical cells, line Y-1. It has also been attempted to
      answer the question whether or not SF-1 plays a role in the PKA-induced
      expression of LIPE gene encoding hormone-sensitive lipase/cholesteryl esterase,
      which supplies cholesterol for steroid hormone synthesis. In this study, we found
      that stimulation of the PKA pathway caused a significant increase in SF-1
      expression, and that this effect was abolished by the PKA inhibitor, H89.
      Decreased SF-1 gene transcript levels were seen with the simultaneous activation
      of PKA and PKC, suggesting a possible interaction between the PKA and PKC
      pathways. It was also observed that SF-1 increased the transcriptional activity
      of the LIPE gene by interacting with the SF-1 response element located in
      promoter A. Moreover, transient silencing of SF-1 expression with specific siRNAs
      abolished PKA-stimulated transcription of the LIPE gene, indicating that SF-1 is
      an important regulator of LIPE expression in Y-1 cells and thus could play a role
      in the regulation of the cholesterol supply for adrenal steroidogenesis. 

PMID- 26122392
TI  - Identification of functional leptin receptors expressed in ventricular
      mitochondria.
AB  - Leptin is a 16 kDa pro-satiety peptide produced primarily not only by white
      adipocytes but also by numerous other tissues including the heart. Circulating
      leptin exerts its effect through specific receptors, although its principle
      actions are dependent on the activation of the long form of the leptin receptor,
      termed OBRb. As leptin is also produced within the cardiomyocyte, we hypothesized
      that the peptide can also exert effects by targeting intracellular sites.
      Accordingly, we determined whether cardiac mitochondria express functional leptin
      receptors. The presence of mitochondrial OBRb was identified through Western
      blotting of isolated mitochondria, immunofluorescence as well as immunogold
      labeling with electron microscopy. Although leptin had no direct effect on
      mitochondrial integrity, it profoundly enhanced the ability of calcium to induce
      mitochondrial swelling, an effect partially reversed by an OBR antagonist. 24 h
      exposure to leptin (50 ng/ml) was without effect on mitochondria in cultured
      neonatal rat ventricular myocytes in contrast to leptin tagged with a 10 amino
      acid membrane translocation sequence which significantly induced mitochondrial
      permeability transition pore opening, whereas both leptins produced a
      hypertrophic response. Our results therefore show that mitochondria express
      functional OBR which may be of importance toward understanding the role of
      intracellularly derived leptin in cardiac physiology and pathology. 

PMID- 26122393
TI  - Autophagy regulates hyperoxia-induced intracellular accumulation of surfactant
      protein C in alveolar type II cells.
AB  - Surfactant protein C (SP-C) deficiency is a risk factor for hyperoxia-induced
      bronchopulmonary dysplasia in newborn infants. However, the role of SP-C
      deficiency in the process is unclear. Here, using neonatal rat BPD model and MLE
      12, mouse alveolar epithelial type II cell, we examined the changes of SP-C
      levels during hyperoxia. Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and ELISA
      analysis showed SP-C accumulation in alveolar epithelial type II cells. Electron
      microscopy further demonstrated the accumulation of lamellar bodies and the co
      localization of lamellar bodies with autophagosomes in the cytoplasm of alveolar
      epithelial type II cells. The inhibition of autophagy with 3-Methyladenine and
      knockdown of Atg7 abolished hyperoxia-induced SP-C accumulation in the cytoplasm.
      Furthermore, inhibition of JNK signaling with SP600125 suppressed hyperoxia
      induced Atg7 expression and SP-C accumulation. These findings suggest that
      hyperoxia triggers autophagy via JNK signaling-mediated Atg7 expression, which
      promotes the accumulation of SP-C within alveolar epithelial type II cells. Our
      data provide a potential approach for hyperoxic lung injury therapy by targeted
      pharmacological inhibition of autophagic pathway. 

PMID- 26122394
TI  - Multistate outbreak of listeriosis caused by imported cheese and evidence of
      cross-contamination of other cheeses, USA, 2012.
AB  - Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can cause bacteraemia,
      meningitis, and complications during pregnancy. In July 2012, molecular subtyping
      identified indistinguishable L. monocytogenes isolates from six patients and two
      samples of different cut and repackaged cheeses. A multistate outbreak
      investigation was initiated. Initial analyses identified an association between
      eating soft cheese and outbreak-related illness (odds ratio 17.3, 95% confidence
      interval 2.0-825.7) but no common brand. Cheese inventory data from locations
      where patients bought cheese and an additional location where repackaged cheese
      yielded the outbreak strain were compared to identify cheeses for microbiological
      sampling. Intact packages of imported ricotta salata yielded the outbreak strain.
      Fourteen jurisdictions reported 22 cases from March-October 2012, including four
      deaths and a fetal loss. Six patients ultimately reported eating ricotta salata;
      another reported eating cheese likely cut with equipment also used for
      contaminated ricotta salata, and nine more reported eating other cheeses that
      might also have been cross-contaminated. An FDA import alert and US and
      international recalls followed. Epidemiology-directed microbiological testing of
      suspect cheeses helped identify the outbreak source. Cross-contamination of
      cheese highlights the importance of using validated disinfectant protocols and
      routine cleaning and sanitizing after cutting each block or wheel.

PMID- 26122397
TI  - Increased expression of integrin alpha6beta4 in the basement membrane zone lining
      the sebaceous glands in hidradenitis suppurativa.

PMID- 26122398
TI  - Small access postaural parotidectomy: an analysis of techniques, feasibility and
      safety.
AB  - For cosmetic consideration of parotidectomy, the surgical approaches have evolved
      from Blair incision through modified facelift incision to postaural-hairline
      incision. The present study aims at evaluating the feasibility and safety of the
      new technique of postaural approach. Parotidectomy was performed with a 4-5 cm
      incision in the postaural sulcus. There were 69 patients who were assessed pre
      operatively feasible for consideration of the postaural parotidectomy. There were
      56 (81 %) patients who could have the postaural parotidectomy successfully
      without complications. The minimally invasive postaural approach is a further
      step in cosmetic consideration of parotidectomy. It is a feasible and safe
      approach for most small to medium size benign parotid tumors located in the mid
      and lower pole regions of the parotid gland. 

PMID- 26122400
TI  - A matter of priorities? Exploring the persistent gender pay gap in hospital
      medicine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gender earnings disparities among physicians exist even after
      considering differences in specialty, part-time status, and practice type. Little
      is known about the role of job satisfaction priorities on earnings differences.
      OBJECTIVE: To examine gender differences in work characteristics and job
      satisfaction priorities, and their relationship with gender earnings disparities
      among hospitalists. DESIGN: Observational cross-sectional survey study.
      PARTICIPANTS: US hospitalists in 2010. MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported income, work
      characteristics, and priorities among job satisfaction domains. RESULTS: On
      average, women compared to men hospitalists were younger, less likely to be
      leaders, worked fewer full-time equivalents, worked more nights, reported fewer
      daily billable encounters, more were pediatricians, worked in university
      settings, worked in the Western United States, and were divorced. More
      hospitalists of both genders prioritized optimal workload among the satisfaction
      domains. However, substantial pay ranked second in prevalence by men and fourth
      by women. Women hospitalists earned $14,581 less than their male peers in an
      analysis adjusting for these differences. CONCLUSIONS: The gender earnings gap
      persists among hospitalists. A portion of the disparity is explained by the fewer
      women hospitalists compared to men who prioritize pay.

PMID- 26122401
TI  - Risk of new-onset type II diabetes after appendicectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Altered immune function after appendicectomy has been associated with
      autoimmune disease, even though the mechanisms are not clearly elucidated. This
      study aimed to investigate whether the frequency of new-onset type II diabetes
      was increased after appendicectomy in a case-control study. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective cohort study from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database
      2000. The relative risk was compared with that in the general population using
      population-based data. Each patient was tracked for a 3-year interval to identify
      those who developed type II diabetes. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis
      was used to assess the risk of type II diabetes during follow-up. RESULTS: A
      total of 31,512 patients were included in the study, of whom 5252 had an
      appendicectomy (study cohort) and 26,260 were matched for comparison. Some 714
      patients (2.3 per cent) developed type II diabetes during the 3-year follow-up,
      161 in the study cohort (3.1 per cent) and 553 in the comparison cohort (2.1 per
      cent). The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for type II diabetes in the study cohort
      was 1.45 (95 per cent c.i. 1.22 to 1.74). This increased risk was most pronounced
      in men (adjusted HR 1.47, 1.16 to 1.88) and in those with a perforated appendix
      (adjusted HR 2.28, 1.71 to 3.03), and applied only to patients younger than 65
      years of age. CONCLUSION: An increased risk of new-onset type II diabetes within
      3 years after appendicectomy was found in patients aged less than 65 years. The
      risk was highest in men and in those with complicated appendicitis.

PMID- 26122399
TI  - The redox biology network in cancer pathophysiology and therapeutics.
AB  - The review pinpoints operational concepts related to the redox biology network
      applied to the pathophysiology and therapeutics of solid tumors. A sophisticated
      network of intrinsic and extrinsic cues, integrated in the tumor niche, drives
      tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Critical mutations and distorted redox
      signaling pathways orchestrate pathologic events inside cancer cells, resulting
      in resistance to stress and death signals, aberrant proliferation and efficient
      repair mechanisms. Additionally, the complex inter-cellular crosstalk within the
      tumor niche, mediated by cytokines, redox-sensitive danger signals (HMGB1) and
      exosomes, under the pressure of multiple stresses (oxidative, inflammatory,
      metabolic), greatly contributes to the malignant phenotype. The tumor-associated
      inflammatory stress and its suppressive action on the anti-tumor immune response
      are highlighted. We further emphasize that ROS may act either as supporter or
      enemy of cancer cells, depending on the context. Oxidative stress-based
      therapies, such as radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy, take advantage of the
      cytotoxic face of ROS for killing tumor cells by a non-physiologically sudden,
      localized and intense oxidative burst. The type of tumor cell death elicited by
      these therapies is discussed. Therapy outcome depends on the differential
      sensitivity to oxidative stress of particular tumor cells, such as cancer stem
      cells, and therefore co-therapies that transiently down-regulate their intrinsic
      antioxidant system hold great promise. We draw attention on the consequences of
      the damage signals delivered by oxidative stress-injured cells to neighboring and
      distant cells, and emphasize the benefits of therapeutically triggered
      immunologic cell death in metastatic cancer. An integrative approach should be
      applied when designing therapeutic strategies in cancer, taking into
      consideration the mutational, metabolic, inflammatory and oxidative status of
      tumor cells, cellular heterogeneity and the hypoxia map in the tumor niche, along
      with the adjoining and systemic effects of oxidative stress-based therapies. 

PMID- 26122402
TI  - An ultrasonographic scoring method for transabdominal monitoring of ascarid
      burdens in foals.
AB  - REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Parascaris spp. infections can lead to life
      threatening small intestinal impactions in foals. Currently available diagnostic
      techniques cannot estimate the magnitude of an ascarid burden, and hence identify
      foals potentially at risk of developing impactions. OBJECTIVES: To describe and
      evaluate an ultrasonographic transabdominal scoring technique for monitoring of
      ascarid burdens in foals and to perform a cost-benefit analysis of the
      application of this technique. STUDY DESIGN: A transabdominal ultrasonographic
      technique was validated against ascarid worm counts from 10 foals aged 162-294
      days. In a treatment trial, 15 foals were randomly allocated to 3 treatment
      groups: ivermectin, oxibendazole and no treatment. Blinded ultrasound
      examinations were performed daily for 5 consecutive days following treatment.
      Foals were examined ultrasonographically twice by the same investigator, and by
      different investigators for intra- and interobserver agreement evaluation. Cost
      benefit analyses identified threshold values for the probability of ascarid
      impactions above which the screening method becomes cost-effective. METHODS: The
      ultrasound technique used 3 locations along the ventral midline. An ascarid
      scoring system was established that assessed the magnitude of ascarid burden
      ranging from 1-4. The method was validated against worm burdens of 10 worms and
      above with calculation of diagnostic specificity, sensitivity, and predictive
      values. Treatment trial data were evaluated statistically using mixed model
      analysis. Kappa values were generated for intra- and interobserver agreement.
      RESULTS: Two consecutive examinations were found to detect worm burdens >10
      ascarids reliably. Ascarid scores declined in response to both anthelmintic
      treatments, although differences were not statistically significant. Kappa values
      indicated fair to moderate intra- and interobserver agreements. The majority of
      cost-benefit analyses indicated that ultrasound examinations are cost effective
      when the probability of ascarid impactions is above a range of 0.0001-0.0082
      (i.e. 1 in 10,000 to 8 in 1000 foals). CONCLUSIONS: The ultrasonographic
      screening techniques can be a useful tool for monitoring ascarid burdens in
      foals.

PMID- 26122403
TI  - Estimation of the optimum standardized ileal digestible total sulfur amino acid
      to lysine ratio in late finishing gilts fed low protein diets supplemented with
      crystalline amino acids.
AB  - A total of 90 gilts were used to investigate the effects of various standard
      ileal digestible (SID) total sulfur amino acid (TSAA) to lysine (Lys) ratios on
      the performance and carcass characteristics of late finishing gilts receiving low
      crude protein (CP) diets supplemented with crystalline amino acids (CAA). Graded
      levels of crystalline methionine (Met) (0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8 or 1.1 g/kg) were added
      to the basal diet to produce diets providing SID TSAA to Lys ratios of 0.48,
      0.53, 0.58, 0.63 or 0.68. At the termination of the experiment, 30 gilts (one pig
      per pen) with an average body weight (BW) of 120 kg were killed to evaluate
      carcass traits. Increasing the SID TSAA to Lys ratio increased average daily gain
      (ADG) (linear and quadratic effect, P < 0.05), improved feed conversion ratio
      (FCR) (linear and quadratic effect, P < 0.05) and decreased serum urea nitrogen
      (SUN) concentration (linear and quadratic effect, P < 0.05) of finishing gilts.
      No effects were obtained for carcass traits. The optimum SID TSAA to Lys ratios
      to maximize ADG as well as to minimize FCR and SUN levels were 0.57, 0.58 and
      0.53 using a linear-break point model and 0.64, 0.62 and 0.61 using a quadratic
      model. 

PMID- 26122405
TI  - Bile acids and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: An intriguing relationship.

PMID- 26122404
TI  - Genome-wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the CDPK Gene Family in
      Grape, Vitis spp.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) play vital roles in plant
      growth and development, biotic and abiotic stress responses, and hormone
      signaling. Little is known about the CDPK gene family in grapevine. RESULTS: In
      this study, we performed a genome-wide analysis of the 12X grape genome (Vitis
      vinifera) and identified nineteen CDPK genes. Comparison of the structures of
      grape CDPK genes allowed us to examine their functional conservation and
      differentiation. Segmentally duplicated grape CDPK genes showed high structural
      conservation and contributed to gene family expansion. Additional comparisons
      between grape and Arabidopsis thaliana demonstrated that several grape CDPK genes
      occured in the corresponding syntenic blocks of Arabidopsis, suggesting that
      these genes arose before the divergence of grapevine and Arabidopsis.
      Phylogenetic analysis divided the grape CDPK genes into four groups. Furthermore,
      we examined the expression of the corresponding nineteen homologous CDPK genes in
      the Chinese wild grape (Vitis pseudoreticulata) under various conditions,
      including biotic stress, abiotic stress, and hormone treatments. The expression
      profiles derived from reverse transcription and quantitative PCR suggested that a
      large number of VpCDPKs responded to various stimuli on the transcriptional
      level, indicating their versatile roles in the responses to biotic and abiotic
      stresses. Moreover, we examined the subcellular localization of VpCDPKs by
      transiently expressing six VpCDPK-GFP fusion proteins in Arabidopsis mesophyll
      protoplasts; this revealed high variability consistent with potential functional
      differences. CONCLUSIONS: Taken as a whole, our data provide significant insights
      into the evolution and function of grape CDPKs and a framework for future
      investigation of grape CDPK genes.

PMID- 26122406
TI  - Focal Cerebral Arteriopathy: The Face With Many Names.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Focal cerebral arteriopathy is a term used to describe unilateral
      intracranial arteriopathy involving the distal internal carotid artery and
      proximal segments of the middle and anterior cerebral artery. We describe the
      disease course of 10 pediatric arterial ischemic stroke patients with focal
      cerebral arteriopathy from a single quaternary-care center. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed pediatric stroke patients with focal cerebral
      arteriopathy without lenticulostriate collaterals treated at our institution
      between 2005 and 2014. Angiography was reviewed by a child neurologist and a
      pediatric neuroradiologist, and chart reviews were performed. RESULTS: Ten
      individuals with focal cerebral arteriopathy were identified. At the time of
      stroke presentation, four patients were diagnosed with arterial dissection, two
      with moyamoya disease, one with embolic occlusion, one with hemorrhagic stroke,
      and two with arterial dissection or vasculitis. At last follow-up, six patients
      had a change in diagnosis: four were diagnosed with transient cerebral
      arteriopathy, two with arterial dissection, and four with moyamoya disease. Four
      children experienced stroke recurrence. All were administered aspirin, one was
      administered heparin, two were administered intravenous tissue plasminogen
      activator, and five underwent surgical revascularization. CONCLUSIONS: Among
      pediatric stroke patients with a similar angiographic appearance, there is
      variable concordance between diagnosis, prognosis and treatment choice. Improved
      consensus-based diagnostic criteria and further research is needed to identify
      disease biomarkers and predictors of arterial progression.

PMID- 26122407
TI  - Longitudinal relationships between gratitude, deliberate rumination, and
      posttraumatic growth in adolescents following the Wenchuan earthquake in China.
AB  - To examine the longitudinal relationship between gratitude, deliberate rumination
      and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in the adolescent survivors after the Wenchuan
      earthquake, 217 adolescent survivors were randomly selected from several primary
      and secondary schools in the county of Wenchuan, and were assessed by
      questionnaires at three and a half years (T1), four and a half years (T2), five
      and a half years (T3) after the Wenchuan earthquake, respectively. The results
      found that there was a one-way predictive relationship of gratitude onto PTG from
      T1 to T3, and gratitude predicted deliberate rumination from T1 to T2 but not T2
      to T3. Deliberate rumination only had a significant positive effect on PTG from
      T2 to T3, and PTG only predicted deliberate rumination from T1 to T2. These
      results indicated that gratitude could be a stable predictive factor for the
      development of PTG, and gratitude could also affect PTG by deliberate rumination.
      In addition, the predictive effect between deliberate rumination and PTG is
      unstable with time change. 

PMID- 26122408
TI  - Correlates of public support toward federal funding for harm reduction
      strategies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Historically, US federal policy has not supported harm reduction
      interventions, such as safe injection facilities (SIFs) and needle and syringe
      programs (NSPs), which can reduce the burden associated with injection drug use.
      Given recent increases in abuse of both legal and illegal opioids, there has been
      a renewed debate about effective ways to address this problem. The current study
      (1) assessed participants' support for SIFs and NSPs, and (2) evaluated several
      demographic factors (e.g., age, gender, race, education, political ideology, and
      religiosity) and individual differences in stigmatizing beliefs about people who
      inject drugs (PWID) that might relate to support for these interventions.
      METHODS: U.S. adults (N = 899) completed a web-based study that assessed self
      reported support for NSPs and SIFs, and stigma about PWID. RESULTS: The majority
      of participants were at least somewhat supportive of both NSPs and SIFs.
      Regression analyses indicated greater support for NSPs and SIFs was predicted by
      more liberal political ideology, more agreement that PWID deserve help rather
      than punishment, older age, and male gender. Also, participants who endorsed
      lower stigma about PWID were more supportive of NSPs and SIFs. Race, religiosity,
      and education did not predict support for NSPs and SIFs. CONCLUSIONS: Most
      participants tended to report support for harm reduction strategies. Age,
      political ideology, and individual differences in stigmatizing beliefs about PWID
      were significantly associated with support. Given the potential malleability of
      stigmatizing beliefs, efforts that seek to shift stigma about PWID could have
      important implications for public policy towards harm reduction strategies for
      PWID.

PMID- 26122409
TI  - Local manifold learning for multiatlas segmentation: application to hippocampal
      segmentation in healthy population and Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - AIMS: Automated hippocampal segmentation is an important issue in many
      neuroscience studies. METHODS: We presented and evaluated a novel segmentation
      method that utilized a manifold learning technique under the multiatlas-based
      segmentation scenario. A manifold representation of local patches for each voxel
      was achieved by applying an Isomap algorithm, which can then be used to obtain
      spatially local weights of atlases for label fusion. The obtained atlas weights
      potentially depended on all pairwise similarities of the population, which is in
      contrast to most existing label fusion methods that only rely on similarities
      between the target image and the atlases. The performance of the proposed method
      was evaluated for hippocampal segmentation and compared with two representative
      local weighted label fusion methods, that is, local majority voting and local
      weighted inverse distance voting, on an in-house dataset of 28 healthy
      adolescents (age range: 10-17 years) and two ADNI datasets of 100 participants
      (age range: 60-89 years). We also implemented hippocampal volumetric analysis and
      evaluated segmentation performance using atlases from a different dataset.
      RESULTS: The median Dice similarities obtained by our proposed method were
      approximately 0.90 for healthy subjects and above 0.88 for two mixed diagnostic
      groups of ADNI subjects. CONCLUSION: The experimental results demonstrated that
      the proposed method could obtain consistent and significant improvements over
      label fusion strategies that are implemented in the original space.

PMID- 26122410
TI  - Subclavian Vein Stent Fracture and Venous Motion.
AB  - Primary subclavian vein stents are not recommended for venous thoracic outlet
      syndrome before surgical decompression by first rib resection due to a high risk
      of fracture because they are compressed between the clavicle and first rib. After
      rib removal, however, stent insertion has been advocated for venous restenosis,
      and it is felt that stent fracture is unlikely to occur. We present a case
      suggesting that repetitive differential vein movement during respiration may be
      one of the causative factors for stent fractures occurring in this anatomic
      region. 

PMID- 26122411
TI  - Endovascular Repair of a False Aneurysm Developing from IgG4-Related Periaortitis
      during Corticosteroid Therapy.
AB  - Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease is a systemic autoimmune disease that
      can affect various organs. Corticosteroid therapy is generally an effective
      treatment; however, IgG4-related aortic lesions pose a risk of aortic rupture
      related to corticosteroid use. Here, we report a case of IgG4-related
      periaortitis complicated with a false aneurysm during corticosteroid therapy.
      Although endovascular repair was successfully performed, autoimmune pancreatitis
      and sclerosing cholangitis emerged after surgery. The multiple lesions associated
      with IgG4-related disease were resolved through continuous corticosteroid
      therapy. Our case suggests that both appropriate surgical intervention and
      continuous corticosteroid therapy are essential for the treatment of IgG4-related
      periaortitis. 

PMID- 26122412
TI  - Endovascular Repair of Descending Thoracic Aorta in Loeys-Dietz II Syndrome.
AB  - Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is an autosomal dominant disorder that is
      predominantly characterized by involvement of the aorta, manifesting as
      aneurysmal dilatation or aortic dissection. Patients with LDS manifest with
      spontaneous aneurysms and dissections of central and peripheral arterial beds. We
      present 2 cases of young male patients with Loeys-Dietz II aortopathy, who
      manifested with spontaneous intimal tear of descending thoracic aorta and
      contained aortic rupture. Both patients were managed by endovascular repair, with
      collaborative efforts of teams comprising interventional cardiologists and
      radiologists, and a vascular surgeon. 

PMID- 26122413
TI  - Usefulness of Endovascular Therapy for Penile Gangrene Secondary to
      Calciphylaxis: A Case Report.
AB  - We here report a case of successful endovascular therapy for penile gangrene in a
      patient with calciphylaxis and a long history of diabetes mellitus and end-stage
      renal disease on dialysis. The internal iliac artery, with 75% stenosis, was
      treated with balloon-expandable bare metal stent implantation, whereas the
      inferior gluteal artery, 75% stenosis, was treated with balloon dilatation. After
      endovascular therapy, the intractable penile pain immediately resolved, and
      penile salvage with complete wound healing was achieved 6 months after the
      procedure. 

PMID- 26122414
TI  - The Antegrade Approach Using Transbrachial Access Improves Technical Success Rate
      of Endovascular Recanalization of TASC C-D Aortoiliac Occlusion in Case of Failed
      Femoral Access.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Technical success rates of endovascular recanalizations for Trans
      Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) C-D chronic occlusions are highly
      variable and depend on the characteristics and sites of the lesions as well as on
      the operator experience. We hypothesized that an antegrade approach via
      transbrachial access could improve the technical success rate of endovascular
      treatment of TASC C-D occlusions in case of failed femoral access. METHODS: From
      January 2010 to December 2012, all patients with symptomatic chronic TASC C-D
      aortoiliac occlusion were treated with an endovascular-first approach.
      Recanalization was first attempted using a femoral access. In case of failure, an
      antegrade approach using a transbrachial access was performed. Patient
      characteristics, anatomic details, procedural data, and immediate outcomes were
      prospectively recorded. RESULTS: During the study period, 73 patients (99
      arteries) were included. Twenty-seven (37%) patients had TASC C occlusions
      including 11 bilateral common iliac artery occlusions and 16 external iliac
      artery (EIA) occlusions involving the common femoral or the internal iliac
      arteries. Forty-six (63%) patients had TASC D occlusions including 10 aortoiliac
      occlusions, 31 unilateral occlusions of both common and EIAs, and 5 bilateral EIA
      occlusions. Technical success with femoral access has been obtained in 53
      arteries. An antegrade approach via transbrachial access allowed technical
      success in the other arteries, except in 7 arteries. Overall technical success
      rate was 93%, and 2 complications were related to the brachial accesses including
      1 thrombosis and 1 pseudoaneurysm both requiring a reintervention. CONCLUSIONS:
      Brachial access for TASC C-D aortoiliac chronic occlusion improves the technical
      success rate without the need for reentry devices.

PMID- 26122415
TI  - Vertebral Artery Transection in Nonpenetrating Trauma: A Series of 4 Patients.
AB  - Blunt cerebrovascular injury is a common and potentially devastating consequence
      of nonpenetrating trauma to the head and neck. The degree of injury ranges from
      minimal intimal disruption to complete transection with free extravasation.
      Although blunt carotid transection has been well characterized in clinical
      reports and radiologic studies, the computed tomographic angiography (CTA)
      features of blunt vertebral artery transection have not been well described. We
      report a series of 4 patients presenting to our level I trauma center with blunt
      vertebral artery transection, with an emphasis on their CTA imaging findings at
      presentation and their respective clinical courses. A brief review of the
      pertinent literature is provided. 

PMID- 26122416
TI  - Use of Physician-Modified Endografts to Repair Unilateral or Bilateral Aortoiliac
      Aneurysms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This article presents an endovascular approach to repair a unilateral
      or bilateral aortoiliac aneurysm with a bifurcated iliac limb that can maintain
      perfusion to the internal iliac artery (IIA) bilaterally through a brachial
      access. METHODS: A standard infrarenal aortic aneurysm repair is performed
      followed by iliac aneurysm exclusion. To obtain exclusion in the common iliac
      artery aneurysm, a bifurcated Endurant iliac limb is modified to compartmentalize
      iliac flow 2-3 cm above the internal iliac ostia. Then, a balloon-expandable
      covered stent graft is used to achieve sealing in the IIA and external iliac
      artery (EIA). The IIA is stented from the arm and the EIA is stented from the
      groin. RESULTS: There was no in-hospital or 30-day mortality. The procedural
      design was followed in each of the patients who received treatment. Technical
      success was 100%, short-term clinical success was 92%, and midterm clinical
      success was 83%. Average dosage of contrast medium was 116 mL (range, 55-193 mL),
      and average fluoroscopy time was 42.1 min (range, 20.8-91.6 min). Average length
      of hospital stay was 2.6 days (range, 1-9 days). There was 1 recorded endoleak.
      No reports of gluteal claudication, sexual dysfunction, or bowel or spinal
      claudication have been found. CONCLUSIONS: The technique described here does not
      require an up-and-over approach, allowing simplified bilateral repair. Although
      this is a promising technique, long-term durability needs to be evaluated in a
      controlled prospective study.

PMID- 26122417
TI  - Open Surgical Treatment of a Severe Case of Obstructive Calcifying Aortic
      Disease.
AB  - The obstructive calcifying aortic disease refers to severe calcifications of the
      descending aorta that obstruct or slow blood flow. Here, we report the case of a
      65-year-old woman with recent onset of a very tight intermittent claudication and
      concomitant severe and uncontrolled hypertension, treated with a bypass graft
      between the proximal descending thoracic aorta and the supravisceral abdominal
      aorta. 

PMID- 26122418
TI  - Salvage of Early-Failing Radiocephalic Fistulae with Techniques that Minimize
      Venous Dissection.
AB  - Although radiocephalic fistulae are the preferred hemodialysis access, juxta
      anastomotic stenosis is often responsible for early fistula failure. We
      hypothesized that wall ischemia from surgical manipulation leads to early juxta
      anastomotic neointimal hyperplasia and failure of maturation and that minimal
      venous dissection will improve surgical salvage, increasing fistula maturation
      rates. For failing-to-mature radiocephalic fistulae that develop early juxta
      anastomotic stenosis, we describe 3 variations to perform a new proximal
      anastomosis with a minimal dissection technique on the forearm cephalic vein: (1)
      side-to-side anastomosis, (2) radial artery deviation and reimplantation, or (3)
      radial artery deviation and loop reimplantation. Minimal dissection of the
      cephalic vein achieves fistula salvage without needing a more proximal site for
      access. 

PMID- 26122419
TI  - Inferior Vena Cava Stent-Graft Sepsis.
AB  - We present the case of a patient with a complicated medical history, which
      included stent grafting as a life-saving measure for an iatrogenic inferior vena
      cava (IVC) injury. For persistent sepsis secondary to stent-graft infection, the
      patient underwent extraction of 2 IVC stent grafts, primary repair of a duodenal
      caval fistula, and repair of the IVC with an allograft vein patch. Discussion of
      this case sought to shed light on the intricacies involved in medical decision
      making in an era of advanced medical technology. 

PMID- 26122420
TI  - Immediate and Late Open Conversion after Ovation Endograft.
AB  - The risk of intraoperative open conversion during endovascular aortic repair
      (EVAR) still remains a main issue, albeit in a small percentage of cases. Open
      conversion can be extremely demanding and risky in relation to the type of the
      stent graft implanted and can be somehow challenging even for the most
      experienced vascular surgeons. We discuss a case of immediate conversion and 1
      case of late conversion in patients previously treated with EVAR using the
      Ovation stent graft. The design of the endograft and its proximal sealing allowed
      the partial preservation of the graft and its use for proximal and distal
      anastomosis with a Dacron graft in both presented cases. 

PMID- 26122422
TI  - Successful Surgical Pulmonary Embolectomy for Massive Perinatal Embolism after
      Emergency Cesarean Section.
AB  - Pregnant women are exposed to an increased risk for developing pulmonary embolism
      (PE), a main cause for maternal mortality. Surgical pulmonary embolectomy is one
      important therapeutic and potential life-saving armamentarium, considering
      pregnancy as a relative contraindication for thrombolysis. We present a case of a
      36-year-old woman with massive bilateral PE after emergent caesarean delivery,
      requiring reanimation by external heart massage. The onset of massive
      intrauterine bleeding contraindicated thrombolysis and emergency surgical
      pulmonary embolectomy, followed by a hysterectomy, were preformed successfully.
      Acute surgical pulmonary embolectomy may be an option in critically diseased high
      risk patients, requiring a multiteam approach, and should be part of the
      therapeutic armamentarium of the attending cardiac surgeon. 

PMID- 26122421
TI  - The First Case of a Nellix Sac-Anchoring Endoprosthesis Removal for Aortoenteric
      Fistula.
AB  - The Nellix device (Endologix, Irvine, CA), has been designed with a brand new
      concept to seal the abdominal aortic aneurysms, minimizing endoleaks and reducing
      reinterventions. We present the first open conversion of a Nellix endograft due
      to aortoduodenal fistula of a 74-year-old male patient treated for an abdominal
      aortic aneurysms of 62-mm diameter. 

PMID- 26122423
TI  - Unusual Case of Parkes Weber Syndrome with Aneurysm of the Left Common Iliac Vein
      and Thrombus in Inferior Vena Cava.
AB  - We report an unusual case of aneurysm of the left common iliac vein and thrombus
      formation in inferior vena cava associated with Parkes Weber syndrome (PWS). In
      addition to many already known clinical signs which determine PWS, common iliac
      vein aneurysm formation together with inferior vena cava thrombus present a new
      clinical feature and new challenges in treatment strategy of these patients. 

PMID- 26122424
TI  - Life Saver: Aortic Wrapping.
AB  - Reoperative aortic root reconstruction remains a formidable surgical challenge.
      Thereof, the wrapping of Dacron graft using remnants of native aorta may be
      reasonable to avoid complications such as bleeding and infection. Our case that
      had a modified Bentall procedure at our institute was reoperated because of
      discontinuity between left ventricular outflow and valved aortic conduit. During
      reoperation, proximal portion of the valved conduit was partially separated from
      its attachment in the left ventricular outflow tract. The residual native aorta
      that was wrapped around the Dacron graft was like in a shape of sac. This
      technique may play a major role in preventing rupture of the ascending aorta in
      case of separation of valved conduit from left ventricular outflow. 

PMID- 26122425
TI  - A Comparison of 1,470-nm Endovenous Laser Ablation and Radiofrequency Ablation in
      the Treatment of Great Saphenous Veins 10 mm or More in Size.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To compare 1,470-nm endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) and
      radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the treatment of patients with great saphenous
      vein diameters of 10 mm or more. METHODS: One hundred twenty consecutive patients
      presenting to the cardiovascular surgery department with a great saphenous vein
      diameter exceeding 10 mm at the saphenofemoral junction between January and
      December 2013 were included in the study. The first randomly selected 60 patients
      (group 1) received 1,470-nm EVLA and the other 60 patients (group 2) received
      RFA. Patients were assessed on the second day, the first week, and the first,
      third, and sixth months. Major and minor complications were recorded. RESULTS:
      Minor complications in EVLA and RFA were hyperemia at 20% and 30% (P = 0.50),
      ecchymosis at 16.7% and 48.3% (P = 0.02), and edema at 40.0% and 65.5% (P <
      0.08), respectively. No major complication was observed in any patient.
      Recanalization developed during monitoring in 3 patients in the RFA group, a rate
      of 5%. No recanalization was observed in the EVLA group. Success rates in the
      EVLA and RFA groups were 100% and 95%, respectively. Mean time to return to daily
      activity was 0.7 days in the EVLA group and 1.4 days in the RFA group (P <
      0.006), whereas mean time to return to work was 1.8 days in the EVLA group and
      2.2 days in the RFA group (P < 0.07). There was no statistically significant
      difference between the groups in terms of pain during the procedure or
      postoperatively. Less pain was reported in the EVLA during both (P < 0.02).
      CONCLUSIONS: EVLA using a 1,470-nm radial fiber is superior to RFA in the
      treatment of saphenous veins larger than 10 mm in diameter.

PMID- 26122426
TI  - Reproductive performance of layer chickens reared on deep litter system with or
      without access to grass or legume pasture.
AB  - Despite several studies carried out to investigate the effects of access to
      pasture on poultry performance, there is a dearth of information on the
      comparative benefit of grass and legumes. This study investigated the effects of
      rearing systems [deep litter system (DL), deep litter with access to legumes (LP)
      or grass (GP) pastures] on the performance of ISA Brown layers. Two hundred and
      forty 12-week-old pullets were housed for this study. They were reared until 60
      weeks of age. Eighty birds were assigned to each treatment; each treatment had
      four replicates of 20 birds each. Two birds per replicate were slaughtered at
      weeks 20, 35 and 58 for determination of the weights of liver, ovary, oviduct and
      the number of follicles. Daily egg production records were kept from the day of
      first egg to 42 weeks in lay. Body weights were recorded weekly. Results
      indicated that at 20 weeks of age, the hens kept in the LP had higher (p < 0.05)
      ovary weight (g) (34.98 +/- 1.4), oviduct weight (52.55 +/- 2.28) and oviduct
      length (cm) (49.73 +/- 11.34), and higher number of large yellow follicles (3.75
      +/- 1.31) and small yellow follicles (12.75 +/- 5.17) than those in the GP (0.83
      +/- 0.02, 1.68 +/- 0.19, 16.38 +/- 1.14, 0.00 and 0.00), and DL (1.03 +/- 0.11,
      1.48 +/- 0.48, 14.43 +/- 0.58, 0.00 and 0.00) respectively. The age (days) at
      first oviposition was earlier (p < 0.05) in the LP (139.25 +/- 0.85) than that in
      the GP (146.75 +/- 0.48) and DL (146.75 +/- 0.48). The hen-day egg production was
      lower (p < 0.05) in GP (74.19 +/- 1.25) than that in the DL (78.82 +/- 0.78) and
      LP (79.93 +/- 1.13) at mid-laying phase. Concentrate feed intake was lower (p <
      0.05) in LP and GP than DL suggesting economic benefit. It was concluded that
      access to LP enhanced the performance of layers than DL and GP as indicated by
      the parameters measured. 

PMID- 26122427
TI  - Current status of invasive mosquito surveillance in the UK.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-native invasive mosquitoes have for many years made incursions
      into Europe, and are now established in many European countries. The continued
      European importation of potential vectors and their expansion within Europe
      increases their potential for importation and establishment in the UK. Coupled
      with increasing numbers of returning dengue and chikungunya infected travellers,
      the potential exists for transmission of vector borne disease in new regions.
      METHODS: To ensure a cost-effective risk assessment and preparedness strategy the
      UK employs a multi-faceted approach to surveillance for non-native Aedes
      mosquitoes, including passive and active surveillance strategies at a local,
      regional, and national level. Passive surveillance, including a national mosquito
      recording scheme and local authority nuisance biting reporting, are combined with
      targeted active surveillance at seaports, airports, used tyre importers, and
      motorway service stations. RESULTS: There is no evidence to date that any
      invasive Aedes species (e.g., Aedes albopictus, Aedes japonicus, Aedes aegypti)
      occur in the UK despite sharing many of the same routes that have been found to
      have facilitated their entry into other countries. CONCLUSIONS: This paper sets
      in context the UK approaches with other European countries and those recommended
      by the ECDC. It also highlights future UK strategies to enhance surveillance for
      non-native mosquitoes to help ensure that incursions can be managed, and these
      mosquitoes do not establish and public health is protected. Focus will be given
      to increasing the number of submissions of mosquitoes to passive surveillance
      schemes and maintaining active surveillance efforts at key routes of potential
      importation.

PMID- 26122429
TI  - Safety of graded challenge in allergic patients.

PMID- 26122428
TI  - Comparison of Somatostatin Receptor 2-Targeting PET Tracers in the Detection of
      Mouse Atherosclerotic Plaques.
AB  - PURPOSE: Rupture-prone atherosclerotic plaques are characterized by accumulation
      of macrophages, which have shown to express somatostatin type 2 receptors. We
      aimed to investigate whether somatostatin receptor-targeting positron emission
      tomography (PET) tracers, [(68)Ga]DOTANOC, [(18)F]FDR-NOC, and [(68)Ga]DOTATATE,
      can detect inflamed atherosclerotic plaques. PROCEDURES: Atherosclerotic IGF
      II/LDLR(-/-)ApoB(100/100) mice were studied in vivo and ex vivo for tracer uptake
      into atherosclerotic plaques. Furthermore, [(68)Ga]DOTANOC and [(68)Ga]DOTATATE
      were compared in a head-to-head setting for in vivo PET/X-ray computed tomography
      (CT) imaging characteristics. RESULTS: Ex vivo uptake of [(68)Ga]DOTANOC and
      [(68)Ga]DOTATATE in the aorta was higher in atherosclerotic mice compared to
      control C57Bl/6N mice, while the aortic uptake of [(18)F]FDR-NOC showed no
      genotype difference. Unlike [(18)F]FDR-NOC, [(68)Ga]DOTANOC and [(68)Ga]DOTATATE
      showed preferential binding to atherosclerotic plaques with plaque-to-wall ratio
      of 1.7 +/- 0.3 and 2.1 +/- 0.5, respectively. However, the aortic uptake and
      aorta-to-blood ratio of [(68)Ga]DOTANOC were higher compared to [(68)Ga]DOTATATE
      in in vivo PET/CT imaging. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate superior
      applicability for [(68)Ga]DOTANOC and [(68)Ga]DOTATATE in the detection of
      atherosclerotic plaques compared to [(18)F]FDR-NOC.

PMID- 26122430
TI  - OCT1 and imatinib transport in CML: is it clinically relevant?
AB  - Imatinib is a highly effective therapy for chronic phase-chronic myeloid
      leukaemia (CP-CML) patients; however, responses to frontline imatinib are
      variable. The human organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1; SLC22A1) has been
      reported to be the main influx transporter involved in imatinib uptake into CML
      cells. Furthermore, variation in the efficiency of imatinib influx via OCT1 has
      been demonstrated to result in the inter-patient variation observed in primary
      response to imatinib. Although studies have questioned the role of OCT1 in
      imatinib influx, these have been largely performed in non-clinical settings.
      Measuring both OCT1 mRNA levels and the functional activity of OCT1 in primary
      leukaemic cells has been demonstrated to predict molecular response and outcome
      in imatinib-treated CP-CML patients in several independent studies. Here, the
      role of OCT1 and OCT1 genetic variants in imatinib uptake and response prediction
      is summarised and data generated from model systems assessing the role of OCT1 in
      imatinib transport is discussed. 

PMID- 26122431
TI  - Motility, Chemotaxis and Aerotaxis Contribute to Competitiveness during Bacterial
      Pellicle Biofilm Development.
AB  - Biofilm formation is a complex process involving various signaling pathways and
      changes in gene expression. Many of the sensory mechanisms and regulatory
      cascades involved have been defined for biofilms formed by diverse organisms
      attached to solid surfaces. By comparison, our knowledge on the basic mechanisms
      underlying the formation of biofilms at air-liquid interfaces, that is,
      pellicles, is much less complete. In particular, the roles of flagella have been
      studied in multiple solid-surface biofilm models but remain largely undefined for
      pellicles. In this work, we characterize the contributions of flagellum-based
      motility, chemotaxis and oxygen sensing to pellicle formation in the Gram
      positive Bacillus subtilis. We confirm that flagellum-based motility is involved
      in, but is not absolutely essential for, B. subtilis pellicle formation. Further,
      we show that flagellum-based motility, chemotaxis and oxygen sensing are
      important for successful competition during B. subtilis pellicle formation. We
      report that flagellum-based motility similarly contributes to pellicle formation
      and fitness in competition assays in the Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
      Time-lapse imaging of static liquid cultures demonstrates that, in both B.
      subtilis and P. aeruginosa, a turbulent flow forms in the tube and a zone of
      clearing appears below the air-liquid interface just before the formation of the
      pellicle but only in strains that have flagella. 

PMID- 26122433
TI  - Crossing the minefield of disease names.

PMID- 26122434
TI  - Schistosomiasis reaches Europe.

PMID- 26122435
TI  - Antimicrobial resistance: what's needed.

PMID- 26122432
TI  - C-Terminal Threonine Reduces Abeta43 Amyloidogenicity Compared with Abeta42.
AB  - Abeta43, a product of the proteolysis of the amyloid precursor protein APP, is
      related to Abeta42 by an additional Thr residue at the C-terminus. Abeta43 is
      typically generated at low levels compared with the predominant Abeta42 and
      Abeta40 forms, but it has been suggested that this longer peptide might have an
      impact on amyloid-beta aggregation and Alzheimer's disease that is out of
      proportion to its brain content. Here, we report that both Abeta42 and Abeta43
      spontaneously aggregate into mature amyloid fibrils via sequential appearance of
      the same series of oligomeric and protofibrillar intermediates, the earliest of
      which appears to lack beta-structure. In spite of the additional beta-branched
      amino acid at the C-terminus, Abeta43 fibrils have fewer strong backbone H-bonds
      than Abeta42 fibrils, some of which are lost at the C-terminus. In contrast to
      previous reports, we found that Abeta43 spontaneously aggregates more slowly than
      Abeta42. In addition, Abeta43 fibrils are very inefficient at seeding Abeta42
      amyloid formation, even though Abeta42 fibrils efficiently seed amyloid formation
      by Abeta43 monomers. Finally, mixtures of Abeta42 and Abeta43 aggregate more
      slowly than Abeta42 alone. Both in this Abeta42/Abeta43 co-aggregation reaction
      and in cross-seeding by Abeta42 fibrils, the structure of the Abeta43 in the
      product fibrils is influenced by the presence of Abeta42. The results provide new
      details of amyloid structure and assembly pathways, an example of structural
      plasticity in prion-like replication, and data showing that low levels of Abeta43
      in the brain are unlikely to favorably impact the aggregation of Abeta42. 

PMID- 26122436
TI  - Online future of The Lancet Infectious Diseases review papers.

PMID- 26122437
TI  - Correction.
AB  - ENCORE1 Study Group. Efficacy and safety of efavirenz 400 mg daily versus 600 mg
      daily: 96-week data from the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, non
      inferiority ENCORE1 study. Lancet Infect Dis 2015; published online April 13.
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1473- 3099(15)70060-5-In this Article, the numbers of
      patients in the 96-week adverse events analysis were incorrect.

PMID- 26122438
TI  - Corrections.
AB  - Griffi n MR, Grijalva CG. Restraining the pneumococcus. Lancet Infect Dis 2015;
      15: 491-92-This linked Comment should have been accessible as Gold Open Access
      (CC BY) since March 19, 2015. This correction has been made to the online version
      as of May 22, 2015.

PMID- 26122439
TI  - Corrections.
AB  - Lai Y-S, Biedermann P, Ekpo UF, et al. Spatial distribution of schistosomiasis
      and treatment needs in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and geostatistical
      analysis. Lancet Infect Dis 2015; published online May 22.
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(15)00066-3-Figure 1 of this Article should
      have contained a box stating '100 references added' with an arrow pointing
      inwards, rather than a box stating '199 records excluded', and an asterisk should
      have been added after '1473 records extracted into GNTD'. Additionally, the
      positioning of the 'S and '?' footnotes has been corrected in table 1. These
      corrections have been made to the online version as of June 4, 2015.

PMID- 26122440
TI  - Corrections.
AB  - Bourliere M, Bronowicki J-P, de Ledinghen V, et al. Ledipasvir-sofosbuvir with or
      without ribavirin to treat patients with HCV genotype 1 infection and cirrhosis
      non-responsive to previous protease-inhibitor therapy: a randomised, double
      blind, phase 2 trial (SIRIUS). Lancet Infect Dis 2015; 15: 397-404-In the second
      paragraph of the Randomisation and Masking section the sentence describing study
      drug assignment should have read: "Patients were assigned in a 1:1 ratio. In the
      ledipasvir-sofosbuvir plus ribavirin group..." [see text]

PMID- 26122441
TI  - Stepped-wedge trial design to evaluate Ebola treatments.

PMID- 26122442
TI  - Are all Staphylococcus aureus equal?

PMID- 26122443
TI  - Health-care-associated infections.

PMID- 26122444
TI  - Role of co-trimoxazole for urinary tract infections in developing countries.

PMID- 26122445
TI  - Health-care-associated infections--Authors' reply.

PMID- 26122446
TI  - Dengue transmission during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

PMID- 26122447
TI  - Anti-vaxxing: a privilege of the fortunate.

PMID- 26122448
TI  - Cover illustration.

PMID- 26122449
TI  - Cover illustration--Editor's reply.

PMID- 26122450
TI  - Rubella is eliminated from the Americas.

PMID- 26122451
TI  - Risk of infection after the Nepal earthquake.

PMID- 26122456
TI  - The HIV care continuum in Latin America: challenges and opportunities.
AB  - Combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), also known as highly active
      antiretroviral therapy, provides clinical and immunological benefits for people
      living with HIV and is an effective strategy to prevent HIV transmission at the
      individual level. Early initiation of ART as part of a test and treat approach
      might decrease HIV transmission at the population level, but to do so the HIV
      continuum of care, from diagnosis to viral suppression, should be optimised.
      Access to ART has improved greatly in Latin America, and about 600,000 people are
      on treatment. However, health-care systems are deficient in different stages of
      the HIV continuum of care, and in some cases only a small proportion of
      individuals achieve the desired outcome of virological suppression. At present,
      data for most Latin American countries are not sufficient to build reliable
      metrics. Available data and estimates show that many people living with HIV in
      Latin America are unaware of their status, are diagnosed late, and enter into
      care late. Stigma, administrative barriers, and economic limitations seem to be
      important determinants of late diagnosis and failure to be linked to and retained
      in care. Policy makers need reliable data to optimise the HIV care continuum and
      improve individual-based and population-based outcomes of ART in Latin America.

PMID- 26122457
TI  - A Critical Examination of the "Bad Luck" Explanation of Cancer Risk.
AB  - Tomasetti and Vogelstein (1) argue that lifetime cancer risk for particular
      tissues is mostly determined by the total number of stem cell (SC) divisions
      within the tissue, whereby most cancers arise due to "bad luck"-mutations
      occurring during DNA replication. We argue that the poorly substantiated
      estimations of SC division parameters and assumptions that oversimplify somatic
      evolution prevent such a conclusion from being drawn.

PMID- 26122459
TI  - Under pressure to treat?

PMID- 26122458
TI  - First estimates of the potential cost and cost saving of protecting childhood
      hearing from damage caused by congenital CMV infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is an important cause of childhood
      deafness, which is modifiable if diagnosed within the first month of life.
      Targeted screening of infants who do not pass their newborn hearing screening
      tests in England is a feasible approach to identify and treat cases to improve
      hearing outcome. AIMS: To conduct a cost analysis of targeted screening and
      subsequent treatment for cCMV-related sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in an,
      otherwise, asymptomatic infant, from the perspective of the UK National Health
      Service (NHS). METHODS: Using data from the newborn hearing screening programme
      (NHSP) in England and a recent study of targeted screening for cCMV using
      salivary swabs within the NHSP, we estimate the cost (in UK pounds (L)) to the
      NHS. The cost of screening (time, swabs and PCR), assessing, treating and
      following up cases is calculated. The cost per case of preventing hearing
      deterioration secondary to cCMV with targeted screening is calculated. RESULTS:
      The cost of identifying, assessing and treating a case of cCMV-related SNHL
      through targeted cCMV screening is estimated to be L6683. The cost of improving
      hearing outcome for an infant with cCMV-related SNHL through targeted screening
      and treatment is estimated at L14 202. CONCLUSIONS: The costs of targeted
      screening for cCMV using salivary swabs integrated within NHSP resulted in an
      estimate of cost per case that compares favourably with other screening
      programmes. This could be used in future studies to estimate the full economic
      value in terms of incremental costs and incremental health benefits.

PMID- 26122460
TI  - PACES in epilepsy: Results of a self-management randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Self-management challenges facing adults with epilepsy include limited
      understanding of the condition and treatment, associated psychosocial issues, and
      lack of community integration. Self-management interventions improve patients'
      medical, life role, and emotional management. Previous interventions, developed
      from expert opinion, indicated issues with participant engagement/retention, and
      limited follow-up periods. PACES in Epilepsy addressed methodologic concerns by
      utilizing patient needs assessment data (n = 165) to derive self-management
      content and program features for evaluation via randomized controlled trial
      (RCT). METHODS: Participants were adults with chronic epilepsy (n = 83), without
      serious mental illness or substantive intellectual impairment, who were recruited
      from two epilepsy centers. Participants were assigned randomly to intervention or
      treatment-as-usual groups. Outcomes included the Epilepsy Self-Management Scale
      (ESMS), Epilepsy Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES), Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31
      (QOLIE-31), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety
      Disorder-7 (GAD-7), administered at baseline, postintervention (8 weeks), and 6
      months postintervention. The intervention was an 8-week group of 6-8 adults co
      led by a psychologist and trained peer with epilepsy that met one evening per
      week at a hospital for 75 min. Topics included medical, psychosocial, cognitive,
      and self-management aspects of epilepsy, in addition to community integration and
      optimizing epilepsy-related communication. The treatment group provided
      satisfaction ratings regarding program features. RESULTS: PACES participants (n =
      38) improved relative to controls (n = 40) on the ESMS (p < 0.001) and subscales
      [Information (p < 0.001); Lifestyle (p < 0.002)]; ESES (p < 0.001); and QOLIE-31
      (p = 0.002). At 6-month follow up, PACES participants remained improved on the
      ESMS (p = 0.004) and Information subscale (p = 0.009); and Energy/Fatigue (p =
      0.032) and Medication Effects (p = 0.005) of the QOLIE-31. Attrition in both
      groups was low (8% in each group) and all program satisfaction ratings exceeded
      4.0/5.0, with leadership (4.76), topics (4.53), and location (4.30) as the most
      highly rated aspects. SIGNIFICANCE: A consumer generated epilepsy self-management
      program appears to be a promising intervention from multiple perspectives,
      particularly in relation to disability management.

PMID- 26122461
TI  - The blood pressure response to acute and chronic aerobic exercise: A meta
      analysis of candidate gene association studies.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To meta-analyze candidate gene association studies on the change in
      blood pressure beyond the immediate post-exercise phase after versus before
      aerobic exercise. DESIGN: Meta-analysis. METHODS: A systematic search was
      conducted. Studies retrieved included acute (short-term or postexercise
      hypotension) or chronic (long-term or training) aerobic exercise interventions;
      and blood pressure measured before and after aerobic exercise training, or before
      and after exercise or control under ambulatory conditions by genotype. Effect
      sizes were determined for genotype and adjusted for sample features. RESULTS:
      Qualifying studies (k=17, n=3524) on average included middle-aged, overweight men
      (44.2%) and women (55.8%) with prehypertension (134.9+/-11.7/78.6+/-9.5mmHg).
      Training interventions (k=12) were performed at 60.4+/-12.9% of maximum oxygen
      consumption (VO2max) for 41.9+/-12.5minsession(-1), 3.6+/-1.2daysweek(-1) for
      15.7+/-7.6week; and post-exercise hypotension interventions (k=5) were performed
      at 53.5+/-14.4% VO2max for 38.5+/-5.4minsession(-1). Sample characteristics
      explained 54.2-59.0% of the variability in the blood pressure change after versus
      before acute exercise or control under ambulatory conditions, and 57.4-67.1% of
      the variability in the blood pressure change after versus before training
      (p<0.001). Only angiotensinogen M235T (rs699) associated with the change in
      diastolic blood pressure after versus before training (R(2)=0.1%, p=0.05), but
      this association did not remain statistically significant after adjustment for
      multiple comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: Sample characteristics explained most of the
      variability in the change of BP beyond the immediate post-exercise phase after
      versus before acute and chronic aerobic exercise. Angiotensinogen M235T (rs699)
      was the only genetic variant that associated with the change in diastolic blood
      pressure after versus before training, accounting for <1% of the variance.

PMID- 26122463
TI  - Species-specific lipophilicity of morphine antagonists.
AB  - Complete sets of microscopic acid-base and partition equilibrium constants were
      experimentally determined for therapeutically important morphine derivatives,
      including the widely used antagonists naloxone and naltrexone. The acid-base
      microequilibria were characterized by combining pH-potentiometry and deductive
      methods using synthesized auxiliary compounds. Microscopic protonation equilibria
      show that approximately three times as many zwitterionic microspecies than non
      charged ones exist in oxymorphone and naltrexone solutions. On the other hand,
      the non-charged microspecies is the dominant one in the case of naloxone,
      although its concentration is only 1.34 times higher than that of its
      zwitterionic protonation isomer. Partition coefficients of the individual
      microspecies were determined by a combination of experimentally measured
      distribution constants and deductive methods. The contribution ratio of the non
      charged versus zwitterionic species to the overall lipophilicity is quantified
      and depicted in terms of species-specific lipophilicities over the entire pH
      range for each compound. Our lipophilicity values allowed the molecular
      interpretation of the classical pharmacologic observation that naloxone has a
      faster onset for antagonist activity, and a concomitant shorter duration of
      action. 

PMID- 26122464
TI  - Intrapartum mean platelet volume is not a useful predictor of new-onset delayed
      postpartum pre-eclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether intrapartum mean platelet volume (MPV) can
      predict new-onset delayed postpartum pre-eclampsia. METHODS: In a retrospective
      study, data were obtained for women with delayed postpartum pre-eclampsia (>=48
      hours after delivery) who attended the Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA,
      between January 2002 and July 2010. Patients were divided into two subgroups: new
      onset delayed postpartum pre-eclampsia (no history of hypertensive disorder
      before 48 hours after delivery) and other late-onset/delayed postpartum pre
      eclampsia (history of hypertensive disorders). Cases with no hypertensive
      disorders paired by delivery date were selected as controls. Receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine whether MPV could distinguish
      between cases and controls. RESULTS: Data for 130 cases of new-onset delayed
      postpartum pre-eclampsia, 71 cases of other late-onset/delayed postpartum pre
      eclampsia, and 405 controls were collected. MPV was significantly different
      between the pre-eclampsia subgroups (P=0.007). ROC curves showed that MPV
      significantly distinguished new-onset delayed postpartum pre-eclampsia cases
      (area under the curve 0.6, 95% confidence interval 0.5-0.6; P=0.02), with a
      sensitivity and specificity of 58.1% and 55.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION:
      Although MPV was significantly lower in women who went on to develop new-onset
      delayed postpartum pre-eclampsia than among controls, it is not a useful
      predictor. The low MPV suggests a different mechanism for the development of new
      onset delayed postpartum pre-eclampsia.

PMID- 26122466
TI  - Diagnoses have the greatest impact on variation in sick-leave certification rate
      among primary-care patients in Sweden: A multilevel analysis including patient,
      physician and primary health-care centre levels.
AB  - AIMS: The aims of this study were to determine and evaluate simultaneously the
      importance of factors known to influence sick-leave certification such as the
      sick leave-related diagnoses, the patients' socio-economic status, and
      characteristics of the physicians. METHODS: Computerised medical records from 24
      public primary health-care centres (PHCC) were used in a multilevel logistic
      regression analysis at three levels: patients (n=64,354; sex, age, socio-economic
      status, workplace factors and diagnoses), physicians (n=574; sex and level of
      experience) and PHCC (n=24). The variation of sick-leave certification at each
      level was the outcome. RESULTS: Most of the variation was attributed to the
      patient level and only 3.5% to the physician and 1.2% to the PHCC levels. Among
      the patient characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses (mostly acute stress) had the
      highest odds ratio (OR) for sick leave (OR=16.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] 15
      17.2), followed by musculoskeletal diagnoses (OR=6.1; 95% CI 5.8-6.5). Other
      factors with increased OR were low education (OR=1.7; 95% CI 1.6-1.8), use of
      social allowance (OR=1.4; 95% CI 1.2-1.7) and certain workplaces (manufacture and
      health and social care). Being older was not associated with increased certified
      sick leave. CONCLUSIONS: The greatest variation in sick-leave certification rate
      was seen at the patient level, specifically psychiatric diagnoses. Socio-economic
      factors increasing the risk for sick-leave certification were education, social
      allowance and occupations in manufacture and caregiving. Understanding the impact
      of the different factors that influence certified sick leave is important both
      for targeted interventions in order to facilitate patients' return to work.

PMID- 26122467
TI  - Estimation of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in South Korea,
      revisited.
AB  - Two-phase designs in epidemiological studies of autism prevalence introduce
      methodological complications that can severely limit the precision of resulting
      estimates. If the assumptions used to derive the prevalence estimate are invalid
      or if the uncertainty surrounding these assumptions is not properly accounted for
      in the statistical inference procedure, then the point estimate may be inaccurate
      and the confidence interval may not be a true reflection of the precision of the
      estimate. We examine these potential pitfalls in the context of a recent high
      profile finding by Kim et al. (2011, Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in a
      total population sample. American Journal of Psychiatry 168: 904-912), who
      estimated that autism spectrum disorder affects 2.64% of children in a South
      Korean community. We reconstructed the study's methodology and used Monte Carlo
      simulations to analyze whether their point estimate and 95% confidence interval
      (1.91%, 3.37%) were reasonable, given what was known about their screening
      instrument and sample. We find the original point estimate to be highly
      assumption-dependent, and after accounting for sources of uncertainty unaccounted
      for in the original article, we demonstrate that a more reasonable confidence
      interval would be approximately twice as large as originally reported. We argue
      that future studies should give serious consideration to the additional sources
      of uncertainty introduced by a two-phase design, which may easily outstrip any
      expected gains in efficiency.

PMID- 26122468
TI  - Parity effect of bipolar quantum Hall edge transport around graphene antidots.
AB  - Parity effect, which means that even-odd property of an integer physical
      parameter results in an essential difference, ubiquitously appears and enables us
      to grasp its physical essence as the microscopic mechanism is less significant in
      coarse graining. Here we report a new parity effect of quantum Hall edge
      transport in graphene antidot devices with pn junctions (PNJs). We found and
      experimentally verified that the bipolar quantum Hall edge transport is
      drastically affected by the parity of the number of PNJs. This parity effect is
      universal in bipolar quantum Hall edge transport of not only graphene but also
      massless Dirac electron systems. These results offer a promising way to design
      electron interferometers in graphene. 

PMID- 26122469
TI  - The match between common antibiotics packaging and guidelines for their use in
      Australia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the potential for a source of surplus antibiotics in the
      community to come from the mismatch between the recommended duration of
      antibiotic treatment for common indications in primary care and that dictated by
      default pharmaceutical industry packaging. METHODS: Analysis of existing
      published information of: 1) the most common antibiotics prescribed in primary
      care in Australia; 2) their most common indications; 3) the guideline
      recommendations for their duration; and 4) the duration dictated by antibiotic
      packaging. RESULTS: Of 32 common antibiotic prescribing scenarios, 10 had doses
      left over in surplus and 18 had a shortfall, leaving only four in which the
      packaging size matched the duration recommended by electronic Therapeutic
      Guidelines. Where there was a shortfall, this was only exactly accommodated by a
      repeat prescription in two cases. CONCLUSIONS: Mismatch contributes to a
      shortfall or excess of doses compared to recommended antibiotic treatment
      protocols and probably exaggerates redundant doses in the community from
      prescribed antibiotics dispensed and not consumed. IMPLICATIONS: Prescribers need
      to be aware that the mismatch between antibiotic pack sizes and guideline
      recommendations for their duration is contributing to antibiotic resistance in
      the community.

PMID- 26122470
TI  - Differential utilisation of ceramide during replication of the flaviviruses West
      Nile and dengue virus.
AB  - It is well established that +ssRNA viruses manipulate cellular lipid homoeostasis
      and distribution to facilitate efficient replication. Here, we show that the
      cellular lipid ceramide is redistributed to the West Nile virus strain Kunjin
      virus (WNVKUN) replication complex (RC) but not to the dengue virus serotype 2
      strain New Guinea C (DENVNGC) RC. We show that prolonged chemical inhibition of
      serine palmitoyltransferase with myriocin had a significant deleterious effect on
      WNVKUN replication but enhanced DENVNGC replication. Additionally, inhibition of
      ceramide synthase with Fumonisin B1 had a detrimental effect on WNVKUN
      replication and release of infectious virus particles but contrastingly an
      enhancing effect on DENVNGC replication and virus production. These observations
      suggest that ceramide production via the de novo and salvage pathway is a
      requirement for WNVKUN replication but inhibitory for DENVNGC replication. Thus,
      although these two viruses are from the same genus, they have a differential
      ceramide requirement for replication.

PMID- 26122471
TI  - The AT-hook DNA binding ability of the Epstein Barr virus EBNA1 protein is
      necessary for the maintenance of viral genomes in latently infected cells.
AB  - Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) is a human tumor virus that is causally linked to
      malignancies such as Burkitt's lymphoma, and gastric and nasopharyngeal
      carcinomas. Tethering of EBV genomes to cellular chromosomes is required for the
      synthesis and persistence of viral plasmids in tumor cells. However, it is not
      established how EBV genomes are tethered to cellular chromosomes. We test the
      hypothesis that the viral protein EBNA1 tethers EBV genomes to chromosomes
      specifically through its N-terminal AT-hook DNA-binding domains by using a small
      molecule, netropsin, that has been shown to inhibit the AT-hook DNA-binding of
      EBNA1 in vitro. We show that netropsin forces the loss of EBV genomes from
      epithelial and lymphoid cells in an AT-hook dependent manner and that EBV
      positive lymphoma cells are significantly more inhibited in their growth by
      netropsin than are corresponding EBV-negative cells.

PMID- 26122472
TI  - Development of a reverse genetics system to generate a recombinant Ebola virus
      Makona expressing a green fluorescent protein.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated the potential application of reverse genetics
      technology in studying a broad range of aspects of viral biology, including gene
      regulation, protein function, cell entry, and pathogenesis. Here, we describe a
      highly efficient reverse genetics system used to generate recombinant Ebola virus
      (EBOV) based on a recent isolate from a human patient infected during the 2014
      2015 outbreak in Western Africa. We also rescued a recombinant EBOV expressing a
      fluorescent reporter protein from a cleaved VP40 protein fusion. Using this virus
      and an inexpensive method to quantitate the expression of the foreign gene, we
      demonstrate its potential usefulness as a tool for screening antiviral compounds
      and measuring neutralizing antibodies.

PMID- 26122474
TI  - Pancreatitis: MPTP pore opening proves crucial for experimental pancreatitis.

PMID- 26122473
TI  - The spectrum of noncoeliac gluten sensitivity.
AB  - The past 5 years have seen an increase in the use of a gluten-free diet outside a
      diagnosis of coeliac disease or IgE-mediated wheat allergy. This trend has led to
      the identification of a new clinical entity termed noncoeliac gluten sensitivity
      (NCGS). In this Review, we discuss the evidence for NCGS as demonstrated by the
      results of double-blind, placebo-controlled dietary rechallenge studies.
      Furthermore, the characteristic phenotype of individuals with NCGS is described
      as well as the symptom manifestations commonly reported after gluten exposure,
      which include intestinal symptoms consistent with IBS, and extraintestinal
      symptoms such as neurological dysfunction, psychological disturbances,
      fibromyalgia and skin rash. Moreover, emerging evidence suggests that NCGS can be
      associated with organic gastrointestinal pathologies, such as IBD, in which its
      presence might be a reflection of severe or stricturing disease. However, NCGS is
      not without its controversies and uncertainties, in particular pertaining to
      whether it is gluten or nongluten components of the grain evoking symptoms;
      evidence suggests that fermentable carbohydrates, amylase trypsin inhibitors and
      wheat-germ agglutinin can also be responsible culprits. Finally, we discuss the
      novel techniques that might help diagnose NCGS in the future. 

PMID- 26122476
TI  - NAFLD: Cardiovascular complications of NAFLD--they do matter.

PMID- 26122475
TI  - Modelling hepatitis C therapy--predicting effects of treatment.
AB  - Mathematically modelling changes in HCV RNA levels measured in patients who
      receive antiviral therapy has yielded many insights into the pathogenesis and
      effects of treatment on the virus. By determining how rapidly HCV is cleared when
      viral replication is interrupted by a therapy, one can deduce how rapidly the
      virus is produced in patients before treatment. This knowledge, coupled with
      estimates of the HCV mutation rate, enables one to estimate the frequency with
      which drug resistant variants arise. Modelling HCV also permits the deduction of
      the effectiveness of an antiviral agent at blocking HCV replication from the
      magnitude of the initial viral decline. One can also estimate the lifespan of an
      HCV-infected cell from the slope of the subsequent viral decline and determine
      the duration of therapy needed to cure infection. The original understanding of
      HCV RNA decline under interferon-based therapies obtained by modelling needed to
      be revised in order to interpret the HCV RNA decline kinetics seen when using
      direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). There also exist unresolved issues
      involving understanding therapies with combinations of DAAs, such as the presence
      of detectable HCV RNA at the end of therapy in patients who nonetheless have a
      sustained virologic response. 

PMID- 26122477
TI  - Diagnosis: A step closer to screening for curable pancreatic cancer?

PMID- 26122479
TI  - Corrigendum: Label-Free Characterization of Emerging Human Neuronal Networks.

PMID- 26122480
TI  - Sensor Based on Aptamer Folding to Detect Low-Molecular Weight Analytes.
AB  - Aptamers have emerged as promising biorecognition elements in the development of
      biosensors. The present work focuses on the application of quartz crystal
      microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) for the enantioselective
      detection of a low molecular weight target molecule (less than 200 Da) by aptamer
      based sensors. While QCM-D is a powerful technique for label-free, real-time
      characterization and quantification of molecular interactions at interfaces, the
      detection of small molecules interacting with immobilized receptors still remains
      a challenge. In the present study, we take advantage of the aptamer
      conformational changes upon the target binding that induces displacement of water
      acoustically coupled to the sensing layer. As a consequence, this phenomenon
      leads to a significant enhancement of the detection signal. The methodology is
      exemplified with the enantioselective recognition of a low molecular weight model
      compound, L-tyrosinamide (L-Tym). QCM-D monitoring of L-Tym interaction with the
      aptamer monolayer leads to an appreciable signal that can be further exploited
      for analytical purposes or thermodynamics studies. Furthermore, in situ
      combination of QCM-D with spectroscopic ellipsometry unambiguously demonstrates
      that the conformational change induces a nanometric decrease of the aptamer
      monolayer thickness. Since QCM-D is sensitive to the whole mass of the sensing
      layer including water that is acoustically coupled, a decrease in thickness of
      the highly hydrated aptamer layer induces a sizable release of water that can be
      easily detected by QCM-D. 

PMID- 26122478
TI  - Secretory diarrhoea: mechanisms and emerging therapies.
AB  - Diarrhoeal disease remains a major health burden worldwide. Secretory diarrhoeas
      are caused by certain bacterial and viral infections, inflammatory processes,
      drugs and genetic disorders. Fluid secretion across the intestinal epithelium in
      secretory diarrhoeas involves multiple ion and solute transporters, as well as
      activation of cyclic nucleotide and Ca(2+) signalling pathways. In many secretory
      diarrhoeas, activation of Cl(-) channels in the apical membrane of enterocytes,
      including the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and Ca(2+)
      activated Cl(-) channels, increases fluid secretion, while inhibition of Na(+)
      transport reduces fluid absorption. Current treatment of diarrhoea includes
      replacement of fluid and electrolyte losses using oral rehydration solutions, and
      drugs targeting intestinal motility or fluid secretion. Therapeutics in the
      development pipeline target intestinal ion channels and transporters, regulatory
      proteins and cell surface receptors. This Review describes pathogenic mechanisms
      of secretory diarrhoea, current and emerging therapeutics, and the challenges in
      developing antidiarrhoeal therapeutics. 

PMID- 26122481
TI  - Beneficial Effects of Early mTORC1 Inhibition after Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway mediates
      many aspects of cell growth and regeneration and is upregulated after moderate to
      severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The significance of this increased signaling
      event for recovery of brain function is presently unclear. We analyzed the time
      course and cell specificity of mTORC1 signal activation in the mouse hippocampus
      after moderate controlled cortical impact (CCI) and identified an early neuronal
      peak of activity that occurs within a few hours after injury. We suppressed this
      peak activity by a single injection of the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin 1 h after
      CCI and showed that this acute treatment significantly diminishes the extent of
      neuronal death, astrogliosis, and cognitive impairment 1-3 days after injury. Our
      findings suggest that the early neuronal peak of mTORC1 activity after TBI is
      deleterious to brain function, and that acute, early intervention with mTORC1
      inhibitors after injury may represent an effective form of treatment to improve
      recovery in human patients. 

PMID- 26122482
TI  - Visual signs and symptoms in patients with the visual variant of Alzheimer
      disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prominent visual symptoms can present in the visual variant of
      Alzheimer's disease (VVAD). Ophthalmologists have a significant role to play in
      the early diagnosis of VVAD. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the files of
      ten consecutive patients diagnosed with VVAD. All patients had a full neuro
      ophthalmologic examination, a formal neurological and neuro-psychological
      testing, and cerebral MRI to confirm diagnosis. In addition, functional
      neuroimaging was obtained in seven patients. RESULTS: The common primary symptom
      at presentation with all patients was difficulty with near vision (reading
      difficulty n = 8, "visual blur" in near vision n = 2), and difficulty writing (n
      = 3). Following assessment, impaired reading and writing skills were evident in
      9/10 and 8/10 patients respectively. Median distance visual acuity was 20/25 and
      at near the median visual acuity was J6. Partial homonymous visual field defect
      was detected in 80 % (8/10) of the patients. Color vision was impaired in all
      patients when tested with Ishihara pseudoisochromatic plates, but simple color
      naming was normal in 8/9 tested patients. Simultanagnosia was present in 8/10
      patients. Vision dysfunction corresponded with cerebral MRI findings where
      parieto-occipital cortical atrophy was observed in all patients. PET scan (5
      patients) or SPECT (2 patients) revealed parieto-occipital dysfunction
      (hypometabolism or hypoperfusion) in all 7 tested patients CONCLUSIONS: Visual
      difficulties are prominent in VVAD. Dyslexia, incomplete homonymous hemianopia,
      preserved color identification with abnormal color vision on Ishihara, and
      simultanagnosia were all symptoms observed frequently in this patient series.
      Ophthalmologists should be aware of the possibility of neurodegenerative
      disorders such as VVAD in patients with unexplained visual complaints, in
      particular reading difficulties.

PMID- 26122483
TI  - Spatial sorting promotes the spread of maladaptive hybridization.
AB  - Invasive hybridization is causing loss of biodiversity worldwide. The spread of
      such introgression can occur even when hybrids have reduced Darwinian fitness,
      which decreases the frequency of hybrids due to low survival or reproduction
      through time. This paradox can be partially explained by spatial sorting, where
      genotypes associated with dispersal increase in frequency at the edge of
      expansion, fueling further expansion and allowing invasive hybrids to increase in
      frequency through space rather than time. Furthermore, because all progeny of a
      hybrid will be hybrids (i.e., will possess genes from both parental taxa),
      nonnative admixture in invaded populations can increase even when most hybrid
      progeny do not survive. Broader understanding of spatial sorting is needed to
      protect native biodiversity. 

PMID- 26122484
TI  - Fitness of multidimensional phenotypes in dynamic adaptive landscapes.
AB  - Phenotypic traits influence species distributions, but ecology lacks established
      links between multidimensional phenotypes and fitness for predicting species
      responses to environmental change. The common focus on single traits rather than
      multiple trait combinations limits our understanding of their adaptive value, and
      intraspecific trait covariation has been neglected in ecology despite its
      importance in evolutionary theory and its likely impact on species distributions.
      Here, we extend the adaptive landscape framework to ecological sorting of
      multidimensional phenotypes across environments and discuss how two analytical
      approaches can be used to quantify fitness as a function of the interaction
      between the phenotype and the environment. We encourage ecologists to consider
      how phenotypic integration will constrain species responses to environmental
      change. 

PMID- 26122485
TI  - D-Aspartic acid stimulates steroidogenesis through the delay of LH receptor
      internalization in a mammalian Leydig cell line.
AB  - PURPOSE: Recent experimental evidence on non-mammalian animal models showed that
      D-Aspartic acid (d-Asp) administration increases testosterone levels through
      upregulation of StAR in Leydig cells. In this study, we aimed to investigate in
      vitro the signaling pathway associated with d-Asp stimulation in MA-10 murine
      Leydig cells. METHODS: MA-10 cells were stimulated with different concentrations
      of d-Asp, in presence or absence of hCG. Then total testosterone (T) levels in
      the culture medium were evaluated by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, and
      StAR and LHR protein expressions were quantified by the means of Western
      blotting. LHR cellular localization after hormonal stimulation was assessed by
      immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Stimulation with the sole d-Asp did not induce any
      relevant increase of T release from cultured cells. On the other hand,
      stimulation with hCG induced significant increase of T (P = 0.045). Concomitant
      stimulation with hCG and d-Asp, at the concentration of 0.1 and 1 nM, induced
      additional and significant increase of released T (P = 0.03 and P = 0.04,
      respectively). StAR protein levels increased after concomitant stimulation with
      hCG and d-Asp 0.1 nM, compared with stimulation with the sole hCG (P = 0.02),
      whereas no variation in LHR protein expression was observed. Finally, d-Asp
      attenuated displacement of LHR staining, from cell membrane to cytoplasm,
      subsequent to hCG stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we confirmed a
      steroidogenic role for d-Asp, in concert with hCG, on murine Leydig cells, which
      is mediated by an increase in StAR protein levels. In addition, we showed that
      the possible mechanism subtending the effect of d-Asp could rely on the
      modulation of LHR exposure on the cell membrane.

PMID- 26122486
TI  - Sleep apnea syndrome in endocrine clinics.
AB  - Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a chronic condition with a high
      prevalence (up to 7 % of the general population) characterized by frequent
      episodes of upper airway collapse while sleeping. Left untreated, OSAS can cause
      severe complications, including systemic hypertension, cardiovascular disease,
      stroke, and abnormal glucose metabolism. This review aims to summarize the close
      links between OSAS, endocrinology, and metabolism. In patients with metabolic
      syndrome, OSAS is an independent risk factor for the onset of type 2 diabetes and
      a worsening glycemic control. The accumulation of adipose tissue in the neck and
      limited chest wall dynamics, hypoxia, and local micro-inflammation link visceral
      obesity closely with OSAS. There is now an abundance of convincing data
      indicating that promoting lifestyle changes, improving sleep hygiene, and
      adjusting diet can ameliorate both metabolic syndrome and OSAS, especially in
      obese patients. The incidence of OSAS in acromegaly is high, though GH treatments
      seem to be unrelated to the onset of apnea in GH-deficient individuals.
      Prospective studies have suggested an association between hypertension and OSAS
      because intermittent nocturnal hypoxia prompts an increase in sympathetic tone,
      endothelial dysfunction, and vascular inflammation: aldosterone excess may have a
      pathophysiological role, and some authors have reported that treating OSAS leads
      to a modest, but significant, reduction in blood pressure.

PMID- 26122488
TI  - An efficient case finding strategy to diagnose osteoporosis in a developing
      society with low treatment frequency.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Osteoporosis is a debilitating condition with rising frequency of
      fragility fractures with advancing age. Life expectancy increases in developing
      societies with the emergence of osteoporosis. There is a need for a simple
      protocol to diagnose fractures that merit treatment for osteoporosis. METHODS:
      Evaluation of all consecutive lateral chest radiographs performed at the National
      Hospital in the capital city in Greenland over a 3-month period for vertebral
      body heights at the anterior, middle and posterior regions. Use of anti
      osteoporotic drug was evaluated from records of dispensed drugs from Greenland
      National Pharmacy. RESULTS: 1869 vertebrae were evaluated on radiographs from 203
      subjects. On average 9.2 vertebrae (range 5-13) qualified for evaluation in each
      individual. Median (range) age was 55 (30-82) years. Any vertebral deformity
      above 25 (20) % was seen in 28.6 (50.2) %. More than one fracture was seen in
      10.3 (27.1) %. Fractures occurred in 18.5 (36.9) % of patients from the General
      Medicine Clinic and in 33.3 (56.5) % of inpatients (p = 0.029). The occurrence of
      vertebral fractures increased with age (p < 0.001) and hosting more than one
      vertebral fracture was markedly more frequent after the age of 60 years [OR, 95 %
      CI 9.6, 3.1-30 (5.7, 2.9-11); p < 0.001] after correction for gender in logistic
      regressions. The National Pharmacy handed out anti-osteoporotic drugs equal to
      the treatment of 36 individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Vertebral fractures that merit
      treatment can be readily diagnosed from lateral chest radiographs taken in
      routine clinical work-up. They are common in Greenland as demonstrated by this
      simple protocol to improve diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in a
      developing society.

PMID- 26122489
TI  - Inversion group (IG) fitting: A new T1 mapping method for modified look-locker
      inversion recovery (MOLLI) that allows arbitrary inversion groupings and rest
      periods (including no rest period).
AB  - PURPOSE: The Modified Look-Locker Inversion Recovery (MOLLI) technique is used
      for T1 mapping in the heart. However, a drawback of this technique is that it
      requires lengthy rest periods in between inversion groupings to allow for
      complete magnetization recovery. In this work, a new MOLLI fitting algorithm
      (inversion group [IG] fitting) is presented that allows for arbitrary
      combinations of inversion groupings and rest periods (including no rest period).
      THEORY AND METHODS: Conventional MOLLI algorithms use a three parameter fitting
      model. In IG fitting, the number of parameters is two plus the number of
      inversion groupings. This increased number of parameters permits any inversion
      grouping/rest period combination. Validation was performed through simulation,
      phantom, and in vivo experiments. RESULTS: IG fitting provided T1 values with
      less than 1% discrepancy across a range of inversion grouping/rest period
      combinations. By comparison, conventional three parameter fits exhibited up to
      30% discrepancy for some combinations. The one drawback with IG fitting was a
      loss of precision-approximately 30% worse than the three parameter fits.
      CONCLUSION: IG fitting permits arbitrary inversion grouping/rest period
      combinations (including no rest period). The cost of the algorithm is a loss of
      precision relative to conventional three parameter fits. Magn Reson Med 75:2332
      2340, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26122487
TI  - Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors: back and forward from cardiac indications.
AB  - PDE5 inhibitors (PDE5i) are widely known as treatment for erectile dysfunction
      (ED). This favorable action has emerged as a "side effect" from pioneering
      studies when PDE5i have been originally proposed as treatment for coronary artery
      disease (CAD). PDE5i showed marginal benefits for CAD treatment; although
      disappointing for that indication, they improved systemic and pulmonary
      vasodilation and ameliorated general endothelial function. Therefore, PDE5i have
      been approved and licensed also for pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), besides
      ED. Nowadays, fine-tuned biomolecular mechanisms of PDE5i are well recognized to
      be beneficial onto myocardial contractility and geometry, to reduce tissue
      fibrosis, hypertrophy and apoptosis. PDE5i consistently exert benefits on heart
      failure, infarct, cardiomyopathy. The concept that PDE5i likely blunt Th1-driven
      inflammatory processes, which shift the homeostatic balance from health to
      disease, has emerged; PDE5i seem to decrease the release of active biomolecules
      from cells to tissues interested by inflammation. In this view, following
      clinical and basic research progresses, PDE5i can be undoubtedly "re-allocated"
      for cardiac indications and, hopefully, they could be approved as therapeutic
      tools to treat and prevent heart disease. This review aims to summarize PDE5i
      different clinical applications, from past to present and future, focusing on
      their potential power as treatment for cardiac diseases. 

PMID- 26122490
TI  - Andreas Vesalius' five hundreth anniversary: initiation of the rotator cuff
      concept.
AB  - PURPOSE: The rotator cuff concept refers to the four scapulohumeral muscles that
      stabilize and rotate the humerus relative to the scapula. To date, the first
      description of the rotator cuff remained unidentified. METHOD: In light of the
      500th birthday of Andreas Vesalius (1515-1564) we searched his 1543 masterwork
      "Fabrica Corporis Humani Libri Septem" for references to the morphology and
      function of the rotator cuff muscles. RESULT: Even though he distinguished three
      rather than four scapulohumeral muscles, Vesalius recognized the need for
      structures that prevent dislocation of the shoulder inherent to the morphology of
      the humeral caput and scapular socket. He recorded "three strong ligaments" and
      the "three muscles that rotate the arm" of which the tendons completely "embrace
      the ligaments of the joint" as such structures. CONCLUSION: Vesalius defined the
      rotator cuff concept avant la lettre.

PMID- 26122491
TI  - [Treatment options of distal intestinal obstruction syndrome: And if the enemas
      fail?].

PMID- 26122492
TI  - [Hepatic hemangiomas: Spectacular response to treatment with propranolol].

PMID- 26122493
TI  - Should we use CT or MRI for detection and characterization of benign adrenal
      lesions?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the
      main imaging modalities used for analysis of adrenal lesions. We compared the
      ability of CT and MRI to detect and characterize benign adrenal lesions. PATIENTS
      AND METHODS: Unenhanced abdominal CT and MRI were performed in 16 patients (age
      range 39-77), and reviewed by a radiologist with 6years of experience in
      abdominal imaging. The presence, number, size and structure of each mass were
      analyzed and compared between the two modalities. RESULTS: There were 18 adrenal
      masses in 11 patients, four patients had adrenal hyperplasia (AH), whereas one
      patient had left-sided AH and right-sided adenoma. Ten masses were>=2cm in
      diameter, and were perfectly depicted using CT and all MRI techniques. There were
      nine masses with diameter<2cm detected by CT, three of them were missed using
      MRI. AH was detected in five patients using CT, but its mild form was missed in
      one patient using MRI. Four masses with attenuation values of>10Hounsfield units
      could not be characterized using unenhanced CT, but three of them were
      characterized using MRI. CONCLUSION: CT has higher sensitivity for detection of
      small adrenal tumours and adrenal hyperplasia than MRI. MRI is an important tool
      in characterization of adrenal masses that could not be characterized using
      unenhanced CT.

PMID- 26122494
TI  - Panhypopituitarism revealing sellar tuberculoma.

PMID- 26122495
TI  - Biological and radiological exploration and management of non-functioning
      pituitary adenoma.
AB  - Non-functioning pituitary adenoma may be totally asymptomatic and discovered
      "incidentally" during radiological examination for some other indication, or else
      induce tumoral signs with compression of the optic chiasm and pituitary
      dysfunction. Non-functioning adenomas are mainly gonadotroph, but may also be
      "silent". Treatment strategy depends on initial clinical, biological,
      ophthalmological and radiological findings. The present French Society of
      Endocrinology Consensus work-group sought to update the pitfalls associated with
      hormone assay and outline a hormonal exploration strategy for diagnosis and
      follow-up, without overlooking the particularities of silent adenoma. We also
      drew up basic rules for initial exploration and radiological follow-up of both
      operated and non-operated pituitary adenomas.

PMID- 26122496
TI  - [Dyspnea in left-sided heart disease].
AB  - Shortness of breath (dyspnea) is a common symptom in left-sided heart disease but
      clinically, patient symptoms show a high variability. Echocardiography is the
      mainstay for evaluating whether left-sided heart disease is the cause of dyspnea.
      If left-sided heart failure is diagnosed, this symptom complex must then be
      subjected to further etiological evaluation. Hypertensive, ischemic and valvular
      heart diseases are common, as well as atrial fibrillation. If the patient does
      not have angina pectoris, testing for ischemic heart disease should be done non
      invasively by coronary computed tomography or testing for regional myocardial
      ischemia. Coronary revascularization is indicated only when a prognostically
      relevant ischemia of more than 10 % of the left ventricle is diagnosed. Diuretics
      are important for the relief of dyspnea but do not improve the prognosis of
      patients. In patients with reduced left ventricular function, combination therapy
      with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, beta blockers and
      aldosterone antagonists improve the symptoms and prognosis. For treatment of
      heart failure with preserved ejection fraction evidence-based measures are still
      lacking. In this case the recommended therapy consists of optimal treatment of
      comorbidities, regulation of heart rate and blood pressure and participation in
      structured exercise programs. Angiotensin receptor blockers and aldosterone
      antagonists can be given in patients with more severe symptoms even though the
      available data are very sparse. 

PMID- 26122498
TI  - An Update of the Brazilian Regulatory Bioequivalence Recommendations for Approval
      of Generic Topical Dermatological Drug Products.
AB  - This note aims to clarify the Brazilian regulatory bioequivalence recommendations
      for approval of generic topical dermatological drug products, since the legal
      framework of the "Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency" (ANVISA) is only
      available in Portuguese. According to Resolutions RE n. 1170 (December 19th 2006)
      and RDC n. 37 (August 3rd 2011) in Brazil, only in vitro studies are required for
      registration of generic topical dermatological drug products. Current Regulatory
      Agenda of ANVISA, which contains possible future resolutions to be revised over
      2015-2016, includes a discussion on biowaiver requirements and on possible in
      vitro and in vivo comparability tests for these products. 

PMID- 26122497
TI  - Novel Redox-Responsive Amphiphilic Copolymer Micelles for Drug Delivery:
      Synthesis and Characterization.
AB  - A novel redox-responsive amphiphilic polymer was synthesized with bioreductive
      trimethyl-locked quinone propionic acid for a potential triggered drug delivery
      application. The aim of this study was to synthesize and characterize the redox
      responsive amphiphilic block copolymer micelles containing pendant bioreductive
      quinone propionic acid (QPA) switches. The redox-responsive hydrophobic block
      (polyQPA), synthesized from QPA-serinol and adipoyl chloride, was end-capped with
      methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) of molecular weight 750 (mPEG750) to achieve a
      redox-responsive amphiphilic block copolymer, polyQPA-mPEG750. PolyQPA-mPEG750
      was able to self-assemble as micelles to show a critical micelle concentration
      (CMC) of 0.039% w/v (0.39 mg/ml, 0.107 mM) determined by a dye solubilization
      method using 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) in phosphate-buffered saline
      (PBS). The mean diameter of polymeric micelles was found to be 27.50 nm (PI =
      0.064) by dynamic light scattering. Furthermore, redox-triggered destabilization
      of the polymeric micelles was confirmed by (1)H-NMR spectroscopy and particle
      size measurements in a simulated redox state. PolyQPA-mPEG750 underwent triggered
      reduction to shed pendant redox-responsive QPA groups and its polymeric micelles
      were swollen to be dissembled in the presence of a reducing agent, thereby
      enabling the release of loaded model drug, paclitaxel. The redox-responsive
      polyQPA-mPEG750 polymer micelles would be useful as a drug delivery system
      allowing triggered drug release in an altered redox state such as tumor
      microenvironments with an altered redox potential and/or redox enzyme
      upregulation. 

PMID- 26122499
TI  - Inflammatory Biomarkers in Peripheral Artery Disease: Diagnosis, Prognosis, and
      Therapeutic Challenges.
AB  - Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is an inflammatory disease caused by
      atherosclerosis. It has been demonstrated that PAD is related to chronic
      inflammation. While conventional risk factors lead to the pathogenesis and
      progression of PAD, the role of novel inflammatory biomarkers in relation to PAD
      is being increasingly recognized. The novel biomarkers for PAD may allow for
      earlier screening and detection, suppression of disease progression, and
      development of new therapeutic approaches. In this review, inflammatory
      biomarkers that should be contributory to diagnosis, prognosis, and avenues for
      therapeutic challenges in PAD are summarized. 

PMID- 26122500
TI  - Novel Inflammatory Indices in Aortic Disease.
AB  - Inflammation plays a critical role in the atherosclerotic process in various
      vascular beds, starting from endothelial dysfunction and counting all stages of
      plaque development. The significant contribution of inflammation in the
      initiation and progression of atherosclerosis has been documented over many years
      but its contribution to the development of other cardiovascular disease remains
      unclear. Inflammatory process constitutes a basic part of pathogenic cascade of
      aortic diseases including those of aortic valve stenosis and aortic aneurysms.
      Thus, both of these entities are related with high rates of morbidity and
      mortality. Therefore, the need to detect and investigate indices representative
      of inflammation that will be easily measured and may reflect the process of these
      diseases, is mandatory. However, such biomarkers for aortic diseases that could
      have a significant prognostic value on survival via the early identification of
      high risk patients, in general, remain few. Therefore, the illumination of role
      of such biomarkers, will facilitate the understanding of the mechanisms in
      molecular and/or cellular level that are responsible for the creation of aortic
      disease. Such an approach may provide a pathophysiological basis for early
      diagnosis. 

PMID- 26122501
TI  - More Effective Strategies are Needed for Elderly Asthmatics in Real-World
      Practice.

PMID- 26122502
TI  - Chronic Rhinosinusitis and the Coagulation System.
AB  - Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is one of the most common chronic diseases in adults
      and severely affects quality of life in patients. Although various etiologic and
      pathogenic mechanisms of CRS have been proposed, the causes of CRS remain
      uncertain. Abnormalities in the coagulation cascade may play an etiologic role in
      many diseases, such as asthma and other inflammatory conditions. While studies on
      the relationship between asthma and dysregulated coagulation have been reported,
      the role of the coagulation system in the pathogenesis of CRS has only been
      considered following recent reports. Excessive fibrin deposition is seen in nasal
      polyp (NP) tissue from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyp
      (CRSwNP) and is associated with activation of thrombin, reduction of tissue
      plasminogen activator (t-PA) and upregulation of coagulation factor XIII-A (FXIII
      A), all events that can contribute to fibrin deposition and crosslinking. These
      findings were reproduced in a murine model of NP that was recently established.
      Elucidation of the mechanisms of fibrin deposition may enhance our understanding
      of tissue remodeling in the pathophysiology of NP and provide new targets for the
      treatment of CRSwNP. 

PMID- 26122504
TI  - Addition of Montelukast to Low-Dose Inhaled Corticosteroid Leads to Fewer
      Exacerbations in Older Patients Than Medium-Dose Inhaled Corticosteroid
      Monotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: There have been few reports regarding the efficacy of antiasthmatics in
      older patients. To compare the efficacy of the addition of montelukast to low
      dose inhaled budesonide (MON-400BUD) versus increasing the dose of inhaled
      steroid (800BUD) on asthma control in older asthmatics. METHODS: A randomized,
      open-label, parallel-designed trial was conducted for 12 weeks. The primary
      endpoint was the rate of patients who reached "well-controlled asthma status"
      after the 12-week treatment period. Additionally, asthma exacerbations, sputum
      inflammatory cells, asthma control test (ACT) and physical functioning scale
      (PFS), and adverse reactions were monitored. RESULTS: Twenty-four (36.9%) and 22
      (34.9%) subjects in the MON-400BUD (n=65) and 800BUD (n=63) groups had well
      controlled asthma at the end of the study, respectively. The numbers of asthma
      exacerbations requiring oral corticosteroid treatment (20 vs 9, respectively,
      P=0.036) and the development of sore throat (22 vs 11, respectively, P=0.045)
      were significantly higher in the 800BUD group than in the MON-400BUD group. Body
      mass index and changes in ACT, FEV1%, 6-min walk distance and PFS from baseline
      were all significant determinants for distinguishing subjects with well
      controlled and partly controlled asthma from those with uncontrolled asthma
      (P<0.05) at the end of the study. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of 12-week treatment
      with MON-400BUD in older asthmatics was comparable to that of 800BUD on asthma
      control but associated with reduced frequency of asthma exacerbations requiring
      oral steroids and sore throat events. Changes in ACT and PFS can be useful
      predictors of asthma control status in older patients.

PMID- 26122503
TI  - Challenges in the Management of Asthma in the Elderly.
AB  - Recent literature has emphasized the clinical and socio-epidemiological
      significance of asthma in the elderly. However, why the disease burden remains
      high in this group is unclear. Elderly subjects usually have multiple chronic
      illnesses, and the role played by comorbidities in the context of asthma has been
      underappreciated. This review aims to summarize the literature associations
      between comorbidities and asthma in elderly patients. In addition, we discuss
      patient management issues. 

PMID- 26122505
TI  - Altered microRNA Expression Profiles of Extracellular Vesicles in Nasal Mucus
      From Patients With Allergic Rhinitis.
AB  - PURPOSE: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an inflammatory disorder of the upper airway.
      Exosomes or extracellular vesicles are nanosized vesicles of endosomal origin
      released from inflammatory and epithelial cells that have been implicated in
      allergic diseases. In this study, we characterized the microRNA (miRNA) content
      of exosomes in AR. METHODS: Extracellular vesicles were isolated from nasal mucus
      from healthy control subjects (n=10) and patients with severe AR (n=10). Vesicle
      RNA was analyzed by using a TaqMan microRNA assays Human Panel-Early Access kit
      (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA) containing probes for 366 human
      miRNAs, and selected findings were validated with quantitative RT-PCR. Target
      prediction and pathway analysis for the differentially expressed miRNAs were
      performed using DIANA-mirPath. RESULTS: Twenty-one vesicle miRNAs were up
      regulated and 14 miRNAs were under-regulated significantly (P<0.05) in nasal
      mucus from AR patients when compared to healthy controls. Bioinformatic analysis
      by DIANA-mirPath demonstrated that 32 KEGG biological processes were
      significantly enriched (P<0.05, FDR corrected) among differentially expressed
      vesicle miRNA signatures. Among them, the B-cell receptor signaling pathway
      (P=3.709E-09), the natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity (P=8.466E-05), the T
      cell receptor signaling pathway (P=0.00075), the RIG-I-like receptor signaling
      pathway (P=0.00127), the Wnt signaling pathway (P=0.00130), endocytosis
      (P=0.00440), and salivary secretion (P=0.04660) were the most prominent pathways
      enriched in quantiles with differential vesicle miRNA patterns. Furthermore, miR
      30-5p, miR-199b-3p, miR-874, miR-28-3p, miR-203, and miR-875-5p, involved in B
      cell receptor and salivary secretion signaling pathways, were selected for
      validation using independent samples from 44 AR patients and 20 healthy controls.
      MiR-30-5p and miR-199b-3p were significantly increased in extracellular vesicles
      from nasal mucus when compared to healthy controls, while miR-874 and miR-28-3p
      were significantly down-regulated. In addition, miRNA-203 was significantly
      increased in AR patients, while miRNA-875-5p was found to be significantly
      decreased in AR patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that vesicle miRNA
      may be a regulator for the development of AR.

PMID- 26122506
TI  - The Prevalence of Toxocariasis and Diagnostic Value of Serologic Tests in
      Asymptomatic Korean Adults.
AB  - PURPOSE: Toxocariasis is the most common cause of peripheral blood eosinophilia
      in Korea and produces eosinophilic infiltration in various organs, including the
      lung. However, the prevalence of toxocariasis in the general population is rarely
      reported. METHODS: We investigated the seroprevalence of Toxocara larval antibody
      among asymptomatic people who attended Samsung Medical Center for a health
      checkup, including low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) between March 2012 and
      December 2013. A total of 633 people (400 men and 233 women) were prospectively
      recruited. RESULTS: The Toxocara-seropositive rate was 51.2% using the current
      cutoff value based on Toxocara enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (67.0%
      for men and 24.0% for women). In the multivariate-adjusted model, age (odds ratio
      [OR], 1.08; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 1.04-1.11), male sex (OR, 3.47; 95%
      CI, 2.26-5.33), rural residence (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.05-2.30), and history of raw
      liver intake (OR, 8.52; 95% CI, 3.61-20.11) were significantly associated with
      Toxocara seropositivity. When subjects were divided into 3 groups using cutoff
      values base on weak positive and strong positive control optical densities (ODs),
      the ORs for peripheral blood eosinophilia and serum hyperIgEaemia were 0.31 (95%
      CI, 0.02-2.89) in the weakpositive group and 36.64 (95% CI, 11.73-111.42) in the
      strong positive group compared to the seronegative group. Similarly, ORs for the
      solid nodule with surrounding halo were 2.54 (95% CI, 0.60-10.84) in the weak
      positive group and 15.08 (95 CI 4.09-55.56) in the strong positive group compared
      to the seronegative group. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicated that the Toxocara
      seropositive rate obtained by using the current cutoff value based on ELISA was
      high in the asymptomatic population in Korea. The results of this study suggest
      that active toxocariasis may be more frequently seen in the Toxocara-strong
      positive group than in the Toxocara-weak positive group.

PMID- 26122507
TI  - Activation of the Intrinsic Coagulation Pathway in Patients With Chronic
      Urticaria.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although coagulation activation has been reported in chronic urticaria,
      data pertaining to detailed changes in coagulation factors and global coagulation
      status are lacking. The current study evaluated global coagulation status in
      patients with chronic urticaria using thrombin generation assay (TGA) and the
      levels of individual coagulation factors. METHODS: Patients with chronic
      urticaria (n=57) and 20 healthy controls were enrolled. TGA was performed under
      stimulation with 2 concentrations of tissue factor (TF). Coagulation factors and
      conventional coagulation assays were also analyzed. RESULTS: Although patients
      with chronic urticaria showed prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time,
      prothrombin time did not differ significantly between patients and controls. In
      both 1 pM and 5 pM TF-stimulated TGA, peak thrombin and endogenous thrombin
      potential (ETP) levels were markedly decreased in patients with chronic
      urticaria. As expected, intrinsic coagulation factors (VIII, IX, and XII), as
      well as coagulation factors of the common pathway (II, V, and X), were
      consistently decreased. Additionally, D-dimer was significantly increased in
      patients as compared to controls. In multivariate regression analysis, the
      presence of chronic urticaria was the only significant independent contributor to
      the low ETP value. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic urticaria is characterized by in vivo
      coagulation activation through the intrinsic coagulation pathway, which can be
      measured with sensitivity using TGA.

PMID- 26122508
TI  - Human Rhinovirus-induced Proinflammatory Cytokine and Interferon-beta Responses
      in Nasal Epithelial Cells From Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: Asthma exacerbation from human rhinovirus (HRV) infection is associated
      with deficient antiviral interferon (IFN) secretion. Although chronic
      rhinosinusitis (CRS), an inflammatory upper airway disease, is closely linked to
      asthma, IFN-beta responses to HRV infections in human nasal epithelial cells
      (HNECs) from CRS patients remain to be studied. We evaluated inflammatory and
      antiviral responses to HRV infection in HNECs from CRS patients. METHODS: HNECs,
      isolated from turbinate tissue of 13 patients with CRS and 14 non-CRS controls,
      were infected with HRV16 for 4 hours. The HRV titer, LDH activity, production of
      proinflammatory cytokines and IFN-beta proteins, and expression levels of RIG-I
      and MDA5 mRNA were assessed at 8, 24, and 48 hours after HRV16 infection.
      RESULTS: The reduction in viral titer was slightly delayed in the CRS group
      compared to the non-CRS control group. IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly increased
      to a similar extent in both groups after HRV infection. In the control group, IFN
      beta production and MDA5 mRNA expression were significantly increased at 8 and 24
      hours after HRV16 infection, respectively. By contrast, in the CRS group, IFN
      beta was not induced by HRV infection; however, HRV-induced MDA5 mRNA expression
      was increased, but the increase was slightly delayed compared to the non-CRS
      control group. The RIG-I mRNA level was not significantly increased by HRV16
      infection in either group. CONCLUSIONS: HRV-induced secretion of proinflammatory
      cytokines in CRS patients was not different from that in the non-CRS controls.
      However, reductions in viral titer, IFN-beta secretion, and MDA5 mRNA expression
      in response to HRV infection in CRS patients were slightly impaired compared to
      those in the controls, suggesting that HRV clearance in CRS patients might be
      slightly deficient.

PMID- 26122509
TI  - Enhanced Allergic Inflammation of Der p 2 Affected by Polymorphisms of MD-2
      Promoter.
AB  - PURPOSE: Myeloid differentiation-2 (MD-2) has been associated with endotoxin and
      inflammatory disorders because it can recognize lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding
      and attenuate Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated signaling. However, its role
      in allergic inflammation has yet to be clarified. We examined whether single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MD-2 promoter can affect MD-2 expression and
      aimed to clarify the relationship between Der p 2 allergy and SNPs of MD-2
      promoter. METHODS: The function of SNPs of MD-2 promoter and the effects of
      cytokines and immunoglobulin on the secretion and mRNA expression were
      investigated in 73 allergic subjects with different MD-2 gene promoter variants.
      Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured with or without LPS in the
      presence of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus group 2 allergen (Der p 2), followed
      by mRNA extraction and cytokine expression analysis. The culture supernatants
      were collected for cytokine measurement. RESULTS: Patients with the MD-2 promoter
      SNPs (rs1809441/rs1809442) had increased mRNA expressions of MD-2, epsilon heavy
      chain of IgE (Cepsilon), and interleukin (IL)-8; however, only MD-2 and IL-8 were
      further up-regulated after Der p 2 stimulation. Patients with SNPs of MD-2
      promoter tended to have high levels of IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha after Der p 2 and LPS stimulation. Increased
      secretions of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were found to be up-regulated by Der p 2
      stimulation, and an increased secretion of IFN-gamma and decreased secretion of
      IL-4 were noted after LPS stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: The high levels of
      proinflammatory cytokines secreted by Der p 2 were predetermined by MD-2 promoter
      SNPs (rs1809441/rs1809442). Through cytokine secretion by Der p 2 and LPS, these
      SNPs may serve as an indicator of the pathological phenotype of Der p 2-induced
      allergic inflammation.

PMID- 26122510
TI  - Progress and Prospect: A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Papers by Korean
      Allergists Over Recent Five Years (2009-2013).
AB  - Since the establishment of the academic society in 1972, Korean allergists have
      made continuous efforts to elucidate pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic
      advances for allergic diseases. The present study aimed to summarize recent
      progress and explore future prospects of research performance by Korean
      allergists. We performed a comprehensive bibliometric analysis for research
      papers published in the Science Citation Index (SCI) or SCI-expanded journals by
      Korean allergists between 2009 and 2013. Research performance was quantitatively
      analyzed for the numbers of papers by publication year, research type, and main
      topic. In addition, the performance was also examined for qualitative indices,
      such as impact factor and citation number. A total of 1,091 papers were
      identified. The number of publication increased continuously, with an annual
      increase rate of 12.3%. Clinical and basic studies were the most frequent types
      of research, and recently the number of epidemiological studies has increased. By
      research topic, asthma was the most commonly studied, accounting for 20.9% of the
      total number of publications. Notably, the amount of rhinitis/rhinosinusitis
      research has risen steeply in 2013. Qualitative analyses also indicated
      continuous progress; the median impact factor of published journals increased
      from 1.918 in 2009 to 2.746 in 2013, yielding an annual increase rate of 7.4%. In
      conclusion, the present analyses identified a continuous increase in the research
      performance of Korean allergists over a recent 5 year period (2009-2013), both
      quantitatively and qualitatively. A more significant contribution is expected in
      the forthcoming era. 

PMID- 26122512
TI  - Current Approaches and Future Trends to Promote Tendon Repair.
AB  - Tendons are composed by extracellular collagen fibres arranged in regular arrays
      and are responsible to transmit tensile forces from a muscle to a bone. Due to
      their poor healing ability, in some cases tendons injuries are debilitating
      impairments that affect life quality among adult population worldwide. In the
      last years, attending to the social and economic concern associated to the high
      prevalence of tendons injuries and the limited success of the available current
      treatments, several scaffolds have been developed. Some of these scaffolds are
      intended to be used as graft-augmentation devices and others to fully replace a
      damaged tendon. The synthetic ones present superior mechanical characteristics
      compared to biological scaffolds. However, attending to the specific tendons
      physiology, even the synthetic scaffolds still don't present the ideal mechanical
      properties to accomplish a complete and long-term functional tissue repair.
      Therefore, to enhance tendogenesis when using a tendon engineering approach,
      several methodologies have been developed to associate with scaffolds, including
      surface modification and cell seeding. 

PMID- 26122511
TI  - The long term follow-up of early stage follicular lymphoma treated with
      radiotherapy, chemotherapy or combined modality treatment.
AB  - Local (involved-field or recently involved-site) radiotherapy is the standard
      therapy in limited-stage follicular lymphoma (FL). We retrospectively analyzed
      the value of chemotherapy in 130 patients with limited-stage FL (46 treated with
      radiotherapy alone [RT group], 30 with radiotherapy plus chemotherapy [COMBINED
      group] and 43 with chemotherapy alone [CHEMO group], 11 were managed with
      observation). Ninety-six percent of patients responded (RT 98%, COMBINED 100%,
      CHEMO 91%, p=0.179), and 37% (40/107) of patients in complete response relapsed
      (RT 42%, COMBINED 27%, CHEMO 41%, p=0.371). Progression-free survival (PFS) and
      overall survival (OS) probabilities at 10 years were similar in RT, COMBINED and
      CHEMO patients (PFS 41%, 61% and 39% [p=0.167], and OS 77%, 81% and 72%
      [p=0.821], respectively), while the COMBINED group showed a trend to better time
      to-progression (TTP 43%, 72% and 47% [p=0.055]). On multivariate analysis, only a
      FLIPI score >=2 showed a trend to influence PFS (HR 2.1 [95% confidence interval
      0.9-4.6], p=0.067), and OS (HR 2.4 [0.9-6.5], p=0.084), while patients treated
      with radiotherapy plus chemotherapy (COMBINED group) showed a significantly
      better TTP compared with those receiving only RT (HR 0.3 [0.1-0.8], p=0.024). In
      our study no benefit was observed in survival with the use of systemic therapy
      compared with local radiotherapy. 

PMID- 26122513
TI  - Novel high-performance metagenome beta-galactosidases for lactose hydrolysis in
      the dairy industry.
AB  - The industrially utilised beta-galactosidases from Kluyveromyces spp. and
      Aspergillus spp. feature undesirable kinetic properties in praxis, such as an
      unsatisfactory lactose affinity (KM) and product inhibition (KI) by galactose. In
      this study, a metagenome library of about 1.3 million clones was investigated
      with a three-step activity-based screening strategy in order to find new beta
      galactosidases with more favourable kinetic properties. Six novel metagenome beta
      galactosidases (M1-M6) were found with an improved lactose hydrolysis performance
      in original milk when directly compared to the commercial beta-galactosidase from
      Kluyveromyces lactis (GODO-YNL2). The best metagenome candidate, called "M1", was
      recombinantly produced in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) in a bioreactor (volume 35
      L), resulting in a total beta-galactosidase M1 activity of about 1100
      MUkatoNPGal,37  degrees C L(-1). Since milk is a sensitive and complex medium, it
      has to be processed at 5-10  degrees C in the dairy industry. Therefore, the beta
      galactosidase M1 was tested at 8  degrees C in milk and possessed a good
      stability (t1/2=21.8 d), a desirably low apparent KM,lactose,8  degrees C value
      of 3.8+/-0.7 mM and a high apparent KI,galactose,8  degrees C value of 196.6+/
      55.5 mM. A lactose hydrolysis process (milk, 40 nkatlactose mLmilk,8  degrees C(
      1)) was conducted at a scale of 0.5L to compare the performance of M1 with the
      commercial beta-galactosidase from K. lactis (GODO-YNL2). Lactose was completely
      (>99.99%) hydrolysed by M1 and to 99.6% (w/v) by K. lactis beta-galactosidase
      after 25 h process time. Thus, M1 was able to achieve the limit of <100 mg
      lactose per litre milk, which is recommended for dairy products labelled as
      "lactose-free".

PMID- 26122514
TI  - Mass Spectrometric Imaging Using Laser Ablation and Solvent Capture by Aspiration
      (LASCA).
AB  - A novel interface for ambient, laser ablation-based mass spectrometric imaging
      (MSI) referred to as laser ablation and solvent capture by aspiration (LASCA) is
      presented and its performance demonstrated using selected, unaltered biological
      materials. LASCA employs a pulsed 2.94 MUm laser beam for specimen ablation.
      Ablated materials in the laser plumes are collected on a hanging solvent droplet
      with electric field-enhanced trapping, followed by aspiration of droplets and
      remaining plume material in the form of a coarse aerosol into a collection
      capillary. The gas and liquid phases are subsequently separated in a 10 MUL
      volume separatory funnel, and the solution is analyzed with electrospray
      ionization in a high mass resolution Q-ToF mass spectrometer. The LASCA system
      separates the sampling and ionization steps in MSI and combines high efficiencies
      of laser plume sampling and of electrospray ionization (ESI) with high mass
      resolution MS. Up to 2000 different compounds are detected from a single ablation
      spot (pixel). Using the LASCA platform, rapid (6 s per pixel), high sensitivity,
      high mass-resolution ambient imaging of "as-received" biological material is
      achieved routinely and reproducibly.

PMID- 26122515
TI  - Comparison of Ultraviolet Photodissociation and Collision Induced Dissociation of
      Adrenocorticotropic Hormone Peptides.
AB  - In an effort to better characterize the fragmentation pathways promoted by
      ultraviolet photoexcitation in comparison to collision induced dissociation
      (CID), six adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) peptides in a range of charge
      states were subjected to 266 nm ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD), 193 nm
      UVPD, and CID. Similar fragment ions and distributions were observed for 266 nm
      UVPD and 193 nm UVPD for all peptides investigated. While both UVPD and CID led
      to preferential cleavage of the Y-S bond for all ACTH peptides [except ACTH (1
      39)], UVPD was far less dependent on charge state and location of basic sites for
      the production of C-terminal and N-terminal ions. For ACTH (1-16), ACTH (1-17),
      ACTH (1-24), and ACTH (1-39), changes in the distributions of fragment ion types
      (a, b, c, x, y, z, and collectively N-terminal ions versus C-terminal ions)
      showed only minor changes upon UVPD for all charge states. In contrast, CID
      displayed significant changes in the fragment ion type distributions as a
      function of charge state, an outcome consistent with the dependence on the number
      and location of mobile protons that is not prominent for UVPD. Sequence coverages
      obtained by UVPD showed less dependence on charge state than those determined by
      CID, with the latter showing a consistent decrease in coverage as charge state
      increased.

PMID- 26122516
TI  - EPOR-Based Purification and Analysis of Erythropoietin Mimetic Peptides from
      Human Urine by Cys-Specific Cleavage and LC/MS/MS.
AB  - The development of a new class of erythropoietin mimetic agents (EMA) for
      treating anemic conditions has been initiated with the discovery of oligopeptides
      capable of dimerizing the erythropoietin (EPO) receptor and thus stimulating
      erythropoiesis. The most promising amino acid sequences have been mounted on
      various different polymeric structures or carrier molecules to obtain highly
      active EPO-like drugs exhibiting beneficial and desirable pharmacokinetic
      profiles. Concomitant with creating new therapeutic options, erythropoietin
      mimetic peptide (EMP)-based drug candidates represent means to artificially
      enhance endurance performance and necessitate coverage by sports drug testing
      methods. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to develop a strategy for
      the comprehensive detection of EMPs in doping controls, which can be used
      complementary to existing protocols. Three model EMPs were used to provide proof
      of-concept data. Following EPO receptor-facilitated purification of target
      analytes from human urine, the common presence of the cysteine-flanked core
      structure of EMPs was exploited to generate diagnostic peptides with the aid of a
      nonenzymatic cleavage procedure. Sensitive detection was accomplished by targeted
      SIM/data-dependent MS(2) analysis. Method characterization was conducted for the
      EMP-based drug peginesatide concerning specificity, linearity, precision,
      recovery, stability, ion suppression/enhancement, and limit of detection (LOD,
      0.25 ng/mL). Additionally, first data for the identification of the
      erythropoietin mimetic peptides EMP1 and BB68 were generated, demonstrating the
      multi-analyte testing capability of the presented approach.

PMID- 26122518
TI  - The SEQUEST family tree.
AB  - Since its introduction in 1994, SEQUEST has gained many important new
      capabilities, and a host of successor algorithms have built upon its successes.
      This Account and Perspective maps the evolution of this important tool and charts
      the relationships among contributions to the SEQUEST legacy. Many of the changes
      represented improvements in computing speed by clusters and graphics cards. Mass
      spectrometry innovations in mass accuracy and activation methods led to shifts in
      fragment modeling and scoring strategies. These changes, as well as the movement
      of laboratories and lab members, have led to great diversity among the members of
      the SEQUEST family. Graphical Abstract ?. 

PMID- 26122519
TI  - Investigations of Some Liquid Matrixes for Analyte Quantification by MALDI.
AB  - Sample inhomogeneity is one of the obstacles preventing the generation of
      reproducible mass spectra by MALDI and to their use for the purpose of analyte
      quantification. As a potential solution to this problem, we investigated MALDI
      with some liquid matrixes prepared by nonstoichiometric mixing of acids and
      bases. Out of 27 combinations of acids and bases, liquid matrixes could be
      produced from seven. When the overall spectral features were considered, two
      liquid matrixes using alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid as the acid and 3
      aminoquinoline and N,N-diethylaniline as bases were the best choices. In our
      previous study of MALDI with solid matrixes, we found that three requirements had
      to be met for the generation of reproducible spectra and for analyte
      quantification: (1) controlling the temperature by fixing the total ion count,
      (2) plotting the analyte-to-matrix ion ratio versus the analyte concentration as
      the calibration curve, and (3) keeping the matrix suppression below a critical
      value. We found that the same requirements had to be met in MALDI with liquid
      matrixes as well. In particular, although the liquid matrixes tested here were
      homogeneous, they failed to display spot-to-spot spectral reproducibility unless
      the first requirement above was met. We also found that analyte-derived ions
      could not be produced efficiently by MALDI with the above liquid matrixes unless
      the analyte was sufficiently basic. In this sense, MALDI processes with solid and
      liquid matrixes should be regarded as complementary techniques rather than as
      competing ones.

PMID- 26122520
TI  - Utility of Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry for Drug-to-Antibody Ratio Measurements
      in Antibody-Drug Conjugates.
AB  - Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are emerging modalities in the pharmaceutical
      industry. Characterization of ADC's drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) becomes a key
      assessment because of its importance in ADC efficacy and safety. DAR
      characterization by conventional intact protein MS analysis, however, is
      challenging because of high heterogeneity of ADC samples. The analysis often
      requires protein deglycosylation, disulfide-bond reduction, or partial
      fragmentation. In this study, we illustrate the practical utility of ion mobility
      mass spectrometry (IM-MS) in a routine LC/MS workflow for DAR measurements. This
      strategy allows analyte "cleanup" in the gas phase, providing significant
      improvement of signal-to-noise ratios of ADC intact mass spectra for accurate DAR
      measurements. In addition, protein drift time analysis offers a new dimension in
      monitoring the changes of DAR in lot-to-lot analysis.

PMID- 26122521
TI  - Novor: real-time peptide de novo sequencing software.
AB  - De novo sequencing software has been widely used in proteomics to sequence new
      peptides from tandem mass spectrometry data. This study presents a new software
      tool, Novor, to greatly improve both the speed and accuracy of today's peptide de
      novo sequencing analyses. To improve the accuracy, Novor's scoring functions are
      based on two large decision trees built from a peptide spectral library with more
      than 300,000 spectra with machine learning. Important knowledge about peptide
      fragmentation is extracted automatically from the library and incorporated into
      the scoring functions. The decision tree model also enables efficient score
      calculation and contributes to the speed improvement. To further improve the
      speed, a two-stage algorithmic approach, namely dynamic programming and
      refinement, is used. The software program was also carefully optimized. On the
      testing datasets, Novor sequenced 7%-37% more correct residues than the state-of
      the-art de novo sequencing tool, PEAKS, while being an order of magnitude faster.
      Novor can de novo sequence more than 300 MS/MS spectra per second on a laptop
      computer. The speed surpasses the acquisition speed of today's mass spectrometer
      and, therefore, opens a new possibility to de novo sequence in real time while
      the spectrometer is acquiring the spectral data. Graphical Abstract ?. 

PMID- 26122522
TI  - Improving the Sensitivity of Matrix-Assisted Ionization (MAI) Mass Spectrometry
      Using Ammonium Salts.
AB  - In matrix-assisted ionization (MAI), analyte incorporated in a small molecule
      matrix is introduced into an aperture linking atmospheric pressure with the
      vacuum of a mass spectrometer. Gas-phase analyte ions are spontaneously produced
      without use of a laser or high voltage. Here we investigate analyte and
      background ion abundances upon addition of ammonium salts to various MAI
      matrix/analyte solutions. Regardless of the ammonium salt or matrix used,
      chemical background ions are suppressed and/or analyte ion abundance improved for
      basic small molecules, peptides, and proteins. Background ion abundances increase
      with increasing inlet temperature, but are suppressed with addition of any of a
      variety of ammonium salts without much effect on the total ion abundances of the
      analyte ions. However, at lower inlet temperature using the matrices 2-bromo-2
      nitropropane-1,3-diol, 1,2-dicyanobenzene, and 3-nitrobenzonitrile (3-NBN),
      analyte ion abundance increases and any chemical background decreases upon
      addition of ammonium salt. The improvement in sensitivity using 3-NBN with
      ammonium salt allows full acquisition mass spectra consuming as little as 1 fmol
      of ubiquitin. More complete peptide coverage for 100 fmol of a BSA tryptic
      digest, and increased sensitivity of drugs spiked in urine and saliva were
      observed after ammonium salt addition to the 3-NBN matrix.

PMID- 26122523
TI  - Gas-Phase Amidation of Carboxylic Acids with Woodward's Reagent K Ions.
AB  - Gas-phase amidation of carboxylic acids in multiply-charged peptides is
      demonstrated via ion/ion reactions with Woodward's reagent K (wrk) in both
      positive and negative mode. Woodward's reagent K, N-ethyl-3-phenylisoxazolium-3'
      sulfonate, is a commonly used reagent that activates carboxylates to form amide
      bonds with amines in solution. Here, we demonstrate that the analogous gas-phase
      chemistry occurs upon reaction of the wrk ions and doubly protonated (or doubly
      deprotonated) peptide ions containing the carboxylic acid functionality. The
      reaction involves the formation of the enol ester intermediate in the
      electrostatic complex. Upon collisional activation, the ethyl amine on the
      reagent is transferred to the activated carbonyl carbon on the peptide, resulting
      in the formation of an ethyl amide (addition of 27 Da to the peptide) with loss
      of a neutral ketene derivative. Further collision-induced dissociation (CID) of
      the products and comparison with solution-phase amidation product confirms the
      structure of the ethyl amide.

PMID- 26122525
TI  - Information extraction from shadowed regions in images: an eye movement study.
AB  - Natural scenes often contain variations in local luminance as a result of cast
      shadows and illumination from different directions. When making judgments about
      such scenes, it may be hypothesized that darker regions (with lower relative
      contrast due to a lack of illumination) are avoided as they may provide less
      detailed information than well-illuminated areas. We here test this hypothesis,
      first by presenting participants images of faces that were digitally modified to
      simulate the effect of a shadow over half of the image, and second by presenting
      photographs of faces taken with side illumination, also resulting in the
      appearance of a shadow across half of the face. While participants viewed these
      images, they were asked to perform different tasks on the images, to allow for
      the presentation of the different versions of each image (left shadow, right
      shadow, no shadow), and to distract the observers from the contrast and
      illumination manipulations. The results confirm our hypothesis and demonstrate
      that observers fixate the better illuminated regions of the images. 

PMID- 26122524
TI  - Neuroprotection and spatial memory enhancement of four herbal mixture extract in
      HT22 hippocampal cells and a mouse model of focal cerebral ischemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Four traditional Korean medicinal herbs which act in retarding the
      aging process, Polygonum multiflorum Thunb., Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn)
      Libosch., Polygala tenuifolia Willd., and Acorus gramineus Soland., were prepared
      by systematic investigation of Dongeuibogam (Treasured Mirror of Eastern
      Medicine), published in the early 17th century in Korea. This study was performed
      to evaluate beneficial effects of four herbal mixture extract (PMC-12) on
      hippocampal neuron and spatial memory. METHODS: High performance liquid
      chromatography (HPLC) analysis was performed for standardization of PMC-12. Cell
      viability, lactate dehydrogenase, flow cytometry, reactive oxygen species (ROS),
      and Western blot assays were performed in HT22 hippocampal cells and
      immunohistochemistry and behavioral tests were performed in a mouse model of
      focal cerebral ischemia in order to observe alterations of hippocampal cell
      survival and subsequent memory function. RESULTS: In the HPLC analysis, PMC-12
      was standardized to contain 3.09% 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-beta-D
      glucoside, 0.35% 3',6-disinapoyl sucrose, and 0.79% catalpol. In HT22 cells,
      pretreatment with PMC-12 resulted in significantly reduced glutamate-induced
      apoptotic cell death. Pretreatment with PMC-12 also resulted in suppression of
      ROS accumulation in connection with cellular Ca(2+) level after exposure to
      glutamate. Expression levels of phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein
      kinases (MAPK) and dephosphorylated phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) by
      glutamate exposure were recovered by pretreatment with either PMC-12 or anti
      oxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). Expression levels of mature brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and phosphorylated cAMP response element binding
      protein (CREB) were significantly enhanced by treatment with either PMC-12 or
      NAC. Combination treatment with PMC-12, NAC, and intracellular Ca(2+) inhibitor
      BAPTA showed similar expression levels. In a mouse model of focal cerebral
      ischemia, we observed higher expression of mature BDNF and phosphorylation of
      CREB in the hippocampus and further confirmed improved spatial memory by
      treatment with PMC-12. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that PMC-12 mainly
      exerted protective effects on hippocampal neurons through suppression of Ca(2+)
      related ROS accumulation and regulation of signaling pathways of p38 MAPK and
      PI3K associated with mature BDNF expression and CREB phosphorylation and
      subsequently enhanced spatial memory.

PMID- 26122526
TI  - Automatic de-identification of electronic medical records using token-level and
      character-level conditional random fields.
AB  - De-identification, identifying and removing all protected health information
      (PHI) present in clinical data including electronic medical records (EMRs), is a
      critical step in making clinical data publicly available. The 2014 i2b2 (Center
      of Informatics for Integrating Biology and Bedside) clinical natural language
      processing (NLP) challenge sets up a track for de-identification (track 1). In
      this study, we propose a hybrid system based on both machine learning and rule
      approaches for the de-identification track. In our system, PHI instances are
      first identified by two (token-level and character-level) conditional random
      fields (CRFs) and a rule-based classifier, and then are merged by some rules.
      Experiments conducted on the i2b2 corpus show that our system submitted for the
      challenge achieves the highest micro F-scores of 94.64%, 91.24% and 91.63% under
      the "token", "strict" and "relaxed" criteria respectively, which is among top
      ranked systems of the 2014 i2b2 challenge. After integrating some refined
      localization dictionaries, our system is further improved with F-scores of
      94.83%, 91.57% and 91.95% under the "token", "strict" and "relaxed" criteria
      respectively. 

PMID- 26122527
TI  - The role of fine-grained annotations in supervised recognition of risk factors
      for heart disease from EHRs.
AB  - This paper describes a supervised machine learning approach for identifying heart
      disease risk factors in clinical text, and assessing the impact of annotation
      granularity and quality on the system's ability to recognize these risk factors.
      We utilize a series of support vector machine models in conjunction with manually
      built lexicons to classify triggers specific to each risk factor. The features
      used for classification were quite simple, utilizing only lexical information and
      ignoring higher-level linguistic information such as syntax and semantics.
      Instead, we incorporated high-quality data to train the models by annotating
      additional information on top of a standard corpus. Despite the relative
      simplicity of the system, it achieves the highest scores (micro- and macro-F1,
      and micro- and macro-recall) out of the 20 participants in the 2014 i2b2/UTHealth
      Shared Task. This system obtains a micro- (macro-) precision of 0.8951 (0.8965),
      recall of 0.9625 (0.9611), and F1-measure of 0.9276 (0.9277). Additionally, we
      perform a series of experiments to assess the value of the annotated data we
      created. These experiments show how manually-labeled negative annotations can
      improve information extraction performance, demonstrating the importance of high
      quality, fine-grained natural language annotations. 

PMID- 26122528
TI  - Detection of Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes and Carbon Nanodiscs on Workplace
      Surfaces at a Small-Scale Producer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The industrial use of novel-manufactured nanomaterials such as carbon
      nanotubes and carbon nanodiscs is increasing globally. Occupational exposure can
      occur during production, downstream use, and disposal. The health effects of many
      nanomaterials are not yet fully characterized and to handle nano-objects, their
      aggregates and agglomerates >100nm (NOAA), a high degree of control measures and
      personal protective equipment are required. The emission of airborne NOAA during
      production and handling can contaminate workplace surfaces with dust, which can
      be resuspended resulting in secondary inhalation exposures and dermal exposures.
      This study surveys the presence of carbon-based nanomaterials, such as multi
      walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and carbon nanodiscs, as surface contamination
      at a small-scale producer using a novel tape sampling method. METHODS: Eighteen
      different surfaces at a small-scale producer were sampled with an adhesive tape
      sampling method. The surfaces selected were associated with the production and
      handling of MWCNT powder in the near-field zone. Surfaces in the far-field zone
      were also sampled. In addition, tape stripping of the skin was performed on one
      worker. The tape samples were analysed with scanning electron microscopy to
      detect the carbon-based NOAA. Air sampling with a personal impactor was also
      performed on a worker who was producing MWCNTs the same day as the tape samples
      were collected. RESULTS: MWCNTs were detected in 50% of the collected tape
      samples and carbon nanodiscs in 17%. MWCNTs and carbon nanodiscs were identified
      in all parts of the workplace, thus, increasing the risk for secondary inhalation
      and dermal exposure of the workers. Both airborne MWCNTs and carbon nanodiscs
      were detected in the personal impactor samples. The tape-strip samples from the
      worker showed no presence of carbon-containing nanoparticles. CONCLUSIONS: Tape
      sampling is a functional method for detecting surface contamination of carbon
      based NOAA and for exposure control during production at potentially any
      workplace that produces or handles such manufactured nanomaterials. With the tape
      method, it is possible to monitor if a potential for secondary inhalation
      exposure or dermal exposure exists through resuspension of dust deposited on
      workplace surfaces. By means of air sampling, we could confirm that carbon
      nanodiscs were resuspended into the air at the workplace even though they were
      not handled during that particular work shift. MWCNTs were detected in the air
      samples, but can have been derived from either resuspension or from the work
      tasks with MWCNTs that were performed during the air sampling. Tape sampling is a
      complementary method to air sampling and together these two methods provide a
      better view of the hygienic situation in workplaces where NOAA can be emitted
      into work environments.

PMID- 26122529
TI  - Crude extract of Euphorbia formosana induces apoptosis of DU145 human prostate
      cancer cells acts through the caspase-dependent and independent signaling
      pathway.
AB  - Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in men and the second
      highest contributor of male cancer mortality. The crude extract of Euphorbia
      formosana (CEEF) has been used for treatment of different diseases but the
      cytotoxic effects of CEEF on human cancer cells have not been reported. The
      purpose of the present experiments was to determine effects of CEEF on cell cycle
      distribution and induction of apoptosis in DU145 human prostate cancer cells in
      vitro. Contrast-phase microscope was used for examining cell morphological
      changes. Flow cytometric assays were used for cell viability, cell cycle,
      apoptosis, reactive oxygen species, and Ca2+ production and mitochondria membrane
      potential (DeltaPsim ). Western blotting was used for examining protein
      expression of cell cycle and apoptosis associated proteins. Real-time PCR was
      used for examining mRNA levels of caspase-3, -8, and -9, AIF, and Endo G.
      Confocal laser microscope was used to examine the translocation of AIF, Endo G,
      and cytochrome in DU145 cells after CEEF exposure. CEEF-induced cell
      morphological changes, decreased the percentage of viable cells, and induced S
      phase arrest and apoptosis in DU145 cells. Furthermore, CEEF promoted RAS and
      Ca2+ production and reduced DeltaPsim levels. Real-time QPCR confirmed that CEEF
      promoted the mRNA expression of caspase-3 and -9, AIF and Endo G and we found
      that AIF and Endo G and cytochrome c were released from mitochondria. Taken
      together, CEEF-induced cytotoxic effects via ROS production, induced S phase
      arrest and induction of apoptosis through caspase-dependent and independent and
      mitochondria-dependent pathways in DU245 cancer cells. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1600-1611, 2016.

PMID- 26122530
TI  - A decisive step toward the origin of life.
AB  - Several hypotheses exist regarding how life emerged from the abiotic world, the
      most popular of which is the 'RNA World' hypothesis. Recent advances describe
      nonenzymatic polymerization of mononucleotides in a phospholipid liquid
      crystalline matrix, suggesting that a 'Lipid World' might have preceded the RNA
      World. 

PMID- 26122531
TI  - Indwelling peritoneal catheters in patients with cirrhosis and refractory
      ascites.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in
      hospitalised cirrhotics with ascites is 10-30%. Treatment for refractory ascites
      includes paracenteses, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt or drain
      placement; the latter is discouraged due to a perceived infection risk. AIM: This
      study aimed to evaluate the risk of bacterial peritonitis (BP) with peritoneal
      drains in patients with Child-Pugh class B or C cirrhosis and determine their
      impact on survival. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of end-stage
      liver disease (ESLD) patients with non-malignant, refractory ascites who had
      peritoneal drains placed for >=3 days at Loyola University between 1999 and 2009.
      Cell counts were performed at drain placement and within 72 h. BP was defined as
      ascitic polymorphonuclear neutrophils >250/mm(3) . Univariate analysis assessed
      the association between demographics, laboratory markers and development of BP.
      Kaplan-Meier curve estimates by infection were constructed and survival
      distributions were compared using log-rank statistic. RESULTS: There were 227
      drain placements during the study period. Twenty-two per cent were diagnosed with
      BP (12% had SBP at drain placement; 10% developed BP within 72 h). There was no
      association between BP and baseline characteristics. Patients who developed BP
      within 72 h of drain placement had 50% mortality at 5 months compared with 50
      months in those without infection (log-rank P <= 0.003). CONCLUSION: In ESLD
      patients who received an indwelling peritoneal catheter, there was 10% risk of
      developing BP and significant mortality increase. Though placing drains is not
      the mainstay of treatment for refractory ascites, we confirm the theoretical
      adverse risk of peritoneal drains on infection and survival in cirrhotics.

PMID- 26122532
TI  - Headache and Pain in Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
AB  - While moderate and severe back or extremity pain is frequent in Guillain-Barre
      syndrome (GBS), headache appears to be uncommon. Most of the reports of headache
      in GBS place it in the context of the posterior reversible encephalopathy
      syndrome (PRES) which is increasingly recognized as a likely dysautonomia-related
      GBS complication. There are also a few reports of headache in the setting of
      increased CSF pressure and papilledema and in association with the Miller Fisher
      GBS variant. In comparison, back and extremity pain is highly prevalent. Aching
      muscle pain and neuropathic pain are the two most common of several pain types.
      Pain may be a heralding feature and has been described in patients as long as 2
      years after disease onset. Pain management is a major axis of treatment in GBS.
      Gabapentin is a reasonable first-line choice, and opioid medications can be added
      for more severe pain but there are few clinical trials to inform specific
      recommendations. While the understanding of pain pathophysiology in GBS is
      incomplete, its prevalence and clinical impact are increasingly recognized and
      studied. Pain should be considered a cardinal manifestation of GBS along with
      acute, mostly symmetric weakness and diminished reflexes. 

PMID- 26122533
TI  - Sports-Related Concussion.
AB  - Sports-related concussions (SRC) are common in all ages and occur in all sports.
      The diagnosis based on clinical suspicion after more serious injury is ruled out.
      Symptoms of concussion are due to a temporary and reversible neurometabolic
      cascade resulting in blood flow changes, neuronal excitotoxicity, ionic shifts,
      and mitochondrial changes. Symptoms are nonspecific, and commonly include
      headache, cognitive complaints, photophobia, and phonophobia. Loss of
      consciousness is rare in SRC and has limited influence on recovery and prognosis.
      Imaging has a limited role in the management of concussion and should be used to
      evaluate for more serious intracranial pathology. Treatment is based on symptoms
      and an understanding of the typical, rapid (7-10 days) recovery. No athlete
      should return to play until their symptoms have resolved and they have completed
      a supervised, step-wise return to play protocol. The article covers the most
      recent literature on the diagnosis and management of SRC, including evidence
      based recommendations and expert-based consensus opinion. The article will also
      discuss issues regarding medical retirement, legislation, and future concepts in
      concussion diagnosis and management. 

PMID- 26122535
TI  - Two kinds of autism: a comparison of distinct understandings of psychiatric
      disease.
AB  - In this article, I argue that the history and philosophy of autism need to
      account for two kinds of autism. Contemporary autism research and practice is
      structured, directed and connected by an 'ontological understanding of disease'.
      This implies that autism is understood as a disease like any other medical
      disease, existing independently of its particular manifestations in individual
      patients. In contrast, autism in the 1950s and 1960s was structured by a
      psychoanalytical framework and an 'individual understanding of disease'. This
      implied that autism was not a distinct disease but an idiosyncratic and
      meaningful response of the child to a disturbed development of the ego. These two
      kinds of autism are embedded in and reveal two very different 'styles of
      psychiatric thought'. 

PMID- 26122536
TI  - The overriding of TRAIL resistance by the histone deacetylase inhibitor MS-275
      involves c-myc up-regulation in cutaneous, uveal, and mucosal melanoma.
AB  - Malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive tumor which may occur in the skin, eye,
      and mucous membranes. The prognosis of melanoma remains poor in spite of
      therapeutic advances, emphasizing the importance of innovative treatment
      modalities. Currently, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand
      (TRAIL) is showing promising clinical responses, however its use is hampered by
      intrinsic or acquired melanoma resistance to apoptosis. Recently, we showed that
      the combination of TRAIL with the class I-specific histone deacetylase inhibitor
      (HDACi) MS-275 was a privileged way to override TRAIL resistance through down
      regulation of cellular Fas-associated death domain (FADD)-like interleukin-1beta
      converting enzyme-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP). Here, we elucidated the underlying
      mechanism and provided evidence that a crucial step in the c-FLIP downregulation
      triggered by MS-275 implies the up-regulation of c-myc, a transcriptional
      repressor of c-FLIP. Notably, MS-275 caused H3 histone acetylation at the
      promoter of c-myc and increased its binding to the c-FLIP promoter, that in turn
      led to reduced c-FLIP gene transcription. Knockdown of c-myc prevented the MS-275
      mediated downregulation of c-FLIP and hindered TRAIL-plus MS-275-induced
      apoptosis. Findings reported here provide additional knowledge tools for a more
      aware and effective molecular therapy of melanoma. 

PMID- 26122537
TI  - Ovarian suppression in a marsupial following single treatment with a
      gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist in microspheres.
AB  - The effect of treatment with Lucrin Depot (1 month), a microsphere gonadotrophin
      releasing hormone agonist preparation, was investigated in the fat-tailed dunnart
      (Sminthopsis crassicaudata) as a potential strategy to synchronise cycling. The
      status of the ovaries (ovarian size, number and size of Graafian follicles and
      corpora lutea) and reproductive tract (weight, vascularity and muscularity) in
      twelve untreated females were assessed to establish the activity parameters for
      randomly selected cycling animals. Thirty-six females were treated with 1mgkg-1
      (n=12), 10mgkg-1 (n=12) or 20mgkg-1 (n=12) Lucrin Depot. At 4, 6 and 8 weeks the
      reproductive tracts were assessed using the criteria developed in the untreated
      females. All of the females treated with 10mgkg-1 showed suppression at 4 weeks
      and 25% showed return of reproductive activity at 8 weeks. A dose of 1mgkg-1 did
      not appear to suppress reproductive activity and 20mgkg-1 gave equivocal results,
      with evidence of both suppression and activity. The results indicate that Lucrin
      Depot appears to be a promising agent to regulate and potentially synchronise
      breeding activity in the fat-tailed dunnart.

PMID- 26122539
TI  - Lichen Planus Possibly Induced by Acyclovir in a Child.

PMID- 26122538
TI  - The impact of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on the incidence of
      childhood community-acquired pneumonia and bacteriologically confirmed
      pneumococcal pneumonia in Japan.
AB  - Heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was introduced to Japan in
      2010. We investigated the impact of PCV7 on childhood community-acquired
      pneumonia (CAP) and pneumococcal pneumonia (PP). Children aged <5 years living in
      Chiba city, Japan, who were admitted to hospitals were enrolled to estimate the
      incidence of CAP based on the mid-year population. PP was determined by the
      presence of Streptococcus pneumoniae in cultured blood and/or sputum samples of
      CAP patients. The incidence of CAP and S. pneumoniae isolated from PP patients
      was compared before (April 2008-March 2009) and after (April 2012-March 2013) the
      introduction of PCV7 immunization. The annual incidence of CAP was reduced
      [incidence rate ratio 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73-0.90]. When
      comparing post-vaccine with pre-vaccine periods, the odds ratio for PP incidence
      was 0.60 (95% CI 0.39-0.93, P = 0.024). PCV7-covered serotypes markedly decreased
      (66.6% in pre-vaccine vs. 15.6% in post-vaccine, P < 0.01), and serotypes 6C,
      15A, 15C and 19A increased. Multidrug-resistant international clones in the pre
      vaccine period (Spain6B-2/ST90, Taiwan19F-14/ST236) decreased, while Sweden15A
      25/ST63 was the dominant clone in the post-vaccine period. A significant
      reduction in the incidence of both CAP hospitalizations and culture-confirmed PP
      of vaccine serotypes was observed at 2 years after PCV7 vaccination. 

PMID- 26122540
TI  - Neuro-ophthalmology and neuro-otology update.
AB  - This review summarizes topical papers from the fields of neuro-ophthalmology and
      neuro-otology published from August 2013 to February 2015. The main findings are:
      (1) diagnostic criteria for pseudotumor cerebri have been updated, and the
      Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Treatment Trial evaluated the efficacy of
      acetazolamide in patients with mild vision loss, (2) categorization of vestibular
      disorders through history and ocular motor examination is particularly important
      in the acute vestibular syndrome, where timely distinction between a central or
      peripheral localization is essential, (3) the newly described "sagging eye
      syndrome" provides a mechanical explanation for an isolated esodeviation that
      increases at distance in the aging population and (4) eye movement recordings
      better define how cerebellar dysfunction and/or sixth nerve palsy may play a role
      in other patients with esodeviations that increase at distance. 

PMID- 26122541
TI  - Functional dizziness: diagnostic keys and differential diagnosis.

PMID- 26122542
TI  - Regional covariance of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in Alzheimer's disease
      using (R, R) [(123)I]-QNB SPECT.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterised by deficits in cholinergic
      neurotransmission and subsequent receptor changes. We investigated (123)I-iodo
      quinuclidinyl-benzilate (QNB) SPECT images using spatial covariance analysis
      (SCA), to detect an M1/M4 receptor spatial covariance pattern (SCP) that
      distinguished AD from controls. Furthermore, a corresponding regional cerebral
      blood flow (rCBF) SCP was also derived. Thirty-nine subjects (15 AD and 24
      healthy elderly controls) underwent (123)I-QNB and (99m)Tc-exametazime SPECT.
      Voxel SCA was simultaneously applied to the set of smoothed/registered scans,
      generating a series of eigenimages representing common intercorrelated voxels
      across subjects. Linear regression identified individual M1/M4 and rCBF SCPs that
      discriminated AD from controls. The M1/M4 SCP showed concomitant decreased uptake
      in medial temporal, inferior frontal, basal forebrain and cingulate relative to
      concomitant increased uptake in frontal poles, occipital, pre-post central and
      precuneus/superior parietal regions (F1,37 = 85.7, p < 0.001). A largely
      different perfusion SCP was obtained showing concomitant decreased rCBF in medial
      and superior temporal, precuneus, inferior parietal and cingulate relative to
      concomitant increased rCBF in cerebellum, pre-post central, putamen, fusiform and
      brain stem/midbrain regions (F1,37 = 77.5, p < 0.001). The M1/M4 SCP expression
      correlated with the duration of cognitive symptoms (r = 0.90, p < 0.001), whereas
      the rCBF SCP expression negatively correlated with MMSE, CAMCOG and CAMCOGmemory
      (r >= |0.63|, p <= 0.006). (123)I-QNB SPECT revealed an M1/M4 basocortical
      covariance pattern, distinct from rCBF, reflecting the duration of disease rather
      than current clinical symptoms. This approach could be more sensitive than
      univariate methods in characterising the cholinergic/rCBF changes that underpin
      the clinical phenotype of AD.

PMID- 26122544
TI  - The effects of an individual, multistep intervention on adherence to treatment in
      hemodialysis patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of individual,
      multistep intervention on adherence to treatment in hemodialysis patients
      referred to a hemodialysis center in Shahrekord, Iran. METHOD: In this
      interventional study, hemodialysis patients referring the center of the study
      were randomly assigned into two control and intervention groups (each 33). The
      control group received routine treatment, recommended dietary and fluid
      restrictions. The intervention group participated in eight individual
      interventional sessions accompanied routine treatment. At the beginning and the
      end of the study, routine laboratory tests and end-stage renal disease-adherence
      questionnaire were filled out for patients in both groups. The data were analyzed
      using Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests. RESULTS: At the end of the study, the two
      groups showed a significant difference in all domains of adherence except
      adherence to diet and adherence was better in the intervention group (p < 0.05).
      In demographic characteristic, only age indicated a positive correlation with
      adherence to dialysis program (p = 0.04, r = 0.254). After intervention, serum
      phosphorus decreased significantly in the intervention group (p < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to treatment is one of the major problems in hemodialysis
      patients; however, comprehensive interventions are required in view of individual
      condition. Implications for Rehabilitation Adherence to treatment means that all
      patients' behaviors (diet, fluids and drugs intake) should be in line with the
      recommendations given by healthcare professionals. There is evidence on the
      association between adherence to treatment and decreased risk of hospitalization
      in dialysis patients. Individual structured programs are most likely to be
      successful in encouraging adherence to treatment.

PMID- 26122543
TI  - The diagnostic value of dopamine transporter imaging and olfactory testing in
      patients with parkinsonian syndromes.
AB  - The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of olfactory testing and
      presynaptic dopamine imaging in diagnosing Parkinson's disease (PD) and atypical
      parkinsonian syndromes (APS); to evaluate if the combination of these two
      diagnostic tools can improve their diagnostic value. A prospective investigation
      of 24 PD patients, 16 APS patients and 15 patients with non-parkinsonian
      syndromes was performed during an 18-month period. Single photon emission
      computed tomography with the presynaptic radioligand (123)I-FP-CIT (DaTSCAN((r)))
      and olfactory testing with the Brief 12-item Smell Identification Test (B-SIT)
      were performed in all patients. DaTSCAN was analysed semi-quantitatively, by
      calculating two different striatal uptake ratios, and visually according to a
      predefined ranking scale. B-SIT score was significantly lower for PD patients,
      but not significantly different between APS and non-parkinsonism. The visual
      assessment of DaTSCAN had higher sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy
      compared to olfactory testing. Most PD patients (75%) had visually predominant
      dopamine depletion in putamen, while most APS patients (56%) had visually severe
      dopamine depletion both in putamen and in caudate nucleus. The combination of
      DaTSCAN and B-SIT led to a higher rate of correctly classified patients.
      Olfactory testing can distinguish PD from non-parkinsonism, but not PD from APS
      or APS from non-parkinsonism. DaTSCAN is more efficient than olfactory testing
      and can be valuable in differentiating PD from APS. However, combining olfactory
      testing and DaTSCAN imaging has a higher predictive value than these two methods
      separately.

PMID- 26122545
TI  - What are the perceived barriers, facilitators and attitudes to exercise for women
      with rheumatoid arthritis? A qualitative study.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study qualitatively examined the attitudes and perceived barriers
      to exercise of women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We also explored the level
      of exercise that might be considered helpful or harmful, and whether walking
      would be an acceptable type of exercise. METHOD: Eight women with RA were
      interviewed via telephone using a semi-structured approach. Transcripts were
      coded for themes using the General Inductive Approach. These themes were used to
      develop a theoretical model of the effect of barriers and facilitators to
      exercise for women with RA. RESULTS: Two themes emerged (social connections and
      fear). Social connections could facilitate participation in exercise or prove to
      be a barrier. Fear had three distinct sub-themes: fear of the unknown (including
      a safe level of exercise), fear of the known and fear for safety. For most
      participants, walking 3-4 times a week was thought to be an acceptable programme
      for themselves or others with RA. CONCLUSION: Among those interviewed, walking
      was considered an acceptable form of exercise for people with RA. Many of the
      barriers to exercise identified by participants could be alleviated by detailed
      instructions on the type and duration of exercise recommended. These findings
      inform the development of walking interventions. Implications for Rehabilitation
      People with RA and various other chronic illnesses have previously been found to
      request more specific guidance for incorporating physical activity into their
      treatment. There was a willingness to participate in physical activity among our
      participants with RA. Activities such as walking appear to be feasible for people
      with RA but fears and social support can be barriers. Rehabilitation
      professionals are ideally placed to help people with RA overcome fears and social
      support barriers: providing encouragement to participate with others is
      recommended.

PMID- 26122547
TI  - The experiences of everyday activities post-stroke.
AB  - PURPOSE: Practitioners can use stroke survivors' lived experiences associated
      with everyday activities to understand and assess recovery from stroke, to plan
      interventions and to facilitate goal setting. This study explored the experiences
      associated with daily activities among community dwelling survivors of stroke to
      identify factors that influenced these experiences. METHOD: In this mixed method
      study, 23 stroke survivors completed the Daily Experiences of Pleasure,
      Productivity and Restoration Profile, a time use survey, on three separate, self
      chosen days within 1 week. Participants subsequently completed individual, semi
      structured interviews. RESULTS: Descriptive statistics and constant comparative
      analysis revealed that high levels of pleasure were associated with low-demand
      leisure activities, high levels of productivity were associated with home
      management activities and engaging in hobbies provided the highest combination of
      pleasure, productivity and restoration. The study also revealed that lived
      experiences of pleasure, productivity and restoration were influenced by the
      convergence of internal and external factors. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke survivors'
      lived experiences of pleasure, productivity and restoration in the context of
      everyday activities yields insight into the survivors' recovery and adjustment
      processes and into their quality of life. Practitioners should therefore
      incorporate stroke survivors' experiences as they facilitate goal setting and
      plan interventions. Implications for Rehabilitation Understanding stroke
      survivors' lived experiences provides practitioners valuable information to
      assist with goal setting and intervention planning. A sense of accomplishment may
      be gained outside of work in home management and high demand leisure activities
      for survivors with low self-efficacy. Practitioners should consider facilitating
      stroke survivors' participation in their hobbies as these activities were
      associated with high level of pleasure, productivity and restoration. Attending
      to stroke survivors' self-perceptions and self-expectations is critical as these
      internal factors influence their lived experience.

PMID- 26122546
TI  - Health-related quality of life improvements among women with chronic pain:
      comparison of two multidisciplinary interventions.
AB  - PURPOSE: To measure the effect of 4 weeks traditional multidisciplinary pain
      management program (TMP) versus neuroscience education and mindfulness-based
      cognitive therapy (NEM) on quality of life (HRQL) among women with chronic pain.
      METHOD: This observational longitudinal cohort study conducted in an Icelandic
      rehabilitation centre included 122 women who received TMP, 90 receiving NEM, and
      57 waiting list controls. Pain intensity (visual analogue scale) and HRQL
      (Icelandic Quality of Life scale) were measured before and after interventions.
      ANOVA and linear regression were used for comparisons. RESULTS: Compared with
      controls we observed statistically significant changes in pain intensity (p <
      0.001) and HRQL (p < 0.001) among women receiving both interventions, while NEM
      participants reported significant improvements in sleep (8.0 versus 4.4 in TMP; p
      = 0.008). Head to head comparison between study groups revealed that pain
      intensity improved more among TMP participants (21.8 versus 17.2 mm; p = 0.013
      adjusted). Women with low HRQL at baseline improved more than those with higher
      HRQL (mean TMP = 13.4; NEM = 12.9 if HRQL <= 35 versus mean TMP = 6.6 and NEM =
      7.8 if HQRL > 35). CONCLUSIONS: Our non-randomized study suggests that both NEM
      and TMP programs improve pain and HRQL among women with chronic pain. Sleep
      quality showed more improvements in NEM while pain intensity in TMP. Longer-term
      follow-ups are needed to address whether improvements sustain. IMPLICATIONS FOR
      REHABILITATION: Chronic pain is a debilitating condition affecting quality of
      life and restricting societal participation. Intensive multidisciplinary bio
      psycho-social rehabilitation is essential for this patient group. This study
      shows improvement in health-related quality of life and pain intensity following
      such rehabilitation. Emphasizing mindfulness based cognitive therapy and
      neuroscience patient education improves sleep to more extend than more
      traditional approach.

PMID- 26122548
TI  - [(68) Ga]-HP-DO3A-nitroimidazole: a promising agent for PET detection of tumor
      hypoxia.
AB  - The goal of this study is to evaluate a new (68) Ga-based imaging agent for
      detecting tumor hypoxia using positron emission tomography (PET). The new hypoxia
      targeting agent reported here, [(68) Ga]-HP-DO3A-nitroimidazole ([(68) Ga]-HP
      DO3A-NI), was constructed by linking a nitroimidazole moiety with the macrocyclic
      ligand component of ProHance(r), HP-DO3A. The hypoxia targeting capability of
      this agent was evaluated in A549 lung cancer cells in vitro and in SCID mice
      bearing subcutaneous A549 tumor xenografts. The cellular uptake assays showed
      that significantly more [(68) Ga]-HP-DO3A-NI accumulates in hypoxic tumor cells
      at 30, 60 and 120 min than in the same cells exposed to 21% O2 . The agent also
      accumulated in hypoxic tumors in vivo to give a tumor/muscle ratio (T/M) of 5.0
      +/- 1.2 (n = 3) as measured by PET at 2 h post-injection (p.i.). This was further
      confirmed by ex vivo biodistribution data. In addition, [(68) Ga]-HP-DO3A-NI
      displayed very favorable pharmacokinetic properties, as it was cleared largely
      through the kidneys with little to no accumulation in liver, heart or lung (%ID/g
      < 0.5%) at 2 h p.i. The specificity of the agent for hypoxic tissues was further
      validated in a comparative study with a control compound, [(68) Ga]-HP-DO3A,
      which lacks the nitroimidazole moiety, and by PET imaging of tumor-bearing mice
      breathing air versus 100% O2 . Given the commercial availability of cGMP (68)
      Ge/(68) Ga generators and the ease of (68) Ga labeling, the new agent could
      potentially be widely applied for imaging tumor hypoxia prior to radiation
      therapy.

PMID- 26122549
TI  - Effects of transport, fasting and anaesthesia on the faecal microbiota of healthy
      adult horses.
AB  - REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: The intestinal microbiota is important for health
      and disease. Factors that disturb the equine intestinal microbiota need further
      investigation. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of transport, fasting and
      anaesthesia on the faecal microbiota of healthy adult horses using next
      generation sequencing. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental trial. METHODS: Faecal samples
      were taken from 8 horses at baseline, after transport, 12 h of fasting and 24, 48
      and 72 h after a 6 h anaesthesia. Next generation sequencing of the V4 region of
      the 16S rRNA gene was used to assess the microbial composition of faeces. Alpha
      diversity, phylogenetic structures and beta diversity were assessed. RESULTS:
      There were significant changes in the relative abundances of phyla, classes,
      orders and families after transport, fasting and anaesthesia. Most notably horses
      had a significantly lower abundance of Clostridiales after transport compared
      with baseline (P = 0.03) and a decreased abundance of Rickettsiales after fasting
      (P = 0.024). Alpha diversity was not significantly different between time points
      (all P>0.21). When parsimony analysis was applied, anaesthesia had a significant
      effect on community membership and structure (Jaccard index and Yue and Clayton
      index both P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: There was some effect of transport, fasting
      and anaesthesia on the composition and structure of the microbiota of healthy
      horses. This indicates these are potentially stress factors for the equine
      intestinal microbiota. Further investigation is required to look at the potential
      impact of changes in the microbiota on the development of disease in the post
      anaesthetic period.

PMID- 26122550
TI  - Negative feedback regulation of bile acid metabolism: impact on liver metabolism
      and diseases.

PMID- 26122551
TI  - Transient memory impairment and transient global amnesia induced by photodynamic
      therapy.
AB  - Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a commonly used and effective treatment option for
      nonmelanoma skin cancer. Apart from local side-effects such as pain, oedema and
      erythema, no major adverse events occur in the majority of cases. Here we report
      on five patients who developed memory deficits such as transient global amnesia
      immediately after PDT for actinic keratosis. All PDT treatments were performed
      according to standard therapy protocols. The reported patients had a memory gap
      for the entire procedure, as well as for the consecutive emergency medical care.
      Other common neurological causes such as stroke or epileptic seizures were
      excluded. No focal neurological deficits were detectable. The symptoms had a
      fairly rapid onset following red-light illumination and were reversible without
      sequelae within 1-24 h. No correlation of the condition and pain during the
      illumination could be revealed. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed
      punctuated lesions in the hippocampus as a potential morphological correlate in
      one patient. The association between amnestic syndromes and PDT is novel and has
      not previously been reported. Even though PDT is considered a safe treatment
      modality, the possibility of neurological adverse events, albeit rare, should be
      kept in mind. 

PMID- 26122552
TI  - Ovarian function in captive owl monkeys (Aotus nancymaae and A. vociferans).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ovarian function and morphology of owl monkeys (Aotus spp.) is
      inadequately known, but it is essential to describe this organ in detail to
      better understand reproductive patterns of the species. METHODS: This study
      reports the anatomical and histological features of the ovaries from 41 owl
      monkeys, considering their reproductive status and parity. RESULTS: The corpora
      lutea (CL) and reproductive state had a significant effect on ovarian volume.
      Follicles were observed in both pregnant and non-pregnant subjects. All females
      in the luteal phase and pregnant females showed at least one cyclic or pregnancy
      CL. Mean ovulation rate was 1.89 CL/female, and the mean ovum mortality was
      37.5%. There were no significant differences in ovarian volume related to parity.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results contribute to the scarce information available on the
      reproductive biology of owl monkeys and can aid in the development of
      biotechnologies involved in assisted reproduction.

PMID- 26122553
TI  - Personalized peptide vaccination for cervical cancer patients who have received
      prior platinum-based chemotherapy.
AB  - A feasibility study was performed to evaluate the immunological efficacy and
      safety of a personalized peptide vaccine (PPV) for cervical cancer patients who
      have received platinum-based chemotherapy. A total of 24 patients with standard
      chemotherapy-resistant cervical cancer, including 18 recurrent cases, were
      enrolled in this study and received a maximum of 4 peptides based on HLA-A types
      and IgG levels to the vaccine candidate peptides in pre-vaccination plasma. The
      parental protein expression of most of the vaccine peptides was confirmed in the
      cervical cancer tissues. No vaccine-related systemic grade 3 or 4 adverse events
      were observed in any patients. Due to disease progression, 2 patients failed to
      complete the first cycle of vaccinations (sixth vaccination). Cytotoxic T
      lymphocyte (CTL) or IgG responses specific for the peptides used for vaccination
      were augmented in half of cases after the first cycle. The median overall
      survival was 8.3 months. The clinical responses of the evaluable 18 cases
      consisted of 1 case with a partial response and 17 cases with disease
      progression; the remaining 6 cases were not evaluable. Performance status,
      injection site skin reaction and circulating PD-1(+) CD4(+) T-cells were
      significantly prognostic of overall survival, and multivariate analysis also
      indicated that the performance status and circulating PD-1(+) CD4(+) T-cells were
      prognostic. Because of the safety and immunological efficacy of PPV and the
      possible prolongation of overall survival, further clinical trials of PPV at a
      larger scale in advanced or recurrent cervical cancer patients who have received
      prior platinum-based chemotherapy are recommended.

PMID- 26122554
TI  - Dual Antiplatelet Therapy of Clopidogrel and Aspirin in Secondary Prevention of
      Ischemic Stroke: Evidence and Indications.
AB  - Nowadays the dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) becomes more widely used in
      patients with ischemic stroke. Nevertheless, controversies exist for indications
      of DAPT. In view of evidence-based medicine analysis, patients with high-risk
      transient ischemic attack and minor stroke, severe symptomatic intracranial
      artery stenosis, symptomatic intracranial and extracranial artery stenosis
      causing artery-to-artery embolism, ischemic stroke attributed to aortic arch
      plaques, high-risk atrial fibrillation not suitable for oral anticoagulants,
      intracranial and extracranial stent implantation, and ischemic stroke with acute
      coronary syndrome may gain great benefit from DAPT of clopidogrel and aspirin. In
      clinical practice, individualized antiplatelet therapy strategies should be taken
      by weighing risks of ischemia and hemorrhage. 

PMID- 26122555
TI  - Governing for the Common Good.
AB  - The proper object of global health governance (GHG) should be the common good,
      ensuring that all people have the opportunity to flourish. A well-organized
      global society that promotes the common good is to everyone's advantage. Enabling
      people to flourish includes enabling their ability to be healthy. Thus, we must
      assess health governance by its effectiveness in enhancing health capabilities.
      Current GHG fails to support human flourishing, diminishes health capabilities
      and thus does not serve the common good. The provincial globalism theory of
      health governance proposes a Global Health Constitution and an accompanying
      Global Institute of Health and Medicine that together propose to transform health
      governance. Multiple lines of empirical research suggest that these institutions
      would be effective, offering the most promising path to a healthier, more just
      world. 

PMID- 26122557
TI  - Response to Letter to the Editor: Perineal burn care: French working group
      recommendations [Burns 2014 40:655-663].

PMID- 26122556
TI  - Genetical genomics of Populus leaf shape variation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Leaf morphology varies extensively among plant species and is under
      strong genetic control. Mutagenic screens in model systems have identified genes
      and established molecular mechanisms regulating leaf initiation, development, and
      shape. However, it is not known whether this diversity across plant species is
      related to naturally occurring variation at these genes. Quantitative trait locus
      (QTL) analysis has revealed a polygenic control for leaf shape variation in
      different species suggesting that loci discovered by mutagenesis may only explain
      part of the naturally occurring variation in leaf shape. Here we undertook a
      genetical genomics study in a poplar intersectional pseudo-backcross pedigree to
      identify genetic factors controlling leaf shape. The approach combined QTL
      discovery in a genetic linkage map anchored to the Populus trichocarpa reference
      genome sequence and transcriptome analysis. RESULTS: A major QTL for leaf lamina
      width and length:width ratio was identified in multiple experiments that
      confirmed its stability. A transcriptome analysis of expanding leaf tissue
      contrasted gene expression between individuals with alternative QTL alleles, and
      identified an ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) GTPase (PtARF1) as a candidate gene
      for regulating leaf morphology in this pedigree. ARF GTPases are critical
      elements in the vesicular trafficking machinery. Disruption of the vesicular
      trafficking function of ARF by the pharmacological agent Brefeldin A (BFA)
      altered leaf lateral growth in the narrow-leaf P. trichocarpa suggesting a
      molecular mechanism of leaf shape determination. Inhibition of the vesicular
      trafficking processes by BFA interferes with cycling of PIN proteins and causes
      their accumulation in intercellular compartments abolishing polar localization
      and disrupting normal auxin flux with potential effects on leaf expansion.
      CONCLUSIONS: In other model systems, ARF proteins have been shown to control the
      localization of auxin efflux carriers, which function to establish auxin
      gradients and apical-basal cell polarity in developing plant organs. Our results
      support a model where PtARF1 transcript abundance changes the dynamics of
      endocytosis-mediated PIN localization in leaf cells, thus affecting lateral auxin
      flux and subsequently lamina leaf expansion. This suggests that evolution of
      differential cellular polarity plays a significant role in leaf morphological
      variation observed in subgenera of genus Populus.

PMID- 26122558
TI  - Pediatric burns research: A history or an evolution?
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Pediatric burns research has increasingly been recognized as
      a sub-specialty of its own. The aim of this study was to assess and analyze the
      publication patterns of the pediatric burns literature over the last six decades.
      METHODS: A search strategy for the Web of Science database was designed for
      pediatric burns publications, with output analyzed between two periods: 1945-1999
      (period 1) and 2000-2013 (period 2). RESULTS: There were 1133 and 1194
      publications for periods 1 (1945-1999) and 2 (2000-2013), respectively. The mean
      citation counts of the top 50 publications were 77 (range 45-278) and 49 (range
      33-145) for periods 1 and 2, respectively. There were 26 and 20 authors with two
      or more publications in the top 50 list in periods 1 and 2, respectively. Of
      these there are two authors that have published 47 papers in both combined time
      periods. There were 29 and 9 journals that have published 50% of the publications
      for time-period 1 and 2 respectively. In period 2, there were two burns journals
      that have published 37.2% of the total articles. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric burns
      research has evolved from an associated, dispersed entity into a consolidated sub
      specialty that has been successfully integrated into mainstream burns journals.

PMID- 26122559
TI  - Severe burns due to biofuel heater injury: A case series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biofuel heaters are a new form of flame heating for indoor and
      outdoor use. Fuelled by methylated spirits, they are simple structures with few
      safety features, and can be associated with severe burn. We report five cases of
      severe burns in adults that occurred when refilling these heaters. METHODS: We
      undertook a retrospective audit of all adults presenting to the Royal Brisbane
      and Women's Hospital (RBWH) with a biofuel heater-related burn between 20 and
      30th June 2014. RESULTS: Five patients required admission for management of their
      burns. Three were admitted to ICU for greater than 3 weeks, and remained
      inpatients for up to 78 days. Two did not require ICU and were managed in the
      burns unit. Average total body surface area (TBSA) burned was 24.7%, and patients
      went to theatre up to seven times for debridement and skin grafting. Average
      length of stay was 41.8 days. CONCLUSIONS: Biofuel heaters are easily accessible
      yet there is no Australian Standard to ensure they are safe or perform in the way
      they were intended. As such, people using them are at undue risk of severe burn,
      even when following the operating instructions. These products should be removed
      from the market to prevent further harm and potential mortality.

PMID- 26122560
TI  - Examining the implementation of NICE guidance: cross-sectional survey of the use
      of NICE interventional procedures guidance by NHS Trusts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the UK, NHS hospitals receive large amounts of evidence-based
      recommendations for care delivery from the National Institute for Health and Care
      Excellence (NICE) and other organisations. Little is known about how NHS
      organisations implement such guidance and best practice for doing so. This study
      was therefore designed to examine the dissemination, decision-making, and
      monitoring processes for NICE interventional procedures (IP) guidance and to
      investigate the barriers and enablers to the implementation of such guidance.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to
      individuals responsible for managing the processes around NICE guidance in all
      181 acute NHS hospitals in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A
      review of acute NHS hospital policies for implementing NICE guidance was also
      undertaken using information available in the public domain and from
      organisations' websites. RESULTS: The response rate to the survey was 75 % with
      135 completed surveys received. Additionally, policies from 25 % of acute NHS
      hospitals were identified and analysed. NHS acute hospitals typically had
      detailed processes in place to implement NICE guidance, although organisations
      recognised barriers to implementation including organisational process barriers,
      clinical engagement and poor targeting with a large number of guidance issued.
      Examples of enablers to, and good practice for, implementation of guidance were
      found, most notably the value of shared learning experiences between NHS
      hospitals. Implications for NICE were also identified. These included making
      improvements to the layout of guidance, signposting on the website and making
      better use of their shared learning platform. CONCLUSIONS: Most organisations
      have robust processes in place to deal with implementing guidance. However,
      resource limitations and the scope of guidance received by organisations create
      barriers relating to organisational processes, clinician engagement and financing
      of new procedures. Guidance implementation can be facilitated through
      encouragement of shared learning by organisations such as NICE and open knowledge
      transfer between organisations.

PMID- 26122561
TI  - Differential transcriptional responses underlie dietary induction of intestinal
      carbohydrase activities in house sparrow nestlings.
AB  - Many species show diet-induced flexibility of activity of intestinal enzymes;
      however, molecular and genetic mechanisms responsible for such modulation are
      less known, particularly in altricial birds. The goal of our study was to test
      whether a diet-induced increase in activity of intestinal maltase and sucrase in
      house sparrow nestlings is matched with an increase in maltase-glucoamylase (MG)
      and sucrase-isomaltase (SI) complex mRNAs respectively. Both enzyme activities
      were significantly higher in mid-intestine of nestlings fed a medium-starch (MS)
      diet compared to those fed a starch-free (SF) diet. In contrast to the similar
      pattern of dietary induction for both enzyme activities, diet MS elevated
      significantly only the level of MG mRNA, but not SI mRNA. The coordinated
      increase in activity of maltase and in MG mRNA is consistent with the hypothesis
      that dietary induction of this enzyme is under transcriptional control. In
      contrast, the lack of such coordination for changes in activity of sucrase and SI
      mRNA suggests that upregulation of this enzyme may be achieved by post
      translational factor(s). We conclude that genetic mechanisms responsible for diet
      induced flexibility of digestive enzymes in birds may differ from that observed
      in mammals. 

PMID- 26122562
TI  - Prenatal exposure to lead in relation to risk of preterm low birth weight: A
      matched case-control study in China.
AB  - We investigated the association between prenatal exposure to lead (Pb) and the
      risk of preterm low birth weight (PLBW). Pb concentrations in maternal urine
      collected at birth from 408 subjects (102 cases and 306 matched controls) were
      analyzed and adjusted by creatinine. The median Pb concentration in the PLBW
      cases (10.60MUgPb/g creatinine) was higher than that of the controls (7.28MUgPb/g
      creatinine). An adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.96 (95% CI=1.49-5.87) for PLBW was
      observed when the highest tertile was compared to the lowest tertile of Pb
      levels. The association was more pronounced among female infants (adjusted
      OR=3.67 for the highest tertile; 95% CI=1.35-9.93) than male infants (adjusted
      OR=1.91 for the highest tertile; 95% CI=0.74-4.95). Our study suggests that
      prenatal exposure to levels of Pb encountered today in China is associated with
      an elevated risk of PLBW. 

PMID- 26122563
TI  - Selenium species in the roots and shoots of chickpea plants treated with
      different concentrations of sodium selenite.
AB  - The trace element selenium has an essential role for human health. It is involved
      in redox center functions, and it is related to the immune system response.
      Legumes are among the main suppliers of selenium into the human food chain. Not
      only Se concentration as such but also more the chemical species of Se is of
      higher importance for successful Se supply to the human diet and its
      bioavailability. The current study was focused on the investigation of the Se
      species present in chickpea plants exposed to 0, 10, 25, 50, and 100 MUM selenite
      in short- and long-term treatment studies. The linear increase of total Se
      concentration could be linked to the increased concentrations of Se exposure. The
      selenium species (SeMet, SeCys, selenite, selenate, GPx) detected in varying
      concentrations in shoots and roots depend on the exposure's concentration and
      duration. The investigation showed that chickpea can accumulate Se in favorable
      concentrations and its transformation to bioavailable Se species may have
      positive impacts on human health and aid to implement Se into the diet.

PMID- 26122564
TI  - Influence of PAHs among other coastal environmental variables on total and PAH
      degrading bacterial communities.
AB  - We evaluated the relative impact of anthropogenic polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons (PAHs) among biogeochemical variables on total, metabolically
      active, and PAH bacterial communities in summer and winter in surface microlayer
      (SML) and subsurface seawaters (SSW) across short transects along the NW
      Mediterranean coast from three harbors, one wastewater effluent, and one
      nearshore observatory reference site. At both seasons, significant correlations
      were found between dissolved total PAH concentrations and PAH-degrading bacteria
      that formed a gradient from the shore to nearshore waters. Accumulation of PAH
      degraders was particularly high in the SML, where PAHs accumulated. Harbors and
      wastewater outfalls influenced drastically and in a different way the total and
      active bacterial community structure, but they only impacted the communities from
      the nearshore zone (<2 km from the shore). By using direct multivariate
      statistical analysis, we confirmed the significant effect of PAH concentrations
      on the spatial and temporal dynamic of total and active communities in this area,
      but this effect was putted in perspective by the importance of other
      biogeochemical variables. 

PMID- 26122565
TI  - Solar light (hv) and H2O2/hv photo-disinfection of natural alkaline water (pH
      8.6) in a compound parabolic collector at different day periods in Sahelian
      region.
AB  - The photo-disinfection of natural alkaline surface water (pH 8.6 +/- 0.3) for
      drinking purposes was carried out under solar radiation treatments. The enteric
      bacteria studied were the wild total coliforms/Escherichia coli (10(4) CFU/ml)
      and Salmonella spp. (10(4) CFU/ml) naturally present in the water. The photo
      disinfection of a 25-l water sample was carried out in a solar compound parabolic
      collector (CPC) in the absence and in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).
      The addition of H2O2 (10 mg/L) to the sample water was sufficient to enhance the
      photo-disinfection and ensure an irreversible lethal action on the wild enteric
      bacteria contents of the sample. The inactivation kinetic of the system was
      significantly enhanced compared to the one carried out without H2O2 addition. The
      effect of the solar radiation parameters on the efficiency of the photo
      disinfection were assessed. The pH has increased during the treatment in all the
      photo-disinfection processes (hv and H2O2/hv). The Salmonella spp strain has
      shown the best effective inactivate time in alkaline water than the one recorded
      under acidic or near-neutral conditions. The evolution of some physico-chemical
      parameters of the water (turbidity, NO2(-), NO3(-), NH4(+), HPO4(2-), and
      bicarbonate (HCO3(-))) was monitored during the treatment. Finally, the possible
      mechanistic process involved during the enteric bacteria inactivation was
      suggested.

PMID- 26122566
TI  - Metals other than uranium affected microbial community composition in a
      historical uranium-mining site.
AB  - To understand the links between the long-term impact of uranium and other metals
      on microbial community composition, ground- and surface water-influenced soils
      varying greatly in uranium and metal concentrations were investigated at the
      former uranium-mining district in Ronneburg, Germany. A soil-based 16S PhyloChip
      approach revealed 2358 bacterial and 35 archaeal operational taxonomic units
      (OTU) within diverse phylogenetic groups with higher OTU numbers than at other
      uranium-contaminated sites, e.g., at Oak Ridge. Iron- and sulfate-reducing
      bacteria (FeRB and SRB), which have the potential to attenuate uranium and other
      metals by the enzymatic and/or abiotic reduction of metal ions, were found at all
      sites. Although soil concentrations of solid-phase uranium were high, ranging
      from 5 to 1569 MUg.g (dry weight) soil(-1), redundancy analysis (RDA) and forward
      selection indicated that neither total nor bio-available uranium concentrations
      contributed significantly to the observed OTU distribution. Instead, microbial
      community composition appeared to be influenced more by redox potential.
      Bacterial communities were also influenced by bio-available manganese and total
      cobalt and cadmium concentrations. Bio-available cadmium impacted FeRB
      distribution while bio-available manganese and copper as well as solid-phase zinc
      concentrations in the soil affected SRB composition. Archaeal communities were
      influenced by the bio-available lead as well as total zinc and cobalt
      concentrations. These results suggest that (i) microbial richness was not
      impacted by heavy metals and radionuclides and that (ii) redox potential and
      secondary metal contaminants had the strongest effect on microbial community
      composition, as opposed to uranium, the primary source of contamination.

PMID- 26122567
TI  - Water quality changes in response to urban expansion: spatially varying relations
      and determinants.
AB  - Urban expansion is an important stressor to water bodies, and the spatial
      variations of their relations are increasingly highlighted by recent studies.
      What remain unclear, however, are the underlying drivers to the spatial
      variability. The paper was not limited to modeling spatially varying linkages but
      also drew attention to the local anthropogenic influential factors that shape
      land-water relations. We employed geographically weighted regression to examine
      the relationships between urban expansion (measured by land use change intensity)
      and water quality changes (focusing on six water quality indicators) in a
      recently fast-growing Chinese city, Lianyungang. Specifically, we analyzed how
      the local characteristics including urbanization level, environmental management,
      industrial zone expansion, and land use composition, attributed to the varying
      responses of water quality changes. Results showed that urbanization level
      significantly affects land-water linkages. Remarkable water quality improvement
      was accompanied by urbanization in highly developed watersheds, primarily due to
      strong influence from extensive water management practices (particularly for COD,
      BOD, NH3-N, and TP). By contrast, water qualities of less-urbanized watersheds
      were more sensitive and negatively responsive to land use changes. Clustering
      industrial activities acted as distinct contributor to Hg contamination, while
      boosted organic pollution control in highly urbanized areas. The approach
      proposed in the study can locate and further zoom into the hot-spots of human
      water interactions, thereby contributing to better solutions for mitigating
      undesirable impacts of urbanization on water environment. 

PMID- 26122568
TI  - Functional and structural responses of soil N-cycling microbial communities to
      the herbicide mesotrione: a dose-effect microcosm approach.
AB  - Microbial communities driving the nitrogen cycle contribute to ecosystem services
      such as crop production and air, soil, and water quality. The responses to
      herbicide stress of ammonia-oxidizing and ammonia-denitrifying microbial
      communities were investigated by an analysis of changes in structure-function
      relationships. Their potential activities, abundances (quantitative PCR), and
      genetic structure (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) were assessed in a
      microcosm experiment. The application rate (1 * FR, 0.45 MUg g(-1) soil) of the
      mesotrione herbicide did not strongly affect soil N-nutrient dynamics or
      microbial community structure and abundances. Doses of the commercial product
      Callisto(r) (10 * FR and 100 * FR) or pure mesotrione (100 * FR) exceeding field
      rates induced short-term inhibition of nitrification and a lasting stimulation of
      denitrification. These effects could play a part in the increase in soil ammonium
      content and decrease in nitrate contents observed in treated soils. These
      functional impacts were mainly correlated with abundance shifts of ammonia
      oxidizing Bacteria (AOB) and Archaea (AOA) or denitrifying bacteria. The
      sustained restoration of nitrification activity, from day 42 in the 100 * FR
      treated soils, was likely promoted by changes in the community size and
      composition of AOB, which suggests a leading role, rather than AOA, for soil
      nitrification restoration after herbicide stress. This ecotoxicological community
      approach provides a nonesuch multiparameter assessment of responses of N-cycling
      microbial guilds to pesticide stress. 

PMID- 26122569
TI  - Assessing the relative efficiency of water companies in the English and Welsh
      water industry: a metafrontier approach.
AB  - The assessment of relative efficiency of water companies is essential for
      managers and authorities. This is evident in the UK water sector where there are
      companies with different services such as water and sewerage companies (WaSCs)
      and water-only companies (WoCs). Therefore, it is a critical limitation to
      estimate a common production frontier for both types of companies, as it might
      lead to biased efficiency estimates. In this paper, a robust and reliable
      methodology, the metafrontier model, is applied to compare the efficiency of
      water companies providing different services. The results illustrate the superior
      performance of WaSCs compared to WoCs. It also confirms the presence of economies
      of scope in the UK water industry. The methodology and results of this study are
      of great interest for both regulators and water utility managers to make informed
      decisions. 

PMID- 26122570
TI  - Insights into tetracycline adsorption onto kaolinite and montmorillonite:
      experiments and modeling.
AB  - Adsorption of tetracycline (TC) on kaolinite and montmorillonite was investigated
      using batch adsorption experiments with different pH, ionic strength, and surface
      coverage. As a result, pH and ionic strength-dependent adsorption of TC was
      observed for the two clay minerals. The adsorption of TC decreased with the
      increase of pH and ionic strength, and high initial TC concentration had high
      adsorption. In addition, a triple-layer model was used to predict the adsorption
      and surface speciation of TC on the two minerals. As a result, four complex
      species on kaolinite (=X(-)?H3TC(+), =X(-)?H2TC(+/-), =SOH(0)?H2TC(+/-), and
      =SOH(0)?HTC(-)) and three species on montmorillonite (=X(-)?H3TC(+), =X(
      )?H2TC(+/-), and =SOH(0)?HTC(-)) were structurally constrained by spectroscopy,
      and these species were also successfully fitted to the adsorption edges of TC.
      Three functional groups of TC were involved in these adsorption reactions,
      including the positively charged dimethylamino group, the C=O amide I group, and
      the C=O group at the C ring. Combining adsorption experiments and model in this
      study, the adsorption of TC on kaolinite and montmorillonite was mainly
      attributed to cation exchange on the surface sites (=X(-)) compared to surface
      complexation on the edge sites (=SOH) at natural soil pH condition. Moreover, the
      surface adsorption species, the corresponding adsorption modes, and the binding
      constants for the surface reactions were also estimated. 

PMID- 26122571
TI  - Natural transformation of chlordecone into 5b-hydrochlordecone in French West
      Indies soils: statistical evidence for investigating long-term persistence of
      organic pollutants.
AB  - Chlordecone (CLD) was an organochlorine insecticide whose previous use resulted
      in an extensive pollution of the environment with severe health effects and
      social consequences. A closely related compound, 5b-hydrochlordecone (5b
      hydroCLD), has been searched for and often detected in environmental matrices
      from the geographical area where CLD was applied. The current consensus
      considered that its presence was not the result of a biotic or abiotic
      dechlorination of CLD in these matrices but rather the consequence of its
      presence as impurity (synthesis by-product) in the CLD released into the
      environment. The aim of the present study was to determine if and to what extent
      degradation of CLD into 5b-hydroCLD occurred in the field. To test this
      hypothesis, the ratios of 5b-hydroCLD and CLD concentrations in a dataset of 810
      soils collected between 2006 and 2012 in Martinique were compared to the ratios
      measured in 3 samples of the CLD dust commercial formulations applied in the
      banana fields of French West Indies (FWI) and 1 sample of the technical-grade CLD
      corresponding to the active ingredient used in such formulations. Soil data were
      processed with a hierarchical Bayesian model to account for random measurement
      errors and data censoring. Any pathway of CLD transformation into 5b-hydroCLD
      occurring over the long term in FWI soils would indeed change the ratio of 5b
      hydroCLD/CLD compared to what it was in the initially applied formulations.
      Results showed a significant increase of the 5b-hydroCLD/CLD ratio in the soils
      25 times greater in soil than in commercial formulations-which suggested that
      natural CLD transformation into 5b-hydroCLD over the long term occurred in these
      soils. Results from this study may impact future decisions for the remediation of
      the polluted areas. 

PMID- 26122572
TI  - Cadmium toxicity in Maize (Zea mays L.): consequences on antioxidative systems,
      reactive oxygen species and cadmium accumulation.
AB  - Increased cadmium (Cd) accumulation in soils has led to tremendous environmental
      problems, with pronounced effects on agricultural productivity. Present study
      investigated the effects of Cd stress imposed at various concentrations (0, 75,
      150, 225, 300, 375 MUM) on antioxidant activities, reactive oxygen species (ROS),
      Cd accumulation, and productivity of two maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars viz., Run
      Nong 35 and Wan Dan 13. Considerable variations in Cd accumulation and in
      behavior of antioxidants and ROS were observed under Cd stress in both maize
      cultivars, and such variations governed by Cd were concentration dependent.
      Exposure of plant to Cd stress considerably increased Cd concentration in all
      plant parts particularly in roots. Wan Dan 13 accumulated relatively higher Cd in
      root, stem, and leaves than Run Nong 35; however, in seeds, Run Nong 35 recorded
      higher Cd accumulation. All the Cd toxicity levels starting from 75 MUM enhanced
      H2O2 and MDA concentrations and triggered electrolyte leakage in leaves of both
      cultivars, and such an increment was more in Run Nong 35. The ROS were scavenged
      by the enhanced activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase,
      ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione peroxidase in response to Cd stress, and
      these antioxidant activities were higher in Wan Dan 13 compared with Run Nong 35
      at all Cd toxicity levels. The grain yield of maize was considerably reduced
      particularly for Run Nong 35 under different Cd toxicity levels as compared with
      control. The Wan Dan 13 was better able to alleviate Cd-induced oxidative damage
      which was attributed to more Cd accumulation in roots and higher antioxidant
      activities in this cultivar, suggesting that manipulation of these antioxidants
      and enhancing Cd accumulation in roots may lead to improvement in Cd stress
      tolerance.

PMID- 26122573
TI  - Mixed messages from benthic microbial communities exposed to nanoparticulate and
      ionic silver: 3D structure picks up nano-specific effects, while EPS and
      traditional endpoints indicate a concentration-dependent impact of silver ions.
AB  - Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are currently defined as emerging pollutants in
      surface water ecosystems. Whether the toxic effects of AgNP towards freshwater
      organisms are fully explainable by the release of ionic silver (Ag(+)) has not
      been conclusively elucidated. Long-term effects to benthic microbial communities
      (periphyton) that provide essential functions in stream ecosystems are unknown.
      The effects of exposure of periphyton to 2 and 20 MUg/L Ag(+) (AgNO3) and AgNP
      (polyvinylpyrrolidone stabilised) were investigated in artificial indoor streams.
      The extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and 3D biofilm structure, biomass,
      algae species, Ag concentrations in the water phase and bioassociated Ag were
      analysed. A strong decrease in total Ag was observed within 4 days. Bioassociated
      Ag was proportional to dissolved Ag indicating a rate limitation by diffusion
      across the diffusive boundary layer. Two micrograms per liter of AgNO3 or AgNP
      did not induce significant effects despite detectable bioassociation of Ag. The
      20-MUg/L AgNO3 affected green algae and diatom communities, biomass and the ratio
      of polysaccharides to proteins in EPS. The 20-MUg/L AgNO3 and AgNP decreased
      biofilm volume to about 50 %, while the decrease of biomass was lower in 20 MUg/L
      AgNP samples than the 20-MUg/L AgNO3 indicating a compaction of the NP-exposed
      biofilms. Roughness coefficients were lower in 20 MUg/L AgNP-treated samples. The
      more traditional endpoints (biomass and diversity) indicated silver ion
      concentration-dependent effects, while the newly introduced parameters (3D
      structure and EPS) indicated both silver ion concentration-dependent effects and
      effects related to the silver species applied.

PMID- 26122574
TI  - Combinational effects of sulfomethoxazole and copper on soil microbial community
      and function.
AB  - Sulfonamides and Cu are largely used feed additives in poultry farm.
      Subsequently, they are spread onto agricultural soils together with contaminated
      manure used as fertilizer. Both sulfonamides and Cu affect the soil microbial
      community. However, an interactive effect of sulfonamides and Cu on soil
      microorganisms is not well understood. Therefore, a short-time microcosm
      experiment was conducted to investigate the interaction of veterinary antibiotic
      sulfomethoxazole (SMX) and Cu on soil microbial structure composition and
      functions. To this end, selected concentrations of SMX (0, 5, and 50 mg kg(-1))
      and Cu (0, 300, and 500 mg kg(-1)) were combined, respectively. Clear dose
      dependent effects of SMX on microbial biomass and basal respiration were
      determined, and these effects were amplified in the presence of additional Cu.
      For activities of soil enzymes including beta-glucosidase, urease, and protease,
      clear reducing effects were determined in soil samples containing 5 or 50 mg kg(
      1) of SMX, and the interaction of SMX and Cu was significant, particularly in
      soil samples containing 50 mg kg(-1) SMX or 500 mg kg(-1) Cu. SMX amendments,
      particularly in combination with Cu, significantly reduced amounts of the total,
      bacterial, and fungal phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) in soil. Moreover, the
      derived ratio of bacteria to fungi decreased significantly with incremental SMX
      and Cu, and principal component analysis of the PLFAs showed that soil microbial
      composition was significantly affected by SMX interacted with Cu at 500 mg kg(
      1). All of these results indicated that the interaction of SMX and Cu was
      synergistic to amplify the negative effect of SMX on soil microbial biomass,
      structural composition, and even the enzymatic function.

PMID- 26122575
TI  - Effects of drying on phosphorus uptake in re-flooded lake sediments.
AB  - Sediment drying associated with large water level fluctuations is an increasingly
      common feature of temporary streams and lakes worldwide. Drying-induced sediment
      aeration and re-flooding periodically alter redox conditions, and therefore
      stimulate redox-sensitive processes influencing phosphorus (P) binding forms. We
      experimentally tested the effects of drying on P binding forms, and the P
      sorption potential, by drying and re-flooding lake sediments in the laboratory.
      Wet and dried fine sediments were re-flooded in columns, and the overlying water
      was continuously re-stocked to a constant P concentration. We measured changes in
      P forms, P uptake rates, and the pore water dynamics in each column over 36
      weeks. Drying decreased the fraction of stable P, stimulated the mineralization
      of organic P, and increased the proportion of labile and reductant-soluble forms.
      Drying of sediment furthermore reduced its P sorption affinity and capacity by up
      to 32% in batch equilibrium experiments, and led to a fourfold increase in
      sediment compaction which increased P uptake rates by a factor of 1.7 in sediment
      column experiments. Compaction due to drying also induced the development of a
      sharp gradient below which P was mobilized. These results indicate that in fine
      sediments, a single drying event can result in the transformation of P components
      into more labile forms which accumulate in the uppermost sediment layer,
      therefore raising the potential for a pulsed P release under reducing conditions.

PMID- 26122576
TI  - Environmental PCBs in Guanica Bay, Puerto Rico: implications for community
      health.
AB  - Guanica Bay, located in southwestern Puerto Rico, has suffered oil spills and
      other pollution discharges since the 1960s. Previous research showed elevated
      concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in coral reef and sediment.
      This research examined PCB concentrations in sediment and fish. Sediment and fish
      sampling in the bay was facilitated by community members. This study identified
      the second highest reported PCB level (129,300 ng/g) in sediment in the USA. Fish
      samples also showed elevated concentrations (1623 to 3768 ng/g), which were
      higher than the thresholds of safe levels of PCBs in fish for human consumption.
      The alarmingly high concentration of PCBs calls for proactive community
      engagement to bring awareness about contamination of the bay and more extensive
      sampling to test for the concentration of PCBs in seafood and the people of
      Guanica. This study also underscores the value of the involvement of local
      communities during sampling design aimed at identifying hot spots of
      contaminants.

PMID- 26122577
TI  - Biosynthesis, mosquitocidal and antibacterial properties of Toddalia asiatica
      synthesized silver nanoparticles: do they impact predation of guppy Poecilia
      reticulata against the filariasis mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus?
AB  - Mosquito-borne diseases represent a deadly threat for millions of people
      worldwide. Furthermore, pathogens and parasites polluting water also constitute a
      severe plague for populations of developing countries. In this study, silver
      nanoparticles (AgN) were biosynthesized a cheap aqueous extract of T. asiatica
      leaves as reducing and stabilizing agent. The formation of nanoparticle was
      confirmed by surface Plasmon resonance band illustrated in UV-vis
      spectrophotometer. AgN were characterized by FTIR, SEM, EDX, and XRD analyses.
      AgN were mostly spherical in shape, crystalline in nature, with face-centered
      cubic geometry, and their mean size was 25-30 nm. T. asiatica aqueous extract and
      green-synthesized AgN showed excellent larvicidal and pupicidal toxicity against
      the filariasis vector Culex quinqufasciatus, both in laboratory and field
      experiments. AgN LC50 ranged from 16.48 (I instar larvae) to 31.83 ppm (pupae).
      T. asiatica-synthesized were also highly effective in inhibiting growth of
      Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella typhi using the agar
      disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration protocol. Lastly, we
      evaluated if sublethal doses of nanoparticles affect predation rates of fishes,
      Poecilia reticulata, against C. quinquefasciatus. In AgN-contaminated
      environment, predation of guppies against mosquito larvae was slightly higher
      over normal laboratory conditions. Overall, this study highlighted that T.
      asiatica-synthesized AgN are easy to produce, stable over time, and may be
      employed at low dosages to reduce populations of filariasis vectors, without
      detrimental effects on predation rates of mosquito natural enemies.

PMID- 26122578
TI  - Combining multivariate analysis and human risk indices for assessing heavy metal
      contents in muscle tissues of commercially fish from Southern Red Sea, Saudi
      Arabia.
AB  - Jizan fishers are the major fish source for more than 1.5 million populations in
      the southern region in Saudi Arabia. Despite the overgrowing of various man-made
      activities in Jizan City, no recent study on environmental monitoring was
      reported. In the current study, heavy metals were quantified in muscle tissues of
      12 fish species, as the most edible, from Jizan fisheries. Electrothermal atomic
      absorption spectrophotometry was used for quantification after microwave wet
      digestion. Acceptable recovery values (83.46-97.48%) for spiked fish samples with
      standard solutions were obtained. The following wide ranges of heavy metal
      concentrations (MUg/g, wet weight) in studied fish species were recorded: V
      (0.004-0.561), Cr (0.013-0.477), Mn (0.073-0.128), As (0.002-0.935), Se (0.083
      3.058), Sn (2.835-5.540), and Pb (0.150-0.386). Comparing with international
      permissible limits, lower levels were recorded in the current study. For total
      metal accumulation, the relationship between species was examined by cluster
      analysis, which showed that Epinephelinae was the farthest species from others.
      The principal component analysis shows one component indicating normal
      distribution of heavy metals in fish species. Different metal pollution indices
      (1.35-0.30), which shows the distribution of the total heavy metal concentrations
      in each species, were recorded. The hazard indices for muscle consumption were
      less than 1.0 for all studied metals at both ingestion rates except Sn which
      showed a marginal value of 28.9.

PMID- 26122580
TI  - Pediatric immunization-related safety incidents in primary care: A mixed methods
      analysis of a national database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Children are scheduled to receive 18-20 immunizations before their
      18th birthday in England and Wales; this approximates to 13 million vaccines
      administered per annum. Each immunization represents a potential opportunity for
      immunization-related error and effective immunization is imperative to maintain
      the public health benefit from immunization. Using data from a national reporting
      system, this study aimed to characterize pediatric immunization-related safety
      incident reports from primary care in England and Wales between 2002 and 2013.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional mixed methods study was undertaken. This comprised
      reading the free-text of incident reports and applying codes to describe incident
      type, potential contributory factors, harm severity, and incident outcomes. A
      subsequent thematic analysis was undertaken to interpret the most commonly
      occurring codes, such as those describing the incident, events leading up to it
      and reported contributory factors, within the contexts they were described.
      RESULTS: We identified 1745 reports and most (n=1077, 61.7%) described harm
      outcomes including three deaths, 67 reports of moderate harm and 1007 reports of
      low harm. Failure of timely vaccination was the potential cause of three child
      deaths from meningitis and pneumonia, and described in a further 113 reports.
      Vaccine administration incidents included the wrong number of doses (n=476,
      27.3%), wrong timing (n=294, 16.8%), and wrong vaccine (n=249, 14.3%).
      Documentation failures were frequently implicated. Socially and medically
      vulnerable children were commonly described. CONCLUSION: This is the largest
      examination of reported contributory factors for immunization-related patient
      safety incidents in children. Our findings suggest investments in IT
      infrastructure to support data linkage and identification of risk predictors,
      development of consultation models that promote the role of parents in mitigating
      safety incidents, and improvement efforts to adapt and adopt best practices from
      elsewhere, are needed to mitigate future immunization-related patient safety
      incidents. These priorities are particularly pressing for vulnerable patient
      groups.

PMID- 26122581
TI  - Value of post-licensure data on benefits and risks of vaccination to inform
      vaccine policy: The example of rotavirus vaccines.
AB  - In 1999, the first rhesus-human reassortant rotavirus vaccine licensed in the
      United States was withdrawn within a year of its introduction after it was linked
      with intussusception at a rate of ~1 excess case per 10,000 vaccinated infants.
      While clinical trials of 60,000-70,000 infants of each of the two current live
      oral rotavirus vaccines, RotaTeq (RV5) and Rotarix (RV1), did not find an
      association with intussusception, post-licensure studies have documented a risk
      in several high and middle income countries, at a rate of ~1-6 excess cases per
      100,000 vaccinated infants. However, considering this low risk against the large
      health benefits of vaccination that have been observed in many countries,
      including in countries with a documented vaccine-associated intussusception risk,
      policy makers and health organizations around the world continue to support the
      routine use of RV1 and RV5 in national infant immunization programs. Because the
      risk and benefit data from affluent settings may not be directly applicable to
      developing countries, further characterization of any associated intussusception
      risk following rotavirus vaccination as well as the health benefits of
      vaccination is desirable for low income settings. 

PMID- 26122579
TI  - Cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of abamectin, chlorfenapyr, and imidacloprid on
      CHOK1 cells.
AB  - The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of abamectin, chlorfenapyr, and imidacloprid
      have been evaluated on the Chinese hamster ovary (CHOK1) cells. Neutral red
      incorporation (NRI), total cellular protein content (TCP), and methyl tetrazolium
      (MTT) assays were followed to estimate the mid-point cytotoxicity values, NRI50,
      TCP50, and MTT50, respectively. The effects of the sublethal concentration
      (NRI25) on glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GRD),
      glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and total glutathione content have been evaluated
      in the presence and absence of reduced glutathione (GSH), vitamin C, and vitamin
      E. The genotoxicity was evaluated using chromosomal aberrations (CA),
      micronucleus (MN) formation, and DNA fragmentation techniques in the presence and
      absence of the metabolic activation system, S9 mix. Abamectin was the most
      cytotoxic pesticide followed by chlorfenapyr, while imidacloprid was the least
      cytotoxic one. The glutathione redox cycle components were altered by the tested
      pesticides in the absence and presence of the tested antioxidants. The results of
      genotoxicity indicate that abamectin, chlorfenapyr, and imidacloprid have
      potential genotoxic effects on CHOK1 cells under the experimental conditions. 

PMID- 26122582
TI  - Rescue of CD8+ T cell vaccine memory following sublethal gamma irradiation.
AB  - Sublethal gamma irradiation eliminates CD8+ T cell mediated memory responses. In
      this work, we explored how these memory responses could be rescued in the
      aftermath of such exposure. We utilized two models of CD8+ T cell mediated
      immunity: a mouse model of Listeria monocytogenes (LM) infection in which CD8+ T
      cells specific for LM expressed antigens (Listeriolysin O, LLO) can be tracked,
      and a murine skin graft model in which CD8+ T cells mediate rejection across a
      MHC class I (D(d)) disparity. In the LM immunized mice, LL0 specific CD8+ T
      memory cells were lost on irradiation, preserved with rapid revaccination with an
      attenuated strain 1-3 days post-irradiation (PI), and these mice survived a
      subsequent wild type LM challenge. A genetic "signature of rescue" identified a
      group of immune-associated mRNA maintained or upregulated following irradiation
      and rescue. A number of these factors, including IL-36gamma, dectin-2 (Clec4n),
      and mir101c are upregulated rapidly after exposure of mice to sublethal gamma
      radiation alone and are sustained by early, but not later rescue. Such factors
      will be evaluated as potential therapeutics to replace individual vaccines for
      global rescue of CD8+ T memory cell responses following sublethal gamma
      irradiation. The skin allograft model mirrored that of the LM model in that the
      accelerated D(d) skin allograft rejection response was lost in mice exposed to
      sublethal gamma radiation, but infusion of allogeneic D(d) expressing bone marrow
      cells 1-4 days PI preserved the CD8+ T memory mediated accelerated rejection
      response, further suggesting that innate immune responses may not always be
      essential to rescue of CD8+ memory T cells following gamma irradiation. 

PMID- 26122583
TI  - Trials and tribulations on the path to developing a dengue vaccine.
AB  - Dengue is a rapidly expanding global health problem. Development of a safe and
      efficacious tetravalent vaccine along with strategic application of vector
      control activities represents a promising approach to reducing the global disease
      burden. Although many vaccine development challenges exist, numerous candidates
      are in clinical development and one has been tested in three clinical endpoint
      studies. The results of these studies have raised numerous questions about how we
      measure vaccine immunogenicity and how these readouts are associated with
      clinical outcomes in vaccine recipients who experience natural infection. In this
      review the authors discuss the dengue vaccine pipeline, development challenges,
      the dengue vaccine-immunologic profiling intersection, and research gaps. 

PMID- 26122584
TI  - Divergent responses of the amygdala and ventral striatum predict stress-related
      problem drinking in young adults: possible differential markers of affective and
      impulsive pathways of risk for alcohol use disorder.
AB  - Prior work suggests that there may be two distinct pathways of alcohol use
      disorder (AUD) risk: one associated with positive emotion enhancement and
      behavioral impulsivity, and another associated with negative emotion relief and
      coping. We sought to map these two pathways onto individual differences in neural
      reward and threat processing assessed using blood-oxygen-level-dependent
      functional magnetic resonance imaging in a sample of 759 undergraduate students
      (426 women, mean age 19.65+/-1.24 years) participating in the Duke Neurogenetics
      Study. We demonstrate that problem drinking is highest in the context of stress
      and in those with one of two distinct neural phenotypes: (1) a combination of
      relatively low reward-related activity of the ventral striatum (VS) and high
      threat-related reactivity of the amygdala; or (2) a combination of relatively
      high VS activity and low amygdala reactivity. In addition, we demonstrate that
      the relationship between stress and problem alcohol use is mediated by
      impulsivity, as reflected in monetary delay discounting rates, for those with
      high VS-low amygdala reactivity, and by anxious/depressive symptomatology for
      those with the opposite neural risk phenotype. Across both neural phenotypes, we
      found that greater divergence between VS and amygdala reactivity predicted
      greater risk for problem drinking. Finally, for those individuals with the low VS
      high amygdala risk phenotype we found that stress not only predicted the presence
      of AUD diagnosis at the time of neuroimaging but also subsequent problem drinking
      reported 3 months following study completion. These results offer new insight
      into the neural basis of AUD risk and suggest novel biological targets for early
      individualized treatment or prevention. 

PMID- 26122585
TI  - Neural signatures of human fear conditioning: an updated and extended meta
      analysis of fMRI studies.
AB  - Classical Pavlovian fear conditioning remains the most widely employed
      experimental model of fear and anxiety, and continues to inform contemporary
      pathophysiological accounts of clinical anxiety disorders. Despite its widespread
      application in human and animal studies, the neurobiological basis of fear
      conditioning remains only partially understood. Here we provide a comprehensive
      meta-analysis of human fear-conditioning studies carried out with functional
      magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), yielding a pooled sample of 677 participants
      from 27 independent studies. As a distinguishing feature of this meta-analysis,
      original statistical brain maps were obtained from the authors of 13 of these
      studies. Our primary analyses demonstrate that human fear conditioning is
      associated with a consistent and robust pattern of neural activation across a
      hypothesized genuine network of brain regions resembling existing anatomical
      descriptions of the 'central autonomic-interoceptive network'. This finding is
      discussed with a particular emphasis on the neural substrates of conscious fear
      processing. Our associated meta-analysis of functional deactivations-a scarcely
      addressed dynamic in fMRI fear-conditioning studies-also suggests the existence
      of a coordinated brain response potentially underlying the 'safety signal' (that
      is, non-threat) processing. We attempt to provide an integrated summary on these
      findings with the view that they may inform ongoing studies of fear-conditioning
      processes both in healthy and clinical populations, as investigated with
      neuroimaging and other experimental approaches. 

PMID- 26122588
TI  - No Need to Abandon Focused Unilateral Exploration for Primary Hyperparathyroidism
      with Intraoperative Monitoring of Intact Parathyroid Hormone.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated the rate of persistent and recurrent
      hyperparathyroidism after focused unilateral exploration (UE) with intraoperative
      monitoring of intact parathyroid hormone (IOPTH). STUDY DESIGN: A prospective
      cohort of 915 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) underwent
      parathyroid surgery by a single surgeon from January 2003 to September 2013. A
      total of 556 patients with at least a single positive preoperative localization
      by ultrasound (US) and/or sestamibi scan (STS) underwent UE with IOPTH. The
      criterion for completion of surgery was an IOPTH fall of 50% from the highest
      intraoperative level and into the normal range 5 to 10 minutes after resection of
      the localized gland. RESULTS: Fifteen patients had either persistent or recurrent
      PHP, yielding a 2.7% (95% CI 1.6% to 4.4%) overall recurrence rate based on the
      refined Wilson method with continuity correction. Four patients had persistent
      PHP. Three of these patients were cured with reoperation, and the fourth patient
      was followed nonoperatively. Eleven patients had recurrent PHP, with 5 corrected
      by surgery and 6 patients followed nonoperatively. The mean postoperative serum
      calcium (Ca) level was 9.4 mg/dL over a mean follow-up interval of 44.0 months.
      Preoperative localization rates by each localization study were: US 74.3% (n =
      413), STS 86.9% (n = 483), and US and STS 71.4% (n = 397). There was no
      difference in the preoperative study that localized the hyperfunctional
      parathyroid gland in recurrent vs nonrecurrent patients by the Fisher's exact
      test (US, p =1.00; STS, p =0.65; US and STS, p =1.00). CONCLUSIONS: The low rate
      of recurrent PHP after focused unilateral exploration with IOPTH suggests that
      this procedure should not be abandoned.

PMID- 26122587
TI  - Polygenic dissection of major depression clinical heterogeneity.
AB  - The molecular mechanisms underlying major depressive disorder (MDD) are largely
      unknown. Limited success of previous genetics studies may be attributable to
      heterogeneity of MDD, aggregating biologically different subtypes. We examined
      the polygenic features of MDD and two common clinical subtypes (typical and
      atypical) defined by symptom profiles in a large sample of adults with
      established diagnoses. Data were from 1530 patients of the Netherlands Study of
      Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) and 1700 controls mainly from the Netherlands Twin
      Register (NTR). Diagnoses of MDD and its subtypes were based on DSM-IV symptoms.
      Genetic overlap of MDD and subtypes with psychiatric (MDD, bipolar disorder,
      schizophrenia) and metabolic (body mass index (BMI), C-reactive protein,
      triglycerides) traits was evaluated via genomic profile risk scores (GPRS)
      generated from meta-analysis results of large international consortia. Single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-heritability of MDD and subtypes was also
      estimated. MDD was associated with psychiatric GPRS, while no association was
      found for GPRS of metabolic traits. MDD subtypes had differential polygenic
      signatures: typical was strongly associated with schizophrenia GPRS (odds ratio
      (OR)=1.54, P=7.8e-9), while atypical was additionally associated with BMI
      (OR=1.29, P=2.7e-4) and triglycerides (OR=1.21, P=0.006) GPRS. Similar results
      were found when only the highly discriminatory symptoms of appetite/weight were
      used to define subtypes. SNP-heritability was 32% for MDD, 38% and 43% for
      subtypes with, respectively, decreased (typical) and increased (atypical)
      appetite/weight. In conclusion, MDD subtypes are characterized by partially
      distinct polygenic liabilities and may represent more homogeneous phenotypes.
      Disentangling MDD heterogeneity may help the psychiatric field moving forward in
      the search for molecular roots of depression. 

PMID- 26122586
TI  - Subcortical brain alterations in major depressive disorder: findings from the
      ENIGMA Major Depressive Disorder working group.
AB  - The pattern of structural brain alterations associated with major depressive
      disorder (MDD) remains unresolved. This is in part due to small sample sizes of
      neuroimaging studies resulting in limited statistical power, disease
      heterogeneity and the complex interactions between clinical characteristics and
      brain morphology. To address this, we meta-analyzed three-dimensional brain
      magnetic resonance imaging data from 1728 MDD patients and 7199 controls from 15
      research samples worldwide, to identify subcortical brain volumes that robustly
      discriminate MDD patients from healthy controls. Relative to controls, patients
      had significantly lower hippocampal volumes (Cohen's d=-0.14, % difference=
      1.24). This effect was driven by patients with recurrent MDD (Cohen's d=-0.17, %
      difference=-1.44), and we detected no differences between first episode patients
      and controls. Age of onset ?21 was associated with a smaller hippocampus (Cohen's
      d=-0.20, % difference=-1.85) and a trend toward smaller amygdala (Cohen's d=
      0.11, % difference=-1.23) and larger lateral ventricles (Cohen's d=0.12, %
      difference=5.11). Symptom severity at study inclusion was not associated with any
      regional brain volumes. Sample characteristics such as mean age, proportion of
      antidepressant users and proportion of remitted patients, and methodological
      characteristics did not significantly moderate alterations in brain volumes in
      MDD. Samples with a higher proportion of antipsychotic medication users showed
      larger caudate volumes in MDD patients compared with controls. This currently
      largest worldwide effort to identify subcortical brain alterations showed robust
      smaller hippocampal volumes in MDD patients, moderated by age of onset and first
      episode versus recurrent episode status.

PMID- 26122589
TI  - Collapsible Enteroatmospheric Fistula Isolation Device: A Novel, Simple Solution
      to a Complex Problem.

PMID- 26122590
TI  - Whipple's pancreaticoduodenectomy: Surgical technique and perioperative clinical
      outcomes in a single center.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth cause of death from cancer in
      Western countries. The radical surgical resection is the only curative option for
      this pathology. The prevalence of this disease increases with age in population.
      The causes of pancreatic cancer are unknown, but we consider risk factors like
      smoke and tobacco usage, alcohol consumption coffee, history of diabetes or
      chronic pancreatitis. In this study we report our experience in the treatment of
      resectable pancreatic cancer and periampullary neoplasms with particular
      attention to evaluate the evolution of surgical technique and the clinical
      postoperative outcomes. METHODS: In our Department between January 2010 and
      December 2014 we performed a total of 97 pancreaticoduodenectomy. We considered
      only resectable pancreatic cancer and periampullary neoplasms defined by absence
      of distant metastases, absence of local tumor extension to the celiac axis and
      hepatic artery as the lack of involvement of the superior mesenteric vasculature.
      None of these patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS: The mean age
      of these patients was 64.5 years. Jaundice was the commonest presenting symptom
      associated to anorexia and weight loss. The mean operative time was 295 min (+/-
      55 min). The mean blood loss was 450 ml and median blood transfusion was 1 units.
      12.1% of patients had an intra-abdominal complication. The commonest complication
      was Delayed Gastric Emptying responsable of increased length of hospital stay and
      readmission rate. Postoperative pancreatic fistula of grade C occurred in 4
      patients. 2 patients developed a postpancreatectomy hemorrhage. Perioperative
      mortality was 4.1%. CONCLUSION: Pancreaticoduodenectomy is a complex surgical
      technique and the associated high morbidity and mortality resulted in initial
      reluctance to adopt this surgery for the management of pancreatic and
      periampullary tumors. Surgical outcomes of pancreatic surgery are better at high
      volume experienced center reporting mortality rates below 5%. We perform an end
      to-side duct-to-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy with routinely use of internal
      pancreatic stent. However no one technique has been shown to definitely be the
      solution to the problem of postoperative pancreatic fistula. At our center we
      have a reasonable volume and our data are comparable to literature data.

PMID- 26122591
TI  - Fixation probabilities on superstars, revisited and revised.
AB  - Population structures can be crucial determinants of evolutionary processes. For
      the Moran process on graphs certain structures suppress selective pressure, while
      others amplify it (Lieberman et al., 2005). Evolutionary amplifiers suppress
      random drift and enhance selection. Recently, some results for the most powerful
      known evolutionary amplifier, the superstar, have been invalidated by a counter
      example (Diaz et al., 2013). Here we correct the original proof and derive
      improved upper and lower bounds, which indicate that the fixation probability
      remains close to 1-1/(r(4)H) for population size N->infinity and structural
      parameter H?1. This correction resolves the differences between the two
      aforementioned papers. We also confirm that in the limit N,H->infinity superstars
      remain capable of eliminating random drift and hence of providing arbitrarily
      strong selective advantages to any beneficial mutation. In addition, we
      investigate the robustness of amplification in superstars and find that it
      appears to be a fragile phenomenon with respect to changes in the selection or
      mutation processes. 

PMID- 26122592
TI  - Clinical assessment of the orthopaedic and trauma patient.

PMID- 26122593
TI  - Nursing in fast-track total hip and knee arthroplasty: A retrospective study.
AB  - AIM: To describe the increased activity in total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total
      knee arthroplasty (TKA) from 2002 to 2012 in a single orthopaedic department, the
      organisation of fast-track and its consequences for nursing care. METHODS:
      Retrospective, descriptive design. Data collection; from the hospital
      administrative database, local descriptions of fast-track, personal contact and
      discussion with staff. RESULTS: The number of operations increased threefold from
      351 operations in 2002 to 1024 operations in 2012. In 2012, THA/TKA patients had
      a postoperative mean LOS of 2.6/2.8 days. Nurses had gained tasks from surgeons
      and physiotherapists and thus gained more responsibility, for example, for pain
      management and mobilisation. Staffing levels in the ward in 2002 and 2012 were
      almost unchanged; 16.0 and 15.8 respectively. Nurses were undertaking more
      complicated tasks. CONCLUSION: Nursing care must still focus on the individual
      patient. Nurses need to have enough education to manage the complex tasks and
      increased responsibility. To prevent undesirable outcomes in the future, there is
      a need to pay attention to the nursing quality in balance with the nursing
      budget. It may, therefore, be considered a worthwhile investment to employ
      expert/highly qualified professional nurses in fast-track THA and TKA units.

PMID- 26122594
TI  - The patient's experience of early discharge following total hip replacement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Strategies within the public health system to curtail costs, increase
      efficiency and service utilisation have resulted in reduced hospital stays
      following elective orthopaedic procedures. Although there are advantages that
      support the concept of early discharge from hospital, very little is known about
      how patients manage the transition from hospital to home. AIM: The aim of this
      qualitative study was to describe the post-discharge experience of elderly
      patients following primary total hip replacement (THR). METHODS: Ten patients,
      six women and four men, provided descriptions of their experience. Data were
      collected by face-to-face interviews and the analysis process was based on
      Giorgi's phenomenological scientific methodology (Giorgi, 1994, 1997, 2000).
      RESULTS: The analysis of the data resulted in four themes, namely; an inadequate
      assessment of suitable adaptive aids and personal needs; personal frustration;
      coping with the physical and mobility and limited social interaction. CONCLUSION:
      Findings from this study demonstrated a need to review the discharge process and
      implement strategies to prepare patients for the stressors that the participants
      in this study encountered as a result of their early discharge.

PMID- 26122595
TI  - Identifying outcomes associated with co-managed care models for patients who have
      sustained a hip fracture: an integrative literature review.
AB  - AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this integrative literature review is to identify
      themes associated with improved patient outcomes related to orthogeriatric co
      managed inpatient unit models of care for patients who had sustained a hip
      fracture. APPROACH: An integrative literature review was undertaken from 2002
      July 2013 using electronic databases with specific search terms. METHODS: The
      theoretical framework of Whittemore and Knafl was used to guide the review. This
      framework was chosen as it allows for the inclusion of varied methodologies and
      has the capability to increase informed evidence-based nursing practice. RESULTS:
      Five distinct themes relating to outcomes emerged from the analysis, which were:
      time from admission to surgery; complications; length of stay; mortality and
      initiation of osteoporosis treatment. CONCLUSION: The analysis of this
      integrative literature review clearly indicates the need for national and
      international sets of agreed outcome measures to be adopted to facilitate the
      comparison of models of care. This would significantly improve the way in which
      outcomes and costs are reported, further enhancing international partnerships as
      the health care team strive to achieve overall improvements in the management of
      older people presenting to hospital with hip fracture.

PMID- 26122596
TI  - Assessment of chronic pain: A practice update.

PMID- 26122597
TI  - Clinical assessment in trauma and orthopaedic nursing.

PMID- 26122599
TI  - Obituary: Anne Footner OBE 1937-2015.

PMID- 26122601
TI  - Summary of recommendations for the management of infantile seizures: Task Force
      Report for the ILAE Commission of Pediatrics.
AB  - Evidence-based guidelines, or recommendations, for the management of infants with
      seizures are lacking. A Task Force of the Commission of Pediatrics developed a
      consensus document addressing diagnostic markers, management interventions, and
      outcome measures for infants with seizures. Levels of evidence to support
      recommendations and statements were assessed using the American Academy of
      Neurology Guidelines and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development
      and Evaluation (GRADE) system. The report contains recommendations for different
      levels of care, noting which would be regarded as standard care, compared to
      optimal care, or "state of the art" interventions. The incidence of epilepsy in
      the infantile period is the highest of all age groups (strong evidence), with
      epileptic spasms the largest single subgroup and, in the first 2 years of life,
      febrile seizures are the most commonly occurring seizures. Acute intervention at
      the time of a febrile seizure does not alter the risk for subsequent epilepsy
      (class 1 evidence). The use of antipyretic agents does not alter the recurrence
      rate (class 1 evidence), and there is no evidence to support initiation of
      regular antiepileptic drugs for simple febrile seizures (class 1 evidence).
      Infants with abnormal movements whose routine electroencephalography (EEG) study
      is not diagnostic, would benefit from video-EEG analysis, or home video to
      capture events (expert opinion, level U recommendation). Neuroimaging is
      recommended at all levels of care for infants presenting with epilepsy, with
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) recommended as the standard investigation at
      tertiary level (level A recommendation). Genetic screening should not be
      undertaken at primary or secondary level care (expert opinion). Standard care
      should permit genetic counseling by trained personal at all levels of care
      (expert opinion). Genetic evaluation for Dravet syndrome, and other infantile
      onset epileptic encephalopathies, should be available in tertiary care (weak
      evidence, level C recommendation). Patients should be referred from primary or
      secondary to tertiary level care after failure of one antiepileptic drug
      (standard care) and optimal care equates to referral of all infants after
      presentation with a seizure (expert opinion, level U evidence). Infants with
      recurrent seizures warrant urgent assessment for initiation of antiepileptic
      drugs (expert opinion, level U recommendation). Infantile encephalopathies should
      have rapid introduction and increment of antiepileptic drug dosage (expert
      opinion, level U recommendation). There is no high level evidence to support any
      particular current agents for use in infants with seizures. For focal seizures,
      levetiracetam is effective (strong evidence); for generalized seizures, weak
      evidence supports levetiracetam, valproate, lamotrigine, topiramate, and
      clobazam; for Dravet syndrome, strong evidence supports that stiripentol is
      effective (in combination with valproate and clobazam), whereas weak evidence
      supports that topiramate, zonisamide, valproate, bromide, and the ketogenic diet
      are possibly effective; and for Ohtahara syndrome, there is weak evidence that
      most antiepileptic drugs are poorly effective. For epileptic spasms, clinical
      suspicion remains central to the diagnosis and is supported by EEG, which ideally
      is prolonged (level C recommendation). Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) is
      preferred for short-term control of epileptic spasms (level B recommendation),
      oral steroids are probably effective in short-term control of spasms (level C
      recommendation), and a shorter interval from the onset of spasms to treatment
      initiation may improve long-term neurodevelopmental outcome (level C
      recommendation). The ketogenic diet is the treatment of choice for epilepsy
      related to glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome and pyruvate dehydrogenase
      deficiency (expert opinion, level U recommendation). The identification of
      patients as potential candidates for epilepsy surgery should be part of standard
      practice at primary and secondary level care. Tertiary care facilities with
      experience in epilepsy surgery should undertake the screening for epilepsy
      surgical candidates (level U recommendation). There is insufficient evidence to
      conclude if there is benefit from vagus nerve stimulation (level U
      recommendation). The key recommendations are summarized into an executive
      summary. The full report is available as Supporting Information. This report
      provides a comprehensive foundation of an approach to infants with seizures,
      while identifying where there are inadequate data to support recommended
      practice, and where further data collection is needed to address these deficits. 

PMID- 26122602
TI  - Clinical Exercise Stress Testing in Adults (2014).
AB  - This position paper provide guidelines on the minimum requirements of both
      personnel and equipment for the safe performance of clinical exercise
      electrocardiography, and for the adequate interpretation and assessment of
      results. This document was originally developed by Professor Ben Freedman and
      members of the Rehabilitation, Exercise and Prevention Working Group in 1996. It
      has been recently reviewed by a Working Group chaired by Associate Professor
      David Colquhoun. The resulting, revised Statement was considered by the
      Continuing Education and Recertification Committee and ratified at the CSANZ
      Board meeting held on 1st August 2014. 

PMID- 26122604
TI  - Facilitating student education and support using videoconference.

PMID- 26122605
TI  - Caring and healing in health care: The evidence base.

PMID- 26122606
TI  - Should I stay or should I go? Exploring the job preferences of allied health
      professionals working with people with disability in rural Australia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The uneven distribution of allied health professionals (AHPs) in
      rural and remote Australia and other countries is well documented. In Australia,
      like elsewhere, service delivery to rural and remote communities is complicated
      because relatively small numbers of clients are dispersed over large geographic
      areas. This uneven distribution of AHPs impacts significantly on the provision of
      services particularly in areas of special need such as mental health, aged care
      and disability services. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the relative
      importance that AHPs (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech
      pathologists and psychologists - "therapists") living in a rural area of
      Australia and working with people with disability, place on different job
      characteristics and how these may affect their retention. METHODS: A cross
      sectional survey was conducted using an online questionnaire distributed to AHPs
      working with people with disability in a rural area of Australia over a 3-month
      period. Information was sought about various aspects of the AHPs' current job,
      and their workforce preferences were explored using a best-worst scaling discrete
      choice experiment (BWSDCE). Conditional logistic and latent class regression
      models were used to determine AHPs' relative preferences for six different job
      attributes. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-nine AHPs completed the survey; response
      rate was 51 %. Of those, 165 completed the BWSDCE task. For this group of AHPs,
      "high autonomy of practice" is the most valued attribute level, followed by
      "travel BWSDCE arrangements: one or less nights away per month", "travel
      arrangements: two or three nights away per month" and "adequate access to
      professional development". On the other hand, the least valued attribute levels
      were "travel arrangements: four or more nights per month", "limited autonomy of
      practice" and "minimal access to professional development". Except for "some job
      flexibility", all other attributes had a statistical influence on AHPs' job
      preference. Preferences differed according to age, marital status and having
      dependent children. CONCLUSIONS: This study allowed the identification of factors
      that contribute to AHPs' employment decisions about staying and working in a
      rural area. This information can improve job designs in rural areas to increase
      retention.

PMID- 26122607
TI  - Consumer support for healthy food and drink vending machines in public places.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of introducing vending machines for
      healthier food into public places, and to examine the effectiveness of two front
      of-pack labelling systems in the vending machine context. METHODS: A survey was
      conducted with 120 students from a university and 120 employees, patients and
      visitors of a hospital in regional NSW, Australia. Questions explored vending
      machine use, attitudes towards healthier snack products and price, and the
      performance of front-of-pack labelling formats for vending machine products.
      RESULTS: Most participants viewed the current range of snacks and drinks as "too
      unhealthy" (snacks 87.5%; drinks 56.7%). Nuts and muesli bars were the most liked
      healthier vending machine snack. Higher proportions of participants were able to
      identify the healthier snack in three of the five product comparisons when
      products were accompanied with any type of front-of-pack label (all p<0.01);
      however, participants were less likely to be able to identify the healthier
      product in the drinks comparison when a front-of-pack guide was present.
      CONCLUSION: Respondents were interested in a range of healthier snacks for
      vending machines. Front-of-pack label formats on vending machines may assist
      consumers to identify healthier products. IMPLICATIONS: Public settings, such as
      universities and hospitals, should support consumers to make healthy dietary
      choices by improving food environments.

PMID- 26122608
TI  - Direct Reading of Bona Fide Barcode Assays for Diagnostics with Smartphone Apps.
AB  - The desire to develop new point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tools has led to the
      adaptation of smartphones to tackle limitations in state-of-the-art
      instrumentation and centralized laboratory facilities. Today's smartphones
      possess the computer-like ability to image and process data using mobile apps;
      barcode scanners are one such type of apps. We demonstrate herein that a
      diagnostic assay can be performed by patterning immunoassay strips in a bona fide
      barcode format such that after target binding and signal enhancement, the linear
      barcode can be read directly with a standard smartphone app. Quantitative
      analysis can then be performed based on the grayscale intensities with a
      customized mobile app. This novel diagnostic concept has been validated for a
      real-world application, i.e., the detection of human chorionic gonadotropin, a
      pregnancy hormone. With the possibility of multiplex detection, the barcode assay
      protocol promises to boost POC diagnosis research by the direct adaptation of
      mobile devices and apps. 

PMID- 26122609
TI  - Yeast as a cell factory: current state and perspectives.
AB  - The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the oldest and most frequently used
      microorganisms in biotechnology with successful applications in the production of
      both bulk and fine chemicals. Yet, yeast researchers are faced with the challenge
      to further its transition from the old workhorse to a modern cell factory,
      fulfilling the requirements for next generation bioprocesses. Many of the
      principles and tools that are applied for this development originate from the
      field of synthetic biology and the engineered strains will indeed be synthetic
      organisms. We provide an overview of the most important aspects of this
      transition and highlight achievements in recent years as well as trends in which
      yeast currently lags behind. These aspects include: the enhancement of the
      substrate spectrum of yeast, with the focus on the efficient utilization of
      renewable feedstocks, the enhancement of the product spectrum through generation
      of independent circuits for the maintenance of redox balances and biosynthesis of
      common carbon building blocks, the requirement for accurate pathway control with
      improved genome editing and through orthogonal promoters, and improvement of the
      tolerance of yeast for specific stress conditions. The causative genetic elements
      for the required traits of the future yeast cell factories will be assembled into
      genetic modules for fast transfer between strains. These developments will
      benefit from progress in bio-computational methods, which allow for the
      integration of different kinds of data sets and algorithms, and from rapid
      advancement in genome editing, which will enable multiplexed targeted integration
      of whole heterologous pathways. The overall goal will be to provide a collection
      of modules and circuits that work independently and can be combined at will,
      depending on the individual conditions, and will result in an optimal synthetic
      host for a given production process. 

PMID- 26122617
TI  - What do dental students know about trauma?
AB  - AIM: To assess the baseline knowledge, knowledge acquisition and retention of
      dental undergraduate students in dental trauma, and the impact of a lecture on
      their level of confidence in managing traumatic dental injuries. MATERIAL AND
      METHODS: A total of 145 dental undergraduate students from King's College London
      were invited to attend a lecture on dental trauma. The participants were asked to
      complete a questionnaire on dental trauma before (T0), immediately after (T1) and
      6 months (T2) following a 1-h lecture. RESULTS: Seventy of the 145 students
      participated in the study. The level of knowledge at T0, T1 and T2 was 64.9%,
      83.2% and 69.5%, respectively. The increase in score was statistically
      significant between T0 and T1, and between T0 and T2. A significant decrease in
      score was also found between T1 and T2. Sex, level of education and whether or
      not the participants received previous teaching in dental trauma were not
      significant in predicting a change in score. The level of confidence increased
      significantly from 2.14 at T0 to 3.13 at T2. Participants who received teaching
      in dental trauma previous to the lecture were significantly more confident at T0.
      CONCLUSIONS: Lectures are effective at improving the knowledge and retention of
      knowledge of dental undergraduate students in dental trauma. However, retention
      of the knowledge is time limited suggesting that education should be repeated
      after a certain period of time to ensure that a high level of knowledge is
      maintained.

PMID- 26122615
TI  - p53 in survival, death and metabolic health: a lifeguard with a licence to kill.
AB  - The function of p53 as a tumour suppressor has been attributed to its ability to
      promote cell death or permanently inhibit cell proliferation. However, in recent
      years, it has become clear that p53 can also contribute to cell survival. p53
      regulates various metabolic pathways, helping to balance glycolysis and oxidative
      phosphorylation, limiting the production of reactive oxygen species, and
      contributing to the ability of cells to adapt to and survive mild metabolic
      stresses. Although these activities may be integrated into the tumour suppressive
      functions of p53, deregulation of some elements of the p53-induced response might
      also provide tumours with a survival advantage. 

PMID- 26122618
TI  - Cultural Humility: A Concept Analysis.
AB  - Diversity is being increasingly recognized as an area of emphasis in health care.
      The term cultural humility is used frequently but society's understanding of the
      term is unclear. The aim of this article was to provide a concept analysis and a
      current definition for the term cultural humility. Cultural humility was used in
      a variety of contexts from individuals having ethnic and racial differences, to
      differences in sexual preference, social status, interprofessional roles, to
      health care provider/patient relationships. The attributes were openness, self
      awareness, egoless, supportive interactions, and self-reflection and critique.
      The antecedents were diversity and power imbalance. The consequences were mutual
      empowerment, partnerships, respect, optimal care, and lifelong learning. Cultural
      humility was described as a lifelong process. With a firm understanding of the
      term, individuals and communities will be better equipped to understand and
      accomplish an inclusive environment with mutual benefit and optimal care. 

PMID- 26122616
TI  - Specifying and protecting germ cell fate.
AB  - Germ cells are the special cells in the body that undergo meiosis to generate
      gametes and subsequently entire new organisms after fertilization, a process that
      continues generation after generation. Recent studies have expanded our
      understanding of the factors and mechanisms that specify germ cell fate,
      including the partitioning of maternally supplied 'germ plasm', inheritance of
      epigenetic memory and expression of transcription factors crucial for primordial
      germ cell (PGC) development. Even after PGCs are specified, germline fate is
      labile and thus requires protective mechanisms, such as global transcriptional
      repression, chromatin state alteration and translation of only germline
      appropriate transcripts. Findings from diverse species continue to provide
      insights into the shared and divergent needs of these special reproductive cells.

PMID- 26122619
TI  - Corrigendum: Complex structures of different CaFe2As2 samples.

PMID- 26122620
TI  - Chemically Induced Changes to Membrane Permeability in Living Cells Probed with
      Nonlinear Light Scattering.
AB  - Second-harmonic light scattering (SHS) permits characterization of membrane
      specific molecular transport in living cells. Herein, we demonstrate the use of
      time-resolved SHS for quantifying chemically induced enhancements in membrane
      permeability. As proof of concept, we examine the enhanced permeability of the
      cytoplasmic membrane in living Escherichia coli following addition of
      extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATPe). The transport rate of the
      hydrophobic cation, malachite green, increases nearly an order of magnitude
      following addition of 0.1 mM ATPe. The absence of an ATPe-enhanced permeability
      in liposomes strongly suggests the induced effect is protein-mediated. The
      utility of SHS for elucidating the mechanism of action of antimicrobials is
      discussed. 

PMID- 26122621
TI  - Changes in rates of arthroscopy due to degenerative knee disease and traumatic
      meniscal tears in Finland and Sweden.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Knee arthroscopy is commonly performed to treat
      degenerative knee disease symptoms and traumatic meniscal tears. We evaluated
      whether the recent high-quality randomized control trials not favoring
      arthroscopic surgery for degenerative knee disease affected the procedure
      incidence and trends in Finland and Sweden. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a
      bi-national registry-based study including all adult (aged >=18 years) inpatient
      and outpatient arthroscopic surgeries performed for degenerative knee disease
      (osteoarthritis (OA) and degenerative meniscal tears) and traumatic meniscal
      tears in Finland between 1997 and 2012, and in Sweden between 2001 and 2012.
      RESULTS: In Finland, the annual number of operations was 16,389 in 1997, reached
      20,432 in 2007, and declined to 15,018 in 2012. In Sweden, the number of
      operations was 9,944 in 2001, reached 11,711 in 2008, and declined to 8,114 in
      2012. The knee arthroscopy incidence for OA was 124 per 10(5) person-years in
      2012 in Finland and it was 51 in Sweden. The incidence of knee arthroscopies for
      meniscal tears coded as traumatic steadily increased in Finland from 64 per 10(5)
      person-years in 1997 to 97 per 10(5) person-years in 2012, but not in Sweden.
      INTERPRETATION: The incidence of arthroscopies for degenerative knee disease
      declined after 2008 in both countries. Remarkably, the incidence of arthroscopy
      for degenerative knee disease and traumatic meniscal tears is 2 to 4 times higher
      in Finland than in Sweden. Efficient implementation of new high-quality evidence
      in clinical practice could reduce the number of ineffective surgeries.

PMID- 26122623
TI  - Blood culture contamination rates.

PMID- 26122622
TI  - Evidence that a novel quaternary compound and its organic N-chloramine derivative
      do not select for resistant mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is well known for causing hospital-acquired
      infections that are often difficult to treat because of its high intrinsic and
      acquired resistance to antibiotics. Resistance-nodulation-division (RND) efflux
      pumps are the major contributors to the intrinsic multidrug resistance (MDR) in
      this organism. Various biocides used in hospital settings have been shown to
      select for RND-pump-overexpressing mutants of P. aeruginosa that show cross
      resistance to clinically relevant antibiotics. Therefore, finding biocides that
      do not select for multidrug-resistant mutants is important in controlling the
      spread of bacteria such as P. aeruginosa. AIM: To evaluate the potential of a
      novel quaternary ammonium compound and its N-chloramine derivative in selecting
      for MDR mutants of P. aeruginosa. METHODS: P. aeruginosa PA01 was cultured in the
      presence of increasing concentrations of the quaternary ammonium compound and its
      N-chloramine derivative respectively, and one mutant each selected.
      Susceptibility of the mutants to both compounds as well as antibiotics was
      tested. Susceptibility of P. aeruginosa strains with deletions in RND pumps was
      also tested for both compounds to determine whether they are a substrate of these
      pumps. Expression of mexB, mexD, and mexY genes in the mutants was analysed using
      quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to determine whether
      the compounds can select for pump-overexpressing mutants. FINDINGS: We show that
      whereas both compounds can be pumped by the MexCD-OprJ pump, they neither select
      for mutants that overexpress RND pumps nor for mutants that display cross
      resistance to antibiotics. CONCLUSION: These compounds are promising candidates
      to be used as disinfectants in hospital settings.

PMID- 26122624
TI  - Effects of fluoroquinolone restriction (from 2007 to 2012) on resistance in
      Enterobacteriaceae: interrupted time-series analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antibiotic stewardship is a key component in the effort to reduce
      healthcare-associated infections. AIM: To describe the implementation and analyse
      the impact of fluoroquinolone restriction on resistance in Enterobacteriaceae,
      focusing on urinary isolates of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing
      Escherichia coli, which were historically almost universally resistant to
      fluoroquinolones. METHODS: ESBL-producing E. coli hospital and community
      isolates, obtained between April 2009 and March 2012 from consecutive non
      duplicate urine samples, were included in an interrupted time-series analysis
      based on a Poisson distribution model. Periods before and after fluoroquinolone
      restriction were compared. The trend in fluoroquinolone resistance in all urinary
      isolates of Enterobacteriaceae (N ~ 20,000 per year) and blood culture isolates
      of E. coli (N ~ 350) between 2009 and 2013 were also analysed. FINDINGS: A large
      decline in the percentage of ciprofloxacin-resistant ESBL-producing urinary E.
      coli isolates was observed in both hospital (risk ratio: 0.473; 95% confidence
      interval: 0.315-0.712) and community settings (0.098; 0.062-0.157). The decline
      was also marked in all urinary isolates of Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli
      isolates from blood cultures. CONCLUSION: We conclude that reducing
      fluoroquinolone usage to a level of <=2 defined daily doses per 100 occupied bed
      days in hospital sufficiently removed selection pressure to allow resistant
      Enterobacteriaceae - specifically, the UK endemic strains of ESBL-producing E.
      coli - to revert back to fluoroquinolone susceptibility within a short span of
      four months. This was accompanied with a concomitant reduction in overall ESBL
      burden.

PMID- 26122625
TI  - How to isolate a patient with Cladophialophora bantiana infection? An opinion.

PMID- 26122626
TI  - The Pathobiochemistry of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in a Patient with Niemann-Pick
      Type C Disease.
AB  - The molecular basis of gastrointestinal intolerances in a severe case of Niemann
      Pick type C disease was analyzed in an intestinal biopsy specimen. The enzyme
      activities of intestinal sucrase-isomaltase and maltase-glucoamylase are reduced
      in the patient, while that of lactase is comparable to the control. The
      association of SI with lipid rafts is reduced in the patient's biopsy as a
      consequence of altered composition of membrane microdomains. As association with
      lipid rafts influences the intracellular transport and the enzyme activities of
      sucrase-isomaltase and maltase-glucoamylase, these data explain reduced
      carbohydrate digestion in the intestinal lumen and delineate the effect of
      deficient cholesterol and sphingolipid homeostasis in development of
      gastrointestinal symptoms in NPC patients.

PMID- 26122627
TI  - Vitamin E Improves Clinical Outcome of Patients Affected by Glycogen Storage
      Disease Type Ib.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been suggested, on a few GSD1b patients, that vitamin E
      improves neutrophil count and reduces frequency and severity of infections.The
      main objective of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of vitamin E
      on the neutropenia, neutrophil dysfunction and IBD in the entire Italian caseload
      of GSD1b patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighteen GSD1b patients, median age at
      the time of the study protocol 14.5 (range, 0.6-42 years), were enrolled from
      four Italian referral centres for metabolic diseases. For the evaluation of the
      efficacy of vitamin E, neutrophil count and function, frequency of infections
      needing hospitalization and inflammatory bowel activity were evaluated
      periodically all over one year before and during vitamin E therapy. RESULTS:
      Frequency (1.5 +/- 0.1 vs. 6.0 +/- 0.6, p = 0.003) and severity of infections
      (2.2 +/- 0.2 vs. 3.7 +/- 0.4, p = 0.003) were lower and mean value of neutrophil
      count (1,583 +/- 668 vs. 941 +/- 809, p = 0.03) higher during vitamin E
      supplementation. Neutrophil function results improved during vitamin
      supplementation. PCDAI showed a significant reduction in the inflammatory
      activity during vitamin E supplementation (9 +/- 1.4 vs. 13 +/- 1.2, p = 0.006).
      In seven patients G-CSF requirement decreased and the dose was reduced after the
      end of the study.In conclusion, our study demonstrated the efficacy of vitamin E
      supplementation. Vitamin E has evident advantages as compared to G-CSF, as it can
      be assumed orally, and it has not been associated with severe side effects.

PMID- 26122628
TI  - Urine Beta2-Microglobulin Is an Early Marker of Renal Involvement in LPI.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI) is a rare autosomal recessive
      disorder affecting the transport of cationic amino acids. It has previously been
      shown that approximately one third of the Finnish LPI patients have impaired
      renal function. The aim of this study was to analyse in detail urine beta2
      microglobulin values, renal dysfunction, oral L-citrulline doses and plasma
      citrulline concentrations in Finnish LPI patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of the 41
      Finnish LPI patients, 56% had proteinuria and 53% hematuria. Mean plasma
      creatinine concentration was elevated in 48%, serum cystatin C in 62%, and urine
      beta2-microglobulin in 90% of the patients. Seventeen per cent of the patients
      developed ESRD, and five of them received a kidney transplant. L-citrulline doses
      and fasting plasma citrulline concentrations were similar in adult LPI patients
      with decreased and normal GFR (mean +/- SD 79.5 +/- 29.2 vs. 82.4 +/- 21.9
      mg/kg/day, P = 0.619, and 80.3 +/- 20.1 vs. 64.8 +/- 23.0 MUmol/l, P = 0.362,
      respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Urine beta2-microglobulin is a sensitive early marker
      of renal involvement, and it should be monitored regularly in LPI patients.
      Weight-based oral L-citrulline doses and plasma citrulline concentrations were
      not associated with renal function. LPI patients with ESRD were successfully
      treated with dialysis and kidney transplantation.

PMID- 26122629
TI  - Improvement of Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) Parameters with Decoppering
      Treatment in Wilson's Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to analyse serially the effects of
      decoppering therapy on the clinical features, disability and MRI brain including
      DTI metrics in patients with Wilson's disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-five
      patients with clinically and serologically confirmed neuropsychiatric form of
      Wilson's disease (WD) on decoppering therapy were followed for a minimum duration
      of 1 year with serial assessment of their clinical features, disability status
      and serial MR imaging of the brain including DTI. The cohort included 18
      treatment-naive patients and 17 patients already on decoppering therapy (M/F =
      2.18:1). The mean age at which they underwent baseline assessment for this study
      was 18.6 +/- 7.6 years, and follow-up assessment was done after a mean duration
      of 23.5 +/- 8.8 months (range, 12 to 45 months). Along with the overall clinical
      improvement noted at follow-up, the disability assessed using Chu staging and
      MSEADL showed significant reduction in the number of patients with severe
      disability and the mean NSS reducing from 9.74 to 6.37 (p = 0.002). The mean MRI
      scores showed significantly reduced disease burden from a baseline score of 5.9
      (+/-4.2) to 4.9 (+/-4.7) in follow-up scans (p < 0.05). Voxel-wise comparison of
      serial DTI metrics on TBSS (tract-based spatial statistics) analysis showed that
      the entire cohort had significant (p < 0.05) improvement in all the four
      parameters (MD, FA, DA and RD) indicated by a decrease in MD, DA and RD values
      and increase in FA values. Comparison of whole-brain white matter DTI measures
      between pre- and posttreatment did not show any significant difference (p <
      0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients with Wilson's disease on decoppering therapy showed
      clinical improvement accompanied with improvement in DTI metrics. Quantitative
      DTI metrics may be used as surrogate markers of clinical status following
      initiation of medical therapy in Wilson's disease.

PMID- 26122630
TI  - Screening Mucopolysaccharidosis Type IX in Patients with Juvenile Idiopathic
      Arthritis.
AB  - Mucopolysaccharidosis is a group of lysosomal disorders of a deficiency of
      specific enzyme required for glycosaminoglycan degradation. Mucopolysaccharidosis
      type IX is the rarest form of mucopolysaccharidosis. To date, only four patients
      have been reported. The first reported patient had mild short stature and
      periarticular soft tissue masses; the other reported patients are clinically
      indistinguishable from juvenile idiopathic arthritis. In the present study, we
      screened mucopolysaccharidosis type IX among patients with juvenile idiopathic
      arthritis with hyaluronidase enzyme assay. One hundred and eight patients with
      JIA and 50 healthy age-matched control subjects were enrolled in the study. Among
      all patients, none had deficient hyaluronidase activity. Though serum Hyal-1
      activity was significantly increased in JIA patients, compared with control
      subjects (p < 0.000), no correlation was found between CRP, ESR, and Hyal-1
      activity (p = 0.187). In conclusion, the data reported in our study indicates
      that systemic metabolic investigation for hyaluronidase activity is not
      recommended in all patients with JIA.

PMID- 26122631
TI  - Opportunities and Challenges in the Design and Analysis of Biomass Supply Chains.
AB  - The biomass supply chain is one of the most critical elements of large-scale
      bioenergy production and in many cases a key barrier for procuring initial
      funding for new developments on specific energy crops. Most productions rely on
      complex transforming chains linked to feed and food markets. The term 'supply
      chain' covers various aspects from cultivation and harvesting of the biomass, to
      treatment, transportation, and storage. After energy conversion, the product must
      be delivered to final consumption, whether it is in the form of electricity,
      heat, or more tangible products, such as pellets and biofuels. Effective supply
      chains are of utmost importance for bioenergy production, as biomass tends to
      possess challenging seasonal production cycles and low mass, energy and bulk
      densities. Additionally, the demand for final products is often also dispersed,
      further complicating the supply chain. The goal of this paper is to introduce key
      components of biomass supply chains, examples of related modeling applications,
      and if/how they address aspects related to environmental metrics and management.
      The paper will introduce a concept of integrated supply systems for sustainable
      biomass trade and the factors influencing the bioenergy supply chain landscape,
      including models that can be used to investigate the factors. The paper will also
      cover various aspects of transportation logistics, ranging from alternative modal
      and multi-modal alternatives to introduction of support tools for transportation
      analysis. Finally gaps and challenges in supply chain research are identified and
      used to outline research recommendations for the future direction in this area of
      study. 

PMID- 26122632
TI  - Future Forest Cover Change Scenarios with Implications for Landslide Risk: An
      Example from Buzau Subcarpathians, Romania.
AB  - This study focuses on future forest cover change in Buzau Subcarpathians, a
      landslide prone region in Romania. Past and current trends suggest that the area
      might expect a future increase in deforestation. We developed spatially explicit
      scenarios until 2040 to analyze the spatial pattern of future forest cover change
      and potential changes to landslide risk. First, we generated transition
      probability maps using the weights of evidence method, followed by a cellular
      automata allocation model. We performed expert interviews, to develop two future
      forest management scenarios. The Alternative scenario (ALT) was defined by 67%
      more deforestation than the Business as Usual scenario (BAU). We integrated the
      simulated scenarios with a landslide susceptibility map. In both scenarios, most
      of deforestation was projected in areas where landslides are less likely to
      occur. Still, 483 (ALT) and 276 (BAU) ha of deforestation were projected on areas
      with a high-landslide occurrence likelihood. Thus, deforestation could lead to a
      local-scale increase in landslide risk, in particular near or adjacent to
      forestry roads. The parallel process of near 10% forest expansion until 2040 was
      projected to occur mostly on areas with high-landslide susceptibility. On a
      regional scale, forest expansion could so result in improved slope stability. We
      modeled two additional scenarios with an implemented landslide risk policy,
      excluding high-risk zones. The reduction of deforestation on high-risk areas was
      achieved without a drastic decrease in the accessibility of the areas. Together
      with forest expansion, it could therefore be used as a risk reduction strategy.

PMID- 26122633
TI  - Significance of the width of keratinized mucosa on peri-implant health.
AB  - In implant therapy, the adequate state of peri-implant tissue health and soft
      tissue aesthetics is the essential criterion of restorative success. The need for
      keratinized mucosa for the maintenance of peri-implant health and soft-tissue
      integration remains a debated issue. The aim of this paper is to provide a
      narrative review of the current literature concerning the significance of
      keratinized mucosa with respect to the clinical parameters of monitoring oral
      hygiene practice and tissue status. The published studies revealed that there
      were conflicting results with regard to the influence of keratinized mucosa on
      plaque score and soft-tissue inflammation. Most studies showed that the amount of
      soft-tissue recession was significantly increased at implant sites with narrow
      keratinized mucosa, but the amount of keratinized mucosa had little effect on
      deepening of peri-implant pockets. The evidence related to the effect of
      keratinized mucosa on the changes of attachment or bone levels is limited, and
      conclusions could not be drawn at present. Further, this review found that a band
      of keratinized mucosa was not absolutely necessary for the maintenance of peri
      implant tissue, whereas lack of adequate keratinized mucosa around the implant
      might impede proper oral hygiene performance and compromise the aesthetic
      results. In conclusion, because there is a wide variety of clinical features in
      patients pursuing implant therapy, individual consideration of treatment
      strategies for the patient with minimal keratinized mucosa is recommended. 

PMID- 26122634
TI  - The essential function of Rrs1 in ribosome biogenesis is conserved in budding and
      fission yeasts.
AB  - The Rrs1 protein plays an essential role in the biogenesis of 60S ribosomal
      subunits in budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Here, we examined whether
      the fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) homologue of Rrs1 also plays a role
      in ribosome biogenesis. To this end, we constructed two temperature-sensitive
      fission yeast strains, rrs1-D14/22G and rrs1-L51P, which had amino acid
      substitutions corresponding to those of the previously characterized budding
      yeast rrs1-84 (D22/30G) and rrs1-124 (L61P) strains, respectively. The fission
      yeast mutants exhibited severe defects in growth and 60S ribosomal subunit
      biogenesis at high temperatures. In addition, expression of the Rrs1 protein of
      fission yeast suppressed the growth defects of the budding yeast rrs1 mutants at
      high temperatures. Yeast two-hybrid analyses revealed that the interactions of
      Rrs1 with the Rfp2 and Ebp2 proteins were conserved in budding and fission
      yeasts. These results suggest that the essential function of Rrs1 in ribosome
      biogenesis may be conserved in budding and fission yeasts.

PMID- 26122635
TI  - A Novel Risk Score to Predict Dysphagia After Cardiac Surgery Procedures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although the exact cause of dysphagia after cardiac operations is
      unknown, timely diagnosis is critical to avoid a devastating aspiration event.
      Accordingly, we sought to generate the risk of dysphagia in cardiac surgery
      (RODICS) score to identify patients at risk for its development after heart
      surgery. METHODS: All adult heart surgery patients at our institution between
      January 2011 and March 2012 were analyzed. A videofluoroscopic swallow study
      stratified patients into two groups based on the presence or absence of
      dysphagia. Covariates (p < 0.20) were included in a multivariable model to
      determine the strongest independent predictors of postoperative dysphagia. Based
      on the relative odds ratios of significant variables, the RODICS score was
      generated. Risk cohorts were then created based on easily applicable, whole
      integer score cutoffs. RESULTS: During the study period, 115 of 1,314 patients
      (8.8%) undergoing heart surgery were diagnosed with clinically significant
      dysphagia. The 38-point RODICS score comprises seven patient-specific
      characteristics and perioperative factors. The low risk (less than 4),
      intermediate risk (5 to 9), and high risk (more than 9) cohorts had postoperative
      dysphagia rates of 3.0%, 6.8%, and 21.6%, respectively (p < 0.001). The
      intermediate-risk cohort (odds ratio 2.3, 95% confidence interval: 1.33 to 4.27,
      p = 0.01) and high-risk cohort (odds ratio 8.9, 95% confidence interval: 5.22 to
      15.32, p < 0.001) were at significantly higher risk of dysphagia developing. The
      RODICS score demonstrated excellent discriminatory ability (area under the curve
      0.75). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence and impact of dysphagia after open cardiac
      operations is significant. This novel scoring system could lead to prompt
      identification of patients at high risk for postoperative dysphagia and
      potentially minimize the complications of aspiration.

PMID- 26122636
TI  - 1-year results of combined half-dose photodynamic therapy and ranibizumab for
      polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of half-dose photodynamic therapy
      (PDT combined with ranibizumab for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). PCV
      is commonly treated with a combination of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor
      and standard-dose photodynamic therapy (PDT). Choroidal ischemia and visual loss
      can be resulted from the standard-dose PDT. Half-dose PDT has proved to produce
      similar results and safety profile in treating central serous chorioretinopathy.
      Half-dose PDT may offer an alternative for PCV cases where the damage to
      choroidal vasculature maybe less. Here, we report the efficacy of treating PCV
      cases with combination of ranibizumab and half-dose PDT. METHODS: In this
      prospective, non-comparative, interventional case series, 19 treatment-naive eyes
      were treated with combined half-dose PDT and ranibizumab. All subjects were
      followed up for 12 months with measurement of best-corrected visual acuity
      (BCVA), central foveal thickness (CFT) by optical coherence tomography.
      Indocyanine green angiogram (ICG) was performed every 3-monthly, and subjects
      assessed in terms of polyp regression rates, changes in vision and central foveal
      thickness, need to repeat half-dose PDT. Subgroup analysis was performed based on
      ICG features. RESULTS: The mean logMAR BCVA improved from 0.64 at baseline to
      0.41 at 12 months. The mean CFT improved from 459.6 mum at baseline to 384.2 mum
      at 12 months. The difference between baseline BCVA and CFT and that at 12 months
      were statistically significant (both P = 0.03). Polyp regression rate after one
      half-dose PDT was 42.1 %. This was 61.5 % in the polyp-only group, while that in
      the branching-vascular-network (BVN) group was 0 % (P = < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Half
      dose PDT combined with intravitreal ranibizumab was able to induce high polyp
      regression rate in PCV cases that had one single polyp.

PMID- 26122637
TI  - [New therapeutic strategies for remyelination in multiple sclerosis].
AB  - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by oligodendrocyte death and myelin
      sheath destruction of the central nervous system (CNS) in response to
      autoinflammatory processes. Besides demyelination axonal degeneration constitutes
      the second histopathological hallmark of this disease. A large number of
      immunomodulatory and targeted immunosuppression treatments have been approved for
      relapsing remitting (RR) MS where they effectively reduce relapse rates; however,
      currently no treatment options exist to repair injured axonal tracts or myelin
      damage that accumulates over time particularly in progressive MS. In light of the
      growing available therapeutic repertoire of highly potent immunomodulatory
      medications there is an increasing interest in the development of therapies aimed
      at neutralizing neurodegenerative damage. Endogenous remyelination processes
      occur mainly as a result of oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) activation,
      recruitment and maturation; however, this repair activity appears to be limited
      and increasingly fails during disease progression. Based on these observations
      OPCs are considered as promising targets for the regenerative treatment of all
      stages of MS. This article presents an overview of approved medications with a
      suggested role in regeneration, regenerative treatments that are currently being
      tested in clinical trials, as well as promising future therapeutic approaches
      derived from basic glial cell research aiming at the promotion of the endogenous
      repair activity of the brain. 

PMID- 26122638
TI  - [Disulfiram in outpatient treatment of alcohol dependency].
AB  - AIM: The alcohol deterrent drug disulfiram plays a minor role in the treatment of
      alcohol dependency in Germany. The study looks at the efficacy, tolerability and
      feasibility of a disulfiram outpatient treatment program in a German psychiatric
      hospital. METHOD: Data from 190 outpatients with alcohol dependency, who had
      participated in a disulfiram therapy program at the psychiatric outpatient
      department over a period of 10 years, were analyzed with respect to efficacy and
      tolerability. To test for predictors, independent variables and treatment success
      as a dependent variable a logistic regression was carried out. RESULTS: After 1
      year 24.2 % of the patients maintained alcohol abstinence while 55 % had had an
      alcohol relapse despite being in the disulfiram program. No severe complications
      were observed under disulfiram treatment. Therapy success was largely related to
      participating in treatment-specific group therapy. CONCLUSION: Disulfiram proved
      to be a well-tolerated medication as part of multimodal therapy of alcohol
      dependency. The disulfiram program was easily integrated into other health
      service treatment. Approximately one quarter of patients who had had an
      unfavorable course before, achieved abstinence, while participation in group
      therapy was a major predictor of treatment success. Disulfiram is a medication,
      which in the context of a psychosocial treatment concept, should receive a wider
      distribution in Germany.

PMID- 26122639
TI  - [Assessment of quality indicators with routine data: Presentation of a
      feasibility test in ten specialist clinics for psychiatry and psychotherapy].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Prior to nationwide implementation, the feasibility of newly
      developed quality indicators must be assessed. The aim of this multicenter
      feasibility test was an evaluation of the measurability of cross-sectoral quality
      indicators for depression and schizophrenia by means of routine data. METHODS:
      The feasibility of the quality indicators was assessed in ten specialist clinics
      for psychiatry and psychotherapy by means of retrospective analyses of anonymous
      routine data. The data were extracted from the routine clinical documentation of
      the hospital information systems and the data from the admission and discharge
      sheets of the basic documentation in psychiatry (BADO) were additionally used for
      some clinics. Analyses were conducted for all cases of adults diagnosed with
      depression or schizophrenia within predefined assessment periods. RESULTS: In
      total five indicators for depression and nine indicators for schizophrenia were
      assessed and evaluated as measurable or measurable to a limited extent, sometimes
      with slight adaptations in the operationalization of the indicator. Due to
      variations in documentation, some indicators could not be calculated for all
      clinics. Most indicators could be collated with the data from the BADO.
      CONCLUSION: An assessment of indicators that measure quality-relevant aspects of
      care in depression and schizophrenia, is partially feasible by means of current
      routine data documentation analysis from the participating clinics. However,
      differing documentation methodologies in the participating clinics impeded a
      uniform assessment; therefore, for the implementation of nationwide minimum
      standards for the quality assurance of mental healthcare, a uniform cross
      sectoral documentation methodology should be adapted to consensus and relevant
      quality indicators. The BADO appears to be a suitable instrument for this
      purpose.

PMID- 26122640
TI  - [Production of accentuated personality traits in baroque opera : Opera buffa
      Arcifanfano-Re dei matti (1749)].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Madness served primarily as a form of amusement for the spectators in
      operas of the seventeenth century. This representation was far removed from
      clinical reality. This circumstance changed in the eighteenth century at the time
      when tragic madness emerged in numerous operas. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The opera
      buffa Arcifanfano-Re dei matti (Arcifanfano-King of fools, premiered in 1749 in
      Venice, text by Carlo Goldoni 1707-1793 and music by Baldassare Galuppi 1706
      1785), which continuously enacts a realm of fools and is meant to appear amusing,
      is riddled with psychopathological abnormalities for which a retrospective
      diagnosis is methodologically rejected. However, the opera presents many subjects
      for working out a typology of fools based on outlasting personality traits of the
      protagonists. The libretto is investigated. A musical analysis is spared.
      RESULTS: The conceptualized typology of fools in the opera, which is oriented
      towards the seven main vices or deadly sins serves, in the tradition of moral
      satire, to critically hold up a mirror to the audience to reflect their own vices
      by an amusing characterization of the latter. Historically classified, the
      treatment of fools by means of isolation, custody, locking up in cages as well as
      authoritarian measures of submission reflects the custom in those days before
      humanizing the treatment of people with mental illness in the course of the
      Enlightenment and the French Revolution. CONCLUSION: The opera Arcifanfano is
      essentially characterized by continuous madness. A typology of the fools can be
      worked out from the precise depiction of the personalities. A mirror is held up
      to the spectators in terms of vices, in the tradition of the contemporary baroque
      opera. At the same time, the opera can be classified psychiatrically and
      historically as a seismograph of its time when in the seventeenth and eighteenth
      centuries people with mental illness were isolated and incarcerated.

PMID- 26122641
TI  - mTOR regulates TLR-induced c-fos and Th1 responses to HBV and HCV vaccines.
AB  - Although IL-12 plays a critical role in priming Th1 and cytotoxic T lymphocyte
      (CTL) responses, Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling only induces low amounts of
      IL-12 in dendritic cells and macrophages, implying the existence of stringent
      regulatory mechanisms. In this study, we sought to uncover the mechanisms
      underlying TLR-induced IL-12 expression and the Th1 response. By systemic
      screening, we identified a number of protein kinases involved in the regulation
      of TLRinduced IL-12 expression. In particular, PI3K, ERK, and mTOR play critical
      roles in the TLR-induced Th1 response by regulating IL-12 and IL-10 production in
      innate immune cells. Moreover, we identified c-fos as a key molecule that
      mediates mTOR-regulated IL-12 and IL-10 expression in TLR signaling.
      Mechanistically, mTOR plays a crucial role in c-fos expression, thereby
      modulating NFkappaB binding to promoters of IL-12 and IL-10. By controlling the
      expression of a special innate gene program, mTOR can specifically regulate the
      TLR-induced T cell response in vivo. Furthermore, blockade of mTOR by rapamycin
      efficiently boosted TLR-induced antigen-specific T and B cell responses to HBV
      and HCV vaccines. Taken together, these results reveal a novel mechanism through
      which mTOR regulates TLR-induced IL-12 and IL-10 production, contributing new
      insights for strategies to improve vaccine efficacy. 

PMID- 26122642
TI  - A respiratory syncytial virus persistent-infected cell line system reveals the
      involvement of SOCS1 in the innate antiviral response.
AB  - HEp-2 cells persistently infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are a
      heterogeneous mixture of viral antigen-positive and -negative variants; however,
      the mechanism through which viral replication becomes latent remains unclear. In
      this study, we investigated the potential mechanism by which RSV escapes from
      innate immune surveillance. Persistent-infected RSV HEp-2 cells were isolated and
      cell clones were passaged. The RSV-persistent cells produced viruses at a lower
      titer, resisted wild-type RSV re-infection, and secreted high levels of
      interferon-beta (IFN-beta), macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (Mip-1alpha),
      interleukin-8 (IL-8), and Rantes. Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), retinoic acid
      inducible gene-I (RIG-I), and suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) levels
      were upregulated in these cells. The silencing of TLR3 mRNA decreased the
      expression of SOCS1 protein and the secretion of cytokines. RSV-persistent cells
      are in an inflammatory state; upregulation of SOCS1 is related to the TLR3
      signaling pathway, which could be associated with the mechanism of viral
      persistence. 

PMID- 26122643
TI  - Are developing countries prepared to face Ebola-like outbreaks?

PMID- 26122644
TI  - Infrared signature of micro-hydration in the organophosphate Sarin: an ab initio
      study.
AB  - The infrared (IR) spectra of micro-hydrated Sarin*(H2O)n clusters containing
      between one and four explicit waters have been studied using ab initio density
      functional theory (DFT) methods. The phosphate group P=O bond vibration region
      (~1270 to 1290 cm(-1)) revealed the largest frequency variation with hydration,
      with a frequency red shift reflecting the direct hydrogen bond formation between
      the P=O of Sarin and water. Small variations to the P-F stretch (~810 to 815 cm(
      1)) and the C-O-P vibrational modes (~995 to 1004 cm(-1)) showed that the water
      interactions with these functional groups were minor, and that the structures of
      Sarin were not extensively perturbed in the hydrated complexes. Increasing the
      number of explicit hydration waters produced only small vibrational changes in
      the lowest free energy complexes. These minor changes were consistent with a
      single water-phosphate hydrogen bond being the dominant structure, though a
      second water-phosphate hydrogen bond was observed in some complexes and was
      identified by an additional red shift of the P=O bond vibration. The H2O*H2O
      vibrational modes (~3450 to 3660 cm(-1)) increased in complexity with higher
      hydration levels and reflect the extended hydrogen bonding networks formed
      between the explicit waters in the hydrated Sarin clusters. Graphical Abstract Ab
      initio studies of the infrared signature for micro-hydrated Sarin.

PMID- 26122645
TI  - Treatment of medication-overuse headache: A systematic review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The objective of this review is to provide an evidence-based
      discussion of different treatment strategies for medication-overuse headache
      (MOH). METHOD: We searched PubMed for articles discussing the treatment and
      prognosis of MOH published between 2004 and August 2014. Titles, abstract and
      articles were reviewed systematically. The level of evidence provided by each
      study of the included articles was determined according to the American Academy
      of Neurology Clinical practice guideline manual. We discuss the level of evidence
      to support the early discontinuation/withdrawal of overused medications, the
      level of evidence to support the use of preventive treatment, the short- and long
      term prognosis, and the outcome according to the class of drug overused in
      patients diagnosed with MOH. RESULTS: The initial search resulted in 1313
      articles; 68 articles met our inclusion criteria and were discussed. The level of
      evidence to support early discontinuation of overused medications alone is low
      due to the absence of controlled studies. Adding preventive medication to early
      discontinuation led to a better outcome than early discontinuation alone. For
      patients with chronic migraine (CM) and medication overuse (MO), there are large
      randomized control trials supporting the use of onabotulinumtoxinA and topiramate
      without early discontinuation of overuse; however, the evidence is limited since
      data were obtained from post hoc analysis. CONCLUSION: Considering current
      available evidence and the systemic toxicity of overusing acute headache
      medication, we suggest discontinuation of the overused medication with the
      addition of preventive medication. Appropriately sized, randomized controlled
      trials evaluating the safety and long-term efficacy of preventive medication plus
      early discontinuation of overuse vs preventive medication alone vs early
      discontinuation of overuse alone are needed.

PMID- 26122646
TI  - Migraine diagnosis and treatment: A knowledge and needs assessment among primary
      care providers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies reveal that migraine is often under-recognized, misdiagnosed
      and inadequately treated in the primary care setting. OBJECTIVE: The objective of
      this article is to assess primary care providers' (PCP) knowledge and needs
      regarding migraine diagnosis and management. METHODS: We held semi-structured
      group interviews and distributed a brief questionnaire to PCPs in our hospital
      network. Building on the information from the interviews, we developed a
      comprehensive survey assessing PCPs' knowledge about migraine. Descriptive
      analyses were performed. RESULTS: The initial interviews and brief questionnaires
      revealed that PCPs are aware of the prevalence of migraine but are uncertain
      about the details of management. Eighty-three of 120 physicians completed the
      comprehensive survey. Only 47% would order imaging for a new type of headache,
      31% for worsening headache, and 35% for a headache unresponsive to treatment.
      Only 28% were familiar with the American Academy of Neurology guidelines on
      preventive treatment and 40% were familiar with the Choosing Wisely Campaign
      recommendations on migraine treatment. Just 34% were aware that opioids can cause
      medication-overuse headache. Non-pharmacologic treatment was not usually
      recommended. PCPs favored educational opportunities involving direct contact with
      headache physicians (56%). CONCLUSIONS: PCPs are not universally aware of the
      specific recommendations for managing migraine patients. Future work should focus
      on innovative ways to provide decision support and education for PCPs caring for
      migraineurs.

PMID- 26122647
TI  - Geographic variation in racial disparities in child maltreatment: The influence
      of county poverty and population density.
AB  - There are documented disparities in the rates at which black children come into
      contact with the child welfare system in the United States compared to white
      children. A great deal of research has proliferated aimed at understanding
      whether systematic biases or differential rates of risk among different groups
      drive these disparities (Drake et al., 2011). In the current study, county rates
      of maltreatment disparity are compared across the United States and examined in
      relation to rates of poverty disparity as well as population density.
      Specifically, using hierarchical linear modeling with a spatially lagged
      dependent variable, the current study examined data from the National Child Abuse
      and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and found that poverty disparities were
      associated with rates of maltreatment disparities, and densely populated
      metropolitan counties tended to have the greatest levels of maltreatment
      disparity for both black and Hispanic children. A significant curvilinear
      relationship was also observed between these variables, such that in addition to
      the most densely populated counties, the most sparsely populated counties also
      tended to have higher rates of maltreatment disparity for black and Hispanic
      children. 

PMID- 26122648
TI  - Sex Differences in HIV Prevalence, Behavioral Risks and Prevention Needs Among
      Anglophone and Francophone Sub-Saharan African Migrants Living in Rabat, Morocco.
AB  - Morocco has experienced a dramatic increase of migration from sub-Sahara Africa
      during the past decade. Recently included among the most vulnerable populations
      cited in the Morocco National Strategic Plans on HIV/TB for 2012-2016, sub
      Saharan Africa migrants living in an irregular administrative situation
      participated in a survey to provide baseline data about their socio-demographic,
      sexual and HIV testing behaviors and HIV and syphilis prevalence. Two surveys
      using respondent driven sampling were conducted in 2013 among males and females,
      >=18 years, originating from sub-Saharan African countries and living and/or
      working in an irregular administrative situation in Rabat and residing at least 3
      months in Morocco. Analysis was conducted to evaluate differences between the two
      samples and between females and males within each sample using the successive
      sampling estimator in RDS Analyst. Roughly 3 % of francophone and anglophone
      migrants were infected with HIV, whereas a statistically significantly higher
      percentage of francophone (2.8 %), compared to anglophone (0.3 %), migrants were
      infected with syphilis. Females were found to have HIV infection rates three
      times higher and past year sexually transmitted infection signs and symptoms more
      than two times higher than their male counterparts. Female migrants also had
      statistically significantly higher percentages of ever testing for HIV and HIV
      testing and receiving results in the past year compared to males. We found
      distinct and important differences between migrants depending on whether they
      come from francophone versus anglophone countries and whether they were male or
      female. Future research should continue to explore these differences, while
      policies and programs should note these differences to best allocate resources in
      providing social and health services to these populations.

PMID- 26122649
TI  - HIV Testing and Awareness of Partner's HIV Status Among Chinese Men Who Have Sex
      with Men in Main Partnerships.
AB  - Many men who have sex with men (MSM) do not use condoms with their main partners,
      especially if both parties are of the same HIV status. However, significant
      proportions of MSM have never tested or recently tested and are unaware of their
      main partners' HIV status. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 524 MSM
      in Jiangsu, China in 2013-2014. Time-location sampling and online convenience
      sampling were used to recruit participants. We compared awareness of HIV status
      and recent HIV testing between participants who had main partners versus those
      who did not, and identified factors associated with recent HIV testing among men
      in main partnerships. Participants in main partnerships were significantly more
      likely to report recent HIV testing and being HIV-negative instead of HIV-unknown
      compared to participants in casual partnerships only. Overall, 74.5 % of
      participants were aware of their main partners' HIV status. Among participants in
      main partnerships, those who had 2-5 male anal sex partners in the past 6 months
      and those who reported that their partners were HIV-negative had 2.36 (95 % CI
      1.12, 4.97) and 4.20 (95 % CI 2.03, 8.70) fold greater odds of being tested in
      the past year compared to those who had main partners only and those whose
      partners were HIV-positive/unknown, respectively. Chinese MSM in main
      partnerships might be practicing serosorting and may be at lower risk for HIV
      infection due to increased awareness of main partners' HIV status and higher
      uptake of recent testing. 

PMID- 26122650
TI  - Depressive Symptoms, Substance Use and Partner Violence Victimization Associated
      with HIV Disclosure Among Men Who have Sex with Men.
AB  - HIV continues to disproportionately affect men who have sex with men (MSM).
      Depression and substance use have been shown to be risk factors of partner
      violence among male same-sex couples. However, research exploring the risk
      factors for partner violence victimization after HIV disclosure among MSM is
      limited. The aim of this study was to determine the association between
      depressive symptoms, substance use, and disclosure-associated verbal and/or
      physical violence from a partner among MSM. Data were obtained from 340 HIV
      positive MSM. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the
      associations between Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression and substance
      use scores, and disclosure-associated partner violence. After adjusting for age
      and income, every one-unit increase in substance use scores resulted in a 9 % (OR
      1.09; 95 % CI 1.01-1.16) increase in the odds of disclosure-associated partner
      violence. HIV disclosure interventions for MSM populations should address
      substance use and potential violence from partners after disclosure.

PMID- 26122652
TI  - Simple reaction time to the onset of time-varying sounds.
AB  - Although auditory simple reaction time (RT) is usually defined as the time
      elapsing between the onset of a stimulus and a recorded reaction, a sound cannot
      be specified by a single point in time. Therefore, the present work investigates
      how the period of time immediately after onset affects RT. By varying the
      stimulus duration between 10 and 500 msec, this critical duration was determined
      to fall between 32 and 40 milliseconds for a 1-kHz pure tone at 70 dB SPL. In a
      second experiment, the role of the buildup was further investigated by varying
      the rise time and its shape. The increment in RT for extending the rise time by a
      factor of ten was about 7 to 8 msec. There was no statistically significant
      difference in RT between a Gaussian and linear rise shape. A third experiment
      varied the modulation frequency and point of onset of amplitude-modulated tones,
      producing onsets at different initial levels with differently rapid increase or
      decrease immediately afterwards. The results of all three experiments results
      were explained very well by a straightforward extension of the parallel grains
      model (Miller and Ulrich Cogn. Psychol. 46, 101-151, 2003), a probabilistic race
      model employing many parallel channels. The extension of the model to time
      varying sounds made the activation of such a grain depend on intensity as a
      function of time rather than a constant level. A second approach by mechanisms
      known from loudness produced less accurate predictions. 

PMID- 26122651
TI  - Development of target-specific liposomes for delivering small molecule drugs
      after reperfused myocardial infarction.
AB  - Although reperfusion is essential in restoring circulation to ischemic
      myocardium, it also leads to irreversible events including reperfusion injury,
      decreased cardiac function and ultimately scar formation. Various cell types are
      involved in the multi-phase repair process including inflammatory cells, vascular
      cells and cardiac fibroblasts. Therapies targeting these cell types in the
      infarct border zone can improve cardiac function but are limited by systemic side
      effects. The aim of this work was to develop liposomes with surface modifications
      to include peptides with affinity for cell types present in the post-infarct
      myocardium. To identify peptides specific for the infarct/border zone, we used in
      vivo phage display methods and an optical imaging approach: fluorescence
      molecular tomography (FMT). We identified peptides specific for cardiomyocytes,
      endothelial cells, myofibroblasts, and c-Kit + cells present in the border zone
      of the remodeling infarct. These peptides were then conjugated to liposomes and
      in vivo specificity and pharmacokinetics were determined. As a proof of concept,
      cardiomyocyte specific (I-1) liposomes were used to deliver a PARP-1 (poly [ADP
      ribose] polymerase 1) inhibitor: AZ7379. Using a targeted liposomal approach, we
      were able to increase AZ7379 availability in the infarct/border zone at 24h post
      injection as compared with free AZ7379. We observed ~3-fold higher efficiency of
      PARP-1 inhibition when all cell types were assessed using I-1 liposomes as
      compared with negative control peptide liposomes (NCP). When analyzed further, I
      1 liposomes had 9-fold and 1.5-fold higher efficiencies in cardiomyocytes and
      macrophages, respectively, as compared with NCP liposomes. In conclusion, we have
      developed a modular drug delivery system that can be targeted to cell types of
      therapeutic interest in the infarct border zone. 

PMID- 26122653
TI  - Tissue-Specific Methylation of Long Interspersed Nucleotide Element-1 of Homo
      Sapiens (L1Hs) During Human Embryogenesis and Roles in Neural Tube Defects.
AB  - Epigenetic regulation of long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1)
      retrotransposition events plays crucial roles during early development.
      Previously we showed that LINE-1 hypomethylation in neuronal tissues is
      associated with pathogenesis of neural tube defect (NTD). Herein, we further
      evaluated LINE-1 Homo sapiens (L1Hs) methylation in tissues derived from three
      germ layers of stillborn NTD fetuses, to define patterns of tissue specific
      methylation and site-specific hypomethylation at CpG sites within an L1Hs
      promoter region. Stable, tissue-specific L1Hs methylation patterns throughout
      three germ layer lineages of the fetus, placenta, and maternal peripheral blood
      were observed. Samples from maternal peripheral blood exhibited the highest level
      of L1Hs methylation (64.95%) and that from placenta showed the lowest (26.82%).
      Between samples from NTDs and controls, decrease in L1Hs methylation was only
      significant in NTD-affected brain tissue at 7.35%, especially in females (8.98%).
      L1Hs hypomethylation in NTDs was also associated with a significant increase in
      expression level of an L1Hs-encoded transcript in females (r = -0.846, p =
      0.004). This could be due to genomic DNA instability and alternation in
      chromatins accessibility resulted from abnormal L1Hs hypomethylation, as showed
      in this study with HCT-15 cells treated with methylation inhibitor 5-Aza.

PMID- 26122654
TI  - TNFR1 Regulates Ovarian Cancer Cell Tumorigenicity Through PIK3CB-p110Beta.
AB  - Studies have shown that TNFR1 is a key factor in the tumor microenvironment that
      is dependent on the TNF-alpha-initiated cascade for tumorigenesis. In this
      present study, we found that TNFR1 is over-expressed in ovarian cancer, which is
      relevant to both clinical survival and disease free status. Knockdown of TNFR1
      dramatically attenuates malignant phenotypes, including proliferation and colony
      growth in soft agar, as well as glycolysis in ovarian cancer cells. Unexpectedly,
      knocking down TNFR1 blocks EGF-induced p-AKT and p-p70S6K expression and EGF
      induced cell transformation through PIK3-p110beta rather than p110alpha
      expression. Taken together, our data provide evidence that TNFR1 plays a critical
      role in ovarian cancer and show that the EGF induced signaling pathway is
      independent of the TNF-alpha triggering cascade signal. Therefore, TNFR1 may
      serve as a prognostic molecule in ovarian cancer. 

PMID- 26122655
TI  - FoxQ1 is a Novel Molecular Target for Pancreatic Cancer and is Associated with
      Poor Prognosis.
AB  - FOXQ1 is an oncogene for a variety of tumors and encodes the forkhead boxrelated
      transcription factor FoxQ1. However, little is known about the role of FoxQ1 in
      pancreatic cancer (PC). In this study, we examined FoxQ1 expression in PC cell
      lines and human PC tissues by quantitative PCR and tissue microarray based
      immunohistochemical staining (IHC), and investigated the clinical correlation
      between FoxQ1 tissue levels and the clinicopathological characteristics of PC
      patients. We found that FoxQ1 mRNA expression was up-regulated both in PC cell
      lines and tumor tissues. IHC results revealed that FoxQ1 was mainly expressed in
      the cytoplasm, and to a lesser extent in the nucleus of PC cells. FoxQ1 protein
      levels were significantly higher in PC tissues when compared with matched non
      cancerous tissues, and associated positively with the degree of tumor
      differentiation. Univariate and multivariate survival analysis revealed that
      patients with high FoxQ1 expression and advanced TNM stage had poor prognosis
      (HR=1.856, 95%CI 1.065- 3.234, P=0.029; HR=2.091, 95%CI 1.181-3.705, P=0.01).
      These data indicate that FoxQ1 expression is negatively associated with the
      overall survival of PC patients, and that this protein may therefore represent a
      novel molecular target and new prognostic biomarker for PC. 

PMID- 26122656
TI  - Prophylactic Admission of an In Vitro Reconstructed Complexes of Human
      Recombinant Heat Shock Proteins and Melanoma Antigenic Peptides Activates Anti
      Melanoma Responses in Mice.
AB  - Tumor-derived autologous antigenic peptides when bound to endogenous 70 kDa
      family heat shock proteins (HSP70) are able to induce effective T-cell responses
      against tumors. However, efficacy of HSPbased vaccines in clinical practical
      stand point still has a number of certain limitations including an activation of
      immune responses against alien non-human HSPs. In this study we reconstructed the
      complexes of human recombinant HSPs70 (human recombinant HSP70A1B and HSC70
      mixture; hrHSPs70) with antigenic lowweight peptides derived from mice B16F10
      melanoma cell lysate (PepMCL) in vitro and investigated the prophylactic
      potential of these complexes to activate anti-tumor immunity in melanoma mouse
      model. Our results demonstrate that the developed prophylactic vaccine elicits
      melanoma-specific immune responses and anti-tumor effects against melanoma. These
      results suggest that hrHSPs70 has capability to reconstitute complexes with
      peptides obtained from tumor cells lysates in vitro and, therefore, can be used
      for delivery of multiple antigenic peptides into antigen-presenting cells (APCs)
      to activate effectors cells. Designed in such a way hrHSPs70-based prophylactic
      vaccines induce immune responses resulting in a significant efficient prevention
      of tumor growth and metastases. 

PMID- 26122657
TI  - Arraying Autoantibodies in SLE - Lessons Learned.
AB  - Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune connective tissue
      disease characterized by the production of a large number of autoantibodies, but
      the etiology is complex and poorly understood. A range of different platforms
      have served as screening methods for the determination of autoantibody
      specificities over the past few decades. Proteomic microarray is a relatively new
      high-throughput technology which is playing an increasingly important role in
      autoantibody diagnostics. In this article, we review different platforms for
      assaying autoantibodies in SLE, and highlight the use of autoantigen arrays as
      powerful tools for autoantibody exploration in SLE. 

PMID- 26122658
TI  - Current Evidence and Potential Mechanisms of Therapeutic Action of PEDF in
      Cervical Cancer Treatment.
AB  - Cervical cancer is the second leading gynecological malignancy threat to the
      health of women in the world. However, few improvements in the efficacy of
      treatments of cervical cancer have been reported for the recurrent and metastasis
      patterns. As an endogenous antitumor agent, pigment epithelium derived factor
      (PEDF) has attracted wide attention, and its sensitivity to estrogen suggests a
      special role in female tumors, including cervical cancer. This review aims to
      summarize recent findings, the role of PEDF in cervical cancer treatment, and
      enhance the current understanding of the antitumor properties of PEDF such as
      inhibiting angiogenesis and metastasis, inducing tumor cell apoptosis and
      differentiation, and modulating cellular immunity against cervical cancer. The
      production and delivery of PEDF, as well as derived short peptides and their
      respective receptors will also be discussed. 

PMID- 26122659
TI  - Taming Influenza Virus: Role of Antisense Technology.
AB  - Human Influenza A virus (IAV), a relatively newer threat to mankind, is becoming
      invincible due to non availability of proper antiviral drug or effective long
      lasting vaccine against it. All existing measures to control this virus are
      overpowered by the phenomena of genetic shift and drift shown by Influenza A
      virus (IAV). Throughout the world, researchers are exploring the therapeutic
      potential of antisense technology (AST) to fight against this genetically
      variable virus. Antisense technology refers to the laboratory manipulation and/or
      modification of DNA or RNA so that its components (nucleotides) hybridize with
      target nucleic acid or mRNA or protein itself to inhibit the protein finally
      encoded. RNA inhibitory (RNAi) mechanism (particularly siRNA) seems to be the
      most promising among the different agents of AST. However, other agents like
      oligonucleotides, ribozymes and DNAzymes also show great potential. Decoys and
      aptamers, alone or in conjunction with other agents, are also being explored to
      inhibit the replication of virus. Presently, most of these agents have passed
      initial level of in vitro and in vivo experiments, passing through various levels
      of clinical trials but none of them has been approved for human purpose till
      date. Present review consolidates the efforts of researchers worldwide in this
      particular field and discusses the future perspectives this technology holds, to
      tame this notorious virus. Day by day, various areas of this technology are being
      explored and the day is not far when this chemical entity will reach from "bench
      to bedside". 

PMID- 26122660
TI  - The American Society of Clinical Oncology 51st Annual Meeting 2015: An overview
      and summary of selected abstracts.

PMID- 26122661
TI  - Therapeutic antiviral T cells noncytopathically clear persistently infected
      microglia after conversion into antigen-presenting cells.
AB  - Several viruses can infect the mammalian nervous system and induce neurological
      dysfunction. Adoptive immunotherapy is an approach that involves administration
      of antiviral T cells and has shown promise in clinical studies for the treatment
      of peripheral virus infections in humans such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein
      Barr virus (EBV), and adenovirus, among others. In contrast, clearance of
      neurotropic infections is particularly challenging because the central nervous
      system (CNS) is relatively intolerant of immunopathological reactions. Therefore,
      it is essential to develop and mechanistically understand therapies that
      noncytopathically eradicate pathogens from the CNS. Here, we used mice
      persistently infected from birth with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)
      to demonstrate that therapeutic antiviral T cells can completely purge the
      persistently infected brain without causing blood-brain barrier breakdown or
      tissue damage. Mechanistically, this is accomplished through a tailored release
      of chemoattractants that recruit antiviral T cells, but few pathogenic innate
      immune cells such as neutrophils and inflammatory monocytes. Upon arrival, T
      cells enlisted the support of nearly all brain-resident myeloid cells (microglia)
      by inducing proliferation and converting them into CD11c(+) antigen-presenting
      cells (APCs). Two-photon imaging experiments revealed that antiviral CD8(+) and
      CD4(+) T cells interacted directly with CD11c(+) microglia and induced STAT1
      signaling but did not initiate programmed cell death. We propose that
      noncytopathic CNS viral clearance can be achieved by therapeutic antiviral T
      cells reliant on restricted chemoattractant production and interactions with
      apoptosis-resistant microglia. 

PMID- 26122662
TI  - Nuclear factor kappaB-inducing kinase activation as a mechanism of pancreatic
      beta cell failure in obesity.
AB  - The nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway is a master regulator of
      inflammatory processes and is implicated in insulin resistance and pancreatic
      beta cell dysfunction in the metabolic syndrome. Whereas canonical NF-kappaB
      signaling is well studied, there is little information on the divergent
      noncanonical NF-kappaB pathway in the context of pancreatic islet dysfunction.
      Here, we demonstrate that pharmacological activation of the noncanonical NF
      kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK) disrupts glucose homeostasis in zebrafish in vivo.
      We identify NIK as a critical negative regulator of beta cell function, as
      pharmacological NIK activation results in impaired glucose-stimulated insulin
      secretion in mouse and human islets. NIK levels are elevated in pancreatic islets
      isolated from diet-induced obese (DIO) mice, which exhibit increased processing
      of noncanonical NF-kappaB components p100 to p52, and accumulation of RelB. TNF
      and receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL), two ligands associated with
      diabetes, induce NIK in islets. Mice with constitutive beta cell-intrinsic NIK
      activation present impaired insulin secretion with DIO. NIK activation triggers
      the noncanonical NF-kappaB transcriptional network to induce genes identified in
      human type 2 diabetes genome-wide association studies linked to beta cell
      failure. These studies reveal that NIK contributes a central mechanism for beta
      cell failure in diet-induced obesity. 

PMID- 26122663
TI  - Targeting phospholipase D1 attenuates intestinal tumorigenesis by controlling
      beta-catenin signaling in cancer-initiating cells.
AB  - Expression of the Wnt target gene phospholipase D1 (PLD1) is up-regulated in
      various carcinomas, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the mechanistic
      significance of its elevated expression in intestinal tumorigenesis remains
      unknown. In this study, we show that genetic and pharmacological targeting of
      PLD1 disrupts spontaneous and colitis-associated intestinal tumorigenesis in
      Apc(Min/+) and azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate mice models. Intestinal
      epithelial cell-specific PLD1 overexpression in Apc(Min/+) mice accelerated
      tumorigenesis with increased proliferation and nuclear beta-catenin levels
      compared with Apc(Min/+) mice. Moreover, PLD1 inactivation suppressed the self
      renewal capacity of colon cancer-initiating cells (CC-ICs) by decreasing
      expression of beta-catenin via E2F1-induced microRNA (miR)-4496 up-regulation.
      Ultimately, low expression of PLD1 coupled with a low level of CC-IC markers was
      predictive of a good prognosis in CRC patients, suggesting in vivo relevance.
      Collectively, our data reveal that PLD1 has a crucial role in intestinal
      tumorigenesis via its modulation of the E2F1-miR-4496-beta-catenin signaling
      pathway. Modulation of PLD1 expression and activity represents a promising
      therapeutic strategy for the treatment of intestinal tumorigenesis. 

PMID- 26122664
TI  - Extrapolation of acenocoumarol pharmacogenetic algorithms.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acenocoumarol (ACN) has a narrow therapeutic range that is
      especially difficult to control at the start of its administration. Various
      dosing pharmacogenetic-guided dosing algorithms have been developed, but further
      work on their external validation is required. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the extrapolation of pharmacogenetic algorithms for ACN as an
      alternative to the development of a specific algorithm for a given population.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: The predictive performance, deviation, accuracy, and
      clinical significance of five pharmacogenetic algorithms (EU-PACT, Borobia,
      Rathore, Markatos, Krishna Kumar) were compared in 189 stable ACN patients
      representing all indications for anticoagulant treatment. RESULTS: The
      correlation between the dose predictions of the five pharmacogenetic models
      ranged from 7.7 to 70.6% and the percentage of patients with a correct prediction
      (deviation <=20% from actual ACN dose) ranged from 5.9 to 40.7%. EU-PACT and
      Borobia pharmacogenetic dosing algorithms were the most accurate in our setting
      and evidenced the best clinical performance. CONCLUSIONS: Among the five models
      studied, the EU-PACT and Borobia pharmacogenetic dosing algorithms demonstrated
      the best potential for extrapolation.

PMID- 26122665
TI  - Multiple functions of Maf in the regulation of cellular development and
      differentiation.
AB  - Cellular muscular aponeurotic fibrosarcoma (c-Maf) is a member of the large
      macrophage-activating factor family. C-Maf plays important roles in the
      morphogenetic processes and cellular differentiation of the lens, kidneys, liver,
      T cells and nervous system, and it is particularly important in pancreatic islet
      and erythroblastic island formation. However, the exact role of c-Maf remains to
      be elucidated. In this review, we summarize the research to clarify the functions
      of c-Maf in the cellular development and differentiation. The expression of c-Maf
      is higher in pancreatic duct cells than in pancreatic islet cells. Therefore, we
      suggest that pancreatic duct cells may be converted to the functional insulin
      secreting cells by regulating c-Maf.

PMID- 26122666
TI  - A suspected genetic form of bilateral osteochondritis dissecans of the knee in a
      Dutch family.
AB  - Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) mostly has an idiopathic origin, but syndromic
      and familial forms have been reported. Mutations of the aggrecan (ACAN) and
      COL9A2 genes are associated with familial OCD, but these patients present with
      syndromic features. This article describes a mother and a daughter who both have
      bilateral OCD of the medial femoral condyles, and the monozygotic twin sister of
      the mother who has confirmed unilateral OCD (and possible bilateral OCD) of the
      medial femoral condyle. No short stature or any other syndromic features were
      present. None of the syndromic features associated with ACAN or COL9A2 mutations
      or any other known syndromes were present in this case. This case suggests a
      possible unknown genetic anomaly.

PMID- 26122667
TI  - Case series: Revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions using patellar
      tendon autografts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Using intra-operative findings and clinical results, including return
      to play (RTP) at the pre-injury level, this study investigated the causes of
      primary graft failure after revision anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
      reconstruction with bone-patellar-tendon-bone (BPTB) autografts. METHODS: A total
      of 54 patients were followed for a mean of 38.2 +/- 10.2 months post-surgery.
      Subjective and objective results were evaluated using single assessment numeric
      evaluation (SANE) scores, Lachman tests, KT-2000 arthrometer results, and pivot
      shift tests. The change in each patient's Tegner activity scale and RTP at the
      pre-injury level were also evaluated. RESULTS: Inappropriate positioning of the
      tunnels was the most important reason (54%) for primary graft failure. After
      revision surgery, anterior knee stability was significantly improved (1.2 (mean)
      +/- 1.2 (SD)mm vs 4.5(mean) +/- 1.9 (SD)mm; P < 0.01). Two (4%) patients
      sustained revision graft ruptures while two (4%) sustained contralateral knee ACL
      tears. The rate of RTP at the pre-injury level was 67% (36 patients), and mean
      SANE scores at the time of RTP were higher than before surgery (74.8 +/- 13.8
      points vs 24.1 +/- 16.4; P<0.001). The average time from primary graft failure to
      revision surgery was shorter (12.2 (mean) +/- 4.0 (SD) vs 37.6 (mean) +/- 8.8
      (SD)months; P < 0.01) and the ratio of major cartilage injury was lower (39% vs
      83%; P < 0.05) in the RTP group than that in the non-RTP group. CONCLUSIONS: The
      time from primary graft failure to revision surgery and the extent of the
      cartilage injury are major factors in RTP after revision ACL reconstructions.

PMID- 26122668
TI  - Clinical and functional outcome after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
      using the LARSTM system at a minimum follow-up of 10 years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Since the 1980's several artificial ligaments were used for
      reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) serving different
      complications. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical and functional
      outcomes of primary ACL reconstruction using the Ligament Augmentation
      Reconstruction System (LARSTM) with a minimum follow-up of 10-years. The LARSTM
      presents a synthetic material consisting of non-absorbing polyethylene
      terephthalate fibres used for ligament reconstruction. METHODS: Outcomes of 18
      patients who underwent arthroscopic ACL reconstruction using the LARSTM system
      between 2000 and 2004 with a minimum follow-up of 10 years were observed. The
      International Knee Documentation Committee score (IKDC), Visual Analog Scale
      (VAS), Lysholm score, and Tegner Activity Scale were assessed. Clinical
      assessment was performed by Lachman testing, assessment of side-to-side
      difference on KT-2000 testing and plain radiography evaluation of osteoarthritis.
      RESULTS: There were seven males and 11 females, mean age 29 years (range, 18 to
      44 years) and a mean follow-up of 151.5 months. Five patients (27.8%) sustained a
      re-rupture of the LARSTM system and underwent revision surgery after a mean time
      of 23 months and four patients (22.2%) presented with a re-rupture. The average
      IKDC score was 76.60 +/- 18.18, the average Lysholm score was 88.00 +/- 10.07 and
      the average Tegner activity score was five at final follow-up. CONCLUSION: Our
      results indicate that the LARSTM system should currently not be suggested as a
      potential graft for primary reconstruction of the ACL. In special cases, however,
      the LARSTM system can serve as an alternative graft.

PMID- 26122669
TI  - Protective effect of advanced age on post-ERCP pancreatitis and unplanned
      hospitalisation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As the median age of Australia's population rises, endoscopic
      retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is becoming increasingly used in the
      elderly. However, ERCP remains associated with serious complications including
      post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP), which often necessitate unplanned hospital
      admission. Although previous research has demonstrated a protective effect of age
      against PEP, inconsistencies have arisen in recent studies. In addition to age,
      post-ERCP complication rates have been previously shown to be affected by various
      factors including longer procedure duration and high-risk indications. AIM: The
      aim of this study was to investigate the rates of PEP and unplanned hospital
      admission or prolongation of hospital stay (UHAP) across age groups and their
      relation to procedure duration and indication. METHODS: Prospective analysis of
      1284 consecutive ERCP on patients aged 20-101 years performed at a tertiary
      referral centre. RESULTS: Advanced age (>80 years) was associated with a
      significantly lower risk of both PEP (P = 0.02) and UHAP (P < 0.05) compared with
      patients aged 50-79 years. Rates of PEP and UHAP differed significantly according
      to indication (P < 0.01) and longer procedure duration similarly increased the
      risk of both complications (P < 0.01). However, there were no significant
      differences between age groups in terms of the proportion of patients with 'high
      risk' indications. Importantly, age remained a significant negative predictor of
      PEP even after adjusting for procedure duration (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The
      protective effect of age against PEP and UHAP is not due to confounding by high
      risk indications or increased procedure duration. ERCP may be a relatively safe
      option for our growing cohort of elderly patients.

PMID- 26122670
TI  - Topical application of Acheflan on rat skin injury accelerates wound healing: a
      histopathological, immunohistochemical and biochemical study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dermal wound healing involves a cascade of complex events including
      angiogenesis and extracellular matrix remodeling. Several groups have focused in
      the study of the skin wound healing activity of natural products. The
      phytomedicine Acheflan(r), and its main active constituent is the oil from Cordia
      verbenacea which has known anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antimicrobial
      activities. To our knowledge, no investigation has evaluated the effect of
      Acheflan(r) in an experimental model of skin wound healing. The present study has
      explored the wound healing property of Acheflan(r) and has compared it with
      topical effectiveness of collagenase and fibrinolysin by using Wistar rat
      cutaneous excision wound model. METHODS: Animals were divided into four groups:
      untreated animals are negative control (NC), wounds were treated topically every
      day with Collagenase ointment (TC), with Fibrinolysin ointment (TF) and with
      cream Acheflan (TAc). Skin samples were collected on zero, 8th and 15th days
      after wounding. The healing was assessed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE), picrosirius
      red, hydoxyproline content and immunohistochemical analysis of the vascular
      endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9).
      Statistical analysis was done by ANOVA and Student t-test (p < 0.05). RESULTS:
      The histological analysis HE of wound in the TAc group was more efficient because
      it was possible to observe the complete remodeling of the epidermis indicating
      the regression of lesions compared with the NC. The evaluation of picrosirius
      staining has demonstrated a significant increase of collagen distribution in the
      TC and TAc treatments compared with NC and TF groups. These results are
      corroborated with hydroxyproline content. Skin TC and TAc treated rats have
      showed an increase of VEGF and MMP-9 compared with NC and TF groups. All
      parameters were significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The phytomedicine Acheflan(r)
      (oil of Cordia verbenacea) and TC possess higher therapeutic properties for wound
      healing compared with TF. These ointments seem to accelerate wound healing,
      probably due to their involvement with the increase of angiogenesis and dermal
      remodeling.

PMID- 26122673
TI  - Near-infrared-responsive gold nanorod/liquid crystalline elastomer composites
      prepared by sequential thiol-click chemistry.
AB  - A novel NIR-responsive GNR/LCE composite fiber material was prepared by a three
      step sequential thiol-click chemistry approach. Taking advantage of GNRs'
      significant photo-thermal effect, a GNR/LCE composite material with a very low Au
      loading-level (0.09 wt%), under 808 nm NIR stimulus achieved the N-to-I
      transition and shrank dramatically in an ambient environment. 

PMID- 26122671
TI  - Excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with ADHD--diagnostic and management
      strategies.
AB  - The links between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sleep
      disorders remain unclear. Specific sleep disorders are a frequent comorbid
      condition associated with ADHD according to a categorical approach. However,
      sleep disorders can also induce ADHD-like symptoms according to a dimensional
      approach and are thought to be the consequence of excessive daytime sleepiness.
      It may thus be difficult for clinicians to differentiate the diagnosis of ADHD
      comorbid with a sleep disorder from sleep disorders with ADHD-like symptoms. This
      distinction could be important for the appropriate management of patients with
      dual complaints of trouble maintaining attention and daytime sleepiness. This
      paper summarizes the main sleep disorders associated with ADHD: sleep-related
      breathing disorders, sleep-related movement disorders, circadian rhythm sleep
      wake disorders, and central disorders of hypersomnolence (aka hypersomnias). The
      history of presenting symptoms should be taken into account since ADHD is a
      neurodevelopmental disorder whereas ADHD symptoms comorbid with sleep disorder
      are not. Finally, we propose a model to clarify the links between ADHD, ADHD
      symptoms, and excessive daytime sleepiness induced by sleep disorders. Clinicians
      should therefore routinely assess, monitor, and manage the sleep problems of
      patients with ADHD who have both comorbidities and should search for the presence
      of ADHD symptoms in subjects with sleep disorders. 

PMID- 26122674
TI  - The emergence of plasmid mediated quinolone resistance qnrA2 in extended spectrum
      beta-lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in the Middle East.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the most important opportunistic
      pathogens causing serious complications in patients in hospitals and community.
      The clinical significance of K. pneumoniae is mainly due to its ability to
      acquire multiple antibiotic resistance genes. In this study we report the
      findings of a survey of plasmid mediated quinolone resistance in Extended
      Spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing K. pneumoniae in Kuwait. METHODS:
      Clinical samples were collected from the microbiology laboratories of three major
      hospitals. Isolates were confirmed as ESBL-producers by disc diffusion method and
      PCR for the presence of bla genes. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and
      genetic analysis were performed to detect the presence of a number of genes
      conferring resistance to beta-lactam and fluoroquinolone antimicrobial agents
      including bla SHV, bla TEM, aac (6')-Ib-cr, qnrA, qnrB and qnrS. Pulsed-field gel
      electrophoresis (PFGE) was used for typing the isolates. RESULTS: In total 173
      ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae were detected. qnr genes were identified in 27 (15.6
      %) isolates and aac(6')-Ib Ib-cr gene in 26 (96 %). One (3.7 %) contained qnrA2,
      21 harbored qnrB1 (78 %) and 5 (18.5 %) contained qnrS. Twenty one (78 %)
      isolates contained all three bla genes. PFGE showed diverse profiles. CONCLUSION:
      We identified for the first time the emergence of the mobile fluoroquinolone
      resistance qnrA2 in a clinical isolate in the middle east and also showed the
      dissemination of aac (6')-Ib-cr, qnrB, and qnrS genes among ESBL-producing K.
      pneumoniae in Kuwait. The abundance of plasmid mediated resistance to
      fluoroquinolones among ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae is alarming as it facilitates
      therapy failure. Preventing the spread of these isolates is crucial if we are to
      sustain the effectiveness of the limited choices we have left in antimicrobial
      therapy.

PMID- 26122675
TI  - Evolving epidemiology of Nipah virus infection in Bangladesh: evidence from
      outbreaks during 2010-2011.
AB  - Drinking raw date palm sap is the primary route of Nipah virus (NiV) transmission
      from bats to people in Bangladesh; subsequent person-to-person transmission is
      common. During December 2010 to March 2011, we investigated NiV epidemiology by
      interviewing cases using structured questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and
      group discussions to collect clinical and exposure histories. We conducted a case
      control study to identify risk factors for transmission. We identified 43 cases;
      23 were laboratory-confirmed and 20 probable. Thirty-eight (88%) cases died.
      Drinking raw date palm sap and contact with an infected person were major risk
      factors; one healthcare worker was infected and for another case transmission
      apparently occurred through contact with a corpse. In absence of these risk
      factors, apparent routes of transmission included drinking fermented date palm
      sap. For the first time, a case was detected in eastern Bangladesh.
      Identification of new epidemiological characteristics emphasizes the importance
      of continued NiV surveillance and case investigation. 

PMID- 26122676
TI  - Telehealth and Occupational Therapy: Integral to the Triple Aim of Health Care
      Reform.
AB  - Programs and concepts included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
      of 2010 are expected to transform health care in the United States from a volume
      based health system to a value-based health system with increased emphasis on
      prevention and health promotion. The Triple Aim, a framework set forth by the
      Institute for Healthcare Improvement, focuses on improving the health care
      experience, the health of populations, and the affordability of care. This
      article describes telehealth as an integral component in achieving the Triple Aim
      of health care and discusses implications for occupational therapy practitioners.

PMID- 26122677
TI  - Results of a School-Based Evidence-Based Practice Initiative.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of a 17-mo initiative designed to increase
      practitioners' knowledge and skills related to evidence-based practice (EBP) in
      the schools. METHOD: We evaluated participants' EBP knowledge and skills at
      pretest and posttest using the Adapted Fresno Test (AFT) and collected their
      perceptions through a survey. RESULTS: Participants demonstrated significant
      improvements in their EBP knowledge and skills after participating in this
      initiative as measured by changes in AFT scores. A significant difference was
      noted in scores between pretest (MU=43.9, SD=32.67) and posttest (MU=74.66,
      SD=33.99), t(28)=-5.645, p<.001. CONCLUSION: This initiative was influential in
      increasing school-based practitioners' EBP knowledge and skills.

PMID- 26122678
TI  - Effects of Stability Balls on Children's On-Task Behavior, Academic Achievement,
      and Discipline Referrals: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We used a randomized controlled design to investigate whether using
      stability balls during the school day was associated with higher levels of on
      task behavior and academic achievement and fewer discipline referrals. METHOD:
      Over 9 mo, students in 2 second-grade classrooms in a southeastern rural
      elementary school used stability balls as chairs while students in 2 control
      classrooms used chairs as usual. We collected measures of on-task behavior,
      standardized measures of literacy and mathematics achievement, and discipline
      referrals. RESULTS: We found similar levels of on-task behavior and achievement
      in treatment and control classrooms and a downward trend in disruptive behaviors
      in treatment classrooms. CONCLUSION: This study did not find use of stability
      balls for entire general education classrooms to be a practical use of resources
      for schools. More research with rigorous controlled designs is needed to support
      the use of stability balls for the general education population.

PMID- 26122679
TI  - Comprehensive Social Skills Taxonomy: Development and Application.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We developed a comprehensive social skills taxonomy based on archived
      children's social skill goal sheets, and we applied the taxonomy to 6,897 goals
      of children in 6 diagnostic categories to explore patterns related to diagnosis.
      METHOD: We used a grounded theory approach to code and analyze social skill goals
      and develop the taxonomy. Multivariate analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc
      honestly significant difference test were used to analyze differences in social
      skill needs among diagnostic groups. RESULTS: We developed a taxonomy of 7 social
      skill constructs or categories, descriptions, and behavioral indicators. The 7
      social skill categories were reflected across 6 diagnostic groups, and
      differences in social skill needs among groups were identified. CONCLUSION: This
      comprehensive taxonomy of social skills can be useful in developing research
      based individual, group, or institutional programming to improve social skills.

PMID- 26122680
TI  - Longitudinal Study of Occupational Therapy Students' Beliefs About Knowledge and
      Knowing.
AB  - Research has demonstrated the importance of beliefs about knowledge and knowing,
      or epistemic and ontological cognition (EOC), to learning and achievement;
      however, little research has examined occupational therapy students' EOC or
      determined whether occupational therapy programs promote its development. This
      study examined changes in EOC over 18 mo of didactic coursework in an
      occupational therapy program. Thirty-one students completed the Epistemic Beliefs
      Inventory at the beginning, middle, and end of 18 mo of didactic coursework.
      Results indicated no difference in ontological cognition. However, change
      occurred in epistemic cognition, with students demonstrating statistically
      significantly weaker beliefs in justification of knowledge by an omniscient
      authority by the end of the didactic portion of the program. Although causal
      inferences cannot be made from this small study of one cohort of occupational
      therapy students, it is possible that intensive study in the discipline of
      occupational therapy contributed to change in these students' epistemic
      cognition. 

PMID- 26122681
TI  - Reduced Physical Fitness in Patients With Heart Failure as a Possible Risk Factor
      for Impaired Driving Performance.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Reduced physical fitness secondary to heart failure (HF) may
      contribute to poor driving; reduced physical fitness is a known correlate of
      cognitive impairment and has been associated with decreased independence in
      driving. No study has examined the associations among physical fitness,
      cognition, and driving performance in people with HF. METHOD: Eighteen people
      with HF completed a physical fitness assessment, a cognitive test battery, and a
      validated driving simulator scenario. RESULTS: Partial correlations showed that
      poorer physical fitness was correlated with more collisions and stop signs missed
      and lower scores on a composite score of attention, executive function, and
      psychomotor speed. Cognitive dysfunction predicted reduced driving simulation
      performance. CONCLUSION: Reduced physical fitness in participants with HF was
      associated with worse simulated driving, possibly because of cognitive
      dysfunction. Larger studies using on-road testing are needed to confirm our
      findings and identify clinical interventions to maximize safe driving.

PMID- 26122682
TI  - Factors That Moderate Activity Limitation and Participation Restriction in People
      With Multiple Sclerosis.
AB  - We examined the variables most associated with activity limitation (i.e.,
      cooking) and participation restriction (i.e., employment) in 72 people with
      multiple sclerosis (MS). Participants underwent a comprehensive
      neuropsychological test battery assessing memory, executive functions, visual
      perception, and processing speed and completed questionnaires assessing activity,
      participation, fatigue, and affective symptoms. Results showed that processing
      speed was the only variable consistently significantly related to both activity
      and participation. When examining specific aspects of activity and participation
      in isolation, employment status was significantly associated with education
      level, visual memory, fatigue, and processing speed. Cooking ability was
      associated with performance on tasks of working memory, verbal memory, and
      processing speed. These findings suggest that processing speed is a primary
      cognitive factor in MS influencing quality of both activity and participation in
      everyday life. 

PMID- 26122683
TI  - "Don't Think Paralysis Takes Away Your Womanhood": Sexual Intimacy After Spinal
      Cord Injury.
AB  - Sexuality and intimacy are important components of health and well-being. Issues
      surrounding sexuality and intimacy are equally important for men and women living
      with physical disabilities, including spinal cord injury (SCI). Yet, women's
      sexuality after SCI remains largely unexamined. This article presents the
      findings from an in-depth qualitative investigation of the sexual and
      reproductive health experiences of 20 women with SCI in or around Detroit, MI.
      Findings echo existing literature documenting the sexual consequences of life
      after SCI and suggest new areas of inquiry important for better addressing sexual
      concerns across the lifespan. Specifically, findings suggest a need to consider
      the variable effects of SCI on sexual intimacy in relation to a person's
      developmental trajectory, the appropriate timing of sexual education, the need to
      expand conceptualizations of sexual intimacy, and the ways SCI may affect
      sexuality in later life. 

PMID- 26122684
TI  - Effectiveness of a Clinical Decision Support System for Pointing Device
      Prescription.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We present a novel, knowledge-driven approach to prescription of
      pointing devices that uses the Ontology-Supported Computerized Assistive
      Technology Recommender (OSCAR), a clinical decision support system (CDSS).
      METHOD: Fifty-five occupational therapists were divided into four groups: two
      assistive technology (AT) expert groups and two novice groups. Novice Group 1
      used the OSCAR CDSS for the prescription process, and Novice Group 2 used the
      conventional method. OSCAR's effectiveness and its impact on users were
      evaluated. RESULTS: The ability of Novice Group 1 to make suitable pointing
      device prescriptions was similar to that of the two expert groups and was
      significantly better than that of Novice Group 2. The system positively affected
      Novice Group 1's learning of the prescription process. CONCLUSION: The structure
      and organized framework for clinical reasoning of the OSCAR CDSS appear to enable
      occupational therapy practitioners inexperienced in AT to achieve performance
      levels comparable to those of experts.

PMID- 26122685
TI  - Patients With Brain Tumors: Who Receives Postacute Occupational Therapy Services?
AB  - Data on the utilization of occupational therapy among patients with brain tumors
      have been limited to those with malignant tumors and small samples of patients
      outside North America in specialized palliative care settings. We built on this
      research by examining the characteristics of patients with brain tumors who
      received postacute occupational therapy services in Ontario, Canada, using health
      care administrative data. Between fiscal years 2004-2005 and 2008-2009, 3,199
      patients with brain tumors received occupational therapy services in the home
      care setting after hospital discharge; 12.4% had benign brain tumors, 78.2% had
      malignant brain tumors, and 9.4% had unspecified brain tumors. However, patients
      with benign brain tumors were older (mean age=63.3 yr), and a higher percentage
      were female (65.2%). More than 90% of patients received in-home occupational
      therapy services. Additional research is needed to examine the significance of
      these differences and to identify factors that influence access to occupational
      therapy services in the home care setting.

PMID- 26122687
TI  - Clinical Reasoning Guideline for Home Modification Interventions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to develop and validate a clinical
      reasoning tool to describe an occupational therapist's clinical reasoning process
      while delivering home modification interventions. METHOD: We used a two-phase,
      mixed-methods approach. In Phase 1, we developed a personal factors guideline to
      support clinical reasoning in home modification interventions based on in-depth
      interviews, a focus group, and field observations of 6 home modification experts.
      In Phase 2, the guideline was validated by a second group of 6 home modification
      experts. RESULTS: During analysis, 16 personal and environmental factors with a
      corresponding set of conditions and strategies for each factor emerged to form a
      clinical reasoning guideline, which was validated by a second group of experts.
      CONCLUSION: Unpacking the "black box" of the clinical reasoning process has
      yielded a useful clinical reasoning tool that will allow occupational therapists
      to deliver complex interventions with fidelity.

PMID- 26122686
TI  - Improving Quality of Life and Depression After Stroke Through Telerehabilitation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of home-based robot
      assisted rehabilitation coupled with a home exercise program compared with a home
      exercise program alone on depression and quality of life in people after stroke.
      METHOD: A multisite randomized controlled clinical trial was completed with 99
      people<6 mo after stroke who had limited access to formal therapy. Participants
      were randomized into one of two groups, (1) a home exercise program or (2) a
      robot-assisted therapy+home exercise program, and participated in an 8-wk home
      intervention. RESULTS: We observed statistically significant changes in all but
      one domain on the Stroke Impact Scale and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies
      Depression Scale for both groups. CONCLUSION: A robot-assisted intervention
      coupled with a home exercise program and a home exercise program alone
      administered using a telerehabilitation model may be valuable approaches to
      improving quality of life and depression in people after stroke.

PMID- 26122688
TI  - Taking Control: An Exploratory Study of the Use of Tilt-in-Space Wheelchairs in
      Residential Care.
AB  - Tilt-in-space (TIS) wheelchairs are common in residential care, but little
      empirical evidence exists regarding how they are used by residents and staff in
      these settings. As part of a larger study exploring the use of wheeled mobility
      in these facilities, we conducted a substudy to examine how TIS wheelchairs are
      used in practice and to explore the experiences of the residents who use them. We
      conducted a series of three participant observations and interviews with 6
      residents or their family members and interviewed 10 staff. Our analysis
      identified taking control as the main overarching theme, subsuming two subthemes:
      promoting comfort and mobilizing to participate. Findings suggest that power TIS
      wheelchairs enable user control, whereas manual TIS wheelchairs promote staff
      control. These findings illustrate how TIS wheelchairs may enable or inhibit
      occupational engagement and suggest that vigilance is necessary to prevent their
      use as a restraint. 

PMID- 26122689
TI  - Effectiveness of Use of Button-Operated Electronic Devices Among Persons With
      Balint Syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Little is known about how visuospatial deficits affect the use of
      electronic devices operated by pressing spatially interspersed buttons. This
      study aimed to determine whether people with Balint syndrome can effectively use
      such devices. METHOD: We quantified the ability of 7 study participants with
      Balint syndrome to use button-operated electronic devices by measuring the time
      required to input digit sequences into three different types of devices. Control
      groups were 8 participants with amnesia and 8 healthy participants. RESULTS:
      Participants with Balint syndrome took longer to input a digit sequence on all
      three devices than did those in the two control groups. Although we found no
      significant differences with respect to type of device, 2 of 3 participants with
      severe Balint syndrome were able to input one- to five-digit sequences with the
      electronic calculator. CONCLUSION: Distinctive design features might positively
      affect the performance of people with Balint syndrome.

PMID- 26122690
TI  - Test-Retest Reliability of the Child Occupational Self-Assessment (COSA).
AB  - We examined the test-retest reliability of the Child Occupational Self-Assessment
      (COSA). Fifty-two children ages 6-12 yr completed the COSA on two separate
      occasions 7-14 days apart. Participant data were analyzed using intraclass
      correlation coefficients (ICCs). Test-retest reliability was good for total
      Competence and Value scores (ICC2,1=.72-.77) and poor to good across category
      scores (ICC2,1=.44-.78). These findings suggest that the children's perceptions
      of their abilities and the value they placed on their everyday activities as
      reflected in the test items were fairly consistent over a short period of time.

PMID- 26122691
TI  - Interrater Reliability of the Record of Driving Errors (RODE).
AB  - The Record of Driving Errors (RODE) is a novel standardized tool designed to
      quantitatively document the specific types of driving errors that occur during a
      standardized performance-based road test. The purpose of this study was to
      determine interrater reliability between two occupational therapy driver
      rehabilitation specialists who quantitatively scored specific driving errors
      using the RODE in a sample of older adults diagnosed with dementia (n=24).
      Intraclass correlation coefficients of major driving error and intervention
      categories indicated almost perfect agreement between raters. Using raters with
      adequate training and similar professional backgrounds, it is possible to have
      good interrater reliability using the RODE on a standardized road test.

PMID- 26122692
TI  - Transition Needs of Adolescents With Sickle Cell Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article describes how adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD)
      perceive their ability to perform everyday tasks required for transition to adult
      health care and independent living. METHOD: The Adolescent Autonomy Checklist
      (AAC) was adapted to include skills associated with managing SCD (AAC-SCD) and
      was administered to adolescents during clinic visits. Participants indicated "can
      do already" or "needs practice" for 100 activities in 12 categories. RESULTS: Of
      122 patients, the percentage of adolescents who needed practice was greatest in
      living arrangements (38.7%), money management (35.8%), vocational skills (29.6%),
      and health care skills (25.5%). We found a significant effect of age and of
      cerebrovascular injury on the percentage of those who reported "needs practice"
      in multiple categories. We found no effect of gender and limited effect of
      hemoglobin phenotype on any skill category. CONCLUSION: Findings support the need
      for educational intervention to improve transition skills in adolescents with
      SCD.

PMID- 26122693
TI  - Creating Evidence for Practice Using Data-Driven Decision Making.
AB  - To realize the American Occupational Therapy Association's Centennial Vision,
      occupational therapy practitioners must embrace practices that are not only
      evidence based but also systematic, theoretically grounded, and driven by data
      related to outcomes. This article presents a framework, the Data-Driven Decision
      Making (DDDM) process, to guide clinicians' occupational therapy practice using
      systematic clinical reasoning with a focus on data. Examples are provided of DDDM
      in pediatrics and adult rehabilitation to guide practitioners in using data
      driven practices to create evidence for occupational therapy. 

PMID- 26122695
TI  - Disseminated Mycobacterium chelonae Infection Identified by Repeated Skin
      Sampling and Molecular Methods in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

PMID- 26122697
TI  - Current drugs in early development for treating hepatitis C virus-related hepatic
      fibrosis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: More than 100 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis
      C virus (HCV), which is responsible for chronic liver disease accompanied by
      progressive fibrosis of hepatic tissue, often leading to liver cirrhosis. Novel
      therapeutic options are able to clear the virus in almost all diagnosed patients.
      However, even after successful treatment, hepatic fibrosis may persist in many of
      them. There is no registered therapy specific for liver fibrosis, but numerous
      molecules are currently in development. AREAS COVERED: In this review, the
      authors look at drugs in early development for the treatment of HCV-related
      hepatic fibrosis. Their mechanism of action is based on the inhibition of hepatic
      inflammation, the modulation of cellular sources of extracellular matrix (ECM),
      the stimulation of ECM degradation and prevention of collagen crosslinking.
      Importantly, significant antifibrotic effects have been demonstrated with both
      IFN-based and IFN-free anti-HCV regimens. EXPERT OPINION: Successful future
      therapy is likely to be based on sequential administration of drugs leading
      initially to HCV clearance, followed by treatment for the possible reversal of
      liver fibrosis. The primary consideration with clinical trials carried out in
      patients with advanced liver disease is safety. Indeed, the evaluation of anti
      fibrotic therapy depends on reliable noninvasive techniques for quantification of
      liver fibrosis, such as transient or shear-wave elastography or serologic tests
      which are able to replace liver biopsy.

PMID- 26122696
TI  - Plasticity of the developmentally arrested staggerer cerebellum in response to
      exogenous RORalpha.
AB  - Retinoid-related orphan receptor alpha (RORalpha) is a critical master
      transcription factor that governs postnatal cerebellar development. An RORalpha
      deficient cerebellum has a persistent external granular layer (EGL), rudimentary
      Purkinje cell (PC) dendrites, grossly reduced numbers of immature parallel fiber
      (PF)-PC synapses, and multiple climbing fibers (CF) innervating PCs in mice after
      3 weeks of age when these features have disappeared in wild-type mice.
      Functionally, metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)-mediated signaling in PCs
      is completely abrogated. Here we examined whether these defects could be
      corrected by lentivirally providing the RORalpha gene to 3-week-old PCs of
      RORalpha-deficient homozygous staggerer (sg/sg) mice. RORalpha expression in
      sg/sg PCs significantly increased the numbers of PF-PC synapses, spines on PC
      dendritic branchlets, and internal granule cells, concomitant with regression of
      the EGL, suggesting enhanced proliferation in the EGL and migration of post
      mitotic progeny into the internal granular layer with augmented synaptogenesis
      between PFs and PC dendrites. However, the primary dendritic stems were only
      slightly extended, and mGluR signaling and the loss of redundant CF synapses in
      sg/sg PCs remained unrestored. These results suggest that the mitogenic and
      migratory potential of external granule cells in response to RORalpha was
      preserved in the >3-week-old sg/sg mouse cerebellum. Moreover, sg/sg PCs sprouted
      spines and formed synapses with PFs. However, lengthening of the primary
      dendritic stems, establishment of mGluR signaling, and removal of CF synapses in
      sg/sg PCs were regressed by 3 weeks of age.

PMID- 26122698
TI  - Hexacyclic lactam building blocks for highly efficient polymer solar cells.
AB  - Two hexacyclic lactam building blocks, TD1 and TD2, and four D-A copolymers have
      been developed. Compared with thiophene copolymers, selenophene analogues PSeTD1
      and PSeTD2 possess medium optical bandgaps, better packing, higher hole
      mobilities, enhanced EQE, and higher J(sc). Inverted PSeTD2:PC71BM solar cells
      exhibited a decent PCE of 8.18%, which is a record for D-A copolymers using
      selenophene as the donor unit.

PMID- 26122699
TI  - Aortic and Mitral Calcification Is Marker of Significant Carotid and Limb
      Atherosclerosis in Patients with First Acute Coronary Syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease and coronary artery disease is
      frequently associated with peripheral artery disease. As aortic and mitral
      valvular calcification (VC) share some etiopathogenetic mechanisms with
      atherosclerosis, we analyzed the risk profile and the echocardiographic
      characteristics of patients admitted for first acute coronary syndrome (ACS) to
      investigate whether the presence of VC could be a marker of asymptomatic
      hemodynamically significant peripheral atherosclerosis. METHODS: A total of 151
      patients admitted for ACS without previous history of cardiovascular disease were
      consecutively enrolled. The presence of VC was identified by echocardiography; a
      carotid stenosis >=50% by ultrasound identified carotid artery disease (CarAD);
      an ankle-brachial index <=0.9 or >=1.4 identified lower extremity artery disease
      (LEAD). Significant peripheral atherosclerosis was defined by the presence of
      CarAD and/or LEAD. RESULTS: Peripheral atherosclerosis was diagnosed in 82
      (54.3%) patients; isolated CarAD in 24, isolated LEAD in 20, both diseases in 38
      patients. VC was present in 103 (68.2%) patients. By multivariate analysis, age
      (OR = 1.059, 95% CI 1.007-1.113, P = 0.025), diabetes mellitus (OR = 5.068, 95%
      CI 1.480-17.351, P = 0.010), VC (OR = 7.422, 95% CI 2.421-22.880, P < 0.001), and
      multivessel CAD (OR = 3.317, 95% CI 1.281-8.586, P = 0.013) were the only
      independent predictors of having peripheral atherosclerosis. C-statistic for VC
      was not inferior to that obtained by age (0.728, 95% CI 0.649-0.797 vs. 0.800,
      95% CI 0.727-0.861, P = 0.101) and to that obtained by the combination of
      multivessel CAD with diabetes (0.750; 95% CI 0.673-0.817, P = 0.635), and,
      furthermore, it was higher than that obtained by diabetes alone (0.620, 95% CI
      0.538-0.698, P = 0.036). CONCLUSION: Ruling out the presence of significant
      peripheral atherosclerosis should be routinely considered in patients with ACS
      showing VC at echocardiography.

PMID- 26122700
TI  - Length of time spent working on a commercial construction site and the
      associations with worker characteristics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Construction workers move frequently from jobsite to jobsite, yet
      little is documented about length of stay on-site and associations with worker
      characteristics. METHOD: Using cross-sectional data, we investigated associations
      between worker characteristics (including trade and musculoskeletal pain) and
      length of stay on-site (dichotomized as < 1 month, n = 554, and >= 1 month, n =
      435). RESULTS: Approximately, 56% of workers remained on the worksite for at
      least 1 month. Length of stay was significantly associated with workers'
      race/ethnicity, union status, title, trade, and musculoskeletal pain (P-values <
      0.05). Trades associated with longer length of stay included pipefitters and
      plumbers. Trades associated with shorter length of stay included operators and
      piledrivers. Workers with single-location pain had 2.21 times (95%CI: 1.52, 3.19)
      the odds of being short-term versus long-term, adjusting for trade, title, and
      race/ethnicity. CONCLUSION: The length of stay and associated characteristics
      provide important insight into how workers come and go on construction sites and
      the methodological challenges associated with traditional intervention
      evaluations.

PMID- 26122701
TI  - Successful pharmaceutical-grade streptozotocin (STZ)-induced hyperglycemia in a
      conscious tethered baboon (Papio hamadryas) model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-human primate (NHP) diabetic models using chemical ablation of
      beta-cells with STZ have been achieved by several research groups.
      Chemotherapeutic STZ could lead to serious adverse events including
      nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and mortality. METHODS: We implemented a
      comprehensive therapeutic strategy that included the tether system, permanent
      indwelling catheter implants, an aggressive hydration protocol, management for
      pain with IV nubain and anxiety with IV midazolam, moment-by-moment monitoring of
      glucose levels post-STZ administration, and continuous intravenous insulin
      therapy. RESULTS: A triphasic response in blood glucose after STZ administration
      was fully characterized. A dangerous hypoglycemic phase was also detected in all
      baboons. Other significant findings were hyperglycemia associated with low levels
      of plasma leptin, insulin and C-peptide concentrations, hyperglucagonemia, and
      elevated non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: We
      successfully induced frank diabetes by IV administering a single dose of
      pharmaceutical-grade STZ safely and without adverse events in conscious tethered
      baboons.

PMID- 26122702
TI  - Inhibition of microRNA-214 ameliorates hepatic fibrosis and tumor incidence in
      platelet-derived growth factor C transgenic mice.
AB  - Differentially regulated microRNA (miRNA) are associated with hepatic fibrosis;
      however, their potential usefulness for blocking hepatic fibrosis has not been
      exploited fully. We examined the expression of miRNA in the liver of a transgenic
      mouse model in which platelet-derived growth factor C (PDGF-C) is overexpressed
      (Pdgf-c Tg), resulting in hepatic fibrosis and steatosis and the eventual
      development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Robust induction of miR-214
      correlated with fibrogenesis in the liver of Pdgf-c Tg mice, atherogenic high-fat
      diet-induced NASH mice, and patients with chronic hepatitis B or C. Pdgf-c Tg
      mice were injected with locked nucleic acid (LNA)-antimiR-214 via the tail vein
      using Invivofectamine 2.0 and the degree of hepatic fibrosis and tumor incidence
      were evaluated. Pdgf-c Tg mice treated with LNA-antimiR-214 showed a marked
      reduction in fibrosis and tumor incidence compared with saline or LNA-miR-control
      injected control mice. In vitro, LNA-antimiR-214 significantly ameliorated TGF
      beta1-induced pro-fibrotic gene expression in Lx-2 cells. MiR-214 targets a
      negative regulator of EGFR signaling, Mig-6. Mimic-miR-214 decreased the
      expression of Mig-6 and increased the levels of EGF-mediated p-EGFR (Y1173 and
      Y845) and p-Met (Tyr1234/1235) in Huh-7 cells. Conversely, LNA-antimiR-214
      repressed the expression of these genes. In conclusion, miR-214 appears to
      participate in the development of hepatic fibrosis by modulating the EGFR and TGF
      beta signaling pathways. LNA-antimiR-214 is a potential therapy for the
      prevention of hepatic fibrosis.

PMID- 26122703
TI  - Cytokine Responses to Specific Immunotherapy in House Dust Mite-Induced Allergic
      Rhinitis Patients.
AB  - Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only immunomodulatory treatment that may
      alter the natural course of allergic disease. However, cytokine responses
      accompanying sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) responder phenotypes have not been
      fully understood. Herein, we examined the level of crucial plasma cytokines
      during SLIT and evaluated whether their changes correlated to symptom scores. We
      observed that the levels of interleukin (IL)-17 and complement components C3a and
      C5a as well as IL-4 at year 3 of SLIT were significantly decreased than those at
      baseline. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the levels of IL-5,
      IL-13, and interferon (IFN)-gamma. Notably, a significant positive correlation
      was found between the levels of IL-17 and the symptom scores at year 3. These
      results suggest that IL-17 could be considered a potential biomarker for the
      therapeutic effect of SLIT in allergic rhinitis caused by house dust mite. 

PMID- 26122704
TI  - A New VMAT-2 Inhibitor NBI-641449 in the Treatment of Huntington Disease.
AB  - AIMS: To evaluate the effectiveness of a new VMAT-2 inhibitor NBI-641449 in
      controlling hyperkinetic movements of Huntington disease (HD) and to investigate
      its possible therapeutic effects. METHODS: We applied three different doses of
      NBI-641449 (1, 10, 100 mg/kg/day) for 2 weeks in 4-month-old YAC128 mice and wild
      type (WT) mice. Rotarod performance and locomotive activities were tested during
      the administration of the drug. The concentration of dopamine (DA) and its
      metabolites was quantified in the striatal tissues by high-performance liquid
      chromatography (HPLC). Neuron survival in striatum and huntingtin protein
      aggregates were assessed with immunostaining. Expression levels of endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) stress proteins were detected by immunoblotting. RESULTS: Rotarod
      performance was significantly improved after treatment with low or middle dose of
      NBI-641449 in YAC128 mice. Open field test showed that NBI-641449 treatment could
      attenuate the increased horizontal activity (HACTV), total vertical movement,
      moving time, and moving distance in YAC128 mice. High dose of NBI-641449 might
      cause sedative effects in WT and YAC128 mice. HPLC showed that NBI-641449 caused
      a dose-dependent decrease of DA, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, and homovanillic
      acid levels in the striatum. NeuN and DARPP-32 immunostaining revealed that NBI
      641449 had no significant effect on the neuron survival in the striatum. However,
      NBI-641449 treatment reduced the huntingtin protein aggregates in the cortex of
      YAC128 mice. In addition, the levels of ER stress proteins were increased in
      YAC128 mice, which can be suppressed by NBI-641449. CONCLUSIONS: These findings
      suggest that this new VMAT-2 inhibitor NBI-641449 may have therapeutic potential
      for the treatment of HD.

PMID- 26122705
TI  - Digestive physiology, metabolism and methane production of captive Linne's two
      toed sloths (Choloepus didactylus).
AB  - Sloths are renowned for their low metabolic rate, low food intake and low
      defecation frequency. We investigated factors of digestive physiology and energy
      metabolism in four captive individuals (mean body mass 10.0 +/- SD 3.7 kg) of a
      hitherto mostly unstudied sloth species, Linne's two-toed sloth (Choloepus
      didactylus), in a 2-week digestion recording and 23-h respiration experiment on
      animals fed a standard zoo diet of vegetables and starchy components. Dry matter
      intake, defecation frequency and particle mean retention time (MRT) in the
      gastrointestinal tract (GIT) were 12 +/- 3 g/(kg(0.75)  day), once every 5 days
      and >140 h in three individuals, but 53 g/(kg(0.75)  day), daily and 82 h in one
      individual that was apparently compensating for a period of weight loss prior to
      the experiment. In all animals, solute marker was eliminated at a faster rate
      than the particle marker, indicating 'digesta washing' in the sloths' GIT. The
      overall metabolic rate calculated from oxygen consumption matched the
      metabolisable energy intake in three individuals [173 +/- 22 vs. 168 +/- 44
      kJ/(kg(0.75)  day)] but not in the fourth one [225 vs. 698 kJ/(kg(0.75)  day)],
      supporting the interpretation that this animal was replenishing body stores. In
      spite of the low food intake and the low-fibre diet (209 +/- 26 g neutral
      detergent fibre/kg dry matter), methane production was rather high accounting for
      9.4 +/- 0.8% of gross energy intake (2.7% in the fourth individual), which
      exceeded literature data for ruminants on forage-only diets. These results
      corroborate literature reports on low intake, low defecation frequency, low
      metabolic rate and long MRT in other sloth species. The long MRT is probably
      responsible for the comparatively high methane production, providing more
      opportunity for methanogenic archaea than in other non-ruminant mammals to
      produce significant amounts of methane. 

PMID- 26122706
TI  - The calcineurin antagonist RCAN1-4 is induced by exhaustive exercise in rat
      skeletal muscle.
AB  - The aim of this work was to study the regulation of the calcineurin antagonist
      regulator of calcineurin 1 (RCAN1) in rat skeletal muscles after exhaustive
      physical exercise, which is a physiological modulator of oxidative stress. Three
      skeletal muscles, namely extensor digitorum longus (EDL), gastrocnemius, and
      soleus, were investigated. Exhaustive exercise increased RCAN1-4 protein levels
      in EDL and gastrocnemius, but not in soleus. Protein oxidation as an index of
      oxidative stress was increased in EDL and gastrocnemius, but remained unchanged
      in soleus. However, lipid peroxidation was increased in all three muscles.
      CuZnSOD and catalase protein levels were increased at 3 h postexercise in soleus,
      whereas they remained unchanged in EDL and gastrocnemius. Calcineurin enzymatic
      activity declined in EDL and gastrocnemius but not in soleus, and its protein
      expression was decreased in all three muscles. The level of PGC1-alpha protein
      remained unchanged, whereas the protein expression of the transcription factor
      NFATc4 was decreased in all three muscles. Adiponectin expression was increased
      in all three muscles. RCAN1-4 expression in EDL and gastrocnemius muscles was
      augmented by the oxidative stress generated from exhaustive exercise. We propose
      that increased RCAN1-4 expression and the signal transduction pathways it
      regulates represent important components of the physiological adaptation to
      exercise-induced oxidative stress. 

PMID- 26122707
TI  - Monoamine oxidase-A is an important source of oxidative stress and promotes
      cardiac dysfunction, apoptosis, and fibrosis in diabetic cardiomyopathy.
AB  - Oxidative stress is closely associated with the pathophysiology of diabetic
      cardiomyopathy (DCM). The mitochondrial flavoenzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A)
      is an important source of oxidative stress in the myocardium. We sought to
      determine whether MAO-A plays a major role in modulating DCM. Diabetes was
      induced in Wistar rats by single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin
      (STZ). To investigate the role of MAO-A in the development of pathophysiological
      features of DCM, hyperglycemic and age-matched control rats were treated with or
      without the MAO-A-specific inhibitor clorgyline (CLG) at 1 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks.
      Diabetes upregulated MAO-A activity; elevated markers of oxidative stress such as
      cardiac lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase activity, and UCP3 protein
      expression; enhanced apoptotic cell death; and increased fibrosis. All these
      parameters were significantly attenuated by CLG treatment. In addition, treatment
      with CLG substantially prevented diabetes-induced cardiac contractile dysfunction
      as evidenced by decreased QRS, QT, and corrected QT intervals, measured by ECG,
      and LV systolic and LV end-diastolic pressure measured by microtip pressure
      transducer. These beneficial effects of CLG were seen despite the persistent
      hyperglycemic and hyperlipidemic environments in STZ-induced experimental
      diabetes. In summary, this study provides strong evidence that MAO-A is an
      important source of oxidative stress in the heart and that MAO-A-derived reactive
      oxygen species contribute to DCM.

PMID- 26122709
TI  - Correlation of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the pregnancy-associated plasma
      protein-A gene with carotid plaques.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) is abundantly
      expressed in carotid plaques. This study investigated the association between
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of PAPP-A and the presence of carotid
      plaques. METHODS: A total of 408 patients with carotid plaques and 493 controls
      were included in the study. All subjects were Southern Chinese Han. Carotid
      plaques were analyzed by computer tomography angiography. PAPP-A SNPs were
      identified by ligase detection reaction-polymerase chain reaction analysis. The
      PAPP-A genotypes rs3747823, rs7020782, and rs13290387 were analyzed. RESULTS: The
      rs7020782 C allele genotype correlated with an increased risk of developing
      carotid plaques under the dominant, recessive, and additive models (adjusted odds
      ratios: 2.60, 2.36, and 3.48, respectively; P <= 0.001). Only C allele-carrying
      genotypes correlated with a significantly increased risk of carotid plaque based
      on studies stratified by age and sex under the dominant model. rs7020782 remained
      significantly associated with the risk of carotid plaque calcification after
      adjusting for age and potential confounders (adjusted odds ratio, 1.89; 95 %
      confidence interval, 1.17-3.08; P = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS: This study found, for
      the first time, that the A?C variation of rs7020782 might be an independent risk
      factor for carotid plaque development and calcification. The determination of
      such genotypes could provide a new tool for identifying individuals at high risk
      for carotid atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26122711
TI  - Evaluation of effect of body mass index and weight loss on survival of patients
      with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies report body-mass index (BMI) and percent weight loss
      (WL) to have prognostic significance when treating patients with nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma (NPC). However, most of these investigations studied patients treated
      using different radiotherapeutic techniques. We evaluated the predictive effect
      of these two nutrition-related measurements on therapeutic outcome in NPC
      patients who only received intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) as part
      of their total treatment program. METHODS: We retrospectively studied NPC
      patients treated with IMRT from January 2006 to February 2012. Cox proportional
      hazards was used to test the association of pretreatment BMI (<23 kg/m(2) vs.
      >=23 kg/m(2)) and percent weight loss (>=5 % vs. <5 %) during therapy and related
      survival rates while controlling for various potential confounders. RESULTS:
      Eighty-one (34 %) of the 238 patients had BMIs >=23 kg/m(2) at pretreatment and
      150 (63 %) had significant (>=5 %) weight loss. Median follow-up time was 41.71
      months; median radiotherapy was 7.46 +/- 0.77 weeks. Those with BMIs >=23 kg/m(2)
      did not have a better 3-year overall survival (p = 0.672), 3-year disease
      specific survival (p = 0.341), 3-year locoregional free survival (p = 0.281), or
      3-year distant metastatic free survival (p = 0.134). Those with significant WL
      (>=5 %) did not have worse 3-year clinical endpoints, even after stratifying
      magnitude of weight loss by BMI category. In sensitivity test, the adjusted
      hazard ratio remained statistically insignificant using different cutoffs for
      BMIs and percent weight loss. CONCLUSIONS: This study found no significant
      relationship between BMI and percent weight loss on survival of NPC patients
      receiving IMRT based therapy. Further studies might want to consider other
      nutrition related factors as prognostic indicators when studying the correlate
      between malnutrition and survival in this population.

PMID- 26122710
TI  - Sensorimotor and cognitive factors associated with the age-related increase of
      visual field dependence: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - Reliance on the visual frame of reference for spatial orientation (or visual
      field dependence) has been reported to increase with age. This has implications
      on old adults' daily living tasks as it affects stability, attention, and
      adaptation capacities. However, the nature and underlying mechanisms of this
      increase are not well defined. We investigated sensorimotor and cognitive factors
      possibly associated with increased visual field dependence in old age, by
      considering functions that are both known to degrade with age and important for
      spatial orientation and sensorimotor control: reliance on the (somatosensory
      based) egocentric frame of reference, visual fixation stability, and attentional
      processing of complex visual scenes (useful field of view, UFOV). Twenty young,
      18 middle-aged, and 20 old adults completed a visual examination, three tests of
      visual field dependence (RFT, RDT, and GEFT), a test of egocentric dependence
      (subjective vertical estimation with the body erect and tilted at 70 degrees ), a
      visual fixation task, and a test of visual attentional processing (UFOV(r)).
      Increased visual field dependence with age was associated with reduced egocentric
      dependence, visual fixation stability, and visual attentional processing. In
      addition, visual fixation instability and reduced UFOV were correlated. Results
      of middle-aged adults fell between those of the young and old, revealing the
      progressive nature of the age effects we evaluated. We discuss results in terms
      of reference frame selection with respect to ageing as well as visual and non
      visual information processing. Inter-individual differences amongst old adults
      are highlighted and discussed with respect to the functionality of increased
      visual field dependence. 

PMID- 26122713
TI  - Current surgical standards of care in Wilms tumor.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wilms tumor (WT) is the second most common abdominal tumor in
      children. METHODS: This chapter discusses surgical considerations for the
      management of unilateral and bilateral WT. RESULTS: Currently, survival exceeds
      90%, owing to multicenter studies under the auspices of the Children's Oncology
      Group and Societe Internationale d'Oncologie Pediatrique. Surgical excision
      remains the mainstay of oncologic control and is also crucial for proper staging
      of disease in order to direct adjuvant therapy and limit treatment-related
      morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Careful attention must be paid to proper disease staging,
      upfront and adjuvant therapy, and surgical technique in order to optimize
      oncologic outcomes while minimizing short- and long-term morbidity.

PMID- 26122714
TI  - Assessing the clinical benefit of a nomogram to predict specimen-confined disease
      at radical prostatectomy in patients with high-risk prostate cancer: An external
      validation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of the current study was to test generalizability and
      clinical value of a recently published nomogram to predict specimen-confined
      disease (SCD, pT2-pT3a+R0+pN0) at radical prostatectomy (RP) in patients with
      clinical high-risk prostate cancer (HRPCa). The nomogram allows improved decision
      making with curative intent within this heterogeneous patient cohort, which is
      important, as RP in patients with clinical HRPCa remains a topic of controversy.
      METHODS: We externally validated the nomogram in 1,669 men with clinical HRPCa
      who underwent RP and extended pelvic lymph node dissection between 1992 and 2011.
      A Kaplan-Meier analysis to estimate 5- and 10-year biochemical recurrence-free
      survival was performed. To investigate the SCD model's performance, the
      previously reported regression coefficients of the SCD nomogram were applied.
      Within loess calibration plots, the extent of overestimation or underestimation
      was graphically explored. Finally, decision curve analysis (DCA) to assess the
      clinical value of the SCD nomogram was performed. RESULTS: Overall, 49% of men
      showed SCD after RP. The 5- and 10-year biochemical recurrence rates for men with
      SCD were 66% and 56%, respectively, vs. 32% and 20%, respectively, for men
      without SCD (log-rank test P<0.001). External validation demonstrated comparable
      accuracy in relation to accuracy derived from internal validation (68.1% vs.
      72.0%). Calibration was suboptimal, showing a tendency to underestimate SCD
      probability. In DCA, the nomogram's usage was associated with a clinical net
      benefit relative to both treating all and none. CONCLUSIONS: Within our cohort,
      the nomogram's use was associated with a clinical net benefit according to DCA.
      However, one-third of men were falsely classified as having SCD or non-SCD.
      Nevertheless, in the absence of superior tools, the SCD nomogram represents a
      useful clinical decision aid.

PMID- 26122712
TI  - Neoadjuvant chemotherapy administration and time to cystectomy for muscle
      invasive bladder cancer: An evaluation of transitions between academic and
      community settings.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) before radical cystectomy is the
      standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Many patients are
      referred to an academic medical center (AMC) for cystectomy but receive NAC in
      the community setting. This study examines if administration of NAC in the
      community is associated with differences in type of NAC received, pathologic
      response rate (pT0), and time to cystectomy as compared to NAC administered at an
      AMC. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of patients with MIBC (cT2a-T4
      Nx-M0) referred to a single AMC between 1/2012 and 1/2014 who received NAC. We
      analyzed chemotherapy received, time to cystectomy, pT0, and survival in patients
      who received NAC in our AMC compared to those treated in the community. RESULTS:
      In all, 47 patients were analyzed. A similar total dose of cisplatin (median: 280
      mg/m(2) for both groups, P = 0.82) and pT0 rate (25% vs. 29%, P = 0.72) were seen
      in patients treated in our AMC and the community. However, administration of NAC
      in the community was associated with a prolonged time to cystectomy compared with
      that in our AMC (median number of days 162 vs. 128, P<0.01). This remained
      significant after adjusting for stage, comorbidity status, and distance to the
      AMC (P = 0.02). Disease-free survival and overall survival did not differ.
      CONCLUSION: Patients with MIBC treated with NAC in the community as compared to
      an AMC received similar chemotherapy and achieved comparable pT0 rates,
      indicating effective implementation of NAC in the community. However, NAC in the
      community was associated with longer time to cystectomy, suggesting a delay in
      the transition of care between settings.

PMID- 26122717
TI  - Effect of mesenchymal stromal cells for articular cartilage degeneration
      treatment: a meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AIMS: Articular cartilage is an avascular tissue that has limited
      capacity for self-repair. Mesenchymal stromal cells have been considered as
      potential candidates for cartilage regeneration. However, clinical results of
      cartilage formation with the use of these cells need evaluation. We aimed to
      assess the effect of mesenchymal stromal cell treatment on articular cartilage
      defects. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of
      Controlled Trials with key words including "cartilage," "clinical trial,"
      "mesenchymal," "stromal" and "stem cell" up to December 3, 2014. We selected the
      controlled trial that used treatment with mesenchymal stromal cells on cartilage
      injury compared with other treatment. We assessed the results of the meta
      analysis by means of the error matrix approach. The outcome measures were ranked
      as comprehensive evaluation index, highest relevance; unilateral evaluation
      index, medial relevance; and single evaluation index, lowest relevance. RESULTS:
      Eleven trials assessing 558 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Stem
      cell treatment significantly improved the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle
      Society Scale (Standard Mean Difference, SMD, 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI],
      0.52 to 1.29). The Osteo-Arthritis Outcome Score was also significantly improved
      in stem cell treatment (SMD, 2.81; 95% CI, 2.02 to 3.60). Other comprehensive
      evaluation indexes, such as the American Knee Society Knee Score System (SMD 
      0.12, 95% CI, -1.02 to 0.78), the Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Rating Scale
      (SMD, 0.24, 95% CI, -0.56 to 1.05) and the International Knee Documentation
      Committee (SMD, -0.21; 95% CI, -0.77 to 0.34), appeared to have no significant
      differences by use of stem cell and other treatments. Overall, there was no
      obvious advantage regarding the application of stem cells to treat cartilage
      injury, compared with other treatments. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, assessment of
      the comprehensive evaluation index indicated that there were no significant
      differences after stem cell treatment. However, assessment of clinical symptoms
      and cartilage morphology showed significant improvement after stem cell
      treatment.

PMID- 26122719
TI  - Eosinophilia associated with disease exacerbations in a patient with
      pyostomatitis vegetans.

PMID- 26122708
TI  - Mechanisms of activation of the transcription factor Nrf2 by redox stressors,
      nutrient cues, and energy status and the pathways through which it attenuates
      degenerative disease.
AB  - Nuclear factor-erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2) regulates the basal and
      stress-inducible expression of a battery of genes encoding key components of the
      glutathione-based and thioredoxin-based antioxidant systems, as well as aldo-keto
      reductase, glutathione S-transferase, and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase-1 drug
      metabolizing isoenzymes along with multidrug-resistance-associated efflux pumps.
      It therefore plays a pivotal role in both intrinsic resistance and cellular
      adaptation to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and xenobiotics. Activation of Nrf2
      can, however, serve as a double-edged sword because some of the genes it induces
      may contribute to chemical carcinogenesis by promoting futile redox cycling of
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites or confer resistance to
      chemotherapeutic drugs by increasing the expression of efflux pumps, suggesting
      its cytoprotective effects will vary in a context-specific fashion. In addition
      to cytoprotection, Nrf2 also controls genes involved in intermediary metabolism,
      positively regulating those involved in NADPH generation, purine biosynthesis,
      and the beta-oxidation of fatty acids, while suppressing those involved in
      lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis. Nrf2 is subject to regulation at multiple
      levels. Its ability to orchestrate adaptation to oxidants and electrophiles is
      due principally to stress-stimulated modification of thiols within one of its
      repressors, the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), which is present in
      the cullin-3 RING ubiquitin ligase (CRL) complex CRLKeap1. Thus modification of
      Cys residues in Keap1 blocks CRLKeap1 activity, allowing newly translated Nrf2 to
      accumulate rapidly and induce its target genes. The ability of Keap1 to repress
      Nrf2 can be attenuated by p62/sequestosome-1 in a mechanistic target of rapamycin
      complex 1 (mTORC1)-dependent manner, thereby allowing refeeding after fasting to
      increase Nrf2-target gene expression. In parallel with repression by Keap1, Nrf2
      is also repressed by beta-transducin repeat-containing protein (beta-TrCP),
      present in the Skp1-cullin-1-F-box protein (SCF) ubiquitin ligase complex SCFbeta
      TrCP. The ability of SCFbeta-TrCP to suppress Nrf2 activity is itself enhanced by
      prior phosphorylation of the transcription factor by glycogen synthase kinase-3
      (GSK-3) through formation of a DSGIS-containing phosphodegron. However, formation
      of the phosphodegron in Nrf2 by GSK-3 is inhibited by stimuli that activate
      protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt. In particular, PKB/Akt activity can be increased by
      phosphoinositide 3-kinase and mTORC2, thereby providing an explanation of why
      antioxidant-responsive element-driven genes are induced by growth factors and
      nutrients. Thus Nrf2 activity is tightly controlled via CRLKeap1 and SCFbeta-TrCP
      by oxidative stress and energy-based signals, allowing it to mediate adaptive
      responses that restore redox homeostasis and modulate intermediary metabolism.
      Based on the fact that Nrf2 influences multiple biochemical pathways in both
      positive and negative ways, it is likely its dose-response curve, in terms of
      susceptibility to certain degenerative disease, is U-shaped. Specifically, too
      little Nrf2 activity will lead to loss of cytoprotection, diminished antioxidant
      capacity, and lowered beta-oxidation of fatty acids, while conversely also
      exhibiting heightened sensitivity to ROS-based signaling that involves receptor
      tyrosine kinases and apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-1. By contrast, too much
      Nrf2 activity disturbs the homeostatic balance in favor of reduction, and so may
      have deleterious consequences including overproduction of reduced glutathione and
      NADPH, the blunting of ROS-based signal transduction, epithelial cell
      hyperplasia, and failure of certain cell types to differentiate correctly. We
      discuss the basis of a putative U-shaped Nrf2 dose-response curve in terms of
      potentially competing processes relevant to different stages of tumorigenesis.

PMID- 26122718
TI  - Mutations in KCNT1 cause a spectrum of focal epilepsies.
AB  - Autosomal dominant mutations in the sodium-gated potassium channel subunit gene
      KCNT1 have been associated with two distinct seizure syndromes, nocturnal frontal
      lobe epilepsy (NFLE) and malignant migrating focal seizures of infancy (MMFSI).
      To further explore the phenotypic spectrum associated with KCNT1, we examined
      individuals affected with focal epilepsy or an epileptic encephalopathy for
      mutations in the gene. We identified KCNT1 mutations in 12 previously unreported
      patients with focal epilepsy, multifocal epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, and in a
      family with sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), in addition to patients
      with NFLE and MMFSI. In contrast to the 100% penetrance so far reported for KCNT1
      mutations, we observed incomplete penetrance. It is notable that we report that
      the one KCNT1 mutation, p.Arg398Gln, can lead to either of the two distinct
      phenotypes, ADNFLE or MMFSI, even within the same family. This indicates that
      genotype-phenotype relationships for KCNT1 mutations are not straightforward. We
      demonstrate that KCNT1 mutations are highly pleiotropic and are associated with
      phenotypes other than ADNFLE and MMFSI. KCNT1 mutations are now associated with
      Ohtahara syndrome, MMFSI, and nocturnal focal epilepsy. They may also be
      associated with multifocal epilepsy and cardiac disturbances. 

PMID- 26122720
TI  - Effects of Anthropogenic Pollution on the Oxidative Phosphorylation Pathway of
      Hepatocytes from Natural Populations of Fundulus heteroclitus.
AB  - Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), potentially target mitochondria and
      cause toxicity. We compared the effects of POPs on mitochondrial respiration by
      measuring oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) metabolism in hepatocytes isolated
      from lab-depurated Fundulus heteroclitus from a Superfund site contaminated with
      PAHs (Elizabeth River VA, USA) relative to OxPhos metabolism in individuals from
      a relatively clean, reference population (King's Creek VA, USA). In individuals
      from the polluted Elizabeth River population, OxPhos metabolism displayed lower
      LEAK and lower activities in complex III, complex IV, and E State, but higher
      activity in complex I compared to individuals from the reference King's Creek
      population. To test the supposition that these differences were due to or related
      to the chronic PAH contamination history of the Elizabeth River population, we
      compared the OxPhos functions of undosed individuals from the polluted and
      reference populations to individuals from these populations dosed with a PAH
      {benzo [alpha] pyrene (BaP)} or a PCB {PCB126 (3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl)},
      respectively. Exposure to PAH or PCB affected OxPhos in the reference King's
      Creek population but had no detectable effects on the polluted Elizabeth River
      population. Thus, PAH exposure significantly increased LEAK, and exposure to
      PCB126 significantly decreased State 3, E state and complex I activity in the
      reference King's Creek population. These data strongly implicate an evolved
      tolerance in the Elizabeth River fish where dosed fish are not affected by PAH
      exposure and undosed fish show decreased LEAK and increased State 3 and E state. 

PMID- 26122721
TI  - Video-tracking of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a biological early warning system
      using two distinct artificial neural networks: Probabilistic neural network (PNN)
      and self-organizing map (SOM).
AB  - Biological early warning systems (BEWS) are becoming very important tools in
      ecotoxicological studies because they can detect changes in the behavior of
      organisms exposed to toxic substances. In this work, a video tracking system was
      fully developed to detect the presence of commercial bleach (NaOCl) in water in
      three different concentrations (0.0005%; 0.0010% and 0.0020% (v/v)) during one
      hour of exposure. Zebrafish was selected as the test organism because it is
      widely used in many different areas and studies. Two distinct statistical models
      were developed, using probabilistic neural network (PNN) and correspondence
      analysis associated with self-organizing map (SOM-CA). The diagnosis was based
      only in the analysis of a few behavioral components of the fish, namely: mean
      angular velocity, mean linear velocity, spatial dispersion, mean value of the X
      coordinate and mean value of the Y coordinate. Both models showed good results in
      their diagnosis capabilities. However, the overall performance (accuracy) was
      always superior in the PNN model. The worst result was with the SOM-CA model, at
      the lowest concentration (0.0005% v/v), achieving only 65% of correct diagnosis.
      The best result was with the PNN model, at the highest concentration (0.0020%
      v/v), achieving 94% of correct diagnosis. 

PMID- 26122723
TI  - Increasing quality and quantity of student placements in smaller rural health
      services: It can be done.
AB  - PROBLEM: Future rural nursing and midwifery workforce shortage and current
      shortage of placements for undergraduate nursing and midwifery students. DESIGN:
      Developmental evaluation. SETTING: Five small hospitals and a regional community
      health service. KEY MEASURES OF IMPROVEMENT: Increased number of placements
      available for students; sustainable, quality clinical placement system in place
      for the future. STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE: Clinical facilitators developed a clinical
      facilitation model and resources that increased quality and quantity of student
      placements, assisted clinicians to provide higher quality teaching to students,
      enabled students to develop skills in rural health care service provision and
      enhanced knowledge around future career options. EFFECTS OF CHANGE: Placement
      targets were met and all health services involved chose to continue the model of
      clinical facilitation developed after project funding ceased. The clinical
      education skills developed by staff under the project remain in the region to
      support future students. LESSONS LEARNT: It is possible to create a sustainable,
      high-quality, rural placement experience for larger numbers of nursing and
      midwifery students. Funding sources are available to continue the clinical
      facilitation model in to the future, but for it to work optimally, a steady
      supply of students across the year is required.

PMID- 26122724
TI  - Classification of occupational activity categories using accelerometry: NHANES
      2003-2004.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An individual's occupational activity (OA) may contribute
      significantly to daily physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB).
      However, there is little consensus about which occupational categories involve
      high OA or low OA, and the majority of categories are unclassifiable with current
      methods. The purpose of this study was to present population estimates of
      accelerometer-derived PA and SB variables for adults (n = 1112, 20-60 years)
      working the 40 occupational categories collected during the 2003-2004 National
      Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). METHODS: ActiGraph
      accelerometer-derived total activity counts/day (TAC), activity counts/minute,
      and proportion of wear time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA [MVPA], lifestyle,
      and light PA organized by occupational category were ranked in ascending order
      and SB was ranked in descending order. Summing the ranks of the six accelerometer
      derived variables generated a summary score for each occupational category, which
      was re-ranked in ascending order. Higher rankings indicated higher levels of OA,
      lower rankings indicated lower levels of OA. Tertiles of the summary score were
      used to establish three mutually exclusive accelerometer-determined OA groupings:
      high OA, intermediate OA, and low OA. RESULTS: According to their summary score,
      'farm and nursery workers' were classified as high OA and 'secretaries,
      stenographers, and typists' were classified as low OA. Consistent with previous
      research, some low OA occupational categories (e.g., 'engineers, architects, and
      scientists', 'technicians and related support occupations', 'management related
      occupations', 'executives, administrators, and managers', 'protective services',
      and 'writers, artists, entertainers, and athletes') associated with higher
      education and income had relatively greater amounts of MVPA compared to other low
      OA occupational categories, likely due to the greater percentage of men in those
      occupations and/or the influence of higher levels of leisure time PA. Men had
      more TAC, activity counts/minute and time in MVPA, but similar proportions of SB
      compared to women in all three OA groupings. CONCLUSIONS: Objectively measured PA
      allowed for a more precise estimate of the amount of PA and SB associated with
      different occupations and facilitated systematic classification of the 40
      different occupational categories into three distinct OA groupings. This
      information provides new opportunities to explore the relationship between OA and
      health outcomes.

PMID- 26122725
TI  - Informing the public health management of typhoid and paratyphoid: the Australian
      context.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine outcomes of public health management of notified enteric
      fever cases in South-East Queensland over the past five years. METHODS:
      Notification records of typhoid and paratyphoid infection in South-East
      Queensland 2008-2012 (inclusive) were reviewed to determine likelihood of cases
      and contacts adhering to present or previous recommendations for faecal
      clearance/screening, duration of infectiousness of cases and extent of local
      transmission to contacts. RESULTS: Sixty-nine of 85 cases and 218 of 265 contacts
      submitted at least one faecal specimen. Cases were 2.7 (95%CI 1.2-6.0) and
      contacts were 4.4 (95%CI 3.0-6.4) times more likely to complete recommended
      faecal clearance/screening under previous compared to present guidelines
      (requiring more specimens). In ten cases with positive post-treatment specimens,
      last recorded infectiousness was 19 days to six months after notification. The
      documented rate of local transmission of infection was 18/1,000 contacts
      submitting at least one faecal specimen (95%CI 6-48/1,000). CONCLUSIONS: Local
      transmission risk of enteric fever in South-East Queensland is low, although
      small numbers of cases may have prolonged bacilli excretion post-treatment. More
      complex clearance/screening regimens are associated with decreased compliance.
      IMPLICATIONS: Pursuing extensive faecal clearance/screening regimens is unlikely
      to be effective in terms of public health management of enteric fever in South
      East Queensland. We suggest a unified national approach focussing on
      cases/contacts at high risk of disease transmission.

PMID- 26122726
TI  - Comparison of EP2006, a filgrastim biosimilar, to the reference: a phase III,
      randomized, double-blind clinical study in the prevention of severe neutropenia
      in patients with breast cancer receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Biosimilars of filgrastim are in widespread clinical use in Europe.
      This phase III study compares biosimilar filgrastim (EP2006), with the US
      licensed reference product, Neupogen((r)), in breast cancer patients receiving
      (neo)adjuvant myelosuppressive chemotherapy (TAC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total
      of 218 patients receiving 5 ug/kg/day filgrastim over six chemotherapy cycles
      were randomized 1:1:1:1 into four arms. Two arms received only one product
      (nonalternating), biosimilar or reference, and two arms (alternating) received
      alternating treatments during each cycle (biosimilar then reference or vice
      versa). The primary end point was duration of severe neutropenia (DSN) during
      cycle 1. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics were balanced between the four
      treatment arms. Noninferiority of biosimilar versus the reference was
      demonstrated: DSN (days) in cycle 1 was 1.17 +/- 1.11 (biosimilar, N = 101) and
      1.20 +/- 1.02 (reference, N = 103), 97.5% confidence interval lower boundary for
      the difference was -0.26 days (above the predefined limit of -1 day). No
      clinically meaningful differences were observed regarding any other efficacy
      parameter: incidence of febrile neutropenia (FN); hospitalization due to FN;
      incidence of infections; depth and time of absolute neutrophil count (ANC) nadir
      and time to ANC recovery during cycle 1 and across all cycles. The pattern and
      frequency of adverse events were similar across all treatments. CONCLUSION: This
      study demonstrates that biosimilar and the reference filgrastim are similar with
      no clinically meaningful differences regarding efficacy and safety in prevention
      of severe neutropenia. Biosimilar filgrastim could represent an important
      alternative to the reference product, potentially benefiting public health by
      increasing access to filgrastim treatment. STUDY NUMBER: NCT01519700.

PMID- 26122727
TI  - Should de-escalation of bone-targeting agents be standard of care for patients
      with bone metastases from breast cancer? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: De-escalation of bone-targeted agents, such as bisphosphonates and
      denosumab, from 4- to 12-weekly dosing is an increasingly used strategy in
      patients with bone metastases from breast cancer. It is unclear whether there is
      sufficient evidence to support de-escalation as a standard of care. METHODS: A
      systematic review of randomized trials comparing standard 4-weekly administration
      of bone-targeted agents with de-escalated (Q12-weekly) dosing in breast cancer
      patients was carried out. Medline, PubMed and the Cochrane Register of Controlled
      Trials were searched from inception until November 2014 for relevant studies.
      Outcomes of interest included skeletal-related event (SRE) rates, bone pain,
      adverse events (AEs) and bone turnover biomarkers. Random-effects meta-analyses
      were carried out. RESULTS: A total of nine citations representing seven unique
      studies were eligible. One study is ongoing with no reported data. Six studies
      reported data for at least one outcome of interest. Data were available comparing
      standard versus de-escalated therapy for pamidronate (1 study, 38 patients),
      zoledronate (3 studies, 1117 patients) and denosumab (2 studies, 284 patients).
      Meta-analysis of five trials reporting data for on-study SRE rates between
      standard (61/443 patients) and de-escalated (49/392 patients) arms produced a
      summary risk ratio of 0.90 (95% confidence interval 0.63-1.29). Meta-analyses of
      data for AEs and bone turnover biomarkers also showed no statistically
      significant differences between standard and de-escalated arms, though only
      limited numbers of patients and events were present for most analyses.
      CONCLUSION: In this systematic review of studies of bisphosphonates and
      denosumab, there appears to be no difference in SREs or pain with de-escalated
      therapy. While a large, hopefully definitive study is ongoing, the data presented
      so far are consistent with de-escalation of bone-targeting agents becoming a
      standard of care for patients with bone metastases from breast cancer.

PMID- 26122728
TI  - Nanodomained Nickel Unite Nanocrystal Strength with Coarse-Grain Ductility.
AB  - Conventional metals are routinely hardened by grain refinement or by cold working
      with the expense of their ductility. Recent nanostructuring strategies have
      attempted to evade this strength versus ductility trade-off, but the paradox
      persists. It has never been possible to combine the strength reachable in
      nanocrystalline metals with the large uniform tensile elongation characteristic
      of coarse-grained metals. Here a defect engineering strategy on the nanoscale is
      architected to approach this ultimate combination. For Nickel, spread-out
      nanoscale domains (average 7 nm in diameter) were produced during
      electrodeposition, occupying only ~2.4% of the total volume. Yet the resulting Ni
      achieves a yield strength approaching 1.3 GPa, on par with the strength for
      nanocrystalline Ni with uniform grains. Simultaneously, the material exhibits a
      uniform elongation as large as ~30%, at the same level of ductile face-centered
      cubic metals. Electron microscopy observations and molecular dynamics simulations
      demonstrate that the nanoscale domains effectively block dislocations, akin to
      the role of precipitates for Orowan hardening. In the meantime, the abundant
      domain boundaries provide dislocation sources and trapping sites of running
      dislocations for dislocation multiplication, and the ample space in the grain
      interior allows dislocation storage; a pronounced strain-hardening rate is
      therefore sustained to enable large uniform elongation. 

PMID- 26122729
TI  - Renal fibrosis: Kidney-specific deletion of Lkb1 perturbs intracellular
      metabolism and induces severe renal fibrosis.

PMID- 26122730
TI  - IgG4-related disease and the kidney.
AB  - IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic fibroinflammatory condition that
      involves almost every organ system. In this Review, we summarize current
      knowledge of IgG4-RD and its most frequent manifestations in the kidney-IgG4
      related tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) and membranous glomerulonephropathy
      (MGN). Diagnosis of IgG4-RD relies on histopathology: the typical features are a
      dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate and storiform fibrosis. A high percentage of
      plasma cells observed within lesions stain positively for IgG4. IgG4-related TIN
      bears the hallmark pathological findings of IgG4-RD; distinctive radiographic
      characteristics are also frequently observed with use of contrast-enhanced CT.
      MGN secondary to IgG4-RD seems to be distinct from idiopathic MGN. Humoral and
      cell-mediated immunity seem to have roles in the pathophysiology of IgG4-RD, but
      the details of these roles remain unclear. The IgG4 molecule itself is unlikely
      to be the primary driver of inflammation; rather, it probably downregulates the
      immune response. Fibrosis might be caused by activation of innate immune cells by
      polarized CD4(+) T cells. Glucocorticoids are the standard initial treatment for
      IgG4-RD, but their long-term adverse effects and the high frequency of relapse
      and renal damage associated with use of this treatment has prompted a search for
      more effective options. B-cell depletion and the targeting of plasmablasts are
      both promising approaches.

PMID- 26122731
TI  - Acute kidney injury: Steroids for prevention of AKI after cardiopulmonary bypass.

PMID- 26122732
TI  - Hypertension: A new therapeutic strategy for PAH.

PMID- 26122733
TI  - Synthesis, characterization and biocompatibility of silver nanoparticles
      synthesized from Nigella sativa leaf extract in comparison with chemical silver
      nanoparticles.
AB  - Despite the development potential in the field of nanotechnology, there is a
      concern about possible effects of nanoparticles on the environment and human
      health. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized by 'green'
      and 'chemical' methods. In the wet-chemistry method, sodium borohydrate, sodium
      citrate and silver nitrate were used as raw materials. Leaf extract of Nigella
      sativa was used as reducing as well as capping agent to reduce silver nitrate in
      the green synthesis method. In addition, toxic responses of both synthesized
      AgNPs were monitored on bone-building stem cells of mice as well as seed
      germination and seedling growth of six different plants (Lolium, wheat, bean and
      common vetch, lettuce and canola). In both synthesis methods, the colorless
      reaction mixtures turned brown and UV-visible spectra confirmed the presence of
      silver nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations revealed
      the predominance of silver nanosized crystallites and fourier transform infra-red
      spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated the role of different functional groups in the
      synthetic process. MTT assay showed cell viability of bone-building stem cells of
      mice was further in the green AgNPs synthesized using black cumin extract than
      chemical AgNPs. IC50 (inhibitory concentrations) values for seed germination,
      root and shoot length for 6 plants in green AgNPs exposures were higher than the
      chemical AgNPs. These results suggest that cytotoxicity and phytotoxicity of the
      green synthesized AgNPs were significantly less than wet-chemistry synthesized
      ones. This study indicated an economical, simple and efficient ecofriendly
      technique using leaves of N. sativa for synthesis of AgNPs and confirmed that
      green AgNPs are safer than chemically-synthesized AgNPs. 

PMID- 26122734
TI  - Biodegradation of multiple microcystins and cylindrospermopsin in clarifier
      sludge and a drinking water source: Effects of particulate attached bacteria and
      phycocyanin.
AB  - The effects of particulate attached bacteria (PAB) and phycocyanin on the
      simultaneous biodegradation of a mixture of microcystin-LR, YR, LY, LW, LF and
      cylindrospermopsin (CYN) was assessed in clarifier sludge of a drinking water
      treatment plant (DWTP) and in a drinking water source. The biomass from lake
      water and clarifier sludge was able to degrade all microcystins (MCs) at initial
      concentrations of 10ugL(-1) with pseudo-first order reaction half-lives ranging
      from 2.3 to 8.8 days. CYN was degraded only in the sludge with a biodegradation
      rate of 1.0*10(-1)d(-1) and a half-life of 6.0 days. This is the first study
      reporting multiple MCs and CYN biodegradation in the coagulation-flocculation
      sludge of a DWTP. The removal of PAB from the lake water and the sludge prolonged
      the lag time substantially, such that no biodegradation of MCLY, LW and LF was
      observed within 24 days. Biodegradation rates were shown to increase in the
      presence of C-phycocyanin as a supplementary carbon source for indigenous
      bacteria, a cyanobacterial product that accompanies cyanotoxins during
      cyanobacteria blooms. MCs in mixtures degraded more slowly (or not at all) than
      if they were degraded individually, an important outcome as MCs in the
      environment are often present in mixtures. The results from this study showed
      that the majority of the bacterial biomass responsible for the biodegradation of
      cyanotoxins is associated with particles or biological flocs and there is a
      potential for extreme accumulation of cyanotoxins within the DWTP during a
      transient bloom. 

PMID- 26122735
TI  - Aquatic risk assessment of a novel strobilurin fungicide: A microcosm study
      compared with the species sensitivity distribution approach.
AB  - The ecotoxicological effects of pyraoxystrobin, a novel strobilurin fungicide,
      were studied using outdoor freshwater microcosms and the species sensitivity
      distribution approach. The microcosms were treated with pyraoxystrobin at
      concentrations of 0, 1.0, 3.0, 10, 30 and 100ug/L. Species sensitivity
      distribution (SSD) curves were constructed by means of acute toxicity data using
      the BurrliOZ model for fourteen representatives of sensitive invertebrates, algae
      and fish and eleven taxa of invertebrates and algae, respectively. The responses
      of zooplankton, phytoplankton and physical and chemical endpoints in microcosms
      were studied. Zooplankton, especially Sinodiaptomus sarsi was the most sensitive
      to pyraoxystrobin exposure in the microcosms. Short-term toxic effects (<8 weeks)
      on zooplankton occurred in 1ug/L treatment group. The duration of toxic effects
      on S. sarsi could not be evaluated within the initial 56 days. Significant long
      term toxic effects were observed at 10, 30 and 100ug/L (>281 days) for S. sarsi
      and the zooplankton community. Based on the results obtained from the organisms
      in the microcosm system, 1ug/L was recommended as the NOEAEC (no observed
      ecologically adverse effect concentration). Also, 0.33ug/L was derived as the
      Regulatory Acceptable Concentration based on the ecological recovery option (ERO
      RAC) of pyraoxystrobin. For all fourteen tested species, the median HC5
      (hazardous concentration affecting 5% of species) was 0.86ug/L, and the lower
      limit HC5 (LL-HC5) was 0.39ug/L. For the eleven taxa of invertebrates and algae
      tested, the median HC5 was 1.1ug/L, and the LL-HC5 was 0.26ug/L. The present
      study positively contributes to the suggestion of adequately using acute L(E)C50
      based HC5/ LL-HC5 for deriving protective concentrations for strobilurin
      fungicides, and it should be valuable for full comprehension of the potential
      toxicity of pyraoxystrobin in aquatic ecosystems. 

PMID- 26122736
TI  - Identification of enhanced hydrogen and ethanol Escherichia coli producer strains
      in a glycerol-based medium by screening in single-knock out mutant collections.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Earth's climate is warming as a result of anthropogenic emissions of
      greenhouse gases from fossil fuel combustion. Bioenergy, which includes
      biodiesel, biohydrogen and bioethanol, has emerged as a sustainable alternative
      fuel source. For this reason, in recent years biodiesel production has become
      widespread but this industry currently generates a huge amount of glycerol as a
      by-product, which has become an environmental problem in its own right. A
      feasible possibility to solve this problem is the use of waste glycerol as a
      carbon source for microbial transformation into biofuels such as hydrogen and
      ethanol. For instance, Escherichia coli is a microorganism that can synthesize
      these compounds under anaerobic conditions. RESULTS: In this work an experimental
      procedure was established for screening E. coli single mutants to identify
      strains with enhanced ethanol and/or H2 productions compared to the wild type
      strain. In an initial screening of 150 single mutants, 12 novel strains (gnd,
      tdcE, rpiA nanE, tdcB, deoB, sucB, cpsG, frmA, glgC, fumA and gadB) were found to
      provide enhanced yields for at least one of the target products. The mutations,
      that improve most significantly the parameters evaluated (gnd and tdcE genes),
      were combined with other mutations in three engineered E. coli mutant strains in
      order to further redirect carbon flux towards the desired products. CONCLUSIONS:
      This methodology can be a useful tool to disclose the metabolic pathways that are
      more susceptible to manipulation in order to obtain higher molar yields of
      hydrogen and ethanol using glycerol as main carbon source in multiple E. coli
      mutants.

PMID- 26122738
TI  - Clinical Long-Term Outcome and Reinterventional Rate After Uterine Fibroid
      Embolization with Nonspherical Versus Spherical Polyvinyl Alcohol Particles.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the long-term clinical outcome and
      frequency of reinterventions in patients with uterine fibroids treated with
      embolization at a single center using polyvinyl alcohol microparticles. METHODS:
      The study included all patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids treated with
      uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) with spherical (s-PVA) and nonspherical (ns
      PVA) polyvinyl alcohol microparticles during the period January 2001 to January
      2011. Clinical success and secondary interventions were examined. Hospital
      records were reviewed during follow-up, and symptom-specific questionnaires were
      sent to all patients. RESULTS: In total, 515 patients were treated with UFE and
      350 patients (67 %) were available for long-term clinical follow-up. Median time
      of follow-up was 93 (range 76-120.2) months. Eighty-five patients (72 %) had no
      reinterventions during follow-up in the group embolized with ns-PVA compared with
      134 patients (58 %) treated with s-PVA. Thirty-three patients (28 %) underwent
      secondary interventions in the ns-PVA group compared with 98 patients (42 %) in s
      PVA group (chi(2) test, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Spherical PVA particles 500-700
      um showed high reintervention rate at long-term follow-up, and almost one quarter
      of the patients underwent secondary interventions, suggesting that this type of
      particle is inappropriate for UFE.

PMID- 26122737
TI  - Oncogenic mutations weaken the interactions that stabilize the p110alpha-p85alpha
      heterodimer in phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase alpha.
AB  - Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) alpha is a heterodimeric lipid kinase that
      catalyzes the conversion of phosphoinositol-4,5-bisphosphate to phosphoinositol
      3,4,5-trisphosphate. The PI3Kalpha signaling pathway plays an important role in
      cell growth, proliferation, and survival. This pathway is activated in numerous
      cancers, where the PI3KCA gene, which encodes for the p110alpha PI3Kalpha
      subunit, is mutated. Its mutation often results in gain of enzymatic activity;
      however, the mechanism of activation by oncogenic mutations remains unknown.
      Here, using computational methods, we show that oncogenic mutations that are far
      from the catalytic site and increase the enzymatic affinity destabilize the
      p110alpha-p85alpha dimer. By affecting the dynamics of the protein, these
      mutations favor the conformations that reduce the autoinhibitory effect of the
      p85alpha nSH2 domain. For example, we determined that, in all of the mutants, the
      nSH2 domain shows increased positional heterogeneity as compared with the wild
      type, as demonstrated by changes in the fluctuation profiles computed by normal
      mode analysis of coarse-grained elastic network models. Analysis of the
      interdomain interactions of the wild-type and mutants at the p110alpha-p85alpha
      interface obtained with molecular dynamics simulations suggest that all of the
      tumor-associated mutations effectively weaken the interactions between p110alpha
      and p85alpha by disrupting key stabilizing interactions. These findings have
      important implications for understanding how oncogenic mutations change the
      conformational multiplicity of PI3Kalpha and lead to increased enzymatic
      activity. This mechanism may apply to other enzymes and/or macromolecular
      complexes that play a key role in cell signaling.

PMID- 26122739
TI  - Feeding Arteries of Primary Tongue Cancers on Intra-arterial Infusion
      Chemotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the frequency and the predictive factor of each feeding
      artery on intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy (IAIC) in primary tongue cancer.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 20 patients who received IAIC
      for primary tongue cancer. The main and accompanying feeding arteries were
      identified on super-selective angiography of the branches of the external carotid
      artery. Tumor diameter, and extension to the contralateral side, tongue extrinsic
      muscles (TEMs), and lateral mesopharyngeal wall were determined based on magnetic
      resonance imaging or computed tomography findings. RESULTS: The main feeding
      artery was the ipsilateral lingual artery (LA) in 15 of the 20 examined tumors
      and the contralateral LA in the other 5. Ten cancers had only one feeding artery,
      and multiple feeding arteries were detected in the remaining 10. Tumors >4 cm (n
      = 9), those with extension to the contralateral side (n = 13), and those with
      extension to TEMs (n = 15) were supplied by significantly larger numbers of
      feeding arteries compared to tumors without these features (P = 0.01, 0.049, and
      0.02, respectively). The frequency of feeding from the contralateral LA was 64 %
      (9/14) and 17 % (1/6) in tumors with and without extension to the contralateral
      side, respectively. Feeding from a facial artery (FA) was not detected in tumors
      <=4 cm, while 5 of the 9 (56 %) tumors >4 cm were supplied by a FA (P = 0.01).
      CONCLUSION: A careful search for feeding arteries is required, especially in
      large tumors with extension to the contralateral side or to TEMs.

PMID- 26122740
TI  - Perigraft Plug Embolization of the Internal Iliac Artery and Implantation of a
      Bifurcated Stentgraft: One Treatment Option for Insufficient Tubular Stentgraft
      Repair of a Common Iliac Artery Aneurysm.
AB  - We report an endovascular technique for the treatment of type Ia endoleak after a
      plain tubular stentgraft had been implanted for a large common iliac artery
      aneurysm with an insufficient proximal landing zone and without occlusion of the
      hypogastric in another hospital. CT follow-up showed an endoleak with continuous
      sac expansion over 12 months. This was classified as type Ia by means of dynamic
      contrast-enhanced MRI. Before a bifurcated stentgraft was implanted to relocate
      the landing zone more proximally, the still perfused ipsilateral hypogastric
      artery was embolized to prevent a type II endoleak. A guidewire was manipulated
      alongside the indwelling stentgraft. The internal iliac artery could then be
      selectively intubated followed by successful plug embolization of the vessel's
      orifice despite the stentgraft being in place. 

PMID- 26122741
TI  - Large transport J(c) in Cu-sheathed Sr(0.6)K(0.4)Fe2As2 superconducting tape
      conductors.
AB  - Copper sheath is the first choice for manufacturing high-T(c) superconducting
      wires and tapes because of its high electrical and thermal conductivities, low
      cost and good mechanical properties. However, Cu can easily react with
      superconducting cores, such as BSCCO, MgB2 and pnictides, and therefore
      drastically decrease the transport J(c). Here, we report the fabrication of Cu
      sheathed Sr(1-x)K(x)Fe2As2 tapes with superior J(c) performance using a simple
      hot pressing method that is capable of eliminating the lengthy high-temperature
      sintering. We obtained high-quality Sr(1-x)K(x)Fe2As2 tapes with processing at
      800  degrees C for 30 minutes and measured high T(c) and sharp transition. By
      this rapid fabrication, Cu sheath does not give rise to apparent reaction layer,
      and only slightly diffuses into Sr-122 core. As a consequence, we achieved high
      transport J(c) of 3.1 * 10(4) A/cm(2) in 10 T and 2.7 * 10(4) A/cm(2) in 14 T at
      4.2 K. The in-field J(c) performance is by far the highest reported for Cu
      sheathed high-T(c) conductors. More importantly, Cu-sheathed Sr-122 tapes also
      showed a high J(e) value of 1.0 * 10(4) A/cm(2) in 10 T at 4.2 K, which has
      reached the widely accepted practical level for applications. These results
      demonstrate that Cu is a very promising sheath for the practical application of
      pnictide conductors.

PMID- 26122742
TI  - Management of cervical esophageal and hypopharyngeal perforations.
AB  - PURPOSE: Evidence is limited for outcomes of surgical versus conservative
      management for patients with cervical esophageal or hypopharyngeal perforations.
      METHODS: Patients with cervical esophageal or hypopharyngeal perforations treated
      between 1994 and 2014 were identified using an institutional database. Outcomes
      were compared between patients who underwent operative drainage and those who had
      conservative management with broad-spectrum antibiotics and withholding oral
      intake. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients were identified with hypopharyngeal or
      cervical esophageal perforations, mostly due to iatrogenic (nasogastric tube
      placement, endoscopy, endotracheal intubation) injuries (68%). Fourteen were
      treated initially with conservative management and 14 with initial surgery. Six
      patients failed conservative treatment and two patients failed surgical
      treatment. Patients managed conservatively who had eaten between injury and
      diagnosis (p=0.003), those who had 24 hours or more between the time of injury
      and diagnosis (p=0.026), and those who showed signs of systemic toxicity
      (p=0.001) were significantly more likely to fail conservative treatment and
      require surgery. No variables were significant for treatment failure in the
      surgical group. Of the 20 patients who ultimately underwent a surgical procedure,
      two required a second procedure. CONCLUSION: Patients who have eaten between the
      time of perforation and diagnosis, have 24 hours or more between injury and
      diagnosis, and those that show signs of systemic toxicity are at higher risk of
      failing conservative management and surgical drainage should be considered. For
      patients without these risk factors, a trial of conservative management can be
      attempted.

PMID- 26122743
TI  - External osteotomy in rhinoplasty: Piezosurgery vs osteotome.
AB  - PURPOSE: To achieve the desired outcome in rhinoplasty depends on many factors.
      Osteotomy and surgical reshaping of nasal bones are important steps that require
      careful planning and execution. The availability of different tools raises the
      question of which one provides significant advantages for both technique and
      surgical outcome. Our prospective randomized pilot study compared the outcome of
      post-traumatic rhinoplasty performed with two different external techniques:
      ultrasound osteotomic cut using the Piezosurgery Medical Device (Mectron,
      Carasco, Italy) and traditional external osteotomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty
      four lateral osteotomies of the nasal wall were performed in twenty-two patients.
      In twelve patients the osteotomies were conducted with a 2-mm traditional
      osteotome (control group), while in the remaining ten patients these were done
      with the Piezosurgery Medical Device (experimental group). RESULTS: At the
      postoperative evaluation, significantly lower pain, edema and ecchymosis were
      noticed in the experimental group (p<0.05). Moreover, the endoscopic evaluation
      showed fewer mucosal injuries in the experimental group (p<0.05), whereas
      bleeding, symmetry of the pyramid and presence of external scars, were similar in
      the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, Piezosurgery Medical Device
      allowed for safe lateral osteotomies in rhinoplasty preliminarily demonstrating
      the potential to reduce some of the most frequent complications of rhinoplasty.

PMID- 26122744
TI  - Can performance-based financing help reaching the poor with maternal and child
      health services? The experience of rural Rwanda.
AB  - More than 20 countries in Africa are scaling up performance-based financing
      (PBF), but its impact on equity in access to health services remains to be
      documented. This paper draws on evidence from Rwanda to examine the capacity of
      PBF to ensure equal access to key health interventions especially in rural areas
      where most of the poor live. Specifically, it focuses on maternal and child
      health services, distinguishing two wealth groups, and uses data from a rigorous
      impact evaluation. Difference-in-difference technique is used, and different
      model specifications are tested: control for unobserved heterogeneity and common
      random error using linear probability model, seemingly unrelated regression
      equations, and clustering and fixed effects. Results suggest that in Rwanda, PBF
      improved efficiency rather than equity for most health services. We find that PBF
      achieved efficiency gains by improving access to health services for those easier
      to reach, generally the relatively more affluent. It turns out to be less
      effective in reaching the poorest. Our results illustrate the advantages of
      rigorous randomized impact evaluation data as results published earlier using a
      nationally representative survey (Demographic and Health Survey) were not able to
      capture the pro-rich nature of the PBF scheme in Rwanda. Our paper advocates for
      building mechanisms targeting the vulnerable groups in PBF strategies. It also
      highlights the need to understand the impact of PBF together with the specific
      development of health insurance coverage and the organization of the health
      system. 

PMID- 26122745
TI  - Re: 'Lenghtening temporalis myoplasty: Outcome and radiographic anatomical
      evaluation of length required'.

PMID- 26122746
TI  - [Surgical management for upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma].

PMID- 26122747
TI  - Elevated Expression of CD109 in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PMID- 26122748
TI  - Factors affecting cataract surgical coverage and outcomes: a retrospective cross
      sectional study of eye health systems in sub-Saharan Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recently there has been a great deal of new population based evidence
      on visual impairment generated in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), thanks to the Rapid
      Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) survey methodology. The survey provides
      information on the magnitude and causes of visual impairment for planning
      services and measuring their impact on eye health in administrative "districts"
      of 0.5-5 million people. The survey results describing the quantity and quality
      of cataract surgeries vary widely between study sites, often with no obvious
      explanation. The purpose of this study was to examine health system
      characteristics that may be associated with cataract surgical coverage and
      outcomes in SSA in order to better understand the determinants of reducing the
      burden of avoidable blindness due to cataract. METHODS: This was a descriptive
      study using secondary and primary data. The outcome variables were collected from
      existing surveys. Data on potential district level predictor variables were
      collected through a semi-structured tool using routine data and key informants
      where appropriate. Once collected the data were coded and analysed using
      statistical methods including t-tests, ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis analysis of
      variance test. RESULTS: Higher cataract surgical coverage was positively
      associated with having at least one fixed surgical facility in the area;
      availability of a dedicated operating theatre; the number of surgeons per million
      population; and having an eye department manager in the facility. Variables that
      were associated with better outcomes included having biometry and having an eye
      department manager in the facility. CONCLUSIONS: There are a number of health
      system factors at the district level that seem to be associated with both
      cataract surgical coverage and post-operative visual acuity outcomes. This study
      highlights the needs for better indicators and tools by which to measure and
      monitor the performance of eye health systems at the district level. It is
      unlikely that epidemiological data alone is sufficient for planning eye health
      services within a district and health managers and study coordinators need to
      consider collecting supplementary information in order to ensure appropriate
      planning can take place.

PMID- 26122749
TI  - Huxley's Model for Muscle Contraction Revisited: The Importance of Microscopic
      Reversibility.
AB  - Andrew Huxley's model for muscle contraction is the first mechanistic description
      of how an energy-providing chemical reaction, ATP hydrolysis, can be coupled by a
      molecule (myosin) to do work in the environment in a cyclic process. The model
      was originally used to fit experimentally obtained force vs velocity curves, and
      has served as a paradigm for understanding mechanochemical coupling ever since.
      Despite the remarkable success in fitting kinetic data, Huxley's model is
      thermodynamically inconsistent in several regards, most notably in its failure to
      include thermal noise in the description of the mechanical transitions by which
      motion occurs. This inconsistency has led subsequent workers to incorrect
      conclusions regarding the importance of mechanical transitions for determining
      the direction of motion, the efficiency of energy conversion, the ratio of
      forward to backward steps, and the applied force necessary to stop the motion of
      chemically driven molecular motors. In this chapter an extension of Huxley's
      model is described where the principle of microscopic reversibility provides a
      framework for developing a thermodynamically consistent description of a
      molecular machine. The results show clearly that mechanical strain and the so
      called "power stroke" are irrelevant for determining the directionality and
      thermodynamic properties of any chemically driven molecular motor. Instead these
      properties are controlled entirely by the chemical specificity that describes how
      the relative rates of the ATP hydrolysis reaction depend, by allosteric
      interactions, on the mechanical state of the molecule. This mechanism has been
      termed an "information ratchet" in the literature. In contrast to the results for
      chemical driving, a power stroke can be a key component for the operation of an
      optically driven motor, the transitions of which do not obey microscopic
      reversibility. 

PMID- 26122750
TI  - Response to the Commentary on "Arsenic mobility in the arsenic-contaminated
      Yangzonghai Lake in China".
AB  - This is the response to "Commentary on 'Arsenic mobility in the arsenic
      contaminated Yangzonghai Lake in China' by Changliang Yang et al. [Ecotoxicology
      and Environmental Safety, 107(2014)321-327]" (by Jing Chen et al.). To doubts and
      questions raised by Chen et al., we give further explanations and provide more
      relevant evidences. The water temperature stratification existed in Lake
      Yangzonghai in summer, and affected by which arsenic concentration with water
      depth was uneven and peaked in the bottom layer in summer. In the case of adding
      carbon source (glucose) and maintaining anerobic state, enhanced microbial
      activity promoted the release of arsenic from sediment to water which was
      observed in the laboratory experiments. Errors might exist in sampling,
      determination and calculation, but they would not change the main conclusions of
      the article. 

PMID- 26122751
TI  - Promoting "Healthy Futures" to Reduce Risk Behaviors in Urban Youth: A Randomized
      Controlled Trial.
AB  - There is increasing evidence of the interconnection between educational and
      health outcomes. Unfortunately wide disparities exist by both socioeconomic
      status and race/ethnicity in educational and vocational success. This study
      sought to promote urban youths' career readiness as a way to reduce involvement
      in risk behaviors. Two hundred primarily African-American youth (ages 14-21) were
      recruited from a pediatric primary care clinic. Youth randomized to the
      intervention received three motivational interviewing sessions focused around
      expectations and planning for the future. Baseline and 6-month follow-up
      assessments included measures of career readiness and risk behavior involvement
      (i.e., physical fighting, alcohol and marijuana use). At 6-months, youth
      randomized to the intervention condition showed increased confidence in their
      ability to perform the behaviors needed to reach their college/career goals.
      Additionally, youth randomized to the intervention arm showed decreased fighting
      behavior (adjusted rate ratio: .27) and marijuana use (adjusted rate ratio: .61).
      Assisting urban youth in thinking and planning about their future holds promise
      as a way to reduce their involvement in risk behaviors. This study also
      demonstrated that motivational interviewing could be used to promote positive
      behaviors (i.e., career readiness). 

PMID- 26122752
TI  - Teaching children to like and eat vegetables.
AB  - Higher vegetable intake has been related to lower risks of diabetes,
      cardiovascular disease, several cancers and obesity. Yet children consume fewer
      than the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables set forth by the USDA.
      Exposure to vegetables has successfully improved children's liking for and
      consumption of vegetables particularly for children younger than two years. In
      contrast, associative conditioning seems necessary for older children, especially
      with bitter vegetables. We review studies using both exposure and associative
      conditioning to teach children to like vegetables, including flavor-flavor
      learning and flavor-calorie learning. Recognizing these different processes helps
      reconcile discrepant literature and may provide techniques for increasing
      preferences for vegetables in children. Associative conditioning and exposure can
      be used by parents and others to enhance children's liking for and consumption of
      vegetables. 

PMID- 26122754
TI  - The effect of emotional state on taste perception.
AB  - Taste perception can be modulated by a variety of extraneously applied
      influences, such as the manipulation of emotion or the application of acute
      stress. To evaluate the effect of more commonplace day-to-day emotional variation
      on taste function, taste intensity ratings and hedonic evaluations were collected
      from approximately 550 attendees following men's hockey games spanning the 2013
      2014 season, a period encompassing 4 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie. Since different
      outcomes at competitive sporting events are shown to induce varying affective
      response, this field study presented a unique environment to evaluate the effect
      of real-life emotional manipulations on our perception of taste, where previous
      research focused more on extraneous manipulation within a laboratory environment.
      Analysis revealed that positive emotions correlated with enhanced sweet and
      diminished sour intensities while negative emotions associated with heightened
      sour and decreased sweet tastes. Theoretically, both an increase in sweet and a
      decrease in sour taste intensity would drive acceptance of a great number of
      foods. Indeed, hedonic ratings for samples that were less liked (and
      parenthetically mostly sweet and sour in nature), selectively increased as
      positive affect grew, possibly due to the perceived decrease in sourness and
      increase in sweetness. The results of this field study indicate that emotional
      manipulations in the form of pleasantly or unpleasantly perceived real-life
      events can influence the intensity perception of taste, driving hedonics for less
      acceptable foods. These results suggest that such modulation of taste perception
      could play a role in emotional eating. 

PMID- 26122753
TI  - Low demanding parental feeding style is associated with low consumption of whole
      grains among children of recent immigrants.
AB  - We explored the influence of immigrant mothers feeding style on their children's
      fruit, vegetable and whole grain intake and how this relationship differed by
      mother's time in the U.S. Baseline data were collected on mother-child (3-12 yrs)
      dyads enrolled in Live Well (n = 313), a community-based, participatory,
      randomized controlled lifestyle intervention (2008-2013). Socio-demographics,
      years of residence in the U.S., behavioral data, and responses to the Caregiver's
      Feeding Styles Questionnaire (CFSQ) were obtained from the mother. Measured
      heights and weights were obtained for both mother and child. Child dietary intake
      was assessed using the Block Food Screener. Separate multiple linear regression
      models were run, adjusting for child and mother covariates. Interactions between
      feeding styles and years in the U.S. (<5 and >= 5 years), ethnicity, and child
      age were tested. Sixty-nine percent of mothers were overweight or obese, 46% of
      the children were overweight or obese. For mothers in the U.S. for<5 years,
      having a low demanding/high responsive style was associated with lower child
      intake of whole grains in adjusted models vs. a high demanding/high responsive
      style (p < 0.05). This was not seen for mothers in the U.S. for>=5 years. Thus,
      the influence of feeding style on dietary intake may change with length of time
      in the U.S. These hypotheses-generating findings call for future research to
      understand how broader socio-cultural factors influence the feeding dynamic among
      immigrants.

PMID- 26122755
TI  - Energy-dense snacks can have the same expected satiation as sugar-containing
      beverages.
AB  - Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are thought to be problematic for weight
      management because energy delivered in liquid form may be less effective at
      suppressing appetite than solid foods. However, little is known about the
      relative 'expected satiation' (anticipated fullness) of SSBs and solid foods.
      This is relevant because expected satiation is an important determinant of
      portion selection and energy intake. Here, we used a method of constant stimuli
      to assess the expected satiation of test meals that were presented in combination
      with different caloric and non-caloric beverages (500 ml) (Experiment 1 and 2),
      as well as with high-energy solid snack foods (Experiment 2). All energy
      containing beverages and snack foods were presented in 210 kcal portions. Both
      experiments found that expected satiation was greater for meals containing
      caloric versus non-caloric beverages (201.3 +/- 17.3 vs. 185.4 +/- 14.1 kcal in
      Experiment 2; p < 0.05). Further, Experiment 2 showed that this difference was
      greater in participants who were familiar with our test beverages, indicating a
      role for learning. Notably, we failed to observe a significant difference in
      expected satiation between any of the caloric beverages and snack foods in
      Experiment 2 (range: 192.5-205.2 kcal; p = 0.87). This finding suggests that it
      may be more appropriate to consider beverages and solid foods on the same
      continuum, recognizing that the expected satiation of some solid foods is as weak
      as some beverages.

PMID- 26122756
TI  - Training response inhibition to food is associated with weight loss and reduced
      energy intake.
AB  - The majority of adults in the UK and US are overweight or obese due to multiple
      factors including excess energy intake. Training people to inhibit simple motor
      responses (key presses) to high-energy density food pictures reduces intake in
      laboratory studies. We examined whether online response inhibition training
      reduced real-world food consumption and weight in a community sample of adults
      who were predominantly overweight or obese (N = 83). Participants were allocated
      in a randomised, double-blind design to receive four 10-min sessions of either
      active or control go/no-go training in which either high-energy density snack
      foods (active) or non-food stimuli (control) were associated with no-go signals.
      Participants' weight, energy intake (calculated from 24-h food diaries), daily
      snacking frequency and subjective food evaluations were measured for one week pre
      and post-intervention. Participants also provided self-reported weight and
      monthly snacking frequency at pre-intervention screening, and one month and six
      months after completing the study. Participants in the active relative to control
      condition showed significant weight loss, reductions in daily energy intake and a
      reduction in rated liking of high-energy density (no-go) foods from the pre-to
      post-intervention week. There were no changes in self-reported daily snacking
      frequency. At longer-term follow-up, the active group showed significant
      reductions in self-reported weight at six months, whilst both groups reported
      significantly less snacking at one- and six-months. Excellent rates of adherence
      (97%) and positive feedback about the training suggest that this intervention is
      acceptable and has the potential to improve public health by reducing energy
      intake and overweight.

PMID- 26122757
TI  - The speed of our mental soundtracks: Tracking the tempo of involuntary musical
      imagery in everyday life.
AB  - The study of spontaneous and everyday cognitions is an area of rapidly growing
      interest. One of the most ubiquitous forms of spontaneous cognition is
      involuntary musical imagery (INMI), the involuntarily retrieved and repetitive
      mental replay of music. The present study introduced a novel method for capturing
      temporal features of INMI within a naturalistic setting. This method allowed for
      the investigation of two questions of interest to INMI researchers in a more
      objective way than previously possible, concerning (1) the precision of memory
      representations within INMI and (2) the interactions between INMI and concurrent
      affective state. Over the course of 4 days, INMI tempo was measured by asking
      participants to tap to the beat of their INMI with a wrist-worn accelerometer.
      Participants documented additional details regarding their INMI in a diary.
      Overall, the tempo of music within INMI was recalled from long-term memory in a
      highly veridical form, although with a regression to the mean for recalled tempo
      that parallels previous findings on voluntary musical imagery. A significant
      positive relationship was found between INMI tempo and subjective arousal,
      suggesting that INMI interacts with concurrent mood in a similar manner to
      perceived music. The results suggest several parallels between INMI and voluntary
      imagery, music perceptual processes, and other types of involuntary memories. 

PMID- 26122758
TI  - Assessment of Genetic Heterogeneity in Structured Plant Populations Using
      Multivariate Whole-Genome Regression Models.
AB  - Plant breeding populations exhibit varying levels of structure and admixture;
      these features are likely to induce heterogeneity of marker effects across
      subpopulations. Traditionally, structure has been dealt with as a potential
      confounder, and various methods exist to "correct" for population stratification.
      However, these methods induce a mean correction that does not account for
      heterogeneity of marker effects. The animal breeding literature offers a few
      recent studies that consider modeling genetic heterogeneity in multibreed data,
      using multivariate models. However, these methods have received little attention
      in plant breeding where population structure can have different forms. In this
      article we address the problem of analyzing data from heterogeneous plant
      breeding populations, using three approaches: (a) a model that ignores population
      structure [A-genome-based best linear unbiased prediction (A-GBLUP)], (b) a
      stratified (i.e., within-group) analysis (W-GBLUP), and (c) a multivariate
      approach that uses multigroup data and accounts for heterogeneity (MG-GBLUP). The
      performance of the three models was assessed on three different data sets: a
      diversity panel of rice (Oryza sativa), a maize (Zea mays L.) half-sib panel, and
      a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) data set that originated from plant breeding
      programs. The estimated genomic correlations between subpopulations varied from
      null to moderate, depending on the genetic distance between subpopulations and
      traits. Our assessment of prediction accuracy features cases where ignoring
      population structure leads to a parsimonious more powerful model as well as
      others where the multivariate and stratified approaches have higher predictive
      power. In general, the multivariate approach appeared slightly more robust than
      either the A- or the W-GBLUP. 

PMID- 26122759
TI  - Are Epstein-Barr Virus-positive and -negative Gastric Carcinomas, With Lymphoid
      Stroma, Single Entity or Different Entities?

PMID- 26122760
TI  - Pulling the Trigger on Pancreatic Cysts.

PMID- 26122761
TI  - Development and Validation of a Prediction Model for Admission After Endoscopic
      Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: In outpatients undergoing endoscopic retrograde
      cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with anesthesia, rates of and risk factors for
      admission are unclear. We aimed to develop a model that would allow physicians to
      predict hospitalization of patients during postanesthesia recovery. METHODS: We
      conducted a retrospective study of data from ERCPs performed on outpatients from
      May 2012 through October 2013 at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
      Medical records were abstracted for preanesthesia, intra-anesthesia, and early
      (within the first hour) postanesthesia characteristics potentially associated
      with admission. Significant factors associated with admission were incorporated
      into a logistic regression model to identify subgroups with low, moderate, or
      high probabilities for admission. The population was divided into training (first
      12 months) and validation (last 6 months) sets to develop and test the model.
      RESULTS: We identified 3424 ERCPs during the study period; 10.7% of patients were
      admitted to the hospital, and 3.7% developed post-ERCP pancreatitis.
      Postanesthesia recovery times were significantly longer for patients requiring
      admission (362.6 +/- 213.0 minutes vs 218.4 +/- 71.8 minutes for patients not
      admitted; P < .0001). A higher proportion of admitted patients had high-risk
      indications. Admitted patients also had more severe comorbidities, higher
      baseline levels of pain, longer procedure times, performance of sphincter of Oddi
      manometry, higher pain during the first hour after anesthesia, and greater use of
      opiates or anxiolytics. A multivariate regression model identified patients who
      were admitted with a high level of accuracy in the training set (area under the
      curve, 0.83) and fair accuracy in the validation set (area under the curve,
      0.78). On the basis of this model, nearly 50% of patients could be classified as
      low risk for admission. CONCLUSION: By using factors that can be assessed through
      the first hour after ERCP, we developed a model that accurately predicts which
      patients are likely to be admitted to the hospital. Rates of admission after
      outpatient ERCP are low, so a policy of prolonged observation might be
      unnecessary.

PMID- 26122762
TI  - Secondary Extramedullary Plasmablastic Myeloma of the Small Bowel.

PMID- 26122763
TI  - Comment on "Patients With Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Require Increased Sedation
      During Upper Endoscopy".

PMID- 26122765
TI  - Shifting Away From Fee-For-Service: Alternative Approaches to Payment in
      Gastroenterology.
AB  - Fee-for-service payments encourage high-volume services rather than high-quality
      care. Alternative payment models (APMs) aim to realign financing to support high
      value services. The 2 main components of gastroenterologic care, procedures and
      chronic care management, call for a range of APMs. The first step for
      gastroenterologists is to identify the most important conditions and
      opportunities to improve care and reduce waste that do not require financial
      support. We describe examples of delivery reforms and emerging APMs to accomplish
      these care improvements. A bundled payment for an episode of care, in which a
      provider is given a lump sum payment to cover the cost of services provided
      during the defined episode, can support better care for a discrete procedure such
      as a colonoscopy. Improved management of chronic conditions can be supported
      through a per-member, per-month (PMPM) payment to offer extended services and
      care coordination. For complex chronic conditions such as inflammatory bowel
      disease, in which the gastroenterologist is the principal care coordinator, the
      PMPM payment could be given to a gastroenterology medical home. For conditions in
      which the gastroenterologist acts primarily as a consultant for primary care,
      such as noncomplex gastroesophageal reflux or hepatitis C, a PMPM payment can
      support effective care coordination in a medical neighborhood delivery model.
      Each APM can be supplemented with a shared savings component. Gastroenterologists
      must engage with and be early leaders of these redesign discussions to be
      prepared for a time when APMs may be more prevalent and no longer voluntary. 

PMID- 26122764
TI  - Analyses of the Post-reflux Swallow-induced Peristaltic Wave Index and Nocturnal
      Baseline Impedance Parameters Increase the Diagnostic Yield of Impedance-pH
      Monitoring of Patients With Reflux Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Analyses of impedance parameters such as the post-reflux
      swallow-induced peristaltic wave (PSPW) index and the mean nocturnal baseline
      impedance (MNBI) have been proposed to increase the accuracy of diagnosis of
      reflux disease. We assessed whether these improve the diagnostic yield of
      impedance pH monitoring of reflux disease. METHODS: We performed a prospective
      study of consecutive patients with proton pump inhibitor-responsive heartburn who
      underwent 24-hour impedance pH monitoring at hospitals in Italy from January 2011
      through December 2013. Reviewers blindly analyzed off-therapy impedance pH
      tracings from 289 patients with proton pump inhibitor-responsive heartburn, 68
      with erosive reflux disease and 221 with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD), along
      with 50 healthy individuals (controls). The PSPW index, the MNBI, the esophageal
      acid exposure time, the number of total refluxes, and the bolus exposure were
      calculated, as well as the symptom association probability (SAP) and the symptom
      index (SI). RESULTS: In receiver operating characteristic analysis, the area
      under curve of the PSPW index (0.977; 95% confidence interval, 0.961-0.993) was
      significantly greater than that of the other impedance pH parameters in
      identifying patients with reflux disease (P < .001). The PSPW index and the MNBI
      identified patients with erosive reflux disease with the highest level of
      sensitivity (100% and 91%, respectively), as well as the 118 pH-positive (99% and
      86%) and 103 pH-negative (77% and 56%) cases of NERD. The PSPW index and the MNBI
      identified pH-negative NERD with the highest level of sensitivity; values were
      82% and 52% for the 65 SAP-positive and/or SI-positive cases and 68% and 63% for
      the 38 SAP-negative and SI-negative cases. Diagnoses of NERD were confirmed by pH
      only criteria, including those that were positive on the basis of the SAP or SI,
      for 165 of 221 cases (75%) and by impedance pH criteria for 216 of 221 cases
      (98%) (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: The PSPW index and the MNBI increase the
      diagnostic yield of impedance pH monitoring of patients with reflux disease.
      Analysis of impedance pH data by calculating the PSPW index and the MNBI can
      increase the accuracy of diagnosis of patients with reflux disease, compared with
      pH-only data.

PMID- 26122766
TI  - The Debate Continues Over the Best Method of Endoscopic Surveillance for
      Colorectal Cancer in Patients With Colitis.

PMID- 26122768
TI  - Coronary artery perforation at the level of two-overlapping bioresorbable
      vascular scaffolds: The importance of vessel sizing and scaffold thickness.
AB  - Everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) have emerged as an
      alternative to conventional metallic stents and have demonstrated favorable
      outcomes in simple coronary lesions. As the use of BVS increases and extends to
      more complex lesion subsets, intraprocedural complications are expected to occur.
      We describe for the first time the occurrence of a free coronary perforation
      localized at the exact point of overlap of two BVS. This case illustrates the
      importance of appropriate vessel sizing, especially when BVS overlapping is
      performed in a small vessel, and potential advantages of scaffold juxtaposition
      compared to overlapping when implanting BVS in series.

PMID- 26122767
TI  - Risk of Acute Liver Failure in Patients With Drug-Induced Liver Injury:
      Evaluation of Hy's Law and a New Prognostic Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: Few studies have evaluated the ability of laboratory tests to
      predict risk of acute liver failure (ALF) among patients with drug-induced liver
      injury (DILI). We aimed to develop a highly sensitive model to identify DILI
      patients at increased risk of ALF. We compared its performance with that of Hy's
      Law, which predicts severity of DILI based on levels of alanine aminotransferase
      or aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin, and validated the model in a
      separate sample. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 15,353
      Kaiser Permanente Northern California members diagnosed with DILI from 2004
      through 2010, liver aminotransferase levels above the upper limit of normal, and
      no pre-existing liver disease. Thirty ALF events were confirmed by medical record
      review. Logistic regression was used to develop prognostic models for ALF based
      on laboratory results measured at DILI diagnosis. External validation was
      performed in a sample of 76 patients with DILI at the University of Pennsylvania.
      RESULTS: Hy's Law identified patients that developed ALF with a high level of
      specificity (0.92) and negative predictive value (0.99), but low level of
      sensitivity (0.68) and positive predictive value (0.02). The model we developed,
      comprising data on platelet count and total bilirubin level, identified patients
      with ALF with a C statistic of 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-0.96) and
      enabled calculation of a risk score (Drug-Induced Liver Toxicity ALF Score). We
      found a cut-off score that identified patients at high risk patients for ALF with
      a sensitivity value of 0.91 (95% CI, 0.71-0.99) and a specificity value of 0.76
      (95% CI, 0.75-0.77). This cut-off score identified patients at high risk for ALF
      with a high level of sensitivity (0.89; 95% CI, 0.52-1.00) in the validation
      analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Hy's Law identifies patients with DILI at high risk for
      ALF with low sensitivity but high specificity. We developed a model (the Drug
      Induced Liver Toxicity ALF Score) based on platelet count and total bilirubin
      level that identifies patients at increased risk for ALF with high sensitivity.

PMID- 26122769
TI  - Structure Based Library Design (SBLD) for new 1,4-dihydropyrimidine scaffold as
      simultaneous COX-1/COX-2 and 5-LOX inhibitors.
AB  - The various scaffolds containing 1,4-dihydropyrimidine ring were designed by
      considering the environment of the active site of COX-1/COX-2 and 5-LOX enzymes.
      The structure-based library design approach, including the focused library design
      (Virtual Combinatorial Library Design) and virtual screening was used to select
      the 1,4-dihydropyrimidine scaffold for simultaneous inhibition of both enzyme
      pathways (COX-1/COX-2 and 5-LOX). The virtual library on each 1,4
      dihydropyrimidine scaffold was enumerated in two alternative ways. In first way,
      the chemical reagents at R groups were filtered by docking of scaffold with
      single position substitution, that is, only at R1, or R2, or R3, ... Rn on COX-2
      enzyme using Glide XP docking mode. The structures that do not dock well were
      removed and the library was enumerated with filtered chemical reagents. In second
      alternative way, the single position docking stage was bypassed, and the entire
      library was enumerated using all chemical reagents by docking on the COX-2
      enzyme. The entire library of approximately 15,629 compounds obtained from both
      ways after screening for drug like properties, were further screened for their
      binding affinity against COX-1 and 5-LOX enzymes using Virtual Screening
      Workflow. Finally, 142 hits were obtained and divided into two groups based on
      their binding affinity for COX-1/COX-2 and for both enzyme pathways (COX-1/COX-2
      and 5-LOX). The ten molecules were selected, synthesized and evaluated for their
      COX-1, COX-2 and 5-LOX inhibiting activity. 

PMID- 26122770
TI  - Antiproliferative activities of halogenated pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidines.
AB  - In vitro evaluation of the halogenated pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidines identified
      antiproliferative activities in compounds 1 and 2 against four different cancer
      cell lines. Upon screening of a series of pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidines, the 2,4-Cl
      compound 1 was found to exhibit antiproliferative activity at low micromolar
      concentrations. Introduction of iodine at C7 resulted in significant enhancement
      of potency by reducing the IC50 into sub-micromolar levels, thereby suggesting
      the importance of a halogen at C7. This finding was further supported by an
      increased antiproliferative effect for 4 as compared to 3. Cell-cycle and
      apoptosis studies conducted on the two potent compounds 1 and 2 showed
      differences in their cytotoxic mechanisms in triple negative breast cancer MDA-MB
      231 cells, wherein compound 1 induced cells to accumulate at the G2/M stage with
      little evidence of apoptotic death. In contrast, compound 2 robustly induced
      apoptosis with concomitant G2/M cell cycle arrest in this cell model. 

PMID- 26122771
TI  - Discovery of a novel class anti-proliferative agents and potential inhibitors of
      EGFR tyrosine kinases based on 4-anilinotetrahydropyrido[4,3-d]pyrimidine
      scaffold: Design, synthesis and biological evaluations.
AB  - A novel series of 4-arylamino-6/7-substituted-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropyrido[4,3
      d]pyrimidines were designed, synthesized and their biological activities as the
      potential anti-proliferative agents and EGFR kinase inhibitors were evaluated.
      Both of N-acrylamide fragment in THPPs and 4-aniline groups with substituents
      played key roles for their significant anti-proliferative activities against four
      cancer cell lines (HT29, A549, H460 and H1975). Especially inhibitory activity of
      Gefitinib-resistant H1975 were showed more favorable, which could be observed
      from compounds 13b, 13c, 13n, 13o, 13p, 13r, 13s, 13u and 24c obviously. By
      evaluation of inhibiting EGFR and HER2 kinases, seven compounds (13b, 13g, 13n,
      13o, 13p, 13r and 13s) showed stronger EGFR potency with IC50 ? 18 nM, which
      could also be understood by preliminary docking study of 13b with EGFR kinase. In
      view of the primary SAR, bisarylaniline derivatives (13o, 13p, 13r and 13s)
      showed obvious improvements on HER2 inhibition, which indicated their being
      potential EGFR/HER2 dual kinase inhibitors.

PMID- 26122772
TI  - gamma-Benzylidene digoxin derivatives synthesis and molecular modeling:
      Evaluation of anticancer and the Na,K-ATPase activity effect.
AB  - Cardiotonic steroids (CS), natural compounds with traditional use in cardiology,
      have been recently suggested to exert potent anticancer effects. However, the
      repertoire of molecules with Na,K-ATPase activity and anticancer properties is
      limited. This paper describes the synthesis of 6 new digoxin derivatives
      substituted (on the C17-butenolide) with gamma-benzylidene group and their
      cytotoxic effect on human fibroblast (WI-26 VA4) and cancer (HeLa and RKO) cell
      lines as well as their effect on Na,K-ATPase activity and expression. As digoxin,
      compound BD-4 was almost 100-fold more potent than the other derivatives for
      cytotoxicity with the three types of cells used and was also the only one able to
      fully inhibit the Na,K-ATPase of HeLa cells after 24h treatment. No change in the
      Na,K-ATPase alpha1 isoform protein expression was detected. On the other hand it
      was 30-40 fold less potent for direct Na,K-ATPase inhibition, when compared to
      the most potent derivatives, BD-1 and BD-3, and digoxin. The data presented here
      demonstrated that the anticancer effect of digoxin derivatives substituted with
      gamma-benzylidene were not related with their inhibition of Na,K-ATPase activity
      or alteration of its expression, suggesting that this classical molecular
      mechanism of CS is not involved in the cytotoxic effect of our derivatives. 

PMID- 26122773
TI  - Development of novel DIF-1 derivatives that selectively suppress innate immune
      responses.
AB  - The multiple pharmacological activities of differentiation-inducing factor-1 (DIF
      1) of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum led us to examine the use
      of DIF-1 as a 'drug template' to develop promising seed compounds for drug
      discovery. DIF-1 and its derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their
      regulatory activities in innate immune responses. We found two new derivatives
      (4d and 5e) with highly selective inhibitory activities against production of the
      antimicrobial peptide attacin in Drosophila S2 cells and against production of
      interleukin-2 in Jurkat cells. 

PMID- 26122774
TI  - Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel histone deacetylases inhibitors with
      nitric oxide releasing activity.
AB  - A novel series of histone deacetylases inhibitors (HDACIs) containing
      benzofuroxan pharmacophore as nitric oxide (NO) donor were designed based on the
      combination principle and 'multifunctional drugs' theory. As a novel study on
      embedding NO donor into the structure of HDACIs, all designed hybrid compounds,
      especially 19d and 24d, displayed remarkable HDACs inhibitory activity and
      outstanding antiproliferative activity on tumor cells. Besides, they could
      produce high levels of NO in HCT-116 cells; furthermore, their antiproliferative
      activity on HCT-116 cells could be diminished by pretreatment with hemoglobin, as
      the NO scavenger, in a dose-dependent manner. All in all, our designed compounds
      displayed great inhibitory activities and might offer a prospective avenue to
      discover novel anti-cancer drugs. 

PMID- 26122775
TI  - Rapid response teams in adult hospitals: time for another look?
AB  - Rapid response teams (RRT), alternatively termed medical emergency teams, have
      become part of the clinical landscape in the majority of adult hospitals
      throughout Australia and New Zealand. These teams aim to bring critical care
      expertise to the bedside of clinically deteriorating patients residing in general
      hospital wards with the aim of preventing adverse outcomes, in particular death
      or cardiorespiratory arrests. While the concept of RRT has considerable face
      validity, there is little high quality evidence of their effectiveness and much
      uncertainty as to the optimal methods for identifying patients in need of RRT and
      calling the RRT (afferent limb) and how, and with whom, the RRT should then
      respond (efferent limb). Adverse unintended consequences of RRT systems and the
      opportunity costs involved in maintaining such systems have not been subject to
      study, amid concerns RRT may be compensating for other potentially remediable
      system of care failures. This article presents an overview of the current state
      of play of RRT in hospital practice as they pertain to the care of adult patients
      and identifies several issues around their implementation and evaluation that
      should be subject to further research. 

PMID- 26122777
TI  - The Physiological Basis and Nutritional Function of Alpha-ketoglutarate.
AB  - Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AKG) is a biological substance that plays important roles in
      cell metabolism and physiology. AKG is synthesized from glucose or oxaloacetate
      plus pyruvate. As an intermediate of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, AKG is
      essential for the oxidation of fatty acids, amino acids, and glucose.
      Extracellular AKG is a significant source of energy for cells of the
      gastrointestinal tract. As a precursor for the synthesis of glutamate and
      glutamine in multiple tissues (including liver, skeletal muscle, heart, brain,
      and white adipose tissue), AKG bridges carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism for
      both conservation of amino acids and ammonia detoxification. Additionally,
      emerging evidence shows that AKG is a regulator of gene expression and cell
      signaling pathways (including the mammalian target of rapamycin and AMPactivated
      protein kinase). Thus, AKG is an attractive dietary supplement in animal and
      human nutrition to improve cellular energy status, immunity, and health. 

PMID- 26122778
TI  - Functions of Antimicrobial Peptides in Gut Homeostasis.
AB  - Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), produced by several species including bacteria,
      insects, amphibians and mammals as well as by chemical synthesis and genetically
      engineered microorganisms, are of great importance in maintaining normal gut
      homeostasis. AMPs exhibit a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and inhibit
      microbial cells by interaction with their membranes or by other mechanisms, such
      as inhibition of cell-wall synthesis or suppression of nucleic acid or protein
      synthesis. In addition to their direct antimicrobial functions, they have
      multiple roles in the stabilization of epithelial barrier integrity and function
      as potent immune regulators. The fate of AMPs in vivo is poorly understood,
      prompting the need for studying AMPs pharmacokinetics. This review summarizes the
      current knowledge about the basic biology of AMPs and discusses the features of
      AMPs in gut homeostasis and their relative mechanisms of action. 

PMID- 26122779
TI  - Interaction between Microbes and Host Intestinal Health: Modulation by Dietary
      Nutrients and Gut-Brain-Endocrine-Immune Axis.
AB  - The mammalian gut, the site of digestion and nutrients absorption, harbors
      diverse microbes that play an essential role in maintaining physiological
      homeostasis of the gastrointestinal system. These commensal microbes are
      important for the normal development of the host immune system and alteration of
      the microbiota of gastrointestinal system has been found to play an important
      role in the development of obesity, metabolic syndromes such as type 2 diabetes,
      and cardiovascular diseases. Several recent studies with mouse models and in
      humans have demonstrated that intestinal microbiota has important role in host
      metabolism by regulating energy absorption and modulating the endocrine
      functions. A variety of nutrients and metabolites derived from commensal bacteria
      have been proved to be important regulators in improving gut barrier functions
      and immune homeostasis. Here we review current literature on the interactions
      between microbes and host in the Gastrointestinal (GI) tract and based on these
      interactions we proposed a hypothesis in which the microbiota interacts with the
      host gastrointestine through a gut-brainendocrine- immune system. By
      understanding this system, we should be in better position to develop treatment
      for metabolic diseases and inflammation in human and animals. 

PMID- 26122780
TI  - Crosstalk Between Bioactive Peptide and Intestinal Barrier in Gut Homeostasis.
AB  - The bioactive peptides are protein fragments which have a positive impact on the
      intestinal homeostasis. Intestinal homeostasis depends on the diverse functions
      of intestinal barrier including the microbiological, physical, chemical and
      immunological barriers. Defects in intestinal barrier function are associated
      with intestinal diseases. In this review, we will present current knowledge of
      the crosstalk between bioactive peptides and intestinal barrier during gut
      homeostasis. 

PMID- 26122781
TI  - Soybean Antigen Proteins and their Intestinal Sensitization Activities.
AB  - Soybean is widely utilized in the food and feed industries. However, soybean
      contains many anti-nutritional factors that limit its extended application. The
      two most important antigenic proteins are glycinin and beta-conglycinin. When
      young animals are fed diets containing soybean protein, a small portion of
      undigested proteins enters the lymph and blood through gaps between the
      intestinal epithelial cells. These macromolecules have considerable antigenic
      activity and stimulate the immune system resulting in specific antigen-antibody
      reactions and T lymphoid cell-mediated delayed hypersensitivity. A current focus
      of research is to develop methods to decrease the immuno-reactivity of soybean
      proteins. Several strategies have been developed to prevent food allergies
      including those feed processing and plant breeding. The latest studies indicate
      that certain kinds of immuno-modulators, such as vitamin C and lipoic acid, may
      specifically block the IgE mediated anaphylaxis and these may provide new insight
      into the effective prevention of soybean-induced allergy and perhaps other food
      allergies. This review is divided into seven parts including (1) Allergenic
      proteins found in soybean; (2) Structure-function relationships of allergenic
      proteins in soybean; (3) Extraction, purification and detection of allergenic
      proteins in soybean; (4) Anaphylaxis induced by allergenic proteins in soybean;
      (5) The potential mechanism of soybean allergy; (6) Prevention and treatment of
      soybean allergy; (7) The effects of plant breeding on the antigenicity of
      allergen proteins in soybean. Being fully aware of the soy protein antigen and
      finding the methods to eliminate anaphylaxis induced by soybean proteins will
      help to significantly improve efficiency of soybean protein utilization. 

PMID- 26122782
TI  - Crosstalk Between The Immune Receptors and Gut Microbiota.
AB  - The mucosal surfaces of the intestinal tract are constantly exposed to complex
      microbial communities that contain commensal microorganisms and potential
      pathogens. Therefore, hosts harbor multiple molecular mechanisms to modulate the
      gut innate immunity to achieve gut-microbe homeostasis. Pattern recognition
      receptors (PRRs), such as Toll-like receptor (TLR) and nucleotide oligomerization
      domain (NOD)-like receptor (NLR), play a key role in sensing pathogens and
      promoting the induction of innate effectors. Gut microbiota, through PRRs, can
      modulate the expression of genes involved in inflammatory responses and the
      production of antimicrobial peptides. In turn, the expression of PRRs affects the
      structure of gut microbiota in health or disease status. Deficiency in PRRs such
      as NOD2 and TLR5 can alter the gut microbiota composition in mice. The crosstalk
      between PRRs and microbiota connects the microbial action with the host response.
      This article outlines recent advances in the role of immune sensors in the gut
      microbiota balance and the related microbiota-host interaction. 

PMID- 26122783
TI  - The Role of Autophagy in the Gut Pathogens Clearance and Evasion.
AB  - The mammalian intestine harbors a mass of microorganisms that is essential to
      maintain intestinal epithelium homeostasis and health. However, some microbes can
      damage the epithelial mucosal barrier to utilize nutrients for their survival and
      growth. Autophagy is a highly conserved cellular process that targets cytoplasmic
      damaged organelles and some cellular molecules to lysosome for degradation.
      Accumulating studies have demonstrated that autophagy plays an important role in
      the innate immune system in response to different gut pathogens. For instance,
      autophagy can be induced to mediate the process of pathogenic infection during
      pathogens invasion. In this review, we mainly discuss the steps of autophagy
      pathway mediated by microbes and the role of autophagy in the gut pathogens
      clearance and evasion. 

PMID- 26122784
TI  - Metabolites of Dietary Protein and Peptides by Intestinal Microbes and their
      Impacts on Gut.
AB  - Dietary protein is a vital nutrient for humans and animals, which is primarily
      digested into peptides and free amino acids (FAAs) in the upper gastrointestine
      with the help of proteases. The products are absorbed by the enterocytes and are
      metabolized in different organs of body. Dietary protein, peptides and FAAs that
      escape digestion and absorption of the small intestine will enter the large
      intestine for further fermentation by the vast gut microbiota. Particularly,
      amino acid (AAs) metabolism by bacteria occurs via either deamination or
      decarboxylation reactions and generates short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) or
      amines, respectively. These metabolites elicit a wide range of biological
      functions via different receptors and mechanisms. This review discusses the
      interaction between protein metabolites and gastrointestine, illustrates
      regulation of intestinal motility and immune response by SCFAs and their
      receptors, and focuses on modulation of intestinal inflammation and signal
      transduction by biogenic amines (BAs) involving polyamines and monoamine
      neurotransmitters. 

PMID- 26122785
TI  - Transcriptional Regulation of Antimicrobial Host Defense Peptides.
AB  - Host defense peptides (HDPs) are of either myeloid or epithelial origin with
      antimicrobial and immunomodulatory functions. Due to HDP's ability to physically
      disrupt bacterial cell membranes and profoundly regulate host innate and adaptive
      immunity, microbial resistance to these peptides is rare. As an important first
      line of defense, HDPs are mostly present in epithelial cells of the digestive,
      respiratory or urogenital tracts as well as in the granules of neutrophils,
      macrophages or intestinal secretory Paneth cells. HDPs are either directly
      released or inducibly expressed upon exposure to microbes or microbial products,
      although certain pathogens such as Shigella have evolved an ability to down
      regulate HDP synthesis as an immune invasion strategy. Even if a majority of HDPs
      are induced by infection and inflammation, it is undesirable to augment HDP
      synthesis and host immunity using pathogen-associated molecular patterns because
      of an excessive inflammation that is usually accompanied. Recently, several
      different classes of small-molecule compounds have been identified with the
      capacity to specifically induce HDP synthesis without triggering extensive
      inflammatory response. A few HDPinducing compounds even synergize with each other
      in HDP induction. In this review, we summarized the recent progresses on
      transcriptional regulation of HDPs by infection and inflammation and by small
      molecule compounds. We suggested the potential of dietary regulation of HDPs as a
      novel antibiotic-alternative strategy to antimicrobial therapy, as oral
      supplementation of HDP-inducing compounds has shown promise of preventing and
      controlling infections in humans and several animal species.

PMID- 26122786
TI  - They Must Hold Tight: Junction Proteins, Microbiota And Immunity In Intestinal
      Mucosa.
AB  - Homeostasis of the immune system depends on several factors. The gastrointestinal
      tract plays an important role in maintaining our immune system. With this aim,
      the intestinal immune system interacts with epithelial barrier molecules,
      especially tight junction proteins, that are key molecules involved in
      controlling paracellular permeability to increase the protection barrier against
      external antigens or possibly to respond to commensal microorganisms. During
      intestinal inflammatory diseases, the expression of innate immune receptors in
      intestinal epithelial cells and infiltration of immune cells are related, but it
      is still unclear how the immune system induces modulation of paracellular
      permeability. In this review, we provide an overview of the understanding of how
      the immune system modulates the expression of tight junctions to maintain the
      mucosal immune system. 

PMID- 26122787
TI  - Experiences of a PAR Intervention in Care for Older People.
AB  - Participatory action research (PAR) is an approach for dealing with problematic
      areas in practice. Follow-up studies in which participants describe their
      participation in PAR in detail are rare. This follow-up study aimed to describe
      care providers' (CPs) experiences of having participated in a PAR intervention
      designed to assist them to constructively deal with troubled conscience. Twenty
      nine CPs who participated in a PAR intervention were interviewed 2 to 4 months
      post-intervention. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The analysis
      revealed three main categories: the importance of having a communal and
      collaborative meeting place, perceived changes in daily life, and "It has been
      good, but it has not solved all of our problems." Using PAR to deal with troubled
      conscience might be an important organizational investment for the future that
      can help prevent ill health among CPs and maintain or improve the quality of
      care.

PMID- 26122788
TI  - The Presence of Symptoms With Comorbid Conditions in Individuals With Multiple
      Sclerosis (MS).
AB  - Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) may experience symptoms that impact
      comorbid conditions and quality of life (QOL). There is some evidence that
      symptom severity may vary in certain common health conditions in this population.
      We aimed to examine symptom severity in light of comorbid conditions commonly
      seen in individuals with MS (N = 339). Using a cross-sectional Internet survey,
      we found there was a significant increase in symptom severity of common symptoms
      of fatigue, imbalance, and weakness, specifically with presence or absence of
      certain comorbid conditions (depression, arthritis, migraine headaches, coronary
      artery disease [CAD]). These findings endorse the presence of more severe
      symptoms with certain comorbid conditions compared with individuals with MS who
      do not report having comorbid conditions. The findings support the importance of
      symptom management in individuals with MS who also have comorbid conditions.

PMID- 26122789
TI  - Finite element analysis of the residual thermal stresses on functionally gradated
      dental restorations.
AB  - The aim of this work was to study, using the finite element method (FEM), the
      distribution of thermal residual stresses arising in metal-ceramic dental
      restorations after cooling from the processing temperature. Three different
      interface configurations were studied: with conventional sharp transition; one
      with a 50% metal-50% ceramic interlayer; and one with a compositionally
      functionally gradated material (FGM) interlayer. The FE analysis was performed
      based on experimental data obtained from Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) and
      Dilatometry (DIL) studies of the monolithic materials and metal/ceramic
      composites. Results have shown significant benefits of using the 50% metal-50%
      ceramic interlayer and the FGM interlayer over the conventional sharp transition
      interface configuration in reduction of the thermal residual stress and
      improvement of stress profiles. Maximum stresses magnitudes were reduced by 10%
      for the crowns with 50% metal-50% ceramic interlayer and by 20% with FGM
      interlayer. The reduction in stress magnitude and smoothness of the stress
      distribution profile due to the gradated architectures might explain the improved
      behavior of these novel dental restorative systems relative to the conventional
      one, demonstrated by in-vitro studies already reported in literature. 

PMID- 26122790
TI  - Functional and molecular structural analysis of dentine interfaces promoted by a
      Zn-doped self-etching adhesive and an in vitro load cycling model.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate if mechanical cycling influences
      bioactivity and bond strength of resin-dentine interface after bonding with Zn
      doped self-etching adhesives. Sound dentine surfaces were bonded with Clearfil SE
      Bond (SEB), 10 wt% ZnO microparticles or 2 wt% ZnCl2 were added into the SEB
      primer (P) or bonding (Bd) for Zn-doping. Bonded interfaces were stored in
      simulated body fluid (24h), and then tested or submitted to mechanical loading.
      Microtensile bond strength testing was performed. Debonded dentine surfaces were
      studied by scanning electron microscopy. Remineralisation of the bonded
      interfaces was assessed by nano-indentation, Raman spectroscopy, and Masson's
      trichrome staining. Load cycling (LC) increased the percentage of adhesive
      failures in all groups. LC increased the Young's modulus (Ei) at the hybrid layer
      (HL) when SEB, SEB.P-ZnO and SEB.P-ZnCl2 were applied, but decreased when both
      ZnO and ZnCl2 were incorporated into the bonding. Ei was higher when Zn compounds
      were incorporated into the primer (SEB.P). ZnO promoted an increase, and ZnCl2 a
      decrease, of both the relative presence of minerals and crystallinity, after LC.
      LC increased collagen crosslinking with both SEB.P-ZnO and SEB.P-ZnCl2. The
      ratios which reflect the nature of collagen increased, in general, at both HL and
      BHL after LC, confirming recovery, better organisation, improved structural
      differences and collagen quality. After loading, trichrome staining reflected a
      deeper demineralised dentine fringe when Zn-doped compounds were incorporated
      into SEB.Bd. Multiple Zn-rich phosphate deposits and salt formations were
      detected. Mineral precipitates nucleated in multilayered platforms or globular
      formations on peritubular and intertubular dentine.

PMID- 26122791
TI  - Modes and nodes explain the mechanism of action of vortioxetine, a multimodal
      agent (MMA): blocking 5HT3 receptors enhances release of serotonin,
      norepinephrine, and acetylcholine.
AB  - Vortioxetine is an antidepressant with multiple pharmacologic modes of action at
      targets where serotonin neurons connect with other neurons. 5HT3 receptor
      antagonism is one of these actions, and this leads to increased release of
      norepinephrine (NE), acetylcholine (ACh), and serotonin (5HT) within various
      brain circuits. 

PMID- 26122792
TI  - Strategies from UW-Madison for rescuing biomedical research in the US.
AB  - A cross-campus, cross-career stage and cross-disciplinary series of discussions
      at a large public university has produced a series of recommendations for
      addressing the problems confronting the biomedical research community in the US. 

PMID- 26122793
TI  - A Case of Noonan Syndrome with Multiple Subcutaneous Tumours with MAPK-ERK/p38
      Activation.

PMID- 26122794
TI  - Transient 5-oxoprolinuria: unusually high anion gap acidosis in an infant.
AB  - Transient 5-oxoprolinuria is a phenomenon that is well recognised in adults. We
      illustrate an unusual paediatric case of transient 5-oxoprolinuria presenting
      during an episode of severe sepsis with concomitant paracetamol use. The 15-month
      old patient had an extremely high anion gap metabolic acidosis. Adequate
      resuscitation failed to correct the biochemical disturbance, and high levels of 5
      oxoproline were identified. A combination of haemofiltration, replenishment of
      glutathione stores with N-acetylcysteine and cessation of paracetamol
      administration resulted in the resolution of the acidosis. Subsequent testing
      following treatment of the sepsis revealed no ongoing 5-oxoprolinuria.
      CONCLUSION: Transient 5-oxoprolinuria has been previously reported in the adult
      population during episodes of severe sepsis and various pharmaceutical
      interventions. This case illustrates that it is a phenomenon that should be
      considered in paediatric patients where a very high anion gap metabolic acidosis
      exists that cannot be explained by the biochemical indices. WHAT IS KNOWN: * 5
      oxoprolinuria in the paediatric population is usually secondary to an inborn
      error of metabolism. * Transient 5-oxoprolinuria is well recognised in adults
      during episodes of severe glutathione depletion. WHAT IS NEW: * Transient 5
      oxoprolinuria is a phenomenon rarely reported in the paediatric population. * It
      highlights the importance of investigating a high anion gap such that unusual
      diagnoses are not missed.

PMID- 26122795
TI  - In situ characterization of organo-modified and unmodified montmorillonite
      aqueous suspensions by UV-visible spectroscopy.
AB  - UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy (Tyndall spectra) was applied and tested for its
      ability to measure organo-modified and unmodified montmorillonite (MMT) clays in
      aqueous suspensions. A full factorial design of experiments was used to study the
      influence of pH, NaCl and clay concentrations on the average particle size of the
      clay agglomerates. The methodology was evaluated by observing results that were
      consistent with previous research about the unmodified clay's behavior in aqueous
      suspensions. The results from this evaluation corresponded to accepted theories
      about the unmodified clay's behavior, indicating that the methodology is precise
      enough to distinguish the effects of the studied factors on these clay
      suspensions. The effect of clay concentration was related to the amount of ions
      per clay particle for the unmodified clay, but was not significant for the organo
      modified MMT. The average particle size of the organo-modified MMT in suspension
      was significantly larger than that of the unmodified clay. Size of the organo
      modified MMT agglomerates in suspension decreased in the presence of NaCl and at
      both high and low pH; this behavior was opposite to that of the unmodified clay.
      These results demonstrate that the UV-Vis methodology is well-suited for
      characterizing clay particle size in aqueous suspensions. The technique also is
      simple, rapid, and low-cost. 

PMID- 26122796
TI  - Rapid removal and decomposition of gaseous acetaldehyde by the thermo- and photo
      catalysis of gold nanoparticle-loaded anatase titanium(IV) oxide.
AB  - Gold nanoparticles (NPs) with a mean particle size ranging from 2.1 to 7.4 nm
      were loaded on anatase TiO2 particles (Au/TiO2) by the heating temperature-varied
      deposition precipitation technique. This study has shown that Au/TiO2 with Au
      particle size <3 nm and TiO2 surface area >50 m(2) g(-1) can be a promising
      environmental catalyst for the rapid removal and decomposition of gaseous
      acetaldehyde in a closed space. The Au loading on TiO2 causes a drastic
      enhancement of the acetaldehyde adsorption in the dark, and the adsorption amount
      increases as the Au particle size decreases. This result originates from the
      thermocatalytic activity of Au/TiO2 for the oxidation of acetaldehyde to acetic
      acid under ambient conditions. The resulting acetic acid spontaneously moves to
      the TiO2 surface due to the great adsorptivity for the carboxyl group.
      Consequently, the acetaldehyde adsorption amount strongly depends on the TiO2
      surface area in addition to the Au particle size. UV-light irradiation of
      acetaldehyde (or acetate)-adsorbed Au/TiO2 leads to the complete decomposition to
      carbon dioxide by the high photocatalytic activity of anatase TiO2.

PMID- 26122797
TI  - Preparation and characterization of VO2(M)-SnO2 thermochromic films for
      application as energy-saving smart coatings.
AB  - Novel VO2(M)/SnO2 heterostructured nanorods are prepared by combining the
      conventional hydrothermal synthesis method and post annealing process. The
      results reveal that the nanosized SnO2 particles are not only successfully grown
      on the surface of the VO2 nanorods but also uniformly distribute on VO2 without
      aggregation. The existence of the SnO2 nanoparticles inhibits the aggregation
      during the annealing process and widens the band gap of the VO2 crystals from
      0.75 to 1.7 eV. The two aspects can both improve the optical properties of the
      VO2(M)/SnO2 composite film. The visible transmittance is up to 35.7% and the IR
      modulation at 2500 nm is more than 56%, which were much higher than the pure
      VO2(M) film. In addition, the SnO2 layer could reduce the width of the hysteresis
      from 17.8 to 10.7 degrees C caused by Sn-doping and enhance the sensitivity. We
      believe that the VO2(M)/SnO2 heterostructured coating is a good candidate for
      smart windows.

PMID- 26122798
TI  - Study of volume swelling and interfacial tension of the polystyrene-carbon
      dioxide-dimethyl ether system.
AB  - We investigated the interaction of blended carbon dioxide (CO2) and dimethyl
      ether (DME) with polystyrene (PS) through volume swelling and interfacial
      tension. The experiments were carried out over a temperature range of 423-483 K,
      and the pressure was varied from 6.89 MPa to 20.68 MPa. With an incremental
      concentration of DME in the blend, the volume swelling increased while the
      interfacial tension between the PS/blend gas mixture and the blend gas decreased.
      The validity of the Simha-Somcynsky (SS) equation of state (EOS) for the ternary
      system was established by comparing experimentally measured volume swelling to
      that obtained via SS-EOS.

PMID- 26122799
TI  - Synthesis of mercaptopropyl-(phenylene)s-benzoates passivated gold nanoparticles:
      Implications for plasmonic photovoltaic cells.
AB  - The incorporation of gold nanoparticles in heterojunction solar cells is expected
      to increase the efficiency due to plasmon effects, but the literature studies are
      sometimes controversial. In this work, gold nanoparticles passivated with (Ph)n
      (CH2)3SH (n=1, 2, 3) have been synthesized by reduction of tetrachloroauric acid
      with sodium borohydride in two ways: (1) one-phase where both the thiol and the
      gold salt are solubilized in a mixture of methanol with acetic acid: Au-s-(Ph)n
      or (2), two-phase, using tetraoctylammonium bromide (TOAB) to transfer gold from
      water to toluene where the thiol is solubilized, Au(TOAB)-s-(Ph)n. The
      morphological, experimental and simulated optical properties were studied and
      analyzed as a function of the thiol and of the synthetic procedure in order to
      correlate them with the efficiency of plasmonic hybrid solar cells in the
      following configuration ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:PCBM-C60:Au-nanoparticles/Field's
      metal, where PEDOT: PSS is poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)
      poly(styrenesulfonate), P3HT is poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) and PCBM-C60 is
      [6,6]-Phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester. Our findings indicate that the gold
      nanoparticles incorporation is affecting the electrical properties of the active
      layer giving a maximum efficiency for Au-s-(Ph)3. Moreover, TOAB, which is
      usually used in the synthesis of thiol passivated gold nanoparticles, has
      negative effects in both plasmonic and electrical properties. This result is
      important for optoelectronic applications of gold nanoparticles prepared with any
      procedures that involve TOAB.

PMID- 26122800
TI  - Pharmacogenetics in irritable bowel syndrome.
AB  - Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic disease characterized by complex
      interactions between genetic predisposition and the environment. Current
      treatments for IBS are characterized by a highly variable response. Gene
      variations may result from insertions or deletions, gene rearrangements, splice
      variants or copy number variants, or, more commonly, from substitutions in the
      DNA of one (single nucleotide polymorphism [SNPs]) or more than one nucleotide.
      The objective of this editorial is to review the potential importance of
      pharmacogenetics in the treatment of IBS based on current evidence. 

PMID- 26122802
TI  - The Use of Telemedicine to Address Access and Physician Workforce Shortages.
AB  - The use of telemedicine technologies by primary care pediatricians, pediatric
      medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists (henceforth referred
      to as "pediatric physicians") has the potential to transform the practice of
      pediatrics. The purpose of this policy statement is to describe the expected and
      potential impact that telemedicine will have on pediatric physicians' efforts to
      improve access and physician workforce shortages. The policy statement also
      describes how the American Academy of Pediatrics can advocate for its members and
      their patients to best use telemedicine technologies to improve access to care,
      provide more patient- and family-centered care, increase efficiencies in
      practice, enhance the quality of care, and address projected shortages in the
      clinical workforce. As the use of telemedicine increases, it is likely to impact
      health care access, quality, and education and costs of care. Telemedicine
      technologies, applied to the medical home and its collaborating providers, have
      the potential to improve current models of care by increasing communication among
      clinicians, resulting in more efficient, higher quality, and less expensive care.
      Such a model can serve as a platform for providing more continuous care, linking
      primary and specialty care to support management of the needs of complex
      patients. In addition, telemedicine technologies can be used to efficiently
      provide pediatric physicians working in remote locations with ongoing medical
      education, increasing their ability to care for more complex patients in their
      community, reducing the burdens of travel on patients and families, and
      supporting the medical home. On the other hand, telemedicine technologies used
      for episodic care by nonmedical home providers have the potential to disrupt
      continuity of care and to create redundancy and imprudent use of health care
      resources. Fragmentation should be avoided, and telemedicine, like all primary
      and specialty services, should be coordinated through the medical home. 

PMID- 26122803
TI  - Umbilical Cord Milking Versus Delayed Cord Clamping in Preterm Infants.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Delayed cord clamping (DCC) is recommended for
      premature infants to improve blood volume. Most preterm infants are born by
      cesarean delivery (CD), and placental transfusion may be less effective than in
      vaginal delivery (VD). We sought to determine whether infants <32 weeks born by
      CD who undergo umbilical cord milking (UCM) have higher measures of systemic
      blood flow than infants who undergo DCC. METHODS: This was a 2-center trial.
      Infants delivered by CD were randomly assigned to undergo UCM or DCC. Infants
      delivered by VD were also randomly assigned separately. UCM (4 strippings) or DCC
      (45-60 seconds) were performed. Continuous hemodynamic measurements and
      echocardiography were done at site 1. RESULTS: A total of 197 infants were
      enrolled (mean gestational age 28 +/- 2 weeks). Of the 154 infants delivered by
      CD, 75 were assigned to UCM and 79 to DCC. Of the infants delivered by CD,
      neonates randomly assigned to UCM had higher superior vena cava flow and right
      ventricular output in the first 12 hours of life. Neonates undergoing UCM also
      had higher hemoglobin, delivery room temperature, blood pressure over the first
      15 hours, and urine output in the first 24 hours of life. There were no
      differences for the 43 infants delivered by VD. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first
      randomized controlled trial demonstrating higher systemic blood flow with UCM in
      preterm neonates compared with DCC. UCM may be a more efficient technique to
      improve blood volume in premature infants delivered by CD.

PMID- 26122804
TI  - BRAFV600E Mutation in Melanotic Neuroectodermal Tumor of Infancy: Toward
      Personalized Medicine?
AB  - The melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy (MNTI) is a rare neoplasm that
      primarily affects the maxilla of infants during their first year of life.
      Complete resection is the conventional treatment and recurrence rates vary from
      10% to 60%. The recurrent tumors grow more aggressively and can invade other
      anatomic structures, such as the nasal cavity, the orbit, and the skull base. The
      aggressive behavior of MNTIs may require radical resection, which may not be
      possible in some cases because of its rapid and invading growth together with
      invasion of vital structures. In these situations, adjunct radiotherapy or
      chemotherapy has been used. However, as there are no conclusive data regarding
      the molecular profile of this tumor, currently there is no targeted therapy that
      may be used in the treatment of selected aggressive cases. On the basis of MNTI
      similarities with melanomas, such as derivation from the neural crest cells and
      presence of large melanin-containing cells, we hypothesized that MNTIs also may
      harbor the BRAFV600E oncogenic mutation. We show for the first time that this
      important pediatric tumor may harbor the oncogenic BRAFV600E mutation, providing
      the first insights to their personalized treatment. 

PMID- 26122805
TI  - Effects of Physician-Based Preventive Oral Health Services on Dental Caries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Most Medicaid programs reimburse nondental providers for preventive
      dental services. We estimate the impact of comprehensive preventive oral health
      services (POHS) on dental caries among kindergarten students, hypothesizing
      improved oral health among students with medical visits with POHS. METHODS: We
      conducted a retrospective study in 29,173 kindergarten students by linking
      Medicaid claims (1999-2006) with public health surveillance data (2005-2006).
      Zero-inflated regression models estimated the association between number of
      visits with POHS and (1) decayed, missing, and filled primary teeth (dmft) and
      (2) untreated decayed teeth while adjusting for confounding. RESULTS:
      Kindergarten students with >=4 POHS visits averaged an adjusted 1.82 dmft (95%
      confidence interval: 1.55 to 2.09), which was significantly less than students
      with 0 visits (2.21 dmft; 95% confidence interval: 2.16 to 2.25). The mean number
      of untreated decayed teeth was not reduced for students with >=4 POHS visits
      compared with those with 0 visits. CONCLUSIONS: POHS provided by nondental
      providers in medical settings were associated with a reduction in caries
      experience in young children but were not associated with improvement in
      subsequent use of treatment services in dental settings. Efforts to promote oral
      health in medical settings should continue. Strategies to promote physician
      dentist collaborations are needed to improve continuity of care for children
      receiving dental services in medical settings.

PMID- 26122806
TI  - Family Experiences With Feeding Tubes in Neurologic Impairment: A Systematic
      Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes) are frequently used to
      provide enteral nutrition for children who have neurologic impairment.
      Understanding the impact of G-tubes from the family's perspective will inform
      decision-making and improve support from health care providers. This study
      explored the experiences of families after G-tube placement in children with
      neurologic impairment. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of English
      language qualitative primary research studies describing family experiences after
      G-tube placement. Six electronic databases were searched from inception to June
      2014. Two authors independently screened and identified relevant studies,
      evaluated quality of reporting by using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting
      Qualitative Research tool, and extracted data. Overarching concepts were
      developed by using thematic analysis. RESULTS: From 2674 screened abstracts, 84
      texts were reviewed, and 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. G-tubes affect
      the lives of children, parents, and the family unit in many ways, both positive
      and negative. Improvements and challenges were described for children's health
      and happiness, for parental caregiving and stress, and for logistics and bonding
      within the family. G-tube feeding also changed relationships within the family,
      between the family and the medical system, and between the family and the outside
      world. Furthermore, experiences varied, with different families framing similar
      concepts as positive and negative. CONCLUSIONS: G-tube placement has diverse
      effects on daily life for children with neurologic impairment and their families.
      Clinicians may use the themes identified in this study to guide conversations
      with families about their values, experiences, and expectations before and after
      G-tube placement.

PMID- 26122807
TI  - De Novo Assessment of Pediatric Musculoskeletal Soft Tissue Tumors: Beyond
      Anatomic Imaging.
AB  - MRI plays a central role in the assessment of pediatric musculoskeletal soft
      tissue tumors. Although these neoplasms may initially be evaluated on other
      modalities, such as sonography, MRI is essential for accurately determining the
      extent of disease. Traditionally, MRI has been performed with sequences that
      provide excellent anatomic detail, with T1-weighted, fluid-sensitive, and static
      postcontrast T1-weighted sequences. However, with the introduction of noncontrast
      sequences such as diffusion-weighted imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy
      to the arsenal of available MRI techniques, functional and metabolic features of
      a neoplasm can now be examined noninvasively. These more recent MRI methods offer
      information for lesion characterization, the assessment of treatment response,
      and the distinction of postoperative scar from recurrence. Dynamic contrast
      enhanced perfusion imaging is another useful functional technique that can be
      acquired before conventional static postcontrast imaging, without requiring
      additional contrast material. This review presents recent advances in MRI
      methodology that enable a comprehensive clinical assessment of musculoskeletal
      tumors in the pediatric population. The roles and challenges of combining
      anatomic, functional, and metabolic MRI sequences will be discussed as they
      relate to newly discovered soft tissue tumors in children. 

PMID- 26122808
TI  - Eliminating Rumination in Developmentally Disabled Children: A Case Report.
AB  - Rumination is the effortless regurgitation of food, with subsequent spitting out
      or rechewing and reswallowing. In developmentally delayed children, rumination is
      a pleasurable, self-stimulating habit. For 3 years, we evaluated and treated 2
      nonambulatory, nonverbal 4-year-old children who ruminated frequently while
      awake. The social isolation caused by a child covered in regurgitated food
      prompted caregivers of these children to find a solution. We hypothesized that
      rumination would cease if the stomach stayed empty of food. We intervened by
      placing gastrojejunostomy tubes and then initiated continuous drip jejunal tube
      feedings over 12 waking hours to reduce hunger; the children's oral diet was also
      stopped. In both cases, these changes reduced episodes of rumination to 3 to 5
      times daily. To eliminate rumination, unpleasant tasting substances (N
      acetylcysteine or cayenne pepper-based hot sauce) were given through the
      gastrostomy tube every 4 hours while the children were awake. Within 1 week of
      adding the unpalatable substances, rumination ceased. After 2 months of no
      rumination, 1 mother restarted oral feeding. There was no recurrence of
      rumination, and 3 months after gastrojejunal tube placement, the tube was
      removed. In 1 year of follow-up, rumination did not recur. The second mother was
      pleased with the outcome with jejunal feedings and chose not to resume oral
      feedings. These results showed that jejunal tube feeding in combination with
      insertion of unpalatable contents into the stomach eliminated rumination in these
      developmentally delayed children. 

PMID- 26122809
TI  - Prenatal Risk Factors and Outcomes in Gastroschisis: A Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Gastroschisis is a congenital anomaly with increasing
      incidence, easy prenatal diagnosis and extremely variable postnatal outcomes. Our
      objective was to systematically review the evidence regarding the association
      between prenatal ultrasound signs (intraabdominal bowel dilatation [IABD],
      extraabdominal bowel dilatation, gastric dilatation [GD], bowel wall thickness,
      polyhydramnios, and small for gestational age) and perinatal outcomes in
      gastroschisis (bowel atresia, intra uterine death, neonatal death, time to full
      enteral feeding, length of total parenteral nutrition and length of in hospital
      stay). METHODS: Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched
      electronically. Studies exploring the association between antenatal ultrasound
      signs and outcomes in gastroschisis were considered suitable for inclusion. Two
      reviewers independently extracted relevant data regarding study characteristics
      and pregnancy outcome. All meta-analyses were computed using individual data
      random-effect logistic regression, with single study as the cluster unit.
      RESULTS: Twenty-six studies, including 2023 fetuses, were included. We found
      significant positive associations between IABD and bowel atresia (odds ratio
      [OR]: 5.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.1-9.8), polyhydramnios and bowel
      atresia (OR: 3.76, 95% CI 1.7-8.3), and GD and neonatal death (OR: 5.58, 95% CI
      1.3-24.1). No other ultrasound sign was significantly related to any other
      outcome. CONCLUSIONS: IABD, polyhydramnios, and GD can be used to an extent to
      identify a subgroup of neonates with a prenatal diagnosis of gastroschisis at
      higher risk to develop postnatal complications. Data are still inconclusive on
      the predictive ability of several signs combined, and large prospective studies
      are needed to improve the quality of prenatal counseling and the neonatal care
      for this condition.

PMID- 26122810
TI  - Persistent Pneumonia in an Infant.
AB  - A 4-month-old boy with past medical history of eczema presented with fever and
      cough; a chest radiograph showed lung consolidation, and he was initially treated
      with amoxicillin for presumed community-acquired pneumonia. After several days,
      his fever persisted. He was also profoundly anemic. Antibiotic coverage was
      broadened because of the concern for resistant organisms; he began to improve and
      was discharged from the hospital. However, at 5 months of age, his fever
      returned, and he continued to demonstrate lung consolidation on chest radiograph.
      Additionally, he had lost weight and continued to be anemic. Splenic cysts were
      noted on abdominal ultrasound. He was diagnosed with an unusual etiology for his
      pneumonia and improved with the appropriate therapy. An underlying
      immunodeficiency was suspected, but initial testing was nondiagnostic. At 12
      months of age, he presented with another infection, and the final diagnosis was
      made. 

PMID- 26122811
TI  - Optimizing Placental Transfusion for Preterm Infants.

PMID- 26122812
TI  - The Role of the Pediatrician in Primary Prevention of Obesity.
AB  - The adoption of healthful lifestyles by individuals and families can result in a
      reduction in many chronic diseases and conditions of which obesity is the most
      prevalent. Obesity prevention, in addition to treatment, is an important public
      health priority. This clinical report describes the rationale for pediatricians
      to be an integral part of the obesity-prevention effort. In addition, the 2012
      Institute of Medicine report "Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention"
      includes health care providers as a crucial component of successful weight
      control. Research on obesity prevention in the pediatric care setting as well as
      evidence-informed practical approaches and targets for prevention are reviewed.
      Pediatricians should use a longitudinal, developmentally appropriate life-course
      approach to help identify children early on the path to obesity and base
      prevention efforts on family dynamics and reduction in high-risk dietary and
      activity behaviors. They should promote a diet free of sugar-sweetened beverages,
      of fewer foods with high caloric density, and of increased intake of fruits and
      vegetables. It is also important to promote a lifestyle with reduced sedentary
      behavior and with 60 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity.
      This report also identifies important gaps in evidence that need to be filled by
      future research. 

PMID- 26122814
TI  - Carotid Ultrasound Maximum Plaque Height-A Sensitive Imaging Biomarker for the
      Assessment of Significant Coronary Artery Disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We investigated the use of carotid intima-media thickness and carotid
      plaque in predicting significant angiographic coronary stenosis. METHODS: Three
      hundred eighteen consecutive outpatients underwent angiography and carotid
      ultrasound on the same day. The extent of coronary stenosis was determined using
      an established scoring system. Mean far distal carotid intima-media thickness of
      the common carotid artery, maximum plaque height, and total plaque area in the
      bulbs were measured by ultrasound. Cutoff values were identified using a receiver
      operating characteristic curve for predicting and ruling out coronary artery
      disease. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD carotid intima-media thickness (>=50% stenosis
      = 0.91 +/- 0.23 mm, <50% stenosis = 0.82 +/- 0.18 mm), maximum plaque height
      (>=50% stenosis = 2.64 +/- 0.85 mm, <50% stenosis = 1.72 +/- 1.04 mm), and total
      plaque area (>=50% stenosis = 39.1 +/- 27.7 mm(2) , <50% stenosis = 22.2 +/- 23.4
      mm(2) ) were significantly higher in patients with coronary artery disease (P <=
      0.001 for all three comparisons). Increased CIMT, plaque height, and area
      correlated with increased number of affected vessels. Plaque height had the best
      negative likelihood ratio for ruling out disease (0.15). The optimal threshold
      values for predicting coronary disease were 0.82 mm for carotid intima-media
      thickness, 1.54 mm for plaque height, and 25.6 mm(2) for total plaque area.
      CONCLUSION: Increased carotid intima-media thickness and plaque measurements are
      indicative of the presence of epicardial coronary stenosis. Plaque burden is a
      more sensitive imaging biomarker for ruling out significant coronary artery
      disease, including in younger individuals.

PMID- 26122815
TI  - Introduction to the collection on research to practice in the construction
      industry.

PMID- 26122813
TI  - Telemedicine: Pediatric Applications.
AB  - Telemedicine is a technological tool that is improving the health of children
      around the world. This report chronicles the use of telemedicine by pediatricians
      and pediatric medical and surgical specialists to deliver inpatient and
      outpatient care, educate physicians and patients, and conduct medical research.
      It also describes the importance of telemedicine in responding to emergencies and
      disasters and providing access to pediatric care to remote and underserved
      populations. Barriers to telemedicine expansion are explained, such as legal
      issues, inadequate payment for services, technology costs and sustainability, and
      the lack of technology infrastructure on a national scale. Although certain
      challenges have constrained more widespread implementation, telemedicine's
      current use bears testimony to its effectiveness and potential. Telemedicine's
      widespread adoption will be influenced by the implementation of key provisions of
      the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, technological advances, and
      growing patient demand for virtual visits. 

PMID- 26122816
TI  - Systemic sodium metabisulfite allergy.

PMID- 26122817
TI  - Experiences of care by Australians with a diagnosis of borderline personality
      disorder.
AB  - Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex and challenging mental health
      condition for the person and service providers who support them. This paper
      reports on the results of a survey of 153 people with a diagnosis of BPD about
      their experiences of attempting to receive support in managing this mental health
      condition. It provides their perceptions of a range of experiences not reported
      in the existing literature, including general practitioner roles, urban and rural
      differences, public and private hospital differences, and comparison of
      usefulness of support across multiple support types. People with a diagnosis of
      BPD continue to experience significant discrimination when attempting to get
      their needs met within both public and private health services. Further education
      for nurses and other health professionals is indicated to address pervasive
      negative attitudes towards people with a diagnosis of BPD. There is limited
      understanding of the experience of seeking and receiving treatment and care by
      people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD), their
      perceptions of barriers to care and the quality of services they receive. This
      study aimed to explore these experiences from the perspective of Australians with
      this diagnosis. An invitation to participate in an online survey was distributed
      across multiple consumer and carer organizations and mental health services, by
      the Private Mental Health Consumer Carer Network (Australia) in 2011. Responses
      from 153 people with a diagnosis of BPD showed that they experience significant
      challenges and discrimination when attempting to get their needs met within both
      public and private health services, including general practice. Seeking help from
      hospital emergency departments during crises was particularly challenging.
      Metropolitan and rural differences, and gender differences, were also apparent.
      Community supports were perceived as inadequate to meet their needs. This study
      provides data on a range of experiences not reported in existing literature,
      including general practitioner roles, urban and rural differences, public and
      private hospital differences, and comparison of usefulness of support across
      multiple support types. Its findings can help inform better training for health
      professionals and better care for this population.

PMID- 26122819
TI  - Climate Factors as Important Determinants of Dengue Incidence in Curacao.
AB  - Macro- and microclimates may have variable impact on dengue incidence in
      different settings. We estimated the short-term impact and delayed effects of
      climate variables on dengue morbidity in Curacao. Monthly dengue incidence data
      from 1999 to 2009 were included to estimate the short-term influences of climate
      variables by employing wavelet analysis, generalized additive models (GAM) and
      distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNM) on rainfall, temperature and relative
      humidity in relation to dengue incidence. Dengue incidence showed a significant
      irregular 4-year multi-annual cycle associated with climate variables. Based on
      GAM, temperature showed a U-shape, while humidity and rainfall exhibited a dome
      shaped association, suggesting that deviation from mean temperature increases and
      deviation from mean humidity and rainfall decreases dengue incidence,
      respectively. Rainfall was associated with an immediate increase in dengue
      incidence of 4.1% (95% CI: 2.2-8.1%) after a 10-mm increase, with a maximum
      increase of 6.5% (95% CI: 3.2-10.0%) after 1.5 month lag. A 1  degrees C decrease
      of mean temperature was associated with a RR of 17.4% (95% CI: 11.2-27.0%); the
      effect was inversed for a 1 degrees C increase of mean temperature (RR= 0.457,
      95% CI: 0.278-0.752). Climate variables are important determinants of dengue
      incidence and provide insight into its short-term effects. An increase in mean
      temperature was associated with lower dengue incidence, whereas lower
      temperatures were associated with higher dengue incidence.

PMID- 26122818
TI  - Neuroprotective mechanism of losartan and its interaction with nimesulide against
      chronic fatigue stress.
AB  - Potential role of angiotensin-II and cyclooxygenase have been suggested in the
      pathophysiology of chronic fatigue stress. The present study has been designed to
      evaluate the neuroprotective effect of losartan and its interaction with
      nimesulide against chronic fatigue stress and related complications in mice. In
      the present study, male Laca mice (20-30 g) were subjected to running wheel
      activity test session (RWATS) for 6 min daily for 21 days. Losartan, nimesulide
      and their combinations were administered daily for 21 days, 45 min before being
      subjected to RWATS. Various behavioral and biochemical and neuroinflammatory
      mediators were assessed subsequently. 21 days RWATS treatment significantly
      decreased number of wheel rotations/6 min indicating fatigue stress like
      behaviors as compared to naive group. 21 days treatment with losartan (10 and 20
      mg/kg, ip), nimesulide (5 and 10 mg/kg, po) and their combinations significantly
      improved behavior [increased number of wheel rotations, reversal of post-exercise
      fatigue, locomotor activity, antianxiety-like behavior (number of entries,
      latency to enter and time spent in mirror chamber), and memory performance
      (transfer latency in plus-maze performance task)], biochemical parameters
      (reduced serum corticosterone, brain lipid peroxidation, nitrite concentration,
      acetylcholinesterase activity, restored reduced glutathione levels and catalase
      activity) as compared to RWATS control. Besides, TNF-alpha, CRP levels were
      significantly attenuated by these drugs and their combinations as compared to
      control. The present study highlights the role of cyclooxygenase modulation in
      the neuroprotective effect of losartan against chronic fatigue stress-induced
      behavioral, biochemical and cellular alterations in mice.

PMID- 26122821
TI  - Effect of replacing corn with whole-grain paddy rice and brown rice in broiler
      diets on growth performance and intestinal morphology.
AB  - The present study was conducted to investigate replacing corn with whole-grain
      paddy rice (WPR) and whole-grain brown rice (BR) in broiler chicken diets and its
      effect on growth performance and histological structures of the intestinal villi.
      Marshall Chunky male chicks (14 days old) were divided into five groups with four
      replicates of four chicks each. In the dietary treatments, corn in the basal diet
      was replaced with WPR and BR. The chickens received five experimental diets
      consisting of corn, WPR and BR in ratios of 100:0:0 (Control), 50:0:50 (50Corn +
      50BR), 50:25:25 (50Corn + 25WPR + 25BR), 25:50:25 (25Corn + 50WPR + 25BR) and
      0:50:50 (50WPR + 50BR) respectively. Feed and water were provided ad libitum for
      35 day. No significant differences were found in feed intake, body weight gain
      and feed efficiency among the treatment groups. The relative weights of the
      gizzard in the 50Corn + 25WPR + 25BR, 25Corn + 50WPR + 25BR and 50WPR + 50BR
      groups were significantly higher than that of the Control and 50Corn + 50BR
      groups (p < 0.05). The gizzard pH of the experimental groups was lower than those
      of Control (p < 0.05). The ileal crypt of birds on the Control diets was deeper
      (p < 0.05) than those observed in the experimental birds. Moreover, the ileal
      villus height: crypt depth ratio increased (p < 0.05) in the 50WPR + 50BR group
      (p < 0.05) compared with the Control group. No specific changes were observed in
      the epithelial cells on the duodenal apical surface among the groups except that
      the villus of the 25Corn + 50WPR + 25BR group had cell clusters. The jejunal and
      ileal villus apical surface of the experimental groups showed similar morphology
      to the Control group. These findings suggest that WPR and BR can totally replace
      corn in broiler diets without negatively affecting growth performance. 

PMID- 26122820
TI  - KRAS and aneusomy of chromosomes 4, 10 and 12 in colorectal carcinomas.
AB  - AIMS: KRAS mutation status has predictive significance in EGFR-antibody treatment
      of colorectal adenocarcinoma. The aim of the study was the evaluation of KRAS
      mutation status in correlation to KRAS copy numbers and ploidy status. METHODS:
      Colorectal adenocarcinomas (n=52) were assembled into a TMA and analyzed by FISH.
      Probes for centromeres 4 and 10 were applied as surrogate markers for the ploidy
      status. In addition, a dual color FISH probe set for the centromere of chromosome
      12 and the KRAS gene was applied to the TMA to analyze numerical alterations and
      KRAS gene copy numbers. Further we analyzed DNA sequence profiles of KRAS codons
      12 and 13 to assess the allele status of the mutation within the tumor samples.
      RESULTS: KRAS mutation was confirmed in 24 cases, while 28 cases showed a wild
      type KRAS status. The majority of cases showed diploid FISH signals for
      chromosomes 4 and 10. Near triploid FISH signals were observed in only 2 cases,
      12 cases were hypodiploid, and 8 cases were hyperdiploid. In 6 cases, trisomy 12
      could be ascertained. In total, aneuploidy could be detected in 28 cases,
      including cases with trisomy 12 and hyposomy 10. Tumors with aneuploid
      chromosomal content had a worse prognosis compared to euploid tumors, however,
      without reaching statistical significance (p=0.231). Hypodiploid carcinomas
      carried the worst prognosis. Specifically, monosomy 10 was significantly
      associated with reduced survival (p=0.039). Increased FISH signals of KRAS did
      not correlate significantly with relapse (p=0.916). CONCLUSIONS: FISH analysis
      can be used as a surrogate marker for the ploidy status. Loss of chromosome 10
      may serve as a potential adverse prognostic marker being indicative for tumor
      progression.

PMID- 26122822
TI  - Over-expression of neurotrophin 3 in human aortic valves affected by calcific
      disease induces the osteogenic responses via the Trk-Akt pathway.
AB  - Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a leading cardiovascular disorder in the
      elderly. While aortic valve interstitial cells (AVICs) are the main cells that
      express osteogenic mediators, the molecular mechanism that mediates AVIC
      osteogenic responses is incompletely understood. This study aims to identify pro
      osteogenic factors in human AVICs affected by CAVD. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      Microarray analysis identified 11 up-regulated genes in AVICs of diseased valves.
      Among these genes, mRNA levels of neurotrophin 3 (NT3) increased by 2 fold.
      Higher levels of NT3 protein in diseased aortic valves and diseased AVICs were
      confirmed by immunofluorescent staining and immunoblotting, respectively. An
      exposure of AVICs of normal valves to recombinant human NT3 (0.025-0.10MUg/mL) up
      regulated the production of Runx2, TGF-beta1 and BMP-2 in a dose-dependent
      fashion. NT3 also promotes calcium deposit formation. The pro-osteogenic effect
      of NT3 was not affected by neutralization of Toll-like receptor 2 or 4.
      Interestingly, mRNA encoding neural growth factor receptors (TrkA, TrkB, TrkC and
      p75 NTR) was detectable in human AVICs. Inhibition of Trk receptors markedly
      reduced the effects of NT3 on Runx2, TGF-beta1 and BMP-2 production, calcium
      deposit formation and Akt phosphorylation. Further, inhibition of Akt also
      reduced the pro-osteogenic effects of NT3. CONCLUSIONS: AVICs of diseased human
      aortic valves express higher levels of NT3. NT3 up-regulates the production of
      Runx2, TGF-beta1 and BMP-2, and promotes calcium deposit formation in human AVICs
      via the Trk-Akt pathway. Thus, NT3 is a novel pro-osteogenic factor in aortic
      valves and may play a role in valvular calcification.

PMID- 26122823
TI  - Special issue: Molecular basis of NCL.

PMID- 26122824
TI  - A Boundary Value Approach to Optimization with an Application to Salmonella
      Competition.
AB  - We develop a novel optimization framework to study strategies in ecological
      competition processes. The optimization method uses theory from dynamical systems
      describing the asymptotic behavior of a bistable system based on initial
      conditions, which we implement using a numerical boundary value problem. As an
      application of our method, we develop a model of the competition between
      Salmonella Typhimurium and the host's native microflora, which constantly and
      densely inhabit the intestinal lining of most mammals. S. Typhimurium invades the
      gut in two distinct phenotypic populations, one virulent and one avirulent,
      though the avirulent bacteria have the ability to activate a virulence factor and
      thereby "switch" into the virulent population. Counterintuitively, some studies
      have found that the combined population of S. Typhimurium gains an environmental
      advantage over the commensal microbiota after the virulent subpopulation provokes
      the body's inflammatory defenses. Our model represents the competition between
      the commensal microbiota, the avirulent salmonella, and the virulent salmonella
      populations and incorporates a simple representation of the immune response. We
      use our model to predict optimal strategies that would favor salmonella in its
      competition with the commensal bacteria. 

PMID- 26122825
TI  - Oncolytic Treatment for Cancer Recommended for Approval.

PMID- 26122828
TI  - Macrophage-Derived IGF-1 Is a Potent Coordinator of Myogenesis and Inflammation
      in Regenerating Muscle.

PMID- 26122829
TI  - Shedding New Light on the Use of Imaging Technology for Glioblastoma Tumor
      Resection.

PMID- 26122830
TI  - Corrigendum to "Insulin-like Growth Factor-binding Protein-7 (IGFBP7): A
      Promising Gene Therapeutic for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)".

PMID- 26122831
TI  - Corrigendum to "Chimeric Receptors Containing CD137 Signal Transduction Domains
      Mediate Enhanced Survival of T Cells and Increased Antileukemic Efficacy In
      Vivo".

PMID- 26122832
TI  - Relation of cholesterol metabolism to pediatric gallstone disease: a
      retrospective controlled study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cholesterol metabolism may be involved in pediatric gallstone
      disease. We aimed to reveal cholesterol metabolites and phytosterols and their
      relation to stone composition of sterols in children having black pigment and
      cholesterol stones. METHODS: We performed retrospective controlled clinical
      study, in which we examined parameters of cholesterol metabolism and liver
      function values in serum (n = 28) and gallstones (n = 46) of consecutively
      cholecystectomized children. Serum values of age-, body mass index- and sex
      matched children (n = 82) and adult gallstones (n = 187) served as controls.
      RESULTS: Surrogate markers of cholesterol synthesis in serum
      (squalene/cholesterol, cholestenol/cholesterol and lathosterol/cholesterol) were
      26-52 % higher in both stone subclasses compared to controls (p < 0.05 for all).
      Respectively, cholestanol/cholesterol and plant sterols campesterol/cholesterol
      and sitosterol/cholesterol (cholesterol absorption markers) had decreasing order
      in serum: black pigment stone group > controls > cholesterol stone group (p <
      0.05 for all). In black pigment stone group, stone cholestanol/cholesterol was
      associated with serum bile acids (r = 0.620, p = 0.018). In cholesterol stone
      group, surrogate markers of cholesterol synthesis in serum (e.g.,
      lathosterol/cholesterol) inversely reflected those of absorption (r-range -0.633-
      0.706, p-range 0.036-0.015). In cholesterol stone group, serum and stone
      lathosterol/cholesterol and cholestanol/cholesterol were positively interrelated
      (r-range 0.727-0.847, p < 0.05 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Gallstone subclasses
      shared enhanced cholesterol synthesis. Cholesterol stone children were low
      cholesterol absorbers with intact homeostasis of cholesterol metabolism. Black
      pigment stone group was characterized by deteriorated cholesterol metabolism, and
      accumulation of cholestanol, campesterol and sitosterol in serum and stones
      suggesting their participation in pathogenesis.

PMID- 26122833
TI  - Primum Non Nocere: Does Screening For Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Do More Harm Than
      Good?

PMID- 26122834
TI  - Clinical Safety and Preliminary Efficacy of Plasmid pUDK-HGF Expressing Human
      Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) in Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is the most severe form of peripheral
      arterial disease and a major unmet public health care need. This phase I clinical
      study was performed to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of naked
      plasmid DNA (pUDK-HGF) expressing human hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in
      patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). DESIGN: Twenty-one patients with CLI
      were enrolled and randomly divided into four dose groups (4-16 mg) to receive
      local injection of pUDK-HGF into ischemic calf and/or thigh muscles twice on days
      1 and 15. Safety, including adverse events and physiological parameters, and
      preliminary efficacy, including pain severity score (VAS), ulcer size,
      transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO2), and ankle brachial index (ABI), were
      evaluated throughout a 3 month follow up period. RESULTS: All doses of pUDK-HGF
      were well tolerated by the patients. None of the adverse effects was considered
      to be related to pUDK-HGF injection. Two significant clinical results were
      observed after pUDK-HGF administration. The mean VAS value of all patients
      decreased from 4.52 at baseline to 0.30 (p < .01), and pain had disappeared in 14
      out of 17 evaluable patients by day 91. Two of four ulcers had completely healed,
      with the other two patients having more than 25% ulcer size reduction in the long
      axis diameter. Of five patients with gangrene, one gangrenous wound had healed
      completely and two patients showed marked size reduction by day 91. The mean
      hemodynamic parameters (ABI, TcPO2) were also improved. CONCLUSION: Intramuscular
      injection of pUDK-HGF is safe, and may provide symptomatic relief for CLI
      patients. A larger, randomized, double blinded phase II trial will provide more
      information on safety and efficacy.

PMID- 26122835
TI  - New insights into evolution of IgT genes coming from Antarctic teleosts.
AB  - Cloning and characterization of IgT heavy chain genes were performed in the
      Antarctic Notothenioid teleost Trematomus bernacchii and in a non-Antarctic
      Notothenioid species, Bovichtus diacanthus, belonging to a phyletically basal
      lineage of Notothenioids. Compared to IgT from other non-Antarctic teleost
      species, including B. diacanthus, T. bernacchii IgT lacked most of the second
      constant domain but maintained only a few amino acid residues, which could be
      aligned to B. diacanthus CH2 domain. By analyzing several cDNA clones from a
      single specimen, three differently sized IgT transcript variants, named Long,
      Short and Shortest, were identified. Genomic analysis of T. bernacchii and B.
      diacanthus IgH loci revealed that, in the case of T. bernacchii, within the
      intron between the exons coding for the entire first and second constant domains
      a reminiscence of the ancestral second exon was present. The Long and Short
      variants were found to be encoded by indel alleles, whereas the Shortest variant
      was generated by alternative splicing that led to the CH2 exonic remnant
      skipping. Through comparison between genomic and cDNA sequences we hypothesized
      the presence of three different copies of the IgT heavy chain gene, one of which
      being considered the functional gene since the corresponding transcripts were
      identified. Moreover, either Long or Short exonic variants were found to be used
      in IgT heavy chain membrane form in an unbiased manner, as seen for the secretory
      form. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on the constant region from all teleost
      IgT available to date, including IgT from another Antarctic Notothenioid species,
      Notothenia coriiceps, identified by searching the transcriptome. The loss of
      almost an entire domain together with the conservation of some amino acids such
      as proline, glycine and cysteine in the CH2 domain remnant, could be interpreted
      as another distinctive feature of the Antarctic fish genome evolution, providing
      also new insights into the structural variation of teleost immunoglobulin genes. 

PMID- 26122836
TI  - Expressed sequence tag analyses of three leukocyte subpopulations in ayu
      Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis, separated by monoclonal antibodies.
AB  - Ayu Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis are one of the most economically important
      fish for freshwater aquaculture in Japan. We conducted expressed sequence tag
      analyses of three leukocyte subpopulations, thrombocytes, neutrophils, and B
      lymphocytes in ayu using a next generation sequencer. The sequencing and de novo
      assembly yielded 22,494, 22,733, and 16,505 contigs from the thrombocyte,
      neutrophil, and B lymphocyte cDNA libraries, respectively. Pathways involving
      endocytosis, phagosomes, and lysosomes, were found in all three cDNA libraries
      using pathway analysis. The thrombocyte cDNA library contained 2894 unique
      sequences, including CXC chemokine receptor 4 and MHC class II. Cytokine and
      cytokine receptor genes such as interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-8, IL-1 receptor (IL
      1R), IL-8RA, and IL-8RB were found among the 3056 unique sequences of the
      neutrophil cDNA library. Typical B lymphocyte related genes such as B cell linker
      protein, immunoglobulin (Ig) M, IgD and transforming growth factor beta were
      found in the 1590 unique sequences of the B lymphocyte cDNA library. In summary,
      a large number of immune-related genes were identified from the three leukocyte
      cDNA libraries. Our results represent a valuable sequence resource for
      understanding the immune system function in ayu. 

PMID- 26122837
TI  - Can an increase in neuropeptide production in the soma lead to DCV circulation in
      axon terminals with type III en passant boutons?
AB  - Neuropeptides are synthesized in the neuron soma; they are packaged in dense core
      vesicles (DCVs) which undergo axonal transport toward nerve terminals. Published
      experimental results suggest that in terminals with type Ib boutons DCVs
      circulate in the terminal, undergoing repeated anterograde and retrograde
      transport, while in type III terminals DCVs do not circulate in the terminal. In
      this paper we developed a mathematical model that allowed us to investigate the
      effects of an increased rate of DCV production in the soma. We demonstrated that
      our model reproduces some important experimental results, in particular those
      concerning DCV circulation in type Ib and type III terminals. Our model makes
      testable predictions. Probably the most important prediction concerns the effect
      of an increased DCV production rate in the soma, which we anticipate leads to
      increased DCV circulation in type Ib boutons and to the appearance of DCV
      circulation in type III boutons. Other predictions concern various stages of
      development of DCV circulation in the terminals after they were depleted of DCVs
      due to neuropeptide release. 

PMID- 26122838
TI  - Gene therapy for neurodegenerative diseases.
AB  - Gene therapy is, potentially, a powerful tool for treating neurodegenerative
      diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal muscular atrophy,
      Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). To date, clinical trials
      have failed to show any improvement in outcome beyond the placebo effect. Efforts
      to improve outcomes are focusing on three main areas: vector design and the
      identification of new vector serotypes, mode of delivery of gene therapies, and
      identification of new therapeutic targets. These advances are being tested both
      individually and together to improve efficacy. These improvements may finally
      make gene therapy successful for these disorders. 

PMID- 26122839
TI  - Tackling Crizotinib Resistance: The Pathway from Drug Discovery to the Pediatric
      Clinic.
AB  - Neuroblastoma is a childhood malignancy that has not yet benefitted from the
      rapid progress in the development of small-molecule therapeutics for cancer. An
      opportunity to take advantage of pharmaceutical innovation in this area arose
      when the identification of ALK fusion proteins in non-small cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC) occurred in parallel to the discovery of point mutations of ALK in
      neuroblastomas. ALK is now known to be a marker of poor outcome in neuroblastoma,
      and therefore, urgent development of specific ALK inhibitors to treat this
      devastating disease is a necessity. However, the translation of small molecules
      from adult directly into pediatric practice has thus far been challenging, due to
      mutation-specific structural variances in the ALK kinase domain. We discuss how
      the most recent structural and biological characterizations of ALK are directing
      preclinical and clinical studies of ALK inhibitors for both NSCLC and
      neuroblastoma.

PMID- 26122840
TI  - Investigation of Optical Coherence Microelastography as a Method to Visualize
      Cancers in Human Breast Tissue.
AB  - An accurate intraoperative identification of malignant tissue is a challenge in
      the surgical management of breast cancer. Imaging techniques that help address
      this challenge could contribute to more complete and accurate tumor excision, and
      thereby help reduce the current high reexcision rates without resorting to the
      removal of excess healthy tissue. Optical coherence microelastography (OCME) is a
      three-dimensional, high-resolution imaging technique that is sensitive to
      microscale variations of the mechanical properties of tissue. As the tumor
      modifies the mechanical properties of breast tissue, OCME has the potential to
      identify, on the microscale, involved regions of fresh, unstained tissue. OCME is
      based on the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure tissue
      deformation in response to applied mechanical compression. In this feasibility
      study on 58 ex vivo samples from patients undergoing mastectomy or wide local
      excision, we demonstrate the performance of OCME as a means to visualize tissue
      microarchitecture in benign and malignant human breast tissues. Through a
      comparison with corresponding histology and OCT images, OCME is shown to enable
      ready visualization of features such as ducts, lobules, microcysts, blood
      vessels, and arterioles and to identify invasive tumor through distinctive
      patterns in OCME images, often with enhanced contrast compared with OCT. These
      results lay the foundation for future intraoperative studies. Cancer Res; 75(16);
      3236-45. (c)2015 AACR. 

PMID- 26122842
TI  - Discovery and Validation of Biomarkers That Distinguish Mucinous and Nonmucinous
      Pancreatic Cysts.
AB  - The use of advanced imaging technologies for the identification of pancreatic
      cysts has become widespread. However, accurate differential diagnosis between
      mucinous cysts (MC) and nonmucinous cysts (NMC) consisting of pseudocysts (NMC1)
      and nonmucinous neoplastic cysts (NMC2) remains a challenge. Thus, it is
      necessary to develop novel biomarkers for the differential diagnosis of
      pancreatic cysts. An integrated proteomics approach yielded differentially
      expressed proteins in MC that were verified subsequently in 99 pancreatic cysts
      (21 NMC1, 41 NMC2, and 37 MC) using a method termed GeLC-stable isotope dilution
      multiple reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry (GeLC-SID-MRM-MS) along with
      established immunoassay techniques. We identified 223 proteins by nanoscale
      liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (nano LC/MS-MS). Nine
      candidate biomarkers were identified, including polymeric immunoglobulin receptor
      (PIGR), lipocalin 2 (LCN2), Fc fragment of IgG-binding protein (FCGBP),
      lithostathine-1-alpha (REG1A), afamin (AFM), chymotrypsin C (caldecrin; CTRC),
      amylase, alpha 2B (pancreatic; AMY2B), lectin, galactoside-binding, soluble, 3
      binding protein (LGALS3BP), and chymotrypsin-like elastase family, member 3A
      (CELA3A), which were established as biomarker candidates for MC. In particular,
      we have shown that a biomarker subset, including AFM, REG1A, PIGR, and LCN2,
      could differentiate MC not only from NMC (including NMC1) but also from NMC2.
      Overall, the MS-based comprehensive proteomics approach used in this study
      established a novel set of candidate biomarkers that address a gap in efforts to
      distinguish early pancreatic lesions at a time when more successful therapeutic
      interventions may be possible.

PMID- 26122841
TI  - Interleukin-6 Prevents the Initiation but Enhances the Progression of Lung
      Cancer.
AB  - Recent studies suggest that high expression of the proinflammatory cytokine IL6
      is associated with poor survival of lung cancer patients. Accordingly, IL6 has
      been a target of great interest for lung cancer therapy. However, the role of IL6
      in lung cancer has not been determined yet. Here, we demonstrate that IL6 plays
      opposite roles in the initiation and growth of lung cancer in a mouse model of
      lung cancer induced by the K-Ras oncogene. We find that compared with wild-type
      mice, IL6-deficient mice developed much more lung tumors after an activating
      mutant of K-Ras was induced in the lungs. However, lung tumors developed in IL6
      deficient mice were significantly smaller. Notably, both the lung tumor
      suppressing and -promoting functions of IL6 involve its ability in activating the
      transcription factor STAT3. IL6/STAT3 signaling suppressed lung cancer initiation
      through maintaining lung homeostasis, regulating lung macrophages, and activating
      cytotoxic CD8 T cells under K-Ras oncogenic stress, whereas it promoted lung
      cancer cell growth through inducing the cell proliferation regulator cyclin D1.
      These studies reveal a previously unexplored role of IL6/STAT3 signaling in
      maintaining lung homeostasis and suppressing lung cancer induction. These studies
      also significantly improve our understanding of lung cancer and provide a
      molecular basis for designing IL6/STAT3-targeted therapies for this deadliest
      human cancer.

PMID- 26122843
TI  - Identification of Prognostic Groups in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Treated
      with Platinum-Taxane Chemotherapy.
AB  - Disseminated high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGS-OvCa) is an aggressive disease
      treated with platinum and taxane combination therapy. While initial response can
      be favorable, the disease typically relapses and becomes resistant to treatment.
      As genomic alterations in HGS-OvCa are heterogeneous, identification of
      clinically meaningful molecular markers for outcome prediction is challenging. We
      developed a novel computational approach (PSFinder) that fuses transcriptomics
      and clinical data to identify HGS-OvCa prognostic subgroups for targeted
      treatment. Application of PSFinder to transcriptomics data from 180 HGS-OvCa
      patients treated with platinum-taxane therapy revealed 61 transcript isoforms
      that characterize two poor and one good survival-associated groups (P = 0.007).
      These groups were validated in eight independent data sets, including a
      prospectively collected ovarian cancer cohort. Two poor prognostic groups have
      distinct expression profiles and are characteristic by increased hypermethylation
      and stroma-related genes. Integration of the PSFinder signature and BRCA1/2
      mutation status allowed even better stratification of HGS-OvCa patients'
      prognosis. The herein introduced novel and generally applicable computational
      approach can identify outcome-related subgroups and facilitate the development of
      precision medicine to overcome drug resistance. A limited set of biomarkers
      divides HGS-OvCa into three prognostic groups and predicts patients in need of
      targeted therapies.

PMID- 26122844
TI  - Rapamycin Impairs Antitumor CD8+ T-cell Responses and Vaccine-Induced Tumor
      Eradication.
AB  - The metabolic sensor mTOR broadly regulates cell growth and division in cancer
      cells, leading to a significant focus on studies of rapamycin and its analogues
      as candidate anticancer drugs. However, mTOR inhibitors have failed to produce
      useful clinical efficacy, potentially because mTOR is also critical in T cells
      implicated in immunosurveillance. Indeed, recent studies using rapamycin have
      demonstrated the important role of mTOR in differentiation and induction of the
      CD8+ memory in T-cell responses associated with antitumor properties. In this
      study, we demonstrate that rapamycin harms antitumor immune responses mediated by
      T cells in the setting of cancer vaccine therapy. Specifically, we analyzed how
      rapamycin affects the antitumor efficacy of a human papilloma virus E7 peptide
      vaccine (CyaA-E7) capable of eradicating tumors in the TC-1 mouse model of
      cervical cancer. In animals vaccinated with CyaA-E7, rapamycin administration
      completely abolished recruitment of CD8+ T cells into TC-1 tumors along with the
      ability of the vaccine to reduce infiltration of T regulatory cells and myeloid
      derived suppressor cells. Moreover, rapamycin completely abolished vaccine
      induced cytotoxic T-cell responses and therapeutic activity. Taken together, our
      results demonstrate the powerful effects of mTOR inhibition in abolishing T-cell
      mediated antitumor immune responses essential for the therapeutic efficacy of
      cancer vaccines.

PMID- 26122845
TI  - Defects in the Fanconi Anemia Pathway and Chromatid Cohesion in Head and Neck
      Cancer.
AB  - Failure to repair DNA damage or defective sister chromatid cohesion, a process
      essential for correct chromosome segregation, can be causative of chromosomal
      instability (CIN), which is a hallmark of many types of cancers. We investigated
      how frequent this occurs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and
      whether specific mechanisms or genes could be linked to these phenotypes. The
      genomic instability syndrome Fanconi anemia is caused by mutations in any of at
      least 16 genes regulating DNA interstrand crosslink (ICL) repair. Since patients
      with Fanconi anemia have a high risk to develop HNSCC, we investigated whether
      and to which extent Fanconi anemia pathway inactivation underlies CIN in HNSCC of
      non-Fanconi anemia individuals. We observed ICL-induced chromosomal breakage in 9
      of 17 (53%) HNSCC cell lines derived from patients without Fanconi anemia. In
      addition, defective sister chromatid cohesion was observed in five HNSCC cell
      lines. Inactivation of FANCM was responsible for chromosomal breakage in one cell
      line, whereas in two other cell lines, somatic mutations in PDS5A or STAG2
      resulted in inadequate sister chromatid cohesion. In addition, FANCF methylation
      was found in one cell line by screening an additional panel of 39 HNSCC cell
      lines. Our data demonstrate that CIN in terms of ICL-induced chromosomal breakage
      and defective chromatid cohesion is frequently observed in HNSCC. Inactivation of
      known Fanconi anemia and chromatid cohesion genes does explain CIN in the
      minority of cases. These findings point to phenotypes that may be highly relevant
      in treatment response of HNSCC.

PMID- 26122847
TI  - CRMP5 Controls Glioblastoma Cell Proliferation and Survival through Notch
      Dependent Signaling.
AB  - Collapsin response mediator protein 5 (CRMP5) belongs to a family of five
      cytosolic proteins that play a major role in nervous system development. This
      protein was first described in cancer-induced autoimmune processes, causing
      neurodegenerative disorders (paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes). CRMP5
      expression has been reported to serve as a biomarker for high-grade lung
      neuroendocrine carcinomas; however, its functional roles have not been examined
      in any setting of cancer pathophysiology. In this study, we report two different
      CRMP5 expression patterns observed in human glioblastoma (GBM) biopsies that
      establish connections between CRMP5 expression, Notch receptor signaling, and GBM
      cell proliferation. We demonstrated that elevated CRMP5 promotes Notch receptor
      expression and Akt activation in human tumor cell lines, GBM stem cells, and
      primary tumor biopsies. We have shown that the high CRMP5 and Notch expression in
      GBM xenograft is related to stem cells. This suggests that high CRMP5 expression
      pattern in GBM biopsies encompasses a subset of stem cells. Mechanistically,
      CRMP5 functioned by hijacking Notch receptors from Itch-dependent lysosomal
      degradation. Our findings suggest that CRMP5 serves as a major mediator of Notch
      signaling and Akt activation by controlling the degradation of the Notch
      receptor, with implications for defining a biomarker signature in GBM that
      correlates with and may predict patient survival.

PMID- 26122846
TI  - Endothelial Thermotolerance Impairs Nanoparticle Transport in Tumors.
AB  - The delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents to solid tumors is limited by
      physical transport barriers within tumors, and such restrictions directly
      contribute to decreased therapeutic efficacy and the emergence of drug
      resistance. Nanomaterials designed to perturb the local tumor environment with
      precise spatiotemporal control have demonstrated potential to enhance drug
      delivery in preclinical models. Here, we investigated the ability of one class of
      heat-generating nanomaterials called plasmonic nanoantennae to enhance tumor
      transport in a xenograft model of ovarian cancer. We observed a temperature
      dependent increase in the transport of diagnostic nanoparticles into tumors.
      However, a transient, reversible reduction in this enhanced transport was seen
      upon reexposure to heating, consistent with the development of vascular
      thermotolerance. Harnessing these observations, we designed an improved treatment
      protocol combining plasmonic nanoantennae with diffusion-limited chemotherapies.
      Using a microfluidic endothelial model and genetic tools to inhibit the heat
      shock response, we found that the ability of thermal preconditioning to limit
      heat-induced cytoskeletal disruption is an important component of vascular
      thermotolerance. This work, therefore, highlights the clinical relevance of
      cellular adaptations to nanomaterials and identifies molecular pathways whose
      modulation could improve the exposure of tumors to therapeutic agents.

PMID- 26122848
TI  - Diverse Targets of beta-Catenin during the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
      Define Cancer Stem Cells and Predict Disease Relapse.
AB  - Wnt signaling contributes to the reprogramming and maintenance of cancer stem
      cell (CSC) states that are activated by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).
      However, the mechanistic relationship between EMT and the Wnt pathway in CSC is
      not entirely clear. Chromatin immunoprecipitation with high-throughput sequencing
      (ChIP-seq) indicated that EMT induces a switch from the beta-catenin/E
      cadherin/Sox15 complex to the beta-catenin/Twist1/TCF4 complex, the latter of
      which then binds to CSC-related gene promoters. Tandem coimmunoprecipitation and
      re-ChIP experiments with epithelial-type cells further revealed that Sox15
      associates with the beta-catenin/E-cadherin complex, which then binds to the
      proximal promoter region of CASP3. Through this mechanism, Twist1 cleavage is
      triggered to regulate a beta-catenin-elicited promotion of the CSC phenotype.
      During EMT, we documented that Twist1 binding to beta-catenin enhanced the
      transcriptional activity of the beta-catenin/TCF4 complex, including by binding
      to the proximal promoter region of ABCG2, a CSC marker. In terms of clinical
      application, our definition of a five-gene CSC signature (nuclear beta
      catenin(High)/nuclear Twist1(High)/E-cadherin(Low)/Sox15(Low)/CD133(High)) may
      provide a useful prognostic marker for human lung cancer.

PMID- 26122850
TI  - Complete remission after rituximab therapy in an HIV-positive patient with
      pemphigus vulgaris.

PMID- 26122849
TI  - Antiangiogenic VEGF-Ax: A New Participant in Tumor Angiogenesis.
AB  - The transcript of the angiogenic factor vascular endothelial growth factor A
      (VEGF-A) is subject to a multitude of stimulus-dependent, posttranscriptional
      regulatory events, consistent with its unusually long 3' untranslated region. We
      have recently reported translational readthrough of VEGFA mRNA whereby
      translating ribosomes traverse the canonical stop codon to a conserved,
      downstream stop codon, generating VEGF-Ax ("x" for extended), a novel, extended
      isoform with an additional 22 amino acids appended at the C-terminus. This event
      is the first vertebrate example of protein-regulated, programmed translational
      readthrough that generates a protein with a known function. Remarkably, VEGF-Ax
      exhibits potent antiangiogenic activity, both in vitro and in vivo, thus raising
      profound clinical implications, particularly with respect to cancer treatment. In
      this review, we discuss the potential of VEGF-Ax as a therapeutic agent and drug
      target, as well as its possible role in the failure of, or resistance to,
      conventional anti-VEGF therapies in many types of cancers.

PMID- 26122852
TI  - Retrospective analysis of cancer survival across South-Western Victoria in
      Australia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to describe cancer survival and examine association
      between survival and socio-demographic characteristics across Barwon South
      Western region (BSWR) in Victoria, Australia. DESIGN: This study is based on the
      retrospective cohort database of patients accessing oncology services across
      BSWR. SETTING: Six rural and three urban hospital settings across the BSWR.
      PARTICIPANTS: The participants were patients who were diagnosed with cancer in
      2009. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Overall survival (OS) of participants was the main
      outcome measure. RESULTS: Total of 1778 eligible patients had four-year OS for
      all cancers combined of 59.7% (95% CI, 57.4-62.0). Improved OS was observed for
      patients in the upper socio-economic tertile (64.2%; 95% CI, 60.9-67.5) compared
      to the middle (59.3%; 95% CI, 55.5-63.1) and lowest tertiles (49.6%; 95% CI, 44.2
      54.9) (P < 0.01). On multivariate analyses, higher socio-economic status remained
      a significant predictor of OS adjusting for gender, remoteness and age (HR
      [hazard ratio] 0.81; 95% CI 0.74-0.89; P < 0.01). Remoteness was significantly
      associated with improved OS after adjusting for age, gender and socio-economic
      status (HR 0.86; 95% CI, 0.77-0.97; P = 0.01). Older age >=70 years compared to
      <70 years conferred inferior OS (HR 3.08; 95% CI, 2.64-3.59; P < 0.01).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed improved survival outcomes for patients of
      higher socio-economic status and younger age. Future research to explain the
      unexpected survival benefit in patients who lived in more remote areas should
      examine factors including the correlation between geographical residence and
      eventual treatment facility as well as compare the BSWR care model to other
      regions' approaches.

PMID- 26122853
TI  - Modulation of the neuronal network activity by P2X receptors and their
      involvement in neurological disorders.
AB  - ATP is a key energetic molecule, fundamental to cell function, which also has an
      important role in the extracellular milieu as a signaling molecule, acting as a
      chemoattractant for immune cells and as a neuro- and gliotransmitter. The
      ionotropic P2X receptors are members of an ATP-gated ion channels family. These
      ionotropic receptors are widely expressed through the body, with 7 subunits
      described in mammals, which are arranged in a trimeric configuration with a
      central pore permeable mainly to Ca(2+) and Na(+). All 7 subunits are expressed
      in different brain areas, being present in neurons and glia. ATP, through these
      ionotropic receptors, can act as a neuromodulator, facilitating the Ca(2+)
      dependent release of neurotransmitters, inducing the cross-inhibition between
      P2XR and GABA receptors, and exercising by this way a modulation of synaptic
      plasticity. Growing evidence shows that P2XR play an important role in neuronal
      disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
      disease; this role involves changes on P2XR expression levels, activation of key
      pathways like GSK3beta, APP processing, oxidative stress and inflammatory
      response. This review is focused on the neuromodulatory function of P2XR on
      pathophysiological conditions of the brain; the recent evidence could open a
      window to a new therapeutic target. 

PMID- 26122854
TI  - Validated chiral high performance liquid chromatography separation method and
      simulation studies of dipeptides on amylose chiral column.
AB  - Chiral resolution of dl-alanine-dl-tyrosine and dl-leucine-dl-phenylalanine
      dipeptides was achieved on AmyCoat-RP column. The mobile phase used for dl
      alanine-dl-tyrosine was acetonitrile-ammonium acetate (10mM, pH 6.0) [50:50,
      v/v]. It was acetonitrile-methanol-ammonium acetate (10mM; pH adjusted to 4.5
      with glacial acetic acid) [50:20:30, v/v] for dl-leucine-dl-phenylalanine. The
      flow rate of the mobile phases was 0.8mL/min with UV detection at 275nm. The
      values of retention factors for ll-, dd-, dl- and ld-stereomers of dl-alanine-dl
      tyrosine were 1.71, 2.86, 5.43 and 9.42, respectively. The values of separation
      and resolution factors were 1.67, 1.90 and 1.73 and 2.88, 6.43 and 7.90,
      respectively. Similarly, these values for dl-leucine-dl-phenylalanine stereomers
      were 1.50, 2.88, 3.50 and 4.07 (retention factors), 1.92, 1.22 and 1.62
      (separation factors) and 2.67, 1.55 and 2.30 (resolution factors). The limits of
      detections and quantitation were ranged from 2.03 to 6.40 and 6.79 to
      21.30MUg/mL, respectively. The modeling studies were in agreement with the
      elution orders. The mechanism of chiral recognition was established by modeling
      and chromatographic studies. It was observed that hydrogen bondings and pi-pi
      interactions are the major forces for chiral separation. 

PMID- 26122855
TI  - Analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and emerging halogenated and
      organophosphate flame retardants in human hair and nails.
AB  - A method for the digestion, extraction, fractionation, and analysis of three
      classes of flame retardants, including 36 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs),
      9 halogenated alternative flame retardants (AFRs), and 12 organophosphate esters
      (OPEs) in human hair and nail samples was developed. The method employed
      HNO3/H2O2 digestion, liquid-liquid extraction with (4:1 vol)
      hexane:dichloromethane, fractionation on a 6g column of 2.5% water deactivated
      Florisil, and analysis by gas chromatographic mass spectrometry. The accuracy and
      precision of the method was validated using spiked samples of 6 replicates for
      both hair and nail samples. The method validation results showed good accuracy
      and precision for all PBDEs except BDE-209, all AFRs except hexabromobenzene
      (HBB), and all of the 12 OPEs, with average recovery efficiencies>90% and
      relative standard deviations (RSDs)<10%. The average recovery efficiencies for
      HBB were between 60% and 86%, with RSDs<10%. BDE-209 had recovery efficiencies of
      64% (RSD, 13%) for hair and 71% (RSD, 10%) for nail. This method was applied to
      analyze 5 human hair and 5 fingernail samples from the general student population
      at Indiana University Bloomington campus. BDE-47 and BDE-99 were the predominant
      PBDEs detected in both hair and nail samples, with a concentration range of 11
      620 and 4.6-780ng/g (dry weight) in hair and 7.3-43 and 2.1-11ng/g in nails,
      respectively. Di-(2-ethylhexyl)-tetrabromophthalate (TBPH) and 2-ethylhexyl
      2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB) were detected in all the samples, with
      concentrations of 20-240 and 11-350ng/g in hair and <17-80 and <9.2-71ng/g in
      nails, respectively. Among the 12 OPEs analyzed, tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate
      (TCEP), tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)phosphate (TCIPP), tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)
      phosphate (TDCIPP), and triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) were most often detected. The
      concentrations of these OPEs (summed together) were 1100-3900 and 380-18,000ng/g
      in hair and nails, respectively. These levels exceed those of both the PBDEs and
      the AFRs. 

PMID- 26122856
TI  - Magnetic solid phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometrical
      analysis of sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
AB  - Fluorenyl functionalized superparamagnetic core/shell magnetic nanoparticles
      (MNPs, Fe3O4@SiO2@Flu) were prepared and characterized by transmission electron
      microscope, X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. The MNPs having an
      average diameter of 200nm were then used as solid-phase extraction sorbent for
      the determination of 16 priority pollutants polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
      (PAHs) in water samples designated by United States Environmental Protection
      Agency (U.S. EPA). The main influencing parameters, including sorbent amount,
      desorption solvent, sample volume and extraction time were optimized. Analyses
      were performed on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using selected ion
      monitoring (SIM) mode. Method validation proved the feasibility of the developed
      sorbents for the quantitation of the investigated analytes at trace levels. Limit
      of detection ranging from 0.5 to 4.0ng/L were obtained. The repeatability was
      investigated by evaluating the intra- and inter-day precisions with relative
      standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 13.1%. Finally, the proposed method was
      successfully applied for the determination of PAHs in water samples with the
      recoveries in the range of 96.0-106.7%. 

PMID- 26122857
TI  - Microfluidic device for sheathless particle focusing and separation using a
      viscoelastic fluid.
AB  - Continuous sheathless particle separation with high efficiency is essential for
      various applications such as biochemical analyses and clinical diagnosis. Here, a
      novel microfluidic device for highly efficient, sheathless particle separation
      using an elasticity-dominant non-Newtonian fluid is proposed. Our device consists
      of two stages: sheathless three-dimensional focusing (1 st stage) and separation
      (2nd stage). It is designed based on the principle of a viscoelasticity-induced
      particle lateral migration, which promises precise separation of particles in a
      microfluidic device. Particles of 5- and 10-MUm diameters were all focused at the
      centerline of a circular channel at the 1st stage and successfully separated at
      the 2nd stage with an efficiency of ~99.9% using size-based lateral migration of
      particles induced by the viscoelasticity of the medium. We also demonstrated the
      capability of our device for separation of blood cells into multiple fractions.
      The tunability of separable particle size could be achieved by changing the
      viscoelastic property of the medium and flow rate. 

PMID- 26122858
TI  - Computational analysis and ratiometric comparison approaches aimed to assist
      column selection in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry targeted metabolomics.
AB  - In the present work two different approaches, a semi-quantitative and a Derringer
      function approach, were developed to assist column selection for method
      development in targeted metabolomics. These approaches were applied in the
      performance assessment of three HILIC columns with different chemistries (an
      amide, a diol and a zwitterionic phase). This was the first step for the
      development of a HILIC UPLC-MS/MS method that should be capable to analyze a
      large number of polar metabolites. Two gradient elution profiles and two mobile
      phase pH values were tested for the analysis of multi-analyte mixtures. Acquired
      chromatographic data were firstly treated by a ratiometric, "semi-quantitative"
      approach which quantifies various overall analysis parameters (e.g. the percent
      of detected compounds, retentivity and resolved critical pairs). These parameters
      were used to assess chromatographic performance in a rather
      conventional/traditional and cumbersome/labor-intensive way. Secondly, a
      comprehensive and automated comparison of the three columns was performed by
      monitoring several well-known chromatographic parameters (peak width, resolution,
      tailing factor, etc.) using a lab-built programming script which calculates
      overall desirability utilizing Derringer functions. Derringer functions exhibit
      the advantage that column performance is ultimately expressed in an objective
      single and quantitative value which can be easily interpreted. In summary,
      results show that each column exhibits unique strengths in metabolic profiling of
      polar compounds. The applied methodology proved useful for the selection of the
      most effective chromatographic system during method development for LC-MS/MS
      targeted metabolomics, while it could further assist in the selection of
      chromatographic conditions for the development of multi-analyte methods. 

PMID- 26122860
TI  - Neurodegenerative disease: Could fingolimod provide cognitive benefits in
      patients with Huntington disease?

PMID- 26122859
TI  - Incidence and characteristics of vitamin D deficiency rickets in New Zealand
      children: a New Zealand Paediatric Surveillance Unit study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and characteristics of vitamin D
      deficiency rickets in New Zealand (NZ). METHODS: Prospective surveillance among
      paediatricians of Vitamin D Deficiency Rickets was conducted by the New Zealand
      Paediatric Surveillance Unit (NZPSU) for 36 months, from July 2010 to June 2013,
      inclusive. Inclusion criteria were: children and adolescents <15 years of age
      with vitamin D deficiency rickets (defined by low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and
      elevated alkaline phosphatase levels, and/or radiological rickets). RESULTS:
      Fifty-eight children with confirmed vitamin D deficiency rickets were identified.
      Median age was 1.4 (range 0.3-11) years, 47% were male, and 95% of the children
      were born in NZ; however, the majority of the mothers (68%) were born outside NZ.
      Overall annual incidence of rickets in children aged <15 years was 2.2/100,000
      (95%CI 1.4-3.5); with incidence in those <3 years being 10.5/100,000 (95%CI 6.7
      16.6). Skeletal abnormalities, poor growth and motor delay were the most common
      presenting features, with hypocalcaemic convulsion in 16% of children. Key risk
      factors identified were: darker skin pigment, Indian and African ethnicity, age
      <3 years, exclusive breast feeding, and southern latitude, particularly when
      combined with season (winter/spring). Of the patients reported, none had received
      appropriate vitamin D supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency rickets
      remains a problem for NZ children. Key risk factors remain similar to those
      identified in the international literature. Preventative targeted vitamin D
      supplementation, as per existing national guidelines, was lacking in all cases
      reported. IMPLICATIONS: Vitamin D deficiency rickets is the most significant
      manifestation of vitamin D deficiency in growing children. To reduce the
      incidence of this disease among those at high risk, increasing awareness and
      implementation of current public health policies for targeted maternal, infant
      and child supplementation are required.

PMID- 26122861
TI  - A Broadband Bessel Beam Launcher Using Metamaterial Lens.
AB  - An approach of generating broadband Bessel beams is presented. The broadband
      Bessel beams are produced by a gradient index (GRIN) metamaterial lens
      illuminated by broadband waveguide antenna. The metamaterial lens is constructed
      with multi-layered structure and each layer is composed of GRIN metamaterials.
      The metamaterials are designed as dielectric plates printed with metallic
      patterns in the center region and drilled by air holes near the edge, which
      operate in wide band. The metamaterial lens serves as a convertor which
      transforms the spherical beams emitted from feed into conical beams. The conical
      beams form quasi-Bessel beams in the near-field region. The aperture diameter of
      the GRIN lens is much larger than the operating wavelength to guarantee the
      transformation. In principle, this kind of metamaterial lens can produce Bessel
      beams at arbitrary distance by designing the refractive-index distribution. To
      verify the approach, we have designed, fabricated and tested a metamaterial lens.
      Full-wave simulation and experiment results have proved that the generated Bessel
      beams can be maintained in distance larger than 1 meter within a ranging from 12
      GHz to 18 GHz. 

PMID- 26122862
TI  - BDNF/TRKB/P75NTR polymorphisms and their consequences on antidepressant efficacy
      in depressed patients.
AB  - We propose an extensive review of the literature about BDNF/TRKB/P75NTR
      polymorphisms and their consequences on antidepressant efficacy in depressed
      patients. Five genome-wide association studies and 30 association studies were
      included. Twenty seven studies focused on the Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265), the
      Met allele being associated with a higher antidepressant efficacy only in Asian
      patients. Other BDNF/TRKB/P75NTR polymorphisms (BDNF: rs7103411, rs7124442,
      rs908867, rs2049046, rs61888800, rs10501087, rs1491850; TRKB: rs10868223,
      rs11140778, rs1565445, rs1659412; P75NTR: rs2072446) were reported to be
      associated with antidepressant efficacy but these results were not replicated.
      Finally, there are 15 positive studies among 30 studies regarding
      BDNF/TRKB/P75NTR polymorphisms. The only SNP which benefits of at least three
      positive studies is the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265). Consequently, with a
      lack of good and consistent studies, the clinical utility of BDNF in treatment
      selection is far from clear. We propose several recommendations for further
      studies. 

PMID- 26122863
TI  - Misoprostol-induced fever and genetic polymorphisms in drug transporters SLCO1B1
      and ABCC4 in women of Latin American and European ancestry.
AB  - AIM: Misoprostol, a prostaglandin analogue used for the treatment of postpartum
      hemorrhage and termination of pregnancy, can cause high fevers. Genetic
      susceptibility may play a role in misoprostol-induced fever. SUBJECTS & METHODS:
      Body temperature of women treated with misoprostol for termination of pregnancy
      in the UK (n = 107) and for postpartum hemorrhage in Ecuador (n = 50) was
      measured. Genotyping for 33 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 15 candidate genes
      was performed. Additionally, we investigated the transport of radiolabeled
      misoprostol acid across biological membranes in vitro. RESULTS: The ABCC4 single
      nucleotide polymorphism rs11568658 was associated with misoprostol-induced fever.
      Misoprostol acid was transported across a blood-brain barrier model by MRP4 and
      SLCO1B1. CONCLUSION: Genetic variability in ABCC4 may contribute to misoprostol
      induced fever in pregnant women. Original submitted 21 January 2015; Revision
      submitted 24 April 2015.

PMID- 26122864
TI  - Effect of gender and CYP2C9 and CYP2C8 polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetics of
      ibuprofen enantiomers.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the effect of polymorphisms in CYP2C9 and CYP2C8 and gender on
      the pharmacokinetics of the enantiomeric forms of ibuprofen. MATERIALS & METHODS:
      122 healthy volunteers were genotyped for polymorphisms in CY2C8 and CYP2C9 using
      real-time PCR. RESULTS: CYP2C8 polymorphisms affected neither R- nor S-ibuprofen.
      CYP2C9*3 and CYP2C9*2 carriers had a lower S-ibuprofen clearance and a higher S
      ibuprofen AUC and half-life. R-ibuprofen clearance was decreased in CYP2C9*3
      carriers. Gender affected R-ibuprofen and S-ibuprofen pharmacokinetics. Multiple
      regression analysis showed that CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3 and gender were associated
      with S-ibuprofen clearance, but only CYP2C9*3 was associated with R-ibuprofen
      clearance. CONCLUSION: The pharmacokinetics of S-ibuprofen and R-ibuprofen is
      affected by CYP2C9 polymorphisms and gender. CYP2C8 polymorphisms do not have a
      significant role. Original submitted 6 February 2015; Revision submitted 1 April
      2015.

PMID- 26122865
TI  - How close are we to a pharmacogenomic test for clozapine-induced agranulocytosis?

PMID- 26122867
TI  - Left ventricular remodeling in patients with sickle cell disease: determinants
      factors and impact on outcome.
AB  - Cardiovascular complications have been increasingly detected as a result of
      prolonged longevity of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Previous studies
      have focused especially on pulmonary hypertension and its consequences on the
      right-side heart chambers, whereas factors associated with morphological changes
      in left ventricle (LV) remain poorly understood. This study was designed to
      identify clinical, laboratorial, and echocardiographic parameters associated with
      LV remodeling and its impact on outcome in SCD. Ninety patients aged 28 +/- 7
      years and 20 age- and gender-balanced healthy subjects were enrolled. Laboratory
      tests, electrocardiogram, and an echocardiogram with tissue Doppler imaging were
      performed in all patients. Patients with SCD had larger left and right heart
      chambers dimensions, LV mass, and tricuspid regurgitation (TR) velocity compared
      to health controls with similar demographic features. Despite chambers
      enlargement, systolic function of both ventricles was preserved. The mitral
      inflow velocities were higher in the patients than in controls, whereas septal
      and lateral annular motion velocities were normal, suggesting normal ventricular
      relaxation. SCD patients who were on hydroxyurea therapy and/or hypertransfusion
      had higher hemoglobin concentrations, but similar echocardiographic findings in
      comparison to those without treatment. Systolic blood pressure, ferritin
      concentration, TR velocity, and parameters of diastolic function were
      independently associated with increased LV mass. In addition, the predictors of
      adverse events were ferritin concentration, lactate dehydrogenase levels, and TR
      velocity. LV remodeling in SCD patients seems to be influenced by a combination
      of factors including blood pressure, ferritin concentration, TR velocity, and
      parameters of LV diastolic function, and was not associated with adverse
      outcomes.

PMID- 26122866
TI  - Bendamustine as first-line treatment in patients with advanced indolent non
      Hodgkin lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma in German routine clinical practice.
AB  - Bendamustine has demonstrated clinical activity and a favorable safety profile as
      monotherapy or in combination with rituximab in lymphoid malignancies. As
      interventional trials do not always reflect clinical reality, we were interested
      in the treatment modalities and the outcome of bendamustine-based first-line
      therapy in patients with advanced indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and mantle
      cell lymphoma (MCL) in routine practice. Between April 2010 and October 2011, 324
      patients were enrolled in a prospective non-interventional multicenter study.
      Choice of the bendamustine regimen was at the treating physician's discretion.
      Effectiveness was assessed by best response. Mean age at onset of therapy was 69
      years. The majority (94 %) of the patients was treated with bendamustine in
      combination with rituximab at a median bendamustine dose of 177 mg/m(2) per
      cycle. Most often, bendamustine was administered on days 1 and 2 (87 %) at 4-week
      intervals over a median of 6 cycles. Two hundred eighty-one patients qualified
      for evaluation of response. The overall response rate was 86 % (complete response
      43 %, partial response 43 %, stable disease 10 %, progressive disease 4 %). Side
      effects of all grades were documented for 161 of the 323 patients (50 %), most
      frequently affecting blood/bone marrow (35 %). Fifty-four (17 %) patients
      experienced side effects of grade 3 (15 %) or grade 4 (2 %), and two patients
      grade 5 toxicities. Bendamustine-based first-line treatment of patients with
      advanced indolent NHL and MCL in clinical routine practice was assessed as
      effective and well tolerated in our study. Response was comparable to results
      from interventional clinical trials. 

PMID- 26122868
TI  - External bone marrow cytological examination quality assurance (EQAhem)--summary
      after 6 years in Poland.
AB  - Bone marrow macroscopic examination remains one of the most difficult and
      subjective laboratory assessments in hematology. Only a few external quality
      assurance programs in the field are present worldwide. We have developed an
      external quality assurance program EQAhem that allows assessment of the whole
      process of bone marrow examination. The program participants assess blood and
      bone marrow smears from the patient, identify selected cells from photographs
      provided to them, and interpret the microscopic results. In this article, the
      results of the EQAhem program in Poland from 6 years are summarized. During this
      time, 62 labs were assessed in total, and positive results were achieved by 89.25
      % labs, taking into account all tests. Correct responses with respect to the
      percentage of cell count were provided by ca. 77.5 % labs. Slightly worse results
      were obtained when megakaryocyte count and cell identification from photographs
      were tested. The worst results were obtained in case of dysplasia assessment and
      clinical interpretation of microscopic examination (54.1 and 58.6 % correct
      responses, respectively). EQAhem delivers precise information about the quality
      of bone marrow examinations performed in Poland and has a substantial educational
      value. We believe that after 6 years, EQAhem has significantly improved the
      quality of bone marrow microscopic examinations performed in Poland. 

PMID- 26122869
TI  - Danazol therapy for the anemia of myelofibrosis: assessment of efficacy with
      current criteria of response and long-term results.
AB  - The efficacy of danazol was assessed in 50 patients with myelofibrosis and anemia
      using the recently revised criteria of the International Working Group for
      Myelofibrosis Research and Treatment. According to them, anemia response
      (clinical improvement) is defined as transfusion cessation in transfusion
      dependent patients or an Hb increase >2 g/dl in patients without transfusion
      requirements, both maintained for at least 12 weeks. Median follow-up from
      danazol start was 36 months (interquartile range [IQR] 19.2-58.8). Anemia
      response was achieved in 15 patients (30 %), including 5 of the 27 with
      transfusion dependency (18.5 %) and 10 of the 23 without transfusion requirements
      (43.5 %). Median time to response was 5 months (IQR 4-7) and median duration of
      the response 14 months (IQR 10-21). Among responder patients, 5 discontinued
      therapy due to toxicity or personal decision and 1 died from spleen rupture while
      being in response. A trend for worse response was seen in transfusion-dependent
      patients (p = 0.055). A platelet increase >50 * 10(9)/l was observed in 3 of 13
      thrombocytopenic patients, all of whom had moderate thrombocytopenia. Toxicity
      was usually moderate, leading to treatment withdrawal in only 4 patients. Danazol
      is effective in 30 % of patients with anemia-associated myelofibrosis. The
      responses are less frequent in patients with transfusion dependency. 

PMID- 26122870
TI  - Two-Dimensional Pnictogen Honeycomb Lattice: Structure, On-Site Spin-Orbit
      Coupling and Spin Polarization.
AB  - Because of its novel physical properties, two-dimensional materials have
      attracted great attention. From first-principle calculations and vibration
      frequencies analysis, we predict a new family of two-dimensional materials based
      on the idea of octet stability: honeycomb lattices of pnictogens (N, P, As, Sb,
      Bi). The buckled structures of materials come from the sp(3) hybridization. These
      materials have indirect band gap ranging from 0.43 eV to 3.7 eV. From the
      analysis of projected density of states, we argue that the s and p orbitals
      together are sufficient to describe the electronic structure under tight-binding
      model, and the tight-binding parameters are obtained by fitting the band
      structures to first-principle results. Surprisingly large on-site spin-orbit
      coupling is found for all the pnictogen lattices except nitrogen. Investigation
      on the electronic structures of both zigzag and armchair nanoribbons reveals the
      possible existence of spin-polarized ferromagnetic edge states in some cases,
      which are rare in one-dimensional systems. These edge states and magnetism may
      exist under the condition of high vacuum and low temperature. This new family of
      materials would have promising applications in electronics, optics, sensors, and
      solar cells. 

PMID- 26122871
TI  - Non-destructive monitoring of viability in an ex vivo organ culture model of
      osteochondral tissue.
AB  - Organ culture is an increasingly important tool in research, with advantages over
      monolayer cell culture due to the inherent natural environment of tissues.
      Successful organ cultures must retain cell viability. The aim of this study was
      to produce viable and non-viable osteochondral organ cultures, to assess the
      accumulation of soluble markers in the conditioned medium for predicting tissue
      viability. Porcine femoral osteochondral plugs were cultured for 20 days, with
      the addition of Triton X-100 on day 6 (to induce necrosis), camptothecin (to
      induce apoptosis) or no toxic additives. Tissue viability was assessed by the
      tissue destructive XTT (2,3-bis[2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl]-2H-tetrazolium-5
      carboxyanilide tetrazolium salt) assay method and LIVE/DEAD(r) staining of the
      cartilage at days 0, 6 and 20. Tissue structure was assessed by histological
      evaluation using haematoxylin & eosin and safranin O. Conditioned medium was
      assessed every 3-4 days for glucose depletion, and levels of lactate
      dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (AP), glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and
      matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. Necrotic cultures immediately showed
      a reduction in glucose consumption, and an immediate increase in LDH, GAG, MMP-2
      and MMP-9 levels. Apoptotic cultures showed a delayed reduction in glucose
      consumption and delayed increase in LDH, a small rise in MMP-2 and MMP-9, but no
      significant effect on GAGs released into the conditioned medium. The data showed
      that tissue viability could be monitored by assessing the conditioned medium for
      the aforementioned markers, negating the need for tissue destructive assays.
      Physiologically relevant whole- or part-joint organ culture models, necessary for
      research and pre-clinical assessment of therapies, could be monitored this way,
      reducing the need to sacrifice tissues to determine viability, and hence reducing
      the sample numbers necessary. 

PMID- 26122872
TI  - Dynamics of Energy Transfer in a Conjugated Dendrimer Driven by Ultrafast
      Localization of Excitations.
AB  - Solar energy conversion starts with the harvest of light, and its efficacy
      depends on the spatial transfer of the light energy to where it can be transduced
      into other forms of energy. Harnessing solar power as a clean energy source
      requires the continuous development of new synthetic materials that can harvest
      photon energy and transport it without significant losses. With chemically
      controlled branched architectures, dendrimers are ideally suited for these
      initial steps, since they consist of arrays of chromophores with relative
      positioning and orientations to create energy gradients and to spatially focus
      excitation energies. The spatial localization of the energy delimits its efficacy
      and has been a point of intense research for synthetic light harvesters. We
      present the results of a combined theoretical experimental study elucidating
      ultrafast, unidirectional, electronic energy transfer on a complex molecule
      designed to spatially focus the initial excitation onto an energy sink. The study
      explores the complex interplay between atomic motions, excited-state populations,
      and localization/delocalization of excitations. Our findings show that the
      electronic energy-transfer mechanism involves the ultrafast collapse of the
      photoexcited wave function due to nonadiabatic electronic transitions. The
      localization of the wave function is driven by the efficient coupling to high
      frequency vibrational modes leading to ultrafast excited-state dynamics and
      unidirectional efficient energy funneling. This work provides a long-awaited
      consistent experiment-theoretical description of excited-state dynamics in
      organic conjugated dendrimers with atomistic resolution, a phenomenon expected to
      universally appear in a variety of synthetic conjugated materials. 

PMID- 26122873
TI  - Improved hand hygiene compliance after eliminating mandatory glove use from
      contact precautions-Is less more?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend that health care personnel (HCP) wear gloves for
      all interactions with patients on contact precautions. We aimed to assess hand
      hygiene (HH) compliance during contact precautions before and after eliminating
      mandatory glove use. METHODS: We assessed HH compliance of HCP in the care of
      patients on contact precautions in 50 series before (2009) and 6 months after
      (2012) eliminating mandatory glove use and compared these results with the
      hospital-wide HH compliance. RESULTS: We assessed 426 HH indications before and
      492 indications after the policy change. Compared with 2009, we observed a
      significantly higher HH compliance in patients on contact precautions in 2012
      (52%; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 47-57) vs 85%; 95% CI, 82-88; P < .001).
      During the same period, hospital-wide HH compliance also increased from 63% (95%
      CI, 61-65) to 81% (95% CI 80-83) (P < .001). However, the relative improvement
      (RI) of HH compliance during contact precautions was significantly higher than
      the hospital-wide relative improvement (RI, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.49-1.81 vs 1.29; 95%
      CI, 1.25-1.34), with a relative improvement ratio of 1.27 (95% CI, 1.15-1.41).
      CONCLUSION: Eliminating mandatory glove use in the care of patients on contact
      precautions increased HH compliance in our institution, particularly before
      invasive procedures and before patient contacts. Further studies on the effect on
      pathogen transmission are needed before revisiting the current official
      guidelines on the topic.

PMID- 26122874
TI  - Corruption costs lives: a cross-country study using an IV approach.
AB  - This study quantitatively estimates the effects of corruption on five major
      health indicators by using recent cross-country panel data covering 119 countries
      for the period of 2005-2011. The corruption indicators provided by the World Bank
      and Transparency International are used, and both the two-way fixed effect and
      the two-stage least squares approaches are employed for our estimation. The
      estimation results show that, in general, corruption is negatively associated
      with a country's health outcomes. A lower level of corruption or a better control
      of corruption in a country can lead to longer life expectancy, a lower infant
      mortality rate and a lower under-five mortality rate for citizens. However, our
      estimation finds no significant association between corruption and individual
      diseases including human immunodeficiency virus prevalence and tuberculosis
      incidence. The findings suggest that corruption reduction itself is an effective
      method to promote health. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 

PMID- 26122875
TI  - Hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia: risk factors for recurrence of benign
      paroxysmal positional vertigo.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Changes in carbohydrate metabolism may lead to recurrence of benign
      paroxysmal positional vertigo. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of the
      disturbance of carbohydrate metabolism in the recurrence of idiopathic BPPV.
      METHODS: A longitudinal prospective study of a cohort, with 41 months follow-up.
      We analyzed the results of 72 glucose-insulin curves in patients with recurrence
      of BPPV. The curves were classified into intolerance, hyperinsulinemia,
      hyperglycemia and normal. RESULTS: The RR for hyperinsulinism was 4.66 and
      p=0.0015. Existing hyperglycemia showed an RR=2.47, with p=0.0123. Glucose
      intolerance had a RR of 0.63, with p=0.096. When the examination was within
      normal limits, the result was RR=0.2225 and p=0.030. DISCUSSION: Metabolic
      changes can cause dizziness and vertigo and are very common in people who have
      cochleovestibular disorders. However, few studies discuss the relationship
      between idiopathic BPPV and alterations in carbohydrate metabolism. In the
      present study, we found that both hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia are risk
      factors for the recurrence of BPPV, whereas a normal test was considered a
      protective factor; all these were statistically significant. Glucose intolerance
      that was already present was not statistically significant in the group
      evaluated. CONCLUSION: Hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia are risk factors for
      the recurrence of idiopathic BPPV and a normal exam is considered a protective
      factor.

PMID- 26122876
TI  - Dissecting the Role of Oxytocin in the Formation and Loss of Social
      Relationships.
AB  - Current concepts of human sociality highlight a fundamental role of the
      hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OXT) in the formation and maintenance of social
      relationships. However, emerging evidence indicates that OXT does not invariably
      facilitate social bonding but also produces nonprosocial effects that may have
      evolved to promote offspring survival. From a mechanistic perspective, we
      hypothesize that OXT modulates interoceptive signals and self-referential
      processing, which may result in various social outcomes depending on context- and
      person-dependent variables such as early-life adversity. Based on this
      theoretical framework, we discuss translational implications for clinical trials
      and identify open questions for future research. Specifically, we propose that
      disrupted OXT signaling due to the loss of affectionate bonds may contribute to
      emotional disequilibrium and confer elevated risk for the onset of stress-related
      disorders. 

PMID- 26122877
TI  - p66Shc deletion or deficiency protects from obesity but not metabolic dysfunction
      in mice and humans.
AB  - AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Oxygen radicals generated by p66Shc drive adipogenesis, but
      contradictory data exist on the role of p66Shc in the development of obesity and
      the metabolic syndrome. We herein explored the relationships among p66Shc,
      adipose tissue remodelling and glucose metabolism using mouse models and human
      adipose tissue samples. METHODS: In wild-type (WT), leptin-deficient (ob/ob),
      p66Shc(-/-) and p66Shc(-/-) ob/ob mice up to 30 weeks of age, we analysed body
      weight, subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue histopathology, glucose
      tolerance and insulin sensitivity, and liver and muscle fat accumulation. A group
      of mice on a high fat diet (HFD) was also analysed. A parallel study was
      conducted on adipose tissue collected from patients undergoing elective surgery.
      RESULTS: We found that p66Shc(-/-) mice were slightly leaner than WT mice, and
      p66Shc(-/-) ob/ob mice became less obese than ob/ob mice. Despite their lower
      body weight, p66Shc(-/-) mice accumulated ectopic fat in the liver and muscles,
      and were glucose intolerant and insulin resistant. Features of adverse adipose
      tissue remodelling induced by obesity, including adipocyte enlargement,
      apoptosis, inflammation and perfusion were modestly and transiently improved by
      p66Shc (also known as Shc1) deletion. After 12 weeks of the HFD, p66Shc(-/-) mice
      were leaner than but equally glucose intolerant and insulin resistant compared
      with WT mice. In 77 patients, we found a direct correlation between BMI and
      p66Shc protein levels. Patients with low p66Shc levels were less obese, but were
      not protected from other metabolic syndrome features (diabetes, dyslipidaemia and
      hypertension). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: In mice and humans, reduced p66Shc
      levels protect from obesity, but not from ectopic fat accumulation, glucose
      intolerance and insulin resistance.

PMID- 26122878
TI  - Management of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase overexpression: inhibit the enzyme
      or reduce nicotinamide intake?

PMID- 26122879
TI  - Prognostic value of the cadmium-zinc-telluride camera: A comparison with a
      conventional (Anger) camera.
AB  - BACKGROUND: New multipinhole cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) cameras allow for
      faster imaging and lower radiation doses for single photon emission computed
      tomography (SPECT) studies, but assessment of prognostic ability is necessary.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: We collected data from all myocardial SPECT perfusion
      studies performed over 15 months at our institution, using either a CZT or
      conventional Anger camera. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess
      the relationship between camera type, imaging results, and either death or
      myocardial infarction (MI). Clinical variables including age, sex, body mass
      index (BMI), and historical risk factors were used for population description and
      model adjustments. We had 2,088 patients with a total of 69 deaths and 65 MIs
      (122 events altogether). A 3% increase in DDB (difference defect burden)
      represented a 12% increase in the risk of death or MI, whereas a 3% increase in
      rest defect burden or stress defect burden represented an 8% increase; these
      risks were the same for both cameras (P > .24, interaction tests). CONCLUSIONS:
      The CZT camera has similar prognostic values for death and MI to conventional
      Anger cameras. This suggests that it may successfully be used to decrease patient
      dose.

PMID- 26122880
TI  - Clinical value of high duke treadmill score with myocardial perfusion SPECT.

PMID- 26122882
TI  - Incidental ectopic thyroid follicular adenoma on myocardial perfusion imaging.

PMID- 26122883
TI  - Cardiac (18)F-FDG uptake in chagas disease.

PMID- 26122884
TI  - Single-incision port-site herniation: meta-analysis vs. nationwide cohort study.

PMID- 26122885
TI  - Current Practices in the Treatment of Alzheimer Disease: Where is the Evidence
      After the Phase III Trials?
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic review was to review the current place in
      therapy of the 4 medications, donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine, and
      memantine, approved for the treatment of Alzheimer disease (AD) since the
      publication of Phase III trials. METHODS: A systematic literature search of
      MEDLINE and EMBASE was conducted for articles published in the past 10 years. The
      search was performed using the following Medical Subject Headings and text key
      words: Alzheimer's disease, treatment, donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine,
      memantine, dementia of the Alzheimer's type, and dementia. FINDINGS: Studies that
      evaluated new doses, indications, and dose formulations remain a large part of
      the current literature. Donepezil gained approval for the treatment of severe AD
      and became available in a 23-mg/d dose formulation. Rivastigmine became available
      in a patch formulation. Memantine became available as an extended-release
      capsule. Use of a combination product formulation was recently approved,
      memantine extended release/donepezil. Controversy among clinicians remains
      regarding when to initiate therapy, appropriate duration of therapy, and how and
      when to discontinue the treatment of AD. IMPLICATIONS: Only drugs that affect
      cholinergic function have shown consistent, but modest, clinical effects, even in
      late-phase trials. There is a need for a better appreciation of the various risk
      factors and drug targets for the treatment of AD. The wide range of targets makes
      it unlikely that affecting only 1 of those targets (eg, cholinergic function or N
      methyl-d-aspartate) will lead to a more than minimally effective treatment
      option, regardless of when a treatment is started and discontinued. There is
      substantial opportunity for the continued growth and development of drugs and
      clinical trial expansion for the treatment of AD.

PMID- 26122886
TI  - Jonesia luteola sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from Xinjiang Province, China.
AB  - A Gram-positive, facultative anaerobe microorganism, designated YIM 93067(T), was
      isolated from a salt lake in Xinjiang Province of China and subjected to a
      polyphasic taxonomic study. Strain YIM 93067(T) grew at 5-40  degrees C, 0-8.0 %
      (w/v) NaCl and pH 7.0-9.0. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences
      revealed that the organism belongs to the genus Jonesia and exhibited a sequence
      similarity of 98.8 % to the closely related type strain Jonesia quinghaiensis DSM
      15701(T). The predominant menaquinone was MK-9 and the major fatty acids were
      anteiso-C15:0 and C16:0. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol,
      glycolipid, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol
      mannoside and one unidentified phospholipid. The G+C content of the genomic DNA
      was 57.4 mol%. Based on the results of phylogenetic, physiological and
      chemotaxonomic comparative analyses, the isolate is assigned to a novel species
      of the genus Jonesia, for which the name Jonesia luteola sp. nov. is proposed,
      with the type strain YIM 93067(T) (=DSM 21367(T) = CCTCC AB 2014350(T)).

PMID- 26122887
TI  - Paralcaligenes ginsengisoli sp. nov., isolated from ginseng cultivated soil.
AB  - A novel bacterial strain DCY104(T) isolated from soil of a ginseng field in
      Yeoncheon County, Republic of Korea is described in this study. Cells were short
      rod-shaped, motile by mean of one polar flagellum, strictly aerobic, Gramreaction
      negative, oxidase and catalase-positive. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed
      that strain DCY104(T) shared highest similarity 98.2 % to Paralcaligenes
      ureilyticus GR24-5(T), and from 97.7 to 97.1 % with other type strains belong to
      the genera Candidimonas, Pusillimonas and Parapusillimonas Otherwise,
      phylogenetic trees analyses indicated that strain DCY104(T) belongs to a single
      group with P. ureilyticus GR24-5(T) that was distinct to other genera. The major
      polar lipids were phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine,
      phosphatidylglycerol, and diphosphatidylglycerol. The major cellular fatty acids
      consisted of C16:0, cyclo-C17:0, and summed feature 8 (comprising C18:1 omega7c
      and/or C18:1 omega6c). The predominant polyamine was putrescine. The ubiquinone
      was Q-8. The genomic DNA G+C content was 55.9 mol%. These data in combination
      with the presence of one polar flagellum and positive activity of urease
      confirmed the placement of strain DCY104(T) in the genus Paralcaligenes. DNA-DNA
      relatedness between strain DCY104(T) and P. ureilyticus KACC 13888(T) was 40 %.
      The differences in the profiles of polar lipids, fatty acids and phenotypic
      characteristics in combination with DNA-DNA relatedness delineated strain
      DCY104(T) and P. ureilyticus KACC 13888(T). In summary, taxonomic analyses in
      this study demonstrated that strain DCY104(T) represents a novel species within
      the genus Paralcaligenes, for which we propose the name Paralcaligenes
      ginsengisoli. The type strain is DCY104(T) (= KCTC 42406(T) = JCM 30746(T)).

PMID- 26122888
TI  - Skermanella rubra sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from the desert of Xinjiang,
      China.
AB  - A Gram-negative, pink-coloured, rod-shaped, motile bacterium, designated YIM
      93097(T), was isolated from the desert soil collected from Xinjiang province of
      China. Strain YIM 93097(T) was found to grow at 20-45  degrees C (optimum 28-37 
      degrees C), pH 5.0-7.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1 %, w/v).
      Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity studies, it belongs to the genus
      Skermanella. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity was identified to be 98.7 % to
      Skermanella xinjiangensis CCTCC AB 207153(T) while the DNA-DNA hybridization
      value was found to be only 48.1 %. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was
      determined to be Q-10. The major fatty acids were identified to be C16:0, C18:1
      omega7c and summed feature 4 (consisting of C17:1 anteiso B/iso I). The major
      polar lipids were identified as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol,
      phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified phospholipids
      and one unidentified aminolipid. The DNA G+C content was found to be 67.2 mol %.
      The analysis of the genotypic and phenotypic data indicated that strain YIM
      93097(T) belongs to a novel species of the genus Skermanella, for which the name
      Skermanella rubra sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 93097(T) (=DSM
      21389(T)=CCTCC AB 2015161(T)).

PMID- 26122889
TI  - Assessment of endophytic yeast diversity in rice leaves by a culture-independent
      approach.
AB  - Endophytic microorganisms inhabit internal plant tissues in the host plant
      without causing any symptoms or negative effects. Although the diversity of
      endophytes has been evaluated by both culture-dependent and culture-independent
      methods, less information is available on yeast communities. Therefore, in this
      study a culture-independent method was used to examine endophytic yeasts
      associated with rice leaves based on the large subunit of ribosomal DNA using a
      semi-nested PCR technique. Sequence analysis indicated that the colonization
      frequency and the relative species frequency (RF) of endophytic yeast phylotypes
      were 0.41 and 0.06, respectively, and the majority of the yeast phylotypes were
      basidiomycetous yeasts. The phylotypes were designated as five known species
      (Cryptococcus victoriae, Debaryomyces hansenii, Debaryomyces vindobonensis,
      Meyerozyma guilliermondii and Pseudozyma antarctica), together with seventeen
      phylotypes closest to Candida metapsilosis, Cryp. foliicola, Cryp. laurentii,
      Pseudozyma abaconensis, Pseudozyma aphidis and Trichosporon asahii, among which
      some could be novel species. The most prevalent phylotypes were those closest to
      Cryp. foliicola (47.5 % RF) followed by D. hansenii (22.8 % RF) and P. antarctica
      (16.8 % RF). The presence of the phylotypes related to species known for their
      potential applications as biocontrol agents and plant growth promoting hormone
      producers suggests that they may have valuable applications. In addition, our
      findings revealed the occurrence of novel phylotypes at high frequency, which
      should encourage extensive studies to discover novel yeast species and to
      understand their roles in the rice leaves.

PMID- 26122890
TI  - Marinobacter adhaerens HP15 harbors two CzcCBA efflux pumps involved in zinc
      detoxification.
AB  - Several members of the ubiquitously found gamma-proteobacterial genus
      Marinobacter were described or assumed to inhabit marine environments naturally
      enriched in heavy metals. However, direct studies that describe the ability of
      this genus to occupy such environments have not been conducted. To cope with
      heavy metal stress, bacteria possess specific efflux pumps as tools for
      detoxification, among which the CzcCBA type efflux system is one representative.
      Previous studies showed that this system plays an important role in resistance
      towards cadmium, zinc, and cobalt. Up to now, no study had focused on
      characterization of Czc pumps in Marinobacter sp. or other marine prokaryotes.
      Herein, we elucidated the function of two CzcCBA pumps encoded by Marinobacter
      adhaerens HP15's genome during exposure to cadmium, zinc, and cobalt. Single and
      double knock-out mutants lacking the corresponding two czcCBA operons were
      generated and analyzed in terms of their resistance profiles. Both operons
      appeared to be important for zinc resistance but had no role in tolerance towards
      cadmium or cobalt. One of the mutations was genetically complemented thereby
      restoring the wild type phenotype. In accordance with the resistance pattern,
      expression of the genes coding for both CzcCBA pumps was induced by zinc but
      neither by cadmium nor cobalt. 

PMID- 26122891
TI  - Frequency and change mechanisms of psychotherapy among depressed patients: study
      protocol for a multicenter randomized trial comparing twice-weekly versus once
      weekly sessions of CBT and IPT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT)
      are among the most well established therapies for the treatment of depression.
      However, some major questions remain unanswered. First, it is unknown what
      session frequency results in the most optimal (cost) effectiveness in
      psychotherapy. Second, the debate as to what mechanisms underlie the effect of
      psychotherapy has not yet been resolved. Enhancing knowledge about the optimal
      session frequency and mechanisms of change seems crucial in order to optimize the
      (cost) effectiveness of psychotherapy for depression. This study aims to compare
      treatment outcome of twice-weekly versus once-weekly sessions of CBT and IPT. We
      expect twice-weekly sessions to be more effective and lead to more rapid recovery
      of depressive symptoms in comparison to once-weekly sessions. Both therapy
      specific and non-specific process measures will be included to unravel the
      mechanisms of change in psychotherapy for depression. Besides the use of self
      reports and behavioral observations, this study will also examine underlying
      biological processes by collecting blood samples. METHOD: In a multicenter
      randomized trial, two hundred depressed patients will be recruited from Dutch
      specialized mental healthcare centers and randomized into one of the following
      groups, all receiving a maximum of 20 sessions in different frequencies: a) twice
      weekly sessions at the start of CBT, b) twice-weekly sessions at the start of
      IPT, c) once-weekly sessions at the start of CBT, d) once-weekly sessions at the
      start of IPT. Primary outcome measures are depression severity, cost
      effectiveness and quality of life. Process measures include therapeutic alliance,
      recall, therapy-specific skills, motivation and compliance. Assessments will take
      place during baseline, monthly during treatment and follow-up at month 9, 12 and
      24. In addition, at 12 and 24 months, the frequency of depressive episodes in the
      previous year will be assessed. Blood samples will be taken pre- and post
      treatment. The study has been ethically approved and registered. DISCUSSION:
      Finding that twice-weekly sessions are more effective or lead to more rapid
      recovery of depressive symptoms could lead to treatment adaptations that have the
      potential to reduce the personal and societal burden of depression. In addition,
      insight into the mechanisms of change and physiological processes in
      psychotherapy will enable us to optimize treatments and may help to understand
      human functioning beyond the context of treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study
      has been registered on October 21th, 2014 at the Netherlands Trial Register, part
      of the Dutch Cochrane Centre ( NTR4856 ).

PMID- 26122892
TI  - Voluntary exercise contributed to an amelioration of abnormal feeding behavior,
      locomotor activity and ghrelin production concomitantly with a weight reduction
      in high fat diet-induced obese rats.
AB  - In the present study, effects of voluntary exercise in an obese animal model were
      investigated in relation to the rhythm of daily activity and ghrelin production.
      Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a high fat diet (HFD) or a chow diet
      (CD) from four to 16 weeks old. They were further subdivided into either an
      exercise group (HFD-Ex, CD-Ex) with a running wheel for three days of every other
      week or sedentary group (HFD-Se, CD-Se). At 16 weeks old, marked increases in
      body weight and visceral fat were observed in the HFD-Se group, together with
      disrupted rhythms of feeding and locomotor activity. The induction of voluntary
      exercise brought about an effective reduction of weight and fat, and ameliorated
      abnormal rhythms of activity and feeding in the HFD-Ex rats. Wheel counts as
      voluntary exercise was greater in HFD-Ex rats than those in CD-Ex rats. The HFD
      obese had exhibited a deterioration of ghrelin production, which was restored by
      the induction of voluntary exercise. These findings demonstrated that abnormal
      rhythms of feeding and locomotor activity in HFD-obese rats were restored by
      infrequent voluntary exercise with a concomitant amelioration of the ghrelin
      production and weight reduction. Because ghrelin is related to food anticipatory
      activity, it is plausible that ghrelin participates in the circadian rhythm of
      daily activity including eating behavior. A beneficial effect of voluntary
      exercise has now been confirmed in terms of the amelioration of the daily rhythms
      in eating behavior and physical activity in an animal model of obesity. 

PMID- 26122893
TI  - Priming of hand and foot response: is spatial attention to the body site enough?
AB  - The purpose of the present study was to test whether we see evidence for body
      compatibility effects when viewing both familiar and unusual body postures.
      Specifically, in a task where colour targets have to be discriminated, we tested
      whether spatial orienting to a body site is sufficient for effects of body
      compatibility to emerge when viewing a task-irrelevant body or whether effects
      are dependent on whether or not we are able to adopt the viewed body posture. The
      results suggest that spatial orienting to a body site is insufficient; rather we
      argue that it is only postures that are familiar and we are easily able to adopt
      that can be processed fluently and influence target discrimination. This points
      to a key contribution of motor representations to body compatibility effects. 

PMID- 26122894
TI  - Cross-language parafoveal semantic processing: Evidence from Korean-Chinese
      bilinguals.
AB  - In the present study, we aimed at testing cross-language cognate and semantic
      preview effects. We tested how native Korean readers who learned Chinese as a
      second language make use of the parafoveal information during the reading of
      Chinese sentences. There were 3 types of Korean preview words: cognate
      translations of the Chinese target words, semantically related noncognate words,
      and unrelated words. Together with a highly significant cognate preview effect,
      more critically, we also observed reliable facilitation in processing of the
      target word from the semantically related previews in all fixation measures.
      Results from the present study provide first evidence for semantic processing
      from parafoveally presented Korean words and for cross-language parafoveal
      semantic processing. 

PMID- 26122895
TI  - Unaware yet reliant on attention: Experience sampling reveals that mind-wandering
      impedes implicit learning.
AB  - Although implicit learning has been widely studied, controversy remains regarding
      its reliance on attentional resources. A central issue in this controversy is the
      question of how best to manipulate attention. The usual approach of comparing
      implicit learning in a serial reaction time (SRT) task under single- versus dual
      task conditions is known to be problematic, because the secondary task may not
      only divert attention away from the primary task, but also interfere with the
      implicit-learning process itself. To address this confound, in the present study
      we used an experience-sampling instead of a dual-task approach. We assessed
      lapses of attention (mind-wandering) with experience-sampling thought probes
      during a standard implicit-learning SRT task. The results revealed a significant
      negative correlation between mind-wandering and implicit learning. Thus, greater
      task focus was associated with improved implicit sequence learning. This result
      suggests that, at least in the context of this SRT task, optimal implicit
      learning relies on attention. 

PMID- 26122897
TI  - Should Cesarean Scar Defect Be Treated Laparoscopically? A Case Report and Review
      of the Literature.
AB  - Several obstetric complications due to inappropriately healed cesarean scar such
      as placenta accreta, scar dehiscence, and ectopic scar pregnancy are increasingly
      reported along with rising cesarean rates. Furthermore, many gynecologic
      conditions, including abnormal uterine bleeding, pelvic pain and infertility, are
      imputed to deficient cesarean scar healing. Hysteroscopy is the most commonly
      reported approach for the revision of cesarean scar defects (CSDs). Nevertheless,
      existing evidence is inadequate to conclude that either hysteroscopy or
      laparoscopy is effective or superior to each other. Although several management
      options have been suggested recently, the laparoscopic approach has not been
      thoroughly scrutinized. We present a case and reviewed the data related to the
      laparoscopic repair of CSDs and compared the hysteroscopic and laparoscopic
      management options based on the data from previously published articles. As a
      result of our analyses, the laparoscopic approach increases uterine wall
      thickness when compared with the hysteroscopic approach, and both surgical
      techniques seem to be effective for the resolution of gynecologic symptoms.
      Hysteroscopic treatment most likely corrects the scar defect but does not
      strengthen the uterine wall; thus, the potential risk of dehiscence or rupture in
      subsequent pregnancies does not seem to be improved. Because large uterine
      defects are known risk factors for scar dehiscence, the repair of the defect to
      reinforce the myometrial endurance seems to be an appropriate method of
      treatment.

PMID- 26122896
TI  - Underpowered samples, false negatives, and unconscious learning.
AB  - The scientific community has witnessed growing concern about the high rate of
      false positives and unreliable results within the psychological literature, but
      the harmful impact of false negatives has been largely ignored. False negatives
      are particularly concerning in research areas where demonstrating the absence of
      an effect is crucial, such as studies of unconscious or implicit processing.
      Research on implicit processes seeks evidence of above-chance performance on some
      implicit behavioral measure at the same time as chance-level performance (that
      is, a null result) on an explicit measure of awareness. A systematic review of 73
      studies of contextual cuing, a popular implicit learning paradigm, involving 181
      statistical analyses of awareness tests, reveals how underpowered studies can
      lead to failure to reject a false null hypothesis. Among the studies that
      reported sufficient information, the meta-analytic effect size across awareness
      tests was d z = 0.31 (95 % CI 0.24-0.37), showing that participants' learning in
      these experiments was conscious. The unusually large number of positive results
      in this literature cannot be explained by selective publication. Instead, our
      analyses demonstrate that these tests are typically insensitive and underpowered
      to detect medium to small, but true, effects in awareness tests. These findings
      challenge a widespread and theoretically important claim about the extent of
      unconscious human cognition. 

PMID- 26122898
TI  - Combined Endometrial Ablation and Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System Use in Women
      With Dysmenorrhea and Heavy Menstrual Bleeding: Novel Approach for Challenging
      Cases.
AB  - STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and impact of levonorgestrel
      intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) on treatment failure after endometrial ablation
      (EA) in women with heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) and dysmenorrhea at 4 years.
      DESIGN: Cohort study (Canadian Task Force II-2). SETTING: An academic institution
      in the upper Midwest. PATIENTS: All women with HMB and dysmenorrhea who underwent
      EA with combined placement of LNG-IUS (EA/LNG-IUS cohort, 23 women) after 2005
      and an historic reference group from women who had EA alone (EA cohort, 65 women)
      from 1998 through the end of 2005. INTERVENTION: Radiofrequency EA, thermal
      balloon ablation, and LNG-IUS. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome
      was treatment failure defined as persistent pain, bleeding, and hysterectomy
      after EA at 4 years. The combined treatment failure outcome was documented in 2
      patients (8.7%) in the EA/LNG-IUS group and 19 patients (29.2%) in the EA group
      with an unadjusted OR of .23 (95% CI, .05-1.08). After adjusting for known risk
      factors of failure, the adjusted OR was .19 (95% CI, .26-.88). None of the women
      who underwent EA/LNG-IUS had hysterectomy for treatment failure compared with 16
      (24%) in the EA group (p = .009); postablation pelvic pain was documented in 1
      woman (4.3%) in the EA/LNG-IUS group compared with 8 women (12.3%) in the EA
      group (p = .24). One woman in the EA/LNG-IUS group (4.3%) presented with
      persistent bleeding compared with 15 (23.1%) in the EA group (p = .059). Office
      removal of the intrauterine device was performed in 4 women with no
      complications. CONCLUSION: LNG-IUS insertion at the time of EA is feasible and
      can provide added benefit after EA in women with dysmenorrhea and HMB.

PMID- 26122899
TI  - Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Imaging in the Surgical Management of an
      Iatrogenic Lymphatic Fistula: Description of a Surgical Technique.
AB  - We present a case of laparoscopic surgical management of an iatrogenic
      lymphorrhea using indocyanine green (ICG). A case of a patient who developed
      recurrent symptomatic lymphorrhea after laparoscopic radical hysterectomy and
      bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy for an early stage cervical cancer is presented.
      Intraoperative bipedal interdigital subcutaneous injection of ICG exactly
      localized the disrupted lymphatic duct on fluorescence imaging performed with a
      near-infrared laparoscopic fluorescent optic device, thus allowing a successful
      surgical repair.

PMID- 26122900
TI  - A metabolic chimera: Two defective genotypes make a normal phenotype.

PMID- 26122901
TI  - [Information security in health care].
AB  - Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals are spending more and more time
      in front of the computer, using applications developed for general practitioners,
      specialized care, or perhaps an integrated hospital system. The data they handle
      during healing and patient care are mostly sensitive data and, therefore, their
      management is strictly regulated. Finding our way in the jungle of laws,
      regulations and policies is not simple. Notwithstanding, our lack of information
      does not waive our responsibility. This study summarizes the most important
      points of international recommendations, standards and legal regulations of the
      field, as well as giving practical advices for managing medical and patient data
      securely and in compliance with the current legal regulations.

PMID- 26122902
TI  - [Uterine anomalies in women with recurrent pregnancy loss].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: One percent of couples trying to have children are affected by
      recurrent miscarriage. These pregnancy losses have different pathogenetic
      (genetic, endocrine, anatomic, immunologic, microbiologic, haematologic and
      andrologic) backgrounds, but recurrent miscarriage remains unexplained in more
      than half of the affected couples. AIM: To explore risk factors for recurrent
      pregnancy loss the authors studied the incidence of anatomic disorders of the
      uterine cavity occur in Hungarian women with recurrent miscarriage. METHOD:
      Medical records of 152 patients with recurrent miscarriage were analyzed
      retrospectively. In order to explore disorders of the uterine cavity hysteroscopy
      or 3-dimensional sonography in 132 women, hysterosalpingography in 16 and
      hysterosalpingo-sonography in 4 patients were used. RESULTS: Incidence of
      anomalies in the uterine cavity was found in women with recurrent miscarriage to
      be 15.8%. A variety of the uterine anomalies was found including uterine septum
      in 6.5%, endometrial polyp in 2.6%, arcuate and bicornuate uteri both in 2% and
      2%, submucosal myoma in 1.3 %, and intrauterine synechiae in 1.3%. CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings suggest that morphologic disorder of the uterine cavity is
      frequent in Hungarian women with recurrent miscarriage. Therefore, assessment of
      the uterine anatomy is recommended in such patients.

PMID- 26122903
TI  - [Ultrasound-guided central venous access in patients with uncorrected
      coagulopathy].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Correction of coagulopathy prior to central venous catheterization
      is a standard practice. Before ultrasound-guided procedures, routine correction
      of coagulopathy is controversial as mechanical complications are rare. AIM: To
      evaluate the safety of ultrasound-guided central venous access in critically ill
      patients with coagulopathy. METHOD: In this retrospective study the authors
      included all ultrasound-guided central venous catheterizations performed in their
      Intensive Care Unit between February 2011 and January 2013. They defined
      coagulopathy as INR or APTT ratio above 1.5, platelet count below 100 G/l, and
      anticoagulation or clopidogrel therapy. Data obtained from ultrasound register
      and patient records were used. RESULTS: 310 ultrasound-guided central venous
      catheterizations were performed. Coagulopathy was observed in 134 cases (43.2%)
      and corrected in 10 cases prior to catheterization. There were no bleeding
      complications (complication rate in uncorrected coagulopathy: 0%, 95% confidence
      interval: 0-3.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Coagulopathy is common in critically ill
      patients, but its routine correction prior to ultrasound-guided central venous
      catheterization seems unnecessary.

PMID- 26122904
TI  - [Sleep disturbances in Parkinson's disease: characteristics, evaluation and
      therapeutic approaches].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Parkinson's disease is a well known representent of the movement
      disorder group of neurological disorders. The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is
      based on specific symptoms and signs of movement abnormalities. In addition to
      classic motor symptoms, Parkinson's disease has characteristic non-motor
      features, and some of these emerges the classic signs. AIM: The authors discuss
      characteristics and therapeutic interventions in Parkinson's disease related
      sleep disturbances. METHOD: The authors reviewed and summarised literature data
      on sleep disorders in Parkinson's disease published in the PubMed database up to
      January 2015. RESULTS: Sleep problems are important non-motor complains
      (insomnia, hypersomnia, REM behaviour disorder, sleep apnea and restless legs
      syndrome). The neurodegenerative process of the brain-stem, the effect of
      symptoms of Parkinson's disease on sleep and concomitant sleep disorders
      constitute the background of the patient's complains. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate
      diagnosis and therapy of the consequential or concomitant sleep disorders in
      Parkinson's disease will help to improve the patient's quality of life.

PMID- 26122905
TI  - [Fill it up...! Combined consumption of alcohol with energy drinks and its
      correlation with risk taking behaviour among young adults].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In Hungary and all around the world the incidence of consumption of
      energy drinks together with alcohol has increased among adolescents and young
      adults. AIM: The foremost aim of this survey was to find out whether alcohol
      mixed with energy drinks can enhance the appearance of other forms of risky
      behaviour among young adults. METHOD: In spring 2013 the authors carried out a
      quantitative sociological survey at three faculties of two major universities in
      Budapest, Hungary. RESULTS: The survey showed that 1) consumers, who mixed
      alcohol with energy drinks, were likely to drink more alcohol both at parties and
      on ordinary days, and they took part in binge drinking more frequently than those
      consuming only alcohol; 2) students drank significantly less alcohol when they
      mixed it with energy drink. CONCLUSIONS: The conflicts of the results showed that
      even at the starting point there was a clear distinction between the two groups,
      moreover, it is not yet clear what interactions the combined effect of caffeine
      and alcohol can trigger in the behaviour of the individual.

PMID- 26122907
TI  - Commentary on: Hegedus A. and Kozel B. (2014). Does adherence therapy improve
      medication adherence among patients with schizophrenia? A systematic review.
      International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, doi: 10.1111/inm.12089.

PMID- 26122908
TI  - Engineered Tissue Patch for Cardiac Cell Therapy.
AB  - OPINION STATEMENT: Cell therapy can be administered via injections delivered
      directly into the myocardium or as engineered cardiac tissue patches, which are
      the subject of this review. Engineered cardiac patches can be created from sheets
      of interconnected cells or by suspending the cells in a scaffold of material that
      is designed to mimic the native extracellular matrix. The sheet-based approach
      produces patches with well-aligned and electronically coupled cardiomyocytes, but
      cell-containing scaffolds are more readily vascularized by the host's circulatory
      system and, consequently, are currently more suitable for applications that
      require a thicker patch. Cell patches can also be modified for the co-delivery of
      peptides that may promote cell survival and activate endogenous repair
      mechanisms; nevertheless, techniques for controlling inflammation, limiting
      apoptosis, and improving vascular growth need continue to be developed to make it
      a therapeutic modality for patients with myocardial infarction.

PMID- 26122909
TI  - Telocytes in Liver.
AB  - Telocytes (TCs) are a newly identified interstitial cell type which are named
      after and characterized by specialized thin, long synaptic structures called
      telopodes (Tps). The existence of TCs has been reported in lots of tissues and
      organs. There are numerous on-going studies to explore the biological functions
      of TCs, including their involvement in human disease. TCs are generally
      considered as supporting cells that help maintain the micro-structure of tissues
      by forming a three-dimensional interstitial network via intercellular junctions.
      In addition, TCs have also been implicated in the regulation of stem cell
      activity and the stem cell niche microenvironment, thus contributing to tissue
      repair and renewal. In this review, the most recent findings concerning hepatic
      TCs are described. 

PMID- 26122910
TI  - PPARgamma and Its Ligands: Potential Antitumor Agents in the Digestive System.
AB  - Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is a versatile
      member of the ligand-activated nuclear hormone receptor superfamily of
      transcription factors, with expression in several different cell lines,
      especially in the digestive system. After being activated by its ligand,
      PPARgamma can suppress the growth of oral, esophageal, gastric, colorectal,
      liver, biliary, and pancreatic tumor cells, suggesting that PPARgamma ligand is a
      potential anticancer agent in PPARgamma-expressing tumors. This review highlights
      key advances in understanding the effects of PPARgamma ligands in the treatment
      of tumors in the digestive system.

PMID- 26122911
TI  - Genome-wide analysis of translational efficiency reveals distinct but overlapping
      functions of yeast DEAD-box RNA helicases Ded1 and eIF4A.
AB  - DEAD-box RNA helicases eIF4A and Ded1 are believed to promote translation
      initiation by resolving mRNA secondary structures that impede ribosome attachment
      at the mRNA 5' end or subsequent scanning of the 5' UTR, but whether they perform
      unique or overlapping functions in vivo is poorly understood. We compared the
      effects of mutations in Ded1 or eIF4A on global translational efficiencies (TEs)
      in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by ribosome footprint profiling.
      Despite similar reductions in bulk translation, inactivation of a cold-sensitive
      Ded1 mutant substantially reduced the TEs of >600 mRNAs, whereas inactivation of
      a temperature-sensitive eIF4A variant encoded by tif1-A79V (in a strain lacking
      the ortholog TIF2) yielded <40 similarly impaired mRNAs. The broader requirement
      for Ded1 did not reflect more pervasive secondary structures at low temperature,
      as inactivation of temperature-sensitive and cold-sensitive ded1 mutants gave
      highly correlated results. Interestingly, Ded1-dependent mRNAs exhibit greater
      than average 5' UTR length and propensity for secondary structure, implicating
      Ded1 in scanning through structured 5' UTRs. Reporter assays confirmed that cap
      distal stem-loop insertions increase dependence on Ded1 but not eIF4A for
      efficient translation. While only a small fraction of mRNAs shows a heightened
      requirement for eIF4A, dependence on eIF4A is correlated with requirements for
      Ded1 and 5' UTR features characteristic of Ded1-dependent mRNAs. Our findings
      suggest that Ded1 is critically required to promote scanning through secondary
      structures within 5' UTRs, and while eIF4A cooperates with Ded1 in this function,
      it also promotes a step of initiation common to virtually all yeast mRNAs. 

PMID- 26122912
TI  - Molecular Typing of Treponema pallidum in Denmark: A Nationwide Study of
      Syphilis.
AB  - The aim of this nationwide study is to determine the strain type diversity among
      patients diagnosed with syphilis by PCR during a 4-year period in Denmark.
      Epidemiological data, including HIV status, for all patients were obtained from
      the Danish national syphilis registration system. Molecular strain typing was
      based on characterization of 3 variable treponemal genes, arp, tpr and tp0548. A
      total of 278 specimens from 269 patients were included. Among the fully typeable
      specimens (n = 197), 22 strain types were identified, with 1 type, 14d/g,
      accounting for 54%. The majority (93%) of the patients reported acquiring
      syphilis in Denmark. Among patients with concurrent HIV, 9 full strain types were
      identified and no difference in strain type was found by HIV status (p = 0.197).
      In conclusion, the majority of patients were infected in Denmark and the HIV
      infected syphilis patients were diagnosed with a wide spectrum of different
      strain types of Treponema pallidum. 

PMID- 26122913
TI  - Outcome of Intensive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in a Residential Setting for
      People with Severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Large Open Case Series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is little data to inform the treatment of severe obsessive
      compulsive disorder (OCD) in an inpatient or residential setting. AIMS: This
      paper aimed to: a) describe treatment outcomes at a residential unit over 11
      years; b) investigate whether treatment was successful for a subset of severe
      treatment refractory residents; c) compare an intensive treatment programme to a
      "standard" treatment programme; and d) find predictors of self or early discharge
      from the unit. METHOD: We compared treatment outcomes for (i) a minimum 12-week
      treatment (hereafter "standard") programme versus a 2-week intensive programme
      and (ii) for severe treatment refractory cases on the standard programme. We
      identified 472 residents with OCD admitted to the Anxiety Disorders Residential
      Unit at the Bethlem Royal Hospital between 2001 and 2012. Outcomes were measured
      with the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Obsessive Compulsive
      Inventory (OCI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
      obtained throughout treatment and up to one year after discharge. RESULTS:
      Although residents had very severe OCD on admission, sequential assessment with
      the Y-BOCS, OCI, BAI and BDI demonstrated that scores on all outcome measures
      significantly decreased from pre to posttreatment and were generally maintained
      at follow-up. There was no significant difference between those on the standard
      or the 2-week intensive programme. Sixty-nine per cent of residents with OCD made
      significant improvements, with at least a 25% reduction on the Y-BOCS. There were
      predictors of self or early discharge but none for outcome on the Y-BOCS.
      CONCLUSIONS: The data support the principle of stepped care for severe OCD.

PMID- 26122915
TI  - Inequality of Opportunity: The New Motherhood and Apple Pie?

PMID- 26122914
TI  - Proteomics-driven design of a multiplex bead-based platform to assess natural IgG
      antibodies to pneumococcal protein antigens in children.
AB  - Pneumococcal surface proteins are potential candidates for the development of
      protein-based vaccines and serological assays. The objective of the study was to
      develop a multiple bead-based immunoassay using Luminex xMAP(r) technology for
      the quantitation of natural antibodies against Streptococcus pneumoniae proteins
      and the characterization of the acute serum response following pneumococcal
      pneumonia in children. Sixty-four recombinantly produced pneumococcal proteins,
      which were selected based on their proteomic experimental identification by
      "shaving" live cells with trypsin followed by LC/MS/MS analysis, were coupled to
      fluorescent SeroMAP(r) beads and anti-pneumococcal specific IgG levels were
      determined in sera. Multiplex assay was validated through comparison of IgG
      levels to 14 randomly chosen pneumococcal antigens by using multiplex and
      singleplex assays. Acute serum IgG levels against RrgB were significantly lower
      in children <= 4 years old with pneumococcal pneumonia than those in controls. In
      addition, there was a small trend toward slightly lower antibody levels for PrsA,
      RrgC and RrgB in pneumonia patients of the all age group.

PMID- 26122916
TI  - Implementation of Ultramini Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy for Treatment of 2-3 cm
      Kidney Stones: A Preliminary Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Miniatured percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) techniques
      such as micro-PCNL (microperc) and ultramini-PCNL (UMP) are usually indicated for
      renal stones <2 cm. We present our preliminary report of treating patients with 2
      to 3 cm renal stones using UMP in a semisupine combined lithotomy position
      associated with a retrograde ureteral access sheath (UAS). METHODS: From April
      2013 to January 2014, we implemented 13F UMP for 22 patients with renal stones
      that were 2 to 3 cm with the patient positioned in a 45-degree semisupine
      combined lithotomy position. A retrograde 9.5/11.5F UAS was placed for
      maintaining low intrarenal pressure and debris drainage. Flexible ureteroscopy
      was used for stones inaccessible through the primary percutaneous tract in two
      patients. A 200-MU holmium laser was used for stone disintegration. Intrapelvic
      pressure was measured using an open end 5F ureteral catheter inserted through the
      UAS. RESULTS: All 22 cases were completed successfully. The mean preoperative
      stone size was 26.6 +/- 4.7 mm (range 21-32 mm), mean operative time was 85.7 +/-
      18.0 minutes (range 47-112 min), and mean hemoglobin drop was 1.2 +/- 0.3 g/dL
      (range 0.5-2.2 g/dL). Intrapelvic pressure during the surgical procedure ranged 5
      to 10 cm H2O. The mean hospital stay was 3.1 +/- 1.8 days (range 2-5 d). Complete
      stone clearance was 18/22 (81.8%) with solo UMP and 20/22 (90.9%) when associated
      with retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS). No major intra- or postoperative
      complications occurred. CONCLUSION: Implementation of UMP for the treatment of
      patients with renal stones 2-3 cm is feasible and safe. The procedure is less
      invasive and has a faster recovery period. Intraoperative retrograde UAS
      decreases intrarenal pressure, facilitates removal of stone fragments, and also
      allows simultaneous RIRS for stones in an inaccessible calix.

PMID- 26122917
TI  - Mechanisms, Capabilities, and Applications of High-Resolution Electrohydrodynamic
      Jet Printing.
AB  - This review gives an overview of techniques used for high-resolution jet printing
      that rely on electrohydrodynamically induced flows. Such methods enable the
      direct, additive patterning of materials with a resolution that can extend below
      100 nm to provide unique opportunities not only in scientific studies but also in
      a range of applications that includes printed electronics, tissue engineering,
      and photonic and plasmonic devices. Following a brief historical perspective,
      this review presents descriptions of the underlying processes involved in the
      formation of liquid cones and jets to establish critical factors in the printing
      process. Different printing systems that share similar principles are then
      described, along with key advances that have been made in the last decade.
      Capabilities in terms of printable materials and levels of resolution are
      reviewed, with a strong emphasis on areas of potential application. 

PMID- 26122919
TI  - Unveiling the mechanism of melatonin impacts on maize seedling growth: sugar
      metabolism as a case.
AB  - Melatonin regulates growth in many plants; however, the mechanism remains
      unclear. In this study, exogenous melatonin feeding resulted in both promotional
      (<=10 MUm) and inhibitory (>=100 MUm) effects on maize seedling growth. Initial
      analyses suggested positive correlations between the amount of melatonin and
      sucrose synthesis and hydrolysis-related gene expression, enzyme activities, and
      sucrose metabolites. However, assays of photosynthetic rate, hexokinase (HxK)
      activity, expression of photosynthetic marker genes, and HxK-related genes showed
      opposite effects under 10 MUm (positive) and 100 MUm (negative) melatonin
      treatments. Similarly, 10 MUm melatonin accelerated starch catabolism at night,
      whereas 100 MUm melatonin significantly decreased this process and led to starch
      accumulation in photosynthetic tissues. Furthermore, expression analysis of genes
      related to sucrose phloem loading resulted in a slight upregulation of sucrose
      transporters (SUT1 and SUT2) when seedlings were induced with 10 MUm melatonin,
      while treatment with 100 MUm melatonin resulted in significant downregulation of
      these sucrose transporter genes (SUT1 and SUT2), as well as tie-dyed2 (Tdy2) and
      sucrose export defective 1. Taken together, these results suggest that low doses
      of melatonin benefit maize seedling growth by promoting sugar metabolism,
      photosynthesis, and sucrose phloem loading. Conversely, high doses of melatonin
      inhibit seedling growth by inducing the excessive accumulation of sucrose, hexose
      and starch, suppressing photosynthesis and sucrose phloem loading.

PMID- 26122920
TI  - Disabling low back pain associated with night shift duration: sleep problems as a
      potentiator.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated how night shift duration and sleep problems were
      jointly associated with disabling low back pain (LBP) among workers in different
      occupations. METHODS: An online-survey was conducted regarding work schedules,
      disabling LBP, sleep problems, and other relevant factors in 5,008 workers who
      were randomly selected from a market research panel. Multiple logistic regression
      analyses determined the joint associations of night shift duration (0 [permanent
      day shift], <8, 8-9.9, 10-15.9, >=16 hr) and sleep problems (no, yes) with
      disabling LBP adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: A night shift >=16 hr
      was associated with a significant increase in the likelihood of disabling LBP.
      The magnitude of this association was elevated when participants perceived sleep
      problems including both sleep duration and quality. CONCLUSION: Associations
      between extended night shifts and disabling LBP became stronger in the presence
      of short or poor quality sleep.

PMID- 26122921
TI  - Contact sensitization to 34 common contact allergens in university students in
      Beijing.

PMID- 26122923
TI  - A pilot test of the new Swiss regulatory procedure for categorizing clinical
      trials by risk: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: Several countries are working to adapt clinical trial
      regulations to align the approval process to the level of risk for trial
      participants. The optimal framework to categorize clinical trials according to
      risk remains unclear, however. Switzerland is the first European country to adopt
      a risk-based categorization procedure in January 2014. We assessed how accurately
      and consistently clinical trials are categorized using two different approaches:
      an approach using criteria set forth in the new law (concept) or an intuitive
      approach (ad hoc). METHODS: This was a randomized controlled trial with a method
      comparison study nested in each arm. We used clinical trial protocols from eight
      Swiss ethics committees approved between 2010 and 2011. Protocols were randomly
      assigned to be categorized in one of three risk categories using the concept or
      the ad hoc approach. Each protocol was independently categorized by the trial's
      sponsor, a group of experts and the approving ethics committee. The primary
      outcome was the difference in categorization agreement between the expert group
      and sponsors across arms. Linear weighted kappa was used to quantify agreements,
      with the difference between kappas being the primary effect measure. RESULTS: We
      included 142 of 231 protocols in the final analysis (concept=78; ad hoc=64). Raw
      agreement between the expert group and sponsors was 0.74 in the concept and 0.78
      in the ad hoc arm. Chance-corrected agreement was higher in the ad hoc (kappa:
      0.34 (95% confidence interval=0.10-0.58)) than in the concept arm (0.27 (0.06
      0.50)), but the difference was not significant (p=0.67). LIMITATIONS: The main
      limitation was the large number of protocols excluded from the analysis mostly
      because they did not fit with the clinical trial definition of the new law.
      CONCLUSION: A structured risk categorization approach was not better than an ad
      hoc approach. Laws introducing risk-based approaches should provide guidelines,
      examples and templates to ensure correct application.

PMID- 26122922
TI  - Characteristics of participants consenting versus declining follow-up for up to
      10 years in a randomized clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With patients living a decade or longer post-procedure, long-term
      data are needed to assess the durability of carotid artery stenting versus
      carotid endarterectomy. Identifying characteristics of those consenting or
      declining to continue in long-term follow-up may suggest strategies to improve
      retention in clinical trials. PURPOSE: This report describes differences between
      patients choosing or declining to continue follow-up for up to 10 years in the
      Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial. METHODS:
      Following completion of the primary outcome, patients who were in active Carotid
      Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial follow-up were asked to
      continue beyond their original 4-year commitment for a maximum of 10 years. The
      characteristics of those who consented were compared with those who declined.
      Univariate and multivariable logistic regression were used for analysis, and
      backwards stepwise logistic regression (the most parsimonious model) was used to
      determine the factors associated with continuation. RESULTS: Of the 1921 active
      Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy versus Stenting Trial participants for
      whom consent to extend follow-up was requested, 1695 (88%; mean age: 68.4)
      consented; 226 (12%; mean age: 69.6) declined. Of those who did not consent
      versus those who consented, 66% versus 48% were symptomatic at baseline
      (p<0.0001), at follow-up 28% versus 20% were smokers (p=0.009), 85% versus 90%
      were hypertensive (p=0.01), and 84% versus 94% were dyslipidemic (p<0.0001).
      Additional factors that differed between those who did not consent and those who
      consented included the mean number of years in the study at time of consent (4.8
      years vs 3.7 years (p=<0.0001)) and patients from sites that enrolled <30
      patients compared to sites randomizing 30 or more (70% vs 52% (p<0.0001)).
      Multivariable logistic regression indicated that those with lesser odds of
      consenting to the extended follow-up were older (odds ratio: 0.80; 95% confidence
      interval: 0.67, 0.96), more likely to be symptomatic (odds ratio: 0.58; 95%
      confidence interval: 0.42, 0.80), smokers (odds ratio: 0.48; 95% confidence
      interval: 0.34, 0.70), were in the study 5+ years versus <3 (odds ratio: 0.21;
      95% confidence interval: 0.13, 0.34), and at a site that randomized <30 patients
      (odds ratio: 0.46; 95% confidence interval: 0.33, 0.63), while patients with
      dyslipidemia at follow-up had increased odds of consenting (odds ratio: 2.28
      (1.47, 3.54)). CONCLUSION: Symptomatic status, increasing age, randomized at
      lower volume centers, and longer time in follow-up were associated with reduced
      odds of consenting to long-term follow-up. Identifying factors associated with
      reduced willingness to extend participation long-term can suggest targeted
      strategies to improve retention in future clinical trials.

PMID- 26122924
TI  - The influence of prison climate on the mental health of adult prisoners: a
      literature review.
AB  - ACCESSIBLE SUMMARY: Little is known about how the prison environment may impact
      upon the mental health of adult prisoners. This paper highlights that prisoners
      perceive that the prison environment has a negative influence upon their mental
      health. However, a small number regarded prison as a place of respite, which
      afforded structure and an opportunity to access health services. There is a need
      for more research in this area specifically relating to the impact the prison
      climate may have upon those from black and minority ethic groups. Nurses must
      recognize the aspects of the prison environment that may impact upon the mental
      health of prisoners and demonstrate innovation and imagination in their
      application of interventions. ABSTRACT: Little is known regarding how the prison
      environment may affect the mental health of adult prisoners. Consequently, there
      is a need to investigate how this setting may exacerbate mental distress among
      this community. This literature review explores how the prison climate influences
      the mental health of adult prisoners. A thematic synthesis approach was used to
      elicit data relating to the aspects of the prison climate, which influence the
      mental health of prisoners. Four primary themes emerged from the synthesis:
      social, emotional, organizational and physical aspects. Prisoners perceive the
      prison climate to have a negative influence upon their mental health. However,
      perceived positively, prison was regarded as a place of respite, which afforded
      structure and an opportunity to access health services. There is limited research
      available specifically exploring the potential impact of the prison climate upon
      those from black and ethnic minorities groups. Nurses must recognize the aspects
      of the prison environment that may impact upon the mental health of prisoners and
      demonstrate innovation and imagination in their application of interventions.
      Additionally nurses need to take an active role in influencing and structuring
      the political agenda, which governs the clinical setting.

PMID- 26122925
TI  - Vocal Tract Morphology in Inhaling Singing: An MRI-Based Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Inhaling singing is a recently developed singing technique
      explored by the soprano singer Francoise Vanhecke. It is based on an inspiratory
      airflow instead of an expiratory airflow. This article describes the anatomical
      structural differences of the vocal tract between inhaling and exhaling singing.
      We hypothesize that the vocal tract alters significantly in inhaling singing,
      especially concerning the configuration of the anatomical structures in the oral
      cavity and the subglottal region. STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective study.
      METHODS: A professional singer (F.V.) performed sustained tones from F5
      chromatically rising up to Bb5 on the vowel /a/. Vocal tract anatomy is assessed
      by magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Wilcoxon directional testing demonstrates
      (1) that the vocal tract volume above the glottal region does not differ
      statistically in contrast to the subglottal region and (2) significant changes in
      the configuration of the tongue, the upright position of the epiglottis, the
      length of the floor of mouth, and the distance between the teeth. CONCLUSIONS:
      The narrowing of the subglottis is considered to be secondary to suction forces
      used in the inhaling singing technique. The changes in the anatomical structures
      above the vocal folds possibly suggest a valve-like function controlling the air
      inlet together with the regulator function of the resonator capacities of the
      vocal tract.

PMID- 26122926
TI  - Disruption of Radiologist Workflow.
AB  - The effect of disruptions has been studied extensively in surgery and emergency
      medicine, and a number of solutions-such as preoperative checklists-have been
      implemented to enforce the integrity of critical safety-related workflows.
      Disruptions of the highly complex and cognitively demanding workflow of modern
      clinical radiology have only recently attracted attention as a potential safety
      hazard. In this article, we describe the variety of disruptions that arise in the
      reading room environment, review approaches that other specialties have taken to
      mitigate workflow disruption, and suggest possible solutions for workflow
      improvement in radiology. 

PMID- 26122927
TI  - Imputation of genotypes in Danish purebred and two-way crossbred pigs using low
      density panels.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Genotype imputation is commonly used as an initial step in genomic
      selection since the accuracy of genomic selection does not decline if accurately
      imputed genotypes are used instead of actual genotypes but for a lower cost.
      Performance of imputation has rarely been investigated in crossbred animals and,
      in particular, in pigs. The extent and pattern of linkage disequilibrium differ
      in crossbred versus purebred animals, which may impact the performance of
      imputation. In this study, first we compared different scenarios of imputation
      from 5 K to 8 K single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genotyped Danish
      Landrace and Yorkshire and crossbred Landrace-Yorkshire datasets and, second, we
      compared imputation from 8 K to 60 K SNPs in genotyped purebred and simulated
      crossbred datasets. All imputations were done using software Beagle version
      3.3.2. Then, we investigated the reasons that could explain the differences
      observed. RESULTS: Genotype imputation performs as well in crossbred animals as
      in purebred animals when both parental breeds are included in the reference
      population. When the size of the reference population is very large, it is not
      necessary to use a reference population that combines the two breeds to impute
      the genotypes of purebred animals because a within-breed reference population can
      provide a very high level of imputation accuracy (correct rate >= 0.99,
      correlation >= 0.95). However, to ensure that similar imputation accuracies are
      obtained for crossbred animals, a reference population that combines both
      parental purebred animals is required. Imputation accuracies are higher when a
      larger proportion of haplotypes are shared between the reference population and
      the validation (imputed) populations. CONCLUSIONS: The results from both real
      data and pedigree-based simulated data demonstrate that genotype imputation from
      low-density panels to medium-density panels is highly accurate in both purebred
      and crossbred pigs. In crossbred pigs, combining the parental purebred animals in
      the reference population is necessary to obtain high imputation accuracy.

PMID- 26122928
TI  - Effect of calcium with and without probiotic, lactose, or both on organ and body
      weights, immune response and caecal microbiota in moulted laying hens.
AB  - A total of 72 laying hens were used to investigate the effect of probiotic and
      lactose on body weight loss, tibia ash, antibody production against sheep red
      blood cell (SRBC), heterophile-to-lymphocyte (H/L) ratio and gut microbiota in a
      common moulting method for 14 d. Hens were randomly allocated to 6 experimental
      groups consisting of (i) full feed (FF), (ii) feed withdrawal (FW), (iii) FW with
      calcium (Ca), (iv) FW with Ca and offering 7 g/lit lactose in drinking water
      (CaL), (v) FW with Ca and offering 1 g/lit probiotic in drinking water (CaP), and
      (vi) FW with Ca and offering a mixture of lactose and probiotic in drinking water
      (CaLP). The results showed body weight loss in all FW groups were more than 25%
      that was significantly higher than FF group (p < 0.05). The relative organ
      weights of hens in FW groups were lower than FF group; especially, it was
      significant for liver and ovary (p < 0.05). No significant difference was
      observed between all groups for tibia ash. The highest H/L ratio was related to
      FW group and offering Ca and lactose numerically and probiotic alone
      significantly resulted in decrease of this ratio (p < 0.05). The results also
      showed no significant difference for antibody production against SRBC among
      experimental groups. The highest coliform bacteria numeration observed in FW
      group and lactose could significantly reduce this population (p < 0.05). Lactic
      acid bacteria (LAB) numeration demonstrated a significant difference among
      treatments, so that FF hens had higher LAB than others (p < 0.05). In addition,
      FW moulted hens had significantly lower LAB compared to other moulted hens (p <
      0.05), except for Ca group. In conclusion, probiotic and lactose was effective in
      maintaining caecal microbiota balance and improving immunity in hens exposed to
      moulting. 

PMID- 26122929
TI  - Solubility and modeling acid-base properties of adrenaline in NaCl aqueous
      solutions at different ionic strengths and temperatures.
AB  - Solubility and acid-base properties of adrenaline were studied in NaCl aqueous
      solutions at different ionic strengths (0<I/mol L(-1)<3.0) and temperatures
      (T=298.15 and 310.15K), by means of different techniques: potentiometry, UV
      spectrophotometry and spectrofluorimetry. The intrinsic solubility of the ligand
      was calculated from simple mass balance equations, by using the free hydrogen
      concentration and the protonation constants of the ligand determined in the same
      experimental conditions of the solubility measurements. The salting-In or Out
      parameters and the activity coefficient of the neutral species were calculated by
      means of the Setschenow equation. The dependence of the protonation constants on
      the ionic strength was modeled by means of the Debye-Huckel type equation and of
      the SIT (Specific ion Interaction Theory) approach. The specific interaction
      parameters of the ion pairs were also reported. For the protonation constants,
      the following thermodynamic values at infinite dilution were obtained: T=298.15
      K, logK1(H0)=10.674+/-0.018 and logK2(H0)=8.954+/-0.022; T=310.15K,
      logK1(H0)=10.355+/-0.018 and logK2(H0)=8.749+/-0.030.

PMID- 26122930
TI  - Automated pulmonary nodule CT image characterization in lung cancer screening.
AB  - PURPOSE: In lung cancer screening, pulmonary nodules are first identified in low
      dose chest CT images. Costly follow-up procedures could be avoided if it were
      possible to establish the malignancy status of these nodules from these initial
      images. Preliminary computer methods have been proposed to characterize the
      malignancy status of pulmonary nodules based on features extracted from a CT
      image. The parameters and performance of such a computer system in a lung cancer
      screening context are addressed. METHODS: A computer system that incorporates
      novel 3D image features to determine the malignancy status of pulmonary nodules
      is evaluated with a large dataset constructed from images from the NLST and ELCAP
      lung cancer studies. The system is evaluated with different data subsets to
      determine the impact of class size distribution imbalance in datasets and to
      evaluate different training and testing strategies. RESULTS: Results show a
      modest improvement in malignancy prediction compared to prediction by size alone
      for a traditional size-unbalanced dataset. Further, the advantage of size binning
      for classifier design and the advantages of a size-balanced dataset for both
      training and testing are demonstrated. CONCLUSION: Nodule classification in the
      context of low-resolution low-dose whole-chest CT images for the clinically
      relevant size range in the context of lung cancer screening is highly
      challenging, and results are moderate compared to what has been reported in the
      literature for other clinical contexts. Nodule class size distribution imbalance
      needs to be considered in the training and evaluation of computer-aided
      diagnostic systems for producing patient-relevant outcomes.

PMID- 26122931
TI  - Enriching 3D optical surface scans with prior knowledge: tissue thickness
      computation by exploiting local neighborhoods.
AB  - PURPOSE: Patient immobilization and X-ray-based imaging provide neither a
      convenient nor a very accurate way to ensure low repositioning errors or to
      compensate for motion in cranial radiotherapy. We therefore propose an optical
      tracking device that exploits subcutaneous structures as landmarks in addition to
      merely spatial registration. To develop such head tracking algorithms, precise
      and robust computation of these structures is necessary. Here, we show that the
      tissue thickness can be predicted with high accuracy and moreover exploit local
      neighborhood information within the laser spot grid on the forehead to further
      increase this estimation accuracy. METHODS: We use statistical learning with
      Support Vector Regression and Gaussian Processes to learn a relationship between
      optical backscatter features and an MR tissue thickness ground truth. We compare
      different kernel functions for the data of five different subjects. The incident
      angle of the laser on the forehead as well as local neighborhoods is incorporated
      into the feature space. The latter represent the backscatter features from four
      neighboring laser spots. RESULTS: We confirm that the incident angle has a
      positive effect on the estimation error of the tissue thickness. The root-mean
      square error falls even below 0.15 mm when adding the complete neighborhood
      information. This prior knowledge also leads to a smoothing effect on the
      reconstructed skin patch. Learning between different head poses yields similar
      results. The partial overlap of the point clouds makes the trade-off between
      novel information and increased feature space dimension obvious and hence feature
      selection by e.g., sequential forward selection necessary.

PMID- 26122933
TI  - T Cells Engineered With Chimeric Antigen Receptors Targeting NKG2D Ligands
      Display Lethal Toxicity in Mice.
AB  - Ligands for the NKG2D receptor are overexpressed on tumors, making them
      interesting immunotherapy targets. To assess the tumoricidal properties of T
      cells directed to attack NKG2D ligands, we engineered murine T cells with two
      distinct NKG2D-based chimeric antigen receptors (CARs): (i) a fusion between the
      NKG2D receptor and the CD3zeta chain and (ii) a conventional second-generation
      CAR, where the extracellular domain of NKG2D was fused to CD28 and CD3zeta. To
      enhance the CAR surface expression, we also engineered T cells to coexpress
      DAP10. In vitro functionality and surface expression levels of all three CARs was
      greater in BALB/c T cells than C57BL/6 T cells, indicating strain-specific
      differences. Upon adoptive transfer of NKG2D-CAR-T cells into syngeneic animals,
      we observed significant clinical toxicity resulting in morbidity and mortality.
      The severity of these toxicities varied between the CAR configurations and
      paralleled their in vitro NKG2D surface expression. BALB/c mice were more
      sensitive to these toxicities than C57BL/6 mice, consistent with the higher in
      vitro functionality of BALB/c T cells. Treatment with cyclophosphamide prior to
      adoptive transfer exacerbated the toxicity. We conclude that while NKG2D ligands
      may be useful targets for immunotherapy, the pursuit of NKG2D-based CAR-T cell
      therapies should be undertaken with caution. 

PMID- 26122932
TI  - Ubiquitin-like Molecule ISG15 Acts as an Immune Adjuvant to Enhance Antigen
      specific CD8 T-cell Tumor Immunity.
AB  - ISG15 is an ubiquitin-like protein induced by type I interferon associated with
      antiviral activity. ISG15 is also secreted and known to function as an
      immunomodulatory molecule. However, ISG15's role in influencing the adaptive CD8
      T-cell responses has not been studied. Here, we demonstrate the efficacy of ISG15
      as a vaccine adjuvant, inducing human papilloma virus (HPV) E7-specific IFNgamma
      responses as well as the percentage of polyfunctional, cytolytic, and effector
      CD8 T-cell responses. Vaccination with ISG15 conferred remarkable control and/or
      regression of established HPV-associated tumor-bearing mice. T-cell depletion
      coupled with adoptive transfer experiments revealed that ISG15 protective
      efficacy was CD8 T-cell mediated. Importantly, we demonstrate that ISG15 vaccine
      induced responses could be generated independent of ISGylation, suggesting that
      responses were mostly influenced by free ISG15. Our results provide more insight
      into the immunomodulatory properties of ISG15 and its potential to serve as an
      effective immune adjuvant in a therapeutic tumor or infectious disease setting. 

PMID- 26122934
TI  - Consensus communication on early peanut introduction and the prevention of peanut
      allergy in high-risk infants.
AB  - The purpose of this brief communication is to highlight emerging evidence to
      existing guidelines regarding potential benefits of supporting early, rather than
      delayed, peanut introduction during the period of complementary food introduction
      in infants. This document should be considered as interim guidance based on
      consensus among the following organizations: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma
      & Immunology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Allergy, Asthma
      & Immunology, Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Canadian
      Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, European Academy of Allergy and
      Clinical Immunology, Israel Association of Allergy and Clinical Immunology,
      Japanese Society for Allergology, Society for Pediatric Dermatology, and World
      Allergy Organization. More formal guidelines regarding early-life, complementary
      feeding practices and the risk of allergy development will follow in the next
      year from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-sponsored
      Working Group and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 

PMID- 26122936
TI  - Numerical simulation of the tumor interstitial fluid transport: Consideration of
      drug delivery mechanism.
AB  - The interstitial fluid transport plays an important role in terms of its effect
      on the delivery of therapeutic agents to the cancerous organs. In this study, a
      comprehensive numerical simulation of the interstitial fluid transport
      establishing 3D models of tumor and normal tissue is accomplished. Different
      shapes of solid tumors and their surrounding normal tissues are selected, by
      employing the porous media model and incorporating Darcy's model and Starling's
      law. Besides, effects of the tumor radius, normal tissue size, tissue hydraulic
      conductivity and necrotic core are investigated on the interstitial fluid
      pressure (IFP) and interstitial fluid velocity (IFV). Generally, results suggest
      that the configurations of the tumor and surrounding normal tissue affect IFP and
      IFV distributions inside the interstitium, which are much more pronounced for
      various configuration of the tumor. Furthermore, findings demonstrate that larger
      tumors are more prone for producing elevated IFP comparing with the smaller ones
      and impress both IFP and IFV dramatically. Nevertheless, normal tissue size has
      less impact on IFP and IFV, until its volume ratio to the tumor remains greater
      than unity; conversely, for the values lower than unity the variations become
      more significant. Finally, existence of necrotic core and its location in the
      tumor interstitium alters IFP and IFV patterns and increases IFV, considerably. 

PMID- 26122935
TI  - Human platelet lysate improves human cord blood derived ECFC survival and
      vasculogenesis in three dimensional (3D) collagen matrices.
AB  - Human cord blood (CB) is enriched in circulating endothelial colony forming cells
      (ECFCs) that display high proliferative potential and in vivo vessel forming
      ability. Since diminished ECFC survival is known to dampen the vasculogenic
      response in vivo, we tested how long implanted ECFC survive and generate vessels
      in three-dimensional (3D) type I collagen matrices in vitro and in vivo. We
      hypothesized that human platelet lysate (HPL) would promote cell survival and
      enhance vasculogenesis in the 3D collagen matrices. We report that the percentage
      of ECFC co-cultured with HPL that were alive was significantly enhanced on days 1
      and 3 post-matrix formation, compared to ECFC alone containing matrices. Also, co
      culture of ECFC with HPL displayed significantly more vasculogenic activity
      compared to ECFC alone and expressed significantly more pro-survival molecules
      (pAkt, p-Bad and Bcl-xL) in the 3D collagen matrices in vitro. Treatment with
      Akt1 inhibitor (A-674563), Akt2 inhibitor (CCT128930) and Bcl-xL inhibitor (ABT
      263/Navitoclax) significantly decreased the cell survival and vasculogenesis of
      ECFC co-cultured with or without HPL and implicated activation of the Akt1
      pathway as the critical mediator of the HPL effect on ECFC in vitro. A
      significantly greater average vessel number and total vascular area of human
      CD31(+) vessels were present in implants containing ECFC and HPL, compared to the
      ECFC alone implants in vivo. We conclude that implantation of ECFC with HPL in
      vivo promotes vasculogenesis and augments blood vessel formation via diminishing
      apoptosis of the implanted ECFC. 

PMID- 26122938
TI  - The outcome of interprofessional education: Integrating communication studies
      into a standardized patient experience for advanced practice nursing students.
AB  - The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the impact of standardized
      patient experiences (SPE) in the education of the Advanced Practice Nurse (APN).
      The education of the APN requires educators to make every attempt to promote
      competency in the areas of communication and clinical-decision making. SPE
      programs have been found to improve the interpersonal, problem solving, and
      critical thinking skills of nursing students. For this research twenty-nine APN
      students participated in SPEs over the course of two semesters. Fifteen student
      volunteers of those 29 participants were then interviewed three months after the
      experience. Results revealed that having an expert in the field of communication
      studies increased awareness of communication skills and how to improve nurse
      patient encounters in the clinical setting. The interprofessional collaboration
      during the SPEs assisted in facilitating the application of learned communication
      skills into patient-centered care of the APN student. 

PMID- 26122937
TI  - Plasma osteopontin is a biomarker for the severity of alcoholic liver cirrhosis,
      not for hepatocellular carcinoma screening.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Implementation of surveillance programs for at-risk populations and
      identification of biomarkers for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) detection
      are a major public health goal. Recently, osteopontin (OPN) has attracted
      attention as a promising biomarker, with some potential advantages compared to
      alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), but its role in the context of alcoholic cirrhosis has
      never been assessed. The aims of this study are to assess the utility of plasma
      OPN in the diagnosis of HCC in alcoholic cirrhotic patients and to investigate
      whether increased values are due to the tumor or underlying liver disease
      severity. METHODS: A total of 90 consecutively alcoholic cirrhosis patients,
      observed between Jun 2013 and May 2014 at a Liver Disease Unit, were included and
      divided into two groups: 45 without (group I) and 45 with HCC (group II). Plasma
      levels of OPN (ELISA, Immuno-Biological Laboratories, Gunma, Japan) and AFP
      (IMMULITE(r) 2000 AFP, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Tarrytown, New York) were
      assessed. The diagnostic accuracy of each marker was evaluated using Receiver
      Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis (AUC) and its 95 % Confidence
      Interval (CI). RESULTS: Plasma OPN levels in group I patients (1176.28 +/-744.59
      ng/mL) weren't significantly different from those of group II (1210.75 +/-800.60
      ng/mL) (p = 0.826). OPN levels significantly increased with advancing BCLC tumor
      stage and with advancing Child-Pugh class, in both groups. Comparing the two
      groups, AUC for OPN and AFP were 0.51 (95 % CI: 0.39-0.63) and 0.79 (95 % CI:
      0.70-0.89), respectively. Based on the ROC analysis, there were no satisfactory
      cut-off values for OPN that would distinguish patients with from those without
      tumour. CONCLUSIONS: Despite having a correlation with BCLC stage, the same was
      observed with progressive deterioration of underlying liver function in terms of
      Child-Pugh class and MELD score, and isn't a useful diagnostic biomarker for HCC
      in alcoholic cirrhotic patients, particularly in the early stages. AFP confirms
      the performance evidenced in other studies, being superior to OPN. Searching more
      specific biomarkers for early diagnosis of HCC in alcoholic cirrhosis is still
      warranted.

PMID- 26122939
TI  - Fatal attraction: How macrophages participate in tumor metastases.

PMID- 26122940
TI  - CD99: An endothelial passport for leukocytes.

PMID- 26122941
TI  - Modified posterior lumbar interbody fusion using a single cage with unilateral
      pedicle screws: a retrospective clinical study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The traditional posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) technique
      usually involves implantation of two cages through a bilateral approach and
      bilateral laminectomy, which requires bilateral transpedicle screw fixation. The
      procedure itself has several negative impacts. Therefore, a modified PLIF
      procedure that includes insertion of a unilateral cage through the symptomatic
      side with supplementary unilateral pedicle screws has been conducted. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients with unilateral radiculopathy who were diagnosed
      with spinal stenosis along with degenerative disc disease and a herniated
      intervertebral disc with lumbar instability underwent a unilateral PLIF using a
      single cage and unilateral pedicle screws. The postoperative clinical evaluation
      was based on the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index
      (ODI) for back pain and leg pain at multiple time points following the surgery.
      Radiological assessments were performed with lateral plain radiographs taken
      preoperation, immediately postoperation, 1, 2, 3 and 6 months postoperation and
      at the most recent follow-up. RESULTS: The patients all underwent a single-level
      fusion, and the mean duration for the surgeries was 94 min. The mean haemorrhage
      volume was 250 ml, and no blood transfusion was required for any of the cases.
      Twelve months postoperatively, all patients had achieved an Excellent or Good
      outcome (Excellent in 28 patients and Good in 3). The mean pain score was 6.8
      prior to surgery and decreased to 2.3 at the 3-month postoperative examination.
      No significant complications or neurological deterioration occurred. None of the
      31 patients appeared to have any fusion failure. No broken screw, screw
      loosening, significant cage migration or subsidence was observed in any of the
      cases. A mean increase in the intervertebral disc height of 3.14 mm from the
      preoperative measurement to the most recent follow-up examination was determined
      to be statistically significant (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Conducting PLIF using
      the diagonal insertion of a single cage with supplemental unilateral
      transpedicular screw instrumentation enables sufficient decompression and solid
      interbody fusion to be achieved with minimal invasion of the posterior spinal
      elements. This technique is a more clinically secure, straightforward and cost
      effective way to perform PLIF.

PMID- 26122942
TI  - Haptoglobin genotype is associated with increased endothelial dysfunction serum
      markers in type 1 diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the genotype-driven effect of haptoglobin (Hp) in
      patients with type 1 diabetes without clinical cardiovascular (CV) disease,
      considering endothelial dysfunction (ED) and arterial stiffness (AS). MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: About 137 patients with type 1 diabetes (duration >= 5 years) and 68
      age- and sex-matched controls were evaluated for the following: (i) smoking,
      alcohol intake, BMI, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c and lipid
      profile; (ii) microvascular complications; (iii) serum markers of ED (ICAM-1,
      VCAM-1 and E-selectin); (iv) AS, assessed as aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV);
      and (v) Hp genotype. RESULTS: The prevalence of the 1/1, 2/1 and 2/2 Hp genotypes
      was 28.5%, 46.7% and 24.8% in patients with type 1 diabetes and 20.9%, 38.8% and
      40.3% in controls, respectively. No differences were found in classical CV risk
      factors between patients homozygous for allele 2 and the remaining genotypes,
      both in patients with type 1 diabetes and controls. Patients with type 1 diabetes
      carrying the Hp2/2 genotype had higher concentrations of ICAM-1 (65.1 (56.7-76.0)
      ng/mL vs. 59.0 (51.7-69.3) ng/mL; P = 0.033) and sVCAM-1 (1133.1 (884.6-1458.6)
      ng/mL vs. 956.4 (738.5-1206.1) ng/mL; P = 0.040) than those without it. The Hp2/2
      genotype remained independently associated with ED after adjusting for CV risk
      factors (P = 0.038). No significant differences were found for aPWV between Hp
      genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Endothelial dysfunction may be influenced by Hp2/2
      genotype in patients with type 1 diabetes with independence of classical CV risk
      factors.

PMID- 26122943
TI  - Generalized pruritus in primary sclerosing cholangitis: implications of histamine
      release by lysophosphatidic acid.

PMID- 26122944
TI  - Fanning the flames: inflammation in cardiovascular diseases.

PMID- 26122946
TI  - How do regional and rural general practitioners use the internet to gather
      patient information?

PMID- 26122945
TI  - A dual wavelength-activatable gold nanorod complex for synergistic cancer
      treatment.
AB  - A multifunctional gold nanorod (AuNR) complex is described with potential utility
      for theranostic anticancer treatment. The AuNR was functionalized with
      cyclodextrin for encapsulation of doxorubicin, with folic acid for targeting, and
      with a photo-responsive dextran-azo compound for intracellular controlled drug
      release. The interaction of a AuNR complex with HeLa cells was facilitated via a
      folic acid targeting ligand as displayed in the dark-field images of cells.
      Enhanced anticancer efficacy was demonstrated through the synergistic combination
      of promoted drug release upon ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation and photothermal
      therapy upon infrared (IR) irradiation. This multifunctional AuNR-based system
      represents a novel theranostic strategy for spatiotemporal delivery of anticancer
      therapeutics. 

PMID- 26122947
TI  - The economic feasibility of price discounts to improve diet in Australian
      Aboriginal remote communities.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of fiscal measures applied in
      remote community food stores for Aboriginal Australians. METHODS: Six price
      discount strategies on fruit, vegetables, diet drinks and water were modelled.
      Baseline diet was measured as 12 months' actual food sales data in three remote
      Aboriginal communities. Discount-induced changes in food purchases were based on
      published price elasticity data while the weight of the daily diet was assumed
      constant. Dietary change was converted to change in sodium and energy intake, and
      body mass index (BMI) over a 12-month period. Improved lifetime health outcomes,
      modelled for the remote population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders,
      were converted to disability adjusted life years (DALYs) saved using a
      proportional multistate lifetable model populated with diet-related disease risks
      and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rates of disease. RESULTS: While
      dietary change was small, five of the six price discount strategies were
      estimated as cost-effective, below a $50,000/DALY threshold. CONCLUSION:
      Stakeholders are committed to finding ways to reduce important inequalities in
      health status between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non-Indigenous
      Australians. Price discounts offer potential to improve Aboriginal and Torres
      Strait Islander health. Verification of these results by trial-based research
      coupled with consideration of factors important to all stakeholders is needed.

PMID- 26122950
TI  - Rheumatoid arthritis: Predicting mortality in RA: the quest for useful
      information.
AB  - A new study suggests that rheumatoid arthritis does not increase cancer-related
      mortality in patients with cancer, particularly in those with advanced stage
      malignancies. Could the inclusion of quantitative measures of inflammation,
      physical function or socioeconomic status have changed these findings?

PMID- 26122951
TI  - The evolution of drug discovery in systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - Drug discovery in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has lagged behind other
      rheumatic diseases, in large part because of difficulty in measuring change or
      improvement in a disorder that involves multiple organ systems to varying degrees
      at different times. The metrics currently used as primary endpoints are composite
      indices that rely mainly on disease assessment measures derived before the era of
      clinical trials of targeted therapies. Only one agent has been approved for the
      treatment of SLE since 1957. This monograph reviews the evolution of drug
      development for SLE, problems and pitfalls that have been encountered, and
      outlines the domains used to evaluate SLE in the clinic. Finally, several
      initiatives underway to improve clinical trial design are outlined. 

PMID- 26122952
TI  - Current treatment of antiphospholipid syndrome: lights and shadows.
AB  - For patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), the consensus is to treat
      those who develop thrombosis with long-term oral anticoagulation therapy and to
      prevent obstetric manifestations by use of aspirin and heparin. These
      recommendations are based on data from randomized controlled trials and
      observational studies. Despite this body of knowledge, areas of uncertainty
      regarding the management of APS exist where evidence is scarce or nonexistent. In
      other words, for a subset of patients the course of management is unclear. Some
      examples are patients with 'seronegative' APS, those who do not fulfil the formal
      (clinical or serological) classification criteria for definite APS, and those
      with recurrent thrombotic events despite optimal anticoagulation. Other
      challenges include the treatment of clinical manifestations not included in the
      classification criteria, such as haematologic manifestations (thrombocytopenia
      and haemolytic anaemia), neurologic manifestations (chorea, myelitis and multiple
      sclerosis-like lesions), and nephropathy and heart valve disease associated with
      antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), as well as the possible withdrawal of
      anticoagulation treatment in selected cases of thrombotic APS in which assays for
      aPL become persistently negative. This Review focuses on the current
      recommendations for thrombotic and obstetric manifestations of APS, as well as
      the management of difficult cases. Some aspects of treatment, such as secondary
      prophylaxis of venous thrombosis, are based on strong evidence--the 'lights' of
      APS treatment. Conversely, other areas, such as the treatment of non-criteria
      manifestations of APS, are based only on expert consensus or common sense and
      remain the 'shadows' of APS therapy.

PMID- 26122953
TI  - Enzymatic measurement of phosphatidylglycerol and cardiolipin in cultured cells
      and mitochondria.
AB  - Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and cardiolipin (CL) are synthesized in mitochondria
      and regulate numerous biological functions. In this study, a novel fluorometric
      method was developed for measuring PG and CL using combinations of specific
      enzymes and Amplex Red. This assay quantified the sum of PG and CL (PG + CL)
      regardless of the species of fatty acyl chain. The calibration curve for PG + CL
      measurement was linear, and the detection limit was 1 MUM (10 pmol in the
      reaction mixture). This new method was applied to the determinations of PG + CL
      content in HEK293 cells and CL content in purified mitochondria, because the
      mitochondrial content of PG is negligible compared with that of CL. We
      demonstrated that the PG+CL content was greater at low cell density than at high
      cell density. The overexpression of phosphatidylglycerophosphate synthase 1
      (PGS1) increased the cellular contents of PG + CL and phosphatidylcholine (PC),
      and reduced that of phosphatidic acid. PGS1 overexpression also elevated the
      mitochondrial contents of CL and PC, but had no effect on the number of
      mitochondria per cell. In addition to the enzymatic measurements of other
      phospholipids, this simple, sensitive and high-throughput assay for measuring PG
      + CL can be used to understand cellular, physiological and pathological
      processes. 

PMID- 26122954
TI  - Ultraviolet-C light inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria
      monocytogenes on organic fruit surfaces.
AB  - This study investigated UV-C light inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and
      Listeria monocytogenes on the surface of organic apples, pears, strawberries, red
      raspberries and cantaloupes. Fruit surfaces spot inoculated with cocktail strains
      of E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes were exposed to UV-C doses up to 11.9
      kJ/m(2) at 23  degrees C. Fruit surface roughness, contact angle, and surface
      energy were determined and correlated with UV-C inactivation kinetics. Results
      demonstrate that bacterial pathogens on fruit surfaces respond differently to UV
      C light exposure. E. coli O157:H7 on apple and pear surfaces was reduced by 2.9
      and 2.1 log CFU/g, respectively when treated with UV-C light at 0.92 kJ/m(2)
      (60s). For berries, the reduction of E. coli O157:H7 was lower with 2.0
      (strawberry) and 1.1 log CFU/g (raspberry) achieved after UV-C treatment at 7.2
      kJ/m(2) (8 min) and at 10.5 kJ/m(2) (12 min), respectively. Similarly, a higher
      reduction of L. monocytogenes was observed on apple (1.6 log CFU/g at 3.75
      kJ/m(2)) and pear (1.7 log CFU/g at 11.9 kJ/m(2)) surfaces compared to cantaloupe
      and strawberry surfaces (both achieved 1.0 log CFU/g at 11.9 kJ/m(2)). L.
      monocytogenes shows more resistance than E. coli O157:H7. Inactivation rates were
      higher for less hydrophobic fruits with smoother surfaces (apples and pears) as
      compared to fruits with rougher surfaces (cantaloupe, strawberry and raspberry).
      Findings indicate that UV-C light can effectively reduce E. coli O157:H7 and L.
      monocytogenes populations on fruit and berry surfaces. However, surface
      characteristics influence the efficacy of UV-C light.

PMID- 26122959
TI  - Sinomenine hydrochloride-loaded dissolving microneedles enhanced its absorption
      in rabbits.
AB  - Sinomenine hydrochloride-loaded dissolving microneedles (SH-DM) were fabricated
      by maltose and poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid using a casting method. The
      mechanical strength of SH-DM was investigated by an insertion test. In vivo
      transdermal absorption experiment was performed to evaluate the percutaneous
      absorption of SH-DM, sinomenine hydrochloride gel (SH-G) was used as a control.
      The results demonstrated that prepared SH-DM was morphologically intact with
      sufficient mechanical strength after inserting into aluminum foil and rat skin.
      The value of area under curve obtained after administration of SH-DM through
      transdermal in rabbits showed a significantly rise and was 1.99 times higher than
      that of SH-G, and the relative bioavailability value was 199.21%. These results
      showed that SH-DM enhanced bioavailability and permeability of SH.

PMID- 26122955
TI  - The role of grandparents in childhood obesity in China - evidence from a mixed
      methods study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The current literature on the influences of family environment on
      childhood obesity is predominantly based on western populations and has focused
      on the role of parents. This study examined the influence of grandparents on the
      development of obesity among Chinese primary school aged children. METHODS: A
      mixed methods study was conducted in four socioeconomically distinct primary
      school communities in two cities of southern China. The qualitative study (17
      focus groups and four personal interviews) involved parents, grandparents, school
      staff, and food retailers in the vicinity of the schools (n = 99) and explored
      perceived causes of childhood obesity. The cross-sectional study examined the
      association between children's objectively measured weight status and reported
      health behaviours, and the presence and role of grandparents in the household. It
      included children from three randomly selected third grade (8 to 10 years)
      classes from each school (n = 497). RESULTS: Grandparents were commonly perceived
      to contribute to childhood obesity through inappropriate perception (e.g. fat
      children are healthy and well cared for), knowledge (e.g. obesity related
      diseases can only happen in adults; the higher the dietary energy/fat content,
      the more nutritious the food), and behaviour (e.g. overfeeding and indulging
      through excusing the children from household chores). Conflicting child care
      beliefs and practices between grandparents and parents, and between grandparents
      and school teachers, were felt to undermine efforts to promote healthy behaviours
      in children. In the cross-sectional study, children who were mainly cared for by
      their grandparents were more likely to be overweight/obese (adjusted OR = 2.03;
      95 % CI = 1.19 to 3.47); and to consume more sugar-added drinks and unhealthy
      snacks (B = 2.13, 95 % CI = 0.87 to 3.40), than children who were mainly cared
      for by their parents or other adult. Children who lived with two or more
      grandparents in the household were more likely to be overweight/obese than
      children who did not live with any grandparent (adjusted OR = 1.72; 95 % CI =
      1.00 to 2.94). CONCLUSIONS: Involvement of grandparents in childcare is an
      important factor contributing to childhood obesity in China. Future preventive
      interventions should include strategies that target grandparents.

PMID- 26122956
TI  - Cost consequences due to reduced ulcer healing times - analyses based on the
      Swedish Registry of Ulcer Treatment.
AB  - Resource use and costs for topical treatment of hard-to-heal ulcers based on data
      from the Swedish Registry of Ulcer Treatment (RUT) were analysed in patients
      recorded in RUT as having healed between 2009 and 2012, in order to estimate
      potential cost savings from reductions in frequency of dressing changes and
      healing times. RUT is used to capture areas of improvement in ulcer care and to
      enable structured wound management by registering patients with hard-to-heal leg,
      foot and pressure ulcers. Patients included in the registry are treated in
      primary care, community care, private care, and inpatient hospital care. Cost
      calculations were based on resource use data on healing time and frequency of
      dressing changes in Swedish patients with hard-to-heal ulcers who healed between
      2009 and 2012. Per-patient treatment costs decreased from SEK38 223 in 2009 to
      SEK20 496 in 2012, mainly because of shorter healing times. Frequency of dressing
      changes was essentially the same during these years, varying from 1.4 to 1.6 per
      week. The total healing time was reduced by 38%. Treatment costs for the
      management of hard-to-heal ulcers can be reduced with well-developed treatment
      strategies resulting in shortened healing times as shown in RUT. 

PMID- 26122960
TI  - NECTIN-4 increased the 5-FU resistance in colon cancer cells by inducing the PI3K
      AKT cascade.
AB  - PURPOSE: 5-Fluorouracil is the most commonly used drug for the treatment of colon
      cancer, yet clinical resistance to this drug is frequently observed in patients
      making this drug ineffective. Thus, identification of gene responsible for 5-FU
      resistance is of utmost importance. METHODS: Cellular cytotoxicity and
      expressions of different protein markers in colon cancer cells were measured by
      MTT assay and Western blotting, respectively. Cell cycle regulation, migration
      and colony formation ability were measured by FACS, wound-healing assay and
      clonogenic assay, respectively. RESULTS: Increased NECTIN-4 expression was
      observed in 5-FU-resistant (5-FU-R) and 5-FU-exposed HCT-116 cells. A significant
      increase in the cell proliferation, migration, colony formation, and resistant to
      5-FU were noted in 5-FU-R cells, but reverse was observed after silencing of
      NECTIN-4. Apoptosis caused by 5-FU in 5-FU-R cells after NECTIN-4 knockdown
      indicates that NECTIN-4 is responsible for 5-FU resistance. Cell survival
      proteins were upregulated in 5-FU-R and NECTIN-4-over-expressed cells and
      downregulated in NECTIN-4 knockdown or LY294002-pretreated 5-FU-R cells. Drug
      combination of BCNU + Resveratrol decreased the cell survival and NECTIN-4
      expressions in 5-FU-R cells and NECTIN-4-over-expressed cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      data suggest that NECTIN-4 is responsible for 5-FU resistance and BCNU +
      Resveratrol combination can be used to increase the 5-FU sensitivity.

PMID- 26122961
TI  - Pyridine-type alkaloid composition affects bacterial community composition of
      floral nectar.
AB  - Pyridine-type alkaloids are most common in Nicotiana species. To study the effect
      of alkaloid composition on bacterial community composition in floral nectar, we
      compared the nicotine-rich wild type (WT) N. attenuata, the nicotine biosynthesis
      silenced N. attenuata that was rich in anatabine and the anabasine-rich WT N.
      glauca plants. We found that the composition of these secondary metabolites in
      the floral nectar drastically affected the bacterial community richness,
      diversity and composition. Significant differences were found between the
      bacterial community compositions in the nectar of the three plants with a much
      greater species richness and diversity in the nectar from the transgenic plant.
      The highest community composition similarity index was detected between the two
      wild type plants. The different microbiome composition and diversity, caused by
      the different pyridine-type alkaloid composition, could modify the nutritional
      content of the nectar and consequently, may contribute to the change in the
      nectar consumption and visitation. These may indirectly have an effect on plant
      fitness. 

PMID- 26122962
TI  - Expression of estrogen, estrogen related and androgen receptors in adrenal cortex
      of intact adult male and female rats.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Adrenocortical activity in various species is sensitive to
      androgens and estrogens. They may affect adrenal cortex growth and functioning
      either via central pathways (CRH and ACTH) or directly, via specific receptors
      expressed in the cortex and/or by interfering with adrenocortical enzymes, among
      them those involved in steroidogenesis. Only limited data on expression of
      androgen and estrogen receptors in adrenal glands are available. Therefore the
      present study aimed to characterize, at the level of mRNA, expression of these
      receptors in specific components of adrenal cortex of intact adult male and
      female rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Studies were performed on adult male and
      female (estrus) Wistar rats. Total RNA was isolated from adrenal zona glomerulosa
      (ZG) and fasciculate/reticularis (ZF/R). Expression of genes were evaluated by
      means of Affymetrix(r) Rat Gene 1.1 ST Array Strip and QPCR. RESULTS: By means of
      Affymetrix(r) Rat Gene 1.1 ST Array we examined adrenocortical sex differences in
      the expression of nearly 30,000 genes. All data were analyzed in relation to the
      adrenals of the male rats. 32 genes were differentially expressed in ZG, and 233
      genes in ZF/R. In the ZG expression levels of 24 genes were lower and 8 higher in
      female rats. The more distinct sex differences were observed in the ZF/R, in
      which expression levels of 146 genes were lower and 87 genes higher in female
      rats. Performed analyses did not reveal sex differences in the expression levels
      of both androgen (AR) and estrogen (ER) receptor genes in the adrenal cortex of
      male and female rats. Therefore matrix data were validated by QPCR. QPCR revealed
      higher expression levels of AR gene both in ZG and ZF/R of male than female rats.
      On the other hand, QPCR did not reveal sex-related differences in the expression
      levels of ERalpha, ERbeta and non-genomic GPR30 (GPER-1) receptor. Of those genes
      expression levels of ERalpha genes were the highest. In studied adrenal samples
      the relative expression of ERalpha mRNA was higher than ERbeta mRNA. In adrenals
      of adult male and female rats expression levels of estrogen-related receptors
      ERRalpha and ERRbeta were similar, and only in the ZF/R of female rats ERRgamma
      expression levels were significantly higher than in males. We also analyzed
      expression profile of three isoforms of steroid 5alpha-reductase (Srd5a1, Srd5a2
      and Srd5a3) and aromatase (Cyp19a1) and expression levels of all these genes were
      similar in ZG and ZF/R of male and female rats. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to
      Affymetrix microarray data QPCR revealed higher expression levels of AR gene in
      adrenal glands of the male rats. In adrenals of both sexes expression levels of
      ERa, ERb, non-genomic GPR30 (GPER-1), ERR alpha and ERRbeta receptors were
      comparable. The obtained results suggest that acute steroidogenic effect of
      estrogens on corticosteroid secretion may be mediated by non-genomic GPR30.

PMID- 26122963
TI  - Semisynthetic Lipopeptides Derived from Nisin Display Antibacterial Activity and
      Lipid II Binding on Par with That of the Parent Compound.
AB  - The lipid II-binding N-terminus of nisin, comprising the so-called A/B ring
      system, was synthetically modified to provide antibacterially active and
      proteolytically stable derivatives. A variety of lipids were coupled to the C
      terminus of the nisin A/B ring system to generate semisynthetic constructs that
      display potent inhibition of bacterial growth, with activities approaching that
      of nisin itself. Most notable was the activity observed against clinically
      relevant bacterial strains including MRSA and VRE. Experiments with membrane
      models indicate that these constructs operate via a lipid II-mediated mode of
      action without causing pore formation. A lipid II-dependent mechanism of action
      is further supported by antagonization assays wherein the addition of lipid II
      was found to effectively block the antibacterial activity of the nisin-derived
      lipopeptides. 

PMID- 26122964
TI  - A literature review: polypharmacy protocol for primary care.
AB  - The purpose of this literature review is to critically evaluate published
      protocols on polypharmacy in adults ages 65 and older that are currently used in
      primary care settings that may potentially lead to fewer adverse drug events. A
      review of OVID, CINAHL, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, Medline, and PubMed databases
      was completed using the following key words: protocol, guideline, geriatrics,
      elderly, older adult, polypharmacy, and primary care. Inclusion criteria were:
      articles in medical, nursing, and pharmacology journals with an intervention,
      protocol, or guideline addressing polypharmacy that lead to fewer adverse drug
      events. Qualitative and quantitative studies were included. Exclusion criteria
      were: publications prior to the year 1992. A gap exists in the literature. No
      standardized protocol for addressing polypharmacy in the primary care setting was
      found. Mnemonics, algorithms, clinical practice guidelines, and clinical
      strategies for addressing polypharmacy in a variety of health care settings were
      found throughout the literature. Several screening instruments for use in primary
      care to assess potentially inappropriate prescription of medications in the
      elderly, such as the Beers Criteria and the STOPP screening tool, were
      identified. However, these screening instruments were not included in a
      standardized protocol to manage polypharmacy in primary care. Polypharmacy in the
      elderly is a critical problem that may result in adverse drug events such as
      falls, hospitalizations, and increased expenditures for both the patient and the
      health care system. No standardized protocols to address polypharmacy specific to
      the primary care setting were identified in this review of the literature. Given
      the growing population of elderly in this country and the high number of
      medications they consume, it is critical to focus on the utilization of a
      standardized protocol to address the potential harm of polypharmacy in the
      primary care setting and evaluate its effects on patient outcomes.

PMID- 26122965
TI  - A mass spectrometric study of the acid-catalysed d-fructose dehydration in the
      gas phase.
AB  - 5-hydroxymethylfuraldehyde (5-HMF) and simpler compounds, such as levulinic acid
      (LA) and glyceraldehyde, are platform molecules produced by the thermal acid
      catalyzed dehydration of carbohydrates coming from biomass. Understanding sugar
      degradation pathways on a molecular level is necessary to increase selectivity,
      reduce degradation by-products yields and optimize catalytic strategies,
      fundamental knowledge for the development of a sustainable renewable industry. In
      this work gaseous protonated d-fructose ions, generated in the ESI source of a
      triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, were allowed to undergo Collisionally
      Activated Decomposition (CAD) into the quadrupole collision cell. The ionic
      intermediates and products derived from protonated d-fructose dehydration were
      structurally characterized by their fragmentation patterns and the relative water
      loss dehydration energies measured by energy-resolved CAD mass spectra. The data
      were compared with those obtained from protonated d-glucose decomposition in the
      same experimental conditions. In the gas phase, d-fructose dehydration leads to
      the formation of a mixed population of isomeric [C6H6O3]H(+) ions, whose
      structures do not correspond exclusively to 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde
      protonated at the more basic aldehydic group. 

PMID- 26122966
TI  - Prevalence of atherosclerosis in patients with inactive rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) exhibit higher cardiovascular morbidity
      and mortality than the general population. The common carotid artery intima-media
      thickness (CCA-IMT) measured by ultrasound is a validated surrogate marker of
      atherosclerosis. We studied the prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis in
      patients with inactive RA. CCA-IMT was measured at the level of the carotid
      bifurcation in 35 patients with RA and 35 age- and sex-matched controls. CCA-IMT
      measurements more than two standard deviations above the mean measurement of the
      control group were defined as abnormal. Patients and controls with known
      cardiovascular risk factors were excluded from the study. The following data were
      taken into consideration for each patient: age, sex, duration of RA, and
      medication received by the patient. These variables were adjusted in data
      analysis. The patients were required to have had normal C-reactive protein levels
      for at least 1 year and no clinical signs or symptoms of active disease. An
      independent t test and chi-squared test were used for statistical analysis. Nine
      patients with RA (25.7 %) and two controls (5.7 %) had an abnormal IMT. Patients
      showed more carotid atherosclerotic plaques and a higher mean CCA-IMT than did
      controls (48.6 vs. 14.3 % and 0.705 +/- 0.140 vs. 0.580 +/- 0.125, respectively).
      An abnormal CCA-IMT was more prevalent in patients >50 years of age with >5 years
      of involvement (P = 0.001). These results support the theory that chronic
      inflammation in patients with inactive RA is associated with atherosclerosis and
      suggest the use of carotid ultrasonography as a useful tool with which to
      establish the risk of cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 26122967
TI  - Lethal male combats in Schizotetranychus brevisetosus (Acari: Tetranychidae) on
      blue Japanese oak (Quercus glauca).
AB  - Male spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) guard preimaginal quiescent females to
      reserve paternity. In a few species of Stigmaeopsis that make densely woven silky
      nests on the surface of host plants, mature males attack and even kill rivals to
      gain their rights to inseminate young females in the nest. Here we report that
      the adult males of Schizotetranychus brevisetosus (Acari: Tetranychidae), whose
      web nest construction behavior evolved independently from Stigmaeopsis spp., also
      exhibit highly aggressive behavior towards one another. Combat mortality was
      measured in an experimental design where two males in the treatment group were
      forced to live in a nest made by adult females on a leaf arena, while one male in
      the control group was allowed to live in a nest on another arena. We found that
      the 5-day mortality of males in the treatment group (56 and 37 % in two
      replicates) was significantly higher than in the control group (9 and 12 %) and
      that lethal combats frequently arose in the treatment group. However, we found no
      consistent trend for the length of the first legs, which is known to affect the
      outcome of battle in Tetranychus urticae and Stigmaeopsis miscanthi. This might
      be due to a relatively small number of measurable specimens, and the effects of
      body size should be explored in future studies.

PMID- 26122968
TI  - Laboratory development of Dermacentor marginatus ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) at two
      temperatures.
AB  - The influence of two temperatures on the development of Dermacentor marginatus
      evolutive cycle was studied. Tests performed under controlled laboratory
      conditions at 21  degrees C, 80 % RH and 27  degrees C, RH 80 %, on ten fully
      engorged female ticks collected from naturally infested goats, in Cluj County,
      Romania. Hatched larvae were fed on white mice and the nymphs and adults on
      guinea pigs. The following parameters were evaluated: egg incubation; pre
      feeding, feeding and pre-moulting for larvae and nymphs; pre-feeding, feeding,
      pre-oviposition and oviposition for females. Significant differences (p < 0.001)
      were observed in: egg incubation period (29.4 +/- 1.07 at 21  degrees C; 5.9 +/-
      0.73 at 27  degrees C) and pre-moulting duration of larvae (18.9 +/- 1.02 at 21 
      degrees C; 6.1 +/- 0.58 at 27  degrees C) and nymphs (21.3 +/- 0.87 at 21 
      degrees C; 19.9 +/- 0.71 at 27  degrees C). The average duration of the
      developmental cycle was 133.9 days (range 122-154 days) at 21  degrees C, and
      94.2 days (range 83-111 days) at 27  degrees C.

PMID- 26122969
TI  - In a rapidly changing world, can we truly predict the impact of liver graft
      quality 15 years from now?

PMID- 26122970
TI  - Large pleural effusion leading to cardiac tamponade.

PMID- 26122971
TI  - Effects of propofol on diaphragmatic electrical activity in mechanically
      ventilated pediatric patients.

PMID- 26122972
TI  - Apocynin attenuates cholesterol oxidation product-induced programmed cell death
      by suppressing NF-kappaB-mediated cell death process in differentiated PC12
      cells.
AB  - Cholesterol oxidation products are suggested to be involved in neuronal
      degeneration. Apocynin has demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory and anti
      oxidant effects. We assessed the effect of apocynin on the cholesterol oxidation
      product-induced programmed cell death in neuronal cells using differentiated PC12
      cells in relation to NF-kappaB-mediated cell death process. 7-Ketocholesterol and
      25-hydroxycholesterol decreased the levels of Bid and Bcl-2, increased the levels
      of Bax and p53, and induced loss of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential,
      release of cytochrome c and activation of caspases (-8, -9 and -3). 7
      Ketocholesterol caused an increase in the levels of cytosolic and nuclear NF
      kappaB p65, cytosolic NF-kappaB p50 and cytosolic phospho-IkappaB-alpha, which
      was inhibited by the addition of 0.5 MUM Bay11-7085 (an inhibitor of NF-kappaB
      activation). Apocynin attenuated the cholesterol oxidation product-induced
      changes in the programmed cell death-related protein levels, NF-kappaB
      activation, production of reactive oxygen species, and depletion of GSH. The
      results show that apocynin appears to attenuate the cholesterol oxidation product
      induced programmed cell death in PC12 cells by suppressing the activation of the
      mitochondrial pathway and the caspase-8- and Bid-dependent pathways that are
      mediated by NF-kappaB activation. The preventive effect appears to be associated
      with the inhibitory effect on the production of reactive oxygen species and
      depletion of GSH.

PMID- 26122973
TI  - On the antioxidant, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties of S-allyl
      cysteine: An update.
AB  - Therapeutic approaches based on isolated compounds obtained from natural products
      to handle central and peripheral disorders involving oxidative stress and
      inflammation are more common nowadays. The validation of nutraceutics vs.
      pharmaceutics as tools to induce preventive and protective profiles in human
      health alterations is still far of complete acceptance, but the basis to start
      more solid experimental and clinical protocols with natural products has already
      begun. S-allyl cysteine (SAC) is a promising garlic-derived organosulfur compound
      exhibiting a considerable number of positive actions in cell models and living
      systems. An update, in the form of review, is needed from time to time to get
      access to the state-of-the-art on this topic. In this review we visited recent
      and refreshing evidence of new already proven and potential targets to explain
      the benefits of using SAC against toxic and pathological conditions. The broad
      spectrum of protective actions covered by this molecule comprises antioxidant,
      redox modulatory and anti-inflammatory activities, accompanied by anti-apoptotic,
      pro-energetic and signaling capacities. Herein, we detail the evidence on these
      aspects to provide the reader a more complete overview on the promising aspects
      of SAC in research. 

PMID- 26122974
TI  - Neutron flux assessment of a neutron irradiation facility based on inertial
      electrostatic confinement fusion.
AB  - Neutron generators based on inertial electrostatic confinement fusion were
      considered for the design of a neutron irradiation facility for explanted organ
      Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) that could be installed in a health care
      center as well as in research areas. The chosen facility configuration is
      "irradiation chamber", a ~20*20*40 cm(3) cavity near or in the center of the
      facility geometry where samples to be irradiated can be placed. Neutron flux
      calculations were performed to study different manners for improving scattering
      processes and, consequently, optimize neutron flux in the irradiation position.
      Flux distributions were assessed through numerical simulations of several models
      implemented in MCNP5 particle transport code. Simulation results provided a wide
      spectrum of combinations of net fluxes and energy spectrum distributions. Among
      them one can find a group that can provide thermal neutron fluxes per unit of
      production rate in a range from 4.1.10(-4) cm(-2) to 1.6.10(-3) cm(-2) with
      epithermal-to-thermal ratios between 0.3% and 13% and fast-to-thermal ratios
      between 0.01% to 8%. Neutron generators could be built to provide more than
      10(10) n s(-1) and, consequently, with an arrangement of several generators
      appropriate enough neutron fluxes could be obtained that would be useful for
      several BNCT-related irradiations and, eventually, for clinical practice.

PMID- 26122975
TI  - Radiation-induced meningiomas after BNCT in patients with malignant glioma.
AB  - Of the 180 patients with malignant brain tumors whom we treated with boron
      neutron capture therapy (BNCT) since 1968, only one (0.56%) developed multiple
      radiation-induced meningiomas. The parasagittal meningioma that had received 42
      Gy (w) for BNCT showed more rapid growth on Gd-enhanced MRI scans and more
      atypical features on histopathologic studies than the temporal convexity tumor
      that had received 20 Gy (w). Long-term follow up MRI studies are necessary in
      long-survivors of malignant brain tumors treated by BNCT.

PMID- 26122976
TI  - A new concept of a vacuum insulation tandem accelerator.
AB  - A tandem accelerator with vacuum insulation has been proposed and developed in
      the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics. Negative hydrogen ions are accelerated
      by the positive 1 MV potential of the high voltage electrode, converted into
      protons in the gas stripping target inside the electrode, and then the protons
      are accelerated again by the same potential. The potential for high voltage and
      intermediate electrodes is supplied by the sectioned rectifier through a
      sectioned bushing insulator with a resistive divider. In this work, we propose a
      radical improvement of the accelerator concept. It is proposed to abandon the
      separate placement of the accelerator and the power supply and connect them
      through the bushing insulator. The source of high voltage is proposed to be
      located inside the accelerator insulator with high voltage and intermediate
      electrodes mounted on it. This will reduce the facility height from 7 m to 3m and
      make it really compact and attractive for placing in a clinic. This will
      significantly increase the stability of the accelerator because the potential for
      intermediate electrodes can be fed directly from the relevant sections of the
      rectifier.

PMID- 26122977
TI  - The perception of place and the 'origins of handedness' debate: towards a
      cognitive cartography of science in late-Victorian Dublin.
AB  - In 1884, a medical paper entitled 'Consideration of the Structural and
      Acquisitional Elements in Dextral Pre-Eminence' penned by the Dublin physician
      George Sigerson, appeared in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. A number
      of years later, the Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and
      Ireland presented a similar piece by Dublin anatomist Daniel John Cunningham, on
      the topic of 'Right-Handedness and Left-Brainedness'. For the late nineteenth
      century scientific community, these articles represented two Dublin-based
      contributions to a long-running and wide-ranging debate on the origins of
      handedness. However, by building on the geographical premise that scientific
      knowledge bears the imprint of its location and that place matters in the way
      scientific claims come to be sanctioned, this paper probes, not merely an
      encounter with evolutionary science in the less well explored domain of fin de
      siecle Dublin, but more crucially, how these local reviews of manual dexterity
      were in part shaped by the scientists' differing perceptions of their city. By
      attending to the lives of Sigerson and Cunningham and focusing on the interplay
      between life-space, city-space and science, it underscores the critical role of
      place and space in the reception, circulation and mobilisation of scientific
      knowledge in the city. 

PMID- 26122978
TI  - Efficient estimation of Weber's W.
AB  - Many studies rely on estimation of Weber ratios (W) in order to quantify the
      acuity an individual's approximate number system. This paper discusses several
      problems encountered in estimating W using the standard methods, most notably low
      power and inefficiency. Through simulation, this work shows that W can best be
      estimated in a Bayesian framework that uses an inverse (1/W) prior. This
      beneficially balances a bias/variance trade-off and, when used with MAP
      estimation is extremely simple to implement. Use of this scheme substantially
      improves statistical power in examining correlates of W. 

PMID- 26122979
TI  - Predictors of photo naming: Dutch norms for 327 photos.
AB  - In the present study, we report naming latencies and norms for 327 photos of
      objects in Dutch. We provide norms for eight psycholinguistic variables: age of
      acquisition, familiarity, imageability, image agreement, objective and subjective
      visual complexity, word frequency, word length in syllables and letters, and name
      agreement. Furthermore, multiple regression analyses revealed that the
      significant predictors of photo-naming latencies were name agreement, word
      frequency, imageability, and image agreement. The naming latencies, norms, and
      stimuli are provided as supplemental materials.

PMID- 26122980
TI  - Analysis of reverse transcriptase and protease genes of HIV for antiretroviral
      drug resistance in treatment-exposed Jamaican pediatrics.
AB  - This study reports on the drug resistance profiles for HIV-infected pediatrics in
      Jamaica who have been exposed to antiretroviral therapy (ART). The genetic
      diversity of HIV-1 found in these patients was also determined using phylogenetic
      analysis. The protease-reverse transcriptase (Pro-RT) region of the genome was
      amplified from 40 samples, sequenced, and analyzed for the identification of
      antiretroviral resistance-associated mutations (RAMs). All isolates belonged to
      subtype B and 39 possessed multiple RAMs in the reverse transcriptase genes that
      would compromise the efficacy of drugs being used to treat these patients. Four
      isolates possessed RAMs in the protease genes. The overall frequency of HIV drug
      resistance was 95%. The high frequency of drug resistance is supported by
      epidemiological data that revealed an equally high frequency of treatment failure
      (98%) among the study participants. The results of this study indicate the urgent
      need for greater access to drug resistance testing in Jamaica. 

PMID- 26122981
TI  - Liver toxicity and risk of discontinuation in HIV/hepatitis C virus-coinfected
      patients receiving an etravirine-containing antiretroviral regimen: influence of
      liver fibrosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to establish the risk of liver toxicity in
      HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected patients receiving etravirine, according
      to the degree of liver fibrosis. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of 211 HIV
      infected patients initiating an etravirine-containing regimen was carried out.
      HCV coinfection was defined as a positive HCV RNA test, and baseline liver
      fibrosis was assessed by transient elastography. Hepatotoxicity was defined as
      clinical symptoms, or an aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine
      aminotransferase (ALT) value > 5-fold higher than the upper limit of normal if
      baseline values were normal, or 3.5-fold higher if values were altered at
      baseline. RESULTS: Overall, 145 patients (69%) were HCV coinfected, with a lower
      nadir (165 versus 220 cells/MUL, respectively; p = 0.03) and baseline (374 versus
      498 cells/MUL, respectively; p = 0.04) CD4 count than monoinfected patients.
      Etravirine was mainly used with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
      (129; 61%) or with a boosted protease inhibitor (PI) (28%), with no significant
      differences according to HCV serostatus. Transient elastography in 117 patients
      (81%) showed a median (range) stiffness value of 8.25 (3.5-69) kPa, with fibrosis
      stage 1 in 43 patients (37%) and fibrosis stage 4 in 28 patients (24%). During an
      accumulated follow-up time of 449.3 patient-years (median 548 days), only one
      patient with advanced fibrosis (50.8 kPa) had grade 3-4 liver toxicity (0.7%).
      Transaminases changed slightly, with no significant differences compared with
      baseline fibrosis, and nine and six patients had grade 1 and 2 transaminase
      increases, respectively. Also, HCV coinfection was not associated with a higher
      risk of discontinuation (25% discontinued versus 21% of monoinfected patients; p
      = 0.39, log-rank test) or virological failure (8% versus 12%, respectively; p =
      0.4). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that etravirine is a safe option for HIV/HCV
      coinfected patients, including those with significant liver fibrosis.

PMID- 26122982
TI  - Expanding care for perinatal women with depression (EXPONATE): study protocol for
      a randomized controlled trial of an intervention package for perinatal depression
      in primary care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression is common among women during perinatal period and is
      associated with long-term adverse consequences for the mother and infant. In
      Nigeria, as in many other low- and-middle-income countries (LMIC), perinatal
      depression usually goes unrecognized and untreated. The aim of EXPONATE is to
      test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an intervention package for
      perinatal depression delivered by community midwives in primary maternal care in
      which physician support and enhanced patient compliance are implemented using
      mobile phones. METHODS/STUDY DESIGN: A pragmatic two-arm parallel cluster
      randomized controlled trial was designed. The units of allocation are the primary
      maternal care clinics. Thirty eligible and consenting clinics were randomized
      but, due to problems with logistics, 29 eventually participated. Consenting
      pregnant women with a gestational age between 16 and 28 weeks who screened
      positive on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS score >=12), absent
      psychosis or bipolar disorder, and not actively suicidal were recruited into the
      trial (N = 686). Midwives in the intervention arm were trained to deliver
      psychoeducation, problem solving treatment, and parenting skills. Eight weekly
      sessions were delivered following entry into the study. Further sessions during
      pregnancy and 6 weeks following childbirth were determined by level of depressive
      symptoms. Clinical support and supervision, delivered mainly by mobile phone,
      were provided by general physicians and psychiatrists. Automated text and voice
      messages, also delivered by mobile phones, were used to facilitate patient
      compliance with clinic appointments and 'homework' tasks. Patients in the control
      arm received care as usual enhanced by further training of the providers in that
      arm in the recognition and standard treatment of depression. Assessments are
      undertaken at baseline, 2 months following recruitment into the study and 3, 6, 9
      and 12 months after childbirth. The primary outcome is recovery from depression
      (EPDS < 6) at 6 months. Secondary outcomes include measures of disability,
      parenting skills, maternal attitudes, health care utilization as well as infant
      physical and cognitive development comprehensively assessed using the Bayley's
      Scales. DISCUSSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest randomized
      controlled trial of an intervention package delivered by community midwives in
      sub-Saharan Africa. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial is registered with the ISRTCN
      registry at isrtcn.com; Trial number ISRCTN60041127 . Date of registration is
      15/05/2013.

PMID- 26122984
TI  - Evaluation of Mononuclear Cells in Lichen Planus Pemphigoides.

PMID- 26122983
TI  - Low wear rates seen in THAs with highly crosslinked polyethylene at 9 to 14 years
      in patients younger than age 50 years.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients 50 years or younger are at high risk for wear-related
      complications of their total hip arthroplasty (THA) because of their generally
      higher levels of activity. Highly crosslinked polyethylene (HXLPE) is believed to
      be more durable for this population than conventional polyethylene because of its
      improved wear; however, limited information is available on the wear of HXLPE in
      this population, particularly the wear of HXLPE when it articulates with
      alternative bearings like Oxinium (Smith & Nephew, Memphis, TN, USA).
      QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate two questions
      relative to this population of patients undergoing THA. First, what was the
      linear and volumetric wear rate of HXLPE in patients 50 years or younger at a
      minimum followup of 9 years and was osteolysis observed in any of these hips?
      Given the potential for damage to the Oxinium femoral head surface, was the wear
      of HXLPE in the patients with this material similar to the other bearings or was
      there accelerated or runaway wear that was visible in any of the patients?
      METHODS: From November 1999 to April 2005, 105 THAs were performed in 95 patients
      50 years of age or younger (mean, 42 years; range, 20-50 years). The mean body
      mass index was 30 kg/m(2) (range, 17-51 kg/m(2)).The mean followup was 12 years
      (range, 9-14 years). Two patients died, five patients (one bilateral) were lost
      to followup, and one hip was revised elsewhere for pain. The patients'
      information was not included in the study, which left 87 patients with 96 hips
      for analysis. Highly crosslinked polyethylene was the acetabular bearing for all
      of the hips. We analyzed the linear and volumetric wear of all of the hips using
      the Martell method. Eighty hips had the same diameter head (28 mm) allowing us to
      more accurately compare the different bearing materials. The type of femoral head
      used was related to our sequential use of materials beginning with cobalt chrome
      (14), ceramic (23) followed by Oxinium (43) in the hips with 28-mm heads.
      Although cobalt-chrome was used early in this study, our previous experience with
      ceramic on polyethylene encouraged us to use it as an alternative bearing. The
      Oxinium was used consecutively for the remaining hips. RESULTS: The mean wear of
      the HXLPE after 1 year of bedding-in (true linear wear)was 0.022 mm/year (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 0.015-0.030 mm/year). The mean volumetric wear of HXLPE
      after 1 year of bedding-in (true volumetric wear) was 9 mm(3)/year (95% CI, 4-14
      mm(3)/year). None of the hip radiographs had evidence of loosening or osteolysis.
      Wear was not associated with femoral head material (p = 0.58 for linear wear/year
      versus head material and p = 0.52 for volumetric wear/year versus head material).
      CONCLUSIONS: In our study of patients 50 years of age or younger undergoing THA,
      the linear and volumetric wear rates of HXLPE were very low regardless of the
      bearing surface material. The laboratory concerns of Oxinium surface damage are
      serious but at this time we have not seen high wear of the HXLPE or osteolysis in
      this population. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, therapeutic study.

PMID- 26122985
TI  - The importance of stories in understanding people's relationship to food:
      narrative inquiry methodology has much to offer the public health nutrition
      researcher and practitioner.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Despite the usefulness of quantitative research, qualitative research
      methodologies are equally needed to allow researchers to better understand the
      important social and environmental factors affecting food choice and eating
      habits. The present paper contributes insights from narrative inquiry, a well
      established qualitative methodology, to a food-related doctoral research study.
      The connections between food shoppers and the producer, family, friends and
      others in the food system, between eaters and the earth, and how these
      connections affect people's meaning-making of food and pathways to food
      citizenship, were explored in the research. DESIGN: The research used narrative
      inquiry methodology and focus groups for data collection. SETTING: Five different
      food-ways in the Canberra region of Australia were selected for the present
      research; that is, community gardens, community-supported agriculture, farmers'
      markets, fresh food markets and supermarkets. SUBJECTS: Fifty-two people
      voluntarily attended eight focus groups with four to nine participants in each.
      RESULTS: From a practical perspective, the present paper offers a guide to the
      way in which narrative inquiry has been applied to one research project. The
      paper describes the application of narrative inquiry methodology, revealing the
      important place of narratives in generating new knowledge. The paper further
      outlines how phased narrative analysis can lead to a defensible and rigorous
      interpretive framework grounded in the data generated from people's stories and
      meaning-making. CONCLUSIONS: We argue that individual, social and system change
      will not be possible without further rigorous qualitative studies to inform and
      complement the empirical basis of public health nutrition practice.

PMID- 26122986
TI  - Thermodynamic and saccharification analysis of cloned GH12 endo-1,4-beta
      glucanase from Thermotoga petrophila in a mesophilic host.
AB  - The thermotolerant endo-1,4-beta-glucanase gene, of Thermotoga petrophila RKU-1,
      was cloned and over-expressed in E. coli strain BL21 CodonPlus. Enzyme was
      purified to homogeneity, producing a single band on SDS-PAGE corresponding to 38
      kDa, by purification steps of heat treatment combined with ion-exchange column
      chromatography. The purified enzyme was optimally active, with specific activity
      of 530 Umg(-1) against carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), at pH 6.0 and 95 degrees C
      and was also stable upto 8 h at 80 degrees C. The enzyme also showed activity
      against beta-glucan barley: 303 %, laminarin: 13.7 %, Whatman filter paper: 0.017
      % with no activity against starch and Avicel. The recombinant enzyme exhibited
      Km, Vmax and Kcat of 12.5 mM, 735 umol mg-1min-1 and 2351.23 s-1, respectively
      against CMC as a substrate. The stable recombinant enzyme manifested half life
      (t1/2) of 6.6 min even at temperature as high as 97 degrees C, with free energy
      of denaturation (DeltaG*D), enthalpy of denaturation (DeltaH*D), and entropy of
      denaturation (DeltaS*D) of 98.2 kJ mol(-1), 528.9 kJ mol(-1), and 1.17 kJ mol(
      1)K(-1), respectively at 97 degrees C. In addition, the enthalpy (DeltaH*), Gibbs
      free energy (DeltaG*) and entropy (DeltaS*) for hydrolysis of CMC substrate by
      endo-1,4-beta-glucanase were calculated at 95 degrees C as 48.2 kJ mol(-1), 54.6
      kJ mol(-1) and -17.4 J mol(-1) K(-1), respectively. The recombinant enzyme
      saccharified pre-treated wheat straw and bagasse to 3.32 % and 3.2 %,
      respectively after 6 h incubation at 85 degrees C. Its thermostability,
      resistance to heavy metal ions and specific activity make this enzyme an
      interesting candidate for industrial applications.

PMID- 26122988
TI  - Equality of Opportunity, A Flexible Framework.

PMID- 26122987
TI  - Identification and Characterization of Novel Antioxidant Peptides Involved in
      Redox Homeostasis of Frog, Limnonectes fragilis.
AB  - Previous studies have proved that a novel antioxidant system composed of various
      antioxidant peptides (AOPs) exists in the skin of ranid frogs, keeping the redox
      homeostasis. However, only a small number of AOPs have been identified so far.
      Here, a total of 47 cDNA sequences encoding 21 different AOPs belonging to 11
      families were cloned from the skin cDNA library of Limnonectes fragilis. Among
      them, fragilin-A1 (VKRRGQDCIHGFCSD) and fragilin-B1 (GQFNDKRWIPFG) were also
      purified from skin secretions. They were selected with odorranain-Q-Lf
      (APIRMWYMYRKLTDMEPKPVA), the newest sequence among all 21 AOPs, to evaluate the
      antioxidant activities by direct free radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation
      inhibition assay. Results demonstrated that all peptides possessed strong DPPH
      and ABTS(.+) scavenging activities, and effectively inhibited lipid peroxidation
      in linoleic acid emulsion system during a 7- day test. No cytotoxic and hemolytic
      activity against human erythrocytes was observed for the three AOPs. The homology
      modeling analysis revealed that they all adopt tertiary structures ideally suited
      for the key residues to come into contact with the radicals. Current results
      reveal the existence of antioxidant system constituted of AOPs in the skin of the
      L. fragilis, and furthermore provide excellent templates for the development of
      novel antioxidant agents.

PMID- 26122989
TI  - New finding of Trichinella britovi in a European beaver (Castor fiber) in Latvia.
AB  - We report the first finding of Trichinella britovi in a European beaver. In
      Latvia, beaver is a common game animal and frequently used in human diet. A high
      prevalence of Trichinella infections in Latvia is present in the most common
      hosts-carnivores and omnivores. In total, 182 European beaver muscle samples were
      tested for Trichinella larvae accordingly to the reference method of European
      Communities Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2075/2005 (2005). Trichinella britovi
      larvae were detected in one animal (prevalence 0.5%; intensity 5.92 larvae per
      gram of muscle). This finding suggests that the consumption of European beaver
      meat can be a risk to human health. Further studies are needed in order to
      determine if the present observation represents an isolated individual case or
      low prevalence of Trichinella infection in beavers.

PMID- 26122990
TI  - Meta-analysis of the diagnostic efficiency of the questionnaires screening for
      schistosomiasis.
AB  - Schistosomiasis is the second widespread tropical disease that affects the health
      of over 240 million people of 78 countries. Questionnaires have been commonly
      used to diagnose schistosomiasis, while no meta-analysis of their efficacy had
      been reported previously. This meta-analysis was conducted to assess their
      diagnostic accuracy of schistosomiasis. Studies published prior to December 1,
      2014, that had used questionnaires as a diagnostic tool were searched in PubMed,
      Medline, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database. A
      total of 32 studies with 72,812 cases were identified for the meta-analysis. The
      best diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was obtained from Schistosoma haematobium
      (67.68, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 31.48 to 145.54), followed by Schistosoma
      japonicum (11.74, 95 % CI = 4.59 to 30.05) then Schistosoma mansoni (2.98, 95 %
      CI = 1.95 to 4.54). Pooled sensitivity and specificity were respectively 0.82,
      0.88, and 0.46, and 0.59, 0.86, and 0.81 for S. japonicum, S. haematobium, and S.
      mansoni. The multivariable subgroup analyses showed that the questionnaires which
      had been pretested and standardized had better diagnostic performance. The result
      suggested that questionnaires can be used to diagnose schistosomiasis with
      moderate sensitivity and specificity and the questionnaires for diagnosing S.
      haematobium performed best.

PMID- 26122991
TI  - Larval development of Angiostrongylus vasorum in the land snail Helix aspersa.
AB  - The metastrongyloid nematode Angiostrongylus vasorum affects the heart and
      pulmonary arteries of dogs and wild animals. Over the recent years, dog
      angiostrongylosis has gained great attention in the veterinary community for the
      expansion of its geographic range and for a rise in the number of clinical cases.
      Global warming, changes in phenology of mollusc intermediate hosts and movements
      of wild reservoirs have been evocated in the spreading of mollusc-borne
      parasites, including A. vasorum. The land snail Helix aspersa, a vector of other
      respiratory metastrongyloids, is endemic in most regions of the World, where it
      is a pest outside its native Mediterranean range. In the present study, the
      susceptibility and suitability of H. aspersa as an intermediate host of A.
      vasorum were investigated along with the characteristics of larval recovery and
      development following two different ways of inoculation, i.e. experimental (group
      A) vs natural infection (group B). After infections, the snails were kept at
      environmental conditions for 2 months. Five snails from groups A and B were
      randomly selected, digested and examined at 15-day intervals for 2 months. L1s,
      L2s and L3s were microscopically identified based on key morphological and
      morphometric characteristics and their identity was genetically confirmed. The
      results showed that A. vasorum may reach the infective stage in H. aspersa and
      that uptake of larvae and parasitic burden within the snails depend on the
      grazing capability of the molluscs. Biological and epidemiological implications
      are discussed. 

PMID- 26122992
TI  - Mosquitocidal and antiplasmodial activity of Senna occidentalis (Cassiae) and
      Ocimum basilicum (Lamiaceae) from Maruthamalai hills against Anopheles stephensi
      and Plasmodium falciparum.
AB  - Each year, mosquito-borne diseases infect nearly 700 million people, resulting to
      more than 1 million deaths. In this study, we evaluated the larvicidal,
      pupicidal, and smoke toxicity of Senna occidentalis and Ocimum basilicum leaf
      extracts against the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi. Furthermore, the
      antiplasmodial activity of plant extracts was evaluated against chloroquine (CQ)
      resistant (CQ-r) and CQ-sensitive (CQ-s) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. In
      larvicidal and pupicidal experiments, S. occidentalis LC50 ranged from 31.05 (I
      instar larvae) to 75.15 ppm (pupae), and O. basilicum LC50 ranged from 29.69 (I
      instar larvae) to 69 ppm (pupae). Smoke toxicity experiments conducted against
      adults showed that S. occidentalis and O. basilicum coils evoked mortality rates
      comparable to the pyrethrin-based positive control (38, 52, and 42%,
      respectively). In antiplasmodial assays, Senna occidentalis 50% inhibitory
      concentration (IC50) were 48.80 MUg/ml (CQ-s) and 54.28 MUg/ml (CQ-r), while O.
      basilicum IC50 were 68.14 MUg/ml (CQ-s) and 67.27 MUg/ml (CQ-r). Overall, these
      botanicals could be considered as potential sources of metabolites to build newer
      and safer malaria control tools.

PMID- 26122993
TI  - Completion of the life cycle of Tylodelphys mashonense (Sudarikov, 1971)
      (Digenea: Diplostomidae) with DNA barcodes and rDNA sequences.
AB  - The life cycle of Tylodelphys mashonense (Digenea: Diplostomidae), whose
      metacercariae occur in the cranial cavity of the widely cultivated catfish
      Clarias gariepinus, was resolved by the application of molecular markers. Both
      COI barcodes and ITS sequences obtained from diplostomid-like cercariae infecting
      Bulinus spp. from Mindu Dam, Morogoro, matched those acquired from metacercariae
      from the catfish C. gariepinus, and those from adult T. mashonense from the grey
      heron Ardea cinerea and the white egret Egretta alba. The success in linking the
      life cycle stages of T. mashonense using molecular tools highlights the
      usefulness of this approach in resolving the complex life cycles of digeneans in
      the absence of experimental establishment. 

PMID- 26122994
TI  - Ecology of the interaction between Ixodes loricatus (Acari: Ixodidae) and Akodon
      azarae (Rodentia: Criceridae).
AB  - The present study explores associations of different factors (i.e. host
      parameters, presence of other ectoparasites and [mainly biotic] environmental
      factors) with burdens of Ixodes loricatus immature stages in one of its main
      hosts in Argentina, the rodent Akodon azarae. For 2 years, rodents were trapped
      and sampled monthly at 16 points located in four different sites in the Parana
      River Delta region. Data were analysed with generalized linear mixed models with
      a negative binomial response (counts of larvae or nymphs). The independent
      variables assessed were (a) environmental: trapping year, presence of cattle,
      type of vegetation, rodent abundance; (b) host parameters: body length, sex, body
      condition, blood cell counts, natural antibody titers and (c) co-infestation with
      other ectoparasites. Two-way interaction terms deemed a priori as relevant were
      also included in the analysis. Most of the associations investigated were found
      significant, but in general, the direction and magnitude of the associations were
      context-dependent. An exception was the presence of cattle, which was
      consistently negatively associated with both larvae and nymphs independently of
      all other variables considered and had the strongest effect on tick burdens.
      Mites, fleas and Amblyomma triste were also significantly associated (mostly
      positively) with larval and nymph burdens, and in many cases, they influenced
      associations with environmental or host factors. Our findings strongly support
      that raising cattle may have a substantial impact on the dynamics of I. loricatus
      and that interactions within the ectoparasite community may be an important-but
      generally ignored-driver of tick dynamics. 

PMID- 26122995
TI  - Human wound myiasis caused by Phormia regina and Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis in
      Minia Governorate, Egypt.
AB  - Myiasis is the parasitic infestation of human by the larvae (maggots) of
      dipterous fly that grow within the host while feeding on its tissue. Cutaneous
      myiasis is the most considerably encountered clinical form. Moreover, wound
      (traumatic) myiasis is the main clinical manifestation of cutaneous myiasis. In
      this research, we aimed to study the type of infesting larvae that are
      responsible for wound myiasis in the patients in Minia city, Egypt. Three cases
      of wound myiasis have been noticed among 280 patients with wounds at different
      parts of bodies. Two of them were diabetic patients. The third one had a history
      of hypertension with right side hemiplegia 2 years ago. All of them were elderly.
      The larvae removed from cases 1 and 3 were identified macroscopically and
      microscopically as the third-stage larvae of Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis. The
      larvae removed from case 2 were the third-stage larvae of Phormia regina, which
      is very rare worldwide. In addition to the open and obsolete wound, diabetes
      mellitus and low socio-economic circumstances were shown to be attributed as
      important predisposing risk factors that led to the occurrence of myiasis in
      these patients. 

PMID- 26122996
TI  - Impact of gold nanoparticles on brain of mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni.
AB  - Schistosomiasis is a condition characterized by high rates of morbidity and
      cognitive impairment. It afflicts many people in tropical and sub-tropical
      countries. Our study aimed to investigate the protective role of gold
      nanoparticles (GNPs) on the brain of mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni.
      Characterizations of GNPs were determined by using high-resolution transmission
      electron microscopy. Three doses of GNPs (0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg body weight)
      were used to treat animals after S. mansoni infection. The infection induced
      impairments in histological picture as a result of schistosome infection
      resulting in a disturbance in the content of the brain neurotransmitters,
      norepinephrine (NE), and dopamine (DA). Also, the infection induced significant
      reduction in glutathione level; oppositely, the levels of nitric oxide and
      malondialdehyde were increased significantly. In addition, S. mansoni was able to
      disregulate the infected mice brain Cacnb4, Cabp4, Vdac3, Glrb, and Adam23
      messenger RNA (mRNA). On the other hand, treatment of mice with GNPs could
      alleviate the histological impairments, the changes in the content of NE and DA,
      and the brain oxidative damage. Also, GNPs could regulate the gene expression due
      to S. mansoni infection. Generally, GNPs could decrease the neurooxidative stress
      and regulated the gene expression in the brain of infected mice. Consequently,
      our results revealed an anti-neuroschistosomal effect of GNPs in mice infected
      with S. mansoni. 

PMID- 26122997
TI  - Application of polymerase chain reaction on cerebrospinal fluid for diagnosis of
      cerebral coenurosis in small ruminants.
AB  - Sheep and goats serve as intermediate hosts for the canine tapeworm Taenia
      multiceps. The cysts produced by the intermediate stage of parasite are usually
      found in the cerebral hemispheres of small ruminants, and the resulting disease
      is commonly known as coenurosis. Coenurosis is clinically manifested in the form
      of various nervous symptoms, depending on the exact location of the cyst. The
      variety of neurological symptoms contributes to the complexity of clinical
      diagnosis and reinforces the need for a more specific and acceptable diagnostic
      approach. We demonstrated here, for the first time, that the T. multiceps DNA is
      present in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the infected sheep and goats. In
      addition, the molecular genetic marker of the mitochondrial DNA was applied
      phylogenetically to show that our isolates together with other T. multiceps
      strains comprised a monophyletic group that is a sister to Taenia krabbei.
      Pairwise comparison between the cox1 sequences of our study and other T.
      multiceps genotypes existing in the GenBank showed similarity ranging from 98 to
      100%. Accordingly, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can be used for
      amplification of DNA of the parasite originated from the CSF and provides a
      valuable method for accurate identification of coenurosis cases.

PMID- 26122998
TI  - A comparison of mini-FLOTAC and FLOTAC with classic methods to diagnosing
      intestinal parasites of dogs from Brazil.
AB  - Dogs may be affected by different species of gastrointestinal parasites which
      present great importance in veterinary medicine and public health. Several
      techniques to diagnosing these parasites have been proposed, but different
      performances achieved by each method make difficult the choice of the best
      technique to be used. In this study, the performance of two classic methods
      (i.e., Willis and Hoffman techniques) and two recent techniques (i.e., FLOTAC and
      Mini-FLOTAC) to diagnosing gastrointestinal parasites of dogs was evaluated.
      Fecal samples (n = 127) of dogs divided in pools (n = 30) were collected and
      analyzed using four different techniques (see above). Eggs and/or oocysts of
      gastrointestinal parasites were detected in 93.3 % (28/30) of the samples. In
      particular, 20 % (6/30) were detected through the method of Hoffman, 53.3 %
      (16/30) by the Willis technique, and 63.3 % (19/30) and 90 % (27/30) by Mini
      FLOTAC and FLOTAC, respectively. Ancylostomatidae, Trichuris vulpis and Toxocara
      canis were the most frequent parasites herein detected. The FLOTAC and Mini
      FLOTAC techniques were the most efficient tools to detect eggs and/or oocysts of
      gastrointestinal parasites of dogs, therefore their use is recommended in the
      laboratorial routine of veterinary medicine. This study is the first report of
      the use of both techniques (i.e., FLOTAC and Mini-FLOTAC) to diagnosing parasites
      of dogs in Brazil.

PMID- 26122999
TI  - Label-free quantification reveals major proteomic changes in Pseudomonas putida
      F1 during the exponential growth phase.
AB  - The physiological adaptation to stationary growth by Pseudomonas putida F1, a
      model organism for the degradation of aromatic compounds, was investigated by
      proteome-wide label-free quantification.The data unveiled that entrance to the
      stationary phase did not involve an abrupt switch within the P. putida F1
      proteome, but rather an ongoing adaptation that started already during the mid
      exponential growth phase. The proteomic adaptations involved a clear increase in
      amino acid degradation capabilities and a loss of transcriptional as well as
      translational capacity. The final entrance to the stationary phase was
      accompanied by increased oxidative stress protection, although the stress and
      stationary sigma factor RpoS increased in abundance already during mid
      exponential growth. The results show that it is important to consider significant
      sample variations when exponentially growing cultures are studied alone or
      compared across proteomic or transcriptomic literature. All MS data have been
      deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001219
      (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD001219). 

PMID- 26123000
TI  - Common concepts in separate domains? Family physicians' ways of understanding
      teaching patients and trainees, a qualitative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical education is increasingly expanding into new community
      teaching settings and the need for clinical teachers is rising. Many physicians
      taking on this new role are already skilled patient educators. The purpose of
      this research was to explore how family physicians conceptualize teaching
      patients compared to the teaching of trainees. Our aim was to understand if there
      is any common ground between these two roles in order to support faculty
      development based on already existing skills. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews
      with twenty-five family physician preceptors were conducted in Vancouver, Canada
      and thematically analyzed. RESULTS: We identified four key areas of overlap
      between the two fields (being learner-centered; supporting the acquisition,
      application and integration of knowledge; role modeling and self-disclosure; and
      facilitating autonomy) and three areas of divergence (aim of teaching and setting
      the learning objectives; establishing rapport; and providing feedback).
      CONCLUSIONS: Finding common ground between these two teaching roles would support
      knowledge translation and inquiry between the domains of teaching patients and
      trainees. It would furthermore open up new avenues for improving training and
      practice for clinical teachers by better linking faculty development and
      continuing medical education (CME).

PMID- 26123001
TI  - Melatonin promotes adipogenesis and mitochondrial biogenesis in 3T3-L1
      preadipocytes.
AB  - Melatonin is synthesized in the pineal gland, but elicits a wide range of
      physiological responses in peripheral target tissues. Recent advances suggest
      that melatonin controls adiposity, resulting in changes in body weight. The aim
      of this study was to investigate the effect of melatonin on adipogenesis and
      mitochondrial biogenesis in 3T3-L1 mouse embryo fibroblasts. Melatonin
      significantly increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated
      receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), a master regulator of adipogenesis, and promoted
      differentiation into adipocytes. Melatonin-treated cells also formed smaller
      lipid droplets and abundantly expressed several molecules associated with
      lipolysis, including adipose triglyceride lipase, perilipin, and comparative gene
      identification-58. Moreover, the hormone promoted biogenesis of mitochondria, as
      indicated by fluorescent staining, elevated the citrate synthase activity, and
      upregulated the expression of PPAR-gamma coactivator 1 alpha, nuclear respiratory
      factor-1, and transcription factor A. The expression of uncoupling protein 1 was
      also observable both at mRNA and at protein level in melatonin-treated cells.
      Finally, adiponectin secretion and the expression of adiponectin receptors were
      enhanced. These results suggest that melatonin promotes adipogenesis, lipolysis,
      mitochondrial biogenesis, and adiponectin secretion. Thus, melatonin has
      potential as an anti-obesity agent that may reverse obesity-related disorders.

PMID- 26123004
TI  - Trauma Center Based Youth Violence Prevention Programs: An Integrative Review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Youth violence recidivism remains a significant public health crisis
      in the United States. Violence prevention is a requirement of all trauma centers,
      yet little is known about the effectiveness of these programs. Therefore, this
      systematic review summarizes the effectiveness of trauma center-based youth
      violence prevention programs. METHODS: A systematic review of articles from
      MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsychINFO databases was performed to identify eligible
      control trials or observational studies. Included studies were from 1970 to 2013,
      describing and evaluating an intervention, were trauma center based, and targeted
      youth injured by violence (tertiary prevention). The social ecological model
      provided the guiding framework, and findings are summarized qualitatively.
      RESULTS: Ten studies met eligibility requirements. Case management and brief
      intervention were the primary strategies, and 90% of the studies showed some
      improvement in one or more outcome measures. These results held across both
      social ecological level and setting: both emergency department and inpatient unit
      settings. CONCLUSIONS: Brief intervention and case management are frequent and
      potentially effective trauma center-based violence prevention interventions. Case
      management initiated as an inpatient and continued beyond discharge was the most
      frequently used intervention and was associated with reduced rearrest or reinjury
      rates. Further research is needed, specifically longitudinal studies using
      experimental designs with high program fidelity incorporating uniform direct
      outcome measures. However, this review provides initial evidence that trauma
      centers can intervene with the highest of risk patients and break the youth
      violence recidivism cycle.

PMID- 26123005
TI  - Factors influencing Saprolegnia spp. spore numbers in Norwegian salmon
      hatcheries.
AB  - A quantitative survey of Saprolegnia spp. in the water systems of Norwegian
      salmon hatcheries was performed. Water samples from 14 salmon hatcheries
      distributed along the Norwegian coastline were collected during final incubation
      in the hatcheries. Samples of inlet and effluent water were analyzed to estimate
      Saprolegnia propagule numbers. Saprolegnia spores were found in all samples at
      variable abundance. Number of spores retrieved varied from 50 to 3200 L(-1) in
      inlet water and from 30 to >5000 L(-1) in effluent water. A significant elevation
      of spore levels in effluent water compared to inlet water was detected. The
      estimated spore levels were related to recorded managerial and environmental
      parameters, and the number of spores in inlet water and temperature was the
      factor having most influence on the spore concentration in the incubation units
      (effluent water). Further, the relative impact of spore concentration on hatching
      rates was investigated by correlation analysis. From this was found that even
      high spore counts did not impact significantly on hatching success. 

PMID- 26123003
TI  - A case-control study of airways obstruction among construction workers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While smoking is the major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease (COPD), occupational exposures to vapors, gases, dusts, and fumes (VGDF)
      increase COPD risk. This case-control study estimated the risk of COPD
      attributable to occupational exposures among construction workers. METHODS: The
      study population included 834 cases and 1243 controls participating in a national
      medical screening program for older construction workers between 1997 and 2013.
      Qualitative exposure indices were developed based on lifetime work and exposure
      histories. RESULTS: Approximately 18% (95% CI = 2-24%) of COPD risk can be
      attributed to construction-related exposures, which are additive to the risk
      contributed by smoking. A measure of all VGDF exposures combined was a strong
      predictor of COPD risk. CONCLUSIONS: Construction workers are at increased risk
      of COPD as a result of broad and complex effects of many exposures acting
      independently or interactively. Control methods should be implemented to prevent
      worker exposures, and smoking cessation should be promoted.

PMID- 26123006
TI  - The importance of caring to older persons' mental health nurses: a cross
      sectional study.

PMID- 26123007
TI  - Tracking social motivation systems deficits: the affective neuroscience view of
      autism.
AB  - Abnormal functioning of primary brain systems that express and modulate basic
      emotional drives are increasingly considered to underlie mental disorders
      including autism spectrum disorders. We hypothesized that ASD are characterized
      by disruptions in the primary systems involved in the motivation for social
      bonding. Twenty adults with ASD were compared to 20 neurotypical participants on
      the basis of self-reports and clinical assessments, including the Social
      Anhedonia Scale (SAS) and the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS).
      ASD diagnosis was related to SAS, as well as to positive (PLAYFULNESS) and
      negative (FEAR) ANPS-traits. In the overall sample, levels of autistic traits
      (AQ) were related to SAS and PLAYFULNESS. We argue that PLAYFULNESS could be at
      the root of social bonding impairments in ASD. 

PMID- 26123008
TI  - Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder Followed for 2 Years: Those Who Gained
      and Those Who Lost the Most in Terms of Adaptive Functioning Outcome.
AB  - Clinical predictors of 2-year outcome in preschoolers with ASD were studied in a
      population-based group of very young children with ASD (n = 208). Children who
      gained the most (n = 30) and lost the most (n = 23), i.e., increased or decreased
      their adaptive functioning outcome according to the Vineland Composite Score
      between study entry (T1) and follow-up (T2), 2 years later were compared.
      Individual factors that differed significantly between the two outcome groups
      were cognitive level, age at referral, not passing expected milestones at 18
      months, autistic type behavior problems and regression. However, logistic
      regression analysis showed that only cognitive level at T1 (dichotomized into IQ
      < 70 and IQ >= 70) made a unique statistically significant contribution to
      outcome prediction (p = <.001) with an odds ratio of 18.01. The findings have
      significant clinical implications in terms of information at diagnosis regarding
      clinical prognosis in ASD.

PMID- 26123009
TI  - The New DSM-5 Impairment Criterion: A Challenge to Early Autism Spectrum Disorder
      Diagnosis?
AB  - The possible effect of the DSM-5 impairment criterion on diagnosing autism
      spectrum disorder (ASD) in young children was examined in 127 children aged 20-47
      months with a DSM-IV-TR clinical consensus diagnosis of ASD. The composite score
      of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) served as a proxy for the DSM-5
      impairment criterion. When applying a mild level of impairment (cutoff: 1 SD
      below the mean on the VABS), 88 % of the cases fulfilled the impairment
      criterion. Sixty-nine percent fulfilled the impairment criterion at a moderate
      level (1.5 SDs) and 33 % at a severe level (2 SDs). Findings indicate that a
      strict application of the new DSM-5 impairment criterion might compromise early
      diagnosis of ASD.

PMID- 26123010
TI  - Autism Symptoms Across Adulthood in Men with Fragile X Syndrome: A Cross
      Sectional Analysis.
AB  - A cross-sectional analysis was used to examine age-related differences in ASD
      symptoms and corresponding differences in disruptive behavior and social skills
      in 281 adult men with fragile X syndrome. Four age groups were created: 18-21, 22
      29, 30-39, and 40-49 years. The 18-21 year-old group was reported to have more
      impairments in verbal communication than the 22-29 year-old group and more
      restricted and repetitive behaviors than the 40-49 year-old group. There was not
      an age-group difference in the percentage of men who met criteria for an ASD
      diagnosis based on respondent-reported, current symptoms. There was a trend for
      an age-related difference in disruptive behavior. Findings add to understanding
      of the developmental trajectory of ASD symptoms in adulthood.

PMID- 26123011
TI  - Mechanical Dyssynchrony and Abnormal Regional Strain Promote Erroneous
      Measurement of Systolic Function in Pediatric Heart Transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical experience suggests that measurement of left ventricular
      (LV) ejection fraction (EF) using two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) is often
      at variance with results of three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) in patients
      who have undergone heart transplantation (HT). The aim of this study was to test
      the hypothesis that LV mechanical dyssynchrony and abnormal regional strain are
      present in asymptomatic pediatric HT patients and that they promote errors in the
      measurement of LV function when 2DE is used. METHODS: HT subjects and normal
      volunteer children were prospectively enrolled. All had normal estimated right
      ventricular systolic pressure and function. LV EF, global and regional strain,
      and systolic dyssynchrony index (SDI) were quantified using real time 3DE. SDI
      was determined from volume-time curves of the 16 LV segments and expressed as the
      standard deviation of the heart rate-corrected time to reach minimal segmental
      systolic volume. Septal strain was defined as the average of five segments in the
      interventricular septum. In addition to 3DE, the Teichholz, biplane Simpson, and
      bullet (5/6 area-length) methods were used to measure EF using 2DE in each
      subject. Ninety-three examinations were done: 40 in the 40 normal control
      subjects (mean age, 14.6 +/- 10.6 years; 10 male) and 53 in 36 HT subjects (mean
      age, 10.3 +/- 6.2 years; 21 male). RESULTS: SDI was greater in HT patients (mean,
      6.2 +/- 4.3%) than in normal controls (mean, 2.2 +/- 1.1%) (P < .0001). Global
      and septal strain was lower in HT patients than in normal controls. EF divergence
      (absolute difference between two- and three-dimensional EFs) was greater in HT
      patients (mean, 3.8 +/- 2.2%) than in normal controls (mean, 0.7 +/- 0.5%) (P <
      .0001). EF divergence had a strong positive correlation with SDI (adjusted r2 =
      0.46, P < .001) and negative correlations with all measures of strain (range of
      adjusted r2 values, 0.13-0.32). SDI had no particular relation to LV mass or to
      QRS duration. CONCLUSIONS: Children after HT have abnormal LV mechanics
      characterized by greater dyssynchrony and lower strain. These features correlate
      with, and possibly contribute to differences between measurements by 2DE and 3DE.
      EF should be calculated using 3DE in this population and others with dyssynchrony
      and regional strain abnormalities.

PMID- 26123012
TI  - Abnormal Regulation of Microvascular Tone in a Murine Model of Sickle Cell
      Disease Assessed by Contrast Ultrasound.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microvascular dysregulation, abnormal rheology, and vaso-occlusive
      events play a role in the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease (SCD). The aim
      of this study was to test the hypothesis that abnormalities in skeletal muscle
      perfusion in a murine model of SCD could be parametrically assessed by
      quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasound perfusion imaging. METHODS: A murine
      model of moderate SCD without anemia produced by homozygous beta-globin deletion
      replaced by human betas-globin transgene (NY1DD-/-; n = 18), heterozygous
      transgene replacement (NY1DD+/-; n = 19), and C57Bl/6 control mice (n = 14) was
      studied. Quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasound of the proximal hindlimb
      skeletal muscle was performed at rest and during contractile exercise (2 Hz).
      Time-intensity data were analyzed to measure microvascular blood volume (MBV),
      microvascular blood transit rate (beta), and microvascular blood flow.
      Erythrocyte deformability was measured by elongation at various rotational
      shears. RESULTS: At rest, muscle MBV was similar between strains, whereas beta
      was significantly (P = .0015, analysis of variance) reduced to a similar degree
      in NY1DD-/- and NY1DD+/- compared with wild-type mice (0.24 +/- 0.10, 0.16 +/-
      0.07, and 0.34 +/- 0.14 sec(-1), respectively), resulting in a reduction in
      microvascular blood flow. During contractile exercise, there were no groupwise
      differences in beta (1.43 +/- 0.67, 1.09 +/- 0.42, and 1.36 +/- 0.49 sec(-1) for
      NY1DD-/-, NY1DD+/-, and wild-type mice, respectively) or in microvascular blood
      flow or MBV. Erythrocyte deformability at high shear stress (>=5 Pa) was mildly
      reduced in both transgenic groups, although it was not correlated with blood flow
      or beta. CONCLUSIONS: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in skeletal muscle revealed a
      lower microvascular blood transit rate in the NY1DD model of SCD and sickle trait
      but no alterations in MBV. The abnormality in microvascular blood transit rate
      was likely due to vasomotor dysfunction, because it was abrogated by contractile
      exercise and at rest was only weakly related to erythrocyte deformability.

PMID- 26123013
TI  - [Fetal therapy and fetoscopy: A reality in clinical practice in 2015].
AB  - Both the improvement of pathophysiological knowledge of major fetal anomalies and
      the development of therapeutic tools have allowed in some specific cases in utero
      therapy by foetoscopy. We discuss the state of art and recent advances for four
      major anomalies: twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, congenital diaphragmatic
      hernia, myelomeningocele and lower urinary tract obstruction. Fetoscopic laser
      surgery for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome has become the gold standard for
      treatment of TTS. In terms of fetal surgery, severe congenital diaphragmatic
      hernia and myelomeningocele are the two main indications, even if open fetal
      surgery is still the gold standard for management of myelomeningocele. New
      techniques using fetal cystoscopy are currently under development. Although the
      maternal morbidity associated with foetoscopy is low, preterm rupture of
      membranes and preterm delivery remain an important problem. Long-term evaluation
      of those neonates remains mandatory. 

PMID- 26123014
TI  - [Risk of uterine rupture after cervical ripening with ballon catheter on uterus
      with previous cesarean section].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the rate of uterine rupture after cervical ripening by
      mechanical methods using balloon catheter in patients with a previous cesarean
      section. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search using the Medline database,
      Cochrane Library((r)) database. RESULTS: We identified 13 studies evaluating four
      types of ballon catheter. One thousand two hundred and seventy-eight patients
      underwent cervical ripening by balloon catheter and 8 (0.62%) cases of uterine
      rupture were reported. The vaginal delivery rate was 741/1278 (58%). CONCLUSION:
      The use of balloon catheters in case of previous cesarean section does not appear
      to be associated with an increased risk of uterine rupture compared with
      spontaneous labor. However, further studies are required to evaluate correctly
      this risk.

PMID- 26123015
TI  - [Odon device: A revolution in the field of assisted vaginal delivery?].

PMID- 26123016
TI  - [Maternal knowledge of fetal movements in late pregnancy].
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Evaluate knowledge of patients with late pregnancy on active foetal
      movements. PATIENTS AND METHOD: This prospective study has been carried out with
      volontary patients during the 41-week of gestation term consultation, with a
      questionnaire, at the obstetric gynecology departments of St-Etienne Hospital
      (CHU), Clermont-Ferrand Hospital (CHU), Roanne Hospital (CH) and Firminy Hospital
      (CH), from July 22nd, 2013 to September 14th, 2014. RESULTS: Few patients (17%)
      have been seen urgently by an obstetrician or a midwife in case of a decrease of
      the active foetal movements. Most patients (73.6%) wait 24hours to consult. More
      than 50% of women have not been informed on this topic before the birth. However,
      86.84% of the patients are interested in being informed when they see their
      doctor. The easiest way would be to count the active foetal movements 3 times a
      day on a short period. CONCLUSION: There is still a lack of information on the
      active foetal movements. It remains a difficult topic because its definition is
      still subjective and the information has no protocol.

PMID- 26123017
TI  - The art of destruction: revealing the proteolytic capacity of bacterial caspase
      homologs.
AB  - Caspases are proteases that initiate and execute programmed cell death in animal
      tissues, thereby facilitating multicellular development and survival. While
      caspases are unique to metazoans and specifically cleave substrates at aspartic
      acid residues, homologs are found in protozoa, plants, algae, fungi, bacteria and
      archaea, and show specificity for basic residues. In this issue of Molecular
      Microbiology, Klemencic and colleagues present the first biochemical
      characterization of a bacterial caspase homolog, classified as an orthocaspase.
      By expressing the gene MaOC1 from the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa PCC
      7806 in Escherichia coli, the authors discovered specificity for substrates with
      arginine in the P1 position. The protein requires autocatalytic processing to
      become active and is dependent on an intact histidine-cysteine dyad. These
      results significantly extend our knowledge of the specificities of bacterial
      caspase homologs, which are known to be highly diverse in protein domain
      architectures and active site mutations. Although bacterial programmed cell death
      is one possible area of action, the function of most bacterial caspase homologs
      remains unexplored. Cyanobacteria represent the best studied group in terms of
      prokaryotic caspase-like proteins both genomically and experimentally, and
      thereby provide a suitable platform for further investigations into activation,
      regulation and physiological roles of orthocaspases. 

PMID- 26123018
TI  - Error correction and statistical analyses for intra-host comparisons of feline
      immunodeficiency virus diversity from high-throughput sequencing data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infection with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) causes an
      immunosuppressive disease whose consequences are less severe if cats are co
      infected with an attenuated FIV strain (PLV). We use virus diversity
      measurements, which reflect replication ability and the virus response to various
      conditions, to test whether diversity of virulent FIV in lymphoid tissues is
      altered in the presence of PLV. Our data consisted of the 3' half of the FIV
      genome from three tissues of animals infected with FIV alone, or with FIV and
      PLV, sequenced by 454 technology. RESULTS: Since rare variants dominate virus
      populations, we had to carefully distinguish sequence variation from errors due
      to experimental protocols and sequencing. We considered an exponential-normal
      convolution model used for background correction of microarray data, and modified
      it to formulate an error correction approach for minor allele frequencies derived
      from high-throughput sequencing. Similar to accounting for over-dispersion in
      counts, this accounts for error-inflated variability in frequencies - and quite
      effectively reproduces empirically observed distributions. After obtaining error
      corrected minor allele frequencies, we applied ANalysis Of VAriance (ANOVA) based
      on a linear mixed model and found that conserved sites and transition frequencies
      in FIV genes differ among tissues of dual and single infected cats. Furthermore,
      analysis of minor allele frequencies at individual FIV genome sites revealed 242
      sites significantly affected by infection status (dual vs. single) or infection
      status by tissue interaction. All together, our results demonstrated a decrease
      in FIV diversity in bone marrow in the presence of PLV. Importantly, these
      effects were weakened or undetectable when error correction was performed with
      other approaches (thresholding of minor allele frequencies; probabilistic
      clustering of reads). We also queried the data for cytidine deaminase activity on
      the viral genome, which causes an asymmetric increase in G to A substitutions,
      but found no evidence for this host defense strategy. CONCLUSIONS: Our error
      correction approach for minor allele frequencies (more sensitive and
      computationally efficient than other algorithms) and our statistical treatment of
      variation (ANOVA) were critical for effective use of high-throughput sequencing
      data in understanding viral diversity. We found that co-infection with PLV shifts
      FIV diversity from bone marrow to lymph node and spleen.

PMID- 26123019
TI  - Can microcatheters be cleaned for reuse after NBCA embolization? Cleaning
      technique with gelatin sponge particles.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study a new technique for cleaning microcatheters for reuse after
      NBCA embolization ("NBCA"), and to evaluate the clinical reusability of
      microcatheters that were cleaned with gelatin sponge particles after NBCA.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four cleaning solution flushes for microcatheters after
      NBCA injection-5 % glucose ("glucose") only, Lipiodol-glucose, gelatin sponge
      particles ("gelatin")-glucose, and Lipiodol-gelatin-glucose-were examined
      experimentally. These solutions were evaluated by performing three examinations:
      a microcatheter resistance test based on the time taken to pass water through the
      microcatheter, a microcatheter resistance test based on the ease of insertion of
      a microguidewire, and observations of the inner surfaces of the cylinders after
      NBCA. Microcatheters that had already been used in NBCA were cleaned using this
      new technique and then applied in 20 clinical sessions (19 patients). RESULTS:
      There was no significant difference in water passage time between the controls
      and the groups that received a gelatin flush. In the resistance test based on the
      insertion of a microguidewire, groups that received a gelatin flush showed
      significantly less resistance than the groups that did not receive a gelatin
      flush. Observations of the inner surfaces of the cylinders indicated that
      cleaning with gelatin can lead to inner surfaces that are almost
      indistinguishable from control surfaces in terms of cleanliness. All clinical
      procedures involving Lipiodol-gelatin-glucose flushes were performed without any
      technical difficulties or complications. CONCLUSIONS: Applying the new cleaning
      technique utilizing gelatin sponge particles to microcatheters after NBCA ensures
      that they are clean enough to be reused.

PMID- 26123020
TI  - T-cell exhaustion, co-stimulation and clinical outcome in autoimmunity and
      infection.
AB  - The clinical course of autoimmune and infectious disease varies greatly, even
      between individuals with the same condition. An understanding of the molecular
      basis for this heterogeneity could lead to significant improvements in both
      monitoring and treatment. During chronic infection the process of T-cell
      exhaustion inhibits the immune response, facilitating viral persistence. Here we
      show that a transcriptional signature reflecting CD8 T-cell exhaustion is
      associated with poor clearance of chronic viral infection, but conversely
      predicts better prognosis in multiple autoimmune diseases. The development of CD8
      T-cell exhaustion during chronic infection is driven both by persistence of
      antigen and by a lack of accessory 'help' signals. In autoimmunity, we find that
      where evidence of CD4 T-cell co-stimulation is pronounced, that of CD8 T-cell
      exhaustion is reduced. We can reproduce the exhaustion signature by modifying the
      balance of persistent stimulation of T-cell antigen receptors and specific CD2
      induced co-stimulation provided to human CD8 T cells in vitro, suggesting that
      each process plays a role in dictating outcome in autoimmune disease. The 'non
      exhausted' T-cell state driven by CD2-induced co-stimulation is reduced by
      signals through the exhaustion-associated inhibitory receptor PD-1, suggesting
      that induction of exhaustion may be a therapeutic strategy in autoimmune and
      inflammatory disease. Using expression of optimal surrogate markers of co
      stimulation/exhaustion signatures in independent data sets, we confirm an
      association with good clinical outcome or response to therapy in infection
      (hepatitis C virus) and vaccination (yellow fever, malaria, influenza), but poor
      outcome in autoimmune and inflammatory disease (type 1 diabetes, anti-neutrophil
      cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis, systemic lupus erythematosus,
      idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and dengue haemorrhagic fever). Thus, T-cell
      exhaustion plays a central role in determining outcome in autoimmune disease and
      targeted manipulation of this process could lead to new therapeutic
      opportunities. 

PMID- 26123022
TI  - Global-scale coherence modulation of radiation-belt electron loss from
      plasmaspheric hiss.
AB  - Over 40 years ago it was suggested that electron loss in the region of the
      radiation belts that overlaps with the region of high plasma density called the
      plasmasphere, within four to five Earth radii, arises largely from interaction
      with an electromagnetic plasma wave called plasmaspheric hiss. This interaction
      strongly influences the evolution of the radiation belts during a geomagnetic
      storm, and over the course of many hours to days helps to return the radiation
      belt structure to its 'quiet' pre-storm configuration. Observations have shown
      that the long-term electron-loss rate is consistent with this theory but the
      temporal and spatial dynamics of the loss process remain to be directly verified.
      Here we report simultaneous measurements of structured radiation-belt electron
      losses and the hiss phenomenon that causes the losses. Losses were observed in
      the form of bremsstrahlung X-rays generated by hiss-scattered electrons colliding
      with the Earth's atmosphere after removal from the radiation belts. Our results
      show that changes of up to an order of magnitude in the dynamics of electron loss
      arising from hiss occur on timescales as short as one to twenty minutes, in
      association with modulations in plasma density and magnetic field. Furthermore,
      these loss dynamics are coherent with hiss dynamics on spatial scales comparable
      to the size of the plasmasphere. This nearly global-scale coherence was not
      predicted and may affect the short-term evolution of the radiation belts during
      active times. 

PMID- 26123021
TI  - Identification of cis-suppression of human disease mutations by comparative
      genomics.
AB  - Patterns of amino acid conservation have served as a tool for understanding
      protein evolution. The same principles have also found broad application in human
      genomics, driven by the need to interpret the pathogenic potential of variants in
      patients. Here we performed a systematic comparative genomics analysis of human
      disease-causing missense variants. We found that an appreciable fraction of
      disease-causing alleles are fixed in the genomes of other species, suggesting a
      role for genomic context. We developed a model of genetic interactions that
      predicts most of these to be simple pairwise compensations. Functional testing of
      this model on two known human disease genes revealed discrete cis amino acid
      residues that, although benign on their own, could rescue the human mutations in
      vivo. This approach was also applied to ab initio gene discovery to support the
      identification of a de novo disease driver in BTG2 that is subject to protective
      cis-modification in more than 50 species. Finally, on the basis of our data and
      models, we developed a computational tool to predict candidate residues subject
      to compensation. Taken together, our data highlight the importance of cis-genomic
      context as a contributor to protein evolution; they provide an insight into the
      complexity of allele effect on phenotype; and they are likely to assist methods
      for predicting allele pathogenicity. 

PMID- 26123023
TI  - A hemi-fission intermediate links two mechanistically distinct stages of membrane
      fission.
AB  - Fusion and fission drive all vesicular transport. Although topologically
      opposite, these reactions pass through the same hemi-fusion/fission intermediate,
      characterized by a 'stalk' in which only the outer membrane monolayers of the two
      compartments have merged to form a localized non-bilayer connection. Formation of
      the hemi-fission intermediate requires energy input from proteins catalysing
      membrane remodelling; however, the relationship between protein conformational
      rearrangements and hemi-fusion/fission remains obscure. Here we analysed how the
      GTPase cycle of human dynamin 1, the prototypical membrane fission catalyst, is
      directly coupled to membrane remodelling. We used intramolecular chemical
      crosslinking to stabilize dynamin in its GDP.AlF4(-)-bound transition state. In
      the absence of GTP this conformer produced stable hemi-fission, but failed to
      progress to complete fission, even in the presence of GTP. Further analysis
      revealed that the pleckstrin homology domain (PHD) locked in its membrane
      inserted state facilitated hemi-fission. A second mode of dynamin activity,
      fuelled by GTP hydrolysis, couples dynamin disassembly with cooperative
      diminishing of the PHD wedging, thus destabilizing the hemi-fission intermediate
      to complete fission. Molecular simulations corroborate the bimodal character of
      dynamin action and indicate radial and axial forces as dominant, although not
      independent, drivers of hemi-fission and fission transformations, respectively.
      Mirrored in the fusion reaction, the force bimodality might constitute a general
      paradigm for leakage-free membrane remodelling. 

PMID- 26123025
TI  - Searching for biomarkers in feline chronic kidney disease: A new frontier.

PMID- 26123026
TI  - Tablet computer-based multimedia enhanced medical training improves performance
      in gastroenterology and endoscopy board style exam compared with traditional
      medical education.

PMID- 26123024
TI  - Molecular basis for 5-carboxycytosine recognition by RNA polymerase II elongation
      complex.
AB  - DNA methylation at selective cytosine residues (5-methylcytosine (5mC)) and their
      removal by TET-mediated DNA demethylation are critical for setting up pluripotent
      states in early embryonic development. TET enzymes successively convert 5mC to 5
      hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC), and 5-carboxylcytosine
      (5caC), with 5fC and 5caC subject to removal by thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) in
      conjunction with base excision repair. Early reports indicate that 5fC and 5caC
      could be stably detected on enhancers, promoters and gene bodies, with distinct
      effects on gene expression, but the mechanisms have remained elusive. Here we
      determined the X-ray crystal structure of yeast elongating RNA polymerase II (Pol
      II) in complex with a DNA template containing oxidized 5mCs, revealing specific
      hydrogen bonds between the 5-carboxyl group of 5caC and the conserved epi-DNA
      recognition loop in the polymerase. This causes a positional shift for incoming
      nucleoside 5'-triphosphate (NTP), thus compromising nucleotide addition. To test
      the implication of this structural insight in vivo, we determined the global
      effect of increased 5fC/5caC levels on transcription, finding that such DNA
      modifications indeed retarded Pol II elongation on gene bodies. These results
      demonstrate the functional impact of oxidized 5mCs on gene expression and suggest
      a novel role for Pol II as a specific and direct epigenetic sensor during
      transcription elongation. 

PMID- 26123027
TI  - Anti-angiogenic effect of metformin in human liver carcinogenesis related to
      metabolic syndrome.

PMID- 26123028
TI  - GABAA receptor-mediated feedforward and feedback inhibition differentially
      modulate the gain and the neural code transformation in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal
      cells.
AB  - Diverse variety of hippocampal interneurons exists in the CA1 area, which
      provides either feedforward (FF) or feedback (FB) inhibition to CA1 pyramidal
      cell (PC). However, how the two different inhibitory network architectures
      modulate the computational mode of CA1 PC is unknown. By investigating the CA3 PC
      rate-driven input-output function of CA1 PC using in vitro electrophysiology, in
      vitro-simulation of inhibitory network, and in silico computational modeling, we
      demonstrated for the first time that GABAA receptor-mediated FF and FB inhibition
      differentially modulate the gain, the spike precision, the neural code
      transformation and the information capacity of CA1 PC. Recruitment of FF
      inhibition buffered the CA1 PC spikes to theta-frequency regardless of the input
      frequency, abolishing the gain and making CA1 PC insensitive to its inputs.
      Instead, temporal variability of the CA1 PC spikes was increased, promoting the
      rate-to-temporal code transformation to enhance the information capacity of CA1
      PC. In contrast, the recruitment of FB inhibition sub-linearly transformed the
      input rate to spike output rate with high gain and low spike temporal
      variability, promoting the rate-to-rate code transformation. These results
      suggest that GABAA receptor-mediated FF and FB inhibitory circuits could serve as
      network mechanisms for differentially modulating the gain of CA1 PC, allowing CA1
      PC to switch between different computational modes using rate and temporal codes
      ad hoc. Such switch will allow CA1 PC to efficiently respond to spatio-temporally
      dynamic inputs and expand its computational capacity during different behavioral
      and neuromodulatory states in vivo. 

PMID- 26123029
TI  - Serum eye drop preparation in Australia: Current manufacturing practice.
AB  - Serum eye drops are used to treat diseases such as dry eye syndrome
      (keratoconjunctivitis sicca), a disease of the surface of the eye that results in
      an unstable tear film. Patients are referred to the Australian Red Cross Blood
      Service by ophthalmologists for autologous serum eye drops when other therapies
      such as artificial tears or topical immunosuppressive agents have failed. In
      order to manufacture autologous serum eye drops, whole blood is collected from
      the patients using standard blood collection procedures. The blood is then
      allowed to clot to produce serum and processed into 20% serum eye drops, which
      are then returned to the patient for their own use. The eye drops are packaged
      into a long length of tubing, which is then heat-sealed to produce single-use
      segments. The demand for serum eye drops in Australia is increasing every year,
      with a 30% increase in the past 12 months. 

PMID- 26123030
TI  - The effect of sexually transmitted co-infections on HIV viral load amongst
      individuals on antiretroviral therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) markedly reduces HIV transmission, and
      testing and treatment programs have been advocated as a method for decreasing
      transmission at the population level. Little is known, however, about the extent
      to which sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which increase the HIV
      infectiousness of untreated individuals, may decrease the effectiveness of
      treatment as prevention. METHODS: We searched major bibliographic databases to
      August 12(th), 2014 and identified studies reporting differences in HIV
      transmission rate or in viral load between individuals on ART who either were or
      were not co-infected with another STI. We used hierarchical Bayesian models to
      estimate viral load differences between individuals with and without STI co
      infections. RESULTS: The search strategy retrieved 1630 unique citations of which
      14 studies (reporting on 4607 HIV viral load measurements from 2835 unique
      individuals) met the inclusion criteria. We did not find any suitable studies
      that estimated transmission rates directly in both groups. Our meta-analysis of
      HIV viral load measurements among treated individuals did not find a
      statistically significant effect of STI co-infection; viral loads were, on
      average, 0.11 log10 (95% CI -0.62 to 0.83) higher among co-infected versus non-co
      infected individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Direct evidence about the effects of STI co
      infection on transmission from individuals on ART is very limited. Available data
      suggests that the average effect of STI co-infection on HIV viral load in
      individuals on ART is less than 1 log10 difference, and thus unlikely to decrease
      the effectiveness of treatment as prevention. However, there is not enough data
      to rule out the possibility that particular STIs pose a larger threat.

PMID- 26123032
TI  - Oxidative addition of the C-I bond on aluminum nanoclusters.
AB  - Energetics and the in-depth reaction mechanism of the oxidative addition step of
      the cross-coupling reaction are studied in the framework of density functional
      theory (DFT) on aluminum nanoclusters. Aluminum metal in its bulk state is
      totally inactive towards carbon-halogen bond dissociation but selected Al
      nanoclusters (size ranging from 3 to 20 atoms) have shown a significantly lower
      activation barrier towards the oxidative addition reaction. The calculated energy
      barriers are lower than the gold clusters and within a comparable range with the
      conventional and most versatile Pd catalyst. Further investigations reveal that
      the activation energies and other reaction parameters are highly sensitive to the
      geometrical shapes and electronic structures of the clusters rather than their
      size, imposing the fact that comprehensive studies on aluminum clusters can be
      beneficial for nanoscience and nanotechnology. To understand the possible
      reaction mechanism in detail, the reaction pathway is investigated with the ab
      initio Born Oppenheimer Molecular Dynamics (BOMD) simulation and the Natural Bond
      Orbital (NBO) analysis. In short, our theoretical study highlights the
      thermodynamic and kinetic details of C-I bond dissociation on aluminum clusters
      for future endeavors in cluster chemistry. 

PMID- 26123031
TI  - Downmodulation of key inflammatory cell markers with a topical Janus kinase 1/2
      inhibitor.
AB  - BACKGROUND: INCB018424 is a novel, potent Janus kinase (JAK)1/JAK2 inhibitor that
      blocks signal transduction of multiple proinflammatory cytokines. OBJECTIVES: To
      evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and
      preliminary efficacy of topical INCB018424 phosphate cream in patients with
      plaque psoriasis. METHODS: Topical INCB018424 phosphate 1.0% or 1.5% cream was
      applied once daily (QD) or twice daily (BID) for 4 weeks to 2-20% body surface
      area in five sequential cohorts of five patients aged 18-65 years. Target lesions
      were scored on a scale of 0-4 for erythema, scaling and thickness. Additionally,
      the overall disease activity in each patient was measured using Physician's
      Global Assessment. INCB018424 concentrations were measured in plasma, and
      cytokine stimulated phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of
      transcription 3 phosphorylation (pSTAT3) levels in peripheral blood cells were
      evaluated. Pretreatment and post-treatment skin biopsies were compared with
      healthy skin, including evaluation of histopathology, immunohistochemistry and
      mRNA expression. RESULTS: Treatment with INCB018424 phosphate cream either 1.0%
      QD or 1.5% BID resulted in improvements in lesion scores. No significant
      inhibition of pSTAT3 in peripheral blood cells was observed following topical
      application, consistent with the generally low steady-state plasma concentrations
      of INCB018424 measured. Transcriptional markers of immune cell lineage/activation
      in lesional skin were reduced by topical INCB018424, with correlations observed
      between clinical improvement and decreases in markers of T helper 17 lymphocyte
      activation, dendritic-cell activation and epidermal hyperplasia. INCB018424
      treatment reduced epidermal hyperplasia and dermal inflammation in most patient
      samples, with reductions in CD3, CD11c, Ki67 and keratin 16 observed by
      immunohistochemical analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Topical INCB018424 dosed for 28 days
      QD or BID is pharmacologically active in patients with active psoriasis and
      modulates proinflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of psoriatic lesions.

PMID- 26123033
TI  - European Multicenter Study on Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (E-CABG registry):
      Study Protocol for a Prospective Clinical Registry and Proposal of Classification
      of Postoperative Complications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clinical evidence in coronary surgery is usually derived from
      retrospective, single institutional series. This may introduce significant biases
      in the analysis of critical issues in the treatment of these patients. In order
      to avoid such methodological limitations, we planned a European multicenter,
      prospective study on coronary artery bypass grafting, the E-CABG registry.
      DESIGN: The E-CABG registry is a multicenter study and its data are prospectively
      collected from 13 centers of cardiac surgery in university and community
      hospitals located in six European countries (England, Italy, Finland, France,
      Germany, Sweden). Data on major and minor immediate postoperative adverse events
      will be collected. Data on late all-cause mortality, stroke, myocardial
      infarction and repeat revascularization will be collected during a 10-year follow
      up period. These investigators provided a score from 0 to 10 for any major
      postoperative adverse events and their rounded medians were used to stratify the
      severity of these complications in four grades. The sum of these scores for each
      complication/intervention occurring after coronary artery bypass grafting will be
      used as an additive score for further stratification of the prognostic importance
      of these events. DISCUSSION: The E-CABG registry is expected to provide valuable
      data for identification of risk factors and treatment strategies associated with
      suboptimal outcome. These information may improve the safety and durability of
      coronary artery bypass grafting. The proposed classification of postoperative
      complications may become a valuable research tool to stratify the impact of such
      complications on the outcome of these patients and evaluate the burden of
      resources needed for their treatment. CLINICAL TRIALS NUMBER: NCT02319083.

PMID- 26123034
TI  - Predictors of frequent emergency department visits among rural older adults in
      Ontario using the Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe factors predicting frequent emergency department (ED) use
      among rural older adults receiving home care services in Ontario, Canada. DESIGN:
      A cross-sectional examination of Ontario hospital administrative data linked to
      provincial home care data compares frequent ED users (i.e. >4 visits/year) with
      regular users (i.e. 1-3 visits/year) and no ED use over a 1-year period. Multiple
      logistic regression analysis was performed using independent variables from home
      care health assessments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Predictors of frequent ED use
      among rural older adults receiving home care services using adjusted odds ratios
      (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Ontario's rural home care
      clients visited the ED an average of 4.9 times (SD = 11.9) over a year. Frequent
      ED users were observed in 170 cases per 1000 home care clients. Congestive heart
      failure was the most frequently cited reason for frequent ED use; however, it was
      not a main driver in the adjusted model. Frequent ED use was predicted by younger
      age (i.e. 60-74 years) (OR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.7-2.2), a recent ED visit in the last
      3 months (OR = 1.5; 95% CI, 1.4-1.7), regularly taking >9 medications (OR = 1.5;
      95% CI, 1.3-1.6), and poor self-rated health (OR = 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2-1.5).
      CONCLUSION: Despite popular assumptions, the main drivers for frequent ED use
      among rural older adults in Ontario included a mix of sociodemographic and
      clinical characteristics, rather than disease diagnoses.

PMID- 26123037
TI  - The effect of nutrition education on nutrition-related health outcomes of
      Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: a systematic review.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of nutrition education on improving
      nutrition-related health outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
      people. METHODS: Databases Medline, Cinahl, Scopus, ProQuest and ATSI Health were
      searched in September 2013 to identify nutrition education intervention studies
      in Indigenous Australian populations. Peer-reviewed and grey literature with
      nutrition-related biochemical or anthropometrical health outcomes were included
      in a qualitative comparative analysis. RESULTS: Of 1,162 studies identified from
      the search, six met inclusion criteria. Three studies were from a remote setting
      and three from an urban setting. Four of the six education interventions were
      shown to improve body mass index (BMI) and/or nutritional biochemical indicators.
      Components of the nutrition education interventions showing greatest effect
      included cooking skills workshops, group education sessions and store
      interventions. Community involvement in the program design was most strongly
      associated with a positive effect on BMI. CONCLUSION: Nutrition education had
      some effect in reducing biochemical and anthropometric risk factors for chronic
      disease in Indigenous Australians. IMPLICATIONS: Nutrition education can be
      considered as part of a range of strategies to improve nutrition-related health
      for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Further evidence is needed to
      strengthen this recommendation.

PMID- 26123038
TI  - Prostate cancer: Transdifferentiate to prevail.

PMID- 26123039
TI  - Kidney cancer: Single nucleotide polymorphisms in mRCC-is their time up?

PMID- 26123040
TI  - Genetics: Known prostate cancer risk loci-guilty by association?

PMID- 26123041
TI  - Kidney cancer: Tumour versus nephron gene expression yields survival score.

PMID- 26123043
TI  - Differential diagnosis of suspected deep tissue injury.
AB  - Deep tissue injury (DTI) can be difficult to diagnose because many other skin and
      wound problems can appear as purple skin or rapidly appearing eschar. The
      diagnosis of DTI begins with a thorough history to account for times of exposure
      to pressure, such as 'time down' at the scene or time during which the patient
      was flat and could not respond. Patients with light skin tones present with
      classic skin discolouration of purple or maroon tissue, a defined border around
      the area of injury, and often surrounding erythema is evident. Persistent
      erythema and hyperpigmentation, rather than blanching, should be used to
      determine pressure injury in dark skin tone patients. Differential diagnosis
      includes stage 2 pressure ulcers, incontinence-associated dermatitis, skin tears,
      bruising, haematoma, venous engorgement, arterial insufficiency, necrotising
      fasciitis and terminal skin ulcers. Many skin problems can also have a purple hue
      or rapidly developing eschar, and a working knowledge of dermatology is needed. 

PMID- 26123042
TI  - Spinal muscular atrophy phenotype is ameliorated in human motor neurons by SMN
      increase via different novel RNA therapeutic approaches.
AB  - Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a primary genetic cause of infant mortality due
      to mutations in the Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) 1 gene. No cure is available.
      Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) aimed at increasing SMN levels from the
      paralogous SMN2 gene represent a possible therapeutic strategy. Here, we tested
      in SMA human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and iPSC-differentiated motor
      neurons, three different RNA approaches based on morpholino antisense targeting
      of the ISSN-1, exon-specific U1 small nuclear RNA (ExSpeU1), and Transcription
      Activator-Like Effector-Transcription Factor (TALE-TF). All strategies act
      modulating SMN2 RNA: ASO affects exon 7 splicing, TALE-TF increase SMN2 RNA
      acting on the promoter, while ExSpeU1 improves pre-mRNA processing. These
      approaches induced up-regulation of full-length SMN mRNA and differentially
      affected the Delta-7 isoform: ASO reduced this isoform, while ExSpeU1 and TALE-TF
      increased it. All approaches upregulate the SMN protein and significantly improve
      the in vitro SMA motor neurons survival. Thus, these findings demonstrate that
      therapeutic tools that act on SMN2 RNA are able to rescue the SMA disease
      phenotype. Our data confirm the feasibility of SMA iPSCs as in vitro disease
      models and we propose novel RNA approaches as potential therapeutic strategies
      for treating SMA and other genetic neurological disorders. 

PMID- 26123044
TI  - Transmission of scrapie prions to primate after an extended silent incubation
      period.
AB  - Classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (c-BSE) is the only animal prion
      disease reputed to be zoonotic, causing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)
      in humans and having guided protective measures for animal and human health
      against animal prion diseases. Recently, partial transmissions to humanized mice
      showed that the zoonotic potential of scrapie might be similar to c-BSE. We here
      report the direct transmission of a natural classical scrapie isolate to
      cynomolgus macaque, a highly relevant model for human prion diseases, after a 10
      year silent incubation period, with features similar to those reported for human
      cases of sporadic CJD. Scrapie is thus actually transmissible to primates with
      incubation periods compatible with their life expectancy, although fourfold
      longer than BSE. Long-term experimental transmission studies are necessary to
      better assess the zoonotic potential of other prion diseases with high
      prevalence, notably Chronic Wasting Disease of deer and elk and atypical/Nor98
      scrapie. 

PMID- 26123045
TI  - Psychological interventions for symptomatic management of non-specific chest pain
      in patients with normal coronary anatomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recurrent chest pain in the absence of coronary artery disease is a
      common problem which sometimes leads to excess use of medical care. Although many
      studies have examined the causes of pain in these patients, few clinical trials
      have evaluated treatment. This is an update of a Cochrane review originally
      published in 2005 and last updated in 2010. The studies reviewed in this paper
      provide an insight into the effectiveness of psychological interventions for this
      group of patients. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of psychological
      interventions for chest pain, quality of life and psychological parameters in
      people with non-specific chest pain. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane
      Library (CENTRAL, Issue 4 of 12, 2014 and DARE Issue 2 of 4, 2014), MEDLINE
      (OVID, 1966 to April week 4 2014), EMBASE (OVID, 1980 to week 18 2014), CINAHL
      (EBSCO, 1982 to April 2014), PsycINFO (OVID, 1887 to April week 5 2014) and
      BIOSIS Previews (Web of Knowledge, 1969 to 2 May 2014). We also searched citation
      lists and contacted study authors. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled
      trials (RCTs) with standardised outcome methodology that tested any form of
      psychotherapy for chest pain with normal anatomy. Diagnoses included non-specific
      chest pain (NSCP), atypical chest pain, syndrome X or chest pain with normal
      coronary anatomy (as either inpatients or outpatients). DATA COLLECTION AND
      ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently selected studies for inclusion,
      extracted data and assessed quality of studies. We contacted trial authors for
      further information about the included RCTs. MAIN RESULTS: We included two new
      papers, one of which was an update of a previously included study. Therefore, a
      total of 17 RCTs with 1006 randomised participants met the inclusion criteria,
      with the one new study contributing an additional 113 participants. There was a
      significant reduction in reports of chest pain in the first three months
      following the intervention: random-effects relative risk = 0.70 (95% CI 0.53 to
      0.92). This was maintained from three to nine months afterwards: relative risk
      0.59 (95% CI 0.45 to 0.76). There was also a significant increase in the number
      of chest pain-free days up to three months following the intervention: mean
      difference (MD) 3.00 (95% CI 0.23 to 5.77). This was associated with reduced
      chest pain frequency (random-effects MD -2.26, 95% CI -4.41 to -0.12) but there
      was no evidence of effect of treatment on chest pain frequency from three to
      twelve months (random-effects MD -0.81, 95% CI -2.35 to 0.74). There was no
      effect on severity (random-effects MD -4.64 (95% CI -12.18 to 2.89) up to three
      months after the intervention. Due to the nature of the main interventions of
      interest, it was impossible to blind the therapists as to whether the participant
      was in the intervention or control arm. In addition, in three studies the
      blinding of participants was expressly forbidden by the local ethics committee
      because of issues in obtaining fully informed consent . For this reason, all
      studies had a high risk of performance bias. In addition, three studies were
      thought to have a high risk of outcome bias. In general, there was a low risk of
      bias in the other domains. However, there was high heterogeneity and caution is
      required in interpreting these results. The wide variability in secondary outcome
      measures made it difficult to integrate findings from studies. AUTHORS'
      CONCLUSIONS: This Cochrane review suggests a modest to moderate benefit for
      psychological interventions, particularly those using a cognitive-behavioural
      framework, which was largely restricted to the first three months after the
      intervention. Hypnotherapy is also a possible alternative. However, these
      conclusions are limited by high heterogeneity in many of the results and low
      numbers of participants in individual studies. The evidence for other brief
      interventions was less clear. Further RCTs of psychological interventions for
      NSCP with follow-up periods of at least 12 months are needed.

PMID- 26123046
TI  - Extending the validity of the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Feeding practices are commonly examined as potentially modifiable
      determinants of children's eating behaviours and weight status. Although a
      variety of questionnaires exist to assess different feeding aspects, many lack
      thorough reliability and validity testing. The Feeding Practices and Structure
      Questionnaire (FPSQ) is a tool designed to measure early feeding practices
      related to non-responsive feeding and structure of the meal environment. Face
      validity, factorial validity, internal reliability and cross-sectional
      correlations with children's eating behaviours have been established in mothers
      with 2-year-old children. The aim of the present study was to further extend the
      validity of the FPSQ by examining factorial, construct and predictive validity,
      and stability. METHODS: Participants were from the NOURISH randomised controlled
      trial which evaluated an intervention with first-time mothers designed to promote
      protective feeding practices. Maternal feeding practices (FP) and child eating
      behaviours were assessed when children were aged 2 years and 3.7 years (n = 388).
      Confirmatory Factor analysis, group differences, predictive relationships, and
      stability were tested. RESULTS: The original 9-factor structure was confirmed
      when children were aged 3.7 +/- 0.3 years. Cronbach's alpha was above the
      recommended 0.70 cut-off for all factors except Structured Meal Timing, Over
      Restriction and Distrust in Appetite which were 0.58, 0.67 and 0.66 respectively.
      Allocated group differences reflected behaviour consistent with intervention
      content and all feeding practices were stable across both time points (range of r
      = 0.45-0.70). There was some evidence for the predictive validity of factors with
      2 FP showing expected relationships, 2 FP showing expected and unexpected
      relationships and 5 FP showing no relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Reliability and
      validity was demonstrated for most subscales of the FPSQ. Future validation is
      warranted with culturally diverse samples and with fathers and other caregivers.
      The use of additional outcomes to further explore predictive validity is
      recommended as well as testing test-retest reliability of the questionnaire.

PMID- 26123047
TI  - Tree Nut consumption is associated with better adiposity measures and
      cardiovascular and metabolic syndrome health risk factors in U.S. Adults: NHANES
      2005-2010.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Previous research has shown inconsistencies in the association of
      tree nut consumption with risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and
      metabolic syndrome (MetS). OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of tree nut
      consumption with risk factors for CVD and for MetS in adults. METHODS: NHANES
      2005-2010 data were used to examine the associations of tree nut consumption with
      health risks in adults 19+ years (n = 14,386; 51% males). Tree nuts were:
      almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, filberts [hazelnuts], macadamias, pecans, pine
      nuts, pistachios, and walnuts. Group definitions were non-consumers < 1/4
      ounce/day and consumers of >= 1/4 ounce/day tree nuts using data from 24-h
      dietary recalls. Means and ANOVA (covariate adjusted) were determined using
      appropriate sample weights. Using logistic regression, odds ratios of being
      overweight (OW)/obese (OB) (body mass index [BMI] >25/<30 and >=30, respectively)
      and having CVRF or MetS, were determined. RESULTS: Tree nut consumption was
      associated with lower BMI (p = 0.004), waist circumference (WC) (p = 0.008),
      systolic blood pressure (BP) (p = 0.001), Homeostatic Model Assessment-Insulin
      Resistance (p = 0.043), and higher high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (p =
      0.022), compared with no consumption, and a lower likelihood of OB (-25%), OW/OB
      (-23%), and elevated WC (-21%). CONCLUSIONS: Tree nut consumption was associated
      with better weight status and some CVRF and MetS components.

PMID- 26123049
TI  - Anti-VEGF Anticancer Drugs: Mind the Hypertension.
AB  - The introduction of therapies that inhibit tumor angiogenesis and particularly
      target to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vascular endothelial
      growth factor receptor (VEGFR) (VEGF inhibitors/VEGFi) have revolutionized the
      treatment of various cancer types. Although their clinical benefit can be optimal
      for cancer-affected patients, the safety of these targeted agents is of special
      concern especially for longer-term adjuvant or maintenance treatment.
      Importantly, VEGFi therapy has been significantly associated with hypertension
      (HTN) as an adverse effect and therefore the control of blood pressure (BP) after
      the administration of these drugs remains a challenging matter to be faced. The
      aim of this review is to summarize studies which investigate the association of
      VEGFi agents with HTN manifestation and the possible risks associated with this
      complication. Additionally, given that the optimal management of HTN caused by
      VEGFi remains obscure, this review will focus on prevention strategies including
      BP monitoring plans and propose potential therapeutic approaches. 

PMID- 26123048
TI  - Quantitative T2 relaxation time and magnetic transfer ratio predict endplate
      biochemical content of intervertebral disc degeneration in a canine model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Direct measurement of disc biochemical content is impossible in vivo.
      Therefore, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to evaluate disc health.
      Unfortunately, current clinical imaging techniques do not adequately assess
      degeneration, especially in the early stage of cartilage endplate, and
      subchondral bone zone (CEPZ). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the
      sensitivity of quantitative MRI methods, namely T2 relaxation time and Magnetic
      Transfer Ratio (MTR), to identify early disc degeneration, especially for the
      CEPZ, using an experimental canine model of intervertebral disc injury and to
      investigate their sensitivity in depicting biochemically and histologically
      controlled degenerative changes in the disc. METHODS: Sixteen juvenile dogs
      underwent iatrogenic annular disruption via stab incisions. The animals underwent
      repeated 3.0 T MR imaging, and were sacrificed 4, 8, and 12 weeks post
      operatively. A continuous rectangle drawing method was used to select regions of
      interest for the intervertebral disc from the cephalic to caudal CEPZ including
      the vertebrae, nucleus pulposus (NP) and annulus fibrosus (AF), which resembled
      pixel measurement for imaging analysis. Presence of degenerative changes was
      controlled by biochemical and histological analyses. The correlations between
      histological score, biochemical content, and quantitative MRI signal intensities
      were also analyzed. RESULTS: Both T2 relaxation time and MTR values changed for
      CEPZ, NP, and AF tissues within 12 weeks. T2 relaxation time values decreased
      significantly in the NP, AF, and CEPZ separately at pre-operation, 4, 8, and 12
      weeks when compared each time (P < 0.05). MTR values showed no significant
      differences for the CEPZ between 8 and 4 weeks or 12 weeks, or compared to pre
      operative values; there were significant differences for the AF. Biochemical and
      histological analysis showed changes consistent with quantitative MRI signal
      intensities for early stage degeneration. CONCLUSIONS: Early traumatic or
      degenerative changes are detectable with both T2 and MTR. T2 changes were more
      sensitive to the differences in disc status, especially for the CEPZ. Since T2
      and MTR reflect different disc properties, performing both imaging under the same
      conditions would be helpful in the evaluation of disc degeneration. The
      continuous rectangle drawing can be a sensitive method to detect the changes of
      CEPZ.

PMID- 26123050
TI  - Biotransformation of Flavokawains A, B, and C, Chalcones from Kava (Piper
      methysticum), by Human Liver Microsomes.
AB  - The in vitro metabolism of flavokawains A, B, and C (FKA, FKB, FKC), methoxylated
      chalcones from Piper methysticum, was examined using human liver microsomes.
      Phase I metabolism and phase II metabolism (glucuronidation) as well as combined
      phase I+II metabolism were studied. For identification and structure elucidation
      of microsomal metabolites, LC-HRESIMS and NMR techniques were applied. Major
      phase I metabolites were generated by demethylation in position C-4 or C-4' and
      hydroxylation predominantly in position C-4, yielding FKC as phase I metabolite
      of FKA and FKB, helichrysetin as metabolite of FKA and FKC, and cardamonin as
      metabolite of FKC. To an even greater extent, flavokawains were metabolized in
      the presence of uridine diphosphate (UDP) glucuronic acid by microsomal UDP
      glucuronosyl transferases. For all flavokawains, monoglucuronides (FKA-2'-O
      glucuronide, FKB-2'-O-glucuronide, FKC-2'-O-glucuronide, FKC-4-O-glucuronide)
      were found as major phase II metabolites. The dominance of generated glucuronides
      suggests a role of conjugated chalcones as potential active compounds in vivo. 

PMID- 26123051
TI  - Framing optional genetic testing in the context of mandatory newborn screening
      tests.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Parents are increasingly faced with decisions about optional newborn
      bloodspot screening (NBS) despite no consistent policy for communicating
      information about such testing. We examined whether framing optional NBS
      alongside mandatory NBS influenced intention to participate in optional NBS.
      METHODS: For this Internet-administered study, 2,991 adults read a hypothetical
      vignette in which optional NBS for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) was either
      presented by itself (in isolation), alongside a description including the total
      number of mandatory NBS tests ("bundled" mandatory context), or alongside a
      listing of each mandatory NBS test ("unbundled" mandatory context). We assessed
      associations with participants' intended participation using ordered logistic
      regression models, and associations with attitudes towards optional DMD NBS and
      subjective norms using Analysis of Variance. RESULTS: Participants were more
      likely to choose optional DMD NBS if they also read information about mandatory
      NBS (either bundled or unbundled) versus when DMD NBS was presented in isolation.
      Participants who read about optional DMD NBS in isolation also reported such
      testing to be less important and that they would worry more about the results
      than those who also saw mandatory NBS information. CONCLUSIONS: Future NBS
      programs should pay attention to the framing of optional testing communication,
      as it influences parental behavior. Predictors of NBS uptake will become
      increasingly important as NBS programs continue expanding.

PMID- 26123052
TI  - Neuropathology of Beta-propeller protein associated neurodegeneration (BPAN): a
      new tauopathy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Beta-propeller protein associated neurodegeneration (BPAN) is
      associated with mutations in the WD repeat domain 45 (WDR45) gene on chromosome
      Xp11 resulting in reduced autophagic flux. This study describes the clinical and
      neuropathological features of a female 51 year old BPAN case. The clinical
      history includes learning disability and progressive gait abnormalities since
      childhood followed by progressive dystonic features in young adulthood. Brain
      imaging revealed generalised brain atrophy and bilateral mineralisation of the
      globus pallidus and substantia nigra. RESULTS: The major pathological findings
      were observed in the substantia nigra with excess iron deposition, gliosis,
      axonal swellings and severe neuronal loss. Iron deposition was also observed in
      the globus pallidus. There was extensive hyperphosphorylated-tau deposition in
      the form of neurofibrillary tangles, pre-tangles and neuropil threads.
      Furthermore, histological studies and immunoblotting confirmed a mixed Alzheimer
      type 3-and 4-repeat tau pathology. Microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light
      chain 3 (LC3) immunoblotting of brain homogenates indicated autophagic activity
      and may support the role of WDR45 in autophagy. CONCLUSIONS: The widespread
      Alzheimer-type tau pathology in this disease indicates that this should be
      considered as a tauopathy and adds further support to the proposal that impaired
      autophagy may have a role in tauopathies.

PMID- 26123053
TI  - Short communication: phylodynamics analysis of the human immunodeficiency virus
      type 1 envelope gene in mother and child pairs.
AB  - Characterizing the impact of HIV transmission routes on viral genetic diversity
      can improve the understanding of the mechanisms of virus evolution and
      adaptation. HIV vertical transmission can occur in utero, during delivery, or
      while breastfeeding. The present study investigated the phylodynamics of the HIV
      1 env gene in mother-to-child transmission by analyzing one chronically infected
      pair from Brazil and three acutely infected pairs from Zambia, with three to five
      time points. Sequences from 25 clones from each sample were obtained and aligned
      using Clustal X. ML trees were constructed in PhyML using the best evolutionary
      model. Bayesian analyses testing the relaxed and strict molecular clock were
      performed using BEAST and a Bayesian Skyline Plot (BSP) was construed. The
      genetic variability of previously described epitopes was investigated and
      compared between each individual time point and between mother and child
      sequences. The relaxed molecular clock was the best-fitted model for all
      datasets. The tree topologies did not show differentiation in the evolutionary
      dynamics of the virus circulating in the mother from the viral population in the
      child. In the BSP, the effective population size was more constant in time in the
      chronically infected patients while in the acute patients it was possible to
      detect bottlenecks. The genetic variability within viral epitopes recognized by
      the human immune system was considerably higher among the chronically infected
      pair in comparison with acutely infected pairs. These results contribute to a
      better understanding of HIV-1 evolutionary dynamics in mother-to-child
      transmission. 

PMID- 26123055
TI  - Fitness Cost of Methoxyfenozide and the Effects of Its Sublethal Doses on
      Development, Reproduction, and Survival of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius)
      (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).
AB  - In the present study, two experiments were designed to investigate the lethal and
      sublethal effects of methoxyfenozide on Spodoptera litura (F.). The first
      experiment was conducted to explore the fitness cost of methoxyfenozide
      resistance in a methoxyfenozide-resistant strain (selected with methoxyfenozide
      for 13 consecutive generations), leading to resistance ratio to methoxyfenozide
      83.0- and 2359-fold higher when compared to the field and susceptible populations
      with a fitness cost of 0.17. In the second experiment, second instars of the
      susceptible strain were treated with sublethal doses of methoxyfenozide (LC30,
      LC20, and LC10) by diet incorporation for larval feeding for 3 days. It was
      observed that higher concentrations of methoxyfenozide significantly prolonged
      the larval and pupal development time of S. litura as compared to the control
      treatment. The number of eggs per female, egg hatching, sex ratio, and longevity
      of adults of methoxyfenozide-treated groups was greatly reduced as compared to
      untreated S. litura. Our data clearly indicated that fitness cost of
      methoxyfenozide and its sublethal effects on S. litura has an important impact on
      its population dynamics. 

PMID- 26123054
TI  - Prediction of length and diameter of hamstring tendon autografts for knee
      ligament surgery in Caucasians.
AB  - PURPOSE: Prediction of hamstring tendon autograft size facilitates preoperative
      planning of knee ligament surgery and may reduce the need for allografts in
      complex knee reconstructions. The aim of this study was to analyse whether length
      and diameter of hamstring tendon autografts can be predicted preoperatively with
      anthropometric parameters and patient characteristics. METHODS: In this
      observational study, 725 consecutive Caucasian patients scheduled for ACL
      reconstruction were included. Preoperatively gender, age, height and weight were
      recorded. After harvest, tendon lengths of both gracilis and semitendinosus
      tendons were measured. Diameter of the final four-strand hamstring autograft was
      recorded. Relationship between length and diameter of tendon grafts and different
      anthropometric parameters were assed by linear and logistic regression analyses.
      RESULTS: Mean lengths of the semitendinosus and gracilis tendon autografts were
      28.9 +/- 3.1 and 27.7 +/- 3.0 cm, respectively. Length of the gracilis and
      semitendinosus grafts was independently related to patient height. Female gender
      was correlated with smaller graft diameter. One in nine female patients had a
      diameter <8 mm. The ratio in men was 1 in 36. CONCLUSION: Hamstring autograft
      length and size can be predicted in Caucasians. Length of the gracilis and
      semitendinosus tendons was related to patient height. Smaller graft diameter was
      related to female gender. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

PMID- 26123056
TI  - Coccinellidae Parasitoids in Brazil: Neglected Species in a Mega-Diverse Country.
AB  - Current knowledge on coccinellids is primarily focused on their role as natural
      enemies of soft-bodied insects. However, there is a great diversity of
      coccinellid parasitoid species that are less studied. Here, we describe new
      records of coccinellid parasitoids with emphasis on new host-parasitoid
      interactions in 11 sample sites in Brazil. We collected 122 coccinellid
      individuals parasitized by six species of parasitoids in the Cerrado and in the
      Atlantic Rainforest biomes. New records of coccinellid parasitoids and host
      associations, expansion of habitat ranges and interactions are discussed focusing
      on the lack of basic information on these interactions in Brazil. 

PMID- 26123057
TI  - Aggressive venous thromboembolism prophylaxis reduces VTE events in vascular
      surgery patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potentially preventable complication
      following surgery. There is variation with regard to the most effective mode of
      prophylaxis. We sought to determine if an aggressive approach to VTE prophylaxis
      would reduce VTE rates on the inpatient vascular surgical service. METHODS:
      Vascular inpatients from a single institution from July 2010 to March 2013 were
      included in the analysis. A protocol for VTE prophylaxis was implemented on the
      inpatient vascular surgical service in November 2011. This included subcutaneous
      (SQ) heparin initiation within 24 h of admission unless deemed inappropriate by
      the attending, as well as intermittent compression devices (ICD) and compression
      stockings (CS). The rate of VTE was compared prior to and following the
      intervention. Patients were compared using AHRQ comorbidity categories, APR-DRG
      severity of illness, insurance status, and principle procedure. T-tests were used
      to compare continuous variables and chi-square analysis used to compare
      categorical variables. RESULTS: There were 1483 vascular patients in the pre
      intervention group and 1652 patients in the post-intervention group. The rate of
      pharmacologic prophylaxis was 52.57% pre-intervention compared to 69.33% post
      intervention (p < 0.001). The rate of pharmacologic or mechanical prophylaxis was
      91.76% pre-intervention compared to 93.10% post-intervention (p = 0.54). The
      overall rate of VTE prior to the intervention was 1.49% compared to after
      intervention which was 0.38% (p = 0.033). The DVT rate prior to intervention was
      1.09% vs 0.189% after intervention (p = 0.0214). The rate of pulmonary embolism
      trended towards a significant reduction with the intervention (0.681% vs 0.189%,
      p = 0.095). There were no statistically significant differences in patient groups
      based on gender, comorbidity category, severity of illness, or insurance type.
      CONCLUSIONS: The overall rate of VTE was reduced by 75% after the initiation of a
      standard protocol for pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis. These findings justify an
      aggressive approach to VTE prophylaxis in vascular surgery patients.

PMID- 26123058
TI  - A computational fluid-structure interaction model of the blood flow in the
      healthy and varicose saphenous vein.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Varicose vein has become enlarged and twisted and, consequently, has
      lost its mechanical strength. As a result of the varicose saphenous vein (SV)
      mechanical alterations, the hemodynamic parameters of the blood flow, such as
      blood velocity as well as vein wall stress and strain, would change accordingly.
      However, little is known about stress and strain and there consequences under
      experimental conditions on blood flow and velocity within normal and varicose
      veins. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid-structure
      interaction (FSI) model of a human healthy and varicose SVs was established to
      determine the hemodynamic characterization of the blood flow as a function of
      vein wall mechanical properties, i.e. elastic and hyperelastic. METHODS: The
      mechanical properties of the human healthy and varicose SVs were experimentally
      measured and implemented into the computational model. The fully coupled fluid
      and structure models were solved using the explicit dynamics finite element code
      LS-DYNA. RESULTS: The results revealed that, regardless of healthy and varicose,
      the elastic walls reach to the ultimate strength of the vein wall, whereas the
      hyperelastic wall can tolerate more stress. The highest von Mises stress compared
      to the healthy ones was seen in the elastic and hyperelastic varicose SVs with
      1.412 and 1.535 MPa, respectively. In addition, analysis of the resultant
      displacement in the vein wall indicated that the varicose SVs experienced a
      higher displacement compared to the healthy ones irrespective of elastic and
      hyperelastic material models. The highest blood velocity was also observed for
      the healthy hyperelastic SV wall. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study may have
      implications not only for determining the role of the vein wall mechanical
      properties in the hemodynamic alterations of the blood, but also for employing as
      a null information in balloon-angioplasty and bypass surgeries.

PMID- 26123059
TI  - TMFoldRec: a statistical potential-based transmembrane protein fold recognition
      tool.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transmembrane proteins (TMPs) are the key components of signal
      transduction, cell-cell adhesion and energy and material transport into and out
      from the cells. For the deep understanding of these processes, structure
      determination of transmembrane proteins is indispensable. However, due to
      technical difficulties, only a few transmembrane protein structures have been
      determined experimentally. Large-scale genomic sequencing provides increasing
      amounts of sequence information on the proteins and whole proteomes of living
      organisms resulting in the challenge of bioinformatics; how the structural
      information should be gained from a sequence. RESULTS: Here, we present a novel
      method, TMFoldRec, for fold prediction of membrane segments in transmembrane
      proteins. TMFoldRec based on statistical potentials was tested on a benchmark set
      containing 124 TMP chains from the PDBTM database. Using a 10-fold jackknife
      method, the native folds were correctly identified in 77% of the cases. This
      accuracy overcomes the state-of-the-art methods. In addition, a key feature of
      TMFoldRec algorithm is the ability to estimate the reliability of the prediction
      and to decide with an accuracy of 70%, whether the obtained, lowest energy
      structure is the native one. CONCLUSION: These results imply that the membrane
      embedded parts of TMPs dictate the TM structures rather than the soluble parts.
      Moreover, predictions with reliability scores make in this way our algorithm
      applicable for proteome-wide analyses. AVAILABILITY: The program is available
      upon request for academic use.

PMID- 26123060
TI  - Factors associated with self-rated sexual function in Korean patients with
      schizophrenia receiving risperidone monotherapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the factors associated with sexual
      function in Korean patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: This study evaluated 169
      patients with schizophrenia who were receiving risperidone monotherapy. The
      Visual Analog Scale was used to assess sexual function in terms of sexual desire,
      sexual arousal, and sexual satisfaction. The Positive and Negative Syndrome
      Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Korean version of the Subjective Well
      being under Neuroleptic Treatment-Brief Form (SWN-K) scale, and the Drug Attitude
      Inventory (DAI) were also administered. RESULTS: Sexual function was negatively
      associated with age, duration of illness, gender (female), marital status
      (single), the presence of tardive dyskinesia, and Beck Depression Inventory
      score, but positively associated with the SWN-K and DAI scores. A linear
      regression analysis revealed that being male and married had significant positive
      associations with sexual arousal, sexual satisfaction, and/or sexual desire,
      while the presence of tardive dyskinesia and a longer duration of illness were
      associated with poor sexual arousal and/or sexual desire. Additionally, sexual
      function was significantly associated with the SWN-K and DAI scores in
      multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The acknowledgement and management of sexual
      dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia by clinicians may be important for
      improvement of their quality of life and adherence to medication.

PMID- 26123061
TI  - Zero coronary calcium in the presence of three-vessel and left main coronary
      artery disease in a Hodgkin lymphoma survivor.
AB  - We describe a 45-year-old male survivor of Hodgkin lymphoma, treated with
      mediastinal radiation therapy, referred for single-photon emission computed
      tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging in combination with coronary
      artery calcium (CAC) scoring. SPECT demonstrated a reversible moderate-sized
      lateral perfusion defect, and the CAC score was zero. A calcium score of zero
      markedly reduces the probability of having coronary artery disease (CAD) and is
      associated with a very low risk of future cardiovascular events. However, a CAC
      score of zero does not completely rule out obstructive CAD. In this case,
      invasive coronary angiography revealed three-vessel CAD with left main
      involvement. Whether mediastinal radiation therapy in general is associated with
      CAD without accompanying CAC is yet unclear. 

PMID- 26123062
TI  - Genetic variation analysis in a Chinese Maffucci syndrome patient.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report on the molecular genetic analysis of a Chinese patient with
      Maffucci syndrome. METHODS: Using the genomic DNA extracted from the patient's
      hemangioma sample, the coding exons and exon/intron splice junctions of the IDH1
      and IDH2 genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and then
      sequenced. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood and a hemangioma sample from the
      patient, and also from her mother's blood, for chromosome microarray analysis
      (CMA) by Affymetrix CytoScan HD array. RESULTS: None of the known pathogenic
      mutations in the whole IDH1 or IDH2 genes was found in the patient's hemangioma
      sample. CMA detected 40 tumor-specific copy number variations (CNVs), and one
      copy number neutral loss of heterozygosity (LOH) region. Among the 73 known genes
      included in the 40 CNV regions, only 2 genes, CHEK2 (604373) located in 22q12.1
      and EP300 (602700) located in 22q13.2, were found to be related to tumorigenesis.
      We did not find any CNVs at the IDH1 and IDH2 loci. CONCLUSIONS: This is the
      first molecular genetic analysis report on a Chinese patient with Maffucci
      syndrome and our data enrich the understanding of the genetic background of
      Maffucci syndrome in different ethnic groups. The relationship between CHEK2,
      EP300 and Maffucci syndrome needs to be further explored.

PMID- 26123063
TI  - Quantitative Chemical Mapping of InGaN Quantum Wells from Calibrated High-Angle
      Annular Dark Field Micrographs.
AB  - We present a simple and robust method to acquire quantitative maps of
      compositional fluctuations in nanostructures from low magnification high-angle
      annular dark field (HAADF) micrographs calibrated by energy-dispersive X-ray
      (EDX) spectroscopy in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) mode. We
      show that a nonuniform background in HAADF-STEM micrographs can be eliminated, to
      a first approximation, by use of a suitable analytic function. The uncertainty in
      probe position when collecting an EDX spectrum renders the calibration of HAADF
      STEM micrographs indirect, and a statistical approach has been developed to
      determine the position with confidence. Our analysis procedure, presented in a
      flowchart to facilitate the successful implementation of the method by users, was
      applied to discontinuous InGaN/GaN quantum wells in order to obtain quantitative
      determinations of compositional fluctuations on the nanoscale. 

PMID- 26123064
TI  - Identification of critical residues for transport activity of Acr3p, the
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae As(III)/H+ antiporter.
AB  - Acr3p is an As(III)/H(+) antiporter from Saccharomyces cerevisiae belonging to
      the bile/arsenite/riboflavin transporter superfamily. We have previously found
      that Cys151 located in the middle of the fourth transmembrane segment (TM4) is
      critical for antiport activity, suggesting that As(III) might interact with a
      thiol group during the translocation process. In order to identify functionally
      important residues involved in As(III)/H(+) exchange, we performed a systematic
      alanine-replacement analysis of charged/polar and aromatic residues that are
      conserved in the Acr3 family and located in putative transmembrane segments. Nine
      residues (Asn117, Trp130, Arg150, Trp158, Asn176, Arg230, Tyr290, Phe345, Asn351)
      were found to be critical for proper folding and trafficking of Acr3p to the
      plasma membrane. In addition, we found that replacement of highly conserved
      Phe266 (TM7), Phe352 (TM9), Glu353 (TM9) and Glu380 (TM10) with Ala abolished
      transport activity of Acr3p, while mutation of Ser349 (TM9) to Ala significantly
      reduced the As(III)/H(+) exchange, suggesting an important role of these residues
      in the transport mechanism. Detailed mutational analysis of Glu353 and Glu380
      revealed that the negatively charged residues located in the middle of
      transmembrane segments TM9 and TM10 are crucial for antiport activity. We also
      discuss a hypothetical model of the Acr3p transport mechanism. 

PMID- 26123065
TI  - A transdiagnostic minority stress treatment approach for gay and bisexual men's
      syndemic health conditions.
AB  - Developing and deploying separate treatments for separate conditions seems ill
      suited to intervening upon the co-occurring, and possibly functionally similar,
      psychosocial conditions facing gay and bisexual men. This article argues for the
      need to create transdiagnostic interventions that reduce multiple syndemic
      conditions facing gay and bisexual men at the level of their shared source in
      minority stress pathways. This article first reviews psychosocial syndemic
      conditions affecting gay and bisexual men, then suggests pathways that might link
      minority stress to psychosocial syndemics based on recent advancements in emotion
      science, psychiatric nosology, and cognitive-affective neuroscience, and finally
      suggests cross-cutting psychosocial treatment principles to reduce minority
      stress-syndemic pathways among gay and bisexual men. Because minority stress
      serves as a common basis of all psychosocial syndemic conditions reviewed here,
      locating the pathways through which minority stress generates psychosocial
      syndemics and employing overarching treatment principles capable of
      simultaneously alleviating these pathways will ultimately create a
      transdiagnostic approach to improving gay and bisexual men's health. Clinical
      research and training approaches are suggested to further validate the pathways
      suggested here, establish the efficacy of treatment approaches tied to those
      pathways, and generate effective methods for disseminating a transdiagnostic
      minority stress treatment approach for gay and bisexual men's psychosocial
      syndemic health. 

PMID- 26123067
TI  - Do behavioral scientists really understand HIV-related sexual risk behavior? A
      systematic review of longitudinal and experimental studies predicting sexual
      behavior.
AB  - Behavioral interventions to reduce sexual risk behavior depend on strong health
      behavior theory. By identifying the psychosocial variables that lead causally to
      sexual risk, theories provide interventionists with a guide for how to change
      behavior. However, empirical research is critical to determining whether a
      particular theory adequately explains sexual risk behavior. A large body of cross
      sectional evidence, which has been reviewed elsewhere, supports the notion that
      certain theory-based constructs (e.g., self-efficacy) are correlates of sexual
      behavior. However, given the limitations of inferring causality from
      correlational research, it is essential that we review the evidence from more
      methodologically rigorous studies (i.e., longitudinal and experimental designs).
      This systematic review identified 44 longitudinal studies in which investigators
      attempted to predict sexual risk from psychosocial variables over time. We also
      found 134 experimental studies (i.e., randomized controlled trials of HIV
      interventions), but of these only 9 (6.7 %) report the results of mediation
      analyses that might provide evidence for the validity of health behavior theories
      in predicting sexual behavior. Results show little convergent support across both
      types of studies for most traditional, theoretical predictors of sexual behavior.
      This suggests that the field must expand the body of empirical work that utilizes
      the most rigorous study designs to test our theoretical assumptions. The
      inconsistent results of existing research would indicate that current theoretical
      models of sexual risk behavior are inadequate, and may require expansion or
      adaptation. 

PMID- 26123066
TI  - Sexual health and socioeconomic-related factors among HIV-positive men who have
      sex with men in Puerto Rico.
AB  - Most of the research among HIV-positive populations has been approached from
      behavioral risk models. This is particularly true for those otherwise socially
      vulnerable groups like men who have sex with men (MSM). As a response to this
      pattern, we examined data from an ongoing health promotion research being
      conducted in Puerto Rico (PR). The study is limited to HIV-positive MSM and
      consists of the participation in a survey interview that includes domains used to
      assess indicators of socio-economic-related factors (age, educational level,
      employment, religion, and partnership status) and sexual health (sexual
      satisfaction, condom use, and sexual health knowledge(SHK)). Participants
      reported a relatively high level (75 %) of sexual satisfaction and inconsistent
      condom use (50.9 % reported always using a condom). A deficient (61 %) SHK was
      also reported. In multivariate analyses, a higher educational level was
      associated with higher sexual satisfaction (abeta = 3.223; 95 % CI 0.291-6.156)
      and higher levels of SHK (abeta = 1.328; 95 % CI 0.358-2.297), while unemployment
      was associated with less condom use (aOR 0.314; 95 % CI 0.122-0.810). Not having
      a primary sexual partner was associated with less sexual satisfaction (abeta = 
      3.871; 95 % CI -7.534-0.208) and more condom use (aOR 4.292; 95 % CI 1.310
      14.068). Findings support the notion that men of a disadvantaged socioeconomic
      position may have a poorer sexual health status; with a lower level of education
      and unemployment leading this disparity. Findings also evidence that partnership
      status may have a role in the sexual health of HIV-positive MSM. To our
      knowledge, this is the first comprehensive analysis of sexual health and
      socioeconomic indicators among Hispanic/Latino HIV-positive MSM in PR and in the
      Caribbean. Findings provide valuable information to address the sexual health
      needs of an underserved population. 

PMID- 26123070
TI  - Fluorescence cystoscopy: the end of biopsies for carcinoma in situ detection?

PMID- 26123071
TI  - Can we rely on lymphovascular invasion for determining the need for adjuvant
      chemotherapy in organ-confined bladder cancer?

PMID- 26123068
TI  - Pilot randomized controlled trial of an integrative intervention with
      methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men.
AB  - Contingency management (CM) is an evidence-based intervention that provides
      tangible rewards as positive reinforcement for biologically confirmed abstinence
      from substance use. Integrative approaches targeting positive affect regulation
      could boost the effectiveness of CM by sensitizing individuals to non-drug
      related sources of reward and assisting them with effectively managing symptoms
      of withdrawal. This pilot randomized controlled trial with 21 methamphetamine
      using men who have sex with men (MSM) examined the feasibility and acceptability
      of a 5-session, positive affect intervention delivered during CM-Affect
      Regulation Treatment to Enhance Methamphetamine Intervention Success (ARTEMIS).
      After completing 4 weeks of a 12-week CM program, participants were randomized to
      receive ARTEMIS+CM (n = 12) or CM-only (n = 9). Those randomized to receive the
      ARTEMIS positive affect intervention completed 98 % of sessions and reported
      marginally significant increases in positive affect over the five sessions. In
      exit interviews with ARTEMIS+CM participants, individuals noted that the positive
      affect regulation skills increased self-awareness and led to greater engagement
      in the recovery process. ARTEMIS+CM participants reported significant increases
      in positive affect and CM-only participants reported significant reductions in
      negative affect over a 2-month follow-up. These affective changes were not
      maintained, and no concurrent effects on stimulant use or sexual risk taking were
      observed over the 6-month follow-up. More definitive clinical research is
      necessary to examine the efficacy of ARTEMIS+CM with methamphetamine-using MSM. 

PMID- 26123072
TI  - Towards a standardised training curriculum for robotic surgery.

PMID- 26123073
TI  - Scabies: an ancient global disease with a need for new therapies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Scabies is an ancient disease (documented as far back as 2500 years
      ago). It affects about 300 million people annually worldwide, and the prevalence
      is as high as about 60% in Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander children in
      Australia. This is more than six times the rate seen in the rest of the developed
      world. Scabies is frequently complicated by bacterial infection leading to the
      development of skin sores and other more serious consequences such as septicaemia
      and chronic heart and kidney diseases. This causes a substantial social and
      economic burden especially in resource poor communities around the world.
      DISCUSSION: Very few treatment options are currently available for the management
      of scabies infection. In this manuscript we briefly discuss the clinical
      consequences of scabies and the problems found (studies conducted in Australia)
      with the currently used topical and oral treatments. Current scabies treatment
      options are fairly ineffective in preventing treatment relapse, inflammatory skin
      reactions and associated bacterial skin infections. None have ovicidal,
      antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and/or anti-pruritic properties. Treatments
      which are currently available for scabies can be problematic with adverse effects
      and perhaps of greater concern the risk of treatment failure. The development of
      new chemical entities is doubtful in the near future. Though there may be
      potential for immunological control, the development of a vaccine or other
      immunotherapy modalities may be decades away. The emergence of resistance among
      scabies mites to classical scabicides and ineffectiveness of current treatments
      (in reducing inflammatory skin reactions and secondary bacterial infections
      associated with scabies), raise serious concerns regarding current therapy.
      Treatment adherence difficulties, and safety and efficacy uncertainties in the
      young and elderly, all signal the need to identify new treatments for scabies.

PMID- 26123074
TI  - Investigation of the amount of transdermal exposure of newborn babies to
      phthalates in paper diapers and certification of the safety of paper diapers.
AB  - A risk assessment study of seven phthalates in paper diapers for newborn babies
      produced in Japan was performed. The diapers were purchased and the contents of
      the seven phthalates were determined and estimated amounts of exposure were
      calculated based on the eluted rate into artificial medium of urine or sweat,
      average weight of infants, and frequency of use. Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate and di
      n-butyl phthalate were detected in the topsheets and determined to be 0.6 MUg/g
      and 0.2 MUg/g, respectively. The daily estimated exposure volume was calculated
      to be in the range of 1.86 * 10(-10)-2.98 * 10(-6) mg/kg/day as follows: content
      of seven phthalates in the topsheet (0.1-1 MUg/g) * eluted rate of phthalates
      into artificial sweat (0.0006-2.4%) * weight of the topsheet of a diaper (1.5 g)
      * the number of diapers used per day (12 sheets) * skin absorption rate (0.005
      0.1)/average body weight (2.9 kg). For hazard assessment, we used 0.2-300
      mg/kg/day for the seven phthalates based on the data available at international
      agencies. The margin of exposure to the seven phthalates was 6.71 * 10(4)-1.99 *
      10(11), indicating that the risk of exposure to phthalates from the diapers
      produced in Japan was negligible.

PMID- 26123076
TI  - Fifteen-year experience with the Bicarbon heart valve prosthesis in a single
      center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the
      clinical performance of the Bicarbon valve (Sorin Biomedica Cardio, Saluggia,
      Italy) implanted at our center in Japan. METHODS: Between January 1997 and
      December 2011, 415 patients in our institution were implanted with the Bicarbon
      valve. Nine of these recipients were excluded from the study because they had
      already undergone valve implantation and received a Bicarbon valve in a different
      position. The remaining patients were analyzed for evaluation of the
      postoperative clinical outcomes. Of the 406 patients (mean age 60.2 +/- 11.7
      years), 179 underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR), 149 mitral valve
      replacement (MVR), and 78 both aortic and mitral valve replacement (DVR).
      RESULTS: There were 10 early deaths (2.5 %: 4 in the AVR group and 6 in the MVR
      group). Three hundred eighty-nine patients were followed up (95.8 % completeness
      of follow-up) with a mean follow-up of 6.6 +/- 4.2 years overall (AVR 6.8 +/-
      4.2, MVR, 6.7 +/- 4.4, and DVR 5.7 +/- 3.4 years) and a cumulative follow-up of
      2661 patient-years (1214, 1001, and 446 patient-years for AVR, MVR, and DVR,
      respectively). Ninety-nine patients died (3.7 % per patient-year: 22 valve
      related and 77 valve-unrelated deaths). Survival at 10 years was 74.1 +/- 4.0 %
      in the AVR group, 73.7 +/- 4.2 % in the MVR group, and 61.0 +/- 7.9 % in the DVR
      group. The linearized incidence of thromboembolic complications, bleeding
      complications, prosthetic valve endocarditis, paravalvular leaks, and sudden
      death in all patients was 0.5 %, 0.5 %, 0.2 %, 0.2 %, and 0.4 % per patient-year,
      respectively. The incidence of valve-related complications and reoperation was
      1.6 % and 0.4 %, respectively. No other valve-related complications were
      observed. CONCLUSIONS: The Bicarbon prosthetic heart valve has shown excellent
      clinical results and is associated with a low incidence of valve-related
      complications.

PMID- 26123078
TI  - Distribution of haemic neoplasia of soft-shelled clams in Prince Edward Island:
      an examination of anthropogenic factors and effects of experimental fungicide
      exposure.
AB  - Haemic neoplasia was first considered a disease of concern for soft-shell clams
      in Prince Edward Island (PEI) when it was diagnosed as the cause of mass
      mortalities in 1999. The aetiology of the disease remains elusive, but has been
      associated with environmental degradation. In this study, a 2-year (2001-2002)
      geographic and seasonal survey was conducted for haemic neoplasia, using
      histology, in soft-shell clams from PEI. In addition, using geographic
      information system, the association between anthropogenic factors in the
      watersheds at sites affected by haemic neoplasia and the prevalence of the
      disease was investigated. Finally, histopathological changes were assessed in
      soft-shell clams experimentally exposed to four concentrations of chlorothalonil
      for 27 days. Haemic neoplasia could not be induced at any concentration of
      chlorothalonil. Clams exposed to a concentration of 1000 MUg L(-1) of the
      fungicide, however, exhibited an LC50 of 17 days. Although this information
      provides additional toxicity information (LC50) for soft-shell clams, further
      experiments are required to assess longer term exposure to the fungicide. The
      highest prevalences of haemic neoplasia in PEI were found in North River and
      Miscouche (28.3-50.9% and 33.0-77.8%, respectively). No clear seasonal patterns
      were found. There was a correlation between haemic neoplasia prevalence and
      watersheds with a high percentage of potato acreage and forest coverage (P =
      0.026 and P = 0.045, respectively), suggesting a link between anthropogenic
      activity and the prevalence of the disease.

PMID- 26123077
TI  - Genipin suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation through uncoupling protein-2.
AB  - Incomplete clearance of apoptotic cells and reactive oxygen species (ROS) release
      are known to trigger inflammasome activation causing severe inflammation in acute
      lung injury and various metabolic and autoimmune diseases. Moreover, it has been
      reported that apoptotic cell clearance and ROS-mediated apoptosis critically
      depend on mitochondrial uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2). However, the relationship
      between UCP2 and inflammasome activation has not been studied. This report
      investigates the role of UCP2 in the expression and activation of NACHT, LRR and
      PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in human macrophages. We
      found that UCP2 overexpression significantly enhanced the expression levels of
      NLRP3. The NLRP3 expression levels were significantly suppressed in THP1 cells
      treated with genipin, a UCP2 inhibitor, compared to controls. In addition,
      genipin altered adenosine triphosphate (ATP)- and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
      mediated interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta) secretion and significantly suppressed
      caspase-1 activity in inflammasome-activated human macrophages. Taken together,
      our results suggest that genipin modulates NLRP3 inflammasome activation and ATP-
      or H2O2-mediated IL-1beta release. 

PMID- 26123079
TI  - Prophylaxis of HCV reinfection and direct-acting antiviral agents during liver
      transplantation.

PMID- 26123080
TI  - Association between the polymorphism of C861G (rs6296) in the serotonin 1B
      receptor gene and Tourette syndrome in Han Chinese people.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Clinical, neuroimaging and other studies provided evidence that the
      dysfunction of the serotonin neurotransmitter system were found in Tourette
      syndrome (TS). This study is to explore the association between the polymorphism
      of C861G (rs6296) in HTR1B and TS in Han Chinese people. METHODS: Two hundred
      ninety-nine TS patients (260 TS trios and 39 TS patients) and 388 healthy
      controls were collected. The genotype of HTR1B C861G was detected using Taqman
      probes. The case-control study and family-based study was used separately to
      study association between HTR1B C861G and TS in Han Chinese people. RESULTS: In
      case-control study, no statistically significant difference was found in the
      distribution of HTR1B C861G polymorphism between TS patients and controls (for
      genotype: chi2  = 3.408, P = 0.182; for allele: chi2  = 0.395, P = 0.530, OR =
      0.934, 95%CI: 0.754-1.156). In family-based study, we observed nonsignificant
      over-transmission of the G861 allele in HTR1B to TS offspring using the
      transmission disequilibrium test (TDT), haplotype relative risk (HRR) and
      haplotype-based HRR (HHRR) (TDT chi2  = 0.410, P = 0.560; HRR = 1.151, chi2  =
      0.421, P = 0.517, 95% CI: 0.753-1.759; HHRR = 0.919, chi2  = 0.467, P = 0.495,
      95%CI: 0.720-1.172). DISCUSSION: Our study suggested that the polymorphism of
      HTR1B C861G is not a risk factor for TS in Han Chinese population. However, the
      result should be replicated in larger sample and different population.

PMID- 26123081
TI  - Titmouse calling and foraging are affected by head and body orientation of cat
      predator models and possible experience with real cats.
AB  - Although anti-predator behavior systems have been studied in diverse taxa, less
      is known about how prey species detect and assess the immediate threat posed by a
      predator based on its behavior. In this study, we evaluated a potential cue that
      some species may utilize when assessing predation threat-the predator's body and
      head orientation. We tested the effect of this orientation cue on signaling and
      predation-risk-sensitive foraging of a prey species, tufted titmice (Baeolophus
      bicolor). Earlier work revealed sensitivity of titmice and related species to the
      presence of predator stimuli. Here, we manipulated cat models to face either
      toward or away from a food source preferred by titmice and then measured titmouse
      calling and seed-taking behavior. Titmice showed greater feeder avoidance when
      the cat predator models faced the feeder, compared to when the models faced away
      from the feeder or when titmice were exposed to control stimuli. Titmouse calling
      was also sensitive to predator head/body orientation, depending upon whether
      titmice were from sites where real cats had been observed or not. This study
      experimentally demonstrated that both calling and foraging of prey species can be
      affected by the head and body orientation of an important terrestrial predator.
      Prey species may therefore signal in strategic ways to conspecifics not just
      about predator presence, but also urgency of threat related to the more subtle
      cue of the head and body orientation of the predator. These findings hold
      potential implications for understanding animal cognition and learning processes.

PMID- 26123082
TI  - Some factors affecting performance of rats in the traveling salesman problem.
AB  - The traveling salesman problem (TSP) is used to measure the efficiency of spatial
      route selection. Among researchers in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, it
      has been utilized to examine the mechanisms of decision making, planning, and
      spatial navigation. While both human and non-human animals produce good solutions
      to the TSP, the solution strategies engaged by non-human species are not well
      understood. We conducted two experiments on the TSP using Long-Evans laboratory
      rats as subjects. The first experiment examined the role of arena walls in route
      selection. Rats tend to display thigmotaxis in testing conditions comparable to
      the TSP, which could produce results similar to a convex hull type strategy
      suggested for humans. The second experiment examined the role of turn angle
      between targets along the optimal route, to determine whether rats exhibit a
      preferential turning bias. Our results indicated that both thigmotaxis and
      preferential turn angles do affect performance in the TSP, but neither is
      sufficient as a predictor of route choice in this task. 

PMID- 26123083
TI  - Purification and Identification of Two Antifungal Cyclic Peptides Produced by
      Bacillus amyloliquefaciens L-H15.
AB  - Bacillus amyloliquefaciens L-H15 with broad spectrum antifungal activity was used
      as a biocontrol agent to suppress Fusarium oxysporum and other soil-borne fungal
      plant pathogens. Two antifungal fractions were isolated by bioactivity-guided
      reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The two compounds were
      identified by tandem Q-TOF mass spectroscopy as C15 Iturin A (1) and a novel
      cyclic peptide with a molecular weight of 852.4 Da (2). Both compounds showed
      good inhibitory activities against three plant fungal pathogens in cylinder-plate
      diffusion assay. To our best knowledge, this is the first report on a cyclic
      antifungal peptide with a molecular weight of 852.4 Da. The strong antifungal
      activity suggests that the B. amyloliquefaciens L-H15 and its bioactive
      components might provide an alternative resource for the biocontrol of plant
      diseases and sustainable agriculture. 

PMID- 26123084
TI  - Bioprocess Evaluation of Water Soaking-Based Microbiological Biodegradation with
      Exposure of Cellulosic Microfibers Relevant to Bioconversion Efficiency.
AB  - To verify the interconnective relationship between biodegradation efficiency and
      microfibril structure, recalcitrant rice straw (RS) was depolymerized using water
      soaking-based microbiological biodegradation (WSMB). This eco-friendly biosystem,
      which does not predominantly generate inhibitory metabolites, could increase both
      the hydrolytic accessibility and fermentation efficiency of RS. In detail, when
      swollen RS (with Fenton cascades) was simultaneously bio-treated with
      Phanerochaete chrysosporium for 12 days, the biodegradability was 65.0 % of the
      theoretical maximum at the stationary phase. This value was significantly higher
      than the 30.3 % measured from untreated RS. Similarly, the WSMB platform had an
      effect on the yield enhancement of ethanol productivity of 32.5 %. However,
      uniform exposure of fibril polymers appeared to have little impact on
      bioconversion yields. Additionally, the proteomic pools of the WSMB system were
      analyzed to understand either substrate-specific or nonspecific biocascades based
      on the change in microcomposite materials. Remarkably, regardless of modified
      microfibril chains, the significant pattern of 14 major proteins (|fold| > 2) was
      reasonably analogous in both systems, especially for lignocellulolysis-related
      targets. 

PMID- 26123085
TI  - Defining the RNA-binding glycine-rich (RBG) gene superfamily: new insights into
      nomenclature, phylogeny, and evolutionary trends obtained by genome-wide
      comparative analysis of Arabidopsis, Chinese cabbage, rice and maize genomes.
AB  - RNA-binding glycine-rich (RBG) proteins play diverse roles in plant growth,
      development, protection and genome organization. An overly broad definition for
      class IV glycine-rich proteins (GRPs), namely RNA-binding activity and a glycine
      rich C-terminus, has resulted in many distantly related and/or non-related
      proteins being grouped into this class of RBGs. This definition has hampered the
      study of RBG evolution. In this study, we used a comparative genomic approach
      consisting of ortholog, homolog, synteny and phylogenetic analyses to
      legitimately exclude all distantly/non-related proteins from class IV GRPs and to
      identify 15, 22, 12 and 18 RBG proteins in Arabidopsis, Chinese cabbage, rice and
      maize genomes, respectively. All identified RBGs could be divided into three
      subclasses, namely RBGA, RBGB and RBGD, which may be derived from a common
      ancestor. We assigned RBGs excluded from class IV GRPs to a separate RBG
      superfamily. RBGs have evolved and diversified in different species via different
      mechanisms; segmental duplication and recombination have had major effects, with
      tandem duplication, intron addition/deletion and domain recombination/deletion
      playing minor roles. Loss and retention of duplicated RBGs after polyploidization
      has been species and subclass specific. For example, following recent whole
      genome duplication and triplication in maize and Chinese cabbage, respectively,
      most duplicated copies of RBGA have been lost in maize while RBGD duplicates have
      been retained; in Chinese cabbage, in contrast, RBGA duplicates have been
      retained while RBGD duplicates have been lost. Our findings reveal fundamental
      information and shed new light on the structural characteristics and evolutionary
      dynamics of RBGs. 

PMID- 26123086
TI  - Phacomatosis Melanorosea: A Further Case of an Unusual Skin Disorder.

PMID- 26123087
TI  - Response to letter by Berger: The success of masking should be tested routinely
      and correctly.

PMID- 26123088
TI  - Rowing against the current.

PMID- 26123089
TI  - Not All Retina Is Created Equal: Metabolic Quantification of Ultra-Widefield
      Images.

PMID- 26123090
TI  - Serous Retinopathy Associated with Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase
      Inhibition (Binimetinib) for Metastatic Cutaneous and Uveal Melanoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze the clinical characteristics of a serous retinopathy
      associated with mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibition with
      binimetinib treatment for metastatic cutaneous melanoma (CM) and uveal melanoma
      (UM), and to determine possible pathogenetic mechanisms that may lead to this
      retinopathy. DESIGN: Prospective observational, cohort-based, cross-sectional
      study. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty CM patients and 5 UM patients treated with the MEK
      inhibitor binimetinib (CM) or a combination of binimetinib and the protein kinase
      C inhibitor sotrastaurin (UM). METHODS: Extensive ophthalmic examination was
      performed, including Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study best-corrected
      visual acuity, applanation tonometry, slit-lamp examination, indirect
      ophthalmoscopy, digital color fundus photography, and optical coherence
      tomography (OCT). In selected cases, additional examinations were performed,
      including visual field testing and electro-oculography (EOG). Blood samples were
      obtained from 3 CM patients and 3 UM patients to analyze the presence of
      autoantibodies against retinal and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) proteins.
      MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual symptoms, visual acuity, fundus appearance,
      characteristics on OCT, fundus autofluorescence (FAF), and EOG. RESULTS: Six CM
      patients (20%) and 2 UM patients (40%) reported visual symptoms during the study.
      The median time to the onset of symptoms, which were all mild and transient, was
      3.5 days (range, <1 hour to 3 weeks). On OCT, subretinal fluid (SRF) was detected
      in 77% of CM patients and 60% of UM patients. In the 26 patients with SRF, the
      fovea was affected in 85%. After the start of the medication, an EOG was
      performed in 19 eyes of 11 patients; 16 of these eyes (84%) developed SRF on OCT.
      Fifteen of these eyes (94%) showed an abnormal Arden ratio (<1.65). A broad
      pattern of anti-retinal antibodies was found in 3 CM patients and 2 UM patients
      tested, whereas anti-RPE antibodies were detected in all 6 tested patients.
      CONCLUSIONS: A time-dependent and reversible serous retinopathy can develop both
      in patients with metastatic CM and UM treated with binimetinib. A minority of
      patients develop visual symptoms, which are generally mild and transient. A cause
      of binimetinib-associated serous retinopathy may be toxicity of medication, but
      autoantibodies also may be involved.

PMID- 26123091
TI  - Topical Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Cataract Surgery: A Report by
      the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the available evidence on the effectiveness of prophylactic
      topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in preventing vision loss
      resulting from cystoid macular edema (CME) after cataract surgery. METHODS:
      Literature searches of the PubMed and the Cochrane Library databases were last
      conducted on January 21, 2015, with no date restrictions. The searches retrieved
      149 unique citations. The first author reviewed the abstracts of these articles
      and selected 27 articles of possible clinical relevance for full-text review. Of
      these 27 articles, 12 were deemed relevant to analyze in full. Two additional
      articles were identified from the reference list of the selected articles, and
      another article was identified from a national meeting. The panel methodologist
      assigned ratings of level of evidence to each of the selected citations. RESULTS:
      Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapy was effective in reducing CME
      detected by angiography or optical coherence tomography (OCT) and may increase
      the speed of visual recovery after surgery when compared directly with placebo or
      topical corticosteroid formulations with limited intraocular penetration.
      However, the use of NSAIDs did not alter long-term (>=3 months) visual outcomes.
      Furthermore, there was no evidence that the benefits observed with NSAID therapy
      could not be obtained similarly with equivalent dosing of a corticosteroid. The
      reported impression that there is a pharmacologic drug synergy from the use of
      both an NSAID and a corticosteroid is not supported by the literature. There is
      no uniform method of reporting CME in the literature, which prevents accurate
      assessment of its incidence and response to anti-inflammatory therapies.
      CONCLUSIONS: Cystoid macular edema after cataract surgery has a tendency to
      resolve spontaneously. There is a lack of level I evidence that supports the long
      term benefit of NSAID therapy to prevent vision loss from CME at 3 months or more
      after cataract surgery. Although dosing of NSAIDs before surgery may hasten the
      speed of visual recovery in the first several weeks after cataract surgery, there
      is no evidence that this practice affects long-term visual outcomes. Standardized
      reporting of CME based on OCT may allow for more uniform quantitation of its
      incidence and more reliable assessment of treatment outcomes.

PMID- 26123092
TI  - Rapid evidence assessment: increasing the transparency of an emerging
      methodology.
AB  - RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Within the field of evidence-based practice,
      policy makers, health care professionals and consumers require timely reviews to
      inform decisions on efficacious health care and treatments. Rapid evidence
      assessment (REA), also known as rapid review, has emerged in recent years as a
      literature review methodology that fulfils this need. It highlights what is known
      in a clinical area to the target audience in a relatively short time frame.
      METHODS: This article discusses the lack of transparency and limited critical
      appraisal that can occur in REA, and goes on to propose general principles for
      conducting a REA. The approach that we describe is consistent with the principles
      underlying systematic review methodology, but also makes allowances for the rapid
      delivery of information as required while utilizing explicit and reproducible
      methods at each stage. RESULTS: Our method for conducting REA includes:
      developing an explicit research question in consultation with the end-users;
      clear definition of the components of the research question; development of a
      thorough and reproducible search strategy; development of explicit evidence
      selection criteria; and quality assessments and transparent decisions about the
      level of information to be obtained from each study. In addition, the REA may
      also include an assessment of the quality of the total body of evidence.
      CONCLUSIONS: Transparent reporting of REA methodologies will provide greater
      clarity to end-users about how the information is obtained and about the trade
      offs that are made between speed and rigour.

PMID- 26123093
TI  - Analysis of transtheoretical model of health behavioral changes in a nutrition
      intervention study--a continuous time Markov chain model with Bayesian approach.
AB  - Continuous time Markov chain (CTMC) models are often used to study the
      progression of chronic diseases in medical research but rarely applied to studies
      of the process of behavioral change. In studies of interventions to modify
      behaviors, a widely used psychosocial model is based on the transtheoretical
      model that often has more than three states (representing stages of change) and
      conceptually permits all possible instantaneous transitions. Very little
      attention is given to the study of the relationships between a CTMC model and
      associated covariates under the framework of transtheoretical model. We developed
      a Bayesian approach to evaluate the covariate effects on a CTMC model through a
      log-linear regression link. A simulation study of this approach showed that model
      parameters were accurately and precisely estimated. We analyzed an existing data
      set on stages of change in dietary intake from the Next Step Trial using the
      proposed method and the generalized multinomial logit model. We found that the
      generalized multinomial logit model was not suitable for these data because it
      ignores the unbalanced data structure and temporal correlation between successive
      measurements. Our analysis not only confirms that the nutrition intervention was
      effective but also provides information on how the intervention affected the
      transitions among the stages of change. We found that, compared with the control
      group, subjects in the intervention group, on average, spent substantively less
      time in the precontemplation stage and were more/less likely to move from an
      unhealthy/healthy state to a healthy/unhealthy state.

PMID- 26123094
TI  - Magnetic guidance versus manual control: comparison of radiofrequency lesion
      dimensions and evaluation of the effect of heart wall motion in a myocardial
      phantom.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Magnetic navigation system (MNS) ablation was suspected to be less
      effective and unstable in highly mobile cardiac regions compared to
      radiofrequency (RF) ablations with manual control (MC). The aim of the study was
      to compare the (1) lesion size and (2) stability of MNS versus MC during
      irrigated RF ablation with and without simulated mechanical heart wall motion.
      METHODS: In a previously validated myocardial phantom, the performance of
      Navistar RMT Thermocool catheter (Biosense Webster, CA, USA) guided with MNS was
      compared to manually controlled Navistar irrigated Thermocool catheter (Biosense
      Webster, CA, USA). The lesion dimensions were compared with the catheter in
      inferior and superior orientation, with and without 6-mm simulated wall motion.
      All ablations were performed with 40 W power and 30 ml/ min irrigation for 60 s.
      RESULTS: A total of 60 ablations were performed. The mean lesion volumes with MNS
      and MC were 57.5 +/- 7.1 and 58.1 +/- 7.1 mm(3), respectively, in the inferior
      catheter orientation (n = 23, p = 0.6), 62.8 +/- 9.9 and 64.6 +/- 7.6 mm(3),
      respectively, in the superior catheter orientation (n = 16, p = 0.9). With 6-mm
      simulated wall motion, the mean lesion volumes with MNS and MC were 60.2 +/- 2.7
      and 42.8 +/- 8.4 mm(3), respectively, in the inferior catheter orientation (n =
      11, p = <0.01*), 74.1 +/- 5.8 and 54.2 +/- 3.7 mm(3), respectively, in the
      superior catheter orientation (n = 10, p = <0.01*). During 6-mm simulated wall
      motion, the MC catheter and MNS catheter moved 5.2 +/- 0.1 and 0 mm,
      respectively, in inferior orientation and 5.5 +/- 0.1 and 0 mm, respectively, in
      the superior orientation on the ablation surface. CONCLUSIONS: The lesion
      dimensions were larger with MNS compared to MC in the presence of simulated wall
      motion, consistent with greater catheter stability. However, similar lesion
      dimensions were observed in the stationary model.

PMID- 26123095
TI  - Abundant epicardial adipose tissue surrounding the left atrium predicts early
      rather than late recurrence of atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) surrounding the left atrium has been
      reported to have a pro-arrhythmic influence on atrial myocardium and to play an
      important role in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation (AF). The purpose of
      this study was to explore whether the abundance of EAT correlates with early and
      late recurrences of AF after ablation. METHODS: We included 53 consecutive
      patients with drug-refractory AF scheduled for ablation. Early and late
      recurrences were defined as atrial tachyarrhythmias within and after 3 months
      following the ablation procedure, respectively. The total and left atrial EAT
      volumes were obtained by 320-detector-row multislice computed tomography.
      RESULTS: During a follow-up period of 16 +/- 4 months, early and late recurrences
      occurred in 29 (55 %) and 12 (23 %) patients, respectively. The left atrial EAT
      volume was larger in patients with than without early recurrence (35.1 +/- 13.1
      vs. 25.0 +/- 9.5 cm(3), p = 0.002); however, there was no difference in the total
      EAT volume between the two groups (98.5 +/- 45.7 vs. 94.5 +/- 35.2 cm(3), p =
      0.72). A multivariate analysis revealed that a large left atrial EAT volume,
      persistent AF, and large left atrial volume were independent predictors of early
      recurrence. Conversely, there was no significant difference in left atrial (29.3
      +/- 14.6 vs. 29.7 +/- 11.7 cm(3), p = 0.93) and total EAT (91.0 +/- 50.1 vs. 97.9
      +/- 37.0 cm(3), p = 0.66) volumes between patients with and without late
      recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: The abundance of left atrial EAT independently predicted
      early recurrence after AF ablation; on the contrary, it did not have an impact on
      late recurrence. Left atrial EAT may have a pro-arrhythmic influence, especially
      in the early post-ablation phase.

PMID- 26123096
TI  - Impaired adaptation to left atrial pressure increase in patients with atrial
      fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND OR PURPOSE: Episodes of left atrial (LA) pressure increase predispose
      to atrial fibrillation (AF). The adaptation of LA mechanical function and
      electrophysiology to pressure elevation in healthy adults, and in patients with
      AF, is largely unknown. METHODS: Eleven patients with left-sided accessory
      pathway (controls) and 16 patients with paroxysmal AF undergoing catheter
      ablation were studied. LA pressure (LAP) was recorded through transseptal
      catheterization, while speckle tracking-derived peak LA longitudinal strain
      (PALS) was measured using transthoracic echocardiography. Stiffness index (SI)
      was calculated as mean LAP/PALS. Effective refractory period (ERP) of the LA was
      determined during simultaneous atrioventricular (AV) pacing and during atrial
      pacing. RESULTS: At baseline, AF patients had higher LA pressure (mean LAP 8.3 +/
      4.7 vs. 5.1 +/- 3.1 mmHg, p = 0.048), reduced LA mechanical function (PALS 15.1
      +/- 5.1 vs. 21.6 +/- 6.2 %, p = 0.006, SI 0.69 +/- 0.75 vs. 0.28 +/- 0.22, p =
      0.015), and longer LA ERP (242.3 +/- 33.4 vs. 211.7 +/- 15.6 ms, p = 0.017). Mean
      LAP was increased to the same extent by AV pacing in controls and AF patients
      (mean change 12.6 +/- 7.4 vs. 12.6 +/- 7.5 mmHg, p = 0.980). At the same time
      PALS decreased (from 15.1 +/- 5.1 to 11.6 +/- 3.3 %, p = 0.008), SI increased
      (from 0.69 +/- 0.75 to 1.29 +/- 1.17, p < 0.001) and ERP shortened (from 242.3 +/
      33.4 to 215.9 +/- 26.3 ms, p = 0.003) in AF patients, while they remained
      unchanged in controls. CONCLUSIONS: The stiffened LA in patients with AF responds
      to acute pressure elevation with an exaggerated increase in wall tension and
      decrease in ERP, which is not seen in the normal LA. This may underlie the
      propensity for AF during episodes of atrial stretch in these patients.

PMID- 26123097
TI  - A review of causal mechanisms underlying the link between age-related hearing
      loss and cognitive decline.
AB  - Accumulating evidence points to a link between age-related hearing loss and
      cognitive decline, but their relationship is not clear. Does one cause the other,
      or does some third factor produce both? The answer has critical implications for
      prevention, rehabilitation, and health policy but has been difficult to establish
      for several reasons. First, determining a causal relationship in natural,
      correlational samples is problematic, and hearing and cognition are difficult to
      measure independently. Here, we critically review the evidence for a link between
      hearing loss and cognitive decline. We conclude that the evidence is convincing,
      but that the effects are small when hearing is measured audiometrically. We
      review four different directional hypotheses that have been offered as
      explanations for such a link, and conclude that no single hypothesis is
      sufficient. We introduce a framework that highlights that hearing and cognition
      rely on shared neurocognitive resources, and relate to each other in several
      different ways. We also discuss interventions for sensory and cognitive decline
      that may permit more causal inferences.

PMID- 26123098
TI  - Slow light response kinetics in rods points towards a perturbation of the normal
      cellular milieu.

PMID- 26123099
TI  - Reply from Nan Ge Jin, Alice Z. Chuang, Philippe J. Masson and Christophe P.
      Ribelayga.

PMID- 26123100
TI  - Melatonin regulates the transcription of betaAPP-cleaving secretases mediated
      through melatonin receptors in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells.
AB  - Melatonin is involved in the control of various physiological functions, such as
      sleep, cell growth and free radical scavenging. The ability of melatonin to
      behave as an antioxidant, together with the fact that the Alzheimer-related
      amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) triggers oxidative stress through hydroxyl radical
      induced cell death, suggests that melatonin could reduce Alzheimer's pathology.
      Although the exact etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains to be
      established, excess Abeta is believed to be the primary contributor to the
      dysfunction and degeneration of neurons that occurs in AD. Abeta peptides are
      produced via the sequential cleavage of beta-secretase beta-site APP-cleaving
      enzyme 1 (BACE1) and gamma-secretase (PS1/PS2), while alpha-secretase (ADAM10)
      prevents the production of Abeta peptides. We hypothesized that melatonin could
      inhibit BACE1 and PS1/PS2 and enhance ADAM10 expression. Using the human neuronal
      SH-SY5Y cell line, we found that melatonin inhibited BACE1 and PS1 and activated
      ADAM10 mRNA level and protein expression in a concentration-dependent manner and
      mediated via melatonin G protein-coupled receptors. Melatonin inhibits BACE1 and
      PS1 protein expressions through the attenuation of nuclear factor-kappaB
      phosphorylation (pNF-kappaB). Moreover, melatonin reduced BACE1 promoter
      transactivation and consequently downregulated beta-secretase catalytic activity.
      The present data show that melatonin is not only a potential regulator of
      beta/gamma-secretase but also an activator of alpha-secretase expression through
      the activation of protein kinase C, thereby favoring the nonamyloidogenic pathway
      over the amyloidogenic pathway. Altogether, our findings suggest that melatonin
      may be a potential therapeutic agent for reducing the risk of AD in humans. 

PMID- 26123102
TI  - The Effect of Early Postoperative Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on
      Pancreatic Fistula Following Pancreaticoduodenectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used commonly for
      postoperative analgesia but can potentially impair healing. Their effect on
      pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) outcomes is unknown. We sought to examine the impact
      of early postoperative NSAIDs on pancreatic fistula (PF) after PD. METHODS: We
      reviewed our prospective pancreatectomy database supplemented by medication
      administration records, including all PDs from 2002 to 2012. Primary outcome was
      occurrence of clinically significant (grade B-C) PF. Secondary outcomes included
      major morbidity (Clavien grade III-V) and 90-day mortality. Patients were
      compared based on early postoperative NSAID use (first 3 days following surgery)
      using univariate and multivariate analyses. Subgroup analyses were conducted
      based on NSAID type (COX-2 inhibitors and non-selective inhibitors). RESULTS: We
      included 251 PDs, of whom 127 (50.6%) patients received NSAIDs postoperatively
      (35.5% COX-2 inhibitors, 18.3% non-selective inhibitors, and 4.4% both). Use of
      any NSAIDs was associated with a non-significant increase in PF (16.5 vs 11.3%%;
      p = 0.23), and no difference in major morbidity and mortality. Use of non
      selective inhibitors was not associated with an increase in PF (8.7 vs 15.1%; p =
      0.256). COX-2 inhibitors were associated with increased PF (20.2 vs 10.5 %; p =
      0.033), but no difference in major morbidity or mortality. After adjusting for
      Charlson comorbidity and estimated blood loss, use of COX-2 inhibitors was
      independently associated with PF (odds ratio 2.12; p = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: COX-2
      inhibitors are associated with PF in the early postoperative period. While non
      selective inhibitors appear safe in this setting, caution is warranted with the
      use of COX-2 inhibitors.

PMID- 26123103
TI  - SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated carcinoma of the ovary (small cell carcinoma,
      hypercalcemic type): clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study of 3 cases.
AB  - Small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type is a very rare aggressive
      neoplasm of unknown histogenesis, affecting mainly girls and young women.
      Recently, inactivating mutations in SMARCA4 (BRG1), a member of the
      switch/sucrose nonfermenting chromatin remodeling complex, has been identified as
      driver events in most cases. We herein describe 3 cases in 34, 34, and 37-year
      old women. Symptoms were mainly abdominal pain and mass. One patient was
      normocalcemic, and the other 2 had no preoperative serum calcium values
      available. All patients received radical hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy,
      lymphadenectomy, and variable multimodality therapy. Two developed abdominal
      recurrences/metastases and died of disease at 4 and 12 months. One patient was
      alive without disease 17 months after surgery and radiochemotherapy. Histologic
      examination showed undifferentiated neoplasms composed of diffuse sheets, nests
      and cords of noncohesive monomorphic small blue/basaloid cells (classic variant,
      1 case), and large undifferentiated/rhabdoid cells with abundant cytoplasm (large
      cell/rhabdoid variant, 2 case) admixed with minor small cell areas. One case
      contained rare isolated goblet cells, but true glandular component was absent.
      All tumors expressed vimentin and variably pancytokeratin and WT1. Nuclear
      SMARCB1 was intact in all cases (1 case showed small foci with mosaic loss). All
      tumors showed complete loss of SMARCA4. In conclusion, SMARCA4
      immunohistochemistry represents a highly valuable emerging tool in identifying
      small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type in routine practice.
      Distinguishing this aggressive neoplasm from juvenile granulosa cell tumor and
      other undifferentiated ovarian cancers is mandatory in selecting appropriate
      chemotherapeutic regimens and would allow better characterization of this entity,
      for which targeted molecular therapy still remains to be established. 

PMID- 26123105
TI  - A new safety channel based on 17N detection in research reactors.
AB  - Tehran research reactor (TRR) is a representative of pool type research reactors
      using light water, as coolant and moderator. This reactor is chosen as a
      prototype to demonstrate and prove the feasibility of (17)N detection as a new
      redundant channel for reactor power measurement. In TRR, similar to other pool
      type reactors, neutron detectors are immersed in the pool around the core as the
      main power measuring devices. In the present article, a different approach, using
      out of water neutron detector, is employed to measure reactor power. This new
      method is based on (17)O (n,p) (17)N reaction taking place inside the core and
      subsequent measurement of delayed neutrons emitted due to (17)N disintegration.
      Count and measurement of neutrons around outlet water pipe provides a reliable
      redundant safety channel to measure reactor power. Results compared with other
      established channels indicate a good agreement and shows a linear interdependency
      with true thermal power. Safety of reactor operation is improved with
      installation & use of this new power measuring channel. The new approach may
      equally serve well as a redundant channel in all other types of reactors having
      coolant comprised of oxygen in its molecular constituents. Contrary to existing
      channels, this one is totally out of water and thus is an advantage over current
      instrumentations. It is proposed to employ the same idea on other reactors
      (nuclear power plants too) to improve safety criteria. 

PMID- 26123101
TI  - The clearance effect of bovine anti-Helicobacter pylori antibody-containing milk
      in O blood group Helicobacter pylori-infected patients: a randomized double-blind
      clinical trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The failure in standard triple therapy has recently increased to high
      levels in China, primarily because of insufficient patient compliance,
      antimicrobial resistance, and high costs. Effective prevention and eradication of
      Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) by artificial passive immunization with orally
      administered bovine antibodies in the milk has been demonstrated in many animal
      studies, but the clinical studies that are available have shown no H. pylori
      eradication. This study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of orally
      administered bovine anti-H. pylori antibodies for the clearance of H. pylori
      infecting O blood group subpopulations. METHODS: Two local epidemic H. pylori
      strains that were prevalent locally were screened and then used to immunize dairy
      cows. After confirmation of the presence of anti-H. pylori polyclonal antibodies
      in the milk by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the milk was subsequently
      defatted and processed into sterile milk by pasteurization. This study was
      designed as a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial. Our 61
      H. pylori-infected O blood group subjects were assigned to two groups; 31
      subjects were treated with bovine milk containing antibodies and 30 subjects with
      the placebo. The medication-based study was continued for 28 days. Subjects were
      followed up for 56 days. The effect was assessed by the C-14 urea breath test
      (UBT). SPSS 17.0 software for Windows was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Of
      the 61 subjects enrolled, 58 completed the protocol. One volunteer in the
      antibodies group and two volunteers in the control group dropped out. Of the 30
      antibody-treated subjects, 13 became UBT negative, whereas none of the 30 of the
      placebo-treated subjects became UBT negative after the medication. Of 13 UBT
      negative patients, 3 became positive again at the end of the follow-up. Both
      intention to treat and per-protocol analysis indicated a significant difference
      in the clearance rate of infected patients between the groups treated with bovine
      antibody-containing milk and the placebo (P = 0.001, P < 0.05) and no significant
      difference in adverse effects (P > 0.05 all). CONCLUSIONS: Bovine antibody-based
      oral immunotherapy appears to be safe and has a significant clearance effect on
      intragastric H. pylori that infects O blood group adults. TRIAL REGISTRATION:
      ChiCTR-TRC-14005212.

PMID- 26123104
TI  - Status epilepticus induction has prolonged effects on the efficacy of
      antiepileptic drugs in the 6-Hz seizure model.
AB  - Several factors may influence the efficacy of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in
      patients with epilepsy, and treatment resistance could be related to genetics,
      neuronal network alterations, and modification of drug transporters or targets.
      Consequently, preclinical models used for the identification of potential new,
      more efficacious AEDs should reflect at least a few of these factors. Previous
      studies indicate that induction of status epilepticus (SE) may alter drug
      efficacy and that this effect could be long-lasting. In this context, we wanted
      to assess the protective effects of mechanistically diverse AEDs in mice
      subjected to pilocarpine-induced SE in another seizure model. We first determined
      seizure thresholds in mice subjected to pilocarpine-induced SE in the 6-Hz model,
      2 weeks and 8 weeks following SE. We then evaluated the protective effects of
      mechanistically diverse AEDs in post-SE and control animals. No major differences
      in 6-Hz seizure susceptibility were observed between control groups, while the
      seizure threshold of pilocarpine mice at 8 weeks after SE was higher than at 2
      weeks and higher than in control groups. Treatment with AEDs revealed major
      differences in drug response depending on their mechanism of action. Diazepam
      produced a dose-dependent protection against 6-Hz seizures in control and
      pilocarpine mice, both at 2 weeks and 8 weeks after SE, but with a more
      pronounced increase in potency in post-SE animals at 2 weeks. Levetiracetam
      induced a potent and dose-dependent protection in pilocarpine mice, 2 weeks after
      SE, while its protective effects were observed only at much higher doses in
      control mice. Its potency decreased in post-SE mice at 8 weeks and was very
      limited (30% protection at the highest tested dose) in the control group.
      Carbamazepine induced a dose-dependent protection at 2 weeks in control mice but
      only limited effect (50% at the highest tested dose) in pilocarpine mice. Its
      efficacy deeply decreased in post-SE mice at 8 weeks after SE. Perampanel and
      phenytoin showed almost comparable protective effects in all groups of mice.
      These experiments confirm that prior SE may have an impact on both potency and
      efficacy of AEDs and indicate that this effect may be dependent on the underlying
      epileptogenic processes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Status
      Epilepticus".

PMID- 26123106
TI  - Development of a surrogate model for elemental analysis using a natural gamma ray
      spectroscopy tool.
AB  - A systematic computational method for obtaining accurate elemental standards
      efficiently for varying borehole conditions was developed based on Monte Carlo
      simulations, surrogate modeling, and data assimilation. Elemental standards are
      essential for spectral unfolding in formation evaluation applications commonly
      used for nuclear well logging tools. Typically, elemental standards are obtained
      by standardized measurements, but these experiments are expensive and lack the
      flexibility to address different logging conditions. In contrast, computer-based
      Monte Carlo simulations provide an accurate and more flexible approach to
      obtaining elemental standards for formation evaluation. The presented
      computational method recognizes that in contrast to typical neutron-photon
      simulations, where the source is typically artificial and well characterized
      (Galford, 2009), an accurate knowledge of the source is essential for matching
      the obtained Monte Carlo elemental standards with their experimental
      counterparts. Therefore, source distributions are adjusted to minimize the L2
      difference of the Monte Carlo computed and experimental standards. Subsequently,
      an accurate surrogate model is developed accounting for different casing and
      cement thicknesses, and tool positions within the borehole. The adjusted source
      distributions are then utilized to generate and validate spectra for varying
      borehole conditions: tool position, casing and cement thickness. The effect of
      these conditions on the spectra are investigated and discussed in this work.
      Given that Monte Carlo modeling provides much lower cost and more flexibility,
      employing Monte Carlo could enhance the processing of nuclear tool logging data
      computed standards. 

PMID- 26123107
TI  - Characterizations of BC501A and BC537 liquid scintillator detectors.
AB  - Two 2"*2" liquid scintillator detectors BC537 and BC501A have been characterized
      for their responses and efficiencies to gamma-ray detection. Light output
      resolution and response functions were derived by least-squares minimization of a
      simulated response function, fitted to experimental data. The gamma-ray response
      matrix and detection efficiency were simulated with Monte Carlo (MC) methods and
      validated. For photon energies below 2.4 MeVee, the resolution, as well as the
      efficiency, of BC501A is better than BC537 scintillator. The situation is
      reversed when the energy is higher than 2.4 MeVee. BC537 has higher gamma-ray
      detection efficiency than BC501A if the impinging photon energy is more than 2
      MeV due to different ratios of C to H/D atoms.

PMID- 26123109
TI  - How cells coordinate waste removal through their major proteolytic pathways.
AB  - The eukaryotic cell uses two complex machineries to degrade unwanted proteins.
      The first is the ubiquitin-proteasome system and the second is autophagy. A new
      study contributes to our understanding of how the two systems interconnect to
      coordinate protein degradation. 

PMID- 26123110
TI  - Rubicon swaps autophagy for LAP.
AB  - Phagocytic cells engulf their prey into vesicular structures called phagosomes,
      of which a certain proportion becomes demarcated for enhanced maturation by a
      process called LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP). Light has now been shed on the
      molecular requirements of LAP, establishing a central role for the protein
      Rubicon in the immune response to Aspergillus fumigatus. 

PMID- 26123108
TI  - Proteostasis control by the unfolded protein response.
AB  - Stress induced by accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum
      is observed in many physiological and pathological conditions. To cope with
      endoplasmic reticulum stress, cells activate the unfolded protein response, a
      dynamic signalling network that orchestrates the recovery of homeostasis or
      triggers apoptosis, depending on the level of damage. Here we provide an overview
      of recent insights into the mechanisms that cells employ to maintain proteostasis
      and how the unfolded protein response determines cell fate under endoplasmic
      reticulum stress. 

PMID- 26123111
TI  - Super-resolution links vinculin localization to function in focal adhesions.
AB  - Integrin-based focal adhesions integrate biochemical and biomechanical signals
      from the extracellular matrix and the actin cytoskeleton. The combination of
      three-dimensional super-resolution imaging and loss- or gain-of-function protein
      mutants now links the nanoscale dynamic localization of proteins to their
      activation and function within focal adhesions. 

PMID- 26123112
TI  - Kinetochore components are required for central spindle assembly.

PMID- 26123113
TI  - MCUR1 is an essential component of mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake that regulates
      cellular metabolism.

PMID- 26123114
TI  - The influence of dietary restriction on hepatic mononuclear cell numbers and
      functions in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical patients with gastrointestinal malignancies are at increased
      risk for malnutrition. However, the mechanism by which dietary restriction (DR),
      one form of malnutrition, impairs hepatic immunity remains to be clarified. The
      present study was designed to examine the influence of DR on hepatic mononuclear
      cell (MNC) numbers, subpopulations, and cytokine productions (tumor necrosis
      factor alpha [TNF-alpha], interferon gamma [IFN-gamma], and interleukin 10 [IL
      10]) in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice. Immunoglobulin (Ig) A
      levels in the gallbladder and histopathologic changes in the liver were also
      assessed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Male Institute of Cancer Research mice were
      randomly assigned to three dietary groups: ad libitum (AD), mild restriction
      (MR), and severe restriction (SR). The AD, MR, and SR groups received daily mouse
      chow in amounts of 190, 133, and 76 g/kg, respectively, for 7 d. After the mice
      had been fed for 7 d, hepatic MNCs were isolated. Total hepatic MNCs were counted
      and subpopulations were determined by flow cytometry. Cytokine productions (TNF
      alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL-10) by hepatic MNCs in response to LPS were measured.
      Blood samples were analyzed for hepatobiliary biochemical parameters. IgA levels
      in gallbladder bile were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In
      addition, liver histologies were examined. RESULTS: Hepatic MNC numbers were
      significantly lower in the MR and SR groups than in the AD group, with no
      significant difference between the MR and SR groups. The percentage of B cells
      was significantly lower in the SR group than in the MR and AD groups, whereas the
      T-cell percentage was higher in the SR group than in the MR and AD groups. The
      percentage of Kupffer cells was significantly lower in the SR group than in the
      AD group, whereas that in the MR group was midway between those in the SR and AD
      groups. TNF-alpha and IL-10 levels in hepatic MNC culture supernatants were
      increased LPS-dose dependently in the AD group. However, the increase was slight
      in the MR group and absent in the SR group. The IgA levels in gallbladder bile
      were significantly lower in the SR and MR groups than in the AD group. On the
      basis of hematoxylin and eosin staining of hepatic sections, livers from the SR
      group showed atrophic hepatocytes and sinusoidal dilatation, whereas these
      changes were absent in the AD group. CONCLUSIONS: DR decreases hepatic MNC number
      with subpopulation changes, reduces IgA levels in gallbladder bile, blunts
      cytokine production by hepatic MNCs, and induces pathologic damage in the liver,
      which may be an important mechanism underlying the impaired host defense
      associated with malnutrition.

PMID- 26123115
TI  - Establishment of swine-penetrating craniocerebral gunshot wound model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bullet-induced brain wounds are common among military personnel in
      war zones and among civilians with gun accidents or crime-related gun injuries.
      The goal of this study was to develop a nonfatal porcine model of penetrating
      craniocerebral gunshot wound (PCGW) by firing a projectile in live swine to
      induce PCGW in such a realistic manner as to reconstruct their physical
      characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We established a nonfatal porcine model
      of PCGW based on a custom-designed experimental gun that emulates the shooting of
      a 5.56-mm NATO standard rifle at 800 m (317 m/s; 200.9 J). Commercial swine (n =
      20) were subjected to a ballistic wound to the bilateral frontal lobe, and four
      swine were used as controls. Surviving swine were used in subsequent first-aid,
      management, and monitoring experiments for neurosurgeons. Various physiological
      variables were measured continuously. After computed tomography (CT) scanning and
      three-dimensional CT reconstructions, all pigs underwent primary lifesaving
      emergency interventions, including emergency decompressive craniotomies and
      hemorrhage control. RESULTS: In our nonfatal porcine model of PCGW, injuries were
      comparable in their morphology to real gunshot wounds, as evidenced by analysis
      of wound characteristics and CT scan images. The survival rates of the pigs were
      100% within 2 h, 95% within 6 h, 85% within 12 h, and 85% within 24 h (P < 0.01).
      Hemodynamics, hematology, blood routine biochemistry, coagulation, and other
      physiological parameters also exhibited significant changes in the PCGW pigs.
      CONCLUSIONS: This model makes possible the laboratory reproduction of real
      ballistic wounds in a live large animal model that is close to humans.

PMID- 26123116
TI  - Radiotherapy: The tyranny of distance.

PMID- 26123117
TI  - Linking Precursor Alterations to Nanoscale Structure and Optical Transparency in
      Polymer Assisted Fast-Rate Dip-Coating of Vanadium Oxide Thin Films.
AB  - Solution processed metal oxide thin films are important for modern optoelectronic
      devices ranging from thin film transistors to photovoltaics and for functional
      optical coatings. Solution processed techniques such as dip-coating, allow thin
      films to be rapidly deposited over a large range of surfaces including curved,
      flexible or plastic substrates without extensive processing of comparative vapour
      or physical deposition methods. To increase the effectiveness and versatility of
      dip-coated thin films, alterations to commonly used precursors can be made that
      facilitate controlled thin film deposition. The effects of polymer assisted
      deposition and changes in solvent-alkoxide dilution on the morphology, structure,
      optoelectronic properties and crystallinity of vanadium pentoxide thin films was
      studied using a dip-coating method using a substrate withdrawal speed within the
      fast-rate draining regime. The formation of sub-100 nm thin films could be
      achieved rapidly from dilute alkoxide based precursor solutions with high optical
      transmission in the visible, linked to the phase and film structure. The effects
      of the polymer addition was shown to change the crystallized vanadium pentoxide
      thin films from a granular surface structure to a polycrystalline structure
      composed of a high density of smaller in-plane grains, resulting in a uniform
      surface morphology with lower thickness and roughness. 

PMID- 26123118
TI  - Descriptive study of carers' support, encouragement and modelling of healthy
      lifestyle behaviours in residential out-of-home care.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Given the high prevalence of overweight/obesity among young people in
      residential out-of-home care (OOHC), and as their carers are in loco parentis,
      this research aimed: 1) to examine the healthy lifestyle cognitions and
      behaviours of residential carers; and 2) to describe resources needed to improve
      diet and/or physical activity outcomes for residents. METHODS: Cross-sectional
      data were collected from 243 residential carers. Measures included: demographics;
      knowledge of dietary/physical activity recommendations; self-reported
      encouragement/importance of health behaviours; physical activity/screen time (at
      work); unit 'healthiness'; and necessary resources for creating a healthy
      environment. RESULTS: Staff placed importance on the residents eating well and
      being physically active. However, examination of carer knowledge found
      significant gaps in staff education. Three key priority areas were identified to
      help build a healthy food and activity environment in residential OOHC: funding,
      professional development and policy. CONCLUSION: Carer knowledge of healthy
      lifestyles can be improved and they need to be well resourced to ensure children
      in public care settings live in a healthy environment. IMPLICATIONS: These
      findings may inform the development of ongoing professional development to
      improve carers' health literacy, as well as policy to support dietary/activity
      guidelines for the OOHC sector.

PMID- 26123119
TI  - TP53 overexpression is an independent adverse prognostic factor in de novo
      myelodysplastic syndromes with fibrosis.
AB  - Bone marrow (BM) fibrosis is associated with poor prognosis in patients with de
      novo myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). TP53 mutations and TP53 (p53)
      overexpression in MDS are also associated with poor patient outcomes. The
      prevalence and significance of TP53 mutations and TP53 overexpression in MDS with
      fibrosis are unknown. We studied 67 patients with de novo MDS demonstrating
      moderate to severe reticulin fibrosis (MDS-F). Expression of TP53 was evaluated
      in BM core biopsy specimens using dual-colour CD34/TP53 immunohistochemistry with
      computer-assisted image analysis. Mutation analysis was performed using next
      generation sequencing, or Sanger sequencing methods. TP53 mutations were present
      in 47.1% of cases. TP53 mutation was significantly associated with TP53
      expression (P = 0.0294). High levels of TP53 expression (3 +  in >=10% cells)
      were associated with higher BM blast counts (P = 0.0149); alterations of
      chromosomes 5 (P = 0.0009) or 7 (P = 0.0141); complex karyotype (P = 0.0002);
      high- and very-high risk IPSS-R groups (P = 0.009); and TP53 mutations (P =
      0.0003). High TP53 expression independently predicted shorter overall survival
      (OS) by multivariate analysis (P = <0.001). Expression of TP53 by CD34-positive
      cells was associated with shorter OS and leukaemia-free survival (P = 0.0428).
      TP53 overexpression is a predictor of poor outcome in patients with MDS-F. 

PMID- 26123120
TI  - Which, when and why? Rational use of tissue-based molecular testing in localized
      prostate cancer.
AB  - An increased molecular understanding of localized prostate cancer and the
      improved ability for molecular testing of pathologic tissue has led to the
      development of multiple clinical assays. Here we review the relevant molecular
      biology of localized prostate cancer, currently available tissue-based tests and
      describe which is best supported for use in various clinical scenarios.
      Literature regarding testing of human prostate cancer tissue with Ki-67, PTEN (by
      immunohistochemistry (IHC) or fluroescence in situ hybridization (FISH)),
      ProMark, Prolaris, OncotypeDX Prostate and Decipher was reviewed to allow for
      generation of expert opinions. At diagnosis, evaluation of PTEN status, use of
      ProMark or OncotypeDX Prostate in men with Gleason 6 or 3+4=7 disease may help
      guide the use of active surveillance. For men with Gleason 7 or above disease
      considering watchful waiting, Ki-67 and Prolaris add independent prognostic
      information. For those men who have undergone prostatectomy and have adverse
      pathology, Decipher testing may aid in the decision to undergo adjuvant
      radiation. Newly available molecular tests bring opportunities to improve
      decision making for men with localized prostate cancer. A review of the currently
      available data suggests clinical scenarios for which each of these tests may have
      the greatest utility. 

PMID- 26123121
TI  - Fabrication of SnO2-SnO nanocomposites with p-n heterojunctions for the low
      temperature sensing of NO2 gas.
AB  - In this report, the fabrication of a novel SnO2-SnO nanostructure with p-n
      heterojunctions has been achieved through a facile one-pot and low-cost
      hydrothermal process. The structure and properties of the nanocomposite were
      analyzed with X-ray techniques and electron microscopy. HRTEM characterization
      showed that the p-n heterojunctions were formed with small n-type SnO2
      nanocrystals dispersed on the surface of large p-type SnO crystals. Compared to
      the single SnO2-based material, a gas sensor fabricated from the SnO2-SnO
      composite exhibited an enhanced sensing performance for NO2 gas detection, with a
      limit of detection and sensitivity of 0.1 ppm and 0.26 ppm(-1), respectively, at
      a relatively low operating temperature (50  degrees C). Moreover, the p-n
      heterojunctions exhibited high sensing selectivity for NO2. Such a high sensing
      sensitivity and a low operating temperature make the SnO2-SnO p-n nanomaterial a
      promising gas sensor for practical NO2 gas detection. The improved sensing
      response characteristics of the hybrid material could be attributed to the p-n
      junctions formed through the in situ growth of SnO2 nanocrystals on SnO
      nanoplates. The present study is helpful for the design of novel gas sensing
      materials and the development of NO2 gas sensors. 

PMID- 26123122
TI  - Early versus delayed laparoscopic common bile duct exploration for common bile
      duct stone-related nonsevere acute cholangitis.
AB  - It is undetermined when and how laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE)
      should be used in patients with common bile duct (CBD) stone-related nonsevere
      acute cholangitis. We aimed to evaluate the effect of LCBDE on the clinical
      outcome of those patients within (early) or beyond (delayed) 72 hours of emergent
      admission. Surgery-related complications, length of hospital stay (LOS), and
      total cost, as well as demographic and clinical parameters were compared between
      the two groups. Finally, 3 and 5 patients in early and delayed LCBDE group,
      respectively, had retained stones, which were removed by choledochoscopy before T
      tube was removed. Each group had 3 patients who developed biliary leak, which was
      conservatively cured by the drainage. Shorter LOS and less total cost were
      observed in early group compared to the late one (13.34 +/- 4.48 vs. 18.32 +/-
      9.13, p < 0.05; 17712 +/- 5446.63 vs. 21776 +/- 7230.41 YRMB, p < 0.05).
      Improvement of cholangitis was achieved in all patients with LCBDE. None of the
      patients developed stricture of the CBD after LCBDE. To conclude, both early and
      delayed LCBDE are safe and effective for the treatment of CBD stone-related
      nonsevere acute cholangitis during emergent admissions. Early LCBDE may be
      superior to delayed procedure due to the shorter LOS and less cost. 

PMID- 26123123
TI  - Needs and priorities of women with endometrial and cervical cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Rehabilitation after cancer is important, and efficient
      rehabilitation requires knowledge of patient's needs. This study aimed to
      identify short-term rehabilitation needs of women with endometrial and cervical
      cancer. METHODS: Ninety-six women (82.6%) were included in an exploratory
      questionnaire study from Odense University Hospital from September 2011 to March
      2012. Needs were assessed pre-treatment and 3 months later using the three-levels
      of-needs questionnaire. Furthermore, 16 women participated in focus group
      interviews following the treatment. The interviews were audio-recorded,
      transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. RESULTS: Forty-four of the
      included women were diagnosed with cervical cancer (median age 45 years). Of
      these, 22 had FIGO-stage 1 disease (50%) and 23 received radiation therapy
      (52.3%). The remaining 52 women (median age 66.5 years) were diagnosed with
      endometrial cancer. Of these, 38 had FIGO-stage 1 disease (73.1%) and 25 were
      treated with laparoscopic surgery (48.1%). Emotional functioning was
      significantly worse prior to treatment in both the cancers (p < 0.001 cervical
      and p = 0.002 endometrial) and worry constituted an unmet need in 70.7% of
      cervical and 34.7% of endometrial cancer patients. Both the patient groups
      experienced significant lymphedema post-treatment [endometrial cancer (p = 0.006)
      and cervical cancer (p = 0.002)]. Further, urological problems were more
      prevalent post-treatment in endometrial cancer patients (p = 0.018), while sexual
      problems were of specific concern for cervical cancer patients (p = 0.029).
      However, in both cancer groups, the mean problem intensity scores were comparable
      to normative data, suggesting that the majority of patients will not require
      extensive rehabilitation. Qualitative analysis indicated that treatment modality
      and marital status severely impacted on coping, suggesting that irradiated and
      single women are at higher risk of developing rehabilitation needs. Additionally,
      women younger than 55 years more often requested help dealing with sexual and
      psychological complications. DISCUSSION: Women with endometrial and cervical
      cancer experience emotional problems prior to therapy and lymphedema, and
      urological and sexual problems following treatment. An awareness of these
      problems may facilitate early identification of women with unmet needs and enable
      individualized follow-up adjusted for such patient's needs. Interventions aimed
      at improving sexual and psychological functioning should be available.

PMID- 26123124
TI  - HLA-B*59:09, a novel allele identified by sequence-based typing in a cord blood
      donated by a Korean woman.
AB  - The new allele B*59:09 showed two nucleotide differences with B*59:01:01:01 in
      exon 3. 

PMID- 26123125
TI  - The predominant cluster of CRF01_AE circulating among newly diagnosed HIV-1
      positive people in Anhui Province, China.
AB  - CRF01_AE, which has led a new epidemic in many provinces in China and has
      displayed complex characteristics, has now evolved into multiple clusters in
      China. Some clusters often circulate in specific regions or among specific risk
      populations in China. To better determine the characteristics of CRF01_AE
      circulating in Anhui Province, we analyzed CRF01_AE based on gag and pol
      sequences. Our results showed that CRF01_AE circulating in Anhui Province was
      clearly divided into three clusters. Cluster 1 covered 90% of the sequences in
      all CRF01_AE. Among Cluster 1, the sequences from men who have sex with men (MSM)
      and heterosexuals were interwoven. It is suggested that MSM may play a bridge
      role in transmitting HIV-1 among the different risk groups. 

PMID- 26123127
TI  - Reply to "Tuberculosis in infants less than 3 months of age of Risaralda,
      Colombia".

PMID- 26123126
TI  - Interventions for increasing the proportion of health professionals practising in
      rural and other underserved areas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The inequitable distribution of health professionals, within
      countries, poses an important obstacle to the optimal functioning of health
      services. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of interventions aimed at
      increasing the proportion of health professionals working in rural and other
      underserved areas. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of
      Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, including specialised register of the Cochrane
      Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group; March 2014), MEDLINE (1966 to
      March 2014), EMBASE (1988 to March 2014), CINAHL (1982 to March 2014), LILACS
      (February 2014), Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index (up to
      April 2014), Global Health (March 2014) and the World Health Organization (WHO)
      International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (June 2013). We also
      searched reference lists of all papers and relevant reviews identified, and
      contacted authors of relevant papers regarding any further published or
      unpublished work. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised trials, non-randomised trials,
      controlled before-and-after studies and interrupted time series studies
      evaluating the effects of various interventions (e.g. educational, financial,
      regulatory or support strategies) on the recruitment or retention, or both, of
      health professionals in underserved areas. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two
      review authors independently screened titles and abstracts and assessed full
      texts of potentially relevant studies for eligibility. Two review authors
      independently extracted data from eligible studies. MAIN RESULTS: For this first
      update of the original review, we screened 8945 records for eligibility. We
      retrieved and assessed the full text of 125 studies. Only one study met the
      inclusion criteria of the review. This interrupted time series study, conducted
      in Taiwan, found that the implementation of a National Health Insurance scheme in
      1995 was associated with improved equity in the geographic distribution of
      physicians and dentists. We judged the certainty of the evidence provided by this
      one study very low. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is currently limited reliable
      evidence regarding the effects of interventions aimed at addressing the
      inequitable distribution of health professionals. Well-designed studies are
      needed to confirm or refute findings of observational studies of educational,
      financial, regulatory and supportive interventions that might influence
      healthcare professionals' decisions to practice in underserved areas. Governments
      and medical schools should ensure that when interventions are implemented, their
      impacts are evaluated using scientifically rigorous methods to establish the true
      effects of these measures on healthcare professional recruitment and retention in
      rural and other underserved settings.

PMID- 26123128
TI  - Effects of eldecalcitol on cortical bone response to mechanical loading in rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mechanical loading of bones activates modeling and suppresses
      remodeling by promoting bone formation. Eldecalcitol is approved for the
      treatment of osteoporosis in Japan and is often used in patients undergoing
      exercise therapy. However, the effects of eldecalcitol on bone formation during
      mechanical loading are unknown. The aim of this study was to clarify the
      influence of eldecalcitol administration on bone response to mechanical loading
      using a four-point bending device. METHODS: Forty six-month-old female Wistar
      rats were randomized into four groups based on eldecalcitol dose (vehicle
      administration (VEH), low dose (ED-L), medium dose (ED-M), and high dose (ED-H)).
      Loads of 38 N were applied in vivo to the right tibia for 36 cycles at 2 Hz, by
      four-point bending, 3 days per week for 3 weeks. After calcein double-labeling,
      rats were sacrificed and tibial cross sections were prepared from the region with
      maximal bending at the central diaphysis. Histomorphometry was performed on the
      entire periosteal and endocortical surface of the tibiae, dividing the periosteum
      into lateral and medial surfaces. RESULTS: The effects of external loading on
      bone formation parameters were significant at all three surfaces. Bone formation
      parameters were highest in the ED-H group, and the effects of eldecalcitol on
      bone formation rate were significant at the endocortical surface. In addition,
      the interaction between loading and eldecalcitol dose significantly affected bone
      formation rate at the endocortical surface. CONCLUSIONS: Eldecalcitol enhanced
      the cortical bone response to mechanical loading and a synergistic effect was
      observed in a rat model.

PMID- 26123129
TI  - Leukoencephalopathy with cerebral calcifications and cysts: clinical and
      pathological features in two adults.
AB  - Two adult patients diagnosed with Leukoencephalopathy with cerebral
      calcifications and cysts (LCC) were presented. Both patients had a long-term (8
      10 years) following-up. Radiological findings of both patients revealed the
      characteristic signs of LCC: cerebral white matter abnormalities, calcifications,
      and cysts. In case 1, the initial CT scan showed a low-density area in the right
      frontal lobe and it had developed into a large cystic lesion after 8 years.
      Histopathological determination revealed that the cyst wall was associated with
      hemorrhage, angiomatous formation, and some Rosenthal fibers. In case 2, a major
      cystic lesion was located at the left parietal lobe which was resected and an old
      hematoma was found inside the cyst. Nine years later, the follow-up neuroimaging
      of case 2 showed a remarkable improvement of white matter abnormalities and
      cystic lesions. Hemorrhagic fluid was observed inside the cysts. Additionally,
      follow-up CT and MR scans showed a rapid enlargement of cystic lesions
      accompanied with hemorrhagic fluid levels after a year. Then, a major cyst was
      surgically removed to relieve pressure symptoms. Pathology of the resected cyst
      exhibited an organized hemorrhage inside the cyst and a large amount of
      hemosiderin surrounding the cyst wall. In conclusion, our two cases demonstrated
      that angiomatous changes subsequent with hemorrhage may be the major mechanism of
      cyst formation and development.

PMID- 26123130
TI  - Therapeutic administration of atomoxetine combined with rTMS and occupational
      therapy for upper limb hemiparesis after stroke: a case series study of three
      patients.
AB  - Atomoxetine, a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, has been reported to
      enhance brain plasticity, but has not yet been used in stroke patients. We
      reported the feasibility and clinical benefits on motor functional recovery of
      the combination of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and
      intensive occupational therapy (OT) in stroke patients. This pilot study was
      designed to evaluate the additive effects of oral atomoxetine to rTMS/OT in post
      stroke hemiparetic patients. The study included three post-stroke patients with
      upper limb hemiparesis. Treatment with 40 mg/day atomoxetine commenced 2 weeks
      before admission. After confirming tolerance, the dose was increased to 120
      mg/day. Low-frequency rTMS/OT was provided daily for 15 days during continued
      atomoxetine therapy. Motor function of the affected upper limb was evaluated with
      the Fugl-Meyer Assessment and Wolf Motor Function test. All patients completed
      the protocol and showed motor improvement up to 4 weeks after the treatment. No
      atomoxetine-related side effects were noted. Our protocol of triple therapy of
      atomoxetine, low-frequency rTMS, and OT is safe and feasible intervention for
      upper limb hemiparesis after stroke.

PMID- 26123131
TI  - Segmentation of white blood cells and comparison of cell morphology by linear and
      naive Bayes classifiers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Blood smear microscopic images are routinely investigated by
      haematologists to diagnose most blood diseases. However, the task is quite
      tedious and time consuming. An automatic detection and classification of white
      blood cells within such images can accelerate the process tremendously. In this
      paper we propose a system to locate white blood cells within microscopic blood
      smear images, segment them into nucleus and cytoplasm regions, extract suitable
      features and finally, classify them into five types: basophil, eosinophil,
      neutrophil, lymphocyte and monocyte. DATASET: Two sets of blood smear images were
      used in this study's experiments. Dataset 1, collected from Rangsit University,
      were normal peripheral blood slides under light microscope with 100*
      magnification; 555 images with 601 white blood cells were captured by a Nikon DS
      Fi2 high-definition color camera and saved in JPG format of size 960 * 1,280
      pixels at 15 pixels per 1 MUm resolution. In dataset 2, 477 cropped white blood
      cell images were downloaded from CellaVision.com. They are in JPG format of size
      360 * 363 pixels. The resolution is estimated to be 10 pixels per 1 MUm. METHODS:
      The proposed system comprises a pre-processing step, nucleus segmentation, cell
      segmentation, feature extraction, feature selection and classification. The main
      concept of the segmentation algorithm employed uses white blood cell's
      morphological properties and the calibrated size of a real cell relative to image
      resolution. The segmentation process combined thresholding, morphological
      operation and ellipse curve fitting. Consequently, several features were
      extracted from the segmented nucleus and cytoplasm regions. Prominent features
      were then chosen by a greedy search algorithm called sequential forward
      selection. Finally, with a set of selected prominent features, both linear and
      naive Bayes classifiers were applied for performance comparison. This system was
      tested on normal peripheral blood smear slide images from two datasets. RESULTS:
      Two sets of comparison were performed: segmentation and classification. The
      automatically segmented results were compared to the ones obtained manually by a
      haematologist. It was found that the proposed method is consistent and coherent
      in both datasets, with dice similarity of 98.9 and 91.6% for average segmented
      nucleus and cell regions, respectively. Furthermore, the overall correction rate
      in the classification phase is about 98 and 94% for linear and naive Bayes
      models, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed system, based on normal white
      blood cell morphology and its characteristics, was applied to two different
      datasets. The results of the calibrated segmentation process on both datasets are
      fast, robust, efficient and coherent. Meanwhile, the classification of normal
      white blood cells into five types shows high sensitivity in both linear and naive
      Bayes models, with slightly better results in the linear classifier.

PMID- 26123132
TI  - Pluripotent stem cell-derived radial glia-like cells as stable intermediate for
      efficient generation of human oligodendrocytes.
AB  - Neural precursor cells (NPCs) derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)
      represent an attractive tool for the in vitro generation of various neural cell
      types. However, the developmentally early NPCs emerging during hPSC
      differentiation typically show a strong propensity for neuronal differentiation,
      with more limited potential for generating astrocytes and, in particular, for
      generating oligodendrocytes. This phenomenon corresponds well to the consecutive
      and protracted generation of neurons and GLIA during normal human development. To
      obtain a more gliogenic NPC type, we combined growth factor-mediated expansion
      with pre-exposure to the differentiation-inducing agent retinoic acid and
      subsequent immunoisolation of CD133-positive cells. This protocol yields an
      adherent and self-renewing population of hindbrain/spinal cord radial glia (RG)
      like neural precursor cells (RGL-NPCs) expressing typical neural stem cell
      markers such as nestin, ASCL1, SOX2, and PAX6 as well as RG markers BLBP, GLAST,
      vimentin, and GFAP. While RGL-NPCs maintain the ability for tripotential
      differentiation into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, they exhibit
      greatly enhanced propensity for oligodendrocyte generation. Under defined
      differentiation conditions promoting the expression of the major oligodendrocyte
      fate-determinants OLIG1/2, NKX6.2, NKX2.2, and SOX10, RGL-NPCs efficiently
      convert into NG2-positive oligodendroglial progenitor cells (OPCs) and are
      subsequently capable of in vivo myelination. Representing a stable intermediate
      between PSCs and OPCs, RGL-NPCs expedite the generation of PSC-derived
      oligodendrocytes with O4-, 4860-, and myelin basic protein (MBP)-positive cells
      that already appear within 7 weeks following growth factor withdrawal-induced
      differentiation. Thus, RGL-NPCs may serve as robust tool for time-efficient
      generation of human oligodendrocytes from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem
      cells.

PMID- 26123133
TI  - A qualitative analysis of the barriers and facilitators of HIV counselling and
      testing perceived by adolescents in South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Youth in South Africa have been identified as a high-risk group for
      contracting HIV. In response, the South African Integrated School Health Policy
      (ISHP) has been developed with the aim of guiding the provision of comprehensive
      healthcare services within South African schools. Accordingly, the scale-up of
      HIV counselling and testing (HCT) in high schools is a priority. This study
      examines the factors affecting the utilisation of HCT services amongst learners
      in high schools in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. METHODS: Focus
      group discussions were conducted in 12 rural schools in the Vulindlela sub
      district of uMgungundlovu in KwaZulu-Natal. A total of 158 randomly selected
      learners took part, aged 16 years and older from grades 10, 11 and 12.
      Qualitative analysis was conducted using the framework approach, providing a
      systematic structure allowing for a priori and emergent codes, with social
      cognitive theory as a theoretical framework. RESULTS: The stigma and
      discrimination attached to testing, along with the inherent fear of a positive
      result were the biggest barriers to HCT uptake. Fear and the subsequent negative
      beliefs around HCT were borne out of insufficient knowledge. These fears were
      exacerbated by the perceived or real attitudes of peers, partners and family
      towards HIV. The prospect of a positive result and the possible resultant
      societal backlash hinders high and regular uptake of HCT. Stigma and
      discrimination remain the foremost barriers to HIV testing despite the presence
      of localised and convenient testing. Interventions aimed at addressing these
      challenges could increase the demand for HIV testing amongst adolescents.
      CONCLUSIONS: Increasing education about the importance of HCT and creating
      awareness about available HCT services will not be enough to increase uptake in
      schools in South Africa. Efforts to decrease stigma around HIV and HCT by
      integrating testing into general and sexual reproductive health services offered
      to youth, and normalising the epidemic within the community could go some way to
      allaying the fears shrouding testing, if such services are designed with the
      specific needs of youth in mind. This paper adds to the body of literature
      informing the design of policy in South Africa aimed at integrating HCT into
      school health services.

PMID- 26123134
TI  - Progression of myocardial fibrosis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26123135
TI  - The pathophysiology of hypertensive acute heart failure.
AB  - While acute heart failure (AHF) is often regarded as a single disorder, an
      evolving understanding recognises the existence of multiple phenotypes with
      varied pathophysiological alterations. Herein we discuss hypertensive AHF and
      provide insight into a mechanism where acute fluid redistribution is caused by a
      disturbance in the ventricular-vascular coupling relationship. In this
      relationship, acute alterations in vascular elasticity, vasoconstriction and
      reflected pulse waves lead to increases in cardiac work and contribute to
      decompensated LV function with associated subendocardial ischaemia and end-organ
      damage. Chronic predisposing factors (neurohormonal activity, nitric oxide
      insensitivity, arterial stiffening) and physiological stressors (sympathetic
      surge, volume overload, physical exertion) that are causally linked to acute
      symptom onset are discussed. Lastly, we review treatment options including both
      nitrovasodilators and promising novel therapeutics, and discuss future directions
      in the management of this phenotypic variant.

PMID- 26123136
TI  - TAVI in 2015: who, where and how?

PMID- 26123138
TI  - Genotype by environment interaction for livability of dairy calves from first
      parity cows.
AB  - Death of calves around parturition is a matter of concern for dairy farmers.
      Relatively high stillbirth rates and unfavourable trends have been reported for
      Holstein heifers in the Netherlands and several other countries. In our study, we
      investigated herd differences, genetic parameters and genotype by environment
      interaction for heifer calf livability. A large dataset with data from calvings
      between 1993 and 2012 of Dutch dairy farms was used. There were considerable
      differences between herds in livability of calves from heifers, with averages
      ranging from 74% to 95%. Both herds with relatively high and low averages showed
      the same negative trend between 1993 and 2012, with largest declines in herds
      with the lowest averages. We found that heritability and genetic variation of
      first parity livability were substantially larger in herd environments where the
      likelihood of stillbirth was high v. environments where stillbirth was at a low
      level. The genetic correlations between herd environment levels were all very
      close to unity, indicating that ranking of sires was similar for all
      environments. However, for herds with a relatively high stillbirth incidence
      selecting sires with favourable breeding values is expected to be twice as
      profitable as in herds with a relatively low stillbirth incidence. 

PMID- 26123137
TI  - Administration of adjuvant oral tegafur/uracil chemotherapy post hepatocellular
      carcinoma resection: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgery is
      frequent, and is an important factor adversely influencing the long-term survival
      of patients. This prospective study evaluated whether adjuvant chemotherapy with
      oral tegafur/uracil (UFT) reduces the recurrence rate of HCC. In addition,
      expression of thymidylate synthase (TS) and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD)
      were investigated in resected tumors and nontumorous tissues, and the
      relationship between their expression and the effectiveness of UFT was examined.
      METHODS: A total of 117 patients who underwent curative hepatic resection for HCC
      were randomly allocated to UFT 400 mg/d (n = 24, UFT group) or surgery alone (n =
      56, control group). The primary endpoint was the recurrence-free survival rate,
      and the secondary endpoint was the overall survival rate. Expression of the DPD
      and TS genes were quantified with TaqMan reverse transcription-polymerase chain
      reaction assay using beta-actin as an internal standard. The cut-off value was
      set at the mean value of TS and DPD expression. RESULTS: Among the 61 patients in
      the UFT group, 37 patients (60.6%) discontinued UFT within 1 month. Recurrence
      free survival (p = 0.16) and overall survival (p = 0.29) were similar in the two
      groups. In the UFT group, recurrence-free survival did not differ significantly
      between high-TS (TS > 3.6) and high-DPD (DPD > 8.9; n = 10), and low-TS (TS <=
      3.6) and low-DPD (DPD <= 8.9; n = 9) groups. However, there was a significant
      difference between the two groups in overall survival (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION:
      Peroral UFT administration fails to prolong the recurrence-free rates and overall
      survival rates, in comparison with surgery alone. However, oral administration of
      UFT may improve the survival of HCC patients when the levels of TS and DPD mRNA
      are low in the tumor tissue.

PMID- 26123139
TI  - Estrogen regulation of microcephaly genes and evolution of brain sexual
      dimorphism in primates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sexual dimorphism in brain size is common among primates, including
      humans, apes and some Old World monkeys. In these species, the brain size of
      males is generally larger than that of females. Curiously, this dimorphism has
      persisted over the course of primate evolution and human origin, but there is no
      explanation for the underlying genetic controls that have maintained this
      disparity in brain size. RESULTS: In the present study, we tested the effect of
      the female hormone (estradiol) on seven genes known to be related to brain size
      in both humans and nonhuman primates, and we identified half estrogen responsive
      elements (half EREs) in the promoter regions of four genes (MCPH1, ASPM, CDK5RAP2
      and WDR62). Likewise, at sequence level, it appears that these half EREs are
      generally conserved across primates. Later testing via a reporter gene assay and
      cell-based endogenous expression measurement revealed that estradiol could
      significantly suppress the expression of the four affected genes involved in
      brain size. More intriguingly, when the half EREs were deleted from the
      promoters, the suppression effect disappeared, suggesting that the half EREs
      mediate the regulation of estradiol on the brain size genes. We next replicated
      these experiments using promoter sequences from chimpanzees and rhesus macaques,
      and observed a similar suppressive effect of estradiol on gene expression,
      suggesting that this mechanism is conserved among primate species that exhibit
      brain size dimorphism. CONCLUSIONS: Brain size dimorphism among certain primates,
      including humans, is likely regulated by estrogen through its sex-dependent
      suppression of brain size genes during development.

PMID- 26123140
TI  - Occupational wellbeing in anaesthesiologists: its relationship with educational
      methodology.

PMID- 26123141
TI  - Use of sugammadex on burn patients: descriptive study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A burn patient is a challenge for any anesthesiologist, undergoing
      several surgeries during admission, and requiring general anesthesia and muscle
      relaxation most of the times. The victim may have respiratory system impairment
      and a response to muscle relaxants that differs from the healthy patient, thus
      proper monitoring and reversal is crucial. We analyzed sugammadex effectiveness
      and safety in this population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a prospectively
      descriptive study, including 4 patients, and all of them were considered major
      burn patients, who underwent escharotomy with general anesthesia and
      neuromuscular relaxation. The main variable was the time for recovery of a TOF
      higher than 0.9 after the administration of sugammadex before extubation.
      RESULTS: Mean time of recovery from a TOF ratio higher than 0.9 following the
      administration of Sugammadex was of 4.95min 95% CI (3.25-6.64, p=.53).
      CONCLUSIONS: The reversion of neuromuscular relaxation with sugammadex appears to
      be effective and safe in the burn patient. More analytical, comparative studies
      of larger populations would be necessary to confirm these data.

PMID- 26123142
TI  - Comparison of droperidol and ondansetron prophylactic effect on subarachnoid
      morphine-induced pruritus.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The prophylactic effect of ondansetron on subarachnoid
      morphine-induced pruritus is controversial, while evidence suggests that
      droperidol prevents pruritus. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of
      droperidol and ondansetron on subarachnoid morphine-induced pruritus. METHODS:
      180 ASA I or II patients scheduled to undergo cesarean sections under
      subarachnoid anesthesia combined with morphine 0.2mg were randomized to receive,
      after the child's birth, metoclopramide 10mg (Group I - control), droperidol
      2.5mg (Group II) or ondansetron 8mg (Group III). Postoperatively, the patients
      were assessed for pruritus (absent, mild, moderate or severe) or other side
      effects by blinded investigators. Patients were also blinded to their group
      allocation. The tendency to present more severe forms of pruritus was compared
      between groups. NNT was also determined. RESULTS: Patients assigned to receive
      droperidol [Proportional odds ratio: 0.45 (95% confidence interval 0.23-0.88)]
      reported less pruritus than those who received metoclopramide. Ondansetron effect
      was similar to metoclopramide [Proportional odds ratio: 0.95 (95% confidence
      interval 0.49-1.83)]. The NNT for droperidol and ondansetron was 4.0 and 14.7,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Ondansetron does not inhibit subarachnoid morphine
      induced pruritus.

PMID- 26123143
TI  - Carotid endarterectomy: review of 10 years of practice of general and
      locoregional anesthesia in a tertiary care hospital in Portugal.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retrospective and prospective randomized studies have compared
      general and locoregional anesthesia for carotid endarterectomy, but without
      definitive results. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the incidence of complications (medical,
      surgical, neurological, and hospital mortality) in a tertiary center in Portugal
      and review the literature. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients undergoing
      endarterectomy between 2000 and 2011, using a software for hospital consultation.
      RESULTS: A total of 750 patients were identified, and locoregional anesthesia had
      to be converted to general anesthesia in 13 patients. Thus, a total of 737
      patients were included in this analysis: 74% underwent locoregional anesthesia
      and 26% underwent general anesthesia. There was no statistically significant
      difference between the two groups regarding per operative variables. The use of
      shunt was more common in patients undergoing general anesthesia, a statistically
      significant difference. The difference between groups of strokes and mortality
      was not statistically significant. The average length of stay was shorter in
      patients undergoing locoregional anesthesia with a statistically significant
      difference. CONCLUSIONS: We found that our data are overlaid with the literature
      data. After reviewing the literature, we found that the number of studies
      comparing locoregional and general anesthesia and its impact on delirium,
      cognitive impairment, and decreased quality of life after surgery is still very
      small and can provide important data to compare the two techniques. Thus, some
      questions remain open, which indicates the need for randomized studies with
      larger number of patients and in new centers.

PMID- 26123144
TI  - Analgesic efficacy of the ultrasound-guided blockade of the transversus abdominis
      plane - a systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The transverse abdominal plan blockade is a block of abdominal wall
      that has diffused rapidly in the clinical practice as part of a multimodal
      analgesia for abdominal surgery. The performance of the ultrasound-guided
      technique has allowed the lowering of potential complications, as well as new
      approaches that were carried out according to the descriptions, and the
      prospective studies would make it possible to utilize the transverse abdominal
      plan blockade in different surgical interventions; however, the results obtained
      in randomized clinical trials are inconsistent. OBJECTIVES: To prepare a
      systematic review aiming to determine the efficacy of the ultrasound-guided
      transverse abdominal plan blockade for different surgical interventions, as well
      as the indications according to the approaches and their influences. METHODS: Two
      research approaches, one manual, and the other in Pubmed returned 28 randomized
      clinical trials where intervention with ultrasound-guided transverse abdominal
      plan blockades was performed to compare the analgesic efficacy in contrast to
      another technique in adults, published between 2007 and October 2013, in English
      or Spanish, with Jadad score>1, according to the inclusion criteria for this
      review. The authors analyzed independently all the randomized clinical trials.
      CONCLUSIONS: The transverse abdominal plan blockades have been shown to be an
      effective technique in colorectal surgery, cesarean section, cholecystectomy,
      hysterectomy, appendectomy, donor nephrectomy, retropubic prostatectomy, and
      bariatric surgery. However, the data found in randomized clinical trial are not
      conclusive, and as a result, it is necessary to develop new and well designed
      randomized clinical trial, with enough statistical power to compare different
      approaches, drugs, doses, and volumes for the same intervention, aiming to answer
      the current questions and their effects in the habitual clinical practice.

PMID- 26123145
TI  - Colloids versus crystalloids in objective-guided fluid therapy, systematic review
      and meta-analysis. Too early or too late to draw conclusions.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Several clinical trials on Goal directed fluid therapy (GDFT) were
      carried out, many of those using colloids in order to optimize the preload. After
      the decision of European Medicines Agency, there is such controversy regarding
      its use, benefits, and possible contribution to renal failure. The objective of
      this systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare the use of last-generation
      colloids, derived from corn, with crystalloids in GDFT to determine associated
      complications and mortality. METHODS: A bibliographic research was carried out in
      MEDLINE PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library, corroborating randomized clinical
      trials where crystalloids are compared to colloids in GDFT for major non-cardiac
      surgery in adults. RESULTS: One hundred thirty references were found and among
      those 38 were selected and 29 analyzed; of these, six were included for
      systematic review and meta-analysis, including 390 patients. It was observed that
      the use of colloids is not associated with the increase of complications, but
      rather with a tendency to a higher mortality (RR [95% CI] 3.87 [1.121-13.38];
      I(2)=0.0%; p=0.635). CONCLUSIONS: Because of the limitations of this meta
      analysis due to the small number of randomized clinical trials and patients
      included, the results should be taken cautiously, and the performance of new
      randomized clinical trials is proposed, with enough statistical power, comparing
      balanced and unbalanced colloids to balanced and unbalanced crystalloids,
      following the protocols of GDFT, considering current guidelines and suggestions
      made by groups of experts.

PMID- 26123146
TI  - Perioperative anaphylaxis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Anaphylaxis remains one of the potential causes of
      perioperative death, being generally unanticipated and quickly progress to a life
      threatening situation. A narrative review of perioperative anaphylaxis is
      performed. CONTENT: The diagnostic tests are primarily to avoid further major
      events. The mainstays of treatment are adrenaline and intravenous fluids.
      CONCLUSION: The anesthesiologist should be familiar with the proper diagnosis,
      management and monitoring of perioperative anaphylaxis.

PMID- 26123147
TI  - Anesthetic management for surgery of esophagus atresia in a newborn with
      Goldenhar's syndrome.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Goldenhar's syndrome is a polymalformative condition
      consisting of a craniofacial dysostosis that determines difficult airway in up to
      40% of cases. We described a case of a newborn with Goldenhar's syndrome with
      esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula who underwent repair surgery.
      CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 24-h-old newborn with Goldenhar's syndrome.
      He had esophageal atresia with distal tracheoesophageal fistula. It was decided
      that an emergency surgery would be performed for repairing it. It was carried out
      under sedation, intubation with fibrobronchoscope distal to the fistula, to limit
      the air flow into the esophagus, and possible abdominal distension. Following
      complete repair of the esophageal atresia and fistula ligation, the patient was
      transferred to the intensive care unit and intubated under sedation and
      analgesia. CONCLUSIONS: The finding of a patient with Goldenhar's syndrome and
      esophageal atresia assumes an exceptional situation and a challenge for
      anesthesiologists, since the anesthetic management depends on the patient
      comorbidity, the type of tracheoesophageal fistula, the usual hospital practice
      and the skills of the anesthesiologist in charge, with the main peculiarity being
      maintenance of adequate pulmonary ventilation in the presence of a communication
      between the airway and the esophagus. Intubation with fibrobronchoscope distal to
      the fistula deals with the management of a probably difficult airway and limits
      the passage of air to the esophagus through the fistula.

PMID- 26123148
TI  - Ultrasound-guided paravertebral block for pyloromyotomy in 3 neonates with
      congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis is a relatively common
      affection of gastrointestinal tract in childhood that results in symptoms, such
      as projectile vomiting and metabolic disorders that imply a high risk of
      aspiration during anesthetic induction. In this way, the carrying out of a
      technique with general anesthesia and intravenous rapid sequence induction,
      preoxygenation and cricoid pressure are recommended. After the correction of
      systemic metabolic alkalosis and pH normalization, cerebrospinal fluid can keep a
      state of metabolic alkalosis. This circumstance, in addition to the residual
      effect of neuromuscular blocking agents, inhalant anesthetics and opioids could
      increase the risk of postoperative apnea after a general anesthesia. CASE REPORT:
      We present the successful management in 3 neonates in those a pyloromyotomy was
      carried out because they had presented congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.
      This procedure was done under general anesthesia with orotracheal intubation and
      rapid sequence induction. Then, ultrasound-guided paravertebral block was
      performed as analgesic method without the need for administrating opioids within
      intraoperative period and keeping an appropriate analgesic level. CONCLUSIONS:
      Local anesthesia has demonstrated to be safe and effective in pediatric practice.
      We consider the ultrasound-guided paravertebral block with one dose as a possible
      alternative for other local techniques described, avoiding the use of opioids and
      neuromuscular blocking agents during general anesthesia, and reducing the risk of
      central apnea within postoperative period.

PMID- 26123149
TI  - Bilateral subdural hematoma secondary to accidental dural puncture.
AB  - We report the case of a 25-year-old woman, who received epidural analgesia for
      labor pain and subsequently presented post-dural puncture headache. Conservative
      treatment was applied and epidural blood patch was performed. In the absence of
      clinical improvement and due to changes in the postural component of the
      headache, a brain imaging test was performed showing a bilateral subdural
      hematoma. The post-dural puncture headache is relatively common, but the lack of
      response to established medical treatment as well as the change in its
      characteristics and the presence of neurological deficit, should raise the
      suspicion of a subdural hematoma, which although is rare, can be lethal if not
      diagnosed and treated at the right time. 

PMID- 26123150
TI  - Effect of head rotation on intraocular pressure in prone position: randomized
      study.

PMID- 26123151
TI  - A question about ropivacaine for unilateral spinal anesthesia: hypobaric
      solution.

PMID- 26123152
TI  - Familial Power and Women's Contradictory Responses to Attitudinal Questions About
      Intimate Partner Violence in Rural Bangladesh.
AB  - Research is lacking on how power processes can influence women's reporting of
      their attitudes about intimate partner violence (IPV) against women. Structural
      elements of textual data were investigated as potential evidence of latent power.
      Overall, the majority of the women switched their response at least once
      throughout the interview, and the context of these contradictory responses
      provide evidence that women's reporting of attitudes about IPV against women may
      be understood as arising in part from latent power processes. New methodological
      tools are needed to better understand women's personal attitudes about IPV
      against women. 

PMID- 26123155
TI  - Durability of small-for-size living donor allografts.
AB  - Our aim was to study the long-term outcomes of living donor liver transplantation
      using small-for-size (SFS) grafts. From July 2002 to July 2009, 233 patients
      received a right liver graft with a middle hepatic vein from a living donor in
      our center. Recipients were stratified according to the graft weight to recipient
      standard liver volume (GW/SLV) ratio into 4 groups: >50% (n = 89), >40% to 50% (n
      = 85), >35% to 40% (n = 38), and <= 35% (n = 21). They were compared in terms of
      graft survivals, biliary stricture rates, renal function in terms of estimated
      glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), platelet counts, and graft function in terms
      of serum bilirubin and international normalized ratio (INR). The 5-year graft
      survivals for patients with GW/SLV of >50%, >40% to 50%, >35% to 40% and <= 35%
      were 88.8%, 88.2%, 81.5%, and 81.0%, respectively. Transplantation for
      hepatocellular carcinoma affected graft survivals (P = 0.02), but graft size did
      not (P = 0.66). There were no differences in frequency of biliary stricture
      (21.3% versus 17.1% versus 21.1% versus 28.6%; P = 0.75). At each year after
      transplant, their platelet counts (P = 0.12-0.65), eGFR (P = 0.49-0.91),
      bilirubin (P = 0.14-0.51), and INR (P = 0.20-0.98) remained comparable. SFS
      grafts with GW/SLV <= 35% and >35% to 40% had comparable long-term outcomes with
      larger liver grafts. Graft size did not affect long-term graft survivals.

PMID- 26123156
TI  - [Acute pancreatitis associated with hypercalcaemia].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypercalcaemia due to primary hyperparathyroidism is a rare cause of
      acute pancreatitis, with a reported prevalence of 1.5 to 8%. There is no clear
      pathophysiological basis, but elevated parathyroid hormone and high serum calcium
      levels could be responsible for calcium deposit in the pancreatic ducts and
      activation of pancreatic enzymes, which may be the main risk factor for
      developing acute pancreatitis. The aim of this report is to describe four cases.
      CLINICAL CASE: Four cases are reported of severe pancreatitis associated with
      hypercalcaemia secondary to primary hyperparathyroidism; three of them with
      complications (two pseudocysts and one pancreatic necrosis). Cervical ultrasound,
      computed tomography, and scintigraphy using 99mTc-Sestambi, studies showed the
      parathyroid adenoma. Surgical resection was the definitive treatment in all four
      cases. None of the patients had recurrent acute pancreatitis events during follow
      up. CONCLUSIONS: Acute pancreatitis secondary to hypercalcaemia of primary
      hyperparathyroidism is rare; however, when it occurs it is associated with severe
      pancreatitis. It is suspected in patients with elevated serum calcium and high
      parathyroid hormone levels. Imaging techniques such as cervical ultrasound,
      computed tomography, and scintigraphy using 99mTc-Sestambi, should be performed,
      to confirm clinical suspicion. Surgical resection is the definitive treatment
      with excellent results.

PMID- 26123153
TI  - Roles for the endocannabinoid system in ethanol-motivated behavior.
AB  - Alcohol use disorder represents a significant human health problem that leads to
      substantial loss of human life and financial cost to society. Currently available
      treatment options do not adequately address this human health problem, and thus,
      additional therapies are desperately needed. The endocannabinoid system has been
      shown, using animal models, to modulate ethanol-motivated behavior, and it has
      also been demonstrated that chronic ethanol exposure can have potentially long
      lasting effects on the endocannabinoid system. For example, chronic exposure to
      ethanol, in either cell culture or preclinical rodent models, causes an increase
      in endocannabinoid levels that results in down-regulation of the cannabinoid
      receptor 1 (CB1) and uncoupling of this receptor from downstream G protein
      signaling pathways. Using positron emission tomography (PET), similar down
      regulation of CB1 has been noted in multiple regions of the brain in human
      alcoholic patients. In rodents, treatment with the CB1 inverse agonist SR141716A
      (Rimonabant), or genetic deletion of CB1 leads to a reduction in voluntary
      ethanol drinking, ethanol-stimulated dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens,
      operant self-administration of ethanol, sensitization to the locomotor effects of
      ethanol, and reinstatement/relapse of ethanol-motivated behavior. Although the
      clinical utility of Rimonabant or other antagonists/inverse agonists for CB1 is
      limited due to negative neuropsychiatric side effects, negative allosteric
      modulators of CB1 and inhibitors of endocannabinoid catabolism represent
      therapeutic targets worthy of additional examination. 

PMID- 26123157
TI  - [Infected jejunal mesenteric pseudocyst: A case report].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mesenteric cysts are very rare abdominal growths, generally
      asymptomatic, and which are usually detected incidentally while performing a
      physical examination or an imaging test. Complications such as infections,
      haemorrhage, torsion, rupture, or bowel obstruction, are seldom found in this
      pathology, but they can be a cause of acute abdomen. The purpose of this report
      is to describe the characteristics and the clinical outcome of a male patient
      with an infected mesenteric pseudocyst of the jejunum. CLINICAL CASE: A 49 year
      old male was admitted to the emergency department with 6-day onset of abdominal
      pain, bowel obstruction signs, palpable tumour located in the upper hemi-abdomen,
      systemic inflammatory response syndrome, 36,100/mm(3) white cells, 4.21 ng/ml
      procalcitonin, abdominal computed tomography scan with evidence of a mesenteric
      cystic tumour. An exploratory laparotomy was performed, finding the presence of a
      mesenteric pseudocyst of the jejunum with infection signs, extirpated and sent
      for histopathological examination. The clinical progress of the patient was
      satisfactory with the discharge of the patient 7 days after the surgical
      intervention. CONCLUSION: These cysts can debut as an acute abdomen due to
      haemorrhage, infection, obstruction and/or bowel perforation, complications can
      be life threatening if not detected and surgically treated at an early stage by
      performing a resection of the pseudocysts, with or without bowel resection,
      depending on the location and the size of the cyst.

PMID- 26123159
TI  - A new drimane sesquiterpenoid and a new triterpene lactone from fungus of Fomes
      officinalis.
AB  - A new sesquiterpenoid fomeffic acid (1) and a new triterpene lactone fomefficinin
      (2) were isolated from the fungus Fomes officinalis, together with another six
      known compounds fomitopsin C (3), dehydrosulfurenic acid (4), dehydroeburiconic
      acid (5), dehydroeburicoic acid (6), 3-keto-dehydrosulfurenic acid (7), and
      laricinolic acid (8). The structures and stereochemistry of 1 and 2 were
      determined by NMR and X-ray diffraction analyses. The sesquiterpenoid and five
      triterpenes were tested for cytotoxicity against HL-60, Bel-7402, and KB cancer
      lines in vitro, and they appeared to be modestly active. 

PMID- 26123158
TI  - Barriers and facilitators to patient retention in HIV care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retention in HIV care improves survival and reduces the risk of HIV
      transmission to others. Multiple quantitative studies have described demographic
      and clinical characteristics associated with retention in HIV care. However,
      qualitative studies are needed to better understand barriers and facilitators.
      METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 HIV-infected
      individuals, 25 who were retained in care and 26 not retained in care, from 3
      urban clinics. Interview data were analyzed for themes using a modified grounded
      theory approach. Identified themes were compared between the two groups of
      interest: patients retained in care and those not retained in care. RESULTS:
      Overall, participants identified 12 barriers and 5 facilitators to retention in
      HIV care. On average, retained individuals provided 3 barriers, while persons not
      retained in care provided 5 barriers. Both groups commonly discussed
      depression/mental illness, feeling sick, and competing life activities as
      barriers. In addition, individuals not retained in care commonly reported
      expensive and unreliable transportation, stigma, and insufficient insurance as
      barriers. On average, participants in both groups referenced 2 facilitators,
      including the presence of social support, patient-friendly clinic services
      (transportation, co-location of services, scheduling/reminders), and positive
      relationships with providers and clinic staff. CONCLUSIONS: In our study,
      patients not retained in care faced more barriers, particularly social and
      structural barriers, than those retained in care. Developing care models where
      social and financial barriers are addressed, mental health and substance abuse
      treatment is integrated, and patient-friendly services are offered is important
      to keeping HIV-infected individuals engaged in care.

PMID- 26123160
TI  - Bayesian meta-analysis of Cronbach's coefficient alpha to evaluate informative
      hypotheses.
AB  - This paper proposes a new method to evaluate informative hypotheses for meta
      analysis of Cronbach's coefficient alpha using a Bayesian approach. The
      coefficient alpha is one of the most widely used reliability indices. In meta
      analyses of reliability, researchers typically form specific informative
      hypotheses beforehand, such as 'alpha of this test is greater than 0.8' or 'alpha
      of one form of a test is greater than the others.' The proposed method enables
      direct evaluation of these informative hypotheses. To this end, a Bayes factor is
      calculated to evaluate the informative hypothesis against its complement. It
      allows researchers to summarize the evidence provided by previous studies in
      favor of their informative hypothesis. The proposed approach can be seen as a
      natural extension of the Bayesian meta-analysis of coefficient alpha recently
      proposed in this journal (Brannick and Zhang, 2013). The proposed method is
      illustrated through two meta-analyses of real data that evaluate different kinds
      of informative hypotheses on superpopulation: one is that alpha of a particular
      test is above the criterion value, and the other is that alphas among different
      test versions have ordered relationships. Informative hypotheses are supported
      from the data in both cases, suggesting that the proposed approach is promising
      for application.

PMID- 26123161
TI  - Spontaneous disappearance of Holmes' tremor in a patient with a midbrain
      cavernous hemangioma.

PMID- 26123162
TI  - The Functions of Antioxidants and Heat Shock Proteins Are Altered in the Immune
      Organs of Selenium-Deficient Broiler Chickens.
AB  - Despite increasing evidence indicating the essential involvement of selenium (Se)
      in the immune system, the effect of Se deficiency on the regulation of oxidative
      stress and heat shock proteins (Hsps) in broiler chickens is still unclear. In
      the present study, we established an exudative diathesis (ED) broiler chicken
      model caused by Se deficiency. We then analyzed histological observations and
      detected the expression levels of Hsps and antioxidant indexes in immune tissues.
      The antioxidant function declined remarkably, and most of the Hsp expression
      levels increased significantly in the spleen, thymus, and bursa of Fabricius of
      the broiler chicks with ED (except the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of Hsp27,
      Hsp40, and Hsp70, which decreased in thymus tissues from the treatment groups);
      therefore, constitutive oxidation resistance and higher Hsps in broiler chicks
      with ED caused defects in immune organ morphology and function, as evidenced by
      abnormal histological structures: red pulp broadening and lymphocytes in the
      cortex and medulla of the thymic lobule decreased distinctly and distributed
      loosely. These results underscore the importance of Se in establishing an immune
      organ microenvironment conducive to normal function. 

PMID- 26123163
TI  - T-2 Toxin Alters the Levels of Collagen II and Its Regulatory Enzymes MMPs/TIMP-1
      in a Low-Selenium Rat Model of Kashin-Beck Disease.
AB  - The objectives of this study are to assess T-2 toxin's involvement in low
      selenium (Se)-induced Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) in rats and unveil the mechanisms
      underlying this disease. Two hundred thirty rats were randomly divided into two
      groups after weaning and fed normal or low-Se diets (n = 115), respectively, for
      a month. After low-Se model confirmation, rats in each group were subdivided into
      five: two subgroups (n = 20) were fed their current diets (normal or low-Se
      diets, respectively) for 30 and 90 days, respectively; two other subgroups (n =
      25) received their current diets + low T-2 toxin (100 ng/g BW/day) for 30 and 90
      days, respectively; and 25 rats were fed their current diets + high T-2 toxin
      (200 ng/g BW/day) for 30 days. Articular cartilage samples were extracted for
      hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and immunohistochemistry. Western blot and
      reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to assess
      protein and mRNA levels, respectively, of collagen II, matrix metalloproteinase
      (MMP-1), MMP -3, MMP-13, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1).
      Low Se and T-2 toxin synergistically affected animal fitness. Interestingly, low
      Se + T-2 toxin groups showed KBD characteristics. MMP-1, -3, and -13 mRNA and
      protein levels generally increased in low-Se groups, while collagen II and TIMP-1
      levels showed a downward trend, compared with normal diet fed animals for the
      same treatment (P < 0.05). T-2 toxin's effect was dose but not time dependent.
      Low Se and T-2 toxin synergistically alter the expression levels of collagen II
      as well as its regulatory enzymes MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-13, and TIMP-1, inducing
      cartilage damage. Therefore, T-2 toxin may cause KBD in low-Se conditions. 

PMID- 26123164
TI  - Evaluated the Twenty-Six Elements in the Pectoral Muscle of As-Treated Chicken by
      Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - This study assessed the impacts of dietary arsenic trioxide on the contents of 26
      elements in the pectoral muscle of chicken. A total of 100 Hy-line laying cocks
      were randomly divided into two groups (n = 50), including an As-treated group
      (basic diet supplemented with arsenic trioxide at 30 mg/kg) and a control group
      (basal diet). The feeding experiment lasted for 90 days and the experimental
      animals were given free access to feed and drinking water. The elements lithium
      (Li), boron (B), natrum (Na), magnesium (Mg), aluminium (AI), silicium (Si),
      kalium (K), calcium (Ca), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), ferrum
      (Fe), cobalt (Co.), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium
      (Se), molybdenum (Mo), cadmium (Cd), stannum (Sn), stibium (Sb), barium (Ba),
      hydrargyrum (Hg), thallium (Tl) and plumbum (Pb) in the pectoral muscles were
      determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The
      resulted data indicated that Li, Na, AI, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sn, Ba,
      Tl and Pb were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in chicken exposed to As2O3
      compared to control chicken, while Mg, Si, K, As and Cd decreased significantly
      (P < 0.05). These results suggest that ICP-MS determination of elements in
      chicken tissues enables a rapid analysis with good precision and accuracy.
      Supplementation of high levels of As affected levels of 20 elements (Li, Na, AI,
      V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sn, Ba, Tl, Pb, Mg, Si, K, As and Cd) in the
      pectoral muscles of chicken. Thus, it is needful to monitor the concentration of
      toxic metal (As) in chicken for human health. 

PMID- 26123165
TI  - Effects of Supplemental Chromium Source and Concentration on Growth, Carcass
      Characteristics, and Serum Lipid Parameters of Broilers Reared Under Normal
      Conditions.
AB  - An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary chromium (Cr)
      source and concentration on growth performance, carcass traits, and some serum
      lipid parameters of broilers under normal rearing conditions for 42 days. A total
      of 252 1-day-old Cobb 500 commercial female broilers were randomly allotted by
      body weight (BW) to one of six replicate cages (six broilers per cage) for each
      of seven treatments in a completely randomized design involved in a 2 * 3
      factorial arrangement of treatments with three Cr sources (Cr propionate (CrPro),
      Cr picolinate (CrPic), Cr chloride (CrCl3)) and two concentrations of added Cr
      (0.4 and 2.0 mg of Cr/kg) plus a Cr-unsupplemented control diet. The results
      showed that dietary Cr supplementation tended to increase the breast muscle
      percentage compared with the Cr-unsupplemented control group (P = 0.0784), while
      Cr from CrPic tended to have higher breast muscle percentage compared with Cr
      from CrCl3 (P = 0.0881). Chromium from CrPic also tended to increase the breast
      intramuscular fat (IMF) compared with Cr from CrCl3 (P = 0.0648). In addition,
      supplementation of 0.4 mg/kg Cr tended to decrease low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol (LDL-C) (P = 0.0614). Compared with the control group, broilers fed
      Cr-supplemented diets had higher triglyceride (TG) (P = 0.0129) regardless of Cr
      source and Cr concentration. Chromium from CrPro and CrPic had lower total
      cholesterol (TC) compared with Cr from CrCl3 (P = 0.0220). These results indicate
      that dietary supplementation of Cr has effects on carcass characteristics and
      serum lipid parameters of broilers under normal rearing conditions, while
      supplementation of organic Cr can improve carcass characteristics and reduce the
      cholesterol content in serum. 

PMID- 26123166
TI  - The Antagonistic Effect of Selenium on Lead Toxicity Is Related to the Ion
      Profile in Chicken Liver.
AB  - The interactions between the essential element selenium (Se) and the toxic
      element lead (Pb) have been reported extensively; however, limited data are
      available regarding the effects of Se on Pb and the ion profile in chicken liver.
      Whether the change in the ion profile was involved in the protective process of
      Se and the toxic effect of Pb is unknown. In the present study, we detected 26
      ion profiles (including those of Na, Mg, K, Ca, B, Si, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu,
      Zn, Se, Mo, Sb, Ba, Tl, Li, Al, As, Cd, Sn, Hg, and Pb) in chicken liver
      following treatment with Se or Pb and with the compound treatment of Se and Pb.
      The results showed that Se supplementation decreased the content of B and Cr and
      increased that of Zn and Ba (P < 0.05); however, Pb exposure decreased Cr, Mn,
      Cu, Se, Mo, and Hg and increased V, Fe, Cd, and Sn (P < 0.05). The results showed
      that Se and Pb primarily influenced essential microelements and toxic
      microelements in the chicken liver. In this process, Se alleviated the increased
      Cd and Pb induced by Pb exposure but aggravated the decreased Cu and Mn. The
      results also indicated that there existed both synergistic and antagonistic
      interactions between different ions, further verifying the principal component
      analysis. Thus, the results showed that prolonged exposure to Se and Pb
      influences the ion profiles in chicken liver. The protective role of Se and toxic
      effect of Pb may be related to these changing ion profiles in chicken liver. 

PMID- 26123167
TI  - Mesenchymal signaling in dorsoventral differentiation of palatal epithelium.
AB  - After palatal fusion, the dorsal and ventral epithelia of the palatal shelf
      differentiate into the nasal and oral mucosa, respectively. The tissue-specific
      differentiation of palatal epithelia along the dorsal-ventral axis is regulated
      by the signaling molecules expressed in the underlying mesenchyme. Thus, as in
      many other epithelial organs, differentiation relies on epithelial-mesenchymal
      interactions. To screen for region-specific mesenchymal signaling molecules that
      determine the fate of the palatal epithelia, we employed a laser microdissection
      (LMD) method. LMD allowed us to collect region-specific mesenchymal tissues at
      E13, prior to palatal fusion and the development of distinct dorsal and ventral
      epithelial morphology. Genome-wide screening was performed on the tissues
      collected using LMD to identify candidate mesenchymal signaling molecules. The
      microarray results were validated using real-time quantitative (qPCR) and in situ
      hybridization methods. The developmental role and interactions of the candidate
      genes were evaluated in in vitro-cultivated E13 palates using an anti-sense
      oligodeoxynucleotide (AS-ODN)-based loss-of-function approach. Apparent changes
      in the expression patterns of Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) and LIM
      homeobox 8 (Lhx8) were observed after knocking down each gene. Knock-down of
      Runx2 and Lhx8 also altered the immunolocalization pattern of cytokeratin18
      (CK18), an established marker for nasal epithelium. These results were confirmed
      using Runx2 heterozygote mice. The mesenchymal signaling molecules Runx2 and
      Lhx8, which possess region-specific expression patterns along the dorsoventral
      axis, functionally interact to regulate the cellular and molecular
      characteristics of dorsal and ventral epithelia, suggesting that mesenchymal
      signaling molecules determine the dorsoventral fate of epithelial structures in
      the developing palate. 

PMID- 26123168
TI  - Enhancement of trypsin-like enzymes by A23187 ionophore is crucial for sperm
      penetration through the egg vestment of the giant freshwater prawn.
AB  - We report the presence of trypsin-like enzymes preferring Boc-QAR-MCA substrate
      in sperm collected from different portions of male reproductive tracts of the
      giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii and compare enzyme activities
      before and after an A23187 calcium ionophore treatment. Fluorogenic enzyme assays
      revealed that testicular sperm lysates showed high trypsin-like enzyme activity
      but the activity was relatively low in vas deferens sperm lysates as well as in
      the live sperm. Upon sperm treatment with A23187, trypsin-like activity was
      greatly enhanced in distal vas deferens sperm. Substrate- and inhibitor-based
      localization studies indicated that the sperm trypsin-like enzymes were not of a
      soluble type but were rather of a membrane-borne type, localized at the anterior
      spike and upper part of the main body. Notable structural changes were also
      evident in A23187-induced sperm including extensive ruffling of the sperm
      membrane structure at the base of the main body thereby supporting the acrosome
      reaction response in this species. We further proved by substrate inhibition
      assays that the enhanced trypsin-like enzyme activity participates in sperm
      penetration through the vitelline envelope, a novel sperm-egg penetration
      mechanism that is unique in this species. 

PMID- 26123169
TI  - Surgery for localized pulmonary mycotic infections in patients with hematopoietic
      disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical resection is considered to be the most effective treatment
      for localized pulmonary mycotic infections. However it is also a particularly
      challenging procedure because it is associated with considerable mortality and
      morbidity. Furthermore, hematopoietic disorders usually cause immunosuppression,
      anemia, and coagulopathy, which are definite risk factors for surgery. The
      purpose of this study is to evaluate the surgical outcomes of pulmonary mycotic
      infections in hematopoietic disorder patients. METHODS: Between 2011 and 2013, 23
      patients underwent surgical treatment for pulmonary mycotic infections at a
      single institution. The patients were divided into two groups; Group A
      (hematopoietic disorder patients, n = 9) and Group B (n = 14). We retrospectively
      reviewed medical and radiologic data. RESULTS: The complex type was more frequent
      in group A (66.6 %) than in group B (35.7 %). Postoperatively, there was no
      mortality. However, morbidity was 22.2 % (2 incomplete expansion) in group A, and
      35.6 % (1 prolonged air leak, 3 bleeding, 1 Bronchopleural fistula) in group B.
      The difference in morbidity between the groups did not show any statistical
      significance (p = 0.657) as well as duration of chest tube drainage, and
      postoperative hospital stay. The hematopoietic disorder patients did not impose a
      risk factor for morbidity and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Although hematopoietic
      disorder patients have many surgical risk factors, the surgical treatment of
      pulmonary mycotic infections produces very acceptable outcomes in selected cases.

PMID- 26123170
TI  - Lowered paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity is associated with increased cytokine
      levels in drug naive first episode psychosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Activated immune-inflammatory pathways play an important role in the
      pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity is inversely
      associated with inflammatory responses in numerous clinical conditions. The aims
      of this study were to delineate serum arylesterase PON1 activity in drug-naive
      first episode psychosis (FEP) patients and a healthy control group, and to assess
      whether there are inverse relationships between PON1 activity and cytokine
      levels. METHODS: A total of 51 drug-naive FEP patients and 61 healthy controls
      were enrolled in this study. Levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, IL-6, tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and activity of PON1 were quantified. RESULTS:
      Compared to healthy controls, FEP patients showed lower serum PON1 activity and
      higher levels of IL-4, IL-10 and TNF-alpha. A significant inverse relationship
      between PON1 activity and IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 levels was detected, but not for
      TNF-alpha. Subjects with very low PON1 activity (25th quartile) presented
      significantly higher levels of IL-6, IL-10 and IL-4 than those with higher PON1
      activity (75th quartile). CONCLUSION: The present study provides evidence that
      FEP is characterized by an inverse relationship between lowered activity of the
      anti-inflammatory/antioxidant enzyme PON1 and increased cytokine levels,
      including IL-6, IL-4 and IL-10. It is hypothesized that lowered PON1 activity may
      play a role in the immune-inflammatory response that accompanies FEP and that
      increased cytokine levels may further modulate PON1 activity.

PMID- 26123172
TI  - Acquired Port-wine Stain with Local Heat.

PMID- 26123171
TI  - Effects of oxytocin and genetic variants on brain and behaviour: Implications for
      treatment in schizophrenia.
AB  - Impairments in social cognition and poor social functioning are core features of
      schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. In recent years, there has been a move towards
      developing new treatment strategies that specifically target social cognitive and
      social behavioural deficits. Oxytocin (OXT) is one such strategy that has gained
      increasing attention. There is a strong rationale for studying OXT in psychosis,
      from both an evolutionary perspective and neurodevelopmental-cognitive model of
      schizophrenia. Thus, the aim of this review was to critique and examine the
      observational and clinical oxytocin trial literature in schizophrenia-spectrum
      disorders. A handful of clinical trials suggest that OXT treatment may be
      beneficial for remediating social cognitive impairments, psychiatric symptoms,
      and improving social outcomes. However, inconsistencies exist in this literature,
      which may be explained by individual differences in the underlying neural
      response to OXT treatment and/or variation in the oxytocin and oxytocin receptor
      genes. Therefore, we additionally reviewed the evidence for structural and
      functional neural intermediate phenotypes in humans that link genetic variants to
      social behaviour/thinking, and discuss the implications of such interactions in
      the context of dysfunctional brain networks in schizophrenia. Factors that pose
      challenges for future OXT clinical research include the impact of age, sex, and
      ancestry, task-specific effects, bioavailability and pharmacokinetics, as well as
      neurotransmitter and drug interactions. While initial findings from OXT single
      dose/clinical trial studies are promising, more interdisciplinary research in
      both healthy and psychiatric populations is needed before determining whether OXT
      is a viable treatment option/adjunct for addressing poor illness outcomes in
      psychotic disorders. 

PMID- 26123173
TI  - Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis with a leukemoid reaction in an infant with
      scrub typhus.
AB  - A two-month-old male infant presented with a clinical picture suggestive of fever
      without focus. Treatment was initiated with broad spectrum intravenous
      antibiotics. The infant subsequently developed septic shock, hepatosplenomegaly
      and tachypnoea with oxygen dependency. There was laboratory evidence of anemia,
      thrombocytopenia and a leukemoid reaction. Infection induced hemophagocytic
      lymphohistiocytosis with a leukemoid reaction was suspected because of fever,
      splenomegaly and bicytopenia in conjunction with elevated serum triglycerides and
      ferritin. Empiric therapy with doxycycline caused a rapid resolution of the
      fever, and the diagnosis of scrub typhus was confirmed by a positive scrub IgM
      ELISA. HLH with a leukemoid reaction secondary to scrub typhus has not previously
      been reported in early infancy. 

PMID- 26123174
TI  - Discovery of novel purine-based heterocyclic P2X7 receptor antagonists.
AB  - The pyridine core skeleton of the previously reported dichloropyridine-based
      potent hP2X7 receptor antagonist 5 (IC50 = 13 nM in hP2X7-expressing HEK293
      cells) was modified with various heterocyclic scaffolds. Among the derivatives
      with quinoline, quinazoline, acridine, and purine scaffolds, the chloropurine
      based analog 9o exhibited the most potent antagonistic activity, with an IC50
      value of 176 +/- 37 nM in an ethidium bromide uptake assay. In addition, 9o
      significantly inhibited IL-1beta release in THP-1 cells stimulated with LPS/IFN
      gamma/BzATP (IC50 = 120 +/- 15 nM). Although 9o was less active than the previous
      antagonist 5, 9o exhibited greatly improved metabolic stability in the in vitro
      evaluation (71.4% in human, 72.3% in mouse).

PMID- 26123175
TI  - hCAS/CSE1L regulates RAD51 distribution and focus formation for homologous
      recombinational repair.
AB  - Homologous recombinational repair (HR) is one of the major repair systems for DNA
      double-strand breaks. RAD51 is a key molecule in HR, and the RAD51 concentration
      in the cell nucleus increases after DNA damage induction. However, the mechanism
      that regulates the intracellular distribution of RAD51 is still unclear. Here, we
      show that hCAS/CSE1L associates with RAD51 in human cells. We found that
      hCAS/CSE1L negatively regulates the nuclear protein level of RAD51 under normal
      conditions. hCAS/CSE1L is also required to repress the DNA damage-induced focus
      formation of RAD51. Moreover, we show that hCAS/CSE1L plays roles in the
      regulation of the HR activity and in chromosome stability. These findings suggest
      that hCAS/CSE1L is responsible for controlling the HR activity by directly
      interacting with RAD51. 

PMID- 26123177
TI  - Exact optimum coin bias in Efron's randomization procedure.
AB  - Efron's biased coin design is a restricted randomization procedure that has very
      favorable balancing properties, yet it is fully randomized, in that subjects are
      always randomized to one of two treatments with a probability less than 1. The
      parameter of interest is the bias p of the coin, which can range from 0.5 to 1.
      In this note, we propose a compound optimization strategy that selects p based on
      a subjected weighting of the relative importance of the two fundamental criteria
      of interest for restricted randomization mechanisms, namely balance between the
      treatment assignments and allocation randomness. We use exact and asymptotic
      distributional properties of Efron's coin to find the optimal p under compound
      criteria involving imbalance variability, expected imbalance, selection bias, and
      accidental bias, for both small/moderate trials and large samples.

PMID- 26123176
TI  - Use of methanol as cryoprotectant and its effect on sox genes and proteins in
      chilled zebrafish embryos.
AB  - Methanol is a widely used cryoprotectant (CPA) in cryopreservation of fish
      embryos, however little is known about its effect at the molecular level. This
      study investigated the effect of methanol on sox gene and protein expression in
      zebrafish embryos (50% epiboly) when they were chilled for 3 h and subsequently
      warmed and cultured to the hatching stages. Initial experiments were carried out
      to evaluate the chilling tolerance of 50% epiboly embryos which showed no
      significant differences in hatching rates for up to 6 h chilling in methanol (0.2
      , 0.5- and 1 M). Subsequent experiments in embryos that had been chilled for 3 h
      in 1 M methanol and warmed and cultured up to the hatching stages found that sox2
      and sox3 gene expression were increased significantly in hatched embryos that had
      been chilled compared to non-chilled controls. Sox19a gene expression also
      remained above control levels in the chilled embryos at all developmental stages
      tested. Whilst stable sox2 protein expression was observed between non-chilled
      controls and embryos chilled for 3 h with or without MeOH, a surge in sox19a
      protein expression was observed in embryos chilled for 3 h in the presence of 1 M
      MeOH compared to non-chilled controls and then returned to control levels by the
      hatching stage. The protective effect of MeOH was increased with increasing
      concentrations. Effect of methanol at molecular level during chilling was
      reported here first time which could add new parameter in selection of
      cryoprotectant while designing cryopreservation protocol.

PMID- 26123178
TI  - Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Virulent Phage of Lactobacillus casei
      ATCC 393.
AB  - A new virulent phage (Lcb) of Lactobacillus casei ATCC 393 was isolated from
      Chinese sauerkraut. It was specific to L. casei ATCC 393. Electron micrograph
      revealed that it had an icosahedral head (60.2 +/- 0.8 nm in diameter) and a long
      tail (251 +/- 2.6 nm). It belonged to the Siphoviridae family. The genome of
      phage Lcb was estimated to be approximately 40 kb and did not contain cohesive
      ends. One-step growth kinetics of its lytic development revealed latent and burst
      periods of 75 and 45 min, respectively, with a burst size of 16 PFU per infected
      cell. The phage was able to survive in a pH range between 4 and 11. However, a
      treatment of 70  degrees C for 30 min and 75% ethanol or isopropanol for 20 min
      was observed to inactivate phage Lcb thoroughly. The presence of both Ca(2+) and
      Mg(2+) showed a little influence on phage adsorption, but they were indispensable
      to gain complete lysis and improve plaque formation. The adsorption kinetics were
      similar on viable or nonviable cells, and high adsorption rates maintained
      between 10 and 37  degrees C. The highest adsorption rate was at 30  degrees C.
      This study increased the knowledge on phages of L. casei. The characterization of
      phage Lcb is helpful to establish a basis for adopting effective strategies to
      control phage attack in industry.

PMID- 26123179
TI  - Comment on 'Where are we going in the management of interstitial lung disease in
      patients with systemic sclerosis?'.

PMID- 26123180
TI  - Jump Forward to Get Back to Basics.

PMID- 26123181
TI  - Screening Tests for Osteoporosis: Too Few for Some, Too Many for Others.

PMID- 26123182
TI  - Re: Underuse and Overuse of Osteoporosis Screening in a Regional Health System: A
      Retrospective Cohort Study.

PMID- 26123183
TI  - Resonant-scanning dual-color STED microscopy with ultrafast photon counting: A
      concise guide.
AB  - STED (stimulated emission depletion) is a popular super-resolution fluorescence
      microscopy technique. In this paper, we present a concise guide to building a
      resonant-scanning STED microscope with ultrafast photon-counting acquisition. The
      STED microscope has two channels, using a pulsed laser and a continuous-wave (CW)
      laser as the depletion laser source, respectively. The CW STED channel preforms
      time-gated detection to enhance optical resolution in this channel. We use a
      resonant mirror to attain high scanning speed and ultrafast photon counting
      acquisition to scan a large field of view, which help reduce photobleaching. We
      discuss some practical issues in building a STED microscope, including creating a
      hollow depletion beam profile, manipulating polarization, and monitoring optical
      aberration. We also demonstrate a STED image enhancement method using stationary
      wavelet expansion and image analysis methods to register objects and to quantify
      colocalization in STED microscopy. 

PMID- 26123184
TI  - A straightforward approach for gated STED-FCS to investigate lipid membrane
      dynamics.
AB  - Recent years have seen the development of multiple technologies to investigate,
      with great spatial and temporal resolution, the dynamics of lipids in cellular
      and model membranes. One of these approaches is the combination of far-field
      super-resolution stimulated-emission-depletion (STED) microscopy with
      fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). STED-FCS combines the diffraction
      unlimited spatial resolution of STED microscopy with the statistical accuracy of
      FCS to determine sub-millisecond-fast molecular dynamics with single-molecule
      sensitivity. A unique advantage of STED-FCS is that the observation spot for the
      FCS data recordings can be tuned to sub-diffraction scales, i.e. <200 nm in
      diameter, in a gradual manner to investigate fast diffusion of membrane
      incorporated labelled entities. Unfortunately, so far the STED-FCS technology has
      mostly been applied on a few custom-built setups optimised for far-red
      fluorescent emitters. Here, we summarise the basics of the STED-FCS technology
      and highlight how it can give novel details into molecular diffusion modes. Most
      importantly, we present a straightforward way for performing STED-FCS
      measurements on an unmodified turnkey commercial system using a time-gated
      detection scheme. Further, we have evaluated the STED-FCS performance of
      different commonly used green emitting fluorescent dyes applying freely
      available, custom-written analysis software.

PMID- 26123185
TI  - Single-molecule microscopy of molecules tagged with GFP or RFP derivatives in
      mammalian cells using nanobody binders.
AB  - With the recent development of single-molecule localization-based superresolution
      microscopy, the imaging of cellular structures at a resolution below the
      diffraction-limit of light has become a widespread technique. While single
      fluorescent molecules can be resolved in the nanometer range, the delivery of
      these molecules to the authentic structure in the cell via traditional antibody
      mediated techniques can add substantial error due to the size of the antibodies.
      Accurate and quantitative labeling of cellular molecules has thus become one of
      the bottlenecks in the race for highest resolution of target structures. Here we
      illustrate in detail how to use small, high affinity nanobody binders against GFP
      and RFP family proteins for highly generic labeling of fusion constructs with
      bright organic dyes. We provide detailed protocols and examples for their
      application in superresolution imaging and single particle tracking and
      demonstrate advantages over conventional labeling approaches. 

PMID- 26123186
TI  - Differences in 4-hydroxyestradiol levels in leukocytes are related to
      CYP1A1(*)2C, CYP1B1(*)3 and COMT Val158Met allelic variants.
AB  - Exposure to estrogen and its metabolites, including catechol estrogens (CEs) and
      catechol estrogen quinones (CE-Qs) is closely related to breast cancer.
      Polymorphisms of the genes involved in the catechol estrogens metabolism pathway
      (CEMP) have been shown to affect the production of CEs and CE-Qs. In this study,
      we measured the induction of CYP1A1, CYP1B1, COMT, and GSTP1 by 17beta-estradiol
      (17beta-E2) in leukocytes with CYP1A1(*)2C, CYP1B1(*)3, COMT Val158Met and GSTP1
      Ile105Val polymorphisms by semi quantitative RT-PCR and compared the values to
      those of leukocytes with wild type alleles; we also compared the differences in
      formation of 4- hydroxyestradiol (4-OHE2) and DNA-adducts. The data show that in
      the leukocytes with mutant alleles treatment with 17beta-E2 up-regulates CYP1A1
      and CYP1B1 and down-regulates COMT mRNA levels, resulting in major increments in
      4-OHE2 levels compared to leukocytes with wild-type alleles. Therefore, we
      propose induction levels of gene expression and intracellular 4-OHE2
      concentrations associated with allelic variants in response to exposure of 17beta
      E2 as a noninvasive biomarker that can help determine the risk of developing non
      hereditary breast cancer in women. 

PMID- 26123187
TI  - Vitamin and mineral status in patients with hyperphenylalaninemia.
AB  - Natural sources of protein and some vitamins and minerals are limited in
      phenylketonuria (PKU) treated patients, who should receive optimal
      supplementation although this is not yet fully established. We conducted a cross
      sectional observational multicenter study including 156 patients with
      hyperphenylalaninemia. Patients were stratified by age, phenotype, disease
      detection and type of treatment. Annual median blood phenylalanine (Phe) levels,
      Phe tolerance, anthropometric measurements, and biochemical parameters (total
      protein, prealbumin, electrolytes, selenium, zinc, B12, folic acid, ferritin, 25
      OH vitamin D) were collected in all patients. 81.4% of patients had biochemical
      markers out of recommended range but no clinical symptoms. Total protein,
      calcium, phosphorus, B12, ferritin, and zinc levels were normal in most patients.
      Prealbumin was reduced in 34.6% of patients (74% with PKU phenotype and 94% below
      18 years old), showing almost all (96.3%) an adequate adherence to diet. Selenium
      was diminished in 25% of patients (95% with PKU phenotype) and also 25-OHD in
      14%. Surprisingly, folic acid levels were increased in 39% of patients, 66% with
      classic PKU. Phosphorus and B12 levels were found diminished in patients with low
      adherence to diet. Patients under BH4 therapy only showed significant lower
      levels of B12. This study shows a high percentage of prealbumin and selenium
      deficiencies as well as an increased level of folic acid in PKU treated patients,
      which should lead us to assess an adjustment for standards supplements formulated
      milks.

PMID- 26123188
TI  - Urine sepiapterin excretion as a new diagnostic marker for sepiapterin reductase
      deficiency.
AB  - Sepiapterin reductase deficiency (SRD) causes depletion of biogenic amines in the
      brain, early onset motor disorder, and intellectual disability. The diagnostic
      marker for this rare disease is increased sepiapterin and biopterin in CSF.
      Through a new analytic methodology we demonstrated accumulation of sepiapterin in
      urine of four SRD patients several times greater than that found in healthy
      controls and carriers, regardless of age or treatment. Our findings suggest a new
      interpretation of current theories of peripheral pterin metabolism and provide a
      new noninvasive diagnostic tool for children with early onset cryptogenetic
      developmental delay and/or movement disorder. 

PMID- 26123190
TI  - Histopathological effects of intranasal phototherapy and nasal corticosteroids in
      allergic rhinitis in a rabbit model.
AB  - Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common health problems and has a major
      effect on quality of life. Although new-generation antihistamines and nasal
      steroids are the main treatment options, complete resolution cannot be obtained
      in some patients. Besides common side effects such as nasal irritation and
      epistaxis, the use of these drugs is controversial in some patients, such as
      pregnant or breastfeeding women. These findings highlight the need for new
      treatment options. Although phototherapy has been successfully used in the
      treatment of atopic dermatitis, which is an IgE-mediated disease and shares
      several common pathogenic features with allergic rhinitis, there are limited
      studies about its role in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. In this study, we
      aimed to evaluate and compare the histopathological effects of intranasal
      phototherapy (Rhinolight) and nasal corticosteroid treatment on the nasal mucosa
      in allergic rhinitis in a rabbit model and we found that both treatment options
      significantly reduced inflammation in the nasal mucosa without increasing
      apoptosis of mucosal cells. 

PMID- 26123189
TI  - Stromal Caveolin-1 Is Associated With Response and Survival in a Phase II Trial
      of nab-Paclitaxel With Carboplatin for Advanced NSCLC Patients.
AB  - In this phase II trial, carboplatin with nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)
      paclitaxel as first-line therapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      was evaluated. Most patients had squamous cell histology. Tumor-associated
      stromal caveolin-1 (Cav-1) expression was correlated with improved response rate
      and survival in NSCLC patients who received nab-paclitaxel in this phase II
      trial. These results suggest Cav-1 might serve as a potential biomarker in this
      patient population. BACKGROUND: The combination of bevacizumab with platinum
      based chemotherapy results in greater response rate (RR) and overall survival
      (OS) in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Bevacizumab is
      contraindicated in patients with squamous histology or hemoptysis. Nanoparticle
      albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel is a novel formulation of paclitaxel with greater
      dose tolerance and improved efficacy. We hypothesized that nab-paclitaxel and
      carboplatin would be superior to alternative doublets in advanced NSCLC patients
      ineligible for bevacizumab. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a single-arm phase
      II trial (NCT00729612) with carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel on day 1 of a 21-day
      cycle to evaluate RR (primary end point), safety, toxicity, and OS. Eligibility
      included: squamous histology, hemoptysis, or ongoing anticoagulation. Correlative
      studies included immunohistochemistry for secreted protein acid rich in cysteine
      (SPARC) and caveolin-1 (Cav-1). RESULTS: Sixty-three patients were enrolled. Most
      patients had squamous cell carcinoma (n = 48); other reasons for eligibility
      included hemoptysis (n = 11) and anticoagulation (n = 2). Toxicity Grade >= 3/4
      included neuropathy, cytopenias, and fatigue. RR was 38% (24 partial response/0
      complete response); 20 patients had stable disease (32%). Median progression-free
      survival was 5 months and median OS was 9.7 months. Immunohistochemistry for
      SPARC and Cav-1 was performed in 38 and 37 patients respectively. Although no
      association was found for SPARC expression in tumor or stroma with RR or OS, we
      found that higher Cav-1 levels in tumor-associated stroma was associated with
      improved RR and OS. CONCLUSION: Carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel every 21 days
      demonstrated promising efficacy with tolerable toxicity in NSCLC patients
      ineligible for bevacizumab therapy. Further analysis and validation of Cav-1 and
      SPARC expression in tumor and stromal compartments as prognostic and/or
      predictive biomarkers of NSCLC or nab-paclitaxel treatment is warranted.

PMID- 26123191
TI  - Characterization of the structural changes and photochemical activity of
      photosystem I under Al(3+) effect.
AB  - The photochemical activity of photosystem I (PSI) as affected by Al(3+) was
      investigated in thylakoid membranes and PSI submembrane fractions isolated from
      spinach. Biophysical and biochemical techniques such as oxygen uptake, light
      induced absorbance changes at 820nm, chlorophyll fluorescence emission, SDS
      polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and FTIR spectroscopy have been used to
      analyze the sites and action modes of this cation on the PSI complex. Our results
      showed that Al(3+) above 3mM induces changes in the redox state of P700 reflected
      by an increase of P700 photooxidation phase and a delay of the slower rate of
      P700 re-reduction which reveals that Al(3+) exerted an inhibitory action at the
      donor side of PSI especially at plastocyanin (PC). Furthermore, results of P700
      photooxidation monitored in the presence of DCMU with or without MV suggested
      that the same range of Al(3+) concentrations impairs the photochemical reaction
      centers (RC) of PSI, as shown by the decline in the amount of active population
      of P700, and disrupts the charge separation between P700 and the primary electron
      acceptor A0 leading to the inhibition of electron transfer at the acceptor side
      of PSI. These inhibitory actions were also accompanied by an impairment of the
      energy transfer from light harvesting complex (LHCI) to RC of PSI, following the
      disconnection of LHCI antenna as illustrated by an enhancement of chlorophyll
      fluorescence emission spectra at low temperature (77K). The above results
      coincided with FTIR measurements that indicated a conformational change of the
      protein secondary structures in PSI complex where 25% of alpha-helix was
      converted into beta-sheet, beta-antiparallel and turn structures. These
      structural changes in PSI complex proteins are closely related with the
      alteration photochemical activity of PSI including the inhibition of the electron
      transport through both acceptor and donor sides of PSI. 

PMID- 26123192
TI  - Echinococcus granulosus infection dynamics in livestock of Greece.
AB  - An epidemiological and molecular survey on the occurrence of Echinococcus hydatid
      cysts in livestock was conducted in Greece. In total 898 sheep, 483 goats, 38
      buffaloes, 273 wild boars and 15 deer were examined and 30.2% (6.45% cyst
      fertility), 7.86% (3.2% cyst fertility), 42% (7.9% cyst fertility), 1.1% (0% cyst
      fertility), 0% of them were found infected, respectively. Infection rate in
      different geographical regions varied between 26.1 and 53.8% (cyst fertility 2.04
      and 34.6%) in sheep, 7.33 and 13.3% (cyst fertility 0 and 3.2%) in goats.
      Genotyping, based on cox1 and nad1 analyses, demonstrated the predominance of E.
      granulosus s.s. (G1 genotype). The presence of one single genotype-complex within
      a relatively large spectrum of intermediate host species in Greece indicates the
      presence of a dominant transmission dog-sheep cycle involving additional host
      species which may act as disease reservoir for human infections.

PMID- 26123193
TI  - Of bipolar cell synapses, light-activated K+ channels, and substrate binding to
      DAT.

PMID- 26123194
TI  - Regulation of the transient receptor potential channel TRPM3 by
      phosphoinositides.
AB  - The transient receptor potential (TRP) channel TRPM3 is a calcium-permeable
      cation channel activated by heat and by the neurosteroid pregnenolone sulfate
      (PregS). TRPM3 is highly expressed in sensory neurons, where it plays a key role
      in heat sensing and inflammatory hyperalgesia, and in pancreatic beta cells,
      where its activation enhances glucose-induced insulin release. However, despite
      its functional importance, little is known about the cellular mechanisms that
      regulate TRPM3 activity. Here, we provide evidence for a dynamic regulation of
      TRPM3 by membrane phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIPs). Phosphatidylinositol
      4,5-bisphosphate (PI[4,5]P2) and ATP applied to the intracellular side of excised
      membrane patches promote recovery of TRPM3 from desensitization. The stimulatory
      effect of cytosolic ATP on TRPM3 reflects activation of phosphatidylinositol
      kinases (PI-Ks), leading to resynthesis of PIPs in the plasma membrane. Various
      PIPs directly enhance TRPM3 activity in cell-free inside-out patches, with a
      potency order PI(3,4,5)P3 > PI(3,5)P2 > PI(4,5)P2 ~ PI(3,4)P2 >> PI(4)P.
      Conversely, TRPM3 activity is rapidly and reversibly inhibited by activation of
      phosphatases that remove the 5-phosphate from PIPs. Finally, we show that
      recombinant TRPM3, as well as the endogenous TRPM3 in insuloma cells, is rapidly
      and reversibly inhibited by activation of phospholipase C-coupled muscarinic
      acetylcholine receptors. Our results reveal basic cellular mechanisms whereby
      membrane receptors can regulate TRPM3 activity. 

PMID- 26123195
TI  - Transient receptor potential melastatin 3 is a phosphoinositide-dependent ion
      channel.
AB  - Phosphoinositides are emerging as general regulators of the functionally diverse
      transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel family. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5
      bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) has been reported to positively regulate many TRP
      channels, but in several cases phosphoinositide regulation is controversial. TRP
      melastatin 3 (TRPM3) is a heat-activated ion channel that is also stimulated by
      chemical agonists, such as pregnenolone sulfate. Here, we used a wide array of
      approaches to determine the effects of phosphoinositides on TRPM3. We found that
      channel activity in excised inside-out patches decreased over time (rundown), an
      attribute of PI(4,5)P2-dependent ion channels. Channel activity could be restored
      by application of either synthetic dioctanoyl (diC8) or natural arachidonyl
      stearyl (AASt) PI(4,5)P2. The PI(4,5)P2 precursor phosphatidylinositol 4
      phosphate (PI(4)P) was less effective at restoring channel activity. TRPM3
      currents were also restored by MgATP, an effect which was inhibited by two
      different phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase inhibitors, or by pretreatment with a
      phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) enzyme, indicating that
      MgATP acted by generating phosphoinositides. In intact cells, reduction of
      PI(4,5)P2 levels by chemically inducible phosphoinositide phosphatases or a
      voltage-sensitive 5'-phosphatase inhibited channel activity. Activation of PLC
      via muscarinic receptors also inhibited TRPM3 channel activity. Overall, our data
      indicate that TRPM3 is a phosphoinositide-dependent ion channel and that
      decreasing PI(4,5)P2 abundance limits its activity. As all other members of the
      TRPM family have also been shown to require PI(4,5)P2 for activity, our data
      establish PI(4,5)P2 as a general positive cofactor of this ion channel subfamily.

PMID- 26123197
TI  - A marginal band of microtubules transports and organizes mitochondria in retinal
      bipolar synaptic terminals.
AB  - A set of bipolar cells in the retina of goldfish contains giant synaptic
      terminals that can be over 10 um in diameter. Hundreds of thousands of synaptic
      vesicles fill these terminals and engage in continuous rounds of exocytosis. How
      the cytoskeleton and other organelles in these neurons are organized to control
      synaptic activity is unknown. Here, we used 3-D fluorescence and 3-D electron
      microscopy to visualize the complex subcellular architecture of these terminals.
      We discovered a thick band of microtubules that emerged from the axon to loop
      around the terminal periphery throughout the presynaptic space. This previously
      unknown microtubule structure associated with a substantial population of
      mitochondria in the synaptic terminal. Drugs that inhibit microtubule-based
      kinesin motors led to accumulation of mitochondria in the axon. We conclude that
      this prominent microtubule band is crucial to the transport and localization of
      mitochondria into the presynaptic space to provide the sustained energy necessary
      for continuous transmitter release in these giant synaptic terminals. 

PMID- 26123196
TI  - Membrane potential and Ca2+ concentration dependence on pressure and vasoactive
      agents in arterial smooth muscle: A model.
AB  - Arterial smooth muscle (SM) cells respond autonomously to changes in
      intravascular pressure, adjusting tension to maintain vessel diameter. The values
      of membrane potential (Vm) and sarcoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration (Ca(in)) within
      minutes of a change in pressure are the results of two opposing pathways, both of
      which use Ca(2+) as a signal. This works because the two Ca(2+)-signaling
      pathways are confined to distinct microdomains in which the Ca(2+) concentrations
      needed to activate key channels are transiently higher than Ca(in). A
      mathematical model of an isolated arterial SM cell is presented that incorporates
      the two types of microdomains. The first type consists of junctions between
      cisternae of the peripheral sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), containing ryanodine
      receptors (RyRs), and the sarcolemma, containing voltage- and Ca(2+)-activated
      K(+) (BK) channels. These junctional microdomains promote hyperpolarization,
      reduced Ca(in), and relaxation. The second type is postulated to form around
      stretch-activated nonspecific cation channels and neighboring Ca(2+)-activated
      Cl(-) channels, and promotes the opposite (depolarization, increased Ca(in), and
      contraction). The model includes three additional compartments: the sarcoplasm,
      the central SR lumen, and the peripheral SR lumen. It incorporates 37 protein
      components. In addition to pressure, the model accommodates inputs of alpha- and
      beta-adrenergic agonists, ATP, 11,12-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid, and nitric oxide
      (NO). The parameters of the equations were adjusted to obtain a close fit to
      reported Vm and Ca(in) as functions of pressure, which have been determined in
      cerebral arteries. The simulations were insensitive to +/- 10% changes in most of
      the parameters. The model also simulated the effects of inhibiting RyR, BK, or
      voltage-activated Ca(2+) channels on Vm and Ca(in). Deletion of BK beta1 subunits
      is known to increase arterial-SM tension. In the model, deletion of beta1 raised
      Ca(in) at all pressures, and these increases were reversed by NO.

PMID- 26123198
TI  - The effect of prolonged of warm ischaemic injury on renal function in an
      experimental ex vivo normothermic perfusion system.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Donation after circulatory death (DCD) kidney transplants inevitably
      sustain a degree of warm ischaemic injury, which is manifested clinically as
      delayed graft function. The aim of this study was to define the effects of
      prolonged periods of warm ischaemic injury on renal function in a normothermic
      haemoperfused kidney model. METHODS: Porcine kidneys were subjected to 15, 60, 90
      (n = 6 per group) and 120 min (n = 4) of in situ warm ischaemia (WI) and then
      retrieved, flushed with cold preservation fluid and stored in ice for 2 h.
      Kidneys then underwent 3 h of normothermic reperfusion with a whole blood-based
      perfusate using an ex vivo circuit developed from clinical grade cardiopulmonary
      bypass technology. RESULTS: Creatinine clearance, urine output and fractional
      excretion of sodium deteriorated sequentially with increasing warm time. Renal
      function was severely compromised after 90 or 120 min of WI but haemodynamic,
      metabolic and histological parameters demonstrated the viability of kidneys
      subjected to prolonged warm ischaemia. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated kidney perfusion
      using a warm, oxygenated, red cell-based perfusate allows an accurate ex vivo
      assessment of the potential for recovery from warm ischaemic injury. Prolonged
      renal warm ischaemic injury caused a severe decrement in renal function but was
      not associated with tissue necrosis.

PMID- 26123199
TI  - High rates of anaerobic methane oxidation in freshwater wetlands reduce potential
      atmospheric methane emissions.
AB  - The role of anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in wetlands, the largest natural
      source of atmospheric methane, is poorly constrained. Here we report rates of
      microbially mediated AOM (average rate=20 nmol cm(-3) per day) in three
      freshwater wetlands that span multiple biogeographical provinces. The observed
      AOM rates rival those in marine environments. Most AOM activity may have been
      coupled to sulphate reduction, but other electron acceptors remain feasible.
      Lipid biomarkers typically associated with anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea
      were more enriched in (13)C than those characteristic of marine systems,
      potentially due to distinct microbial metabolic pathways or dilution with
      heterotrophic isotope signals. On the basis of this extensive data set, AOM in
      freshwater wetlands may consume 200 Tg methane per year, reducing their potential
      methane emissions by over 50%. These findings challenge precepts surrounding
      wetland carbon cycling and demonstrate the environmental relevance of an
      anaerobic methane sink in ecosystems traditionally considered strong methane
      sources. 

PMID- 26123200
TI  - Hypnic headache in childhood: A literature review.
AB  - Hypnic headache (HH) is a rare benign disorder described initially by Raskin in
      1988. It is characterized by recurrent nocturnal episodes of headache that
      periodically awaken the sleeping patient and usually occur in the elderly. This
      review is aimed at describing the clinical features of the HH cases in childhood
      that have been published in literature so far. Based on a literature search in
      the major medical databases (LiLacs, SciELO, Bireme, Scopus, EBSCO and PubMed),
      we have analyzed the case reports on HH in childhood that have been published
      between 1988 (the first description) and 2014. In this review, we have described
      five children (3 girls and 2 boys) diagnosed with HH. The average age was 9.0 +/-
      1.6 years (95% CI 7.6-10.4), ranging from 7 to 11 years. The diagnosis was made
      15.8 +/- 25.0 months (range 1 to 60 months) after the headache started. Three
      patients (60.0%) were awakened a few hours after falling asleep. The headache
      lasted up to 30 min in four (80.0%) patients. The headache was bilaterally
      localized (4/5; 80.0%), had a throbbing/pulsating character (3/5; 60.0%) and a
      severe intensity (4/5; 80.0%). The frequency was less than 15 days per month
      (4/5; 80.0%). The absence of autonomic symptoms was reported by all patients.
      There was successful treatment with melatonin in 2/5 (40.0%) of the patients. HH
      is very rare in childhood; its clinical features are inconsistent and still need
      further evaluation.

PMID- 26123201
TI  - Cognitive and neuroanatomical correlates of neuropsychiatric symptoms in
      Parkinson's disease: A systematic review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Neuropsychiatric symptoms are one of the most common non-motor
      symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). These symptoms have a negative impact on
      daily living activities and cognitive abilities. This review will be centred on
      published articles which focused on clarifying the cognitive and neuroanatomical
      features associated with the appearance of specific neuropsychiatric symptoms in
      this disease. METHODS: All articles indexed in the Web of Science and PubMed
      databases were reviewed for potential inclusion in October 2014. In the first
      stage of the review, we identified 41 articles that investigated neuropsychiatric
      symptoms and cognitive impairments in PD. In the second stage, there were 26
      published articles on the neural bases of neuropsychiatric symptoms in PD.
      RESULTS: The main findings revealed that executive dysfunctions were common in
      patients with depression, apathy, visual hallucinations (VH), impulse control
      disorders (ICDs) and anxiety, whereas, memory deficits were associated mainly
      with depression and VH. Imaging studies have shown that frontal lobe atrophy was
      frequently observed in patients with depression, apathy, VH and ICDs. CONCLUSION:
      This review gives a snapshot of those cognitive and neural correlates of
      neuropsychiatric symptoms in PD. Methodological shortcoming in the available
      studies were identified, however, of which the most critical appeared neglecting
      the presence of multiple neuropsychiatric symptoms in some of the patients
      included in studies of specific individual symptoms. Additionally, in most
      studies only patients in the moderate to severe stages were included which limits
      possible inferences to the early stage of the disease.

PMID- 26123202
TI  - Crystallinity of tellurium capping and epitaxy of ferromagnetic topological
      insulator films on SrTiO3.
AB  - Thin films of topological insulators are often capped with an insulating layer
      since topological insulators are known to be fragile to degradation. However,
      capping can hinder the observation of novel transport properties of the surface
      states. To understand the influence of capping on the surface states, it is
      crucial to understand the crystal structure and the atomic arrangement at the
      interfaces. Here, we use x-ray diffraction to establish the crystal structure of
      magnetic topological insulator Cr-doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3 (CBST) films grown on SrTiO3
      (1 1 1) substrates with and without a Te capping layer. We find that both the
      film and capping layer are single crystal and that the crystal quality of the
      film is independent of the presence of the capping layer, but that x-rays cause
      sublimation of the CBST film, which is prevented by the capping layer. Our
      findings show that the different transport properties of capped films cannot be
      attributed to a lower crystal quality but to a more subtle effect such as a
      different electronic structure at the interface with the capping layer. Our
      results on the crystal structure and atomic arrangements of the topological
      heterostructure will enable modelling the electronic structure and design of
      topological heterostructures. 

PMID- 26123203
TI  - Functional POR A503V is associated with the risk of bladder cancer in a Chinese
      population.
AB  - Human cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) plays important roles in the
      metabolism of exogenous carcinogens and endogenous sterol hormones. However, few
      studies have explored the association between POR variants and the risk of
      bladder cancer. In this study, we first sequenced all 16 POR exons among 50
      randomly selected controls, and found three variants, rs1135612, rs1057868
      (A503V) and rs2228104, which were then assessed the relation to risk of bladder
      cancer in a case-control study of 1,050 bladder cancer cases and 1,404 cancer
      free controls in a Chinese population. People with A503V TT genotype have a
      decreased risk of bladder cancer in a recessive model (TT vs. CC/CT, OR = 0.73,
      95% CI = 0.57-0.93), which was more pronounced among elderly male, non-smoking,
      subjects. Especially, A503V TT genotype showed a protective effect in the
      invasive tumor stage. Functional analysis revealed that A503V activity decreased
      in cytochrome c reduction (50.5 units/mg vs. 135.4 units/mg), mitomycin C
      clearance (38.3% vs. 96.8%), and mitomycin C-induced colony formation (78.0 vs
      34.3 colonies per dish). The results suggested that POR A503V might decrease the
      risk of bladder cancer by reducing its metabolic activity, and should be a
      potential biomarker for predicting the susceptibility to human bladder cancer. 

PMID- 26123204
TI  - Investigation of cancer mortality inequalities between rural and urban areas in
      South Korea.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Little is known about rural-urban cancer disparities, particularly in
      South Korea, and this study is to identify cancer-specific mortality inequalities
      between the rural and urban areas of the country. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: For 11 specific cancer sites, age-standardised mortality rates were
      analysed for the rural and urban administrative districts of South Korea during
      2006-2011. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Poisson log linear regression models were
      employed to estimate cancer-specific mortality rates, and Bonferroni comparison
      method was used to identify rural-urban disparities. RESULTS: There were
      significant rural-urban disparities observed for all cancer sites except
      prostate, pancreas and leukaemia. The mortality rates of lung, liver and stomach
      cancers, the three most common cancers in the country, were observed to be
      significantly higher in rural areas than in metropolitan areas. In contrast, the
      reverse relationship was observed for the reproductive system (breast and uterus)
      and colon cancers. Central nervous system cancer mortality was observed to be
      significantly higher in rural areas than in non-metro urban areas. CONCLUSIONS:
      For the first time ever, significant rural-urban disparity patterns in cancer
      mortality rates in South Korea have been identified in this paper. Future
      investigations on cancer risk factors for the country should address these
      disparity patterns.

PMID- 26123205
TI  - Lexical organization of language-ambiguous and language-specific words in
      bilinguals.
AB  - Previous research has shown the importance of sublexical orthographic cues in
      determining the language of a given word when the two languages of a bilingual
      reader share the same script. In this study, we explored the extent to which
      cross-language sublexical characteristics of words-measured in terms of bigram
      frequencies-constrain selective language activation during reading. In Experiment
      1, we investigated the impact of language-nonspecific and language-specific
      orthography in letter detection using the Reicher-Wheeler paradigm in a seemingly
      monolingual experimental context. In Experiment 2, we used the masked translation
      priming paradigm in order to better characterize the role of sublexical language
      cues during lexical access in bilinguals. Results show that bilinguals are highly
      sensitive to statistical orthographic regularities of their languages and that
      the absence of such cues promotes language-nonspecific lexical access, whereas
      their presence partially reduces parallel language activation. We conclude that
      language coactivation in bilinguals is highly modulated by sublexical processing
      and that orthographic regularities of the two languages of a bilingual are a
      determining factor in lexical access.

PMID- 26123206
TI  - Does religious coping and spirituality have a moderating role on depression and
      anxiety in patients with spinal cord injury? A study from Iran.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We evaluate the level of anxiety and depression among patients with
      spinal cord injury (SCI) in relation with their religious coping and spiritual
      health. SETTING: Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Repair Research Center,
      Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
      METHODS: A sample of patients with SCI participated in this cross-sectional
      study. They completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and
      Depression Scale, the Brief Religious Coping Questionnaire and the Spiritual Well
      being Scale. Then, the association between anxiety, depression and independent
      variables was examined. RESULTS: In all, 213 patients with SCI were studied. Of
      these, 64 (30%) have had anxiety and 32 (15%) have had depression. Multiple
      logistic regression analyses revealed that gender (odds ratio (OR) for
      female=3.34, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.31-8.51, P=0.011), employment (OR for
      unemployed=5.71, 95% CI=1.17-27.78, P=0.031), negative religious coping (OR=1.15,
      95% CI=1.04-1.28, P=0.006) and existential spiritual well-being (OR=0.93, 95%
      CI=0.89-0.97, P=0.003) were significant contributing factors to anxiety (Table
      3), whereas negative religious coping (OR=1.21, 95% CI=1.06-1.37, P=0.004) and
      existential spiritual well-being (OR=0.90, 95% CI=0.84-0.96, P=0.001) were
      significant contributing factors to depression. CONCLUSION: The findings
      indicated that depression and anxiety are two psychologically important side
      effects after SCI. The findings also indicated that religion and spiritual well
      being have a moderating role on occurrence of depression and anxiety.

PMID- 26123207
TI  - Change in body surface temperature as an ancillary measurement to motor evoked
      potentials.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. OBJECTIVES: To study the role of surface
      temperature as an adjunct to motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in rabbit spinal cord
      injury (SCI) model. SETTING: Department of Orthopedics, Korea University Guro
      Hospital, Seoul, Korea. METHODS: Rabbits (n =18) were divided into Complete (n =
      9) and Incomplete (n = 9) SCI groups. Complete SCI was defined as being non
      responsive to a wake-up test with loss of MEPs after transection of spinal cord.
      Incomplete SCI was defined as being responsive to a wake-up test with significant
      attenuation (? 80%) of MEPs after impaction on spinal cord. Surface temperature
      of upper and lower extremities, core temperature and MEPs signals were checked
      before, during and after SCI for 20 min. A wake-up test was conducted and spinal
      cord was histologicaly evaluated. RESULTS: Experimental conditions between the
      two groups were statistically similar (P > 0.005 for all values). After SCI,
      upper extremity temperatures did not change in either group (P > 0.005); however,
      the surface temperature of the lower extremities in the Complete SCI Group
      elevated to 1.7 +/- 0.5 degrees C in comparison to 0.5 +/- 0.1 degrees C in the
      Incomplete SCI Group (P < 0.001). The scores of wake-up test in the Incomplete
      SCI Group were significantly different from that of the Complete SCI Group (P <
      0.001), while white and gray matter damage was variable on histology.
      CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring of changes of body surface temperature of the lower
      extremities can be potentially used to identify the completeness of SCI in a
      rabbit model.

PMID- 26123208
TI  - Tumefactive demyelination of the spinal cord: a case report.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVES: We report on a 52-year-old male patient
      with tumefactive demyelination of the spinal cord. SETTING: University Hospital
      and Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Martin, Slovakia.
      BACKGROUND: In contrast to relatively frequent tumefactive fulminant lesions in
      the brain, cases affecting the spinal cord in isolation have been reported less
      frequently. METHODS: Description of the case report. RESULTS: Clinical,
      neuroradiological and necropsy findings are described in a 52-year-old man with
      tumefactive fulminant demyelination of the spinal cord. Progression of the
      demyelination process produced paraplegia, mild paresis of the right upper limb,
      neurogenic bladder and sensitive loss over 2 weeks. MRI scans revealed several
      ovoid lesions in cervical segments and tumefactive T2-hyperintense signals with
      oedema and post-contrast enhancement located in thoracic segments Th3 to Th6.
      Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination displayed lymphomonocytic pleocytosis with
      normal proteinorhachia, positive CSF oligoclonal IgG bands (OCB) and elevated IgG
      index (1.55). Serum anti-AQP4-Ab was not tested. Stored frozen CSF samples were
      later repeatedly examined with negative findings of anti-AQP4-Ab. Treatment with
      high-dose methylprednisolon and plasma exchange had limited effect.
      Immunosuppressive medication was interrupted because of an acute urinary
      infection. The patient died suddenly because of pulmonary embolism as a secondary
      complication. Histopathology of the spinal cord confirmed active demyelination.
      We considered that tumefactive demyelination could be a variant of neuromyelitis
      optica. CONCLUSION: Our case could be anti-AQP4-Ab-negative longitudinally
      extensive transverse myelitis, a variant of neuromyelitis optica.

PMID- 26123209
TI  - Risk factors of urethral diverticula in male patients with spinal cord injury.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: A case-control study in a series of 55 males with urethral
      diverticula (UD) and their correspondent control, matched by age and time of
      radiological assessments. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the risk factors to develop UD
      in males with spinal cord injury (SCI) and the place in the urethra where they
      are, most commonly, allocated. SETTING: Toledo, Spain. METHODS: Clinical
      histories and urodynamic studies, of all patients, were reviewed. The study was
      completed with a telephone survey according to an established protocol. RESULTS:
      The univariate analysis study showed the following risk factors: the age of onset
      of the spinal injury, the sphincterotomy procedure, personal history of lower
      urinary tract infections (LUTIs) and the chronic need of either indwelling
      catheter (IC) or the external condom drainage (ECD). Regarding the location of
      the UD, we have found the stress urinary incontinence as the only risk factor to
      develop UD in the prostatic urethra.On the other hand, we can conclude that the
      sphincterotomy, the ECD, the personal history of LUTIs and the detrusor external
      sphincter dyssynergia seem to be risk factors to develop diverticula in the bulbo
      membranous urethra. Finally, we could point out the IC as the only risk factor
      for penile UD. Multivariate analysis showed that all of these risk factors were
      independent among them except the age of the onset of the injury and the ECD for
      UD in the bulbo-membranous urethra. CONCLUSION: According to our study, there is
      evidence of some specific risk factors for the development of UD in male patients
      with SCI, and therefore we should adopt the appropriate preventive measures to
      prevent them.

PMID- 26123210
TI  - Match activity and physiological load in wheelchair tennis players: a pilot
      study.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: There is a lack of information about the physiological and
      psychological parameters in competition that shows a comprehensive profile of the
      demands of the game situation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to
      examine the activity patterns and physiological-perceptual responses (heart rate
      (HR), blood lactate concentrations (LA) and the rate of perceived exertion (RPE),
      respectively, during singles wheelchair tennis (WT) matches. METHODS: A total of
      four WT players played three matches each. HR, LA and RPE were measured during
      each match. An activity pattern analysis was performed during all matches.
      Furthermore, LA and RPE were compared between service and return games. RESULTS:
      The results show a mean (s.d.) total match time of 69.04 (2.3) minutes, an
      effective playing time of 17.65% (0.03%), a work:rest (W:R) time ratio of 1:4.6
      (0.48) and a rally length of 7.04 (4.44) seconds. Most of the points end in three
      or fewer shots. The mean (s.d.) physiological load during the matches were as
      follows: HR 124.25 (24.7) beats per minute, %HRmax 66.31% (4.5%), LA 1.41 (0.43)
      mmol l(-)(1) and RPE 12.45 (1.91). No significant differences were found in LA
      and RPE between service and return games (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In this
      descriptive study, match activity and physiological load in WT are described.
      Match activities are similar to conventional tennis, although the physiological
      load is lower. Service and return situations show similar physiological and
      perceptual responses. These results might be used to develop specific interval
      training protocols for a male WT player.

PMID- 26123211
TI  - Proximal tibia fracture in a patient with incomplete spinal cord injury
      associated with robotic treadmill training.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: One case report of proximal tibia fracture in a patient with
      incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) associated with robotic treadmill training.
      OBJECTIVE: To raise the awareness that bone densitometry may be recommended
      before starting the robotic treadmill therapy, as well as the active vigilance of
      symptoms after therapy. SETTING: Institute of Physical and Rehabilitation
      Medicine, Lucy Montoro Institute for Rehabilitation, Hospital das Clinicas,
      School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. CASE REPORT: The
      patient, female gender, with a fracture of vertebra T12 and arthrodesis from T9
      to L1 (American Spinal Injury Association Classification (ASIA-C)). Training on
      Lokomat consisted of five 30-min weekly sessions, under the supervision of a
      qualified professional. At the beginning of the 19th session, the patient
      complained of pain in the anterior region of the left knee. Lokomat and any other
      body support therapy were discontinued. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      evidenced a transverse, oblique, metaphyseal proximal anterior and medial tibial
      fracture. CONCLUSION: Fractures are among the chronic complications of a SCI,
      affecting 34% and many times arising from minimal traumas. Lokomat resembles
      physiological walking, and more studies show its benefits. Many studies encourage
      the use of robotic devices for the rehabilitation of lower limbs, but there are
      still several unanswered questions. However, there are not enough studies to show
      whether there is a higher risk of fracture incidence in patients with osteopenia
      or osteoporosis who trained on the Lokomat.

PMID- 26123212
TI  - Discrepancies between clinical assessments of sensory function and electrical
      perceptual thresholds after incomplete chronic cervical spinal cord injury.
AB  - STUDY DESIGN: Prospective experimental. OBJECTIVES: To compare sensory function
      as revealed by light touch and pin prick tests of the International Standards for
      Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) and the electrical
      perceptual threshold (EPT) exams in individuals with chronic incomplete cervical
      spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: Pittsburgh, United States. METHODS: EPT was
      tested using cutaneous electrical stimulation (0.5 ms pulse width, 3 Hz) in 32
      healthy controls and in 17 participants with SCI over key points on dermatomes C2
      to T4 on each side of the body. Light touch and pin prick ISNCSCI scores were
      tested at the same key dermatomes in SCI participants. RESULTS: In controls, EPT
      values were higher in older males (1.26+/-0.2 mA, mean+/-s.d.) compared with
      younger males (1.0+/-0.2 mA) and older females (0.9+/-0.2 mA), regardless of the
      dermatome and side tested. Fifteen out of the seventeen SCI participants showed
      that the level of sensory impairment detected by the EPT was below the level
      detected by the ISNCSCI (mean=4.5+/-2.4, range 1-9). The frequency distribution
      of EPTs was similar to older male controls in dermatomes above but not below the
      ISNCSCI sensory level. The difference between EPT and ISNCSCI sensory level was
      negatively correlated with the time post injury. CONCLUSIONS: The results show
      that, in the chronic stage of cervical SCI, the EPT reveals spared sensory
      function at lower (~5) spinal segments compared with the ISNCSCI sensory exam. It
      is hence found that the EPT is a sensitive tool to assess recovery of sensory
      function after chronic SCI.

PMID- 26123213
TI  - Positive Selection Analysis of Overlapping Reading Frames Is Invalid.

PMID- 26123214
TI  - Oral direct thrombin inhibitors or oral factor Xa inhibitors for the treatment of
      deep vein thrombosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition in which a clot forms in
      the deep veins, most commonly of the leg. It occurs in approximately 1 in 1,000
      people. If left untreated, the clot can travel up to the lungs and cause a
      potentially life-threatening pulmonary embolism (PE). Previously, a DVT was
      treated with the anticoagulants heparin and vitamin K antagonists. However, two
      forms of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been developed: oral direct
      thrombin inhibitors (DTI) and oral factor Xa inhibitors. The new drugs have
      characteristics that may be favourable over conventional treatment, including
      oral administration, a predictable effect, lack of frequent monitoring or re
      dosing and few known drug interactions. To date, no Cochrane review has measured
      the effectiveness and safety of these drugs in the treatment of DVT. OBJECTIVES:
      To assess the effectiveness of oral DTIs and oral factor Xa inhibitors for the
      treatment of DVT. SEARCH METHODS: The Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Diseases Group
      Trials Search Co-ordinator searched the Specialised Register (last searched
      January 2015) and the Cochrane Register of Studies (last searched January 2015).
      We searched clinical trials databases for details of ongoing or unpublished
      studies and the reference lists of relevant articles retrieved by electronic
      searches for additional citations. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised
      controlled trials in which people with a DVT confirmed by standard imaging
      techniques, were allocated to receive an oral DTI or an oral factor Xa inhibitor
      for the treatment of DVT. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors (LR,
      JM) independently extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias in the trials.
      Any disagreements were resolved by discussion with the third review author (PK).
      We performed meta-analyses when we considered heterogeneity low. The two primary
      outcomes were recurrent VTE and PE. Other outcomes included all-cause mortality
      and major bleeding. We calculated all outcomes using an odds ratio (OR) with a
      95% confidence interval (CI). MAIN RESULTS: We included 11 randomised controlled
      trials of 27,945 participants. Three studies tested oral DTIs (two dabigatran and
      one ximelagatran), while eight tested oral factor Xa inhibitors (four
      rivaroxaban, two apixaban and two edoxaban). We deemed all included studies to be
      of high methodological quality and low risk of bias. The quality of the evidence
      was graded as high as the outcomes were direct and effect estimates were
      consistent and precise, as reflected in the narrow CIs around the ORs. Meta
      analysis of three studies (7596 participants) comparing oral DTIs with standard
      anticoagulation groups showed no difference in the rate of recurrent VTE (OR
      1.09; 95% CI 0.80 to 1.49), recurrent DVT (OR 1.08; 95% CI 0.74 to 1.58), fatal
      PE (OR 1.00; 95% CI 0.27 to 3.70), non-fatal PE (OR 1.12; 95% CI 0.66 to 1.90) or
      all-cause mortality (OR 0.82; 95% CI 0.60 to 1.13). However, oral DTIs were
      associated with reduced bleeding (OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.47 to 0.98). Meta-analysis of
      eight studies (16,356 participants) comparing oral factor Xa inhibitors with
      standard anticoagulation demonstrated a similar rate of recurrent VTE between the
      two treatments (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.73 to 1.07). Oral factor Xa inhibitors were
      associated with a lower rate of recurrent DVT (OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.57 to 0.98).
      However, this was a weak association, heavily dependent on one study. The rate of
      fatal (OR 1.20; 95% CI 0.71 to 2.03), non-fatal PE (OR 0.94; 95% CI 0.68 to 1.28)
      and all-cause mortality (OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.65 to 1.23) was similar between the
      two treatment groups. Oral factor Xa inhibitors were also associated with reduced
      bleeding (OR 0.57; 95% CI 0.43 to 0.76). None of the included studies measured
      post-thrombotic syndrome or health-related quality of life. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS:
      NOACs such as DTIs and factor Xa inhibitors may be an effective and safe
      alternative to conventional anticoagulation treatment for acute DVT.

PMID- 26123215
TI  - Enhanced neutrophil phagocytic capacity in rheumatoid arthritis related to the
      autoantibodies rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is no consensus on the mechanisms by which anti-cyclic
      citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP) and rheumatoid factor (RF) influence
      the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The current study verified if the
      presence of RF or anti-CCP is associated with phagocytic capacity and reactive
      oxygen species (ROS) production by phagocytes in RA patients to better clarify
      the role played by these antibodies in pathogenesis of the disease. METHODS: A
      cohort of 30 RA patients followed from early stages of the disease were
      characterized by positivity for RF or anti-CCP, disease activity score (DAS-28),
      health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), use of synthetic or biologic therapy,
      lifestyle, comorbidities and radiographic erosions. Phagocytic capacity against
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae and superoxide anion production were assessed in RA
      patients and compared with 20 healthy controls. Phagocytic capacity and
      superoxide anion production were also compared between RF- and anti-CCP-positive
      and -negative RA patients. RESULTS: Anti-CCP- and RF-positive RA patients had
      higher neutrophil phagocytic capacity than anti-CCP- (p = 0.005) and RF (p =
      0.005)-negative individuals through pattern-recognition receptors. As assessed
      via pattern recognition or opsonin receptors, neutrophils and monocytes from RA
      patients presented overall higher phagocytic capacity than neutrophils and
      monocytes from healthy controls (p < 0.05). Furthermore, RA patients also showed
      a higher capacity for producing cytotoxic oxygen radicals (p = 0.0026).
      Phagocytosis and superoxide anion production did not correlate with any of the
      clinical variables analyzed in this study. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed
      increased phagocytosis by neutrophils in RA patients who were positive for anti
      CCP and RF autoantibodies. Furthermore, there was an overall hyperactivation of
      the phagocytes in RA patients. Our data suggest that anti-CCP and RF may
      indirectly enhance the inflammation cascade involving neutrophils and may
      indirectly sustain tissue damage in RA. Targeting the production of these
      autoantibodies may be a promising strategy in the management of RA.

PMID- 26123217
TI  - Self-assembly concepts for multicompartment nanostructures.
AB  - Compartmentalization is ubiquitous to many biological and artificial systems, be
      it for the separate storage of incompatible matter or to isolate transport
      processes. Advancements in the synthesis of sequential block copolymers offer a
      variety of tools to replicate natural design principles with tailor-made soft
      matter for the precise spatial separation of functionalities on multiple length
      scales. Here, we review recent trends in the self-assembly of amphiphilic block
      copolymers to multicompartment nanostructures (MCNs) under (semi-)dilute
      conditions, with special emphasis on ABC triblock terpolymers. The intrinsic
      immiscibility of connected blocks induces short-range repulsion into discrete
      nano-domains stabilized by a third, soluble block or molecular additive. Polymer
      blocks can be synthesized from an arsenal of functional monomers directing self
      assembly through packing frustration or response to various fields. The mobility
      in solution further allows the manipulation of self-assembly processes into
      specific directions by clever choice of environmental conditions. This review
      focuses on practical concepts that direct self-assembly into predictable
      nanostructures, while narrowing particle dispersity with respect to size, shape
      and internal morphology. The growing understanding of underlying self-assembly
      mechanisms expands the number of experimental concepts providing the means to
      target and manipulate progressively complex superstructures. 

PMID- 26123216
TI  - Associations between ambient air pollutant mixtures and pediatric asthma
      emergency department visits in three cities: a classification and regression tree
      approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Characterizing multipollutant health effects is challenging. We use
      classification and regression trees to identify multipollutant joint effects
      associated with pediatric asthma exacerbations and compare these results with
      those from a multipollutant regression model with continuous joint effects.
      METHODS: We investigate the joint effects of ozone, NO2 and PM2.5 on emergency
      department visits for pediatric asthma in Atlanta (1999-2009), Dallas (2006-2009)
      and St. Louis (2001-2007). Daily concentrations of each pollutant were
      categorized into four levels, resulting in 64 different combinations or "Day
      Types" that can occur. Days when all pollutants were in the lowest level were
      withheld as the reference group. Separate regression trees were grown for each
      city, with partitioning based on Day-Type in a model with control for
      confounding. Day-Types that appeared together in the same terminal node in all
      three trees were considered to be mixtures of potential interest and were
      included as indicator variables in a three-city Poisson generalized linear model
      with confounding control and rate ratios calculated relative to the reference
      group. For comparison, we estimated analogous joint effects from a multipollutant
      Poisson model that included terms for each pollutant, with concentrations modeled
      continuously. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: No single mixture emerged as the most
      harmful. Instead, the rate ratios for the mixtures suggest that all three
      pollutants drive the health association, and that the rate plateaus in the
      mixtures with the highest concentrations. In contrast, the results from the
      comparison model are dominated by an association with ozone and suggest that the
      rate increases with concentration. CONCLUSION: The use of classification and
      regression trees to identify joint effects may lead to different conclusions than
      multipollutant models with continuous joint effects and may serve as a
      complementary approach for understanding health effects of multipollutant
      mixtures.

PMID- 26123218
TI  - Trachoma in remote Indigenous Australia: a review and public health perspective.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Trachoma remains a major health concern in many remote Indigenous
      Australian communities, despite behaviour-modifying and biomedical strategies.
      This review aims to examine the social epidemiology of trachoma in remote
      Indigenous communities and identify practical, sustainable strategies to alter
      the social determinants of the disease. METHODS: A systematic search and critical
      review explored the proximal, intermediate and distal determinants of trachoma.
      The impact of swimming pools in remote Indigenous communities on trachoma and
      other infectious diseases was further examined. RESULTS: Having a clean face was
      found to be protective for trachoma, but face-washing education programs have
      produced no significant benefits. Sanitation infrastructure in a community was
      the key determinant of facial cleanliness. Installation of swimming pools in
      remote Indigenous communities has been demonstrated to reduce the prevalence of
      several common childhood infections. However, minimal research has explored the
      impact of pools on trachoma rates. CONCLUSIONS: The locally supported
      construction of pools in remote Indigenous communities may contribute to a
      decline in trachoma. A prospective, controlled trial is needed to test this
      hypothesis in endemic communities. IMPLICATIONS: If validated by a well-designed
      study, pool construction may provide a much sought-after practical government
      strategy to combat trachoma in remote Indigenous communities.

PMID- 26123219
TI  - Rapid assessment of quantitative T1, T2 and T2* in lower extremity muscles in
      response to maximal treadmill exercise.
AB  - MRI provides a non-invasive diagnostic platform to quantify the physical and
      physiological attributes of skeletal muscle at rest and in response to exercise.
      MR relaxation parameters (T1, T2 and T2*) are characteristic of tissue
      composition and metabolic properties. With the recent advent of quantitative
      techniques that allow rapid acquisition of T1, T2 and T2* maps, we posited that
      an integrated treadmill exercise-quantitative relaxometry paradigm can rapidly
      characterize exercise-induced changes in skeletal muscle relaxation parameters.
      Accordingly, we investigated the rest/recovery kinetics of T1, T2 and T2* in
      response to treadmill exercise in the anterior tibialis, soleus and gastrocnemius
      muscles of healthy volunteers, and the relationship of these parameters to age
      and gender. Thirty healthy volunteers (50.3 +/- 16.6 years) performed the Bruce
      treadmill exercise protocol to maximal exhaustion. Relaxometric maps were
      sequentially acquired at baseline and for approximately 44 minutes post-exercise.
      Our results show that T1, T2 and T2* are significantly and differentially
      increased immediately post-exercise among the leg muscle groups, and these values
      recover to near baseline within 30-44 minutes. Our results demonstrate the
      potential to characterize the kinetics of relaxation parameters with quantitative
      mapping and upright exercise, providing normative values and some clarity on the
      impact of age and gender.

PMID- 26123220
TI  - Osmunda pulchella sp. nov. from the Jurassic of Sweden--reconciling molecular and
      fossil evidence in the phylogeny of modern royal ferns (Osmundaceae).
AB  - BACKGROUND: The classification of royal ferns (Osmundaceae) has long remained
      controversial. Recent molecular phylogenies indicate that Osmunda is paraphyletic
      and needs to be separated into Osmundastrum and Osmunda s.str. Here, however, we
      describe an exquisitely preserved Jurassic Osmunda rhizome (O. pulchella sp.
      nov.) that combines diagnostic features of both Osmundastrum and Osmunda, calling
      molecular evidence for paraphyly into question. We assembled a new morphological
      matrix based on rhizome anatomy, and used network analyses to establish
      phylogenetic relationships between fossil and extant members of modern
      Osmundaceae. We re-analysed the original molecular data to evaluate root
      placement support. Finally, we integrated morphological and molecular data-sets
      using the evolutionary placement algorithm. RESULTS: Osmunda pulchella and five
      additional Jurassic rhizome species show anatomical character suites intermediate
      between Osmundastrum and Osmunda. Molecular evidence for paraphyly is ambiguous:
      a previously unrecognized signal from spacer sequences favours an alternative
      root placement that would resolve Osmunda s.l. as monophyletic. Our evolutionary
      placement analysis identifies fossil species as probable ancestral members of
      modern genera and subgenera, which accords with recent evidence from Bayesian
      dating. CONCLUSIONS: Osmunda pulchella is likely a precursor of the Osmundastrum
      lineage. The recently proposed root placement in Osmundaceae-based solely on
      molecular data-stems from possibly misinformative outgroup signals in rbcL and
      atpA genes. We conclude that the seemingly conflicting evidence from
      morphological, anatomical, molecular, and palaeontological data can instead be
      elegantly reconciled under the assumption that Osmunda is indeed monophyletic.

PMID- 26123222
TI  - Agreement on the prescription of antimicrobial drugs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is universal awareness of the difficulties faced by doctors
      when prescribing antimicrobials. METHODS: Over a six-month period patients
      hospitalized in the ICU and under treatment with antibiotics and/or antifungals
      were eligible to participate in the study. The data were assessed by two
      infectious diseases specialists. Once completed, all case forms were sent
      independently to both evaluators (TZSC and ARM) by e-mail. Based on the data
      received, the evaluator completed a form automatically generated on the e-mail
      and returned it to the original mailbox for further analysis. We assessed the
      level of agreement between infectious disease specialists and the physicians
      directly responsible for the decision to begin antimicrobial therapy, as well as
      to assess the appropriateness of the regimen prescribed. RESULTS: Among the
      antimicrobial regimens prescribed to the 177 patients, 36% were considered
      inappropriate by specialist #1 and 38% were considered inappropriate by
      specialist #2. We found 78% agreement by at least one of the infectious disease
      specialists with the prescribed antimicrobial regimen, and in 49% of cases both
      specialists agreed with the prescribed regimen. Both disagreed with the
      prescribed regimen in 22% of the cases and they disagreed between themselves in
      29% of the cases. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the difficulties in
      prescribing effective empirical antimicrobial therapy--they are of such magnitude
      that even two specialists in infectious diseases, well acquainted with our
      hospital's resistance patterns and our patients' profiles have considerable
      disagreement.

PMID- 26123223
TI  - Identification of the novel allele, HLA-C*15:02:01:03, by full-length genomic
      sequencing.
AB  - The HLA-C*15:02:01:03 allele differs from the HLA-C*15:02:01:01 allele by a
      single-nucleotide substitution in the 5' untranslated region (-42 C>A). 

PMID- 26123224
TI  - Staphylococcus aureus dynamically adapts global regulators and virulence factor
      expression in the course from acute to chronic infection.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen of severe invasive tissue
      infection, e.g. osteomyelitis that can develop to chronicity and become extremely
      difficult to treat. Recent research revealed that S. aureus can dynamically
      switch to small colony variants (SCVs) that are adapted bacterial phenotypes for
      long-term persistence. The underlying mechanisms of the bacterial switching and
      adaptation process are largely dependent on an intact Sigma B regulon. As SigB is
      known as a transcription factor that modulates the stress response of several
      Gram-positive bacteria, it is most likely required by the bacteria to cope with
      the intracellular stress conditions. Here, we demonstrate in a long-term
      infection model of human osteoblasts that S. aureus continuously upregulated the
      expression of SigB during intracellular persistence. The increased SigB
      expression was accompanied by upregulation of adhesins and downregulation of
      toxins, which are characteristics for SCV phenotypes. These data further stress
      the role of SigB during chronic infections that could be a novel target for
      preventive or therapeutic measures to avoid chronic infections. 

PMID- 26123225
TI  - Haemoglobin Variant Screening in Jamaica: Meeting Student's Request.

PMID- 26123226
TI  - Reply: To PMID 25545787.

PMID- 26123227
TI  - Economic burden of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea: a cost-of-illness
      study from a German tertiary care hospital.
AB  - PURPOSE: Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea (CDAD) is the most common
      cause of health-care-associated infectious diarrhoea. In the context of the
      German health-care system, direct and indirect costs of an initial episode of
      CDAD and of CDAD recurrence are currently unknown. METHODS: We defined CDAD as
      presence of diarrhoea (>=3 unformed stools/day) in association with detection of
      Clostridium difficile toxin in an unformed faecal sample. Patients treated with
      metronidazole (PO or IV) and/or vancomycin (PO) were included. Comprehensive data
      of patients were retrospectively documented into a database using the technology
      of the Cologne Cohort of Neutropenic Patients (CoCoNut). Patients with CDAD were
      matched to control patients in a 1:1 ratio. Analysis was split in three groups:
      incidence group (CDAD patients without recurrence), recurrence group (CDAD
      patients with >=1 recurrence) and control group (matched non-CDAD patients).
      RESULTS: Between 02/2010 and 12/2011, 150 patients with CDAD (114 patients in the
      incidence and 36 (24 %) in the recurrence group) and 150 controls were analysed.
      Mean length of stay was: 32 (95 %CI: 30-37), 94 (95 %CI: 76-112) and 24 days (95
      %CI: 22-27; P = <0.001), resulting in mean overall direct treatment costs per
      patient of ?18,460 (95 %CI: ?14,660-?22,270), ?73,900 (95 %CI: ?50,340-?97,460)
      and ?14,530 (95 %CI: ?11,730-?17,330; P = <0.001). In the incidence and
      recurrence group, the mean cumulative number of antibiotic CDAD treatment days
      was 11 (95 %CI: 10-12) and 36 (95 %CI: 27-45; P = <0.001). CONCLUSIONS:
      Especially CDAD recurrence was associated with excessive costs, which were mostly
      attributable to a significantly longer overall length of stay. Innovative
      treatment strategies are warranted to reduce treatment costs and prevent
      recurrence of CDAD.

PMID- 26123228
TI  - Development of visceral leishmaniasis in an HIV(+) patient upon immune
      reconstitution following the initiation of antiretroviral therapy.
AB  - CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we report on a case of VL in an HIV-infected patient
      from the Republic of Georgia who had moved to Germany 14 years before and who had
      travelled several times to southern Europe in between. After presenting with
      typical Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia, which was treated appropriately, the
      patient was started on antiretroviral therapy. Shortly thereafter, however, he
      developed fever of unknown origin. All laboratory assays for the diagnosis of
      various infectious agents including serological assays and polymerase chain
      reaction testing of bone marrow aspirate to diagnose VL did not yield positive
      results at first. Only upon repetition of these tests, diagnosis of VL could be
      made and the patient treated accordingly. CASE DISCUSSION: Visceral leishmaniasis
      (VL) is a common opportunistic infection in HIV-positive patients from endemic
      countries but occurs rarely following antiretroviral treatment. This case
      demonstrates that patients who develop VL upon immune reconstitution may not be
      diagnosed initially by standard laboratory assays for the diagnosis of VL and
      underlines the necessity to repeat serologic and molecular biologic testing for
      VL in cases of fever of unknown origin in patients from or with travel history to
      endemic countries.

PMID- 26123229
TI  - Evaluation of miR-122 as a Serum Biomarker for Hepatotoxicity in Investigative
      Rat Toxicology Studies.
AB  - MicroRNAs are short noncoding RNAs involved in regulation of gene expression.
      Certain microRNAs, including miR-122, seem to have ideal properties as biomarkers
      due to good stability, high tissue specificity, and ease of detection across
      multiple species. Recent reports have indicated that miR-122 is a highly liver
      specific marker detectable in serum after liver injury. The purpose of the
      current study was to assess the performance of miR-122 as a serum biomarker for
      hepatotoxicity in short-term (5-28 days) repeat-dose rat toxicology studies when
      benchmarked against routine clinical chemistry and histopathology. A total of 23
      studies with multiple dose levels of experimental compounds were examined, and
      they included animals with or without liver injury and with various hepatic
      histopathologic changes. Serum miR-122 levels were quantified by reverse
      transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Increases in circulating
      miR-122 levels highly correlated with serum elevations of liver enzymes, such as
      alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and glutamate
      dehydrogenase (GLDH). Statistical analysis showed that miR-122 outperformed ALT
      as a biomarker for histopathologically confirmed liver toxicity and was
      equivalent in performance to AST and GLDH. Additionally, an increase of 4% in
      predictive accuracy was obtained using a multiparameter approach incorporating
      miR-122 with ALT, AST, and GLDH. In conclusion, serum miR-122 levels can be
      utilized as a biomarker of hepatotoxicity in acute and subacute rat toxicology
      studies, and its performance can rival or exceed those of standard enzyme
      biomarkers such as the liver transaminases. 

PMID- 26123230
TI  - Corneal Opacity in Domestic Ducks Experimentally Infected With H5N1 Highly
      Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus.
AB  - Domestic ducks can be a key factor in the regional spread of H5N1 highly
      pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus in Asia. The authors performed
      experimental infections to examine the relationship between corneal opacity and
      H5N1 HPAI virus infection in domestic ducks (Anas platyrhyncha var domestica). A
      total of 99 domestic ducks, including 3 control birds, were used in the study. In
      experiment 1, when domestic ducks were inoculated intranasally with 2 H5N1 HPAI
      viruses, corneal opacity appeared more frequently than neurologic signs and
      mortality. Corneal ulceration and exophthalmos were rare findings.
      Histopathologic examinations of the eyes of domestic ducks in experiment 2
      revealed that corneal opacity was due to the loss of corneal endothelial cells
      and subsequent keratitis with edema. Influenza viral antigen was detected in
      corneal endothelial cells and some other ocular cells by immunohistochemistry.
      Results suggest that corneal opacity is a characteristic and frequent finding in
      domestic ducks infected with the H5N1 HPAI virus. Confirming this ocular change
      may improve the detection rate of infected domestic ducks in the field. 

PMID- 26123231
TI  - Reduction in delta activity predicted improved negative affect in Major
      Depressive Disorder.
AB  - While prior research has demonstrated a paradoxical antidepressant effect of slow
      wave disruption (SWD), the specific dimensions of depression affected is still
      unclear. The current study aimed to extend this research by utilizing a
      dimensional approach in examining the antidepressant effects of SWD. Of
      particular interest is the affective dimension, as negative affect in depression
      is arguably the most salient characteristic of depression. This sample included
      16 individuals with depression (10 female) recruited from the community.
      Participants slept in the lab for three nights (adaptation, baseline night, and
      SWD) with polysomnography, and completed measures of negative affect and
      depression severity the following morning. Results show that reduction in delta
      power was linearly associated with improved negative affect. Comparison of
      individual change scores revealed that half of the individuals showed improved
      negative affect, which is comparable to the reported 40-60% antidepressant
      response rate to sleep deprivation. Results suggest that vulnerability in the
      sleep homeostatic system may be a contributing individual differences factor in
      response to slow-wave disruption in depression. 

PMID- 26123232
TI  - Excited-State Proton Transfer of Weak Photoacids Adsorbed on Biomaterials: Proton
      Transfer on Starch.
AB  - Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence techniques were employed to study the
      excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) from a photoacid adsorbed on starch to a
      nearby water molecule. Starch is composed of ~30% amylose and ~70% amylopectin.
      We found that the ESPT rate of adsorbed 8-hydroxy-1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonate (HPTS)
      on starch arises from two time constants of 300 ps and ~3 ns. We explain these
      results by assigning the two different ESPT rates to HPTS adsorbed on amylose and
      on amylopectin. When adsorbed on amylose, the ESPT rate is ~3 * 10(9 )s(-1),
      whereas on amylopectin, it is only ~3 * 10(8) s(-1).

PMID- 26123233
TI  - Meta-analysis of survival curve data using distributed health data networks:
      application to hip arthroplasty studies of the International Consortium of
      Orthopaedic Registries.
AB  - The motivating example for this paper comes from a distributed health data
      network, the International Consortium of Orthopaedic Registries (ICOR), which
      aims to examine risk factors for orthopedic device failure for registries around
      the world. Unfortunately, regulatory, privacy, and propriety concerns made
      sharing of raw data impossible, even if de-identified. Therefore, this article
      describes an approach to extraction and analysis of aggregate time-to-event data
      from ICOR. Data extraction is based on obtaining a survival probability and
      variance estimate for each unique combination of the explanatory variables at
      each distinct event time for each registry. The extraction procedure allows for a
      great deal of flexibility; models can be specified after the data have been
      collected, for example, modeling of interaction effects and selection of
      subgroups of patients based on their values on the explanatory variables. Our
      analysis models are adapted from models presented elsewhere--but allowing for
      censoring in the calculation of the correlation between serial survival
      probabilities and using the square root of the covariance matrix to transform the
      data to avoid computational problems in model estimation. Simulations and a real
      data example are provided with strengths and limitations of the approach
      discussed.

PMID- 26123234
TI  - Chlorhexidine hexametaphosphate nanoparticles as a novel antimicrobial coating
      for dental implants.
AB  - Dental implants are an increasingly popular solution to missing teeth. Implants
      are prone to colonisation by pathogenic oral bacteria which can lead to
      inflammation, destruction of bone and ultimately implant failure. The aim of this
      study was to investigate the use of chlorhexidine (CHX) hexametaphosphate (HMP)
      nanoparticles (NPs) with a total CHX concentration equivalent to 5 mM as a
      coating for dental implants. The CHX HMP NPs had mean diameter 49 nm and
      composition was confirmed showing presence of both chlorine and phosphorus. The
      NPs formed micrometer-sized aggregated surface deposits on commercially pure
      grade II titanium substrates following immersion-coating for 30 s. When CHX HMP
      NP-coated titanium specimens were immersed in deionised water, sustained release
      of soluble CHX was observed, both in the absence and presence of a salivary
      pellicle, for the duration of the study (99 days) without reaching a plateau.
      Control specimens exposed to a solution of aqueous 25 uM CHX (equivalent to the
      residual aqueous CHX present with the NPs) did not exhibit CHX release. CHX HMP
      NP-coated surfaces exhibited antimicrobial efficacy against oral primary
      colonising bacterium Streptococcus gordonii within 8 h. The antimicrobial
      efficacy was greater in the presence of an acquired pellicle which is postulated
      to be due to retention of soluble CHX by the pellicle.

PMID- 26123235
TI  - Methamphetamine use and treatment in Iran: A systematic review from the most
      populated Persian Gulf country.
AB  - AIM: Methamphetamine use is a new health concern in Iran, the most populated
      Persian Gulf country. However, there is no well-documented literature. The
      current study objectives were to systematically review all published English and
      Persian studies of the prevalence of methamphetamine use, the general physical
      and psychiatric-related harms and the availability of methamphetamine treatment
      and harm reduction services for adult users in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      comprehensive search of the international peer-reviewed and gray literature was
      undertaken. Multiple electronic and scientific English and Persian databases were
      systematically searched from January 2002 to September 2014. Additionally,
      English and Persian gray literature on methamphetamine use was sought using
      online gray literature databases, library databases and general online searches
      over the same period of time. RESULTS: Nineteen thousand and two hundred and
      eight studies, reports and conference papers were identified but only 42 studies
      were relevant to the study objectives. They were mainly published in 2010-2014.
      The search results confirmed the seizures of methamphetamine (six studies), the
      prevalence of methamphetamine use among the general population (three studies),
      drug users (four studies), women (nine studies) and opiate users in opiate
      treatment programs (five studies). In addition, methamphetamine use had resulted
      in blood-borne viral infections (one study), psychosis and intoxication (ten
      studies). Different reasons had facilitated methamphetamine use. However, the
      Matrix Model, community therapy and harm reduction services (four studies) had
      been provided for methamphetamine users in some cities. CONCLUSION: The current
      situation of methamphetamine use necessitates more research on the epidemiology
      and health-related implications. These studies should help in identifying
      priorities for designing and implementing prevention and educational programs.
      More active models of engagement with Persian methamphetamine users and the
      provision of services that meet their specific treatment needs are required.

PMID- 26123236
TI  - Weight gain and reduced energy expenditure in low-income Brazilian women living
      in slums: a 4-year follow-up study.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate the possible changes in anthropometric and
      biochemical parameters in low-income women living in the outskirts of Maceio
      (northeast Brazil), and to explore the possible role of dietary intake and
      physical activity in these changes. A prospective longitudinal study was
      conducted in a cohort of mothers of malnourished children who attended the Center
      for Nutritional Recovery and Education, an outreach programme of the Federal
      University of Alagoas. Socio-economic, anthropometric, biochemical and dietary
      intake data were assessed at baseline and after a follow-up period of 4 years.
      Energy expenditure (using doubly labelled water) and physical activity (using
      triaxial accelerometers) were assessed only in a subgroup of women after 4 years.
      A total of eighty-five women were assessed. Participants showed an altered
      biochemical profile, increased systolic blood pressure, decreased thyroid hormone
      levels, and body-weight gain. However, dietary intakes of the participants did
      not include large quantities of highly processed and high-glycaemic index foods.
      The energy intake of the participants did not differ from their total energy
      expenditure (7990.3 (7173.7-8806.8) v. 8798.1 (8169.0-9432.4) kJ, respectively;
      P= 0.084). Multivariate analyses showed a significant effect of time spent
      watching television (beta = 0.639 (0.003 to 1.275); P= 0.048) and dietary
      diversity score (beta = -1.039 ( -2.010 to -0.067); P = 0.036) on weight gain.
      The present study indicates that poor women, who are mothers of malnourished
      children and have a reasonably balanced dietary intake, exhibit weight gain and
      are at risk of developing chronic diseases.

PMID- 26123238
TI  - Haloarchaeobius amylolyticus sp. nov., isolated from a marine solar saltern.
AB  - Halophilic archaeal strain XD48(T) was isolated from a Chinese marine solar
      saltern. Cells were pleomorphic, stained Gram-negative and formed red-pigmented
      colonies on solid media. Strain XD48(T) was found to be able to grow at 25-50 
      degrees C (optimum 37  degrees C), at 0.9-4.8 M NaCl (optimum 3.1 M NaCl), at 0
      1.0 M MgCl2 (optimum 0.3 MgCl2) and at pH 5.0-9.5 (optimum pH 6.5). The cells
      lysed in distilled water, and the minimal NaCl concentration to prevent cell
      lysis was found to be 5% (w/v). The major polar lipids of the strain were
      phosphatidic acid (PA), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylglycerol phosphate
      methyl ester (PGP-Me), phosphatidylglycerol sulfate (PGS), sulfated galactosyl
      mannosyl glucosyl diether (S-TGD-1), sulfated mannosyl glucosyl diether (S-DGD-1)
      and six unknown glycolipids. The 16S rRNA gene and rpoB' gene of strain XD48(T)
      were phylogenetically related to the corresponding genes of Haloarchaeobius
      members (92.4-93.9 and 89.6-90.5% similarities, respectively). The DNA G + C
      content of strain XD48(T) was determined to be 65.3 mol%. The phenotypic,
      chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties suggested that strain XD48(T) (=CGMCC
      1.12230(T) = JCM 18642(T)) represents a new species of Haloarchaeobius, for which
      the name Haloarchaeobius amylolyticus sp. nov. is proposed.

PMID- 26123237
TI  - Wastewater analysis of Census day samples to investigate per capita input of
      organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers into wastewater.
AB  - The use of organophosphate esters (PFRs) as flame retardants and plasticizers has
      increased due to the ban of some brominated flame retardants. There is however
      some concern regarding the toxicity, particularly carcinogenicity and
      neurotoxicity, of some of the PFRs. In this study we applied wastewater analysis
      to assess use of PFRs by the Australian population. Influent samples were
      collected from eleven wastewater treatment plants (STPs) in Australia on Census
      day and analysed for PFRs using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry
      (GC-MS). Per capita mass loads of PFRs were calculated using the accurate Census
      head counts. The results indicate that tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) has
      the highest per capita input into wastewater followed by tris(2-chloroisopropyl)
      phosphate (TCIPP), tris(isobutyl) phosphate (TIBP), tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate
      (TCEP) and tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP). Similar PFR profiles
      were observed across the Australian STPs and a comparison with European and U.S.
      STPs indicated similar PFR concentrations. We estimate that approximately 2.1 mg
      person(-1) day(-1) of PFRs are input into Australian wastewater which equates to
      16 tonnes per annum.

PMID- 26123239
TI  - An ecological role of fungal endophytes to ameliorate plants under biotic stress.
AB  - It is our consensus that plants survive and flourish in stressed ecosystems
      because of endosymbiotic organisms that have co-evolved and were essential for
      their adaptation to changing environments. Some of these microbial components are
      noncultivable and vertically transmitted from generation to generation. They
      represent a vast reservoir of heritable DNA that can enhance plant performance in
      changing environments and add genetic flexibility to adaptation of long-lived
      plants. If such endophytes can be identified that not only persist in progeny of
      novel hosts, but can confer benefits in mechanized, agricultural systems, they
      would be increasingly important in agricultural production and lead to a rapid
      and economical method of providing novel germplasms of native and crop plants. In
      the present review, authors advocate the deployment of fungal diversity and its
      role to overcome the biotic stress in plants. Endophytic fungal association with
      plants helps it to protect from various pathogen and pests and adapt to survive
      in harsh biotic and abiotic stress condition. 

PMID- 26123240
TI  - Correction: Combination of inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction with
      highly efficient oxime ligation expands the toolbox of site-selective peptide
      conjugations.
AB  - Correction for 'Combination of inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction with
      highly efficient oxime ligation expands the toolbox of site-selective peptide
      conjugations' by S. Horner, et al., Chem. Commun., 2015, DOI: 10.1039/c5cc03434e.

PMID- 26123241
TI  - Melanoma with BRAF Mutation in Circulating Cell-free DNA despite no Mutation in
      the Primary Lesion: A Case Report.

PMID- 26123242
TI  - Increased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with major
      depressive disorder: A meta-analysis.
AB  - The regulation of neurotrophic factors plays an important role in the
      pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). Vascular endothelial growth
      factor (VEGF) has been shown to promote neurogenesis, neuroprotection, and
      influence synaptic transmission. Many studies have examined the VEGF levels in
      patients with depression, however the results have been inconsistent. In the
      current meta-analysis, we compared blood VEGF levels between MDD patients and
      control subjects (16 articles including 872 patients and 882 control subjects).
      The effect sizes of individual studies were synthesized using a random effect
      model. We found that the blood VEGF levels in the patients with MDD were
      significantly higher than those in the healthy controls (p<0.001), and the
      difference was negatively correlated with mean age (p=0.01). Other variables
      including proportion of female subjects, body mass index, severity of depression,
      duration of illness, and age at onset were not significantly correlated with the
      difference. Our results highlight that elevated blood VEGF levels may be a
      disease marker in patients with MDD. Further studies are needed to examine the
      relationship between VEGF levels in central and peripheral environments, and
      clarify the role of VEGF in the pathophysiology of MDD.

PMID- 26123243
TI  - Ketamine amplifies induced gamma frequency oscillations in the human cerebral
      cortex.
AB  - At subanaesthetic doses, ketamine, an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor
      antagonist, has demonstrated remarkable and rapid antidepressant efficacy in
      patients with treatment-resistant depression. The mechanism of action of ketamine
      is complex and not fully understood, with altered glutamatergic function and
      alterations of high-frequency oscillatory power (Wood et al., 2012) noted in
      animal studies. Here we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) in a single blind,
      crossover study to assess the neuronal effects of 0.5mg/kg intravenous ketamine
      on task-related high-frequency oscillatory activity in visual and motor cortices.
      Consistent with animal findings, ketamine increased beta amplitudes, decreased
      peak gamma frequency in visual cortex and significantly amplified gamma-band
      amplitudes in motor and visual cortices. The amplification of gamma-band activity
      has previously been linked in animal studies to cortical pyramidal cell
      disinhibition. This study provides direct translatable evidence of this
      hypothesis in humans, which may underlie the anti-depressant actions of ketamine.

PMID- 26123244
TI  - Does transition from the da Vinci Si to Xi robotic platform impact single-docking
      technique for robot-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe our robot-assisted nephroureterectomy (RNU) technique for
      benign indications and RNU with en bloc excision of bladder cuff (BCE) and
      lymphadenectomy (LND) for malignant indications using the da Vinci Si and da
      Vinci Xi robotic platform, with its pros and cons. The port placement described
      for Si can be used for standard and S robotic systems. This is the first report
      in the literature on the use of the da Vinci Xi robotic platform for RNU.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: After a substantial experience of RNU using different da
      Vinci robots from the standard to the Si platform in a single-docking fashion for
      benign and malignant conditions, we started using the newly released da Vinci Xi
      robot since 2014. The most important differences are in port placement and
      effective use of the features of da Vinci Xi robot while performing simultaneous
      upper and lower tract surgery. Patient positioning, port placement, step-by-step
      technique of single docking RNU-LND-BCE using the da Vinci Si and da Vinci Xi
      robot are shown in an accompanying video with the goal that centres using either
      robotic system benefit from the hints and tips. The first segment of video
      describes RNU-LND-BCE using the da Vinci Si followed by the da Vinci Xi to
      highlight differences. There was no need for patient repositioning or robot re
      docking with the new da Vinci Xi robotic platform. RESULTS: We have experience of
      using different robotic systems for single docking RNU in 70 cases for benign
      (15) and malignant (55) conditions. The da Vinci Xi robotic platform helps
      operating room personnel in its easy movement, allows easier patient side-docking
      with the help of its boom feature, in addition to easy and swift movements of the
      robotic arms. The patient clearance feature can be used to avoid collision with
      the robotic arms or the patient's body. In patients with challenging body habitus
      and in situations where bladder cuff management is difficult, modifications can
      be made through reassigning the camera to a different port with utilisation of
      the retargeting feature of the da Vinci Xi when working on the bladder cuff or in
      the pelvis. The vision of the camera used for da Vinci Xi was initially felt to
      be inferior to that of the da Vinci Si; however, with a subsequent software
      upgrade this was much improved. The base of the da Vinci Xi is bigger, which does
      not slide and occasionally requires a change in table placement/operating room
      setup, and requires side-docking especially when dealing with very tall and obese
      patients for pelvic surgery. CONCLUSIONS: RNU alone or with LND-BCE is a
      challenging surgical procedure that addresses the upper and lower urinary tract
      simultaneously. Single docking and single robotic port placement for RNU-LND-BCE
      has evolved with the development of different generations of the robotic system.
      These procedures can be performed safely and effectively using the da Vinci S, Si
      or Xi robotic platform. The new da Vinci Xi robotic platform is more user
      friendly, has easy installation, and is intuitive for surgeons using its
      features.

PMID- 26123245
TI  - Physiologically relevant factors influence tau phosphorylation by leucine-rich
      repeat kinase 2.
AB  - Hyperphosphorylation and aggregation of tau are observed in multiple
      neurodegenerative diseases termed tauopathies. Tau has also been implicated in
      the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and parkinsonisms. Some PD patients
      with mutations in the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene exhibit tau
      pathology. Mutations in LRRK2 are a major risk factor for PD, but LRRK2 protein
      function remains unclear. The most common mutation, G2019S, is located in the
      kinase domain of LRRK2 and enhances kinase activity in vitro. This suggests that
      the kinase activity of LRRK2 may underlie its cellular toxicity. Recently, in
      vitro studies have suggested a direct interaction between tubulin-bound tau and
      LRRK2 that results in tau phosphorylation at one identified site. Here we present
      data suggesting that microtubules (MTs) enhance LRRK2-mediated tau
      phosphorylation at three different epitopes. We also explore the effect of
      divalent cations as catalytic cofactors for G2019S LRRK2-mediated tau
      phosphorylation and show that manganese does not support kinase activity but
      inhibits the efficient ability of magnesium to catalyze LRRK2-mediated
      phosphorylation of tau. These results suggest that cofactors such as MTs and
      cations in the cellular milieu have an important impact on LRRK2-tau interactions
      and resultant tau phosphorylation.

PMID- 26123246
TI  - Assessing coexisting plant extinction debt and colonization credit in a grassland
      forest change gradient.
AB  - Changes in species richness along the ecological succession gradient may be
      strongly determined by coexisting extinction debts of species from the original
      habitats and colonization credits of those from the replacing habitats. The
      magnitude of these processes and their causes remain largely unknown. We explored
      the extinction debt and colonization credit for grassland and forest specialist
      plants, respectively, and the local and landscape factors associated to the
      richness of these species groups in a 50-year process of forest encroachment into
      semi-natural Mediterranean grasslands. A set of sampling plots of persistent
      grasslands and forests and their transitional habitat (wooded grasslands) was
      selected within fixed-area sites distributed across the landscape. Our results
      confirm the extinction debt and suggest colonization credit (according to
      observed trends and model predictions) in wooded grasslands when compared to
      persistent forests, despite wooded grasslands and persistent forests having
      similar tree cover. Grassland connectivity and solar radiation had opposing
      effects on the richness of both grassland and forest specialists, and it is
      possible that the availability of seed sources from old forests may have
      accelerate the payment of colonization credit in the wooded grasslands. These
      results suggest that extinction debt and colonization credit have driven species
      turnover during the 50 years of forest encroachment, but at different rates, and
      that local and landscape factors have opposing effects on these two phenomena.
      They also highlight the importance of documenting biodiversity time lags
      following habitat change when they are still in progress in order to timely and
      adequately manage habitats of high conservation value such as the grasslands
      studied here.

PMID- 26123247
TI  - Myoclonus secondary to use of anti-flu drug.

PMID- 26123248
TI  - Antiviral glycosidic bisindole alkaloids from the roots of Isatis indigotica.
AB  - Seven new glycosidic bisindole alkaloids, isatindigobisindolosides A-G (1-7),
      were isolated from an aqueous extract of the Isatis indigotica roots. Their
      structures including absolute configurations were determined by spectroscopic and
      chemical methods, together with calculations of electronic circular dichroism
      (ECD) spectra based on the quantum-mechanical time-dependent density functional
      theory. In the NMR spectra of 1-3, it is found that integration of H-2 and
      intensity of C-2 are affected not only by a substitution group at C-2 but also by
      solvents. Influences of the glucopyranosyloxy on the calculated ECD spectra of
      the glycosidic bisindole alkaloids are discussed. Compounds 2, 5, and 6 showed
      antiviral activity against both the influenza virus A/Hanfang/359/95 (H3N2) and
      Coxsackie virus B3 with IC50 values of 8.4-100.0 MUM. 

PMID- 26123249
TI  - A quantitative evaluation of the extent of fluralaner uptake by ticks (Ixodes
      ricinus, Ixodes scapularis) in fluralaner (Bravecto) treated vs. untreated dogs
      using the parameters tick weight and coxal index.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fluralaner is a new antiparasitic drug that was recently introduced
      as Bravecto chewable tablets for the treatment of tick and flea infestations in
      dogs. Most marketed tick products exert their effect via topical application and
      contact exposure to the parasite. In contrast, Bravecto delivers its acaricidal
      activity through systemic exposure. Tick exposure to fluralaner occurs after
      attachment to orally treated dogs, which induces a tick-killing effect within 12
      h. The fast onset of killing lasts over the entire treatment interval (12 weeks)
      and suggests that only marginal uptake by ticks is required to induce efficacy.
      Three laboratory studies were conducted to quantify the extent of uptake by
      comparison of ticks' weight and coxal index obtained from Bravecto-treated and
      negative-control dogs. METHODS: Three studies were conducted using experimental
      tick infestation with either Ixodes ricinus or Ixodes scapularis after oral
      administration of fluralaner to dogs. All studies included a treated (Bravecto
      chewable tablets, MSD Animal Health) and a negative control group. Each study had
      a similar design for assessing vitality and weighing of ticks collected from dogs
      of both groups. Additionally, in one study the coxal index (I. ricinus) was
      calculated as a ratio of tick's ventral coxal gap and dorsal width of scutum.
      Tick weight data and coxal indices from Bravecto-treated and negative-control
      groups were compared via statistical analysis. RESULTS: Ticks collected from
      Bravecto-treated dogs weighed significantly less (p <= 0.0108) than ticks
      collected from negative-control dogs, and their coxal index was also
      significantly lower (p < 0.0001). The difference in tick weights was demonstrated
      irrespective of the tick species investigated (I. ricinus, I. scapularis). At
      some assessments the mean tick weights of Bravecto-treated dogs were
      significantly lower than those of unfed pre-infestation (baseline) ticks. The
      demonstrated tick-killing efficacy was in the range of 94.6 - 100%. CONCLUSIONS:
      Tick weights and coxal indices confirm that a minimal uptake results in a
      sufficient exposure of ticks to fluralaner (Bravecto) and consequently in a
      potent acaricidal effect.

PMID- 26123250
TI  - Childhood Obesity and Cognitive Achievement.
AB  - Obese children tend to perform worse academically than normal-weight children. If
      poor cognitive achievement is truly a consequence of childhood obesity, this
      relationship has significant policy implications. Therefore, an important
      question is to what extent can this correlation be explained by other factors
      that jointly determine obesity and cognitive achievement in childhood? To answer
      this question, we exploit a rich longitudinal dataset of Australian children,
      which is linked to national assessments in math and literacy. Using a range of
      estimators, we find that obesity and body mass index are negatively related to
      cognitive achievement for boys but not girls. This effect cannot be explained by
      sociodemographic factors, past cognitive achievement or unobserved time-invariant
      characteristics and is robust to different measures of adiposity. Given the
      enormous importance of early human capital development for future well-being and
      prosperity, this negative effect for boys is concerning and warrants further
      investigation.

PMID- 26123251
TI  - We-ness and the Cultivation of Wisdom in Couple Therapy.
AB  - Wisdom has played a key role in the attempt to understand the positive nature of
      human behavior since the time of Aristotle. In the past decade, psychology and
      related fields have experienced an expanding interest in the empirical and
      theoretical pursuit of wisdom. The relational dimension of wisdom has received
      less attention, although it may be viewed as embedded in the practice of all
      couple therapists. This article integrates previous work on resilience and
      positive functioning in committed partnerships and proposes relational wisdom to
      be a master virtue of relationship development, one that can be cultivated across
      the lifespan of the partnership. The aspects of relational wisdom such as self
      reflection, attunement to self and other, balancing conflicting partner aims, the
      interpretation of rules and principles in light of the uniqueness of each
      situation and the capacity to learn from experience point to couples therapy as
      an ideal context for such skill building. Wisdom is built through dialog and the
      resulting individual and couple stories can serve as touchstones to what is most
      precious and vital in the relationship as well as guides for action through
      challenges and conflict. A clinical case is described to illustrate selected
      aspects of relational wisdom and implications for therapeutic practice. 

PMID- 26123252
TI  - Toward therapeutic targets for SCA3: Insight into the role of Machado-Joseph
      disease protein ataxin-3 in misfolded proteins clearance.
AB  - Machado-Joseph disease (MJD, also known as spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, SCA3),
      an autosomal dominant neurological disorder, is caused by an abnormal expanded
      polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat in the ataxin-3 protein. The length of the expanded
      polyQ stretch correlates positively with the severity of the disease and
      inversely with the age at onset. To date, we cannot fully explain the mechanism
      underlying neurobiological abnormalities of this disease. Yet, accumulating
      reports have demonstrated the functions of ataxin-3 protein in the chaperone
      system, ubiquitin-proteasome system, and aggregation-autophagy, all of which
      suggest a role of ataxin-3 in the clearance of misfolded proteins. Notably, the
      SCA3 pathogenic form of ataxin-3 (ataxin-3(exp)) impairs the misfolded protein
      clearance via mechanisms that are either dependent or independent of its
      deubiquitinase (DUB) activity, resulting in the accumulation of misfolded
      proteins and the progressive loss of neurons in SCA3. Some drugs, which have been
      used as activators/inducers in the chaperone system, ubiquitin-proteasome system,
      and aggregation-autophagy, have been demonstrated to be efficacious in the relief
      of neurodegeneration diseases like Huntington's disease (HD), Parkinson's (PD),
      Alzheimer's (AD) as well as SCA3 in animal models and clinical trials, putting
      misfolded protein clearance on the list of potential therapeutic targets. Here,
      we undertake a comprehensive review of the progress in understanding the
      physiological functions of ataxin-3 in misfolded protein clearance and how the
      polyQ expansion impairs misfolded protein clearance. We then detail the
      preclinical studies targeting the elimination of misfolded proteins for SCA3
      treatment. We close with future considerations for translating these pre-clinical
      results into therapies for SCA3 patients. 

PMID- 26123254
TI  - Physician Treatment Orders in Dutch Nursing Homes.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Physician treatment orders (PTOs) prevent burdensome unnecessary
      medical treatment of frail nursing home patients. The aim was to determine the
      prevalence of PTOs and time duration between nursing home admittance and PTO
      completion. DESIGN: Population-based, retrospective cohort study. SETTING:
      Nursing homes across the Netherlands. DATA COLLECTION: Digital medical records of
      patients who subsequently were submitted to 14 Dutch nursing homes across The
      Netherlands were studied between 2010 and 2013. The prevalence's of do
      resuscitate, do-not-resuscitate, life-sustaining, and palliative care PTOs and
      the time intervals between nursing home admittance and documentation of PTOs were
      measured. Information regarding demographic patient characteristics, type of
      nursing home ward, and mention of a discussion of PTOs with the patient or
      caregivers was obtained. RESULTS: Eighty-two percent of the nursing home patients
      received a PTO regarding resuscitation, life-sustaining, or palliative care
      treatment. Twenty-four percent of the patients received a do-resuscitation PTO,
      55% received a do-not-resuscitate PTO, 44% a life-sustaining PTO, and 16% a
      palliative care PTO. The median duration between nursing home admittance and
      documentation of the first PTO was 1 day. Most nursing home patients had PTOs
      within 1 week after admittance. CONCLUSION: A minority (18%) of Dutch nursing
      home patients has no documented PTOs during their nursing home stay, which could
      have negative effects on end-of-life care of nursing home residents.

PMID- 26123253
TI  - SPECT/CT Imaging of High-Risk Atherosclerotic Plaques using Integrin-Binding RGD
      Dimer Peptides.
AB  - Vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques with unique biological signatures are
      responsible for most major cardiovascular events including acute myocardial
      infarction and stroke. However, current clinical diagnostic approaches for
      atherosclerosis focus on anatomical measurements such as the degree of luminal
      stenosis and wall thickness. An abundance of neovessels with elevated expression
      of integrin alphavbeta3 is closely associated with an increased risk of plaque
      rupture. Herein we evaluated the potential of an alphavbeta3 integrin-targeting
      radiotracer, (99m)Tc-IDA-D-[c(RGDfK)]2, for SPECT/CT imaging of high-risk plaque
      in murine atherosclerosis models. In vivo uptake of (99m)Tc-IDA-D-[c(RGDfK)]2 was
      significantly higher in atherosclerotic aortas than in relatively normal aortas.
      Comparison with the negative-control peptide, (99m)Tc-IDA-D-[c(RADfK)]2, proved
      specific binding of (99m)Tc-IDA-D-[c(RGDfK)]2 for plaque lesions in in vivo
      SPECT/CT and ex vivo autoradiographic imaging. Histopathological characterization
      revealed that a prominent SPECT signal of (99m)Tc-IDA-D-[c(RGDfK)]2 corresponded
      to the presence of high-risk plaques with a large necrotic core, a thin fibrous
      cap, and vibrant neoangiogenic events. Notably, the RGD dimer based (99m)Tc-IDA-D
      [c(RGDfK)]2 showed better imaging performance in comparison with the common
      monomeric RGD peptide probe (123)I-c(RGDyV) and fluorescence tissue assay
      corroborated this. Our preclinical data demonstrated that (99m)Tc-IDA-D
      [c(RGDfK)]2 SPECT/CT is a sensitive tool to noninvasively gauge atherosclerosis
      beyond vascular anatomy by assessing culprit plaque neovascularization. 

PMID- 26123255
TI  - Frailty in China.

PMID- 26123256
TI  - Does Low Dose Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor Prevent Pneumonia in Older
      People With Neurologic Dysphagia--A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine if angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor reduces the risk
      of pneumonia in older patients on tube-feeding because of dysphagia from
      cerebrovascular diseases. DESIGN: Randomized placebo-controlled trial. SETTING:
      Acute and subacute geriatrics units, speech therapists' clinic, and nursing home.
      PARTICIPANTS: Older patients on tube-feeding for >2 weeks because of dysphagia
      secondary to cerebrovascular diseases. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomized
      to lisinopril 2.5 mg or placebo once daily for 26 weeks. MEASUREMENTS:
      Participants were followed up at weeks 12 and 26. The primary outcome was the
      incidence rate of pneumonia as determined by pneumonic changes on x-ray and
      clinical criteria. The secondary outcomes were mortality rate and swallowing
      ability as defined by the Royal Brisbane Hospital Outcome Measure for Swallowing
      at week 12. RESULTS: A total of 93 older patients were randomized. In interim
      analysis, 71 completed the trial, whereas 15 had dropped out. Among those who had
      completed the trial, odds ratio (OR) for death was significantly higher in the
      intervention group (unadjusted OR 2.94, P = .030; fully adjusted OR 7.79, P =
      .018). There was no difference in the incidence of pneumonia or fatal pneumonia
      in the 2 groups. The intervention group had a marginally better swallowing
      function at week 12 (Royal Brisbane Hospital Outcome Measure for Swallowing
      score: 4.2 +/- 1.5 in intervention group, 3.5 +/- 1.5 in placebo group, P =
      .053). As a result of the interim finding on mortality, the trial was prematurely
      terminated with 7 participants still in the trial. CONCLUSIONS: Low dose
      lisinopril given to older tube-fed patients with neurologic dysphagia resulted in
      increased mortality, although swallowing function showed marginal improvement.
      ACE inhibitors did not prevent pneumonia in older patients with neurologic
      dysphagia and might increase mortality.

PMID- 26123257
TI  - Treatment of Nonagenarians With Atrial Fibrillation: Insights From the Berlin
      Atrial Fibrillation (BAF) Registry.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine course and treatment of
      atrial fibrillation (AF) in nonagenarians. Incidence of AF increases with age.
      Due to the demographic change in the industrialized world, an increase of AF in
      the group of elderly and very elderly is expected in the next decades. However,
      only few data exist on the clinical relevance of AF in patients aged 89 years or
      older. DESIGN: Observational, mono-centric registry. SETTING: University
      hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Of the 11,888 patients included in the Berlin Atrial
      Fibrillation (BAF) Registry, 279 patients aged 89 years or older were identified.
      All patients presented to our hospital with AF between January 2001 and December
      2014. MEASUREMENTS: AF type, symptoms, comorbidities, CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED,
      treatment strategy, and anticoagulant treatment were assessed at baseline. A
      composite of stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA), thromboembolic events, major
      bleeding, and death was the primary endpoint. Stroke/TIA, thromboembolic events
      and major bleeding, presence of AF, new onset of heart failure and change of NYHA
      class, and bradyarrhythmia necessitating pacemaker implantation were secondary
      endpoints. RESULTS: Patients (age 92 +/- 2.7 years, range 89-108) presented in
      EHRA class I in 38.4% of the cases, class II in 49.5%, class III in 10%, and
      class IV in 2%. Rhythm control was attempted in 37 (13.3%) of the patients.
      Baseline CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED were 5.0 +/- 1.3 and 3.1 +/- 0.9,
      respectively. Oral anticoagulation (OAC) was initiated in 74 (26.5 %) of the
      patients. Of all patients, 33 (11.8%) patients died in hospital. Of the remaining
      patients, 104 were followed over 13.8 +/- 17.5 months with 3.5 +/- 2.3 visits
      during follow-up. Rhythm control was attempted in 10 patients (9.6%). OAC was
      initiated in 37 patients (35.6 %). Fifty-nine (56.7%) patients reached the
      primary composite endpoint. Stroke/TIA (34.6%) and heart failure (49%) were
      common. Subgroup analysis revealed no significant differences in any of the
      endpoints between patients undergoing rhythm versus rate control and between
      patients under OAC compared with patients without OAC. INR at follow-up and TTR
      were 1.76 +/- 1.0 and 29.5% +/- 37.8% in patients receiving VKA. CONCLUSION: In
      this real-world cohort of very elderly patients with AF, a rhythm control
      strategy and OAC treatment were chosen only in a minority of the cases. If OAC
      was initiated, most received VKAs with a poor TTR during follow-up. A high
      incidence of stroke/TIA was observed in patients with and without OAC. Further
      data are needed to define optimal treatment of AF in this particular patient
      group.

PMID- 26123258
TI  - Anorexia in human and experimental animal models: physiological aspects related
      to neuropeptides.
AB  - Anorexia, a loss of appetite for food, can be caused by various physiological and
      pathophysiological conditions. In this review, firstly, clinical aspects of
      anorexia nervosa are summarized in brief. Secondly, hypothalamic neuropeptides
      responsible for feeding regulation in each hypothalamic nucleus are discussed.
      Finally, three different types of anorexigenic animal models; dehydration-induced
      anorexia, cisplatin-induced anorexia and cancer anorexia-cachexia, are
      introduced. In conclusion, hypothalamic neuropeptides may give us novel insight
      to understand and find effective therapeutics strategy essential for various
      kinds of anorexia. 

PMID- 26123259
TI  - The state of the art in non-pharmacological interventions for developmental
      stuttering. Part 1: a systematic review of effectiveness.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The growing range of available treatment options for people who
      stutter presents a challenge for clinicians, service managers and commissioners,
      who need to have access to the best available treatment evidence to guide them in
      providing the most appropriate interventions. While a number of reviews of
      interventions for specific populations or a specific type of intervention have
      been carried out, a broad-based systematic review across all forms of
      intervention for adults and children was needed to provide evidence to underpin
      future guidelines, inform the implementation of effective treatments and identify
      future research priorities. AIMS: To identify and synthesize the published
      research evidence on the clinical effectiveness of the broad range of non
      pharmacological interventions for the management of developmental stuttering.
      METHODS & PROCEDURES: A systematic review of the literature reporting
      interventions for developmental stuttering was carried out between August 2013
      and April 2014. Searches were not limited by language or location, but were
      restricted by date to studies published from 1990 onwards. Methods for the
      identification of relevant studies included electronic database searching,
      reference list checking, citation searching and hand searching of key journals.
      Appraisal of study quality was performed using a tool based on established
      criteria for considering risk of bias. Due to heterogeneity in intervention
      content and outcomes, a narrative synthesis was completed. MAIN CONTRIBUTION: The
      review included all available types of intervention and found that most may be of
      benefit to at least some people who stutter. There was evidence, however, of
      considerable individual variation in response to these interventions. The review
      indicated that effects could be maintained following all types of interventions
      (although this was weakest with regard to feedback and technology interventions).
      CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights a need for greater consensus with regard to
      the key outcomes used to evaluate stuttering interventions, and also a need for
      enhanced understanding of the process whereby interventions effect change.
      Further analysis of the variation in effectiveness for different individuals or
      groups is needed in order to identify who may benefit most from which
      intervention.

PMID- 26123261
TI  - Ion and seed dependent fibril assembly of a spidroin core domain.
AB  - Recombinant eADF4(C16) represents an engineered spider silk variant based on the
      sequence of the core domain of the natural dragline silk protein ADF4 of Araneus
      diadematus. Previously eADF4(C16) has been shown to self-assemble into cross-beta
      fibrils in a two-step process of nucleus formation and fibril growth. Here, it is
      shown that structurally converted low molecular weight oligomers can act as
      nuclei. Further, it could be determined that specifically potassium and phosphate
      ions strongly influence both nucleus formation as well as fibril growth.
      Nucleation of fibril assembly could be surpassed by seeding soluble protein with
      pre-assembled fibrils but also, unexpectedly, with eADF4(C16) sub-micrometer
      particles. The latter finding reveals that spider silk fibril assembly seems to
      be rather dependent on the protein sequence than on the structural features,
      since cross-seeding with other proteins was not possible. 

PMID- 26123260
TI  - Association between IL7R polymorphisms and severe liver disease in HIV/HCV
      coinfected patients: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is a critical factor for T cell development and
      for maintaining and restoring homeostasis of mature T cells. Polymorphisms at
      alpha-chain of the IL-7 receptor (IL7R or CD127) gene are related to evolution of
      HIV-infection, but there are no data concerning the evolution of hepatitis C
      virus (HCV) infection. The aim of this study was to analyze the association
      between IL7R polymorphisms and severe liver disease in HCV/HIV coinfected
      patients. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study in 220 naive patients who
      underwent a liver biopsy. IL7R polymorphisms (rs6897932, rs987106 and rs3194051)
      were genotyped using the GoldenGate((r)) assay. The outcome variables were: (a)
      liver biopsy: advanced fibrosis (F >= 3), severe activity grade (A3); (b) non
      invasive indexes: advanced fibrosis (APRI >=1.5 and FIB-4 >=3.25). Logistic
      regression analysis was used to investigate the association between IL7R
      polymorphisms and outcome variables. This test gives the differences between
      groups and the odds ratio (OR) for liver disease. RESULTS: Patients with
      rs6897932 CC genotype had higher likelihood of having A3 than patients with
      rs6897932 CT/TT (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 4.16; p = 0.026). Patients with
      rs987106 TT genotype had higher odds of having F >= 3 (aOR = 3.09; p = 0.009)
      than rs987106 AA/AT carriers. Finally, patients with rs3194051 AA genotype had
      higher odds of having severe liver fibrosis (F >= 3; APRI >=1.5, and FIB4 >=3.25)
      than patients with rs3194051 AG/GG genotype [aOR = 2.73 (p = 0.010); aOR = 2.52
      (p = 0.029); and aOR = 4.01 (p = 0.027); respectively]. The CTA haplotype
      (comprised of rs6897932, rs987106, and rs3194051) carriers had higher odds of
      having F >= 3 (aOR = 1.85; p = 0.012), APRI >=1.5 (aOR = 1.94; p = 0.023), and
      FIB4 >=3.25 (aOR = 2.47; p = 0.024). Conversely, the CAG haplotype carriers had
      lower odds of having F >= 3 (aOR = 0.48; p = 0.011), APRI >=1.5 (aOR = 0.48; p =
      0.029), and FIB4 >=3.25 (aOR = 0.29; p = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of
      IL7R polymorphisms seems to be related to severe liver disease in HIV/HCV
      coinfected patients, because patients with unfavorable IL7R genotypes (rs6897932
      CC, rs987106 TT, and rs3194051AA) had a worse prognosis of CHC.

PMID- 26123262
TI  - Crystal structure of R-spondin 2 in complex with the ectodomains of its receptors
      LGR5 and ZNRF3.
AB  - The four secreted R-spondin (Rspo1-4) proteins of vertebrates function as stem
      cell growth factors and potentiate canonical Wnt signalling. Rspo proteins act by
      cross-linking members of two cell surface receptor families, complexing the stem
      cell markers LGR4-6 with the Frizzled-specific E3 ubiquitin ligases ZNRF3/RNF43.
      The consequent internalisation of the ternary LGR-Rspo-E3 complex removes the E3
      ligase activity, which otherwise targets the Wnt receptor Frizzled for
      degradation, and thus enhances Wnt signalling. Multiple combinations of LGR4-6,
      Rspo1-4 and ZNRF3/RNF43 are possible, implying the existence of generic
      interaction determinants, but also of specific differences in complex
      architecture and activity. We present here a high resolution crystal structure of
      an ectodomain variant of human LGR5 (hLGR5ecto) complexed with a signalling
      competent fragment of mouse Rspo2 (mRspo2Fu1-Fu2). The structure shows that the
      particularly potent Rspo2 ligand engages LGR5 in a fashion almost identical to
      that reported for hRSPO1. Comparison of our hLGR5ecto structure with previously
      published structures highlights a surprising plasticity of the LGR ectodomains,
      characterised by a nearly 9 degrees  or larger rotation of the N-terminal half of
      the horseshoe-like fold relative to the C-terminal half. We also report a low
      resolution hLGR5-mRspo2Fu1-Fu2-mZNRF3ecto ternary complex structure. This crystal
      structure confirms our previously suggested hypothesis, showing that Rspo
      proteins cross-link LGRs and ZNRF3 into a 2:2:2 complex, whereas a 1:1:1 complex
      is formed with RNF43. 

PMID- 26123263
TI  - The 3D model of the lipase/acyltransferase from Candida parapsilosis, a tool for
      the elucidation of structural determinants in CAL-A lipase superfamily.
AB  - Because lipids are hydrophobic, the development of efficient bioconversions in
      aqueous media free of organic solvents is particularly challenging for green
      oleochemistry. Within this aim, enzymes exhibiting various abilities to catalyze
      acyltransfer reaction in water/lipid systems have been identified. Among these,
      CpLIP2 from Candida parapsilosis has been characterized as a
      lipase/acyltransferase, able to catalyze acyltransfer reactions preferentially to
      hydrolysis in the presence of particularly low acyl acceptor concentration and
      high thermodynamic activity of water (aw>0.9). Lipase/acyltransferases are thus
      of great interest, being able to produce new esters at concentrations above the
      thermodynamic equilibrium of hydrolysis/esterification with limited to no release
      of free fatty acids. Here, we present a 3D model of CpLIP2 based on homologies
      with crystallographic structures of Pseudozyma antarctica lipase A. Indeed, the
      two enzymes have 31% of identity in their primary sequence, yielding a same
      general structure, but different catalytic properties. The quality of the
      calculated CpLIP2 model was confirmed by several methods. Limited proteolysis
      confirmed the location of some loops at the surface of the protein 3D model.
      Directed mutagenesis also supported the structural model constructed on CAL-A
      template: the functional properties of various mutants were consistent with their
      structure-based putative involvement in the oxyanion hole, substrate specificity,
      acyltransfer or hydrolysis catalysis and structural stability. The CpLIP2 3D
      model, in comparison with CAL-A 3D structure, brings insights for the elucidation
      and improvement of the structural determinants involved in the exceptional
      acyltransferase properties of this promising biocatalyst and of homologous
      enzymes of the same family. 

PMID- 26123264
TI  - An induced folding process characterizes the partial-loss of function mutant
      LptAI36D in its interactions with ligands.
AB  - Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an essential glycolipid of the outer membrane (OM) of
      Gram-negative bacteria with a tripartite structure: lipid A, oligosaccharide core
      and O antigen. Seven essential LPS-transport proteins (LptABCDEFG) move LPS to
      the cell surface. Lpt proteins are linked by structural homology, featuring a
      beta-jellyroll domain that mediates protein-protein interactions and LPS binding.
      Analysis of LptA-LPS interaction by fluorescence spectroscopy is used here to
      evaluate the contribution of each LPS moiety in protein-ligand interactions,
      comparing the wild-type (wt) protein to the I36D mutant. In addition to a crucial
      role of lipid A, an unexpected contribution emerges for the core region in
      recognition and binding of Lpt proteins. 

PMID- 26123265
TI  - Heart rate variability predicts mortality in peritoneal dialysis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The predictive value of heart rate variability (HRV) in peritoneal
      dialysis (PD) has never been tested. METHODS: In this study, the associations
      between HRV measures and the mortality in 81 PD patients were analyzed. HRV was
      measured by using 5-min recordings of a stationary system by a standardized
      method. Both time domain and frequency domain parameters were analyzed. RESULTS:
      During a follow-up period of 43.78 +/- 14.77 months, 25 patients died, four
      patients were transferred to hemodialysis. Of the 81 patients, the time domain
      parameters, such as the standard deviation of differences between adjacent normal
      sinus to normal sinus (NN) intervals (SDSD) and the square root of the mean of
      the squared differences between adjacent normal NN intervals (RMSSD), were
      higher; the frequency domain parameters, such as the ratio of low-frequency power
      to high-frequency power (LF/HF) and the normalized LF, were lower, and the
      normalized HF was higher in the non-survived group as compared with the survived
      group. A Cox proportional hazards model analysis revealed that, of the HRV
      measures, decrease of the normalized LF, LF/HF and increase of rMSSD, SDSD,
      normalized HF had significant predictive value for mortality. After adjustment
      for other univariate predictors including age, urine volume, renal Kt/V, high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), the predictive value of decreased LF/HF
      remained significant. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed mortality rate was
      much higher in patients with a low LF/HF (median value of 1.56). CONCLUSION: The
      decreases of LF/HF which reflects impaired sympathetic nerve regulation is an
      independent predictor of mortality in PD patients.

PMID- 26123266
TI  - Urinary tuberculosis: a cohort of 79 adult cases.
AB  - We aimed to investigate the demographic, clinical, diagnostic, treatment and
      outcome features of patients with urinary tuberculosis (UTB). Patients with UTB
      admitted to seven separate centers across Turkey between 1995 and 2013 were
      retrospectively evaluated. The diagnosis of UTB was made by the presence of any
      clinical finding plus positivity of one of the following: (1) acid-fast bacilli
      (AFB) in urine, (2) isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, (3) polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR) for M. tuberculosis, (4) histopathological evidence for TB.
      Seventy-nine patients (49.36% male, mean age 50.1 +/- 17.4 years) were included.
      Mean time between onset of symptoms and clinical diagnosis was 9.7 +/- 8.9
      months. The most common signs and symptoms were hematuria (79.7%), sterile pyuria
      (67.1%), dysuria (51.9%), weakness (51.9%), fever (43%) and costovertebral
      tenderness (38%). Cystoscopy was performed in 59 (74.6%), bladder biopsy in 18
      (22.8%), kidney biopsy in 1 (1.26%) and nephrectomy in 12 (15.2%) patients.
      Histopathological verification of UTB was achieved in 12 (63.1%) patients who
      undergone biopsy and in 100% of those undergone nephrectomy. Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis was isolated in the urine of 50 (63.3%) cases. Four-drug standard
      anti-TB treatment was the preferred regimen for 87.3% of the patients. Mean
      treatment duration was 10.5 +/- 2.7 months. Deterioration of renal function
      occurred in 15 (18.9%) patients two of whom progressed to end-stage renal disease
      and received hemodialysis. Only one patient died after 74-day medical treatment
      period. Cases with UTB may present with non-specific clinical features. All
      diagnostic studies including radiology, cyctoscopy and histopathology are of
      great importance to exclude UTB and prevent renal failure. 

PMID- 26123267
TI  - Assessment of left ventricular function by tissue Doppler echocardiography in
      pediatric chronic kidney disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular (CV) disease remains the most common cause of
      mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: In this cross-sectional
      study, 43 pediatric patients with CKD were divided into two groups according to
      their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): groups 1 and 2 (eGR; 29-75 and
      15-29 mL/min/1.73 m(2), respectively). M - mode, conventional pulsed wave Doppler
      (cPWD) echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) were performed in all
      patients and 16 healthy controls. Maximal early (E wave) and late (A wave)
      diastolic flow velocities were assessed by cPWD. Using TDI, the early (E') and
      late (A') diastolic filling velocities were recorded. Early and late diastoles
      were evaluated using E' values and E/E' ratios, respectively. RESULTS: Left
      ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was determined in 19/43 (44.2%) patients. The E/E'
      ratio was significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 and controls. E/E' was
      found to be positively correlated with left ventricular mass (LVM) index, and
      negatively with hemoglobin (Hb) levels. Low Hb levels were only independent
      predictor of E/E' (p = 0.001, beta: -0.470, 95% CI: -0.764; -0.196). E' ratio was
      significantly lower in both patient groups compared to the controls. CONCLUSIONS:
      LVH and diastolic dysfunction are already present in early stages of CKD.
      Treatment of risk factors, such as anemia, is important to improve the clinical
      outcome.

PMID- 26123268
TI  - Inhibition of inflammation may enhance nitric oxide availability in patients
      undergoing bariatric surgery for weight loss.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Weight loss surgery is the most effective treatment for morbid
      obesity. The mechanisms underlying the beneficial cardiovascular effects are
      poorly understood, although inhibition of inflammatory markers has been
      demonstrated. We hypothesized that anti-inflammatory and antioxidative stress
      reactions are responsible for the beneficial effects of bariatric surgery that
      have been shown in clinical trials. METHODS: The inflammatory system was studied
      by measuring mRNA levels of E-selectin, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha),
      interleukin-6 (IL-6) and in a cell line (HUVEC-CS) of human umbilical vein
      endothelial cells that were incubated for 4 h with pools of serum, collected
      before and 3 months after surgery, from 20 women who underwent bariatric surgery
      for weight loss. The oxidative stress pathway was examined by mRNA expression of
      NADPH oxidase (P22(phox) ), paraoxonase (PON2), superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2),
      glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase following incubation of the cells for 4
      h with serum pools. The nitric oxide (NO) pathway was studied by measuring mRNA
      levels of inducible NOS and endothelial NOS and by determining nitrite and
      nitrate levels. To study the functional behaviour of endothelial cells under
      stress, primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (PECs) were incubated with
      the serum pools for 48 h, with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for the last 4 h.
      RESULTS: The inflammatory system: incubation of HUVEC-CS cells with serum from
      women who underwent bariatric surgery led to a significant decrease in mRNA
      expression of E-selectin and IL-6 postsurgery. Stimulation of PECs with LPS in
      the presence of serum from women who underwent bariatric surgery caused a more
      significant difference in E-selectin and TNF-alpha mRNA expression before and
      after surgery. The antioxidant system: incubation of HUVEC-CS cells with serum
      from women who underwent bariatric surgery did not lead to any difference in mRNA
      expression of P22(phox) , PON2, SOD2, GPx or catalase. Stimulation of PECs with
      LPS showed that obese women had higher levels of P22(phox) , PON2 and the
      antioxidant enzymes SOD2, GPx and catalase before and after surgery, compared to
      the control group. The NO pathway: HUVEC-CS cells incubated with serum from women
      who underwent bariatric surgery secreted higher nitrite/nitrate levels compared
      to presurgery serum (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of inflammation and
      enhanced availability of NO 3 months after bariatric surgery could partly explain
      the beneficial effects of surgery for weight loss.

PMID- 26123269
TI  - Preparation of Graphene Oxide-Based Hydrogels as Efficient Dye Adsorbents for
      Wastewater Treatment.
AB  - Graphene oxide (GO) sheets exhibit superior adsorption capacity for removing
      organic dye pollutants from an aqueous environment. In this paper, the facile
      preparation of GO/polyethylenimine (PEI) hydrogels as efficient dye adsorbents
      has been reported. The GO/PEI hydrogels were achieved through both hydrogen
      bonding and electrostatic interactions between amine-rich PEI and GO sheets. For
      both methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB), the as-prepared hydrogels exhibit
      removal rates within about 4 h in accordance with the pseudo-second-order model.
      The dye adsorption capacity of the hydrogel is mainly attributed to the GO
      sheets, whereas the PEI was incorporated to facilitate the gelation process of GO
      sheets. More importantly, the dye-adsorbed hydrogels can be conveniently
      separated from an aqueous environment, suggesting potential large-scale
      applications of the GO-based hydrogels for organic dye removal and wastewater
      treatment. 

PMID- 26123270
TI  - Design High-Efficiency III-V Nanowire/Si Two-Junction Solar Cell.
AB  - In this paper, we report the electrical simulation results of a proposed GaInP
      nanowire (NW)/Si two-junction solar cell. The NW physical dimensions are
      determined for optimized solar energy absorption and current matching between
      each subcell. Two key factors (minority carrier lifetime, surface recombination
      velocity) affecting power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the solar cell are
      highlighted, and a practical guideline to design high-efficiency two-junction
      solar cell is thus provided. Considering the practical surface and bulk defects
      in GaInP semiconductor, a promising PCE of 27.5 % can be obtained. The results
      depict the usefulness of integrating NWs to construct high-efficiency multi
      junction III-V solar cells. 

PMID- 26123271
TI  - Electronic Coupling in Nanoscale InAs/GaAs Quantum Dot Pairs Separated by a Thin
      Ga(Al)As Spacer.
AB  - The electronic coupling in vertically aligned InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) pairs is
      investigated by photoluminescence (PL) measurements. A thin Al0.5Ga0.5As barrier
      greatly changes the energy transfer process and the optical performance of the QD
      pairs. As a result, the QD PL intensity ratio shows different dependence on the
      intensity and wavelength of the excitation laser. Time-resolved PL measurements
      give a carrier tunneling time of 380 ps from the seed layer QDs to the top layer
      QDs while it elongates to 780 ps after inserting the thin Al0.5Ga0.5As barrier.
      These results provide useful information for fabrication and investigation of
      artificial QD molecules for implementing quantum computation applications. 

PMID- 26123272
TI  - Effects of Laser Annealing Parameters on Optical and Electrical Properties of
      ITO/Metallic Glass Alloy Bi-layer Films.
AB  - AgAlMg (AAM) films with three different atomic percentage compositions are
      prepared, namely, Ag12Al62Mg26 (denoted as A1AM), Ag22Al46Mg32 (denoted as A2AM),
      and Ag36Al25Mg39 (denoted as A3AM). In addition, the AAM films are deposited with
      four different thicknesses, i.e., 3, 6, 9, and 12 nm. The indium-tin oxide
      thickness is assigned a constant value of 30 nm in every case. The results show
      that the optical transmittance of the AAM/IAAM films improves (i.e., increases)
      with a reducing AAM film thickness, while the electrical resistivity improves
      (i.e., reduces) with an increasing film thickness. It is shown that the IA2AM
      film with an AMM thickness of 9 nm yields the optimal compromise between the
      optical transmittance and the electrical resistivity. The as-deposited IAAM films
      are found to have optical transmittance and electric resistivity values of 65 %
      and 90 Omega/?, respectively. The IA2AM films are annealed using a near-infrared
      laser at different pulse energies with a wavelength of 1064 nm and repetition
      rates ranging from 100 ~ 400 kHz. For both films, the optical and electrical
      properties are enhanced as the pulse energy increases to a certain critical value
      due to a transition from an amorphous microstructure to a crystalline structure.
      Given a repetition rate of 400 kHz and a pulse energy of 1.03 MUJ, the optical
      transmittance and sheet resistance of the IAAM film are found to be 80 % and 15
      Omega/?, respectively. The corresponding value of the Haacke figure of merit
      changed from 0.15 * 10(-3) to 7.16 * 10(-3) Omega(-1) due to the optimal laser
      annealing conditions. 

PMID- 26123273
TI  - A New Phase Change Material Based on Potassium Nitrate with Silica and Alumina
      Nanoparticles for Thermal Energy Storage.
AB  - In this study different nanofluids with phase change behavior were developed by
      mixing a molten salt base fluid (KNO3 selected as phase change material) with
      nanoparticles using the direct synthesis method. The thermal properties of the
      nanofluids obtained were investigated. Following the improvement in the specific
      heat achieved, these nanofluids can be used in concentrating solar plants with a
      reduction of storage material. The nanoparticles used (1.0 wt.%) were silica
      (SiO2), alumina (Al2O3), and a mix of silica-alumina (SiO2-Al2O3) with an average
      diameter of 7, 13, and 2-200 nm respectively. Each nanofluid was prepared in
      water solution, sonicated, and evaporated. Measurements of the thermophysical
      properties were performed by DSC analysis, and the dispersion of the
      nanoparticles was analyzed by SEM microscopy. The results obtained show that the
      addition of 1.0 wt.% of nanoparticles to the base salt increases the specific
      heat of about 5-10 % in solid phase and of 6 % in liquid phase. In particular,
      this research shows that the addition of silica nanoparticles has significant
      potential for enhancing the thermal storage characteristics of KNO3. The phase
      change temperature of potassium nitrate was lowered up to 3  degrees C, and the
      latent heat was increased to 12 % with the addition of silica nanoparticles.
      These results deviated from the predictions of theoretical simple mixing model
      used. The stored heat as a function of temperature was evaluated for the base
      salt, and the nanofluids and the maximum values obtained were 229, 234, 242, and
      266 J/g respectively. The maximum total gain (16 %) due to the introduction of
      the nanoparticles (calculated as the ratio between the total stored heat of the
      nanofluids and the base salt in the range of temperatures 260-390  degrees C) was
      also recorded with the introduction of silica. SEM and EDX analysis showed the
      presence of aggregates in all nanofluids: with silica nanoparticles they were
      homogenously present while with alumina and silica-alumina also zones with pure
      salt could be detected. 

PMID- 26123274
TI  - Simulation Analysis on Photoelectric Conversion Characteristics of Silicon
      Nanowire Array Photoelectrodes.
AB  - Semiconductor nanowire photoelectrochemical cells have attracted extensive
      attention in the light-conversion field owing to the low-cost preparation,
      excellent optical absorption, and short distance of carrier collection. Although
      there are numbers of experimental investigations to improve the device
      performance, the understanding of the detailed process of photoelectric
      conversion needs to be further improved. In this work, a thorough optoelectronic
      simulation is employed to figure out how the nanowire diameter, doping
      concentration, and illumination wavelength affect the photoelectric conversion
      characteristics of the silicon nanowire array photoelectrodes. We find that two
      balances should be carefully weighted between optical absorption and
      photogenerated-carrier collection, along with between short-circuit photocurrent
      density and open-circuit voltage. For the small-diameter nanowire array
      photoelectrodes, the overall absorption is higher than that of the larger
      diameter ones with the most contribution from the nanowires. However, the
      substrate shows increasing absorption with increasing illumination wavelength.
      Higher doping density leads to a larger open-circuit voltage; while lower doping
      density can guarantee a relatively higher short-circuit photocurrent. To obtain
      high-light-conversion-efficiency photoelectrodes, the doping density should be
      carefully chosen with considerations of illumination wavelength and surface
      recombination. Suppressing the surface recombination velocity can effectively
      enhance the short-circuit photocurrent (open-circuit voltage) for the lightly
      (heavily) doped nanowire array photoelectrodes. Our systematical results provide
      a theoretical guidance for the photoelectrochemical devices based on
      semiconductor nanostructures. 

PMID- 26123275
TI  - Orbitrap mass spectrometry characterization of hybrid chondroitin/dermatan
      sulfate hexasaccharide domains expressed in brain.
AB  - In the central nervous system, chondroitin/dermatan sulfate (CS/DS)
      glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) modulate neurotrophic effects and glial cell maturation
      during brain development. Previous reports revealed that GAG composition could be
      responsible for CS/DS activities in brain. In this work, for the structural
      characterization of DS- and CS-rich domains in hybrid GAG chains extracted from
      neural tissue, we have developed an advanced approach based on high-resolution
      mass spectrometry (MS) using nanoelectrospray ionization Orbitrap in the negative
      ion mode. Our high-resolution MS and multistage MS approach was developed and
      applied to hexasaccharides obtained from 4- and 14-week-old mouse brains by GAG
      digestion with chondroitin B and in parallel with AC I lyase. The expression of
      DS- and CS-rich domains in the two tissues was assessed comparatively. The
      analyses indicated an age-related structural variability of the CS/DS motifs. The
      older brain was found to contain more structures and a higher sulfation of DS
      rich regions, whereas the younger brain was found to be characterized by a higher
      sulfation of CS-rich regions. By multistage MS using collision-induced
      dissociation, we also demonstrated the incidence in mouse brain of an atypical
      [4,5-Delta-GlcAGalNAc(IdoAGalNAc)2], presenting a bisulfated CS disaccharide
      formed by 3-O-sulfate-4,5-Delta-GlcA and 6-O-sulfate-GalNAc moieties. 

PMID- 26123277
TI  - An evaluation of in vivo models for toxicokinetics of hexavalent chromium in the
      stomach.
AB  - Hexavalent chromium (Cr6) is a drinking water contaminant that has been detected
      in most of the water systems throughout the United States. In 2-year drinking
      water bioassays, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) found clear evidence of
      carcinogenic activity in male and female rats and mice. Because reduction of Cr6
      to trivalent chromium (Cr3) is an important detoxifying step in the
      gastrointestinal (GI) tract prior to systemic absorption, models have been
      developed to estimate the extent of reduction in humans and animals. The
      objective of this work was to use a revised model of ex vivo Cr6 reduction
      kinetics in gastric juice to analyze the potential reduction kinetics under in
      vivo conditions for mice, rats and humans. A published physiologically-based
      pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was adapted to incorporate the new reduction model.
      This paper focuses on the toxicokinetics of Cr6 in the stomach compartment, where
      most of the extracellular Cr6 reduction is believed to occur in humans. Within
      the range of doses administered by the NTP bioassays, neither the original nor
      revised models predict saturation of stomach reducing capacity to occur in vivo
      if applying default parameters. However, both models still indicate that mice
      exhibit the lowest extent of reduction in the stomach, meaning that a higher
      percentage of the Cr6 dose may escape stomach reduction in that species.
      Similarly, both models predict that humans exhibit the highest extent of
      reduction at low doses. 

PMID- 26123276
TI  - Metabolic and metagenomic outcomes from early-life pulsed antibiotic treatment.
AB  - Mammalian species have co-evolved with intestinal microbial communities that can
      shape development and adapt to environmental changes, including antibiotic
      perturbation or nutrient flux. In humans, especially children, microbiota
      disruption is common, yet the dynamic microbiome recovery from early-life
      antibiotics is still uncharacterized. Here we use a mouse model mimicking
      paediatric antibiotic use and find that therapeutic-dose pulsed antibiotic
      treatment (PAT) with a beta-lactam or macrolide alters both host and microbiota
      development. Early-life PAT accelerates total mass and bone growth, and causes
      progressive changes in gut microbiome diversity, population structure and
      metagenomic content, with microbiome effects dependent on the number of courses
      and class of antibiotic. Whereas control microbiota rapidly adapts to a change in
      diet, PAT slows the ecological progression, with delays lasting several months
      with previous macrolide exposure. This study identifies key markers of
      disturbance and recovery, which may help provide therapeutic targets for
      microbiota restoration following antibiotic treatment. 

PMID- 26123278
TI  - (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as a tool to measure dehydration in mice.
AB  - Dehydration is a prevalent pathology, where loss of bodily water can result in
      variable symptoms. Symptoms can range from simple thirst to dire scenarios
      involving loss of consciousness. Clinical methods exist that assess dehydration
      from qualitative weight changes to more quantitative osmolality measurements.
      These methods are imprecise, invasive, and/or easily confounded, despite being
      practiced clinically. We investigate a non-invasive, non-imaging (1)H NMR method
      of assessing dehydration that attempts to address issues with existing clinical
      methods. Dehydration was achieved by exposing mice (n = 16) to a thermally
      elevated environment (37  degrees C) for up to 7.5 h (0.11-13% weight loss).
      Whole body NMR measurements were made using a Bruker LF50 BCA-Analyzer before and
      after dehydration. Physical lean tissue, adipose, and free water compartment
      approximations had NMR values extracted from relaxation data through a multi
      exponential fitting method. Changes in before/after NMR values were compared with
      clinically practiced metrics of weight loss (percent dehydration) as well as
      blood and urine osmolality. A linear correlation between tissue relaxometry and
      both animal percent dehydration and urine osmolality was observed in lean tissue,
      but not adipose or free fluids. Calculated R(2) values for percent dehydration
      were 0.8619 (lean, P < 0.0001), 0.5609 (adipose, P = 0.0008), and 0.0644 (free
      fluids, P = 0.3445). R(2) values for urine osmolality were 0.7760 (lean, P <
      0.0001), 0.5005 (adipose, P = 0.0022), and 0.0568 (free fluids, P = 0.3739).
      These results suggest that non-imaging (1)H NMR methods are capable of non
      invasively assessing dehydration in live animals.

PMID- 26123279
TI  - Prevalence of the amyloidogenic transthyretin (TTR) V122I allele in 14 333
      African-Americans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transthyretin (TTR) V122I (rs76992529) is one of 111 variants caused
      by point mutations in the coding sequence of the human TTR gene that are
      associated with systemic amyloidosis. It results from a G to A transition at a CG
      dinucleotide in codon 142(122 of the mature protein) of the gene and has been
      described almost exclusively in people of African descent. Several series have
      reported allele frequencies from 0.015 to 0.020 in African-Americans. OBJECTIVE:
      To define more accurately the frequency of the TTR V122I variant allele in the
      African-American population. METHODS: DNA isolated from blood spots from 1688 New
      York State African-American newborns was genotyped for the TTR V122I allele. We
      also compiled new data from the Jackson Heart Study and previously unpublished
      data from the Dallas Heart Study, plus data from a San Diego "wellness study",
      providing 15 650 additional allelotypes to those already reported. RESULTS: Among
      the New York newborns, the TTR V122I allele was present in 65/3376 alleles
      (allele prevalence 0.0193). The combined available data from all the non-selected
      African-American cohorts showed the TTR variant allele to be present in 451/26
      062 alleles (allele prevalence of 0.0173), slightly but not significantly lower
      than our previously published estimates. CONCLUSIONS: The allele prevalence for
      TTR V122I in African-Americans is 0.0173. Of African-Americans under age 65,
      3.43% carry at least one copy of the variant amyloidogenic allele.

PMID- 26123280
TI  - Effects of liver transplantation and tafamidis in hereditary transthyretin
      amyloidosis caused by transthyretin Leu55Pro mutation: a case report.

PMID- 26123281
TI  - A Novel Audiovisual Brain-Computer Interface and Its Application in Awareness
      Detection.
AB  - Currently, detecting awareness in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC)
      is a challenging task, which is commonly addressed through behavioral observation
      scales such as the JFK Coma Recovery Scale-Revised. Brain-computer interfaces
      (BCIs) provide an alternative approach to detect awareness in patients with DOC.
      However, these patients have a much lower capability of using BCIs compared to
      healthy individuals. This study proposed a novel BCI using temporally, spatially,
      and semantically congruent audiovisual stimuli involving numbers (i.e., visual
      and spoken numbers). Subjects were instructed to selectively attend to the target
      stimuli cued by instruction. Ten healthy subjects first participated in the
      experiment to evaluate the system. The results indicated that the audiovisual BCI
      system outperformed auditory-only and visual-only systems. Through event-related
      potential analysis, we observed audiovisual integration effects for target
      stimuli, which enhanced the discriminability between brain responses for target
      and nontarget stimuli and thus improved the performance of the audiovisual BCI.
      This system was then applied to detect the awareness of seven DOC patients, five
      of whom exhibited command following as well as number recognition. Thus, this
      audiovisual BCI system may be used as a supportive bedside tool for awareness
      detection in patients with DOC. 

PMID- 26123282
TI  - Perinatal influences on the uptake of newborn Vitamin K prophylaxis--a
      retrospective cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe rates of newborn vitamin K prophylaxis uptake according
      to method of administration (intramuscular [IM], oral, refused) and identify
      predictors for the choice of oral administration and for refusal of vitamin K
      prophylaxis. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study examined the relationship
      between method of vitamin K administration and various exposure factors (infant,
      maternal, socio-demographic and healthcare professional). Written and electronic
      data for births from a single tertiary birthing unit in New Zealand (NZ) were
      examined over a four-year period from January 2009 to December 2012. RESULTS:
      Records for 7,089 mothers/babies were examined. Of these, 92.9% of infants
      received IM and 5.4% oral vitamin K. Refusal of vitamin K was associated with (OR
      [95%CI]): Asian ethnicity (5.87 [3.61 to 9.53] p<0.001); vaginal delivery (2.85
      [1.83 to 4.43] p<0.001); and gestational age, per additional week, (1.24 [1.10 to
      1.39) p<0.001). Oral vitamin K was associated with (OR [95%CI]): Asian ethnicity
      (2.61 [1.80 to 3.79] p<0.001); obstetric nurse as the Lead Maternity Carer (LMC)
      (2.65 [1.73 to 4.06] p<0.001); vaginal delivery (2.34 [1.84 to 2.96] p<0.001);
      gestational age, per week, (1.14 [1.07 to 1.21] p<0.001); and LMC experience, per
      decade (0.61 [0.51 to 0.74] p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals several
      important and novel associations with mode of administration of newborn vitamin K
      prophylaxis. IM vitamin K uptake was also lower than international data, largely
      due to increased oral uptake. IMPLICATIONS: Uptake of vitamin K is associated
      with ethnicity and also factors in the infant that might imply a perceived
      protection against vitamin K deficiency bleeding. Further investigation is
      required for a fuller understanding of the motivations for choosing differing
      routes of vitamin K administration in newborns, with particular emphasis on
      factors influencing parental choice.

PMID- 26123283
TI  - Concurrent ordering and phase transformation in SmCo7 nanograins.
AB  - Sm-Co alloys with the stabilized SmCo7 phase are most prominent candidates for
      advanced high temperature permanent magnets, where the stabilization of the SmCo7
      phase can be effectuated by nanostructuring. The complex concurrent processes of
      ordering and phase transformation in a SmCo7 nanograin are characterized on the
      atomic scale. For the first time early stages of the phase transformation are
      made visible by highlighting specific superstructures in single nanograins using
      Fourier reconstruction of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy
      images. The superstructures are only detectable and can only be distinguished in
      specific crystallographic orientations. The evolution of the atom arrangement in
      the crystal structures is demonstrated for the concurrent ordering process and
      phase transformation. During decomposition of the metastable SmCo7 phase, the
      hexagonal Sm2Co17 superstructure (2:17H) forms at first as a precursor of the
      rhombohedral Sm2Co17 superstructure (2:17R) - this can only be detected by
      analysis of individual grains and has not been described so far. By extensive
      crystallographic analysis of individual nanograins, a distinct correlation
      between the fraction of the superstructure phases and the grain size is found,
      showing directly and unambiguously the grain size dependence of the phase
      transformation in the nanocrystalline alloy, a phenomenon that so far has only
      been shown indirectly using volume averaging methods.

PMID- 26123284
TI  - Surgical adjunctive procedures for accelerating orthodontic treatment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A range of surgical and non-surgical techniques have received
      increasing attention in recent years in an effort to reduce the duration of a
      course of orthodontic treatment. Various surgical techniques have been used;
      however, uncertainty exists in relation to the effectiveness of these procedures
      and the possible adverse effects related to them. OBJECTIVES: To assess the
      effects of surgically assisted orthodontics on the duration and outcome of
      orthodontic treatment. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the following electronic
      databases: the Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register (to 10 September
      2014), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane
      Library 2014, Issue 8), MEDLINE via OVID (1946 to 10 September 2014), EMBASE via
      OVID (1980 to 10 September 2014), LILACS via BIREME (1980 to 10 September 2014),
      metaRegister of Controlled Trials (to 10 September 2014), ClinicalTrials.gov (to
      10 September 2014), and the World Health Organization (WHO) International
      Clinical Trials Registry Platform (to 10 September 2014). We checked the
      reference lists of all trials identified for further studies. There were no
      restrictions regarding language or date of publication in the electronic
      searches. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the
      effect of surgical adjunctive procedures for accelerating tooth movement compared
      with conventional treatment (no surgical adjunctive procedure). DATA COLLECTION
      AND ANALYSIS: At least two review authors independently assessed the risk of bias
      in the trials and extracted data. We used the fixed-effect model and expressed
      results as mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We
      investigated heterogeneity with reference to both clinical and methodological
      factors. MAIN RESULTS: We included four RCTs involving a total of 57 participants
      ranging in age from 11 to 33 years. The interventions evaluated were
      corticotomies to facilitate orthodontic space closure or alignment of an ectopic
      maxillary canine, with the effect of repeated surgical procedures assessed in one
      of these studies. The studies did not report directly on the primary outcome as
      prespecified in our protocol: duration of orthodontic treatment, number of visits
      during active treatment (scheduled and unscheduled) and duration of visits. The
      main outcome assessed within the trials was the rate of tooth movement, with
      periodontal effects assessed in one trial and pain assessed in one trial. A
      maximum of just three trials with small sample sizes were available for each
      comparison and outcome. We assessed all of the studies as being at unclear risk
      of bias.Tooth movement was found to be slightly quicker with surgically assisted
      orthodontics in comparison with conventional treatment over periods of one month
      (MD 0.61 mm; 95% CI 0.49 to 0.72; P value < 0.001) and three months (MD 2.03 mm,
      95% CI 1.52 to 2.54; P value < 0.001). Our results and conclusions should be
      interpreted with caution given the small number of included studies. Information
      on adverse events was sought; however, no data were reported in the included
      studies. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: This review found that there is limited research
      concerning the effectiveness of surgical interventions to accelerate orthodontic
      treatment, with no studies directly assessing our prespecified primary outcome.
      The available evidence is of low quality, which indicates that further research
      is likely to change the estimate of the effect. Based on measured outcomes in the
      short-term, these procedures do appear to show promise as a means of accelerating
      tooth movement. It is therefore possible that these procedures may prove useful;
      however, further prospective research comprising assessment of the entirety of
      treatment with longer follow-up is required to confirm any possible benefit.

PMID- 26123285
TI  - Facile route to freestanding CH3NH3PbI3 crystals using inverse solubility.
AB  - CH3NH3PbI3 was found to exhibit inverse solubility at high temperatures in gamma
      butyrolactone. Making use of this unusual, so far unreported phenomenon, we
      present a facile method for the growth of freestanding crystals of CH3NH3PbI3
      from solution without addition of any capping agents or seed particles. Large,
      strongly faceted crystals could be grown within minutes. This finding may aid in
      understanding the crystallization process of CH3NH3PbI3 from solution that may
      lead to improved morphological control of film deposition for a range of device
      architectures. Our process offers a facile and rapid route to freestanding
      crystals for use in a broad range of characterization techniques. 

PMID- 26123286
TI  - Multicentre randomized controlled trial comparing ferric(III)carboxymaltose
      infusion with oral iron supplementation in the treatment of preoperative anaemia
      in colorectal cancer patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: At least a third of patients with a colorectal carcinoma who are
      candidate for surgery, are anaemic preoperatively. Preoperative anaemia is
      associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In general practice, little
      attention is paid to these anaemic patients. Some will have oral iron prescribed
      others not. The waiting period prior to elective colorectal surgery could be used
      to optimize a patients' physiological status. The aim of this study is to
      determine the efficacy of preoperative intravenous iron supplementation in
      comparison with the standard preoperative oral supplementation in anaemic
      patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS/DESIGN: In this multicentre randomized
      controlled trial, patients with an M0-staged colorectal carcinoma who are
      scheduled for curative resection and with a proven iron deficiency anaemia are
      eligible for inclusion. Main exclusion criteria are palliative surgery,
      metastatic disease, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (5 * 5 Gy = no exclusion) and
      the use of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin within three months before inclusion
      or a blood transfusion within a month before inclusion. Primary endpoint is the
      percentage of patients that achieve normalisation of the haemoglobin level
      between the start of the treatment and the day of admission for surgery. This
      study is a superiority trial, hypothesizing a greater proportion of patients
      achieving the primary endpoint in favour of iron infusion compared to oral
      supplementation. A total of 198 patients will be randomized to either
      ferric(III)carboxymaltose infusion in the intervention arm or ferrofumarate in
      the control arm. This study will be performed in ten centres nationwide and one
      centre in Ireland. DISCUSSION: This is the first randomized controlled trial to
      determine the efficacy of preoperative iron supplementation in exclusively
      anaemic patients with a colorectal carcinoma. Our trial hypotheses a more
      profound haemoglobin increase with intravenous iron which may contribute to a
      superior optimisation of the patient's condition and possibly a decrease in
      postoperative morbidity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClincalTrials.gov: NCT02243735 .

PMID- 26123287
TI  - Anticancer effect of tectochrysin in colon cancer cell via suppression of NF
      kappaB activity and enhancement of death receptor expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Flavonoids are a diverse family of natural phenolic compounds
      commonly found in fruits and vegetables. Epidemiologic studies showed that
      flavonoids also reduce the risk of colon cancer. Tectochrysin is one of the major
      flavonoids of Alpinia oxyphylla Miquel. However, the anti-cancer effects and the
      molecular mechanisms of tectochrysin in colon cancer cells have not yet been
      reported. We investigated whether tectochrysin could inhibit colon cancer cell
      growth at 1, 5, 10 MUg/ml. In in vivo study, we injected a tectochrysin treatment
      dose of 5 mg/kg to each mouse. RESULTS: Tectochrysin suppressed the growth of
      SW480 and HCT116 human colon cancer cells. The expression of DR3, DR4 and Fas
      were significantly increased, and pro-apoptotic proteins were also increased.
      Tectochrysin treatment also inhibited activity of NF-kappaB. A docking model
      indicated that tectochrysin binds directly to the p50 unit. In in vivo, tumor
      weights and volumes in mice were reduced when treated with tectochrysin.
      Tectochrysin leads to apoptotic cell death in colon cancer cells through
      activation of death receptors expression via the inhibition of NF-kappaB.
      CONCLUSIONS: Tectochrysin can be a useful agent for the treatment of colon cancer
      cell growth as well as an adjuvant agent for chemo-resistant cancer cells growth.

PMID- 26123288
TI  - Evolution of anthozoan polyp retraction mechanisms: convergent functional
      morphology and evolutionary allometry of the marginal musculature in order
      Zoanthidea (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retraction is among the most important basic behaviors of anthozoan
      Cnidaria polyps and is achieved through the coordinated contraction of at least
      six different muscle groups. Across the Anthozoa, these muscles range from
      unrecognizable atrophies to massive hypertrophies, producing a wide diversity of
      retraction abilities and functional morphologies. The marginal musculature is
      often the single largest component of the retraction mechanism and is composed of
      a diversity of muscular, attachment, and structural features. Although the
      arrangements of these features have defined the higher taxonomy of Zoanthidea for
      more than 100 years, a decade of inferring phylogenies from nucleotide sequences
      has demonstrated fundamental misconceptions of their evolution. RESULTS: Here we
      expand the diversity of known marginal muscle forms from two to at least ten
      basic states and reconstruct the evolution of its functional morphology across
      the most comprehensive molecular phylogeny available. We demonstrate that the
      evolution of these forms follows a series of transitions that are much more
      complex than previously hypothesized and converge on similar forms multiple
      times. Evolution of the marginal musculature and its attachment and support
      structures are partially scaled according to variation in polyp and muscle size,
      but also vary through evolutionary allometry. CONCLUSIONS: Although the
      retraction mechanisms are diverse and their evolutionary histories complex, their
      morphologies are largely reflective of the evolutionary relationships among
      Zoanthidea higher taxa and may offer a key feature for integrative systematics.
      The convergence on similar forms across multiple linages of Zoanthidea mirrors
      the evolution of the marginal musculature in another anthozoan order
      (Actiniaria). The marginal musculature varies through evolutionary allometry of
      functional morphologies in response to requirements for additional force and
      resistance, and the specific ecological and symbiotic functions of individual
      taxa.

PMID- 26123289
TI  - Heterologous expression and comparative characterization of vacuolar invertases
      from Cu-tolerant and non-tolerant populations of Elsholtzia haichowensis.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: Vacuolar invertases (VINs) from Cu-tolerant and non-tolerant
      populations of Elsholtzia haichowensis have similar enzyme properties, and the
      enzyme protein divergences contribute little to the varied VIN activities between
      the contrasting populations. In our previous studies of Elsholtzia haichowensis,
      vacuolar invertase (VIN) activity in roots of a Cu-tolerant population was found
      to be significantly higher than that of a non-tolerant population under Cu
      stress. Divergences of amino acid residues in a sucrose-binding box and other
      regions of the VINs were detected. To test whether the amino acid divergences
      influence the enzyme properties of VINs, and thus are relevant to the differences
      in enzyme activities between the contrasting populations of E. haichowensis, two
      VIN genes from the Cu-tolerant population (EhCvINV) and non-tolerant population
      (EhNvINV) were heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris, and the enzyme
      properties of the recombinants were characterized and compared. Both of the
      recombinant enzymes showed temperature optima of 70  degrees C and pH optima of
      4.5-5.5. Copper as well as other heavy metals caused almost the same inhibition
      to EhNvINV and EhCvINV. No statistically significant differences were observed
      between EhNvINV and EhCvINV in K m and k cat values for sucrose. The results
      provided evidence that the observed residue divergences had little influence on
      the enzyme properties of VIN in E. haichowensis, and the varied VIN activities
      between the contrasting populations under Cu stress were not relevant to the
      amino acid divergences in the proteins. Also, some other possible reasons
      accounting for this difference in invertase activities were discussed, such as up
      regulation of expression of the EhCvINV gene under Cu stress, as Cu tolerance
      mechanisms in Cu-mine plants.

PMID- 26123290
TI  - The promoter of the AlSAP gene from the halophyte grass Aeluropus littoralis
      directs a stress-inducible expression pattern in transgenic rice plants.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: When fused to " Pr AlSAP " promoter, transcripts of gusA exhibited
      similar accumulation patterns in transgenic rice as AlSAP transcripts in A.
      littoralis. Pr AlSAP can be used for engineering abiotic stress tolerance. We
      previously showed that ectopic expression of a stress-associated protein gene
      from Aeluropus littoralis (AlSAP) enhances tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses
      in tobacco, wheat and rice. The ortholog of AlSAP in rice is OsSAP9. Here, we
      demonstrate that AlSAP transcripts accumulate in Aeleuropus in response to
      multiple abiotic stresses and at a higher level in roots, while those of OsSAP9
      are preferentially induced by cold and heat treatments and accumulate
      preferentially in leaves of rice. In silico analysis of the AlSAP promoter "Pr
      AlSAP " predicted several cis-acting elements responsible for gene regulation by
      dehydration, salt, heat, ABA, SA, wounding and tissue-specific expression. The Pr
      AlSAP promoter was fused to the gusA gene and used to produce transgenic rice
      plants. Transcripts of gusA exhibited similar accumulation patterns in transgenic
      rice as AlSAP transcripts in A. littoralis. Indeed, accumulation of gusA
      transcripts was higher in roots than in leaves and induced by salt, drought, cold
      and heat treatments. GUS activity was confirmed in roots, coleoptiles, leaves and
      glumes, but absent in the root cell elongation zone and in dry seeds. A wound
      treatment strongly induced GUS accumulation in leaves and imbibed seeds.
      Altogether, these results indicate that the regulatory regions of two ortholog
      genes "AlSAP" and "OsSAP9" have diverged in the specificity of the signals
      promoting their induction, but that the trans-acting elements allowing the
      correct spatiotemporal regulation and stress induction of Pr AlSAP exist in rice.
      Therefore, the AlSAP promoter appears to be an interesting candidate for
      engineering abiotic stress tolerance in cereals.

PMID- 26123291
TI  - FISH and GISH: molecular cytogenetic tools and their applications in ornamental
      plants.
AB  - KEY MESSAGE: The innovations in chromosome engineering have improved the
      efficiency of interrogation breeding, and the identification and transfer of
      resistance genes from alien to native species. Recent advances in molecular
      biology and cytogenetics have brought revolutionary, conceptual developments in
      mitosis and meiosis research, chromosome structure and manipulation, gene
      expression and regulation, and gene silencing. Cytogenetic studies offer
      integrative tools for imaging, genetics, epigenetics, and cytological information
      that can be employed to enhance chromosome and molecular genomic research in
      plant taxa. In situ hybridization techniques, such as fluorescence in situ
      hybridization (FISH) and genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), can identify
      chromosome morphologies and sequences, amount and distribution of various types
      of chromatin in chromosomes, and genome organization during the metaphase stage
      of meiosis. Over the past few decades, various new molecular cytogenetic
      applications have been developed. The FISH and GISH techniques present an
      authentic model for analyzing the individual chromosome, chromosomal segments, or
      the genomes of natural and artificial hybrid plants. These have become the most
      reliable techniques for studying allopolyploids, because most cultivated plants
      have been developed through hybridization or polyploidization. Moreover,
      introgression of the genes and chromatin from the wild types into cultivated
      species can also be analyzed. Since hybrid derivatives may have variable alien
      chromosome numbers or chromosome arms, the use of these approaches opens new
      avenues for accurately identifying genome differences.

PMID- 26123292
TI  - Q&A: How do plants sense and respond to UV-B radiation?
AB  - Plants are able to sense UV-B through the UV-B photoreceptor UVR8. UV-B photon
      absorption by a UVR8 homodimer leads to UVR8 monomerization and interaction with
      the downstream signaling factor COP1. This then initiates changes in gene
      expression, which lead to several metabolic and morphological alterations. A
      major response is the activation of mechanisms associated with UV-B acclimation
      and UV-B tolerance, including biosynthesis of sunscreen metabolites, antioxidants
      and DNA repair enzymes. To balance the response, UVR8 is inactivated by regulated
      re-dimerization. Apart from their importance for plants, UVR8 and its interacting
      protein COP1 have already proved useful for the optogenetic toolkit used to
      engineer synthetic light-dependent responses. 

PMID- 26123293
TI  - Bioactive Structure of Membrane Lipids and Natural Products Elucidated by a
      Chemistry-Based Approach.
AB  - Determining the bioactive structure of membrane lipids is a new concept, which
      aims to examine the functions of lipids with respect to their three-dimensional
      structures. As lipids are dynamic by nature, their "structure" does not refer
      solely to a static picture but also to the local and global motions of the lipid
      molecules. We consider that interactions with lipids, which are completely
      defined by their structures, are controlled by the chemical, functional, and
      conformational matching between lipids and between lipid and protein. In this
      review, we describe recent advances in understanding the bioactive structures of
      membrane lipids bound to proteins and related molecules, including some of our
      recent results. By examining recent works on lipid-raft-related molecules, lipid
      protein interactions, and membrane-active natural products, we discuss current
      perspectives on membrane structural biology. 

PMID- 26123294
TI  - Quest for stress-free surgery revisited.

PMID- 26123295
TI  - Trends in survival of multiple myeloma patients in Germany and the United States
      in the first decade of the 21st century.
AB  - Multiple myeloma is a chronic, incurable but highly treatable neoplasm. Recent
      population-based studies have shown improvements in survival for patients
      diagnosed in the early 21st century. Here, we examine trends in survival for
      patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma in Germany and the United States (US)
      between 2002 and 2010. Data were extracted from 11 population-based cancer
      registries in Germany and from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results
      database in the US. Myeloma patients aged 15-74 years with diagnosis and follow
      up between 1997 and 2010 from Germany and the US were included. Period analysis
      was employed to assess trends in 5-year relative survival in Germany and the US
      between 2002-04 and 2008-10. Age-adjusted 5-year relative survival increased from
      47.3% to 53.8% in Germany and from 39.8% to 53.2% in the US between 2002-04 and
      2008-10. There was a strong age gradient with lower survival among older
      patients, which persisted over time and was more pronounced in Germany than the
      US. Five-year relative survival estimates for patients diagnosed with multiple
      myeloma below 75 years of age steadily increased throughout the first decade of
      the 21st century and reached levels above 50% in both Germany and the US,
      probably reflecting the increased use of newer agents in myeloma treatment.

PMID- 26123297
TI  - Neural correlates of observing joint actions with shared intentions.
AB  - Studies on the neural bases of action perception have largely focused on the
      perception of individual actions. Little is known about perception of joint
      actions where two or more individuals coordinate their actions based on a shared
      intention. In this fMRI study we asked whether observing situations where two
      individuals act on a shared intention elicits a different neural response than
      observing situations where individuals act on their independent parallel
      intentions. We compared the neural response to perceptually identical yet
      intentionally ambiguous actions observed in varying contexts. A dialog between
      two individuals conveyed either a shared intention or two independent parallel
      intentions. The dialogs were followed by an identical video clip where the two
      individuals performed certain actions. In one task condition participants tracked
      the intentions of the actors, in the other, they monitored moving colored dots
      placed on the same videos. We found that in the intention task versus the color
      task, observing joint actions based on shared intentions activated the temporal
      poles, precuneus, and the ventral striatum compared to observing interactions
      based on parallel intentions. Precuneus and the temporal poles are thought to
      support mental state reasoning, the latter with a more specific role in
      retrieving memories associated with social scripts. Activation in the ventral
      striatum, an area involved in reward processing, likely indicates a hedonistic
      response to observed shared intentional relations similarly to those experienced
      when personally sharing mental states with others.

PMID- 26123296
TI  - Section's osseous slice biopsy during major amputation of lower extremity:
      preliminary results of prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this cohort study was to assess the incidence of
      positive cultures in section's osseous slice biopsy (SOB) taken at the level of
      major limb amputation. In case of positive cultures we sought whether the
      microorganisms present in SOB could take origin from the primary infection site
      necessitating the amputation. The impact of diabetes on culture results was also
      investigated. METHODS: This prospective cohort study, which aimed to confirm the
      results of the pilot study, analysed patients who underwent major limb amputation
      between 2012 and 2013 in three Lithuanian hospitals. SOBs at the amputation site
      (surgical bone biopsies) and percutaneous bone biopsies of the distal site were
      performed simultaneously during limb amputation. Tissue cultures were analysed by
      microbiologists, and species along with antibiograms were reported.
      Histopathological assessment and bacterial typing were also evaluated. A positive
      culture was defined as the identification of at least 1 bacteria not belonging to
      the skin flora, at least 2 bacteria belonging to the skin flora with the same
      antibiotic susceptibility profiles or the same bacteria belonging to the skin
      flora in two different sites. Fisher's exact test and Student's test were used to
      compare the populations and the microbiological results. The statistical
      significance level was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients (35 males/34
      females), mean age 68.7 (S = 13.6) years, including 21 (30.4%) with diabetes
      underwent the major limb amputation. Forty-five amputations (65.2%) were done
      above the knee. In total, 207 SOBs and 207 percutaneous distal site biopsies were
      studied. SOB cultures were positive in 11 (15.9%) cases. In 5 (45.5%) cases the
      same microorganisms were identified in both SOB and distal biopsy cultures. No
      association between culture results and presence of diabetes was identified.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that, independently of the diabetes status, foot
      infection may silently spread along the bone and can achieve the site of major
      limb amputation. Additional investigations aiming to confirm this hypothesis and
      to evaluate a prognostic value are in progress.

PMID- 26123298
TI  - Predictive value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with deep neck
      space infection secondary to acute bacterial tonsillitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether the neutrophil-to
      lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can be used as a predictor for deep neck space infections
      (DNSIs) that occur as a complication of acute bacterial tonsillitis in the
      pediatric population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the NLR values of 180
      pediatric patients diagnosed with acute bacterial tonsillitis with or without
      DNSI who presented to the Otolaryngology Department of Marmara University
      Hospital between 2010 and 2013. In cases in which DNSI was suspected, the
      patients underwent complete otolaryngological examination and radiological
      imaging including CT and MRI. NLR was calculated in all the subjects and was
      compared between the patients with acute bacterial tonsillitis without DNSI and
      those with DNSI. RESULTS: With regard to the tonsillitis-related complications,
      17 patients had peritonsillar abscess (9.4%); five, parapharyngeal abscess
      (2.8%); and two, retropharyngeal abscess (1.1%). The mean NLR was significantly
      higher in the patients of acute bacterial tonsillitis with DNSI (P<0.05). The
      optimum cut-off value of NLR was determined to be 5.4. CONCLUSION: This study is
      the first to investigate the relationship between NLR and DNSI as a complication
      of acute bacterial tonsillitis. The results demonstrated that the NLR value could
      be a potential laboratory parameter for diagnosing DNSIs.

PMID- 26123299
TI  - Introduction: G Protein-coupled Receptors and RGS Proteins.
AB  - Here, we provide an overview of the role of regulator of G protein-signaling
      (RGS) proteins in signaling by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the latter of
      which represent the largest class of cell surface receptors in humans responsible
      for transducing diverse extracellular signals into the intracellular environment.
      Given that GPCRs regulate virtually every known physiological process, it is
      unsurprising that their dysregulation plays a causative role in many human
      diseases and they are targets of 40-50% of currently marketed pharmaceuticals.
      Activated GPCRs function as GTPase exchange factors for Galpha subunits of
      heterotrimeric G proteins, promoting the formation of Galpha-GTP and dissociated
      Gbetagamma subunits that regulate diverse effectors including enzymes, ion
      channels, and protein kinases. Termination of signaling is mediated by the
      intrinsic GTPase activity of Galpha subunits leading to reformation of the
      inactive Galphabetagamma heterotrimer. RGS proteins determine the magnitude and
      duration of cellular responses initiated by many GPCRs by functioning as GTPase
      accelerating proteins (GAPs) for specific Galpha subunits. Twenty canonical
      mammalian RGS proteins, divided into four subfamilies, act as functional GAPs
      while almost 20 additional proteins contain nonfunctional RGS homology domains
      that often mediate interaction with GPCRs or Galpha subunits. RGS protein
      biochemistry has been well elucidated in vitro, but the physiological functions
      of each RGS family member remain largely unexplored. This book summarizes recent
      advances employing modified model organisms that reveal RGS protein functions in
      vivo, providing evidence that RGS protein modulation of G protein signaling and
      GPCRs can be as important as initiation of signaling by GPCRs. 

PMID- 26123300
TI  - RGS-Insensitive G Proteins as In Vivo Probes of RGS Function.
AB  - Guanine nucleotide-binding proteins of the inhibitory (Gi/o) class play critical
      physiological roles and the receptors that activate them are important
      therapeutic targets (e.g., mu opioid, serotonin 5HT1a, etc.). Gi/o proteins are
      negatively regulated by regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins. The
      redundant actions of the 20 different RGS family members have made it difficult
      to establish their overall physiological role. A unique G protein mutation (G184S
      in Galphai/o) prevents RGS binding to the Galpha subunit and blocks all RGS
      action at that particular Galpha subunit. The robust phenotypes of mice
      expressing these RGS-insensitive (RGSi) mutant G proteins illustrate the profound
      action of RGS proteins in cardiovascular, metabolic, and central nervous system
      functions. Specifically, the enhanced Galphai2 signaling through the RGSi
      Galphai2(G184S) mutant knock-in mice shows protection against cardiac
      ischemia/reperfusion injury and potentiation of serotonin-mediated antidepressant
      actions. In contrast, the RGSi Galphao mutant knock-in produces enhanced mu
      opioid receptor-mediated analgesia but also a seizure phenotype. These genetic
      models provide novel insights into potential therapeutic strategies related to
      RGS protein inhibitors and/or G protein subtype-biased agonists at particular
      GPCRs. 

PMID- 26123301
TI  - RGS Protein Regulation of Phototransduction.
AB  - First identified in yeast and worm and later in other species, the physiological
      importance of Regulators of G-protein Signaling (RGS) in mammals was first
      demonstrated at the turn of the century in mouse retinal photoreceptors, in which
      RGS9 is needed for timely recovery of rod phototransduction. The role of RGS in
      vision has also been established a synapse away in retinal depolarizing bipolar
      cells (DBCs), where RGS7 and RGS11 work redundantly and in a complex with Gbeta5
      S as GAPs for Goalpha in the metabotropic glutamate receptor 6 pathway situated
      at DBC dendritic tips. Much less is known on how RGS protein subserves vision in
      the rest of the visual system. The research into the roles of RGS proteins in
      vision holds great potential for many exciting new discoveries. 

PMID- 26123304
TI  - Keeping the Balance Right: Regulator of G Protein Signaling 5 in Vascular
      Physiology and Pathology.
AB  - The cardiovascular system including the heart and intricate network of arteries,
      veins, and capillaries is essential for normal organ homeostasis and tightly
      controlled by G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling cascades. Imbalances of
      these signaling systems can manifest in cardiovascular disease. There has been a
      recent surge in studies on modulators of GPCR activity, so-called regulator of G
      protein signaling (RGS) molecules, due to their potential as pharmacological
      targets. Among RGS proteins, RGS5 is prominently expressed in arterial vascular
      smooth muscle cells (vSMC) suggesting an important role in vascular function.
      Although apparently dispensable for embryonic development, RGS5 has now emerged
      as a crucial regulator of adaptive cardiovascular processes, including remodeling
      of the vascular wall under stress. RGS5 has been shown to regulate signaling
      pathways which shape vSMC differentiation, migration, contraction, as well as
      tissue inflammation and fibrosis. Indeed, studies in RGS5 mutant mice have
      confirmed a crucial and nonredundant role as regulator of cardiac function, blood
      pressure homeostasis, and adult neovascularization such as angiogenesis and
      arteriogenesis. In response to environmental cues, RGS5 is dynamically controlled
      at both mRNA and protein levels. This enables direct, precise, and rapid
      modulation of Galphaq- and Galphai-coupled GPCR signaling which also integrates
      receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) and Galphas/Galpha12/13-mediated GPCR signal
      transduction. Although RGS5's endogenous role in a spatiotemporal context is
      still largely unknown, its prominence in vascular tissue makes it an important
      molecule to study and a prime candidate for therapeutic intervention. 

PMID- 26123303
TI  - Regulator of G Protein Signaling 2: A Versatile Regulator of Vascular Function.
AB  - Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins of the B/R4 family are widely
      expressed in the cardiovascular system where their role in fine-tuning G protein
      signaling is critical to maintaining homeostasis. Among members of this family,
      RGS2 and RGS5 have been shown to play key roles in cardiac and smooth muscle
      function by tightly regulating signaling pathways that are activated through
      Gq/11 and Gi/o classes of heterotrimeric G proteins. This chapter reviews
      accumulating evidence supporting a key role for RGS2 in vascular function and the
      implication of changes in RGS2 function and/or expression in the pathogenesis of
      blood pressure disorders, particularly hypertension. With such understanding,
      RGS2 and the signaling pathways it controls may emerge as novel targets for
      developing next-generation antihypertensive drugs/agents. 

PMID- 26123305
TI  - Two for the Price of One: G Protein-Dependent and -Independent Functions of RGS6
      In Vivo.
AB  - Regulator of G protein signaling 6 (RGS6) is unique among the members of the RGS
      protein family as it remains the only protein with the demonstrated capacity to
      control G protein-dependent and -independent signaling cascades in vivo. RGS6
      inhibits signaling mediated by gamma-aminobutyric acid B receptors, serotonin 1A
      receptors, MU opioid receptors, and muscarinic acetylcholine 2 receptors. RGS6
      deletion triggers distinct behavioral phenotypes resulting from potentiated
      signaling by these G protein-coupled receptors namely ataxia, a reduction in
      anxiety and depression, enhanced analgesia, and increased parasympathetic tone,
      respectively. In addition, RGS6 possesses potent proapoptotic and growth
      suppressive actions. In heart, RGS6-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS)
      production promotes doxorubicin (Dox)-induced cardiomyopathy, while in cancer
      cells RGS6/ROS signaling is necessary for activation of the ataxia telangiectasia
      mutated/p53/apoptosis pathway required for the chemotherapeutic efficacy of Dox.
      Further, by facilitating Tip60 (trans-acting regulator protein of HIV type 1
      interacting protein 60 kDa)-dependent DNA methyltransferase 1 degradation, RGS6
      suppresses cellular transformation in response to oncogenic Ras. The culmination
      of these G protein-independent actions results in potent tumor suppressor actions
      of RGS6 in the murine mammary epithelium. This work summarizes evidence from
      human genetic studies and model animals implicating RGS6 in normal physiology,
      disease, and the pharmacological actions of multiple drugs. Though efforts by
      multiple laboratories have contributed to the ever-growing RGS6 oeuvre, the
      pleiotropic nature of this gene will likely lead to additional work detailing the
      importance of RGS6 in neuropsychiatric disorders, cardiovascular disease, and
      cancer.

PMID- 26123306
TI  - Physiology of RGS10 in Neurons and Immune Cells.
AB  - Regulator of G protein signaling-10 (RGS10), a GTPase-activating protein (GAP)
      for Galphai3, Galphaq, and Galphaz, belongs to the D/R12 subfamily based on the
      homology within the RGS domain and is one of the smallest RGS proteins, outside
      the RGS box. Although RGS10 lacks the flanking domains or motifs, RGS10 can be
      targeted to membrane by palmitoylation which markedly increases its net GAP
      activity. The cAMP-dependent protein kinase A phosphorylates RGS10 on serine 168
      (Ser(168)) which promotes translocation of RGS10 from the cytosol to nucleus. In
      addition to its GAP function, RGS10 modulates adenylyl cyclase (AC) activity as
      well as the G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium channels. Although the
      roles of various RGS proteins have been well addressed in previous reviews, the
      function and mechanism of RGS10 in particular has not been reviewed in-depth.
      Moreover, recent arrays of studies implicate a role for RGS10 in immune and
      neuronal cells. RGS10 has been localized to various cell compartments including
      the cytoplasm and nucleus. In this chapter, we will review its role in neurons
      and immune cells. 

PMID- 26123307
TI  - Regulator of G Protein Signaling 14: A Molecular Brake on Synaptic Plasticity
      Linked to Learning and Memory.
AB  - The regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins are a diverse family of
      proteins that function as central components of G protein and other signaling
      pathways. In the brain, regulator of G protein signaling 14 (RGS14) is enriched
      in neurons in the hippocampus where the mRNA and protein are highly expressed.
      This brain region plays a major role in processing learning and forming new
      memories. RGS14 is an unusual RGS protein that acts as a multifunctional
      scaffolding protein to integrate signaling events and pathways essential for
      synaptic plasticity, including conventional and unconventional G protein
      signaling, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and, possibly, calcium signaling
      pathways. Within the hippocampus of primates and rodents, RGS14 is predominantly
      found in the enigmatic CA2 subfield. Principal neurons within the CA2 subfield
      differ from neighboring hippocampal regions in that they lack a capacity for long
      term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmission, which is widely viewed as the
      cellular substrate of learning and memory formation. RGS14 was recently
      identified as a natural suppressor of LTP in hippocampal CA2 neurons as well as
      forms of learning and memory that depend on the hippocampus. Although CA2 has
      only recently been studied, compelling recent evidence implicates area CA2 as a
      critical component of hippocampus circuitry with functional roles in mediating
      certain types of learning and memory. This review will highlight the known
      functions of RGS14 in cell signaling and hippocampus physiology, and discuss
      potential roles for RGS14 in human cognition and disease. 

PMID- 26123302
TI  - Role of Regulators of G Protein Signaling Proteins in Bone Physiology and
      Pathophysiology.
AB  - Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins enhance the intrinsic GTPase
      activity of alpha subunits of the heterotrimeric G protein complex of G protein
      coupled receptors (GPCRs) and thereby inactivate signal transduction initiated by
      GPCRs. The RGS family consists of nearly 37 members with a conserved RGS homology
      domain which is critical for their GTPase accelerating activity. RGS proteins are
      expressed in most tissues, including heart, lung, brain, kidney, and bone and
      play essential roles in many physiological and pathological processes. In
      skeletal development and bone homeostasis as well as in many bone disorders, RGS
      proteins control the functions of various GPCRs, including the parathyroid
      hormone receptor type 1 and calcium-sensing receptor and also regulate various
      critical signaling pathways, such as Wnt and calcium oscillations. This chapter
      will discuss the current findings on the roles of RGS proteins in regulating
      signaling of key GPCRs in skeletal development and bone homeostasis. We also will
      examine the current updates of RGS proteins' regulation of calcium oscillations
      in bone physiology and highlight the roles of RGS proteins in selected bone
      pathological disorders. Despite the recent advances in bone and mineral research,
      RGS proteins remain understudied in the skeletal system. Further understanding of
      the roles of RGS proteins in bone should not only provide great insights into the
      molecular basis of various bone diseases but also generate great therapeutic drug
      targets for many bone diseases. 

PMID- 26123308
TI  - Preface. RGS Protein Physiology and Pathophysiology.

PMID- 26123309
TI  - Ariadne's Thread: A Robust Software Solution Leading to Automated Absolute and
      Relative Quantification of SRM Data.
AB  - Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) MS is a highly selective and sensitive
      technique to quantify protein abundances in complex biological samples. To
      enhance the pace of SRM large studies, a validated, robust method to fully
      automate absolute quantification and to substitute for interactive evaluation
      would be valuable. To address this demand, we present Ariadne, a Matlab software.
      To quantify monitored targets, Ariadne exploits metadata imported from the
      transition lists, and targets can be filtered according to mProphet output.
      Signal processing and statistical learning approaches are combined to compute
      peptide quantifications. To robustly estimate absolute abundances, the external
      calibration curve method is applied, ensuring linearity over the measured dynamic
      range. Ariadne was benchmarked against mProphet and Skyline by comparing its
      quantification performance on three different dilution series, featuring either
      noisy/smooth traces without background or smooth traces with complex background.
      Results, evaluated as efficiency, linearity, accuracy, and precision of
      quantification, showed that Ariadne's performance is independent of data
      smoothness and complex background presence and that Ariadne outperforms mProphet
      on the noisier data set and improved 2-fold Skyline's accuracy and precision for
      the lowest abundant dilution with complex background. Remarkably, Ariadne could
      statistically distinguish from each other all different abundances,
      discriminating dilutions as low as 0.1 and 0.2 fmol. These results suggest that
      Ariadne offers reliable and automated analysis of large-scale SRM differential
      expression studies. 

PMID- 26123310
TI  - Acquired familial Mediterranean fever associated with a somatic MEFV mutation in
      a patient with JAK2 associated post-polycythemia myelofibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A study was designed to identify the source of fever in a patient
      with post-polycythemia myelofibrosis, associated with clonal Janus Kinase 2
      (JAK2) mutation involving duplication of exon 12. The patient presented with 1-2
      day long self-limited periodic episodes of high fever that became more frequent
      as the hematologic disease progressed. METHODS: After ruling out other causes for
      recurrent fever, analysis of the pyrin encoding Mediterranean fever gene (MEFV)
      was carried out by Sanger sequencing in peripheral blood DNA samples obtained 4
      years apart, in buccal cells, laser dissected kidney tubular cells, and FACS
      sorted CD3-positive or depleted mononucleated blood cells. Hematopoeitc cells
      results were validated by targeted deep sequencing. A Sanger sequence based
      screen for pathogenic variants of the autoinflammatory genes NLRP3, TNFRSF1A and
      MVK was also performed. RESULTS: A rare, c.1955G>A, p.Arg652His MEFV gene variant
      was identified at negligible levels in an early peripheral blood DNA sample, but
      affected 46 % of the MEFV alleles and was restricted to JAK2-positive,
      polymorphonuclear and CD3-depleted mononunuclear DNA samples obtained 4 years
      later, when the patient experienced fever bouts. The patient was also
      heterozygous for the germ line, non-pathogenic NLRP3 gene variant, p.Q705K. Upon
      the administration of colchicine, the gold standard treatment for familial
      Mediterranean fever (FMF), the fever attacks subsided. CONCLUSIONS: This is the
      first report of non-transmitted, acquired FMF, associated with a JAK2 driven
      clonal expansion of a somatic MEFV exon 10 mutation. The non-pathogenic germ line
      NLRP3 p.Q705K mutation possibly played a modifier role on the disease phenotype.

PMID- 26123311
TI  - Leiomyosarcoma: investigation of prognostic factors for risk-stratification
      model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We performed this study to define distinctive clinical features of
      leiomyosarcoma by assessing prognostic factors. METHODS: Between 1988 and 2011,
      129 leiomyosarcoma patients who underwent surgical resection with curative intent
      were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 129 leiomyosarcoma patients, the
      distribution of anatomic locations was: extremity (n = 25), pelvis (n = 40),
      thoracic cavity (n = 11), intra-abdomen (n = 19), retroperitoneum (n = 23), and
      head/neck (n = 11). We classified the anatomic locations into two categories as
      abdominal (intra-abdomen and retroperitoneum, n = 42) and extra-abdominal
      (extremity, pelvis, thoracic cavity, and head/neck, n = 87). Prognosis was worse
      for the abdominal group than for the extra-abdominal group (median DFS 2.9 9.0
      years, P = 0.04). Similarly, overall survival (OS) was also significantly worse
      for abdominal group (P = 0.027). Independent prognostic factors for survival were
      primary site (P = 0.041, hazard ratio (HR) 1.7; 95 % CI 1.2-2.8), tumor size (P =
      0.038, HR 1.9; 95 % CI 1.13-3.38), margin status (P = 0.019, HR 2.1; 95 % CI 1.13
      3.88), and histology grade (P = 0.01, HR 3.59; 95 % CI 1.64-7.87). We identified
      four different risk groups with different survival outcome: group 1 (n = 8), no
      adverse factors; groups 2 (n = 37) and 3 (n = 61) with one and two adverse
      factors, and group 4 (n = 23) with 3 or 4 adverse factors. CONCLUSION: Primary
      site, tumor size, resection margin, and histology subtype were independently
      associated with survival outcome. A prognostic model for leiomyosarcoma patients
      revealed four distinct groups of patients with good prognostic discrimination.

PMID- 26123312
TI  - Use of warm Ringer's lactate solution in the management of locally advanced giant
      cell tumor of bone.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to discover the effectiveness and safety of
      using warm Ringer's lactate solution (RLS) as a local treatment in the management
      of locally advanced giant cell tumor of bone with marked soft tissue invasion,
      including nearby neurovascular bundles. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a
      longitudinal cohort study with an average follow-up period of 4.6 +/- 0.3 years,
      ranging from 4.2 to 5.9 years. There were 21 patients (9 male and 12 female),
      with the ages of subjects ranging from 12 to 64 years. Eight patients (38 %) were
      tumor recurrence cases. Pathological fracture was found in 15 patients (71 %).
      After extended curettage, warm RLS (50  degrees C) was locally applied for 20
      min. Bone stabilization and reconstruction were then performed. RESULTS: All
      patients survived the operation. No additional neurovascular injury resulting
      from the use of warm RLS was found. Patients who had neurological deficit before
      the operation experienced significant improvement in motor and sensory function
      during the follow-up period. Complication was found in one patient (5 %). Two
      patients (9.5 %), had tumor recurrence and 19 patients (90.5 %) were tumor-free
      with good to acceptable function. CONCLUSION: Use of warm Ringer's lactate
      solution as an adjunctive local treatment during intra-lesional curettage of
      giant cell tumor with locally soft tissue extension was found to be safe with
      relatively low recurrence rate. However, additional studies to identify the
      optimum thermoablation dose at each part of the body should be undertaken before
      this technique can be used as a standard treatment.

PMID- 26123313
TI  - Irinotecan and nedaplatin as salvage therapy for patients with advanced germ cell
      tumors following intensive treatment with cisplatin-based combination
      chemotherapies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To analyze the clinical outcomes of the irinotecan plus nedaplatin
      (IN) regimen in patients with advanced germ cell tumors (GCTs) refractory to
      cisplatin-based combination chemotherapies. METHODS: This study included a total
      of 20 consecutive advanced GCT patients who were categorized into intermediate-
      or poor-risk GCT groups according to the International Germ Cell Consensus
      Classification, and were judged to show refractory or relapsed disease after
      bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin and cisplatin, ifosfamide and paclitaxel
      therapies. All 20 patients subsequently received IN therapy (irinotecan 100
      mg/m(2) on days 1 and 15; nedaplatin 100 mg/m(2) on day 1) every 4 weeks.
      RESULTS: Following a median of 3 cycles of IN, 9 patients (45 %) achieved
      normalization of serum tumor markers. In addition, surgical resection of the
      residual tumors following IN was performed in 5 patients, of whom 4 were
      pathologically diagnosed with no viable cancer cells. At a median follow-up of 9
      months, 11 patients (55 %) were alive, including 7 (35 %) with no evidence of
      disease, whereas the remaining 9 (45 %) died of disease progression. The median
      duration of overall survival after the introduction of IN to these 20 patients
      was 13.4 months. Severe hematological toxicities were observed in all patients,
      but were manageable. Although fatal treatment-related interstitial pneumonia
      occurred in 1 patient, other non-hematological toxicities were generally
      tolerable. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the markedly unfavorable characteristics of
      the included patients with advanced GCT who were intensively treated with
      cisplatin-based combination chemotherapies, IN could be regarded as having
      promising therapeutic activity with an acceptable toxicity profile.

PMID- 26123314
TI  - Prognostic model for survival based on readily available pretreatment factors in
      patients with advanced pancreatic cancer receiving palliative chemotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We aimed to construct a prognostic model to predict survival in
      patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (APC) receiving palliative chemotherapy
      using readily available pretreatment factors. METHODS: The model was constructed
      using data from 306 consecutive patients with APC who received palliative
      chemotherapy between January 2006 and March 2013. The predictive accuracy of the
      model was assessed using a concordance index (c-index) and calibration curves.
      RESULTS: Among the 12 potential prognostic factors investigated, multivariate
      analysis identified the following six independent negative prognostic factors
      performance status (PS), the presence of distant metastatic disease, the status
      of initially unresectable disease, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level,
      carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) level, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR).
      A prognostic index (PI) based on the coefficients of these factors was
      constructed as follows-PI = 2 (if PS 2-3) + 1 (if distant metastatic disease) + 1
      (if initially unresectable disease) + 1 (if CEA level >=5.0 ng/ml) + 1 (if CA 19
      9 level >=1,000 U/ml) + 2 (if NLR >=5). The patients were classified into three
      prognostic groups-favorable (PI 0-1, n = 73), intermediate (PI 2-3, n = 145), and
      poor (PI 4-8, n = 88). The median overall survival times for each prognostic
      group were 16.5, 12.3, and 6.2 months, respectively (P < 0.001). Bootstrapping
      verified the good fitness of this model for predicting 1-year survival, and the c
      index was 0.658. CONCLUSIONS: This simple prognostic model could help clinicians
      to estimate survival in patients with APC who receive palliative chemotherapy.

PMID- 26123316
TI  - Fast multi-dimensional NMR acquisition and processing using the sparse FFT.
AB  - Increasing the dimensionality of NMR experiments strongly enhances the spectral
      resolution and provides invaluable direct information about atomic interactions.
      However, the price tag is high: long measurement times and heavy requirements on
      the computation power and data storage. We introduce sparse fast Fourier
      transform as a new method of NMR signal collection and processing, which is
      capable of reconstructing high quality spectra of large size and dimensionality
      with short measurement times, faster computations than the fast Fourier
      transform, and minimal storage for processing and handling of sparse spectra. The
      new algorithm is described and demonstrated for a 4D BEST-HNCOCA spectrum. 

PMID- 26123315
TI  - Neural commitment of human pluripotent stem cells under defined conditions
      recapitulates neural development and generates patient-specific neural cells.
AB  - Standardization of culture methods for human pluripotent stem cell (PSC) neural
      differentiation can greatly contribute to the development of novel clinical
      advancements through the comprehension of neurodevelopmental diseases. Here, we
      report an approach that reproduces neural commitment from human induced
      pluripotent stem cells using dual-SMAD inhibition under defined conditions in a
      vitronectin-based monolayer system. By employing this method it was possible to
      obtain neurons derived from both control and Rett syndrome patients' pluripotent
      cells. During differentiation mutated cells displayed alterations in the number
      of neuronal projections, and production of Tuj1 and MAP2-positive neurons.
      Although investigation of a broader number of patients would be required, these
      observations are in accordance with previous studies showing impaired
      differentiation of these cells. Consequently, our experimental methodology was
      proved useful not only for the generation of neural cells, but also made possible
      to compare neural differentiation behavior of different cell lines under defined
      culture conditions. This study thus expects to contribute with an optimized
      approach to study the neural commitment of human PSCs, and to produce patient
      specific neural cells that can be used to gain a better understanding of disease
      mechanisms. 

PMID- 26123317
TI  - NMR structure calculation for all small molecule ligands and non-standard
      residues from the PDB Chemical Component Dictionary.
AB  - An algorithm, CYLIB, is presented for converting molecular topology descriptions
      from the PDB Chemical Component Dictionary into CYANA residue library entries.
      The CYANA structure calculation algorithm uses torsion angle molecular dynamics
      for the efficient computation of three-dimensional structures from NMR-derived
      restraints. For this, the molecules have to be represented in torsion angle space
      with rotations around covalent single bonds as the only degrees of freedom. The
      molecule must be given a tree structure of torsion angles connecting rigid units
      composed of one or several atoms with fixed relative positions. Setting up CYANA
      residue library entries therefore involves, besides straightforward format
      conversion, the non-trivial step of defining a suitable tree structure of torsion
      angles, and to re-order the atoms in a way that is compatible with this tree
      structure. This can be done manually for small numbers of ligands but the process
      is time-consuming and error-prone. An automated method is necessary in order to
      handle the large number of different potential ligand molecules to be studied in
      drug design projects. Here, we present an algorithm for this purpose, and show
      that CYANA structure calculations can be performed with almost all small molecule
      ligands and non-standard amino acid residues in the PDB Chemical Component
      Dictionary. 

PMID- 26123318
TI  - Clinical and prognostic significance of OPN and VEGF expression in patients with
      non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Osteopontin (OPN) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) play
      important roles in cancer progression and angiogenesis. In the current study we
      aimed to investigate the clinical significance of OPN and VEGF expression in
      patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to investigate their
      prognostic value for NSCLC. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining was used to
      detect the expression of OPN and VEGF in 146 NSCLC patients undergoing surgical
      resection in our hospital between 2006 and 2008. The associations between OPN and
      VEGF expression and clinicopathological data were analyzed using chi-square test
      analysis. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. The
      prognostic values of OPN and VEGF were evaluated by univariate and multivariate
      Cox proportional hazard model analysis. RESULTS: OPN and VEGF expression was
      positive in 94 and 86 out of 146 NSCLC specimens, respectively. OPN expression
      was significantly associated with gender (P=0.002), TNM stage (P<0.001) and tumor
      differentiation (P=0.008). VEGF expression was significantly associated with TNM
      stage (P=0.015), tumor differentiation (P=0.032) and lymph-node status (P<0.001).
      There was a significant correlation between OPN and VEGF expression (P=0.035).
      Survival analysis indicated that OPN(+)/VEGF(+) patients had the worst prognosis.
      Furthermore, univariate and multivariate analysis suggested that tumor stage,
      lymph-node metastases, OPN expression and VEGF expression were independent
      prognostic factors for NSCLC. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that OPN and VEGF
      expressions could serve as prognostic factors for NSCLC.

PMID- 26123319
TI  - Vaccination of multiple myeloma: Current strategies and future prospects.
AB  - Tumor immunotherapy holds great promise in controlling multiple myeloma (MM) and
      may provide an alternative treatment modality to conventional chemotherapy for MM
      patients. For this reason, a major area of investigation is the development of
      cancer vaccines to generate myeloma-specific immunity. Several antigens that are
      able to induce specific T-cell responses are involved in different critical
      mechanisms for cell differentiation, inhibition of apoptosis, demethylation and
      proliferation. Strategies under development include infusion of vaccine-primed
      and ex vivo expanded/costimulated autologous T cells after high-dose melphalan,
      genetic engineering of autologous T cells with receptors for myeloma-specific
      epitopes, administration of dendritic cell/plasma cell fusions and administration
      expanded marrow-infiltrating lymphocytes. In addition, novel immunomodulatory
      drugs may synergize with immunotherapies. The task ahead is to evaluate these
      approaches in appropriate clinical settings, and to couple them with strategies
      to overcome mechanisms of immunoparesis as a means to induce more robust
      clinically significant immune responses. 

PMID- 26123320
TI  - Rapid changes in key ruminal microbial populations during the induction of and
      recovery from diet-induced milk fat depression in dairy cows.
AB  - The ruminant provides a powerful model for understanding the temporal dynamics of
      gastrointestinal microbial communities. Diet-induced milk fat depression (MFD) in
      the dairy cow is caused by rumen-derived bioactive fatty acids, and is commonly
      attributed to the changes in the microbial population. The aim of the present
      study was to determine the changes occurring in nine ruminal bacterial taxa with
      well-characterised functions, and abundance of total fungi, ciliate protozoa and
      bacteria during the induction of and recovery from MFD. Interactions between
      treatment and time were observed for ten of the twelve populations. The total
      number of both fungi and ciliate protozoa decreased rapidly (days 4 and 8,
      respectively) by more than 90% during the induction period and increased during
      the recovery period. The abundance of Streptococcus bovis (amylolytic) peaked at
      350% of control levels on day 4 of induction and rapidly decreased during the
      recovery period. The abundance of Prevotella bryantii (amylolytic) decreased by
      66% from day 8 to 20 of the induction period and increased to the control levels
      on day 12 of the recovery period. The abundance of Megasphaera elsdenii and
      Selenomonas ruminantium (lactate-utilising bacteria) increased progressively
      until day 12 of induction (>170%) and decreased during the recovery period. The
      abundance of Fibrobacter succinogenes (fibrolytic) decreased by 97% on day 4 of
      induction and increased progressively to an equal extent during the recovery
      period, although smaller changes were observed for other fibrolytic bacteria. The
      abundance of the Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens/Pseudobutyrivibrio group decreased
      progressively during the induction period and increased during the recovery
      period, whereas the abundance of Butyrivibrio hungatei was not affected by
      treatment. Responsive taxa were modified rapidly, with the majority of changes
      occurring within 8 d and their time course was similar to the time course of the
      induction of MFD, demonstrating a strong correlation between changes in ruminal
      microbial populations and MFD.

PMID- 26123322
TI  - Zileuton for Pruritus in Sjogren-Larsson Syndrome: A Randomized Double-blind
      Placebo-controlled Crossover Trial.

PMID- 26123323
TI  - Reactive simulation of the chemistry behind the condensed-phase ignition of RDX
      from hot spots.
AB  - Chemical events that lead to thermal initiation and spontaneous ignition of the
      high-pressure phase of RDX are presented using reactive molecular dynamics
      simulations. In order to initiate the chemistry behind thermal ignition,
      approximately 5% of RDX crystal is subjected to a constant temperature thermal
      pulse for various time durations to create a hot spot. After application of the
      thermal pulse, the ensuing chemical evolution of the system is monitored using
      reactive molecular dynamics under adiabatic conditions. Thermal pulses lasting
      longer than certain time durations lead to the spontaneous ignition of RDX after
      an incubation period. For cases where the ignition is observed, the incubation
      period is dominated by intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen transfer
      reactions. Contrary to the widely accepted unimolecular models of initiation
      chemistry, N-N bond dissociations that produce NO2 species are suppressed in the
      condensed phase. The gradual temperature and pressure increase in the incubation
      period is accompanied by the accumulation of short-lived, heavier polyradicals.
      The polyradicals contain intact triazine rings from the RDX molecules. At certain
      temperatures and pressures, the polyradicals undergo ring-opening reactions,
      which fuel a series of rapid exothermic chemical reactions leading to a thermal
      runaway regime with stable gas-products such as N2, H2O and CO2. The evolution of
      the RDX crystal throughout the thermal initiation, incubation and thermal runaway
      phases observed in the reactive simulations contains a rich diversity of
      condensed-phase chemistry of nitramines under high-temperature/pressure
      conditions. 

PMID- 26123321
TI  - Operant ethanol self-administration increases extracellular-signal regulated
      protein kinase (ERK) phosphorylation in reward-related brain regions: selective
      regulation of positive reinforcement in the prefrontal cortex of C57BL/6J mice.
AB  - RATIONALE: Extracellular-signal regulated protein kinase (ERK1/2) is activated by
      ethanol in reward-related brain regions. Accordingly, systemic inhibition of
      ERK1/2 potentiates ethanol reinforcement. However, the brain region(s) that
      mediate this effect are unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to pharmacologically
      inhibit ERK1/2 in the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC), nucleus accumbens (NAC),
      and amygdala (AMY) prior to ethanol or sucrose self-administration, and evaluate
      effects of operant ethanol self-administration on ERK1/2 phosphorylation
      (pERK1/2). METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice were trained to lever press on a fixed
      ratio-4 schedule of 9% ethanol + 2% sucrose (ethanol) or 2% sucrose (sucrose)
      reinforcement. Mice were sacrificed immediately after the 30th self
      administration session and pERK1/2 immunoreactivity was quantified in targeted
      brain regions. Additional groups of mice were injected with SL 327 (0-1.7
      MUg/side) in PFC, NAC, or AMY prior to self-administration. RESULTS: pERK1/2
      immunoreactivity was significantly increased by operant ethanol (g/kg = 1.21
      g/kg; BAC = 54.9 mg/dl) in the PFC, NAC (core and shell), and AMY (central
      nucleus) as compared to sucrose. Microinjection of SL 327 (1.7 MUg) into the PFC
      selectively increased ethanol self-administration. Intra-NAC injection of SL 327
      had no effect on ethanol- but suppressed sucrose-reinforced responding. Intra-AMY
      microinjection of SL 327 had no effect on either ethanol- or sucrose-reinforced
      responding. Locomotor activity was unaffected under all conditions. CONCLUSIONS:
      Operant ethanol self-administration increases pERK1/2 activation in the PFC, NAC,
      and AMY. However, ERK1/2 activity only in the PFC mechanistically regulates
      ethanol self-administration. These data suggest that ethanol-induced activation
      of ERK1/2 in the PFC is a critical pharmacological effect that mediates the
      reinforcing properties of the drug.

PMID- 26123325
TI  - Safer trocar insertion for closed laparoscopic access: ex vivo assessment of an
      improved Veress needle.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic surgery is widely practiced surgical technique in the
      modern surgical toolbox. The Veress needle insertion technique, while faster and
      easier, is associated with higher rates of iatrogenic complications (injury to
      internal organs, major blood vessels, etc.), morbidity and even mortality with a
      reported overall risk of 0.32% during surgical interventions. In order to
      increase the safety and ease of closed insertion technique, we designed and
      tested an improved prototype of the Veress needle. METHODS: The new Veress needle
      includes a distal expandable portion that allows elevation of the abdominal wall
      and safe insertion of the first trocar over it. The needle was assessed by
      measurement of ease of insertion, ease of trocar advancement, associated tissue
      damage, device integrity and weight-bearing capacity on an ex vivo Gallus
      domesticus animal model: The prototype was tested over 20 times using different
      traction forces. The experiment was qualitatively repeated on an ex vivo porcine
      model. RESULTS: In the G. domesticus model, the improved needle supported forces
      of up to 5.75 kg F. No damage or mechanical malfunction was seen at any stage of
      the experiment. Needle penetration, ease of trocar insertion, system anchoring
      and weight-bearing capacity were rated (1-5) by four raters--mean 4.9 +/- 0.31.
      Inter-rater agreement was high (free marginal kappa 0.75). The porcine experiment
      revealed similar ease of use with neither complication nor damage to the
      abdominal wall. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that the new Veress system is easy to
      use, requires no additional training, non-inferior in its capabilities compared
      to the traditional Veress needle, with the advantage of improving the safety of
      the first trocar insertion phase of the operation.

PMID- 26123324
TI  - MIR137HG risk variant rs1625579 genotype is related to corpus callosum volume in
      schizophrenia.
AB  - Genome-wide association studies implicate the MIR137HG risk variant rs1625579
      (MIR137HGrv) within the host gene for microRNA-137 as a potential regulator of
      schizophrenia susceptibility. We examined the influence of MIR137HGrv genotype on
      17 subcortical and callosal volumes in a large sample of individuals with
      schizophrenia and healthy controls (n=841). Although the volumes were overall
      reduced relative to healthy controls, for individuals with schizophrenia the
      homozygous MIR137HGrv risk genotype was associated with attenuated reduction of
      mid-posterior corpus callosum volume (p=0.001), along with trend-level effects in
      the adjacent central and posterior corpus callosum. These findings are unique in
      the literature and remain robust after analysis in ethnically homogenous and
      single-scanner subsets of the larger sample. Thus, our study suggests that the
      mechanisms whereby MIR137HGrv works to increase schizophrenia risk are not those
      that generate the corpus callosum volume reductions commonly found in the
      disorder. 

PMID- 26123326
TI  - Binding pancreaticogastrostomy in laparoscopic central pancreatectomy: a novel
      technique in laparoscopic pancreatic surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Even though more and more cases of laparoscopic central
      pancreatectomy (LCP) are reported (Machado et al. in Surg Laparosc Endosc
      Percutan Tech 23(6):486-490, 2013; Hong et al. in World J Surg Oncol 10:223,
      2012; Gonzalez et al. in JOP 14(3):273-276, 2013, Zhang et al. in J Laparoendosc
      Adv Surg Tech A 23(11):912-918, 2013; Sucandy et al. in N Am J Med Sci 2(9):438
      441, 2010; Sa Cunha et al. in Surgery 142(3):405-409, 2007), the management for
      pancreatic stumps remains the most technically challenging part which is the same
      as in pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), making it the bottleneck for laparoscopic
      pancreatic surgery. In open surgery, various pancreatic reconstruction techniques
      designed for either pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) or pancreaticogastrostomy (PG)
      have been attempted to reduce the postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF),
      including the binding anastomosis, invented by our team, i.e., binding PG (BPG)
      and binding PJ, which have been proved to be effective to reduce the POPF (Hong
      et al. 2012; Peng et al. in Ann Surg 245(5):692-698, 2007; Peng et al. in Updates
      Surg 63(2):69-74, 2011). However, despite of this, few reports are seen
      addressing such technique for laparoscopic surgery even though laparoscopic
      pancreatic surgery is more performed. After a previous successful laparoscopic
      BPG in a case of laparoscopic CP (LCP; Hong et al. 2012) and more than 50 cases
      of open PD and CP (Peng et al. 2011), we further performed laparoscopic BPG in 10
      consecutive cases of LCP with satisfactory outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To explore the
      feasibility and efficacy of LCP with BPG. METHODS: Between October 2011 and July
      2014, LCP with laparoscopic BPG was performed in ten consecutive patients with
      lesions of benign or low malignancy at the pancreatic neck. Operative and
      pathological data, complications, hospital stay and details on the surgical
      techniques were introduced. RESULTS: The operations were successfully performed
      in all the ten cases, with no conversions. The tumor size ranged from 2.0-3.0 to
      2.5-3.0 cm, average (2.50 +/- 0.35) to (2.66 +/- 0.35) cm, and the diameter of
      pancreatic duct was (1.6-2.1) mm, average (1.71 +/- 0.17) mm. Operation time was
      170-250 (198.50 +/- 25.82) min, and blood loss was 20-300 (125 +/- 107.31) mL.
      Three cases had grade A pancreatic fistula (PF), and one case had delayed gastric
      emptying, which were all managed with conservative treatment. Upper GI bleeding
      occurred in one case which was cured with second operation, time for the recovery
      of bowl movement was 3-5 (4.2 +/- 0.8) days, the time for semifluid dieting was 6
      10 (8.2 +/- 1.5) days, and the hospital stay was 8-20 (12.8 +/- 4.63) days. The
      postoperative fast blood sugar was (6.3 +/- 1.6) mmol/L with the normal diet,
      which was not significantly different from the preoperative data (5.3 +/- 0.5)
      mmol/L (P > 0.05). The postoperative pathology was as follows: five cases of
      cystic serous adenoma, one case of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm, two
      cases of neuroendocrine tumor, and two cases of solid pseudopapillary tumor of
      pancreas. All the patients were followed up for 7-40 months, no recurrence
      happened, and no new incidence of diabetes or insufficiency of pancreatic
      exocrine function occurred. CONCLUSIONS: LCP with BPG is feasible and safe; the
      advantages lie in its minimal invasiveness, the efficacy for avoiding PF, and the
      preservation of the pancreatic endocrine and exocrine function insufficiency,
      making it an ideal procedure for the benign or low-malignant lesions at the
      pancreatic neck.

PMID- 26123327
TI  - Comparison of laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation versus open resection in the
      treatment of symptomatic-enlarging hepatic hemangiomas: a prospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been demonstrated to be a promising
      therapy for symptomatic large hepatic hemangioma. However, there is a lack of
      studies to demonstrate the benefits and disadvantages of RFA as compared with
      surgical resection for managing hepatic hemangioma. The aim of this study was to
      evaluate the outcomes of RFA compared with conventional open resection (ORES) for
      the treatment of symptomatic-enlarging hepatic hemangiomas. METHODS: A total of
      66 patients with symptomatic-enlarging hepatic hemangiomas (4 cm <= diameter < 10
      cm) who required surgical treatment were divided into two groups: 32 patients
      underwent laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation (LRFA) and the other 34 patients
      underwent ORES. We compared the two groups in terms of radiologic response,
      clinical response, operative time, estimated blood loss, postoperative pain score
      and analgesic requirement, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications
      and hospital cost. RESULTS: The radiologic and clinical responses were comparable
      between groups. LRFA had significantly shorter operative time (138 vs. 201 min, P
      < 0.001) and less blood loss (P < 0.001) than ORES. Patients after LRFA
      experienced significantly less pain and required less analgesia use. Moreover,
      patients underwent LRFA had significantly shorter length of hospital stay (P <
      0.001) and lower hospital cost (P = 0.017). No severe morbidities or mortality
      was observed, and the overall morbidity rate was similar between groups.
      CONCLUSIONS: As a new minimal invasive treatment option, laparoscopic
      radiofrequency ablation is as safe and effective a procedure as open resection
      for patients with symptomatic-enlarging hepatic hemangiomas smaller than 10 cm.

PMID- 26123328
TI  - Robotic versus laparoscopic resections of posterosuperior segments of the liver:
      a propensity score-matched comparison.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Open parenchymal-preserving resection is the current standard of care
      for lesions in the posterosuperior liver segments. Laparoscopy and robot-assisted
      surgery are emergent surgical approaches for liver resections, even in
      posteriorly located lesions. The objective of this study was to compare robot
      assisted to laparoscopic parenchymal-preserving liver resections for lesions
      located in segments 7, 8, 4a, and 1. METHODS: Demographics, comorbidities,
      clinicopathologic characteristics, surgical treatments, and outcomes from
      patients who underwent laparoscopic and robot-assisted liver resection in two
      centers for lesions in the posterosuperior segments between June 2008 and
      February 2014 were reviewed. A 1:2 matched propensity score analysis was
      performed by individually matching patients in the robotic cohort to patients in
      the laparoscopic cohort based on demographics, comorbidities, performance status,
      tumor stage, location, and type of resection. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients who
      underwent robot-assisted liver resection were matched with 72 patients undergoing
      laparoscopic liver resection. Matched patients displayed no significant
      differences in postoperative outcomes as measured by blood loss, hospital stay,
      R0 negative margin rate, and mortality. The overall morbidity according to the
      comprehensive complication index was also similar (34.6 +/- 33 vs. 18.4 +/- 11.3,
      respectively, for robotic and laparoscopic approach, p = 0.11). Patients
      undergoing robotic liver surgery had significantly longer inflow occlusion time
      (77 vs. 25 min, p = 0.001) as compared with their laparoscopic counterparts.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although number and severity of complications in the robotic group
      appears to be higher, robotic and laparoscopic parenchymal-preserving liver
      resections in the posterosuperior segments display similar safety and
      feasibility.

PMID- 26123329
TI  - Raising the quality of hernia care: Is there a need?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: With a focus on raising the quality of hernia care through creation
      of educational programs, SAGES formed the Hernia Task Force (HTF). This study
      used needs assessment survey to target opportunities for improving surgical
      training and thus patient outcomes and experience. METHODS: This qualitative
      study included structured interviews and online surveys of key stakeholders: HTF
      members, surgeons, nurses, patients, hospital administrators, healthcare payers
      and medical suppliers. Questions included perceptions of recurrence and
      complication rates, their etiologies, perceived deficits in current hernia care
      and the most effective and training modalities. RESULTS: A total of 841
      participants included 665 surgeons, 66 patient care team members, 12 hospital
      administrators and 14 medical supply providers. Assessment of technical approach
      revealed that nearly 26 % of surgeons apply the same, limited range of techniques
      to all patients without evaluation of patient-specific factors. The majority (71
      %) of surgeon respondents related hernia recurrence rates nearing 25 % or more.
      HTF members implicated surgeon factors (deficits in knowledge/technique, etc.) as
      primary determinants of recurrences, whereas nurses, medical supply providers and
      hospital administrators implicated patient health factors. Surgeons preferred
      attending conferences (82 %), reading periodicals/publications (71 %), watching
      videos (59 %) and communicating with peers (57 %) for learning and skill
      improvement. Topics of the greatest interest were advanced techniques for hernia
      repairs (71 %), preoperative and intraoperative decision making (56 %) and
      patient outcomes (64 %). Eighty-six percent of nurses felt that there was room
      for improvement in hernia patient safety and teamwork in the OR. Only 24 %
      believed that the patients had adequate preoperative education. CONCLUSIONS:
      Major reported deficits in hernia care include: lack of standardization in
      training and care, "one size fits all" technical approach and inadequate patient
      follow-up/outcome measures. There is a need for a comprehensive, flexible and
      tailored educational program to equip surgeons and their teams to raise the
      quality of hernia care and bring greater value to their patients.

PMID- 26123330
TI  - Novel flower-type covered metal stent to prevent cholecystitis: experimental
      study in a pig model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Covered self-expandable metal stent (CSEMS) has the risk of
      obstruction of the cystic duct, and the main and branch pancreatic ducts due to
      strong radial force and covering material, which results in cholecystitis and
      pancreatitis. A flower-type covered self-expandable metal stent (F-CSEMS) having
      a five-petal-shaped design with side grooves was constructed to prevent the
      obstruction of the cystic duct orifice. This study investigated the value of the
      F-CSEMS in protection for cholecystitis in a pig model. METHODS: Fourteen pigs
      randomly underwent endoscopic placement of either F-CSEMS or conventional CSEMS
      (C-CSEMS). The stent was placed across the cystic duct orifice to impede bile
      drainage from the gallbladder. Drainage was checked at 24, 48, 120 and 168 h
      after implantation. Blood was collected at baseline, on days 2 and 7 following
      implantation. The animals were killed for histologic evaluation on day 7.
      RESULTS: All stents were successfully inserted into bile duct without any
      procedure-related complications. At 48 h, the rate of contrast drainage from the
      gallbladder was higher in the F-CSEMS group than the C-CSEMS group without
      significant difference (71.4 vs. 28.6% p = 0.28). C-CSEMS was associated with
      higher levels of C-reactive protein (35.2 vs. 20.5 ug/dl, p = 0.03) and
      histologic inflammatory scores of gallbladder (score 4 vs. 2; p = 0.03).
      CONCLUSION: The F-CSEMS appears safe and helpful to prevent cholecystitis without
      disturbance of bile flow in a pig model.

PMID- 26123331
TI  - Phase II clinical experience and long-term follow-up using the next-generation
      single-incision platform FMX314.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Single-incision minimally invasive surgery has previously been
      associated with incisions 2.0-3.0 cm in length. We present a novel single
      incision surgical platform compatible for insertion through a standard 15-mm
      trocar we previously described in six patients with short-term follow-up data.
      The objective of this phase II study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility
      of the platform in a larger collective and to evaluate 1-year follow-up data of
      the phase I trial. METHODS: The technology features a multiple-use introducer,
      accommodating the articulating instruments, and is inserted through a 15-mm
      laparoscopic trocar. Cholecystectomy is performed through an umbilical incision.
      A prospective feasibility study was performed at a single center. Inclusion
      criteria were age of 18-75 years and biliary colic, exclusion criteria were acute
      cholecystitis, dilation of the biliary tree, severe coagulopathy, BMI > 40
      kg/m(2), or choledocholithiasis. Endpoints included complications, length of
      stay, pain medication, cosmetic results, and the presence of hernia. RESULTS:
      Twenty-seven patients (23 females; phase I: 6 patients, phase II: 21 patients)
      with an average age of 41.7 years and BMI 26.6 kg/m(2) were recruited for the
      study. Umbilical incision length did not exceed 15 mm. There were no
      intraoperative complications. Average OR time decreased from 91 min for the first
      six cases to 56 min for the last six cases. Average length of stay was 7.8 h.
      Pain control was achieved with diclofenac for no more than 7 days. All patients
      had no adverse events at 5-month follow-up, and all phase I patients had no
      adverse events nor evidence of umbilical hernia at 1 year. CONCLUSION: This study
      demonstrates that single-incision cholecystectomy with the platform is feasible,
      safe, and reproducible in a larger patient population. Long-term follow-up showed
      no hernias or other adverse events. Further studies will be needed to evaluate
      longer-term hernia rates.

PMID- 26123332
TI  - Gastroesophageal reflux symptoms do not correlate with objective pH testing after
      peroral endoscopic myotomy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is an emerging treatment for
      esophageal achalasia. Postoperative reflux has been found in a significant number
      of patients, but it is unknown whether subjective reports of reflux correlate
      with objective pH testing. The purpose of this study was to compare the objective
      rate of reflux with standardized reflux symptom scales after POEM. Our hypothesis
      was that subjective symptoms would not correlate with objective measurement of
      reflux. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Data on all patients undergoing POEM were
      collected prospectively between August 2012 and June 2014 and included
      demographics, objective testing (48-h pH probe, manometry, endoscopy), as well as
      gastroesophageal reflux disease health-related quality of life (GERD-HRQL), GERD
      symptom scale (GERSS), and antacid use. RESULTS: Forty-three patients underwent
      POEM during the study period. The mean age was 53.5 +/- 17.4 years with a BMI of
      29.6 +/- 8.4 kg/m(2), and 27 (63%) were male. Forty-two patients (98%) completed
      at least 6 months of follow-up, and 26 (60%) underwent repeat pH measurement.
      Dysphagia scores improved from 4 (0-5) at baseline to 0 (0-3) (p < 0.001). On
      follow-up pH testing, 11 (42%) were normal and 15 (58%) had elevated DeMeester
      scores. Postoperative GERSS or GERD-HRQL scores did not correlate with DeMeester
      scores on Spearman's rank-order tests (r = 0.02, p = 0.93 and r = 0.04, p = 0.50,
      respectively). Postoperative PPI use was not significantly associated with normal
      or abnormal pH testing: 5 of 7 (71%) patients who were taking PPIs
      postoperatively had abnormal DeMeester scores compared to 9 of 18 (50%) of
      patients who were not taking PPIs (p = 0.332). CONCLUSIONS: Peroral endoscopic
      myotomy provides excellent dysphagia relief for patients with achalasia, but is
      associated with a high rate of reflux on pH testing postoperatively. Subjective
      symptoms are not a reliable indicator of postoperative reflux. Routine pH testing
      should be considered in all patients following POEM.

PMID- 26123333
TI  - Effectiveness of peroral direct cholangioscopy using an ultraslim endoscope for
      the treatment of hepatolithiasis in patients with hepaticojejunostomy (with
      video).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatolithiasis is a postoperative complication of
      hepaticojejunostomy (HJ) performed for various pancreatobiliary diseases.
      Hepatolithiasis can cause repeated cholangitis. Complete stone removal and bile
      stasis elimination are therefore necessary. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness
      of peroral direct cholangioscopy (PDCS) using an ultraslim endoscope for treating
      hepatolithiasis in HJ patients. METHODS: We studied 14 patients with
      hepatolithiasis who underwent bowel reconstruction with HJ between April 2012 and
      May 2014. Diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiography using
      a short double-balloon enteroscope (DBE) was initially performed. Following stone
      removal, the DBE was exchanged for an ultraslim endoscope through the balloon
      overtube for PDCS. RESULTS: The success rate of PDCS procedure was 85.7% (12/14).
      In 5 of 12 (41.7%) patients with successful PDCS, the residual stones were
      detected and removed completely using a 5-Fr basket catheter and suction after
      normal saline irrigation. In the remaining 7 (58.3%) patients, no residual stone
      was detected. The median procedure time was 14 min (range 8-36) with no serious
      postoperative complications. The median follow-up time after PDCS was 21 months
      (range 5-26), and only 1 patient (8.3%) had IHBD stone recurrence with an
      anastomotic stricture. CONCLUSIONS: PDCS using an ultraslim endoscope appears to
      be useful for detecting and removing residual stones following hepatolithiasis
      treatment using a DBE. The combined use of a DBE and PDCS may reduce the risk of
      hepatolithiasis recurrence in HJ patients.

PMID- 26123334
TI  - CT/MRI pelvimetry as a useful tool when selecting patients with rectal cancer for
      transanal total mesorectal excision.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The quality of a total mesorectal excision (TME) is one of the most
      important prognostic factors for local recurrence of rectal carcinoma. The aim of
      this study was to clarify the manner in which lesser pelvis dimensions affect the
      quality of TME via the transabdominal approach, while simultaneously defining the
      criteria for selecting patients most likely to have Grade 3 TME outcomes for a
      transanal approach using the TaTME technique. METHODS: An analysis from the
      registry was conducted using 93 of total 198 patients with rectal cancer of the
      mid- and lower third of the rectum who underwent: (1) a low anterior resection,
      (2) an ultra-low resection with coloanal anastomosis, or (3) an intersphincteric
      rectal resection, all with total mesorectal excision. The procedures were carried
      out at the Department of Surgery at the University Hospital Hradec Kralove
      between 2011 and 2014. Rectal specimens were histopathologically examined
      according to a standardized protocol. Pelvimetry data were obtained using
      anteroposterior, transverse, and sagittal CT or MRI scans. RESULTS: A correlation
      was found between the quality of the TME and pelvimetry parameter A5, i.e., the
      angle between the longitudinal axis of the symphysis, and the lines between the
      symphysis and the promontory (R(2) = -0.327, p < 0.001). The ordinal regression
      method was used to identify parameters of the model describing levels of
      probability for TME quality. These relationships were described by equations that
      provide probability of the achievement of each grade of TME. CONCLUSION: The
      correlation described by obtained equations between pelvimetry parameters and the
      quality of TME represents a new tool for use in preoperative decision-making with
      regard to resection via the transanal approach (TaTME).

PMID- 26123335
TI  - A simple sensor calibration technique for estimating the 3D pose of endoscopic
      instruments.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to describe a simple and easy-to-use
      calibration method that is able to estimate the pose (tip position and
      orientation) of a rigid endoscopic instrument with respect to an electromagnetic
      tracking device attached to the handle. METHODS: A two-step calibration protocol
      was developed. First, the orientation of the instrument shaft is derived by
      performing a 360 degrees  rotation of the instrument around its shaft using a
      firmly positioned surgical trocar. Second, the 3D position of the instrument tip
      is obtained by allowing the tip to come in contact with a planar surface.
      RESULTS: The results indicate submillimeter accuracy in the estimation of the
      tooltip position, and subdegree accuracy in the estimation of the shaft
      orientation, both with respect to a known reference frame. The assets of the
      proposed method are also highlighted by illustrating an indicative application in
      the field of augmented reality simulation. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method is
      simple, inexpensive, does not require employment of special calibration frames,
      and has potential applications not only in training systems but also in the
      operating room.

PMID- 26123336
TI  - Prior treatment does not influence the performance or early outcome of per-oral
      endoscopic myotomy for achalasia.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is an emerging treatment for
      achalasia. Pneumatic dilation, botulinum toxin injection, and previous myotomy
      increase the difficulty of subsequent Heller myotomy, but their impact on POEM
      remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare patients who had
      undergone prior treatment for their achalasia to those undergoing POEM as an
      initial therapy. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: All patients undergoing POEM were
      entered into a prospective database from August 2012 to October 2014. Data
      collected included demographics, dysphagia and symptom survey scores, operative
      time, clips required for mucosotomy closure, perioperative complications and
      length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Forty-five patients underwent POEM during the
      study period. Fifteen (30%) had undergone previous treatment (seven Botox
      injection, five pneumatic dilation and three Heller myotomy). Primary POEM
      patients were younger than those who had had prior treatment (mean age 46 +/- 17
      vs. 64 +/- 12 years, p < 0.001), but gender, body mass index and ASA class were
      not significantly different. There were no conversions to Heller myotomy or
      perioperative complications in either group. Operative time for primary POEM was
      103 +/- 27 versus 102 +/- 29 min following prior treatment (p = 0.84). Mucosotomy
      closure required a median 7 (4-16) and 8 (5-16) clips, respectively (p = 0.08).
      Length of stay was 1 day in each group. Median dysphagia scores decreased from 4
      (0-5) to 1 (0-4) following primary POEM and 4 (0-5) to 0 (0-4) in the prior
      treatment group (p = 0.45) during a median follow-up of 10 months (5-17 months).
      All patients in each group expressed satisfaction with their procedure and would
      undergo the procedure again given the benefit of hindsight. CONCLUSION: Per-oral
      endoscopic myotomy is a safe and effective treatment for achalasia which improves
      dysphagia and disease-specific quality of life. Previous endoscopic or
      laparoscopic treatment of achalasia does not affect the performance or early
      outcome of POEM.

PMID- 26123337
TI  - Laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer in the elderly patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the short-term surgical outcomes of
      laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer in elderly patients in order to
      determine the safety, feasibility, and risk factors for postoperative
      complications associated with this procedure. METHODS: We retrospectively
      investigated 208 patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric
      cancer between January 2007 and September 2014. After excluding 15 patients with
      unusual medical histories or surgical treatments, 193 were selected for this
      cohort study. We divided the patients into two cohorts: elderly patients (>=75
      years old) and non-elderly patients (<74 years old). We compared these cohorts
      with respect to clinicopathological characteristics and intraoperative and
      postoperative parameters. RESULTS: The overall complication rates were 11.4% (8
      of 70 patients) in the elderly cohort and 8.1% (10 of 123 patients) in the non
      elderly cohort (P = 0.449). In a univariate analysis, Charlson comorbidity index
      (CCI) of >=3, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 3, operative
      time of >=330 min, and intraoperative blood loss of >=50 ml were found to
      correlate significantly with postoperative complications. In a multivariate
      analysis, CCI of >=3 (P = 0.034), ASA score of 3 (P = 0.019), and intraoperative
      blood loss of >=50 ml (P = 0.016) were found to be independent risk factors of
      postoperative complications. In contrast, age was not found to significantly
      affect the risk of postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic
      gastrectomy for gastric cancer can be successfully performed in elderly patients
      with an acceptable complication rate. This study suggested that high CCI, ASA
      score, and intraoperative blood loss volume were identified as independent
      predictors of postoperative complications after laparoscopic gastrectomy for
      gastric cancer.

PMID- 26123338
TI  - Room air versus carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum: effects on oxidative state,
      apoptosis and histology of splanchnic organs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although CO2 is the insufflation gas of choice in laparoscopic
      procedures, room air is usually used in natural orifice transluminal endoscopic
      surgery. The aim of the present study was to compare the safety of room air
      versus CO2 pneumoperitoneum in terms of their effect on the oxidative state,
      apoptosis and tissue injury of splanchnic organs. METHODS: Eighteen Wistar rats
      were assigned to three groups (n = 6 per group) and were subjected to 8 mm Hg
      room air (group Pne-Air) or CO2 pneumoperitoneum (group Pne-CO2) or sham
      operation for 60 min. Forty-five minutes postdeflation, tissue samples were
      excised from the liver, stomach, ileum and kidneys for reduced glutathione-to
      glutathione disulfide (GSH/GSSG) ratio, caspase-8 and caspase-3 and hypoxia
      inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) immunohistochemical assessment and
      histopathologic examination. RESULTS: GSH/GSSG ratio substantially declined in
      both pneumoperitoneum groups. No change was noted in HIF-1alpha expression. Mild
      upregulation of caspase-8 and caspase-3 was noted in both pneumoperitoneum groups
      being less pronounced in group Pne-Air. Histopathologic score was increased in
      all organs studied, but the stomach, in both pneumoperitoneum groups. CONCLUSION:
      Pneumoperitoneum established by either room air or CO2 induced substantial
      oxidative stress, mild apoptosis and mild tissue injury in splanchnic organs.
      While air pneumoperitoneum conferred a less pronounced apoptotic effect, the
      oxidative state and histopathologic profile of splanchnic organs did not differ
      between insufflation gases.

PMID- 26123339
TI  - Early experience and lessons learned in a new minimally invasive esophagectomy
      program.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) is gaining increasing
      popularity in the treatment of esophageal cancer. In fact, while surgical and
      oncologic outcomes are not inferior to those achieved through a traditional open
      approach, patients undergoing MIE benefit from shorter length of stay, lesser
      pain and prompter recovery. This technique is, however, highly challenging, and
      the development of a MIE program, even in the setting of a tertiary center,
      requires time and progressive honing of surgical skills. METHODS: We use a
      minimally invasive Ivor Lewis approach. The abdominal phase of the procedure
      includes complete celiac lymphadenectomy and tubularization of the stomach, which
      will constitute the neo-esophagus. The video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery
      portion of the operation takes place in left lateral decubitus and allows for
      optimal thoracic lymphadenectomy and anastomosis. RESULTS: From October 2011 to
      January 2015, we treated 52 patients with the above-described procedure. The
      evolution of our anastomotic technique included a first group of circular stapled
      anastomosis with OrvilTM and 3.5-mm EEATM (n = 16 patients), subsequently
      abandoned in favor of a linear anastomosis (n = 12), before going back to the
      OrvilTM coupled with 4.8-mm EEATM (n = 22) in more recent times. There were also
      an additional two anastomoses that did not fall under any of these categories. We
      experienced two postoperative deaths. The overall leak rate was 14%, but fell
      down to 4% in the last group. Median LOS was 9 days. Lymph node retrieval was
      adequate throughout the whole series. CONCLUSIONS: Developing a MIE program
      requires a significant learning curve before the results plateau. Only once a
      technique of choice is refined and mastered, the advantages granted by MIE become
      apparent.

PMID- 26123340
TI  - Rapid growth in surgeons' use of secure messaging in a patient portal.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Use of secure messaging through patient portals has risen
      substantially in recent years due to provider incentives and consumer demand.
      Secure messaging may increase patient satisfaction and improve outcomes, but also
      adds to physician workload. Most prior studies of secure messaging focused on
      primary care and medical specialties. We examined surgeons' use of secure
      messaging and the contribution of messaging to outpatient interactions in a
      broadly deployed patient portal. METHODS: We determined the number of clinic
      visits and secure messages for surgical providers in the first 3 years (2008
      2010) after patient portal deployment at an academic medical center. We
      calculated the proportion of outpatient interaction conducted through messaging
      for each specialty. Logistic regression models compared the likelihood of message
      based versus clinic outpatient interaction across surgical specialties. RESULTS:
      Over the study period, surgical providers delivered care in 648,200 clinic visits
      and received 83,912 messages, with more than 200% growth in monthly message
      volume. Surgical specialties receiving the most messages were
      orthopedics/podiatry (25.1%), otolaryngology (20.1%), urology (10.8%), and
      general surgery (9.6%); vascular surgery (0.8%) and pediatric general surgery
      (0.2%) received the fewest. The proportion of outpatient interactions conducted
      through secure messaging increased significantly from 5.4% in 2008 to 15.3% in
      2010 (p < 0.001) with all specialties experiencing growth. Heart/lung
      transplantation (74.9%), liver/kidney/pancreas transplantation (69.5%), and
      general surgery (48.7%) had the highest proportion of message-based outpatient
      interaction by the end of the study. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates rapid
      adoption of online secure messaging across surgical specialties with significant
      growth in its use for outpatient interaction. Some specialties, particularly
      those with long-term follow-up, interacted with patients more through secure
      messaging than in person. As surgeons devote more time to secure messaging,
      additional research will be needed to understand the care delivered through
      online interactions and to develop models for reimbursement.

PMID- 26123341
TI  - Locoregional steroid injection prevents stricture formation after endoscopic
      submucosal dissection for esophageal cancer: a propensity score matching
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has become accepted
      for the treatment of superficial esophageal cancer, the incidence of stricture
      formation caused by ESD for widespread lesions is high and leads to a low quality
      of life. A few studies reported that locoregional steroid injections are useful
      for the prevention of such stricture formation compared with historical controls.
      We evaluated the efficacy of prophylactic locoregional steroid injections for
      stricture formation caused by ESD using quasi-randomized analysis. METHODS: This
      matched case-control study included 461 superficial esophageal cancers from 305
      patients who underwent ESD between 2006 and 2013. We used two methods of
      locoregional steroid injection to prevent stricture formation after ESD. A
      propensity score matching analysis was performed to reduce the effects of a
      selection bias for steroid injections and other potential confounding factors. In
      addition, generalized estimating equations were used to analyze repeated measures
      data. We compared the incidence of stricture formation with or without steroid
      injections. RESULTS: Forty-two lesions were treated with locoregional steroid
      injection (dexamethasone/triamcinolone, 23/19) after ESD and esophageal stricture
      formation occurred in 36 lesions. Fifty-six lesions treated with or without
      steroid injections were matched after propensity score matching. Locoregional
      steroid injection reduced the incidence of stricture formation to 10.7% (3/28) of
      patients compared with 35.7% (10/28) in the control group (odds ratio 4.63, 95%
      confidence interval 1.11-19.25, p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Locoregional steroid
      injections could be efficient for the prevention of stricture formation after ESD
      for superficial esophageal cancer.

PMID- 26123343
TI  - Do not rush for surgery; stent placement may be an effective step for definitive
      treatment of initially unextractable common bile duct stones with ERCP.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Endoscopically unextractable common bile duct stones may be
      challenging for the endoscopist. In this study, we investigated the rate of stone
      removal after the endoscopic insertion of a biliary stent in patients with common
      bile duct stones unextractable via ERCP. METHODS: Records of patients with common
      bile duct stone/s who underwent ERCP at single center were retrospectively
      analyzed. Only patients with common bile duct stone/s who had a stent placed due
      to unyielding stone removal were eligible for inclusion into this study.
      Endoscopic biliary stents were placed in cases of unextractable stone. After a
      follow-up period, a second ERCP procedure was performed. Major outcomes were the
      rate of stent insertion because of unextractable bile duct stones, the rate of
      spontaneous stone passage and the rate of stone extraction after the endoscopic
      insertion of a biliary stent. RESULTS: A total of 66 (28%) patients had a stent
      placed due to unyielding attempts for stone removal, and 43 patients were
      included in the study. The second ERCP procedure revealed that 10 patients (23%)
      had spontaneous stone passage and 5 (12%) had spontaneous passage of both the
      stone and the stent. In the second procedure, biliary balloon was used
      successfully to extract the retained stone in 22 (51%) patients. Thus, a total of
      37 patients (86%) with retained stones had a successful stone extraction during
      the second ERCP procedure. CONCLUSION: Biliary stenting may be an effective step
      for definitive treatment of initially unextractable common bile duct stones with
      ERCP.

PMID- 26123344
TI  - Laparoscopic versus open surgery for T4 colon cancer: evaluation of margin
      status.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic resection has been considered a relative
      contraindication for T4 colonic and rectal lesions due to concern over inadequate
      margins. The objective of this study was to compare planned laparoscopic and open
      resections of T4 lesions with respect to the positive margin rate. METHODS: Data
      were obtained from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality
      Improvement Program participant use file to perform a retrospective cohort
      analysis. The study population consisted of patients that underwent a colorectal
      resection for a primary T4 lesion during 2011 and 2012. A multiple logistic
      regression analysis was conducted to determine the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of
      positive margins based on surgical approach. An inverse probability of treatment
      weighting (IPTW) analysis was used to account for confounding by indication. A
      sensitivity analysis including only "as-treated" cases was also performed.
      RESULTS: The sub-selected population consisted of 455 and 406 patients in the
      laparoscopic and open group, respectively. In the original cohort, demographic
      variables were similar. The open group had a higher incidence of comorbidities,
      metastatic disease, and emergency cases. Laparoscopic surgery was found to be no
      different than open surgery with respect to positive margin status (OR 1.10, p =
      0.54). After IPTW adjustment, surgical approach remained a nonsignificant
      predictor of positive margins (OR 1.18, p = 0.31). The "as-treated" analysis also
      showed that surgical approach had no significant effect on the positive margin
      rate (OR 1.24, p = 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: Using this large national surgical
      database, select patients with T4 lesions who underwent planned laparoscopic
      colorectal resections did not have a significantly higher positive margin rate
      compared with patients with open operations. Further research is needed to
      identify the role of laparoscopy in managing T4b lesions before any consensus can
      be reached regarding its application in locally advanced colon cancer.

PMID- 26123342
TI  - Thoracic sympathectomy: a review of current indications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thoracic sympathetic ablation was introduced over a century ago.
      While some of the early indications have become obsolete, new ones have emerged.
      Sympathetic ablation is being still performed for some odd indications thus
      prompting the present study, which reviews the evidence base for current
      practice. METHODS: The literature was reviewed using the PubMed/Medline Database,
      and pertinent articles regarding the indications for thoracic sympathectomy were
      retrieved and evaluated. Old, historical articles were also reviewed as required.
      RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Currently, thoracic sympathetic ablation is indicated
      mainly for primary hyperhidrosis, especially affecting the palm, and to a lesser
      degree, axilla and face, and for facial blushing. Despite modern pharmaceutical,
      endovascular and surgical treatments, sympathetic ablation has still a place in
      the treatment of very selected cases of angina, arrhythmias and cardiomyopathy.
      Thoracic sympathetic ablation is indicated in several painful conditions: the
      early stages of complex regional pain syndrome, erythromelalgia, and some
      pancreatic and other painful abdominal pathologies. Although ischaemia was
      historically the major indication for sympathetic ablation, its use has declined
      to a few selected cases of thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger's disease),
      microemboli, primary Raynaud's phenomenon and Raynaud's phenomenon secondary to
      collagen diseases, paraneoplastic syndrome, frostbite and vibration syndrome.
      Thoracic sympathetic ablation for hypertension is obsolete, and direct
      endovascular renal sympathectomy still requires adequate clinical trials. There
      are rare publications of sympathetic ablation for primary phobias, but there is
      no scientific basis to support sympathetic surgery for any psychiatric
      indication.

PMID- 26123345
TI  - International expert consensus on endpoints for full-thickness laparoendoscopic
      colonic excision.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Full-thickness laparoendoscopic excision has been reported for
      complex endoscopically unresectable colonic polyps. However, the endpoints used
      in these studies vary significantly and therefore making definitive conclusions
      regarding the novel procedure would be improved if a common data set were
      adopted. This study sought to define most appropriate endpoints that should be
      measured and reported for research on full-thickness laparoendoscopic excision of
      colonic polyps. METHODS: A Web-based Delphi Questionnaire was developed using a
      systematic literature review of reported endpoints. Outcomes were grouped into
      general, complication, technical and histopathology endpoints. International
      specialists in laparoscopic surgery, endoscopy and transanal endoscopic
      microsurgery were invited to participate. The questionnaire required
      prioritization of outcomes on a 5-point Likert scale. Respondents were then sent
      a second questionnaire containing feedback on scores from round 1 and asked to re
      prioritize outcomes based on the feedback received to identify a final core
      outcome set. RESULTS: A total of 33 (75% response rate) participants from 11
      countries completed the round 1 Delphi of 28 proposed endpoints, and all
      completed the second round. Eight endpoints were rated the most important to
      stakeholders within the four domains--reoperation (general); anastomotic leak,
      mortality (complications); secure closure of the excision site, macroscopic
      completeness of excision (technical); presence of cancer, clearance of resected
      margins and en bloc specimen production (histopathology). CONCLUSIONS: This study
      has developed a provisional consensus on a minimum number of feasible and
      clinically meaningful outcome measures to use in studies of full-thickness
      laparoendoscopic excision of colonic polyps. Widespread adoption will allow
      better reporting of the technique and more efficient development in clinical
      practice.

PMID- 26123346
TI  - The short-term and oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic versus open surgery for T4
      colon cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare R0 resection rates and short-term and oncologic outcomes
      between laparoscopy and open surgery for T4 colon cancer. METHODS: Patients with
      non-metastatic T4 colon cancer (n = 117) underwent treatment either through
      laparoscopy (n = 51) or open surgery (n = 66). Conversion to open surgery
      occurred in seven cases (13.7%). RESULTS: History of abdominal surgery (2.0 vs.
      12.1%) and emergency operation (2.1 vs. 24.2%) were less frequent in the
      laparoscopy group. Conversion to open surgery occurred in seven cases (13.7%).
      Resection of adjacent organs was less frequently performed in the laparoscopy
      group (27.5 vs. 53.0%, p = .005). The mean operative time (189 vs. 210 min) and
      rate of 30-day postoperative complications (12 vs. 24%) were similar between the
      two groups. Shorter time to soft diet (7 vs. 9 days, p = .018) and hospital stay
      (14 vs. 18 days, p = .044) were observed in the laparoscopy group. T4b tumor was
      also less frequent in the laparoscopy group (3.9 vs. 18.2%, p = .018), while R0
      resection rates were similar between the laparoscopy (96.1%) and open surgery
      group (95.5%). The mean number of lymph nodes was 22 in the laparoscopy group and
      27 in the open surgery group (p = .021). No differences in 3-year overall
      survival rate (82.5 vs. 75.7%), recurrence-free survival rate (61.9 vs. 63.5%),
      and local recurrence-free survival rate (89.8 vs. 88.5%) were observed between
      the groups. Operation time, blood loss, 30-day complication rate, time to diet,
      duration of hospital stay, R0 resection rate, 3-year overall and local recurrence
      free survival rates showed no difference between the converted and open surgery
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that laparoscopy is a surgically safe
      and oncologically acceptable approach and thus could be considered for well
      selected patients with T4 colon cancer in order to allow faster short-term
      recovery.

PMID- 26123347
TI  - New alpha-pyrone and phthalide from the Xylariaceae fungus.
AB  - A new alpha-pyrone xylaripyrone A (1) and a new phthalide xylariphthalide A (2)
      were isolated from the Xylariaceae fungus (no. 63-19-7-3), along with four
      related known phthalides (3-6): 4-[(acetyloxy)methyl]-7-methoxy-6-methyl-1(3H)
      isobenzofuranone (3), convolvulol (4), 7-methoxy-4,6-dimethyl-3H-isobenzofuran-1
      one (5), and convolvulanic acid B (6). Their structures were determined on the
      basis of IR, MS, and NMR spectroscopic analyses. 

PMID- 26123348
TI  - Rapid identification of polystyrene foam wastes containing hexabromocyclododecane
      or its alternative polymeric brominated flame retardant by X-ray fluorescence
      spectroscopy.
AB  - The brominated flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) was added to Annex
      A of the list of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) of the Stockholm
      Convention. Thus, production and use of HBCDD will be banned, and the recycling
      of HBCDD-containing foam waste will be restricted. In reaction a special
      polymeric brominated flame retardant (PolyFR) was developed to replace HBCDD in
      expanded and extruded polystyrene foams for building and construction
      applications. A decision has to be made at some future time whether expanded and
      extruded polystyrene foam waste is to be subjected to incineration (with HBCDD)
      or to recycling (without HBCDD). Therefore, an appropriate and rapid field method
      is required to distinguish between foams containing HBCDD and foams free from
      HBCDD. Here we present a screening method for identifying HBCDD containing
      expanded and extruded polystyrene foams. The test principle is based on the fact
      that PolyFR (a brominated polymeric macromolecule) is not extractable whereas
      HBCDD (a low molecular weight substance) is extractable. Following rapid
      extraction of HBCDD the brominated flame retardant is identified and quantified
      via bromine analysis using a handheld X-ray fluorescence instrument. The method
      was applied successfully to 27 expanded and extruded polystyrene foam samples
      (foams and extruded polystyrene foam raw materials), which were provided without
      any information about the applied flame retardant. The presence of HBCDD was
      confirmed for all HBCDD-positive samples in the test. A robustness test revealed
      a high degree of correctness and a high repeatability for the test system:
      samples containing HBCDD and HBCDD-free samples were identified correctly with
      relative standard deviations of quantitative results below 14%. Moreover, X-ray
      fluorescence spectroscopy test results agree well with HBCDD determinations
      performed in a laboratory with a gas chromatograph coupled to a flame ionisation
      detector.

PMID- 26123349
TI  - Evaluation and selection of decision-making methods to assess landfill mining
      projects.
AB  - For the first time in Austria, fundamental technological and economic studies on
      recovering secondary raw materials from large landfills have been carried out,
      based on the 'LAMIS - Landfill Mining Austria' pilot project. A main focus of the
      research - and the subject of this article - was to develop an assessment or
      decision-making procedure that allows landfill owners to thoroughly examine the
      feasibility of a landfill mining project in advance. Currently there are no
      standard procedures that would sufficiently cover all the multiple-criteria
      requirements. The basic structure of the multiple attribute decision making
      process was used to narrow down on selection, conceptual design and assessment of
      suitable procedures. Along with a breakdown into preliminary and main assessment,
      the entire foundation required was created, such as definitions of requirements
      to an assessment method, selection and accurate description of the various
      assessment criteria and classification of the target system for the present
      'landfill mining' vs. 'retaining the landfill in after-care' decision-making
      problem. Based on these studies, cost-utility analysis and the analytical
      hierarchy process were selected from the range of multiple attribute decision
      making procedures and examined in detail. Overall, both methods have their pros
      and cons with regard to their use for assessing landfill mining projects. Merging
      these methods or connecting them with single-criteria decision-making methods
      (like the net present value method) may turn out to be reasonable and constitute
      an appropriate assessment method. 

PMID- 26123350
TI  - [Response to the letter by Montani D. et al. regarding their comments on the
      article "Anti-synthetase syndrome with pulmonary hypertension: 4 original
      observations" by Lecomte R. et al].

PMID- 26123351
TI  - Geriatric assessment findings independently associated with clinical depression
      in 1092 older patients with cancer: the ELCAPA Cohort Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aim to assess the prevalence and associated factors of clinical
      depression in older patients with cancer. METHODS: We studied a prospective
      cohort of cancer patients aged >= 70 years and referred to geriatric oncology
      clinics between 2007 and 2012. A multidimensional geriatric assessment was
      performed before choosing the cancer-treatment strategy. Clinical depression was
      diagnosed by senior geriatricians by a semi-structured interview. It encompassed
      criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth
      edition) and of the International Classification of Diseases (10th edition).
      Multivariate logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: Of 1121 consecutive
      patients, 1092 had available data (mean age, 80.4 years; women, 48.8%;
      metastases, 51.3%; cancer location: colorectal 21.1%, breast 16.8%, kidney,
      bladder or urinary tract 14.0%, and prostate 11.4%). The overall prevalence of
      clinical depression was 28.4% (95% confidence interval, 25.7-31.2). Factors
      independently associated with clinical depression by multivariate analysis
      adjusting for all following factors plus gender, and metastasis were impaired
      mobility (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.35; 1.59-3.46), impaired functional status
      defined as Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status >= 2 (aOR, 2.39;
      1.66-3.43) or as activities of daily living < 6 (aOR, 2.43; 1.73-3.41), inpatient
      status (aOR, 1.68; 1.20-2.37), inadequate social support (aOR, 1.66; 1.16-2.37),
      cognitive impairment (aOR, 1.76; 1.24-2.49), polypharmacy defined as five or more
      non-antidepressant drugs (aOR, 1.65; 1.14-2.38), multimorbidity (aOR additional
      CIRS-G point , 1.08; 1.04-1.12), and cancer-related pain (aOR, 1.76; 1.26-2.46).
      CONCLUSION: In older patients with as-yet untreated cancer at various sites and
      stages, clinical depression was highly prevalent. Clinical depression was
      independently associated with several geriatric assessment findings (impaired
      mobility and function, inadequate social support, cognitive impairment,
      polypharmacy, and multimorbidity) independently from gender, tumor site, and
      metastatic status.

PMID- 26123352
TI  - Imaging of Cell-Cell Communication in a Vertical Orientation Reveals High
      Resolution Structure of Immunological Synapse and Novel PD-1 Dynamics.
AB  - The immunological synapse (IS) is one of the most pivotal communication
      strategies in immune cells. Understanding the molecular basis of the IS provides
      critical information regarding how immune cells mount an effective immune
      response. Fluorescence microscopy provides a fundamental tool to study the IS.
      However, current imaging techniques for studying the IS cannot sufficiently
      achieve high resolution in real cell-cell conjugates. In this study, we present a
      new device that allows for high-resolution imaging of the IS with conventional
      confocal microscopy in a high-throughput manner. Combining micropits and single
      cell trap arrays, we have developed a new microfluidic platform that allows
      visualization of the IS in vertically "stacked" cells. Using this vertical cell
      pairing (VCP) system, we investigated the dynamics of the inhibitory synapse
      mediated by an inhibitory receptor, programed death protein-1, and the cytotoxic
      synapse at the single-cell level. In addition to the technique innovation, we
      have demonstrated novel biological findings by this VCP device, including novel
      distribution of F-actin and cytolytic granules at the IS, programed death protein
      1 microclusters at the NK IS, and kinetics of cytotoxicity. We propose that this
      high-throughput, cost-effective, easy-to-use VCP system, along with conventional
      imaging techniques, can be used to address a number of significant biological
      questions in a variety of disciplines. 

PMID- 26123353
TI  - Adaptive Immune-like gamma/delta T Lymphocytes Share Many Common Features with
      Their alpha/beta T Cell Counterparts.
AB  - To better apprehend gamma/delta T cell biological functions in the periphery, it
      appears crucial to identify markers highlighting the existence of distinct
      phenotypic and functional gamma/delta T cell subsets. Interestingly, the
      expression of CD44 and Ly-6C subdivides murine peripheral gamma/delta T cells
      into several subsets, with Ly-6C(-) CD44(hi) gamma/delta T cells corresponding to
      the IL-17-producing CD27(-) gamma/delta T cell subset exhibiting innate-like
      features. By comparing the other subsets to naive and memory CD8(+) alpha/beta T
      cells, in this study, we show that Ly-6C(- or +) CD44(lo) and Ly-6C(+)CD44(hi)
      gamma/delta T cells greatly resemble, and behave like, their CD8(+) alpha/beta T
      cell counterparts. First, like memory CD8(+) alpha/beta T cells, Ly-6C(+)CD44(hi)
      gamma/delta T cells are sparse in the thymus but largely increased in proportion
      in tissues. Second, similarly to naive CD8 alpha/beta T cells, CD44(lo)
      gamma/delta T cells are poorly cycling in vivo in the steady state, and their
      proportion declines with age in secondary lymphoid organs. Third, CD44(lo)
      gamma/delta T cells undergo spontaneous proliferation and convert to a memory
      like Ly-6C(+)CD44(hi) phenotype in response to lymphopenia. Finally, CD44(lo)
      gamma/delta T cells have an intrinsic high plasticity as, upon appropriate
      stimulation, they are capable of differentiating nonetheless into Th17-like and
      Th1-like cells but also into fully functional Foxp3(+) induced regulatory T cell
      like gamma/delta T cells. Thus, peripheral CD27(+) gamma/delta T cells, commonly
      considered as a functionally related T cell compartment, actually share many
      common features with adaptive alpha/beta T cells, as both lineages include naive
      like and memory-like lymphocytes with distinct phenotypic, functional, and
      homeostatic characteristics. 

PMID- 26123354
TI  - Human Anti-CD40 Antibody and Poly IC:LC Adjuvant Combination Induces Potent T
      Cell Responses in the Lung of Nonhuman Primates.
AB  - Nonlive vaccine platforms that induce potent cellular immune responses in mucosal
      tissue would have broad application for vaccines against infectious diseases and
      tumors. Induction of cellular immunity could be optimized by targeted activation
      of multiple innate and costimulatory signaling pathways, such as CD40 or TLRs. In
      this study, we evaluated immune activation and elicitation of T cell responses in
      nonhuman primates after immunization with peptide Ags adjuvanted with an
      agonistic anti-CD40Ab, with or without the TLR3 ligand poly IC:LC. We found that
      i.v. administration of the anti-CD40Ab induced rapid and transient innate
      activation characterized by IL-12 production and upregulated costimulatory and
      lymph node homing molecules on dendritic cells. Using fluorescently labeled Abs
      for in vivo tracking, we found that the anti-CD40Ab bound to all leukocytes,
      except T cells, and disseminated to multiple organs. CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell
      responses were significantly enhanced when the anti-CD40Ab was coadministered
      with poly IC:LC compared with either adjuvant given alone and were almost
      exclusively compartmentalized to the lung. Notably, Ag-specific T cells in the
      bronchoalveolar lavage were sustained at ~5-10%. These data indicate that
      systemic administration of anti-CD40Ab may be particularly advantageous for
      vaccines and/or therapies that require T cell immunity in the lung. 

PMID- 26123355
TI  - Opposing Roles of Dectin-1 Expressed on Human Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells and
      Myeloid Dendritic Cells in Th2 Polarization.
AB  - Dendritic cells (DCs) can induce and control host immune responses. DC subset
      dependent functional specialties and their ability to display functional
      plasticity, which is mainly driven by signals via pattern recognition receptors,
      identify DCs as immune orchestrators. A pattern recognition receptor, Dectin-1,
      is expressed on myeloid DCs and known to play important roles in Th17 induction
      and activation during fungal and certain bacterial infections. In this study, we
      first demonstrate that human plasmacytoid DCs express Dectin-1 in both mRNA and
      protein levels. More interestingly, Dectin-1-activated plasmacytoid DCs promote
      Th2-type T cell responses, whereas Dectin-1-activated myeloid DCs decrease Th2
      type T cell responses. Such contrasting outcomes of Th2-type T cell responses by
      the two DC subsets are mainly due to their distinct abilities to control surface
      OX40L expression in response to beta-glucan. This study provides new insights for
      the regulation of host immune responses by Dectin-1 expressed on DCs. 

PMID- 26123356
TI  - Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Transplantation in Myocardial
      Ischemia (HUC-HEART Trial). A Study Protocol of a Phase 1/2, Controlled and
      Randomized Trial in Combination with Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which may be obtained from the bone marrow, have
      been studied for more than a decade in the setting of coronary artery disease
      (CAD). Adipose tissue-derived MSCs have recently come into focus and are being
      tested in a series of clinical trials. MSC-like cells have also been derived from
      a variety of sources, including umbilical cord stroma, or HUC-MSCs. The HUC-HEART
      trail (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02323477) is a phase 1/2, controlled,
      multicenter, randomized clinical study of the intramyocardial delivery of
      allogeneic HUC-MSCs in patients with chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy. A total of
      79 patients (ages 30-80) with left ventricle ejection fractions ranging between
      25 and 45% will be randomized in a 2:1:1 pattern in order to receive an
      intramyocardial injection of either HUC-MSCs or autologous bone marrow-derived
      mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs) in combination with coronary arterial bypass grafting
      (CABG) surgery. The control group of patients will receive no cells and undergo
      CABG alone. Human HUC-MSCs will be isolated, propagated and banked in accordance
      with a cGMP protocol, whereas the autologous BM-MNCs will be isolated via
      aspiration from the iliac crest and subsequently process in a closed-circuit cell
      purification system shortly before cell transplantation. The cell injections will
      be implemented in 10 peri-infarct areas. Baseline and post-transplantation
      outcome measures will be primarily utilized to test both the safety and the
      efficacy of the administered cells for up to 12 months.

PMID- 26123359
TI  - Clinical Presentation of Native Mitral Valve Infective Endocarditis Determines
      Long-Term Outcome after Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Surgery is performed in up to half of all cases of active
      infective endocarditis (IE) but the associated mortality remains high. The aim
      was to examine the effect of the preoperative clinical presentation on long-term
      survival of patients undergoing surgery for isolated native mitral valve
      infective endocarditis. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 100
      patients who had undergone mitral valve surgery from 1998 to 2014 for ongoing
      isolated, native valve IE. Patients were stratified depending on preoperative
      symptoms: clinical stroke due to septic cerebral embolism, congestive heart
      failure, and uncontrolled bacteremia. Group A had none of the clinical symptoms,
      Group B had one of the above clinical symptoms, and Group C had >=2 symptoms.
      Follow-up was 100% complete for survival (median 3.8 years, IQR 0.8-7.7). Event
      rates were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox-regression was
      performed. RESULTS: Overall 30-day mortality was 5% (n = 5); 0% in Group A; 8% in
      Group B (n = 4); and 8% in Group C (n = 1), p = 0.24. Five-year survival was 87.0
      +/- 6.1% in Group A, 62.6 +/- 7.1% in Group B, and 33.8 +/- 15.2% in Group C.
      Grouping by clinical presentation was found to be an independent predictor of
      mortality (Group B, HR 2.37, 95% CI 1.02-5.50; Group C, HR 4.07, 95% CI 1.56
      10.6). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term survival after surgery for native mitral valve IE
      was independently influenced by the presence of preoperative embolic stroke,
      congestive heart failure or uncontrolled bacteremia alone, or in combination.

PMID- 26123357
TI  - Stem Cells for Temporomandibular Joint Repair and Regeneration.
AB  - Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) represent a heterogeneous group of
      musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions involving the temporomandibular
      joint (TMJ), masticatory muscles and/or associated structures. They are a major
      cause of non-dental orofacial pain. As a group, they are often multi-factorial in
      nature and have no common etiology or biological explanations. TMD can be broadly
      divided into masticatory muscle and TMJ disorders. TMJ disorders are
      characterized by intra-articular positional and/or structural abnormalities. The
      most common type of TMJ disorders involves displacement of the TMJ articular disc
      that precedes progressive degenerative changes of the joint leading to
      osteoarthritis (OA). In the past decade, progress made in the development of stem
      cell-based therapies and tissue engineering have provided alternative methods to
      attenuate the disease symptoms and even replace the diseased tissue in the
      treatment of TMJ disorders. Resident mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been
      isolated from the synovia of TMJ, suggesting an important role in the repair and
      regeneration of TMJ. The seminal discovery of pluripotent stem cells including
      embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have
      provided promising cell sources for drug discovery, transplantation as well as
      for tissue engineering of TMJ condylar cartilage and disc. This review discusses
      the most recent advances in development of stem cell-based treatments for TMJ
      disorders through innovative approaches of cell-based therapeutics, tissue
      engineering and drug discovery. 

PMID- 26123358
TI  - Practical Issues with the Use of Stem Cells for Cancer Gene Therapy.
AB  - Stem cell-based drug delivery for cancer therapy has steadily gained momentum in
      the past decade as several studies have reported stem cells' inherent tropism
      towards tumors. Since this science is still in its early stages and there are
      many factors that could significantly impact tumor tropism of stem cells, some
      contradictory results have been observed. This review starts by examining a
      number of proof-of-concept studies that demonstrate the potential application of
      stem cells in cancer therapy. Studies that illustrate stem cells' tumor tropism
      and discuss the technical difficulties that could impact the therapeutic outcome
      are also highlighted. The discussion also emphasizes stem cell imaging/tracking,
      as it plays a crucial role in performing reliable dose-response studies and
      evaluating the therapeutic outcome of treatment protocols. In each section, the
      pros and cons associated with each method are highlighted, limitations are
      underlined, and potential solutions are discussed. The overall intention is to
      familiarize the reader with important practical issues related to stem cell
      cancer tropism and in vivo tracking, underline the shortcomings, and emphasize
      critical factors that need to be considered for effective translation of this
      science into the clinic. 

PMID- 26123362
TI  - Heparin in malignant glioma: review of preclinical studies and clinical results.
AB  - Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor that is
      invariably lethal. Novel treatments are desperately needed. In various cancers,
      heparin and its low molecular weight derivatives (LMWHs), commonly used for the
      prevention and treatment of thrombosis, have shown therapeutic potential. Here we
      systematically review preclinical and clinical studies of heparin and LMWHs as
      anti-tumor agents in GBM. Even though the number of studies is limited, there is
      suggestive evidence that heparin may have various effects on GBM. These effects
      include the inhibition of tumor growth and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo, and
      the blocking of uptake of extracellular vesicles. However, heparin can also block
      the uptake of (potential) anti-tumor agents. Clinical studies suggest a non
      significant trend of prolonged survival of LMWH treated GBM patients, with some
      evidence of increased major bleedings. Heparin mimetics lacking anticoagulant
      effect are therefore a potential alternative to heparin/LMWH and are discussed as
      well. 

PMID- 26123363
TI  - The role of regulatory T cells and microglia in glioblastoma-associated
      immunosuppression.
AB  - Cell-mediated suppression of anti-tumor immunity is multifactorial in patients
      with cancer, and recent studies have focused on several distinct cellular agents
      that are associated with this phenomenon. This review will focus on the potential
      role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and microglia in the suppression of cellular
      immunity observed in patients with glioblastoma. We discuss the ontogeny, basic
      biology, evidence for activity, and potential clinical options for targeting
      Tregs and microglia as part of immunotherapy in affected patients. 

PMID- 26123364
TI  - Long noncoding RNA expression profiles in gut tissues constitute molecular
      signatures that reflect the types of microbes.
AB  - The gut microbiota is commonly referred to as a hidden organ due to its pivotal
      effects on host physiology, metabolism, nutrition and immunity. The gut microbes
      may be shaped by environmental and host genetic factors, and previous studies
      have focused on the roles of protein-coding genes. Here we show a link between
      long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression and gut microbes. By repurposing exon
      microarrays and comparing the lncRNA expression profiles between germ-free,
      conventional and different gnotobiotic mice, we revealed subgroups of lncRNAs
      that were specifically enriched in each condition. A nearest shrunken centroid
      methodology was applied to obtain lncRNA-based signatures to identify mice in
      different conditions. The lncRNA-based prediction model successfully identified
      different gnotobiotic mice from conventional and germ-free mice, and also
      discriminated mice harboring transplanted microbes from fecal samples of mice or
      zebra fishes. To achieve optimal prediction accuracy, fewer lncRNAs were required
      in the prediction model than protein-coding genes. Taken together, our study
      demonstrated the effecacy of lncRNA expression profiles in discriminating the
      types of microbes in the gut. These results also provide a resource of gut
      microbe-associated lncRNAs for the development of lncRNA biomarkers and the
      identification of functional lncRNAs in host-microbes interactions. 

PMID- 26123365
TI  - New therapeutic approaches in myelodysplastic syndromes: Hypomethylating agents
      and lenalidomide.
AB  - Recent advances in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes have come from the
      use of the hypomethylating agents decitabine and azacitidine as well as the
      immunomodulatory drug lenalidomide. Their clinical benefit has been demonstrated
      by randomized phase III clinical trials, mostly in high-risk and del(5q)
      myelodysplastic syndromes, respectively. Neither drug, however, appears to
      eradicate myelodysplastic stem cells, and thus they currently do not represent
      curative options. Here, we review data from both clinical and translational
      research on those drugs to identify their molecular and cellular mechanisms of
      action and to delineate paths for improved treatment allocation and further
      therapeutic advances in myelodysplastic syndromes. 

PMID- 26123366
TI  - Novel biological insights in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
AB  - T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive type of blood cancer
      that accounts for about 15% of pediatric and 25% of adult acute lymphoblastic
      leukemia (ALL) cases. It is considered as a paradigm for the multistep nature of
      cancer initiation and progression. Genetic and epigenetic reprogramming events,
      which transform T-cell precursors into malignant T-ALL lymphoblasts, have been
      extensively characterized over the past decade. Despite our comprehensive
      understanding of the genomic landscape of human T-ALL, leukemia patients are
      still treated by high-dose multiagent chemotherapy, potentially followed by
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Even with such aggressive treatment
      regimens, which are often associated with considerable acute and long-term side
      effects, about 15% of pediatric and 40% of adult T-ALL patients still relapse,
      owing to acquired therapy resistance, and present with very dismal survival
      perspectives. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms by which residual T-ALL
      tumor cells survive chemotherapy and act as a reservoir for leukemic progression
      and hematologic relapse remain poorly understood. Nevertheless, it is expected
      that enhanced molecular understanding of T-ALL disease biology will ultimately
      facilitate a targeted therapy driven approach that can reduce chemotherapy
      associated toxicities and improve survival of refractory T-ALL patients through
      personalized salvage therapy. In this review, we summarize recent biological
      insights into the molecular pathogenesis of T-ALL and speculate how the genetic
      landscape of T-ALL could trigger the development of novel therapeutic strategies
      for the treatment of human T-ALL. 

PMID- 26123367
TI  - SYRA3 COST Action--Microbeam radiation therapy: Roots and prospects.
AB  - Microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) is an irradiation modality for therapeutic
      purposes which uses arrays of collimated quasi parallel microbeams, each up to
      100 MUm wide, to deliver high radiation doses. Several studies have reported the
      extraordinary tolerance of normal tissues to MRT irradiation; conversely, MRT has
      been shown to be highly efficient on tumor growth control. The original and most
      widely developed application of MRT, yet in the preclinical phase, consists in
      using spatially fractionated X-ray beams issued from a synchrotron radiation
      source in the treatment of brain tumors. More recently, MRT has been tested in
      successful pioneering assays to reduce or interrupt seizures in preclinical
      models of epilepsy. The MRT concept has also been extended to proton therapy. The
      development of MRT towards its clinical implementation is presently driven by an
      EU-supported consortium of laboratories from 16 countries within the COST Action
      TD1205 (SYRA3). The results of the first SYRA3 workshop on "Radiation Therapy
      with Synchrotron Radiation: Achievements and Challenges" held in Krakow (Poland)
      during March 25-26 2014 are summarized in this issue with an overview presented
      in this paper. The papers reflect the multidisciplinary international activities
      of SYRA3. The topics covered in this focus issue include medical physics aspects,
      pre-clinical studies, clinical applications, and an industrial perspective;
      finally an outlook towards future prospects of compact sources and proton
      microbeams.

PMID- 26123368
TI  - Location of radiosensitive organs inside pediatric anthropomorphic phantoms: Data
      required for dosimetry.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the location of radiosensitive
      organs in the interior of four pediatric anthropomorphic phantoms for dosimetric
      purposes. METHODS: Four pediatric anthropomorphic phantoms representing the
      average individual as newborn, 1-year-old, 5-year-old and 10-year-old child
      underwent head, thorax and abdomen CT scans. CT and MRI scans of all children
      aged 0-16 years performed during a 5-year-period in our hospital were reviewed,
      and 503 were found to be eligible for normal anatomy. Anterior-posterior and
      lateral dimensions of twelve of the above children closely matched that of the
      phantoms' head, thoracic and abdominal region in each four phantoms. The mid
      sagittal and mid-coronal planes were drawn on selected matching axial images of
      patients and phantoms. Multiple points outlining large radiosensitive organs in
      patient images were identified at each slice level and their orthogonal distances
      from the mid-sagittal and mid-coronal planes were measured. In small organs, the
      coordinates of organs' centers were similarly determined. The outlines and
      centers of all radiosensitive organs were reproduced using the coordinates of
      each organ on corresponding phantoms' transverse images. RESULTS: The locations
      of the following radiosensitive organs in the interior of the four phantoms was
      determined: brain, eye lenses, salivary glands, thyroid, lungs, heart, thymus,
      esophagus, breasts, adrenals, liver, spleen, kidneys, stomach, gallbladder, small
      bowel, pancreas, colon, ovaries, bladder, prostate, uterus and rectum.
      CONCLUSIONS: The production of charts of radiosensitive organs inside pediatric
      anthropomorphic phantoms was feasible and may provide users reliable data for
      positioning of dosimeters during direct organ dose measurements.

PMID- 26123369
TI  - Assessment and treatment of short-term and working memory impairments in stroke
      aphasia: a practical tutorial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aphasia following stroke refers to impairments that affect the
      comprehension and expression of spoken and/or written language, and co-occurring
      cognitive deficits are common. In this paper we focus on short-term and working
      memory impairments that impact on the ability to retain and manipulate auditory
      verbal information. Evidence from diverse paradigms (large group studies, case
      studies) report close links between short-term/working memory and language
      functioning in aphasia. This evidence leads to the hypothesis that treating such
      memory impairments would improve language functioning. This link has only
      recently been acknowledged in aphasia treatment but has not been embraced widely
      by clinicians. AIMS: To examine the association between language, and short-term
      and working memory impairments in aphasia. To describe practical ways of
      assessing short-term and working memory functioning that could be used in
      clinical practice. To discuss and critically appraise treatments of short-term
      and working memory reported in the literature. METHODS & PROCEDURES: Taking a
      translational research approach, this paper provides clinicians with current
      evidence from the literature and practical information on how to assess and treat
      short-term and working memory impairments in people with aphasia. Published
      treatments of short-term and/or working memory in post-stroke aphasia are
      discussed through a narrative review. MAIN CONTRIBUTIONS: This paper provides the
      following. A theoretical rationale for adopting short-term and working memory
      treatments in aphasia. It highlights issues in differentially diagnosing between
      short-term, working memory disorders and other concomitant impairments, e.g.
      apraxia of speech. It describes short-term and working memory assessments with
      practical considerations for use with people with aphasia. It also offers a
      description of published treatments in terms of participants, treatments and
      outcomes. Finally, it critically appraises the current evidence base relating to
      the treatment of short-term and working memory treatments. CONCLUSIONS: The links
      between short-term/working memory functioning and language in aphasia are
      generally acknowledged. These strongly indicate the need to incorporate
      assessment of short-term/working memory functioning for people with aphasia.
      While the supportive evidence for treatment is growing and appears to highlight
      the benefits of including short-term/working memory in aphasia treatment, the
      quality of the evidence in its current state is poor. However, because of the
      clinical needs of people with aphasia and the prevalence of short-term/working
      memory impairments, incorporating related treatments through practice-based
      evidence is advocated.

PMID- 26123370
TI  - Evaluation of BHV-1 antibody titer in a cattle herd against different BHV-1
      strains.
AB  - Although modified-live multivalent vaccines, such as PregGuard GOLD and Bovi
      Shield Gold, have been used routinely in both beef and dairy cattle in the US,
      abortion and respiratory diseases still occasionally occur following vaccination.
      To determine whether the antibody induced by the multivalent vaccine can
      recognize BHV-1 isolates from aborted animals, BHV-1 antibody titer was evaluated
      with two isolates from abortion cases and two vaccine BHV-1 viruses. Cattle serum
      was collected from a dairy herd that was vaccinated annually with Bovi-Shield
      Gold 5 vaccine. Among the 28 cattle tested, no statistical significant difference
      in serum neutralization titer was observed when test virus was either vaccine
      virus or clinical isolates. It suggests that the BHV-1 antibody from the
      vaccinated cattle can recognize both the vaccine virus and clinical isolates.
      However, it is noticed that cows at 5 years old or older had a significantly
      lower BHV-1 antibody titer on average than the average of SN titer in 3 year-old
      cows. Similarly, cows at 5 years or older had a significantly lower BVDV antibody
      titer than cows at about 2 years of age. In addition, cattle vaccinated within 0
      2 months had a significantly higher BHV-1 titer than those that received
      vaccination 6 months or greater prior to titer measurement. In contrast, cattle
      that received a vaccination 6 months prior had a significantly higher anti-BVDV
      antibody titer than those vaccinated within 1-2 months. The BVDV antibody titers
      remained relatively unchanged between 6 months and 1 year post-vaccination. Our
      study suggests little antigenic variation exists between BHV-1 disease isolates
      and BHV-1 of the multivalent vaccines. In addition, BHV-1 antibody titer is
      relatively lower at 6 months post vaccination in those tested animals. However,
      the BVDV antibody titer remained relatively high after 6 months from time of
      vaccination. 

PMID- 26123371
TI  - Activation of persistent Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus in mares
      with subclinical endometritis.
AB  - Endometritis in horses caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus (S.
      zooepidemicus) may be underdiagnosed due to traditional diagnostic methods
      lacking sensitivity and specificity. We serendipitously identified a bacterial
      growth medium (bActivate) that appeared capable of inducing growth of dormant S.
      zooepidemicus, which subsequently allowed detection by standard diagnostics. To
      assess the effect of bActivate we compared its ability to activate dormant S.
      zooepidemicus in a group of potentially infected subfertile mares with phosphate
      buffered saline (PBS). All mares had to test negative for S. zooepidemicus on a
      low-volume uterine lavage, be negative on endometrial cytology and without
      clinical signs of endometritis to be included in the investigation. The mares
      were instilled with bActivate or PBS in the uterus. Growth of S. zooepidemicus
      was induced by bActivate in 64% (16/25) and PBS in 8% (1/12) of the mares,
      respectively (p<0.002). In vitro studies supported that some strains of S.
      zooepidemicus were able to form persister cells tolerating 32-times of the
      minimal inhibitory concentration of penicillin compared to normal growing cells.
      Persister cells had not acquired penicillin resistance, but seemed to tolerate
      the antimicrobial due to dormancy. This is, to our knowledge, the first
      description of controlled growth induction of dormant bacteria from a subclinical
      infection. Moreover we demonstrated how endometritis can origin from a reservoir
      of dormant bacteria residing within the endometrium, and not only as an ascending
      infection. Further studies should aim at determining the prevalence of dormant S.
      zooepidemicus, impact of activation on diagnostic and treatment efficacy, uterine
      health and mare fertility. 

PMID- 26123372
TI  - Developing a Competency-based Curriculum in Basic and Clinical Pharmacology--A
      Delphi Study among Physicians.
AB  - A new curriculum is planned for the medical school at Lund University, Sweden.
      Pharmacology, in a broad sense, has been identified as a subject that needs to be
      strengthened based on needs in the healthcare system. The aim was to identify the
      competencies in basic and clinical pharmacology that a newly qualified physician
      needs. Using a modified three-round Delphi technique, 31 physicians were invited
      to list necessary competencies (round 1). After content analysis, these panel
      members classified the list by importance on two occasions (rounds 2 and 3) using
      a 4-point scale (4 = necessary, 3 = desirable, 2 = useful, 1 = not necessary).
      Competencies with the highest ranks based on necessity were retained. Thirty
      physicians accepted the invitation and 25 (83%) of them completed all three
      rounds. Round 1 resulted in 258 suggestions, which were subsequently reduced to
      95 competencies. Of these 95 competencies, 40 were considered necessary by at
      least 75% of the panel members. The degree of consensus increased between round 2
      and round 3. Using a modified Delphi technique, we identified 40 competencies
      that could be transferred to learning outcomes for a new curriculum in basic and
      clinical pharmacology at medical school. 

PMID- 26123374
TI  - Prefrontal cortex dopamine release measured in vivo with positron emission
      tomography: Implications for the stimulant paradigm.
AB  - Experimental tasks and stimulant paradigms in combination with D2/3 emission
      tomography have been essential in understanding the dopamine (DA) system.
      However, whereas task-induced DA release is dependent on a mechanism that is
      largely similar throughout the brain, the DA-increasing stimulant mechanism of
      action changes drastically from striatum to cortex. We posit the problems that
      may be encountered when translating the stimulant emission tomography paradigm
      from striatum to PFC. After comparing the available human data on task- and
      stimulant-induced changes in extracellular PFC DA assessed with PET, we
      hypothesize that the stimulant paradigm in the PFC, even with high affinity
      tracers, may not completely capture the true effect of stimulants on
      extracellular PFC DA levels. Task-induced and stimulant-induced effects on
      extracellular PFC DA measured with emission tomography should therefore be
      regarded as different phenomena. We conclude with future directions and
      alternative probes to measure PFC DA transmission with emission tomography.

PMID- 26123373
TI  - Re-examining overlap between tactile and visual motion responses within hMT+ and
      STS.
AB  - Here, we examine overlap between tactile and visual motion BOLD responses within
      the human MT+ complex. Although several studies have reported tactile responses
      overlapping with hMT+, many used group average analyses, leaving it unclear
      whether these responses were restricted to subregions of hMT+. Moreover, previous
      studies either employed a tactile task or passive stimulation, leaving it unclear
      whether or not tactile responses in hMT+ are simply the consequence of visual
      imagery. Here, we carried out a replication of one of the classic papers finding
      tactile responses in hMT+. We mapped MT and MST in individual subjects using
      visual field localizers. We then examined responses to tactile motion on the arm,
      either presented passively or in the presence of a visual task performed at
      fixation designed to minimize visualization of the concurrent tactile
      stimulation. To our surprise, without a visual task, we found only weak tactile
      motion responses in MT (6% of voxels showing tactile responses) and MST (2% of
      voxels). With an unrelated visual task designed to withdraw attention from the
      tactile modality, responses in MST were reduced to almost nothing (<1% regions).
      Consistent with previous results, we did observe tactile responses in STS regions
      superior and anterior to hMT+. Despite the lack of individual overlap, group
      averaged responses produced strong spurious overlap between tactile and visual
      motion responses within hMT+ that resembled those observed in previous studies.
      The weak nature of tactile responses in hMT+ (and their abolition by withdrawal
      of attention) suggests that hMT+ may not serve as a supramodal motion processing
      module. 

PMID- 26123375
TI  - Neuroanatomical correlates of the sense of control: Gray and white matter volumes
      associated with an internal locus of control.
AB  - A belief that effort is rewarded can develop incentive, achievement motivation,
      and self-efficacy. Individuals with such a belief attribute causes of events to
      themselves, not to external, uncontrollable factors, and are thus said to have an
      internal locus of control. An internal locus of control is a positive personality
      trait and has been thoroughly studied in applied psychology, but has not been
      widely examined in neuroscience. In the present study, correlations between locus
      of control assessment scores and brain volumes were examined in 777 healthy young
      adults using magnetic resonance imaging. A whole-brain multiple regression
      analysis with corrections for the effects of age, gender, and intelligence was
      conducted. Voxel-based morphometry analyses revealed that gray matter volumes in
      the anterior cingulate cortex, striatum, and anterior insula positively
      correlated with higher scores, which indicate an internal LOC. In addition, white
      matter volumes in the striatum showed significant correlations with an internal
      locus of control. These results suggest that cognitive, socioemotional, self
      regulatory, and reward systems might be associated with internal control
      orientation. The finding of greater volumes in several brain regions in
      individuals with a stronger internal locus of control indicates that there is a
      neuroanatomical basis for the belief that one's efforts are rewarded. 

PMID- 26123378
TI  - Neural underpinnings of nocebo hyperalgesia in visceral pain: A fMRI study in
      healthy volunteers.
AB  - Despite the clinical relevance of nocebo effects, few studies have addressed
      their underlying neural mechanisms in clinically-relevant pain models. We aimed
      to address the contribution of nocebo effects and their underlying neural
      circuitry to central pain amplification in visceral pain, as it may develop over
      repeated painful experiences due to negative pain-related expectations. Healthy
      volunteers received verbal suggestions of pain sensitization (nocebo group, N=28)
      or neutral instructions (control group, N=16). fMRI was used to investigate
      changes in neural responses during cued pain anticipation and painful rectal
      distensions delivered in successive fMRI sessions. Pain intensity was rated trial
      by-trial, and expected pain intensity, state anxiety and tension were assessed
      prior to each session. Behavioral analyses demonstrated significantly greater
      increases in both expected and perceived pain in the nocebo group. The fMRI
      analysis performed on nocebo-responders only (N=14) revealed that these
      behavioral changes were associated with increased activation within the secondary
      somatosensory cortex and amygdala during pain anticipation and within the
      thalamus, insula and amygdala during painful stimulation when compared to
      controls. A subsequent psycho-physiological interaction analysis of the pain
      phase showed increased functional connectivity between the anterior insula, which
      was set-up as seed region based on group results, and midcingulate cortex as a
      function of negative expectations. These findings support that negative pain
      related expectations can play a crucial role in pain amplification of visceral
      pain, which is mediated, at least in part, by a neural up-regulation of pain
      associated areas and their connectivity. These findings may have implications for
      the pathophysiology and treatment of chronic abdominal pain. 

PMID- 26123377
TI  - Development of the human fetal hippocampal formation during early second
      trimester.
AB  - Development of the fetal hippocampal formation has been difficult to fully
      describe because of rapid changes in its shape during the fetal period. The aims
      of this study were to: (1) segment the fetal hippocampal formation using 7.0 T MR
      images from 41 specimens with gestational ages ranging from 14 to 22 weeks and
      (2) reveal the developmental course of the fetal hippocampal formation using
      volume and shape analyses. Differences in hemispheric volume were observed, with
      the right hippocampi being larger than the left. Absolute volume changes showed a
      linear increase, while relative volume changes demonstrated an inverted-U shape
      trend during this period. Together these exhibited a variable developmental rate
      among different regions of the fetal brain. Different sub-regional growth of the
      fetal hippocampal formation was specifically observed using shape analysis. The
      fetal hippocampal formation possessed a prominent medial-lateral bidirectional
      shape growth pattern during its rotation process. Our results provide additional
      insight into 3D hippocampal morphology in the assessment of fetal brain
      development and can be used as a reference for future hippocampal studies.

PMID- 26123379
TI  - Brain networks underlying bistable perception.
AB  - Bistable stimuli, such as the Necker Cube, demonstrate that experience can change
      in the absence of changes in the environment. Such phenomena can be used to
      assess stimulus-independent aspects of conscious experience. The current study
      used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to index
      stimulus-independent changes in neural activity to understand the neural
      architecture that determines dominance durations during bistable perception
      (using binocular rivalry and Necker cube stimuli). Anterior regions of the
      Superior Parietal Lobule (SPL) exhibited robust connectivity with regions of
      primary sensorimotor cortex. The strength of this region's connectivity with the
      striatum predicted shorter dominance durations during binocular rivalry, whereas
      its connectivity to pre-motor cortex predicted longer dominance durations for the
      Necker Cube. Posterior regions of the SPL, on the other hand, were coupled to
      associative cortex in the temporal and frontal lobes. The posterior SPL's
      connectivity to the temporal lobe predicted longer dominance during binocular
      rivalry. In conjunction with prior work, these data suggest that the anterior SPL
      contributes to perceptual rivalry through the inhibition of incongruent bottom up
      information, whereas the posterior SPL influences rivalry by supporting the
      current interpretation of a bistable stimulus. Our data suggests that the
      functional connectivity of the SPL with regions of sensory, motor, and
      associative cortex allows it to regulate the interpretation of the environment
      that forms the focus of conscious attention at a specific moment in time. 

PMID- 26123376
TI  - Psychosocial versus physiological stress - Meta-analyses on deactivations and
      activations of the neural correlates of stress reactions.
AB  - Stress is present in everyday life in various forms and situations. Two stressors
      frequently investigated are physiological and psychosocial stress. Besides
      similar subjective and hormonal responses, it has been suggested that they also
      share common neural substrates. The current study used activation-likelihood
      estimation meta-analysis to test this assumption by integrating results of
      previous neuroimaging studies on stress processing. Reported results are cluster
      level FWE corrected. The inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the anterior insula
      (AI) were the only regions that demonstrated overlapping activation for both
      stressors. Analysis of physiological stress showed consistent activation of
      cognitive and affective components of pain processing such as the insula,
      striatum, or the middle cingulate cortex. Contrarily, analysis across
      psychosocial stress revealed consistent activation of the right superior temporal
      gyrus and deactivation of the striatum. Notably, parts of the striatum appeared
      to be functionally specified: the dorsal striatum was activated in physiological
      stress, whereas the ventral striatum was deactivated in psychosocial stress.
      Additional functional connectivity and decoding analyses further characterized
      this functional heterogeneity and revealed higher associations of the dorsal
      striatum with motor regions and of the ventral striatum with reward processing.
      Based on our meta-analytic approach, activation of the IFG and the AI seems to
      indicate a global neural stress reaction. While physiological stress activates a
      motoric fight-or-flight reaction, during psychosocial stress attention is shifted
      towards emotion regulation and goal-directed behavior, and reward processing is
      reduced. Our results show the significance of differentiating physiological and
      psychosocial stress in neural engagement. Furthermore, the assessment of
      deactivations in addition to activations in stress research is highly
      recommended. 

PMID- 26123380
TI  - Cortical kinematic processing of executed and observed goal-directed hand
      actions.
AB  - Motor information conveyed by viewing the kinematics of an agent's action helps
      to predict how the action will unfold. Still, how observed movement kinematics is
      processed in the brain remains to be clarified. Here, we used
      magnetoencephalography (MEG) to determine at which frequency and where in the
      brain, the neural activity is coupled with the kinematics of executed and
      observed motor actions. Whole-scalp MEG signals were recorded from 11 right
      handed healthy adults while they were executing (Self) or observing (Other)
      similar goal-directed hand actions performed by an actor placed in front of them.
      Actions consisted of pinching with the right hand green foam-made pieces mixed in
      a heap with pieces of other colors placed on a table, and put them in a plastic
      pot on the right side of the heap. Subjects' and actor's forefinger movements
      were monitored with an accelerometer. The coherence between movement acceleration
      and MEG signals was computed at the sensor level. Then, cortical sources coherent
      with movement acceleration were identified with Dynamic Imaging of Coherent
      Sources. Statistically significant sensor-level coherence peaked at the movement
      frequency (F0) and its first harmonic (F1) in both movement conditions. Apart
      from visual cortices, statistically significant local maxima of coherence were
      observed in the right posterior superior temporal gyrus (F0), bilateral superior
      parietal lobule (F0 or F1) and primary sensorimotor cortex (F0 or F1) in both
      movement conditions. These results suggest that observing others' actions engages
      the viewer's brain in a similar kinematic-related manner as during own action
      execution. These findings bring new insights into how human brain activity
      covaries with essential features of observed movements of others. 

PMID- 26123381
TI  - Degree centrality and fractional amplitude of low-frequency oscillations
      associated with Stroop interference.
AB  - Stroop paradigms are commonly used as an index of attention deficits and a tool
      for investigating functions of the frontal lobes and other associated structures.
      Here we investigated the correlation between resting-state functional magnetic
      imaging (fMRI) measures [degree centrality (DC)/fractional amplitude of low
      frequency fluctuations (fALFFs)] and Stroop interference. We examined this
      relationship in the brains of 958 healthy young adults. DC reflects the number of
      instantaneous functional connections between a region and the rest of the brain
      within the entire connectivity matrix of the brain (connectome), and thus how
      much of the node influences the entire brain areas, while fALFF is an indicator
      of the intensity of regional brain spontaneous activity. Reduced Stroop
      interference was associated with larger DC in the left lateral prefrontal cortex,
      left IFJ, and left inferior parietal lobule as well as larger fALFF in the areas
      of the dorsal attention network and the precuneus. These findings suggest that
      Stroop performance is reflected in resting state functional properties of these
      areas and the network. In addition, default brain activity of the dorsal
      attention network and precuneus as well as higher cognitive processes represented
      there, and default stronger global influence of the areas critical in executive
      functioning underlie better Stroop performance. 

PMID- 26123382
TI  - Everolimus and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs): Activity, resistance and
      how to overcome it.
AB  - Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are rare malignancies, with the most common site of
      origin being from the gastrointestinal tract, particularly the pancreas, small
      bowel and appendix. Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) can be functional,
      hormone secreting tumors, and can have distinctive symptoms leading to the
      diagnosis. In contrast nonfunctional tumors, the majority of PNETs, usually
      present later either incidentally or due to tumor bulk symptoms. Currently
      Everolimus, an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), is the most
      promising drug for patients with unresectable, metastatic disease, in progressive
      well-differentiated PNETs and many studies are ongoing to demonstrate its effects
      on the other neuroendocrine histotipes. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and
      European Medicines Agency (EMA) registered Everolimus in advanced/metastatic
      breast cancer, in advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma and in well/moderately
      differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Nevertheless only a subset of
      patients respond to the therapy due to the development of drug resistance. Thus
      the powerful Everolimus antitumor activity have prompted extensive efforts to
      overcome drug resistance and to maximize clinical benefit. In this review we aim
      to summarize current knowledge on mechanisms of Everolimus and other mTOR
      inhibitors molecules resistance with the intent to overcome it. 

PMID- 26123383
TI  - Metastases of pancreatic adenocarcinoma: A systematic review of literature and a
      new functional concept.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Pancreatic cancer, especially Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, is still
      associated with a high mortality and morbidity for affected patients
      notwithstanding considerable progresses in diagnosis and both surgical
      pharmacological therapy. Despite metastases from colorectal, gastric and
      neuroendocrine primary tumor and their treatment are widely reported, the
      literature has been rarely investigated the impact of localization and numbers of
      pancreatic metastases. This study performed a systematic analysis of the most
      recent scientific literature on the natural history of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
      focusing attention on the role that the "M" parameter has on a possible
      prognostic stratification of these patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: PubMed and
      Science Direct databases were searched for relevant articles on these issue.
      RESULTS: Initial database searches yielded 7231 studies from PubMed and 29101
      from Science Direct. We evaluated 1031 eligible full text articles. CONCLUSIONS:
      An updated insight into the world of Pancreatic Tumors might help physicians in
      better evaluating mechanisms of metastases, patients selection and survival and
      in programming appropriate interventions to modify the worst outcomes of advanced
      disease.

PMID- 26123384
TI  - The effect of 0.9% saline versus plasmalyte on coagulation in patients undergoing
      lumbar spinal surgery; a randomized controlled trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In multi-level lumbar spinal fusion surgery yielding a large amount
      of blood loss, choice of fluid for volume resuscitation is an important issue
      since it can influence acid-base status, coagulation, and patients' outcome. This
      study compared the effect of plasmalyte to 0.9% saline on coagulation assessed by
      rotation thromboelastometry (ROTEM) and acid-base balance in the aforementioned
      patients. METHODS: Fifty patients were randomly allocated to receive either 0.9%
      saline or plasmalyte during operation and until postoperative 12 h. ROTEM was
      performed at 10 min after anesthetic induction and end of surgery. Arterial blood
      gas analyses were serially performed from 10 min after anesthetic induction until
      postoperative 12 h. Fluid balance, blood loss, and transfusion requirement were
      assessed. RESULTS: ROTEM variables showed sporadic deterioration in both groups
      after surgery without intergroup differences. Intraoperatively, arterial pH, base
      excess, and bicarbonate concentrations were lower and serum chloride
      concentrations were higher in the 0.9% saline group compared with the plasmalyte
      group. The differences in base excess and bicarbonate concentrations persisted
      until postoperative 12 h. Fluid balance, blood loss, and transfusion requirement
      were similar between the groups while urine output was greater in the plasmalyte
      group compared with the 0.9% saline group (3.2 +/- 1.6 ml/kg/h vs. 1.8 +/- 1.1
      ml/kg/h, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: In contrast to plasmalyte, fluid therapy with
      0.9% saline resulted in transient hyperchloremic acidosis in patients undergoing
      multi-level lumbar spinal fusion, while coagulation assessed by ROTEM analysis
      and the amount of blood loss were similar between the groups.

PMID- 26123385
TI  - Electrochemotherapy as a new approach on pancreatic cancer and on liver
      metastases.
AB  - Electrochemotherapy is a local non-thermal treatment for cancer ablation.
      Currently, many studies and case report have investigated the differences in
      effectiveness of electrochemotherapy with respect to tumor type, chemotherapeutic
      drug, and route of drug administration. ESOPE trial validated standard operating
      procedures [SOP] for ECT using the Cliniporator device and demonstrated that ECT
      is a simple, highly efficacious, and cost-effective treatment of cutaneous and
      subcutaneous nodules from different primary tumors for cutaneous or superficial
      lesions. This review has the purpose to summarize current knowledge about
      clinical effectiveness of electrochemotherapy and future prospects regarding its
      use on pancreatic cancer and liver metastasis not only. 

PMID- 26123386
TI  - Pancreatic cancer and diabetes: A two-way relationship in the perspective of
      diabetologist.
AB  - Diabetes is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer as roughly half of all patients
      with pancreatic cancer are found to have diabetes at time of diagnosis. Moreover,
      an around 2-fold risk of pancreatic malignancy in diabetic patients has even be
      recently resulted from two meta-analysis. Actually, there is a bidirectional
      association between the two entities that implies a complex and reverse
      causality. In fact, while the risk for pancreatic cancer is modestly but
      significantly increased in patients with long-standing diabetes, recent-onset
      diabetes appears to be very frequently associated with pancreatic malignancy.
      Therefore, diabetes could serve as an excellent clue for early detection of
      pancreatic cancer. Moreover, recent epidemiological findings support the
      hypothesis that chronic exposure to hyperglycemia, higher insulin concentrations,
      and insulin resistance may be responsible for the enhanced risk of developing
      pancreatic cancer. Epidemiological data suggest that the type of anti-diabetic
      therapy may affect the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. In particular,
      metformin has been shown to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, as well as
      several other malignancies. On the other hand, some hypoglycemic agents could
      determine an increase of pancreatic cancer risk. These last findings were not
      confirmed. Finally, pancreatic cancer necessitates of a multidisciplinary
      management, primarily including surgeons and oncologists. In this context, the
      diabetologist plays an important role, given that his actions may influence the
      prevention and early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, the perioperative
      complications associated to glycemic derangement, as well as the proper treatment
      of postpancreactomy diabetes. 

PMID- 26123387
TI  - Laparoscopic pancreatectomy: Did the indications change? A review from
      literature.
AB  - Pancreatic Cancer (PC) is the fourth cause of death for tumors in Western
      countries. Symptoms are not specific, and can vary according to the tumor size
      and place. Diagnostic workup includes CA 19-9, CT and MRI. Surgery is the only
      treatment for PC, associated to radio-chemo therapy. Laparoscopic approaches are
      actually used for PC treatment in few specialized centers, and could be an
      alternative to laparotomic surgery. The aim of our study is to evaluate the
      efficacy of laparoscopy for PC treatment compared to laparotomy. We reviewed 19
      articles in literature to assess the feasibility and efficacy of Laparoscopic
      Distal Pancreatectomy (LDP) and Laparoscopic Pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD). The
      results have shown that LDP is nowadays a safe technique, and the outcomes are
      comparable to laparotomic surgery. Regarding to LPD instead, results are
      controversial and the data are still not sufficient to consider this technique as
      a valid alternative to laparotomic surgery. 

PMID- 26123388
TI  - Enhanced stress response by a bilateral feet compared to a unilateral hand Cold
      Pressor Test.
AB  - The Cold Pressor Test (CPT) is a frequently employed laboratory stress protocol.
      However, with many experimental designs the application in its classic form
      (immersion of the dominant hand into ice-water) is problematic as unilateral
      stimulation may need to be avoided and/or hands are required for further
      measurements. Here, we describe a simple modification of the classic CPT in which
      both feet are immersed into ice-water and compare the evoked neuroendocrine
      stress response to the classic CPT in a within-subjects design. Twenty-four
      healthy participants were exposed to each of both CPT versions on two subsequent
      days in randomized order. Heart rate, blood pressure, salivary alpha-amylase and
      cortisol were measured at baseline and during or after CPT exposition,
      respectively, along with subjective ratings of pain and stress. The bilateral
      feet CPT induced marked increases in all measured stress parameters. Moreover,
      with the exception of blood pressure, autonomic and endocrine responses were
      enhanced compared to the classic CPT. The bilateral feet CPT thus is a valid and
      simple modification and may be useful when the application of the classic CPT is
      unfeasible or a stronger neuroendocrine stress response is of interest. 

PMID- 26123389
TI  - A coordinated cross-disciplinary research initiative to address an increased
      incidence of narcolepsy following the 2009-2010 Pandemrix vaccination programme
      in Sweden.
AB  - In response to the 2009-2010 influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic, a mass vaccination
      programme with the AS03-adjuvanted influenza A(H1N1) vaccine Pandemrix was
      initiated in Sweden. Unexpectedly, there were a number of narcolepsy cases
      amongst vaccinated children and adolescents reported. In this review, we
      summarize the results of a joint cross-disciplinary national research effort to
      investigate the adverse reaction signal from the spontaneous reporting system and
      to better understand possible causative mechanisms. A three- to fourfold
      increased risk of narcolepsy in vaccinated children and adolescents was verified
      by epidemiological studies. Of importance, no risk increase was observed for the
      other neurological and autoimmune diseases studied. Genetic studies confirmed the
      association with the allele HLA-DQB1*06:02, which is known to be related to
      sporadic narcolepsy. Furthermore, a number of studies using cellular and
      molecular experimental models investigated possible links between influenza
      vaccination and narcolepsy. Serum analysis, using a peptide microarray platform,
      showed that individuals who received Pandemrix exhibited a different epitope
      reactivity pattern to neuraminidase and haemagglutinin, as compared to
      individuals who were infected with H1N1. Patients with narcolepsy were also found
      to have increased levels of interferon-gamma production in response to
      streptococcus-associated antigens. The chain of patient-related events and the
      study results emerging over time were subjected to intense nationwide media
      attention. The importance of transparent communication and collaboration with
      patient representatives to maintain public trust in vaccination programmes is
      also discussed in the review. Organizational challenges due to this unexpected
      event delayed the initiation of some of the research projects, still the main
      objectives of this joint, cross-disciplinary research effort were reached, and
      important insights were acquired for future, similar situations in which a fast
      and effective task force may be required to evaluate vaccination-related adverse
      events. 

PMID- 26123391
TI  - Multiple allosteric effectors control the affinity of DasR for its target sites.
AB  - The global transcriptional regulator DasR connects N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)
      utilization to the onset of morphological and chemical differentiation in the
      model actinomycete Streptomyces coelicolor. Previous work revealed that
      glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN-6P) acts as an allosteric effector which disables
      binding by DasR to its operator sites (called dre, for DasR responsive element)
      and allows derepression of DasR-controlled/GlcNAc-dependent genes. To unveil the
      mechanism by which DasR controls S. coelicolor development, we performed a series
      of electromobility shift assays with histidine-tagged DasR protein, which
      suggested that N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcNAc-6P) could also inhibit the
      formation of DasR-dre complexes and perhaps even more efficiently than GlcN-6P.
      The possibility that GlcNAc-6P is indeed an efficient allosteric effector of DasR
      was further confirmed by the high and constitutive activity of the DasR-repressed
      nagKA promoter in the nagA mutant, which lacks GlcNAc-6P deaminase activity and
      therefore accumulates GlcNAc-6P. In addition, we also observed that high
      concentrations of organic or inorganic phosphate enhanced binding of DasR to its
      recognition site, suggesting that the metabolic status of the cell could
      determine the selectivity of DasR in vivo, and hence its effect on the expression
      of its regulon. 

PMID- 26123390
TI  - Sparse temporally dynamic resting-state functional connectivity networks for
      early MCI identification.
AB  - In conventional resting-state functional MRI (R-fMRI) analysis, functional
      connectivity is assumed to be temporally stationary, overlooking neural
      activities or interactions that may happen within the scan duration. Dynamic
      changes of neural interactions can be reflected by variations of topology and
      correlation strength in temporally correlated functional connectivity networks.
      These connectivity networks may potentially capture subtle yet short neural
      connectivity disruptions induced by disease pathologies. Accordingly, we are
      motivated to utilize disrupted temporal network properties for improving control
      patient classification performance. Specifically, a sliding window approach is
      firstly employed to generate a sequence of overlapping R-fMRI sub-series. Based
      on these sub-series, sliding window correlations, which characterize the neural
      interactions between brain regions, are then computed to construct a series of
      temporal networks. Individual estimation of these temporal networks using
      conventional network construction approaches fails to take into consideration
      intrinsic temporal smoothness among successive overlapping R-fMRI sub-series. To
      preserve temporal smoothness of R-fMRI sub-series, we suggest to jointly estimate
      the temporal networks by maximizing a penalized log likelihood using a fused
      sparse learning algorithm. This sparse learning algorithm encourages temporally
      correlated networks to have similar network topology and correlation strengths.
      We design a disease identification framework based on the estimated temporal
      networks, and group level network property differences and classification results
      demonstrate the importance of including temporally dynamic R-fMRI scan
      information to improve diagnosis accuracy of mild cognitive impairment patients.

PMID- 26123392
TI  - Inhibition of SH2-domain-containing inositol 5-phosphatase (SHIP2) ameliorates
      palmitate induced-apoptosis through regulating Akt/FOXO1 pathway and ROS
      production in HepG2 cells.
AB  - The serine-threonine kinase Akt regulates proliferation and survival by
      phosphorylating a network of protein substrates; however, the role of a negative
      regulator of the Akt pathway, the SH2-domain-containing inositol 5-phosphatase
      (SHIP2) in apoptosis of the hepatocytes, remains unknown. In the present study,
      we studied the molecular mechanisms linking SHIP2 expression to apoptosis using
      overexpression or suppression of SHIP2 gene in HepG2 cells exposed to palmitate
      (0.5 mM). Overexpression of the dominant negative mutant SHIP2 (SHIP2-DN)
      significantly reduced palmitate-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells, as these cells
      had increased cell viability, decreased apoptotic cell death and reduced the
      activity of caspase-3, cytochrome c and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase.
      Overexpression of the wild-type SHIP2 gene led to a massive apoptosis in HepG2
      cells. The protection from palmitate-induced apoptosis by SHIP2 inhibition was
      accompanied by a decrease in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In
      addition, SHIP2 inhibition was accompanied by an increased Akt and FOXO-1
      phosphorylation, whereas overexpression of the wild-type SHIP2 gene had the
      opposite effects. Taken together, these findings suggest that SHIP2 expression
      level is an important determinant of hepatic lipoapotosis and its inhibition can
      potentially be a target in treatment of hepatic lipoapoptosis in diabetic
      patients.

PMID- 26123393
TI  - CSP41b, a protein identified via FOX hunting using Eutrema salsugineum cDNAs,
      improves heat and salinity stress tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - Eutrema salsugineum (also known as Thellungiella salsuginea and formerly
      Thellungiella halophila), a species closely related to Arabidopsis thaliana,
      shows tolerance not only to salt stress, but also to chilling, freezing, and high
      temperatures. To identify genes responsible for stress tolerance, we conducted
      Full-length cDNA Over-eXpressing gene (FOX) hunting among a collection of E.
      salsugineum cDNAs that were stress-induced according to gene ontology analysis or
      over-expressed in E. salsugineum compared with A. thaliana. We identified E.
      salsugineum CSP41b (chloroplast stem-loop-binding protein of 41 kDa; also known
      as CRB, chloroplast RNA binding; named here as EsCSP41b) as a gene that can
      confer heat and salinity stress tolerance on A. thaliana. A. thaliana CSP41b is
      reported to play an important role in the proper functioning of the chloroplast:
      the atcsp41b mutant is smaller and paler than wild-type plants and shows altered
      chloroplast morphology and photosynthetic performance. We observed that AtCSP41b
      overexpressing transgenic A. thaliana lines also exhibited marked heat tolerance
      and significant salinity stress tolerance. The EsCSP41b-overexpressing transgenic
      A. thaliana lines showed significantly higher photosynthesis activity than wild
      type plants not only under normal growth conditions but also under heat stress.
      In wild-type plants, the expression levels of both EsCSP41b and AtCSP41b were
      significantly reduced under heat or salinity stress. We conclude that maintenance
      of CSP41b expression under abiotic stresses may alleviate photoinhibition and
      improve survival under such stresses. 

PMID- 26123394
TI  - Cues from chewing insects - the intersection of DAMPs, HAMPs, MAMPs and
      effectors.
AB  - Chewing herbivores cause massive damage when crushing plant tissues with their
      mandibles, thus releasing a vast array of cues that may be perceived by the plant
      to mobilize defenses. Besides releasing damage cues in wounded tissues,
      herbivores deposit abundant cues from their saliva, regurgitant and feces that
      trigger herbivore specific responses in plants. Herbivores can manipulate the
      perception mechanisms and defense signals to suppress plant defenses by secreting
      effectors and/or by exploiting their associated oral microbes. Recent studies
      indicate that both the composition of herbivore cues and the plant's ability to
      recognize them are highly dependent upon the specific plant-herbivore system.
      There is a growing amount of work on identifying herbivore elicitors and
      effectors, but the most significant bottleneck in the discipline is the
      identification and characterization of plant receptors that perceive these
      herbivore-specific cues. 

PMID- 26123396
TI  - Tracing the evolutionary path to nitrogen-fixing crops.
AB  - Nitrogen-fixing symbioses between plants and bacteria are restricted to a few
      plant lineages. The plant partner benefits from these associations by gaining
      access to the pool of atmospheric nitrogen. By contrast, other plant species,
      including all cereals, rely only on the scarce nitrogen present in the soil and
      what they can glean from associative bacteria. Global cereal yields from
      conventional agriculture are dependent on the application of massive levels of
      chemical fertilisers. Engineering nitrogen-fixing symbioses into cereal crops
      could in part mitigate the economic and ecological impacts caused by the overuse
      of fertilisers and provide better global parity in crop yields. Comparative
      phylogenetics and phylogenomics are powerful tools to identify genetic and
      genomic innovations behind key plant traits. In this review we highlight recent
      discoveries made using such approaches and we discuss how these approaches could
      be used to help direct the engineering of nitrogen-fixing symbioses into cereals.

PMID- 26123395
TI  - Small RNAs--the secret agents in the plant-pathogen interactions.
AB  - Eukaryotic regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) that induce RNA interference (RNAi) are
      involved in a plethora of biological processes, including host immunity and
      pathogen virulence. In plants, diverse classes of sRNAs contribute to the
      regulation of host innate immunity. These immune-regulatory sRNAs operate through
      distinct RNAi pathways that trigger transcriptional or post-transcriptional gene
      silencing. Similarly, many pathogen-derived sRNAs also regulate pathogen
      virulence. Remarkably, the influence of regulatory sRNAs is not limited to the
      individual organism in which they are generated. It can sometimes extend to
      interacting species from even different kingdoms. There they trigger gene
      silencing in the interacting organism, a phenomenon called cross-kingdom RNAi.
      This is exhibited in advanced pathogens and parasites that produce sRNAs to
      suppress host immunity. Conversely, in host-induced gene silencing (HIGS),
      diverse plants are engineered to trigger RNAi against pathogens and pests to
      confer host resistance. Cross-kingdom RNAi opens up a vastly unexplored area of
      research on mobile sRNAs in the battlefield between hosts and pathogens. 

PMID- 26123397
TI  - Molecular hydrogen: A novel therapy for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension.

PMID- 26123399
TI  - Structural, mechanical, and electronic properties of Rh2B and RhB2: first
      principles calculations.
AB  - The crystal structures of Rh2B and RhB2 at ambient pressure were explored by
      using the evolutionary methodology. A monoclinic P21/m structure of Rh2B was
      predicted and donated as Rh2B-I, which is energetically much superior to the
      previously experimentally proposed Pnma structure. At the pressure of about 39
      GPa, the P21/m phase of Rh2B transforms to the C2/m phases. For RhB2, a new
      monoclinic P21/m phase was predicted, named as RhB2-II, it has the same structure
      type with Rh2B. Rh2B-I and RhB2-II are both mechanically and dynamically stable.
      They are potential low compressible materials. The analysis of electronic density
      of states and chemical bonding indicates that the formation of strong and
      directional covalent B-B and Rh-B bonds in these compounds contribute greatly to
      their stabilities and high incompressibility.

PMID- 26123400
TI  - Direct dynamic measurement of intracellular and extracellular lactate in small
      volume cell suspensions with (13)C hyperpolarised NMR.
AB  - Hyperpolarised (HP) (13)C NMR allows enzymatic activity to be probed in real time
      in live biological systems. The use of in vitro models gives excellent control of
      the cellular environment, crucial in the understanding of enzyme kinetics. The
      increased conversion of pyruvate to lactate in cancer cells has been well studied
      with HP (13)C NMR. Unfortunately, the equally important metabolic step of lactate
      transport out of the cell remains undetected, because intracellular and
      extracellular lactate are measured as a single resonance. Furthermore, typical
      experiments must be performed using tens of millions of cells, a large amount
      which can lead to a costly and sometimes highly challenging growing procedure. We
      present a relatively simple set-up that requires as little as two million cells
      with the spectral resolution to separate the intracellular and extracellular
      lactate resonances. The set-up is tested with suspensions of prostate cancer
      carcinoma cells (PC3) in combination with HP [1-(13)C]pyruvate. We obtained
      reproducible pyruvate to lactate label fluxes of 1.2 and 1.7 nmol/s per million
      cells at 2.5 and 5.0 mM pyruvate concentrations. The existence of a 3-Hz chemical
      shift difference between intracellular and extracellular lactate enabled us to
      determine the lactate transport rates in PC3. We deduced a lactate export rate of
      0.3 s(-1) and observed a decrease in lactate transport on addition of the lactate
      transport inhibitor alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid.

PMID- 26123398
TI  - Early emergence of Yersinia pestis as a severe respiratory pathogen.
AB  - Yersinia pestis causes the fatal respiratory disease pneumonic plague. Y. pestis
      recently evolved from the gastrointestinal pathogen Y. pseudotuberculosis;
      however, it is not known at what point Y. pestis gained the ability to induce a
      fulminant pneumonia. Here we show that the acquisition of a single gene encoding
      the protease Pla was sufficient for the most ancestral, deeply rooted strains of
      Y. pestis to cause pneumonic plague, indicating that Y. pestis was primed to
      infect the lungs at a very early stage in its evolution. As Y. pestis further
      evolved, modern strains acquired a single amino-acid modification within Pla that
      optimizes protease activity. While this modification is unnecessary to cause
      pneumonic plague, the substitution is instead needed to efficiently induce the
      invasive infection associated with bubonic plague. These findings indicate that
      Y. pestis was capable of causing pneumonic plague before it evolved to optimally
      cause invasive infections in mammals. 

PMID- 26123401
TI  - Lack of association between leptin, leptin receptor, adiponectin gene
      polymorphisms and epicardial adipose tissue, abdominal visceral fat volume and
      atherosclerotic burden in psoriasis patients.
AB  - CONTEXT: Identifying psoriasis patients who present a higher risk of developing
      cardiovascular co-morbidities is of upmost importance. Two key adipokines, leptin
      and adiponectin, may play a role connecting psoriasis and its major co
      morbidities. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential contribution of LEPrs2167270(19
      G/A), LEPRrs1137100(326 A/G) and ADIPOQrs1501299(276 G/T) gene polymorphisms in
      psoriasis susceptibility and their influence in epicardial adipose tissue and
      abdominal visceral fat volume and subclinical atherosclerosis in severe psoriasis
      patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred severe psoriasis patients underwent
      clinical and laboratory evaluation, DNA genotyping and multi-detector computed
      tomography scan for epicardial adipose tissue, abdominal visceral fat and
      coronary artery calcification assessment. DNA control group was obtained from a
      previously anonymized biobank of 206 adult subjects without psoriasis. RESULTS:
      No association was observed between the studied gene polymorphisms and psoriasis
      susceptibility, CAC or increased EAT or AVF volume. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION:
      The studied polymorphisms do not seem, at least in this cohort of patients, to be
      a genetic risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis or increased
      adiposity in psoriasis.

PMID- 26123403
TI  - The recording of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status in general practice
      clinical records: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To document the frequency of recording of Aboriginal and Torres
      Strait Islander status in general practice (GP) clinical records and to establish
      associations of this recording. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of recording of
      patients' Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status in GP clinical records
      from GP training practices in four Australian states. RESULTS: Of the 9,704
      clinical records examined, the patients' Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
      status had been documented in 5,165 (53.2%). Higher rates of recording were
      associated with older patient age, practices outside a major city, patients who
      were not new to the practice and the patient being Aboriginal and Torres Strait
      Islander. In encounters with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, the
      patient's status had been documented in 82% of records. Those attending larger
      practices were less likely to have had their status recorded. CONCLUSIONS: This
      is the first report of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status recording in
      GP clinical records. Almost 20% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients
      did not have their status recorded in the clinical record, with indications that
      recording may be unsystematic. IMPLICATIONS: Our findings reinforce the need for
      a systematic approach to identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
      status in general practice and will inform policy and practice in this important
      area.

PMID- 26123404
TI  - Conceptual, self-assembling graphene nanocontainers.
AB  - We show that graphene nano-sheets, when appropriately functionalised, can form
      self-assembling nanocontainers which may be opened or closed using a chemical
      trigger such as pH or polarity of solvent. Conceptual design rules are presented
      for different container structures, whose ability to form and encapsulate guest
      molecules is verified by molecular dynamics simulations. The structural
      simplicity of the graphene nanocontainers offers considerable scope for scaling
      the capacity, modulating the nature of the internal environment, and defining the
      trigger for encapsulation or release of the guest molecule(s). This design study
      will serve to provide additional impetus to developing synthetic approaches for
      selective functionalisation of graphene. 

PMID- 26123402
TI  - Sequential Therapy for Helicobacter pylori Infection in Treatment-naive Children.
AB  - The goal of first-line Helicobacter pylori therapy is to reach an eradication
      rate of 90% to avoid further investigations, antibiotic use, and spreading of
      resistant strains. AIM: To evaluate the eradication rate of high-dose sequential
      therapy in treatment-naive children and to assess factors associated with
      failure. METHODS: Prospective data assessed in a registry from nine European
      centers between October 2009 and December 2011. Children with biopsy-proven
      Helicobacter pylori infection were prescribed 5 days of esomeprazole and
      amoxicillin, followed by 5 days of esomeprazole, clarithromycin, and
      metronidazole according to bodyweight. Eradication was assessed after 8-12 weeks.
      Primary endpoint was the eradication rate in children who received at least one
      dose and had follow-up data. Multivariate analysis evaluated potential factors
      for treatment success including sex, age, center, migrant status, antibiotic
      resistance, and adherence to therapy. RESULTS: Follow-up was available in 209 of
      232 patients (age range 3.1-17.9 years, 118 females). Primary resistance occurred
      for clarithromycin in 30 of 209 (14.4%), for metronidazole in 32 (15.3%), for
      both antibiotics in 7 (3.3%), and culture failed in 6 (2.9%). Eradication was
      achieved in 168 of 209 children (80.4%, 95% CI 75.02-85.78), in 85.8% with no
      resistance, 72.6% with single resistance, and 28.6% with double resistance.
      Independent factors affecting eradication rate included resistance to
      clarithromycin (adjusted ORs 0.27 (0.09-0.84), p = .024), to metronidazole (0.25
      (0.009-0.72), p = .010) or to both (0.04 (0.01-0.35), p = .004), and intake of <=
      90% of prescribed drugs (0.03 (0.01-0.18), p < .001). CONCLUSION: A high-dose 10
      day sequential therapy cannot be recommended in treatment-naive children.

PMID- 26123405
TI  - The Paternal Provisioning Hypothesis: effects of workload and testosterone
      production on men's musculature.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Testosterone supports male reproduction through a broad range of
      behavioral and physiological effects, including the maintenance of sexually
      dimorphic muscle used in male-male competition. Although it is often assumed that
      a persistent relationship exists between men's testosterone production and
      musculature, most studies either fail to find evidence for such a relationship,
      or document very weak associations. In nonhuman primates, by contrast,
      correlations between testosterone and muscle mass are higher. Here, we propose
      the "Paternal Provisioning Hypothesis," which predicts that men's skeletal muscle
      is less dependent on the effects of androgens than that of other primates, and
      more sensitive to the physical demands of men's work. This permits human fathers
      to downregulate testosterone, which has negative impacts on pair-bonding and
      parenting effort, but without sacrificing the strength and musculature necessary
      to provision mates and offspring. METHODS: We tested predictions of the Paternal
      Provisioning Hypothesis by assessing parental status, salivary testosterone
      levels, anthropometry, and strength among 122 men (ages 18-78) at the Mogielica
      Human Ecology Study Site in rural Poland. We chose this population because men
      practice subsistence agriculture, regularly engaging in physically demanding
      labor. Grip and chest strength were assessed using a dynamometer, and upper-body
      musculature was estimated from arm muscle circumference. RESULTS: In this
      population, testosterone showed no association with measures of strength or
      musculature, and was lower in older men and pair-bonded fathers. Marital and
      parental status and workload, by contrast, were positive predictors of muscle
      mass and strength measures. DISCUSSION: These findings offer support for the
      Paternal Provisioning Hypothesis.

PMID- 26123407
TI  - Intraprocedural blood volume measurement using C-arm CT as a predictor for
      treatment response of malignant liver tumours undergoing repetitive transarterial
      chemoembolization (TACE).
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate feasibility of measuring parenchymal blood volume (PBV) of
      malignant hepatic tumours using C-arm CT, test the changes in PBV following
      repeated transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and correlate these changes with
      the change in tumour size in MRI. METHODS: 111 patients with liver malignancy
      were included. Patients underwent MRI and TACE in a 4- to 6-week interval. During
      intervention C-arm CT was performed. Images were post-processed to generate PBV
      maps. Blood volume data in C-arm CT and change in size in MRI were evaluated. The
      correlation between PBV and size was tested using Spearman rank test. RESULTS:
      Pre-interventional PBV maps showed a mean blood volume of 84.5 ml/1000 ml +/-
      62.0, follow-up PBV maps after multiple TACE demonstrated 61.1 ml/1000 ml +/-
      57.5. The change in PBV was statistically significant (p = 0.02). Patients with
      initial tumour blood volume >100 ml/1000 ml dropped 7.1% in size and 47.2% in
      blood volume; 50-100 ml/1000 ml dropped 4.6% in size and 25.7% in blood volume;
      and <50 ml/1000 ml decreased 2.8% in size and increased 82.2% in blood volume.
      CONCLUSION: PBV measurement of malignant liver tumours using C-arm CT is
      feasible. Following TACE PBV decreased significantly. Patients with low initial
      PBV show low local response rates and further increase in blood volume, whereas
      high initial tumour PBV showed better response to TACE. KEY POINTS: Parenchymal
      blood volume assessment of malignant hepatic lesions using C-arm CT is feasible.
      The parenchymal blood volume is reduced significantly following transarterial
      chemoembolization. Parenchymal blood volume can monitor the response of tumours
      after transarterial chemoembolization. Although not significant, high initial
      parenchymal blood volume yields better response to TACE.

PMID- 26123406
TI  - Phenotypic and evolutionary implications of modulating the ERK-MAPK cascade using
      the dentition as a model.
AB  - The question of phenotypic convergence across a signalling pathway has important
      implications for both developmental and evolutionary biology. The ERK-MAPK
      cascade is known to play a central role in dental development, but the relative
      roles of its components remain unknown. Here we investigate the diversity of
      dental phenotypes in Spry2(-/-), Spry4(-/-), and Rsk2(-/Y) mice, including the
      incidence of extra teeth, which were lost in the mouse lineage 45 million years
      ago (Ma). In addition, Sprouty-specific anomalies mimic a phenotype that is
      absent in extant mice but present in mouse ancestors prior to 9 Ma. Although the
      mutant lines studied display convergent phenotypes, each gene has a specific role
      in tooth number determination and crown patterning. The similarities found
      between teeth in fossils and mutants highlight the pivotal role of the ERK-MAPK
      cascade during the evolution of the dentition in rodents. 

PMID- 26123408
TI  - Dedicated sub 0.1 mSv 3DCT using MBIR in children with suspected
      craniosynostosis: quality assessment.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively compare image quality of a lowered dose CT protocol
      to a standard CT protocol in children with suspicion of craniosynostosis.
      METHODS: Forty-eight patients (age 0- 35 months), who presented with a cranial
      deformity underwent cranial 3D CT to assess sutural patency: between 2009 - 2010,
      24 patients were imaged with a standard protocol (CTDIvol 32.18 mGy), from 2011
      2012, 24 underwent a low dose protocol (0.94 mGy) combined with iterative
      reconstruction. Image quality was evaluated by both expert reading and objective
      analysis. Differences were assessed by independent t-test and Mann-Whitney U
      test, interreader agreement by Cohen's Kappa test. RESULTS: Effective dose of the
      low dose protocol was 0.08 mSv, corresponding to a reduction of 97 %. Image
      quality was similar in both groups in terms of overall diagnostic acceptability,
      objective noise measurements, subjective cranial bone edge sharpness and presence
      of artefacts. For objective sharpness of cranial bone-brain interface and
      subjective perception of noise, the images of the low dose protocol were
      superior. For all evaluated structures, interreader agreement was moderate to
      almost perfect. CONCLUSION: In the diagnosis of craniosynostosis in children with
      cranial deformities, a dedicated sub 0.1 mSv cranial 3DCT protocol can be used
      without loss in image quality. KEY POINTS: 3DCT is used for the diagnosis of
      craniosynostosis. Imaging protocols should be optimized to minimize radiation
      exposure to children. Combining 80 kVp with iterative reconstruction can help to
      reduce dose. A sub 0.1 mSv cranial 3DCT protocol can be used without loss of
      diagnostic quality.

PMID- 26123409
TI  - Correlation of force control with regional spinal DTI in patients with cervical
      spondylosis without signs of spinal cord injury on conventional MRI.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate spinal cord structure in
      patients with cervical spondylosis where conventional MRI fails to reveal spinal
      cord damage. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of patients with
      cervical spondylosis without conventional MRI findings of spinal cord damage and
      healthy controls. Subjects were studied using spinal diffusion tensor imaging
      (DTI), precision grip and foot force-tracking tasks, and a clinical examination
      including assessment of neurological signs. A regional analysis of lateral and
      medial spinal white matter across multiple cervical levels (C1-C5) was performed.
      RESULTS: DTI revealed reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased radial
      diffusivity (RD) in the lateral spinal cord at the level of greatest compression
      (lowest Pavlov ratio) in patients (p < 0.05). Patients with spondylosis had
      greater error and longer release duration in both grip and foot force-tracking.
      Similar spinal cord deficits were present in patients without neurological signs.
      Increased error in grip and foot tracking (low accuracy) correlated with
      increased RD in the lateral spinal cord at the level of greatest compression (p
      <= 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Spinal DTI can detect subtle spinal cord damage of
      functional relevance in cervical spondylosis, even in patients without signs on
      conventional T2-imaging and without neurological signs. KEY POINTS: DTI reveals
      spinal cord changes in cervical spondylosis with few symptoms. DTI changes were
      present despite normal spinal cord on conventional MRI. DTI parameters correlated
      with force control accuracy in hand and foot. Spinal DTI is a promising technique
      for patients with cervical spondylosis.

PMID- 26123411
TI  - Reply to "Association of mean arterial pressure during cardiopulmonary bypass
      with acute kidney injury".

PMID- 26123410
TI  - MRI in multiple sclerosis: an intra-individual, randomized and multicentric
      comparison of gadobutrol with gadoterate meglumine at 3 T.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare contrast effects of gadobutrol with gadoterate meglumine
      for brain MRI in multiple sclerosis (MS) in a multicentre, randomized,
      prospective, intraindividual study at 3 T. METHODS: Institutional review board
      approval was obtained. Patients with known or suspected active MS lesions were
      included. Two identical MRIs were performed using randomized contrast agent
      order. Four post-contrast T1 sequences were acquired (start time points 0, 3, 6
      and 9 min). If no enhancing lesion was present in first MRI, second MRI was
      cancelled. Quantitative (number and signal intensity of enhancing lesions) and
      qualitative parameters (time points of first and all lesions enhancing;
      subjective preference regarding contrast enhancement and lesion delineation;
      global preference) were evaluated blinded. RESULTS: Seventy-four patients (male,
      26; mean age, 35 years) were enrolled in three centres. In 45 patients enhancing
      lesions were found. Number of enhancing lesions increased over time for both
      contrast agents without significant difference (median 2 for both). Lesions
      signal intensity was significantly higher for gadobutrol (p < 0.05 at time points
      3, 6 and 9 min). Subjective preference rating showed non-significant tendency in
      favour of gadobutrol. CONCLUSION: Both gadobutrol and gadoterate meglumine can be
      used for imaging of acute inflammatory MS lesions. However, gadobutrol generates
      higher lesion SI. KEY POINTS: Contrast-enhanced MRI plays a key role in the
      management of multiple sclerosis. Different gadolinium-based contrast agents are
      available. Number of visibly enhancing lesions increases over time after contrast
      injection. Gadobutrol and gadoterate meglumine do not differ in number of visible
      lesions. Gadobutrol generates higher signal intensity than gadoterate meglumine.

PMID- 26123412
TI  - Partial axillary lymph node dissection inferior to the intercostobrachial nerves
      complements sentinel node biopsy in patients with clinically node-negative breast
      cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The practice of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in China varies
      to that in western developed countries. With the unavailability of radioactive
      tracer technique for sentinel lymph nodes biopsy (SLNB), using blue dye alone has
      been the only option in China. Also, the diagnosis of breast malignant tumor in
      most Chinese centres heavily relies on intraoperative instant frozen histology
      which is normally followed by sentinel lymph nodes mapping, SLNB and the
      potential breast and axillary operations in one consecutive session. This
      practice appears to cause a high false negative rate (FNR) for SLNB. The present
      study aimed to investigate the impact of the current practice in China on the
      accuracy of SLNB, and whether partial axillary lymph node dissection (PALND),
      dissection of lymph nodes inferior to the intercostobrachial nerve (ICBN), was a
      good complementary procedure following SLNB using blue dye. METHODS: 289 patients
      with clinically node-negative breast cancer were identified and recruited.
      Tumorectomy, intraoperative instant frozen histological diagnosis, SLNB using
      methylene blue dye, and PALND or complete axillary node dissection (ALND) were
      performed in one consecutive operative session. The choice of SLNB only, SLNB
      followed by PALND or by ALND was based on the pre-determined protocol and
      preoperative choice by the patient. Clinical parameters were analyzed and
      survival analysis was performed. RESULTS: 37% patients with clinically negative
      nodes were found nodes positive. 59 patients with positive SLN underwent ALND,
      including 47 patients with up to two positive nodes which were all located
      inferior to the ICBN. 9 patients had failed SLNB and underwent PALND. Among them,
      3 (33.3%) patients were found to have one metastatic node. 149 patients showed
      negative SLNB but chose PALND. Among them, 30 (20.1%), 14 (9.4) and 1 (0.7%)
      patients were found to have one, two and three metastatic node(s), respectively.
      PALND detected 48 (30.4%) patients who had either failed SLNB or negative SLNB to
      have additional positive nodes. All the patients with up to two positive nodes
      had their nodes located inferior to the ICBN. The FNR of SLNB was 43%. The
      accuracy rate was 58%. The follow-up ranged 12-33 months. The incidence of
      lymphedema for SLNB, PALND, and ALND was 0%, 0%, and 25.4%, respectively (P <
      0.005). The disease-free survivals for SLNB, PALND, and ALND groups were 95.8%,
      96.8%, and 94.9%, respectively (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Under the circumstances
      of current practice in China, PALND is a good complementary procedure following
      SLNB in clinically node-negative breast cancer.

PMID- 26123413
TI  - Risk patterns in drug safety study using relative times by accelerated failure
      time models when proportional hazards assumption is questionable: an illustrative
      case study of cancer risk of patients on glucose-lowering therapies.
AB  - Observational drug safety studies may be susceptible to confounding or
      protopathic bias. This bias may cause a spurious relationship between drug
      exposure and adverse side effect when none exists and may lead to unwarranted
      safety alerts. The spurious relationship may manifest itself through
      substantially different risk levels between exposure groups at the start of
      follow-up when exposure is deemed too short to have any plausible biological
      effect of the drug. The restrictive proportional hazards assumption with its
      arbitrary choice of baseline hazard function renders the commonly used Cox
      proportional hazards model of limited use for revealing such potential bias. We
      demonstrate a fully parametric approach using accelerated failure time models
      with an illustrative safety study of glucose-lowering therapies and show that its
      results are comparable against other methods that allow time-varying exposure
      effects. Our approach includes a wide variety of models that are based on the
      flexible generalized gamma distribution and allows direct comparisons of
      estimated hazard functions following different exposure-specific distributions of
      survival times. This approach lends itself to two alternative metrics, namely
      relative times and difference in times to event, allowing physicians more ways to
      communicate patient's prognosis without invoking the concept of risks, which some
      may find hard to grasp. In our illustrative case study, substantial differences
      in cancer risks at drug initiation followed by a gradual reduction towards null
      were found. This evidence is compatible with the presence of protopathic bias, in
      which undiagnosed symptoms of cancer lead to switches in diabetes medication.

PMID- 26123414
TI  - A refined model of the genomic basis for phenotypic variation in vertebrate
      hemostasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hemostasis is a defense mechanism that enhances an organism's
      survival by minimizing blood loss upon vascular injury. In vertebrates,
      hemostasis has been evolving with the cardio-vascular and hemodynamic systems
      over the last 450 million years. Birds and mammals have very similar vascular and
      hemodynamic systems, thus the mechanism that blocks ruptures in the vasculature
      is expected to be the same. However, the speed of the process varies across
      vertebrates, and is particularly slow for birds. Understanding the differences in
      the hemostasis pathway between birds and mammals, and placing them in perspective
      to other vertebrates may provide clues to the genetic contribution to variation
      in blood clotting phenotype in vertebrates. We compiled genomic data
      corresponding to key elements involved in hemostasis across vertebrates to
      investigate its genetic basis and understand how it affects fitness. RESULTS: We
      found that: i) fewer genes are involved in hemostasis in birds compared to
      mammals; and ii) the largest differences concern platelet membrane receptors and
      components from the kallikrein-kinin system. We propose that lack of the
      cytoplasmic domain of the GPIb receptor subunit alpha could be a strong
      contributor to the prolonged bleeding phenotype in birds. Combined analysis of
      laboratory assessments of avian hemostasis with the first avian phylogeny based
      on genomic-scale data revealed that differences in hemostasis within birds are
      not explained by phylogenetic relationships, but more so by genetic variation
      underlying components of the hemostatic process, suggestive of natural selection.
      CONCLUSIONS: This work adds to our understanding of the evolution of hemostasis
      in vertebrates. The overlap with the inflammation, complement and renin
      angiotensin (blood pressure regulation) pathways is a potential driver of rapid
      molecular evolution in the hemostasis network. Comparisons between avian species
      and mammals allowed us to hypothesize that the observed mammalian innovations
      might have contributed to the diversification of mammals that give birth to live
      young.

PMID- 26123417
TI  - Fluidic system for long-term in vitro culturing and monitoring of organotypic
      brain slices.
AB  - Brain slice preparations cultured in vitro have long been used as a simplified
      model for studying brain development, electrophysiology, neurodegeneration and
      neuroprotection. In this paper an open fluidic system developed for improved long
      term culturing of organotypic brain slices is presented. The positive effect of
      continuous flow of growth medium, and thus stability of the glucose concentration
      and waste removal, is simulated and compared to the effect of stagnant medium
      that is most often used in tissue culturing. Furthermore, placement of the tissue
      slices in the developed device was studied by numerical simulations in order to
      optimize the nutrient distribution. The device was tested by culturing transverse
      hippocampal slices from 7 days old NMRI mice for a duration of 14 days. The
      slices were inspected visually and the slices cultured in the fluidic system
      appeared to have preserved their structure better than the control slices
      cultured using the standard interface method.

PMID- 26123415
TI  - Dobutamine Therapy is Associated with Worse Clinical Outcomes Compared with
      Nesiritide Therapy for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and
      Meta-Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inotropes and natriuretic peptides are essential components of
      current therapeutic options for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). This
      systematic review examines the therapeutic effectiveness of dobutamine and brain
      natriuretic peptide, nesiritide, in reducing mortality and readmission rates for
      ADHF treatment. METHODS: Published studies related to dobutamine and nesiritide
      therapy in ADHF were identified via an exhaustive search of scientific literature
      databases. The identified studies, published between 2002 and 2012, were
      carefully screened based on our predefined inclusion criteria. Selected studies
      were pooled, and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for each
      outcome were calculated. Subgroup analysis was conducted to assess the influence
      of ethnicity on the study outcome. RESULTS: Seven cohort studies were selected
      for this meta-analysis. These seven studies included 959 ADHF patients who
      underwent nesiritide treatment and 1748 ADHF patients who received dobutamine
      therapy. Our meta-analysis revealed a significantly lower survival rate in
      dobutamine-treated patients compared with nesiritide-treated patients (OR 0.48,
      95% CI 0.36-0.63, P < 0.001). Additionally, a markedly higher readmission rate
      was associated with dobutamine treatment compared with nesiritide treatment (OR
      0.52, 95% CI 0.36-0.73, P < 0.001). A stratified analysis based on ethnicity
      revealed a significantly lower survival in dobutamine-treated ADHF patients in
      Caucasian and mixed populations compared with nesiritide treatment (Caucasian: OR
      0.60, 95% CI 0.38-0.94, P = 0.024; Mixed: OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.26-0.56, P < 0.001).
      However, a similar association was not detected in Asian populations (P = 0.738).
      Further, dobutamine-treated ADHF patients displayed higher readmission rates than
      did nesiritide-treated patients in both Caucasian and mixed-race populations (all
      P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that dobutamine therapy is associated
      with poorer outcomes, with higher in-hospital mortality rates and increased
      readmission rates compared with nesiritide therapy in ADHF patients. Thus,
      current treatment strategies need to be redesigned for better outcomes.

PMID- 26123416
TI  - Functional studies cast light on receptor states.
AB  - Contemporary analysis of the functional responses of G-protein-coupled receptors
      (GPCRs) usually addresses drug-receptor interactions from the perspective of the
      average behavior of the receptor population. This behavior is characterized in
      terms of observed affinity and efficacy. Efficacy is a measure of how well a drug
      activates the receptor population and observed affinity a measure of how potently
      a drug occupies the receptor population. The latter is quantified in terms of the
      dissociation constant of the ligand-receptor complex. At a deeper level of
      analysis, drug-receptor interactions are described in terms of ligand affinity
      constants for active and inactive receptor states. Unlike observed affinity and
      efficacy, estimates of receptor state affinity constants are unperturbed by G
      proteins, guanine nucleotides, or other signaling proteins that interact with the
      receptor. Recent advances in the analysis of the functional responses of GPCRs
      have enabled the estimation of receptor state affinity constants. These constants
      provide a more fundamental measure of drug-receptor interactions and are useful
      in analyzing structure-activity relationships and in quantifying allosterism,
      biased signaling, and receptor-subtype selectivity. 

PMID- 26123418
TI  - Hypomorphic interleukin-7 receptor alpha-chain mutations and T-cell deficiency: a
      delay in diagnosis.

PMID- 26123419
TI  - Sublingual immunotherapy: focus on tablets.

PMID- 26123420
TI  - Underuse of guideline-recommended long-term asthma management in children
      hospitalized to the intensive care unit: a multicenter observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the significant burden of childhood asthma, little is known
      about prevention-oriented management before and after hospitalizations for asthma
      exacerbation. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the proportion and characteristics of
      children admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for asthma exacerbation and
      the frequency of guideline-recommended outpatient management before and after the
      hospitalization. METHODS: A 14-center medical record review study of children
      aged 2 to 17 years hospitalized for asthma exacerbation during 2012-2013. Primary
      outcome was admission to the ICU; secondary outcomes were 2 preventive factors:
      inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) use and evaluation by asthma specialists in the pre-
      and posthospitalization periods. RESULTS: Among 385 children hospitalized for
      asthma, 130 (34%) were admitted to the ICU. Risk factors for ICU admission were
      female sex, having public insurance, a marker of chronic asthma severity (ICS
      use), and no prior evaluation by an asthma specialist. Among children with ICU
      admission, guideline-recommended outpatient management was suboptimal (eg, 65%
      were taking ICSs at the time of index hospitalization, and 19% had evidence of a
      prior evaluation by specialist). At hospital discharge, among children with ICU
      admission who had not previously used controller medications, 85% were prescribed
      ICSs. Furthermore, 62% of all children with ICU admission were referred to an
      asthma specialist during the 3-month posthospitalization period. CONCLUSION: In
      this multicenter study of US children hospitalized with asthma exacerbation, one
      third of children were admitted to the ICU. In this high-risk group, we observed
      suboptimal pre- and posthospitalization asthma care. These findings underscore
      the importance of continued efforts to improve prevention-oriented asthma care at
      all clinical encounters.

PMID- 26123421
TI  - Usefulness of impulse oscillometry for the assessment of airway
      hyperresponsiveness in mild-to-moderate adult asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Impulse oscillometry (IOS) is a novel method of assessing airway
      resistance. IOS is rarely used in assessing airway resistance after
      bronchoprovocation in adult asthma. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the degree of change
      in IOS measurements seen in patients with asthma undergoing bronchial challenge
      testing. METHODS: Patients 18 to 65 years old with mild to moderate asthma,
      forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) greater than 80% predicted, and
      diurnal FEV1 variation less than 30% and taking inhaled corticosteroid (<=1,000
      MUg/day of beclomethasone dipropionate equivalent dose) were recruited.
      Sequential spirometry and IOS results were measured during bronchial challenge
      testing to inhaled methacholine and histamine. RESULTS: The magnitude of
      percentage of change demonstrated in total airway resistance at 5 Hz was greater
      than that observed for FEV1 in the 2 bronchial challenge tests. For example, at a
      methacholine provocation concentration that caused a decrease in FEV1 of 20%, a
      43.5% change (95% confidence interval 29.4-57.5) was seen in total airway
      resistance at 5 Hz as measured by IOS compared with a 23.3% change (95%
      confidence interval 18.7-27.9) in FEV1. The magnitude of change seen with other
      IOS outcomes, including peripheral airway resistance, area under the curve, and
      resonant frequency, also was greater compared with spirometry. CONCLUSION: The
      potential application of IOS in the assessment of airway hyperresponsiveness in
      adult asthma has been demonstrated. Further population studies are required.
      TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01074853).

PMID- 26123422
TI  - Pediatric emergency department visits and hospitalizations due to food-induced
      anaphylaxis in Illinois.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rates of food-induced anaphylaxis among children remain uncertain. In
      addition, little is known about the demographics of children who have experienced
      food-induced anaphylaxis resulting in emergency department (ED) visits and/or
      subsequent hospitalizations. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate trends in ED visits and
      hospital admissions due to food-induced anaphylaxis among Illinois children and
      to identify socioeconomic variation in trend distribution. METHODS: Illinois
      hospital discharge data compiled by the Illinois Hospital Association were used
      to identify ED visits or hospitalizations for food-induced anaphylaxis in
      Illinois hospitals from 2008-2012. Data for children aged 0 to 19 years who were
      Illinois residents and received a diagnosis of food-induced anaphylaxis based on
      International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification
      codes (995.60 through 995.69) were included for analysis. RESULTS: There was a
      significant increase in the rate of ED visits and hospital admissions due to food
      induced anaphylaxis among children in Illinois during the 5-year period, with an
      annual percent increase of 29.1% from 6.3 ED visits and hospital admissions per
      100,000 children in 2008 to 17.2 in 2012 (P < .001). Increases in visit frequency
      were observed for all study variables, including age, sex, race/ethnicity,
      insurance type, metropolitan status, hospital type, and allergenic food. Visits
      were most frequent each year for Asian children and children with private
      insurance. However, the annual percent increase in visits was most pronounced
      among Hispanic children (44.3%, P < .001) and children with public insurance
      (30.2%, P < .001). CONCLUSION: ED visits and hospital admissions for food-induced
      anaphylaxis have increased during a 5-year period among children in Illinois,
      regardless of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status.

PMID- 26123423
TI  - Reduced airway microbiota diversity is associated with elevated allergic
      respiratory inflammation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An increased prevalence of allergic disorders in developed countries
      has been associated with decreased exposure to environmental micro-organisms and
      an alteration of microbiota colonization. An appropriate model is needed to
      investigate the mechanisms by which hygiene environment-driven changes in
      microbiota could regulate allergic disorders. OBJECTIVE: To discover the
      correlation between the higher incidence and severity of allergies with the
      relative hygiene environment in a developed country. METHODS: Allergic
      respiratory inflammation was induced in specific pathogen-free and control rats
      by sensitization and challenge with ovalbumin. The diversity of lower airway
      bacteria community was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient
      gel electrophoresis and sequencing before ovalbumin sensitization. Allergic
      respiratory inflammation resulting in cellular infiltrate was measured after the
      last challenge. RESULTS: The diversity of microbiota in the airway of specific
      pathogen-free rats decreased compared with the control rats; the more frequent
      microbiota in the control rats were Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. In
      addition, increased nasal rubbing and sneezing combined with exaggerated IgE
      production and leukocyte number was observed in ovalbumin-treated specific
      pathogen-free rats. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that the excessive "hygienic"
      environment resulted in a decreased bacterial diversity in the airway during
      infancy, leading to an increased susceptibility to allergic disease.

PMID- 26123424
TI  - Resonant frequency as a predictor of phase 3 slope of nitrogen single-breath
      washout in asthma.

PMID- 26123425
TI  - Basophil activation test in the diagnosis of patent blue V anaphylaxis.

PMID- 26123426
TI  - A new subset of common variable immune deficiency characterized by reduced C1
      esterase inhibitor levels.

PMID- 26123427
TI  - Effect of poverty, urbanization, and race/ethnicity on perceived food allergy in
      the United States.

PMID- 26123428
TI  - Allergen of the Month--Assassin Bug.

PMID- 26123429
TI  - Significance of tonsillectomy combined with steroid pulse therapy for IgA
      nephropathy with mild proteinuria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical intervention for patients with IgA nephropathy and mild
      proteinuria (<1.0 g/day) is controversial, and the effectiveness of tonsillectomy
      plus steroid pulse therapy (TSP) for such patients remains obscure. METHODS:
      Among 323 patients in our multicenter cohort study, 79 who had mild proteinuria
      (0.4-1.0 g/day) at diagnosis were eligible to participate in this study. We
      compared the clinicopathological findings at diagnosis, a decline in renal
      function defined as a 50 or 100% increase in serum creatinine (sCr) and clinical
      remission (CR) defined as the disappearance of hematuria and proteinuria (<0.3
      g/day) among groups given TSP (n = 46), steroid therapy (ST) (n = 9), and non-ST
      (n = 24). Factors contributing to CR were also evaluated using multivariate
      analysis. RESULTS: Background factors at diagnosis including age, ratio (%) of
      patients with hypertension, sCr, proteinuria, and histological severity did not
      significantly differ among the groups. Only two patients each in the TSP (4.3%)
      and non-ST (8.3%) groups achieved a 50% increase in sCr during a mean follow-up
      period of 4.7 years. At the final observation, 71.7, 44.4, and 41.7% of patients
      in the TSP, ST, and non-ST groups, respectively, achieved CR (p = 0.032). Cox
      proportional hazards models revealed that TSP led to CR more effectively than non
      TSP by a factor of about threefold (hazard ratio, 2.74; p = 0.008). CONCLUSION:
      TSP therapy has potential for inducing CR in patients with IgAN and mild
      proteinuria (<1.0 g/day).

PMID- 26123430
TI  - "We get what we deserve": the belief in a just world and its health consequences
      for Blacks.
AB  - This study explored whether individual differences in the endorsement of the
      belief that the world is a just place (i.e., the just world belief) would predict
      individual differences in resilience/vulnerability to the negative health
      consequences of discrimination. One-hundred and thirty Blacks participated in a
      vital check and completed a computer-based questionnaire that included measures
      of the just world belief, perceived discrimination, physical and mental health,
      and the presence/absence of chronic illnesses. Endorsement of the just world
      belief was not associated with self-reported physical/mental health; however, it
      moderated the effects of perceived discrimination on the number of chronic
      illnesses and systolic blood pressure. These findings suggest that Blacks who
      believe that the world is a just place where they get what they deserve may be at
      a particularly higher risk for the negative health consequences of
      discrimination. Theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are
      discussed.

PMID- 26123432
TI  - Rapid processes for purification of capsular polysaccharides from Neisseria
      meningitidis serogroups A and C.
AB  - The glycoconjugate vaccines against Neisseria meningitidis are highly effective,
      however most of these vaccines are expensive and still out of reach in the
      developing world as well as the technical know-how and the set-up required for
      the consistent production of pure polysaccharide is limited. Our laboratory has
      developed rapid, efficient and scalable processes for the downstream purification
      of N. meningitidis serogroup A (MenA) and serogroup C (MenC) capsular
      polysaccharides (PS). The MenC-PS was purified with a novel 2-step procedure
      including de-O-acetylation and hydrophobic interaction chromatography whereas,
      MenA-PS was purified using a rapid method as compared to the prior art. The
      purified PSs were analyzed by various analytical tests including nuclear magnetic
      resonance, molecular weight, composition and purity analyses to meet desired
      specifications. Our results provide a proof of principle for the purification of
      MenA-PS and MenC-PS with reduced timelines. 

PMID- 26123433
TI  - Engineering foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype O IND R2/1975 for one-step
      purification by immobilized metal affinity chromatography.
AB  - Immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) allows for the efficient protein
      purification via metal affinity tag such as hexa-histidine (His6) sequence. To
      develop a new chromatography strategy for the purification and concentration of
      foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) particles, we inserted the His6-tag at the
      earlier reported site in the VP1 G-H loop of the FMD virus serotype O vaccine
      strain IND R2/1975. Display of the His6-tag on the capsid surface, endowed the
      virus with an increased affinity for immobilized nickel ions. We demonstrated
      that the His6-tagged FMDV could be produced to high titre and purified from the
      infected BHK-21 cell lysates by IMAC efficiently. Further, a 1150-fold reduction
      in protein contaminant level and an 8400-fold reduction in DNA contaminant level
      were achieved in the IMAC purification of His6-tagged FMDV. Through various
      functional assays it has been found that the tagged virus retains its
      functionality and infectivity similar to the non-tagged virus. The affinity
      purification of the His6-tagged FMDV may offer a feasible, alternative approach
      to the current methods of FMDV antigen purification, concentration and process
      scalability. 

PMID- 26123431
TI  - Priorities and trends in the study of proteins in eye research, 1924-2014.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify the proteins that are relevant to eye research and develop
      assays for the study of a set of these proteins. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We
      conducted a bibliometric analysis by merging gene lists for human and mouse from
      the National Center for Biotechnology Information FTP site and combining them
      with PubMed references that were retrieved with the search terms "eye" [MeSH
      Terms] OR "eye" [All Fields] OR "eyes" [All Fields]. RESULTS: For human and mouse
      eye studies, respectively, the total number of publications was 13,525 and 23,895
      and the total number of proteins was 4050 and 4717. For proteins in human and
      mouse eye studies, respectively, 88.7 and 81.7% had five or fewer citations. The
      top 50 most intensively studied proteins for human and mouse eye studies were
      generally in the areas of photoreceptors and phototransduction, inflammation, and
      angiogenesis, neurodevelopment, lens transparency, and cell-cycle and cellular
      processes. We proposed selected reaction monitoring assays that were developed in
      silico for the top fifty most intensively studied proteins in human and mouse eye
      research. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: We conclude that scientists engaged
      in eye research tend to focus on the same proteins. Newer resources and tools in
      proteomics can expand the investigations to lesser-known proteins of the eye.

PMID- 26123434
TI  - Atraumatic splenic rupture from Babesia: A disease of the otherwise healthy
      patient.
AB  - Babesiosis, an infection caused by the protozoan Babesia microti and transmitted
      by the Ixodes scapularis tick, is commonly described in the literature with an
      approximate incidence of 1000 cases per year (Herwaldt et al., 2012). Infections
      in North America occur most frequently during the spring and summer months in the
      Northeastern and Midwestern United States. Babesia can cause a wide spectrum of
      clinical manifestations ranging from a self-limited febrile illness or mild
      anemia to severe illness causing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS),
      disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) and multisystem organ failure.
      Severe illness most commonly occurs in elderly, immunocompromised, or asplenic
      patients (Vannier and Krause, 2012). Splenic rupture has been generally described
      as a complication of severe illness secondary to babesiosis. We describe a case
      of spontaneous splenic rupture in an otherwise healthy woman that required
      emergent splenectomy. Recent case reports suggest that splenic rupture occurs in
      people without known risk factors for severe babesiosis. Physicians should be
      aware of this acute presentation in otherwise healthy individuals. 

PMID- 26123435
TI  - Origin authentication of distillers' dried grains and solubles (DDGS)-
      application and comparison of different analytical strategies.
AB  - In the context of products from certain regions or countries being banned because
      of an identified or non-identified hazard, proof of geographical origin is
      essential with regard to feed and food safety issues. Usually, the product
      labeling of an affected feed lot shows origin, and the paper documentation shows
      traceability. Incorrect product labeling is common in embargo situations,
      however, and alternative analytical strategies for controlling feed authenticity
      are therefore needed. In this study, distillers' dried grains and solubles (DDGS)
      were chosen as the product on which to base a comparison of analytical strategies
      aimed at identifying the most appropriate one. Various analytical techniques were
      investigated for their ability to authenticate DDGS, including spectroscopic and
      spectrometric techniques combined with multivariate data analysis, as well as
      proven techniques for authenticating food, such as DNA analysis and stable
      isotope ratio analysis. An external validation procedure (called the system
      challenge) was used to analyze sample sets blind and to compare analytical
      techniques. All the techniques were adapted so as to be applicable to the DDGS
      matrix. They produced positive results in determining the botanical origin of
      DDGS (corn vs. wheat), and several of them were able to determine the
      geographical origin of the DDGS in the sample set. The maintenance and extension
      of the databanks generated in this study through the analysis of new authentic
      samples from a single location are essential in order to monitor developments and
      processing that could affect authentication. 

PMID- 26123436
TI  - Bromine isotope ratio measurements in seawater by multi-collector inductively
      coupled plasma-mass spectrometry with a conventional sample introduction system.
AB  - A simple and accurate methodology for Br isotope ratio measurements in seawater
      by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) with
      pneumatic nebulization for sample introduction was developed. The Br(+) signals
      could be measured interference-free at high mass resolution. Memory effects for
      Br were counteracted using 5 mmol L(-1) of NH4OH in sample, standard, and wash
      solutions. The major cation load of seawater was removed via cation exchange
      chromatography using Dowex 50WX8 resin. Subsequent Br preconcentration was
      accomplished via evaporation of the sample solution at 90  degrees C, which did
      not induce Br losses or isotope fractionation. Mass discrimination was corrected
      for by external correction using a Cl-matched standard measured in a sample
      standard bracketing approach, although Sr, Ge, and Se were also tested as
      potential internal standards for internal correction for mass discrimination. The
      delta(81)Br (versus standard mean ocean bromide (SMOB)) values thus obtained for
      the NaBr isotopic reference material NIST SRM 977 and for IRMM BCR-403 seawater
      certified reference material are in agreement with literature values. For NIST
      SRM 977, the (81)Br/(79)Br ratio (0.97291) was determined with a precision
      <=0.080/00 relative standard deviation (RSD).

PMID- 26123437
TI  - Structure characterization of unexpected covalent O-sulfonation and ion-pairing
      on an extremely hydrophilic peptide with CE-MS and FT-ICR-MS.
AB  - In this study, we characterized unexpected side-products in a commercially
      synthesized peptide with the sequence RPRTRLHTHRNR. This so-called peptide D3 was
      selected by mirror phage display against low molecular weight amyloid-beta
      peptide (Abeta) associated with Alzheimer's disease. Capillary electrophoresis
      (CE) was the method of choice for structure analysis because the extreme
      hydrophilicity of the peptide did not allow reversed-phase liquid chromatography
      (RPLC) and hydrophilic interaction stationary phases (HILIC). CE-MS analysis,
      applying a strongly acidic background electrolyte and different statically
      adsorbed capillary coatings, provided fast and efficient analysis and revealed
      that D3 unexpectedly showed strong ion-pairing with sulfuric acid. Moreover,
      covalent O-sulfonation at one or two threonine residues was identified as a
      result of a side reaction during peptide synthesis, and deamidation was found at
      either the asparagine residue or at the C-terminus. In total, more than 10
      different species with different m/z values were observed. Tandem-MS analysis
      with collision induced dissociation (CID) using a CE-quadrupole-time-of-flight
      (QTOF) setup predominantly resulted in sulfate losses and did not yield any
      further characteristic fragment ions at high collision energies. Therefore,
      direct infusion Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) MS was
      employed to identify the covalent modification and discriminate O-sulfonation
      from possible O-phosphorylation by using an accurate mass analysis. Electron
      transfer dissociation (ETD) was used for the identification of the threonine O
      sulfation sites. In this work, it is shown that the combination of CE-MS and FT
      ICR-MS with ETD fragmentation was essential for the full characterization of this
      extremely basic peptide with labile modifications. 

PMID- 26123438
TI  - Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopic imaging shows segregation within binary self
      assembled thiol monolayers at ambient conditions.
AB  - Phase segregation of coadsorbed thiol molecules on a gold surface was
      investigated with nanoscale chemical imaging using tip-enhanced Raman
      spectroscopy (TERS). Samples were prepared using mixed solutions containing
      thiophenol (PhS) and an oligomeric phenylene-ethynylene (OPE) thiol, with 10:1,
      2:1, and 1:1 molar ratios. Phase segregation into domains with sizes from ~30 to
      240 nm is observed with these molar ratios. A comparison of TERS images with
      different pixel sizes indicates that a pixel size bigger than 15 nm is not
      reliable in defining nanodomains, because of undersampling. In this study, the
      formation of nanodomains was clearly evident based on the molecular fingerprints
      provided by TERS, while ambient scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was not
      capable of discerning individual domains via their apparent height difference.
      TERS therefore allows to image nanodomains in binary self-assembled monolayers,
      which are invisible to methods solely relying on topographic or electron density
      characteristics of self-assembled monolayers. Moreover, TERS mapping provides
      statistical data to describe the distribution of molecules on the sample surface
      in a well-defined manner. Peak ratio histograms of selected TERS signals from
      samples prepared with different mixing ratios give a better understanding of the
      adsorption preference of the thiols studied, and the relationship of their mixing
      ratio in solution and adsorbed on the surface. 

PMID- 26123439
TI  - Comprehensive evaluation of methods to isolate, quantify, and characterize
      circulating cell-free DNA from small volumes of plasma.
AB  - Circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) has great potential for non-invasive
      diagnostics, and prediction and monitoring of treatment response, but its amount
      is usually limited. Therefore, the choice of methods to extract and characterize
      ccfDNA is crucial. In the current study, we performed the most comprehensive
      comparison of methods for ccfDNA extraction (11 methods), quantification (3
      methods), and estimation of the integrity index (2 methods) from small quantities
      of different kinds of plasma. The QIAamp(r) Circulating Nucleic Acid Kit and the
      Norgen Plasma/Serum Circulating DNA Purification Mini Kit showed the best
      accuracy and reproducibility, but the Norgen kit allowed to extract a higher
      amount of ccfDNA. This workflow provides a reliable protocol for the multiple
      applications of ccfDNA in biomedicine.

PMID- 26123440
TI  - Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging on fresh human brain tumor biopsies
      at microscopic resolution.
AB  - The metabolic composition and concentration knowledge provided by magnetic
      resonance spectroscopy (MRS) liquid and high-resolution magic angle spinning
      spectroscopy (HR-MAS) has a relevant impact in clinical practice during magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) monitoring of human tumors. In addition, the combination
      of morphological and chemical information by MRI and MRS has been particularly
      useful for diagnosis and prognosis of tumor evolution. MRI spatial resolution
      reachable in human beings is limited for safety reasons and the demanding
      necessary conditions are only applicable on experimental model animals.
      Nevertheless, MRS and MRI can be performed on human biopsies at high spatial
      resolution, enough to allow a direct correlation between the chemical information
      and the histological features observed in such biopsies. Although HR-MAS is
      nowadays a well-established technique for spectroscopic analysis of tumor
      biopsies, with this approach just a mean metabolic profile of the whole sample
      can be obtained and thus the high histological heterogeneity of some important
      tumors is mostly neglected. The value of metabolic HR-MAS data strongly depends
      on a wide statistical analysis and usually the microanatomical rationale for the
      correlation between histology and spectroscopy is lost. We present here a
      different approach for the combined use of MRI and MRS on fresh human brain tumor
      biopsies with native contrast. This approach has been designed to achieve high
      spatial (18 * 18 * 50 MUm) and spectral (0.031 MUL) resolution in order to obtain
      as much spatially detailed morphological and metabolical information as possible
      without any previous treatment that can alter the sample. The preservation of
      native tissue conditions can provide information that can be translated to in
      vivo studies and additionally opens the possibility of performing other
      techniques to obtain complementary information from the same sample. 

PMID- 26123441
TI  - Identification of microplastics by FTIR and Raman microscopy: a novel silicon
      filter substrate opens the important spectral range below 1300 cm(-1) for FTIR
      transmission measurements.
AB  - The presence of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems is a topical problem and
      leads to the need of appropriate and reliable analytical methods to distinctly
      identify and to quantify these particles in environmental samples. As an example
      transmission, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) imaging can be used to analyze
      samples directly on filters without any visual presorting, when the environmental
      sample was afore extracted, purified, and filtered. However, this analytical
      approach is strongly restricted by the limited IR transparency of conventional
      filter materials. Within this study, we describe a novel silicon (Si) filter
      substrate produced by photolithographic microstructuring, which guarantees
      sufficient transparency for the broad mid-infrared region of 4000-600 cm(-1).
      This filter type features holes with a diameter of 10 MUm and exhibits adequate
      mechanical stability. Furthermore, it will be shown that our Si filter substrate
      allows a distinct identification of the most common microplastics, polyethylene
      (PE), and polypropylene (PP), in the characteristic fingerprint region (1400-600
      cm(-1)). Moreover, using the Si filter substrate, a differentiation of
      microparticles of polyesters having quite similar chemical structure, like
      polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), is now
      possible, which facilitates a visualization of their distribution within a
      microplastic sample by FTIR imaging. Finally, this Si filter can also be used as
      substrate for Raman microscopy-a second complementary spectroscopic technique-to
      identify microplastic samples.

PMID- 26123442
TI  - Raman spectroscopic differentiation of planktonic bacteria and biofilms.
AB  - Both biofilm formations as well as planktonic cells of water bacteria such as
      diverse species of the Legionella genus as well as Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
      Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli were examined in detail by Raman
      microspectroscopy. Production of various molecules involved in biofilm formation
      of tested species in nutrient-deficient media such as tap water was observed and
      was particularly evident in the biofilms formed by six Legionella species.
      Biofilms of selected species of the Legionella genus differ significantly from
      the planktonic cells of the same organisms in their lipid amount. Also, all
      Legionella species have formed biofilms that differ significantly from the
      biofilms of the other tested genera in the amount of lipids they produced. We
      believe that the significant increase in the synthesis of this molecular species
      may be associated with the ability of Legionella species to form biofilms. In
      addition, a combination of Raman microspectroscopy with chemometric approaches
      can distinguish between both planktonic form and biofilms of diverse bacteria and
      could be used to identify samples which were unknown to the identification model.
      Our results provide valuable data for the development of fast and reliable
      analytic methods based on Raman microspectroscopy, which can be applied to the
      analysis of tap water-adapted microorganisms without any cultivation step.

PMID- 26123443
TI  - Optimization strategies of in-tube extraction (ITEX) methods.
AB  - Microextraction techniques, especially dynamic techniques like in-tube extraction
      (ITEX), can require an extensive method optimization procedure. This work
      summarizes the experiences from several methods and gives recommendations for the
      setting of proper extraction conditions to minimize experimental effort.
      Therefore, the governing parameters of the extraction and injection stages are
      discussed. This includes the relative extraction efficiencies of 11 kinds of
      sorbent tubes, either commercially available or custom made, regarding 53
      analytes from different classes of compounds. They cover aromatics, heterocyclic
      aromatics, halogenated hydrocarbons, fuel oxygenates, alcohols, esters, and
      aldehydes. The number of extraction strokes and the corresponding extraction
      flow, also in dependence of the expected analyte concentrations, are discussed as
      well as the interactions between sample and extraction phase temperature. The
      injection parameters cover two different injection methods. The first is intended
      for the analysis of highly volatile analytes and the second either for the
      analysis of lower volatile analytes or when the analytes can be re-focused by a
      cold trap. The desorption volume, the desorption temperature, and the desorption
      flow are compared, together with the suitability of both methods for analytes of
      varying volatilities. The results are summarized in a flow chart, which can be
      used to select favorable starting conditions for further method optimization. 

PMID- 26123444
TI  - Expanded preconception carrier screening in clinical practice: cutting the
      Gordian Knot.

PMID- 26123445
TI  - The CD200 tolerance-signaling molecule and its receptor, CD200R1, are expressed
      in human placental villus trophoblast and in peri-implant decidua by 5 weeks'
      gestation.
AB  - CD200 expression in murine trophoblast and decidua prevents semi-allogeneic and
      LPS-induced abortions by binding to CD200 receptor-bearing cells to suppress NK
      activity, induces IDO in macrophages, and promotes the generation of regulatory T
      cell subsets. CD200 and its receptor CD200R1 reported in 7-9 weeks' gestation
      human villus trophoblasts are reduced in spontaneous abortion
      syncytiotrophoblasts. By specific antibody staining, we find that both CD200 and
      CD200R1 are expressed even earlier, by 5 weeks' gestation, by villus trophoblasts
      and by decidual cells. Expression of CD200 was validated using two independent
      antibodies. CD200-CD200R1 signaling may be required for human pregnancy success. 

PMID- 26123446
TI  - Australia's nutrition transition 1961-2009: a focus on fats.
AB  - Since the 1960s, Australian diets have changed considerably, influenced by a
      burgeoning multicultural cuisine, increase in urbanisation and food technology
      advances. This has been described as a 'nutrition transition', resulting in the
      adoption of a Western diet pattern, with a shift away from unrefined foods
      towards a diet higher in both plant-derived high PUFA and total fats and refined
      carbohydrates. Utilising the 1961-2009 annual food supply data from the UN FAO,
      the present study investigated changes in the intake of macronutrient and
      specific fatty acid in the Australian population, including that of the PUFA
      linoleic acid (LA), due to its hypothesised role in inflammation and risk for
      obesity. Cumulative change over time for the contribution of specific nutrients
      to total available energy (TAE) was calculated, as was linearity of change. Over
      the time period analysed, the cumulative change in TAE from carbohydrate was 
      9.35 and +16.67 % from lipid. The cumulative change in TAE from LA was +120.48 %.
      Moreover, the cumulative change in the contribution of LA to total PUFA
      availability was +7.1 %. Utilising the average g/d per capita of LA from selected
      dietary sources, the change in the contribution of specific foodstuffs was
      assessed, with total plant oils having a cumulative change of +627.19 % to LA
      availability, equating to a cumulative change of +195.61 % in contribution to
      total LA availability. The results of the present study indicate that LA
      availability in Australia has increased over the previous five decades as a
      result of the availability of increased plant oils, as has total fat, possibly
      contributing to the increasing rates of obesity and obesity-associated co
      morbidities.

PMID- 26123448
TI  - An auxilliary grid method for the calculation of electrostatic terms in density
      functional theory on a real-space grid.
AB  - In this work we show the implementation of a linear scaling algorithm for the
      calculation of the Poisson integral. We use domain decomposition and non-uniform
      auxiliary grids (NGs) to calculate the electrostatic interaction. We demonstrate
      the approach within the PARSEC density functional theory code and perform
      calculations of long 1D carbon chains and other long molecules. Finally, we
      discuss possible applications to additional problems and geometries. 

PMID- 26123447
TI  - Airway Remodeling in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Asthma: the Role
      of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma are both associated with
      airflow restriction and progressive remodeling, which affect the respiratory
      tract. Among various biological factors involved in the pathomechanisms of both
      diseases, proteolytic enzymes--matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)--play an
      important role, especially MMP-9. In this review, the authors discuss the current
      topics of research concerning the possible role of MMP-9 in both mentioned
      diseases. They include the analysis of protein levels, nucleotide polymorphisms
      of MMP-9 gene and their possible correlation with asthma and COPD. Finally, the
      authors refer to the studies on MMP-9 inhibition as a new perspective for
      increasing the effectiveness of treatment in asthma and COPD.

PMID- 26123449
TI  - A voxel-based morphometry study of gray matter correlates of facial emotion
      recognition in bipolar disorder.
AB  - Facial emotion recognition (FER) is one of the many cognitive deficits reported
      in bipolar disorder (BD) patients. The aim of this study was to investigate
      neuroanatomical correlates of FER impairments in BD type I (BD-I). Participants
      comprised 21 euthymic BD-I patients without Axis I DSM IV-TR comorbidities and 21
      healthy controls who were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging and the Penn
      Emotion Recognition Test (ER40). Preprocessing of images used DARTEL
      (diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponentiated Lie algebra) for
      optimized voxel-based morphometry in SPM8. Compared with healthy subjects, BD-I
      patients performed poorly in on the ER40 and had reduced gray matter volume (GMV)
      in the left orbitofrontal cortex, superior portion of the temporal pole and
      insula. In the BD-I group, the statistical maps indicated a direct correlation
      between FER on the ER40 and right middle cingulate gyrus GMV. Our findings are
      consistent with the previous studies regarding the overlap of multiple brain
      networks of social cognition and BD neurobiology, particularly components of the
      anterior-limbic neural network. 

PMID- 26123451
TI  - Reset osmostat: a rare cause of hyponatraemia.
AB  - Neonatal hyponatraemia is common, and related to significant morbidity and
      mortality. We report a case of a preterm newborn (gestational age of 36 weeks)
      with hyponatraemia, and with a prenatal diagnosis of cleft lip and palate, with a
      normal fetal karyotype. On the seventh day of life, a biochemical evaluation for
      jaundice and mild signs of dehydration showed hyponatraemia of 124 mmol/L.
      Investigation showed normal adrenal and thyroid functions, plasma hyposmolality
      (258 mOsm/kg); high urinary sodium (73 mmol/L) and high urinary osmolality (165
      mOsm/kg). Despite oral sodium supplementation and fludrocortisone treatment,
      sodium levels remained between 124 and 130 mmol/L. Cranial ultrasound, brain MRI
      and renal ultrasound were normal. The diagnosis of hyponatraemia was unpredicted
      and the investigation was suggestive of reset osmostat, a subtype of the syndrome
      of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone, characterised by a subnormal
      threshold for antidiuretic hormone secretion.

PMID- 26123450
TI  - Alterations in hippocampal connectivity across the psychosis dimension.
AB  - Recent evidence demonstrates that hippocampal hyperactivity helps mediate
      psychosis. Using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI), we
      examined hippocampal connectivity alterations in individuals with psychosis (PS)
      versus healthy controls (HC). Because of its putative greater involvement in
      psychiatric disorders, we hypothesized that the anterior hippocampus network
      would show greater dysconnectivity in psychosis. We tested rsfMRI connectivity in
      88 PS (including 21 with schizophrenia; 40 with schizoaffective disorder; 27 with
      psychotic bipolar I disorder) and 65 HC. Seed-based voxel-wise connectivity
      analyses were carried out using whole, anterior, and posterior hippocampal seeds.
      No significant differences in functional hippocampal connectivity were found
      across the three conventional diagnoses. PS were then contrasted with HC, showing
      strong reductions in anterior hippocampal connectivity to anterior neocortical
      regions, including medial frontal and anterior cingulate cortices, as well as
      superior temporal gyrus, precuneus, thalamus and cerebellum. Posterior
      hippocampal seeds also demonstrated decreased connectivity in PS, with fewer
      dysconnected regions and a posterior/cerebellar distribution. Whole hippocampal
      outcomes were consistent with anterior/posterior hippocampal connectivity
      changes. Connectivity alterations did not correlate with cognition, clinical
      symptoms, or medication effect variables. Our results suggest a psychosis network
      of decreased hippocampal connectivity with limbic and frontal contributions,
      independent of diagnostic categories. 

PMID- 26123452
TI  - Subdural empyema and unilateral pansinusitis due to a tooth infection.
AB  - Paranasal sinus infections are very common. Dental infections, tumours and
      anatomical malformations can cause unilateral sinusitis. Most cases can be
      treated without complications. However, rare life-threatening intracranial
      complications can occur. Generally, an intracranial complication progresses
      rapidly and can cause meningismus, focal neurological disorders, loss of
      consciousness and seizures. In such cases, an emergency craniotomy and concurrent
      sinus surgery are required. This article presents a 16-year-old patient with
      pansinusitis and subdural empyema that developed after a dental abscess. 

PMID- 26123453
TI  - Is this still just sarcoidosis, or should we a-DRESS a different diagnosis?
AB  - An Afro-Caribbean woman presented with worsening breathlessness, weight loss,
      lethargy and fevers, developing a bilateral florid erythematous rash on her legs.
      She was recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and bilateral hilar
      lymphadenopathy was found on thoracic CT imaging. She was tachycardic and
      investigations revealed pancytopenia, eosinophilia, raised serum ACE, acute
      kidney injury and deranged liver function tests. Biopsy of the lymphadenopathy
      revealed mixed lymphoid cells and liver biopsy revealed extramedullary
      haematopoiesis, with hypercellular marrow found on bone marrow biopsy. Cardiac
      MRI was normal, excluding cardiac sarcoid. The patient developed status
      epilepticus and phenytoin was started. She subsequently developed skin
      desquamation, in keeping with toxic epidermal necrosis. Skin biopsies revealed
      atypical granulomas and multinucleated giant cells, which subsequently resolved
      on steroid treatment. This case highlights an overlap syndrome, with an unclear
      diagnosis between sarcoidosis, drug reaction or rash with eosinophilia and
      systemic symptoms and/or hypereosinophilic syndrome and Still's disease. Hence
      varied serological and clinical features can complicate the distinction between
      diagnoses. 

PMID- 26123454
TI  - Spontaneous gallbladder perforation in a patient of situs inversus totalis,
      misdiagnosed as perforation peritonitis due to gas under the right dome of the
      diaphragm.
AB  - Acute biliary tract disease is a common condition in adults. Apart from bile duct
      perforation, spontaneous perforation of the gallbladder itself is very rare in
      all age groups; to date, all recorded cases are secondary to coexistent disease.
      We present the case report of a 60-year-old adult having an idiopathic
      gallbladder perforation. In our case, an unusual presentation was situs inversus
      totalis and fundal gas shadow was considered as free air under the right dome of
      the diaphragm by mistake. The patient underwent laparotomy and emergency
      cholecystectomy was performed in the perforated gallbladder. To date, no case has
      been described in the literature. 

PMID- 26123455
TI  - Down syndrome, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and hyperthyroidism: a rare
      association.
AB  - The association between Down syndrome (DS) and autoimmune endocrinopathies is
      well established. These disorders become increasingly frequent as children grow
      older and the onset of one often predisposes to the development of others.
      However, there are few cases in the literature reporting the simultaneous onset
      of type 1 diabetes mellitus and hyperthyroidism in children with DS. We describe
      a case of an 8-year-old girl with DS who presented at the emergency department
      with hyperglycaemia and ketosis as a primary manifestation of type 1 diabetes
      mellitus. During the initial investigation, hyperthyroidism was detected, with
      thyroid-stimulating hormone<0.01 uUI/mL, positive antithyroid antibodies and an
      increase in thyroid gland on ultrasound. The authors present this case to
      underline the usefulness of monitoring thyroid function at the diagnosis of
      diabetes, even without apparent clinical manifestations, and to alert for the
      possibility of autoimmune endocrine dysfunction in children with DS.

PMID- 26123456
TI  - Left gastric artery aneurysm in Marfan syndrome: a unique case.
AB  - A 78-year-old man presented with abdominal pain, high International Normalised
      Ratio and rapidly falling haemoglobin. He had a background of Marfan syndrome and
      was on warfarin following mechanical aortic valve replacement. Abdominal CT
      imaging showed haemoperitoneum with a leaking aneurysm of the left gastric artery
      measuring 10 mm in diameter. The decision whether to reverse his anticoagulation
      provided a difficult clinical scenario given the risk of thrombosis associated
      with the mechanical aortic valve. The patient went on to have a successful
      percutaneous embolisation of the aneurysm using a metallic coil and Onyx. Left
      gastric artery aneurysms are rare and have a reported mortality of up to 70%.
      This is the first case of gastric artery aneurysm described in a patient with
      Marfan syndrome.

PMID- 26123457
TI  - Cauda equina syndrome caused by a spontaneous spinal haematoma.

PMID- 26123458
TI  - Diffuse cholangiocarcinoma presenting with hepatic failure and extensive portal
      and mesenteric vein thrombosis.
AB  - A 64-year-old previously healthy man presented with a 4-week history of vague
      right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Imaging studies revealed extensive portal,
      splenic, superior and inferior mesenteric vein thrombosis with mosaic perfusion
      and wedge-shaped areas of liver perfusion abnormalities. An extensive
      thrombophilia workup including tests for factor V Leiden, prothrombin G20210A,
      lupus anticoagulant, paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria, protein C and S,
      homocysteine and antinuclear antibody titres were all negative. Other laboratory
      testing revealed an elevated alkaline phosphatase (340 IU/L). Surgical
      exploration and catheter-directed thrombolysis were not felt to be feasible given
      the extensive clot burden. He was started on anticoagulation therapy. Over the
      next 10 days, he required intensive care unit admission due to progressive
      hepatic encephalopathy and fulminant liver failure. He continued to decline and
      eventually died of multiorgan failure. Autopsy revealed extensive, diffuse
      intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma that had almost entirely replaced his normal
      liver parenchyma.

PMID- 26123459
TI  - Endogenous endophthalmitis secondary to erysipelas.
AB  - A 64-year-old woman with chronic right arm lymphoedema presented with progressive
      and painful vision loss in the right eye following diagnosis of erysipelas in the
      ipsilateral arm. Visual acuity was light perception. Biomicroscopy revealed
      marked conjunctival injection, decreased corneal transparency and an inflammatory
      mass in the anterior chamber, which precluded fundoscopy. The ocular
      ultrasonography features were consistent with acute endophthalmitis, and the
      patient was admitted to the hospital. A systemic evaluation, including complete
      physical examination, echocardiography and blood tests, ruled out other sources
      of infection besides the cutaneous site. Blood cultures were positive for group A
      Streptococcus. A diagnosis of unilateral acute endophthalmitis due to group A
      Streptococcus bacteraemia secondary to erysipelas was made and successfully
      treated with optimal medical care, including prompt intravitreal and systemic
      antibiotic administration. Despite resolution of the infectious process, visual
      acuity did not improve. 

PMID- 26123460
TI  - Initial experience of coiling cerebral aneurysms using the new Comaneci device.
AB  - We present our initial patient experience with an innovative temporary bridging
      device, the Comaneci (Rapid Medical, Israel), to assist in the coiling of
      cerebral aneurysms. The Comaneci device confers the same benefits as balloon
      remodeling but without the risks of parent artery occlusion. This alleviates time
      pressure on the clinician, and could reduce the risk of parent artery thrombosis.
      Three patients were treated with the Comaneci device. Two patients had acute
      ruptured posterior communicating aneurysms and one patient was treated electively
      for a carotico-ophthalmic aneurysm. Excellent occlusion of all three aneurysms
      was obtained. One patient developed a distal middle cerebral artery clot, that
      was treated with intravenous aspirin, with minor neurological consequences. These
      early results show that the Comaneci device can be used to achieve good cerebral
      aneurysm occlusion. Vessel patency is maintained throughout the procedure with
      potential advantages over conventional balloon assisted coiling. 

PMID- 26123461
TI  - Reactivation of chronic hepatitis B during treatment with tenofovir disoproxil
      fumarate: drug interactions or low adherence?
AB  - We describe a case of a 61-year-old man with chronic hepatitis B, hepatitis B e
      antibody (HBeAb) positive, treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), who
      developed virological and biochemical viremic reactivation with an increase in
      transaminase plasma levels. The patient's history revealed that he had
      discontinued TDF about 5 days before admission and, from December 2013, had been
      taking venlafaxine, paroxetine and zolpidem for some episodes of depression.
      Clinical evaluation and laboratory findings excluded the presence of systemic
      diseases that might have been able to explain the drug inefficacy, while
      pharmacological evaluation suggested a possible drug-drug interaction. In order
      to assess the possible occurrence of resistance, mutational analysis of hepatitis
      B virus (HBV) was performed and excluded the presence of resistance for TDF. TDF
      was prescribed, and venlafaxine, paroxetine and zolpidem were discontinued. The
      follow-up at 3, 6 and 12 months documented a good response to TDF with a time
      related decrease of HBV-DNA and alanine aminotransferase.

PMID- 26123462
TI  - Bilateral big-bubble deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty for vascularised corneal
      opacity in a patient with xeroderma pigmentosum.
AB  - A 16-year-old male patient diagnosed with xeroderma pigmentosum developed
      bilateral vascularised corneal opacities after treatment for ocular surface
      squamous neoplasia. The patient underwent an uneventful big-bubble deep anterior
      lamellar keratoplasty in both eyes. The grafts remained clear and the corrected
      distance visual acuity was 20/30 in both the eyes at the final follow-up visit. 

PMID- 26123463
TI  - Malignant mixed Mullerian tumour of uterus secondary to tamoxifen therapy for
      hormone responsive breast cancer.
AB  - Tamoxifen is used in the treatment of hormone responsive breast cancer because of
      its antiestrogenic effect. However, it also has an estrogenic effect on the
      uterus, thereby increasing the risk of endometrial hyperplasia, endometrial polyp
      and endometrial neoplasms such as endometrial adenocarcinoma and malignant mixed
      Mullerian tumour (MMMT). This case describes the possible pathogenesis and risk
      of developing MMMT due to long-term tamoxifen intake in hormone responsive breast
      cancer. 

PMID- 26123464
TI  - Refractory hypocalcaemia complicating metastatic prostatic carcinoma.
AB  - A 72-year-old man with a background of ischaemic heart disease was referred to
      the accident and emergency department with a 1-week history of worsening dyspnoea
      and lethargy. A chest X-ray revealed a right-sided lobar pneumonia and a
      prolonged corrected QT interval was noted on his ECG at presentation. Laboratory
      investigations confirmed severe hypocalcaemia, significant vitamin D deficiency
      and relative hypoparathyroidism. A markedly elevated prostate-specific antigen
      was also identified. Bone scintigraphy demonstrated widespread osteoblastic bone
      metastases. Severe hypocalcaemia persisted despite treatment and he succumbed
      after 60 days of hospitalisation.

PMID- 26123465
TI  - Intrapleural cisplatin for management of malignant pleural effusion in a patient
      with plasma cell leucaemia.
AB  - Plasma cell leucaemia (PCL) is a rare aggressive form of multiple myeloma. It
      occasionally involves the pleura, causing malignant pleural effusion (MPE). MPE
      presents a management dilemma for physicians, given the different treatment
      options available with varying efficacy and side effects. We report a case of a
      64-year-old man with MPE due to PCL, successfully managed with intrapleural
      cisplatin and a tunnelled pleural catheter. We believe this to be the first
      report of management of PCL-associated MPE with intrapleural cisplatin. 

PMID- 26123466
TI  - A slow progressor HIV-infected boy developing quadriplegia with evidence of
      Epstein-Barr virus associated smooth muscle tumour of the cervical spinal cord.
AB  - The authors report a case of slowly progressive HIV in an 11-year-old boy whose
      initial presenting AIDS-defining symptom was progressive quadriplegia with
      complete cord compression and pathological confirmation of Epstein-Barr virus
      associated smooth muscle tumour. Despite tumour removal, quadriplegia persisted
      as did ventilator dependence. 

PMID- 26123467
TI  - Leptomeningeal metastases in pineoblastoma.

PMID- 26123468
TI  - An unusual case of invasive aspergillosis in an immunocompetent individual.
AB  - Invasive aspergillosis is a highly lethal opportunistic infection that poses a
      significant threat to immunocompromised patients. With studies suggesting that
      the incidence of this disease is increasing, and mortality rates remain high,
      early diagnosis and treatment are very important to improve patient survival. We
      present the case of a 33-year-old immunocompetent woman who presented with a
      history of cough and severe breathlessness, and was diagnosed to have invasive
      aspergillosis. This case emphasises the importance of maintaining a high index of
      suspicion and also of remembering that invasive aspergillosis is no longer only a
      disease of immunocompromised individuals. In addition, this case tells us that
      aspergillosis is one of the new emerging infections in intensive care units. 

PMID- 26123469
TI  - 'Pitted' to 'Pleasing' in 20 min.
AB  - In recent times, as a result of extensive drinking water fluoridation, the number
      of patients affected by fluorosis has increased considerably. The purpose of this
      clinical report is to describe the use of enamel microabrasion for a patient with
      severe fluorosis using 37% phosphoric acid and pumice mixture. The results were
      pleasing, and hence 37% phosphoric acid can be recommended as a safe and easily
      available alternative in microabrasion procedures. 

PMID- 26123470
TI  - Unilateral nevoid acanthosis nigricans.

PMID- 26123471
TI  - Sudden cardiac arrest in a healthy young athlete.

PMID- 26123472
TI  - Benign mixed tumour of the breast and breast skin, two cases with diagnostic
      difficulties.
AB  - We present two cases of pleomorphic adenoma, one that developed in the breast
      parenchyma and the other in the breast skin, with their histopathological
      differential diagnosis. 

PMID- 26123473
TI  - Nowcasting daily minimum air and grass temperature.
AB  - Site-specific and accurate prediction of daily minimum air and grass
      temperatures, made available online several hours before their occurrence, would
      be of significant benefit to several economic sectors and for planning human
      activities. Site-specific and reasonably accurate nowcasts of daily minimum
      temperature several hours before its occurrence, using measured sub-hourly
      temperatures hours earlier in the morning as model inputs, was investigated.
      Various temperature models were tested for their ability to accurately nowcast
      daily minimum temperatures 2 or 4 h before sunrise. Temperature datasets used for
      the model nowcasts included sub-hourly grass and grass-surface (infrared)
      temperatures from one location in South Africa and air temperature from four
      subtropical sites varying in altitude (USA and South Africa) and from one site in
      central sub-Saharan Africa. Nowcast models used employed either exponential or
      square root functions to describe the rate of nighttime temperature decrease but
      inverted so as to determine the minimum temperature. The models were also applied
      in near real-time using an open web-based system to display the nowcasts.
      Extrapolation algorithms for the site-specific nowcasts were also implemented in
      a datalogger in an innovative and mathematically consistent manner. Comparison of
      model 1 (exponential) nowcasts vs measured daily minima air temperatures yielded
      root mean square errors (RMSEs) <1  degrees C for the 2-h ahead nowcasts. Model 2
      (also exponential), for which a constant model coefficient (b = 2.2) was used,
      was usually slightly less accurate but still with RMSEs <1  degrees C. Use of
      model 3 (square root) yielded increased RMSEs for the 2-h ahead comparisons
      between nowcasted and measured daily minima air temperature, increasing to 1.4 
      degrees C for some sites. For all sites for all models, the comparisons for the 4
      h ahead air temperature nowcasts generally yielded increased RMSEs, <2.1  degrees
      C. Comparisons for all model nowcasts of the daily grass and grass-surface minima
      yielded increased RMSEs compared to those for air temperature at 2 m. The
      sufficiently small RMSEs using the 2-h ahead nowcasts of the air temperature
      minimum, for the exponential model, demonstrate that the methodology used may be
      applied operationally but with increased errors for grass minimum temperature and
      the 4-h nowcasts.

PMID- 26123474
TI  - A tsunami of unmet needs: pancreatic and ampullary cancer patients' supportive
      care needs and use of community and allied health services.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: People diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have the worst survival
      prognosis of any cancer. No previous research has documented the supportive care
      needs of this population. Our objective was to describe people's needs and use of
      support services and to examine whether these differed according to whether or
      not patients had undergone surgical resection. METHODS: Queensland pancreatic or
      ampullary cancer patients (n = 136, 54% of those eligible) completed a survey,
      which assessed 34 needs across five domains (Supportive Care Needs Survey-Short
      Form) and use of health services. Differences by resection were compared with Chi
      squared tests. RESULTS: Overall, 96% of participants reported having some needs.
      More than half reported moderate-to-high unmet physical (54%) or psychological
      (52%) needs, whereas health system/information (32%), patient care (21%) and
      sexuality needs (16%) were described less frequently. The three most frequently
      reported moderate-to-high needs included 'not being able to do things they used
      to do' (41%), 'concerns about the worries of those close' (37%) and 'uncertainty
      about the future' (30%). Patients with non-resectable disease reported greater
      individual information needs, but their needs were otherwise similar to patients
      with resectable disease. Self-reported use of support was low; only 35% accessed
      information, 28%, 18% and 15% consulted a dietician, complementary medicine
      practitioner or mental health practitioner, respectively. Palliative care access
      was greater (59% vs 27%) among those with non-resectable disease. CONCLUSION:
      Very high levels of needs were reported by people with pancreatic or ampullary
      cancer. Future work needs to elucidate why uptake of appropriate supportive care
      is low and which services are required.

PMID- 26123475
TI  - A systematic review of the cost and cost effectiveness of using standard oral
      nutritional supplements in the hospital setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND & AIMS: There is limited information about the economic impact of
      nutritional support despite its known clinical benefits. This systematic review
      examined the cost and cost effectiveness of using standard (non-disease specific)
      oral nutritional supplements (ONS) administered in the hospital setting only.
      METHODS: A systematic literature search of multiple databases, data synthesis and
      analysis were undertaken according to recommended procedures. RESULTS: Nine
      publications comprising four full text papers, two abstracts and three reports,
      one of which contained 11 cost analyses of controlled cohort studies, were
      identified. Most of these were based on retrospective analyses of randomised
      controlled trials designed to assess clinically relevant outcomes. The sample
      sizes of patients with surgical, orthopaedic and medical problems and
      combinations of these varied from 40 to 1.16 million. Of 14 cost analyses
      comparing ONS with no ONS (or routine care), 12 favoured the ONS group, and among
      those with quantitative data (12 studies) the mean cost saving was 12.2%. In a
      meta-analysis of five abdominal surgical studies in the UK, the mean net cost
      saving was L746 per patient (se L338; P = 0.027). Cost savings were typically
      associated with significantly improved outcomes, demonstrated through the
      following meta-analyses: reduced mortality (Risk ratio 0.650, P < 0.05; N = 5
      studies), reduced complications (by 35% of the total; P < 0.001, N = 7 studies)
      and reduced length of hospital stay (by ~2 days, P < 0.05; N = 5 surgical
      studies) corresponding to ~13.0% reduction in hospital stay. Two studies also
      found ONS to be cost effective, one by avoiding development of pressure ulcers
      and releasing hospital beds, and the other by gaining quality adjusted life
      years. CONCLUSION: This review suggests that standard ONS in the hospital setting
      produce a cost saving and are cost effective. The evidence base could be further
      strengthened by prospective studies in which the primary outcome measures are
      economic.

PMID- 26123476
TI  - "Nothing About Me Without Me": An Interpretative Review of Patient Accessible
      Electronic Health Records.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient accessible electronic health records (PAEHRs) enable patients
      to access and manage personal clinical information that is made available to them
      by their health care providers (HCPs). It is thought that the shared management
      nature of medical record access improves patient outcomes and improves patient
      satisfaction. However, recent reviews have found that this is not the case.
      Furthermore, little research has focused on PAEHRs from the HCP viewpoint. HCPs
      include physicians, nurses, and service providers. OBJECTIVE: We provide a
      systematic review of reviews of the impact of giving patients record access from
      both a patient and HCP point of view. The review covers a broad range of outcome
      measures, including patient safety, patient satisfaction, privacy and security,
      self-efficacy, and health outcome. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted
      using Web of Science to identify review articles on the impact of PAEHRs. Our
      search was limited to English-language reviews published between January 2002 and
      November 2014. A total of 73 citations were retrieved from a series of Boolean
      search terms including "review*" with "patient access to records". These reviews
      went through a novel scoring system analysis whereby we calculated how many
      positive outcomes were reported per every outcome measure investigated. This
      provided a way to quantify the impact of PAEHRs. RESULTS: Ten reviews covering
      chronic patients (eg, diabetes and hypertension) and primary care patients, as
      well as HCPs were found but eight were included for the analysis of outcome
      measures. We found mixed outcomes across both patient and HCP groups, with
      approximately half of the reviews showing positive changes with record access.
      Patients believe that record access increases their perception of control;
      however, outcome measures thought to create psychological concerns (such as
      patient anxiety as a result of seeing their medical record) are still unanswered.
      Nurses are more likely than physicians to gain time efficiencies by using a PAEHR
      system with the main concern from physicians being the security of the PAEHRs.
      CONCLUSIONS: This review implements a novel scoring system, which shows there is
      a lack of rigorous empirical testing that separates the effect of record access
      from other existing disease management programs. Current research is too targeted
      within certain clinical groups' needs, and although there are positive signs for
      the adoption of PAEHRs, there is currently insufficient evidence about the effect
      of PAEHRs on health outcomes for patients or HCPs.

PMID- 26123477
TI  - CD33, not early precursor T-cell phenotype, is associated with adverse outcome in
      adult T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

PMID- 26123478
TI  - Therapeutic plasma exchange as a therapeutic modality for the treatment of IVIG
      complications.
AB  - Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is used for the treatment of a number of
      inflammatory conditions. Hemolysis due to passive transfer of blood group
      antibodies is a well recognized complication of IVIG therapy. Therapy is largely
      supportive and consists of blood product support and hemodialysis. We report the
      use of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) as adjunct therapy for three patients
      with complications attributed to IVIG. Two patients had hemolysis attributed to
      IVIG; one patient was blood group A and the other blood group O. The third
      patient was an orthotopic heart transplant recipient with a type A donor heart,
      and anti-A antibodies detected after infusion of IVIG for suspected antibody
      mediated rejection. Two patients had anti-A titers available that decreased after
      initiation of plasma exchange. The blood group O patient with hemolysis had a
      gradual stabilization of hemoglobin and resolution of the positive DAT. TPE may
      be useful therapy for patients with severe hemolysis caused by IVIG or at risk
      for tissue damage by blood group antibodies.

PMID- 26123479
TI  - 2015 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Focused Update of the
      2013 Guidelines for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke
      Regarding Endovascular Treatment: A Guideline for Healthcare Professionals From
      the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this guideline is to provide a focused update of the current
      recommendations for the endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke. When
      there is overlap, the recommendations made here supersede those of previous
      guidelines. METHODS: This focused update analyzes results from 8 randomized,
      clinical trials of endovascular treatment and other relevant data published since
      2013. It is not intended to be a complete literature review from the date of the
      previous guideline publication but rather to include pivotal new evidence that
      justifies changes in current recommendations. Members of the writing committee
      were appointed by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
      Stroke Council's Scientific Statement Oversight Committee and the American Heart
      Association/American Stroke Association Manuscript Oversight Committee. Strict
      adherence to the American Heart Association conflict of interest policy was
      maintained throughout the consensus process. Recommendations follow the American
      Heart Association/American Stroke Association methods of classifying the level of
      certainty of the treatment effect and the class of evidence. Prerelease review of
      the draft guideline was performed by 6 expert peer reviewers and by the members
      of the Stroke Council Scientific Statement Oversight Committee and Stroke Council
      Leadership Committee. RESULTS: Evidence-based guidelines are presented for the
      selection of patients with acute ischemic stroke for endovascular treatment, for
      the endovascular procedure, and for systems of care to facilitate endovascular
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Certain endovascular procedures have been demonstrated to
      provide clinical benefit in selected patients with acute ischemic stroke. Systems
      of care should be organized to facilitate the delivery of this care.

PMID- 26123480
TI  - Genes involved in muscle contractility and nutrient signaling pathways within
      celiac disease risk loci show differential mRNA expression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Risk gene variants for celiac disease, identified in genome-wide
      linkage and association studies, might influence molecular pathways important for
      disease development. The aim was to examine expression levels of potential risk
      genes close to these variants in the small intestine and peripheral blood and
      also to test if the non-coding variants affect nearby gene expression levels in
      children with celiac disease. METHODS: Intestinal biopsy and peripheral blood RNA
      was isolated from 167 children with celiac disease, 61 with potential celiac
      disease and 174 disease controls. Transcript levels for 88 target genes, selected
      from celiac disease risk loci, were analyzed in biopsies of a smaller sample
      subset by qPCR. Differentially expressed genes (3 from the pilot and 8 previously
      identified) were further validated in the larger sample collection (n = 402) of
      both tissues and correlated to nearby celiac disease risk variants. RESULTS: All
      genes were significantly down- or up-regulated in the intestinal mucosa of celiac
      disease children, NTS being most down-regulated (Fold change 3.6, p < 0.001). In
      contrast, PPP1R12B isoform C was up-regulated in the celiac disease mucosa (Fold
      change 1.9, p < 0.001). Allele specific expression of GLS (rs6741418, p = 0.009),
      INSR (rs7254060, p = 0.003) and NCALD (rs652008, p = 0.005) was also detected in
      the biopsies. Two genes (APPL2 and NCALD) were differentially expressed in
      peripheral blood but no allele specific expression was observed in this tissue.
      CONCLUSION: The differential expression of NTS and PPP1R12B indicate a potential
      role for smooth muscle contractility and cell proliferation in celiac disease,
      whereas other genes like GLS, NCALD and INSR suggests involvement of nutrient
      signaling and energy homeostasis in celiac disease pathogenesis. A disturbance in
      any of these pathways might contribute to development of childhood celiac
      disease.

PMID- 26123481
TI  - Effect of nurses' work environment on patient satisfaction: A cross-sectional
      study of four hospitals in Japan.
AB  - AIM: The Magnet Recognition Program is a system in the USA that recognizes a
      hospital as a magnet hospital for having a high retention rate of nurses and
      providing high quality patient care. The purpose of this study was to examine the
      effect of nurses' work environment with characteristics that are similar to those
      of magnet hospitals on patient satisfaction in Japan. METHODS: The authors
      distributed anonymous self-administered questionnaires in August 2011 to all
      nurses via the directors of the nursing departments of four private hospitals.
      The response rates were 91% (n = 425) for nurses and 51% (n = 379) for patients.
      In the questionnaire for nurses, the items addressed basic attributes and a scale
      of work environment characteristics of a magnet hospital (the Japanese version of
      the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index [PES-NWI]). The
      questionnaire for patients addressed basic attributes, information about their
      hospitalization, and items to assess patient satisfaction. To examine the effects
      of the PES-NWI subscales on patient satisfaction, the authors conducted
      multivariate logistic regression analysis for groups, which were dichotomized by
      75 percentile of the scores of patient satisfaction. RESULTS: The result of model
      1 in the multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that collegial
      nurse-physician relations showed significant relationships with low patient
      satisfaction (odds ratio = 0.144, P < 0.05), while the significance was
      diminished in model 2, in which dummy variables of hospitals were entered into
      the equation. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that a favorable work
      environment for nurses, which is similar to that of magnet hospitals, may
      influence patient satisfaction in hospitals in Japan.

PMID- 26123482
TI  - Increased Expression of Mitochondrial Inner-Membrane Protein Mpv17 After
      Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Adult Rats.
AB  - The Mpv17 gene encodes a mitochondrial inner-membrane protein that has been
      implicated in several cell activities. Almost all studies have previously
      indicated that loss of function or gene-inactivated in Mpv17 can induce the
      development of disease. Here, we explored the roles of Mpv17 protein in the
      pathophysiology of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). An ICH rat model was
      established and assessed by behavioral tests. Using western blot and
      immunohistochemistry, significant up-regulation of Mpv17 was found in neurons in
      brain areas surrounding the hematoma following ICH. The increase of Mpv17
      expression was found to be accompanied by the enhanced expression of p53, Bax,
      cytochrome c (Cyt c) and active caspase-3, and decreased expression of Bcl-2 in
      the pathological process of rat ICH. Furthermore, immunofluorescent staining
      revealed that Mpv17 co-localized with p53, Bax and active caspase-3 in neurons,
      suggesting its biological function in the process of neuronal apoptosis. Our in
      vitro study, using Mpv17 RNA interference in primary cortical neurons, indicated
      that Mpv17 might exert its anti-apoptotic function in neuronal apoptosis. Thus,
      Mpv17 may play a role in protecting the brain from secondary damage following
      ICH.

PMID- 26123483
TI  - A novel embryonic plasticity gene signature that predicts metastatic competence
      and clinical outcome.
AB  - Currently, very few prognosticators accurately predict metastasis in cancer
      patients. In order to complete the metastatic cascade and successfully colonize
      distant sites, carcinoma cells undergo dynamic epithelial-mesenchymal-transition
      (EMT) and its reversal, mesenchymal-epithelial-transition (MET). While EMT
      centric signatures correlate with response to therapy, they are unable to predict
      metastatic outcome. One reason is due to the wide range of transient phenotypes
      required for a tumor cell to disseminate and recreate a similar histology at
      distant sites. Since such dynamic cellular processes are also seen during embryo
      development (epithelial-like epiblast cells undergo transient EMT to generate the
      mesoderm, which eventually redifferentiates into epithelial tissues by MET), we
      sought to utilize this unique and highly conserved property of cellular
      plasticity to predict metastasis. Here we present the identification of a novel
      prognostic gene expression signature derived from mouse embryonic day 6.5 that is
      representative of extensive cellular plasticity, and predicts metastatic
      competence in human breast tumor cells. This signature may thus complement
      conventional clinical parameters to offer accurate prediction for outcome among
      multiple classes of breast cancer patients. 

PMID- 26123484
TI  - [Applicability of the da Vinci robotic system in the skull base surgical
      approach. Preclinical investigation].
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The role of robotic surgery is well established in various
      specialties such as urology and general surgery, but not in others such as
      neurosurgery and otolaryngology. In the case of surgery of the skull base, it has
      just emerged from an experimental phase. OBJECTIVE: To investigate possible
      applications of the da Vinci surgical robot in transoral skull base surgery,
      comparing it with the authors' experience using conventional endoscopic
      transnasal surgery in the same region. METHODS: A transoral transpalatal approach
      to the nasopharynx and medial skull base was performed on 4 cryopreserved cadaver
      heads. We used the da Vinci robot, a 30 degrees  standard endoscope 12mm thick,
      dual camera and dual illumination, Maryland forceps on the left terminal and
      curved scissors on the right, both 8mm thick. Bone drilling was performed
      manually. For the anatomical study of this region, we used 0.5cm axial slices
      from a plastinated cadaver head. RESULTS: Various skull base structures at
      different depths were reached with relative ease with the robot terminals
      CONCLUSIONS: Transoral robotic surgery with the da Vinci system provides
      potential advantages over conventional endoscopic transnasal surgery in the
      surgical approach to this region.

PMID- 26123485
TI  - Selective expression of Parkinson's disease-related Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2
      G2019S missense mutation in midbrain dopaminergic neurons impairs dopamine
      release and dopaminergic gene expression.
AB  - Preferential dysfunction/degeneration of midbrain substantia nigra pars compacta
      (SNpc) dopaminergic (DA) neurons contributes to the main movement symptoms
      manifested in Parkinson's disease (PD). Although the Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2
      (LRRK2) G2019S missense mutation (LRRK2 G2019S) is the most common causative
      genetic factor linked to PD, the effects of LRRK2 G2019S on the function and
      survival of SNpc DA neurons are poorly understood. Using a binary gene expression
      system, we generated transgenic mice expressing either wild-type human LRRK2 (WT
      mice) or the LRRK2 G2019S mutation (G2019S mice) selectively in the midbrain DA
      neurons. Here we show that overexpression of LRRK2 G2019S did not induce overt
      motor abnormalities or substantial SNpc DA neuron loss. However, the LRRK2 G2019S
      mutation impaired dopamine homeostasis and release in aged mice. This reduction
      in dopamine content/release coincided with the degeneration of DA axon terminals
      and decreased expression of DA neuron-enriched genes tyrosine hydroxylase (TH),
      vesicular monoamine transporter 2, dopamine transporter and aldehyde
      dehydrogenase 1. These factors are responsible for dopamine synthesis, transport
      and degradation, and their expression is regulated by transcription factor paired
      like homeodomain 3 (PITX3). Levels of Pitx3 mRNA and protein were similarly
      decreased in the SNpc DA neurons of aged G2019S mice. Together, these findings
      suggest that PITX3-dependent transcription regulation could be one of the many
      potential mechanisms by which LRRK2 G2019S acts in SNpc DA neurons, resulting in
      downregulation of its downstream target genes critical for dopamine homeostasis
      and release. 

PMID- 26123486
TI  - POLG2 disease variants: analyses reveal a dominant negative heterodimer, altered
      mitochondrial localization and impaired respiratory capacity.
AB  - Human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is replicated and repaired by the mtDNA
      polymerase gamma, polgamma. Polgamma is composed of three subunits encoded by two
      nuclear genes: (1) POLG codes for the 140-kilodalton (kDa) catalytic subunit,
      p140 and (2) POLG2 encodes the ~110-kDa homodimeric accessory subunit, p55.
      Specific mutations are associated with POLG- or POLG2-related disorders. During
      DNA replication the p55 accessory subunit binds to p140 and increases
      processivity by preventing polgamma's dissociation from the template. To date,
      studies have demonstrated that homodimeric p55 disease variants are deficient in
      the ability to stimulate p140; however, all patients currently identified with
      POLG2-related disorders are heterozygotes. In these patients, we expect p55 to
      occur as 25% wild-type (WT) homodimers, 25% variant homodimers and 50%
      heterodimers. We report the development of a tandem affinity strategy to isolate
      p55 heterodimers. The WT/G451E p55 heterodimer impairs polgamma function in
      vitro, demonstrating that the POLG2 c.1352G>A/p.G451E mutation encodes a dominant
      negative protein. To analyze the subcellular consequence of disease mutations in
      HEK293 cells, we designed plasmids encoding p55 disease variants tagged with
      green fluorescent protein (GFP). P205R and L475DfsX2 p55 variants exhibit
      irregular diffuse mitochondrial fluorescence and unlike WT p55, they fail to form
      distinct puncta associated with mtDNA nucleoids. Furthermore, homogenous
      preparations of P205R and L475DfsX2 p55 form aberrant reducible multimers. We
      predict that abnormal protein folding or aggregation or both contribute to the
      pathophysiology of these disorders. Examination of mitochondrial bioenergetics in
      stable cell lines overexpressing GFP-tagged p55 variants revealed impaired
      mitochondrial reserve capacity. 

PMID- 26123487
TI  - FANCB is essential in the male germline and regulates H3K9 methylation on the sex
      chromosomes during meiosis.
AB  - Fanconi anemia (FA) is a recessive X-linked and autosomal genetic disease
      associated with bone marrow failure and increased cancer, as well as severe
      germline defects such as hypogonadism and germ cell depletion. Although
      deficiencies in FA factors are commonly associated with germ cell defects, it
      remains unknown whether the FA pathway is involved in unique epigenetic events in
      germ cells. In this study, we generated Fancb mutant mice, the first mouse model
      of X-linked FA, and identified a novel function of the FA pathway in epigenetic
      regulation during mammalian gametogenesis. Fancb mutant mice were infertile and
      exhibited primordial germ cell (PGC) defects during embryogenesis. Further, Fancb
      mutation resulted in the reduction of undifferentiated spermatogonia in
      spermatogenesis, suggesting that FANCB regulates the maintenance of
      undifferentiated spermatogonia. Additionally, based on functional studies, we
      dissected the pathway in which FANCB functions during meiosis. The localization
      of FANCB on sex chromosomes is dependent on MDC1, a binding partner of H2AX
      phosphorylated at serine 139 (gammaH2AX), which initiates chromosome-wide
      silencing. Also, FANCB is required for FANCD2 localization during meiosis,
      suggesting that the role of FANCB in the activation of the FA pathway is common
      to both meiosis and somatic DNA damage responses. H3K9me2, a silent epigenetic
      mark, was decreased on sex chromosomes, whereas H3K9me3 was increased on sex
      chromosomes in Fancb mutant spermatocytes. Taken together, these results indicate
      that FANCB functions at critical stages of germ cell development and reveal a
      novel function of the FA pathway in the regulation of H3K9 methylation in the
      germline. 

PMID- 26123488
TI  - Increased neuronal PreP activity reduces Abeta accumulation, attenuates
      neuroinflammation and improves mitochondrial and synaptic function in Alzheimer
      disease's mouse model.
AB  - Accumulation of amyloid-beta (Abeta) in synaptic mitochondria is associated with
      mitochondrial and synaptic injury. The underlying mechanisms and strategies to
      eliminate Abeta and rescue mitochondrial and synaptic defects remain elusive.
      Presequence protease (PreP), a mitochondrial peptidasome, is a novel
      mitochondrial Abeta degrading enzyme. Here, we demonstrate for the first time
      that increased expression of active human PreP in cortical neurons attenuates
      Alzheimer disease's (AD)-like mitochondrial amyloid pathology and synaptic
      mitochondrial dysfunction, and suppresses mitochondrial oxidative stress.
      Notably, PreP-overexpressed AD mice show significant reduction in the production
      of proinflammatory mediators. Accordingly, increased neuronal PreP expression
      improves learning and memory and synaptic function in vivo AD mice, and
      alleviates Abeta-mediated reduction of long-term potentiation (LTP). Our results
      provide in vivo evidence that PreP may play an important role in maintaining
      mitochondrial integrity and function by clearance and degradation of
      mitochondrial Abeta along with the improvement in synaptic and behavioral
      function in AD mouse model. Thus, enhancing PreP activity/expression may be a new
      therapeutic avenue for treatment of AD. 

PMID- 26123489
TI  - Analysis of YFP(J16)-R6/2 reporter mice and postmortem brains reveals early
      pathology and increased vulnerability of callosal axons in Huntington's disease.
AB  - Cumulative evidence indicates that the onset and severity of Huntington's disease
      (HD) symptoms correlate with connectivity deficits involving specific neuronal
      populations within cortical and basal ganglia circuits. Brain imaging studies and
      pathological reports further associated these deficits with alterations in
      cerebral white matter structure and axonal pathology. However, whether axonopathy
      represents an early pathogenic event or an epiphenomenon in HD remains unknown,
      nor is clear the identity of specific neuronal populations affected. To directly
      evaluate early axonal abnormalities in the context of HD in vivo, we bred
      transgenic YFP(J16) with R6/2 mice, a widely used HD model. Diffusion tensor
      imaging and fluorescence microscopy studies revealed a marked degeneration of
      callosal axons long before the onset of motor symptoms. Accordingly, a
      significant fraction of YFP-positive cortical neurons in YFP(J16) mice cortex
      were identified as callosal projection neurons. Callosal axon pathology
      progressively worsened with age and was influenced by polyglutamine tract length
      in mutant huntingtin (mhtt). Degenerating axons were dissociated from
      microscopically visible mhtt aggregates and did not result from loss of cortical
      neurons. Interestingly, other axonal populations were mildly or not affected,
      suggesting differential vulnerability to mhtt toxicity. Validating these results,
      increased vulnerability of callosal axons was documented in the brains of HD
      patients. Observations here provide a structural basis for the alterations in
      cerebral white matter structure widely reported in HD patients. Collectively, our
      data demonstrate a dying-back pattern of degeneration for cortical projection
      neurons affected in HD, suggesting that axons represent an early and potentially
      critical target for mhtt toxicity. 

PMID- 26123490
TI  - Subcellular localization and RNAs determine FUS architecture in different
      cellular compartments.
AB  - Mutations in Fused in sarcoma (FUS) gene cause a subset of familial amyotrophic
      lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal motor neuron degenerative disease. Wild-type FUS
      is largely localized in the nucleus, but mutant FUS accumulates in the cytoplasm
      and forms inclusions. It is unclear whether FUS depletion from the nucleus or FUS
      inclusions in the cytoplasm triggers motor neuron degeneration. In this study, we
      revealed that the nuclear and cytoplasmic FUS proteins form distinct local
      distribution patterns. The nuclear FUS forms oligomers and appears granular under
      confocal microscope. In contrast, the cytoplasmic FUS forms inclusions with no
      oligomers detected. These patterns are determined by the subcellular localization
      of FUS, regardless of wild-type or mutant protein. Moreover, mutant FUS remained
      or re-directed in the nucleus can oligomerize and behave similarly to the wild
      type FUS protein. We further found that nuclear RNAs are critical to its
      oligomerization. Interestingly, the formation of cytoplasmic FUS inclusions is
      also dependent on RNA binding. Since the ALS mutations disrupt the nuclear
      localization sequence, mutant FUS is likely retained in the cytoplasm after
      translation and interacts with cytoplasmic RNAs. We therefore propose that local
      RNA molecules interacting with the FUS protein in different subcellular
      compartments play a fundamental role in determining FUS protein architecture and
      function. 

PMID- 26123492
TI  - Diabetogenic milieus induce specific changes in mitochondrial transcriptome and
      differentiation of human pancreatic islets.
AB  - In pancreatic beta-cells, mitochondria play a central role in coupling glucose
      metabolism to insulin secretion. Chronic exposure of beta-cells to metabolic
      stresses impairs their function and potentially induces apoptosis. Little is
      known on mitochondrial adaptation to metabolic stresses, i.e. high glucose, fatty
      acids or oxidative stress; being all highlighted in the pathogenesis of type 2
      diabetes. Here, human islets were exposed for 3 days to 25 mm glucose, 0.4 mm
      palmitate, 0.4 mm oleate and transiently to H2O2. Culture at physiological 5.6 mm
      glucose served as no-stress control. Expression of mitochondrion-associated genes
      was quantified, including the transcriptome of mitochondrial inner membrane
      carriers. Targets of interest were further evaluated at the protein level. Three
      days after acute oxidative stress, no significant alteration in beta-cell
      function or apoptosis was detected in human islets. Palmitate specifically
      increased expression of the pyruvate carriers MPC1 and MPC2, whereas the
      glutamate carrier GC1 and the aspartate/glutamate carrier AGC1 were down
      regulated by palmitate and oleate, respectively. High glucose decreased mRNA
      levels of key transcription factors (HNF4A, IPF1, PPARA and TFAM) and energy
      sensor SIRT1. High glucose also reduced expression of 11 mtDNA-encoded
      respiratory chain subunits. Interestingly, transcript levels of the carriers for
      aspartate/glutamate AGC2, malate DIC and malate/oxaloacetate/aspartate UCP2 were
      increased by high glucose, a profile suggesting important mitochondrial
      anaplerotic/cataplerotic activities and NADPH-generating shuttles. Chronic
      exposure to high glucose impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, decreased
      insulin content, promoted caspase-3 cleavage and cell death, revealing
      glucotoxicity. Overall, expression profile of mitochondrion-associated genes was
      selectively modified by glucose, delineating a glucotoxic-specific signature. 

PMID- 26123491
TI  - Nebulin deficiency in adult muscle causes sarcomere defects and muscle-type
      dependent changes in trophicity: novel insights in nemaline myopathy.
AB  - Nebulin is a giant filamentous protein that is coextensive with the actin
      filaments of the skeletal muscle sarcomere. Nebulin mutations are the main cause
      of nemaline myopathy (NEM), with typical adult patients having low expression of
      nebulin, yet the roles of nebulin in adult muscle remain poorly understood. To
      establish nebulin's functional roles in adult muscle, we studied a novel
      conditional nebulin KO (Neb cKO) mouse model in which nebulin deletion was driven
      by the muscle creatine kinase (MCK) promotor. Neb cKO mice are born with high
      nebulin levels in their skeletal muscles, but within weeks after birth nebulin
      expression rapidly falls to barely detectable levels Surprisingly, a large
      fraction of the mice survive to adulthood with low nebulin levels (<5% of
      control), contain nemaline rods and undergo fiber-type switching toward oxidative
      types. Nebulin deficiency causes a large deficit in specific force, and
      mechanistic studies provide evidence that a reduced fraction of force-generating
      cross-bridges and shortened thin filaments contribute to the force deficit.
      Muscles rich in glycolytic fibers upregulate proteolysis pathways (MuRF-1,
      Fbxo30/MUSA1, Gadd45a) and undergo hypotrophy with smaller cross-sectional areas
      (CSAs), worsening their force deficit. Muscles rich in oxidative fibers do not
      have smaller weights and can even have hypertrophy, offsetting their specific
      force deficit. These studies reveal nebulin as critically important for force
      development and trophicity in adult muscle. The Neb cKO phenocopies important
      aspects of NEM (muscle weakness, oxidative fiber-type predominance, variable
      trophicity effects, nemaline rods) and will be highly useful to test therapeutic
      approaches to ameliorate muscle weakness. 

PMID- 26123493
TI  - Mutations of protocadherin 19 in female epilepsy (PCDH19-FE) lead to
      allopregnanolone deficiency.
AB  - Protocadherin 19 (PCDH19) female limited epilepsy (PCDH19-FE; also known as
      epilepsy and mental retardation limited to females, EFMR; MIM300088) is an
      infantile onset epilepsy syndrome with or without intellectual disability (ID)
      and autism. We investigated transcriptomes of PCDH19-FE female and control
      primary skin fibroblasts, which are endowed to metabolize neurosteroid hormones.
      We identified a set of 94 significantly dysregulated genes in PCDH19-FE females.
      Intriguingly, 43 of the 94 genes (45.7%) showed gender-biased expression;
      enrichment of such genes was highly significant (P = 2.51E-47, two-tailed Fisher
      exact test). We further investigated the AKR1C1-3 genes, which encode crucial
      steroid hormone-metabolizing enzymes whose key products include allopregnanolone
      and estradiol. Both mRNA and protein levels of AKR1C3 were significantly
      decreased in PCDH19-FE patients. In agreement with this, the blood levels of
      allopregnanolone were also (P < 0.01) reduced. In conclusion, we show that the
      deficiency of neurosteroid allopregnanolone, one of the most potent GABA receptor
      modulators, may contribute to PCDH19-FE. Overall our findings provide evidence
      for a role of neurosteroids in epilepsy, ID and autism and create realistic
      opportunities for targeted therapeutic interventions. 

PMID- 26123494
TI  - Identification of a novel MKS locus defined by TMEM107 mutation.
AB  - Meckel-Gruber syndrome (MKS) is a perinatally lethal disorder characterized by
      the triad of occipital encephalocele, polydactyly and polycystic kidneys. Typical
      of other disorders related to defective primary cilium (ciliopathies), MKS is
      genetically heterogeneous with mutations in a dozen genes to date known to cause
      the disease. In an ongoing effort to characterize MKS clinically and genetically,
      we implemented a gene panel and next-generation sequencing approach to identify
      the causal mutation in 25 MKS families. Of the three families that did not harbor
      an identifiable causal mutation by this approach, two mapped to a novel disease
      locus in which whole-exome sequencing revealed the likely causal mutation as a
      homozygous splicing variant in TMEM107, which we confirm leads to aberrant
      splicing and nonsense-mediated decay. TMEM107 had been independently identified
      in two mouse models as a cilia-related protein and mutant mice display typical
      ciliopathy phenotypes. Our analysis of patient fibroblasts shows marked
      ciliogenesis defect with an accompanying perturbation of sonic hedgehog
      signaling, highly concordant with the cellular phenotype in Tmem107 mutants. This
      study shows that known MKS loci account for the overwhelming majority of MKS
      cases but additional loci exist including MKS13 caused by TMEM107 mutation. 

PMID- 26123495
TI  - Brain Metastasis in Colorectal Cancer Patients: Survival and Analysis of
      Prognostic Factors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to characterize the rare cohort of
      patients (pts) with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and brain metastasis (BM)
      and to identify prognostic subgroups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In collaboration with
      the Munich Cancer Registry, pts with mCRC and BM who were diagnosed between 1998
      and 2011 were identified. Survival from the time of first diagnosis of colorectal
      cancer (CRC) (OS-1), from the time of diagnosis of metastatic disease (OS-2) and
      of BM (OS-3) was calculated regarding (1) the temporal occurrence of extra- and
      intracranial metastasis (meta- vs. synchronous) and (2) tumor and patient
      characteristics. For survival analysis the Kaplan-Meier estimator and Cox
      regression models were used. RESULTS: A total of 228 pts (134 male [59%], 94
      female [41%]) were identified. The median age was 63 years (142 pts [62%] were 65
      years of age or younger). Most pts presented with primary tumors staged T3/4, N+,
      Grade 2. The primary tumor was located predominantly in the left colon (155 pts;
      68%), especially in the rectum (95 pts; 42%). Median OS-1 was 35.6 months (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 30.1-41.1 months), OS-2 was 16.5 months (95% CI, 13.9
      19.1 months), and OS-3 was 2.0 months (95% CI, 1.5-2.5 months). Median time from
      first CRC diagnosis to BM was 29.2 months. Subsequent BM after extracranial
      metastasis were observed in 184 pts (80.7%), whereas 31 pts (13.6%) presented
      with solitary BM. Univariate analysis did not reveal a prognostic variable for
      overall survival after diagnosis of BM. CONCLUSION: This study presents the
      largest number of pts with mCRC and BM analyzed to date. The results show that
      most mCRC pts develop BM as a late step in the course of disease. Median time
      from first CRC diagnosis to BM is 29.2 months. Only a few pts were diagnosed with
      BM early in the disease or with solitary BM. When BM is present survival is poor.

PMID- 26123496
TI  - Effect of Adjuvant FOLFOX Chemotherapy Duration on Outcomes of Patients With
      Stage III Colon Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies have demonstrated that patients with stage III colon cancer
      who receive adjuvant FOLFOX (5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin) chemotherapy
      experience an improved disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS). However, the
      magnitude of benefit among patients who discontinue FOLFOX early is not well
      known. We sought to examine the rate of FOLFOX treatment completion, determine
      the factors associated with adherence, and explore the relationship between
      duration of FOLFOX treatment and survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed
      patients diagnosed with stage III colon cancer from 2006 to 2010 and initiated at
      least 1 cycle of adjuvant FOLFOX at any 1 of 5 regional cancer centers in British
      Columbia. Logistic regression models were constructed to determine the clinical
      factors associated with treatment completion, which was defined as receipt of >=
      10 cycles of FOLFOX. Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression that accounted for
      known prognostic factors were used to evaluate the relationship between early
      FOLFOX discontinuation and DFS and OS. RESULTS: We identified 616 patients:
      median age of 62 years (range, 26-80), 321 (52%) men, 536 (87%) with T3/4 tumors,
      and 245 (40%) with N2 disease. Among them, 183 (30%) received < 10 and 433 (70%)
      received >= 10 cycles. Adjusting for covariates, female sex and the absence of
      obstruction or perforation were each associated with receiving >= 10 cycles of
      FOLFOX (odds ratio [OR], 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-2.32; P = .01
      and OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.08-3.05; P = .02, respectively). In multivariate
      analyses, early discontinuation of FOLFOX did not affect DFS or OS (hazard ratio
      [HR], 1.16; 95% CI, 0.82-1.63; P = .40 and HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.70-1.61; P = .76,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: Early discontinuation of FOLFOX was not associated
      with differences in survival outcomes, lending support to clinical trials that
      are under way to evaluate the efficacy of shorter durations of therapy.

PMID- 26123497
TI  - The participants' perspective: how biographic-narrative intervention influences
      identity negotiation and quality of life in aphasia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People with aphasia experience a pronounced decrease in quality of
      life (QoL). Beyond that identity negotiation is hindered, which is crucial for
      QoL. Biographic-narrative approaches use life story telling to support identity
      (re)development after disruptive events like stroke. Because of the language
      deficits inherent in aphasia such 'talk-based' approaches have to be modified for
      an optimal use. AIMS: To evaluate an adapted interdisciplinary biographic
      narrative intervention using quantitative measures of health-related quality of
      life (HRQL) and mood. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted to
      gain a deeper understanding of identity development processes in people with
      aphasia. METHODS & PROCEDURES: Twenty-seven participants with various types of
      chronic aphasia were enrolled. The biographic narrative intervention consisted of
      five face-to-face in-depth interviews and seven group sessions conducted over 10
      weeks in a mixed-method design with pre- and post-tests and a follow-up
      assessment 3 months post-intervention. For quantitative evaluation the Aachen
      Life Quality Inventory (ALQI), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the
      Visual Analog Mood Scales (VAMS) were used. Semi-structured interviews were
      conducted post-treatment, including questions concerning the participants'
      experiences with the intervention and identity change. Results were analysed
      using interpretative principles from Grounded Theory. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: For all
      27 participants, we found significant and stable growth in HRQL. Self-reported
      states of mood also improved. As expected, overall cognitively based life
      satisfaction did not change. The interviews revealed two main categories:
      'evaluation of the face-to-face interviews' and 'evaluation of the group
      sessions'. Further analysis found four overlapping main themes which were
      identified as identity issues: agency, control, disease concept and doing things.
      CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: Our quantitative and qualitative results demonstrated
      the benefits associated with the biographic-narrative intervention. The
      participants' sense of self changed through the approach. The findings provide
      foundations for future work using biographic narrative interventions to influence
      QoL and identity renegotiation in people with aphasia.

PMID- 26123498
TI  - Complementary effect of oral administration of Lactobacillus paracasei K71 on
      canine atopic dermatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis is a common skin disease encountered in dogs.
      Glucocorticoids are commonly recommended for symptomatic therapy and well
      tolerated adjunctive therapies may help to reduce the necessary dose and
      associated risks of chronic glucocorticoid use. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate the complementary efficacy of oral
      administration of Lactobacillus paracasei K71 in canine atopic dermatitis (cAD).
      ANIMALS: Forty one dogs with mild to moderate cAD were recruited by19 animal
      hospitals. METHODS: Dogs were assigned to receive either the investigational
      agent (K71 group; n = 20) or cetirizine hydrochloride (control group; n = 21).
      Previously prescribed medications were allowed to be continued during the 12 week
      trial. Dogs were assessed by the investigators using the cAD Extent and Severity
      Index (CADESI) and a medication scoring system. Pet owners assessed their dogs
      using a visual analog scale (VAS) and pruritus scores. RESULTS: The CADESI
      scores, VAS and pruritus scores in both groups at 12 weeks were improved compared
      with their baselines. The CADESI and pruritus scores in the K71 group were
      slightly lower than those in the control group and the reduction of medication
      scores in the K71 group was significantly lower compared with the control group
      (P < 0.05; Student's t-test). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Oral
      administration of K71 can be useful in dogs with cAD as a complementary therapy,
      by providing a steroid-sparing effect.

PMID- 26123499
TI  - STAT4 controls GM-CSF production by both Th1 and Th17 cells during EAE.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of
      multiple sclerosis, mice genetically deficient in the transcription factor signal
      transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) are resistant to disease. In
      contrast, deletion or inhibition of the Th1-associated cytokines IL-12 or
      IFNgamma which act upstream and downstream of STAT4, respectively, does not
      ameliorate disease. These discordant findings imply that STAT4 may act in a non
      canonical role during EAE. Recently, STAT4 has been shown to regulate GM-CSF
      production by CD4 T cells and this cytokine is necessary for the induction of
      EAE. However, it is not known if STAT4 controls GM-CSF production by both Th1 and
      Th17 effector CD4 T cells. METHODS: This study utilized the MOG(35-55) peptide
      immunization model of EAE. Intracellular cytokine staining and novel mixed bone
      marrow chimeric mice were used to study the CD4 T cell-intrinsic role of STAT4
      during disease. STAT4 chromatin-immunoprecipitation (ChIP-PCR) experiments were
      performed to show STAT4 directly interacts with the Csf2 gene loci. RESULTS:
      Herein, we demonstrate that STAT4 controls CD4 T cell-intrinsic GM-CSF production
      by both Th1 and Th17 CD4 T cells during EAE as well as in vitro. Importantly, we
      show that STAT4 interacts with the Csf2 locus in MOG(35-55)-activated effector
      CD4 T cells demonstrating direct modulation of GM-CSF. CONCLUSIONS: Overall,
      these studies illustrate a previously unrecognized role of STAT4 to regulate GM
      CSF production by not only Th1 cells, but also Th17 effector CD4 T cell subsets
      during EAE pathogenesis. Critically, these data highlight for the first time that
      STAT4 is able to modulate the effector profile of Th17 CD4 T cell subsets, which
      redefines our current understanding of STAT4 as a Th1-centric factor.

PMID- 26123500
TI  - Determination of dopamine concentrations in brain extracellular fluid using
      microdialysis with short sampling intervals, analyzed by ultra high performance
      liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: An increase in striatal dopamine is considered essential for the
      rewarding and reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse. We have developed and
      validated an ultra high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass
      spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method for the analysis of dopamine in rat brain
      extracellular fluid (ECF) sampled with microdialysis. The method was applied to
      monitor changes in dopamine concentrations over time after an intravenous bolus
      injection of heroin. METHODS: Dopamine and dopamine-d3 were analyzed using a
      2.1*100mm Aquity T3 column, 1.7MUm particle size, with a formic acid and methanol
      gradient. The run time of the method was 2.5min including equilibration time.
      RESULTS: The method had an LOQ of 0.15ng/mL, which equals 0.55pg on column. The
      calibration curves were linear in the tested area of 0.15 to 16ng/mL. Inter-assay
      coefficients of variation varied between 5-17%, with an accuracy expressed as
      bias of -10 to 5%. The intra-assay coefficients of variation varied between 9
      15%, with an accuracy of -3-7%. DISCUSSION: Heroin metabolism is very rapid.
      Sampling intervals of only 2min were thus required to obtain an adequate number
      of samples of dopamine analysis accompanying the concentration-time profile of
      opioids in the brain. Applying a flow of 2MUL/min, 4MUL of dialysate were sampled
      at 2min intervals, in 7MUL internal standard. The injection volume onto the UPLC
      column was 10MUL. Analyses of microdialysate samples from a rat given heroin i.v.
      showed that it was possible to measure baseline levels and rapid changes in
      dopamine concentrations with very short sampling periods.

PMID- 26123501
TI  - Seizure Freedom Rates and Prognostic Indicators After Resection of
      Gangliogliomas: A Review.
AB  - Gangliogliomas are rare tumors that comprise up to 40% of lesional epilepsy.
      Seizure control represents an important quality-of-life determinant in patients
      with these tumors. Here we present results of a literature review addressing
      rates of seizure freedom in in patients with gangliogliomas. Across studies,
      seizure freedom occurred in 63%-100% of patients. Many studies included follow-up
      times of greater than 5 years, suggesting that the responses are durable. We
      discuss potential prognostic factors associated with seizure freedom, including
      the duration of epilepsy, patient age, frequency and semiology of seizures, tumor
      location, extent of surgical resection, and operative strategy, including
      surgical approach and use of invasive monitoring. Although significant
      differences in study populations and treatments preclude meta-analysis, we
      discuss prognostic factors identified in individual studies. Increased extent of
      resection, lesser duration of epilepsy, and younger age at surgery have been
      associated with increased seizure freedom rates in at least 2 studies each.
      Although all studies were retrospective in nature and are consequently limited by
      the weaknesses inherent to such investigations, the literature suggests that
      surgery is able to relieve most ganglioglioma patients--regardless of patient
      demographics, tumor characteristics, and operative variables--of seizures.

PMID- 26123502
TI  - One Fusion, Two Pathologies: It Works.

PMID- 26123503
TI  - Surgical Skills: How Can They Be Assessed?

PMID- 26123504
TI  - The Pathogenetic Mechanism of Delayed Ischemic Deficit in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid
      Hemorrhage: A Still-Unsolved Issue.

PMID- 26123505
TI  - Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Originating from Mid-Cervical Arterial Injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) occasionally originates from
      extracranial arteries, and SAH caused by cervical trauma is even rarer. CASE
      REPORT: A 17-year-old male patient was admitted to our emergency department
      aftera bike accident; he was drowsy and showed left hemiparesis. Initial computed
      tomography (CT) of the brain showed SAH into the cervicomedullary cistern. A 4
      hour follow-up brain CT revealed heavy bleeding into the basal cistern. Because
      CT angiography did not show any vascular injury, we performed imaging studies of
      the cervical spine. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a blood clot located
      ventral to the C4-C5 level of the spinal cord without any flow void. The
      patient's condition deteriorated over time, and he was accordingly referred for
      surgery. Intraoperatively, a thick subarachnoid hematoma ventral to the spinal
      cord was observed. The hematoma was removed and hemostasis by bipolar
      cauterization was performed for bleeding from a small branch of the anterior
      spinal artery. Postoperatively, the weakness of the lower extremity improved
      considerably. CONCLUSION: In young adult patients with SAH of unexplained origin,
      we suggest that the cervical region be considered as the bleeding focus; in such
      cases, surgical evacuation of bleeding can save some patients.

PMID- 26123506
TI  - The Need for Cost-Effective Neurosurgical Innovation--A Global Surgery
      Initiative.
AB  - The authors discuss the unmet needs for neurosurgical care around the world and
      some of the innovative work being done to address this need. The growing
      demonstration of surgical innovation and cost-effective technology represents an
      opportunity within neurosurgery to achieve the goal of making surgical care more
      accessible to the global population. 

PMID- 26123507
TI  - The comprehensive mechanisms underlying nonhierarchical follicular development in
      geese (Anser cygnoides).
AB  - The laying performance of poultry primarily depends on the growth and development
      of the ovarian follicles. Yet, little is known about the underlying mechanisms
      responsible for nonhierarchical follicular development in avian species. The aim
      of the present study is identify genes that are differentially expressed during
      nonhierarchical follicular development in geese by performing a transcriptome
      screen. A sequencing depth of 13.9 and 14.9 million mapped tags was obtained in
      pools of small white follicles (SWF) and small yellow follicles (SYF),
      respectively, and a total of 160 differentially expressed genes were identified.
      The fold-changes of eight differentially expressed genes, identified using qRT
      PCR, were consistent with the Digital Gene Expression Profiling (DGE) data. Gene
      Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) analyses showed
      that lipid metabolism, steroid secretion, extracellular ligand reactions, enzyme
      activities, the cell cycle, ECM-receptor interactions and the extracellular
      matrix are involved in follicular development. The majority of the newly
      identified genes could be considered to be new candidate genes with potential
      roles in regulating follicular development. These results provide useful
      information for future in-depth studies associated with nonhierarchical
      follicular development in goose reproduction. 

PMID- 26123508
TI  - Binding studies of terbutaline sulfate to calf thymus DNA using
      multispectroscopic and molecular docking techniques.
AB  - The interaction of terbutaline sulfate (TS) with calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) were
      investigated by fluorescence quenching, UV-vis absorption, viscosity
      measurements, ionic strength effect, DNA melting experiments and molecular
      docking. The binding constants (Ka) of TS to ctDNA were determined as 4.92*10(4),
      1.26*10(4) and 1.16*10(4) L mol(-1) at 17, 27 and 37  degrees C, respectively.
      Stern-Volmer plots suggested that the quenching of fluorescence of TS by ctDNA
      was a static quenching. The absorption spectra of TS with ctDNA revealed a slight
      blue shift and hyperchromic effect. The relative viscosity ctDNA was hardly
      changed by TS, and melting temperature varied slightly. For the system of TS
      ctDNA, the intensity of fluorescence decreased with the increase of ionic
      strength. Also, the Ka for TS-double stranded DNA (dsDNA) was clearly weaker than
      that for TS-single stranded DNA (ssDNA). All these results revealed that the
      binding mode of TS with ctDNA should be groove binding. The enthalpy change and
      entropy change suggested that van der Waals force or hydrogen bonds was a main
      binding force between TS and ctDNA. Furthermore, the quantum yield of TS was
      measured by comparing with the standard solution. Based on the Forster energy
      transference theory (FRET), the binding distance between the acceptor and donor
      was calculated. Molecular docking showed that TS was a minor groove binder of
      ctDNA and preferentially bound to A-T rich regions.

PMID- 26123509
TI  - Pyrene functionalized molecular beacon with pH-sensitive i-motif in a loop.
AB  - In this work, we present a spectral characterization of pH-sensitive system,
      which combines the i-motif properties with the spatially sensitive fluorescence
      signal of pyrene molecules attached to hairpin ends. The excimer production
      (fluorescence max. ~480 nm) by pyrene labels at the ends of the molecular beacon
      is driven by pH-dependent i-motif formation in the loop. To illustrate the
      performance and reversible work of our systems, we performed the experiments with
      repeatedly pH cycling between pH values of 7.5+/-0.3 and 6.5+/-0.3. The sensor
      gives analytical response in excimer-monomer switching mode in narrow pH range
      (1.5 pH units) and exhibits high pH resolution (0.1 pH unit).

PMID- 26123510
TI  - Carbon dots preparation as a fluorescent sensing platform for highly efficient
      detection of Fe(III) ions in biological systems.
AB  - Water-soluble carbon dots (CDs) were prepared, using a facile hydrothermal
      oxidation route of cyclic oligosaccharide alpha-CD, as carbon sources, and alkali
      as additives. The successful synthesis of CDs was confirmed by scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), FTIR, UV-visible absorption,
      and emission fluorescence. The characterizations showed that the prepared CDs are
      spherical and well-dispersed in water with average diameters of approximately 2
      nm. These water-soluble CDs have excellent photo stability towards photo
      bleaching during 30 days. The obtained CDs showed a strong emission at the
      wavelength of 450 nm, with an optimum excitation of 360 nm. The fluorescence
      quenching of CDs in the presence of Fe(III) ions was used as fluorescent probes
      for quantifying Fe(III) ions in aqueous solution. Under optimum condition, the
      fluorescence intensity versus Fe(III) concentration gave a linear response,
      according to Stern-Volmer equation. The linearity range of the calibration curve
      and the limit of detection were 1.60*10(-5) to 16.6*10(-5) mol L(-1), and
      6.05*10(-6) mol L(-1), respectively, which was in the range for serum analysis of
      Fe(III). It was concluded that the prepared CDs had a great potential as
      fluorescent probes for applications in analysis of Fe(III) ions in the blood
      serum samples, which is hardly interfered by other ions.

PMID- 26123511
TI  - Conventional univariate versus multivariate spectrophotometric assisted
      techniques for simultaneous determination of perindopril arginin and amlodipine
      besylate in presence of their degradation products.
AB  - The resolving power of spectrophotometric assisted mathematical techniques were
      demonstrated for the simultaneous determination of perindopril arginin (PER) and
      amlodipine besylate (AML) in presence of their degradation products. The
      conventional univariate methods include the absorptivity factor method (AFM) and
      absorption correction method (ACM), which were able to determine the two drugs,
      simultaneously, but not in the presence of their degradation products. In both
      methods, amlodipine was determined directly at 360 nm in the concentration range
      of 8-28 MUg mL(-1), on the other hand perindopril was determined by AFM at 222.2
      nm and by ACM at 208 nm in the concentration range of 10-70 MUg mL(-1). Moreover,
      the applied multivariate calibration methods were able for the determination of
      perindopril and amlodipine in presence of their degradation products using
      concentration residuals augmented classical least squares (CRACLS) and partial
      least squares (PLS). The proposed multivariate methods were applied to 19
      synthetic samples in the concentration ranges of 60-100 MUg mL(-1) perindopril
      and 20-40 MUg mL(-1) amlodipine. Commercially available tablet formulations were
      successfully analysed using the developed methods without interference from other
      dosage form additives except PLS model, which failed to determine both drugs in
      their pharmaceutical dosage form.

PMID- 26123512
TI  - Comparative studies between 4-allyl-, 4-phenyl- and 4-ethyl-1-(2-hydroxybenzoyl)
      thiosemicarbazides and the synthesis, characterization and DFT calculations of
      binary and ternary complexes derived from 4-ethyl (L(1)) and 2,2'-dipyridyl.
AB  - The metal complexes of 4-ethyl-1-(2-hydroxybenzoyl) thiosemicarbazide (L(1)) with
      MCl2 (M=Co(2+), Cu(2+) and Zn(2+)) and Zn(Ac)2 in EtOH were synthesized and
      characterized using spectral (IR, (1)H-NMR, mass, UV-Visible), magnetic moment
      and thermal measurements. Binary and ternary complexes with the general formulae,
      [Cu(L(1)-H)2].EtOH, [Co(L(1)-H)2], [Zn3(L(1)-H)(L(1))(Ac)5], [Cu2(L(2))2(L(1)
      2H)2(H2O)2].4H2O, [Co(L(2))(L(1)-2H)].3H2O and [Zn2(L(2))(OH)(L(1)
      3H)(H2O)].1/2EtOH where L(2) is 2,2'-dipyridyl, have been suggested and
      characterized. The bond lengths, bond angles, chemical reactivates, energy
      components, binding energies and dipole moments for the isolated complexes were
      evaluated by DFT method from DMOL(3). Also, the MEP for L(1) is illustrated. The
      existence of the OH group in the Zn(2+) ternary complexes is confirmed by IR,
      mass and (1)H-NMR spectra. Biological activity for the L(1) and some its
      complexes was tested against DNA. Comparative studies between the ligation
      behavior and reactivity of our previous work derived from 4-phenyl- and 4-allyl-1
      (2-hydroxybenzoyl) thiosemicarbazides have been investigated. 

PMID- 26123513
TI  - Solvatochromic Stokes shift and determination of excited state dipole moments of
      free base and zinc octaethylporphyrin.
AB  - Solvent effects on the photophysical properties of free base octaethylporphyrin
      and zinc octaethylporphyrin are investigated at the ambient temperature (300 K).
      Steady state electronic absorption and emission spectra of the porphyrins are
      recorded in different organic solvents of varying polarity. By using
      solvatochromic Stokes shift method, the dipole moments associated with the first
      excited singlet states of the presently used porphyrin molecules are determined
      for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, from Lippert-Mataga, Bakhshiev
      and Reichardt equations. The dipole moments associated with the singlet ground
      state of the porphyrin molecules are calculated theoretically by using density
      functional theory (DFT) method by adopting B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level using Gaussian
      03 package. Moreover, some other photophysical properties (fluorescence quantum
      yield, fluorescence lifetime, decay rates, etc.) of the porphyrins are measured
      in different solvents of varying polarity.

PMID- 26123514
TI  - A new Salen-type azo-azomethine ligand and its Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II)
      complexes: Synthesis, spectral characterization, crystal structure and
      photoluminescence studies.
AB  - A novel Salen-type azo-azomethine ligand H2agen, 2,2'-{ethane-1,2
      diylbis[nitrilomethylylidene]}bis{4-[ethylphenyldiazenyl]phenol}, formed by the
      1:2M condensation of ethane-1,2-diamine with 5-[(4-ethylphenyl)diazenyl]-2
      hydroxybenzaldehyde and its nickel(II), copper(II), and zinc(II) complexes were
      synthesized and characterized by the spectroscopic and analytical methods. The UV
      vis spectra of the ligand were investigated in three organic solvents (DMSO, DMF
      and CHCl3). The ligand shows two absorption bands assigned to pi-pi(*) and n
      pi(*) transitions in the solvents used. Cu(II), and Ni(II) are tetra-coordinate
      binding to two phenolic oxygens and two imine nitrogens in approximate square
      planar geometry. Zn(II) also coordinates using the same sites like other metals
      but gave tetragonal configuration. Molecular structure of the Cu(II) complex
      [Cu(agen)] was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction study. The X-ray
      data revealed that crystallographic imposed symmetry was absent for the complex
      molecule. In the structure, the Cu(II) ion is coordinated to two phenolate oxygen
      atoms and two imine nitrogen atoms of the azo-azomethine ligand with approximate
      square planar geometry. The ligand H2agen and its metal complexes exhibit strong
      blue emissions with irradiation. Fluorescence quantum yields and excited-state
      lifetimes for the ligand and its complexes were obtained. The H2agen ligand had a
      35% quantum yield and a 3.27 ns excited-state lifetime. Complexation with metal
      ions caused reductions in intensities and quantum yields.

PMID- 26123515
TI  - Structural, spectral, thermodynamical, NLO, HOMO, LUMO and NBO analysis of
      fluconazole.
AB  - Fluconazole is an efficient antifungal drug used in the treatment and prevention
      of superficial and systemic fungal infections. The molecular structure,
      fundamental vibrational wavenumber and intensity of the vibrational bands are
      interpreted, aided by density functional theory method. The results of the
      calculations were applied to simulated spectra of the title compound, which show
      excellent agreement with observed spectra. The vibrational analysis of the title
      compound has been carried out using FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra. Stability of the
      molecule arising from hyperconjugative interactions and charge delocalization has
      been analyzed using natural bond orbital analysis. The present investigation is
      extended to calculate the HOMO-LUMO energy gap, polarizability, Mulliken charges
      and thermodynamical properties of fluconazole at different temperature. The
      calculated HOMO-LUMO energy gap shows that the charge transfer occurs within the
      molecule. The frontier orbital and molecular electrostatic potential surface
      studies have been employed to understand the active sites of fluconazole.
      Nonlinear optical properties related to polarizability and hyperpolarizability
      are also discussed. The absorption characteristics and solvent analysis of
      fluconazole have been made using UV-Vis spectroscopic method. 

PMID- 26123516
TI  - New photophysical insights on effect of gold nanoparticles on the interaction
      between phthalocyanine and PC(70)BM in solution.
AB  - Photoinduced processes in phthalocyanine/functionalized gold nanoparticles
      (Pc/AuNps) have been investigated by spectroscopic measurements. It is observed
      while AuNps reduce the magnitude of binding constant for the non-covalent
      complexation between [6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) and H2
      Pc by 15.8 times in comparison to PC70BM/ZnPc system in toluene, fluorescence of
      ZnPc is strongly quenched in presence of AuNp. Fluorescence lifetime determined
      by time-correlated single photon counting is also strongly reduced for ZnPc in
      presence of AuNp compared to H2-Pc. Symbolic enhancement in quantum yield of
      charge-separation associated with well-defined electrostatic interaction has been
      confirmed for PC70BM/ZnPc supramolecule in presence of AuNp. Transient absorption
      measurements establish that energy transfer mechanism is operative for both
      PC70BM/H2-Pc and PC70BM/ZnPc supramolecules in absence and presence of AuNp in
      toluene. 

PMID- 26123517
TI  - Trends in Prostate-specific Antigen Screening, Prostate Biopsies, Urology Visits,
      and Prostate Cancer Treatments From 2000 to 2012.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the rates of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
      screening, related biopsies and subsequent prostate cancer utilization decreased
      between 2000 and 2012 in a large, managed care organization. METHODS: Male
      members of Kaiser Permanente Southern California who were aged >=40 years and had
      no history of prostate cancer (N = 15,326) were passively followed through
      electronic health plan files from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2012 (N =
      1,539,469). The rates of PSA testing, elevated PSA tests, prostate biopsies,
      prostate cancer treatment (surgery and radiation), and urology visits were
      calculated per year among eligible men and stratified by age group. RESULTS: A
      59% decrease in PSA screening occurred among men aged >=75 years beginning in
      2008, followed by 49% in ages 65-74, 20% in ages 50-64, and 33% in ages 40-49
      years in 2009. However, the number of elevated PSA tests remained largely
      unchanged in all groups except in men aged >=75 years (45% decrease). Prostate
      biopsy rates and urology visits remained consistent among elderly men.
      CONCLUSION: Among men in this managed care setting, although there was a sharp
      decline in PSA testing among men aged >=75 years after 2008, prostate biopsy
      rates remained constant, and subsequent prostate cancer treatment remained
      highest among men in this age group. These results suggest that the guidelines
      recommending against PSA and the subsequent provider-targeted interventions
      implemented in this system resulted in decreased screening across age groups and
      potentially led to more discriminant screening among those aged >=75 years.

PMID- 26123518
TI  - Contrast-enhanced Ultrasonography for Surveillance of Radiofrequency-ablated
      Renal Tumors: A Prospective, Radiologist-blinded Pilot Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the performance of contrast-enhanced
      ultrasonography (CEUS) for surveillance after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of
      small renal masses by comparing CEUS to the contrast-enhanced computed tomography
      (CECT), the current gold standard. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients underwent
      surveillance after RFA of small renal masses (<=4 cm) consisting of CECT scans at
      3 and 6 months and every 6 months thereafter. Participants additionally underwent
      >=1 CEUS within 90 days before CECT. Percutaneous biopsy was performed for
      lesions suspicious for recurrence on CECT. Independent, blinded radiologists
      interpreted CEUS and CECT scans. Intermodality agreement was evaluated with the
      kappa coefficient. RESULTS: In total, 37 pairs of CEUS and CECT scans were
      performed. Median tumor size was 2.5 cm (range, 1.4-4.0 cm). Median follow-up
      from RFA to CEUS was 25 months. Renal tumor recurrences were diagnosed by CECT in
      3 patients and confirmed histopathologically by percutaneous biopsy; 34 CECT
      scans were negative for recurrence. The diagnostic rate of CEUS was 94.6%; 2 CEUS
      scans were nondiagnostic because of patient body habitus. Among diagnostic CEUS
      scans, tumor enhancement was present in 3 and absent in 32. We observed perfect
      concordance between CEUS and CECT (=1.0; P <.0001). CONCLUSION: This is the first
      prospective study incorporating radiologist blinding to evaluate CEUS for RFA
      surveillance. Our findings suggest CEUS may ultimately be incorporated into RFA
      surveillance protocols. The operator dependency of CEUS is a possible barrier to
      its widespread adoption. These findings justify larger studies with longer follow
      up.

PMID- 26123519
TI  - Robot-Assisted Ureteral Reconstruction Using Buccal Mucosa.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the technique of robotic buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty
      as a minimally invasive alternative method of ureteral reconstruction for
      proximal or multifocal ureteral strictures not amenable to primary anastomosis.
      METHODS: Between October 2013 and May 2014, we performed robotic-assisted
      ureteral reconstruction using buccal mucosa grafts in four patients (mean age
      41.5, range 23-67). The indication for surgery was a proximal or multifocal
      stricture not amenable to ureteroureterostomy or ureteropyelostomy. Buccal mucosa
      grafts were harvested to be the length of the strictured segment and 1 cm in
      width and placed in the ureter as an anterior or posterior onlay. Follow up was
      performed with diuretic renogram at least 3 months postoperatively and renal
      ultrasound as well as clinical assessment of symptoms. RESULTS: All 4 patients
      underwent successful robotic-assisted reconstruction of the ureter using buccal
      mucosa graft. There were no intraoperative complications. At a median follow up
      of 15.5 months (range 10.7-18.6), there has been 100% success. CONCLUSION:
      Robotic buccal mucosa graft ureteroplasty is a feasible option for reconstruction
      of proximal or multifocal ureteral strictures that are not amenable to primary
      anastomosis and it avoids the morbidity of alternative procedures.

PMID- 26123520
TI  - Urological Surveillance and Medical Complications after Spinal Cord Injury in the
      United States.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the national patterns of urologic follow up after spinal
      cord injury (SCI) and the occurrence and predictors of urological complications.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used a 5% sample of
      Medicare data 2007-2010. The minimum adequate urologic surveillance was defined
      as a urologist visit, serum creatinine evaluation, and upper urinary tract
      imaging study within the 2-year period. Patients were classified to their most
      severe complication in a multivariate linear regression model. RESULTS: Among the
      7162 patients with SCI, the majority were functionally paraplegic (82.4%) and
      Caucasian (80.9%). Among them, 4.9% received no screening studies over the 2-year
      period; 70.5% received some, but not all screening; and 24.6% received all three
      screening tests. Patients traveled a mean of 21.3 +/- 27.5 miles to receive care.
      A total of 35.7% of patients saw a urologist during the 2-year period; 48.6% had
      some form of upper tract evaluation, with the majority being computed tomography
      scans; and 90.7% had serum creatinine evaluation. Of all patients, 35.8% had a
      minor complication during their 2-year follow up, 17.1% had a moderate
      complication, and 8.0% had a severe complication. In our prediction model,
      patient factors that correlated with increased complications included male
      gender, African American race, paraplegia, and receiving some or all of the
      neurogenic bladder recommended screening. Patients' distance of travel to their
      treating physician (urologist or physiatrist) did not affect the rate of
      complications. CONCLUSION: Urological complications are common in patients with
      SCI who receive Medicare. Most of these patients with SCI are not receiving even
      the minimum recommended surveillance for these urological complications.

PMID- 26123521
TI  - Translocator protein (18 kDa) as a pharmacological target in adipocytes to
      regulate glucose homeostasis.
AB  - As a major regulator in obesity and its associated metabolic complications, the
      proper functioning of adipocytes is crucial for health maintenance, thus serving
      as an important target for the development of anti-obese and anti-diabetic
      therapies. There is increasing evidence that mitochondrial malfunction is a
      pivotal event in disturbing adipocyte cell homeostasis. Among major mitochondrial
      structure components, the high-affinity drug- and cholesterol-binding outer
      mitochondrial membrane translocator protein (18 kDa; TSPO) has shown importance
      across a broad spectrum of mitochondrial functions. Recent studies demonstrated
      the presence of TSPO in white adipocyte mitochondria of mice, and administration
      of TSPO drug ligands to obese mice reduced weight gain and lowered glucose level.
      Therefore, it is of great interest to assess whether TSPO in adipocytes could
      serve as a drug target to regulate adipocyte activities with potential influence
      on weight control and glucose metabolism. Two structurally distinct TSPO drug
      ligands, PK 11195 and FGIN-1-27, improved the intracellular dynamics of 3T3-L1
      adipocytes, such as the production and release of adipokines, glucose uptake, and
      adipogenesis. TSPO knockdown in either differentiated adipocytes or preadipocytes
      impaired these functions. Findings from 3T3-L1 cells were related to human
      primary cells, where TSPO expression was tightly associated with the metabolic
      state of primary adipocytes and the differentiation of primary preadipocytes.
      These results suggest that TSPO expression is essential to safeguard healthy
      adipocyte functions, and that TSPO activation in adipocytes improves their
      metabolic status in regulating glucose homeostasis. Adipocyte TSPO may serve as a
      pharmacologic target for the treatment of obesity and diabetes.

PMID- 26123522
TI  - Perspective of microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 as drug target in
      inflammation-related disorders.
AB  - Prostaglandin (PG)E2 encompasses crucial roles in pain, fever, inflammation and
      diseases with inflammatory component, such as cancer, but is also essential for
      gastric, renal, cardiovascular and immune homeostasis. Cyclooxygenases (COX)
      convert arachidonic acid to the intermediate PGH2 which is isomerized to PGE2 by
      at least three different PGE2 synthases. Inhibitors of COX - non-steroidal anti
      inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - are currently the only available therapeutics that
      target PGE2 biosynthesis. Due to adverse effects of COX inhibitors on the
      cardiovascular system (COX-2-selective), stomach and kidney (COX-1/2
      unselective), novel pharmacological strategies are in demand. The inducible
      microsomal PGE2 synthase (mPGES)-1 is considered mainly responsible for the
      excessive PGE2 synthesis during inflammation and was suggested as promising drug
      target for suppressing PGE2 biosynthesis. However, 15 years after intensive
      research on the biology and pharmacology of mPGES-1, the therapeutic value of
      mPGES-1 as drug target is still vague and mPGES-1 inhibitors did not enter the
      market so far. This commentary will first shed light on the structure, mechanism
      and regulation of mPGES-1 and will then discuss its biological function and the
      consequence of its inhibition for the dynamic network of eicosanoids. Moreover,
      we (i) present current strategies for interfering with mPGES-1-mediated PGE2
      synthesis, (ii) summarize bioanalytical approaches for mPGES-1 drug discovery and
      (iii) describe preclinical test systems for the characterization of mPGES-1
      inhibitors. The pharmacological potential of selective mPGES-1 inhibitor classes
      as well as dual mPGES-1/5-lipoxygenase inhibitors is reviewed and pitfalls in
      their development, including species discrepancies and loss of in vivo activity,
      are discussed. 

PMID- 26123523
TI  - LECT2 induces atherosclerotic inflammatory reaction via CD209 receptor-mediated
      JNK phosphorylation in human endothelial cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) is a recently discovered
      novel hepatokine, leading to skeletal muscle insulin resistance by activating c
      Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). However, its role in atherosclerotic inflammatory
      reactions has not been examined. Therefore, we investigated the function of LECT2
      on the expression of vascular adhesion molecules and inflammatory cytokines in
      human endothelial cells. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs)
      and THP-1 cells were treated with various doses of LECT2 and the functions and
      signaling pathways were analyzed through Western blot and quantitative real-time
      PCR (qPCR). RESULTS: The level of phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK)
      was significantly increased by LECT2 treatment in HUVECs and THP-1 cells, an
      effect that was not seen in cells treated with CD209 siRNA, a known LECT2
      receptor. LECT2 treatment efficiently increased the expression of intercellular
      adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNFalpha), monocyte chemo-attractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and interleukin
      1beta (IL-1beta) in HUVECs and THP-1 cells. However, all these reactions were
      significantly reduced in response to treatment with JNK inhibitor. Furthermore,
      LECT2 treatment significantly exacerbated the adhesion of monocytic cells to
      human endothelial cells, which was also efficiently attenuated by JNK inhibitor.
      CONCLUSIONS: LECT2 significantly induced adhesion molecules and pro-inflammatory
      cytokines in HUVECs via CD209-mediated JNK phosphorylation, suggesting that liver
      derived novel hepatokine, LECT2, might directly mediate in the atherosclerotic
      inflammatory reactions in human endothelial cells.

PMID- 26123525
TI  - Hypertension: high prevalence and a positive association with obesity among
      Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in far north Queensland.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hypertension and other chronic disease risks are common among
      Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults but there is little evidence
      regarding the epidemiology of these risk factors during adolescence. This study
      examines the prevalence of pre-hypertension, hypertension and other
      cardiovascular risk factors in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged
      15-24 years living in remote Indigenous communities in north Queensland. In so
      doing, it aims to better inform the approach to cardiovascular disease in this
      population. METHODS: This is a descriptive study that retrospectively examines
      health service data from a program of community screening, the Young Persons
      Check (YPC). Participants were 1,883 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
      aged 15-24 years who attended for a YPC in 11 remote communities in north
      Queensland between March 2009 and April 2011. RESULTS: Overall, the prevalence of
      pre-hypertension was 34.0%; stage I hypertension was 17.7% and stage II
      hypertension was 3.3%. The prevalence of elevated waist circumference was 47.6%,
      overweight or obesity 45.9%, elevated triglycerides 18.3%, decreased HDL 54.8%
      and proteinuria 24.3%. The prevalence of hypertension (stage I or II) among
      Torres Strait Islander males was 34.1%, Aboriginal males 26.9%, Torres Strait
      Islander females 12.6% and Aboriginal females 13.0%. Hypertension was associated
      with sex (males) (OR= 4.37, p<0.000), overweight (OR=2.46, p<0.000), obesity
      (OR=4.59, p<0.000) and elevated triglycerides (OR=2.38, p<0.000). CONCLUSION: Pre
      hypertension, hypertension and other cardiovascular risk in this population is
      highly prevalent. Hypertension was particularly prevalent among male
      participants. The results reiterate the importance of early life experience in
      cardiovascular disease prevention.

PMID- 26123524
TI  - PPL2ab neurons restore sexual responses in aged Drosophila males through
      dopamine.
AB  - Male sexual desire typically declines with ageing. However, our understanding of
      the neurobiological basis for this phenomenon is limited by our knowledge of the
      brain circuitry and neuronal pathways controlling male sexual desire. A number of
      studies across species suggest that dopamine (DA) affects sexual desire. Here we
      use genetic tools and behavioural assays to identify a novel subset of DA neurons
      that regulate age-associated male courtship activity in Drosophila. We find that
      increasing DA levels in a subset of cells in the PPL2ab neuronal cluster is
      necessary and sufficient for increased sustained courtship in both young and aged
      male flies. Our results indicate that preventing the age-related decline in DA
      levels in PPL2ab neurons alleviates diminished courtship behaviours in male
      Drosophila. These results may provide the foundation for deciphering the
      circuitry involved in sexual motivation in the male Drosophila brain. 

PMID- 26123526
TI  - Preoperative Methods to Reduce Liver Volume in Bariatric Surgery: a Systematic
      Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients qualified for gastric bypass surgery have an enlarged and
      fatty liver. An essential step in gastric bypass surgery is elevation of the left
      liver lobe to expose the gastroesophageal junction. An enlarged and fatty liver
      complicates the surgical procedure and increases the risk for laceration of the
      liver. The aim of our study was to evaluate methods to reduce liver volume in
      patients prior to gastric bypass surgery. METHODS: A systematic literature search
      of multiple databases, including PubMed, EMBASE.com, and the Cochrane Library and
      a hand search of reference lists, was performed. We used the search terms morbid
      obesity and liver, including their synonyms and controlled terms. Inclusion
      criteria were as follows: patients with morbid obesity who qualified for
      bariatric surgery, the use of a preoperative treatment to reduce liver volume,
      and the use of imaging techniques before and after treatment. RESULTS: In total,
      281 patients in 11 different studies were included. Preoperative diets reduced
      liver size by an average of 14%, alternative methods including nutritional
      supplements, reduced liver size between 20 and 43%, and an intragastric balloon
      by 32%. CONCLUSIONS: This review showed that nutritional supplements and
      intragastric balloon are more effective than low calorie diets in reducing liver
      volume prior to gastric bypass surgery. However, low calorie diet is the
      preferable method to reduce liver volume, considering the level of evidence and
      practical applicability. There is a need for well-designed randomized studies
      with sufficient power in order to confirm the effectiveness of preoperative
      methods to reduce liver volume.

PMID- 26123527
TI  - The spontaneous arterial blood pressure rise after aneurysmal subarachnoid
      hemorrhage - a biphasic phenomenon.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: A spontaneous blood pressure (BP) rise is frequently observed after
      aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). The current study was designed to
      characterize the time course of this BP rise and its relation to clinical and
      radiological parameters. METHODS: The diastolic (DBP), mean (MAP), and systolic
      (SBP) BP values were determined in 61 aSAH patients from day 0 to 9. The
      patient's initial status was evaluated by the world federation of neurological
      surgeons scale and the Hijdra scale. The clinical outcome was quantified by the
      modified Rankin Scale, the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended, and the National
      Institute of Health Stroke Scale. The degree of proximal and global vasospasm was
      calculated by comparison of the baseline angiography on day 0 and the control
      angiography on day 8. Furthermore, the influence of propofol and norepinephrine
      application was analyzed. RESULTS: DBP, MAP, and SBP demonstrated an early rise
      in all patients from day 2 till 5 (p<0.001) and remained hypertensive until day
      9. No significant correlation could be detected between this early BP rise and
      most clinical and radiological variables. From day 8 onwards, a divergence of the
      SBP courses was detected between patients with severe vs. non-severe global
      vasospasm. There was a secondary, norepinephrine independent SBP rise in patients
      with severe global vasospasm that significantly correlated with the initial
      Hijdra-scale and an unfavorable clinical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The results
      demonstrate a biphasic BP course with a uniform early BP rise in all patients and
      an additional delayed SBP rise in patients with severe global vasospasm.

PMID- 26123528
TI  - The cost-effectiveness of surgery for trigeminal neuralgia in surgically naive
      patients: a retrospective study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: For 75% of patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN), the pain can be
      controlled with medication. For those who fail medication therapy, surgical
      options include microvascular decompression (MVD), percutaneous radiofrequency
      rhizotomy (RFR), and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Few studies have explored
      the relative cost-effectiveness of these interventions, particularly in
      surgically naive patients. METHODS: A retrospective chart review performed
      between January 2003 and January 2013 identified a total of 89 patients who
      underwent surgical treatment for TN (MVD=27, RFR=23, SRS=39). Outcome measures
      included facial pain (excellent=no pain, no medications; good=no pain,
      medications required; fair=>50% decrease in pain; and poor=<50% decrease in
      pain/secondary surgery), numbness, cost, and the need for a subsequent procedure.
      RESULTS: The average age of patients for each procedure was MVD=53.9+/-16,
      RFR=76.2+/-16, and SRS=74.5+/-12 (p<0.001 MVD vs. other modalities). Total
      charges for the procedures (US dollars) were MVD=50,100+/-9600, RFR=4700+/-2200,
      and SRS=39,300+/-6000 (p<0.001). Actual collections varied by insurance.
      Percentages of postoperative facial numbness were MVD=11%, RFR=52%, and SRS=28%
      (p<0.01). At two years, the rates of recurrence requiring a second procedure were
      MVD=22%, RFR=74%, and SRS=31% (p<0.01). Average times to secondary procedure in
      months were MVD=26+/-29, RFR=59+/-76, and SRS=35+/-25. Mean quality adjusted pain
      free years were MVD=1.58, RFR=2.28, and SRS=0.99. Cost-effectiveness calculations
      in US dollars showed MVD=31,800, RFR=2100, and SRS=39,600 (p<0.001). CONCLUSION:
      There are significant cost differences among the three most common surgical
      procedures for TN. MVD was the most expensive procedure, was more likely to be
      performed on younger patients, had the lowest rate of facial numbness, and had
      the lowest rate of recurrence requiring a secondary procedure. SRS was slightly
      less costly, more likely to be performed on an older population, and had a rate
      of recurrence similar to MVD. RFR was the least expensive procedure, provided
      immediate relief, but was associated with the highest rates of facial numbness
      and recurrence. Based on cost-effectiveness, considering both cost and outcome,
      RFR was the most cost-effective, followed by MVD, and finally SRS.

PMID- 26123529
TI  - Editorial--Avoiding Unethical Helicobacter pylori Clinical Trials: Susceptibility
      Based Studies and Probiotics as Adjuvants.
AB  - As a general rule, any clinical study where the result is already known or when
      the investigator(s) compares an assigned treatment against another assigned
      treatment known to be ineffective in the study population (e.g., in a population
      with known clarithromycin resistance) is unethical. As susceptibility-based
      therapy will always be superior to empiric therapy in any population with a
      prevalence of antimicrobial resistance >0%, any trial that randomizes
      susceptibility-based therapy with empiric therapy would be unethical. The journal
      Helicobacter welcomes susceptibility or culture-guided studies, studies of new
      therapies, and studies of adjuvants and probiotics. However, the journal will not
      accept for review any study we judge to be lacking clinical equipoise or which
      assign subjects to a treatment known to be ineffective, such as a susceptibility
      based clinical trial with an empiric therapy comparator. To assist authors, we
      provide examples and suggestions regarding trial design for comparative studies,
      for susceptibility-based studies, and for studies testing adjuvants or
      probiotics. 

PMID- 26123531
TI  - Reversible control of pore size and surface chemistry of mesoporous silica
      through dynamic covalent chemistry: philicity mediated catalysis.
AB  - Here, we report the synthesis of adaptive hybrid mesoporous silica having the
      ability to reconfigure its pore properties such as pore size and philicity in
      response to the external environment. Decyl chains were reversibly appended to
      the pore walls of silica through imine motifs as dynamic covalent modules to
      switch the pore size and philicity in response to pH. This switching of pore
      properties was used to gate the access of reactants to the gold nanoparticles
      immobilized inside the nanopores, thus enabling us to turn-on/turn-off the
      catalytic reaction. The use of such dynamic covalent modules to govern pore
      properties would enable the realization of intelligent hybrids capable of
      controlling many such chemical processes in response to stimuli. 

PMID- 26123530
TI  - Consequences of Nosema apis infection for male honey bees and their fertility.
AB  - The queens of eusocial bees, ants and wasps mate only during a very short period
      early in life and males therefore produce ejaculates consisting of large numbers
      of high quality sperm. Such extreme selection for high fecundity resulted in
      males investing minimally into their somatic survival, including their immune
      system. However, if susceptible males are unable to protect their reproductive
      tissue from infections, they compromise queen fitness if they transfer pathogens
      during mating. We used the honey bee Apis mellifera and investigated the course
      of infection of the sexually transmitted pathogen Nosema apis. We predicted that
      honey bee males are susceptible but protect their reproductive tissues from
      infections. We investigated the effects of N. apis infections on the midgut, the
      accessory glands and the accessory testes and quantified the consequences of
      infection on male survival and fecundity. We found that N. apis is able to infect
      males, and as infections progressed, it significantly impacted fertility and
      survival in older males. Even though we confirm males to be able to minimize N.
      apis infections of their reproductive tissues, the parasite is present in
      ejaculates of older males. Consequently N. apis evolved alternative routes to
      successfully infect ejaculates and get sexually transmitted. 

PMID- 26123532
TI  - Rapid endosomal escape of prickly nanodiamonds: implications for gene delivery.
AB  - The prickly nanodiamonds easily entered cells via endocytosis followed by unique
      intracellular translocation characteristics-quick endosomal escape followed by
      stable residence in cytoplasm. Endosomal membrane rupturing is identified as the
      major route of nanodiamonds' escaping the vesicle confinement and to the
      cytoplasm. Little cytotoxicity is observed to associate with the nanodiamonds'
      cytosolic release. Such features enable its application for gene delivery, which
      requires both effective cellular uptake and cytosolic release of the gene. Taking
      green fluorescent protein gene as an example, we demonstrate the successful
      cytosolic delivery and expression of such a gene using the prickly nanodiamonds
      as carrier.

PMID- 26123533
TI  - Within-strain variation in behavior differs consistently between common inbred
      strains of mice.
AB  - Genetic and environmental factors interact throughout life and give rise to
      individual differences, i.e., individuality. The diversifying effect of
      environmental factors is counteracted by genetic mechanisms to yield persistence
      of specific features (robustness). Here, we compared robustness between cohorts
      of isogenic mice of eight different commonly used strains by analyzing to what
      extent environmental variation contributed to individuality in each of the eight
      genotypes, using a previously published dataset. Behavior was assessed in the
      home-cage, providing control over environmental factors, to reveal within-strain
      variability in numerous spontaneous behaviors. Indeed, despite standardization
      and in line with previous studies, substantial variability among mice of the same
      inbred strain was observed. Strikingly, across a multidimensional set of 115
      behavioral parameters, several strains consistently ranked high in within-strain
      variability (DBA/2J, 129S1/Sv A/J and NOD/LtJ), whereas other strains ranked low
      (C57BL/6J and BALB/c). Strain rankings of within-strain variability in behavior
      were confirmed in an independent, previously published behavioral dataset using
      conventional behavioral tests administered to different mice from the same
      breeding colonies. Together, these show that genetically inbred mouse strains
      consistently differ in phenotypic robustness against environmental variation,
      suggesting that genetic factors contribute to variation in robustness. 

PMID- 26123534
TI  - The Mouse Genomes Project: a repository of inbred laboratory mouse strain
      genomes.
AB  - The Mouse Genomes Project was initiated in 2009 with the goal of using next
      generation sequencing technologies to catalogue molecular variation in the common
      laboratory mouse strains, and a selected set of wild-derived inbred strains. The
      initial sequencing and survey of sequence variation in 17 inbred strains was
      completed in 2011 and included comprehensive catalogue of single nucleotide
      polymorphisms, short insertion/deletions, larger structural variants including
      their fine scale architecture and landscape of transposable element variation,
      and genomic sites subject to post-transcriptional alteration of RNA. From this
      beginning, the resource has expanded significantly to include 36 fully sequenced
      inbred laboratory mouse strains, a refined and updated data processing pipeline,
      and new variation querying and data visualisation tools which are available on
      the project's website ( http://www.sanger.ac.uk/resources/mouse/genomes/ ). The
      focus of the project is now the completion of de novo assembled chromosome
      sequences and strain-specific gene structures for the core strains. We discuss
      how the assembled chromosomes will power comparative analysis, data access tools
      and future directions of mouse genetics. 

PMID- 26123535
TI  - Medication of inclusion body myositis: a systematic review.
AB  - To investigate the existing evidence on the effectiveness of approaches to
      treating inclusion body myositis and to assess the methodological quality of this
      evidence. The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CENTRAL), Medline, Embase,
      Cinahl, Physiotherapy Evidence (Pedro), McMaster and Web of Science databases
      were searched. The references of identified articles and reviews were also
      checked for relevancy. The methodological quality was assessed according to the
      Cochrane Collaboration's domain-based evaluation framework. Of the 331 identified
      records, 10 were considered relevant for a qualitative analysis. The risk of bias
      was considered being low for six studies and high for four. Eight studies were
      randomized controlled trials, and two were controlled clinical trials. In the
      samples, male gender predominated, and the mean age of the participants varied
      from 51 to 72 years. The duration of intervention varied from 3 to 17 months. One
      small trial on the effect of oxandrolone reported a significant positive result.
      The other trials observed no improvement or insignificant improvement among the
      participants treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, methotrexate, etanercept or
      interferon. Thus far, there is no evidence indicating that any specific treatment
      is the effective in treating inclusion body myositis.

PMID- 26123537
TI  - Dynamic compression combined with SOX-9 overexpression in rabbit adipose-derived
      mesenchymal stem cells cultured in a three-dimensional gradual porous PLGA
      composite scaffold upregulates HIF-1alpha expression.
AB  - There is considerable interest in how the fate of adipose-derived stem cells is
      determined. Physical stimuli play a crucial role in skeletogenesis and in
      cartilage repair and regeneration. In the present study, we investigated the
      comparative and interactive effects of dynamic compression and SRY-related high
      mobility group box gene-9 (SOX-9) on chondrogenesis of rabbit adipose-derived
      stem cells in three-dimensional gradual porous PLGA (polylactic-co-glycolic acid)
      composite scaffolds. Articular cartilage is stratified into zones delineated by
      characteristic changes in cellular, matrix, and nutritive components. As a
      consequence, biochemical and biomechanical properties vary greatly between the
      different zones, giving the tissue its unique structure and, thus, the ability to
      cope with extreme loading. The effects on development of the cartilage were
      examined using a combination of computational modeling to predict alterations in
      biophysical stimuli, detailed morphometric analysis of 3D digital
      representations. In addition, early chondrogenic differentiation was assessed via
      real-time PCR of mRNA expression levels for bone- and cartilage-specific gene
      markers. Our findings define the important role of dynamic compression combined
      with SOX-9 overexpression during in vitro generation of tissue-engineering
      cartilage and suggest that a 3D gradual porous PLGA composite scaffold may
      benefit articular cartilage tissue engineering in cartilage regeneration for
      better force distribution.

PMID- 26123539
TI  - Nerve ultrasound in Miller Fisher variant of Guillain-Barre syndrome.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Focal enlargement of the peripheral and spinal nerves, visualized
      using high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS), has been reported in early Guillain
      Barre syndrome, but not in the Miller Fisher variant. We report the use of HRUS
      in 2 patients who presented with acute ataxic neuropathy, areflexia, and
      ophthalmoparesis. METHODS: Ultrasound and/or nerve conduction studies (NCS) of
      peripheral nerves, the vagus, and spinal nerves C5/6 were performed at onset and
      2 weeks after immunoglobulin therapy. RESULTS: Both patients fulfilled criteria
      for diagnosis of Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS). Laboratory findings revealed
      elevated ganglioside Q1b antibodies in both and an albuminolocytologic
      dissociation in 1 patient. In addition, 1 patient had NCS evidence for
      demyelinating neuropathy. However, ultrasound showed focal enlargement in the
      vagus, the spinal nerves, and/or in the peripheral nerves in both patients. After
      therapy, nerve enlargement decreased in parallel with clinical improvement.
      CONCLUSION: Spinal and/or peripheral nerve enlargement supports the diagnosis of
      MFS in early phases of the disease.

PMID- 26123538
TI  - Next-Generation Covalent Irreversible Kinase Inhibitors in NSCLC: Focus on
      Afatinib.
AB  - First-generation, reversible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine
      kinase inhibitors (TKIs), erlotinib and gefitinib, represented an important
      addition to the treatment armamentarium for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      patients with activating EGFR mutations. However, all patients inevitably develop
      acquired resistance to these agents, primarily due to secondary EGFR mutations,
      molecular aberrations affecting other signaling pathways, or transformation to
      small-cell histology. It was hypothesized that development of second-generation
      TKIs with broader inhibitory profiles could confer longer-lasting clinical
      activity and overcome acquired resistance to first-generation inhibitors. Here,
      we review the development of afatinib, an irreversible ErbB family blocker that
      potently inhibits signaling of all homodimers and heterodimers formed by the
      EGFR, human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2, HER3, and HER4 receptors.
      In two phase III trials in patients with EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC, first-line
      afatinib significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) and health
      related quality of life versus standard-of-care chemotherapy. Moreover, in
      preplanned sub-analyses, afatinib significantly improved overall survival in
      patients harboring EGFR Del19 mutations. Afatinib has also demonstrated clinical
      activity in NSCLC patients who had progressed on erlotinib/gefitinib,
      particularly when combined with cetuximab, and offers 'treatment beyond
      progression' benefit when combined with paclitaxel versus chemotherapy alone.
      Furthermore, a recent phase III study demonstrated that PFS was significantly
      improved with afatinib versus erlotinib for the second-line treatment of patients
      with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. The activity of afatinib in both first
      line and relapsed/refractory settings may reflect its ability to irreversibly
      inhibit all ErbB family members. Afatinib has a well-defined safety profile with
      characteristic gastrointestinal (diarrhea, stomatitis) and cutaneous (rash/acne)
      adverse events. 

PMID- 26123540
TI  - Environmental contaminants of emerging concern in seafood--European database on
      contaminant levels.
AB  - Marine pollution gives rise to concern not only about the environment itself but
      also about the impact on food safety and consequently on public health. European
      authorities and consumers have therefore become increasingly worried about the
      transfer of contaminants from the marine environment to seafood. So-called
      "contaminants of emerging concern" are chemical substances for which no maximum
      levels have been laid down in EU legislation, or substances for which maximum
      levels have been provided but which require revision. Adequate information on
      their presence in seafood is often lacking and thus potential risks cannot be
      excluded. Assessment of food safety issues related to these contaminants has thus
      become urgent and imperative. A database (www.ecsafeseafooddbase.eu), containing
      available information on the levels of contaminants of emerging concern in
      seafood and providing the most recent data to scientists and regulatory
      authorities, was developed. The present paper reviews a selection of contaminants
      of emerging concern in seafood including toxic elements, endocrine disruptors,
      brominated flame retardants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products,
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and derivatives, microplastics and marine
      toxins. Current status on the knowledge of human exposure, toxicity and
      legislation are briefly presented and the outcome from scientific publications
      reporting on the levels of these compounds in seafood is presented and discussed.

PMID- 26123541
TI  - Prevalence of urinary incontinence in older Turkish women, risk factors, and
      effect on activities of daily living.
AB  - PURPOSE: The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of urinary
      incontinence (UI) among older women, risk factors, and the effect on activities
      of daily living (ADLs). METHOD: The study was conducted in family health centers
      located in a city in eastern Turkey. The study population consisted of 1094 women
      age 65 and older chosen with a simple random sampling method. The inclusion
      criteria were 65 years and older, female, and not diagnosed with mental or
      emotional diseases or conditions that obstruct communication. Data were collected
      in face-to-face interviews with the Questionnaire and Daily Life Activities Data
      Form created by the researchers based on the Roper, Logan, and Tierney model.
      RESULTS: The prevalence of UI in women age 65 and older was 51.6%, and the most
      common type was urge incontinence. The number of births, number of abortions, age
      at last birth, and home births affected the development of UI (p<0.001). In
      addition, body mass index, constipation, urinary tract infection, cough, hormone
      replacement therapy, genital prolapse, cystocele, urogenital surgery, nocturia,
      and daily urine output were determined to be risk factors (p<0.001). Among the
      ADLs, 13.7% with UI reported that they had fallen when getting up from the
      toilet, 34.3% had experienced a sense of shame, 45.8% avoided coughing, and 46.5%
      restricted fluid intake. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of UI in women age 65 and older
      was high, and the most common was urge incontinence. UI has many risk factors and
      affects many ADLs.

PMID- 26123542
TI  - Heterologous expression of flax PHOSPHOLIPID:DIACYLGLYCEROL
      CHOLINEPHOSPHOTRANSFERASE (PDCT) increases polyunsaturated fatty acid content in
      yeast and Arabidopsis seeds.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an agriculturally important crop
      with seed oil enriched in alpha-linolenic acid (18:3 (cisDelta9, 12, 15); ALA).
      This polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) is the major determinant for the quality
      of flax seed oil in food, nutraceuticals and industrial applications. The
      recently identified enzyme: phosphatidylcholine diacylglycerol
      cholinephosphotransferase (PDCT), catalyzes the interconversion between
      phosphatidylcholine (PC) and diacylglycerol (DAG), and has been shown to play an
      important role in PUFA accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds. METHODS: Two
      flax PDCT genes were identified using homology-based approach. RESULTS: In this
      study, we describe the isolation and characterization of two PDCT genes from flax
      (LuPDCT1 and LuPDCT2) with very high nucleotide sequence identity (97%) whose
      deduced amino acid sequences exhibited approximately 55% identity with that of A.
      thaliana PDCT (AtROD1). The genes encoded functionally active enzymes that were
      strongly expressed in developing embryos. Complementation studies with the A.
      thaliana rod1 mutant demonstrated that the flax PDCTs were capable of restoring
      PUFA levels in planta. Furthermore, PUFA levels increased in Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae when the flax PDCTs were co-expressed with FATTY ACID DESATURASES
      (FADs), FAD2 and FAD3, while seed-specific expression of LuPDCT1 and LuPDCT2 in
      A. thaliana resulted in 16.4% and 19.7% increases in C18-PUFAs, respectively,
      with a concomitant decrease in the proportion of oleic acid (18:1 (cisDelta9);
      OA). CONCLUSIONS: The two novel PDCT homologs from flax are capable of increasing
      C18-PUFA levels substantially in metabolically engineered yeast and transgenic A.
      thaliana seeds. These flax PDCT proteins appear to play an important dual role in
      the determination of PUFA content by efficiently channelling monounsaturated FAs
      into PC for desaturation and moving the resulting PUFAs out of PC for subsequent
      use in TAG synthesis. These results indicate that flax PDCTs would be useful for
      bioengineering of oil crops to increase PUFA levels for applications in human
      food and nutritional supplements, animal feed and industrial bioproducts.

PMID- 26123543
TI  - Role of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers in triple-negative breast
      cancer.
AB  - Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are a heterogeneous group of breast
      tumours that are often associated with adverse pathological characteristics,
      poorer clinical outcomes and lack of targeted therapeutic options. Epithelial
      mesenchymal transition, which plays a crucial role in tumour development and
      progression, is characterised by a transition from epithelial to mesenchymal
      phenotype and loss of proteins involved in maintaining cell junctions. We aimed
      to correlate protein expression of E-cadherin, Snail2 and transforming growth
      factor beta (TGF-beta) with clinicopathological parameters and survivals of a
      series of patients with TNBC. The study cohort comprised 767 TNBCs diagnosed at
      the Department of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital from 1994 to 2012.
      Immunohistochemistry was performed on sections cut from tissue microarrays using
      the polymeric method. Staining intensity and percentage of positive tumour cells
      were evaluated and correlated with clinicopathological findings and clinical
      outcomes. Loss of E-cadherin expression, Snail2 positivity, cytoplasmic and
      nuclear expression of TGF-beta were observed in 265 (35.2 %), 241 (32.0 %), 272
      (36.2 %) and 262 (34.8 %) tumours, respectively. Histological grade significantly
      correlated with Snail2 positivity (P < 0.001) and loss of membranous E-cadherin
      expression (P = 0.003). Nuclear expression of TGF-beta was inversely correlated
      with histological grade (P = 0.010). Median follow-up was 73 months, with a
      maximum of 236 months. Despite a graphical curve for earlier recurrence in
      patients with tumours harbouring a combinational phenotype of loss of membranous
      E-cadherin and positive Snail2 expression, there was no statistical significance.
      Similarly for women with tumours expressing cytoplasmic TGF-beta, graphical
      representation showed poorer metastasis-free survival but without statistical
      significance. Loss of membranous E-cadherin and positive Snail2 expression are
      significantly associated with high-grade TNBCs. More work is needed to improve
      understanding of the role of TGF-beta in TNBC.

PMID- 26123545
TI  - Extensive range overlap between heliconiine sister species: evidence for
      sympatric speciation in butterflies?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sympatric speciation is today generally viewed as plausible, and some
      well-supported examples exist, but its relative contribution to biodiversity
      remains to be established. We here quantify geographic overlap of sister species
      of heliconiine butterflies, and use age-range correlations and spatial
      simulations of the geography of speciation to infer the frequency of sympatric
      speciation. We also test whether shifts in mimetic wing colour pattern, host
      plant use and climate niche play a role in speciation, and whether such shifts
      are associated with sympatry. RESULTS: Approximately a third of all heliconiine
      sister species pairs exhibit near complete range overlap, and analyses of the
      observed patterns of range overlap suggest that sympatric speciation contributes
      32%-95% of speciation events. Mullerian mimicry colour patterns and host plant
      choice are highly labile traits that seem to be associated with speciation, but
      we find no association between shifts in these traits and range overlap. In
      contrast, climatic niches of sister species are more conserved. CONCLUSIONS:
      Unlike birds and mammals, sister species of heliconiines are often sympatric and
      our inferences using the most recent comparative methods suggest that sympatric
      speciation is common. However, if sister species spread rapidly into sympatry
      (e.g. due to their similar climatic niches), then assumptions underlying our
      methods would be violated. Furthermore, although we find some evidence for the
      role of ecology in speciation, ecological shifts did not show the associations
      with range overlap expected under sympatric speciation. We delimit species of
      heliconiines in three different ways, based on "strict and " "relaxed" biological
      species concepts (BSC), as well as on a surrogate for the widely-used
      "diagnostic" version of the phylogenetic species concept (PSC). We show that one
      reason why more sympatric speciation is inferred in heliconiines than in birds
      may be due to a different culture of species delimitation in the two groups. To
      establish whether heliconiines are exceptional will require biogeographic
      comparative studies for a wider range of animal taxa including many more
      invertebrates.

PMID- 26123546
TI  - Exploration of the treatment challenges in men with intellectual difficulties and
      testicular cancer as seen in Down syndrome: single centre experience.
AB  - Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal disorder in humans as well as the
      most common cause of inherited intellectual disability. A spectrum of physical
      and functional disability is associated with the syndrome as well as a
      predisposition to developing particular malignancies, including testicular
      cancers. These tumours ordinarily have a high cure rate even in widely
      disseminated disease. However, individuals with Down syndrome may have learning
      difficulties, behavioural problems, and multiple systemic complications that have
      the potential to make standard treatment more risky and necessitates
      individualized approach in order to avoid unacceptable harm. There is also
      suggestion that tumours may have a different natural history. Further, people
      with learning disabilities have often experienced poorer healthcare than the
      general population. In order to address these inequalities, legislation,
      professional bodies, and charities provide guidance; however, ultimately,
      consideration of the person in the context of their own psychosocial issues,
      comorbidities, and possible treatment strategies is vital in delivering optimal
      care. We aim to present a review of our own experience of delivering
      individualized care to this group of patients in order to close the existing
      health inequality gap. 

PMID- 26123547
TI  - Steenbeek Brace: Patterns of Wear.
AB  - Steenbeek foot abduction brace (SFAB) is an essential orthotic for maintaining
      correction in congenital talipes equinovarus treated with Ponseti method. As the
      brace is used up to 3 to 4 years of age, we examined the brace wear pattern
      according to a child's development and age. We studied 100 SFABs that were
      rendered unusable or returned by parents due to advanced brace wear. SFABs
      returned due to other reasons such as foot outgrowing shoe size were excluded.
      Each part of the brace (outer sole, insole, upper leather, abduction bar, shoe
      laces) was carefully inspected to observe any pattern of damage. We grouped the
      pattern of brace wear as per the probable causative factors into 3 broad
      categories: due to general use in all age groups, sitters and crawlers, and
      walking children. Shredded tongue, elongated/torn shoelace hole, peeled paint of
      metal abduction bar, shredded outer sole, and frayed shoelace were due to general
      use. Due to sitting and crawling with the brace on, shoe wore on its
      anteromedial, anterolateral, and posterolateral parts at the junction of the
      upper leather and outer sole. The commonest area of shoe wear in walkers was the
      abduction bar, which either broke from the welded junction between bar and metal
      or was bent at midpoint. The SFAB wear pattern was related to the age of the
      child and his/her activities. The reusability of the brace can probably be
      extended with simple improvisations and instructing parents about the correct use
      of the brace. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic, Level IV: Case series.

PMID- 26123544
TI  - Aberrant regulation of the LIN28A/LIN28B and let-7 loop in human malignant tumors
      and its effects on the hallmarks of cancer.
AB  - RNA binding proteins (RBPs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are two of the most important
      post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, and their aberrant expression
      contributes to the development of human malignancies. Let-7, one of the most well
      known tumor suppressors, is frequently down-regulated in a variety of human
      cancers. The RBP LIN28A/LIN28B, a direct target of the let-7 family of miRNAs, is
      an inhibitor of let-7 biogenesis and is frequently up-regulated in cancers.
      Aberrant regulation of the LIN28A/LIN28B and let-7 loop in human malignant tumors
      is reportedly involved in cancer development, contributing to cellular
      proliferation, cell death resistance, angiogenesis, metastasis, metabolism
      reprogramming, tumor-associated inflammation, genome instability, acquiring
      immortality and evading immune destruction. In this review, we summarized the
      mechanisms of LIN28A/LIN28B and let-7 loop aberrant regulation in human cancer
      and discussed the roles and potential mechanisms of the LIN28A/LIN28B and let-7
      loop in regulating the hallmarks of cancer. The crosstalk between LIN28A/LIN28B
      and let-7 loop and certain oncogenes (such as MYC, RAS, PI3K/AKT, NF-kappaB and
      beta-catenin) in regulating hallmarks of cancer has also been discussed.

PMID- 26123548
TI  - Musculoskeletal Health Literacy in Patients With Foot and Ankle Injuries: A Cross
      Sectional Survey of Comprehension.
AB  - PURPOSE: Approximately 33% of Americans have inadequate health literacy, which is
      associated with decreased medical knowledge, increased hospitalization and use of
      emergency care, and worse control of diseases. In this study, the Literacy in
      Musculoskeletal Problems (LiMP) questionnaire was used to evaluate the prevalence
      of limited musculoskeletal literacy in patients presenting to the emergency
      department (ED) with foot and ankle-related complaints, as these individuals may
      be at increased risk for inferior outcomes. METHODS: In this cross-sectional
      study, individuals >=18 years of age presenting with foot and ankle-related
      complaints to the ED were invited to participate. Participants completed a
      demographic survey and the LiMP questionnaire, with scores >=6 indicative of
      adequate musculoskeletal literacy. The prevalence of adequate health literacy and
      the influence of demographic parameters was assessed. P values <.05 were
      considered significant. RESULTS: The mean LiMP score was 5 +/- 2.06. Limited
      musculoskeletal health literacy was seen in 32% of participants (18/56). Although
      gender (male), a current or prior employment in a health care field, and having
      previously seen a physician for a musculoskeletal complaint correlated with
      higher literacy rates, these values did not reach statistical significance (P >
      .05). However, Caucasians and those with higher levels of education (equal to or
      more than college) were significantly more likely to possess adequate literacy (P
      = .008, P = .04, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one third of patients
      presenting to the ED with foot and ankle-related complaints have limited
      musculoskeletal literacy and may lack the necessary skills required for making
      informed decisions regarding their care. This is concerning and has tremendous
      socioeconomic implications, as more than 23 000 people per day require medical
      care for ankle sprains in the United States, with average treatment costs for
      this injury in the ED setting estimated at $1498. Identification of those most at
      risk is thus crucial and will facilitate the development of interventions geared
      toward those most vulnerable. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic, Level IV study.

PMID- 26123549
TI  - Midtarsal Reconstructive Arthrodesis Using a Multi-Axial Correction Fixator in
      Charcot Midfoot Arthropathy.
AB  - Reconstructive surgeries for Charcot foot are challenging due to complicated
      conditions and comorbidities including poor bone quality, sensory abnormalities,
      poor vascularity, and immunity impairment. Although various fixation devices,
      including screws, plates, and external fixators, have been used in the surgical
      reconstruction of the Charcot midfoot, all of these devices are associated with
      some disadvantages. This study aims to evaluate the outcome of the Multi-Axial
      Correction (MAC) monolateral external fixation system for the reconstructive
      surgery of midfoot Charcot neuroarthropathy. A total of 11 feet with midfoot
      Charcot arthropathy were treated surgically using the MAC fixation system solely
      or accompanied with minimal internal fixation. The mean postoperative follow-up
      was 29 (range = 12-44) months. The mean postoperative timing of the MAC system
      removal was 8.7 (range = 5-14) weeks. No pin tract infections were observed. All
      patients went on to successful union and correction of a rocker bottom deformity.
      No cases resulted in limb amputation. All patients were able to ambulate with
      custom diabetic shoes and insoles in 9 patients (10 feet) and commercially
      available shoes in 1 patient (1 foot). This study suggests that the MAC system
      can be an acceptable, easy option for the surgical treatment of midfoot Charcot
      arthropathy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, Level IV: Case series.

PMID- 26123550
TI  - Evaluating the Quality, Accuracy, and Readability of Online Resources Pertaining
      to Hallux Valgus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Internet is one of the most widely utilized resources for health
      related information. Evaluation of the medical literature suggests that the
      quality and accuracy of these resources are poor and written at inappropriately
      high reading levels. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the quality,
      accuracy, and readability of online resources pertaining to hallux valgus.
      METHODS: Two search terms ("hallux valgus" and "bunion") were entered into
      Google, Yahoo, and Bing. With the use of scoring criteria specific to hallux
      valgus, the quality and accuracy of online information related to hallux valgus
      was evaluated by 3 reviewers. The Flesch-Kincaid score was used to determine
      readability. Statistical analysis was performed with t tests and significance was
      determined by P values <.05. RESULTS: Sixty-two unique websites were evaluated.
      Quality was significantly higher with use of the search term "bunion" as compared
      to "hallux valgus" (P = .045). Quality and accuracy were significantly higher in
      resources authored by physicians as compared to nonphysicians (quality, P = .04;
      accuracy, P < .001) and websites without commercial bias (quality, P = .038;
      accuracy, P = .011). However, the reading level was significantly more advanced
      for websites authored by physicians (P = .035). Websites written above an eighth
      grade reading level were significantly more accurate than those written at or
      below an eighth-grade reading level (P = .032). CONCLUSION: The overall quality
      of online information related to hallux valgus is poor and written at
      inappropriate reading levels. Furthermore, the search term used, authorship, and
      presence of commercial bias influence the value of these materials. It is
      important for orthopaedic surgeons to become familiar with patient education
      materials, so that appropriate recommendations can be made regarding valuable
      resources. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

PMID- 26123551
TI  - Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Living Kidney Donation: A Single Center
      Experience.
AB  - This article describes the development and implementation of an initiative at one
      transplant center to annually assess psychosocial outcomes of living kidney
      donors. The current analysis focuses on a cohort of adults (n = 208) who donated
      a kidney at BIDMC between September 2005 and August 2012, in which two post
      donation annual assessments could be examined. One and two year post-donation
      surveys were returned by 59 % (n = 123) and 47 % (n = 98) of LKDs, respectively.
      Those who did not complete any survey were more likely to be younger (p = 0.001),
      minority race/ethnicity (p < 0.001), and uninsured at the time of donation (p =
      0.01) compared to those who returned at least one of the two annual surveys. The
      majority of donors reported no adverse physical or psychosocial consequences of
      donation, high satisfaction with the donation experience, and no donation
      decision regret. However, a sizable minority of donors felt more pain intensity
      than expected and recovery time was much slower than expected, and experienced a
      clinically significant decline in vitality. We describe how these outcomes are
      used to inform clinical practice at our transplant center as well as highlight
      challenges in donor surveillance over time. 

PMID- 26123552
TI  - Long-term outcomes and safety of laparoscopic liver resection surgery for
      hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic colorectal cancer.

PMID- 26123553
TI  - Olfactory Discrimination Learning in an Outbred and an Inbred Strain of Mice.
AB  - The present study compared olfactory discrimination learning in CD-1 mice, a
      widely used outbred strain of mice with that of C57BL/6J mice, one of the most
      widely used inbred mouse strains. Using an automated olfactometer and a standard
      operant conditioning procedure, I found that CD-1 mice needed 60 trials to reach
      learning criterion in an initial 2-odor discrimination task. They improved in
      learning speed in subsequent discrimination tasks in which either the rewarded or
      the unrewarded stimulus was replaced for a new stimulus. C57BL/6J mice, in
      contrast, needed 120 trials to reach learning criterion in an initial 2-odor
      discrimination task and also needed significantly more trials than the CD-1 mice
      in 3 of the 4 subsequent discrimination tasks. Further, the results showed that
      discrimination learning performance of both mouse strains was largely unaffected
      by the odor stimuli used. The results of the present study demonstrate
      differences between an outbred and an inbred strain of mice with regard to odor
      discrimination learning, a classical measure of cognitive performance in
      comparative psychology. Thus, they emphasize the need to be careful with
      generalizing statements as to cognitive or sensory abilities of Mus musculus when
      inbred strains of mice are used. 

PMID- 26123555
TI  - Leg Swelling and Mildly Deranged Liver Tests: An Unusual Presentation of a Usual
      Diagnosis. Multiple Simple Liver Cysts.

PMID- 26123554
TI  - Cartilage in facet joints of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) shows
      signs of cartilage degeneration rather than chondrocyte hypertrophy: implications
      for joint remodeling in AS.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In ankylosing spondylitis (AS), joint remodeling leading to joint
      ankylosis involves cartilage fusion. Here, we analyzed whether chondrocyte
      hypertrophy is involved in cartilage fusion and subsequent joint remodeling in
      AS. METHODS: We assessed the expression of chondrocyte hypertrophy markers runt
      related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), type X collagen (COL10), matrix
      metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13), osteocalcin and beta-catenin and the expression of
      positive bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) and negative regulators (dickkopf-1
      (DKK-1)), sclerostin, (wingless inhibitory factor 1 (wif-1)) of chondrocyte
      hypertrophy in the cartilage of facet joints from patients with AS or
      osteoarthritis (OA) and from autopsy controls (CO) by immunohistochemistry. Sex
      determining region Y (SRY)-box 9 (Sox9) and type II collagen (COL2) expression
      was assessed as indicators of chondrocyte integrity and function. RESULTS: The
      percentage of hypertrophic chondrocytes expressing Runx2, COL10, MMP13,
      osteocalcin or beta-catenin was significantly increased in OA but not in AS
      joints compared to CO joints. Frequencies of sclerostin-positive and DKK-1
      positive chondrocytes were similar in AS and CO. In contrast, wif-1- but also BMP
      2- and BMP-7-expressing and Sox9-expressing chondrocytes were drastically reduced
      in AS joints compared to CO as well as OA joints whereas the percentage of COL2
      expressing chondrocytes was significantly higher in AS joints compared to CO
      joints. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence for chondrocyte hypertrophy within
      hyaline cartilage of AS joints even in the presence of reduced expression of the
      wnt inhibitor wif-1 suggesting that chondrocyte hypertrophy is not a predominant
      pathway involved in joint fusion and remodeling in AS. In contrast, the reduced
      expression of Sox9, BMP-2 and BMP-7 concomitantly with induced COL2 expression
      rather point to disturbed cartilage homeostasis promoting cartilage degeneration
      in AS.

PMID- 26123557
TI  - A Rare Cause of Abdominal Pain by Pancreatic Mass in a Young Female Patient.
      Carcinosarcoma of the Pancreas.

PMID- 26123558
TI  - An Unusual Cause of Anterior Abdominal Wall Abscess. Left Anterior Abdominal Wall
      Abscess Secondary to Fish Bone Migration from the Gastrointestinal Tract.

PMID- 26123559
TI  - Abdominal Distension in a Patient With Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Benign
      Pneumatosis Intestinalis and Pneumoperitoneum Associated With Sorafenib Therapy.

PMID- 26123560
TI  - Esophageal Ulcer in a Lung Cancer Patient. Crizotinib-induced Esophageal Injury.

PMID- 26123561
TI  - Reduction in Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Type Prevalence Among Young Women
      Screened for Cervical Cancer in an Integrated US Healthcare Delivery System in
      2007 and 2012-2013.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the United States, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is
      recommended for 11- or 12-year-olds, and for young adults not previously
      vaccinated. Early vaccine impact can be measured by reductions in vaccine-type
      (VT) HPV prevalence. METHODS: Consecutive residual cervical specimens were
      retained from women aged 20-29 years at Kaiser Permanente Northwest in 2007,
      2012, and 2013. HPV genotypes were determined using L1 consensus polymerase chain
      reaction with type-specific hybridization to detect 37 types, including VT HPV
      (HPV type 6, 11, 16, and 18). We compared HPV prevalence in 2007 and 2012-2013,
      and we evaluated predictors of VT HPV and any-HPV prevalence in 2012-2013.
      RESULTS: In 2012-2013, 31.9% of 4181 women had initiated HPV vaccination. VT HPV
      prevalence decreased from 10.6% in 2007 to 6.2% in 2012-2013 (P < .001). In 2012
      2013, VT HPV prevalence was significantly lower among those who initiated
      vaccination <19 years (adjusted prevalence ratio, 0.1; 95% confidence interval,
      .1-.3) than among those who were not vaccinated, and higher among those who had
      chlamydia, human immunodeficiency virus, or pregnancy testing in the past year
      than among those who did not (adjusted prevalence ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence
      interval, 1.1-1.8). CONCLUSIONS: Reduction in VT HPV was found in young women in
      an integrated healthcare delivery system within 6 years of vaccine introduction,
      indicating early HPV vaccine impact.

PMID- 26123562
TI  - A Bivalent Vaccine Based on a PB2-Knockout Influenza Virus Protects Mice From
      Secondary Pneumococcal Pneumonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Secondary bacterial infections after influenza can be a serious
      problem, especially in young children and the elderly, yet the efficacy of
      current vaccines is limited. Earlier work demonstrated that a replication
      incompetent PB2-knockout (PB2-KO) influenza virus possessing a foreign gene in
      the coding region of its PB2 segment can serve as a platform for a bivalent
      vaccine. METHODS: In the current study, we generated the PB2-KO virus expressing
      pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), PB2-KO-PspA virus, the replication of
      which is restricted to PB2-expressing cells. We then examined the protective
      efficacy of intranasal immunization with this virus as a bivalent vaccine in a
      mouse model. RESULTS: High levels of influenza virus-specific and PspA-specific
      antibodies were induced in the serum and airways of immunized mice. The
      intranasally immunized mice were protected from lethal doses of influenza virus
      or Streptococcus pneumoniae. These mice were also completely protected from
      secondary pneumococcal pneumonia after influenza virus infection. CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings indicate that our recombinant influenza virus serves as a novel
      and powerful bivalent vaccine against primary and secondary pneumococcal
      pneumonia as well as influenza.

PMID- 26123563
TI  - Pharmacological Measures of Treatment Adherence and Risk of HIV Infection in the
      VOICE Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: None of the 3 regimens tested in the VOICE study showed protection
      against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in intent-to-treat analyses.
      Plasma tenofovir concentrations demonstrated poor adherence to the study product
      among study subjects. Statistical analyses to explore the causal treatment effect
      on the prevention of HIV infection among adherent individuals are needed.
      METHODS: We developed an analytical strategy to evaluate whether conventional
      covariate adjustment removes confounding and thereby reveals a prevention effect
      among adherent individuals. We applied this strategy to the VOICE study, using 2
      dichotomized proxy measures of product use: detection of tenofovir in plasma at
      least once during follow-up and detection of tenofovir in plasma at the 3-month
      follow-up visit. RESULTS: After adjustment for a set of baseline predictors of
      the risk of HIV transmission, the confounding associated with comparison of
      adherent individuals in the tenofovir gel arm to placebo recipients was nearly
      eliminated. The relative risk for a prevention effect among those ever having
      tenofovir detected was 0.53 (P = .038); the relative risk among those having
      tenofovir detected at 3 months was 0.40 (P = .045). CONCLUSIONS: A novel
      regression approach was proposed for causal as-treated analyses in the VOICE
      study. While intent-to-treat analyses yield null results, this exploratory
      approach presented evidence suggesting a prevention effect among gel users.
      CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT00705679.

PMID- 26123564
TI  - Presence of Leishmania RNA Virus 1 in Leishmania guyanensis Increases the Risk of
      First-Line Treatment Failure and Symptomatic Relapse.
AB  - Treatment failure and symptomatic relapse are major concerns in American
      tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL). Such complications are seen frequently in
      Leishmania guyanensis infections, in which patients respond variously to first
      line antileishmanials and are more prone to develop chronic cutaneous
      leishmaniasis. The factors underlying this pathology, however, are unknown.
      Recently, we reported that a double-stranded RNA virus, Leishmania RNA virus 1
      (LRV1), nested within L. guyanensis parasites is able to exacerbate experimental
      murine leishmaniasis by inducing a hyperinflammatory response. This report
      investigates the prevalence of LRV1 in human L. guyanensis infection and its
      effect on treatment efficacy, as well as its correlation to symptomatic relapses
      after the completion of first-line treatment. In our cohort of 75 patients with a
      diagnosis of primary localized American TL, the prevalence of LRV1-positive L.
      guyanensis infection was elevated to 58%. All patients infected with LRV1
      negative L. guyanensis were cured after 1 dose (22 of 31 [71%]) or 2 doses (31 of
      31 [100%]) of pentamidine. In contrast, 12 of 44 LRV1-positive patients (27%)
      presented with persistent infection and symptomatic relapse that required
      extended therapy and the use of second-line drugs. Finally, LRV1 presence was
      associated with a significant increase in levels of intra-lesional inflammatory
      markers. In conclusion, LRV1 status in L. guyanensis infection is significantly
      predictive (P = .0009) of first-line treatment failure and symptomatic relapse
      and has the potential to guide therapeutic choices in American TL.

PMID- 26123565
TI  - Association of the Endobiont Double-Stranded RNA Virus LRV1 With Treatment
      Failure for Human Leishmaniasis Caused by Leishmania braziliensis in Peru and
      Bolivia.
AB  - Cutaneous and mucosal leishmaniasis, caused in South America by Leishmania
      braziliensis, is difficult to cure by chemotherapy (primarily pentavalent
      antimonials [Sb(V)]). Treatment failure does not correlate well with resistance
      in vitro, and the factors responsible for treatment failure in patients are not
      well understood. Many isolates of L. braziliensis (>25%) contain a double
      stranded RNA virus named Leishmaniavirus 1 (LRV1), which has also been reported
      in Leishmania guyanensis, for which an association with increased pathology,
      metastasis, and parasite replication was found in murine models. Here we probed
      the relationship of LRV1 to drug treatment success and disease in 97 L.
      braziliensis-infected patients from Peru and Bolivia. In vitro cultures were
      established, parasites were typed as L. braziliensis, and the presence of LRV1
      was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, followed by
      sequence analysis. LRV1 was associated significantly with an increased risk of
      treatment failure (odds ratio, 3.99; P = .04). There was no significant
      association with intrinsic Sb(V) resistance among parasites, suggesting that
      treatment failure arises from LRV1-mediated effects on host metabolism and/or
      parasite survival. The association of LRV1 with clinical drug treatment failure
      could serve to guide more-effective treatment of tegumentary disease caused by L.
      braziliensis. 

PMID- 26123567
TI  - (11)B MAS NMR study of Ga1-xFexBO3 mixed crystals.
AB  - Mixed iron-gallium borate crystals Ga1-xFexBO3 have been studied by Magic Angle
      Spinning (MAS) NMR of (11)B isotope. Experimental MAS NMR spectra have been
      computer simulated using a laboratory-developed code. The quadrupole parameters
      and isotropic chemical shift for (11)B are consistent with threefold-coordination
      of boron atoms. A detailed fitting to the experimental NMR spectra reveals the
      existence of a certain local disorder in Ga1-xFexBO3 crystals. 

PMID- 26123566
TI  - Use of Pharmacokinetic Data in Novel Analyses to Determine the Effect of Topical
      Microbicides as Preexposure Prophylaxis Against HIV Infection.

PMID- 26123568
TI  - A case report of primary ciliary dyskinesia, laterality defects and developmental
      delay caused by the co-existence of a single gene and chromosome disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare autosomal recessive
      disorder characterised by abnormal ciliary motion and impaired mucociliary
      clearance, leading to recurrent respiratory infections, sinusitis, otitis media
      and male infertility. Some patients also have laterality defects. We recently
      reported the identification of three disease-causing PCD genes in the Irish
      Traveller population; RSPH4A, DYX1C1 and CCNO. We have since assessed an
      additional Irish Traveller family with a complex phenotype involving PCD who did
      not have any of the previously identified PCD mutations. CASE PRESENTATION: In
      this study we report on a family with three children with PCD and various
      laterality defects. In addition, one child (V:1) has mild-to-moderate
      developmental delay and one child has speech delay (V:2). Developmental delay is
      not usually associated with PCD and is likely to be caused by an additional
      genetic abnormality. Transmission electron microscopy showed variable inner and
      outer dynein arm defects. Exome sequencing identified a homozygous missense
      variant in CCDC103 (c.461A > C; p.His154Pro) as the most likely cause of the PCD
      and laterality defects in this family. However, as mutation in CCDC103 would not
      account for the developmental delay, array comparative genomic hybridisation was
      undertaken and identified a maternally inherited gain of ~1.6 Mb
      (chr17:34,611,352-36,248,918). Gains at this locus are associated with 17q12
      duplication syndrome which includes speech and language delay. CONCLUSION: We
      report on a variable and complex phenotype caused by the co-inheritance of a
      single gene mutation in CCDC103 and a microduplication at 17q12, both on
      chromosome 17. The co-existence of a single gene and chromosome disorder is
      unusual but accounts for the spectrum of clinical features in this family. In
      addition, our study brings the total number of PCD genes in the Irish Traveller
      population to four and we suspect additional PCD genes are yet to be identified.
      Although, on a global scale, PCD is associated with extensive genetic
      heterogeneity, finding such a high number of causative PCD genes within the
      relatively small Irish Traveller population was unexpected.

PMID- 26123569
TI  - Generating induced pluripotent stem cell derived endothelial cells and induced
      endothelial cells for cardiovascular disease modelling and therapeutic
      angiogenesis.
AB  - Standard therapy for atherosclerotic coronary and peripheral arterial disease is
      insufficient in a significant number of patients because extensive disease often
      precludes effective revascularization. Stem cell therapy holds promise as a
      supplementary treatment for these patients, as pre-clinical and clinical research
      has shown transplanted cells can promote angiogenesis via direct and paracrine
      mechanisms. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a novel cell type obtained
      by reprogramming somatic cells using exogenous transcription factor cocktails,
      which have been introduced to somatic cells via viral or plasmid constructs,
      modified mRNA or small molecules. IPSCs are now being used in disease modelling
      and drug testing and are undergoing their first clinical trial, but despite
      recent advances, the inefficiency of the reprogramming process remains a major
      limitation, as does the lack of consensus regarding the optimum transcription
      factor combination and delivery method and the uncertainty surrounding the
      genetic and epigenetic stability of iPSCs. IPSCs have been successfully
      differentiated into vascular endothelial cells (iPSC-ECs) and, more recently,
      induced endothelial cells (iECs) have also been generated by direct
      differentiation, which bypasses the pluripotent intermediate. IPSC-ECs and iECs
      demonstrate endothelial functionality in vitro and have been shown to promote
      neovessel growth and enhance blood flow recovery in animal models of myocardial
      infarction and peripheral arterial disease. Challenges remain in optimising the
      efficiency, safety and fidelity of the reprogramming and endothelial
      differentiation processes and establishing protocols for large-scale production
      of clinical-grade, patient-derived cells. 

PMID- 26123570
TI  - Folic acid supplement use and menstrual cycle characteristics: a cross-sectional
      study of Danish pregnancy planners.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the association between folic acid (FA) supplementation
      obtained through either single FA tablets or multivitamins (MVs) and menstrual
      cycle characteristics among 5386 women aged 18-40 years, enrolled in an Internet
      based study of Danish women attempting pregnancy during 2007-2011. METHODS: In a
      cross-sectional study, we used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs)
      and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the associations of FA supplementation
      with menstrual cycle regularity; short (<27 days), long (30-33 days), and very
      long (>=34 days) cycle lengths; and duration and intensity of menstrual bleeding.
      RESULTS: Compared with nonuse, FA supplementation was associated with reduced
      odds of short cycle length (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.68-0.94) and a trend toward
      increased odds of very long cycle length (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.87-1.68) compared
      with cycle length of 27-29 days. The inverse association with short cycle length
      was stronger among 18- to 30-year-old women (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.53-0.87),
      nulliparous women (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.52-0.84), and women who used both FA and
      MVs (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.60-0.95). We found no clear association between FA
      supplementation and cycle regularity and duration and intensity of menstrual
      bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: FA supplementation was inversely associated with short
      menstrual cycle length. This association was strongest among women aged 18-30
      years, nulliparous women, and women who used both FA and MVs.

PMID- 26123571
TI  - A strange form of dysphonia... . Laryngeal paraganglioma.

PMID- 26123573
TI  - Kidney transplantation without interruption of warfarin.

PMID- 26123572
TI  - A Herpesvirus Specific Motif of Epstein-Barr Virus DNA Polymerase Is Required for
      the Efficient Lytic Genome Synthesis.
AB  - Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with several malignancies, including
      Burkitt lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. To overcome such disorders,
      understanding the molecular mechanisms of the EBV replication is important. The
      EBV DNA polymerase (Pol) is one of the essential factors for viral lytic DNA
      replication. Although it is well known that its C-terminal half, possessing DNA
      polymerase and 3'-5' exonuclease activity, is highly conserved among Family B
      Pols, the NH2-terminal half has yet to be characterized in detail. In this study,
      we show that a stretch of hydrophobic amino acids within the pre-NH2-terminal
      domain of EBV Pol plays important role. In addition, we could identify the most
      essential residue for replication in the motif. These findings will shed light on
      molecular mechanisms of viral DNA synthesis and will help to develop new
      herpesviruses treatments. 

PMID- 26123574
TI  - Randomized psychosocial interventions for breast cancer: impact on life purpose.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to identify mediators underlying the effects
      of an education and a peer support intervention for women with breast cancer and
      to determine if the efficacy of a peer support intervention is moderated by
      cancer severity. METHODS: Participants included 180 patients with early stage (I
      or II) and 65 patients with late stage (IV) breast cancer. The study was
      originally planned as a 2 (early stage, late stage) * 3 (education intervention,
      peer support intervention, control condition) design; however, the education
      condition for the late stage cancer group was dropped, because of slow
      recruitment. Participants completed measures of well-being prior to being
      randomized (Time 1), then again 2 weeks after the group meetings ended (Time 2),
      and 6 months later (Time 3). RESULTS: Among the participants who had attended at
      least one group meeting, the education intervention predicted more life purpose
      and marginally predicted more perceived physical health at Time 2. The peer
      support intervention predicted more life purpose and less depressive symptoms at
      Time 2. Cancer severity did not moderate these effects. The effect of the peer
      support intervention on depressive symptoms was mediated by life purpose. None of
      the intervention effects were evident at Time 3. CONCLUSIONS: Peer support
      interventions have positive short-term effects on well-being, among women with
      late and early stage breast cancer, and these effects are partially mediated by
      changes in life purpose. Education interventions have positive short-term effects
      on well-being among women with early stage breast cancer. Copyright (c) 2015 John
      Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26123576
TI  - Molecular identification and seasonal infections of species of Fasciola in
      ruminants from two provinces in China.
AB  - We determined the prevalence and seasonality of infections by Fasciola of goats
      and bovine species (cattle and water buffalo) in Hubei and Anhui provinces of
      China. Faecal samples were collected at 2- to 3-month intervals from 200 goats in
      Hubei province and from 152 bovine species in Anhui province. All faecal samples
      were examined for the presence of parasites. We determined the nucleotide
      sequences of the first and second internal transcribed spacers (ITS-1 and ITS-2)
      of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of 39 Fasciola worms from Anhui province. The
      prevalence of Fasciola infection in goats ranged between 3.5 and 37.0%, with mean
      eggs per gram (EPG) ranging between 29.0 and 166.0. Prevalence and EPG exhibited
      downward trends over time with significant differences. The prevalence of
      Fasciola infection in cattle ranged between 13.3 and 46.2% (mean EPG, 36.4
      100.0), and that of water buffalo ranged between 10.3 and 35.4% (mean EPG, 25.0
      89.6), with a higher prevalence of infection and EPG from June to October
      compared with December to March. Analysis of ITS-1 and ITS-2 sequences revealed
      that F. hepatica and F. gigantica were present in all bovine species of Anhui
      province and that F. gigantica mainly infected water buffalo. This is the first
      demonstration of Fasciola infection in Hubei province and detection of F.
      hepatica and F. gigantica in Anhui province. The present study of Hubei province
      shows that mass treatment of livestock with closantel sodium injections in April
      and August/September controlled Fasciola infection effectively. 

PMID- 26123575
TI  - Disease progression despite protective HLA expression in an HIV-infected
      transmission pair.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The precise immune responses mediated by HLA class I molecules such
      as HLA-B*27:05 and HLA-B*57:01 that protect against HIV disease progression
      remain unclear. We studied a CRF01_AE clade HIV infected donor-recipient
      transmission pair in which the recipient expressed both HLA-B*27:05 and HLA
      B*57:01. RESULTS: Within 4.5 years of diagnosis, the recipient had progressed to
      meet criteria for antiretroviral therapy initiation. We employed ultra-deep
      sequencing of the full-length virus genome in both donor and recipient as an
      unbiased approach by which to identify specific viral mutations selected in
      association with progression. Using a heat map method to highlight differences in
      the viral sequences between donor and recipient, we demonstrated that the
      majority of the recipient's mutations outside of Env were within epitopes
      restricted by HLA-B*27:05 and HLA-B*57:01, including the well-studied Gag
      epitopes. The donor, who also expressed HLA alleles associated with disease
      protection, HLA-A*32:01/B*13:02/B*14:01, showed selection of mutations in
      parallel with disease progression within epitopes restricted by these protective
      alleles. CONCLUSIONS: These studies of full-length viral sequences in a
      transmission pair, both of whom expressed protective HLA alleles but nevertheless
      failed to control viremia, are consistent with previous reports pointing to the
      critical role of Gag-specific CD8+ T cell responses restricted by protective HLA
      molecules in maintaining immune control of HIV infection. The transmission of
      subtype CRF01_AE clade infection may have contributed to accelerated disease
      progression in this pair as a result of clade-specific sequence differences in
      immunodominant epitopes.

PMID- 26123577
TI  - [Hospital biomedical research through the satisfaction of a Health Research
      Institute professionals].
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A Health Research Institute is a powerful strategic commitment to
      promote biomedical research in hospitals. To assess user satisfaction is an
      essential quality requirement. The aim of this study is to evaluate the
      professional satisfaction in a Health Research Institute, a hospital biomedical
      research centre par excellence. METHODS: Observational study was conducted using
      a satisfaction questionnaire on Health Research Institute researchers. The
      explored dimensions were derived from the services offered by the Institute to
      researchers, and are structured around 4 axes of a five-year Strategic Plan. A
      descriptive and analytical study was performed depending on adjustment variables.
      Internal consistency was also calculated. RESULTS: The questionnaire was
      completed by 108 researchers (15% response). The most valued strategic aspect was
      the structuring Areas and Research Groups and political communication and
      dissemination. The overall rating was 7.25 out of 10. Suggestions for improvement
      refer to the need for help in recruitment, and research infrastructures. High
      internal consistency was found in the questionnaire (Cronbach alpha of 0.9).
      CONCLUSIONS: So far research policies in health and biomedical environment have
      not been sufficiently evaluated by professionals in our field. Systematic
      evaluations of satisfaction and expectations of key stakeholders is an essential
      tool for analysis, participation in continuous improvement and advancing
      excellence in health research.

PMID- 26123578
TI  - Identification of Behavior Change Techniques and Engagement Strategies to Design
      a Smartphone App to Reduce Alcohol Consumption Using a Formal Consensus Method.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Digital interventions to reduce excessive alcohol consumption have
      the potential to have a broader reach and be more cost-effective than traditional
      brief interventions. However, there is not yet strong evidence for their ability
      to engage users or their effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify
      the behavior change techniques (BCTs) and engagement strategies most worthy of
      further study by inclusion in a smartphone app to reduce alcohol consumption,
      using formal expert consensus methods. METHODS: The first phase of the study
      consisted of a Delphi exercise with three rounds. It was conducted with 7
      international experts in the field of alcohol and/or behavior change. In the
      first round, experts identified BCTs most likely to be effective at reducing
      alcohol consumption and strategies most likely to engage users with an app; these
      were rated in the second round; and those rated as effective by at least four out
      of seven participants were ranked in the third round. The rankings were analyzed
      using Kendall's W coefficient of concordance, which indicates consensus between
      participants. The second phase consisted of a new, independent group of experts
      (n=43) ranking the BCTs that were identified in the first phase. The correlation
      between the rankings of the two groups was assessed using Spearman's rank
      correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Twelve BCTs were identified as likely to be
      effective. There was moderate agreement among the experts over their ranking
      (W=.465, chi(2) 11=35.8, P<.001) and the BCTs receiving the highest mean rankings
      were self-monitoring, goal-setting, action planning, and feedback in relation to
      goals. There was a significant correlation between the ranking of the BCTs by the
      group of experts who identified them and a second independent group of experts
      (Spearman's rho=.690, P=.01). Seventeen responses were generated for strategies
      likely to engage users. There was moderate agreement among experts on the ranking
      of these engagement strategies (W=.563, chi(2) 15=59.2, P<.001) and those with
      the highest mean rankings were ease of use, design - aesthetic, feedback,
      function, design - ability to change design to suit own preferences, tailored
      information, and unique smartphone features. CONCLUSIONS: The BCTs with greatest
      potential to include in a smartphone app to reduce alcohol consumption were
      judged by experts to be self-monitoring, goal-setting, action planning, and
      feedback in relation to goals. The strategies most likely to engage users were
      ease of use, design, tailoring of design and information, and unique smartphone
      features.

PMID- 26123580
TI  - Seeded growth of ferrite nanoparticles from Mn oxides: observation of anomalies
      in magnetic transitions.
AB  - A series of magnetically active ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) are prepared by using
      Mn oxide NPs as seeds. A Verwey transition is identified in Fe3O4 NPs with an
      average diameter of 14.5 nm at 96 K, where a sharp drop of magnetic
      susceptibility occurs. In MnFe2O4 NPs, a spin glass-like state is observed with
      the decrease in magnetization below the blocking temperature due to the
      disordered spins during the freezing process. From these MnFe2O4 NPs,
      MnFe2O4@Mn(x)Fe(1-x)O core-shell NPs are prepared by seeded growth. The structure
      of the core is cubic spinel (Fd3-m), and the shell is composed of iron-manganese
      oxide (Mn(x)Fe(1-x)O) with a rock salt structure (Fm3-m). Moire fringes appear
      perpendicular to the <110> directions on the cubic shape NPs through the plane
      matched epitaxial growth. These fringes are due to the difference in the lattice
      spacings between MnFe2O4 and Mn(x)Fe(1-x)O. Exchange bias is observed in these
      MnFe2O4@Mn(x)Fe(1-x)O core-shell NPs with an enhanced coercivity, as well as the
      shift of hysteresis along the field direction.

PMID- 26123579
TI  - Association of hydrogen sulfide with alterations of monocyte chemokine receptors,
      CCR2 and CX3CR1 in patients with coronary artery disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Recent data in human and mice suggest that monocyte chemokine
      receptors CX3CR1 and CCR2 are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
      Our previous study showed that hydrogen sulfide, a novel gaseous mediator
      hampered the progression of atherosclerosis in fat-fed apoE(-/-) mice with
      downregulating CX3CR1 and CX3CL1 expressions. However, there is a paucity of
      information regarding the clinical association between endogenous H2S metabolism
      and alterations of monocyte chemokine receptors in patients with cardiovascular
      disease. Therefore, in this study, we investigated circulating monocyte
      heterogeneity with differential expressions of CCR2 and CX3CR1 and its relevance
      to plasma H2S level in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS:
      Sixty-three CAD patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS, n = 46) or stable
      angina pectoris (SAP, n = 17) undergoing either percutaneous coronary
      intervention or coronary angiography and eleven non-CAD patients were enrolled in
      the study. Plasma levels of H2S as well as chemokines (CCL2 and CX3CL1) and
      expressions of CCR2 and CX3CR1 on peripheral monocytes were measured. RESULTS: It
      was found that plasma H2S level was significantly reduced, whereas plasma CCL2
      and CX3CL1 levels were substantially elevated in patients with ACS, as compared
      with patients with SAP or non-CAD patients. Furthermore, patients with ACS had
      significantly higher proportion of CD14(+)CCR2(+)CX3CR1(+) and CD14(+)CCR2(
      )CX3CR1(+) monocytes but lower percentage of CD14(+)CCR2(+)CX3CR1(-) monocytes
      than SAP or non-CAD patients did. Lastly, plasma H2S level showed a significantly
      negative correlation with the proportion of CD14(+)CCR2(+)CX3CR1(+) monocytes,
      but not other monocyte subsets. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that decreased
      endogenous H2S production may predispose stable CAD patients to rupture of
      vulnerable plaque and thus to ACS, probably in relation to circulating monocyte
      phenotypic transformation with differential expressions of CCR2 and CX3CR1.

PMID- 26123581
TI  - Urine flow cytometry can rule out urinary tract infection, but cannot identify
      bacterial morphologies correctly.
AB  - The diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) by urine culture is a time
      consuming and costly procedure. Usage of a screening method, to identify negative
      samples, would therefore affect time-to-diagnosis and laboratory cost positively.
      Urine flow cytometers are able to identify particles in urine. Together with the
      introduction of a cut-off value, which determines if a urine sample is
      subsequently cultured or not, the number of cultures can be reduced, while
      maintaining a low level of false negatives and a high negative predictive value.
      Recently, Sysmex developed additional software for their urine flow cytometers.
      Besides measuring the number of bacteria present in urine, information is given
      on bacterial morphology, which may guide the physician in the choice of
      antibiotic. In this study, we evaluated this software update. The UF1000i
      classifies bacteria into two categories: 'rods' and 'cocci/mixed'. Compared to
      the actual morphology of the bacterial pathogen found, the 'rods' category scores
      reasonably well with 91% chance of classifying rod-shaped bacteria correctly. The
      'cocci/mixed' category underperforms, with only 29% of spherical-shaped bacteria
      (cocci) classified as such. In its current version, the bacterial morphology
      software does not classify bacteria, according to their morphology, well enough
      to be of clinical use in this study population. 

PMID- 26123582
TI  - Drebrin and cognitive impairment.
AB  - The kinetics of cytoskeletal networks, with actin as a key factor, play a key
      role in regulating the morphology and function of dendritic spines. Drebrin is a
      neuron growth and brain development-related actin-binding protein and is present
      in 70% of the dendritic spines of excitatory synapses. It regulates the
      development and formation of dendritic spines and well-developed dendritic spines
      pave the way for presynaptic elements. Well-developed and mature synapses are
      prerequisite for maintaining nervous system physiology. Abnormal morphology of
      dendritic spines and loss of synapses are seen in many neurologic diseases
      associated with cognitive decline. However, the mechanisms governing these
      pathologic changes and their correlation with drebrin remain unclear. Exploring
      the relationship between drebrin and cognitive function may provide insight into
      the early prevention of cognitive impairment and in the diagnosis and treatment
      of Alzheimer's disease. 

PMID- 26123583
TI  - Activation of FoxO1/ PGC-1alpha prevents mitochondrial dysfunction and
      ameliorates mesangial cell injury in diabetic rats.
AB  - The generation of hyperglycemia-induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species
      (ROS) is a key event in diabetic nephropathy development. The forkhead-box class
      O1 (FoxO1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator
      1alpha (PGC-1alpha) proteins are implicated in oxidative stress. We investigated
      the in vivo association of FoxO1 and PGC-1alpha in renal cortices from
      streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and in rat kidney mesangial cells (MCs)
      treated with high glucose, in vitro. High-glucose induced FoxO1 inhibition was
      associated with decreased PGC-1alpha expression in MCs. These changes were
      accompanied by mitochondrial dysfunction and increased ROS generation. However,
      constitutive FoxO1 activation increased PGC-1alpha expression and partially
      reversed these changes, which were significantly decreased by the treatment of
      PGC-1alpha-small interfering RNA. We identified PGC-1alpha as a direct FoxO1
      transcriptional target by chromatin immunoprecipitation. In addition, lentiviral
      mediated FoxO1 overexpression in diabetic-rat kidneys significantly increased PGC
      1alpha, NRF-1, and Mfn2 expression, and decreased malondialdehyde production and
      proteinuria. These data suggest that FoxO1/PGC-1alpha activation protected rats
      against high-glucose-induced MC injury by attenuating mitochondrial dysfunction
      and cellular ROS production.

PMID- 26123584
TI  - Hepatic nutrient and hormonal regulation of the PANcreatic-DERived factor
      (PANDER) promoter.
AB  - PANcreatic-DERived factor (PANDER, FAM3B) has been shown to regulate glycemic
      levels via interactions with both pancreatic islets and the liver. Although
      PANDER is predominantly expressed from the endocrine pancreas, recent work has
      provided sufficient evidence that the liver may also be an additional tissue
      source of PANDER production. At physiological levels, PANDER is capable of
      disrupting insulin signaling and promoting increased hepatic glucose production.
      As shown in some animal models, strong expression of PANDER, induced by viral
      delivery within the liver, induces hepatic steatosis. However, no studies to date
      have explicitly characterized the transcriptional regulation of PANDER from the
      liver. Therefore, our investigation elucidated the nutrient and hormonal
      regulation of the hepatic PANDER promoter. Initial RNA-ligated rapid
      amplification of cDNA ends identified a novel transcription start site (TSS)
      approximately 26 bp upstream of the PANDER translational start codon not
      previously revealed in pancreatic beta-cell lines. Western evaluation of various
      murine tissues demonstrated robust expression in the liver and brain. Promoter
      analysis identified strong tissue-specific activity of the PANDER promoter in
      both human and murine liver-derived cell lines. The minimal element responsible
      for maximal promoter activity within hepatic cell lines was located between -293
      and -3 of the identified TSS. PANDER promoter activity was inhibited by both
      insulin and palmitate, whereas glucose strongly increased expression. The minimal
      element was responsible for maximal glucose-responsive and basal activity. Co
      transfection reporter assays, chromatin-immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and site
      directed mutagenesis revealed that the carbohydrate-responsive element binding
      protein (ChREBP) increased PANDER promoter activity and interacted with the
      PANDER promoter. E-box 3 was shown to be critical for basal and glucose
      responsive expression. In summary, in-vitro and in-vivo glucose is a potent
      stimulator of the PANDER promoter within the liver and this response may be
      facilitated by ChREBP.

PMID- 26123585
TI  - The role of pancreatic polypeptide in the regulation of energy homeostasis.
AB  - Imbalances in normal regulation of food intake can cause obesity and related
      disorders. Inadequate therapies for such disorders necessitate better
      understanding of mechanisms that regulate energy homeostasis. Pancreatic
      polypeptide (PP), a robust anorexigenic hormone, effectively modulates food
      intake and energy homeostasis, thus potentially aiding anti-obesity therapeutics.
      Intra-gastric and intra-intestinal infusion of nutrients stimulate PP secretion
      from the gastrointestinal tract, leading to vagal stimulation that mediates
      complex actions via the neuropeptide Y4 receptor in arcuate nucleus of the
      hypothalamus, subsequently activating key hypothalamic nuclei and dorsal vagal
      complex of the brainstem to influence energy homeostasis and body composition.
      Novel studies indicate affinity of PP for the relatively underexplored
      neuropeptide y6 receptor, mediating actions via the suprachiasmatic nucleus and
      pathways involving vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and insulin like growth
      factor 1. This review highlights detailed mechanisms by which PP mediates its
      actions on energy balance through various areas in the brain. 

PMID- 26123586
TI  - The role of sleep in the regulation of body weight.
AB  - Sleep participates in the regulation of body weight. The amount of sleep and
      synchronization of the biological clock are both necessary to achieve the energy
      balance and the secretion of hormones that contribute to weight regulation. In
      this review, we first reconsider what normal physiological sleep is and what the
      normative values of sleep are in the general population. Second, we explain how
      the biological clock regulates the hormones that may be involved in weight
      control. Third, we provide some recent data on how sleep may be disturbed by
      sleep disorders or reduced by sleep debt with consequences on weight. Finally, we
      explore the relationships between sleep debt and obesity. 

PMID- 26123587
TI  - Cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumours in dogs and their relevance for human
      medicine.
AB  - Spontaneous cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumours in pet dogs are an
      attractive animal model for their human counterparts. Adrenal morphology and
      function are similar in dogs and humans, and adrenocortical tumours have
      comparable clinical and pathological characteristics. Their relatively high
      incidence in pet dogs represents a potential source of adrenocortical tumour
      tissue to facilitate research. The molecular characteristics of canine cortisol
      secreting adrenocortical tumours suggest that they will be useful for the study
      of angiogenesis, the cAMP/protein kinase A pathway, and the role of Steroidogenic
      Factor-1 in adrenal tumourigenesis. Pet dogs with spontaneous cortisol-secreting
      adrenocortical tumours may also be useful in clinical testing of new drugs and in
      investigating the molecular background of adrenocortical tumours. 

PMID- 26123588
TI  - From Nf1 to Sdhb knockout: Successes and failures in the quest for animal models
      of pheochromocytoma.
AB  - Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL) are rare neuroendocrine tumors
      characterized by a high frequency of hereditary forms. Based on transcriptome
      classification, PPGL can be classified in two different clusters. Cluster 1
      tumors are caused by mutations in SDHx, VHL and FH genes and are characterized by
      a pseudohypoxic signature. Cluster 2 PPGL carry mutations in RET, NF1, MAX or
      TMEM127 genes and display an activation of the MAPK and mTOR signaling pathways.
      Many genetically engineered and allografted mouse models have been generated
      these past 30 years to investigate the mechanisms of PPGL tumorigenesis and test
      new therapeutic strategies. Among them, only Cluster 2-related models have been
      successful while no Cluster 1-related knockout mouse was so far reported to
      develop a PPGL. In this review, we present an overview of existing, successful or
      not, PPGL models, and a description of our own experience on the quest of Sdhb
      knockout mouse models of PPGL. 

PMID- 26123590
TI  - Oxidative activity of 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase on testosterone in male
      abdominal adipose tissues and cellular localization of 17beta-HSD type 2.
AB  - Testosterone can be converted into androstenedione (4-dione) by 17beta
      hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) activity likely performed by 17beta-HSD type
      2. Our objective was to evaluate the rate of testosterone conversion to 4-dione
      as well as expression and localization of 17beta-HSD type 2 in omental (OM) vs.
      subcutaneous (SC) adipose tissues of men. Formation of 4-dione from testosterone
      was significantly higher in homogenates (p <= 0.001) and explants (p <= 0.01) of
      OM than SC tissue. Microscopy analyses and biochemical assays in cell fractions
      localized the enzyme in the vasculature/endothelial cells of adipose tissues.
      Conversion of testosterone to 4-dione was weakly detected in most OM and/or SC
      preadipocyte cultures. Positive correlations were found between 17beta-HSD type 2
      activity in whole tissue and BMI or SC adipocyte diameter. We conclude that
      conversion of testosterone to 4-dione detected in abdominal adipose tissue is
      caused by 17beta-HSD type 2 which is localized in the vasculature of the adipose
      compartment. 

PMID- 26123589
TI  - Mouse models of thyroid cancer: A 2015 update.
AB  - Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine neoplasm, and its rate is rising at
      an alarming pace. Thus, there is a compelling need to develop in vivo models
      which will not only enable the confirmation of the oncogenic potential of driver
      genes, but also point the way towards the development of new therapeutics. Over
      the past 20 years, techniques for the generation of mouse models of human
      diseases have progressed substantially, accompanied by parallel advances in the
      genetics and genomics of human tumors. This convergence has enabled the
      development of mouse lines carrying mutations in the genes that cause thyroid
      cancers of all subtypes, including differentiated papillary and follicular
      thyroid cancers, poorly differentiated/anaplastic cancers, and medullary thyroid
      cancers. In this review, we will discuss the state of the art of mouse modeling
      of thyroid cancer, with the eventual goal of providing insight into tumor biology
      and treatment. 

PMID- 26123591
TI  - Effects of chronic growth hormone overexpression on appetite-regulating brain
      gene expression in coho salmon.
AB  - Organisms must carefully regulate energy intake and expenditure to balance growth
      and trade-offs with other physiological processes. This regulation is influenced
      by key pathways controlling appetite, feeding behaviour and energy homeostasis.
      Growth hormone (GH) transgenesis provides a model where food intake can be
      elevated, and is associated with dramatic modifications of growth, metabolism,
      and feeding behaviour, particularly in fish. RNA-Seq and qPCR analyses were used
      to compare the expression of multiple genes important in appetite regulation
      within brain regions and the pituitary gland (PIT) of GH transgenic (fed fully to
      satiation or restricted to a wild-type ration throughout their lifetime) and wild
      type coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). RNA-Seq results showed that differences
      in both genotype and ration levels resulted in differentially expressed genes
      associated with appetite regulation in transgenic fish, including elevated Agrp1
      in hypothalamus (HYP) and reduced Mch in PIT. Altered mRNA levels for Agrp1, Npy,
      Gh, Ghr, Igf1, Mch and Pomc were also assessed using qPCR analysis. Levels of
      mRNA for Agrp1, Gh, and Ghr were higher in transgenic than wild-type fish in HYP
      and in the preoptic area (POA), with Agrp1 more than 7-fold higher in POA and 12
      fold higher in HYP of transgenic salmon compared to wild-type fish. These data
      are consistent with the known roles of orexigenic factors on foraging behaviour
      acting via GH and through MC4R receptor-mediated signalling. Igf1 mRNA was
      elevated in fully-fed transgenic fish in HYP and POA, but not in ration
      restricted fish, yet both of these types of transgenic animals have very
      pronounced feeding behaviour relative to wild-type fish, suggesting IGF1 is not
      playing a direct role in appetite stimulation acting via paracrine or autocrine
      mechanisms. The present findings provide new insights on mechanisms ruling
      altered appetite regulation in response to chronically elevated GH, and on
      potential pathways by which elevated feeding response is controlled,
      independently of food availability and growth. 

PMID- 26123593
TI  - Reference intervals for serum concentrations of three bone turnover markers for
      men and women.

PMID- 26123592
TI  - Altered trabecular bone morphology in adolescent and young adult athletes with
      menstrual dysfunction.
AB  - CONTEXT: Young amenorrheic athletes (AA) have lower bone mineral density (BMD)
      and an increased prevalence of fracture compared with eumenorrheic athletes (EA)
      and non-athletes. Trabecular morphology is a determinant of skeletal strength and
      may contribute to fracture risk. OBJECTIVES: To determine the variation in
      trabecular morphology among AA, EA, and non-athletes and to determine the
      association of trabecular morphology with fracture among AA. DESIGN AND SETTING:
      A cross-sectional study performed at an academic clinical research center.
      PARTICIPANTS: 161 girls and young women aged 14-26 years (97 AA, 32 EA, and 32
      non-athletes). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: We measured volumetric BMD (vBMD) and
      skeletal microarchitecture using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed
      tomography. We evaluated trabecular morphology (plate-like vs. rod-like),
      orientation, and connectivity by individual trabecula segmentation. RESULTS: At
      the non-weight-bearing distal radius, the groups did not differ for trabecular
      vBMD. However, plate-like trabecular bone volume fraction (pBV/TV) was lower in
      AA vs. EA (p=0.03), as were plate number (p=0.03) and connectivity (p=0.03). At
      the weight-bearing distal tibia, trabecular vBMD was higher in athletes vs. non
      athletes (p=0.05 for AA and p=0.009 for EA vs. non-athletes, respectively).
      pBV/TV was higher in athletes vs. non-athletes (p=0.04 AA and p=0.005 EA vs. non
      athletes), as were axially-aligned trabeculae, plate number, and connectivity.
      Among AA, those with a history of recurrent stress fracture had lower pBV/TV,
      axially-aligned trabeculae, plate number, plate thickness, and connectivity at
      the distal radius. CONCLUSIONS: Trabecular morphology and alignment differ among
      AA, EA, and non-athletes. These differences may be associated with increased
      fracture risk.

PMID- 26123594
TI  - Interactions between osteopontin and vascular endothelial growth factor:
      Implications for skeletal disorders.
AB  - Osteopontin (OPN) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are characterized
      by a convergence in function for maintaining the homeostasis of the skeletal and
      renal systems (the bone-renal-vascular axis regulates bone metabolism). The two
      cytokines contribute to bone remodeling, dental healing, kidney function, and the
      adjustment to microgravity. Often, they are co-expressed or one molecule induces
      the other, however, in some settings OPN-associated pathways and VEGF-associated
      pathways are distinct. In bone remodeling, OPN and VEGF are regulated under the
      influence of growth factors and hormones, hypoxia and inflammation, the micro
      environment, and various physical forces. Their abundance can be affected by drug
      treatment. OPN and VEGF are variably associated with kidney disease. Their
      balanced levels are critical for restoring endothelial cell function and
      ameliorating the adverse effects of microgravity. Here, we review the relevant 83
      papers of 257 articles published, and listed in PubMed under the key words OPN
      and VEGF. 

PMID- 26123595
TI  - Bilateral pneumothorax: A rare complication of central venous catheter placement
      for plasmapheresis years after thymectomy.

PMID- 26123596
TI  - Impact factors 2014.

PMID- 26123597
TI  - HCN Channel C-Terminal Region Speeds Activation Rates Independently of
      Autoinhibition.
AB  - Hyperpolarization- and cyclic nucleotide-activated (HCN) channels contribute to
      rhythmic oscillations in excitable cells. They possess an intrinsic
      autoinhibition with a hyperpolarized V 1/2, which can be relieved by cAMP binding
      to the cyclic nucleotide binding (CNB) fold in the C-terminal region or by
      deletion of the CNB fold. We questioned whether V 1/2 shifts caused by altering
      the autoinhibitory CNB fold would be accompanied by parallel changes in
      activation rates. We used two-electrode voltage clamp on Xenopus oocytes to
      compare wildtype (WT) HCN2, a constitutively autoinhibited point mutant incapable
      of cAMP binding (HCN2 R591E), and derivatives with various C-terminal
      truncations. Activation V 1/2 and deactivation t 1/2 measurements confirmed that
      a truncated channel lacking the helix alphaC of the CNB fold (DeltaalphaC) had
      autoinhibition comparable to HCN2 R591E; however, DeltaalphaC activated
      approximately two-fold slower than HCN2 R591E over a 60-mV range of
      hyperpolarizations. A channel with a more drastic truncation deleting the entire
      CNB fold (DeltaCNB) had similar V 1/2 values to HCN2 WT with endogenous cAMP
      bound, confirming autoinhibition relief, yet it surprisingly activated slower
      than the autoinhibited HCN2 R591E. Whereas CNB fold truncation slowed down
      voltage-dependent reaction steps, the voltage-independent closed-open equilibrium
      subject to autoinhibition in HCN2 was not rate-limiting. Chemically inhibiting
      formation of the endogenous lipid PIP2 hyperpolarized the V 1/2 of HCN2 WT but
      did not slow down activation to match DeltaCNB rates. Our findings suggest a
      "quickening conformation" mechanism, requiring a full-length CNB that ensures
      fast rates for voltage-dependent steps during activation regardless of
      potentiation by cAMP or PIP2.

PMID- 26123598
TI  - The state of the art in non-pharmacological interventions for developmental
      stuttering. Part 2: qualitative evidence synthesis of views and experiences.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A range of interventions have been developed to treat stuttering in
      recent years. The effectiveness of these interventions has largely been assessed
      in studies focusing on the impact of specific types of therapy on patient
      outcomes. Relatively little is known about the factors that influence how the
      delivery and impact of different types of intervention may be experienced from
      the perspective of both people who deliver as well as those who receive
      interventions. AIMS: To synthesize the available evidence in relation to factors
      that might enhance or mitigate against successful outcomes following
      interventions for stuttering by identifying and synthesizing relevant qualitative
      research that explored the experiences of people delivering and receiving
      interventions that aim to improve fluency. METHODS & PROCEDURES: We carried out a
      systematic review including research that had used in-depth interviews and focus
      groups and conducted a substantive qualitative analysis of the data collected.
      Included study populations were either adults or children affected by a diagnosed
      stutter and/or providers of therapy for stuttering. An iterative approach was
      used to search for published qualitative evidence in relevant databases from 1990
      to 2014. Retrieved citations were sifted for relevance and the data from articles
      that met the inclusion criteria were extracted. Each included paper was assessed
      for quality and a thematic analysis and synthesis of findings was carried out.
      MAIN CONTRIBUTION: Synthesized qualitative evidence highlights the changing
      experiences for people who stutter both historically and, for individuals, over
      the life course. Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of interventions
      for stuttering are encountered at the individual, intervention, interpersonal and
      social levels. Interventions may be particularly pertinent at certain transition
      points in the life course. Attention to emotional as well as practical aspects of
      stuttering is valued by people receiving therapy. The client-therapist
      relationship and support from others are also key factors in achieving successful
      outcomes. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: A synthesis of qualitative findings from
      published papers has added to the effectiveness data reported in an accompanying
      paper in understanding how stuttering impacts on people across the life course.
      Evidence suggests that a client-centred and individually tailored approach
      enhances the likelihood of successful intervention outcomes through attention to
      emotional, situational and practical needs.

PMID- 26123599
TI  - Trastuzumab in metastatic breast cancer after complete remission: How long is
      enough?

PMID- 26123600
TI  - Pericyte antigens in angiomyolipoma and PEComa family tumors.
AB  - Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) are an uncommon family of soft
      tissue tumors with dual myoid-melanocytic differentiation. Although PEComa family
      tumors commonly demonstrate a perivascular growth pattern, pericyte antigen
      expression has not yet been examined among this unique tumor group. Previously,
      we demonstrated that a subset of perivascular soft tissue tumors exhibit a
      striking pericytic immunophenotype, with diffuse expression of alphaSMA, CD146,
      and PDGFRbeta. Here, we describe the presence of pericyte antigens across a
      diverse group of PEComa family tumors (n = 19 specimens). Results showed that
      pericyte antigens differed extensively by histological appearance. Typical
      angiomyolipoma (AML) specimens showed variable expression of pericyte antigens
      among both perivascular and myoid-appearing cells. In contrast, AML specimens
      with a predominant spindled morphology showed diffuse expression of pericyte
      markers, including alphaSMA, CD146, and PDGFRbeta. AML samples with predominant
      epithelioid morphology showed a marked reduction in or the absence of
      immunoreactivity for pericyte markers. Lymphangiomyoma samples showed more
      variable and partial pericyte marker expression. In summary, pericyte antigen
      expression is variable among PEComa family tumors and largely varies by tumor
      morphology. Pericytic marker expression in PEComa may represent a true pericytic
      cell of origin, or alternatively aberrant pericyte marker adoption. Markers of
      pericytic differentiation may be of future diagnostic utility for the evaluation
      of mesenchymal tumors, or identify actionable signaling pathways for future
      therapeutic intervention. 

PMID- 26123601
TI  - The course of fatigue and its correlates in colorectal cancer survivors: a
      prospective cohort study of the PROFILES registry.
AB  - PURPOSE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors who remain fatigued during long-term
      follow-up are at risk for worse health outcomes and need relevant interventions
      most. The aim of this study is to prospectively assess cancer-related fatigue
      (CRF) and four categories of CRF correlates (clinical characteristics,
      demographic characteristics, behavior/well-being, functional status). METHODS:
      CRC survivors diagnosed between 2000 and 2009, as registered in the population
      based Eindhoven Cancer Registry, completed the Fatigue Assessment Scale at three
      annual time points. Linear mixed models were used to assess the course of CRF and
      identify its correlates. RESULTS: CRF levels were relatively stable over time.
      Being female, young (<=65 years of age), and single; having a low educational
      level; treatment with chemotherapy; and having one or more comorbid conditions
      were associated with higher CRF scores. Years since diagnosis, radiotherapy, and
      disease stage were not related to CRF over time. Significant between- and within
      subject effects were found for all well-being factors (social, emotional, and
      cognitive functioning, and global quality of life), symptoms (anxiety,
      depression, pain, and insomnia), and functional status (physical and role
      functioning, physical activity levels) in relation to CRF. The differences in CRF
      levels could, for a large part, be attributed to differences in behavior/well
      being (59 %), functional status (37 %), and, to a lesser extent, to
      sociodemographic (4 %) and clinical characteristics (8 %). CONCLUSION: This study
      showed that sociodemographic and clinical factors were associated with CRF levels
      over time among CRC survivors; however, behavior/well-being and functional status
      explained a larger part of the variance in levels of CRF.

PMID- 26123603
TI  - Detection of adulteration in acetonitrile using near infrared spectroscopy
      coupled with pattern recognition techniques.
AB  - In this paper, near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) in cooperation with the pattern
      recognition techniques were used to determine the type of neat acetonitrile and
      the adulteration in acetonitrile. NIR spectra were collected between 400 nm and
      2498 nm. The experimental data were first subjected to analysis of principal
      component analysis (PCA) to reveal significant differences and potential patterns
      between samples. Then support vector machine (SVM) were applied to develop
      classification models and the best parameter combination was selected by grid
      search. Under the best parameter combination, the classification accuracy rates
      of three types of neat acetonitrile reached 87.5%, and 100% for the adulteration
      with different concentration levels. The results showed that NIR spectroscopy
      combined with SVM could be utilized for determining the potential adulterants
      including water, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, acrylonitrile, methanol, and by
      products associated with the production of acetonitrile.

PMID- 26123602
TI  - Quality of life across chemotherapy lines in patients with advanced colorectal
      cancer: a prospective single-center observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Palliative chemotherapy in patients with nonresectable advanced
      colorectal carcinoma is performed to prolong survival, alleviate tumor-associated
      symptoms, and maintain or improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL). In this
      prospective single-center observational study, we assessed HRQOL across the
      various lines of palliative chemotherapy. METHODS: HRQOL data were acquired using
      the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 (QLQ-C30) questionnaire. The first
      assessment was performed at the beginning of each chemotherapy line, the second
      after three cycles, and the third at the end of chemotherapy. Further assessments
      were conducted during checkups every 3 months in our outpatient unit. RESULTS: In
      total, 100 consecutive patients with colorectal carcinoma (mean age 66.4 years;
      60 % men) treated with palliative chemotherapy were recruited. Generally, QOL
      deteriorated constantly across time. Physical functioning, fatigue, pain,
      dyspnea, and appetite worsened steadily from first-line chemotherapy to the later
      treatment phase. Global QOL, emotional functioning, and role functioning improved
      slightly after the end of first-line chemotherapy, deteriorated during second
      line chemotherapy to the level of first-line chemotherapy, and further
      deteriorated in the later treatment phases. In additional analyses, we found the
      largest differences between patients with and without a treatment response for
      pain (19.0 vs. 37.2 points) and appetite loss (17.4 vs. 32.7 points). CONCLUSION:
      The individual QOL domains deteriorated constantly across time. Our data indicate
      that patients undergoing first- and second-line palliative chemotherapy
      experience stabilization of global QOL and psychosocial symptoms. We also found
      that unselected patients who achieved a treatment response had a lower symptom
      burden and better QOL than did patients with progressive disease.

PMID- 26123604
TI  - Interaction of gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with fibrinogen.
AB  - In this article, an attempt is made to analysis the binding mechanism of gamma
      Fe2O3 nanoparticles with fibrinogen by using a combination of circular dichroism,
      UV-vis, fluorescence spectroscopic and computational methods. The multi
      spectroscopic data revealed that the complex easily formed between gamma-Fe2O3
      nanoparticles and fibrinogen by mainly hydrogen bonding forces. The binding
      constants of fibrinogen with gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were 2.24*10(7),
      1.15*10(7) and 0.72*10(7)Lmol(-1) at 298, 304, and 310K, respectively.
      Furthermore, the results from circular dichroism, UV-vis, synchronous
      fluorescence, and three-dimensional fluorescence studies showed that the strong
      binding interaction of gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with fibrinogen induced an
      obvious perturbation in the protein secondary and tertiary structure. Moreover,
      the results of molecular modeling indicated the existence of the preferable
      binding site on fibrinogen for gamma-Fe2O3 NPs model.

PMID- 26123605
TI  - Determination of tritium concentrations in humans before the development of a
      nuclear power plant in Turkey.
AB  - The most widely used method to determine the level of tritium in humans is
      testing urine. Tritium concentrations in urine samples of 100 persons aged 18-66
      years selected randomly from a pilot region in Turkey were analysed. The average
      activity concentration of urine samples was 4.66 +/- 1.94 Bq L(-1) and the
      maximum activity concentration was 27.91 Bq L(-1). The minimum detectable
      activity was 2.38 Bq L(-1). The annual effective dose from tritium was also
      evaluated on the basis of the measurement results and reference values
      recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The
      effective doses for males and females were 4.56 and 3.54 nSv, respectively. These
      results were lower than the permissible annual effective dose for members of the
      public. 

PMID- 26123606
TI  - Creation of Simple Biochemical Systems to Study Early Cellular Life.
AB  - A constructive model of the minimal cell that can produce lipids internally was
      proposed by reconstructing a set of enzymes involved in phospholipid
      biosynthesis. This will be an promising approach to study not only for potential
      reconstruction of LUCA-like organisms but also for construction of artificial
      cells. 

PMID- 26123607
TI  - Sweat osmolarity shows intra-animal regional variation in the horse.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sweating is important in regulating body temperature but can be a
      source of loss of both fluids and electrolytes. Although the process has been
      studied in horses, the variation in sweat osmolarity across the body has not.
      OBJECTIVES: This work describes an investigation to determine if there is
      regional variation in the osmolarity of sweat across different anatomical regions
      of the horse. ANIMALS: Ten horses were used in the study and were animals either
      stabled for riding lessons or had livery on-site. METHODS: Sweat samples were
      collected from five regions on each horse following exercise and the osmolarity
      measurements were made using an Osmomat 030 (Gonotec, Berlin, Germany). Values
      were analysed by paired t-tests and analysis of variance. RESULTS: Samples from
      the back and ears had statistically (P < 0.05) lower osmolarity values than those
      seen for the neck and forelimb, with thigh values intermediate between the other
      two sets of values. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Previous studies have
      used osmolarity values based on the sweat collected from the horse's back. The
      current work demonstrates that these values are probably an underestimation of
      electrolyte loss, which may have implications for the composition and
      administration of rehydration compounds.

PMID- 26123608
TI  - Focused transesophageal echocardiography for emergency physicians-description and
      results from simulation training of a structured four-view examination.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) offers several advantages over
      transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Despite these advantages, use of TEE by
      emergency physicians (EPs) remains rare, as no focused TEE protocol for emergency
      department (ED) use has been defined nor have methods of training been described.
      OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop a focused TEE examination tailored for the
      ED and to evaluate TEE skill acquisition and retention by TEE-naive EPs following
      a focused 4-h curriculum. METHODS: Academic EPs were invited to participate in a
      4-h didactic and simulation-based workshop. The seminar emphasized TEE principles
      and views obtained from four vantage points. Following the training, participants
      engaged in an assessment of their abilities to carry out a focused TEE on a high
      fidelity simulator. A 6-week follow-up session assessed skill retention. RESULTS:
      Fourteen EPs participated in this study. Immediately following the seminar, 14
      (100 %; k = 1.0) and 10 (71.4 %, k = 0.65) successfully obtained an acceptable
      mid-esophageal four-chamber and mid-esophageal long-axis view. Eleven (78.6 %, k
      = 1.0) participants were able to successfully obtain an acceptable transgastric
      short-axis view, and 11 (78.6 %, k = 1.0) EPs successfully obtained a bicaval
      view. Twelve participants engaged in a 6-week retention assessment, which
      revealed acceptable images and inter-rater agreement as follows: mid-esophageal
      four-chamber, 12 (100 %; k = 0.92); mid-esophageal long axis, 12 (100 %, k =
      0.67); transgastric short-axis, 11 (91.7 %, k = 1.0); and bicaval view, 11 (91.7
      %, k = 1.0). CONCLUSION: This study has illustrated that EPs can successfully
      perform this focused TEE protocol after a 4-h workshop with retention of these
      skills at 6 weeks.

PMID- 26123609
TI  - Perceived barriers in the use of ultrasound in developing countries.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Access to ultrasound has increased significantly in resource-limited
      settings, including the developing world; however, there remains a lack of
      sonography education and ultrasound-trained physician support in developing
      countries. To further investigate this potential knowledge gap, our primary
      objective was to assess perceived barriers to ultrasound use in resource-limited
      settings by surveying care providers who practice in low- and middle-income
      settings. METHODS: A 25-question online survey was made available to health care
      providers who work with an ultrasound machine in low- and middle-income countries
      (LMICs), including doctors, nurses, technicians, and clinical officers. This was
      a convenience sample obtained from list-serves of ultrasound and radiologic
      societies. The survey was analyzed, and descriptive results were obtained.
      RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-eight respondents representing 44 LMICs including
      countries from the continents of Africa, South America, and Asia completed the
      survey, with a response rate of 9.6 %. Ninety-one percent of the respondents were
      doctors, and 9 % were nurses or other providers. Applications for ultrasound were
      diverse, including obstetrics (75 %), DVT evaluation (51 %), abscess evaluation
      (54 %), cardiac evaluation (64 %), inferior vena cava (IVC) assessment (49 %),
      Focused Assessment Sonography for Trauma (FAST) exam (64 %), biliary tree
      assessment (54 %), and other applications. The respondents identified the
      following barriers to use of ultrasound: lack of training (60 %), lack of
      equipment (45 %), ultrasound machine malfunction (37 %), and lack of ultrasound
      maintenance capability (47 %). Seventy-four percent of the respondents wished to
      have further training in ultrasound, and 82 % were open to receiving distance
      learning or telesonography training. Subjects used communication tools including
      Skype, Dropbox, emailed photos, and picture archiving and communication system
      (PACS) as ways to communicate and receive feedback on ultrasound images.
      CONCLUSIONS: Health care providers in the developing world identify lack of
      training as a primary barrier to regular use of ultrasound in their practice.
      While equipment requirements including maintenance and cost of machines are also
      important factors, future research is warranted on best practices for training
      methods, including telesonography and distance learning to enhance ultrasound use
      in low-resource settings.

PMID- 26123610
TI  - Respiratory variation in carotid peak systolic velocity predicts volume
      responsiveness in mechanically ventilated patients with septic shock: a
      prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The evaluation of fluid responsiveness in patients with hemodynamic
      instability remains to be challenging. This investigation aimed to determine
      whether respiratory variation in carotid Doppler peak velocity (DeltaCDPV)
      predicts fluid responsiveness in patients with septic shock and lung protective
      mechanical ventilation with a tidal volume of 6 ml/kg. METHODS: We performed a
      prospective cohort study at an intensive care unit, studying the effect of 59
      fluid challenges on 19 mechanically ventilated patients with septic shock. Pre
      fluid challenge DeltaCDPV and other static or dynamic measurements were obtained.
      Fluid challenge responders were defined as patients whose stroke volume index
      increased more than 15 % on transpulmonary thermodilution. The area under the
      receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was compared for each predictive
      parameter. RESULTS: Fluid responsiveness rate was 51 %. The DeltaCDPV had an
      AUROC of 0.88 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.77-0.95); followed by stroke
      volume variation (0.72, 95 % CI 0.63-0.88), passive leg raising (0.69, 95 % CI
      0.56-0.80), and pulse pressure variation (0.63, 95 % CI 0.49-0.75). The DeltaCDPV
      was a statistically significant superior predictor when compared with the other
      parameters. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values
      were also the highest for DeltaCDPV, with an optimal cutoff at 14 %. There was
      good correlation between DeltaCDPV and SVI increment after the fluid challenge (r
      = 0.84; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: DeltaCDPV can be more accurate than other
      methods for assessing fluid responsiveness in patients with septic shock
      receiving lung protective mechanical ventilation. DeltaCDPV also has a high
      correlation with SVI increase after fluid challenge.

PMID- 26123612
TI  - The trials and hopes for drug development in sickle cell disease.
AB  - Although sickle cell disease (SCD) is highly prevalent worldwide, it is a rare
      disease in the United States and Europe. Over the past decade, there has been an
      increased understanding of the pathophysiology of SCD. While multiple drugs have
      been tested, only one drug, hydroxycarbamide, is approved by the relevant
      regulatory agencies specifically for this disease. Due to the combination of an
      improved understanding of disease pathophysiology, governmental support and the
      success of several recently approved drugs for other orphan diseases, there is an
      increased interest in the development of targeted drugs for SCD. Novel drugs that
      are currently being evaluated include haemoglobin F inducers, anti-sickling
      agents, anti-oxidants, anti-adhesive agents, anti-inflammatory agents,
      anticoagulants and anti-platelet agents. In addition to the evaluation of acute
      pain crisis as a study endpoint, clinical trials employing other SCD-related
      complications, exercise capacity, as well as patient reported outcomes are
      warranted and necessary in order to advance the development of these novel
      therapeutic agents. Finally, despite the availability of multiple biomarkers,
      many of these are of limited clinical value in SCD and require further assessment
      in prospective studies to validate their prognostic importance before they are
      acceptable as surrogate endpoints. 

PMID- 26123611
TI  - Clostridium amazonense sp. nov. an obliqately anaerobic bacterium isolated from a
      remote Amazonian community in Peru.
AB  - A strictly anaerobic Gram-stain positive, spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium
      designated NE08V(T), was isolated from a fecal sample of an individual residing
      in a remote Amazonian community in Peru. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S
      rRNA gene sequence showed the organism belonged to the genus Clostridium and is
      most closely related to Clostridium vulturis (97.4% sequence similarity) and was
      further characterized using biochemical and chemotaxonomic methods. The major
      cellular fatty acids were anteiso C13:0 and C16:0 with a genomic DNA G + C
      content of 31.6 mol%. Fermentation products during growth with PYG were acetate
      and butyrate. Based on phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic information,
      strain NE08V was identified as representing a novel species of the genus
      Clostridium, for which the name Clostridium amazonense sp. nov. is proposed. The
      type strain is NE08V(T) (DSM 23598(T) = CCUG 59712(T)). 

PMID- 26123613
TI  - Incidence and survival of childhood central nervous system tumors: A report of
      the regional registry of childhood cancers in Auvergne-Limousin.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Central nervous system tumors (CNST) are the most lethal of solid
      tumors in childhood cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report incidence and
      survival data for all CNST (International Classification of Diseases for Oncology
      third edition, category III or Xa) recorded in children under 15 years of age by
      the Auvergne-Limousin cancer registry for the period 1986-2009. RESULTS: Annual
      incidence of all CNST was 3.27 per 100,000 and the male to female ratio was 0.95.
      Over 45.0% of CNST were glial. Astrocytomas (36.2%) showed the highest incidence
      for each age group except between 1 and 4 years where embryonal tumors were more
      common. For all CNST, no significant variation in incidence over time was
      observed for the evaluated period of 23 years (annual percent change: -0.4%, 95%
      CI, [-2.8-2.1]). Globally, 5 years overall survival was 67% [59-73] and had
      increased by more than 16% between 1986-1999 and 2000-2009, mainly due to better
      survival for astrocytomas, other gliomas, ependymomas and choroid plexus tumors
      (P=0.01). CONCLUSION: We report that the incidence of CNST in Auvergne-Limousin
      is similar to that in the literature and did not increase between 1986 and 2009.
      In addition, 5 years overall survival increased after 1999, especially for
      surgically treatable tumors.

PMID- 26123614
TI  - The cephaloceles: A clinical, epidemiological and therapeutic study of 50 cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Cephaloceles are congenital malformations characterized by
      externalization of the meninges and/or brain tissue through a congenital skull
      bone defect. In developed countries, this malformation is rare but in our
      developing countries, this pathology remains one of our concerns. OBJECTIVE: To
      describe the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of the
      cephaloceles. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A retrospective study was conducted from 2007
      to 2013 on all cases of cephalocele supported in the department of neurosurgery
      of the Yalgado Ouedraogo University Teaching Hospital of Ouagadougou. The
      malformations were supplemented by CT scan. All patients were operated. The
      surgical procedure in cephaloceles of the convexity consisted of a direct
      approach. Sincipital cephaloceles were operated by transcranial approach or
      combined approach associating transcranial and transnasal approaches. RESULTS:
      Fifty patients were gathered during the 7-year period. There were 18 boys and 32
      girls. The ages ranged from 1 day to 11 years. The cephaloceles were located on
      the vault of the skull in 78%; the lesion was sincipital in 22%. The malformation
      was covered with normal skin in 92%; it was pediculated in 78%. CT scan allowed
      the classification of cases as meningo-encephaloceles in 31 cases (62%) and
      meningoceles in 18 cases (36%) and one pure encephalocele. The immediate
      postoperative course was uneventful in 42 cases (84%); 8 postoperative deaths
      were recorded. At medium and long term, 4 patients (8%) developed complications
      of psychomotor deficiency in 3 cases and hydrocephalus in 1 case. The main
      reasons for the poor prognosis were superinfection, hydrocephalus and/or other
      brain malformations. CONCLUSION: Cephaloceles remain relatively frequent in our
      practice. After surgery, mental failure and hydrocephalus can occur impairing the
      prognosis. The most suitable solution is a policy of prevention with folic acid
      treatment before and during pregnancy and following up adequate pregnancies.

PMID- 26123615
TI  - In vivo nanoparticle-mediated radiopharmaceutical-excited fluorescence molecular
      imaging.
AB  - Cerenkov luminescence imaging utilizes visible photons emitted from
      radiopharmaceuticals to achieve in vivo optical molecular-derived signals. Since
      Cerenkov radiation is weak, non-optimum for tissue penetration and continuous
      regardless of biological interactions, it is challenging to detect this signal
      with a diagnostic dose. Therefore, it is challenging to achieve useful activated
      optical imaging for the acquisition of direct molecular information. Here we
      introduce a novel imaging strategy, which converts gamma and Cerenkov radiation
      from radioisotopes into fluorescence through europium oxide nanoparticles. After
      a series of imaging studies, we demonstrate that this approach provides strong
      optical signals with high signal-to-background ratios, an ideal tissue
      penetration spectrum and activatable imaging ability. In comparison with present
      imaging techniques, it detects tumour lesions with low radioactive tracer uptake
      or small tumour lesions more effectively. We believe it will facilitate the
      development of nuclear and optical molecular imaging for new, highly sensitive
      imaging applications. 

PMID- 26123616
TI  - Experiences of diagnosis, care and treatment among Aboriginal people living with
      hepatitis C.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Aboriginal Australians are disproportionately affected by hepatitis C
      (HCV). There are a range of barriers to HCV care, often beginning with poor
      diagnosis experiences. Little research exists on the experiences of Aboriginal
      Australians living with HCV. This study aimed to describe their patterns of HCV
      care and treatment with specific emphasis on the impact of their being informed
      of their diagnosis in a culturally sensitive manner. METHODS: A total of 203
      Aboriginal people living with HCV were recruited to complete a survey assessing
      experiences of HCV testing and care, HCV knowledge, lifestyle changes after
      diagnosis, perceived stigma and discrimination. RESULTS: Of the sample, 58% were
      male and 96% identified as Aboriginal, with a mean age of 28 years. Correlation
      analysis revealed that satisfaction with the cultural appropriateness of the
      diagnosis was associated with: being offered pre- and post-test counselling;
      satisfaction with HCV care; decreased feelings of HCV-related stigma; lower
      scores on the medical mistrust scale; and greater intentions to access HCV
      treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm the importance of providing a HCV
      diagnosis in a culturally appropriate way for Aboriginal people. IMPLICATIONS:
      Satisfaction with HCV diagnosis appears essential in establishing patterns of
      greater engagement with HCV care and treatment for this group.

PMID- 26123617
TI  - Clinical implications of the CKD epidemiology collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation
      compared with the modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) study equation for
      the estimation of renal dysfunction in patients with cardiovascular disease.
AB  - The CKD-EPI equation is more accurate than the MDRD equation in the general
      population. We performed this study to establish whether chronic kidney disease
      (CKD) is commonly recognized by clinicians and whether the CKD-EPI equation
      improves prognosis estimation in patients with chronic cardiovascular disease
      (CVD). We analyzed data on 12394 CVD patients consecutively examined at the
      Cardiovascular Center of Trieste (Italy) between November 2009 and October 2013.
      The outcomes were all-cause death and a composite outcome of
      death/hospitalization for CV events (D+cvH). CKD-EPI formula reclassified 1786
      (14.4 %) patients between KDIGO categories compared to the MDRD: 2.3 % (n = 280)
      placed in a lower risk and 12.1 % (n = 1506) into a higher risk group. CKD,
      defined as eGFR-CKD-EPI formula <60 ml/min, was present in 3083 patients (24.9 %)
      but not recognized by clinicians in 1946 (63.1 % of patients with CKD). The lack
      of recognition of CKD was inversely proportional to the KDIGO class for both
      equations. There were 986 deaths and 2726 D+cvH during 24 months follow-up. The
      incidence of death and D+cvH was about twice as high in patients with
      unrecognized CKD than in those with normal renal function (31 % vs. 17.1 %, aHR:
      1.35, 95 % CI: 1.15 to 1.60), even in those patients with eGFR-MDRD >60 but eGFR
      CKD-EPI formula <60 (31.1 % vs 17.1 %, p < 0.001). CKD-EPI equation provides more
      accurate risk stratification than MDRD equation in patients with CVD. CKD was
      unrecognized in nearly two-thirds of these patients but clinical outcomes were
      similar in those for patients with recognized CKD.

PMID- 26123618
TI  - Impact of metabolic syndrome on the survival of Chinese patients with resectable
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with the risk of esophageal squamous cell
      carcinoma (ESCC). However, the impact of MetS on survival has not been evaluated.
      A retrospective review was performed on 596 consecutive Chinese patients with
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who received surgery between January 2005 and
      October 2007. The clinical data and pretreatment information related to MetS were
      reviewed. The impact of MetS on overall survival (OS) was estimated by Kaplan
      Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses. MetS was a significant and
      independent predictor for better survival in patients with resectable ESCC. The 3
      year OS and 5-year OS for patients with and without MetS were 75.0% versus 57.8%
      and 65.1% versus 44.6%, respectively (P = 0.005 in the univariate analysis, P =
      0.010 in multivariate analysis). However, there was no apparent influence of any
      single component of MetS on OS. The other independent prognostic factors
      identified in the univariate analysis included the following: gender, smoking
      status, alcohol use, the extent of radical surgical resection, T and N stage, and
      tumor differentiation. The results of the multivariate analysis included the
      extent of radical surgery resection, T and N stage, and tumor differentiation.
      MetS was also associated with greater tumor cell differentiation (P = 0.036).
      There was no association found between MetS status and postoperative
      complications. MetS is an independent prognostic factor for OS in patients with
      ESCC and is associated with better tumor cell differentiation. 

PMID- 26123619
TI  - Corrigendum: Carnival or football, is there a real risk for acquiring dengue
      fever in Brazil during holidays seasons?

PMID- 26123620
TI  - Experimental study of Lucilia sericata (Diptera Calliphoridae) larval development
      on rat cadavers: Effects of climate and chemical contamination.
AB  - Household products such as bleach, gasoline or hydrochloric acid have been used
      to mask the presence of a cadaver or to prevent the colonization of insects.
      These types of chemicals affect insect development and alter the forensic
      entomology analysis. This study was designed to test the effects of six household
      products (bleach, mosquito repellent, perfume, caustic soda, insecticide and
      unleaded gasoline) on blowfly (Lucilia sericata, Diptera: Calliphoridae) larval
      development. Furthermore, the effects of climate (rain or dry conditions) on
      larval development were analyzed. For each replication, 100 first instars were
      placed on a rat cadaver on which one household product was spilled. We observed a
      decrease in the survival rates of the larvae but no significant effect on their
      development times or the adult size. The same trends were observed under rainy
      conditions. However, the rain altered the effects of some tested household
      products, especially gasoline. These results demonstrate for the first time the
      successful development of necrophagous larvae on chemically contaminated
      cadavers, and provide evidence for the range of possible effects to expect. 

PMID- 26123621
TI  - High binding yet accelerated guest rotation within a cucurbit[7]uril complex.
      Toward paramagnetic gyroscopes and rolling nanomachines.
AB  - The (15-oxo-3,7,11-triazadispiro[5.1.5.3]hexadec-7-yl)oxidanyl, a bis
      spiropiperidinium nitroxide derived from TEMPONE, can be included in
      cucurbit[7]uril to form a strong (K(a)~ 2 * 10(5) M(-1)) CB[7]@bPTO complex. EPR
      and MS spectra, DFT calculations, and unparalleled increased resistance (a factor
      of ~10(3)) toward ascorbic acid reduction show evidence of deep inclusion of bPTO
      inside CB[7]. The unusual shape of the CB[7]@bPTO EPR spectrum can be explained
      by an anisotropic Brownian rotational diffusion, the global tumbling of the
      complex being slower than rotation of bPTO around its "long molecular axis"
      inside CB[7]. The CB[7] (stator) with the encapsulated bPTO (rotator) behaves as
      a supramolecular paramagnetic rotor with increased rotational speed of the
      rotator that has great potential for advanced nanoscale machines requiring wheels
      such as cucurbiturils with virtually no friction between the wheel and the axle
      for optimum wheel rotation (i.e. nanopulleys and nanocars).

PMID- 26123622
TI  - Participation in Physical Activity, Fitness, and Risk for Obesity in Children
      with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Cross-cultural Study.
AB  - Decreased physical activity has been linked to poor fitness and obesity,
      resulting in increased risk for health concerns. The objective is to study the
      relationships between children's motor coordination and their physical activity,
      sedentary behaviour, fitness and weight status in a cross-cultural study in the
      United States and Israel. Participants included 118 children 6-11 years of age:
      53 children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and 65 typical
      children. The US sample included 31 DCD children and 44 typical children. The
      Israeli sample included 22 DCD children and 21 typical children. Participants
      were assessed on Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2, strength test of the
      Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2 and Six-minute Walk Test and wore
      an accelerometer. Parents completed physical activity questionnaires and
      demographic information. Body mass index was calculated based on height and
      weight. Testing took place in two sessions. Findings are that in both Israel and
      the United States, children with DCD demonstrated significantly reduced physical
      activity, increased sedentary behaviour, poorer fitness and increased overweight
      compared with typical children. No significant differences were found for
      country. With relevance to clinical practice, fitness and obesity are major
      concerns for children with DCD in both countries. Inclusion of occupational
      therapy in health promotion for this population is critical. Additional studies
      with testers blind to group, larger samples and other countries are recommended.

PMID- 26123624
TI  - Pembrolizumab: a novel antiprogrammed death 1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody for
      treatment of metastatic melanoma.
AB  - WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: To review the pharmacology, efficacy, safety,
      formulary and economic considerations of pembrolizumab, a novel, first-in-class,
      anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody for treatment of advanced melanoma. METHODS: A
      literature search was conducted using PubMed (July 2013-December 2014) with
      search terms: pembrolizumab, MK-3475 and lambrolizumab. Additional sources were
      identified through a subsequent review of all relevant papers,
      clinicaltrials.gov, product labelling and media releases. All English-language
      studies conducted in humans with clinical data were included. Review papers were
      excluded from analysis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Patients with advanced melanoma
      have limited options available. Immune therapies have shown promise in treating
      advanced melanoma, but can have significant toxicities. Identification of the
      role of PD-1 in tumour immune evasion and the subsequent development of
      pembrolizumab, a novel agent that inhibits PD-1, has led to the availability of
      an additional treatment option for patients who have progressive disease despite
      treatment with currently approved agents. Phase I cohort studies have
      demonstrated promising overall response rates and an estimated progression-free
      survival of approximately 5.5 months. Minimal toxicity has been observed in
      patients receiving pembrolizumab, although significant severe immune-mediated
      reactions have been reported. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Pembrolizumab is a
      novel anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody that is an effective option for advanced
      melanoma previously treated with agents such as ipilimumab and BRAF inhibitors.
      Additional studies will provide the necessary data for determining its true place
      in therapy for advanced melanoma and exploring its efficacy in additional
      malignant indications.

PMID- 26123623
TI  - Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 -1171 5A/6A Polymorphism (rs35068180) is Associated
      with Risk of Periodontitis.
AB  - Matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP3) plays a key role in tissue degradation in
      periodontitis. The relationship between the MMP3 -1171 5A/6A polymorphism
      (rs35068180) and periodontitis has been widely studied. However, existing studies
      have yielded contradictory results. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to
      comprehensively investigate these inconclusive findings. Several electronic
      databases were searched for eligible articles. Seven case-control studies from 6
      articles were searched without any language restrictions. Pooled estimates
      indicated that MMP3 -1171 5A/6A polymorphism is associated with a decreased risk
      of periodontitis (allelic genetic model: OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.62-0.80,
      P(heterogeneity) = 0.315; heterozygous model: OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.39-0.65,
      P(heterogeneity) = 0.221; homozygous model: OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.25-0.69,
      P(heterogeneity) = 0.265; dominant model: OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.38-0.62,
      P(heterogeneity) = 0.238, respectively). Similar results were also found in
      chronic periodontitis (CP), Asian, Asian&CP, and non-smokers subgroups. Moreover,
      MMP3 rs35068180 polymorphism might be associated with a lower risk of aggressive
      periodontitis (AgP) in Asians (allelic genetic model: OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.48
      0.91, P(heterogeneity) = 0.945), and CP in Caucasians and Brazilians. In
      conclusion, this meta-analysis demonstrates that MMP3 -1171 5A/6A polymorphism
      may be associated with decreased risk of both CP and AgP in Asians. Large
      independent studies to replicate these results are necessary to validate these
      associations in other populations.

PMID- 26123625
TI  - Pregnancy outcomes in breech presentation analyzed according to intended mode of
      delivery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Optimal mode of delivery in breech presentation has been widely
      examined and debated. The aim of this study was to compare perinatal and maternal
      outcomes with either a policy of planned vaginal delivery or planned cesarean
      section in breech presentation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a registry-based
      retrospective cohort study from Turku University Hospital, Finland with 1418
      singleton breech deliveries at term over a period of 11 years (January 2002 to
      December 2012). Data were collected from the mothers' medical records. RESULTS:
      Apgar scores at 5 min as well as umbilical artery pH values were significantly
      lower in the planned vaginal breech delivery group compared with the planned
      cesarean section group, suggesting a short-lasting delayed recovery after birth.
      There were more puerperal infections in planned cesarean section group compared
      with the planned vaginal delivery group. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that
      planned vaginal breech delivery results in short-lasting delayed recovery after
      birth compared with planned cesarean section.

PMID- 26123627
TI  - The fabrication of double layer tubular vascular tissue engineering scaffold via
      coaxial electrospinning and its 3D cell coculture.
AB  - A continuous electrospinning technique was applied to fabricate double layer
      tubular tissue engineering vascular graft (TEVG) scaffold. The luminal layer was
      made from poly(E-caprolac-tone)(PCL) ultrafine fibers via common single axial
      electrospinning followed by the outer layer of core-shell structured nanofibers
      via coaxial electrospinning. For preparing the outer layernano-fibers, the PCL
      was electrospun into the shell and both bovine serum albumin (BSA) and
      tetrapeptide val-gal-pro-gly (VAPG) were encapsulated into the core. The core
      shell structure in the outer layer fibers was observed by transmission electron
      microscope (TEM). The in vitro release tests exhibited the sustainable release
      behavior of BSA and VAPG so that they provided a better cell growth environment
      in the interior of tubular scaffold wall. The in vitro culture of smooth muscle
      cells (SMCs) demonstrated their potential to penetrate into the scaffold wall for
      the 3D cell culture. Subsequently, 3D cell coculture was conducted. First, SMCs
      were seeded on the luminal surface of the scaffold and cultured for 5 days, and
      then endothelial cells (ECs) were also seeded on the luminal surface and
      cocultured with SMCs for another 2 days. After stained with antibodies, 3D cell
      distribution on the scaffold was revealed by confocal laser scanning microscopy
      (CLSM) where ECs were mainly located on the luminal surface whereas SMCs
      penetrated into the surface and distributed inside the scaffold wall. This double
      layer tubular scaffold with 3D cell distribution showed the promise to develop it
      into a novel TEVG for clinical trials in the near future.

PMID- 26123626
TI  - Humans as cucinivores: comparisons with other species.
AB  - We discuss the relations of processed foods, especially cooked foods, in the
      human diet to digestive tract form and function. The modern consumption of over
      70% of foods and beverages in highly refined form favours the diet-related
      classification of humans as cucinivores, rather than omnivores. Archaeological
      evidence indicates that humans have consumed cooked food for at least 300-400,000
      years, and divergence in genes associated with human subpopulations that utilise
      different foods has been shown to occur over periods of 10-30,000 years. One such
      divergence is the greater presence of adult lactase persistence in communities
      that have consumed dairy products, over periods of about 8,000 years, compared to
      communities not consuming dairy products. We postulate that 300-400,000 years, or
      10,000-14,000 generations, is sufficient time for food processing to have
      influenced the form and function of the human digestive tract. It is difficult to
      determine how long humans have prepared foods in other ways, such as pounding,
      grinding, drying or fermenting, but this appears to be for at least 20,000 years,
      which has been sufficient time to influence gene expression for digestive
      enzymes. Cooking and food processing expands the range of food that can be eaten,
      extends food availability into lean times and enhances digestibility. Cooking
      also detoxifies food to some extent, destroys infective agents, decreases eating
      time and slightly increases the efficiency of assimilation of energy substrates.
      On the other hand, cooking can destroy some nutrients and produce toxic products.
      The human digestive system is suited to a processed food diet because of its
      smaller volume, notably smaller colonic volume, relative to the intestines of
      other species, and because of differences from other primates in dentition and
      facial muscles that result in lower bite strength. There is no known group of
      humans which does not consume cooked foods, and the modern diet is dominated by
      processed foods. We conclude that humans are well adapted as consumers of
      processed, including cooked, foods.

PMID- 26123628
TI  - Safety Profile and Costs of Related Adverse Events of Trastuzumab Emtansine for
      the Treatment of HER2-Positive Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer
      Compared to Capecitabine Plus Lapatinib from the Perspective of the Canadian
      Health-Care System.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1, KADCYLA((r))) is an
      antibody-drug conjugate comprised of the cytotoxic agent DM1 and trastuzumab
      (HERCEPTIN((r))). The safety profile of T-DM1 in human epidermal growth factor
      receptor 2 (HER2)-positive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer
      previously treated with trastuzumab and a taxane was investigated in the phase
      III EMILIA trial. The trial demonstrated clinically and statistically meaningful
      differences in the safety profile between T-DM1 and capecitabine plus lapatinib
      (CAP + LAP). The objective of this study was to estimate the costs of managing
      treatment-related grade >= 3 adverse events (AEs) that occurred in >= 2% of
      patients and grade 2 AEs that occurred in >= 5% of patients taking T-DM1 compared
      with patients taking CAP + LAP based on the EMILIA trial, from the perspective of
      Canadian public payers. METHODS: An Excel-based model was utilized to estimate
      the relevant costs. Clinical data were obtained from the EMILIA trial. Cost
      information was obtained from the literature, clinical experts, and standard cost
      sources. The analysis was conducted from the Canadian public-payer perspective
      and reported in 2014 Canadian dollars (CAD). RESULTS: The management of included
      treatment-related AEs resulted in higher estimated per-patient costs of CAD6901
      for CAP + LAP versus CAD3380 for T-DM1, resulting in savings of CAD3521.
      CONCLUSIONS: From a Canadian perspective, this analysis demonstrated that
      utilizing T-DM1 for the management of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer
      results in substantial savings to the public health-care system when considering
      the costs of treatment-related AEs, due to fewer amount of toxicities compared
      with CAP + LAP. Results of various sensitivity analyses investigating changes in
      number and costs of AEs confirmed the findings; however, the magnitude of cost
      savings varied. Further analyses are necessary to determine whether these cost
      savings would occur in other countries and health-care systems.

PMID- 26123629
TI  - Comparing Gabapentin with Clonazepam for Residual Sleeping Problems following
      Antidepressant Therapy in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized
      Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Residual sleeping disturbances after improvement of
      depression in major depressed patients are associated with more functional
      problems, increased relapses and more risk of becoming resistant to treatment.
      The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of gabapentin with clonazepam
      for treating residual sleeping disturbances. METHODS: This comparative trial was
      designed as a randomized, controlled, double-blind study. Sixty-three patients
      with a DSM-IV diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) who had been treated
      with one of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs; fluoxetine,
      citalopram or sertraline) were included in the study. The patients' depression
      had improved [Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) <10] but they were
      complaining of sleeping problems [Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) >5;
      Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) >8]. Patients were randomized to receive a flexible
      dose of gabapentin (100-600 mg/day) or clonazepam (0.5-2 mg/day) beside their
      current antidepressant medication for a period of 4 weeks. Outcome measures were
      PSQI, ISI and Clinical Global Impression (CGI). RESULTS: Our results demonstrated
      that similar to the clonazepam group, sleeping problems improved significantly in
      the gabapentin group at the end of the trial (PSQI: P = 0.001, Z = 3.549; ISI: P
      = 0.001, Z = 3.347). The two groups did not show a significant difference in
      treating residual sleep disturbances (PSQI: P = 0.234, Z = 1.432; ISI: P = 0.456,
      Z = 1.347). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that gabapentin is comparable to
      clonazepam for treating sleeping problems associated with major depression.

PMID- 26123630
TI  - SDA 7: A modular and parallel implementation of the simulation of diffusional
      association software.
AB  - The simulation of diffusional association (SDA) Brownian dynamics software
      package has been widely used in the study of biomacromolecular association.
      Initially developed to calculate bimolecular protein-protein association rate
      constants, it has since been extended to study electron transfer rates, to
      predict the structures of biomacromolecular complexes, to investigate the
      adsorption of proteins to inorganic surfaces, and to simulate the dynamics of
      large systems containing many biomacromolecular solutes, allowing the study of
      concentration-dependent effects. These extensions have led to a number of
      divergent versions of the software. In this article, we report the development of
      the latest version of the software (SDA 7). This release was developed to
      consolidate the existing codes into a single framework, while improving the
      parallelization of the code to better exploit modern multicore shared memory
      computer architectures. It is built using a modular object-oriented programming
      scheme, to allow for easy maintenance and extension of the software, and includes
      new features, such as adding flexible solute representations. We discuss a number
      of application examples, which describe some of the methods available in the
      release, and provide benchmarking data to demonstrate the parallel performance.

PMID- 26123632
TI  - 10th European Cytogenetics Conference 2015 : 4-7 July 2015, Strasbourg - France.

PMID- 26123631
TI  - Factors affecting dairy farmers' attitudes towards antimicrobial medicine usage
      in cattle in England and Wales.
AB  - There has been growing concern about bacterial resistance to antimicrobials in
      the farmed livestock sector. Attention has turned to sub-optimal use of
      antimicrobials as a driver of resistance. Recent reviews have identified a lack
      of data on the pattern of antimicrobial use as an impediment to the design of
      measures to tackle this growing problem. This paper reports on a study that
      explored use of antibiotics by dairy farmers and factors influencing their
      decision-making around this usage. We found that respondents had either recently
      reduced their use of antibiotics, or planned to do so. Advice from their
      veterinarian was instrumental in this. Over 70% thought reducing antibiotic usage
      would be a good thing to do. The most influential source of information used was
      their own veterinarian. Some 50% were unaware of the available guidelines on use
      in cattle production. However, 97% thought it important to keep treatment
      records. The Theory of Planned Behaviour was used to identify dairy farmers'
      drivers and barriers to reduce use of antibiotics. Intention to reduce usage was
      weakly correlated with current and past practice of antibiotic use, whilst the
      strongest driver was respondents' belief that their social and advisory network
      would approve of them doing this. The higher the proportion of income from milk
      production and the greater the chance of remaining in milk production, the
      significantly higher the likelihood of farmers exhibiting positive intention to
      reduce antibiotic usage. Such farmers may be more commercially minded than others
      and thus more cost-conscious or, perhaps, more aware of possible future
      restrictions. Strong correlation was found between farmers' perception of their
      social referents' beliefs and farmers' intent to reduce antibiotic use. Policy
      makers should target these social referents, especially veterinarians, with
      information on the benefits from, and the means to, achieving reductions in
      antibiotic usage. Information on sub-optimal use of antibiotics as a driver of
      resistance in dairy herds and in humans along with advice on best farm practice
      to minimize risk of disease and ensure animal welfare, complemented with data on
      potential cost savings from reduced antibiotic use would help improve poor
      practice. 

PMID- 26123633
TI  - Natural phenolics greatly increase flax (Linum usitatissimum) oil stability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Flaxseed oil is characterized by high content of essential
      polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) promoted as a human dietary supplement
      protecting against atherosclerosis. The disadvantage of the high PUFA content in
      flax oil is high susceptibility to oxidation, which can result in carcinogenic
      compound formation. Linola flax cultivar is characterized by high linoleic acid
      content in comparison to traditional flax cultivars rich in linolenic acid. The
      changes in fatty acid proportions increase oxidative stability of Linola oil and
      broaden its use as an edible oil for cooking. However one of investigated
      transgenic lines has high ALA content making it suitable as omega-3 source.
      Protection of PUFA oxidation is a critical factor in oil quality. The aim of this
      study was to investigate the impact of phenylpropanoid contents on the oil
      properties important during the whole technological process from seed storage to
      grinding and oil pressing, which may influence health benefits as well as shelf
      life, and to establish guidelines for the selection of new cultivars. METHODS:
      The composition of oils was determined by chromatographic (GS-FID and LC-PDA-MS)
      methods. Antioxidant properties of secondary metabolites were analyzed by DPPH
      method. The stability of oils was investigated: a) during regular storage by
      measuring acid value peroxide value p-anisidine value malondialdehyde, conjugated
      dienes and trienes; b) by using accelerated rancidity tests by TBARS reaction; c)
      by thermoanalytical - differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). RESULTS: In one
      approach, in order to increase oil stability, exogenous substances added are
      mainly lipid soluble antioxidants from the isoprenoid pathway, such as tocopherol
      and carotene. The other approach is based on transgenic plant generation that
      accumulates water soluble compounds. Increased accumulation of phenolic compounds
      in flax seeds was achieved by three different strategies that modify genes coding
      for enzymes from the phenylpropanoid pathway. The three types of transgenic flax
      had different phenylpropanoid profiles detected in oil, highly increasing its
      stability. CONCLUSIONS: We found that hydrophilic phenylpropanoids more than
      lipophilic isoprenoid compounds determine oil stability however they can work
      synergistically. Among phenolics the caffeic acid was most effective in
      increasing oil stability.

PMID- 26123635
TI  - Impact of high pressure processing on color, bioactive compounds, polyphenol
      oxidase activity, and microbiological attributes of pumpkin puree.
AB  - Physicochemical parameters, bioactive compounds' content (carotenoids and total
      phenols), total antioxidant activity, and enzymatic activity of polyphenol
      oxidase (PPO) were evaluated after high pressure processing (HPP) on a pumpkin
      puree (cv. 'Butternut'). Three pressure levels (400, 500, and 600 MPa) were
      combined with three holding times (200, 400, and 600 s). The applied treatments
      reduced the levels of total aerobic mesophilic (TAM), total psychrophilic and
      psychrotrophic bacteria (TPP), and molds and yeasts (M&Y). All applied treatments
      did not affect enzymatic activity of PPO. Pressure level increased CIE L* values,
      which could enhance the lightness perception of high pressure (HP)-treated
      purees. No differences were found between the untreated and HP-treated purees
      regarding total phenols and carotenoids content (lutein, alpha-carotene, and beta
      carotene) and total antioxidant activity. HPP did not affect most quality
      parameters and maintained the levels of bioactive compounds. However, it did not
      achieve the complete inhibition of PPO, which could reduce the shelf-life of the
      pumpkin puree.

PMID- 26123636
TI  - Time trends in the prevalence and incidence of Parkinson's disease in Taiwan: A
      nationwide, population-based study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Identifying trends in the prevalence and incidence of
      Parkinson's disease (PD) may yield information that supports public health goals.
      Our aim was to evaluate time-trend changes in the prevalence and incidence of PD
      in Taiwan between 2004 and 2011. METHODS: This retrospective, nationwide,
      longitudinal study used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to
      identify patients with PD from 2004 to 2011 based on having ICD-9-CM diagnostic
      codes, which were assigned by neurologists, and being prescribed PD medication.
      Annual incidence and prevalence were calculated, and time-trend analyses were
      estimated assuming a Poisson distribution. RESULTS: Over the study period, 19,302
      patients in 2004 and 41,606 patients in 2011 fulfilling the study criteria for PD
      were included in the analysis. The average age-standardized prevalence of PD per
      100,000 of population was 84.8 in 2004 and 147.7 in 2011, with a 7.9% yearly
      increase. Increasing prevalence trends of PD were statistically significant (p <
      0.001) in all age groups, with the steepest rate among those aged >= 80 years. In
      contrast, the average age-standardized incidence of PD decreased steadily from
      35.3 per 100,000 in 2005 to 28.8 per 100,000 in 2011. The incidence rate was
      higher in men than in women, and increased with age. CONCLUSION: We identified an
      increasing trend in the annual prevalence rates of PD from 2004 to 2011; however,
      the substantial decline in the incidence of PD suggests that some major
      environmental risk factors for PD were removed from this population during this
      time period.

PMID- 26123637
TI  - Bite-force difference among obese adolescents in central Taiwan.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Maximal bite force of the jaw can cause thorough food chewing
      and result in good digestion. Bite force is related to the health of the
      masticatory muscles. Muscle force is frequently affected by obesity in
      adolescence, however, little is known about how obesity influences the maximum
      bite force and the difference between genders. METHODS: Five hundred and seventy
      seven adolescent students (292 girls and 285 boys), aged 13-16 years, from
      central Taiwan were recruited for a cross-sectional study in 2009. The maximum
      bite force, hand strength, triceps skin-fold fat thickness, serum level of
      testosterone, and body mass index (BMI) were measured. Dental health was
      evaluated based on malocclusion and dental caries. RESULTS: Bite force in girls
      was highest in the obese group (32.49 +/- 19.13 kg, mean +/- standard deviation),
      whereas in boys it was higher in the overweight group (41.89 +/- 19.3 kg) than in
      the obese group (33.21 +/- 17.12 kg). The prevalence of obesity was twofold
      higher in boys (14.39%) than in girls (7.88%). The mean serum level of
      testosterone increased with BMI in girls (p = 0.0172), whereas it decreased with
      BMI in boys (p = 0.0014). The relationships of serum testosterone level and bite
      force with BMI were similar in the two gender groups. CONCLUSION: The maximum
      bite force decreased in obese boys but increased in obese girls, which may be due
      to the sensitivity to testosterone being modulated by the fat level.

PMID- 26123634
TI  - Aspirin and multiple sclerosis.
AB  - Aspirin is widely used to lessen the risks of cardiovascular events. Some studies
      suggest that patients with multiple sclerosis have an increased risk for some
      cardiovascular events, for example, venous thromboembolism and perhaps ischemic
      strokes, raising the possibility that aspirin could lessen these increased risks
      in this population or subgroups (patients with limited mobility and/or
      antiphospholipid antibodies). However, aspirin causes a small increased risk of
      hemorrhagic stroke, which is a concern as it could potentially worsen a
      compromised blood-brain barrier. Aspirin has the potential to ameliorate the
      disease process in multiple sclerosis (for example, by limiting some components
      of inflammation), but aspirin also has the potential to inhibit mitochondrial
      complex I activity, which is already reduced in multiple sclerosis. In an
      experimental setting of a cerebral ischemic lesion, aspirin promoted the
      proliferation and/or differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursors, raising the
      possibility that aspirin could facilitate remyelination efforts in multiple
      sclerosis. Other actions by aspirin may lead to small improvements of some
      symptoms (for example, lessening fatigue). Here we consider potential benefits
      and risks of aspirin usage by patients with multiple sclerosis. 

PMID- 26123638
TI  - Pharmacokinetics of vancomycin in adults receiving extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation.
AB  - BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) alters the
      pharmacokinetics (PK) of vancomycin in neonates; but data on adults is limited.
      METHODS: This is a prospective, matched cohort, single center, pharmacokinetic
      study. For each adult patient who received vancomycin therapy in the ECMO group
      (with either centrifugal pump or roller pump), a control patient was matched by
      age (>= 60 years or < 60 years), gender, and creatinine clearance (CLCr) in
      intensive care units. After vancomycin was administered for at least four doses,
      serial blood samples were drawn at 0.5 hours, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 5 hours,
      7 hours, 11 hours, 23 hours, 35 hours, and 47 hours post vancomycin infusion
      according to the dosing intervals. The serum concentration-time profile was
      fitted to a noncompartment model and a nonlinear mixed effect model to determine
      the PK parameters. RESULTS: Twenty-two critically ill adults without renal
      replacement therapy were enrolled. There were no significant differences between
      the ECMO group and the matched group in demographics, renal function, and PK
      parameters. However, vancomycin clearance in the roller pump group was
      significantly lower than that in the matched control (0.83 +/- 0.43 mL/min/kg vs.
      0.97 +/- 0.43 mL/min/kg, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Vancomycin clearance in patients
      receiving ECMO with a roller pump was significantly lower than that in the
      matched cohort. Vancomycin PK parameters in patients on ECMO with a centrifugal
      pump were comparable to those in the matched control group.

PMID- 26123639
TI  - Gender Differences in Institutional Long-Term Care Transitions.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: This study investigates the relationship between gender, the
      likelihood of discharge from institutional long-term care (LTC) facilities, and
      post-discharge living arrangements, highlighting sociodemographic, health,
      socioeconomic, and family characteristics. METHODS: We use the Health and
      Retirement Study to examine individuals age 65 and older admitted to LTC
      facilities between 2000 and 2010 (n = 3,351). We examine discharge patterns using
      survival analyses that account for the competing risk of death and estimate the
      probabilities of post-discharge living arrangements using multinomial logistic
      regression models. RESULTS: Women are more likely than men to be discharged from
      LTC facilities during the first year of stay. Women are more likely to live alone
      or with kin after discharge, whereas men are more likely to live with a spouse or
      transfer to another institution. Gender differences in the availability and use
      of family support may partly account for the gender disparity of LTC discharge
      and post-discharge living arrangements. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that
      women and men follow distinct pathways after LTC discharge. As local and federal
      efforts begin to place more emphasis on the transition from LTC facilities to
      prior communities (e.g., transitional care initiatives under the Patient
      Protection and Affordable Care Act), policymakers should take these gender
      differences into account in the design of community transition programs.

PMID- 26123640
TI  - Reproductive Life Planning in Primary Care: A Qualitative Study of Women
      Veterans' Perceptions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Women veterans using Veterans Administration (VA) health care have
      high rates of medical and mental health comorbidities, placing them at increased
      risk of poor outcomes from unplanned pregnancy. Reproductive life planning is a
      strategy recommended by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention that
      could promote healthy pregnancies and reduce unplanned pregnancy in the VA.
      However, no data exist on women veterans' perceptions of reproductive life
      planning discussions. METHODS: We trained six VA primary care physicians at two
      VA Women's Health Clinics to conduct reproductive life planning discussions with
      veterans aged 18 to 44 during primary care visits. After the visit, we performed
      semistructured telephone interviews with consenting veterans to explore
      perceptions of 1) reproductive life planning content and 2) provider-patient
      communication in reproductive life planning discussions. Interviews were
      audiorecorded, transcribed, and analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: We
      interviewed 27 veterans with a mean age of 31 years (range, 22-42). Women
      veterans perceived generally reproductive life planning discussions as important
      opportunities to discuss reproductive goals with providers and to obtain new and
      relevant information about contraception, planning healthy pregnancies, and
      available VA reproductive health services. Perceptions of reproductive life
      planning content were influenced by women's pregnancy intentions. Perceptions
      related to provider-patient communication included preferences for provider
      initiated discussions and nonjudgmental counseling that incorporates patients'
      values and preferences. CONCLUSIONS: Women veterans perceived reproductive life
      planning as valuable and important to their health. Reproductive life planning
      has the potential to enhance patient-centered delivery of reproductive health
      services in VA primary care.

PMID- 26123641
TI  - Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity and Socioeconomic Factors
      Associated with Veterans Health Administration Use among Women Veterans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Veterans Health Administration (VA) has historically focused on
      treating men. Although women veterans' VA use is increasing, they remain more
      likely than male veterans to receive their care in non-VA settings. To date,
      there is limited research on factors associated with VA use among women. We
      examined the relationship between demographic, civilian, military, and health
      related variables with past-year VA use among women veterans. METHODS: Women
      veterans were recruited over the internet to participate in an anonymous national
      survey (n = 617) in 2013. An empirically derived decision tree was computed using
      signal detection software for iterative receiver operator characteristics (ROC)
      to identify variables with the best sensitivity/specificity balance associated
      with past-year VA use. RESULTS: ROC analysis indicated that 85% of participants
      with high posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms and who
      were younger than 54 years of age used VA in the past year. Of those who were 54
      years of age or older and had very high PTSD symptoms, 94% used the VA in the
      last year. By contrast, only 40% of participants with relatively lower PTSD
      symptoms had VA past-year use, although among these individuals, VA past-year use
      increased to 65% for those with a relatively lower income. CONCLUSIONS: Findings
      suggest that greater PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and low income correlate
      with VA use, with very high PTSD symptoms in older groups, high PTSD symptoms
      coupled with high depressive symptoms in younger groups, and low income in those
      with lower PTSD symptoms each associated with greater past-year VA use. Ensuring
      PTSD assessment and treatment, and addressing socioeconomic factors, may be key
      strategies for health care delivered directly or through contract with VA
      facilities.

PMID- 26123642
TI  - The interaction of 4-thiazolidinone derivatives containing indolin-2-one moiety
      with P-glycoprotein studied using K562 cell lines.
AB  - P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is an active drug efflux pump, which exists widely in
      various MDR tumor cells, conferring drug resistance to tumor cells during
      chemotherapy. Some 4-thiazolidinone derivatives containing indolin-2-one moiety
      are novel anti-tumor compounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the
      transport activity of P-gp towards 4-thiazolidinone derivatives containing
      indolin-2-one moiety (as mixtures of 2Z, 5Z and 2E, 5Z isomers) and the transport
      inhibition activities of the derivatives to P-gp, the results of which could
      provide crucial information for the further separation of and development on the
      derivatives with excellent anti-tumor activities. The results indicate that the
      further separation and development should be focused on compounds 7, 10, 12 and
      13 (tumor cell cytotoxic P-gp modulators) and compounds 8, 9, 17 and 18 (non
      substrates of P-gp), which exhibit anti-tumor activities and could overcome P-gp
      mediated MDR. Furthermore, the results of molecular docking indicate that Ser222,
      a residue in TM4 domain of P-gp, exhibits an intriguing feature in that it
      interacts with all of the derivatives related with P-gp transport in a
      significant way, including both typical substrates and modulators of P-gp.
      Meanwhile, the compounds showing no interaction with Ser222 are mainly from the
      category of non-substrates of P-gp. Therefore, the interaction between Ser222 and
      the tested derivative would provide useful information for the further
      development on 4-thiazolidinone derivatives containing indolin-2-one moiety. 

PMID- 26123643
TI  - Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel myrtucommulones and structural
      analogues that target mPGES-1 and 5-lipoxygenase.
AB  - The natural acylphloroglucinol myrtucommulone A (1) inhibits microsomal
      prostaglandin E2 synthase (mPGES)-1 and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO), and induces
      apoptosis of cancer cells. Starting from 1 as lead, 28 analogues were synthesized
      following a straightforward modular strategy with high yielding convergent steps.
      Major structural variations concerned (I) replacement of the syncarpic acid
      moieties by dimedone or indandione, (II) cyclization of the syncarpic acid with
      the acylphloroglucinol core, and (III) substitution of the methine bridges and
      the acyl residue with isopropyl, isobutyl, n-pentyl or phenyl groups, each. The
      potency for mPGES-1 inhibition was improved by 12.5-fold for 43 (2-(1-(3-hexanoyl
      2,4,6-trihydroxy-5-(1-(3-hydroxy-1-oxo-1H-inden-2-yl)-2-methylpropyl)phenyl)-2
      methylpropyl)-3-hydroxy-1H-inden-1-one) with IC50 = 0.08 MUM, and 5-LO inhibition
      was improved 33-fold by 47 (2-((3-hexanoyl-2,4,6-trihydroxy-5-((3-hydroxy-1-oxo
      1H-inden-2-yl) (phenyl)methyl)phenyl) (phenyl)methyl)-3-hydroxy-1H-inden-1-one)
      with IC50 = 0.46 MUM. SAR studies revealed divergent structural determinants for
      induction of cell death and mPGES-1/5-LO inhibition, revealing 43 and 47 as non
      cytotoxic mPGES-1 and 5-LO inhibitors that warrant further preclinical assessment
      as anti-inflammatory drugs. 

PMID- 26123644
TI  - Cardiologist Point of View on the Exercise Echocardiography and Multidetector
      Computed Tomography for the Evaluation of Acute Chest Pain. Response.

PMID- 26123645
TI  - Identification of potential therapeutic targets by molecular profiling of 628
      cases of uterine serous carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Therapeutic options are limited for uterine serous carcinoma (USC).
      TP53, PIK3CA, FBXW7, and ERBB mutations, as well as HER2 and EGFR overexpression
      have been reported. We aim to evaluate patterns of molecular, genomic and protein
      changes in 628USC tumors. METHODS: 628 consecutive cases of USC submitted to
      Caris Life Sciences from Mar, 2011 to July, 2014 were reviewed. These were
      analyzed using the Illumina TruSeq Amplcon Cancer panel to search for sequenced
      variants in 47 genes commonly implicated in carcinomatosis. In situ hybridization
      and immunohistochemistry were also used to assess copy number and protein
      expression, respectively, of selected genes. RESULTS: 31 out of 47 genes of
      interest harbored mutations, including TP53 (76%), PIK3CA (29%), FBXW7 (12%) and
      KRAS (9.3%). BRCA1 and BRCA2 were mutated in 9.1% and 6.3%, respectively. ERCC1
      and MGMT were absent in 81% and 46% of tumors analyzed, respectively, suggesting
      potential benefit from platinum and alkylating agents. While not traditionally
      considered hormone-dependent, our cohort showed high ERalpha (60%), PR (32%), and
      AR (27%) expression. HER2 overexpression was 10% via IHC, amplification was 17%
      via CISH/FISH and mutation was 2% via NGS. While low in PTEN mutation frequency
      (7%), 45% of USC showed PTEN loss on IHC, and 29% harbored PIK3A mutation,
      suggesting deregulation of P13K/AKT pathway in a subset of patients. 11%
      expressed PDL1 and 67% expressed PD1. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest hormonal
      receptors, as well as genes implicated in DNA repair, cell proliferation and cell
      cycle pathways are of interest in USC.

PMID- 26123646
TI  - Antioxidant and phytochemical analysis of Ranunculus arvensis L. extracts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ranunculus arvensis L. (R. arvensis) has long been used to treat a
      variety of medical conditions such as arthritis, asthma, hay fever, rheumatism,
      psoriasis, gut diseases and rheumatic pain. Here, we screened R. arvensis for
      antioxidant activity, phytochemical and high performance liquid chromatography
      (HPLC) analyses. METHODS: The chloroform, chloroform:methanol, methanol,
      methanol:acetone, acetone, methanol:water and water extracts of R. arvensis were
      examined for DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging assay,
      hydrogen peroxide scavenging assay, phosphomolybdenum assay, reducing power
      assay, flavonoid content, phenolic content and high performance liquid
      chromatography analysis. RESULTS: Significant antioxidant activity was displayed
      by methanol extract (IC 50 34.71 +/- 0.02) in DPPH free radical scavenging assay.
      Total flavonoids and phenolics ranged 0.96-6.0 mg/g of extract calculated as
      rutin equivalent and 0.48-1.43 mg/g of extract calculated as gallic acid
      equivalent respectively. Significant value of rutin and caffeic acid was observed
      via high performance liquid chromatography. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed
      that extracts of R. arvensis exhibited significant antioxidant activities.
      Moreover, R. arvensis is a rich source of rutin, flavonoids and phenolics.

PMID- 26123647
TI  - Rare Variants in the Epithelial Cadherin Gene Underlying the Genetic Etiology of
      Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip with or without Cleft Palate.
AB  - Nonsyndromic orofacial cleft (NSOFC) is a complex disease of still unclear
      genetic etiology. To investigate the contribution of rare epithelial cadherin
      (CDH1) gene variants to NSOFC, we target sequenced 221 probands. Candidate
      variants were evaluated via in vitro, in silico, or segregation analyses. Three
      probably pathogenic variants (c.760G>A [p.Asp254Asn], c.1023T>G [p.Tyr341*], and
      c.2351G>A [p.Arg784His]) segregated according to autosomal dominant inheritance
      in four nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) families
      (Lod score: 5.8 at theta = 0; 47% penetrance). A fourth possibly pathogenic
      variant (c.387+5G>A) was also found, but further functional analyses are needed
      (overall prevalence of CDH1 candidate variants: 2%; 15.4% among familial cases).
      CDH1 mutational burden was higher among probands from familial cases when
      compared to that of controls (P = 0.002). We concluded that CDH1 contributes to
      NSCL/P with mainly rare, moderately penetrant variants, and CDH1
      haploinsufficiency is the likely etiological mechanism. 

PMID- 26123648
TI  - Extrapolating Dynamic Leidenfrost Principles to Metallic Nanodroplets on
      Asymmetrically Textured Surfaces.
AB  - In an effort to enhance our knowledge on how to control the movement of metallic
      nanodroplets, here we have used classical molecular dynamics simulations to
      investigate whether Cu nanostructures deposited on nanopillared substrates can be
      made to jump at desired angles. We find that such control is possible, especially
      for Cu nanostructures that are symmetric; for asymmetric nanostructures, however,
      control is more uncertain. The work presented here borrows ideas from two
      seemingly different fields, metallic droplets and water droplets in the dynamic
      Leidenfrost regime. Despite the differences in the respective systems, we find
      common ground in their behavior on nanostructured surfaces. Due to this, we
      suggest that the ongoing research in Leidenfrost droplets is a fertile area for
      scientists working on metallic nanodroplets. 

PMID- 26123649
TI  - Levels of Ancylostoma infections and phylogenetic analysis of cox 1 gene of A.
      ceylanicum in stray cat faecal samples from Guangzhou, China.
AB  - Ancylostoma ceylanicum is a common zoonotic nematode. Cats act as natural
      reservoirs of the hookworm and are involved in transmitting infection to humans,
      thus posing a potential risk to public health. The prevalence of feline A.
      ceylanicum in Guangzhou (South China) was surveyed by polymerase chain reaction
      restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). In total, 112 faecal samples
      were examined; 34.8% (39/112) and 43.8% (49/112) samples were positive with
      hookworms by microscopy and PCR method, respectively. Among them, 40.8% of
      samples harboured A. ceylanicum. Twelve positive A. ceylanicum samples were
      selected randomly and used for cox 1 sequence analysis. Sequencing results
      revealed that they had 97-99% similarity with A. ceylanicum cox 1 gene sequences
      deposited in GenBank. A phylogenetic tree showed that A. ceylanicum isolates were
      divided into two groups: one comprising four isolates from Guangzhou (South
      China), and the other comprising those from Malaysia, Cambodia and Guangzhou. In
      the latter group, all A. ceylanicum isolates from Guangzhou were clustered into a
      minor group again. The results indicate that the high prevalence of A. ceylanicum
      in stray cats in South China poses a potential risk of hookworm transmission from
      pet cats to humans, and that A. ceylanicum may be a species complex worldwide. 

PMID- 26123650
TI  - [Urinary tract infections: Economical impact of water intake].
AB  - BACKGROUNDS: This study aims to estimate the impact of preventing urinary tract
      infections (UTI), using a strategy of increased water intake, from the payer's
      perspective in the French health care system. METHODS: A Markov model enables a
      comparison of health care costs and outcomes for a virtual cohort of subjects
      with different levels of daily water intake. The analysis of the budgetary impact
      was based on a period of 5years. The analysis was based on a 25-year follow-up
      period to assess the effects of adequate water supply on long-term complications.
      RESULTS: The authors estimate annual primary incidence of UTI and annual risk of
      recurrence at 5.3% and 30%, respectively. Risk reduction associated with greater
      water intake reached 45% and 33% for the general and recurrent populations,
      respectively. The average total health care cost of a single UTI episode is
      ?1074; for a population of 65 millions, UTI management represents a cost of
      ?3.700 millions for payers. With adequate water intake, the model indicates a
      potential cost savings of ?2.288 millions annually, by preventing 27 million UTI
      episodes. At the individual level, the potential cost savings is approximately
      ?2915. CONCLUSIONS: Preventing urinary tract infections using a strategy of
      adequate water intake could lead to significant cost savings for a public health
      care system. Further studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of such an
      approach.

PMID- 26123652
TI  - The Future of the Journal of Insect Science.

PMID- 26123651
TI  - ANCA positive crescentic glomerulonephritis outcome in a Central East European
      cohort: a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The recently suggested distinct pathogenic pathways for
      myeloperoxidase (MPO) and proteinase 3 (PR3) anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic
      antibodies (ANCA) associated vasculitis could result in different modes of
      presentation and outcome. Moreover, kidney outcome was related to a new
      histopathologic classification of pauci-immune glomerulonephritis. As reports
      were not always concordant, possible because differences in severity of organ
      lesions and ethnicity, we evaluated the outcome of a cohort of Central-East
      European patients with crescentic glomerulonephritis in relation with ANCA
      specificity and histopathological classification. METHODS: Seventy-five patients
      were consecutively diagnosed by kidney biopsy (76 % MPO-ANCA specificity, 52 %
      crescentic) and followed for a median period of 3.2 years. Study end-points were
      response to therapy, end stage renal disease (ESRD) and death. RESULTS: PR3-ANCA
      patients were younger, in higher proportion male and had higher Birmingham
      Vasculitis Activity Scores (BVAS). The kidney disease was severe at presentation
      (median creatinine 5 mg/dL; 27 % required temporary dialysis) and worst in PR3
      ANCA positive patients (50 % patients needed temporary dialysis vs. 19 %). The
      lung was the second most affected organ (31 % severe lung hemorrhage). Lung and
      kidney damage were related; the odds of hemorrhagic alveolitis in patients
      needing dialysis at presentation were 4 (95 % CI 1-13; p = 0.006) times higher
      than in those who did not. The rate of response to therapy (without signs of
      active vasculitis and stable or declining serum creatinine) was 60 % and was
      associated with dialysis independency, older age and higher platelet number at
      presentation. The probabilities to survival 1 and 5 years for kidney and patient
      were 93 and 64 %, and respectively 88 and 67 %. Kidney survival was predicted by
      response to therapy and dialysis independency at presentation. Patients with BVAS
      < 15 and responding to induction therapy had better chances of survival. Neither
      response to therapy nor outcome was influenced by ANCA specificity or by the
      histopathological class. CONCLUSIONS: When kidney damage is severe in ANCA
      vasculitis, the need of dialysis at presentation and the response to induction
      therapy overcome the prognostic utility of both ANCA specificity and
      histopathological class.

PMID- 26123653
TI  - Sector analysis provides additional spatial information on the permanent prostate
      brachytherapy learning curve.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the permanent prostate brachytherapy (PPB) learning curve
      using postimplant multisector dosimetric analysis and to assess the correlation
      between sector -specific dosimetry and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).
      METHODS AND METHODS: First 200 patients treated with (125)I PPB monotherapy (145
      Gy) at a single institution were assessed. Postimplant dosimetry (PID) using CT
      was evaluated for whole prostate (global) and 12 sectors, assessing minimum dose
      to 90% of prostate (D90) and dose to 0.1 cm(3) of rectum (D0.1cc). Global and
      sector PID results were evaluated to investigate changes in D90 with case number.
      Urinary and bowel PROMs were assessed using the International Prostate Symptom
      Score and the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite questionnaire. The
      correlation between global and individual sector PID and urinary/bowel PROMs was
      also evaluated. RESULTS: Linear regression confirmed a significant improvement in
      global D90 with case number (r(2) = 0.20; p = 0.001) at a rate of 0.11 Gy/case.
      Postimplant D90 of base sectors increased at a rate of 0.11-0.15 Gy/case (p =
      0.0001) and matched global improvement. The regression lines of midgland and apex
      sectors were significantly different from global D90 (p = 0.01). Posterior
      midgland sectors showed a significant reduction in D90 with case number at a rate
      of 0.13-0.19 Gy/case (p = 0.01). Dose to posterior midgland sectors correlated
      with rectal D0.1cc dose but not bowel PROMs. Dose to posterior midgland sectors
      correlated with urinary International Prostate Symptom Score change, which was
      not apparent when global D90 alone was considered. CONCLUSIONS: Sector analysis
      provided increased spatial information regarding the PPB learning curve.
      Furthermore, sector analysis correlated with urinary PROMs and rectal dose.

PMID- 26123655
TI  - A microspectroscopic insight into the resistivity switching of individual Ag-TCNQ
      nanocrystals.
AB  - We investigate the resistivity switching in individual Ag-TCNQ wires with on/off
      ratios of up to 10(3). Raman and soft X-ray absorption microspectroscopy studies
      disclose reverse charge transfer. Quantifying of the fraction of neutral TCNQ
      within the switched material yields values up to 22.3%. These findings expedite
      the understanding of the switching process in Ag-TCNQ nanowires.

PMID- 26123654
TI  - Relations of participation in organized activities to smoking and drinking among
      Japanese youth: contextual effects of structural social capital in high school.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This cross-sectional study examined the effect of school-level
      structural social capital on smoking and drinking among Japanese youth. METHODS:
      Self-administered anonymous questionnaires were distributed to 3248 students at
      29 high schools across Okinawa, Japan in 2008. Structural social capital was
      measured by students' participation in organized activities: student council,
      extracurricular activities, volunteer activities, community sports clubs, and
      youth associations. Contextual-level social capital was measured by aggregated
      school-level individual responses. RESULTS: At the individual level,
      extracurricular activity participation was negatively associated with smoking and
      drinking, whereas participation in youth associations was positively associated
      with smoking and drinking. School-level extracurricular activity participation
      was negatively associated with smoking among boys, whereas school-level
      participation in youth associations was positively associated with smoking among
      boys and girls and drinking among boys. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that
      structural social capital measured by participation in organized activities,
      especially extracurricular activities, might be an important way for youths to
      attain good health. This study also supports the idea that particular type of
      activities, such as youth associations, can lead to the so-called "dark side of
      social capital".

PMID- 26123656
TI  - Pleomorphic adenoma of an accessory submandibular salivary gland: a rare entity.
AB  - An accessory submandibular salivary gland is a rare anatomical variant, and a
      tumour within one is even rarer. We describe a 54-year-old man who presented with
      a slowly-enlarging mass in the right submandibular region which on magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) seemed to be close to, but not arising from, the right
      submandibular salivary gland. This was found to be a benign pleomorphic adenoma
      arising from an accessory submandibular salivary gland. To our knowledge it is
      only the second report of a pleomorphic adenoma that developed within an
      accessory submandibular salivary gland.

PMID- 26123657
TI  - LTP3 contributes to disease susceptibility in Arabidopsis by enhancing abscisic
      acid (ABA) biosynthesis.
AB  - Several plant lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) act positively in plant disease
      resistance. Here, we show that LTP3 (At5g59320), a pathogen and abscisic acid
      (ABA)-induced gene, negatively regulates plant immunity in Arabidopsis. The
      overexpression of LTP3 (LTP3-OX) led to an enhanced susceptibility to virulent
      bacteria and compromised resistance to avirulent bacteria. On infection of LTP3
      OX plants with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, genes involved in ABA
      biosynthesis, NCED3 and AAO3, were highly induced, whereas salicylic acid (SA)
      related genes, ICS1 and PR1, were down-regulated. Accordingly, in LTP3-OX plants,
      we observed increased ABA levels and decreased SA levels relative to the wild
      type. We also showed that the LTP3 overexpression-mediated enhanced
      susceptibility was partially dependent on AAO3. Interestingly, loss of function
      of LTP3 (ltp3-1) did not affect ABA pathways, but resulted in PR1 gene induction
      and elevated SA levels, suggesting that LTP3 can negatively regulate SA in an ABA
      independent manner. However, a double mutant consisting of ltp3-1 and silent LTP4
      (ltp3/ltp4) showed reduced susceptibility to Pseudomonas and down-regulation of
      ABA biosynthesis genes, suggesting that LTP3 acts in a redundant manner with its
      closest homologue LTP4 by modulating the ABA pathway. Taken together, our data
      show that LTP3 is a novel negative regulator of plant immunity which acts through
      the manipulation of the ABA-SA balance.

PMID- 26123658
TI  - Does Helicobacter pylori infection modify lung development, height or simply
      reflect shared environmental exposures?

PMID- 26123659
TI  - A 4-year prospective evaluation of protocols to improve clinical outcomes for
      patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis in a national clinical centre.
AB  - Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare multisystem disease. Progressive airflow
      limitation, pneumothorax and angiomyolipoma-related bleeding are major
      morbidities. As treatments are available for these complications, we
      prospectively audited loss of FEV1 (DeltaFEV1), pneumothorax and angiomyolipoma
      bleeding against clinical standards over 4 years at the UK Clinical Centre.
      DeltaFEV1 for these patients is lower than previously reported and rates of
      pneumothorax and angiomyolipoma haemorrhage are low. This suggests that real-time
      analysis of clinical data with targeted interventions can reduce morbidity in
      LAM. These measures could be applied as quality standards to compare the emerging
      LAM clinical networks worldwide.

PMID- 26123661
TI  - A case-based discussion from the Medical Intensive Care Unit of Sahloul
      University Hospital of Tunisia: an unusual cause of alveolar hypoventilation in a
      patient with COPD.

PMID- 26123660
TI  - Nox2 up-regulation is associated with an enhanced risk of atrial fibrillation in
      patients with pneumonia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) may be complicated by atrial
      fibrillation (AF) but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Nox2-derived
      oxidative stress has been suggested to favour AF. METHODS: We consecutively
      enrolled 432 patients hospitalised for CAP. Nox2 activity, as assessed by serum
      levels of soluble Nox2 (sNox2-dp), was evaluated in each CAP patient. A 12-lead
      electrocardiography was repeated every 24 h. All patients were followed up until
      discharge. RESULTS: Forty-one patients with CAP (9.5%) experienced a new episode
      of AF within 24-72 h after hospital admission. Patients who experienced AF showed
      higher blood levels of sNox2-dp compared to those who did not (35.2+/-15.1 vs
      27.0+/-12.5 pg/mL; p<0.001). Pneumonia Severity Index score (p=0.014), history of
      paroxysmal AF (p<0.001) and sNox2-dp (p=0.019) were independently associated with
      AF. At discharge, serum sNox2-dp levels were significantly decreased in the
      entire cohort (27.8+/-13.0 vs 21.9+/-6.8 pg/mL; p<0.001). Twenty-three out of 41
      CAP patients with AF returned to sinus rhythm (56%); patients who remained in AF
      showed significantly higher baseline and discharge levels of sNox2-dp compared to
      those without AF (p<0.001) or with the 23 AF patients who returned to sinus
      rhythm (p<0.05). In vitro study showed that platelets or leucocytes incubated
      with endotoxin, at concentrations similar to those found in the circulation of
      CAP patients, elicited Nox2 up-regulation, suggesting endotoxin as a trigger of
      oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS: AF may be detected in the early phase of CAP and
      is associated with Nox2 activation, suggesting a role for oxidative stress in
      promoting this cardiac arrhythmia. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01773863.

PMID- 26123662
TI  - Influence of survivin-targeted therapy on chemosensitivity in the treatment of
      acute myeloid leukemia.
AB  - Overexpression of survivin is observed in various hematological malignancies,
      including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Studies show that elevated expression of
      survivin correlates with a worse clinic outcome in AML patients. It remains
      unclear whether inhibition of survivin may alter the efficacy of chemotherapy
      against AML. Here, we evaluate the effects of specific knockdown of survivin on
      AML cells' sensitivity to chemotherapy, and investigate the therapeutic potential
      of the transcription inhibitor of survivin YM155 either alone or in combination
      with chemotherapeutic agents. We found Kasumi-1 and HL-60 cells had relatively
      higher expression levels of survivin among all AML cell lines tested. Specific
      knockdown of survivin in Kasumi-1 and HL-60 cells resulted in: inhibition of cell
      proliferation; cell cycle G2/M arrest; induction of DNA damage response and
      apoptosis. Downregulation of survivin enhanced etoposide- or doxorubicin-induced
      anti-proliferative/anti-survival activity in AML cells. The small molecule
      inhibitor YM155 reduced survivin in a dose- and time-dependent manner and trigged
      apoptosis in Kasumi-1 and HL-60 cells. The combinatorial effects of YM155 and
      chemotherapeutics were either synergetic or antagonistic, depending upon the
      drugs used for combination and the type of AML cells being treated. Collectively,
      our data demonstrate that survivin plays an important role in the maintenance and
      proliferation of AML cells. While specific knockdown of survivin enhances
      chemosensitivity, the combinations of YM155 and chemotherapeutic agents exhibit
      synergetic or antagonistic effects on AML cells. Our findings provide a rationale
      for further assessment of survivin-targeted therapy in the treatment of patients
      with AML. 

PMID- 26123664
TI  - Role of chemokine pathways in hepatobiliary cancer.
AB  - Persistent hepatic inflammation resulting from hepatitis B or C virus infections
      (HBV or HCV, respectively), obesity-associated non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
      (NASH) or alcohol abuse is a hallmark feature of chronic liver diseases and
      appears to be an essential prerequisite of hepatocarcinogenesis. The inflammatory
      processes in the liver are regulated by various chemokines, which orchestrate the
      interaction between parenchymal liver cells, Kupffer cells (resident
      macrophages), hepatic stellate cells (HSC), endothelial cells, and infiltrating
      immune cells. In consequence, these cellular interactions result in the re
      modeling of the hepatic microenvironment toward a pro-inflammatory, pro-fibrotic,
      pro-angiogenic and thus pre-neoplastic milieu. Once developed, liver neoplasms
      provoke pro- and anti-tumor immune responses that are also critically regulated
      through differential activation of chemokine pathways. With respect to
      hepatobiliary cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), gallbladder
      cancer and cholangiocellular carcinoma (cholangiocarcinoma), together belonging
      to the highest causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, this review article
      will give an overview of chemokine pathways involved in both the establishment of
      a pro-tumorigenic microenvironment as well as the development and progression of
      hepatobiliary cancer. Pharmaceutical targeting of chemokine pathways is a
      promising approach to treat or even prevent hepatobiliary cancer.

PMID- 26123663
TI  - MYCN-driven regulatory mechanisms controlling LIN28B in neuroblastoma.
AB  - LIN28B has been identified as an oncogene in various tumor entities, including
      neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer that originates from neural crest-derived
      cells, and is characterized by amplification of the MYCN oncogene. Recently,
      elevated LIN28B expression levels were shown to contribute to neuroblastoma
      tumorigenesis via let-7 dependent de-repression of MYCN. However, additional
      insight in the regulation of LIN28B in neuroblastoma is lacking. Therefore, we
      have performed a comprehensive analysis of the regulation of LIN28B in
      neuroblastoma, with a specific focus on the contribution of miRNAs. We show that
      MYCN regulates LIN28B expression in neuroblastoma tumors via two distinct
      parallel mechanisms. First, through an unbiased LIN28B-3'UTR reporter screen, we
      found that miR-26a-5p and miR-26b-5p regulate LIN28B expression. Next, we
      demonstrated that MYCN indirectly affects the expression of miR-26a-5p, and hence
      regulates LIN28B, therefore establishing an MYCN-miR-26a-5p-LIN28B regulatory
      axis. Second, we provide evidence that MYCN regulates LIN28B expression via
      interaction with the LIN28B promoter, establishing a direct MYCN-LIN28B
      regulatory axis. We believe that these findings mark LIN28B as an important
      effector of the MYCN oncogenic phenotype and underline the importance of MYCN
      regulated miRNAs in establishing the MYCN-driven oncogenic process. 

PMID- 26123665
TI  - Simultaneous determination of eight chemicals in Fufang Xueshuantong capsules by
      LC-MS-MS with periodic polarity switching.
AB  - A rapid, sensitive, selective and periodic polarity-switching liquid
      chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS-MS) method was developed for the
      simultaneous determination of eight components in an important traditional
      Chinese medicinal capsule, Fufang Xueshuantong. LC analysis was carried out on a
      Kinetex 2.6 um XB-C18 column by gradient elution. The detection was performed by
      multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) with a periodic polarity-switching
      electrospray ionization (ESI) source across five periods of switching between
      positive and negative mode. Periodic polarity-switching was used to acquire
      maximal responses and to simultaneously detect eight constituents in one analysis
      run lasting 8 min. All of the analytes showed good linearity (r > 0.9947) in the
      tested ranges. The average recoveries were in the range of 95.4-103.9% with
      relative standard deviations <=6.3%, and the intra- and inter-day variations were
      <=3.7%. The developed method was successfully employed to analyze three batches
      of Fufang Xueshuantong capsule samples. The results showed that the levels of
      notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rb1 and salvianolic acid B were clearly different
      in different batches of Fufang Xueshuantong capsules. Furthermore, the new
      established periodic polarity-switching LC-MS-MS method was proven to be highly
      sensitive and effective in evaluating the quality of Fufang Xueshuantong
      capsules. 

PMID- 26123666
TI  - Evaluation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor's absorption with retention
      data of micellar thin-layer chromatography and suitable molecular descriptor.
AB  - Twelve angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were studied to evaluate
      correlation between their absorption (ABS) data available in the literature (22
      96%) and hydrophobicity parameters (km and Pm/w) obtained in micellar thin-layer
      chromatography (MTLC) using Brij 35. The theoretical considerations showed that
      the geometric molecular descriptor-volume value (Vol) should be considered as an
      independent variable simultaneously with calculated hydrophobicity parameters in
      multiple linear regression analysis to obtain reliable correlation between ACE
      inhibitor's absorption and lipophilicity (calculated KOWWINlog P) and that
      captopril should be excluded from further correlations. The results of MTLC
      confirmed that between the two hydrophobicity parameters km and Pm/w, for
      absorption prediction of 11 ACE inhibitors, the micelle-water partition
      coefficient Pm/w provided higher correlation (R(2) = 0.756), while for the km
      parameter R(2) = 0.612 was obtained. The micelle-water partition coefficient Pm/w
      could be considered as analogous to hydrophobicity parameter C0 from reversed
      phase thin-layer chromatography. Dissimilar retention behavior of lisinopril
      indicated its lowest non-polar interaction with micelle, because of its di-acid
      form. The proposed model which included ACE inhibitors on the opposite site of
      lipophilicity-lisinopril and fosinopril (KOWWINlog P = -0.96 and KOWWINlog P =
      6.61, respectively), both with similar absorption values (25 and 36%,
      respectively), could indicate that absorption of investigated compounds occurs
      via two different mechanisms: active and passive transport. 

PMID- 26123667
TI  - Unilateral versus bilateral percutaneous kyphoplasty for osteoporotic vertebral
      compression fractures: A systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs.
AB  - The purpose of this research was to compare the efficacy and safety of unilateral
      versus bilateral PKP for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs).
      Six databases (Cochrane, PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, SinoMed, and CNKI) were
      searched without language restrictions. Twelve randomized controlled trials
      involving a total of 1,030 patients were identified. The results indicate that
      unilateral PKP had a better degree of pain relief (visual analog scale) than
      bilateral PKP (p = 0.04; 95%CI = -0.36 to -0.00) with short-term follow-up
      (within 4 weeks) after operation. The radiological outcome assessment with short
      term follow-up after operation indicates bilateral PKP had a better degree of
      anterior vertebral height restoration (p = 0.03; 95%CI = -2.58 to -0.14).
      Operation time and cement dosage were less for unilateral PKP (p < 0.05). There
      were no differences in complications such as cement leakage and adjacent
      vertebral fractures between two approaches (p = 0.06 and p = 0.97, respectively).
      Life quality assessment (SF-36) indicates unilateral PKP had a better result of
      bodily pain relief (p < 0.05; 95%CI = 3.93 to 7.48) and general health benefit (p
      < 0.05; 95%CI = 0.02 to 2.93) with short-term follow-up after operation. We
      suggest that a unilateral PKP is advantageous.

PMID- 26123668
TI  - New insight in impaired binding capacity for albumin in uraemic patients.

PMID- 26123669
TI  - Prosodic skills in children with Down syndrome and in typically developing
      children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many studies have analysed language development in children with Down
      syndrome to understand better the nature of their linguistic delays and the
      reason why these delays, particularly those in the morphosyntactic area, seem
      greater than their cognitive impairment. However, the prosodic characteristics of
      language development in children with Down syndrome have been scarcely
      investigated. AIMS: To analyse the prosodic skills of children with Down syndrome
      in the production of multi-word utterances. Data on the prosodic skills of these
      children were compared with data on typically developing children matched on
      developmental age and vocabulary size. Between-group differences and the
      relationships between prosodic and syntactic skills were investigated. METHODS &
      PROCEDURES: The participants were nine children with Down syndrome (who ranged in
      chronological age from 45 to 63 months and had a mean developmental age of 30
      months) and 12 30-month-old typically developing children. The children in both
      groups had a vocabulary size of approximately 450 words. The children's
      spontaneous productions were recorded during observations of mother-child play
      sessions. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Data analyses showed that despite their
      morphosyntactic difficulties, children with Down syndrome were able to master
      some aspects of prosody in multi-word utterances. They were able to produce
      single intonation multi-word utterances on the same level as typically developing
      children. In addition, the intonation contour of their utterances was not
      negatively influenced by syntactic complexity, contrary to what occurred in
      typically developing children, although it has to be considered that the
      utterances produced by children with Down syndrome were less complex than those
      produced by children in the control group. However, children with Down syndrome
      appeared to be less able than typically developing children to use intonation to
      express the pragmatic interrogative function. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: The
      findings are discussed considering the effects of social experience on the
      utterance prosodic realization.

PMID- 26123671
TI  - Single patient in GCK-MODY family successfully re-diagnosed into GCK-PNDM through
      targeted next-generation sequencing technology.

PMID- 26123670
TI  - Novel Sites of Neuroprotective Action of Dimebon (Latrepirdine).
AB  - Dimebon (latrepirdine) is an anti-histaminergic agent which belongs to a fast
      growing group of "old" medicines suggested to be of therapeutic utility for
      pathological conditions different from their original design ("repositioning").
      Here, we overview the most recent studies on Dimebon directed to pathological
      processes in the brain-involving in vivo models of proteinopathies. In the
      latter, neurodegenerative effects are attributed to a group of aggregate-prone
      proteins such as gamma-synuclein, hyperphosphorylated tau, and fused in sarcoma
      (FUS), which are engaged in numerous neurological diseases. We also focus on in
      vitro models comprised of cultured SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells expressing mutant
      forms of transactive response DNA binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) and showing a
      reduced number of TDP-43 inclusion-containing cells upon Dimebon treatment along
      with activation of autophagy markers. Finally, we discuss Dimebon's action in
      improving cellular energy balance, stabilizing mitochondrial function by
      increasing the threshold for nonselective mitochondrial pore opening, as well as
      increasing the calcium retention capacity of mitochondria and reducing lipid
      peroxidation. Our results, together with data from other laboratories, warrant re
      evaluation of the therapeutic potential of Dimebon and its newly designed analogs
      as promising disease-modifying agents to treat neurodegenerative disorders.
      Further, emerging data favor a possible anti-aging effect and application of
      Dimebon for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and ischemia. The most
      pronounced effect of Dimebon is observed when treatment starts early in disease
      onset. This is a major factor which needs to be taken into account when planning
      future clinical trials.

PMID- 26123672
TI  - Continuous subcutaneous insulin pump treatment associated with absence of
      recurrent kidney allograft diabetic nephropathy.

PMID- 26123673
TI  - Genetic diversity and relationship of Indian cattle inferred from microsatellite
      and mitochondrial DNA markers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Indian agriculture is an economic symbiosis of crop and livestock
      production with cattle as the foundation. Sadly, the population of indigenous
      cattle (Bos indicus) is declining (8.94% in last decade) and needs immediate
      scientific management. Genetic characterization is the first step in the
      development of proper management strategies for preserving genetic diversity and
      preventing undesirable loss of alleles. Thus, in this study we investigated
      genetic diversity and relationship among eleven Indian cattle breeds using 21
      microsatellite markers and mitochondrial D loop sequence. RESULTS: The analysis
      of autosomal DNA was performed on 508 cattle which exhibited sufficient genetic
      diversity across all the breeds. Estimates of mean allele number and observed
      heterozygosity across all loci and population were 8.784 +/- 0.25 and 0.653 +/-
      0.014, respectively. Differences among breeds accounted for 13.3% of total
      genetic variability. Despite high genetic diversity, significant inbreeding was
      also observed within eight populations. Genetic distances and cluster analysis
      showed a close relationship between breeds according to proximity in geographic
      distribution. The genetic distance, STRUCTURE and Principal Coordinate Analysis
      concluded that the Southern Indian Ongole cattle are the most distinct among the
      investigated cattle populations. Sequencing of hypervariable mitochondrial DNA
      region on a subset of 170 cattle revealed sixty haplotypes with haplotypic
      diversity of 0.90240, nucleotide diversity of 0.02688 and average number of
      nucleotide differences as 6.07407. Two major star clusters for haplotypes
      indicated population expansion for Indian cattle. CONCLUSIONS: Nuclear and
      mitochondrial genomes show a similar pattern of genetic variability and genetic
      differentiation. Various analyses concluded that the Southern breed 'Ongole' was
      distinct from breeds of Northern/ Central India. Overall these results provide
      basic information about genetic diversity and structure of Indian cattle which
      should have implications for management and conservation of indicine cattle
      diversity.

PMID- 26123674
TI  - Imaging of Bacterial and Fungal Cells Using Fluorescent Carbon Dots Prepared from
      Carica papaya Juice.
AB  - In this paper, we have described a simple hydrothermal method for preparation of
      fluorescent carbon dots (C-dots) using Carica papaya juice as a precursor. The
      synthesized C-dots show emission peak at 461 nm with a quantum yield of 7.0 %.
      The biocompatible nature of C-dots was confirmed by a cytotoxicity assay on E.
      coli. The C-dots were used as fluorescent probes for imaging of bacterial
      (Bacillus subtilis) and fungal (Aspergillus aculeatus) cells and emitted green
      and red colors under different excitation wavelengths, which indicates that the C
      dots can be used as a promising material for cell imaging.

PMID- 26123675
TI  - Biogenic Synthesis of Fluorescent Carbon Dots at Ambient Temperature Using
      Azadirachta indica (Neem) gum.
AB  - Synthesis of fluorescent Carbon Dots (CDs) from various carbonaceous materials
      apparently has acquired lots of interest amongst researchers as the corollary of
      the properties of CDs; which are subsequently getting unveiled. In this study we
      report the use of Azadirachta indica (Neem) Gum as a novel natural pre-cursor for
      synthesis of CDs at room temperature. Water soluble CDs of around 5-8 nm were
      obtained after treatment of the gum with ethanol and NaOH. These CDs exhibited
      green fluorescence in UV-light (lambda = 365 nm). These CDs were found to be
      stable, having many bio-linkers attached on their surface, making it suitable for
      drug attachment and hence can serve as potential candidates for applications like
      drug delivery vehicles as well as for biosensors.

PMID- 26123676
TI  - Interpulse multifrequency electrical impedance measurements during
      electroporation of adherent differentiated myotubes.
AB  - In this study, electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements are performed
      during electroporation of monolayers of differentiated myotubes. The time
      resolution of the system (1 spectrum/ms) enable 860 full spectra (21 frequencies
      from 5 kHz to 1.3 MHz) to be acquired during the time gap between consecutive
      pulses (interpulse) of a classical electroporation treatment (8 pulses, 100 MUs,
      1 Hz). Additionally, the characteristics of the custom microelectrode assembly
      used allow the experiments to be performed directly in situ in standard 24 multi
      well plates. The impedance response dynamics are studied for three different
      electric field intensities (400, 800 and 1200 V/cm). The multifrequency
      information, analysed with the Cole model, reveals a short-term impedance
      recovery after each pulse in accordance with the fast resealing of the cell
      membrane, and a long-term impedance decay over the complete treatment in
      accordance with an accumulated effect pulse after pulse. The analysis shows
      differences between the lowest electric field condition and the other two,
      suggesting that different mechanisms that may be related with the reversibility
      of the process are activated. As a result of the multifrequency information, the
      system is able to measure simultaneously the conductivity variations due to ion
      diffusion during electroporation. Finally, in order to reinforce the physical
      interpretation of the results, a complementary electrical equivalent model is
      used.

PMID- 26123677
TI  - Formation and characterisation of a modifiable soft macro-porous hyaluronic acid
      cryogel platform.
AB  - A facile method for the synthesis of cell supportive, highly macro-porous
      hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels via cryogelation is presented. Unmodified HA was
      chemically cross-linked via EDC/NHS zero-length cross-linking at sub-zero
      temperatures to yield cryogels with high porosity and high pore
      interconnectivity. The physical properties of the HA cryogels including porosity,
      average pore size, elasticity and swelling properties were characterised as a
      function of cryogelation conditions and composition of the precursor solution.
      The HA cryogels swell extensively in water, with the average porosities observed
      being ~90% under all conditions explored. The morphology of the cryogels can be
      controlled, allowing scaffolds with an average pore size ranging from 18 +/- 2 to
      87 +/- 5 MUm to be formed. By varying the cross-linking degree and HA
      concentration, a wide range of bulk elastic properties can be achieved, ranging
      from ~1 kPa to above 10 kPa. Preliminary cell culture experiments, with NIH 3T3
      and HEK 293 cell lines, performed on biochemically modified and unmodified gels
      show the cryogels support cell proliferation and cell interactions, illustrating
      the biomedical potential of the platform. 

PMID- 26123678
TI  - Home-based smoking prevention program Smoke-free Kids on smoking-related
      cognitions: Secondary outcomes from a cluster randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The home-based smoking prevention programme 'Smoke-free Kids' did not
      have an effect on primary outcome smoking initiation. A possible explanation may
      be that the programme has a delayed effect. The aim of this study was to evaluate
      the effects on the development of important precursors of smoking: smoking
      related cognitions. METHODS: We used a cluster randomised controlled trial in 9-
      to 11-year-old children and their mothers. The intervention condition received
      five activity modules, including a communication sheet for mothers, by mail at
      four-week intervals. The control condition received a fact-based programme.
      Secondary outcomes were attitudes, self-efficacy and social norms. Latent growth
      curves analyses were used to calculate the development of cognitions over time.
      Subsequently, path modelling was used to estimate the programme effects on the
      initial level and growth of each cognition. RESULTS: Analyses were performed on
      1398 never-smoking children at baseline. Results showed that for children in the
      intervention condition, perceived maternal norms increased less strongly as
      compared to the control condition (beta = -.10, p = .03). No effects were found
      for the other cognitions. CONCLUSION: Based on the limited effects, we do not
      assume that the programme will have a delayed effect on smoking behaviour later
      during adolescence.

PMID- 26123679
TI  - Alopecia areata universalis in a dog.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata is a T-cell mediated autoimmune disease that occurs
      in humans and various other mammalian species. When the disease progresses to
      total alopecia it is defined as alopecia areata universalis (AAU), although this
      outcome has only been described in humans. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To describe a
      case of canine alopecia areata universalis and its clinical outcome after 22
      months of follow-up. ANIMAL: A 9-year-old intact male cross-breed hunting dog was
      presented with generalized and complete noninflammatory alopecia of 12-14 months
      duration. METHODS: Clinical examination; histopathological and
      immunohistochemical examination of skin biopsies. RESULTS: There was loss of all
      body hair including eyelashes and vibrissae. The histopathological and
      immunohistochemical findings supported a diagnosis of long-standing alopecia
      areata. Treatment with oral ciclosporin was associated with hair regrowth but
      muzzle hair, most eyelashes and whiskers were still lacking after 17 months of
      therapy. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: To the best of the author's
      knowledge this is the first documented case of canine AAU. The clinical and
      histopathological features were consistent with a diagnosis of AAU as defined in
      humans. Treatment with oral ciclosporin resulted in near complete resolution of
      the alopecia, but after 5 months without treatment the alopecia did not relapse
      and spontaneous resolution cannot be ruled out.

PMID- 26123680
TI  - Influence of the Size of Cohorts in Adaptive Design for Nonlinear Mixed Effects
      Models: An Evaluation by Simulation for a Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic
      Model for a Biomarker in Oncology.
AB  - PURPOSE: In this study we aimed to evaluate adaptive designs (ADs) by clinical
      trial simulation for a pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model in oncology and to
      compare them with one-stage designs, i.e., when no adaptation is performed, using
      wrong prior parameters. METHODS: We evaluated two one-stage designs, xi0 and xi*,
      optimised for prior and true population parameters, Psi0 and Psi*, and several
      ADs (two-, three- and five-stage). All designs had 50 patients. For ADs, the
      first cohort design was xi0. The next cohort design was optimised using prior
      information updated from the previous cohort. Optimal design was based on the
      determinant of the Fisher information matrix using PFIM. Design evaluation was
      performed by clinical trial simulations using data simulated from Psi*. RESULTS:
      Estimation results of two-stage ADs and xi * were close and much better than
      those obtained with xi 0. The balanced two-stage AD performed better than two
      stage ADs with different cohort sizes. Three- and five-stage ADs were better than
      two-stage with small first cohort, but not better than the balanced two-stage
      design. CONCLUSIONS: Two-stage ADs are useful when prior parameters are
      unreliable. In case of small first cohort, more adaptations are needed but these
      designs are complex to implement.

PMID- 26123681
TI  - Using Environment-Sensitive Fluorescent Probes to Characterize Liquid-Liquid
      Phase Separation in Supersaturated Solutions of Poorly Water Soluble Compounds.
AB  - PURPOSE: Highly supersaturated aqueous solutions of poorly soluble compounds can
      undergo liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) when the concentration exceeds the
      "amorphous solubility". This phenomenon has been widely observed during high
      throughput screening of new molecular entities as well as during the dissolution
      of amorphous solid dispersions. In this study, we have evaluated the use of
      environment-sensitive fluorescence probes to investigate the formation and
      properties of the non-crystalline drug-rich aggregates formed in aqueous
      solutions as a result of LLPS. METHODS: Six different environment-sensitive
      fluorophores were employed to study LLPS in highly supersaturated solutions of
      several model compounds, all dihydropyridine derivatives. RESULTS: Each
      fluoroprobe exhibited a large hypsochromic shift with decreasing environment
      polarity. Upon drug aggregate formation, the probes partitioned into the drug
      rich phase and exhibited changes in emission wavelength and intensity consistent
      with sensing a lower polarity environment. The LLPS onset concentrations
      determined using the fluorescence measurements were in good agreement with light
      scattering measurements as well as theoretically estimated amorphous solubility
      values. CONCLUSIONS: Environment-sensitive fluorescence probes are useful to help
      understand the phase behavior of highly supersaturated aqueous solutions, which
      in turn is important in the context of developing enabling formulations for
      poorly soluble compounds.

PMID- 26123682
TI  - Randomized Controlled Intervention of the Effects of Alcohol on Blood Pressure in
      Premenopausal Women.
AB  - Alcohol has been consistently demonstrated to elevate blood pressure (BP) in
      intervention studies in men. There are uncertainties, however, as to the nature
      of the relationship in women. We, therefore, determined in healthy premenopausal
      women the dose-dependent effects of alcohol on ambulatory BP. Twenty-four
      participants aged 25 to 49 years, with a mean alcohol intake of 202+/-94 g
      alcohol/wk and mean 24-hour systolic and diastolic BP of 110.2+/-8.9/68.9+/-5.7
      mm Hg, were randomized to a 3-period cross-over study. Each evening they consumed
      higher volume red wine (lower level drinkers, 146 g alcohol/wk; higher level
      drinkers, 218 g alcohol/wk), lower volume red wine (lower level drinkers, 42 g
      alcohol/wk; higher level drinkers, 73 g alcohol/wk), or dealcoholized red wine,
      each for a period of 4 weeks. Higher volume red wine significantly increased 24
      hours systolic and diastolic BP relative to dealcoholized red wine (by 2.0+/
      0.6/1.2+/-0.4 mm Hg; P=0.001 and P=0.028, respectively). There were similar
      changes for higher volume red wine relative to lower volume red wine (by 1.6+/
      0.6/1.4+/-0.4 mm Hg; P=0.014 and P=0.005, respectively). These effects were
      predominantly on awake rather than asleep BP. There was no significant difference
      in BP between lower volume red wine and dealcoholized red wine. We conclude that
      in healthy premenopausal women regular consumption of alcohol as 200 to 300 mL
      red wine/d (146-218 g alcohol/wk) elevates 24 hours systolic and diastolic BP.
      The magnitude of the increase in BP is similar to that previously reported in
      intervention studies in men. 

PMID- 26123684
TI  - Genetic and Functional Evidence Supports LPAR1 as a Susceptibility Gene for
      Hypertension.
AB  - Essential hypertension is a complex disease affected by genetic and environmental
      factors and serves as a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Serum
      lysophosphatidic acid correlates with an elevated blood pressure in rats, and
      lysophosphatidic acid interacts with 6 subtypes of receptors. In this study, we
      assessed the genetic association of lysophosphatidic acid receptors with
      essential hypertension by genotyping 28 single-nucleotide polymorphisms from
      genes encoding for lysophosphatidic acid receptors, LPAR1, LPAR2, LPAR3, LPAR4,
      LPAR5, and LPAR6 and their flanking sequences, in 3 Han Chinese cohorts
      consisting of 2630 patients and 3171 controls in total. We identified a single
      nucleotide polymorphism, rs531003 in the 3'-flanking genomic region of LPAR1,
      associated with hypertension (the Bonferroni corrected P=1.09*10(-5), odds ratio
      [95% confidence interval]=1.23 [1.13-1.33]). The risk allele C of rs531003 is
      associated with the increased expression of LPAR1 and the susceptibility of
      hypertension, particularly in those with a shortage of sleep (P=4.73*10(-5), odds
      ratio [95% confidence interval]=1.75 [1.34-2.28]). We further demonstrated that
      blood pressure elevation caused by sleep deprivation and phenylephrine-induced
      vasoconstriction was both diminished in LPAR1-deficient mice. Together, we show
      that LPAR1 is a novel susceptibility gene for human essential hypertension and
      that stress, such as shortage of sleep, increases the susceptibility of patients
      with risk allele to essential hypertension. 

PMID- 26123683
TI  - Endotoxin and beta-1,3-d-Glucan in Concentrated Ambient Particles Induce Rapid
      Increase in Blood Pressure in Controlled Human Exposures.
AB  - Short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) is associated with increased blood
      pressure (BP) in epidemiological studies. Understanding the impact of specific PM
      components on BP is essential in developing effective risk-reduction strategies.
      We investigated the association between endotoxin and beta-1,3-d-Glucan-two major
      biological PM components-and BP. We also examined whether vascular endothelial
      growth factor, a vasodilatory inflammatory marker, modified these associations.
      We conducted a single-blind, randomized, crossover trial of controlled human
      exposure to concentrated ambient particles with 50 healthy adults. Particle
      associated-endotoxin and beta-1,3-d-Glucan were sampled using polycarbonate
      membrane-filters. Supine resting systolic BP and diastolic BP were measured pre-,
      0.5-hour post-, and 20-hour postexposure. Urine vascular endothelial growth
      factor concentration was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay and
      creatinine-corrected. Exposures to endotoxin and beta-1,3-d-Glucan for 130
      minutes were associated with increases in BPs: at 0.5-hour postexposure, every
      doubling in endotoxin concentration was associated with 1.73 mm Hg higher
      systolic BP (95% confidence interval, 0.28, 3.18; P=0.02) and 2.07 mm Hg higher
      diastolic BP (95% confidence interval, 0.74, 3.39; P=0.003); every doubling in
      beta-1,3-d-Glucan concentration was associated with 0.80 mm Hg higher systolic BP
      (95% confidence interval, -0.07, 1.67; P=0.07) and 0.88 mm Hg higher diastolic BP
      (95% confidence interval, 0.09, 1.66; P=0.03). Vascular endothelial growth factor
      rose after concentrated ambient particle endotoxin exposure and attenuated the
      association between endotoxin and 0.5-hour postexposure diastolic BP
      (Pinteraction=0.02). In healthy adults, short-term endotoxin and beta-1,3-d
      Glucan exposures were associated with increased BP. Our findings suggest that the
      biological PM components contribute to PM-related cardiovascular outcomes, and
      postexposure vascular endothelial growth factor elevation might be an adaptive
      response that attenuates these effects. 

PMID- 26123685
TI  - Ambient Air Pollution and Increases in Blood Pressure: Role for Biological
      Constituents of Particulate Matter.

PMID- 26123686
TI  - The Toxicologist as Educator: Addressing Pain Management in the Midst of an
      Opioid Epidemic.

PMID- 26123687
TI  - [Assessment of a "Yoga and relaxation" workshop as part of a therapeutic
      education program "Live with your lymphedema"].

PMID- 26123689
TI  - Recent advances in the pathobiology and management of Kasabach-Merritt
      phenomenon.
AB  - Kasabach-Merritt Phenomenon (KMP) refers to the clinical constellation of
      thrombocytopenia, consumptive coagulopathy and purpura associated with Kaposiform
      haemangioedothelioma or tufted angioma, but not the more common infantile
      haemangioma. It shows a variable and unpredictable response to traditional
      pharmacological agents, such as steroids, vincristine or interferon alpha 2a or
      2b. More recently, the interaction between platelets and endothelial cells and
      the proangiogenic phenotype that results has been recognized to underly the
      pathogenesis of this disorder. Recent efforts have attempted to target the
      platelet by using antiplatelet agents and by the withholding of platelet
      transfusions even in those patients who have significant thrombocytopenia and
      laboratory evidence of coagulopathy. Excellent response rates and prompt results
      have been achieved by combining antiplatelet therapy with vincristine, without
      the need for steroid use. This synergistic approach moves away from the
      conventional wisdom of treating the underlying lesion to control the
      coagulopathy. Sirolimus, which is directed against the PI3/AKT/mTOR downstream
      signalling pathway involved in lymphangiogenesis, has also shown promising
      results, although further study is needed. 

PMID- 26123690
TI  - Supramolecular amplification of amyloid self-assembly by iodination.
AB  - Amyloid supramolecular assemblies have found widespread exploitation as ordered
      nanomaterials in a range of applications from materials science to biotechnology.
      New strategies are, however, required for understanding and promoting mature
      fibril formation from simple monomer motifs through easy and scalable processes.
      Noncovalent interactions are key to forming and holding the amyloid structure
      together. On the other hand, the halogen bond has never been used purposefully to
      achieve control over amyloid self-assembly. Here we show that single atom
      replacement of hydrogen with iodine, a halogen-bond donor, in the human
      calcitonin-derived amyloidogenic fragment DFNKF results in a super-gelator
      peptide, which forms a strong and shape-persistent hydrogel at 30-fold lower
      concentration than the wild-type pentapeptide. This is remarkable for such a
      modest perturbation in structure. Iodination of aromatic amino acids may thus
      develop as a general strategy for the design of new hydrogels from unprotected
      peptides and without using organic solvents. 

PMID- 26123691
TI  - The value of partnerships: lessons from a multi-site evaluation of a national
      social and emotional wellbeing program for Indigenous youth.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the first three years of a national program to improve the
      social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous youth in remote and regional
      Australia. METHODS: Combination of open inquiry and audit review involving
      investigation of process and outcomes, with a broad national overview
      supplemented by five in-depth case studies in diverse settings. RESULTS:
      Community development principles were applied at all 14 sites. There were many
      examples of collaborative, community-driven health promotion initiatives, with
      most progress observed where there were strong local partnerships. Within the
      range of activities, education sessions on alcohol and other drugs, mental health
      and violence were facilitated by program staff. There was a tension between
      community development and specific program delivery, with the balance reflecting
      the needs and capacity of individual sites, program staff expertise and
      contractual requirements. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The main lessons concern
      program design and resourcing and ways of working. Program staff at each site
      learned to be not too ambitious, but to work consistently with the community,
      establishing partnerships and engaging and training community members. Community
      and stakeholder capacity enhancement should be regarded as core, and evaluation
      built in. Activities directed at youth must be engaging and effective, and
      integrated with other programs and services.

PMID- 26123688
TI  - Temporally coordinated signals progressively pattern the anteroposterior and
      dorsoventral body axes.
AB  - The vertebrate body plan is established through the precise spatiotemporal
      coordination of morphogen signaling pathways that pattern the anteroposterior
      (AP) and dorsoventral (DV) axes. Patterning along the AP axis is directed by
      posteriorizing signals Wnt, fibroblast growth factor (FGF), Nodal, and retinoic
      acid (RA), while patterning along the DV axis is directed by bone morphogenetic
      proteins (BMP) ventralizing signals. This review addresses the current
      understanding of how Wnt, FGF, RA and BMP pattern distinct AP and DV cell fates
      during early development and how their signaling mechanisms are coordinated to
      concomitantly pattern AP and DV tissues. 

PMID- 26123692
TI  - Inhibition of Cycloartenol Synthase (CAS) Function in Tobacco BY-2 Cell
      Suspensions: A Proteomic Analysis.
AB  - The effect of an inhibitor of cycloartenol synthase (CAS, EC 5.4.99.8) on the
      proteome of tobacco BY-2 cells has been examined. CAS catalyzes the first
      committed step in phytosterol synthesis in plants. BY-2 cells were treated with
      RO 48-8071, a potent inhibitor of oxidosqualene cyclization. Proteins were
      separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis and spots, that clearly looked
      differentially accumulated after visual inspection, were cut, in-gel trypsin
      digested, and peptides were analyzed by nano-HPLC-MS/MS. Distinct peptides were
      compared to sequences in the data banks and attributed to corresponding proteins
      and genes. Inhibition of CAS induced proteins that appear to mitigate the
      negative effects of the chemical exposure. However, as all enzymes that are
      directly involved in phytosterol biosynthesis are low-abundant proteins,
      significant changes in their levels could not be observed. Differences could be
      seen with enzymes involved in primary metabolism (glycolysis, pentose phosphate
      pathway etc.), in proteins of the chaperonin family, and those, like actin, that
      participate in formation and strengthening of the cytoskeleton and have some
      impact on cell growth and division. 

PMID- 26123693
TI  - Separation and Identification of Odd Chain Triacylglycerols of the Protozoan
      Khawkinea quartana and the Mold Mortierella alpina Using LC-MS.
AB  - Liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry
      (LC-MS/APCI) with reversed- and chiral phases was used for separation of
      triacylglycerols (TAG) from protozoan and mold. This study describes the
      separation and identification of odd numbered chains of regioisomers and
      enantiomers of triacylglycerols from different natural sources, i.e., the
      protozoan Khawkinea quartana and the mold Mortierella alpina. Using the above
      mentioned separation methods and the synthesis of appropriate standards of TAG,
      we identified regioisomers and enantiomers of both even and odd numbered TAG. The
      biosynthesis of odd numbered TAG was found to be strictly stereospecific and to
      depend on the production microorganism, one enantiomer predominating in the
      protozoan and the other in the mold. It was proved that even numbered TAG are
      synthesized in a higher optical purity, which can be explained by a higher
      affinity of acyltransferases to the respective substrate, i.e., to even chain
      PUFA. 

PMID- 26123694
TI  - Phosphatidylethanolamine, but not Phosphatidylglycerol-Cardiolipin, Isolated from
      Two Species of Helicobacter Binds Cholesterol over Cholesteryl Ester.
AB  - This study demonstrated that the cells of Helicobacter felis and Helicobacter
      cinaedi spontaneously absorb cholesterol added to the medium. A recent study by
      our group has revealed that phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) of Helicobacter
      pylori contains myristic acid as the most predominant saturated fatty acid and
      that the PtdEtn of this bacterium binds cholesterol more selectively than
      cholesteryl ester. We, therefore, isolated the PtdEtn from the two Helicobacter
      species to analyze the hydrophobic interaction between cholesterol and its
      glycerophospholipid. PtdEtn of the Helicobacter bacteria interacted more
      selectively with cholesterol than with cholesteryl ester, and the degree of the
      selective binding of cholesterol was higher in the PtdEtn than in the
      phosphatidylglycerol-cardiolipin of the same bacteria. These results suggest the
      possibility that the cells of H. felis and H. cinaedi may contain abundant PtdEtn
      with myristic acid. On this basis, we analyzed the PtdEtn molecular species of
      the Helicobacter bacteria and demonstrated that the PtdEtn containing myristic
      acid accounts for more than 35% in the total PtdEtn. These results suggest that
      the myristoyl PtdEtn takes part in the absorption of cholesterol in H. felis and
      H. cinaedi.

PMID- 26123695
TI  - Learning curve for endoscopic submucosal dissection of esophageal neoplasms.
AB  - There is a significant learning curve for endoscopic submucosal dissection of
      esophageal neoplasms that has not been fully characterized. This retrospective
      study included 33 consecutive superficial esophageal neoplasms for analysis of
      the learning curve for esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection based on a
      single, novice endoscopist's experience. The study was divided into three periods
      (T1, T2, and T3) of 10 endoscopic submucosal dissection procedures in
      chronological order, with 13 procedures in the last period. Patient factors (age,
      sex, coexistent esophageal varices, or submucosal fibrosis) and tumor factors
      (location at upper esophagus, involving >3/4 esophageal circumference) for
      endoscopic submucosal dissection were not statistically different between the
      periods. The mean procedure time was 74.6 min/cm(2) , 23.4 min/cm(2) , and 10.5
      min/cm(2) for T1, T2, and T3, respectively. The procedure time decreased over
      time (P = 0.02) and post hoc test revealed significant difference was only
      between T3 and T1 (P = 0.019). The en bloc resection rate was 50%, 100%, and
      92.3% for T1, T2, and T3, respectively (P for trend = 0.015). R0 resection rate
      was 40%, 100%, and 84.6% for T1, T2, and T3, respectively (P for trend = 0.023).
      Two patients had complications: each one patient in T1 and T3 period experienced
      major bleeding during the procedure (P for trend = 0.875). None of the patients
      had esophageal perforation. The results of the study concluded that at least 30
      cases of endoscopic submucosal dissection of esophageal neoplasms are needed for
      a novice endoscopist to gain early proficiency in this technique. 

PMID- 26123696
TI  - Enantioselective cooperative catalysis.
AB  - In recent years, enantioselective cooperative catalytic reactions, wherein two
      catalysts work simultaneously to form products which cannot be obtained by the
      use of a single catalyst alone, have attracted considerable attention. This
      review focuses on this emerging field, with particular emphasis on mechanistic
      aspects, which will help readers to understand the role of each catalyst. 

PMID- 26123698
TI  - Contribution of Congenital Anomalies to Neonatal Mortality Rates in Malta.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neonatal mortality is a public health concern, and congenital
      anomalies contribute significantly to this mortality. This paper describes trends
      in neonatal mortality in Malta separately for congenital anomaly and non
      congenital anomaly causes. METHODS: Data for neonatal deaths of 22-week gestation
      onwards registered between 1994-2013 were obtained from the National Mortality
      Register. Chi-square tests were used to analyse 5-year time trends and
      differences in proportions of causes of neonatal deaths. Neonatal mortality was
      compared with other European countries. RESULTS: Between 1994 and 2013, 441
      neonatal deaths and 84 821 livebirths were registered, giving a neonatal
      mortality of 5.2 per 1000 livebirths. Congenital anomalies accounted for 36.7% (n
      = 162) of the neonatal deaths, while the remaining 63.3% (n = 279) were
      attributed to non-congenital causes. During the 20-year period, neonatal
      mortality due to non-congenital causes decreased from 4.6 per 1000 livebirths in
      1994-98 to 2.5 per 1000 in 2009-13, while that due to congenital anomalies
      remained stable (2.0 per 1000 livebirths in 1994-98 and 2.2 per 1000 in 2009-13).
      This has resulted in comparatively higher proportions of neonatal deaths
      attributed to congenital anomalies in recent years (45.9% in 2009-13 vs. 29.9% in
      1994-98). Comparing neonatal mortality reported from European countries, Malta
      has a high rate most marked for deaths due to congenital anomalies. CONCLUSIONS:
      During 1994-2013, neonatal mortality has decreased due to a decline of non
      congenital causes of death, possibly related to improved health care. The
      proportionate neonatal mortality attributed to congenital anomalies has increased
      and is the highest reported from Europe. This may be explained by the fact that
      termination of pregnancy is illegal in Malta.

PMID- 26123697
TI  - The Neuropeptide Allatostatin A Regulates Metabolism and Feeding Decisions in
      Drosophila.
AB  - Coordinating metabolism and feeding is important to avoid obesity and metabolic
      diseases, yet the underlying mechanisms, balancing nutrient intake and metabolic
      expenditure, are poorly understood. Several mechanisms controlling these
      processes are conserved in Drosophila, where homeostasis and energy mobilization
      are regulated by the glucagon-related adipokinetic hormone (AKH) and the
      Drosophila insulin-like peptides (DILPs). Here, we provide evidence that the
      Drosophila neuropeptide Allatostatin A (AstA) regulates AKH and DILP signaling.
      The AstA receptor gene, Dar-2, is expressed in both the insulin and AKH producing
      cells. Silencing of Dar-2 in these cells results in changes in gene expression
      and physiology associated with reduced DILP and AKH signaling and animals lacking
      AstA accumulate high lipid levels. This suggests that AstA is regulating the
      balance between DILP and AKH, believed to be important for the maintenance of
      nutrient homeostasis in response to changing ratios of dietary sugar and protein.
      Furthermore, AstA and Dar-2 are regulated differentially by dietary carbohydrates
      and protein and AstA-neuronal activity modulates feeding choices between these
      types of nutrients. Our results suggest that AstA is involved in assigning value
      to these nutrients to coordinate metabolic and feeding decisions, responses that
      are important to balance food intake according to metabolic needs. 

PMID- 26123699
TI  - The efficacy and safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection compared with
      endoscopic mucosal resection for colorectal tumors: a meta-analysis.

PMID- 26123700
TI  - Letter to the editor: gallstone ileus, volvulus, and intestinal perforation in a
      patient with cholecystotomy and choledochoduodenostomy: a case report.

PMID- 26123701
TI  - The effects of genetics on pouch neoplasia following restorative proctocolectomy
      for ulcerative colitis.

PMID- 26123703
TI  - Cell proliferation, measured as flow cytometric S-phase fraction, is a strong
      prognostic indicator in FIGO stage I endometrioid endometrial carcinoma: a
      population-based study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In early-stage endometrial carcinoma, there is controversy
      regarding the prognostic value of the flow cytometric variables DNA ploidy
      (diploid vs. aneuploid) and S-phase fraction. In Sweden, the former is included
      in national guidelines despite poor scientific support and the latter is not used
      clinically. This study investigates the prognostic properties of these variables,
      together with classical histopathological variables, in multivariate analysis in
      a stringently stratified material. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Consecutive, population
      based patient material restricted to International Federation of Gynecology and
      Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009 stage I endometrioid endometrial carcinoma (n = 1140) was
      retrospectively collected from routinely reported data from medical records. Data
      on age, FIGO stage, degree of differentiation, S-phase fraction, DNA ploidy
      status, and adjuvant treatment were included in the study. Cumulative incidence
      curves with other causes of death as a competing risk were used for univariable
      analysis for the primary endpoint endometrial cancer death. Cox proportional
      hazards regression analysis was used for multivariate modeling of all endpoints,
      and for univariable analysis for the secondary endpoints overall survival and
      time to progression. RESULTS: An S-phase fraction value of >5.5% was associated
      with worse outcome (for endometrial cancer death: hazard ratio 2.25; 95% CI 1.38
      3.67; p = 0.001, adjusted) and DNA ploidy status was not, for all endpoints
      tested. CONCLUSIONS: In FIGO stage I endometrioid endometrial carcinoma, DNA
      ploidy status had no prognostic value, whereas the S-phase fraction may be used
      to identify those with a higher risk of adverse clinical outcome.

PMID- 26123702
TI  - NF-kappaB decoy oligodeoxynucleotide inhibits wear particle-induced inflammation
      in a murine calvarial model.
AB  - Wear particles induce periprosthetic inflammation and osteolysis through
      activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB), which up-regulates the
      downstream target gene expression for proinflammatory cytokines in macrophages.
      It was hypothesized that direct suppression of NF-kappaB activity in the early
      phases of this disorder could be a therapeutic strategy for preventing the
      inflammatory response to wear particles, potentially mitigating osteolysis. NF
      kappaB activity can be suppressed via competitive binding with double stranded NF
      kappaB decoy oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) that blocks this transcription factor
      from binding to the promoter regions of targeted genes. In this murine calvarial
      study, clinically relevant polyethylene particles (PEs) with/without ODN were
      subcutaneously injected over the calvarial bone. In the presence of PE particles,
      macrophages migrated to the inflammatory site and induced tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL)
      expression, resulting in an increase in the number of osteoclasts. Local
      injections of ODN mitigated the expression of TNF-alpha, RANKL, and induced the
      expression of two anti-inflammatory, antiresorptive cytokines: interleukin-1
      receptor antagonist and osteoprotegerin. Local intervention with NF-kappaB decoy
      ODN in early cases of particle-induced inflammation in which the prosthesis is
      still salvageable may potentially preserve periprosthetic bone stock.

PMID- 26123704
TI  - Effects of Cytochrome P450 Inhibition and Induction on the Phenotyping Metrics of
      the Basel Cocktail: A Randomized Crossover Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Activity of human cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) shows
      high inter-and intra-individual variability, which is determined by genetic and
      non-genetic factors. Using a combination of CYP-specific probe drugs, phenotyping
      cocktails allow simultaneous assessment of the activity of different CYP
      isoforms. The objective of this study was to characterize the phenotyping metrics
      of the Basel cocktail in healthy male subjects with induced and inhibited CYP
      activity. METHODS: In a randomized crossover study, the probe drugs for
      simultaneous phenotyping of CYP1A2 (caffeine), CYP2B6 (efavirenz), CYP2C9
      (losartan), 2C19 (omeprazole), CYP2D6 (metoprolol), and CYP3A4 (midazolam) were
      administered to 16 subjects without pretreatment (baseline), after pretreatment
      with a combination of CYP inhibitors (ciprofloxacin, ketoconazole, and
      paroxetine), and after CYP induction with rifampicin. All subjects were
      genotyped. Pharmacokinetic profiles of the probe drugs and their main metabolites
      and metabolic ratios 2, 4, 6, and 8 h after probe drug application were
      determined in plasma and compared with the corresponding area under the plasma
      concentration-time curve (AUC) ratios. RESULTS: The Basel phenotyping cocktail
      was well tolerated by all subjects independent of pretreatment. Good correlations
      of metabolic ratios with AUC ratios of the corresponding probe drugs and their
      metabolites for all three conditions (baseline, CYP inhibition, and CYP
      induction) were found at 2 h after probe drug administration for CYP3A4, at 4 h
      for CYP1A2 and CYP2C19, and at 6 h for CYP2B6 and CYP2D6. While CYP inhibition
      significantly changed AUC ratios and metabolic ratios at these time points for
      all six CYP isoforms, CYP induction did not significantly change AUC ratios for
      CYP2C9. For CYP3A4, total 1'-hydroxymidazolam concentrations after pretreatment
      of samples with beta-glucuronidase were needed to obtain adequate reflection of
      CYP induction by the metabolic ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of CYP activity can
      be detected with the Basel phenotyping cocktail for all six tested CYP isoforms
      at the proposed time points. The AUC ratio of losartan:losartan carboxylic acid
      in plasma does not seem suitable to detect induction of CYP2C9. The observed
      metabolic ratios for inhibited and induced CYP activity need to be confirmed for
      extensive metabolizers, and typical ratios for subjects with genetically altered
      CYP activity will need to be established in subsequent studies.
      ClinicalTrials.gov-ID: NCT01386593.

PMID- 26123706
TI  - How to Improve the Safe and Effective Use of Doxorubicin in Children with Cancer.

PMID- 26123707
TI  - H/D isotope effect on charge-inverted hydrogen-bonded systems: Systematic
      classification of three different types in H3XH...YH3 (X = C, Si, or Ge, and Y =
      B, Al, or Ga) with multicomponent calculation.
AB  - Three different H/D isotope effect in nine H3 XH(D)...YH3 (X = C, Si, or Ge, and
      Y = B, Al, or Ga) hydrogen-bonded (HB) systems are classified using MP2 level of
      multicomponent molecular orbital method, which can take account of the nuclear
      quantum nature of proton and deuteron. First, in the case of H3 CH(D)...YH3 (Y =
      B, Al, or Ge) HB systems, the deuterium (D) substitution induces the usual H/D
      geometrical isotope effect such as the contraction of covalent R(C-H(D)) bonds
      and the elongation of intermolecular R(H(D)...Y) and R(C...Y) distances. Second,
      in the case of H3 XH(D)...YH3 (X = Si or Ge, and Y = Al or Ge) HB systems, where
      H atom is negatively charged called as charge-inverted hydrogen-bonded (CIHB)
      systems, the D substitution leads to the contraction of intermolecular
      R(H(D)...Y) and R(X...distances. Finally, in the case of H3 XH(D)...BH3 (X = Si
      or Ge) HB systems, these intermolecular R(H(D)...Y) and R(X...Y) distances also
      contract with the D substitution, in which the origin of the contraction is not
      the same as that in CIHB systems. The H/D isotope effect on interaction energies
      and spatial distribution of nuclear wavefunctions are also analyzed.

PMID- 26123705
TI  - Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Monoclonal Antibodies Approved
      to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis.
AB  - Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are increasingly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis
      (RA). At present, anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha drugs (infliximab, adalimumab,
      certolizumab pegol, and golimumab), rituximab, and tocilizumab are approved for
      RA treatment. This review focuses on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of
      mAbs approved in RA. Being large proteins, mAbs exhibit complex pharmacokinetic
      and pharmacodynamic properties. In particular, owing to the interactions of mAbs
      with their antigenic targets, the pharmacokinetics of mAbs depends on target
      turnover and exhibits non-specific (linear) and target-mediated (often nonlinear)
      clearances. Their volume of distribution is low (3-4 L) and their elimination
      half-life usually ranges from 2 to 3 weeks. The inter-individual pharmacokinetic
      variability of mAbs is usually large and is partly explained by differences in
      antigenic burden or by anti-drug antibodies, which accelerate mAb elimination.
      The inter-individual variability of clinical response is large and influenced by
      the pharmacokinetics. The analysis of mAbs concentration-effect relationship
      relies more and more often on pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling; these
      models being suitable for dosing optimization. Even if adverse effects of mAbs
      used in RA are well known, the relationship between mAb concentration and adverse
      effects is poorly documented, especially for anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha
      mAbs. Overall, RA patients treated with mAbs should benefit from individualized
      dosing strategies. Because of the complexity of their pharmacokinetics and
      mechanisms of action, the current dosing strategy of mAbs is not based on sound
      knowledge. New studies are needed to assess individual dosing regimen, adjusted
      notably to disease activity. 

PMID- 26123708
TI  - Harnessing magnetic-mechano actuation in regenerative medicine and tissue
      engineering.
AB  - Mechanical stimulus is of upmost importance in tissues developmental and
      regeneration processes as well as in maintaining body homeostasis. Classical
      physiological reactions encompass an increase of blood vessel diameter upon
      exposure to high blood pressure, or the expansion of cortical bone after
      continuous high-impact exercise. At a cellular level, it is well established that
      extracellular stiffness, topography, and remote magnetic actuation are
      instructive mechanical signals for stem cell differentiation. Based on this,
      biomaterials and their properties can be designed to act as true stem cell
      regulators, eventually leading to important advances in conventional tissue
      engineering techniques. This review identifies the latest advances and tremendous
      potential of magnetic actuation within the scope of regenerative medicine and
      tissue engineering. 

PMID- 26123709
TI  - Callous-Unemotional Traits as Markers for Conduct Problem Severity in Early
      Childhood: A Meta-analysis.
AB  - Extensive research has shown that callous-unemotional (CU) traits in middle
      childhood and adolescence are markers for a particularly severe and chronic
      pattern of antisocial behavior (Frick et al. in Psychol Bull 140:1-57, 2014).
      Comparatively little, however, is known about the relationship between CU traits
      and antisocial behavior in early childhood. A meta-analysis of k = 10 studies
      comprising n = 5731 participants was conducted to examine the relationship
      between CU traits and conduct problem severity prior to 5 years of age. Overall,
      a significant positive relationship was found between CU traits and conduct
      problem severity, in the order of large effect size (r = .39, p < .001).
      Moderator analyses revealed that this relationship differed based on use of same
      versus different informant across measures, but was consistent across sex and
      sample type (at-risk/clinic referred or community). This supports the view that
      CU traits represent a potentially informative focus for clinical assessment in
      early childhood. 

PMID- 26123711
TI  - A building-block approach to 3D printing a multichannel, organ-regenerative
      scaffold.
AB  - Multichannel scaffolds, formed by rapid prototyping technologies, retain a high
      potential for regenerative medicine and the manufacture of complex organs. This
      study aims to optimize several parameters for producing poly(lactic-co-glycolic
      acid) (PLGA) scaffolds by a low-temperature, deposition manufacturing, three
      dimensional printing (3DP, or rapid prototyping) system. Concentration of the
      synthetic polymer solution, nozzle speed and extrusion rate were analysed and
      discussed. Polymer solution with a concentration of 12% w/v was determined as
      optimal for formation; large deviation of this figure failed to maintain the
      desired structure. The extrusion rate was also modified for better construct
      quality. Finally, several solid organ scaffolds, such as the liver, with proper
      wall thickness and intact contour were printed. This study gives basic
      instruction to design and fabricate scaffolds with de novo material systems,
      particularly by showing the approximation of variables for manufacturing
      multichannel PLGA scaffolds. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26123712
TI  - Timing of emergence of the first primary tooth in preterm and full-term infants.
AB  - Variations in the timing of emergence of primary teeth are under strong genetic
      control, but there is also a significant contribution from external factors. The
      aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of preterm birth, birth weight
      and length, and feeding practices during the first 6 months of life on the timing
      of emergence of the first primary tooth. Data on pregnancy duration, birth weight
      and length, feeding practice, time of emergence and first emerged primary tooth
      were collected by electronic questionnaires. The study included 409 parents and
      592 children of both genders. The sample was divided into two groups according to
      pregnancy duration (<37 weeks and >=37 weeks), three groups according to feeding
      practice (exclusively breastfed, exclusively bottle fed, and a combination of
      breast feeding and bottle feeding), three groups by birth length (<50, 50-53,
      >53cm), and four groups by birth weight (<1500, 1500-2500, 2501-3500, >3500g).
      Data were analyzed considering chronological and postmenstrual age-which is the
      gestational age plus the infant's chronological age at the month of emergence of
      the first primary tooth. The mean time of first primary tooth emergence was
      7.55+/-2.67 months when chronological age was considered. The first emerged tooth
      in most cases was a lower incisor (82.33%). There was a statistically significant
      difference in the timing of the first tooth emergence between preterm and full
      term groups when chronological age was considered (p<0.005). However, no
      difference was found when age was adjusted. The age of emergence of the first
      tooth differed significantly when feeding, weight, and length groups (p<0. 05)
      were taken into account. In conclusion, the study indicates that shortened
      gestational age and very low birth weight are predictors for later ages of
      emergence of the first primary tooth. 

PMID- 26123713
TI  - Prevalence, and early childhood caries risk indicators in preschool children in
      suburban Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is defined as the presence of caries
      lesion in an primary tooth in children below the age of 71 months. It is a
      significant public health problem with consequences for the growth and
      development of affected children. The objective of this study was to determine
      the prevalence and ECC risk indicators in a suburban population in Nigeria.
      METHODS: The data of 497 children aged 6 months to 71 months who were recruited
      through a household survey conducted in Ile-Ife, Nigeria was analysed for
      prevalence of ECC and risk indicators. Information on children's ages, sex,
      socioeconomic status, tooth brushing habits, sugary snacks consumption, use of
      fluoridated toothpaste, birth rank, infant-feeding practices, breastfeeding
      practices, maternal age at childbirth, and maternal knowledge of oral health was
      obtained. Children's oral hygiene and caries status was also determined. Risk
      factors associated with ECC were determined using logistic regression analysis.
      RESULTS: Thirty-three (6.6%) children had ECC. Four (0.8%) had severe ECC. The
      four risk indicators for ECC were the child's gender, mothers' knowledge of oral
      health, consumption of sugary snacks in between meals more than three times a
      day, and the child's oral hygiene status. Females (PR: -0.06; 95% CI: -0.01- 
      0.01; p = 0.02), and children with mothers who had good knowledge of oral health
      (PR: -0.06; 95% CI: -0.11--0.008; p = 0.02) were less likely to have ECC.
      Children who consumed sugary snacks in between meals three times a day or more
      (PR: 0.05; CI: 0.003 - 0.01; P = 0.04) and children with fair oral hygiene (PR:
      0.05; 95% CI: 0.005-0.10; p = 0.03) were more likely to have ECC. CONCLUSIONS:
      The prevalence of ECC in the study population was low. Promoting good oral
      hygiene practices and enhancing mothers' knowledge of oral health may help reduce
      further, the risk for ECC in the study population.

PMID- 26123715
TI  - MADIT-CRT and his many sons.

PMID- 26123714
TI  - Integrated approaches to miRNAs target definition: time-series analysis in an
      osteosarcoma differentiative model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: microRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding RNAs involved in the fine
      regulation of several cellular processes by inhibiting their target genes at post
      transcriptional level. Osteosarcoma (OS) is a tumor thought to be related to a
      molecular blockade of the normal process of osteoblast differentiation. The
      current paper explores temporal transcriptional modifications comparing an
      osteosarcoma cell line, Saos-2, and clones stably transfected with CD99, a
      molecule which was found to drive OS cells to terminally differentiate. METHODS:
      Parental cell line and CD99 transfectants were cultured up to 14 days in
      differentiating medium. In this setting, OS cells were profiled by gene and miRNA
      expression arrays. Integration of gene and miRNA profiling was performed by both
      sequence complementarity and expression correlation. Further enrichment and
      network analyses were carried out to focus on the modulated pathways and on the
      interactions between transcriptome and miRNome. To track the temporal
      transcriptional modification, a PCA analysis with differentiated human MSC was
      performed. RESULTS: We identified a strong (about 80 %) gene down-modulation
      where reversion towards the osteoblast-like phenotype matches significant
      enrichment in TGFbeta signaling players like AKT1 and SMADs. In parallel, we
      observed the modulation of several cancer-related microRNAs like miR-34a, miR-26b
      or miR-378. To decipher their impact on the modified transcriptional program in
      CD99 cells, we correlated gene and microRNA time-series data miR-34a, in
      particular, was found to regulate a distinct subnetwork of genes with respect to
      the rest of the other differentially expressed miRs and it appeared to be the
      main mediator of several TGFbeta signaling genes at initial and middle phases of
      differentiation. Integration studies further highlighted the involvement of
      TGFbeta pathway in the differentiation of OS cells towards osteoblasts and its
      regulation by microRNAs. CONCLUSIONS: These data underline that the expression of
      miR-34a and down-modulation of TGFbeta signaling emerge as pivotal events to
      drive CD99-mediated reversal of malignancy and activation of differentiation in
      OS cells. Our results describe crucial and specific interacting actors providing
      and supporting their relevance as potential targets for therapeutic
      differentiative strategies.

PMID- 26123716
TI  - Cardiovascular adaptation in athletes.

PMID- 26123718
TI  - Fractionation in position-specific isotope composition during vaporization of
      environmental pollutants measured with isotope ratio monitoring by 13C nuclear
      magnetic resonance spectrometry.
AB  - Isotopic fractionation of pollutants in terrestrial or aqueous environments is a
      well-recognized means by which to track different processes during remediation.
      As a complement to the common practice of measuring the change in isotope ratio
      for the whole molecule using isotope ratio monitoring by mass spectrometry (irm
      MS), position-specific isotope analysis (PSIA) can provide further information
      that can be exploited to investigate source and remediation of soil and water
      pollutants. Position-specific fractionation originates from either degradative or
      partitioning processes. We show that isotope ratio monitoring by (13)C NMR (irm
      (13)C NMR) spectrometry can be effectively applied to methyl tert-butylether,
      toluene, ethanol and trichloroethene to obtain this position-specific data for
      partitioning. It is found that each compound exhibits characteristic position
      specific isotope fractionation patterns, and that these are modulated by the type
      of evaporative process occurring. Such data should help refine models of how
      remediation is taking place, hence back-tracking to identify pollutant sources. 

PMID- 26123719
TI  - Influences of ambient air PM2.5 concentration and meteorological condition on the
      indoor PM2.5 concentrations in a residential apartment in Beijing using a new
      approach.
AB  - PM2.5 concentrations in a typical residential apartment in Beijing and
      immediately outside of the building were measured simultaneously during heating
      and non-heating periods. The objective was to quantitatively explore the
      relationship between indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations. A statistical
      method for predicting indoor PM2.5 concentrations was proposed. Ambient PM2.5
      concentrations were strongly affected by meteorological conditions, especially
      wind directions. A bimodal distribution was identified during the heating season
      due to the frequent and rapid transition between severe pollution events and
      clean days. Indoor PM2.5 concentrations were significantly correlated with
      outdoor PM2.5 concentrations but with 1-2 h delay, and the differences can be
      explained by ambient meteorological features, such as temperature, humidity, and
      wind direction. These results indicate the potential to incorporate indoor
      exposure features to the regional air quality model framework and to more
      accurately estimate the epidemiological relationship between human mortality and
      air pollution exposure.

PMID- 26123717
TI  - A literature review on prevalence of gender differences and intersections with
      other vulnerabilities to tobacco use in the United States, 2004-2014.
AB  - This report describes results from a systematic literature review examining
      gender differences in U.S. prevalence rates of current use of tobacco and
      nicotine delivery products and how they intersect with other vulnerabilities to
      tobacco use. We searched PubMed on gender differences in tobacco use across the
      years 2004-2014. For inclusion, reports had to be in English, in a peer-reviewed
      journal or federal government report, report prevalence rates for current use of
      a tobacco product in males and females, and use a U.S. nationally representative
      sample. Prevalence rates were generally higher in males than in females across
      all products. This pattern remained stable despite changes over time in overall
      prevalence rates. Gender differences generally were robust when intersecting with
      other vulnerabilities, although decreases in the magnitude of gender differences
      were noted among younger and older users, and among educational levels and
      race/ethnic groups associated with the highest or lowest prevalence rates.
      Overall, these results document a pervasive association of gender with
      vulnerability to tobacco use that acts additively with other vulnerabilities.
      These vulnerabilities should be considered whenever formulating tobacco control
      and regulatory policies. 

PMID- 26123720
TI  - Colocalization of low-methylesterified pectins and Pb deposits in the apoplast of
      aspen roots exposed to lead.
AB  - Low-methylesterified homogalacturonans have been suggested to play a role in the
      binding and immobilization of Pb in CW. Using root apices of hybrid aspen, a
      plant with a high phytoremediation potential, as a model, we demonstrated that
      the in situ distribution pattern of low-methylesterified homogalacturonan, pectin
      epitope (JIM5-P), reflects the pattern of Pb occurrence. The region which
      indicated high JIM5-P level corresponded with "Pb accumulation zone". Moreover,
      JIM5-P was especially abundant in cell junctions, CWs lining the intercellular
      spaces and the corners of intercellular spaces indicating the highest
      accumulation of Pb. Furthermore, JIM5-P and Pb commonly co-localized. The
      observations indicate that low-methylesterified homogalacturonan is the CW
      polymer that determines the capacity of CW for Pb sequestration. Our results
      suggest a promising directions for CW modification for enhancing the efficiency
      of plant roots in Pb accumulation, an important aspect in the phytoremediation of
      soils contaminated with trace metals. 

PMID- 26123721
TI  - Modeling TiO2 nanoparticle phototoxicity: The importance of chemical
      concentration, ultraviolet radiation intensity, and time.
AB  - As a semiconductor with wide band gap energy, TiO2 nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) are
      highly photoactive, and recent efforts have demonstrated phototoxicity of nano
      TiO2 to aquatic organisms. However, a dosimetry model for the phototoxicity of
      nanomaterials that incorporates both direct UV and photo-activated chemical
      toxicity has not yet been developed. In this study, a set of Hyalella azteca
      acute toxicity bioassays at multiple light intensities and nano-TiO2
      concentrations, and with multiple diel light cycles, was conducted to assess how
      existing phototoxicity models should be adapted to nano-TiO2. These efforts
      demonstrated (a) adherence to the Bunsen-Roscoe law for the reciprocity of light
      intensity and time, (b) no evidence of damage repair during dark periods, (c) a
      lack of proportionality of effects to environmental nano-TiO2 concentrations, and
      (d) a need to consider the joint effects of nano-TiO2 phototoxicity and direct UV
      toxicity.

PMID- 26123722
TI  - Slash-and-char: An ancient agricultural technique holds new promise for
      management of soils contaminated by Cd, Pb and Zn.
AB  - Heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils is of worldwide concern.
      Unfortunately, there are currently no efficient and sustainable approaches for
      addressing this concern. In this study, we conducted a field experiment in which
      an agricultural soil highly contaminated by cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn)
      was treated on-site by an ancient agricultural technique, 'slash-and-char', that
      was able to convert the biomass feedstock (rice straw) into biochar in only one
      day. We found evidence that in comparison to the untreated soil, the treated soil
      was associated with decreased bioavailability of the heavy metals and increased
      vegetable yields. Most importantly, the treatment was also coupled with dramatic
      reductions in concentrations of the heavy metals in vegetables, which made it
      possible to produce safe crops in this highly contaminated soil. Collectively,
      our results support the idea that slash-and-char offers new promise for
      management of soils contaminated by Cd, Pb and Zn. 

PMID- 26123723
TI  - A statistical model for determining impact of wildland fires on Particulate
      Matter (PM2.5) in Central California aided by satellite imagery of smoke.
AB  - As the climate in California warms and wildfires become larger and more severe,
      satellite-based observational tools are frequently used for studying impact of
      those fires on air quality. However little objective work has been done to
      quantify the skill these satellite observations of smoke plumes have in
      predicting impacts to PM2.5 concentrations at ground level monitors, especially
      those monitors used to determine attainment values for air quality under the
      Clean Air Act. Using PM2.5 monitoring data from a suite of monitors throughout
      the Central California area, we found a significant, but weak relationship
      between satellite-observed smoke plumes and PM2.5 concentrations measured at the
      surface. However, when combined with an autoregressive statistical model that
      uses weather and seasonal factors to identify thresholds for flagging unusual
      events at these sites, we found that the presence of smoke plumes could reliably
      identify periods of wildfire influence with 95% accuracy. 

PMID- 26123724
TI  - Altered immune response in mallard ducklings exposed to lead through maternal
      transfer in the wild.
AB  - Lead (Pb) poisoning has caused significant mortality in waterfowl populations
      worldwide. In spite of having been banned since 2003, prevalence of Pb shot
      ingestion in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) from the Ebro delta was still 15.5% in
      2011-12. We collected mallard eggs from this area to study the effects of
      maternally transferred Pb on eggshell properties and on immune response and
      oxidative balance of ducklings. Eggshell Pb levels were positively correlated
      with Pb levels in the blood of ducklings. Ducklings with blood Pb levels above
      180 ng mL(-1) showed reduced body mass and died during the first week post
      hatching. Blood Pb levels positively correlated with humoral immune response,
      endogenous antioxidants and oxidative stress biomarkers, and negatively
      correlated with cellular immune response. Pb shot ingestion in birds can result
      in maternal transfer to the offspring that can affect their developing immune
      system and reduce their survival in early life stages.

PMID- 26123725
TI  - Temperature as a modifier of the effects of fine particulate matter on acute
      mortality in Hong Kong.
AB  - Interactions between particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than or
      equal to 2.5 MUm (PM2.5) and temperature on mortality have not been well studied,
      and results are difficult to synthesize. We aimed to assess modification of
      temperature on the association between PM2.5 and cause-specific mortality by
      stratifying temperature into low, medium, and high stratum in Hong Kong, using
      data from 1999 to 2011. The mortality effects of PM2.5 were stronger in low
      temperature stratum than those in high. The excess risk (%) per 10 MUg/m(3)
      increase in PM2.5 at lag 0-1 in low temperature stratum were 0.94% (95%
      confidence interval: 0.65, 1.24) for all natural, 0.88% (0.38, 1.37) for
      cardiovascular, and 1.15% (0.51, 1.79) for respiratory mortality. We found
      statistically significant interaction of PM2.5 and temperature between low and
      high temperature stratum for all natural mortality. Our results suggested that
      temperature might modify mortality effects of PM2.5 in Hong Kong.

PMID- 26123726
TI  - Targeted Feedback in the Milestones Era: Utilization of the Ask-Tell-Ask Feedback
      Model to Promote Reflection and Self-Assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Milestones
      Project focuses trainee education on the formation of valued behaviors and skills
      believed to be necessary for trainees to become independent practitioners. The
      development and refinement of behaviors and skills outlined within the milestones
      will require learners to monitor, reflect, and assess their own performance over
      time. External feedback provides an opportunity for learners to recalibrate their
      self-assessments, thereby enabling them to develop better self-monitoring and
      self-assessment skills. Yet, feedback to trainees is frequently generic, such as
      "great job," "nice work," or "you need to read more." PURPOSE: In this article,
      we describe a feedback model that faculty can use to provide specific feedback,
      while increasing accountability for learners. We offer practical examples of its
      use in a variety of settings in the milestone era. INNOVATION: The Ask-Tell-Ask
      (ATA) patient communication skills strategy, which was adapted for use as a
      trainee feedback model 10 years ago at our institution, is a learner-centered
      approach for reinforcing and modifying behaviors. The model is efficient,
      promotes learner accountability, and helps trainees develop reflection and self
      assessment skills. A feedback agreement further enhances ATA by establishing a
      shared understanding of goals for the educational encounter. CONCLUSION: The ATA
      feedback model, combined with a feedback agreement, encourages learners to self
      identify strengths and areas for improvement, before receiving feedback. Personal
      monitoring, reflection, self-assessment, and increased accountability make ATA an
      ideal learner-centered feedback model for the milestones era, which focuses on
      performance improvement over time. We believe the introduction of the ATA
      feedback model in surgical training programs is a step in the right direction
      towards meaningful programmatic culture change.

PMID- 26123728
TI  - Molecular and phylogenetic analysis of the filarial nematode Micipsella numidica
      from the hare Lepus europaeus in Italy.
AB  - The genus Micipsella comprises three species of filariae to date identified in
      lagomorphs only, whereas the other genera belonging to the subfamily
      Splendidofilariinae are described as parasites of birds, reptiles and mammals. In
      the present study seven specimens of Micipsella numidica (Seurat, 1917),
      collected from the hare Lepus europaeus in Italy, were characterized genetically
      by molecular amplification of the mitochondrial genes (12S rDNA; cox1) and the 5S
      rDNA gene spacer region. Phylogenetic trees inferred using available sequences
      from filariae and those identified in this study evidenced a close relationship
      between M. numidica and Splendidofilariinae of other mammals and reptiles
      (Rumenfilaria andersoni and Madathamugadia hiepei). The present findings, apart
      from adding new data about the hosts in Italy, support the taxonomic position of
      M. numidica and highlight the substantial biological and molecular differences
      existing between Splendidofilariinae and other Onchocercidae. The study also
      contributes to our knowledge of the molecular/genetic diagnosis of filarial
      parasites of veterinary and medical concern in any vertebrate or invertebrate
      host. 

PMID- 26123727
TI  - WDR73 Mutations Cause Infantile Neurodegeneration and Variable Glomerular Kidney
      Disease.
AB  - Infantile-onset cerebellar atrophy (CA) is a clinically and genetically
      heterogeneous trait. Galloway-Mowat syndrome (GMS) is a rare autosomal recessive
      disease, characterized by microcephaly with brain anomalies including CA in some
      cases, intellectual disability, and early-infantile-onset nephrotic syndrome.
      Very recently, WDR73 deficiency was identified as the cause of GMS in five
      individuals. To evaluate the role of WDR73 mutations as a cause of GMS and other
      forms of syndromic CA, we performed Sanger or exome sequencing in 51 unrelated
      patients with CA and variable brain anomalies and in 40 unrelated patients with a
      diagnosis of GMS. We identified 10 patients from three CA and from two GMS
      families with WDR73 mutations including the original family described with CA,
      mental retardation, optic atrophy, and skin abnormalities (CAMOS). There were
      five novel mutations, of which two were truncating and three were missense
      mutations affecting highly conserved residues. Individuals carrying homozygous
      WDR73 mutations mainly presented with a pattern of neurological and neuroimaging
      findings as well as intellectual disability, while kidney involvement was
      variable. We document postnatal onset of CA, a retinopathy, basal ganglia
      degeneration, and short stature as novel features of WDR73-related disease, and
      define WDR73-related disease as a new entity of infantile neurodegeneration. 

PMID- 26123729
TI  - Cytoplasmic nucleophosmin has elevated T199 phosphorylation upon which G2/M phase
      progression is dependent.
AB  - The cytoplasmic mutant of nucleophosmin (NPMc) is found approximately in one
      third of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases and is highly associated with normal
      karyotype. Whereas previous studies have focused on wtNPM in centrosome
      duplication, we further elucidate the role of NPM in the cell cycle by utilizing
      the increased cytoplasmic load of NPMc. Overexpression of NPMc causes increased
      phosphorylation of NPM on T199 and, to a lesser degree, S4. T199 phosphorylation
      is dependent on cdk2 but activators of cdk2 were not elevated. Upon inhibition of
      cdk2, NPMc-overexpressing cells demonstrate a greater G2/M phase arrest than
      wtNPM or GFP counterparts. However, the number of cells with 2 centrosomes did
      not increase concordantly. This suggests that the arrest was caused by a delay in
      centrosome duplication, most likely due to the inhibition of centrosome
      duplication caused by unphosphorylated NPMc. Overall, these results suggest that
      the phosphorylation of T199 is important in the mitotic progression of NPMc
      expressing cells. This further supports the hypothesis that NPMc is associated
      with normal karyotypes in AML because the higher cytoplasmic load of NPM can
      better suppress centrosome overduplication which would otherwise result in
      unequal segregation of chromosomes during mitosis, leading to aneuploidy and
      other genomic instabilities. 

PMID- 26123730
TI  - Construction and applications of exon-trapping gene-targeting vectors with a
      novel strategy for negative selection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Targeted gene modification by homologous recombination provides a
      powerful tool for studying gene function in cells and animals. In higher
      eukaryotes, non-homologous integration of targeting vectors occurs several orders
      of magnitude more frequently than does targeted integration, making the gene
      targeting technology highly inefficient. For this reason, negative-selection
      strategies have been employed to reduce the number of drug-resistant clones
      associated with non-homologous vector integration, particularly when artificial
      nucleases to introduce a DNA break at the target site are unavailable or
      undesirable. As such, an exon-trap strategy using a promoterless drug-resistance
      marker gene provides an effective way to counterselect non-homologous integrants.
      However, constructing exon-trapping targeting vectors has been a time-consuming
      and complicated process. RESULTS: By virtue of highly efficient att-mediated
      recombination, we successfully developed a simple and rapid method to construct
      plasmid-based vectors that allow for exon-trapping gene targeting. These exon
      trap vectors were useful in obtaining correctly targeted clones in mouse
      embryonic stem cells and human HT1080 cells. Most importantly, with the use of a
      conditionally cytotoxic gene, we further developed a novel strategy for negative
      selection, thereby enhancing the efficiency of counterselection for non
      homologous integration of exon-trap vectors. CONCLUSIONS: Our methods will
      greatly facilitate exon-trapping gene-targeting technologies in mammalian cells,
      particularly when combined with the novel negative selection strategy.

PMID- 26123731
TI  - Comparison of lateral photographic and radiographic sagittal analysis in relation
      to Angle's classification.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to compare sagittal jaw relationships
      derived from standardized profile photographs (soft tissue) to those derived from
      lateral cephalograms (hard tissue) with respect to Angle's classification of
      malocclusion. METHODS: A total of 110 randomly selected subjects (mean age: 13.75
      +/- 1.46 years) undergoing treatment (Postgraduate Program in Orthodontics at Tel
      Aviv University) were assigned to three groups based on Angle's classification
      (Class I: n = 30; Class II: n = 50; Class III: n = 30). Standardized profile-view
      photographs and lateral radiographs (cephalograms) were compared using 11 soft
      tissue and 8 skeletal measurements, respectively. RESULTS: Tragus, infra-orbital,
      nasion, A point, B point, and pogonion were found to be the most reliable soft
      tissue reference points. A similar pattern of diversity was found between the
      three groups of Angle's classification (Class I/II/III) for the photographic
      soft,-tissue and the radiographic skeletal measurements (e.g., soft tissue A'N'B'
      =11.43 degrees /13.30 degrees /8.85 degrees  and hard tissue ANB = 3.13 degrees
      /4.64 degrees /-1.31 degrees ). Soft tissue A'N'B' measurement provides
      complementary information to hard tissue ANB measurement. CONCLUSION: Analyzing
      profile photographs for evaluating sagittal jaw relationships is a practical tool
      in determining soft tissue harmony. Soft tissue measurements provide a sagittal
      differential diagnosis in relation to Angle's classification of malocclusion.

PMID- 26123732
TI  - Association of temporomandibular disorder pain with awake and sleep bruxism in
      adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Parafunctional habits such as clenching or grinding (bruxism) during
      daytime and at night are considered to have a great impact on the
      etiopathogenesis of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). However, the size of the
      effect and how daytime activities interact with nocturnal activities is not yet
      clear. The aim of this study was to assess the association of TMD pain with both
      awake and sleep bruxism in adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this case-control
      study, data of a consecutive sample of 733 TMD patients (cases; mean age +/- SD:
      41.4 +/- 16.3 years; 82% women) with at least one pain-related TMD diagnosis
      according to the German version of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD
      (RDC/TMD) and of a community-based probability sample of 890 subjects (controls;
      mean age +/- SD: 40.4 +/- 11.8 years; 57% female) without TMD were evaluated.
      Clenching or grinding while awake and/or asleep was assessed with self-reports.
      Association of TMD pain with awake and sleep bruxism was analyzed using multiple
      logistic regression analyses and controlled for potential confounders. Odds
      ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.
      RESULTS: While 11.2% of the controls reported clenching or grinding while awake,
      this proportion was significantly higher in TMD patients (33.9%; p < 0.001).
      Nocturnal clenching or grinding was reported by 23.5% of the controls and 49.4%
      of the TMD patients (p < 0.001). Risk for TMD pain did not differ substantially
      for the separate reports of awake (OR 1.7; CI 1.0-2.7) or sleep bruxism (OR 1.8;
      CI 1.4-2.4). However, risk for TMD pain substantially increased in cases of
      simultaneous presence of awake and sleep bruxism (OR 7.7; CI 5.4-11.1).
      CONCLUSION: When occurring separately, awake and sleep bruxism are significant
      risk factors for TMD pain. In case of simultaneous presence, the risk for TMD
      pain is even higher.

PMID- 26123733
TI  - Dimensional accuracy of jaw scans performed on alginate impressions or stone
      models: A practice-oriented study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Digital jaw models offer more extensive possibilities for analysis
      than casts and make it easier to share and archive relevant information. The aim
      of this study was to compare the dimensional accuracy of scans performed on
      alginate impressions and on stone models to reference scans performed on
      underlying resin models. METHODS: Precision spheres 5 mm in diameter were
      occlusally fitted to the sites of the first premolars and first molars on a pair
      of jaw models fabricated from resin. A structured-light scanner was used for
      digitization. Once the two reference models had been scanned, alginate
      impressions were taken and scanned after no later than 1 h. A third series of
      scans was performed on type III stone models derived from the impressions. All
      scans were analyzed by performing five repeated measurements to determine the
      distances between the various sphere centers. RESULTS: Compared to the reference
      scans, the stone-model scans were larger by a mean of 73.6 um (maxilla) or 65.2
      um (mandible). The impression scans were only larger by 7.7 um (maxilla) or
      smaller by 0.7 um (mandible). Median standard deviations over the five repeated
      measurements of 1.0 um for the reference scans, 2.35 um for the impression scans,
      and 2.0 um for the stone-model scans indicate that the values measured in this
      study were adequately reproducible. CONCLUSION: Alginate impressions can be
      suitably digitized by structured-light scanning and offer considerably better
      dimensional accuracy than stone models. Apparently, however, both impression
      scans and stone-model scans can offer adequate precision for orthodontic
      purposes. The main issue of impression scans (which is incomplete representation
      of model surfaces) is being systematically explored in a follow-up study.

PMID- 26123734
TI  - Three-dimensional analysis of maxillary development in patients with unilateral
      cleft lip and palate during the first six years of life.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this work was to analyse early upper-jaw development
      in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) treated using two
      different concepts and to compare shape and size developments between these two
      groups and a group of noncleft patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 204
      maxillary casts available for this study from 50 UCLP patients were analyzed for
      upper-jaw development based on three-dimensional measurements performed with a
      Reflex Microscope from birth up to 71 months of age. Thirty-five of these 50
      patients were part of an early treatment group (two-stage cleft closure with
      single-stage palatoplasty at an age of 10-14 months) and 15 were part of a late
      treatment group (two-stage cleft closure with palatoplasty at an age of 4-7
      years). The control group included 39 casts of 17 noncleft patients. RESULTS:
      Analysis of shape and size between the patients in the three groups yielded
      statistically significant differences between the cleft and the noncleft
      patients. In both treatment groups, we made observations typically associated
      with cleft formation like lateralization, asymmetry of the greater and lesser
      cleft segments, and pronounced vertical deviations of the segments. Viewed in all
      dimensions, however, the patients in the early treatment group approached the
      control group more closely, although a statistically significant difference was
      still observed. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the timing of hard-palate
      closure is not a decisive factor for upper-jaw development. Intrinsic factors
      (initial cleft width, presence of tooth buds) and the surgeon's skills appear to
      have a much more defining role.

PMID- 26123736
TI  - Health sciences journals: an overview of outputs by Chinese authors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To analyse the contributions of authors from three major regions of
      China - the Mainland (ML), Hong Kong (HK) and Taiwan (TW) - in the field of
      health care sciences and services. METHODS: Articles published by Chinese authors
      between 1998 and 2012 in the category of health care sciences and services were
      retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database. The numbers
      of total articles, impact factors, citations, articles included in the top 10
      highest impact journals and the 10 journals that published the most papers were
      recorded. RESULTS: ML, HK and TW published 615, 415 and 1162, respectively, with
      accumulated impact factors of 1281.65, 904.29 and 2361.44; average impact factor
      of 2.08, 2.18 and 2.03; and total citation times of 2313, 2652, and 4818.
      Regarding the top 10 high-impact journals, ML, HK and TW accounted for 28.25%,
      27.68% and 44.07%, respectively. Total impact factors of the most popular 10
      journals for ML, HK and TW were 20.86, 22.08 and 18.92, respectively. DISCUSSION
      AND CONCLUSIONS: Both the quality and quantity of papers published in health care
      sciences and services journals from ML, HK and TW have greatly improved. ML and
      HK have different strong points, while the gap with TW diminished.

PMID- 26123737
TI  - Interventional Radiology Symposium for Medical Students: Raising Awareness,
      Understanding, and Interest.

PMID- 26123735
TI  - Association of overjet and overbite with esthetic impairments of oral health
      related quality of life.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Esthetics is an important part of quality of life and a frequent
      reason for orthodontic treatment demand. It was the aim of this study to
      investigate whether esthetic impairments, related to overjet and overbite, can be
      assessed with an established oral health-related quality of life instrument.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 1968 participants (age: 16-90 years; 69.8%
      female) from three German surveys were analyzed. Esthetic impairments of oral
      health-related quality of life were measured with four questions of the Oral
      Health Impact profile (OHIP), which comprise esthetic aspects of oral health
      related quality of life. Higher values represent greater esthetic impairment (sum
      score: 0-16). Overbite and overjet values were categorized (<= - 1 mm, 0-1 mm, 2
      3 mm, 4-5 mm, >= 6 mm). The specific impact of each category on esthetic
      impairment, in relation to the reference category (2-3 mm), was calculated in
      linear regression analyses. The type of relationship and the specific impact of
      overbite and overjet were evaluated in regression analyses with fractional
      polynomials. RESULTS: Overbite ranged from - 5 to 15 mm (mean: 3.2 mm) and
      overjet from - 7 to 19 mm (mean: 3.1 mm). Both an increase and a decrease in
      overjet, in relation to the reference category, resulted in more esthetic-related
      oral health-related quality of life impairments. However, in this model, only the
      effect for increased overjet was statistically significant (4-5 mm: + 0.4 OHIP
      points; >= 6 mm: + 0.9 OHIP points). In the regression analysis with fractional
      polynomials, both an increase and a decrease in overjet resulted in more esthetic
      impairments, characterized by a U-shaped relationship. No association could be
      verified for overbite. CONCLUSION: A substantial increase or decrease of overjet
      from the reference values is associated with esthetic impairments of oral health
      related quality of life, whereas the extent of overbite seems to have no impact
      on esthetics.

PMID- 26123738
TI  - A multicenter cardiovascular MR network for tele-training and beyond: setup and
      initial experiences.
AB  - PURPOSE: Training in cardiovascular MR (CMR) is an important topic in times of
      growing acceptance of the method for accurate diagnosis and management of
      cardiovascular disease. However, off-site training is becoming less acceptable
      with increasing cost and time pressures. We introduce a novel CMR network,
      capable of providing, remotely, part of CMR training and continuous expert
      support. By providing a technical and operational blueprint, we want to share our
      experience in building teaching networks. METHODS: Conceptual, technical, and
      content-related characteristics of our teaching methods are introduced. A total
      of 97 participants in traditional fellowship CMR teaching and novel module-based
      network teaching were surveyed to assess their CMR performance. RESULTS: The
      number of hospitals in our CMR network increased from five in 2009 to 14 in 2014.
      A total of 79% of network hospitals conducted >100 CMR scans annually. Among
      these network hospitals are four small institutions (<400 beds), and five medium
      sized hospitals (400-1,000 beds). Network teaching reduced off-site training to
      only five weeks. The time to the first independently conducted CMR scans was one
      week, with network teaching, but >1 month for 32% of participants in traditional
      CMR teaching. The CMR network enables experts from distant locations to supervise
      and control CMR scans in a distant hospital, in real time. CONCLUSIONS: CMR
      networks provide an efficient teaching platform with a minimum of off-site time
      for trainees. Real-time remote supervision and scan control capabilities support
      the decentralization of CMR expertise and enables even small and rurally located
      institutions to offer high-quality CMR scans.

PMID- 26123739
TI  - A simple model for exploring the role of quantum coherence and the environment in
      excitonic energy transfer.
AB  - We investigate the role of quantum coherence in modulating the energy transfer
      rate between two independent energy donors and a single acceptor participating in
      an excitonic energy transfer process. The energy transfer rate depends explicitly
      on the nature of the initial coherent superposition state of the two donors and
      we connect it to the observed absorption profile of the acceptor and the
      stimulated emission profile of the energy donors. We consider simple models with
      mesoscopic environments interacting with the donors and the acceptor and compare
      the expression we obtained for the energy transfer rate with the results of
      numerical integration. 

PMID- 26123740
TI  - The Tenth Step of the BFHI: What midwives need to know about optimal support for
      mothers, post-discharge.
AB  - This commentary discusses the 10th Step of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative
      (BFHI), the only step that goes beyond the hospital to provide for the mother to
      receive breast-feeding support after she returns to the community. The reasons
      why such support is needed, and how this support has been provided in different
      settings, will be discussed. Post-discharge support for breast-feeding mothers
      takes many forms and is optimised when mothers can access both professional and
      peer support. The mother-baby dyad is best served by the right advice from the
      right person at the right time. Midwives who assist the new mother with
      information about easily accessible support in the community enable the care she
      has received during her short hospital stay and during any midwifery home
      visiting to continue when she is in an environment that may not be supportive of
      breast feeding. 

PMID- 26123741
TI  - A realist evaluation of an antenatal programme to change drinking behaviour of
      pregnant women.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: to use realist evaluation to describe and explain how and in what
      circumstances screening and alcohol brief interventions work in routine antenatal
      care. DESIGN: a realist evaluation incorporating systematic reviews and
      qualitative data. SETTING: NHS Lothian, which is one of the 14 Scottish health
      boards. PARTICIPANTS: participants were recruited from two maternity units. In
      phase one, interviews were conducted with four participants responsible for
      policy implementation. These data were supported by two systematic reviews. In
      phase two, 17 pregnant women and 15 midwives participated in interviews, with a
      further six midwifery team leaders involved in a focus group. FINDINGS: training
      and resources provided to midwives as part of the programme acted as facilitating
      mechanisms that improved their skills and confidence to screen and deliver
      alcohol brief interventions. The programme elicited positive change in attitudes
      to drinking in pregnancy and possibly stimulated drinking behaviour change
      amongst pregnant women. However, the small numbers of pregnant women being
      identified for alcohol brief interventions meant delivery was infrequent and
      resulted in the programme not working as anticipated. The findings also revealed
      contextual issues around midwife-pregnant woman relationship and the challenges
      of negotiating the timing of screening and alcohol brief interventions delivery.
      CONCLUSIONS: Drinking in pregnancy is an emotive issue, therefore delivering
      alcohol brief interventions at the first antenatal appointment when they are more
      likely to achieve the most benefits poses challenges. When training midwives to
      screen and deliver alcohol brief interventions, special attention is needed to
      improve person-centred communication skills to overcome barriers associated with
      discussing sensitive prenatal alcohol use and enhance early identification and
      delivery of alcohol brief interventions at the first antenatal appointment.

PMID- 26123743
TI  - Altered immunometabolism at the interface of increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
      stress in patients with type 2 diabetes.
AB  - The mechanism of perturbed immune function in patients with T2DM is poorly
      understood. Recent studies imply a role for ER stress in linking immune-system
      alterations and metabolism. Here, we investigated whether ER stress markers and
      its downstream effector signals are altered in patients with type 2 diabetes
      along with proinflammatory augmentation. In our study, gene and protein
      expression of ER stress markers (GRP-78, PERK, IRE1alpha, ATF6, XBP-1 and CHOP)
      was elevated significantly (P < 0.05) in PBMCs from T2DM patients compared with
      control subjects. The mRNA expression of both the proinflammatory cytokines (TNF
      alpha and IL-6) and oxidative stress markers (p22(phox), TXNIP, and TRPC-6; P <
      0.05) was also increased in PBMCs from patients with T2DM. SOCS3 mRNA expression
      was reduced significantly (P < 0.05) in diabetes patients. mRNA expression of
      most of the ER stress markers from PBMCs correlated significantly and positively
      with poor glycemic control, dyslipidemia, IR, and inflammatory and oxidative
      stress markers. Chronic ER stress in PBMCs from patients with T2DM was evident
      from the increased caspase-3 activity (P < 0.01), which is an executioner of
      apoptosis. Along with an impairment of miR-146a levels, the downstream targets of
      miR-146a, viz., IRAK1 and TRAF6 mRNA levels, were also elevated significantly (P
      < 0.01) in patients with T2DM. There was an inverse relationship among miR-146a
      levels and ER stress markers, inflammatory markers, and glycemic control. We
      demonstrate evidence of increased ER stress markers with impaired miR-146a levels
      and increased proinflammatory signals in patients with type 2 diabetes. 

PMID- 26123742
TI  - PIpelle Prospective ENDOmetrial carcinoma (PIPENDO) study, pre-operative
      recognition of high risk endometrial carcinoma: a multicentre prospective cohort
      study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endometrial carcinoma is the most common gynaecologic malignancy in
      industrialised countries and the incidence is still rising. Primary treatment is
      based on preoperative risk classification and consists in most cases of
      hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. In patients with serous and
      clear cell histology a complete surgical staging is mandatory. However, in
      routine clinical practice final histology regularly does not correspond with the
      preoperative histological diagnosis. This results in both over and under
      treatment. METHODS/DESIGN: The aim of this multicentre, prospective cohort study
      is to select a panel of prognostic biomarkers to improve preoperative diagnosis
      of endometrial carcinoma in order to identify those patients that need extended
      surgery and/or additional treatment. Additionally, we will determine whether
      incorporation of cervical cytology and comorbidity could improve this
      preoperative risk classification. All patients treated for endometrial carcinoma
      in the participating hospitals from September 2011 till December 2013 are
      included. Patient characteristics, as well as comorbidity are registered.
      Patients without preoperative histology, history of hysterectomy and/or
      endometrial carcinoma or no surgical treatment including hysterectomy are
      excluded. The preoperative histology and final pathology will be reviewed and
      compared by expert pathologists. Additional immunohistochemical analysis of IMP3,
      p53, ER, PR, MLH1, PTEN, beta-catenin, p16, Ki-67, stathmin, ARID1A and L1CAM
      will be performed. Preoperative histology will be compared with the final
      pathology results. Follow-up will be at least 24 months to determine risk factors
      for recurrence and outcome. DISCUSSION: This study is designed to improve
      surgical treatment of endometrial carcinoma patients. A total of 432 endometrial
      carcinoma patients were enrolled between 2011 and 2013. Follow-up will be
      completed in 2015. Preoperative histology will be evaluated systematically and
      background endometrium will be classified. This is the first study incorporating
      immunohistochemistry, cervical cytology and comorbidity to define the optimal
      panel of prognostic biomarkers that contribute in clinical decision making in the
      management of endometrial carcinoma. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial
      Register number NTR3503.

PMID- 26123745
TI  - Sub-functionalization to ovule development following duplication of a floral
      organ identity gene.
AB  - Gene duplications result in paralogs that may be maintained due to the gain of
      novel functions (neo-functionalization) or the partitioning of ancestral function
      (sub-functionalization). Plant genomes are especially prone to duplication;
      paralogs are particularly widespread in the floral MADS box transcription factors
      that control organ identity through the ABC model of flower development. C class
      genes establish stamen and carpel identity and control floral meristem
      determinacy, and are largely conserved across the angiosperm phylogeny.
      Originally, an additional D class had been identified as controlling ovule
      identity; yet subsequent studies indicated that both C and D lineage genes more
      commonly control ovule development redundantly. The ranunculid Thalictrum
      thalictroides has two orthologs of the Arabidopsis thaliana C class gene AGAMOUS
      (AG), ThtAG1 and ThtAG2 (Thalictrum thalictroides AGAMOUS1/2). We previously
      showed that ThtAG1 exhibits typical C class function; here we examine the role of
      its paralog, ThtAG2. Our phylogenetic analysis shows that ThtAG2 falls within the
      C lineage, together with ThtAG1, and is consistent with previous findings of a
      Ranunculales-specific duplication in this clade. However, ThtAG2 is not expressed
      in stamens, but rather solely in carpels and ovules. This female-specific
      expression pattern is consistent with D lineage genes, and with other C lineage
      genes known to be involved in ovule identity. Given the divergent expression of
      ThtAG2, we tested the hypothesis that it has acquired ovule identity function.
      Molecular evolution analyses showed evidence of positive selection on ThtAG2-a
      pattern that supports divergence of function by sub-functionalization. Down
      regulation of ThtAG2 by virus-induced gene silencing resulted in homeotic
      conversions of ovules into carpel-like structures. Taken together, our results
      suggest that, although ThtAG2 falls within the C lineage, it has diverged to
      acquire "D function" as an ovule identity gene, and does not appear to require a
      direct interaction with the ThtAG1 protein. We therefore present a functional
      example of ovule identity being specified by either a single gene or a gene pair
      within the C lineage, with no D lineage contribution. In conclusion, following a
      Ranunculales-wide duplication in the AG lineage, functional divergence has led to
      the evolution of ovule identity-specificity in a T. thalictroides C lineage gene.

PMID- 26123744
TI  - The KCNE2 K+ channel regulatory subunit: Ubiquitous influence, complex
      pathobiology.
AB  - The KCNE single-span transmembrane subunits are encoded by five-member gene
      families in the human and mouse genomes. Primarily recognized for co-assembling
      with and functionally regulating the voltage-gated potassium channels, the broad
      influence of KCNE subunits in mammalian physiology belies their small size. KCNE2
      has been widely studied since we first discovered one of its roles in the heart
      and its association with inherited and acquired human Long QT syndrome. Since
      then, physiological analyses together with human and mouse genetics studies have
      uncovered a startling array of functions for KCNE2, in the heart, stomach,
      thyroid and choroid plexus. The other side of this coin is the variety of
      interconnected disease manifestations caused by KCNE2 disruption, involving both
      excitable cells such as cardiomyocytes, and non-excitable, polarized epithelia.
      Kcne2 deletion in mice has been particularly instrumental in illustrating the
      potential ramifications within a monogenic arrhythmia syndrome, with removal of
      one piece revealing the unexpected complexity of the puzzle. Here, we review
      current knowledge of the function and pathobiology of KCNE2. 

PMID- 26123746
TI  - RNA interference-mediated knockdown of Smad1 inhibits receptor activator of
      nuclear factor kappaB ligand expression induced by BMP-2 in primary osteoblasts.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: BMP-2 induces osteoblast differentiation and activates osteoclast
      formation. Here, we investigated the role of Smad1, a molecule that signals
      downstream of BMP-2, in mediating the effects of BMP-2 on osteoclast
      differentiation induced by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) in osteoblasts.
      DESIGN: The effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 and BMP-2 in osteoclasts were examined using
      polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting to measure changes in target gene
      and protein expression. Immunostaining was carried out to investigate the
      localization of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in the nucleus in response to BMP-2.
      RESULTS: Stimulation with both 1,25(OH)2D3 and BMP-2 resulted in significantly
      greater osteoclast formation and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB
      ligand (RANKL) mRNA expression compared to stimulation with 1,25(OH)2D3 alone. In
      addition, expression of the VDR protein was increased, enhancing the activity of
      1,25(OH)2D3. Interestingly, knockdown of Smad1 resulted in reduced osteoclast
      formation, RANKL mRNA expression, and VDR protein expression compared with
      control cells. Costimulation with 1,25(OH)2D3 and BMP-2 enhanced VDR localization
      in the nucleus. CONCLUSIONS: We found that BMP-2 induced Smad1 activation,
      thereby influencing the localization of VDR in the nucleus in the presence of
      1,25(OH)2D3 and resulting in increased RANKL mRNA expression. These effects
      ultimately resulted in enhanced osteoclast differentiation.

PMID- 26123747
TI  - Tormentic acid inhibits LPS-induced inflammatory response in human gingival
      fibroblasts via inhibition of TLR4-mediated NF-kappaB and MAPK signalling
      pathway.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Periodontal disease is one of the most prevalent oral diseases, which
      is associated with inflammation of the tooth-supporting tissues. Tormentic acid
      (TA), a triterpene isolated from Rosa rugosa, has been reported to exert anti
      inflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti
      inflammatory effects of TA on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human gingival
      fibroblasts (HGFs). METHODS: The levels of inflammatory cytokines such as
      interleukin (IL)-6 and chemokines such as IL-8 were detected by enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4),
      nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB), IkappaBalpha, p38, extracellular signal
      regulated kinase (ERK), and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) was determined by
      Western blotting. RESULTS: The results showed that Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS
      significantly upregulated the expression of IL-6 and IL-8. TA inhibited the LPS
      induced production of IL-6 and IL-8 in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, TA
      inhibited LPS-induced TLR4 expression; NF-kappaB activation; IkappaBalpha
      degradation; and phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and P38. CONCLUSION: TA inhibits
      the LPS-induced inflammatory response in HGFs by suppressing the TLR4-mediated NF
      kappaB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway.

PMID- 26123748
TI  - Response to tumor necrosis factor-alpha mediated inflammation involving
      activation of prostaglandin E2 and Wnt signaling in nucleus pulposus cells.
AB  - The cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) product, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ), acts through a
      family of G protein-coupled receptors designated E-prostanoid (EP) receptors that
      mediate intracellular signaling by multiple pathways. However, it is not known
      whether crosstalk between tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha)-PGE2 -mediated
      signaling and Wnt signaling plays a role in the regulation of intervertebral disc
      (IVD) cells. In this study, we investigated the relationship between TNF-alpha
      PGE2 signaling and Wnt signaling in IVD cells. TNF-alpha increased the expression
      of COX-2 in IVD cells. The EP receptors EP1, EP3, and EP4 were expressed in IVD
      cells, and TNF-alpha significantly increased PGE2 production. Stimulation with
      TNF-alpha also upregulated EP3 and EP4 mRNA and protein expression in IVD cells.
      The inductive effect of the EP3 and EP4 receptors on Topflash promoter activity
      was confirmed through gain- and loss-of-function studies using selective EP
      agonists and antagonists. PGE2 treatment activated Wnt-beta-catenin signaling
      through activation of EP3. We conclude that TNF-alpha-induced COX-2 and PGE2
      stimulate Wnt signaling and activate Wnt target genes. Suppression of the EP3
      receptor via TNF-alpha-PGE2 signaling seems to suppress IVD degeneration by
      controlling the activation of Wnt signaling. These findings may help identify the
      underlying mechanism and role of Wnt signaling in IVD degeneration.

PMID- 26123749
TI  - What are the relative merits of interventions used to reduce the occurrences of
      disruptive vocalisation in persons with dementia? - a systematic review.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Dementia is a major health issue, and many people who have the
      progressive disease express disruptive vocalisation. These behaviours place large
      burdens on carers, family and on the individual themselves. BACKGROUND: This
      systematic review explored the use of interventions that could be used within
      practice to reduce the occurrences of disruptive vocalisation in people with
      dementia. METHODS: Three online databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE and EMBASE) were
      searched for papers published after 1997 against two concept criteria of dementia
      and disruptive vocalisation. Any person diagnosed with dementia or suspected of
      having dementia symptoms were included identifying any interventions. Studies
      were appraised and data extracted using the Joanna Briggs Institute frameworks.
      RESULTS: This systematic review identified eight relevant papers for inclusion,
      and these assessed the implementation of eight separate interventions that could
      be used within practice. Three interventions were found to be supported by
      statistically significant research: a staff training programme, a behavioural
      management technique using cue cards and hand massage. CONCLUSION: The overall
      conclusion is that the evidence base is insufficient to make recommendations for
      practice. However, the studies gave some indication of how research and practice
      might develop in this area. In particular, five elements were identified that
      appear to promote the best patient outcomes. These include making sure
      interventions are person-centred, individualised, adaptable, with the use of
      multiple approaches, carried out by staff trained in the identification of
      disruptive vocalisation and ways to avoid triggering these behaviours.
      IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Triggers which lead to older people with dementia
      expressing disruptive vocalisation should be identified. Multiple individualised
      interventions should be used to reduce the occurrences of the disruptive
      vocalisation.

PMID- 26123750
TI  - Mutation analysis of SLC3A1 and SLC7A9 genes in patients with cystinuria.
AB  - Cystinuria is an autosomal inherited disorder of renal reabsorption of cystine,
      arginine, lysine, and ornithine. Increased urinary excretion of cystine results
      in the formation of kidney stones. Considering the few studies on the genetic
      basis of the cystinuria in the Middle East and the population-specific
      distribution of mutations in the SLC3A1 and SLC7A9 genes, in the present study,
      mutation analysis of these two genes was performed in a cohort of Iranian
      patients with cystinuria. Thirty unrelated cystinuria patients were analyzed for
      four of the most common mutations using ARMS-PCR (M467T, T216M) and RFLP-PCR
      (G105R, R333W) methods. For negative sample, two exons of both genes, which
      harbor many mutations, were subject to DNA sequencing. Eight variants were
      identified including missense, polymorphism, intron variant, and a novel variant.
      The most frequent mutations were not detected in our patients and only G105R was
      found. Since the molecular genetic testing results may influence the therapy and
      prognosis of cystinuria, this paper contributes to understanding of the molecular
      basis of cystinuria in the Iranian patients.

PMID- 26123751
TI  - Antilithic effects of extracts from different polarity fractions of Desmodium
      styracifolium on experimentally induced urolithiasis in rats.
AB  - Desmodium styracifolium (D. styracifolium) has been widely used in traditional
      Chinese medicine for the treatment of urolithiasis. This work was undertaken to
      investigate extracts from different polarity fractions of D. styracifolium for
      possible antilithic effects as well as antioxidant potential to explore the
      underlying phytochemically active constituents of this plant. The extracts of D.
      styracifolium were divided into four different polarity fractions by petroleum
      ether (Fr. PE), chloroform (Fr. CH), ethyl acetate (Fr. EA), and n-butyl alcohol
      (Fr. NB). The antilithic and antioxidant effects were evaluated and compared in
      vivo on an animal model of calcium oxalate (CaOx) urolithiasis, which was
      established by administration of 1 % ethylene glycol along with 2 % ammonium
      chloride in drinking water for 28 days. A total of 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats
      were randomly divided into six groups: normal control group, lithogenic group,
      and four different polarity fractions of D. styracifolium-treated groups. At the
      end of the study, urine, blood, and kidney tissue samples were all collected for
      evaluation. Among the four polarity fractions of D. styracifolium extracts, the
      Fr. PE and Fr. NB treatment significantly reduced the CaOx crystal deposition in
      kidneys, prevented the renal toxic changes like pH, Cr, and BUN. In addition, Fr.
      PE and Fr. NB treatment significantly decreased urinary excretion of oxalate
      along with a increase of citrate excretion. The increased amounts of
      malondialdehyde and decreased activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and
      glutathione peroxidase were detected in lithogenic group, D. styracifolium
      extracts treatment prevented the oxidative stress changes especially for the Fr.
      PE and Fr. NB extracts. In conclusion, our data suggest that the extracts from D.
      styracifolium possess the antiurolithic activity, possibly mediated through the
      inhibition of CaOx crystal aggregation as well as the alleviation of oxidative
      injury in the kidney, and the Fr. PE and Fr. NB extracts are the active fractions
      of D. styracifolium extract.

PMID- 26123752
TI  - Tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy with non-absorbable hemostatic sealant
      (Quikclot(r)) versus nephrostomy tube placement: a propensity score-matched
      analysis.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of tubeless
      percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) using a non-absorbable hemostatic sealant
      (Quikclot((r))) as an adjunct compared to nephrostomy tube placement in patients
      exhibiting significant parenchymal bleeding following PNL. We identified 113 PNL
      cases performed between May 2011 and October 2014. For patients with
      insignificant parenchymal bleeding following stone removal, defined as a clear
      visualization of the surgical field at full irrigation of the nephroscope,
      tubeless PNL was performed. For patients with significant parenchymal bleeding,
      we introduced the tubeless Quikclot((r)) technique as of September 2013 and have
      performed it ever since. Formerly, nephrostomy placement PNL was performed. In
      this study, 40 Quikclot((r)) applied PNL cases were matched with an equal number
      of nephrostomy placement cases by propensity scoring based on body mass index,
      stone size, and Guy's stone score. The mean postoperative drop in hematocrit was
      comparative between the Quikclot((r)) group and the nephrostomy group on both
      postoperative days 1 (p = 0.459) and 2 (p = 0.325). Quikclot((r)) application was
      associated with lower VAS scores throughout the postoperative period, lower
      cumulative analgesic requirement (p = 0.025), and with shorter hospitalization (p
      = 0.002). Complication rates were comparable with no need for blood transfusions
      in any patients. Tubeless Quikclot((r)) PNL was safe and provided effective
      hemostasis of significant parenchymal bleeding. By avoiding nephrostomy
      placement, we were able to reduce postoperative pain, analgesic requirements, and
      hospitalization. Application of Quikclot((r)) may be considered prior to
      nephrostomy placement in patients with significant parenchymal bleeding.

PMID- 26123753
TI  - Safety and efficacy of long-term tolvaptan therapy for decompensated liver
      cirrhosis.
AB  - AIM: Recently, the short-term efficacy of the vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist
      tolvaptan for the treatment of ascites in cirrhosis was reported. However, the
      long-term effects remain unknown. Here, we report the clinical features of
      decompensated cirrhosis treated using long-term tolvaptan therapy, and evaluate
      its safety and efficacy. METHODS: Fifty-five cirrhotic patients hospitalized due
      to ascites, despite receiving appropriate diuretic treatment, were treated with
      tolvaptan. We excluded 35 patients due to liver transplant (20.0%), death
      (28.6%), poor general status (14.3%), improved ascites (5.7%) or other reasons
      (31.4%). In 20 cases treated with tolvaptan for 6 months, total body water (TBW)
      and extracellular fluids (ECW) were measured using bioelectric impedance analysis
      (BIA) with an InBody720. RESULTS: The median age of the 20 patients was 64 years
      (range, 48-90), and 60% were male. The etiology of cirrhosis included hepatitis C
      (45%), alcohol-induced (20%) and other (35%). The percentage of patients with
      Child-Pugh class A, B and C was 0%, 40% and 60%, respectively. Biochemical
      findings revealed that serum creatinine levels and estimated glomerular
      filtration rate were not affected during 6 months of treatment with tolvaptan,
      and there was no renal disturbance. The median serum sodium levels were increased
      from 138 to 139 mEq/L, but serious adverse events related to renal and liver
      function were not observed. Data also revealed that long-term treatment reduced
      the BIA-estimated ECW/TBW ratio. CONCLUSION: Long-term tolvaptan treatment was a
      safe and effective treatment for decompensated cirrhosis.

PMID- 26123754
TI  - WT1 expression is increased in primary fibroblasts derived from Dupuytren's
      disease tissues.
AB  - Dupuytren's disease (DD) is a fibroproliferative and contractile fibrosis of the
      palmar fascia that, like all other heritable fibroses, is currently incurable.
      While DD is invariably benign, it exhibits some molecular similarities to
      malignant tumours, including increased levels of beta-catenin, onco-fetal
      fibronectin, periostin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II. To gain
      additional insights into the pathogenesis of DD, we have assessed the expression
      of WT1, encoding Wilm's tumour 1, an established tumour biomarker that is
      syntenic with IGF2, the gene encoding IGF-II in humans. We found that WT1
      expression is robustly and consistently up regulated in primary fibroblasts
      derived from the fibrotic palmar fascia of patients with DD (DD cells), whereas
      syngeneic fibroblasts derived from the macroscopically unaffected palmar fascia
      in these patients and allogeneic fibroblasts derived from normal palmar fascia
      exhibited very low or undetectable WT1 transcript levels. WT1 immunoreactivity
      was evident in a subset of cells in the fibrotic palmar fascia of patients with
      DD, but not in macroscopically unaffected palmar fascia. These findings identify
      WT1 expression as a novel biomarker of fibrotic palmar fascia and are consistent
      with the hypothesis that the pathogeneses of DD and malignant tumours have
      molecular similarities. 

PMID- 26123755
TI  - Correlation between histological invasiveness and the computed tomography value
      in pure ground-glass nodules.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between
      histological invasiveness and the computed tomography (CT) value and size in pure
      ground-glass nodules (GGNs) to determine optimal "follow-up or resection"
      strategies. METHODS: Between 2001 and 2014, 78 resected, pure GGNs were
      retrospectively evaluated. The maximum diameter and CT value of pure GGNs were
      measured using a computer graphics support system. RESULTS: All GGNs with a
      maximum diameter <=10 mm and CT value <=-600 Hounsfield units (HU) were
      considered to be noninvasive lesions, while 21 of 26 (81 %) with a maximum
      diameter >10 mm and CT value >-600 HU were considered to be invasive lesions.
      With respect to the correlation between each histological type and pure GGN with
      a maximum diameter <=10 mm and CT value <=-600 HU, the specificity was 90 % and
      the sensitivity and negative predictive value were both 100 % in atypical
      adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH), while the specificity was 58 % and the sensitivity
      and positive predictive value were 0 % in minimally invasive and invasive
      adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: Pure GGNs with a maximum diameter of <=10 mm and CT
      value of <=-600 HU are nearly always pre-invasive lesions; therefore, surgery
      should be carefully selected in such patients.

PMID- 26123756
TI  - Alcohol Use and Sexual Risk Behaviors in a Migrant Worker Community.
AB  - There are not many studies exploring the association between alcohol use and
      risky sexual behaviors among migrant workers. This study analyzed how changes in
      alcohol use was associated with changes in risky sexual behavior and psychosocial
      variables. Data for this study was drawn from an HIV risk reduction project.
      Repeated measures ANOVA and Linear mixed model statistical method was conducted
      to find changes and association between alcohol use, sexual risk and psychosocial
      variables over time. The sample (n = 203) was composed of African Americans (33.0
      %) and Hispanics (77.0 %) men. Both groups, over time, showed reduction in sexual
      risk in accordance with reduction in alcohol use. Changes in alcohol use and
      psychosocial variables showed significant association with sexual risk changes
      over time. Psychological strategies like building social support should be
      considered for HIV risk reduction intervention directed towards high alcohol
      consuming migrant workers.

PMID- 26123758
TI  - In vitro evaluation of random and aligned polycaprolactone/gelatin fibers via
      electrospinning for bone tissue engineering.
AB  - Scaffold, as an essential element of tissue engineering, should provide proper
      chemical and structural cues to direct tissue regeneration. In this study,
      aligned and random polycaprolactone (PCL)/gelatin fibrous scaffolds with
      different mass ratio were electrospun. Chemical, structural, and mechanical
      properties of PCL/gelatin fibrous scaffolds were characterized by FTIR and
      tensile measurements. The average diameters of different groups were between
      334.96 +/- 41.43 nm and 363.78 +/- 50.49 nm. Blending PCL with gelatin increased
      the mechanical properties of the scaffolds. The cell culture results demonstrated
      that the mass ratio of PCL and gelatin showed no obvious effects on cell
      behavior, whereas the cell growth behavior was affected by the fibers
      orientation. Higher elongation ratio, enhanced cell proliferation and elevated
      alkaline phosphatase activity were observed for cells cultured on aligned fibers.
      The findings in our research provide insightful information for the design and
      fabrication of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

PMID- 26123757
TI  - Bypass of a 5',8-cyclopurine-2'-deoxynucleoside by DNA polymerase beta during DNA
      replication and base excision repair leads to nucleotide misinsertions and DNA
      strand breaks.
AB  - 5',8-Cyclopurine-2'-deoxynucleosides including 5',8-cyclo-dA (cdA) and 5',8-cyclo
      dG (cdG) are induced by hydroxyl radicals resulting from oxidative stress such as
      ionizing radiation. 5',8-cyclopurine-2'-deoxynucleoside lesions are repaired by
      nucleotide excision repair with low efficiency, thereby leading to their
      accumulation in the human genome and lesion bypass by DNA polymerases during DNA
      replication and base excision repair (BER). In this study, for the first time, we
      discovered that DNA polymerase beta (pol beta) efficiently bypassed a 5'R-cdA,
      but inefficiently bypassed a 5'S-cdA during DNA replication and BER. We found
      that cell extracts from pol beta wild-type mouse embryonic fibroblasts exhibited
      significant DNA synthesis activity in bypassing a cdA lesion located in
      replication and BER intermediates. However, pol beta knock-out cell extracts
      exhibited little DNA synthesis to bypass the lesion. This indicates that pol beta
      plays an important role in bypassing a cdA lesion during DNA replication and BER.
      Furthermore, we demonstrated that pol beta inserted both a correct and incorrect
      nucleotide to bypass a cdA at a low concentration. Nucleotide misinsertion was
      significantly stimulated by a high concentration of pol beta, indicating a
      mutagenic effect induced by pol beta lesion bypass synthesis of a 5',8
      cyclopurine-2'-deoxynucleoside. Moreover, we found that bypass of a 5'S-cdA by
      pol beta generated an intermediate that failed to be extended by pol beta,
      resulting in accumulation of single-strand DNA breaks. Our study provides the
      first evidence that pol beta plays an important role in bypassing a 5',8-cyclo-dA
      during DNA replication and repair, as well as new insight into mutagenic effects
      and genome instability resulting from pol beta bypassing of a cdA lesion. 

PMID- 26123759
TI  - Measuring wheelchair confidence among power wheelchair users: an adaptation of
      the WheelCon-M using focus groups and a think aloud process.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to adapt the WheelCon-M, an outcome measure
      used to assess confidence with manual wheelchair use, into a version that is
      applicable for power wheelchair users (WheelCon-P). METHODS: Adaptation of the
      WheelCon-M into the WheelCon-P occurred in two phases: (1) item modification was
      conducted using focus groups and (2) item refinement was done using a think aloud
      process. RESULTS: The healthcare professionals (n = 12) were mostly female,
      mostly occupational therapists and practiced an average of 14 years. The power
      wheelchair users (n = 8) were 50% men with an average of 8 years of power
      wheelchair experience and a range of diagnoses. In phase 1, of the 63 WheelCon-M
      items, 6 remained the same, 18 were removed, 38 modified and 15 new items added
      to develop the WheelCon-P. In phase 2, 15 WheelCon-P items were refined.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study resulted in the modification of the WheelCon-M into the
      WheelCon-P, a 59-item, self-report outcome measure designed to assess confidence
      with power wheelchair use. The next step in the evolution of this promising new
      measure is the assessment of its measurement properties. Implications for
      Rehabilitation The WheelCon-P is a new outcome measure designed to assess
      confidence with power wheelchair use. This study suggests that the items in this
      measure will be interpreted as intended.

PMID- 26123760
TI  - P53 codon 72 polymorphism, human papillomavirus infection, and their interaction
      to oral carcinoma susceptibility.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor suppressor gene p53 plays an important role in the maintenance
      of the genomic integrity, and mutation in the gene may alter an individual's
      susceptibility to various carcinomas. P53 Arg72Pro or codon 72 polymorphism has
      been indicated to increase the risk of developing certain cancers such as bladder
      cancer and cervical cancer. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been shown
      as a risk factor for certain cancers such as cervical cancer and oral cancer as
      well, and the HPV oncoprotein E6 may induce the degradation of p53 function.
      However, the association between p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and the risk of oral
      cancer with HPV infection remains inconclusive. Therefore, this meta-analysis
      involving 5,614 participants was performed to investigate the relations among the
      p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism, HPV infection, and the risk of developing oral cancer.
      RESULTS: A search of the literature by PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and China
      National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was conducted to identify studies
      based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Odds ratios with 95% confidence
      intervals were combined using a random-effect model or a fixed-effect model. The
      current study was conducted with 13 studies consisting of 2,413 cases and 3,201
      controls. Neither overall analysis nor stratified analyses detected any obvious
      evidence of association between p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and oral cancer
      susceptibility in all genetic models. However, a significant association between
      p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and the risk of oral cancer with HPV infection was
      detected in the Arg/Arg vs. Arg/Pro + Pro/Pro model. CONCLUSION: In the current
      meta-analysis which used the quantitative data synthesis for the first time, our
      study demonstrated that p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism together with HPV infection
      might jointly alter an individual's susceptibility to the risk of oral cancer.
      Our results suggested that p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism may partly contribute to the
      pathogenesis of oral cancer development.

PMID- 26123761
TI  - The quality of life in acromegalic patients with biochemical remission by surgery
      alone is superior to that in those with pharmaceutical therapy without
      radiotherapy, using the newly developed Japanese version of the AcroQoL.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop a Japanese version of the acromegaly quality of life (QoL)
      questionnaire (AcroQoL) and investigate the factors associated with impaired QoL
      in patients with acromegaly. METHODS: We developed a Japanese version of the
      AcroQoL by a forward-backward method and evaluated QoL in 38 patients with
      acromegaly who had been followed up at an outpatient clinic at Kobe University
      Hospital. Its reliability was examined with Cronbach's alpha and item-total
      correlations. Second examination was performed for concurrent validity by
      assessment of correlations with the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and longitudinal
      analysis of the AcroQoL in 25 patients. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha and item-total
      correlations showed a range of 0.76-0.93 and 0.20-0.84, respectively, and
      significant correlations were found between the AcroQoL and the SF-36. Younger
      age and a history of radiotherapy were associated with worse total score by the
      multivariate linear regression analysis (p = 0.020 and p = 0.042, respectively).
      Intriguingly, in the biochemically-controlled group after the exclusion of
      patients who received radiotherapy, patients who underwent surgery alone
      exhibited a higher psychological (75.0 vs. 65.7 %, p = 0.036) and appearance
      (64.3 vs. 53.6 %, p = 0.036) score than those who are treating with
      pharmaceutical therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The reliability of the Japanese version of
      the AcroQoL was satisfactory. Younger age and a history of radiotherapy were
      associated with lower QoL in patients with acromegaly. In biochemically
      controlled acromegaly, patients who underwent surgery alone exhibited better QoL
      than those under pharmaceutical therapy.

PMID- 26123762
TI  - Cultural Connections: the Key to Retention of Black, Latina, and Arab Women in
      the Kin Keeper(SM) Cancer Prevention Intervention Studies.
AB  - Diverse racial and ethnic populations must be included in research studies in
      order to address health disparities. Retaining hard-to-reach populations
      including poor, underserved, and racial/ethnic groups in longitudinal studies can
      be quite difficult. Using innovative retention strategies that address culture
      and community are imperative. The objective of this report is to identify and
      describe strategies for successful retention rates among a unique group of hard
      to-reach racial/ethnic participants. We analyzed the follow-up rates in two
      different cohorts using the Kin Keeper(SM) study design. The aim of Study A was
      to examine the capability of the Kin Keeper(SM) education to increase health
      literacy in breast and cervical cancer. The primary aim of Study B was to measure
      changes in breast and cervical cancer screening after receiving the Kin
      Keeper(SM) education. Retention rates were analyzed and compared over 12 months
      for both cohorts. We found good retention rates for both cohorts with each having
      a unique set of differences. The overall follow-up rate was 82 % for Study A and
      88 % for Study B with demographic differences between the studies reported
      herein. Despite changing cultural, community, and geopolitical factors, we were
      able to maintain consistent participation for each study. We attribute high
      retention rates to trusted cultural connections and the flexibility to adjust
      retention strategies.

PMID- 26123763
TI  - PEP Talk: Prostate Education Program, "Cutting Through the Uncertainty of
      Prostate Cancer for Black Men Using Decision Support Instruments in Barbershops".
AB  - The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using
      decision support instruments (DSI) to assist African-American (AA) men in making
      a prostate cancer (CaP) screening decision. This nonrandomized pretest-posttest
      comparison study assessed two DSI that were either culturally tailored or
      culturally nonspecific. CaP knowledge, intention to screen, and preferences were
      assessed before and after exposure to DSI using a convenience sample of 120 AA
      men aged 40 years and above. Participants interested in screening were referred
      to healthcare providers through a community-based patient navigator to obtain
      prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. We followed up 3 months after to
      determine if participants screened for CaP. CaP knowledge increased following
      exposure to both DSI in equivalent proportions. While similar proportions of men
      ultimately intended on having a PSA test following both DSI, bivariate analysis
      revealed that the culturally tailored DSI demonstrated a statistically
      significant increase in intention to screen. Participants' degree of certainty in
      their decision-making process with regard to CaP screening increased following
      the culturally tailored DSI (p < .001). The majority of participants planned on
      discussing CaP screening with a healthcare provider upon completion of the study.
      Barbershop-based health education can change the knowledge, preferences,
      intentions, and behaviors of this at-risk population. At 3 months follow-up, half
      (n = 58) of the participants underwent PSA testing, which led to the diagnosis of
      CaP in one participant. Community-led interventions for CaP, such as cluster
      randomized designs in barbershops, are needed to better assess the efficacy of
      DSI in community settings.

PMID- 26123764
TI  - A Nationwide Medical Student Assessment of Oncology Education.
AB  - Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the USA, but there is minimal data
      on how oncology is taught to medical students. The purpose of this study is to
      characterize oncology education at US medical schools. An electronic survey was
      sent between December 2014 and February 2015 to a convenience sample of medical
      students who either attended the American Society for Radiation Oncology annual
      meeting or serve as delegates to the American Association of Medical Colleges.
      Information on various aspects of oncology instruction at participants' medical
      schools was collected. Seventy-six responses from students in 28 states were
      received. Among the six most common causes of death in the USA, cancer reportedly
      received the fourth most curricular time. During the first, second, and third
      years of medical school, participants most commonly reported 6-10, 16-20, and 6
      10 h of oncology teaching, respectively. Participants were less confident in
      their understanding of cancer treatment than workup/diagnosis or basic
      science/natural history of cancer (p < 0.01). During the preclinical years,
      pathologists, scientists/Ph.D.'s, and medical oncologists reportedly performed
      the majority of teaching, whereas during the clinical clerkships, medical and
      surgical oncologists reportedly performed the majority of teaching. Radiation
      oncologists were significantly less involved during both periods (p < 0.01). Most
      schools did not require any oncology-oriented clerkship. During each mandatory
      rotation, <20 % of patients had a primary diagnosis of cancer. Oncology education
      is often underemphasized and fragmented with wide variability in content and
      structure between medical schools, suggesting a need for reform.

PMID- 26123765
TI  - Information concerning multidrug-resistant bacterial colonization or infection in
      the medical transfer letter.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the proportion of transfer
      letters that contained information relative to infection or colonization by
      multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria and factors associated with the presence of
      that information. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients for whom at least one of these
      selected MDR bacteria (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, extended
      spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, or MDR Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa) was isolated during their hospitalization and who were transferred to
      another health care facility between 2009 and 2012 were included. Information of
      the MDR bacterium and the mention of isolation precautions were evaluated in the
      electronic medical record. RESULTS: Information (mention of MDR bacterium or
      isolation precaution) was present in 57% [52; 65] of records. Full information
      (genus and species, concept of MDR bacterium and mention of isolation precaution)
      was found in 20% [16; 25]. The presence of a dedicated item in the standard
      medical discharge letter was associated with more frequent information. Less
      information was retrieved with P. aeruginosa cases than with the other 2 MDR
      bacteria. CONCLUSION: The presence of the information has improved, but it is
      still insufficiently reported. Measures to improve information are needed.
      Indeed, information on MDR bacterial colonization or infection is the first step
      for isolation precautions. An item could be added to all standard medical
      discharge letters. An item could also be added to the indicators used to assess
      quality and safety in healthcare facilities.

PMID- 26123766
TI  - Octupolar order in two dimensions.
AB  - Octupolar order is described in two space dimensions in terms of the maxima (and
      conjugated minima) of the probability density associated with a third-rank, fully
      symmetric and traceless tensor. Such a representation is shown to be equivalent
      to diagonalizing the relevant third-rank tensor, an equivalence which however is
      only valid in the two-dimensional case. 

PMID- 26123767
TI  - Equilibrium gels of trivalent DNA-nanostars: Effect of the ionic strength on the
      dynamics.
AB  - Self-assembling DNA-nanostars are ideal candidates to explore equilibrium
      gelation in systems composed of limited-valence particles. We present here a
      light scattering study of the dynamics in a trivalent DNA-nanostars equilibrium
      gel and of its dependence on ionic strength and concentration. Reversible bonds
      between different nanostars, whose formation is sensitively dependent on
      temperature, concentration and ionic strength, are provided by complementary DNA
      sticky ends. We find that the decay of the density correlations is described by a
      two-step relaxation process characterised by: i) a slow time scale that varies
      over nearly four orders of magnitude in a temperature window of less than 30
      degrees; ii) an increase of the amplitude (the so-called non-ergodicity factor)
      of the slow relaxation. The slow process follows an Arrhenius law with
      temperature. We observe that the activation enthalpy does not depend on the ionic
      strength and that the dependence of the relaxation time on the ionic strength can
      be rationalized in terms of the free-energy cost of forming a sticky-end duplex.
      Finally, we observe that dynamics is insensitive to nanostar concentration, in
      full agreement with the predicted behaviour in equilibrium gels. 

PMID- 26123768
TI  - Wetting morphologies on randomly oriented fibers.
AB  - We characterize the different morphologies adopted by a drop of liquid placed on
      two randomly oriented fibers, which is a first step toward understanding the
      wetting of fibrous networks. The present work reviews previous modeling for
      parallel and touching crossed fibers and extends it to an arbitrary orientation
      of the fibers characterized by the tilting angle and the minimum spacing
      distance. Depending on the volume of liquid, the spacing distance between fibers
      and the angle between the fibers, we highlight that the liquid can adopt three
      different equilibrium morphologies: 1) a column morphology in which the liquid
      spreads between the fibers, 2) a mixed morphology where a drop grows at one end
      of the column or 3) a single drop located at the node. We capture the different
      morphologies observed using an analytical model that predicts the equilibrium
      configuration of the liquid based on the geometry of the fibers and the volume of
      liquid. 

PMID- 26123770
TI  - Erratum to: Straight contact lines on a soft, incompressible solid.

PMID- 26123769
TI  - Macroscopic behavior of ferrocholesteric liquid crystals and ferrocholesteric
      gels and elastomers.
AB  - We study the influence of macroscopic chirality on the macroscopic properties of
      superparamagnetic liquid crystals and gels. Specifically we derive macroscopic
      dynamic equations for ferrocholesteric low molecular weight (LMW) liquid crystals
      and for ferrocholesteric gels and elastomers in the local description using the
      director field as macroscopic variable. The magnetization is treated as a
      macroscopic dynamic degree of freedom and its coupling to all other macroscopic
      variables is examined in detail. We incorporate into our dynamic analysis terms
      that are linear in a magnetic field giving rise to a number of cross-coupling
      terms not possible otherwise. A number of properties that are unique to the class
      of systems studied arise. As an example for a static property we find a term in
      the generalized energy which is linear in the electric field and quadratic in the
      magnetic field. We find that applying a magnetic field to a ferrocholesteric can
      lead to reversible electric currents, heat currents and concentration currents,
      which change their sign with a sign change of macroscopic chirality. As an
      example of a rather intriguing dissipative dynamic contribution we point out that
      for ferrocholesterics and for ferrocholesteric gels and elastomers in a magnetic
      field extensional flow leads to electric and heat currents. 

PMID- 26123771
TI  - Foam-improved oil recovery: Modelling the effect of an increase in injection
      pressure.
AB  - A model, called pressure-driven growth, is analysed for propagation of a foam
      front through an oil reservoir during improved oil recovery using foam. Numerical
      simulations of the model predict, not only the distance over which the foam front
      propagates, but also the instantaneous front shape. A particular case is studied
      here in which the pressure used to drive the foam along is suddenly increased at
      a certain point in time. This transiently produces a concave front shape (seen
      from the domain ahead of the front): such concavities are known to be delicate to
      handle numerically. As time proceeds however, the front evolves back towards a
      convex shape, and this can be predicted by a long-time asymptotic analysis of the
      model. The increase in driving pressure is shown to be beneficial to the improved
      oil recovery process, because it gives a more uniform sweep of the oil reservoir
      by the foam. 

PMID- 26123772
TI  - Shear-enhanced adsorption of a homopolymeric globule mediated by surface catch
      bonds.
AB  - The adsorption of a single collapsed homopolymer onto a planar smooth surface in
      shear flow is investigated by means of Brownian hydrodynamics simulation. While
      cohesive intra-polymer forces are modeled by Lennard-Jones potentials, surface
      monomer interactions are described by stochastic bonds whose two-state kinetics
      is characterized by three parameters: bond formation rate, bond dissociation rate
      and an effective catch bond parameter that describes how the force acting on a
      surface-monomer bond influences the dissociation rate. We construct adsorption
      state diagrams as a function of shear rate and all three surface-monomer bond
      parameters. We find shear-induced adsorption in a small range of parameters for
      low dissociation and association rates and only when the surface-monomer bond is
      near the transition between slip and catch bond behavior. By mapping on a simple
      surface-monomer interaction model with conservative pair potentials we try to
      estimate the conservative potential parameters necessary to observe shear-induced
      surface adsorption phenomena. 

PMID- 26123773
TI  - Monte Carlo simulation of kinetically slowed down phase separation.
AB  - Supercooled colloidal or molecular systems at low densities are known to form
      liquid, crystalline or glassy drops, which may remain isolated for a long time
      before they aggregate. This paper analyses the properties of this large time
      window, and how it can be tackled by computer simulation. We use single-particle
      and virtual move Monte Carlo simulations of short-range attractive spheres which
      are undercooled to the temperature region, where the spinodal intersects the
      attractive glass line. We study two different systems and we report the following
      kinetic behavior. A low-density system is shown to exhibit universal linear
      growth regimes under single-particle Monte Carlo correlating the growth rate to
      the local structure. These regimes are suppressed under collective motion, where
      droplets aggregate into a single large disordered domain. It is shown that the
      aggregation can be avoided and linear regimes recovered, if long-range repulsion
      is added to the short-range attraction. The results provide an insight into the
      behavior of the virtual move algorithm generating cluster moves according to the
      local forcefields. We show that different choices of maximum Monte Carlo
      displacement affect the dynamical trajectories but lead to the same kinetically
      slowed down or arrested states. 

PMID- 26123774
TI  - Convection and fluidization in oscillatory granular flows: The role of acoustic
      streaming.
AB  - Convection and fluidization phenomena in vibrated granular beds have attracted a
      strong interest from the physics community since the last decade of the past
      century. As early reported by Faraday, the convective flow of large inertia
      particles in vibrated beds exhibits enigmatic features such as frictional
      weakening and the unexpected influence of the interstitial gas. At sufficiently
      intense vibration intensities surface patterns appear bearing a stunning
      resemblance with the surface ripples (Faraday waves) observed for low-viscosity
      liquids, which suggests that the granular bed transits into a liquid-like
      fluidization regime despite the large inertia of the particles. In his 1831
      seminal paper, Faraday described also the development of circulation air currents
      in the vicinity of vibrating plates. This phenomenon (acoustic streaming) is well
      known in acoustics and hydrodynamics and occurs whenever energy is dissipated by
      viscous losses at any oscillating boundary. The main argument of the present
      paper is that acoustic streaming might develop on the surface of the large
      inertia particles in the vibrated granular bed. As a consequence, the drag force
      on the particles subjected to an oscillatory viscous flow is notably enhanced.
      Thus, acoustic streaming could play an important role in enhancing convection and
      fluidization of vibrated granular beds, which has been overlooked in previous
      studies. The same mechanism might be relevant to geological events such as
      fluidization of landslides and soil liquefaction by earthquakes and sound waves. 

PMID- 26123775
TI  - A porous metal-organic framework with ultrahigh acetylene uptake capacity under
      ambient conditions.
AB  - Acetylene, an important petrochemical raw material, is very difficult to store
      safely under compression because of its highly explosive nature. Here we present
      a porous metal-organic framework named FJI-H8, with both suitable pore space and
      rich open metal sites, for efficient storage of acetylene under ambient
      conditions. Compared with existing reports, FJI-H8 shows a record-high
      gravimetric acetylene uptake of 224 cm(3) (STP) g(-1) and the second-highest
      volumetric uptake of 196 cm(3) (STP) cm(-3) at 295 K and 1 atm. Increasing the
      storage temperature to 308 K has only a small effect on its acetylene storage
      capacity (~200 cm(3) (STP) g(-1)). Furthermore, FJI-H8 exhibits an excellent
      repeatability with only 3.8% loss of its acetylene storage capacity after five
      cycles of adsorption-desorption tests. Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation
      reveals that not only open metal sites but also the suitable pore space and
      geometry play key roles in its remarkable acetylene uptake. 

PMID- 26123776
TI  - Educating future nursing scientists: Recommendations for integrating omics
      content in PhD programs.
AB  - Preparing the next generation of nursing scientists to conduct high-impact,
      competitive, sustainable, innovative, and interdisciplinary programs of research
      requires that the curricula for PhD programs keep pace with emerging areas of
      knowledge and health care/biomedical science. A field of inquiry that holds great
      potential to influence our understanding of the underlying biology and mechanisms
      of health and disease is omics. For the purpose of this article, omics refers to
      genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics, exposomics, microbiomics, and
      metabolomics. Traditionally, most PhD programs in schools of nursing do not
      incorporate this content into their core curricula. As part of the Council for
      the Advancement of Nursing Science's Idea Festival for Nursing Science Education,
      a work group charged with addressing omics preparation for the next generation of
      nursing scientists was convened. The purpose of this article is to describe key
      findings and recommendations from the work group that unanimously and
      enthusiastically support the incorporation of omics content into the curricula of
      PhD programs in nursing. The work group also calls to action faculty in schools
      of nursing to develop strategies to enable students needing immersion in omics
      science and methods to execute their research goals. 

PMID- 26123777
TI  - Comparative methane emission by ratites: Differences in food intake and digesta
      retention level out methane production.
AB  - Ratites differ in the anatomy of their digestive organs and their digesta
      excretion patterns. Ostriches (Struthio camelus) have large fermentation chambers
      and long digesta retention, emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) have a short gut and
      short retention times, and rheas (Rhea americana) are intermediate. A recent
      study showed that ostriches produce as much methane (CH4) as expected for a
      similar-sized, non-ruminant mammalian herbivore. We hypothesized that emus and
      rheas produce less CH4 than ostriches. We individually measured, by chamber
      respirometry, the amount of O2 consumed as well as CO2 and CH4 emitted from six
      adult rheas (body mass 23.4+/-8.3 kg) and two adult emus (33.5 and 32.0 kg)
      during 23-hour periods on a pelleted lucerne diet. In contrast to previous
      studies, which classified emus as non-producers, we measured CH4 emissions at
      7.39 and 6.25 L/day for emus and 2.87+/-0.82 L/day for rheas, which is close to
      values expected for similar-sized non-ruminant mammals for both species. O2
      consumption was of a similar magnitude as reported previously. Across ratites,
      CH4 yield (L/kg dry matter intake) was positively correlated with mean retention
      time of food particles in the gut, similar to findings within ruminant species.
      In ratites, this relationship leads to similar body mass-specific CH4 production
      for a high intake/short retention and a low intake/long retention strategy.
      Therefore, when investigating CH4 production in herbivorous birds, it is
      advisable to consider various CH4 measures, not only yield or absolute daily
      amount alone.

PMID- 26123778
TI  - Effects of feed restriction on salinity tolerance in white sturgeon (Acipenser
      transmontanus).
AB  - A multistressor study was conducted to investigate interactive effects of
      nutritional status and salinity on osmoregulation of juvenile white sturgeon. Our
      hypothesis was that lower nutritional status would decrease the salinity
      tolerance of juvenile white sturgeon. A four-week feed restriction (12.5%, 25%,
      50%, 100% of optimum feeding rate: OFR defined as the rate (% body weight per
      day) at which growth is maximal) trial was performed, and relevant indices of
      nutritional status were measured. Following the trial, sturgeon were acutely
      exposed to various salinities (0, 8, 16, 24 ppt) for 120 h, and relevant
      osmoregulatory measurements were made at 12, 72, and 120 h post-salinity
      exposures. The feed-restriction trial resulted in a graded nutritional response
      with the most feed-restricted group (12.5% OFR) showing the lowest nutritional
      status. The salinity exposure trial showed clear evidence that lower nutritional
      status decreased the salinity tolerance of juvenile white sturgeon. Increasing
      salinities resulted in significant alterations in osmoregulatory indices of all
      feeding groups; however, a significantly slower acclimatory response to 24 ppt
      was detected in the most feed-restricted group compared to the non-feed
      restricted group (100% OFR). Furthermore, evaluation of the effect of nutritional
      status on the relationship between osmoregulatory measurements and body size
      showed that there was a significant negative relationship between osmoregulatory
      performance and body size within the most feed-restricted group. This suggests
      that there is a certain body size range (200-300 g based on our finding) where
      juvenile white sturgeon can maximize osmoregulatory capacity at a salinity of 24
      ppt.

PMID- 26123779
TI  - Renal plasticity in response to feeding in the Burmese python, Python molurus
      bivittatus.
AB  - Burmese pythons are sit-and-wait predators that are well adapted to go long
      periods without food, yet subsequently consume and digest single meals that can
      exceed their body weight. These large feeding events result in a dramatic
      alkaline tide that is compensated by a hypoventilatory response that normalizes
      plasma pH; however, little is known regarding how plasma HCO3(-) is lowered in
      the days post-feeding. The current study demonstrated that Burmese pythons
      contain the cellular machinery for renal acid-base compensation and actively
      remodel the kidney to limit HCO3(-) reabsorption in the post-feeding period.
      After being fed a 25% body weight meal plasma total CO2 was elevated by 1.5-fold
      after 1 day, but returned to control concentrations by 4 days post-feeding (d
      pf). Gene expression analysis was used to verify the presence of carbonic
      anhydrase (CA) II, IV and XIII, Na(+) H(+) exchanger 3 (NHE3), the Na(+) HCO3(-)
      co-transporter (NBC) and V-type ATPase. CA IV expression was significantly down
      regulated at 3 dpf versus fasted controls. This was supported by activity
      analysis that showed a significant decrease in the amount of GPI-linked CA
      activity in isolated kidney membranes at 3 dpf versus fasted controls. In
      addition, V-type ATPase activity was significantly up-regulated at 3 dpf; no
      change in gene expression was observed. Both CA II and NHE3 expression was up
      regulated at 3 dpf, which may be related to post-prandial ion balance. These
      results suggest that Burmese pythons actively remodel their kidney after feeding,
      which would in part benefit renal HCO3(-) clearance.

PMID- 26123780
TI  - Cold acclimation increases levels of some heat shock protein and sirtuin isoforms
      in threespine stickleback.
AB  - Molecular chaperones [heat shock proteins (HSPs)] increase in response to rapid
      changes in temperatures, but long-term acclimation to cold temperature may also
      warrant elevations in HSPs. In fishes, cold acclimation increases mitochondrial
      density and oxidative stress in some tissues, which may increase demand for HSPs.
      We hypothesized that levels of HSPs, as well as sirtuins (SIRTs), NAD-dependent
      deacetylases that mediate changes in metabolism and responses to oxidative stress
      (including increases in HSPs), would increase during cold acclimation of
      threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Transcript levels of hsp70,
      hsc70, hsp60 and hsp90-alpha, sirts1-4, as well as protein levels of HSP60, HSP90
      and HSC70 were quantified in liver and pectoral adductor muscle of stickleback
      during cold acclimation from 20  degrees C to 8  degrees C. In liver, cold
      acclimation stimulated a transient increase in mRNA levels of hsp60 and hsc70.
      Transcript levels of sirt1 and sirt2 also increased in response to cold
      acclimation and remained elevated. In pectoral muscle, mRNA levels of hsp60,
      hsp90-alpha, hsc70 and sirt1 all transiently increased in response to cold
      acclimation, while levels of sirts2-4 remained constant or declined. Similar to
      transcript levels, protein levels of HSC70 increased in both liver and pectoral
      muscle. Levels of HSP90 also increased in liver after 4 weeks at 8  degrees C.
      HSP60 remained unchanged in both tissues, as did HSP90 in pectoral muscle. Our
      results indicate that while both HSPs and SIRTs increase in response to cold
      acclimation in stickleback, the response is tissue and isoform specific, likely
      reflecting differences in metabolism and oxidative stress.

PMID- 26123781
TI  - Australian trampoline injury patterns and trends.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine national trampoline injury patterns and trends in the
      context of improved product safety standards and trampoline design modifications.
      METHOD: Review of National Hospital Morbidity data. RESULTS: There were an
      average 1,737 trampoline injuries reported nationally each year from 2002 to
      2011. Both injury frequency and rate grew. Statistically significant rate
      increases were observed among all age groups, although both are highest among
      children aged 5-9 years. From 2008/09 there is a possible decreasing trend among
      the 5-9 age group. Falls predominate and 81% of falls result in fracture. Non
      fall injuries increased annually as a proportion of all hospitalised injury
      although they did not comprise more than 2.4% in any one year. CONCLUSIONS:
      History provides no evidence of an observable effect of voluntary Australian
      Standards for trampoline safety on population rates for trampoline injury. The
      major design modification--netted enclosures--could contribute to the risk of
      injury by leading parents to falsely believe that a netted enclosure eradicates
      the risk of injury.

PMID- 26123782
TI  - In vitro characterisation of the fermentation profile and prebiotic capacity of
      gold-fleshed kiwifruit.
AB  - A new Actinidia chinensis gold-fleshed kiwifruit cultivar 'Zesy002' was tested to
      investigate whether it could positively modulate the composition of the human
      colonic microbiota. Digested Zesy002 kiwifruit was added to in vitro pH
      controlled anaerobic batch fermenters that were inoculated with representative
      human faecal microbiota. Alterations to the gut microbial ecology were determined
      by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metabolic end products were measured using gas
      chromatography and liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry. Results indicated a
      substantial shift in the composition of bacteria within the gut models caused by
      kiwifruit supplementation. Zesy002 supplemented microbiota had a significantly
      higher abundance of Bacteroides spp., Parabacteroides spp. and Bifidobacterium
      spp. after 48 h of fermentation compared with the start of the fermentation.
      Organic acids from kiwifruit were able to endure simulated gastrointestinal
      digestion and were detectable in the first 10 h of fermentation. The fermentable
      carbohydrates were converted to beneficial organic acids with a particular
      predilection for propionate production, corresponding with the rise in
      Bacteroides spp. and Parabacteroides spp. These results support the claim that
      Zesy002 kiwifruit non-digestible fractions can effect favourable changes to the
      human colonic microbial community and primary metabolites, and demonstrate a
      hitherto unknown effect of Zesy002 on colonic microbiota under in vitro
      conditions. 

PMID- 26123783
TI  - Probiotics: can they be used to improve oral health?
AB  - The role of probiotic bacteria in improving human health has been an attractive
      subject for researchers since the beginning of the 20(th) century. They have been
      used to control gastro-intestinal infections, to promote immunity and to prevent
      various diseases (allergies, urogenital infections, etc.). However, the use of
      beneficial bacteria in the field of dentistry has only recently gained interest.
      Investigation of the effects of probiotic bacteria on oral health has become an
      important research subject. These studies are still in the early stages, however
      results show that probiotic bacteria are effective against tooth caries,
      periodontal disease, oral mucosal lesions and oral malodour. This review provides
      information on the effects of probiotics--well-known for their effects on general
      health, and therefore more widely used in healthcare--on oral and dental health,
      in order to promote their use/prescription by physicians and patients.

PMID- 26123784
TI  - Histo-FISH protocol to detect bacterial compositions and biofilms formation in
      vivo.
AB  - The study of biofilm function in vivo in various niches of the gastrointestinal
      tract (GIT) is rather limited. It is more frequently used in in vitro approaches,
      as an alternative to the studies focused on formation mechanisms and function of
      biofilms, which do not represent the actual in vivo complexity of microbial
      structures. Additionally, in vitro tests can sometimes lead to unreliable
      results. The goal of this study was to develop a simple approach to detect
      bacterial populations, particularly Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in
      biofilms, in vivo by the fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) method. We
      standardised a new Histo-FISH method based on specific fluorochrome labelling
      probes which are able to detect Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp.
      within biofilms on the mucosal surface of the GIT embedded in paraffin in
      histological slices. This method is also suitable for visualisation of bacterial
      populations in the GIT internal content. Depending on the labelling probes, the
      Histo-FISH method has the potential to detect other probiotic strains or
      pathogenic bacteria. This original approach permits us to analyse bacterial
      colonisation processes as well as biofilm formation in stomach and caecum of
      BALB/c and germ-free mice. 

PMID- 26123785
TI  - Probiotic lactobacilli: a potential prophylactic treatment for reducing pesticide
      absorption in humans and wildlife.
AB  - Numerous pesticides are used in agriculture, gardening, and wildlife-control.
      Despite their intended toxicity to pests, these compounds can also cause harm to
      wildlife and humans due to their ability to potentially bioaccumulate, leach into
      soils, and persist in the environment. Humans and animals are commonly exposed to
      these compounds through agricultural practices and consumption of contaminated
      foods and water. Pesticides can cause a range of adverse effects in humans
      ranging from minor irritation, to endocrine or nervous system disruption, cancer,
      or even death. A convenient and cost-effective method to reduce unavoidable
      pesticide absorption in humans and wildlife could be the use of probiotic
      lactobacilli. Lactobacillus is a genus of Gram-positive gut commensal bacteria
      used in the production of functional foods, such as yoghurt, cheese, sauerkraut
      and pickles, as well as silage for animal feed. Preliminary in vitro experiments
      suggested that lactobacilli are able to degrade some pesticides. Probiotic
      Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1-supplemented yoghurt reduced the bioaccumulation of
      mercury and arsenic in pregnant women and children. A similar study is warranted
      to test if this approach can reduce pesticide absorption in vivo, given that the
      lactobacilli can also attenuate reactive oxygen production, enhance
      gastrointestinal barrier function, reduce inflammation, and modulate host
      xenobiotic metabolism. 

PMID- 26123786
TI  - Multiple organ embolization with vegetation on an elephant trunk graft.
AB  - We encountered a rare case of infection in a vascular graft created using the
      elephant trunk technique. A 65-year-old woman who underwent total arch
      replacement with the elephant trunk technique was re-admitted with fever. She
      developed embolization of multiple organs from vegetation attached to the
      elephant trunk graft which was elucidated by transesophageal echocardiography.
      Surgery for ruptured jejunal artery aneurysm was performed, and the graft
      infection healed after long-term antibiotic therapy with the prosthesis left in
      situ. Graft infection may generate vegetations on an elephant trunk graft.
      Transesophageal echocardiography is a helpful tool for accurate diagnosis.

PMID- 26123787
TI  - Prognostic and clinical impact of sarcopenia in esophageal squamous cell
      carcinoma.
AB  - Recently, depletion of skeletal muscle mass (sarcopenia) has been linked to poor
      prognosis in several types of cancers, but has not been investigated in
      esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This retrospective study investigates
      the relationship between sarcopenia and clinical outcome in ESCC patients treated
      by surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation therapy (dCRT). The study was
      retrospectively conducted in a single academic hospital in Kumamoto, Japan, and
      involved 325 ESCC patients (256 surgical cases and 69 dCRT cases) treated between
      April 2005 and April 2011. Skeletal muscle mass was quantified by radiologic
      measures using standard computed tomography scans. The skeletal muscle tissue in
      the 325 ESCC patients was distributed as follows: mean: 47.10; median: 46.88;
      standard deviation (SD): 7.39; range: 31.48-71.11; interquartile range, 46.29
      47.90. Skeletal muscle tissue was greater in male patients than in female
      patients (P < 0.0001), but was independent of other clinical and tumor features.
      Sarcopenia was not significantly associated with overall survival (log rank P =
      0.54). Lymph node involvement significantly altered the relationship between
      sarcopenia and survival rate (P for interaction = 0.026). Sarcopenia
      significantly reduced the overall survival of patients without lymph node
      involvement (log rank P = 0.035), but was uncorrelated with overall survival in
      patients with lymph involvement (log rank, P = 0.31). The anastomosis leakage
      rate was significantly higher in the sarcopenia group than in the non-sarcopenia
      group (P = 0.032), but other surgical complications did not significantly differ
      between the two groups. Sarcopenia in ESCC patients without lymph node
      involvement is associated with poor prognosis, indicating sarcopenia as a
      potential biomarker for identifying patients likely to experience an inferior
      outcome. Moreover, sarcopenia was associated with anastomosis leakage but no
      other short-term surgical outcome. 

PMID- 26123788
TI  - Self-organized iron-oxide cementation geometry as an indicator of paleo-flows.
AB  - Widespread iron oxide precipitation from groundwater in fine-grained red beds
      displays various patterns, including nodulation, banding and scallops and
      fingers. Hematite nodules have been reported also from the Meridiani Planum site
      on Mars and interpreted as evidence for the ancient presence of water on the red
      planet. Here we show that such patterns can autonomously emerge from a previously
      unrecognized Ostwald ripening mechanism and they capture rich information
      regarding ancient chemical and hydrologic environments. A linear instability
      analysis of the reaction-transport equations suggests that a pattern transition
      from nodules to bands may result from a symmetry breaking of mineral dissolution
      and precipitation triggered by groundwater advection. Round nodules tend to
      develop under nearly stagnant hydrologic conditions, while repetitive bands form
      in the presence of persistent water flows. Since water circulation is a
      prerequisite for a sustainable subsurface life, a Martian site with iron oxide
      precipitation bands, if one were found, may offer a better chance for detecting
      extraterrestrial biosignatures on Mars than would sites with nodules. 

PMID- 26123790
TI  - Luminescent zinc metal-organic framework (ZIF-90) for sensing metal ions, anions
      and small molecules.
AB  - We synthesize a zinc zeolite-type metal-organic framework, the zeolitic
      imidazolate framework (ZIF-90), which exhibits an intense blue luminescence
      excited under visible light. Luminescent studies indicate that ZIF-90 could be an
      efficient multifunctional fluorescence material for high sensitivity metal ions,
      anions and organic small molecules, especially for Cd(2+), Cu(2+), CrO4(2-) and
      acetone. The luminescence intensity of ZIF-90 increases with the concentration of
      Cd(2+) and decreases proportionally with the concentration of Cu(2+), while the
      same quenched experimental phenomena appear in the sensing of CrO4(2-). With the
      increase of the amount of acetone, the luminescence intensity decreases gradually
      in the emulsions of ZIF-90. The mechanism of the sensing properties is studied in
      detail as well. This study shows that ZIF-90 could be a useful luminescent sensor
      for metal ions, anions and organic small molecules. 

PMID- 26123789
TI  - Modulation of the lipidomic profile due to a lipid challenge and fitness level: a
      postprandial study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The lipid composition of plasma is known to vary due to both
      phenotypic factors such as age, gender and BMI as well as with various diseases
      including cancer and neurological disorders. However, there is little
      investigation into the variation in the lipidome due to exercise and/ or
      metabolic challenges. The objectives of this present study were (i) To identify
      the glycerophospholipid, sphingolipids and ceramide changes in response to an
      oral lipid tolerance test (OLTT) in healthy adults and (ii) To identify the
      effect of aerobic fitness level on lipidomic profiles. METHODS: 214 healthy
      adults aged 18-60 years were recruited as part of a metabolic challenge study. A
      sub-group of 40 volunteers were selected for lipidomic analysis based on their
      aerobic fitness level. Ceramides, glycerophospholipids and sphingomyelins were
      quantified in baseline fasting plasma samples as well as at 60, 120, 180, 240 and
      300 min following a lipid challenge using high-throughput flow injection ESI
      MS/MS. RESULTS: Mixed model repeated measures analysis identified lipids which
      were significantly changing over the time course of the lipid challenge. Included
      in these lipids were lysophosphoethanolamines (LPE), phosphoethanolamines (PE),
      phosphoglycerides (PG) and ceramides (Cer). Five lipids (LPE a C18:2, LPE a
      C18:1, PE aa C36:2, PE aa C36:3 and N-C16:1-Cer) had a fold change > 1.5 at 120
      min following the challenge and these lipids remained elevated. Furthermore,
      three of these lipids (LPE a C18:2, PE aa C36:2 and PE aa C36:3) were predictive
      of fasting and peak plasma TAG concentrations following the OLTT. Further
      analysis revealed that fitness level has a significant impact on the response to
      the OLTT: in particular significant differences between fitness groups were
      observed for phosphatidylcholines (PC), sphingomyelins (SM) and ceramides.
      CONCLUSION: This study identified specific lipids which were modulated by an
      acute lipid challenge. Furthermore, it identified a series of lipids which were
      modulated by fitness level. Future lipidomic studies should take into account
      environmental factors such as diet and fitness level during biomarker discovery
      work. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Data, clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01172951.

PMID- 26123791
TI  - Tobacco drought stress responses reveal new targets for Solanaceae crop
      improvement.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Solanaceae are an economically important family of plants that
      include tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), tomato, and potato. Drought is a major
      cause of crop losses. RESULTS: We have identified major changes in physiology,
      metabolites, mRNA levels, and promoter activities during the tobacco response to
      drought. We have classified these as potential components of core responses that
      may be common to many plant species or responses that may be family/species
      specific features of the drought stress response in tobacco or the Solanaceae. In
      tobacco the largest increase in any metabolite was a striking 70-fold increase in
      4-hydroxy-2-oxoglutaric acid (KHG) in roots that appears to be tobacco/Solanaceae
      specific. KHG is poorly characterized in plants but is broken down to pyruvate
      and glyoxylate after the E. coli SOS response to facilitate the resumption of
      respiration. A similar process in tobacco would represent a mechanism to restart
      respiration upon water availability after drought. At the mRNA level,
      transcription factor gene induction by drought also showed both core and
      species/family specific responses. Many Group IX Subgroup 3 AP2/ERF transcription
      factors in tobacco appear to play roles in nicotine biosynthesis as a response to
      herbivory, whereas their counterparts in legume species appear to play roles in
      drought responses. We observed apparent Solanaceae-specific drought induction of
      several Group IId WRKY genes. One of these, NtWRKY69, showed ABA-independent
      drought stress-inducible promoter activity that moved into the leaf through the
      vascular tissue and then eventually into the surrounding leaf cells. CONCLUSIONS:
      We propose components of a core metabolic response to drought stress in plants
      and also show that some major responses to drought stress at the metabolome and
      transcriptome levels are family specific. We therefore propose that the observed
      family-specific changes in metabolism are regulated, at least in part, by family
      specific changes in transcription factor activity. We also present a list of
      potential targets for the improvement of Solanaceae drought responses.

PMID- 26123792
TI  - Antitumor and antimetastasis effects of macerating solutions from an injectable
      chitosan-based hydrogel on hepatocarcinoma.
AB  - In our previous studies, injectable chitosan-based hydrogel (CH) was prepared and
      its application in surgery removal of tumor was studied. In this study, the
      antitumor and antimetastasis effects of the macerating solutions from CH were
      investigated. Our in vitro results showed that macerating solutions from CH
      significantly increased the proliferation of human normal liver L02 cells. In
      contrast, macerating solutions from CH showed significant inhibitory effects on
      the growth of human hepatoma Bel-7402 cells. In a mouse H22 tumor model,
      intraperitoneal injection of macerating solutions from CH decreased tumor growth
      and prevented tumor diffusion. Tumor weight was decreased dramatically in mice
      treated with macerating solutions from CH. The thymus index and spleen index were
      significantly increased by treatment with macerating solutions from CH.
      Administration of macerating solutions from CH also remarkably increased serum
      levels of TNF-alpha, IL-2, IFN-gamma, and decreased serum VEGF content as
      compared with the control group treated with saline. The antimetastasis studies
      showed that the number of pulmonary nodules, pulmonary metastases index, and
      lymph nodes index were significantly decreased in experimental groups treated
      with macerating solutions from CH. This study provided more supporting data for
      the potential clinical application of CH after surgical removal of tumor.

PMID- 26123794
TI  - Deregulated JAK/STAT signalling in lymphomagenesis, and its implications for the
      development of new targeted therapies.
AB  - Gene expression profiling has implicated several intracellular signalling
      cascades, including the JAK/STAT pathway, in the pathogenesis of particular
      subtypes of lymphoma. In marked contrast to the situation in patients with either
      acute lymphoblastic leukaemia or a myeloproliferative neoplasm, JAK2 coding
      sequence mutations are rare in lymphoma patients with an activated JAK/STAT
      "signature". This is instead the consequence of mutational events that result in
      the increased expression of non-mutated JAK2; positively or negatively affect the
      activity of other components of the JAK/STAT pathway; or establish an autocrine
      signalling loop that drives JAK-mediated cytokine-independent proliferation.
      Here, we detail these genetic lesions, their functional consequences, and impact
      on patient outcome. In light of the approval of a JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor for the
      treatment of myelofibrosis, and preliminary studies evaluating the efficacy of
      other JAK inhibitors, the therapeutic potential of compounds that target JAK/STAT
      signalling in the treatment of patients with lymphoma is also discussed.

PMID- 26123795
TI  - Use of FTA cards for the storage of breast carcinoma nucleic acid on fine-needle
      aspiration samples.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The preservation and storage of nucleic acids is important for DNA
      molecular techniques. The material obtained by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is
      often scanty and can not be wasted. FTA cards are filter papers that immobilize
      and stabilize nucleic acids and can be stored at room temperature. The current
      study evaluated whether nucleic acids of breast carcinoma cells, obtained by FNA
      in a clinical setting, may be collected, stored, and preserved on FTA cards.
      METHODS: Thirty breast carcinoma, 5 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and 5 benign
      reactive lymph node (RLN) cell samples obtained by FNA were stored at -80 
      degrees C and on FTA cards. DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction were
      performed on cells at -80  degrees C and on 2 punched disks of FTA cards. Fifty
      nanograms of extracted DNA from both sample types were used to amplify the Janus
      Kinase 2 (JAK2) gene. RESULTS: The mean value of DNA extracted from breast
      carcinoma cells was 28.19 ng/uL for that stored at -80  degrees C and 3.28 ng/uL
      for that stored on FTA cards. Agarose gel analysis demonstrated expected bands of
      DNA in 29 cases (97%) with both methods. The mean value of DNA extracted from NHL
      and RLN samples was 37.54 ng/uL and 4.28 ng/uL, respectively, and agarose gel
      analysis demonstrated bands of high molecular weight DNA in both methods.
      Significant differences in DNA yield were found between storage at -80  degrees C
      and FTA cards (P<.0001), but no differences were detected between 260/280 nm
      ratios in breast carcinoma and NHL/RLN samples. CONCLUSIONS: FTA cards can be
      conveniently used for the storage of breast carcinoma cells obtained by FNA, thus
      providing a reliable alternative to traditional methods.

PMID- 26123796
TI  - Optimum position of left adrenal vein sampling for subtype diagnosis in primary
      aldosteronism.
AB  - CONTEXT: Although adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is the standard method for subtype
      diagnosis in primary aldosteronism (PA), protocol details including the sampling
      position in the adrenal vein are not standardized. OBJECTIVE: To establish the
      optimum sampling position in the left adrenal vein based on postoperative outcome
      in PA patients. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study in nine referral centres.
      PARTICIPANTS: Of 496 consecutive PA patients who underwent AVS between 2006 and
      2013, 217 with successful AVS under cosyntropin stimulation, and with concomitant
      data from two positions: proximal (common trunk) and distal (central vein) to the
      junction with the inferior phrenic vein, were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      Discordant rate of subtype diagnosis between common trunk and central vein, and
      postoperative outcomes in patients with discordant results. RESULTS: Subtype
      diagnosis using common trunk and central vein was discordant in 10 (4.6%) of the
      217 patients (kappa = 0.87, P < 0.05). Of these 10 patients, eight with left
      unilateral subtype and two with bilateral subtype using common trunk data showed
      bilateral subtype and unilateral subtype, respectively, using central vein data.
      Five patients with left unilateral subtype and one with bilateral subtype by
      common trunk data underwent unilateral adrenalectomy. All six patients were cured
      of PA after adrenalectomy, resulting in false-negative rates of 17% (1/6) by
      common trunk data, and 83% (5/6) by central vein data. CONCLUSION: In view of its
      better potential diagnostic accuracy, technical ease, lower cost and lower risk
      of vein rupture, blood sampling from the common trunk of the left adrenal vein
      may be preferable as the standard method of AVS in patients with PA, although
      additional studies in a larger number of cases are required.

PMID- 26123797
TI  - Polycystic ovary syndrome: cardiovascular risk factors according to specific
      phenotypes.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with obesity and
      insulin resistance. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to
      investigate the impact of insulin resistance and body mass index (BMI) on
      inflammatory and hemostatic variables associated with long-term risk of
      cardiovascular disease in women with PCOS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 149
      premenopausal women with PCOS were recruited consecutively from April 2010 to
      February 2012 at three Danish University Hospitals. The study was conducted at
      the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Herlev University Hospital, Denmark.
      PCOS was diagnosed in accordance with the Rotterdam criteria and the women were
      classified into four phenotypes according to BMI and insulin resistance measured
      by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index. Body composition
      was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Main outcome measures were
      the biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI
      1), and von Willebrand factor antigen. RESULTS: Normal weight insulin-resistant
      PCOS women were characterized by abdominal obesity and elevated levels of plasma
      PAI-1. Overweight/obese insulin-resistant PCOS women had increased levels of both
      PAI-1 and CRP. Of the three Rotterdam criteria, only hyperandrogenemia was
      significantly associated with the hemostatic risk marker of long-term
      cardiovascular disease risk. CONCLUSIONS: Surrogate risk markers for
      cardiovascular disease are elevated in women with PCOS, especially insulin
      resistant and overweight/obese women.

PMID- 26123798
TI  - Superdiffusion dominates intracellular particle motion in the supercrowded
      cytoplasm of pathogenic Acanthamoeba castellanii.
AB  - Acanthamoebae are free-living protists and human pathogens, whose cellular
      functions and pathogenicity strongly depend on the transport of intracellular
      vesicles and granules through the cytosol. Using high-speed live cell imaging in
      combination with single-particle tracking analysis, we show here that the motion
      of endogenous intracellular particles in the size range from a few hundred
      nanometers to several micrometers in Acanthamoeba castellanii is strongly
      superdiffusive and influenced by cell locomotion, cytoskeletal elements, and
      myosin II. We demonstrate that cell locomotion significantly contributes to
      intracellular particle motion, but is clearly not the only origin of
      superdiffusivity. By analyzing the contribution of microtubules, actin, and
      myosin II motors we show that myosin II is a major driving force of intracellular
      motion in A. castellanii. The cytoplasm of A. castellanii is supercrowded with
      intracellular vesicles and granules, such that significant intracellular motion
      can only be achieved by actively driven motion, while purely thermally driven
      diffusion is negligible. 

PMID- 26123799
TI  - Cyclic mechanical stimulation rescues achilles tendon from degeneration in a
      bioreactor system.
AB  - Physiotherapy is one of the effective treatments for tendinopathy, whereby
      symptoms are relieved by changing the biomechanical environment of the
      pathological tendon. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this
      study, we first established a model of progressive tendinopathy-like degeneration
      in the rabbit Achilles. Following ex vivo loading deprivation culture in a
      bioreactor system for 6 and 12 days, tendons exhibited progressive degenerative
      changes, abnormal collagen type III production, increased cell apoptosis, and
      weakened mechanical properties. When intervention was applied at day 7 for
      another 6 days by using cyclic tensile mechanical stimulation (6% strain, 0.25
      Hz, 8 h/day) in a bioreactor, the pathological changes and mechanical properties
      were almost restored to levels seen in healthy tendon. Our results indicated that
      a proper biomechanical environment was able to rescue early-stage pathological
      changes by increased collagen type I production, decreased collagen degradation
      and cell apoptosis. The ex vivo model developed in this study allows systematic
      study on the effect of mechanical stimulation on tendon biology.

PMID- 26123800
TI  - An Iron-Regulated Autolysin Remodels the Cell Wall To Facilitate Heme Acquisition
      in Staphylococcus lugdunensis.
AB  - Bacteria alter their cell surface in response to changing environments, including
      those encountered upon invasion of a host during infection. One alteration that
      occurs in several Gram-positive pathogens is the presentation of cell wall
      anchored components of the iron-regulated surface determinant (Isd) system, which
      extracts heme from host hemoglobin to fulfill the bacterial requirement for iron.
      Staphylococcus lugdunensis, an opportunistic pathogen that causes infective
      endocarditis, encodes an Isd system. Unique among the known Isd systems, S.
      lugdunensis contains a gene encoding a putative autolysin located adjacent to the
      Isd operon. To elucidate the function of this putative autolysin, here named
      IsdP, we investigated its contribution to Isd protein localization and hemoglobin
      dependent iron acquisition. S. lugdunensis IsdP was found to be iron regulated
      and cotranscribed with the Isd operon. IsdP is a specialized peptidoglycan
      hydrolase that cleaves the stem peptide and pentaglycine crossbridge of the cell
      wall and alters processing and anchoring of a major Isd system component, IsdC.
      Perturbation of IsdC localization due to isdP inactivation results in a
      hemoglobin utilization growth defect. These studies establish IsdP as an
      autolysin that functions in heme acquisition and describe a role for IsdP in cell
      wall reorganization to accommodate nutrient uptake systems during infection. 

PMID- 26123801
TI  - Control of Mycobacterial Infections in Mice Expressing Human Tumor Necrosis
      Factor (TNF) but Not Mouse TNF.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is an important cytokine for host defense against
      pathogens but is also associated with the development of human immunopathologies.
      TNF blockade effectively ameliorates many chronic inflammatory conditions but
      compromises host immunity to tuberculosis. The search for novel, more specific
      human TNF blockers requires the development of a reliable animal model. We used a
      novel mouse model with complete replacement of the mouse TNF gene by its human
      ortholog (human TNF [huTNF] knock-in [KI] mice) to determine resistance to
      Mycobacterium bovis BCG and M. tuberculosis infections and to investigate whether
      TNF inhibitors in clinical use reduce host immunity. Our results show that
      macrophages from huTNF KI mice responded to BCG and lipopolysaccharide similarly
      to wild-type macrophages by NF-kappaB activation and cytokine production. While
      TNF-deficient mice rapidly succumbed to mycobacterial infection, huTNF KI mice
      survived, controlling the bacterial burden and activating bactericidal
      mechanisms. Administration of TNF-neutralizing biologics disrupted the control of
      mycobacterial infection in huTNF KI mice, leading to an increased bacterial
      burden and hyperinflammation. Thus, our findings demonstrate that human TNF can
      functionally replace murine TNF in vivo, providing mycobacterial resistance that
      could be compromised by TNF neutralization. This new animal model will be helpful
      for the testing of specific biologics neutralizing human TNF. 

PMID- 26123802
TI  - Role of CD4+ Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells in Protection Induced by a Live
      Attenuated, Replicating Type I Vaccine Strain of Toxoplasma gondii.
AB  - Vaccination with the live attenuated Toxoplasma gondii Mic1.3KO strain induced
      long-lasting immunity against challenge with Toxoplasma gondii type I and type II
      strains. The involvement of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the protection
      mechanism was investigated. Intraperitoneal injection of Mic1.3KO induced a weak
      and transient influx of CD4(+) Foxp3(+) T regulatory cells followed by
      recruitment/expansion of CD4(+) Foxp3(-) CD25(+) effector cells and control of
      the parasite at the site of infection. The local and systemic cytokine responses
      associated with this recruitment of Tregs were of the TH1/Treg-like type. In
      contrast, injection of RH, the wild-type strain from which the vaccinal strain is
      derived, induced a low CD4(+) Foxp3(+) cell influx and uncontrolled
      multiplication of the parasites at this local site, followed by death of the
      mice. The associated local and systemic cytokine responses were of the TH1/TH17
      like type. In addition, in vivo Treg induction in RH-infected mice with
      interleukin-2 (IL-2)/anti-IL-2 complexes induced control of the parasite and a
      TH1/Treg cytokine response similar to the response after Mic1.3KO vaccination.
      These results suggest that Tregs may contribute to the protective response after
      vaccination with Mic1.3KO. 

PMID- 26123804
TI  - Bacterial Internalization, Localization, and Effectors Shape the Epithelial
      Immune Response during Shigella flexneri Infection.
AB  - Intracellular pathogens are differentially sensed by the compartmentalized host
      immune system. Nevertheless, gene expression studies of infected cells commonly
      average the immune responses, neglecting the precise pathogen localization. To
      overcome this limitation, we dissected the transcriptional immune response to
      Shigella flexneri across different infection stages in bulk and single cells.
      This identified six distinct transcriptional profiles characterizing the dynamic,
      multilayered host response in both bystander and infected cells. These profiles
      were regulated by external and internal danger signals, as well as whether
      bacteria were membrane bound or cytosolic. We found that bacterial
      internalization triggers a complex, effector-independent response in bystander
      cells, possibly to compensate for the undermined host gene expression in infected
      cells caused by bacterial effectors, particularly OspF. Single-cell analysis
      revealed an important bacterial strategy to subvert host responses in infected
      cells, demonstrating that OspF disrupts concomitant gene expression of
      proinflammatory, apoptosis, and stress pathways within cells. This study points
      to novel mechanisms through which bacterial internalization, localization, and
      injected effectors orchestrate immune response transcriptional signatures. 

PMID- 26123805
TI  - CRISPRs provide broad and robust protection to oral microbial flora of gingival
      health against bacteriophage challenge.

PMID- 26123803
TI  - Evolution of the Immune Response to Chronic Airway Colonization with Aspergillus
      fumigatus Hyphae.
AB  - Airway colonization by the mold Aspergillus fumigatus is common in patients with
      underlying lung disease and is associated with chronic airway inflammation.
      Studies probing the inflammatory response to colonization with A. fumigatus
      hyphae have been hampered by the lack of a model of chronic colonization in
      immunocompetent mice. By infecting mice intratracheally with conidia embedded in
      agar beads (Af beads), we have established an in vivo model to study the natural
      history of airway colonization with live A. fumigatus hyphae. Histopathological
      examination and galactomannan assay of lung homogenates demonstrated that hyphae
      exited beads and persisted in the lungs of mice up to 28 days postinfection
      without invasive disease. Fungal lesions within the airways were surrounded by a
      robust neutrophilic inflammatory reaction and peribronchial infiltration of
      lymphocytes. Whole-lung cytokine analysis from Af bead-infected mice revealed an
      increase in proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines early in infection. Evidence
      of a Th2 type response was observed only early in the course of colonization,
      including increased levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4), elevated IgE levels in serum,
      and a mild increase in airway responsiveness. Pulmonary T cell subset analysis
      during infection mirrored these results with an initial transient increase in IL
      4-producing CD4(+) T cells, followed by a rise in IL-17 and Foxp3(+) cells by day
      14. These results provide the first report of the evolution of the immune
      response to A. fumigatus hyphal colonization. 

PMID- 26123806
TI  - Hanging by a thread: exploring the features of nonresponse in an online young
      adult cancer survivorship support community.
AB  - PURPOSE: Finding helpful information can be challenging for young adult (YA)
      cancer survivors; thus, it is critical to examine features of online posts that
      successfully solicit responses and assess how these differ from posts that do not
      solicit responses. METHODS: Using posts from an online YA cancer support
      community, we analyzed initial posts that did and did not receive replies
      utilizing Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC). RESULTS: Independent t tests
      revealed significant differences between the sets of posts regarding content,
      emotions, cognitive processes, pronoun use, and linguistic complexity. More
      specifically, posts with replies contained fewer words per sentence, had more
      first-person pronouns, had more expressions of negative emotions, and contained
      more present tense and past tense verbs. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study
      can help improve peer-exchanged support in online communities so that YA cancer
      survivors can more effectively receive digital support. This research also
      provides communication researchers, health educators, and care providers a lens
      for understanding the YA cancer survivorship experience. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER
      SURVIVORS: This research helps survivors be strategic in how they use online
      forums to seek advice and support. More complete understanding of what kinds of
      prompts produce responses allows those in need to craft messages in ways that are
      most likely to elicit support from fellow cancer survivors. These implications
      for message design extend beyond blogging and can be applicable for text message
      and email exchanges between cancer patients and their care providers.

PMID- 26123807
TI  - Vibrational spectroscopy at electrolyte/electrode interfaces with graphene
      gratings.
AB  - Microscopic understanding of physical and electrochemical processes at
      electrolyte/electrode interfaces is critical for applications ranging from
      batteries, fuel cells to electrocatalysis. However, probing such buried
      interfacial processes is experimentally challenging. Infrared spectroscopy is
      sensitive to molecule vibrational signatures, yet to approach the interface three
      stringent requirements have to be met: interface specificity, sub-monolayer
      molecular detection sensitivity, and electrochemically stable and infrared
      transparent electrodes. Here we show that transparent graphene gratings electrode
      provide an attractive platform for vibrational spectroscopy at the
      electrolyte/electrode interfaces: infrared diffraction from graphene gratings
      offers enhanced detection sensitivity and interface specificity. We demonstrate
      the vibrational spectroscopy of methylene group of adsorbed sub-monolayer
      cetrimonium bromide molecules and reveal a reversible field-induced
      electrochemical deposition of cetrimonium bromide on the electrode controlled by
      the bias voltage. Such vibrational spectroscopy with graphene gratings is
      promising for real time and in situ monitoring of different chemical species at
      the electrolyte/electrode interfaces. 

PMID- 26123808
TI  - Libcint: An efficient general integral library for Gaussian basis functions.
AB  - An efficient integral library Libcint was designed to automatically implement
      general integrals for Gaussian-type scalar and spinor basis functions. The
      library is able to evaluate arbitrary integral expressions on top of p, r and
      sigma operators with one-electron overlap and nuclear attraction, two-electron
      Coulomb and Gaunt operators for segmented contracted and/or generated contracted
      basis in Cartesian, spherical or spinor form. Using a symbolic algebra tool, new
      integrals are derived and translated to C code programmatically. The generated
      integrals can be used in various types of molecular properties. To demonstrate
      the capability of the integral library, we computed the analytical gradients and
      NMR shielding constants at both nonrelativistic and 4-component relativistic
      Hartree-Fock level in this work. Due to the use of kinetically balanced basis and
      gauge including atomic orbitals, the relativistic analytical gradients and
      shielding constants requires the integral library to handle the fifth-order
      electron repulsion integral derivatives. The generality of the integral library
      is achieved without losing efficiency. On the modern multi-CPU platform, Libcint
      can easily reach the overall throughput being many times of the I/O bandwidth. On
      a 20-core node, we are able to achieve an average output 8.3 GB/s for C60
      molecule with cc-pVTZ basis.

PMID- 26123809
TI  - CT-Guided Percutaneous Cryoablation in Renal Cell Carcinoma: Factors Affecting
      Local Tumor Control.
AB  - PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate factors affecting local tumor control in
      cryoablation of renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study
      examined 61 patients (43 men, 18 women) with a mean age of 69.1 years +/- 10.8
      (range 38-87 y) who underwent computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous
      cryoablation for a single RCC and were followed for 6 months or longer. Maximum
      tumor diameter was 0.8-4.8 cm (mean +/- standard deviation, 2.4 +/- 0.9 cm).
      Factors affecting local tumor control were evaluated. Deep tumor location was
      defined as the center side of the body perpendicular to the kidney midline.
      RESULTS: Median follow-up was 12.7 months. Residual unablated tumors and local
      tumor progression were observed after initial cryoablation in 4 patients each
      (13%, 8 of 61). All uncontrolled tumors were located in the deep side of the
      kidney (100%, 8 of 8), and were covered by an ice-ball margin of 5 mm or less.
      Deep tumor location (P = .005) and ice-ball margin (P = .002) were detected as
      significant factors affecting local tumor control on univariate analysis, and ice
      ball margin remained significant in a stepwise logistic regression model (P =
      .006; odds ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.83). Complete tumor
      control rates were 42.9% (3 of 7), 92.6% (50 of 54), and 100% (20 of 20) with ice
      ball margins of less than 3 mm, 3 mm or larger, and 6 mm or larger, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Deep tumor location and ice-ball margins less than 6 mm were
      associated with incomplete local control following CT-guided percutaneous
      cryoablation for RCC.

PMID- 26123810
TI  - The Influence of Fluid Overload on the Length of Mechanical Ventilation in
      Pediatric Congenital Heart Surgery.
AB  - Fluid overload and prolonged mechanical ventilation lead to worse outcomes in
      critically ill children. However, the association between these variables in
      children following congenital heart surgery is unknown. The objectives of this
      study were to describe the association between fluid overload and duration of
      mechanical ventilation, oxygen requirement and radiologic findings of pulmonary
      and chest wall edema. This study is a retrospective chart review of patients who
      underwent congenital heart surgery between June 2010 and December 2013.
      Univariate and multivariate associations between maximum cumulative fluid balance
      and length of mechanical ventilation and OI were tested using the Spearman
      correlation test and multiple linear regression models, respectively. There were
      85 eligible patients. Maximum cumulative fluid balance was associated with
      duration of mechanical ventilation (adjusted analysis beta coefficient = 0.53, CI
      0.38-0.66, P < 0.001), length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit
      (Spearman's correlation = 0.45, P < 0.001), and presence of chest wall edema and
      pleural effusions on chest radiograph (Mann-Whitney test, P = 0.003). Amount of
      red blood cells transfused and use of nitric oxide were independently associated
      with increased duration of mechanical ventilation (P = 0.012 and 0.014,
      respectively). Fluid overload is associated with prolonged duration of mechanical
      ventilation and PICU length of stay after congenital heart surgery. Fluid
      overload was also associated with physiological markers of respiratory
      restriction. A randomized controlled trial of a restrictive versus liberal fluid
      replacement strategy is necessary in this patient population, but in the
      meantime, accumulating observational evidence suggests that cautious use of fluid
      in the postoperative care may be warranted. 

PMID- 26123811
TI  - Competency Testing for Pediatric Cardiology Fellows Learning Transthoracic
      Echocardiography: Implementation, Fellow Experience, and Lessons Learned.
AB  - There is currently great interest in measuring trainee competency at all levels
      of medical education. In 2007, we implemented a system for assessing cardiology
      fellows' progress in attaining imaging skills. This paradigm could be adapted for
      use by other cardiology programs. METHODS: Evaluation consisted of a two-part
      exercise performed after years 1 and 2 of pediatric cardiology training. Part 1:
      a directly observed evaluation of technical skills as fellows imaged a normal
      subject (year 1) and a patient with complex heart disease (year 2). Part 2:
      fellows interpreted and wrote reports for two echocardiograms illustrating
      congenital heart disease. These were graded for accuracy and facility with
      communicating pertinent data. After 5 years of testing, fellows were surveyed
      about their experience. In 5 years, 40 fellows were tested at least once. Testing
      identified four fellows who underperformed on the technical portion and four on
      the interpretive portion. Surveys were completed by 33 fellows (83 %). Most (67
      %) felt that intermittent observation by faculty was inadequate for assessing
      skills and that procedural volume was a poor surrogate for competency (58 %).
      Posttest feedback was constructive and valuable for 90, and 70 % felt the process
      helped them set goals for skill improvement. Overall, fellows felt this testing
      was fair and should continue. Fellow performance and responses identified
      programmatic issues that were creating barriers to learning. We describe a
      practical test to assess competency for cardiology fellows learning
      echocardiography. This paradigm is feasible, has excellent acceptance among
      trainees, and identifies trainees who need support. Materials developed could be
      easily adapted to help track upcoming ACGME-mandated metrics.

PMID- 26123812
TI  - Serum Level of Heart-Type Fatty Acid Binding Protein (H-FABP) Before and After
      Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure in Children.
AB  - Remodeling of the heart following injury affects the morbidity and mortality in
      children presented with heart failure (HF). Heart-type fatty acid binding protein
      (H-FABP) is a novel biomarker that could be of help to predict the prognosis and
      risk stratification in those children. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and
      prognostic value of H-FABP in children with heart failure before and after
      treatment. The study was conducted as a prospective cohort study. It included 30
      children with HF as a patient group and 20 healthy children matched for age and
      sex as a control group. Echocardiographic assessment of the heart was done using
      conventional Doppler echocardiography. Serum levels of (H-FABP) were measured
      using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before and after treatment of HF. All
      patients were observed during follow-up period of 3 months. There was a
      significant difference in the serum level of H-FABP in our patients before
      treatment (5.278 +/- 3.253 ng/ml) compared with after treatment (2.089 +/- 0.160
      ng/ml) with significant difference compared with the control group. There was a
      significant increase in the serum level of H-FABP with increase in the severity
      of heart failure according to Ross classification. Significant increase in the H
      FABP was associated with adverse outcome. Serum levels of H-FABP strongly
      correlated with clinical and echocardiographic assessment of LV performance of
      children with HF, and its levels significantly increased in children with adverse
      outcome suggesting its value as a useful diagnostic and prognostic predictor
      (with high sensitivity and specificity). 

PMID- 26123813
TI  - Timing of Dynamic NT-proBNP and hs-cTnT Response to Exercise Challenge in
      Asymptomatic Children with Moderate Aortic Valve Regurgitation or Moderate Aortic
      Valve Stenosis.
AB  - Patients with congenital aortic valve stenosis (AVS) can remain asymptomatic but
      may develop progressive and often underestimated exercise intolerance. The risk
      of increased left ventricular (LV) wall stress, irreversible myocardial fibrosis
      and sudden death in untreated patients warrants earlier intervention. The timing
      for curative therapy for severe AVS is clear, but optimal timing for moderate
      stenosis (modAS) is unknown. AVS often coexists with aortic regurgitation, which
      adds a volume overload to an already pressure-overloaded LV, adding an additional
      challenge to the estimation of disease severity. We investigated the possible
      value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high
      sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) upon treadmill exercise challenge in
      children with asymptomatic modAS versus moderate regurgitation (modAR). The aim
      was to determine optimal timing of peak biochemical response. Blood samples were
      obtained at rest, and then at 20, 40 and 60 min after peak exercise comparing
      modAS and modAR to healthy controls. Exercise performance was equivalent in all
      groups, with no difference for biomarker levels at rest. The increase in NT
      proBNP was significant in modAR at 40 min (99.2 +/- 48.6 ng/L; p = 0.04) and 60
      min into recovery (100.0 +/- 53.7 ng/L; p = 0.01), but not in modAS. The increase
      in hs-cTnT was significant only at 60 min into recovery for modAS and modAR. NT
      proBNP and hs-cTnT following exercise challenge are possible discriminant
      biomarkers of modAR from modAS and controls at 60 min into recovery despite
      comparable exercise performance. This offers a promising avenue for future
      stratification of aortic valve disease and optimal timing of intervention. 

PMID- 26123814
TI  - Possible peroxidase active site environment in amyloidogenic proteins: Native
      monomer or misfolded-oligomer; which one is susceptible to the enzymatic
      activity, with contribution of heme?
AB  - Amyloid states of many proteins complex with heme and exhibit significant non
      specific peroxidase activity, compared to free heme. Neurotransmitter deficiency,
      generation of neurotoxins, altered activity/metabolism of key enzymes and
      cellular DNA damage are possible evidences highlighting the importance of the
      uncontrollable peroxidase activity in Alzheimer's disease (AD)-involved brain
      cells. Despite extensive experimental work was carried out on this field,
      discrepancy on chronological precedence of amyloid aggregation and oxidative
      reactions as well as the mechanism involved in the peroxidase-induced oxidative
      stress is still not completely understood. In this study, we highlight further
      that heme cofactor readily complexes with structural intermediates of amyloid
      aggregates of ovalbumin, lactoglobulin and crystallin and report the ability of
      "heme-amyloid aggregate/oligomer") to produce peroxidase-like active site.
      Histidine side chains are also proposed as both distal and proximal residues
      required for proper function of these peroxidase systems. Taking uncontrollable
      peroxidase activity of "Abeta-heme" complex into account, it appears that this
      process, as a new opened dimension in AD pathologic research, provides
      structural/mechanistic basis for more efficient therapeutic strategies against
      neurodegenerative diseases. 

PMID- 26123815
TI  - A green approach to prepare silver nanoparticles loaded gum acacia/poly(acrylate)
      hydrogels.
AB  - In this work, gum acacia (GA)/poly(sodium acrylate) semi-interpenetrating polymer
      networks (Semi-IPN) have been fabricated via free radical initiated aqueous
      polymerization of monomer sodium acrylate (SA) in the presence of dissolved Gum
      acacia (GA), using N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MB) as cross-linker and potassium
      persulphate (KPS) as initiator. The semi-IPNs, synthesized, were characterized by
      various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo gravimetric analysis
      (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The dynamic water
      uptake behavior of semi-IPNs was investigated and the data were interpreted by
      various kinetic models. The equilibrium swelling data were used to evaluate
      various network parameters. The semi-IPNs were used as template for the in situ
      preparation of silver nanoparticles using extract of Syzygium aromaticum (clove).
      The formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by surface plasmon resonance
      (SPR), XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Finally, the antibacterial
      activity of GA/poly(SA)/silver nanocomposites was tested against E. coli. 

PMID- 26123816
TI  - Antibacterial silver nanoparticles in polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate blend
      produced by gamma irradiation.
AB  - Polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate/nano silver (PVA/SA/Ag) composite films were
      made by solution casting method. Gamma irradiation was used to synthesize silver
      nanoparticles in situ via reduction of silver nitrate without using harmful
      chemical agents for biomedical applications. UV-vis and XRD results demonstrated
      that spherical silver nanoparticles were produced even at low irradiation dose of
      5 kGy. By increasing irradiation dose, more nanoparticles were synthesized while
      no PVA hydrogel was formed up to 15 kGy. Also the size of nanoparticles was
      reduced with increasing gamma dose evidenced by higher release rate of silver
      nanoparticles in lukewarm water and SEM images. Comparing SEM images with DLS
      results indicated good performance of PVA/SA as an efficient stabilizer in
      preventing agglomeration of the silver nanoparticles. Good miscibility of
      polyvinyl alcohol and sodium alginate observed on the SEM images was supported
      with FTIR spectroscopy. Upon addition of sodium alginate to polyvinyl alcohol and
      increasing silver nanoparticles, the melting peak shifted to lower temperature
      and crystallinity percent was decreased. Addition of sodium alginate led to
      remarkable increase in rigidity of PVA. The composites exhibited strong
      antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli even at
      very low level of silver nanoparticles.

PMID- 26123817
TI  - Influence of collagen addition on the thermal and morphological properties of
      chitosan/xanthan hydrogels.
AB  - This study investigates the collagen influence on thermal and morphological
      characteristics of chitosan/xanthan hydrogels for potential tissue engineering
      applications. Anionic collagen was prepared by selective hydrolysis of type I
      collagen found in bovine tendons. Chitosan was obtained from the partial
      deacetylation of squid pen beta-chitin and xanthan was acquired from Fluka. The
      hydrogels were obtained in different ratios and were characterized by thermal and
      morphological analysis. FT-IR suggested only electrostatic interactions between
      NH3(+) groups of chitosan and COO(-) groups of xanthan and collagen.
      Thermogravimetric curves showed that hydrogels contain a great amount of water
      (above 98%) and the presence of collagen does not change this characteristic.
      Freezing-bound water transition in DSC curves was shifted to higher values due to
      the increase of water/polymer interaction, mainly when different ratios of
      chitosan and xanthan were used. SEM images showed sheet-form structures with the
      presence of collagen promoting an increase in pore size. 

PMID- 26123818
TI  - Purification and biochemical characterization of a novel fibrinolytic enzyme,
      PSLTro01, from a medicinal animal Porcellio scaber Latreille.
AB  - A novel protease, named PSLTro01, with fibrinolytic and anticoagulant activity
      was isolated from Porcellio scaber Latreille and was purified by a combination of
      hollow fibre membrane molecular weight cut-off (MWCO), ammonium sulfate
      fractionation, gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. PSLTro01 is a
      single-chain protein with a molecular mass of 38,497 Da as estimated by non
      reduced SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF MS spectrometry, and its N-terminal 15 amino acid
      sequence was determined as DINGGGATLPQPLYQ. PSLTro01 is stable in the range of 20
      40  degrees C and pH 6.0-10.0, with a maximum fibrinolytic activity at 40 
      degrees C and pH 7.0. The PSLTro01-induced fibrinolytic activity was not
      influenced by K(+) or Na(+) but was slightly increased by Mg(2+) and completely
      inhibited by aprotinin and pepstatin A. Fibrin plate assays revealed that
      PSLTro01 could not directly degrade fibrin but was a plasminogen activator.
      PSLTro01 exhibited high specificity for the substrate S-2251 for plasmin,
      followed by S-2238 for thrombin and S-2444 for urokinase. Moreover, the
      fibrinogenolysis pattern of PSLTro01 was Aalpha-chains>Bbeta-chains>gamma-chain.
      Tail-thrombus of the enzyme treated group was significantly shorter than the
      physiological saline treated group and the thrombus decrement was correlated with
      the enzyme dose. PSLTro01 prolongs both thrombin time (TT) and activated partial
      thromboplastin time (APTT). These results indicate that PSLTro01 may have
      potential applications in the prevention and treatment of thrombosis.

PMID- 26123819
TI  - Effect of ultrasonic treatment on immunological activities of polysaccharides
      from adlay.
AB  - Alkali-extractable polysaccharides from the seed of adlay and their two
      polysaccharide sub-fractions (AAP-1 and AAP-2) were isolated and purified by
      anion-exchange and gel filtration chromatography. Ultrasonic treatment was put in
      place to obtain AAP-1' and AAP-2'. Average molecular weights (Mws) of AAP-1, AAP
      1', AAP-2, and AAP-2' were 94.2 kDa, 63.1 kDa, 82.3 kDa, and 60.4 kDa,
      respectively. Monosaccharides composition analysis indicated that AAP-1 and AAP
      1' were composed of Rha, Ara, Glc, and Gal in a molar ratio of 1.1:0.4:0.7:0.5
      and 1.4:1.6:0.4:0.7. AAP-2 and AAP-2' were composed of Xyl, Rha, Gal and Glc in a
      molar percent of 0.4:1.4:1.6:0.5 and 0.3:1.6:1.1:0.7. In vitro study showed that
      AAP-1, AAP-1', AAP-2, and AAP-2' were all able to encourage the production of
      secretory molecules (NO, TNF-alpha and IL-6) of RAW264.7 murine macrophages in
      concentrations determines manner. AAP-2' seemed to be the most potent and induced
      significantly higher the NO production. These findings suggest that the
      ultrasonic polysaccharides isolated in our study have immune potentiation effects
      on macrophages and should serve as a beneficial health food.

PMID- 26123821
TI  - Cancer stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma: Therapeutic implications based on
      stem cell biology.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer and the third most
      frequent cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Despite advances in its
      diagnosis and treatment, the prognosis of patients with advanced HCC remains
      unfavorable. Recent advances in stem cell biology and associated technologies
      have enabled the identification of minor components of tumorigenic cells, termed
      cancer stem cells (CSC) or tumor-initiating cells, in cancers such as HCC.
      Furthermore, because CSC play a central role in tumor development, metastasis and
      recurrence, they are considered to be a therapeutic target in cancer treatment.
      Hepatic CSC have been successfully identified using functional and cell surface
      markers. The analysis of purified hepatic CSC has revealed the molecular
      machinery and signaling pathways involved in their maintenance. In addition,
      epigenetic transcriptional regulation has been shown to be important in the
      development and maintenance of CSC. Although inhibitors of CSC show promise as
      CSC-targeting drugs, novel therapeutic approaches for the eradication of CSC are
      yet to be established. In this review, we describe recent progress in hepatic CSC
      research and provide a perspective on the available therapeutic approaches based
      on stem cell biology. 

PMID- 26123820
TI  - Lights and shadows in the management of old and new oral anticoagulants in the
      real world of atrial fibrillation by Italian internists. A survey from the Atrial
      Fibrillation Registry for Ankle-Brachial Index Prevalence Assessment
      Collaborative Italian Study.

PMID- 26123822
TI  - Nanocarriers for photodynamic therapy-rational formulation design and medium
      scale manufacture.
AB  - The development and manufacture of novel nanocarriers for drug delivery has
      proved challenging with regards to scale-up and pharmaceutical quality. Polymeric
      nanocarriers composed of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)
      (PLGA-PEG) were prepared and the photosensitizer meso-tetrakis(3-hydroxyphenyl)
      chlorin (mTHPC) was effectively encapsulated. Furthermore, the interplay of
      various process and formulation parameters and their impact on the most important
      product specifications were investigated by using a factorial design and a
      central composite design in a microfluidic manufacturing process. These
      nanoparticles for intravenous administration with a size of 97 +/- 0.13 nm,
      narrow size distribution, and an encapsulation efficiency of more than 80% were
      produced at high throughput. In vitro stability and in vitro drug release testing
      were applied for quality control purposes. Finally, the toxicity of the
      photosensitizer was tested in vitro. The cytotoxicity was successfully reduced
      while the efficacy of the formulation was maintained. First observations using in
      vivo imaging suggest effective distribution of the nanocarrier system after
      injection into rodents. Thus, further in vivo testing of the beneficial effects
      of nanoencapsulation into the matrix system and its formulation will be
      considered for the delivery of mTHPC to tumor tissues during photodynamic
      therapy.

PMID- 26123823
TI  - Signaling through alternative Integrated Stress Response pathways compensates for
      GCN2 loss in a mouse model of soft tissue sarcoma.
AB  - The tumor microenvironment is characterized by deficiencies in oxygen and
      nutrients, such as glucose and amino acids. Activation of the GCN2 arm of the
      Integrated Stress Response (ISR) in response to amino acid deprivation is one
      mechanism by which tumor cells cope with nutrient stress. GCN2 phosphorylates the
      alpha subunit of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF2, leading to
      global downregulation of translation to conserve amino acids and initiation of a
      transcriptional program through ATF4 to promote recovery from nutrient
      deprivation. Loss of GCN2 results in decreased tumor cell survival in vitro under
      amino acid deprivation and attenuated tumor growth in xenograft tumor models.
      However, it is not known what effects GCN2 loss has on the growth of
      autochthonous tumors that arise in their native microenvironment. Here, we
      demonstrate in a genetically engineered mouse model of soft tissue sarcoma that
      loss of GCN2 has no effect on tumor growth or animal survival. The sarcomas
      displayed compensatory activation of PERK or phospho-eIF2alpha independent
      upregulation of ATF4 in order to maintain ISR signaling, indicating that this
      pathway is critical for tumorigenesis. These results have important implications
      for the development and testing of small molecule inhibitors of ISR kinases as
      cancer therapeutics. 

PMID- 26123824
TI  - Dexketoprofen/tramadol: randomised double-blind trial and confirmation of
      empirical theory of combination analgesics in acute pain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Combination analgesics are effective in acute pain, and a theoretical
      framework predicts efficacy for combinations. The combination of dexketoprofen
      and tramadol is untested, but predicted to be highly effective. METHODS: This was
      a randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group, placebo-controlled,
      single-dose trial in patients with moderate or severe pain following third molar
      extraction. There were ten treatment arms, including dexketoprofen trometamol
      (12.5 mg and 25 mg) and tramadol hydrochloride (37.5 mg and 75 mg), given as four
      different fixed combinations and single components, with ibuprofen 400 mg as
      active control as well as a placebo control. The study objective was to evaluate
      the superior analgesic efficacy and safety of each combination and each single
      agent versus placebo. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with at
      least 50 % max TOTPAR over six hours. RESULTS: 606 patients were randomised and
      provided at least one post-dose assessment. All combinations were significantly
      better than placebo. The highest percentage of responders (72%) was achieved in
      the dexketoprofen trometamol 25 mg plus tramadol hydrochloride 75 mg group (NNT
      1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.3 to 2.1). Addition of tramadol to dexketoprofen
      resulted in greater peak pain relief and greater pain relief over the longer
      term, particularly at times longer than six hours (median duration of 8.1 h).
      Adverse events were unremarkable. CONCLUSIONS: Dexketoprofen trometamol 25 mg
      combined with tramadol hydrochloride 75 mg provided good analgesia with rapid
      onset and long duration in a model of moderate to severe pain. The results of the
      dose finding study are consistent with pre-trial calculations based on empirical
      formulae. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EudraCT (2010-022798-32); Clinicaltrials.gov
      (NCT01307020).

PMID- 26123825
TI  - Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation for acute treatment of high-frequency and
      chronic migraine: an open-label study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The treatment of migraine headache is challenging given the lack of a
      standardized approach to care, unsatisfactory response rates, and medication
      overuse. Neuromodulation therapy has gained interest as an alternative to
      pharmacologic therapy for primary headache disorders. This study investigated the
      effects of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) in patients with high
      frequency episodic migraine (HFEM) and chronic migraine (CM). FINDINGS: In this
      open-label, single-arm, multicenter study, patients with HFEM or CM self-treated
      up to 3 consecutive mild or moderate migraine attacks that occurred during a 2
      week period by delivering two 120-s doses of nVNS at 3-min intervals to the right
      cervical branch of the vagus nerve. Of the 50 migraineurs enrolled (CM/HFEM:
      36/14), 48 treated 131 attacks. The proportion of patients reporting pain relief,
      defined as a >=50% reduction in visual analog scale (VAS) score, was 56.3% at 1 h
      and 64.6% at 2 h. Of these patients, 35.4% and 39.6% achieved pain-free status
      (VAS = 0) at 1 and 2 h, respectively. When all attacks (N = 131) were considered,
      the pain-relief rate was 38.2% at 1 h and 51.1% at 2 h, whereas the pain-free
      rate was 17.6% at 1 h and 22.9% at 2 h. Treatment with nVNS was safe and well
      tolerated. CONCLUSION: Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation may be effective as
      acute treatment for HFEM or CM and may help to reduce medication overuse and
      medication-associated adverse events.

PMID- 26123826
TI  - Backbone resonance assignments of ferric human cytochrome c and the pro-apoptotic
      G41S mutant in the ferric and ferrous states.
AB  - Human cytochrome c is a multi-functional protein with key roles in both the
      mitochondrial electron transfer chain and in apoptosis. In the latter, a complex
      formed between the mitochondrial phospholipid cardiolipin and cytochrome c is
      crucial for instigating the release of pro-apoptotic factors, including
      cytochrome c, from the mitochondrion into the cytosol. The G41S mutant of human
      cytochrome c is the only known disease-related variant of cytochrome c and causes
      increased apoptotic activity in patients with autosomal dominant
      thrombocytopenia. NMR spectroscopy can be used to investigate the interaction of
      human cytochrome c with cardiolipin and the structural and dynamic factors, which
      may contribute to enhanced apoptotic activity for the G41S mutant. We present
      here essentially full backbone amide resonance assignments for ferric human
      cytochrome c (98 %) as well as assignments of both the ferric (92 %) and ferrous
      (95 %) forms of the G41S mutant. Backbone amide chemical shift differences
      between the wild type and G41S mutant in the ferric state reveals significant
      changes around the mutation site, with many other amides also affected. This
      suggests the possibility of increased dynamics and/or a change in the
      paramagnetic susceptibility tensor of the G41S mutant relative to the wild type
      protein. 

PMID- 26123827
TI  - Modeling the stretching of wormlike chains in the presence of excluded volume.
AB  - We propose an interpolation formula (the EV-WLC relation) for the force-extension
      behavior of wormlike chains in the presence of hard-core excluded volume
      interactions, analogous to the classic interpolation formula from Marko and
      Siggia for ideal wormlike chains. Using pruned-enriched Rosenbluth method (PERM)
      simulations of asymptotically long, discrete wormlike chains in an external
      force, we show that the error in the EV-WLC interpolation formula to describe
      discrete wormlike chains is systematically smaller than the error in the Marko
      Siggia interpolation formula, except for the saturation region in which both
      formulas have the same limiting behavior. We anticipate that the EV-WLC
      interpolation formula will prove useful in the coarse-graining of wormlike chain
      models for dynamic simulations. Related results for the excess free energy due to
      excluded volume provide strong support for the physical basis of the Pincus
      regime. 

PMID- 26123828
TI  - Long-term changes in renal function and perfusion in heart failure patients with
      reduced ejection fraction.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the natural course of renal function and
      renal hemodynamics in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction
      (HFREF). METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively studied effective renal plasma
      flow (ERPF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in 73 HFREF patients with (125)I
      iothalamate/(131)I-hippuran clearances with a mean follow-up of 34.6 +/- 4.4
      months. Fifteen percent were female, with age 58 +/- 12 years and left
      ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 29 +/- 10%. Baseline GFR was 81 +/- 23
      mL/min/1.73 m(2) and declined 0.6 +/- 4.7 mL/min/1.73 m(2) per year. Baseline
      ERPF was 292 +/- 83 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and declined 4.3 +/- 19 mL/min/1.73 m(2) per
      year. Of the baseline variables, older age and high urinary kidney injury
      molecule-1 were the only variables associated with GFR decline (p < 0.05).
      Following stepwise backward analysis, only age (p < 0.001) remained significant.
      In addition, we found an association between change in GFR and changes in ERPF, N
      terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and renovascular resistance. In the
      multivariable analysis, only the change in ERPF remained significantly associated
      with a change in GFR (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this cohort of stable chronic
      HFREF patients, the average decline in GFR over time was small. The decline of
      GFR was associated with a higher age and a lower baseline GFR, and was strongly
      related to changes in renal perfusion.

PMID- 26123829
TI  - Quantitative assessment of atrial conduit function: a new index of diastolic
      dysfunction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) epidemic has increased need for accurate diastolic
      dysfunction (DD) quantitation. Cardiac MRI can elucidate left atrial (LA) phasic
      function, and accurately quantify its conduit contribution to left ventricular
      (LV) filling, but has limited availability. We hypothesized that the percentage
      of LV stroke volume due to atrial conduit volume (LACV), as assessed using 3D
      echocardiography, can differentiate among progressive degrees of DD in HF
      patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixty-three subjects (66 +/- 12 years) with DD and
      ejection fraction (EF) ranging 14-62% underwent full-volume 3D-echocardiography.
      Simultaneous LA and LV volume curves as function of time (t) were calculated,
      with LACV as LACV(t) = [LV(t) - LV minimum] - [LA maximum LA(t)], expressed as %
      of stroke volume. Patients were assigned to four (0-3, from none to severe) DD
      grades, according to classical Doppler parameters. In this population DD is
      linked to LACV, with progressively higher percentages of conduit contribution to
      stroke volume associated with higher degrees of DD (p = 0.0007). Patients were
      then dichotomized into no-mild (n = 26) or severe (n = 37) DD groups. Apart from
      atrial volume, larger (p < 0.02) in severe DD group, no differences between
      groups were found for LV diastolic and stroke volume, EF, mass and flow
      propagation velocity. However, a significant difference was found for LACV
      expressed as % of LV stroke volume (29 +/- 15 vs. 43 +/- 23%, p = 0.016).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that LACV contribution to stroke volume increases
      along with worsening DD, as assessed in the context of (near) constant-volume
      four-chamber heart physiology. Thus, LACV can serve as new parameter for DD
      grading severity in HF patients.

PMID- 26123830
TI  - Safety of symptom-limited exercise testing in a big cohort of a modern ICD
      population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exercise may predispose to ventricular arrhythmias especially in
      patients with congestive heart failure. As therapy with implanted cardioverter
      defibrillators (ICDs) has become standard medical care, there is an emerging
      number of exercise tests that need to be performed in patients with ICDs. In
      contrast, little is known about the safety of symptom-limited exercise testing in
      these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: 400 ICD patients performed symptom-limited
      exercise treadmill testing. 200 patients performed a ramp protocol with an
      initial workload of 0 W increased by 15 W every minute. Another 200 ICD patients
      did a slightly modified ramp protocol with again an initial workload of 0 W but
      with an increased capacity of 15 W every 2 min. The study population consists
      mainly of patients with ischemic (63%) and non-ischemic (34%) heart disease.
      Atrial fibrillation was present in 16% of the subjects. The mean ejection
      fraction was 28 +/- 8, and 78% of the patients had an ejection fraction below
      30%. In this cohort of patients, no sustained ventricular arrhythmias and no
      deaths occurred during or after exercise testing. No inappropriate shock delivery
      was observed. The modified ramp protocol resulted in a prolonged exercise time
      with equal exercise capacity but does not result in an enhanced susceptibility
      for ventricular arrhythmias. CONCLUSIONS: Symptom-limited exercise treadmill
      testing in heart failure patients with ICDs is a safe procedure. The use of a
      ramp protocol is sufficient in terms of safety and is easy to perform in general
      practice. The exercise duration in heart failure patients with ICDs does not
      predict serious adverse events.

PMID- 26123831
TI  - From T cell "exhaustion" to anti-cancer immunity.
AB  - The immune system has the potential to protect from malignant diseases for
      extended periods of time. Unfortunately, spontaneous immune responses are often
      inefficient. Significant effort is required to develop reliable, broadly
      applicable immunotherapies for cancer patients. A major innovation was
      transplantation with hematopoietic stem cells from genetically distinct donors
      for patients with hematologic malignancies. In this setting, donor T cells induce
      long-term remission by keeping cancer cells in check through powerful allogeneic
      graft-versus-leukemia effects. More recently, a long awaited breakthrough for
      patients with solid tissue cancers was achieved, by means of therapeutic blockade
      of T cell inhibitory receptors. In untreated cancer patients, T cells are
      dysfunctional and remain in a state of T cell "exhaustion". Nonetheless, they
      often retain a high potential for successful defense against cancer, indicating
      that many T cells are not entirely and irreversibly exhausted but can be
      mobilized to become highly functional. Novel antibody therapies that block
      inhibitory receptors can lead to strong activation of anti-tumor T cells,
      mediating clinically significant anti-cancer immunity for many years. Here we
      review these new treatments and the current knowledge on tumor antigen-specific T
      cells. 

PMID- 26123832
TI  - Does intensive multimodal treatment for maternal ADHD improve the efficacy of
      parent training for children with ADHD? A randomized controlled multicenter
      trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This is the first randomized controlled multicenter trial to evaluate
      the effect of two treatments of maternal attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
      (ADHD) on response to parent-child training targeting children's external
      psychopathology. METHODS: Mother-child dyads (n = 144; ADHD according to DSM-IV;
      children: 73.5% males, mean age 9.4 years) from five specialized university
      outpatient units in Germany were centrally randomized to multimodal maternal ADHD
      treatment [group psychotherapy plus open methylphenidate medication; treatment
      group (TG): n = 77] or to clinical management [supportive counseling without
      psychotherapy or psychopharmacotherapy; control group (CG): n = 67]. After 12
      weeks, the maternal ADHD treatment was supplemented by individual parent-child
      training for all dyads. The primary outcome was a change in the children's
      externalizing symptom scores (investigator blinded to the treatment assignment)
      from baseline to the end of the parent-child training 6 months later. Maintenance
      therapy continued for another 6 months. An intention-to-treat analysis was
      performed within a linear regression model, controlling for baseline and center
      after multiple imputations of missing values. RESULTS: Exactly, 206 dyads were
      assessed for eligibility, 144 were randomized, and 143 were analyzed (TG: n = 77;
      CG: n = 66). After 6 months, no significant between-group differences were found
      in change scores for children's externalizing symptoms (adjusted mean TG-mean
      CG=1.1, 95% confidence interval -0.5-2.7; p = .1854), although maternal
      psychopathology improved more in the TG. Children's externalizing symptom scores
      improved from a mean of 14.8 at baseline to 11.4 (TG) and 10.3 (CG) after 6
      months and to 10.8 (TG) and 10.1 (CG) after 1 year. No severe harms related to
      study treatments were found, but adverse events were more frequent in TG mothers
      than in CG mothers. CONCLUSIONS: The response in children's externalizing
      psychopathology did not differ between maternal treatment groups. However,
      multimodal treatment was associated with more improvement in maternal ADHD. Child
      and maternal treatment gains were stable (CCT-ISRCTN73911400).

PMID- 26123833
TI  - An Improved RSA Based User Authentication and Session Key Agreement Protocol
      Usable in TMIS.
AB  - Recently, Giri et al.'s proposed a RSA cryptosystem based remote user
      authentication scheme for telecare medical information system and claimed that
      the protocol is secure against all the relevant security attacks. However, we
      have scrutinized the Giri et al.'s protocol and pointed out that the protocol is
      not secure against off-line password guessing attack, privileged insider attack
      and also suffers from anonymity problem. Moreover, the extension of password
      guessing attack leads to more security weaknesses. Therefore, this protocol needs
      improvement in terms of security before implementing in real-life application. To
      fix the mentioned security pitfalls, this paper proposes an improved scheme over
      Giri et al.'s scheme, which preserves user anonymity property. We have then
      simulated the proposed protocol using widely-accepted AVISPA tool which ensures
      that the protocol is SAFE under OFMC and CL-AtSe models, that means the same
      protocol is secure against active and passive attacks including replay and man-in
      the-middle attacks. The informal cryptanalysis has been also presented, which
      confirmed that the proposed protocol provides well security protection on the
      relevant security attacks. The performance analysis section compares the proposed
      protocol with other existing protocols in terms of security and it has been
      observed that the protocol provides more security and achieves additional
      functionalities such as user anonymity and session key verification. 

PMID- 26123834
TI  - Therapeutic combination of radiolabeled CLR1404 with external beam radiation in
      head and neck cancer model systems.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: CLR1404 is a phospholipid ether that exhibits selective
      uptake and retention in malignant tissues. Radiolabeled CLR1404 enables tumor
      specific positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging ((124)I) and targeted
      delivery of ionizing radiation ((131)I). Here we describe the first preclinical
      studies of this diapeutic molecule in head and neck cancer (HNC) models. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: Tumor-selective distribution of (124)I-CLR1404 and therapeutic
      efficacy of (131)I-CLR1404 were tested in HNC cell lines and patient-derived
      xenograft tumor models. Monte Carlo dose calculations and (124)I-CLR1404 PET/CT
      imaging were used to examine (131)I-CLR1404 dosimetry in preclinical HNC tumor
      models. RESULTS: HNC tumor xenograft studies including patient-derived xenografts
      demonstrate tumor-selective uptake and retention of (124)I-CLR1404 resulting in a
      model of highly conformal dose distribution for (131)I-CLR1404. We observe dose
      dependent response to (131)I-CLR1404 with respect to HNC tumor xenograft growth
      inhibition and this effect is maintained together with external beam radiation.
      CONCLUSIONS: We confirm the utility of CLR1404 for tumor imaging and treatment of
      HNC. This promising agent warrants further investigation in a developing phase I
      trial combining (131)I-CLR1404 with reduced-dose external beam radiation in
      patients with loco-regionally recurrent HNC.

PMID- 26123836
TI  - The Case for Universal Testing of Colorectal Tumors for Microsatellite
      Instability: A Coming Mismatch Between Clinical and Laboratory Testing.

PMID- 26123835
TI  - Enrichment of single neurons and defined brain regions from human brain tissue
      samples for subsequent proteome analysis.
AB  - Brain function in normal aging and neurological diseases has long been a subject
      of interest. With current technology, it is possible to go beyond descriptive
      analyses to characterize brain cell populations at the molecular level. However,
      the brain comprises over 100 billion highly specialized cells, and it is a
      challenge to discriminate different cell groups for analyses. Isolating intact
      neurons is not feasible with traditional methods, such as tissue homogenization
      techniques. The advent of laser microdissection techniques promises to overcome
      previous limitations in the isolation of specific cells. Here, we provide a
      detailed protocol for isolating and analyzing neurons from postmortem human brain
      tissue samples. We describe a workflow for successfully freezing, sectioning and
      staining tissue for laser microdissection. This protocol was validated by mass
      spectrometric analysis. Isolated neurons can also be employed for western
      blotting or PCR. This protocol will enable further examinations of brain cell
      specific molecular pathways and aid in elucidating distinct brain functions. 

PMID- 26123837
TI  - Predictors of Early Hospitalization After Deceased Donor Liver Transplantation.
AB  - Hospitalizations after solid organ transplantation may affect patient outcomes.
      Identification of the factors attributed to them may decrease hospitalization
      rates, reduce overall cost, and improve post-transplant outcomes. We examined the
      risk factors for early hospitalization within 30 and 90 days after liver
      transplantation (LT). METHODS: Data on all deceased donor LT recipients (age >=18
      years) transplanted between 2/28/2002-2/27/2007 and discharged alive from the
      index hospitalization within 30 days of LT were collected (N = 267). Patients
      were followed up until December 31, 2013. Logistic regression was used to
      identify the predictors of 30-day hospitalization, and linear regression was used
      to identify the factors associated with number of days hospitalized during 30-
      and 90-day hospitalization after LT. Renal risk index (RRI), a recently developed
      and validated risk score that accurately predicts the post-LT ESRD based upon
      recipient factors at LT, was computed using RRI calculator (
      http://rri.med.umich.edu ). RESULTS: One-third and more than half of the patients
      had at least one 30- and 90-day hospitalization, respectively. RRI decile (OR
      1.12, P = 0.02) and serum sodium at LT (OR 0.90, P < 0.001) were independently
      associated with 30-day hospitalization after adjusting for MELD score. Serum
      creatinine at LT (beta = 4.34, P = 0.001) and pre-LT admission days (beta = 0.15,
      P = 0.027) affected the number of days hospitalized for 90-day hospitalization.
      RRI was also an independent predictor of post-LT mortality. CONCLUSION: Early
      hospitalizations within 30 and 90 days after deceased donor LT are common. While
      all post-LT hospitalization cannot be prevented, efforts should be directed
      toward risk-based post-discharge care, and coordination of effective transitional
      care through ambulatory clinics. Implementation of such processes may attenuate
      early post-LT hospitalization and resource utilization and improve quality.

PMID- 26123840
TI  - Phosphonic anchoring groups in organic dyes for solid-state solar cells.
AB  - We report the synthesis and the optoelectronic characterization of three new 4H
      pyran-4-ylidene and thiazole derivatives (pyt) as metal-free organic dyes for
      solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We investigate the performance
      and the long-term stability of devices employing pyt dyes functionalized with
      carboxylic and phosphonic acids as TiO2 anchoring groups. In contrast to reports
      on liquid electrolyte DSSCs, we show that solid-state DSSCs prepared with
      phosphoric pyt derivatives can achieve similar power conversion efficiency to
      their carboxyl analogues. We make use of the Mott-Schottky analysis and
      equivalent circuit models to demonstrate that a phosphonic group induces a
      significant increase in built-in voltage at the TiO2-hole transporter interface,
      which results in a higher open circuit voltage. 

PMID- 26123838
TI  - Upregulated HOXC8 Expression Is Associated with Poor Prognosis and Oxaliplatin
      Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer
      related deaths worldwide. It is indispensable to understanding molecular
      mechanisms of HCC progression and to developing clinically useful biomarkers for
      this disease. AIM: In this article, we examined whether HOXC8 was associated with
      the poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma and explored the possible
      underlying mechanism. METHODS: The HOXC8 and Ki67 expression levels in 86
      patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were examined using immunohistochemistry.
      HOXC8 levels in HCC cells were downregulated by siRNA transfection. The cycle
      progression and cell proliferation status of HCC cells and the oxaliplatin
      effectiveness were evaluated by flow cytometry and CCK-8 assay. HOXC8, CyclinD1,
      PCNA, Nkd2, and cleaved caspase-3 levels were detected by western blot. RESULTS:
      HOXC8 was upregulated in HCC tissues, compared with adjacent non-tumor ones.
      HOXC8 expression levels in 86 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were
      positively correlated with histological grade. Univariate and multivariate
      survival analysis revealed that HOXC8 was a significant predictor for overall
      survival of HCC patients. HOXC8 siRNA knockdown delayed the G1-S phase
      transition, inhibited cell proliferation, and attenuated resistance to
      oxaliplatin. CONCLUSIONS: HOXC8 promoted HCC proliferation and predicted poor
      prognosis. Furthermore, upregulated HOXC8 expression was associated with
      oxaliplatin resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma.

PMID- 26123839
TI  - Multicenter Study Assessing Physician Recommendations Regarding the Continuation
      of Aspirin and/or NSAIDs Prior to Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2009 the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE)
      guidelines advised that both aspirin and NSAIDs be continued prior to low-risk
      gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures. We sought to determine physician
      knowledge regarding these guidelines. METHODS: A survey questionnaire was
      developed based on the ASGE guidelines. Physicians were queried about whether
      they would continue/stop aspirin in a patient with cardiac disease and in a
      patient taking NSAIDs for arthritis whether they would continue/stop NSAIDs prior
      to endoscopy. The survey was administered at three academic medical centers.
      Demographic information: level of training, board certification, teaching
      trainees, percentage of time in clinical practice, year of medical school
      graduation, and location of medical school were all reviewed. The primary outcome
      was number of questions answered correctly and predictors of correct responses.
      RESULTS: The survey was administered to 941 participants with 12 declining to
      participate, while 80% (740/929) of the subjects completed the survey; 20%
      (150/740) respondents answered both questions correctly and 42% (310/740)
      answered one question correctly. There was no significant difference between
      institutions (p = 0.6) or between attendings and trainees (p = 0.75).
      Multivariate predictors of correct answers were self-reported familiarity with
      the guideline (-0.029; 95% CI -0.003 to -0.056, p < 0.031), level of training
      (0.050; 95% CI 0.012-0.088, p = 0.010), and specialty (0.108; 95% CI 0.058-0.159,
      p < 0.0001). Finally, there was an inverse, linear relationship between
      postgraduate year and percent questions correct. CONCLUSION: Physician knowledge
      of guidelines regarding the use of aspirin and NSAIDs prior to endoscopy is
      suboptimal. Interventions are necessary to improve knowledge of the current pre
      procedure guidelines.

PMID- 26123841
TI  - Hyperinsulinaemia and insulin signalling in the pathogenesis and the clinical
      course of hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most prevalent cancer and is one of
      the leading causes of cancer-related death. The risk factors for HCC include
      cirrhosis, chronic viral hepatitis, heavy alcohol intake and metabolic diseases
      such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance is a
      common denominator of all of these conditions and is tethered to
      hyperinsulinaemia. Here, we give an overview of the recent advances linking
      hyperinsulinaemia to HCC development and progression. In particular, we summarise
      the underlying causes of hyperinsulinaemia in the setting of chronic liver
      diseases. We present epidemiological evidence linking metabolic diseases to HCC
      risk and HCC-related mortality, as well as the pathogenic cellular and molecular
      mechanisms explaining this relation. A better understanding of the mechanisms by
      which insulin participates in HCC biology might ultimately provide novel
      opportunities for prevention and treatment. 

PMID- 26123842
TI  - Evaluation of Crohn's disease activity by MR enterography: Derivation and
      histopathological comparison of an MR-based activity index.
AB  - AIMS: To compose a qualitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity index
      showing Crohn disease (CD) activity, and to compare magnetic resonance
      enterography (MRE) findings with histopathology results. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Twenty-six patients (11 male and 15 female; mean age 36.7) who had MRE and
      colonoscopic biopsy between October 2011 and August 2012 were included in the
      study. On MRE the following parameters were evaluated: bowel wall thickness,
      bowel wall T2 signal, bowel wall contrast enhancement pattern and degree, length
      and number of involved bowel segments, perimural T2 signal, mesenteric
      inflammation, mesenteric lymph nodes and complications of CD. Each parameter was
      scored to calculate MRI activity index. Biopsy specimens were retrospectively
      evaluated, histopathologic and endoscopic acute inflammmation scores (AIS, eAIS)
      were calculated. Each parameter and total MRI activity index were compared with
      the pathology scores (AIS, eAIS) by Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlation.
      RESULTS: Statistically significant positive correlation was found between AIS and
      eAIS, mural thickness and eAIS. Moderate correlation was found between MRI
      activity index and eAIS, mural enhancement degree and eAIS; and poor correlation
      was found between mesenteric inflammation score and eAIS, MRI activity index and
      AIS, however they were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In CD, bowel
      wall thickness measured by MRE is best correlated with the histopathologic
      results which are accepted as the reference standard. In cases with high MRI
      activity index, eAIS is also generally high. MRI activity index which is measured
      simply and noninvasively can be used in the follow up of CD.

PMID- 26123843
TI  - Unfused or twig-like middle cerebral artery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The knowledge of anatomic variations of the cerebral arterial
      circulation may be important to decide on the safest surgical or endovascular
      treatment method. Variations in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory seems
      to be less frequent than the other intracranial arteries. During the embryonic
      stage the primitive MCA is hypothesized to be made up of arterial twigs and these
      twigs will generate the definitive MCA at the end of the development stage. As in
      our cases, an early interruption in this period will prevent the evolution of MCA
      normally and a plexiform arterial network will create the M1 segment of MCA which
      is the so-called extremely rare unfused or twig-like (Uf/Tw) MCA variation. Our
      aim is to define and evaluate the angiographical features of Uf/Tw MCA. METHODS:
      The diagnosis of Uf/Tw MCA was evaluated in a total of 4855 diagnostic cerebral
      catheter angiograms, retrospectively. The coexisting intracranial pathologies
      were also interpreted with former radiological examinations. A review of the
      literature is provided. RESULTS: A total of six cases of Uf/Tw MCA was identified
      on angiograms accompanying ipsilateral internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion
      and contralateral ICA supraclinoid segment aneurysm in one case, and cingulate
      gyrus AVM in the other. In two different cases, CT or MRI examinations revealed
      coexisting subarachnoid hemorrhage and misdiagnosis of forniceal AVM in one case,
      and temporal arachnoid cyst and parenchymal hematoma in the other. CONCLUSION:
      Lack of data and knowledge about the Uf/Tw MCA variation may cause misdiagnosis
      and unnecessary treatment attempts.

PMID- 26123844
TI  - The frog skin host-defense peptide CPF-SE1 improves glucose tolerance, insulin
      sensitivity and islet function and decreases plasma lipids in high-fat fed mice.
AB  - The frog skin host-defense peptide CPF-SE1 has previously been shown to stimulate
      the in vitro release of insulin from clonal BRIN-BD11 beta-cells. In this study,
      the in vivo effects of the peptide were investigated in male NIH Swiss mice
      maintained on a high-fat diet to induce obesity and insulin resistance. Insulin
      secretory responses of islets isolated from treated and untreated mice and
      changes in islet morphology were also examined. Total body fat, plasma glucagon,
      triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations were measured at the end of the
      treatment period. Acute intraperitoneal administration of CPF-SE1 (75 nmol body
      weight) to high-fat fed mice together with glucose (18 mmol/kg body weight)
      improved glucose tolerance and insulin responses compared to high-fat fed
      controls. Long term administration of CPF-SE1 (twice-daily administration of 75
      nmol/kg body weight for 28 days) did not affect body weight or energy intake but
      decreased circulating glucose and increased insulin concentrations. Insulin
      sensitivity and insulin-secretory responses of islets to secretagogues were also
      significantly improved at 28 days in peptide-treated mice. In addition,
      significant decreases in plasma glucagon concentrations, pancreatic insulin and
      glucagon content, islet and beta cell area, body fat and plasma triglyceride
      levels were observed in CPF-SE1 treated with mice. In conclusion, CPF-SE1
      improves beta cell function, insulin sensitivity and glycaemic control whilst
      reducing total body fat and circulating triglyceride levels. The peptide shows
      potential for development into an agent for treatment of patients with metabolic
      syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

PMID- 26123845
TI  - Signal pathways involved in the biological effects of sulfur dioxide.
AB  - Gasotransmitters, such as nitric oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide,
      play important roles in life and have attracted great interest in scientists. In
      recent years, sulfur dioxide (SO2) has also been found to play important roles in
      mammals. The redox pathway is involved in the biological effects of SO2, such as
      the protective effect on myocardial ischemia reperfusion, myocardial injury,
      pulmonary hypertension and atherosclerosis. Ion channels, such as L-type calcium
      and adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channels, as well as 3'-5'-cyclic
      guanosine monophosphate and 3'-5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate pathways are
      also involved in the vasorelaxant effect of SO2. The mitogen-activated protein
      kinase pathway plays roles in vascular remodeling during pulmonary hypertension
      and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. Understanding these signaling
      mechanisms would help to clarify the pathophysiological effect and therapeutic
      potential of SO2. 

PMID- 26123846
TI  - Opening the window: Ischemic postconditioning reduces the hyperemic response of
      delayed tissue plasminogen activator and extends its therapeutic time window in
      an embolic stroke model.
AB  - It has been reported that ischemic postconditioning (PC) changes the reperfusion
      pattern in permanent or transient models of stroke and confers neuroprotection.
      However, the effects of PC and subsequent use of tissue plasminogen activator
      (tPA) for the treatment of embolic stroke have not yet been investigated. Rats
      were subjected to stroke by injection of a preformed clot into the middle
      cerebral artery and randomly assigned to vehicle (saline 0.1 ml/100 g), tPA (3
      mg/kg), PC only or PC+tPA (3 mg/kg). tPA was injected at 6 h after embolic stroke
      and PC was conducted at 6.5 h after ischemia by using five cycles of a 10 s
      occlusion and 30 s of reopening of the bilateral common carotid arteries.
      Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was monitored for 60 min from the time of tPA
      injection. Infarct size, blood brain barrier disruption, edema, neurological
      deficits, reactive oxygen species and apoptosis were measured 2 days later. PC
      decreased infarct volume, but PC+tPA was more neuroprotective than PC alone.
      While tPA alone dramatically increased CBF, conducting PC caused a gradual
      increase in CBF. A combination of PC+tPA reduced BBB leakage, brain edema,
      apoptosis and reactive oxygen species levels. Furthermore, a combination of
      PC+tPA improved neurological functions at 48 h after the induced stroke. In
      conclusion, PC hampered malignant hyperemia after reperfusion with tPA and
      extended its therapeutic window up to 6 h. Compared to PC alone, combination of
      thrombolysis and PC showed a better neuroprotection.

PMID- 26123847
TI  - FFA4 receptor (GPR120): A hot target for the development of anti-diabetic
      therapies.
AB  - Free Fatty Acid 4 receptor (FFA4 receptor or GPR120), a rhodopsin-like G protein
      coupled receptor (GPCR) subfamily member, is a receptor that senses specific
      fatty acids such as omega-3 fatty acid in fish oil or the endogenous signaling
      lipid, PHASA. FFA4 receptor is enriched in lung, colon and adipose tissue but is
      also detected in many other tissues and cells. The activation of FFA4 receptor
      has multiple effects, including but not limited to inhibition of inflammation,
      improving insulin sensitivity and adipogenesis, and regulating hormone secretion
      from the gastro-intestinal system and pancreatic islets. The important role of
      FFA4 receptor in maintaining metabolic homeostasis strongly indicates the great
      potential of selective FFA4 receptor agonizts to treat diabetes and inflammation.
      In this review, we summarize recent research progress in the physiological and
      biochemical studies of FFA4 receptor and highlight its underlying signaling
      mechanisms and ligand identification to assist future research to exploit FFA4
      receptor as a drug target. 

PMID- 26123848
TI  - Loss of JAM-C leads to impaired esophageal innervations and megaesophagus in
      mice.
AB  - Megaesophagus is a disease where peristalsis fails to occur properly and
      esophagus is enlarged. The etiology and mechanism of megaesophagus are not well
      understood. In this study, we reported that junctional adhesion molecule C (JAM
      C) knockout mice on a C57/B6 background developed progressive megaesophagus from
      embryonic day (E) 15.5 onward with complete penetrance. JAM-C knockout mice
      exhibited a significant reduction in the number of nerve fibers/ganglia in the
      wall of the esophagus. However, histological analysis revealed that the
      esophageal wall thickness and structure of JAM-C knockout mice at embryonic
      stages and young adult were comparable to that of control littermates. Thus,
      megaesophagus observed in JAM-C knockout mice could be attributed, at least in
      part, to impaired esophageal innervations. Our data suggest JAM-C as a potential
      candidate gene for human megaesophagus, and JAM-C knockout mice might serve as a
      model for the study of human megaesophagus.

PMID- 26123849
TI  - Cell-specific transcriptomic analyses of three-dimensional shoot development in
      the moss Physcomitrella patens.
AB  - Haploid moss gametophytes harbor distinct stem cell types, including tip cells
      that divide in single planes to generate filamentous protonemata, and bud cells
      that divide in three planes to yield axial gametophore shoots. This transition
      from filamentous to triplanar growth occurs progressively during the moss life
      cycle, and is thought to mirror evolution of the first terrestrial plants from
      Charophycean green algal ancestors. The innovation of morphologically complex
      plant body plans facilitated colonization of the vertical landscape, and enabled
      development of complex vegetative and reproductive plant morphologies. Despite
      its profound evolutionary significance, the molecular programs involved in this
      transition from filamentous to triplanar meristematic plant growth are poorly
      understood. In this study, we used single-cell type transcriptomics to identify
      more than 4000 differentially expressed genes that distinguish uniplanar
      protonematal tip cells from multiplanar gametophore bud cells in the moss
      Physcomitrella patens. While the transcriptomes of both tip and bud cells show
      molecular signatures of proliferative cells, the bud cell transcriptome exhibits
      a wider variety of genes with significantly increased transcript abundances. Our
      data suggest that combined expression of genes involved in shoot patterning and
      asymmetric cell division accompanies the transition from uniplanar to triplanar
      meristematic growth in moss. 

PMID- 26123850
TI  - Biosynthesized silver nanoparticles performing as biogenic SERS-nanotags for
      investigation of C26 colon carcinoma cells.
AB  - In this work, two classes of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were biosynthesized
      with the goal to assess their reliability in vitro as surface-enhanced Raman
      scattering (SERS) nanotags. Mycosynthesized silver nanoparticles (MAgNPs) and
      phytosynthesized silver nanoparticles (PAgNPs) were produced through
      environmentally friendly procedures by reduction of silver nitrate with Fusarium
      oxysporum cell filtrate and Azadirachta indica extract, respectively. Two cell
      lines, namely C26 murine colon carcinoma cells as example of cancer cells and
      human immortalized keratinocyte cells (HaCaT) as representative of healthy cell
      line, were selected for in vitro investigation. The in vitro toxicity studies
      show that M(P)AgNPs present lower cytotoxic effect on both cell lines as compared
      with standard citrate coated AgNPs. The internalization of M(P)AgNPs by colon
      carcinoma cells and structural alterations induced in the morphology of treated
      cells were analyzed by dark-field (DF) and differential interference contrast
      (DIC) microscopy, respectively. The most informative data about the cellular
      uptake and tracking potential of M(P)AgNPs were provided by scanning Confocal
      Raman Microscopy (CRM) and multivariate K-means cluster analysis of collected
      Raman spectra. The analysis reveals the subcellular components and the
      localization of AgNPs inside the cell via the intrinsic SERS signature of
      biogenic coating material. The use of unique biological material to perform
      synthesis, stability, biocompatibility and SERS tagging is relevant both from the
      point of view of encoding nanoparticles with Raman reporters and further
      applications in cell investigation via Raman/SERS imaging. 

PMID- 26123851
TI  - Response of osteoblasts and preosteoblasts to calcium deficient and Si
      substituted hydroxyapatites treated at different temperatures.
AB  - Hydroxyapatite (HA) is a calcium phosphate bioceramic widely used for bone
      grafting and augmentation purposes. The biological response of HA can be improved
      through chemical and microstructural modifications, as well as by manufacturing
      it as macroporous implants. In the present study, calcium deficient
      hydroxyapatite (CDHA) and Si substituted hydroxyapatite (SiHA) macroporous
      scaffolds have been prepared by robocasting. In order to obtain different
      microstructural properties, the scaffolds have been treated at 700 degrees C and
      1250 degrees C. The scaffolds have been characterized and tested as supports for
      both osteoblast growth and pre-osteoblast differentiation, as fundamental
      requisite for their potential use in bone tissue engineering. Morphology,
      viability, adhesion, proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, intracellular content
      of reactive oxygen species and interleukin-6 production were evaluated after
      contact of osteoblasts-like cells with CDHA and SiHA materials. An adequate
      interaction of osteoblasts-like cells and preosteoblasts-like cells with all
      these scaffolds was observed. However, the higher bone cell proliferation and
      differentiation on CDHA and SiHA scaffolds treated at 1250 degrees C and the
      lower adsorption of albumin and fibrinogen on these materials in comparison to
      those treated at 700 degrees C, suggest a better tissue response to CDHA and SiHA
      materials treated at high temperature. 

PMID- 26123852
TI  - Galactosylated chitosan-grafted multiwall carbon nanotubes for pH-dependent
      sustained release and hepatic tumor-targeted delivery of doxorubicin in vivo.
AB  - Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are well known for their distinctive drug-loading ability
      that is mainly due to their large surface area, which permits covalent attachment
      of various target ligands or drug molecules by pi-pi stacking, allowing them to
      act as potential tumor-targeting carriers. Herein, we describe the development of
      galactosylated chitosan-graftedoxidized CNTs (O-CNTs-LCH) for pH-dependent
      sustained release and hepatic tumor-targeted delivery of doxorubicin (DOX). The
      in vitro release behavior in aqueous release media of different pH values (5.5,
      6.5 and 7.4) verified the pH-dependent sustained release of DOX from O-CNTs-LCH
      DOX. Moreover, these nanocarriers exhibited significant in vitro tumor-targeting
      properties, with a higher cellular uptake efficiency than that of free DOX in
      HepG2 cells. In addition, the good biocompatibility and low toxicity of O-CNTs
      LCH-DOX was demonstrated by evaluating HepG2 cytotoxicity, vascular irritation
      and the maximum tolerated dose. Moreover, after intravenous administration in
      mice bearing the H22 tumor, O-CNTs-LCH-DOX showed higher antitumor activity and
      stronger fluorescent intensity in tumor tissue compared to free DOX. These
      results indicated the selective hepatic tumor targeting and the therapeutic
      effect of those nanocarriers. 

PMID- 26123853
TI  - New glycosylated conjugate copolymer N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminyl-pluronic:
      Synthesis, self-assembly and biological assays.
AB  - This work describes the synthesis of a new glycosylated conjugate copolymer,
      GlcNAc-PEO75-PPO30-PEO75-GlcNAc (GlcNAc-PluronicF68-GlcNAc), using click
      chemistry from Pluronic((r)) F68 and propargyl-2-N-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D
      glucopyranoside. Micelles were prepared by the self-assembly of GlcNAc
      PluronicF68-GlcNAc in phosphate-buffered solution. The critical micelle
      concentration was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy, and the value was
      found to be equal to 5.8mgmL(-1). The Gibbs free energy (DeltaG) of micellization
      is negative, indicating that the organization of amphiphiles is governed by the
      hydrophobic effects in an entropy-driven process. The scattering characterization
      of GlcNAc-PluronicF68-GlcNAc micelles showed a hydrodynamic radius of 8.7nm and
      negative zeta potential (-21.0+/-0.9mV). The TEM image evidences the spherical
      shape of the objects self-assemble into highly regular micelles having a mean
      diameter of 10nm. The SAXS profile confirmed the spherical shape of the
      assemblies comprising a swollen PPO core (Rcore=2.25nm) stabilized by PEO chains
      following Gaussian statistics. The results of the comet assay showed that the
      GlcNAc-PluronicF68-GlcNAc micelles were not genotoxic, and the cell viability
      test was higher than 97% for all concentrations, demonstrating that GlcNAc
      PluronicF68-GlcNAc is not toxic.

PMID- 26123854
TI  - Liposomal voriconazole (VOR) formulation for improved ocular delivery.
AB  - Treating infectious eye diseases topically requires a drug delivery system
      capable of overcoming the eye's defense mechanisms, which efficiently reduce the
      drug residence time right after its administration, therefore reducing
      absorption. In order to try to surpass such administration issues and improve
      life quality for patients with fungal keratitis, liposomal voriconazol (VOR)
      formulations were prepared. Formulations were composed of soy phosphatidylcholine
      (PC) containing or not 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP) and
      cholesterol. Liposomes were characterized by their drug entrapment efficiency
      (EE), drug recovery (DR), average diameter (size) and polydispersivity index
      (PdI). In vitro mucosal interaction and irritancy levels, ex vivo permeation, as
      well as the short-term stability were also assessed. Liposomal VOR formulation
      produced with 7.2:40mM VOR:PC showed to be the most promising formulation: mean
      size of 116.6+/-5.9nm, narrow PdI (0.17+/-0.06), negative zeta potential (~-7mV)
      and over 80% of EE and yield, remaining stable for at least 30 days in solution
      and 90 days after lyophilization. This formulation was classified as 'non
      irritant' after HET-CAM's test and was able to deliver about 47.85+/
      5.72MUg/cm(2) of VOR into porcine cornea after 30min of permeation test. Such
      drug levels are higher than the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of
      several fungi species isolated from clinical cases of corneal keratitis. Overall
      results suggest VOR can be effectively incorporated in liposomes for potential
      topical treatment of fungal keratitis. 

PMID- 26123855
TI  - [Critical reading of analytical observational studies].
AB  - Analytical observational studies provide very important information about real
      life clinical practice and the natural history of diseases and can suggest
      causality. Furthermore, they are very common in scientific journals. The aim of
      this article is to review the main concepts necessary for the critical reading of
      articles about radiological studies with observational designs. It reviews the
      characteristics that case-control and cohort studies must have to ensure high
      quality. It explains a method of critical reading that involves checking the
      attributes that should be evaluated in each type of article using a structured
      list of specific questions. It underlines the main characteristics that confer
      credibility and confidence on the article evaluated. Readers are provided with
      tools for the critical analysis of the observational studies published in
      scientific journals. 

PMID- 26123856
TI  - Does type of disability and participation in rehabilitation affect satisfaction
      of stroke survivors? Results from the 2013 Behavioral Risk Surveillance System
      (BRFSS).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies show that stroke survivors typically have lower life
      satisfaction than persons who have not been diagnosed with stroke. OBJECTIVE: To
      determine if significant differences in life satisfaction exist between stroke
      survivors with and without functional limitations and whether specific functional
      limitations, as well as participation in outpatient rehabilitation affect the
      odds of reported life satisfaction for stroke survivors. METHOD: Chi square
      analysis was used to examine data from the 2013 BRFSS to determine the
      relationship of functional limitations as well as participation in rehabilitation
      services to life satisfaction for stroke survivors. Logistic regression analysis
      was used to determine what variables increased the odds of reported poor life
      satisfaction. RESULTS: Stroke survivors experiencing difficulty with cognition,
      depression and IADLs showed significantly lower life satisfaction than those who
      did not experience these functional limitations. Survivors exhibiting activity
      limitations had almost twice the odds of reporting poor life satisfaction and
      those experiencing limitations in cognition and IADLs had 2.88 times and 1.81
      times the odds as others without these limitations of reporting poor life
      satisfaction, respectively. Participation in outpatient rehabilitation reduced
      the odds of reporting of poor life satisfaction by approximately one half.
      CONCLUSIONS: Rehabilitation focused on addressing these functional limitations
      would increase life satisfaction for persons diagnosed with stroke. Future
      research on specific types of cognitive and daily living limitations would assist
      policy makers and referral sources in making appropriate referrals to
      rehabilitation.

PMID- 26123857
TI  - Quality of life in Mexican patients with primary neurological or musculoskeletal
      disabilities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As the population with a disability increases both in number and life
      expectancy, so does its demand for health services. Very little original research
      has been done in Mexican populations regarding the effect of disability on
      quality of life. OBJECTIVES: 1) Assessing the subjective quality of life of
      patients with neuromusculoskeletal and movement-related function disabilities
      and, 2) Analyzing the possible effect of the medical condition (diseases of the
      nervous system vs. diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue)
      and its interaction with sex and age. METHODS: In a cross-sectional design 330
      participants were recruited from a public institution in Mexico providing
      specialized outpatient rehabilitation. After signing informed consent they
      responded a brief sociodemographic questionnaire and the WHOQOL-BREF scale.
      RESULTS: In general quality of life levels were satisfactory. Female and elderly
      patients with diseases of the nervous system were particularly affected in the
      physical and psychological dimensions. Women with diseases of the nervous system
      also showed a negatively affected social quality of life. Elderly with diseases
      of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue scored the lowest in general
      health perception. CONCLUSIONS: Even though most patients were quite satisfied
      with their quality of life, not all aspects or cases have such positive
      perceptions; both the physical and psychological dimensions were particularly
      negative in female and elderly patients with nervous system diseases. Clinicians
      would do well to thoughtfully assess patients in these groups and adjust
      treatment to achieve the greatest possible rehabilitation.

PMID- 26123858
TI  - Social-ecological influences on interpersonal support in people with physical
      disability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People with physical disability report lower amounts of emotional and
      informational social support compared with other populations but it is unclear
      how influences at the broader societal level impact support in this population.
      OBJECTIVE: To address this question, Berkman and Glass's social-ecological model
      was used to examine the influence of upstream factors on interpersonal support in
      people with physical disability. It was predicted that these factors would
      influence support even after controlling for the traditional measures linked to
      social support. METHODS: 331 adult participants with physical disability (43%
      female; mean age = 42.7; 88% White) completed an online cross-sectional survey
      measuring types and sources of social support, social integration, disability
      impact in social domains, environmental barriers, and relevant psychosocial
      variables such as depression. RESULTS: A hierarchical linear regression analysis
      showed that level of disability, perceived tangible support, social integration,
      depressive symptoms, environmental barriers, occupational independence, and
      having family or friends as primary support sources were significantly associated
      with perceived support at the final step (R(2) = .60, F(22, 255) = 17.68, p <
      .001). The social-ecological measures, environmental barriers and social
      integration, had the largest associations with interpersonal support.
      CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate the importance of measuring distinct support
      constructs and how the broader social environment may matter more in
      interpersonal support perceptions for people with disability than typical
      measures studied in the literature. Improving environmental factors will help
      improve social support.

PMID- 26123859
TI  - The modifying role of caregiver burden on predictors of quality of life of
      caregivers of hospitalized chronic stroke patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Caregiver burden is an important predictor of quality of life (QoL)
      among caregivers of stroke patients. While caregiver burden and QoL might be
      closely related, caregiver burden seems also to be a potential modifier of the
      associations between patients' and caregivers' characteristics and caregivers'
      QoL. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of
      caregiver burden in caregivers of hospitalized chronic stroke patients and the
      predictors of caregivers' QoL by level of caregiver burden. METHODS: A total of
      238 patients and their caregivers were interviewed using questionnaires
      consisting of the Zarit Burden Interview and the Korean-version of the World
      Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF. Multiple hierarchical regression
      analyses were performed to determine the predictors of caregivers' QoL among
      caregivers stratified by median caregiver burden score (high/low). RESULTS:
      Caregiver burden had a modifying effect on caregivers' QoL. In caregivers with
      high burden, the patient characteristics of being unemployed and the caregiver
      characteristics of poor health status, lower income, and being a spouse were
      negative predictors of caregivers' QoL. In caregivers with low burden, the
      patient characteristics of being hospitalized for a longer duration and the
      caregiver characteristics of poor health status were negative predictors of
      caregivers' QoL (all ps < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that in South
      Korea, more attention should be paid to spouses who are caring for hospitalized
      chronic stroke patients, particularly with regard to their health status and
      financial problems. Further studies are needed to examine the impact of factors
      not examined in the Korean cultural context.

PMID- 26123860
TI  - Corticosteroids for the treatment of human infection with influenza virus: a
      systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Administration of corticosteroids to patients affected by influenza virus,
      especially pandemic avian influenza virus, although relatively common, remains
      controversial. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to assess the
      impact of corticosteroid treatment on outcomes of patients with influenza virus
      infection. The PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases were
      searched up to February, 2015. Studies comparing corticosteroid treatment with no
      corticosteroid treatment in patients with influenza virus infection were
      included. The primary outcomes assessed were the association of mortality and
      nosocomial infection with corticosteroid treatment. Two authors independently
      extracted the data. ORs and weighted mean differences (WMDs) were used to
      describe dichotomous data and continuous data, respectively. Nineteen studies
      with 4916 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that
      corticosteroid treatment was significantly associated with mortality (OR 1.98,
      95% CI 1.62-2.43, p < 0.00001) and nosocomial infection (OR 3.16, 95% CI 2.09
      4.78, p < 0.00001). The durations of mechanical ventilation (WMD 3.82, 95% CI
      1.49-6.15, p 0.001) and intensive-care unit stay (WMD 4.78, 95% CI 2.27-7.29, p
      0.0002) were both markedly longer in the corticosteroid treatment group than in
      the control group. These findings suggest that routine steroid use may not be
      ideal for influenza virus infection. However, these results are derived from
      observational studies, with some important biases. They should be examined in
      future sufficiently powered randomized trials.

PMID- 26123861
TI  - Predicting Early Death Among Elderly Dialysis Patients: Development and
      Validation of a Risk Score to Assist Shared Decision Making for Dialysis
      Initiation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A shared decision-making tool could help elderly patients with
      advanced chronic kidney disease decide about initiating dialysis therapy. Because
      mortality may be high in the first few months after initiating dialysis therapy,
      incorporating early mortality predictors in such a tool would be important for an
      informed decision. Our objective is to derive and validate a predictive risk
      score for early mortality after initiating dialysis therapy. STUDY DESIGN:
      Retrospective observational cohort, with development and validation cohorts.
      SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: US Renal Data System and claims data from the Centers for
      Medicare & Medicaid Services for 69,441 (aged >=67 years) patients with end-stage
      renal disease with a previous 2-year Medicare history who initiated dialysis
      therapy from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2010. CANDIDATE PREDICTORS:
      Demographics, predialysis care, laboratory data, functional limitations, and
      medical history. OUTCOMES: All-cause mortality in the first 3 and 6 months.
      ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Predicted mortality by logistic regression. RESULTS: The
      simple risk score (total score, 0-9) included age (0-3 points), low albumin
      level, assistance with daily living, nursing home residence, cancer, heart
      failure, and hospitalization (1 point each), and showed area under the receiver
      operating characteristic curve (AUROC)=0.69 in the validation sample. A
      comprehensive risk score with additional predictors was also developed (with
      AUROC=0.72, high concordance between predicted vs observed risk). Mortality
      probabilities were estimated from these models, with the median score of 3
      indicating 12% risk in 3 months and 20% in 6 months, and the highest scores (>=8)
      indicating 39% risk in 3 months and 55% in 6 months. LIMITATIONS: Patients who
      did not choose dialysis therapy and did not have a 2-year Medicare history were
      excluded. CONCLUSIONS: Routinely available information can be used by patients
      with chronic kidney disease, families, and their nephrologists to estimate the
      risk of early mortality after dialysis therapy initiation, which may facilitate
      informed decision making regarding treatment options.

PMID- 26123862
TI  - Proton pump inhibitors and hypomagnesemia in the general population: a population
      based cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use has been associated with
      hypomagnesemia in case reports and hospital-based cohort studies. Our objective
      was to determine whether PPI use is associated with hypomagnesemia in the general
      population and whether this is also found in histamine 2 receptor antagonist
      (H2RA) users. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS:
      9,818 individuals from the general population (Rotterdam Study). PREDICTOR: PPI
      use and H2RA use compared to no use. OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS: Serum magnesium and
      hypomagnesemia (serum magnesium <= 1.44 mEq/L). Analyses were adjusted for age,
      sex, body mass index, kidney function, comorbid conditions, and alcohol and
      diuretic use. RESULTS: Serum magnesium level was 0.022 mEq/L lower in PPI users
      (n=724; 95% CI, -0.032 to -0.014 mEq/L) versus those with no use. PPI use was
      associated with increased risk of hypomagnesemia (n=36; OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.36
      2.93) compared to no use. Effect modification was found between the use of PPIs
      and loop diuretics; in participants using loop diuretics (n=270), PPI use was
      associated with a further increased risk of hypomagnesemia (n=5; OR, 7.22; 95%
      CI, 1.69-30.83) compared to no use. The increased risk with PPIs was only seen
      after prolonged use (range, 182-2,618 days; OR, 2.99; 95% CI, 1.73-5.15).
      Including dietary magnesium intake into the model did not alter results
      (available for 2,504 participants, including 231 PPI users). H2RA users (n=250)
      also had a lower serum magnesium level (-0.016 [95% CI, -0.032 to -0.002] mEq/L)
      and increased risk of hypomagnesemia (n=12; OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.08-3.72) compared
      to those with no use, but no interaction with loop diuretics. LIMITATIONS: Cross
      sectional analysis with single serum magnesium measurement. CONCLUSIONS: PPI use
      is associated with hypomagnesemia in the general population. Prolonged PPI use
      and concomitant loop diuretic use are associated with a stronger risk increase.
      Similar but weaker associations were found in H2RA users, except for interaction
      with loop diuretics.

PMID- 26123863
TI  - Temperature responsive hydrogels enable transient three-dimensional tumor
      cultures via rapid cell recovery.
AB  - Recovery of live cells from three-dimensional (3D) culture would improve analysis
      of cell behaviors in tissue engineered microenvironments. In this work, we
      developed a temperature responsive hydrogel to enable transient 3D culture of
      human glioblastoma (GBM) cells. N-isopropylacrylamide was copolymerized with
      hydrophilic grafts and functionalized with the cell adhesion peptide RGD to yield
      the novel copolymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-Jeffamine((r)) M-1000
      acrylamide-co-hydroxyethylmethacrylate-RGD), or PNJ-RGD. This copolymer
      reversibly gels in aqueous solutions when heated under normal cell culture
      conditions (37 degrees C). Moreover, these gels redissolve within 70 s when
      cooled to room temperature without the addition of any agents to degrade the
      synthetic scaffold, thereby enabling rapid recollection of viable cells after 3D
      culture. We tested the efficiency of cell recovery following extended 3D culture
      and were able to recover more than 50% of viable GBM cells after up to 7 days in
      culture. These data demonstrate the utility of physically crosslinked PNJ-RGD
      hydrogels as a platform for culture and recollection of cells in 3D.

PMID- 26123864
TI  - Conservation laws, radiative decay rates, and excited state localization in
      organometallic complexes with strong spin-orbit coupling.
AB  - There is longstanding fundamental interest in 6-fold coordinated d(6) (t(2g)(6))
      transition metal complexes such as [Ru(bpy)3](2+) and Ir(ppy)3, particularly
      their phosphorescence. This interest has increased with the growing realisation
      that many of these complexes have potential uses in applications including
      photovoltaics, imaging, sensing, and light-emitting diodes. In order to design
      new complexes with properties tailored for specific applications a detailed
      understanding of the low-energy excited states, particularly the lowest energy
      triplet state, T1, is required. Here we describe a model of pseudo-octahedral
      complexes based on a pseudo-angular momentum representation and show that the
      predictions of this model are in excellent agreement with experiment - even when
      the deviations from octahedral symmetry are large. This model gives a natural
      explanation of zero-field splitting of T1 and of the relative radiative rates of
      the three sublevels in terms of the conservation of time-reversal parity and
      total angular momentum modulo two. We show that the broad parameter regime
      consistent with the experimental data implies significant localization of the
      excited state.

PMID- 26123865
TI  - Constructing the meaning of quality of life for residents in care homes in the
      Lebanon: perspectives of residents, staff and family.
AB  - AIM: Located in two care homes in Lebanon, the study explores the perspectives of
      quality of life for a sample of older residents, care staff and family
      caregivers. BACKGROUND: Quality of life for older people living in care homes is
      traditionally reported in the literature as a Westernised construct and so far
      little is known about its meanings from an Arabic cultural perspective and
      context. There is also a knowledge gap about the conditions of older people
      living in care homes in Lebanon. METHOD: The study was a qualitative exploration
      of perspectives of quality of life of older residents, care staff and family
      caregivers. Two care homes for older people situated in Beirut took part in the
      study. Between 2010 and 2011 semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a
      sample of 20 residents, eight family caregivers and 11 care staff. Data were
      analysed using the constant comparative method. FINDINGS: Four categories emerged
      from this analytical process: (i) maintaining family connectedness; (ii) engaging
      in worthwhile activities; (iii) maintaining and developing significant
      relationships; and (iv) holding and practicing spiritual beliefs. The emergence
      of these categories confirmed the complex, interrelated and multidimensional
      nature of quality of life for residents and other stakeholders. CONCLUSION: The
      findings supplement an emerging body of knowledge about the composition of
      quality of life for older residents in Lebanon. Improving the quality of life of
      older residents will require action in respect of all of the domains identified
      in study. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Moving nursing practice from task-based care
      to relationship-centred approaches was seen as pivotal in helping to develop
      quality of life for residents living in the participating care homes. The
      findings have implications for education, nursing practice and research in
      Lebanon and help start an evidence base for care.

PMID- 26123866
TI  - Dose- and time-dependent effects of Garcinia kola seed extract on sexual
      behaviour and reproductive parameters in male Wistar rats.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a crude extract of
      Garcinia kola on male sexual function after subchronic and chronic treatment
      periods at different sublethal doses. Adult male Wistar rats were treated orally
      with 100, 200 and 400 mg kg(-1) of a 70% ethanolic extract of G. kola daily for
      56 days. Sexual behaviour studies were performed on days 28 and 50. At
      termination on day 56, organ weights, sperm count, reproductive hormone levels
      and testicular histology were assessed. Subchronic and chronic treatment of
      normal male rats with G. kola extract resulted in overall increase in components
      of libido, erection and ejaculation in treated rats - with lower doses being more
      efficient than the higher dose. There was a slight reduction in some components
      of sexual behaviour with prolonged time of treatment. G. kola treatment at all
      doses resulted in increased testicular weights, increased sperm count with no
      change in motility and increased serum testosterone levels with no change in
      gonadotropin levels. Gross testicular histology was not affected by treatment. We
      conclude that G. kola seed extract possesses potent aphrodisiac activity in male
      albino rats with resultant increase in sperm count and testosterone levels.

PMID- 26123867
TI  - Measurement and modeling of coronary blood flow.
AB  - Ischemic heart disease that comprises both coronary artery disease and
      microvascular disease is the single greatest cause of death globally. In this
      context, enhancing our understanding of the interaction of coronary structure and
      function is not only fundamental for advancing basic physiology but also crucial
      for identifying new targets for treating these diseases. A central challenge for
      understanding coronary blood flow is that coronary structure and function exhibit
      different behaviors across a range of spatial and temporal scales. While
      experimental studies have sought to understand this feature by isolating specific
      mechanisms, in tandem, computational modeling is increasingly also providing a
      unique framework to integrate mechanistic behaviors across different scales. In
      addition, clinical methods for assessing coronary disease severity are
      continuously being informed and updated by findings in basic physiology. Coupling
      these technologies, computational modeling of the coronary circulation is
      emerging as a bridge between the experimental and clinical domains, providing a
      framework to integrate imaging and measurements from multiple sources with
      mathematical descriptions of governing physical laws. State-of-the-art
      computational modeling is being used to combine mechanistic models with data to
      provide new insight into coronary physiology, optimization of medical
      technologies, and new applications to guide clinical practice.

PMID- 26123868
TI  - High performance wash-free magnetic bioassays through microfluidically enhanced
      particle specificity.
AB  - Magnetic biosensors have emerged as a sensitive and versatile platform for high
      performance medical diagnostics. These magnetic biosensors require well-tailored
      magnetic particles as detection probes, which need to give rise to a large and
      specific biological signal while showing very low nonspecific binding. This is
      especially important in wash-free bioassay protocols, which do not require
      removal of particles before measurement, often a necessity in point of care
      diagnostics. Here we show that magnetic interactions between magnetic particles
      and magnetized sensors dramatically impact particle transport and magnetic
      adhesion to the sensor surfaces. We investigate the dynamics of magnetic
      particles' biomolecular binding and magnetic adhesion to the sensor surface using
      microfluidic experiments. We elucidate how flow forces can inhibit magnetic
      adhesion, greatly diminishing or even eliminating nonspecific signals in wash
      free magnetic bioassays, and enhancing signal to noise ratios by several orders
      of magnitude. Our method is useful for selecting and optimizing magnetic
      particles for a wide range of magnetic sensor platforms. 

PMID- 26123870
TI  - Long Curriculum in Resident Education.

PMID- 26123871
TI  - Proximal femoral excision with interposition myoplasty for cerebral palsy
      patients with painful chronic hip dislocation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Proximal femoral excision is a salvage procedure for painful chronic hip
      dislocation in cerebral palsy (CP) patients. The primary objective of this
      article is to describe our experience of an amplified interposition myoplasty,
      with appropriate peri-operative pain and tone management strategies, in a cohort
      of non-ambulatory CP patients with painful chronic hip dislocation. Our secondary
      objective is to present the clinical outcomes of these patients. METHODS: We
      describe our experience in 20 CP patients (25 procedures) at mean 54-month (range
      27-169) follow-up with a surgical technique that includes an augmented
      interposition myoplasty and tone management. The indications for surgery were
      pain (21 hips), poor sitting tolerance (11) and difficulty with perineal care
      (8). RESULTS: The mean age was 22 years (range 10-40) with 11 patients Gross
      Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS) IV and 9 patients GMFCS V. Mean
      length of stay was 13 days (3-35). One procedure required revision at 12 months.
      Mean pain score improved from 7.8 (5-10) pre-operatively to 2.8 (1-5) post
      operatively (p < 0.001). Sitting tolerance improved in all patients and in 75 %
      (15) perineal care was easier. CONCLUSIONS: Our interposition myoplasty technique
      with individualised pain/tone management has good outcomes in this cohort of
      patients with multiple co-morbidities.

PMID- 26123869
TI  - Relationship between synovial fluid ARGS-aggrecan fragments, cytokines, MMPs, and
      TIMPs following acute ACL injury: A cross-sectional study.
AB  - Severe knee trauma, such as an ACL disruption, produces aggrecan degradation as
      evidenced by elevated synovial fluid (SF) N-terminal (393) Alanine-Arginine
      Glycine-Serine (ARGS) neoepitope (or ARGS-aggrecan) and is associated with
      inflammatory activity soon after injury. However, it is not known if this process
      persists for a substantial time interval following the initial trauma. The
      purpose of this study was to evaluate relationships between SF ARGS
      concentrations and an array of cytokines, matrix metalloproteases (MMPs), and
      tissue inhibitor of metalloproteases (TIMPs) during the initial 6 months
      following ACL rupture. SF samples from 67 ACL-injured subjects (29 women) were
      analyzed within 6 months of injury (18-155 days), immediately prior to surgical
      ACL reconstruction. Relationships between ARGS and individual analyte
      concentrations, as well as MMP/TIMP ratios were evaluated. Statistically
      significant relationships were found between ARGS and basic fibroblast growth
      factor (FGF2) (p=0.03) and TIMP-3 (p=0.01). Our findings suggest that FGF2,
      considered to be primarily catabolic in articular cartilage, is not downregulated
      as ARGS concentration declines over time since injury. In addition, these results
      support the hypothesis that an upregulation of TIMP-3, the primary aggrecanase
      inhibitor, is elicited in response to increased aggrecan degradation, which may
      inhibit further cleavage.

PMID- 26123872
TI  - Variable Holocene deformation above a shallow subduction zone extremely close to
      the trench.
AB  - Histories of vertical crustal motions at convergent margins offer fundamental
      insights into the relationship between interplate slip and permanent deformation.
      Moreover, past abrupt motions are proxies for potential tsunamigenic earthquakes
      and benefit hazard assessment. Well-dated records are required to understand the
      relationship between past earthquakes and Holocene vertical deformation. Here we
      measure elevations and (230)Th ages of in situ corals raised above the sea level
      in the western Solomon Islands to build an uplift event history overlying the
      seismogenic zone, extremely close to the trench (4-40 km). We find marked
      spatiotemporal heterogeneity in uplift from mid-Holocene to present: some areas
      accrue more permanent uplift than others. Thus, uplift imposed during the 1 April
      2007 Mw 8.1 event may be retained in some locations but removed in others before
      the next megathrust rupture. This variability suggests significant changes in
      strain accumulation and the interplate thrust process from one event to the next.

PMID- 26123873
TI  - The futility study--Progress over the last decade.
AB  - We review the futility clinical trial design (also known as the non-superiority
      design) with respect to its emergence and methodologic developments over the last
      decade, especially in regard to its application to clinical trials for
      neurological disorders. We discuss the design's strengths as a programmatic
      screening device to weed out unpromising new treatments, its limitations and
      pitfalls, and a recent critique of the logic of the method.

PMID- 26123874
TI  - Benzodiazepine Use and Risk of Developing Alzheimer's Disease or Vascular
      Dementia: A Case-Control Analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Previous observational studies have associated benzodiazepine use
      with an increased risk of dementia. However, limitations in the study methods
      leave questions unanswered regarding the interpretation of the findings. METHODS:
      A case-control analysis was conducted using data from the UK-based Clinical
      Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). A total of 26,459 patients aged >=65 years
      with newly diagnosed Alzheimer's disease (AD) or vascular dementia (VaD) between
      1998 and 2013 were identified and matched 1:1 to dementia-free controls on age,
      sex, calendar time, general practice, and number of years of recorded history.
      Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)
      of developing AD or VaD in relation to previous benzodiazepine use, stratified by
      duration and benzodiazepine type. RESULTS: The aOR (95% CI) of developing AD for
      those who started benzodiazepines <1 year before diagnosis was 2.20 (1.91-2.53),
      and fell to the null for those who started between 2 and <3 years before [aOR
      0.99 (0.84-1.17)]. The aOR (95% CI) of developing VaD for those who started
      benzodiazepines <1 year before diagnosis was 3.30 (2.78-3.92), and fell close to
      the null for those who started between 3 and <4 years before [aOR 1.16 (0.96
      1.40)]. After accounting for benzodiazepine use initiated during this prodromal
      phase, long-term use of benzodiazepines was not associated with an increased risk
      of developing AD [aOR 0.69 (0.57-0.85)] or VaD [aOR 1.11 (0.85-1.45)].
      CONCLUSION: After taking a prodromal phase into consideration, benzodiazepine use
      was not associated with an increased risk of developing AD or VaD.

PMID- 26123875
TI  - Cerebral Small-Vessel Disease in Neuro-Behcet Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Involvement of central nervous system is very common in Behcet
      disease, known as neuro-Behcet disease (NBD). However, there have been few
      reports which evaluated stroke-like cerebral small-vessel disease associated with
      Behcet disease. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated cerebral small-vessel lesions by using
      magnetic resonance imaging in 2 patients with NBD. CLINICAL CASES: In a 41-year
      old woman case, who developed dysarthria and left hemiparesis, diffusion-weighted
      images (DWI) showed small high-intensity areas in the bilateral internal capsule.
      The right lesion had a low apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value, whereas
      the left one had a high value. In a 59-year-old woman case, who developed
      dysarthria and left hemihypesthesia, DWI showed high-intensity areas in the right
      side of the pons and in the right peduncle of the midbrain. The lesion in the
      pons had a low ADC value, whereas the lesion in the midbrain had a high value.
      ADC map may be useful to identify symptomatic lesions in the brain, because only
      the lesions with low ADC values were symptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: NBD should be
      considered in those who had not had any risk factors for ischemic stroke but
      experienced cerebral small-vessel disease.

PMID- 26123876
TI  - Repeated Transient Wallenberg's Syndrome: Probable Association with Ipsilateral
      Vertebral Artery Hypoplasia and Aortic Valve Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Here we report a rare case of repeated transient Wallenberg's
      syndrome and discuss its mechanism. METHODS: Case report and literature review.
      RESULTS: A 57-year-old man was admitted for 1.5-month repeated transient
      Wallenberg's syndrome, including right-sided Horner's syndrome, lower limb
      weakness, and paresthesia on the right side of the body and face. His symptom
      appeared mostly during physical activity. Symptoms occurred nearly everyday and
      lasted from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. His cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      including diffusion-weighted MRI imaging was normal, and his cervical contrast
      enhanced magnetic resonance angiography reflected right vertebral artery
      hypoplasia. Twenty-four-hour electrocardiogram and electroencephalography showed
      no abnormalities. Echocardiography showed aortic valve calcification with
      moderate aortic stenosis, moderate aortic insufficiency, and dilated aorta. Dual
      antiplatelets or warfarin (international normalized ratio reached 2.07) were not
      effective to reduce the attacks. CONCLUSIONS: Hemodynamic instability due to
      valve disease combined with right vertebral artery hypoplasia could lead to
      transient Wallenberg's syndrome. Antithrombotics are often ineffective for this
      kind of patients and the best therapy for them could be to cure their valve
      disease. Repeated transient Wallenberg's syndrome is rare and that caused by
      ipsilateral vertebral artery hypoplasia and severe valve disease has not been
      reported up till now to our knowledge, so it will widen the knowledge on
      etiologies of transient ischemic attacks and provide information and reference to
      cardiologists and neurologists in diagnosis and treatment for patients with
      similar clinical manifestations.

PMID- 26123877
TI  - Pantomiming tool use with an imaginary tool in hand as compared to demonstration
      with tool in hand specifically modulates the left middle and superior temporal
      gyri.
AB  - Neuropsychological lesion studies evidence the necessity to differentiate between
      various forms of tool-related actions such as real tool use, tool use
      demonstration with tool in hand and without physical target object, and pantomime
      without tool in hand. However, thus far, neuroimaging studies have primarily
      focused only on investigating tool use pantomimes. The present fMRI study
      investigates pantomime without tool in hand as compared to tool use demonstration
      with tool in hand in order to explore patterns of cerebral signal modulation
      associated with acting with imaginary tools in hand. Fifteen participants
      performed with either hand (i) tool use pantomime with an imaginary tool in hand
      in response to visual tool presentation and (ii) tool use demonstration with tool
      in hand in response to visual-tactile tool presentation. In both conditions, no
      physical target object was present. The conjunction analysis of the right and
      left hands executions of tool use pantomime relative to tool use demonstration
      yielded significant activity in the left middle and superior temporal lobe. In
      contrast, demonstration relative to pantomime revealed large bihemispherically
      distributed homologous areas of activity. Thus far, fMRI studies have
      demonstrated the relevance of the left middle and superior temporal gyri in
      viewing, naming, and matching tools and related actions and contexts. Since in
      our study all these factors were equally (ir)relevant both in the tool use
      pantomime and the tool use demonstration conditions, the present findings enhance
      the knowledge about the function of these brain regions in tool-related cognitive
      processes. The two contrasted conditions only differ regarding the fact that the
      pantomime condition requires the individual to act with an imaginary tool in
      hand. Therefore, we suggest that the left middle and superior temporal gyri are
      specifically involved in integrating the projected mental image of a tool in the
      execution of a tool-specific movement concept. 

PMID- 26123878
TI  - Experiences of Detention under the Mental Health Act for Adults with Anorexia
      Nervosa.
AB  - People with Anorexia Nervosa are often resistant to treatment and can be detained
      under the Mental Health Act. Detention can be distressing for some client groups;
      however, there is little research to explore how people with Anorexia Nervosa
      experience detention and how these experiences impact on recovery. This study
      utilized a qualitative methodology to develop a model for understanding how
      people perceive, experience and process detention under the Mental Health Act.
      Data from 12 participants was analysed using constructivist grounded theory. Four
      overarching categories conceptualize their experience over time: 'the battle',
      'the bubble', 'stepping out of the bubble' and 'the anorexic self'. Within each
      overarching category are further subordinate categories that represent the
      nuances of the data. The resultant model is discussed in relation to the
      literature, whilst recommendations have been made to embed person-centred,
      recovery practice into inpatient services. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons,
      Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: People detained under the mental health act with
      anorexia nervosa often respond by engaging in a battle with clinicians. This
      follows by the person withdrawing into a 'bubble' where the individual starts to
      feel some relief that they are no longer in control of their eating, but this
      competes with the lack of self and the emerging anorexic self. Clinicians need to
      be aware that individuals detained may have mixed feelings about their hospital
      admission.

PMID- 26123879
TI  - Anaerobic blood culture isolates in a Norwegian university hospital:
      identification by MALDI-TOF MS vs 16S rRNA sequencing and antimicrobial
      susceptibility profiles.
AB  - We investigated 197 anaerobic isolates recovered from blood cultures in the
      period 2009-2013. The isolates included were Bacteroides spp., Clostridium spp.,
      Prevotella spp., Fusobacterium spp. and Gram-positive anaerobic cocci (GPAC).
      Identification results by MALDI-TOF MS were compared to those obtained by 16S
      rRNA sequencing, and the MICs of benzylpenicillin, clindamycin, piperacillin
      tazobactam, meropenem and metronidazole were determined by Etests. The MALDI-TOF
      MS correctly identified 94.9% of the anaerobes to the genus level, and 86.8% to
      the species level, with errors mainly among the non-fragilis Bacteroides spp. and
      GPAC. About 73.3% of the isolates were non-susceptible to penicillin, mainly due
      to high resistance rates in the Bacteroides spp. (99.2%) and Prevotella spp.
      (69.2%). About 18.5% of the isolates were clindamycin resistant. Piperacillin
      tazobactam had an excellent activity against all anaerobes except the non
      fragilis Bacteroides spp., of which 43.8% were non-susceptible. The clinical
      significance of such a high resistance rate is unclear. Meropenem and
      metronidazole were the most active antibiotics, with 96.9% and 97.9% of the
      isolates being susceptible. 

PMID- 26123880
TI  - Divergence and convergence of commercial and scientific priorities in drug
      development: The case of Zelmid, the first SSRI antidepressant.
AB  - Based on a realist conceptualization of interests, this paper explores how
      commercial and scientific priorities appear to have converged and diverged during
      the development of the antidepressant Zelmid. The drug represents the first of
      the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to reach the market. Zelmid
      was synthesized in 1971 and launched by the Swedish firm Astra in 1982, but
      subsequently withdrawn the next year because of adverse neurological effects.
      This paper draws on in-depth interviews with scientists representing both
      industry and academia who had high-level involvement in various phases of the
      project (experimental, pre-clinical and clinical), as well as on textual sources
      such as scientific articles and memoirs. Zelmid was a product of mechanism-based
      or "rational" drug discovery from the early 1960s and the associated
      intermingling of science and commerce. It is argued that both scientists and the
      pharmaceutical company shared an interest in embracing mechanism-based drug
      discovery because it simultaneously promised medico-scientific advances and
      profits. However, the intermingling of science and commerce also strained the
      relationship between scientific and commercial priorities further along the
      trajectory of the drug; for example, concerning issues such as dosage strategy
      and drug use in primary care, where corporate management allegedly took decisions
      contrary to the recommendations of both academic and company scientists. On such
      occasions the asymmetry in power became apparent in scientists' narratives:
      commercial considerations trumped those of science since, ultimately, decisions
      rest with management, not with scientists. In addition, temporality appears to be
      associated with the divergence of commercial and scientific priorities. While
      rare during experimental and pre-clinical phases, divergence was concentrated
      downstream to the clinical testing and post-marketing phases. It is hypothesized
      that a similar pattern of convergence and divergence of commercial and scientific
      priorities may exist in the trajectory of other drugs. 

PMID- 26123881
TI  - The effects of utility evaluations, biomedical knowledge and modernization on
      intention to exclusively use biomedical health facilities among rural households
      in Mozambique.
AB  - In resource-limited settings, the choice between utilizing biomedical health
      services and/or traditional healers is critical to the success of the public
      health mission. In the literature, this choice has been predicted to be
      influenced by three major factors: knowledge about biomedical etiologies;
      cultural modernization; and rational choice. The current study investigated all
      three of these predicted determinants, applying data from a general household
      survey conducted in 2010 in Zambezia Province of Mozambique involving 1045
      randomly sampled rural households. Overall, more respondents (N = 802) intended
      to continue to supplement their biomedical healthcare with traditional healer
      services in comparison with those intending to utilize biomedical care
      exclusively (N = 243). The findings strongly supported the predicted association
      between rational utility (measured as satisfaction with the quality of service
      and results from past care) with the future intention to continue to supplement
      or utilize biomedical care exclusively. Odds of moving away from supplementation
      increase by a factor of 2.5 if the respondent reported seeing their condition
      improve under government/private biomedical care. Odds of staying with
      supplementation increase by a factor 3.1 if the respondent was satisfied with
      traditional care and a factor of 16 if the condition had improved under
      traditional care. Modernization variables (education, income, religion, and
      Portuguese language skills) were relevant and provided a significant component of
      the best scientific model. Amount of biomedical knowledge was not a significant
      predictor of choice. There was a small effect on choice from knowing the
      limitations of biomedical care. The findings have implications for public
      healthcare promotion activities in areas where biomedical care is introduced as
      an alternative to traditional healing. 

PMID- 26123882
TI  - Migrants' and professionals' views on culturally sensitive pre-hospital emergency
      care.
AB  - This study was designed to explore the views of migrants and professionals on
      culturally sensitive pre-hospital emergency care in order to adapt such care to
      migrants' needs. Interviews were conducted with 41 migrants who had received
      direct (as a patient) or indirect (as a significant other) pre-hospital emergency
      care. Furthermore, 20 professionals in the field of pre-hospital emergency care
      were interviewed. The content analysis showed five distinguishable categories
      based on the statements by the migrants and six categories based on the
      statements by the professionals. While migrants gave priority to basic
      proficiencies of first responders such as 'social/emotional competencies' and
      'communication skills', the professionals considered '(basic) cultural
      knowledge', 'awareness' and 'attitude' the most important. Furthermore, migrants
      provided practical indications, e.g. regarding areas of cultural knowledge,
      whereas professionals seemed to view the issue of culturally pre-hospital
      emergency care from a more theoretical perspective. The issues of the culturally
      sensitive pre-hospital emergency care itself, as well as the varying points of
      view of the two groups interviewed, resulted in eight recommendations for
      culturally sensitive pre-hospital emergency care. 

PMID- 26123883
TI  - Impact of the policy of expanding benefit coverage for cancer patients on
      catastrophic health expenditure across different income groups in South Korea.
AB  - To increase financial protection for catastrophic illness, South Korean
      government expanded the National Health Insurance (NHI) benefit coverage for
      cancer patients in September 2005. This paper investigated whether the policy has
      reduced inequality in catastrophic payments, defined as annual out-of-pocket
      (OOP) health payments exceeding 10% annual income, across different income
      groups. This study used the NHI claims data from 2002 to 2004 and 2006 to 2010.
      Triple difference estimator was employed to compare cancer patients as a
      treatment group with those with liver and cardio-cerebrovascular diseases as
      control groups and the low-income with the high-income groups. While catastrophic
      payments decreased in cancer patients compared with those of two diseases, they
      appeared to decrease more in the high-income than the low-income group.
      Considering that increased health care utilization and poor economic capacity may
      lead to a smaller reduction in catastrophic payments for the low-income than the
      high-income patients, the government needs to consider additional policy measures
      to increase financial protection for the poor. 

PMID- 26123884
TI  - Drug use and social control: The negotiation of moral ambivalence.
AB  - Illicit drugs occupy an ambivalent position in late modern society; one that
      revolves around the twin themes of pleasure and disapproval. Drawing on Freudian
      psychoanalysis and Eliasian sociology this article considers how people,
      particularly those who use drugs, negotiate such ambivalence. Patterns of drug
      use and associated attitudes are examined on the basis of the Crime Survey for
      England and Wales and a specialist survey of largely recreational drug users in
      the United Kingdom. Although illicit drugs have become increasingly familiar,
      their use is still widely thought to be harmful and morally dubious, creating a
      series of challenges for those who engage in such behaviour. Ambivalence among
      drug users is evident in an awareness of potential costs as well as benefits; a
      tendency to avoid more harmful substances; a general emphasis on moderation; and
      a desire to use less. Building on previous work, which highlights the role of
      neutralisations in sustaining drug using behaviour, particular attention is paid
      to users' judgements about how their levels of consumption compare with other
      users. The analysis identifies a tendency among users to downplay their relative
      levels of use, which, it is argued, serves to shield them from some of the
      imperatives that may lead to decisions to cut down. As such, normalisation is
      said to be an intra-personal as well inter-personal process. The article
      concludes by discussing the potential of web-based personalised feedback as a
      harm reduction approach. 

PMID- 26123886
TI  - Absent cavum septum pellucidum: a review with emphasis on associated commissural
      abnormalities.
AB  - The cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) is an important fetal midline forebrain
      landmark, and its absence often signifies additional underlying malformations.
      Frequently detected by prenatal sonography, absence of the CSP requires further
      imaging with pre- or postnatal MRI to characterize the accompanying
      abnormalities. This article reviews the developmental anatomy of the CSP and the
      pivotal role of commissurization in normal development. An understanding of the
      patterns of commissural abnormalities associated with absence of the CSP can lead
      to improved characterization of the underlying spectrum of pathology. 

PMID- 26123888
TI  - Recombinant expression and functional analysis of an isoform of anti
      lipopolysaccharide factors (FcALF5) from Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis.
AB  - Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have a great potential to be used as a substitute
      for antibiotics since AMPs don't lead to bacteria's drug resistance. Anti
      lipopolysaccharide factors (ALFs) are one type of AMPs and exist in crustaceans.
      In the present study, we produced a recombinant protein (rFcALF5) of an ALF
      isoform (FcALF5) from Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis through a
      prokaryotic expression system. The rFcALF5 exhibited varied antibacterial
      activities against different bacteria. Besides its antibacterial activities, it
      could also inhibit the infection of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) to shrimp
      after pre-incubation with this virus. In order to learn the antiviral mechanism
      on how rFcALF5 influences WSSV infection, the interaction between the total
      proteins of WSSV and rFcALF5 was analyzed and the data showed that rFcALF5 had
      direct interaction with the envelope protein VP24 of WSSV. The LPS binding domain
      (LBD) of FcALF5 also showed direct interaction with VP24 of WSSV. Therefore we
      inferred that the antiviral activity of FcALF5 might be achieved through the
      binding of its LBD to VP24 of WSSV. These findings provided more information to
      develop new strategies for the control of shrimp disease in aquaculture. 

PMID- 26123889
TI  - Differential immune gene expression profiles in susceptible and resistant full
      sibling families of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) challenged with infectious
      pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV).
AB  - This study aims to identify at the expression level the immune-related genes
      associated with IPN-susceptible and resistant phenotypes in Atlantic salmon full
      sibling families. We have analyzed thirty full-sibling families infected by
      immersion with IPNV and then classified as resistant or susceptible using a
      multivariate survival analysis based on a gamma-Cox frailty model and the Kaplan
      Meier mortality curves. In four families within each group head kidneys were
      pooled for real-time PCR and one-color salmon-specific oligonucleotide microarray
      (21K) analysis at day 1 and 5 post-infection. Transcripts involved in innate
      response (IL-6, IFN-alpha), antigen presentation (HSP-70, HSP-90, MHC-I), TH1
      response (IL-12, IFN-gamma, CRFB6), immunosuppression (IL-10, TGF-beta1) and
      leukocyte activation and migration (CCL-19, CD18) showed a differential
      expression pattern between both phenotypes, except in IL-6. In susceptible
      families, except for IFN-gamma, the expressions dropped to basal values at day 5
      post-infection. In resistant families, unlike susceptible families, levels
      remained high or increased (except for IL-6) at day 5. Transcriptomic analysis
      showed that both families have a clear differential expression pattern, resulting
      in a marked down-regulation in immune related genes involved in innate response,
      complement system, antigen recognition and activation of immune response in IPN
      resistant. Down-regulation of genes, mainly related to tissue differentiation and
      protein degradation metabolism, was also observed in resistant families. We have
      identified an immune-related gene patterns associated with susceptibility and
      resistance to IPNV infection of Atlantic salmon. This suggests that a limited
      immune response is associated with resistant fish phenotype to IPNV challenge
      while a highly inflammatory but short response is associated with susceptibility.

PMID- 26123890
TI  - An inducible transgene reports activation of macrophages in live zebrafish
      larvae.
AB  - Macrophages are the most functionally heterogenous cells of the hematopoietic
      system. Given many diseases are underpinned by inappropriate macrophage
      activation, macrophages have emerged as a therapeutic target to treat disease. A
      thorough understanding of what controls macrophage activation will likely reveal
      new pathways that can be manipulated for therapeutic benefit. Live imaging
      fluorescent macrophages within transgenic zebrafish larvae has provided a
      valuable window to investigate macrophage behavior in vivo. Here we describe the
      first transgenic zebrafish line that reports macrophage activation, as evidenced
      by induced expression of an immunoresponsive gene 1(irg1):EGFP transgene. When
      combined with existing reporter lines that constitutively mark macrophages, we
      reveal this unique transgenic line can be used to live image macrophage
      activation in response to the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide and
      xenografted human cancer cells. We anticipate the Tg(irg1:EGFP) line will provide
      a valuable tool to explore macrophage activation and plasticity in the context of
      different disease models.

PMID- 26123891
TI  - Chondrogenic Differentiation Processes in Human Bone Marrow Aspirates upon rAAV
      Mediated Gene Transfer and Overexpression of the Insulin-Like Growth Factor I.
AB  - Direct therapeutic gene transfer in marrow concentrates is an attractive strategy
      to conveniently enhance the chondrogenic differentiation processes as a means to
      improve the healing response of damaged articular cartilage upon reimplantation
      in sites of injury. In the present study, we evaluated the ability of the
      clinically adapted recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors to mediate
      overexpression of the insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in human bone marrow
      aspirates that may modulate the proliferative, anabolic activities, and
      chondrogenic differentiation potential in such samples in vitro. The results
      demonstrate that successful, significant rAAV-mediated IGF-I gene transfer and
      expression were achieved in transduced aspirates (up to 105.9+/-35.1 pg rhIGF
      I/mg total proteins) over time (21 days) at very high levels (~80% of cells
      expressing the candidate IGF-I transgene), leading to increased levels of
      proliferation, matrix synthesis, and chondrogenic differentiation over time
      compared with the control (lacZ) condition. Treatment with the candidate IGF-I
      vector also stimulated the hypertrophic and osteogenic differentiation processes
      in the aspirates, suggesting that the regulation of IGF-I expression through rAAV
      will be a prerequisite for future translation of the approach in vivo. However,
      these findings show the possible benefits of this vector class to directly modify
      marrow concentrates as a convenient tool for strategies that aim at improving the
      repair of articular cartilage lesions.

PMID- 26123892
TI  - The effect of medical cannabis laws on juvenile cannabis use.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A number of states in the United States legally allow the use of
      cannabis as a medical therapy to treat an illness or to alleviate symptoms.
      Concern persists as to whether these types of laws are increasing juvenile
      recreational cannabis use. It is also plausible that medical cannabis laws
      engender an escalation of illicit non-cannabis drug use among juveniles because
      cannabis is frequently considered to be a gateway drug. METHODS: This study uses
      longitudinal data drawn from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health for the
      50 U.S. states and a cross-sectional pooled-time series research design to
      investigate the effect of medical cannabis laws on juvenile cannabis use and on
      juvenile non-cannabis illicit drug use. Our study period encompasses five
      measurement periods calibrated in two-year intervals (2002-2003 to 2010-2011).
      This research design is advantageous in that it affords us the ability not only
      to assess the effect of the implementation of medical cannabis laws on juvenile
      drug use, but also to consider other state-specific factors that may explain
      variation in drug use that cannot be accounted for using a single time series.
      RESULTS: Findings show that medical cannabis laws amplify recreational juvenile
      cannabis use. Other salient predictors of juvenile cannabis use at the state
      level of analysis include perceived availability of cannabis, percent of
      juveniles skipping school, severity of perceived punishment for cannabis
      possession, alcohol consumption, percent of respondents with a father residing in
      household, and percent of families in the state receiving public assistance.
      There is little empirical evidence to support the view that medical cannabis laws
      affect juveniles' use of illicit non-cannabis drugs. CONCLUSION: Based on our
      findings, it seems reasonable to speculate that medical cannabis laws amplify
      juveniles' use of cannabis by allaying the social stigma associated with
      recreational cannabis use and by placating the fear that cannabis use could
      potentially result in a negative health outcome.

PMID- 26123893
TI  - Expansion of HCV treatment access to people who have injected drugs through
      effective translation of research into public health policy: Scotland's
      experience.
AB  - Seven years have elapsed since the Scottish Government launched its Hepatitis C
      Action Plan - a Plan to improve services to prevent transmission of infection,
      particularly among people who inject drugs (PWID), identify those infected and
      ensure those infected receive optimal treatment. The Plan was underpinned by
      industrial scale funding (around L100 million, in addition to the general NHS
      funding, will have been invested by 2015), and a web of accountable national and
      local multi-disciplinary multi-agency networks responsible for the planning,
      development and delivery of services. Initiatives ranged from the introduction of
      testing in specialist drug services through finger-prick blood sampling by non
      clinical staff, to the setting of government targets to ensure rapid scale-up of
      antiviral therapy. The Plan was informed by comprehensive national monitoring
      systems, indicating the extent of the problem not just in terms of numbers
      infected, diagnosed and treated but also the more penetrative data on the number
      advancing to end-stage liver disease and death, and also through compelling
      modelling work demonstrating the potential beneficial impact of scaling-up
      therapy and the mounting cost of not acting. Achievements include around 50%
      increase in the proportion of the infected population diagnosed (38% to 55%); a
      sustained near two-and-a-half fold increase in the annual number of people
      initiated onto therapy (470 to 1050) with more pronounced increases among PWID
      (300 to 840) and prisoners (20 to 140); and reversing of an upward trend in the
      overall number of people living with chronic infection. The Action Plan has
      demonstrated that a Government-backed, coordinated and invested approach can
      transform services and rapidly improve the lives of thousands. Cited as "an
      impressive example of a national strategy" by the Global Commission on Drug
      Policy, the Scottish Plan has also provided fundamental insights of international
      relevance into the management of HCV among PWID. 

PMID- 26123894
TI  - Opioid substitution treatment in Tihar prisons, India: Process of implementation.

PMID- 26123895
TI  - Science 1, Religion 5: A reply to.

PMID- 26123896
TI  - Service use before and after the provision of scatter-site Housing First for
      chronically homeless individuals with severe alcohol use disorders.

PMID- 26123897
TI  - Reality and feasibility for pharmacy-delivered services for people who inject
      drugs in Xichang, China: Comparisons between pharmacy staff and people who inject
      drugs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In 2010, the reported overall HIV prevalence in Liangshan China
      (1.14%) was 19.7 times of the overall estimated prevalence in China (0.058%), and
      injection drug use contributed to 60.0% of overall HIV infections in Xichang, the
      Capital city of Liangshan. With one national methadone clinic and three
      outpatient service sites, and three NEP sites, the HIV prevalence among people
      who inject drugs (PWID) in Xichang was estimated as 18.0% (2.8 times of national
      HIV prevalence among PWID) in 2012. METHODS: Face-to-face questionnaire
      interviews were used in a cross-sectional study to assess experience, attitudes,
      possibility and acceptability of implementing 8 pharmacy-delivered services among
      PWID (n=403). The concordance of attitudes, possibility and acceptability between
      PWID and pharmacy staff (n=50) was examined. RESULTS: Rather than medical
      facility (23.1%), and NEP (8.9%), pharmacies were the main source of syringes for
      PWID in the last 12 months (82.1%), PWID (63.5%) reported syringes could be
      bought in single piece and at the price of $0.16 USD (59.3%). In the last 30
      days, only 1 PWID brought used syringes back to a pharmacy. Pharmacy staff's
      attitudes were generally negative but nearly neutral (average score -0.18),
      discrimination/business concerns against pharmacy-delivered services existed, and
      4 of 5 compared attitude questions between PWID and pharmacy staff were
      statistically different (p<0.01). 5 of 8 pharmacy-delivered services were
      available for PWID at low level (<=16.9%). Pharmacy staff's supportive perception
      for pharmacy-delivered services focused on pharmacies' initiate roles targeting
      on general population more than on PWID. PWID were more supportive and optimistic
      than pharmacy staff toward potential usage of pharmacy-delivered services
      (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Pharmacy-delivered services for PWID in Xichang were partly
      in reality, and could be feasible. It is urgently needed to address the legal
      requirements and remuneration for pharmacies. Pharmacy staff should receive
      additional training on services related knowledge and skills, cultural
      sensitivity toward PWID. Successful pharmacy-delivered services would benefit
      from identifying mutual interest and benefit between pharmacies and PWID.

PMID- 26123898
TI  - Methods and predictors of tampering with a tamper-resistant controlled-release
      oxycodone formulation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In April 2014, a tamper-resistant controlled-release oxycodone
      formulation was introduced into the Australian market. This study aimed to
      identify the level and methods of tampering with reformulated oxycodone,
      demographic and clinical characteristics of those who reported tampering with
      reformulated oxycodone, and perceived attractiveness of original and reformulated
      oxycodone for misuse (via tampering). METHODS: A prospective cohort of 522 people
      who regularly tampered with pharmaceutical opioids and had tampered with the
      original oxycodone product in their lifetime completed two interviews before
      (January-March 2014: Wave 1) and after (May-August 2014: Wave 2) introduction of
      reformulated oxycodone. RESULTS: Four-fifths (81%) had tampered with the original
      oxycodone formulation in the month prior to Wave 1; use and attempted tampering
      with reformulated oxycodone amongst the sample was comparatively low at Wave 2
      (29% and 19%, respectively). Reformulated oxycodone was primarily swallowed
      (15%), with low levels of recent successful injection (6%), chewing (2%),
      drinking/dissolving (1%), and smoking (<1%). Participants who tampered with
      original and reformulated oxycodone were socio-demographically and clinically
      similar to those who had only tampered with the original formulation, except the
      former were more likely to report prescribed oxycodone use and stealing
      pharmaceutical opioid, and less likely to report moderate/severe anxiety. There
      was significant diversity in the methods for tampering, with attempts
      predominantly prompted by self-experimentation (rather than informed by word-of
      mouth or the internet). Participants rated reformulated oxycodone as more
      difficult to prepare and inject and less pleasant to use compared to the original
      formulation. CONCLUSION: Current findings suggest that the introduction of the
      tamper-resistant product has been successful at reducing, although not
      necessarily eliminating, tampering with the controlled-release oxycodone
      formulation, with lower attractiveness for misuse. Appropriate, effective
      treatment options must be available with increasing availability of abuse
      deterrent products, given the reduction of oxycodone tampering and use amongst a
      group with high rates of pharmaceutical opioid dependence.

PMID- 26123899
TI  - Successful treatment of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans infections in
      salamanders requires synergy between voriconazole, polymyxin E and temperature.
AB  - Chytridiomycosis caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans
      (Bsal) poses a serious threat to urodelan diversity worldwide. Antimycotic
      treatment of this disease using protocols developed for the related fungus
      Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), results in therapeutic failure. Here, we
      reveal that this therapeutic failure is partly due to different minimum
      inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antimycotics against Bsal and Bd. In vitro
      growth inhibition of Bsal occurs after exposure to voriconazole, polymyxin E,
      itraconazole and terbinafine but not to florfenicol. Synergistic effects between
      polymyxin E and voriconazole or itraconazole significantly decreased the combined
      MICs necessary to inhibit Bsal growth. Topical treatment of infected fire
      salamanders (Salamandra salamandra), with voriconazole or itraconazole alone
      (12.5 MUg/ml and 0.6 MUg/ml respectively) or in combination with polymyxin E
      (2000 IU/ml) at an ambient temperature of 15  degrees C during 10 days decreased
      fungal loads but did not clear Bsal infections. However, topical treatment of
      Bsal infected animals with a combination of polymyxin E (2000 IU/ml) and
      voriconazole (12.5 MUg/ml) at an ambient temperature of 20  degrees C resulted in
      clearance of Bsal infections. This treatment protocol was validated in 12 fire
      salamanders infected with Bsal during a field outbreak and resulted in clearance
      of infection in all animals. 

PMID- 26123901
TI  - Pathological and prognostic significance of matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression
      in ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) has been linked with tumor invasion and
      metastasis. However, the role of MMP-2 expression in ovarian cancer remains
      controversial. By searching the PubMed, Embase, Wanfang, and China National
      Knowledge Infrastructure databases, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the
      pathological and prognostic significance of MMP-2 in ovarian cancer. Studies were
      pooled, and the odds ratio (OR) and its corresponding 95 % confidence interval
      (CI) were calculated. Version 11.0 STATA software was used for statistical
      analysis. Twenty-seven relevant articles were included for this meta-analysis
      study. The expression of MMP-2 in cancer tissue was significantly higher than
      that in benign or normal ovarian tissue [cancer vs. benign, OR 10.09 (95 % CI
      6.95-14.64); P < 0.001; cancer vs. normal, OR 30.48 (95 % CI 17.19-54.05); P <
      0.001; benign vs. normal, OR 1.88 (95 % CI 1.08-3.29); P = 0.025]. The expression
      of MMP-2 in stage III-IV or lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than
      that in stage I-II or that without metastasis, respectively [OR 5.83 (95 % CI
      4.32-7.85); P < 0.001; OR 7.20 (95 % CI 4.75-10.91); P < 0.001]. MMP-2 was
      associated with histological types and grade of ovarian cancer [serous vs.
      mucinous, OR 1.67 (95 % CI 1.17-2.39); P = 0.004; grade 3 vs. 1, 2, OR 3.23 (95 %
      CI 2.29-4.55); P < 0.001]. However, the age of patients was not associated with
      MMP-2 expression [OR 1.25 (95 % CI 0.61-2.58); P = 0.546]. In conclusion, MMP-2
      is related to the malignant degree, FIGO stage, histological types and grade, and
      lymph node metastasis of ovarian cancer. It may play a significant role in
      clinical guidelines for the treatment and prognostic evaluation. 

PMID- 26123900
TI  - Toll-like receptor 3 expression and function in childhood idiopathic nephrotic
      syndrome.
AB  - The efficacy of steroids and immunosuppressive treatments in idiopathic nephrotic
      syndrome (INS) hints at the implication of immune cells in the pathophysiology of
      the disease. Toll-like receptor (TLR) dysfunctions are involved in many kidney
      diseases of immune origin, but remain little described in INS. We investigated
      the expression and function of TLRs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)
      of INS children, including 28 in relapse, 23 in remission and 40 controls. No
      child had any sign of infection, but a higher Epstein-Barr virus viral load was
      measured in the PBMC of relapsing patients. TLR-3 expression was increased in B
      cells only during INS remission. There was a negative correlation between
      proteinuria and TLR-3 expression in total and the main subsets of PBMC from INS
      patients. The expression of TLR-8 was also increased in both CD4(+) T cells and B
      cells in INS remission. There was a negative correlation between proteinuria and
      TLR-8 expression in total PBMC, CD4(+) T cells and B cells of INS patients.
      Nevertheless, TLR-3 and TLR-8 expression was normalized in all PBMC subsets in an
      additional group of 15 INS patients in remission with B cell repletion after
      rituximab therapy. Paradoxically, interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 3
      transactivation was increased in PBMC of all INS patients. In-vitro secretion of
      IFN-alpha and interleukin 6 were increased spontaneously in PBMC of INS remission
      patients, whereas PBMC from all INS patients displayed an impaired IFN-alpha
      secretion after TLR-3 stimulation. Thus, TLR-3 pathway dysfunctions may be
      closely involved in INS pathogenesis.

PMID- 26123902
TI  - Estradiol levels modulate brain activity and negative responses to psychosocial
      stress across the menstrual cycle.
AB  - Although ovarian hormones are thought to have a potential role in the well-known
      sex difference in mood and anxiety disorders, the mechanisms through which
      ovarian hormone changes contribute to stress regulation are not well understood.
      One mechanism by which ovarian hormones might impact mood regulation is by
      mediating the effect of psychosocial stress, which often precedes depressive
      episodes and may have mood consequences that are particularly relevant in women.
      In the current study, brain activity and mood response to psychosocial stress was
      examined in healthy, normally cycling women at either the high or low estradiol
      phase of the menstrual cycle. Twenty eight women were exposed to the Montreal
      Imaging Stress Task (MIST), with brain activity determined through functional
      magnetic resonance imaging, and behavioral response assessed with subjective mood
      and stress measures. Brain activity responses to psychosocial stress differed
      between women in the low versus high estrogen phase of the menstrual cycle: women
      with high estradiol levels showed significantly less deactivation in limbic
      regions during psychosocial stress compared to women with low estradiol levels.
      Additionally, women with higher estradiol levels also had less subjective
      distress in response to the MIST than women with lower estradiol levels. The
      results of this study suggest that, in normally cycling premenopausal women, high
      estradiol levels attenuate the brain activation changes and negative mood
      response to psychosocial stress. Normal ovarian hormone fluctuations may alter
      the impact of psychosocially stressful events by presenting periods of increased
      vulnerability to psychosocial stress during low estradiol phases of the menstrual
      cycle. This menstrual cycle-related fluctuation in stress vulnerability may be
      relevant to the greater risk for affective disorder or post-traumatic stress
      disorder in women. 

PMID- 26123903
TI  - Reviewing Japanese Concepts of Amae and Ie to Deeper Understand the Relevance of
      Secure-Base Behavior in the Context of Japanese Caregiver-Child Interactions.
AB  - Attachment theorists believe that children rely on their caregivers for
      protection and exploration. Due to this emphasis on independent exploration,
      however, the extent to which this notion of secure-base behavior is valid in
      societies emphasizing belongingness, such as Japan, has been questioned. By
      conducting an in-depth exploration of two Japanese collectivistic concepts, amae
      and ie, the present paper reexamines the relevance of secure-base behavior in
      Japan. Current discussions of amae have relied on psychoanalytic concepts that
      were developed in Western culture, and thus may not accurately represent Japanese
      parent-child relations. By examining another traditional concept of the family
      system, ie, this paper proposes that attachment theory is relevant in Japanese
      culture because children's individual competence is important to their families.

PMID- 26123904
TI  - Patient-Centred Coordinated Care in Times of Emerging Diseases and Epidemics.
      Contribution of the IMIA Working Group on Patient Safety.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In this paper the researchers describe how existing health
      information technologies (HIT) can be repurposed and new technologies can be
      innovated to provide patient-centered care to individuals affected by new and
      emerging diseases. METHODS: The researchers conducted a focused review of the
      published literature describing how HIT can be used to support safe, patient
      centred, coordinated care to patients who are affected by Ebola (an emerging
      disease). RESULTS: New and emerging diseases present opportunities for
      repurposing existing technologies and for stimulating the development of new HIT
      innovation. Innovative technologies may be developed such as new software used
      for tracking patients during new or emerging disease outbreaks or by repurposing
      and extending existing technologies so they can be used to support patients,
      families and health professionals who may have been exposed to a disease. The
      paper describes the development of new technologies and the repurposing and
      extension of existing ones (such as electronic health records) using the most
      recent outbreak of Ebola as an example.

PMID- 26123905
TI  - Does Informatics Enable or Inhibit the Delivery of Patient-centred, Coordinated,
      and Quality-assured Care: a Delphi Study. A Contribution of the IMIA Primary
      Health Care Informatics Working Group.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Primary care delivers patient-centred and coordinated care, which
      should be quality-assured. Much of family practice now routinely uses
      computerised medical record (CMR) systems, these systems being linked at varying
      levels to laboratories and other care providers. CMR systems have the potential
      to support care. OBJECTIVE: To achieve a consensus among an international panel
      of health care professionals and informatics experts about the role of
      informatics in the delivery of patient-centred, coordinated, and quality-assured
      care. METHOD: The consensus building exercise involved 20 individuals, five
      general practitioners and 15 informatics academics, members of the International
      Medical Informatics Association Primary Care Informatics Working Group. A
      thematic analysis of the literature was carried out according to the defined
      themes. RESULTS: The first round of the analysis developed 27 statements on how
      the CMR, or any other information system, including paper-based medical records,
      supports care delivery. Round 2 aimed at achieving a consensus about the
      statements of round one. Round 3 stated that there was an agreement on
      informatics principles and structures that should be put in place. However, there
      was a disagreement about the processes involved in the implementation, and about
      the clinical interaction with the systems after the implementation. CONCLUSIONS:
      The panel had a strong agreement about the core concepts and structures that
      should be put in place to support high quality care. However, this agreement
      evaporated over statements related to implementation. These findings reflect
      literature and personal experiences: whilst there is consensus about how
      informatics structures and processes support good quality care, implementation is
      difficult.

PMID- 26123906
TI  - Usability Flaws in Medication Alerting Systems: Impact on Usage and Work System.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Previous research has shown that medication alerting systems face
      usability issues. There has been no previous attempt to systematically explore
      the consequences of usability flaws in such systems on users (i.e. usage
      problems) and work systems (i.e. negative outcomes). This paper aims at exploring
      and synthesizing the consequences of usability flaws in terms of usage problems
      and negative outcomes on the work system. METHODS: A secondary analysis of 26
      papers included in a prior systematic review of the usability flaws in medication
      alerting was performed. Usage problems and negative outcomes were extracted and
      sorted. Links between usability flaws, usage problems, and negative outcomes were
      also analyzed. RESULTS: Poor usability generates a large variety of consequences.
      It impacts the user from a cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and attitudinal
      perspective. Ultimately, usability flaws have negative consequences on the
      workflow, the effectiveness of the technology, the medication management process,
      and, more importantly, patient safety. Only few complete pathways leading from
      usability flaws to negative outcomes were identified. CONCLUSION: Usability flaws
      in medication alerting systems impede users, and ultimately their work system,
      and negatively impact patient safety. Therefore, the usability dimension may act
      as a hidden explanatory variable that could explain, at least partly, the
      (absence of) intended outcomes of new technology.

PMID- 26123907
TI  - Why Patient Centered Care Coordination Is Important in Developing Countries?
      Contribution of the IMIA Health Informatics for Development Working Group.
AB  - Patient Centered Care Coordination (PCCC) focuses on the patient health care
      needs. PCCC involves the organization, the patients and their families, that must
      coordinate resources in order to accomplish the goals of PCCC. In developing
      countries, where disparities are frequent, PCCC could improve clinical outcomes,
      costs and patients satisfaction. OBJECTIVE: the IMIA working group Health
      Informatics for Development analyzes the benefits, identifies the barriers and
      proposes strategies to reach PCCC. METHODS: Discussions about PCCC emerged from a
      brief guide that posed questions about what is PCCC, why consider PCCC important,
      barriers to grow in this direction and ask about resources considered relevant in
      the topic. RESULTS: PCCC encompasses a broad definition, includes physical,
      mental, socio-environmental and self care. Even benefits are proved, in
      developing countries the lack of a comprehensive and integrated healthcare
      network is one of the main barriers to reach this objective. Working hard to
      reach strong health policies, focus on patients, and optimizing the use of
      resources could improve the performance in the devolvement of PCCC programs.
      International collaboration could bring benefits. We believe information IT, and
      education in this field will play an important role in PCCC. CONCLUSION: PCCC in
      developing countries has the potential to improve quality of care. Education, IT,
      policies and cultural issues must be addressed in an international collaborative
      context in order to reach this goal.

PMID- 26123908
TI  - From Dyadic Ties to Information Infrastructures: Care-Coordination between
      Patients, Providers, Students and Researchers. Contribution of the Health
      Informatics Education Working Group.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To share how an effectual merging of local and online networks in low
      resource regions can supplement and strengthen the local practice of patient
      centered care through the use of an online digital infrastructure powered by all
      stakeholders in healthcare. User Driven Health Care offers the dynamic
      integration of patient values and evidence based solutions for improved medical
      communication in medical care. INTRODUCTION: This paper conceptualizes patient
      care-coordination through the lens of engaged stakeholders using digital
      infrastructures tools to integrate information technology. We distinguish this
      lens from the prevalent conceptualization of dyadic ties between clinician
      patient, patient-nurse, clinician-nurse, and offer the holistic integration of
      all stakeholder inputs, in the clinic and augmented by online communication in a
      multi-national setting. METHODS: We analyze an instance of the user-driven health
      care (UDHC), a network of providers, patients, students and researchers working
      together to help manage patient care. The network currently focuses on patients
      from LMICs, but the provider network is global in reach. We describe UDHC and its
      opportunities and challenges in care-coordination to reduce costs, bring equity,
      and improve care quality and share evidence. CONCLUSION: UDHC has resulted in
      coordinated global based local care, affecting multiple facets of medical
      practice. Shared information resources between providers with disparate
      knowledge, results in better understanding by patients, unique and challenging
      cases for students, innovative community based research and discovery learning
      for all.

PMID- 26123909
TI  - Patient Portals as a Means of Information and Communication Technology Support to
      Patient- Centric Care Coordination - the Missing Evidence and the Challenges of
      Evaluation. A joint contribution of IMIA WG EVAL and EFMI WG EVAL.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To review the potential contribution of Information and Communication
      Technology (ICT) to enable patient-centric and coordinated care, and in
      particular to explore the role of patient portals as a developing ICT tool, to
      assess the available evidence, and to describe the evaluation challenges.
      METHODS: Reviews of IMIA, EFMI, and other initiatives, together with literature
      reviews. RESULTS: We present the progression from care coordination to care
      integration, and from patient-centric to person-centric approaches. We describe
      the different roles of ICT as an enabler of the effective presentation of
      information as and when needed. We focus on the patient's role as a co-producer
      of health as well as the focus and purpose of care. We discuss the need for
      changing organisational processes as well as the current mixed evidence regarding
      patient portals as a logical tool, and the reasons for this dichotomy, together
      with the evaluation principles supported by theoretical frameworks so as to yield
      robust evidence. CONCLUSIONS: There is expressed commitment to coordinated care
      and to putting the patient in the centre. However to achieve this, new
      interactive patient portals will be needed to enable peer communication by all
      stakeholders including patients and professionals. Few portals capable of this
      exist to date. The evaluation of these portals as enablers of system change,
      rather than as simple windows into electronic records, is at an early stage and
      novel evaluation approaches are needed.

PMID- 26123910
TI  - Medical Informatics Education & Research in Greece.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to present an overview of the medical informatics
      landscape in Greece, to describe the Greek ehealth background and to highlight
      the main education and research axes in medical informatics, along with
      activities, achievements and pitfalls. METHODS: With respect to research and
      education, formal and informal sources were investigated and information was
      collected and presented in a qualitative manner, including also quantitative
      indicators when possible. RESULTS: Greece has adopted and applied medical
      informatics education in various ways, including undergraduate courses in health
      sciences schools as well as multidisciplinary postgraduate courses. There is a
      continuous research effort, and large participation in EU-wide initiatives, in
      all the spectrum of medical informatics research, with notable scientific
      contributions, although technology maturation is not without barriers. Wide-scale
      deployment of eHealth is anticipated in the healthcare system in the near future.
      While ePrescription deployment has been an important step, ICT for integrated
      care and telehealth have a lot of room for further deployment. CONCLUSIONS:
      Greece is a valuable contributor in the European medical informatics arena, and
      has the potential to offer more as long as the barriers of research and
      innovation fragmentation are addressed and alleviated.

PMID- 26123911
TI  - An Opening Chapter of the First Generation of Artificial Intelligence in
      Medicine: The First Rutgers AIM Workshop, June 1975.
AB  - The first generation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Medicine methods were
      developed in the early 1970's drawing on insights about problem solving in AI.
      They developed new ways of representing structured expert knowledge about
      clinical and biomedical problems using causal, taxonomic, associational, rule,
      and frame-based models. By 1975, several prototype systems had been developed and
      clinically tested, and the Rutgers Research Resource on Computers in Biomedicine
      hosted the first in a series of workshops on AI in Medicine that helped
      researchers and clinicians share their ideas, demonstrate their models, and
      comment on the prospects for the field. These developments and the workshops
      themselves benefited considerably from Stanford's SUMEX-AIM pioneering experiment
      in biomedical computer networking. This paper focuses on discussions about issues
      at the intersection of medicine and artificial intelligence that took place
      during the presentations and panels at the First Rutgers AIM Workshop in New
      Brunswick, New Jersey from June 14 to 17, 1975. 

PMID- 26123912
TI  - Health Information Technology Challenges to Support Patient-Centered Care
      Coordination.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To provide an editorial introduction to the 2015 IMIA Yearbook of
      Medical Informatics. METHODS: We provide a brief overview of the 2015 special
      topic "Patient-Centered Care Coordination", discuss the addition of two new
      sections to the Yearbook, Natural Language Processing and Public Health &
      Epidemiology Informatics, and present our editorial plans for the upcoming
      celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Yearbook. RESULTS: Care delivery
      currently occurs through the processing of complex clinical pathways designed for
      increasingly multi-morbid patients by various practitioners in different
      settings. To avoid the consequences of the fragmentation of services, care should
      be organized to coordinate all providers, giving them the opportunity to share
      the same holistic view of the patient's condition, and to be informed of the
      planned clinical pathway that establishes the roles and interventions of each
      one. The adoption and use of electronic health records (EHRs) is a solution to
      address health information sharing and care coordination challenges. However,
      while EHRs are necessary, they are not sufficient to achieve care coordination,
      creating information availability does not mean the information will be accessed.
      This edition of the Yearbook acknowledges the fact that health information
      technology (HIT), and EHRs in particular, are not yet fully addressing the
      challenges in care coordination. Emerging trends, tools, and applications of HIT
      to support care coordination are presented through the keynote paper, survey
      papers, and working group contributions. CONCLUSIONS: In 2015, the IMIA Yearbook
      has been extended to emphasize two fields of biomedical informatics through new
      sections. Next year, the 25th anniversary of the Yearbook will be celebrated in
      grand style! A special issue with a touch of reflection, a bit of rediscovery,
      and some "science-fiction" will be published in addition to the usual edition.

PMID- 26123913
TI  - Health Information Technology and Care Coordination: The Next Big Opportunity for
      Informatics?
AB  - The costs of care in the U.S. are very high, in part because canre is relatively
      uncoordinated. To begin to address this and other issues, health care reform was
      passed, including the notion of accountable care. Under acountable care
      arrangements, providers are at risk for the costs of the care they provide to
      groups of patients. Evaluation of costs has made it clear that a large proportion
      of these costs are in the post-acute setting, and also that many specific
      problems such as adverse events and unnecessary readmissions occur following
      transitions. However, the electronic health records of today do not provide a
      great deal of assistance with the coordination of care, and even the best
      organizations have relatively primitive systems with respect to care
      coordination, even though communication is absolutely central to better
      coordination of care and health information technology (HIT) is a powerful lever
      for improving communication. This paper identifies specific gaps in care
      coordination today, presents a framework for better coordinating care using HIT,
      then describes how specific technologies can be leveraged. Also discussed are the
      need to build and test specific interventions to improve HIT-related care
      coordination tools, and the key policy steps needed to accomplish this. 

PMID- 26123914
TI  - Embracing Strategies for eHealth.

PMID- 26123915
TI  - Relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and interference control in
      breast cancer survivors.
AB  - PURPOSE: Nutrition plays an important role in brain structure and function, and
      the effects of diet may even be greater in those at greater risk of cognitive
      decline, such as individuals with cancer-related cognitive impairment. However,
      the relation of dietary components to cognitive function in cancer survivors is
      unknown. The objective of this study was to determine whether breast cancer
      survivors (BCS) evidenced impairments in interference control, a component of
      cognitive control, compared to age-matched women with no prior history of cancer,
      and to examine the moderating role of diet on cognitive function. METHODS: In
      this cross-sectional study, a modified flanker task was used to assess
      interference control in BCS (n = 31) and age-matched women with no prior history
      of cancer (n = 30). Diet was assessed with 3-day food records. Differences
      between BCS and age-matched controls were assessed using linear mixed models, and
      multilevel regression analyses were conducted to assess the moderating role of
      diet on cognitive performance. RESULTS: Cognitive performance was not different
      between groups. Fruit intake and vegetable intake were significantly associated
      with better performance on the incompatible condition of the flanker task (i.e.,
      shorter reaction time and increased accuracy), independent of disease status. The
      association between dietary components and cognition was stronger for the
      incompatible incongruent condition, suggesting that fruit and vegetables may be
      important for the up-regulation of cognitive control when faced with higher
      cognitive demands. CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in performance on an
      interference control task between BCS and age-matched controls. The data suggest
      that greater fruit intake and vegetable intake were positively associated with
      interference control in both BCS and age-matched controls.

PMID- 26123916
TI  - Genetic mapping of a QTL controlling source-sink size and heading date in rice.
AB  - Source size, sink size and heading date (HD) are three important classes of
      traits that determine the productivity of rice. In this study, a set of
      recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the cross between an elite indica
      line Big Grain1 (BG1) and a japonica line Xiaolijing (XLJ) were used to map
      quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for source-sink size and heading date. Totally,
      thirty-one QTLs for source size, twenty-two for sink size, four for heading date
      and seven QTL clusters which included QTLs for multiple traits were identified in
      three environmental trials. Thirty QTLs could be consistently detected in at
      least two trials and generally located in the clusters. Using a set of BC4F2
      lines, the QTL cluster in C5-1-C5-2 on chromosome 5 was validated to be a major
      QTL pleiotropically affecting heading date, source size (flag leaf area) and
      panicle type (neck length of panicle, primary branching number and the ratio of
      secondary branching number to primary branching number), and was narrowed down to
      a 309.52Kb region. QTL clusters described above have a large effect on source
      sink size and/or heading date, therefore they should be good resources to improve
      the adaptability and high yield potential of cultivars genetically.

PMID- 26123917
TI  - A genome survey sequencing of the Java mouse deer (Tragulus javanicus) adds new
      aspects to the evolution of lineage specific retrotransposons in Ruminantia
      (Cetartiodactyla).
AB  - Ruminantia, the ruminating, hoofed mammals (cow, deer, giraffe and allies) are an
      unranked artiodactylan clade. Around 50-60 million years ago the BovB
      retrotransposon entered the ancestral ruminantian genome through horizontal gene
      transfer. A survey genome screen using 454-pyrosequencing of the Java mouse deer
      (Tragulus javanicus) and the lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) was done to
      investigate and to compare the landscape of transposable elements within
      Ruminantia. The family Tragulidae (mouse deer) is the only representative of
      Tragulina and phylogenetically important, because it represents the earliest
      divergence in Ruminantia. The data analyses show that, relative to other
      ruminantian species, the lesser kudu genome has seen an expansion of BovB Long
      INterspersed Elements (LINEs) and BovB related Short INterspersed Elements
      (SINEs) like BOVA2. In comparison the genome of Java mouse deer has fewer BovB
      elements than other ruminants, especially Bovinae, and has in addition a novel
      CHR-3 SINE most likely propagated by LINE-1. By contrast the other ruminants have
      low amounts of CHR SINEs but high numbers of actively propagating BovB-derived
      and BovB-propagated SINEs. The survey sequencing data suggest that the
      transposable element landscape in mouse deer (Tragulina) is unique among
      Ruminantia, suggesting a lineage specific evolutionary trajectory that does not
      involve BovB mediated retrotransposition. This shows that the genomic landscape
      of mobile genetic elements can rapidly change in any lineage.

PMID- 26123918
TI  - PPR protein PDM1/SEL1 is involved in RNA editing and splicing of plastid genes in
      Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - After transcription, most chloroplast precursor RNAs undergo further post
      transcriptional processing including cleavage, editing, and splicing. Previous
      investigation has shown that the cleavage of the rpoA transcript and most editing
      sites, including accD-1, are defective in the knockout mutant of PDM1/SEL1, a PLS
      type PPR protein, and that PDM1 is associated with the rpoA transcript. In this
      work, we found that the splicing of group II introns in trnK and ndhA is also
      affected in pdm1. Co-immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry experiments were
      performed to identify proteins that are associated with PDM1. We obtained 126 non
      redundant proteins, of which MORF9 was reported to be involved in RNA editing in
      chloroplast. Yeast two-hybrid assays showed that PDM1 interacts directly with
      MORF9, MORF2, and MORF8. RNA immunoprecipitation showed that PDM1 associates with
      the transcripts of trnK and ndhA, as well as accD-1, suggesting that PDM1 is
      involved in RNA editing and splicing. Therefore, PDM1 is an important protein for
      post-transcriptional regulation in chloroplast. 

PMID- 26123919
TI  - Using early biomarker data to predict long-term bone mineral density: application
      of semi-mechanistic bone cycle model on denosumab data.
AB  - Osteoporosis is a chronic skeletal disease characterized by low bone strength
      resulting in increased fracture risk. New treatments for osteoporosis are still
      an unmet medical need because current available treatments have various
      limitations. Bone mineral density (BMD) is an important endpoint for evaluating
      new osteoporosis treatments; however, the BMD response is often slower and less
      profound than that of bone turnover markers (BTMs). If the relationship between
      BTMs and BMD can be quantified, the BMD response can be predicted by the changes
      in BTM after a single dose; therefore, a decision based on BMD changes can be
      informed early. We have applied a bone cycle model to a phase 2 denosumab dose
      ranging study in osteopenic women to quantitatively link serum denosumab
      pharmacokinetics, BTMs, and lumbar spine (LS) BMD. The data from two phase 3
      denosumab studies in patients with low bone mass, FREEDOM and DEFEND, were used
      for external validation. Both internal and external visual predictive checks
      demonstrated that the model was capable of predicting LS BMD at the denosumab
      regimen of 60 mg every 6 months. It has been demonstrated that the model, in
      combination with the changes in BTMs observed from a single-dose study in men, is
      capable of predicting long-term BMD outcomes (e.g., LS BMD response in men after
      1 year of treatment) in different populations. We propose that this model can be
      used to inform drug development decisions for osteoporosis treatment early via
      evaluating LS BMD response when BTM data become available in early trials. 

PMID- 26123921
TI  - On the optimal degree of fluctuations in practice for motor learning.
AB  - In human movement science, it is widely accepted that random practice generally
      enhances complex motor-skill learning compared to repetitive practice. In two
      experiments, a particular variability-related concept is put to empirical test,
      namely the concept of differencial learning (DL), which assumes (i) that learners
      should not be distracted from task-space exploration by corrections, and (ii)
      that learning is facilitated by large inter-trial fluctuations. In both
      experiments, the advantage of DL over repetitive learning was not statistically
      significant. Moreover, learning was more pronounced when participants either
      received corrections in addition to DL (Exp. 1) or practiced in an order in which
      differences between consecutive trials were relatively small (Exp. 2). These
      findings suggest that the positive DL effects reported in literature cannot be
      attributed to the reduction of feedback or to the increase of inter-trial
      fluctuations. These results are discussed in the light of the structural-learning
      approach and the two-state model of motor learning in which structure-related
      learning effects are distinguished from the capability to adapt to current
      changes. 

PMID- 26123922
TI  - Identification and characterization of a novel Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius
      bacteriophage, GVE3.
AB  - The study of extremophilic phages may reveal new phage families as well as
      different mechanisms of infection, propagation and lysis to those found in phages
      from temperate environments. We describe a novel siphovirus, GVE3, which infects
      the thermophile Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius. The genome size is 141,298 bp
      (G+C 29.6%), making it the largest Geobacillus spp-infecting phage known. GVE3
      appears to be most closely related to the recently described Bacillus anthracis
      phage vB_BanS_Tsamsa, rather than Geobacillus-infecting phages described thus
      far. Tetranucleotide usage deviation analysis supports this relationship, showing
      that the GVE3 genome sequence correlates best with B. anthracis and Bacillus
      cereus genome sequences, rather than Geobacillus spp genome sequences.

PMID- 26123920
TI  - A semi-mechanistic model of bone mineral density and bone turnover based on a
      circular model of bone remodeling.
AB  - Development of novel therapies for bone diseases can benefit from mathematical
      models that predict drug effect on bone remodeling biomarkers. Therefore, a bone
      cycle model (BCM) was developed that takes into consideration the concept of the
      basic multicellular unit and the dynamic equilibrium of bone remodeling. The
      model is a closed form cyclical model with four compartments representing
      resorption, formation, primary mineralization, and secondary mineralization.
      Equations describing the time course of bone turnover biomarkers were developed
      using the flow rate of bone cycle units (BCU) between the compartments or the
      amount of BCU in each compartment. A disease progression model representing bone
      loss in osteoporosis, a vitamin D and calcium supplementation (placebo) model,
      and a drug model for antiresorptive treatments were added to the model. Initial
      model parameter values were derived from published bone turnover data. The BCM
      accurately described biomarker-time profiles in postmenopausal women receiving
      either placebo or bisphosphonate treatment. The slow continual increase in bone
      mineral density (BMD) observed after 1 year of treatment was accurately described
      when changes in bone turnover were combined with increases in mineralization. For
      this purpose, the secondary mineralization compartment was replaced by three
      catenary chain compartments representing increasing mineral content. The refined
      BCM satisfactorily predicted biomarker profiles after long-term (10-year)
      bisphosphonate treatment. Furthermore, the model successfully described
      individual bone turnover markers and BMD results following treatment with
      denosumab in postmenopausal women. Analyses with this model could be used to
      optimize dosing regimens and to predict effects of novel osteoporotic treatments.

PMID- 26123923
TI  - Analysis of synonymous codon usage in the VP2 protein gene of infectious bursal
      disease virus.
AB  - Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) is an important poultry pathogen. The VP2
      protein of IBDV is the major host-protective immunogen. Although the functions of
      the VP2 protein have been well studied, the factors shaping synonymous codon
      usage bias and nucleotide composition in the VP2 gene have not yet been reported.
      In the present study, we have analyzed the relative synonymous codon usage and
      effective number of codons (ENC) using 69 IBDV VP2 genes. The major trend in
      codon usage variation was studied using correspondence analysis. The plot of ENC
      values and GC3s as well as the correlation between base composition and codon
      usage bias suggests that mutational pressure rather than natural selection is the
      main factor that determines the codon usage bias in the VP2 gene. In addition,
      other factors, such as the aromaticity, hydrophobicity and aliphatic index also
      influence the codon usage variation of the VP2 gene. This study represents a
      comprehensive analysis of IBDV VP2 gene codon usage patterns and provides a basic
      understanding of the codon usage bias. 

PMID- 26123924
TI  - Differential nucleobase protection against 5-fluorouracil toxicity for squamous
      and columnar cells: implication for tissue function and oncogenesis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The goal of these studies was to test if local excess of a normal
      nucleobase substrate prevents the toxicity of protracted 5FU exposure used in
      human cancer treatment. METHODS: Messenger RNA expression studies were performed
      of 5FU activating enzymes in human colon cancer cells lines (CaCo-2, HT-29),
      primary human gingival cells (HEGP), and normal esophageal and gastric clinical
      tissue samples. Excess nucleobase was then used in vitro to protect cells from
      5FU toxicity. RESULTS: Pyrimidine salvage pathways predominate in squamous cells
      of the gingiva (HEGP) and esophageal tissue. Excess salvage nucleobase uracil but
      not adenine prevented 5FU toxicity in HEGP cells. Pyrimidine de novo synthesis
      predominates in columnar Caco-2, HT-29 and gastric tissue. Excess nucleobase
      adenine but not uracil prevented 5FU toxicity to Caco-2 and HT-29 cells.
      CONCLUSION: The directed application of the normal nucleobase uracil to the
      squamous cells of the oral mucosa and palms and soles together with the delivery
      of the normal nucleobase adenine to the columnar cells of the GI tract may enable
      the safe delivery of higher 5FU dose intensity. These results also suggest a
      feature of tissue function where squamous cells grow largely by recycling
      overlying tissue cell components. Columnar cells use absorbed surface nutrients
      for de novo growth. A disruption of this tissue function can result in growth
      derived from an underlying nutrient source. That change would also cause the loss
      of the region of cell turnover at the tissue surface. Subsequent cell
      proliferation with limiting nutrient availability could promote oncogenesis in
      such initiated tissue.

PMID- 26123925
TI  - P-glycoprotein and breast cancer resistance protein restrict the brain
      penetration of the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Palbociclib is a cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor with
      nanomolar potency and was recently approved for treatment of breast cancer. The
      drug may also be useful in glioblastoma (GBM) and diffuse intrinsic pontine
      gliomas (DIPG), which often have an activated CDK4/6-retinoblastoma signaling
      pathway. However, GBM and DIPG spread widely into the surrounding brain, which
      calls for a CDK4/6 inhibitor with sufficient blood-brain barrier penetration.
      METHODS: We first performed in vitro transwell assays and demonstrate that
      palbociclib is a substrate of both P-gp and BCRP. Next, we conducted
      pharmacokinetic studies using wildtype, Abcg2(-/-), Abcb1a/b(-/-) and Abcg2;
      Abcb1a/b(-/-) mice. RESULTS: The plasma levels were about 3000 and 500 nM and
      similar in all genotypes at 1 and 4 h after i.v. administration of 10 mg/kg. At 4
      h the brain-to-plasma ratios were 0.3 in WT and Abcg2(-/-) mice versus 5.5 and 15
      in Abcb1a/b(-/-) and Abcg2; Abcb1a/b(-/-) mice, respectively. The oral
      bioavailability of palbociclib was high (63 %) in WT mice and increased only
      modestly and non-significantly in Abcg2; Abcb1a/b(-/-) mice. The plasma level
      after oral dosing of 150 mg/kg was already much higher than observed in patients
      (200-400 nM) and exceeded 2500 nM for up to 24 h. This latter dose is commonly
      used in preclinical studies, which calls into question their predictive value as
      they were conducted at dose levels causing a clinically non-relevant systemic
      drug exposure. CONCLUSION: Thus, the brain penetration of palbociclib is
      restricted by P-gp and BCRP, which may restrict the efficacy against GBM and
      DIPG. Moreover, preclinical studies with this agent should be conducted at a more
      clinically relevant dose level.

PMID- 26123927
TI  - The importance of current contributions to shielding constants in density
      functional theory.
AB  - The sources of error in the calculation of nuclear-magnetic-resonance shielding
      constants determined by density-functional theory are examined. Highly accurate
      Kohn-Sham wave functions are obtained from coupled-cluster electron density
      functions and used to define accurate-but current independent-density-functional
      shielding constants. These new reference values, in tandem with high-accuracy
      coupled-cluster shielding constants, provide a benchmark for the assessment of
      errors in common density-functional approximations. In particular the role of
      errors arising in the diamagnetic and paramagnetic terms is investigated, with
      particular emphasis on the role of current-dependence in the latter. For carbon
      and nitrogen the current correction is found to be, in some cases, larger than 10
      ppm. This indicates that the absence of this correction in general purpose
      exchange-correlation functionals is one of the main sources of error in shielding
      calculations using density functional theory. It is shown that the current
      correction improves the shielding performance of many popular approximate DFT
      functionals. 

PMID- 26123926
TI  - Phase II study of tivantinib (ARQ 197) in patients with metastatic triple
      negative breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MET expression and activation appear to be important for initiation
      and progression of triple-negative breast cancer. Tivantinib (ARQ 197) is an
      orally administered agent that targets MET, although recent preclinical data
      suggests the agent may have mechanisms of action that are independent of MET
      signaling. We conducted a phase 2 study of tivantinib monotherapy in patients
      with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. METHODS: Patients with metastatic
      triple-negative breast cancer who had received 1 to 3 prior lines of chemotherapy
      in the metastatic setting were enrolled into this two-stage, single arm phase 2
      study. Treatment consisted of twice daily oral dosing of tivantinib (360 mg po
      bid) during a 21-day cycle. Patients underwent restaging scans at 6 weeks, and
      then every 9 weeks. Tumor biomarkers that might predict response to tivantinib
      were explored. RESULTS: 22 patients were enrolled. The overall response rate was
      5 % (95 % CI 0-25 %) and the 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) was 5 % (95
      % CI 0-25 %), with one patient achieving a partial response (PR). Toxicity was
      minimal with only 5 grade >=3 adverse events (one grade 3 anemia, one grade 3
      fatigue, and 3 patients with grade 3/4 neutropenia). CONCLUSION: This study
      represents the first evaluation of tivantinib for the treatment of metastatic
      triple-negative breast cancer. These results suggest that single agent tivantinib
      is well tolerated, but did not meet prespecified statistical targets for
      efficacy.

PMID- 26123928
TI  - Impact of device selection and clip duration on lung ultrasound assessment in
      patients with heart failure.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary edema is a common sign of heart failure and can be
      quantified by counting vertical artifacts (B-lines) on lung ultrasound (LUS). The
      primary aim of this study was to compare a pocket size ultrasound device to high
      end ultrasound systems on the measured number of B-lines. We also compared the
      impact of different-length ultrasound clips on the measured number of B-lines.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 21 hospitalized patients with heart failure (81%
      men; median age, 73; 71% Caucasian) who underwent concurrent 8- and 4-zone LUS
      using both a pocket ultrasound device and a high-end ultrasound system. For the 4
      zone scanning method, the median B line number was 2 (interquartile range, 1-4)
      for the pocket device and 3 (1-5) for the high-end system (P = .67). For the 8
      zone method, the median B-line number was 4 (2-7) for the pocket device and 5 (3
      7) for the high-end system (P = .18). A higher number of B-lines was identified
      on the 4- vs 2-second LUS clips (P < .001 for 4 zones, P = .001 for 8 zones), and
      on the 6- vs 4-second LUS clips (P=0.057 for 4 zones, P=0.018 for 8 zones).
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest significant differences based on LUS clip
      duration rather than the type of ultrasound device used, with respect to the
      number of B-lines detectable in patients with heart failure. These factors should
      be considered in the design and reporting of LUS studies and in longitudinal
      assessments of heart failure patients.

PMID- 26123929
TI  - Successful use of targeted temperature management in pregnancy after out-of
      hospital cardiac arrest.
AB  - Targeted temperature management (TTM) may be considered on an individual basis
      after cardiac arrest in a comatose pregnant patient. The only 3 cases published
      so far describing the use of TTM in this setting have conflicting results in
      terms of fetal outcome.

PMID- 26123930
TI  - Protective effect of ischemic preconditioning on the jejunal graft mucosa injury
      during cold preservation.
AB  - Protection of intestinal graft mucosa during cold preservation is still an unmet
      need in clinical practice, thus affecting the success of transplantation. The
      present study investigates the ability of two ischemic preconditioning (IPC)
      procedures to limit cold preservation injury. Three groups of Sprague-Dawley rats
      were recruited (n=11 each) as follows: the short IPC (SIPC) performed through 4
      cycles of mesenteric ischemia of 4 min each followed by 10 min of reperfusion,
      the long IPC (LIPC) obtained by 2 ischemic cycles of 12 min each followed by 10
      min of reperfusion, and the control group (C) without IPC. Grafts were then
      stored in cold histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution and samples were taken
      at 0, 3, 6 and 9 h lasting preservation. Both IPC groups showed an advanced
      degree of preservation with delayed development of graft mucosa damage, mainly in
      the crypt region. At the beginning of preservation, the graft mucosa in both IPC
      groups showed lower degree of mucosal injury index (MII) by 50% in comparison
      with C group. Specifically, a significant improvement of MII was observed after
      3h of preservation in the LIPC group (p<0.05) in comparison with untreated C
      grafts. Significant atrophy of the intestinal mucosa in C group was found after
      3h of preservation (p<0.01), in SIPC group the progress of atrophy was delayed to
      6 h (p<0.001), and in LIPC group only moderate decrease in that was found. A
      parallel increase of laminin expression with the MII rate after 6 and 9h of
      preservation in comparison with the level at time 0 was observed in all grafts
      (p<0.001 and p<0.01, respectively). In both IPC groups the apoptotic cell (AC)
      rate was significantly reduced at the beginning of cold preservation (p<0.05
      both). Moreover, in both the SIPC and C groups, the progressive increase in MII
      rate connected with AC rate decrease was due to a predominance of necrosis. By
      contrast in the LIPC group, after an increase of nearly 50% in the AC rate at the
      3rd hour, its level remained fairly constant during the further 6 h of
      preservation, thus probably preventing necrosis and improving graft viability.

PMID- 26123931
TI  - Reply to Young et al.

PMID- 26123932
TI  - Relevance of EORTC Criteria for the Diagnosis of Invasive Aspergillosis in HIV
      Infected Patients, and Survival Trends Over a 20-Year Period in France.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Before the advent of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART),
      roughly 50% of cases of invasive aspergillosis (IA) associated with human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection involved individuals without classical
      predisposing host factors, and the median survival time was <4 months after
      diagnosis. We examined if the situation evolved over time using the revised
      European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer/National Institute of
      Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mycoses Study Group (EORTC) definition and
      analyzed survival trends after diagnosis over 20 years. METHODS: A data review
      committee evaluated 342 medical records that mentioned IA in the French Hospital
      Database on HIV. Validated cases were classified as fulfilling the EORTC criteria
      or otherwise as "HIV-related IA." Three periods were analyzed: pre-cART (before
      1996), cART era prevoriconazole (1996-2001), and 2002-2011. RESULTS: Among 242
      validated cases of IA, 124 (51%) fulfilled the EORTC criteria (EORTC-IA) and 118
      (49%) were classified as "HIV-related," with similarly low CD4 cell counts in
      both groups. The proportion of EORTC-IA cases remained stable across the 3
      periods (50%, 48%, and 54%, respectively). The 3-month survival rate improved
      after the advent of cART (38% vs 69%), with no difference between EORTC-IA and
      HIV-related IA (hazard ratio [HR], 1.2 95% confidence interval [CI] {0.7-1.8}).
      Voriconazole exposure decreased mortality in 2002-2011 (HR, 0.1 95% CI [0.01
      0.8]). CONCLUSIONS: In the cART era, EORTC criteria, developed for use in
      hematology/oncology, still applied to only half the cases diagnosed among HIV
      infected patients. A rapid diagnosis of IA is paramount to improve survival. For
      patients who do not fulfill the EORTC definition, we suggest that the addition of
      "HIV infected with a CD4 count <100 cells/uL" to the EORTC host criteria be
      validated.

PMID- 26123933
TI  - Disease Burden of Invasive Meningococcal Disease in the Netherlands Between June
      1999 and June 2011: A Subjective Role for Serogroup and Clonal Complex.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several countries consider the implementation of a meningococcal
      serogroup B vaccine for young children and/or serogroup C or ACWY conjugate
      vaccine for adolescents. Representative information on clinical course of
      invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is useful to evaluate cost-effectiveness of
      vaccination. Information on the relation between infecting meningococcal clonal
      complex (CC), disease course and outcome of IMD is scarce. METHODS: A
      retrospective study using Dutch surveillance data on IMD from June 1999 to June
      2011. Clinical information was retrieved from hospital records. The effect of
      age, comorbidity, clinical manifestation, serogroup, and CC on disease course and
      outcome was assessed in multivariable analyses. Meningococcal CCs were assessed
      by multilocus sequence typing. RESULTS: Clinical information was retrieved for
      879 IMD cases: 48% of patients presented with meningitis, 17% with septic shock,
      and 22% with septic shock plus meningitis. Development of septic shock was not
      related to CC or serogroup. Median (interquartile range) duration of hospital
      admission was 10 (8-13) days. Intensive care unit admittance (38%) was higher for
      patients aged >=10 years and patients with septic shock (P-values <=.001). Case
      fatality rate (8%) and development of sequelae (29%) was dependent on age and
      clinical manifestation (P-values <=.001) and not affected by comorbidity, CC, or
      serogroup. CONCLUSIONS: IMD still coincides with a considerable disease burden
      and mortality. Disease course and outcome depend mainly on age and clinical
      manifestation and less on meningococcal CC or serogroup.

PMID- 26123934
TI  - Incomplete Modeling of the Effect of Antiretroviral Therapy on the Risk of
      Cardiovascular Events.

PMID- 26123935
TI  - Neonatal Invasive Haemophilus influenzae Disease and Genotypic Characterization
      of the Associated Strains in Italy.

PMID- 26123936
TI  - Chicago Ebola Response Network (CERN): A Citywide Cross-hospital Collaborative
      for Infectious Disease Preparedness.
AB  - The 2014-2015 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic and international public health
      emergency has been referred to as a "black swan" event, or an event that is
      unlikely, hard to predict, and highly impactful once it occurs. The Chicago Ebola
      Response Network (CERN) was formed in response to EVD and is capable of receiving
      and managing new cases of EVD, while also laying the foundation for a public
      health network that can anticipate, manage, and prevent the next black swan
      public health event. By sharing expertise, risk, and resources among 4 major
      academic centers, Chicago created a sustainable network to respond to the latest
      in a series of public health emergencies. In this respect, CERN is a roadmap for
      how a region can prepare to respond to public health emergencies, thereby
      preventing negative impacts through planning and implementation. 

PMID- 26123937
TI  - Single-Tablet Emtricitabine-Rilpivirine-Tenofovir as HIV Postexposure Prophylaxis
      in Men Who Have Sex With Men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Completion rates for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) postexposure
      prophylaxis (PEP) are low. We investigated the adherence and safety of
      coformulated emtricitabine (FTC), rilpivirine (RPV), and tenofovir disoproxil
      fumarate (TDF) as a 3-drug, single-tablet regimen for PEP in men who have sex
      with men (MSM). METHODS: In an open-label, single-arm study at 2 public sexual
      health clinics and 2 hospital emergency departments in urban Australia, 100 HIV
      uninfected MSM requiring 3-drug PEP received single-tablet FTC-RPV-TDF once daily
      for 28 days. The primary endpoint was premature PEP cessation or primary HIV
      infection through week 12. Additional endpoints were adherence (by self-report of
      doses missed or not ingested with a meal, by pill count, and by plasma
      concentrations of tenofovir and FTC at week 4); and safety (clinical and
      laboratory adverse events [AEs]). RESULTS: PEP completion was 92% (95% confidence
      interval, 85%-96%); premature cessation resulted from loss to follow-up (6%), AEs
      (1%), or study burden (1%). No participant was found to acquire HIV through week
      12. Adherence was 98.6% (standard deviation [SD], 2.4) by pill count and 98.5%
      (SD, 2.7) by self-report; 86% reported taking all doses with food, and 88% of the
      subset tested had plasma tenofovir levels suggesting full adherence (>40 ng/mL).
      Eighty-eight participants experienced at least 1 clinical AE; 4 had grade 3 AEs
      or higher, possibly attributable to study drug. Fifty-six participants
      experienced at least 1 laboratory AE; 4 had AEs of grade 3 or higher, possibly
      attributable to study drug. CONCLUSIONS: A single-tablet regimen of FTC-RPV-TDF
      was well tolerated as once-daily PEP, with high levels of adherence and
      completion. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT01715636.

PMID- 26123938
TI  - [Reply to "Comment on article "Anesthesiology treatment of an 'open book' pelvic
      fracture due to an explosion""].

PMID- 26123939
TI  - The cost of promiscuity: sexual transmission of Nosema microsporidian parasites
      in polyandrous honey bees.
AB  - Multiple mating (and insemination) by females with different males, polyandry, is
      widespread across animals, due to material and/or genetic benefits for females.
      It reaches particularly high levels in some social insects, in which queens can
      produce significantly fitter colonies by being polyandrous. It is therefore a
      paradox that two thirds of eusocial hymenopteran insects appear to be exclusively
      monandrous, in spite of the fitness benefits that polyandry could provide. One
      possible cost of polyandry could be sexually transmitted parasites, but evidence
      for these in social insects is extremely limited. Here we show that two different
      species of Nosema microsporidian parasites can transmit sexually in the honey bee
      Apis mellifera. Honey bee males that are infected by the parasite have Nosema
      spores in their semen, and queens artificially inseminated with either Nosema
      spores or the semen of Nosema-infected males became infected by the parasite. The
      emergent and more virulent N. ceranae achieved much higher rates of infection
      following insemination than did N. apis. The results provide the first
      quantitative evidence of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) in social insects,
      indicating that STDs may represent a potential cost of polyandry in social
      insects. 

PMID- 26123940
TI  - A probabilistic approach for estimating the spatial extent of pesticide
      agricultural use sites and potential co-occurrence with listed species for use in
      ecological risk assessments.
AB  - A crop footprint refers to the estimated spatial extent of growing areas for a
      specific crop, and is commonly used to represent the potential "use site"
      footprint for a pesticide labeled for use on that crop. A methodology for
      developing probabilistic crop footprints to estimate the likelihood of pesticide
      use and the potential co-occurrence of pesticide use and listed species locations
      was tested at the national scale and compared to alternative methods. The
      probabilistic aspect of the approach accounts for annual crop rotations and the
      uncertainty in remotely sensed crop and land cover data sets. The crop footprints
      used historically are derived exclusively from the National Land Cover Database
      (NLCD) Cultivated Crops and/or Pasture/Hay classes. This approach broadly
      aggregates agriculture into 2 classes, which grossly overestimates the spatial
      extent of individual crops that are labeled for pesticide use. The approach also
      does not use all the available crop data, represents a single point in time, and
      does not account for the uncertainty in land cover data set classifications. The
      probabilistic crop footprint approach described herein incorporates best
      available information at the time of analysis from the National Agricultural
      Statistics Service (NASS) Cropland Data Layer (CDL) for 5 y (2008-2012 at the
      time of analysis), the 2006 NLCD, the 2007 NASS Census of Agriculture, and 5 y of
      NASS Quick Stats (2008-2012). The approach accounts for misclassification of crop
      classes in the CDL by incorporating accuracy assessment information by state,
      year, and crop. The NLCD provides additional information to improve the CDL crop
      probability through an adjustment based on the NLCD accuracy assessment data
      using the principles of Bayes' Theorem. Finally, crop probabilities are scaled at
      the state level by comparing against NASS surveys (Census of Agriculture and
      Quick Stats) of reported planted acres by crop. In an example application of the
      new method, the probabilistic crop footprint for soybean resulted in national and
      statewide soybean acreages that are within the error bounds of the average
      reported NASS yearly soybean acreage over the same time period, whereas the
      method using only NLCD resulted in an acreage that is over 4 times the survey
      acreage. When the probabilistic crop footprint for soybean was used in a co
      occurrence analysis with listed species locations, the number of potentially
      proximal species identified was half the number based on the standard NLCD crop
      footprint method (276 species with the probabilistic crop footprint vs 511 for
      the conventional method). The probabilistic crop footprint methodology allows for
      a more comprehensive and representative understanding of the potential pesticide
      use footprint co-occurrence with endangered species locations for use in effects
      determinations.

PMID- 26123942
TI  - Pleistocene glaciations, demographic expansion and subsequent isolation promoted
      morphological heterogeneity: A phylogeographic study of the alpine Rosa sericea
      complex (Rosaceae).
AB  - While most temperate plants probably underwent glacial constriction to refugia
      and interglacial expansion, another type of interglacial refugia might have
      existed to maintain alpine plants during warm periods. To test this hypothesis,
      we applied phylogeographic methods to 763 individuals (62 populations) which
      belong to 7 taxonomically difficult species of the Rosa sericea complex
      distributed in alpine regions of the temperate and subtropical zones in eastern
      Asia. We used three chloroplast (cp) DNA fragments (trnL-trnF, ndhF-rpl32 and
      ndhJ-trnF) approximately 3,100 bp and nuclear microsatellite (nSSR) on eight
      sites to determine whether cold tolerant plants experienced expansion during the
      Pleistocene. The neutral test and mismatch distribution analysis (MDA) indicated
      that whole populations and major lineages of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP)
      underwent expansion during the middle to late Pleistocene. Environmental niche
      modeling (ENM) indicates more suitable habitats during the Last Glacial Maximum
      (LGM) than at present. We concluded that the demographic history of R. sericea,
      which diverged in the middle Pleistocene, was mostly affected by climatic
      oscillations instead of by geographical barriers. The low genetic divergence, as
      well as the weak phylogenetic structure in the R. sericea complex both support
      treating this complex as a single taxon. 

PMID- 26123943
TI  - Comparison of volumetric bone mineral density in the operated and contralateral
      knee after anterior cruciate ligament and reconstruction: A 1-year follow-up
      study using peripheral quantitative computed tomography.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to quantify changes in volumetric bone mineral
      density (vBMD) in the tibial plateau of the operated and contralateral leg
      measured using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) before and 3,
      6, and 12 months after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The ACL
      was reconstructed with a hamstring tendon autograft using press-fit fixation.
      pQCT measurements of the proximal tibia were obtained in 61 patients after ACL
      reconstruction, and total, cortical, and trabecular vBMD were calculated. vBMD in
      the operated leg decreased from baseline to 3 months (-12% [total], -11%
      [cortical], and -12.6% [trabecular]; p<0.001) and remained below baseline for 12
      months after surgery (6 months: -9.5%, -9.4%, and -9.6%, p<0.001; 12 months: -8%,
      -5%, and -11%, p<0.001). vBMD in the contralateral leg was slightly reduced only
      6 months after surgery. Including age and sex as covariates into the analysis did
      not affect the results. ACL reconstruction contributed to loss in bone mineral
      density within the first year after surgery. The role of factors such as time of
      weight-bearing, joint mechanics, post-traumatic inflammatory reactions, or
      genetic predisposition in modulating the development of posttraumatic knee
      osteoarthritis after ACL injury should be further elucidated.

PMID- 26123944
TI  - Melanotic neuroectodermal tumour of infancy: surgical and chemotherapeutic
      management.
AB  - Melanotic neuroectodermal tumour of infancy (MNTI) is a rare pigmented neoplasm
      of neural crest origin. It usually presents in the first year of life in the
      maxilla as a fast growing lesion. We describe the case of a 3-month-old boy who
      presented with an enlarging swelling of left maxillary alveolus. He was treated
      with combined surgical and chemotherapy modalities. MNTI is complicated by high
      recurrence rate, local invasion and malignancy has been reported. This report
      describes the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of recurrent MNTI. 

PMID- 26123945
TI  - Prescribing and practice development decision-making in Irish general practices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Ireland, primary care is considered the appropriate setting to
      meet the majority of health and personal social service needs, with GPs central
      to its provision. Irish general practices are characterised by considerable
      autonomy in terms of commercial practice and the range of medical services they
      provide; however, little is known about what influences their decision-making
      with respect to the adoption of new health-care technologies. AIM: The aim of
      this paper is to provide a holistic overview on prescribing and practice
      development decision-making in Irish general practices. METHODS: A summary of
      recent publications examining the factors influencing the adoption of new drugs,
      medical equipment and information and communications technology (ICT) by Irish
      GPs is undertaken. RESULTS: These studies identify experiential learning,
      connectedness with others, and GP and practice characteristics as significant
      influences in the adoption of new drugs, medical equipment and ICT in Irish
      general practices. CONCLUSIONS: This summary identifies possible levers for
      encouraging the adoption of health-care technologies by Irish GPs.

PMID- 26123946
TI  - A comparison between direct TMR measurements and TMRs calculated from PDDs using
      BJR Supplement 25 data for flattened and unflattened photon beams.
AB  - This study assessed the validity of the conversion from percentage depth dose
      (PDD) to tissue maximum ratio (TMR) using BJR Supplement 25 data for flattened
      and flattening filter free (FFF) beams. PDD and TMR scans for a variety of field
      sizes were measured in water using a Sun Nuclear Corporation 3D SCANNERTM on a
      Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator in 6 MV, 10 MV and 6 MV FFF beams. The BJR
      Supplement 25 data was used to convert the measured PDDs to TMRs and these were
      compared with the directly measured TMR data. The TMR plots calculated from PDD
      were within 1% for the 10 MV and 6 MV flattened beams, for field sizes 3 cm * 3
      cm to 40 cm * 40 cm inclusive, at depths measured beyond the depth of maximum
      dose. The disagreement between the measured and calculated TMR plots for the 6 MV
      FFF beam increased with depth and field size to a maximum of 1.7% for a 40 cm *
      40 cm field. The results found in this study indicate that the BJR Supplement 25
      data should not be used for field sizes larger than 20 cm * 20 cm at depths
      greater than 15 cm for the 6 MV FFF beam. It is advised that PDD to TMR
      conversion for FFF beams should be done with phantom scatter ratios appropriate
      to FFF beams, or the TMR should be directly measured if required.

PMID- 26123947
TI  - Therapeutic Strategies to Treat Dry Eye in an Aging Population.
AB  - Dry eye (DE) is a prevalent ocular disease that primarily affects the elderly.
      Affecting up to 30% of adults aged 50 years and older, DE affects both visual
      function and quality of life. Symptoms of DE, including ocular pain (aching,
      burning), visual disturbances, and tearing, can be addressed with therapeutic
      agents that target dysfunction of the meibomian glands, lacrimal glands, goblet
      cells, ocular surface, and/or neural network. This review provides an overview of
      the efficacy, use, and limitations of current therapeutic interventions being
      used to treat DE.

PMID- 26123948
TI  - Bone Disease in HIV: Recommendations for Screening and Management in the Older
      Patient.
AB  - Availability of potent antiretroviral therapy (ART) has resulted in markedly
      improved survival for people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection,
      as well as an aging HIV population. Increasing morbidity from age-related
      conditions has resulted in the need to understand the complex roles HIV and its
      treatment play in the pathogenesis of these conditions. Bone disease and
      fragility fractures are conditions that occur more frequently in HIV. It is
      therefore recommended that risk assessment for fragility fracture using the
      Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX((r))) algorithm, and low bone mass by dual
      energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan, be performed in all patients with HIV
      infection over the age of 50 years and in those with a history of fragility
      fracture, and should be repeated every 2-3 years. Because many HIV experts
      believe that HIV infection and its treatment is a secondary cause of
      osteoporosis, it should be included as such in the FRAX((r)) assessment tool.
      Management of osteoporosis in HIV infection should follow the same guidelines as
      that in the general population. Attention to lifestyle factors, including vitamin
      D replacement, should be emphasized. Whether cessation of tenofovir- or protease
      inhibitor-based ART regimens should be considered prior to bisphosphonate
      treatment is currently unknown and should only occur in patients with active
      alternative ART regimens. The use of bisphosphonates has been shown to be safe
      and effective in HIV patients, and while there is limited data on second-line
      osteoporosis regimens, there is no reason to suggest they would not be effective
      in people with HIV.

PMID- 26123949
TI  - Diagnosis and Management of Late-Onset Spondyloarthritis: Implications of Treat
      to-Target Recommendations.
AB  - Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is usually observed in young patients while onset in the
      elderly is less common. Late-onset forms of SpA may become more common due to
      longer life expectancy. The clinical spectrum of late-onset SpA is as broad as in
      young people, with a predominance of peripheral SpA over pure axial disease. The
      Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) has developed new
      criteria for axial or peripheral SpA that allow patients aged under 45 years at
      the time of disease onset to be identified. These criteria are not theoretically
      adapted for the classification of patients with late-onset disease but they are
      useful for the diagnosis. Similarly, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now
      widely used for the early recognition of sacroiliitis or spinal inflammation in
      SpA, and sacroiliitis as evidenced by MRI is included in the ASAS criteria for
      axial SpA. Nevertheless, the utility of sacroiliac joint and/or spine
      inflammation as detected by MRI has mostly been described in young patients with
      ankylosing spondylitis, SpA, or inflammatory back pain, but not in the elderly.
      The management of SpA is now more focused on remission or, alternatively, low
      disease activity, according to the treat-to-target recommendations. Such an
      optimized approach to therapy is thought to improve patient outcomes and
      ultimately long-term quality of life. The same principles of treatment should
      apply in the elderly, but require certain adjustments, especially with biological
      agents. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha blocking agents are very effective in SpA,
      but seem slightly less effective in the elderly and are associated with an
      increased risk of infection in this population. A careful and rigorous evaluation
      is thus required before initiating these agents in elderly subjects.

PMID- 26123950
TI  - Validation of clinical scores for right ventricular failure prediction after
      implantation of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Several clinical prediction schemes for right ventricular failure
      (RVF) risk after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation have been
      developed in both the pulsatile- and continuous-flow LVAD eras. The performance
      of these models has not been evaluated systematically in a continuous-flow LVAD
      cohort. METHODS: We evaluated 6 clinical RVF prediction models (Michigan, Penn,
      Utah, Kormos et al, CRITT, Pittsburgh Decision Tree) in 116 patients (age 51 +/-
      13 years; 41.4% white and 56.0% black; 66.4% men; 56.0% bridge to transplant,
      37.1% destination therapy, 17.4% bridge to decision) who received a continuous
      flow LVAD (HeartMate II: 79 patients, HeartWare: 37 patients) between 2008 and
      2013. RESULTS: Overall, 37 patients (31.9%) developed RVF, defined: as pulmonary
      vasodilator use for >=48 hours or inotrope use for >=14 days post-operatively; re
      institution of inotropes; multi-organ failure due to RVF; or need for mechanical
      RV support. Median (Quartile 1 to Quartile 3) time to initial discontinuation of
      inotropes was 6 (range 4 to 8) days. Among scores, the Michigan score reached
      significance for RVF prediction but discrimination was modest (C = 0.62 [95% CI
      0.52 to 0.72], p = 0.021; positive predictive value [PPV] 60.0%; negative
      predictive value [NPV] 75.8%), followed by CRITT (C = 0.60 [95% CI 0.50 to 0.71],
      p = 0.059; PPV 40.5%; NPV 72.2%). Other models did not significantly discriminate
      RVF. The newer, INTERMACS 3.0 definition for RVF, which includes inotropic
      support beyond 7 days, was reached by 57 patients (49.1%). The Kormos model
      performed best with this definition (C = 0.62 [95% CI 0.54 to 0.71], p = 0.005;
      PPV 64.3%; NPV 59.5%), followed by Penn (C = 0.61), Michigan (C = 0.60) and CRITT
      (C = 0.60), but overall score performance was modest. CONCLUSION: Current schemes
      for post-LVAD RVF risk prediction perform only modestly when applied to external
      populations.

PMID- 26123951
TI  - Effect of persistent versus transient donor-specific HLA antibodies on graft
      outcomes in pediatric cardiac transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: De novo donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSA) are a risk for poor graft
      outcomes, but there is little evidence of their long-term effect in pediatric
      cardiac transplantation or of the effect of transient versus persistent DSA found
      using newer antibody testing methods. METHODS: Archived serum samples were
      obtained from patients <18 years of age who underwent primary cardiac
      transplantation during the period from 1996 to 2009. Luminex antibody testing was
      performed at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year post-transplant, and then annually.
      Outcomes including cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), rejection and graft loss
      were correlated with the presence or absence of DSA or non-donor-specific HLA
      (non-DSA) antibodies. RESULTS: Six hundred ninety-one samples from 108 patients,
      with mean age at transplant of 7.4 (0.1 to 15.9) years and mean follow-up 8.2
      (1.9 to 15.7) years, were studied. Forty-three (40%) patients had DSA (which were
      persistent in 58%), 41 (38%) had non-DSA (persistent in 46%) and 24 (22%) had no
      antibodies. In those with DSA, 30% had Class I antibodies, 47% Class II and 23%
      both Class I and II, whereas, in the subgroup with persistent DSA, 88% had Class
      II antibodies. There were 14 cases of graft loss, 9 of these in patients with
      persistent DSA. All had Class II antibodies. There was an increased incidence of
      CAV, rejection and graft loss in those with persistent DSA. Outcomes were similar
      between the group with non-DSA antibodies and the group with no antibodies.
      CONCLUSIONS: De novo HLA antibodies are detectable post-transplant in the
      majority of patients, but non-DSA and transient DSA do not appear to be
      associated with poor outcomes. Patients with persistent DSA, especially those
      with Class II DQ antibodies, have worse survival.

PMID- 26123952
TI  - The ethics of risk and innovation.

PMID- 26123953
TI  - Shared Sanitation Versus Individual Household Latrines in Urban Slums: A Cross
      Sectional Study in Orissa, India.
AB  - A large and growing proportion of the global population rely on shared sanitation
      facilities despite evidence of a potential increased risk of adverse health
      outcomes compared with individual household latrines (IHLs). We sought to explore
      differences between households relying on shared sanitation versus IHLs in terms
      of demographics, sanitation facilities, and fecal exposure. We surveyed 570
      households from 30 slums in Orissa, India, to obtain data on demographics, water,
      sanitation, and hygiene. Latrine spot-checks were conducted to collect data on
      indicators of use, privacy, and cleanliness. We collected samples of drinking
      water and hand rinses to assess fecal contamination. Households relying on shared
      sanitation were poorer and less educated than those accessing IHLs. Individuals
      in sharing households were more likely to practice open defecation. Shared
      facilities were less likely to be functional, less clean, and more likely to have
      feces and flies. No differences in fecal contamination of drinking water or hand
      rinse samples were found. Important differences exist among households accessing
      shared facilities versus IHLs that may partly explain the apparent adverse health
      outcomes associated with shared sanitation. As these factors may capture
      differences in risk and promote sanitary improvements, they should be considered
      in future policy. 

PMID- 26123954
TI  - Safety, Tolerability, and Compliance with Long-Term Antimalarial Chemoprophylaxis
      in American Soldiers in Afghanistan.
AB  - Long-term antimalarial chemoprophylaxis is currently used by deployed U.S.
      military personnel. Previous small, short-term efficacy studies have shown
      variable rates of side effects among patients taking various forms of
      chemoprophylaxis, though reliable safety and tolerability data on long-term use
      are limited. We conducted a survey of troops returning to Fort Drum, NY following
      a 12-month deployment to Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan from 2006 to
      2007. Of the 2,351 respondents, 95% reported taking at least one form of
      prophylaxis during their deployment, and 90% were deployed for > 10 months.
      Compliance with daily doxycycline was poor (60%) compared with 80% with weekly
      mefloquine (MQ). Adverse events (AEs) were reported by approximately 30% with
      both MQ and doxycycline, with 10% discontinuing doxycycline compared with 4% of
      MQ users. Only 6% and 31% of soldiers reported use of bed nets and skin
      repellents, respectively. Compliance with long-term malaria prophylaxis was poor,
      and there were substantial tolerability issues based on these anonymous survey
      results, though fewer with MQ than doxycycline. Given few long-term antimalarial
      chemoprophylaxis options, there is an unmet medical need for new antimalarials
      safe for long-term use. 

PMID- 26123955
TI  - Baylisascaris procyonis and Herpes Simplex Virus 2 Coinfection Presenting as
      Ocular Larva Migrans with Granuloma Formation in a Child.
AB  - Ocular Baylisascaris procyonis infection results from ingestion of infective eggs
      of B. procyonis, the raccoon ascarid. Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2)
      infection of the retina is the result of either primary infection or reactivated
      disease. Herein, we report a case of a 12-year-old female resident of the Bronx
      in New York City, who presented with pan-uveitis and vision loss. Initial
      evaluation for etiologic causes was nondiagnostic. Serology for anti
      Baylisascaris procyonis antibodies in serum and vitreous fluid were both
      positive. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of vitreous fluid was positive for HSV
      2. Treatment with vitrectomy, albendazole, and acyclovir resulted in mild
      improvement of visual acuity. The atypical presentation of B. procyonis in this
      case, as ocular larva migrans with a peripheral granuloma and retinal detachment,
      underscores the importance of maintaining a high degree of suspicion for this
      pathogen even in non-diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN) patients
      in urban areas. This case further illustrates that it is possible to have
      coexisting infections in cases of posterior uveitis. 

PMID- 26123956
TI  - Evaluation of Polysaccharide-Based Latex Agglutination Assays for the Rapid
      Detection of Antibodies to Burkholderia pseudomallei.
AB  - Melioidosis is a severe disease caused by the Gram-negative bacterium
      Burkholderia pseudomallei. Diagnosis of melioidosis currently relies on the
      isolation of B. pseudomallei from clinical samples, which can take several days.
      An indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA) is widely used for serodiagnosis, but it
      has a short shelf life, is poorly standardized, and requires a viable bacteria
      culture performed in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory. To improve the
      diagnostic methods, we have developed two rapid latex agglutination tests based
      on purified B. pseudomallei O-polysaccharide (OPS) and capsular polysaccharide
      (CPS) antigens. The immunodiagnostic potential of these tests was evaluated using
      serum from culture-confirmed melioidosis patients (N = 143) and healthy donors
      from either endemic (N = 199) or non-endemic areas (N = 90). The sensitivity of
      the OPS-based latex agglutination assay (OPS-latex; 84.4%) was significantly
      higher than both the CPS-latex (69.5%) (P < 0.001) and IHA (69.5%) (P = 0.001).
      When evaluated with Thai donor serum, the OPS-latex had comparable specificity
      (56.9%) to the CPS-latex (63.8%) (P = 0.053), but was significantly lower than
      the IHA (67.6%) (P = 0.002). In contrast, all tests with U.S. donor serum were
      highly specific (>= 97.8%). These results suggest that polysaccharide-based latex
      agglutination assays may be useful for serodiagnosis of melioidosis in non
      endemic areas. 

PMID- 26123957
TI  - Epidemiology of Ciguatera in Florida.
AB  - Ciguatera is the most commonly reported marine food-borne illness worldwide.
      Because there is a biological plausibility that ciguatera may be impacted by long
      term climate variability and Florida is on the northern border of the geographic
      distribution of ciguatera, it is important to update our understanding of its
      epidemiology in Florida. We performed an analysis of 291 reports in Florida from
      2000 to 2011 and an e-mail survey of 5,352 recreational fishers to estimate
      incidence and underreporting and identify high risk demographic groups, fish
      types, and catch locations. Incidence was 5.6 per 100,000 adjusted for
      underreporting. Hispanics had the highest incidence rate (relative risk [RR] =
      3.4) and were more likely to eat barracuda than non-Hispanics. The most common
      catch locations for ciguatera-causing fish were the Bahamas and Florida Keys.
      Cases caused by fish from northern Florida were infrequent. These results
      indicate that ciguatera incidence is higher than estimated from public health
      reports alone. There is little evidence that incidence or geographic range has
      increased because of increased seawater temperatures since earlier studies. 

PMID- 26123958
TI  - Traveler's Diarrhea in Foreign Travelers in Southeast Asia: A Cross-Sectional
      Survey Study in Bangkok, Thailand.
AB  - The effect of origin and destination country on traveler's diarrhea incidence
      rates in Southeast Asia is poorly understood, and research generally only
      addresses diarrhea in travelers from the developed world. This study evaluated
      the attack rate and effects of traveler's diarrhea by origin and destination and
      analyzed key risk factors. A self-administered questionnaire was provided to
      foreign travelers departing Southeast Asia from Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok,
      Thailand. It evaluated traveler demographics, relevant knowledge and practices,
      experiences of diarrhea, and the details and consequences of each diarrheal
      episode. A total of 7,963 questionnaires were completed between April 2010 and
      July 2011. Respondents were 56% male (mean age 35) with a mean and median
      duration of stay of 28 days and 10 days, respectively. Most respondents were from
      Europe (36.8%) or East Asia (33.4%). The attack rate of traveler's diarrhea was
      16.1%, with an incidence rate of 32.05 per 100 person months. Travelers' origin
      and destination countries significantly related to diarrhea risk. Oceanians had
      the highest risk (32.9%) and East Asians the lowest (2.6%). Vietnam and Indonesia
      were the highest risk destinations (19.3%). Other significant factors were youth,
      trip duration, number of countries visited, and frequently drinking beverages
      with ice. 

PMID- 26123959
TI  - Mother-to-Child Transmission of Chagas Disease in El Salvador.
AB  - To estimate the incidence (any mother to child) and rate (from seropositive
      mother to child) of mother-to-child transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi, a
      serological census was conducted, targeting pregnant women and infants born to
      seropositive mothers, in four municipalities of El Salvador. Of 943 pregnant
      women, 36 (3.8%) were seropositive for T. cruzi. Of 36, 32 proceeded to
      serological tests of their infants when they became 6-8 months of age. Six
      infants seropositive at the age of 6-8 months further proceeded to second-stage
      serological test at the age of 9-16 months. As the result, one infant was
      congenitally infected. Thus, serological tests at the age of 6-8 months produced
      five false positives. To ensure earlier effective medication only for true
      positives, identification of seropositive infants at the age of 9-16 months is
      crucial. Incidence and rate of mother-to-child transmission were 0.14 (per 100
      person-years) and 4.0%, respectively. Estimated number of children infected
      through mother-to-child transmission in El Salvador (170 per year) was much
      higher than that of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; seven per year). It is
      recommended that serological testing for T. cruzi be integrated into those for
      HIV and syphilis as part of antenatal care package. 

PMID- 26123960
TI  - Detection of Entamoeba histolytica by Recombinase Polymerase Amplification.
AB  - Amebiasis is an important cause of diarrheal disease worldwide and has been
      associated with childhood malnutrition. Traditional microscopy approaches are
      neither sensitive nor specific for Entamoeba histolytica. Antigen assays are more
      specific, but many cases are missed unless tested by molecular methods. Although
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is effective, the need for sophisticated,
      expensive equipment, infrastructure, and trained personnel limits its usefulness,
      especially in the resource-limited, endemic areas. Here, we report development of
      a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) method to detect E. histolytica
      specifically. Using visual detection by lateral flow (LF), the test was highly
      sensitive and specific and could be performed without additional equipment. The
      availability of this inexpensive, sensitive, and field-applicable diagnostic test
      could facilitate rapid diagnosis and treatment of amebiasis in endemic regions. 

PMID- 26123961
TI  - Implementation of a Training Course Increased the Diagnosis of Histoplasmosis in
      Colombia.
AB  - Histoplasmosis causes a significant mortality, especially persons living with
      human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) from
      developing countries where access to both appropriate diagnostic methods and
      antiretroviral therapy are limited. A total of 81 physicians assigned to 17
      Colombian departments (states) received training in the clinical,
      epidemiological, and diagnostic aspects of histoplasmosis. Once this training was
      received and during the period of October 2009-November 2012, these physicians
      sent biological samples for immunodiagnostic, mycological, and molecular tests
      from their patients with suspicion of histoplasmosis. A total of 1,536 samples
      from 768 patients were evaluated. Of the 768 patients studied, 463 (60%) were HIV
      positive, 214 (28%) HIV negative, and in 91 (12%) this diagnosis was unknown, and
      538 (70%) were males. The 1,536 specimens studied comprised 722 sera, 439 blood
      samples, and 241 urines, which were tested by immunodiffusion (ID), culture, and
      antigenuria, respectively; in addition, 134 specimens were tested by performing a
      molecular assay. Histoplasmosis was diagnosed in 133 patients (17%). After the
      training, we observed more diagnoses from 27 to 44 cases per year. In this study,
      a significantly increased number of histoplasmosis cases reported by year were
      observed after implementing an educational training program. 

PMID- 26123962
TI  - First Report of a Foodborne Providencia alcalifaciens Outbreak in Kenya.
AB  - Providencia alcalifaciens is an emerging bacterial pathogen known to cause acute
      gastroenteritis in children and travelers. In July 2013, P. alcalifaciens was
      isolated from four children appearing for diarrhea at Kiambu District Hospital
      (KDH) in Kenya. This study describes the outbreak investigation, which aimed to
      identify the source and mechanisms of infection. We identified seven primary and
      four secondary cases. Among primary cases were four mothers who had children and
      experienced mild diarrhea after eating mashed potatoes. The mothers reported
      feeding children after visiting the toilet and washing their hands without soap.
      P. alcalifaciens was detected from all secondary cases, and the isolates were
      found to be clonal by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting. Our
      study suggests that the outbreak was caused by P. alcalifaciens, although no
      fluid accumulation was observed in rabbit ileal loops. The vehicle of the
      outbreak was believed to be the mashed potato dish, but the source of P.
      alcalifaciens could not be confirmed. We found that lack of hygiene, inadequate
      food storage, and improper hand washing before food preparation was the likely
      cause of the current outbreak. This is the first report of a foodborne infection
      caused by P. alcalifaciens in Kenya. 

PMID- 26123963
TI  - Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Humans, Domestic Animals, and Village Water
      Sources in Rural India.
AB  - Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia are zoonotic enteric protozoa of
      significant health concern where sanitation, hygiene, and water supplies are
      inadequate. We examined 85 stool samples from diarrhea patients, 111 pooled fecal
      samples by species across seven domestic animal types, and water from tube wells
      (N = 207) and ponds (N = 94) across 60 villages in coastal Odisha, India, for
      Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts to measure occurrence,
      concentration/shedding, and environmental loading rates. Oocysts/cysts were
      detected in 12% of diarrhea patients. Detection ranged from 0% to 35% for
      Cryptosporidium and 0% to 67% for Giardia across animal hosts. Animal loading
      estimates indicate the greatest contributors of environmental oocysts/cysts in
      the study region are cattle. Ponds were contaminated with both protozoa (oocysts:
      37%, cysts: 74%), as were tube wells (oocysts: 10%, cysts: 14%). Future research
      should address the public health concern highlighted from these findings and
      investigate the role of domestic animals in diarrheal disease transmission in
      this and similar settings. 

PMID- 26123965
TI  - Executive Summary of Key Concepts.

PMID- 26123964
TI  - Fluvastatin delays propagation of viral infection in isolated rat FDB myofibers
      but does not affect exocytic membrane trafficking.
AB  - We have utilized the enveloped viral model to study the effect of fluvastatin on
      membrane trafficking in isolated rat myofibers. Our immunofluorescence studies
      constantly showed that infections in myofibers, which were treated with
      fluvastatin prior and during the infection with either vesicular stomatitis virus
      (VSV) or influenza A virus, propagated more slowly than in control myofibers
      without drug treatment. Experiments with a virus expressing Dad1 tagged with
      green fluorescent protein (GFP-Dad1) showed that fluvastatin did not affect its
      distribution within the ER/SR network and immunofluorescence staining for GM130
      did not show any marked effect on the structure of the Golgi components.
      Furthermore, fluvastatin did not inhibit trafficking of the chimeric transport
      marker VSV temperature sensitive G protein (tsG-GFP) from the ER to the Golgi. We
      next subjected VSV infected myofibers for pulse-chase labeling experiments and
      found that fluvastatin did not slow down the ER-to-Golgi trafficking or Golgi to
      plasma membrane trafficking of the viral glycoprotein. These studies show that
      fluvastatin inhibited the propagation of viral infection in skeletal myofibers
      but no adverse effect on the exocytic trafficking could be demonstrated. These
      results suggest that other effects of statins rather than inhibition of ER-to
      Golgi trafficking might be behind the myotoxic effects of the statins. 

PMID- 26123966
TI  - Sharing the Outcomes of Evidence-Based and Research Projects.

PMID- 26123967
TI  - Demonstrating the Effect of the Built Environment on Staff Health-Related Quality
      of Life in Ambulatory Care Environments.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of the built environment on staff health
      related quality of life (HRQoL) in a federally qualified health center (FQHC).
      BACKGROUND: Staff within FQHCs face many challenges that can significantly impact
      their HRQoL. Design features directed toward reducing stress have been shown to
      improve staff health outcomes in acute care environments. However, minimal
      literature exists linking design features to health outcomes within FQHCs.
      METHOD: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted involving three
      FQHCs that contain varying levels of enhancements to their interior features. A
      total of 75 staff across the sites participated in the indoor environmental
      quality (IEQ) survey, measuring satisfaction and perceived productivity.
      Measurements for staff HRQoL were captured using the quality of well-being (QWB)
      scale, which was administered to 10 staff at each site. Standard regression
      diagnostics were used to examine fit and find influential observations. RESULTS:
      QWB scores were normally distributed, and a dose-response relationship was found
      between QWB scores and level of enhancements. As the categories of satisfaction
      and perceived productivity increased, the average QWB score increased. Regression
      models showed overall statistical significance and predicted between a quarter to
      a half of the change in QWB scores. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggests that
      the more enhancements included in the interior features of a FQHC, the greater
      the returns to staff HRQoL. Findings also suggest that staff with a lower QWB
      appreciate enhancements more. Design strategies associated with improved staff
      well-being should be evaluated in terms of the amount of HRQoL they contribute.

PMID- 26123968
TI  - Evidence-Based and Value-Based Decision Making About Healthcare Design: An
      Economic Evaluation of the Safety and Quality Outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study describes a vision and framework that can facilitate the
      implementation of evidence-based design (EBD), scientific knowledge base into the
      process of the design, construction, and operation of healthcare facilities and
      clarify the related safety and quality outcomes for the stakeholders. The
      proposed framework pairs EBD with value-driven decision making and aims to
      improve communication among stakeholders by providing a common analytical
      language. BACKGROUND: Recent EBD research indicates that the design and operation
      of healthcare facilities contribute to an organization's operational success by
      improving safety, quality, and efficiency. However, because little information is
      available about the financial returns of evidence-based investments, such
      investments are readily eliminated during the capital-investment decision-making
      process. METHOD: To model the proposed framework, we used engineering economy
      tools to evaluate the return on investments in six successful cases, identified
      by a literature review, in which facility design and operation interventions
      resulted in reductions in hospital-acquired infections, patient falls, staff
      injuries, and patient anxiety. RESULTS: In the evidence-based cases, calculated
      net present values, internal rates of return, and payback periods indicated that
      the long-term benefits of interventions substantially outweighed the intervention
      costs. This article explained a framework to develop a research-based and value
      based communication language on specific interventions along the planning, design
      and construction, operation, and evaluation stages. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence-based
      and value-based design frameworks can be applied to communicate the life-cycle
      costs and savings of EBD interventions to stakeholders, thereby contributing to
      more informed decision makings and the optimization of healthcare
      infrastructures.

PMID- 26123969
TI  - Effects of Newly Designed Hospital Buildings on Staff Perceptions: A Pre-Post
      Study to Validate Design Decisions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study investigates effects of the newly built nonpatient-related
      buildings of a large university medical center on staff perceptions and whether
      the design objectives were achieved. BACKGROUND: The medical center is gradually
      renewing its hospital building area of 200,000 m.(2) This redevelopment is
      carefully planned and because lessons learned can guide design decisions of the
      next phase, the medical center is keen to evaluate the performance of the new
      buildings. METHOD: A pre- and post-study with a control group was conducted.
      Prior to the move to the new buildings an occupancy evaluation was carried out in
      the old setting (n = 729) (pre-study). Post occupation of the new buildings
      another occupancy evaluation (post-study) was carried out in the new setting
      (intervention group) and again in some old settings (control group) (n = 664).
      The occupancy evaluation consisted of an online survey that measured the
      perceived performance of different aspects of the building. Longitudinal
      multilevel analysis was used to compare the performance of the old buildings with
      the new buildings. RESULTS: Significant improvements were found in indoor
      climate, perceived safety, working environment, well-being, facilities,
      sustainability, and overall satisfaction. Commitment to the employer, working
      atmosphere, orientation, work performance, and knowledge sharing did not improve.
      The results were interpreted by relating them to specific design choices.
      CONCLUSION: We showed that it is possible to measure the performance improvements
      of a complex intervention being a new building design and validate design
      decisions. A focused design process aiming for a safe, pleasant and sustainable
      building resulted in actual improvements in some of the related performance
      measures.

PMID- 26123970
TI  - Hospital Patient Room Design: The Issues Facing 23 Occupational Groups Who Work
      in Medical/Surgical Patient Rooms.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to learn from a wide range of hospital staff
      members about how the design of the patient room in which they work adversely
      affects their ergonomics or hinders their job performance. BACKGROUND: In
      addition to providing a healing space for patients, hospital patient rooms need
      to serve as functional workplaces for the people who provide clinical care, to
      clean, or to maintain room functions. Therefore, from a design perspective, it is
      important to understand the needs of all the users of hospital patient rooms with
      regard to room design. METHOD: One hundred forty-seven people, representing 23
      different occupational stakeholder groups, participated in either focus groups or
      interviews in which they were asked to identify room design issues that affect
      the performance of their work tasks. RESULTS: Key issues shared across multiple
      stakeholder groups included an inability to have eye contact with the patient
      when entering the room, inadequate space around the bed for the equipment used by
      stakeholders, the physical demands experienced as stakeholders move furnishings
      to accomplish their activities or access equipment, and a lack of available
      horizontal surfaces. Unique issues were also identified for a number of
      stakeholder groups. CONCLUSIONS: There are a number of issues that should be
      addressed in the next generation of hospital patient rooms, or when refurbishing
      existing facilities, so that all occupational stakeholder groups can work
      effectively, efficiently, and without undue physical stress.

PMID- 26123971
TI  - Loving Nature From the Inside Out: A Biophilia Matrix Identification Strategy for
      Designers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The development of the Biophilic Design Matrix (BDM) was to aid
      designers or other specialists in identifying and quantifying biophilic features
      through a visual inventory of interior spaces. BACKGROUND: With mounting evidence
      to support the healing attributes of biophilic environments, we propose a method
      to identify biophilic content within interior spaces. Such a strategy offers much
      promise to the advancement of restorative environments. METHODS: The BDM was
      based on Stephen Kellert's biophilic design attribute list and modified to be
      appropriate for interior environments, specifically children's healthcare spaces.
      A photo-ethnographic documentation method of 24 child life play spaces within a
      South Atlantic state was used to determine whether the BDM could reliably reveal
      biophilic features (listed as attributes by Kellert in 2008). RESULTS: This
      matrix appears useful in documenting biophilia within the pediatric healthcare
      context, attesting to the usability and functionality of the BDM for this special
      population. Specifically, the BDM revealed that biophilic attributes were
      constantly present in some spaces while others were completely absent. When a
      biophilic attribute was present, the BDM indicated that they varied considerably
      in type and occurrence. Thus, use of the BDM in the hospital areas designed for
      patient recreation and play successfully provided a visual inventory of biophilic
      features as well as the frequency of application. CONCLUSIONS: Further use of the
      BDM as a tool for strategizing biophilic feature inclusion can thus increase the
      connections available with nature in the interior, beneficial for optimizing
      health and wellness.

PMID- 26123972
TI  - Disseminating Project Outcomes in a Scholarly Poster.

PMID- 26123973
TI  - Applied Research in Practice: Partnering With Clients and Academia.

PMID- 26123974
TI  - Curing a large endogenous plasmid by single substitution of a partitioning gene.
AB  - To investigate whether plasmid-free cells of pathogenic Escherichia coli can be
      isolated by disrupting a single gene in an endogenous plasmid without further
      treatment, the effect of the disruption of partitioning genes on the inheritance
      of the endogenous plasmid pUTI89 of the uropathogenic E. coli strain UTI89 was
      studied. We found that mutation of parB, which encodes a type Ib partitioning
      protein, could cause loss of the endogenous plasmid at a ratio of about 1%.
      Clones derived from parB mutants, identified by antibiotic sensitivity, were all
      plasmid free. Plasmid instability caused by the parB mutation was found to
      correlate with a negative effect on host cell growth. Thus, in this pathogenic E.
      coli, an endogenous plasmid as large as 114 kbp could be cured effectively by
      targeting a single type Ib partitioning gene followed by passaging, which may
      facilitate further investigations on the function of endogenous plasmids in their
      natural hosts.

PMID- 26123976
TI  - The financial attractiveness assessment of large waste management projects
      registered as clean development mechanism.
AB  - This study illustrates the financial analyses for demonstration and assessment of
      additionality presented in the project design (PDD) and enclosed documents of the
      431 large Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) classified as the 'waste handling
      and disposal sector' (13) over the past ten years (2004-2014). The expected
      certified emissions reductions (CER) of these projects total 63.54 million metric
      tons of CO2eq, where eight countries account for 311 projects and 43.36 million
      metric tons. All of the projects declare themselves 'not financially attractive'
      without CER with an estimated sum of negative results of approximately a half
      billion US$. The results indicate that WM benchmarks and indicators are
      converging and reducing in variance, and the sensitivity analysis reveals that
      revenues have a greater effect on the financial results. This work concludes that
      an extensive financial database with simple standards for disclosure would
      greatly diminish statement problems and make information more comparable,
      reducing the risk and capital costs of WM projects. 

PMID- 26123975
TI  - The immunotranscriptome of the Caribbean reef-building coral Pseudodiploria
      strigosa.
AB  - The viability of coral reefs worldwide has been seriously compromised in the last
      few decades due in part to the emergence of coral diseases of infectious nature.
      Despite important efforts to understand the etiology and the contribution of
      environmental factors associated to coral diseases, the mechanisms of immune
      response in corals are just beginning to be studied systematically. In this
      study, we analyzed the set of conserved immune response genes of the Caribbean
      reef-building coral Pseudodiploria strigosa by Illumina-based transcriptome
      sequencing and annotation of healthy colonies challenged with whole live Gram
      positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Searching the annotated transcriptome with
      immune-related terms yielded a total of 2782 transcripts predicted to encode
      conserved immune-related proteins that were classified into three modules: (a)
      the immune recognition module, containing a wide diversity of putative pattern
      recognition receptors including leucine-rich repeat-containing proteins,
      immunoglobulin superfamily receptors, representatives of various lectin families,
      and scavenger receptors; (b) the intracellular signaling module, containing
      components from the Toll-like receptor, transforming growth factor, MAPK, and
      apoptosis signaling pathways; and (3) the effector module, including the C3 and
      factor B complement components, a variety of proteases and protease inhibitors,
      and the melanization-inducing phenoloxidase. P. strigosa displays a highly
      variable and diverse immune recognition repertoire that has likely contributed to
      its resilience to coral diseases. 

PMID- 26123977
TI  - Sulfate and organic matter concentration in relation to hydrogen sulfide
      generation at inert solid waste landfill site - Limit value for gypsum.
AB  - In order to suggest a limit value for gypsum (CaSO4) for the suppression of
      hydrogen sulfide (H2S) generation at an inert solid waste landfill site, the
      relationship between raw material (SO4 and organic matter) for H2S generation and
      generated H2S concentration, and the balance of raw material (SO4) and product
      (H2S) considering generation and outflow were investigated. SO4 concentration
      should be less than approximately 100mg-SO4/L in order to suppress H2S generation
      to below 2000ppm. Total organic carbon (TOC) concentration should be less than
      approximately 200mg-C/L assuming a high SO4 concentration. The limit value for
      SO4 in the ground is 60mg-SO4/kg with 0.011wt% as gypsum dihydrate, i.e.,
      approximately 1/10 of the limit value in inert waste as defined by the EU Council
      Decision (560mg-SO4/kg-waste). The limit value for SO4 in inert waste as defined
      by the EU Council Decision is high and TOC is strictly excluded. The cumulative
      amount of SO4 outflow through the liquid phase is much larger than that through
      the gas phase. SO4 concentration in pore water decreases with time, reaching half
      the initial concentration around day 100. SO4 reduction by rainfall can be
      expected in the long term. 

PMID- 26123978
TI  - Regression modeling and prediction of road sweeping brush load characteristics
      from finite element analysis and experimental results.
AB  - Rotary cup brushes mounted on each side of a road sweeper undertake heavy debris
      removal tasks but the characteristics have not been well known until recently. A
      Finite Element (FE) model that can analyze brush deformation and predict brush
      characteristics have been developed to investigate the sweeping efficiency and to
      assist the controller design. However, the FE model requires large amount of CPU
      time to simulate each brush design and operating scenario, which may affect its
      applications in a real-time system. This study develops a mathematical regression
      model to summarize the FE modeled results. The complex brush load characteristic
      curves were statistically analyzed to quantify the effects of cross-section,
      length, mounting angle, displacement and rotational speed etc. The data were then
      fitted by a multiple variable regression model using the maximum likelihood
      method. The fitted results showed good agreement with the FE analysis results and
      experimental results, suggesting that the mathematical regression model may be
      directly used in a real-time system to predict characteristics of different
      brushes under varying operating conditions. The methodology may also be used in
      the design and optimization of rotary brush tools. 

PMID- 26123979
TI  - Environmental impact of rejected materials generated in organic fraction of
      municipal solid waste anaerobic digestion plants: Comparison of wet and dry
      process layout.
AB  - Anaerobic digestion of source separated organic fraction of municipal solid waste
      is an increasing waste valorization alternative instead of incineration or
      landfilling of untreated biodegradable wastes. Nevertheless, a significant
      portion of biodegradable wastes entering the plant is lost in pre-treatments and
      post-treatments of anaerobic digestion facilities together with other improper
      materials such as plastics, paper, textile materials and metals. The rejected
      materials lost in these stages have two main implications: (i) less organic
      material enters to digesters and, as a consequence, there is a loss of biogas
      production and (ii) the rejected materials end up in landfills or incinerators
      contributing to environmental impacts such as global warming or eutrophication.
      The main goals of this study are (i) to estimate potential losses of biogas in
      the rejected solid materials generated during the pre- and post-treatments of two
      full-scale anaerobic digestion facilities and (ii) to evaluate the environmental
      burdens associated to the final disposal (landfill or incineration) of these
      rejected materials by means of Life Cycle Assessment. This study shows that there
      is a lost of potential biogas production, ranging from 8% to 15%, due to the loss
      of organic matter during pre-treatment stages in anaerobic digestion facilities.
      From an environmental point of view, the Life Cycle Assessment shows that the
      incineration scenario is the most favorable alternative for eight out of nine
      impact categories compared with the landfill scenario. The studied impact
      categories are Climate Change, Fossil depletion, Freshwater eutrophication,
      Marine eutrophication, Ozone depletion, Particulate matter formation,
      Photochemical oxidant formation, Terrestrial acidification and Water depletion. 

PMID- 26123980
TI  - Improvement in Detection of Wrong-Patient Errors When Radiologists Include
      Patient Photographs in Their Interpretation of Portable Chest Radiographs.
AB  - This study was conducted to determine whether facial photographs obtained
      simultaneously with radiographs improve radiologists' detection rate of wrong
      patient errors, when they are explicitly asked to include the photographs in
      their evaluation. Radiograph-photograph combinations were obtained from 28
      patients at the time of portable chest radiography imaging. From these, pairs of
      radiographs were generated. Each unique pair consisted of one new and one old
      (comparison) radiograph. Twelve pairs of mismatched radiographs (i.e., pairs
      containing radiographs of different patients) were also generated. In phase 1 of
      the study, 5 blinded radiologist observers were asked to interpret 20 pairs of
      radiographs without the photographs. In phase 2, each radiologist interpreted
      another 20 pairs of radiographs with the photographs. Radiologist observers were
      not instructed about the purpose of the photographs but were asked to include the
      photographs in their review. The detection rate of mismatched errors was recorded
      along with the interpretation time for each session for each observer. The two
      tailed Fisher exact test was used to evaluate differences in mismatch detection
      rates between the two phases. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant. The
      error detection rates without (0/20 = 0%) and with (17/18 = 94.4%) photographs
      were different (p = 0.0001). The average interpretation times for the set of 20
      radiographs were 26.45 (SD 8.69) and 20.55 (SD 3.40) min, for phase 1 and phase
      2, respectively (two-tailed Student t test, p = 0.1911). When radiologists
      include simultaneously obtained photographs in their review of portable chest
      radiographs, there is a significant improvement in the detection of labeling
      errors. No statistically significant difference in interpretation time was
      observed. This may lead to improved patient safety without affecting
      radiologists' throughput.

PMID- 26123981
TI  - Illness Schema Activation and the Effects of Illness Seasonality on Accessibility
      of Implicit Illness-Related Information.

PMID- 26123982
TI  - Nrf2 and beyond: deciphering the mode of action of fumarates in the inflamed
      central nervous system.

PMID- 26123983
TI  - Ostomy-related problems and their impact on quality of life of colorectal cancer
      ostomates: a systematic review.
AB  - AIM: Many long-term ostomates are 'out-of-sight' of healthcare, and it is unknown
      how ostomates deal with ostomy-related problems and how these problems affect
      their quality of life (QOL). The aim is to examine patient-related studies
      describing ostomy-related problems and their impact on the perceived QOL of long
      term colostomates. METHODS: The electronic databases PubMed (MEDLINE), CINAHL,
      Cochrane Library and PsycINFO were systematically searched. All studies were
      included in which ostomy-specific QOL was measured using validated
      multidimensional instruments. RESULTS: Of the 6447 citations identified, 14
      prevailingly descriptive cross-sectional studies were included. Three different
      validated multidimensional instruments for measuring QOL in ostomates were used
      (EORTC C30/CR38, MCOHQOLQO, Stoma QOL Questionnaire). All studies demonstrated
      that living with a colostomy influences the overall QOL negatively. The ostomy
      related problems described included sexual problems, depressive feelings, gas,
      constipation, dissatisfaction with appearance, change in clothing, travel
      difficulties, feeling tired and worry about noises. CONCLUSION: In conclusion,
      all 14 studies gave an indication of the impact of ostomy-related problems on the
      perceived QOL and demonstrated that a colostomy influences the QOL negatively.
      There is a wide range of ostomy-specific QOL scores, and there seem to be higher
      QOL scores in the studies where the MCOHQOLQO instrument was used. The MCOHQOLQO
      and the Stoma QOL Questionnaire gave the most detailed information about which
      ostomy-related problems were experienced. This review adds knowledge about the
      impact of stoma-related problems on QOL of long-term ostomates, but more research
      has to be conducted, to detect ostomy-related problems and especially possible
      care needs.

PMID- 26123984
TI  - Sulfonylurea monotherapy and emergency room utilization among elderly patients
      with type 2 diabetes.
AB  - AIM: In elderly Americans with type 2 diabetes, use of insulin and oral
      antidiabetic drugs (OADs) accounts for almost one-fourth of drug adverse event
      related hospitalizations. It is not clear, however, if sulfonylureas (SUs),
      frequently prescribed OADs known to cause hypoglycemia, increase the risk of
      emergency room (ER) visits compared to other OADs. The aim of this study was to
      compare the emergency room utilization between US elderly patients with diabetes
      on SU monotherapy vs. other non-SU monotherapies. METHODS: This retrospective
      cohort study was conducted using MarketScan((r)) database (2009-10) and aimed to
      evaluate the association between use of SU and ER visits. The analysis included
      28,533 patients (aged >=65 years) receiving SU monotherapy at baseline and 1:1
      propensity score (PS)-matched group receiving monotherapy with other OADs. ER
      utilization was determined during a 1-year follow-up period. RESULTS: The SU and
      non-SU groups were overall well balanced after PS matching. The mean (SD) number
      of ER visits during the follow-up was 0.56 among users of SU users compared to
      0.49 (P<0.0001) among non-users. In multivariable analysis, the adjusted odds
      ratios for >=2 ER visits were 1.21 (95% CI=1.13-1.30) comparing SU users to non
      users and 1.31 (95% CI=1.21-1.41) for SU vs. metformin users. CONCLUSION: Elderly
      patients with type 2 diabetes on SU monotherapy were more likely to use ER than
      those on other monotherapies. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings
      and evaluate other factors associated with ER visits.

PMID- 26123985
TI  - Homoarginine in the shadow of asymmetric dimethylarginine: from nitric oxide to
      cardiovascular disease.
AB  - It is well known that the endothelium maintains the vascular homeostasis.
      Importantly, endothelial dysfunction is regarded as a key early step in the
      development of atherosclerosis. Back in the early 1990s, it was found that
      asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an arginine metabolite derived from L
      arginine (Arg) residues in proteins by asymmetric dimethylation on its guanidine
      group, is an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) isoforms.
      Inhibition of NO synthesis from Arg by the endothelial NOS isoform (eNOS) leads
      to endothelial dysfunction. Due to this action, ADMA participates in the
      pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and potentially contributes to cardiovascular
      events. Nowadays, homoarginine (hArg) is considered as a new key player in
      atherogenesis. hArg is a non-essential, non-proteinogenic amino acid which is
      synthesized from Arg by arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT). hArg is
      structurally related to Arg; formally, hArg is by one methylene (CH2) group
      longer than Arg, and may serve as a substrate for NOS, thus contributing to NO
      synthesis. For several decades, the pathophysiological role of hArg has been
      entirely unknown. hArg has been in the shadow of ADMA. Clinical studies have
      sought to investigate the relationship between circulating hArg levels and human
      disease states as well as cardiovascular prognosis. Recent studies indicate that
      hArg is actively involved in the vascular homeostasis, yet the underlying
      mechanisms are incompletely understood. In this article, we review the available
      literature regarding the role of ADMA and hArg in endothelial dysfunction and in
      cardiovascular disease as well as the possible associations between these
      endogenous Arg derivatives.

PMID- 26123986
TI  - The L-arginine/NO pathway, homoarginine, and nitrite-dependent renal carbonic
      anhydrase activity in young people with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
AB  - High circulating levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and low circulating
      levels of homoarginine (hArg) are known cardiovascular risk factors in adults.
      While in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) circulating ADMA is
      significantly elevated, in children and adolescents the reported ADMA data are
      contradictory. In 102 children with T1DM and 95 healthy controls (HC) serving as
      controls, we investigated the L-arginine (Arg)/nitric oxide (NO) pathway.
      Children with T1DM were divided into two groups, i.e., in children with newly
      diagnosed diabetes mellitus [T1DM-ND; n = 10; age, 8.8 (4.4-11.2) years; HbA1c,
      13 (8.9-13.9) %] and in those with long-term treatment [T1DM-T; n = 92; age, 12.5
      (10.5-15.4) years; HbA1c, 8.0 (7.2-8.6) %]. The age of the HC was 11.3 (8-13.3)
      years. Amino acids and NO metabolites of the Arg/NO pathway, creatinine and the
      oxidative stress biomarker malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured by GC-MS or GC
      MS/MS. Plasma hArg, ADMA and the hArg/ADMA molar ratio did not differ between the
      T1DM and HC groups. There was a significant difference between T1DM-T and HC with
      regard to plasma nitrite [0.53 (0.48-0.61) vs 2.05 (0.86-2.36) uM, P < 0.0001] as
      well as to urinary nitrite [0.09 (0.06-0.17) vs 0.22 (0.13-0.37) MUmol/mmol
      creatinine, P < 0.0001]. Plasma, but not urinary nitrite, differed between T1DM
      ND and HC [0.55 (0.50-0.66) vs 2.05 (0.86-2.36) uM, P < 0.0001]. Plasma MDA did
      not differ between the groups. The urinary nitrate-to-nitrite molar ratio
      (UNOXR), a measure of nitrite-dependent renal carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity,
      was higher in T1DM-T [1173 (738-1481), P < 0.0001] and T1DM-ND [1341 (1117-1615),
      P = 0.0007] compared to HC [540 (324-962)], but did not differ between T1DM-T and
      T1DM-ND (P = 0.272). The lower nitrite excretion in the children with T1DM may
      indicate enhanced renal CA-dependent nitrite reabsorption compared with healthy
      children. Yet, lower plasma nitrite concentration in the T1DM patients may have
      also contributed to the higher UNOXR. Patients' age correlated positively with
      plasma hArg and hArg/ADMA and urinary DMA/ADMA. Plasma ADMA and urinary ADMA,
      DMA, nitrite and nitrate correlated negatively with age of the T1DM-T children.
      Significant correlations were found between plasma hArg and plasma Arg (r =
      0.468, P < 0.0001), and urinary DMA (r = -0.426, P = 0.0001), ADMA (r = -0.266, P
      = 0.021) and nitrate (r = -0.234, P = 0.043). Plasma hArg correlated positively
      with age at diagnosis (r = +0.337, P = 0.002). ADMA, but not hArg, correlated
      with HbA1c in T1DM-T (r = -0.418, P < 0.0001) and T1DM-ND (r = +0.879, P =
      0.0016). The greatest differences between T1DM-T and T1DM-ND were observed for
      urinary ADMA, DMA/ADMA ratio, nitrite and nitrate. The Arg/NO pathway is altered
      in T1DM in childhood and adolescence, yet the role and the importance of hArg and
      ADMA in T1DM remain to be elucidated. In young T1DM patients, oxidative stress
      (lipid peroxidation) is not elevated.

PMID- 26123987
TI  - Homoarginine (hArg) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in short stature
      children without and with growth hormone deficiency: hArg and ADMA are involved
      differently in growth in the childhood.
AB  - Adult subjects with growth hormone (GH) deficiency (GHD) are known to have
      reduced life expectancy due to increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular
      events. In adults, these events are associated with elevated circulating
      concentrations of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) which is an endogenous
      inhibitor of L-arginine (Arg)-derived nitric oxide (NO). Low circulating
      concentrations of homoarginine (hArg) emerged as a cardiovascular risk factor. In
      adults, hArg seems to antagonize ADMA. In the present work, we tested the
      hypothesis that children with short stature without or with GHD have altered
      Arg/NO pathway as compared to children with normal growth. We studied 66 short
      stature children (38 boys, 28 girls) aged 3.5-17.3 years, who underwent the
      routine L-Arginine Test to diagnose presence of GHD. GHD was confirmed in 47
      children (GHD group; 30 boys, 17 girls) and was absent in the remaining 19
      children (non-GHD group; 8 boys, 11 girls). In addition, we investigated 24
      healthy age- and gender-matched children (10 boys, 14 girls) with normal growth.
      In EDTA plasma samples of all children, we determined by mass spectrometry-based
      methods the concentrations of Arg, hArg and ADMA, and calculated the Arg/ADMA and
      hArg/ADMA molar ratios. With respect to these biochemical parameters, we did not
      find statistically significant differences between the GHD and non-GHD groups.
      Comparing short with normal stature children, we found small differences
      regarding plasma hArg concentrations [mean +/- SD; median (25th-75th
      percentile)]: 2.06 +/- 0.52 uM; 2.12 (1.74-2.36) uM vs. 1.7 +/- 0.5 uM; 1.6 (1.4
      1.8) uM, P < 0.001. Compared to normal stature children, short stature children
      had considerably higher plasma concentrations of ADMA [0.77 +/- 0.15 uM; 0.77
      (0.66-0.85) uM vs. 0.57 +/- 0.09 uM; 0.58 (0.50-0.63) uM, P < 0.001], but not of
      Arg [83.3 +/- 19.2 uM; 82.2 (71.9-90.3) uM vs. 86.5 +/- 17.8 uM; 84.8 (77.2-94.8)
      uM, P = 0.336], or the hArg/ADMA ratio [2.74 +/- 0.76; 2.7 (2.2-3.1) vs. 3.1 +/-
      1.2; 2.85 (2.42-3.66), P = 0.161. hArg in the GHD group (r = 0.41, P = 0.004) and
      the hArg/ADMA ratio in both groups (r = 0.44, P = 0.002 in GHD; r = 0.55, P =
      0.01 in non-GHD)], but not ADMA were positively correlated with insulin-like
      growth factor-1 (IGF-1). hArg and hArg/ADMA differed between girls and boys in
      the GHD and non-GHD groups but in the normal growth group. The hArg/ADMA ratio
      increased with age in all groups. Our study suggests that hArg and ADMA are
      involved in growth in the childhood, presumably in an antagonistic manner, with
      ADMA slowing and hArg accelerating growth.

PMID- 26123988
TI  - beta-Lactoglobulin detected in human milk forms noncovalent complexes with
      maltooligosaccharides as revealed by chip-nanoelectrospray high-resolution tandem
      mass spectrometry.
AB  - Cow's milk protein allergy in exclusively breastfed infants, the main cause of
      food intolerance during the first 6 months of life, is triggered by the mother's
      diet. beta-Lactoglobulin (BLG) present in cow's milk is one of the most potent
      allergens for newborns. Since no prophylactic treatment is available, finding
      ligands capable of binding BLG and reducing its allergenicity is currently the
      focus of research. In this work, an innovative methodology encompassing
      microfluidics based on fully automated chip-nanoelectrospray ionization
      (nanoESI), coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) on a quadrupole
      time-of-flight (QTOF MS) instrument was developed. This platform was employed for
      the assessment of the noncovalent interactions between maltohexaose (Glc6) and
      beta-lactoglobulin extracted from human milk upon deliberate intake of cow's
      milk. The experiments were carried out in (+) ESI mode, using ammonium acetate
      (pH 6.0) as the buffer and also in pure water. In both cases, the MS analysis
      revealed the formation of BLG-Glc6 complex, which was characterized by top-down
      fragmentation in tandem MS (MS/MS) using collision-induced dissociation (CID).
      Our findings have a significant biomedical impact, indicating that Glc6 binds BLG
      under conditions mimicking the in vivo environment and therefore might represent
      a ligand, able to reduce its allergenicity.

PMID- 26123989
TI  - Effects of chronic oral L-arginine administration on the L-arginine/NO pathway in
      patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease or coronary artery disease: L
      Arginine prevents renal loss of nitrite, the major NO reservoir.
AB  - Despite saturation of nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) by its substrate L
      arginine (Arg), oral and intravenous supplementation of Arg may enhance NO
      synthesis, a phenomenon known as "The L-arginine paradox". Yet, Arg is not only a
      source of NO, but is also a source for guanidine-methylated (N (G)) arginine
      derivatives which are all inhibitors of NOS activity. Therefore, Arg
      supplementation may not always result in enhanced NO synthesis. Concomitant
      synthesis of N (G)-monomethyl arginine (MMA), N (G),N (G)-dimethylarginine
      (asymmetric dimethylarginine, ADMA) and N (G),N (G')-dimethylarginine (symmetric
      dimethylarginine, SDMA) from supplemented Arg may outweigh and even outbalance
      the positive effects of Arg on NO. Another possible, yet little investigated
      effect of Arg supplementation may be alteration of renal function, notably the
      influence on the excretion of nitrite in the urine. Nitrite is the autoxidation
      product of NO and the major reservoir of NO in the circulation. Nitrite and Arg
      are reabsorbed in the proximal tubule of the nephron and this reabsorption is
      coupled, at least in part, to the renal carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity. In the
      present placebo-controlled studies, we investigated the effect of chronic oral
      Arg supplementation of 10 g/day for 3 or 6 months in patients suffering from
      peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) or coronary artery disease (CAD) on
      the urinary excretion of nitrite relative to nitrate. We determined the urinary
      nitrate-to-nitrite molar ratio (UNOxR), which is a measure of nitrite-dependent
      renal CA activity before and after oral intake of Arg or placebo by the patients.
      The UNOxR was also determined in 6 children who underwent the Arg test, i.e.,
      intravenous infusion of Arg (0.5 g Arg/kg bodyweight) for 30 min. Arg was well
      tolerated by the patients of the three studies. Oral Arg supplementation
      increased Arg (plasma and urine) and ADMA (urine) concentrations. No appreciable
      changes were seen in NO (in PAOD and CAD) and prostacyclin and thromboxane
      synthesis (in PAOD). In the PAOD study, UNOxR did not change in the Arginine
      group (480 +/- 51 vs 486 +/- 50), but fell in the Placebo group (422 +/- 67 vs
      332 +/- 42, P = 0.025). In the CAD study, UNOxR did not change significantly in
      the Arginine group (518 +/- 77 at start vs 422 +/- 40 after 3 months vs 399 +/-
      66 after 6 months), but fell in the Placebo group (524 +/- 69 vs 302 +/- 36 vs
      285 +/- 31; P = 0.025 for 0 vs 3 months). Infusion of Arg tended to decrease the
      UNOxR in the children (317 +/- 41 vs 208 +/- 16, P = 0.06). We propose that oral
      long-term Arg supplementation prevents loss of NO bioactivity by saving nitrite.
      The optimum Arg dose needs to be elaborated and is likely to be less than 10 g
      per day in adults. Orally and intravenously administered arginine was well
      tolerated by the elderly patients and young children, respectively.

PMID- 26123990
TI  - Hyperargininemia due to arginase I deficiency: the original patients and their
      natural history, and a review of the literature.
AB  - Hyperargininemia is caused by deficiency of arginase 1, which catalyzes the
      hydrolysis of L-arginine to urea as the final enzyme in the urea cycle. In
      contrast to other urea cycle defects, arginase 1 deficiency usually does not
      cause catastrophic neonatal hyperammonemia but rather presents with progressive
      neurological symptoms including seizures and spastic paraplegia in the first
      years of life and hepatic pathology, such as neonatal cholestasis, acute liver
      failure, or liver fibrosis. Some patients have developed hepatocellular
      carcinoma. A usually mild or moderate hyperammonemia may occur at any age. The
      pathogenesis of arginase I deficiency is yet not fully understood. However, the
      accumulation of L-arginine and the resulting abnormalities in the metabolism of
      guanidine compounds and nitric oxide have been proposed to play a major
      pathophysiological role. This article provides an update on the first patients
      ever described, gives an overview of the distinct clinical characteristics,
      biochemical as well as genetical background and discusses treatment options.

PMID- 26123991
TI  - Neonatal taurine and alanine modulate anxiety-like behavior and decelerate
      cortical spreading depression in rats previously suckled under different litter
      sizes.
AB  - The amino acids taurine and alanine play a role in several physiological
      processes, including behavior and the electrical activity of the brain. In this
      study, we investigated the effect of treatment with taurine or alanine on anxiety
      like behavior and the excitability-dependent phenomenon known as cortical
      spreading depression (CSD), using rats suckled in litters with 9 and 15 pups
      (groups L9 and L15). From postnatal days 7 to 27, the animals received per gavage
      300 mg/kg/day of taurine or alanine or both. At 28 days, we tested the animals in
      the elevated plus maze, and at 33-35 days, we recorded CSD and analyzed its
      velocity of propagation, amplitude, and duration. Compared with water-treated
      controls, the L9 groups treated with taurine or alanine displayed anxiolytic
      behavior (higher number of entries in the open arms; p < 0.05), and reduced CSD
      velocity (p < 0.001). The effect of both amino acids on CSD was also found in the
      L15 groups and in five additional L9 groups (naive, water, taurine, alanine, or
      both) treated at adulthood (90-110 days). The L15 condition resulted in smaller
      durations and higher CSD velocities compared with the L9 condition. Besides
      reinforcing previous evidence of behavioral modulation by taurine and alanine,
      our data are the first confirmation that treatment with these amino acids
      decelerates CSD regardless of lactation conditions (normal versus unfavorable
      lactation) or age at amino acid administration (young versus adult). The results
      suggest a modulating role for both amino acids on anxiety behavior and neuronal
      electrical activity.

PMID- 26123992
TI  - Can abundance of methanogen be a good indicator for CH4 flux in soil ecosystems?
AB  - Methane, which is produced by methanogenic archaea, is the second most abundant
      carbon compound in the atmosphere. Due to its strong radiative forcing, many
      studies have been conducted to determine its sources, budget, and dynamics.
      However, a mechanistic model of methane flux has not been developed thus far. In
      this study, we attempt to examine the relevance of the abundance of methanogen as
      a biological indicator of methane flux in three different types of soil
      ecosystems: permafrost, rice paddy, and mountainous wetland. We measured the
      annual average methane flux and abundance of methanogen in the soil ecosystems in
      situ. The correlation between methane flux and the abundance of methanogen exists
      only under a specific biogeochemical conditions such as SOM of higher than 60%,
      pH of 5.6-6.4, and water-saturated. Except for these conditions, significant
      correlations were absent. Therefore, microbial abundance information can be
      applied to a methane flux model selectively depending on the biogeochemical
      properties of the soil ecosystem.

PMID- 26123993
TI  - Disaggregation-induced fluorescence enhancement of NIAD-4 for the optical imaging
      of amyloid-beta fibrils.
AB  - The main hallmark of Alzheimer's disease is the deposition of amyloid-beta
      (Abeta) aggregates in the brain. An early diagnosis of the disease requires a
      fast and accurate detection of such aggregates in vivo. NIAD-4 is one of the most
      promising in vivo markers developed due to its high emission at lambda > 600 nm
      and its ability to rapidly cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and target Abeta
      deposits. Furthermore, it shows a dramatic fluorescence enhancement upon binding
      to amyloid fibrils, which is essential for attaining good imaging contrast.
      Aiming at establishing novel design concepts for the preparation of optimized
      optical probes, the current work rationalizes the excellent performance of NIAD-4
      by using a pool of computational (TD-DFT and CASPT2 calculations, ab initio
      molecular dynamics and protein energy landscape exploration) and spectroscopic
      techniques. Unlike other markers operating as molecular rotors or polarity
      sensitive dyes, we uncover herein that the high fluorescence imaging contrast
      observed upon NIAD-4 binding to amyloid fibrils results from reversible
      aggregation. NIAD-4 forms non-emissive assemblies in aqueous solution already at
      very low concentrations, which convert into the highly fluorescent monomeric
      species by diffusion into the hydrophobic voids of Abeta deposits. This result
      paves the way to exploit aggregation-induced processes as a new strategy towards
      advanced fluorescence markers for amyloid detection. 

PMID- 26123994
TI  - Prognostic value of the new International Association for the Study of Lung
      Cancer/American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society classification in
      stage IB lung adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with pathological stage IB lung adenocarcinoma have a
      variable prognosis, even if received the same treatment. This study investigated
      the prognostic value of the new International Association for the Study of Lung
      Cancer, American Thoracic Society, and European Respiratory Society
      (IASLC/ATS/ERS) lung adenocarcinoma classification in resected stage IB lung
      adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We identified 276 patients with pathological stage IB
      adenocarcinoma who had undergone surgical resection at the Nanjing Chest Hospital
      between 2005 and 2010. The histological subtypes of all patients were classified
      according to the 2011 IASLC/ATS/ERS international multidisciplinary lung
      adenocarcinoma classification. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used
      to analyze the correlation between the IASLC/ATS/ERS classification and patients'
      prognosis. RESULTS: Two hundred and seventy-six patients with pathological stage
      IB adenocarcinoma had an 86.2% 5-year overall survival (OS) and 80.4% 5-year
      disease-free survival (DFS). Patients with micropapillary and solid predominant
      tumors had a significantly worse OS and DFS as compared to those with other
      subtypes predominant tumors (p = 0.003 and 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed
      that the new classification was an independent prognostic factor for both OS and
      DFS of pathological stage IB adenocarcinoma (p = 0.009 and 0.003). CONCLUSION:
      Our study revealed that the new IASLC/ATS/ERS classification was an independent
      prognostic factor of pathological stage IB adenocarcinoma. This new
      classification is valuable of screening out high risk patients to receive
      postoperative adjuvant therapy.

PMID- 26123995
TI  - Espresso coffee residues as a nitrogen amendment for small-scale vegetable
      production.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Espresso coffee grounds constitute a residue which is produced daily
      in considerable amounts, and is often pointed out as being potentially
      interesting for plant nutrition. Two experiments (incubations and field
      experiments) were carried out to evaluate the potential nitrogen (N) and
      phosphorus (P) supply for carrot (Daucus carota L.), spinach (Spinacea oleracea
      L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) nutrition. RESULTS: Immobilisation of
      nitrogen and phosphorus was detected in all the incubations and, in the field
      experiments, germination and yield growth were decreased by the presence of
      espresso coffee grounds, in general for all the species studied. CONCLUSION: The
      study showed an inhibition of N and P mineralisation and a reduction of plant
      germination and growth. Further research is required to determine whether this is
      related to the immobilising capacity of the residue or possibly due to the
      presence of caffeine.

PMID- 26123996
TI  - Catalysing transdisciplinary synthesis in ecosystem science and management.

PMID- 26123997
TI  - Description and phylogenetic affinities of two new species of Nomadolepis
      (Eucestoda, Hymenolepididae) from Eastern Palearctic.
AB  - Two new species of hymenolepidid cestodes belonging to the genus Nomadolepis are
      described from small mammals in western Siberia and the Far East, Russian
      Federation. Nomadolepis fareasta n. sp. is described from the striped dwarf
      hamster Cricetulus barabensis in Amurskaya Oblast' and Nomadolepis shiloi n. sp.
      is described from the Eurasian harvest mouse Micromys minutus from Novosibirskaya
      Oblast' and Amurskaya Oblast'. Nomadolepis fareasta n. sp. differs from
      Nomadolepis merionis, Nomadolepis ellobii and N. shiloi n. sp. in having a
      substantially longer strobila, longer cirrus-sac and wider ovary. Furthermore, N.
      fareasta n. sp. can be readily distinguished from its congeners by the
      arrangement of the testes and the number and size of rostellar hooks. Nomadolepis
      shiloi n. sp. differs from N. merionis, N. ellobii and N. fareasta n. sp. by the
      number and length of the rostellar hooks, the presence of irregular transverse
      anastomoses as well as the length of the cirrus-sac and position of the cirrus
      sac in relation to the poral ventral osmoregulatory canal. Morphological
      differentiation of the two new species from morphologically similar Palearctic
      species of the related genus Rodentolepis (sensu lato) from rodents is also
      provided. Phylogenetic affinities of Nomadolepis were studied for the first time
      using partial sequences of the nuclear ribosomal 28S DNA gene. Phylogenetic
      analysis strongly supported the status of Nomadolepis as a separate genus closest
      to Pararodentolepis. 

PMID- 26123999
TI  - Evaluating the role of coastal habitats and sea-level rise in hurricane risk
      mitigation: An ecological economic assessment method and application to a
      business decision.
AB  - Businesses may be missing opportunities to account for ecosystem services in
      their decisions, because they do not have methods to quantify and value ecosystem
      services. We developed a method to quantify and value coastal protection and
      other ecosystem services in the context of a cost-benefit analysis of hurricane
      risk mitigation options for a business. We first analyze linked biophysical and
      economic models to examine the potential protection provided by marshes. We then
      applied this method to The Dow Chemical Company's Freeport, Texas facility to
      evaluate natural (marshes), built (levee), and hybrid (marshes and a levee
      designed for marshes) defenses against a 100-y hurricane. Model analysis shows
      that future sea-level rise decreases marsh area, increases flood heights, and
      increases the required levee height (12%) and cost (8%). In this context, marshes
      do not provide sufficient protection to the facility, located 12 km inland, to
      warrant a change in levee design for a 100-y hurricane. Marshes do provide some
      protection near shore and under smaller storm conditions, which may help maintain
      the coastline and levee performance in the face of sea-level rise. In sum, the
      net present value to the business of built defenses ($217 million [2010 US$]) is
      greater than natural defenses ($15 million [2010 US$]) and similar to the hybrid
      defense scenario ($229 million [2010 US$]). Examination of a sample of public
      benefits from the marshes shows they provide at least $117 million (2010 US$) in
      coastal protection, recreational value, and C sequestration to the public, while
      supporting 12 fisheries and more than 300 wildlife species. This study provides
      information on where natural defenses may be effective and a replicable approach
      that businesses can use to incorporate private, as well as public, ecosystem
      service values into hurricane risk management at other sites.

PMID- 26124000
TI  - Changing SERKs and priorities during plant life.
AB  - SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASES (SERKs) are coreceptors for diverse
      extracellular signals. SERKs are involved in a wide array of developmental and
      immune related processes first discovered in Arabidopsis. Recent work
      demonstrates the evolutionary conservation of SERKs in all multicellular plants,
      and highlights their functional conservation in monocots and dicots. 

PMID- 26123998
TI  - Bach1 Represses Wnt/beta-Catenin Signaling and Angiogenesis.
AB  - RATIONALE: Wnt/beta-catenin signaling has an important role in the angiogenic
      activity of endothelial cells (ECs). Bach1 is a transcription factor and is
      expressed in ECs, but whether Bach1 regulates angiogenesis is unknown. OBJECTIVE:
      This study evaluated the role of Bach1 in angiogenesis and Wnt/beta-catenin
      signaling. METHODS AND RESULTS: Hind-limb ischemia was surgically induced in
      Bach1(-/-) mice and their wild-type littermates and in C57BL/6J mice treated with
      adenoviruses coding for Bach1 or GFP. Lack of Bach1 expression was associated
      with significant increases in perfusion and vascular density and in the
      expression of proangiogenic cytokines in the ischemic hindlimb of mice, with
      enhancement of the angiogenic activity of ECs (eg, tube formation, migration, and
      proliferation). Bach1 overexpression impaired angiogenesis in mice with hind-limb
      ischemia and inhibited Wnt3a-stimulated angiogenic response and the expression of
      Wnt/beta-catenin target genes, such as interleukin-8 and vascular endothelial
      growth factor, in human umbilical vein ECs. Interleukin-8 and vascular
      endothelial growth factor were responsible for the antiangiogenic response of
      Bach1. Immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assessments indicated that Bach1
      binds directly to TCF4 and reduces the interaction of beta-catenin with TCF4.
      Bach1 overexpression reduces the interaction between p300/CBP and beta-catenin,
      as well as beta-catenin acetylation, and chromatin immunoprecipitation
      experiments confirmed that Bach1 occupies the TCF4-binding site of the
      interleukin-8 promoter and recruits histone deacetylase 1 to the interleukin-8
      promoter in human umbilical vein ECs. CONCLUSIONS: Bach1 suppresses angiogenesis
      after ischemic injury and impairs Wnt/beta-catenin signaling by disrupting the
      interaction between beta-catenin and TCF4 and by recruiting histone deacetylase 1
      to the promoter of TCF4-targeted genes.

PMID- 26124001
TI  - Maternal effects on tree phenotypes: considering the microbiome.
AB  - The biotic and abiotic environmental experience of plants can influence the
      offspring without any changes in DNA sequence. These effects can modulate the
      development of the progeny and their interaction with microorganisms. This
      interaction includes fungal endophytic communities which have significant effects
      on trees and their associated ecosystems. In this opinion article, we highlight
      potential maternal mechanisms through which endophytes could influence the
      progeny. We argue that a better understanding of these interactions might help to
      predict the response of trees to stress conditions and enhance the efficiency of
      tree breeding programs. 

PMID- 26124002
TI  - Characterization of neopeptides in equine articular cartilage degradation.
AB  - Osteoarthritis is characterized by a loss of extracellular matrix that leads to
      cartilage degradation and joint space narrowing. Specific proteases, including
      the aggrecanases ADAMTS-4 and matrix metalloproteinase 3, are important in
      initiating and promoting cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis. This study
      investigated protease-specific and disease-specific cleavage patterns of
      particular extracellular matrix proteins by comparing new peptide fragments,
      neopeptides, in specific exogenous protease-driven digestion of a crude cartilage
      proteoglycan extract and an in-vitro model of early osteoarthritis. Additionally,
      equine cartilage explants were treated with interleukin-1 and the media
      collected. Proteolytic cleavage products following trypsin digestion were then
      identified using tandem mass spectrometry. Complete sequences of proteolytically
      cleaved neopeptides were determined for the major cartilage proteoglycans
      aggrecan, biglycan, decorin, fibromodulin plus cartilage oligomeric matrix
      protein. The generation of neopeptides varied with enzyme specificity; however,
      some peptides were common to all samples. Previous known and novel cleavage sites
      were identifies. The identification of novel peptide fragments provides a
      platform for the development of antibodies that could assist in the
      identification of biomarkers for osteoarthritis (OA), as well as the
      identification of basic biochemical processes underlying OA.

PMID- 26124003
TI  - Activated Pak4 expression correlates with poor prognosis in human gastric cancer
      patients.
AB  - Despite considerable advances in gastrectomy and chemotherapy, the prognosis of
      gastric cancer (GC) has not noticeably improved due to lymph node or distant
      metastases. P21-activated serine/threonine kinase 4 (Pak4) plays an important
      role in cell morphology and cytoskeletal reorganization-both prerequisite steps
      for cell migration. However, it is still unclear if activated Pak4 (p-Pak4) is
      related to prognosis in GC patients. In our study, the level of p-Pak4 in 95 GC
      tissue specimens was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). We observed
      significant correlation between the level of p-Pak4 and grosstype (advanced stage
      GC vs. early stage GC, P = 0.04). Moreover, GC patients with higher p-Pak4 levels
      had a poorer prognosis than those with lower p-Pak4 levels (17 vs. 38 months, P =
      0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that high phosphorylation level of Pak4,
      advanced stage GC, and lymph node metastasis were independent prognostic factors
      for GC patients (p-Pak4, P = 0.026; advanced stage GC, P = 0.030; lymph node
      metastasis, P = 0.016). In addition, in vitro assays indicated that knockdown of
      Pak4 accompanied with decreased p-Pak4, inhibited cell migration via
      downregulation of the traditional downstream signaling pathways of Pak4, LIMK1,
      and cofilin. In conclusion, this report reveals that high level of p-Pak4
      correlates with poor prognosis in GC, thereby suggesting that p-Pak4 might be a
      potential prognostic marker for GC.

PMID- 26124004
TI  - The clinicopathological significances and biological functions of parafibromin
      expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
AB  - Downregulated parafibromin expression is involved in the pathogenesis and
      progression of parathyroid, breast, gastric, colorectal, and lung cancers. To
      investigate the roles of parafibromin expression in tumorigenesis, progression,
      and prognostic evaluation of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), we
      transfected parafibromin-expressing plasmid into HNSCC cell and examined the
      phenotypes and their relevant molecules. Parafibromin expression was detected on
      tissue microarray containing squamous epithelium, dysplasia, and carcinoma of
      head and neck by immunohistochemistry. Parafibromin overexpression was found to
      suppress growth, migration, and invasion, and induce apoptosis, S arrest, and
      mesenchymal to epithelial transition (EMT), compared with the mock and control (P
      < 0.05). Both overexpression of Cyclin E1, Bax, and E-cadherin and hypoexpression
      of c-myc, Bcl-xL, and slug were detected in B88 transfectants, in comparison to
      mock and control by real-time PCR. Parafibromin expression was weaker in primary
      cancers than those in normal squamous tissue and dysplasia (P < 0.05), but
      stronger than the metastatic cancers in lymph node (P < 0.05). Parafibromin
      expression was negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis, tumor-node
      metastasis (TNM) staging, but positively with human papillomavirus (HPV)
      positivity (P < 0.05). The HNSCCs in tongue showed more parafibromin expression
      than those in larynx (P < 0.05). There was stronger parafibromin expression in
      moderately-than poorly-differentiated carcinomas (P < 0.05). The significantly
      positive correlation was observed between parafibromin expression and relapse
      free survival rate by Kaplan-Meier curves (P < 0.05). Cox's proportional hazard
      model indicated that distant metastasis and parafibromin expression were
      independent prognostic factors for overall and relapse-free survival of HNSCC,
      respectively (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that downregulated expression of
      parafibromin protein plays an important role in the pathogenesis,
      differentiation, and metastasis of HNSCCs possibly by inducing apoptosis,
      suppressing proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration, invasion, and EMT.
      Parafibromin expression is an independent factor for relapse-free survival of
      HNSCCs.

PMID- 26124005
TI  - Resveratrol induces AMPK-dependent MDR1 inhibition in colorectal cancer HCT116/L
      OHP cells by preventing activation of NF-kappaB signaling and suppressing cAMP
      responsive element transcriptional activity.
AB  - Resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound found in foods and beverages, has
      attracted increasing attention in recent years because of its potent
      chemopreventive and anti-tumor effects. In this study, the effects of resveratrol
      on the expression of P-glycoprotein/multi-drug resistance protein 1 (P-gp/MDR1),
      and the underlying molecular mechanisms, were investigated in oxaliplatin (L-OHP)
      resistant colorectal cancer cells (HCT116/L-OHP). Resveratrol downregulated MDR1
      protein and mRNA expression levels and reduced MDR1 promoter activity. It also
      enhanced the intracellular accumulation of rhodamine 123, suggesting that
      resveratrol can reverse multi-drug resistance by downregulating MDR1 expression
      and reducing drug efflux. Resveratrol treatment also reduced nuclear factor
      kappaB (NF-kappaB) activity, reduced phosphorylation levels of IkappaBalpha, and
      reduced nuclear translocation of the NF-kappaB subunit p65. Moreover,
      downregulation of MDR1 expression and promoter activity was mediated by
      resveratrol-induced AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation. The
      inhibitory effects of resveratrol on MDR1 expression and cAMP-responsive element
      binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation were reversed by AMPKalpha siRNA
      transfection. We found that the transcriptional activity of cAMP-responsive
      element (CRE) was inhibited by resveratrol. These results demonstrated that the
      inhibitory effects of resveratrol on MDR1 expression in HCT116/L-OHP cells were
      closely associated with the inhibition of NF-kappaB signaling and CREB activation
      in an AMPK-dependent manner.

PMID- 26124006
TI  - Association between polymorphisms of BAG-1 and XPD and chemotherapy sensitivity
      in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with vinorelbine combined
      cisplatin regimen.
AB  - BCL-2 Associated athanogene 1 (BAG-1) and Xeroderma pigmentosum group D (XPD) are
      involved in the nucleotide excision repair pathway and DNA repair. We aimed to
      investigate whether polymorphisms in BAG-1 and XPD have effects on chemotherapy
      sensitivity and survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer
      (NSCLC) treated with vinorelbine combined cisplatin (NP) regimen. A total of 142
      patients with diagnosed advanced NSCLC were recruited in the current study. NP
      regimen was applied for all eligible patients. Polymerase chain reaction
      restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used for BAG-1 (codon
      324) and XPD (codons 312 and 751) genotyping. The treatment response was
      evaluated according to the RECIST guidelines. Progression-free survival (PFS) and
      overall survival (OS) were record as median and end point, respectively. As for
      BAG-1 codon 324, the chemotherapy sensitivity in NSCLC patients with CT genotype
      was 0.383 times of those with CC genotype (P < 0.05). With respect to XPD codon
      751, the chemotherapy sensitivity in NSCLC patients with Lys/Gln genotype was
      0.400 times of those with Lys/Lys genotype (P < 0.05). In addition, NSCLC
      patients carrying combined C/C genotype at codon 324 in BAG-1, Asp/Asp of XPD
      codon 312, and Lys/Lys of XPD codon 751 produced a higher efficacy of NP
      chemotherapy compared to those carrying mutation genotypes (all P < 0.05).
      Further, there were significant differences in PFS between patients with combined
      C/C genotype of BAG-1 codon 324, Lys/Lys genotype of XPD codon 751, and Asp/Asp
      genotype of XPD codon 312 and patients carrying BAG-1 codon 324 C/T genotype, XPD
      codon751 Lys/Gln genotype, and XPD codon312 Asp/Asn genotype (P < 0.05).
      Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the combined wild-type of
      codon 324 XPD, codon 751 XPD, and codon 312 BAG-1 is the protective factor for OS
      and PFS, and clinical stages is the risk factor for OS and PFS. In conclusion,
      our research demonstrated the combined effects of BAG-1 and XPD polymorphisms on
      chemotherapy sensitivity and survival in patients with advanced NSCLC, which
      might be the important predictive markers for platinum-based chemotherapy
      efficacy.

PMID- 26124007
TI  - BMP-2 induces motility and invasiveness by promoting colon cancer stemness
      through STAT3 activation.
AB  - Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have been involved in metastatic progression
      and tumorigenesis of many cancer types. However, it remains unclear how BMP-2
      contributes to the initiation and development of these cancers. Here, we
      investigated the role of BMP-2 in colon cancer stem cell (CSC) development from
      colon cancer cells. We also determined the effects of BMP-2 on CSC development
      and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human colon cancer cell lines HCT
      116 and SW620. We found that BMP-2 enhanced sphere formation of colon cancer
      cells without serum. Also, BMP-2-induced spheres displayed up-regulation of
      stemness markers (CD133+ and EpCAM+) and increased drug resistance, hallmarks of
      CSCs. Importantly, expression of EMT activators p-Smad1/5 and Snail and N
      cadherin was increased in the spheres' cells, indicating that BMP-2 signaling
      might result in CSC self-renewal and EMT. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated knockdown
      of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in HCT-116 cells
      reversed BMP-2-induced EMT and stem cell formation. Taken together, our results
      suggest that the BMP-2 induced STAT3-mediated induction of colon cancer cell
      metastasis requires an EMT and/or changes in CSC markers.

PMID- 26124008
TI  - Assessment of the anticancer mechanism of ferulic acid via cell cycle and
      apoptotic pathways in human prostate cancer cell lines.
AB  - Studies on genetic changes underlying prostate cancer and the possible signaling
      pathways are getting increased day by day, and new treatment methods are being
      searched for. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of
      ferulic acid (FA), a phenolic compound, on cell cycle, apoptosis, invasion, and
      colony formation in the PC-3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cells. The effect of FA on
      cell viability was determined via a 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H
      tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) method. Total RNA was isolated with Tri
      Reagent. Expression of 84 genes for both cell cycle and apoptosis separately was
      evaluated by reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR). Protein expressions were
      evaluated by Western blot analysis. Furthermore, apoptotic effects of FA were
      observed with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deoxyuridine triphosphate
      nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Effects of FA on cell invasion and colony
      formation were determined using Matrigel chamber and colony assay, respectively.
      The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) dose of FA was found to be 300
      MUM in PC-3 cells and 500 MUM in LNCaP cells. According to RT-PCR results, it was
      observed that FA inhibited cell proliferation by increasing the gene expressions
      of ATR, ATM, CDKN1A, CDKN1B, E2F4, RB1, and TP53 and decreasing the gene
      expressions of CCND1, CCND2, CCND3, CDK2, CDK4, and CDK6 in PC-3 cells. On the
      other hand, it was seen that FA suppressed cell proliferation by increasing in
      the gene expressions of CASP1, CASP2, CASP8, CYCS, FAS, FASLG, and TRADD and
      decreasing in the gene expressions of BCL2 and XIAP in LNCaP cells. In this
      study, protein expression of CDK4 and BCL2 genes significantly decreased in these
      cells. It could induce apoptosis in PC-3 and LNCaP cells. Also, it was observed
      that FA suppressed the invasion in PC-3 and LNCaP cells. Moreover, it suppressed
      the colony formation. In conclusion, it has been observed that FA may lead to
      cell cycle arrest in PC-3 cells while it may cause apoptosis in LNCaP cells.

PMID- 26124009
TI  - Elevated miR-483-3p expression is an early event and indicates poor prognosis in
      pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
AB  - MiR-483-3p has been reported to be widely involved in diverse human malignancies.
      However, the exact role of miR-483-3p remains elusive in pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The objective of this study is to determine the expression
      pattern and clinical implications of miR-483-3p in PDAC. MiR-483-3p levels were
      evaluated by locked nucleic acid-in situ hybridization (LNA-ISH) in a tissue
      microarray including 63 PDAC tumors and 10 normal pancreatic tissues, followed by
      evaluation in an independent set of 117 pairs of matched PDAC tumors and adjacent
      tumor-free pancreatic tissues. Expression of miR-483-3p was further evaluated in
      pancreatic intra-epithelial neoplasias (PanINs) and chronic pancreatitis (CP).
      The impact of miR-483-3p on cell proliferation, growth, and anchorage-independent
      colony formation was also assessed in vitro and in vivo. Microarray analysis
      revealed that miR-483-3p was positively stained in 61 (96.8 %) PDAC samples, but
      not detectable in normal pancreatic duct tissue. In the 117 PDAC samples, 100 %
      were miR-483-3p positive, with 55.6 % (65/117) strongly positive, compared to
      only 13.7 % (16/117) weakly positive in adjacent normal pancreatic duct tissues.
      MiR-483-3p expression was associated with tumor grading (p < 0.05) and was an
      independent predictor of poor overall survival in multivariate analysis (HR =
      2.584; 95 % CI = 1.268-5.264). Moreover, from PanIN1 to PanIN3, the rate of
      strong miR-483-3p-positive staining was 0 % (0/39), 14.8 % (4/27), and 87.5 %
      (14/16), respectively. Six (54.5 %) CP samples were only weakly stained for miR
      483-3p. Inhibition of miR-483-3p suppressed cell proliferation, growth, and
      colony formation in vitro and decreased tumor cell growth in nude mouse
      xenografts in vivo. These results suggest that aberrant miR-483-3p expression is
      an early event in PDAC tumorigenesis and is associated with tumor differentiation
      and prognosis. It also may be a potential target for PDAC molecular therapeutics.

PMID- 26124011
TI  - Multifractal nature of particulate matters (PMs) in Hong Kong urban air.
AB  - In this study, we investigate the persistent variation and the multifractal
      nature of particulate matter (PM) concentrations from vehicle emissions at a
      typical traffic intersection of street canyon in Hong Kong. Six size groups of
      PMs are measured and collected during rush hour sessions on different dates
      respectively. A recently developed model, namely multifractal detrended
      fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA), is employed to decompose and analyze the collected
      database. Through estimating the scaling exponent, it is found that the PM levels
      from vehicular emissions display long-term correlation characters. By employing
      MF-DFA method to calculate the generalized Hurst exponent and discuss the
      multifractal spectrums of all size groups, it is noticed that the fine
      particulate matters in grain diameter of 0.3-0.499 MUm present strong
      multifractal nature, intensive oscillations of concentration variations, and long
      term persistence. For fine particulate matters in the grain diameter ranges from
      0.5 MUm to 4.99 MUm, their similar and weak multifractal natures reflect the self
      similarity behaviors among these groups and the gradual decreases of the lasting
      effects. For large size particulate matters, i.e., grain diameter above 5 MUm,
      certain mono-fractal nature and sharp decay of long-term persistence are
      obtained, even for intermittent effects. It can therefore be concluded that the
      fine particulate matter diffuses anomaly and persists for a long time.

PMID- 26124010
TI  - Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of hOGG1 and XRCC1 DNA repair genes and
      the risk of ovarian cancer in Polish women.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine single nucleotide polymorphisms in hOGG1
      (Ser326Cys (rs13181)) and XRCC1 (Arg194Trp (rs1799782)) genes, respectively, and
      to identify the correlation between them and the overall risk, grading and
      staging of ovarian cancer in Polish women. Our study comprised 720 patients
      diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 720 healthy controls. The genotype analysis of
      hOGG1 and XRCC1 polymorphisms was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
      based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Odds ratios (OR) and
      95 % confidence intervals (CI) for each genotype and allele were calculated.
      Results revealed an association between hOGG1 Ser326Cys polymorphism and the
      incidence of ovarian cancer. Variant Cys allele of hOGG1 increased the overall
      cancer risk (OR 2.89; 95 % CI 2.47-3.38; p < .0001). Moreover, ovarian cancer
      grading remained in a relationship with both analysed polymorphisms; G1 tumours
      presented increased frequencies of hOGG1 Cys/Cys homozygotes (OR 18.33; 95 % CI
      9.38-35.81; p < .0001) and XRCC1 Trp/Trp homozygotes (OR 20.50; 95 % CI 10.17
      41.32; p < .0001). Furthermore, G1 ovarian cancers displayed an
      overrepresentation of Cys and Trp allele. In conclusion, hOGG1 Ser326Cys and
      XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphisms may be regarded as risk factors of ovarian cancer.

PMID- 26124012
TI  - Perennial crop growth in oil-contaminated soil in a boreal climate.
AB  - Soil contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons is a global problem.
      Phytoremediation by plants and their associated microorganisms is a cost
      effective strategy to degrade soil contaminants. In boreal regions the cool
      climate limits the efficiency of phytoremediation. The planting of oil-tolerant
      perennial crops, especially legumes, in oil-contaminated soil holds promise for
      great economic benefits for bioenergy and bio-fertilizer production while
      accelerating the oil degradation process. We established a multi-year field
      experiment to study the ecological and agronomic feasibility of phytoremediation
      by a legume (fodder galega) and a grass (smooth brome) in a boreal climate. In 40
      months, soil oil content decreased by 73%-92%, depending on the crop type. The
      oil degradation followed first-order kinetics with the reduction rates decreasing
      as follows: bare fallow > galega-brome grass mixture > brome grass > galega.
      Surprisingly, the presence of oil enhanced crop dry matter and nitrogen yield,
      particularly in the fourth year. The unfertilized galega-brome grass mixture out
      yielded the N-fertilized pure grass swards over years by an average of 33%. Thus,
      a perennial legume-grass mixture is both ecologically and agronomically
      sustainable as a cropping system to alleviate soil contamination in the boreal
      zone, with considerable potential for bioenergy and bio-fertilizer production.

PMID- 26124013
TI  - Occurrence and removal of frequently prescribed pharmaceuticals and corresponding
      metabolites in wastewater of a sewage treatment plant.
AB  - The present study determines removal rates (RR) of 56 pharmaceuticals and
      metabolites, respectively, in an urban sewage treatment plant using mass flow
      analysis by comparing influent and effluent loads over a consecutive ten-day
      monitoring period. Besides well investigated compounds like carbamazepine and
      metoprolol, less researched targets, such as topiramate, pregabalin, telmisartan,
      and human metabolites of pharmaceuticals were included. Another aim was to
      determine the ratio of pharmaceuticals and corresponding metabolites in raw
      wastewater. Valsartan and gabapentin were detected at the highest average
      concentrations in influent (c(val) = 29.7 (+/- 8.1) MUg/L, c(gab) = 13.2 (+/-
      3.3) MUg/L) and effluent (c(val) = 22.1 (+/- 5.1) MUg/L, c(gab) = 12.1 (+/- 2.6)
      MUg/L) samples. The comparison of mass loads in influent and effluent showed a
      significant removal (p<0.1) for 20 compounds but only enalapril, eprosartan,
      losartan, pregabalin, and quetiapine were removed from the aqueous phase by more
      than 50%. Another 20 compounds were determined without significant difference and
      for five compounds (clindamycin, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, O-desmethyl
      venlafaxine, triamterene), a significant higher mass load in the effluent than in
      the influent was observed. It has to be noticed that metabolites like 10,11
      dihydro-10-hydroxy carbamazepine (MHD) are found in higher mass loads than the
      corresponding parent compound in the sewage samples. Furthermore, metabolites and
      parent compound behave differently in the sewage treatment process. While MHD (RR
      = 15.1%) was detected with lower mass load in the effluent than in the influent,
      oxcarbazepine (RR = -73.2%) showed the contrary pattern. When comparing expected
      and measured ratios of parent compound and metabolite in raw sewage, citalopram/N
      desmethyl citalopram for example, showed good results. However, a major problem
      exists due to insufficient data regarding metabolism and excretion of many
      pharmaceuticals. This complicates the prediction of relevant metabolites and
      further efforts are needed to overcome this problem.

PMID- 26124014
TI  - Author! Author!

PMID- 26124015
TI  - Breaking an old tradition.

PMID- 26124016
TI  - Celebration '15!

PMID- 26124017
TI  - Bias is the key challenge in orthodontic research.

PMID- 26124018
TI  - Author's response.

PMID- 26124019
TI  - Postexpansion changes related to condylar position.

PMID- 26124020
TI  - Authors' response.

PMID- 26124022
TI  - Know when to fold 'em.

PMID- 26124023
TI  - Alton W. Moore, 1916-2007.

PMID- 26124024
TI  - The measure of Alton W. Moore-teacher.

PMID- 26124025
TI  - Evolution of Class III treatment in orthodontics.
AB  - Angle, Tweed, and Moyers classified Class III malocclusions into 3 types: pseudo,
      dentoalveolar, and skeletal. Clinicians have been trying to identify the best
      timing to intercept a Class III malocclusion that develops as early as the
      deciduous dentition. With microimplants as skeletal anchorage, orthopedic growth
      modification became more effective, and it also increased the scope of camouflage
      orthodontic treatment for patients who were not eligible for orthognathic
      surgery. However, orthodontic treatment combined with orthognathic surgery
      remains the only option for patients with a severe skeletal Class III
      malocclusion or a craniofacial anomaly. Distraction osteogenesis can now be
      performed intraorally at an earlier age. The surgery-first approach can minimize
      the length of time that the malocclusion needs to worsen before orthognathic
      surgery. Finally, the use of computed tomography scans for 3-dimensional
      diagnosis and treatment planning together with advances in imaging technology can
      improve the accuracy of surgical movements and the esthetic outcomes for these
      patients. 

PMID- 26124026
TI  - Growth modification of the face: A current perspective with emphasis on Class III
      treatment.
AB  - A summary of the current status of modification of jaw growth indicates the
      following. 1. Transverse expansion of the maxilla is easy before adolescence,
      requires heavy forces to create microfractures during adolescence, and can be
      accomplished only with partial or complete surgical osteotomy after adolescence.
      Transverse expansion of the mandible or constriction of either jaw requires
      surgery. 2. Acceleration of mandibular growth in preadolescent or adolescent
      patients can be achieved, but slower than normal growth afterward reduces or
      eliminates a long-term increase in size of the mandible. Restraint of maxillary
      growth occurs with all types of appliances to correct skeletal Class II problems.
      For short-face Class II patients, increasing the face height during preadolescent
      or adolescent orthodontic treatment is possible, but it may make the Class II
      problem worse unless favorable anteroposterior growth occurs. For those with a
      long face, controlling excessive vertical growth during adolescence is rarely
      successful. 3. Attempts to restrain mandibular growth in Class III patients with
      external forces largely result in downward and backward rotation of the mandible.
      Moving the maxilla forward with external force is possible before adolescence;
      moving it forward and simultaneously restricting forward mandibular growth
      without rotating the jaw is possible during adolescence with intermaxillary
      traction to bone anchors. The amount of skeletal change with this therapy often
      extends to the midface, and the short-term effects on both jaws are greater than
      with previous approaches, but individual variations in the amount of maxillary vs
      mandibular response occur, and it still is not possible to accurately predict the
      outcome for a patient. For all types of growth modification, 3-dimensional
      imaging to distinguish skeletal changes and better biomarkers or genetic
      identification of patient types to indicate likely treatment responses are
      needed. 

PMID- 26124027
TI  - Early orthodontic treatment for Class II malocclusion reduces the chance of
      incisal trauma: Results of a Cochrane systematic review.
AB  - In this article, we summarize the most clinically relevant findings of our
      recently updated Cochrane systematic review into the treatment of Class II
      Division 1 malocclusion. METHODS: A systematic review of the databases was
      performed to identify all randomized controlled trials evaluating early treatment
      with functional appliances to correct Class II Division 1 malocclusion. RESULTS:
      Three early treatment studies with data from 353 participants were included in
      this review. The results showed no significant difference for any outcomes,
      except new incidence of incisor trauma, which was significantly less for the
      early treatment group. The risk ratio analysis for new incisor trauma showed that
      providing early treatment reduced the risk of trauma by 33% and 41% in the
      functional and headgear groups, respectively. However, when the numbers needed to
      treat were calculated, early treatment with functional appliances prevents 1
      incidence of incisal trauma for every 10 patients (95% CI, 5-174), and headgear
      treatment prevents 1 incidence of incisal trauma for every 6 patients (95% CI, 3
      23). CONCLUSIONS: Orthodontic treatment for young children, followed by a later
      phase of treatment when the child is in early adolescence, appears to reduce the
      incidence of new incisal trauma significantly compared with treatment that is
      provided in 1 phase when the child is in early adolescence. However, these data
      should be interpreted with caution because of the high degree of uncertainty.
      There are no other advantages in providing 2-phase treatment compared with 1
      phase in early adolescence.

PMID- 26124028
TI  - Accuracy of digital American Board of Orthodontics Discrepancy Index
      measurements.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: A digital analysis that is shown to be accurate will ease the
      demonstration of initial case complexity. To date, no literature exists on the
      accuracy of the digital American Board of Orthodontics Discrepancy Index (DI)
      calculations when applied to pretreatment digital models. METHODS: Plaster models
      were obtained from 45 previous patients with varying degrees of malocclusion.
      Total DI scores and the target disorders were computed manually with a
      periodontal probe on the original plaster casts (gold standard) and digitally
      using Ortho Insight 3D (Motion View Software, Hixson, Tenn) and OrthoCAD (Cadent,
      Carlstadt, NJ). Intrarater and interrater reliabilities were assessed for 15
      subjects using the Spearman rho correlation test. Accuracies of the DI scores and
      target disorders were assessed for all 45 subjects using Wilcoxon signed ranks
      tests. RESULTS: Intrarater and interrater reliabilities were high for total DI
      scores and most target disorders (r > 0.8). No significant difference was found
      between total DI score when measured with OrthoCAD compared with manual
      calculations. The total DI scores calculated by Ortho Insight 3D were found to be
      significantly greater than those by manual calculation by 2.71 points.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that a DI calculated by Ortho Insight 3D may
      lead the clinician to overestimate case complexity. OrthoCAD's DI module was
      demonstrated to be a clinically acceptable alternative to manual calculation of
      the total scores.

PMID- 26124029
TI  - Retrospective investigation of the effects and efficiency of self-ligating and
      conventional brackets.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to assess the
      effects and efficiency of self-ligating brackets compared with conventional
      brackets. A secondary purpose was to identify the pretreatment factors associated
      with the choice of self-ligating or conventional brackets. METHODS: The subjects
      were treated by 2 private practitioners who used both self-ligating and
      conventional brackets in their practices. The self-ligating subjects were
      consecutively identified (treatment completed between January 2011 and April
      2012), and then an age- and sex-matched control group was chosen from the same
      office. The outcome measures were changes in arch dimensions, changes in
      mandibular incisor inclinations, final peer assessment rating (PAR) scores,
      percentages of PAR reduction, overall treatment times, total number of visits,
      and number of emergency visits. All cast and cephalometric measurements were
      performed on digital records in a blinded manner. Two calibrated assessors
      measured the PAR scores. RESULTS: The final sample comprised 74 patients from
      clinician 1 and 34 patients from clinician 2. The practitioners had significant
      differences for several treatment parameters; therefore, the data from the 2
      clinicians were analyzed separately. For clinician 1, no significant differences
      were observed between the self-ligating and conventional groups, other than
      increased arch length in the self-ligating group. The self-ligation patients
      treated by clinician 2 demonstrated significant increases in transverse
      dimensions, lower percentages of reduction in PAR scores, shorter treatment
      times, fewer visits, and more wire-sliding emergencies than the conventional
      bracket group. CONCLUSIONS: Although some significant findings were observed, the
      small sample and the lack of consistent findings between the 2 clinicians made it
      difficult to draw strong conclusions.

PMID- 26124030
TI  - Effect of clinical use of nickel-titanium springs.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Our objectives were to determine whether there are changes on the
      load deflection rate (L/DP) and the average force (FP) of the superelastic
      pseudoplateau, and whether permanent deformation is changed in nickel-titanium
      closed-coil springs (CCSs) after 6 months of clinical use. METHODS: Twenty-two
      nickel-titanium CCSs (Sentalloy 100 g; Dentsply GAC, York, Pa) were subjected to
      tensile mechanical testing at 37 degrees C on activations varying from 3.2 to
      16.0 mm before and after 6 months of clinical use. A regression line was fitted
      over the most horizontal area of the unloading part of the stress-strain graph of
      every CCS, and its slope was used as L/DP. The FP was determined by the midpoint
      of the longest segment of the curve that could be fit within the regression line
      with a R(2) of at least 0.999, and permanent deformation was determined
      graphically by obtaining the strain value when the measured stress reached zero.
      The data were analyzed by 3 analyses of variance at 2 levels, with 5% of
      significance. RESULTS: Time and activation significantly influenced the variables
      tested (P < 0.001). Time increased the L/DP and permanent deformation but
      decreased the FP. Activation decreased L/DP, FP, and permanent deformation.
      Significant interactions between time and activation were detected for FP (P =
      0.013) and deformation (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: After 6 months of active
      clinical use, the analyzed springs had a significant but small increase in their
      L/DP; FP dropped up to 88%, and the CCSs deformed up to 1.26 mm.

PMID- 26124031
TI  - Effects of magnitude of intrusive force on pulpal blood flow in maxillary molars.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In this study, we aimed to evaluate and compare blood-flow changes
      in the pulp tissues of maxillary molars over a 6-month period after orthodontic
      intrusion using different magnitudes of force. METHODS: Twenty patients were
      randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 10) according to the amount of intrusive
      force applied. An intrusive force of either 125 g (light) or 250 g (heavy) was
      applied to the overerupted maxillary first molars using mini-implants; no force
      was applied to the contralateral molars. Laser Doppler flowmetry was used to
      measure pulpal blood flow (PBF) at baseline and during intrusion at 24 hours, 3
      days, 7 days, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. The data were analyzed
      with the Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed rank tests, with P <0.05 considered
      statistically significant. RESULTS: PBF decreased significantly at 3 days and
      continued to remain suppressed until 3 weeks, after which a gradual trend of
      recovery was observed until 3 months, when the levels returned to near those
      measured before intrusion. When the data were analyzed with regard to the amount
      of applied force, significant differences were observed between the 2 groups only
      at 3 and 7 days. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that despite slight
      regressive changes in pulpal tissue over the short term, PBF values tend to
      return to their initial levels within 3 months, indicating that changes observed
      in PBF are reversible, even during radical intrusions of molars with 125 and 250
      g of forces.

PMID- 26124032
TI  - Gingival crevicular fluid alkaline phosphate activity during the retention phase
      of maxillary expansion in prepubertal subjects: A split-mouth longitudinal study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to monitor the alveolar bone formation at
      the tension sites of teeth supporting the appliances for rapid maxillary
      expansion (RME) during the retention phase according to the local gingival
      crevicular fluid (GCF) alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. METHODS: This split
      mouth prospective study included 23 prepubertal subjects (15 girls, 8 boys; mean
      age, 9.0 +/- 1.4 years) who had a constricted maxillary arch and were undergoing
      RME. Periodontal parameters, including probing depth, were recorded at 3 and 6
      months after RME. Furthermore, the GCF ALP activity was measured at the tension
      sites of the supporting test teeth (TT) and at the antagonist control teeth (CT)
      sites. RESULTS: Periodontal parameters were generally similar between the TT and
      CT sites during the study, with the exception that probing depth underwent a
      slight increase at the TT sites. At baseline, the GCF ALP activity was similar
      between the TT and CT sites; however, at both 3 and 6 months, significantly
      greater enzymatic activity was seen at the TT sites. The overall probing depth
      changes were not significantly correlated with the corresponding GCF ALP activity
      changes for either the TT or the CT sites. CONCLUSIONS: Alveolar bone formation
      at the tension sites would last up to 6 months of retention after RME. These
      results warrant more comprehensive studies to assess whether the GCF ALP activity
      has potential as a diagnostic tool for bone formation during the retention phase
      of RME.

PMID- 26124033
TI  - Periodontal, dentoalveolar, and skeletal effects of tooth-borne and tooth-bone
      borne expansion appliances.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purposes of this study were to evaluate and compare the
      periodontal, dentoalveolar, and skeletal effects of tooth-borne and tooth-bone
      borne expansion devices using cone-beam computed tomography. METHODS: Twenty-five
      patients requiring maxillary expansion were randomly allocated into 2 groups. A
      tooth-borne hyrax appliance was used in the first group, consisting of 13
      patients (8 girls, 5 boys; mean age, 14.3 +/- 2.3 years), and a tooth-bone-borne
      hybrid hyrax appliance was used in the second group of 12 patients (6 girls, 6
      boys; mean age, 13.8 +/- 2.2 years). Cone-beam computed tomography records were
      taken before and 3 months after expansion, and periodontal, dentoalveolar, and
      skeletal measurements were made on the cone-beam computed tomography images with
      a software program. The 2 independent-samples t test and the Mann-Whitney U test
      were used to evaluate treatment changes for both groups. Paired-samples t test
      and Wilcoxon test were used to compare the measurements at 2 time points for
      variables. RESULTS: Significant skeletal changes and increases in interdental
      distances were observed in both groups. However, the distances between the first
      and second premolars increased more with the hyrax appliance (7.5 +/- 4.2 and 7.9
      +/- 3.3 mm, respectively) than with the hybrid hyrax (3.2 +/- 2.6 and 4.5 +/- 3.8
      mm, respectively) (P <0.05). Similar reductions in buccal bone plate thickness
      and increases in palatal bone plate thickness of the anchored teeth occurred in
      both groups, whereas changes in buccal and palatal bone thicknesses of the left
      first premolars significantly differed between groups (P <0.001). No significant
      intergroup difference was found in terms of absolute dental tipping. CONCLUSIONS:
      Both tooth-borne and tooth-bone-borne rapid expansion are effective methods for
      treating a narrow maxilla. However, the hyrax appliance resulted in greater
      expansion in the premolar region. On the other hand, the hybrid hyrax appliance
      did not cause changes in the bony support of the first premolars.

PMID- 26124034
TI  - Effects of a newly designed orthodontic miniplate platform for elevating the
      miniplate over the gingiva: A 3-dimensional finite element analysis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Miniplates are the treatment of choice for complex orthodontic and
      orthopedic problems. However, they require surgical placement and removal, and
      complications such as infection and mobility can occur. The aim of this finite
      element analysis was to investigate the effects of a newly designed miniplate
      platform to elevate the miniplate above the gingiva. METHODS: A bone block was
      modeled in 3 dimensions, and 2 N of force was applied on miniplates in 2
      scenarios. In scenario 1, the miniplate was fixed with 2 miniscrews on both ends;
      in scenario 2, miniplate platforms were first seated on the cortical bone surface
      with their spikes fully penetrating, and then the miniplate was fixed on top with
      2 miniscrews. RESULTS: The highest von Mises stress on the cortical bone
      decreased from 0.5 to 0.3 MPa when miniplate platforms were used. In scenario 2,
      the principal maximum stresses on the cortical bone around the miniscrews
      decreased from 0.42 and 0.48 MPa to 0.20 and 0.22 MPa, and the principal minimum
      stresses decreased from -0.45 and -0.48 MPa to -0.01 MPa. CONCLUSIONS: Miniplate
      platforms used to elevate the miniplate lowered the stresses generated on
      cortical bone around the miniscrews by distributing the stresses on the cortical
      bone surface. Patients can clean the miniplate more readily because it is
      elevated above the soft tissues. Placing the miniplate platforms requires only
      removing the gingiva with a punch, and their removal does not require flap
      surgery.

PMID- 26124035
TI  - Prevalence and patterns of tooth agenesis in Angle Class II Division 2
      malocclusion in Japan.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and
      patterns of tooth agenesis in subjects with Angle Class II Division 2
      malocclusion compared with general orthodontic patients in Japan. METHODS:
      Panoramic radiographs, dental casts, and cephalograms of 76 patients with Class
      II Division 2 malocclusions (52 female, 24 male) and 270 orthodontic patients as
      the control group (168 female, 102 male) who were 14 years of age or older were
      selected. The prevalences of tooth agenesis in this cohort and in each tooth type
      were calculated and compared between the groups with the chi-square test. Odds
      ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals were also calculated. RESULTS:
      The prevalence of tooth agenesis excluding the third molars was significantly
      higher in the Class II Division 2 group (22.4%) than in the control group (11.9%)
      (P <0.05); the odds ratio was 2.14 (95% CI, 1.12-4.12). A higher prevalence of
      tooth agenesis excluding the third molars was observed in the Class II Division 2
      group for the mandibular second premolar (P <0.05) and the maxillary lateral
      incisor (P <0.01). The prevalence of third molar agenesis was also significantly
      higher in the Class II Division 2 group (42.1%) compared with the control group
      (26.7%) (P <0.05); the odds ratio was 2.00 (95% CI, 1.18-3.40). CONCLUSIONS:
      Compared with the general orthodontic patient population, permanent tooth
      agenesis was observed approximately 2 times more frequently, and a distinctive
      agenesis pattern was found in the Class II Division 2 group in Japan.

PMID- 26124036
TI  - Osteogenesis imperfecta and rapid maxillary expansion: Report of 3 patients.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of orthopedic
      therapy with rapid maxillary expansion (RME) in growing patients affected by
      osteogenesis imperfecta and treated with bisphosphonates. METHODS: Three boys
      with osteogenesis imperfecta (mean age, 10.6 years) were treated with RME. They
      all had treatment with quarterly intravenous infusions of bisphosphonates. They
      were in either the early or the late mixed dentition and had indications for RME.
      The expansion screw was activated twice daily until correction of the transverse
      relationships was achieved. The retention period with the expander in place was 6
      months. In 2 Class III patients, RME was associated with the use of a facemask.
      In all patients, occlusal radiographs were taken at the end of active RME therapy
      to assess the opening of the midpalatal suture and 1 year after the end of active
      expansion therapy to evaluate the reossification and reorganization of the
      midpalatal suture. RESULTS: In all patients, the opening of the midpalatal suture
      and the healing with reorganization of the midpalatal suture were documented with
      the occlusal radiographs. No complications were found after a 1-year follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: In growing patients affected by osteogenesis imperfecta and treated
      with bisphosphonates, it is possible to perform RME with a standard protocol with
      no complications after a 1-year follow-up.

PMID- 26124037
TI  - Corticotomy-assisted rapid maxillary expansion: A novel approach with a 3-year
      follow-up.
AB  - This case report introduces a new approach of corticotomy-assisted rapid
      maxillary expansion for treating a severe maxillary transverse discrepancy in a
      skeletally mature patient. This approach uses piezo-bone perforation in
      conjunction with a fixed appliance and an expander. This report describes the
      treatment of a 14-year-old girl with a severe maxillary transverse discrepancy.
      She had a straight profile, severe maxillary crowding, a maxillomandibular
      transverse differential index of 9 mm, and a Class I skeletal relationship. The
      treatment protocol consisted of surgical intervention with piezo-bone perforation
      and active orthodontic therapy. Immediately after the piezo-bone perforation on
      the lateral buccal side of the maxilla, active orthodontic therapy was started
      with activation of an expander. The expander was reactivated weekly. Treatment
      duration was 5 months 2 weeks. Proper overbite and overjet, facial balance, and
      occlusion were achieved. The treatment outcome was stable at the 3-year follow
      up. This treatment approach considerably reduced the treatment time and gained
      bony volume. Additionally, it transformed the periodontal biotype in contrast to
      conventional therapy. This approach is a good alternative for treating a severe
      maxillary transverse discrepancy in a skeletally mature patient, especially for a
      patient who does not want surgical rapid palatal expansion. 

PMID- 26124038
TI  - Treatment of unilateral posterior crossbite with facial asymmetry in a female
      patient with transverse discrepancy.
AB  - A unilateral posterior crossbite with facial asymmetry is difficult to correct
      with orthodontic treatment alone. This case report describes the orthodontic
      treatment and additional plasty without orthognathic surgery for a 19-year-old
      woman with a transverse discrepancy. The posterior crossbite was resolved by
      expansion of the narrow maxillary arch and space closure in the mandibular arch.
      This accelerated the correction of the functional shift of the mandible. After
      resolution of the unilateral posterior crossbite, the problems of the
      anteroposterior molar relationship were treated using orthodontic mini-implants.
      Mandibular angle reduction plasty was performed for the asymmetric mandibular
      border to improve the facial appearance. After treatment, the patient had a more
      symmetrical facial appearance, normal overjet and overbite, and midline
      coincidence. The treatment results remained stable 1 year after treatment. This
      case report demonstrates that a minimally invasive treatment can successfully
      correct a unilateral posterior crossbite with a transverse discrepancy.

PMID- 26124039
TI  - Anchorage reinforcement with a fixed functional appliance during protraction of
      the mandibular second molars into the first molar extraction sites.
AB  - Protraction of posterior teeth into edentulous spaces is a challenge. This report
      describes the treatment of a 19-year-old woman with missing mandibular first
      molars owing to caries. A fixed functional appliance was used for anchorage
      reinforcement during mandibular second molar protraction. Eight millimeters of
      bilateral protraction was done with bodily mesial movement of the molars and no
      lingual tipping of the incisors.

PMID- 26124040
TI  - Novel universal system for 3-dimensional orthodontic force-moment measurements
      and its clinical use.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Orthodontic treatment is an important part of dental health care in
      Europe: the percentages of the population undergoing therapy vary from 10% to
      55%. Therefore, quantifying effective orthodontic loads is a challenging topic
      with regard to the predictability of tooth movements and the reduction of
      traumatic side effects. METHODS: A customized measuring platform was developed
      and used for detecting orthodontic forces in a range between 0.1 and 2 N. The
      system consists of 6 load cells, each equipped with 6 strain gauges. The tests
      were conducted on a 3-dimensional printed malocclused mouth model and on a
      plaster cast. Four types of superelastic ligation and 2 types of invisible
      aligners were tested to analyze, respectively, a malocclusion with a high
      maxillary canine, and the effects on the axial rotation of a maxillary central
      incisor with and without a divot in the invisible aligners. RESULTS: Optimal
      treatment forces are exerted by low-friction wires, especially if they are
      partially engaged. Moreover, by reducing the treatment force, there is less
      necessity of anchoring to surrounding teeth, thus decreasing the side effects.
      The efficacy of using invisible aligners with a divot was validated. CONCLUSIONS:
      This platform allowed measurement, at the radicular level, of the resultant
      forces of orthodontic treatments performed with different orthodontic appliances.
      In addition to customizing and calibrating the therapy for each patient, this
      platform could be used to develop new specific instruments able to exert lower
      treatment forces, thus preventing irreversible damages.

PMID- 26124041
TI  - Litigation and Legislation. Destroying records.

PMID- 26124042
TI  - Calculating the P value and carrying out a statistical test.

PMID- 26124043
TI  - Reply to the Editor--Myocardial tissue characterization by cardiovascular
      magnetic resonance.

PMID- 26124044
TI  - Extended arrays for nonlinear susceptibility magnitude imaging.
AB  - This study implements nonlinear susceptibility magnitude imaging (SMI) with
      multifrequency intermodulation and phase encoding. An imaging grid was
      constructed of cylindrical wells of 3.5-mm diameter and 4.2-mm height on a
      hexagonal two-dimensional 61-voxel pattern with 5-mm spacing. Patterns of sample
      wells were filled with 40-MUl volumes of Fe3O4 starch-coated magnetic
      nanoparticles (mNPs) with a hydrodynamic diameter of 100 nm and a concentration
      of 25 mg/ml. The imaging hardware was configured with three excitation coils and
      three detection coils in anticipation that a larger imaging system will have
      arrays of excitation and detection coils. Hexagonal and bar patterns of mNP were
      successfully imaged (R2>0.9) at several orientations. This SMI demonstration
      extends our prior work to feature a larger coil array, enlarged field-of-view,
      effective phase encoding scheme, reduced mNP sample size, and more complex
      imaging patterns to test the feasibility of extending the method beyond the pilot
      scale. The results presented in this study show that nonlinear SMI holds promise
      for further development into a practical imaging system for medical applications.

PMID- 26124045
TI  - Is omitting the 3rd hour measurement in the 100 g oral glucose tolerance test
      feasible?
AB  - BACKGROUND: To evaluate the diagnostic value of the 3rd hour plasma glucose level
      in the 100 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). METHODS: Records of all pregnant
      patients with abnormal 50 g glucose challenge test (GCT) between January 2005 and
      December 2013 were reviewed (n=1963). The 100 g OGTT results were analyzed
      separately for both Carpenter & Couston (CC) and National Diabetes Data Group
      (NDDG) criteria. RESULTS: The number of patients diagnosed with gestational
      diabetes mellitus (GDM) was 297 (15.1%) according to CC criteria and 166 (8.4%)
      according to NDDG criteria. The 1st hour plasma glucose level showed the highest
      correlation with GDM diagnosis (rho=0.595 for CC and rho=0.567 for NDDG).
      However, the 3rd hour plasma glucose level showed the weakest correlation with
      GDM diagnosis (rho=0.216 for CC and rho=0.213 for NDDG). The 3rd hour value of
      100 g OGTT was one of the two elevated measurements in 10.8% of patients when CC
      criteria are used and in 13.8% of patients when NDDG criteria are used.
      CONCLUSION: Omitting 3rd hour plasma glucose measurement in 100 g OGTT results in
      unacceptable rates of underdiagnosed patients.

PMID- 26124046
TI  - Is intrauterine surgery justified? Report from the working group on ultrasound in
      obstetrics of the World Association of Perinatal Medicine (WAPM).
AB  - Fetal surgery involves a large number of heterogeneous interventions that vary
      from simple and settled procedures to very sophisticated or still-in-development
      approaches. The overarching goal of fetal interventions is clear: to improve the
      health of children by intervening before birth to correct or treat prenatally
      diagnosed abnormalities. This article provides an overview of fetal
      interventions, ethical approaches in fetal surgery, and benefits obtained from
      antenatal surgeries.

PMID- 26124047
TI  - Maternal characteristics of pregnancies with intrauterine fetal demise.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify maternal characteristics independently associated with
      pregnancies resulting in intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD). STUDY DESIGN: This was
      a population-based cohort study of all births taking place at the McGill
      University Health Centre in Montreal, Canada, between 2001 and 2007, using the
      McGill University Obstetrics and Neonatal Database. Maternal characteristics were
      compared between pregnancies that resulted in IUFD and control pregnancies
      resulting in live newborns. A logistic regression analysis was constructed to
      identify parameters independently associated with IUFD. RESULTS: We identified
      20,744 births during the study period, 87 of which were complicated by IUFD.
      Mothers with IUFD were more likely to be younger, with less formal education,
      higher rates of smoking during pregnancy, and more fetal anomalies (42.5% vs.
      7.5%, P<0.001). After exclusion of pregnancies with congenital and/or chromosomal
      abnormalities, less formal education (7 vs. 13.6 school years, P<0.001) and
      smoking during pregnancy (24% vs. 7.7%, P<0.001) remained significantly more
      common in pregnancies resulting in IUFD. In the multivariable regression analysis
      both smoking and number of maternal school years were independently associated
      with IUFD pregnancies (OR 2.22 for smoking, P=0.007 and OR 0.865 for number of
      school years, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Lower levels of education and smoking during
      pregnancy are independent predictors of IUFD.

PMID- 26124048
TI  - The health of Swiss adolescents and its implications for training of health
      professionals in Switzerland.
AB  - Swiss adolescents generally enjoy satisfying life conditions. Nonetheless,
      violence, suicide and mental health are the main concerns together with injuries,
      chronic conditions and eating disorders. Adolescents still face barriers to
      access the care they need. Adequate training can improve practitioners' skills
      when dealing with adolescents. The last two decades have seen the development of
      innovative adolescent health units and networks in various regions of Switzerland
      as well as research and public health programmes. Training programmes in
      adolescent health (continuous medical education, post-graduate or pre-graduate)
      for physicians and nurses are developing but still patchy in Switzerland.
      Adolescent health is not a sub-specialty as such. Efforts have to be made in
      order to link with professional associations and institutions to implement
      adolescent health curricula more efficiently. 

PMID- 26124049
TI  - Activation of insulin signaling and energy sensing network by AICAR, an AMPK
      activator in insulin resistant rat tissues.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The energy status of the cell is regulated by the energy sensing
      network constituted by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), the NAD+-dependent
      type III deacetylase silence information regulator T1 (SIRT1) and peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1alpha). This study
      investigates the potential effect of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboximide-1-b-D
      ribofuranoside (AICAR), an AMPK activator on insulin signaling and energy sensing
      network in insulin resistant rats. METHODS: Adult male albino Wistar rats with
      body weight of 150-180 g were fed high-fructose diet (HFD) for 60 days to induce
      insulin resistance. Rats fed HFD were divided into two and were treated or
      untreated with AICAR (0.7 mg/kg bw, i.p.) for the last 2 weeks. RESULTS: Insulin
      resistant rats displayed increased glucose and insulin levels and reduced
      tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin resistance receptor and insulin receptor
      substrate 1. The downstream signaling and glucose transport were also affected.
      Phosphorylation of AMPK, SIRT1 protein abundance and mRNA expression of PGC
      1alpha were reduced. Treatment with AICAR reduced hyperglycemia and
      hyperinsulinemia and improved the activation of the key molecules of insulin
      signaling. Improved action of energy sensing network was noted after AICAR
      treatment. AICAR showed higher binding affinity with Akt (-8.2 kcal/mol) than
      with AMPK or insulin receptor (-8.0 kcal/mol) in the in silico study.
      CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that AICAR, the AMPK activator, influences
      insulin signaling proteins and molecules involved in energy modulation during
      insulin resistance.

PMID- 26124050
TI  - Methanolic extract of Moringa oleifera leaves improves glucose tolerance,
      glycogen synthesis and lipid metabolism in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Glucose-lowering effects of Moringa oleifera extracts have been
      reported. However, the mechanism for its hypoglycemic effects is not yet
      understood. This study investigated the effect of oral administration of
      methanolic extracts of M. oleifera (MOLE) on glucose tolerance, glycogen
      synthesis, and lipid metabolism in rats with alloxan-induced diabetes. METHODS:
      MOLE was screened for key phytochemicals and its total flavonoids and phenolic
      contents were quantified. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of
      120 mg/kg BW alloxan. Normal and diabetic control rats received saline, while
      rats in other groups received 300 or 600 mg/kg body weight of MOLE or metformin
      (100 mg/kg body weight of metformin) for 6 weeks. Food intake and body weight
      were monitored throughout the experiment. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance was
      assessed and serum glucose, insulin, and lipids were measured at the end of the
      experiment. Liver and muscle glycogen synthase activities, glycogen content, and
      glucose uptake were determined. RESULTS: Administration of MOLE did not affect
      food intake but inhibited weight loss, significantly (p<0.01) improved glucose
      tolerance, and increased serum insulin levels by 1.3-1.7-fold (p<0.01). MOLE
      treatment significantly (p<0.001) reduced serum concentrations of triglyceride,
      total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and enhanced
      serum level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) by 2.4- to 3.2-fold (p<0.001).
      Glycogen synthase activities and glycogen contents were higher in MOLE-treated
      rats compared with rats receiving metformin or saline and the extract improved
      glucose uptake by 49%-59% (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that
      hypoglycemic effects of MOLE might be mediated through the stimulation of insulin
      release leading to enhanced glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis.

PMID- 26124051
TI  - Elevated Pressure Enhanced Trail-Induced Apoptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
      Cells Via Erk1/2-Inactivation.
AB  - The high frequency of intrinsic resistance to TNF-related apoptosisinducing
      ligand (TRAIL) in tumor cell lines has necessitated the development of strategies
      to sensitize tumors to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. We previously showed that
      elevated pressure applied as a mechanical stressor enhanced TRAIL-mediated
      apoptosis in human lung carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo. This study focused
      on the effect of elevated pressure on the sensitization of TRAIL-resistant cells
      and the underlying mechanism. We observed elevated pressure-induced sensitization
      to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in Hep3B cells, accompanied by the activation of
      several caspases and the mitochondrial signaling pathway. Interestingly, the
      enhanced apoptosis induced by elevated pressure was correlated with suppression
      of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation
      and CREB without any change to other MAPKs. Phosphorylation of Bcl-2-associated
      death promoter (BAD) also decreased, leading to inhibition of the mitochondrial
      pathway. To confirm whether the activation of pERK1/2 plays a key role in the
      TRAIL-sensitizing effect of elevated pressure, Hep3B cells were pre-treated with
      the ERK1/2-specific inhibitor PD98059 instead of elevated pressure. Co-treatment
      with PD98059 and TRAIL augmented TRAIL-induced apoptosis and decreased BAD
      phosphorylation. The inhibition of ERK1/2 activation by elevated pressure and
      PD98059 also reduced BH3 interacting-domain death agonist (BID), thereby
      amplifying apoptotic stress at the mitochondrial level. Our results suggest that
      elevated pressure enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis of Hep3B cells via specific
      suppression of ERK1/2 activation among MAPKs. 

PMID- 26124052
TI  - HsOrc4-Dependent Dna Remodeling of the ori-beta Dhfr Replicator.
AB  - Replication of DNA in multicellular organisms initiates from origin of
      replication (ori) sequences, which significantly differ in length and complexity.
      One of the best characterized is hamster dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which
      contains the ori-beta sequence with several functionally relevant domains, such
      as an AT-rich region, dinucleotide repeat element (DNR), sequence-induced bend
      DNA (BEND) and a RIP60 protein-binding site (RIP60). Prior to initiation, ori
      sequences are recognized by origin recognition complex (ORC), which is a hetero
      hexamer complex that serves as the landing pad for proteins of the pre
      replication complex. The function of each ORC subunit is still unclear. In this
      study, we analyze the function of subunit 4 of the human ORC complex (HsOrc4) in
      interaction with a plasmid bearing the ori-beta DHFR sequence. We show that the
      topologically closed DHFR ori-beta replicator contains a bubble-like structure
      within its AT-rich region and that it is reversibly modified in the interaction
      with HsOrc4. The non-canonical structure of the AT-rich region in the
      topologically closed ori sequence is recognized and changed by HsOrc4 using the
      energy of supercoiled DNA. These findings could help to further elucidate DNA
      replication and its possible association with human genetic diseases. 

PMID- 26124053
TI  - Time from symptom onset influences high-sensitivity troponin T diagnostic
      accuracy for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The time required for patients with acute chest pain to reach a
      hospital emergency department varies, possibly lowering the diagnostic
      performance of a general cut-off value for high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T
      (hs-cTnT) in diagnosing acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The aim of this study
      was to determine the cut-off values as calculated by receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) of hs-cTnT at different times from onset of symptoms to
      admission, and to evaluate their diagnostic performance. METHODS: Our study
      included 3096 patients with symptoms suggestive of AMI. These patients were
      classified according to time from onset of symptoms to admission. The diagnostic
      accuracy was quantified by the area under the ROC curve (AUC). RESULTS: Of the
      patients, 1082 (49.3%) were diagnosed as having AMI (317 were non-ST segment
      elevation myocardial infarction [NSTEMI]). The AUC for hs-cTnT to diagnose AMI
      was 0.881 at <3 h after symptom onset, 0.940 at 3-6 h after symptom onset, 0.966
      at 6-12 h after symptom onset, and 0.974 at >12 h after symptom onset. The
      threshold as determined by ROC of hs-cTnT was 13.5 ng/L to diagnose AMI at <=3 h
      after symptom onset with a sensitivity of 81.8% and a specificity of 80.1%, 17.8
      ng/L at 3-6 h after symptom onset with a sensitivity of 94.6% and a specificity
      of 84.3%, 30.0 ng/L at 6-12 h after symptom onset with a sensitivity of 95.9% and
      a specificity of 85.5%, and 58.0 ng/L at >12 h after symptom onset with a
      sensitivity of 92.7% and a specificity of 93.3%. The same observations were
      performed for the diagnosis of NSTEMI. CONCLUSIONS: The ROC-determined cut-off
      value of hs-cTnT for AMI or NSTEMI diagnosis gradually increased with time from
      onset of symptoms to presentation. Using a higher cut-off value by ROC for hs
      cTnT will improve its accuracy in diagnosing AMI or NSTEMI patients in late
      presenters. The higher value will enable physicians to more quickly rule in
      patients compared to the 99th percentile cut-off, and can rule out patients
      safely.

PMID- 26124054
TI  - Performance characteristics of the VIDAS(r) 25-OH Vitamin D Total assay -
      comparison with four immunoassays and two liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry methods in a multicentric study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The study was conducted to evaluate the analytical and clinical
      performance of the VIDAS(r) 25-OH Vitamin D Total assay. The clinical performance
      of the assay was compared with four other immunoassays against the results of two
      different liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry methods (LC-MS/MS) standardized
      to NIST reference materials. METHODS: VIDAS(r) 25-OH Vitamin D Total assay
      precision, linearity, detection limits and sample matrix comparison were assessed
      following CLSI guidelines. For method comparison, a total of 150 serum samples
      ranging from 7 to 92 ng/mL were analyzed by all the methods. Correlation was
      studied using Passing-Bablok regression and Bland-Altman analysis. The
      concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) was calculated to evaluate agreement
      between immunoassays and the reference LC-MS/MS method. In addition, samples
      containing endogenous 25(OH)D2 were used to assess each immunoassay's ability to
      detect this analyte. Pregnancy and hemodialysis samples were used to the study
      the effect of vitamin D binding protein (DBP) concentration over VIDAS(r) assay
      performance. RESULTS: The VIDAS(r) 25-OH Vitamin D Total assay showed excellent
      correlation to the LC-MS/MS results (y=1.01x+0.22 ng/mL, r=0.93), as obtained
      from two different sites and distinct LC-MS/MS methods. The limit of
      quantification was determined at 8.1 ng/mL. Cross-reactivity for 25(OH)D2 was
      over 80%. At concentrations of 10.5, 26 and 65.1 ng/mL, within-run CVs were 7.9%,
      3.6% and 1.7%, while total CVs (between runs, calibrations, lots and instruments)
      were 16.0%, 4.5% and 2.8%. The VIDAS(r) performance was not influenced by altered
      DBP levels, though under-recovery of 25(OH)D as compared to LC-MS/MS was observed
      for hemodialysis samples. CONCLUSIONS: The VIDAS(r) 25-OH Vitamin D Total assay
      is therefore considered suitable for assessment of vitamin D status in clinical
      routine.

PMID- 26124055
TI  - Correlates of serum hepcidin levels and its association with cardiovascular
      disease in an elderly general population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The expression of the key iron regulatory hormone hepcidin is
      regulated by iron availability, inflammation, hormones, hypoxia, and anaemia.
      Increased serum concentrations of hepcidin have recently been linked to
      atherosclerosis. We studied demographic, haematologic, biochemical, and dietary
      correlates of serum hepcidin levels and its associations with incident
      cardiovascular disease and with carotid atherosclerosis. METHODS: Serum hepcidin
      concentrations were measured by tandem mass spectrometry in samples taken in 2000
      from 675 infection-free participants of the prospective population-based Bruneck
      study (age, mean+/-standard deviation, 66.0+/-10.2; 48.1% male). Blood parameters
      were measured by standard methods. Dietary intakes of iron and alcohol were
      surveyed with a food frequency questionnaire. Carotid atherosclerosis (365 cases)
      was assessed by ultrasound and subjects were observed for incident stroke,
      myocardial infarction, or sudden cardiac death (91 events) until 2010. RESULTS:
      Median (interquartile range) hepcidin levels were 2.27 nM (0.86, 4.15). Most
      hepcidin correlates were in line with hepcidin as an indicator of iron stores.
      Independently of ferritin, hepcidin was related directly to physical activity
      (p=0.024) and fibrinogen (p<0.0001), and inversely to alcohol intake (p=0.006),
      haemoglobin (p=0.027), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (p<0.0001). Hepcidin and
      hepcidin-to-ferritin ratio were not associated with prevalent carotid
      atherosclerosis (p=0.43 and p=0.79) or with incident cardiovascular disease
      (p=0.62 and p=0.33). CONCLUSIONS: In this random sample of the general community,
      fibrinogen and gamma-glutamyltransferase were the most significant hepcidin
      correlates independent of iron stores, and hepcidin was related to neither
      atherosclerosis nor cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 26124056
TI  - Prognostic significance of serum albumin level changes in acute ischemic stroke:
      the role of biological and analytical variation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Animal studies have shown a neuroprotective effect of human serum
      albumin (sAlb) in ischemic stroke (IS). Previous studies have shown an
      association of high sAlb with better outcome. Our aim is to investigate the
      kinetics of sAlb in acute IS and its possible correlation with outcome taking
      into account the analytical and biological variation of sAlb measurement.
      METHODS: In a prospective observational study, we enrolled 105 patients with
      acute IS. sAlb was measured upon admission, at 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and Day 7
      thereafter. Stroke severity was assessed upon admission and at 72 h, and
      functional outcome on Day 7. Patients were divided into two groups according to
      functional outcome on discharge. Calculation of reference change value was used
      to assess the clinical significance of sAlb changes and multiple logistic
      regression to assess the independent association between variables and outcome.
      RESULTS: Fifty-one patients (48.6%) had poor outcome. Their sAlb levels exhibit a
      significant daily decrease until 72 h (35.9 g/L) compared to baseline (41.1 g/L)
      and remained low until Day 7 (36.0 g/L). These changes were clinically
      significant only from 72 h on. Among non-poor outcome patients a significant
      daily decrease until 72 h (40.9 g/L) was followed by recovery on Day 7 (41.2
      g/L), but these changes were not clinically significant. sAlb was not
      independently associated with the functional outcome at any time-point.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that sAlb levels might change during the first days
      after an acute IS, but these changes although statistically significant are not
      clinically significant if we take into account the analytical and biological
      variation of sAlb.

PMID- 26124057
TI  - Clinical utility of one versus two faecal immunochemical test samples in the
      detection of advanced colorectal neoplasia in symptomatic patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The utility of faecal immunochemical tests (FIT) in assessment of
      symptomatic patients with lower gastrointestinal symptoms has not been well
      explored. The aims of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic yield for
      advanced colorectal neoplasia (ACRN) in symptomatic patients using the first of
      two FIT samples (FIT/1) and the higher concentration of two FIT samples
      (FIT/max). METHODS: Samples from two consecutive bowel motions from 208
      symptomatic patients who required colonoscopy were analysed using the HM-JACKarc
      analyser (Kyowa Medex Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). Patients were categorised into
      two groups: patients with any ACRN and individuals with other diagnoses or normal
      colonoscopy. RESULTS: Colonoscopy detected ACRN in 29 patients. In these
      patients, FIT/1 and FIT/max were significantly higher than in patients with low
      risk adenoma (p=0.006 and p=0.024), other findings (p=0.002 and p=0.002) and
      normal colonoscopy (p<0.001 and p<0.001). The areas under the curves (AUC) of
      FIT/1 and FIT/max were 0.71 and 0.69, respectively. Undetectable FIT/1 rules out
      96.6% of ACRN and the specificity was 10.6%. Increasing the FIT/1 cut-off to 10
      MUg Hb/g faeces, sensitivity and specificity were 34.5% and 87.2%, respectively.
      Similar results were obtained using FIT/max with 20 MUg Hb/g faeces cut-off,
      providing a sensitivity and specificity of 34.5% and 85.6%, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Undetectable FIT is a good strategy to rule-out ACRN in symptomatic
      patients. The diagnostic yield of collecting two samples for FIT can be achieved
      with one sample, but a lower faecal haemoglobin concentrations (f-Hb) cut-off is
      required.

PMID- 26124058
TI  - Homocitrulline: a new marker for differentiating acute from chronic renal
      failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Carbamylation is a non-enzymatic post-translational modification of
      proteins characterized by the addition of isocyanic acid to amino groups. As
      isocyanic acid mainly originates from the spontaneous dissociation of urea,
      carbamylation rate is increased during renal failure. The aim of the study was to
      evaluate serum homocitrulline (HCit), which results from the carbamylation of
      epsilon-amino groups of lysine (Lys) residues, in acute renal failure (ARF) and
      to determine if it could be useful for differentiating acute from chronic renal
      failure (CRF). METHODS: In total, 213 patients with renal failure referred to the
      nephrology department of the university hospital of Reims were included. Patients
      were classified into three groups: patients with ARF (ARF group, n=39), patients
      with CRF complicated with ARF (A/CRF group, n=29) and patients with CRF (CRF
      group, n=145). Serum HCit concentrations were measured by LC-MS/MS. Concentration
      kinetics of HCit and urea were studied in patients suffering from ARF. The HCit
      thresholds distinguishing ARF and CRF were investigated. RESULTS: HCit
      concentrations increased in ARF patients reaching a peak delayed compared to urea
      concentration peak. HCit concentrations were positively correlated with urea
      concentrations (r=0.51) and with the time elapsed since the estimated onset of
      ARF (r=0.57). Serum HCit concentrations were higher (p<0.05) in CRF group
      compared to ARF group. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis
      showed that HCit concentrations <289 MUmol/mol Lys were predictive of ARF
      (Sensitivity: 83%, Specificity: 72%, AUC: 0.856). CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      demonstrate that HCit is a promising biomarker for distinguishing between ARF and
      CRF patients.

PMID- 26124059
TI  - Lipiduria--with special relevance to Fabry disease.
AB  - Examination of the urine under the microscope using polarised light is invaluable
      for detecting and identifying lipid particles. Attention to the shape of these
      Maltese cross bearing bodies can distinguish conventional fat particles from
      Fabry bodies with great sensitivity and specificity across a wide phenotypic
      spectrum. This could be a cheap and rapid tool for screening subjects suspected
      of having Fabry disease for renal involvement. It remains to be seen whether
      there is value in integrating polarised light into automated urine microscopy
      machines, but potentially this could greatly help the pathologist or nephrologist
      in identifying unusual urinary particles, and broaden the capacity for larger
      scale screening. 

PMID- 26124060
TI  - The beneficial role of anti-inflammatory dietary ingredients in attenuating
      markers of chronic low-grade inflammation in aging.
AB  - Aging in humans is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation (systemic), and
      this condition is sometimes referred to as "inflammaging". In general, canines
      also age similarly to humans, and such aging is associated with a decline in
      mobility, joint problems, weakened muscles and bones, reduced lean body mass,
      cancer, increased dermatological problems, decline in cognitive ability, reduced
      energy, decreased immune function, decreased renal function, and urinary
      incontinence. Each of these conditions is also associated with an increase in pro
      inflammatory cytokines. An inflammatory state characterized by an increase in pro
      inflammatory markers including but not restricted to tumor necrosis factor-alpha,
      interleukin-6, IL-1beta, and C-reactive protein (CRP) is believed to contribute
      to or worsen a general decline in biological mechanisms responsible for physical
      function with aging. Nutritional management of inflammation in aging dogs is
      important in maintaining health. In particular, natural botanicals have bioactive
      components that appear to have robust anti-inflammatory effects and, when
      included in the diet, may contribute to a reduction in inflammation. While there
      are scientific data to support the anti-inflammatory effects and the efficacy of
      such bioactive molecules from botanicals, the clinical data are limited and more
      studies are needed to validate the efficacy of these ingredients. This review
      will summarize the role of dietary ingredients in reducing inflammatory molecules
      as well as review the evidence available to support the role of diet and
      nutrition in reducing chronic low-grade systemic inflammation in animal and human
      studies with a special reference to canines, where possible. 

PMID- 26124061
TI  - Antibacterial activity of combination of synthetic and biopolymer non-woven
      structures.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fibrous structures and synthetic polymer blends offer potential
      usages in making biomedical devices, textiles used in medical practices, food
      packaging, tissue engineering, environmental applications and biomedical arena.
      These products are also excellent candidates for building scaffolds to grow stem
      cells for implantation, to make tissue engineering grafts, to make stents to open
      up blood vessels caused by atherosclerosis or narrowed by blood clots, for drug
      delivery systems for micro- to nano-medicines, for transdermal patches, and for
      healing of wounds and burn care. The current study was designed to evaluate the
      antimicrobial activity of woven and non-woven forms of nano- and macro-scale
      blended polymers having biocompatible and biodegradable characteristics. METHODS:
      The antimicrobial activity of non-woven fibrous structures created with the
      combination of synthetic and biopolymer was assessed using Gram-negative, Gram
      positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia
      coli and Enterobacter aerogenes using pour plate method. Structural evaluation of
      the fabricated samples was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
      RESULTS: Broad spectrum antibacterial activities were found from the tested
      materials consisting of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with chitosan and nylon-6
      combined with chitosan and formic acid. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of PVA with
      chitosan was more bactericidal or bacteriostatic than that of nylon-6 combined
      with chitosan and formic acid. PVA combination with chitosan appears to be a
      broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent.

PMID- 26124063
TI  - A study on the characteristics of the deflagration of hydrogen-air mixture under
      the effect of a mesh aluminum alloy.
AB  - Mesh aluminum alloys (MAAs) have been widely used in military and civilian
      applications to suppress the explosion of flammable gases (fluids) inside
      containers. However, MAAs have not been tested in or applied to the hydrogen
      suppression-explosions. Hence, a typical MAA product, i.e., one that has been in
      wide use, is selected as the experimental material in the present study. The
      characteristics of the deflagration of hydrogen-air mixture inside an MAA-filled
      tube are investigated, and the effects of the filling density of the MAA and the
      concentration of hydrogen in air on the deflagration are examined. The
      suppressing effect of the MAA on the deflagration of hydrogen-air mixture is
      compared with its effect on the deflagration of a typical hydrocarbon fuel in
      air. The results show that not only is the existing MAA product unable to
      effectively suppress the deflagration of hydrogen-air mixture, but it also
      increases the maximum explosion pressure, which is opposite to the satisfactory
      suppressing effect of the MAA product on the deflagration of hydrocarbon fuels
      such as methane. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for the
      effective prevention of explosion accidents with hydrogen and for the development
      of explosion-suppression products. 

PMID- 26124064
TI  - Recycling of MSWI fly ash by means of cementitious double step cold bonding
      pelletization: Technological assessment for the production of lightweight
      artificial aggregates.
AB  - In this work, an extensive study on the recycling of municipal solid waste
      incinerator fly ash by means of cold bonding pelletization is presented. The ash
      comes from an incineration plant equipped with rotary and stoker furnaces, in
      which municipal, hospital and industrial wastes are treated. Fly ash from waste
      incineration is classified as hazardous and cannot be utilized or even landfilled
      without prior treatment. The pelletization process uses cement, lime and coal fly
      ash as components of the binding systems. This process has been applied to
      several mixes in which the ash content has been varied from 50% (wt.%) up to a
      maximum of 70%. An innovative additional pelletization step with only
      cementitious binder has been performed in order to achieve satisfactory
      immobilization levels. The obtained lightweight porous aggregates are mostly
      suitable for recovery in the field of building materials with enhanced
      sustainability properties. Density, water absorption and crushing strength ranged
      from 1000 to 1600 kg/m(3), 7 to 16% and 1.3 to 6.2 MPa, respectively, and the
      second pelletization step increased stabilization efficiency. The feasibility of
      the process has been analyzed by testing also concrete specimens containing the
      artificial aggregates, resulting in lightweight concrete of average performance.

PMID- 26124062
TI  - Pretreatment of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Manipulates Their Vasculoprotective
      Potential While Not Altering Their Homing Within the Injured Gut.
AB  - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown therapeutic promise in many experimental
      and clinical models of inflammation. However, a commonly reported feature of MSC
      transplantation is poor homing to injured tissues. Previously, we have shown that
      pretreatment with cytokines/chemical factors enhances hematopoietic SC adhesion
      within intestinal microvasculature following ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury.
      Using intravital microscopy, the ability of similar pretreatment strategies to
      enhance the recruitment of murine MSCs to murine intestinal microvasculature
      following IR injury was investigated. Primary MSCs were isolated from bone marrow
      and selected on the basis of platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha and SC
      antigen-1 positivity (PDGFRalpha(+) /Sca-1(+) ). MSC recruitment was similar in
      IR injured gut mucosa when compared with sham operated controls, with limited
      cell adhesion observed. MSCs appeared contorted in microvessels, suggesting
      physical entrapment. Although not recruited specifically by injury, MSC
      administration significantly reduced neutrophil recruitment and improved tissue
      perfusion in the severely injured jejunum. Vasculoprotective effects were not
      demonstrated in the lesser injured ileum. Pretreatment of MSCs with tumor
      necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, CXCL12, interferon (IFN)-gamma, or hydrogen peroxide
      did not enhance their intestinal recruitment. In fact, TNFalpha and IFNgamma
      removed the previous therapeutic ability of transplanted MSCs to reduce
      neutrophil infiltration and improve perfusion in the jejunum. We provide direct
      evidence that MSCs can rapidly limit leukocyte recruitment and improve tissue
      perfusion following intestinal IR injury. However, this study also highlights
      complexities associated with strategies to improve MSC therapeutic efficacy.
      Future studies using cytokine/chemical pretreatments to enhance MSC
      recruitment/function require careful consideration and validation to ensure
      therapeutic function is not impeded.

PMID- 26124065
TI  - Reactive red 120 retention through ultrafiltration enhanced by synthetic and
      natural polyelectrolytes.
AB  - Two cationic chelating polymers, namely synthetic polyethylenimine (PEI), and
      biopolymer chitosan were employed in the present study to bring about the
      retention of anionic reactive red 120 (RR 120) from its aqueous solutions by way
      of polymer enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF). The effects of process parameters,
      namely, cross-flow rate, transmembrane pressure, time, polyelectrolyte loading,
      and ionic strength on dye retention and permeation flux were examined. PEI
      enhanced ultrafiltration achieved dye retentions as high as 99.9%, and
      significant permeation fluxes around 148 L/m(2)h. However, in case of chitosan,
      relatively low retention (88%), and flux (120 L/m(2)h) levels were observed. A
      careful comparison of the changes induced in the UV-vis spectra of RR 120 by PEI
      and chitosan indicated a predominant electrostatic interaction between PEI and RR
      120, as opposed to the relatively weak and sterically as well as chemically
      hindered interaction between chitosan and the dye ion. The respective binding
      constants of PEI-RR 120, and PEI-chitosan complexes, in addition to the
      relatively more pronounced permeation flux decline witnessed in the presence of
      chitosan, clearly advocated the use of PEI, rather than chitosan, as the most
      appropriate complexing agent in the present context.

PMID- 26124066
TI  - Emissions of polychlorinated diphenyl ethers from a municipal solid waste
      incinerator during the start-up operation.
AB  - This study examines the emissions of polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs)
      during the start-up processes of a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI). Both
      normal and modified emission control start-ups were tested. Fifteen samples were
      taken from the flue gas with increasing furnace temperature. Peak PCDE
      concentrations of 1.48-10.3 ng/Nm(3) were observed at 8-11 h after the start of
      combustion, when the furnace temperature was in the range of 267-440  degrees C,
      that also needed for PCDD/F formation by de novo synthesis. The PCDE emissions
      could thus, be reduced by current control techniques. Furthermore, the modified
      control strategies inhibited PCDE formation at the beginning of combustion, and
      led to an 86% reduction in the maximum PCDE concentration. The overall start-up
      emissions were calculated as 1.01-3.08 mg, while the annual PCDE emissions with
      one start-up operation were found to be 7.48-9.64 mg. However, total PCDE
      emissions will increase by 12-69% if the number of start-up runs increases to
      between two and eight times per year. Consequently, the prevention of the
      unnecessary start-ups and advanced activation of the related emission control
      system are both efficient ways to reduce PCDE emissions.

PMID- 26124067
TI  - Antibiotic resistance genes in manure-amended soil and vegetables at harvest.
AB  - Lettuce and endive, which can be eaten raw, were planted on the manure-amended
      soil in order to explore the influence of plants on the abundance of antibiotic
      resistance genes (ARGs) in bulk soil and rhizosphere soil, and the occurrence of
      ARGs on harvested vegetables. Twelve ARGs and one integrase gene (intI1) were
      detected in all soil samples. Five ARGs (sulI, tetG, tetC, tetA, and tetM) showed
      lower abundance in the soil with plants than those without. ARGs and intI1 gene
      were also detected on harvested vegetables grown in manure-amended soil,
      including endophytes and phyllosphere microorganisms. The results demonstrated
      that planting had an effect on the distribution of ARGs in manure-amended soil,
      and ARGs were detected on harvested vegetables after growing in manure-amended
      soil, which had potential threat to human health. 

PMID- 26124068
TI  - Expression and rapid purification of recombinant biologically active ovine growth
      hormone with DsbA targeting to Escherichia coli inner membrane.
AB  - This study shows expression of recombinant ovine growth hormone (roGH) and
      targeting to the inner membrane using signal sequence, DsbA, in Escherichia coli
      (E. coli) cell. Factors such as temperature, IPTG induction, and expression
      conditions were studied and show diverse optical density with different media
      compositions. The optimum expression level of roGH in terrific broth medium was
      at 25  degrees C on induction with 20 MUM IPTG in early logarithmic phase. SDS
      PAGE analysis of expression and subcellular fractions of recombinant constructs
      revealed the translocation of roGH to the inner membrane of E. coli with DsbA
      signal sequence at the N terminus of roGH. The protein was easily solubilized by
      40 % acetonitrile with ~90 % purity and was identified by Western blot, and
      analysis on MALDI-TOF/TOF confirmed a size of 21,059 Da. Relatively high soluble
      protein yield of 65.3 mg/L of roGH was obtained. The biological function of roGH
      was confirmed by HeLa cell line proliferation. This is the first study describing
      achievement of biologically active soluble roGH targeted to the inner membrane of
      E. coli and rapid purification with high yield.

PMID- 26124069
TI  - Flavonoid glucosylation by non-Leloir glycosyltransferases: formation of multiple
      derivatives of 3,5,7,3',4'-pentahydroxyflavane stereoisomers.
AB  - Flavonoids are known to possess a multitude of biological activities. Therefore,
      diversification of the core structures is of considerable interest. One of
      nature's important tailoring reactions in the generation of bioactive compounds
      is glycosylation, which is able to influence numerous molecular properties. Here,
      we examined two non-Leloir glycosyltransferases that use sucrose as an
      inexpensive carbohydrate donor, glycosyltransferase R from Streptococcus oralis
      (GtfR) and amylosucrase from Neisseria polysaccharea (Ams), for the glucosylation
      of flavonoids. Flavones generally were poor substrates. Several inhibited Ams. In
      contrast, flavanes were well accepted by both enzymes. All glucose attachments
      occurred via alpha1 linkages. Comparison of the three available stereoisomers of
      3,5,7,3',4'-pentahydroxyflavane revealed significant differences in glycoside
      formation between them as well as between the two enzymes. The latter were shown
      to possess largely complementary product ranges. Altogether, three of the four
      hydroxy substituents of the terminal flavonoid rings were glycosylated.
      Typically, Ams glucosylated the B ring at position 3', whereas GtfR glucosylated
      this ring at position 4' and/or the A ring at position 7. In several instances,
      short carbohydrate chains were attached to the aglycones. These contained alpha 1
      4 linkages when formed by Ams, but alpha 1-3 bonds when generated by GtfR. The
      results show that both enzymes are useful catalysts for the glucodiversification
      of flavanes. In total, more than 16 products were formed, of which seven have
      previously not been described.

PMID- 26124070
TI  - Whey-derived valuable products obtained by microbial fermentation.
AB  - Whey, the main by-product of the cheese industry, is considered as an important
      pollutant due to its high chemical and biological oxygen demand. Whey, often
      considered as waste, has high nutritional value and can be used to obtain value
      added products, although some of them need expensive enzymatic synthesis. An
      economical alternative to transform whey into valuable products is through
      bacterial or yeast fermentations and by accumulation during algae growth.
      Fermentative processes can be applied either to produce individual compounds or
      to formulate new foods and beverages. In the first case, a considerable amount of
      research has been directed to obtain biofuels able to replace those derived from
      petrol. In addition, the possibility of replacing petrol-derived plastics by
      biodegradable polymers synthesized during bacterial fermentation of whey has been
      sought. Further, the ability of different organisms to produce metabolites
      commonly used in the food and pharmaceutical industries (i.e., lactic acid,
      lactobionic acid, polysaccharides, etc.) using whey as growth substrate has been
      studied. On the other hand, new low-cost functional whey-based foods and
      beverages leveraging the high nutritional quality of whey have been formulated,
      highlighting the health-promoting effects of fermented whey-derived products.
      This review aims to gather the multiple uses of whey as sustainable raw material
      for the production of individual compounds, foods, and beverages by microbial
      fermentation. This is the first work to give an overview on the microbial
      transformation of whey as raw material into a large repertoire of industrially
      relevant foods and products. 

PMID- 26124071
TI  - Effects of brief intervention on subgroups of injured patients who drink at risk
      levels.
AB  - Alcohol-related injuries are a major source of admission for trauma care.
      Screening and brief intervention (SBI) for injured patients can result in
      decreased drinking and risk behaviors. It is not clear SBI is equally beneficial
      for all injured patients. A secondary data analysis of 553 patients admitted to
      two Level-1 trauma centers was conducted. Latent class analysis was used to
      identify patient subgroups based on injury-related risks and consequences of
      alcohol use. Intervention effects on drinking were examined among subgroups. Five
      subgroups were identified. Drinking improved in patients reporting multiple risks
      and injuries/accidents and drinking and driving. Patients that reported drinking
      and driving and taking foolish risks or fighting while drinking and taking
      foolish risks did not show improvements. Trauma centers may benefit from
      targeting interventions based on injury-related risks and consequences of alcohol
      use. Further research is needed to test bedside approaches for tailored
      interventions.

PMID- 26124072
TI  - Association between New Jersey's Graduated Driver Licensing decal provision and
      crash rates of young drivers with learners' permits.
AB  - New Jersey (NJ) implemented the first-in-the-US Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL)
      decal provision in May 2010 for young drivers with learner's permits or
      intermediate licenses. Previous analyses found an association between the
      provision and crash reduction among intermediate drivers. The aim of this study
      is to examine the association between NJ's provision and GDL citation and crash
      rates among drivers aged <21 years with learner's permits. We estimated monthly
      per-driver rates from January 2006 through June 2012. Negative binomial modeling
      compared pre and post decal crash rates adjusted for gender, age, calendar month,
      and gas price. The monthly GDL citation rate was two per 10,000 drivers in the
      predecal and postdecal periods. Crashes were rare and rates declined similarly
      pre and post decal (adjusted rate ratio of postdecal vs predecal slope: 1.04
      (0.97 to 1.12)). NJ's GDL decal provision was not associated with a change in
      citation or crash rates among young NJ drivers with learner's permits.

PMID- 26124073
TI  - Gun ownership and social gun culture.
AB  - We assessed gun ownership rates in 2013 across the USA and the association
      between exposure to a social gun culture and gun ownership. We used data from a
      nationally representative sample of 4000 US adults, from 50 states and District
      of Columbia, aged >18 years to assess gun ownership and social gun culture
      performed in October 2013. State-level firearm policy information was obtained
      from the Brady Law Center and Injury Prevention and Control Center. One-third of
      Americans reported owning a gun, ranging from 5.2% in Delaware to 61.7% in
      Alaska. Gun ownership was 2.25-times greater among those reporting social gun
      culture (PR=2.25, 95% CI 2.02 to 2.52) than those who did not. In conclusion, we
      found strong association between social gun culture and gun ownership. Gun
      cultures may need to be considered for public health strategies that aim to
      change gun ownership in the USA.

PMID- 26124074
TI  - Submucosal tunneling and endoscopic resection of a large, esophageal leiomyoma.

PMID- 26124075
TI  - Detection of buried Barrett's glands after radiofrequency ablation with
      volumetric laser endomicroscopy.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The prevalence and clinical relevance of buried Barrett's
      glands (BB) after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in Barrett's esophagus (BE) are
      debated. Recent optical coherence tomography studies demonstrated a high
      prevalence of BBs. Direct histological correlation, however, has been lacking.
      Volumetric laser endomicroscopy (VLE) is a second-generation optical coherence
      tomography system capable of scanning a large surface of the esophageal wall
      layers with low-power microscopy resolution. The aim was to evaluate whether post
      RFA subsquamous glandular structures (SGSs), detected with VLE, actually
      correspond to BBs by pursuing direct histological correlation with VLE images.
      METHODS: In vivo VLE was performed to detect SGSs in patients with endoscopic
      regression of BE post-RFA. A second in vivo VLE scan was performed to confirm
      correct delineation of the SGSs. After endoscopic resection, the specimens were
      imaged ex vivo with VLE. Extensive histological sectioning of SGS areas was
      performed, and all histology slides were evaluated by an expert BE pathologist.
      RESULTS: Seventeen patients underwent successful in vivo VLE (histological
      diagnosis before endoscopic treatment: early adenocarcinoma in 8 patients and
      high-grade dysplasia in 9). In 4 of 17 patients, no SGSs were identified during
      VLE, and a random resection was performed. In the remaining 13 patients (76%),
      VLE detected SGS areas, which were all confirmed on a second in vivo VLE scan and
      subsequently resected. Most SGSs identified by VLE corresponded to normal
      histological structures (eg, dilated glands and blood vessels). However, 1 area
      containing BBs was found on histology. No specific VLE features to distinguish
      between BBs and normal SGSs were identified. CONCLUSIONS: VLE is able to detect
      subsquamous esophageal structures. One area showed BBs beneath endoscopically
      normal-appearing neosquamous epithelium; however, most post-RFA SGSs identified
      by VLE correspond to normal histological structures. ( CLINICAL TRIAL
      REGISTRATION NUMBER: NTR4056.).

PMID- 26124076
TI  - Isolation and characterization of Paenibacillus polymyxa LY214, a camptothecin
      producing endophytic bacterium from Camptotheca acuminata.
AB  - Camptothecin (CPT) is mainly produced and extracted from Camptotheca acuminata
      and Nothapodytes foetida for pharmaceutical use, i.e., the starting material for
      chemical conversion to the clinical CPT-type drugs. As the third largest plant
      anticancer drug, the heavy demand on CPT from global market leads to many
      research efforts to identify new sources for CPT production. Herein we report the
      isolation and characterization of a CPT-producing endophytic bacterium
      Paenibacillus polymyxa LY214 from Camptotheca acuminata. A 10.7 MUg l(-1) of CPT
      was presented in the fermentation broth of P. polymyxa LY214. Its CPT production
      decreased sharply when the strain of the 2nd generation of P. polymyxa LY214 was
      cultured and fermented. However, the CPT production remained relatively constant
      from 2.8 MUg l(-1) of the 2nd generation to 0.8 MUg l(-1) of the 8th generation
      of P. polymyxa LY214 under optimized fermentation conditions. A 15- to 30-fold
      increase of CPT yield was observed when the optimized fermentation conditions,
      together with the addition of putative biosynthetic precursors of CPT and
      adsorbent resin XAD16, were applied to ferment the strains of the 7th and 8th
      generation of P. polymyxa LY214. Bioinformatics analysis of the relative species
      of P. polymyxa LY214 indicates its potential to produce CPT, which will be
      helpful to decipher the mysteries of CPT biosynthesis. 

PMID- 26124077
TI  - Evaluation of pedicle screw placement by pedicle channel grade in adolescent
      idiopathic scoliosis: should we challenge narrow pedicles?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgeons often have concerns about whether to place screws in narrow
      pedicles for correction of scoliosis. The aim of this study was to use pedicle
      channel grades based on preoperative CT to evaluate pedicle screw placement in
      posterior surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. METHODS: The subjects
      comprised 55 patients who underwent posterior correction and fusion, and a total
      of 810 pedicles were examined in which screw placement had been planned and
      probing had been performed. Pedicle channel grades were determined by measuring
      inner pedicle diameter on preoperative CT scans. The grades were defined as grade
      1 with an inner diameter of >= 4 mm, grade 2 with an inner diameter of >= 2 mm
      and < 4 mm, grade 3 with an inner diameter of >= 1 mm and < 2 mm, and grade 4 for
      a "cortical channel" with an inner diameter of < 1 mm. RESULTS: The failure rate
      of screw placement was 0.5 % for pedicle channel grade 1, 2.9 % for grade 2, 12.0
      % for grade 3, and 31.5 % for grade 4, showing significant differences (p <
      0.001). For the laterality of curvature, the failure rate was 5.9 % for the
      convex side, 8.0 % for the neutral vertebra, and 9.0 % for the concave side,
      showing no significant difference. There was also no significant difference in
      failure rate between degrees of curvature of < 60 degrees  (8.2 %) and >= 60
      degrees  (5.6 %). Logistic analysis showed that the pedicle channel grade was a
      significant risk factor for failure (odds ratio 4.0, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The
      failure rate of screw placement was 31.5 % for a cortical channel with a pedicle
      inner diameter of < 1 mm. Screw placement should be attempted in pedicles with an
      inner diameter of 1 mm or larger.

PMID- 26124078
TI  - Preservation of different fig cultivars (Ficus carica L.) under modified
      atmosphere packaging during cold storage.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the stability of
      'Cuello Dama Blanco' (CDB), 'Cuello Dama Negro' (CDN) and 'San Antonio' (SA) figs
      during post-harvest cold storage was evaluated by using three different films
      with a diverse number of microperforations (diameter, o = 100 um): M10 (16
      holes), M30 (five holes) and M50 (three holes). A macroperforated film was used
      as control (five holes, o = 9 mm). Gas composition, weight loss, percentage
      disorder, microbial counts and physico-chemical parameters were monitored during
      cold storage for 21 days. Furthermore, sensory quality was also evaluated.
      RESULTS: MAP has allowed the extension of cold storage and distribution time for
      the three different cultivars of figs, minimising weight loss and delaying
      pathological disorders related to endosepsis, smut, and souring. Of the three
      cultivars, the M50 batch (one hole per 50 mm) showed the best efficiency in terms
      of physico-chemical quality and delay of post-harvest decay, although the M30
      batch was also found to be suitable for delaying the post-harvest decay,
      especially for the CDB cultivar. CONCLUSION: MAP is a useful tool to extend the
      storability with optimal quality properties for CDN and SA during 21 days of cold
      storage and 14-17 days of cold storage for CDB.

PMID- 26124079
TI  - FBXL12-Mediated Degradation of ALDH3 is Essential for Trophoblast Differentiation
      During Placental Development.
AB  - How stem cells maintain their stemness or initiate exit from the stem cell state
      for differentiation remains largely unknown. Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)
      activity is a hallmark of stem cells-including embryonic, adult tissue, and
      cancer stem cells-and is essential for their maintenance. The mechanisms by which
      ALDH activity is regulated in stem cells have remained poorly understood,
      however. We now show that the ubiquitin-dependent degradation of ALDH3 mediated
      by FBXL12 (F box and leucine-rich repeat protein 12) is essential for execution
      of the differentiation program of trophoblast stem cells (TSCs). FBXL12 is
      present only in eutherian mammals, and its expression is largely restricted to
      the placenta during mouse embryogenesis. FBXL12 was found to interact
      specifically with members of the ALDH3 family and to mediate their
      polyubiquitylation. Most mice deficient in FBXL12 died during the embryonic or
      perinatal period probably as a result of abnormal development of the placenta,
      characterized by impaired formation of the junctional zone. ALDH3 accumulated in
      the FBXL12-deficient placenta, and forced expression of ALDH3 in wild-type TSCs
      phenocopied the differentiation defect of FBXL12-deficient TSCs. Conversely,
      inhibition of ALDH3 activity by gossypol rescued the phenotype of FBXL12
      deficiency. Our results suggest that FBXL12 plays a key role in the
      downregulation of ALDH3 activity in TSCs and thereby initiates trophoblast
      differentiation during placental development.

PMID- 26124080
TI  - Epigenetic silencing of NKD2, a major component of Wnt signaling, promotes breast
      cancer growth.
AB  - Naked cuticle homolog 2 (NKD2) has been reported to antagonize Wnt signaling in
      zebrafish, mouse and mammals. The aim of this study is to investigate the
      epigenetic changes and mechanisms of NKD2 in human breast cancer development. Six
      breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, ZR75-1, MDA-MB-468, MDA-MB-231, T47D and BT474)
      and 68 cases of primary human breast cancer were studied using methylation
      specific PCR, immunohistochemistry, western blot, flow cytometry techniques and a
      xenograft mouse model. The expression of NKD1 and NKD2 was regulated by promoter
      region methylation in breast cancer cells. No NKD1 methylation was found in
      primary human breast cancer. NKD2 was methylated in 51.4% (35/68) of human
      primary breast cancer samples. NKD2 methylation was significantly associated with
      reduction of NKD2 expression, and tumor stage (p < 0.05). NKD2 suppressed breast
      cancer cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. NKD2 induced G1/S arrest and
      inhibited Wnt signaling in breast cancer cells. In conclusion, NKD2 is frequently
      methylated in human breast cancer, and the expression of NKD2 is regulated by
      promoter region methylation. NKD2 suppresses breast cancer proliferation by
      inhibiting Wnt signaling. 

PMID- 26124081
TI  - MicroRNA-153/Nrf-2/GPx1 pathway regulates radiosensitivity and stemness of glioma
      stem cells via reactive oxygen species.
AB  - Glioma stem cells (GSCs) exhibit stem cell properties and high resistance to
      radiotherapy. The main aim of our study was to determine the roles of ROS in
      radioresistance and stemness of GSCs. We found that microRNA (miR)-153 was down
      regulated and its target gene nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf-2)
      was up-regulated in GSCs compared with that of non-GSCs glioma cells. The
      enhanced Nrf-2 expression increased glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) transcription
      and decreased ROS level leading to radioresistance of GSCs. MiR-153
      overexpression resulted in increased ROS production and radiosensitization of
      GSCs. Moreover, miR-153 overexpression led to decreased neurosphere formation
      capacity and stem cell marker expression, and induced differentiation through ROS
      mediated activation of p38 MAPK in GSCs. Nrf-2 overexpression rescued the
      decreased stemness and radioresistance resulting from miR-153 overexpression in
      GSCs. In addition, miR-153 overexpression reduced tumorigenic capacity of GSCs
      and increased survival in mice bearing human GSCs. These findings demonstrated
      that miR-153 overexpression decreased radioresistance and stemness of GSCs
      through targeting Nrf-2/GPx1/ROS pathway. 

PMID- 26124082
TI  - Mutational and gene fusion analyses of primary large cell and large cell
      neuroendocrine lung cancer.
AB  - Large cell carcinoma with or without neuroendocrine features (LCNEC and LC,
      respectively) constitutes 3-9% of non-small cell lung cancer but is poorly
      characterized at the molecular level. Herein we analyzed 41 LC and 32 LCNEC
      (including 15 previously reported cases) tumors using massive parallel sequencing
      for mutations in 26 cancer-related genes and gene fusions in ALK, RET, and ROS1.
      LC patients were additionally subdivided into three immunohistochemistry groups
      based on positive expression of TTF-1/Napsin A (adenocarcinoma-like, n = 24;
      59%), CK5/P40 (squamous-like, n = 5; 12%), or no marker expression (marker
      negative, n = 12; 29%). Most common alterations were TP53 (83%), KRAS (22%), MET
      (12%) mutations in LCs, and TP53 (88%), STK11 (16%), and PTEN (13%) mutations in
      LCNECs. In general, LCs showed more oncogene mutations compared to LCNECs.
      Immunomarker stratification of LC revealed oncogene mutations in 63% of
      adenocarcinoma-like cases, but only in 17% of marker-negative cases. Moreover,
      marker-negative LCs were associated with inferior overall survival compared with
      adenocarcinoma-like tumors (p = 0.007). No ALK, RET or ROS1 fusions were detected
      in LCs or LCNECs. Together, our molecular analyses support that LC and LCNEC
      tumors follow different tumorigenic paths and that LC may be stratified into
      molecular subgroups with potential implications for diagnosis, prognostics, and
      therapy decisions. 

PMID- 26124083
TI  - In1-ghrelin, a splice variant of ghrelin gene, is associated with the evolution
      and aggressiveness of human neuroendocrine tumors: Evidence from clinical,
      cellular and molecular parameters.
AB  - Ghrelin system comprises a complex family of peptides, receptors (GHSRs), and
      modifying enzymes [e.g. ghrelin-O-acyl-transferase (GOAT)] that control multiple
      pathophysiological processes. Aberrant alternative splicing is an emerging cancer
      hallmark that generates altered proteins with tumorigenic capacity. Indeed, In1
      ghrelin and truncated-GHSR1b splicing variants can promote
      development/progression of certain endocrine-related cancers. Here, we determined
      the expression levels of key ghrelin system components in neuroendocrine tumor
      (NETs) and explored their potential functional role. Twenty-six patients with
      NETs were prospectively/retrospectively studied [72 samples from primary and
      metastatic tissues (30 normal/42 tumors)] and clinical data were obtained. The
      role of In1-ghrelin in aggressiveness was studied in vitro using NET cell lines
      (BON-1/QGP-1). In1-ghrelin, GOAT and GHSR1a/1b expression levels were elevated in
      tumoral compared to normal/adjacent tissues. Moreover, In1-ghrelin, GOAT, and
      GHSR1b expression levels were positively correlated within tumoral, but not
      within normal/adjacent samples, and were higher in patients with progressive vs.
      with stable/cured disease. Finally, In1-ghrelin increased aggressiveness (e.g.
      proliferation/migration) of NET cells. Altogether, our data strongly suggests a
      potential implication of ghrelin system in the pathogenesis and/or clinical
      outcome of NETs, and warrant further studies on their possible value for the
      future development of molecular biomarkers with diagnostic/prognostic/therapeutic
      value. 

PMID- 26124085
TI  - Eating disorders in persons with type 1 diabetes: A focus group investigation of
      early eating disorder risk.
AB  - Through focus groups, we examined the development and maintenance of an eating
      disorder in 16 females with type 1 diabetes and an eating disorder. The quotes
      and qualitative data summaries provide rich insights into understanding why those
      with type 1 diabetes are at increased risk for eating disorders. Content analyses
      revealed five themes pertinent to the dual diagnosis (feeling different,
      difficulty with control/coping, body image, feelings, and quality of life) of
      which four themes were relevant to eating disorder development. Findings support
      early identification of those at risk and inform interventions to mitigate
      development of an eating disorder.

PMID- 26124084
TI  - Long-term results of a randomized phase III trial of TPF induction chemotherapy
      followed by surgery and radiation in locally advanced oral squamous cell
      carcinoma.
AB  - Previously, we conducted a randomized phase III trial of TPF (docetaxel,
      cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil) induction chemotherapy in surgically managed
      locally advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and found no improvement in
      overall survival. This study reports long-term follow-up results from our initial
      trial. All patients had clinical stage III or IVA locally advanced OSCC. In the
      experimental group, patients received two cycles of TPF induction chemotherapy
      (75mg/m2 docetaxel d1, 75mg/m2 cisplatin d1, and 750mg/m2/day 5-fluorouracil d1
      5) followed by radical surgery and post-operative radiotherapy; in the control
      group, patients received upfront radical surgery and post-operative radiotherapy.
      The primary endpoint was overall survival. Among 256 enrolled patients with a
      median follow-up of 70 months, estimated 5-year overall survival, disease-free
      survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, and distant metastasis-free
      survival rates were 61.1%, 52.7%, 55.2%, and 60.4%, respectively. There were no
      significant differences in survival rates between experimental and control
      groups. However, patients with favorable pathologic responses had improved
      outcomes compared to those with unfavorable pathologic responses and to those in
      the control group. Although TPF induction chemotherapy did not improve long-term
      survival compared to surgery upfront in patients with stage III and IVA OSCC, a
      favorable pathologic response after induction chemotherapy may be used as a major
      endpoint and prognosticator in future studies. Furthermore, the negative results
      observed in this trial may be represent type II error from an underpowered study.
      Future larger scale phase III trials are warranted to investigate whether a
      significant benefit exists for TPF induction chemotherapy in surgically managed
      OSCC. 

PMID- 26124086
TI  - Coping and quality of life of patients following microsurgical treatment for
      breast cancer-related lymphedema.
AB  - Breast cancer-related lymphedema is associated with numerous adverse outcomes.
      This study investigated the extent clinical factors, lymphedema symptoms,
      lymphedema-related appearance, and coping strategies predicted quality of life.
      Female patients who underwent microsurgical treatment for lymphedema (n = 54)
      participated. Lymphedema symptoms were associated with physical and functional
      well-being, but not emotional and social well-being. Clinical factors and
      lymphedema-related appearance were not significantly associated with quality of
      life. Compared to adaptive coping strategies, maladaptive coping strategies (e.g.
      denial, venting, self-blame) were more strongly associated with quality of life.
      This suggests psychosocial interventions aimed at modifying maladaptive coping
      behaviors can potentially improve quality of life for this patient population.

PMID- 26124087
TI  - Clarifying the associations between anxiety, depression and fatigue following
      stroke.
AB  - Both psychological distress and fatigue are common post stroke. Although there is
      recognition that the phenomena are related, the nature of the relationship is
      unclear.Cross-sectional study of 98 independently functioning participants within
      2 years of stroke. Significant relationships were observed between fatigue and
      general anxiety, health-related anxiety and stroke-specific anxiety (r range from
      .31 to .37). In the final regression model, depression, pain and stroke-specific
      anxiety were significant, accounting for 32 per cent of the variance in fatigue
      scores (p < .001). The findings provide insight into the importance of anxiety
      related factors post stroke, their relevance to our understanding of post-stroke
      fatigue and their implications for post-stroke intervention.

PMID- 26124088
TI  - How useful is optogenetic activation in determining neuronal function within
      dynamic circuits?

PMID- 26124089
TI  - PI3K therapy reprograms mitochondrial trafficking to fuel tumor cell invasion.
AB  - Molecular therapies are hallmarks of "personalized" medicine, but how tumors
      adapt to these agents is not well-understood. Here we show that small-molecule
      inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) currently in the clinic induce
      global transcriptional reprogramming in tumors, with activation of growth factor
      receptors, (re)phosphorylation of Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR),
      and increased tumor cell motility and invasion. This response involves
      redistribution of energetically active mitochondria to the cortical cytoskeleton,
      where they support membrane dynamics, turnover of focal adhesion complexes, and
      random cell motility. Blocking oxidative phosphorylation prevents adaptive
      mitochondrial trafficking, impairs membrane dynamics, and suppresses tumor cell
      invasion. Therefore, "spatiotemporal" mitochondrial respiration adaptively
      induced by PI3K therapy fuels tumor cell invasion, and may provide an important
      antimetastatic target. 

PMID- 26124090
TI  - Origin and dynamics of admixture in Brazilians and its effect on the pattern of
      deleterious mutations.
AB  - While South Americans are underrepresented in human genomic diversity studies,
      Brazil has been a classical model for population genetics studies on admixture.
      We present the results of the EPIGEN Brazil Initiative, the most comprehensive up
      to-date genomic analysis of any Latin-American population. A population-based
      genome-wide analysis of 6,487 individuals was performed in the context of
      worldwide genomic diversity to elucidate how ancestry, kinship, and inbreeding
      interact in three populations with different histories from the Northeast
      (African ancestry: 50%), Southeast, and South (both with European ancestry >70%)
      of Brazil. We showed that ancestry-positive assortative mating permeated
      Brazilian history. We traced European ancestry in the Southeast/South to a wider
      European/Middle Eastern region with respect to the Northeast, where ancestry
      seems restricted to Iberia. By developing an approximate Bayesian computation
      framework, we infer more recent European immigration to the Southeast/South than
      to the Northeast. Also, the observed low Native-American ancestry (6-8%) was
      mostly introduced in different regions of Brazil soon after the European
      Conquest. We broadened our understanding of the African diaspora, the major
      destination of which was Brazil, by revealing that Brazilians display two within
      Africa ancestry components: one associated with non-Bantu/western Africans (more
      evident in the Northeast and African Americans) and one associated with
      Bantu/eastern Africans (more present in the Southeast/South). Furthermore, the
      whole-genome analysis of 30 individuals (42-fold deep coverage) shows that
      continental admixture rather than local post-Columbian history is the main and
      complex determinant of the individual amount of deleterious genotypes. 

PMID- 26124091
TI  - Nuclear receptor Nurr1 agonists enhance its dual functions and improve behavioral
      deficits in an animal model of Parkinson's disease.
AB  - Parkinson's disease (PD), primarily caused by selective degeneration of midbrain
      dopamine (mDA) neurons, is the most prevalent movement disorder, affecting 1-2%
      of the global population over the age of 65. Currently available pharmacological
      treatments are largely symptomatic and lose their efficacy over time with
      accompanying severe side effects such as dyskinesia. Thus, there is an unmet
      clinical need to develop mechanism-based and/or disease-modifying treatments.
      Based on the unique dual role of the nuclear orphan receptor Nurr1 for
      development and maintenance of mDA neurons and their protection from inflammation
      induced death, we hypothesize that Nurr1 can be a molecular target for
      neuroprotective therapeutic development for PD. Here we show successful
      identification of Nurr1 agonists sharing an identical chemical scaffold, 4-amino
      7-chloroquinoline, suggesting a critical structure-activity relationship. In
      particular, we found that two antimalarial drugs, amodiaquine and chloroquine
      stimulate the transcriptional function of Nurr1 through physical interaction with
      its ligand binding domain (LBD). Remarkably, these compounds were able to enhance
      the contrasting dual functions of Nurr1 by further increasing transcriptional
      activation of mDA-specific genes and further enhancing transrepression of
      neurotoxic proinflammatory gene expression in microglia. Importantly, these
      compounds significantly improved behavioral deficits in 6-hydroxydopamine
      lesioned rat model of PD without any detectable signs of dyskinesia-like
      behavior. These findings offer proof of principle that small molecules targeting
      the Nurr1 LBD can be used as a mechanism-based and neuroprotective strategy for
      PD. 

PMID- 26124092
TI  - FUS functions in coupling transcription to splicing by mediating an interaction
      between RNAP II and U1 snRNP.
AB  - Pre-mRNA splicing is coupled to transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNAP II). We
      previously showed that U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) associates with
      RNAP II, and both RNAP II and U1 snRNP are also the most abundant factors
      associated with the protein fused-in-sarcoma (FUS), which is mutated to cause the
      neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Here, we show that an
      antisense morpholino that base-pairs to the 5' end of U1 snRNA blocks splicing in
      the coupled system and completely disrupts the association between U1 snRNP and
      both FUS and RNAP II, but has no effect on the association between FUS and RNAP
      II. Conversely, we found that U1 snRNP does not interact with RNAP II in FUS
      knockdown extracts. Moreover, using these extracts, we found that FUS must be
      present during the transcription reaction in order for splicing to occur.
      Together, our data lead to a model that FUS functions in coupling transcription
      to splicing via mediating an interaction between RNAP II and U1 snRNP. 

PMID- 26124093
TI  - Pre- and postexposure efficacy of fully human antibodies against Spike protein in
      a novel humanized mouse model of MERS-CoV infection.
AB  - Traditional approaches to antimicrobial drug development are poorly suited to
      combatting the emergence of novel pathogens. Additionally, the lack of small
      animal models for these infections hinders the in vivo testing of potential
      therapeutics. Here we demonstrate the use of the VelocImmune technology (a mouse
      that expresses human antibody-variable heavy chains and kappa light chains)
      alongside the VelociGene technology (which allows for rapid engineering of the
      mouse genome) to quickly develop and evaluate antibodies against an emerging
      viral disease. Specifically, we show the rapid generation of fully human
      neutralizing antibodies against the recently emerged Middle East Respiratory
      Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and development of a humanized mouse model for
      MERS-CoV infection, which was used to demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of the
      isolated antibodies. The VelocImmune and VelociGene technologies are powerful
      platforms that can be used to rapidly respond to emerging epidemics. 

PMID- 26124094
TI  - Archaeal actin from a hyperthermophile forms a single-stranded filament.
AB  - The prokaryotic origins of the actin cytoskeleton have been firmly established,
      but it has become clear that the bacterial actins form a wide variety of
      different filaments, different both from each other and from eukaryotic F-actin.
      We have used electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) to examine the filaments formed by
      the protein crenactin (a crenarchaeal actin) from Pyrobaculum calidifontis, an
      organism that grows optimally at 90  degrees C. Although this protein only has ~
      20% sequence identity with eukaryotic actin, phylogenetic analyses have placed it
      much closer to eukaryotic actin than any of the bacterial homologs. It has been
      assumed that the crenactin filament is double-stranded, like F-actin, in part
      because it would be hard to imagine how a single-stranded filament would be
      stable at such high temperatures. We show that not only is the crenactin filament
      single-stranded, but that it is remarkably similar to each of the two strands in
      F-actin. A large insertion in the crenactin sequence would prevent the formation
      of an F-actin-like double-stranded filament. Further, analysis of two existing
      crystal structures reveals six different subunit-subunit interfaces that are
      filament-like, but each is different from the others in terms of significant
      rotations. This variability in the subunit-subunit interface, seen at atomic
      resolution in crystals, can explain the large variability in the crenactin
      filaments observed by cryo-EM and helps to explain the variability in twist that
      has been observed for eukaryotic actin filaments.

PMID- 26124095
TI  - Mapping the binding interface of ERK and transcriptional repressor Capicua using
      photocrosslinking.
AB  - Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) coordinates cellular responses to a
      range of stimuli by phosphorylating its numerous substrates. One of these
      substrates, Capicua (Cic), is a transcriptional repressor that was first
      identified in Drosophila and has been implicated in a number of human diseases.
      Here we use a chemical biology approach to map the binding interface of ERK and
      Cic. The noncanonical amino acid p-azidophenylalanine (AzF) was introduced into
      the ERK-binding region of Drosophila Cic, and photocrosslinking and tandem mass
      spectrometry were used to pinpoint its binding site on ERK. We also identified
      the ERK-binding region of human Cic and showed that it binds to the same site on
      ERK despite lacking conservation with the Drosophila Cic binding region. Finally,
      we mapped the amino acids involved in human Cic binding to ERK using AzF-labeled
      ERK. These results reveal the molecular details of the ERK-Cic interaction and
      demonstrate that the photocrosslinking approach is complementary to existing
      methods for mapping kinase-substrate binding interfaces. 

PMID- 26124097
TI  - The maize disease resistance gene Htn1 against northern corn leaf blight encodes
      a wall-associated receptor-like kinase.
AB  - Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Exserohilum
      turcicum is an important foliar disease of maize that is mainly controlled by
      growing resistant maize cultivars. The Htn1 locus confers quantitative and
      partial NCLB resistance by delaying the onset of lesion formation. Htn1
      represents an important source of genetic resistance that was originally
      introduced from a Mexican landrace into modern maize breeding lines in the 1970s.
      Using a high-resolution map-based cloning approach, we delimited Htn1 to a 131.7
      kb physical interval on chromosome 8 that contained three candidate genes
      encoding two wall-associated receptor-like kinases (ZmWAK-RLK1 and ZmWAK-RLK2)
      and one wall-associated receptor-like protein (ZmWAK-RLP1). TILLING (targeting
      induced local lesions in genomes) mutants in ZmWAK-RLK1 were more susceptible to
      NCLB than wild-type plants, both in greenhouse experiments and in the field.
      ZmWAK-RLK1 contains a nonarginine-aspartate (non-RD) kinase domain, typically
      found in plant innate immune receptors. Sequence comparison showed that the
      extracellular domain of ZmWAK-RLK1 is highly diverse between different maize
      genotypes. Furthermore, an alternative splice variant resulting in a truncated
      protein was present at higher frequency in the susceptible parents of the mapping
      populations compared with in the resistant parents. Hence, the quantitative Htn1
      disease resistance in maize is encoded by an unusual innate immune receptor with
      an extracellular wall-associated kinase domain. These results further highlight
      the importance of this protein family in resistance to adapted pathogens. 

PMID- 26124096
TI  - O-glycans direct selectin ligands to lipid rafts on leukocytes.
AB  - Palmitoylated cysteines typically target transmembrane proteins to domains
      enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids (lipid rafts). P-selectin glycoprotein
      ligand-1 (PSGL-1), CD43, and CD44 are O-glycosylated proteins on leukocytes that
      associate with lipid rafts. During inflammation, they transduce signals by
      engaging selectins as leukocytes roll in venules, and they move to the raft
      enriched uropods of polarized cells upon chemokine stimulation. It is not known
      how these glycoproteins associate with lipid rafts or whether this association is
      required for signaling or for translocation to uropods. Here, we found that loss
      of core 1-derived O-glycans in murine C1galt1(-/-) neutrophils blocked raft
      targeting of PSGL-1, CD43, and CD44, but not of other glycosylated proteins, as
      measured by resistance to solubilization in nonionic detergent and by copatching
      with a raft-resident sphingolipid on intact cells. Neuraminidase removal of
      sialic acids from wild-type neutrophils also blocked raft targeting. C1galt1(-/-)
      neutrophils or neuraminidase-treated neutrophils failed to activate tyrosine
      kinases when plated on immobilized anti-PSGL-1 or anti-CD44 F(ab')2. Furthermore,
      C1galt1(-/-) neutrophils incubated with anti-PSGL-1 F(ab')2 did not generate
      microparticles. In marked contrast, PSGL-1, CD43, and CD44 moved normally to the
      uropods of chemokine-stimulated C1galt1(-/-) neutrophils. These data define a
      role for core 1-derived O-glycans and terminal sialic acids in targeting
      glycoprotein ligands for selectins to lipid rafts of leukocytes. Preassociation
      of these glycoproteins with rafts is required for signaling but not for movement
      to uropods. 

PMID- 26124098
TI  - Drug-eluting microarrays to identify effective chemotherapeutic combinations
      targeting patient-derived cancer stem cells.
AB  - A new paradigm in oncology establishes a spectrum of tumorigenic potential across
      the heterogeneous phenotypes within a tumor. The cancer stem cell hypothesis
      postulates that a minute fraction of cells within a tumor, termed cancer stem
      cells (CSCs), have a tumor-initiating capacity that propels tumor growth. An
      application of this discovery is to target this critical cell population using
      chemotherapy; however, the process of isolating these cells is arduous, and the
      rarity of CSCs makes it difficult to test potential drug candidates in a robust
      fashion, particularly for individual patients. To address the challenge of
      screening drug libraries on patient-derived populations of rare cells, such as
      CSCs, we have developed a drug-eluting microarray, a miniaturized platform onto
      which a minimal quantity of cells can adhere and be exposed to unique treatment
      conditions. Hundreds of drug-loaded polymer islands acting as drug depots
      colocalized with adherent cells are surrounded by a nonfouling background,
      creating isolated culture environments on a solid substrate. Significant results
      can be obtained by testing <6% of the cells required for a typical 96-well plate.
      Reliability was demonstrated by an average coefficient of variation of 14%
      between all of the microarrays and 13% between identical conditions within a
      single microarray. Using the drug-eluting array, colorectal CSCs isolated from
      two patients exhibited unique responses to drug combinations when cultured on the
      drug-eluting microarray, highlighting the potential as a prognostic tool to
      identify personalized chemotherapeutic regimens targeting CSCs. 

PMID- 26124099
TI  - MicroRNA-148a reduces tumorigenesis and increases TRAIL-induced apoptosis in
      NSCLC.
AB  - Nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of death
      worldwide. TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has been shown to induce
      apoptosis in malignant cells without inducing significant toxicity in normal
      cells. However, several carcinomas, including lung cancer, remain resistant to
      TRAIL. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs of ~ 24 nt that block mRNA
      translation and/or negatively regulate its stability. They are often aberrantly
      expressed in cancer and have been implicated in increasing susceptibility or
      resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis by inhibiting key functional proteins. Here
      we show that miR-148a is down-regulated in cells with acquired TRAIL-resistance
      compared with TRAIL-sensitive cells. Enforced expression of miR-148a sensitized
      cells to TRAIL and reduced lung tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo through the
      down-modulation of matrix metalloproteinase 15 (MMP15) and Rho-associated kinase
      1 (ROCK1). These findings suggest that miR-148a acts as a tumor suppressor and
      might have therapeutic application in the treatment of NSCLC.

PMID- 26124100
TI  - Noradrenergic blockade stabilizes prefrontal activity and enables fear extinction
      under stress.
AB  - Stress-induced impairments in extinction learning are believed to sustain
      posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Noradrenergic signaling may contribute to
      extinction impairments by modulating medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) circuits
      involved in fear regulation. Here we demonstrate that aversive fear conditioning
      rapidly and persistently alters spontaneous single-unit activity in the prelimbic
      and infralimbic subdivisions of the mPFC in behaving rats. These conditioning
      induced changes in mPFC firing were mitigated by systemic administration of
      propranolol (10 mg/kg, i.p.), a beta-noradrenergic receptor antagonist. Moreover,
      propranolol administration dampened the stress-induced impairment in extinction
      observed when extinction training is delivered shortly after fear conditioning.
      These findings suggest that beta-adrenoceptors mediate stress-induced changes in
      mPFC spike firing that contribute to extinction impairments. Propranolol may be a
      helpful adjunct to behavioral therapy for PTSD, particularly in patients who have
      recently experienced trauma. 

PMID- 26124101
TI  - Probing the structural and molecular basis of nucleotide selectivity by human
      mitochondrial DNA polymerase gamma.
AB  - Nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are the essential
      components of highly active antiretroviral (HAART) therapy targeting HIV reverse
      transcriptase (RT). NRTI triphosphates (NRTI-TP), the biologically active forms,
      act as chain terminators of viral DNA synthesis. Unfortunately, NRTIs also
      inhibit human mitochondrial DNA polymerase (Pol gamma), causing unwanted
      mitochondrial toxicity. Understanding the structural and mechanistic differences
      between Pol gamma and RT in response to NRTIs will provide invaluable insight to
      aid in designing more effective drugs with lower toxicity. The NRTIs
      emtricitabine [(-)-2,3'-dideoxy-5-fluoro-3'-thiacytidine, (-)-FTC] and
      lamivudine, [(-)-2,3'-dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine, (-)-3TC] are both potent RT
      inhibitors, but Pol gamma discriminates against (-)-FTC-TP by two orders of
      magnitude better than (-)-3TC-TP. Furthermore, although (-)-FTC-TP is only
      slightly more potent against HIV RT than its enantiomer (+)-FTC-TP, it is
      discriminated by human Pol gamma four orders of magnitude more efficiently than
      (+)-FTC-TP. As a result, (-)-FTC is a much less toxic NRTI. Here, we present the
      structural and kinetic basis for this striking difference by identifying the
      discriminator residues of drug selectivity in both viral and human enzymes
      responsible for substrate selection and inhibitor specificity. For the first
      time, to our knowledge, this work illuminates the mechanism of (-)-FTC-TP
      differential selectivity and provides a structural scaffold for development of
      novel NRTIs with lower toxicity. 

PMID- 26124103
TI  - Lose biodiversity, gain disease.

PMID- 26124102
TI  - Redesigning photosynthesis to sustainably meet global food and bioenergy demand.
AB  - The world's crop productivity is stagnating whereas population growth, rising
      affluence, and mandates for biofuels put increasing demands on agriculture.
      Meanwhile, demand for increasing cropland competes with equally crucial global
      sustainability and environmental protection needs. Addressing this looming
      agricultural crisis will be one of our greatest scientific challenges in the
      coming decades, and success will require substantial improvements at many levels.
      We assert that increasing the efficiency and productivity of photosynthesis in
      crop plants will be essential if this grand challenge is to be met. Here, we
      explore an array of prospective redesigns of plant systems at various scales, all
      aimed at increasing crop yields through improved photosynthetic efficiency and
      performance. Prospects range from straightforward alterations, already supported
      by preliminary evidence of feasibility, to substantial redesigns that are
      currently only conceptual, but that may be enabled by new developments in
      synthetic biology. Although some proposed redesigns are certain to face obstacles
      that will require alternate routes, the efforts should lead to new discoveries
      and technical advances with important impacts on the global problem of crop
      productivity and bioenergy production. 

PMID- 26124104
TI  - Circadian clock gene LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL directly regulates the timing of
      floral scent emission in Petunia.
AB  - Flowers present a complex display of signals to attract pollinators, including
      the emission of floral volatiles. Volatile emission is highly regulated, and many
      species restrict emissions to specific times of the day. This rhythmic emission
      of scent is regulated by the circadian clock; however, the mechanisms have
      remained unknown. In Petunia hybrida, volatile emissions are dominated by
      products of the floral volatile benzenoid/phenylpropanoid (FVBP) metabolic
      pathway. Here we demonstrate that the circadian clock gene P. hybrida LATE
      ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY; PhLHY) regulates the daily expression patterns of the
      FVBP pathway genes and floral volatile production. PhLHY expression peaks in the
      morning, antiphasic to the expression of P. hybrida GIGANTEA (PhGI), the master
      scent regulator ODORANT1 (ODO1), and many other evening-expressed FVBP genes.
      Overexpression phenotypes of PhLHY in Arabidopsis caused an arrhythmic clock
      phenotype, which resembles those of LHY overexpressors. In Petunia, constitutive
      expression of PhLHY depressed the expression levels of PhGI, ODO1, evening
      expressed FVBP pathway genes, and FVBP emission in flowers. Additionally, in the
      Petunia lines in which PhLHY expression was reduced, the timing of peak
      expression of PhGI, ODO1, and the FVBP pathway genes advanced to the morning.
      Moreover, PhLHY protein binds to cis-regulatory elements called evening elements
      that exist in promoters of ODO1 and other FVBP genes. Thus, our results imply
      that PhLHY directly sets the timing of floral volatile emission by restricting
      the expression of ODO1 and other FVBP genes to the evening in Petunia. 

PMID- 26124105
TI  - Statistical universals reveal the structures and functions of human music.
AB  - Music has been called "the universal language of mankind." Although contemporary
      theories of music evolution often invoke various musical universals, the
      existence of such universals has been disputed for decades and has never been
      empirically demonstrated. Here we combine a music-classification scheme with
      statistical analyses, including phylogenetic comparative methods, to examine a
      well-sampled global set of 304 music recordings. Our analyses reveal no absolute
      universals but strong support for many statistical universals that are consistent
      across all nine geographic regions sampled. These universals include 18 musical
      features that are common individually as well as a network of 10 features that
      are commonly associated with one another. They span not only features related to
      pitch and rhythm that are often cited as putative universals but also rarely
      cited domains including performance style and social context. These cross
      cultural structural regularities of human music may relate to roles in
      facilitating group coordination and cohesion, as exemplified by the universal
      tendency to sing, play percussion instruments, and dance to simple, repetitive
      music in groups. Our findings highlight the need for scientists studying music
      evolution to expand the range of musical cultures and musical features under
      consideration. The statistical universals we identified represent important
      candidates for future investigation. 

PMID- 26124106
TI  - Longitudinal study of fingerprint recognition.
AB  - Human identification by fingerprints is based on the fundamental premise that
      ridge patterns from distinct fingers are different (uniqueness) and a fingerprint
      pattern does not change over time (persistence). Although the uniqueness of
      fingerprints has been investigated by developing statistical models to estimate
      the probability of error in comparing two random samples of fingerprints, the
      persistence of fingerprints has remained a general belief based on only a few
      case studies. In this study, fingerprint match (similarity) scores are analyzed
      by multilevel statistical models with covariates such as time interval between
      two fingerprints in comparison, subject's age, and fingerprint image quality.
      Longitudinal fingerprint records of 15,597 subjects are sampled from an
      operational fingerprint database such that each individual has at least five 10
      print records over a minimum time span of 5 y. In regard to the persistence of
      fingerprints, the longitudinal analysis on a single (right index) finger
      demonstrates that (i) genuine match scores tend to significantly decrease when
      time interval between two fingerprints in comparison increases, whereas the
      change in impostor match scores is negligible; and (ii) fingerprint recognition
      accuracy at operational settings, nevertheless, tends to be stable as the time
      interval increases up to 12 y, the maximum time span in the dataset. However, the
      uncertainty of temporal stability of fingerprint recognition accuracy becomes
      substantially large if either of the two fingerprints being compared is of poor
      quality. The conclusions drawn from 10-finger fusion analysis coincide with the
      conclusions from single-finger analysis. 

PMID- 26124107
TI  - Neural activity and CaMKII protect mitochondria from fragmentation in aging
      Caenorhabditis elegans neurons.
AB  - Decline in mitochondrial morphology and function is a hallmark of neuronal aging.
      Here we report that progressive mitochondrial fragmentation is a common
      manifestation of aging Caenorhabditis elegans neurons and body wall muscles. We
      show that sensory-evoked activity was essential for maintaining neuronal
      mitochondrial morphology, and this activity-dependent mechanism required the
      Degenerin/ENaC sodium channel MEC-4, the L-type voltage-gated calcium channel EGL
      19, and the Ca/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) UNC-43. Importantly, UNC
      43 phosphorylated and inhibited the dynamin-related protein (DRP)-1, which was
      responsible for excessive mitochondrial fragmentation in neurons that lacked
      sensory-evoked activity. Moreover, enhanced activity in the aged neurons
      ameliorated mitochondrial fragmentation. These findings provide a detailed
      description of mitochondrial behavior in aging neurons and identify activity
      dependent DRP-1 phosphorylation by CaMKII as a key mechanism in neuronal
      mitochondrial maintenance. 

PMID- 26124108
TI  - F-box protein FBXO31 directs degradation of MDM2 to facilitate p53-mediated
      growth arrest following genotoxic stress.
AB  - The tumor suppressor p53 plays a critical role in maintaining genomic stability.
      In response to genotoxic stress, p53 levels increase and induce cell-cycle
      arrest, senescence, or apoptosis, thereby preventing replication of damaged DNA.
      In unstressed cells, p53 is maintained at a low level. The major negative
      regulator of p53 is MDM2, an E3 ubiquitin ligase that directly interacts with p53
      and promotes its polyubiquitination, leading to the subsequent destruction of p53
      by the 26S proteasome. Following DNA damage, MDM2 is degraded rapidly, resulting
      in increased p53 stability. Because of the important role of MDM2 in modulating
      p53 function, it is critical to understand how MDM2 levels are regulated. Here we
      show that the F-box protein FBXO31, a candidate tumor suppressor encoded in
      16q24.3 for which there is loss of heterozygosity in various solid tumors, is
      responsible for promoting MDM2 degradation. Following genotoxic stress, FBXO31 is
      phosphorylated by the DNA damage serine/threonine kinase ATM, resulting in
      increased levels of FBXO31. FBXO31 then interacts with and directs the
      degradation of MDM2, which is dependent on phosphorylation of MDM2 by ATM. FBXO31
      mediated loss of MDM2 leads to elevated levels of p53, resulting in growth
      arrest. In cells depleted of FBXO31, MDM2 is not degraded and p53 levels do not
      increase following genotoxic stress. Thus, FBXO31 is essential for the classic
      robust increase in p53 levels following DNA damage. 

PMID- 26124109
TI  - The MYB36 transcription factor orchestrates Casparian strip formation.
AB  - The endodermis in roots acts as a selectivity filter for nutrient and water
      transport essential for growth and development. This selectivity is enabled by
      the formation of lignin-based Casparian strips. Casparian strip formation is
      initiated by the localization of the Casparian strip domain proteins (CASPs) in
      the plasma membrane, at the site where the Casparian strip will form. Localized
      CASPs recruit Peroxidase 64 (PER64), a Respiratory Burst Oxidase Homolog F, and
      Enhanced Suberin 1 (ESB1), a dirigent-like protein, to assemble the lignin
      polymerization machinery. However, the factors that control both expression of
      the genes encoding this biosynthetic machinery and its localization to the
      Casparian strip formation site remain unknown. Here, we identify the
      transcription factor, MYB36, essential for Casparian strip formation. MYB36
      directly and positively regulates the expression of the Casparian strip genes
      CASP1, PER64, and ESB1. Casparian strips are absent in plants lacking a
      functional MYB36 and are replaced by ectopic lignin-like material in the corners
      of endodermal cells. The barrier function of Casparian strips in these plants is
      also disrupted. Significantly, ectopic expression of MYB36 in the cortex is
      sufficient to reprogram these cells to start expressing CASP1-GFP, correctly
      localize the CASP1-GFP protein to form a Casparian strip domain, and deposit a
      Casparian strip-like structure in the cell wall at this location. These results
      demonstrate that MYB36 is controlling expression of the machinery required to
      locally polymerize lignin in a fine band in the cell wall for the formation of
      the Casparian strip. 

PMID- 26124110
TI  - DDT-based indoor residual spraying suboptimal for visceral leishmaniasis
      elimination in India.
AB  - Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is used to control visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in
      India, but it is poorly quality assured. Quality assurance was performed in eight
      VL endemic districts in Bihar State, India, in 2014. Residual
      dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) was sampled from walls using Bostik tape
      discs, and DDT concentrations [grams of active ingredient per square meter (g
      ai/m(2))] were determined using HPLC. Pre-IRS surveys were performed in three
      districts, and post-IRS surveys were performed in eight districts. A 20%
      threshold above and below the target spray of 1.0 g ai/m(2) was defined as "in
      range." The entomological assessments were made in four districts in IRS and non
      IRS villages. Vector densities were measured: pre-IRS and 1 and 3 mo post-IRS.
      Insecticide susceptibility to 4% DDT and 0.05% deltamethrin WHO-impregnated
      papers was determined with wild-caught sand flies. The majority (329 of 360,
      91.3%) of pre-IRS samples had residual DDT concentrations of <0.1 g ai/m(2). The
      mean residual concentration of DDT post-IRS was 0.37 g ai/m(2); 84.9% of walls
      were undersprayed, 7.4% were sprayed in range, and 7.6% were oversprayed. The
      abundance of sand flies in IRS and non-IRS villages was significantly different
      at 1 mo post-IRS only. Sand flies were highly resistant to DDT but susceptible to
      deltamethrin. The Stockholm Convention, ratified by India in 2006, calls for the
      complete phasing out of DDT as soon as practical, with limited use in the interim
      where no viable IRS alternatives exist. Given the poor quality of the DDT-based
      IRS, ready availability of pyrethroids, and susceptibility profile of Indian sand
      flies, the continued use of DDT in this IRS program is questionable. 

PMID- 26124111
TI  - Massive accumulation of luminal protease-deficient axonal lysosomes at
      Alzheimer's disease amyloid plaques.
AB  - Through a comprehensive analysis of organellar markers in mouse models of
      Alzheimer's disease, we document a massive accumulation of lysosome-like
      organelles at amyloid plaques and establish that the majority of these organelles
      reside within swollen axons that contact the amyloid deposits. This close spatial
      relationship between axonal lysosome accumulation and extracellular amyloid
      aggregates was observed from the earliest stages of beta-amyloid deposition.
      Notably, we discovered that lysosomes that accumulate in such axons are lacking
      in multiple soluble luminal proteases and thus are predicted to be unable to
      efficiently degrade proteinaceous cargos. Of relevance to Alzheimer's disease,
      beta-secretase (BACE1), the protein that initiates amyloidogenic processing of
      the amyloid precursor protein and which is a substrate for these proteases,
      builds up at these sites. Furthermore, through a comparison between the axonal
      lysosome accumulations at amyloid plaques and neuronal lysosomes of the wild-type
      brain, we identified a similar, naturally occurring population of lysosome-like
      organelles in neuronal processes that is also defined by its low luminal protease
      content. In conjunction with emerging evidence that the lysosomal maturation of
      endosomes and autophagosomes is coupled to their retrograde transport, our
      results suggest that extracellular beta-amyloid deposits cause a local impairment
      in the retrograde axonal transport of lysosome precursors, leading to their
      accumulation and a blockade in their further maturation. This study both advances
      understanding of Alzheimer's disease brain pathology and provides new insights
      into the subcellular organization of neuronal lysosomes that may have broader
      relevance to other neurodegenerative diseases with a lysosomal component to their
      pathology. 

PMID- 26124112
TI  - Tracking ongoing cognition in individuals using brief, whole-brain functional
      connectivity patterns.
AB  - Functional connectivity (FC) patterns in functional MRI exhibit dynamic behavior
      on the scale of seconds, with rich spatiotemporal structure and limited sets of
      whole-brain, quasi-stable FC configurations (FC states) recurring across time and
      subjects. Based on previous evidence linking various aspects of cognition to
      group-level, minute-to-minute FC changes in localized connections, we
      hypothesized that whole-brain FC states may reflect the global, orchestrated
      dynamics of cognitive processing on the scale of seconds. To test this
      hypothesis, subjects were continuously scanned as they engaged in and
      transitioned between mental states dictated by tasks. FC states computed within
      windows as short as 22.5 s permitted robust tracking of cognition in single
      subjects with near perfect accuracy. Accuracy dropped markedly for subjects with
      the lowest task performance. Spatially restricting FC information decreased
      accuracy at short time scales, emphasizing the distributed nature of whole-brain
      FC dynamics, beyond univariate magnitude changes, as valuable markers of
      cognition. 

PMID- 26124113
TI  - Notch1-STAT3-ETBR signaling axis controls reactive astrocyte proliferation after
      brain injury.
AB  - Defining the signaling network that controls reactive astrogliosis may provide
      novel treatment targets for patients with diverse CNS injuries and pathologies.
      We report that the radial glial cell antigen RC2 identifies the majority of
      proliferating glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive (GFAP(+)) reactive
      astrocytes after stroke. These cells highly expressed endothelin receptor type B
      (ETB(R)) and Jagged1, a Notch1 receptor ligand. To study signaling in adult
      reactive astrocytes, we developed a model based on reactive astrocyte-derived
      neural stem cells isolated from GFAP-CreER-Notch1 conditional knockout (cKO)
      mice. By loss- and gain-of-function studies and promoter activity assays, we
      found that Jagged1/Notch1 signaling increased ETB(R) expression indirectly by
      raising the level of phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of
      transcription 3 (STAT3), a previously unidentified EDNRB transcriptional
      activator. Similar to inducible transgenic GFAP-CreER-Notch1-cKO mice, GFAP-CreER
      ETB(R)-cKO mice exhibited a defect in reactive astrocyte proliferation after
      cerebral ischemia. Our results indicate that the Notch1-STAT3-ETB(R) axis
      connects a signaling network that promotes reactive astrocyte proliferation after
      brain injury.

PMID- 26124114
TI  - New Age of Fishes initiated by the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction.
AB  - Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) comprise nearly half of all modern vertebrate
      diversity, and are an ecologically and numerically dominant megafauna in most
      aquatic environments. Crown teleost fishes diversified relatively recently,
      during the Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene, although the exact timing and
      cause of their radiation and rise to ecological dominance is poorly constrained.
      Here we use microfossil teeth and shark dermal scales (ichthyoliths) preserved in
      deep-sea sediments to study the changes in the pelagic fish community in the
      latest Cretaceous and early Paleogene. We find that the Cretaceous-Paleogene
      (K/Pg) extinction event marked a profound change in the structure of ichthyolith
      communities around the globe: Whereas shark denticles outnumber ray-finned fish
      teeth in Cretaceous deep-sea sediments around the world, there is a dramatic
      increase in the proportion of ray-finned fish teeth to shark denticles in the
      Paleocene. There is also an increase in size and numerical abundance of ray
      finned fish teeth at the boundary. These changes are sustained through at least
      the first 24 million years of the Cenozoic. This new fish community structure
      began at the K/Pg mass extinction, suggesting the extinction event played an
      important role in initiating the modern "age of fishes." 

PMID- 26124115
TI  - A circadian oscillator in the fungus Botrytis cinerea regulates virulence when
      infecting Arabidopsis thaliana.
AB  - The circadian clock of the plant model Arabidopsis thaliana modulates defense
      mechanisms impacting plant-pathogen interactions. Nevertheless, the effect of
      clock regulation on pathogenic traits has not been explored in detail. Moreover,
      molecular description of clocks in pathogenic fungi--or fungi in general other
      than the model ascomycete Neurospora crassa--has been neglected, leaving this
      type of question largely unaddressed. We sought to characterize, therefore, the
      circadian system of the plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea to assess if such
      oscillatory machinery can modulate its virulence potential. Herein, we show the
      existence of a functional clock in B. cinerea, which shares similar components
      and circuitry with the Neurospora circadian system, although we found that its
      core negative clock element FREQUENCY (BcFRQ1) serves additional roles,
      suggesting extracircadian functions for this protein. We observe that the lesions
      produced by this necrotrophic fungus on Arabidopsis leaves are smaller when the
      interaction between these two organisms occurs at dawn. Remarkably, this effect
      does not depend solely on the plant clock, but instead largely relies on the
      pathogen circadian system. Genetic disruption of the B. cinerea oscillator by
      mutation, overexpression of BcFRQ1, or by suppression of its rhythmicity by
      constant light, abrogates circadian regulation of fungal virulence. By conducting
      experiments with out-of-phase light:dark cycles, we confirm that indeed, it is
      the fungal clock that plays the main role in defining the outcome of the
      Arabidopsis-Botrytis interaction, providing to our knowledge the first evidence
      of a microbial clock modulating pathogenic traits at specific times of the day.

PMID- 26124117
TI  - Human impacts on fisheries across the land-sea interface.

PMID- 26124116
TI  - Synchronizing theta oscillations with direct-current stimulation strengthens
      adaptive control in the human brain.
AB  - Executive control and flexible adjustment of behavior following errors are
      essential to adaptive functioning. Loss of adaptive control may be a biomarker of
      a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly in the schizophrenia
      spectrum. Here, we provide support for the view that oscillatory activity in the
      frontal cortex underlies adaptive adjustments in cognitive processing following
      errors. Compared with healthy subjects, patients with schizophrenia exhibited low
      frequency oscillations with abnormal temporal structure and an absence of
      synchrony over medial-frontal and lateral-prefrontal cortex following errors. To
      demonstrate that these abnormal oscillations were the origin of the impaired
      adaptive control in patients with schizophrenia, we applied noninvasive dc
      electrical stimulation over the medial-frontal cortex. This noninvasive
      stimulation descrambled the phase of the low-frequency neural oscillations that
      synchronize activity across cortical regions. Following stimulation, the
      behavioral index of adaptive control was improved such that patients were
      indistinguishable from healthy control subjects. These results provide unique
      causal evidence for theories of executive control and cortical dysconnectivity in
      schizophrenia. 

PMID- 26124118
TI  - Integrated reactive nitrogen budgets and future trends in China.
AB  - Reactive nitrogen (Nr) plays a central role in food production, and at the same
      time it can be an important pollutant with substantial effects on air and water
      quality, biological diversity, and human health. China now creates far more Nr
      than any other country. We developed a budget for Nr in China in 1980 and 2010,
      in which we evaluated the natural and anthropogenic creation of Nr, losses of Nr,
      and transfers among 14 subsystems within China. Our analyses demonstrated that a
      tripling of anthropogenic Nr creation was associated with an even more rapid
      increase in Nr fluxes to the atmosphere and hydrosphere, contributing to intense
      and increasing threats to human health, the sustainability of croplands, and the
      environment of China and its environs. Under a business as usual scenario,
      anthropogenic Nr creation in 2050 would more than double compared with 2010
      levels, whereas a scenario that combined reasonable changes in diet, N use
      efficiency, and N recycling could reduce N losses and anthropogenic Nr creation
      in 2050 to 52% and 64% of 2010 levels, respectively. Achieving reductions in Nr
      creation (while simultaneously increasing food production and offsetting imports
      of animal feed) will require much more in addition to good science, but it is
      useful to know that there are pathways by which both food security and
      health/environmental protection could be enhanced simultaneously. 

PMID- 26124119
TI  - Structural insights into the assembly of the histone deacetylase-associated
      Sin3L/Rpd3L corepressor complex.
AB  - Acetylation is correlated with chromatin decondensation and transcriptional
      activation, but its regulation by histone deacetylase (HDAC)-bearing corepressor
      complexes is poorly understood. Here, we describe the mechanism of assembly of
      the mammalian Sin3L/Rpd3L complex facilitated by Sds3, a conserved subunit deemed
      critical for proper assembly. Sds3 engages a globular, helical region of the HDAC
      interaction domain (HID) of the scaffolding protein Sin3A through a bipartite
      motif comprising a helix and an adjacent extended segment. Sds3 dimerizes through
      not only one of the predicted coiled-coil motifs but also, the segment preceding
      it, forming an ~ 150-A-long antiparallel dimer. Contrary to previous findings in
      yeast, Sin3A rather than Sds3 functions in recruiting HDAC1 into the complex by
      engaging the latter through a highly conserved segment adjacent to the helical
      HID subdomain. In the resulting model for the ternary complex, the two copies of
      the HDACs are situated distally and dynamically because of a natively
      unstructured linker connecting the dimerization domain and the Sin3A interaction
      domain of Sds3; these features contrast with the static organization described
      previously for the NuRD (nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase) complex. The Sds3
      linker features several conserved basic residues that could potentially maintain
      the complex on chromatin by nonspecific interactions with DNA after initial
      recruitment by sequence-specific DNA-binding repressors.

PMID- 26124120
TI  - CB2 cannabinoid receptor agonist enantiomers HU-433 and HU-308: An inverse
      relationship between binding affinity and biological potency.
AB  - Activation of the CB2 receptor is apparently an endogenous protective mechanism.
      Thus, it restrains inflammation and protects the skeleton against age-related
      bone loss. However, the endogenous cannabinoids, as well as Delta(9)
      tetrahydrocannabinol, the main plant psychoactive constituent, activate both
      cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. HU-308 was among the first synthetic,
      selective CB2 agonists. HU-308 is antiosteoporotic and antiinflammatory. Here we
      show that the HU-308 enantiomer, designated HU-433, is 3-4 orders of magnitude
      more potent in osteoblast proliferation and osteoclast differentiation culture
      systems, as well as in mouse models, for the rescue of ovariectomy-induced bone
      loss and ear inflammation. HU-433 retains the HU-308 specificity for CB2, as
      shown by its failure to bind to the CB1 cannabinoid receptor, and has no activity
      in CB2-deficient cells and animals. Surprisingly, the CB2 binding affinity of HU
      433 in terms of [(3)H]CP55,940 displacement and its effect on [(35)S]GTPgammaS
      accumulation is substantially lower compared with HU-308. A molecular-modeling
      analysis suggests that HU-433 and -308 have two different binding conformations
      within CB2, with one of them possibly responsible for the affinity difference,
      involving [(35)S]GTPgammaS and cAMP synthesis. Hence, different ligands may have
      different orientations relative to the same binding site. This situation
      questions the usefulness of universal radioligands for comparative binding
      studies. Moreover, orientation-targeted ligands have promising potential for the
      pharmacological activation of distinct processes. 

PMID- 26124122
TI  - A superarmored lobopodian from the Cambrian of China and early disparity in the
      evolution of Onychophora.
AB  - We describe Collinsium ciliosum from the early Cambrian Xiaoshiba Lagerstatte in
      South China, an armored lobopodian with a remarkable degree of limb
      differentiation including a pair of antenna-like appendages, six pairs of
      elongate setiferous limbs for suspension feeding, and nine pairs of clawed
      annulated legs with an anchoring function. Collinsium belongs to a highly derived
      clade of lobopodians within stem group Onychophora, distinguished by a
      substantial dorsal armature of supernumerary and biomineralized spines (Family
      Luolishaniidae). As demonstrated here, luolishaniids display the highest degree
      of limb specialization among Paleozoic lobopodians, constitute more than one
      third of the overall morphological disparity of stem group Onychophora, and are
      substantially more disparate than crown group representatives. Despite having
      higher disparity and appendage complexity than other lobopodians and extant
      velvet worms, the specialized mode of life embodied by luolishaniids became
      extinct during the Early Paleozoic. Collinsium and other superarmored lobopodians
      exploited a unique paleoecological niche during the Cambrian explosion. 

PMID- 26124121
TI  - Triangulation of the neurocomputational architecture underpinning reading aloud.
AB  - The goal of cognitive neuroscience is to integrate cognitive models with
      knowledge about underlying neural machinery. This significant challenge was
      explored in relation to word reading, where sophisticated computational-cognitive
      models exist but have made limited contact with neural data. Using distortion
      corrected functional MRI and dynamic causal modeling, we investigated the
      interactions between brain regions dedicated to orthographic, semantic, and
      phonological processing while participants read words aloud. We found that the
      lateral anterior temporal lobe exhibited increased activation when participants
      read words with irregular spellings. This area is implicated in semantic
      processing but has not previously been considered part of the reading network. We
      also found meaningful individual differences in the activation of this region:
      Activity was predicted by an independent measure of the degree to which
      participants use semantic knowledge to read. These characteristics are predicted
      by the connectionist Triangle Model of reading and indicate a key role for
      semantic knowledge in reading aloud. Premotor regions associated with
      phonological processing displayed the reverse characteristics. Changes in the
      functional connectivity of the reading network during irregular word reading also
      were consistent with semantic recruitment. These data support the view that
      reading aloud is underpinned by the joint operation of two neural pathways. They
      reveal that (i) the ATL is an important element of the ventral semantic pathway
      and (ii) the division of labor between the two routes varies according to both
      the properties of the words being read and individual differences in the degree
      to which participants rely on each route. 

PMID- 26124123
TI  - Fault rheology beyond frictional melting.
AB  - During earthquakes, comminution and frictional heating both contribute to the
      dissipation of stored energy. With sufficient dissipative heating, melting
      processes can ensue, yielding the production of frictional melts or
      "pseudotachylytes." It is commonly assumed that the Newtonian viscosities of such
      melts control subsequent fault slip resistance. Rock melts, however, are
      viscoelastic bodies, and, at high strain rates, they exhibit evidence of a glass
      transition. Here, we present the results of high-velocity friction experiments on
      a well-characterized melt that demonstrate how slip in melt-bearing faults can be
      governed by brittle fragmentation phenomena encountered at the glass transition.
      Slip analysis using models that incorporate viscoelastic responses indicates that
      even in the presence of melt, slip persists in the solid state until sufficient
      heat is generated to reduce the viscosity and allow remobilization in the liquid
      state. Where a rock is present next to the melt, we note that wear of the
      crystalline wall rock by liquid fragmentation and agglutination also contributes
      to the brittle component of these experimentally generated pseudotachylytes. We
      conclude that in the case of pseudotachylyte generation during an earthquake,
      slip even beyond the onset of frictional melting is not controlled merely by
      viscosity but rather by an interplay of viscoelastic forces around the glass
      transition, which involves a response in the brittle/solid regime of these rock
      melts. We warn of the inadequacy of simple Newtonian viscous analyses and call
      for the application of more realistic rheological interpretation of
      pseudotachylyte-bearing fault systems in the evaluation and prediction of their
      slip dynamics. 

PMID- 26124124
TI  - Small GTP-binding protein Ran is regulated by posttranslational lysine
      acetylation.
AB  - Ran is a small GTP-binding protein of the Ras superfamily regulating fundamental
      cellular processes: nucleo-cytoplasmic transport, nuclear envelope formation and
      mitotic spindle assembly. An intracellular Ran*GTP/Ran*GDP gradient created by
      the distinct subcellular localization of its regulators RCC1 and RanGAP mediates
      many of its cellular effects. Recent proteomic screens identified five Ran lysine
      acetylation sites in human and eleven sites in mouse/rat tissues. Some of these
      sites are located in functionally highly important regions such as switch I and
      switch II. Here, we show that lysine acetylation interferes with essential
      aspects of Ran function: nucleotide exchange and hydrolysis, subcellular Ran
      localization, GTP hydrolysis, and the interaction with import and export
      receptors. Deacetylation activity of certain sirtuins was detected for two Ran
      acetylation sites in vitro. Moreover, Ran was acetylated by CBP/p300 and Tip60 in
      vitro and on transferase overexpression in vivo. Overall, this study addresses
      many important challenges of the acetylome field, which will be discussed. 

PMID- 26124125
TI  - Intrinsic unfoldase/foldase activity of the chaperonin GroEL directly
      demonstrated using multinuclear relaxation-based NMR.
AB  - The prototypical chaperonin GroEL assists protein folding through an ATP
      dependent encapsulation mechanism. The details of how GroEL folds proteins remain
      elusive, particularly because encapsulation is not an absolute requirement for
      successful re/folding. Here we make use of a metastable model protein substrate,
      comprising a triple mutant of Fyn SH3, to directly demonstrate, by simultaneous
      analysis of three complementary NMR-based relaxation experiments (lifetime line
      broadening, dark state exchange saturation transfer, and Carr-Purcell-Meinboom
      Gill relaxation dispersion), that apo GroEL accelerates the overall
      interconversion rate between the native state and a well-defined folding
      intermediate by about 20-fold, under conditions where the "invisible" GroEL-bound
      states have occupancies below 1%. This is largely achieved through a 500-fold
      acceleration in the folded-to-intermediate transition of the protein substrate.
      Catalysis is modulated by a kinetic deuterium isotope effect that reduces the
      overall interconversion rate between the GroEL-bound species by about 3-fold,
      indicative of a significant hydrophobic contribution. The location of the GroEL
      binding site on the folding intermediate, mapped from (15)N, (1)HN, and
      (13)Cmethyl relaxation dispersion experiments, is composed of a prominent,
      surface-exposed hydrophobic patch. 

PMID- 26124126
TI  - High-fat diet and FGF21 cooperatively promote aerobic thermogenesis in mtDNA
      mutator mice.
AB  - Mitochondria are highly adaptable organelles that can facilitate communication
      between tissues to meet the energetic demands of the organism. However, the
      mechanisms by which mitochondria can nonautonomously relay stress signals remain
      poorly understood. Here we report that mitochondrial mutations in the young,
      preprogeroid polymerase gamma mutator (POLG) mouse produce a metabolic state of
      starvation. As a result, these mice exhibit signs of metabolic imbalance
      including thermogenic defects in brown adipose tissue (BAT). An unexpected
      benefit of this adaptive response is the complete resistance to diet-induced
      obesity when POLG mice are placed on a high-fat diet (HFD). Paradoxically, HFD
      further increases oxygen consumption in part by inducing thermogenesis and
      mitochondrial biogenesis in BAT along with enhanced expression of fibroblast
      growth factor 21 (FGF21). Collectively, these findings identify a mechanistic
      link between FGF21, a long-known marker of mitochondrial disease, and systemic
      metabolic adaptation in response to mitochondrial stress. 

PMID- 26124127
TI  - Highly compacted biodegradable DNA nanoparticles capable of overcoming the mucus
      barrier for inhaled lung gene therapy.
AB  - Gene therapy has emerged as an alternative for the treatment of diseases
      refractory to conventional therapeutics. Synthetic nanoparticle-based gene
      delivery systems offer highly tunable platforms for the delivery of therapeutic
      genes. However, the inability to achieve sustained, high-level transgene
      expression in vivo presents a significant hurdle. The respiratory system,
      although readily accessible, remains a challenging target, as effective gene
      therapy mandates colloidal stability in physiological fluids and the ability to
      overcome biological barriers found in the lung. We formulated highly stable DNA
      nanoparticles based on state-of-the-art biodegradable polymers, poly(beta-amino
      esters) (PBAEs), possessing a dense corona of polyethylene glycol. We found that
      these nanoparticles efficiently penetrated the nanoporous and highly adhesive
      human mucus gel layer that constitutes a primary barrier to reaching the
      underlying epithelium. We also discovered that these PBAE-based mucus-penetrating
      DNA nanoparticles (PBAE-MPPs) provided uniform and high-level transgene
      expression throughout the mouse lungs, superior to several gold standard gene
      delivery systems. PBAE-MPPs achieved robust transgene expression over at least 4
      mo following a single administration, and their transfection efficiency was not
      attenuated by repeated administrations, underscoring their clinical relevance.
      Importantly, PBAE-MPPs demonstrated a favorable safety profile with no signs of
      toxicity following intratracheal administration. 

PMID- 26124128
TI  - The role of clade competition in the diversification of North American canids.
AB  - The history of biodiversity is characterized by a continual replacement of
      branches in the tree of life. The rise and demise of these branches (clades) are
      ultimately determined by changes in speciation and extinction rates, often
      interpreted as a response to varying abiotic and biotic factors. However,
      understanding the relative importance of these factors remains a major challenge
      in evolutionary biology. Here we analyze the rich North American fossil record of
      the dog family Canidae and of other carnivores to tease apart the roles of
      competition, body size evolution, and climate change on the sequential
      replacement of three canid subfamilies (two of which have gone extinct). We
      develop a novel Bayesian analytic framework to show that competition from
      multiple carnivore clades successively drove the demise and replacement of the
      two extinct canid subfamilies by increasing their extinction rates and
      suppressing their speciation. Competitive effects have likely come from
      ecologically similar species from both canid and felid clades. These results
      imply that competition among entire clades, generally considered a rare process,
      can play a more substantial role than climate change and body size evolution in
      determining the sequential rise and decline of clades. 

PMID- 26124129
TI  - Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation.
AB  - Urbanization has many benefits, but it also is associated with increased levels
      of mental illness, including depression. It has been suggested that decreased
      nature experience may help to explain the link between urbanization and mental
      illness. This suggestion is supported by a growing body of correlational and
      experimental evidence, which raises a further question: what mechanism(s) link
      decreased nature experience to the development of mental illness? One such
      mechanism might be the impact of nature exposure on rumination, a maladaptive
      pattern of self-referential thought that is associated with heightened risk for
      depression and other mental illnesses. We show in healthy participants that a
      brief nature experience, a 90-min walk in a natural setting, decreases both self
      reported rumination and neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex
      (sgPFC), whereas a 90-min walk in an urban setting has no such effects on self
      reported rumination or neural activity. In other studies, the sgPFC has been
      associated with a self-focused behavioral withdrawal linked to rumination in both
      depressed and healthy individuals. This study reveals a pathway by which nature
      experience may improve mental well-being and suggests that accessible natural
      areas within urban contexts may be a critical resource for mental health in our
      rapidly urbanizing world. 

PMID- 26124130
TI  - Maternal intestinal HIF-2alpha is necessary for sensing iron demands of lactation
      in mice.
AB  - The mechanisms that are essential for the maintenance of nutrient status in
      breast milk are unclear. Our data demonstrate that the intestine via hypoxia
      inducible factor (HIF)-2alpha is an essential regulatory mechanism for
      maintaining the quality of breast milk. During lactation, intestinal HIF-2alpha
      is highly increased, leading to an adaptive induction of apical and basolateral
      iron transport genes. Disruption of intestinal HIF-2alpha (but not HIF-1alpha) or
      the downstream target gene divalent metal transporter (DMT)-1 in lactating
      mothers did not alter systemic iron homeostasis in the mothers, but led to
      anemia, decreased growth, and truncal alopecia in pups which was restored
      following weaning. Moreover, pups born from mothers with a disruption of
      intestinal HIF-2alpha led to long-term cognitive defects. Cross-fostering
      experiments and micronutrient profiling of breast milk demonstrated that the
      defects observed were due to decreased maternal iron delivery via milk.
      Increasing intestinal iron absorption by activation of HIF-2alpha or parenteral
      administration of iron-dextran in HIF-2alpha knockout mothers ameliorated anemia
      and restored neonatal development and adult cognitive functions. The present work
      details the importance of breast milk iron in neonatal development and uncovers
      an unexpected molecular mechanism for the regulation of nutritional status of
      breast milk through intestinal HIF-2alpha. 

PMID- 26124131
TI  - Magnetic levitation of single cells.
AB  - Several cellular events cause permanent or transient changes in inherent magnetic
      and density properties of cells. Characterizing these changes in cell populations
      is crucial to understand cellular heterogeneity in cancer, immune response,
      infectious diseases, drug resistance, and evolution. Although magnetic levitation
      has previously been used for macroscale objects, its use in life sciences has
      been hindered by the inability to levitate microscale objects and by the toxicity
      of metal salts previously applied for levitation. Here, we use magnetic
      levitation principles for biological characterization and monitoring of cells and
      cellular events. We demonstrate that each cell type (i.e., cancer, blood,
      bacteria, and yeast) has a characteristic levitation profile, which we
      distinguish at an unprecedented resolution of 1 * 10(-4) g ? mL(-1). We have
      identified unique differences in levitation and density blueprints between
      breast, esophageal, colorectal, and nonsmall cell lung cancer cell lines, as well
      as heterogeneity within these seemingly homogenous cell populations. Furthermore,
      we demonstrate that changes in cellular density and levitation profiles can be
      monitored in real time at single-cell resolution, allowing quantification of
      heterogeneous temporal responses of each cell to environmental stressors. These
      data establish density as a powerful biomarker for investigating living systems
      and their responses. Thereby, our method enables rapid, density-based imaging and
      profiling of single cells with intriguing applications, such as label-free
      identification and monitoring of heterogeneous biological changes under various
      physiological conditions, including antibiotic or cancer treatment in
      personalized medicine.

PMID- 26124132
TI  - Constitutive phosphorylation of cardiac myosin regulatory light chain prevents
      development of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in mice.
AB  - Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK)-dependent phosphorylation of the regulatory
      light chain (RLC) of cardiac myosin is known to play a beneficial role in heart
      disease, but the idea of a phosphorylation-mediated reversal of a hypertrophic
      cardiomyopathy (HCM) phenotype is novel. Our previous studies on transgenic (Tg)
      HCM-RLC mice revealed that the D166V (Aspartate166 -> Valine) mutation-induced
      changes in heart morphology and function coincided with largely reduced RLC
      phosphorylation in situ. We hypothesized that the introduction of a
      constitutively phosphorylated Serine15 (S15D) into the hearts of D166V mice would
      prevent the development of a deleterious HCM phenotype. In support of this
      notion, MLCK-induced phosphorylation of D166V-mutated hearts was found to rescue
      some of their abnormal contractile properties. Tg-S15D-D166V mice were generated
      with the human cardiac RLC-S15D-D166V construct substituted for mouse cardiac RLC
      and were subjected to functional, structural, and morphological assessments. The
      results were compared with Tg-WT and Tg-D166V mice expressing the human
      ventricular RLC-WT or its D166V mutant, respectively. Echocardiography and
      invasive hemodynamic studies demonstrated significant improvements of intact
      heart function in S15D-D166V mice compared with D166V, with the systolic and
      diastolic indices reaching those monitored in WT mice. A largely reduced maximal
      tension and abnormally high myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity observed in D166V
      mutated hearts were reversed in S15D-D166V mice. Low-angle X-ray diffraction
      study revealed that altered myofilament structures present in HCM-D166V mice were
      mitigated in S15D-D166V rescue mice. Our collective results suggest that
      expression of pseudophosphorylated RLC in the hearts of HCM mice is sufficient to
      prevent the development of the pathological HCM phenotype.

PMID- 26124133
TI  - West African monsoon dynamics inferred from abrupt fluctuations of Lake Mega
      Chad.
AB  - From the deglacial period to the mid-Holocene, North Africa was characterized by
      much wetter conditions than today. The broad timing of this period, termed the
      African Humid Period, is well known. However, the rapidity of the onset and
      termination of the African Humid Period are contested, with strong evidence for
      both abrupt and gradual change. We use optically stimulated luminescence dating
      of dunes, shorelines, and fluviolacustrine deposits to reconstruct the
      fluctuations of Lake Mega-Chad, which was the largest pluvial lake in Africa.
      Humid conditions first occur at ~ 15 ka, and by 11.5 ka, Lake Mega-Chad had
      reached a highstand, which persisted until 5.0 ka. Lake levels fell rapidly at ~
      5 ka, indicating abrupt aridification across the entire Lake Mega-Chad Basin.
      This record provides strong terrestrial evidence that the African Humid Period
      ended abruptly, supporting the hypothesis that the African monsoon responds to
      insolation forcing in a markedly nonlinear manner. In addition, Lake Mega-Chad
      exerts strong control on global biogeochemical cycles because the northern
      (Bodele) basin is currently the world's greatest single dust source and possibly
      an important source of limiting nutrients for both the Amazon Basin and
      equatorial Atlantic. However, we demonstrate that the final desiccation of the
      Bodele Basin occurred around 1 ka. Consequently, the present-day mode and scale
      of dust production from the Bodele Basin cannot have occurred before 1 ka,
      suggesting that its role in fertilizing marine and terrestrial ecosystems is
      either overstated or geologically recent.

PMID- 26124134
TI  - Dynamical malaria models reveal how immunity buffers effect of climate
      variability.
AB  - Assessing the influence of climate on the incidence of Plasmodium falciparum
      malaria worldwide and how it might impact local malaria dynamics is complex and
      extrapolation to other settings or future times is controversial. This is
      especially true in the light of the particularities of the short- and long-term
      immune responses to infection. In sites of epidemic malaria transmission, it is
      widely accepted that climate plays an important role in driving malaria
      outbreaks. However, little is known about the role of climate in endemic settings
      where clinical immunity develops early in life. To disentangle these differences
      among high- and low-transmission settings we applied a dynamical model to two
      unique adjacent cohorts of mesoendemic seasonal and holoendemic perennial malaria
      transmission in Senegal followed for two decades, recording daily P. falciparum
      cases. As both cohorts are subject to similar meteorological conditions, we were
      able to analyze the relevance of different immunological mechanisms compared with
      climatic forcing in malaria transmission. Transmission was first modeled by using
      similarly unique datasets of entomological inoculation rate. A stochastic
      nonlinear human-mosquito model that includes rainfall and temperature covariates,
      drug treatment periods, and population variability is capable of simulating the
      complete dynamics of reported malaria cases for both villages. We found that
      under moderate transmission intensity climate is crucial; however, under high
      endemicity the development of clinical immunity buffers any effect of climate.
      Our models open the possibility of forecasting malaria from climate in endemic
      regions but only after accounting for the interaction between climate and
      immunity. 

PMID- 26124135
TI  - CD300f associates with IL-4 receptor alpha and amplifies IL-4-induced immune cell
      responses.
AB  - IL-4 receptor (R) alpha, the common receptor chain for IL-4 and IL-13, is a
      critical component in IL-4- and IL-13-mediated signaling and subsequent effector
      functions such as those observed in type 2 inflammatory responses. Nonetheless,
      the existence of intrinsic pathways capable of amplifying IL-4Ralpha-induced
      responses remains unknown. In this study, we identified the myeloid-associated Ig
      receptor CD300f as an IL-4-induced molecule in macrophages. Subsequent analyses
      demonstrated that CD300f was colocalized and physically associated with IL
      4Ralpha. Using Cd300f(-/-) cells and receptor cross-linking experiments, we
      established that CD300f amplified IL-4Ralpha-induced responses by augmenting IL
      4/IL-13-induced signaling, mediator release, and priming. Consistently, IL-4- and
      aeroallergen-treated Cd300f(-/-) mice displayed decreased IgE production,
      chemokine expression, and inflammatory cell recruitment. Impaired responses in
      Cd300f(-/-) mice were not due to the inability to generate a proper Th2 response,
      because IL-4/IL-13 levels were markedly increased in allergen-challenged Cd300f(
      /-) mice, a finding that is consistent with decreased cytokine consumption.
      Finally, CD300f expression was increased in monocytes and eosinophils obtained
      from allergic rhinitis patients. Collectively, our data highlight a previously
      unidentified role for CD300f in IL-4Ralpha-induced immune cell responses. These
      data provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms governing IL-4Ralpha
      induced responses, and may provide new therapeutic tools to target IL-4 in
      allergy and asthma. 

PMID- 26124136
TI  - Phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate-dependent membrane traffic is critical for
      fungal filamentous growth.
AB  - The phospholipid phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate [PI(4)P], generated at the
      Golgi and plasma membrane, has been implicated in many processes, including
      membrane traffic, yet its role in cell morphology changes, such as the budding to
      filamentous growth transition, is unknown. We show that Golgi PI(4)P is required
      for such a transition in the human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans.
      Quantitative analyses of membrane traffic revealed that PI(4)P is required for
      late Golgi and secretory vesicle dynamics and targeting and, as a result, is
      important for the distribution of a multidrug transporter and hence sensitivity
      to antifungal drugs. We also observed that plasma membrane PI(4)P, which we show
      is functionally distinct from Golgi PI(4)P, forms a steep gradient concomitant
      with filamentous growth, despite uniform plasma membrane PI-4-kinase
      distribution. Mathematical modeling indicates that local PI(4)P generation and
      hydrolysis by phosphatases are crucial for this gradient. We conclude that PI(4)P
      regulated membrane dynamics are critical for morphology changes. 

PMID- 26124137
TI  - Virtual groundwater transfers from overexploited aquifers in the United States.
AB  - The High Plains, Mississippi Embayment, and Central Valley aquifer systems within
      the United States are currently being overexploited for irrigation water
      supplies. The unsustainable use of groundwater resources in all three aquifer
      systems intensified from 2000 to 2008, making it imperative that we understand
      the consumptive processes and forces of demand that are driving their depletion.
      To this end, we quantify and track agricultural virtual groundwater transfers
      from these overexploited aquifer systems to their final destination.
      Specifically, we determine which US metropolitan areas, US states, and
      international export destinations are currently the largest consumers of these
      critical aquifers. We draw upon US government data on agricultural production,
      irrigation, and domestic food flows, as well as modeled estimates of agricultural
      virtual water contents to quantify domestic transfers. Additionally, we use US
      port-level trade data to trace international exports from these aquifers. In
      2007, virtual groundwater transfers from the High Plains, Mississippi Embayment,
      and Central Valley aquifer systems totaled 17.93 km(3), 9.18 km(3), and 6.81
      km(3), respectively, which is comparable to the capacity of Lake Mead (35.7
      km(3)), the largest surface reservoir in the United States. The vast majority
      (91%) of virtual groundwater transfers remains within the United States.
      Importantly, the cereals produced by these overexploited aquifers are critical to
      US food security (contributing 18.5% to domestic cereal supply). Notably, Japan
      relies upon cereals produced by these overexploited aquifers for 9.2% of its
      domestic cereal supply. These results highlight the need to understand the
      teleconnections between distant food demands and local agricultural water use. 

PMID- 26124138
TI  - Role of RAG1 autoubiquitination in V(D)J recombination.
AB  - The variable domains of Ig and T-cell receptor genes in vertebrates are assembled
      from gene fragments by the V(D)J recombination process. The RAG1-RAG2 recombinase
      (RAG1/2) initiates this recombination by cutting DNA at the borders of
      recombination signal sequences (RSS) and their neighboring gene segments. The
      RAG1 protein is also known to contain a ubiquitin E3 ligase activity, located in
      an N-terminal region that is not strictly required for the basic recombination
      reaction but helps to regulate recombination. The isolated E3 ligase domain was
      earlier shown to ubiquitinate one site in a neighboring RAG1 sequence. Here we
      show that autoubiquitination of full-length RAG1 at this specific residue (K233)
      results in a large increase of DNA cleavage by RAG1/2. A mutational block of the
      ubiquitination site abolishes this effect and inhibits recombination of a test
      substrate in mouse cells. Thus, ubiquitination of RAG1, which can be promoted by
      RAG1's own ubiquitin ligase activity, plays a significant role in governing the
      level of V(D)J recombination activity. 

PMID- 26124139
TI  - Snapshot of insect-fungus arms race.

PMID- 26124140
TI  - Hydrodynamic collective effects of active protein machines in solution and lipid
      bilayers.
AB  - The cytoplasm and biomembranes in biological cells contain large numbers of
      proteins that cyclically change their shapes. They are molecular machines that
      can function as molecular motors or carry out various other tasks in the cell.
      Many enzymes also undergo conformational changes within their turnover cycles. We
      analyze the advection effects that nonthermal fluctuating hydrodynamic flows
      induced by active proteins have on other passive molecules in solution or
      membranes. We show that the diffusion constants of passive particles are enhanced
      substantially. Furthermore, when gradients of active proteins are present, a
      chemotaxis-like drift of passive particles takes place. In lipid bilayers, the
      effects are strongly nonlocal, so that active inclusions in the entire membrane
      contribute to local diffusion enhancement and the drift. All active proteins in a
      biological cell or in a membrane contribute to such effects and all passive
      particles, and the proteins themselves, will be subject to them. 

PMID- 26124141
TI  - Nanoscale beta-nuclear magnetic resonance depth imaging of topological
      insulators.
AB  - Considerable evidence suggests that variations in the properties of topological
      insulators (TIs) at the nanoscale and at interfaces can strongly affect the
      physics of topological materials. Therefore, a detailed understanding of surface
      states and interface coupling is crucial to the search for and applications of
      new topological phases of matter. Currently, no methods can provide depth
      profiling near surfaces or at interfaces of topologically inequivalent materials.
      Such a method could advance the study of interactions. Herein, we present a
      noninvasive depth-profiling technique based on beta-detected NMR (beta-NMR)
      spectroscopy of radioactive (8)Li(+) ions that can provide "one-dimensional
      imaging" in films of fixed thickness and generates nanoscale views of the
      electronic wavefunctions and magnetic order at topological surfaces and
      interfaces. By mapping the (8)Li nuclear resonance near the surface and 10-nm
      deep into the bulk of pure and Cr-doped bismuth antimony telluride films, we
      provide signatures related to the TI properties and their topological nontrivial
      characteristics that affect the electron-nuclear hyperfine field, the metallic
      shift, and magnetic order. These nanoscale variations in beta-NMR parameters
      reflect the unconventional properties of the topological materials under study,
      and understanding the role of heterogeneities is expected to lead to the
      discovery of novel phenomena involving quantum materials. 

PMID- 26124142
TI  - Drosophila circadian rhythms in seminatural environments: Summer afternoon
      component is not an artifact and requires TrpA1 channels.
AB  - Under standard laboratory conditions of rectangular light/dark cycles and
      constant warm temperature, Drosophila melanogaster show bursts of morning (M) and
      evening (E) locomotor activity and a "siesta" in the middle of the day. These M
      and E components have been critical for developing the neuronal dual oscillator
      model in which clock gene expression in key cells generates the circadian
      phenotype. However, under natural European summer conditions of cycling
      temperature and light intensity, an additional prominent afternoon (A) component
      that replaces the siesta is observed. This component has been described as an
      "artifact" of the TriKinetics locomotor monitoring system that is used by many
      circadian laboratories world wide. Using video recordings, we show that the A
      component is not an artifact, neither in the glass tubes used in TriKinetics
      monitors nor in open-field arenas. By studying various mutants in the visual and
      peripheral and internal thermo-sensitive pathways, we reveal that the M component
      is predominantly dependent on visual input, whereas the A component requires the
      internal thermo-sensitive channel transient receptor potential A1 (TrpA1).
      Knockdown of TrpA1 in different neuronal groups reveals that the reported
      expression of TrpA1 in clock neurons is unlikely to be involved in generating the
      summer locomotor profile, suggesting that other TrpA1 neurons are responsible for
      the A component. Studies of circadian rhythms under seminatural conditions
      therefore provide additional insights into the molecular basis of circadian
      entrainment that would otherwise be lost under the usual standard laboratory
      protocols. 

PMID- 26124143
TI  - Structural asymmetry in a conserved signaling system that regulates division,
      replication, and virulence of an intracellular pathogen.
AB  - We have functionally and structurally defined an essential protein phosphorelay
      that regulates expression of genes required for growth, division, and
      intracellular survival of the global zoonotic pathogen Brucella abortus. Our
      study delineates phosphoryl transfer through this molecular pathway, which
      initiates from the sensor kinase CckA and proceeds through the ChpT
      phosphotransferase to two regulatory substrates: CtrA and CpdR. Genetic
      perturbation of this system results in defects in cell growth and division site
      selection, and a specific viability deficit inside human phagocytic cells. Thus,
      proper control of B. abortus division site polarity is necessary for survival in
      the intracellular niche. We further define the structural foundations of
      signaling from the central phosphotransferase, ChpT, to its response regulator
      substrate, CtrA, and provide evidence that there are at least two modes of
      interaction between ChpT and CtrA, only one of which is competent to catalyze
      phosphoryltransfer. The structure and dynamics of the active site on each side of
      the ChpT homodimer are distinct, supporting a model in which quaternary structure
      of the 2:2 ChpT-CtrA complex enforces an asymmetric mechanism of phosphoryl
      transfer between ChpT and CtrA. Our study provides mechanistic understanding,
      from the cellular to the atomic scale, of a conserved transcriptional regulatory
      system that controls the cellular and infection biology of B. abortus. More
      generally, our results provide insight into the structural basis of two-component
      signal transduction, which is broadly conserved in bacteria, plants, and fungi. 

PMID- 26124144
TI  - Sex hormone-dependent tRNA halves enhance cell proliferation in breast and
      prostate cancers.
AB  - Sex hormones and their receptors play critical roles in the development and
      progression of the breast and prostate cancers. Here we report that a novel type
      of transfer RNA (tRNA)-derived small RNA, termed Sex HOrmone-dependent TRNA
      derived RNAs (SHOT-RNAs), are specifically and abundantly expressed in estrogen
      receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer and androgen receptor (AR)-positive prostate
      cancer cell lines. SHOT-RNAs are not abundantly present in ER(-) breast cancer,
      AR(-) prostate cancer, or other examined cancer cell lines from other tissues. ER
      dependent accumulation of SHOT-RNAs is not limited to a cell culture system, but
      it also occurs in luminal-type breast cancer patient tissues. SHOT-RNAs are
      produced from aminoacylated mature tRNAs by angiogenin-mediated anticodon
      cleavage, which is promoted by sex hormones and their receptors. Resultant 5'-
      and 3'-SHOT-RNAs, corresponding to 5'- and 3'-tRNA halves, bear a cyclic
      phosphate (cP) and an amino acid at the 3'-end, respectively. By devising a "cP
      RNA-seq" method that is able to exclusively amplify and sequence cP-containing
      RNAs, we identified the complete repertoire of 5'-SHOT-RNAs. Furthermore, 5'-SHOT
      RNA, but not 3'-SHOT-RNA, has significant functional involvement in cell
      proliferation. These results have unveiled a novel tRNA-engaged pathway in
      tumorigenesis of hormone-dependent cancers and implicate SHOT-RNAs as potential
      candidates for biomarkers and therapeutic targets. 

PMID- 26124145
TI  - Enzyme mechanism-based, oxidative DNA-protein cross-links formed with DNA
      polymerase beta in vivo.
AB  - Free radical attack on the C1' position of DNA deoxyribose generates the oxidized
      abasic (AP) site 2-deoxyribonolactone (dL). Upon encountering dL, AP lyase
      enzymes such as DNA polymerase beta (Polbeta) form dead-end, covalent
      intermediates in vitro during attempted DNA repair. However, the conditions that
      lead to the in vivo formation of such DNA-protein cross-links (DPC), and their
      impact on cellular functions, have remained unknown. We adapted an immuno-slot
      blot approach to detect oxidative Polbeta-DPC in vivo. Treatment of mammalian
      cells with genotoxic oxidants that generate dL in DNA led to the formation of
      Polbeta-DPC in vivo. In a dose-dependent fashion, Polbeta-DPC were detected in
      MDA-MB-231 human cells treated with the antitumor drug tirapazamine (TPZ; much
      more Polbeta-DPC under 1% O2 than under 21% O2) and even more robustly with the
      "chemical nuclease" 1,10-copper-ortho-phenanthroline, Cu(OP)2. Mouse embryonic
      fibroblasts challenged with TPZ or Cu(OP)2 also incurred Polbeta-DPC.
      Nonoxidative agents did not generate Polbeta-DPC. The cross-linking in vivo was
      clearly a result of the base excision DNA repair pathway: oxidative Polbeta-DPC
      depended on the Ape1 AP endonuclease, which generates the Polbeta lyase
      substrate, and they required the essential lysine-72 in the Polbeta lyase active
      site. Oxidative Polbeta-DPC had an unexpectedly short half-life (~ 30 min) in
      both human and mouse cells, and their removal was dependent on the proteasome.
      Proteasome inhibition under Cu(OP)2 treatment was significantly more cytotoxic to
      cells expressing wild-type Polbeta than to cells with the lyase-defective form.
      That observation underscores the genotoxic potential of oxidative Polbeta-DPC and
      the biological pressure to repair them.

PMID- 26124147
TI  - Drosophila reproduction: Molecules meet morphology.

PMID- 26124146
TI  - Arabidopsis MZT1 homologs GIP1 and GIP2 are essential for centromere
      architecture.
AB  - Centromeres play a pivotal role in maintaining genome integrity by facilitating
      the recruitment of kinetochore and sister-chromatid cohesion proteins, both
      required for correct chromosome segregation. Centromeres are epigenetically
      specified by the presence of the histone H3 variant (CENH3). In this study, we
      investigate the role of the highly conserved gamma-tubulin complex protein 3
      interacting proteins (GIPs) in Arabidopsis centromere regulation. We show that
      GIPs form a complex with CENH3 in cycling cells. GIP depletion in the gip1gip2
      knockdown mutant leads to a decreased CENH3 level at centromeres, despite a
      higher level of Mis18BP1/KNL2 present at both centromeric and ectopic sites. We
      thus postulate that GIPs are required to ensure CENH3 deposition and/or
      maintenance at centromeres. In addition, the recruitment at the centromere of
      other proteins such as the CENP-C kinetochore component and the cohesin subunit
      SMC3 is impaired in gip1gip2. These defects in centromere architecture result in
      aneuploidy due to severely altered centromeric cohesion. Altogether, we ascribe a
      central function to GIPs for the proper recruitment and/or stabilization of
      centromeric proteins essential in the specification of the centromere identity,
      as well as for centromeric cohesion in somatic cells. 

PMID- 26124148
TI  - Active and widespread halogen chemistry in the tropical and subtropical free
      troposphere.
AB  - Halogens in the troposphere are increasingly recognized as playing an important
      role for atmospheric chemistry, and possibly climate. Bromine and iodine react
      catalytically to destroy ozone (O3), oxidize mercury, and modify oxidative
      capacity that is relevant for the lifetime of greenhouse gases. Most of the
      tropospheric O3 and methane (CH4) loss occurs at tropical latitudes. Here we
      report simultaneous measurements of vertical profiles of bromine oxide (BrO) and
      iodine oxide (IO) in the tropical and subtropical free troposphere (10  degrees N
      to 40  degrees S), and show that these halogens are responsible for 34% of the
      column-integrated loss of tropospheric O3. The observed BrO concentrations
      increase strongly with altitude (~ 3.4 pptv at 13.5 km), and are 2-4 times higher
      than predicted in the tropical free troposphere. BrO resembles model predictions
      more closely in stratospheric air. The largest model low bias is observed in the
      lower tropical transition layer (TTL) over the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean,
      and may reflect a missing inorganic bromine source supplying an additional 2.5
      6.4 pptv total inorganic bromine (Bry), or model overestimated Bry wet
      scavenging. Our results highlight the importance of heterogeneous chemistry on
      ice clouds, and imply an additional Bry source from the debromination of sea salt
      residue in the lower TTL. The observed levels of bromine oxidize mercury up to
      3.5 times faster than models predict, possibly increasing mercury deposition to
      the ocean. The halogen-catalyzed loss of tropospheric O3 needs to be considered
      when estimating past and future ozone radiative effects.

PMID- 26124149
TI  - Structural basis for the activation of the C. elegans noncanonical cytoplasmic
      poly(A)-polymerase GLD-2 by GLD-3.
AB  - The Caenorhabditis elegans germ-line development defective (GLD)-2-GLD-3 complex
      up-regulates the expression of genes required for meiotic progression. GLD-2-GLD
      3 acts by extending the short poly(A) tail of germ-line-specific mRNAs, switching
      them from a dormant state into a translationally active state. GLD-2 is a
      cytoplasmic noncanonical poly(A) polymerase that lacks the RNA-binding domain
      typical of the canonical nuclear poly(A)-polymerase Pap1. The activity of C.
      elegans GLD-2 in vivo and in vitro depends on its association with the multi-K
      homology (KH) domain-containing protein, GLD-3, a homolog of Bicaudal-C. We have
      identified a minimal polyadenylation complex that includes the conserved
      nucleotidyl-transferase core of GLD-2 and the N-terminal domain of GLD-3, and
      determined its structure at 2.3-A resolution. The structure shows that the N
      terminal domain of GLD-3 does not fold into the predicted KH domain but wraps
      around the catalytic domain of GLD-2. The picture that emerges from the
      structural and biochemical data are that GLD-3 activates GLD-2 both indirectly by
      stabilizing the enzyme and directly by contributing positively charged residues
      near the RNA-binding cleft. The RNA-binding cleft of GLD-2 has distinct
      structural features compared with the poly(A)-polymerases Pap1 and Trf4.
      Consistently, GLD-2 has distinct biochemical properties: It displays unusual
      specificity in vitro for single-stranded RNAs with at least one adenosine at the
      3' end. GLD-2 thus appears to have evolved specialized nucleotidyl-transferase
      properties that match the 3' end features of dormant cytoplasmic mRNAs. 

PMID- 26124150
TI  - Reply to Liu et al.: HNF4A and PTBP1 expression in the brain of neurodegenerative
      disease patients.

PMID- 26124151
TI  - Expression quantitative trait loci regulate HNF4A and PTBP1 expression in human
      brains.

PMID- 26124152
TI  - Reply to Grace: Role of cholinergic neurons in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep
      control.

PMID- 26124153
TI  - Mutation at embB codon 306, a potential marker for the identification of
      multidrug resistance associated with ethambutol in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - Ethambutol inhibits arabinogalactan and lipoarabinomannan biosynthesis in
      mycobacteria. The occurrence of mutations in embB codon 306 in ethambutol
      susceptible isolates and their absence in resistant isolates has raised questions
      regarding the utility of this codon as a potential marker for resistance against
      ethambutol. The characterization of mutations on embB 306 will contribute to a
      better understanding of the mechanisms of resistance to this drug; therefore, the
      purpose of this study was to investigate the association between embB 306
      mutations and first-line drug resistance profiles in tuberculosis isolates. We
      sequenced the region surrounding the embB 306 codon in 175 tuberculosis clinical
      isolates, divided according to drug sensitivity, in three groups: 110 were
      resistant to at least one first-line drug, of which 61 were resistant to
      ethambutol (EMB(r)), 49 were sensitive to ethambutol (EMB(s)) but were resistant
      to another drug, and 65 were pansensitive isolates (P(s)). The associations
      between embB 306 mutations and phenotypic resistance to all first-line drugs were
      determined, and their validity and safety as a diagnostic marker were assessed.
      One of the P(s) isolates (1/65), one of the EMB(s) isolates (1/49), and 20 of the
      EMB(r) isolates (20/61) presented with an embB 306 mutation. Four different
      single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at embB 306 were associated with
      simultaneous resistance to ethambutol, isoniazid, and rifampin (odds ratio [OR],
      17.7; confidence interval [CI], 5.6 to 56.1) and showed a positive predictive
      value of 82%, with a specificity of 97% for diagnosing multidrug resistance
      associated with ethambutol, indicating its potential as a molecular marker for
      several drugs. 

PMID- 26124154
TI  - Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum resistance markers to sulfadoxine
      pyrimethamine among pregnant women receiving intermittent preventive treatment
      for malaria in Uganda.
AB  - The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of mutations in Plasmodium
      falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (Pfdhfr) and dihydropteroate synthase (Pfdhps)
      genes among pregnant women using sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) as an
      intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp). A molecular epidemiological study of P.
      falciparum parasite resistance markers to SP was conducted from August 2010 to
      February 2012 in Mukono district in central Uganda. DNA was extracted from 413 P.
      falciparum-positive samples. Real-time PCR, followed by melting curve analysis,
      was used to characterize point mutations in the Pfdhfr and Pfdhps genes that are
      associated with SP resistance. The prevalence of the single-nucleotide mutations
      in Pfdhfr at codons 51I, 59R, and 108N and in Pfdhps at codons 437G and 540E was
      high (>98%), reaching 100% fixation after one dose of SP, while the prevalence of
      581G was 3.3% at baseline, reaching 12.5% after one dose of SP. At baseline, the
      prevalence of Pfdhfr and Pfdhps quintuple mutations was 89%, whereas the sextuple
      mutations (including 581G) were not prevalent (3.9%), reaching 16.7% after one
      dose of SP. However, the numbers of infections at follow-up visits were small,
      and hence there was insufficient statistical power to test whether there was a
      true rise in the prevalence of this allele. The overall high frequency of Pfdhfr
      and Pfdhps quintuple mutations throughout pregnancy excluded further analyses of
      possible associations between certain haplotypes and the risk of lower birth
      weight and anemia. However, women infected with P. falciparum had 1.3-g/dl-lower
      hemoglobin levels (P = 0.001) and delivered babies with a 400-g-lower birth
      weight (P = 0.001) compared to nonparasitemic women. Despite this, 44 women who
      were P. falciparum positive at baseline became negative after one or two doses of
      SP (i.e., 50.5%), implying that SP-IPTp still has some efficacy. P. falciparum
      resistance markers to SP are high in this population, whereas P. falciparum
      infection was associated with poor birth outcomes. 

PMID- 26124155
TI  - The ribosomal S10 protein is a general target for decreased tigecycline
      susceptibility.
AB  - Tigecycline is a translational inhibitor with efficacy against a wide range of
      pathogens. Using experimental evolution, we adapted Acinetobacter baumannii,
      Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus to growth in
      elevated tigecycline concentrations. At the end of adaptation, 35 out of 47
      replicate populations had clones with a mutation in rpsJ, the gene that encodes
      the ribosomal S10 protein. To validate the role of mutations in rpsJ in
      conferring tigecycline resistance, we showed that mutation of rpsJ alone in
      Enterococcus faecalis was sufficient to increase the tigecycline MIC to the
      clinical breakpoint of 0.5 MUg/ml. Importantly, we also report the first
      identification of rpsJ mutations associated with decreased tigecycline
      susceptibility in A. baumannii, E. coli, and S. aureus. The identified S10
      mutations across both Gram-positive and -negative species cluster in the vertex
      of an extended loop that is located near the tigecycline-binding pocket within
      the 16S rRNA. These data indicate that S10 is a general target of tigecycline
      adaptation and a relevant marker for detecting reduced susceptibility in both
      Gram-positive and -negative pathogens. 

PMID- 26124156
TI  - Resistance to the antimicrobial agent fosmidomycin and an FR900098 prodrug
      through mutations in the deoxyxylulose phosphate reductoisomerase gene (dxr).
AB  - There is a pressing need for new antimicrobial therapies to combat globally
      important drug-resistant human pathogens, including Plasmodium falciparum
      malarial parasites, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Gram-negative bacteria,
      including Escherichia coli. These organisms all possess the essential
      methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis, which is not
      found in humans. The first dedicated enzyme of the MEP pathway, 1-deoxy-d
      xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (Dxr), is inhibited by the phosphonic acid
      antibiotic fosmidomycin and its analogs, including the N-acetyl analog FR900098
      and the phosphoryl analog fosfoxacin. In order to identify mutations in dxr that
      confer resistance to these drugs, a library of E. coli dxr mutants was screened
      at lethal fosmidomycin doses. The most resistant allele (with the S222T mutation)
      alters the fosmidomycin-binding site of Dxr. The expression of this resistant
      allele increases bacterial resistance to fosmidomycin and other fosmidomycin
      analogs by 10-fold. These observations confirm that the primary cellular target
      of fosmidomycin is Dxr. Furthermore, cell lines expressing Dxr-S222T will be a
      powerful tool to confirm the mechanisms of action of future fosmidomycin analogs.

PMID- 26124157
TI  - Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of continuous-infusion meropenem in
      pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients.
AB  - This study explored the pharmacokinetics and the pharmacodynamics of continuous
      infusion meropenem in a population of pediatric hematopoietic stem cell
      transplant (HSCT) patients who underwent therapeutic drug monitoring. The
      relationship between meropenem clearance (CLM) and estimated creatinine clearance
      (CLCR) was assessed by nonlinear regression. A Monte Carlo simulation was
      performed to investigate the predictive performance of five dosing regimens (15
      to 90 mg/kg of body weight/day) for the empirical treatment of severe Gram
      negative-related infections in relation to four different categories of renal
      function. The optimal target was defined as a probability of target attainment
      (PTA) of >=90% at steady-state concentration-to-MIC ratios (C SS/MIC) of >=1 and
      >=4 for MICs of up to 8 mg/liter. A total of 21 patients with 44 meropenem C SS
      were included. A good relationship between CLM and estimated CLCR was observed (r
      (2) = 0.733). Simulations showed that at an MIC of 2 mg/liter, the administration
      of continuous-infusion meropenem at doses of 15, 30, 45, and 60 mg/kg/day may
      achieve a PTA of >=90% at a C SS/MIC ratio of >=4 in the CLCR categories of 40 to
      <80, 80 to <120, 120 to <200, and 200 to <300 ml/min/1.73 m(2), respectively. At
      an MIC of 8 mg/liter, doses of up to 90 mg/kg/day by continuous infusion may
      achieve optimal PTA only in the CLCR categories of 40 to <80 and 80 to <120
      ml/min/1.73 m(2). Continuous-infusion meropenem at dosages up to 90 mg/kg/day
      might be effective for optimal treatment of severe Gram-negative-related
      infections in pediatric HSCT patients, even when caused by carbapenem-resistant
      pathogens with an MIC of up to 8 mg/liter. 

PMID- 26124158
TI  - Adequacy of high-dose cefepime regimen in febrile neutropenic patients with
      hematological malignancies.
AB  - While guidelines recommend empirical cefepime therapy in febrile neutropenia, the
      mortality benefit of cefepime has been controversial. In light of this, recent
      reports on pharmacokinetic changes for several antibiotics in febrile neutropenia
      and the consequent suboptimal exposure call for a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic
      evaluation of current dosing. This study aimed to assess
      pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic target attainment from a 2-g intravenous (i.v.)
      every 8 h (q8h) cefepime regimen in febrile neutropenic patients with
      hematological malignancies. Cefepime plasma concentrations were measured in the
      3rd, 6th, and 9th dosing intervals at 60% of the interval and/or trough point.
      The selected pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic targets were the proportion of the
      dosing interval (60% and 100%) for which the free drug concentration remains
      above the MIC (fT>MIC). Target attainment was assessed in reference to the MIC of
      isolated organisms if available or empirical breakpoints if not. The percentage
      of fT>MIC was also estimated by log-linear regression analysis. All patients
      achieved >60% fT>MIC in the 3rd and 6th dosing intervals. A 100% fT>MIC was not
      attained in 6/12, 4/10, and 4/9 patients in the 3rd, 6th, and 9th dose intervals,
      respectively, or in 14/31 (45%) of the dosing intervals investigated. On the
      other hand, 29/31 (94%) of trough concentrations were at or above 4 mg/liter. In
      conclusion, for patients with normal renal function, a high-dose 2-g i.v. q8h
      cefepime regimen appears to provide appropriate exposure if the MIC of the
      organism is <=4 mg/liter but may fail to cover less susceptible organisms. 

PMID- 26124159
TI  - ELQ-300 prodrugs for enhanced delivery and single-dose cure of malaria.
AB  - ELQ-300 is a preclinical candidate that targets the liver and blood stages of
      Plasmodium falciparum, as well as the forms that are crucial to transmission of
      disease: gametocytes, zygotes, and ookinetes. A significant obstacle to the
      clinical development of ELQ-300 is related to its physicochemical properties. Its
      relatively poor aqueous solubility and high crystallinity limit absorption to the
      degree that only low blood concentrations can be achieved following oral dosing.
      While these low blood concentrations are sufficient for therapy, the levels are
      too low to establish an acceptable safety margin required by regulatory agencies
      for clinical development. One way to address the challenging physicochemical
      properties of ELQ-300 is through the development of prodrugs. Here, we profile
      ELQ-337, a bioreversible O-linked carbonate ester prodrug of the parent molecule.
      At the molar equivalent dose of 3 mg/kg of body weight, the delivery of ELQ-300
      from ELQ-337 is enhanced by 3- to 4-fold, reaching a maximum concentration of
      drug in serum (C max) of 5.9 MUM by 6 h after oral administration, and unlike ELQ
      300 at any dose, ELQ-337 provides single-dose cures of patent malaria infections
      in mice at low-single-digit milligram per kilogram doses. Our findings show that
      the prodrug strategy represents a viable approach to overcome the physicochemical
      limitations of ELQ-300 to deliver the active drug to the bloodstream at
      concentrations sufficient for safety and toxicology studies, as well as achieving
      single-dose cures. 

PMID- 26124160
TI  - Preliminary method for direct quantification of colistin methanesulfonate by
      attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
AB  - Colistin use has increased in response to the advent of infections caused by
      multidrug-resistant organisms. It is administered parenterally as an inactive
      prodrug, colistin methanesulfonate (CMS). Various formulations of CMS and
      labeling conventions can lead to confusion about colistin dosing, and questions
      remain about the pharmacokinetics of CMS. Since CMS does not have strong UV
      absorbance, current methods employ a laborious process of chemical conversion to
      colistin followed by precolumn derivatization to detect formed colistin by high
      performance liquid chromatography. Here, we report a method for direct
      quantification of colistin methanesulfonate by attenuated total reflectance
      Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FTIR). 

PMID- 26124161
TI  - Nephrotoxicity comparison of two commercially available generic vancomycin
      products.
AB  - To date, no comparative clinical studies have investigated the effects of
      different vancomycin products on nephrotoxicity. The objective of this single
      center, retrospective, matched-cohort study was to investigate the impact of two
      different vancomycin products on the development of nephrotoxicity. The study
      population included adults receiving a single vancomycin product, from either
      Pfizer or Hospira, for their entire course of therapy. Patients were matched
      based on underlying nephrotoxicity risk factors. Secondary outcomes included the
      need for renal replacement therapy, length of hospital stay, and in-hospital
      mortality. One-hundred forty-six matched pairs (n = 292) were included, and they
      had no significant differences in demographics, comorbid conditions, severity of
      illness, or vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity risk factors. The frequency of
      nephrotoxicity was 8.9% in the Pfizer group and 11.0% in the Hospira group as
      defined by the 2009 consensus vancomycin guidelines (P = 0.56), 17.1% in the
      Pfizer group and 13.0% in the Hospira group as defined by the Acute Kidney Injury
      Network (AKIN) (P = 0.33), and 10.3% in the Pfizer group and 11.6% in the Hospira
      group as defined by RIFLE (risk, injury, failure, loss, and end-stage renal
      disease) criteria (P = 0.71). There were no differences between groups in regard
      to nephrotoxicity by any definition or in secondary outcomes. In multivariate
      analysis of overall nephrotoxicity risk factors, the type of vancomycin product
      was not independently associated with increased odds of developing nephrotoxicity
      according to the RIFLE criteria. Based on our results, there are no discernible
      differences between Pfizer and Hospira vancomycin products in the frequency of
      nephrotoxicity. Confirmation of these results with other types of vancomycin and
      different patient populations is warranted. 

PMID- 26124162
TI  - Telavancin demonstrates activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
      aureus isolates with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin, daptomycin, and
      linezolid in broth microdilution MIC and one-compartment
      pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models.
AB  - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates have arisen with
      reduced susceptibility to several anti-MRSA agents. Telavancin (TLV), a novel
      anti-MRSA agent, retains low MICs against these organisms. Our objective was to
      determine the MICs for TLV, daptomycin (DAP), vancomycin (VAN), and linezolid
      (LZD) against daptomycin-nonsusceptible (DNS) S. aureus, vancomycin-intermediate
      S. aureus (VISA), heteroresistant VISA (hVISA), and linezolid-resistant (LZD(r))
      S. aureus. We also evaluated these agents against each phenotype in
      pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) models. Seventy DNS, 100 VISA, 180 hVISA,
      and 25 LZD(r) MRSA isolates were randomly selected from our library and tested to
      determine their MICs against TLV, DAP, VAN, and LZD via broth microdilution and a
      Trek panel. Four isolates were randomly selected for 168-h in vitro models to
      evaluate treatment with TLV at 10 mg/kg of body weight/day, DAP at 10 mg/kg/day,
      VAN at 1 g every 12 h (q12h), and LZD at 600 mg q12h. The MIC50/90 for TLV, DAP,
      VAN, and LZD against 70 DNS S. aureus isolates were 0.06/0.125 MUg/ml, 2/4
      MUg/ml, 1/2 MUg/ml, and 2/2 MUg/ml, respectively. Against 100 VISA isolates, the
      MIC50/90 were 0.06/0.125 MUg/ml, 1/1 MUg/ml, 4/8 MUg/ml, and 1/2 MUg/ml,
      respectively. Against 170 hVISA isolates, the MIC50/90 were 0.06/0.125 MUg/ml,
      0.5/1 MUg/ml, 1/2 MUg/ml, and 1/2 MUg/ml, respectively. Against 25 LZD(r)
      isolates, the MIC50/90 were 0.03/0.06 MUg/ml, 1/1 MUg/ml, 2/2 MUg/ml, and 8/8
      MUg/ml, respectively. The TLV MIC was >0.125 MUg/ml for 10/365 (2.7%) isolates.
      In PK/PD models, TLV was universally bactericidal at 168 h and statistically
      superior to all antibiotics against DNS S. aureus strain R2334. These data
      further establish the potency of TLV against resistant MRSA. The model data
      demonstrate in vitro bactericidal activity of TLV against hVISA, VISA, DNS S.
      aureus, and LZD(r) S. aureus strains. Further clinical research is warranted. 

PMID- 26124163
TI  - Discrimination between native and Tn6010-associated oqxAB in Klebsiella spp.,
      Raoultella spp., and other Enterobacteriaceae by using a two-step strategy.
AB  - We developed a two-step PCR-based strategy to detect genes encoding OqxAB,
      allowing a specific assignment of Tn6010-associated oqxAB in Enterobacteriaceae.
      Chromosomal location in this setup was confirmed by hybridization with I-CeuI
      restricted genomes. This approach led us to find that Klebsiella sp. and
      Raoultella sp. reference strains chromosomally carried oqxAB. 

PMID- 26124164
TI  - Development of a novel real-time PCR assay with high-resolution melt analysis to
      detect and differentiate OXA-48-Like beta-lactamases in carbapenem-resistant
      Enterobacteriaceae.
AB  - The rapid global spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) poses an
      urgent threat to public health. More than 250 class D beta-lactamases (OXAs) have
      been described in recent years, with variations in hydrolytic activity for beta
      lactams. The plasmid-borne OXA-48 beta-lactamase and its variants are identified
      only sporadically in the United States but are common in Europe. Recognition of
      these OXA-48-like carbapenemases is vital in order to control their
      dissemination. We developed a real-time PCR assay based on high-resolution melt
      analysis, using bla OXA-48-like-specific primers coupled with an unlabeled 3'
      phosphorylated oligonucleotide probe (LunaProbe) homologous to OXA-48-like
      carbapenemase genes. The assay was validated using genomic DNA from 48 clinical
      isolates carrying a variety of carbapenemase genes, including bla KPC, bla SME,
      bla IMP, bla NDM-1, bla VIM, bla OXA-48, bla OXA-162, bla OXA-181, bla OXA-204,
      bla OXA-244, bla OXA-245, and bla OXA-232. Our assay identified the presence of
      bla OXA-48-like beta-lactamase genes and clearly distinguished between bla OXA-48
      and its variants in control strains, including between bla OXA-181 and bla OXA
      232, which differ by only a single base pair in the assay target region. This
      approach has potential for use in epidemiological investigations and continuous
      surveillance to help control the spread of CRE strains producing OXA-48-like
      enzymes. 

PMID- 26124165
TI  - Efficacy of the clinical agent VT-1161 against fluconazole-sensitive and 
      resistant Candida albicans in a murine model of vaginal candidiasis.
AB  - Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) and recurrent VVC (RVVC) remain major health
      problems for women. VT-1161, a novel fungal CYP51 inhibitor which has potent
      antifungal activity against fluconazole-sensitive Candida albicans, retained its
      in vitro potency (MIC50 of <=0.015 and MIC90 of 0.12 MUg/ml) against 10 clinical
      isolates from VVC or RVVC patients resistant to fluconazole (MIC50 of 8 and MIC90
      of 64 MUg/ml). VT-1161 pharmacokinetics in mice displayed a high volume of
      distribution (1.4 liters/kg), high oral absorption (73%), and a long half-life
      (>48 h) and showed rapid penetration into vaginal tissue. In a murine model of
      vaginal candidiasis using fluconazole-sensitive yeast, oral doses as low as 4
      mg/kg VT-1161 significantly reduced the fungal burden 1 and 4 days posttreatment
      (P < 0.0001). Similar VT-1161 efficacy was measured when an isolate highly
      resistant to fluconazole (MIC of 64 MUg/ml) but fully sensitive in vitro to VT
      1161 was used. When an isolate partially sensitive to VT-1161 (MIC of 0.12
      MUg/ml) and moderately resistant to fluconazole (MIC of 8 MUg/ml) was used, VT
      1161 remained efficacious, whereas fluconazole was efficacious on day 1 but did
      not sustain efficacy 4 days posttreatment. Both agents were inactive in treating
      an infection with an isolate that demonstrated weaker potency (MICs of 2 and 64
      MUg/ml for VT-1161 and fluconazole, respectively). Finally, the plasma
      concentrations of free VT-1161 were predictive of efficacy when in excess of the
      in vitro MIC values. These data support the clinical development of VT-1161 as a
      potentially more efficacious treatment for VVC and RVVC. 

PMID- 26124166
TI  - Nucleoside inhibitors of tick-borne encephalitis virus.
AB  - Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a leading cause of human neuroinfections
      in Europe and Northeast Asia. There are no antiviral therapies for treating TBEV
      infection. A series of nucleoside analogues was tested for the ability to inhibit
      the replication of TBEV in porcine kidney cells and human neuroblastoma cells.
      The interactions of three nucleoside analogues with viral polymerase were
      simulated using advanced computational methods. The nucleoside analogues 7-deaza
      2'-C-methyladenosine (7-deaza-2'-CMA), 2'-C-methyladenosine (2'-CMA), and 2'-C
      methylcytidine (2'-CMC) inhibited TBEV replication. These compounds showed dose
      dependent inhibition of TBEV-induced cytopathic effects, TBEV replication (50%
      effective concentrations [EC50]of 5.1 +/- 0.4 MUM for 7-deaza-2'-CMA, 7.1 +/- 1.2
      MUM for 2'-CMA, and 14.2 +/- 1.9 MUM for 2'-CMC) and viral antigen production.
      Notably, 2'-CMC was relatively cytotoxic to porcine kidney cells (50% cytotoxic
      concentration [CC50] of ~50 MUM). The anti-TBEV effect of 2'-CMA in cell culture
      diminished gradually after day 3 posttreatment. 7-Deaza-2'-CMA showed no
      detectable cellular toxicity (CC50 > 50 MUM), and the antiviral effect in culture
      was stable for >6 days posttreatment. Computational molecular analyses revealed
      that compared to the other two compounds, 7-deaza-2'-CMA formed a large cluster
      near the active site of the TBEV polymerase. High antiviral activity and low
      cytotoxicity suggest that 7-deaza-2'-CMA is a promising candidate for further
      investigation as a potential therapeutic agent in treating TBEV infection. 

PMID- 26124167
TI  - In vitro study of the variable effects of proton pump inhibitors on voriconazole.
AB  - Voriconazole is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent used for the treatment of
      severe fungal infections. Maintaining therapeutic concentrations of 1 to 5.5
      MUg/ml is currently recommended to maximize the exposure-response relationship of
      voriconazole. However, this is challenging, given the highly variable
      pharmacokinetics of the drug, which includes metabolism by cytochrome P450
      (CYP450) isotypes CYP2C19, CYP3A4, and CYP2C9, through which common metabolic
      pathways for many medications take place and which are also expressed in
      different isoforms with various metabolic efficacies. Proton pump inhibitors
      (PPIs) are also metabolized through these enzymes, making them competitive
      inhibitors of voriconazole metabolism, and coadministration with voriconazole has
      been reported to increase total voriconazole exposure. We examined the effects of
      five PPIs (rabeprazole, pantoprazole, lansoprazole, omeprazole, and esomeprazole)
      on voriconazole concentrations using four sets of human liver microsomes (HLMs)
      of different CYP450 phenotypes. Overall, the use of voriconazole in combination
      with any PPI led to a significantly higher voriconazole yield compared to that
      achieved with voriconazole alone in both pooled HLMs (77% versus 59%; P < 0.001)
      and individual HLMs (86% versus 76%; P < 0.001). The mean percent change in the
      voriconazole yield from that at the baseline after PPI exposure in pooled
      microsomes ranged from 22% with pantoprazole to 51% with esomeprazole. Future
      studies are warranted to confirm whether and how the deliberate coadministration
      of voriconazole and PPIs can be used to boost voriconazole levels in patients
      with difficult-to-treat fungal infections. 

PMID- 26124168
TI  - Imidazolium salts as small-molecule urinary bladder exfoliants in a murine model.
AB  - We present a novel family of small-molecule urinary bladder exfoliants that are
      expected to be of great value in preclinical studies of urologic conditions and
      have improved potential for translation compared with prior agents. There is
      broad urologic interest in the therapeutic potential of such exfoliating agents.
      The primary agent used in preclinical models, the cationic peptide protamine
      sulfate (PS), has limited translational potential due to concerns including
      systemic adverse reactions and bladder tissue injury. Intravesical application of
      a safe, systemically nontoxic exfoliant would have potential utility in the
      eradication of Escherichia coli and other uropathogens that reside in the bladder
      epithelium following cystitis, as well as in chronic bladder pain and bladder
      cancer. Here, we introduce a family of imidazolium salts with potent and focused
      exfoliating activity on the bladder epithelium. Synthesis and purification were
      straightforward and scalable, and the compounds exhibited prolonged stability in
      lyophilized form. Most members of the compound family were cytotoxic to cultured
      uroepithelial cells, with >10-fold differences in potency across the series. Upon
      topical (intravesical) administration of selected compounds to the murine
      bladder, complete epithelial exfoliation was achieved with physiologically
      relevant imidazolium concentrations and brief contact times. The exfoliative
      activity of these compounds was markedly improved in comparison to PS, as
      assessed by microscopy, immunofluorescence, and immunoblotting for uroplakins.
      Bladder uroepithelium regenerated within days to yield a histologically normal
      appearance, and no toxicity was observed. Finally, the chemical scaffold offers
      an opportunity for inclusion of antimicrobials or conjugation with
      chemotherapeutic or other moieties. 

PMID- 26124169
TI  - Pharmacodynamics of fosfomycin: insights into clinical use for antimicrobial
      resistance.
AB  - The aim of this study was to improve the understanding of the pharmacokinetic
      pharmacodynamic relationships of fosfomycin against extended-spectrum beta
      lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli strains that have different
      fosfomycin MICs. Our methods included the use of a hollow fiber infection model
      with three clinical ESBL-producing E. coli strains. Human fosfomycin
      pharmacokinetic profiles were simulated over 4 days. Preliminary studies
      conducted to determine the dose ranges, including the dose ranges that suppressed
      the development of drug-resistant mutants, were conducted with regimens from 12
      g/day to 36 g/day. The combination of fosfomycin at 4 g every 8 h (q8h) and
      meropenem at 1 g/q8h was selected for further assessment. The total bacterial
      population and the resistant subpopulations were determined. No efficacy was
      observed against the Ec42444 strain (fosfomycin MIC, 64 mg/liter) at doses of 12,
      24, or 36 g/day. All dosages induced at least initial bacterial killing against
      Ec46 (fosfomycin MIC, 1 mg/liter). High-level drug-resistant mutants appeared in
      this strain in response to 12, 15, and 18 g/day. In the study arms that included
      24 g/day, once or in a divided dose, a complete extinction of the bacterial
      inoculum was observed. The combination of meropenem with fosfomycin was
      synergistic for bacterial killing and also suppressed all fosfomycin-resistant
      clones of Ec2974 (fosfomycin MIC, 1 mg/liter). We conclude that fosfomycin
      susceptibility breakpoints (<=64 mg/liter according to CLSI [for E. coli urinary
      tract infections only]) should be revised for the treatment of serious systemic
      infections. Fosfomycin can be used to treat infections caused by organisms that
      demonstrate lower MICs and lower bacterial densities, although relatively high
      daily dosages (i.e., 24 g/day) are required to prevent the emergence of bacterial
      resistance. The ratio of the area under the concentration-time curve for the
      free, unbound fraction of fosfomycin versus the MIC (fAUC/MIC) appears to be the
      dynamically linked index of suppression of bacterial resistance. Fosfomycin with
      meropenem can act synergistically against E. coli strains in preventing the
      emergence of fosfomycin resistance. 

PMID- 26124170
TI  - High prevalence of the animal-associated bla CTX-M-1 IncI1/ST3 plasmid in human
      Escherichia coli isolates.

PMID- 26124171
TI  - In vivo biocompatibility and in vitro efficacy of antimicrobial gendine-coated
      central catheters.
AB  - Antimicrobial peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) might reduce the
      incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). We tested
      the biocompatibility of a novel gendine-coated (combination of chlorhexidine
      [CHX] and gentian violet [GV]) PICC in a rabbit intravascular model and tested
      antimicrobial efficacy in comparison with commercially available
      minocycline/rifampin (M/R)- and CHX-treated PICCs in an in vitro biofilm
      colonization model. Gendine-coated and uncoated control PICCs were inserted in
      the jugular veins of rabbits for 4 days. Histopathological analysis was performed
      at the end of the 4-day period, and circulating levels of CHX and GV in the blood
      were measured at different time points using liquid chromatography-mass
      spectrometry. The antimicrobial efficacy of the PICCs was tested following
      simulated intravascular indwells of 24 h and 1 week against clinical isolates of
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci,
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacter
      cloacae, Candida albicans, and Candida glabrata. Rabbits implanted with gendine
      coated PICCs exhibited reduced levels of thrombosis and inflammation compared to
      those of the rabbits with uncoated controls. No GV was detected in blood samples
      over the entire study period, and trace concentrations of CHX were detected. The
      gendine-coated PICCs completely prevented the adherence of all pathogens from 24
      h to 1 week (P <= 0.001), while M/R-treated, CHX-treated, and control PICCs did
      not. Gendine-coated PICCs were highly effective in preventing biofilm formation
      of multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Gendine-coated PICCs were
      biocompatible in an intravascular setting. Further, the pharmacokinetic testing
      established that acute systemic exposures of CHX and GV from the gendine-coated
      catheters were well within safe levels. 

PMID- 26124172
TI  - Meropenem population pharmacokinetics in critically ill patients with septic
      shock and continuous renal replacement therapy: influence of residual diuresis on
      dose requirements.
AB  - Meropenem dosing in critically ill patients with septic shock and continuous
      renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is complex, with the recommended maintenance
      doses being 500 mg to 1,000 mg every 8 h (q8h) to every 12 h. This multicenter
      study aimed to describe the pharmacokinetics (PKs) of meropenem in this
      population to identify the sources of PK variability and to evaluate different
      dosing regimens to develop recommendations based on clinical parameters. Thirty
      patients with septic shock and CRRT receiving meropenem were enrolled (153 plasma
      samples were tested). A population PK model was developed with data from 24
      patients and subsequently validated with data from 6 patients using NONMEM
      software (v.7.3). The final model was characterized by CL = 3.68 + 0.22 .
      (residual diuresis/100) and V = 33.00 . (weight/73)(2.07), where CL is total body
      clearance (in liters per hour), residual diuresis is the volume of residual
      diuresis (in milliliters per 24 h), and V is the apparent volume of distribution
      (in liters). CRRT intensity was not identified to be a CL modifier. Monte Carlo
      simulations showed that to maintain concentrations of the unbound fraction (fu )
      of drug above the MIC of the bacteria for 40% of dosing interval T (referred to
      as 40% of the f uT >MIC), a meropenem dose of 500 mg q8h as a bolus over 30 min
      would be sufficient regardless of the residual diuresis. If 100% of the f uT >MIC
      was chosen as the target, oligoanuric patients would require 500 mg q8h as a
      bolus over 30 min for the treatment of susceptible bacteria (MIC < 2 mg/liter),
      while patients with preserved diuresis would require the same dose given as an
      infusion over 3 h. If bacteria with MICs close to the resistance breakpoint (2 to
      4 mg/liter) were to be treated with meropenem, a dose of 500 mg every 6 h would
      be necessary: a bolus over 30 min for oligoanuric patients and an infusion over 3
      h for patients with preserved diuresis. Our results suggest that residual
      diuresis may be an easy and inexpensive tool to help with titration of the
      meropenem dose and infusion time in this challenging population. 

PMID- 26124173
TI  - Noninvasive Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes recovered from hospitalized adult
      patients in the United States in 2009 to 2012.
AB  - This study was conducted to determine the serotype distribution and trends over
      time of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains associated with noninvasive infections
      among adult patients >=18 years of age in the United States (2009 to 2012). A
      total of 2,927 S. pneumoniae isolates recovered from patients presenting with
      respiratory infections and obtained mainly (87.0%) from lower respiratory tract
      specimens (sputum) were included. The levels of the 7-valent pneumococcal
      conjugate vaccine (PCV7) serotypes remained stable over the 4-year study period
      (4.6% to 5.5%; P = 0.953). Overall, 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
      (PCV13) serotypes were identified in 32.7% of samples, declining from 33.7% to
      35.5% in 2009 to 2011 to 28.2% in 2012 (P = 0.007), with a significant decrease
      in the levels of serotypes 7F (P = 0.013) and 6A (P = 0.010). The levels of 19A
      remained constant (15.8% to 17.1%) during 2009 to 2011, dropping to 12.2% in 2012
      (P = 0.089). The prevalence of serotypes associated with the 23-valent
      pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23), but not PCV13, remained generally
      stable; however, the prevalence of serotypes 15B and 15C (15B/15C) increased from
      2.7% to 6.3% (P = 0.010). The proportion of nonvaccine serotypes increased
      gradually during the study period (P = 0.044), particularly for serotype 35B
      (from 3.6% in 2009 to 8.2% in 2012; P = 0.001). Nonsusceptibility rates for
      penicillin (susceptible breakpoint, <=2 MUg/ml) and clindamycin against PCV7
      serotypes decreased over the period. These results suggest the emergence of
      indirect effects following introduction of PCV13 for infants and young children;
      continued surveillance is needed to assess the burden of PCV13 serotypes in the
      adult population after the implementation of age-based recommendations in the
      United States. 

PMID- 26124174
TI  - In vitro activities of 21 antimicrobial agents alone and in combination with
      aminoglycosides or fluoroquinolones against extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase
      producing Escherichia coli isolates causing bacteremia.
AB  - We evaluated the in vitro activity of various antimicrobials alone and in
      combination against 291 extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia
      coli (ESBL-EC) isolates causing bacteremia in South Korean hospitals.
      Ceftazidime, cefepime, and piperacillin-tazobactam in combination with amikacin
      showed greater activity than found in combination with ciprofloxacin. In settings
      with a high prevalence of ESBL-producing pathogens, combination aminoglycoside
      antimicrobial therapy, especially with amikacin, may be considered for empirical
      therapy against suspected Gram-negative sepsis as a carbapenem-saving strategy. 

PMID- 26124175
TI  - Assessment of drug-drug interactions between daclatasvir and methadone or
      buprenorphine-naloxone.
AB  - Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is common among people who inject drugs,
      including those managed with maintenance opioids. Pharmacokinetic interactions
      between opioids and emerging oral HCV antivirals merit evaluation. Daclatasvir is
      a potent pangenotypic inhibitor of the HCV NS5A replication complex recently
      approved for HCV treatment in Europe and Japan in combination with other
      antivirals. The effect of steady-state daclatasvir (60 mg daily) on stable plasma
      exposure to oral opioids was assessed in non-HCV-infected subjects receiving
      methadone (40 to 120 mg; n = 14) or buprenorphine plus naloxone (8 to 24 mg plus
      2 to 6 mg; n = 11). No relevant interaction was inferred if the 90% confidence
      interval (CI) of the geometric mean ratio (GMR) of opioid area under the plasma
      concentration-time curve over the dosing interval (AUCtau) or maximum
      concentration in plasma (C max) with versus without daclatasvir was within
      literature-derived ranges of 0.7 to 1.43 (R- and S-methadone) or 0.5 to 2.0
      (buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine). Dose-normalized AUCtau for R-methadone
      (GMR, 1.08; 90% CI, 0.94 to 1.24), S-methadone (1.13; 0.99 to 1.30), and
      buprenorphine (GMR, 1.37; 90% CI, 1.24 to 1.52) were within the no-effect range.
      The norbuprenorphine AUCtau was slightly elevated in the primary analysis (GMR,
      1.62; 90% CI, 1.30 to 2.02) but within the no-effect range in a supplementary
      analysis of all evaluable subjects. Dose-normalized C max for both methadone
      enantiomers, buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine, were within the no-effect range.
      Standardized assessments of opioid pharmacodynamics were unchanged throughout
      daclatasvir administration with methadone or buprenorphine. Daclatasvir
      pharmacokinetics were similar to historical data. Coadministration of daclatasvir
      and opioids was generally well tolerated. In conclusion, these data suggest that
      daclatasvir can be administered with buprenorphine or methadone without dose
      adjustments. 

PMID- 26124176
TI  - Alkaloids as inhibitors of malate synthase from Paracoccidioides spp.: receptor
      ligand interaction-based virtual screening and molecular docking studies,
      antifungal activity, and the adhesion process.
AB  - Paracoccidioides is the agent of paracoccidioidomycosis. Malate synthase plays a
      crucial role in the pathogenicity and virulence of various fungi, such as those
      that are human pathogens. Thus, an inhibitor of this enzyme may be used as a
      powerful antifungal without side effects in patients once these enzymes are
      absent in humans. Here, we searched for compounds with inhibitory capacity
      against the malate synthase of Paracoccidioides species (PbMLS). The three
      dimensional (3D) structure of PbMLS was determined using the I-TASSER server.
      Compounds were selected from the ZINC database. Based on the mechanism underlying
      the interaction of the compounds with PbMLS, it was possible to identify beta
      carboline moiety as a standard key structure. The compounds with beta-carboline
      moiety that are available in our laboratories were investigated. A total of nine
      alkaloid compounds were selected. The primary mechanisms of interaction of the
      alkaloid compounds in the binding pocket of PbMLS were identified and compared
      with the mechanism of interaction of acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA). We
      discovered that the amphipathic nature of the compounds, concomitant with the
      presence of beta-carboline moiety, was crucial for their stability in the binding
      pocket of PbMLS. In addition, the importance of a critical balance of the polar
      and nonpolar contacts of the compounds in this region was observed. Four beta
      carboline alkaloid compounds showed the ability to inhibit recombinant PbMLS
      (PbMLSr) activity, Paracoccidioides species growth, and adhesion of the fungus
      and PbMLSr to the extracellular matrix components. The cytotoxicity of the
      alkaloids was also evaluated. 

PMID- 26124177
TI  - Drosophila homologue of Diaphanous 1 (DIAPH1) controls the metastatic potential
      of colon cancer cells by regulating microtubule-dependent adhesion.
AB  - Drosophila homologue of Diaphanous 1 (DIAPH1) regulates actin polymerization and
      microtubule (MT) stabilization upon stimulation with lysophosphatidic acid (LPA).
      Recently, we showed strongly reduced lung metastasis of DIAPH1-depleted colon
      cancer cells but we found accumulations of DIAPH1-depleted cells in bone marrow.
      Here, we analyzed possible organ- or tissue-specific metastasis of DIAPH1
      depleted HCT-116 cells. Our data confirmed that depletion of DIAPH1 strongly
      inhibited lung metastasis and revealed that, in contrast to control cells, DIAPH1
      depleted cells did not form metastases in further organs. Detailed mechanistic
      analysis on cells that were not stimulated with LPA to activate the cytoskeleton
      modulating activity of DIAPH1, revealed that even under basal conditions DIAPH1
      was essential for cellular adhesion to collagen. In non-stimulated cells DIAPH1
      did not control actin dynamics but, interestingly, was essential for
      stabilization of microtubules (MTs). Additionally, DIAPH1 controlled directed
      vesicle trafficking and with this, local clustering of the adhesion protein
      integrin-beta1 at the plasma membrane. Therefore, we conclude that under non
      stimulating conditions DIAPH1 controls cellular adhesion by stabilizing MTs
      required for local clustering of integrin-beta1 at the plasma membrane. Thus,
      blockade of DIAPH1-tubulin interaction may be a promising approach to inhibit one
      of the earliest steps in the metastatic cascade of colon cancer. 

PMID- 26124178
TI  - Retargeted human avidin-CAR T cells for adoptive immunotherapy of EGFRvIII
      expressing gliomas and their evaluation via optical imaging.
AB  - There has been significant progress in the design of chimeric antigen receptors
      (CAR) for adoptive immunotherapy targeting tumor-associated antigens. However,
      the challenge of monitoring the therapy in real time has been continually
      ignored. To address this issue, we developed optical molecular imaging approaches
      to evaluate a recently reported novel CAR strategy for adoptive immunotherapy
      against glioma xenografts expressing EGFRvIII. We initially biotinylated a novel
      anti-EGFRvIII monoclonal antibody (biotin-4G1) to pre-target EGFRvIII+ gliomas
      and then redirect activated avidin-CAR expressing T cells against the pre
      targeted biotin-4G1. By optical imaging study and bio-distribution analysis, we
      confirmed the specificity of pre-target and target and determined the optimal
      time for T cells adoptive transfer in vivo. The results showed this therapeutic
      strategy offered efficient therapy effect to EGFRvIII+ glioma-bearing mice and
      implied that optical imaging is a highly useful tool in aiding in the instruction
      of clinical CAR-T cells adoptive transfer in future. 

PMID- 26124179
TI  - Targeting chemotherapy-induced PTX3 in tumor stroma to prevent the progression of
      drug-resistant cancers.
AB  - The tumor microenvironment has been suggested to participate in tumorigenesis,
      but the nature of the communication between cancer cells and the
      microenvironment, especially in response to anticancer drugs, remains obscure. We
      determined that activation of the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein delta (CEBPD)
      response to Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil in cancer-associated macrophages and
      fibroblasts contributed to the metastasis, invasion, acquired chemoresistance and
      stemness of cancer cells by in vitro and in vivo assays. Specifically, reporter
      and in vivo DNA binding assays were used to determine that Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is
      a CEBPD responsive gene and serves a protumor role upon anticancer drug
      treatment. Finally, a PTX3 peptide inhibitor RI37 was developed and assessed the
      antitumor effects by in vivo assays. RI37 could function as a promising inhibitor
      for preventing cancer progression and the metastasis, invasion and progression of
      drug-resistant cancers. The identification of PTX3 provided a new insight in the
      interaction between host and tumor and the RI37 peptide showed a great
      opportunity to largely reduce the risk of invasion and metastasis of cancer and
      drug-resistant cancers. 

PMID- 26124180
TI  - High EGFR and low p-Akt expression is associated with better outcome after
      nimotuzumab-containing treatment in esophageal cancer patients: preliminary
      clinical result and testable hypothesis.
AB  - The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is widely overexpressed in esophageal
      squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and it results is associated with a poor
      prognosis. Identifying the subgroup of ESCC patients who are sensitive to EGFR
      targeted therapy is a key point to facilitate its medical use.We retrospectively
      analyzed 32 ESCC patients treated with the combination of nimotuzumab (h-R3) and
      radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Expression of EGFR and
      phosphorylated proteins associated with EGFR signaling pathway, i.e. p-Akt and p
      Erk, were assessed with immunohistochemistry (IHC) for all patients. Correlations
      between these proteins' expression levels and overall survival (OS) were
      assessed.High expression of EGFR, p-Akt and p-Erk was detected in 53.1% (17/32),
      54.8% (17/31) and 59.4% (19/32) of tumors respectively. No significant
      differences in OS were found between high EGFR, p-Akt and p-Erk expression groups
      and their respective counterparts. Of note, significantly better overall survival
      was observed in patients with coexistence of high EGFR expression and low p-Akt
      expression (p = 0.030).Our data allowed us to put forward a hypothesis that high
      EGFR and low p-Akt expression may predict a clinical benefit of EGFR antagonists
      such as nimotuzumab combined with RT or CRT. This can be discussed in the terms
      of oncogene addiction and synthetic lethality concepts. This hypothesis can be
      further tested in larger groups of patients. 

PMID- 26124181
TI  - miR-93/miR-106b/miR-375-CIC-CRABP1: a novel regulatory axis in prostate cancer
      progression.
AB  - Capicua (CIC) has been implicated in pathogenesis of spinocerebellar ataxia type
      1 (SCA1) neurodegenerative disease and some types of cancer; however, the role of
      CIC in prostate cancer remains unknown. Here we show that CIC suppresses prostate
      cancer progression. CIC expression was markedly decreased in human prostatic
      carcinoma. CIC overexpression suppressed prostate cancer cell proliferation,
      invasion, and migration, whereas CIC RNAi exerted opposite effects. We found that
      knock-down of CIC derepresses expression of ETV5 and CRABP1 in LNCaP and PC-3
      cells, respectively, thereby promoting cell proliferation and invasion. We also
      discovered that miR-93, miR-106b, and miR-375, which are known to be frequently
      overexpressed in prostate cancer patients, cooperatively down-regulate CIC levels
      to promote cancer progression. Altogether, we suggest miR-93/miR-106b/miR-375-CIC
      CRABP1 as a novel key regulatory axis in prostate cancer progression. 

PMID- 26124182
TI  - Doxorubicin induces apoptosis by targeting Madcam1 and AKT and inhibiting protein
      translation initiation in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
AB  - Doxorubicin (Doxo) is one of the most widely used chemotherapeutic drugs for
      patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Doxo is a DNA intercalating drug
      that inhibits topoisomerase II. Thereby Doxo has the ability to block DNA
      replication and induce apoptosis. However, the other targets and mechanisms
      through which Doxo induces apoptosis to treat HCC still remain unknown. Here, we
      identified Mucosal vascular addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 (Madcam1) as a
      potential Doxo target because Madcam1 overexpression suppressed, while Madcam1
      depletion stimulated Doxo-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, we first revealed that
      Doxo can induce apoptosis by blocking protein translation initiation. In
      contrast, Madcam1 activated protein translation through an opposite mechanism. We
      also found de-phosphorylation of AKT may be an important pro-apoptotic event that
      is triggered by Doxo-induced Madcam1 down-regulation. Finally, we revealed that
      Madcam1 promoted increased AKT phosphorylation, which is essential for
      maintaining the sensitivity of HCC cells to Doxo treatment. Taken together, we
      uncovered a potential mechanism for Doxo-induced apoptosis in HCC treatment
      through targeting Madcam1 and AKT and blocking protein translation initiation. 

PMID- 26124183
TI  - Impact of genetic polymorphisms on paediatric atopic dermatitis.
AB  - In order to investigate whether polymorphisms of genes encoding some factors of
      innate and adaptive immunity play a role in the development of, or protection
      against atopic dermatitis (AD) and condition its severity, we genotyped 33
      candidate genes and 47 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using Custom TaqMan
      Array Microfluidic Cards and an ABI 7900HT analyser (Applied Biosystems, Foster
      City, CA, USA). The study involved 104 children with AD (29 with mild-to-moderate
      and 75 with severe disease; 42 girls; mean age +/- SD, 5.8 +/- 3.3 years) and 119
      healthy controls (49 girls; mean age, 4.8 +/- 3.0 years). IL10-rs1800872T, TG and
      MBL2-rs500737AG were all significantly more frequent among the children with AD
      (P = 0.015, P = 0.004 and P = 0.030), whereas IL10-rs1800896C and TC were more
      frequent in those without AD (P = 0.028 and P = 0.032). The VEGFA-rs2146326A and
      CTLA4-rs3087243AG SNPs were significantly more frequent in the children with
      mild/moderate AD than in those with severe AD (P = 0.048 andP = 0.036). IL10
      rs1800872T and TG were significantly more frequent in the children with AD and
      other allergic diseases than in the controls (P = 0.014 and P = 0.007), whereas
      IL10-rs1800896TC and C were more frequent in the controls than in the children
      with AD and other allergic diseases (P = 0.0055 and P = 0.0034). These findings
      show that some of the polymorphisms involved in the immune response are also
      involved in some aspects of the development and course of AD and, although not
      conclusive, support the immunological hypothesis of the origin of the
      inflammatory lesions. 

PMID- 26124184
TI  - Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Emerging Risk Factors for
      Cardiovascular Disease in Women?

PMID- 26124187
TI  - Misdiagnosed or Incidentally Detected Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Explanted
      Livers: Lessons Learned.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Misdiagnosed or incidentally detected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      in liver explant is an undesirable surprise that might pose a medical challenge
      in the post-transplant setting. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From May 2001 to the end of
      December 2013, 463 and 137 liver transplants for adult and pediatric patients,
      respectively, were performed at our center. Ten cases were found to have
      misdiagnosed or incidental malignant lesions on pathological examination of the
      explant. RESULTS: We considered 105 patients for LT because of presence of HCC;
      102 patients were accurately diagnosed by pretransplant imaging and the other 3
      patients were misdiagnosed as HCC and then found to have mixed HCC
      cholangiocarcinoma (CC) (2.9% misdiagnosis rate). Seven more patients were found
      to have i-HCC in explanted livers. Therefore, 109 patients were transplanted for
      presence of HCC (6.5% of them diagnosed incidentally). The overall rate of
      incidental HCC (i-HCC) among all liver explants was 1.2%. In the adult group no
      subjects had HCC recurrence, while only 1 subject had HCC recurrence in the
      pediatric group. All mixed HCC-CC lesions were found in adult patients. Two
      patients died from recurrence of cholangiocarcinoma after liver transplant. The
      other patient is still surviving with no recurrence at 13-month follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Misdiagnosed or incidental malignancy is a rare but reported finding
      following liver transplantation. Their preoperative suspicion is quite
      challenging. A thorough explant pathology study is needed to diagnose this
      condition. It is evident that the outcome of this undesirable finding was judged
      mainly by tumor biology.

PMID- 26124186
TI  - Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Predict Onset of
      Cardiovascular Events in Women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Psychological stress is a proposed risk factor for cardiovascular
      disease (CVD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the sentinel stress
      related mental disorder, occurs twice as frequently in women as men. However,
      whether PTSD contributes to CVD risk in women is not established. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: We examined trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms in relation to incident
      CVD over a 20-year period in 49 978 women in the Nurses' Health Study II.
      Proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals
      for CVD events confirmed by additional information or medical record review
      (n=548, including myocardial infarction [n=277] and stroke [n=271]). Trauma
      exposure and PTSD symptoms were assessed by using the Brief Trauma Questionnaire
      and a PTSD screen. In comparison with no trauma exposure, endorsing >=4 PTSD
      symptoms was associated with increased CVD risk after adjusting for age, family
      history, and childhood factors (hazard ratio,1.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.20
      2.13). Being trauma-exposed and endorsing no PTSD symptoms was associated with
      elevated CVD risk (hazard ratio, 1.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-1.83),
      although being trauma-exposed and endorsing 1 to 3 PTSD symptoms was not. After
      adjusting for adult health behaviors and medical risk factors, this pattern of
      findings was maintained. Health behaviors and medical risk factors accounted for
      14% of the trauma/no symptoms-CVD association and 47% of the trauma/4+ symptoms
      CVD association. CONCLUSION: Trauma exposure and elevated PTSD symptoms may
      increase the risk of CVD in this population of women. These findings suggest that
      screening for CVD risk and reducing health risk behaviors in trauma-exposed women
      may be promising avenues for prevention and intervention.

PMID- 26124188
TI  - Pancreatic cancer: current understanding of molecular and genetic aetiologies.
AB  - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the few cancers where prognosis
      has not improved over the past few decades. However, there have been several
      advances in our understanding of the disease leading to earlier detection and
      targeted therapeutic treatment. It is now understood that specific somatic and
      germline mutations lead to the development of the disease, and the risk factors
      associated with this are clearer. Further, several precursor lesions have been
      identified which, with early detection and surveillance, allows treatment before
      the development of carcinoma. PDAC can now be diagnosed with a high sensitivity
      and specificity following advances in radiology, and treatment can be commenced
      at an earlier stage of the disease. With continued research we are hopeful that
      the next decade will see an improved survival rate for all patients with
      pancreatic cancer. 

PMID- 26124185
TI  - Estimated Global, Regional, and National Disease Burdens Related to Sugar
      Sweetened Beverage Consumption in 2010.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are consumed globally and contribute
      to adiposity. However, the worldwide impact of SSBs on burdens of adiposity
      related cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancers, and diabetes mellitus has not
      been assessed by nation, age, and sex. METHODS AND RESULTS: We modeled global,
      regional, and national burdens of disease associated with SSB consumption by
      age/sex in 2010. Data on SSB consumption levels were pooled from national dietary
      surveys worldwide. The effects of SSB intake on body mass index and diabetes
      mellitus, and of elevated body mass index on CVD, diabetes mellitus, and cancers
      were derived from large prospective cohort pooling studies. Disease-specific
      mortality/morbidity data were obtained from Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries,
      and Risk Factors 2010 Study. We computed cause-specific population-attributable
      fractions for SSB consumption, which were multiplied by cause-specific
      mortality/morbidity to compute estimates of SSB-attributable death/disability.
      Analyses were done by country/age/sex; uncertainties of all input data were
      propagated into final estimates. Worldwide, the model estimated 184 000 (95%
      uncertainty interval, 161 000-208 000) deaths/y attributable to SSB consumption:
      133 000 (126 000-139 000) from diabetes mellitus, 45 000 (26 000-61 000) from
      CVD, and 6450 (4300-8600) from cancers. Five percent of SSB-related deaths
      occurred in low-income, 70.9% in middle-income, and 24.1% in high-income
      countries. Proportional mortality attributable to SSBs ranged from <1% in
      Japanese >65 years if age to 30% in Mexicans <45 years of age. Among the 20 most
      populous countries, Mexico had largest absolute (405 deaths/million adults) and
      proportional (12.1%) deaths from SSBs. A total of 8.5 (2.8, 19.2) million
      disability-adjusted life years were related to SSB intake (4.5% of diabetes
      mellitus-related disability-adjusted life years). CONCLUSIONS: SSBs are a single,
      modifiable component of diet that can impact preventable death/disability in
      adults in high-, middle-, and low-income countries, indicating an urgent need for
      strong global prevention programs.

PMID- 26124189
TI  - MiR-181a-5p inhibits cell proliferation and migration by targeting Kras in non
      small cell lung cancer A549 cells.
AB  - MicroRNAs play important roles in carcinogenesis and tumor progress. Lung cancer
      is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. In this study, the function
      of miR-181a-5p was investigated in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results
      showed that miR-181a-5p was significantly decreased in NSCLC tissues and cell
      lines. The proliferation and migration of A549 cells transfected with miR-181a-5p
      mimic was significantly inhibited. Luciferase activity assay results demonstrated
      that two binding sites of Kras could be directly targeted by miR-181a-5p.
      Furthermore, Kras was down-regulated by miR-181a-5p at both transcriptional and
      translational levels. SiRNA-mediated Kras down-regulation could mimic the effects
      of miR-181a-5p mimic in A549 cells. Our findings suggest that miR-181a-5p plays a
      potential role in tumor suppression by partially targeting Kras and has the
      potential therapeutic application in NSCLC patients. 

PMID- 26124190
TI  - Elevated Serum Levels of NSE and S-100beta Correlate with Increased Risk of Acute
      Cerebral Infarction in Asian Populations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated the clinical value of serum levels of neuron-specific
      enolase (NSE) and human soluble protein-100beta (S-100beta) in acute cerebral
      infarction (ACI) patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A literature search of
      electronic databases identified relevant case-control studies that examined the
      correlations between NSE and S-100beta serum levels, and ACI. The retrieved
      studies were screened based on our strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, and
      high-quality studies were subsequently selected for meta-analysis. STATA software
      (Version 12.0, Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA) was utilized for
      statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 13 case-control studies, containing 911
      ACI patients and 686 healthy controls, were enrolled in this meta-analysis. The
      results of the meta-analysis showed that serum levels of NSE and S-100beta in ACI
      patients were significantly higher than the control group. Subgroup analysis
      based on ethnicity revealed that the serum levels of NSE and S-100beta in ACI
      patients were significantly higher than the control group in Asian population. In
      Caucasian population, the serum levels of NSE in case group was significantly
      higher than the control group, but no significant differences in serum levels of
      S-100beta were observed between ACI patients and the control group. CONCLUSIONS:
      Based on our results, we conclude that serum levels of NSE and S-100beta strongly
      correlate with ACI in Asian population, and may be important clinical markers for
      diagnosis and treatment of ACI.

PMID- 26124191
TI  - Unexpected Toxicology Findings in Rats Dosed With an Antihuman IL-13 Monoclonal
      Antibody.
AB  - Interleukin 13 (IL-13) is a type 2 helper T cytokine involved in allergic
      inflammation and immune responses to parasites. CNTO5825 is an antihuman IL-13
      monoclonal antibody that inhibits the pharmacological activity of human,
      cynomolgus monkey, and rat IL-13. Repeated dose toxicology studies of 1- to 6
      month duration were conducted in both rats and monkeys at doses of 20 to 100
      mg/kg/wk. A decrease in the T cell-dependent antibody response to Keyhole Limpet
      Hemocyanin immunization was observed in monkeys but not in rats. In the 6-month
      rat study, there was a 2.2-fold increase in eosinophils in males at 3 and 6
      months that was reversible. At necropsy (main and 4-month recovery), rats from
      control and CNTO5825-dosed groups were found to have pin worms, which may have
      contributed to the elevations in eosinophil. Testicular toxicity (dilatation of
      seminiferous tubules, atrophy, and degeneration of the germinal epithelium) was
      observed in 2 rats at 20 mg/kg and in 5 rats at 100 mg/kg (main and recovery).
      Brain lesions (unilateral focal accumulation of cells in the white matter of the
      cerebral cortex) were observed in 2 rats at 100 mg/kg, and vascular neoplasms (1
      fatal multicentric hemangiosarcoma and 1 benign hemangioma) were observed at 100
      mg/kg/wk. Overall, these studies show that CNTO5825 was without toxicity when
      administered to rats for up to 6 weeks and to monkeys for up to 6 months.
      However, when administered to rats for 6 months, a number of seemingly unrelated
      events occurred that could not be clearly linked to CNTO5825 administration,
      inhibition of IL-13, or to the immunological status of the animals. 

PMID- 26124193
TI  - The ubiquitous weekend effect: moving past proving it exists to clarifying what
      causes it.

PMID- 26124192
TI  - A new cellular target for Yersinia pestis.

PMID- 26124194
TI  - Aberrations and adaptive optics in super-resolution microscopy.
AB  - As one of the most powerful tools in the biological investigation of cellular
      structures and dynamic processes, fluorescence microscopy has undergone
      extraordinary developments in the past decades. The advent of super-resolution
      techniques has enabled fluorescence microscopy - or rather nanoscopy - to achieve
      nanoscale resolution in living specimens and unravelled the interior of cells
      with unprecedented detail. The methods employed in this expanding field of
      microscopy, however, are especially prone to the detrimental effects of optical
      aberrations. In this review, we discuss how super-resolution microscopy
      techniques based upon single-molecule switching, stimulated emission depletion
      and structured illumination each suffer from aberrations in different ways that
      are dependent upon intrinsic technical aspects. We discuss the use of adaptive
      optics as an effective means to overcome this problem. 

PMID- 26124195
TI  - Challenges From and Beyond Symptomatology: Stereotype Threat in Young Adults With
      ADHD.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Stereotype threat-faced when one confronts a personally relevant
      stereotype in a domain-relevant context-can significantly jeopardize individual
      performance in test-taking situations. Research has overlooked the potential for
      mental health labels to serve as bases for stereotype threat in such situations.
      This study examines whether ADHD, a disorder frequently serving as a basis for
      standardized testing accommodation, may trigger stereotype threat in testing
      situations. METHOD: Drawing from a sample of 114 participants (53 reporting a
      history of ADHD and 61 not reporting a history of ADHD), this study considers
      whether stereotype threat invoked on the basis of ADHD hinders performance on
      Graduate Record Examination (GRE) questions beyond the impact of symptomatology.
      RESULTS: Participants reporting ADHD achieved significantly lower scores on
      verbal and quantitative GRE questions than participants without ADHD.
      Participants between the ages of 18 and 24 reporting ADHD who were explicitly
      exposed to stereotype threat achieved significantly lower scores on quantitative
      GRE questions than their ADHD-reporting peers who were not explicitly exposed to
      stereotype threat. CONCLUSION: Domain-relevant mental health labels may trigger
      stereotype threat in test-taking situations.

PMID- 26124196
TI  - Comparison of the effects of pretreatment with repeated electroacupuncture at
      GV20 and ST36 on fatigue in rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate and compare the effects of electroacupuncture (EA)
      pretreatment at GV20 and ST36 on fatigue in rats. METHODS: Rats were randomly
      allocated into 4 groups: control, fatigue, fatigue+GV20 and fatigue+ST36. The
      last two groups received EA pretreatment at GV20 or ST36 for 5 days before being
      maintained in cages filled with water to a height of 1.5 cm to establish an
      animal model of fatigue. We used the weight-loaded forced swimming test and open
      field test and measured 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA)/5-hydroxytryptamine
      (5-HT) ratios and serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), lactic dehydrogenase
      (LDH) and testosterone as behavioural and biochemical markers of fatigue in the
      rats. RESULTS: Compared with controls, rats in the (untreated) fatigue group
      exhibited reduced weight-loaded swimming times and total movement/distance in the
      open-field test, plus higher BUN/LDH and lower testosterone levels. Both EA
      pretreatment at GV20 and ST36 increased swimming times, and reduced serum
      BUN/LDH. EA pretreatment at GV20 (but not ST36) increased serum testosterone. The
      5-HIAA/5-HT ratios in four brain regions were decreased in the fatigue+GV20 group
      compared with the fatigue group (p<0.05). By contrast, 5-HIAA/5-HT ratios in
      striatum and hypothalamus (but not hippocampus or midbrain) were decreased in the
      fatigue+ST36 group compared with the fatigue group (p<0.05). Furthermore, only
      pretreatment at GV20 affected the results of the open-field test. CONCLUSIONS:
      These results suggest that EA pretreatment had a positive effect on the
      prevention of fatigue. Pretreatment at GV20 had a greater anti-fatigue effect
      than pretreatment at ST36.

PMID- 26124197
TI  - Trial of intensive acupuncture for smoking cessation: a pilot study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the significant decline in smoking rates in the USA over the
      last 50 years, 42 million Americans continue to smoke. Although the combination
      of behavioural counselling with FDA-approved medications offers the best evidence
      based treatment approach, 12-month relapse rates remain at >60%. Both healthcare
      providers and patients are searching for alternative treatment options. Most
      acupuncture trials have yielded poor results for smoking cessation; however, most
      trials have not used an intense treatment protocol and maintained treatment for
      at least 12 weeks. METHODS: We designed a pilot study to address these
      methodological problems. Twenty-eight smokers were recruited to attend two 1 h
      acupuncture sessions weekly for 12 weeks. Primary endpoints included completion
      rate, acceptability of the protocol and side effects. Secondary endpoints
      included carbon monoxide (CO)-confirmed, 7-day point prevalence quit rates at 12
      weeks and 26 weeks. RESULTS: Sixteen of the 28 patients enrolled (57%) completed
      12 weeks of treatment. Of the 17 patients who completed the end-of-study
      questionnaire, 94% (16/17) rated the programme as helpful, and 82% noted they
      would recommend it to friends for smoking cessation. Three of the 28 who
      initially enrolled in the study were confirmed abstinent at 12 weeks (10.7%); one
      of the 28 (3.6%) was abstinent at 26 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: A larger study with a
      slightly less rigorous and more acceptable treatment protocol is feasible and
      should be considered.

PMID- 26124198
TI  - Natural history and clinical features of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
      in China.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the natural history and clinical features of sporadic
      amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Chinese patients, and to report data on
      the prognostic factors for survival. METHODS: All patients referred to our ALS
      centre between 2003 and 2012 were followed up every 3 months. Survival and
      tracheotomy were predefined as primary outcome measures. Group differences were
      analysed using parametric and non-parametric tests as appropriate. Survival was
      analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Of
      the 1624 patients with ALS, 75.1% had limb-onset, 14.0% had bulbar-onset, 7.8%
      had flail-arm syndrome (FAS), 2.6% had progressive muscular atrophy and 0.5% had
      primary lateral sclerosis. The male:female ratio was 1.7:1, and the mean age at
      onset was 49.8 years. The median diagnostic delay was 14 months, and the median
      survival time after symptom onset was 71 months. Male gender, older age at
      symptom onset, lower body mass index, shorter diagnostic delay, bulbar-onset ALS
      phenotype, higher Airlie House category at presentation, rural place of
      residence, use of traditional Chinese medicine and a history of contact with
      pesticides were associated with poorer survival, whereas female gender or an FAS
      phenotype may have a better prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical characteristics
      and outcomes of Chinese patients with sporadic ALS were different compared with
      patients from other countries. Compared with other studies, the age at onset of
      Chinese patients was earlier, the percentage of bulbar-onset ALS was lower and
      the prognosis was better. This study substantially advances the understanding of
      the clinical features and epidemiology of this rare disease.

PMID- 26124199
TI  - Highly sampled tetranucleotide and tetraloop motifs enable evaluation of common
      RNA force fields.
AB  - Recent modifications and improvements to standard nucleic acid force fields have
      attempted to fix problems and issues that have been observed as longer timescale
      simulations have become routine. Although previous work has shown the ability to
      fold the UUCG stem-loop structure, until now no group has attempted to quantify
      the performance of current force fields using highly converged structural
      populations of the tetraloop conformational ensemble. In this study, we report
      the use of multiple independent sets of multidimensional replica exchange
      molecular dynamics (M-REMD) simulations with different initial conditions to
      generate well-converged conformational ensembles for the tetranucleotides r(GACC)
      and r(CCCC), as well as the larger UUCG tetraloop motif. By generating what is to
      our knowledge the most complete RNA structure ensembles reported to date for
      these systems, we remove the coupling between force field errors and errors due
      to incomplete sampling, providing a comprehensive comparison between current top
      performing MD force fields for RNA. Of the RNA force fields tested in this study,
      none demonstrate the ability to correctly identify the most thermodynamically
      stable structure for all three systems. We discuss the deficiencies present in
      each potential function and suggest areas where improvements can be made. The
      results imply that although "short" (nsec-MUsec timescale) simulations may stay
      close to their respective experimental structures and may well reproduce
      experimental observables, inevitably the current force fields will populate
      alternative incorrect structures that are more stable than those observed via
      experiment. 

PMID- 26124200
TI  - The NMR structure of the II-III-VI three-way junction from the Neurospora VS
      ribozyme reveals a critical tertiary interaction and provides new insights into
      the global ribozyme structure.
AB  - As part of an effort to structurally characterize the complete Neurospora VS
      ribozyme, NMR solution structures of several subdomains have been previously
      determined, including the internal loops of domains I and VI, the I/V kissing
      loop interaction and the III-IV-V junction. Here, we expand this work by
      determining the NMR structure of a 62-nucleotide RNA (J236) that encompasses the
      VS ribozyme II-III-VI three-way junction and its adjoining stems. In addition, we
      localize Mg(2+)-binding sites within this structure using Mn(2+)-induced
      paramagnetic relaxation enhancement. The NMR structure of the J236 RNA displays a
      family C topology with a compact core stabilized by continuous stacking of stems
      II and III, a cis WC/WC G*A base pair, two base triples and two Mg(2+) ions.
      Moreover, it reveals a remote tertiary interaction between the adenine bulges of
      stems II and VI. Additional NMR studies demonstrate that both this bulge-bulge
      interaction and Mg(2+) ions are critical for the stable folding of the II-III-VI
      junction. The NMR structure of the J236 RNA is consistent with biochemical
      studies on the complete VS ribozyme, but not with biophysical studies performed
      with a minimal II-III-VI junction that does not contain the II-VI bulge-bulge
      interaction. Together with previous NMR studies, our findings provide important
      new insights into the three-dimensional architecture of this unique ribozyme. 

PMID- 26124201
TI  - Targeting Acidity in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Multispectral Optoacoustic
      Tomography Detects pH-Low Insertion Peptide Probes In Vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: pH-low insertion peptides (pHLIP) can serve as a targeting moiety
      that enables pH-sensitive probes to detect solid tumors. Using these probes in
      conjunction with multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) is a promising
      approach to improve imaging for pancreatic cancer. METHODS: A pH-sensitive pHLIP
      (V7) was conjugated to 750 NIR fluorescent dye and evaluated as a targeted probe
      for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The pH-insensitive K7 pHLIP served as an
      untargeted control. Probe binding was assessed in vitro at pH 7.4, 6.8, and 6.6
      using human pancreatic cell lines S2VP10 and S2013. Using MSOT, semiquantitative
      probe accumulation was then assessed in vivo with a murine orthotopic pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma model. RESULTS: In vitro, the V7-750 probe demonstrated
      significantly higher fluorescence at pH 6.6 compared with pH 7.4 (S2VP10, P =
      0.0119; S2013, P = 0.0160), whereas no difference was observed with the K7-750
      control (S2VP10, P = 0.8783; S2013, P = 0.921). In the in vivo S2VP10 model, V7
      750 probe resulted in 782.5 MSOT a.u. signal compared with 5.3 MSOT a.u. in K7
      750 control in tumor (P = 0.0001). Similarly, V7-750 probe signal was 578.3 MSOT
      a.u. in the S2013 model compared with K7-750 signal at 5.1 MSOT a.u. (P =
      0.0005). There was minimal off-target accumulation of the V7-750 probe within the
      liver or kidney, and probe distribution was confirmed with ex vivo imaging.
      CONCLUSIONS: Compared with pH-insensitive controls, V7-750 pH-sensitive probe
      specifically targets pancreatic adenocarcinoma and has minimal off-target
      accumulation. The noninvasive detection of pH-targeted probes by means of MSOT
      represents a promising modality to improve the detection and monitoring of
      pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 26124203
TI  - Analysis of Inflammatory and Anemia-Related Biomarkers in a Randomized, Double
      Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Siltuximab (Anti-IL6 Monoclonal Antibody) in
      Patients With Multicentric Castleman Disease.
AB  - PURPOSE: Siltuximab (IL6 antibody) is approved for the treatment of multicentric
      Castleman disease (MCD). Effects of IL6 inhibition on the inflammatory milieu
      accompanying MCD have not been characterized. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Trends in
      inflammatory- and anemia-associated markers, measured over the course of a
      placebo-controlled study of siltuximab (11 mg/kg q3w) in patients with MCD (n =
      79), were characterized. RESULTS: Baseline IL6 and C-reactive protein (CRP)
      levels were significantly correlated (r = 0.708; P < 0.0001). CRP levels
      decreased (median, 92%) by cycle 1 day 8 (C1D8), remaining suppressed during
      siltuximab treatment while remaining stable in the placebo group. There were no
      associations between baseline CRP or IL6 and MCD symptom burden, histologic
      subtype, ethnicity, maximum CRP decrease, and response parameters. A hemoglobin
      response (change >= 15 g/L at week 13) was observed with siltuximab (61%; P =
      0.0002). Median hepcidin decrease from baseline at C1D8 with siltuximab was 47%
      versus median 11% increase with placebo. Maximum post-baseline changes in
      hepcidin levels among siltuximab recipients were correlated with maximum changes
      for hemoglobin (r = -0.395; P = 0.00607), total iron-binding capacity (TIBC; r = 
      0.354; P = 0.01694), and ferritin (r = 0.599; P = 0.0001). Greater median changes
      from baseline in ferritin, hemoglobin, and TIBC were observed in anemic
      siltuximab-treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: IL6 neutralization with siltuximab
      resulted in sustained CRP suppression and improvement of anemia, in part, by
      hepcidin pathway inhibition.

PMID- 26124202
TI  - Wee-1 Kinase Inhibition Sensitizes High-Risk HPV+ HNSCC to Apoptosis Accompanied
      by Downregulation of MCl-1 and XIAP Antiapoptotic Proteins.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although the majority of patients with HPV(+) oropharyngeal cancers have
      a favorable prognosis, there are some patients with tumors that are resistant to
      aggressive chemoradiotherapy with unusual patterns of locoregional and systemic
      recurrences. Therefore, more effective therapies are needed. In this study, we
      investigated the chemosensitizing efficacy of the selective Wee-1 kinase
      inhibitor, AZD-1775, in HPV(+) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
      EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Clonogenic survival assays and an orthotopic mouse model of
      HPV(+) oral cancer were used to examine the in vitro and in vivo sensitivity of
      HPV(+) HNSCC cell lines to AZD-1775 in combination with cisplatin, respectively.
      Cell-cycle analysis, DNA damage (gammaH2AX), homologous recombination (HR), and
      apoptosis were examined to dissect molecular mechanisms. RESULTS: We found that
      AZD-1775 displays single-agent activity and enhances the response of HPV(+) HNSCC
      cells to cisplatin both in vitro and in vivo. The sensitivity of the HPV(+) HNSCC
      cells to AZD-1775 alone or in combination with cisplatin was associated with G2
      checkpoint abrogation, persistent DNA damage, and apoptosis induction. This
      finding of AZD-1775 increasing the sensitivity of HPV(+) HNSCC cells to cisplatin
      through apoptosis was not seen previously in the HPV(-) HNSCC cancer cells and is
      accompanied by a decreased expression of the antiapoptotic proteins, MCl-1and
      XIAP, which appear to be cleaved following AZD-1775 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: AZD
      1775 selectively sensitizes HPV(+) HNSCC cells and orthotopic oral xenografts to
      cisplatin through apoptosis and support the clinical investigation of AZD-1775 in
      combination with cisplatin particularly in patients with advanced and recurrent
      metastatic HPV(+) HNSCC tumors.

PMID- 26124204
TI  - SMO Gene Amplification and Activation of the Hedgehog Pathway as Novel Mechanisms
      of Resistance to Anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Drugs in Human Lung
      Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) of EGF receptor (EGFR) is
      often related to activation of other signaling pathways and evolution through a
      mesenchymal phenotype. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Because the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway has
      emerged as an important mediator of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT),
      we studied the activation of Hh signaling in models of EGFR-TKIs intrinsic or
      acquired resistance from both EGFR-mutated and wild-type (WT) non-small cell lung
      cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. RESULTS: Activation of the Hh pathway was found in
      both models of EGFR-mutated and EGFR-WT NSCLC cell line resistant to EGFR-TKIs.
      In EGFR-mutated HCC827-GR cells, we found SMO (the Hh receptor) gene
      amplification, MET activation, and the functional interaction of these two
      signaling pathways. In HCC827-GR cells, inhibition of SMO or downregulation of
      GLI1 (the most important Hh-induced transcription factor) expression in
      combination with MET inhibition exerted significant antitumor activity.In EGFR-WT
      NSCLC cell lines resistant to EGFR inhibitors, the combined inhibition of SMO and
      EGFR exerted a strong antiproliferative activity with a complete inhibition of
      PI3K/Akt and MAPK phosphorylation. In addition, the inhibition of SMO by the use
      of LDE225 sensitizes EGFR-WT NSCLC cells to standard chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS:
      This result supports the role of the Hh pathway in mediating resistance to anti
      EGFR-TKIs through the induction of EMT and suggests new opportunities to design
      new treatment strategies in lung cancer.

PMID- 26124205
TI  - Sex Differences in Long-Term Outcomes With Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in
      Mild Heart Failure Patients With Left Bundle Branch Block.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown conflicting results regarding the benefit
      of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) by sex and QRS duration. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: In the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial With
      Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (MADIT-CRT), we evaluated long-term clinical
      outcome of heart failure (HF) or death, death, and HF alone by sex and QRS
      duration (dichotomized at 150 ms) in left bundle-branch block patients with CRT
      with defibrillator backup (CRT-D) versus implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
      (ICD) only. There were 394 women (31%) and 887 men with left bundle-branch block.
      During the median follow-up of 5.6 years, women derived greater clinical benefit
      from CRT-D compared with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator only, with a
      significant 71% reduction in HF or death (hazard ratio [HR] 0.29, P<0.001) and a
      77% reduction in HF alone (HR 0.23, P<0.001) compared with men, who had a 41%
      reduction in HF or death (HR 0.59, P<0.001) and a 50% reduction in HF alone (HR
      0.50, P<0.001) (all sex-by-treatment interaction P<0.05). Men and women had
      similar reduction in long-term mortality with CRT-D versus implantable
      cardioverter-defibrillator only (men: HR 0.70, P=0.03; women: HR 0.59, P=0.04).
      The incremental benefit of CRT-D in women for HF or death and HF alone was
      consistent with QRS <150 or >150 ms. CONCLUSIONS: During long-term follow-up of
      mild HF patients with left ventricular dysfunction and wide QRS, both women and
      men with left bundle-branch block derived sustained benefit from CRT-D versus
      implantable cardioverter-defibrillator only, with significant reduction in HF or
      death, HF alone, and all-cause mortality regardless of QRS duration. There is an
      incremental benefit with CRT-D in women for the end points of HF or death and HF
      alone. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/. Unique
      identifiers: NCT00180271, NCT01294449, and NCT02060110.

PMID- 26124207
TI  - Obituary: Niclas Jonzen (1973-2015).

PMID- 26124206
TI  - Rho-GTPase and Atherosclerosis: Pleiotropic Effects of Statins.

PMID- 26124208
TI  - Feasibility and Acceptability of an Alcohol Addiction Therapy Integrated in a
      Transplant Center for Patients Awaiting Liver Transplantation.
AB  - AIMS: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an addiction program
      within the setting of liver transplantation, with classification of behavior
      change techniques used to reduce excessive drinking. METHOD: Patients with
      alcohol-related liver disease (N = 100) participated in a manualized addiction
      group therapy over 12 sessions, pre-transplantation. Relapses were identified by
      measurement of urinary ethyl glucuronide (EtG). RESULTS: Two groups were
      identified according to the frequency of participation: completers (n = 42) vs.
      drop-outs (n = 58). A total of 16.5% of the samples of completers in comparison
      to 30.5% of the samples of drop-outs tested positive for EtG (P < 0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that implementation of an addiction therapy
      program during the waiting time might help to limit the frequency of drinking.
      These patients appeared often to under-report their alcohol consumption;
      including a biomarker such as urinary EtG in such settings is recommended.

PMID- 26124213
TI  - Isolation of novel IncA/C and IncN fluoroquinolone resistance plasmids from an
      antibiotic-polluted lake.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Antibiotic-polluted environments may function as reservoirs for novel
      resistance plasmids not yet encountered in pathogens. The aims of this study were
      to assess the potential of resistance transfer between bacteria from such
      environments and Escherichia coli, and to characterize the conjugative elements
      involved. METHODS: Sediment samples from Kazipally lake and Asanikunta tank, two
      Indian lakes with a history of severe pollution with fluoroquinolones, were
      investigated. Proportions of resistant bacteria were determined by selective
      cultivation, while horizontal gene transfer was studied using a GFP-tagged E.
      coli as recipient. Retrieved transconjugants were tested for susceptibility by
      Etest((r)) and captured conjugative resistance elements were characterized by
      WGS. RESULTS: The polluted lakes harboured considerably higher proportions of
      ciprofloxacin-resistant and sulfamethoxazole-resistant bacteria than did other
      Indian and Swedish lakes included for comparison (52% versus 2% and 60% versus
      7%, respectively). Resistance plasmids were captured from Kazipally lake, but not
      from any of the other lakes; in the case of Asanikunta tank because of high
      sediment toxicity. Eight unique IncA/C and IncN resistance plasmids were
      identified among 11 sequenced transconjugants. Five plasmids were fully
      assembled, and four of these carried the quinolone resistance gene qnrVC1, which
      has previously only been found on chromosomes. Acquired resistance genes, in the
      majority of cases associated with class 1 integrons, could be linked to decreased
      susceptibility to several different classes of antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      study shows that environments heavily polluted with antibiotics contain novel
      multiresistance plasmids transferrable to E. coli.

PMID- 26124214
TI  - Filling the map for antimicrobial resistance in sub-Saharan Africa: ampicillin
      resistant Enterococcus from non-clinical sources in Angola.

PMID- 26124215
TI  - 3D-printed Bioresorbable Scaffold for Periodontal Repair.

PMID- 26124216
TI  - Three-Dimensional Bioprinting for Regenerative Dentistry and Craniofacial Tissue
      Engineering.
AB  - Craniofacial tissues are organized with complex 3-dimensional (3D) architectures.
      Mimicking such 3D complexity and the multicellular interactions naturally
      occurring in craniofacial structures represents one of the greatest challenges in
      regenerative dentistry. Three-dimensional bioprinting of tissues and biological
      structures has been proposed as a promising alternative to address some of these
      key challenges. It enables precise manufacture of various biomaterials with
      complex 3D architectures, while being compatible with multiple cell sources and
      being customizable to patient-specific needs. This review describes different 3D
      bioprinting methods and summarizes how different classes of biomaterials (polymer
      hydrogels, ceramics, composites, and cell aggregates) may be used for 3D
      biomanufacturing of scaffolds, as well as craniofacial tissue analogs. While the
      fabrication of scaffolds upon which cells attach, migrate, and proliferate is
      already in use, printing of all the components that form a tissue (living cells
      and matrix materials together) to produce tissue constructs is still in its early
      stages. In summary, this review seeks to highlight some of the key advantages of
      3D bioprinting technology for the regeneration of craniofacial structures.
      Additionally, it stimulates progress on the development of strategies that will
      promote the translation of craniofacial tissue engineering from the laboratory
      bench to the chair side. 

PMID- 26124217
TI  - M1-like Macrophage Polarization Promotes Orthodontic Tooth Movement.
AB  - Macrophages play a crucial role in inflammatory-mediated bone loss. Orthodontic
      tooth movement (OTM) is associated with inflammatory bone remodeling. However,
      whether and how macrophages contribute to mechanical force-induced OTM remains
      unknown. In this study, we hypothesized that polarization of M1-like macrophages
      may contribute to the OTM. Orthodontic nickel-titanium springs were applied to
      the upper first molars of rats or mice to induce OTM. The distance of OTM
      gradually increased after mechanical force was applied to the rats for 5 and 10
      d. M1-like macrophage polarization and expression of M1 cytokine tumor necrosis
      factor (TNF)-alpha also increased after force application. More importantly,
      monocyte/macrophage depletion in mice by injection of clodronate liposomes
      decreased the distance of OTM and the number of tartrate-resistant acid
      phosphatase (TRAP)-positive osteoclasts and CD68(+) macrophages, accompanied by
      reduced expressions of M1 markers TNF-alpha and inducible nitric oxide synthase
      (iNOS), whereas systemic transfusion of M1 macrophages in mice increased them.
      Further experiments showed that injection of recombinant TNF-alpha increased the
      distance of OTM and the number of TRAP-positive osteoclasts and CD68(+)
      macrophages, as well as upregulated the expression of TNF-alpha and iNOS.
      Blockage of TNF-alpha by etanercept injection reduced the distance of OTM and the
      number of TRAP-positive osteoclasts and CD68(+) macrophages, as well as decreased
      the levels of TNF-alpha and iNOS. These data suggest that M1-like macrophage
      polarization promotes alveolar bone resorption and consequent OTM after
      mechanical force application. 

PMID- 26124218
TI  - Elevated Level of Circulating Platelet-derived Microparticles in Oral Cancer.
AB  - Numerous studies have demonstrated that circulating microparticles (MPs) play
      important roles in a variety of diseases (e.g., atherosclerosis, hypertension,
      and diabetes), but the association between circulating MPs and oral squamous cell
      carcinoma (OSCC) remains largely unknown. In the present study, the circulating
      platelet-derived MPs (PMPs) in 63 patients with OSCC, 22 patients with infected
      keratocystic odontogenic tumor, and 31 healthy volunteers were characterized and
      quantified by flow cytometric analysis. The coagulation function of patients with
      OSCC was correspondingly evaluated. Meanwhile, the inflammation-related cytokines
      were detected in plasma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and in tumor tissues
      by immunohistochemistry. Our results showed that the plasma level of circulating
      PMPs was significantly higher in OSCC patients compared with healthy volunteers
      and patients with infected keratocystic odontogenic tumor, and they showed
      positive correlation with the increased level of fibrinogen. Moreover, the
      coagulation time was significantly shorter after the MPs were added to the MP
      free plasma. Most important, the levels of interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis
      factor alpha in plasma and tumor tissues were significantly increased in OSCC
      patients, which were closely correlated with the elevated level of circulating
      PMPs. In summary, this study suggests that the elevated level of circulating
      PMPs, showing close correlation with the secretion of inflammation-related
      factors, may contribute to the increased procoagulant activity in patients with
      OSCC. 

PMID- 26124219
TI  - Novel MMP20 and KLK4 Mutations in Amelogenesis Imperfecta.
AB  - In order to achieve highly mineralized tooth enamel, enamel proteinases serve the
      important function of removing the remaining organic matrix in the mineralization
      and maturation of the enamel matrix. Mutations in the kallikrein 4 (KLK4),
      enamelysin (MMP20), and WDR72 genes have been identified as causing
      hypomaturation enamel defects in an autosomal-recessive hereditary pattern. In
      this report, 2 consanguineous families with a hypomaturation-type enamel defect
      were recruited, and mutational analysis was performed to determine the molecular
      genetic etiology of the disease. Whole exome sequencing and autozygosity mapping
      identified novel homozygous mutations in the KLK4 (c.620_621delCT,
      p.Ser207Trpfs*38) and MMP20 (c.1054G>A, p.Glu352Lys) genes. Further analysis on
      the effect of the mutations on the translation, secretion, and function of KLK4
      and MMP20 revealed that mutant KLK4 was degraded intracellularly and became
      inactive while mutant MMP20 was expressed at a normal level but secreted only
      minimally with proteolytic function. 

PMID- 26124220
TI  - Effect of Alendronate on Bone Formation during Tooth Extraction Wound Healing.
AB  - Alendronate (ALN) is an antiresorptive agent widely used for the treatment of
      osteoporosis. Its suppressive effect on osteoclasts has been extensively studied.
      However, the effect of ALN on bone formation is not as clear as its effect on
      resorption. The objective was to determine the effect of short-term ALN on bone
      formation and tooth extraction wound healing. Molar tooth extractions were
      performed in mice. ALN, parathyroid hormone (PTH), or saline (vehicle control)
      was administered. PTH was used as the bone anabolic control. Mice were euthanized
      at 3, 5, 7, 10, and 21 d after extractions. Hard tissue healing was determined
      histomorphometrically. Neutrophils and lymphatic and blood vessels were
      quantified to evaluate soft tissue healing. Gene expression in the wounds was
      assessed at the RNA level. Furthermore, the vossicle bone transplant system was
      used to verify findings from extraction wound analysis. Alkaline phosphatase
      (ALP) was visualized in the vossicles to assess osteoblast activity. ALN
      exhibited no negative effect on bone formation. In intact tibiae, ALN increased
      bone mass significantly more than PTH did. Consistently, significantly elevated
      osteoblast numbers were noted. In the extraction sockets, bone fill in the ALN
      treated mice was equivalent to the control. Genes associated with bone
      morphogenetic protein signaling, such as bmp2, nog, and dlx5, were activated in
      the extraction wounds of the ALN-treated animals. Bone formation in vossicles was
      significantly enhanced in the ALN versus PTH group. In agreement with this, ALN
      upregulated ALP activity considerably in vossicles. Neutrophil aggregation and
      suppressed lymphangiogenesis were evident in the soft tissue at 21 d after
      extraction, although gross healing of extraction wounds was uneventful. Bone
      formation was not impeded by short-term ALN treatment. Rather, short-term ALN
      treatment enhanced bone formation. ALN did not alter bone fill in extraction
      sockets.

PMID- 26124221
TI  - The ADAMTS1 Gene Is Associated with Familial Mandibular Prognathism.
AB  - Mandibular prognathism is a facial skeletal malocclusion. Until now, the genetic
      mechanism has been unclear. The goal of this study was to identify candidate
      genes or genomic regions directly associated with mandibular prognathism
      development, by employing whole genome sequencing. A large Chinese family was
      recruited, composed of 9 affected and 12 unaffected individuals, and the
      inheritance pattern of this family tends to be autosomal dominant. A single
      nucleotide missense mutation in the ADAMTS1 gene (c. 742I>T) was found to
      segregate in the family, given that the affected individuals must be heterozygous
      for the mutation. For mutation validation, we screened this candidate mutation
      and 15 tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding sequence of ADAMTS1
      among 230 unrelated cases and 196 unrelated controls using Sequenom Massarray and
      found that 3 in 230 cases carried this mutation and none of the controls did.
      Final results suggested that 2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs2738, rs229038)
      of ADAMTS1 were significantly associated with mandibular prognathism. 

PMID- 26124222
TI  - The Influence of Smoking on the Peri-Implant Microbiome.
AB  - Smokers are at high risk for 2 bacterially driven oral diseases: peri-implant
      mucositis and peri-implantitis. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was
      to use a deep-sequencing approach to identify the effect of smoking on the peri
      implant microbiome in states of health and disease. Peri-implant biofilm samples
      were collected from 80 partially edentulous subjects with peri-implant health,
      peri-implant mucositis, and peri-implantitis. Bacterial DNA was isolated and 16S
      ribsomal RNA gene libraries sequenced using 454-pyrosequencing targeting the V1
      to V3 and V7 to V9 regions. In total, 790,692 classifiable sequences were
      compared against the HOMD database for bacterial identification. Community-level
      comparisons were carried out using UniFrac and nonparametric tests. Microbial
      signatures of health in smokers exhibited lower diversity compared to nonsmokers,
      with significant enrichment for disease-associated species. Shifts from health to
      mucositis were accompanied by loss of several health-associated species, leading
      to a further decrease in diversity. Peri-implantitis did not differ significantly
      from mucositis in species richness or evenness. In nonsmokers, by contrast, the
      shift from health to mucositis resembled primary ecological succession, with
      acquisition of several species without replacement of pioneer organisms, thereby
      creating a significant increase in diversity. Again, few differences were
      detected between peri-implantitis and mucositis. Thus, our data suggest that
      smoking shapes the peri-implant microbiomes even in states of clinical health, by
      supporting a pathogen-rich community. In both smokers and nonsmokers, peri
      implant mucositis appears to be a pivotal event in disease progression, creating
      high-at-risk-for-harm communities. However, ecological succession follows
      distinctly divergent pathways in smokers and nonsmokers, indicating a need for
      personalized therapeutics for control and prevention of disease in these 2
      cohorts.

PMID- 26124223
TI  - Washington 'Steps' Up: A 10-Step Quality Improvement Initiative to Optimize
      Breastfeeding Support in Community Health Centers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding initiation in Washington State (Northwest United
      States) is high, yet rates plummet by 3 months postpartum. In the United States,
      national quality improvement (QI) efforts to improve breastfeeding outcomes have
      largely focused on hospital maternity care practices through implementation of
      the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. This framework has not extended
      similarly to primary care clinics, a key site for supporting continued
      breastfeeding following hospital discharge. This article details a pilot effort
      with community clinics to implement 10 evidence-based steps to support
      breastfeeding in the clinic setting and to evaluate the process and outcomes.
      OBJECTIVE: A public-private-academic partnership developed and piloted a 10-step
      clinic breastfeeding support strategy and focused resources, training, and
      technical assistance on primary care clinics to help facilitate best-practice
      policy and environmental changes to improve clinic breastfeeding support.
      METHODS: Eight health centers, serving predominantly Latino and Native American
      communities, worked to systematically implement 10 evidence-based steps developed
      for the community primary care setting. An evidence table, self-assessment with
      scoring criteria, tool kit, and provider reference documents were developed to
      guide clinics. RESULTS: At baseline, clinics had 2 steps, on average, already in
      practice (range, 1-4 steps); by final assessment, an average of 7 steps was
      implemented (range, 5-9 steps). Within 6 months from pre-intervention to post,
      clinics fully operationalized between 2 and 7 steps. CONCLUSION: Catalyzing
      clinic QI efforts through an evidence-based 10-step model is an effective way to
      optimize primary care breastfeeding support and to strengthen the continuum of
      care for breastfeeding mothers and babies following hospital discharge.

PMID- 26124224
TI  - Workplace Violence in the Health Sector in Turkey: A National Study.
AB  - Violence in the workplace is an increasing occupational health concern worldwide.
      Health care workers are at high risk of assault. To develop, monitor, and manage
      prevention policies, baseline data should be available. This cross-sectional
      study was designed to determine the current extent of workplace violence
      nationwide in Turkey. The study population of 12.944 health care workers was a
      stratified sample of all health care workers (612,639) in the country. A
      probabilistic sampling was made on the basis of the "multistage stratified random
      cluster sampling method." This study was conducted by a structured questionnaire
      in a face-to-face interview. The questionnaire items were adapted and translated
      into Turkish based on questionnaires of International Labor Organization,
      International Council of Nurses, World Health Organization, and Public Services
      International. The percentage of health care workers who experienced workplace
      violence in Turkey in the previous 12 months was 44.7%. The types of violence
      included physical 6.8%, verbal 43.2%, mobbing (bullying) 2.4%, and sexual
      harassment 1%. Multivariate analysis showed that level of health care system,
      type of institution, gender, occupation, age, working hours, and shift work were
      independent risk factors for experiencing workplace violence ( p < .05). Our
      study indicates that the workplace violence among health care workers is a
      significant problem. The results of the study can serve as the basis for future
      analytical studies and for development of appropriate prevention efforts.

PMID- 26124225
TI  - Social media embraces suicide prevention.

PMID- 26124226
TI  - Parliamentary report calls for action on Wi-Fi.

PMID- 26124227
TI  - Lymphedema-distichiasis syndrome.

PMID- 26124228
TI  - Tamper-resistant drugs cannot solve the opioid crisis.

PMID- 26124229
TI  - Health research among hard-to-reach people: six degrees of sampling.

PMID- 26124230
TI  - Heyde syndrome: gastrointestinal bleeding and aortic stenosis.

PMID- 26124231
TI  - What is government's role in medical apps?

PMID- 26124233
TI  - HIV in Saskatchewan merits urgent response.

PMID- 26124234
TI  - Aboriginal youth suicide rises in Northern Ontario.

PMID- 26124235
TI  - Contributions of individual acculturation and neighborhood ethnic density to
      variations in Hispanic children's respiratory health in a US-Mexican border
      metropolis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We used an expanded conceptualization of ethnic density at the
      neighborhood level, tailored to Hispanic majority communities in the USA, and a
      robust measure of children's acculturation at the individual level, to predict
      Hispanic children's respiratory health. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional
      survey of 1904 children in 2012 in El Paso, TX, USA. One thousand one hundred and
      seven Hispanic children nested within 72 census tracts were analyzed. Multilevel
      logistic regression models with cross-level interactions were used to predict
      bronchitis, asthma and wheezing during sleep. RESULTS: A neighborhood-level
      ethnic density factor was a non-significant risk factor while individual-level
      acculturation was a significant risk factor for the three outcomes. Pest troubles
      and not having been breastfed as an infant intensified the positive association
      between ethnic density and bronchitis. Increases in ethnic density intensified
      the odds of wheezing in sleep if the child was not low birth weight or was not
      economically deprived. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that increasing individual
      level acculturation is detrimental for US Hispanic children's respiratory health
      in this Hispanic majority setting, while high ethnic density neighborhoods are
      mildly risky and pose more significant threats when other individual-level
      factors are present.

PMID- 26124236
TI  - Serum neuron specific enolase - a novel indicator for neuropsychiatric systemic
      lupus erythematosus?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Neuropsychiatric (NP) lupus, a common manifestation of systemic lupus
      erythematosus (SLE), is still insufficiently understood, in part, because of the
      lack of specific biomarkers. Neuron specific enolase (NSE), an important neuronal
      glycolytic enzyme, shows increased serum levels following acute brain injury, and
      decreased serum levels in several chronic disorders of the nervous system,
      including multi infarct dementia, multiple sclerosis and depression. The aim of
      the study was to evaluate serum NSE levels in SLE patients with and without
      nervous system involvement, and in healthy controls, and to assess the
      correlation of NSE serum levels of patients with neuropsychiatric systemic lupus
      erythematosus (NPSLE) with clinical parameters. METHODS: The study comprised 47
      SLE patients and 28 controls. SLE activity was assessed using the Systemic Lupus
      Activity Measure (SLAM). A neurologist and a psychiatrist examined all patients.
      NP involvement was diagnosed according to strict NPSLE criteria proposed by
      Ainiala and coworkers, as modification to American College of Rheumatology (ACR)
      nomenclature and case definitions. NSE serum levels were determined by use of an
      immunoassay. RESULTS: Mean NSE serum concentrations in patients with NPSLE were
      significantly lower than in non-NPSLE patients (6.3 +/- 2.6 ug/L vs. 9.7 +/- 3.3
      ug/L, p < 0.01) and in controls (8.8 +/- 3.3 ug/L, p < 0.05). There were
      significant negative correlations between NSE serum levels and SLE activity (r = 
      0.42, p < 0.05) and the number of NPSLE manifestations diagnosed (-0.37; p =
      0.001). CONCLUSION: Decreased serum concentrations of NSE may reflect chronic
      neuronal damage with declined metabolism of the nervous tissue in patients with
      NPSLE.

PMID- 26124237
TI  - Cognitive dysfunction and functional magnetic resonance imaging in systemic lupus
      erythematosus.
AB  - Cognitive dysfunction is a common aspect of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
      and is increasingly reported as a problem by patients. In many cases the exact
      cause is unclear. Limited correlations between specific autoantibodies or
      structural brain abnormalities and cognitive dysfunction in SLE have been
      reported. It may be that the most appropriate biomarkers have yet to be found.
      Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a technique used in many other
      conditions and provides sensitive measures of brain functionality during
      cognitive tasks. It is now beginning to be employed in SLE studies. These studies
      have shown that patients with SLE often perform similarly to healthy controls in
      terms of behavioural measures on cognitive tasks. However, SLE patients appear to
      employ compensatory brain mechanisms, such as increased response in fronto
      parietal regions, to maintain adequate cognitive performance. As there have been
      only a few studies using fMRI in SLE to investigate cognitive dysfunction, many
      questions remain unanswered. Further research could, however, help to identify
      biomarkers for cognitive dysfunction in SLE. 

PMID- 26124238
TI  - Cyclic Di-GMP Regulates Type IV Pilus-Dependent Motility in Myxococcus xanthus.
AB  - The nucleotide-based second messenger bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP)
      is involved in regulating a plethora of processes in bacteria that are typically
      associated with lifestyle changes. Myxococcus xanthus undergoes major lifestyle
      changes in response to nutrient availability, with the formation of spreading
      colonies in the presence of nutrients and spore-filled fruiting bodies in the
      absence of nutrients. Here, we investigated the function of c-di-GMP in M.
      xanthus and show that this bacterium synthesizes c-di-GMP during growth.
      Manipulation of the c-di-GMP level by expression of either an active,
      heterologous diguanylate cyclase or an active, heterologous phosphodiesterase
      correlated with defects in type IV pilus (T4P)-dependent motility, whereas
      gliding motility was unaffected. An increased level of c-di-GMP correlated with
      reduced transcription of the pilA gene (which encodes the major pilin of T4P),
      reduced the assembly of T4P, and altered cell agglutination, whereas a decreased
      c-di-GMP level correlated with altered cell agglutination. The systematic
      inactivation of the 24 genes in M. xanthus encoding proteins containing GGDEF,
      EAL, or HD-GYP domains, which are associated with c-di-GMP synthesis,
      degradation, or binding, identified three genes encoding proteins important for
      T4P-dependent motility, whereas all mutants had normal gliding motility. Purified
      DmxA had diguanylate cyclase activity, whereas the hybrid histidine protein
      kinases TmoK and SgmT, each of which contains a GGDEF domain, did not have
      diguanylate cyclase activity. These results demonstrate that c-di-GMP is
      important for T4P-dependent motility in M. xanthus. IMPORTANCE: We provide the
      first direct evidence that M. xanthus synthesizes c-di-GMP and demonstrate that c
      di-GMP is important for T4P-dependent motility, whereas we did not obtain
      evidence that c-di-GMP regulates gliding motility. The data presented uncovered a
      novel mechanism for regulation of T4P-dependent motility, in which increased
      levels of c-di-GMP inhibit transcription of the pilA gene (which encodes the
      major pilin of T4P), ultimately resulting in the reduced assembly of T4P.
      Moreover, we identified an enzymatically active diguanylate cyclase that is
      important for T4P-dependent motility.

PMID- 26124239
TI  - Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria Secretes Proteases and Xylanases via the
      Xps Type II Secretion System and Outer Membrane Vesicles.
AB  - Many plant-pathogenic bacteria utilize type II secretion (T2S) systems to secrete
      degradative enzymes into the extracellular milieu. T2S substrates presumably
      mediate the degradation of plant cell wall components during the host-pathogen
      interaction and thus promote bacterial virulence. Previously, the Xps-T2S system
      from Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria was shown to contribute to
      extracellular protease activity and the secretion of a virulence-associated
      xylanase. The identities and functions of additional T2S substrates from X.
      campestris pv. vesicatoria, however, are still unknown. In the present study, the
      analysis of 25 candidate proteins from X. campestris pv. vesicatoria led to the
      identification of two type II secreted predicted xylanases, a putative protease
      and a lipase which was previously identified as a virulence factor of X.
      campestris pv. vesicatoria. Studies with mutant strains revealed that the
      identified xylanases and the protease contribute to virulence and in planta
      growth of X. campestris pv. vesicatoria. When analyzed in the related pathogen X.
      campestris pv. campestris, several T2S substrates from X. campestris pv.
      vesicatoria were secreted independently of the T2S systems, presumably because of
      differences in the T2S substrate specificities of the two pathogens. Furthermore,
      in X. campestris pv. vesicatoria T2S mutants, secretion of T2S substrates was not
      completely absent, suggesting the contribution of additional transport systems to
      protein secretion. In line with this hypothesis, T2S substrates were detected in
      outer membrane vesicles, which were frequently observed for X. campestris pv.
      vesicatoria. We, therefore, propose that extracellular virulence-associated
      enzymes from X. campestris pv. vesicatoria are targeted to the Xps-T2S system and
      to outer membrane vesicles. IMPORTANCE: The virulence of plant-pathogenic
      bacteria often depends on TS2 systems, which secrete degradative enzymes into the
      extracellular milieu. T2S substrates are being studied in several plant
      pathogenic bacteria, including Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, which
      causes bacterial spot disease in tomato and pepper. Here, we show that the T2S
      system from X. campestris pv. vesicatoria secretes virulence-associated
      xylanases, a predicted protease, and a lipase. Secretion assays with the related
      pathogen X. campestris pv. campestris revealed important differences in the T2S
      substrate specificities of the two pathogens. Furthermore, electron microscopy
      showed that T2S substrates from X. campestris pv. vesicatoria are targeted to
      outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). Our results, therefore, suggest that OMVs provide
      an alternative transport route for type II secreted extracellular enzymes.

PMID- 26124240
TI  - Structural Characterization of the Fla2 Flagellum of Rhodobacter sphaeroides.
AB  - Rhodobacter sphaeroides is a free-living alphaproteobacterium that contains two
      clusters of functional flagellar genes in its genome: one acquired by horizontal
      gene transfer (fla1) and one that is endogenous (fla2). We have shown that the
      Fla2 system is normally quiescent and under certain conditions produces polar
      flagella, while the Fla1 system is always active and produces a single flagellum
      at a nonpolar position. In this work we purified and characterized the structure
      and analyzed the composition of the Fla2 flagellum. The number of polar filaments
      per cell is 4.6 on average. By comparison with the Fla1 flagellum, the prominent
      features of the ultra structure of the Fla2 HBB are the absence of an H ring,
      thick and long hooks, and a smoother zone at the hook-filament junction. The Fla2
      helical filaments have a pitch of 2.64 MUm and a diameter of 1.4 MUm, which are
      smaller than those of the Fla1 filaments. Fla2 filaments undergo polymorphic
      transitions in vitro and showed two polymorphs: curly (right-handed) and coiled.
      However, in vivo in free-swimming cells, we observed only a bundle of filaments,
      which should probably be left-handed. Together, our results indicate that Fla2
      cell produces multiple right-handed polar flagella, which are not conventional
      but exceptional. IMPORTANCE: R. sphaeroides possesses two functional sets of
      flagellar genes. The fla1 genes are normally expressed in the laboratory and were
      acquired by horizontal transfer. The fla2 genes are endogenous and are expressed
      in a Fla1(-) mutant grown phototrophically and in the absence of organic acids.
      The Fla1 system produces a single lateral or subpolar flagellum, and the Fla2
      system produces multiple polar flagella. The two kinds of flagella are never
      expressed simultaneously, and both are used for swimming in liquid media. The two
      sets of genes are certainly ready for responding to specific environmental
      conditions. The characterization of the Fla2 system will help us to understand
      its role in the physiology of this microorganism.

PMID- 26124241
TI  - Deletion of nfnAB in Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum and Its Effect on
      Metabolism.
AB  - NfnAB catalyzes the reversible transfer of electrons from reduced ferredoxin and
      NADH to 2 NADP(+). The NfnAB complex has been hypothesized to be the main enzyme
      for ferredoxin oxidization in strains of Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum
      engineered for increased ethanol production. NfnAB complex activity was
      detectable in crude cell extracts of T. saccharolyticum. Activity was also
      detected using activity staining of native PAGE gels. The nfnAB gene was deleted
      in different strains of T. saccharolyticum to determine its effect on end product
      formation. In wild-type T. saccharolyticum, deletion of nfnAB resulted in a 46%
      increase in H2 formation but otherwise little change in other fermentation
      products. In two engineered strains with 80% theoretical ethanol yield, loss of
      nfnAB caused two different responses: in one strain, ethanol yield decreased to
      about 30% of the theoretical value, while another strain had no change in ethanol
      yield. Biochemical analysis of cell extracts showed that the DeltanfnAB strain
      with decreased ethanol yield had NADPH-linked alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)
      activity, while the DeltanfnAB strain with unchanged ethanol yield had NADH
      linked ADH activity. Deletion of nfnAB caused loss of NADPH-linked ferredoxin
      oxidoreductase activity in all cell extracts. Significant NADH-linked ferredoxin
      oxidoreductase activity was seen in all cell extracts, including those that had
      lost nfnAB. This suggests that there is an unidentified NADH:ferredoxin
      oxidoreductase (distinct from nfnAB) playing a role in ethanol formation. The
      NfnAB complex plays a key role in generating NADPH in a strain that had become
      reliant on NADPH-ADH activity. IMPORTANCE: Thermophilic anaerobes that can
      convert biomass-derived sugars into ethanol have been investigated as candidates
      for biofuel formation. Many anaerobes have been genetically engineered to
      increase biofuel formation; however, key aspects of metabolism remain unknown and
      poorly understood. One example is the mechanism for ferredoxin oxidation and
      transfer of electrons to NAD(P)(+). The electron-bifurcating enzyme complex NfnAB
      is known to catalyze the reversible transfer of electrons from reduced ferredoxin
      and NADH to 2 NADP(+) and is thought to play key roles linking NAD(P)(H)
      metabolism with ferredoxin metabolism. We report the first deletion of nfnAB and
      demonstrate a role for NfnAB in metabolism and ethanol formation in
      Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum and show that this may be an important
      feature among other thermophilic ethanologenic anaerobes.

PMID- 26124244
TI  - Twistors and amplitudes.
AB  - A brief review is given of why twistor geometry has taken a central place in the
      theory of scattering amplitudes for fundamental particles. The emphasis is on the
      twistor diagram formalism as originally proposed by Penrose, the development of
      which has now led to the definition by Arkani-Hamed et al. of the
      'amplituhedron'. 

PMID- 26124245
TI  - Lorentzian quantum reality: postulates and toy models.
AB  - We describe postulates for a novel realist version of relativistic quantum theory
      or quantum field theory in Minkowski space and other background space-times, and
      illustrate their application with toy models. 

PMID- 26124242
TI  - From (p)ppGpp to (pp)pGpp: Characterization of Regulatory Effects of pGpp
      Synthesized by the Small Alarmone Synthetase of Enterococcus faecalis.
AB  - The bacterial stringent response (SR) is a conserved stress tolerance mechanism
      that orchestrates physiological alterations to enhance cell survival. This
      response is mediated by the intracellular accumulation of the alarmones pppGpp
      and ppGpp, collectively called (p)ppGpp. In Enterococcus faecalis, (p)ppGpp
      metabolism is carried out by the bifunctional synthetase/hydrolase E. faecalis
      Rel (RelEf) and the small alarmone synthetase (SAS) RelQEf. Although Rel is the
      main enzyme responsible for SR activation in Firmicutes, there is emerging
      evidence that SASs can make important contributions to bacterial homeostasis.
      Here, we showed that RelQEf synthesizes ppGpp more efficiently than pppGpp
      without the need for ribosomes, tRNA, or mRNA. In addition to (p)ppGpp synthesis
      from GDP and GTP, RelQEf also efficiently utilized GMP to form GMP 3'-diphosphate
      (pGpp). Based on this observation, we sought to determine if pGpp exerts
      regulatory effects on cellular processes affected by (p)ppGpp. We found that
      pGpp, like (p)ppGpp, strongly inhibits the activity of E. faecalis enzymes
      involved in GTP biosynthesis and, to a lesser extent, transcription of rrnB by
      Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. Activation of E. coli RelA synthetase activity
      was observed in the presence of both pGpp and ppGpp, while RelQEf was activated
      only by ppGpp. Furthermore, enzymatic activity of RelQEf is insensitive to
      relacin, a (p)ppGpp analog developed as an inhibitor of "long" RelA/SpoT homolog
      (RSH) enzymes. We conclude that pGpp can likely function as a bacterial alarmone
      with target-specific regulatory effects that are similar to what has been
      observed for (p)ppGpp. IMPORTANCE: Accumulation of the nucleotide second
      messengers (p)ppGpp in bacteria is an important signal regulating genetic and
      physiological networks contributing to stress tolerance, antibiotic persistence,
      and virulence. Understanding the function and regulation of the enzymes involved
      in (p)ppGpp turnover is therefore critical for designing strategies to eliminate
      the protective effects of this molecule. While characterizing the (p)ppGpp
      synthetase RelQ of Enterococcus faecalis (RelQEf), we found that, in addition to
      (p)ppGpp, RelQEf is an efficient producer of pGpp (GMP 3'-diphosphate). In vitro
      analysis revealed that pGpp exerts complex, target-specific effects on processes
      known to be modulated by (p)ppGpp. These findings provide a new regulatory
      feature of RelQEf and suggest that pGpp may represent a new member of the
      (pp)pGpp family of alarmones.

PMID- 26124243
TI  - IscR Regulates Synthesis of Colonization Factor Antigen I Fimbriae in Response to
      Iron Starvation in Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.
AB  - Iron availability functions as an environmental cue for enteropathogenic
      bacteria, signaling arrival within the human host. As enterotoxigenic Escherichia
      coli (ETEC) is a major cause of human diarrhea, the effect of iron on ETEC
      virulence factors was evaluated here. ETEC pathogenicity is directly linked to
      production of fimbrial colonization factors and secretion of heat-labile
      enterotoxin (LT) and/or heat-stable enterotoxin (ST). Efficient colonization of
      the small intestine further requires at least the flagellin binding adhesin EtpA.
      Under iron starvation, production of the CFA/I fimbriae was increased in the ETEC
      H10407 prototype strain. In contrast, LT secretion was inhibited. Furthermore,
      under iron starvation, gene expression of the cfa (CFA/I) and etp (EtpBAC)
      operons was induced, whereas transcription of toxin genes was either unchanged or
      repressed. Transcriptional reporter fusion experiments focusing on the cfa operon
      further showed that iron starvation stimulated cfaA promoter activity in ETEC,
      indicating that the impact of iron on CFA/I production was mediated by
      transcriptional regulation. Evaluation of cfaA promoter activity in heterologous
      E. coli single mutant knockout strains identified IscR as the regulator
      responsible for inducing cfa fimbrial gene expression in response to iron
      starvation, and this was confirmed in an ETEC DeltaiscR strain. The global iron
      response regulator, Fur, was not implicated. IscR binding sites were identified
      in silico within the cfaA promoter and fixation confirmed by DNase I
      footprinting, indicating that IscR directly binds the promoter region to induce
      CFA/I. IMPORTANCE: Pathogenic enterobacteria modulate expression of virulence
      genes in response to iron availability. Although the Fur transcription factor
      represents the global regulator of iron homeostasis in Escherichia coli, we show
      that several ETEC virulence factors are modulated by iron, with expression of the
      major fimbriae under the control of the iron-sulfur cluster regulator, IscR.
      Furthermore, we demonstrate that the apo form of IscR, lacking an Fe-S cluster,
      is able to directly fix the corresponding promoter region. These results provide
      further evidence implicating IscR in bacterial virulence and suggest that IscR
      may represent a more general regulator mediating the iron response in
      enteropathogens.

PMID- 26124246
TI  - Models on the boundary between classical and quantum mechanics.
AB  - Arguments that quantum mechanics cannot be explained in terms of any classical
      theory using only classical logic seem to be based on sound mathematical
      considerations: there cannot be physical laws that require 'conspiracy'. It may
      therefore be surprising that there are several explicit quantum systems where
      these considerations apparently do not apply. In this report, several such
      counterexamples are shown. These are quantum models that do have a classical
      origin. The most curious of these models is superstring theory. So now the
      question is asked: how can such a model feature 'conspiracy', and how bad is
      that? Is there conspiracy in the vacuum fluctuations? Arguments concerning Bell's
      theorem are further sharpened. 

PMID- 26124247
TI  - Spectral presheaves as quantum state spaces.
AB  - For each quantum system described by an operator algebra [Formula: see text] of
      physical quantities, we provide a (generalized) state space, notwithstanding the
      Kochen-Specker theorem. This quantum state space is the spectral presheaf
      [Formula: see text]. We formulate the time evolution of quantum systems in terms
      of Hamiltonian flows on this generalized space and explain how the structure of
      the spectral presheaf [Formula: see text] geometrically mirrors the double role
      played by self-adjoint operators in quantum theory, as quantum random variables
      and as generators of time evolution. 

PMID- 26124248
TI  - Geometry of mass.
AB  - We study the effect of mass on geometric descriptions of gauge field theories. In
      an approach in which the massless theory resembles general relativity, the
      introduction of the mass entails non-zero torsion and the generalization to
      Einstein-Cartan-Sciama-Kibble theories. The relationships to pure torsion
      formulations (teleparallel gravity) and to higher gauge theories are also
      discussed. 

PMID- 26124249
TI  - New geometric concepts in the foundations of physics.

PMID- 26124250
TI  - Locally covariant quantum field theory and the problem of formulating the same
      physics in all space-times.
AB  - The framework of locally covariant quantum field theory is discussed, motivated
      in part using 'ignorance principles'. It is shown how theories can be represented
      by suitable functors, so that physical equivalence of theories may be expressed
      via natural isomorphisms between the corresponding functors. The inhomogeneous
      scalar field is used to illustrate the ideas. It is argued that there are two
      reasonable definitions of the local physical content associated with a locally
      covariant theory; when these coincide, the theory is said to be dynamically
      local. The status of the dynamical locality condition is reviewed, as are its
      applications in relation to (i) the foundational question of what it means for a
      theory to represent the same physics in different space-times and (ii) a no-go
      result on the existence of natural states. 

PMID- 26124251
TI  - Towards quantized number theory: spectral operators and an asymmetric criterion
      for the Riemann hypothesis.
AB  - This research expository article not only contains a survey of earlier work but
      also contains a main new result, which we first describe. Given c>=0, the
      spectral operator [Formula: see text] can be thought of intuitively as the
      operator which sends the geometry onto the spectrum of a fractal string of
      dimension not exceeding c. Rigorously, it turns out to coincide with a suitable
      quantization of the Riemann zeta function zeta=zeta(s): a=zeta(?), where ?=?(c)
      is the infinitesimal shift of the real line acting on the weighted Hilbert space
      [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we establish a new asymmetric criterion for
      the Riemann hypothesis (RH), expressed in terms of the invertibility of the
      spectral operator for all values of the dimension parameter [Formula: see text]
      (i.e. for all c in the left half of the critical interval (0,1)). This
      corresponds (conditionally) to a mathematical (and perhaps also, physical) 'phase
      transition' occurring in the midfractal case when [Formula: see text]. Both the
      universality and the non-universality of zeta=zeta(s) in the right (resp., left)
      critical strip [Formula: see text] (resp., [Formula: see text]) play a key role
      in this context. These new results are presented here. We also briefly discuss
      earlier joint work on the complex dimensions of fractal strings, and we survey
      earlier related work of the author with Maier and with Herichi, respectively, in
      which were established symmetric criteria for the RH, expressed, respectively, in
      terms of a family of natural inverse spectral problems for fractal strings of
      Minkowski dimension D?(0,1), with [Formula: see text], and of the quasi
      invertibility of the family of spectral operators [Formula: see text] (with
      [Formula: see text]).

PMID- 26124252
TI  - The geometric semantics of algebraic quantum mechanics.
AB  - In this paper, we will present an ongoing project that aims to use model theory
      as a suitable mathematical setting for studying the formalism of quantum
      mechanics. We argue that this approach provides a geometric semantics for such a
      formalism by means of establishing a (non-commutative) duality between certain
      algebraic and geometric objects. 

PMID- 26124253
TI  - Quantum mechanics, gravity and modified quantization relations.
AB  - In this paper, we investigate a possible energy scale dependence of the
      quantization rules and, in particular, from a phenomenological point of view, an
      energy scale dependence of an effective [Formula: see text] (reduced Planck's
      constant). We set a bound on the deviation of the value of [Formula: see text] at
      the muon scale from its usual value using measurements of the anomalous magnetic
      moment of the muon. Assuming that inflation has taken place, we can conclude that
      nature is described by a quantum theory at least up to an energy scale of about
      10(16) GeV. 

PMID- 26124254
TI  - Quantum theory with bold operator tensors.
AB  - In this paper, we present a formulation of quantum theory in terms of bold
      operator tensors. A circuit is built up of operations where an operation
      corresponds to a use of an apparatus. We associate collections of operator
      tensors (which together comprise a bold operator) with these apparatus uses. We
      give rules for combining bold operator tensors such that, for a circuit, they
      give a probability distribution over the possible outcomes. If we impose certain
      physicality constraints on the bold operator tensors, then we get exactly the
      quantum formalism. We provide both symbolic and diagrammatic ways to represent
      these calculations. This approach is manifestly covariant in that it does not
      require us to foliate the circuit into time steps and then evolve a state. Thus,
      the approach forms a natural starting point for an operational approach to
      quantum field theory. 

PMID- 26124255
TI  - Palatial twistor theory and the twistor googly problem.
AB  - A key obstruction to the twistor programme has been its so-called 'googly
      problem', unresolved for nearly 40 years, which asks for a twistor description of
      right-handed interacting massless fields (positive helicity), using the same
      twistor conventions that give rise to left-handed fields (negative helicity) in
      the standard 'nonlinear graviton' and Ward constructions. An explicit proposal
      for resolving this obstruction--palatial twistor theory--is put forward
      (illustrated in the case of gravitation). This incorporates the concept of a non
      commutative holomorphic quantized twistor 'Heisenberg algebra', extending the
      sheaves of holomorphic functions of conventional twistor theory to include the
      operators of twistor differentiation.

PMID- 26124256
TI  - Bell's conspiracy, Schrodinger's black cat and global invariant sets.
AB  - A locally causal hidden-variable theory of quantum physics need not be
      constrained by the Bell inequalities if this theory also partially violates the
      measurement independence condition. However, such violation can appear
      unphysical, implying implausible conspiratorial correlations between the hidden
      variables of particles being measured and earlier determinants of instrumental
      settings. A novel physically plausible explanation for such correlations is
      proposed, based on the hypothesis that states of physical reality lie precisely
      on a non-computational measure-zero dynamically invariant set in the state space
      of the universe: the Cosmological Invariant Set Postulate. To illustrate the
      relevance of the concept of a global invariant set, a simple analogy is
      considered where a massive object is propelled into a black hole depending on the
      decay of a radioactive atom. It is claimed that a locally causal hidden-variable
      theory constrained by the Cosmological Invariant Set Postulate can violate the
      Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality without being conspiratorial,
      superdeterministic, fine-tuned or retrocausal, and the theory readily
      accommodates the classical compatibilist notion of (experimenter) free will. 

PMID- 26124257
TI  - Flash to bang: psychological trauma, veterans and military families: can services
      cope?

PMID- 26124258
TI  - Commentary: The use of creatine supplements in the military.

PMID- 26124259
TI  - The use of creatine supplements in the military.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Creatine is considered an effective nutritional ergogenic aid to
      enhance exercise performance. In spite of the publication of several reviews in
      the last decade on the topic of exercise performance/sports and creatine there is
      a need for an update related to the military given the lack of information in
      this area. The aim of this study was to critically assess original research
      addressing the use of creatine supplements in the military. METHODS: A search of
      the electronic databases PubMed and SPORTDiscus, for the following key words:
      military personnel, trainees, recruit, soldier, physical fitness, physical
      conditioning, creatine supplementation, creatine ingestion, nutritional
      supplements to identify surveys and randomised clinical trials from journal
      articles and technical reports investigating the effect of creatine
      supplementation on military populations. RESULTS: Thirty-three out of 90 articles
      examined the use of creatine as a dietary supplement in military personnel.
      Twenty-one studies were finally selected on the basis of stated inclusion
      criteria for military surveys and randomised clinical trials. Most of the surveys
      (15/17) in the military indicate a high popularity of creatine (average 27%)
      among supplement users. In contrast, in most of the exercise protocols used (6/9)
      during randomised clinical trials creatine has produced a non-significant
      performance-enhancing effect. CONCLUSIONS: Creatine is one of the most widely
      used supplemental compounds in the military. It is not considered a doping
      infraction or related to any adverse health effects but its long-term usage needs
      further investigation. Experimental research suggests that creatine
      supplementation does not enhance physical performance in the military. However,
      limitations in creatine dosage, military fitness testing and sample group
      selection might have underestimated the ergogenic properties of creatine. Recent
      studies also indicate positive effects on various aspects of total force fitness
      such as cognitive-psychomotor performance, bone health, musculoskeletal damage
      and neuromuscular function.

PMID- 26124260
TI  - Design and fabrication of a multipurpose thyroid phantom for medical dosimetry
      and calibration.
AB  - A multipurpose anthropomorphic neck phantom was designed and fabricated for use
      in medical applications. The designed neck phantom is composed of seven elliptic
      cylindrical slices with a semi-major axis of 14 cm and a semi-minor axis of 12.5
      cm, each having the thickness of 2 cm. The thyroid gland, bony part of the neck,
      and the windpipe were also built inside the neck phantom. For the purpose of
      medical dosimetry, some holes were drilled inside the phantom to accommodate the
      thermoluminescence dosemeters with different shapes and dimensions. For testing
      the quality of images in nuclear medicine, the thyroid gland was built separately
      to accommodate the radioactive iodine. Finally, the nuclear medicine images were
      obtained by inserting (131)I in both male and female thyroid parts. 

PMID- 26124261
TI  - HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Carcinoma: A Systematic Review of Treatment and
      Prognosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Human papillomavirus-positive (HPV+) head and neck squamous cell
      carcinoma is increasing in incidence and appears to exhibit improved response to
      treatment and better survival than that of HPV- head and neck squamous cell
      carcinoma. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the current
      literature regarding treatment and prognosis of HPV+ oropharyngeal squamous cell
      carcinoma (OPSCC) and identify whether type of treatment (primarily surgery vs
      primarily radiation) significantly affects survival rates. DATA SOURCES: PubMed
      and Cochrane Library databases. REVIEW METHODS: A computerized search of the
      PubMed and Cochrane Library databases was performed to identify English-language
      articles published between January 1, 2000, and October 21, 2014. Studies were
      included only if they were prospective or retrospective observational series of
      OPSCC patients that reported HPV status, treatment regimen, and survival
      outcomes. Outcomes were determined for HPV+ and HPV- OPSCC patients, with
      subanalyses according to the type of treatment received. RESULTS: Fifty-six
      articles were eligible for this review. In the HPV+ analysis, the unadjusted
      hazard rate ratio (HR) for surgery vs radiation treatment was 1.33 (P = .114).
      Nine confounders were considered, and HRs were adjusted for each covariate. While
      HRs were almost all >1 for all covariates, none of the HRs was statistically
      significant at P < .05. The HR for HPV- OPSCC was higher for radiation than
      surgery. CONCLUSIONS: HPV+ OPSCC has an improved prognosis and lower rates of
      adverse events when compared with HPV- OPSCC. HPV- OPSCC had significantly worse
      outcomes when treated with primary radiation as compared with primary surgery.
      There was no statistically significant difference in HRs for HPV+ OPSCC with
      primary radiation vs primary surgery treatment.

PMID- 26124262
TI  - Change in Quality of Life with Velopharyngeal Insufficiency Surgery.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: (1) To define the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of
      the Velopharyngeal Insufficiency (VPI) Effects on Life Outcomes (VELO)
      instrument, and (2) to test for the change in quality of life (QOL) after VPI
      surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort. SETTING: VPI clinic at a
      tertiary pediatric medical center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Children with VPI and
      their parents completed the VELO instrument (higher score is better QOL) at
      enrollment and then underwent VPI surgery (Furlow palatoplasty or sphincter
      pharyngoplasty, n = 32), other treatments (obturator or oronasal fistula repair,
      n = 7), or no treatment (n = 18). They completed the VELO instrument again and an
      instrument of global rating of change in QOL at 1 year. The MCID was anchored to
      the global change instrument scores corresponding to "a little" or "somewhat"
      better. Within-group (paired t test) and between-group (Student t test) changes
      in VELO scores were tested for the VPI surgery and no treatment groups. The
      association between treatment group and change in VELO scores was tested with
      multivariate linear regression, adjusting for confounders. RESULTS: Follow-up was
      obtained for 37 of 57 (65%) patients. The mean (+/-standard deviation) change in
      VELO scores corresponding to the MCID anchor was 15 +/- 13. The VELO score
      improved significantly more in the VPI surgery group (change, 22 +/- 15; P <
      .001) than in the no treatment group (change, 9 +/- 12; P = .04), after adjusting
      for confounders (P = .007 between groups). CONCLUSION: VPI surgery using the
      Furlow palatoplasty or sphincter pharyngoplasty improves VPI-specific QOL, and
      the improvement is clinically important.

PMID- 26124263
TI  - Multicenter Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Systemic Propranolol in the
      Treatment of Airway Hemangiomas.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of systemic propranolol in airway
      infantile hemangioma (AIH) treatment. DESIGN: Case series with chart review.
      PARTICIPANTS: Patients with AIH treated with propranolol between 2009 and 2012
      with at least a 1-year follow-up. OUTCOMES: Presenting age, treating institution,
      syndrome presence, presenting AIH stage, endoscopy status, propranolol initiation
      location/dose/duration, time to stridor resolution, adjunctive medical and
      surgical therapy, and treatment-associated complications. RESULTS: Twenty-seven
      patients met inclusion criteria. Average age of diagnosis was 2.3 months (range,
      1-5 months). The AIHs were stage 1 in 7 of 27 (26%), stage 2 in 12 of 27 (44%),
      and stage 3 in 8 of 27 (30%). Propranolol initiation was inpatient in 25 of 27
      (93%) and outpatient in 2 of 27 (7%). Propranolol dose was maintained at 2
      mg/kg/d in all patients for a minimum of 7 months (range, 7-34 months; median, 15
      months). Stridor was eliminated within 24 hours or less of propranolol initiation
      in 23 of 27 (85%). At diagnosis, staging and propranolol initiation in 11 of 27
      (41%) were managed with propranolol alone; the remaining 16 of 27 (59%) also had
      a steroid injection. The use of adjuvant therapy at the time of propranolol
      initiation and the size of the AIH were not statistically correlated. Twelve
      patients had additional treatments after the initiation of propranolol due to
      recurrence of respiratory symptoms, 1 of 27 (4%) of whom was considered a
      nonresponder. No complications related to propranolol use were noted.
      CONCLUSIONS: This multisite study of AIH treatment with propranolol demonstrates
      similar effectiveness to surgical treatment modalities. Propranolol therapy for
      AIH had no complications, had potentially lower resource utilization, and should
      be considered a first-line AIH treatment.

PMID- 26124264
TI  - Does Race/Ethnicity or Socioeconomic Status Influence Patient Satisfaction in
      Pediatric Surgical Care?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient satisfaction in outpatient pediatric surgical care
      and assess differences in scores by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status
      (SES). STUDY DESIGN: Observational, cross-sectional analysis. SETTING: Outpatient
      pediatric surgical specialty clinics at a tertiary academic center. SUBJECT AND
      METHODS: Families of patients received a patient satisfaction survey following
      their initial care visit in 2012. Mean scores were calculated and compared by
      child race/ethnicity and insurance type, where insurance with medical assistance
      (MA) served as a proxy for low SES. Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare
      scores between groups. Surveys were dichotomized to low and high scorers, and
      multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate the likelihood of high
      satisfaction. RESULTS: Of 527 surveys completed, 132 (25%) were for children with
      MA and 143 (27%) were for racial/ethnic minority children. The overall
      satisfaction score for all specialties was 84.8, which did not significantly
      differ by SES (P = .98) or minority status (P = .52). The survey item with the
      highest score in both SES groups was "degree to which provider talked with you
      using words you could understand" (overall mean 91.94, P = .23). Multivariate
      analysis showed that patient age, sex, race/ethnicity, insurance type,
      neighborhood SES, neighborhood diversity, or surgical department did not
      significantly influence satisfaction. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to
      evaluate the relationship between SES and race/ethnicity with patient
      satisfaction in outpatient pediatric surgical specialty care. In this analysis,
      no disparities were identified in the patient experience by individual- or
      community-level factors. Although the survey methodologies may be limited, these
      findings suggest that provision of care in pediatric surgical specialties can be
      simultaneously equitable, culturally competent, and family centered.

PMID- 26124265
TI  - Is Intraoperative Parathyroid Hormone Monitoring Warranted in Cases of 4D
      CT/Ultrasound Localized Single Adenomas?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To analyze the utility of intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH)
      monitoring for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism who had evidence of
      single-gland disease on preoperative imaging with modified 4-dimensional computed
      tomography that was done in conjunction with ultrasonography (Mod 4D-CT/US).
      STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Tertiary care university
      medical center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients were drawn from consecutive
      directed parathyroidectomies performed between December 2001 and June 2013 by the
      senior authors. All patients had primary hyperparathyroidism and underwent a Mod
      4D-CT/US study that showed findings on both studies that were consistent with a
      single adenoma. The modified Miami criteria were used for IOPTH monitoring
      (parathyroid hormone decrease by >50% and into the normal range). RESULTS: Of 356
      patients who underwent parathyroid surgery, 206 had a single gland localized on
      the Mod 4D-CT and the US studies. IOPTH monitoring was used in 172 cases, of
      which 169 had adequate clinical follow-up to assess the surgical outcome. Twenty
      one patients (12.4%) had IOPTH values that did not meet modified Miami criteria
      after removal of one gland, of which 7 were found to have multigland disease
      (4.1%). Three patients (1.8%) had persistent primary hyperparathyroidism despite
      an IOPTH that met modified Miami criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Although IOPTH monitoring
      correctly identifies a small percentage of patients with multigland disease, some
      patients will be subjected to unnecessary neck explorations that can result in
      difficult intraoperative decisions, such as whether to remove normal or equivocal
      sized glands when they are encountered.

PMID- 26124266
TI  - Using Polysomnography and Airway Evaluation to Predict Successful Decannulation
      in Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Decannulation readiness is approached in several ways and is tailored
      to the individual patient. While microlaryngoscopy and bronchoscopy evaluate
      airway patency at all levels, polysomnography assesses sleep-related upper airway
      physiology. There are limited data in the literature on the utility of these
      tools. Thus, the main objectives of this study were (1) to identify sleep and
      respiratory parameters associated with successful decannulation and (2) to
      determine the agreement between microlaryngoscopy and bronchoscopy and
      polysomnography. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Quaternary
      care pediatric hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of medical
      records, microlaryngoscopy and bronchoscopy, and polysomnographs was performed on
      subjects preparing for decannulation from 2005 to 2010. Fifty-nine subjects who
      underwent overnight polysomnography with a tracheostomy capping trial and
      microlaryngoscopy and bronchoscopy were included. Prediction of successful
      decannulation from polysomnography parameters was determined using logistic
      regression analysis. RESULTS: Fifty-nine subjects with a total of 78
      polysomnographs were subdivided into 2 groups: 42 polysomnographs were classified
      as successfully decannulated, and 36 polysomnographs belonged to the group that
      did not decannulate. Logistic regression analysis determined that the Apnea
      Hypopnea Index (P = .0423) and maximal end-tidal CO2 (P = .046) were significant
      predictors for successful decannulation. CONCLUSION: Airway evaluation by
      microlaryngoscopy and bronchoscopy is an essential tool in the assessment of
      decannulation readiness. Polysomnography is an important additional tool for
      children with complex airway problems. Our results indicate that certain
      polysomnographic parameters such as Apnea Hypopnea Index and maximal end-tidal
      CO2 are valuable in predicting successful tracheostomy decannulation.

PMID- 26124267
TI  - Expression of Apoptotic vs Antiapoptotic Proteins in Middle Ear Cholesteatoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore the role of antiapoptotic and apoptotic processes in the
      development of cholesteatoma by investigating the expression of an antiapoptotic
      (c-FLIP) and apoptotic (p53) protein relative to the expression of a
      proliferation marker (Ki-67). STUDY DESIGN: Basic science study. SETTING:
      Tertiary referral center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: An immunohistochemical
      investigation was performed on 35 cholesteatoma specimens (21 acquired, 14
      congenital) and 10 normal retroauricular skins to evaluate the expression of c
      FLIP, p53, and Ki-67. The expression rate of each marker was measured to assess
      the difference between retroauricular skin and cholesteatoma, as well as between
      congenital and acquired cholesteatoma. RESULTS: c-FLIP expression was
      significantly higher in the cholesteatoma specimens than in retroauricular skin
      (P < .05), while the expression of p53 did not significantly differ between the
      two. Ki-67 expression in cholesteatoma was significantly higher than in
      retroauricular skin (P < .001). The c-FLIP expression rate was positively
      correlated with that of Ki-67 (r = 0.47, P = .001), and there was no significant
      correlation between the expression level of p53 and that of Ki-67 (r = 0.152, P =
      .319). In addition, no differences in c-FLIP, p53, and Ki-67 expression rates
      were evident between congenital and acquired cholesteatoma. CONCLUSIONS: The
      upregulation of c-FLIP together with unchanged p53 suggests an altered
      equilibrium between apoptosis and antiapoptosis, favoring antiapoptosis, and may
      play a role in the pathogenesis of cholesteatoma.

PMID- 26124268
TI  - Laryngeal Verrucous Carcinoma: A Population-Based Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Verrucous carcinoma of the larynx (VCL) is a rare entity with
      reportedly favorable prognosis. Current analyses are limited primarily to case
      reports and case series, thus making a population-based analysis useful in
      characterizing frequency, incidence, and survival trends to guide clinical
      diagnosis and decision making. STUDY DESIGN: Analysis of the National Cancer
      Institute's SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database. METHODS:
      Cases of VCL diagnosed between 1973 and 2011 were searched in the SEER database.
      Analysis was carried out with respect to patient demographics, tumor
      characteristics, incidence, treatment modality, and survival. RESULTS: In sum,
      516 patients with VCL were identified. Males composed 88.4% of cases. Whites
      accounted for 88.4% of cases, with 8.1% of cases occurring in black patients.
      Most cases (79.7%) arose in the glottis, a statistically significant predilection
      when compared with other laryngeal malignancies (P < .0001). Incidence of VCL
      decreased from 2000 to 2011, with an annual percent change of -5.4%. Overall 1-,
      5-, and 10-year disease-specific survival for VCL was 97.5%, 88.0%, and 77.4%,
      while 1-, 5-, and 10-year relative survival was 98.1%, 85.5%, and 74.2%,
      respectively. Surgery seemed to confer better prognosis when compared with other
      treatment modalities. CONCLUSIONS: This large population-based analysis of VCL
      demonstrates that this entity has a good prognosis, arises in the glottis, and is
      decreasing in incidence. Five-year survival seems highest when surgery is
      utilized. However, this finding may be subject to selection bias in high-stage
      lesions.

PMID- 26124269
TI  - Evidence-Based Medicine in Otolaryngology, Part 5: Patient Decision Aids.
AB  - Modern medical decision making is a complex task requiring collaboration between
      patients and physicians. Related clinical evidence may delineate a clearly
      favorable path, but in other instances, uncertainty remains. Even in these
      circumstances, however, there are techniques that optimize decision making by
      blending existing evidence with individual patient values in the context of
      physician counseling. This installment of "Evidence-Based Medicine in
      Otolaryngology" focuses on the crucial issue of how practitioners may approach
      clinical situations where the data do not delineate a single irrefutable path. We
      describe decision aids-tools that can educate patients about data related to
      complex clinical decisions. We review their definition, quality standards,
      patient interface, benefits, and limitations. We also discuss the related concept
      of option grids and the role of decision aids in evidence-based practice. 

PMID- 26124270
TI  - Loss of Core 1-derived O-Glycans Decreases Breast Cancer Development in Mice.
AB  - Mucin-type core 1-derived O-glycans, one of the major types of O-glycans, are
      highly expressed in mammary gland epithelium. Abnormal O-glycans such as Tn
      antigen are found in over 90% of breast cancers; however, the in vivo role of
      these aberrant O-glycans in the etiology of breast cancer is unclear. We
      generated mice with mammary epithelial specific deletion of core 1-derived O
      glycans. By crossing with two spontaneous mouse breast cancer models, we
      determined that loss of core 1-derived O-glycans delays the onset and progression
      of breast cancer development. Deficiency of core 1 O-glycosylation impaired the
      localization of Muc1, a major O-glycoprotein, on the apical surfaces of mammary
      epithelium. Signaling mediated by Muc1, which is critical for breast cancer
      development, was also defective in the absence of core 1 O-glycans. This study
      reveals an unexpected role of core 1-derived O-glycans in breast cancer
      development in mice. 

PMID- 26124271
TI  - PHD3 Stabilizes the Tight Junction Protein Occludin and Protects Intestinal
      Epithelial Barrier Function.
AB  - Prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins (PHDs) control cellular adaptation to hypoxia.
      PHDs are found involved in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, the exact
      role of PHD3, a member of the PHD family, in IBD remains unknown. We show here
      that PHD3 plays a critical role in maintaining intestinal epithelial barrier
      function. We found that genetic ablation of Phd3 in intestinal epithelial cells
      led to spontaneous colitis in mice. Deletion of PHD3 decreases the level of tight
      junction protein occludin, leading to a failure of intestinal epithelial barrier
      function. Further studies indicate that PHD3 stabilizes occludin by preventing
      the interaction between the E3 ligase Itch and occludin, in a hydroxylase
      independent manner. Examination of biopsy of human ulcerative colitis patients
      indicates that PHD3 is decreased with disease severity, indicating that PHD3 down
      regulation is associated with progression of this disease. We show that PHD3
      protects intestinal epithelial barrier function and reveal a hydroxylase
      independent function of PHD3 in stabilizing occludin. These findings may help
      open avenues for developing a therapeutic strategy for IBD. 

PMID- 26124272
TI  - Quantitative Characterization of E-selectin Interaction with Native CD44 and P
      selectin Glycoprotein Ligand-1 (PSGL-1) Using a Real Time Immunoprecipitation
      based Binding Assay.
AB  - Selectins (E-, P-, and L-selectins) interact with glycoprotein ligands to mediate
      the essential tethering/rolling step in cell transport and delivery that captures
      migrating cells from the circulating flow. In this work, we developed a real time
      immunoprecipitation assay on a surface plasmon resonance chip that captures
      native glycoforms of two well known E-selectin ligands (CD44/hematopoietic cell E
      /L-selectin ligand and P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1) from hematopoietic cell
      extracts. Here we present a comprehensive characterization of their binding to E
      selectin. We show that both ligands bind recombinant monomeric E-selectin
      transiently with fast on- and fast off-rates, whereas they bind dimeric E
      selectin with remarkably slow on- and off-rates. This binding requires the sialyl
      Lewis x sugar moiety to be placed on both O- and N-glycans, and its association,
      but not dissociation, is sensitive to the salt concentration. Our results suggest
      a mechanism through which monomeric selectins mediate initial fast on and fast
      off kinetics to help capture cells out of the circulating shear flow;
      subsequently, tight binding by dimeric/oligomeric selectins is enabled to
      significantly slow rolling. 

PMID- 26124273
TI  - Assembly and turnover of short actin filaments by the formin INF2 and profilin.
AB  - INF2 (inverted formin 2) is a formin protein with unique biochemical effects on
      actin. In addition to the common formin ability to accelerate actin nucleation
      and elongation, INF2 can also sever filaments and accelerate their
      depolymerization. Although we understand key attributes of INF2-mediated
      severing, we do not understand the mechanism by which INF2 accelerates
      depolymerization subsequent to severing. Here, we show that INF2 can create short
      filaments (<60 nm) that continuously turn over actin subunits through a
      combination of barbed end elongation, severing, and WH2 motif-mediated
      depolymerization. This pseudo-steady state condition occurs whether starting from
      actin filaments or monomers. The rate-limiting step of the cycle is nucleotide
      exchange of ADP for ATP on actin monomers after release from the INF2/actin
      complex. Profilin addition has two effects: 1) to accelerate filament turnover 6
      fold by accelerating nucleotide exchange and 2) to shift the equilibrium toward
      polymerization, resulting in longer filaments. In sum, our findings show that the
      combination of multiple interactions of INF2 with actin can work in concert to
      increase the ATP turnover rate of actin. Depending on the ratio of INF2:actin,
      this increased flux can result in rapid filament depolymerization or maintenance
      of short filaments. We also show that high concentrations of cytochalasin D
      accelerate ATP turnover by actin but through a different mechanism from that of
      INF2. 

PMID- 26124274
TI  - cGMP/Protein Kinase G Signaling Suppresses Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor
      Phosphorylation and Promotes Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Photoreceptors of
      Cyclic Nucleotide-gated Channel-deficient Mice.
AB  - Photoreceptor cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels play a pivotal role in
      phototransduction. Mutations in the cone CNG channel subunits CNGA3 and CNGB3 are
      associated with achromatopsia and cone dystrophies. We have shown endoplasmic
      reticulum (ER) stress-associated apoptotic cone death and increased
      phosphorylation of the ER Ca(2+) channel inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor 1
      (IP3R1) in CNG channel-deficient mice. We also presented a remarkable elevation
      of cGMP and an increased activity of the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (protein
      kinase G, PKG) in CNG channel deficiency. This work investigated whether cGMP/PKG
      signaling regulates ER stress and IP3R1 phosphorylation in CNG channel-deficient
      cones. Treatment with PKG inhibitor and deletion of guanylate cyclase-1 (GC1),
      the enzyme producing cGMP in cones, were used to suppress cGMP/PKG signaling in
      cone-dominant Cnga3(-/-)/Nrl(-/-) mice. We found that treatment with PKG
      inhibitor or deletion of GC1 effectively reduced apoptotic cone death, increased
      expression levels of cone proteins, and decreased activation of Muller glial
      cells. Furthermore, we observed significantly increased phosphorylation of IP3R1
      and reduced ER stress. Our findings demonstrate a role of cGMP/PKG signaling in
      ER stress and ER Ca(2+) channel regulation and provide insights into the
      mechanism of cone degeneration in CNG channel deficiency. 

PMID- 26124275
TI  - Evidence That Bacteriophage lambda Kil Peptide Inhibits Bacterial Cell Division
      by Disrupting FtsZ Protofilaments and Sequestering Protein Subunits.
AB  - The effects of Kil peptide from bacteriophage lambda on the assembly of
      Escherichia coli FtsZ into one subunit thick protofilaments were studied using
      combined biophysical and biochemical methods. Kil peptide has recently been
      identified as the factor from bacteriophage lambda responsible for the inhibition
      of bacterial cell division during lytic cycle, targeting FtsZ polymerization.
      Here, we show that this antagonist blocks FtsZ assembly into GTP-dependent
      protofilaments, producing a wide distribution of smaller oligomers compared with
      the average size of the intact protofilaments. The shortening of FtsZ
      protofilaments by Kil is detectable at concentrations of the peptide in the low
      micromolar range, the mid-point of the inhibition being close to its apparent
      affinity for GDP-bound FtsZ. This antagonist not only interferes with FtsZ
      assembly but also reverses the polymerization reaction. The negative regulation
      by Kil significantly reduces the GTPase activity of FtsZ protofilaments, and FtsZ
      polymers assembled in guanosine-5'-[(alpha,beta)-methyleno]triphosphate are
      considerably less sensitive to Kil. Our results suggest that, at high
      concentrations, Kil may use an inhibition mechanism involving the sequestration
      of FtsZ subunits, similar to that described for other inhibitors like the SOS
      response protein SulA or the moonlighting enzyme OpgH. This mechanism is
      different from those employed by the division site selection antagonists MinC and
      SlmA. This work provides new insight into the inhibition of FtsZ assembly by
      phages, considered potential tools against bacterial infection. 

PMID- 26124276
TI  - An Early and Robust Activation of Caspases Heads Cells for a Regulated Form of
      Necrotic-like Cell Death.
AB  - Apoptosis is triggered by the activation of caspases and characterized by
      chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation (type II nuclear morphology).
      Necrosis is depicted by a gain in cell volume (oncosis), swelling of organelles,
      plasma membrane leakage, and subsequent loss of intracellular contents. Although
      considered as different cell death entities, there is an overlap between
      apoptosis and necrosis. In this sense, mounting evidence suggests that both
      processes can be morphological expressions of a common biochemical network known
      as "apoptosis-necrosis continuum." To gain insight into the events driving the
      apoptosis-necrosis continuum, apoptotically proficient cells were screened facing
      several apoptotic inducers for the absence of type II apoptotic nuclear
      morphologies. Chelerythrine was selected for further studies based on its
      cytotoxicity and the lack of apoptotic nuclear alterations. Chelerythrine
      triggered an early plasma membrane leakage without condensed chromatin
      aggregates. Ultrastructural analysis revealed that chelerythrine-mediated
      cytotoxicity was compatible with a necrotic-like type of cell death.
      Biochemically, chelerythrine induced the activation of caspases. Moreover, the
      inhibition of caspases prevented chelerythrine-triggered necrotic-like cell
      death. Compared with staurosporine, chelerythrine induced stronger caspase
      activation detectable at earlier times. After using a battery of chemicals, we
      found that high concentrations of thiolic antioxidants fully prevented
      chelerythrine-driven caspase activation and necrotic-like cell death. Lower
      amounts of thiolic antioxidants partially prevented chelerythrine-mediated
      cytotoxicity and allowed cells to display type II apoptotic nuclear morphology
      correlating with a delay in caspase-3 activation. Altogether, these data support
      that an early and pronounced activation of caspases can drive cells to undergo a
      form of necrotic-like regulated cell death. 

PMID- 26124277
TI  - Physiological Consequences of Compartmentalized Acyl-CoA Metabolism.
AB  - Meeting the complex physiological demands of mammalian life requires strict
      control of the metabolism of long-chain fatty acyl-CoAs because of the
      multiplicity of their cellular functions. Acyl-CoAs are substrates for energy
      production; stored within lipid droplets as triacylglycerol, cholesterol esters,
      and retinol esters; esterified to form membrane phospholipids; or used to
      activate transcriptional and signaling pathways. Indirect evidence suggests that
      acyl-CoAs do not wander freely within cells, but instead, are channeled into
      specific pathways. In this review, we will discuss the evidence for acyl-CoA
      compartmentalization, highlight the key modes of acyl-CoA regulation, and diagram
      potential mechanisms for controlling acyl-CoA partitioning. 

PMID- 26124278
TI  - Independent Effects of gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Transaminase (GABAT) on Metabolic
      and Sleep Homeostasis.
AB  - Breakdown of the major sleep-promoting neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid
      (GABA), in the GABA shunt generates catabolites that may enter the tricarboxylic
      acid cycle, but it is unknown whether catabolic by-products of the GABA shunt
      actually support metabolic homeostasis. In Drosophila, the loss of the specific
      enzyme that degrades GABA, GABA transaminase (GABAT), increases sleep, and we
      show here that it also affects metabolism such that flies lacking GABAT fail to
      survive on carbohydrate media. Expression of GABAT in neurons or glia rescues
      this phenotype, indicating a general metabolic function for this enzyme in the
      brain. As GABA degradation produces two catabolic products, glutamate and
      succinic semialdehyde, we sought to determine which was responsible for the
      metabolic phenotype. Through genetic and pharmacological experiments, we
      determined that glutamate, rather than succinic semialdehyde, accounts for the
      metabolic phenotype of gabat mutants. This is supported by biochemical
      measurements of catabolites in wild-type and mutant animals. Using in vitro
      labeling assays, we found that inhibition of GABAT affects energetic pathways.
      Interestingly, we also observed that gaba mutants display a general disruption in
      bioenergetics as measured by altered levels of tricarboxylic acid cycle
      intermediates, NAD(+)/NADH, and ATP levels. Finally, we report that the effects
      of GABAT on sleep do not depend upon glutamate, indicating that GABAT regulates
      metabolic and sleep homeostasis through independent mechanisms. These data
      indicate a role of the GABA shunt in the development of metabolic risk and
      suggest that neurological disorders caused by altered glutamate or GABA may be
      associated with metabolic disruption. 

PMID- 26124279
TI  - 129-Derived Mouse Strains Express an Unstable but Catalytically Active DNA
      Polymerase Iota Variant.
AB  - Mice derived from the 129 strain have a nonsense codon mutation in exon 2 of the
      polymerase iota (Poliota) gene and are therefore considered Poliota deficient.
      When we amplified Poliota mRNA from 129/SvJ or 129/Ola testes, only a small
      fraction of the full-length cDNA contained the nonsense mutation; the major
      fraction corresponded to a variant Poliota isoform lacking exon 2. Poliota mRNA
      lacking exon 2 contains an open reading frame, and the corresponding protein was
      detected using a polyclonal antibody raised against the C terminus of the murine
      Poliota protein. The identity of the corresponding protein was further confirmed
      by mass spectrometry. Although the variant protein was expressed at only 5 to 10%
      of the level of wild-type Poliota, it retained de novo DNA synthesis activity,
      the capacity to form replication foci following UV irradiation, and the ability
      to rescue UV light sensitivity in Poliota(-/-) embryonic fibroblasts derived from
      a new, fully deficient Poliota knockout (KO) mouse line. Furthermore, in vivo
      treatment of 129-derived male mice with Velcade, a drug that inhibits proteasome
      function, stabilized and restored a substantial amount of the variant Poliota in
      these animals, indicating that its turnover is controlled by the proteasome. An
      analysis of two xeroderma pigmentosum-variant (XPV) cases corresponding to
      missense mutants of Poleta, a related translesion synthesis (TLS) polymerase in
      the same family, similarly showed a destabilization of the catalytically active
      mutant protein by the proteasome. Collectively, these data challenge the
      prevailing hypothesis that 129-derived strains of mice are completely deficient
      in Poliota activity. The data also document, both for 129-derived mouse strains
      and for some XPV patients, new cases of genetic defects corresponding to the
      destabilization of an otherwise functional protein, the phenotype of which is
      reversible by proteasome inhibition. 

PMID- 26124280
TI  - Analysis of the Role of the C-Terminal Tail in the Regulation of the Epidermal
      Growth Factor Receptor.
AB  - The ~230-residue C-terminal tail of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
      is phosphorylated upon activation. We examined whether this phosphorylation is
      affected by deletions within the tail and whether the two tails in the asymmetric
      active EGFR dimer are phosphorylated differently. We monitored
      autophosphorylation in cells using flow cytometry and found that the first ~80
      residues of the tail are inhibitory, as demonstrated previously. The entire ~80
      residue span is important for autoinhibition and needs to be released from both
      kinases that form the dimer. These results are interpreted in terms of crystal
      structures of the inactive kinase domain, including two new ones presented here.
      Deletions in the remaining portion of the tail do not affect autophosphorylation,
      except for a six-residue segment spanning Tyr 1086 that is critical for
      activation loop phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of the two tails in the dimer is
      asymmetric, with the activator tail being phosphorylated somewhat more strongly.
      Unexpectedly, we found that reconstitution of the transmembrane and cytoplasmic
      domains of EGFR in vesicles leads to a peculiar phenomenon in which kinase
      domains appear to be trapped between stacks of lipid bilayers. This artifactual
      trapping of kinases between membranes enhances an intrinsic functional asymmetry
      in the two tails in a dimer. 

PMID- 26124281
TI  - SRSF2 Is Essential for Hematopoiesis, and Its Myelodysplastic Syndrome-Related
      Mutations Dysregulate Alternative Pre-mRNA Splicing.
AB  - Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of neoplasms characterized by
      ineffective myeloid hematopoiesis and various risks for leukemia. SRSF2, a member
      of the serine/arginine-rich (SR) family of splicing factors, is one of the
      mutation targets associated with poor survival in patients suffering from
      myelodysplastic syndromes. Here we report the biological function of SRSF2 in
      hematopoiesis by using conditional knockout mouse models. Ablation of SRSF2 in
      the hematopoietic lineage caused embryonic lethality, and Srsf2-deficient fetal
      liver cells showed significantly enhanced apoptosis and decreased levels of
      hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Induced ablation of SRSF2 in adult Mx1-Cre
      Srsf2(flox/flox) mice upon poly(I):poly(C) injection demonstrated a significant
      decrease in lineage(-) Sca(+) c-Kit(+) cells in bone marrow. To reveal the
      functional impact of myelodysplastic syndromes-associated mutations in SRSF2, we
      analyzed splicing responses on the MSD-L cell line and found that the missense
      mutation of proline 95 to histidine (P95H) and a P95-to-R102 in-frame 8-amino
      acid deletion caused significant changes in alternative splicing. The affected
      genes were enriched in cancer development and apoptosis. These findings suggest
      that intact SRSF2 is essential for the functional integrity of the hematopoietic
      system and that its mutations likely contribute to development of myelodysplastic
      syndromes. 

PMID- 26124282
TI  - Phosphatidic Acid Increases Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Expression by
      Stabilizing mRNA Decay and by Inhibiting Lysosomal and Proteasomal Degradation of
      the Internalized Receptor.
AB  - Overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the frequent
      mechanisms implicated in cancer progression, and so is the overexpression of the
      enzyme phospholipase D (PLD) and its reaction product, phosphatidic acid (PA).
      However, an understanding of how these signaling molecules interact at the level
      of gene expression is lacking. Catalytically active PLD enhanced expression of
      EGFR in human breast cancer cells. Overexpression of the PLD2 isoform increased
      EGFR mRNA and protein expression. It also negated an EGFR downregulation mediated
      by small interfering RNA targeting EGFR (siEGFR). Several mechanisms contributed
      to the alteration in EGFR expression. First was the stabilization of EGFR
      transcripts as PLD2 delayed mRNA decay, which prolonged their half-lives. Second,
      RNase enzymatic activity was inhibited by PA. Third, protein stabilization also
      occurred, as indicated by PLD resistance to cycloheximide-induced EGFR protein
      degradation. Fourth, PA inhibited lysosomal and proteasomal degradation of
      internalized EGFR. PLD2 and EGFR colocalized at the cell membrane, and JAK3
      phosphorylation at Tyr980/Tyr981 followed receptor endocytosis. Further, the
      presence of PLD2 increased stabilization of intracellular EGFR in large recycling
      vesicles at ~15 min of EGF stimulation. Thus, PLD2-mediated production of PA
      contributed to the control of EGFR exposure to ligand through a multipronged
      transcriptional and posttranscriptional program during the out-of-control
      accumulation of EGFR signaling in cancer cells. 

PMID- 26124283
TI  - MicroRNA 665 Regulates Dentinogenesis through MicroRNA-Mediated Silencing and
      Epigenetic Mechanisms.
AB  - Studies of proteins involved in microRNA (miRNA) processing, maturation, and
      silencing have indicated the importance of miRNAs in skeletogenesis, but the
      specific miRNAs involved in this process are incompletely defined. Here, we
      identified miRNA 665 (miR-665) as a potential repressor of odontoblast
      maturation. Studies with cultured cell lines and primary embryonic cells showed
      that miR-665 represses the expression of early and late odontoblast marker genes
      and stage-specific proteases involved in dentin maturation. Notably, miR-665
      directly targeted Dlx3 mRNA and decreased Dlx3 expression. Furthermore, RNA
      induced silencing complex (RISC) immunoprecipitation and biotin-labeled miR-665
      pulldown studies identified Kat6a as another potential target of miR-665. KAT6A
      interacted physically and functionally with RUNX2, activating tissue-specific
      promoter activity and prompting odontoblast differentiation. Overexpression of
      miR-665 reduced the recruitment of KAT6A to Dspp and Dmp1 promoters and prevented
      KAT6A-induced chromatin remodeling, repressing gene transcription. Taken
      together, our results provide novel molecular evidence that miR-665 functions in
      an miRNA-epigenetic regulatory network to control dentinogenesis. 

PMID- 26124284
TI  - Concentration and Localization of Coexpressed ELAV/Hu Proteins Control
      Specificity of mRNA Processing.
AB  - Neuronally coexpressed ELAV/Hu proteins comprise a family of highly related RNA
      binding proteins which bind to very similar cognate sequences. How this
      redundancy is linked to in vivo function and how gene-specific regulation is
      achieved have not been clear. Analysis of mutants in Drosophila ELAV/Hu family
      proteins ELAV, FNE, and RBP9 and of genetic interactions among them indicates
      that they have mostly independent roles in neuronal development and function but
      have converging roles in the regulation of synaptic plasticity. Conversely, ELAV,
      FNE, RBP9, and human HuR bind ELAV target RNA in vitro with similar affinities.
      Likewise, all can regulate alternative splicing of ELAV target genes in
      nonneuronal wing disc cells and substitute for ELAV in eye development upon
      artificially increased expression; they can also substantially restore ELAV's
      biological functions when expressed under the control of the elav gene.
      Furthermore, ELAV-related Sex-lethal can regulate ELAV targets, and ELAV/Hu
      proteins can interfere with sexual differentiation. An ancient relationship to
      Sex-lethal is revealed by gonadal expression of RBP9, providing a maternal fail
      safe for dosage compensation. Our results indicate that highly related ELAV/Hu
      RNA binding proteins select targets for mRNA processing through alteration of
      their expression levels and subcellular localization but only minimally by
      altered RNA binding specificity. 

PMID- 26124286
TI  - Commentary on 'Treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and assisted dying'.

PMID- 26124285
TI  - Quantitative Proteomics Reveals the Roles of Peroxisome-associated Proteins in
      Antiviral Innate Immune Responses.
AB  - Compared with whole-cell proteomic analysis, subcellular proteomic analysis is
      advantageous not only for the increased coverage of low abundance proteins but
      also for generating organelle-specific data containing information regarding
      dynamic protein movement. In the present study, peroxisome-enriched fractions
      from Sendai virus (SeV)-infected or uninfected HepG2 cells were obtained and
      subjected to quantitative proteomics analysis. We identified 311 proteins that
      were significantly changed by SeV infection. Among these altered proteins, 25 are
      immune response-related proteins. Further bioinformatic analysis indicated that
      SeV infection inhibits cell cycle-related proteins and membrane attack complex
      related proteins, all of which are beneficial for the survival and replication of
      SeV within host cells. Using Luciferase reporter assays on several innate immune
      related reporters, we performed functional analysis on 11 candidate proteins. We
      identified LGALS3BP and CALU as potential negative regulators of the virus
      induced activation of the type I interferons.

PMID- 26124287
TI  - Hypoactive sexual desire disorder: inventing a disease to sell low libido.
AB  - Condition branding is a marketing technique in which companies develop conditions
      concurrently with developing drugs; examples include gastro-oesophageal reflux
      disease, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, social anxiety disorder, erectile
      dysfunction and hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Although it is illegal for
      pharmaceutical companies to market drugs prior to regulatory approval, there are
      no restrictions on marketing diseases, and industry seeks to establish a disease
      state in the minds of clinicians years before an expected drug launch. Continuing
      medical education (CME) courses are an important part of promotion prior to drug
      approval and have become a key marketing tool for increasing clinician
      receptivity to new products. We systematically identified 14 free, internet
      based, industry-funded, accredited CME modules on hypoactive sexual desire
      disorder in women which came out before a new drug, flibanserin, was being
      considered for regulatory approval in the USA. Common themes in these modules
      included the following: (1) Hypoactive sexual desire disorder is common,
      underdiagnosed and can have a profound effect on quality of life. (2) Women may
      not be aware that they are sick or distressed. (3) Simple questionnaires can
      assist clinicians in diagnosing the disorder. (4) It is problematic that there
      are medicines available to treat sexual problems for men but not women. In fact,
      there is no scientifically established norm for sexual activity, feelings or
      desire, and there is no evidence that hypoactive sexual desire disorder is a
      medical condition. Hypoactive sexual desire disorder is a typical example of a
      condition that was sponsored by industry to prepare the market for a specific
      treatment. 

PMID- 26124288
TI  - VAMP8-dependent fusion of recycling endosomes with the plasma membrane
      facilitates T lymphocyte cytotoxicity.
AB  - Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) eliminate infected and neoplastic cells through
      directed release of cytotoxic granule contents. Although multiple SNARE proteins
      have been implicated in cytotoxic granule exocytosis, the role of vesicular SNARE
      proteins, i.e., vesicle-associated membrane proteins (VAMPs), remains enigmatic.
      VAMP8 was posited to represent the cytotoxic granule vesicular SNARE protein
      mediating exocytosis in mice. In primary human CTLs, however, VAMP8 colocalized
      with Rab11a-positive recycling endosomes. Upon stimulation, these endosomes
      rapidly trafficked to and fused with the plasma membrane, preceding fusion of
      cytotoxic granules. Knockdown of VAMP8 blocked both recycling endosome and
      cytotoxic granule fusion at immune synapses, without affecting activating
      signaling. Mechanistically, VAMP8-dependent recycling endosomes deposited
      syntaxin-11 at immune synapses, facilitating assembly of plasma membrane SNARE
      complexes for cytotoxic granule fusion. Hence, cytotoxic granule exocytosis is a
      sequential, multivesicle fusion process requiring VAMP8-mediated recycling
      endosome fusion before cytotoxic granule fusion. Our findings imply that
      secretory granule exocytosis pathways in other cell types may also be more
      complex than previously appreciated. 

PMID- 26124289
TI  - CENP-C is a blueprint for constitutive centromere-associated network assembly
      within human kinetochores.
AB  - Kinetochores are multisubunit complexes that assemble on centromeres to bind
      spindle microtubules and promote faithful chromosome segregation during cell
      division. A 16-subunit complex named the constitutive centromere-associated
      network (CCAN) creates the centromere-kinetochore interface. CENP-C, a CCAN
      subunit, is crucial for kinetochore assembly because it links centromeres with
      the microtubule-binding interface of kinetochores. The role of CENP-C in CCAN
      organization, on the other hand, had been incompletely understood. In this paper,
      we combined biochemical reconstitution and cellular investigations to unveil how
      CENP-C promotes kinetochore targeting of other CCAN subunits. The so-called PEST
      domain in the N-terminal half of CENP-C interacted directly with the four-subunit
      CCAN subcomplex CENP-HIKM. We identified crucial determinants of this interaction
      whose mutation prevented kinetochore localization of CENP-HIKM and of CENP-TW,
      another CCAN subcomplex. When considered together with previous observations, our
      data point to CENP-C as a blueprint for kinetochore assembly. 

PMID- 26124290
TI  - The ciliary transition zone functions in cell adhesion but is dispensable for
      axoneme assembly in C. elegans.
AB  - Cilia are cellular projections that perform sensory and motile functions. A key
      ciliary subdomain is the transition zone, which lies between basal body and
      axoneme. Previous work in Caenorhabditis elegans identified two ciliopathy
      associated protein complexes or modules that direct assembly of transition zone Y
      links. Here, we identify C. elegans CEP290 as a component of a third module
      required to form an inner scaffolding structure called the central cylinder. Co
      inhibition of all three modules completely disrupted transition zone structure.
      Surprisingly, axoneme assembly was only mildly perturbed. However, dendrite
      extension by retrograde migration was strongly impaired, revealing an unexpected
      role for the transition zone in cell adhesion. 

PMID- 26124291
TI  - A stable microtubule array drives fission yeast polarity reestablishment upon
      quiescence exit.
AB  - Cells perpetually face the decision to proliferate or to stay quiescent. Here we
      show that upon quiescence establishment, Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells
      drastically rearrange both their actin and microtubule (MT) cytoskeletons and
      lose their polarity. Indeed, while polarity markers are lost from cell
      extremities, actin patches and cables are reorganized into actin bodies, which
      are stable actin filament-containing structures. Astonishingly, MTs are also
      stabilized and rearranged into a novel antiparallel bundle associated with the
      spindle pole body, named Q-MT bundle. We have identified proteins involved in
      this process and propose a molecular model for Q-MT bundle formation. Finally and
      importantly, we reveal that Q-MT bundle elongation is involved in polarity
      reestablishment upon quiescence exit and thereby the efficient return to the
      proliferative state. Our work demonstrates that quiescent S. pombe cells assemble
      specific cytoskeleton structures that improve the swiftness of the transition
      back to proliferation. 

PMID- 26124293
TI  - A Few Thoughts about ACO Antitrust Issues from a Local Enforcement Perspective.
AB  - Accountable care organizations (ACOs), joint ventures of commercial insurers and
      various groups of medical providers such as physicians, specialists, and
      hospitals whose development in California has been quickened by the Affordable
      Care Act, carry with them both promise and pitfalls. On the positive side of the
      ledger, ACOs may improve the quality of medical care even as they lower the costs
      of that care. On the negative side of the ledger, ACOs may lead to a gain in
      market power for their participations, allowing those participants to increase
      the prices they charge to commercial insurers. It is thus a key question for
      antitrust enforcers to figure out how to separate the sheep from the goats. This
      article, representing our personal views as state antitrust enforcers in the
      California attorney general's office, offers our reflection on a number of ACO
      articles and studies in this special issue through the prism of this key question
      and sets out a number of additional issues that we believe warrant study in
      conjunction with ACOs. 

PMID- 26124294
TI  - Review of Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial Quality of Care Measures:
      Considerations for Assessing Accountable Care Organizations.
AB  - Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have proliferated under the Affordable Care
      Act (ACA). If ACOs are to improve health care quality and lower costs, quality
      measures will be increasingly important in determining if provider consolidations
      associated with the development of ACOs are achieving their intended purpose.
      This article assesses quality measurement across public and private sectors. We
      reviewed available quality measures for a subset of programs in six organizations
      and assessed the number and domain of measures (structure, process, outcomes, and
      patient experience). Two-thirds of all quality measures were categorized as
      process measures. Outcome measures made up nearly 20 percent of measures. Patient
      experience and structure measures made up approximately 8 percent and 7 percent,
      respectively. We propose further improvements to quality measurement initiatives.
      For example, programs that reward providers should consider reward size and
      distribution within the organization. Quality improvement initiatives should
      consider what encourages provider buy-in and participation and the effects on
      populations with disproportionate health care needs. As the focus of quality
      initiatives may change from year to year, measures should be periodically
      revisited to ensure continued improvement and sustainability. Finally, we suggest
      quality measures that regulators could use prior to ACO formation or in the year
      or two following formation. 

PMID- 26124296
TI  - Antitrust and Provider Collaborations: Where We've Been and What Should Be Done
      Now.
AB  - Antitrust enforcement has a crucial role to play in consolidated health care
      markets as providers undertake mergers, acquisitions, and other types of
      collaborations to integrate care and achieve greater size and scale. But
      antitrust enforcers and policy makers need to refine their approach in two
      fundamental ways. First, in addition to focusing on whether particular
      transactions or conduct will increase prices above competitive levels, a more
      pressing concern should be on assuring that health care markets are conducive to
      fundamental changes in how care is reimbursed and delivered - that is, the impact
      on payment and health care delivery innovation. Second, it is important to
      recognize the practical limits that apply to antitrust enforcement, both in terms
      of existing law and precedent and the constrained resources available to
      government enforcers. Government resources can be leveraged substantially through
      greater collaboration among federal and state antitrust enforcers, government
      payers, health care regulators, and economists and other policy makers. This can
      result in not only better-targeted antitrust enforcement actions but also payment
      and regulatory initiatives that can produce better-functioning and more
      competitive health care markets. 

PMID- 26124292
TI  - Mio depletion links mTOR regulation to Aurora A and Plk1 activation at mitotic
      centrosomes.
AB  - Coordination of cell growth and proliferation in response to nutrient supply is
      mediated by mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. In this study, we
      report that Mio, a highly conserved member of the SEACAT/GATOR2 complex necessary
      for the activation of mTORC1 kinase, plays a critical role in mitotic spindle
      formation and subsequent chromosome segregation by regulating the proper
      concentration of active key mitotic kinases Plk1 and Aurora A at centrosomes and
      spindle poles. Mio-depleted cells showed reduced activation of Plk1 and Aurora A
      kinase at spindle poles and an impaired localization of MCAK and HURP, two key
      regulators of mitotic spindle formation and known substrates of Aurora A kinase,
      resulting in spindle assembly and cytokinesis defects. Our results indicate that
      a major function of Mio in mitosis is to regulate the activation/deactivation of
      Plk1 and Aurora A, possibly by linking them to mTOR signaling in a pathway to
      promote faithful mitotic progression. 

PMID- 26124295
TI  - Accountable Care Organizations: The National Landscape.
AB  - There are now more than seven hundred accountable care organizations (ACOs) in
      the United States. This article describes some of their most salient
      characteristics including the number and types of contracts involved,
      organizational structures, the scope of services offered, care management
      capabilities, and the development of a three-category taxonomy that can be used
      to target technical assistance efforts and to examine performance. The current
      evidence on the performance of ACOs is reviewed. Since California has the largest
      number of ACOs (N=67) and a history of providing care under risk-bearing
      contracts, some additional assessments of quality and patient experience are made
      between California ACOs and non-ACO provider organizations. Six key issues likely
      to affect future ACO growth and development are discussed, and some potential
      "diagnostic" indicators for assessing the likelihood of potential antitrust
      violations are presented. 

PMID- 26124297
TI  - The Economics of Provider Payment Reform: Are Accountable Care Organizations the
      Answer?
AB  - A remarkable consensus has developed that the fee-for-service (FFS) approach for
      paying medical providers must be replaced. This payment approach is said to
      increase the volume of services without improving care coordination. In response
      to these calls, Medicare and private payers are experimenting with payment
      systems that combine the basic element of FFS - a fee for each service - with
      arrangements that allow providers to share the savings if they hold total
      spending per patient below a targeted amount. Medicare's accountable care
      organizations (ACOs) embody the shared savings approach to payment reform.
      Private payers have introduced total cost of care contracting (TCOC) in several
      locations. This article questions the consensus that FFS must go. If the fees are
      too high, then someone needs to "bite the bullet" and reduce fees in key areas.
      Hoping to control overspending by investment in ACOs is wishful thinking. I
      describe the theory and practice of shared savings payment systems and summarize
      recent TCOC contracting initiatives in the private sector. Medicare's shared
      savings approach is likely to be less effective than private contracts. Cutting
      providers' fees would be more efficient. Finally, the new payment models in the
      Affordable Care Act will not ease the problem of high prices for private payers. 

PMID- 26124298
TI  - Commentary - Patients' Rights Matter in Regulating Accountable Care
      Organizations.

PMID- 26124299
TI  - Commentary - Accountable Care Organizations and Narrow Network Insurance Plans.

PMID- 26124300
TI  - The Affordable Care Act versus Medicare for All.
AB  - Many problems facing the Affordable Care Act would disappear if the nation were
      instead implementing Medicare for All - the extension of Medicare to every age
      group. Every American would be automatically covered for life. Premiums would be
      replaced with a set of Medicare taxes. There would be no patient cost sharing.
      Individuals would have free choice of doctors. Medicare's single-payer bargaining
      power would slow price increases and reduce medical cost as a percentage of gross
      domestic product (GDP). Taxes as a percentage of GDP would rise from below
      average to average for economically advanced nations. Medicare for All would be
      phased in by age. 

PMID- 26124301
TI  - Accountable Care Organizations in California: Market Forces at Work?
AB  - Accountable care organizations (ACOs), one of the most recent and promising
      health care delivery innovations, encourage care coordination among providers.
      While ACOs hold promise for decreasing costs by reducing unnecessary procedures,
      improving resource use as a result of economies of scale and scope, ACOs also
      raise concerns about provider market power. This study examines the market-level
      competition factors that are associated with ACO participation and the number of
      ACOs. Using data from California, we find that higher levels of preexisting
      managed care leads to higher ACO entry and enrollment growth, while hospital
      concentration leads to fewer ACOs and lower enrollment. We find interesting
      results for physician market power - markets with concentrated physician markets
      have a smaller share of individuals in commercial ACOs but a larger number of
      commercial ACO organizations. This finding implies smaller ACOs in these markets.

PMID- 26124302
TI  - Addressing Pricing Power in Integrated Delivery: The Limits of Antitrust.
AB  - Prices are the major driver of why the United States spends so much more on
      health care than other countries do. The pricing power that hospitals have
      garnered recently has resulted from consolidated delivery systems and
      concentrated markets, leading to enhanced negotiating leverage. But consolidation
      may be the wrong frame for viewing the problem of high and highly variable
      prices; many "must-have" hospitals achieve their pricing power from sources other
      than consolidation, for example, reputation. Further, the frame of consolidation
      leads to unrealistic expectations for what antitrust's role in addressing pricing
      power should be, especially because in the wake of two periods of merger "manias"
      and "frenzies" many markets already lack effective competition. It is
      particularly challenging for antitrust to address extant monopolies lawfully
      attained. New payment and delivery models being pioneered in Medicare, especially
      those built around accountable care organizations (ACOs), offer an opportunity to
      reduce pricing power, but only if they are implemented with a clear eye on the
      impact on prices in commercial insurance markets. This article proposes
      approaches that public and private payers should consider to complement the role
      of antitrust to assure that ACOs will actually help control costs in commercial
      markets as well as in Medicare and Medicaid. 

PMID- 26124303
TI  - Growth of Accountable Care Organizations in California: Number, Characteristics,
      and State Regulation.
AB  - Accountable care organizations (ACOs) result in physician organizations' and
      hospitals' receiving risk-based payments tied to costs, health care quality, and
      patient outcomes. This article (1) describes California ACOs within Medicare, the
      commercial market, and Medi-Cal and the safety net; (2) discusses how ACOs are
      regulated by the California Department of Managed Health Care and the California
      Department of Insurance; and (3) analyzes the increase of ACOs in California
      using data from Cattaneo and Stroud. While ACOs in California are well
      established within Medicare and the commercial market, they are still emerging
      within Medi-Cal and the safety net. Notwithstanding, the state has not enacted a
      law or issued a regulation specific to ACOs; they are regulated under existing
      statutes and regulations. From August 2012 to February 2014, the number of lives
      covered by ACOs increased from 514,100 to 915,285, representing 2.4 percent of
      California's population, including 10.6 percent of California's Medicare fee-for
      service beneficiaries and 2.3 percent of California's commercially insured lives.
      By emphasizing health care quality and patient outcomes, ACOs have the potential
      to build and improve on California's delegated model. If recent trends continue,
      ACOs will have a greater influence on health care delivery and financial risk
      sharing in California. 

PMID- 26124304
TI  - Accountable Care Organizations: Integrated Care Meets Market Power.
AB  - Will accountable care organizations (ACOs) deliver high-quality care at lower
      costs? Or will their potential market power lead to higher prices and lower
      quality? ACOs appear in various forms and structures with financial and clinical
      integration at their core; however, the tools to assess their quality and the
      incentive structures that will determine their success are still evolving. Both
      market forces and regulatory structures will determine how these outcomes emerge.
      This introduction reviews the evidence presented in this special issue to tackle
      this thorny trade-off. In general the evidence is promising, but the full
      potential of ACOs to improve the health care delivery system is still uncertain.
      This introductory review concludes that the current consensus is to let ACOs
      grow, anticipating that they will make a contribution to improve our poor-quality
      and high-cost delivery system. 

PMID- 26124305
TI  - Accountable Care Organizations and Population Health Organizations.
AB  - Accountable care organizations (ACOs) and hospitals are investing in improving
      "population health," by which they nearly always mean the health of the
      "population" of patients "attributed" by Medicare, Medicaid, or private health
      insurers to their organizations. But population health can and should also mean
      "the health of the entire population in a geographic area." We present arguments
      for and against ACOs and hospitals investing in affecting the socioeconomic
      determinants of health to improve the health of the population in their
      geographic area, and we provide examples of ACOs and hospitals that are doing so
      in a limited way. These examples suggest that ACOs and hospitals can work with
      other organizations in their community to improve population health. We briefly
      present recent proposals for such coalitions and for how they could be financed
      to be sustainable. 

PMID- 26124306
TI  - Commentary - Payment Policy Disruption and Policy Drift.

PMID- 26124307
TI  - Integration of Substance Abuse Treatment Organizations into Accountable Care
      Organizations: Results from a National Survey.
AB  - To meet their aims of managing population health to improve the quality and cost
      of health care in the United States, accountable care organizations (ACOs) will
      need to focus on coordinating care for individuals with substance abuse
      disorders. The prevalence of these disorders is high, and these individuals often
      suffer from comorbid chronic medical and social conditions. This article examines
      the extent to which the nation's fourteen thousand specialty substance abuse
      treatment (SAT) organizations, which have a daily census of more than 1 million
      patients, are contracting with ACOs across the country; we also examine factors
      associated with SAT organization involvement with ACOs. We draw on data from a
      recent (2014) nationally representative survey of executive directors and
      clinical supervisors from 635 SAT organizations. Results show that only 15
      percent of these organizations had signed contracts with ACOs. Results from
      multivariate analyses show that directors' perceptions of market competition,
      organizational ownership, and geographic location are significantly related to
      SAT involvement with ACOs. We discuss implications for integrating the SAT
      specialty system with the mainstream health care system. 

PMID- 26124308
TI  - Commentary - Competition Policy after Health Care Reform: Mending Holes in
      Antitrust Law's Protective Net.

PMID- 26124309
TI  - Accountable Care Organizations and Antitrust Enforcement: Promoting Competition
      and Innovation.
AB  - The antitrust laws stand to protect consumers of health care services from
      conduct that would raise prices, lower quality, and decrease innovation by
      lessening competition. Importantly, though, vigorous antitrust enforcement does
      not impede accountable care organizations (ACOs) and similar collaborations that
      advance these same goals of better and more efficient care; in fact, by fostering
      competitive markets, the antitrust laws encourage such initiatives. This article
      summarizes the legal framework that the federal antitrust agencies - the Federal
      Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice - use
      to analyze ACOs and other collaborations among health care providers. It outlines
      the guidance provided by the federal antitrust agencies concerning when ACOs and
      other provider collaborations likely would harm competition and consumers. In
      addition, it reviews common antitrust issues that can arise with ACOs and
      provides examples of enforcement actions that have prevented health care
      providers from taking or continuing anticompetitive actions. 

PMID- 26124310
TI  - Medicare for All - If It Were Politically Possible - Would Necessarily Replicate
      the Defects of Our Current System.
AB  - Medicare for All, ideally implemented, could offer powerful advantages over our
      current health care financial system. Unfortunately, the political obstacles to
      such a system are formidable and are likely to remain so for decades. More to the
      point, a politically viable single-payer system would not replace our currently
      dysfunctional health care politics. It would be a product of that same
      legislative process and political economy and thus be disfigured by the same
      interest group politics, path dependence, and fragmentation that Laurence Seidman
      rightly laments. 

PMID- 26124311
TI  - Increasing placebo response in antipsychotic trials: a clinical perspective.
AB  - An increase in placebo response is often cited as rationale for the continuously
      diminishing drug-placebo differences in randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
      evaluating antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs. As a consequence, the
      probability for negative study results in placebo-controlled RCTs grows. This
      alarming trend conveys the impression that the newer marked psychopharmacological
      medications are less efficacious compared to the older ones although particularly
      trial methodological reasons contribute to the mitigation of the drug-placebo
      contrasts over the last decades. With regard to antipsychotic RCTs, the present
      article aims to elucidate the magnitude of the raising placebo response, factors
      contributing to this increase, and potential reasons for this phenomenon.
      Therefore, we summarize and critically discuss the findings of two recent meta
      analyses on this topic. Both research projects revealed that the mean improvement
      of schizophrenic symptoms in the placebo groups of antipsychotic trials increased
      considerably over time. Factors that were significantly associated with larger
      placebo response in antipsychotic trials comprise with respect to participants
      characteristics younger age and shorter duration of illness. The results in terms
      of symptom severity at baseline were conflictive. In terms of trial methodology
      factors, shorter study duration, a larger number of study sites and participants,
      fewer academic/university sites, and a lower percentage of patients randomized to
      placebo were identified as potential predictors for high placebo response. The
      implications of these findings for the interpretation of antipsychotic trial
      results and meta-analyses are presented. 

PMID- 26124313
TI  - Portal inflammation during NAFLD is frequent and associated with the early phases
      of putative hepatic progenitor cell activation.
AB  - AIMS: We investigated whether portal tract inflammation observed in non-alcoholic
      fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with hepatic progenitor cell
      compartment activation, as thoroughly evaluated with different markers of the
      staminal lineage. METHODS: Fifty-two patients with NAFLD were studied. NAFLD
      activity score, fibrosis and portal inflammation were histologically evaluated.
      Putative hepatic progenitor cells, intermediate hepatobiliary cells and bile
      ductules/interlobular bile ducts were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for
      cytokeratin (CK)-7, CK-19 and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), and a
      hepatic progenitor cell compartment score was derived. Hepatic stellate cell and
      myofibroblast activity was determined by immunohistochemistry for alpha-smooth
      muscle actin. RESULTS: Portal inflammation was absent in a minority of patients,
      mild in 40% of cases and more than mild in about half of patients, showing a
      strong correlation with fibrosis (r=0.76, p<0.001). Portal inflammation
      correlated with CK-7-counted putative hepatic progenitor cells (r=0.48, p<0.001),
      intermediate hepatobiliary cells (r=0.6, p<0.001) and bile ductules/interlobular
      bile ducts (r=0.6, p<0.001), and with the activity of myofibroblasts (r=0.5,
      p<0.001). Correlations were confirmed when elements were counted by
      immunostaining for CK-19 and EpCAM. Lobular inflammation, ballooning,
      myofibroblast activity and hepatic progenitor cell compartment activation were
      associated with portal inflammation by univariate analysis. In the multivariate
      model, the only variable independently associated with portal inflammation was
      hepatic progenitor cell compartment activation (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 12.6).
      CONCLUSIONS: Portal inflammation is frequent during NAFLD and strongly associated
      with activation of putative hepatic progenitor cells since the first steps of
      their differentiation, portal myofibroblast activity and fibrosis.

PMID- 26124312
TI  - Membrane protrusion powers clathrin-independent endocytosis of interleukin-2
      receptor.
AB  - Endocytosis controls many functions including nutrient uptake, cell division,
      migration and signal transduction. A clathrin- and caveolin-independent
      endocytosis pathway is used by important physiological cargos, including
      interleukin-2 receptors (IL-2R). However, this process lacks morphological and
      dynamic data. Our electron microscopy (EM) and tomography studies reveal that IL
      2R-pits and vesicles are initiated at the base of protrusions. We identify the
      WAVE complex as a specific endocytic actor. The WAVE complex interacts with IL
      2R, via a WAVE-interacting receptor sequence (WIRS) present in the receptor
      polypeptide, and allows for receptor clustering close to membrane protrusions. In
      addition, using total internal reflection fluorescent microscopy (TIRF) and
      automated analysis we demonstrate that two timely distinct bursts of actin
      polymerization are required during IL-2R uptake, promoted first by the WAVE
      complex and then by N-WASP. Finally, our data reveal that dynamin acts as a
      transition controller for the recruitment of Arp2/3 activators required for IL-2R
      endocytosis. Altogether, our work identifies the spatio-temporal specific role of
      factors initiating clathrin-independent endocytosis by a unique mechanism that
      does not depend on the deformation of a flat membrane, but rather on that of
      membrane protrusions. 

PMID- 26124314
TI  - Procalcitonin.
AB  - Procalcitonin (PCT) is the 116 amino acid precursor of the hormone calcitonin,
      produced by the C cells of the thyroid. Its synthesis is upregulated in bacterial
      infection and downregulated by viral infection. Consequently, with the increasing
      development of antibiotic resistance, interest has focused on the ability of this
      marker to not only diagnose infection but to tailor antibiotic treatment and help
      reduce the development of antibiotic resistance. The value of PCT depends on the
      specific clinical situation and pretest probability of disease. This article
      discusses the role of PCT in these different situations, namely primary care, the
      emergency department and the intensive care unit. The true cost effectiveness of
      this test remains difficult to prove as evidence for the potential impact of
      using PCT on slowing the development of bacterial resistance remains largely
      circumstantial. 

PMID- 26124315
TI  - CD10-positive mantle cell lymphoma: biologically distinct entity or an aberrant
      immunophenotype? Insight, through gene expression profile in a unique case
      series.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive disease with genetic
      heterogeneity and discrete clinical subtypes. MCL is rarely CD10 positive. These
      cases raise the question whether a subset of MCL may be germinal centre (GC)
      derived, and have distinct clinicopathological characteristics. AIMS AND METHODS:
      A series of nine CD10-positive MCL cases is described herein. The
      clinicopathological and immunophenotypic features, immunoglobulin somatic
      hypermutation (SHM) status and gene expression profile (GEP) data are detailed.
      These features were compared with two independent sets (n=20, each) of CD10
      negative MCL cases (controls), which were randomly selected from our
      institutional registry. RESULTS: GEP showed distinct expression of a GC signature
      in CD10-positive MCL cases with minimal impact on downstream signalling pathways.
      There were no significant differences in the clinicopathological features or
      clinical outcome between our CD10-positive and CD10-negative MCL cases. The
      frequency of SHM was comparable with established data. CONCLUSIONS: This study
      provides convincing evidence that CD10 expression is related to a distinct GC
      signature in MCL cases, but without clinical or biological implications.

PMID- 26124316
TI  - The RNA surveillance complex Pelo-Hbs1 is required for transposon silencing in
      the Drosophila germline.
AB  - Silencing of transposable elements (TEs) in the metazoan germline is critical for
      genome integrity and is primarily dependent on Piwi proteins and associated RNAs,
      which exert their function through both transcriptional and posttranscriptional
      mechanisms. Here, we report that the evolutionarily conserved Pelo (Dom34)-Hbs1
      mRNA surveillance complex is required for transposon silencing in the Drosophila
      germline. In pelo mutant gonads, mRNAs and proteins of some selective TEs are up
      regulated. Pelo is not required for piRNA biogenesis, and our studies suggest
      that Pelo may function at the translational level to silence TEs: This function
      requires interaction with Hbs1, and overexpression of RpS30a partially reverts TE
      silencing defects in pelo mutants. Interestingly, TE silencing and
      spermatogenesis defects in pelo mutants can also effectively be rescued by
      expressing the mammalian ortholog of Pelo. We propose that the Pelo-Hbs1
      surveillance complex provides another level of defense against the expression of
      TEs in the germline of Drosophila and possibly all metazoa. 

PMID- 26124317
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA Deficiency in Ovarian Cancer Cells and Cancer Stem Cell-like
      Properties.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A low quantity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a risk factor in a
      variety of tumor types. However, it is unclear how mtDNA reduction influences
      tumor behavior. MATERIAL AND METHODS: mtDNA-deficient ovarian cancer cells were
      established by ethidium bromide (EtBr) treatment with additive combination of
      pyruvate and uridine. RESULTS: The mtDNA-deficient cells had a low growth and
      colony-forming efficiency compared to the control cells. RNA sequencing revealed
      down-regulation of mitochondrion-related genes and up-regulation of genes related
      to cell proliferation and anti-apoptosis. The expression of genes involved in
      cancer metastasis, proliferation, angiogenesis, drug resistance and cancer cell
      stemness were also up-regulated. Intriguingly, cancer stem cell markers CD90 and
      CD117 were both up-regulated by EtBr dose-dependently in both cell lines.
      CONCLUSION: MtDNA deficiency may induce ovarian cancer stem cell-like properties
      through different ways in vitro, therefore contributing to different tumor
      behaviors.

PMID- 26124318
TI  - Real-time Non-invasive Spectral Imaging of Orthotopic Red Fluorescent Protein
      expressing Lung Tumor Growth in Nude Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Orthotopic implantation of cancer allows metastasis to occur. The
      most patient-like metastatic orthotopic models are developed with surgical
      orthotopic implantation using intact tissue in order to preserve the natural
      tissue structure of the tumor which contains both cancer cells and stroma.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, we performed a simple thoracotomy by
      making an intercostal incision between the fourth and fifth ribs on the left side
      of the chest of nude mice. Lung tumor fragments expressing red fluorescent
      protein were then implanted on the left lung. RESULTS: It was possible to monitor
      tumor formation in the lung non-invasively by spectral imaging using the Maestro
      system with a liquid tunable filter. The model described here has high
      tumorigenicity in the lung (100%) and a low mortality rate (5%). CONCLUSION: This
      imageable nude mouse model using surgical orthotopic implantation of lung cancer
      will be useful for all types of longitudinal studies.

PMID- 26124319
TI  - Systematic Review of Candidate Single-nucleotide Polymorphisms as Biomarkers for
      Responsiveness to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation for Rectal Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Treatment of rectal cancer has improved significantly with the
      addition of neoadjuvant chemoradiation. Certain patients have experienced a
      complete pathological response to chemoradiation, as observed in surgically
      resected tissue samples, thus calling into question the necessity of radical
      surgery in this population of patients. Pharmacogenetic studies now implicate the
      role that genetic biomarkers, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms, play in an
      individual's response to chemoradiation. The aim of this review was to provide a
      comprehensive evaluation of a group of candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms
      associated with chemoradiotherapy response and an assessment of techniques that
      can be used to easily identify the presence of these single nucleotide
      polymorphisms in patient samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant primary
      research articles were identified in the Medline Database from January 1, 2006 to
      May 31, 2012. We included nine relevant articles addressing the correlation
      between six candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms and one candidate variable
      number tandem repeat in six genes, namely thymidylate synthase, epidermal growth
      factor, epidermal growth factor receptor, superoxide dismutase 2, interleukin-13,
      and cyclin D1, with tumor down-staging and patient survival after neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. RESULTS: Specific alleles of each of the
      candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms were significantly associated with
      either a major response in tumor down-staging or a minor to non-existent response
      following neoadjuvant chemotherapy, individually or in combination with other
      single nucleotide polymorphisms. However, studies present conflicting results
      regarding the effect of certain candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms on
      tumor down-staging. CONCLUSION: Through further research into candidate single
      nucleotide polymorphisms and potential identification of other polymorphisms,
      clinicians may be able to create individualized treatment plans in accordance
      with the genotype of individual patients with rectal cancer, in order to reduce
      morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 26124320
TI  - Expression of Stem Cell-associated Marker HES77 in Rectal Neuroendocrine Tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Expression of novel stem cell-associated marker human embryonic stem
      cell 77 (HES77) was studied in rectal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), which
      comprise 10 to 15% of gastroenteropancreatic NETs, some with metastatic
      potential. MATERIALS AND METHODS: WHO 2010 classification was applied, and
      immunohistochemical positivity for HES77 was assessed in 72 primary tumors and 6
      metastases. Correlations were calculated between HES77 expression, metastasis and
      patient survival. RESULTS: Expression of HES77 strongly positively correlated
      with metastatic potential and poorer prognosis. The proliferative index
      determined in the metastasis did not correlate with patient survival. CONCLUSION:
      Novel stem cell-associated marker HES77 has a strong prognostic value in patients
      with rectal NETs and may be useful in selecting those who are at-risk for
      developing metastatic disease, and who may benefit from intensive adjuvant
      therapy. Proliferative index in the metastasis did not predict for outcome.
      Characterization of the HES77 epitope would certainly enhance the interest in the
      antibody.

PMID- 26124321
TI  - Molecular Mechanism(s) Involved in 25-Hydroxyvitamin D's Antiproliferative
      Effects in CYP27B1-transfected LNCaP Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: 1alpha,25(OH)2D has been shown to induce cell-cycle regulation,
      apoptosis and differentiation in prostate cancer cells. Previous studies have
      demonstrated that prostate and some prostate cancer cells have the ability to
      convert 25(OH)D3 to 1alpha,25(OH)2D3. The aim of the present study was to
      elucidate the role of 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 production by 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1alpha
      hydroxylase (CYP27B1) on prostate cancer cell growth. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      LNCaP cells were stably transfected with CYP27B. RESULTS: Stably-transfected
      1alpha-OHase LNCaP cells converted 25(OH)D3 to 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 unlike
      untransfected LNCaP cells. There was a dose-dependent decrease in (3)H-thymidine
      incorporation in 1alpha,25(OH)2D3-treated LNCaP cells, not seen with 25(OH)D3
      treatment, and in stably transfected 1alpha-OHase LNCaP cells treated with
      25(OH)D3. 1alpha,25(OH)2D3-treated LNCaP cells and 25(OH)D3-treated stably
      transfected 1alpha-OHase LNCaP cells demonstrated an increased G1 phase
      accumulation and apoptosis, while 25(OH)D3 treatment had no effect in LNCaP
      cells. CONCLUSION: The present study supports the hypothesis that local
      production of 1alpha,25(OH)2D is important in inhibiting prostate cancer
      development and growth.

PMID- 26124322
TI  - Analysis of the Antitumor Activity of Clotrimazole on A375 Human Melanoma Cells.
AB  - AIM: The current study was designed to characterize the anticancer effects of
      clotrimazole on human cutaneous melanoma cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The v-raf
      murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 V600E mutant melanoma cell line A375 was
      used as an in vitro model. Characterization tools included analyses of cell
      viability, gene expression, cell-cycle progression, annexin V reactivity and
      internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. RESULTS: Clotrimazole induced cytotoxicity in
      A375 human melanoma cells without significant changes of human keratinocyte cell
      viability. Clotrimazole, at a concentration that approximates the inhibitory
      concentration 50% (IC50) value (i.e. 10 MUM), reduced the expression of
      hexokinase type-II, induced cell-cycle arrest at G1-S phase transition, altered
      annexin V reactivity and induced DNA fragmentation without evidence of necrosis.
      CONCLUSION: The current study provides evidence of a remarkable pro-apoptotic
      effect by clotrimazole against human melanoma cells, with a different mechanism
      of action and timeline of the apoptosis-related events when compared to
      cisplatin.

PMID- 26124323
TI  - CD114 Expression Mediates Melanoma Tumor Cell Growth and Treatment Resistance.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Melanoma tumor cell sub-populations expressing a variety of
      specific molecular markers have been identified. We hypothesized that expression
      of CD114, the cell surface receptor for granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G
      CSF), would be associated with melanoma tumor cell growth and response to
      treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We determined the expression of CD114
      expression in tumor cell lines by flow cytometry. We separated melanoma tumor
      cells into CD114-positive and - negative populations by fluorescence-activated
      cell sorting (FACS) and measured cell growth and responses to temozolomide and
      etoposide and the anticancer agent nifurtimox. RESULTS: All tested cell lines
      demonstrated a sub-population of cells with CD114 surface expression. CD114
      positive sub-populations grew faster than CD114-negative ones and demonstrated
      resistance to temozolomide, etoposide, and nifurtimox. CONCLUSION: CD114
      expression defines a sub-population of melanoma tumor cells with altered growth
      and resistance to treatment. Further studies on the role of CD114 in melanoma
      pathogenesis are warranted.

PMID- 26124324
TI  - PDGFR-alpha and CD117 Expression Pattern in Esophageal Carcinomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite advanced diagnostics and multimodal treatments, the overall 5
      year survival rate for patients with esophageal cancer remains low. In the past,
      several specific antibodies, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors, targeting
      different steps of carcinogenesis were investigated. We examined two receptor
      tyrosine kinases, platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR-alpha) and
      mast/stem cell growth factor receptor (CD117) in esophageal carcinomas. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Tissue samples of 52 Norwegian patients who underwent esophagectomy
      were examined using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: PDGFR-alpha and CD117
      expression was observed in cancer cells in all samples of both carcinoma types. A
      higher PDGFR-alpha immunoreactivity was detected in the squamous cell carcinoma
      group (p=0.032). Surprisingly, a higher number of PDGFR-alpha-positive cells in
      the analyzed samples for the entire population was associated with longer
      survival (p=0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings of our study need to be further
      validated as we examined a low number of patients. Both PDGFR-alpha and CD117
      probably play an important role in the progression of esophageal carcinoma, and
      they may possibly be targets for biological anticancer therapy in the future.

PMID- 26124325
TI  - MMP9, Cyclin D1 and beta-Catenin Are Useful Markers of p16-positive Squamous Cell
      Carcinoma in Therapeutic EGFR Inhibition In Vitro.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: In the United States 53,640 new cases of head and neck cancer
      were estimated in 2013. Over 95% of these cases were evaluated as squamous cell
      carcinoma (SCC). At present, smoking, drinking alcohol, chewing betel and
      infection with high-risk types of human papilloma virus (HPV) are classified as
      risk factors of oropharyngeal squamous cancer cell carcinoma (OPSCC). It could be
      suggested that patients with HPV-positive OPSCC have a better response to
      chemoradiotherapy than patients without. In many studies, there was observed an
      inverse correlation between epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression
      and HPV status in p16-positive SCC. Therefore, it is of great clinical interest
      to specify the phenotype of cancer cells in order to further individualize
      treatment modalities. The aim of the study was to investigate the expression
      pattern of specific markers in p16-positive SCC cells after stimulation with
      lapatinib and gefitinib. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We incubated p16-positive CERV196
      cells with lapatinib and gefitinib (2 MUg/ml) and after 5, 24 and 96 h determined
      E-cadherin, vimentin, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), cyclin D1 and beta
      catenin by immunocytochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: We found an increase of E
      cadherin and a decrease of vimentin in unstimulated cells. We detected an
      alteration of expression of vimentin and E-cadherin level after treatment with
      lapatinib and gefitinib. We demonstrated a statistically significant lapatinib-
      and gefitinib-induced repression of cyclin D1, MMP9 and beta-catenin in CERV196
      cells dependent on incubation time. CONCLUSION: Cyclin D1 and MMP9 expression
      profiles may represent an early measure of sensitivity and level of response to
      lapatinib and gefitinib. The presented cell culture model is, therefore, well
      suited for further study of epigenetic regulation of molecular targeted-therapy
      by EGFR inhibition and prevention of mesenchymal transition in p16-positive SCC
      cells.

PMID- 26124326
TI  - SPINK1 Promoter Variants Are Associated with Prostate Cancer Predisposing
      Alterations in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Several studies reported that patients with benign prostatic
      hyperplasia (BPH) experienced a 10% increased incidence of prostate cancer (PCa)
      after the first 5 years of diagnosis. We investigated the association between
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter of Serine Protease
      Inhibitor Kazal Type 1 (SPINK1) and the increased risk of BPH and PCa. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We genotyped three SNPs in a cases-control study, including BPH and
      PCa cases. Multiple logistic regression models were applied to analyze clinical
      and genotypic data. RESULTS: We found an inverse association between SNP
      rs10035432 and BPH under the log-additive (p=0.007) model. No association was
      found between these SNPs and PCa risk. However, we observed a possible
      association between rs1432982 and lower-grade PCa (p=0.05) under the recessive
      model. CONCLUSION: SPINK1 promoter variants are likely to be associated with the
      risk of BPH.

PMID- 26124327
TI  - Establishment and Characterization of Two Novel Human Pancreatic Carcinoma Cell
      Lines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic carcinoma (PC) is among the most lethal types of
      carcinomas worldwide. We aimed to establish well-defined PC cell lines in order
      to determine their resistance to chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells
      cultured from the tumors of two patients were analyzed for xenograft formation, V
      Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) and TP53 mutations,
      chemosensitivity, and mRNAs encoding rate-limiting enzymes that metabolize
      anticancer drugs. RESULTS: The TYPK-1 and TYPK-2 cell lines were established from
      the lymph node of a locally advanced PC and from the ascites of a multi
      metastatic and multi-chemoresistant PC, respectively. Each cell line generated
      tumors in nude mice. KRAS and TP53 mutations were detected in TYPK-1 but not TYPK
      2 cells. TYPK-1 cells were resistant to gemcitabine, and TYPK-2 cells were
      resistant to oxaliplatin. The gemcitabine sensitivity of each cell line
      correlated with the expression of mRNAs encoding DCK and SLCAC29A1. CONCLUSION:
      TYPK-1 and TYPK-2 cells may contribute to investigations of resistance to
      anticancer drugs.

PMID- 26124328
TI  - Co-treatment with BEZ235 Enhances Sensitivity of BRCA1-negative Breast Cancer
      Cells to Olaparib.
AB  - The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, olaparib has been reported as
      having preferential anti-proliferative effects on breast cancer 1 (BRCA1)
      deficient breast and ovarian cancer cells and was recently approved by the US
      Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for advanced, BRCA1-mutated ovarian cancer.
      Herein, we show that BEZ235, a protein kinase inhibitor, enhanced the tumor cell
      killing effect of olaparib in BRCA1-mutated breast cancer cells in vitro. BEZ235
      reduced olaparib-induced phosphorylation of p53 binding protein 1 (53BP1) and
      53BP1 foci formation, as well as phosphorylation of AKT (S473). Long-term colony
      formation assay revealed more strong synergistic effects of this combination in
      SUM149PT and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cell lines. BEZ235 treatment combined with
      olaparib may be a candidate for effective therapeutic treatment of BRCA1-mutated
      breast cancer. 

PMID- 26124329
TI  - High-fat Diet Enhances and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Deficiency
      Attenuates Bone Loss in Mice with Lewis Lung Carcinoma.
AB  - This study determined the effects of a high-fat diet and plasminogen activator
      inhibitor-1 deficiency (Pai1(-/-)) on the bone structure in male C57BL/6 mice
      bearing Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) in lungs. Significant reduction in bone volume
      fraction (BV/TV), trabecular number (Tb.N) and bone mineral density (BMD) in
      femurs and vertebrae were found in LLC-bearing mice compared to non-tumor-bearing
      mice. In LLC-bearing mice, the high-fat diet compared to the AIN93G control diet
      significantly reduced BV/TV, Tb.N and BMD in femurs and BV/TV in vertebrae. The
      high-fat diet significantly reduced BMD in vertebrae in wild-type mice but not in
      Pai1(-/-) mice. Compared to wild-type mice, PAI1 deficiency significantly
      increased BV/TV and Tb.N in femurs. The plasma concentration of osteocalcin was
      significantly lower and that of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRAP5b)
      was significantly higher in LLC-bearing mice. The high-fat diet significantly
      reduced plasma osteocalcin and increased TRAP5b. Deficiency in PAI1 prevented the
      high-fat diet-induced increases in plasma TRAP5b. These findings demonstrate that
      a high-fat diet enhances, whereas PAI1 deficiency, attenuates metastasis
      associated bone loss, indicating that a high-fat diet and PAI1 contribute to
      metastasis-associated bone deterioration. 

PMID- 26124330
TI  - Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel HIF1alpha Inhibitors.
AB  - Elevated levels of hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF1) are linked to tumor
      metastasis, angiogenesis, poor patient prognosis and response to chemotherapy.
      HIF1alpha is a master regulator of the hypoxic response, including in cancer
      cells, through transcriptional activation of several target genes. Previously, we
      identified compound CJ-3k with high anti-HIF1alpha activity based on the
      structure of a well-known HIF1alpha inhibitor, YC-1. In this study, the CJ-3k
      scaffold was systematically modified to explore the structure-activity
      relationships. Fifty-three new CJ-3k analogs were synthesized and screened for
      their anti-HIF-1alpha activity in a luciferase-transfected human breast cancer
      cell line (MDA-MB-231). Some of these new analogs have a significantly greater
      activity than that of CJ-3k and hold potential for development as new therapeutic
      agents for the treatment of cancer. 

PMID- 26124331
TI  - High-mobility Group Box 1 and Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase activated Protein
      Kinase-2 Are Up-regulated in Gemcitabine-resistant Pancreatic Cancer Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Results of our previous studies demonstrated that the expression of
      heat-shock protein 27 (HSP27) was increased and HSP27 was phosphorylated in the
      GEM-resistant pancreatic cancer cell line, KLM1-R. The expression of HSP27 is
      regulated mainly by heat-shock factor 1, but other transcription factors or
      kinases have been reported to activate HSP27. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1)
      is a nuclear transcription factor. It has been reported that HMGB1 regulates
      HSP27 gene expression. Mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase
      2 (MAPKAPK2) phosphorylates HSP27. In the present study, we investigated the
      expression of HMGB1 and MAPKAPK2 in KLM1-R cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      expression levels of HMGB1 and MAPKAPK2 were compared between KLM1 and KLM1-R
      cells by western blotting. RESULTS: The protein expression of both HMGB1 and
      MAPKAPK2 were increased in KLM1-R cells compared to KLM1 cells. CONCLUSION: The
      increase of both HMGB1 and MAPKAPK2 in KLM1-R cells compared to KLM1 suggest the
      possibility of the activation of the pathway of HSP27 by HMGB1 and MAPKAPK2 in
      gemcitabine-resistant KLM1-R cells.

PMID- 26124332
TI  - Curcumin Triggers DNA Damage and Inhibits Expression of DNA Repair Proteins in
      Human Lung Cancer Cells.
AB  - The study goal was to evaluate the effects of curcumin on DNA damage and
      expression of DNA-repair proteins in human lung cancer. Thus, NCI-H460 cells were
      used to study the effects of curcumin on DNA damage and repair in vitro. We
      investigated curcumin induces DNA damage by comet the assay and 4',6-diamidino-2
      phenylindole (DAPI) staining. The DNA damage/repair-related protein levels were
      examined and monitored by western blotting and confocal microscopy. Curcumin
      significantly increased the length of comet tails and DNA condensation in NCI
      H460 cells. Curcumin reduced expression of DNA-repair proteins such as 14-3-3
      protein sigma (14-3-3sigma), O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT),
      breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1), and mediator of DNA damage
      checkpoint 1 (MDC1). Curcumin also increased phosphorylation of p53 and Histone
      H2A.X (S140) in the nuclei of NCI-H460 cells. Taken together, our findings
      indicated that curcumin triggered DNA damage and inhibited expression of DNA
      repair-associated proteins in NCI-H460 cells. 

PMID- 26124333
TI  - Protective Effect of Leuprorelin on Radiation-induced Intestinal Toxicity.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Patients with prostate cancer treated with neoadjuvant androgen
      ablation experience less radiation-induced intestinal toxicity, mostly due to a
      reduction of the volume of normal tissue exposed to high radiation doses. We
      aimed to evaluate if the anti-androgenic drug leuprorelin itself exerts a
      protective effect on irradiated bowel. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Female, intact and
      castrated male C57BL/6J mice underwent 12-Gy total body irradiation, with or
      without a three-month leuprorelin (0.054 mg/kg/month i.p.) pre-treatment. After
      24-72 h, mice were sacrificed and intestinal segments collected for histological,
      immunohistochemical and molecular analyses. RESULTS: Leuprorelin markedly reduced
      radiation-induced jejunal and colonic histological alterations in mice, increased
      the number of regenerating crypts vs. irradiation, and reduced radiation-induced
      nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity. Leuprorelin significantly reduced radiation
      induced matrix metallo-proteinase-2 (Mmp2) and -13, collagen 1 and -3,
      transforming growth factor-beta (Tgfb), p53, interleukin 6 (Il6), and B-cell
      lymphoma 2 (Bcl2)-associated X protein (Bax) gene expressions, and nuclear factor
      kappa B (NFkappaB) and TGFbeta protein expression, and hampered radiation-induced
      BCL2 protein down-regulation. CONCLUSION: Leuprorelin protects mice from
      radiation-induced intestinal injury, likely through a reduction of tissue
      oxidative stress. These findings give a biological interpretation to clinical
      observations of improved intestinal tolerance in patients undergoing androgen
      ablation before RT.

PMID- 26124334
TI  - Effectiveness of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Japanese Patients with Non-small
      Cell Lung Cancer Harboring Minor Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutations:
      Results from a Multicenter Retrospective Study (HANSHIN Oncology Group 0212).
AB  - AIM: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with minor mutations in the epidermal
      growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene, except for the common 15 base-pair deletions
      in exon 19 and the L858R mutation in exon 21, is rare, and only few data exist on
      this patient population. The aim of the present study was to describe the
      clinical characteristics and to clarify the efficacy of EGFR-tyrosine kinase
      inhibitors (TKIs) in patients with NSCLC harboring minor mutations of the EGFR
      gene. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a multicenter, retrospective study that
      analyzed specimens from patients with NSCLC who had minor EGFR gene mutations and
      were treated with EGFR-TKIs between June 2002 and March 2012. RESULTS: Out of 56
      patients with minor mutations of the EGFR gene, 44 were treated with either
      gefitinib or erlotinib. Mutation sites were G719X in exon 18 (n=35), L861Q in
      exon 21 (n=11), and G874S in exon 21 (n=1). Three patients had both the G719S and
      the L861Q mutation. The response rate to TKI treatment was 29.5%, and the disease
      control rate was 63.6%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6.7 months
      [95% confidence interval (CI)=2.06-8.66 months]. The median PFS was 7.2 months
      (95% CI=4.23-12.3 months) in 32 patients who received first- or second-line
      treatment with EGFR-TKIs, whereas the median PFS was 1.57 months (95% CI=0.73-3.8
      months) in 12 patients treated with EGFR-TKIs as a third-line or later treatment.
      In multivariate Cox analysis, erlotinib therapy was associated with a longer PFS
      than gefitinib (p=0.025). CONCLUSION: Patients with NSCLC harboring minor
      mutations of the EGFR gene exhibited a modest response to EGFR-TKI treatment.
      Treatment with first-generation EGFR-TKIs, in particular erlotinib, may be
      considered a first- or second-line option for patients with NSCLC with minor EGFR
      mutations.

PMID- 26124335
TI  - Contribution of Genotype of DNA Double-strand Break Repair Gene XRCC3, Gender,
      and Smoking Behavior to Lung Cancer Risk in Taiwan.
AB  - AIM: The present study evaluated the contribution of genotype of X-ray repair
      cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3), age, gender, and smoking to lung cancer risk
      in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 358 patients with lung cancer and
      716 controls were investigated for their XRCC3 rs1799794, rs45603942, rs861530,
      rs3212057, rs1799796, rs861539, rs28903081 genotype, epidemiological and clinical
      data for association and gene-Iifestyle interactions. RESULTS: The results showed
      that CT and TT genotypes of XRCC3 rs861539 were associated with increased lung
      cancer risk (odds ratio=1.81, 95% confidence interval=1.18-2.78; odds ratio=3.43,
      95% confidence interval=1.12-10.60, respectively). This polymorphism also
      influenced lung cancer susceptibility in males and smokers (p=0.0017 and 0.0045,
      respectively). CONCLUSION: The T allele of XRCC3 rs861539 contributes to
      increased risk of lung cancer in Taiwanese, particularly those who are male and
      smokers.

PMID- 26124336
TI  - Sulforaphene Synergistically Sensitizes Cisplatin via Enhanced Mitochondrial
      Dysfunction and PI3K/PTEN Modulation in Ovarian Cancer Cells.
AB  - AIM: To explore if a natural isothiocyanate, sulforaphene (SFE), sensitizes
      ovarian cancer cells to the chemotherapy drug cisplatin (CDDP). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We studied reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane
      depolarization and cell-cycle distribution in two ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3
      and SNU 8 treated with SFE and cisplatin. We further analyzed the expression of
      caspases 3, 8, and 9, Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and Phosphatase and tensin
      homolog (PTEN) by western blotting. RESULTS: SFE sensitized cells to cisplatin by
      enhancing ROS and mitochondrial membrane depolarization that released cytochrome
      c and activated caspase 9 and caspase 3 in the mitochondrial pathway. It also
      inhibited extrinsic pathway protein caspase 8, growth-related protein PI3K and
      further activated PTEN in combination with cisplatin. CONCLUSION: SFE
      synergistically inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis of SKOV3 and SNU8
      cells in combination with cisplatin by activating multiple apoptotic pathways.
      Therefore, we suggest sulforaphene as a chemo-enhancing adjuvant to improve the
      efficacy of cisplatin in ovarian cancer treatment.

PMID- 26124337
TI  - Ataxia-Telangiectasia and RAD3-Related and Ataxia-Telangiectasia-Mutated Proteins
      in Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma: Their Expression and Clinical Significance.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: The expression patterns of the key DNA damage response-related
      proteins, ataxia-telangiectasia and tfiih/ner complex atp-dependent 5'-3' dna
      helicase subunit rad3 (RAD3)-related (ATR) and ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated
      (ATM) proteins in ovarian cancer are not well-known. This study aimed to evaluate
      the expressions of ATR and ATM proteins, and to investigate their clinical
      significance in epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      expressions of nuclear/cytoplasmic Ser428-phosphorylated ATR (p-ATR) and Ser1981
      phosphorylated ATM (p-ATM) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 100 patients
      with EOC. The clinical significances of p-ATR and p-ATM protein expression were
      evaluated in terms of tumor progression and survival. RESULTS: Low expression of
      cytoplasmic p-ATR was significantly associated with advanced stage, serous
      histology, large residual mass, and high preoperative serum CA125 level.
      Univariate survival analysis revealed that low expression of cytoplasmic p-ATR
      protein was significantly associated with poor disease-free survival and poor
      overall survival. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that cytoplasmic ATR protein
      might serve as a prognostic biomarker for patients with EOC.

PMID- 26124338
TI  - Stimulation by Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 Modulates the Ex-vivo Colony
      Formation by Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The outcome of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
      (HNSCC) is still poor. To improve therapy of HNSCC, biomarkers indicating
      progression of the disease or modifiers with potential as therapeutic targets and
      therapy need to be investigated. Since monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP1) is
      potentially involved in tumorigenesis of HNSCC, we aimed to clarify its role in
      HNSCC and investigated the influence of stimulation by MCP1 and its depletion
      using antibodies against MCP1 (anti-MCP1) on colony formation by HNSCC cells.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Biopsies of HNSCC were treated according to the protocol
      of the FLAVINO assay with cisplatin, docetaxel, temsirolimus or cilengitide
      alone, or combined with MCP1 or anti-MCP1. After a 72-h incubation, ethanol-fixed
      and fluoresceine-isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled epithelial colonies were counted.
      RESULTS: Colony formation was significantly suppressed by MCP1 and 3.3 MUM
      cisplatin, while docetaxel, cilengitide and temsirolimus at concentrations of
      0.275, 10 and 0.50 MUM caused insignificant effects. Addition of MCP1 to
      cisplatin, docetaxel and cilengitide increased efficacy of cytostatics in
      inhibition of colony formation, whereas those with temsirolimus were increased by
      anti-MCP1 that when applied alone failed to modulate colony formation. Overall
      regarding facilitated chemosensitivity, there was a statistical trend in favor of
      MCP1 stimulation over depletion. CONCLUSION: Our ex vivo results show context
      dependent effects of MCP1 in HNSCC cells. An increase of MCP1 level or its
      addition to cisplatin, docetaxel and cilengitide reduce colony formation but the
      efficacy of temsirolimus is augmented by MCP1 depletion. These context
      dependently opposite outcomes call for further translational investigations in
      HNSCC.

PMID- 26124339
TI  - Altered Expression of Yes-associated Protein and beta-Catenin in Non-neoplastic
      and Neoplastic Gastric Surface Epithelia.
AB  - AIM: To investigate whether differential expression of Yes-associated protein
      (YAP) and beta-catenin is important in gastric carcinogenesis. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A total of 284 paraffin-embedded samples collected from 232 patients
      with gastric adenocarcinoma were used to evaluate YAP and beta-catenin expression
      by immunohistochemistry, and the experimental findings were compared against
      those for gastric adenocarcinoma cell lines. RESULTS: Nuclear YAP expression
      gradually increased from non-neoplastic epithelia to tubular or papillary
      adenocarcinomas (TPADs) and decreased in signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC).
      Cytoplasmic beta-catenin expression increased from non-neoplastic epithelia to
      high-grade dysplasia and was decreased in TPAD and SRCC. YAP-overexpressing cell
      lines exhibited marked tumor cell invasion, whereas YAP-depleted cells showed
      reduced invasion. CONCLUSION: Nuclear YAP and cytoplasmic beta-catenin play
      important roles in carcinogenesis, and the differential patterns YAP and beta
      catenin expression between TPAD and SRCC imply the existence of different
      carcinogenic pathways in these conditions.

PMID- 26124340
TI  - Distribution and Effects of CDKN2 p16 540 C>G and 580 C>T, and MDM2 SNP309 T>G
      Polymorphisms in Patients with Primary Brain Tumors.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Primary brain tumors are unique tumors due to their different
      pathobiological behavior, while they rarely metastasize outside the central
      nervous system. Regarding the oncogenesis of primary brain tumors, it was shown
      that changes in functions of p16 and mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2) are
      related to tumor pathogenesis by enhancing cell proliferation and malign
      development. The present study aims to evaluate the possible associations between
      cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDKN2) p16 540 C>G and 580 C>T, MDM2 single nucleotide
      polymorphism 309 (SNP309) T>G polymorphisms and primary brain tumor. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism technique, we determined SNPs in 67 patients with primary brain
      tumors and 71 healthy volunteers without malignancy. RESULTS: The frequency of CC
      genotype for CDKN2 p16 540 C>G was significantly two-fold higher (p<0.001) and
      possessing a C allele conferred a ~7-fold increased risk (p=0.005) of primary
      brain tumor. We also found that the CC genotype produced a higher ~4-fold risk of
      glioma (p=0.001) and the G allele had a possibly protective role against
      meningioma (~4.8-fold reduced risk, p=0.001). We found no significant
      associations for CDKN2 p16 580 C>T and MDM2 SNP309 T>G variants between cases and
      controls. CGT haplotype was significantly less frequent in patients with primary
      brain tumors and glioma cases (p=0.009 and p=0.028, respectively) than controls.
      CGG haplotype was significantly less frequent in patients with meningioma versus
      the control group (p=0.023). CONCLUSION: These findings show that CDKN2 p16 540
      C>G, CDKN2 p16 580 C>T and MDM2 SNP309 T>G variants and their haplotypes may be
      risk factors for the development of primary brain tumors, especially of glioma.

PMID- 26124341
TI  - Phthalocyanine-mediated Photodynamic Treatment of Tumoural and Non-tumoural cell
      lines.
AB  - This study deals with the use of cationic far-red absorbing photosensitizers
      (lambda(max) ~740 nm) from the group of the phthalocyanines, in photodynamic
      therapy. The photosensitizers differed in their central atom, bearing either
      hydrogen, zinc or magnesium. These photosensitizers were tested in vitro on the
      tumour cell line HeLa (cervical cancer) and non-tumour cell line NIH3T3 (mouse
      fibroblast). The following tests were performed: measurement of reactive oxygen
      species production, viability testing, Comet assay and cell type detection
      (apoptotic, necrotic and living cells). The best results were achieved with zinc
      derivative at relatively low half-maximum inhibitory concentration (0.04 MUM) and
      a total radiation dose of 15 J cm(-2).

PMID- 26124342
TI  - Expression of the Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule and Cytokeratin 8 in Head and
      Neck Squamous Cell Cancer: A Comparative Study.
AB  - The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a well-known and widely accepted
      tumor-associated antigen in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In
      contrast, little is known about cytokeratin 8 (CK8), an intermediary filament
      protein, recently associated with HNSCC. Studies demonstrated an aberrant
      expression on the cell surface of different carcinomas of both antigens. We
      performed an immunohistochemical study on the expression pattern of CK8 in
      comparison to EpCAM on cryosections, followed by microscopic quantitative and
      semi-qualitative analyses. Both antigens showed heterogenous expression both in
      individual carcinomas and between different carcinoma types. Furthermore, the
      expression of CK8 is clearly dependent on the degree of histological tumor cell
      differentiation. With increasing de-differentiation, the amount of CK8 expression
      increased, which was not seen for EpCAM. The expression of EpCAM was high on all
      carcinomas independent of their anatomical localization. Regarding CK8, there
      seems to be a correlation between the expression grade and the anatomical site.
      The application of CK8 may provide additional supplementary information on HNSCC.

PMID- 26124343
TI  - Expression of EMT Markers SLUG and TWIST in Breast Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been observed in
      progression of in situ breast cancer to the invasive form and might be initiated
      by snail family zinc finger 2 (SLUG) and twist family bHLH transcription factor 1
      (TWIST) protein overexpression. During this phenomenon, cells lose their
      epithelial phenotype and acquire mesenchymal features. The aim of the study was
      to examine the association of EMT markers SLUG and TWIST with clinicopathological
      data and the possibility of using these proteins as prognostic markers of breast
      cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis (IHC) of SLUG and
      TWIST expression was performed on archival paraffin samples of 19 cases with
      fibrocystic breast changes (control group), 148 cases of invasive ductal breast
      cancer (IDC) and 26 of invasive lobular breast cancer (ILC). Laser capture
      microdissection for isolation of cells from 17 frozen samples of IDC was employed
      and subsequently SLUG and TWIST mRNA expression in cancer and stromal cells was
      detected separately by real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: SLUG and
      TWIST expression in IDC was significant higher in stromal cells regardless of the
      method of quantification used (p<0.001 for SLUG mRNA, and p<0.0001 for SLUG IHC,
      TWIST IHC and TWIST mRNA expression). Positive correlation of SLUG and TWIST
      protein and mRNA expression was observed in stromal cells of IDC (r=0.347;
      p<0.0001 and r=0.704; p<0.01, respectively). Expression of TWIST protein in IDC
      was higher in cancer cells of cases with shorter event-free survival period, as
      well as in stromal cells of cases with shorter overall survival period (p<0.05
      for both). CONCLUSION: Stromal cells could play a role in the regulation of EMT
      in breast cancer.

PMID- 26124344
TI  - microRNA Expression in Prospectively Collected Blood as a Potential Biomarker of
      Breast Cancer Risk in the BCFR.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Current breast cancer risk assessment models have moderate
      discriminatory ability. We evaluated whether microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles
      in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) could be a useful biomarker of risk
      in high-risk women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Next-generation sequencing evaluated
      miR expression in PBMCs of 20 women who were unaffected at the time of
      recruitment and later diagnosed with breast cancer and 20 unaffected women.
      RESULTS: Out of the 5 miRNAs identified as potential risk markers, miR-144-3p,
      miR-451a, miR-144-5p and miR-183-5p were up-regulated, while miR-708-5p was down
      regulated. We then evaluated these miRs in 28 additional case/control pairs using
      quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR). None of the
      results in the validation sample were statistically significant possibly due to
      the much longer interval between blood collection and diagnosis in the validation
      set. CONCLUSIONS: Differentially expressed miRNAs from PBMCs may be potential non
      invasive biomarkers for breast cancer prediction. Larger prospective studies are
      required to confirm whether our findings with specific miRNA loci were related to
      timing before diagnosis.

PMID- 26124345
TI  - Patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Analyzed for EGFR: Adherence to
      Guidelines, Prevalence and Outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) analysis is the first
      molecular test introduced in the routine care of patients with non-small cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC). In the present study, we describe the prevalence of EGFR
      mutations and the adherence to testing and treatment guidelines in a population
      based Swedish NSCLC cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with NSCLC analyzed
      for EGFR mutations were identified and their characteristics and survival data
      were retrieved. We compared the study cohort to a matched lung cancer population.
      RESULTS: The EGFR mutation frequency was 10%. Mutations were enriched in women
      and in adenocarcinoma cases. Out of patients with advanced-stage NSCLC with non
      squamous histology, only 49% were referred for EGFR analysis. Out of the patients
      with EGFR mutation and advanced disease, only 38% received EGFR-tyrosine kinase
      inhibitor (TKI) in first-line therapy. CONCLUSION: The EGFR-mutated NSCLC
      population studied is similar to other Western populations. Surprisingly, a large
      proportion of patients were not referred for EGFR analysis. Out of the patients
      with EGFR mutation, fewer than 40% received EGFR-TKI as first-line treatment. Our
      results highlight the need for follow-up of treatment and diagnostic algorithms
      in routine healthcare.

PMID- 26124346
TI  - Evaluation of Bone Metastasis Using Serial Measurements of Serum N-Telopeptides
      of Type I Collagen in Patients with Lung Cancer: A Prospective Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: The bone resorption biomarker cross-linked N-Telopeptides of type
      I collagen (NTx) has been shown to aid in the diagnosis of metastatic bone
      disease from lung cancer (MBDLC). Patients with MBDLC are often treated with
      zoledronic acid (ZA). ZA reduces the levels of NTx and also lowers the risk of
      skeletal adverse events in patients with MBDLC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients
      with MBDLC at initial diagnosis were included in the study. NTx was measured in
      serum (sNTx) once a month using the OSTEOMARKTM sNTx assay. MBDLC was assessed by
      monthly physical examinations and bone scintigraphy every 3 months for 12 months.
      RESULTS: Twenty patients were enrolled between June and December 2010. The sNTx
      concentration at baseline was 19.8 +/- 5.8 nmol bone collagen equivalents (nmol
      BCE)/l. In the 16 patients receiving ZA, the level of sNTx significantly
      decreased after the first month of treatment (baseline vs. 1 month of treatment:
      21.3 +/- 5.5 vs. 13.6 +/- 2.7 nmol BCE/l; p<0.01). During the follow-up period,
      13 of the patients treated with ZA experienced worsening of bone metastasis.
      There were statistically significant differences in the levels of sNTx at
      baseline (20.3 +/- 4.8 nmol BCE/l), at the lowest levels after administration of
      ZA (11.8 +/- 2.9 nmol BCE/l vs. baseline; p<0.001), and at the time of measurable
      disease progression (14.1 +/- 4.6 nM BCE/l vs. baseline; p<0.05). CONCLUSION:
      Serial measurements of sNTx in patients with MBDLC treated with ZA may
      effectively predict disease progression.

PMID- 26124347
TI  - Several Site-specific Cancers are Increased in the Volcanic Area in Sicily.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Worldwide, thyroid cancer incidence is increased in many volcanic
      areas. Whether the incidence of other types of cancers are also increased is not
      known. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed cancer registries covering 82% of the
      population of Sicily to compare the incidence of 34 site-specific types of cancer
      in area around the volcano Mt. Etna (where thyroid cancer is very high) with
      adjacent non-volcanic areas. Differences in crude incidence rate ratios (IRR)
      between the two areas were calculated. RESULTS: Considering 72,197 incident
      cases, thyroid cancer (IRR=1.68 in females and 1.40 in males) and lymphatic
      leukemia (IRR: females=1.48, males=1.39) were significantly increased in the
      volcanic area in both men and women. Hodgkin's lymphoma, stomach and breast
      cancer in women and prostate cancer in men were also significantly increased in
      the volcanic area. CONCLUSION: Several, but not all types of cancers are
      significantly increased in the volcanic area of Sicily, indicating that an active
      volcanic environment may be a risk factor for cancer other than thyroid cancer.

PMID- 26124348
TI  - Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Second-line Ramucirumab plus FOLFIRI in Japanese
      Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This phase Ib study evaluated the pharmacokinetic profile and safety
      of ramucirumab, a recombinant human IgG1 neutralizing monoclonal antibody
      specific for vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, in combination with
      irinotecan, levofolinate and 5-fluorouracil (FOLFIRI) in Japanese patients with
      metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients
      had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1, and disease
      progression during or within 6 months following first-line therapy with
      bevacizumab, oxaliplatin and a fluoropyrimidine. Six enrolled patients received 8
      mg/kg ramucirumab plus FOLFIRI every 2 weeks. RESULTS: One out of six patients
      experienced a dose-limiting toxicity (grade 2 proteinuria and grade 4
      neutropenia, resulting in a dose delay >2 weeks). All patients experienced at
      least one grade 3 or higher adverse event: neutropenia (five patients, 83%),
      proteinuria (two patients; 33%) and anemia, thrombocytopenia and hypertension
      (one patient each, 17%). There were no serious adverse events or deaths.
      CONCLUSION: Ramucirumab plus FOLFIRI was well-tolerated in Japanese patients with
      mCRC, warranting further investigation of this combination therapy.

PMID- 26124349
TI  - Trichloroethylene Is Associated with Kidney Cancer Mortality: A Population-based
      Analysis.
AB  - AIM: To examine the association between the distribution of trichloroethylene
      (TCE) exposure and mortality from kidney cancer (Kca) across United States
      counties. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multiple linear regression was used to assess
      the association of TCE discharges from industrial sites and age-adjusted
      incidence and mortality rates for Kca during 2005 through 2010, controlling for
      confounders. A total of 163 counties were included in analysis. RESULTS: We
      observed an excess risk of Kca mortality associated with higher amounts of
      environmental TCE releases. A significant dose-response relationship was observed
      between TCE releases and Kca mortality in females. Smoking, education, income,
      hypertension, and obesity were significant predictors of incidence and mortality,
      consistent with previous research on the epidemiology of Kca. CONCLUSION: TCE
      exposure may increase the risk of mortality from Kca, an association not
      highlighted before. There is a need for policy measures to limit TCE discharge to
      the environment if these results are validated.

PMID- 26124350
TI  - Incidence Changes of Human Papillomavirus in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell
      Carcinoma and Effects on Survival in the Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1980-2009.
AB  - AIM: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a risk factor for oropharyngeal squamous cell
      carcinoma (OPSCC), with an increasing incidence. The present study aimed to
      determine the changing incidence of HPV in patients with OPSCC in the period 1980
      2009 and its influence on survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We randomly sampled 158
      patients from a cohort of 828 patients with OPSCC stratified by decade (1980
      1989, 1990-1999, 2000-2009). Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded material was tested
      for HPV DNA by SPF-10 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemically
      stained for p16 and p53. RESULTS: DNA from 146 patients was suitable for HPV
      detection. HPV DNA was detected in 13/47 (28%), 18/47 (38%), and 20/52 (38%)
      patients in the cohorts of 1980-1989, 1990-1999, and 2000-2009, respectively (p
      value for trend=0.269). Lack of further increase during the most recent decade is
      inconsistent with the rising incidence and higher prevalence reported in other
      Western countries. Patients with HPV-positive OPSCC had a better survival in
      spite of higher tumor stage.

PMID- 26124351
TI  - Prognostic Significance of VEGFC and VEGFR1 mRNA Expression According to HER2
      Status in Breast Cancer: A Study of Primary Tumors from Patients with High-risk
      Early Breast Cancer Participating in a Randomized Hellenic Cooperative Oncology
      Group Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGFC) and vascular endothelial
      growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1) mRNA overexpression has recently been shown to
      have strong predictive and prognostic value in patients with high-risk early
      breast cancer undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. The present study evaluated
      associations of VEGFC and VEGFR1 with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
      (HER2) and their prognostic value dependent on HER2 status. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      RNA was isolated from 298 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue samples
      from the HeCOG 10/97 (HE10/97) trial, evaluating adjuvant dose-dense sequential
      chemotherapy with epirubicin followed by cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5
      fluorouracil therapy with or without paclitaxel (E-T-CMF vs. E-CMF). A fully
      automated method based on magnetic beads was applied for RNA extraction, followed
      by one-step quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
      RESULTS: At 13.3 years of median follow-up, 116 patients (38.9%) had experienced
      relapse and 115 (38.6%) had died. There were strong associations between
      VEGFC/VEGFR1 mRNA expression and HER2 and estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor
      status. In multivariate analysis, both VEGFC and VEGFR1 were found to be
      associated with risk for death or relapse, but such associations depended on HER2
      status and treatment group. High VEGFC was a negative prognostic factor for
      disease-free survival [hazard ratio (HR)=1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.05
      3.05, Wald's p=0.032], with a trend for overall survival (HR=1.80, 95% CI=0.94
      3.47, p=0.078) in patients treated with E-CMF adjusted for clinicopathological
      characteristics, while high VEGFR1 was associated with increased risk for death,
      yet non significantly in patients with HER2-negative disease (HR=1.51, 95%
      CI=0.82-2.77, p=0.18), regardless of treatment. CONCLUSION: VEGFC and VEGFR1 mRNA
      overexpression is of prognostic value, dependent on HER2 status, in patients with
      high-risk early breast cancer undergoing adjuvant treatment. Among HER2-negative
      cases, these angiogenic markers could identify more aggressive tumors with worse
      prognosis. Further studies are warranted to validate VEGFC and VEGFR1 as
      potential biomarkers in adjuvant therapy and their use in identifying sub-groups
      that could benefit from anti-VEGF strategies.

PMID- 26124352
TI  - Acute Liver Failure Due to Regorafenib May Be Caused by Impaired Liver Blood
      Flow: A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Regorafenib has been approved for treatment of patients with
      unresectable or recurrent gastrointestinal stromal tumors resistant to imatinib
      or sunitinib. However, regorafenib has severe side-effects, including acute liver
      failure. We describe the case of a patient with multiple liver metastases of a
      small intestinal stromal tumor who experienced acute liver failure while being
      treated with regorafenib. CASE REPORT: A 50-year-old patient with an unresectable
      small intestinal stromal tumor resistant to prior treatment with imatinib and
      sunitinib was started on regorafenib, but experienced acute liver failure 10 days
      later. Plasma exchange and steroid pulse treatment improved her liver function.
      During liver failure, abdominal ultrasonography showed to-and-fro flow in the
      portal vein. Lactate dehydrogenase concentration was markedly elevated to 1633
      U/l. These findings indicate that liver failure in this patient was due to
      impaired liver blood flow. CONCLUSION: Regorafenib may impair liver blood flow,
      inducing acute liver failure.

PMID- 26124353
TI  - Death Receptor Expression on Blasts in AML Is Associated with Unfavorable
      Prognosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor family members play a key role
      in the regulation of biological functions such as differentiation, proliferation
      and apoptosis of various cell types. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied co
      expression profiles of death receptors from the TNF family [TNF-related apoptosis
      inducing ligand receptor (TRAILR) 1 to 3, TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) and FAS receptor
      (FAS)] on peripheral blood blasts from 46 patients with acute myeloid leukemia
      (AML) at first diagnosis by flow cytometry and correlated the obtained specific
      fluorescence indices (SFI) with morphological, cytogenetic and clinical
      parameters. RESULTS: We found that the expression of TRAILR2 and R3 was
      significantly increased in unfavorable risk groups, according to the National
      Comprehensive Cancer Network. Additionally, cut-off analyses for TRAILR2 and
      TNFR1 showed significantly shorter overall survival, earlier disease onset,
      higher proportions of cases with unfavorable prognosis and higher probability of
      relapse when SFIs were above the established cut-off. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate
      that high co-expression of death receptors on blasts is an independent predictor
      of poor prognosis in AML.

PMID- 26124354
TI  - Obesity and Lymphovascular Invasion in Women with Uterine Endometrioid Carcinoma.
AB  - AIM: Obesity is classically linked to type I endometrial cancer (EC).
      Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is a well-known adverse prognostic factor in EC. In
      other disease sites, it has been reported that obesity and LVI are strongly
      associated. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association
      between obesity and LVI in women with EC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: For this
      Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved study, we reviewed our prospectively
      maintained uterine cancer database of 1,950 patients with EC International
      Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages I-IV who underwent
      hysterectomy from 1/1988 through 12/2011. Bivariate and multivariate analyses
      were conducted to investigate the relationships between obesity, as measured by
      body mass index (BMI) at the time of hysterectomy and tumor features including
      LVI. RESULTS: A total of 1,341 patients with uterine endometrioid carcinoma were
      identified. All patients underwent hysterectomy, and salpingoophrectomy with or
      without lymph node dissection. The median BMI for study patients was 34.3
      (range=15.7-71.3) kg/m(2). 46.8% of the patients were morbidly obese. 625
      patients (46.7%) were <60 years at diagnosis with a median BMI of 36.31
      (range=19.7-69.8) kg/m(2) while the median BMI for women 61 years or older was
      32.2 (15.7-71.3) kg/m(2) (p=0.002). In univariate analyses, high BMI was not
      significantly associated with LVI. In multivariate analyses, higher BMI was
      independently associated with younger age at diagnosis (odd ratio (OR)=0.97, 95%
      confidence interval (CI)=0.96-9.97) and the presence of lower tumor FIGO grade
      (OR=0.98, 95% CI=0.97-0.99). CONCLUSION: Increased BMI was significantly
      associated with lower tumor grade and younger patient age at diagnosis. Increased
      body mass index was not associated with LVI. The higher prevalence of obesity in
      young women with EC is alarming.

PMID- 26124355
TI  - Investigation of Regorafenib-induced Hypothyroidism in Patients with Metastatic
      Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - Hypothyroidism is one of the side-effects caused by regorafenib. In the Japanese
      subset of the CORRECT study, hypothyroidism developed in 1.5% of the patients,
      but was not grade 3 or higher in any patient. Regorafenib is an oral multi-kinase
      inhibitor that has the same mechanism of action as sunitinb. However, the
      reported incidence of sunitinb-related hypothyroidism varies widely, ranging from
      16.0% in clinical trials to 35.4% in post-marketing surveillance studies. In
      general, symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue and dysphonia.
      Hyperthyroidism must, therefore, be appropriately managed in order to maintain
      patient quality of life and avoid a critical level of hypothyroidism. During the
      first cycle of treatment with regorafenib, the incidence of abnormal thyroid
      stimulating hormone (TSH) elevation was 31.4%. Our results suggest that thyroid
      function tests should be performed from day 1 of treatment with regorafenib. It
      would be prudent to consider routine monitoring of thyroid function in all
      patients who receive regorafenib and to recommend endocrinological consultation
      as necessary. 

PMID- 26124356
TI  - Prognostic Role of Nodal Status and Clinically Asymptomatic Valvular
      Insufficiency in Patients with HER2-positive Breast Cancer Treated with
      Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy and Trastuzumab in an Adjuvant Setting.
AB  - AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess metastasis-free survival of 134
      patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast
      cancer treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and trastuzumab in an adjuvant
      setting, according to sub-clinical cardiac side-effects (parameters not tested
      previously) evaluated before, during and after trastuzumab therapy, as well as
      selected clinicopathological parameters. RESULTS: In our series, left ventricular
      ejection fraction decreased significantly from 68.1% before trastuzumab treatment
      to 66.7% after therapy (p<0.001). Further analysis revealed that this decrease
      was significant only in patients who received radiotherapy and developed valve
      insufficiency during or after (but not before) trastuzumab therapy (p<0.001). Cox
      multivariate analysis revealed that both pN2a tumor stage and valve regurgitation
      during/after trastuzumab therapy (vs. lack of valve insufficiency or
      insufficiency before trastuzumab therapy) were significant independent factors
      for a negative prognosis. CONCLUSION: Valve insufficiency diagnosed during or
      after trastuzumab application might be cancer-unrelated indicator of decreased
      sensitivity to trasuzumab.

PMID- 26124357
TI  - Case Mix Difference Can Affect Evaluation of Outcome of Treatment for Colorectal
      Cancer.
AB  - AIM: To explore the potential effects of patient selection, for example by
      organization, on survival as outcome parameter in colorectal cancer treatment.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: The main cohort was identified in a Hospital-based registry
      and outcome data of all 2,717 patients operated on for colorectal cancer between
      2000-2011 were evaluated. A simulation of different center settings was performed
      using several potential selection criteria, including emergency cases, referral
      surgery and palliative resection, and used for comparison of outcome data.
      RESULTS: Overall survival and cancer-specific survival can be significantly
      affected in both short-term (30-/90-day) mortality and long-term survival by
      factors of organizational level. CONCLUSION: Survival data as an outcome
      parameter can be affected by the composition of the patient cohort and thus
      reflect possible selection bias for example due to organization, referral
      patterns and practice customs. This potential bias should be acknowledged when
      making inter-hospital comparisons of outcome.

PMID- 26124358
TI  - Splenectomy Followed by Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with
      Hypersplenism and Portal Hypertension Caused by Macroglobulinemia.
AB  - AIM: To describe a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), accompanied by
      hypersplenism and portal hypertension caused by macroglobulinemia, who underwent
      splenectomy followed by hepatectomy. CASE REPORT: A 74-year-old man was admitted
      to our Hospital. He had previously developed primary macroglobulinemia, which had
      been completely cured by chemotherapy. At admission, he had a low platelet count
      (52 * 10(3)/MUl), and his liver function was impaired. Imaging showed a 5-cm
      sized tumor, an esophageal varix, and splenomegaly, but not liver cirrhosis. The
      patient underwent splenectomy for hypersplenism and portal hypertension; the
      weight of his spleen was 2,400 g. After splenectomy, his platelet count increased
      to 259 * 10(3)/MUl and his liver function was improved. He safely underwent
      hepatectomy for HCC. The patient was discharged 14 days later without morbidity.
      CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that hepatectomy following splenectomy for
      hypersplenism and portal hypertension caused by macroglobulinemia, may
      effectively cure HCC in patients with liver dysfunction and thrombocytopenia.

PMID- 26124359
TI  - Treatment Planning Comparison for Carbon Ion Radiotherapy, Proton Therapy and
      Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy for Spinal Sarcoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT), proton therapy (PT) and intensity
      modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) are new radiation modalities suitable for treatment
      of spinal sarcomas. The objective of the study was to compare the treatment
      planning of these modalities. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a treatment
      planning comparison of the three modalities using a phantom imitating a spinal
      sarcoma and then six actual cases with spinal tumors. A uniform biological
      effective dose (BED) of 90 Gy10 was prescribed in previously reported
      fractionation schedules for each modality. The surface/center spinal cord dose
      constraints were set to BED of 96/77 Gy(E)3, respectively. RESULTS: CIRT achieved
      better homogeneity of dose distribution and coverage of target than PT
      independently of tumor extent around the spinal cord. In IMRT plans, the spinal
      cord dose was higher than that under CIRT and PT and coverage of the target
      deteriorated depending on the tumor extension. CONCLUSION: CIRT was most
      appropriate for the treatment of advanced spinal sarcomas.

PMID- 26124360
TI  - The Role of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Patients with Stage IB Gastric Cancer.
AB  - AIM: The present study aimed to examine the survival benefit of adjuvant
      chemotherapy for the patients with stage IB gastric cancer according to the
      second English edition of the Japanese Classification of Gastric Carcinoma (2nd
      JCGC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In total, 201 consecutive patients who underwent
      curative surgery for stage IB gastric cancer according to the 2nd JCGC were
      retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Seventy-four (36.8%) received adjuvant
      chemotherapy, and 72 (35.8%) had stage II diseases as defined by the 3rd JCGC.
      The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 86.9%. Multivariate analysis showed that
      adjuvant chemotherapy was an independent prognostic factor. In the sub-group
      analysis by stage according to the 3rd JCGC, those with stage II disease had
      better OS in the adjuvant-chemotherapy group than in the group treated with
      surgery alone (5-year OS 94.5% vs. 73.9%, p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Among patients
      with stage IB gastric cancer by 2nd JCGC, and especially patients with stage II
      defined by the 3rd JCGC, should be considered for adjuvant-chemotherapy.

PMID- 26124361
TI  - Results of Primary Cytoreductive Surgery in Advanced-stage Epithelial Ovarian
      Cancer: A Single-center Experience.
AB  - AIM: To determine the impact of maximal cytoreductive surgery on overall survival
      in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively
      reviewed medical data of patients submitted to primary cytoreductive surgery for
      advanced epithelial cancer in the Fundeni Clinical Hospital between 1 January
      2002 and 1 April 2014. RESULTS: A total of 338 patients were eligible for the
      study. Complete cytoreduction was achieved in 242 patients and was associated
      with a significantly improved survival (p<0.001), when compared to patients in
      whom incomplete debulking surgery was performed. Other prognostic factors
      associated with an improved survival were stage by the International Federation
      of Gynecology and Obstetrics and the preoperative biological status of the
      patient. CONCLUSION: A more extensive surgical approach is perfectly justified
      and associated with improved survival in patients with advanced-stage epithelial
      ovarian cancer. However, patient selection should be performed carefully because
      the general preoperative status can significantly impact survival.

PMID- 26124362
TI  - Predicting Survival After Irradiation of Metastases from Pancreatic Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Patients with metastases from pancreas cancer benefit from
      individualized care, including radiotherapy for symptom control. To administer
      the optimal radiation therapy, it is important to understand a patient's
      prognosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seven variables were analyzed regarding their
      relationship with survival: age, gender, Karnofsky performance score (KPS),
      number of metastatic sites, interval from diagnosis of pancreatic cancer to
      irradiation of metastases, type of irradiated metastasis, and radiation dose.
      RESULTS: On univariate analysis, survival was positively associated with age <=
      67 years (p=0.045), KPS >70 (p<0.001), and involvement of only one metastatic
      site (p=0.013). A longer interval between diagnosis and irradiation of metastases
      showed a trend for better survival (p=0.077). On multivariate analysis, age [risk
      ratio (RR)=4.29; p=0.004], KPS (RR=1.95; p=0.020), number of metastatic sites
      (RR=2.20; p=0.009) and interval to irradiation (RR=4.41; p=0.005) achieved
      significance. CONCLUSION: The present study identified four independent
      predictors of survival in patients with pancreatic cancer irradiated for
      metastasis and thus contributes to treatment optimization.

PMID- 26124363
TI  - Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy with Volumetric-modulated Arc Therapy for Medium
      distal Oesophageal and Gastro-oesophageal Junction Carcinoma.
AB  - AIM: to appraise the role of volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in the
      neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy management of advanced medium and distal
      oesophageal cancer in terms of toxicity and response to treatment. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Thirty patients were treated according to the neoadjuvant chemoradiation
      followed by surgery versus surgery-alone trial scheme with VMAT radiation
      therapy. Patients presented mainly T3-T4 stage (80%) and N1-2 (96.6%) disease.
      The chemotherapy scheme consisted of 3-5 cycles, while a radiotherapy course of
      41.4 Gy in 23 fractions was administered to all patients. RESULTS: The median age
      of patients was 65 years, and there was a predominance of males (80%), smokers or
      ex-smokers (90%) and modest alcohol habit (80% negative). Primary tumor
      localisation was in the medium and distal third of the oesophagus in 57% of the
      cases, the rest being in the gastro-oesophageal junction. Modest toxicity
      profiles were observed, with limited incidence of grade 2-3 events. Partial or
      complete response was observed in more than 90% of the cases
      (radiological/metabolic) and was confirmed after surgical intervention (67%
      partial or complete and 27% stable response). Tumor down-staging was recorded in
      67% of patients and nodal down-staging in 50%. CONCLUSION: VMAT was applied in
      the context of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for the treatment of medium and
      distal oesophageal carcinoma with satisfactory results in terms of tolerance and
      toxicity.

PMID- 26124364
TI  - Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Expression May Correlate with Survival Through
      Clinical and Radiological Features of Aggressiveness in Glioblastoma Treated with
      Radiochemotherapy.
AB  - AIM: To analyze the correlation between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
      expression and clinicoradiological features in patients with glioblastoma.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Select clinical (age, Karnofsky performance status,
      neurological performance status) and neuroradiological (multiple tumor incidence,
      peritumoral edema, response to treatment) prognostic variables were correlated
      with EGFR expression levels estimated on pathological samples in 144 patients who
      had undergone postoperative radiochemotherapy treatment. RESULTS: Clinical and
      radiological prognostic parameters, including synchronous multiple tumor, extent
      of edema, and radiological response after therapy, showed a statistically
      significant correlation with the EGFR expression score. Patients with a high EGFR
      expression seemed to present worse cliniconeurological status and radiological
      features of tumor aggressiveness (higher incidence of multiple tumor, major
      extent of peritumoral edema and poorer radiological response to treatment).
      CONCLUSION: A potential correlation between high EGFR expression and aggressive
      clinical and radiological features of GB seems to exist, leading to worse
      prognosis in these patients.

PMID- 26124365
TI  - Pancreatic Resection as Part of Cytoreductive Surgery in Advanced-stage and
      Recurrent Epithelial Ovarian Cancer--A Single-center Experience.
AB  - AIM: To demonstrate the efficacy of pancreatic resection as part of cytoreductive
      surgery for advanced-stage and recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Data of patients submitted to cytoreductive surgery for advanced-stage
      and relapsed epithelial ovarian cancer at the Dan Setlacec Center of
      Gastrointestinal Disease and Liver Transplantation, Fundeni Clinical Institute,
      Romania, treated between January 2002 and May 2014 were retrospectively reviewed.
      RESULTS: A total of six cases were eligible for the study: one case was submitted
      to pancreatic resection in the context of primary cytoreduction, four cases were
      submitted to pancreatic resection during secondary cytoreduction, while the sixth
      case was submitted to distal pancreatectomy as part of tertiary cytoreduction.
      The early postoperative course was uneventful in four cases, while the other two
      developed pancreatic fistulas. In one case, the leak was managed in a
      conservative manner, while in the second case re-operation was required. Thirty
      day mortality was zero. At the time of writing, the patient submitted to
      pancreatic resection during primary cytoreduction was still alive with disease at
      54 months and proposed for secondary cytoreduction. The median overall survival
      for cases submitted to pancreatic resection in the context of secondary
      cytoreduction was 36.38 months, while the patient submitted to distal
      pancreatectomy at the moment of tertiary cytoreduction was dead of disease 10
      months after surgery. CONCLUSION: Pancreatic resections can be safely performed
      in the context of cytoreductive surgery for advanced-stage and relapsed
      epithelial ovarian cancer, with acceptable rates of morbidity, therefore benefit
      in terms of survival might be achieved.

PMID- 26124366
TI  - Second Primary Malignancy in Anal Carcinoma--A US Population-based Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: To our knowledge, there are no data on second primary
      malignancies in anal cancer. This study was conducted to evaluate the risk of
      second primary malignancies in patients with anal carcinoma. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: We selected adult patients diagnosed with anal cancer from the National
      Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) 13 database.
      We calculated the risk of second primary malignancies in these patients using
      multiple primary standardized incidence ratio (MP-SIR) session of SEER
      statistical software. RESULTS: Among 7,661 patients, 675 (9.07%) developed 747
      second primary malignancies, with an observed/expected ratio of 1.41 (95%
      confidence interval=1.32-1.52, p<0.001), and an absolute excess risk of ~55 per
      10,000 population. Significant excess risks were observed for tumors of the oral
      cavity and pharynx, rectum and anal canal, larynx, lung and bronchus, ovary,
      vagina, and vulva, and Kaposi's sarcoma and hematological malignancies. The risk
      of specific second primary malignancies was related to the age of patients,
      exposure to radiotherapy and latency period. CONCLUSION: The risk of second
      primary malignancies in adult patients with anal cancer is significantly
      increased compared to the general population.

PMID- 26124367
TI  - Characteristics and Treatment Strategies for Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma in
      Advanced-stage Cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Small bowel adenocarcinoma is an uncommon disease with poor
      prognosis. Therefore, characteristics and treatment strategies for small bowel
      adenocarcinoma should be elucidated sufficiently, not only for surgery, but also
      for chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Medical records were abstracted to
      identify patients with small bowel adenocarcinoma who were treated at the Iizuka
      Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan, between 2004 and 2014. The results of surgical
      treatment for stage II/III cases and the efficacy of chemotherapy for
      unresectable stage IV cases were investigated. RESULTS: The median tumor size was
      25.6 +/- 19.2 mm, and tumor size was not associated with primary symptoms. Nine
      of the patients were diagnosed with stage II/III disease and underwent surgical
      resection. The other three patients were diagnosed with stage IV disease, and two
      out of those three cases received definitive chemotherapy. In two out of the nine
      resected cases, recurrence was observed; however, surgical resection of the
      recurrent tumor was associated with a good prognosis. In stage IV cases that
      received chemotherapy, survival durations of over 11 months were achieved. In
      contrast, overall survival in the stage IV case without chemotherapy was 3.3
      months. CONCLUSION: Curative resection and definitive chemotherapy for
      unresectable cases are effective treatment strategies for small bowel
      adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 26124368
TI  - Maspin, a Marker of Serrated Colorectal Polyps.
AB  - The serine proteinase inhibitor maspin is a tumor-suppressor protein that
      stimulates apoptosis and inhibits motility, invasion and cancer metastasis.
      Mutant maspin galvanises partial loss of tumor-suppressor function, reducing
      susceptibility to apoptosis and facilitating malignant progression. Mutant maspin
      has been reported in many tumor types. We recently analyzed maspin expression in
      128 colorectal lesions: 39 hyperplastic polyps (HPs), 29 sessile serrated
      adenoma/polyps (SSA/Ps), three traditional serrated adenomas (TSAs), 20
      conventional colorectal adenomas (CCRAs), 5 carcinomas evolving from CCRA, 12
      active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), 2 ulcerative colitis (UC) in remission,
      4 solitary ulcers (rectum) and 12 normal colorectal mucosa. The topographic
      distribution of maspin in the cytoplasm was classified into i) extensive, ii)
      focal, or iii) negative. The intensity of maspin expression in the cytoplasm was
      classified into i) unquestionable or ii) negative. Cases with faint
      (questionable) maspin expression were also recorded as negative. Extensive maspin
      expression was recorded in 95% (39/41) of the HPs, in 100% (29/29) of the SSA/Ps
      (including one carcinoma arising in a SSA/P), in 66% (2/3) of the TSAs, but only
      in 10% (2/20) of the CCRAs. None of the specimens with carcinoma arising in CCRA,
      with UC in remission or with solitary ulcer exhibited extensive maspin
      expression. Importantly, maspin was not expressed in the normal mucosa (including
      that adjacent to HP, SSA/P, TSA and CCRA). It is submitted that extensive maspin
      expression might be a manifestation of mutant maspin in lesions central to the
      serrated pathway of colorectal carcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26124369
TI  - Contemporary Incidence and Mortality Rates of Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer.
AB  - AIM: The purpose of the study was to provide an update ever the incidence and
      mortality for neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) in the United States.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using a large national database, we examined changes in age
      adjusted incidence (AAIR), mortality rates (MR) and 5-year cancer-specific
      survival (CSS) for 378 patients diagnosed with NEPC between 1992 and 2011.
      Analysis was performed for all NEPC and for its two major sub-groups [small cell
      carcinoma (SCC) and neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC)]. RESULTS: AAIR of NEPC
      continues to rise in recent years (2004-2011:+6.8%/year, p>0.05). AAIR of SCC has
      been increasing significantly by 6.94%/year since 2001 (from 0.470 to
      0.582/1,000,000 person years, p<0.05). Overall incidence-based mortality rates
      for NEPC did not change significantly since 1992 and similar trends were observed
      for SCC and NEC. CONCLUSION: The AAIR of SCC is increasing with no change in the
      MR of NEPC over the past 20 years.

PMID- 26124370
TI  - Prophylactic Radiotherapy to Intervention Sites in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
      -Single-institution Experience and Literature Review.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic radiotherapy at intervention sites
      in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: From
      05/2010 to 12/2014, 53 patients with histologically confirmed MPM were treated in
      order to prevent interventional site metastases. Irradiation was carried out with
      3 * 7=21 Gy with 6-18 MeV electrons. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 14.4
      months (range=0-37 months). At the time of the analysis, 20 patients were alive.
      Three patients had developed a local recurrence within the irradiated site,
      representing a local recurrence rate of 5.7%. Toxicity was low, with transient
      grade I erythema found in 20.7% of patients. No grade II or higher toxicity was
      observed. CONCLUSION: Our simple and time-saving RT approach to interventional
      sites in patients with MPM was both effective and well-tolerated. This approach
      is easily integrated into general treatment concepts. Until publication of
      results from prospective randomized trials, prophylactic RT to intervention sites
      should remain standard.

PMID- 26124371
TI  - Exclusive Radiotherapy for Early-stage Glottic Cancer: A Single-institution
      Retrospective Analysis with a Focus on Voice Quality.
AB  - AIM: To report on clinical outcomes of patients with early-stage glottic cancer
      treated with exclusive radiotherapy with specific analysis of voice quality.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: A consecutive cohort of 55 patients with early glottic
      cancer was retrospectively analyzed. Patients were treated with exclusive
      radiation up to a conventionally fractionated total dose of 66-70 Gy with a 3
      dimensional conformal technique. Oncological outcomes and toxicity profiles were
      investigated. A sub-sample of this cohort was also analyzed in terms of voice
      quality employing subjective and objective tools such as the Voice Handicap Index
      10 (VHI-10) and the Multidimensional Voice Program (MDVPTM) software and was
      compared to a group of similar patients treated with CO2 laser cordectomy.
      RESULTS: after a median observation time of 74.5 months, 5- and 10-year local
      control was 89% [95% confidence interval (CI)=70.7-93.1%] and 86% (95% CI=68.7
      89.6%), respectively. Larynx-preservation rate was 91.8% (95% CI=82.4%-94.9%) at
      10 years. Five- and 10-year actuarial overall survival was 72% (95% CI=50.4
      79.2%) and 56% (95% CI=48.7-64.3%). Maximum detected acute toxicity included G3
      dermatitis (5.4%) and G4 dyspnea (1.8%). Late toxicity profile was mild. VHI-10
      scores showed a mild voice disability in both groups, with no statistically
      significant difference (p=0.12), even when investigating different domains.
      Patients treated with radiation had a lower deterioration rate in all parameters
      excluding low voice, interruptions of sound and diplophony. CONCLUSION: Exclusive
      radiation proved an effective treatment for patients with early glottic cancer in
      terms of both oncological outcome and voice quality.

PMID- 26124372
TI  - Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer After Treatment with
      Concomitant Chemoradiotherapy--Room for Improvement?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) is
      concomitant chemoradiotherapy. In the majority of patients with LACC after
      properly executed concomitant chemoradiotherapy local control of the disease is
      achieved, and consequently distant relapse becomes the main cause of death for
      these patients. In an attempt to improve the outcome of patients with LACC, we
      designed a regimen of concomitant chemobrachyradiotherapy with cisplatin and
      ifosfamide followed by consolidation chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between
      1999 and 2012, 118 patients diagnosed with LACC, The International Federation of
      Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages IB2-IVA, regardless of histology, were
      treated with concomitant chemobrachyradiotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy
      at our Institution. Chemotherapy consisted of two cycles of cisplatin and
      ifosfamide applied concomitantly with two intracavitary low-dose rate
      brachytherapy applications, and of four cycles of the same drug combination as an
      adjuvant/consolidation part of the treatment. The primary outcome in this
      analysis was distant disease-specific survival. RESULTS: A total of 18 patients
      had documented relapse of cervical cancer, with only three local recurrences
      observed; 15 patients developed only distant recurrence, and one patient
      developed both local and distant recurrence. The distant disease-specific
      survival after a median follow-up of 96 months was 86.4%. CONCLUSION:
      Consolidation or adjuvant chemotherapy that follows concomitant chemoradiotherapy
      has a potential role in further improving control of the disease, especially
      distant control of the disease.

PMID- 26124373
TI  - Outcomes After Laparoscopic Hepatectomy in the Semi-prone Position for
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma Located in Segment 6, 7, or 8.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This retrospective study investigated outcomes after laparoscopic
      hepatectomy in the semi-prone position compared to open hepatectomy in the
      conventional supine position, for HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) located in
      segment 6, 7, or 8. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were divided into two groups
      according to the surgical approach. The clinicopathological and surgical outcomes
      were analyzed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in patient-related
      or tumor-related factors between the two groups. The laparoscopic-hepatectomy
      group had significantly less blood loss, fewer postoperative complications, and a
      shorter hospital stay than the open-hepatectomy group. There were no in-hospital
      deaths. The postoperative change in the serum C-reactive protein was a
      significantly larger decrease in the group treated with laparoscopic hepatectomy
      than that in the open-hepatectomy group. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic hepatectomy in
      the semi-prone position for HCC is safe and minimally invasive, and can reduce
      intraoperative bleeding, postoperative complications, and hospital stay compared
      to open hepatectomy.

PMID- 26124374
TI  - Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Liver Lesions. A Single-institution
      Experience.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate survival and toxicity in a cohort of patients treated with
      stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for unresectable intrahepatic
      malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 2007 to 2014, 23 patients with 34
      lesions (three primary and 31 metastatic liver tumors) were treated with SBRT.
      RESULTS: The median follow-up was 9 months (range=1-76) for all patients. Local
      control was reached in 27 out of 34 (79%) treated lesions, with 1 and 2 years
      rates of 93% and 73%, respectively. The progression-free survival at 1-year and 2
      year was 50% and 25%, respectively. Median overall survival was 16 months (95%
      confidence interval=8-24 months), with 1-year and 2-year rates of 58% and 41%,
      respectively. Toxicity was very low consisting mainly of grade 1 and 2 events.
      CONCLUSION: SBRT provides good local control for both primary and metastatic
      liver lesions, with minimal toxicity.

PMID- 26124375
TI  - Image-guided Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer Employing
      Hypofractionation and Simultaneous Integrated Boost: Results of a Consecutive
      Case Series with Focus on Erectile Function.
AB  - AIM: To report on clinical outcomes of prostate cancer patients treated with
      hypofractionated radiotherapy employing a simultaneous integrated boost strategy.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of 104 patients affected with prostate
      cancer was treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy using a hypofractionated
      schedule and a simultaneous integrated boost consisting of 70 Gy (2.5 Gy daily)
      to the prostate gland, 63 Gy to the seminal vesicles (2.25 Gy daily) and 53.2 Gy
      to the pelvic nodes (1.9 Gy daily) when needed, delivered in 28 fractions. All
      patients underwent image-guided radiotherapy procedure consisting of daily cone
      beam computed tomography. RESULTS: After a median observation time of 26
      (range=15-48) months, the 3-year biochemical failure-free survival was 96.5% [95%
      confidence interval (CI)=89%-98%], 3-year cancer-specific survival was 98.5% (95%
      CI=91%-99%) and 3-year overall survival was 96.5% (95% CI=89%-98%). The
      gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicity profiles were mild with fewer than 2%
      of grade 3 events. Erectile function was partially affected by radiation in men
      potent at baseline. CONCLUSION: Hypofractionation delivered with intensity
      modulated radiotherapy and a simultaneous integrated boost approach proved to be
      a safe and effective treatment option for patients with prostate cancer. Patients
      with a preserved baseline erectile function experience a decrease in
      functionality correlated with the mean dose received by penile bulb.

PMID- 26124376
TI  - Reliability of Endocervical Curettage in the Diagnosis of High-grade Cervical
      Neoplasia and Cervical Cancer in Selected Patients.
AB  - AIM: To analyze the reliability of endocervical curettage (ECC) in the diagnosis
      of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer, and to
      identify risk factors associated with diagnostic underestimation. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: A retrospective study was carried-out involving 445 patients who
      underwent ECC for: endocervical lesion incompletely visible on colposcopy or
      inaccessible to biopsy; atypical glandular cells on smear, or discrepancy between
      colposcopic impression and cytological abnormalities. RESULTS: Comparison between
      ECC and final diagnosis showed a perfect match in 362 patients (81.3%). For 189
      patients with pre-cancerous or cancerous endocervical lesions, the sensitivity,
      specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 87.3%, 96.9%, 95.4%
      and 91.9%, respectively. No clinical, cytological or colposcopic characteristics
      were associated with significantly increased risk of diagnostic underestimation
      with ECC. CONCLUSION: ECC is a very reliable tool for reducing the number of
      unnecessary treatments, without increasing the risk of allowing some lesions to
      evolve into cancer.

PMID- 26124377
TI  - Combination Chemotherapy with Itraconazole for Treating Metastatic Pancreatic
      Cancer in the Second-line or Additional Setting.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We evaluated chemotherapy with itraconazole (a common anti-fungal
      agent that is a potent inhibitor of the Hedgehog pathway, P-glycoprotein, and
      angiogenesis) for treating progressive pancreatic cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of patients with histologically
      diagnosed pancreatic cancer who had received first- or second-line chemotherapy
      and subsequent chemotherapy with itraconazole. RESULTS: A total of 38 patients
      received docetaxel (35 mg/m(2)), gemcitabine (1,000 mg/m(2)), and carboplatin
      (area under the curve, 4 mg/min/ml) on day 1 and oral itraconazole solution (400
      mg) on days -2 to 2, repeated every 2 weeks. One complete response and 13 partial
      responses were observed, for a response rate of 37%. Eight (21%) patients
      experienced febrile neutropenia. The median overall survival was 11.4 months (95%
      confidence interval=8.5-21.2 months). CONCLUSION: Combination chemotherapy with
      itraconazole is promising for prolonging overall survival, with acceptable
      toxicities in the second-line setting of pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 26124379
TI  - Curative Resection After Gemcitabine, Cisplatin and S-1 Chemotherapy for
      Initially Unresectable Biliary Duct Cancer: A Case Report.
AB  - A 68-year-old woman was diagnosed with unresectable upper bile duct cancer with
      suspected invasion of the right hepatic artery and para-aortic lymph node
      metastasis (T4N3M0, stage IVb). She underwent plastic stent placement for
      obstructive jaundice and enrolled in our phase I study for unresectable biliary
      tract cancer consisting of cisplatin (25 mg/m(2) i.v. for 120 min) followed by
      gemcitabine (1,000 mg/m(2) i.v. for 30 min) on days 1 and 8, and oral S-1 on
      alternate days. After 8 courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy without adverse
      effects, computed tomography showed near-complete disappearance of the tumor of
      the upper bile duct and of swollen lymph nodes. She then underwent sub-total
      stomach-preserving pancreatico duodenectomy and lymph node dissection. The
      pathological stage was pT1N0M0, stage I. The patient made a satisfactory
      recovery, was discharged 29 days after operation, and remains free of disease at
      3 months after the operation under adjuvant chemotherapy using S-1. 

PMID- 26124378
TI  - Utility of Human Papillomavirus Genotyping for Triage of Patients with Atypical
      Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance by Cervical Cytology.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: No human papillomavirus (HPV) type-specific guidelines exist for
      managing cases of patients with atypical squamous cells of undetermined
      significance (ASC-US) by cervical cytology. Herein, we investigated ASC-US triage
      strategies using HPV genotyping to identify methods that are potentially superior
      to triage, using Hybrid Capture 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective
      cohort study, 144 Korean women with ASC-US cytology underwent HPV genotyping and
      punch biopsy under colposcopy/endocervical curettage. We created a model for ASC
      US triage using HPV genotyping in these patients. The sensitivity of the final
      triage criterion was internally validated using bootstrapping. RESULTS:
      Positivity for HPV16, 18, 31, 33, 52 and 58 genotype corresponded to a referral
      rate of 63% and detection of 92% of cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
      grade 2 or higher. The referral and detection rates for such cases increased in
      proportion to the number of high-risk HPV types. The sensitivity of genotyping
      for HPV16, 18, 31, 33, 52 and 58 was 92%. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that
      HPV genotyping of specific HR-HPV types may be an effective strategy in ASC-US
      triage and may replace conventional HPV tests.

PMID- 26124380
TI  - Cetuximab Might Be Detrimental to Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients with KRAS
      Codon 12 Mutations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies
      benefit patients with wild-type KRAS exon 2 metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).
      However, their effect in KRAS-mutant mCRC remains unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      This was a retrospective study enrolling 163 patients with unresectable KRAS
      mutant mCRC diagnosed at the National Taiwan University Hospital between 2007 and
      2011. RESULTS: The median overall survival (mOS) was 29.5 months in patients who
      had never used cetuximab and 19.0 months in those who had (p=0.040). The mOS was
      32.0 months in patients with mutant KRAS codon 12 who had never used cetuximab
      and 17.5 months in those who had (p=0.017). In patients with mutant KRAS codon
      13, the mOS was not significantly different. Univariate and multivariate Cox
      proportional hazards analysis revealed that absence of cetuximab treatment was an
      independent prognostic factor for longer mOS in patients with unresectable KRAS
      mutant mCRC. CONCLUSION: Cetuximab usage might be detrimental to patients with
      mCRC with mutant KRAS codon 12.

PMID- 26124381
TI  - Estimation of the Six-month Survival Probability After Radiosurgery for Brain
      Metastases from Kidney Cancer.
AB  - AIM: To generate an overall survival score for patients with kidney cancer who
      underwent radiosurgery for brain metastases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-six
      patients who received radiosurgery alone for 1-3 brain metastases from kidney
      cancer were included. On multivariate analysis of a preceding study of such
      patients, Karnofsky performance score (KPS) and extracranial spread were
      significantly associated with overall survival and formed the basis for this
      score. For each patient, the prognostic score was derived from adding the points
      of KPS and extracranial spread resulting in a score of 9, 12, 15 or 18 points.
      RESULTS: Six-month overall survival rates were 13% for patients with 9 points,
      80% for those with 12 points, 79% for those with 15 points and 100% for those
      with 18 points, respectively. Three groups of patients were defined with scores
      of 9, 12-15 and 18 points. Six-month overall survival rates were 13%, 79% and
      100%, respectively (p=0.004). CONCLUSION: This new score facilitates personalized
      treatment decisions for patients with kidney cancer with very few brain
      metastases.

PMID- 26124382
TI  - Value of the Nottingham Histological Grading Parameters and Nottingham Prognostic
      Index in Canine Mammary Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: In the past decade, the human Nottingham histological grade (NHG)
      has been applied to canine mammary carcinomas (CMC). The Nottingham Prognostic
      Index (NPI) enables identification of more aggressive human breast cancer. The
      prognostic value of grading parameters and NPI has never been detailed in CMC.
      The aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic value of NHG, its
      parameters and NPI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Univariable and multivariable analyses
      were used to assess the prognostic value of NHG, its parameters and NPI in a
      cohort of 59 dogs with CMC. RESULTS: Short disease-free interval and overall
      survival were associated with higher NHG, particularly of grade III. Only high
      nuclear pleomorphism score was significantly associated with poor survival. NPI
      exhibited a strong predictive value for disease progression. CONCLUSION: NHG,
      nuclear pleomorphism and NPI have prognostic value in CMC. Nuclear pleomorphism
      is an independent prognostic factor. Evaluation of nuclear pleomorphism should be
      included in routine pathology reports.

PMID- 26124383
TI  - Factors Predictive of Re-excision After Oncoplastic Breast-conserving Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oncoplastic surgery (OPS) consists of breast-conserving surgery (BCS)
      that allows for oncologically safe breast conservation and breast remodeling,
      thus reducing postoperative deformities. The purpose of the present study was to
      identify factors determining the risk of re-excision and complications after OPS.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who
      underwent OPS between 2009 and 2013, regardless of whether neoadjuvant
      chemotherapy was administered. Clinical and pathological factors were evaluated.
      Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) was used to build regression trees for the
      prediction of re-excision. RESULTS: Amongst the 129 patients treated by OPS
      procedures, 30.3% required re-excision. Predictive factors for re-excision were:
      being overweight (p=0.02), the presence of microcalcifications on mammography
      (p=0.003), and tumor multifocality (p=0.03). The RPA identified five terminal
      nodes based on microcalcifications on mammography, being overweight and the
      presence of ductal carcinoma in situ. Another model included minimal invasive
      margins (p<0.001), being overweight (p=0.02) and the presence of
      microcalcifications (p=0.01) on mammography yielded a model with an area under
      the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.875. CONCLUSION:
      Microcalcifications, tumor multifocality and being overweight were the factors
      identified as predictors of re-excision after OPS. These factors can serve as
      decisional tools before surgery.

PMID- 26124384
TI  - Effect of Celecoxib on Survival of Mobile Tongue Cancer.
AB  - AIM: The goal of the present study was to evaluate the effects of celecoxib on
      treatment outcomes of squamous cell carcinoma of the mobile tongue. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Among 158 patients who were diagnosed with mobile tongue cancer, 19
      received celecoxib during the preoperative, postoperative, or post-recurrence
      phase. Differences in disease-specific survival (DSS) and recurrence-free
      survival (RFS) between patients who received celecoxib (study group) and those
      who did not (control group) were analyzed. RESULTS: For the entire cohort, DSS
      and RFS were not significantly different according to duration of celecoxib
      treatment (p=0.293 and 0.703, respectively). Among patients who received
      chemotherapy, DSS was significantly higher in the study group than in the control
      group (p=0.048), but RFS was not different between the two groups (p=0.117).
      CONCLUSION: When combined with chemotherapy, celecoxib may have a beneficial
      effect on the survival of patients with mobile tongue cancer.

PMID- 26124385
TI  - Effect of Race and Insurance on the Outcome of Stage I Non-small Cell Lung
      Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in the United States, with
      reported inferior survival among African-Americans. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Kaplan
      Meier and Cox regression methods were used to compare survival outcomes of 569
      patients diagnosed with stage I non-small cell lung cancer from 2001-2010.
      RESULTS: African-Americans and Whites differed significantly by age, sex, and
      insurance type. The median follow-up was 2.3 years. The 2-, 5- and 8-year overall
      survival was 72%, 47%, and 38%, respectively. Age, stage, insurance type, and
      surgery were significant predictors of overall survival which remained
      significant after adjusting for other variables, including race, gender,
      histology, smoking history, treatment era, chemotherapy or radiotherapy which
      were not. CONCLUSION: Insurance status but not race is an important predictor of
      survival in patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

PMID- 26124386
TI  - Association of Basal and Calcium-stimulated Calcitonin Levels with Pathological
      Findings After Total Thyroidectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) originates from thyroid C-cells
      and is a calcitonin-secreting tumor. Calcitonin is also elevated in C-cell
      hyperplasia (CCH). The objective of the study was to determine the optimal basal
      (bCT) and peak stimulated calcitonin (psCT) cut-off value for differentiating MTC
      from CCH, and to examine the histological findings of thyroidectomy in patients
      with maximum psCT >100 pg/ml. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-five patients had a
      maximum calcium-psCT >100 pg/ml and underwent total thyroidectomy. RESULTS: A
      total of 20 patients were diagnosed with MTC and the remaining 35 with CCH. A bCT
      level >17.4 pg/ml and psCT level >452 pg/ml demonstrated the best sensitivity and
      positive predictive value for differenting MTC from CCH. CONCLUSION: The overlap
      of calcitonin levels between MTC and CCH reduces the accuracy of the calcium
      stimulation test. Remarkably, an appreciable number of patients with psCT levels
      >100 pg/ml harbor differentiated thyroid carcinoma of follicular origin.

PMID- 26124387
TI  - Efficacy and Safety of Combined Carboplatin, Paclitaxel, and Bevacizumab for
      Patients with Advanced Non-squamous Non-small Cell Lung Cancer with Pre-existing
      Interstitial Lung Disease: A Retrospective Multi-institutional Study.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the efficacy and safety of carboplatin, paclitaxel, and
      bevacizumab (CPB) combination chemotherapy in patients with non-squamous non
      small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with pre-existing interstitial lung disease (ILD).
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients with non-squamous NSCLC with ILD who
      underwent CPB therapy between March 2007 and July 2013 were analyzed for
      treatment profiles. RESULTS: The median age was 67 (range=53-79) years and 96%
      were men. The triplet chemotherapy was repeated for a median of four cycles. The
      objective response rate was 72% (18/25), the median progression-free survival
      time was 7.2 months, and the median overall survival time was 8.5 months. The
      most frequent adverse event of grade 3 or more was neutropenia (72%, 18/25).
      Chemotherapy-induced acute exacerbation of ILD occurred in 12% of patients.
      CONCLUSION: CPB therapy may be an effective and feasible regimen even for
      patients with ILD, although clinicians should be concerned regarding neutropenia
      and acute exacerbation of ILD.

PMID- 26124388
TI  - 111In-Pentetreotide SPECT/CT in Pulmonary Carcinoid.
AB  - AIM: We evaluated somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) with (111)In
      pentetreotide incremental value in pulmonary carcinoid (PC) diagnosis compared to
      contrast enhanced Computed Tomography (ceCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled
      81 patients with ascertained PC, 39 at initial staging and 42 in follow-up; the
      primary tumor had already been excised in 68 cases. Single Photon emission
      Computed Tomography (SPECT) images were reconstructed with the iterative method
      and fused with non-enhanced Computed tomography (CT) images. RESULTS: Primary PC
      or metastatic lesions were ascertained in 55/81 patients and SPECT/CT was
      positive in 50/55 cases, while ceCT was positive in 44/55. Comparing SPECT/CT
      with ceCT results, we found a sensitivity of 96 vs. 87.5%, and specificity of 92%
      vs. 97% for the detection of primary lesion or recurrent disease. A total of 198
      lesions were ascertained at SPECT/CT, while 161 at ceCT, with values of
      sensitivity and specificity of 85.5% and 84.6% for SRS and 75.2% and 90.5%
      respectively. CONCLUSION: (111)In-Pentetreotide SPECT/CT proved to be more
      sensitive and accurate than ceCT, thus enhancing its role in evaluating patients
      with PC.

PMID- 26124389
TI  - Plasma Tumor M2-Pyruvate Kinase Levels in Different Cancer Types.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIM: Tumor M2-pyruvate kinase (M2-PK) is up-regulated in proliferating
      tissues. It has been shown that tumor M2-PK is detectable and quantifiable in the
      stool and plasma of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Tumor M2-PK has been
      extensively studied in gastrointestinal tumors but its role in other cancer types
      has not yet been deeply evaluated. The aim of the study was to determine and
      compare plasma tumor M2-PK levels in different cancer types. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: All patients undergoing diagnostics for cancer at our Hospital during
      2011 were included in the study (n=139). Plasma tumor M2-PK concentration was
      analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The different cancer
      types found in the study were: 60 colorectal, 43 breast, 8 lung, 5 prostatic, 4
      ovarian and the remaining 19 cases were other uncommon tumor types. Most tumors
      had high concentrations of tumor M2-PK; prostatic, pharyngeal and testicular
      tumors had levels lower than or near the cut-off. Plasma tumor M2-PK levels were
      significantly higher in patients with distant metastases and stage IV by TNM.
      CONCLUSION: Plasma tumor M2-PK is not a specific marker for CRC and is elevated
      in many other types of cancers, including breast, lung, ovarian, and thyroid.
      Small amounts are found in prostatic, pharyngeal and testicular tumors.

PMID- 26124390
TI  - Female Gender Is an Age-dependent Negative Prognostic Factor for Patients with
      Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.
AB  - AIM: To analyze female gender as a possible age-dependent prognostic factor for
      overall (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with upper urinary
      tract urothelial carcinoma (UUTUC) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU).
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 167 men and 101 women with UUTUC treated with
      RNU with bladder cuff resection at our clinic were retrospectively analyzed.
      Female patients were divided into pre- and post-menopausal groups and compared
      against male patients of the same age. We used a cut-off age of 59 years or more
      as a surrogate for the post-menopausal hormonal status of women. Kaplan-Meier
      analyses and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were
      performed to analyze gender as a possible prognostic factor of OS and CSS.
      RESULTS: Women aged 59 years or more had a significantly worse CSS with an
      average of 231 months after RNU compared to 303 months for their male
      counterparts (p=0.011). Univariate Cox regression analysis showed a 2.44-fold
      higher risk of death (p=0.013), while multivariate analyses, adjusted for tumor
      stage and tumor grade, showed a 2.92-fold higher risk (p=0.011) of cancer
      specific death for women aged 59 years or more. CONCLUSION: Female gender is an
      age-dependent prognostic factor for CSS for patients with UUTUC treated with RNU.

PMID- 26124391
TI  - Errata.

PMID- 26124392
TI  - Retraction.

PMID- 26124429
TI  - Right upper lobe lung cancer: Resection through left anterior mediastinotomy.
AB  - There is sparse information concerning approaches to metachronous lung cancer in
      patients who had a previous pneumonectomy for lung carcinoma. We describe the
      case of a 55-year-old woman who underwent a left pneumonectomy for lung
      carcinoma. Four years later, a radiological examination revealed a hypermetabolic
      nodule in the right upper lobe, which was located in the left hemithorax because
      of right lung hyperinflation and a mediastinal shift to the left. Wedge resection
      was carried out through a left anterior mediastinotomy. We believe that an
      anterior mediastinotomy represents a valuable option for the management of
      recurrent lung cancer after previous surgery. 

PMID- 26124430
TI  - Uniportal thoracoscopic management of middle lobe torsion after upper lobectomy.
AB  - Lobar torsion is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication following
      pulmonary resection. Surgical management usually entails an exploratory
      thoracotomy and resection of the involved lobe if nonviable. We present the case
      of a 67-year-old woman diagnosed with right middle lobe torsion 5 days after
      thoracotomy and right upper lobectomy for squamous carcinoma of the lung. A
      thoracoscopic right middle lobectomy was successfully performed utilizing a
      single 4-cm port placed along the midaxillary line in the 5th intercostal space. 

PMID- 26124431
TI  - Tuberculous constrictive pericarditis and atrial septal defect: Surgical
      challenge.
AB  - Tuberculous constrictive pericarditis with atrial septal defect is very rare. A
      23-year-old man required pericardiectomy and atrial septal defect closure under
      cardiopulmonary bypass by cannulating the aorta and right atrium because femoral
      cannulation was not possible and the venae cavae could not be visualized. He was
      discharged in a satisfactory condition on the 15th postoperative day, but
      returned one month later with swelling all over his body and dyspnea on exertion.
      Echocardiography showed atrial septal defect patch dehiscence and a bidirectional
      shunt with a collection or mass compressing the right ventricle. Subxiphoid
      exploration was carried out, and the swelling subsided.

PMID- 26124432
TI  - Efficacy of minimally invasive surgery in diagnosis of interstitial lung disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of video-assisted
      thoracic surgery in reaching a specific diagnosis in patients with interstitial
      lung disease. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with interstitial lung disease (19
      males, 19 females; mean age 47.73 years) who had undergone video-assisted
      thoracic surgery at Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, between 2010 and 2013 were
      evaluated retrospectively in this study. Preoperative evaluations including
      cardiac and pulmonary assessments were performed. Data were recorded in forms
      prepared for this study and included age, sex, symptoms, imaging findings,
      operation duration, chest drain withdrawal time, postoperative hospital stay,
      hospital mortality, and specific diagnosis of the disease. RESULTS: The most
      common symptom was dyspnea (38 patients, 100%). The most common computed
      tomography finding was a reticular pattern (30 patients, 78.94%). Surgery
      complications included persistent air leak in 3 (7.9%) cases and wound infection
      in 2 (5.26%). There was no hospital death and no need for reoperation. The
      average of operative time was 50 min. The mean time for chest drain withdrawal
      and postoperative hospitalization was 4 and 5 days, respectively. The most common
      diagnoses were usual interstitial pneumonia in 9 (23.68%) patients and
      sarcoidosis in 6 (15.78%). A specific diagnosis was not reached in 2/38 (5.26%)
      patients after video-assisted thoracic surgery. CONCLUSION: Video-assisted
      thoracic surgery is a highly effective and safe method for establishing a
      specific diagnosis in patients with interstitial lung disease.

PMID- 26124433
TI  - Movement of mitral fibrous components in an isolated porcine working heart model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is little research regarding the movement of mitral fibrous
      components. We analyzed changes in mitral fibrous components in normal and
      deteriorated isolated working swine hearts. METHODS: In 5 swine hearts, 6
      sonomicrometry transducers were placed around the mitral annulus and 2 in the
      papillary muscle tip. During the working cycle, we evaluated the annular
      dimension and calculated the contraction range and contraction ratio during the
      cardiac cycle in normal and deteriorated modes. RESULTS: The transverse (24.5 +/-
      2.3 vs. 27.4 +/- 2.4 mm) and posterior longitudinal diameter (18.3 +/- 7.0 vs.
      22.5 +/- 5.5 mm) increased significantly in deteriorated mode. The contraction
      range in transverse (1.8 +/- 0.6 vs. 0.8 +/- 0.7 mm) and posterior longitudinal
      (1.6 +/- 0.6 vs. 0.8 +/- 0.3 mm) diameters decreased significantly in
      deteriorated mode. The contraction range of the strut chordae was less than 1.0
      mm in both modes, with no significant differences. The contraction ratio of the
      anterior strut chordae was significantly reduced in deteriorated mode (3.2 +/-
      1.1% vs. 2.2 +/- 1.1%). The contraction ratio of the annulus was significantly
      lower in deteriorated mode with respect to transverse (6.9 +/- 2.1% vs. 2.9 +/-
      2.9%) and longitudinal (13.3 +/- 4.5% vs. 8.6 +/- 5.1%) diameters. CONCLUSIONS:
      In the deteriorated hearts, the mitral annulus was dilated and contractility
      decreased. The length of the strut chordae differed 1 mm between the deteriorated
      and normal modes; however, the contraction ratio of the anterior chordae during
      the cardiac cycle was reduced, indicating increased stretching.

PMID- 26124434
TI  - Coronary artery dimensions: Iranian population versus Indo-Asians and Caucasians.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The dimensions of the coronary arteries have been shown to vary among
      ethnic groups. There are no data available regarding the normal size of coronary
      arteries in Iranians. This study aimed to investigate normal coronary artery
      dimensions in a Northwestern Iranian population and to compare it with pooled
      data of Indo-Asians and Caucasians in previous studies. METHODS: The study
      included 200 adults with suspected coronary disease who were referred for
      elective coronary angiography between June 2012 and March 2013 and were found to
      have normal epicardial flow in the coronary arteries. Quantitative coronary
      angiography was carried out on the longest atheroma-free part of the proximal
      segment of each coronary artery in all patients. Two Indo-Asian and Caucasian
      groups were selected and pooled for comparison with the available reports on
      individuals without coronary artery disease. RESULTS: The mean diameters of the
      left main coronary artery, proximal left anterior descending artery, proximal
      left circumflex, and proximal right coronary artery were 4.58 +/- 0.80, 3.69 +/-
      0.64, 3.37 +/- 0.73, and 3.47 +/- 0.68 mm, respectively. The dimensions of the
      proximal part of the left main coronary artery and right coronary artery were
      significantly greater in the Northwestern Iranian population compared to the
      pooled Caucasian group. This difference was maintained even after correction for
      body surface area. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate larger coronary diameters in the
      Iranian population compared to Caucasians or South-Asians. Hence the high
      prevalence of coronary artery disease in Iran cannot be explained by coronary
      dimensions.

PMID- 26124435
TI  - "False" aortic dissection.

PMID- 26124437
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26124438
TI  - Correction.

PMID- 26124436
TI  - Very-long-chain fatty acid sphingomyelin in nuclear lipid microdomains of
      hepatocytes and hepatoma cells: can the exchange from C24:0 to C16:0 affect
      signal proteins and vitamin D receptor?
AB  - Lipid microdomains localized in the inner nuclear membrane are considered
      platforms for active chromatin anchoring. Stimuli such as surgery, vitamin D, or
      glucocorticoid drugs influence their gene expression, DNA duplication, and RNA
      synthesis. In this study, we used ultrafast liquid chromatography-tandem mass
      spectrometry to identify sphingomyelin (SM) species coupled with immunoblot
      analysis to comprehensively map differences in nuclear lipid microdomains (NLMs)
      purified from hepatocytes and hepatoma cells. We showed that NLMs lost saturated
      very-long-chain fatty acid (FA; C24:0) SM in cancer cells and became enriched in
      long-chain FA (C16:0) SM. We also found that signaling proteins, such as STAT3,
      Raf1, and PKCzeta, were increased and vitamin D receptor was reduced in cancer
      cells. Because recent researches showed a shift in sphingolipid composition from
      C24:0 to C16:0 in relation to cell life, we performed a comparative analysis of
      properties among C16:0 SM, C24:0 SM, and cholesterol. Our results led us to
      hypothesize that the enrichment of C16:0 SM could determine enhanced dynamic
      properties of NLMs in cancer cells with an increased shuttling of protein
      signaling molecules. 

PMID- 26124441
TI  - Primary health care quality and hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive
      conditions in the public health system in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the relation of hospitalization for ambulatory care
      sensitive conditions (ACSC) with the quality of public primary care health
      services in Porto Alegre, Brazil. METHODS: Cohort study constructed by
      probabilistic record linkage performed from August 2006 to December 2011 in a
      population >=18 years of age that attended public primary care health services.
      The Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCATool-Brazil) was used for evaluation of
      primary care services. RESULTS: Of 1200 subjects followed, 84 were hospitalized
      for primary care sensitive conditions. The main causes of ACSC hospital
      admissions were cardiovascular (40.5%) and respiratory (16.2%) diseases. The
      PCATool average score was 5.3, a level considerably below that considered to
      represent quality care. After adjustment through Cox proportional hazard
      modelling for covariates, >60 years of age [hazard ratio (HR): 1.13; P = 0.001),
      lesser education (HR: 0.66; P = 0.02), ethnicity other than white (HR: 1.77; P =
      0.01) and physical inactivity (HR: 1.65; P = 0.04) predicted hospitalization, but
      higher quality of primary health care did not. CONCLUSION: Better quality of
      health care services, in a setting of overwhelmingly low quality services not
      adapted to the care of chronic conditions, did not influence the rate of
      avoidable hospitalizations, while social and demographic characteristics,
      especially non-white ethnicity and lesser schooling, indicate that social
      inequities play a predominant role in health outcomes.

PMID- 26124442
TI  - Measuring PI3K Activation: Clinicopathologic, Immunohistochemical, and RNA
      Expression Analysis in Prostate Cancer.
AB  - Assessing the extent of PI3K pathway activity in cancer is vital to predicting
      sensitivity to PI3K-targeting drugs, but the best biomarker of PI3K pathway
      activity in archival tumor specimens is unclear. Here, PI3K pathway activation
      was assessed, in clinical tissue from 1,021 men with prostate cancers, using
      multiple pathway nodes that include PTEN, phosphorylated AKT (pAKT),
      phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 (pS6), and stathmin. Based on these markers,
      a 9-point score of PI3K activation was created using the combined intensity of
      the 4-markers and analyzed its association with proliferation (Ki67), apoptosis
      (TUNEL), and androgen receptor (AR) status, as well as pathologic features and
      cancer-specific outcomes. In addition, the PI3K activation score was compared
      with mRNA expression profiling data for a large subset of men. Interestingly,
      those tumors with higher PI3K activation scores also had higher Gleason grade (P
      = 0.006), increased AR (r = 0.37; P < 0.001) and Ki67 (r = 0.24; P < 0.001), and
      decreased TUNEL (r = -0.12; P = 0.003). Although the PI3K activation score was
      not associated with an increased risk of lethal outcome, a significant
      interaction between lethal outcome, Gleason and high PI3K score (P = 0.03) was
      observed. Finally, enrichment of PI3K-specific pathways was found in the mRNA
      expression patterns differentiating the low and high PI3K activation scores;
      thus, the 4-marker IHC score of PI3K pathway activity correlates with features of
      PI3K activation. IMPLICATIONS: The relationship of this activation score to
      sensitivity to anti-PI3K agents remains to be tested but may provide more
      precision guidance when selecting patients for these therapies.

PMID- 26124443
TI  - Structure, Dynamics, and Functionality of Tankyrase Inhibitor-Induced
      Degradasomes.
AB  - Tankyrase (TNKS) enzymes, due to their poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity, have
      emerged as potential targets in experimental cancer therapy. However, the
      functional consequences of TNKS inhibition remain incompletely resolved because
      of the binding promiscuity of TNKS. One of the hallmarks of small-molecule TNKS
      inhibitors (TNKSi) is the stabilization of AXIN, which plays a pivotal role in
      the WNT/beta-catenin signaling pathway. The present study focused on the known
      ability of TNKSi to induce cytoplasmic puncta (degradasomes) consisting of
      components of the signal-limiting WNT/beta-catenin destruction complex. Using the
      colorectal cancer cell line SW480 stably transfected with GFP-TNKS1, it was
      demonstrated that a TNKS-specific inhibitor (G007-LK) induces highly dynamic and
      mobile degradasomes that contain phosphorylated beta-catenin, ubiquitin, and beta
      TrCP. Likewise, G007-LK was found to induce similar degradasomes in other
      colorectal cancer cell lines expressing wild-type or truncated versions of the
      degradasome component APC. Super-resolution and electron microscopy revealed that
      the induced degradasomes in SW480 cells are membrane-free structures that consist
      of a filamentous assembly of high electron densities and discrete subdomains of
      various destruction complex components. Fluorescence recovery after
      photobleaching experiments further demonstrated that beta-catenin-mCherry was
      rapidly turned over in the G007-LK-induced degradasomes, whereas GFP-TNKS1
      remained stable. In conclusion, TNKS inhibition attenuates WNT/beta-catenin
      signaling by promoting dynamic assemblies of functional active destruction
      complexes into a TNKS-containing scaffold even in the presence of an APC
      truncation. IMPLICATIONS: This study demonstrates that beta-catenin is rapidly
      turned over in highly dynamic assemblies of WNT destruction complexes
      (degradasomes) upon tankyrase inhibition and provides a direct mechanistic link
      between degradasome formation and reduced WNT signaling in colorectal cancer
      cells.

PMID- 26124444
TI  - Gene Expression Changes Associated With the Developmental Plasticity of Sea
      Urchin Larvae in Response to Food Availability.
AB  - Planktotrophic sea urchin larvae are developmentally plastic: in response to food
      scarcity, development of the juvenile rudiment is suspended and larvae instead
      develop elongated arms, thus increasing feeding capacity and extending larval
      life. Here, data are presented on the effect of different feeding regimes on gene
      expression in larvae of the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis.
      These data indicate that during periods of starvation, larvae down-regulate genes
      involved in growth and metabolic activity while up-regulating genes involved in
      lipid transport, environmental sensing, and defense. Additionally, we show that
      starvation increases FoxO activity and that in well-fed larvae rapamycin
      treatment impedes rudiment growth, indicating that the latter requires TOR
      activity. These results suggest that the developmental plasticity of echinoplutei
      is regulated by genes known to control aging and longevity in other animals. 

PMID- 26124445
TI  - Temperature Effects on Reproductive Allocation in the Sandhopper Talorchestia
      capensis.
AB  - In invertebrates, environmental temperature may induce mothers to invest
      differently in the early development of their offspring. In ectotherms,
      temperature affects offspring phenotype so that colder mothers produce larger
      eggs. However, developmental mode and maternal size also contribute to the
      determination of optimal offspring size. When the maternal experience closely
      matches the offspring's probable future conditions (e.g., direct developers), it
      is expected that mothers will produce eggs of similar size within the same brood.
      While temperature directly affects the size of the eggs (temperature size rule),
      with potential indirect links to egg number (trade-off between egg size/number),
      maternal size can be a limiting factor in determining the optimal number of eggs,
      especially if eggs are brooded. We evaluated the role of temperature in shaping
      early ontogeny in the sandhopper Talorchestia capensis (Crustacea: Amphipoda),
      investigating within-brood and among-female variation in the size of the eggs. To
      test for causal relationships among temperature, maternal size, egg size and
      number, we used an information theoretic approach combined with path analysis.
      Sandhoppers invested in smaller eggs at higher temperatures, with no significant
      within-brood variation in the size of the eggs. Regardless of temperature, we
      found significantly different investment in egg size among females. Path analyses
      showed a simultaneous contribution of temperature and maternal size to the
      optimal size and number of eggs within a single clutch. Strong inter-individual
      variability in maternal investment could generate phenotypic variation within a
      population and promote population fitness. 

PMID- 26124446
TI  - Quantifying the Effects of Predator and Prey Body Size on Sea Star Feeding
      Behaviors.
AB  - Body size plays a crucial role in determining the strength of species
      interactions, population dynamics, and community structure. We measured how
      changes in body size affect the trophic relationship between the sea star
      Pisaster ochraceus and its prey, the mussel Mytilus trossulus. We tested the
      effects of a wide range of predator and prey sizes on sea stars' prey-size
      preference, feeding rate, and prey tissue consumption. We found that preferred
      prey size increased with sea star size. Pisaster consumption rate (mussels
      consumed per day) and tissue intake rate (grams of tissue consumed per day) also
      increased with sea star size. Pisaster consumption rate, but not tissue intake
      rate, decreased with increasing mussel size. Juvenile sea stars preferred the
      most profitable prey sizes-that is, those that maximized tissue consumed per unit
      handling time. When adult sea stars were offered larger, more profitable mussels,
      tissue intake rates (grams per day) tended to increase, although this
      relationship was not statistically significant. Our results indicate that the
      Pisaster-Mytilus interaction depends on the sizes of both predator and prey, that
      predation rates are sensitive to even small changes in body size, and that shifts
      in size distributions may affect predator energetics and prey numbers differently
      depending on the factors that limit tissue consumption rates. 

PMID- 26124447
TI  - Evidence of a Native Northwest Atlantic COI Haplotype Clade in the Cryptogenic
      Colonial Ascidian Botryllus schlosseri.
AB  - The colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri should be considered cryptogenic
      (i.e., not definitively classified as either native or introduced) in the
      Northwest Atlantic. Although all the evidence is quite circumstantial, over the
      last 15 years most research groups have accepted the scenario of human-mediated
      dispersal and classified B. schlosseri as introduced; others have continued to
      consider it native or cryptogenic. We address the invasion status of this species
      by adding 174 sequences to the growing worldwide database for the mitochondrial
      gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and analyzing 1077 sequences to compare
      genetic diversity of one clade of haplotypes in the Northwest Atlantic with two
      hypothesized source regions (the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean). Our
      results lead us to reject the prevailing view of the directionality of transport
      across the Atlantic. We argue that the genetic diversity patterns at COI are far
      more consistent with the existence of at least one haplotype clade in the
      Northwest Atlantic (and possibly a second) that substantially pre-dates human
      colonization from Europe, with this native North American clade subsequently
      introduced to three sites in Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean waters.
      However, we agree with past researchers that some sites in the Northwest Atlantic
      have more recently been invaded by alien haplotypes, so that some populations are
      currently composed of a mixture of native and invader haplotypes. 

PMID- 26124448
TI  - Dual Cellular Supporters: Multi-Layer Glial Wrapping and the Penetrative Matrix
      Specialized in Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Endemic Scale-Worms.
AB  - Hydrothermal vent organisms undergo extreme environments that may require unique
      innovations. The present study reports a distinct case of cellular supportive
      systems in the nervous systems of a scale-worm, Branchinotogluma japonica,
      endemic to deep-sea hydrothermal vents. We found two organizations in the tissues
      of these animals. First, multi-layers of glia ensheath the ventral cell bodies of
      the brain and ventral nerve cord, in a manner similar to that of myelin or
      lamellar ensheathments. Second, matrices of numerous penetrative fibers, or
      tonofilaments, composed of bundles of ca. 20-nm fibers, are directly connected
      with the basal parts of epidermal cuticles and run into the diffuse intercellular
      spaces of the brain neuropils and peripheral nerves. Both types of tissue might
      be mechanical supportive structures for the neuronal cell bodies. In addition, as
      a glial function, the multi-layer membranes and the epithelial support cells may
      be required for physicochemical homeostatic regulation to filter toxic heavy
      metals and for inhibiting breakdown of glial membrane integrity under strong
      oxidative stress imposed by hypoxia in the hydrothermal vent environment. Similar
      functions are known in the well-studied cases of the blood-brain barrier in
      mammalian brains, including in human stroke. 

PMID- 26124449
TI  - Transcriptome-wide Changes in Coral Gene Expression at Noon and Midnight Under
      Field Conditions.
AB  - Reef-building corals experience high daily variation in their environment, food
      availability, and physiological activities such as calcification and
      photosynthesis by endosymbionts. On Ofu Island, American Samoa, we investigated
      day-night differences in gene expression under field conditions of changing pH,
      temperature, light, and oxygen. Using RNASeq techniques, we compared two
      replicate transcriptomes from a single coral colony of Acropora hyacinthus over
      six noons and five midnights. We identified 344 contigs with significant
      expression differences across 16,800 contigs in the transcriptome, most with
      small fold-changes. However, there were 21 contigs with fold-changes ranging from
      10 to 141. The largest changes were in a set of transcription factors strongly
      associated with day-night gene regulation in other animals, including
      cryptochromes, thyrotroph embryonic factor, and D site-binding protein. We also
      found large daytime increases in a set of genes involved in glucose transport and
      glycogen storage. We found small expression differences in genes associated with
      aerobic ATP production and hypoxia response, along with slightly higher
      expression of most calcification genes at noon. Although >40-fold-changes in
      expression occur in important transcription factors, downstream gene regulation
      seems very stable in corals from day to night compared to other animals studied. 

PMID- 26124450
TI  - Respiratory Properties of Hemocyanin From Wild and Aquacultured Penaeid Shrimp
      and the Effects of Chronic Exposure to Hypoxia.
AB  - Properties of hemocyanins vary greatly among crustaceans due to environmental
      conditions, lifestyle, and genetic variation. These properties can also be
      modified to maintain aerobic respiration in response to ambient hypoxia, as
      experienced by both aquacultured and wild populations of penaeid shrimp. Under
      normoxic conditions, hemocyanin concentrations were significantly higher (P <
      0.001) in aquacultured Pacific whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei (10.3 g/100
      ml +/- 0.23 SEM, n = 49), compared to those in individuals of wild-caught L.
      vannamei (7.0 g/100 ml +/- 0.52 SEM, n = 10), wild Farfantepenaeus aztecus (7.10
      g/100 ml +/- 0.48 SEM, n = 28), and wild Litopenaeus setiferus (8.0 g/100 ml +/-
      0.22 SEM, n = 37). Oxygen affinity of hemocyanin at 25  degrees C in both
      populations of L. vannamei was higher (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA on ranks, P < 0.001)
      (aquacultured P50 = 1.47 kPa +/- 0.03 SEM; wild P50 = 1.72 kPa +/- 0.01 SEM at pH
      7.4) than that of both Atlantic species (F. aztecus P50 = 3.94 kPa +/- 0.06 SEM,
      L. setiferus P50 = 3.98 kPa +/- 0.04 SEM at pH 7.4). The effect of l-lactate on
      oxygen affinity was similar among all wild groups, but significantly smaller in
      the aquacultured L. vannamei. Total hemocyanin concentration and oxygen binding
      properties were measured after exposure to 12 days and 25-31 days of hypoxia (30%
      air saturation). Aquacultured L. vannamei showed no change in hemocyanin
      concentration for up to 31 days, but both wild F. aztecus and wild L. setiferus
      displayed a significant increase over the same time period. No discernible change
      in oxygen affinity of hemocyanin was detected in any of the three species.
      Hypoxia tolerance appears to differ among these species of penaeid shrimp, due to
      either an inherent difference among the species, domestication by aquaculture, or
      a combination of both. 

PMID- 26124451
TI  - Effects of Holothuroid Ichtyotoxic Saponins on the Gills of Free-Living Fishes
      and Symbiotic Pearlfishes.
AB  - Several carapid fishes, known as pearlfishes, are endosymbiotic in holothuroids
      and asteroids. These echinoderms contain a strong concentration of saponins that
      are efficient membranolytic repellents to predators. We compared the effects of
      exposure to saponins from the sea cucumber body wall and from the Cuvierian
      tubules on the behavior and gill ultrastructure of pearlfishes and free-living
      fishes. Saponins were extracted from the body wall of two holothuroids, the
      Mediterranean Holothuria forskali and the tropical Bohadschia atra, and from the
      water surrounding the Cuvierian tubules of B. atra. Five species of carapids that
      live in symbiosis with holothuroids and seven species of free-living fishes were
      exposed to these extracts. The free-living fishes exhibited a stress response and
      died about 45 times faster than pearlfishes when exposed to the same quantity of
      saponins. Cuvierian tubules and saponins extracted from the body wall were lethal
      to the free-living fishes, whereas the carapids were much less sensitive. The
      carapids did not exhibit a stress response. The high toxicity shown by Cuvierian
      tubules was not explained by the nature of the saponins that were identified by
      mass spectrometry, but it is likely due to the higher concentration of saponins
      in the tubules. Histology and scanning and transmission electron microscopy of
      the gills of the free-living fishes and pearlfishes showed that saponins act at
      the level of the secondary lamellae where they induce the detachment of the
      epithelia, create edema at the level of the epithelia, and induce pores in the
      epithelial cells that lead to their destruction and the invasion of inner cells
      (pillar cells and red blood cells). This sequence of events happens 5 min after
      saponin exposure in free-living fishes and after 1 h in carapids. 

PMID- 26124454
TI  - Editor's Choice-Clinical impact of delirium and antipsychotic therapy: 10-Year
      experience from a referral coronary care unit.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about safety of antipsychotic therapy for delirium in
      the coronary care unit (CCU). Our aim was to examine the effect of delirium and
      antipsychotic therapy among CCU patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Pre-study
      Confusion Assessment Method-Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) criteria were
      implemented in screening consecutive patients admitted to a referral CCU from
      2004-2013. Death status was prospectively ascertained. Of 11,079 study patients,
      the incidence of delirium was 8.3% ( n=925). Delirium was associated with an
      increased risk of in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.49; 95%
      confidence interval (CI), 1.08-2.08; p=0.02) and one-year mortality among
      patients who survived from CCU admission (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.46; 95%
      CI, 1.12-1.87; p=0.005). A total of 792 doses of haloperidol (5 mg/day;
      interquartile range (IQR) 3-10) or quetiapine (25 mg/day; IQR 13-50) were given
      to 244 patients with delirium. The clinical characteristics of patients with
      delirium who did and did not receive antipsychotic therapy were not different
      (baseline corrected QT (QTc) interval 457+/-58 ms vs 459+/-60 ms, respectively;
      p=0.65). In comparison to baseline, mean QTc intervals after the first and third
      doses of the antipsychotics were not significantly prolonged in haloperidol
      (448+/-56, 458+/-57 and 450+/-50 ms, respectively) or quetiapine groups (470+/
      66, 467+/-68 and 462+/-46 ms, respectively) ( p>0.05 for all). Additionally, in
      hospital mortality (adjusted OR 0.67; 95% CI, 0.42-1.04; p=0.07), ventricular
      arrhythmia (adjusted OR 0.87; 95% CI, 0.17-3.62; p=0.85) and one-year mortality
      among the hospital survivors (adjusted HR 0.86; 95% CI 0.62-1.17; p=0.34) were
      not different in patients with delirium irrespective of whether or not they
      received antipsychotics. CONCLUSION: In patients admitted to the CCU, delirium
      was associated with an increase in both in-hospital and one-year mortality. Low
      doses of haloperidol and quetiapine appeared to be safe, without an increase in
      risk of sudden cardiac death, in-hospital mortality, or one-year mortality in
      carefully monitored patients.

PMID- 26124453
TI  - Validation of endogenous control reference genes for normalizing gene expression
      studies in endometrial carcinoma.
AB  - Real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) is a powerful technique used for the
      relative quantification of target genes, using reference (housekeeping) genes for
      normalization to ensure the generation of accurate and robust data. A systematic
      examination of the suitability of endogenous reference genes for gene expression
      studies in endometrial cancer tissues is absent. The aims of this study were
      therefore to identify and evaluate from the thirty-two possible reference genes
      from a TaqMan((r)) array panel their suitability as an internal control gene. The
      mathematical software packages geNorm qBasePLUS identified Pumilio homolog 1
      (Drosophila) (PUM1), ubiquitin C (UBC), phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK1),
      mitochondrial ribosomal protein L19 (MRPL19) and peptidylpropyl isomerase A
      (cyclophilin A) (PPIA) as the best reference gene combination, whilst NormFinder
      identified MRPL19 as the best single reference gene, with importin 8 (IPO8) and
      PPIA being the best combination of two reference genes. BestKeeper ranked MRPL19
      as the most stably expressed gene. In addition, the study was validated by
      examining the relative expression of a test gene, which encodes the cannabinoid
      receptor 1 (CB1). A significant difference in CB1 mRNA expression between
      malignant and normal endometrium using MRPL19, PPIA, and IP08 in combination was
      observed. The use of MRPL19, IPO8 and PPIA was identified as the best reference
      gene combination for the normalization of gene expression levels in endometrial
      carcinoma. This study demonstrates that the arbitrary selection of endogenous
      control reference genes for normalization in qRT-PCR studies of endometrial
      carcinoma, without validation, risks the production of inaccurate data and should
      therefore be discouraged. 

PMID- 26124455
TI  - Is routine post-procedural anticoagulation warranted after primary percutaneous
      coronary intervention in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction? Insights
      from the HORIZONS-AMI trial.
AB  - AIM: Post-procedural anticoagulation (AC) for routine prophylaxis may be
      administered after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in ST-segment
      elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), but the risks and benefits of this
      practice are uncertain. We therefore sought to assess the utility of routine post
      procedural AC after primary PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients undergoing primary
      PCI in the Harmonizing Outcomes with Revascularization and Stents in Acute
      Myocardial Infarction (HORIZONS-AMI) trial were grouped according to whether they
      received post-PCI AC for routine prophylaxis. Outcomes were assessed using
      propensity-adjusted multivariable analysis. Among 2932 patients in whom primary
      PCI for STEMI was performed, 869 (29.6%) received post-PCI AC for routine
      prophylaxis (median duration four days) and 2063 (70.4%) received no post-PCI AC.
      Time from PCI to ambulation was similar in both groups (median 0.9 vs 1.0 days,
      p=0.40), although hospitalization was prolonged in patients receiving AC for
      routine prophylaxis (median 6.0 vs 4.0 days, p<0.0001). After propensity
      adjustment, patients who received and did not receive AC for routine prophylaxis
      after PCI experienced similar rates of 30-day adverse ischemic and major bleeding
      events. Deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary emboli developed rarely (0.3%) within
      30 days, and were not significantly reduced by use of post-PCI AC for routine
      prophylaxis. CONCLUSIONS: In this large-scale prospective study, use of post
      procedural AC for routine prophylaxis was relatively common, and was not
      associated with improved clinical outcomes, although the duration of
      hospitalization was prolonged. These data suggest that post-PCI AC for routine
      prophylaxis may not provide benefit after successful primary PCI in patients in
      whom early ambulation is likely.

PMID- 26124456
TI  - Antithrombotic therapy before, during and after emergency angioplasty for ST
      elevation myocardial infarction.
AB  - The first three hours after symptom onset hold the maximum potential for
      myocardial reperfusion and salvage in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)
      patients. During this period timely primary percutaneous coronary intervention
      (PPCI) or, when PPCI is not promptly feasible, pre-hospital administration of
      fibrinolyis or a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa-inhibitor (GPI) have been shown to restore
      coronary patency and reperfusion and even result in myocardial infarction (MI)
      abortion. On the other hand, oral antiplatelet therapy may not yet guarantee
      sufficient platelet inhibition. Patients presenting after this golden time have
      less, if any, benefit from an aggressive antithrombotic treatment prior to PPCI.
      Antithrombotic treatment during primary angioplasty should be tailored on the
      basis of the coronary thrombotic burden, vascular approach and the patient's risk
      of bleeding complications. A GPI-based approach may be favourable in patients
      presenting early with large MI and high thrombus burden, whereas a bivalirudin
      based approach without GPI may be preferred in patients with higher bleeding
      risk. There are no data to support the use of GPI in bailout conditions. The
      powerful oral P2Y12 inhibitors, prasugrel and ticagrelor, have been clearly shown
      to prevent stent thrombosis and recurrent ischaemic events after emergency
      percutaneous coronary intervention in STEMI patients. Open issues remaining are
      the treatment of patients with high bleeding risk, such as the elderly and those
      requiring anticoagulation, as well as the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy
      after STEMI.

PMID- 26124457
TI  - Association of anemia and renal dysfunction with in-hospital mortality among
      patients hospitalized for acute heart failure syndromes with preserved or reduced
      ejection fraction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of anemia and
      renal dysfunction with in-hospital outcomes in acute heart failure syndromes
      patients with preserved or reduced ejection fraction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of the
      4842 patients enrolled in the Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Syndromes
      (ATTEND) registry, 4693 patients were evaluated to investigate the association
      among anemia, renal dysfunction, a preserved or reduced ejection fraction and in
      hospital mortality. They were divided into four groups based on hemoglobin and
      estimated glomerular filtration rate at admission. The in-hospital mortality rate
      was 5.9% and 6.9% of the preserved and reduced ejection fraction groups,
      respectively. After adjustment for multiple comorbidities, there was no
      association of either anemia or renal dysfunction alone with in-hospital
      mortality in preserved ejection fraction patients, but the combination of anemia
      and renal dysfunction was associated with a somewhat higher risk of in-hospital
      mortality than that without either condition (odds ratio (OR), 2.75; 95%
      confidence interval (CI), 0.72-10.41; p=0.137). In reduced ejection fraction
      patients, adjusted analysis showed that a significantly higher risk of in
      hospital mortality was associated with anemia alone (OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.10 
      5.94; p=0.029) and with anemia plus renal dysfunction (OR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.09
      5.03; p=0.029) relative to the risk without either condition. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      findings demonstrate that anemia combined with renal dysfunction is not a risk
      factor for in-hospital mortality in patients with a preserved ejection fraction,
      whereas anemia is an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality risk in
      reduced ejection fraction patients regardless of renal dysfunction.

PMID- 26124458
TI  - European Society of Cardiology-Acute Cardiovascular Care Association Position
      paper on acute heart failure: A call for interdisciplinary care.
AB  - Acute heart failure (AHF) continues to have unacceptably high rates of mortality
      and morbidity. This position paper highlights the need for more intense
      interdisciplinary cooperation as one key element to overcome the challenges
      associated with fragmentation in the care of AHF patients. Additional aspects
      discussed include the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, options for
      initial treatment, referral bias as a potential cause for treatment preferences
      among experts, considerable uncertainty regarding patient disposition, the
      diagnosis of accompanying acute myocardial infarction, the need for antibiotic
      therapy, as well as assessment of intravascular volume status.

PMID- 26124459
TI  - Can FLAIR hyperintense vessel (FHV) signs be influenced by varying MR parameters
      and flow velocities? A flow phantom analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) hyperintense vessels
      (FHVs) have been used to assess leptomeningeal collateral flow in acute ischemic
      stroke. However, prior FHVs studies showed inconsistent results, which may be
      ascribable to different magnetic resonance (MR) parameters used. PURPOSE: To
      evaluate whether FHVs could be influenced by varying MR parameters and flow
      velocities, using a flow phantom. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 512 sets of
      FLAIRs were performed with varying parameters and flow velocities, using a flow
      phantom. Flow phantom was manufactured with 3.5% agarose solution, an 8-mm inner
      diameter silicone tube and non-pulsatile pump. Varying MR parameters were
      repetition time (TR)/inversion time (TI), echo time (TE), flip angle (FA) of
      refocusing pulse, and periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with
      enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER). The signal intensity of flow were measured
      and regarded as the degree of FHVs. Simple and multiple linear regression
      analyses were applied to evaluate the association between the degree of FHVs and
      varying MR parameters as well as flow velocities. RESULTS: On univariate
      analysis, PROPELLER technique (R(2 )= 0.448) demonstrated strongest correlation
      with the degree of FHV, followed by flow velocities (R(2 )= 0.204), FA (R(2 )=
      0.126), and TE (R(2 )= 0.031), whereas TR/TI showed no significant correlations.
      On multivariate analysis, TE, FA, PROPELLER technique, and flow velocities were
      independent factors influencing the degree of FHVs (<0.001). CONCLUSION: Flow
      velocities, FA of refocusing pulse, TE, and PROPELLER technique significantly
      affected the degree of FHVs. Optimized MR parameters should be used consistently
      in future studies, which may provide more reliable results.

PMID- 26124460
TI  - Corneal inlay implantation complicated by infectious keratitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/AIMS: To report five cases of infectious keratitis following corneal
      inlay implantation for the surgical correction of presbyopia. METHODS: This was a
      retrospective, observational case series. Five eyes of five patients were
      identified consecutively in two emergency departments during a 1-year period,
      from November 2013 to November 2014. Patients' demographics, clinical features,
      treatment and outcomes are described. RESULTS: There were four female patients
      and one male, aged 52-64 years. Three patients had the KAMRA inlay (AcuFocus) and
      two had the Flexivue Microlens inlay (Presbia Cooperatief U.A.) inserted for the
      treatment of presbyopia and they presented from 6 days to 4 months
      postoperatively. Presenting uncorrected vision ranged from 6/38 to counting
      fingers. One patient's corneal scrapings were positive for a putatively causative
      organism, Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum, and all patients responded to
      broad-spectrum fortified topical antibiotics. All patients lost vision with final
      uncorrected visual acuity ranging from 6/12 to 6/60 and best-corrected vision
      ranging from 6/7.5 to 6/12. Two patients' corneal inlays were explanted and three
      remained in situ at last follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Infectious keratitis can occur
      at an early or late stage following corneal inlay implantation. Final visual
      acuity can be limited by stromal scarring; in the cases where the infiltrate was
      small and off the visual axis at the time of presentation, the final visual
      acuity was better than those patients who presented with larger lesions affecting
      the visual axis. Though infection may necessitate removal of the inlay, early
      positive response to treatment may enable the inlay to be left in situ.

PMID- 26124461
TI  - Clinical features, microbiological profile and treatment outcome of patients with
      Corynebacterium endophthalmitis: review of a decade from a tertiary eye care
      centre in southern India.
AB  - AIMS: To report the clinical and microbiological profile along with treatment
      outcome of patients with endophthalmitis caused by Corynebacterium sp. METHODS:
      This is a retrospective, consecutive, non-comparative case series of patients
      with culture-proven Corynebacterium endophthalmitis seen between August 2004 and
      July 2014. RESULTS: Of 5439 patients clinically diagnosed as infective
      endophthalmitis, vitreous samples were culture positive for bacteria in 1488
      (27%). Sixteen patients (1%) were identified as Corynebacterium endophthalmitis.
      The clinical settings included trauma (n=10), post-cataract surgery (n=5) and
      post-penetrating keratoplasty (n=1). In 7/16 (44%) patients, the organisms were
      visualised in direct microscopy. Tested by disc-diffusion method, all isolates
      were vancomycin sensitive. However, 9 of 10 isolates were resistant to
      ceftazidime and 5 of 14 isolates were resistant to amikacin. Initial treatment
      strategies included pars plana vitrectomy with intravitreal antibiotics
      (vancomycin and amikacin/ceftazidime) injection (n=9) and pars plana lensectomy
      along with pars plana vitrectomy and intravitreal antibiotics (vancomycin and
      amikacin/ceftazidime) injection (n=7). Final visual acuity was 20/200 or better
      in 11 (69%) of 16 patients. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of corynebacterial
      endophthalmitis is low. The organisms are susceptible to vancomycin, and early
      appropriate treatment results in favourable outcome.

PMID- 26124462
TI  - Long-term outcomes of intravitreal ranibizumab for neovascular age-related
      macular degeneration in a well defined region of the UK.
AB  - AIMS: To study long-term, whole population 'real-world' clinical outcomes of
      ranibizumab therapy in treatment-naive eyes for neovascular age-related macular
      degeneration. METHODS: Data collected prospectively from a single centre serving
      a defined population using an electronic medical record included: demographics,
      Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study visual acuity (ETDRS VA) at all
      visits, injection dates, central 1 mm retinal thickness, and operative and
      postoperative complications. RESULTS: 1483 eyes from 1278 patients were included
      in this study. The median age at the time of the patient's first injection was
      82.5 years, 64.9% of patients were female, and another ocular pathology was
      present in 7.3% eyes. The baseline VA was 23-39, 40-54, 55-70 and >70 ETDRS
      letters for 17.3%, 23.1%, 42.7% and 16.9% of eyes, respectively. The median VA in
      all baseline VA groups improved after the loading phase but declined back to the
      baseline level by 2-5 years. The rate of endophthalmitis following intravitreal
      injection was 1 in 2124 injections. CONCLUSIONS: These long-term real-world data
      demonstrate that in general VA increases during the loading phase but returns to
      near baseline levels after 2-5 years of treatment for each baseline VA category.
      Patients should be identified and treated as early as possible, since presenting
      VA predicts the VA maintained after 5 years of treatment. National Institute of
      Health and Care Excellence guidance advising treatment only for eyes with vision
      below 70 letters does not promote best long-term VA outcomes for patients.

PMID- 26124463
TI  - Highlights from the Current Issue: July 2015.

PMID- 26124464
TI  - An Administrative Data Approach to Examining Perioperative Antibiotic Use in Head
      and Neck Oncologic Surgery.
AB  - The choice of perioperative antibiotics for head and neck oncologic surgery is
      the subject of significant controversy. Given the ever-increasing number of
      antibiotic options available, as well as the growing problem of antibiotic
      resistance, there is a need for renewed research on this important topic. In
      their recent publication, Langerman and colleagues explore the relationship
      between antibiotic choice, surgical site infections, and antibiotic-induced
      complications in patients undergoing total laryngectomy. They demonstrate wide
      variability in antibiotic regimens among patients undergoing total laryngectomy,
      as well as an association between increased risk of surgical site infections and
      clindamycin use. This study addresses a controversial subject affecting the daily
      care of patients with head and neck cancer, and the findings have the potential
      to significantly affect management. It also highlights the strengths and inherent
      limitations of an administrative data approach to head and neck cancer clinical
      research. 

PMID- 26124465
TI  - Re: "Laryngeal Reconstruction with a Sternohyoid Muscle Flap after Supracricoid
      Laryngectomy: Postoperative Respiratory and Swallowing Evaluation".

PMID- 26124466
TI  - Head and Neck Complications after PCV7 Vaccine: Additional Considerations.

PMID- 26124467
TI  - Response to Letter to the Editor Regarding: Head and Neck Complications after
      PCV7 Vaccination.

PMID- 26124469
TI  - Perspectives of Health Care Providers on US South Asians' Attitudes Toward Pain
      Management at End of Life.
AB  - A lack of research on pain management among seriously ill South Asians reveals a
      critical gap in the knowledge base regarding culturally responsive end-of-life
      care. This qualitative descriptive study investigated the perspectives of health
      care providers that have cared for seriously ill older South Asians, on the
      attitudes of US South Asians toward the management of pain experienced at end of
      life and the factors that influenced these attitudes. Thematic analysis of
      interviews and focus group discussions with 57 health care providers indicated
      that providers perceive South Asian patients and families to be generally
      reluctant to use medications to treat pain experienced at end of life. Detailed
      description of patient-related and culturally based reasons for this reluctance
      is provided along with implications for hospice and palliative care.

PMID- 26124470
TI  - My Jump for vertical jump assessment.

PMID- 26124471
TI  - Ten essential BJSM podcasts that will improve your practice.

PMID- 26124472
TI  - Successful Implementation of an Automated Sedation Vacation Process in Intensive
      Care Units.
AB  - This quality improvement initiative sought to develop a sedation vacation (SV)
      protocol to increase SV performance and ensure sustainability. A standardized,
      nurse-driven SV protocol within the electronic medical record was implemented in
      adult intensive care units (ICUs) at Boston Medical Center. For 6 months, data
      were collected on the number of assessments performed, SV completion, SV
      eligibility, and reason for exclusion. Secondary outcomes included ICU length of
      stay (LOS) and ventilator LOS. Of 1730 patient-days during this 6-month period,
      SV assessments were performed 70% (n = 1211) of the time. SVs were conducted on
      60.0% (n = 726) during days in which an assessment occurred. There was no
      significant change in ICU LOS or ventilator LOS during the study period. This SV
      protocol attained a 70% adherence rate, which was sustained over the 6-month
      period. There were no significant changes in secondary outcomes.

PMID- 26124473
TI  - To BRCA or Not to PALB.

PMID- 26124474
TI  - BRAF Mutation and Thyroid Cancer Recurrence.

PMID- 26124475
TI  - Safety of Infusing Ipilimumab Over 30 Minutes.
AB  - PURPOSE: The approved dose of ipilimumab is 3 mg/kg infused over 90 minutes;
      however, in clinical trials, 10 mg/kg has also been infused over 90 minutes. At
      this higher dose, patients receive 3 mg/kg within the first 27 minutes of
      treatment. We sought to determine whether the standard dose of 3 mg/kg could be
      safely infused over 30 minutes. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the
      incidence of infusion-related reactions (IRRs) to ipilimumab at our institution
      in patients receiving doses of either 3 or 10 mg/kg infused over 90 minutes. Our
      findings led to a change in institutional guidelines for ipilimumab infusion time
      from 90 minutes to 30 minutes. We reviewed the first 14 months of our prospective
      experience using a 30-minute infusion of ipilimumab. RESULTS: Between April 1,
      2008, and June 30, 2013, 595 patients received 2,507 doses of ipilimumab infused
      at either 3 mg/kg (n = 457) or 10 mg/kg (n = 138) over 90 minutes. Although the
      10 mg/kg group had a higher incidence of IRRs (4.3%) than the 3 mg/kg group
      (2.2%), this difference was not statistically significant (P = .22). In 120
      patients treated prospectively with ipilimumab 3 mg/kg infused over 30 minutes,
      seven patients (5.8%) had an IRR (P = .06 compared with 90-minute infusions). All
      IRRs occurred at dose 2; six were grade 2, and one was grade 3. All seven
      patients received subsequent doses of ipilimumab safely, the majority with
      premedication. CONCLUSION: Ipilimumab at 3 mg/kg can be infused safely over 30
      minutes with an acceptably low incidence of IRRs. After an IRR, patients can
      safely receive additional doses of ipilimumab with premedication.

PMID- 26124476
TI  - Evaluating Prognostic Markers Using Relative Utility Curves and Test Tradeoffs.

PMID- 26124477
TI  - Phase I Imaging and Pharmacodynamic Trial of CS-1008 in Patients With Metastatic
      Colorectal Cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: CS-1008 (tigatuzumab) is a humanized, monoclonal immunoglobulin G1
      (IgG1) agonistic antibody to human death receptor 5. The purpose of this study
      was to investigate the impact of CS-1008 dose on the biodistribution,
      quantitative tumor uptake, and antitumor response in patients with metastatic
      colorectal cancer (mCRC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with mCRC who had
      received at least one course of chemotherapy were assigned to one of five dosage
      cohorts and infused with a weekly dose of CS-1008. Day 1 and day 36 doses were
      trace-labeled with indium-111 ((111)In), followed by whole-body planar and
      regional single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging at several
      time points over the course of 10 days. RESULTS: Nineteen patients were enrolled.
      (111)In-CS-1008 uptake in tumor was observed in only 12 patients (63%). (111)In
      CS-1008 uptake and pharmacokinetics were not affected by dose or repeated drug
      administration. (111)In-CS-1008 biodistribution showed gradual blood-pool
      clearance and no abnormal uptake in normal tissue. No anti-CS-1008 antibody
      development was detected. One patient achieved partial response (3.7 months
      duration), eight patients had stable disease, and 10 patients had progressive
      disease. Clinical benefit rate (stable disease + partial response) in patients
      with (111)In-CS-1008 uptake in tumor was 58% versus 28% in patients with no
      uptake. An analysis of individual lesions showed that lesions with antibody
      uptake were one third as likely to progress as those without antibody uptake (P =
      .07). Death-receptor-5 expression in archived tumor samples did not correlate
      with (111)In-CS-1008 uptake (P = .5) or tumor response (P = .6). CONCLUSION:
      Death-receptor-5 imaging with (111)In-CS-1008 reveals interpatient and
      intrapatient heterogeneity of uptake in tumor, is not dose dependent, and is
      predictive of clinical benefit in the treatment of patients who have mCRC.

PMID- 26124479
TI  - Germline BRCA1/2 Mutations: Are They Good Enough to Determine Who Will Respond to
      Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Inhibitor Therapy in Advanced Cancer?

PMID- 26124478
TI  - Patients With Proneural Glioblastoma May Derive Overall Survival Benefit From the
      Addition of Bevacizumab to First-Line Radiotherapy and Temozolomide:
      Retrospective Analysis of the AVAglio Trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: The AVAglio (Avastin in Glioblastoma) and RTOG-0825 randomized, placebo
      controlled phase III trials in newly diagnosed glioblastoma reported prolonged
      progression-free survival (PFS), but not overall survival (OS), with the addition
      of bevacizumab to radiotherapy plus temozolomide. To establish whether certain
      patient subgroups derived an OS benefit from the addition of bevacizumab to first
      line standard-of-care therapy, AVAglio patients were retrospectively evaluated
      for molecular subtype, and bevacizumab efficacy was assessed for each patient
      subgroup. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 349 pretreatment specimens
      (bevacizumab arm, n = 171; placebo arm, n = 178) from AVAglio patients (total, N
      = 921) were available for biomarker analysis. Samples were profiled for gene
      expression and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutation status and classified
      into previously identified molecular subtypes. PFS and OS were assessed within
      each subtype. RESULTS: A multivariable analysis accounting for prognostic
      covariates revealed that bevacizumab conferred a significant OS advantage versus
      placebo for patients with proneural IDH1 wild-type tumors (17.1 v 12.8 months,
      respectively; hazard ratio, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.73; P = .002). This analysis
      also revealed an interaction between the proneural subtype biomarker and
      treatment arm (P = .023). The group of patients with mesenchymal and proneural
      tumors derived a PFS benefit from bevacizumab compared with placebo; however,
      this translated to an OS benefit in the proneural subset only. CONCLUSION:
      Retrospective analysis of AVAglio data suggests that patients with IDH1 wild-type
      proneural glioblastoma may derive an OS benefit from first-line bevacizumab
      treatment. The predictive value of the proneural subtype observed in AVAglio
      should be validated in an independent data set.

PMID- 26124480
TI  - Chemotherapy Response Score: Development and Validation of a System to Quantify
      Histopathologic Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Tubo-Ovarian High-Grade
      Serous Carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop and validate a histopathologic scoring system for measuring
      response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in interval debulking surgery specimens of
      stage IIIC to IV tubo-ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      A six-tier histopathologic scoring system was proposed and applied to a test
      cohort (TC) of 62 patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and interval
      debulking surgery. Adnexal and omental sections were independently scored by
      three pathologists. On the basis of TC results, a three-tier chemotherapy
      response score (CRS) system was developed and applied to an independent
      validation cohort of 71 patients. RESULTS: The initial system showed moderate
      interobserver reproducibility and prognostic stratification of TC patients when
      applied to the omentum but not to the adnexa. Condensed to a three-tier score,
      the system was highly reproducible (kappa, 0.75). When adjusted for age, stage,
      and debulking status, the score predicted progression-free survival (PFS; score 2
      v 3; median PFS, 11.3 v 32.1 months; adjusted hazard ratio, 6.13; 95% CI, 2.13 to
      17.68; P < .001). The three-tier CRS system applied to omental samples from the
      validation cohort showed high reproducibility (kappa, 0.67) and predicted PFS
      (CRS 1 and 2 v 3: median, 12 v 18 months; adjusted hazard ratio, 3.60; 95% CI,
      1.69 to 7.66; P < .001). CRS 3 also predicted sensitivity to first-line platinum
      therapy (94.3% negative predictive value for progression < 6 months). A Web site
      was established to train pathologists to use the CRS system. CONCLUSION: The CRS
      system is reproducible and shows prognostic significance for high-grade serous
      carcinoma. Implementation in international pathology reporting has been proposed
      by the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting, and the system could
      potentially have an impact on patient care and research.

PMID- 26124481
TI  - Reply to C. Bal et al and M. Xing.

PMID- 26124483
TI  - Reply to M.G. McNamara et al and M.S. Copur et al.

PMID- 26124482
TI  - Early Relapse of Follicular Lymphoma After Rituximab Plus Cyclophosphamide,
      Doxorubicin, Vincristine, and Prednisone Defines Patients at High Risk for Death:
      An Analysis From the National LymphoCare Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Twenty percent of patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) experience
      progression of disease (POD) within 2 years of initial chemoimmunotherapy. We
      analyzed data from the National LymphoCare Study to identify whether prognostic
      FL factors are associated with early POD and whether patients with early POD are
      at high risk for death. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In total, 588 patients with stage 2
      to 4 FL received first-line rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin,
      vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP). Two groups were defined: patients with
      early POD 2 years or less after diagnosis and those without POD within 2 years,
      the reference group. An independent validation set, 147 patients with FL who
      received first-line R-CHOP, was analyzed for reproducibility. RESULTS: Of 588
      patients, 19% (n = 110) had early POD, 71% (n = 420) were in the reference group,
      8% (n = 46) were lost to follow-up, and 2% (n = 12) died without POD less than 2
      years after diagnosis. Five-year overall survival was lower in the early-POD
      group than in the reference group (50% v 90%). This trend was maintained after we
      adjusted for FL International Prognostic Index (hazard ratio, 6.44; 95% CI, 4.33
      to 9.58). Results were similar for the validation set (FL International
      Prognostic Index-adjusted hazard ratio, 19.8). CONCLUSION: In patients with FL
      who received first-line R-CHOP, POD within 2 years after diagnosis was associated
      with poor outcomes and should be further validated as a standard end point of
      chemoimmunotherapy trials of untreated FL. This high-risk FL population warrants
      further study in directed prospective clinical trials.

PMID- 26124484
TI  - Reply to C. Bal et al.

PMID- 26124485
TI  - Mapisal Versus Urea Cream as Prophylaxis for Capecitabine-Associated Hand-Foot
      Syndrome: A Randomized Phase III Trial of the AIO Quality of Life Working Group.
AB  - PURPOSE: Hand-foot syndrome (HFS) is a frequently occurring adverse event
      associated with anticancer drugs. This study compares a newly introduced ointment
      containing several antioxidants and exhibiting high radical protection factor,
      which has been available on the German market since 2011, with urea cream for
      prevention of HFS in patients treated with capecitabine. PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Patients with GI tumors or breast cancer treated with capecitabine were included
      in this randomized phase III study. The primary end point was prevention of HFS
      of any grade within 6 weeks of treatment as indicated by a standardized patient
      diary. The study had 80% power to show a 20% reduction of the incidence of HFS
      with the new ointment. Secondary end points included time to development of HFS
      greater than grade 1, evaluation of capecitabine dose intensity, and quality of
      life analyses. RESULTS: A total of 152 patients were evaluable. In total, 47 of
      152 patients experienced HFS (30.9%), 39.5% with the new ointment and 22.4% in
      the urea arm (stratified odds ratio, 2.37; P = .02). Time to HFS greater than
      grade 1 was comparable, but time to any-grade HFS was significantly longer in the
      urea group (P = .03). Capecitabine dose intensity, time under study, and
      percentage of days with correct administration of study medication were
      identical, as were adverse events except for HFS. Skin-related quality of life
      was significantly worse in the group treated with the new ointment at the end of
      study treatment. CONCLUSION: This trial demonstrated that 10% urea cream was
      superior to the new ointment at preventing HFS over the first 6 weeks of
      treatment with capecitabine.

PMID- 26124486
TI  - Pemetrexed Plus Cisplatin Versus Gemcitabine Plus Cisplatin According to
      Thymidylate Synthase Expression in Nonsquamous Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A
      Biomarker-Stratified Randomized Phase II Trial.
AB  - PURPOSE: We investigated whether thymidylate synthase (TS) expression is a
      predictive marker for the clinical outcome of pemetrexed/cisplatin in patients
      with nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible
      patients were tested for TS expression by immunohistochemistry and stratified
      into either a TS-negative or a TS-positive group. After stratification, patients
      in each group were randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) to receive either
      pemetrexed/cisplatin or gemcitabine/cisplatin for a maximum of six cycles until
      disease progression. The primary end point was evaluation of the interaction
      between TS groups and treatment allocation for objective response rate. RESULTS:
      Of 321 enrolled patients with nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer, 315
      received at least one dose of study chemotherapy and were analyzed. By
      investigator assessment, response rates were 47% for the pemetrexed/cisplatin arm
      and 21% for the gemcitabine/cisplatin arm in the TS-negative group and 40% and
      39%, respectively, for the TS-positive group (interaction P = .0084). By
      independent reviewers, response rates of pemetrexed/cisplatin and
      gemcitabine/cisplatin were 39% and 21%, respectively, in the TS-negative group
      and 40% and 48% in the TS-positive group (interaction P = .0077). The median
      progression-free survival times for the pemetrexed/cisplatin and the
      gemcitabine/cisplatin arms were 6.4 and 5.5 months, respectively, in the TS
      negative group and 5.9 and 5.3 months in the TS-positive group (interaction P =
      .07). CONCLUSION: With regard to response rate and progression-free survival,
      pemetrexed/cisplatin was superior to gemcitabine/cisplatin in the TS-negative
      group but not in the TS-positive group, indicative of TS expression as a
      potential predictive marker. Additional prospective studies involving larger
      cohorts are warranted to confirm the predictive role of TS expression.

PMID- 26124487
TI  - Clinical Utility of Patient-Derived Xenografts to Determine Biomarkers of
      Prognosis and Map Resistance Pathways in EGFR-Mutant Lung Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) -mutated
      adenocarcinomas initially have high response rates to EGFR tyrosine kinase
      inhibitors (TKIs), most patients eventually develop resistance. Patient-derived
      xenografts (PDXs) are considered preferred preclinical models to study the
      biology of patient tumors. EGFR-mutant PDX models may be valuable tools to study
      the biology of these tumors and to elucidate mechanisms of resistance to EGFR
      targeted therapies. METHODS: Surgically resected early-stage non-small-cell lung
      carcinoma (NSCLC) tumors were implanted into nonobese diabetic severe combined
      immune deficient (NOD-SCID) mice. EGFR TKI treatment was initiated at tumor
      volumes of 150 MUL. Gene expression analysis was performed using a microarray
      platform. RESULTS: Of 33 lung adenocarcinomas with EGFR activating mutations,
      only 6 (18%) engrafted and could be propagated beyond passage one. Engraftment
      was associated with upregulation of genes involved in mitotic checkpoint and cell
      proliferation. A differentially expressed gene set between engrafting and
      nonengrafting patients could identify patients harboring EGFR-mutant tumor with
      significantly different prognoses in The Cancer Genome Atlas Lung Adenocarcinoma
      datasets. The PDXs included models with variable sensitivity to first- and second
      generation EGFR TKIs and the monoclonal antibody cetuximab. All EGFR-mutant NSCLC
      PDXs studied closely recapitulated their corresponding patient tumor phenotype
      and clinical course, including response pattern to EGFR TKIs. CONCLUSION: PDX
      models closely recapitulate primary tumor biology and clinical outcome. They may
      serve as important laboratory models to investigate mechanisms of resistance to
      targeted therapies, and for preclinical testing of novel treatment strategies.

PMID- 26124488
TI  - Citrus Consumption and Risk of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Citrus products are widely consumed foods that are rich in psoralens and
      furocoumarins, a group of naturally occurring chemicals with potential
      photocarcinogenic properties. We prospectively evaluated the risk of cutaneous
      malignant melanoma associated with citrus consumption. METHODS: A total of 63,810
      women in the Nurses' Health Study (1984 to 2010) and 41,622 men in the Health
      Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986 to 2010) were included. Dietary information
      was repeatedly assessed every 2 to 4 years during follow-up. Incident melanoma
      cases were identified through self-report and confirmed by pathologic records.
      RESULTS: Over 24 to 26 years of follow-up, we documented 1,840 incident
      melanomas. After adjustment for other risk factors, the pooled multivariable
      hazard ratios for melanoma were 1.00 for overall citrus consumption < twice per
      week (reference), 1.10 (95% CI, 0.94 to 1.30) for two to four times per week,
      1.26 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.47) for five to six times per week, 1.27 (95% CI, 1.09 to
      1.49) for once to 1.5 times per day, and 1.36 (95% CI, 1.14 to 1.63) for >= 1.6
      times per day (Ptrend < .001). Among individual citrus products, grapefruit
      showed the most apparent association with risk of melanoma, which was independent
      of other lifestyle and dietary factors. The pooled multivariable hazard ratio for
      melanoma comparing the extreme consumption categories of grapefruit (>= three
      times per week v never) was 1.41 (95% CI, 1.10 to 1.82; Ptrend < .001).
      CONCLUSION: Citrus consumption was associated with an increased risk of malignant
      melanoma in two cohorts of women and men. Nevertheless, further investigation is
      needed to confirm our findings and explore related health implications.

PMID- 26124489
TI  - Breaking Bad News in Oncology: A Metasynthesis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The delivery of bad news by oncologists to their patients is a key
      moment in the physician-patient relationship. We performed a systematic review of
      qualitative studies (a metasynthesis) that focused on the experiences and points
      of view of oncologists about breaking bad news to patients. METHODS: We searched
      international publications to identify relevant qualitative research exploring
      oncologists' perspectives about this topic. Thematic analysis, which compensates
      for the potential lack of generalizability of the primary studies by their
      conjoint interpretation, was used to identify key themes and synthesize them.
      NVivo qualitative analysis software was used. RESULTS: We identified 40 articles
      (> 600 oncologists) from 12 countries and assessed their quality as good
      according to the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). Two main themes
      emerged: the patient-oncologist encounter during the breaking of bad news,
      comprising essential aspects of the communication, including the process of
      dealing with emotions; and external factors shaping the patient-oncologist
      encounter, composed of factors that influence the announcement beyond the
      physician-patient relationship: the family, systemic and institutional factors,
      and cultural factors. CONCLUSION: Breaking bad news is a balancing act that
      requires oncologists to adapt continually to different factors: their individual
      relationships with the patient, the patient's family, the institutional and
      systemic environment, and the cultural milieu. Extending the development of the
      ability to personalize and adapt therapeutic treatment to this realm of
      communications would be a major step forward from the stereotyped way that
      oncologists are currently trained in communication skills.

PMID- 26124490
TI  - Is There Any True Association Between BRAF V600E Mutation and Recurrence,
      Particularly in Low-Risk, Papillary Thyroid Cancer?

PMID- 26124491
TI  - Dietary Advice for Melanoma: Not Ready for Prime Time.

PMID- 26124492
TI  - Predictive Value of Combination of Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet
      Lymphocyte Ratio for Prognosis.

PMID- 26124493
TI  - Vascular Complications Following Transradial and Transulnar Coronary Angiography
      in 1600 Consecutive Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Major, noncoronary complications are rarely encountered following
      transradial coronary procedures. METHODS AND RESULTS: Among 1600 prospectively
      studied patients with complete follow-up, 7 patients experienced major
      complications following coronary forearm procedures corresponding to an incidence
      of 0.44%. We found inadvertent symptomatic intramyocardial contrast medium
      injection, 2 cases with compartment syndrome of which 1 was managed surgically,
      exertional hand ischemia due to radial artery occlusion, a large ulnar artery
      pseudoaneurysm, an ulnar arteriovenous fistula, and 1 critical hand ischemia due
      to late occlusion of the distal brachial artery. CONCLUSIONS: Although
      infrequent, surveillance for major complications should be encouraged after
      forearm coronary procedures.

PMID- 26124494
TI  - Assessment of Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio Based on EDTA-Dependent
      Pseudothrombocytopenia.

PMID- 26124495
TI  - Live cell evaluation of granzyme delivery and death receptor signaling in tumor
      cells targeted by human natural killer cells.
AB  - Growing interest in natural killer (NK) cell-based therapy for treating human
      cancer has made it imperative to develop new tools to measure early events in
      cell death. We recently demonstrated that protease-cleavable luciferase
      biosensors detect granzyme B and pro-apoptotic caspase activation within minutes
      of target cell recognition by murine cytotoxic lymphocytes. Here we report
      successful adaptation of the biosensor technology to assess perforin-dependent
      and -independent induction of death pathways in tumor cells recognized by human
      NK cell lines and primary cells. Cell-cell signaling via both Fc receptors and NK
      activating receptors led to measurable luciferase signal within 15 minutes. In
      addition to the previously described aspartase-cleavable biosensors, we report
      development of granzyme A and granzyme K biosensors, for which no other
      functional reporters are available. The strength of signaling for granzyme
      biosensors was dependent on perforin expression in IL-2-activated NK effectors.
      Perforin-independent induction of apoptotic caspases was mediated by death
      receptor ligation and was detectable after 45 minutes of conjugation. Evidence of
      both FasL and TRAIL-mediated signaling was seen after engagement of Jurkat cells
      by perforin-deficient human cytotoxic lymphocytes. Although K562 cells have been
      reported to be insensitive to TRAIL, robust activation of pro-apoptotic caspases
      by NK cell-derived TRAIL was detectable in K562 cells. These studies highlight
      the sensitivity of protease-cleaved luciferase biosensors to measure previously
      undetectable events in live cells in real time. Further development of caspase
      and granzyme biosensors will allow interrogation of additional features of
      granzyme activity in live cells including localization, timing, and specificity. 

PMID- 26124496
TI  - Correlation of mutation profile and response in patients with myelofibrosis
      treated with ruxolitinib.
AB  - Although most patients with myelofibrosis (MF) derive benefit from ruxolitinib,
      some are refractory, have a suboptimal response, or quickly lose their response.
      To identify genes that may predict response to ruxolitinib, we performed targeted
      next-generation sequencing (NGS) of a panel of 28 genes recurrently mutated in
      hematologic malignancies in a cohort of patients with MF who were treated with
      ruxolitinib in a phase 1/2 study. We also tested for CALR deletions by standard
      polymerase chain reaction methods. Ninety-eight percent of patients had a
      mutation in >=1 gene. Seventy-nine (82.1%) patients had the JAK2(V617F) mutation,
      9 (9.5%) had CALR mutations (7 type 1, 2 type 2), 3 (3.1%) had MPL mutations, and
      4 (4.2%) were negative for all 3. ASXL1/JAK2 and TET2/JAK2 were the most
      frequently comutated genes. Mutations in NRAS, KRAS, PTPN11, GATA2, TP53, and
      RUNX1 were found in <5% of patients. Spleen response (>=50% reduction in palpable
      spleen size) was inversely correlated with the number of mutations; patients with
      <=2 mutations had ninefold higher odds of a spleen response than those with >=3
      mutations (odds ratio = 9.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.86-47.2). Patients with
      >=3 mutations also had a shorter time to treatment discontinuation and shorter
      overall survival than those with fewer mutations. In multivariable analysis, only
      number of mutations and spleen response remained associated with time to
      treatment discontinuation. Patients with >=3 mutations had the worst outcomes,
      suggesting that multigene profiling may be useful for therapeutic planning for
      MF. 

PMID- 26124499
TI  - Man with locked-in syndrome challenges GMC ruling on doctors' involvement in
      ending his life.

PMID- 26124497
TI  - Prognostic significance of minimal residual disease in high risk B-ALL: a report
      from Children's Oncology Group study AALL0232.
AB  - Minimal residual disease (MRD) is highly prognostic in pediatric B-precursor
      acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). In Children's Oncology Group high-risk B
      ALL study AALL0232, we investigated MRD in subjects randomized in a 2 * 2
      factorial design to receive either high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) or Capizzi
      methotrexate (C-MTX) during interim maintenance (IM) or prednisone or
      dexamethasone during induction. Subjects with end-induction MRD >=0.1% or those
      with morphologic slow early response were nonrandomly assigned to receive a
      second IM and delayed intensification phase. MRD was measured by 6-color flow
      cytometry in 1 of 2 reference labs, with excellent agreement between the two.
      Subjects with end-induction MRD <0.01% had a 5-year event-free survival (EFS) of
      87% +/- 1% vs 74% +/- 4% for those with MRD 0.01% to 0.1%; increasing MRD amounts
      was associated with progressively worse outcome. Subjects converting from MRD
      positive to negative by end consolidation had a relatively favorable 79% +/- 5% 5
      year disease-free survival vs 39% +/- 7% for those with MRD >=0.01%. Although HD
      MTX was superior to C-MTX, MRD retained prognostic significance in both groups
      (86% +/- 2% vs 58% +/- 4% for MRD-negative vs positive C-MTX subjects; 88% +/- 2%
      vs 68% +/- 4% for HD-MTX subjects). Intensified therapy given to subjects with
      MRD >0.1% did not improve either 5-year EFS or overall survival (OS). However,
      these subjects showed an early relapse rate similar to that seen in MRD-negative
      ones, with EFS/OS curves for patients with 0.1% to 1% MRD crossing those with
      0.01% to 0.1% MRD at 3 and 4 years, thus suggesting that the intensified therapy
      altered the disease course of MRD-positive subjects. Additional interventions
      targeted at the MRD-positive group may further improve outcome. This trial was
      registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00075725. 

PMID- 26124500
TI  - Yemen's health system buckles under Saudi led bombardment and blockade.

PMID- 26124498
TI  - Correction of murine hemoglobinopathies by prenatal tolerance induction and
      postnatal nonmyeloablative allogeneic BM transplants.
AB  - Sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemias (Thal) are common congenital
      disorders, which can be diagnosed early in gestation and result in significant
      morbidity and mortality. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the only
      curative therapy for SCD and Thal, is limited by the absence of matched donors
      and treatment-related toxicities. In utero hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (IUHCT) is a novel nonmyeloablative transplant approach that
      takes advantage of the immunologic immaturity and normal developmental properties
      of the fetus to achieve mixed allogeneic chimerism and donor-specific tolerance
      (DST). We hypothesized that a combined strategy of IUHCT to induce DST, followed
      by postnatal nonmyeloablative same donor "booster" bone marrow (BM) transplants
      in murine models of SCD and Thal would result in high levels of allogeneic
      engraftment and donor hemoglobin (Hb) expression with subsequent phenotypic
      correction of SCD and Thal. Our results show that: (1) IUHCT is associated with
      DST and low levels of allogeneic engraftment in the murine SCD and Thal models;
      (2) low-level chimerism following IUHCT can be enhanced to high-level chimerism
      and near complete Hb replacement with normal donor Hb with this postnatal
      "boosting" strategy; and (3) high-level chimerism following IUHCT and postnatal
      "boosting" results in phenotypic correction in the murine Thal and SCD models.
      This study supports the potential of IUHCT, combined with a postnatal
      nonmyelablative "boosting" strategy, to cure Thal and SCD without the toxic
      conditioning currently required for postnatal transplant regimens while expanding
      the eligible transplant patient population due to the lack of a restricted donor
      pool. 

PMID- 26124501
TI  - Incentives could help delivery of essential health services by frontline workers,
      study finds.

PMID- 26124502
TI  - Margaret McCartney: The ethics of behavioural incentives.

PMID- 26124503
TI  - Hamburg's refugee policy is criticised after pregnant woman sent on long train
      trip miscarries.

PMID- 26124504
TI  - MPs table bill to restrict role of commercial companies in NHS.

PMID- 26124505
TI  - High rates of false positives are likely in diabetes screening programmes in
      India.

PMID- 26124506
TI  - Providing welfare advice in GP surgeries can benefit patients, says report.

PMID- 26124507
TI  - Bangladesh's ignored female sex workers.

PMID- 26124508
TI  - A randomised controlled trial to prevent smoking relapse among recently quit
      smokers enrolled in employer and health plan sponsored quitlines.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To test adding an interactive voice response (IVR)-supported protocol
      to standard quitline treatment to prevent relapse among recently quit smokers.
      DESIGN: Parallel randomised controlled trial with three arms: standard quitline,
      standard plus technology enhanced quitline with 10 risk assessments (TEQ-10),
      standard plus 20 TEQ assessments (TEQ-20). SETTING: Quit For Life (QFL)
      programme. PARTICIPANTS: 1785 QFL enrolees through 19 employers or health plans
      who were 24+ h quit. INTERVENTIONS: QFL is a 5-call telephone-based cessation
      programme including medications and web-based support. TEQ interventions included
      10 or 20 IVR-delivered relapse risk assessments over 8 weeks with automated
      transfer to counselling for those at risk. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported 7
      day and 30-day abstinence assessed at 6-month and 12-month post-enrolment
      (response rates: 61% and 59%, respectively). Missing data were imputed. RESULTS:
      1785 were randomised (standard n=592, TEQ-10 n=602, TEQ-20 n=591). Multiple
      imputation-derived, intent-to-treat 30-day quit rates (95% CI) at 6 months were
      59.4% (53.7% to 63.8%) for standard, 62.3% (57.7% to 66.9%) for TEQ-10, 59.4%
      (53.7% to 65.1%) for TEQ-20 and 30-day quit rates at 12 months were 61.2% (55.6%
      to 66.8%) for standard, 60.6% (56.0% to 65.2%) for TEQ-10, 54.9% (49.0% to 60.9%)
      for TEQ-20. There were no significant differences in quit rates. 73.3% of TEQ
      participants were identified as at-risk by IVR assessments; on average,
      participants completed 0.41 IVR-transferred counselling calls. Positive risk
      assessments identified participants less likely (OR=0.56, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.76) to
      be abstinent at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Standard treatment was highly effective,
      with 61% remaining abstinent at 12 months using multiple imputation intent-to
      treat (intent-to-treat missing=smoking quit rate: 38%). TEQ assessments
      identified quitters at risk for relapse. However, adding IVR-transferred
      counselling did not yield higher quit rates. Research is needed to determine if
      alternative designs can improve outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00888992.

PMID- 26124509
TI  - Using decision trees to understand structure in missing data.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Demonstrate the application of decision trees--classification and
      regression trees (CARTs), and their cousins, boosted regression trees (BRTs)--to
      understand structure in missing data. SETTING: Data taken from employees at 3
      different industrial sites in Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 7915 observations were
      included. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The approach was evaluated using an occupational
      health data set comprising results of questionnaires, medical tests and
      environmental monitoring. Statistical methods included standard statistical tests
      and the 'rpart' and 'gbm' packages for CART and BRT analyses, respectively, from
      the statistical software 'R'. A simulation study was conducted to explore the
      capability of decision tree models in describing data with missingness
      artificially introduced. RESULTS: CART and BRT models were effective in
      highlighting a missingness structure in the data, related to the type of data
      (medical or environmental), the site in which it was collected, the number of
      visits, and the presence of extreme values. The simulation study revealed that
      CART models were able to identify variables and values responsible for inducing
      missingness. There was greater variation in variable importance for unstructured
      as compared to structured missingness. DISCUSSION: Both CART and BRT models were
      effective in describing structural missingness in data. CART models may be
      preferred over BRT models for exploratory analysis of missing data, and selecting
      variables important for predicting missingness. BRT models can show how values of
      other variables influence missingness, which may prove useful for researchers.
      CONCLUSIONS: Researchers are encouraged to use CART and BRT models to explore and
      understand missing data.

PMID- 26124510
TI  - What matters most for end-of-life care? Perspectives from community-based
      palliative care providers and administrators.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: There has been little research conducted to understand the essential
      meaning of quality, community-based, end-of-life (EOL) care, despite the
      expansion of these services. The purpose of this study was to define what matters
      most for EOL care from the perspective of a diverse range of palliative care
      providers in the community who have daily encounters with death and dying.
      METHODS: We used interviews to explore the perceptions of providers and
      administrators from 14 specialised palliative care teams in Ontario, Canada.
      Participants were prompted with the question 'What matters most for EOL care?'
      Responses were analysed using a phenomenological approach to derive themes
      depicting the universal essence of EOL care. RESULTS: Data from 107 respondents
      were obtained and analysed, from which 40 formulated concepts emerged; these were
      further grouped into 9 themes. Of the respondents, 39% were nurses, 19%
      physicians, 27% were supervisors or executives and 15% other. The most
      predominate concept was that Patient's Wishes are Fulfilled, cited by almost half
      the respondents. The most prominent themes were Addressing the Non-physical
      Needs, Healthcare Teams' Nature of Palliative Care Delivery, Patient Wishes are
      Honoured, Addressing the Physical Needs, Preparing for and Accepting Death,
      Communication and Relationship Development, and Involving and Supporting the
      Family. CONCLUSIONS: 9 critical domains of EOL care evolved from the interviews,
      indicating that quality EOL care extends beyond managing physical pain, but
      includes a holistic perspective of care, a healthcare team dedicated to the EOL
      journey and a patient-centred pathway. Tailoring the provision of care to
      consider these important elements plays a critical role in supporting a positive
      EOL experience for patients and families.

PMID- 26124511
TI  - Association of endothelial lipase gene-384A/C with coronary artery disease in Han
      Chinese people.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The endothelial lipase gene (LIPG) is one of the important genes in
      the metabolism of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and may be
      involved in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: To investigate the relationship between the common single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) 584C/T (rs2000813) and -384A/C (rs3813082) in the LIPG gene
      and CAD, allele and genotype frequencies of the two SNPs were analysed in 287
      Chinese patients with CAD and 367 controls by the high-resolution melting curve
      (HRM) method. RESULTS: For 584C/T, no significant difference in polymorphic
      distribution was observed between patients and controls. However, the frequencies
      of allele C (20.2% vs 15%, p=0.013, OR=1.437, 95% CI 1.078 to 1.915) at -384A/C
      were significantly increased in patients compared with controls. Haplotype
      analysis also showed that haplotype CT (12.37% vs 8.72%, p=0.035, OR=1.478, 95%
      CI 1.034 to 2.112) was significantly higher in patients compared with controls.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that the SNP -384A/C in the LIPG gene may be
      associated with risk for CAD and the LIPG gene may play a role in CAD in the Han
      Chinese.

PMID- 26124512
TI  - Is social deprivation an independent predictor of outcomes following cardiac
      surgery? An analysis of 240,221 patients from a national registry.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Social deprivation impacts on healthcare outcomes but is not included
      in the majority of cardiac surgery risk prediction models. The objective was to
      investigate geographical variations in social deprivation of patients undergoing
      cardiac surgery and identify whether social deprivation is an independent
      predictor of outcomes. METHODS: National Adult Cardiac Surgery Audit data for
      coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), or valve surgery performed in England
      between April 2003 and March 2013, were analysed. Base hospitals in England were
      divided into geographical regions. Social deprivation was measured by quintile
      groups of the index of multiple deprivation (IMD) score with the first quintile
      group (Q1) being the least, and the last quintile group (Q5) the most deprived
      group. In-hospital mortality and midterm survival were analysed using mixed
      effects logistic, and stratified Cox proportional hazards regression models
      respectively. RESULTS: 240,221 operations were analysed. There was substantial
      regional variation in social deprivation with the proportion of patients in IMD
      Q5 ranging from 34.5% in the North East to 6.5% in the East of England. Following
      adjustment for preoperative risk factors, patients undergoing all cardiac surgery
      in IMD Q5 were found to have an increased risk of in-hospital mortality relative
      to IMD Q1 (OR=1.13; 95%CI 1.03 to 1.24), as were patients undergoing isolated
      CABG (OR=1.19; 95%CI 1.03 to 1.37). For midterm survival, patients in IMD Q5 had
      an increased hazard in all groups (HRs ranged between 1.10 (valve+CABG) and 1.26
      (isolated CABG)). For isolated CABG, the median postoperative length of stay was
      6 and 7 days, respectively, for IMD Q1-Q4 and Q5. CONCLUSIONS: Significant
      regional variation exists in the social deprivation of patients undergoing
      cardiac surgery in England. Social deprivation is associated with an increased
      risk of in-hospital mortality and reduced midterm survival. These findings have
      implications for health service provision, risk prediction models and analyses of
      surgical outcomes.

PMID- 26124513
TI  - Palliative care in patients with liver cirrhosis: it is the time to deal with the
      burden.

PMID- 26124514
TI  - Initiative for capacity building in academic psychiatry in India: The E-Journal
      Club of the Indian Psychiatric Society.

PMID- 26124515
TI  - The right to mental health and parity.

PMID- 26124516
TI  - Decriminalization of attempted suicide law: Journey of Fifteen Decades.

PMID- 26124517
TI  - Current challenges in practice of psychiatry in India.

PMID- 26124518
TI  - Violence against women: Where are the solutions?

PMID- 26124520
TI  - An epidemiological study of sexual disorders in south Indian rural population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sexuality is an important aspect of the personality of an individual
      and influences psychological, physical and social well-being of both men and
      women. It is a paradox, that in the country where 'kamasutra' (by Vatsyayana)
      took birth, there is a lack of research publications and sexuality related
      literature; hence the current study was conducted, to estimate the prevalence and
      association of sexual disorders with various socio-demographic variables, in the
      selected rural population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects who were sexually
      active and fulfilled the study criteria were administered Arizona Sexual
      Experience Scale as screening tool for the presence of sexual problems. Those who
      were found to be having sexual problems were interviewed further using
      appropriate questionnaires. RESULTS: 21.15% of the male subjects were diagnosed
      to have one (or more) sexual disorder. Prevalence of erectile dysfunction was
      found to be 15.77%, male hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) 2.56%;
      premature ejaculation was found to be prevalent in 8.76% of the male subjects.
      Around 14% of the female subjects were diagnosed to have female sexual disorders.
      Prevalence of female arousal dysfunction was found to be 6.65%, female HSDD
      8.87%, female anorgasmia 5.67%, female dyspareunia 2.34% and female sexual
      aversion disorder was found to be prevalent in 0.37% of the female subjects.
      CONCLUSION: This study concluded that one in five males and one in seven females
      were suffering from one (or more) sexual disorder. Improving the training of
      undergraduate medical and nursing students in sexuality related issues,
      increasing trained individuals in sexual medicine by starting new courses,
      providing sex education to the general population using media and merging sexual
      health care with primary care, are likely to play a significant role in
      addressing the increasing sexual health morbidity.

PMID- 26124521
TI  - Antenatal prevalence of fear associated with childbirth and depressed mood in
      primigravid women.
AB  - AIM: To investigate the antenatal prevalence of fear of childbirth and its
      association with depressed mood in low-risk primigravidae in a referral teaching
      hospital. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The study was conducted in a tertiary referral
      center catering to three districts in the state of Kerala. This was a cross
      sectional study with internal comparison of associated factors. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Malayalam translation (translation back translation) of Edinburgh
      Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was self-administered by the participants. It
      was followed by a structured interview based on the International Classification
      of Diseases 10 (ICD 10) after which the EPDS scale was scored. STATISTICAL
      ANALYSIS: Chi-square test was used to compare the presence of fear in women with
      a EPDS of >= 12 and the association of fear and depression. RESULTS: Fear
      associated with childbirth was expressed by 17.7% women. The prevalence of
      depressed mood based on the EPDS (score > 12) was 9.8% but based on the ICD 10
      criteria, the prevalence of depression was 8.7%. A significant number of women
      with depressed mood and clinical depression had fear of childbirth of some sort.
      CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of primigravid women with depressed mood and
      clinical depression had fear of childbirth of some sort.

PMID- 26124519
TI  - Cannabis and psychopathology: The meandering journey of the last decade.
AB  - Since its inception cannabis has been observed to be associated with various
      psycho-pathology. In this paper, the authors have reviewed the advancement made
      in this area over the last decade. The association between cannabis and
      schizophrenia has been researched more intensively. The controversy regarding the
      reliability, clinical utility, and the existence of a cannabis withdrawal
      syndrome has also been settled. Recent studies also buttressed the possibility of
      acute and chronic effect of cannabis on various cognitive functions. There has
      been a plethora of research regarding the treatment for cannabis use disorders.
      But the new and most interesting area of research is concentrated on the
      endocannabinoid system and its contribution in various psychiatric disorders. 

PMID- 26124522
TI  - Day care as an innovative approach in psychiatry: Analysis of Lucknow experience.
AB  - CONTEXT: This article aims at demonstrating the effectiveness of day care centers
      in Indian setting. This is to provide impetus for an innovative approach in
      psychiatric practice in India. AIMS: The aim was to narrate the experiences of a
      day care center being practiced in India. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The study provides
      the experiences gained in a day care center at Lucknow. The center was started in
      a hired building with a minimum of staff. The cost of the program is around
      30,000/months. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The day care center has been run for nearly
      5 years. During this period, 95 clients visited the center and 69 enrolled in the
      day care. Nearly 35 continued and 34 dropped out due to various reasons.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive study. RESULTS: There were 49 patients
      suffering from schizophrenia, 11 from affective disorders, and 9 patients were
      clubbed in the miscellaneous group. The miscellaneous group consisted of
      pervasive developmental disorders, slow learners, obsessive compulsive disorders
      (OCD) and borderline subnormality with psychosis. Most patients had a long
      duration of illness. The patients of schizophrenia continued in the program more
      often than other group. Nearly 50% of patients have obtained jobs. The exposure
      to day care improved the patient's social and occupational behavior. The core
      symptoms did not change substantially. The families were greatly empowered, and
      they developed a positive attitude toward illness. CONCLUSIONS: Of the 59
      patients who joined the day care program 35 could continue regularly. Among these
      patients, nearly 50% could take up jobs. Social and occupational behaviors
      improved remarkably. The families were empowered, and they developed a positive
      attitude toward mental illness. Such programs can be improvised with minimal
      costs and can be value addition in psychiatric practice. We need to develop
      indigenous know-how for such programs. This is a preliminary communication.

PMID- 26124523
TI  - Stigma of mental illness: An interventional study to reduce its impact in the
      community.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Research literature has documented the nature of stigma associated
      with mental illness (MI) and its consequences in all spheres of life of ill
      persons and their families. It is also suggested that there is a need to develop
      intervention strategies to reduce stigma. However, very little is reported about
      these initiatives in the Indian context. AIM: To understand the nature of stigma
      associated with MI in a rural and semi-urban community in India and to develop an
      intervention package and study its impact. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study
      adopted a pre- and post-experimental/action research design with a random sample
      of community members including persons with chronic MI and their caregivers from
      rural and semi-urban areas. A semi structured interview schedule was used to
      assess the nature of stigma. An intervention package, developed on the basis of
      initial findings, was administered, and two post assessments were carried out.
      RESULTS: Stigmatized attitude related to various aspects of MI were endorsed by
      the respondents. Caregivers had less stigmatizing attitude than the members of
      the community. Postintervention assessments (PIAs) revealed significant changes
      in attitudes towards some aspects of MI and this improved attitude was sustained
      during the second PIA, that is, after 3 months of intervention. CONCLUSION:
      People in the rural and semi-urban community have stigmatizing attitude toward
      MI. Intervention package focusing on the relevant aspect of MI can be used for
      reducing stigma of MI.

PMID- 26124524
TI  - Human rights violations among economically disadvantaged women with mental
      illness: An Indian perspective.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Globally women confront manifold violations of human rights and women
      with poverty and mental illness are doubly disadvantaged. AIM: The aim was to
      examine the influence of poverty in meeting human rights needs among recovered
      women with mental illness at family and community level. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      This was a descriptive study carried out among randomly selected (n = 100)
      recovered women with mental illness at a tertiary care center. Data were
      collected through face-to-face interview using structured needs assessment
      questionnaire. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that below poverty line (BPL)
      participants were not satisfied in meeting their physical needs such as "access
      to safe drinking water" (chi(2) = 8.994, P < 0.02), "served in the same utensils"
      (chi(2) = 13.648, P < 0.00), had adequate food (chi(2) = 11.025, P < 0.02), and
      allowed to use toilet facilities (chi(2) = 13.565, P < 0.00). The human rights
      needs in emotional dimension, that is, afraid of family members (chi(2) = 8.233,
      P < 0.04) and hurt by bad words (chi(2) = 9.014, P < 0.02) were rated higher in
      above poverty line (APL) participants. Similarly, 88.9% of women from APL group
      expressed that they were discriminated and exploited by the community members
      (chi(2) = 17.490, P < 0.00). More than three-fourths of BPL participants (76.1%)
      believed that there were wondering homeless mentally ill in their community
      (chi(2) = 11.848, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: There is an urgent need to implement
      social welfare programs to provide employment opportunities, disability
      allowance, housing and other social security for women with mental illness.
      Further, mental health professionals play an essential role in educating the
      family and public regarding human rights of people with mental illness.

PMID- 26124525
TI  - Indian Psychiatric Society multicentric study on assessment of health-care needs
      of patients with severe mental illnesses as perceived by their family caregivers
      and health-care providers.
AB  - AIM: To study the health-care needs of the patients with severe mental disorders
      as perceived by their family caregivers and the treating psychiatrists. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Caregivers of patients with severe mental disorders and their
      treating psychiatrists were assessed using Camberwell Assessment of Need-Research
      Version (CAN-R) scale and indigenously designed Supplementary Assessment of Needs
      Scale (SNAS). RESULTS: The study included 1494 patients recruited from 15
      centers. The mean needs as per the CAN-R, perceived by the caregivers were 7.8
      and treating psychiatrists were 8.1. About one-third of needs were unmet. On
      SNAS, both caregivers and treating psychiatrists reported a mean of 7.9 needs, of
      which more than half were unmet as per the caregivers. As per the treating
      psychiatrists, 45.5% of the needs as assessed on SNAS were unmet. There was a
      high level of correlation between needs perceived by the patients, caregivers and
      the treating psychiatrists. On CAN-R, main domains of needs as reported by the
      caregivers were those of money, relief of psychological distress, information
      about the illness and treatment, welfare benefits, transport, company and food.
      As per the treating psychiatrists, the most common total needs identified were
      those of relief of psychological distress, welfare benefits, information about
      the illness and treatment, money, transport, company self-care and physical
      health. The most common domains of needs as assessed on SNAS as per the
      caregivers were those of free treatment, medical reimbursement, psychoeducation,
      financial help, social support, insurance, more time from the clinicians and
      travel concession. The treating psychiatrists identified dealing with caregiver's
      stress as the most common need. CONCLUSIONS: According to the family caregivers
      and treating psychiatrists, about one-third of the needs of the patients as
      assessed using CAN-R and about half of the needs as assessed using SNAS are
      unmet.

PMID- 26124526
TI  - Attitude of doctors towards mentally ill in Hyderabad, India: Results of a
      prospective survey.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Wide prevalence of mental illness has been documented in South India;
      however, the magnitude of stigma is unclear. AIMS: The aim was to investigate the
      magnitude of stigma prevalent among medical professionals in Hyderabad, India.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective survey of seven common psychiatric disorders
      for eight specified perceptions was conducted. Responses of 226 out of 250 (90%)
      doctors were analyzed. RESULTS: Significant overall negative perception (P <
      0.001), with drug addiction (52.8%) and alcoholism (48.2%) eliciting most
      negative perceptions (Chi-square: P <0.05) was observed. Significant negative
      perceptions were also seen among married doctors and those with < 10 years
      experience. Even though, there was no overall difference based on gender (P =
      0.242), more females had significant negative perception toward eating disorders,
      depression, dementia, alcoholism and schizophrenic patients (P <= 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed negative attitude of doctors toward mentally ill
      and highlighted the gender difference in perceptions.

PMID- 26124528
TI  - Cushing's syndrome presenting as treatment-resistant bipolar affective disorder:
      A step in understanding endocrine etiology of mood disorders.
AB  - Cushing's syndrome (CS) is the multisystem disorder which is due to cortisol
      excess. It is very difficult to diagnose in early stages, especially when
      psychiatric manifestations are the predominant complaints. It could result in
      significant morbidity and mortality. We report a case of resistant bipolar
      affective disorder secondary to CS. Early diagnosis and treatment will lead to
      better functional outcome and prevention of neurocognitive side-effects of
      excessive cortisol. 

PMID- 26124527
TI  - P wave dispersion in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: P wave dispersion (Pd) is defined as the difference between the
      maximum and the minimum P wave duration. It has recently been associated with
      increased anxiety levels, thereby predisposing affected individuals to fatal
      heart disease. Despite of evidence of this autonomous nervous system (ANS)
      relationship, there are no electrocardiography (ECG) studies in the patients with
      obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Thus, in this study, we aimed to evaluate
      the Pd in OCD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study consisted of a total of
      25 patients with OCD and same number of physically and mentally healthy age- and
      gender-matched controls. For psychological testing, Yale-Brown Obsession and
      Compulsion (Y-BOCS) was administered. RESULTS: Pmax was found to be significantly
      higher in the patients compared to controls. Pmin did not differ between groups.
      Left atrium sizes were not different between groups. As for the main parameter
      investigated in the present study, it was found that Pd was significantly
      increased in the OCD patients than the controls. Y-BOCS scores for the patient
      group was positively correlated with Pd (r = 0.73, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In
      conclusion, our results suggest that Pd may be associated with OCD though our
      sample is too small to allow us to obtain a clear conclusion. Future studies with
      larger sample evaluating the effects of treatment are required.

PMID- 26124529
TI  - Suicide due to sulfuric acid ingestion in a case of major depressive disorder.
AB  - A case of Sulphuric acid ingestion with an intention to commit suicide in a
      patient of Major Depressive Disorder which resulted in death is reported. Aspects
      of this mode of suicide and legal issues concerning suicide in mentally ill
      patient have been discussed. 

PMID- 26124530
TI  - Periodic limb movements and insomnia, a common but under-recognized association.
AB  - Periodic limb movements unlike restless leg syndrome is under diagnosed and
      unrecognized in medical arena. While robust Western trials have elucidated the
      association between periodic limb movements and sleep disturbances, it is not
      well received and recognized in India even in well sophisticated tertiary care
      hospital. We report a chronic insomnia patient who had sleep disturbances for
      past 30 years due to periodic limb movements alone. This was diagnosed through
      polysomnography. This case emphasizes monitoring leg movements during sleep
      study. This report may open new horizons in improving monitoring in sleep study
      in clinical setting. 

PMID- 26124531
TI  - X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy presenting as attention deficit hyperactivity
      disorder.
AB  - X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is one the leukodystrophies causing a
      progressive decline in neurological function mainly affecting the children. The
      most common symptoms are changes in behavior, including social withdrawal or
      aggression, poor memory or poor scholastic performance. Here, we present a 7-year
      old boy who presented with symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity and later
      turned out to be a case of X-ALD. 

PMID- 26124532
TI  - India's rich musical heritage has a lot to offer to modern psychiatry.
AB  - Music with its instantaneous pleasing effect can be an answer to misery. It is a
      form of art that is easily accessible anytime and anywhere. This article gives an
      overview of music therapy practiced in ancient India, its influence on emotion
      and mind, and speculates its possible clinical applications in the modern era
      based on the available scientific literature. 

PMID- 26124533
TI  - Madness and Rulers: Events in Coorg and London in 1810, as observed by the Hon.
      Arthur Cole, the resident at Mysore.
AB  - What happens if a King becomes mentally ill? Excerpts from the personal papers of
      Arthur Henry Cole, Resident to the Kingdom of Mysore in 1809, open up fascinating
      insights into the madness of rulers, in neighboring Coorg and faraway London, and
      ways in which different societies responded to this. Musings on legal capacity
      and restrictions imposed on account of insanity, as well as migration and ennui
      in imperial colonies inevitably follow. 

PMID- 26124534
TI  - A case of hypomania with low-dose lamotrigine.

PMID- 26124535
TI  - Epigenetics as a link between psychosocial factors and mental disorders.

PMID- 26124536
TI  - Catalytic acceptorless dehydrogenations: Ru-Macho catalyzed construction of
      amides and imines.
AB  - A commercially available ruthenium (II) PNP type pincer catalyst (Ru-Macho)
      promotes formation of amides and imines from alcohols and amines via an
      acceptorless dehydrogenation pathway. The formation of secondary amides, tertiary
      amides, and secondary ketimines occurs in yields ranging from 35%-95%.

PMID- 26124537
TI  - Dimerization and comments on the reactivity of homophthalic anhydride.
AB  - Homophthalic anhydride (HPA) dimerizes under the influence of base to provide,
      sequentially, the (3-4')-C-acyl dimer, a pair of chiral diastereomeric
      bis(lactones), 3-(2-carboxybenzyl)isocoumarin-4-carboxylic acid, and finally, 3
      (2-carboxybenzyl)isocoumarin. The structures of the bis(lactones) were
      misassigned in 1970 based on the (presumed) cis thermal decarboxylative
      elimination reaction of the lower melting one. The preferred pathway should be
      trans-anti, however, and crystallographic analysis of one of the bis(lactones)
      reverses the earlier assignment. The formal cycloaddition reaction of HPA with
      imines occurs in preference to HPA dimerization; the mechanistic implications of
      this reactivity difference are discussed.

PMID- 26124538
TI  - Phonological Neighborhood Competition Affects Spoken Word Production Irrespective
      of Sentential Context.
AB  - Two experiments examined the influence of phonologically similar neighbors on
      articulation of words' initial stop consonants in order to investigate the
      conditions under which lexically-conditioned phonetic variation arises. In
      Experiment 1, participants produced words in isolation. Results showed that the
      voice-onset time (VOT) of a target's initial voiceless stop was predicted by its
      overall neighborhood density, but not by its having a voicing minimal pair. In
      Experiment 2, participants read aloud the same targets after semantically
      predictive sentence contexts and after neutral sentence contexts. Results showed
      that, although VOTs were shorter in words produced after predictive contexts, the
      neighborhood density effect on VOT production persisted irrespective of context.
      These findings suggest that global competition from a word's neighborhood affects
      spoken word production independently of contextual modulation and support models
      in which activation cascades automatically and obligatorily among all of a
      selected target word's phonological neighbors during acoustic-phonetic encoding.

PMID- 26124539
TI  - Children's Elicitation of Changes in Parenting during the Early Childhood Years.
AB  - Using a subsample of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B;
      n = 1,550), this study identified parents who engaged in more developmentally
      problematic parenting-in the form of low investment, above average television
      watching, and use of spanking-when their children were very young (M = 24.41
      months, SD = 1.23) but changed their parenting in more positive directions over
      time. Latent profile analysis and other techniques revealed that parents who
      demonstrated less optimal parenting behaviors when their children were 2 years
      old were more likely to be African American, from lower socioeconomic
      backgrounds, and experiencing greater depressive symptoms. Approximately half of
      such parents, however, made positive changes in their parenting practices, with
      5% in the profile characterized by high investment and low use of spanking by the
      time that their children were in elementary school. These positive changes in
      parenting behavior were more likely to occur among parents whose children were
      already demonstrating early reading skills and less problem behavior. These
      potential "child effects", suggesting that children elicited improvements in
      parenting, were more pronounced among higher income families but did not vary
      according to parents' educational attainment. Findings from this study have
      important implications for intervention programs, suggesting that children's
      academic and behavioral skills can be leveraged as one means of facilitating
      positive parenting.

PMID- 26124540
TI  - A Proposed Neurological Interpretation of Language Evolution.
AB  - Since the very beginning of the aphasia history it has been well established that
      there are two major aphasic syndromes (Wernicke's-type and Broca's-type aphasia);
      each one of them is related to the disturbance at a specific linguistic level
      (lexical/semantic and grammatical) and associated with a particular brain damage
      localization (temporal and frontal-subcortical). It is proposed that three stages
      in language evolution could be distinguished: (a) primitive communication systems
      similar to those observed in other animals, including nonhuman primates; (b)
      initial communication systems using sound combinations (lexicon) but without
      relationships among the elements (grammar); and (c) advanced communication
      systems including word-combinations (grammar). It is proposed that grammar
      probably originated from the internal representation of actions, resulting in the
      creation of verbs; this is an ability that depends on the so-called Broca's area
      and related brain networks. It is suggested that grammar is the basic ability for
      the development of so-called metacognitive executive functions. It is concluded
      that while the lexical/semantic language system (vocabulary) probably appeared
      during human evolution long before the contemporary man (Homo sapiens sapiens),
      the grammatical language historically represents a recent acquisition and is
      correlated with the development of complex cognition (metacognitive executive
      functions). 

PMID- 26124541
TI  - Confrontation Naming and Reading Abilities at Primary School: A Longitudinal
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Confrontation naming tasks are useful in the assessment of children
      with learning and language disorders. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were (1)
      providing longitudinal data on confrontation naming; (2) investigating the role
      of socioeconomic status (SES), intelligence, age, and gender in confrontation
      naming; (3) identifying relationship between confrontation naming and reading
      abilities (fluency, accuracy, and comprehension). METHOD: A five-year
      longitudinal investigation of confrontation naming (i.e., the Boston Naming Test
      (BNT)) in a nonclinical sample of Italian primary school children was conducted
      (n = 126), testing them at the end of each school year, to assess nonverbal
      intelligence, confrontation naming, and reading abilities. RESULTS: Performance
      on the BNT emerged as a function of IQ and SES. Significant correlations between
      confrontation naming and reading abilities, especially comprehension, were found;
      BNT scores correlated better with reading fluency than with reading accuracy.
      CONCLUSIONS: The longitudinal data obtained in this study are discussed with
      regard to reading abilities, intelligence, age, gender, and socioeconomic status.

PMID- 26124542
TI  - empowering the neurogenetic testing services in developing countries: use the
      basic skills with speed and scale.

PMID- 26124543
TI  - good doctors for indian villages.

PMID- 26124544
TI  - Motor conduction parameters in recently diagnosed and untreated hypothyroidism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The severity of neuromuscular symptoms and signs in hypothyroidism is
      known to be related to the duration and degree of hormone deficiency. PURPOSE:
      The present study was aimed to assess whether recently diagnosed and untreated
      hypothyroidism affects peripheral nervous system. METHODS: The study included a
      total of 120 female subjects with age ranging from 20 to 45 years. The motor
      nerve conduction parameters viz. Distal latency (DL), amplitude of compound
      muscle action potential (CMAP) and motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) were
      recorded bilaterally in median, ulnar and posterior tibial nerves using standard
      protocols and settings. RESULTS: The observations revealed significantly
      prolonged distal motor latencies, reduced CMAP amplitudes and slowed MNCV in the
      peripheral nerves in hypothyroid. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the
      alteration in motor conduction parameters in recently diagnosed and untreated
      hypothyroidism might be due to various functional and structural changes in
      peripheral nerves associated with deficiency of thyroid hormones.

PMID- 26124545
TI  - Neuroprotective potential of escitalopram against behavioral, mitochondrial and
      oxidative dysfunction induced by 3-nitropropionic acid.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative syndrome that leads
      to marked decline in cognitive functioning along with uncharacteristic body
      movements called chorea. There exists no therapeutic agent to address the
      disease.3-Nitropropionic acid (3-NP) which is a suicide inhibitor of succinate
      dehydrogenase and a well-known experimental model to study Huntington's disease,
      causes substantial impairment in gait and memory through oxidative and neuronal
      damage. PURPOSE: In the present study protective effect of escitalopram against 3
      NP induced neurotoxicity was explored. METHODS: Adult female Wistar ratswere
      subjected to per oral administration of 2 different doses of escitalopram (10 and
      20 mg/kg) for 12 days followed by intraperitoneal injection of 3-NP (20 mg/kg) on
      the last four days. RESULTS: Intraperitoneal injection of 3-NP lead to
      significant induction of HD like symptoms in rats such as impaired memory,
      reduced locomotor activity, hind limb impairment, decreased body weight,
      oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. Treatment with 2 different dose
      of escitalopram helped reverse the mitochondrial enzyme dysfunction along with
      reversal of behavioural and biochemical anomaly induced by 3-NP. Further,
      histopathological examination confirmed the neuroprotective potential of
      escitalopram against 3-NP induced pathological lesions. CONCLUSION: The results
      obtained thus substantiate the claim that escitalopram might play an antioxidant
      and neuroprotective role against 3-NP induced alterations in rats and can prove
      to be a promising candidate for the management of HD.

PMID- 26124546
TI  - Bax modulates neuronal survival while p53 is unaltered after Cytochrome C induced
      oxidative stress in the adult olfactory bulb in vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The granule and periglomerular cells of the olfactory bulb migrate
      from the sub-ventricular zone (SVZ) as progenitor cell forming the neuronal
      stream of the rostral olfactory bulb. These cells are characterized by their
      ability to divide while expressing adult proteins; a phenomenon attributed to the
      prolonged cell cycle and the regulatory activities of proteins which modulates
      apoptosis and proliferation in the developing nervous system. Of interest are the
      proteins concerned with tumor suppression (p53) and cell cycle exit (Bax) and how
      they regulate survivability of these neurons in the adult system after an induced
      oxidative stress. PURPOSE: This study sets to investigate the interplay between
      p53 and Bax in the adult olfactory bulb (periglomerular and granule cell layer),
      and how these proteins determine proliferation and neuronal survival after
      Cytochrome C induced-oxidative stress. Also, we demonstrate the effect of the
      induced-stress threshold on such regulation in vivo. METHODS: Adult Wistar rats
      were segregated into three groups. 10 and 20 mg/Kg BW of potassium cyanide (KCN)
      was administered to the treatment groups for 15 days while the control received
      normal saline for the same duration. The olfactory bulb was dissected and
      processed for general histology and immunohistochemistry of p53/Bax in the
      periglomerular and granule cell layers. Total (Histology) and immunopositive (p53
      and Bax) cell count was done using Image J. Subsequently, we determined the
      analysis of variance with significance set at *P<0.05. RESULTS: We observed an
      increase in cell count for the 10 mg/KgBW treatment; this was characterized by a
      significant decrease in Bax expression and no change in p53 expression when this
      treatment group was compared to the control. However, no change was observed in
      the total cell count for 20 mg/Kg BW treatment for the same duration of exposure.
      Interestingly, there was also no significant change in Bax and p53 for this
      treatment when compared with the control. CONCLUSION: Although p53 plays an
      important role in development of the olfactory bulb neurons, our findings
      suggests it has little contribution in neuronal cell viability and proliferation
      in the adult olfactory bulb. No significant change in p53 was observed
      irrespective of treatment dose and cell count while Bax expression was reduced at
      10 mg/Kg BW treatment and was associated with an increased cell count. We
      conclude that regulation of survival of neurons in the adult olfactory bulb,
      following induced-oxidative stress was more dependent of the expression of Bax
      and the threshold of the induced stress rather than p53 expression.

PMID- 26124547
TI  - Possible alteration of catecholaminergic transporters in specific brain areas of
      iron deficit rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In humans, early ID (iron deficiency) may cause impairment of
      dopamine (DA) metabolism including DA clearance, transporter density, and
      dopamine receptor (D1 and D2) densities. PURPOSE: The present study aims to
      examine the effects of early ID on the catecholaminergic system within certain
      brain areas related to attention. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into
      2 groups; control (CN) fed a diet containing 80 ppm Fe and the iron deficient
      (ID) fed a diet containing 4 ppm Fe. At the end of study rats were sacrificed and
      brains were dissected. Catecholaminergic neurotransmitters were estimated in
      specific brain areas using radioactive ligand techniques. RESULTS: Our results
      revealed a significant effect of age on DAT levels in the nucleus accumbens (NA),
      olfactory tubercle (OT), and substantia nigra (SN) but not in the striatum.
      Specifically, 21-day-old rats had greater DAT levels compared to 45-day-old rats
      when in the NA, OT, and SN as well as in the OT compared to 75-day-old rats.
      Additionally, there is a significant age difference on NET levels in the dentate
      gyrus but not in the frontal cortex or the locus coeruleus. Specifically, NET
      levels were increased among 45-day-old rats compared to 75-day-old rats.
      CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant age effect on DAT and NET levels in some
      examined brain areas. These findings are very important as they elucidate the
      impact of iron deficiency on catecholaminergic systems in the brain. This may
      explain most of the neurobehavioral sequales of infantile iron deficiency.

PMID- 26124548
TI  - Hippocampal and striatal histomorphology following chronic nicotine
      administration in female and male rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nicotine is a subject of continuous research because of its likely
      ameliorative effects on neurologic and neurodegenerative disorders. PURPOSE: This
      study examined the effects of its chronic subcutaneous administration on
      hippocampal and striatal microstructure in both female and male rats. METHODS:
      Forty adult female and male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups. Three
      experimental groups were administered nicotine via subcutaneous injections at
      doses of 0.25, 2 and 4 mg/kg body weight for 28 days. Control groups received
      normal saline. Following administration, routine processing of brain tissues was
      carried out. Sections obtained were stained using routine H&E methods for general
      histological appearance, Cresyl violet methods for nissl substances, and
      Bielschwolsky silver impregnation method for neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary
      tangles. RESULTS: The study showed significant increase in percentage of neurons
      showing degenerating features in the hippocampus and striatum of both female and
      male rats following the higher doses of nicotine treatment. Only female rats
      showed positive agyrophilic (black-coloured) aggregations in the hippocampal and
      striatal regions after nicotine treatment. CONCLUSION: The present study
      indicates that higher dose of chronic nicotine administration may induce
      hippocampal and striatal neurodegenerative changes. However, further studies
      using more specific method for studying neurodegeneration within brain regions is
      recommended.

PMID- 26124549
TI  - Revisiting the dilution factor as vital parameter for sensitivity of ELISA assay
      in CSF and Plasma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is very sensitive assay
      which provides quantitative data about expression of antigens. However, its
      utility is based on certain parameters which vary in the experimental situations.
      PURPOSE: We aimed to analyse the dilution factor as an important parameter for
      determining the sensitivity of ELISA in human samples. METHODS: Total of n = 57
      ALS patients and n = 48 normal controls were selected for the study. All the
      patients were recruited from, Department for Neurology and Anaesthesia, PGIMER.
      Blood and CSF sample was collected and ELISA run was performed in both plasma and
      blood sample. ELISA of OPTN and TDP-43 was employed to check the respective
      protein concentration in CSF and Plasma. RESULTS: There was no significant
      difference which was reported for Plasma as well as CSF values of TDP-43 and
      OPTN. Dilution test prior to actual experiment made a significant impact in
      deciding the actual concentration of sample and led to overshootingbeyond range
      of reference protein. CONCLUSION: Negative results from our study highlights the
      significance of determining the dilution factor as an important parameter for
      conduct of ELISA.

PMID- 26124550
TI  - Plasma cells within granulomatous inflammation display signs pointing to
      autoreactivity and destruction in granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Artiritis
      Research and Therapy 2014, 16: R55.

PMID- 26124551
TI  - An urgent need for experimental animal model of autism in drug development.
AB  - Construct, face and predictive validities are necessary for any disease model.
      Although rodent models are used to investigate the neurobiology of autism,
      however, till date there is no such ideal animal model which can fulfill all the
      above said validities. Available drug therapy to treat autism is very limited and
      less effective. In this review, we summarize the work done with rodent models of
      autism and highlight different validities. We found that, very few studies have
      studied all the validities in a single study and none of the study fulfilled all
      the validities. We also reviewed the drugs used in the treatment of autism. Here
      we propose the limitations of available animal models. We also propose the urgent
      need of additional models to fulfill all the validities and to understand autism
      in a better way. 

PMID- 26124552
TI  - Extra pontine osmotic demyelination syndrome.
AB  - The osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS) has been identified as a complication of
      the rapid correction of hyponatremia for decades. However, in recent years, a
      variety of other medical conditions have been associated with the development of
      ODS, independent of changes in serum sodium which cause a rapid changes in
      osmolality of the interstitial (extracellular) compartment of the brain leading
      to dehydration of energy-depleted cells with subsequent axonal damage that occurs
      in characteristic areas. Slow correction of the serum sodium concentration and
      additional administration of corticosteroids seems to be a major prevention step
      in ODS patients. In the current report we aimed to share a rare case which we
      observed in our hospital. A 65 year old female admitted as altered sensorium with
      history of vomiting, diarrhea was managed with intravenous fluids for 2 days at a
      peripheral health centre. Patient was referred to our centre with encephalopathy,
      evaluated and found to have hyponatremia and hypokalemia rest of biochemical
      parameters and septic profile were normal. Patient's electrolyte disturbances
      were managed as per guidelines but encephalopathy persisted. Supportive treatment
      was continued and patient was discharged after 2 wks of stay in hospital after
      gaining full sensorium and neurological functions. 

PMID- 26124553
TI  - Immunodetection of oligoclonal bands in serum and CSF of Multiple Sclerosis
      patients.

PMID- 26124554
TI  - Omics Metadata Management Software (OMMS).
AB  - Next-generation sequencing projects have underappreciated information management
      tasks requiring detailed attention to specimen curation, nucleic acid sample
      preparation and sequence production methods required for downstream data
      processing, comparison, interpretation, sharing and reuse. The few existing
      metadata management tools for genome-based studies provide weak curatorial
      frameworks for experimentalists to store and manage idiosyncratic, project
      specific information, typically offering no automation supporting unified naming
      and numbering conventions for sequencing production environments that routinely
      deal with hundreds, if not thousands of samples at a time. Moreover, existing
      tools are not readily interfaced with bioinformatics executables, (e.g., BLAST,
      Bowtie2, custom pipelines). Our application, the Omics Metadata Management
      Software (OMMS), answers both needs, empowering experimentalists to generate
      intuitive, consistent metadata, and perform analyses and information management
      tasks via an intuitive web-based interface. Several use cases with short-read
      sequence datasets are provided to validate installation and integrated function,
      and suggest possible methodological road maps for prospective users. Provided
      examples highlight possible OMMS workflows for metadata curation, multistep
      analyses, and results management and downloading. The OMMS can be implemented as
      a stand alone-package for individual laboratories, or can be configured for
      webbased deployment supporting geographically-dispersed projects. The OMMS was
      developed using an open-source software base, is flexible, extensible and easily
      installed and executed. The OMMS can be obtained at http://omms.sandia.gov.
      AVAILABILITY: The OMMS can be obtained at http://omms.sandia.gov.

PMID- 26124555
TI  - BlastXtract2: Improving early exploration of (meta) genomes.
AB  - To manage and intelligently mine the avalanche of genomic sequences intuitive and
      user-friendly graphical interfaces are required. Here we present BlastXtract2
      which exclusively facilitates early exploration of un-annotated genomic and
      metagenomic sequences. Various formats of translated searches, including the
      commonly used BlastX, of multiple sequences against multiple protein databases
      can be uploaded to a relational database server, which can be accessed via a
      locally installed web-server. There, an intuitive GUI allows straightforward data
      mining and enables quick detection of potential frameshifts and poorly sequenced
      or assembled regions, thereby contributing in making BlastXtract2 a unique and
      valuable tool for early exploration of (meta)genomic sequences. AVAILABILITY:
      Source code, documentation and an online demo version are available at
      https://github.com/ ClaessonLab/BlastXtract2.

PMID- 26124556
TI  - Major bioactive metabolites from marine fungi: A Review.
AB  - Biologists and chemists of the world have been attracted towards marine natural
      products for the last five decades. Approximately 16,000 marine natural products
      have been isolated from marine organisms which have been reported in
      approximately 6,800 publications, proving marine microorganisms to be a
      invaluable source for the production of novel antibiotic, anti tumor, and anti
      inflammatory agents. The marine fungi particularly those associated with marine
      alga, sponge, invertebrates, and sediments appear to be a rich source for
      secondary metabolites, possessing Antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal and antiyeast
      activities. Besides, a few growth stimulant properties which may be useful in
      studies on wound healing, carcinogenic properties, and in the study of cancers
      are reported. Recent investigations on marine filamentous fungi looking for
      biologically active secondary metabolites indicate the tremendous potential of
      them as a source of new medicines. The present study reviews about some important
      bioactive metabolites reported from marine fungal strains which are anti
      bacterial, anti tumour and anti inflammatory in action. It highlights the
      chemistry and biological activity of the major bioactive alkaloids, polyketides,
      terpenoids, isoprenoid and non-isoprenoid compounds, quinones, isolated from
      marine fungi. 

PMID- 26124557
TI  - Evolution of bacterial and fungal growth media.
AB  - Microbial media has undergone several changes since its inception but some key
      challenges remain. In recent years, there has been exploration of several
      alternative nutrient sources, both to cater to the specificity in requirement of
      growth of "fussy microorganisms" and also to reduce costs for large-scale
      fermentation that is required for biotechnology. Our mini-review explores these
      developments and also points at lacunas in the present areas of exploration, such
      as a lack of concerted effort in pH and osmolarity regulation. We hope that our
      commentary provides direction for future research in microbial media. 

PMID- 26124558
TI  - Chemosensory apparatus of Drosophila larvae.
AB  - Many insects, including Drosophila melanogaster, have a rich repertoire of
      olfactory behavior. Combination of robust behavioral assays, physiological and
      molecular tools render D. melanogaster as highly suitable system for olfactory
      studies. The small number of neurons in the olfactory system of fruit flies,
      especially the number of sensory neurons in the larval stage, makes the
      exploration of sensory coding at all stages of its nervous system a potentially
      tractable goal, which is not possible in the foreseeable future in any mammalian
      preparation. Advances in physiological recordings, olfactory signaling and
      detailed analysis of behavior, can place larvae in a position to ask previously
      unanswerable questions. 

PMID- 26124559
TI  - In silico inhibition of GABARAP activity using antiepileptic medicinal derived
      compounds.
AB  - Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting more than 50 million people
      worldwide. It can be controlled by antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) but more than 30%
      patients are still resistant to AEDs. To overcome this problem, researchers are
      trying to develop novel approaches to treat epilepsy including the use of herbal
      medicines. The gamma-amino butyric acid type-A receptor associated protein
      (GABARAP) is ubiquitin-like modifier implicated in the intracellular trafficking
      of GABAAR. An in silico mutation was created at 116 amino acid position G116A,
      and an in silico study was carried out to identify the potential binding
      inhibitors (with antiepileptic properties) against the active sites of GABARAP.
      Five different plant derived compounds namely (a) Aconitine (b) Berberine (c)
      Montanine (d) Raubasine (e) Safranal were selected, and their quantitative
      structure-activity relationships (QSAR) have been conducted to search the
      inhibitory activity of the selected compounds. The results have shown maximum
      number of hydrogen bond (H-bond) interactions of Raubasine with highest
      interaction energy among all of the five compounds. So, Raubasine could be the
      best fit ligand of GABARAP but in vitro, and in vivo studies are necessary for
      further confirmation. 

PMID- 26124560
TI  - Molecular docking of selected phytocompounds with H1N1 Proteins.
AB  - The H1N1 influenza virus is a serious threat to human population. Oseltamivir and
      Zanamivir are known antiviral drugs for swine flu with observed side effects.
      These drugs are viral neuraminidase and hemagglutinin inhibitor prevents early
      virus multiplication by blocking sialic acid cleavage on host cells. Therefore,
      it is of interest to identify naturally occurring novel compounds to control
      viral growth. Thus, H1N1 proteins (neuraminidase and hemagglutinin) were screened
      with phytocompounds isolated from Tulsi plant (Ocimum sanctum L.) using molecular
      docking tools. This identified Apigenin as an alternative to Oseltamivir and
      Zanamivir with improved predicted binding properties. Hence, it is of interest to
      consider this compound for further in vitro and in vivo evaluation. 

PMID- 26124561
TI  - Antifungal drug resistance pattern of Candida. spp isolated from vaginitis in
      Ilam-Iran during 2013-2014.
AB  - Vaginal Candidiasis is the most common and important opportunistic fungal
      infection in women. By increasing use of antifungal drugs in recent years, it has
      caused drug resistance. This study aims to evaluate antifungal drugs
      susceptibility of Candida. spp isolated of women with vaginitis from Ilam-Iran
      during 2013-2014. samples were collected and cultured from 385 women with
      vaginitis, then Candida.spp was diagnosed by standard method. Antifungal drug
      susceptibility test for nystatin 100 unit/disk, fluconazole 10ug/disk,
      itraconazole 10ug/disk, ketoconazole 10ug/disk, amphotericinB 20ug/disk,
      clotrimazole 10ug/disk, posaconazole 5ug/disk, and voriconazole 1ug/disk were
      carried out by M44-A method(CLSI). From all culture positive samples, 150
      isolates were Candida albicans and 89 isolates were non-albicans. The resistance
      to fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, clotrimazole, voriconazole,
      posaconazole, nystatin and amphotericin B was 76%, 62%, 72%, 55%, 6%, 7%, 1% and
      0%. The highest resistance was seen for fluconazole , itraconazole, and the
      highest susceptible was seen for nystatin and amphotericin B. These results
      indicate nystatin and amphotericin B can be used as the first line for empirical
      therapy of vaginal candidiasis in the district. 

PMID- 26124562
TI  - Identification of collaborative activities with oxidative phosphorylation in
      bipolar disorder.
AB  - Bipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric disease considered to polygenic with
      multiple factors in genetics, each of which is not dominant but collaborative
      during pathogenic progression. We describe a method that estimates the
      collaborative contribution to the disease between a certain well-studied pathway
      and the other candidate pathway using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). We
      describe a modified GSEA (improved derivation) to identify genes that are
      significantly and differentially expressed between disease and non-disease states
      and that are consistently co-expressed with a target pathway which is deeply
      related to disease etiology. The modified GSEA uses available gene expression
      data to identify molecular mechanism (ubiquitin-proteasome and inflammatory
      response) associated with the disease. We believe that this approach could reveal
      hidden relations between a certain well-studied pathway and the other candidate
      pathway known in literature. ABBREVIATIONS: ATP5I - ATP synthase H+ transporting
      mitochondrial F0 complex subunit E, ATP5J - ATP synthase H+ transporting
      mitochondrial F0 complex subunit F6, BAD - Bcl-2-associated death promoter, BAX -
      Bcl-2-associated x protein, Bcl-2 - B-cell lymphoma 2, BDNF - brain derived
      neurotrophic factor, COX5B - Cytochrome c oxidase subunit Vb, COX7A2 - cytochrome
      c oxidase subunit VIIa polypeptide 2, DLK - dual leucine zipper-bearing kinase,
      GABA - Gamma aminobutyric acid, IL-8 - Interleukin 8, NDUFA1 - NADH dehydrogenase
      1 alpha subcomplex 1, NDUFB2 - NADH dehydrogenase1 beta subcomplex 2, NDUFS4 -
      NADH dehydrogenase Fe-S protein 4, NGF - nerve growth factor, PPP2R5C - protein
      phosphatase 2 regulatory subunit B gamma, PSMA3 - proteasome subunit alpha type
      3, PSMA7 - proteasome subunit alpha type 7, PSMB1 - proteasome subunit beta type
      1, PSMB6 - proteasome subunit beta type 6, PSMB7 - proteasome subunit beta type
      7, PSMC2 - proteasome 26S subunit ATPase 2, PSMC5 - proteasome 26S subunit ATPase
      5, SLC6A4 - solute carrier family 6 member 4, TNFa - tumor necrosis factor a,
      UBE2A - ubiquitinconjugating enzyme E2A, UCRC - ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase
      complex, UFC1 - ubiquitin-fold modifier conjugating enzyme 1, UQCRQ - ubiquinol
      cytochrome c reductase complex III subunit VII, USP14 - ubiquitin specific
      protease 14.

PMID- 26124563
TI  - Piroxicam confer neuroprotection in Cerebral Ischemia by inhibiting
      Cyclooxygenases, Acid- Sensing Ion Channel-1a and Aquaporin-4: an in silico
      comparison with Aspirin and Nimesulide.
AB  - Cerebral ischemia (CI), caused by the deprivation of oxygen and glucose to the
      brain, is the leading cause of permanent disability. Neuronal demise in CI has
      been linked to several pathways which include cyclooxygenases (COX) - mediated
      production of prostaglandins (PGs) and subsequently reactive oxygen species
      (ROS), aquaporin-4 (AQ-4) - mediated brain edema and acidsensing ion channel-1a
      (ASIC-1a) - mediated acidotoxicity, matrix remodeling, in addition to others.
      Several non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are presently in use to
      prevent these pathways. However, owing to the large number of processes involved,
      there is high drug load. So, identifying drugs with multimodal role has always
      been a frequently sought venture. The present in silico study has been performed
      to find out the relative efficacy of three different NSAIDs (Piroxicam, Aspirin
      and Nimesulide) in preventing neurodegeneration in CI, with respect to their
      inhibitory potential on COXs, AQ-4 and ASIC-1a. We find that piroxicam is the
      most potent inhibitor of these receptors as compared to the NSAIDs under
      investigation. Since piroxicam has already been reported to inhibit N-methyl-D
      aspartate (NMDA) receptor and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are also
      linked to CI-induced neurodegeneration, we hereby propose piroxicam to be a gold
      standard drug in preventing neurodegeneration in CI. 

PMID- 26124564
TI  - Erratum: Correction in Co-Author name To: Reliability of Quality Assessments in
      Research Synthesis: Securing the Highest Quality Bioinformation for HIT.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 691 in vol. 8, PMID: 23055612.]. 

PMID- 26124565
TI  - Modeling Based Structural Insights into Biodegradation of the Herbicide Diuron by
      Laccase-1 from Ceriporiopsis subvermispora.
AB  - The herbicide diuron (3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea) is used in many
      agricultural crops and non-crop areas worldwide, leading to the pollution of the
      aquatic environment by soil leaching. White rot fungi and its lignin modifying
      enzymes, peroxidases and laccases, are responsible for its degradation.
      Therefore, it is of interest to explore the potential use of Ceriporiopsis
      subvermispora laccase (CersuLac1) in the biotransformation of this herbicide by
      using its enzyme laccase. However, the structure of laccase from Ceriporiopsis
      subvermispora is still unknown. Hence, a model of laccase was constructed using
      homology modeling. The model was further used to dock p-methylbenzoate in the
      presence of four copper ions to analyze molecular basis of its binding and
      interaction. The ligand-protein interaction is stereo-chemically favorable in
      nature. The presence of the single protonated Lys457 was necessary for catalysis,
      being coordinated by a cupper ion. The best pose of diuron on CersuLac1 has a
      theoretical Ki of 2.91 mM. This is comparable to the KM values for laccases from
      other organisms with similar compounds. Thus, we document the insights for the
      potential use of laccase from Ceriporiopsis subvermispora in the
      biotransfrormation of diuron. 

PMID- 26124566
TI  - An in silico analytical study of lung cancer and smokers datasets from gene
      expression omnibus (GEO) for prediction of differentially expressed genes.
AB  - Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer development and several genes have
      been identified as potential biomarker for lungs cancer. Contributing to the
      present scientific knowledge of biomarkers for lung cancer two different data
      sets, i.e. GDS3257 and GDS3054 were downloaded from NCBI's GEO database and
      normalized by RMA and GRMA packages (Bioconductor). Diffrentially expressed genes
      were extracted by using and were R (3.1.2); DAVID online tool was used for gene
      annotation and GENE MANIA tool was used for construction of gene regulatory
      network. Nine smoking independent gene were found whereas average expressions of
      those genes were almost similar in both the datasets. Five genes among them were
      found to be associated with cancer subtypes. Thirty smoking specific genes were
      identified; among those genes eight were associated with cancer sub types.
      GPR110, IL1RN and HSP90AA1 were found directly associated with lung cancer.
      SEMA6A differentially expresses in only non-smoking lung cancer samples. FLG is
      differentially expressed smoking specific gene and is related to onset of various
      cancer subtypes. Functional annotation and network analysis revealed that FLG
      participates in various epidermal tissue developmental processes and is co
      expressed with other genes. Lung tissues are epidermal tissues and thus it
      suggests that alteration in FLG may cause lung cancer. We conclude that smoking
      alters expression of several genes and associated biological pathways during
      development of lung cancers. 

PMID- 26124567
TI  - Computer aided screening of natural compounds targeting the E6 protein of HPV
      using molecular docking.
AB  - The cancer profile in the Indian state of Uttarakhand reveals that the breast
      cancer is the most prevalent type of cancers in females followed by cervical and
      ovarian type. Literature survey shows that the E6 protein of Human Papilloma
      Virus-16 (HPV-16) is responsible for causing several forms of cancer in human.
      Therefore, it is of interest to screen HPV-16 E6 target protein with known
      natural compounds using computer aided molecular modeling and docking tools. The
      complete structure of E6 is unknown. Hence, the E6 structure model was
      constructed using different online servers followed by molecular docking of
      Colchine, Curcumin, Daphnoretin, Ellipticine and Epigallocatechin-3-gallate; five
      known natural compounds with best E6 protein model predicted by Phyre2 server.
      The screening exercise shows that Daphnoretin (with binding free energy of -8.3
      kcal/mol), a natural compound derived from Wikstroemia indica has the top binding
      properties. Thus, it is of interest to consider the compound for further
      validation. 

PMID- 26124568
TI  - Molecular docking based screening of predicted potential inhibitors for VP40 from
      Ebola virus.
AB  - Ebola virus is a member of Filoviridae and cause severe human disease with 90
      percent mortality. The life cycle of Ebola contains an assembly stage which is
      mediated by VP40 proteins. VP40 subunits oligomerize and form ring-structures
      which are either octamers or hexamers. Prevention of VP40 matrix protein assembly
      prevents virus particle formation as well as virus budding. In the present study
      we simulated the biological condition for a single VP40 subunit. Then a library
      containing 120.000 drugs like chemicals was used as the virtual screening
      database. Top 10 successive hits were then analyzed regarding absorption,
      distribution, metabolism, and excretion properties. Moreover probable accessorial
      human protein targets and toxicity properties of successive hits were analyzed by
      in silico tools. We found 4 chemicals that could bind VP40 subunits in a manner
      that by making an interfering steric condense prevents matrix protein
      oligomerization. The pharmacokinetic and toxicity studies also validated the
      potential of 4 finlay successive hits to be considered as a new anti-Ebola drugs.

PMID- 26124569
TI  - Molecular docking and simulation of Curcumin with Geranylgeranyl Transferase1
      (GGTase1) and Farnesyl Transferase (FTase).
AB  - Protein prenylation is a posttranslational modification that is indispensable for
      translocation of membrane GTPases like Ras, Rho, Ras etc. Proteins of Ras family
      undergo farnesylation by FTase while Rho family goes through geranylgeranylation
      by GGTase1. There is only an infinitesimal difference in signal recognition
      between FTase and GGTase1. FTase inhibitors mostly end up selecting the cells
      with mutated Ras proteins that have acquired affinity towards GGTase1 in cancer
      microcosms. Therefore, it is of interest to identify GGTase1 and FTase dual
      inhibitors using the docking tool AutoDock Vina. Docking data show that curcumin
      (from turmeric) has higher binding affinity to GGTase1 than that of established
      peptidomimetic GGTase1 inhibitors (GGTI) such as GGTI-297, GGTI-298,
      CHEMBL525185. Curcumin also interacts with FTase with binding energy comparable
      to co-crystalized compound 2-[3-(3-ethyl-1-methyl-2-oxo-azepan-3-yl)-phenoxy]-4
      [1-amino-1-(1-methyl-1h-imidizol-5-yl)-ethyl]-benzonitrile (BNE). The docked
      complex was further simulated for 10 ns using molecular dynamics simulation for
      stability. Thus, the molecular basis for curcumin binding to GGTase1 and FTase is
      reported. 

PMID- 26124570
TI  - Current status of preimplantation genetic diagnosis in Japan.
AB  - This is a retrospective study aimingto clarify the current status of
      preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in Japan. Our data were collected from 12
      facilities between September 2004 and September 2012, and entered into a
      database. A majority of PGD in Japan was performed for balanced structural
      chromosomal abnormalities in couples with recurrent miscarriage. PGD for
      monogenic diseases was performed only in two facilities. The average maternal age
      was 38 years for monogenic diseases and 40 years for chromosomal abnormalities.
      Overall there have been671 cycles to oocyte retrieval reported. Of these cycles,
      85% (572 cycles)were for chromosomal abnormalities, and 15% (99 cycles) for
      monogenic diseases. Diagnosis rates in the current study were 70.8% for monogenic
      diseases and 94.0% for chromosomal abnormalities. Rates of embryo transfer of PGD
      were 62.7% for monogenic diseases and 25.5% for chromosomal abnormalities.
      Clinical pregnancy rates per embryo transfer were 12.0% for monogenic diseases
      and 35.6% for chromosomal abnormalities. Our study is the first PGD report from
      all facilities which had the approval of the ethics committee of the Japanese
      Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. We have built a basis for gathering
      continuous PGD data in Japan. 

PMID- 26124571
TI  - Effect of combined herbal feed additives on methane, total gas production and
      rumen fermentation.
AB  - The present study was to evaluate effect of herbal feed additives on methane and
      total gas production during the rumen fermentation for environment and animal
      health concern. Different parts of the five medicinal plants were selected such
      as leaf and small stems of Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi), roots of Curcuma longa
      (Haldi), fruits of Emblica officinalis (Amla), leaves of Azadirachta indica
      (Neem) and leaves and small stem of Clerodendrum phlomidis (Arni) for our study.
      Addition of different herbal additive combinations did not influence IVDMD and
      total gas production however methane production (mg/g of substrate DM) was
      significantly (P<0.05) reduced in Amla: Neem and Neem: Arni combinations. Total
      nitrogen significantly (P<0.01) increased in the combinations of Tulsi: Haldi and
      Amla: Neem. TCA-ppt-N is significantly (P<0.01) increased in Tulsi: Haldi, Haldi:
      Amla, Amla: Neem and Neem: Arni however NH3-N (mg/dl) significantly decreased in
      all treatments. We conclude that the screening of plant combinations, Amla: Neem
      and Neem: Arni have potential to decrease methane production and our herbal feed
      supplements have no side-effects on the ruminant in small amount. 

PMID- 26124572
TI  - Compression of Large genomic datasets using COMRAD on Parallel Computing
      Platform.
AB  - The big data storage is a challenge in a post genome era. Hence, there is a need
      for high performance computing solutions for managing large genomic data.
      Therefore, it is of interest to describe a parallel-computing approach using
      message-passing library for distributing the different compression stages in
      clusters. The genomic compression helps to reduce the on disk"foot print" of
      large data volumes of sequences. This supports the computational infrastructure
      for a more efficient archiving. The approach was shown to find utility in 21
      Eukaryotic genomes using stratified sampling in this report. The method achieves
      an average of 6-fold disk space reduction with three times better compression
      time than COMRAD. AVAILABILITY: The source codes are written in C using message
      passing libraries and are available at https:// sourceforge.net/ projects/
      comradmpi/files / COMRADMPI/.

PMID- 26124573
TI  - Effect of Soft Drinks and Fresh Fruit Juice on Surface Roughness of Commonly used
      Restorative Materials.
AB  - In this in vitro study, the effects of a Cola drink, and fresh fruit juice
      (citrus) on the surface roughness on flowable composite and resin-modified glass
      ionomer cement (RMGIC) each was evaluated and compared. Using a brass mold 70
      pellets each of flowable composite (FiltekTM Flow) and RMGIC tricure restorative
      material were prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions. Two groups
      (groups I and II) were formed containing 30 pellets of each material. Remaining
      10 pellets of each restorative material did form the control group [water (group
      III)]. Experimental group pellets were again divided into three subgroups (mild,
      moderate and severe) containing 10 pellets each and were kept in plastic
      containers with 30 ml Cola drink (group I) and fresh fruit juice (group II)
      respectively. Immersion regime was followed according to M aupome G et al.
      Baseline and final surface roughness (Ra) value for each pellet was evaluated
      using a profilometer. Statistical analysis was done with Wilcoxon's signed rank
      test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Mann-Whitney test. Results
      showed that the erosive effect of both Cola drink and fresh fruit juice caused
      significant surface roughness on both flowable composite and RMGIC restorative
      materials in the mild, moderate and severe immersion regimes. How to cite this
      article: Maganur P, Satish V, Prabhakar AR, Namineni S. Effect of Soft Drinks and
      Fresh Fruit Juice on Surface Roughness of Commonly used Restorative Materials.
      Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):1-5. 

PMID- 26124574
TI  - Recent vs Conventional Methods of Caries Removal: A Comparative in vivo Study in
      Pediatric Patients.
AB  - AIMS: To compare the three different methods of caries removal, conventional
      method using Airotor and chemomechanical method using Carisolv and Papacarie.
      SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The patients with multiple carious teeth were selected
      either in the deciduous dentition or mixed dentition. Ninety primary molars were
      selected from 30 children (10 males and 20 females) between the age group 6 and 9
      years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After caries excavation, cavities were evaluated
      for caries removal or clinical efficacy by the tactile and visual criteria,
      microbiological efficacy, time taken for the procedure. Patient acceptability
      toward the treatment was also checked with the help of a visual analog scale
      (VAS). The observations thus obtained were subjected to statistical analysis
      using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis test.
      RESULTS: The clinical efficacy of caries removal was highest with Airotor while
      the microbiological efficacy of caries removal was almost comparable with
      Airotor, Carisolv and Papacarie caries removal methods. The time taken to remove
      caries by Airotor method was observed to be least while the patient acceptance
      was found to be highest with Papacarie method. How to cite this article: Chowdhry
      S, Saha S, Samadi F, Jaiswal JN, Garg A, Chowdhry P. Recent vs Conventional
      Methods of Caries Removal: A Comparative in vivo Study in Pediatric Patients. Int
      J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):6-11.

PMID- 26124575
TI  - Effect of Catalase and Sodium Fluoride on Human Enamel bleached with 35%
      Carbamide Peroxide.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the effects of postbleaching antioxidant application
      fluoridation treatment on the surface morphology and microhardness of human
      enamel. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten freshly extracted human maxillary central
      incisors were cut at cementoenamel junction. Crown portion was sectioned into six
      slabs which were divided into five groups: group A - untreated controls; group B 
      35% carbamide peroxide (CP); group C - 35% CP and catalase; group D - treatment
      with 35% CP and 5% sodium fluoride; group E - 35% CP, catalase and 5% sodium
      fluoride. Thirty-five percent carbamide peroxide application included two
      applications of 30 minutes each at a 5-day interval. After treatment, the slabs
      were thoroughly washed with water for 10 seconds and stored in artificial saliva
      at 37 degrees C until the next treatment. Two percent sodium fluoride included
      application for 5 minutes. Three catalase included application for 3 minutes.
      RESULTS: After 5 days, groups B and C showed significantly decreased enamel
      microhardness compared to control. Group D specimens showed relatively less
      reduction in enamel micro-hardness than group C specimens. There is a marked
      increase in enamel microhardness in group E specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Fluoride take
      up was comparatively enhanced after catalase application resulting in less
      demineralization and increased microhardness. How to cite this article: Thakur R,
      Shigli AL, Sharma DS, Thakur G. Effect of Catalase and Sodium Fluoride on Human
      Enamel bleached with 35% Carbamide Peroxide. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):12
      17.

PMID- 26124576
TI  - Laser Pulpotomy-An Effective Alternative to Conventional Techniques: A 12 Months
      Clinicoradiographic Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vital pulpotomy is a single-stage procedure of surgical amputation of
      the coronal portion of exposed vital pulp, usually as a means of preserving the
      vitality and function of the remaining radicular portion. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:
      The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and radiographic success rates
      for ferric sulfate (FS), electrosurgery (ES) and laser pulpotomy in human primary
      molars. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a randomized clinical trial, 30 primary molars
      indicated for pulpotomy in children aged 4 to 10 years were treated using either
      a FS (10 teeth), ES technique (10 teeth) and laser (10 teeth). Following the
      pulpotomy, the teeth were evaluated for clinical and radiographic success at 3,
      6, 9 and 12 months on the basis of the presence of pain, sinus, mobility,
      internal and external resorption, periapical radiolucency, calcification in the
      canal and bone loss. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data were assessed with Chi-square
      test. RESULTS: After 12 months of follow-up, both clinical and radiographic
      success rates were 100% in the laser group but only 80% in both ES and FS groups.
      There was statistically significant difference between the success rates of three
      groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Laser pulpotomy showed better clinical as well as
      radiographical results than ES and FS pulpotomy. Laser pulpotomy was also found
      superior in terms of operating time, patient cooperation, ease of use and pain.
      Although results of the study showed the failure rates for electrosurgical
      pulpotomy to be equal to those for FS pulpotomy, electrosurgical pulpotomy being
      a nonpharmacological technique considered more favorable. Further studies using
      larger sample size and longer evaluation periods are suggested. How to cite this
      article: Gupta G, Rana V, Srivastava N, Chandna P. Laser Pulpotomy-An Effective
      Alternative to Conventional Techniques: A 12 Months Clinicoradiographic Study.
      Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):18-21.

PMID- 26124577
TI  - Evaluation of the Load-bearing Capacity of Fractured Incisal Edge of Maxillary
      Permanent Central Incisors restored with a Glass Fiber-reinforced Nanocomposite:
      An in vitro Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the load-bearing
      capacity of fractured incisal edge of maxillary permanent central incisors
      restored with a nanocomposite and a glass fiber-reinforced nanocomposite.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six extracted sound maxillary central incisors
      randomly divided in three groups were used for the present study. Group I
      (control) contained untreated teeth. Samples in experimental groups II and III
      were prepared by cutting the incisal (one-third) part of the crown horizontally
      and subjected to enamel preparations and restored with a nanocomposite and a
      glass fiber-reinforced nanocomposite respectively. All restored teeth were stored
      in distilled water at room temperature for 24 hours. Fracture resistance was
      evaluated as peak load at failure (Newton) for samples tested in a cantilever
      bending test using Hounsfield universal testing machine. Failure modes were
      microscopically examined. RESULTS: Highest mean peak failure load (Newton) among
      experimental groups was observed in glass fiber-reinforced nano composite group
      (863.50 +/- 76.12 N) followed by nanocomposite group (633.67 +/- 40.14 N). One
      way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the restoration technique
      significantly affected the load-bearing capacity (p < 0.001). Scheffe's post-hoc
      comparison test (subset for alpha = 0.05) revealed that there was significant
      difference in the mean peak failure load values of nanocomposite and glass fiber
      reinforced nanocomposite groups when considered together (p < 0.001).
      Experimental groups showed similar types of failure modes with majority occurring
      ascohesive and mixed type. Fifty-eight percent of the teeth in glass fiber
      reinforced nanocomposite group fractured below the cementoenamel junction.
      CONCLUSION: By using fiber-reinforced composite substructure under conventional
      composites in the repair of fractured incisors, the load-bearing capacity of the
      restored incisal edge could be substantially increased. How to cite this article:
      Kumar PSP, Srilatha KT, Nandlal B, Dhull KS. Evaluation of the Load-bearing
      Capacity of Fractured Incisal Edge of Maxillary Permanent Central Incisors
      restored with a Glass Fiber-reinforced Nanocomposite: An in vitro Study. Int J
      Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):22-29.

PMID- 26124578
TI  - A Comparative Evaluation of the Efficacy of Etching by the Total Etch and Self
      etch Dentin Bonding Systems in the Primary Teeth: An in vitro Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Early childhood caries is now affecting the children in dangerous
      proportions. There is a wide spread loss of the tooth material irrespective of
      the type of the carious lesion. Restoration of such lesions with a strong
      permanent bond between the dental tissues and the restorative dental materials
      would be a highly desirable requisite. Ultramorphological characterizations show
      that the interfacial morphology and the chemical characterization of the bonding
      systems appear to be strongly associated with each other and, therefore,
      observing and understanding the interfacial phenomenon and its quality would be
      of great importance in the selection of a dental adhesive for its use in
      pediatric restorative dentistry. STUDY DESIGN: Human primary molars, which were
      indicated for extraction, for an array of reasons like caries, normal
      exfoliation, pathological root resorption, over-retained and serial extraction,
      were collected for the study purpose. Total number of teeth was then equally
      distributed into two subgroups, each namely A1 (Prime and Bond NT) and A2 (Xeno
      III). RESULTS: The type of etching pattern that was observed in group A1 (Prime
      and Bond NT) of Silverstone's type II compared to the Silverstone's type III
      observed in group A2 (Xeno III). CONCLUSION: RESULTS of this study indicate that
      the use of an etchant separately followed by the application of the bonding
      system-Prime and Bond NT-would provide a better quality of adhesion thus
      improving the quality and longevity of the restoration done within the limits of
      enamel in primary dentition. How to cite this article: Mithiborwala SH, Chaugule
      V, Katge F, Poojari M, Pujari P, Pammi T. A Comparative Evaluation of the
      Efficacy of Etching by the Total Etch and Self-etch Dentin Bonding Systems in the
      Primary Teeth: An in vitro Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):30-36.

PMID- 26124579
TI  - A Comparative Study of Biodegradation of Nickel and Chromium from Space
      Maintainers: An in vitro Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare and evaluate the in vitro
      biodegradation of nickel and chromium from space maintainers, made of three
      different companies, i.e (Dantaurum, Rocky mountain and Dtech) in artificial
      saliva. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised of 30 space maintainers out of
      which 10 were fabricated using Dantaurum, 10 using Rocky mountain and 10 using
      Dtech band materials. Stainless steel wire (Dantaurum, Rocky mountain and Konark)
      was used for making loops and Leone solder and flux was used for soldering. Each
      group was further divided into four subgroups containing 1, 2, 3 and 4 space
      maintainers respectively. The space maintainers in each subgroup were placed in
      separate glass beakers containing 100 ml of artificial saliva at 37 degrees C for
      4 weeks. Salivary samples from each beaker was analyzed for nickel and chromium
      ions separately on days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days using inductively coupled plasma
      optical emission spectrophotometer. RESULTS: Total release of nickel and chromium
      from all band and loop space maintainers ranged from 0.020 to 1.524 ppm and 0.002
      to 0.289 ppm respectively. The release of nickel and chromium between the groups
      and within the groups was not significant (p < 0.5). CONCLUSION: There was no
      substantial release of nickel and chromium from space maintainers made of
      Dantaurum, Rocky mountain and Dtech which could cause any toxicity. How to cite
      this article: Anand A, Sharma A, Kumar P, Sandhu M, Sachdeva S, Sachdev V. A
      Comparative Study of Biodegradation of Nickel and Chromium from Space
      Maintainers: An in vitro Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015; 8(1):37-41.

PMID- 26124580
TI  - A Polarized Light Microscopic Study to Comparatively evaluate Four Remineralizing
      Agents on Enamel viz CPP-ACPF, ReminPro, SHY-NM and Colgate Strong Teeth.
AB  - AIM: To compare and evaluate the remineralizing potential of four commercially
      available products namely SHY-NM, GC Tooth Mousse Plus, ReminPro and Colgate
      strong teeth on demineralized human teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study
      included 50 extracted premolars having 3 * 3 mm window prepared on the middle
      third of the tooth, which was then subjected to demineralization for 48 hours at
      37 degrees C. Teeth were randomly selected and grouped into five study groups of
      10 teeth in each. Each group was treated with respective remineralizing agent and
      sectioned using hard-tissue microtome. Each section obtained was visualized under
      polarized light microscope and analyzed using Image J software. RESULTS: The
      statistically evaluated results revealed that SHY-NM has the most remineralizing
      potential followed by ReminPro, GC Tooth Mousse Plus and fluoridated toothpaste.
      CONCLUSION: Based on the study, the SHY-NM was superior to the GC Tooth Mousse
      Plus, ReminPro and Colgate strong teeth on demineralized human teeth. How to cite
      this article: Rajan R, Krishnan R, Bhaskaran B, Kumar SV. A Polarized Light
      Microscopic Study to Comparatively evaluate Four Remineralizing Agents on Enamel
      viz CPP-ACPF, ReminPro, SHY-NM and Colgate Strong Teeth. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent
      2015;8(1):42-47.

PMID- 26124582
TI  - Oral Rehabilitation for Amniotic Band Syndrome: An Unusual Presentation.
AB  - Amniotic band syndrome (ABS) is a congenital disorder caused by entrapment of
      fetal parts in fibrous amniotic bands while in utero. The syndrome is
      underdiagnosed and its presentation is variable. The syndrome has been well
      described in the pediatric, orthopedic and obstetric literature; however, despite
      the discernable craniomaxillofacial involvement, ABS has not been reported in the
      dental literature very often. The present report describes a case of a patient
      with ABS and concomitant dental findings. How to cite this article: Hotwani K,
      Sharma K. Oral Rehabilitation for Amniotic Band Syndrome: An Unusual
      Presentation. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):55-57. 

PMID- 26124581
TI  - Methods of Intracanal Reinforcement in Primary Anterior Teeth-Assessing the
      Outcomes through a Systematic Literature Review.
AB  - AIM: To assess how the various methods of intracanal reinforcement (short root
      canal posts) performed in their clinical and radiographic outcomes for restoring
      grossly broken down primary anterior teeth after pulpectomy for 1 year or longer
      follow-up period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Literature search of electronic
      databases (Sept 2013) and various journals (1980-Sept 2013) using medical subject
      headings and free text terms was conducted. For inclusion in quality assessment,
      prespecified inclusion criteria were applied. Quality assessment was performed by
      using 'The Cochrane collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias'. RESULTS:
      Seven relevant papers were selected for full text evaluation. After applying the
      inclusion criteria, only two trials could be considered for quality assessment.
      Both of these were classified as having high risk of bias. CONCLUSION: The
      evidence to support any method of intracanal reinforcement for restoring grossly
      broken down anterior teeth is presently lacking. Further trials with well-defined
      methodology are needed. How to cite this article: Mittal N, Bhatia HP, Haider K.
      Methods of Intracanal Reinforcement in Primary Anterior Teeth- Assessing the
      Outcomes through a Systematic Literature Review. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent
      2015;8(1):48-54.

PMID- 26124583
TI  - Single Visit Apexification Procedure of a Traumatically Injured Tooth with a
      Novel Bioinductive Material (Biodentine).
AB  - Aim of this article is to present a case wherein single visit apexification of a
      traumatically injured tooth was done with a bioactive material-Biodentine. An
      injury sustained between the ages of 6 and 14 can adversely affect pulpal health
      and interrupt root development. In these instances, apexification is generally
      the preferred treatment. A 10 years old male patient presented with coronal
      fracture of the left upper central incisor. Clinical and radiographic assessment
      showed negative pulpal sensibility and arrested apical root development.
      Artificial apical barrier induction with Biodentine followed by endodontic
      treatment and prosthetic rehabilitation was decided as the line of treatment. To
      conclude, this bioactive and biocompatible calcium-based cement can regenerate
      damaged dental tissues and represents a promising alternative to the conventional
      multivisit apexification technique. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Biodentine which is a
      biologically active cement can be an efficient alternative to the conventional
      apexification materials which were hitherto recommended. How to cite this
      article: Bajwa NK, Jingarwar MM, Pathak A. Single Visit Apexification Procedure
      of a Traumatically Injured Tooth with a Novel Bioinductive Material (Biodentine).
      Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):58-61.

PMID- 26124584
TI  - Fiber-reinforced Composite Resin Bridge: A Treatment Option in Children.
AB  - A number of treatment options, ranging from Maryland bridges to implants, are
      available for the replacement of congenitally or traumatically missing permanent
      anterior teeth. But, there are several limitations of these therapeutic options
      when they have to be used before the completion of the growth, particularly in
      children. Reinforcement of composite resins with polyethylene fibers
      significantly improves their mechanical properties. Fiber-reinforced composite
      (FRC) bridge can offer a good alternative to conventional treatment options in
      replacing a missing permanent anterior tooth until a more definitive prosthesis
      can be provided at the end of the growth period. The purpose of this article is
      to present a clinical case of a single tooth replacement utilizing noninvasive
      and metal free fixed FRC bridge in a 13 years old child as an interim treatment
      option. How to cite this article: Gupta A, Yelluri RK, Munshi AK. Fiber
      reinforced Composite Resin Bridge: A Treatment Option in Children. Int J Clin
      Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):62-65. 

PMID- 26124585
TI  - Anterior Sectional Twin Bracket Appliance - Innovative Use for Correction of
      Single Tooth Crossbite: A Case Report with Biomechanics.
AB  - Anterior sectional twin bracket appliance (ASTBA) is a sectional mechanism that
      involves two brackets on upper central incisors. This appliance is previously
      been used for correction of rotated incisors and midline spacing. But, detail
      biomechanics for single tooth crossbite correction is not previously explained.
      Here, in this article, we are presenting a detailed biomechanics of ASTBA for
      anterior single tooth crossbite correction along with case report. How to cite
      this article: Verma RK, Raghav P, Reddy MC, Kanwal R. Anterior Sectional Twin
      Bracket Appliance- Innovative Use for Correction of Single Tooth Crossbite: A
      Case Report with Biomechanics. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1): 66-69. 

PMID- 26124586
TI  - Replantation of Displaced Underlying Successor and Marsupialization of Radicular
      Cyst associated with a Primary Molar.
AB  - Radicular cysts are by far the most common cystic lesions of the jaw. However,
      those arising from primary teeth are comparatively rare, comprising only 0.5 to
      3.3%. The aim of this paper is to present clinical, radiographic and
      histopathological characteristics of radicular cyst associated with a primary
      mandibular molar causing unusual displacement of the permanent successor.
      Extraction of primary tooth along with extirpation of cyst was done under local
      anesthesia. The displaced premolar was also extracted and then replanted in the
      socket after proper alignment. Healing was uneventful and the space of missing
      primary molar was maintained by band and loop space maintainer. The relationship
      between intracanal medicaments and rapid growth of cyst, as mentioned in
      literature was observed in our case too. Thus, pulpotomy treated primary teeth
      should receive periodic postoperative radiographic examination and absence of
      clinical symptoms does not mean that a pulpotomy treated tooth is healthy. How to
      cite this article: Lamba G, Ravi GR. Replantation of Displaced Underlying
      Successor and Marsupialization of Radicular Cyst associated with a Primary Molar.
      Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):70-74. 

PMID- 26124587
TI  - Congenital Insensitivity to Pain and Anhydrosis: Diagnostic and Therapeutic
      Dilemmas revisited.
AB  - First described in 1932 by Dearborn as 'congenital pure analgesia', congenital
      insensitivity to pain and anhydrosis (CIPA) or hereditary sensory and autonomic
      neuropathy (HSAN) type IV is an extremely rare autosomal recessive disorder. A 7
      year-old female child who is an established case of congenital insensitivity to
      pain and anhydrosis visited the department of pediatric medicine with
      osteoarthritic neuropathy. A multidisciplinary team approach was utilized to
      treat the child under general anesthesia. This article also discusses the
      diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas involved in treating this type of children.
      How to cite this article: Ravichandra KS, Kandregula CR, Koya S, Lakhotia D.
      Congenital Insensitivity to Pain and Anhydrosis: Diagnostic and Therapeutic
      Dilemmas revisited. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):75-81. 

PMID- 26124589
TI  - Guest Editorial.
AB  - Despite the advancements in dentistry, dental caries still remains the most
      common disease of the oral cavity. A major reason for this scenario is because
      the dental professionals are still clinging to the outdated surgical model of
      dental caries. This traditional approach of caries management forces the tooth to
      enter into the 'restoration cycle' which usually involves several lifetime
      replacement procedures, resulting in increased restoration size, even more
      invasive procedures and finally a prosthesis. We need to acknowledge that, by
      simply drilling and filling the carious lesions, this disease cannot be
      controlled. Like other infectious diseases of the human body, if the etiological
      factors are not identified and managed appropriately, the disease will continue. 

PMID- 26124588
TI  - Three-Alarm System: Revisited to treat Thumb-sucking Habit.
AB  - Thumb and digit-sucking habits or non-nutritive sucking are considered to be the
      most prevalent among oral habits. Most children stop thumb sucking on their own.
      If the habit continues beyond 3 to 4 years of age, it not only affects the dental
      occlusion, but the shape of the thumb/digit may be altered as well. This article
      presents the management of thumb sucking by modified RURS, elbow guard
      incorporated with revised 'three-alarm' system. How to cite this article: Shetty
      RM, Shetty M, Shetty NS, Deoghare A. Three-Alarm System: Revisited to treat Thumb
      sucking Habit. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):82-86. 

PMID- 26124590
TI  - Prevalence of Impacted Pre-Molar Teeth in College of Dentistry, King Khalid
      University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: An impacted tooth is one which fails to reach the occlusal plane even
      after two-third's of its root completion. Though the etiology is multi-factorial,
      most common reason is crowding of teeth with lack of space for eruption.
      Mandibular third molars are the most commonly impacted teeth. Very few studies
      have been done to assess the prevalence of impacted premolar teeth. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This study had been undertaken at College of Dentistry, King Khalid
      University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to report the prevalence of impacted
      premolar teeth and its relation to age group and gender. This retrospective study
      involved 3800 panoramic radiographs of subjects aged 18-45 years who had
      presented to the College of Dentistry, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of
      Saudi Arabia, for oral care during the period from February 2009 to February
      2011. All panoramic radiographs were taken with standardized equipment and
      specifications. RESULTS: The study sample comprised of 3800 panoramic
      radiographs. A total of 45 impacted premolar teeth were identified (1.2%) (P =
      0.89). The male to female ratio with impacted premolars was 35:10 (3.5:1). Age
      Group 1 (i.e., 20-25 years) had the highest prevalence of premolar tooth
      impaction (75.5%) and this decreased with increasing age. Of the 45 impacted
      premolars, mandibular premolars were most commonly encountered (75.6%), followed
      by impacted teeth in the mandibular arch (24.4%). The ratio of mandibular to
      maxillary third molar impaction was 3:1. CONCLUSION: (1) The prevalence of
      impacted premolar teeth is more in mandibular arch than in the maxillary arch,
      (2) females had higher prevalence of impacted teeth than men, (3) age group 25-30
      years had high rate of prevalence of impacted premolars.

PMID- 26124591
TI  - Two Years Retrospective Evaluation of Overdenture Retained by Symphyseal Single
      Implant Using Two Types of Attachments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was aimed to evaluate complete mandibular overdentures
      retained by a symphyseal single implant using ball and magnet attachments in both
      clinical and radiographic evaluation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten dental press fit
      titanium implants were installed in the lower jaws of completely edentulous
      patients according to two-stage surgical protocol. For each patient, one implant
      was installed in the symphyseal midline region, and left submerged and unloaded
      for 4 months. The patients were then divided into two equal groups. The first
      group received mandibular overdentures retained by ball and socket attachment.
      The second group received mandibular overdentures retained by magnet attachment.
      Both groups were supplied with conventional maxillary complete dentures. All
      patients were evaluated immediately after denture insertion, 6 months, and 12
      months and after 24 months of overdenture insertion. RESULTS: The study showed
      insignificant difference regarding the clinical condition and the marginal bone
      height changes in both groups during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Single
      implant retained overdenture with ball and socket or magnetic attachments was
      easy in construction, required less home care to maintain gingival health and
      give satisfactory clinical results.

PMID- 26124592
TI  - Prevalence and Attitude of Cigarette Smoking Among Indian Expatriates Living in
      Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The objective was to determine the prevalence and attitudes of
      smoking among expatriate Indian workers living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS:
      A cross-sectional analytical study was done. All the data were collected using a
      questionnaire-based interview. RESULTS: A total of 421 people were interviewed.
      Almost half (42%) of the participants were between 31 and 40 years old and 7%
      were over 51 years. The majority of participants (63%) reported to be non
      smokers. The maximum number of smokers was between 41 and 50 years old (42%) and
      most of them were regular smokers. Almost a third of the subjects (30%) had a
      higher secondary level of education, and 7% were illiterate. There was a
      significant association between the prevalence of smoking and the level of
      education (P < 0.001). Among smokers, half of them smoked more than 21
      cigarettes/day. More than half, 238 (57%) of participants agreed that the tobacco
      was harmful to their health, and 50% agreed that tobacco sales should be banned.
      Among all, 92% were concerned about their health and 98% accepted that the
      tobacco causes diseases. The majority of smokers cited stress, loneliness
      financial responsibilities and a lack of socializing as reasons for their smoking
      habit. CONCLUSION: Although the prevalence was relatively high, the majority was
      aware of the harmful effects of smoking and was keen to have the sale of tobacco
      banned. Due to their possible loneliness and stress, many felt that smoking
      helped ease their stress and tension.

PMID- 26124593
TI  - Determination of the Apical Sealing Abilities of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate,
      Portland Cement, and Bioaggregate After Irrigation with Different Solutions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the sealing ability of
      root-end filling materials such as mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), Portland
      cement, and bioaggregate (BA) after irrigation with different solutions.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined 130 human maxillar central teeth. After
      cutting the teeth at the cementoenamel junction, the root canals were expanded
      using nickel-titanium rotary instruments. Root canals were filled with AH-plus
      and gutta-percha. Then, the roots were cut apically, and 3 mm deep retrograde
      cavities were prepared. The roots were divided 12 experimental groups, consisting
      10 teeth each; the positive and negative control groups contained five teeth
      each. The retrograde cavities were rinsed using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
      (EDTA), chlorhexidine (CHX), BioPure(TM) mixture of a tetracycline isomer, an
      acid, and a detergent (MTAD), or distilled water. Next, groups 1, 2, 3, and 4
      were sealed with MTA; groups 5, 6, 7, and 8 were sealed with Portland cement; and
      groups 9, 10, 11, and 12 were sealed with BA. Then, apical microleakage was
      evaluated by using a computerized fluid filtration method. The results of the
      leakage test were statistically evaluated by the post-hoc Tukey's test. RESULTS:
      MTA, Portland cement, and BA root-end filling materials showed the least leakage
      in the CHX and distilled water groups. The highest leakage was observed in the
      EDTA and MTAD groups. CONCLUSIONS: The sealing ability of BA was as good as that
      of MTA. EDTA and MTAD increased the apical leakage and CHX and distilled water
      decreased the leakage of the root-end filling materials examined in this study.

PMID- 26124594
TI  - Comparative Evaluation of Sustained Release Collagen Device Containing 5%
      Metronidazole (Metrogene) along With and Without Scaling and Root Planing at
      Regular Intervals with Treatment of Chronic Periodontitis: A Case Control Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A short-term study was undertaken with an objective to demonstrate
      the therapeutic benefit resulting from the use of Metronidazole sponges combined
      with and without mechanical debridement to mechanical treatment alone in the
      treatment of periodontal pockets in chronic periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      The study compared the plaque index, gingival index, sulcus bleeding index and
      probing pocket depth in twenty control sites that received superficial scaling
      and root planing without the local drug delivery with experimental site A (20
      sites that received local drug delivery (5% metronidazole) without superficial
      scaling and root planing) and experimental site B (20 sites received superficial
      scaling, root planing and local drug delivery (5% metronidazole) at "0" day,
      15(th) day and 30(th) day. RESULTS: There was a significant reduction in plaque
      index, gingival index, sulcus bleeding index and probing pocket depth in both
      experimental sites A and B at different intervals from the baseline. CONCLUSION:
      From the above conclusions, it can be suggested that a single subgingival
      application of 5% metronidazole in a collagen carrier can be effective, when
      associated with debridement in the treatment of adult periodontitis.

PMID- 26124595
TI  - Expression of CD105 in tumor angiogenesis a comparative study (ameloblastoma,
      keratocystic odontogenic tumor and dentigerous cyst).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Demonstrate the expression of CD105 (angiogenetic marker) in
      ameloblastoma (AM), keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KCOT) and dentigerous cyst
      (DC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Assessment of microvessel density (MVD) in 70 cases,
      including 20 KCOT, 20 DC and 20 solid AMs. Assessment of MVD should be done as
      the mean number of microvessels per high-power-field. RESULTS: AM and KCOT
      demonstrated a higher mean value of 7.98 (+/-2.70) and 6.25 (+/-2.88)
      respectively while DC demonstrated a lower mean of 3.75 (+/-1.42). There was no
      statistically significant difference between AM and KCOT (P > 0.05). The
      difference between AM and DC; and between KCOT and DC were statistically
      significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study suggested that angiogenesis
      may be one of the mechanisms possibly contributing to the different biological
      behaviors of KCOT, DCs and solid AMs.

PMID- 26124596
TI  - Argon Ion Laser Polymerized Acrylic Resin: A Comparative Analysis of Mechanical
      Properties of Laser Cured, Light Cured and Heat Cured Denture Base Resins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dentistry in general and prosthodontics in particular is evolving at
      greater pace, but the denture base resins poly methyl methacrylate. There has
      been vast development in modifying chemically and the polymerization techniques
      for better manipulation and enhancement of mechanical properties. One such
      invention was introduction of visible light cure (VLC) denture base resin. Argon
      ion lasers have been used extensively in dentistry, studies has shown that it can
      polymerize restorative composite resins. Since composite resin and VLC resin
      share the same photo initiator, Argon laser is tested as activator for
      polymerizing VLC resin. In the Phase 1 study, the VLC resin was evaluated for
      exposure time for optimum polymerization using argon ion laser and in Phase 2;
      flexural strength, impact strength, surface hardness and surface characteristics
      of laser cured resin was compared with light cure and conventional heat cure
      resin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Phase 1; In compliance with American Dental
      Association (ADA) specification no. 12, 80 samples were prepared with 10 each for
      different curing time using argon laser and evaluated for flexural strength on
      three point bend test. Results were compared to established performance
      requirement specified. Phase 2, 10 specimen for each of the mechanical properties
      (30 specimen) were polymerized using laser, visible light and heat and compared.
      Surface and fractured surface of laser, light and heat cured resins were examined
      under scanning electron microscope (SEM). RESULTS: In Phase 1, the specimen cured
      for 7, 8, 9 and 10 min fulfilled ADA requirement. 8 min was taken as suitable
      curing time for laser curing. Phase 2 the values of mechanical properties were
      computed and subjected to statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA and Tukey post
      hoc test. The means of three independent groups showed significant differences
      between any two groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Triad VLC resin can be
      polymerized by argon ion laser with 1 W/mm(2) power and exposure time of 8 min to
      satisfy ADA specification. Impact strength, surface hardness of laser cure was
      better than light cure and heat cure resin. Flexural strength of light cure was
      better than laser cure and heat cure resin. The SEM study showed similar density
      on surface, the fractured surface of heat cure resin was dense and compact.

PMID- 26124597
TI  - Assessment of Image Distortion from Head Rotation in Lateral Cephalometry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The patient's head can be slightly rotated sagitally vertically or
      transversely within the head holding device. Because of such improper positions
      due to the head rotation, an error can occur in cephalometric measurements. The
      purpose of this study was to identify the potential projection errors of lateral
      cephalometric radiograph due to head rotation toward X-ray film in the vertical Z
      axis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Totally, 10 human dry skulls with permanent
      dentition were collected from the Department of Anatomy, J.J.M.C. Medical
      College, Davanagere. Each dry skull was rotated from 0 degrees  to -20 degrees 
      at 5 degrees  intervals. A vertical axis, the Z-axis, was used as a rotational
      axis to have 100 lateral cephalometric radiographs exposed. Four linear (S-N, Go
      Me, N-Me, S-Go) and six angular measurements (SNA, SNB, N-S-Ar, S-Ar-Go, Ar-Go
      Me, AB-Mandibular plane angle) were calculated manually. RESULTS: The findings
      were that: (1) Angular measurements have fewer projection errors than linear
      measurements; (2) the greater the number of landmarks on the midsagittal plane
      that are included in angular measurements, the fewer the projection errors
      occurring; (3) the horizontal linear measurements have more projection errors
      than vertical linear measurements according to head rotation. CONCLUSION: In
      summary the angular measurements of lateral cephalometric radiographs are more
      useful than linear measurements in minimizing the projection errors associated
      with head rotation on a vertical axis.

PMID- 26124598
TI  - Assessment of Antero-Posterior Skeletal and Soft Tissue Relationships of Adult
      Indian Subjects in Natural Head Position and Centric Relation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to verify the intra-individual
      reproducibility of natural head position (NHP) in centric relation (CR) position,
      to prove the inter-individual differences in the Frankfort horizontal plane and
      sella-nasion line compared with the true horizontal line, and to establish linear
      norms from A-point, B-point, Pog as well as soft tissue A-point, soft tissue B
      point, and soft tissue Pog to nasion true vertical line (NTVL) in adult Indian
      subjects. METHODS: Lateral cephalograms (T1) of Angle's Class I subjects were
      taken in NHP and with bite in CR. A second lateral cephalogram (T2) of these
      subjects with ANB angle in the range 1-4 degrees  were taken after 1 week using
      the same wax bite and both the radiographs were analyzed based on six angular
      parameters using cephalometric software (Do-it, Dental studio NX version 4.1) to
      assess the reproducibility of NHP. Linear values of six landmarks were taken in
      relation to NTVL, and the mean values were calculated. A total of 116 subjects
      were included in this study. RESULTS: When the cephalometric values of T1 and T2
      were analyzed, it was found that, the parameters showed a P < 0.001, indicating
      the reproducibility of NHP in CR. Mean values for point A, point B, Pog and their
      soft tissue counterparts were also obtained. CONCLUSION: The study proved that
      NHP is a reproducible and accurate when recorded with the mandible in CR. Linear
      norms for skeletal Class I subjects in relation to NTVL were established.

PMID- 26124599
TI  - A Comparison of Accuracy of Matrix Impression System with Putty Reline Technique
      and Multiple Mix Technique: An In Vitro Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The difficulty in obtaining an acceptable impression increases
      exponentially as the number of abutments increases. Accuracy of the impression
      material and the use of a suitable impression technique are of utmost importance
      in the fabrication of a fixed partial denture. This study compared the accuracy
      of the matrix impression system with conventional putty reline and multiple mix
      technique for individual dies by comparing the inter-abutment distance in the
      casts obtained from the impressions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three groups, 10
      impressions each with three impression techniques (matrix impression system,
      putty reline technique and multiple mix technique) were made of a master die.
      Typodont teeth were embedded in a maxillary frasaco model base. The left first
      premolar was removed to create a three-unit fixed partial denture situation and
      the left canine and second premolar were prepared conservatively, and hatch marks
      were made on the abutment teeth. The final casts obtained from the impressions
      were examined under a profile projector and the inter-abutment distance was
      calculated for all the casts and compared. RESULTS: The results from this study
      showed that in the mesiodistal dimensions the percentage deviation from master
      model in Group I was 0.1 and 0.2, in Group II was 0.9 and 0.3, and Group III was
      1.6 and 1.5, respectively. In the labio-palatal dimensions the percentage
      deviation from master model in Group I was 0.01 and 0.4, Group II was 1.9 and
      1.3, and Group III was 2.2 and 2.0, respectively. In the cervico-incisal
      dimensions the percentage deviation from the master model in Group I was 1.1 and
      0.2, Group II was 3.9 and 1.7, and Group III was 1.9 and 3.0, respectively. In
      the inter-abutment dimension of dies, percentage deviation from master model in
      Group I was 0.1, Group II was 0.6, and Group III was 1.0. CONCLUSION: The matrix
      impression system showed more accuracy of reproduction for individual dies when
      compared with putty reline technique and multiple mix technique in all the three
      directions, as well as the inter-abutment distance.

PMID- 26124600
TI  - Effect of Rubber Dam on Arterial Oxygen Saturation in Children.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The placement of rubber dam has the potential to alter the airflow
      through nasal and oral cavities. Pediatric dentist should be aware whether the
      use of a rubber dam affects the oxygen saturation (SpO2) in children. To assess
      the effect of rubber dam on arterial blood SpO2 in children of 6-12 years age.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Totally, 60 ASA Class I patients of 6-12 years age,
      randomly allocated in two groups: Group A: Rubber dam isolation of maxilla and
      Group B: Isolation of the mandible. A pulse oximeter was used to detect SpO2. To
      establish a baseline, each patient's SpO2 was recorded every 30 s for 2 min. A
      rubber dam was then placed which extended over the nose. Class I cavity and glass
      ionomer cements restoration were performed. The rubber dam was cut to expose the
      nasal cavities SpO2 were recorded every 30 s for 5 min throughout the procedure.
      A two-way ANOVA test was applied. RESULTS: In both groups there was no
      significant difference in SpO2 after rubber dam placement with nose covered or
      uncovered (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: There was no significant change in SpO2 after
      rubber dam isolation with nose covered or uncovered in children of 6-12 years
      age.

PMID- 26124601
TI  - Dental Caries Status and Oral Hygiene Practices of Lock Factory Workers in
      Aligarh City.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim was to evaluate the oral hygiene practices and dental caries
      status of lock factory workers in Aligarh city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: WHO Oral
      Health Assessment form (2013) was used to collect data from each subject. A total
      of 850 subjects constituted the final sample size. Information was obtained
      regarding the oral hygiene practices and clinical examinations were conducted.
      Descriptive analysis was done and the data were analyzed using Chi-square test.
      RESULTS: The prevalence of dental caries was 46.5%. Almost half of the workers
      i.e., 456 (53.6%) used brush to clean their teeth. Majority of the subjects i.e.,
      784 (92.2%) cleaned their teeth once a day. It was found that 466 (54.8%) used
      toothpaste for maintaining oral hygiene. Almost half of the subjects consumed
      tobacco in form of gutkha, cigarette, and in multiple forms. CONCLUSION: The
      results of the study showed that dental caries and poor oral hygiene are major
      public health problems among the factory workers. Primary oral health-care
      programs like dental screening and oral health education at regular intervals
      should be made mandatory, which will help to prevent accumulation of health-care
      demands of the factory employees.

PMID- 26124602
TI  - Association of Dental Anomalies with Different Types of Malocclusions in
      Pretreatment Orthodontic Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The study is planned to correlate the existence of dental anomalies
      with different types of malocclusion as the occurrence of anomalies is common in
      malocclusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was conducted among 430
      patients with different types of malocclusion as 161 patients having Class I, 203
      with Class II, and 66 with Class III malocclusion. The age of the patients ranged
      from 12 to 15 years. Diagnosis was done on the basis of history, clinical,
      cephalometric, radiographs, and dental cast examination. The level of
      significance was set at P = 0.05. RESULTS: Most common anomaly was rotation of
      teeth (18.80%), followed by hypodontia (10.90%), and least occurring was
      gemination, fusion, talon's cusp, and dilacerations. 31.4% showed one dental
      anomaly, whereas 11.9% exhibited two or more dental anomalies. The highest mean
      value of all the dental anomalies was seen with severe cases of malocclusion and
      also significant differences were observed according to gender. CONCLUSIONS: The
      present study investigated various dental anomalies in relation to malocclusion.
      It was found that 31.4% showed one dental anomaly, whereas 11.9% exhibited two or
      more dental anomalies. Hence, careful prior investigation of dental anomalies is
      necessary for better orthodontic treatment planning to reduce the complications.

PMID- 26124603
TI  - Evaluation of the Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior of the Preclinical
      and Clinical Dental Students.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dentists play very important role in the oral health education of the
      community. Thus it is important to know the status of knowledge, attitude, and
      behavior toward the maintenance of oral health at the student level. The aim of
      the present study was to evaluate the oral health knowledge, attitude, and
      behavior among preclinical and clinical dental students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      cross-sectional study was conducted on 147 dental students from 1(st) to 4(th)
      year of Malabar Dental College, Kerala, in the year of March-June 2010 and was
      carried out with the help of 30 questionnaires. Age, gender and academic year
      data were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed with the help of SPSS
      version 20 using the Student's t-test and one-way ANOVA tests. RESULTS: The
      difference in scores of oral health knowledge, attitude and behavior between
      preclinical and clinical dental students was found statistically highly
      significant (Student's t-test, P < 0.001). The variation of scores of knowledge,
      attitude, and behavior also showed highly significant increase with the year of
      study (one-way ANOVA, P < 0.001). While the difference in scores between males
      and females showed that females have better oral health knowledge than males, but
      the difference was not statistically significant (Student's t-test, P > 0.01).
      The present study thus showed improvement of knowledge, attitude and behavior
      with the academic years and there was no bias of gender with reference to oral
      health. CONCLUSIONS: Although oral health knowledge, attitude and behavior showed
      improved results from 1(st) to 4(th) year dental students, it should be improved
      in order to serve better for the community in the future.

PMID- 26124604
TI  - Effect of Reinforcement Using Stainless Steel Mesh, Glass Fibers, and
      Polyethylene on the Impact Strength of Heat Cure Denture Base Resin - An In Vitro
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The impact strength of denture base resin is of great concern and
      many approaches have been made to strengthen acrylic resin dentures. The
      objective of this study was to compare the impact strength of the denture base
      resin with and without reinforcement and to evaluate the impact strength of
      denture base resin when reinforced with stainless steel mesh, glass fiber, and
      polyethylene fibers in the woven form. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The specimens
      (maxillary denture bases) were fabricated using a standard polyvinylsiloxane mold
      with conventional heat cured polymethyl methacrylate resin. The specimens were
      divided into four groups (n = 10). Group I specimens or control group were not
      reinforced. Group II specimens were reinforced with stainless steel mesh and
      Group III and Group IV specimens were reinforced with three percent by weight of
      glass fibers and polyethylene fibers in weave form respectively. All the
      specimens were immersed in water for 1-week before testing. The impact strength
      was measured with falling weight impact testing machine. One-way analysis of
      variance and Tukey's post-hoc test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS:
      Highest impact strength values were exhibited by the specimens reinforced with
      polyethylene fibers followed by glass fibers, stainless steel mesh, and control
      group. CONCLUSIONS: Reinforcement of maxillary complete dentures showed a
      significant increase in impact strength when compared to unreinforced dentures.
      Polyethylene fibers exhibit better impact strength followed by glass fibers and
      stainless steel mesh. By using pre-impregnated glass and polyethylene fibers in
      woven form (prepregs) the impact strength of the denture bases can be increased
      effectively.

PMID- 26124605
TI  - The Effect of Disinfectants and a Surface Wetting Agent on the Wettability of
      Elastomeric Impression Materials: An In Vitro Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of two commercially
      available chemical disinfectants namely sodium hypochlorite and glutaraldehyde
      and a surface wetting agent on the wettability of three high precision
      elastomeric impression materials, addition silicone, condensation silicone and
      polyether. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three different types of elastomeric impression
      materials commonly used in prosthodontic practice were selected. The
      glutaraldehyde and sodium hypochloride solutions were employed to disinfect the
      impressions made with the above-mentioned elastomeric impression materials. True
      Blue surface wetting agent was selected. GBX contact angle analyzer was used to
      measure advancing and receding contact angle. RESULTS: The results of this study
      have demonstrated that the polyether impression material was the most hydrophilic
      of all the materials, followed by hydrophilic addition silicone. Condensation
      silicone was least hydrophilic. All materials showed improvement in the
      wettability when a topical surfactant was used. CONCLUSION: The short term
      disinfection of the three elastomeric impression materials does not affect the
      wettability of these impression materials.

PMID- 26124606
TI  - Quantification of Dental Health Care Waste Generated among Private Dental
      Practices in Bengaluru City.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bengaluru, in India has more than 1148 practicing dentists for a
      population of 8.42 million. The amount and type of dental health care waste
      (DHCW) generated by the dental practitioners has to be assessed prior to chalking
      out and implementation of an effective DCHW management plan. Currently, there is
      no evidence available regarding the quantity, type, and method of disposal
      adopted by these practitioners. Hence, this study was conducted with the
      objective of estimating the quantity of DHCW by the private dental practitioners
      in Bengaluru city. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample size was estimated to be
      110. The sampling frame was constituted from the registered dental practitioners
      in Bengaluru with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of
      Karnataka. Sampling strategy employed included a probability proportional
      sampling strategy for the four zones in Bengaluru followed by a simple random
      sampling of clinics from each zone. Standardized weight method was followed to
      estimate the quantity of different category of waste. Three data collectors who
      were trained and calibrated collected the information regarding the type and
      quantity of waste generated, the nature of practice and years of establishment.
      RESULTS: Total quantity of waste generated was 0.161 kg/clinic/day with 0.130 kg
      and 0.026 kg of infectious and recyclables, respectively. The projected data for
      the actual number of private practices in Bengaluru city showed alarming figures
      of 41,535 kg and 8307 kg of infectious and recyclable waste being generated every
      year. Data also showed poor management practices of lead foil and plaster of
      paris and alarming figures projected annual quantity. CONCLUSION: The data
      demonstrated large quantities of hazardous waste generation and poor segregation
      practices of the practitioners. This warrants the immediate need for collective,
      voluntary measures to be initiated for appropriate and effective management of
      DHCW.

PMID- 26124607
TI  - Evaluation of an Indigenously Prepared Herbal Extract (EndoPam) as an
      Antimicrobial Endodontic Irrigant: An Ex Vivo Study.
AB  - BACKGROUNDG: Root canal irrigation plays a pivotal role in endodontics. Constant
      increase in antibiotic resistance and side effects caused by synthetic irrigants
      has shifted the research toward developing herbal alternatives. The current study
      aims to assess the ex vivo effectiveness of an indigenously prepared herbal
      extract "EndoPam" and compare it with the conventional endodontic irrigants for
      disinfection of root canals infected with Enterococcus faecalis. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: As a preliminary study of the antimicrobial efficacy of the test
      irrigants, an Agar diffusion study was conducted, and zone of inhibition
      measured. Forty extracted mandibular premolars with straight root canals were
      selected and standardized to 12 +/- 1 mm in length. Root canals were prepared
      using rotary ProTaper system until F3 instrument and were infected with the
      culture of E. faecalis for three weeks. Specimens were divided into four groups
      (n = 10). Group 1: EndoPam (. INGREDIENTS: Syzigium aromaticum, Eucalyptus
      globulus, Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Mentha piperita), Group 2: 2% chlorhexidine,
      Group 3: 5.25% Sodium hypochlorite, Group 4: Normal Saline. Irrigation was
      performed for each group. Samples were inoculated and incubated for 24 h at 37
      degrees C for qualitative analysis qualitative analysis. RESULTS: In the
      preliminary Agar diffusion study, EndoPam exhibited a zone of inhibition
      comparable to that of sodium hypochrorite. The diameter of the inhibition zone
      was in the following order: 2% chlorhexidine gluconate > EndoPam > 5.25% NaOCl >
      Normal Saline. The qualitative assay done by culturing the bacteria after a
      period of 3 weeks showed no bacterial growth in any of the tested irrigants,
      except in normal saline. CONCLUSION: It was found that the experimental product
      was as effective as conventional irrigants in reducing the microbial count.

PMID- 26124608
TI  - Minimal Apical Enlargement for Penetration of Irrigants to the Apical Third of
      Root Canal System: A Scanning Electron Microscope Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine minimal apical enlargement for
      irrigant penetration into apical third of root canal system using scanning
      electron microscope (SEM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Distobuccal canals of 40
      freshly extracted human maxillary first molar teeth were instrumented using crown
      down technique. The teeth were divided into four test groups according to size of
      their master apical file (MAF) (#20, #25, #30, #35 0.06% taper), and two control
      groups. After final irrigation, removal of debris and smear layer from the apical
      third of root canals was determined under a SEM. Data was analyzed using Kruskal
      Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS: Smear layer removal in apical third for
      MAF size #30 was comparable with that of the control group (size #40).
      CONCLUSION: Minimal apical enlargement for penetration of irrigants to the apical
      third of root canal system is #30 size.

PMID- 26124609
TI  - Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Antifungal Efficacy of Inter Appointment
      Intracanal Medicaments against Enterococcus and Candida albicans: An In Vitro
      Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Microorganisms and their by-products in pulpal and periapical
      diseases are to be considered as the primary etiological agents of the pulpal
      necrosis and apical periodontitis. Enterococcus faecalis, which is the most
      common organism isolated from failed root canals, is a Gram-positive facultative
      anaerobe. Yeasts can be detected in 7-18% of infected root canals. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Designed to evaluate the antimicrobial and antifungal efficacy of
      chlorhexidine gutta-percha (CHX-GP), and calcium hydroxide GP points against E.
      faecalis and Candida albicans. The test materials used are divided into 3 groups;
      Group A - Control, Regular GP, Group B - CHX-GP, Group C - Calcium hydroxide GP.
      Detail Method is explained in the article. RESULTS: There was a significant
      difference in the inhibition of E. faecalis, in different materials at each time
      interval period (P < 0.05). Similarly, the inhibition of C. albicans in the
      different materials at each time period was found to be statistically significant
      (P < 0.05). Calcium hydroxide GP did not exhibit any antimicrobial effect on any
      of tested microorganisms for all the time periods. CONCLUSION: CHX-GP had the
      maximum effect on the test microorganisms, with the maximum efficacy on E.
      faecalis followed by C. albicans. Regular GP also had a significant efficacy on
      test microorganisms, with the maximum efficacy on E. faecalis followed by C.
      albicans. Calcium hydroxide GP did not have any effect on any test microorganisms
      during the entire test periods.

PMID- 26124610
TI  - Evaluation of the Various Drying Methods on Surface Hardness of Type IV Dental
      Stone.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Studies regarding the effect of various methods to increase the
      surface hardness of Type IV dental stone are not conclusive. Therefore, this
      study was carried out to evaluate the effect of air drying, micro oven drying and
      die hardener on surface hardness of Type IV dental stone. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      A standard metal die was fabricated; polyvinyl siloxane impression material was
      used to make the molds of metal die. A total of 120 specimens were obtained from
      two different die stones and were grouped as Group A (kalrock) and Group B (pearl
      stone), and were subjected to air drying for 24 h, micro oven drying and
      application of die hardener. These models were then subjected to surface hardness
      testing using the knoop hardness instrument. The obtained data were subjected to
      statistical analysis. RESULTS: The hardness of Group A specimens was 64 +/- 0.54
      Knoop hardness number (KHN) after application of die hardener, 60.47 +/- 0.41 KHN
      after 24 h air drying, 58.2 +/- 0.88 after microwave oven drying and 24.6 +/- 0.4
      after 1 h air drying. The hardness of Group B specimens was 45.59 +/- 0.63 KHN
      after application of die hardener, 40.2 +/- 0.63 KHN after 24 h air drying, 38.28
      +/- 0.55 KHN after microwave oven drying and 19.91 +/- 0.64 KHN after 1 h air
      drying. CONCLUSION: Group A showed better results than Group B at all times.
      Application of the die hardener showed highest hardness values followed in the
      order by 24 h air drying, microwave oven drying and 1 h air drying in both
      groups. The study showed that air drying the dies for 24 h followed by
      application of a single layer of the die hardener produced the best surface
      hardness and is recommended to be followed in practice.

PMID- 26124611
TI  - Cone Beam Computed Tomography Assisted Endodontic Management of a Rare Case of
      Mandibular First Premolar with Three Roots.
AB  - Understanding the morphological anatomy of the root and root canal systems of the
      teeth increases the success rate of endodontic therapy. Advanced diagnostic
      imaging techniques like cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) are an essential aid
      in understanding the anatomy of teeth especially in mandibular premolars. Most
      commonly mandibular first and second premolars have a single root and a single
      canal. However, multiple root and canals have also been reported. The present
      case report discusses endodontic management of a three rooted mandibular first
      premolar using CBCT. 

PMID- 26124612
TI  - Palatogingival Groove: Recognizing and Managing the Hidden Tract in a Maxillary
      Incisor: A Case Report.
AB  - Palatogingival grooves are developmental malformations quite notorious for
      precipitating endodontic - periodontal lesions. Owing to their inconspicuous
      occurrence, funnel-shaped morphology and variable extent on tooth root, they
      promote adherence of plaque and bacteria to levels significant for the
      development of pathology. Several treatment approaches have been recognized in
      literature for the management of this anomaly. Here in this report, a 25-year-old
      patient reported with the complaint of pain and swelling in maxillary right
      lateral incisor. Clinical examination confirmed an endodontic - periodontal
      lesion in relation to palatogingival groove. Endodontic treatment was instituted,
      followed by odontoplasty of the groove and restoration with newer calcium
      silicate cement, Biodentine. Combined endodontic - periodontal approach was
      successful in resolving the pathology with complete healing seen both clinically
      and radiographically. Timely diagnosis, prevention and management are highly
      recommended to prevent tooth loss due to complications arising secondary to their
      presence. 

PMID- 26124613
TI  - Surgical Management of Ossifying Fibroma in Maxilla: Report of Two Cases.
AB  - Ossifying fibroma is a rare benign osteogenic neoplasm arising from
      undifferentiated cells of the periodontal ligament. Ossifying fibroma have a well
      defined border that differentiates it from fibrous dysplasia clinically, these
      tumors manifest as a round or ovoid, expansile, painless, slow-growing mass may
      displace the roots of adjacent teeth and also cause root resorption. They occur
      at second to fourth decade of life. Radiologically the lesion appears as a dense
      radiopaque mass surrounded by a thin, well-defined regular radiolucent rim.
      Patient underwent thorough history taking and complete face, ear, nose, and
      throat examination. Computed tomography maxilla, orthopantomogram, paranasal
      sinus reveals entire maxillary sinus involved in one case. Nasal septum deviated
      to the opposite side, airway reduced on the side of swelling seen in one case.
      Root resorption seen in two cases and missing teeth in seen in case 1. In our
      study in case 1, the tumor involved maxillary sinus, medial wall of the nose. The
      tumors were excised by Weber-Fergusson and in case 2 the tumor was excised by
      maxillary vestibular approach. Overall recurrence rates after resection is
      reported to range from 30 to 56%. 

PMID- 26124614
TI  - Lasers: The Magic Wand in Esthetic Dentistry!!
AB  - In this era of fast developing technologies and innovative ideas, the need for
      faster treatment has become a necessity. Treatment with lasers that is much less
      time-consuming and painless is accepted and appreciated by the patient. Use of
      Lasers is not new; they have been in use for decades since their development by
      Maiman in 1960. Lasers have travelled a long way from ruby lasers to erbium
      lasers and are being fondly used in every aspect of dental treatment. This
      article aims at elaborate the use and applications of lasers in the field of
      esthetic dentistry. 

PMID- 26124615
TI  - Dual Role of Autophagy in Oral Cancer.

PMID- 26124616
TI  - Ethiopia Successfully Attaining the Millennium Development Goals.

PMID- 26124617
TI  - Eclapmsia: The Major Cause of Maternal Mortality in Eastern India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Eclampsia is a very serious complication of pregnancy which is
      responsible for high maternal and perinatal mortality. Worldwide, it accounts for
      50,000 maternal deaths annually. In spite of several global and regional
      interventions and initiatives from governments and other concerned agencies,
      maternal mortality is still very high in India, with eclampsia as a major cause.
      This study was conducted to determine the mode of deaths and incidence of
      maternal mortality associated with eclampsia and to assess how socio-demographic
      and clinical characteristics of the women influence the deaths. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 111 eclampsia related maternal deaths
      over a period of 5 years from January 2008 to December 2012. Data pertaining to
      their age, parity, booking status, gestational age at delivery, and time interval
      from admission to death were also obtained from the records for analysis.
      RESULTS: Eclampsia accounted for 43.35% of total maternal deaths, with case
      fatality of 4.960%. The commonest mode of death in eclampsia is pulmonary oedema.
      Death due to eclampsia commonly occurs in younger age group of 19-24 years and in
      primi gravid. Eclampsia related deaths were mostly seen in illiterate and
      unbooked cases. Maternal deaths were also very common in lower socio economic
      status. CONCLUSION: Eclampsia still remains the major cause of maternal mortality
      in this region resulting from unsupervised pregnancies and deliveries. There is a
      need to educate and encourage the general public for antenatal care and hospital
      delivery by which we can defeat this powerful enemy.

PMID- 26124618
TI  - Microbiological Assessment of Indoor Air of Teaching Hospital Wards: A case of
      Jimma University Specialized Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hospital environment represents a congenial situation where
      microorganisms and susceptible patients are indoors together. Thus, the objective
      of this study is to provide fundamental data related to the microbial quality of
      indoor air of Jimma University Specialized Hospital wards, to estimate the health
      hazard and to create standards for indoor air quality control. METHODS: The
      microbial quality of indoor air of seven wards of Jimma University Specialized
      Hospital was determined. Passive air sampling technique, using open Petri-dishes
      containing different culture media, was employed to collect sample twice daily.
      RESULTS: The concentrations of bacteria and fungi aerosols in the indoor
      environment of the wards ranged between 2123 - 9733 CFU/m(3). The statistical
      analysis showed that the concentrations of bacteria that were measured in all
      studied wards were significantly different from each other (p-value=0.017),
      whereas the concentrations of fungi that were measured in all sampled wards were
      not significantly different from each other (p-value=0.850). Moreover, the
      concentrations of bacteria that were measured at different sampling time (morning
      and afternoon) were significantly different (p-value =0.001). CONCLUSION: All
      wards that were included in the study were heavily contaminated with bacteria and
      fungi. Thus, immediate interventions are needed to control those environmental
      factors which favor the growth and multiplication of microbes, and it is vital to
      control visitors and students in and out the wards. Moreover, it is advisable
      that strict measures be put in place to check the increasing microbial load in
      the hospital environment.

PMID- 26124619
TI  - Premature Graying of Hair: An Independent Risk Marker for Coronary Artery Disease
      in Smokers - A Retrospective Case Control Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Premature graying of hair as a risk marker among young smokers has a
      potential of identifying coronary artery disease (CAD) at a very early stage.
      There is absence of literature that assesses premature graying of hair as an
      independent marker of CAD in smokers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present single
      centre case control study enrolled a total of 62 consecutive chronic smokers (<=
      45 years) (Group I) and 60 consecutive young CAD patients (<=45 years) who were
      chronic smokers (Group II). Another group comprising of 114 patients (<=45 years)
      having no smoking history and no cardiac ailments either (Group III) was enrolled
      as control population. All subjects were males. A detailed history and clinical
      examination regarding conventional coronary risk factors and carotid intima media
      thickness was done in both groups. RESULTS: The carotid intima media thickness,
      dyslipidemia and blood pressure were significantly higher in group I and II as
      compared to group III. When the groups were compared for graying of hair, it was
      found that the group II (i.e., smokers and CAD) had maximum prevalence of graying
      which was significantly higher than the control as well as smoker groups. The
      presence of premature graying of hair was associated with 3.24 times the risk of
      CAD on multiple logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: The presence of
      premature graying of hair was associated with an increased risk of CAD in young
      smokers. Premature graying of hair can be used as preliminary evidence by
      clinicians for classifying patients at risk for premature CAD especially in
      smokers.

PMID- 26124620
TI  - Correlation of Climate Variability and Malaria: A Retrospective Comparative
      Study, Southwest Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Climatic variables can determine malaria transmission dynamics. To
      see the correlation between malaria occurrence and climatic variables, records of
      malaria episodes over eight years period were analyzed incorporating climatic
      variables around Gilgel-Gibe Hydroelectric Dam and control sites. METHODS:
      Records of 99,206 confirmed malaria episodes registered between 2003 and 2011
      were analyzed along with local meteorological data of the same duration. Data
      were analyzed with SPSS statistical software version 20 for Windows. Spearman
      correlation coefficient was estimated as a measure of the correlation. RESULTS:
      The major peaks of malaria prevalence were observed following the peaks of
      rainfall in the Gilgel-Gibe Hydroelectric Dam site. In the control site, the
      peaks of malaria in some years coincided with the peaks of rainfall, and the
      pattern of rainfall was relatively less fluctuating. Mean rainfall was negatively
      correlated with number of malaria cases at lags of 0 and 1 month, but positively
      correlated at lags of 2 to 4 months. Mean relative humidity showed significant
      positive correlations at lags of 3 to 4 months. Monthly mean maximum and minimum
      temperatures weakly correlated at lags of 0 to 4 months. CONCLUSIONS:
      Correlations of malaria and climate variables were different for the two sites;
      in Gilgel-Gibe, rainfall and relative humidity showed positive correlations.
      However, in the control site, the correlation of weather variables and malaria
      episodes were insignificant. Exploration of additional factors such as vegetation
      index and physico-chemical nature of mosquito breeding site may improve
      understanding of determinants of malaria dynamics in the area.

PMID- 26124621
TI  - In Vivo Analgesic and Antipyretic Activities of N-Butanol and Water Fractions of
      Ocimum Suave Aqueous Leaves Extract in Mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ocimum suave willd is one of the plants traditionally used for the
      treatment of inflammation and related disorders in different parts of Ethiopia.
      The aim of the current study was to evaluate the analgesic and antipyretic
      activities of the solvent fractions (n-butanol and water) of O. suave aqueous
      leaves extract. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Acetic acid writhing and tail flick tests
      were used to evaluate the analgesic activity, and yeast-induced fever in mice was
      used to evaluate the antipyretic activity of the solvent fractions. RESULTS: Both
      solvent fractions exhibited inhibitory effect against acetic acid induced
      writhing at all tested dose levels in a dose dependent manner. The water fraction
      inhibited writhing by 47.69% at a dose of 200 mg/kg which was comparable to that
      by ASA, the standard drug. In the tail flick test, 200 mg/kg dose of both solvent
      fractions showed significant activity (P<0.05) after 0.5h, 1h and 3hrs of their
      administration. Both n- butanol and water fractions produced significant
      reduction in yeast induced fever at all doses employed. CONCLUSION: From these
      findings, it can be concluded that the n-butanol and water fractions of O. suave
      aqueous leaves extract have potential analgesic and antipyretic activity in mice.

PMID- 26124622
TI  - Health Information-Seeking Behavior Among Hypothyroid Patients at Saveetha
      Medical College and Hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypothyroidism causes considerable morbidity. Low knowledge coupled
      with inadequate health literacy may lead to poor prevention and management. This
      study aimed to assess health information-seeking behavior and hypothyroid
      knowledge among South Indian hypothyroid patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional
      study was conducted in October 2013 in Saveetha Medical College, Chennai, India.
      Hundred clinically diagnosed hypothyroid patients >=18 years were interviewed in
      a hospital using a 57-item questionnaire to gather information on their socio
      demographics, self-reported disease history, hypothyroid-related knowledge,
      health information sources, health literacy and health information-seeking
      behavior. Hypothyroidism was assessed by free T3 and T4 levels. RESULTS: Mean age
      of participants was 38 years (SD=12) with median age of 39.5 years, majority of
      the participants being females (77%) and living in urban setting (52%). Mean free
      T3 level was 0.0137ng/dl (SD= 0.003) and mean free T4 was 0.7ng/dl (SD= 0.06).
      Ninety three percent of the participants received initial hypothyroidism
      education from their physicians at the time of diagnosis. Half of the
      participants had incorrect hypothyroidism-related knowledge; similar between both
      genders. Participants with inadequate health literacy had poor knowledge about
      the hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism-related health information was sought almost
      exclusively from health professionals, predominantly regarding treatment, linked
      to their faith in qualified medical assistance. Economic status primarily
      determined healthcare-seeking behavior. Marital status, education level, annual
      household income and health literacy were significantly associated with
      knowledge. CONCLUSION: Participants having higher educational qualification,
      higher annual household income and adequate health literacy had considerable
      knowledge about hypothyroidism. Developing multi-factorial and tailored health
      education for patients with marginal or inadequate health literacy is needed.
      Exploring healthcare institutions as a medium for delivery of such education
      should be explored.

PMID- 26124623
TI  - Anemia and Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care
      Clinic in Wolayita Sodo Town, Southern Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anemia during pregnancy is a common problem which affects both the
      mother's and her child's health. The main aim of the study was to determine the
      prevalence and associated risk factors of anemia among pregnant women. METHODS:
      We conducted a facility based cross-sectional study on 363 pregnant women
      attending antenatal care clinic in Wolayita Soddo Otona Hospital from January to
      March 2014. Sociodemographic data were collected through questionnaire based
      interview. Four milliliter of venous blood and five grams of fecal samples were
      collected from each pregnant woman. Hematological parameters were determined
      using CELL DYN 1800((r)) (Abott, USA) Hematology analyzer. Stool samples were
      checked for intestinal parasites using both direct wet mount and formol-ether
      concentration techniques. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 software.
      RESULTS: Overall, the prevalence of anemia was 39.94% (95% CI: 34.7 - 45.2%), of
      which the majority (60%) had moderate anemia. The mean hemoglobin concentration
      was 11.55+/-2.97 g/dl. Age 15-24 years (AOR: 9.89, 95%CI:2.68-21.41), family size
      >5 (AOR:7.74, 95%CI:4.15-16.47), multigravida (AOR:2.66, 95%CI:1.1.31-4.53),
      having low income (AOR:5.81, 95%CI:2.93-14.11), current clinical illness (AOR:
      6.38, 95%CI:3.13-13.00), intestinal parasitic infection (AOR:2.41, 95%CI:1.08
      5.81), no history of contraceptive usage (AOR:5.02 95%CI:2.21-11.47), being in
      third trimesters (AOR:11.37, 95%CI:4.56-24.82), history of excess menstrual
      bleeding (AOR:9.82, 95%CI:3.27-21.35) and low body mass index (AOR:9.44,
      95%CI:7.79-22.18) were identified as independent predictors of anemia among
      pregnant women. CONCLUSION: Anemia prevalence was found out to be moderate public
      health importance. Identified risk factors should be considered for prevention
      and control of anemia among pregnant women.

PMID- 26124625
TI  - Meaning of Self-Care: Lived Experiences of Iranian Diabetic Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes continuously disrupts a patient's well-being and quality of
      life. Successful self-care could potentially decrease overall costs and rates of
      mortality and morbidity. Patients' experiences could be used to elucidate what
      they believe about illness and its management. The overall aim of this study was
      to illuminate the meaning of self-care among diabetic patients in Southeast of
      Iran. METHODS: Sixteen diabetic patients with a mean age of 34 and 10 years'
      experience in self-care for their disease were interviewed. The interviews were
      recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed with a Ricoeur's phenomenological
      hermeneutic method. RESULTS: The meaning of self- care was comprehensively
      understood as being empowered. This can be divided into four themes: seeking
      information, being independent, being optimistic or pessimistic and trust in God.
      CONCLUSION: The results in this study suggest that cultural and religious
      components could affect diabetic patients' self-care. Nurses might use patients'
      religious beliefs to relieve their stress, help them to retain a sense of
      control, maintain hope and sense of meaning and purpose in their life.

PMID- 26124624
TI  - Adherence to Two Methods of Education and Metabolic Control in Type 2 Diabetics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Education in diabetes optimizes metabolic control, prevents acute and
      chronic complications, and improves quality of life. Our main objective was to
      evaluate if a better metabolic control is achieved in diabetic patients
      undergoing a program of intensive interactive care than in those with traditional
      care and written information. METHODS: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
      (T2DM), aged 20-60 years, education level at least of primary school, serum
      creatinine <= 2.5 mg/dl, self-sufficient and HbA1c >= 7.1% were allocated in two
      groups of education, 1) minimal education (MEG) and 2) full education (FEG). The
      MEG patients followed predefined diet; FEG patients chose the diet by selecting
      foods from each group in a list of matches, teaching them to count nutrients,
      kilocalories (kcal) and percentage of nutrients. RESULTS: A follow-up of 31
      patients in each group was obtained. The proportion of patients who had initial
      adherence was 13.33% in the MEG group and 9.67% in the FEG group while, at the
      end of the study, these percentages were of 73.3% and 58.38% respectively. The
      final HbA1c decreased in both groups, with or without good adherence. The FEG
      group had a higher decline in the values of cholesterol (p = 0.036) and LDL (p =
      0.002) than the MEG group. CONCLUSION: Education programs in T2DM contribute to a
      decrease in HbA1c within six months, but an intensive program is more effective
      in reducing cholesterol and LDL.

PMID- 26124626
TI  - Intussusception as a Cause of Bowel Obstruction in Adults from a Resource Limited
      Area, Cameroon.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intussusception refers to the telescoping of a proximal segment of
      bowel into a distal segment. It is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction in
      adulthood. CASE DETAILS: We report two cases of adult intussusception in a post
      operative period following Caesarean Section (with no lead point) and
      Appendicectomy (due to colonic adenocarcinoma) respectively. CONCLUSION: Though
      rare in adulthood, intussusception should be considered as a differential
      diagnosis to bowel obstruction in adults even in the post-operative period.

PMID- 26124627
TI  - Banger-Related Ocular Injuries During New Year Festivities in Osogbo, SW Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Different types of ocular injuries could be sustained following
      banger explosives. This case report could be the first of such reports in West
      Africa. CASE DETAILS: We report cases of ocular injuries caused by bangers. This
      was a hospital-based study of 3 consecutive cases that presented during the New
      Year festival. Injuries were classified according to Birmingham eye trauma
      terminology system (BETTS). Two of the patients ended up with irreversible loss
      of vision. Another two of the three were bystanders. CONCLUSION: As banger
      related ocular injuries result in significant morbidity, public education
      regarding the proper use of bangers would help in preventing the incidence of
      ocular injuries and blindness. Advocacy for a strict legislation to regulate its
      use is strongly recommended.

PMID- 26124628
TI  - Pleomorphic Adenoma of the Parotid Gland: Report of a Case With Review of
      Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pleomorphic adenomas are benign salivary gland tumors, which
      predominantly affect the superficial lobe of the parotid gland. The "pleomorphic"
      nature of the tumor can be explained on the basis of its epithelial and
      connective tissue origin. The tumor has a female predilection between 30-50 years
      of age. Slowly progressing asymptomatic swelling is the usual presentation of the
      tumor. Surgical excision of the tumor mass forms the mainstay of treatment, with
      utmost care taken to preserve the facial nerve. CASE DETAILS: This case report
      aims to throw light on an interesting case of pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid
      gland in a 50 years old female patient. The patient presented with a slowly
      progressing asymptomatic swelling on the left side of the face. There is also a
      special emphasis to a detailed review of literature. CONCLUSION: Salivary gland
      neoplasms can occur at any site where salivary tissue is present. Pleomorphic
      adenoma is the commonest salivary gland tumor characterized by diverse
      histomorphological features. Early diagnosis and treatment plan entails thorough
      history taking, clinical examination, coupled with radiographic and
      histopathological findings.

PMID- 26124629
TI  - Spontaneous Rupture: An Uncommon Complication of Ventral Hernia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Literature is scarce about spontaneous rupture of hernia because
      spontaneous rupture of here is uncommon (1). Reported cases are complications of
      incisional hernias, recurrent inguinal hernia, and umbilical hernias. It is
      potentially life threatening (1) because the ensuing entrapment and tension on
      bowel mesentery may lead to vasovagal shock or strangulation. In addition to
      systemic problems and increased intra-abdominal pressure that lead to the
      herniation, the spontaneous rupture and evisceration is usually preceded by other
      factors such as inflammation that weaken the hernia covering (1, 2).We a report a
      case of spontaneous rupture of an incisional ventral hernia referred to the
      University of Ilorin teaching hospital.

PMID- 26124630
TI  - MSL: A Measure to Evaluate Three-dimensional Patterns in Gene Expression Data.
AB  - Microarray technology is highly used in biological research environments due to
      its ability to monitor the RNA concentration levels. The analysis of the data
      generated represents a computational challenge due to the characteristics of
      these data. Clustering techniques are widely applied to create groups of genes
      that exhibit a similar behavior. Biclustering relaxes the constraints for
      grouping, allowing genes to be evaluated only under a subset of the conditions.
      Triclustering appears for the analysis of longitudinal experiments in which the
      genes are evaluated under certain conditions at several time points. These
      triclusters provide hidden information in the form of behavior patterns from
      temporal experiments with microarrays relating subsets of genes, experimental
      conditions, and time points. We present an evaluation measure for triclusters
      called Multi Slope Measure, based on the similarity among the angles of the
      slopes formed by each profile formed by the genes, conditions, and times of the
      tricluster. 

PMID- 26124631
TI  - Microbiologic spectrum and susceptibility of isolates in delayed post-cataract
      surgery endophthalmitis.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the microbiological spectrum and
      antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates in delayed post-cataract surgery
      endophthalmitis. A retrospective review of 33 consecutive patients with culture
      proven delayed post-cataract surgery endophthalmitis was done from January 2006
      to March 2013. There were 22 bacterial and eleven fungal cases. Common isolates
      were Streptococci (seven cases), coagulase-negative staphylococci (five), Gram
      negative bacilli (seven), Nocardia (two), Aspergillus (five), Candida (five).
      Gram-positive cocci were most susceptible to vancomycin and gatifloxacin (91.7%).
      Gram-negative isolates were most susceptible to ofloxacin (85.7%). Fungi being
      slow growing organisms are an important cause of delayed post-cataract surgery
      endophthalmitis. 

PMID- 26124632
TI  - Vitamin D deficiency and posterior subcapsular cataract.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate risk factors associated with posterior subcapsular cataract
      (PSC) development and the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and etiology
      of PSC. METHODS: Of 195 consecutive patients from a private ophthalmology
      practice, diagnosed with PSC, serum vitamin D3 (25-OH D) levels were obtained for
      175, and associations among risk factors, comorbidities, and PSC were assessed.
      RESULTS: In all 175 PSC patients, mean 25-OH D levels were low (24 ng/mL +/-11
      SD) compared with age/sex-matched standards. Significant differences in 25-OH D
      levels were noted between PSC subjects taking/not taking calcium supplements,
      systemic steroids, osteoporosis medications, etc. Alone, smoking status and
      calcium channel blockers and/or topical steroids use made no significant
      difference in PSC subjects 25-OH D levels, but two or more of these factors were
      associated with lowered levels of 25-OH D (P<0.001). Low vitamin D was correlated
      with female sex, autoimmune disease, and non-skin cancer diagnosis, but not with
      age, or other comorbidities or medication use. In five early-stage PSC patients
      taking 5,000 IU of 25-OH D daily for vitamin D deficiency, there was resolution
      of their cataracts during the 2-year follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D
      levels for most PSC patients fell below the 30 ng/mL calcium homeostasis
      threshold. Some comorbidities and non-ophthalmic interventions are associated
      with the development of PSC at less depressed levels of 25-OH D. In this series,
      vitamin D deficiency was associated with PSC cataract, suggesting that raising
      the level of vitamin D intake may reduce PSC incidence.

PMID- 26124633
TI  - Long-term (60-month) results for the implantable miniature telescope: efficacy
      and safety outcomes stratified by age in patients with end-stage age-related
      macular degeneration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term results of an
      implantable miniature telescope (IMT) in patients with bilateral, end-stage, age
      related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: A prospective, open-label,
      multicenter clinical trial with fellow eye controls enrolled 217 patients (mean
      age 76 years) with AMD and moderate-to-profound bilateral central visual acuity
      loss (20/80-20/800) resulting from untreatable geographic atrophy, disciform
      scars, or both. A subgroup analysis was performed with stratification for age
      (patient age 65 to <75 years [group 1; n=70] and patient age >=75 years [group 2;
      n=127]), with a comparative evaluation of change in best-corrected distance
      visual acuity (BCDVA), quality of life, ocular complications from surgery,
      adverse events, and endothelial cell density (ECD). Follow-up in an extension
      study was 60 months. RESULTS: Data were available for 22, 38, and 31 patients in
      group 1 and 42, 46, and 32 patients in group 2 at 36, 48, and 60 months,
      respectively. Mean BCDVA improvement from baseline to 60 months was 2.41+/-2.69
      lines in all patients (n=76), with 2.64+/-2.55 lines in group 1 and 2.09+/-2.88
      lines in group 2. Quality of life scores were significantly higher in group 1.
      The most common significant surgery-related ocular complications in group 1 were
      iritis >30 days after surgery (7/70; 10%) and persistent corneal edema (3/70;
      4.3%); and in group 2 were a decrease in BCDVA in the implanted eye or IMT
      removal (10/127 each; 7.9%), corneal edema >30 days after surgery (9/127; 7.1%),
      and persistent corneal edema (6/127; 4.7%). Significant adverse events included
      four corneal transplants, comprising two (2.9%) in group 1 and two (1.6%) in
      group 2. At 60 months, one patient in group 1 (3.2%) and three patients in group
      2 (9.4%) had lost >=2 lines of vision. The IMT was removed in one (1.4%) and ten
      (7.9%) patients in group 1 and group 2, respectively. Mean ECD loss was 20% at 3
      months. Chronic loss was 3% per year. ECD loss was less in group 1 than in group
      2 (35% versus 40%, respectively) at 60 months. CONCLUSION: Long-term results show
      substantial retention of improvement in BDCVA. Chronic ECD loss was consistent
      with that reported for conventional intraocular lenses. The IMT performed as well
      in group 1 (the younger group) as it did in group 2 through month 60. Younger
      patients retained more vision than their older counterparts and had fewer adverse
      events. Although not a specified outcome for this study, patients younger than 65
      years also fared better than those in group 2 and retained more vision with fewer
      adverse events through month 60.

PMID- 26124634
TI  - Phase II study of reintroduction of oxaliplatin for advanced colorectal cancer in
      patients previously treated with oxaliplatin and irinotecan: RE-OPEN study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of reintroducing oxaliplatin in patients with
      metastatic colorectal cancer refractory to standard chemotherapy has not been
      verified. We performed a single-arm, open-label, Phase II study to evaluate the
      safety and efficacy of reintroducing oxaliplatin. METHODS: Eligible patients had
      received prior chemotherapy including oxaliplatin and irinotecan that achieved a
      response or stable disease followed by confirmed disease progression >=6 months
      previously during prior oxaliplatin-based therapy. The primary endpoint was the
      disease control rate (DCR) after 12 weeks of treatment starting. The DCR was
      defined as the sum of patients with complete response, partial response, and
      stable disease. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients were enrolled. The median age was
      62 (range: 35-77) years and the male/female ratio was 19/14. Eastern Cooperative
      Oncology Group performance status was 0 in 84.8%. Fourteen primary tumors were in
      the colon and 19 were in the rectum. All patients received modified FOLFOX6 as
      the protocol treatment. After 12 weeks of treatment starting, the DCR was 39.4%
      (95% confidence interval 21.8-57.0) and the response rate (complete response and
      partial response) was 6.1%. The median number of chemotherapy cycles was five and
      the median total dose of oxaliplatin was 425 mg/m(2). Median progression-free
      survival time was 98 days and median overall survival was 300 days. The incidence
      of grade >=1 and grade >=3 allergic reactions was 28.1% and 3.1%, respectively.
      The incidence of grade >=1 and grade >=3 peripheral sensory neuropathy was 53.1%
      and 0%, respectively. There were no other severe adverse events and no treatment
      related deaths. CONCLUSION: Reintroducing oxaliplatin can be both safe and
      effective. This may be a salvage option for patients with metastatic colorectal
      cancer who achieved a response or stable disease with prior oxaliplatin-based
      therapy followed by disease progression >=6 months previously during prior
      oxaliplatin-based therapy.

PMID- 26124635
TI  - Insulin administration: present strategies and future directions for a
      noninvasive (possibly more physiological) delivery.
AB  - Insulin is a life-saving medication for people with type 1 diabetes, but
      traditional insulin replacement therapy is based on multiple daily subcutaneous
      injections or continuous subcutaneous pump-regulated infusion. Nonphysiologic
      delivery of subcutaneous insulin implies a rapid and sustained increase in
      systemic insulin levels due to the loss of concentration gradient between portal
      and systemic circulations. In fact, the liver degrades about half of the
      endogenous insulin secreted by the pancreas into the venous portal system. The
      reverse insulin distribution has short- and long-term effects on glucose
      metabolism. Thus, researchers have explored less-invasive administration routes
      based on innovative pharmaceutical formulations, which preserve hormone stability
      and ensure the therapeutic effectiveness. This review examines some of the recent
      proposals from clinical and material chemistry point of view, giving particular
      attention to patients' (and diabetologists') ideal requirements that organic
      chemistry could meet. 

PMID- 26124636
TI  - Anticancer activity of Nigella sativa (black seed) and its relationship with the
      thermal processing and quinone composition of the seed.
AB  - The traditional preparation process of Nigella sativa (NS) oil starts with
      roasting of the seeds, an allegedly unnecessary step that was never skipped. The
      aims of this study were to investigate the role and boundaries of thermal
      processing of NS seeds in the preparation of therapeutic extracts and to
      elucidate the underlying mechanism. NS extracts obtained by various seed thermal
      processing methods were investigated in vitro for their antiproliferative
      activity in mouse colon carcinoma (MC38) cells and for their thymoquinone
      content. The effect of the different methods of thermal processing on the ability
      of the obtained NS oil to inhibit the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) pathway
      was then investigated in Hodgkin's lymphoma (L428) cells. The different thermal
      processing protocols yielded three distinct patterns: heating the NS seeds to 50
      degrees C, 100 degrees C, or 150 degrees C produced oil with a strong ability to
      inhibit tumor cell growth; no heating or heating to 25 degrees C had a mild
      antiproliferative effect; and heating to 200 degrees C or 250 degrees C had no
      effect. Similar patterns were obtained for the thymoquinone content of the
      corresponding oils, which showed an excellent correlation with the
      antiproliferative data. It is proposed that there is an oxidative transition
      mechanism between quinones after controlled thermal processing of the seeds.
      While NS oil from heated seeds delayed the expression of NF-kappaB transcription,
      non-heated seeds resulted in only 50% inhibition. The data indicate that
      controlled thermal processing of NS seeds (at 50 degrees C-150 degrees C)
      produces significantly higher anticancer activity associated with a higher
      thymoquinone oil content, and inhibits the NF-kappaB signaling pathway. 

PMID- 26124637
TI  - Gamma scintigraphic study of the hydrodynamically balanced matrix tablets of
      Metformin HCl in rabbits.
AB  - The purpose of this study is to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo performance of
      gastro-retentive matrix tablets having Metformin HCl as model drug and
      combination of natural polymers. A total of 16 formulations were prepared by a
      wet granulation method using xanthan, tamarind seed powder, tamarind kernel
      powder and salep as the gel-forming agents and sodium bicarbonate as a gas
      forming agent. All the formulations were evaluated for compendial and non
      compendial tests and in vitro study was carried out on a USP-II dissolution
      apparatus at a paddle speed of 50 rpm. MOX2 formulation, composed of salep and
      xanthan in the ratio of 4:1 with 96.9% release, was considered as the optimum
      formulation with more than 90% release in 12 hours and short floating lag time.
      In vivo study was carried out using gamma scintigraphy in New Zealand White
      rabbits, optimized formulation was incorporated with 10 mg of (153)Sm for
      labeling MOX2 formulation. The radioactive samarium oxide was used as the marker
      to trace transit of the tablets in the gastrointestinal tract. The in vivo data
      also supported retention of MOX2 formulation in the gastric region for 12 hours
      and were different from the control formulation without a gas and gel forming
      agent. It was concluded that the prepared floating gastro-retentive matrix
      tablets had a sustained-release effect in vitro and in vivo, gamma scintigraphy
      played an important role in locating the oral transit and the drug-release
      pattern. 

PMID- 26124638
TI  - Histone demethylase LSD1-mediated repression of GATA-2 is critical for erythroid
      differentiation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The transcription factor GATA-2 is predominantly expressed in
      hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and counteracts the erythroid-specific
      transcription factor GATA-1, to modulate the proliferation and differentiation of
      hematopoietic cells. During hematopoietic cell differentiation, GATA-2 exhibits
      dynamic expression patterns, which are regulated by multiple transcription
      factors. METHODS: Stable LSD1-knockdown cell lines were established by growing
      murine erythroleukemia (MEL) or mouse embryonic stem cells together with virus
      particles, in the presence of Polybrene((r)) at 4 MUg/mL, for 24-48 hours
      followed by puromycin selection (1 MUg/mL) for 2 weeks. Real-time polymerase
      chain reaction (PCR)-based quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)
      analysis was used to test whether the TAL1 transcription factor is bound to 1S
      promoter in the GATA-2 locus or whether LSD1 colocalizes with TAL1 at the 1S
      promoter. The sequential ChIP assay was utilized to confirm the role of LSD1 in
      the regulation of H3K4me2 at the GATA-2 locus during erythroid differentiation.
      Western blot analysis was employed to detect the protein expression. The
      alamarBlue((r)) assay was used to examine the proliferation of the cells, and the
      absorbance was monitored at optical density (OD) 570 nm and OD 600 nm. RESULTS:
      In this study, we showed that LSD1 regulates the expression of GATA-2 during
      erythroid differentiation. Knockdown of LSD1 results in increased GATA-2
      expression and inhibits the differentiation of MEL and embryonic stem cells.
      Furthermore, we demonstrated that LSD1 binds to the 1S promoter of the GATA-2
      locus and suppresses GATA-2 expression, via histone demethylation. CONCLUSION:
      Our data revealed that LSD1 mediates erythroid differentiation, via epigenetic
      modification of the GATA-2 locus.

PMID- 26124640
TI  - The impact of lipocalin-type-prostaglandin-D-synthase as a predictor of kidney
      disease in patients with type 2 diabetes.
AB  - Hypertension and diabetes are clinical conditions which contribute to the
      development of chronic kidney disease as well as risk factors for cardiovascular
      events. In recent years, lipocalin-type-prostaglandin-D-synthase (beta trace
      protein; BTP) has increasingly been studied as an alternative to creatinine for
      the evaluation of renal function as well as for being a possible biomarker for
      cardiovascular disease. It is expected that the levels of BTP in patients with
      cardiovascular disease are elevated, as is the case with patients with renal
      dysfunction. The objective of this study is to realize a systematic review of the
      pertinent literature in respect to BTP as a biomarker of renal dysfunction in
      diabetic patients. Using the database MEDLINE, a search up to year 2014 was
      conducted using the follow descriptors: "lipocalin type prostaglandin d synthase"
      AND "diabetes"; "lipocalin type prostaglandin d synthase" and "diabetic
      nephropathy"; "beta trace protein" AND "diabetes"; "beta trace protein" AND
      "diabetic nephropathy". The criteria used for inclusion were the presence of the
      referring to terms in title or abstract and study conducted in humans. About 17
      articles were selected, of which six articles were duplicates, and of which six
      articles did not investigate any possible relationship between the protein (BTP)
      and either diabetes or nephropathy. The final result yielded five articles to be
      analyzed. This review found BTP is not influenced by race, by body mass index nor
      by patient's sex. BTP can be considered as a reliable early biomarker of renal
      dysfunction in diabetics. BTP is associated with metabolic syndrome and is also
      associated with greater cardiovascular risk. Prospective data establishing a
      correlation between BTP and mortality would have been of great interest, but such
      articles were not found in this review. 

PMID- 26124639
TI  - Therapeutic effects of C-28 methyl ester of 2-cyano-3,12-dioxoolean-1,9-dien-28
      oic acid (CDDO-Me; bardoxolone methyl) on radiation-induced lung inflammation and
      fibrosis in mice.
AB  - The C-28 methyl ester of 2-cyano-3,12-dioxoolean-1,9-dien-28-oic acid (CDDO-Me),
      one of the synthetic triterpenoids, has been found to have potent anti
      inflammatory and anticancer properties in vitro and in vivo. However, its
      usefulness in mitigating radiation-induced lung injury (RILI), including
      radiation-induced lung inflammation and fibrosis, has not been tested. The aim of
      this study was to explore the therapeutic effect of CDDO-Me on RILI in mice and
      the underlying mechanisms. Herein, we found that administration of CDDO-Me
      improved the histopathological score, reduced the number of inflammatory cells
      and concentrations of total protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, suppressed
      secretion and expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including transforming
      growth factor-beta and interleukin-6, elevated expression of the anti
      inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10, and downregulated the mRNA level of
      profibrotic genes, including for fibronectin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and
      collagen I. CDDO-Me attenuated radiation-induced lung inflammation. CDDO-Me also
      decreased the Masson's trichrome stain score, hydroxyproline content, and mRNA
      level of profibrotic genes, and blocked radiation-induced collagen accumulation
      and fibrosis. Collectively, these findings suggest that CDDO-Me ameliorates
      radiation-induced lung inflammation and fibrosis, and this synthetic triterpenoid
      is a promising novel therapeutic agent for RILI. Further mechanistic, efficacy,
      and safety studies are warranted to elucidate the role of CDDO-Me in the
      management of RILI. 

PMID- 26124641
TI  - Combination of erlotinib and a PARP inhibitor inhibits growth of A2780 tumor
      xenografts due to increased autophagy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death in women with
      gynecological malignancy worldwide. Despite multiple new approaches to treatment,
      relapse remains almost inevitable in patients with advanced disease. The poor
      outcome of advanced ovarian cancer treated with conventional therapy stimulated
      the search for new strategies to improve therapeutic efficacy. Although epidermal
      growth factor receptor (EGFR) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors
      have known activity in advanced ovarian cancer, the effect of combined therapy
      against EGFR and PARP in this population has not been reported. In the current
      study, we investigated the mechanisms of erlotinib used alone or in combination
      with olaparib (AZD2281), a potent inhibitor of PARP, in an EGFR-overexpressing
      ovarian tumor xenograft model. METHODS: A2780 (EGFR-overexpressing, BRCA1/2 wild
      type) cells were subcutaneously injected into nude mice, which were then randomly
      assigned to treatment with vehicle, erlotinib, AZD2281, or erlotinib + AZD2281,
      for up to 3 weeks. All mice were then sacrificed and tumor tissues were subjected
      to Western blot analysis and monodansylcadervarine staining (for analysis of
      autophagy). RESULTS: Erlotinib could slightly inhibit growth of A2780 tumor
      xenografts, and AZD2281 alone had similar effects on tumor growth. However, the
      combination treatment had a markedly enhanced antitumor effect. Western blot
      analysis revealed that treatment with erlotinib could significantly reduce the
      phosphorylation level of ERK1/2 and AKT in A2780 tumor tissue. Of interest,
      monodansylcadervarine staining showed that the autophagic effects were
      substantially enhanced when the agents were combined, which may be due to
      downregulation of apoptosis. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that combination
      of a selective EGFR inhibitor and a PARP inhibitor is effective in ovarian cancer
      A2780 xenografts, and depends on enhanced autophagy.

PMID- 26124642
TI  - Characterization of renal biomarkers for use in clinical trials: effect of
      preanalytical processing and qualification using samples from subjects with
      diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Identifying the potential for drug-induced kidney injury is essential
      for the successful research and development of new drugs. Newer and more
      sensitive preclinical drug-induced kidney injury biomarkers are now qualified for
      use in rat toxicology studies, but biomarkers for clinical studies are still
      undergoing qualification. The current studies investigated biomarkers in healthy
      volunteer (HV) urine samples with and without the addition of stabilizer as well
      as in urine from patients with normoalbuminuric diabetes mellitus (P-DM).
      METHODS: Urine samples from 20 male HV with stabilizer, 69 male HV without
      stabilizer, and 95 male DM without stabilizer (39 type 1 and 56 type 2) were
      analyzed for the following bio-markers using multiplex assays: alpha-1
      microglobulin (A1M), beta-2-microglobulin, calbindin, clusterin, connective
      tissue growth factor (CTGF), creatinine, cystatin-C, glutathione S-transferase
      alpha (GSTalpha), kidney injury marker-1 (KIM-1), microalbumin, neutrophil
      gelatinase-associated lipocalin, osteopontin, Tamm-Horsfall urinary glycoprotein
      (THP), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1, trefoil factor 3 (TFF3), and
      vascular endothelial growth factor. RESULTS: CTGF and GSTalpha assays on
      nonstabilized urine were deemed nonoptimal (>50% of values below assay lower
      limits of quantification). "Expected values" were determined for HV with
      stabilizer, HV without stabilizer, and P-DM without stabilizer. There was a
      statistically significant difference between HV with stabilizer compared to HV
      without stabilizer for A1M, CTGF, GSTalpha, and THP. DM urine samples differed
      from HV (without stabilizer) for A1M CTGF, GSTalpha, KIM-1, microalbumin,
      osteopontin, and TFF3. A1M also correctly identified HV and DM with an accuracy
      of 89.0%. SUMMARY: These studies: 1) determined that nonstabilized urine can be
      used for assays under qualification; and 2) documented that A1M, CTGF, GSTalpha,
      KIM-1, microalbumin, osteopontin, and TFF3 were significantly increased in urine
      from P-DM. In addition, the 89.0% accuracy of A1M in distinguishing P-DM from HV
      may allow this biomarker to be used to monitor efficacy of potential renal
      protective agents.

PMID- 26124643
TI  - Patient-reported treatment satisfaction and choice of dosing frequency with
      biologic treatment for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Moderate to severe plaque psoriasis has a serious effect on health
      related quality of life. Patients treated with biologic medications place
      importance on satisfaction and treatment frequency options. We assessed patient
      reported treatment satisfaction and dosing frequency choice with biologics.
      METHODS: We used a health care claims database to identify patients with moderate
      to severe plaque psoriasis. Participants completed the Treatment Satisfaction
      Questionnaire for Medication. Results were compared between patients experienced
      with biologics (adalimumab, etanercept, or ustekinumab) or not (cyclosporine or
      methotrexate). Participants were asked for their choices of dosing options of
      once every 1-2 weeks, 3-4 weeks, 1-2 months, or 2-3 months. Participants were
      also asked for their choices of dosing options of every 1, 2, 3, and so on up to
      every 12+ weeks. RESULTS: A total of 426 patients completed the survey (263
      biologic-experienced and 163 biologic-naive patients). Patient satisfaction with
      psoriasis treatment was significantly higher in the biologic-experienced cohort.
      The most frequently chosen option (38.8% of all participating patients) was every
      2-3 months; 37.3% chose once every 1-2 weeks. Significant differences were found
      in the percentage of biologic-naive patients choosing 2-3-month (49.7%) over 1-2
      week (20.9%) dosing (P<0.001). Among biologic-experienced patients, the
      difference between the percentage of patients choosing the 2-3-month (35.7%) and
      1-2-week (41.8%) options was not significant (P=0.264). The two most often week
      specific intervals chosen by biologic-naive patients were 12+ weeks (42.3%) and 4
      weeks (15.6%). The biologic-experienced patients most often chose 12+ weeks
      (31.2%) and 1 week (25.9%). CONCLUSION: Patients using biologics reported
      satisfaction with their treatment, which may positively affect outcomes. Longer
      dosing intervals were chosen most frequently among all patients combined. Reports
      of patient satisfaction with prior treatments and choices regarding dosing
      frequency, among all other considerations, should be evaluated in determining an
      appropriate biologic medication for psoriasis.

PMID- 26124644
TI  - Design, construction, and implementation of an online platform for patients with
      type 1 diabetes: EncoDiab.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop, build, and implement a virtual
      platform equipped with practical tools, relevant contents, and communication
      rooms, with the aim of facilitating patients' self-management of type 1 diabetes
      mellitus (T1DM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The design of the platform was based on
      the suggestions of T1DM patients who were being managed at two reference
      hospitals. Patients' needs and preferences were identified in group discussion
      sessions. Before having access to the platform, patients underwent a baseline
      assessment, which included physical examination and the administration of
      validated questionnaires for evaluation of clinical background, quality of life,
      treatment satisfaction, and well-being. RESULTS: A total of 33 patients were
      included in the study; 54.5% of them were men, their median age was 34 (18-50)
      years, the median duration of diabetes was 15 (1-38) years, and the median A1C
      was 7.4% (6%-12.6%). Based on their suggestions and requests, the online platform
      EncoDiab was built and organized into four domains: a personal domain, two
      domains shared by the patients and the staff of each of the two participating
      hospitals, and one domain that was accessible to all participants. The platform
      included practical tools (a body mass index calculator, a carbohydrate counting
      tool, and an insulin-dose calculator), a library with relevant information
      (documents on prevention and treatment of acute complications, nutrition,
      exercise, etc), and a chat room. CONCLUSION: Although the study is still ongoing,
      our current results demonstrate the feasibility of building and implementing an
      online platform for helping T1DM patients in the self-management of their disease
      in the public health setting.

PMID- 26124645
TI  - Prevalence and risk factor analysis of lower extremity abnormal alignment
      characteristics among rice farmers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Rice farming activities involve prolonged manual work and human
      machine interaction. Prolonged farming risk-exposure may result in lower limb
      malalignment. This malalignment may increase the risk of lower extremity injury
      and physical disabilities. However, the prevalence and factors associated with
      lower extremity malalignment have not yet been reported. This study aimed to
      investigate the prevalence and risk factors of lower extremity malalignment among
      rice farmers. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 249 rice
      farmers. Lower extremity alignment assessment included: pelvic tilt angle, limb
      length equality, femoral torsion, quadriceps (Q) angle, tibiofemoral angle, genu
      recurvatum, rearfoot angle, and medial longitudinal arch angle. Descriptive
      statistics were used to analyze participant characteristics and prevalence of
      lower extremity malalignment. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify
      risk factors. RESULTS: The highest prevalence of lower extremity malalignment was
      foot pronation (36.14%), followed by the abnormal Q angle (34.94%), tibiofemoral
      angle (31.73%), pelvic tilt angle (30.52%), femoral antetorsion (28.11%), limb
      length inequality (22.49%), tibial torsion (21.29%), and genu recurvatum
      (11.24%). In females, the risk factors were abnormal Q angle, tibiofemoral angle,
      and genu recurvatum. Being overweight was a risk factor for abnormal pelvic tilt
      angle, Q angle, and tibiofemoral angle. Age was a risk factor for limb length
      inequality. Years of farming were a major risk factor for abnormal Q angle,
      tibiofemoral angle, and foot malalignment. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of lower
      extremity malalignment was reported in this study. Female sex, being overweight,
      and years of farming were major risk factors for lower extremity malalignment.
      Lower extremity screening should assist in the identification of foot and knee
      malalignment in rice farmers. This may then lead to early prevention of
      musculoskeletal disorders arising from such malalignment.

PMID- 26124646
TI  - Effect of pharmaceutical care on medication adherence of patients newly
      prescribed insulin therapy: a randomized controlled study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poor adherence to insulin medications leads to a high rate of
      hospital admissions and poor health-related quality of life in the patients with
      diabetes mellitus. However, few strategies are effective and acceptable in
      improving medication adherence. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the
      effectiveness of pharmaceutical care by clinical pharmacists on medication
      adherence of patients newly prescribed insulin therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      single-center, prospective randomized controlled study (pharmaceutical care group
      and control group) was performed from January 1, 2014 to December 30, 2014.
      Medication adherence was measured at the baseline and up to 12 months with
      Morisky-Green test and computerized dispensed medication history. The absolute
      change in A1c vs baseline, the change of hospitalization between two groups, and
      the number of patients to achieve Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS) goals at the
      baseline were the main outcome measures. RESULTS: A total of 322 patients were
      included in the study. After the 12-month interventions, significant improvements
      in the medication adherence were verified for the pharmaceutical care group
      according to the Morisky-Green test (50.8% of adherent patients at baseline vs
      80.7% of adherent patients after 12-month interventions; P<0.01) and the
      computerized dispensed medication history (55.2% at baseline vs 83.3% after
      interventions; P<0.01), while no significant changes were verified in the control
      group. After follow-up, the pharmaceutical care group showed a greater percent
      change in A1c (2.2+/-0.4 vs 0.8+/-0.2, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study provides
      new evidence from a randomized controlled trial on the beneficial effect of
      pharmaceutical care to enhance adherence in patients newly prescribed insulin
      therapy. Intervention by the pharmacist might potentially improve clinical
      outcomes on reducing hemoglobin A1c and enhancing the number of patients
      fulfilling the Chinese Diabetes Society goal on hemoglobin A1c.

PMID- 26124647
TI  - Exploring motivations to seek and undergo prosthodontic care: a cross-sectional
      study in a Brazilian adult sample.
AB  - This study explored the influence of individual and social factors regarding
      intentions and behaviors related to prosthodontic treatment, using the theory of
      planned behavior (TPB). A cross-sectional study was designed with a sample of 225
      individuals with some degree of tooth loss. A questionnaire was used containing
      factors that would have potential influence on the intentions and behaviors of
      individuals, as well as clinical and sociodemographic data. Descriptive
      statistics, internal consistency analysis, chi-square test for trend, and
      logistic regression were used for data analysis. The TPB components - attitude
      toward the behavior (ATB), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control
      (PBC) - showed good internal consistency (alpha = 0.60-0.78). Intention and
      behavior were associated with TPB components and the overall scale. Similarly,
      positive intentions and behaviors were associated with age, upper tooth loss,
      anterior tooth loss, and higher social status. Multiple logistic regression
      showed that intention was associated with PBC (OR =1.57; P<0.016), while behavior
      was associated with tooth loss in both arches (OR =9.3; P<0.001), anterior tooth
      loss (OR =5.13; P<0.001), higher social status (OR =3.06; P<0.03), and PBC (OR
      =1.38; P=0.03). The presence of anterior tooth loss was the most relevant factor
      for prosthodontic treatment demand and utilization, while socioeconomic status
      and an individual's perceived ease or difficulty in undergoing treatment played a
      significant, but secondary, role in behavior toward prosthodontic care. 

PMID- 26124648
TI  - Older patients' perceived burdens of their health problems: a cross-sectional
      analysis in 74 German general practices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Older patients often experience the burden of multiple health
      problems. Physicians need to consider them to arrive at a holistic treatment
      plan. Yet, it has not been systematically investigated as to which personal
      burdens ensue from certain health conditions. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this
      study is to examine older patients' perceived burden of their health problems.
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study presents a cross-sectional analysis in 74 German
      general practices; 836 patients, 72 years and older (mean 79+/-4.4), rated the
      burden of each health problem disclosed by a comprehensive geriatric assessment.
      Patients rated each burden using three components: importance, emotional impact,
      and impact on daily activities. Cluster analyses were performed to define
      patterns in the rating of these components of burden. In a multilevel logistic
      regression analysis, independent factors that predict high and low burden were
      explored. RESULTS: Patients had a median of eleven health problems and rated the
      burden of altogether 8,900 health problems. Four clusters provided a good
      clustering structure. Two clusters describe a high burden, and a further two, a
      low burden. Patients attributed a high burden to social and psychological health
      problems (especially being a caregiver: odds ratio [OR] 10.4, 95% confidence
      interval [CI] 4.4-24.4), to specific symptoms (eg, claudication: OR 2.3, 95% CI
      1.3-4.0; pain: OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.6-3.1), and physical disabilities. Patients rated
      a comparatively low burden for most of their medical findings, for cognitive
      impairment, and lifestyle issues (eg, hypertension: OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.2-0.3).
      CONCLUSION: The patients experienced a relatively greater burden for physical
      disabilities, mood, or social issues than for diseases themselves. Physicians
      should interpret these burdens in the individual context and consider them in
      their treatment planning.

PMID- 26124649
TI  - Rates and predictors of uncontrolled bronchial asthma in elderly patients from
      western Romania.
AB  - PURPOSE: Bronchial asthma (BA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways,
      featuring variable and often reversible airflow limitations. An accurate
      assessment of BA control is difficult in practice, especially in the elderly,
      requiring the assessment of several clinical and paraclinical parameters that are
      influenced not only by asthma, but also by comorbidities. The purpose of this
      study was to evaluate the predictors of uncontrolled BA in a group of elderly
      patients from western Romania. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated
      126 elderly patients (aged $ 65 years), who were consecutively evaluated in the
      Pulmonology Department of Victor Babes Hospital, Timisoara, Romania, between
      March 2009 and July 2012. We collected demographic data, performed pulmonary
      function testing and an asthma control test (ACT), and evaluated the level of BA
      control based on the 2012 Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines. Statistical
      processing of the data was done using the Epi Info and STATA programs. RESULTS:
      In our study group, 36 (29%) patients were men and 90 (71%) were women; their
      mean age was 74.42+/-8.32 years (range: 65-85 years). A total of 14.28% of
      patients were smokers. About 30.15% of patients had an ACT score <19, 54.76% had
      an ACT score 20-24, and 15.09% had an ACT of 25. Moreover, 59.52% had normal
      spirometry results. Infectious exacerbations were found in 58.73% of patients. A
      history of allergies was demonstrated in 48.41% of patients, 34.12% had
      occupational exposure, and 82.53% of patients were treated with inhaled
      corticosteroids. Our results showed that 30.15% of patients had uncontrolled BA.
      We found six predictive factors for uncontrolled BA: infectious exacerbation,
      occupational exposure, mixed (obstructive and restrictive) ventilatory
      dysfunction, persistent airway obstruction on spirometry, duration of disease in
      months, and current smoking status. Infectious exacerbations, persistent airway
      obstructions, and occupational exposure were the most powerful predictors.
      CONCLUSION: Elderly patients represent an important group that is at risk for
      developing uncontrolled BA. Predictors may identify those elderly patients with
      uncontrolled BA and facilitate early medical interventions.

PMID- 26124650
TI  - Development, validation, and administration of a treatment-satisfaction
      questionnaire for caregivers of dependent type 2 diabetic patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Satisfaction with treatment is considered a relevant factor for
      assessing results in clinical practice. However, when assessing satisfaction in
      dependent patients, the opinion of their caregivers becomes crucial, since
      implicit in satisfaction is the degree of caregiver involvement, of adherence to
      treatment, and lastly of better care of these patients. PURPOSE: The purpose of
      this study was to develop, validate, and administer two versions of a specific
      questionnaire to assess satisfaction with blood glucose-lowering treatment in
      caregivers of dependent type 2 diabetic patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was
      an observational, descriptive, epidemiological study conducted in the Los
      Montalvos Internal Medicine Department at the University Hospital of Salamanca
      (Spain). Two versions of the questionnaire to assess caregivers' satisfaction
      with current treatment and after introducing changes in therapy were created and
      validated according to model procedures. Once validated, the questionnaires were
      implemented in 219 cases. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha-coefficient, correlation
      between all the items, intraclass correlation coefficient, and correlation
      between the obtained scores and satisfaction with blood glucose levels all
      satisfied the standard for validation. Significant levels of correlation were
      observed between the degree of satisfaction and the number of daily
      administrations of the blood glucose-lowering medication (Spearman's r=-0.21,
      P<0.05). Caregivers of patients receiving more frequent administration of their
      antidiabetic medication prior to the change were more satisfied with the change
      (r=0.24, P<0.001). Similarly, significant correlation was found between the
      number of daily administrations for blood glucose-lowering medication after the
      change and the degree of satisfaction (r=-0.43, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: A useful
      novel instrument to assess caregivers' satisfaction was validated. When applied
      to our cohort of cases, the obtained data suggest that simplicity in antidiabetic
      therapy should be considered in the management of dependent type 2 diabetic
      patients when caregivers' satisfaction is an additional objective.

PMID- 26124651
TI  - Causes and predictors of hospital readmissions in patients older than 65 years
      hospitalized for heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction
      in western Romania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is more
      frequent in the elderly and is associated with important economic implications
      because of repetitive and prolonged hospitalizations, due to both cardiovascular
      and noncardiovascular causes. PURPOSE: To identify the causes, as well as the
      clinical and biological markers, that could be used as predictors of hospital
      readmissions in HFpEF patients aged >=65 years. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Consecutive
      eligible patients hospitalized for a first heart failure (HF) episode were
      prospectively included and divided into one of two age groups (elderly: >=65
      years; and nonelderly: <65 years). The clinical features, therapeutic approaches,
      and clinical outcomes during the 1-year follow-up period were analyzed. RESULTS:
      A total of 178 patients were included, with a mean age of 64.6+/-8.6 years; 80
      (45%) were women. A total of 98 patients (55%) were aged >=65 years, and 80 (45%)
      were aged <65 years. In the group aged >=65 years, 58 patients (59%) were women,
      while in the group aged <65 years, 22 patients (28%) were women (P=0.0001).
      During the 1-year follow-up, no patients died or were lost to follow-up.
      Moreover, 116 (65%) of the HFpEF patients experienced hospital readmissions. The
      elderly patients had a significantly higher readmission rate (73% vs 55%,
      respectively; P<0.02); readmissions due to aggravated HF were significantly more
      frequent in this age group (41% vs 18%, respectively; P<0.002). Multivariate
      logistic regression analysis indicated that the independent predictors of
      readmission due to HF aggravation included plasma levels of brain natriuretic
      peptide >450 pg/mL (P<0.01) and N-terminal-pro-brain natriuretic peptide >477
      pg/mL (P<0.02) in the elderly group, while in the nonelderly group, the
      independent predictors of this outcome were a New York Heart Association
      functional class of IV at initial hospitalization (P<0.04), as well as plasma
      levels of brain natriuretic peptide >390 pg/mL (P=0.03) and tumor necrosis factor
      (TNF)-alpha >7.1 pg/mL (P<0.001). Readmissions due to noncardiovascular causes
      were independently predicted by plasma levels of TNF-alpha >10 pg/mL in the
      elderly (P=0.003) and of interleukin (IL)-6 >1.9 pg/mL in the nonelderly
      (P<0.04). CONCLUSION: We conclude that in HFpEF patients aged >=65 years, the
      main cause of rehospitalization during the 1-year follow-up was HF aggravation.
      The risk of this outcome was independently predicted by increased levels of
      cardiac peptides, while the risk of noncardiovascular readmissions was predicted
      by increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers. Increased TNF-alpha levels
      predicted both cardiovascular and noncardiovascular readmissions, while increased
      levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein did not predict any of these
      outcomes in our study.

PMID- 26124652
TI  - Dosing of U-100 insulin and associated outcomes among Medicare enrollees with
      type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine costs, resource utilization, adherence, and hypoglycemic
      events among various doses of U-100 insulin regimens among elderly patients (age
      >=65 years) diagnosed with diabetes. METHODS: Truven Health Analytics Medicare
      databases from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2011 were utilized. General
      linear models with a gamma distribution and log link were used to examine costs,
      while logistic and negative binomial regressions were used to examine resource
      utilization and hypoglycemic events. Analyses controlled for patient
      characteristics, pre-period comorbidities, general health, and use of
      antidiabetic medications as well as index dose of insulin. RESULTS: All-cause
      inpatient, emergency room, and outpatients costs, as well as diabetes-related
      inpatient costs, were highest among individuals who were treated with an index
      dose of 10-100 units/day followed by >300 units/day, while drug costs and total
      costs generally increased as index dosage increased. Resource utilization
      generally followed the same pattern as costs, with number of office visits
      increasing as the dose increased and the highest hospital length of stay, number
      of hospitalizations, number of emergency room visits, and number of diabetes
      related hospitalizations were generally highest among those in the lowest and
      highest index dose cohorts. Compared to patients who initiated with an index dose
      of 10-100 units/day, all other patients were significantly less likely to achieve
      an adherence threshold of 80% based upon index dose range, and while those with
      an index dose of >100-150 units/day were significantly more likely to experience
      a hypoglycemic event. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that, for elderly
      individuals with diabetes, there is a higher patient burden among those who
      receive the lowest and highest insulin doses.

PMID- 26124653
TI  - Effects of indacaterol versus tiotropium on respiratory mechanics assessed by the
      forced oscillation technique in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary
      disease.
AB  - The forced oscillation technique (FOT) can measure respiratory mechanics and has
      attracted attention in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to
      evaluate the effects of only indacaterol and tiotropium monotherapies on airflow
      limitation and respiratory impedance. Pulmonary function tests, COPD assessment
      test (CAT), and multifrequency FOT with MostGraph-01 were performed at the
      beginning and after 8 weeks of treatment with indacaterol or tiotropium. The
      resistance index, resistance at 5 Hz (R5), resistance at 20 Hz (R20), reactance
      index, reactance at 5 Hz (X5), resonant frequency (Fres), and low-frequency
      reactance area (ALX) were determined at whole-breath, inspiratory, and expiratory
      phases. Eighty-two patients (mean age: 73 years; mean forced expiratory volume in
      1 second (FEV1): 61.6%+/-19.0% predicted) were randomized to indacaterol or
      tiotropium treatment. Both bronchodilators improved airflow limitation, with mean
      trough improvements in FEV1 of 165 mL and 80 mL in the indacaterol and tiotropium
      groups, respectively. The CAT score decreased in the indacaterol group (P<0.001;
      11.2+/-6.6 to 7.5+/-5.6). Compared with tiotropium, indacaterol significantly
      improved FEV1, percent predicted FEV1, and CAT score (P=0.042, P=0.008, and
      P=0.027, respectively). For respiratory impedance, indacaterol and tiotropium
      changed R5, X5, Fres, and ALX at whole-breath, inspiratory, and expiratory
      phases. In the indacaterol group, the changes in R5, R5-R20, X5, Fres, and ALX
      were significantly correlated with the changes in FEV1. The use of the FOT may
      enable the evaluation of the effects of bronchodilators in addition to FEV1
      indicated therapeutic effects in COPD. 

PMID- 26124654
TI  - Severe hypoalbuminemia is a strong independent risk factor for acute respiratory
      failure in COPD: a nationwide cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is a life-threatening event, which is
      frequently associated with the severe exacerbations of chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease (COPD). Hypoalbuminemia is associated with increased mortality
      in patients with COPD. However, to date, little is known regarding whether or not
      hypoalbuminemia is a risk factor for developing ARF in COPD. METHODS: We
      conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the National Health
      Insurance system of Taiwan. A total of 42,732 newly diagnosed COPD patients (age
      >=40 years) from 1997 to 2011 were enrolled. Among them, 1,861 (4.36%) patients
      who had received albumin supplementation were defined as hypoalbuminemia, and
      40,871 (95.6%) patients who had not received albumin supplementation were defined
      as no hypoalbuminemia. RESULTS: Of 42,732 newly diagnosed COPD patients, 5,248
      patients (12.3%) developed ARF during the 6 years follow-up period. Patients with
      hypoalbuminemia were older, predominantly male, had more comorbidities, and
      required more steroid treatment and blood transfusions than patients without
      hypoalbuminemia. In a multivariable Cox regression analysis model, being elderly
      was the strongest independent risk factor for ARF (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]:
      4.63, P<0.001), followed by hypoalbuminemia (adjusted HR: 2.87, P<0.001).
      However, as the annual average dose of albumin supplementation was higher than
      13.8 g per year, the risk for ARF was the highest (adjusted HR: 11.13, 95% CI:
      10.35-11.98, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Hypoalbuminemia is a strong risk factor for
      ARF in patients with COPD. Therefore, further prospective studies are required to
      verify whether or not albumin supplementation or nutritional support may help to
      reduce the risk of ARF in patients with COPD.

PMID- 26124655
TI  - Bronchial hyperresponsiveness, airway inflammation, and reversibility in patients
      with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), sputum eosinophilia, and
      bronchial reversibility are often thought to be a hallmark of asthma, yet it has
      been shown to occur in COPD as well. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship
      between BHR, lung function, and airway inflammation in COPD patients. METHODS:
      Thirty-one, steroid-free patients with stable, mild and moderate COPD were
      studied. The following tests were carried out: baseline lung function,
      reversibility, provocative dose of methacholine causing a 20% fall in forced
      expiratory volume in 1 second, a COPD symptom score, and sputum induction.
      RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients completed the procedures. About 41.4% had BHR,
      31.0% had increased sputum eosinophils, and 37.9% had bronchial reversibility.
      Some of the patients had only one of these characteristics while others had two
      or the three of them. Patients with BHR had higher sputum eosinophils than
      patients without BHR (P=0.046) and those with sputum eosinophils >=3% had more
      exacerbations in the previous year and a higher COPD symptom score than patients
      with sputum eosinophils <3% (P=0.019 and P=0.031, respectively). In patients with
      BHR, the cumulative dose of methacholine was negatively related to the symptom
      score and the number of exacerbations in the previous year. When patients with
      bronchial reversibility were considered, bronchodilation was positively related
      to sputum eosinophils. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that BHR, sputum
      eosinophilia, and bronchial reversibility were not clustered in one single
      phenotype of COPD but could be present alone or together. Of interest, BHR and
      airway eosinophilia were associated with clinical data in terms of exacerbations
      and symptoms. Further investigation is needed to clarify this topic.

PMID- 26124656
TI  - Test-retest reliability of lower limb isokinetic endurance in COPD: A comparison
      of angular velocities.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the test
      retest reliability of quadriceps isokinetic endurance testing at two knee angular
      velocities in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
      METHODS: After one familiarization session, 14 patients with moderate to severe
      COPD (mean age 65+/-4 years; forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) 55%+/
      18% predicted) performed two quadriceps isokinetic endurance tests on two
      separate occasions within a 5-7-day interval. Quadriceps isokinetic endurance
      tests consisted of 30 maximal knee extensions at angular velocities of 90 degrees
      and 180 degrees  per second, performed in random order. Test-retest reliability
      was assessed for peak torque, muscle endurance, work slope, work fatigue index,
      and changes in FEV1 for dyspnea and leg fatigue from rest to the end of the test.
      The intraclass correlation coefficient, minimal detectable change, and limits of
      agreement were calculated. RESULTS: High test-retest reliability was identified
      for peak torque and muscle total work at both velocities. Work fatigue index was
      considered reliable at 90 degrees  per second but not at 180 degrees  per second.
      A lower reliability was identified for dyspnea and leg fatigue scores at both
      angular velocities. CONCLUSION: Despite a limited sample size, our findings
      support the use of a 30-maximal repetition isokinetic muscle testing procedure at
      angular velocities of 90 degrees  and 180 degrees  per second in patients with
      moderate to severe COPD. Endurance measurement (total isokinetic work) at 90
      degrees  per second was highly reliable, with a minimal detectable change at the
      95% confidence level of 10%. Peak torque and fatigue index could also be assessed
      reliably at 90 degrees  per second. Evaluation of dyspnea and leg fatigue using
      the modified Borg scale of perceived exertion was poorly reliable and its
      clinical usefulness is questionable. These results should be useful in the design
      and interpretation of future interventions aimed at improving muscle endurance in
      COPD.

PMID- 26124657
TI  - Profile of a fixed-dose combination of tiotropium/olodaterol and its potential in
      the treatment of COPD.
AB  - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive, debilitating
      disorder that results in frequent exacerbations and impacts quality of life. It
      represents a growing burden of health care cost, both from societal and economic
      perspectives. Short- and long-acting bronchodilators remain the mainstay of
      therapy in COPD patients. New fixed-dose combination inhalers with novel
      pharmacological combinations of long-acting beta2-agonists and muscarinic
      antagonists and delivered once-daily through a variety of devices are currently
      being developed and licensed for the treatment of COPD. There is mounting
      research suggesting that combining a fixed dose of a beta2-agonist and a
      muscarinic antagonist achieves better bronchodilation and clinical outcomes
      compared with either agent alone. These once-daily dosing inhalers are
      anticipated to impact favorably on patient preference and compliance. This review
      examines the fixed-dose combination of tiotropium bromide and olodaterol
      delivered by a Respimat((r)) Soft MistTM inhaler at doses of 2.5/5 MUg and 5/5
      MUg in moderate-to-very-severe COPD, and its potential role in COPD compared with
      other long-acting beta2-agonist with long-acting muscarinic antagonist
      combinations and delivery devices. 

PMID- 26124658
TI  - Multiple cues on the physiochemical, mesenchymal, and intracellular trafficking
      interactions with nanocarriers to maximize tumor target efficiency.
AB  - Over the past 60 years, numerous medical strategies have been employed to
      overcome neoplasms. In fact, with the exception of lung, bronchial, and
      pancreatic cancers, the 5-year survival rate of most cancers currently exceeds
      70%. However, the quality of life of patients during chemotherapy remains
      unsatisfactory despite the increase in survival rate. The side effects of current
      chemotherapies stem from poor target efficiency at tumor sites due to the
      uncontrolled biodistribution of anticancer agents (ie, conventional or current
      approved nanodrugs). This review discusses the effective physiochemical factors
      for determining biodistribution of nanocarriers and, ultimately, increasing tumor
      targeting probability by avoiding the reticuloendothelial system. Second, stem
      cell-conjugated nanotherapeutics was addressed to maximize the tumor searching
      ability and to inhibit tumor growth. Lastly, physicochemical material properties
      of anticancer nanodrugs were discussed for targeting cellular organelles with
      modulation of drug-release time. A better understanding of suggested topics will
      increase the tumor-targeting ability of anticancer drugs and, ultimately, promote
      the quality of life of cancer patients during chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26124659
TI  - Application of nanoparticles for oral delivery of acid-labile lansoprazole in the
      treatment of gastric ulcer: in vitro and in vivo evaluations.
AB  - The aim of this study was to develop nanoparticles for oral delivery of an acid
      labile drug, lansoprazole (LPZ), for gastric ulcer therapy. LPZ-loaded positively
      charged Eudragit((r)) RS100 nanoparticles (ERSNPs-LPZ) and negatively charged
      poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (PLGANPs-LPZ) were prepared. The
      effect of charge on nanoparticle deposition in ulcerated and non-ulcerated
      regions of the stomach was investigated. The cellular uptake of nanoparticles in
      the intestine was evaluated in a Caco-2 cell model. The pharmacokinetic
      performance and ulcer healing response of LPZ-loaded nanoparticles following oral
      administration were evaluated in Wistar rats with induced ulcers. The prepared
      drug-loaded ERSNPs-LPZ and PLGANPs-LPZ possessed opposite surface charge (+38.5+/
      0.3 mV versus -27.3+/-0.3 mV, respectively) and the particle size was around 200
      nm with a narrow size distribution. The negatively charged PLGANPs adhered more
      readily to the ulcerated region (7.22%+/-1.21% per cm(2)), whereas the positively
      charged ERSNPs preferentially distributed in the non-ulcerated region (8.29%+/
      0.35% per cm(2)). Both ERSNPs and PLGANPs were prominent uptake in Caco-2 cells,
      too. The nanoparticles sustained and prolonged LPZ concentrations up to 24 hours,
      and the half-life and mean residence time of LPZ were prolonged by 3.5-fold and
      4.5-fold, respectively, as compared with LPZ solution. Oral administration of LPZ
      loaded nanoparticles healed 92.6%-95.7% of gastric ulcers in Wistar rats within 7
      days. 

PMID- 26124660
TI  - Sustained release of VH and rhBMP-2 from nanoporous magnesium-zinc-silicon
      xerogels for osteomyelitis treatment and bone repair.
AB  - Nanoporous magnesium-zinc-silicon (n-MZS) xerogels with a pore size ~4 nm, a
      surface area of 718 cm(2)/g, and a pore volume of 1.24 cm(3)/g were synthesized
      by a sol-gel method. The n-MZS xerogels had high capacity to load vancomycin
      hydrochloride (VH) and human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2), after
      soaking in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) for 24 hours (1.5 and 0.8 mg/g,
      respectively). Moreover, the n-MZS xerogels exhibited the sustained release of VH
      and rhBMP-2 as compared with magnesium-zinc-silicon (MZS) xerogels without
      nanopores (showing a burst release). The VH/rhBMP-2/n-MZS system not only
      exhibited a good antibacterial property but also promoted the MG63 cell
      proliferation and differentiation demonstrating good bactericidal activity and
      cytocompatibility. The results suggested that n-MZS with larger surface area and
      high pore volume might be a promising carrier for loading and sustained release
      of VH and rhBMP-2. Hence, the VH/rhBMP-2/n-MZS system might be one of the
      promising biomaterials for osteomyelitis treatment and bone repair. 

PMID- 26124661
TI  - Oral administration of iron-saturated bovine lactoferrin-loaded ceramic
      nanocapsules for breast cancer therapy and influence on iron and calcium
      metabolism.
AB  - We determined the anticancer efficacy and internalization mechanism of our
      polymeric-ceramic nanoparticle system (calcium phosphate nanocores, enclosed in
      biodegradable polymers chitosan and alginate nanocapsules/nanocarriers [ACSC
      NCs]) loaded with iron-saturated bovine lactoferrin (Fe-bLf) in a breast cancer
      xenograft model. ACSC-Fe-bLf NCs with an overall size of 322+/-27.2 nm were
      synthesized. In vitro internalization and anticancer efficacy were evaluated in
      the MDA-MB-231 cells using multicellular tumor spheroids, CyQUANT and MTT assays.
      These NCs were orally delivered in a breast cancer xenograft mice model, and
      their internalization, cytotoxicity, biodistribution, and anticancer efficacy
      were evaluated. Chitosan-coated calcium phosphate Fe-bLf NCs effectively (59%,
      P<=0.005) internalized in a 1-hour period using clathrin-mediated endocytosis
      (P<=0.05) and energy-mediated pathways (P<=0.05) for internalization; 3.3 mg/mL
      of ACSC-Fe-bLf NCs completely disintegrated (~130-fold reduction, P<=0.0005) the
      tumor spheroids in 72 hours and 96 hours. The IC50 values determined for ACSC-Fe
      bLf NCs were 1.69 mg/mL at 10 hours and 1.62 mg/mL after 20 hours. We found that
      Fe-bLf-NCs effectively (P<=0.05) decreased the tumor size (4.8-fold) compared to
      the void NCs diet and prevented tumor recurrence when compared to intraperitoneal
      injection of Taxol and Doxorubicin. Receptor gene expression and micro-RNA
      analysis confirmed upregulation of low-density lipoprotein receptor and
      transferrin receptor (liver, intestine, and brain). Several micro-RNAs
      responsible for iron metabolism upregulated with NCs were identified. Taken
      together, orally delivered Fe-bLf NCs offer enhanced antitumor activity in breast
      cancer by internalizing via low-density lipoprotein receptor and transferrin
      receptor and regulating the micro-RNA expression. These NCs also restored the
      body iron and calcium levels and increased the hematologic counts. 

PMID- 26124662
TI  - Targeted tumor imaging of anti-CD20-polymeric nanoparticles developed for the
      diagnosis of B-cell malignancies.
AB  - The expectations of nanoparticle (NP)-based targeted drug delivery systems in
      cancer, when compared with convectional therapeutic methods, are greater efficacy
      and reduced drug side effects due to specific cellular-level interactions.
      However, there are conflicting literature reports on enhanced tumor accumulation
      of targeted NPs, which is essential for translating their applications as
      improved drug-delivery systems and contrast agents in cancer imaging. In this
      study, we characterized biodegradable NPs conjugated with an anti-CD20 antibody
      for in vivo imaging and drug delivery onto tumor cells. NPs' binding specificity
      mediated by anti-CD20 antibody was evaluated on MEC1 cells and chronic
      lymphocytic leukemia patients' cells. The whole-body distribution of untargeted
      NPs and anti-CD20 NPs were compared by time-domain optical imaging in a localized
      human/mouse model of B-cell malignancy. These studies provided evidence that NPs'
      functionalization by an anti-CD20 antibody improves tumor pharmacokinetic
      profiles in vivo after systemic administration and increases in vivo imaging of
      tumor mass compared to non-targeted NPs. Together, drug delivery and imaging
      probe represents a promising theranostics tool for targeting B-cell malignancies.

PMID- 26124663
TI  - Circulating thymus and activation-regulated chemokine/CC chemokine ligand 17 is a
      strong candidate diagnostic marker for interstitial lung disease in patients with
      malignant tumors: a result from a pilot study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) level is an established
      diagnostic marker of interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, it is also
      elevated in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The significance of
      circulating thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC)/CC chemokine ligand
      17 (CCL17) in malignant diseases remains unknown. METHODS: We measured
      circulating TARC/CCL17 and KL-6 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and
      electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, respectively, in 26 patients with malignant
      disease and six patients with benign lung disease (BLD). The cutoff levels were
      500 U/mL for KL-6 and 450 pg/mL for TARC/CCL17. The significance of the markers
      was evaluated in relationship to the presence of ILD (n=10). The statistical
      significance was set at P<0.05. RESULTS: The KL-6 positive ratio was
      significantly higher in the patients with NSCLC (n=17) than in those with BLD.
      There was a significant difference in the KL-6 positive ratio between the
      patients with NSCLC without ILD and those with BLD without ILD. However, there
      were no significant differences in the TARC/CCL17 positive ratio between the
      patients with NSCLC and BLD or between those with NSCLC without ILD and those
      with BLD without ILD. The TARC/CCL17 positive ratio was significantly higher in
      the patients with malignancy and ILD than in those without ILD. There was also a
      significant difference in the TARC/CCL17 positive ratio between the patients with
      NSCLC without ILD and those with ILD. CONCLUSION: TARC/CCL17 may be useful for
      the diagnosis of ILD in patients with malignancies. Confirmation of the results
      is warranted through a large-scale study.

PMID- 26124664
TI  - Boussignac CPAP system for brain death confirmation with apneic test in case of
      acute lung injury/adult respiratory distress syndrome - series of cases.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: There are some patients with severe respiratory disturbances like
      adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and suspicion of brain death, for whom
      typical performance of the apneic test is difficult to complete because of quick
      desaturation and rapid deterioration without effective ventilation. To avoid
      failure of brain death confirmation and possible loss of organ donation another
      approach to apneic test is needed. We present two cases of patients with clinical
      symptoms of brain death, with lung pathology (acute lung injury, ARDS, lung
      embolism and lung infection), in whom apneic tests for recognizing brain death
      were difficult to perform. During typical performance of apneic test involving
      the use of oxygen catheter for apneic oxygenation we observed severe desaturation
      with growing hypotension and hemodynamic destabilization. But with the use of
      Boussignac CPAP system all necessary tests were successfully completed,
      confirming the patient's brain death, which gave us the opportunity to perform
      procedures for organ donation. The main reason of apneic test difficulties was
      severe gas exchange disturbances secondary to ARDS. Thus lack of positive end
      expiratory pressure during classical performance of apneic test leads to quick
      desaturation and rapid hemodynamic deterioration, limiting the observation period
      below dedicated at least 10-minute interval. CONCLUSION: The Boussignac CPAP
      system may be an effective tool for performing transparent apneic test in case of
      serious respiratory disturbances, especially in the form of acute lung injury or
      ARDS.

PMID- 26124665
TI  - Should We Put Our Feet in the Water? Use of a Survey to Assess Recreational
      Exposures to Contaminants in the Anacostia River.
AB  - The Anacostia River, a tributary of the Potomac River that flows into the
      Chesapeake Bay, is highly contaminated with raw sewage, heavy metals, oil and
      grease, trash, pathogens, excessive sediments, and organic chemicals. Despite
      this contamination, recreation on the river is very popular, including kayaking,
      canoeing, rowing, and sport fishing. There is currently no information available
      on the potential health risks faced by recreational users from exposure to the
      river's pollutants. A total of 197 recreational users of the Anacostia River were
      surveyed regarding general demographic information and their recreational
      behavior over the previous year, including frequency and duration of recreation
      and specific questions related to their water exposure. 84.1% of respondents who
      engaged in canoeing, kayaking, rowing, rafting, or paddling were exposed to water
      on their bodies during recreation. Some 27.2% of those exposed to water reported
      getting water in their mouth while recreating, and 60.7% of that group reported
      swallowing some of this water. This is the first study to examine the exposure to
      contaminants faced by the recreational population of the Anacostia River. 

PMID- 26124666
TI  - Antischistosomal Activity of Two Active Constituents Isolated from the Leaves of
      Egyptian Medicinal Plants.
AB  - In this paper, we investigate the role of two active constituents isolated from
      the leaves of Egyptian medicinal plants. D-mannitol a naturally occurring sugar
      isolated from the leaves Ixora undulata Roxb., and the pectin a linear chain
      homogalacturonan (HG) polysaccharide isolated from the leaves of Linum
      grandiflorum Desf. (scarlet flax). Both are evaluated for their therapeutic
      effect against schistosomiasis with biochemical and histochemical evaluations and
      compared with praziquantel, a reference drug. Biochemical studies of hepatic
      glucose, the glycogen content, and total serum protein were carried out, and
      histochemical evaluations through serum protein fractions separated by
      polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with different molecular weights (260-10 kDa)
      were made in all groups, in addition to liver and body weight. D-mannitol and
      pectin show a remarkable effect in enhancing liver and kidney functions through
      enhancing most protein fractions in the serum of mice infected with Schistosoma
      mansoni. Also, the glucose and glycogen content in injured liver tissues
      improved, in addition liver and body weight in the infected groups. Thus they may
      be of therapeutic potential in the treatment hepatoxicity and nephrotoxicity. 

PMID- 26124667
TI  - A comparison of the prognostic value of preoperative inflammation-based scores
      and TNM stage in patients with gastric cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: People's Republic of China is one of the countries with the highest
      incidence of gastric cancer, accounting for 45% of all new gastric cancer cases
      in the world. Therefore, strong prognostic markers are critical for the diagnosis
      and survival of Chinese patients suffering from gastric cancer. Recent studies
      have begun to unravel the mechanisms linking the host inflammatory response to
      tumor growth, invasion and metastasis in gastric cancers. Based on this
      relationship between inflammation and cancer progression, several inflammation
      based scores have been demonstrated to have prognostic value in many types of
      malignant solid tumors. OBJECTIVE: To compare the prognostic value of
      inflammation-based prognostic scores and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage in
      patients undergoing gastric cancer resection. METHODS: The inflammation-based
      prognostic scores were calculated for 207 patients with gastric cancer who
      underwent surgery. Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), neutrophil lymphocyte ratio
      (NLR), platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and
      prognostic index (PI) were analyzed. Linear trend chi-square test, likelihood
      ratio chi-square test, and receiver operating characteristic were performed to
      compare the prognostic value of the selected scores and TNM stage. RESULTS: In
      univariate analysis, preoperative serum C-reactive protein (P<0.001), serum
      albumin (P<0.001), GPS (P<0.001), PLR (P=0.002), NLR (P<0.001), PI (P<0.001), PNI
      (P<0.001), and TNM stage (P<0.001) were significantly associated with both
      overall survival and disease-free survival of patients with gastric cancer. In
      multivariate analysis, GPS (P=0.024), NLR (P=0.012), PI (P=0.001), TNM stage
      (P<0.001), and degree of differentiation (P=0.002) were independent predictors of
      gastric cancer survival. GPS and TNM stage had a comparable prognostic value and
      higher linear trend chi-square value, likelihood ratio chi-square value, and
      larger area under the receiver operating characteristic curve as compared to
      other inflammation-based prognostic scores. CONCLUSION: The present study
      indicates that preoperative GPS and TNM stage are robust predictors of gastric
      cancer survival as compared to NLR, PLR, PI, and PNI in patients undergoing tumor
      resection.

PMID- 26124668
TI  - IL-27 rs153109 polymorphism increases the risk of colorectal cancer in Chinese
      Han population.
AB  - IL-27, a new member of the IL-12 family, has been found to have antitumor effects
      in colorectal cancer (CRC); therefore, polymorphisms of this protein may modulate
      CRC carcinogenesis. So, we studied the association of single nucleotide
      polymorphisms of the IL-27 gene with the risk of CRC occurrence using a case
      control using 600 CRC patients and matched healthy controls. The IL-27 rs153109
      polymorphism was analyzed with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment
      length polymorphism and DNA sequencing methods. Data indicate that GG, GA, and
      combined A-variant genotypes (GG + GA) conferred significantly greater risk of
      CRC (P=0.034, 0.002, and 0.001, respectively), and that G alleles were associated
      with higher susceptibility to CRC (P=0.001). However, no correlation was found
      between the IL-27 rs153109 polymorphism and particular clinical features. In
      conclusion, our data demonstrated a clear association of IL-27 rs153109
      polymorphism and the risk of CRC development. 

PMID- 26124669
TI  - Axillary and internal mammary sentinel lymph node biopsy in male breast cancer
      patients: case series and review.
AB  - Male breast cancer (MBC) is considered as a rare disease that accounts for less
      than 1% of all breast cancers, and its treatment has been based on the evidence
      available from female breast cancer. Axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB)
      is now regarded as the standard of care for both female and male patients without
      clinical and imaging evidence of axillary lymph node metastases, while internal
      mammary SLNB has rarely been performed. Internal mammary chain metastasis is an
      independent prognostic predictor. Internal mammary SLNB should be performed to
      complete nodal staging and guide adjuvant therapy in MBC patients with
      preoperative lymphoscintigraphic internal mammary chain drainage. We report both
      axillary and internal mammary SLNB in two cases with MBC. Internal mammary
      sentinel lymph node did contain metastasis in one case. 

PMID- 26124670
TI  - Detection of epidermal growth factor receptor mutation in lung cancer by droplet
      digital polymerase chain reaction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Two types of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in
      exon 19 and exon 21 (ex19del and L858R) are prevalent in lung cancer patients and
      sensitive to targeted EGFR inhibition. A resistance mutation in exon 20 (T790M)
      has been found to accompany drug treatment when patients relapse. These three
      mutations are valuable companion diagnostic biomarkers for guiding personalized
      treatment. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based methods have been
      widely used in the clinic by physicians to guide treatment decisions. The aim of
      this study was to evaluate the technical and clinical sensitivity and specificity
      of the droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) method in detecting the
      three EGFR mutations in patients with lung cancer. METHODS: Genomic DNA from
      H1975 and PC-9 cells, as well as 92 normal human blood specimens, was used to
      determine the technical sensitivity and specificity of the ddPCR assays. Genomic
      DNA of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens from 78 Chinese patients with
      lung adenocarcinoma were assayed using both qPCR and ddPCR. RESULTS: The three
      ddPCR assays had a limit of detection of 0.02% and a wide dynamic range from 1 to
      20,000 copies measurement. The L858R and ex19del assays had a 0% background level
      in the technical and clinical settings. The T790M assay appeared to have a 0.03%
      technical background. The ddPCR assays were robust for correct determination of
      EGFR mutation status in patients, and the dynamic range appeared to be better
      than qPCR methods. The ddPCR assay for T790M could detect patient samples that
      the qPCR method failed to detect. About 49% of this patient cohort had EGFR
      mutations (L858R, 15.4%; ex19del, 29.5%; T790M, 6.4%). Two patients with the
      ex19del mutation also had a naive T790M mutation. CONCLUSION: These data suggest
      that the ddPCR method could be useful in the personalized treatment of patients
      with lung cancer.

PMID- 26124671
TI  - Roles of dopamine receptors and their antagonist thioridazine in hepatoma
      metastasis.
AB  - Tumor metastasis is the most common cause of death and poor prognosis for cancer
      patients. Therapeutics that prevent tumor metastasis are the key to prolonging
      the lifespan of cancer patients. Cancer stem cells are believed to be critical in
      the metastatic process. Recently, drug screening for cancer stem cells reports
      that antipsychotic drugs displayed potential anticancer activity. Thioridazine,
      one of the antipsychotic drugs for dopamine receptors (DRs), is shown to induce
      the differentiation of cancer stem cells in leukemic disease and breast cancer,
      but it is not known if this drug would affect liver cancer. In this study,
      expression of DR5 was higher in tumors than in nontumor adjacent tissues, while
      DR1 was lower in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than those in the adjacent
      tissues. Other DRs were very low or undetectable. Treatment of HCC cells with
      thioridazine displays a dose-dependent response in HCC cell lines SNU449, LM3,
      and Huh7. Thioridazine treatment reduced cell viability and sphere formation of
      HCC cell lines through induction of G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and suppression of
      stemness genes CD133, OCT4, and EpCam. It also inhibited cell migration via
      suppression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes such as
      twist2 and E-cadherin. Thioridazine-pretreated LM3 cells decreased the capacity
      of tumorigenesis in nude mice. Taken together, our data suggest that thioridazine
      may have the potential role in treatment of HCC. 

PMID- 26124672
TI  - Enhanced NK cell adoptive antitumor effects against breast cancer in vitro via
      blockade of the transforming growth factor-beta signaling pathway.
AB  - Natural killer (NK) cells have great potential for improving cancer
      immunotherapy. Adoptive NK cell transfer, an adoptive immunotherapy, represents a
      promising nontoxic anticancer therapy. However, existing data indicate that tumor
      cells can effectively escape NK cell-mediated apoptosis through immunosuppressive
      effects in the tumor microenvironment, and the therapeutic activity of adoptive
      NK cell transfer is not as efficient as anticipated. Transforming growth factor
      beta (TGF-beta) is a potent immunosuppressant. Genetic and epigenetic events that
      occur during mammary tumorigenesis circumvent the tumor-suppressing activity of
      TGF-beta, thereby permitting late-stage breast cancer cells to acquire an
      invasive and metastatic phenotype in response to TGF-beta. To block the TGF-beta
      signaling pathway, NK cells were genetically modified with a dominant-negative
      TGF-beta type II receptor by optimizing electroporation using the Amaxa
      Nucleofector system. These genetically modified NK cells were insensitive to TGF
      beta and resisted the suppressive effect of TGF-beta on MCF-7 breast cancer cells
      in vitro. Our results demonstrate that blocking the TGF-beta signaling pathway to
      modulate the tumor microenvironment can improve the antitumor activity of
      adoptive NK cells in vitro, thereby providing a new rationale for the treatment
      of breast cancer. 

PMID- 26124673
TI  - Early-switch/early-discharge opportunities for hospitalized patients with
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus complicated skin and soft tissue
      infections: proof of concept in the United Arab Emirates.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe real-world treatment patterns and health care resource
      use and to estimate opportunities for early-switch (ES) from intravenous (IV) to
      oral (PO) antibiotics and early-discharge (ED) for patients hospitalized in the
      United Arab Emirates (UAE) with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      (MRSA) complicated skin and soft tissue infections. METHODS: This retrospective
      observational medical chart review study enrolled physicians from four UAE sites
      to collect data for 24 patients with documented MRSA complicated skin and soft
      tissue infections, hospitalized between July 2010 and June 2011, and discharged
      alive by July 2011. Data include clinical characteristics and outcomes, hospital
      length of stay (LOS), MRSA-targeted IV and PO antibiotic use, and ES and ED
      eligibility using literature-based and expert-validated criteria. RESULTS: Five
      included patients (20.8%) were switched from IV to PO antibiotics while being
      inpatients. Actual length of MRSA-active treatment was 10.8+/-7.0 days, with
      9.8+/-6.6 days of IV therapy. Patients were hospitalized for a mean 13.9+/-9.3
      days. The most frequent initial MRSA-active therapies used were vancomycin
      (37.5%), linezolid (16.7%), and clindamycin (16.7%). Eight patients were
      discharged with MRSA-active antibiotics, with linezolid prescribed most
      frequently (n=3; 37.5%). Fifteen patients (62.5%) met ES criteria and potentially
      could have discontinued IV therapy 8.3+/-6.0 days sooner, and eight (33.3%) met
      ED criteria and potentially could have been discharged 10.9+/-5.8 days earlier.
      CONCLUSION: While approximately one-fifth of patients were switched from IV to PO
      antibiotics in the UAE, there were clear opportunities for further optimization
      of health care resource use. Over half of UAE patients hospitalized for MRSA
      complicated skin and soft tissue infections could be eligible for ES, with one
      third eligible for ED opportunities, resulting in substantial potential for
      reductions in IV days and bed days.

PMID- 26124675
TI  - A survey of French general practitioners on the epidemiology of wounds in family
      practice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To measure the frequency and nature of wounds in patients treated in
      general practice and to describe the patients' tetanus vaccination status and the
      sources providing information about this status. METHODS: A descriptive,
      prospective, week-long, national electronic survey was conducted among general
      practitioners within the Sentinelles network. RESULTS: The participation rate was
      12.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.6%-14.6%; 130 general practitioners): 197
      patients with wounds were reported, and 175 of them were described. Wound
      frequency was 1.4 (95% CI, 1.2-1.6) per 100 consultations. These wounds had an
      acute character in 76 (95% CI, 69.7-82.3) of cases, were mostly of traumatic
      origin (54.8% of cases; 95% CI, 47.5%-62.1%), were more than 24 hours old (67.1%;
      95% CI, 59.1%-75.1%), and were clean, without bone and/or muscle decay (94%; 95%
      CI, 90.5%-97.5%). Vaccination status was known for 71 (95% CI, 64-78) patients.
      According to the 2013 immunization schedule, 21% (95% CI, 13.9%-28.1%) of the
      patients had not updated their vaccinations, mostly among the patients older than
      75 years. CONCLUSION: This survey describes in detail the wounds treated in
      general practice in France and the associated patients' immunization status. It
      also shows how difficult it is for general practitioners to assess the risk of
      contracting tetanus and the disease's development. It highlights as well the fact
      that the ideal solution to assess tetanus risk is an up-to-date immunization
      schedule.

PMID- 26124676
TI  - 2-methoxyestradiol Prevents LNCaP Tumor Development in Nude Mice: Potential Role
      of G2/M Regulatory Proteins.
AB  - Nontoxic naturally occurring metabolite of estrogen namely 2-methoxyestradial
      (2ME2) found in serum and urine has been shown to be antitumorigenic in various
      tumor models including the prostate. A recent study conducted in breast cancer
      cells showed growth stimulatory effect of 2ME2 when used at low concentrations
      (10-750 nM). Studies from our laboratory has demonstrated prostate tumor
      preventive ability of 50 mg/kg 2-ME2. In this study we show that concentrations
      of 2-ME2 as low as 1 uM is sufficient to inhibit proliferation and induce
      apoptosis in androgen responsive LNCaP cells. In addition oral administration of
      doses lower than 50 mg/kg prevented prostate tumor development in LNCaP xenograft
      model. The observed tumor growth inhibition was associated with induction of
      apoptosis, increased expression of Wee1 kinase and p34cdc2. In addition
      administration of 25 mg/kg 2-ME2 prevented tumor development significantly that
      is associated with reduction in serum PSA levels. 

PMID- 26124674
TI  - Perspectives on the revised Ghent criteria for the diagnosis of Marfan syndrome.
AB  - Three international nosologies have been proposed for the diagnosis of Marfan
      syndrome (MFS): the Berlin nosology in 1988; the Ghent nosology in 1996 (Ghent
      1); and the revised Ghent nosology in 2010 (Ghent-2). We reviewed the literature
      and discussed the challenges and concepts of diagnosing MFS in adults. Ghent-1
      proposed more stringent clinical criteria, which led to the confirmation of MFS
      in only 32%-53% of patients formerly diagnosed with MFS according to the Berlin
      nosology. Conversely, both the Ghent-1 and Ghent-2 nosologies diagnosed MFS, and
      both yielded similar frequencies of MFS in persons with a causative FBN1 mutation
      (90% for Ghent-1 versus 92% for Ghent-2) and in persons not having a causative
      FBN1 mutation (15% versus 13%). Quality criteria for diagnostic methods include
      objectivity, reliability, and validity. However, the nosology-based diagnosis of
      MFS lacks a diagnostic reference standard and, hence, quality criteria such as
      sensitivity, specificity, or accuracy cannot be assessed. Medical utility of
      diagnosis implies congruency with the historical criteria of MFS, as well as with
      information about the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic triggers, prognostic
      triggers, and potential complications of MFS. In addition, social and
      psychological utilities of diagnostic criteria include acceptance by patients,
      patient organizations, clinicians and scientists, practicability, costs, and the
      reduction of anxiety. Since the utility of a diagnosis or exclusion of MFS is
      context-dependent, prioritization of utilities is a strategic decision in the
      process of nosology development. Screening tests for MFS should be used to
      identify persons with MFS. To confirm the diagnosis of MFS, Ghent-1 and Ghent-2
      perform similarly, but Ghent-2 is easier to use. To maximize the utility of the
      diagnostic criteria of MFS, a fair and transparent process of nosology
      development is essential. 

PMID- 26124677
TI  - RTKN2 Induces NF-KappaB Dependent Resistance to Intrinsic Apoptosis in HEK Cells
      and Regulates BCL-2 Genes in Human CD4(+) Lymphocytes.
AB  - The gene for Rhotekin 2 (RTKN2) was originally identified in a promyelocytic cell
      line resistant to oxysterol-induced apoptosis. It is differentially expressed in
      freshly isolated CD4(+) T-cells compared with other hematopoietic cells and is
      down-regulated following activation of the T-cell receptor. However, very little
      is known about the function of RTKN2 other than its homology to Rho-GTPase
      effector, rhotekin, and the possibility that they may have similar roles. Here we
      show that stable expression of RTKN2 in HEK cells enhanced survival in response
      to intrinsic apoptotic agents; 25-hydroxy cholesterol and camptothecin, but not
      the extrinsic agent, TNFalpha. Inhibitors of NF-KappaB, but not MAPK, reversed
      the resistance and mitochondrial pro-apoptotic genes, Bax and Bim, were down
      regulated. In these cells, there was no evidence of RTKN2 binding to the GTPases,
      RhoA or Rac2. Consistent with the role of RTKN2 in HEK over-expressing cells,
      suppression of RTKN2 in primary human CD4(+) T-cells reduced viability and
      increased sensitivity to 25-OHC. The expression of the pro-apoptotic genes, Bax
      and Bim were increased while BCL-2 was decreased. In both cell models RTKN2
      played a role in the process of intrinsic apoptosis and this was dependent on
      either NF-KappaB signaling or expression of downstream BCL-2 genes. As RTKN2 is a
      highly expressed in CD4(+) T-cells it may play a role as a key signaling switch
      for regulation of genes involved in T-cell survival. 

PMID- 26124679
TI  - Increased Mitochondrial Activity in Anthrax-Induced Cell Death.
AB  - Pathogenesis of anthrax lethal toxin (LT) is attributed to its ability to cause
      death of infected cells. New work has demonstrated that increase of mitochondrial
      F1F0 ATPase activity and subsequent depletion of cellular ATP level are critical
      early events during LT-induced cell death. 

PMID- 26124678
TI  - ATP Depletion Via Mitochondrial F1F0 Complex by Lethal Factor is an Early Event
      in B. Anthracis-Induced Sudden Cell Death.
AB  - Bacillus anthracis' primary virulence factor is a tripartite anthrax toxin
      consisting of edema factor (EF), lethal factor (LF) and protective antigen (PA).
      In complex with PA, EF and LF are internalized via receptor-mediated endocytosis.
      EF is a calmodulin-dependent adenylate cyclase that induces tissue edema. LF is a
      zinc-metalloprotease that cleaves members of mitogen-activated protein kinase
      kinases. Lethal toxin (LT: PA plus LF)-induced death of macrophages is primarily
      attributed to expression of the sensitive Nalp1b allele, inflammasome formation
      and activation of caspase-1, but early events that initiate these processes are
      unknown. Here we provide evidence that an early essential event in pyroptosis of
      alveolar macrophages is LF-mediated depletion of cellular ATP. The underlying
      mechanism involves interaction of LF with F1F0-complex gamma and beta subunits
      leading to increased ATPase activity in mitochondria. In support, mitochondrial
      DNA-depleted MH-S cells have decreased F1F0 ATPase activity due to the lack of
      F06 and F08 polypeptides and show increased resistance to LT. We conclude that
      ATP depletion is an important early event in LT-induced sudden cell death and its
      prevention increases survival of toxin-sensitive cells. 

PMID- 26124680
TI  - A Novel High-Throughput Technique for Identifying Monoclonal Antibodies Capable
      of Death Receptor Induced Apoptosis.
AB  - The study of death receptor family induced apoptosis has gained momentum in
      recent years with the knowledge that therapeutic antibodies targeting DR4 and DR5
      (death receptor's 4 and 5) have proved efficacious in multiple clinical trials.
      The therapeutic rationale is based on targeting and amplifying a tumour tissues
      normal cell death programme (apoptosis). While advances in the targeting of DR4
      and DR5 have been successful the search for an agonistic antibody to another
      family member, the Fas receptor, has proven more elusive. This is partly due to
      the differing in vitro and in vivo characteristics of individual antibodies. In
      order to induce Fas targeted cell death an antibody must be capable of binding to
      and trimerising the receptor. It has been shown that antibodies capable of
      performing this function in vivo, with the assistance of tumour associated cells,
      do not always induce apoptosis in vitro. As a result the use of current
      methodologies to detect functional antibodies in vitro may have dismissed
      potential therapeutic candidates ('false negative'). Here we report a novel high
      throughput screening technique which artificially cross-links antibodies bound to
      the Fas receptor. By combining this process with Annexin-V and Prodidium Iodide
      (PI) staining we can select for antibodies which have the potential to induce
      apoptosis in vivo. 

PMID- 26124681
TI  - The impact of 5-hydroxytryptamine-receptor antagonists on chemotherapy treatment
      adherence, treatment delay, and nausea and vomiting.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine the incidence of chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting
      (CINV) and chemotherapy treatment delay and adherence among patients receiving
      palonosetron versus other 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor antagonist (5-HT3 RA)
      antiemetics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective claims analysis included
      adults with primary malignancies who initiated treatment consisting of single-day
      intravenous highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) or moderately EC (MEC) regimens.
      Treatment delay was defined as a gap in treatment at least twice the National
      Comprehensive Cancer Network-specified cycle length, specific to each
      chemotherapy regimen. Treatment adherence was determined by the percentage of
      patients who received the regimen-specific recommended number of chemotherapy
      cycles within the recommended time frame. RESULTS: We identified 1,832
      palonosetron and 2,387 other 5-HT3 RA ("other") patients who initiated HEC
      therapy, and 1,350 palonosetron users and 1,379 patients on other antiemetics who
      initiated MEC therapy. Fewer patients receiving palonosetron experienced CINV
      versus other (HEC, 27.5% versus 32.2%, P=0.0011; MEC, 36.1% versus 41.7%,
      P=0.0026), and fewer treatment delays occurred among patients receiving
      palonosetron versus other (HEC, 3.2% versus 6.0%, P<0.0001; MEC, 17.0% versus
      26.8%, P<0.0001). Compared with the other cohort, patients receiving palonosetron
      were significantly more adherent to the index chemotherapy regimen with respect
      to the recommended time frame (HEC, 74.7% versus 69.7%, P=0.0004; MEC, 43.1%
      versus 37.3%, P=0.0019) and dosage (HEC, 27.3% versus 25.8%, P=0.0004; MEC, 15.0%
      versus 12.6%, P=0.0019). CONCLUSION: Palonosetron more effectively reduced
      occurrence of CINV in patients receiving HEC or MEC compared with other agents in
      this real-world setting. Additionally, patients receiving palonosetron had better
      adherence and fewer treatment delays than patients receiving other 5-HT3 RAs.

PMID- 26124682
TI  - Critical appraisal of paroxetine for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), characterized by hot flashes and night
      sweats, are the most commonly reported symptoms associated with estrogen
      deficiency during menopause and occur in up to 70% of women. The goal of
      treatment is to reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms. Although hormone
      therapy (HT) is generally recommended as first-line treatment, it is not
      appropriate for all patients. Antidepressants, specifically selective serotonin
      reuptake inhibitors, have been evaluated and utilized internationally for
      alternative treatment for VMS. In 2013, paroxetine mesylate (Brisdelle((r)))
      received a US Food and Drug Administration-labeled indication for moderate-to
      severe hot flashes, making it the first nonhormonal treatment for VMS associated
      with menopause. The objective of this review is to critically evaluate available
      clinical data regarding the efficacy and safety of paroxetine for the treatment
      of VMS in menopausal women. METHODS: MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google Scholar were
      searched using the keywords paroxetine, vasomotor symptoms, hot flashes, and
      menopause. Searches were limited to humans, English language, and clinical trial
      design with a primary outcome of hot flash/vasomotor changes. RESULTS: Paroxetine
      (hydrochloride and mesylate) has been associated with a 33%-67% reduction in hot
      flash frequency with 6-12 weeks of treatment compared to 13.7%-37.8% reductions
      with placebo in patients both with and without a history of breast cancer. It was
      also associated with significant reductions in hot flash severity. Benefits of
      treatment persisted through 24 weeks in the study of the longest duration. Most
      adverse effects reported were of mild-to-moderate severity, with improved
      tolerability associated with lower doses (7.5-12.5 mg/day). CONCLUSION:
      Paroxetine is a safe and effective therapy for the treatment of VMS during
      menopause. Paroxetine (7.5-12.5 mg/day) should be considered a first-line therapy
      option for VMS in patients when HT is either inappropriate or intolerable.

PMID- 26124683
TI  - Suture locking of isolated internal locking knotless suture anchors is not
      affected by bone quality.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mechanical performance of
      different suture locking mechanisms including: i) interference fit between the
      anchor and the bone (eg, 4.5 mm PushLock, 5.5 mm SwiveLock), ii) internal locking
      mechanism within the anchor itself (eg, 5.5 mm SpeedScrew), or iii) a combination
      of interference fit and internal locking (eg, 4.5 mm MultiFIX P, 5.5 mm MultiFIX
      S). METHODS: Anchors were tested in foam blocks representing normal (20/8 foam)
      or osteopenic (8/8 foam) bone, using standard suture loops pulled in-line with
      the anchor to isolate suture locking. Mechanical testing included cyclic testing
      for 500 cycles from 10 N to 60 N at 60 mm/min, followed by failure testing at 60
      mm/min. Displacement after 500 cycles at 60 N, number of cycles at 3 mm
      displacement, load at 3 mm displacement, and maximum load were evaluated.
      RESULTS: Comparing 8/8 foam to 20/8 foam, load at 3 mm displacement and maximum
      load were significantly decreased (P<0.05) with decreased bone quality for
      anchors that, even in part, relied on an interference fit suture locking
      mechanism (ie, 4.5 mm PushLock, 5.5 mm SwiveLock, 4.5 mm MultiFIX P, 5.5 mm
      MultiFIX S). Bone quality did not affect the mechanical performance of 5.5 mm
      SpeedScrew anchors which have an isolated internal locking mechanism. CONCLUSION:
      The mechanical performance of anchors that relied, even in part, on interference
      fit were affected by bone quality. Isolated internal locking knotless suture
      anchors functioned independently of bone quality. Anchors with a combined type
      (interference fit and internal locking) suture locking mechanism demonstrated
      similar mechanical performance to isolated internal locking anchors in osteopenic
      foam comparing similar sized anchors. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In osteopenic bone,
      knotless suture anchors that have an internal locking mechanism (isolated or
      combined type) may be advantageous for secure tendon fixation to bone.

PMID- 26124684
TI  - Perspectives on differing health outcomes by city: accounting for Glasgow's
      excess mortality.
AB  - Several health outcomes (including mortality) and health-related behaviors are
      known to be worse in Scotland than in comparable areas of Europe and the United
      Kingdom. Within Scotland, Greater Glasgow (in West Central Scotland) experiences
      disproportionately poorer outcomes independent of measurable variation in
      socioeconomic status and other important determinants. Many reasons for this have
      been proposed, particularly related to deprivation, inequalities, and variation
      in health behaviors. The use of models (such as the application of Bradford
      Hill's viewpoints on causality to the different hypotheses) has provided useful
      insights on potentially causal mechanisms, with health behaviors and inequalities
      likely to represent the strongest individual candidates. This review describes
      the evolution of our understanding of Glasgow's excess mortality, summarizes some
      of the key work in this area, and provides some suggestions for future areas of
      exploration. In the context of demographic change, the experience in Glasgow is
      an important example of the complexity that frequently lies behind observed
      variations in health outcomes within and between populations. A comprehensive
      explanation of Glasgow's excess mortality may continue to remain elusive, but is
      likely to lie in a complex and difficult-to-measure interplay of health
      determinants acting at different levels in society throughout the life course.
      Lessons learned from the detailed examination of different potentially causative
      determinants in Scotland may provide useful methodological insights that may be
      applied in other settings. Ongoing efforts to unravel the causal mechanisms are
      needed to inform public health efforts to reduce health inequalities and improve
      outcomes in Scotland. 

PMID- 26124685
TI  - Sleep deprivation does not affect neuronal susceptibility to mild traumatic brain
      injury in the rat.
AB  - Mild and moderate traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) (and concussion) occur
      frequently as a result of falls, automobile accidents, and sporting activities,
      and are a major cause of acute and chronic disability. Fatigue and excessive
      sleepiness are associated with increased risk of accidents, but it is unknown
      whether prior sleep debt also affects the pathophysiological outcome of
      concussive injury. Using the "dark neuron" (DN) as a marker of reversible
      neuronal damage, we tested the hypothesis that acute (48 hours) total sleep
      deprivation (TSD) and chronic sleep restriction (CSR; 10 days, 6-hour sleep/day)
      affect DN formation following mild TBI in the rat. TSD and CSR were administered
      using a walking wheel apparatus. Mild TBI was administered under anesthesia using
      a weight-drop impact model, and the acute neuronal response was observed without
      recovery. DNs were detected using standard bright-field microscopy with toluidine
      blue stain following appropriate tissue fixation. DN density was low under home
      cage and sleep deprivation control conditions (respective median DN densities,
      0.14% and 0.22% of neurons), and this was unaffected by TSD alone (0.1%). Mild
      TBI caused significantly higher DN densities (0.76%), and this was unchanged by
      preexisting acute or chronic sleep debt (TSD, 0.23%; CSR, 0.7%). Thus, although
      sleep debt may be predicted to increase the incidence of concussive injury, the
      present data suggest that sleep debt does not exacerbate the resulting neuronal
      damage. 

PMID- 26124686
TI  - Eye Injuries Among Primary School Children in Enugu, Nigeria: Rural vs Urban.
AB  - A cross-sectional survey of the prevalence of eye injuries among primary school
      children in two noncontiguous local government areas of Enugu State of Nigeria
      was undertaken. One of the local government areas was urban, while the other one
      was rural. Children who were <15 years in two randomly selected primary schools
      in the urban area and three randomly selected schools in the rural area were
      interviewed and examined with Snellen chart, pen torch, head loupe, and direct
      ophthalmoscope. The findings were recorded using a semi-structured questionnaire
      and the World Health Organization Programme for Prevention of Blindness (WHO/PBL)
      eye examination form. Training on visual acuity measurement was done for each of
      the class teachers. A total of 1,236 children <15 years of age were studied and
      analyzed. Slightly more females, 652 (52.8%), than males, 584 (47.2%),
      constituted the sample population giving a female/male ratio of 1.1:1. A total of
      98 (7.93%) children had evidence of injury to the eye or its adnexa. Eyelid scar
      was the commonest (5.34%) followed by eyebrow scar (2.10%). Canthal scar was the
      next (0.32%). Two girls had monocular blindness from eye trauma (0.16%). One had
      leucoma, while the other had a dislocated lens. All the monocular blind children
      of this study were from the urban area. The home was the commonest environment
      for an eye injury (69.39%) followed by the school (20.41%). The farm was next in
      frequency (7.14%), especially among boys in the rural area. The church and the
      road/street constituted the remainder. Regarding persons causing the injury, the
      child's playmate was the commonest (55.10%) followed by self (27.55%). Parents
      and guardians were the next (9.18%). These were injuries associated with corporal
      punishment. Corporal punishment-related eye injury, according to this study,
      appears to be common in the rural area and affects boys predominantly. Other
      human intermediary agents that cause an eye injury include passersby (2.04%), RTA
      (2.04%), siblings (2.04%), and others (1.02%). The primary agents that caused an
      eye injury were sticks/wood, 29 (29.60%); stone, 21 (21.43%); pieces of metal, 19
      (19.39%); fall, 10 (10.20%); fight/fist blow, 9 (9.918%); plastic, 2 (2.04%);
      fingernails, 2 (2.04%); farm tools/fruits, 2 (2.04%); and RTA, glass, and
      headbutt, each 1.02%. Farm implements/fruits as well as fingernails appear to be
      fairly common primary agents that cause an eye injury in the rural Enugu,
      Nigeria. In terms of prevalence, there was no significant difference between the
      urban and rural areas. The findings from this study showed a high prevalence of
      eye injury among primary school children. In terms of treatment, 58.16% of the
      children with an eye injury had no form of treatment for it. The children from
      this study with monocular blindness did not receive adequate medical treatment.
      Treatment of an eye injury, according to this study, was sought from chemists
      (19.39%), at hospital/health centers (16.33%), at home (3.06%), and from
      traditional healers (3.06%). The persons who treated an eye injury, as observed
      from this study, were doctors (14.29%), nurses (4.08%), chemists (17.35%), and
      traditional healers and fathers (3.06% each). The frequency of noninjury-related
      diagnosis made in this study was refractive error, 4.85%; allergic
      conjunctivitis, 1.94%; oculocutaneous albinism, 0.24%; prepapillary vascular
      loops, 0.40%; and then ptosis, exotropia, stye, corneal opacity, and retinitis
      pigmentosa, 0.08% each. The annual incidence of an eye injury according to this
      study was 3.48%. The majority of the causes of an eye injury, as per this study,
      were preventable. Appropriate promotion of preventive eye care among children may
      go a long way in reducing the burden of blindness from eye injuries. 

PMID- 26124687
TI  - Issues in assessing products for the treatment of hemophilia - the intersection
      between efficacy, economics, and ethics.
AB  - Following the obviation of the pathogen safety threats posed by previous
      generations of clotting factor concentrates for the treatment of hemophilia, the
      principal issue facing the patient community is timely access to adequate
      supplies of continuously improving therapies. The application of evidence-based
      medicine has enhanced the basis of hemophilia therapy, while resulting in some
      challenges to patient care. Increasingly, the criteria used for the approval and
      payment of treatment products by regulatory and reimbursement agencies,
      respectively, are becoming inflexible and unrealistic. This is occurring
      particularly in the requirements for demonstrating product efficacy.
      Concurrently, emerging evidence of the interpatient variability in the clinical
      response to therapy has led to the proposed personalization of therapeutic
      regimens. Possible impediments to optimal care include competitive tensions among
      suppliers who seek to gain label claims for reimbursement purposes, which result
      in clinical trial designs of, arguably, unethical design, carried out in poor
      countries. We synthesize these converging developments to suggest some changes to
      the current hemophilia treatment paradigm, which should make it more patient
      centric and enable speedier access to new therapies. 

PMID- 26124688
TI  - Iron chelation therapy in transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients: current
      strategies and future directions.
AB  - Transfusional iron overload is a major target in the care of patients with
      transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) and other refractory anemias. Iron
      accumulates in the liver, heart, and endocrine organs leading to a wide array of
      complications. In this review, we summarize the characteristics of the approved
      iron chelators, deferoxamine, deferiprone, and deferasirox, and the evidence
      behind the use of each, as monotherapy or as part of combination therapy. We also
      review the different guidelines on iron chelation in TDT. This review also
      discusses future prospects and directions in the treatment of transfusional iron
      overload in TDT whether through innovation in chelation or other therapies, such
      as novel agents that improve transfusion dependence. 

PMID- 26124689
TI  - Factors that influence the preventive care offered to adolescents accessing
      Public Oral Health Services, NSW, Australia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many adolescents are at risk of dental caries and periodontal
      disease, which may be controlled through health education and clinical preventive
      interventions provided by oral health and dental therapists (therapists). Senior
      clinicians (SCs) can influence the focus of dental care in the New South Wales
      (NSW) Public Oral Health Services as their role is to provide clinical support
      and advice to therapists, advocate for their communities, and inform Local Health
      District (LHD) managers of areas for clinical quality improvement. The objective
      of this study was to record facilitating factors and strategies that are used by
      SCs to encourage therapists to provide preventive care and advice to adolescent
      patients. METHODS: In-depth, semistructured interviews were undertaken with 16
      SCs from all of the 15 NSW LHDs (nine rural and six metropolitan). A framework
      matrix was used to systematically code data and enable key themes to be
      identified for analysis. RESULTS: All SCs from the 15 NSW Health LHDs
      participated in the study. Factors influencing SCs' ability to integrate
      preventive care into clinical practice were: 1) clinical leadership and
      administrative support, 2) professional support network, 3) clinical and
      educational resources, 4) the clinician's patient management aptitude, and 5)
      clinical governance processes. Clinical quality improvement and continuing
      professional development strategies equipped clinicians to manage and enhance
      adolescents' confidence toward self-care. CONCLUSION: This study shows that SCs
      have a clear understanding of strategies to enhance the therapist's offer of
      scientific-based preventive care to adolescents. The problem they face is that
      currently, success is measured in terms of relief of pain activities,
      restorations placed, and extraction of teeth, which is an outdated concept.
      However, to improve clinical models of care will require the overarching
      administrative authority, NSW Health, to accept that the scientific evidence
      relating to dental care has changed and that management monitoring information
      should be incorporated into NSW Health reforms.

PMID- 26124690
TI  - Promoting family meals: a review of existing interventions and opportunities for
      future research.
AB  - Evidence suggests that regular family meals protect against unhealthy eating and
      obesity during childhood and adolescence. However, there is limited information
      on ways to promote family meals as part of health promotion and obesity
      prevention efforts. The primary aim of this review was to synthesize the
      literature on strategies to promote family meals among families with school-aged
      children and adolescents. First, we reviewed interventions that assess family
      meals as an outcome and summarized strategies that have been used in these
      interventions. Second, we reviewed correlates and barriers to family meals to
      identify focal populations and target constructs for consideration in new
      interventions. During May 26-27, 2014, PubMed and PsycInfo databases were
      searched to identify literature on family meals published between January 1, 2000
      and May 27, 2014. Two reviewers coded 2,115 titles/abstracts, yielding a sample
      of 139 articles for full-text review. Six interventions and 43 other studies
      presenting data on correlates of or barriers to family meals were included in the
      review. Four interventions resulted in greater family meal frequency. Although
      there were a small number of interventions, intervention settings were diverse
      and included the home, community, medical settings, the workplace, and the
      Internet. Common strategies were goal setting and interactive group activities,
      and intervention targets included cooking and food preparation, cost, shopping,
      and adolescent influence. Although methodological nuances may contribute to mixed
      findings, key correlates of family meals were employment, socioeconomic and
      demographic factors, family structure, and psychosocial constructs. Barriers to
      consider in future interventions include time and scheduling challenges, cost,
      and food preferences. Increasing youth involvement in mealtime, tailoring
      interventions to family characteristics, and providing support for families
      experiencing time-related barriers are suggested strategies for future research. 

PMID- 26124691
TI  - Left Ventricle-Arterial System Interaction in Heart Failure.
AB  - Ejection fraction (EF) has been viewed as an important index in assessing the
      contractile state of the left ventricle (LV). However, it is frequently
      inadequate for the diagnosis and management of heart failure (HF), as a
      significant subset of HF patients have been found to have reduced EF (HFrEF)
      whereas others have preserved EF (HFpEF). It should be noted that the function of
      the LV is dependent on both preload and afterload, as well as its intrinsic
      contractile state. Furthermore, stroke volume (SV) is dependent on the properties
      of the arterial system (AS). Thus, the LV-arterial system interaction plays an
      important role in those patients with HF. This aspect is investigated through the
      analysis of the specific parameters involved in the coupling of the LV and AS.
      This includes contractility and the systolic/diastolic indices of the LV.
      Furthermore, AS afterload parameters such as vascular stiffness and arterial
      compliance, and their derived coupling coefficient, are also investigated. We
      conclude that those parameters, which relate to LV structural changes, are most
      appropriate in quantifying the LV-AS interaction. 

PMID- 26124692
TI  - Pulmonary Hypertension an Independent Risk Factor for Death in Intensive Care
      Unit: Correlation of Hemodynamic Factors with Mortality.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Critically ill patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) pose
      additional challenges due to the existence of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction.
      The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of hemodynamic factors on the
      outcome. METHODS: We reviewed the records of patients with a diagnosis of PH
      admitted to the intensive care unit. In addition to evaluating traditional
      hemodynamic parameters, we defined severe PH as right atrial pressure >20 mmHg,
      mean pulmonary artery pressure >55 mmHg, or cardiac index (CI) <2 L/min/m(2). We
      also defined the RV functional index (RFI) as pulmonary artery systolic pressure
      (PASP) adjusted for CI as PASP/CI; increasing values reflect RV dysfunction.
      RESULTS: Fifty-three patients (mean age 60 years, 72% women, 79% Blacks), were
      included in the study. Severe PH was present in 68% of patients who had higher
      Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (6.8 +/- 3.3 vs 3.8 +/- 1.6; P =
      0.001) and overall in-hospital mortality (36% vs 6%; P = 0.02) compared to
      nonsevere patients, although Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation
      (APACHE) II scores (19.9 +/- 7.5 vs 18.5 +/- 6.04; P = 0.52) were similar and
      sepsis was more frequent among nonsevere PH patients (31 vs 64%; P = 0.02).
      Severe PH (P = 0.04), lower mean arterial pressure (P = 0.04), and CI (P = 0.01);
      need for invasive ventilation (P = 0.02) and vasopressors (P = 0.03); and higher
      SOFA (P = 0.001), APACHE II (P = 0.03), pulmonary vascular resistance index
      (PVRI) (P = 0.01), and RFI (P = 0.004) were associated with increased mortality.
      In a multivariate model, SOFA [OR = 1.45, 95% confidence interval (C.I.) = 1.09
      1.93; P = 0.01], PVRI (OR = 1.12, 95% C.I. = 1.02-1.24; P = 0.02), and increasing
      RFI (OR = 1.06, 95% C.I. = 1.01-1.11; P = 0.01) were independently associated
      with mortality. CONCLUSION: PH is an independent risk factor for mortality in
      critically ill patients. Composite factors rather than individual hemodynamic
      parameters are better predictors of outcome. Monitoring of RV function using
      composite hemodynamic factors resulting in specific interventions is likely to
      improve survival and needs to be studied further.

PMID- 26124694
TI  - Comment on "Safety and Tolerance Evaluation of Milk Fat Globule Membrane-Enriched
      Infant Formulas: A Randomized Controlled Multicenter Non-Inferiority Trial in
      Healthy Term Infants".

PMID- 26124693
TI  - The Relationship between Stapes Prosthesis Length and Rate of Stapedectomy
      Success.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To identify whether measurement of the prosthesis length is mandatory
      in patients requiring otosclerosis surgeries and to assess their postoperative
      audiometric outcomes. In addition, evaluation of prosthesis length used in
      revision compared to primary stapedectomy was carried out. STUDY DESIGN: Case
      series with chart review. METHODS: Chart review of 393 patients undergoing
      primary (321) versus revision stapedectomy (72) was performed in a tertiary
      referral center. The indication for surgery was the presence or
      persistence/recurrence of an air-bone gap (ABG) greater than 20 dB. Air and bone
      conduction thresholds (ACT and BCT, respectively), ABG as well as pure tone
      averages (PTAs) were determined for all patients, and the results were compared
      preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS: Prosthesis length used ranged from
      3.0 to 6.0 mm without differences between primary and revision groups. Of the
      revision surgeries, 62.5% were stapedectomies versus stapedotomies (P < 0.001).
      Patients showed significant decrease in speech discrimination score, with
      increased air and bone conduction thresholds as well as mean ABG and PTA before
      the revision surgeries as a first procedure failure. Prosthesis length changes
      occurred in 73.5% of the cases, with an average absolute change of 0.55 mm.
      Prosthesis length did not affect postoperative audiometric results between
      primary and revision groups, in all surgeries combined. When grouping stapes
      surgery into accurately versus inaccurately measured incus-footplate distance,
      significant differences were observed in prosthesis length employed (P < 0.01).
      Hearing outcomes were also better in the group in which an accurately measured
      prosthesis was chosen, as opposed to "standard-length" prosthesis. CONCLUSIONS:
      This study corroborates postoperative success rates of revision surgeries, which
      show smaller improvements in hearing compared to a primary intervention. Accurate
      intra-operative measurement of prosthesis length was correlated with better
      audiometric results postoperatively.

PMID- 26124695
TI  - Presentation of a Clitoral Mass in a Prepubescent Female: A Case Report and
      Discussion of the Evaluation.
AB  - Clitoral masses are rare. We present a case report of a prepubescent female with
      a periclitoral mass. 

PMID- 26124696
TI  - Clinical potential of methylphenidate in the treatment of cocaine addiction: a
      review of the current evidence.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cocaine use continues to be a public health problem, yet there is no
      proven effective pharmacotherapy for cocaine dependence. A promising approach to
      treating cocaine dependence may be agonist-replacement therapy, which is already
      used effectively in the treatment of opioid and tobacco dependence. The
      replacement approach for cocaine dependence posits that administration of a long
      acting stimulant medication should normalize the neurochemical and behavioral
      perturbations resulting from chronic cocaine use. One potential medication to be
      substituted for cocaine is methylphenidate (MPH), as this stimulant possesses
      pharmacobehavioral properties similar to those of cocaine. AIM: To provide a
      qualitative review addressing the rationale for the use of MPH as a cocaine
      substitute and its clinical potential in the treatment of cocaine dependence.
      METHODS: We searched MEDLINE for clinical studies using MPH in patients with
      cocaine abuse/dependence and screened the bibliographies of the articles found
      for pertinent literature. RESULTS: MPH, like cocaine, increases synaptic dopamine
      by inhibiting dopamine reuptake. The discriminative properties, reinforcing
      potential, and subjective effects of MPH and cocaine are almost identical and,
      importantly, MPH has been found to substitute for cocaine in animals and human
      volunteers under laboratory conditions. When taken orally in therapeutic doses,
      its abuse liability, however, appears low, which is especially true for extended
      release MPH preparations. Though there are promising data in the literature,
      mainly from case reports and open-label studies, the results of randomized
      controlled trials have been disappointing so far and do not corroborate the use
      of MPH as a substitute for cocaine dependence in patients without attention
      deficit hyperactivity disorder. CONCLUSION: Clinical studies evaluating MPH
      substitution for cocaine dependence have provided inconsistent findings. However,
      the negative findings may be explained by specific study characteristics, among
      them dosing, duration of treatment, or sample size. This needs to be considered
      when discussing the potential of MPH as replacement therapy for cocaine
      dependence. Finally, based on the results, we suggest possible directions for
      future research.

PMID- 26124698
TI  - Stromal-epithelial responses to fractionated radiotherapy in a breast cancer
      microenvironment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The stromal-epithelial-cell interactions that are responsible for
      directing normal breast-tissue development and maintenance play a central role in
      the progression of breast cancer. In the present study, we continued our
      development of three-dimensional (3-D) cell co-cultures used to study cancerous
      mammary cell responses to fractionated radiotherapy. In particular, we focused on
      the role of the reactive stroma in determining the therapeutic ratio for post
      surgical treatment. METHODS: Cancerous human mammary epithelial cells (MRC-7)
      were cultured in a 3-D collagen matrix with human fibroblasts (MRC-5) stimulated
      by various concentrations of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1). These
      culture samples were designed to model the post-lumpectomy mammary stroma in the
      presence of residual cancer cells. We tracked over time the changes in medium
      stiffness, fibroblast-cell activation (MRC-5 converted to cancer activated
      fibroblasts (CAFs)), and proliferation of both cell types under a variety of
      fractionated radiotherapy protocols. Samples were exposed to 6 MV X-rays from a
      linear accelerator in daily fraction sizes of 90, 180 and 360 cGy over five days
      in a manner consistent with irradiation exposure during radiotherapy. RESULTS: We
      found in fractionation studies with MRC-5 fibroblasts and CAFs that higher doses
      per fraction may be more effective early on in deactivating cancer-harboring
      cellular environments. Higher-dose fraction schemes inhibit contractility in CAFs
      and prevent differentiation of fibroblasts, thereby metabolically uncoupling
      tumor cells from their surrounding stroma. However, higher dose fraction appears
      to increase ECM stiffening. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that dose
      escalation to the region with residual disease can deactivate the reactive
      stroma, thus minimizing the cancer promoting features of the cellular
      environment. Large-fraction irradiation may be used to sterilize residual tumor
      cells and inhibit activation of intracellular transduction pathways that are
      promoted during the post-surgical wound-healing period. The higher dose fractions
      may slow wound healing and increase ECM stiffening that could stimulate
      proliferation of surviving cancer cells.

PMID- 26124697
TI  - The potential role of COX-2 in cancer stem cell-mediated canine mammary tumor
      initiation: an immunohistochemical study.
AB  - Increasing evidence suggests that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for
      tumor initiation and maintenance. Additionally, it is becoming apparent that
      cyclooxygenase (COX) signaling is associated with canine mammary tumor
      development. The goals of the present study were to investigate COX-2 expression
      patterns and their effect on CSC-mediated tumor initiation in primary canine
      mammary tissues and tumorsphere models using immunohistochemistry. Patterns of
      COX-2, CD44, octamer-binding transcription factor (Oct)-3/4, and epidermal growth
      factor receptor (EGFR) expression were examined in malignant mammary tumor (MMT)
      samples and analyzed in terms of clinicopathological characteristics. COX-2 and
      Oct-3/4 expression was higher in MMTs compared to other histological samples with
      heterogeneous patterns. In MMTs, COX-2 expression correlated with tumor
      malignancy features. Significant associations between COX-2, CD44, and EGFR were
      observed in low-differentiated MMTs. Comparative analysis showed that the levels
      of COX-2, CD44, and Oct-3/4 expression varied significantly among TSs of three
      histological grades. Enhanced COX-2 staining was consistently observed in TSs.
      Similar levels of staining intensity were found for CD44 and Oct-3/4, but EGFR
      expression was weak. Our findings indicate the potential role of COX-2 in CSC
      mediated tumor initiation, and suggest that COX-2 inhibition may help treat
      canine mammary tumors by targeting CSCs. 

PMID- 26124699
TI  - Implementation of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in daily practice:
      the need for comprehensive education for professionals and patients.
AB  - Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are increasingly used for
      the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism and for stroke prevention
      in patients with atrial fibrillation. NOACs do not require routine coagulation
      monitoring, creating a challenge to established systems for patient follow-up
      based on regular blood tests. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) are required to
      cope with a mixture of patients receiving either a vitamin K antagonist or a NOAC
      for the same indications, and both professionals and patients require education
      about the newer drugs. A European working group convened to consider the
      challenges facing HCPs and healthcare systems in different countries and the
      educational gaps that hinder optimal patient management. Group members emphasised
      the need for regular follow-up and noted national, regional and local variations
      in set-up and resources for follow-up. Practical incorporation of NOACs into
      healthcare systems must adapt to these differences, and practical follow-up that
      works in some systems may not be able to be implemented in others. The initial
      prescriber of a NOAC should preferably be a true anticoagulation specialist, who
      can provide initial patient education and coordinate the follow-up. The long-term
      follow-up care of patients can be managed through specialist coagulation nurses,
      in a dedicated anticoagulation clinic or by general practitioners trained in NOAC
      use. The initial prescriber should be involved in educating those who perform the
      follow-up. Specialist nurses require access to tools, potentially including
      specific software, to guide systematic patient assessment and workflow. Problem
      cases should be referred for specialist advice, whereas in cases for which
      minimal specialist attention is required, the general practitioner could take
      responsibility for patient follow-up. Hospital departments and anticoagulation
      clinics should proactively engage with all downstream HCPs (including
      pharmacists) to ensure their participation in patient management and
      reinforcement of patient education at every opportunity. Ideally, (transmural)
      protocols for emergency situations should be developed. Last but not least,
      patients should be well-informed about their condition, the treatment, possible
      risk scenarios, including the consequences of non-adherence to prescribed
      therapy, and the organisation of follow-up care. 

PMID- 26124700
TI  - Cost-utility analysis of certolizumab pegol versus alternative tumour necrosis
      factor inhibitors available for the treatment of moderate-to-severe active
      rheumatoid arthritis in Spain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Certolizumab pegol, a PEGylated tumour necrosis factor (TNF)
      inhibitor, improves the clinical signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
      when used in combination with methotrexate or as monotherapy. This study
      evaluatedthe cost-utility of certolizumab pegol versusTNF-inhibitors plus
      methotrexate in the treatment of moderate-to-severe RA in Spain. METHODS: A
      Markov cohort health state transition model was developed to evaluate the cost
      utility (costs and quality-adjusted life years [QALYs]) of certolizumab pegol
      versus other TNF-inhibitors licensed in Spain in 2009. Efficacy was measured
      using the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) responses at 6 months, based on
      adjusted indirect comparisons from published clinical trials. Utilities were
      derived from EQ-5D data from certolizumab pegol RA clinical trials. Clinical
      history and resource use data came from published literature. Unit costs were
      taken from Spanish databases or published data (cost year 2009). Base case
      analyses were conducted from the payer perspective, with a lifetime horizon, 3.5
      % annual discounting rates for costs and outcomes, and 3 % inflation rate for
      2009 onwards. One-way sensitivity analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The average
      lifetime costs for certolizumab pegol, etanercept, adalimumab (every 2 weeks and
      weekly) and infliximab (3 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg) in combination with methotrexate
      were ?140,971, ?141,197, ?139,148, ?164,741, ?136,961 and ?152,561, respectively.
      The QALYs gained were 6.578, 6.462, 6.430 (for both adalimumab doses), 6.430, and
      6.318 (for both infliximab doses), respectively. At a ?30,000/QALY willingness-to
      pay threshold, certolizumab pegol plus methotrexate dominated adalimumab weekly,
      etanercept, and infliximab 5 mg/kg, and was cost-effective versus adalimumab
      every 2 weeks and infliximab 3 mg/kg (all with methotrexate), with estimated
      ICERs of ?12,346/QALY and ?15,414/QALY, respectively. Certolizumab pegol
      monotherapy was more cost-effective versus adalimumab, and less expensive with
      similar health gains versus etanercept (6.416 QALYs vs 6.492). Univariate
      analysis showed ICERs to be sensitive to changes in time horizon, ACR response
      time point, baseline Heath Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score, and rate of HAQ
      disability index deterioration after discontinuing treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This
      analysis shows that certolizumab pegol is cost-effective compared with other TNF
      inhibitors recommended in Spain for the treatment of RA.

PMID- 26124701
TI  - Testosterone is associated with cooperation during intergroup competition by
      enhancing parochial altruism.
AB  - The steroid hormone testosterone is widely associated with negative behavioral
      effects, such as aggression or dominance. However, recent studies applying
      economic exchange tasks revealed conflicting results. While some point to a
      prosocial effect of testosterone by increasing altruistic behavior, others report
      that testosterone promotes antisocial tendencies. Taking into account additional
      factors such as parochial altruism (i.e., ingroup favoritism and outgroup
      hostility) might help to explain this contradiction. First evidence for a link
      between testosterone and parochial altruism comes from recently reported data of
      male soccer fans playing the ultimatum game. In this study high levels of
      endogenous testosterone predicted increased altruistic punishment during outgroup
      interactions and at the same time heightened ingroup generosity. Here, we report
      findings of another experimental task, the prisoner's dilemma, applied in the
      same context to examine the role of testosterone on parochial tendencies in terms
      of cooperation. In this task, 50 male soccer fans were asked to decide whether or
      not they wanted to cooperate with partners marked as either fans of the subject's
      own favorite team (ingroup) or fans of other teams (outgroups). Our results show
      that high testosterone levels were associated with increased ingroup cooperation
      during intergroup competition. In addition, subjects displaying a high degree of
      parochialism during intergroup competition had significantly higher levels of
      testosterone than subjects who did not differentiate much between the different
      groups. In sum, the present data demonstrate that the behavioral effects of
      testosterone are not limited to aggressive and selfish tendencies but may imply
      prosocial aspects depending on the context. By this means, our results support
      the previously reported findings on testosterone-dependent intergroup bias and
      indicate that this social hormone might be an important factor driving parochial
      altruism. 

PMID- 26124702
TI  - Brain-to-text: decoding spoken phrases from phone representations in the brain.
AB  - It has long been speculated whether communication between humans and machines
      based on natural speech related cortical activity is possible. Over the past
      decade, studies have suggested that it is feasible to recognize isolated aspects
      of speech from neural signals, such as auditory features, phones or one of a few
      isolated words. However, until now it remained an unsolved challenge to decode
      continuously spoken speech from the neural substrate associated with speech and
      language processing. Here, we show for the first time that continuously spoken
      speech can be decoded into the expressed words from intracranial
      electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings.Specifically, we implemented a system,
      which we call Brain-To-Text that models single phones, employs techniques from
      automatic speech recognition (ASR), and thereby transforms brain activity while
      speaking into the corresponding textual representation. Our results demonstrate
      that our system can achieve word error rates as low as 25% and phone error rates
      below 50%. Additionally, our approach contributes to the current understanding of
      the neural basis of continuous speech production by identifying those cortical
      regions that hold substantial information about individual phones. In conclusion,
      the Brain-To-Text system described in this paper represents an important step
      toward human-machine communication based on imagined speech. 

PMID- 26124703
TI  - The role of the ubiquitin-editing enzyme A20 in diseases of the central nervous
      system and other pathological processes.
AB  - In recent years, the ubiquitin-editing enzyme A20 has been shown to control a
      large set of molecular pathways involved in the regulation of protective as well
      as self-directed immune responses. Here, we assess the current and putative roles
      of A20 in inflammatory, vascular and degenerative diseases of the central nervous
      system and explore future directions of research. 

PMID- 26124704
TI  - Wnt-related SynGAP1 is a neuroprotective factor of glutamatergic synapses against
      Abeta oligomers.
AB  - Wnt-5a is a synaptogenic factor that modulates glutamatergic synapses and
      generates neuroprotection against Abeta oligomers. It is known that Wnt-5a plays
      a key role in the adult nervous system and synaptic plasticity. Emerging evidence
      indicates that miRNAs are actively involved in the regulation of synaptic
      plasticity. Recently, we showed that Wnt-5a is able to control the expression of
      several miRNAs including miR-101b, which has been extensively studied in
      carcinogenesis. However, its role in brain is just beginning to be explored. That
      is why we aim to study the relationship between Wnt-5a and miRNAs in
      glutamatergic synapses. We performed in silico analysis which predicted that miR
      101b may inhibit the expression of synaptic GTPase-Activating Protein (SynGAP1),
      a Ras GTPase-activating protein critical for the development of cognition and
      proper synaptic function. Through overexpression of miR-101b, we showed that miR
      101b is able to regulate the expression of SynGAP1 in an hippocampal cell line.
      Moreover and consistent with a decrease of miR-101b, Wnt-5a enhances SynGAP
      expression in cultured hippocampal neurons. Additionally, Wnt-5a increases the
      activity of SynGAP in a time-dependent manner, with a similar kinetic to CaMKII
      phosphorylation. This also, correlates with a modulation in the SynGAP clusters
      density. On the other hand, Abeta oligomers permanently decrease the number of
      SynGAP clusters. Interestingly, when neurons are co-incubated with Wnt-5a and
      Abeta oligomers, we do not observe the detrimental effect of Abeta oligomers,
      indicating that, Wnt-5a protects neurons from the synaptic failure triggered by
      Abeta oligomers. Overall, our findings suggest that SynGAP1 is part of the
      signaling pathways induced by Wnt-5a. Therefore, possibility exists that SynGAP
      is involved in the synaptic protection against Abeta oligomers. 

PMID- 26124705
TI  - Impact of electromagnetic fields on stem cells: common mechanisms at the
      crossroad between adult neurogenesis and osteogenesis.
AB  - In the recent years adult neural and mesenchymal stem cells have been intensively
      investigated as effective resources for repair therapies. In vivo and in vitro
      studies have provided insights on the molecular mechanisms underlying the
      neurogenic and osteogenic processes in adulthood. This knowledge appears
      fundamental for the development of targeted strategies to manipulate stem cells.
      Here we review recent literature dealing with the effects of electromagnetic
      fields on stem cell biology that lends support to their use as a promising tool
      to positively influence the different steps of neurogenic and osteogenic
      processes. We will focus on recent studies revealing that extremely-low frequency
      electromagnetic fields enhance adult hippocampal neurogenesis by inducing
      epigenetic modifications on the regulatory sequences of genes responsible for
      neural stem cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation. In light of the
      emerging critical role played by chromatin modifications in maintaining the
      stemness as well as in regulating stem cell differentiation, we will also attempt
      to exploit epigenetic changes that can represent common targets for
      electromagnetic field effects on neurogenic and osteogenic processes. 

PMID- 26124706
TI  - Functional expression of bradykinin B1 and B2 receptors in neonatal rat
      trigeminal ganglion neurons.
AB  - Bradykinin (BK) and its receptors (B1 and B2 receptors) play important roles in
      inflammatory nociception. However, the patterns of expression and
      physiological/pathological functions of B1 and B2 receptors in trigeminal
      ganglion (TG) neurons remain to be fully elucidated. We investigated the
      functional expression of BK receptors in rat TG neurons. We observed intense
      immunoreactivity of B2 receptors in TG neurons, while B1 receptors showed weak
      immunoreactivity. Expression of the B2 receptor colocalized with
      immunoreactivities against the pan-neuronal marker, neurofilament H, substance P,
      isolectin B4, and tropomyosin receptor kinase A antibodies. Both in the presence
      and absence of extracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]o), BK application increased the
      concentration of intracellular free Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i). The amplitudes of BK
      induced [Ca(2+)]i increase in the absence of [Ca(2+)]o were significantly smaller
      than those in the presence of Ca(2+). In the absence of [Ca(2+)]o, BK-induced
      [Ca(2+)]i increases were sensitive to B2 receptor antagonists, but not to a B1
      receptor antagonist. However, B1 receptor agonist, Lys-[Des-Arg(9)]BK,
      transiently increased [Ca(2+)]i in primary cultured TG neurons, and these
      increases were sensitive to a B1 receptor antagonist in the presence of
      [Ca(2+)]o. These results indicated that B2 receptors were constitutively
      expressed and their activation induced the mobilization of [Ca(2+)]i from
      intracellular stores with partial Ca(2+) influx by BK. Although constitutive B1
      receptor expression could not be clearly observed immunohistochemically in the TG
      cryosection, cultured TG neurons functionally expressed B1 receptors, suggesting
      that both B1 and B2 receptors involve pathological and physiological nociceptive
      functions. 

PMID- 26124707
TI  - Neuronal response impedance mechanism implementing cooperative networks with low
      firing rates and MUs precision.
AB  - Realizations of low firing rates in neural networks usually require globally
      balanced distributions among excitatory and inhibitory links, while feasibility
      of temporal coding is limited by neuronal millisecond precision. We show that
      cooperation, governing global network features, emerges through nodal properties,
      as opposed to link distributions. Using in vitro and in vivo experiments we
      demonstrate microsecond precision of neuronal response timings under low
      stimulation frequencies, whereas moderate frequencies result in a chaotic
      neuronal phase characterized by degraded precision. Above a critical stimulation
      frequency, which varies among neurons, response failures were found to emerge
      stochastically such that the neuron functions as a low pass filter, saturating
      the average inter-spike-interval. This intrinsic neuronal response impedance
      mechanism leads to cooperation on a network level, such that firing rates are
      suppressed toward the lowest neuronal critical frequency simultaneously with
      neuronal microsecond precision. Our findings open up opportunities of controlling
      global features of network dynamics through few nodes with extreme properties. 

PMID- 26124709
TI  - Neuroanatomical association of hypothalamic HSD2-containing neurons with ERalpha,
      catecholamines, or oxytocin: implications for feeding?
AB  - This study used immunohistochemical methods to investigate the possibility that
      hypothalamic neurons that contain 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2
      (HSD2) are involved in the control of feeding by rats via neuroanatomical
      associations with the alpha subtype of estrogen receptor (ERalpha),
      catecholamines, and/or oxytocin (OT). An aggregate of HSD2-containing neurons is
      located laterally in the hypothalamus, and the numbers of these neurons were
      greatly increased by estradiol treatment in ovariectomized (OVX) rats compared to
      numbers in male rats and in OVX rats that were not given estradiol. However, HSD2
      containing neurons were anatomically segregated from ERalpha-containing neurons
      in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus and the Arcuate Nucleus. There was an absence of
      OT-immunolabeled fibers in the area of HSD2-labeled neurons. Taken together,
      these findings provide no support for direct associations between hypothalamic
      HSD2 and ERalpha or OT neurons in the control of feeding. In contrast, there was
      catecholamine-fiber labeling in the area of HSD2-labeled neurons, and these
      fibers occasionally were in close apposition to HSD2-labeled neurons. Therefore,
      we cannot rule out interactions between HSD2 and catecholamines in the control of
      feeding; however, given the relative sparseness of the appositions, any such
      interaction would appear to be modest. Thus, these studies do not conclusively
      identify a neuroanatomical substrate by which HSD2-containing neurons in the
      hypothalamus may alter feeding, and leave the functional role of hypothalamic
      HSD2-containing neurons subject to further investigation. 

PMID- 26124710
TI  - Characterizing the therapeutic response to deep brain stimulation for treatment
      resistant depression: a single center long-term perspective.
AB  - The number of depressed patients treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) is
      relatively small. However, experience with this intervention now spans more than
      10 years at some centers, with study subjects typically monitored closely. Here
      we describe one center's evolving impressions regarding optimal patient selection
      for DBS of the subcallosal cingulate (SCC) as well as observations of short- and
      long-term patterns in antidepressant response and mood reactivity. A consistent
      time course of therapeutic response with distinct behavioral phases is observed.
      Early phases are characterized by changes in mood reactivity and a transient and
      predictable worsening in self ratings prior to stabilization of response. It is
      hypothesized that this characteristic recovery curve reflects the timeline of
      neuroplasticity in response to DBS. Further investigation of these emerging
      predictable psychiatric, biological, and psychosocial patterns will both improve
      treatment optimization and enhance understanding and recognition of meaningful
      DBS antidepressant effects. 

PMID- 26124708
TI  - Lateral hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens, and ventral pallidum roles in eating and
      hunger: interactions between homeostatic and reward circuitry.
AB  - The study of the neural bases of eating behavior, hunger, and reward has
      consistently implicated the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and its interactions with
      mesocorticolimbic circuitry, such as mesolimbic dopamine projections to nucleus
      accumbens (NAc) and ventral pallidum (VP), in controlling motivation to eat. The
      NAc and VP play special roles in mediating the hedonic impact ("liking") and
      motivational incentive salience ("wanting") of food rewards, and their
      interactions with LH help permit regulatory hunger/satiety modulation of food
      motivation and reward. Here, we review some progress that has been made regarding
      this circuitry and its functions: the identification of localized anatomical
      hedonic hotspots within NAc and VP for enhancing hedonic impact; interactions of
      NAc/VP hedonic hotspots with specific LH signals such as orexin; an anterior
      posterior gradient of sites in NAc shell for producing intense appetitive eating
      vs. intense fearful reactions; and anatomically distributed appetitive functions
      of dopamine and mu opioid signals in NAc shell and related structures. Such
      findings help improve our understanding of NAc, VP, and LH interactions in
      mediating affective and motivation functions, including "liking" and "wanting"
      for food rewards. 

PMID- 26124711
TI  - A time estimation task as a possible measure of emotions: difference depending on
      the nature of the stimulus used.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Time perception is fundamental for human experience. A topic which has
      attracted the attention of researchers for long time is how the stimulus sensory
      modality (e.g., images vs. sounds) affects time judgments. However, so far, no
      study has directly compared the effect of two sensory modalities using emotional
      stimuli on time judgments. METHODS: In the present two studies, healthy
      participants were asked to estimate the duration of a pure sound preceded by the
      presentation of odors vs. emotional videos as priming stimuli (implicit emotion
      eliciting task). During the task, skin conductance (SC) was measured as an index
      of arousal. RESULTS: Olfactory stimuli resulted in an increase in SC and in a
      constant time overestimation. Video stimuli resulted in an increase in SC
      (emotional arousal), which decreased linearly overtime. Critically, video stimuli
      resulted in an initial time underestimation, which shifted progressively towards
      a time overestimation. These results suggest that video stimuli recruited both
      arousal-related and attention-related mechanisms, and that the role played by
      these mechanisms changed overtime. CONCLUSIONS: These pilot studies highlight the
      importance of comparing the effect of different kinds on temporal estimation
      tasks, and suggests that odors are well suited to investigate arousal-related
      temporal distortions, while videos are ideal to investigate both arousal-related
      and attention-related mechanisms.

PMID- 26124712
TI  - Childhood Poverty Predicts Adult Amygdala and Frontal Activity and Connectivity
      in Response to Emotional Faces.
AB  - Childhood poverty negatively impacts physical and mental health in adulthood.
      Altered brain development in response to social and environmental factors
      associated with poverty likely contributes to this effect, engendering
      maladaptive patterns of social attribution and/or elevated physiological stress.
      In this fMRI study, we examined the association between childhood poverty and
      neural processing of social signals (i.e., emotional faces) in adulthood. Fifty
      two subjects from a longitudinal prospective study recruited as children,
      participated in a brain imaging study at 23-25 years of age using the Emotional
      Faces Assessment Task. Childhood poverty, independent of concurrent adult income,
      was associated with higher amygdala and medial prefrontal cortical (mPFC)
      responses to threat vs. happy faces. Also, childhood poverty was associated with
      decreased functional connectivity between left amygdala and mPFC. This study is
      unique, because it prospectively links childhood poverty to emotional processing
      during adulthood, suggesting a candidate neural mechanism for negative social
      emotional bias. Adults who grew up poor appear to be more sensitive to social
      threat cues and less sensitive to positive social cues. 

PMID- 26124713
TI  - Benefits of listening to a recording of euphoric joint music making in polydrug
      abusers.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Listening to music can have powerful physiological and
      therapeutic effects. Some essential features of the mental mechanism underlying
      beneficial effects of music are probably strong physiological and emotional
      associations with music created during the act of music making. Here we tested
      this hypothesis in a clinical population of polydrug abusers in rehabilitation
      listening to a previously performed act of physiologically and emotionally
      intense music making. METHODS: Psychological effects of listening to self-made
      music that was created in a previous musical feedback intervention were assessed.
      In this procedure, participants produced music with exercise machines (Jymmin)
      which modulate musical sounds. RESULTS: The data showed a positive effect of
      listening to the recording of joint music making on self-efficacy, mood, and a
      readiness to engage socially. Furthermore, the data showed the powerful influence
      of context on how the recording evoked psychological benefits. The effects of
      listening to the self-made music were only observable when participants listened
      to their own performance first; listening to a control music piece first caused
      effects to deteriorate. We observed a positive correlation between participants'
      mood and their desire to engage in social activities with their former training
      partners after listening to the self-made music. This shows that the observed
      effects of listening to the recording of the single musical feedback intervention
      are influenced by participants recapitulating intense pleasant social
      interactions during the Jymmin intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Listening to music that
      was the outcome of a previous musical feedback (Jymmin) intervention has
      beneficial psychological and probably social effects in patients that had
      suffered from polydrug addiction, increasing self-efficacy, mood, and a readiness
      to engage socially. These intervention effects, however, depend on the context in
      which the music recordings are presented.

PMID- 26124714
TI  - Dopamine-dependent oscillations in frontal cortex index "start-gun" signal in
      interval timing.

PMID- 26124715
TI  - Using brain potentials to understand prism adaptation: the error-related
      negativity and the P300.
AB  - Prism adaptation (PA) is both a perceptual-motor learning task as well as a
      promising rehabilitation tool for visuo-spatial neglect (VSN)-a spatial attention
      disorder often experienced after stroke resulting in slowed and/or inaccurate
      motor responses to contralesional targets. During PA, individuals are exposed to
      prism-induced shifts of the visual-field while performing a visuo-guided reaching
      task. After adaptation, with goggles removed, visuomotor responding is shifted to
      the opposite direction of that initially induced by the prisms. This visuomotor
      aftereffect has been used to study visuomotor learning and adaptation and has
      been applied clinically to reduce VSN severity by improving motor responding to
      stimuli in contralesional (usually left-sided) space. In order to optimize PA's
      use for VSN patients, it is important to elucidate the neural and cognitive
      processes that alter visuomotor function during PA. In the present study, healthy
      young adults underwent PA while event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded at
      the termination of each reach (screen-touch), then binned according to accuracy
      (hit vs. miss) and phase of exposure block (early, middle, late). Results show
      that two ERP components were evoked by screen-touch: an error-related negativity
      (ERN), and a P300. The ERN was consistently evoked on miss trials during
      adaptation, while the P300 amplitude was largest during the early phase of
      adaptation for both hit and miss trials. This study provides evidence of two
      neural signals sensitive to visual feedback during PA that may sub-serve changes
      in visuomotor responding. Prior ERP research suggests that the ERN reflects an
      error processing system in medial-frontal cortex, while the P300 is suggested to
      reflect a system for context updating and learning. Future research is needed to
      elucidate the role of these ERP components in improving visuomotor responses
      among individuals with VSN. 

PMID- 26124716
TI  - Functional networks and structural connectivity of visuospatial and
      visuoperceptual working memory.
AB  - Neural correlates of working memory (WM) in healthy subjects have been
      extensively investigated using functional MRI (fMRI). However it still remains
      unclear how cortical areas forming part of functional WM networks are also
      connected by white matter fiber bundles, and whether DTI measures, used as
      indices of microstructural properties and directionality of these connections,
      can predict individual differences in task performance. fMRI data were obtained
      from 23 healthy young subjects while performing one visuospatial (square
      location) and one visuoperceptual (face identification) 2-back task. Diffusion
      tensor imaging (DTI) data were also acquired. We used independent component
      analysis (ICA) of fMRI data to identify the main functional networks involved in
      WM tasks. Voxel-wise DTI analyses were performed to find correlations between
      structural white matter and task performance measures, and probabilistic tracking
      of DTI data was used to identify the white matter bundles connecting the nodes of
      the functional networks. We found that functional recruitment of the fusiform and
      the inferior frontal cortex was specific for the visuoperceptual working memory
      task, while there was a high overlap in brain activity maps in parietal and
      middle frontal areas for both tasks. Axial diffusivity and fractional anisotropy,
      of the tracts connecting the fusiform with the inferior frontal areas correlated
      with processing speed in the visuoperceptual working memory task. Although our
      findings need to be considered as exploratory, we conclude that both tasks share
      a highly-overlapping pattern of activity in areas of frontal and parietal lobes
      with the only differences in activation between tasks located in the fusiform and
      inferior frontal regions for the visuoperceptual task. Moreover, we have found
      that the DTI measures are predictive of the processing speed. 

PMID- 26124718
TI  - Inter-hemispheric integration of tactile-motor responses across body parts.
AB  - In simple detection tasks, reaction times (RTs) are faster when stimuli are
      presented to the visual field or side of the body ipsilateral to the body part
      used to respond. This advantage, the crossed-uncrossed difference (CUD), is
      thought to reflect inter-hemispheric interactions needed for sensorimotor
      information to be integrated between the two cerebral hemispheres. However, it is
      unknown whether the tactile CUD is invariant when different body parts are
      stimulated. The most likely structure mediating such processing is thought to be
      the corpus callosum (CC). Neurophysiological studies have shown that there are
      denser callosal connections between regions that represent proximal parts of the
      body near the body midline and more sparse connections for regions representing
      distal extremities. Therefore, if the information transfer between the two
      hemispheres is affected by the density of callosal connections, stimuli presented
      on more distal regions of the body should produce a greater CUD compared to
      stimuli presented on more proximal regions. This is because interhemispheric
      transfer of information from regions with sparse callosal connections will be
      less efficient, and hence slower. Here, we investigated whether the CUD is
      modulated as a function of the different body parts stimulated by presenting
      tactile stimuli unpredictably on body parts at different distances from the body
      midline (i.e., Middle Finger, Forearm, or Forehead of each side of the body).
      Participants detected the stimulus and responded as fast as possible using either
      their left or right foot. Results showed that the magnitude of the CUD was larger
      on the finger (~2.6 ms) and forearm (~1.8 ms) than on the forehead (?0.9 ms).
      This result suggests that the interhemispheric transfer of tactile stimuli varies
      as a function of the strength of callosal connections of the body parts. 

PMID- 26124717
TI  - Is There a Relation between EEG-Slow Waves and Memory Dysfunction in Epilepsy? A
      Critical Appraisal.
AB  - Is there a relationship between peri-ictal slow waves, loss of consciousness,
      memory, and slow-wave sleep, in patients with different forms of epilepsy? We
      hypothesize that mechanisms, which result in peri-ictal slow-wave activity as
      detected by the electroencephalogram, could negatively affect memory processes.
      Slow waves (<=4 Hz) can be found in seizures with impairment of consciousness and
      also occur in focal seizures without impairment of consciousness but with
      inhibited access to memory functions. Peri-ictal slow waves are regarded as
      dysfunctional and are probably caused by mechanisms, which are essential to
      disturb the consolidation of memory entries in these patients. This is in strong
      contrast to physiological slow-wave activity during deep sleep, which is thought
      to group memory-consolidating fast oscillatory activity. In patients with
      epilepsy, slow waves may not only correlate with the peri-ictal clouding of
      consciousness, but could be the epiphenomenon of mechanisms, which interfere with
      normal brain function in a wider range. These mechanisms may have transient
      impacts on memory, such as temporary inhibition of memory systems, altered
      patterns of hippocampal-neocortical interactions during slow-wave sleep, or
      disturbed cross-frequency coupling of slow and fast oscillations. In addition,
      repeated tonic-clonic seizures over the years in uncontrolled chronic epilepsy
      may cause a progressive cognitive decline. This hypothesis can only be assessed
      in long-term prospective studies. These studies could disentangle the reversible
      short-term impacts of seizures, and the impacts of chronic uncontrolled seizures.
      Chronic uncontrolled seizures lead to irreversible memory impairment. By
      contrast, short-term impacts do not necessarily lead to a progressive cognitive
      decline but result in significantly impaired peri-ictal memory performance. 

PMID- 26124719
TI  - Restructuring consciousness -the psychedelic state in light of integrated
      information theory.
AB  - The psychological state elicited by the classic psychedelics drugs, such as LSD
      and psilocybin, is one of the most fascinating and yet least understood states of
      consciousness. However, with the advent of modern functional neuroimaging
      techniques, the effect of these drugs on neural activity is now being revealed,
      although many of the varied phenomenological features of the psychedelic state
      remain challenging to explain. Integrated information theory (IIT) is one of the
      foremost contemporary theories of consciousness, providing a mathematical
      formalization of both the quantity and quality of conscious experience. This
      theory can be applied to all known states of consciousness, including the
      psychedelic state. Using the results of functional neuroimaging data on the
      psychedelic state, the effects of psychedelic drugs on both the level and
      structure of consciousness can be explained in terms of the conceptual framework
      of IIT. This new IIT-based model of the psychedelic state provides an explanation
      for many of its phenomenological features, including unconstrained cognition,
      alterations in the structure and meaning of concepts and a sense of expanded
      awareness. This model also suggests that whilst cognitive flexibility,
      creativity, and imagination are enhanced during the psychedelic state, this
      occurs at the expense of cause-effect information, as well as degrading the
      brain's ability to organize, categorize, and differentiate the constituents of
      conscious experience. Furthermore, the model generates specific predictions that
      can be tested using a combination of functional imaging techniques, as has been
      applied to the study of levels of consciousness during anesthesia and following
      brain injury. 

PMID- 26124720
TI  - A practical approach to communicating benefit-risk decisions of medicines to
      stakeholders.
AB  - PURPOSE: The importance of a framework for a systematic structured assessment of
      the benefits and risks has been established, but in addition, it is necessary
      that the benefit-risk decisions and the processes to derive those decisions are
      documented and communicated to various stakeholders for accountability. Hence
      there is now a need to find appropriate tools to enhance communication between
      regulators and other stakeholders, in a manner that would uphold transparency,
      consistency and standards. METHODS: A retrospective, non-comparative study was
      conducted to determine the applicability and practicality of a summary template
      in documenting benefit-risk assessment and communicating benefit-risk balance and
      conclusions for reviewers to other stakeholders. The benefit-risk (BR) Summary
      Template and its User Manual was evaluated by 12 reviewers within a regulatory
      agency in Singapore, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA). RESULTS: The BR Summary
      Template was found to be adequate in documenting benefits, risks, relevant
      summaries and conclusions, while the User Manual was useful in guiding the
      reviewer in completing the template. The BR Summary Template was also considered
      a useful tool for communicating benefit-risk decisions to a variety of
      stakeholders. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a template may be of value for the
      communicating benefit-risk assessment of medicines to stakeholders.

PMID- 26124721
TI  - Modeling of interactions between xenobiotics and cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes.
AB  - The adverse effects to humans and environment of only few chemicals are well
      known. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) are the steps
      of pharmaco/toxicokinetics that determine the internal dose of chemicals to which
      the organism is exposed. Of all the xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, the
      cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are the most important due to their abundance and
      versatility. Reactions catalyzed by CYPs usually turn xenobiotics to harmless and
      excretable metabolites, but sometimes an innocuous xenobiotic is transformed into
      a toxic metabolite. Data on ADME and toxicity properties of compounds are
      increasingly generated using in vitro and modeling (in silico) tools. Both
      physics-based and empirical modeling approaches are used. Numerous ligand-based
      and target-based as well as combined modeling methods have been employed to
      evaluate determinants of CYP ligand binding as well as predicting sites of
      metabolism and inhibition characteristics of test molecules. In silico prediction
      of CYP-ligand interactions have made crucial contributions in understanding (1)
      determinants of CYP ligand binding recognition and affinity; (2) prediction of
      likely metabolites from substrates; (3) prediction of inhibitors and their
      inhibition potency. Truly predictive models of toxic outcomes cannot be created
      without incorporating metabolic characteristics; in silico methods help producing
      such information and filling gaps in experimentally derived data. Currently
      modeling methods are not mature enough to replace standard in vitro and in vivo
      approaches, but they are already used as an important component in risk
      assessment of drugs and other chemicals. 

PMID- 26124722
TI  - Regulators of Slc4 bicarbonate transporter activity.
AB  - The Slc4 family of transporters is comprised of anion exchangers (AE1-4), Na(+)
      coupled bicarbonate transporters (NCBTs) including electrogenic Na/bicarbonate
      cotransporters (NBCe1 and NBCe2), electroneutral Na/bicarbonate cotransporters
      (NBCn1 and NBCn2), and the electroneutral Na-driven Cl-bicarbonate exchanger
      (NDCBE), as well as a borate transporter (BTR1). These transporters regulate
      intracellular pH (pHi) and contribute to steady-state pHi, but are also involved
      in other physiological processes including CO2 carriage by red blood cells and
      solute secretion/reabsorption across epithelia. Acid-base transporters function
      as either acid extruders or acid loaders, with the Slc4 proteins moving HCO(-) 3
      either into or out of cells. According to results from both molecular and
      functional studies, multiple Slc4 proteins and/or associated splice variants with
      similar expected effects on pHi are often found in the same tissue or cell. Such
      apparent redundancy is likely to be physiologically important. In addition to
      regulating pHi, a HCO(-) 3 transporter contributes to a cell's ability to fine
      tune the intracellular regulation of the cotransported/exchanged ion(s) (e.g.,
      Na(+) or Cl(-)). In addition, functionally similar transporters or splice
      variants with different regulatory profiles will optimize pH physiology and
      solute transport under various conditions or within subcellular domains. Such
      optimization will depend on activated signaling pathways and transporter
      expression profiles. In this review, we will summarize and discuss both well
      known and more recently identified regulators of the Slc4 proteins. Some of these
      regulators include traditional second messengers, lipids, binding proteins,
      autoregulatory domains, and less conventional regulators. The material presented
      will provide insight into the diversity and physiological significance of
      multiple members within the Slc4 gene family. 

PMID- 26124725
TI  - Distinctive effects of fear and sadness induction on anger and aggressive
      behavior.
AB  - A recent study has reported that the successful implementation of cognitive
      regulation of emotion depends on higher-level cognitive functions, such as top
      down control, which may be impaired in stressful situations. This calls for
      "cognition free" self-regulatory strategies that do not require top-down control.
      In contrast to the cognitive regulation of emotion that emphasizes the role of
      cognition, traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine views the relationship
      among different types of emotions as promoting or counteracting each other
      without the involvement of cognition, which provides an insightful perspective
      for developing "cognition free" regulatory strategies. In this study, we examined
      two hypotheses regarding the modulation of anger and aggressive behavior: sadness
      counteracts anger and aggressive behavior, whereas fear promotes anger and
      aggressive behavior. Participants were first provoked by reading extremely
      negative feedback on their viewpoints (Study 1) and by watching anger-inducing
      movie clips (Study 2). Then, these angry participants were assigned to three
      equivalent groups and viewed sad, fear-inducing, or neutral materials to evoke
      the corresponding emotions. The results showed that participants displayed a
      lower level of aggressive behavior when sadness was later induced and a higher
      level of anger when fear was later induced. These results provide evidence that
      supports the hypothesis of mutual promotion and counteraction relationships among
      these types of emotions and imply a "cognition free" approach to regulating anger
      and aggressive behavior. 

PMID- 26124724
TI  - Cognitive aging and hearing acuity: modeling spoken language comprehension.
AB  - The comprehension of spoken language has been characterized by a number of
      "local" theories that have focused on specific aspects of the task: models of
      word recognition, models of selective attention, accounts of thematic role
      assignment at the sentence level, and so forth. The ease of language
      understanding (ELU) model (Ronnberg et al., 2013) stands as one of the few
      attempts to offer a fully encompassing framework for language understanding. In
      this paper we discuss interactions between perceptual, linguistic, and cognitive
      factors in spoken language understanding. Central to our presentation is an
      examination of aspects of the ELU model that apply especially to spoken language
      comprehension in adult aging, where speed of processing, working memory capacity,
      and hearing acuity are often compromised. We discuss, in relation to the ELU
      model, conceptions of working memory and its capacity limitations, the use of
      linguistic context to aid in speech recognition and the importance of inhibitory
      control, and language comprehension at the sentence level. Throughout this paper
      we offer a constructive look at the ELU model; where it is strong and where there
      are gaps to be filled. 

PMID- 26124726
TI  - Metacognitive training for delusions (MCTd): effectiveness on data-gathering and
      belief flexibility in a Chinese sample.
AB  - Metacognitive training (MCT) was developed to promote awareness of reasoning
      biases among patients with schizophrenia. While MCT has been translated into 31
      languages, most MCT studies were conducted in Europe, including newer evidence
      recommending an individualized approach of delivery. As reasoning biases covered
      in MCT are separable processes and are associated with different symptoms,
      testing the effect of selected MCT modules would help to develop a targeted and
      cost-effective intervention for specific symptoms and associated mechanisms. This
      study tested the efficacy of a four-session metacognitive training for delusions,
      MCTd (in Traditional Chinese with cultural adaptations, provided individually),
      as an adjunct to antipsychotics in reducing severity and conviction of delusions,
      jumping to conclusions (JTC) bias and belief inflexibility. Forty-four patients
      with delusions were randomized into the MCTd or the wait-list control condition.
      Patients on wait-list received the same MCTd after 4 weeks of treatment as usual
      (TAU). Assessment interviews took place before and after the treatment, and at 4
      week follow-up. There was an additional baseline assessment for the controls. JTC
      and belief flexibility were measured by the beads tasks and the Maudsley
      Assessment of Delusions Scale. Attendance rate of the MCTd was satisfactory
      (84.5%). Compared to TAU, there was a greater reduction in psychotic symptoms,
      delusional severity and conviction following MCTd. There was a large treatment
      effect size in improvement in belief flexibility. Improvement in reaction to
      hypothetical contradiction predicted treatment effect in positive symptoms and
      delusions. JTC bias was reduced following MCTd, although the treatment effect was
      not significantly larger than TAU. Our results support the use of process-based
      interventions that target psychological mechanisms underlying specific psychotic
      symptoms as adjuncts to more conventional approaches. 

PMID- 26124727
TI  - Timing in turn-taking and its implications for processing models of language.
AB  - The core niche for language use is in verbal interaction, involving the rapid
      exchange of turns at talking. This paper reviews the extensive literature about
      this system, adding new statistical analyses of behavioral data where they have
      been missing, demonstrating that turn-taking has the systematic properties
      originally noted by Sacks et al. (1974; hereafter SSJ). This system poses some
      significant puzzles for current theories of language processing: the gaps between
      turns are short (of the order of 200 ms), but the latencies involved in language
      production are much longer (over 600 ms). This seems to imply that participants
      in conversation must predict (or 'project' as SSJ have it) the end of the current
      speaker's turn in order to prepare their response in advance. This in turn
      implies some overlap between production and comprehension despite their use of
      common processing resources. Collecting together what is known behaviorally and
      experimentally about the system, the space for systematic explanations of
      language processing for conversation can be significantly narrowed, and we sketch
      some first model of the mental processes involved for the participant preparing
      to speak next. 

PMID- 26124728
TI  - The use of content and timing to predict turn transitions.
AB  - For addressees to respond in a timely fashion, they cannot simply process the
      speaker's utterance as it occurs and wait till it finishes. Instead, they predict
      both when the speaker will conclude and what linguistic forms will be used. While
      doing this, they must also prepare their own response. To explain this, we draw
      on the account proposed by Pickering and Garrod (2013a), in which addressees
      covertly imitate the speaker's utterance and use this to determine the intention
      that underlies their upcoming utterance. They use this intention to predict when
      and how the utterance will end, and also to drive their own production mechanisms
      for preparing their response. Following Arnal and Giraud (2012), we distinguish
      between mechanisms that predict timing and content. In particular, we propose
      that the timing mechanism relies on entrainment of low-frequency oscillations
      between speech envelope and brain. This constrains the context that feeds into
      the determination of the speaker's intention and hence the timing and form of the
      upcoming utterance. This approach typically leads to well-timed contributions,
      but also provides a mechanism for resolving conflicts, for example when there is
      unintended speaker overlap. 

PMID- 26124729
TI  - Face processing in Williams syndrome is already atypical in infancy.
AB  - Face processing is a crucial socio-cognitive ability. Is it acquired
      progressively or does it constitute an innately-specified, face-processing
      module? The latter would be supported if some individuals with seriously impaired
      intelligence nonetheless showed intact face-processing abilities. Some theorists
      claim that Williams syndrome (WS) provides such evidence since, despite IQs in
      the 50s, adolescents/adults with WS score in the normal range on standardized
      face-processing tests. Others argue that atypical neural and cognitive processes
      underlie WS face-processing proficiencies. But what about infants with WS? Do
      they start with typical face-processing abilities, with atypicality developing
      later, or are atypicalities already evident in infancy? We used an infant
      familiarization/novelty design and compared infants with WS to typically
      developing controls as well as to a group of infants with Down syndrome matched
      on both mental and chronological age. Participants were familiarized with a
      schematic face, after which they saw a novel face in which either the features
      (eye shape) were changed or just the configuration of the original features.
      Configural changes were processed successfully by controls, but not by infants
      with WS who were only sensitive to featural changes and who showed syndrome
      specific profiles different from infants with the other neurodevelopmental
      disorder. Our findings indicate that theorists can no longer use the case of WS
      to support claims that evolution has endowed the human brain with an independent
      face-processing module. 

PMID- 26124730
TI  - Editorial: Theories of visual attention-linking cognition, neuropsychology, and
      neurophysiology.

PMID- 26124723
TI  - Homeostasis or channelopathy? Acquired cell type-specific ion channel changes in
      temporal lobe epilepsy and their antiepileptic potential.
AB  - Neurons continuously adapt the expression and functionality of their ion
      channels. For example, exposed to chronic excitotoxicity, neurons homeostatically
      downscale their intrinsic excitability. In contrast, the "acquired channelopathy"
      hypothesis suggests that proepileptic channel characteristics develop during
      epilepsy. We review cell type-specific channel alterations under different
      epileptic conditions and discuss the potential of channels that undergo
      homeostatic adaptations, as targets for antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Most of the
      relevant studies have been performed on temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), a
      widespread AED-refractory, focal epilepsy. The TLE patients, who undergo epilepsy
      surgery, frequently display hippocampal sclerosis (HS), which is associated with
      degeneration of cornu ammonis subfield 1 pyramidal cells (CA1 PCs). Although the
      resected human tissue offers insights, controlled data largely stem from animal
      models simulating different aspects of TLE and other epilepsies. Most of the cell
      type-specific information is available for CA1 PCs and dentate gyrus granule
      cells (DG GCs). Between these two cell types, a dichotomy can be observed: while
      DG GCs acquire properties decreasing the intrinsic excitability (in TLE models
      and patients with HS), CA1 PCs develop channel characteristics increasing
      intrinsic excitability (in TLE models without HS only). However, thorough
      examination of data on these and other cell types reveals the coexistence of
      protective and permissive intrinsic plasticity within neurons. These mechanisms
      appear differentially regulated, depending on the cell type and seizure
      condition. Interestingly, the same channel molecules that are upregulated in DG
      GCs during HS-related TLE, appear as promising targets for future AEDs and gene
      therapies. Hence, GCs provide an example of homeostatic ion channel adaptation
      which can serve as a primer when designing novel anti-epileptic strategies. 

PMID- 26124731
TI  - Clinical investigations of receptive and expressive musical functions after
      stroke.
AB  - There is a long tradition of investigating various disorders of musical abilities
      after stroke. These impairments, associated with acquired amusia, can be highly
      selective, affecting only music perception (i.e., receptive abilities/functions)
      or expression (music production abilities), and some patients report that these
      may dramatically influence their emotional state. The aim of this study was to
      systematically test both the melodic and rhythmic domains of music perception and
      expression in left- and right-sided stroke patients compared to healthy subjects.
      Music perception was assessed using rhythmic and melodic discrimination tasks,
      while tests of expressive function involved the vocal or instrumental
      reproduction of rhythms and melodies. Our approach revealed deficits in receptive
      and expressive functions in stroke patients, mediated by musical expertise. Those
      patients who had experienced a short period of musical training in childhood and
      adolescence performed better in the receptive and expressive subtests compared to
      those without any previous musical training. While discrimination of specific
      musical patterns was unimpaired after a left-sided stroke, patients with a right
      sided stroke had worse results for fine melodic and rhythmic analysis. In terms
      of expressive testing, the most consistent results were obtained from a test that
      required patients to reproduce sung melodies. This implies that the means of
      investigating production abilities can impact the identification of deficits. 

PMID- 26124732
TI  - The student-institution fit at university: interactive effects of academic
      competition and social class on achievement goals.
AB  - As compared to continuing-generation students, first-generation students are
      struggling more at university. In the present article, we question the
      unconditional nature of such a phenomenon and argue that it depends on structural
      competition. Indeed, most academic departments use harsh selection procedure all
      throughout the curriculum, fostering between-student competition. In these
      departments, first-generation students tend to suffer from a lack of student
      institution fit, that is, inconsistencies with the competitive institution's
      culture, practices, and identity. However, one might contend that in less
      competitive academic departments continuing-generation students might be the ones
      experiencing a lack of fit. Using a cross-sectional design, we investigated the
      consequences of such a context- and category-dependent lack of fit on the
      endorsement of scholastically adaptive goals. We surveyed N = 378 first- and
      continuing-generation students from either a more competitive or a less
      competitive department in their first or final year of bachelor's study. In the
      more competitive department, first-to-third year decrease of mastery goals (i.e.,
      the desire to learn) was found to be steeper for first- than for continuing
      generation students. In the less competitive department, the reversed pattern was
      found. Moreover, first-to-third year decrease of performance goals (i.e., the
      desire to outperform others) was found to be steeper within the less competitive
      department but did not depend on social class. This single-site preliminary
      research highlights the need to take the academic context into account when
      studying the social class graduation gap. 

PMID- 26124733
TI  - Do motivations for using Facebook moderate the association between Facebook use
      and psychological well-being?
AB  - Previous investigations of the relationship between Facebook use and
      psychological well-being have most commonly considered variables relating to the
      quantity (e.g., time spent online) and underlying motivations (e.g., making new
      friends) of Facebook consumption. However, previous research has reached
      contradictory conclusions in that quantity of Facebook use has been linked to
      both higher and lower levels of psychological well-being. The current study
      investigated whether these contradictory findings of quantity of Facebook use
      could be explained by considering users' motivations for accessing Facebook. We
      predicted that quantity of use would be positively associated with psychological
      well-being when users primarily accessed Facebook to maintain existing
      relationships but negatively associated with psychological well-being when
      primarily accessed to create new relationships. In a sample of college
      undergraduates (N = 119), we found that the relationship of quantity of Facebook
      use on psychological well-being was moderated by the motivation of the user.
      Quantity of Facebook use was associated with higher levels of psychological well
      being among users that accessed Facebook for friendship purposes but was
      negatively associated with psychological well-being among users that accessed
      Facebook for connection purposes (e.g., making new friends). We also replicated
      our results across dimensions of psychological well-being (e.g., anxiety and life
      satisfaction). The current findings provide initial evidence that quantity and
      motivations of Facebook use interact with potentially serious implications for
      psychological well-being and also provide a possible explanation for why quantity
      of Facebook use can be linked with both positive and negative psychological well
      being. 

PMID- 26124735
TI  - Word-by-word entrainment of speech rhythm during joint story building.
AB  - Movements and behavior synchronize during social interaction at many levels,
      often unintentionally. During smooth conversation, for example, participants
      adapt to each others' speech rates. Here we aimed to find out to which extent
      speakers adapt their turn-taking rhythms during a story-building game. Nine sex
      matched dyads of adults (12 males, 6 females) created two 5-min stories by
      contributing to them alternatingly one word at a time. The participants were
      located in different rooms, with audio connection during one story and
      audiovisual during the other. They were free to select the topic of the story.
      Although the participants received no instructions regarding the timing of the
      story building, their word rhythms were highly entrained (overlineR = 0.70, p <
      0.001) even though the rhythms as such were unstable (overlineR = 0.14 for pooled
      data). Such high entrainment in the absence of steady word rhythm occurred in
      every individual story, independently of whether the subjects were connected via
      audio-only or audiovisual link. The observed entrainment was of similar strength
      as typical entrainment in finger-tapping tasks where participants are
      specifically instructed to synchronize their behavior. Thus, speech seems to
      spontaneously induce strong entrainment between the conversation partners, likely
      reflecting automatic alignment of their semantic and syntactic processes. 

PMID- 26124734
TI  - When interoception helps to overcome negative feelings caused by social
      exclusion.
AB  - Social exclusion affects mental and physical health. The ability to regulate
      emotional responses to social exclusion is therefore essential for our well
      being. As individual differences in detecting bodily signals (interoceptive
      sensitivity, IS) have been associated with the ability of emotion regulation, we
      aimed at exploring whether IS fosters coping with social exclusion and
      flexibility in emotion regulation. The first study investigated subjective
      feelings and behavioral affiliation tendencies in response to ostracism using a
      cyberball paradigm. Sixty-nine participants were assessed who differed with
      respect to IS. The second study examined habitual emotion regulation processes
      focusing on suppression and reappraisal as well as IS in 116 participants. Main
      results were that the effect of ostracism on distress and behavioral affiliation
      tendencies were qualified by IS-being ostracized had less impact on participants
      with stronger IS. Furthermore, Study 2 revealed that IS was associated with
      habitually stronger emotion regulation strategies. We conclude that having access
      to bodily signals helps (IS) reducing aversive states provoked by social
      exclusion, probably due to the fact that IS is associated with emotion regulation
      strategies. 

PMID- 26124736
TI  - Emotional contagion and proto-organizing in human interaction dynamics.
AB  - This paper combines the complexity notions of phase transitions and tipping
      points with recent advances in cognitive neuroscience to propose a general theory
      of human proto-organizing. It takes as a premise that a necessary prerequisite
      for organizing, or "proto-organizing," occurs through emotional contagion in
      subpopulations of human interaction dynamics in complex ecosystems. Emotional
      contagion is posited to engender emotional understanding and identification with
      others, a social process that acts as a mechanism that enables (or precludes)
      cooperative responses to opportunities and risks. Propositions are offered and
      further research is suggested. 

PMID- 26124737
TI  - Friendly touch increases gratitude by inducing communal feelings.
AB  - Communion among people is easily identifiable. Close friends or relatives
      frequently touch each other and this physical contact helps identifying the type
      of relationship they have. We tested whether a friendly touch and benefits elicit
      the emotion of gratitude given the close link between gratitude and communal
      relations. In Study 1, we induced a communal mindset and manipulated friendly
      touch (vs. non-touch) and benefit to female participants by a female confederate.
      We measured pre- and post-benefit gratitude, communal feelings, and liking toward
      the toucher, as well as general affect. In Study 2, we manipulated mindset,
      friendly touch and benefit, and measured the same variables in female pairs
      (confederate and participants). In both studies the results showed a main effect
      of touch on pre-benefit gratitude: participants who were touched by the
      confederate indicated more gratitude than those not touched. Moreover, benefit
      increased gratitude toward a confederate in the absence of touch, but not in the
      presence of touch. Additionally, perceiving the relationship as communal, and not
      merely liking the confederate, or a positive mood mediated the link between touch
      and gratitude. The results further support a causal model where touch increases
      communal feelings, which in turn increase gratitude at the end of the
      interaction, after having received a benefit from the interaction partner. These
      results support a broader definition of gratitude as an emotion embodied in
      communal relationship cues. 

PMID- 26124738
TI  - The speaker behind the voice: therapeutic practice from the perspective of
      pragmatic theory.
AB  - Many attempts at understanding auditory verbal hallucinations have tried to
      explain why there is an auditory experience in the absence of an appropriate
      stimulus. We suggest that many instance of voice-hearing should be approached
      differently. More specifically, they could be viewed primarily as hallucinated
      acts of communication, rather than hallucinated sounds. We suggest that this
      change of perspective is reflected in, and helps to explain, the successes of two
      recent therapeutic techniques. These two techniques are: Relating Therapy for
      Voices and Avatar Therapy. 

PMID- 26124739
TI  - How our body influences our perception of the world.
AB  - Incorporating the fact that the senses are embodied is necessary for an organism
      to interpret sensory information. Before a unified perception of the world can be
      formed, sensory signals must be processed with reference to body representation.
      The various attributes of the body such as shape, proportion, posture, and
      movement can be both derived from the various sensory systems and can affect
      perception of the world (including the body itself). In this review we examine
      the relationships between sensory and motor information, body representations,
      and perceptions of the world and the body. We provide several examples of how the
      body affects perception (including but not limited to body perception). First we
      show that body orientation effects visual distance perception and object
      orientation. Also, visual-auditory crossmodal-correspondences depend on the
      orientation of the body: audio "high" frequencies correspond to a visual "up"
      defined by both gravity and body coordinates. Next, we show that perceived
      locations of touch is affected by the orientation of the head and eyes on the
      body, suggesting a visual component to coding body locations. Additionally, the
      reference-frame used for coding touch locations seems to depend on whether gaze
      is static or moved relative to the body during the tactile task. The perceived
      attributes of the body such as body size, affect tactile perception even at the
      level of detection thresholds and two-point discrimination. Next, long-range
      tactile masking provides clues to the posture of the body in a canonical body
      schema. Finally, ownership of seen body parts depends on the orientation and
      perspective of the body part in view. Together, all of these findings demonstrate
      how sensory and motor information, body representations, and perceptions (of the
      body and the world) are interdependent. 

PMID- 26124740
TI  - Neurodynamics of executive control processes in bilinguals: evidence from ERP and
      source reconstruction analyses.
AB  - The present study was designed to examine the impact of bilingualism on the
      neuronal activity in different executive control processes namely conflict
      monitoring, control implementation (i.e., interference suppression and conflict
      resolution) and overcoming of inhibition. Twenty-two highly proficient but non
      balanced successive French-German bilingual adults and 22 monolingual adults
      performed a combined Stroop/Negative priming task while event-related potential
      (ERP) were recorded online. The data revealed that the ERP effects were reduced
      in bilinguals in comparison to monolinguals but only in the Stroop task and
      limited to the N400 and the sustained fronto-central negative-going potential
      time windows. This result suggests that bilingualism may impact the process of
      control implementation rather than the process of conflict monitoring (N200).
      Critically, our study revealed a differential time course of the involvement of
      the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in conflict
      processing. While the ACC showed major activation in the early time windows (N200
      and N400) but not in the latest time window (late sustained negative-going
      potential), the PFC became unilaterally active in the left hemisphere in the N400
      and the late sustained negative-going potential time windows. Taken together, the
      present electroencephalography data lend support to a cascading
      neurophysiological model of executive control processes, in which ACC and PFC may
      play a determining role. 

PMID- 26124741
TI  - Pupillometric evidence for the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system facilitating
      attentional processing of action-triggered visual stimuli.
AB  - It has been argued that attentional processing of visual stimuli is facilitated
      by a voluntary action that triggers the stimulus onset. However, the relationship
      between action-induced facilitation of attention and the neural substrates has
      not been well established. The present study investigated whether the locus
      coeruleus-noradrenaline (LC-NA) system is involved in this facilitation effect. A
      rapid serial visual presentation paradigm was used to assess the dynamics of
      transient attention in humans. Participants were instructed to change a digit
      stream to a letter stream by pressing a button and specifying successive targets
      of four letters. Pupil dilation was measured as an index of LC-NA function.
      Accuracy of target identification was better when the temporal delay between
      participants' key press and target onset was 800 ms than when targets appeared
      just after the key press or when targets appeared without key press. Accuracy of
      target identification was positively correlated with both the peak amplitude of
      pupil dilation and the pupil size at the time of the key press. These results
      indicate that target identification in the visual task is closely linked to pupil
      dilation. We conclude that the LC-NA system plays an important role in the
      facilitation of transient attention driven by voluntary action. 

PMID- 26124742
TI  - Emotional reactions to deviance in groups: the relation between number of angry
      reactions, felt rejection, and conformity.
AB  - How many members of a group need to express their anger in order to influence a
      deviant group member's behavior? In two studies, we examine whether an increase
      in number of angry group members affects the extent to which a deviant individual
      feels rejected, and we investigate downstream effects on conformity. We show that
      each additional angry reaction linearly increases the extent to which a deviant
      individual feels rejected, and that this relation is independent of the total
      number of majority members (Study 1). This felt rejection is then shown to lead
      to anti-conformity unless two conditions are met: (1) the deviant is motivated to
      seek reacceptance in the group, and (2) conformity is instrumental in gaining
      reacceptance because it is observable by the majority (Study 2). These findings
      show that angry reactions are likely to trigger anti-conformity in a deviant, but
      they are also consistent with a motivational account of conformity, in which
      conformity is strategic behavior aimed at gaining reacceptance from the group. 

PMID- 26124743
TI  - The Temporal Pattern of Changes in Serum Biomarker Levels Reveals Complex and
      Dynamically Changing Pathologies after Exposure to a Single Low-Intensity Blast
      in Mice.
AB  - Time-dependent changes in blood-based protein biomarkers can help identify the 
      pathological processes in blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI), assess
      injury severity, and monitor disease progression. We obtained blood from control
      and injured mice (exposed to a single, low-intensity blast) at 2-h, 1-day, 1
      week, and 1-month post-injury. We then determined the serum levels of biomarkers
      related to metabolism (4-HNE, HIF-1alpha, ceruloplasmin), vascular function
      (AQP1, AQP4, VEGF, vWF, Flk-1), inflammation (OPN, CINC1, fibrinogen, MIP-1a, OX
      44, p38, MMP-8, MCP-1 CCR5, CRP, galectin-1), cell adhesion and the extracellular
      matrix (integrin alpha6, TIMP1, TIMP4, Ncad, connexin-43), and axonal (NF-H,
      Tau), neuronal (NSE, CK-BB) and glial damage (GFAP, S100beta, MBP) at various
      post-injury time points. Our findings indicate that the exposure to a single, low
      intensity blast results in metabolic and vascular changes, altered cell adhesion,
      and axonal and neuronal injury in the mouse model of bTBI. Interestingly, serum
      levels of several inflammatory and astroglial markers were either unchanged or
      elevated only during the acute and subacute phases of injury. Conversely, serum
      levels of the majority of biomarkers related to metabolic and vascular functions,
      cell adhesion, as well as neuronal and axonal damage remained elevated at the
      termination of the experiment (1 month), indicating long-term systemic and
      cerebral alterations due to blast. Our findings show that the exposure to a
      single, low-intensity blast induces complex pathological processes with distinct
      temporal profiles. Hence, monitoring serum biomarker levels at various post
      injury time points may provide enhanced diagnostics in blast-related neurological
      and multi-system deficits. 

PMID- 26124744
TI  - Stroke Outreach in an Inner City Market: A Platform for Identifying African
      American Males for Stroke Prevention Interventions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are significant racial disparities in stroke incidence and
      mortality. Health fairs and outreach programs can be used to increase stroke
      literacy, but they often fail to reach those at highest risk, including African
      American males. METHODS: We conducted a stroke outreach and screening program at
      an inner city market in order to attract a high-risk group for a stroke education
      intervention. A modified Framingham risk tool was used to estimate stroke risk
      and a 10-item quiz was developed to assess stroke literacy among 80 participants.
      We report results of the demographic and stroke risk analyses and stroke
      knowledge assessment. RESULTS: The program attracted a majority male (70%) and
      African American (95%) group of participants. Self-reported hypertension (57.5%),
      tobacco use (40%), and diabetes (23.8%) were prevalent. Knowledge of stroke
      warning signs, risk factors, and appropriate action to take for stroke symptoms
      was not poor when compared to the literature. CONCLUSION: Stroke outreach and
      screening in an inner city public market may be an effective way to target a high
      risk population for stroke prevention interventions. Stroke risk among
      participants was high despite adequate stroke knowledge.

PMID- 26124746
TI  - Interactions of Human Autoantibodies with Hippocampal GABAergic Synaptic
      Transmission - Analyzing Antibody-Induced Effects ex vivo.
AB  - Autoantibodies (aAB) to the presynaptic located enzyme glutamate decarboxylase 65
      (GAD65) are a characteristic attribute for a variety of autoimmune diseases of
      the central nervous system including subtypes of limbic encephalitis, stiff
      person-syndrome, cerebellar ataxia, and Batten's disease. Clinical signs of
      hyperexcitability and improvement of disease symptoms upon immunotherapy in some
      of these disorders suggest a possible pathogenic role of associated aAB. Recent
      experimental studies report inconsistent results regarding a direct pathogenic
      influence of anti-GAD65 aAB affecting inhibitory synaptic transmission in central
      GABAergic pathways. We here provide a method for direct evaluation of aAB-induced
      pathomechanisms in the intact hippocampal network. Purified patient IgG fractions
      containing aAB to GAD65 together with fixable lipophilic styryl dyes (FMdyes) are
      stereotactically injected into the hilus and the dentate gyrus in anesthetized
      mice. Twenty-four hours after intrahippocampal injection, acute hippocampal
      slices are prepared and transferred to a patch-clamp recording setup equipped
      with a fluorescence light source. Intraneural incorporated FMdyes show correct
      injection site for patch-clamp recording. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings are
      performed from granule cells in the dentate gyrus and extracellular stimulation
      is applied in the border area of the dentate gyrus-hilus region to stimulate
      GABAergic afferents arising from parvalbumin positive basket cells. GABA-A
      receptor mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSC) and miniature IPSC are
      recorded after blocking glutamatergic transmission. This approach allows
      investigation of potential aAB-induced effects on GABA-A receptor signaling ex
      vivo in an intact neuronal network. This offers several advantages compared to
      experimental procedures used in previous studies by in vitro AB preincubation of
      primary neurons or slice preparations. Furthermore, this method requires only
      small amounts of patient material that are often limited in rare diseases. 

PMID- 26124747
TI  - Thyroid Function/Antibodies in Sudanese Patients with Preeclampsia.
AB  - Preeclampsia is an important cause of maternal and prenatal morbidity and
      mortality in the developing countries. Changes in thyroid function/antibodies
      profiles in preeclamptic women are controversial and were never investigated
      before in Sudan. A case-control study was conducted at Medani Hospital, Sudan, to
      investigate thyroid function/antibodies in preeclampsia. The sociodemographic,
      medical history was gathered using questionnaires. Thyroid hormones [thyroid
      stimulating hormone (TSH), free tri-iodothyronine (T3), and free thyroxine (T4)]
      and anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin (anti-TG)
      antibodies were measured using ELISA. The three groups [controls, mild, and
      severe preeclampsia (SP) (55 women in each arm)] were matched in age and parity.
      While median (interquartile range) of TSH was significantly lower, both free T3
      and free T4 levels were significantly higher in women with preeclampsia than in
      the healthy controls. There was no significant difference in the TSH levels in
      women with MP and SP. In comparison with women with MP, women with SP had
      significantly higher levels of free T3 and significantly lower levels of free T4.
      While anti-TPO antibodies were significantly higher, anti-TG antibodies were
      significantly lower in women with preeclampsia. Likewise, anti-TPO antibodies
      were significantly higher and anti-TG antibodies were significantly lower in
      women with SP than in women with MP. In linear regression, preeclampsia was
      significantly associated with TSH (-0.675 IU/ml, P = 0.009), free T3 (0.977
      pg/ml, P < 0.001), and free T4 (0.186 ng/dl, P < 0.001) levels. In contrast to
      anti-TG antibodies and TSH, Sudanese patients with preeclampsia had higher levels
      of T3 and T4 hormones and anti-TPO antibodies irrespective of parity, gestational
      age, and hemoglobin levels. 

PMID- 26124745
TI  - Turning a Negative into a Positive: Ascending GABAergic Control of Cortical
      Activation and Arousal.
AB  - Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the
      brain. Recent technological advances have illuminated the role of GABAergic
      neurons in control of cortical arousal and sleep. Sleep-promoting GABAergic
      neurons in the preoptic hypothalamus are well-known. Less well-appreciated are
      GABAergic projection neurons in the brainstem, midbrain, hypothalamus, and basal
      forebrain, which paradoxically promote arousal and fast electroencephalographic
      (EEG) rhythms. Thus, GABA is not purely a sleep-promoting neurotransmitter.
      GABAergic projection neurons in the brainstem nucleus incertus and ventral
      tegmental nucleus of Gudden promote theta (4-8 Hz) rhythms. Ventral tegmental
      area GABAergic neurons, neighboring midbrain dopamine neurons, project to the
      frontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. They discharge faster during cortical
      arousal and regulate reward. Thalamic reticular nucleus GABAergic neurons
      initiate sleep spindles in non-REM sleep. In addition, however, during
      wakefulness, they tonically regulate the activity of thalamocortical neurons.
      Other GABAergic inputs to the thalamus arising in the globus pallidus pars
      interna, substantia nigra pars reticulata, zona incerta, and basal forebrain
      regulate motor activity, arousal, attention, and sensory transmission. Several
      subpopulations of cortically projecting GABAergic neurons in the basal forebrain
      project to the thalamus and neocortex and preferentially promote cortical gamma
      band (30-80 Hz) activity and wakefulness. Unlike sleep-active GABAergic neurons,
      these ascending GABAergic neurons are fast-firing neurons which disinhibit and
      synchronize the activity of their forebrain targets, promoting the fast EEG
      rhythms typical of conscious states. They are prominent targets of GABAergic
      hypnotic agents. Understanding the properties of ascending GABAergic neurons may
      lead to novel treatments for diseases involving disorders of cortical activation
      and wakefulness. 

PMID- 26124748
TI  - The New Age of Sudomotor Function Testing: A Sensitive and Specific Biomarker for
      Diagnosis, Estimation of Severity, Monitoring Progression, and Regression in
      Response to Intervention.
AB  - Sudorimetry technology has evolved dramatically, as a rapid, non-invasive,
      robust, and accurate biomarker for small fibers that can easily be integrated
      into clinical practice. Though skin biopsy with quantitation of intraepidermal
      nerve fiber density is still currently recognized as the gold standard,
      sudorimetry may yield diagnostic information not only on autonomic dysfunction
      but also enhance the assessment of the small somatosensory nerves, disease
      detection, progression, and response to therapy. Sudorimetry can be assessed
      using SudoscanTM, which measures electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) of hands
      and feet. It is based on different electrochemical principles (reverse
      iontophoresis and chronoamperometry) to measure sudomotor function than prior
      technologies, affording it a much more practical and precise performance profile
      for routine clinical use with potential as a research tool. Small nerve fiber
      dysfunction has been found to occur early in metabolic syndrome and diabetes and
      may also be the only neurological manifestation in small fiber neuropathies,
      beneath the detection limits of traditional nerve function tests. Test results
      are robust, accomplished within minutes, require little technical training and no
      calculations, since established norms have been provided for the effects of age,
      gender, and ethnicity. Sudomotor testing has been greatly under-utilized in the
      past, restricted to specialized centers capable of handling the technically
      demanding and expensive technology. Yet, evaluation of autonomic and somatic
      nerve function has been shown to be one of the best estimates of cardiovascular
      risk. Evaluation of sweating has the appeal of quantifiable non-invasive
      determination of the integrity of the peripheral autonomic nervous system, and
      can now be accomplished rapidly at point of care clinics with the determination
      of ESC, allowing intervention for morbid complications prior to permanent
      structural nerve damage. We review here sudomotor function testing technology,
      the research evidence accumulated supporting the clinical utility of measuring
      ESC, the medical applications of sudorimetry now available to physicians with
      this device, and clinical vignettes illustrating its use in the clinical decision
      making process. 

PMID- 26124749
TI  - Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Aldosterone Producing Adenoma Development.
AB  - Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common form of secondary hypertension with
      an estimated prevalence of ~10% in referred patients. PA occurs as a result of a
      dysregulation of the normal mechanisms controlling adrenal aldosterone
      production. It is characterized by hypertension with low plasma renin and
      elevated aldosterone and often associated with hypokalemia. The two major causes
      of PA are unilateral aldosterone producing adenoma (APA) and bilateral adrenal
      hyperplasia, accounting together for ~95% of cases. In addition to the well
      characterized effect of excess mineralocorticoids on blood pressure, high levels
      of aldosterone also have cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic consequences.
      Hence, long-term consequences of PA include increased risk of coronary artery
      disease, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Despite
      recent progress in the management of patients with PA, critical issues related to
      diagnosis, subtype differentiation, and treatment of non-surgically correctable
      forms still persist. A better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of the
      disease should lead to the identification of more reliable diagnostic and
      prognostic biomarkers for a more sensitive and specific screening and new
      therapeutic options. In this review, we will summarize our current knowledge on
      the molecular and cellular mechanisms of APA development. On one hand, we will
      discuss how various animal models have improved our understanding of the
      pathophysiology of excess aldosterone production. On the other hand, we will
      summarize the major advances made during the last few years in the genetics of
      APA due to transcriptomic studies and whole exome sequencing. The identification
      of recurrent and somatic mutations in genes coding for ion channels (KCNJ5 and
      CACNA1D) and ATPases (ATP1A1 and ATP2B3) allowed highlighting the central role of
      calcium signaling in autonomous aldosterone production by the adrenal. 

PMID- 26124750
TI  - Progress in the Diagnosis and Classification of Pituitary Adenomas.
AB  - Pituitary adenomas are common neoplasms. Their classification is based upon size,
      invasion of adjacent structures, sporadic or familial cases, biochemical
      activity, clinical manifestations, morphological characteristics, response to
      treatment and recurrence. Although they are considered benign tumors, some of
      them are difficult to treat due to their tendency to recur despite standardized
      treatment. Functional tumors present other challenges for normalizing their
      biochemical activity. Novel approaches for early diagnosis, as well as different
      perspectives on classification, may help to identify subgroups of patients with
      similar characteristics, creating opportunities to match each patient with the
      best personalized treatment option. In this paper, we present the progress in the
      diagnosis and classification of different subgroups of patients with pituitary
      tumors that may be managed with specific considerations according to their tumor
      subtype. 

PMID- 26124751
TI  - Crosstalk between the HpArsRS two-component system and HpNikR is necessary for
      maximal activation of urease transcription.
AB  - Helicobacter pylori NikR (HpNikR) is a nickel dependent transcription factor that
      directly regulates a number of genes in this important gastric pathogen. One key
      gene that is regulated by HpNikR is ureA, which encodes for the urease enzyme. In
      vitro DNA binding studies of HpNikR with the ureA promoter (PureA ) previously
      identified a recognition site that is required for high affinity protein/DNA
      binding. As a means to determine the in vivo significance of this recognition
      site and to identify the key DNA sequence determinants required for ureA
      transcription, herein, we have translated these in vitro results to analysis
      directly within H. pylori. Using a series of GFP reporter constructs in which the
      PureA DNA target was altered, in combination with mutant H. pylori strains
      deficient in key regulatory proteins, we confirmed the importance of the
      previously identified HpNikR recognition sequence for HpNikR-dependent ureA
      transcription. Moreover, we identified a second factor, the HpArsRS two-component
      system that was required for maximum transcription of ureA. While HpArsRS is
      known to regulate ureA in response to acid shock, it was previously thought to
      function independently of HpNikR and to have no role at neutral pH. However, our
      qPCR analysis of ureA expression in wildtype, DeltanikR and DeltaarsS single
      mutants as well as a DeltaarsS/nikR double mutant strain background showed
      reduced basal level expression of ureA when arsS was absent. Additionally, we
      determined that both HpNikR and HpArsRS were necessary for maximal expression of
      ureA under nickel, low pH and combined nickel and low pH stresses. In vitro
      studies of HpArsR-P with the PureA DNA target using florescence anisotropy
      confirmed a direct protein/DNA binding interaction. Together, these data support
      a model in which HpArsRS and HpNikR cooperatively interact to regulate ureA
      transcription under various environmental conditions. This is the first time that
      direct "cross-talk" between HpArsRS and HpNikR at neutral pH has been
      demonstrated. 

PMID- 26124752
TI  - RNA-Seq analysis of isolate- and growth phase-specific differences in the global
      transcriptomes of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli prototype isolates.
AB  - Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) are a leading cause of diarrheal illness
      among infants in developing countries. E. coli isolates classified as typical
      EPEC are identified by the presence of the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE)
      and the bundle-forming pilus (BFP), and absence of the Shiga-toxin genes, while
      the atypical EPEC also encode LEE but do not encode BFP or Shiga-toxin.
      Comparative genomic analyses have demonstrated that EPEC isolates belong to
      diverse evolutionary lineages and possess lineage- and isolate-specific genomic
      content. To investigate whether this genomic diversity results in significant
      differences in global gene expression, we used an RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq)
      approach to characterize the global transcriptomes of the prototype typical EPEC
      isolates E2348/69, B171, C581-05, and the prototype atypical EPEC isolate
      E110019. The global transcriptomes were characterized during laboratory growth in
      two different media and three different growth phases, as well as during
      adherence of the EPEC isolates to human cells using in vitro tissue culture
      assays. Comparison of the global transcriptomes during these conditions was used
      to identify isolate- and growth phase-specific differences in EPEC gene
      expression. These analyses resulted in the identification of genes that encode
      proteins involved in survival and metabolism that were coordinately expressed
      with virulence factors. These findings demonstrate there are isolate- and growth
      phase-specific differences in the global transcriptomes of EPEC prototype
      isolates, and highlight the utility of comparative transcriptomics for
      identifying additional factors that are directly or indirectly involved in EPEC
      pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26124754
TI  - Microbial electron transport and energy conservation - the foundation for
      optimizing bioelectrochemical systems.
AB  - Microbial electrochemical techniques describe a variety of emerging technologies
      that use electrode-bacteria interactions for biotechnology applications including
      the production of electricity, waste and wastewater treatment, bioremediation and
      the production of valuable products. Central in each application is the ability
      of the microbial catalyst to interact with external electron acceptors and/or
      donors and its metabolic properties that enable the combination of electron
      transport and carbon metabolism. And here also lies the key challenge. A wide
      range of microbes has been discovered to be able to exchange electrons with solid
      surfaces or mediators but only a few have been studied in depth. Especially
      electron transfer mechanisms from cathodes towards the microbial organism are
      poorly understood but are essential for many applications such as microbial
      electrosynthesis. We analyze the different electron transport chains that nature
      offers for organisms such as metal respiring bacteria and acetogens, but also
      standard biotechnological organisms currently used in bio-production. Special
      focus lies on the essential connection of redox and energy metabolism, which is
      often ignored when studying bioelectrochemical systems. The possibility of
      extracellular electron exchange at different points in each organism is discussed
      regarding required redox potentials and effect on cellular redox and energy
      levels. Key compounds such as electron carriers (e.g., cytochromes, ferredoxin,
      quinones, flavins) are identified and analyzed regarding their possible role in
      electrode-microbe interactions. This work summarizes our current knowledge on
      electron transport processes and uses a theoretical approach to predict the
      impact of different modes of transfer on the energy metabolism. As such it adds
      an important piece of fundamental understanding of microbial electron transport
      possibilities to the research community and will help to optimize and advance
      bioelectrochemical techniques. 

PMID- 26124753
TI  - The membrane: transertion as an organizing principle in membrane heterogeneity.
AB  - The bacterial membrane exhibits a significantly heterogeneous distribution of
      lipids and proteins. This heterogeneity results mainly from lipid-lipid, protein
      protein, and lipid-protein associations which are orchestrated by the coupled
      transcription, translation and insertion of nascent proteins into and through
      membrane (transertion). Transertion is central not only to the individual
      assembly and disassembly of large physically linked groups of macromolecules
      (alias hyperstructures) but also to the interactions between these
      hyperstructures. We review here these interactions in the context of the
      processes in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli of nutrient sensing, membrane
      synthesis, cytoskeletal dynamics, DNA replication, chromosome segregation, and
      cell division. 

PMID- 26124755
TI  - Cell age dependent concentration of Escherichia coli divisome proteins analyzed
      with ImageJ and ObjectJ.
AB  - The rod-shaped Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli multiplies by elongation
      followed by binary fission. Longitudinal growth of the cell envelope and
      synthesis of the new poles are organized by two protein complexes called
      elongasome and divisome, respectively. We have analyzed the spatio-temporal
      localization patterns of many of these morphogenetic proteins by immunolabeling
      the wild type strain MC4100 grown to steady state in minimal glucose medium at 28
      degrees C. This allowed the direct comparison of morphogenetic protein
      localization patterns as a function of cell age as imaged by phase contrast and
      fluorescence wide field microscopy. Under steady state conditions the age
      distribution of the cells is constant and is directly correlated to cell length.
      To quantify cell size and protein localization parameters in 1000s of labeled
      cells, we developed 'Coli-Inspector,' which is a project running under ImageJ
      with the plugin 'ObjectJ.' ObjectJ organizes image-analysis tasks using an
      integrated approach with the flexibility to produce different output formats from
      existing markers such as intensity data and geometrical parameters. ObjectJ
      supports the combination of automatic and interactive methods giving the user
      complete control over the method of image analysis and data collection, with
      visual inspection tools for quick elimination of artifacts. Coli-inspector was
      used to sort the cells according to division cycle cell age and to analyze the
      spatio-temporal localization pattern of each protein. A unique dataset has been
      created on the concentration and position of the proteins during the cell cycle.
      We show for the first time that a subset of morphogenetic proteins have a
      constant cellular concentration during the cell division cycle whereas another
      set exhibits a cell division cycle dependent concentration variation. Using the
      number of proteins present at midcell, the stoichiometry of the divisome is
      discussed. 

PMID- 26124757
TI  - CXCL12/SDF-1 and CXCR4.

PMID- 26124756
TI  - The Role of Dendritic Cell Subsets and Innate Immunity in the Pathogenesis of
      Type 1 Diabetes and Other Autoimmune Diseases.
AB  - Dendritic cells (DCs) are key antigen-presenting cells that have an important
      role in autoimmune pathogenesis. DCs control both steady-state T cell tolerance
      and activation of pathogenic responses. The balance between these two outcomes
      depends on several factors, including genetic susceptibility, environmental
      signals that stimulate varied innate responses, and which DC subset is presenting
      antigen. Although the specific DC phenotype can diverge depending on the tissue
      location and context, there are four main subsets identified in both mouse and
      human: conventional cDC1 and cDC2, plasmacytoid DCs, and monocyte-derived DCs. In
      this review, we will discuss the role of these subsets in autoimmune pathogenesis
      and regulation, as well as the genetic and environmental signals that influence
      their function. Specific topics to be addressed include impact of susceptibility
      loci on DC subsets, alterations in DC subset development, the role of infection-
      and host-derived innate inflammatory signals, and the role of the intestinal
      microbiota on DC phenotype. The effects of these various signals on disease
      progression and the relative effects of DC subset composition and maturation
      level of DCs will be examined. These areas will be explored using examples from
      several autoimmune diseases but will focus mainly on type 1 diabetes. 

PMID- 26124759
TI  - Editorial: NLR-Protein Functions in Immunity.

PMID- 26124758
TI  - Role of Innate T Cells in Anti-Bacterial Immunity.
AB  - Innate T cells are a heterogeneous group of alphabeta and gammadelta T cells that
      respond rapidly (<2 h) upon activation. These innate T cells also share a non MHC
      class I or II restriction requirement for antigen recognition. Three major
      populations within the innate T cell group are recognized, namely, invariant NKT
      cells, mucosal associated invariant T cells, and gamma delta T cells. These cells
      recognize foreign/self-lipid presented by non-classical MHC molecules, such as
      CD1d, MR1, and CD1a. They are activated during the early stages of bacterial
      infection and act as a bridge between the innate and adaptive immune systems. In
      this review, we focus on the functional properties of these three innate T cell
      populations and how they are purposed for antimicrobial defense. Furthermore, we
      address the mechanisms through which their effector functions are targeted for
      bacterial control and compare this in human and murine systems. Lastly, we
      speculate on future roles of these cell types in therapeutic settings such as
      vaccination. 

PMID- 26124760
TI  - Role of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor in Obesity, Insulin Resistance,
      Type 2 Diabetes, and Associated Hepatic Co-Morbidities: A Comprehensive Review of
      Human and Rodent Studies.
AB  - Obesity is associated with a chronic low-grade inflammatory state that drives the
      -development of obesity-related co-morbidities such as insulin resistance/type 2
      diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and cardiovascular disease.
      This metabolic inflammation is thought to originate in the adipose tissue, which
      becomes inflamed and insulin resistant when it is no longer able to expand in
      response to excess caloric and nutrient intake. The production of inflammatory
      mediators by dysfunctional adipose tissue is thought to drive the development of
      more complex forms of disease such as type 2 diabetes and NAFLD. An important
      factor that may contribute to metabolic inflammation is the cytokine macrophage
      migration inhibitory factor (MIF). Increasing evidence suggests that MIF is
      released by adipose tissue in obesity and that it is also involved in metabolic
      and inflammatory processes that underlie the development of obesity-related
      pathologies. This review provides a comprehensive summary of our current
      knowledge on the role of MIF in obesity, its production by adipose tissue, and
      its involvement in the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and
      NAFLD. We discuss the main findings from recent clinical studies in obese
      subjects and weight-loss intervention studies as well as results from clinical
      studies in patients with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, we
      summarize findings from experimental disease models studying the contribution of
      MIF in obesity and insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and hepatic lipid
      accumulation and fibrosis. Although many of the findings support a pro
      inflammatory role of MIF in disease development, recent reports also provide
      indications that MIF may exert protective effects under certain conditions. 

PMID- 26124762
TI  - Anatomy of a nonhost disease resistance response of pea to Fusarium solani: PR
      gene elicitation via DNase, chitosan and chromatin alterations.
AB  - Of the multiplicity of plant pathogens in nature, only a few are virulent on a
      given plant species. Conversely, plants develop a rapid "nonhost" resistance
      response to the majority of the pathogens. The anatomy of the nonhost resistance
      of pea endocarp tissue against a pathogen of bean, Fusarium solani f.sp. phaseoli
      (Fsph) and the susceptibility of pea to F. solani f sp. pisi (Fspi) has been
      described cytologically, biochemically and molecular-biologically. Cytological
      changes have been followed by electron microscope and stain differentiation under
      white and UV light. The induction of changes in transcription, protein synthesis,
      expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, and increases in metabolic
      pathways culminating in low molecular weight, antifungal compounds are described
      biochemically. Molecular changes initiated by fungal signals to host organelles,
      primarily to chromatin within host nuclei, are identified according to source of
      the signal and the mechanisms utilized in activating defense genes. The functions
      of some PR genes are defined. A hypothesis based on this data is developed to
      explain both why fungal growth is suppressed in nonhost resistance and why growth
      can continue in a susceptible reaction. 

PMID- 26124763
TI  - The K-segments of wheat dehydrin WZY2 are essential for its protective functions
      under temperature stress.
AB  - Dehydrins (DHNs), group 2 of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, are up
      regulated in most plants during cold, drought, heat, or salinity stress. All DHNs
      contain at least one K-segment, which is believed to play a significant role in
      DHN function by forming an amphipathic helix. In previous studies, wzy2, an YSK2
      type DHN gene, was isolated from the Zhengyin 1 cultivar of Triticum aestivum
      under cold and drought stress treatment conditions. Four WZY2 truncated
      derivatives were constructed to knock out the K-, Y- or S-segment, which
      potentially affect the function of the protein. In vivo assays of Escherichia
      coli viability enhancement, in vitro lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity
      protection and ex vivo protein aggregation prevention assays revealed that WZY2
      acted as a protectant and improved stress tolerance during temperature variation.
      The results also showed that unlike the truncated derivative without K-segments,
      the derivative containing two K-segments had remarkable effects that were similar
      to those of full-length WZY2, indicating that the K-segment is the major
      functional component of WZY2. Moreover, compared with the other segments, the
      first K-segment might be the most critical contributor to WZY2 functionality. In
      general, this work highlights the behavior of DHNs in relieving cold stress ex
      vivo and the contribution of the K-segment to DHN function. 

PMID- 26124761
TI  - Human and Mouse Mononuclear Phagocyte Networks: A Tale of Two Species?
AB  - Dendritic cells (DCs), monocytes, and macrophages are a heterogeneous population
      of mononuclear phagocytes that are involved in antigen processing and
      presentation to initiate and regulate immune responses to pathogens, vaccines,
      tumor, and tolerance to self. In addition to their afferent sentinel function,
      DCs and macrophages are also critical as effectors and coordinators of
      inflammation and homeostasis in peripheral tissues. Harnessing DCs and
      macrophages for therapeutic purposes has major implications for infectious
      disease, vaccination, transplantation, tolerance induction, inflammation, and
      cancer immunotherapy. There has been a paradigm shift in our understanding of the
      developmental origin and function of the cellular constituents of the mononuclear
      phagocyte system. Significant progress has been made in tandem in both human and
      mouse mononuclear phagocyte biology. This progress has been accelerated by
      comparative biology analysis between mouse and human, which has proved to be an
      exceptionally fruitful strategy to harmonize findings across species. Such
      analyses have provided unexpected insights and facilitated productive reciprocal
      and iterative processes to inform our understanding of human and mouse
      mononuclear phagocytes. In this review, we discuss the strategies, power, and
      utility of comparative biology approaches to integrate recent advances in human
      and mouse mononuclear phagocyte biology and its potential to drive forward
      clinical translation of this knowledge. We also present a functional framework on
      the parallel organization of human and mouse mononuclear phagocyte networks. 

PMID- 26124764
TI  - Early embryo achievement through isolated microspore culture in Citrus clementina
      Hort. ex Tan., cvs. 'Monreal Rosso' and 'Nules'.
AB  - Microspore embryogenesis is a method of achieving complete homozygosity from
      plants. It is particularly useful for woody species, like Citrus, characterized
      by long juvenility, a high degree of heterozygosity and often self
      incompatibility. Anther culture is currently the method of choice for microspore
      embryogenesis in many crops. However, isolated microspore culture is a better way
      to investigate the processes at the cellular, physiological, biochemical, and
      molecular levels as it avoids the influence of somatic anther tissue. To exploit
      the potential of this technique, it is important to separate the key factors
      affecting the process and, among them, culture medium composition and
      particularly the plant growth regulators and their concentration, as they can
      greatly enhance regeneration efficiency. To our knowledge, the ability of meta
      Topolin, a naturally occurring aromatic cytokinin, to induce gametic
      embryogenesis in isolated microspores of Citrus has never been investigated. In
      this study, the effect of two concentrations of meta-Topolin instead of
      benzyladenine or zeatin in the culture medium was investigated in isolated
      microspore culture of two genotypes of Citrus. After 11 months of isolated
      microspore culture, for both genotypes and for all the four tested media, the
      microspore reprogramming and their sporophytic development was observed by the
      presence of multinucleated calli and microspore-derived embryos at different
      stages. Microsatellite analysis of parental and embryo samples was performed to
      determine the embryo alleles constitution of early embryos produced in all tested
      media, confirming their origin from microspores. To our knowledge, this is the
      first successful report of Citrus microspore embryogenesis with isolated
      microspore culture in Citrus, and in particular in Citrus clementina Hort. ex
      Tan, cvs. 'Monreal Rosso' and 'Nules.' 

PMID- 26124765
TI  - A comprehensive survey of the grapevine VQ gene family and its transcriptional
      correlation with WRKY proteins.
AB  - WRKY proteins are a class of transcription factors (TFs) involved in the
      regulation of various physiological processes, including the plant response to
      biotic and abiotic stresses. Recent studies in Arabidopsis have revealed that
      some WRKY TFs interact with a class of proteins designed as VQ proteins because
      of their typical conserved motif (FxxxVQxLTG). So far, no information is
      available about the genomic organization and the function of VQ motif-containing
      protein in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L). In the current study, we analyzed the
      12X V1 prediction of the nearly homozygous PN40024 genotype identifying up to 18
      predicted VQ genes (VvVQ). VvVQs phylogenetic and bioinformatic analyses
      indicated that the intron-exon structures and motif distribution are highly
      divergent between different members of the grapevine VQ family. Moreover, the
      analysis of the V. vinifera cv. Corvina expression atlas revealed a tissue- and
      stage-specific expression of several members of the family which also showed a
      significant correlation with WRKY TFs. Grapevine VQ genes also exhibited altered
      expression in response to drought, powdery mildew infection, salicylic acid (SA)
      and ethylene (ETH) treatments. The present study represents the first
      characterization of VQ genes in a grapevine genotype and it is a pivotal
      foundation for further studies aimed at functionally characterizing this mostly
      unknown grapevine multigenic family. 

PMID- 26124766
TI  - Using 7 cm immobilized pH gradient strips to determine levels of clinically
      relevant proteins in wheat grain extracts.
AB  - The aim of the work was to test a relatively simple proteomics approach based on
      phenol extraction and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) with 7 cm
      immobilized pH gradient strips for the determination of clinically relevant
      proteins in wheat grain. Using this approach, 157 2-DE spots were quantified in
      biological triplicate, out of which 55 were identified by matrix-assisted laser
      desorption/ionization - time of flight tandem mass spectrometry. Clinically
      relevant proteins associated with celiac disease, wheat dependent exercise
      induced anaphylaxis, baker's asthma, and food allergy, were detected in 24 2-DE
      spots. However, alcohol-soluble gliadins were not detected with this approach.
      The comparison with a recent quantitative study suggested that gel-based and gel
      free proteomics approaches are complementary for the detection and quantification
      of clinically relevant proteins in wheat grain. 

PMID- 26124768
TI  - An improved fruit transcriptome and the identification of the candidate genes
      involved in fruit abscission induced by carbohydrate stress in litchi.
AB  - Massive young fruit abscission usually causes low and unstable yield in litchi
      (Litchi chinensis Sonn.), an important fruit crop cultivated in tropical and
      subtropical areas. However, the molecular mechanism of fruit drop has not been
      fully characterized. This study aimed at identification of molecular components
      involved in fruitlet abscission in litchi, for which reference genome is not
      available at present. An improved de novo transcriptome assembly was firstly
      achieved by using an optimized assembly software, Trinity. Using improved
      transcriptome assembly as reference, digital transcript abundance (DTA) profiling
      was performed to screen and identify candidate genes involved in fruit abscission
      induced by girdling plus defoliation (GPD), a treatment significantly decreased
      the soluble sugar contents causing carbohydrate stress to fruit. Our results
      showed that the increasing fruit abscission rate after GPD treatment was
      associated with higher ethylene production and lower glucose levels in fruit. A
      total of 2,771 differentially expressed genes were identified as GPD-responsive
      genes, 857 of which were defined by GO and KEGG enrichment analyses as the
      candidate genes involved in fruit abscission process. These genes were involved
      in diverse metabolic processes and pathways, including carbohydrate metabolism,
      plant hormone synthesis, and signaling, transcription factor activity and cell
      wall modification that were rapidly induced in the early stages (within 2 days
      after treatment). qRT-PCR was used to explore the expression pattern of 15
      selected candidate genes in the abscission zone, pericarp, and seed, which
      confirmed the accuracy of our DTA data. More detailed information for different
      functional categories was also analyzed. This study profiled the gene expression
      related to fruit abscission induced by carbohydrate stress at whole transcriptome
      level and thus provided a better understanding of the regulatory mechanism of
      young fruit abscission in litchi. 

PMID- 26124767
TI  - Circadian rhythms and post-transcriptional regulation in higher plants.
AB  - The circadian clock of plants allows them to cope with daily changes in their
      environment. This is accomplished by the rhythmic regulation of gene expression,
      in a process that involves many regulatory steps. One of the key steps involved
      at the RNA level is post-transcriptional regulation, which ensures a correct
      control on the different amounts and types of mRNA that will ultimately define
      the current physiological state of the plant cell. Recent advances in the study
      of the processes of regulation of pre-mRNA processing, RNA turn-over and
      surveillance, regulation of translation, function of lncRNAs, biogenesis and
      function of small RNAs, and the development of bioinformatics tools have helped
      to vastly expand our understanding of how this regulatory step performs its role.
      In this work we review the current progress in circadian regulation at the post
      transcriptional level research in plants. It is the continuous interaction of all
      the information flow control post-transcriptional processes that allow a plant to
      precisely time and predict daily environmental changes. 

PMID- 26124769
TI  - Development and regulation of pedicel abscission in tomato.
AB  - To shed unfertilized flowers or ripe fruits, many plant species develop a pedicel
      abscission zone (AZ), a specialized tissue that develops between the organ and
      the main body of the plant. Regulation of pedicel abscission is an important
      agricultural concern because pre-harvest abscission can reduce yields of fruit or
      grain crops, such as apples, rice, wheat, etc. Tomato has been studied as a model
      system for abscission, as tomato plants develop a distinct AZ at the midpoint of
      the pedicel and several tomato mutants, such as jointless, have pedicels that
      lack an AZ. This mini-review focuses on recent advances in research on the
      mechanisms regulating tomato pedicel abscission. Molecular genetic studies
      revealed that three MADS-box transcription factors interactively play a central
      role in pedicel AZ development. Transcriptome analyses identified activities
      involved in abscission and also found novel transcription factors that may
      regulate AZ activities. Another study identified transcription factors mediating
      abscission pathways from induction signals to activation of cell wall hydrolysis.
      These recent findings in tomato will enable significant advances in understanding
      the regulation of abscission in other key agronomic species. 

PMID- 26124771
TI  - Transient transformation meets gene function discovery: the strawberry fruit
      case.
AB  - Beside the well known nutritional and health benefits, strawberry
      (FragariaXananassa) crop draws increasing attention as plant model system for the
      Rosaceae family, due to the short generation time, the rapid in vitro
      regeneration, and to the availability of the genome sequence of F.Xananassa and
      F. vesca species. In the last years, the use of high-throughput sequence
      technologies provided large amounts of molecular information on the genes
      possibly related to several biological processes of this crop. Nevertheless, the
      function of most genes or gene products is still poorly understood and needs
      investigation. Transient transformation technology provides a powerful tool to
      study gene function in vivo, avoiding difficult drawbacks that typically affect
      the stable transformation protocols, such as transformation efficiency,
      transformants selection, and regeneration. In this review we provide an overview
      of the use of transient expression in the investigation of the function of genes
      important for strawberry fruit development, defense and nutritional properties.
      The technical aspects related to an efficient use of this technique are
      described, and the possible impact and application in strawberry crop improvement
      are discussed. 

PMID- 26124772
TI  - Caenorhabditis elegans expressing the Saccharomyces cerevisiae NADH alternative
      dehydrogenase Ndi1p, as a tool to identify new genes involved in complex I
      related diseases.
AB  - Isolated complex I deficiencies are one of the most commonly observed biochemical
      features in patients suffering from mitochondrial disorders. In the majority of
      these clinical cases the molecular bases of the diseases remain unknown
      suggesting the involvement of unidentified factors that are critical for complex
      I function. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae NDI1 gene, encoding the mitochondrial
      internal NADH dehydrogenase was previously shown to complement a complex I
      deficient strain in Caenorhabditis elegans with notable improvements in
      reproduction and whole organism respiration. These features indicate that Ndi1p
      can functionally integrate the respiratory chain, allowing complex I deficiency
      complementation. Taking into account the Ndi1p ability to bypass complex I, we
      evaluate the possibility to extend the range of defects/mutations causing complex
      I deficiencies that can be alleviated by NDI1 expression. We report here that
      NDI1 expressing animals unexpectedly exhibit a slightly shortened lifespan, a
      reduction in the progeny, and a depletion of the mitochondrial genome. However,
      Ndi1p is expressed and targeted to the mitochondria as a functional protein that
      confers rotenone resistance to those animals without affecting their respiration
      rate and ATP content. We show that the severe embryonic lethality level caused by
      the RNAi knockdowns of complex I structural subunit encoding genes (e.g., NDUFV1,
      NDUFS1, NDUFS6, NDUFS8, or GRIM-19 human orthologs) in wild type animals is
      significantly reduced in the Ndi1p expressing worm. All together these results
      open up the perspective to identify new genes involved in complex I function,
      assembly, or regulation by screening an RNAi library of genes leading to
      embryonic lethality that should be rescued by NDI1 expression. 

PMID- 26124770
TI  - Prunus transcription factors: breeding perspectives.
AB  - Many plant processes depend on differential gene expression, which is generally
      controlled by complex proteins called transcription factors (TFs). In peach, 1533
      TFs have been identified, accounting for about 5.5% of the 27,852 protein-coding
      genes. These TFs are the reference for the rest of the Prunus species. TF studies
      in Prunus have been performed on the gene expression analysis of different
      agronomic traits, including control of the flowering process, fruit quality, and
      biotic and abiotic stress resistance. These studies, using quantitative RT-PCR,
      have mainly been performed in peach, and to a lesser extent in other species,
      including almond, apricot, black cherry, Fuji cherry, Japanese apricot, plum, and
      sour and sweet cherry. Other tools have also been used in TF studies, including
      cDNA-AFLP, LC-ESI-MS, RNA, and DNA blotting or mapping. More recently, new tools
      assayed include microarray and high-throughput DNA sequencing (DNA-Seq) and RNA
      sequencing (RNA-Seq). New functional genomics opportunities include genome
      resequencing and the well-known synteny among Prunus genomes and transcriptomes.
      These new functional studies should be applied in breeding programs in the
      development of molecular markers. With the genome sequences available, some
      strategies that have been used in model systems (such as SNP genotyping assays
      and genotyping-by-sequencing) may be applicable in the functional analysis of
      Prunus TFs as well. In addition, the knowledge of the gene functions and position
      in the peach reference genome of the TFs represents an additional advantage.
      These facts could greatly facilitate the isolation of genes via QTL (quantitative
      trait loci) map-based cloning in the different Prunus species, following the
      association of these TFs with the identified QTLs using the peach reference
      genome. 

PMID- 26124773
TI  - Admixture mapping of tuberculosis and pigmentation-related traits in an African
      European hybrid cattle population.
AB  - Admixture mapping affords a powerful approach to genetic mapping of complex
      traits and may be particularly suited to investigation in cattle where many
      breeds and populations are hybrids of the two divergent ancestral genomes,
      derived from Bos taurus and Bos indicus. Here we design a minimal genome wide SNP
      panel for tracking ancestry in recent hybrids of Holstein-Friesian and local Arsi
      zebu in a field sample from a region of high bovine tuberculosis (BTB) endemicity
      in the central Ethiopian highlands. We first demonstrate the utility of this
      approach by mapping the red coat color phenotype, uncovering a highly significant
      peak over the MC1R gene and a second peak with no previously known candidate
      gene. Secondly, we exploit the described differential susceptibility to BTB
      between the ancestral strains to identify a region in which Bos taurus ancestry
      associates, at suggestive significance, with skin test positivity. Interestingly,
      this association peak contains the toll-like receptor gene cluster on chromosome
      6. With this work we have shown the potential of admixture mapping in hybrid
      domestic animals with divergent ancestral genomes, a recurring condition in
      domesticated species. 

PMID- 26124774
TI  - Analysis of the type II-A CRISPR-Cas system of Streptococcus agalactiae reveals
      distinctive features according to genetic lineages.
AB  - CRISPR-Cas systems (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic
      repeats/CRISPR-associated proteins) are found in 90% of archaea and about 40% of
      bacteria. In this original system, CRISPR arrays comprise short, almost unique
      sequences called spacers that are interspersed with conserved palindromic
      repeats. These systems play a role in adaptive immunity and participate to fight
      non-self DNA such as integrative and conjugative elements, plasmids, and phages.
      In Streptococcus agalactiae, a bacterium implicated in colonization and
      infections in humans since the 1960s, two CRISPR-Cas systems have been described.
      A type II-A system, characterized by proteins Cas9, Cas1, Cas2, and Csn2, is
      ubiquitous, and a type I-C system, with the Cas8c signature protein, is present
      in about 20% of the isolates. Unlike type I-C, which appears to be non
      functional, type II-A appears fully functional. Here we studied type II-A CRISPR
      cas loci from 126 human isolates of S. agalactiae belonging to different clonal
      complexes that represent the diversity of the species and that have been
      implicated in colonization or infection. The CRISPR-cas locus was analyzed both
      at spacer and repeat levels. Major distinctive features were identified according
      to the phylogenetic lineages previously defined by multilocus sequence typing,
      especially for the sequence type (ST) 17, which is considered hypervirulent.
      Among other idiosyncrasies, ST-17 shows a significantly lower number of spacers
      in comparison with other lineages. This characteristic could reflect the peculiar
      virulence or colonization specificities of this lineage. 

PMID- 26124775
TI  - Prevalence of hepatitis B and C and relationship to liver damage in HIV infected
      patients attending Joint Clinical Research Centre Clinic (JCRC), Kampala, Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B and C viruses cause death due to liver disease worldwide
      among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive individuals. Hepatitis B (HBV)
      and HIV have similar routes of transmission primarily; sexual, intravenous
      injections and prenatal while hepatitis C (HCV) is transmitted mainly through
      blood transfusion. Human immunodeficiency virus increases the pathological effect
      of hepatitis viruses and potentiates re-activation of latent hepatitis infections
      as a result of reduced immunity. The increase in use of antiretroviral (ARVs)
      drugs has led to longer period for patient survival and apparent increase in
      liver disease among HIV positive individuals. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at
      determining the prevalence of HBV, HCV, their co-infection with HIV and their
      effect on liver cell function. METHOD: This was a cross sectional study conducted
      at the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) among HIV positive individuals
      attending the clinic. Patients were enrolled after obtaining a signed informed
      consent or assent for children below 17 years. Serum samples were collected for
      detection of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HCV specific antibodies and
      alanine aminotransferase (ALT) liver enzyme. RESULTS: Of the 89 patients
      enrolled, 20 (22.5%) had at least one hepatitis virus, 15 tested positive for
      HBsAg (16.9%) and 5 for HCV (5.6%), one had both viruses. Hepatitis B was more
      prevalent among women (13 out of 57, 22.8%) than men, (2 out of 32, 6.2%), while
      HCV was higher among men (4 out of 32, 12.5%) than women (1 out of 57, 1.8%).
      Seven of 89 patients (7.9%) had elevated ALT, indicative of liver cell injury. Of
      these with liver cell injury, one individual tested positive for HBsAg and
      another one individual tested positive for HCV specific antibodies. CONCLUSION:
      The prevalence of HBV is high in HIV positive individuals with more women
      commonly infected. The Prevalence of HCV is lower than that of HBV with more men
      commonly infected. Co-infection of Hepatitis B and C viruses was uncommon. This
      study reveals a high prevalence of liver cell injury among HIV positive
      individuals although the injury due to HBV or HCV infection was lower than that
      which has been documented. From this study, the high prevalence of HBV and HCV
      among HIV positive individuals point to a need for screening of HIV positive
      individuals for the hepatitis viruses.

PMID- 26124776
TI  - Hepatitis B and HIV co-infection is still treated using lamivudine-only
      antiretroviral therapy combination in Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HIV are endemic in Uganda. Co-infection
      is common and leads to rapid progression of liver disease. Burden of co-infection
      is unknown yet most patients are on lamivudine-only ART where resistance is
      frequent. Most patients are initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART) without
      knowing their HBV status. OBJECTIVES: To determine burden of co-infection and HBV
      viral suppression among patients on ART in Northern Uganda. METHODS: We recruited
      HIV infected adult patients on ART in a cross-sectional study. Age, sex, ART
      regimen and duration were recorded. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg),
      hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBcAb) and liver panel were performed. For those
      HBsAg+, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and HBV DNA were performed. CD4 cell count
      was recorded. RESULTS: Three hundred patients were recruited. Twenty (6.7%) were
      co-infected, while 41% were anti-HBcAb+. Overall 188 (62.7%) were on lamivudine-
      only HBV active drug. Median ART duration 2 years (IQR 1-5), mean CD4+ cell count
      317 cells/microlitre (SD 255-557). Of 20 HIV/HBV co-infected, 11/20 (55%) were on
      lamivudine-only ART, median duration 1.5 years. Nineteen (95%) had undetectable
      HBV DNA. Seventeen (85%) were HBeAg negative. Mean CD4+ cell count 327
      cells/microlitre (SD 197-482). CONCLUSION: A large proportion of patients were on
      lamivudine- only HBV-active ART. Resistance may occur long term thus testing for
      HBV and correct ART is recommended.

PMID- 26124777
TI  - A non-specific biomarker of disease activity in HIV/AIDS patients from resource
      limited environments.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A general non-specific marker of disease activity that could alert
      the clinician and prompt further investigation would be of value in patients with
      HIV/AIDS, especially in resource limited environments. OBJECTIVE: To investigate
      the potential of neopterin as non-specific biomarker in patients with advanced
      HIV/AIDS. METHODS: Cross-sectional study in 105 HIV positive patients (75 on
      highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). Neopterin was assessed by enzyme
      linked immune-absorbent assay and cytokines by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Neopterin
      levels were significantly higher (p<0.001) for the total patient than for the
      control group. Significant correlations between neopterin and plasma indicators
      of inflammation showed neopterin to be a good indicator of active inflammatory
      status and of the effect of HAART on the immune system. Neopterin was superior to
      C-reactive protein and to individual cytokines as indicator of immune deficiency.
      Increased neopterin levels were associated with a decline in albumin, haemoglobin
      and the albumin/globulin ratio, and with increases in red cell distribution
      width. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma neopterin is a good non-specific biomarker of disease
      activity in HIV/AIDS patients. It is a good indicator of inflammatory activity,
      perpetuation of inflammation-associated co-morbidities, degree of immune
      deficiency and has predictive value for underlying disease, and for monitoring
      the HAART response.

PMID- 26124778
TI  - Factors affecting disclosure of serostatus to children attending Jinja Hospital
      Paediatric HIV clinic, Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Disclosure of HIV status is important for optimal adherence to
      antiretroviral therapy in children. Identifying factors that affect disclosure of
      sero-status to children will help improve the process of disclosure. The purpose
      of the study was to determine the rate of HIV disclosure by the
      parents/caretakers to their children and other factors affecting disclosure.
      METHODS: A cross sectional study among 174 caretakers of children age 5-8 years,
      twenty children and all (ten) health workers at Jinja Hospital paediatric HIV
      clinic. Data was collected with standardized questionnaires on socio-demographic
      factors, disclosure status, health facility factors, fears and perceived benefits
      of disclosure. RESULTS: We found disclosure rates in 56% of the children. Among
      those not disclosed to, non-disclosure was 19% and deception 25%. Factors
      associated with disclosure of sero-status to a child were age of child (X2 37.4
      df 1 p< 0.001), child being on antiretroviral therapy (OR 2.0 CI 1.1-3.6 p=0.024)
      and child attending psychosocial support group (OR 7.4 CI 3.6-15.3 p < 0.001).
      There were no appropriate guidelines on disclosure and only half of health
      providers had training on disclosure of HIV serostatus to children. CONCLUSION:
      The overall prevalence of disclosure was low. Psychosocial support groups
      promoted disclosure.

PMID- 26124779
TI  - A retrospective evaluation of critically ill patients infected with H1N1
      influenza A virus in Bursa, Turkey, during the 2009-2010 pandemic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: H1N1 influenza A virus infections were first reported in April 2009
      and spread rapidly, resulting in mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was
      to evaluate patients with H1N1 infection treated in the intensive care unit (ICU)
      in Bursa, Turkey. METHODS: Demographic characteristics, clinical features, and
      outcome relating to H1N1 infection were retrospectively analysed in patients
      treated in the ICU. RESULTS: Twenty-three cases of H1N1 infection were treated in
      the ICU. The mean age of patients was 37 years range: (17-82). Fifteen patients
      were female (65.2%). The mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation
      (APACHE) II score was 19 range: (5-39). The most common symptoms were dyspnea
      (73.9%), fever (69.6%), and cough (60.9%). Mechanical ventilation was required
      for all patients. Oseltamivir and antibiotics were administered to all patients.
      Six (26.1%) patients died. APACHE II scores were higher in the deceased 28.5
      range: [16-39] vs. 14 range: [5-28] in survivors; p = 0.013). CONCLUSION: When
      compared to the literature, the demographic, epidemiological, and clinical
      characteristics were similar in the cases we encountered. The mortality rate was
      high despite the use of appropriate treatment. We believe that the high mortality
      is related to higher APACHE II scores. The H1N1 virus should be considered in
      community acquired pneumonia, especially in younger patients presenting with
      severe pneumonia.

PMID- 26124780
TI  - Evaluation of the diagnostic performance and operational characteristics of four
      rapid immunochromatographic syphilis tests in Burkina Faso.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Little information is available on the rapid diagnostic
      testing for syphilis in Burkina Faso. The objectives of the study were (i) to
      assess the sensitivity and specificity of four on site rapid tests in comparison
      with Treponema pallidum haemagglutination assay (TPHA) as a gold standard and
      (ii) to evaluate the operational characteristics of those tests among health
      workers in a maternity unit. METHODS: Four rapid syphilis tests commercially
      available in Burkina Faso were evaluated using archived serum samples and
      Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA) as the gold standard. Blood
      samples were collected between November 2011 and June 2012 from blood donors at
      the Regional Blood Transfusion Center of Ouagadougou. The sensitivity and
      specificity of the tests were calculated. Evaluation of operational
      characteristics such as clarity of pamphlet, complexity of technique, duration,
      was conducted in a first-level healthcare center with health workers in maternity
      unit. RESULTS: Alere DetermineTM Syphilis was the most sensitive of the four
      rapid syphilis tests evaluated. It was followed by SD Bioline Syphilis 3.0,
      Cypress Diagnostics Syphilis Quick test and Accu-Tell (r) Rapid Anti-TP, which
      was the least sensitive. The four tests demonstrated a good diagnostic
      specificity for syphilis (95-98%), and healthcare workers found them easy to use.
      CONCLUSIONS: The study allowed confirming the good performance of three of four
      rapid syphilis tests in Burkina Faso. More research will be conducted to assess
      the feasibility of introducing selected rapid tests for syphilis in antenatal
      care services.

PMID- 26124781
TI  - Risk factors for multidrug resistant tuberculosis patients in Amhara National
      Regional State.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multidrug resistant tuberculosis(MDR-TB) is becoming a major threat
      to tuberculosis control programs in Ethiopia. OBJECTIVES: To determine risk
      factors of MDR-TB patients in Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia. METHODS:
      Case-control study was conducted from May 2013 to January 2014. Resistance to
      rifampicin and isoniazid were done molecularly using line probe assay. TB
      patients infected with MDR-M.tuberculosis and non MDR-M.tuberculosis strain were
      considered as cases and controls, respectively. Data was collected using
      structured questionnaire with face to face interview. Patients' clinical record
      review was also done.Multivariate analysis was computed to determine the risk
      factors of MDR-TB. RESULTS: A total of 153 MDR-TB and equal number of non MDR-TB
      patients' participated in the study. Patients who had TB treatment failure
      (AOR=13.5,CI=2.69-70), cavitations on chest x-ray (AOR=1.9,CI=1.1-3.38) and
      contact with MDR-TB patients (AOR=1.4,CI=0.19-0.39) were more likely to be MDR-TB
      patients. Low monthly income (AOR=1.1,CI=0.34-0.47),alcohol consumption
      (AOR=1.5,CI=0.2-0.98) and young age (AOR=2.9,CI=1.07-7.68) were the other risk
      factors of MDR-TB. CONCLUSIONS: TB treatment failure, cavitation on chest X-ray,
      contact with MDR-TB patients and low socioeconomic status were important risk
      factors for development of MDR-TB. Therefore, strict adherence to directly
      observed therapy, appropriate management of TB patients and advice on the value
      of nutrients are helpful to control the spreading of MDR-TB.

PMID- 26124782
TI  - Emotional distress in Angolan patients with several types of tuberculosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that emotional distress expressed in terms
      of anxiety and depression is very high among tuberculosis (TB) patients.
      OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine levels of anxiety, depression and
      emotional distress in patients with several types of TB and to determine the
      association between social-demographic and economical factors, clinical variables
      and anxiety, depression and emotional distress. METHODS: A cross-sectional study
      was performed in a sample of 81 TB patients. A social-demographic and economical
      questionnaire was used, followed by the hospital anxiety and depression scale.
      RESULTS: 38.3% and 49.4% of our sample presented significant levels of anxiety
      and depression. 44.4% of patients had significant levels of emotional
      distress.Married subjects, a diagnosis of extra-pulmonary TB and multidrug
      resistant TB were related to higher risk for anxiety. Gender, extra-pulmonary and
      multidrug resistant TB were associated to depression. Female gender and cases of
      extra-pulmonary TB presented a 1.5 times risk for emotional distress.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our study found high rates of anxiety, depression and emotional
      distress among TB patients. Marital status, gender, type and treatment of TB were
      related to higher levels of emotional disorder. Mental health services should be
      an integral part of programs against tuberculosis.

PMID- 26124783
TI  - Illness perceptions and quality of life among tuberculosis patients in Gezira,
      Sudan.
AB  - AIMS: This study aimed to answer the following research question: What is the
      level of illness perceptions and quality of life among TB patients in Gezira
      state?. METHODS: A descriptive study design was used. Newly diagnosed smear
      positive TB patients registered in Gezira state in 2010 (n=425) formed the study
      population. The illness perceptions were measured by using Brief Illness
      Perceptions Questionnaire (BIPQ). Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) was
      assessed by means of the 12-item short form Health Survey questionnaire (FS-12).
      RESULTS: TB patients saw TB as having minor consequences, TB not being very well
      controlled by treatment, and TB as lasting long as a disease; they also
      associated several symptoms with TB. Furthermore, the patients had relatively
      poor physical and mental quality of life. Identity, consequences, personal
      control and emotional representations were associated with poor physical quality
      of life while concern about illness was associated with poor mental quality of
      life. CONCLUSION: The illness perceptions of the TB patients might influence
      their adherence to treatment. The poor quality of life of the TB patients in the
      different areas of quality of life such as daily activities and work, calls for
      programmes to strengthen TB information, education and counselling.

PMID- 26124784
TI  - Prevalence of Giardia intestinalis and Hymenolepis nana in Afghan refugee
      population of Mianwali district, Pakistan.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Present study aimed to investigate prevalence of Giardia intestinalis
      and Hymenolepis nana in Afghan refugees visiting Central Health Unit (CHU), Kot
      Chandana (Mianwali, Northern Punjab) during two years period (February 2007 to
      December 2009). METHODS: A total of 687 stool samples were collected from
      different age groups of both genders. Samples were processed under sterile
      conditions after gross examination. Microscopic examination was done on same day
      along with eggs (H. nana), cyst and trophozoites (G. intestinalis) detection
      after staining. RESULTS: The prevalence of G. intestinalis was significantly
      higher (x2=59.54, p<0.001) than that of H. nana. Females were found more likely
      to be infected as compared to males (OR: 1.40, 95% CI=1.03-1.92). Prevalence of
      both parasites decreased with age and highest prevalence was observed in young
      individuals belonging to 1-15 years of age group (41.8% and 48.7% respectively
      for H. nana and G. intestinalis, p<0.001). Abdominal distress (OR: 1.13,
      95%CI=0.83-1.53), vomiting (OR: 1.13, 95%CI=1.13-1.81) and rectal prolapse (OR:
      4.26, 95%CI=1.38-13.16) were the gastro-intestinal clinical symptoms observed in
      G. intestinalis. Whereas, bloody diarrhea (OR: 1.56, 95%CI=1.00-2.43) and rectal
      prolapse (OR: 5.79, 95%CI=1.87-17.91) were associated with H. nana infections.
      CONCLUSIONS: Intestinal parasitic infections are common among Afghan refugees and
      serious preventive measures should be implemented to promote the safety and
      healthy lifestyle of these people.

PMID- 26124785
TI  - Knowledge and practices on malaria prevention in two rural communities in Wakiso
      District, Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Uganda
      particularly among children under 5 years of age. OBJECTIVES: The study assessed
      the knowledge and practices on malaria prevention in 2 rural communities in
      Wakiso District, Uganda with emphasis on the various prevention methods. METHODS:
      The study was a cross-sectional survey carried out among 376 households using
      both quantitative and qualitative methods. Log-binomial regression, chi square
      and Spearman's rank order correlation were used to test for associations.
      RESULTS: The majority of participants (64.6%) had low knowledge on malaria
      prevention methods, with untreated mosquito nets (81.7%), mosquito coils (36.9%)
      and insecticide treated nets (29.6%) being the most known methods. Knowledge on
      malaria prevention methods was associated with age (chi2 = 32.1; p < 0.01),
      employment status (chi2 = 18.1; p < 0.01), education (chi2 = 20.3; p = 0.01),
      income (chi2 = 14.5; p = 0.01) and having heard a malaria message in the previous
      12 months (chi2 = 92.3; p < 0.01). Households that had at least one mosquito net
      were 45.5% and net ownership increased with household income. Only 0.5% of the
      houses had undergone indoor residual spraying in the previous 12 months, while
      2.1% had complete mosquito proofing in windows and ventilators to prevent
      mosquito entry. CONCLUSION: There is potential to improve practices on malaria
      prevention by targeting other methods beyond mosquito nets such as installing
      proofing in windows and ventilators. The integrated approach to malaria
      prevention which advocates the use of several malaria prevention methods in a
      holistic manner should be explored for this purpose.

PMID- 26124786
TI  - Factors influencing the usage of different types of malaria prevention methods
      during pregnancy in Kenya.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria is a leading cause of morbidity and
      mortality, which, during pregnancy, is associated with adverse health outcomes
      for both mother and foetus. Utilization of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) and
      Intermittent Preventive Therapy (IPTp) is advocated to prevent malaria during
      pregnancy. OBJECTIVE: To examine factors which influence the use of different
      types of malaria prevention methods among pregnant women in Kenya. METHODS: This
      study used 2008-09 Kenya Demographic and Health survey. Pregnant women aged 15-49
      years were included (622 women). Distribution of the study population was
      assessed in frequency tables. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression
      analysis was employed. RESULTS: Fifty-two percent of women used ITNs and 38.5%
      reported uptake of IPTp. In multivariate analysis age, malaria risk areas,
      religion, education and income influenced ITN usage, whereas only age, malaria
      risk areas and marital status were found to influence IPTP uptake. CONCLUSIONS:
      ITN use and IPTp uptake were well below the 80% Kenya Malaria Strategy 2006
      target. In an effort to increase uptake it is vital for future research to
      understand reasons for low usage and uptake of malaria prevention programmes so
      as to enable policy-makers to make informed decisions.

PMID- 26124787
TI  - Response of patent medicine vendors in rural areas of Lagos state Nigeria to
      antimalarial policy change.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patent medicine vendors (PMVs) play an important role in the
      treatment of malaria, especially in the rural areas. Nigeria recently changed her
      antimalarial treatment policy from chloroquine to artemisinin-based combination
      therapy (ACT). OBJECTIVES: To determine the response of PMVs to the new policy.
      METHODS: A baseline study was conducted in two local government areas (LGAs) of
      Lagos state Nigeria as the first phase in an intervention study aimed at
      improving the malarial treatment practices of PMVs in rural Lagos. A mixed method
      design involving a questionnaire survey of 180 PMVs and four key informant
      interviews were used. An antimalarial drug (AMD) audit was also performed.
      RESULTS: More than 80% of respondents were aware of the policy change in malaria
      treatment, but only 23.9% sold an ACT for the last case of malaria treated in an
      under five child. The main determining factor of the particular AMD sold was
      PMV's personal choice (70.6%). About half (58.9%) of the shops stocked ACTs, the
      newly recommended antimalarials. CONCLUSIONS: The high awareness of the policy
      change did not translate to a commensurate increase in the sale of the new drugs.
      Factors beyond the PMVs need to be addressed for a successful adoption of the new
      policy.

PMID- 26124788
TI  - Adolescent low back pain among secondary school students in Ibadan, Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adolescent low back pain (ALBP) can be considered a signal or
      precursor of a serious organic disease or telltale sign of future incidence of
      low back pain in adulthood. Published articles on ALBP in Nigeria are not readily
      available. OBJECTIVES: The study's objectives were to investigate the prevalence
      of Adolescent Low Back Pain (ALBP) among secondary school students in Ibadan,
      Nigeria and the prevalence's association with some socio-demographic variables.
      METHODS: Participants were adolescent students from 15 secondary schools in
      Ibadan. Data was collected using a respondent-administered, validated
      questionnaire on low back pain in adolescents. Participants (Female: 298; Male:
      273) aged 14.23 +/-2.27 years (range 10-19) were recruited through multi-stage
      random sampling. Five hundred and seventy-one (83.97%) of the 680 copies of the
      questionnaire administered were returned. Data was analysed using mean, standard
      deviation, frequency, percentages, and Chi-square test with alpha level at 0.05.
      RESULT: Lifetime, twelve-month, one-month and point prevalence rates of ALBP were
      58.0%, 43.8%, 25.6% and 14.7% respectively. Age at first experience of ALBP was
      11.86 +/- 2.36 years. Gender was not significantly associated with any rate (p
      >=0.317). Age (p <= 0.043) and engagement in commercial activities (p <= 0.025)
      were significantly associated with all period prevalence rates while injury to
      the back was significantly associated with all period prevalence rates except
      point prevalence (p = 0.087). CONCLUSION: Adolescent low back pain is common
      among secondary school students in Ibadan and its prevalence is significantly
      associated with age and engagement in commercial activities, but not with gender.

PMID- 26124789
TI  - A report from the first regional pain medicine symposia in East, Central and
      Southern African region. (ECSA-R)-"The Rhino Model in Pain Education in Africa".

PMID- 26124790
TI  - Musculoskeletal disorders among first-year Ghanaian students in a nursing
      college.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and extent of MSDs among a sample of
      freshmen in a nursing college in Ghana. METHODS: A semi-structured self-reported
      questionnaire including the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was used
      to collect information on age, gender and musculoskeletal complaints among a
      random sample of 200 students at a nursing and midwifery college in the Eastern
      region of Ghana. RESULTS: Out of the 200 questionnaires administered, 160 were
      retrieved of which 3 were found to be incomplete and void, yielding a total of
      157 evaluable questionnaires, a response rate of 78.5%. One hundred and ten
      (70.1%) students reported having MSDs in the previous 12 months, of which a total
      88 (56.1%) suffered disabling effects, while 70(44.6%) students reported having
      MSDs in the past 7 days. The prevalence of MSDs in the different body regions was
      generally low with clustered distribution in the neck, upper back, wrists/hands
      and lower back. CONCLUSION: Nursing students are at reasonably high risk of MSDs.
      Strategies to prevent this important public health problem amongst future
      generation of nursing students must be given utmost priority. This study provides
      the baseline data for more elaborative studies in the Ghanaian population.

PMID- 26124791
TI  - Satisfaction and adherence of patients with amputations to physiotherapy service
      at public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Individuals who have undergone a lower limb amputation require
      comprehensive rehabilitation from the multidisciplinary team to ensure optimal
      treatment outcomes and social integration. Physiotherapists play a pivotal role
      within the multidisciplinary team and offer patients physical and psychosocial
      rehabilitative care. Determining patients' satisfaction levels and exploring
      factors affecting adherence to physiotherapy interventions can inform practice
      and improve service delivery of rehabilitation within resource poor settings such
      as South Africa. OBJECTIVES: To determine the level of satisfaction with
      physiotherapy services rendered to acute and sub-acute in-patients with lower
      limb amputations and to explore factors affecting adherence to physiotherapy
      intervention. METHODS: A prospective survey of 35 patients with lower limb
      amputations from four public hospitals in South Africa was undertaken. A modified
      version of the Hampstead rehabilitation centre patient satisfaction questionnaire
      was utilised. RESULTS: Majority of participants were satisfied with the
      physiotherapy services whilst a few reported dissatisfaction. Three themes
      emerged whilst exploring the patients' experience relating to adherence to
      physiotherapy programmes. Themes included service delivery, patient-therapist
      interaction and participation barriers and facilitators. CONCLUSION:
      Recommendations aimed to improve quality of care and healthcare outcomes thereby
      enhancing the participants' adherence to the physiotherapy programme.

PMID- 26124792
TI  - Overcrowding of accident & emergency units: is it a growing concern in Nigeria?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The inability of the Nigeria's Accident and Emergency Departments
      (AED) to meet current demands is growing among the public and health care
      professionals. The data supporting perceptions of insufficient capacity are
      limited. Therefore, this study was intended to determine the prevalence, causes,
      and effects of overcrowding AEDs in Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a
      cross sectional, descriptive study carried out among AED staff of 3 referral
      teaching hospitals in Nigeria, using a pre-tested and validated structured
      questionnaire. RESULTS: The analysis of the 267 AED staff revealed 20-56 years
      (36.40+5.1 mean) age range. One hundred and twenty eight (47.9%) were males, 139
      (52.1%) females. Two hundred and fifty nine (97%) agreed that an AED should have
      a bed capacity of 21-30. Agreement to AED overcrowding in Nigeria was quite
      considerable. The frequency of AED overcrowding per week was 4-7 times. The
      average bed occupancy level was 3.25. Agreed common causes of prolonged AED
      admissions were to be a high volume of critically ill patients, Delayed transfer
      of patients to the wards, delay in theatre operation, delay in radiological
      investigations and exceptionally high proportion of patients requiring admission
      in AED. Also, long pre-review waiting time and haematological delays were more
      causes. The average waiting time for victims to be seen was 29.7 minutes.
      CONCLUSION: There are many causes of AED overcrowding in this environment.
      However, improving AED bed management, better organized and diligent discharge
      planning, and reducing access block should be a priority to reduce AED
      overcrowding.

PMID- 26124793
TI  - A randomized controlled trial comparing haemodynamic stability in elderly
      patients undergoing spinal anaesthesia at L5, S1 versus spinal anaesthesia at L3,
      4 at a tertiary African hospital.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Spinal anaesthesia is a routinely used anaesthetic technique in
      elderly patients (> 60 years) undergoing operations involving the lower limbs,
      lower abdomen, pelvis and the perineum. Spinal anaesthesia has several advantages
      over general anaesthesia including stable haemodynamic variables, less blood
      loss, less post-operative pain, faster recovery time and less post-operative
      confusion. Despite these advantages, the sympathetic blockade induced by spinal
      anaesthesia can result in hypotension, bradycardia, dysrhythmias and cardiac
      arrests. Conventionally, spinal anaesthesia is performed at the level of L3,4
      interspace; with a reported incidence of hypotension in the elderly ranging
      between 65% and 69%. A possible strategy for reducing spinal induced hypotension
      would be to minimize the peak block height to as low as possible for the planned
      procedure. OBJECTIVE: To determine the difference in haemodynamic stability
      between elderly patients undergoing spinal anaesthesia at L5, S1 interspace
      compared to those at L3, 4. METHODS: Thirty two elderly patients scheduled for
      lower limb or pelvic surgery under spinal anaesthesia were randomized into 2
      groups (control group and intervention group) using a computer generated table of
      numbers. Control group; received 2.5 mls 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine injected
      intrathecally at the L3, 4 interspace and Intervention group; 2.5mls 0.5%
      hyperbaric bupivacaine injected intrathecally at the L5, S1 interspace. RESULTS:
      The two groups had similar baseline characteristics in age, sex, body mass index
      and use of anti-hypertensive medications. There was 68.8% proportion of
      hypotension in the control group and 75% in the intervention group. The
      difference was not found to be statistically significant (p= 0.694). During the
      study period, there were 106 episodes of hypotension, out of which, 65 were in
      the control group and 41 in the intervention group (p=0.004).. Linear regression
      analysis of the decrease in mean arterial pressures (MAP) showed a higher
      decrease in MAP in the control group (p 0.018). There were more crystalloids used
      in the control group (1006mls +/- 374) than in the intervention group (606mls +/
      211) with a p< 0.0001. There was no difference in the amounts of vasopressors
      used between the two groups (p=0.288). There was no difference in the change in
      heart rates, conversion to general anaesthesia, use of supplementary intravenous
      fentanyl and the peak maximum block level achieved. The time to peak maximum
      sensory block level was 9.06min and 13.07min in the control group and
      intervention groups, respectively (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Among this population,
      there was no difference in the proportion of those with hypotension between the
      elderly patients who received their spinal anaesthesia at L3,4 and those who
      received spinal anaesthesia at L5,S1. The intervention group had better outcomes
      with significantly less episodes of hypotension. It took a longer time to achieve
      a maximum peak sensory block in the intervention group. Performing spinal
      anaesthesia at the level of L5,S1 was found to provide an adequate sensory block
      for a wide range of pelvic, perineal and lower limb surgeries.

PMID- 26124794
TI  - Epidemiology of road traffic crashes among long distance drivers in Ibadan,
      Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) are major causes of morbidity and
      mortality in Nigeria. Few studies in Ibadan have focused on the distribution and
      determinants of RTC among long distance drivers. OBJECTIVE: To describe the
      distribution of crashes by place, times of occurrence, characteristics of persons
      involved and identify associated factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was
      carried out among consenting long distance drivers within selected parks in
      Ibadan. RESULTS: Respondents (592) were males, with median age of 42.0 years
      (range 22.0-73.0 years). Secondary education was the highest level of education
      attained by 38.0%. About 34.0% reported current use of alcohol. The life-time
      prevalence of crashes was 35.3% (95% CI= 31.5-39.2%) and 15.9% (95% CI=13.1
      19.0%) reported having had at least one episode of crash in the last one year
      preceding the study. The crash occurred mainly on narrow roads [32/94 (34.0%,)]
      and bad portions of tarred roads [35/94 (37.2%,)] with peak of occurrence on
      Saturdays 18/94 (19.1%,). Significantly higher proportions of drivers aged
      <=39years (23.4%) versus >39years (11.7%), those with no education (29.9%) versus
      the educated (13.8%) and those who reported alcohol use (21.9%) versus non users
      (12.8%) were involved in crashes in the year preceding the study. Significant
      predictor of the last episode of crashes in the last one year were age (OR=2.2,
      95% CI=1.4-3.5), education (OR=2.7, 95% CI=1.5-4.6) and alcohol use (OR=1.8, 95%
      CI=1.2-3.0). CONCLUSION: Road traffic crashes occurred commonly on bad roads, in
      the afternoon and during weekends, among young and uneducated long-distance
      drivers studied. Reconstruction of bad roads and implementation of road safety
      education programmes aimed at discouraging the use of alcohol and targeting the
      identified groups at risk are recommended.

PMID- 26124795
TI  - Epicardial fat thickness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic data indicates that rheumatoid arthritis is an
      independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Epicardial adipose tissue is
      a novel cardio-metabolic risk factor. Our aim was to evaluate epicardial fat
      thickness (EFT) using echocardiography in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
      compared to healthy control subjects. Secondly, we investigated relationship
      between epicardial fat thickness and clinical and echocardiographic parameters in
      patients with rheumatoid arthritis. METHOD: The study population included 76
      consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (64 female; mean age, 53 +/-11
      years, median disease duration, 7.8 years) and 50 healthy subjects as controls
      (39 female; mean age, 52 +/- 6 years). All patients underwent echocardiography to
      assess left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, left ventricular hypertrophy and
      EFT. All values were compared between groups. RESULTS: EFT was higher in
      rheumatoid arthritis patients than in healthy controls (0.66+/-0.20 vs. 0.54+/
      0.18; p= 0.003). Thickness of Intra Ventricular Septum (IVS) (1.1+/-0.06 and
      9.8+/-0.08; p=0.001) and posterior wall (PW) (0.98+/-0.05 and 0.93+/-0.08;
      p=0.015) was higher in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared to healthy
      controls. Early diastolic myocardiac peak velocity or late diastolic mitral peak
      velocity (E/A) ratio was lower in rheumatoid arthritis patients compared to
      healthy patients (1.1 +/-0.8 and 1.24+/-0.1 p=0.001) as well as, E/e' was higher
      in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients than healthy patients. (E/e':8.7+/-1.6 and
      8.0+/-1.4 p=0.020). In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, EFT was positively
      correlated with hypertension and duration of disease and E/e' (r: 0.10, p: 0.010,
      r: 0.306, p: 0.004 and r: 0.465 p: 0.007 respectively) and EFT was negatively
      correlated with E/A (r: -.262 p:0.022). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the
      first report about epicardial adipose tissue in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
      Epicardial fat thickness as an indicator of cardiovascular involvement was higher
      in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

PMID- 26124796
TI  - Plants used to manage type II diabetes mellitus in selected districts of central
      Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus are increasing in
      incidence in sub-Saharan Africa. African traditional medicine is part and parcel
      of the health care system in Uganda. Majority of the indigenous population will
      have visited a traditional health care practioner or self-administered herbal
      medicines before seeking conventional health care. However, documentation of the
      various medicinal plants is still lacking, necessitating a well-organized
      information search for such knowledge through research. Such information can lay
      a firm and clear foundation for scientific investigation of the purported
      therapeutic benefits of the said plants. The objective of this study was to
      collect names of medicinal plants used to manage diabetes mellitus type II in
      selected districts of central Uganda. METHODS: In this ethnobotanical survey,
      names, of plants used to manage diabetes mellitus type II as well as the methods
      of preparation, routes of administration and the plant parts used in the
      districts of Mukono, Kampala, Wakiso and Masaka in the central region of Uganda
      were documented using a researcher administered questionnaire. Participants were
      recruited using a snow ball approach in which one individual directed us to
      another. Informant consensus was determined for each of the plants mentioned.
      RESULTS: A total of 18 names of medicinal plants were recorded of which Aloe vera
      var, Solanum indicum and Vernonia amygydalina were the most commonly mentioned
      plants and thus had the highest informant consensus. Leaves were the main parts
      that were used to prepare the herbal medicine while water as the solvent used in
      all the preparations. In all the cases, only the oral route was used for
      administration of the medicines. CONCLUSION: Documentation of medicinal plants
      used to manage diabetes can further improve on the formalization process of the
      Ugandan traditional medicine system as well as lay a basis for further scientific
      investigation with emphasis on the plants whose informant consensus is high.

PMID- 26124797
TI  - Psychological wellbeing and biochemical modulation in response to weight loss in
      obese type 2 diabetes patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity in type 2 diabetes patients is a serious health issue by
      itself; it is also associated with other health problems including psychiatric
      illnesses. The psychological effects of dieting and weight loss have been a
      matter of controversy in the field of obesity management. OBJECTIVE: The aim of
      this study was to compare the impact of weight loss because of aerobic exercise
      training and dietary measures on psychological wellbeing and biochemical
      modulation in obese type 2 diabetes patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred
      obese type 2 diabetes patients of both sexes participated in this study, and were
      included into two equal groups. The first group (A) received aerobic exercise
      training, three sessions per week for three months combined with dietary
      measures. The second group (B) received no training intervention for three
      months. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in body mass index (BMI),
      leptin, total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c),
      triglycerides(TG), homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance- index (HOMA
      IR) , beck depression inventory (BDI ) & profile of mood states(POMS) and
      increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) & Rosenberg self-esteem
      scale (RSES) of group (A) after treatments, but the changes of group (B) were not
      significant. Moreover, there were significant differences between mean levels of
      the investigated parameters of group (B) and group (A) at the end of the study.
      CONCLUSION: Physical training and dietary measures can be used as methods of
      choice for psychological wellbeing and biochemical modulation in obese type 2
      diabetes patients.

PMID- 26124798
TI  - Medication adherence in type 2 diabetes patients: study of patients in Alimosho
      General Hospital, Igando, Lagos, Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poor adherence is an obstacle in therapeutic control of diabetes.
      Despite the advances in the treatment of diabetes mellitus over the years,
      diabetes places an immense burden on the individuals living with the condition,
      their families and the overall health care system. OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the
      impact of medication adherence on the clinical outcomes of type 2 diabetes
      patients at Alimosho general hospital, Igando Lagos state. METHOD: The medication
      adherence study was both descriptive (retrospective) and prospective. The
      retrospective study assessed the prevalence of medication non-adherence leading
      to poor glycemic control. This involved the review of case notes of one-hundred
      and fifty two randomly selected patients. Prospective study was done by
      counselling and educating the patients on medication adherence and assessing
      their medication adherence and the impact of medication adherence on glycemic
      control. RESULTS: The proportions of females/males with type 2 DM was found to be
      69% and 31% respectively. 51.32% of these patients viewed their medications to be
      unaffordable. 56.6% of the patient population were 61 years and above in age.
      There was a significant relationship between patient age, gender and adherence to
      medication. There was however no significant P >= 0.05 association between
      educational level and adherence. Health education and counselling resulted in
      adherence rate and clinical parameters improvements. CONCLUSION: Non-adherence is
      a major factor that could lead to morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients.
      The overall improvement in adherence rate of 86.8% was observed with a decline in
      non- adherence rate after interventions.

PMID- 26124799
TI  - Relation of maternal vitamin D status with gestational diabetes mellitus and
      perinatal outcome.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between maternal vitamin D status and
      glucose intolerance, and its impact on pregnant women and their newborns.
      METHODS: A cohort of pregnant women were divided into three groups: women with
      gestational diabetes mellitus, ones with normal results both after the 50 gr and
      100 gr OGTT (CG-1) and ones having a positive result after the 50 gr OGTT
      screening but negative results for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) after the
      100 gr OGTT (CG-2). RESULTS: The newborn length in CG-1 was greater than in GDM
      and CG-2 (p= 0.002 and p= 0.02). Fasting blood glucose and insulin resistance
      (IR) were negatively correlated with length of the newborns (r=-0.3, p=0.03 and
      r=-0.3, p=0.01). The newborns of women with GDM had lower APGAR-1 and 5 scores
      than those of CG-1 and CG-2 (APGAR-1 p= 0.001 and p= 0.004, APGAR-5 p=0.005 and
      p=0.007, respectively). APGAR scores were correlated negatively with IR (APGAR-1
      r=-0.32, p=0.01, APGAR-5 r=-0.3, p=0.03) and positively with 25OHD levels (APGAR
      1 r=0.3, p=0.01, APGAR-5 r=0.3, p=0.02). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency,
      gestational diabetes and insulin resistance are interrelated. Severe vitamin D
      deficiency during pregnancy is associated with poor pregnancy and neonatal
      outcome.

PMID- 26124801
TI  - Determinants of fertility in Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The most important elements to determine the rate of population
      growth is fertility. Fertility is the main element to affect the welfare of
      mother. The survival of a child can be affected by high fertility and shorter
      birth intervals. METHODS: For this study, the linear mixed model was used to
      determine factors affecting fertility status of women in Ethiopia. The 2011
      Ethiopian demographic and health survey data was used for this study. RESULTS:
      From the result, materials used for roof, wall and floor were found to have a
      significant relation to fertility level of women in the last five years.
      Moreover, family size and births in the last five years were found to have a
      significant relationship. CONCLUSION: Significant variation in fertility level
      was observed among rural and urban residents of Ethiopia. To reduce the gap of
      fertility between rural and urban population, it is important to modernize
      different factors. These factors could be access to education, media, and
      providing employment opportunities in the modern economic sector. Besides this,
      it is important to develop and maintain the access of family planning services.

PMID- 26124800
TI  - Maternal nutrition: how is Eastern and Southern Africa faring and what needs to
      be done?
AB  - BACKGROUND: The progress in key maternal health indicators in the Eastern and
      Southern Africa Region (ESAR) over the past two decades has been slow. OBJECTIVE:
      This paper analyzed available information on nutrition programs and nutrition
      specific interventions targeting maternal nutrition in the ESAR and proposes
      steps to improve maternal nutrition in this region. METHODS: Search was conducted
      in relevant databases. Meta-analysis was done where there was sufficient data,
      while data from the nutrition programs was abstracted for objectives, settings,
      beneficiaries, stakeholders, impact of interventions and barriers encountered
      during implementation. RESULTS: Findings from our review suggest that multiple
      nutrition programs are in place in the ESAR; including programs that directly
      address nutrition indicators and those that integrate corresponding sectors like
      agriculture, health, education, and water and sanitation. However, their scale
      and depth differ considerably. These programs have been implemented by a diverse
      range of players including respective government ministries, international
      agencies, non government organisations and the private sector in the region. Most
      of these programs are clustered in a few countries like Kenya, Uganda and
      Ethiopia while others e.g. Comoros, Somalia and Swaziland have only had a limited
      number of initiatives. CONCLUSION: These programs have been associated with some
      improvements in overall maternal health and nutritional indicators; however these
      are insufficient to significantly contribute to the progress in the region.
      Efforts should be prioritized in countries with the greatest burden of maternal
      undernutrition and associated risk factors with a focus on existing promising
      interventions to improve maternal nutrition.

PMID- 26124802
TI  - Partograph utilization and associated factors among obstetric care providers in
      North Shoa Zone, Central Ethiopia: a cross sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Globally, prolonged and obstructed labor contributed to 8% of
      maternal deaths which can be reduced by proper utilization of partograph during
      labor. METHODS: An Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted in June,
      2013 on 403 obstetric care providers. A pre-tested and structured questionnaire
      was used to collect data. Data was entered to EpiInfo version 3.5.1 statistical
      package and exported to SPSS version 20.0 for further analysis. Logistic
      regression analyses were used to see the association of different variables.
      RESULTS: Out of 403 obstetric care providers, 40.2% utilized partograph during
      labor.Those who were midwives by profession were about 8 times more likely to
      have a consistent utilization of the partograph than general practitioners
      (AOR=8. 13, 95% CI: 2.67, 24.78). Similarly, getting on job training (AOR=2. 86,
      95% CI: 1.69, 4.86), being knowledgeable on partograph (AOR=3. 79, 95% CI: 2.05,
      7.03) and having favorable attitude towards partograph (AOR=2. 35, 95% CI: 1.14,
      4.87) were positively associated with partograph utilization. CONCLUSION:
      Partograph utilization in labor monitoring was found to be low. Being a midwife
      by profession, on job training, knowledge and attitude of obstetric care
      providers were factors affecting partograph utilization. Providing on job
      training for providers would improve partograph utilization.

PMID- 26124804
TI  - Knowledge and willingness of prenatal women in Enugu Southeastern Nigeria to use
      in labour non-pharmacological pain reliefs.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nigerian parturients desire, but experience unsatisfactory pain
      relief as labour analgesia is underutilised and unpopular among skilled-birth
      attendants. OBJECTIVES: To assess pregnant women's knowledge and willingness to
      use non-pharmacological labour pain reliefs. METHODS: Using a descriptive cross
      sectional design, a pre-tested, structured questionnaire was interviewer
      administered to a convenient sample of 245 prenatal women at a specialist
      maternity hospital in Enugu. RESULTS: Majority (68.6%) of the women knew, but
      31.4% were unaware that non-pharmacological labour pain reliefs exist in the
      study facility. Only 34.7% were able to identify at least four such methods,
      21.2% could elicit two (each) advantages and disadvantages, and 0% to 28.3% had
      perceived self-efficacy of how to use each method. The leading four methods
      identified were breathing exercises (51.8%), massage (36.7), position changes
      (32.2%), and relaxation techniques (26.5%). Majority (59.6%) of the women
      expressed willingness to use non-pharmacological pain strategies in future
      labour, which is associated with increased knowledge of the methods, and parity
      (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Pregnant women had limited knowledge of, but majority
      expressed willingness to use in labour non-pharmacological pain reliefs.
      Nurses/midwives should give adequate childbirth information and preparation on
      labour pain reliefs to antenatal women to inform their choices and effective use
      during labour.

PMID- 26124803
TI  - Gender preferences among antenatal women: a cross-sectional study from coastal
      South India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A balanced sex ratio is essential for a stable society. OBJECTIVE:
      The main objective of the present research was to study the perceptions of women
      attending the antenatal care (ANC) facility regarding their gender preferences
      and family composition. METHOD: In this cross-sectional study 132 antenatal women
      were interviewed in their preferred language using a predesigned semi-structured
      questionnaire. The collected information was analyzed using SPSS version 11.5.
      RESULTS: The mean age of the study participants was 27.2 +/- 4.1 years. The
      majority of the antenatal women (60.6%, n=80) did not have any gender
      preferences. Among those who had a gender preference (39.4%, n=52), male and
      female preference was reported by 55.7% (n=29) and 44.3% (n=23) of the
      participants respectively. The overall son preference index was observed to be
      1.3. No consistent relationship could be established between the socio
      demographic factors and the preference for gender. The mean preferred family size
      in our study was 1.85+/-0.531 and more than half of the participants had a
      balanced gender preference. The majority of the participants were aware that the
      adverse sex ratio can lead to fall in the number of brides and that it would
      bring about a social imbalance. CONCLUSION: As a developed society we need to
      ensure that both the genders get equal respect and are free from any sort of
      preferences and prejudices. To achieve this, more and more people need to be made
      aware of the consequences of gender imbalance and adverse sex ratio in a society.

PMID- 26124805
TI  - Pattern & presentation of colorectal cancer in central Sudan, a retrospective
      descriptive study, 2010-2012.
AB  - AIMS & OBJECTIVE: To determine the age and gender distribution and clinical
      presentation of patients together with histological types of colorectal cancer
      cases presented to Ibn Sina specialized hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This
      retrospective study was conducted in Ibn Sina Hospital (Sudan). Seventy three
      (73) patients of colorectal cancer who presented in the period from January 2010
      to December 2012 were included. Data were collected from their hospital records
      and analyzed using SPSS computer program 17. RESULTS: More than 17 % of the study
      populations was below the age of 40 years, and 43.84% was below 50 years. The
      male to female ratio was 1:1.02. Rectal bleeding is the commonest presenting
      symptom and well differentiated adenocarcinoma is the dominating tumor grade. 8.3
      % of patients presented with liver metastasis. CONCLUSION: Colorectal cancer in
      this study was found more in young age groups with a peak frequency at the fifth
      and sixth decades.

PMID- 26124806
TI  - Comparison of absolute neutrophil to CD4 lymphocyte values as a marker of
      immunosuppression in cancer patients on cytotoxic chemotherapy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The absolute neutrophil count (ANC) is currently used to assess
      immune status of patients on cytotoxic therapy. The CD4 lymphocytes have also
      been shown to be of importance in protection against opportunistic infections. In
      people of African descent a low baseline ANC has been recorded and the currently
      accepted neutropaenic threshold may not be appropriate. OBJECTIVE: This study was
      aimed at comparing the change in ANC to CD4 lymphocyte count in adult cancer
      patients following chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty chemotherapy-naive
      patients with various malignancies had their ANC and CD4 lymphocyte counts done
      at days 0 and 12 of the first cycle of various chemotherapeutic regimens. The
      paired sample t-test was done to assess the significance between these values.
      Socio-demographic data was obtained using questionnaires. RESULTS: ANC and CD4
      pre-chemotherapy differed significantly from their post-chemotherapy values
      (p=0.001) for both parameters). The CD4 count showed significant reduction in
      patients with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (p=0.043), colorectal carcinoma (p=0.037)
      and other malignancies (p=0.030), while the ANC did not. Patients who had
      received COPP for Hodgkin's lymphoma also had significant CD4 depletion
      (p=0.037). CONCLUSION: The CD4 lymphocyte count may be a more suitable parameter
      than ANC, for monitoring immuno-depletion in cancer patients on cytotoxic
      chemotherapy. Further studies are required to validate these findings, especially
      in the Negroid population.

PMID- 26124807
TI  - Drug-drug interation prediction between ketoconazole and anti-liver cancer drug
      Gomisin G.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Gomisin G, isolated from herb Schisandra chinensis, exhibits anti
      tumor activities. Therefore, Gomisin G is a drug candidate for anti-liver cancer
      therapy. AIMS: To predict the metabolic behavior and metabolism-based drug-drug
      interaction of gomisin G. METHODS: Molecular docking method was used. The crystal
      structure of CYP3A4 with the ligand ketoconazole was chosen from protein data
      bank (http://www.rcsb.org/pdb). Chemdraw software was used to draw the two
      dimensional structure of gomisin G with standard bond lengths and angles.
      RESULTS: Gomisin G can be well docked into the activity site of CYP3A4, and
      distance between gomisin G the heme active site was 2.75 A. To evaluate whether
      the inhibitors of CYP3A4 can affect the metabolism of gomisin G, co-docking of
      gomisin G and ketoconazole was further performed. The distance between
      ketoconazole and activity center (2.10 A) is closer than the distance between
      gomisin G and activity center of CYP3A4, indicating the easy influence of
      CYP3A4's strong inhibitor towards the metabolism of gomisin G. CONCLUSION:
      Gomisin G is a good substrate of CYP3A4, and CYP3A4 inhibitors easily affect the
      metabolism of Gomisin G.

PMID- 26124808
TI  - The therapy of gefitinib towards breast cancer partially through reversing breast
      cancer biomarker arginine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Breast cancer remains the leading reason of cancer death among women
      worldwide, and gefitinib is the efficient drug for breast cancer. AIMS: To use
      targeted metabolomics method to elucidate the therapeutic mechanism of gefitinib
      through profiling the amino acids. METHODS: Healthy women (n=56) and women with
      breast cancer (n=60) were enrolled in Affiliated Yuhuangding hospital, medical
      college of Qingdao University from 2012-2014. API 3200 triple quadrupole mass
      spectrometer was used to analyze the serum samples. RESULTS: The concentration of
      amino acids was compared between healthy women and women with breast cancers.
      Compared with the healthy women, the concentration of arginine in breast cancer
      women significantly decreased (p<0.0001). To show the representative capability
      of arginine towards the pathogenesis of breast cancers, the receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn, and the area under the curve (AUC) was
      calculated to be 0.96 +/- 0.02, indicating the high predictive capability of
      arginine for breast cancer . The reversing ability of gefitinib towards the level
      of arginine was further determined, and 1 month treatment of gefitinib (500
      mg/day) significantly reversed the arginine level of breast cancer patients
      (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: The therapy of gefitinib towards breast cancer through
      reversing breast cancer biomarker arginine was demonstrated.

PMID- 26124809
TI  - The protective effects of aqueous extract of Carica papaya seeds in paracetamol
      induced nephrotoxicity in male wistar rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the development of drug
      induced nephrotoxicity. The study aimed to determine the nephroprotective and
      ameliorative effects of Carica papaya seed extract in paracetamol-induced
      nephrotoxicity in rats. OBJECTIVES: To carry out phytochemical screening of
      Carica papaya, measure serum urea, creatinine and uric acid and describe the
      histopathological status of the kidneys in the treated and untreated groups.
      METHODS: Phytochemical screening of the extract was done. Thirty two adult male
      Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n= 8 in each group). Group A (control)
      animals received normal saline for seven days, group B (paracetamol group)
      received normal saline, and paracetamol single dose on the 8th day. Group C
      received Carica papaya extract (CPE) 500 mg/kg, and paracetamol on the 8th day,
      while group D, rats were pretreated with CPE 750 mg/kg/day,and paracetamol
      administration on the 8th day. Samples of kidney tissue were removed for
      histopathological examination. RESULTS: Screening of Carica papaya showed
      presence of nephroprotective pytochemicals. Paracetamol administration resulted
      in significant elevation of renal function markers. CPE ameliorated the effect of
      paracetamol by reducing the markers as well as reversing the paracetamol-induced
      changes in kidney architecture. CONCLUSION: Carica papaya contains
      nephroprotective phytochemicals and may be useful in preventing kidney damage
      induced by paracetamol.

PMID- 26124810
TI  - Comparative study on the effects of aqueous extracts of viscum album (mistletoe)
      from three host plants on hematological parameters in albino rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The extract of the leaves of Viscum album (mistletoe) has been used
      for centuries in traditional medicine in many parts of the world. However, like
      many medicinal plants, the belief that things of natural origin are safe may not
      be entirely true. The blood is a good indicator of health and pathological mirror
      of the entire body. OBJECTIVE: Therefore, in this study, the acute effects of
      extracts of mistletoe, harvested from three hosts, on haematology indices of
      wistar albino rats was investigated. METHODS: Graded doses (400, 800, 1600 and
      3200mg/kg body weight) of aqueous extracts of mistletoe from three different host
      plants, coffee (Coffee arabica), kola (Kola nitida), cocoa (Theobromae cacao),
      were administered orally to wistar albino rats for 14 days. Full haematological
      parameters were evaluated on whole blood collected from rats twenty four hours
      after the administration of the last dose. RESULTS: Mistletoe from kola caused a
      concentration dependent and statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction in
      platelets count in rats. Administration of mistletoe extract from cocoa and
      coffee led to reduction in hemoglobin concentration. Reductions in packed cell
      volume (PCV) and red blood cell (RBC) and increase in white blood cells (WBC)
      were also observed in rats administered all the extracts. CONCLUSION: Increase in
      the WBC count observed in rats administered mistletoe suggests that mistletoe
      extract contains agents that could stimulate the production of leucocytes and
      could serve as immune booster. However, there is need to be cautious in
      administration at high doses to prevent the risk of anaemia.

PMID- 26124811
TI  - Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of Eriobotrya japonica leaves
      extracts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the present work we determined phenolic and flavonoids content of
      Eriobotrya japonica leaves extracts and fractions and their antioxidant and anti
      inflammatory properties. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the inhibition of inflammatory
      PLA2 and antioxidant effects of extracts and fractions from Eriobotrya japonica
      leaves. METHODS: Antioxidant activity was evaluated with DPPH radical scavenging
      assay and anti-inflammatory effect of fractions was measured by their inhibition
      potency on the human pro-inflammatory phospholipase A2 (group IIA). RESULTS: The
      EtOH/EtOAc 2:1 extract exhibited a potent inhibition of the hG-IIA with an IC50
      values of 8 ug/ml. It also shows an antioxidant activity measured on DPPH with an
      IC50 of 42 ug/ml. Fractionation shows that CH2Cl2/MeOH 0:1 fraction was the rich
      one on flavonoids compounds (4.3 mg/g dry weight) and demonstrates a high
      antioxidant activity with an IC50 of 12 ug/ml. The anti-inflammatory evaluation
      demonstrates that the same fraction was the best one to inhibit the pro
      inflammatory phospholipase A2 group IIA with an IC50 of 4 ug/ml. CONCLUSION:
      Study conducted on Eriobotrya japonica shows that CH2Cl2/MeOH 0:1 fraction
      inhibits efficiently the hG-IIA phospholipase. which is considered as pro
      inflammatory enzyme.

PMID- 26124812
TI  - Assessment of subjective sleep quality in iron deficiency anaemia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the effect of anemia on subjective sleep quality
      in patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA). METHODS: One hundred and four
      patients diagnosed with IDA and 80 healthy individuals, who are gender and age
      matched, were included in the study. All participants were requested to fill 3
      forms: a socio-demographic form (age, gender, marital status, income level and
      educational status), hospital anxiety and depression (HAD) scale and pittsburgh
      sleep quality index (PSQI). RESULTS: According to the HAD scale, the average
      anxiety score was found 9.24+/-4.37 in patients and 7.58+/- 4.07 in controls.
      And, the average depression score was 7.53+/-4.10 in patients and 6.41+/-2.74 in
      controls. The total sleep quality score was 6.71+/-3.02 in patients and 4.11+/
      1.64 in controls. There was a statistically significant difference in terms of
      anxiety, depression and sleep quality scores. Linear regression analysis showed
      no association between anxiety and depression with poor sleeping. CONCLUSION: IDA
      affects sleep quality irrespective of psychological symptoms such as depression
      and anxiety.

PMID- 26124813
TI  - The anthropological approach challenges the conventional approach to bioethical
      dilemmas: a Kenyan Maasai perspective.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The cultural background, religion and societal norms have a huge
      influence on the decision making process for physicians, patients and their
      families, when faced with medical ethical dilemmas. While the medical
      professionals, through their training, can rely on the principles of autonomy,
      justice, beneficence and non-maleficence to guide them, the patients can only
      draw from their personal and cultural experiences. OBJECTIVE: To explore some of
      the challenges that face physicians when presented with ethical dilemmas.
      METHODS: A review of the literature on the principles of medical ethics and the
      cultural practices of the Maasai tribe, as well as, interview, interaction and
      observation of the patients and family during patient. management. RESULTS: In
      the Maasai community in Kenya, where family is the center of all attention and
      decision-making, the listed ethical principles and rules have a very different
      understanding of the self-determination, and autonomy becomes collective rather
      than individualistic. Medical practitioners when faced with ethical medical
      dilemmas are neither comfortable in adopting the conventional bioethical
      guidelines, nor in offering a health care purely based on cultural and historical
      practice. CONCLUSION: In our set up, developing culturally relevant principles of
      bioethics appears to be the most effective solution in addressing medical ethical
      dilemmas.

PMID- 26124814
TI  - Towards bio monitoring of toxic (lead) and essential elements in whole blood from
      1- to 72-month old children: a cross-sectional study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Minerals such as zinc, copper, selenium, calcium, and magnesium are
      essential for normal human development and functioning of the body. They have
      been found to play important roles in immuno-physiologic functions. The study is
      to evaluate the distribution and correlation of nonessential (lead) and essential
      elements in whole blood from 1- to 72-month old children. METHODS: The cross
      sectional study was performed in 1551 children. Six element concentrations,
      including copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe) and
      lead (Pb) in the blood were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry.
      Distributions and correlations of trace elements in different age groups were
      analyzed and compared. A Pearson correlation controlled for age and gender was
      used to assess the relationship of non essential (lead) and essential elements.
      RESULTS: Levels of copper and magnesium were 18.09 +/- 4.42 umol/L and 1.42 +/-
      0.12 mmol/L, respectively. 6.04% of all children showed copper levels below the
      normal threshold, the levels of Magnesium were stable in different age groups.
      Though the overall mean blood zinc and iron concentrations (61.19 +/- 11.30
      umol/L and 8.24 +/- 0.59 mmol/L, respectively) gradually increased with age and
      the overall deficiency levels (24.1% and 36.0%, respectively) decreased with age,
      zinc and iron deficiencies were still very stable. Controlling for gender and
      age, significant positive correlations were found when comparing copper to zinc,
      calcium, magnesium, and iron ((r = 0.333, 0.241, 0.417, 0.314 ,p < 0.01); zinc to
      magnesium and iron (r = 0.440, 0.497p < 0.01); and magnesium to Calcium and iron
      (r = 0.349, 0.645, p < 0.01). The overall mean blood lead levels (41.16 +/-
      16.10) were relatively unstable among different age groups. The prevalence of
      lead intoxication in all children was 1.3% .Calcium levels decreased gradually
      with age, with an overall concentration of 1.78 +/- 0.13 mmol/L. CONCLUSION:
      Significant negative correlations were also noted between Pb and Zn, Fe (r = 
      0.179, -0.124.p < 0.01) .The importance of calcium deficiency and supplementation
      is well realized, but the severity of iron and zinc deficiency is not well
      recorded. The degree of lead intoxication in all the children studied was low;
      The established reference intervals for Cu, Zn, Ca and Mg provide an important
      guidance for the reasonable supplementation of essential elements during
      different age groups.

PMID- 26124815
TI  - Comparison of a fluorometric assay kit with high-performance liquid
      chromatography for the assessment of serum retinol concentration.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is the
      commonly used method for the analysis of retinol in biological samples, simple
      and rapid test kits are available. OBJECTIVES: This study compared a rapid test
      kit (ICHECK Fluoro(r)) to HPLC for the assessment of serum retinol
      concentrations. METHODS: For the analysis by HPLC, sample preparation included
      standard deproteinization and extraction phases. The analysis by ICHECK was
      performed by injecting serum into IEX reagent vials (n=89) and mixing manually
      for separation. After precipitation of the proteins, the vial was introduced into
      the chamber of the ICHECK Fluoro and analysed at 0 min (ICHECK0min) and 15 min
      later (ICHECK15min). Bland and Altman approach was applied to test the agreement
      between HPLC and ICHECK. RESULTS: Mean HPLC, ICHECK0min and ICHECK15min values
      were 421.2+/-106.0 ug/L, 423.1+/-118.3 ug/L and 413.2+/-107.6 ug/L, respectively.
      Retinol concentrations significantly decreased in the IEX solution over time
      (p<0.001). No significant proportional bias was observed between HPLC and
      ICHECK0min (r-0.038, p=0.73) and ICHECK15min (r=-0.024, p=0.82). Fixed biases
      (HPLC minus ICHECK) for ICHECK0min and ICHECK15min were respectively -1.9+/-23.1
      ug/l (p=0.45) and 8.0+/-22.7 ug/l (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: ICHECK Fluoro may offer
      a reliable mean for assessing serum retinol for measurements performed with no
      significant time delay.

PMID- 26124816
TI  - Educational audit on drug dose calculation learning in a Tanzanian school of
      nursing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient safety is a key concern for nurses; ability to calculate drug
      doses correctly is an essential skill to prevent and reduce medication errors.
      Literature suggests that nurses' drug calculation skills should be monitored.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to conduct an educational audit on drug dose
      calculation learning in a Tanzanian school of nursing. Specific objectives were
      to assess learning from targeted teaching, to identify problem areas in
      performance and to identify ways in which these problem areas might be addressed.
      METHODS: A total of 268 registered nurses and nursing students in two year groups
      of a nursing degree programme were the subjects for the audit; they were given a
      pretest, then four hours of teaching, a post-test after two weeks and a second
      post-test after eight weeks. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant
      improvement in correct answers in the first post-test, but none between the first
      and second post-tests. Particular problems with drug calculations were identified
      by the nurses / students, and the teacher; these identified problems were not
      congruent. CONCLUSION: Further studies in different settings using different
      methods of teaching, planned continuing education for all qualified nurses, and
      appropriate pass marks for students in critical skills are recommended.

PMID- 26124817
TI  - Antibiogram of E. coli serotypes isolated from children aged under five with
      acute diarrhea in Bahir Dar town.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diarrheal disease and its complications remain a major cause of
      morbidity and mortality in children. The prevalence and antibiogram of E. coli as
      causative agents of diarrhea vary from region to region, and even within
      countries in the same geographical area. OBJECTIVES: To determine the serotype
      and antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli in children under-five years of age.
      METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 children with diarrhea
      from December 2011 to February 2012. Identification of E. coli and antimicrobial
      susceptibility testing were done following standard procedures. RESULTS: The
      overall isolation rate of E. coli was 48.3%. Poly 2 sero-groups, poly 3 sero
      groups, poly 4 sero-groups and E. coli O157:H7 accounted for 80 (39.2%), 40
      (19.6%), 25 (12.3%), and 59 (28.9%) of the isolates, respectively. Poly 2 sero
      groups, constituting isolates belonging to enteropathogenic E. coli were the most
      commonly isolated serotypes. E. coli exhibited high levels of antimicrobial
      resistance to ampicillin (86.8%), tetracycline (76%) and cotrimoxazole (76%). Low
      levels of resistance to ciprofloxacin (6.9%) and norfloxacin (9.3%) were
      documented. CONCLUSION: High prevalence of diarrheagenic E. coli compounded by
      alarming antimicrobial resistances is a serious public health problem. Regular
      determination of antibiogram and public education are recommended.

PMID- 26124818
TI  - Life within chronic care: is this a service or sentence?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Understanding the meaning of one's lived experiences improves one's
      understanding of what it means to be human, in association with the social,
      cultural and historical context in which being a human occurs. The authors in
      this study describe the lived experiences of residents within a chronic care
      facility including the practitioner and family perspectives. METHODS: A
      qualitative approach was employed with a single-site, descriptive, instrumental
      case study design. Purposive sampling was utilised to select the chronic
      facility. Multiple sources of evidence included narratives, semi-structured
      interviews with staff, residents and family members, and activity profiles of the
      residents augmented by an ergonomic evaluation of the facility. Content analysis
      using within-case analysis was implemented. RESULTS: The greatest impact on the
      quality of the resident's lived experiences emanates from the physical,
      organisational and social environments in which they reside. Limited resources,
      poor staff attitudes and routines that are enforced both on the staff of the
      facility and the residents appear to reduce optimal functioning within the
      facility. Furthermore the residents' intrinsic motivation, presence of enforced
      idleness, learned helplessness and institutionalisation is often intensified and
      becomes characteristic of the residents lived experiences. DISCUSSION: The lived
      experiences of the residents are described according to quality of life
      indicators that were identified during the study and supported by literature.
      These include the influence of the physical, social and organizational
      environments on the residents' functional status, which comprises physical well
      being and emotional well-being and engagement in meaningful occupations including
      social interaction and relationships with other individuals. CONCLUSIONS:
      Findings of this study may be valuable in understanding and facilitating a
      positive change in service delivery within chronic care centres.

PMID- 26124819
TI  - Medical ethics in sub-Sahara Africa: closing the gaps.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health care providers are expected to have the skills and knowledge
      relevant to their field and should also be familiar with the ethical and legal
      expectations that arise out of the standard practices. OBJECTIVES: To elucidate
      the practice of the health care providers in relation to healthcare ethics in
      Nigeria. METHODS: A self-administered structured questionnaire was devised and
      distributed to staff of two tertiary health care facilities in Northern Nigeria.
      The questionnaire comprised of detailed questions regarding day-to-day aspects of
      Medical ethical issues. RESULTS: A total of 307(76.2%) out of 403 health care
      providers responded to the questionnaire. The median age of the respondents was
      34 years. More than half 168(54.7%) of the respondents disagreed as to whether
      "Ethical conduct is important only to avoid legal action. Many respondents 135
      (44.0%) agreed to adhering to "patient's wishes", on the other hand over two
      third of the respondents 211 (68.7%) agreed that "doctor should do what is best"
      irrespective of the patient's opinion. There were significant differences
      (p<0.05) between the perception of physicians and non-physicians on many ethical
      issues. CONCLUSION: This study has shown gap in knowledge and practice of
      healthcare ethics among health care providers. There is a need for periodic
      education on clinical ethics in our hospitals.

PMID- 26124820
TI  - Alpha thalassemia among sickle cell anaemia patients in Kampala, Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sickle cell anaemia is prevalent in sub Saharan Africa. While alpha+
      thalassaemia is known to modulate sickle cell anaemia, its magnitude and
      significance in Uganda have hitherto not been described. OBJECTIVES: To determine
      the prevalence of alpha+thalassaemia among sickle cell anaemia patients in Mulago
      Hospital and to describe the clinical and laboratory findings in these patients.
      METHODS: A cross sectional study was carried out on patients with sickle cell
      anaemia in Kampala. Dried blood spots were used to analyze for the deletional
      alpha+ thalassaemia using multiplex polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Of the
      142 patients with sickle cell anaemia, 110 (77.5%) had the
      alphaalpha+thalassaemia deletion. The gene frequency of (-alpha) was 0.425.
      Ninety one percent (100/110) of those with alpha+thalassaemia were heterozygous
      (alphaalpha/alpha-). Amongst the patients older than 60 months, 15 (83.3%) of
      those without alphaalpha+thalassaemia had significant hepatomegaly of greater
      than 4 cm compared to 36 (45.6%) of those with alpha+thalassaemia (p=0.003).
      CONCLUSION: The gene frequency of (-alpha) of 0.425 noted in this study is higher
      than that reported from many places in Africa. Concurrent alpha thalassemia might
      be a protective trait against significant hepatomegaly in sickle cell anaemia
      patients more than 60 months of age at Mulago hospital.

PMID- 26124821
TI  - Children with bronchial asthma assessed for psychosocial problems in a teaching
      hospital in Nigeria.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Paediatric bronchial asthma causes respiratory related mortality and
      morbidity globally and elevates the risk of psychological and social problems
      (psychosocial problems); which may result in poorer asthma control. The rate of
      and associated factors for psychosocial problems among our asthmatic children was
      assessed in this study. METHODS: Seventy five (75) children aged 7 to 14 years
      with bronchial asthma who were attending clinics at the University of Ilorin
      Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria, were assessed with Child behaviour
      questionnaire and a semi-structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Probable
      psychological morbidity was present in 25% of the children. The most frequently
      reported social impairments associated with the disease were: interference with
      play (60%), domestic work (49%), fear of dying anytime (29%) and feeling of being
      a burden on the family (25%). Psychological morbidity was significantly
      associated with lower maternal education (p=0.020) and occupation (p=0.038),
      polygamy (p=0.012), fathers having more than 5 children (p=0.027) and mothers
      having inadequate spousal support (p=0.012). Inadequate spousal support and lower
      maternal occupational level were the significant predictors of morbidity
      following logistic regression. CONCLUSION: Routine psychosocial assessment and
      care for children with asthma needs to be introduced into our clinics to help
      protect them and their families from avoidable suffering.

PMID- 26124822
TI  - Miliary tuberculosis after in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With the development of assisted reproductive technology, more
      patients with infertility prefer to get pregnant by in vitro fertilization and
      embryo transplantation (IVF-ET). But the indications of IVF-ET must be strictly
      controlled by the clinicians. CASE REPORT: We described a case of a 29-year-old
      pregnant Chinese woman with military tuberculosis. She was admitted to the
      hospital with complaints of fever and shortness of breath. She received IVF-ET 83
      days ago, because of infertility with bilateraltubal occlusion, and was in
      pregnancy status. We presented the clinical, laboratory and two chest CT scan
      features of the patient. The second chest CT scan showed randomly distributed,
      innumerable tiny, military nodules throughout the lungs. The fluorescence
      quantitative PCR of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was positive for
      Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The M. tuberculosis was cultured from BALF on Day 29.
      So we made the diagnosis of military tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: It is important to
      rule out tuberculosis for the infertility patients especially with bilateraltubal
      occlusion before IVF-ET in order to avoid tuberculosis disseminate during
      pregnancy.

PMID- 26124823
TI  - Acute cortical blindness caused by pre-eclampsia in the antepartum; posterior
      reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES).

PMID- 26124824
TI  - Crossroad between camel bites and crocodile bites.

PMID- 26124825
TI  - Infectious diseases and chronic care in Africa.

PMID- 26124826
TI  - The Effect of Long-Term Intranasal Serotonin Treatment on Metabolic Parameters
      and Hormonal Signaling in Rats with High-Fat Diet/Low-Dose Streptozotocin-Induced
      Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - In the last years the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) was carried out
      using regulators of the brain signaling systems. In DM2 the level of the brain
      serotonin is reduced. So far, the effect of the increase of the brain serotonin
      level on DM2-induced metabolic and hormonal abnormalities has been studied
      scarcely. The present work was undertaken with the aim of filling this gap. DM2
      was induced in male rats by 150-day high-fat diet and the treatment with low dose
      of streptozotocin (25 mg/kg) on the 70th day of experiment. From the 90th day,
      diabetic rats received for two months intranasal serotonin (IS) at a daily dose
      of 20 MUg/rat. The IS treatment of diabetic rats decreased the body weight, and
      improved glucose tolerance, insulin-induced glucose utilization, and lipid
      metabolism. Besides, it restored hormonal regulation of adenylyl cyclase (AC)
      activity in the hypothalamus and normalized AC stimulation by beta-adrenergic
      agonists in the myocardium. In nondiabetic rats the same treatment induced
      metabolic and hormonal alterations, some of which were similar to those in DM2
      but expressed to a lesser extent. In conclusion, the elevation of the brain
      serotonin level may be regarded as an effective approach to treat DM2 and its
      complications. 

PMID- 26124828
TI  - Epicardial Adipose Tissue Is Nonlinearly Related to Anthropometric Measures and
      Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue.
AB  - Introduction. Adipose tissue is the largest endocrine organ, composed of
      subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), the latter being highly
      associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Expansion of epicardial adipose
      tissue (EAT) is linked to CAD. One way of assessing the CAD risk is with low-cost
      anthropometric measures, although they are inaccurate and cannot discriminate
      between VAT and SAT. The aim of this study is to evaluate (1) the relationship
      between EAT thickness, SAT thickness and anthropometric measures in a cohort of
      patients assessed at the cardiology unit and (2) determine predictive power of
      anthropometric measures and EAT and SAT thickness in establishment of CAD.
      Methods. Anthropometric measures were obtained from 53 CAD and 42 non-CAD
      patients. Vascular and structural statuses were obtained with coronarography and
      echocardiography, as well as measurements of the EAT and SAT thickness. Results.
      Anthropometric measures showed moderate positive correlation with EAT and SAT
      thickness. Anthropometric measures and SAT follow nonlinear S curve relationship
      with EAT. Strong nonlinear power curve relationship was observed between EAT and
      SAT thinner than 10 mm. Anthropometric measures and EAT and SAT were poor
      predictors of CAD. Conclusion. Anthropometric measures and SAT have nonlinear
      relationship with EAT. EAT thickness and anthropometric measures have similar CAD
      predictive value. 

PMID- 26124827
TI  - Coronary Microvascular Function and Beyond: The Crosstalk between Hormones,
      Cytokines, and Neurotransmitters.
AB  - Beyond its hemodynamic function, the heart also acts as a neuroendocrine and
      immunoregulatory organ. A dynamic communication between the heart and other
      organs takes place constantly to maintain cardiovascular homeostasis. The current
      understanding highlights the importance of the endocrine, immune, and nervous
      factors to fine-tune the crosstalk of the cardiovascular system with the entire
      body. Once disrupted, this complex interorgan communication may promote the onset
      and the progression of cardiovascular diseases. Thus, expanding our knowledge on
      how these factors influence the cardiovascular system can lead to novel
      therapeutic strategies to improve patient care. In the present paper, we review
      novel concepts on the role of endocrine, immune, and nervous factors in the
      modulation of microvascular coronary function. 

PMID- 26124829
TI  - Adrenergic System Activation Mediates Changes in Cardiovascular and Psychomotoric
      Reactions in Young Individuals after Red Bull ((c)) Energy Drink Consumption.
AB  - Objectives. To assess the effect of Red Bull((c)) on (1) blood glucose and
      catecholamine levels, (2) cardiovascular and respiratory function changes before,
      during, and after exercise, (3) reaction time, (4) cognitive functions, and (5)
      response to mental stress test and emotions in young healthy individuals (N=38).
      Methods. Heart rate (HR) and arterial blood pressure (ABP), blood glucose,
      adrenaline, and noradrenalin plasma levels were measured before and after Red
      Bull((c)) intake. Participants were subjected to 4 different study protocols by
      randomized order, before and 30 minutes after consumption of 500 mL of Red
      Bull((c)). Results. Mean ABP and HR were significantly increased at rest after
      Red Bull((c)) intake. Blood glucose level and plasma catecholamine levels
      significantly increased after Red Bull((c)) consumption. Heart rate, respiration
      rate, and respiratory flow rate were significantly increased during exercise
      after Red Bull((c)) consumption compared to control condition. Intake of Red
      Bull((c)) significantly improved reaction time, performance in immediate memory
      test, verbal fluency, and subject's attention as well as performance in mental
      stress test. Conclusion. This study demonstrated that Red Bull((c)) has
      beneficial effect on some cognitive functions and effect on cardiovascular and
      respiratory system at rest and during exercise by increasing activity of the
      sympathetic nervous system. 

PMID- 26124832
TI  - Myocardial Infarction and Stroke Risk in Young Healthy Men Treated with
      Injectable Testosterone.
AB  - This study was conducted to examine the association between testosterone therapy
      and new myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke events in a series of patients
      treated at Low T Centers across the United States, consisting of mainly young
      (mean age = 46), otherwise, healthy men. Electronic medical records were queried
      between the years 2009 and 2014 to identify patients diagnosed with hypogonadism,
      MI, and stroke, as indicated by ICD-9 codes. The incidence of MI and stroke
      events was compared to community-based registries. 39,936 patients recruited from
      40 Low T Centers across the United States were treated and 19,968 met eligibility
      criteria for receiving testosterone treatment. The incidence rate ratio (IRR) for
      MI in testosterone- (T-) treated versus nontreated patients was 0.14 (C.I. = 0.08
      to 0.18, P < 0.0001) whereas the IRR for stroke for T-treated versus nontreated
      patients was 0.11 (C.I. = 0.02 to 0.13, P < 0.0001). There was no evidence of
      worsening preexisting MI or stroke in patients treated with testosterone. The
      experience in Low T Centers shows that, in an injectable testosterone patient
      registry, testosterone is generally safe for younger men who do not have
      significant risk factors. Of patients that developed MI with testosterone, there
      was no association with testosterone or hematocrit levels. 

PMID- 26124830
TI  - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Important Underrecognised Cardiometabolic Risk Factor
      in Reproductive-Age Women.
AB  - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder amongst
      women of reproductive age. Although PCOS is diagnosed exclusively based on
      reproductive criteria, it is also a metabolic disorder. Insulin resistance,
      impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and dyslipidemia
      are more common in women with PCOS than in age-comparable women without PCOS.
      Many of the metabolic abnormalities that manifest in PCOS are worsened by the
      concurrent incidence of obesity. However, some of these metabolic perturbations
      occur even in lean women with PCOS and therefore are rightfully recognized as
      intrinsic to PCOS. The intrinsic factors that produce these metabolic
      disturbances are reviewed in this paper. The consequences of obesity and the
      other metabolic aberrations are also discussed. The metabolic perturbations in
      PCOS patients lead to chronic low-grade inflammation and to cardiovascular
      impairments that heighten the risk of having cardiovascular disease. Even though
      many studies have shown an elevation in surrogate biomarkers of cardiovascular
      disease in PCOS women, it is still not clear to what extent and magnitude the
      elevation precipitates more frequent and earlier events. 

PMID- 26124833
TI  - Various Techniques to Increase Keratinized Tissue for Implant Supported
      Overdentures: Retrospective Case Series.
AB  - Purpose. The purpose of this retrospective case series is to describe and compare
      different surgical techniques that can be utilized to augment the keratinized
      soft tissue around implant-supported overdentures. Materials and Methods. The
      data set was extracted as deidentified information from the routine treatment of
      patients at the Ashman Department of Periodontology and Implant Dentistry at New
      York University College of Dentistry. Eight edentulous patients were selected to
      be included in this study. Patients were treated for lack of keratinized tissue
      prior to implant placement, during the second stage surgery, and after delivery
      of the final prosthesis. Results. All 8 patients in this study were wearing a
      complete maxillary and/or mandibular denture for at least a year before the time
      of the surgery. One of the following surgical techniques was utilized to increase
      the amount of keratinized tissue: apically positioned flap (APF), pedicle graft
      (PG), connective tissue graft (CTG), or free gingival graft (FGG). Conclusions.
      The amount of keratinized tissue should be taken into consideration when planning
      for implant-supported overdentures. The apical repositioning flap is an effective
      approach to increase the width of keratinized tissue prior to the implant
      placement. 

PMID- 26124831
TI  - Optimizing Bone Health in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
AB  - Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disorder characterized
      by progressive muscle weakness, with eventual loss of ambulation and premature
      death. The approved therapy with corticosteroids improves muscle strength,
      prolongs ambulation, and maintains pulmonary function. However, the osteoporotic
      impact of chronic corticosteroid use further impairs the underlying reduced bone
      mass seen in DMD, leading to increased fragility fractures of long bones and
      vertebrae. These serious sequelae adversely affect quality of life and can impact
      survival. The current clinical issues relating to bone health and bone health
      screening methods in DMD are presented in this review. Diagnostic studies,
      including biochemical markers of bone turnover and bone mineral density by dual
      energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), as well as spinal imaging using densitometric
      lateral spinal imaging, and treatment to optimize bone health in patients with
      DMD are discussed. Treatment with bisphosphonates offers a method to increase
      bone mass in these children; oral and intravenous bisphosphonates have been used
      successfully although treatment is typically reserved for children with fractures
      and/or bone pain with low bone mass by DXA. 

PMID- 26124834
TI  - Quality of Root Canals Performed by the Inaugural Class of Dental Students at
      Libyan International Medical University.
AB  - Objective. The purpose of this study was to radiographically evaluate technical
      quality of root canal fillings performed by dental undergraduates at Libyan
      International Medical University in Libya. Methods. Root canal cases were treated
      at university dental clinic from the fall of 2012 to the fall of 2013 by the
      fourth and fifth year dental students. Students used step-back preparation and
      cold lateral compaction in the treatment. Radiographs were reviewed over a two
      year period from initial procedure to final restoration. Radiographs were
      evaluated for adequacy or inadequacy by length, density, and taper. Length
      inadequacy was classified as short or overextended. Overall quality was
      considered "adequate" based on all three variables. Chi-square tested differences
      between teeth groupings and adequacy classification. Significant p value results
      were adjusted by Bonferroni correction. Results. Adequate length of root canal
      fillings were observed in roughly half of all samples (48.6%). Density was
      adequate in 75.8% of the samples. Taper was observed as adequate in 68.8%. Higher
      quality was evident in anterior teeth (plus premolars) versus molars (65.6%
      versus 43.3%, resp.; p < 0.04). Conclusion. Overall quality of endodontic
      treatment performed by undergraduate dental students was adequate in 53.9% of the
      cases. Significant opportunity exists to improve the quality of root canals
      provided by dental students. 

PMID- 26124835
TI  - Clinical Advantages and Limitations of Monolithic Zirconia Restorations Full Arch
      Implant Supported Reconstruction: Case Series.
AB  - Purpose. The purpose of this retrospective case series is to evaluate the
      clinical advantages and limitations of monolithic zirconia restorations for full
      arch implant supported restorations and report the rate of complications up to 2
      years after insertion. Materials and Methods. Fourteen patients received implant
      placement for monolithic zirconia full arch reconstructions. Four implants were
      placed in seven arches, eleven arches received six implants, two arches received
      seven implants, two arches received eight implants, and one arch received nine
      implants. Results. No implant failures or complications were reported for an
      implant survival rate of 100% with follow-up ranging from 3 to 24 months.
      Conclusions. Monolithic zirconia CAD-/CAM-milled framework restorations are a
      treatment option for full arch restorations over implants, showing a 96% success
      rate in the present study. Some of the benefits are accuracy, reduced veneering
      porcelain, and minimal occlusal adjustments. The outcome of the present study
      showed high success in function, aesthetics, phonetics, and high patient
      satisfaction. 

PMID- 26124836
TI  - Zirconia Implants in Esthetic Areas: 4-Year Follow-Up Evaluation Study.
AB  - Objectives. The aim is to evaluate the survival and success rates, as well as the
      marginal bone loss (MBL) and periodontal indexes of zirconia implants positioned
      in the esthetic jaw areas. Materials and Method. 13 patients were selected and 20
      one-piece zirconia implants were used for the rehabilitation of single tooth or
      partially edentulous ridge in the esthetic jaw areas. Six months after surgery
      and then once a year, a clinical-radiographic evaluation was performed in order
      to estimate peri-implant tissue health and marginal bone loss. Results. The
      survival and success rates were 100%. The average marginal bone loss from
      baseline to 48 months after surgery was +2.1 mm. Four years after surgery, the
      median and the mode for visible Plaque Index and Bleeding On Probing resulted 1
      whereas Probing Pocket Depth amounted to 3 mm (SD = +/-0.49 mm). Conclusion. One
      piece zirconia dental implants are characterized by high biocompatibility, low
      plaque adhesion, and absence of microgap that can be related to the clinical
      success of these implants even in the esthetic areas. 

PMID- 26124837
TI  - Soft Tissue Surgical Procedures for Optimizing Anterior Implant Esthetics.
AB  - Implant dentistry has been established as a predictable treatment with excellent
      clinical success to replace missing or nonrestorable teeth. A successful esthetic
      implant reconstruction is predicated on two fundamental components: the
      reproduction of the natural tooth characteristics on the implant crown and the
      establishment of soft tissue housing that will simulate a healthy periodontium.
      In order for an implant to optimally rehabilitate esthetics, the peri-implant
      soft tissues must be preserved and/or augmented by means of periodontal surgical
      procedures. Clinicians who practice implant dentistry should strive to achieve an
      esthetically successful outcome beyond just osseointegration. Knowledge of a
      variety of available techniques and proper treatment planning enables the
      clinician to meet the ever-increasing esthetic demands as requested by patients.
      The purpose of this paper is to enhance the implant surgeon's rationale and
      techniques beyond that of simply placing a functional restoration in an
      edentulous site to a level whereby an implant-supported restoration is placed in
      reconstructed soft tissue, so the site is indiscernible from a natural tooth. 

PMID- 26124838
TI  - Stem Cell-Biomaterial Interactions for Tissue Engineering.

PMID- 26124839
TI  - All-Trans Retinoic Acid Improves the Effects of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal
      Stem Cells on the Treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis: An In Vitro Study.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated the immunosuppressive effects of both all
      trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The present study
      aimed to assess the immunoregulatory effects of ATRA on MSCs in the treatment of
      ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Bone marrow-derived MSCs from healthy donors were
      pretreated with ATRA and cocultured with CD3/28-activated peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from AS patients. Frequencies of Th17 and
      regulatory T (Treg) cells were analyzed using flow cytometry. The secretion and
      the mRNA level of key cytokines were measured with cytometric bead array and
      quantitative real-time PCR, respectively. ATRA pretreatment increased interleukin
      6 (IL-6) secretion of MSCs. Th17 and Treg subset populations were increased and
      reduced by ATRA-pretreated MSCs, respectively. ATRA-pretreated MSCs significantly
      decreased not only the vital pathogenic cytokine in AS, tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha), but also AS-boosting factors interleukin-17 (IL-17A) and
      interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). These results indicated that IL-6 may be a
      potential protective factor in AS and highlighted the promising role of ATRA in
      improving the efficacy of MSC-based treatment of AS. 

PMID- 26124840
TI  - Electrospun Gelatin/beta-TCP Composite Nanofibers Enhance Osteogenic
      Differentiation of BMSCs and In Vivo Bone Formation by Activating Ca (2+) 
      Sensing Receptor Signaling.
AB  - Calcium phosphate- (CaP-) based composite scaffolds have been used extensively
      for the bone regeneration in bone tissue engineering. Previously, we developed a
      biomimetic composite nanofibrous membrane of gelatin/beta-tricalcium phosphate
      (TCP) and confirmed their biological activity in vitro and bone regeneration in
      vivo. However, how these composite nanofibers promote the osteogenic
      differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is unknown. Here,
      gelatin/beta-TCP composite nanofibers were fabricated by incorporating 20 wt%
      beta-TCP nanoparticles into electrospun gelatin nanofibers. Electron microscopy
      showed that the composite beta-TCP nanofibers had a nonwoven structure with a
      porous network and a rough surface. Spectral analyses confirmed the presence and
      chemical stability of the beta-TCP and gelatin components. Compared with pure
      gelatin nanofibers, gelatin/beta-TCP composite nanofibers caused increased cell
      attachment, proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and osteogenic gene
      expression in rat BMSCs. Interestingly, the expression level of the calcium
      sensing receptor (CaSR) was significantly higher on the composite nanofibrous
      scaffolds than on pure gelatin. For rat calvarial critical sized defects, more
      extensive osteogenesis and neovascularization occurred in the composite scaffolds
      group compared with the gelatin group. Thus, gelatin/beta-TCP composite scaffolds
      promote osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs in vitro and bone regeneration in
      vivo by activating Ca(2+)-sensing receptor signaling. 

PMID- 26124841
TI  - Modulation of Dental Pulp Stem Cell Odontogenesis in a Tunable PEG-Fibrinogen
      Hydrogel System.
AB  - Injectable hydrogels have the great potential for clinical translation of dental
      pulp regeneration. A recently developed PEG-fibrinogen (PF) hydrogel, which
      comprises a bioactive fibrinogen backbone conjugated to polyethylene glycol (PEG)
      side chains, can be cross-linked after injection by photopolymerization. The
      objective of this study was to investigate the use of this hydrogel, which allows
      tuning of its mechanical properties, as a scaffold for dental pulp tissue
      engineering. The cross-linking degree of PF hydrogels could be controlled by
      varying the amounts of PEG-diacrylate (PEG-DA) cross-linker. PF hydrogels are
      generally cytocompatible with the encapsulated dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs),
      yielding >85% cell viability in all hydrogels. It was found that the cell
      morphology of encapsulated DPSCs, odontogenic gene expression, and mineralization
      were strongly modulated by the hydrogel cross-linking degree and matrix
      stiffness. Notably, DPSCs cultured within the highest cross-linked hydrogel
      remained mostly rounded in aggregates and demonstrated the greatest enhancement
      in odontogenic gene expression. Consistently, the highest degree of
      mineralization was observed in the highest cross-linked hydrogel. Collectively,
      our results indicate that PF hydrogels can be used as a scaffold for DPSCs and
      offers the possibility of influencing DPSCs in ways that may be beneficial for
      applications in regenerative endodontics. 

PMID- 26124842
TI  - Modulating Mesenchymal Stem Cell Behavior Using Human Hair Keratin-Coated
      Surfaces.
AB  - Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have shown great potential for therapeutic
      purposes. However, the low frequencies of hMSCs in the body and difficulties in
      expanding their numbers in vitro have limited their clinical use. In order to
      develop an alternative strategy for the expansion of hMSCs in vitro, we coated
      tissue culture polystyrene with keratins extracted from human hair and studied
      the behavior of cells from 2 donors on these surfaces. The coating resulted in a
      homogeneous distribution of nanosized keratin globules possessing significant
      hydrophilicity. Results from cell attachment assays demonstrated that keratin
      coated surfaces were able to moderate donor-to-donor variability when compared
      with noncoated tissue culture polystyrene. STRO-1 expression was either sustained
      or enhanced on hMSCs cultured on keratin-coated surfaces. This translated into
      significant increases in the colony-forming efficiencies of both hMSC
      populations, when the cells were serially passaged. Human hair keratins are
      abundant and might constitute a feasible replacement for other biomaterials that
      are of animal origin. In addition, our results suggest that hair keratins may be
      effective in moderating the microenvironment sufficiently to enrich hMSCs with
      high colony-forming efficiency ex vivo, for clinical applications. 

PMID- 26124843
TI  - Graphene: A Versatile Carbon-Based Material for Bone Tissue Engineering.
AB  - The development of materials and strategies that can influence stem cell
      attachment, proliferation, and differentiation towards osteoblasts is of high
      interest to promote faster healing and reconstructions of large bone defects.
      Graphene and its derivatives (graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide) have
      received increasing attention for biomedical applications as they present
      remarkable properties such as high surface area, high mechanical strength, and
      ease of functionalization. These biocompatible carbon-based materials can induce
      and sustain stem cell growth and differentiation into various lineages.
      Furthermore, graphene has the ability to promote and enhance osteogenic
      differentiation making it an interesting material for bone regeneration research.
      This paper will review the important advances in the ability of graphene and its
      related forms to induce stem cells differentiation into osteogenic lineages. 

PMID- 26124845
TI  - Approaches to the diagnosis and management of chronic urticaria in children.
AB  - Most guidelines for chronic urticaria (CU) in infants and children are based on
      limited pediatric evidence. Current evidence used to guide treatment in children
      is extrapolated from data focusing on older age groups. CU in children is a
      different and complex condition than that in adults. Furthermore, there is little
      published information regarding urticaria in Korean children. The aim of the
      present article is to review recent research on chronic childhood urticaria and
      improve the current understanding of its pathogenesis and management. The
      classification and definition of urticaria in adults also applies to children. CU
      is defined as a daily occurrence of spontaneous wheals, angioedema, or both for
      >6 weeks. The precise pathophysiology of CU is unknown and the rates of
      successful identification of a cause in children with CU vary from 20%-50%. There
      is no established laboratory test to evaluate the presence of urticaria. The
      natural course of childhood CU is undetermined, with limited reports discussing
      long-term outcomes. Second-generation H1 antihistamines are the cornerstone of
      management, while limited therapeutic drugs are available for adults. 

PMID- 26124846
TI  - Association between serum alanine aminotransferase level and obesity indices in
      Korean adolescents.
AB  - PURPOSE: To analyze the correlation between serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
      and obesity indices including body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BFP),
      total fat mass (FM), truncal fat mass (TFM), waist circumference (WC), and waist
      to-height ratio (WHtR) in Korean adolescents. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional
      study based on data derived from the 2010-2011 Korean National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES). Subjects were Korean adolescents aged 10
      18 years (871 total; 475 boys and 396 girls) who participated in KNHANES.
      RESULTS: In both sexes, BMI, FM, TFM, WC, and WHtR were higher when ALT levels
      were in the 4th quartile. In boys, there was a significant positive correlation
      between ALT level and BMI, BFP, FM, TFM, WC, and WHtR (r=0.55, P<0.0001 for BMI;
      r=0.52, P<0.0001 for BFP; r=0.58, P<0.0001 for FM; r=0.61, P<0.0001 for TFM; and
      r=0.56, P<0.0001 for WC; r=0.62, P<0.0001 for WHtR), and the correlation
      coefficient was higher than that in girls. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a
      significant positive association between serum ALT level and obesity indices in
      male adolescents.

PMID- 26124847
TI  - Epidemiological comparison of three Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia epidemics in
      a single hospital over 10 years.
AB  - PURPOSE: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) pneumonia epidemics have occurred in 3- to 4
      year cycles in Korea. We evaluated the epidemiologic characteristics of MP
      pneumonia in Daejeon, Korea, from 2003 to 2012. METHODS: We retrospectively
      analyzed 779 medical records of children (0-15 years of old) with MP pneumonia
      admitted to our institution and compared the data from 3 recent epidemics.
      RESULTS: In 779 patients, the mean age and male-to-female ratio were 5.0+/-2.2
      years and 1:1, and most cases were observed in autumn. There were three epidemics
      during the study period, in 2003, 2006-2007, and 2011. In our comparison of the
      three epidemics, we found no differences in mean age, the male-to-female ratio,
      hospital stay, or the rate of seroconverters during hospitalization. All three
      epidemics began in early summer and peaked in September 2003 and 2011 and in
      October 2006 and then gradually decreased until the next year's spring season,
      although the 2006 epidemic extended further into 2007. The peak age groups in the
      children in 2003 and 2006 were 3-6 year-olds (57.5% and 56%, respectively), but
      in the 2011 epidemic, the peak group was 1-4 year-olds (46.5%). The proportion of
      the <2 years of age group was 20%, 15.7% and 28.8%, and >10 years of age group
      was 5.2%, 13.8%, and 14.8% of total patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: MP
      pneumonia outbreaks occurred every 3-4 years. The pattern of 3 recent epidemics
      was similar in demographic characteristics and seasonality with some variations
      in each outbreak.

PMID- 26124844
TI  - Hydrogels and Cell Based Therapies in Spinal Cord Injury Regeneration.
AB  - Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a central nervous system- (CNS-) related disorder for
      which there is yet no successful treatment. Within the past several years, cell
      based therapies have been explored for SCI repair, including the use of
      pluripotent human stem cells, and a number of adult-derived stem and mature cells
      such as mesenchymal stem cells, olfactory ensheathing cells, and Schwann cells.
      Although promising, cell transplantation is often overturned by the poor cell
      survival in the treatment of spinal cord injuries. Alternatively, the therapeutic
      role of different cells has been used in tissue engineering approaches by
      engrafting cells with biomaterials. The latter have the advantages of physically
      mimicking the CNS tissue, while promoting a more permissive environment for cell
      survival, growth, and differentiation. The roles of both cell- and biomaterial
      based therapies as single therapeutic approaches for SCI repair will be discussed
      in this review. Moreover, as the multifactorial inhibitory environment of a SCI
      suggests that combinatorial approaches would be more effective, the importance of
      using biomaterials as cell carriers will be herein highlighted, as well as the
      recent advances and achievements of these promising tools for neural tissue
      regeneration. 

PMID- 26124848
TI  - Association of CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells with natural course of
      childhood chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of
      CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells (Treg) in the peripheral blood of
      patients with childhood chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) exhibiting
      thrombocytopenia and spontaneous remission. The findings of this study indicate
      the possibility of predicting spontaneous recovery and pathogenesis of childhood
      chronic ITP. METHODS: Eleven children with chronic ITP (seven thrombocytopenic
      and four spontaneous remission cases; mean age, 8.8 years; range, 1.7-14.9 years)
      were enrolled in this study. Five healthy children and eight healthy adults were
      included as controls. The frequency of Treg was evaluated by flow cytometry in
      the peripheral blood. RESULTS: In this study, four patients (36%) achieved
      spontaneous remission within 2.8 years (mean year; range, 1.0-4.4 years). The
      frequency of Treg was significantly lower in patients with persisting
      thrombocytopenia (0.13%+/-0.09%, P<0.05), than that in the patients with
      spontaneous remission (0.30%+/-0.02%), healthy adults controls (0.55%+/-0.44%),
      and healthy children controls (0.46%+/-0.26%). A significantly positive
      correlation was found between the frequency of Treg and the platelet count in
      children. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that a lower frequency of Treg
      contributes to the breakdown of self-tolerance, and may form the basis for future
      development of specific immunomodulatory therapies. Furthermore, Treg frequency
      has prognostic implication toward the natural course and long-term outcomes of
      childhood chronic ITP.

PMID- 26124849
TI  - Validity of bag urine culture for predicting urinary tract infections in febrile
      infants: a paired comparison of urine collection methods.
AB  - PURPOSE: Catheter urine (CATH-U) and suprapubic aspiration (SPA) are reliable
      urine collection methods for confirming urinary tract infections (UTI) in
      infants. However, noninvasive and easily accessible collecting bag urine (CBU) is
      widely used, despite its high contamination rate. This study investigated the
      validity of CBU cultures for diagnosing UTIs, using CATH-U culture results as the
      gold standard. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 210 infants, 2- to 24-month
      old, who presented to a tertiary care hospital's pediatrics department between
      September 2008 and August 2013. We reviewed the results of CBU and CATH-U
      cultures from the same infants. RESULTS: CBU results, relative to CATH-U culture
      results (>=10(4) colony-forming units [CFU]/mL) were widely variable, ranging
      from no growth to >=10(5) CFU/mL. A CBU cutoff value of >=10(5) CFU/mL resulted
      in false-positive and false-negative rates of 18% and 24%, respectively. The
      probability of a UTI increased when the CBU bacterial count was >=10(5)/mL for
      all infants, both uncircumcised male infants and female infants (likelihood
      ratios [LRs], 4.16, 4.11, and 4.11, respectively). UTIs could not be excluded for
      female infants with a CBU bacterial density of 10(4)-10(5) (LR, 1.40). The LRs
      for predicting UTIs based on a positive dipstick test and a positive urinalysis
      were 4.19 and 3.11, respectively. CONCLUSION: The validity of obtaining urine
      sample from a sterile bag remains questionable. Inconclusive culture results from
      CBU should be confirmed with a more reliable method.

PMID- 26124850
TI  - Case of seropositive allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in a 10-year-old
      girl without previously documented asthma.
AB  - Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a hypersensitivity lung disease
      due to bronchial colonization of Aspergillus fumigatus that occurs in susceptible
      patients with asthma or cystic fibrosis. A 10-year-old girl was referred to the
      Department of Pediatric Pulmonology for persistent consolidations on chest
      radiography. Pulmonary consolidations were observed in the right upper and left
      lower lobes and were not resolved with a 4-week prescription of broad-spectrum
      antibiotics. The patient had a history of atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis
      but no history of asthma. She had no fever but produced thick and greenish
      sputum. Her breathing sounds were clear. On laboratory testing, her total blood
      eosinophil count was 1,412/mm(3) and total serum IgE level was 2,200 kU/L.
      Aspergillus was isolated in the sputum culture. The A. fumigatus-specific IgE
      level was 15.4 kU/L, and the Aspergillus antibody test was also positive. A chest
      computed tomography scan demonstrated bronchial wall thickening and consolidation
      without bronchiectasis. An antifungal agent was added but resulted in no
      improvement of pulmonary consolidations after 3 weeks. Pulmonary function test
      was normal. Methacholine provocation test was performed, revealing bronchial
      hyperreactivity (PC20=5.31 mg/mL). Although the patient had no history of asthma
      or bronchiectasis, ABPA-seropositivity was suspected. Oral prednisolone (1
      mg/kg/day) combined with antifungal therapy was started. Pulmonary consolidations
      began decreasing after 1 week of treatment and completely resolved after 1 month.
      This is the first observed and treated case of seropositive ABPA in Korean
      children without previously documented asthma. 

PMID- 26124851
TI  - Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy in children: a report of four
      patients with variable relapsing courses.
AB  - Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a chronically
      progressive or relapsing symmetric sensorimotor disorder presumed to occur
      because of immunologic antibody-mediated reactions. To understand the clinical
      courses of CIDP, we report variable CIDP courses in children with respect to
      initial presentation, responsiveness to medical treatment, and recurrence
      interval. Four patients who were diagnosed with acute-onset and relapsing CIDP
      courses at Severance Children's Hospital, Seoul, Korea, were enrolled in this
      retrospective study. We diagnosed each patient on the basis of the CIDP
      diagnostic criteria developed in 2010 by the European Federation of Neurological
      Societies/Peripheral Nerve Society Guidelines. We present the cases of four
      pediatric patients diagnosed with CIDP to understand the variable clinical course
      of the disease in children. Our four patients were all between 8 and 12 years of
      age. Patients 1 and 2 were diagnosed with acute cerebellar ataxia or Guillain
      Barre syndrome as initial symptoms. While patients 1 and 4 were given only
      intravenous dexamethasone (0.3 mg/kg/day) for 5 days at the first episode,
      Patients 2 and 3 were given a combination of intravenous immunoglobulin (2 g/kg)
      and dexamethasone (0.3 mg/kg/day). All patients were maintained with oral
      prednisolone at 30 mg/day, but their clinical courses were variable in both
      relapse intervals and severity. We experienced variable clinical courses of CIDP
      in children with respect to initial presentation, responsiveness to medical
      treatment, and recurrence interval. 

PMID- 26124852
TI  - Mindfulness Trait Predicts Neurophysiological Reactivity Associated with
      Negativity Bias: An ERP Study.
AB  - This study explored the relationship of mindfulness trait with the early and late
      stages of affective processing, by examining the two corresponding ERP
      components, P2 and LPP, collected from twenty-two male Chinese participants with
      a wide range of meditation experiences. Multiple regression analyses was
      performed on the mindfulness scores, as measured by CAMS-R, with the subjective
      affective ratings and ERP data collected during an emotion processing task. The
      results showed that increased mindfulness scores predicted increased valence
      ratings of negative stimuli (less negative), as well as increased P2 amplitudes
      at the frontocentral location for positive compared to negative stimuli. Based on
      these findings, a plausible mechanism of mindfulness in reducing negativity bias
      was discussed. Moreover, our results replicated previous findings on the age
      related increase of P2 amplitudes at the frontal sites for positive compared to
      neutral stimuli. Since the locations at which P2 amplitudes were found as
      associated with age and mindfulness differed, as did the emotional contents of
      the stimuli being compared, indicating that the effect of age did not confound
      our findings on mindfulness and the two factors might operate on early affective
      processing from distinct sources and mechanisms. 

PMID- 26124853
TI  - Naringin Attenuates Autophagic Stress and Neuroinflammation in Kainic Acid
      Treated Hippocampus In Vivo.
AB  - Kainic acid (KA) is well known as a chemical compound to study epileptic seizures
      and neuronal excitotoxicity. KA-induced excitotoxicity causes neuronal death by
      induction of autophagic stress and microglia-derived neuroinflammation,
      suggesting that the control of KA-induced effects may be important to inhibit
      epileptic seizures with neuroprotection. Naringin, a flavonoid in grapefruit and
      citrus fruits, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities, resulting in
      neuroprotection in animal models from neurodegenerative diseases such as
      Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we examined
      its beneficial effects involved in antiautophagic stress and
      antineuroinflammation in the KA-treated hippocampus. Our results showed that
      naringin treatment delayed the onset of KA-induced seizures and decreased the
      occurrence of chronic spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS) in KA-treated mice.
      Moreover, naringin treatment protected hippocampal CA1 neurons in the KA-treated
      hippocampus, ameliorated KA-induced autophagic stress, confirmed by the
      expression of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3), and attenuated
      an increase in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) in activated microglia.
      These results suggest that naringin may have beneficial effects of preventing
      epileptic events and neuronal death through antiautophagic stress and
      antineuroinflammation in the hippocampus in vivo. 

PMID- 26124854
TI  - Application of Cornelian Cherry Iridoid-Polyphenolic Fraction and Loganic Acid to
      Reduce Intraocular Pressure.
AB  - One of the most common diseases of old age in modern societies is glaucoma. It is
      strongly connected with increased intraocular pressure (IOP) and could
      permanently damage vision in the affected eye. As there are only a limited number
      of chemical compounds that can decrease IOP as well as blood flow in eye vessels,
      the up-to-date investigation of new molecules is important. The chemical
      composition of the dried Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) polar, iridoid
      polyphenol-rich fraction was investigated. Loganic acid (50%) and pelargonidin-3
      galactoside (7%) were found as the main components. Among the other constituents,
      iridoid compound cornuside and the anthocyans cyanidin 3-O-galactoside, cyanidin
      3-O-robinobioside, and pelargonidin 3-O-robinobioside were quantified in the
      fraction. In an animal model (New Zealand rabbits), the influence of loganic acid
      and the polyphenolic fraction isolated from Cornelian cherry fruit was
      investigated. We found a strong IOP-hypotensive effect for a 0.7% solution of
      loganic acid, which could be compared with the widely ophthalmologically used
      timolol. About a 25% decrease in IOP was observed within the first 3 hours of
      use. 

PMID- 26124855
TI  - The Influence of DNA Configuration on the Direct Strand Break Yield.
AB  - PURPOSE: To study the influence of DNA configuration on the direct damage yield.
      No indirect effect has been accounted for. METHODS: The GEANT4-DNA code was used
      to simulate the interactions of protons and alpha particles with geometrical
      models of the A-, B-, and Z-DNA configurations. The direct total, single, and
      double strand break yields and site-hit probabilities were determined. Certain
      features of the energy deposition process were also studied. RESULTS: A slight
      increase of the site-hit probability as a function of the incident particle
      linear energy transfer was found for each DNA configuration. Each DNA form
      presents a well-defined site-hit probability, independently of the particle
      linear energy transfer. Approximately 70% of the inelastic collisions and ~60% of
      the absorbed dose are due to secondary electrons. These fractions are slightly
      higher for protons than for alpha particles at the same incident energy.
      CONCLUSIONS: The total direct strand break yield for a given DNA form depends
      weakly on DNA conformation topology. This yield is practically determined by the
      target volume of the DNA configuration. However, the double strand break yield
      increases with the packing ratio of the DNA double helix; thus, it depends on the
      DNA conformation.

PMID- 26124856
TI  - Preliminary Investigation of Microdosimetric Track Structure Physics Models in
      Geant4-DNA and RITRACKS.
AB  - The major differences between the physics models in Geant4-DNA and RITRACKS Monte
      Carlo packages are investigated. Proton and electron ionisation interactions and
      electron excitation interactions in water are investigated in the current work.
      While these packages use similar semiempirical physics models for inelastic cross
      sections, the implementation of these models is demonstrated to be significantly
      different. This is demonstrated in a simple Monte Carlo simulation designed to
      identify differences in interaction cross-sections. 

PMID- 26124857
TI  - Has the airway microbiome been overlooked in respiratory disease?
AB  - The respiratory disease field is changing because of recent advances in our
      understanding of the airway microbiome. Central to this is dysbiosis, an
      imbalance of microbial communities that can lead to and flag inflammation in the
      airways. The increasing momentum of research in this area holds promise for novel
      treatment strategies. 

PMID- 26124858
TI  - Hetero-Diels-Alder reactions of hetaryl and aryl thioketones with acetylenic
      dienophiles.
AB  - Selected hetaryl and aryl thioketones react with acetylenecarboxylates under
      thermal conditions in the presence of LiClO4 or, alternatively, under high
      pressure conditions (5 kbar) at room temperature yielding thiopyran derivatives.
      The hetero-Diels-Alder reaction occurs in a chemo- and regioselective manner. The
      initially formed [4 + 2] cycloadducts rearrange via a 1,3-hydrogen shift sequence
      to give the final products. The latter were smoothly oxidized by treatment with
      mCPBA to the corresponding sulfones. 

PMID- 26124859
TI  - Synthesis of 1,2-cis-2-C-branched aryl-C-glucosides via desulfurization of
      carbohydrate based hemithioacetals.
AB  - 1-C and 2-C-branched carbohydrates are present as substructures in a number of
      biologically important compounds. Although the synthesis of such carbohydrate
      derivatives is extensively studied, the synthesis of 1,2-cis-2-C-branched C-, S-,
      and N-glycosides is less explored. In this article a synthetic strategy for the
      synthesis of 1,2-cis-2-C-branched-aryl-C-glucosides is reported via a
      hydrogenolytic desulfurization of suitably orientated carbohydrate based
      hemithioacetals. 1,2-cis-2-Hydroxymethyl and 2-carbaldehyde of aryl-C-glucosides
      have been synthesized using the current strategy in very good yields. The 2
      carbaldehyde-aryl-C-glucosides have been identified as suitable substrates for
      the stereospecific preparation of 2,3-unsaturated-aryl-C-glycosides (Ferrier
      products). 

PMID- 26124860
TI  - Potential of acylated peptides to target the influenza A virus.
AB  - For antiviral drug design, especially in the field of influenza virus research,
      potent multivalent inhibitors raise high expectations for combating epidemics and
      pandemics. Among a large variety of covalent and non-covalent scaffold systems
      for a multivalent display of inhibitors, we created a simple supramolecular
      platform to enhance the antiviral effect of our recently developed antiviral
      Peptide B (PeB(GF)), preventing binding of influenza virus to the host cell. By
      conjugating the peptide with stearic acid to create a higher-order structure with
      a multivalent display, we could significantly enhance the inhibitory effect
      against the serotypes of both human pathogenic influenza virus A/Aichi/2/1968
      H3N2, and avian pathogenic A/FPV/Rostock/34 H7N1 in the hemagglutination
      inhibition assay. Further, the inhibitory potential of stearylated PeB(GF) (C18
      PeB(GF)) was investigated by infection inhibition assays, in which we achieved
      low micromolar inhibition constants against both viral strains. In addition, we
      compared C18-PeB(GF) to other published amphiphilic peptide inhibitors, such as
      the stearylated sugar receptor mimicking peptide (Matsubara et al. 2010), and the
      "Entry Blocker" (EB) (Jones et al. 2006), with respect to their antiviral
      activity against infection by Influenza A Virus (IAV) H3N2. However, while this
      strategy seems at a first glance promising, the native situation is quite
      different from our experimental model settings. First, we found a strong
      potential of those peptides to form large amyloid-like supramolecular assemblies.
      Second, in vivo, the large excess of cell surface membranes provides an
      unspecific target for the stearylated peptides. We show that acylated peptides
      insert into the lipid phase of such membranes. Eventually, our study reveals
      serious limitations of this type of self-assembling IAV inhibitors. 

PMID- 26124861
TI  - Novel stereocontrolled syntheses of tashiromine and epitashiromine.
AB  - A novel stereocontrolled approach has been developed for the syntheses of
      tashiromine and epitashiromine alkaloids from cyclooctene beta-amino acids. The
      synthetic concept is based on the azetidinone opening of a bicyclic beta-lactam,
      followed by oxidative ring opening through ring C-C double bond and reductive
      ring-closure reactions of the cis- or trans-cyclooctene beta-amino acids. 

PMID- 26124862
TI  - Weakly nucleophilic potassium aryltrifluoroborates in palladium-catalyzed Suzuki
      Miyaura reactions: relative reactivity of K[4-RC6F4BF3] and the role of silver
      assistance in acceleration of transmetallation.
AB  - Small differences in the reactivity of weakly nucleophilic potassium
      aryltrifluoroborates are revealed in the silver-assisted Pd-catalyzed cross
      coupling of K[4-RC6F4BF3] (R = H, Bu, MeO, EtO, PrO, iPrO, BuO, t-BuO,
      CH2=CHCH2O, PhCH2O, PhCH2CH2O, PhO, F, pyrazol-1-yl, pyrrol-1-yl, and indol-1-yl)
      with ArX (4-BrC6H4CH3, 4-IC6H4F and 3-IC6H4F). An assumed role of silver(I)
      compounds Ag m Y (Y = O, NO3, SO4, BF4, F) consists in polarization of the Pd-X
      bond in neutral complex ArPdL n X with the generation of the related transition
      state or formation of [ArPdL n ][XAg m Y] with a highly electrophilic cation and
      subsequent transmetallation with the weakly nucleophilic borate. Efficiency of Ag
      m Y as a polarizing agent decreases in order Ag2O > AgNO3 ~ Ag2SO4 > Ag[BF4] >
      AgF. No clear correlation between the reactivity of K[4-RC6F4BF3] and substituent
      electron parameters, sigmaI and sigmaR degrees , of the aryl group 4-RC6F4 was
      found. 

PMID- 26124863
TI  - Automated solid-phase synthesis of oligosaccharides containing sialic acids.
AB  - A sialic acid glycosyl phosphate building block was designed and synthesized.
      This building block was used to prepare alpha-sialylated oligosaccharides by
      automated solid-phase synthesis selectively. 

PMID- 26124864
TI  - Hydrogenation of unactivated enamines to tertiary amines: rhodium complexes of
      fluorinated phosphines give marked improvements in catalytic activity.
AB  - In the hydrogenation of sluggish unactivated enamine substrates, Rh complexes of
      electron-deficient phosphines are demonstrated to be far more reactive catalysts
      than those derived from triphenylphosphine. These operate at low catalyst
      loadings (down to 0.01 mol %) and are able to reduce tetrasubstituted enamines.
      The use of the sustainable and environmentally benign solvent (R)-limonene for
      the reaction is also reported with the amine isolated by acid extraction. 

PMID- 26124865
TI  - TTFs nonsymmetrically fused with alkylthiophenic moieties.
AB  - Two new dithiolene ligand precursors, containing fused TTF and alkyl thiophenic
      moieties 3,3'-{[2-(5-(tert-butyl)thieno[2,3-d][1,3]dithiol-2-ylidene)-1,3
      dithiole-4,5-diyl]bis[sulfanediyl]}dipropanenitrile (alpha-tbtdt, 1), and 3,3'
      {[2-(5-methylthieno[2,3-d][1,3]dithiol-2-ylidene)-1,3-dithiole-4,5
      diyl]bis[sulfanediyl]}dipropanenitrile (alpha-mtdt, 2), were synthesized and
      characterized. The electrochemical properties of these electronic donors were
      studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in dichloromethane. Both compounds show two
      quasi-reversible oxidation processes, versus Ag/AgCl, typical of TTF donors at E
      (1) 1/2 = 279 V and E (2) 1/2 = 680 V for 1 and E (1) 1/2 = 304 V and E (2) 1/2 =
      716 V in the case of 2. The single-crystal X-ray structure of 1 and of a charge
      transfer salt of 2, (alpha-mtdt)[Au(mnt)2] (3), are reported. 

PMID- 26124866
TI  - Synthesis of multivalent carbohydrate mimetics with aminopolyol end groups and
      their evaluation as L-selectin inhibitors.
AB  - In this article a series of divalent and trivalent carbohydrate mimetics on the
      basis of an enantiopure aminopyran and of serinol is described. These
      aminopolyols are connected by amide bonds to carboxylic acid derived spacer units
      either by Schotten-Baumann acylation or by coupling employing HATU as reagent.
      The O-sulfation employing the SO3.DMF complex was optimized. It was crucial to
      follow this process by 700 MHz (1)H NMR spectroscopy to ensure full conversion
      and to use a refined neutralization and purification protocol. Many of the
      compounds could not be tested as L-selectin inhibitor by SPR due to their
      insolubility in water, nevertheless, a divalent and a trivalent amide showed
      surprisingly good activities with IC50 values in the low micromolar range. 

PMID- 26124867
TI  - Trifluoromethyl-substituted tetrathiafulvalenes.
AB  - A series of tetrathiafulvalenes functionalized with one or two trifluoromethyl
      electron-withdrawing groups (EWG) is obtained by phosphite coupling involving CF3
      substituted 1,3-dithiole-2-one derivatives. The relative effects of the EWG such
      as CF3, CO2Me and CN on the TTF core were investigated from a combination of
      structural, electrochemical, spectrochemical and theoretical investigations.
      Electrochemical data confirm the good correlations between the first oxidation
      potential of the TTF derivatives and the sigmameta Hammet parameter, thus in the
      order CO2Me < CF3 < CN, indicating that, in any case, the mesomeric effect of the
      substituents is limited. Besides, crystal structure determinations show that the
      deformation of the unsymmetrically substituted dithiole rings, when bearing one,
      or two different EWG, and attributed to the mesomeric effect of ester or nitrile
      groups, is not notably modified or counter-balanced by the introduction of a
      neighboring trifluoromethyl group. DFT calculations confirm these observations
      and also show that the low energy HOMO-LUMO absorption band found in nitrile or
      ester-substituted TTFs is not found in TTF-CF3, where, as in TTF itself, the low
      energy absorption band is essentially attributable to a HOMO->LUMO + 1
      transition. Despite relatively high oxidation potentials, these donor molecules
      with CF3 EWG can be involved in charge transfer complexes or cation radical
      salts, as reported here for the CF3-subsituted EDT-TTF donor molecule. A neutral
      charge transfer complex with TCNQ, (EDT-TTF-CF3)2(TCNQ) was isolated and
      characterized through alternated stacks of EDT-TTF-CF3 dimers and TCNQ in the
      solid state. A radical cation salt of EDT-TTF-CF3 is also obtained upon
      electrocrystallisation in the presence of the FeCl4 (-) anion. In this salt,
      formulated as (EDT-TTF-CF3)(FeCl4), the (EDT-TTF-CF3)(+*) radical cations are
      associated two-by-two into centrosymmetric dyads with a strong pairing of the
      radical species in a singlet state. 

PMID- 26124869
TI  - Synthesis of carbohydrate-scaffolded thymine glycoconjugates to organize
      multivalency.
AB  - Multivalency effects are essential in carbohydrate recognition processes as
      occurring on the cell surface. Thus many synthetic multivalent glycoconjugates
      have been developed as important tools for glycobiological research. We are
      expanding this collection of molecules by the introduction of carbohydrate
      scaffolded divalent glycothymine derivatives that can be intramolecularily
      dimerized by [2 + 2] photocycloaddition. Thus, thymine functions as a control
      element that allows to restrict the conformational flexibility of the scaffolded
      sugar ligands and thus to "organize" multivalency. With this work we add a
      parameter to multivalency studies additional to valency. 

PMID- 26124868
TI  - Design, synthesis and photochemical properties of the first examples of
      iminosugar clusters based on fluorescent cores.
AB  - The synthesis and photophysical properties of the first examples of iminosugar
      clusters based on a BODIPY or a pyrene core are reported. The tri- and
      tetravalent systems designed as molecular probes and synthesized by way of Cu(I)
      catalysed azide-alkyne cycloadditions are fluorescent analogues of potent
      pharmacological chaperones/correctors recently reported in the field of Gaucher
      disease and cystic fibrosis, two rare genetic diseases caused by protein
      misfolding. 

PMID- 26124870
TI  - CO2 Chemistry.

PMID- 26124871
TI  - Synthesis of tripodal catecholates and their immobilization on zinc oxide
      nanoparticles.
AB  - A common approach to generate tailored materials and nanoparticles (NPs) is the
      formation of molecular monolayers by chemisorption of bifunctional anchor
      molecules. This approach depends critically on the choice of a suitable anchor
      group. Recently, bifunctional catecholates, inspired by mussel-adhesive proteins
      (MAPs) and bacterial siderophores, have received considerable interest as anchor
      groups for biomedically relevant metal surfaces and nanoparticles. We report here
      the synthesis of new tripodal catecholates as multivalent anchor molecules for
      immobilization on metal surfaces and nanoparticles. The tripodal catecholates
      have been conjugated to various effector molecules such as PEG, a sulfobetaine
      and an adamantyl group. The potential of these conjugates has been demonstrated
      with the immobilization of tripodal catecholates on ZnO NPs. The results
      confirmed a high loading of tripodal PEG-catecholates on the particles and the
      formation of stable PEG layers in aqueous solution. 

PMID- 26124872
TI  - First principle investigation of the linker length effects on the thermodynamics
      of divalent pseudorotaxanes.
AB  - The Gibbs energies of association (Gibbs free (binding) energies) for divalent
      crown-8/ammonium pseudorotaxanes are determined by investigating the influence of
      different linkers onto the binding. Calculations are performed with density
      functional theory including dispersion corrections. The translational, rotational
      and vibrational contributions are taken into account and solvation effects
      including counter ions are investigated by applying the COSMO-RS method, which is
      based on a continuum solvation model. The calculated energies agree well with the
      experimentally determined ones. The shortest investigated linker shows an
      enhanced binding strength due to electronic effects, namely the dispersion
      interaction between the linkers from the guest and the host. For the longer
      linkers this ideal packing is not possible due to steric hindrance. 

PMID- 26124873
TI  - Self-assembly of heteroleptic dinuclear metallosupramolecular kites from
      multivalent ligands via social self-sorting.
AB  - A Troger's base-derived racemic bis(1,10-phenanthroline) ligand (rac)-1 and a
      bis(2,2'-bipyridine) ligand with a central 1,3-diethynylbenzene unit 2 were
      synthesized. Each of these ligands acts as a multivalent entity for the binding
      of two copper(I) ions. Upon coordination to the metal ions these two ligands
      undergo selective self-assembly into heteroleptic dinuclear metallosupramolecular
      kites in a high-fidelity social self-sorting manner as evidenced by NMR
      spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. 

PMID- 26124874
TI  - Exploring monovalent and multivalent peptides for the inhibition of FBP21-tWW.
AB  - The coupling of peptides to polyglycerol carriers represents an important route
      towards the multivalent display of protein ligands. In particular, the inhibition
      of low affinity intracellular protein-protein interactions can be addressed by
      this design. We have applied this strategy to develop binding partners for FBP21,
      a protein which is important for the splicing of pre-mRNA in the nucleus of
      eukaryotic cells. Firstly, by using phage display the optimized sequence
      WPPPPRVPR was derived which binds with K Ds of 80 MUM and 150 uM to the
      individual WW domains and with a K D of 150 MUM to the tandem-WW1-WW2 construct.
      Secondly, this sequence was coupled to a hyperbranched polyglycerol (hPG) that
      allowed for the multivalent display on the surface of the dendritic polymer. This
      novel multifunctional hPG-peptide conjugate displayed a K D of 17.6 uM which
      demonstrates that the new carrier provides a venue for the future inhibition of
      proline-rich sequence recognition by FBP21 during assembly of the spliceosome. 

PMID- 26124875
TI  - Probing multivalency in ligand-receptor-mediated adhesion of soft, biomimetic
      interfaces.
AB  - Many biological functions at cell level are mediated by the glycocalyx, a dense
      carbohydrate-presenting layer. In this layer specific interactions between
      carbohydrate ligands and protein receptors are formed to control cell-cell
      recognition, cell adhesion and related processes. The aim of this work is to shed
      light on the principles of complex formation between surface anchored
      carbohydrates and receptor surfaces by measuring the specific adhesion between
      surface bound mannose on a concanavalin A (ConA) layer via poly(ethylene glycol)
      (PEG)-based soft colloidal probes (SCPs). Special emphasis is on the dependence
      of multivalent presentation and density of carbohydrate units on specific
      adhesion. Consequently, we first present a synthetic strategy that allows for
      controlled density variation of functional groups on the PEG scaffold using
      unsaturated carboxylic acids (crotonic acid, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid) as
      grafting units for mannose conjugation. We showed by a range of analytic
      techniques (ATR-FTIR, Raman microscopy, zeta potential and titration) that this
      synthetic strategy allows for straightforward variation in grafting density and
      grafting length enabling the controlled presentation of mannose units on the PEG
      network. Finally we determined the specific adhesion of PEG-network-conjugated
      mannose units on ConA surfaces as a function of density and grafting type.
      Remarkably, the results indicated the absence of a molecular-level enhancement of
      mannose/ConA interaction due to chelate- or subsite-binding. The results seem to
      support the fact that weak carbohydrate interactions at mechanically flexible
      interfaces hardly undergo multivalent binding but are simply mediated by the high
      number of ligand-receptor interactions. 

PMID- 26124876
TI  - Glycodendrimers: tools to explore multivalent galectin-1 interactions.
AB  - Four generations of lactose-functionalized polyamidoamine (PAMAM) were employed
      to further the understanding of multivalent galectin-1 mediated interactions.
      Dynamic light scattering and fluorescence microscopy were used to study the
      multivalent interaction of galectin-1 with the glycodendrimers in solution, and
      glycodendrimers were observed to organize galectin-1 into nanoparticles. In the
      presence of a large excess of galectin-1, glycodendrimers nucleated galectin-1
      into nanoparticles that were remarkably homologous in size (400-500 nm). To
      understand augmentation of oncologic cellular aggregation by galectin-1,
      glycodendrimers were used in cell-based assays with human prostate carcinoma
      cells (DU145). The results revealed that glycodendrimers provided competitive
      binding sites for galectin-1, which diverted galectin-1 from its typical function
      in cellular aggregation of DU145 cells. 

PMID- 26124877
TI  - Discrete multiporphyrin pseudorotaxane assemblies from di- and tetravalent
      porphyrin building blocks.
AB  - Two pairs of divalent and tetravalent porphyrin building blocks carrying the
      complementary supramolecular crown ether/secondary ammonium ion binding motif
      have been synthesized and their derived pseudorotaxanes have been studied by a
      combination of NMR spectroscopy in solution and ESI mass spectrometry in the gas
      phase. By simple mixing of the components the formation of discrete dimeric and
      trimeric (metallo)porphyrin complexes predominates, in accordance to binding
      stoichiometry, while the amount of alternative structures can be neglected. Our
      results illustrate the power of multivalency to program the multicomponent self
      assembly of specific entities into discrete functional nanostructures. 

PMID- 26124878
TI  - Multivalent dendritic polyglycerolamine with arginine and histidine end groups
      for efficient siRNA transfection.
AB  - The success of siRNA-based therapeutics highly depends on a safe and efficient
      delivery of siRNA into the cytosol. In this study, we post-modified the primary
      amines on dendritic polyglycerolamine (dPG-NH2) with different ratios of two
      relevant amino acids, namely, arginine (Arg) and histidine (His). To investigate
      the effects from introducing Arg and His to dPG, the resulting polyplexes of
      amino acid functionalized dPG-NH2s (AAdPGs)/siRNA were evaluated regarding
      cytotoxicity, transfection efficiency, and cellular uptake. Among AAdPGs, an
      optimal vector with (1:3) Arg to His ratio, showed efficient siRNA transfection
      with minimal cytotoxicity (cell viability >= 90%) in NIH 3T3 cells line. We also
      demonstrated that the cytotoxicity of dPG-NH2 decreased as a result of amino acid
      functionalization. While the incorporation of both cationic (Arg) and pH
      responsive residues (His) are important for safe and efficient siRNA
      transfection, this study indicates that AAdPGs containing higher degrees of His
      display lower cytotoxicity and more efficient endosomal escape. 

PMID- 26124879
TI  - Regulation of integrin and growth factor signaling in biomaterials for
      osteodifferentiation.
AB  - Stem cells respond to the microenvironment (niche) they are located in. Under
      natural conditions, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is the essential component the
      in stem cell niche, in which both integrin ligands and growth factors are
      important regulators to directly or indirectly modulate the cell behavior. In
      this review, we summarize the current knowledge about the potential of integrin
      ligands and growth factors to induce osteogenic differentiation of stem cells,
      and discuss the signaling pathways that are initiated by both individual and
      cooperative parameters. The joint effect of integrin ligands and growth factors
      is highlighted as the multivalent interactions for bone therapy. 

PMID- 26124880
TI  - Orthogonal dual-modification of proteins for the engineering of multivalent
      protein scaffolds.
AB  - To add new tools to the repertoire of protein-based multivalent scaffold design,
      we have developed a novel dual-labeling strategy for proteins that combines
      residue-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids with chemical oxidative
      aldehyde formation at the N-terminus of a protein. Our approach relies on the
      selective introduction of two different functional moieties in a protein by
      mutually orthogonal copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) and oxime
      ligation. This method was applied to the conjugation of biotin and beta-linked
      galactose residues to yield an enzymatically active thermophilic lipase, which
      revealed specific binding to Erythrina cristagalli lectin by SPR binding studies.

PMID- 26124881
TI  - Impact of multivalent charge presentation on peptide-nanoparticle aggregation.
AB  - Strategies to achieve controlled nanoparticle aggregation have gained much
      interest, due to the versatility of such systems and their applications in
      materials science and medicine. In this article we demonstrate that coiled-coil
      peptide-induced aggregation based on electrostatic interactions is highly
      sensitive to the length of the peptide as well as the number of presented
      charges. The quaternary structure of the peptide was found to play an important
      role in aggregation kinetics. Furthermore, we show that the presence of peptide
      fibers leads to well-defined nanoparticle assembly on the surface of these
      macrostructures. 

PMID- 26124882
TI  - Influence of length and flexibility of spacers on the binding affinity of
      divalent ligands.
AB  - We present a quantitative model for the binding of divalent ligand-receptor
      systems. We study the influence of length and flexibility of the spacers on the
      overall binding affinity and derive general rules for the optimal ligand design.
      To this end, we first compare different polymeric models and determine the
      probability to simultaneously bind to two neighboring receptor binding pockets.
      In a second step the binding affinity of divalent ligands in terms of the IC50
      value is derived. We find that a divalent ligand has the potential to bind more
      efficiently than its monovalent counterpart only, if the monovalent dissociation
      constant is lower than a critical value. This critical monovalent dissociation
      constant depends on the ligand-spacer length and flexibility as well as on the
      size of the receptor. Regarding the optimal ligand-spacer length and flexibility,
      we find that the average spacer length should be equal or slightly smaller than
      the distance between the receptor binding pockets and that the end-to-end spacer
      length fluctuations should be in the same range as the size of a receptor binding
      pocket. 

PMID- 26124883
TI  - Mechanical stability of bivalent transition metal complexes analyzed by single
      molecule force spectroscopy.
AB  - Multivalent biomolecular interactions allow for a balanced interplay of
      mechanical stability and malleability, and nature makes widely use of it. For
      instance, systems of similar thermal stability may have very different rupture
      forces. Thus it is of paramount interest to study and understand the mechanical
      properties of multivalent systems through well-characterized model systems. We
      analyzed the rupture behavior of three different bivalent pyridine coordination
      complexes with Cu(2+) in aqueous environment by single-molecule force
      spectroscopy. Those complexes share the same supramolecular interaction leading
      to similar thermal off-rates in the range of 0.09 and 0.36 s(-1), compared to 1.7
      s(-1) for the monovalent complex. On the other hand, the backbones exhibit
      different flexibility, and we determined a broad range of rupture lengths between
      0.3 and 1.1 nm, with higher most-probable rupture forces for the stiffer
      backbones. Interestingly, the medium-flexible connection has the highest rupture
      forces, whereas the ligands with highest and lowest rigidity seem to be prone to
      consecutive bond rupture. The presented approach allows separating bond and
      backbone effects in multivalent model systems. 

PMID- 26124884
TI  - Peptide-polymer ligands for a tandem WW-domain, an adaptive multivalent protein
      protein interaction: lessons on the thermodynamic fitness of flexible ligands.
AB  - Three polymers, poly(N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide) (pHPMA), hyperbranched
      polyglycerol (hPG), and dextran were investigated as carriers for multivalent
      ligands targeting the adaptive tandem WW-domain of formin-binding protein
      (FBP21). Polymer carriers were conjugated with 3-9 copies of the proline-rich
      decapeptide GPPPRGPPPR-NH2 (P1). Binding of the obtained peptide-polymer
      conjugates to the tandem WW-domain was investigated employing isothermal
      titration calorimetry (ITC) to determine the binding affinity, the enthalpic and
      entropic contributions to free binding energy, and the stoichiometry of binding
      for all peptide-polymer conjugates. Binding affinities of all multivalent ligands
      were in the uM range, strongly amplified compared to the monovalent ligand P1
      with a K D > 1 mM. In addition, concise differences were observed, pHPMA and hPG
      carriers showed moderate affinity and bound 2.3-2.8 peptides per protein binding
      site resulting in the formation of aggregates. Dextran-based conjugates displayed
      affinities down to 1.2 uM, forming complexes with low stoichiometry, and no
      precipitation. Experimental results were compared with parameters obtained from
      molecular dynamics simulations in order to understand the observed differences
      between the three carrier materials. In summary, the more rigid and condensed
      peptide-polymer conjugates based on the dextran scaffold seem to be superior to
      induce multivalent binding and to increase affinity, while the more flexible and
      dendritic polymers, pHPMA and hPG are suitable to induce crosslinking upon
      binding. 

PMID- 26124885
TI  - Multivalency as a chemical organization and action principle.

PMID- 26124886
TI  - Copper ion salts of arylthiotetrathiafulvalenes: synthesis, structure diversity
      and magnetic properties.
AB  - The combination of CuBr2 and arylthio-substituted tetrathiafulvalene derivatives
      (1-7) results in a series of charge-transfer (CT) complexes. Crystallographic
      studies indicate that the anions in the complexes, which are derived from CuBr2,
      show diverse configurations including linear [Cu(I)Br2](-), tetrahedral
      [Cu(II)Br4](2-), planar [Cu(II)2Br6](2-), and coexistence of planar [Cu(II)Br4](2
      ) and tetrahedral [Cu(II)Br3](-) ions. On the other hand, the TTFs show either
      radical cation or dication states that depend on their redox potentials. The
      central TTF framework on most of TTFs is nearly planar despite the charge on
      them, whereas the two dithiole rings on molecule 4 in complex 4.CuBr4 are
      significantly twisted with a dihedral angle of 38.3 degrees . The magnetic
      properties of the complexes were elucidated. The temperature-dependent magnetic
      susceptibility of complex 5.Cu2Br6 shows the singlet-triplet transition with
      coupling constant J = -248 K, and that of 3.(CuBr4)0.5.CuBr3.THF shows the abrupt
      change at 270 K caused by the modulation of intermolecular interactions. The
      thermo variation of magnetic susceptibility for the other complexes follows the
      Curie-Weiss law, indicating the weak antiferromagnetic interaction at low
      temperature. 

PMID- 26124887
TI  - Tuning of tetrathiafulvalene properties: versatile synthesis of N-arylated
      monopyrrolotetrathiafulvalenes via Ullmann-type coupling reactions.
AB  - An Ullmann-type coupling reaction was employed for the preparation of several N
      arylated monopyrrolotetrathiafulvalenes with variable substitution patterns.
      Spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of the coupling products strongly
      depend on the electronic nature of the aromatic substituents due to their direct
      conjugation with the tetrathiafulvalene chromophore. The crystal packing of the
      arylated monopyrrolotetrathiafulvalenes is primarily defined by networks of C
      H...X weak hydrogen bonds and short S...S contacts involving the
      tetrathiafulvalene moieties. 

PMID- 26124888
TI  - N-Alkyl derivatives of diosgenyl 2-amino-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside;
      synthesis and antimicrobial activity.
AB  - Diosgenyl 2-amino-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside is a synthetic saponin
      exhibiting attractive pharmacological properties. Different pathways tested by us
      to obtain this glycoside are summarized here. Moreover, the synthesis of N-alkyl
      and N,N-dialkyl derivatives of the glucopyranoside is presented. Evaluation of
      antibacterial and antifungal activities of these derivatives indicates that they
      have no inhibitory activity against Gram-negative bacteria, whereas many of the
      tested N-alkyl saponins were found to inhibit the growth of Gram-positive
      bacteria and human pathogenic fungi. 

PMID- 26124889
TI  - Thiazole formation through a modified Gewald reaction.
AB  - The synthesis of thiazoles and thiophenes starting from nitriles, via a modified
      Gewald reaction has been studied for a number of different substrates. 1,4
      Dithiane-2,5-diol was used as the aldehyde precursor to give either 2-substituted
      thiazoles or 2-substituted aminothiophenes depending on the substitution of the
      alpha-carbon to the cyano group. 

PMID- 26124891
TI  - Is organic chemistry science - and does this question make any sense at all?

PMID- 26124890
TI  - An intramolecular C-N cross-coupling of beta-enaminones: a simple and efficient
      way to precursors of some alkaloids of Galipea officinalis.
AB  - 2-Aroylmethylidene-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines with the appropriate substituents
      can be suitable precursors for the synthesis of alkaloids from Galipea
      officinalis (cuspareine, galipeine, galipinine, angustureine). However, only two,
      rather low-yielding procedures for their synthesis are described in the
      literature. We have developed a simple and efficient protocol for an
      intramolecular, palladium or copper-catalysed amination of both chloro- and bromo
      substituted 3-amino-1,5-diphenylpent-2-en-1-ones leading to the above-mentioned
      tetrahydroquinoline moiety. The methodology is superior to the methods published
      to date. 

PMID- 26124892
TI  - Gold-catalyzed formation of pyrrolo- and indolo-oxazin-1-one derivatives: The key
      structure of some marine natural products.
AB  - Various N-propargylpyrrole and indolecarboxylic acids were efficiently converted
      into 3,4-dihydropyrrolo- and indolo-oxazin-1-one derivatives by a gold(III)
      catalyzed cyclization reaction. Some of the products underwent TFA-catalyzed
      double bond isomerization and some did not. Cyclization reactions in the presence
      of alcohol catalyzed by Au(I) resulted in the formation of hemiacetals after
      cascade reactions. 

PMID- 26124893
TI  - DBU-promoted carboxylative cyclization of o-hydroxy- and o-acetamidoacetophenone.
AB  - The carboxylative cyclization of o-hydroxy- and o-acetamidoacetophenone with
      carbon dioxide promoted by the organic base 1,8-diazabicycloundec-7-ene (DBU) is
      reported. This reaction provides convenient access to the biologically important
      compounds 4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-one and 4-hydroxy-2(1H)-quinolinone in moderate
      to good yields using carbon dioxide as the carboxylation reagent. An acyl
      migration from nitrogen to carbon is observed in the reaction of o
      acetamidoacetophenone. 

PMID- 26124894
TI  - Terminal lipophilization of a unique DNA dodecamer by various nucleolipid
      headgroups: Their incorporation into artificial lipid bilayers and hydrodynamic
      properties.
AB  - A series of six cyanine-5-labeled oligonucleotides (LONs 10-15), each terminally
      lipophilized with different nucleolipid head groups, were synthesized using the
      recently prepared phosphoramidites 4b-9b. The insertion of the LONs within an
      artificial lipid bilayer, composed of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3
      phosphocholine (POPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine
      (POPE), was studied by single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy
      with the help of an optically transparent microfluidic sample carrier with
      perfusion capabilities. The incorporation of the lipo-oligonucleotides into the
      bilayer was studied with respect to efficiency (maximal bilayer brightness) as
      well as stability against perfusion (final stable bilayer brightness). Attempts
      to correlate these parameters with the log P values of the corresponding
      nucleolipid head groups failed, a result which clearly demonstrates that not only
      the lipophilicity but mainly the chemical structure and topology of the head
      group is of decisive importance for the optimal interaction of a lipo
      oligonucleotide with an artificial lipid bilayer. Moreover, fluorescence half
      live and diffusion time values were measured to determine the diffusion
      coefficients of the lipo-oligonucleotides. 

PMID- 26124896
TI  - Electrosynthesis and electrochemistry.

PMID- 26124897
TI  - Synthesis and characterization of the cyanobenzene-ethylenedithio-TTF donor.
AB  - A dissymmetric TTF-type electron donor, cyanobenzene-ethylenedithio
      tetrathiafulvalene (CNB-EDT-TTF), was obtained in high yield, by a cross-coupling
      reaction with triethyl phosphite between 2-thioxobenzo[d][1,3]dithiole-5
      carbonitrile and 5,6-dihydro-[1,3]dithiolo[4,5-b][1,4]dithiin-2-one. This new
      donor was characterized namely by single crystal X-ray diffraction, cyclic
      voltammetry, NMR, UV-visible and IR spectroscopy. 

PMID- 26124895
TI  - Interactions between tetrathiafulvalene units in dimeric structures - the
      influence of cyclic cores.
AB  - A selection of cyclic and acyclic acetylenic scaffolds bearing two
      tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) units was prepared by different metal-catalyzed coupling
      reactions. The bridge separating the two TTF units was systematically changed
      from linearly conjugated ethyne, butadiyne and tetraethynylethene (trans
      substituted) units to a cross-conjugated tetraethynylethene unit, placed in
      either acyclic or cyclic arrangements. The cyclic structures correspond to so
      called radiaannulenes having both endo- and exocyclic double bonds. Interactions
      between two redox-active TTF units in these molecules were investigated by cyclic
      voltammetry, UV-vis-NIR and EPR absorption spectroscopical methods of the
      electrochemically generated oxidized species. The electron-accepting properties
      of the acetylenic cores were also investigated electrochemically. 

PMID- 26124898
TI  - Carboxylated dithiafulvenes and tetrathiafulvalene vinylogues: synthesis,
      electronic properties, and complexation with zinc ions.
AB  - A class of carboxyl and carboxylate ester-substituted dithiafulvene (DTF)
      derivatives and tetrathiafulvalene vinylogues (TTFVs) has been synthesized and
      their electronic and electrochemical redox properties were characterized by UV
      vis spectroscopic and cyclic voltammetric analyses. The carboxyl-TTFV was applied
      as a redox-active ligand to complex with Zn(II) ions, forming a stable Zn-TTFV
      coordination polymer. The structural, electrochemical, and thermal properties of
      the coordination polymer were investigated by infrared spectroscopy, cyclic
      voltammetry, powder X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetric
      analyses. Furthermore, the microscopic porosity and surface area of the Zn-TTFV
      coordination polymer were measured by nitrogen gas adsorption analysis, showing a
      BET surface of 148.2 m(2) g(-1) and an average pore diameter of 10.2 nm. 

PMID- 26124899
TI  - Tuning the size of a redox-active tetrathiafulvalene-based self-assembled ring.
AB  - The synthesis of a new Pd coordination-driven self-assembled ring M6L3
      constructed from a concave tetrapyridyl pi-extended tetrathiafulvalene ligand
      (exTTF) is described. The same ligand is also able to self-assemble in a M4L2
      mode as previously described. Herein, we demonstrate that the bulkiness of the
      ancillary groups in the Pd complex allows for modulating the size and the shape
      of the resulting discrete self-assembly, which therefore incorporate two (M4L2)
      or three (M6L3) electroactive exTTF sidewalls. 

PMID- 26124900
TI  - Antenatal Diagnosis of Jeune Syndrome (Asphyxiating Thoracic Dysplasia) with
      Micromelia and Facial Dysmorphism on Second-Trimester Ultrasound.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Jeune syndrome is a rare congenital malformation with a reported
      incidence of 1 in 100,000-130,000 live births. Thoracic hypoplasia is the most
      striking abnormality of this disorder. Here we report a case of Jeune syndrome
      with marked thoracic hypoplasia, micromelia and facial dysmorphism, which was
      diagnosed on a second-trimester antenatal real-time three-dimensional ultrasound.
      CASE REPORT: A 24-year-old primigravida came for routine anomaly scan at 19 weeks
      of gestation. Transabdominal grey scale and real time 3D ultrasound (US) was done
      with GE Logiq P5 with curvilinear array transducers (4C and 4D3C-L). US findings
      were consistent with the diagnosis of Jeune syndrome (Asphyxiating thoracic
      dysplasia). CONCLUSIONS: Jeune syndrome is an extremely rare congenital disorder
      with a spectrum of abnormalities of which thoracic hypoplasia is the most
      striking. It can be diagnosed on early antenatal US by its characteristic
      skeletal and morphological features which can guide further management of
      pregnancy in form of termination or preparation for surgical correction of the
      deformity.

PMID- 26124901
TI  - MRI of Residual Red Bone Marrow in the Distal Femur of Healthy Subjects.
AB  - BACKROUND: The purpose of our study is to examine the correlation of the residual
      red bone marrow areas of distal femoral metaphysis with the age, gender, weight
      and hemoglobin (hgb) values; evaluate the results, and comprehend the importance
      of these residual areas in the light of the results. MATERIAL/METHODS: 140
      nonsmoking patients between the ages of 26 and 72 (92 women, 48 men) who had knee
      MR examinations were included in the study. The residual red bone marrow areas in
      the distal femoral metaphysis in MR images were examined by a radiologist. The
      areas were separated into grades according to their sizes. The hemoglobin values
      of the cases were measured. The size of the residual red bone marrow area and the
      age, gender, weight and hemoglobin values of the cases were compared by using the
      Tukey and Chi-Square Tests. RESULTS: Although no significant differences were
      observed between the mean ages, weights and hemoglobin values of the grades, a
      significant difference was detected between the gender distribution The male
      group had less residual red bone marrow in the distal femoral metaphysis than the
      female group (p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: We observed that the hypointensities due to
      residual red bone marrow observed in the T1WS of the distal femoral metaphysis
      are not related with the age, weight and hemoglobin values. No grade 2 and grade
      3 patient was detected in male group. We observed that these hypointense areas
      showed difference according to the gender variable; however, were not affected by
      the hemoglobin values over certain levels.

PMID- 26124902
TI  - Thyrolipomas - Prevalence in Computed Tomography and Suggestions for Pragmatic
      Management.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Thyrolipomas seem to be a rare occurrence and until now their
      prevalence has only been reported in two studies. Because of the known
      significant geographic variations of thyroid disease, generalizability of these
      findings is uncertain as well as the management of found thyrolipomas.
      MATERIAL/METHODS: Retrospective study of 107 computed tomography scans of the
      chest of a European inpatient population. A literature review was performed and
      considerations for pragmatic management were proposed. RESULTS: Thyrolipomas were
      found in 2.8% of patients. All thyrolipomas were smaller than 15 mm. In all
      patients these were incidental findings unrelated to patients symptoms. No
      secondary signs of malignancy could be detected. CONCLUSIONS: Thyrolipomas are a
      common finding on cross sectional imaging. Like in this study they seem to be
      incidental findings lacking clinical relevance. Because of the rare possibility
      of an thyroid cancer with inclusion of mature fat, sonographic follow-up of
      incidentally discovered thyrolipomas larger than 15 mm should be suggested.

PMID- 26124903
TI  - Impact of Physical Activity on the Self-Perceived Quality of Life in Non-Frail
      Older Adults.
AB  - As the population of older adults increases, healthy aging has become a global
      public health issue. Physical activity can help older adults reclaim or maintain
      a healthy aging process. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the
      relationship between physical activity, physical performance, quality of life and
      cognition in non-frail adults aged 65 and older. English articles in peer
      reviewed journals about healthy, non-frail adults aged 65 and older were included
      in the present review. Additionally, articles were obtained from reviewing the
      reference lists of the aforementioned articles. Research proves an overwhelmingly
      positive correlation between physical activity and the reduction of preventable
      chronic illnesses, lower healthcare costs, improved cognition, improved muscle
      function, decreased fear of falling, and thereby, inevitably, an increased self
      perceived quality of life. There is research evidence on healthy aging and the
      effect of physical activity, which could be of importance in a public health
      perspective. 

PMID- 26124904
TI  - Laparoscopic Versus Open Colorectal Resection Within Fast Track Programs: An
      Update Meta-Analysis Based on Randomized Controlled Trials.
AB  - The objective of the study was to assess the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic
      colorectal surgery by comparing open operation within fast track (FT) programs.
      The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase and Chinese Biological Medicine Database
      were searched to identify all available randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
      comparing laparoscopic with open colorectal resection within FT programs. A total
      of seven RCTs were finally included, enrolling 714 patients with colorectal
      cancer: 373 patients underwent laparoscopic surgery and FT programs
      (laparoscopic/FT group) and 341 patients received open operation and FT programs
      (open/FT group). Postoperative hospital stay (weighted mean difference (WMD):
      0.66; 95% CI: 0.27 - 1.04; P < 0.05), total hospital stay (WMD: 1.46; 95% CI:
      0.40 - 2.51; P < 0.05) and overall complications (RR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.12 - 1.54;
      P < 0.05) were significantly lower in laparoscopic/FT group than in open/FT
      group. However, no statistically significant differences on mortality (risk ratio
      (RR): 2.26; 95% CI: 0.62 - 8.22; P = 0.21), overall surgical complications (RR:
      1.19; 95% CI: 0.94 - 1.51; P = 0.15) and readmission rates (RR: 1.33; 95% CI:
      0.79 - 2.22; P = 0.28) were found between both groups. The laparoscopic
      colorectal surgery combined with FT programs shows high-level evidence on
      shortening postoperative and total hospital stay, reducing overall complications
      without compromising patients' safety. 

PMID- 26124905
TI  - Knee and Ankle Joint Angles Influence the Plantarflexion Torque of the
      Gastrocnemius.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The gastrocnemius (GA) is the lone bi-articular muscle of the leg,
      crossing both the knee and ankle. As with any bi-articular muscle, both joints
      affect its length/tension curve. The role of the GA as a plantarflexor is firmly
      established; however, no current research has investigated how changes in knee
      and ankle joint positions on its ability to generate a plantarflexion (PF)
      torque. This paper reports on the PF force generated by the GA at specific knee
      and ankle joint combinations. METHODS: The right GA of 26 participants was
      electrically stimulated via surface electrodes following a standardized protocol
      at 24 knee and ankle joint combinations. Three stimulations were applied at each
      of the 24 positions. Data were recorded on three dependent measures: the passive
      moment, which was the PF moment created by the tissue without stimulation, the
      maximum moment, which was the highest PF moment during the stimulation and
      included the passive moment, and the stimulated moment, which reflected the PF
      moment during stimulation minus the passive moment. RESULTS: A straight knee and
      dorsiflexed ankle create the position in which the GA generates the greatest PF
      moment, but it is also the position of greatest length. This finding is in
      contrast to conclusions from previous research with bi-articular muscles, which
      has consistently shown that the greatest length is not a muscle's optimal length.
      The full ranges of motion for the knee and ankle apparently do not elongate the
      GA beyond its optimal length for producing a PF moment. Clinicians commonly
      evaluate GA status with the patient seated and the foot subject to gravity.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that manual testing of the GA in
      isolation should be performed, whenever possible, with the knee extended and the
      ankle dorsiflexed to potentially elicit the maximum PF torque from the GA.

PMID- 26124906
TI  - Factors Predicting Therapeutic Efficacy of Combination Treatment With Sitagliptin
      and Insulin in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: The ASSIST-K Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors decrease
      hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in a glucose-dependent manner in patients on insulin
      therapy who have impaired insulin secretion. This study investigated factors
      influencing the efficacy of sitagliptin when used concomitantly with insulin to
      treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the real-world setting. METHODS: A
      retrospective study was conducted of 1,004 T2DM patients at 36 Japanese clinics
      associated with the Diabetes Task Force of the Kanagawa Physicians Association.
      Eligible patients had been on insulin for at least 6 months, with a baseline
      HbA1c of 7.0% (53 mmol/mol) or higher. Baseline characteristics and laboratory
      data from 495 patients were subjected to multiple regression analysis to identify
      factors influencing the change of HbA1c. RESULTS: Most patients (n = 809)
      received sitagliptin at a dose of 50 mg. In the 1,004 patients, HbA1c decreased
      by 0.74% (6 mmol/mol) and body weight increased by 0.1 kg after 6 months of
      combination therapy. Multiple regression analysis showed that a higher baseline
      HbA1c, older age, and lower body mass index influenced the change of HbA1c after
      6 months. Hypoglycemic symptoms occurred in 7.4%, but none were severe.
      CONCLUSIONS: These results emphasize the importance of a higher HbA1c at the
      commencement of sitagliptin therapy in patients on insulin. Glucose-dependent
      suppression of glucagon secretion by sitagliptin may be useful in patients with
      impaired insulin secretion. Sitagliptin can be used concomitantly with insulin
      irrespective of the insulin regimen, duration of insulin treatment, and
      concomitant medications.

PMID- 26124907
TI  - Effect of Atorvastatin and Pioglitazone on Plasma Levels of Adhesion Molecules in
      Non-Diabetic Patients With Hypertension or Stable Angina or Both.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It was to study the effect of atorvastatin, pioglitazone and their
      combination on plasma levels of adhesion molecules in patients with hypertension
      or stable angina or both. METHODS: It was an open-label, randomized parallel
      group study. Forty-five atorvastatin-naive patients with hypertension or stable
      angina or both, were randomized to receive either atorvastatin (19 patients; 10
      mg OD for 12 weeks) or pioglitazone (26 patients; 30 mg OD for 12 weeks). Another
      group of 30 patients who were already on atorvastatin were put on add-on
      pioglitazone therapy (pioglitazone (15 mg OD) + atorvastatin (10 mg OD) for 12
      weeks). Plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), soluble intercellular
      adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1
      (sVCAM-1) levels were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks of therapy.
      RESULTS: Atorvastatin monotherapy significantly reduced plasma sICAM-1, but
      pioglitazone monotherapy did not produce any significant effect. Addition of
      pioglitazone in patients already receiving atorvastatin also significantly
      reduced plasma sICAM-1 level. However, there was no significant change in plasma
      hsCRP and sVCAM-1 levels in any of the groups after 12 weeks of therapy.
      CONCLUSION: There is therapeutic advantage of combining pioglitazone and
      atorvastatin on plasma sICAM-1 levels.

PMID- 26124908
TI  - Predictive Factors for Non-Sentinel Lymph Node Metastasis in the Case of Positive
      Sentinel Lymph Node Metastasis in Two or Fewer Nodes in Breast Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In breast cancer, recent clinical trials have shown that sentinel
      lymph node biopsy (SLNB) alone without axillary lymph node dissection results in
      excellent prognosis if there is sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis in two or
      fewer nodes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association
      between non-SLN metastasis and clinicopathological factors in case of SLN
      metastasis in two or fewer nodes in breast cancer. METHODS: Patients who
      underwent SLNB for invasive breast cancer and were found to have positive SLN in
      two or fewer nodes were evaluated. The associations between non-SLN metastasis
      and clinicopahological factors were examined. Statistical analyses were performed
      using the Mann-Whitney and Chi-square tests, with statistical significance set at
      P < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 358 patients were enrolled during the study period
      and all of these patients were female and 54 patients had SLN metastasis (15%).
      Positive SLN in two or fewer nodes was identified in 44 patients (81.5%). Among
      these patients, 17 (38.6%) were found to have non-SLN metastasis. Non-SLN
      metastasis was associated with invasive tumor size (P = 0.015) and lymphatic
      involvement (P = 0.035). Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size (P = 0.011)
      and lymphatic involvement (P = 0.019) remained significant independent predictors
      of non-SLN metastasis, and that an invasive tumor size cut-off point of 28 mm was
      useful for dividing patients with positive SLN in two or fewer nodes into non-SLN
      positive and non-SLN-negative groups. CONCLUSIONS: Non-SLN metastasis was found
      in more than 30% of patients with SLN metastasis present in two or fewer nodes.
      Large tumor size and the presence of lymphatic involvement were significantly
      associated with non-SLN metastasis.

PMID- 26124909
TI  - Prevalence of Acute Coronary Syndrome in Patients Suspected for Pulmonary
      Embolism or Acute Aortic Syndrome: Rationale for the Triple Rule-Out Concept.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aims of the study were to evaluate the prevalence of acute
      coronary syndrome (ACS) among patients presenting with atypical chest pain who
      are evaluated for acute aortic syndrome (AAS) or pulmonary embolism (PE) with
      computed tomoangiography (CTA) and discuss the rationale for the use of triple
      rule-out (TRO) protocol for triaging these patients. METHODS: This study is a
      retrospective analysis of patients presenting with atypical chest pain and
      evaluated with thoracic (CTA), for suspicion of AAS/PE. Two physicians reviewed
      patient files for demographic characteristics, initial CT and final clinical
      diagnosis. Patients were classified according to CTA finding into AAS, PE and
      other diagnoses and according to final clinical diagnosis into AAS, PE, ACS and
      other diagnoses. RESULTS: Four hundred and sixty-seven patients were evaluated:
      396 (84.8%) patients for clinical suspicion of PE and 71 (15.2%) patients for
      suspicion of AAS. The prevalence of ACS and AAS was low among the PE patients:
      5.5% and 0.5% respectively (P = 0.0001), while the prevalence of ACS and PE was
      18.3% and 5.6% among AAS patients (P = 0.14 and P = 0.34 respectively).
      CONCLUSION: The prevalence of ACS and AAS among patients suspected clinically of
      having PE is limited while the prevalence of ACS and PE among patients suspected
      clinically of having AAS is significant. Accordingly patients suspected for PE
      could be evaluated with dedicated PE CTA while those suspected for AAS should
      still be triaged using TRO protocol.

PMID- 26124910
TI  - Voice and Functional Outcomes of Transoral Laser Microsurgery for Early Glottic
      Cancer: Ventricular Fold Resection as a Surrogate.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate the oncological and functional
      outcomes with transoral laser microsurgery (TOLM) of patients with early glottic
      cancer. METHODS: We have prospectively evaluated patients treated with TOLM for
      Tis, T1 or T2 glottic squamous cell carcinoma. Evaluation of oncological
      outcomes, and voice and functional outcomes was assessed using voice-handicap
      index 10 (VHI-10) and performance status scale for head & neck cancer patients
      (PSS-H&N). Predictors of poor voice quality were evaluated using Student's t
      test. RESULTS: Thirty patients were included, with 17.7 months mean follow-up.
      There were no cases of locoregional recurrence. Twelve patients (40%) were
      considered as having a problematic voice outcome. Four subjects out of 30 (13.3%)
      had significant problems with understandability of speech. Significant
      differences (P < 0.05) in VHI-10 score were found with tumor stage and partial
      resection of the ventricular fold. CONCLUSIONS: We report excellent oncological
      and functional outcomes in early glottic cancer treated with TOLM, with advanced
      tumors and partial resection of the ventricular fold as a surrogate predicting
      worse voice outcomes.

PMID- 26124912
TI  - Reasons Why Some Japanese Pregnant Women Choose Trial of Labor After Cesarean.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We examined whether or not the Japanese pregnant women with a history
      of a cesarean section have the knowledge about the benefits and harms of trial of
      labor after cesarean (TOLAC) and elective repeat cesarean delivery (ERCD).
      METHODS: We reviewed the obstetric records of 121 Japanese women with a prior
      cesarean section who visited our hospital for reservation of their second
      delivery between January and December 2013. RESULTS: Forty-five (37%) of them
      wanted to perform TOLAC at the first interview. Of these, 14 women (31%) with a
      history of an urgent cesarean chose TOLAC because of the insufficient anesthetic
      effect during cesarean, while 11 women (24%) with a history of an elective
      cesarean did not have the knowledge of the risks of TOLAC and urgent cesarean.
      Nineteen of those (76%) selected ERCD following the counseling. CONCLUSIONS: Some
      Japanese pregnant women with TOLAC hope seemed to have insufficient knowledge
      about the benefits and harms of TOLAC and ERCD. Therefore, the improvement of the
      process of counseling and decision making may be needed for pregnant women with a
      history of a cesarean section in Japan.

PMID- 26124911
TI  - Leptospira Exposure and Waste Pickers: A Case-Control Seroprevalence Study in
      Durango, Mexico.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Infection with Leptospira may occur by contact with Leptospira
      infected animals. Waste pickers are in contact with rodents and dogs while
      picking in the garbage. Whether waste pickers are at risk for Leptospira
      infection is largely unknown. This study was aimed to determine the association
      of Leptospira IgG seroprevalence with the occupation of waste picking, and to
      determine the epidemiological characteristics of the waste pickers with
      Leptospira exposure. METHODS: Through a case-control study, we determined the
      seroprevalence of anti-Leptospira IgG antibodies in 90 waste pickers and 90 age-
      and gender-matched control subjects in Durango City, Mexico using an enzyme
      immunoassay. Data were analyzed by bivariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS:
      The prevalence of anti-Leptospira IgG antibodies was similar in waste pickers
      (4/90: 4.4%) to that in control subjects (5/90: 5.6%) (P = 1.00). Bivariate
      analysis showed that Leptospira exposure in waste pickers was associated with
      increasing age (P = 0.009), no education (P = 0.008), and consumption of rat meat
      (P = 0.04). However, these associations were no longer found by multivariate
      analysis. Leptospira exposure in waste pickers was not associated with health
      status, duration in the activity, wearing hand gloves and facemasks, history of
      injuries with sharp material of the garbage, or contact with animals or soil.
      CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study about Leptospira exposure in waste pickers.
      Results suggest that waste pickers are not at increasing risk for Leptospira
      exposure in Durango City, Mexico. Further research with a larger sample size to
      elucidate the association of Leptospira exposure with waste picking activity is
      needed.

PMID- 26124913
TI  - A New Early Finding of Moyamoya-Like Phenomena.
AB  - Moyamoya disease (MMD) primarily causes constriction of internal carotid artery,
      but it is known to extend to the middle and anterior cerebral arteries. Some of
      the symptoms caused by MMD include transient ischemic attack (TIA) and seizures.
      The etiology of MMD from Graves' disease (GD) is mostly caused by thyrotoxicosis,
      but our finding of leukocytosis indicates a new finding that may help physicians
      prepare for the pending outcome of MMD from GD with leukocytosis. A 26-year-old
      Hispanic woman with a significant past medical history of GD and hypertension
      presented to the emergency department complaining of cough and shortness of
      breath for the past 5 days. During the patient's stay in the hospital, the
      patient suddenly developed numbness of the right arm with subsequent right arm
      weakness 10 minutes later. The head CT showed no acute intercranial hemorrhage,
      but MRA showed right intracranial internal carotid artery stenosis, with marked
      focal stenosis along the proximal supraclinoid segment, moderate stenosis along
      its distal supraclinoid segment with marked stenosis along the origin of the
      right A1 segment. It was therefore believed to be moyamoya-like phenomena. We
      discuss an atypical presentation that led to moyamoya-like phenomena which we
      believe has not been described before. We believe that presentation of idiopathic
      leukocytosis may have triggered the cerebral stenosis. 

PMID- 26124914
TI  - Tracheobronchial Tuberculosis Without Lung Involvement.
AB  - Endotracheal tuberculosis (ETTB) is an infrequent form of tuberculosis whose
      major feature is the infection of the tracheobronchial tree by Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis. This case presents a 73-year-old man admitted to our hospital with
      fatigue, weakness, dry cough and weight loss. His chest X-ray was normal but the
      high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) showed normal parenchyma images with
      mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy. There was inflammation of the tracheal
      wall and infiltrates in pavement epithelium; however, the tracheal biopsy for
      acid-fast bacilli was negative. He was finally diagnosed by endobronchial
      ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) of the lymph
      nodes. Four drugs were prescribed and symptoms improved. EBUS-TBNA contributed to
      prompt diagnosis. The patient was treated and evolved without complications, such
      as tracheal stenosis. 

PMID- 26124915
TI  - Persistent Coughing as the First Symptom of Primary Mucinous Appendiceal
      Adenocarcinoma.
AB  - Primary appendiceal adenocarcinomas are extremely rare entities. Preoperative
      diagnosis is very difficult and is mainly based on computed tomography (CT) scan
      findings. Furthermore, in many cases, difficulties in establishing an accurate
      intraoperative diagnosis have resulted in a two-stage surgical intervention. We
      herein report a case of a primary appendiceal mucinous adenocarcinoma in a 67
      year-old Caucasian man who presented with atypical symptoms of persistent
      coughing and weight loss. The chest CT showed lesions with features favorable of
      malignancy. Further investigation with abdominal CT and colonoscopy revealed a
      large tumor of the cecum expanding to the ascending colon. Typical right
      hemicolectomy was performed and the histopathological examination confirmed
      mucinous adenocarcinoma of the appendix. As some cases are accidentally
      discovered, the presented case describes an extremely rare first presentation of
      this tumor and emphasizes that the preoperative diagnosis of appendiceal cancer
      is challenging due to the lack of specific symptoms and signs. 

PMID- 26124916
TI  - Immunoglobulin D Multiple Myeloma With Rapidly Progressing Renal Failure.
AB  - Immunoglobulin D (IgD) multiple myeloma (MM) is a very rare form of myeloma
      affecting less than 2% of all myeloma patients. It has a multiorgan involvement
      with renal failure being the key feature. We present here a case of IgD MM in a
      62-year-old white male, smoker with past medical history of hypertension, who
      presented to emergency department with complaints of lower abdominal pain,
      constipation and decreased urination. Physical exam was unremarkable. Laboratory
      investigation showed S.Cr 5.99 mg/dL, hemoglobin 8.7 g/dL and corrected S.Ca 10.6
      mg/dL. Urine dipstick showed 100 protein and TP/Cr ratio was 23. Serology was
      positive for serum free lambda chain level of 8,947.6 mg/L as well with free
      kappa/lambda ratio < 0.01. The results of serum and urine electrophoresis and
      immunofixation were also supportive of diagnosis of IgD MM. IgD level was
      remarkably elevated (27,300 mg/L) too. CT scan of abdomen/pelvis was negative for
      obstructive uropathy. Skeletal survey showed a solitary lytic lesion in the iliac
      crest. His kidney function deteriorated next day requiring hemodialysis. The bone
      marrow biopsy was positive for plasma cell hypercellularity (70-80%) and flow
      cytometry showed 8% monoclonal IgD lambda plasma cells. The patient was started
      on bortezomib and dexamethasone and he underwent bone marrow transplant 6 months
      later. He is doing well hematologically now but he remains dialysis-dependent.
      IgD MM is a very rare disease affecting younger population with poor prognosis;
      patients often end up on hemodialysis despite better control of the hematological
      component. 

PMID- 26124917
TI  - Favorable Outcome and Survival Using a Hypothermia Protocol After Successful
      Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

PMID- 26124918
TI  - Wee1 and Chk1 - crosstalk between key players in replicative stress.

PMID- 26124920
TI  - Chronic inflammation: is it the driver or is it paving the road for malignant
      transformation?
AB  - Chronic inflammation in well-defined mouse models such as Gialpha2 knock out
      mouse has been shown to trigger formation and expansion of hypoxic niches and
      also leads to up regulation of NFKB, offering cells which have adapted their
      genetic machinery to hypoxia a unique survival advantage. These adapted cells
      have been shown to acquire stem cell-like capabilities as shown by up regulation
      of stem cell markers. Such long lived cells become permanent residents in sub
      mucosa and acquire a malignant phenotype from long-term exposure to noxious
      environmental agents due to a barrier defect secondary to down regulation of
      barrier proteins such as Zo1 and Occludin. Indeed mitotic spindle disorientation
      in such mice has been proposed as another contributory factor to malignant
      transformation. Sterilization of bowel lumen of these mice through different
      techniques has prevented malignant transformation in the presence of chronic
      inflammation. These facts stand strongly against chronic inflammation as a true
      driver of carcinogenesis but clearly support its role in facilitating the
      emergence of the neoplastic clone. 

PMID- 26124921
TI  - CArG-driven GADD45alpha activated by resveratrol inhibits lung cancer cells.
AB  - We report anticarcinogenic effects of suicide gene therapy that relies on the use
      of resveratrol-responsive CArG elements from the Egr-1 promoter to induce
      GADD45alpha. In A549 lung cancer cells, endogenous GADD45alpha was not induced
      upon resveratrol treatment. Therefore, induction of exogenous GADD45alpha
      resulted in growth inhibition. Resveratrol transiently induced Egr-1 through
      ERK/JNK-ElK-1. Hence, we cloned natural or synthetic Egr-1 promoter upstream of
      GADD45alpha cDNA to create a suicide gene therapy vector. Since natural promoter
      may have antagonized effects, we tested synthetic promoter that contains either
      five, six or nine repeats of CArG elements essential in the Egr-1 promoter to
      drive the expression of GADD45alpha upon resveratrol treatment. Further analysis
      confirmed that both synthetic promoter and natural Egr-1 promoter were able to
      "turn on" the expression of GADD45alpha when combined with resveratrol, and
      subsequently led to suppression of cell proliferation and apoptosis. 

PMID- 26124922
TI  - RASSF10 suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma growth by activating P53 signaling
      and methylation of RASSF10 is a docetaxel resistant marker.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignances and the
      second leading cause of cancer related death worldwide. RASSF10 is located on
      chromosome 11p15.2, a region that shows frequent loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in
      several cancer types. Our previous study found that RASSF10 suppresses colorectal
      cancer growth by activating P53 signaling. To explore the epigenetic changes and
      the mechanism of RASSF10 in human HCC, 69 cases of primary HCC, twenty cases of
      normal liver tissue samples and 17 HCC cell lines were involved in this study. We
      found that RASSF10 was methylated in 82.6% (57/69) of human primary HCC and
      methylation of RASSF10 was significantly associated with tumor size (P < 0.05)
      and TNM stage (P < 0.05). The expression of RASSF10 was regulated by promoter
      region methylation. Restoration of RASSF10 expression suppressed cell
      proliferation, induced apoptosis and G2/M phase arrest, as well as sensitized
      cells to docetaxel and activated P53 signaling in HepG2 and QGY7703 cells. In
      conclusion, we demonstrated that RASSF10 is frequently methylated in human HCC
      and its methylation is a potential docetaxel resistant marker. Our data also
      indicate that RASSF10 suppresses human HCC growth by activating P53 signaling. 

PMID- 26124919
TI  - Histone acetyltransferases and histone deacetylases in B- and T-cell development,
      physiology and malignancy.
AB  - The development of B and T cells from hematopoietic precursors and the regulation
      of the functions of these immune cells are complex processes that involve highly
      regulated signaling pathways and transcriptional control. The signaling pathways
      and gene expression patterns that give rise to these developmental processes are
      coordinated, in part, by two opposing classes of broad-based enzymatic
      regulators: histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs).
      HATs and HDACs can modulate gene transcription by altering histone acetylation to
      modify chromatin structure, and by regulating the activity of non-histone
      substrates, including an array of immune-cell transcription factors. In addition
      to their role in normal B and T cells, dysregulation of HAT and HDAC activity is
      associated with a variety of B- and T-cell malignancies. In this review, we
      describe the roles of HATs and HDACs in normal B- and T-cell physiology, describe
      mutations and dysregulation of HATs and HDACs that are implicated lymphoma and
      leukemia, and discuss HAT and HDAC inhibitors that have been explored as
      treatment options for leukemias and lymphomas. 

PMID- 26124923
TI  - Screening of suppressors of bax-induced cell death identifies glycerophosphate
      oxidase-1 as a mediator of debcl-induced apoptosis in Drosophila.
AB  - Members of the Bcl-2 family are key elements of the apoptotic machinery. In
      mammals, this multigenic family contains about twenty members, which either
      promote or inhibit apoptosis. We have previously shown that the mammalian pro
      apoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bax is very efficient in inducing apoptosis in
      Drosophila, allowing the study of bax-induced cell death in a genetic animal
      model. We report here the results of the screening of a P[UAS]-element insertion
      library performed to identify gene products that modify the phenotypes induced by
      the expression of bax in Drosophila melanogaster. We isolated 17 putative
      modifiers involved in various function or process: the ubiquitin/proteasome
      pathway; cell growth, proliferation and death; pathfinding and cell adhesion;
      secretion and extracellular signaling; metabolism and oxidative stress. Most of
      these suppressors also inhibit debcl-induced phenotypes, suggesting that the
      activities of both proteins can be modulated in part by common signaling or
      metabolic pathways. Among these suppressors, Glycerophosphate oxidase-1 is found
      to participate in debcl-induced apoptosis by increasing mitochondrial reactive
      oxygen species accumulation. 

PMID- 26124924
TI  - PSCA s2294008 C>T and rs2976392 G>A polymorphisms contribute to cancer
      susceptibility: evidence from published studies.
AB  - PSCA gene plays an important role in cell adhesion, proliferation and survival.
      Increasing studies have focused on the association of PSCA gene rs2294008 C>T and
      rs2976392 G>A with cancer risk. However, the conclusions were inconsistent.
      Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to elucidate whether there is a true
      association, or artifact. We systematically searched eligible studies from
      MEDLINE, EMBASE and CBM database. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were
      used to evaluate the strength of the association. The final analysis included 32
      studies consisting of 30028 cases and 38765 controls for the rs2294008 C>T
      polymorphism, and 14 studies with 8190 cases and 7176 controls for the rs2976392
      G>A polymorphism. Consequently, the PSCA rs2294008 C>T polymorphism was
      significantly associated with increased overall cancer risk. Further
      stratifications indicated the increased risk was more pronounced for gastric
      (diffused type and non-gastric cardia adenocarcinoma) and bladder cancer. A
      similar association was observed for the rs2976392 G>A polymorphism. This meta
      analysis demonstrated that both of the PSCA rs2294008 C>T and rs2976392 G>A
      polymorphisms are associated with increased cancer risk, especially for gastric
      cancer and bladder cancer. Further large-scale studies with different ethnicities
      and subtypes of gastric cancer are required to confirm the results from this meta
      analysis. 

PMID- 26124925
TI  - 3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM) and its ring-substituted halogenated analogs (ring
      DIMs) induce differential mechanisms of survival and death in androgen-dependent
      and -independent prostate cancer cells.
AB  - We recently reported that novel ring-substituted analogs of 3,3'-diindolylmethane
      (ring-DIMs) induce apoptosis and necrosis in androgen-dependent and -independent
      prostate cancer cells. In this paper, we have focused on the mechanism(s)
      associated with ring-DIM-mediated cell death, and on identifying the specific
      intracellular target(s) of these compounds. The 4,4'- and 7,7'-dichloroDIMs and
      4,4'- and 7,7'-dibromoDIMs induced the death of LNCaP, C42B and DU145 prostate
      cancer cells, but not that of immortalized normal human prostate epithelial (RWPE
      1) cells. Ring-DIMs caused the early loss of mitochondrial membrane potential
      (MMP) and decreased mitochondrial ATP generation in prostate cancer cells.
      Cyclosporin A, an inhibitor of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore,
      inhibited ring-DIM-mediated cell death, and salubrinal, an inhibitor of ER
      stress, inhibited cell death mediated only by 4,4'-dihaloDIMs. We found that
      although salubrinal did not inhibit the onset of ER stress, it prevented 4,4'
      dibromoDIM mediated loss of MMP. Salubrinal potentiated cell death in response to
      7,7'-dihaloDIMs and DIM, and this effect concurred with increased loss of MMP.
      Using in silico 3-D docking affinity analysis, we identified Ca2+/calmodulin
      dependent kinase II (CaMKII) as a potential direct target for the most toxic ring
      DIM, 4,4'-dibromoDIM. An inhibitor of CaMKII, KN93, but not its inactive analog
      KN92, abrogated cell death mediated by 4,4'-dibromoDIM. The ring-DIMs induced ER
      stress and autophagy, but these processes were not necessary for ring-DIM
      mediated cell death. Inhibition of autophagy with bafilomycin A1, 3-methyladenine
      or by LC3B gene silencing sensitized LNCaP and C42B, but not ATG5-deficient DU145
      cells to ring-DIM- and DIM-mediated cell death. We propose that autophagy induced
      by the ring-DIMs and DIM has a cytoprotective function in prostate cancer cells. 

PMID- 26124926
TI  - Circulating microRNAs - a new horizon in molecular diagnosis of breast cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The potential use of microRNAs (miRNAs) as ideal tumor markers has
      been the focus of recent research. OBJECTIVE: Our hypothesis was that circulating
      miRNAs are differentially expressed in pretherapeutic sera of breast cancer
      patients compared to controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using real-time
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis, levels of 5 candidate
      miRNAs (miR10b, miR34a, miR155, miR195 and miR16) were quantified in sera of
      breast cancer patients and control individuals. RESULTS: Levels of preoperative
      sera showed significant upregulation of 3.36 fold rise in miR10b (p<0.001), a
      2.07 fold rise in miR155 (p =0.005) and remarkable over expression of 11.9 fold
      rise in miR195 (p<0.001) of cases than controls. There was significant down
      regulation of miR34a (0.032, p<0.001). The comparison with the
      clinicopathological data of the breast cancer patients revealed significant high
      serum level of miR155 (p =0.004) and miR195 (p =0.002) in patients with lymph
      node metastasis and higher levels of miR10b (p =0.001) and miR155 (p <0.001) with
      distant metastasis (M1) than without metastasis (M0), in addition to significant
      decrease in miR34a (p <0.001) level in M1 than M0 cases. CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings suggest that systemic circulating miRNAs have potential use as novel
      biomarkers for breast cancer.

PMID- 26124927
TI  - Systematic enrichment analysis of microRNA expression profiling studies in
      endometriosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis on human
      microRNAs (miRNAs) expression data of endometriosis tissue profiles versus those
      of normal controls and to identify novel putative diagnostic markers. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Ovid Medline were used to search for
      endometriosis miRNA expression profiling studies of endometriosis. The miRNAs
      expression data were extracted, and study quality of each article was assessed.
      The frequently reported miRNAs with consistent regulation were screened out by a
      meta-profiling algorithm. The putative targets of consistently expressed miRNAs
      were predicted by using four target prediction tools (TargetScan, PicTar,
      miRanda, miRDB), and gene ontology pathway enrichment analysis (KEGG and Panther
      pathways) of the miRNA targets were carried out with GeneCodis web tool. RESULTS:
      A total of 194 related literatures were retrieved in four databases. One hundred
      and thirty four differentially expressed miRNAs were found in the 12 microRNA
      expression profiling studies that compared endometriosis tissues with normal
      tissues, with 28 miRNAs reported in at least two studies, and 9882 candidate
      genes retrieved for 13 consistently expressed miRNAs. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes
      and genomes (KEGG) and Panther pathways enrichment analysis showed that
      endometriosis related differently expressed miRNA targets were mainly enriched in
      cancer, endocytosis, Wnt signalling pathway, and angiogenesis. It showed that
      these differently expressed miRNAs and gene are potential biomarkers of
      endometriosis. CONCLUSION: miRNAs appear to be potent regulators of gene
      expression in endometriosis and its associated reproductive disorders, raising
      the prospect of using miRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutic agent in
      endometriosis.

PMID- 26124929
TI  - Effect of blockade of neuropeptide Y receptor on aortic intima-media thickness
      and adipose tissue characteristics in normal and obese mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Atherosclerosis is an important risk factor for coronary heart
      disease. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and its receptors, located in peripheral tissue
      such as white adipose tissue, have been linked to obesity and fat storage. The
      role of NPY in atherosclerosis has not yet been fully studied, so this study was
      conducted to further investigate the effect of BIIE 0246, an NPY receptor
      antagonist, on aortic intima-media thickness and size and number of adipocyte
      cells in normal and obese mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tests were performed on 24
      male C57BL/6 mice. The animals were divided into four groups as follows: control
      (normal), obese (high-fat diet), normal+NPY receptor antagonist (1 MUM, 100 ul/Kg
      BIIE0246 intraperitoneally) and obese+NPY receptor antagonist (n=6 each). After
      14 days, the animals were sacrificed and epididymal adipose tissue and thoracic
      aorta were removed. Evaluations were made for adipocyte cell number and size and
      for aortic intima-media thickness. RESULTS: The group on a high-fat diet showed a
      significantly decreased number of adipocyte cells and increased cell size
      (P<0.05). BIIE0246 application changed the cell number of adipocyte in normal
      mice (P=0.05); however, it did not change adipocyte cell size and aortic intima
      media thickness in obese and normal mice (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: NPY receptor
      antagonist had no effect on adipocyte cell size and aortic intima-media
      thickness; however, it decreased cell number in the normal group indicating
      likely involvement in the progression of obesity.

PMID- 26124928
TI  - Adiponectin: an adipokine with protective features against metabolic syndrome.
AB  - Metabolic syndrome (MetS) as a collection of obesity-associated disorders is
      associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, pro-thrombotic state, elevated
      risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Adiponectin is one
      of the most abundant peptide hormones derived from adipose tissue. This protein
      plays a major role in glucose and lipid metabolism and prevents development of
      vascular changes. Anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects are the other
      features of adiponectin. Hypoadiponectinemia is associated with hypertension and
      pro-thrombotic state. In this review, we discuss the crucial role of adiponectin
      in prevention of metabolic syndrome considering its effects on the components of
      this syndrome. Pharmacological interventions and lifestyle modification may
      increase plasma adiponectin level or tissue sensitivity which seems to be a
      promising target for prevention and therapeutic approaches of MetS and related
      diseases. 

PMID- 26124930
TI  - Effect of Crocus sativus extracts and its active constituent safranal on the
      harmaline-induced tremor in mice.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Due to unsatisfactory response or intolerable side effects of current
      drugs, treatment of essential tremor remains inadequate. Thus, we aimed to
      investigate the protective and therapeutic effects of aqueous and ethanolic
      extracts of Crocus sativus (saffron), and its active consistent, safranal, on the
      harmaline-induced tremor in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To induce tremor,
      harmaline (30 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally. Test groups were also given
      the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of saffron (40, 80, and 160 mg/kg) as well as
      safranal (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 ml/kg), intraperitoneally, 10 min before harmaline
      administration (prophylactic study) or 10 min after the onset of tremors
      (curative study). The latency of onset, duration, and intensity of tremor were
      recorded. RESULTS: The extracts (80 and160 mg/kg) dose dependently attenuated
      duration of harmaline-induced tremors as did reference drug, propranolol (2 and 5
      mg/kg). Only the highest dose of extracts (160 mg/kg) attenuated intensity of
      harmaline-induced tremors throughout the study. Safranal at the doses of (0.1 and
      0.3 ml/kg) but not 0.5 ml/kg attenuated duration and intensity of tremor. Onset
      of tremor increased with the extracts (80 and 160 mg/kg) in prophylactic study,
      as the effect observed with propranolol at the dose of 5 mg/kg. Safranal did not
      affect the latency of tremor. CONCLUSION: Both aqueous and ethanolic extracts of
      saffron and with a less effect, low doses of safranal, have relatively protective
      and suppressive effects on the harmaline-induced tremor and different
      constituents of extracts seem to participate in the protective effects against
      harmaline induced tremor.

PMID- 26124931
TI  - The Lcn2-engineered HEK-293 cells show senescence under stressful condition.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Lipocalin2 (Lcn2) gene is highly expressed in response to various
      types of cellular stresses. The precise role of Lcn2 has not been fully
      understood yet. However, it plays a key role in controlling vital cellular
      processes such as proliferation, apoptosis and metabolism. Recently it was shown
      that Lcn2 decreases senescence and increases proliferation of mesenchymal stem
      cells (MSC) with finite life span under either normal or oxidative stress
      conditions. However, Lcn2 effects on immortal cell line with infinite
      proliferation are not defined completely. Materials and. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      HEK-293 cells were transfected with recombinant pcDNA3.1 containing Lcn2 fragment
      (pcDNA3.1-Lcn2). Expression of lipocalin2 in transfected cells was evaluated by
      RT-PCR, real time RT-PCR, and ELISA. Different cell groups were treated with H2O2
      and WST-1 assay was performed to determine their proliferation rate. Senescence
      was studied by beta-galactosidase and gimsa staining methods as well as
      evaluation of the expression of senescence-related genes by real time RT-PCR.
      RESULTS: Lcn2 increased cell proliferation under normal culture condition, while
      the proliferation slightly decreased under oxidative stress. This decrease was
      further found to be attributed to senescence. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated
      that under harmful conditions, Lcn2 gene is responsible for the regulation of
      cell survival through senescence.

PMID- 26124932
TI  - Investigation of FOXP3 genetic variations at positions -2383 C/T and IVS9+459 T/C
      in southern Iranian patients with lung carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: FOXP3 gene is an X-linked gene that encodes FOXP3 protein, an
      essential transcription factor in CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells. We
      aimed, in the present study, to investigate the association of two FOXP3
      polymorphisms, -2383 C/T (rs3761549) and IVS9+459 T/C (rs2280883), with lung
      cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a case-control study we analyzed genotypes and
      alleles frequencies at -2383 C/T and IVS9+459 T/C positions in 156 patients with
      lung cancer and 156 age and sex matched healthy controls in Southern Iranian
      population, using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) methods. The data were verified by direct automated DNA
      sequencing. RESULTS: The frequency of -2383 T allele was significantly higher in
      the patients than in the control group (11.8% versus 5.9%, P-value=0.04, OR=2.13,
      95%CI=1.04-4.54). T allele frequency at IVS9+459 T/C position was higher,
      compared to the controls, in the patients who presented the disease over 55 years
      old (69.9% versus 59.1%, P-value=0.04, OR=1.61, 95%CI=1.01-2.55) and also in SCLC
      patients (77.8% versus 59.1%, P-value=0.03, OR=2.42, 95%CI=1.05-5.59). No
      significant differences were found in the genotypes and haplotypes distributions
      between the cases and controls. A high degree of linkage disequilibrium was
      observed between two polymorphisms. CONCLUSION: As the first study dealing with 
      2383 C/T and IVS9+459 T/C in lung cancer, our data conclusively suggest the
      association of -2383 T allele with susceptibility to lung cancer in Iranian
      population. The association of IVS9+459 T allele with susceptibility to lung
      cancer in old patients suggests the age-dependent effects of FOXP3 gene on cancer
      occurrence.

PMID- 26124933
TI  - PI3K/Akt inhibition and down-regulation of BCRP re-sensitize MCF7 breast cancer
      cell line to mitoxantrone chemotherapy.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Multidrug resistance (MDR) of cancer cells is a major obstacle to
      successful chemotherapy. Overexpression of breast cancer resistance protein
      (BCRP) is one of the major causes of MDR. In addition, it has been shown that
      PI3K/Akt signaling pathway involves in drug resistance. Therefore, we evaluated
      the effects of novel approaches including siRNA directed against BCRP and
      targeted therapy against PI3K/Akt signaling pathway using LY294002 (LY) to re
      sensitize breast cancer MCF7 cell line to mitoxantrone (MTX) chemotherapy.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anticancer effects of MTX, siRNA, and LY alone and in
      combination were evaluated in MCF7 cells using MTT cytotoxicity assay and flow
      cytometry analysis of cell cycle distribution and apoptosis induction. RESULTS:
      MTT and apoptosis assays showed that both MTX and LY inhibited cell proliferation
      and induced apoptosis in MCF7 cells. Results indicated that inhibition of BCRP by
      siRNA or PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by LY significantly increased sensitivity of
      MCF7 cells to antiproliferation and apoptosis induction of MTX. Furthermore, MTX
      showed G2/M arrest, whereas LY induced G0/G1 arrest in cell cycle distribution of
      MCF7 cells. Combination of siRNA or LY with MTX chemotherapy significantly
      increased accumulation of MCF7 cells in the G2/M phase of cell cycle. CONCLUSION:
      Combination of MTX chemotherapy with BCRP siRNA and PI3K/Akt inhibition can
      overcome MDR in breast cancer cells. This study furthermore suggests that novel
      therapeutic approaches are needed to enhance anticancer effects of available
      drugs in breast cancer.

PMID- 26124934
TI  - Ferulic acid protects PC12 neurons against hypoxia by inhibiting the p-MAPKs and
      COX-2 pathways.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Hypoxia induces cellular oxidative stress that is associated with
      neurodegenerative diseases. Here, the protective effects of ferulic acid (FA) on
      hypoxia-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells were evaluated. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: We investigated the effect of FA on PC12 cells subjected to hypoxia
      stress, in vitro. RESULTS: FA increased cell viability, prevented membrane damage
      (LDH release), scavenged free radicals, increased superoxide dismutase (SOD)
      activity, and attenuated the elevation of intracellular free Ca(2+), lipid
      peroxidation, apoptosis (evaluated by TUNEL staining) and PGE2 production in
      hypoxia-stressed PC12 cells. MAPKs were activated during hypoxia. FA reduced p
      p38 MAPK, caspase-3, and COX-2 activation which correlated well with diminished
      LDH release in PC12 cells under hypoxia. Furthermore, FA reduced lipid
      peroxidation in PC12 cells subjected to hypoxia. CONCLUSION: Taken together,
      these results indicate that FA antioxidant effects could partly be involved in
      inhibition of p38 MAPK pathway and apoptosis through scavenging ROS in hypoxia
      stressed PC12 cells.

PMID- 26124935
TI  - Inhibitory effect of corcin on aggregation of 1N/4R human tau protein in vitro.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common age-related
      neurodegenerative disorder. One of the hallmarks of AD is an abnormal
      accumulation of fibril forms of tau protein which is known as a microtubule
      associated protein. In this regard, inhibition of tau aggregation has been
      documented to be a potent therapeutic approach in AD and tauopathies.
      Unfortunately, the available synthetic drugs have modest beneficial efficacy with
      several side effects. Therefore, pipeline drugs from natural sources with anti
      aggregation properties can be useful in the prevention and treatment of AD. Among
      medicinal plants, saffron (Crocus sativus, L.), as a traditional herbal medicine
      has different pharmacological properties and can be used as treatment for several
      nervous system impairment including depression and dementia. Crocin as a major
      constituent of saffron is the glycosylated form of crocetin. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of crocin on
      aggregation of recombinant human tau protein 1N/4R isoform using biochemical
      methods and cell culture. RESULTS: Results revealed that tau protein under the
      fibrillation condition and in the presence of crocin had enough stability with
      low tendency for aggregation. Crocin inhibited tau aggregation with IC50 of 100
      ug/ml. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy images confirmed that crocin
      could suppress the formation of tau protein filaments. CONCLUSION: Inhibitory
      effect of crocin could be related to its interference with nucleation phase that
      led to increases in monomer species of tau protein. Based on our results, crocin
      is recommended as a proper candidate to be used in AD treatment.

PMID- 26124936
TI  - Gabapentin prevents oxaliplatin-induced central sensitization in the dorsal horn
      neurons in rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to study the alteration of glutamatergic
      transmission in the dorsal horn neurons and the effect of gabapentin on
      oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Oxaliplatin
      (5 mg/kg) or saline was administered to adult male Sprague-Dawley rats.
      Gabapentin (60 mg/kg, IP) or vehicle was injected daily. Mechanical allodynia was
      assessed using a series of von Frey filaments. The expression of glutamate
      receptor subunits (NR2B and GluR1) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
      was measured in the dorsal horn. The glutamatergic strength was recorded in the
      spinal cord slices. RESULTS: Administration of oxaliplatin induced significant
      hyperreactivity to mechanical stimuli in rats, which was attenuated by
      gabapentin. Significant increase in the expression of BDNF was found in the
      dorsal horn in rats receiving oxaliplatin, which was prevented by gabapentin.
      Further studies also observed a significant increase in the expression of GluR1
      and NR2B, as well as enhanced glutamatergic transmission in the dorsal horn
      neurons in rats treated with oxaliplatin. The upregulation of glutamatergic
      transmission was significantly reversed by gabapentin. CONCLUSION: These results
      illustrated an increased expression of BDNF and enhanced glutamatergic
      transmission in rats with oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain, which was
      markedly attenuated by gabapentin.

PMID- 26124937
TI  - Cloning, molecular analysis and epitopics prediction of a new chaperone GroEL
      Brucella melitensis antigen.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Brucellosis is a well-known domestic animal infectious disease, which
      is caused by Brucella bacterium. GroEL antigen increases Brucella survival and is
      one of the major antigens that stimulates the immune system. Hence, the objective
      of the present study was cloning and bioinformatics analysis of GroEL gene.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The full-length open reading frame of this gene was
      amplified by specific primers and cloned into pTZ57R/T vector. Also, the sequence
      of this gene in the Brucella melitensis strain Rev 1 was submitted to the NCBI
      gene bank for the first time. Several prediction software applications were also
      used to predict B and T-cell epitopes, secondary and tertiary structures,
      antigenicity ability and enzymatic degradation sites. The used software
      applications validated experimental results. RESULTS: The results of phylogenetic
      analysis showed that the GroEL sequence had near homology with other species
      instead of other Brucella spp. The bioinformatics tools used in the current study
      were validated by the results of four different experimental epitope predictions.
      Bioinformatics analysis identified eight B and seven T-cell epitopes. CONCLUSION:
      According to the antigenic ability and proteasomal cleavage sites, four (150-160,
      270-285,351-361 and 385-395) common epitopes were predicted for GroEL gene.
      Bioinformatics analysis showed that these regions had proper epitope
      characterization and so may be useful for stimulation of cell-mediated and
      humoral immunity system.

PMID- 26124938
TI  - Preparation and characterization of different liposomal formulations containing
      P5 HER2/neu-derived peptide and evaluation of their immunological responses and
      antitumor effects.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Tumor-associated antigen (TAA) subunit-based vaccines constitute
      promising tools for anticancer immunotherapy. However, a major limitation in the
      development of such vaccines is the poor immunogenicity of peptides when used
      alone. The aim of this study was to develop an efficient vaccine delivery system
      and adjuvant to enhance anti-tumor activity of a synthetic HER2/neu derived
      peptide (P5). MATERIALS AND METHODS: P5 peptide was encapsulated with different
      liposomal formulations composed of DMPC:DMPG:Chol:DOPE and loaded with
      monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL). All formulations were characterized for their
      physicochemical properties. To evaluate vaccine efficacy, BALB/c mice were first
      immunized with free peptide or liposomal formulations, then, inoculated with a
      subcutaneous injection of TUBO tumor cells. Enzyme-linked immunospot,
      cytotoxicity and intracellular cytokine assays, as well as tumor size and animal
      survival analysis, were performed to evaluate the immune responses. RESULTS: The
      results demonstrated that P5 encapsulated into liposomal formulations was not
      able to induce CD8 and CD4 T cells to produce IFN-gamma. That is why, a potent
      CTL response and antitumor immunity was not induced. CONCLUSION: The Lip-DOPE-P5
      MPL formulation in spite of using pH-sensitive lipid to direct intracellular
      trafficking of peptide to MHC I presentation pathway and MPL to enhance peptide
      adjuvanticity was interesting. The failure in inducing anti-tumor immunity may be
      attributed to low uptake of anionic conventional liposomes by dendritic cells
      (DCs) that have negative surface charge.

PMID- 26124939
TI  - The reduction of aorta histopathological images through inhibition of reactive
      oxygen species formation in hypercholesterolemia rattus norvegicus treated with
      polysaccharide peptide of Ganoderma lucidum.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Atherosclerosis is chronic inflammatory process triggered by
      oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can increase hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) level,
      which induce atherosclerosis through the processes such as formation of
      perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT), foam cells, and atherosclerotic plaque.
      Antioxidant is needed to control negative effects of oxidative stress. One source
      of antioxidant, which has potential to be developed, is PsP from Ganoderma
      lucidum. This study aims to prove the effect of PsP in decreasing H2O2, PVAT,
      foam cells and atherosclerotic plaque. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was
      experimental randomized post-test with control group design using 25 Rattus
      norvegicus Wistar strain rats. Rats were divided into 5 groups (negative control,
      positive control, and 3 high-fat diet group with PsP dose: 50, 150, 300 mg/kgBW).
      Measured parameters were H2O2, PVAT, foam cell, and atherosclerotic plaques.
      Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for statistical analysis, followed by post
      hoc test. RESULTS: Mean H2O2 levels, PVAT thickness, foam cell numbers, and
      atherosclerotic plaque were low in negative control group. ANOVA showed that PsP
      significantly (P<0.05) reduced H2O2 levels, PVAT thickness, foam cells numbers
      and atherosclerotic plaque width. CONCLUSION: PsP dose of 300 mg/kgBW has the
      most significant effect in decreasing H2O2 levels, PVAT thickness, number of foam
      cells, and atherosclerotic plaque width. Based on the results of this research,
      PsP can be recommended as antioxidant to control pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

PMID- 26124940
TI  - The effect of intrathecal delivery of bone marrow stromal cells on hippocampal
      neurons in rat model of Alzheimer's disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Intracerebral injection of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) is being
      investigated as a therapeutic tool to prevent Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our aim
      was to investigate the effects of BMSCs by intrathecal injection in AD rat model.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: BMSCs were obtained from the bone marrow of Wistar rat and
      transplanted into AD rat model via intrathecal injection. The rat model had
      received an injection of beta amyloid into the hippocampus for histological and
      immunohistochemical studies. RESULTS: Histological examination of the brains in
      transplanted rats compared to controls demonstrated the migration of BrdU-labeled
      BMSCs from the site of delivery, confirmed the differentiation of BMSCs
      transplanted cells into the cholinergic neurons, and increased number of healthy
      and decreased number of dark neurons. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that BMSCs
      intratechal administration could be a promising method for treatment of
      Alzheimer's disease in rat model.

PMID- 26124941
TI  - The RETN gene rs1862513 polymorphism as a novel predisposing marker for familial
      Acne vulgaris in a Pakistani population.
AB  - Resistin (RETN), recently found to be relevant to inflammation and inflammatory
      disorders. We, therefore, aimed to investigate the potential role of RETN gene
      polymorphism in pathogenesis of acne vulgaris with familial history. We
      investigated the RETN-420C/G polymorphism in 180 patients with acne vulgaris and
      180 healthy individuals in a case-control association analysis. In this study, we
      also investigated the heritability of the RETN susceptible allele from 140 trio
      families with acne affected offspring. The genotyping was performed by polymerase
      chain reaction and direct DNA sequencing. The RETN-420C/G polymorphism was
      significantly associated with acne in patients compared with healthy controls
      (P=0.014). The minor allele G at -420 was more prevalent in cases vs. controls
      (P=0.002). The RETN-420C/G polymorphism was significantly associated with
      severity of acne vulgaris in patients (P=0.0097). The results of a transmission
      disequilibrium test revealed a significant association between the RETN-420C/G
      polymorphism and acne vulgaris (P<0.001). For the first time in the literature,
      to our knowledge, we demonstrate a significant association of the RETN-420C/G
      functional polymorphism with familial acne vulgaris. 

PMID- 26124942
TI  - Inequality in Utilization of In-patients Health Services in Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health services for those in need. Inpatient care shows a more
      serious side of individual care and patients and their family members perceive a
      high level of stress and urge. We conducted this study to determine inequalities
      of in-patient health care utilization in Iranian people and to assess factors
      that influence utilization. METHODS: In each province, the sample was comprised
      of 380 urban and 380 rural households that were recruited by a systematic random
      sampling method. A total of 23,560 households, which included around 102,000
      individuals were recruited. We used the questionnaire for data collection. Met
      admission need (MAN) was the main variable and was considered household assets
      for determining the economic status. We did all analyses using the STATA version
      9.1. RESULTS: The rates of MAN for urban and rural areas were 83% and 81.3%
      respectively. The rate of MAN was significantly higher in patients with higher
      educational level. Patients with primary health insurance coverage had
      significantly higher rate of MAN. CONCLUSIONS: Meeting admission needs was
      estimated around 84% and it seems that modifying insurance coverage is the most
      feasible intervention for increasing utilization of health services.

PMID- 26124943
TI  - Knowledge and Practice of People toward their Rights in Urban Family Physician
      Program: A Population-Based Study in Shiraz, Southern Iran.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urban family physician program has been launched as a pilot in Fars
      and Mazandaran provinces of Iran since 2012. Attitudes of policy makers and
      people toward urban family physician program have become challenging. This study
      shows what people know and practice toward this program. METHODS: This cross
      sectional population-based study was conducted by a multistage randomized
      sampling in Shiraz, Southern Iran. Knowledge and practice of adults toward urban
      family physician program were queried through filing the questionnaires. Single
      and multiple variable analyzes of data were performed. RESULTS: Participation
      rate was 1257 of 1382 (90.9%), and the mean age of the respondents was 38.1 +/-
      13.2 years. Of 1257, 634 (50.4%) were men and 882 (70.2%) were married. Peoples'
      total knowledge toward urban family physician program was 5 +/- 2.7 of 19, showed
      that 1121 (89.2%) had a low level of knowledge. This was correlated positively
      and in order to being under coverage of this program (P < 0.001), being under
      coverage of one of the main insurance systems (P = 0.04) and being married (P =
      0.002). The mean score of people's practice toward the program was 2.3 +/- 0.9 of
      total score 7, showed that 942 (74%) had poor performance, and it was correlated
      positively and in order to being under coverage of this program (P < 0.001) and
      having higher than 1000$ monthly income (P = 0.004). Correlation of people's
      knowledge and practice toward the program was 24%. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidences
      show a low level of knowledge, poor practice and weak correlation of knowledge
      practice of people toward urban family physician program.

PMID- 26124944
TI  - Comment on: Pomegranate Flower Extract Does Not Prevent Cisplatin-induced
      Nephrotoxicity in Female Rats.

PMID- 26124945
TI  - Self-reported Practices and Attitudes of Community Health Workers (Accredited
      Social Health Activist) in Tobacco Control - Findings from two states in India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The 1978 declaration (Alma-Ata declaration) made at the International
      Conference on Primary Health Care, meeting in Alma-Ata highlighted the critical
      role played by Community Health Workers (CHWs) to link communities to the health
      system. The flagship program of Government of India proposed introduction of CHWs
      namely Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA). As a link between community and
      health system ASHA is in a unique position to generate awareness on tobacco
      related issues. However, there is limited evidence on practices of ASHAs in
      tobacco control in India. The present study explores whether CHWs such as ASHAs
      can be utilized as a resource for informing and educating community on tobacco
      and its harmful effects. The study captured perceptions and practices of ASHAs
      regarding tobacco control. METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional study
      conducted among 512 ASHAs in six intervention districts each in Gujarat and
      Andhra Pradesh. The study settings (i.e., health facilities and villages) were
      selected through systematic random sampling. The study participants were selected
      through simple random sampling. Responses were captured through self-administered
      questionnaire. Logistic regression model was applied to measure associations
      between variables such as knowledge level of ASHAs and information provided on
      different tobacco-related diseases by them in both the states, with statistical
      significance based on the Chi-square test. RESULTS: Our findings indicate that
      ASHAs linked tobacco usage to diseases such as respiratory problems, lung cancer,
      tuberculosis, and oral disease. Only one-third of ASHAs reported informing all
      patients about the harmful health effects of tobacco, whereas more than half of
      them reported providing information only to patients suffering from specific
      illness. ASHAs who reported having received training in tobacco control were
      about Two times more likely to give information on effects of tobacco on
      respiratory diseases (odds ratio [OR]-1.5; confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-2.4) and
      adverse reproductive outcomes (OR-2.1; CI: 1.1-20.2). CONCLUSIONS: Study findings
      reflect suboptimal engagement of ASHAs in providing information pertaining to
      specific tobacco-related diseases. There is an urgent need to sensitize and train
      ASHAs in appropriate tobacco control practices.

PMID- 26124946
TI  - Role of Heart and its Diseases in the Etiology of Depression According to
      Avicenna's Point of View and its Comparison with Views of Classic Medicine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression is one of the most important medical problems in today's
      world; despite its high prevalence, its causes unfortunately remain not fully
      known. Among important issues regarding this is its relation with heart diseases.
      Based on studies this comorbidity increase morbidity and mortality and leads to
      worst prognosis. However the cause of such high rate of comorbidity is unclear
      and instead of efforts to understand this correlation has prompted the medical
      world to consult other medicinal disciplines, not only to find the answer but
      also to increase the effectiveness of treatment and decrease its cost. METHODS:
      We first reviewed the most important ancient causes for depression mentioned by
      Avicenna and considered those as the key words for our next step. Then, we made a
      literature search (PubMed and Scopus) with those key words to find out new
      scientific findings in modern medicine about the Avicenna's suggestions. RESULTS:
      Avicenna does not regard depression as only a mental ailment, but as a disorder
      resulted by the involvement of brain, heart and blood. He believed that the main
      causes of depressive events are rooted in heart diseases; in most cases brain is
      only affected secondary to the heart. Thus he declared that for the treatment of
      depressive disorders, the underlying cardiovascular diseases should be
      considered. CONCLUSIONS: It is worthwhile to consider the Avicenna's recommended
      causes of depression and to design future scientific studies based on his
      suggestions.

PMID- 26124947
TI  - Influence of Anthropometric Measurements in Lung Function in Patients With
      Asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obesity is commonly regarded as a risk factor for asthma development,
      poor asthma control, and poor response to asthma therapy. METHODS: In a cross
      sectional study, 85 asthmatics (37 male and 48 female) participated. Pulmonary
      function tests (PFTs) and anthropometric parameters were measured for each
      patient. RESULTS: Mean age and median duration were 43.9 +/- 10.61 and 6 (3-14)
      years, respectively. Among anthropometric parameters, only waist-to-hip ratio
      (WHR) indicated significant correlation with PFTs in both sex (P < 0.05). There
      were negative associations between waist circumference, hip circumference and WHR
      with PFTs only in overweight and obese women (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Some
      anthropometric parameters affected lung function, and it seems that gender
      differentially contributes to this effect.

PMID- 26124948
TI  - Pustular Bacterid: Look at the Throat for Prevention over Treatment.

PMID- 26124949
TI  - Reduction of Methylphenidate Induced Anxiety, Depression and Cognition Impairment
      by Various doses of Venlafaxine in Rat.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Methylphenidate (MPH) is a neural stimulant agent, which its
      neurochemical and behavioral effect remain unclear. Venlafaxine is a serotonin
      norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor antidepressant, which was used for management
      of depression and anxiety. In this study, protective effects of venlafaxine on
      MPH induced anxiety, depression and cognition impairment were investigated.
      METHODS: Forty-eight adult male rats were divided randomly to 5 groups. Group 1,
      received normal saline (0.2 ml/rat) for 21 days and served as control group.
      Group 2, received MPH (10 mg/kg) for 21 days. Groups, 3, 4, 5 and 6 concurrently
      were treated by MPH (10 mg/kg) and venlafaxine at doses of 25, 50, 75 and 100
      mg/kg respectively for 21 days. On day 22, elevated plus maze (EPM), open field
      test (OFT), forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) were used to
      investigate the level of anxiety and depression in animals. In addition, between
      days 17 and 21, Morris water maze (MWM) was used to evaluate the effect of MPH on
      spatial learning and memory. RESULTS: MPH caused depression and anxiety in a dose
      dependent manner in FST, OFT, EPM and TST, which were significantly different
      compared with control group. Furthermore, MPH can significantly attenuate the
      motor activity in OFT. Venlafaxine in all doses can attenuate MPH induced
      anxiety, depression and motor activity alterations. MPH also can disturb learning
      and memory in MWM, but venlafaxine did not alter this effect of MPH. CONCLUSIONS:
      We conclude that venlafaxine can be protective in the brain against MPH induced
      anxiety and depression.

PMID- 26124950
TI  - The psychometric properties of the Quantitative-Checklist for Autism in Toddlers
      (Q-CHAT) as a measure of autistic traits in a community sample of Singaporean
      infants and toddlers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is growing research evidence that subclinical autistic traits
      are elevated in relatives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD),
      continuously distributed in the general population and likely to share common
      etiology with ASD. A number of measures have been developed to assess autistic
      traits quantitatively in unselected samples. So far, the Quantitative-Checklist
      for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT) is one of very few measures developed for use
      with toddlers as young as 18 months, but little is known about its measurement
      properties and factor structure. METHODS: The present study examined internal
      consistency, factor structure, test-retest stability, and convergent validity of
      the Q-CHAT in a sample of toddlers in Singapore whose caregivers completed the Q
      CHAT at 18 (n = 368) and 24 months (n = 396). RESULTS: Three factors were derived
      accounting for 38.1 % of the variance: social/communication traits, non
      social/behavioral traits, and a speech/language factor. Internal consistency was
      suboptimal for the total and speech/language scores, but acceptable for the
      social/communication and non-social/behavioral factor scores. Scores were
      generally stable between 18 and 24 months. Convergent validity was found with the
      Pervasive Developmental Disorders subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)
      completed by caregivers when their children were 24 months. Q-CHAT total scores
      in this sample were higher than those reported in other unselected samples from
      the UK. CONCLUSIONS: The Q-CHAT was found to have a three-factor structure,
      acceptable internal consistency for its two main factor scores
      (social/communication and non-social/behavioral), normally distributed scores in
      an unselected sample, and similar structure and measurement properties as those
      reported in other published studies. Findings are discussed in relation to
      existing literature and future directions for the validation of the Q-CHAT.

PMID- 26124951
TI  - Evaluation of fractionated and repeated sonodynamic therapy by using dual
      frequency for murine model of breast adenocarcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a new approach for cancer treatment.
      Repair by reoxygenation induces cell damage in all treatment which uses photo-
      and sonosensitizers. In this study, the in vivo antitumor effect of dual
      frequency sonication is investigated at low-level intensity and hematoporphyrin
      (Hp). It is used for the treatment of spontaneous breast adenocarcinoma of Balb/c
      mice with a variety of dose repetition and fractionation regimes. METHODS: Eighty
      tumor-bearing mice were divided into eight groups, the control group (A); the
      sham group (B); the injection of Hp alone group (C); 30-min dual-frequency
      sonication with Hp injection in one repetition at the first day group (D); two
      repetitions at the first and sixth days group (E); three repetitions at the
      first, sixth, and twelfth days group (F); four repetitions at the first, sixth,
      twelfth, and eighteenth days (30 min/repetition) group (G); and the fractional
      treatment group treated by dual-frequency sonication and Hp injection at the
      first, third, sixth, and ninth days (7.5 min/fraction) (H). For each group, the
      tumor growth delay was calculated during 30 days after treatment. These tumors
      were studied histopathologically. RESULTS: The results show that the treatment
      with ultrasound dose repetition in two, three, and four times (E, F, and G
      groups) were effective in delaying tumor growth compared with one-time sonication
      (D group) (p < 0.05). Also, the ultrasound dose fractionation is more effective
      in decreasing the tumor growth rate compared with the ultrasound dose repetition
      in four repeats and in one repeat from the 12th to the 30th day (p < 0.05).
      Histopathological studies indicated that the mitotic activity of tumor cells was
      reduced following treatment with four fraction and four repetition protocols.
      CONCLUSION: The ultrasound dose fractionation and repetition technique with dual
      frequency sonication can have a useful therapeutic effect in sonodynamic therapy
      with the possibility of use in future clinical applications.

PMID- 26124952
TI  - Spontaneous diabetic myonecrosis: report of four cases from a tertiary care
      institute.
AB  - Spontaneous diabetic muscle infarction (DMI) is a rare and under diagnosed
      complication of diabetes mellitus. Clinically it presents with acute to subacute
      onset swelling, pain and tenderness of muscle(s) without systemic manifestations.
      MRI is helpful in diagnosis, exclusion of other causes and for localization of
      affected muscle for biopsy in atypical cases. Muscles of the thighs are commonly
      affected in diabetic myonecrosis (DMN). Here we present the summary of four cases
      seen in the last 3 years in a tertiary care centre with simultaneous or
      sequential involvement of multiple groups of muscles or involvement of uncommon
      sites. All these patients had advanced duration of diabetes with microvascular
      complications and poor glycemic control. Conservative management including rest
      and analgesics is the treatment of choice. Short-term prognosis is good but there
      may be recurrence. LEARNING POINTS: A high index of suspicion is required for the
      diagnosis of DMN which can avoid inadvertent use of antibiotics.Acute-subacute
      onset severe focal muscle pain in the absence of systemic symptoms in a female
      patient with long-standing diabetes with microvascular complications suggests
      DMI.MRI is the most sensitive test for diagnosis.Muscle biopsy should be reserved
      for atypical cases.Conservative management including rest and analgesics has good
      outcome.Improvement usually occurs within 6-8 weeks, but there may be recurrence.

PMID- 26124953
TI  - Management of adrenocortical insufficiency with continuous subcutaneous
      hydrocortisone infusion: long-term experience in three patients.
AB  - To assess continuous subcutaneous hydrocortisone infusion (CSHI) in patients with
      adrenocortical insufficiency (AI) and difficulties with oral replacement. Three
      patients with AI and frequent hospital admissions attributed to adrenal crises
      were treated with CSHI, which was delivered via a continuous subcutaneous
      infusion. All three patients preferred CSHI and remained on it long term, which
      permitted prolonged follow-up analysis. All three patients reported symptomatic
      improvement, and in two cases, reduced hospital admission rates and inpatient
      stay lengths were observed. The cost of hospital admissions and overall treatment
      was reduced in all cases. CSHI offers a practical and acceptable alternative to
      oral replacement in a subset of patients with AI. The cost of initiating and
      maintaining the pump is offset in the long term by reduced frequency and duration
      of emergency admissions. CSHI can therefore be considered in a select group of
      patients who are resistant to treatment with conventional oral glucocorticoids.
      LEARNING POINTS: Continuous subcutaneous infusion of cortisol is a viable
      alternative in patients unable to take oral steroids.Patient acceptability was
      high, with three out of three patients preferring to remain on pump
      treatment.Hospital admissions were reduced in response to pump therapy, which
      compensated for the increased treatment cost.The daily dosage of hydrocortisone
      can be reduced by using pump therapy.

PMID- 26124954
TI  - Pituitary hyperplasia: case series and literature review of an under-recognised
      and heterogeneous condition.
AB  - Pituitary hyperplasia (PH) occurs in heterogeneous settings and remains under
      recognised. Increased awareness of this condition and its natural history should
      circumvent unnecessary trans-sphenoidal surgery. We performed an observational
      case series of patients referred to a single endocrinologist over a 3-year
      period. Four young women were identified with PH manifesting as diffuse,
      symmetrical pituitary enlargement near or touching the optic apparatus on MRI.
      The first woman presented with primary hypothyroidism and likely had thyrotroph
      hyperplasia given prompt resolution with thyroxine. The second and third women
      were diagnosed with pathological gonadotroph hyperplasia due to primary gonadal
      insufficiency, with histopathological confirmation including gonadal-deficiency
      cells in the third case where surgery could have been avoided. The fourth woman
      likely had idiopathic PH, though she had concomitant polycystic ovary syndrome
      which is a debated cause of PH. Patients suspected of PH should undergo
      comprehensive hormonal, radiological and sometimes ophthalmological evaluation.
      This is best conducted by a specialised multidisciplinary team with preference
      for treatment of underlying conditions and close monitoring over surgical
      intervention. LEARNING POINTS: Normal pituitary dimensions are influenced by age
      and gender with the greatest pituitary heights seen in young adults and
      perimenopausal women.Pituitary enlargement may be seen in the settings of
      pregnancy, end-organ insufficiency with loss of negative feedback, and excess
      trophic hormone from the hypothalamus or neuroendocrine tumours.PH may be caused
      or exacerbated by medications including oestrogen, GNRH analogues and
      antipsychotics.Management involves identification of cases of idiopathic PH
      suitable for simple surveillance and reversal of pathological or iatrogenic
      causes where they exist.Surgery should be avoided in PH as it rarely progresses.

PMID- 26124955
TI  - Spontaneous cervical haemorrhage of a parathyroid adenoma.
AB  - Haemorrhage of a parathyroid adenoma is a rare clinical presentation. This report
      describes a previously fit and well 54-year-old woman who presented with acute
      neck swelling and pain with an overlying ecchymosis. Admission laboratory tests
      revealed a raised parathyroid hormone and hypercalcaemia. A computed tomography
      (CT) scan showed widespread anterior cervical haemorrhage and a lesion at the
      inferior pole of the left thyroid gland. A working diagnosis of spontaneous
      haemorrhage from a parathyroid adenoma was made. As she was haemodynamically
      stable, she was treated conservatively with a period of observation in hospital
      to monitor for signs of neck organ compression. Follow-up imaging with CT,
      ultrasound and sestamibi confirmed the likely source of haemorrhage as a
      parathyroid nodule with significant vascularity. The diagnosis was confirmed on
      histopathological analysis after elective surgical exploration of the neck 6
      months after her presentation. This revealed a benign parathyroid adenoma with
      evidence of acute and chronic bleeding. The patient made a full recovery with
      immediate normalisation of her biochemistry post-operatively. Despite developing
      a hoarse voice in the immediate post-operative period, this resolved completely
      within 1 month. This case report provides further evidence to support a minimal
      delay for elective surgery after conservative management to reduce the risks
      associated with recurrent bleeding. LEARNING POINTS: Haemorrhage of a parathyroid
      adenoma should be a differential for all cases of acute cervical swelling or
      ecchymosis with no precipitating factor.The clerking should identify any risk
      factors for endocrine disease.Blood tests to screen for abnormal parathyroid
      biochemistry should be performed on admission.Detailed imaging of the neck is
      essential to identify the source of haemorrhage and risk of compression to vital
      neck organs.Conservative management is a suitable option for patients who remain
      haemodynamically stable but all should undergo a period of observation in
      hospital.Conservatively managed patients should be considered for definitive
      surgical exploration within a month of presentation to avoid the risks of
      recurrent bleeding.

PMID- 26124956
TI  - Erratum: Quadricuspid pulmonic valve found on well exam.
AB  - [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s40779-015-0037-2.]. 

PMID- 26124957
TI  - Eye Motility Alterations in Retinitis Pigmentosa.
AB  - Purpose. We evaluated a sample of individuals with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) with
      the aim of assessing the presence or absence of ocular motility (OM) disorders.
      Materials and Methods. We included 23 out of the 25 individuals from the sample
      (9 females and 14 males) with an average visual acuity of 6/10. Results. The
      cover test about the vertical deviation in near distance showed an r/l in 3.45%
      and an l/r in 6.9%. The assessment of OM showed that 39.1% of the sample had a
      severe hyperfunction of the IO of the right eye and a severe hyperfunction
      (34.5%) of the SO of the left eye; 21.8% had a moderate hypofunction of right SO
      with a moderate percentage of hypofunction of 17.5% for the SO of the left eye;
      30.5%, however, showed a serious hypofunction of the SR of both eyes; 21.7% of
      the sample showed a hyperfunction in both eyes of the IR. Conclusion. This
      alteration, however, is not attributable to either a high refractive defect
      (medium-low myopia: -1 diopter +/-3 SD) or to a severely impaired binocular
      vision (visual acuity, motor fusion, and stereopsis are normal or within a range
      of values commonly accepted). Therefore, the disorders of OM lead to a genetic
      origin. 

PMID- 26124958
TI  - Self-Testing of Vision in Age-Related Macula Degeneration: A Longitudinal Pilot
      Study Using a Smartphone-Based Rarebit Test.
AB  - Purpose. There is a need for efficient self-tests of vision in patients with
      neovascular age-related macula degeneration. A new tablet/smartphone application
      aiming to meet this need is described and its performance is assessed in a
      longitudinal pilot study. Materials and Methods. The new MultiBit Test (MBT)
      employs segmented digits defined by rarebits, that is, receptive field-size
      bright dots briefly presented against a dark background. The number of rarebits
      per digit segment was varied in a cyclic fashion, in preset steps. There were no
      fixation demands. Twenty-eight patients with neovascular AMD of varying severity
      were monitored for an average of 30 weeks. Test scores were evaluated on an
      individual basis, by contrasting observed trends with the clinical status
      recorded at independently scheduled clinical examinations. Results. Serial plots
      of MBT results revealed gradual improvement after successful antineovascular
      treatment. Recurrences were signalled by gradual deteriorations of results. Test
      results remained stable during clinically stable time intervals. MBT results
      agreed well with clinical assessments whereas an acuity test performed at chance
      level. The MBT was well accepted by all subjects. Conclusions. The MBT appears to
      have a good potential for effective self-testing of vision in AMD and merits
      large-scale studies. Exploration of MBT performance with other forms of macula
      conditions may be worthwhile. 

PMID- 26124959
TI  - Histological Characterization of the Dicer1 Mutant Zebrafish Retina.
AB  - DICER1, a multidomain RNase III endoribonuclease, plays a critical role in
      microRNA (miRNA) and RNA-interference (RNAi) functional pathways. Loss of Dicer1
      affects different developmental processes. Dicer1 is essential for retinal
      development and maintenance. DICER1 was recently shown to have another function
      of silencing the toxicity of Alu RNAs in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells,
      which are involved in the pathogenesis of age related macular degeneration. In
      this study, we characterized a Dicer1 mutant fish line, which carries a nonsense
      mutation (W1457Ter) induced by N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea mutagenesis. Zebrafish
      DICER1 protein is highly conserved in the evolution. Zebrafish Dicer1 is
      expressed at the earliest stages of zebrafish development and persists into late
      developmental stages; it is widely expressed in adult tissues. Homozygous Dicer1
      mutant fish (DICER1(W1457Ter/W1457Ter)) have an arrest in early growth with
      significantly smaller eyes and are dead at 14-18 dpf. Heterozygous Dicer1 mutant
      fish have similar retinal structure to that of control fish; the retinal pigment
      epithelium (RPE) cells are normal with no sign of degeneration at the age of 20
      months. 

PMID- 26124961
TI  - Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment with Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese
      Medicine Therapies.
AB  - Current management of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) includes an attempt at slowing
      down the degenerative process through therapies that use either Western or
      traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Novel therapies in Western medicine (WM)
      include use of tailor-made gene therapy, transplantation of stem cells, or
      neuroprotection treatment. TCM treatment includes two major approaches. These are
      orally applied herbal decoctions and acupuncture. In fact, all TCM treatments are
      based on the differentiation of a symptom-complex, which is the characteristic
      essence of TCM. Thus, diagnosed RP may be treated via the liver, the kidney, and
      the spleen. The principle behind these treatments is to invigorate the blood and
      brighten the eyes by toning up the liver and the kidney. Also treatments to cope
      with deficiencies in the two concepts that are unique and fundamental to TCM are
      considered: Qi or "vital energy" and Yin and Yang or the harmony of all the
      opposite elements and forces that make up existence. In particular, the Qi
      deficiency that results from blood stasis is addressed in these treatments. This
      paper also puts forward the existing problems and the prospect of the future
      development on integrating TCM with WM. 

PMID- 26124960
TI  - The Role of RPGR and Its Interacting Proteins in Ciliopathies.
AB  - Ciliopathies encompass a group of genetic disorders characterized by defects in
      the formation, maintenance, or function of cilia. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is
      frequently one of the clinical features presented in diverse ciliopathies. RP is
      a heterogeneous group of inherited retinal disorders, characterized by the death
      of photoreceptors and affecting more than one million individuals worldwide. The
      retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator (RPGR) gene is mutated in up to 20% of all
      RP patients. RPGR protein has different interacting partners to function in
      ciliary protein trafficking. In this review, we specifically focus on RPGR and
      its two interacting proteins: RPGRIP1 and RPGRIP1L. We summarize the function of
      the three proteins and highlight recent studies that provide insight into the
      cellular function of those proteins. 

PMID- 26124962
TI  - iTRAQ-Based Proteomic Analysis of Visual Cycle-Associated Proteins in RPE of rd12
      Mice before and after RPE65 Gene Delivery.
AB  - Purpose. To investigate the iTRAQ-based proteomic changes of visual cycle
      associated proteins in RPE of rd12 mice before and after RPE65 gene delivery.
      Mehtods. The right eyes of rd12 mice underwent RPE65 gene delivery by subretinal
      injection at P14, leaving the left eyes as control. C57BL/6J mice were served as
      a wide-type control group. ERGs were recorded at P42, and RPE-choroid-sclera
      complex was collected to evaluate the proteomic changes in visual cycle
      associated proteins by iTRAQ-based analysis. Western blot was used to confirm the
      changes in the differentially expressed proteins of interest. Results. ERG
      parameters improved dramatically at P42 after RPE65 delivery. The proteomics
      analysis identified a total 536 proteins with a global false discovery rate of
      0.21%, out of which 7 were visual cycle-associated proteins. RALBP-1, RBP-1, and
      IRBP were reduced in the untreated rd12 eyes and the former two were improved
      after gene therapy, confirmed by Western blot analysis. Conclusions. RPE65 gene
      delivery restored retinal function at P42 and modified the expression of other
      functional proteins implicated in the visual cycle. The level of RALBP-1 was
      still below the normal level after gene therapy in rd12 mice, which may explain
      the delayed dark adaption in LCA patients undergoing similar therapy. 

PMID- 26124963
TI  - Exome Sequencing Identified a Recessive RDH12 Mutation in a Family with Severe
      Early-Onset Retinitis Pigmentosa.
AB  - Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the most important hereditary retinal disease caused
      by progressive degeneration of the photoreceptor cells. This study is to identify
      gene mutations responsible for autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP) in
      a Chinese family using next-generation sequencing technology. A Chinese family
      with 7 members including two individuals affected with severe early-onset RP was
      studied. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination. Exome
      sequencing was performed on a single RP patient (the proband of this family) and
      direct Sanger sequencing on other family members and normal controls was followed
      to confirm the causal mutations. A homozygous mutation c.437T<A (p.V146D) in the
      retinol dehydrogenase 12 (RDH12) gene, which encodes an NADPH-dependent retinal
      reductase, was identified as being related to the phenotype of this arRP family.
      This homozygous mutation was detected in the two affected patients, but not
      present in other family members and 600 normal controls. Another three normal
      members in the family were found to carry this heterozygous missense mutation.
      Our results emphasize the importance of c.437T<A (p.V146D) substitution in RDH12
      and provide further support for the causative role of this mutation in the
      pathogenesis and clinical diagnosis of RP. 

PMID- 26124964
TI  - The Burden of Hand Injuries at a Tertiary Hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa.
AB  - Background. Hand injuries are common worldwide and lead to heavy financial losses
      in terms of treatment, job loss, and time off duty. There is paucity of data on
      hand injuries in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the
      burden and early outcomes of hand injuries at a tertiary hospital. Method. A
      descriptive prospective study. Eligible patients were recruited over 5 months and
      followed up for four weeks. Pain, nerve function, and gross functions of the hand
      were assessed. Results. In total 138 patients were enrolled out of 2940 trauma
      patients. Of these, 122 patients returned for follow-up. The majority of the
      patients were males (83%). Mean age was 26.7 years (SD 12.8). The commonest
      places of injury occurrence were the workplace (36%), home (28%), and on the road
      (traffic crushes) (23%). Machines (21.3%) were the commonest agent of injuries;
      others were knives (10%) and broken glass (10%). Sixty-three (51%) patients still
      had pain at one month. Conclusions. Hand injuries accounted for 4.7% of all
      trauma patients. Road traffic crushes and machines were the commonest causes of
      hand injuries. Men in their 20s were mostly involved. Sensitization for
      prevention strategies at the workplace may be helpful. 

PMID- 26124965
TI  - Sensory Feedback Training for Improvement of Finger Perception in Cerebral Palsy.
AB  - Purpose. To develop and to test a feedback training system for improvement of
      tactile perception and coordination of fingers in children and youth with
      cerebral palsy. Methods. The fingers of 7 probands with cerebral palsy of
      different types and severity were stimulated using small vibration motors
      integrated in the fingers of a hand glove. The vibration motors were connected
      through a microcontroller to a computer and to a response 5-button keyboard. By
      pressing an appropriate keyboard button, the proband must indicate in which
      finger the vibration was felt. The number of incorrect responses and the reaction
      time were measured for every finger. The perception and coordination of fingers
      were estimated before and after two-week training using both clinical tests and
      the measurements. Results. Proper functioning of the developed system in persons
      with cerebral palsy was confirmed. The tactile sensation of fingers was improved
      in five of seven subjects after two weeks of training. There was no clear
      tendency towards improvement of selective use of fingers. Conclusion. The
      designed feedback system could be used to train tactile perception of fingers in
      children and youth with cerebral palsy. An extensive study is required to confirm
      these findings. 

PMID- 26124966
TI  - Anesthetic Management of a Child with Mitochondrial Neurogastrointestinal
      Encephalopathy.
AB  - Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) is an autosomal
      recessive disorder associated with deficiency of thymidine phosphorylase (TP).
      Associated manifestations include visual and hearing impairments, peripheral
      neuropathies, leukoencephalopathy, and malnutrition from concomitant
      gastrointestinal dysmotility and pseudoobstruction. Given the altered metabolic
      state in these patients, specific consideration of medication selection is
      advised. This case report will describe the anesthetic management used in a 10
      year-old girl with MNGIE. She had multiple anesthetics while undergoing
      allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This case report will discuss
      the successful repeated use of the same anesthetic in this pediatric patient,
      with the avoidance of volatile anesthetic agents, propofol, and muscle relaxant. 

PMID- 26124967
TI  - Cardiopulmonary Failure Requiring ECMO Bypass Resulting from Leukemia Cell Lysis
      in a Patient with Childhood Acute Myelomonocytic Leukemia.
AB  - Background. Childhood AML patients are at increased risk for early fatal
      pulmonary complications. Pulmonary leukostasis and systemic inflammatory response
      syndrome (SIRS) following leukemia cell lysis are the likely etiologies.
      Observation. Soon after initiation of AML chemotherapy, an 18-month-old female
      who met SIRS criteria sustained cardiopulmonary failure requiring ECMO support.
      Upon recovery, the patient went on to complete therapy and remains in remission
      without permanent neurologic or cardiac sequelae. Conclusion. Cytokine release
      syndrome from rapid cell lysis was the likely cause as infectious workup failed
      to reveal a definitive etiology and drug hypersensitivity testing to the
      chemotherapy agents was negative. 

PMID- 26124968
TI  - Improvement of Renal Function by Long-Term Sustained Eculizumab Treatment in a
      Patient with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria.
AB  - Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the major manifestations of paroxysmal
      nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). CKD in PNH is induced mainly by intravascular
      hemolysis of PNH-affected red blood cells (RBC) missing the
      glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins with complement-regulatory
      activities, CD55 and CD59. CKD develops by heme absorption in the proximal
      tubules resulting in the interstitial deposition of iron in the kidneys. We
      administered eculizumab to a patient with PNH, who was one of 29 patients
      enrolled in the AEGIS clinical trial, an open-label study of eculizumab in Japan.
      The patient was complicated by stage 3 CKD with impaired estimated glomerular
      filtration rate (eGFR), at grade G3b, and had obvious proteinuria (2-3+, 1-2
      g/day). In a two-year extension to the 12-week AEGIS study, eGFR improved
      significantly, and the eGFR has since been maintained at grade G2 without
      proteinuria by sustained eculizumab treatment (>6 years). Renal function improved
      and maintained by long-term sustained eculizumab treatment, presumably by
      clearance of iron from the kidney as well as inhibition of the production of
      anaphylatoxin C5a, even in advanced stages of CKD, is one of the benefits of
      eculizumab treatment in PNH. 

PMID- 26124969
TI  - Actinomyces meyeri Empyema: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
AB  - Actinomyces meyeri is an uncommon cause of human actinomycosis. Here, we report a
      rare case of empyema caused by A. meyeri. A 49-year-old male presented with a
      history of 10 days of dyspnea and chest pain. A large amount of loculated pleural
      effusion was present on the right side and multiple lung nodules were documented
      on radiological studies. A chest tube was inserted and purulent pleural fluid was
      drained. A. meyeri was isolated in anaerobic cultures of the pleural fluid. The
      infection was alleviated in response to treatment with intravenous penicillin G
      (20 million IU daily) and oral amoxicillin (500 mg every 8 hours) for 4 months,
      demonstrating that short-term antibiotic treatment was effective. 

PMID- 26124970
TI  - Myocarditis and Rhabdomyolysis in a Healthy Young Man Caused by Salmonella
      Gastroenteritis.
AB  - Salmonella gastroenteritis is a common, self-limiting, foodborne disease and a
      rare cause of life-threatening complications especially in immunocompetent
      individuals. Moreover, bacterial infections of the GI tract have been rarely
      reported as a cause of serious complications like acute myocarditis and
      rhabdomyolysis. While viral infections are commonly associated with myocarditis,
      bacterial infections are infrequently seen with these conditions. Similarly,
      bacterial infections may lead to only 5% of adult rhabdomyolysis events whereas
      viral-induced myositis appears to be the commonest. A 28-year-old young male with
      no past medical problems presented with acute salmonella gastroenteritis that was
      complicated by myocardial injury (most likely myocarditis), rhabdomyolysis, acute
      renal failure, and shock. He made an uneventful complete recovery of all
      complications by early recognition of these rare complications and prompt
      institution of appropriate therapy. 

PMID- 26124971
TI  - Extensive Thrombosis of the Inferior Vena Cava and Left Renal Vein in a Neonate.
AB  - Antenatal renal vein thrombosis is a rarely described diagnostic finding, with
      variable consequences on kidney function. We present the case of an affected
      fetus, born at 35-week gestation, with intrauterine oligohydramnios and two small
      kidneys. A renal ultrasound carried out after birth confirmed the presence of
      prenatal abnormalities. Renal vein thrombosis was not diagnosed at the time. The
      baby died 20 days later of kidney failure, metabolic acidosis, and polypnea with
      severe hypotrophy. Autopsy revealed atrophied kidneys and adrenal glands. The
      vena cava had thrombosis occupying most of its length. The right renal vein was
      normal, while the left renal vein was threadlike and not permeable.
      Histologically, there was necrosis of the left adrenal gland with asymmetrical
      bilateral renal impairment and signs of ischemic and hemorrhagic lesions. A
      review of thrombophilia was carried out and a heterozygous mutation in Factor V
      was found in both the mother and the child. 

PMID- 26124972
TI  - Bilateral Dome-Shaped Macula with Serous Macular Detachment in a Child.
AB  - Dome-shaped macula is a structural disorder and optical coherence tomography
      (OCT) helps us to confirm macular convexity. We describe the first case of
      bilateral dome-shaped macula in an 8-year-old boy with subretinal fluid. The
      patient was diagnosed using spectral-domain OCT and received indocyanine green
      angiography-guided half-fluence photodynamic therapy as treatment. 

PMID- 26124973
TI  - Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysm Mimicking Peritonsillar Abscess.
AB  - The extracranial internal carotid artery aneurysm (EICAA) is an uncommon arterial
      lesion. Patients typically present with neurologic symptoms resulting from
      impaired cerebral perfusion and compression symptoms of cranial nerves. Often
      EICAA presents as a pulsatile neck mass, which is otherwise asymptomatic. We
      present a case of an 84-year-old female, who was initially referred to the
      Emergency Department for Otolaryngology with suspected peritonsillar abscess. The
      patient had a history of recent upper airway infection and cardiovascular
      comorbidities, including hypertension and ischaemic stroke complicated by
      extensive neurologic deficits. Physical examination revealed a compact,
      nonpulsatile mass in the lateral parapharyngeal space and local erythema of the
      mucosa. Duplex Doppler Ultrasonography and Computed Tomography revealed an
      atherosclerotic aneurysm of the right internal carotid artery, measuring 63 * 55
      * 88 mm, stretching from the skull base to the angle of the mandible. 

PMID- 26124974
TI  - A Case of Disseminated Cryptococcal Infection and Concurrent Lung Tuberculosis in
      a Patient under Steroid Therapy for Interstitial Pneumonia.
AB  - Both disseminated cryptococcal infection and tuberculosis occur in hosts with
      impaired cell-mediated immunity, but there have been few reports about the
      concurrent infections in patients without human immunodeficiency virus infection.
      A 64-year-old man, who had been taking corticosteroids for interstitial
      pneumonia, was diagnosed with disseminated cryptococcal infection. While the
      patient was receiving anticryptococcal therapy, pulmonary tuberculosis also
      emerged. The patient developed acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia and
      passed away. Based on the patient's clinical course, serial computed tomography
      images, and autopsy results, we believe that the preceding several months of
      corticosteroid treatment might have contributed to these coinfections in the
      lungs already vulnerable due to underlying fibrosis. 

PMID- 26124975
TI  - Endovascular Treatment of a Dissected Celiac Trunk Aneurysm Complicated with
      Consequent Pseudoaneurysm: Primary Treatment and Treatment Relapse after 5 Years.
AB  - We report on an asymptomatic 56-year-old male with incidental diagnosis of celiac
      trunk aneurysm, diagnosed during an ultrasound scan performed to control
      polycystic kidney disease. The CT scan revealed a 3.8 cm saccular aneurysm of the
      celiac artery dissected in the superior wall with a consequent 4.3 cm
      pseudoaneurysm; we adopted an endovascular approach to exclude the lesion by
      catheterizing the celiac trunk and positioning a vascular plug in the common
      hepatic artery and a covered stent in the splenic artery; finally we fulfilled
      the aneurysm sac with Onyx. 30-day control CT scan revealed procedural success.
      Five years later he came back to our department for an aneurysm relapse in the
      common hepatic artery. We performed a second endovascular approach with a
      superselective catheterization of the pancreaticoduodenal arcade in order to
      exclude the lesion with Onyx and microcoils. Nowadays the patient is in good
      clinical conditions. Endovascular approach is a valuable method to treat visceral
      aneurysms; however, long-term imaging follow-up is essential to monitor the risk
      of relapse. 

PMID- 26124976
TI  - Oral Calcidiol Is More Effective Than Cholecalciferol Supplementation to Reach
      Adequate 25(OH)D Levels in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases Chronically Treated
      with Low Doses of Glucocorticoids: A "Real-Life" Study.
AB  - Glucocorticoids (GCs) are the cornerstone of the therapy in many autoimmune and
      inflammatory diseases. However, it is well known that their use is a double edged
      sword, as their beneficial effects are associated almost universally with
      unwanted effects, as, for example glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO). Over
      the last years, several clinical practice guidelines emphasize the need of
      preventing bone mass loss and reduce the incidence of fractures associated with
      GC use. Calcium and vitamin D supplementation, as adjunctive therapy, are
      included in all the practice guidelines. However, no standard vitamin D dose has
      been established. Several studies with postmenopausal women show that maintaining
      the levels above 30-33 ng/mL help improve the response to bisphosphonates. It is
      unknown if the response is the same in GIO, but in the clinical practice the
      levels are maintained at around the same values. In this study we demonstrate
      that patients with autoimmune diseases, undergoing glucocorticoid therapy, often
      present suboptimal 25(OH)D levels. Patients with higher body mass index and those
      receiving higher doses of glucocorticoids are at increased risk of having lower
      levels of 25(OH)D. In these patients, calcidiol supplementations are more
      effective than cholecalciferol to reach adequate 25(OH)D levels. 

PMID- 26124978
TI  - Vascular contributions to cognitive impairment.
AB  - Unlike many neurodegenerative causes of cognitive impairment and dementia,
      vascular damage is preventable. Despite the heterogeneity of vascular cognitive
      impairment (VCI) and the complexity of its clinical presentations, the potential
      for limiting progression and changing the trajectory of damage makes it all the
      more important for physicians to be educated about the syndrome and to remain
      vigilant when taking care of patients. In this review, we outline an approach to
      patients with possible VCI, summarize current treatment and prevention
      guidelines, and provide an overview with case examples.

PMID- 26124977
TI  - Understanding spatial organizations of chromosomes via statistical analysis of Hi
      C data.
AB  - Understanding how chromosomes fold provides insights into the transcription
      regulation, hence, the functional state of the cell. Using the next generation
      sequencing technology, the recently developed Hi-C approach enables a global view
      of spatial chromatin organization in the nucleus, which substantially expands our
      knowledge about genome organization and function. However, due to multiple layers
      of biases, noises and uncertainties buried in the protocol of Hi-C experiments,
      analyzing and interpreting Hi-C data poses great challenges, and requires novel
      statistical methods to be developed. This article provides an overview of recent
      Hi-C studies and their impacts on biomedical research, describes major challenges
      in statistical analysis of Hi-C data, and discusses some perspectives for future
      research.

PMID- 26124979
TI  - HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders: Five new things.
AB  - HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) remain an important cause of
      cognitive dysfunction. Current nomenclature for HAND includes HIV-associated
      dementia and milder forms known as asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment (ANI)
      and mild neurocognitive disorder (MND). ANI and MND remain highly prevalent
      despite combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). These mild forms of HAND must be
      diagnosed through neuropsychological testing. If a patient has HAND, it remains
      unclear whether using a cART regimen with theoretically superior CNS penetration
      improves the prognosis. Nevertheless, a CNS penetration effectiveness score for
      antiretrovirals is available. Other factors to consider when diagnosing and
      treating HIV infection and HAND include the HIV clade or subtype. Data suggest
      that HAND occurs more often in association with certain clades, and higher
      vigilance for cognitive dysfunction may be recommended. Finally, comorbidities,
      such as diseases associated with advanced age, other infections, and drug abuse,
      need to be considered as cofactors for cognitive dysfunction and treated
      accordingly.

PMID- 26124980
TI  - Dystonia: Five new things.
AB  - There has been considerable progress in our understanding of dystonia over the
      last century. Growing recognition of dystonia has enhanced awareness of its
      diverse motor phenomenology and brought attention to the importance that nonmotor
      features may play in this disorder, once considered to be purely motor. Using the
      latest technologies in human genetics, new genetic links are being discovered at
      an ever-quickening pace and expanding our knowledge of the disorder's complex
      pathogenesis. Furthermore, as we gain clearer insight into the pathophysiology of
      dystonia and an appreciation of the involvement of dysfunction outside the basal
      ganglia, dystonia has been increasingly viewed as a network disorder. Here we
      briefly discuss some of the recent noteworthy advances.

PMID- 26124981
TI  - Providing neurologic care in criminal systems and state mental hospitals.
AB  - As health care laws and payment structures change in the near future,
      neurologists may pursue other practice settings in which to provide care as a way
      to diversify their practice. Here we describe the challenges and opportunities
      involved with working in correctional and state mental hospital systems compared
      to a typical private practice: logistical challenges, patient and provider
      safety, patient characteristics, and cultural differences. Neurologists may take
      these factors into consideration when choosing whether to add this health care
      setting to their current practice.

PMID- 26124982
TI  - Do efforts to decrease door-to-needle time risk increasing stroke mimic treatment
      rates?
AB  - An unintended consequence of rapid thrombolysis may be more frequent treatment of
      stroke mimics, nonvascular conditions that simulate stroke. We explored the
      relationship between door-to-needle (DTN) times and thrombolysis of stroke mimics
      at a single academic center by analyzing consecutive quartiles of patients who
      were treated with IV tissue plasminogen activator for suspected stroke from
      January 1, 2010 to February 28, 2014. An increase in the proportion of stroke
      mimic patients (6.7% in each of the 1st and 2nd, 12.9% in the 3rd, and 30% in the
      last consecutive case quartile; p = 0.03) and a decrease in median DTN time from
      89 to 56 minutes (p < 0.01) was found. As more centers reduce DTN times, the
      rates of stroke mimic treatment should be carefully monitored.

PMID- 26124983
TI  - To treat or not to treat, that really is not the question.

PMID- 26124984
TI  - Cerebral bleed after shunt for normal pressure hydrocephalus with cerebral
      amyloid angiopathy: Coincidence or consequence?

PMID- 26124985
TI  - On the history of plasma treatment and comparison of microbiostatic efficacy of a
      historical high-frequency plasma device with two modern devices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) with its many bioactive
      properties has defined a new medical field: the plasma medicine. However, in the
      related form of high-frequency therapy, CAP was even used briefly a century ago.
      The aim of this study was to review historic CAP treatments and to obtain data
      regarding the antimicrobial efficacy of a historical high-frequency plasma
      device. METHODS: First, historic literature regarding the history of CAP
      treatment was evaluated, because in the modern literature no data were available.
      Second, the susceptibility of 5 different bacterial wound isolates, cultured on
      agar, to a historic plasma source (violet wand [VW]) and two modern devices
      (atmospheric pressure plasma jet [APPJ] and Dielectric Barrier Discharge [DBD])
      was analyzed . The obtained inhibition areas (IA) were compared. RESULTS: First,
      the most convenient popular historical electromedical treatments produced a so
      called effluvia by using glass electrodes, related to today's CAP. Second, all
      three tested plasma sources showed complete eradication of all tested microbial
      strains in the treated area. The "historical" cold VW plasma showed antimicrobial
      effects similar to those of modern APPJ and DBD regarding the diameter of the IA.
      CONCLUSION: Some retrograde evidence may be deducted from this, especially for
      treatment of infectious diseases with historical plasma devices. The underlying
      technology may serve as model for construction of modern sucessive devices.

PMID- 26124986
TI  - Analysis of antibiotic consumption in burn patients.
AB  - Infection control is very important in burn care units, because burn wound
      infection is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality among burn
      patients. Thus, the appropriate prescription of antibiotics can be helpful, but
      unreasonable prescription can have detrimental consequences, including greater
      expenses to patients and community alike. The aim of this study was to determine
      the effect of antibiotic therapy on the emergence of antibiotic-resistant
      bacteria. 525 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii and
      Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from 335 hospitalized burn patients.
      Antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed after identification the strains.
      The records of patients were audited to find the antibiotic used. The results
      indicated that P. aeruginosa is the most prevalent Gram-negative bacteria.
      Further, it showed a relation between abuse of antibiotics and emergence of
      antibiotic resistance. Control of resistance to antibiotics by appropriate
      prescription practices not only facilitates prevention of infection caused by
      multi-drug resistant (MDR) microorganisms, but it can also decrease the cost of
      treatment. 

PMID- 26124987
TI  - The Role of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists in Type 2 Diabetes:
      Understanding How Data Can Inform Clinical Practice in Korea.
AB  - Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) reduce glycosylated
      hemoglobin (HbA1c, 0.5% to 1.0%), and are associated with moderate weight loss
      and a relatively low risk of hypoglycemia. There are differences between Asian
      and non-Asian populations. We reviewed available data on GLP-1RAs, focusing on
      Korean patients, to better understand their risk/benefit profile and help inform
      local clinical practice. Control of postprandial hyperglycemia is important in
      Asians in whom the prevalence of post-challenge hyperglycemia is higher (vs. non
      Asians). The weight lowering effects of GLP-1RAs are becoming more salient as the
      prevalence of overweight and obesity among Korean patients increases. The higher
      rate of gastrointestinal adverse events amongst Asian patients in clinical trials
      may be caused by higher drug exposure due to the lower body mass index of the
      participants (vs. non-Asian studies). Data on the durability of weight loss,
      clinically important health outcomes, safety and optimal dosing in Korean
      patients are lacking. Use of GLP-1RAs is appropriate in several patient groups,
      including patients whose HbA1c is uncontrolled, especially if this is due to
      postprandial glucose excursions and patients who are overweight or obese due to
      dietary problems (e.g., appetite control). The potential for gastrointestinal
      adverse events should be explained to patients at treatment initiation to
      facilitate the promotion of better compliance. 

PMID- 26124990
TI  - Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor Alarms: Is Heart Failure Caused by a Class
      Effect?

PMID- 26124989
TI  - Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Disorders.
AB  - Gut microbiota plays critical physiological roles in the energy extraction and in
      the control of local or systemic immunity. Gut microbiota and its disturbance
      also appear to be involved in the pathogenesis of diverse diseases including
      metabolic disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, cancer, etc. In the metabolic
      point of view, gut microbiota can modulate lipid accumulation, lipopolysaccharide
      content and the production of short-chain fatty acids that affect food intake,
      inflammatory tone, or insulin signaling. Several strategies have been developed
      to change gut microbiota such as prebiotics, probiotics, certain antidiabetic
      drugs or fecal microbiota transplantation, which have diverse effects on body
      metabolism and on the development of metabolic disorders. 

PMID- 26124988
TI  - Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinases: Therapeutic Targets for Diabetes and Cancers.
AB  - Impaired glucose homeostasis is one of the risk factors for causing metabolic
      diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cancers. In glucose metabolism,
      pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) mediates a major regulatory step, an
      irreversible reaction of oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA.
      Tight control of PDC is critical because it plays a key role in glucose disposal.
      PDC activity is tightly regulated using phosphorylation by pyruvate dehydrogenase
      kinases (PDK1 to 4) and pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatases (PDP1 and 2). PDKs
      and PDPs exhibit unique tissue expression patterns, kinetic properties, and
      sensitivities to regulatory molecules. During the last decades, the up-regulation
      of PDKs has been observed in the tissues of patients and mammals with metabolic
      diseases, which suggests that the inhibition of these kinases may have beneficial
      effects for treating metabolic diseases. This review summarizes the recent
      advances in the role of specific PDK isoenzymes on the induction of metabolic
      diseases and describes the effects of PDK inhibition on the prevention of
      metabolic diseases using pharmacological inhibitors. Based on these reports, PDK
      isoenzymes are strong therapeutic targets for preventing and treating metabolic
      diseases. 

PMID- 26124991
TI  - A Smartphone Application Significantly Improved Diabetes Self-Care Activities
      with High User Satisfaction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We developed for the first time a smartphone application designed for
      diabetes self-management in Korea and registered a patent for the relevant
      algorithm. We also investigated the user satisfaction with the application and
      the change in diabetes related self-care activities after using the application.
      METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire survey on volunteers with diabetes who were
      using the application. Ninety subjects responded to the questionnaire between
      June 2012 and March 2013. A modified version of the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care
      Activities (SDSCA) was used in this study. RESULTS: The survey results exhibited
      a mean subject age of 44.0 years old, and males accounted for 78.9% of the
      subjects. Fifty percent of the subjects had diabetes for less than 3 years. The
      majority of respondents experienced positive changes in their clinical course
      after using the application (83.1%) and were satisfied with the structure and
      completeness of the application (86.7%). Additionally, the respondents' answers
      indicated that the application was easy to use (96.7%) and recommendable to
      others (97.7%) and that they would continue using the application to manage their
      diabetes (96.7%). After using the Diabetes Notepad application, diabetes related
      self-care activities assessed by SDSCA displayed statistically significant
      improvements (P<0.05), except for the number of days of drinking. CONCLUSION:
      This smartphone-based application can be a useful tool leading to positive
      changes in diabetes related self-care activities and increase user satisfaction.

PMID- 26124992
TI  - Prevalence of Depression and Glucose Abnormality in an Urbanizing Rural
      Population of Bangladesh.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Depression and glucose abnormality are increasing in Bangladesh
      including its rural area. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of
      depression in an urbanizing rural population of Bangladesh with or without
      glucose abnormality (including diabetes mellitus [DM], and pre-diabetes which
      combines impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance pre-DM).
      METHODS: A total of 2,293 subjects aged >=20 years were investigated.
      Sociodemographic and anthropometric details, blood pressure, fasting (fasting
      plasma glucose) and 2 hours after 75 g plasma glucose (2-hour plasma glucose),
      were studied. Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale was used to assess
      depression. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of DM was 7.9% and pre-DM was 8.6%.
      Prevalence of depression was 15.31% (n=351; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.59 to
      1.36) with mean depressive score 17.62+/-3.49. Female were more likely to have
      depression (17.16%). The 22.35% of male and 29.46% of female with pre-DM and
      26.58% male and 36.27% female with DM had depressive symptoms. There was no
      significant variation in the mean age of different groups (healthy, depressed and
      with glucose abnormality). Depression was significantly associated with age,
      marital status, occupation, high physical activity, and low body mass index. The
      odds ratio (OR) for depression was significantly increased in patients with
      glucose abnormality compared with those without pre-DM (OR, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.76 to
      3.51; P<0.000) and DM (OR, 3.27; 95% CI, 2.33 to 4.60; P<0.000). CONCLUSION:
      Prevalence of depression found alarming in our study area though lesser than
      previous studies and it is significantly related to glucose abnormality. The
      study reveals that mental health should get more focused specially along with
      metabolic diseases.

PMID- 26124993
TI  - Serum Ceruloplasmin Level as a Predictor for the Progression of Diabetic
      Nephropathy in Korean Men with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress is known to be associated with progression of
      diabetic kidney disease. Ceruloplasmin acts as a pro-oxidant under conditions of
      severe oxidative stress. Thus, we conducted a longitudinal observational study to
      evaluate whether the serum ceruloplasmin level is a predictive biomarker for
      progression of diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: A total of 643 Korean men with type
      2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled. Serum ceruloplasmin was measured using a
      nephelometric method. Progression of diabetic nephropathy was defined as
      transition in albuminuria class (i.e., normoalbuminuria to microalbuminuria,
      microalbuminuria to macroalbuminuria, or normoalbuminuria to macroalbuminuria)
      and/or a greater than 2-fold increase of serum creatinine at follow-up compared
      with the baseline value. RESULTS: During the follow-up period (median, 2.7 years;
      range, 0.3 to 4.4 years), 49 of 643 patients (7.6%) showed the progression of
      diabetic nephropathy and three patients (0.5%) developed end-stage renal disease.
      Baseline ceruloplasmin levels were higher in the progressors than in the
      nonprogressors (262.6+/-40.9 mg/L vs. 233.3+/-37.8 mg/L, P<0.001). Kaplan-Meier
      analysis showed a significantly higher incidence of nephropathy progression
      according to ceruloplasmin tertile (log-rank test, P<0.001). The hazard ratio
      (HR) for progression of diabetic nephropathy was significantly higher in the
      highest ceruloplasmin tertile category compared with the lowest ceruloplasmin
      tertile category, even after adjusting for confounding variables (HR, 3.32; 95%
      confidence interval, 1.28 to 8.61; P=0.003). CONCLUSION: Baseline serum
      ceruloplasmin is an independent predictive factor for the progression of diabetic
      nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 26124994
TI  - The Relationship between Anemia and the Initiation of Dialysis in Patients with
      Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anemia is associated with various poor clinical outcomes in chronic
      kidney disease patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      relationship between anemia and the initiation degree and time of dialysis in
      type 2 diabetic nephropathy patients. METHODS: This observational retrospective
      study included 130 type 2 diabetic nephropathy patients in Korea. The existence
      of anemia, the degree and time of dialysis initiation were reviewed. Clinical
      characteristics and variables were also compared. RESULTS: The levels of
      hemoglobin and serum creatinine were significantly correlated with the dialysis
      initiation (P<0.05) during the 10-year follow-up period. Patients with anemia
      showed rapid decline of renal function, causing significantly more dialysis
      initiation (54.1% vs. 5.4%, P<0.05) compare to the patients without anemia.
      Average time to initiate dialysis in patients with anemia was 45.1 months (range,
      8.0 to 115.8 months), which was significantly faster than that (68.3 months
      [range, 23.3 to 108.8 months]) in patients without anemia (P<0.01). The risk to
      dialysis initiation was significantly increased in patients with anemia compared
      to the patients without anemia (adjusted hazard ratio, 8.1; 95% confidence
      interval, 2.4 to 27.0; P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Anemia is associated with rapid
      decline of renal dysfunction and faster initiation of dialysis in diabetic
      nephropathy patients. Therefore, clinicians should pay an earlier attention to
      anemia during the management of diabetes.

PMID- 26124995
TI  - Increased Risk of Hospitalization for Heart Failure with Newly Prescribed
      Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors and Pioglitazone Using the Korean Health
      Insurance Claims Database.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We assessed the association of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors
      (DPP4i) with hospitalization for heart failure (HF) using the Korean Health
      Insurance claims database. METHODS: We collected data on newly prescribed
      sitagliptin, vildagliptin, and pioglitazone between January 1, 2009 and December
      31, 2012 (mean follow-up of 336.8 days) to 935,519 patients with diabetes
      (518,614 males and 416,905 females) aged 40 to 79 years (mean age of 59.4 years).
      RESULTS: During the study, 998 patients were hospitalized for primary HF (115.7
      per 100,000 patient-years). The incidence rate of hospitalization for HF was
      117.7 per 100,000 per patient-years among patients on pioglitazone, 105.7 for
      sitagliptin, and 135.8 for vildagliptin. The hospitalization rate for HF was
      greatest in the first 30 days after starting the medication, which corresponded
      to a significantly higher incidence at days 0 to 30 compared with days 31 to 360
      for all three drugs. The hazard ratios were 1.85 (pioglitazone), 2.00
      (sitagliptin), and 1.79 (vildagliptin). The incidence of hospitalization for HF
      did not differ between the drugs for any time period. CONCLUSION: This study
      showed an increase in hospitalization for HF in the initial 30 days of the DPP4i
      and pioglitazone compared with the subsequent follow-up period. However, the
      differences between the drugs were not significant.

PMID- 26124996
TI  - Optimal Waist Circumference Cutoff Value Based on Insulin Resistance and Visceral
      Obesity in Koreans with Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Visceral obesity is the most powerful contributor to the development
      of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and cardiovascular diseases. In light of visceral
      obesity, however, there is a paucity of data on the appropriate cutoff point of
      waist circumference (WC) in subjects with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study
      was to investigate the optimal cutoff value for WC that signals insulin
      resistance (IR) and visceral obesity in Koreans with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We
      evaluated 4,252 patients with type 2 diabetes (male 2,220, female 2,032, mean age
      57.24 years) who visited our clinic between January 2003 and June 2009. WC was
      measured at the midpoint between the lower rib and the iliac crest, and insulin
      sensitivity was assessed by the rate constant of plasma glucose disappearance
      (Kitt %/min) using an insulin tolerance test. Visceral fat thickness was measured
      using ultrasonography. Statistical analysis was performed using receiver
      operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: The optimal cutoff points for WC for
      identifying the presence of IR and visceral obesity, as well as two or more
      metabolic components, were 87 cm for men and 81 cm for women. Moreover, these
      cutoff points had the highest predictive powers for the presence of visceral
      obesity. The MetS defined by new criteria correlated with the increased carotid
      intima-media thickness in female subjects. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that
      the optimal cutoff values for WC in Koreans with type 2 diabetes should be
      reestablished based on IR and visceral obesity.

PMID- 26124997
TI  - Effect of Low Frequency Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Glucose Profile
      of Persons with Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Study.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of low-frequency
      neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on glucose profile in persons with
      type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Eight persons with T2DM (41 to 65 years)
      completed a glucose tolerance test with and without NMES delivered to the knee
      extensors for a 1-hour period at 8 Hz. Three blood samples were collected: at
      rest, and then 60 and 120 minutes after consumption of a glucose load on the NMES
      and control days. In NMES groups glucose concentrations were significantly lower
      (P<0.01) than in the control conditions. Moreover, a significant positive
      correlation (r=0.9, P<0.01) was obtained between the intensity of stimulation and
      changes in blood glucose. Our results suggest that low-frequency stimulation seem
      suitable to induce enhance glucose uptake in persons with T2DM. Moreover, the
      intensity of stimulation reflecting the motor contraction should be considered
      during NMES procedure. 

PMID- 26124998
TI  - Letter: Normal Glucose Tolerance with a High 1-Hour Postload Plasma Glucose Level
      Exhibits Decreased beta-Cell Function Similar to Impaired Glucose Tolerance
      (Diabetes Metab J 2015;39:147-53).

PMID- 26124999
TI  - Response: Normal Glucose Tolerance with a High 1-Hour Postload Plasma Glucose
      Level Exhibits Decreased beta-Cell Function Similar to Impaired Glucose Tolerance
      (Diabetes Metab J 2015;39:147-53).

PMID- 26125000
TI  - Corrigendum: Increasing Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes in a Rural Bangladeshi
      Population: A Population Based Study for 10 Years.
AB  - [This corrects the article on p. 46 in vol. 37, PMID: 23439676.]. 

PMID- 26125001
TI  - Evaluation of linear measurements of implant sites based on head orientation
      during acquisition: An ex vivo study using cone-beam computed tomography.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study evaluated the effect of various head orientations during cone
      beam computed tomography (CBCT) image acquisition on linear measurements of
      potential implant sites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six dry human skulls with a total
      of 28 implant sites were evaluated for seven different head orientations. The
      scans were acquired using a Hitachi CB-MercuRay CBCT machine. The scanned volumes
      were reconstructed. Horizontal and vertical measurements were made and were
      compared to measurements made after simulating the head position to corrected
      head angulations. Data was analyzed using a two-way ANOVA test. RESULTS:
      Statistical analysis revealed a significant interaction between the mean errors
      in vertical measurements with a marked difference observed at the extension head
      position (P<0.05). Statistical analysis failed to yield any significant
      interaction between the mean errors in horizontal measurements at various head
      positions. CONCLUSION: Head orientation could significantly affect the vertical
      measurements in CBCT scans. The main head position influencing the measurements
      is extension.

PMID- 26125002
TI  - The effects of noise reduction, sharpening, enhancement, and image magnification
      on diagnostic accuracy of a photostimulable phosphor system in the detection of
      non-cavitated approximal dental caries.
AB  - PURPOSE: Contrast, sharpness, enhancement, and density can be changed in digital
      systems. The important question is to what extent the changes in these variables
      affect the accuracy of caries detection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty eight
      extracted human posterior teeth with healthy or proximal caries surfaces were
      imaged using a photostimulable phosphor (PSP) sensor. All original images were
      processed using a six-step method: (1) applying "Sharpening 2" and "Noise
      Reduction" processing options to the original images; (2) applying the
      "Magnification 1:3" option to the image obtained in the first step; (3) enhancing
      the original images by using the "Diagonal/" option; (4) reviewing the changes
      brought about by the third step of image processing and then, applying
      "Magnification 1:3"; (5) applying "Sharpening UM" to the original images; and (6)
      analyzing the changes brought about by the fifth step of image processing, and
      finally, applying "Magnification 1:3." Three observers evaluated the images. The
      tooth sections were evaluated histologically as the gold standard. The diagnostic
      accuracy of the observers was compared using a chi-squared test. RESULTS: The
      accuracy levels irrespective of the image processing method ranged from weak
      (18.8%) to intermediate (54.2%), but the highest accuracy was achieved at the
      sixth image processing step. The overall diagnostic accuracy level showed a
      statistically significant difference (p=0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study shows
      that the application of "Sharpening UM" along with the "Magnification 1:3"
      processing option improved the diagnostic accuracy and the observer agreement
      more effectively than the other processing procedures.

PMID- 26125003
TI  - Can pterygoid plate asymmetry be linked to temporomandibular joint disorders?
AB  - PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate the relationship between pterygoid
      plate asymmetry and temporomandibular joint disorders. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 60 patients with temporomandibular
      disorders (TMD) involving pain were analyzed and compared with images of 60 age-
      and gender-matched controls. Three observers performed linear measurements of the
      lateral pterygoid plates. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were
      found between measurements of the lateral pterygoid plates on the site that had
      pain and the contralateral site (p<0.05). The average length of the lateral
      pterygoid plates (LPPs) in patients with TMD was 17.01+/-3.64 mm on the right
      side and 16.21+/-3.51 mm on the left side, and in patients without TMD, it was
      11.86+/-1.97 mm on the right side and 11.98+/-1.85 mm on the left side.
      Statistically significant differences in the LPP length, measured on CBCT, were
      found between patients with and without TMD (p<0.05). The inter-examiner
      reliability obtained in this study was very high for all the examiners (0.99, 95%
      confidence interval: 0.98-0.99). CONCLUSION: Within the limits of the present
      study, CBCT lateral pterygoid plate measurements at the side with TMD were found
      to be significantly different from those on the side without TMD. More research
      is needed to explore potential etiological correlations and implications for
      treatment.

PMID- 26125004
TI  - Characterization of mandibular molar root and canal morphology using cone beam
      computed tomography and its variability in Belgian and Chilean population
      samples.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study used cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to characterize
      mandibular molar root and canal morphology and its variability in Belgian and
      Chilean population samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the CBCT images of
      515 mandibular molars (257 from Belgium and 258 from Chile). Molars meeting the
      inclusion criteria were analyzed to determine (1) the number of roots; (2) the
      root canal configuration; (3) the presence of a curved canal in the cross
      sectional image of the distal root in the mandibular first molar and (4) the
      presence of a C-shaped canal in the second mandibular molar. A descriptive
      analysis was performed. The association between national origin and the presence
      of a curved or C-shaped canal was evaluated using the chi-squared test. RESULTS:
      The most common configurations in the mesial root of both molars were type V and
      type III. In the distal root, type I canal configuration was the most common.
      Curvature in the cross-sectional image was found in 25% of the distal canals of
      the mandibular first molars in the Belgian population, compared to 11% in the
      Chilean population. The prevalence of C-shaped canals was 10% or less in both
      populations. CONCLUSION: In cases of unclear or complex root and canal morphology
      in the mandibular molars, CBCT imaging might assist endodontic specialists in
      making an accurate diagnosis and in treatment planning.

PMID- 26125005
TI  - Severe bony ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint on one side and
      contralateral adhesion: A case report.
AB  - Bony fusion between the mandibular condyle and skull base involves
      temporomandibular joint (TMJ) bony ankylosis. This condition might originate from
      trauma, infection, or systemic disease. TMJ adhesion can develop after synovial
      damage. Both TMJ ankylosis and adhesion lead to functional impairment and pain.
      Here, we present a case of a 50-year-old female who had bony ankylosis of the
      right TMJ and adhesion of the left TMJ. She had otitis media in the right ear. A
      large mass in the right TMJ was observed on computed tomograph. Magnetic
      resonance image showed a large fused bone mass with normal bone marrow in the
      right TMJ and flattening of the condyle with a thin disk in the left TMJ. Gap
      arthroplasty with temporal fascia was performed on the right TMJ, and discectomy,
      high condylectomy, and coronoidectomy were performed on the left TMJ. During a 2
      year follow-up after surgery, the patient had no recurrence. 

PMID- 26125006
TI  - Central odontogenic fibroma (simple type) in a four-year-old boy: atypical cone
      beam computed tomographic appearance with periosteal reaction.
AB  - Central odontogenic fibroma (COF) is a rare benign tumor that accounts for 0.1%
      of all odontogenic tumors. A case of COF (simple type) of the mandible in a four
      year-old boy is described in this report. The patient showed asymptomatic
      swelling in the right inferior border of the lower jaw for one week. A panoramic
      radiograph showed a poorly-defined destructive unilocular radiolucent area. Cone
      beam computed tomography showed expansion and perforation of the adjacent
      cortical bone plates. A periosteal reaction with the Codman triangle pattern was
      clearly visible in the buccal cortex. Since the tumor had destroyed a
      considerable amount of bone, surgical resection was performed. No recurrence was
      noted. 

PMID- 26125007
TI  - A new bite block for panoramic radiographs of anterior edentulous patients: A
      technical report.
AB  - PURPOSE: Panoramic radiographs taken using conventional chin-support devices have
      often presented problems with positioning accuracy and reproducibility. The aim
      of this report was to propose a new bite block for panoramic radiographs of
      anterior edentulous patients that better addresses these two issues. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: A new panoramic radiography bite block similar to the bite block for
      dentulous patients was developed to enable proper positioning stability for
      edentulous patients. The new bite block was designed and implemented in light of
      previous studies. The height of the new bite block was 18 mm and to compensate
      for the horizontal edentulous space, its horizontal width was 7 mm. The panoramic
      radiographs using the new bite block were compared with those using the
      conventional chin-support device. RESULTS: Panoramic radiographs taken with the
      new bite block showed better stability and bilateral symmetry than those taken
      with the conventional chin-support device. Patients also showed less movement and
      more stable positioning during panoramic radiography with the new bite block.
      CONCLUSION: Conventional errors in panoramic radiographs of edentulous patients
      could be caused by unreliability of the chin-support device. The newly proposed
      bite block for panoramic radiographs of edentulous patients showed better
      reliability. Further study is required to evaluate the image quality and
      reproducibility of images with the new bite block.

PMID- 26125008
TI  - The current approach to the diagnosis of vascular anomalies of the head and neck:
      A pictorial essay.
AB  - Throughout the years, various classifications have evolved for the diagnosis of
      vascular anomalies. However, it remains difficult to classify a number of such
      lesions. Because all hemangiomas were previously considered to involute, if a
      lesion with imaging and clinical characteristics of hemangioma does not involute,
      then there is no subclass in which to classify such a lesion, as reported in one
      of our cases. The recent classification proposed by the International Society for
      the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA, 2014) has solved this problem by
      including non-involuting and partially involuting hemangioma in the
      classification. We present here five cases of vascular anomalies and discuss
      their diagnosis in accordance with the ISSVA (2014) classification. A non
      involuting lesion should not always be diagnosed as a vascular malformation. A
      non-involuting lesion can be either a hemangioma or a vascular malformation
      depending upon its clinicopathologic and imaging characteristics. 

PMID- 26125009
TI  - Level of knowledge of dental practitioners in Isfahan, Iran about cone-beam
      computed tomography and digital radiography.

PMID- 26125010
TI  - Re: Byung-Do Lee, Wan Lee, Kyung-Hwan Kwon, Moon-Ki Choi, Eun-Joo Choi and Jung
      Hoon Yoon. Glandular odontogenic cyst mimicking ameloblastoma in a 78-year-old
      female: A case report. Imaging Science in Dentistry 2014; 44(3): 249-52.

PMID- 26125011
TI  - Response to letter to the editors "Re: Byung-Do Lee, Wan Lee, Kyung-Hwan Kwon,
      Moon-Ki Choi, Eun-Joo Choi and Jung-Hoon Yoon. Glandular odontogenic cyst
      mimicking ameloblastoma in a 78-year-old female: a case report. Imaging Science
      in Dentistry 2014; 44(3): 249-52.".

PMID- 26125012
TI  - Concurrent Diabetes Mellitus may Negatively Influence Clinical Progression and
      Response to Androgen Deprivation Therapy in Patients with Advanced Prostate
      Cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if a concurrent diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is
      associated with worse outcomes in advanced prostate cancer (PC). The effect
      diabetes may have on the progression of advanced PC is poorly understood.
      METHODS: Data on 148 advanced PC patients (35 with concurrent diabetes) were
      collected from an institutional database to obtain diabetic status, data on
      treatment types and durations, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values before,
      during, and after treatment. Time to castration resistance following the onset of
      androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and overall survival (OS) in patients with and
      without diabetes were compared using univariate Cox regression analyses as the
      primary endpoints. Differences in PSA response to treatments were compared using
      chi-squared tests as a secondary endpoint. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 29
      months, time to castration resistance did not differ significantly between
      patients with and without diabetes who underwent ADT. However, in a subset of
      patients who received ADT without radiographic evidence of metastases (N = 47),
      those with diabetes progressed to castration-resistant disease more quickly than
      those without DM (hazard ratio for progression with diabetes = 4.58; 95% CI: 1.92
      10.94; p = 0.0006). Also, a lower percentage of patients undergoing ADT with
      diabetes had PSA declines of at least 50% (p = 0.17) and reached a nadir PSA <0.2
      ng/mL (p = 0.06). OS did not differ based on diabetic status. No differences were
      seen in response to first-line therapy for castration-resistant prostate cancer.
      CONCLUSION: Diabetes mellitus may have a detrimental effect on progression of
      advanced PC, particularly in those patients without radiographic evidence of
      metastases. Further study is necessary to fully elucidate the effect of diabetes
      on PC outcomes.

PMID- 26125013
TI  - Episensitization: Defying Time's Arrow.
AB  - The development of cancer is driven by complex genetic and epigenetic changes
      that result in aberrant and uncontrolled cellular growth. Epigenetic changes, in
      particular, are implicated in the silencing or activation of key genes that
      control cellular growth and apoptosis and contribute to transformative potential.
      The purpose of this review is to define and assess the treatment strategy of
      "episensitization," or the ability to sensitize cancer cells to subsequent
      therapy by resetting the epigenetic infrastructure of the tumor. One important
      facet is resensitization by epigenetic mechanisms, which goes against the norm,
      i.e., challenges the long-held doctrine in oncology that the reuse of previously
      tried and failed therapies is a clinically pointless endeavor. Thus,
      episensitization is a hybrid term, which covers recent clinically relevant
      observations and refers to the epigenomic mechanism of resensitization. Among the
      many formidable challenges in the treatment of cancer, the most inevitable is the
      development of acquired therapeutic resistance. Here, we present the basic
      principles behind episensitization and highlight the evidence suggesting that
      epigenetically mediated histone hypoacetylation and DNA hypermethylation events
      may reverse clinical drug resistance. The potential reversibility of epigenetic
      changes and the microenvironmental impact of epigenetic control on gene
      expression may mediate a return to a baseline state of treatment susceptibility.
      Episensitization is a novel and highly practical management strategy both to
      prevent the practice of permanent treatment discontinuation with the occurrence
      of resistance, which rapidly exhausts remaining options in the pharmaceutical
      armamentarium and to significantly extend patient survival. Accordingly, this
      review highlights several epigenetic agents including decitabine, vorinostat,
      entinostat, 5-azacitidine, oncolytic viruses, and RRx-001. 

PMID- 26125014
TI  - Nutritional Status in Children with Un-Operated Congenital Heart Disease: An
      Egyptian Center Experience.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in children
      with congenital heart disease (CHD). This study aimed to identify prevalence and
      predictors of malnutrition in Egyptian children with symptomatic CHD. METHODS:
      This case-control study included 100 children with symptomatic CHD (76 acyanotic
      and 24 cyanotic) and 100 healthy children matched for age and sex as a control
      group. Clinical Evaluation and Laboratory Assessment of Nutritional Status were
      documented. Anthropometric measurements were recorded and Z scores for weight for
      age (WAZ), weight for height (WHZ), and height for age (HAZ) have been
      calculated. Malnutrition was defined as weight, height, and weight/height Z score
      <=-2. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of malnutrition was 84.0% in patients with
      CHD and 20% in controls. Severe malnutrition was diagnosed in 71.4% of cases. All
      anthropometric measurements and levels of biochemical markers of nutritional
      state were significantly lower in the patients group compared to controls. In
      patients with acyanotic CHD, stunting was proportionately higher (57.89%) than in
      cyanotic CHD, while wasting was predominant (45.83%) in the latter. Malnutrition
      correlated significantly with low hemoglobin level, low arterial oxygen
      saturation, heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and poor dietary history.
      CONCLUSION: Malnutrition is a very common problem in children with symptomatic
      CHD and predicted by the presence of low hemoglobin level, low arterial oxygen
      saturation, heart failure, poor dietary history, and pulmonary hypertension.

PMID- 26125015
TI  - Glycans Instructing Immunity: The Emerging Role of Altered Glycosylation in
      Clinical Immunology.
AB  - Protein glycosylation is an important epigenetic modifying process affecting
      expression, localization, and function of numerous proteins required for normal
      immune function. Recessive germline mutations in genes responsible for protein
      glycosylation processes result in congenital disorders of glycosylation and can
      have profound immunologic consequences. Genetic mutations in immune signaling
      pathways that affect glycosylation sites have also been shown to cause disease.
      Sugar supplementation and in vivo alteration of glycans by medication holds
      therapeutic promise for some of these disorders. Further understanding of how
      changes in glycosylation alter immunity may provide novel treatment approaches
      for allergic disease, immune dysregulation, and immunodeficiency in the future. 

PMID- 26125016
TI  - Dental Services Funding and Affordability in Serbia - Decade-Long Perspective.

PMID- 26125017
TI  - Universal Free School Breakfast: A Qualitative Model for Breakfast Behaviors.
AB  - In recent years, the provision of school breakfast has increased significantly in
      the UK. However, research examining the effectiveness of school breakfast is
      still within relative stages of infancy, and findings to date have been rather
      mixed. Moreover, previous evaluations of school breakfast schemes have been
      predominantly quantitative in their methodologies. Currently, there are few
      qualitative studies examining the subjective perceptions and experiences of
      stakeholders, and thereby an absence of knowledge regarding the sociocultural
      impacts of school breakfast. The purpose of this study was to investigate the
      beliefs, views and attitudes, and breakfast consumption behaviors, among key
      stakeholders, served by a council-wide universal free school breakfast
      initiative, within the North West of England, UK. A sample of children, parents,
      and school staff were recruited from three primary schools, participating in the
      universal free school breakfast scheme, to partake in semi-structured interviews
      and small focus groups. A Grounded Theory analysis of the data collected
      identified a theoretical model of breakfast behaviors, underpinned by the
      subjective perceptions and experiences of these key stakeholders. The model
      comprises of three domains relating to breakfast behaviors, and the internal and
      external factors that are perceived to influence breakfast behaviors, among
      children, parents, and school staff. Findings were validated using triangulation
      methods, member checks, and inter-rater reliability measures. In presenting this
      theoretically grounded model for breakfast behaviors, this paper provides a
      unique qualitative insight into the breakfast consumption behaviors and barriers
      to breakfast consumption, within a socioeconomically deprived community,
      participating in a universal free school breakfast intervention program. 

PMID- 26125018
TI  - The Spillover of US Immigration Policy on Citizens and Permanent Residents of
      Mexican Descent: How Internalizing "Illegality" Impacts Public Health in the
      Borderlands.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The militarization of the US-Mexico border region exacerbates the
      process of "Othering" Latino immigrants - as "illegal aliens." The
      internalization of "illegality" can manifest as a sense of "undeservingness" of
      legal protection in the population and be detrimental on a biopsychological
      level. OBJECTIVE: We explore the impacts of "illegality" among a population of US
      citizen and permanent resident farmworkers of Mexican descent. We do so through
      the lens of immigration enforcement-related stress and the ability to file formal
      complaints of discrimination and mistreatment perpetrated by local immigration
      enforcement agents, including local police authorized to enforce immigration law.
      METHODS: Drawing from cross-sectional data gathered through the National
      Institute of Occupation Safety and Health, "Challenges to Farmworker Health at
      the US-Mexico Border" study, a community-based participatory research project
      conducted at the Arizona-Sonora border, we compared Arizona resident farmworkers
      (N = 349) to Mexico-based farmworkers (N = 140) or Transnational farmworkers who
      cross the US-Mexico border daily or weekly to work in US agriculture. RESULTS:
      Both samples of farmworkers experience significant levels of stress in
      anticipation of encounters with immigration officials. Fear was cited as the
      greatest factor preventing individuals from reporting immigration abuses. The
      groups varied slightly in the relative weight attributed to different types of
      fear. CONCLUSION: The militarization of the border has consequences for
      individuals who are not the target of immigration enforcement. These spillover
      effects cause harm to farmworkers in multiple ways. Multi-institutional and
      community-centered systems for reporting immigration-related victimization is
      required. Applied participatory research with affected communities can mitigate
      the public health effects of state-sponsored immigration discrimination and
      violence among US citizen and permanent residents.

PMID- 26125019
TI  - An Investigation of Bilateral Symmetry During Manual Wheelchair Propulsion.
AB  - Studies of manual wheelchair propulsion often assume bilateral symmetry to
      simplify data collection, processing, and analysis. However, the validity of this
      assumption is unclear. Most investigations of wheelchair propulsion symmetry have
      been limited by a relatively small sample size and a focus on a single propulsion
      condition (e.g., level propulsion at self-selected speed). The purpose of this
      study was to evaluate bilateral symmetry during manual wheelchair propulsion in a
      large group of subjects across different propulsion conditions. Three-dimensional
      kinematics and handrim kinetics along with spatiotemporal variables were
      collected and processed from 80 subjects with paraplegia while propelling their
      wheelchairs on a stationary ergometer during three different conditions: level
      propulsion at their self-selected speed (free), level propulsion at their fastest
      comfortable speed (fast), and propulsion on an 8% grade at their level, self
      selected speed (graded). All kinematic variables had significant side-to-side
      differences, primarily in the graded condition. Push angle was the only
      spatiotemporal variable with a significant side-to-side difference, and only
      during the graded condition. No kinetic variables had significant side-to-side
      differences. The magnitudes of the kinematic differences were low, with only one
      difference exceeding 5 degrees . With differences of such small magnitude, the
      bilateral symmetry assumption appears to be reasonable during manual wheelchair
      propulsion in subjects without significant upper-extremity pain or impairment.
      However, larger asymmetries may exist in individuals with secondary injuries and
      pain in their upper extremity and different etiologies of their neurological
      impairment. 

PMID- 26125020
TI  - MetabNet: An R Package for Metabolic Association Analysis of High-Resolution
      Metabolomics Data.
AB  - Liquid-chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry provides capability to
      measure >40,000 ions derived from metabolites in biologic samples. This presents
      challenges to confirm identities of known chemicals and delineate potential
      metabolic pathway associations of unidentified chemicals. We provide an R package
      for metabolic network analysis, MetabNet, to perform targeted metabolome-wide
      association study of specific metabolites to facilitate detection of their
      related metabolic pathways and network structures. 

PMID- 26125021
TI  - Metal-Based Nanoparticles and the Immune System: Activation, Inflammation, and
      Potential Applications.
AB  - Nanomaterials, including metal-based nanoparticles, are used for various
      biological and medical applications. However, metals affect immune functions in
      many animal species including humans. Different physical and chemical properties
      induce different cellular responses, such as cellular uptake and intracellular
      biodistribution, leading to the different immune responses. The goals of this
      review are to summarize and discuss the innate and adaptive immune responses
      triggered by metal-based nanoparticles in a variety of immune system models. 

PMID- 26125022
TI  - Three-Day Continuous Exposure Monitoring of CNT Manufacturing Workplaces.
AB  - Continuous monitoring for possible exposure to carbon nanotubes was conducted
      over a period of 2 to 3 days at workplaces that manufacture multiwall carbon
      nanotubes (MWCNTs) and single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). To estimate the
      potential emission of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and potential exposure of workers,
      personal sampling, area monitoring, and real-time monitoring using an scanning
      mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and dust monitor were conducted at workplaces
      where the workers manufactured CNTs. The personal and area sampling of the total
      suspended particulate (TSP) at the MWCNT manufacturing facilities ranged from
      0.031 to 0.254 and from N.D (not detected) to 0.253 mg/m(3), respectively. This 2
      to 3-day monitoring study found that nanoparticles were released when opening
      the chemical vapor deposit (CVD) reactor door after the synthesis of MWCNTs, when
      transferring the MWCNTs to containers and during blending and grinding. However,
      distinguishing the background concentration from the work process particle
      emission was complicated due to sustained and even increased particle
      concentrations after the work processes were terminated. The MWCNTs sampled for
      transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation exhibited a tangled shape with
      no individual dispersed CNT structures. 

PMID- 26125023
TI  - Micro- and Nanosized Particles in Nasal Mucosa: A Pilot Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective study is to evaluate presence and quantity
      of micro- and nanosized particles (NPs) and interindividual differences in their
      distribution and composition in nasal mucosa. METHODS: Six samples of nasal
      mucosa obtained by mucotomy from patients with chronic hypertrophic
      rhinosinusitis were examined. Samples divided into 4 parts according to the
      distance from the nostrils were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and
      Raman microspectroscopy to detect solid particles and characterize their
      morphology and composition. A novel method of quantification of the particles was
      designed and used to evaluate interindividual differences in distribution of the
      particles. The findings were compared with patients' employment history. RESULTS:
      In all the samples, NPs of different elemental composition were found (iron,
      barium, copper, titanium, etc.), predominantly in the parts most distant from
      nostrils, in various depths from the surface of the mucosa and interindividual
      differences in their quantity and composition were found, possibly in relation to
      professional exposition. CONCLUSIONS: This study has proven the possibility of
      quantification of distribution of micro- and nanosized particles in tissue
      samples and that the NPs may deposit in deeper layers of mucosa and their
      elemental composition may be related to professional exposition to the sources of
      NPs.

PMID- 26125024
TI  - Workplace Exposure to Titanium Dioxide Nanopowder Released from a Bag Filter
      System.
AB  - Many researchers who use laboratory-scale synthesis systems to manufacture
      nanomaterials could be easily exposed to airborne nanomaterials during the
      research and development stage. This study used various real-time aerosol
      detectors to investigate the presence of nanoaerosols in a laboratory used to
      manufacture titanium dioxide (TiO2). The TiO2 nanopowders were produced via flame
      synthesis and collected by a bag filter system for subsequent harvesting. Highly
      concentrated nanopowders were released from the outlet of the bag filter system
      into the laboratory. The fractional particle collection efficiency of the bag
      filter system was only 20% at particle diameter of 100 nm, which is much lower
      than the performance of a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.
      Furthermore, the laboratory hood system was inadequate to fully exhaust the air
      discharged from the bag filter system. Unbalanced air flow rates between bag
      filter and laboratory hood systems could result in high exposure to nanopowder in
      laboratory settings. Finally, we simulated behavior of nanopowders released in
      the laboratory using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). 

PMID- 26125025
TI  - Aquatic Toxicity Comparison of Silver Nanoparticles and Silver Nanowires.
AB  - To better understand the potential ecotoxicological impact of silver
      nanoparticles (AgNPs) and silver nanowires (AgNWs) released into freshwater
      environments, the toxicities of these nanomaterials were assessed and compared
      using Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) test
      guidelines, including a "Daphnia sp., acute immobilization test," "Fish, acute
      toxicity test," and "freshwater alga and cyanobacteria, growth inhibition test."
      Based on the estimated median lethal/effective concentrations of AgNPs and AgNWs,
      the susceptibility to the nanomaterials was different among test organisms
      (daphnia > algae > fish), suggesting that the AgNPs are classified as "category
      acute 1" for Daphnia magna, "category acute 2" for Oryzias latipes, and "category
      acute 1" for Raphidocelis subcapitata, while the AgNWs are classified as
      "category acute 1" for Daphnia magna, "category acute 2" for Oryzias latipes, and
      "category acute 2" for Raphidocelis subcapitata, according to the GHS (Globally
      Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals). In conclusion,
      the present results suggest that more attention should be paid to prevent the
      accidental or intentional release of silver nanomaterials into freshwater aquatic
      environments. 

PMID- 26125026
TI  - Trends in IT Innovation to Build a Next Generation Bioinformatics Solution to
      Manage and Analyse Biological Big Data Produced by NGS Technologies.
AB  - Sequencing the human genome began in 1994, and 10 years of work were necessary in
      order to provide a nearly complete sequence. Nowadays, NGS technologies allow
      sequencing of a whole human genome in a few days. This deluge of data challenges
      scientists in many ways, as they are faced with data management issues and
      analysis and visualization drawbacks due to the limitations of current
      bioinformatics tools. In this paper, we describe how the NGS Big Data revolution
      changes the way of managing and analysing data. We present how biologists are
      confronted with abundance of methods, tools, and data formats. To overcome these
      problems, focus on Big Data Information Technology innovations from web and
      business intelligence. We underline the interest of NoSQL databases, which are
      much more efficient than relational databases. Since Big Data leads to the loss
      of interactivity with data during analysis due to high processing time, we
      describe solutions from the Business Intelligence that allow one to regain
      interactivity whatever the volume of data is. We illustrate this point with a
      focus on the Amadea platform. Finally, we discuss visualization challenges posed
      by Big Data and present the latest innovations with JavaScript graphic libraries.

PMID- 26125027
TI  - Vibration Training Triggers Brown Adipocyte Relative Protein Expression in Rat
      White Adipose Tissue.
AB  - Recently, vibration training is considered as a novel strategy of weight loss;
      however, its mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, normal or high-fat diet
      induced rats were trained by whole body vibration for 8 weeks. We observed that
      the body weight and fat metabolism index, blood glucose, triglyceride,
      cholesterol, and free fatty acid in obesity rats decreased significantly compared
      with nonvibration group (n = 6). Although intrascapular BAT weight did not change
      significantly, vibration enhanced ATP reduction and increased protein level of
      the key molecule of brown adipose tissue (BAT), PGC-1alpha, and UCP1 in BAT.
      Interestingly, the adipocytes in retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (WAT)
      became smaller due to vibration exercise and had higher protein level of the key
      molecule of brown adipose tissue (BAT), PGC-1alpha, and UCP1 and inflammatory
      relative proteins, IL-6 and TNFalpha. Simultaneously, ATP content and PPARgamma
      protein level in WAT became less in rats compared with nonvibration group. The
      results indicated that vibration training changed lipid metabolism in rats and
      promoted brown fat-like change in white adipose tissues through triggering BAT
      associated gene expression, inflammatory reflect, and reducing energy reserve. 

PMID- 26125028
TI  - Quantification of Internalized Silica Nanoparticles via STED Microscopy.
AB  - The development of safe engineered nanoparticles (NPs) requires a detailed
      understanding of their interaction mechanisms on a cellular level. Therefore,
      quantification of NP internalization is crucial to predict the potential impact
      of intracellular NP doses, providing essential information for risk assessment as
      well as for drug delivery applications. In this study, the internalization of 25
      nm and 85 nm silica nanoparticles (SNPs) in alveolar type II cells (A549) was
      quantified by application of super-resolution STED (stimulated emission
      depletion) microscopy. Cells were exposed to equal particle number concentrations
      (9.2 * 10(10) particles mL(-1)) of each particle size and the sedimentation of
      particles during exposure was taken into account. Microscopy images revealed that
      particles of both sizes entered the cells after 5 h incubation in serum
      supplemented and serum-free medium. According to the in vitro sedimentation,
      diffusion, and dosimetry (ISDD) model 20-27% of the particles sedimented. In
      comparison, 10(2)-10(3) NPs per cell were detected intracellularly serum
      containing medium. Furthermore, in the presence of serum, no cytotoxicity was
      induced by the SNPs. In serum-free medium, large agglomerates of both particle
      sizes covered the cells whereas only high concentrations (>= 3.8 * 10(12)
      particles mL(-1)) of the smaller particles induced cytotoxicity. 

PMID- 26125029
TI  - Overweight and Obesity Based on Four Reference Systems in 18,382 Paediatric
      Patients with Type 1 Diabetes from Germany and Austria.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in paediatric type 1
      diabetes (T1D) subjects, based on four commonly used reference populations.
      METHODS: Using WHO, IOTF, AGA (German pediatric obesity), and KiGGS (German
      Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents) reference
      populations, prevalence of overweight (>=90th percentile) and obesity (>=97th
      percentile) and time trend between 2000 (n = 9,461) and 2013 (n = 18,382) were
      determined in 2-18-year-old T1D patients documented in the German/Austrian DPV
      database. RESULTS: In 2000, the overweight prevalence was the highest according
      to IOTF (22.3%), followed by WHO (20.8%), AGA (15.5%), and KiGGS (9.4%). The
      respective rates in 2013 were IOTF (24.8%), WHO (22.9%), AGA (18.2%), and KiGGS
      (11.7%). Obesity prevalence in 2000 was the highest according to WHO (7.9%),
      followed by AGA (4.5%), IOTF (3.1%), and KiGGS (1.8%). In 2013, the respective
      rates were WHO (9.6%), AGA (6.2%), IOTF (4.5%), and KiGGS (2.6%). Overall, the
      prevalence of overweight and obesity increased from 2000 to 2006 (p < 0.001) but
      showed stabilization thereafter in girls and overweight in boys. CONCLUSION:
      Overweight and obesity prevalence in T1D subjects differs significantly if it is
      assessed by four separate reference populations. More detailed assessment of each
      child is required to determine obesity-related risks.

PMID- 26125031
TI  - Antiseptic Body Washes for Reducing the Transmission of Methicillin-Resistant
      Staphylococcus aureus: A Cluster Crossover Study.
AB  - Background.  Limiting the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
      (MRSA) within healthcare facilities where the organism is highly endemic is a
      challenge. The use of topical antiseptic agents may help interrupt the
      transmission of MRSA and reduce the risk of clinical infection. Octenidine
      dihydrochloride is a topical antiseptic that exhibits in vitro efficacy against a
      wide variety of bacteria, including S aureus. Methods.  We conducted a
      prospective cluster crossover study to compare the use of daily octenidine body
      washes with soap and water in patients identified by active surveillance cultures
      to be MRSA-colonized, to prevent the acquisition of MRSA in patients with
      negative screening swabs. Five adult medical and surgical wards and 2 intensive
      care units were selected. The study involved an initial 6-month phase using
      octenidine or soap washes followed by a crossover in each ward to the alternative
      product. The primary and secondary outcomes were the rates of new MRSA
      acquisitions and MRSA clinical infections, respectively. Results.  A total of 10
      936 patients admitted for >=48 hours was included in the analysis. There was a
      small reduction in MRSA acquisition in the intervention group compared with
      controls (3.0% vs 3.3%), but this reduction was not significant (odds ratio,
      0.89; 95% confidence interval, .72-1.11; P = .31). There were also no significant
      differences in clinical MRSA infection or incidence of MRSA bacteremia.
      Conclusions.  This study suggests that the targeted use of routine antiseptic
      washes may not in itself be adequate to reduce the transmission of MRSA in an
      endemic hospital setting. 

PMID- 26125030
TI  - Treatment Options for Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Infections.
AB  - This article provides a comprehensive review of currently available treatment
      options for infections due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).
      Antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is an emerging and serious
      global public health threat. Carbapenems have been used as the "last-line"
      treatment for infections caused by resistant Enterobacteriaceae, including those
      producing extended spectrum beta-lactamases. However, Enterobacteriaceae that
      produce carbapenemases, which are enzymes that deactivate carbapenems and most
      other beta-lactam antibiotics, have emerged and are increasingly being reported
      worldwide. Despite this increasing burden, the most optimal treatment for CRE
      infections is largely unknown. For the few remaining available treatment options,
      there are limited efficacy data to support their role in therapy. Nevertheless,
      current treatment options include the use of older agents, such as polymyxins,
      fosfomycin, and aminoglycosides, which have been rarely used due to efficacy
      and/or toxicity concerns. Optimization of dosing regimens and combination therapy
      are additional treatment strategies being explored. Carbapenem-resistant
      Enterobacteriaceae infections are associated with poor outcomes and high
      mortality. Continued research is critically needed to determine the most
      appropriate treatment. 

PMID- 26125032
TI  - Fatal Human Meningoencephalitis due to Halicephalobus Nematodes, Germany.
AB  - Infections with Halicephalobus nematodes, causative agents of severe
      meningoencephalitis in horses, have rarely been reported in humans. In this
      study, the clinical, serological, cytokine, and histopathological findings of a
      rapidly progressive and eventually fatal meningoencephalitis in a previously
      healthy human are described. The helminth was finally diagnosed by specific
      polymerase chain reactions from post mortem tissue. 

PMID- 26125033
TI  - Success of Standard Dose Vitamin D Supplementation in Treated Human
      Immunodeficiency Virus Infection.
AB  - Background.  Vitamin D insufficiency is prevalent in human immunodeficiency virus
      positive (HIV+) persons. Human immunodeficiency virus and antiretroviral therapy
      (ART) may create unique risk factors, and the optimal vitamin D repletion and
      maintenance regimen in HIV+ persons remains unclear. Methods.  Human
      immunodeficiency virus-positive adults on suppressive ART underwent routine serum
      25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) screening. Persons with vitamin D insufficiency
      (25OHD <30 ng/mL) received open-label, oral vitamin D3 50 000 international units
      (IU) twice weekly for 5 weeks, then 2000 IU daily to complete 12 weeks. We
      predicted 70% (95% confidence interval, 60%-80%) repletion to 25OHD >=30 ng/mL
      compared with 85% among historical HIV-negative controls. Eighty participants
      provided 91% power to detect this difference. Ability to maintain 25OHD >=30
      ng/mL after 24 weeks was also assessed. Results.  Baseline characteristics were
      similar between the 82 vitamin D insufficient and 40 sufficient persons enrolled:
      95% male, 60% white, 88% nonsmokers, median age 49 years, body mass index 26
      kg/m(2), and CD4(+) T lymphocyte count 520 cells/mm(3). After 12 weeks, 81% (66
      of 82) of insufficient persons achieved 25OHD >=30 ng/mL (P = .32 vs historical
      controls), with only older age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.06; P = .06), higher baseline
      25OHD (OR = 1.14; P < .01), white race (OR = 3.39; P = .04), and current smoking
      (OR = 0.25; P = .06) associated with successful repletion. After 24 weeks, 73%
      (48 of 66) maintained 25OHD >=30 ng/mL, with tenofovir (OR = 5.00; P = .01) and
      abacavir use (OR = 0.23; P = .02) associated with success and failure,
      respectively, to maintain 25OHD levels. Conclusions.  The 25OHD repletion rates
      were comparable between HIV+ adults on suppressive ART and historical HIV
      negative controls, indicating that successful oral repletion can be achieved in
      this population. 

PMID- 26125034
TI  - Combination Therapy for Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Cryptococcal
      Meningitis: Whom, When, and Where?

PMID- 26125035
TI  - Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in Fecal Specimens From Adults
      Diagnosed With Pulmonary Tuberculosis Using the Xpert MTB/Rifampicin Test.
AB  - Background.  The Xpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)/rifampicin (RIF) is a
      fully automated diagnostic test that allows for the detection of MTB including
      its RIF resistance. Although the test is used for the diagnosis of tuberculosis
      (TB) in sputum samples worldwide, studies using fecal specimens are scarce. We
      therefore evaluated the efficacy of the Xpert MTB/RIF test for detection of MTB
      in fecal specimens obtained from adult pulmonary TB patients, confirmed by
      culture and/or molecular diagnostic methods. Methods.  We conducted a
      retrospective case-control study to provide proof-of-concept regarding the
      efficacy of the Xpert MTB/RIF test using fecal samples for diagnosing pulmonary
      TB via detection of MTB in adult patients (>=20 years) at the Fukujuji Hospital
      in Tokyo, Japan. Results.  Fecal specimens were obtained from 56 active pulmonary
      TB patients (including 48 sputum smear-positive and 8 sputum smear-negative
      patients), 10 non-TB patients (including 4 Myocobacterium avium complex
      infections), and 27 healthy individuals who were exposed to active pulmonary TB
      patients. The sensitivity of the fecal Xpert MTB/RIF was 100% (81.7%-100%) for
      detection of MTB in specimens from sputum smear-positive (1+ to 3+) patients,
      81.0% (58.1%-94.6%) in specimens from sputum smear scanty positive patients, and
      50.0% (15.7%-84.3%) in specimens from sputum smear-negative patients. Meanwhile,
      each of the fecal specimens from the non-TB group was negative for MTB
      (specificity 100%; 95% confidence interval, 86.2-100). Conclusions.  The fecal
      Xpert MTB/RIF test could detect MTB in a large proportion of smear-positive
      pulmonary TB patients, without frequent false-positive results at a TB referral
      hospital in Japan. 

PMID- 26125036
TI  - A second trigeminal CGRP receptor: function and expression of the AMY1 receptor.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The trigeminovascular system plays a central role in migraine, a
      condition in need of new treatments. The neuropeptide, calcitonin gene-related
      peptide (CGRP), is proposed as causative in migraine and is the subject of
      intensive drug discovery efforts. This study explores the expression and
      functionality of two CGRP receptor candidates in the sensory trigeminal system.
      METHODS: Receptor expression was determined using Taqman G protein-coupled
      receptor arrays and immunohistochemistry in trigeminal ganglia (TG) and the
      spinal trigeminal complex of the brainstem in rat and human. Receptor
      pharmacology was quantified using sensitive signaling assays in primary rat TG
      neurons. RESULTS: mRNA and histological expression analysis in rat and human
      samples revealed the presence of two CGRP-responsive receptors (AMY1: calcitonin
      receptor/receptor activity-modifying protein 1 [RAMP1]) and the CGRP receptor
      (calcitonin receptor-like receptor/RAMP1). In support of this finding,
      quantification of agonist and antagonist potencies revealed a dual population of
      functional CGRP-responsive receptors in primary rat TG neurons. INTERPRETATION:
      The unexpected presence of a functional non-canonical CGRP receptor (AMY1) at
      neural sites important for craniofacial pain has important implications for
      targeting the CGRP axis in migraine.

PMID- 26125037
TI  - Expanded CD8 T-cell sharing between periphery and CNS in multiple sclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In multiple sclerosis (MS), central nervous system (CNS),
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and blood display TCR clonal expansions of CD8(+) T
      cells. These clones have been assumed - but never demonstrated - to be similar in
      the three compartments. Addressing this key question is essential to infer the
      implication of peripheral clonally expanded CD8(+) T cells in the disease.
      METHODS: For the first time, TCR Vbeta repertoire from paired blood (purified
      CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells), CSF and CNS (22 lesions, various inflammatory and
      demyelination statuses) samples from three MS patients was studied using
      complementary determining region 3 (CDR3) spectratyping and high-throughput
      sequencing. In parallel, blood and CNS clonally expanded CD8(+) T cells were
      characterized by fluorescent staining. RESULTS: TCR Vbeta repertoire analysis
      revealed strong sharing of predominant T-cell clones between CNS lesions, CSF,
      and blood CD8(+) T cells. In parallel, we showed that blood oligoclonal CD8(+) T
      cells exhibit characteristics of pathogenic cells, as they displayed a bias
      toward a memory phenotype in MS patients, with increased expression of CCR5,
      CD11a and Granzyme B (GZM-B) compared to non oligoclonal counterparts. CNS
      infiltrating T cells were mainly CD8 expressing CD11a and GZM-B. INTERPRETATION:
      This study highlights the predominant implication of CD8(+) T cells in MS
      pathophysiology and demonstrates that potentially aggressive CD8(+) T cells can
      be easily identified and characterized from blood and CSF samples.

PMID- 26125038
TI  - De novo mutations in KIF1A cause progressive encephalopathy and brain atrophy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the cause and course of a novel syndrome with progressive
      encephalopathy and brain atrophy in children. METHODS: Clinical whole-exome
      sequencing was performed for global developmental delay and intellectual
      disability; some patients also had spastic paraparesis and evidence of clinical
      regression. Six patients were identified with de novo missense mutations in the
      kinesin gene KIF1A. The predicted functional disruption of these mutations was
      assessed in silico to compare the calculated conformational flexibility and
      estimated efficiency of ATP binding to kinesin motor domains of wild-type (WT)
      versus mutant alleles. Additionally, an in vitro microtubule gliding assay was
      performed to assess the effects of de novo dominant, inherited recessive, and
      polymorphic variants on KIF1A motor function. RESULTS: All six subjects had
      severe developmental delay, hypotonia, and varying degrees of hyperreflexia and
      spastic paraparesis. Microcephaly, cortical visual impairment, optic neuropathy,
      peripheral neuropathy, ataxia, epilepsy, and movement disorders were also
      observed. All six patients had a degenerative neurologic course with progressive
      cerebral and cerebellar atrophy seen on sequential magnetic resonance imaging
      scans. Computational modeling of mutant protein structures when compared to WT
      kinesin showed substantial differences in conformational flexibility and ATP
      binding efficiency. The de novo KIF1A mutants were nonmotile in the microtubule
      gliding assay. INTERPRETATION: De novo mutations in KIF1A cause a degenerative
      neurologic syndrome with brain atrophy. Computational and in vitro assays
      differentiate the severity of dominant de novo heterozygous versus inherited
      recessive KIF1A mutations. The profound effect de novo mutations have on axonal
      transport is likely related to the cause of progressive neurologic impairment in
      these patients.

PMID- 26125039
TI  - Alzheimer's loci: epigenetic associations and interaction with genetic factors.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We explore the role of DNA methylation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). To
      elucidate where DNA methylation falls along the causal pathway linking risk
      factors to disease, we examine causal models to assess its role in the pathology
      of AD. METHODS: DNA methylation profiles were generated in 740 brain samples
      using the Illumina HumanMet450K beadset. We focused our analysis on CpG sites
      from 11 AD susceptibility gene regions. The primary outcome was a quantitative
      measure of neuritic amyloid plaque (NP), a key early element of AD pathology. We
      tested four causal models: (1) independent associations, (2) CpG mediating the
      association of a variant, (3) reverse causality, and (4) genetic variant by CpG
      interaction. RESULTS: Six genes regions (17 CpGs) showed evidence of CpG
      associations with NP, independent of genetic variation - BIN1 (5), CLU (5),
      MS4A6A (3), ABCA7 (2), CD2AP (1), and APOE (1). Together they explained 16.8% of
      the variability in NP. An interaction effect was seen in the CR1 region for two
      CpGs, cg10021878 (P = 0.01) and cg05922028 (P = 0.001), in relation to NP. In
      both cases, subjects with the risk allele rs6656401(AT) (/) (AA) display more
      methylation being associated with more NP burden, whereas subjects with the
      rs6656401(TT) protective genotype have an inverse association with more
      methylation being associated with less NP. INTERPRETATION: These observations
      suggest that, within known AD susceptibility loci, methylation is related to
      pathologic processes of AD and may play a largely independent role by influencing
      gene expression in AD susceptibility loci.

PMID- 26125041
TI  - Differential involvement of Ras-GRF1 and Ras-GRF2 in L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recent findings have shown that pharmacogenetic manipulations of the
      Ras-ERK pathway provide a therapeutic means to tackle l-3,4
      dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA)-induced dyskinesia (LID). First, we investigated
      whether a prolonged l-DOPA treatment differentially affected ERK signaling in
      medium spiny neurons of the direct pathway (dMSNs) and in cholinergic aspiny
      interneurons (ChIs) and assessed the role of Ras-GRF1 in both subpopulations.
      Second, using viral-assisted technology, we probed Ras-GRF1 and Ras-GRF2 as
      potential targets in this pathway. We investigated how selective blockade of
      striatal Ras-GRF1 or Ras-GRF2 expression impacted on LID (induction, maintenance,
      and reversion) and its neurochemical correlates. METHODS: We used both Ras-GRF1
      knockout mice and lentiviral vectors (LVs) delivering short-hairpin RNA sequences
      (shRNAs) to obtain striatum-specific gene knockdown of Ras-GRF1 and Ras-GRF2. The
      consequences of these genetic manipulations were evaluated in the 6
      hydroxydopamine mouse model of Parkinson's disease. Escalating doses of l-DOPA
      were administered and then behavioral analysis with immunohistochemical assays
      and in vivo microdialysis were performed. RESULTS: Ras-GRF1 was found essential
      in controlling ERK signaling in dMSNs, but its ablation did not prevent ERK
      activation in ChIs. Moreover, striatal injection of LV-shRNA/Ras-GRF1 attenuated
      dyskinesia development and ERK-dependent signaling, whereas LV-shRNA/Ras-GRF2 was
      without effect, ruling out the involvement of Ras-GRF2 in LID expression.
      Accordingly, Ras-GRF1 but not Ras-GRF2 striatal gene-knockdown reduced l-DOPA
      induced GABA and glutamate release in the substantia nigra pars reticulata, a
      neurochemical correlate of dyskinesia. Finally, inactivation of Ras-GRF1 provided
      a prolonged anti-dyskinetic effect for up to 7 weeks and significantly attenuated
      symptoms in animals with established LID. INTERPRETATION: Our results suggest
      that Ras-GRF1 is a promising target for LID therapy based on Ras-ERK signaling
      inhibition in the striatum.

PMID- 26125040
TI  - Altered PLP1 splicing causes hypomyelination of early myelinating structures.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic etiology of
      the X-linked disorder "Hypomyelination of Early Myelinating Structures" (HEMS).
      METHODS: We included 16 patients from 10 families diagnosed with HEMS by brain
      MRI criteria. Exome sequencing was used to search for causal mutations. In silico
      analysis of effects of the mutations on splicing and RNA folding was performed.
      In vitro gene splicing was examined in RNA from patients' fibroblasts and an
      immortalized immature oligodendrocyte cell line after transfection with mutant
      minigene splicing constructs. RESULTS: All patients had unusual hemizygous
      mutations of PLP1 located in exon 3B (one deletion, one missense and two silent),
      which is spliced out in isoform DM20, or in intron 3 (five mutations). The
      deletion led to truncation of PLP1, but not DM20. Four mutations were predicted
      to affect PLP1/DM20 alternative splicing by creating exonic splicing silencer
      motifs or new splice donor sites or by affecting the local RNA structure of the
      PLP1 splice donor site. Four deep intronic mutations were predicted to
      destabilize a long-distance interaction structure in the secondary PLP1 RNA
      fragment involved in regulating PLP1/DM20 alternative splicing. Splicing studies
      in fibroblasts and transfected cells confirmed a decreased PLP1/DM20 ratio.
      INTERPRETATION: Brain structures that normally myelinate early are poorly
      myelinated in HEMS, while they are the best myelinated structures in Pelizaeus
      Merzbacher disease, also caused by PLP1 alterations. Our data extend the
      phenotypic spectrum of PLP1-related disorders indicating that normal PLP1/DM20
      alternative splicing is essential for early myelination and support the need to
      include intron 3 in diagnostic sequencing.

PMID- 26125042
TI  - Tablet-based screening improves continence management in multiple sclerosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether electronic continence questionnaires aid early
      identification and optimizes management of sphincter dysfunction in a multiple
      sclerosis clinic. METHODS: A custom designed, tablet-based cross-platform
      software tool was designed to capture validated multiple sclerosis (MS) patient
      reported outcomes. An unselected cohort of MS patients from a tertiary referral
      clinic completed electronic tablet-based versions of the Bladder Control Scale
      (BLCS) and the Bowel Control Scale in the waiting room. Data were captured
      wirelessly "on-the-fly" and stored in a deidentified, secure database; and
      individual questionnaire results were immediately available to the treating
      neurologist in the electronic medical record. Scores of >=2 on either
      questionnaire generated an automated electronic referral to the clinic MS
      continence nurse (MS CN). RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-seven MS patients
      completed a total of 184 electronic continence test sets and on two occasions
      only the BLCS was completed. An automatic electronic referral for formal
      continence review was generated 128 times in 108 patients. Fifty-seven formal
      continence assessments were undertaken by the MS CN following automated referral.
      All reviews resulted in at least one clinical intervention being made.
      INTERPRETATION: Tablet-based data capture and automated continence referral using
      this software tool is an efficient, sensitive, and feasible method of screening
      MS patients for bladder and bowel dysfunction. Concordance with the results of
      formal continence assessment in this pilot study validates the use of this
      technology as a screening tool.

PMID- 26125043
TI  - Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with white matter integrity in aging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Aging is associated with reduced neural integrity, yet there are
      remarkable individual differences in brain health among older adults (OA). One
      factor that may attenuate age-related neural decline is cardiorespiratory fitness
      (CRF). The primary aim of this study was to link CRF to neural white matter
      microstructure using diffusion tensor imaging in OA. METHODS: Young adults (YA; n
      = 32) and OA (n = 27) completed a graded maximal exercise test to evaluate CRF
      and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging to examine neural white matter
      integrity. RESULTS: As expected, pervasive age-related declines in white matter
      integrity were observed when OA were compared to YA. Further, peak VO2 was
      positively associated with fractional anisotropy (FA), an indicator of white
      matter integrity, in multiple brain regions in OA, but not YA. In multiple
      posterior regions such as the splenium, sagittal stratum, posterior corona
      radiata, and superior parietal white matter, FA values were similar in YA and OA
      classified as higher fit, with both groups having greater FA than lower fit OA.
      However, age-related differences in FA values remained in other regions,
      including the body and genu of the corpus callosum, precuneus, and superior
      frontal gyrus. INTERPRETATION: CRF is positively associated with neural white
      matter microstructure in aging. The relationship between peak VO2 and FA appears
      to be tract-specific, as equivalent FA values were observed in higher fit OA and
      YA in some white matter tracts, but not others. Further, the association between
      peak VO2 and FA appears to be age-dependent.

PMID- 26125044
TI  - Torin 1 partially corrects vigabatrin-induced mitochondrial increase in mouse.
AB  - Recent findings in mice with targeted deletion of the GABA-metabolic enzyme
      succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase revealed a new role for supraphysiological
      GABA (4-aminobutyric acid) in the activation of the mechanistic target of
      rapamycin (mTOR) that results in disruption of endogenous mitophagy. Employing
      biochemical and electron microscopic methodology, we examined the hypothesis that
      similar outcomes would be observed during intervention with vigabatrin, whose
      antiepileptic capacity hinges on central nervous system GABA elevation.
      Vigabatrin intervention was associated with significantly enhanced mitochondrial
      numbers and areas in normal mice that could be selectively normalized with the
      rapalog and mechanistic target of rapamycin inhibitor, Torin 1. Moreover, short
      term administration of vigabatrin induced apoptosis and enhanced phosphorylation
      of mechanistic target of rapamycin Ser 2448 in liver. Our results provide new
      insight into adverse outcomes associated with vigabatrin intervention, and the
      first evidence that its administration is associated with increased mitochondrial
      number in central and peripheral tissues that may associate with mechanistic
      target of rapamycin function and enhanced cell death. 

PMID- 26125045
TI  - Intraoperative neurophysiology in deep brain surgery for psychogenic dystonia.
AB  - Psychogenic dystonia is a challenging entity to diagnose and treat because little
      is known about its pathophysiology. We describe two cases of psychogenic dystonia
      who underwent deep brain stimulation when thought to have organic dystonia. The
      intraoperative microelectrode recordings in globus pallidus internus were
      retrospectively compared with those of five patients with known DYT1 dystonia
      using spontaneous discharge parameters of rate and bursting, as well as movement
      related discharges. Our data suggest that simple intraoperative neurophysiology
      measures in single subjects do not differentiate psychogenic dystonia from DYT1
      dystonia. 

PMID- 26125049
TI  - A Framework and Improvements of the Korea Cloud Services Certification System.
AB  - Cloud computing service is an evolving paradigm that affects a large part of the
      ICT industry and provides new opportunities for ICT service providers such as the
      deployment of new business models and the realization of economies of scale by
      increasing efficiency of resource utilization. However, despite benefits of cloud
      services, there are some obstacles to adopt such as lack of assessing and
      comparing the service quality of cloud services regarding availability, security,
      and reliability. In order to adopt the successful cloud service and activate it,
      it is necessary to establish the cloud service certification system to ensure
      service quality and performance of cloud services. This paper proposes a
      framework and improvements of the Korea certification system of cloud service. In
      order to develop it, the critical issues related to service quality, performance,
      and certification of cloud service are identified and the systematic framework
      for the certification system of cloud services and service provider domains are
      developed. Improvements of the developed Korea certification system of cloud
      services are also proposed. 

PMID- 26125047
TI  - The immediate eff ect of the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition  Act on stigma,
      discrimination, and engagement on HIV  prevention and treatment services in men
      who have sex  with men in Nigeria: analysis of prospective data from the  TRUST
      cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In January, 2014, the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act was signed
      into law in Nigeria, further criminalising same-sex sexual relationships. We
      aimed to assess the immediate effect of this prohibition act on stigma,
      discrimination, and engagement in HIV prevention and treatment services in men
      who have sex with men (MSM) in Nigeria. METHODS: The TRUST cohort study uses
      respondent-driven sampling to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of
      engagement of MSM in HIV prevention and treatment services at a clinical site
      located with a community-based organisation trusted by the MSM community. TRUST
      is a prospective implementation research cohort of MSM (>=16 years) in Abuja,
      Nigeria. We compared HIV clinical outcomes and stigma, including fear and
      avoidance of health care, across baseline and quarterly visits before and after
      implementation of the the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act. Outcomes assessed
      were measures of stigma and discrimination, loss to follow-up, antiretroviral
      therapy status, and viral load. We compared outcomes before and after the
      legislation with chi2 statistics, and estimated incident stigma-related events
      and loss to follow-up with Poisson regression. FINDINGS: Between March 19, 2013,
      and Aug 7, 2014, 707 MSM participated in baseline study procedures, contributing
      to 756 before legislation (prelaw) and 420 after legislation (postlaw) visits.
      Reported history of fear of seeking health care was significantly higher in
      postlaw visits than in prelaw visits (n=161 [38%] vs n=187 [25%]; p<0?0001), as
      was avoidance of health care (n=118 [28%] vs n=151 [20%]; p=0?001). In incidence
      analyses, of 192 MSM with follow-up data and no history of an event at baseline,
      reported fear of seeking health care was higher in the postlaw than the prelaw
      period (n=144; incidence rate ratio 2?57, 95% CI 1?29-5?10; p=0?007); loss to
      follow-up and incident healthcare avoidance were similar across periods. Of the
      161 (89%) of 181 HIV-infected MSM with HIV viral loads available, those who had
      disclosed sexual behaviour with a health-care provider were more often virally
      suppressed at baseline than those with no previous disclosure (18 [29%] of 62 vs
      13 [13%] of 99 men; p=0?013). INTERPRETATION: These analyses represent individual
      level, quantitative, real-time prospective data for the health-related effects
      resulting from the enactment of legislation further criminalising same-sex
      practices. The negative effects of HIV treatment and care in MSM reinforce the
      unintended consequences of such legislation on global goals of HIV eradication.
      Strategies to reach MSM less likely to engage in HIV testing and care in highly
      stigmatised environments are needed to reduce time to HIV diagnosis and
      treatment. FUNDING: National Institutes of Health.

PMID- 26125048
TI  - Inhibition of Cyclooxygenase-2 Prevents Chronic and Recurrent Cystitis.
AB  - The spread of multidrug-resistant microorganisms globally has created an urgent
      need for novel therapeutic strategies to combat urinary tract infections (UTIs).
      Immunomodulatory therapy may provide benefit, as treatment of mice with
      dexamethasone during acute UTI improved outcome by reducing the development of
      chronic cystitis, which predisposes to recurrent infection. Here we discovered
      soluble biomarkers engaged in myeloid cell development and chemotaxis that were
      predictive of future UTI recurrence when elevated in the sera of young women with
      UTI. Translation of these findings revealed that temperance of the neutrophil
      response early during UTI, and specifically disruption of bladder epithelial
      transmigration of neutrophils by inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2, protected mice
      against chronic and recurrent cystitis. Further, proteomics identified bladder
      epithelial remodeling consequent to chronic infection that enhances sensitivity
      to neutrophil damage. Thus, cyclooxygenase-2 expression during acute UTI is a
      critical molecular trigger determining disease outcome and drugs targeting
      cyclooxygenase-2 could prevent recurrent UTI. 

PMID- 26125050
TI  - (Fuzzy) Ideals of BN-Algebras.
AB  - The notions of an ideal and a fuzzy ideal in BN-algebras are introduced. The
      properties and characterizations of them are investigated. The concepts of normal
      ideals and normal congruences of a BN-algebra are also studied, the properties of
      them are displayed, and a one-to-one correspondence between them is presented.
      Conditions for a fuzzy set to be a fuzzy ideal are given. The relationships
      between ideals and fuzzy ideals of a BN-algebra are established. The homomorphic
      properties of fuzzy ideals of a BN-algebra are provided. Finally,
      characterizations of Noetherian BN-algebras and Artinian BN-algebras via fuzzy
      ideals are obtained. 

PMID- 26125052
TI  - Erratum: Back to Back column in our March 2015 issue.

PMID- 26125051
TI  - Time for a change of guard.

PMID- 26125053
TI  - A drug by any other name... generic and brand-name drugs are clinically
      equivalent.

PMID- 26125054
TI  - The impact on health outcome measures of switching to generic medicines
      consequent to reference pricing: the case of olanzapine in New Zealand.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: New Zealand's Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) manages
      the list of medicines available for prescribing with government subsidy, within a
      fixed annual medicines budget. PHARMAC achieves this through a mix of pricing
      strategies including reference pricing. In 2011, PHARMAC applied generic
      reference pricing to olanzapine tablets. AIM: This study sought to evaluate
      change in outcome measures of patients switching from originator to generic
      olanzapine consequent to the introduction of the policy. METHODS: A retrospective
      study using national health data collections was conducted. Outcome measures
      included medicines indicators (change in dosage, concomitant therapy and
      treatment cessation), health care service indicators (use of emergency
      departments, hospitals and specialist services), surveillance reports of adverse
      events, and mortality. RESULTS: Subsequent to the removal of funding for
      originator brand olanzapine tablets, 99.7% of patients meeting the inclusion
      criteria switched to using generic olanzapine. Limited case reports of suspected
      therapeutic loss were received in the study time period. No increase in use of
      additional oral or injectable antipsychotic medication was observed after
      switching, nor any increase in other unique, non-antipsychotic prescription
      items. However, a high incidence of multiple switching between available brands
      was found. No net impact of switching brands on health service utilisation or
      mortality was found. DISCUSSION: The study shows that a switch can be made safely
      from originator olanzapine to a generic brand, and suggests that switching to
      generics should generally be viewed more positively. Generic reference pricing
      achieves considerable savings and, as a pricing policy, could be applied more
      widely.

PMID- 26125055
TI  - Prevalence of intimate partner violence disclosed during routine screening in a
      large general practice.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Domestic violence in its myriad shapes and forms is a crime
      affecting every level of society. Gaining a true understanding of intimate
      partner violence (IPV) victimology allows for the meaningful provision of
      intervention services. AIM: To explore the prevalence of IPV disclosure during
      routine screening in a large general practice in provincial New Zealand. METHODS:
      Data were collected from 13 October 2008 to 30 June 2014 from 6827 individuals
      screened for IPV on 10 062 occasions and were analysed relative to age,
      ethnicity, gender, screening outcome, screener and health centre enrolled status.
      RESULTS: Analysis indicated an overall ever-positive disclosure rate of IPV of
      11.1%, lower than New Zealand studies that place ever-positive prevalence as high
      as 78%. Maori women disclosed an ever-positive rate of 21.6%, Pacific women
      13.2%, compared to 8.9% for NZ European/Other women. Casual patients positively
      disclosed in 13.7% of instances as opposed to enrolled patients in 10.5%.
      Disclosure of past abuse was made 1.3 times more often than that of a current
      abusive situation. Those aged between 16 and 65 years disclosed an ever-positive
      rate >=10%. While nurses screened 5.5 times more patients than doctors, the
      doctors facilitated a higher percentage of positive disclosures than the nurses.
      DISCUSSION: Disclosure rates from a general practice setting do not mirror those
      of population studies or administrative datasets due to differences in samples
      and data collection methods. Routine annual screening is effective, with both
      doctors and nurses providing support for approximately equal numbers of patients
      in immediate danger.

PMID- 26125057
TI  - Self-reported health-related quality of life of mental health service users with
      serious mental illness in New Zealand.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although people with serious mental illness (SMI) have a high
      prevalence of physical illness, health-related quality of life (HQoL) has not
      been sufficiently explored. AIM: To explore the self-reported HQoL of mental
      health service users in New Zealand. METHODS: Responses on the Medical Outcomes
      Study 36 Item Short Form (SF-36) measure of HQoL from 404 adult mental health
      service users in a metropolitan district health board area in New Zealand were
      analysed and compared to a representative sample of the general population.
      RESULTS: Mental health service users scored significantly lower on all eight
      domains of the SF-36 than the general population, the largest difference being in
      the role limitation-emotional domain. DISCUSSION: Being female, younger than 25,
      obese or overweight, or of New Zealand European/Other ethnicity were associated
      with poorer functioning on multiple HQoL domains. Future studies should seek to
      understand the factors contributing to perceptions of HQoL of mental health
      service users in New Zealand.

PMID- 26125056
TI  - Investigation of fatigue by Australian general practice registrars: a cross
      sectional study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Fatigue is the most common undifferentiated problem presenting in
      general practice. Previous studies have shown that this presentation leads to
      multiple investigations. There is no published literature describing the
      management of patients with fatigue by general practice (GP) registrars. AIM: To
      document the investigation-ordering behaviour of GP registrars in managing
      patients with a new diagnosis of unexplained fatigue. METHODS: This was a cross
      sectional analysis of data from Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training
      (ReCEnT), an ongoing cohort study of GP registrars' consultations. We established
      the prevalence of new diagnoses of unexplained fatigue and associations with that
      diagnosis, the rate of test ordering and the number and types of investigations
      ordered. RESULTS: 644 registrars contributed data from 68 986 encounters. In
      0.78% of patient encounters, a new diagnosis of unexplained fatigue was made.
      Pathology was ordered in 78.4% of these problems (versus 18.1% in non-fatigue
      problems), at a rate of 488 tests per 100 new fatigue problems. DISCUSSION: Our
      study suggests that unexplained fatigue elicits a non-rational approach to test
      ordering by registrars. These findings contribute to the understanding of GP
      registrar management of fatigue, and undifferentiated presentations more broadly,
      and suggest educational approaches to improve practice, including dealing with
      uncertainty.

PMID- 26125058
TI  - How and why patients use acupuncture: an interpretive phenomenological study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The usual drivers of health care provision, namely efficacy and
      cost, might be expected to drive down the use of Complementary and Alternative
      Medicines (CAMs), given the relative paucity of evidence of efficacy for many
      CAMs. Usage of CAMs remains extensive and little attention has been given to
      explaining this paradox. This paper explores how patients integrate acupuncture,
      as a CAMs exemplar, within their personal schemes of health care. METHODS: An
      interpretive phenomenological approach underpinned the inquiry, which gathered
      data from in-depth interviews with 12 participants who had recently consulted
      acupuncturists. Thematic analysis was conducted using a constant comparison
      methodology. FINDINGS: Participants mostly accessed acupuncture for
      musculoskeletal and pain-related conditions. Usage was often initially motivated
      by dissatisfaction with conventional health care, perceptions that the source of
      the problem had not been addressed, and sometimes was due to negative experiences
      with medical professionals. Previous positive outcomes with acupuncture motivated
      more extensive use, as did personal health ideologies. Acupuncture was viewed to
      be appropriate for treating chronic and quality of life health issues, while
      treatment-associated cost was identified as a barrier to access. CONCLUSIONS:
      CAMs usage has been explained variously by 'push' and 'pull' factors; however,
      this study has shown that reasons for patient use of acupuncture may be complex
      and change over time. This qualitative study suggests that acupuncture fulfils
      specific health needs unmet in conventional health care, but also that patients
      view CAMs treatment as part of a broader and more pluralistic scheme of health
      care.

PMID- 26125059
TI  - Patient expectations for chronic pain management.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: In New Zealand, one in six people report chronic pain, but the
      literature indicates only a 30% pain reduction is typically achieved in about
      half of treated patients. Most patients expecting a cure of their pain, or even
      substantial pain reduction, are therefore likely to be disappointed. It is
      important to align patient expectations with this reality. METHODS: This study
      analysed the responses of 250 patients referred to a Pain Management Centre to
      the free-text question: 'What are your main goals or reasons for attending the
      Pain Management Centre?' Free-text comments were analysed using ethnographic
      content analysis, an inductive approach in which the themes and subthemes are not
      predetermined, but emerge from the data during analysis, and thus reflect the
      issues of importance to patients themselves. FINDINGS: Three themes emerged from
      the analysis: patients' desire to understand their pain, regain 'normality', and
      concerns about medication. Responses were divided into those with an expectation
      of cure, and those who seemed to be more accepting of their pain and who desired
      management. CONCLUSION: Patients hope to return to what they perceive as normal
      and to have clear, relevant information about their diagnosis, prognosis and
      medications. Those desiring cure, or significant pain reduction, present more of
      a challenge to their general practitioners and the Pain Management Centre. When
      referring a patient for chronic pain management, there is a need to align patient
      expectations at the point of referral with what can realistically be achieved.

PMID- 26125060
TI  - Midlife safer sex challenges for heterosexual New Zealand women re-partnering or
      in casual relationships.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) amongst midlife
      and older heterosexual women in New Zealand is rising. Popular culture celebrates
      a heightened sexuality for this population group. However, depictions of sexually
      savvy 'cougars' are at odds with reality for many women. International literature
      highlights that these women are often ill-equipped to negotiate safer sex and
      condom use, instead focusing on pleasing men and attributing their silence to
      spontaneity. The study aimed to explore barriers to safer heterosexual sex as
      perceived by midlife and older New Zealand women who are re-partnering or in
      casual relationships. METHODS: This qualitative study utilised Interpretive
      Phenomenology Analysis, supported by the theory of gender and power, to examine
      the gender-normative assumptions and behaviours in women's accounts of
      unprotected sex. Eight single women aged 40-69 participated in individual, in
      depth interviews. This exploration included eliciting women's accounts of
      potential information resources, such as clinical consultations. FINDINGS:
      Analysis indicated that these women held misconceptions about STI transmission
      but had not sought educational material, nor discussed their sexual health with
      health professionals. Results highlighted women's ambivalence about prioritising
      safer sex, preferring to comply with partners' wishes, particularly when under
      the influence of alcohol. Women described valuing their own pleasure and their
      distaste for condom use, but data emphasised that women predominantly aligned
      their choices with men's preferences. CONCLUSION: This study highlights that the
      women were both ill-informed and vulnerable with regards to sexual health.
      General practitioners are well placed to provide education and sexual health
      advice.

PMID- 26125061
TI  - Dunedin's free clinic: an exploration of its model of care using case study
      methodology.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Models of care are important therapeutic modalities for achieving
      the goals of health care teams, but they are seldom explicitly stated or
      investigated. AIM: To describe the model of care at Dunedin's free clinic, and
      assess whether this model catered to the particular needs of enrolled patients.
      METHODS: A mixed methods study was conducted using case study methodology to
      construct the clinic's model of care from multiple data sources, and to create a
      profile of patients' needs. A nested case study of patients with diabetes
      examined patients' social vulnerability characteristics. The pattern matching
      analytic technique was used to assess the degree of alignment between the model
      of care and patients' needs. RESULTS: Patients were not only high users of both
      primary and secondary health care, but also of justice and social welfare sector
      services. The care of patients with diabetes was complicated by coexisting social
      vulnerability and medical comorbidities. Surveyed patients placed high value on
      interpersonal dimensions of care, the Christian ethos of the clinic, and the
      wider range of services available. DISCUSSION: This study suggests a degree of
      'fit' between the clinic's model of care and the needs of enrolled patients. A
      model of care that caters to the needs of patients with complex needs is
      important for securing their engagement in health services.

PMID- 26125062
TI  - Health promotion funding, workforce recruitment and turnover in New Zealand.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Almost a decade on from the New Zealand Primary Health Care
      Strategy and amidst concerns about funding of health promotion, we undertook a
      nationwide survey of health promotion providers. AIM: To identify trends in
      recruitment and turnover in New Zealand's health promotion workforce. METHODS:
      Surveys were sent to 160 organisations identified as having a health focus and
      employing one or more health promoter. Respondents, primarily health promotion
      managers, were asked to report budget, retention and hiring data for 1 July 2009
      through 1 July 2010. RESULTS: Responses were received from 53% of organisations.
      Among respondents, government funding for health promotion declined by 6.3% in
      the year ended July 2010 and health promoter positions decreased by 7.5%
      (equalling 36.6 full-time equivalent positions). Among staff who left their
      roles, 79% also left the field of health promotion. Forty-two organisations (52%)
      reported employing health promoters on time-limited contracts of three years or
      less; this employment arrangement was particularly common in public health units
      (80%) and primary health organisations (57%). Among new hires, 46% (n=55) were
      identified as Maori. DISCUSSION: Low retention of health promoters may reflect
      the common use of limited-term employment contracts, which allow employers to
      alter staffing levels as funding changes. More than half the surveyed primary
      health organisations reported using fixed-term employment contracts. This may
      compromise health promotion understanding, culture and institutional memory in
      these organisations. New Zealand's commitment to addressing ethnic inequalities
      in health outcomes was evident in the high proportion of Maori who made up new
      hires.

PMID- 26125063
TI  - New Zealand doctors should be allowed to prescribe cannabis for pain: Yes.

PMID- 26125064
TI  - New Zealand doctors should be allowed to prescribe cannabis for pain: No.

PMID- 26125065
TI  - Ageing is not for the faint-hearted: are we making it worse? Polypharmacy-related
      harm in the elderly.

PMID- 26125066
TI  - Poverty, medicines and health care: It's the little things....
AB  - Small patient charges and policies and events that may seem minor to health care
      professionals can have a big impact on the wellbeing of people living in poverty.
      Despite good intentions, policies can have unintended consequences for those who
      are struggling to access health care.

PMID- 26125067
TI  - Health literacy and patient portals.
AB  - Health literacy has been described as the capacity to obtain, process, and
      understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate
      health decisions. Improving health literacy may serve to promote concordance with
      therapy, engage patients in their own health care, and improve health outcomes.
      Patient portal technology aims at enabling patients and families to have easy
      access to key information in their own medical records and to communicate with
      their health care providers electronically. However, there is a gap in our
      understanding of how portals will improve patient outcome. The authors believe
      patient portal technology presents an opportunity to improve patient concordance
      with prescribed therapy, if adequate support is provided to equip patients (and
      family/carers) with the knowledge needed to utilise the health information
      available via the portals. Research is needed to understand what a health
      consumer will use patient portals for and how to support a user to realise the
      technology's potential. 

PMID- 26125068
TI  - Nickel-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of conjugated olefins.
AB  - Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of electron-deficient olefins is realized with
      nickel catalysts supported by strongly sigma-donating bisphosphines. Deuterium
      labeling experiments point to a reaction sequence of formate decarboxylation,
      asymmetric hydride insertion and non-stereoselective protonation of resulting
      nickel enolates. 

PMID- 26125069
TI  - An in situ self-developed graphite as high capacity anode of lithium-ion
      batteries.
AB  - Graphite with a large inter-planar distance (0.357 nm) was obtained from pig
      bone. It delivered an improving specific capacity which increased continuously to
      538 mA h g(-1) at 1 A g(-1) after 1000 cycles. With microscopic characterization,
      it has been found that the pig-bone-based graphite was exfoliated to graphene
      during the charge-discharge process. 

PMID- 26125070
TI  - Plasmonic Ge-doped ZnO nanocrystals.
AB  - We present the first colloidal synthesis of Ge-doped ZnO nanocrystals, which are
      produced by a scalable method that uses only air and moisture stable precursors.
      The incorporation of tetravalent Ge ions within ZnO nanocrystals generates a
      surface plasmon resonance in the near-mid infrared, and induces a change in
      morphology, from isotropic spheroidal nanocrystals to rod-like, elongated
      structures with a distinctive c-axis orientation. 

PMID- 26125072
TI  - 2014 Pitkin Award and 2014 Kaminetzky  Prize Paper.

PMID- 26125073
TI  - Reply to RP Glahn.

PMID- 26125074
TI  - Reply to Brown et al.

PMID- 26125075
TI  - Reply to Conlon et al.

PMID- 26125077
TI  - New Strategies to Address Critical Challenges.

PMID- 26125078
TI  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology. EDITOR'S PAGE.

PMID- 26125079
TI  - A New Measure of Research Participant  Burden: Brief Report.
AB  - Effective conceptualizations of research burden should address indirect burdens
      related to research duration, intensity, and invasiveness. Introducing the
      concept of perceived research burden, we developed, tested, and validated a new
      instrument, the Perceived Research Burden Assessment (PeRBA). Initial
      psychometric evaluation of PeRBA reveals good internal consistency, evidence of
      face validity, and acceptable convergent and discriminant validity.

PMID- 26125080
TI  - [Between dog and wolf].

PMID- 26125081
TI  - [Self neglect at the center of nursing care. "How can one live like this" ].

PMID- 26125082
TI  - Development of Safe and Effective Botanical Dietary Supplements.
AB  - Regulated differently than drugs or foods, the market for botanical dietary
      supplements continues to grow worldwide. The recently implemented U.S. FDA
      regulation that all botanical dietary supplements must be produced using good
      manufacturing practice is an important step toward enhancing the safety of these
      products, but additional safeguards could be implemented, and unlike drugs, there
      are currently no efficacy requirements. To ensure a safe and effective product,
      botanical dietary supplements should be developed in a manner analogous to
      pharmaceuticals that involves identification of mechanisms of action and active
      constituents, chemical standardization based on the active compounds, biological
      standardization based on pharmacological activity, preclinical evaluation of
      toxicity and potential for drug-botanical interactions, metabolism of active
      compounds, and finally, clinical studies of safety and efficacy. Completing these
      steps will enable the translation of botanicals from the field to safe human use
      as dietary supplements. 

PMID- 26125083
TI  - Hydroxyl-Directed Cross-Coupling: A Scalable Synthesis of Debromohamigeran E and
      Other Targets of Interest.
AB  - A hydroxyl functional group positioned beta to a pinacol boronate can serve to
      direct palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. This feature can be used to
      control the reaction site in multiply borylated substrates and can activate
      boronates for reaction that would otherwise be unreactive. 

PMID- 26125084
TI  - Antipsychotic-Induced Movement Disorder: Screening via Telemental Health.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this brief report is to make clinical and research
      recommendations to advance current knowledge and practices related to the
      assessment of antipsychotic drug-induced movement disorders (DIMDs) via live
      interactive videoconferencing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors provide an
      overview of the frequent neurological side effects of antipsychotic drugs and
      review relevant telemedicine research. DIMD prevention is critical, but these
      disorders remain underdetected and under-reported. Although there are not yet
      formal recommendations for specific screening tools or screening frequency,
      baseline and annual assessments are generally agreed-upon minimums. As DIMD
      awareness increases and more specific guidelines are developed to steer
      assessments, telemental health may aid practitioners in efficiently and regularly
      monitoring onset and severity. Research shows that videoconferencing can be used
      for effective psychiatric treatments and assessment, with at least one study
      validating the use of videoconference assessment for a subset of movement
      disorders. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Clinical recommendations include developing
      practice-level protocols and procedures that include regular DIMD assessment
      (either in-person or via telemedicine) for the full spectrum of possible movement
      disorders for all patients taking antipsychotic medications. Research and
      evaluation recommendations include replicating and expanding upon the existing
      study using videoconferencing to assess movement disorder symptoms, using
      asynchronous telemental health assessments of DIMDs, and pilot-testing facial and
      movement recognition software to allow for clinical comparison of patients'
      movement patterns over time.

PMID- 26125085
TI  - IMPACT OF OBESITY ON ENDOTOXIN-INDUCED DISSEMINATED INTRAVASCULAR COAGULATION.
AB  - An early activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis occurs during sepsis, leading
      to the syndrome of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Obesity has been
      demonstrated to be a hypercoagulable and hypofibrinolytic state, but its impact
      on DIC has never been studied. In this study, we aimed to determine if obesity
      impairs DIC in an acute endotoxic shock model using minipigs. This was a
      prospective, comparative, and experimental ancillary study approved by the Animal
      Ethics Committee. Pigs were chosen as a clinically relevant species, resembling
      humans in coagulation reactions. Four groups of five "Yucatan" minipigs were
      studied: lean and obese control groups, a lean lipopolysaccharide (LPS) group
      receiving Escherichia coli endotoxin (LPS), and an obese LPS group receiving the
      same endotoxin dose. We measured standard coagulation parameters (prothrombin
      time [PT], platelet count, and fibrinogen levels), thrombin-antithrombin
      complexes, tissue-type plasminogen activator, and plasminogen activator inhibitor
      1. All measurements were performed at baseline and 30, 60, 90, 150, and 300 min.
      Results were given as median with interquartile ranges. At baseline, platelet
      count (477 [428 - 532] G/L vs. 381 [307 - 442] G/L; P = 0.005) and fibrinogen
      levels (4.6 [3.8 - 5.2] g/L vs. 2 [1.8 - 2.9] g/L; P < 0.001) were significantly
      higher, whereas PT (80% [76% - 92%] vs. 96% [89% - 100%]; P = 0.01) was
      significantly lower in obese pigs compared with lean pigs. In the LPS groups,
      administration of endotoxin resulted in a typical hypokinetic shock with DIC. The
      decrease in coagulation parameters (PT, platelet count, and fibrinogen levels)
      and the increase in thrombin-antithrombin complexes (581 [382 - 1,057] MUg/mL vs.
      247 [125 - 369] MUg/mL at 150 min; P = 0.03) were significantly more important in
      the obese LPS group compared with those in the lean LPS group. Concerning the
      fibrinolytic reaction, we found a slightly more elevated increase of plasminogen
      activator inhibitor-1 in the obese LPS group at 300 min (481 [365 - 617] ng/mL
      vs. 355 [209 - 660] ng/mL; P = 0.66). In our model of endotoxic shock, obese pigs
      developed a more severe DIC with a more severe procoagulant response. 

PMID- 26125086
TI  - ANGIOGENESIS INHIBITOR ENDOSTATIN PROTECTS MICE WITH SEPSIS FROM MULTIPLE ORGAN
      DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME.
AB  - Endostatin is an endogenous inhibitor of vascular endothelium. It can inhibit
      endothelial cell migration, proliferation, and vascular angiogenesis and is
      mainly used for anticancer therapy. We have previously found that endostatin is
      an important node protein in the pathogenesis of sepsis. However, its impacts on
      sepsis have not yet been reported. We established a septic mouse model using
      cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and gave the mice either endostatin or placebo
      (saline). The effects of endostatin on serum enzyme, Evans blue leakage, lung wet
      to-dry weight ratio, and cytokine (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1beta
      [IL-1beta], and IL-6) production were assessed. Survival rates were observed for
      up to 3 days. In addition, we examined the effects of endostatin on serum
      vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), VEGF-C, and pathological changes
      and scores of lung tissues as well as the phosphorylation of JNK, p38, and ERKl/2
      proteins in lung tissues of mice with sepsis. We found that endostatin can
      increase the survival of septic mice in a time- and dose-dependent manner
      probably by reducing multiorgan dysfunctions shown by serum indicators,
      morphologic changes, Evans blue leakage, wet-to-dry weight ratio, and
      inflammation of lung tissues. In addition, endostatin could reduce serum tumor
      necrosis factor alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, and VEGF-C levels in septic mice as well
      as inhibit phosphorylation of p38 and ERK1/2 in lung tissues of septic mice. This
      is the first study demonstrating the protective effect of endostatin on sepsis
      and its possible underlying mechanisms from the aspects of inhibiting
      inflammatory responses, blocking VEGF receptor, attenuating VEGF-C expression,
      and reducing vascular permeability. Overall, the study revealed the potential
      protect role for endostatin in the treatment of sepsis. 

PMID- 26125087
TI  - NOREPINEPHRINE: NOT TOO MUCH, TOO LONG.
AB  - The study was designed to assess whether high dosages of norepinephrine are
      associated with increased death rate and to determine the dosage of
      norepinephrine associated with an intensive care unit (ICU) death rate greater
      than 90%. We conducted a retrospective, noninterventional, observational study in
      a single ICU (15 beds) of an academic hospital. From January 2009 to May 2013,
      data of all patients with a diagnosis of septic shock were extracted from our
      database. Data were collected at the time of the admission in ICU, at the onset
      of septic shock, and when the maximal posology of norepinephrine was reached.
      Mortality was assessed in ICU, in hospital, and at day 90. Among the 324 patients
      with septic shock, the death rate was 48%. The death rate reached 90% for the
      quantile of patients receiving more than 1 MUg/kg per minute of norepinephrine.
      In our cohort, four independent factors associated with mortality were
      identified: age (odds ratio, 1.02 [95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.04]; P =
      0.02), thrombocytopenia (odds ratio, 3.8 [95% confidence interval, 1.8-8.5]; P <
      0.001), urine output less than 500 mL (odds ratio, 8.7 [95% confidence interval,
      3.6-25]; P < 0.001), and dosage of norepinephrine greater than 1 MUg/kg per
      minute (odds ratio, 9.7 [95% confidence interval, 4.5-23]; P < 0.001). However,
      because of the study's design, unmeasured confounding factors should be taken
      into account in our findings. 

PMID- 26125090
TI  - Copper-/Cobalt-Catalyzed Highly Selective Radical Dioxygenation of Alkenes.
AB  - A highly selective radical dioxygenation of alkenes using hydroxamic acid and O2
      was developed, and copper/cobalt was used as the catalyst without assistance of
      any additional ligands or bases. Mechanistic investigation disclosed that copper
      salt and O2 work in concert to activate hydroxamic acid, with Cu(I) and Cu(II)
      concurrently existing in this reaction. 

PMID- 26125091
TI  - Healthcare professionals' stigmatization of men with anabolic androgenic steroid
      use and eating disorders.
AB  - Building upon previous research on the stigmatization of individuals with eating
      disorders (EDs), the present study sought to evaluate healthcare providers'
      attitudes toward male anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) users. Healthcare
      providers (N=148) were first randomly assigned to read one of four vignettes
      describing a male AAS user, ED patient, cocaine user, or healthy control. Each
      provider then rated, on a scale of -3 to +3, how strongly either word in one of
      22 word-pairs described his or her feelings toward the person described in the
      vignette. Results indicated that providers perceived the ED and AAS use patients
      less favorably than the cocaine user or healthy adult, suggesting that the two
      groups may be stigmatized by health providers. Given the psychiatric and medical
      risks associated with AAS use and EDs, reducing bias may help reduce the personal
      suffering and public health burden related to these behaviors. 

PMID- 26125088
TI  - ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS IN SEPSIS.
AB  - Sepsis is an enormous public health issue and the leading cause of death in
      critically ill patients in intensive care units. Overwhelming inflammation,
      characterized by cytokine storm, oxidative threats, and neutrophil sequestration,
      is an underlying component of sepsis-associated organ failure. Despite recent
      advances in sepsis research, there is still no effective treatment available
      beyond the standard of care and supportive therapy. To reduce sepsis-related
      mortality, a better understanding of the biological mechanism associated with
      sepsis is essential. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a subcellular organelle, is
      responsible for the facilitation of protein folding and assembly and involved in
      several other physiological activities. Under stress and inflammatory conditions,
      ER loses homeostasis in its function, which is termed ER stress. During ER
      stress, unfolded protein response (UPR) is activated to restore ER function to
      its normal balance. However, once stress is beyond the compensatory capacity of
      UPR or protracted, apoptosis would be initiated by triggering cell injuries, even
      cell death. As such, ER stress and UPR are reported to be implicated in several
      pathological and inflammatory conditions. Although the detrimental role of ER
      stress during infections has been demonstrated, there is growing evidence that ER
      stress participates in the pathogenesis of sepsis. In this review, we summarize
      current research in the context of ER stress and UPR signaling associated with
      sepsis and its related clinical conditions, such as trauma-hemorrhage and
      ischemia/reperfusion injury. We also discuss the potential implications of ER
      stress as a novel therapeutic target and prognostic marker in patients with
      sepsis. 

PMID- 26125092
TI  - Quantitative Evaluation of Peptide-Material Interactions by a Force Mapping
      Method: Guidelines for Surface Modification.
AB  - Peptide coatings on material surfaces have demonstrated wide application across
      materials science and biotechnology, facilitating the development of nanobio
      interfaces through surface modification. A guiding motivation in the field is to
      engineer peptides with a high and selective binding affinity to target materials.
      Herein, we introduce a quantitative force mapping method in order to evaluate the
      binding affinity of peptides to various hydrophilic oxide materials by atomic
      force microscopy (AFM). Statistical analysis of adhesion forces and probabilities
      obtained on substrates with a materials contrast enabled us to simultaneously
      compare the peptide binding affinity to different materials. On the basis of the
      experimental results and corresponding theoretical analysis, we discuss the role
      of various interfacial forces in modulating the strength of peptide attachment to
      hydrophilic oxide solid supports as well as to gold. The results emphasize the
      precision and robustness of our approach to evaluating the adhesion strength of
      peptides to solid supports, thereby offering guidelines to improve the design and
      fabrication of peptide-coated materials. 

PMID- 26125093
TI  - Evaluating the Effects of an Interdisciplinary Practice Model with Pharmacist
      Collaboration on HIV Patient Co-Morbidities.
AB  - Treatment of HIV now occurs largely within the primary care setting, and the
      principal focus of most visits has become the management of chronic disease
      states. The clinical pharmacist's potential role in improving chronic disease
      outcomes for HIV patients is unknown. A retrospective cohort study was performed
      for HIV-positive patients also diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, or
      hyperlipidemia. Characteristics and outcomes in 96 patients treated by an
      interdisciplinary team that included a clinical pharmacist (i.e., the
      intervention group) were compared to those in 50 patients treated by an
      individual healthcare provider (i.e., the control group). Primary outcomes were
      changes from baseline over 18 months of HbA1c, low density lipoprotein (LDL), and
      blood pressure, respectively. Secondary outcomes included number of drug-drug
      interactions, HIV viral load, CD4 count, percent change in smoking status, and
      percent of patients treated to cardiovascular guideline recommendations. The
      interdisciplinary team had a significant improvement in lipid management over the
      control group (LDL: -8.8 vs. +8.4 mg/dL; p=0.014), and the smoking cessation rate
      over the study period was doubled in the interdisciplinary group (20.4% vs.
      11.8%). Among those with an indication for aspirin, a significantly higher
      percentage of patients were prescribed the medication in the interdisciplinary
      group compared to the control group (85.5% vs. 64.9%; p=0.014). An informal cost
      analysis estimated savings of more than $3000 per patient treated by the
      interdisciplinary team. Based on these results, pharmacist involvement in an HIV
      primary care clinic appears to lead to more appropriate management of chronic co
      morbidities in a cost-effective manner. 

PMID- 26125094
TI  - Interplay between spin-orbit coupling and crystal-field effect in topological
      insulators.
AB  - Band inversion, one of the key signatures of time-reversal invariant topological
      insulators (TIs), arises mostly due to the spin-orbit (SO) coupling. Here, based
      on ab initio density-functional calculations, we report a theoretical
      investigation of the SO-driven band inversion in isostructural bismuth and
      antimony chalcogenide TIs from the viewpoint of its interplay with the crystal
      field effect. We calculate the SO-induced energy shift of states in the top
      valence and bottom conduction manifolds and reproduce this behavior using a
      simple one-atom model adjusted to incorporate the crystal-field effect. The
      crystal-field splitting is shown to compete with the SO coupling, that is,
      stronger crystal-field splitting leads to weaker SO band shift. We further show
      how both these effects can be controlled by changing the chemical composition,
      whereas the crystal-field splitting can be tuned by means of uniaxial strain.
      These results provide a practical guidance to the rational design of novel TIs as
      well as to controlling the properties of existing materials. 

PMID- 26125095
TI  - Selecting Patients for Endocervical Curettage.

PMID- 26125096
TI  - Impact of Possibly Oncogenic High-Risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Types in Triage
      for ASC-US Cervical Cytology Results.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Current guidelines recommend including 13 or 14 high-risk human
      papillomavirus (HPV) types for triage of atypical squamous cells of undetermined
      significance (ASC-US) cervical cytology; however, at least 13 additional types
      are considered possibly oncogenic. We evaluated the effect of including possibly
      oncogenic HPV types in the test panel. METHODS: Outcomes for all women 30 years
      or older with ASC-US and positive HPV testing who underwent colposcopic biopsy at
      University of Washington Medical Center-affiliated clinics between 2010 and 2011
      were reviewed. We compared biopsy results between cases that were HPV positive
      for 1 or more of 13 possibly oncogenic types only
      (26/53/55/62/64/67/69/71/73/82/83/84/IS39) versus 1 or more of the 14 established
      high-risk types (16/18/31/33/35/39/45/51/52/56/58/59/66/68). We used the Fisher
      exact test to compare cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or higher
      (CIN2+) diagnoses between HPV risk groups. RESULTS: Three hundred twenty-six ASC
      US HPV-positive cervical cytology results were identified, with 170 that were
      linked to subsequent cervical biopsy results. Among 51 cases positive for
      possibly oncogenic types only, 31 (61%) had no neoplasia, 20 (39%) had CIN1, and
      none had CIN2+. Among 119 controls positive for at least one established high
      risk type, 64 (53%) had no neoplasia, 42 (35%) had CIN1, and 13 (11%) had CIN2+
      (p = .01 for the comparison of CIN2+ diagnoses between groups). CONCLUSIONS: The
      inclusion of possibly oncogenic types in the HPV test panel led to an additional
      51 colposcopy biopsies (33% increase), with no additional cases of CIN 2+. Our
      results suggest that including possibly oncogenic HPV types increases the number
      of colposcopy biopsies with minimal improvements in detection of CIN2 +.

PMID- 26125098
TI  - Sub-0.5 nm equivalent oxide thickness scaling for Si-doped Zr1-xHfxO2 thin film
      without using noble metal electrode.
AB  - The dielectric properties of the Si-doped Zr1-xHfxO2 thin films were investigated
      over a broad compositional range with the goal of improving their properties for
      use as DRAM capacitor materials. The Si-doped Zr1-xHfxO2 thin films were
      deposited on TiN bottom electrodes by atomic layer deposition using a TEMA
      Zr/TEMA-Hf mixture precursor for deposition of Zr1-xHfxO2 film and Tris-EMASiH as
      a Si precursor. The Si stabilizer increased the tetragonality and the dielectric
      constant; however, at high fractions of Si, the crystal structure degraded to
      amorphous and the dielectric constant decreased. Doping with Si exhibited a
      larger influence on the dielectric constant at higher Hf content. A Si-doped Hf
      rich Zr1-xHfxO2 thin film, with tetragonal structure, exhibited a dielectric
      constant of about 50. This is the highest value among all reported results for Zr
      and Hf oxide systems, and equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) value of under 0.5 nm
      could be obtained with a leakage current of under 10(-7) A.cm(-2), which is the
      lowest EOT value ever reported for a DRAM storage capacitor system without using
      a noble-metal-based electrode. 

PMID- 26125097
TI  - The Effect of Cryotherapy on Human Papillomavirus Clearance Among HIV-Positive
      Women in Lusaka, Zambia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the progression of human papillomaviruses
      (HPV) infection in HIV-positive women after cryotherapy. METHODS: We examined
      changes in detection of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) cervical infections among HIV
      infected women over a 12-week period after cryotherapy using stored specimens
      from a cohort study conducted between June 2009 and March 2011 in Lusaka, Zambia.
      Samples from visits at baseline and weeks 4, 8, and 12 were tested using the
      Roche Linear Array assay. RESULTS: A total of 89 women were included in the
      analysis. The median age was 32 years (interquartile range [IQR], 28-36 years).
      The median CD4+ cell count was 350 cells/MUL (IQR, 214-470 cells/MUL), and 66% of
      women were receiving antiretroviral therapy. At baseline, the prevalence of hrHPV
      was 91% (95% confidence interval [CI], 83%-95%). HPV45 was the most common HPV
      type, present in (30%) women, followed by HPV16 (27%), HPV18 (27%), HPV51 (20%),
      and HPV58 (22%). Among women with valid results both at baseline and 12 weeks,
      25% (17/67) cleared their initial hrHPV infection within 12 weeks of treatment,
      although 65% (11/17) had new hrHPV types detected. CONCLUSIONS: Cryotherapy led
      to clearance of 25% of hrHPV infections within 12 weeks of treatment. However,
      hrHPV infection remained persistent in most women, and new hrHPV types were
      detected often, explaining the high rate of persistence and recurrence of
      cervical disease in this population. Continued efforts to scale up HPV
      vaccination and cervical screening should remain a priority in high HIV burden
      settings such as Zambia.

PMID- 26125099
TI  - Pleural effusion levels of DJ-1 are increased in elderly lung cancer patients
      with malignant pleural effusions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: DJ-1 is a multifunctional protein implicated in redox dependent cell
      fate decisions. The aim of our study was to determine the pleural fluid (PF)
      levels of DJ-1 in malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) secondary to lung cancer.
      Additionally, we opted to assess potential correlations of DJ-1 PF levels with
      the PF levels of superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) and 8-isoprostane that are known
      antioxidant enzymes and have been previously reported in MPEs. METHODS: Forty
      lung cancer patients with cytological proof of MPE were enrolled in this study.
      The PF levels of DJ-1, SOD1, and 8-isoprostane were measured by means of enzyme
      linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The median PF levels of DJ-1 were 826 ng/mL
      (interquartile range, IQR: 482-1010 ng/mL). DJ-1 PF levels significantly
      correlated with PF Cu/Zn-SOD1 and PF 8-isoprostane levels (Spearman's rho, r; r =
      -0.476, P = 0.002 and r = -0.264, P = 0.033, respectively), PF lactate
      dehydrogenase (r = -0.497, P = 0.001) and total PF cell counts (r = -0.325, P =
      0.041). Finally, in patients aged over 65 the PF DJ-1 levels were significantly
      higher than patients aged less than 65 (875 ng/mL vs. 607 ng/mL, respectively, P
      = 0.037). DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report to determine DJ
      1's levels in MPEs due to lung cancer. The negative correlations between DJ-1,
      SOD1, and 8-isorpostane warrant further investigation regarding the altered redox
      regulation associated with MPEs.

PMID- 26125100
TI  - DNA is an efficient booster of dendritic cell-based vaccine.
AB  - DC-based therapeutic vaccines as a promising strategy against chronic infections
      and cancer have been validated in several clinical trials. However, DC-based
      vaccines are complex and require many in vitro manipulations, which makes this a
      personalized and expensive therapeutic approach. In contrast, DNA-based vaccines
      have many practical advantages including simplicity, low cost of manufacturing
      and potent immunogenicity already proven in non-human primates and humans. In
      this study, we explored whether DC-based vaccines can be simplified by the
      addition of plasmid DNA as prime or boost to achieve robust CD8-mediated immune
      responses. We compared the cellular immunity induced in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice
      by DC vaccines, loaded either with peptides or optimized SIV Env DNA, and plasmid
      DNA-based vaccines delivered by electroporation (EP). We found that mature DC
      loaded with peptides (P-mDC) induced the highest CD8(+) T cell responses in both
      strains of mice, but those responses were significantly higher in the C57BL/6
      model. A heterologous prime-boost strategy (P-DC prime-DNA boost) induced CD8(+)
      T cell responses similar to those obtained by the P-DC vaccine. Importantly, this
      strategy elicited robust polyfunctional T cells as well as highest antigen
      specific central memory CD8+ T cells in C57BL/6 mice, suggesting long-term memory
      responses. These results indicate that a DC-based vaccine in combination with DNA
      in a heterologous DC prime-DNA boost strategy has potential as a repeatedly
      administered vaccine. 

PMID- 26125101
TI  - Randomized comparison of health-related quality of life in women with ectopic
      pregnancy or pregnancy of unknown location treated with systemic methotrexate or
      expectant management.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of
      treatment with systemic methotrexate (MTX) or expectant management in women with
      ectopic pregnancy or pregnancy of unknown location (PUL) with low and plateauing
      serum hCG concentrations. STUDY DESIGN: HRQoL was assessed alongside a randomized
      clinical trial (RCT) with the use of standard self-administered psychometric
      measure questionnaires. PATIENTS AND SETTING: All women who participated in the
      multicenter RCT comparing treatment with systemic MTX to expectant management in
      women with ectopic pregnancy or persisting PUL were eligible for the HRQoL
      measurements. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: HRQoL measures of three standardized
      questionnaires (SF-36, RSCL, HADS). RESULTS: Data were available for 64 of 73
      women (78%) randomized in the RCT. We found no difference in HRQoL between the
      two treatment groups. The need for additional treatment, i.e. additional MTX
      injections or surgical intervention, had no impact on HRQoL. CONCLUSION: Women
      treated with MTX or expectant management for an ectopic pregnancy or persisting
      PUL have comparable quality of life.

PMID- 26125102
TI  - The role of neutrophils in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recent discoveries implicate neutrophils as important
      regulators of innate and adaptive immunity and in the development of organ damage
      in systemic autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
      RECENT FINDINGS: Various putative SLE biomarkers are neutrophil-related,
      including neutrophil granular proteins and histones undergoing post-translational
      modifications during neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation. In the bone
      marrow, lupus neutrophils can drive B and T cell abnormalities, at least in part,
      by their enhanced production of type-I interferons, tumor necrosis factor-alpha
      (TNFalpha) and the B-cell stimulating factors B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and
      a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL). Lupus neutrophils and, in particular,
      lupus low-density granulocytes (a distinct pathogenic subset) display epigenetic
      modifications and genomic alterations that may be relevant to their deleterious
      roles in SLE. Proteins and enzymes externalized by lupus NETs can affect vascular
      health by inducing endothelial apoptosis and oxidizing lipoproteins. Hampering
      NET formation through peptidylarginine deiminase inhibitors abrogates lupus
      phenotype and atherosclerosis in murine studies. SUMMARY: Recent discoveries
      support the notion that neutrophils, low-density granulocytes and aberrant NET
      formation and clearance play important roles in lupus pathogenesis. Future
      studies should focus on how to selectively target these immunostimulatory
      pathways in this disease.

PMID- 26125104
TI  - Update on the pathogenesis and treatment of the antiphospholipid syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Many advancements in our understanding of the pathogenic
      mechanisms of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) have been accomplished over the
      recent months. Such progresses are paralleled by the development of innovative
      pharmacological tools that could provide novel therapeutic windows in APS
      management. The most recent and innovative findings about the biologic effects of
      antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) and the treatment APS will be hereby
      critically appraised. RECENT FINDINGS: Antibodies against the domain I of beta2
      glycoprotein I (beta2GPI) are increasingly recognized as the main pathogenic
      subset; pioneer therapeutic options exploiting the pathogenicity of anti-domain I
      antibodies have been developed. AnnexinA2 and toll-like receptor (TLR)4 have been
      identified as the main receptors for beta2GPI/anti-beta2GPI antibodies on target
      cells; additional co-receptors might include TLR1, TLR2 and TLR6. Upon binding,
      aPLs engage intracellular mediators as nuclear factor kappa B and mammalian
      target of rapamycin, which provide potential therapeutic targets. Current
      innovative treatment options include novel oral anticoagulants and the complement
      inhibitor eculizumab. The addition to standard treatment of pleiotropic agents
      such as hydroxychloroquine, statins and vitamin D could allow better disease
      control. SUMMARY: The lively and intense research in the APS field opens new
      frontiers in aPL pathogenic mechanisms, as well as diagnosis and treatment of the
      syndrome. VIDEO ABSTRACT: http://links.lww.com/COR/A26.

PMID- 26125103
TI  - Preclinical lupus.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is often preceded by immune
      dysregulation and clinical manifestations below the threshold for SLE
      classification. This review discusses current and evolving concepts about the
      preclassification period of SLE, including clinical and mechanistic observations,
      and potential avenues for early identification and intervention. RECENT FINDINGS:
      Although incomplete lupus erythematosus (ILE) involves fewer clinical
      manifestations than SLE, ILE patients can suffer organ damage and early
      mortality. Common clinical features in ILE include antinuclear antibody
      seropositivity, polyarthritis, immunologic manifestations, and hematological
      disorders. Despite having lower disease activity and damage scores than SLE
      patients, ILE patients may develop pulmonary arterial hypertension, or renal,
      neurological, or peripheral vascular damage. The recently proposed Systemic Lupus
      International Collaborating Clinics SLE classification criteria could shift the
      period considered 'preclinical SLE'. Murine studies suggest that the balance of T
      helper/T-regulatory cells, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma
      activity, and plasmacytoid dendritic cell pathways may be valuable targets for
      early intervention. SUMMARY: Advances in our understanding of early SLE,
      including stages before clinical features are fully developed, will improve our
      ability to identify individuals at high risk of classification for potential
      prevention trials, provide necessary information to improve diagnostic testing,
      and perhaps identify novel targets for directed therapeutics in clinical SLE.

PMID- 26125105
TI  - Malignancies in systemic lupus erythematosus: a 2015 update.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have altered
      incidences of certain malignancies as compared with the general population. This
      review summarizes the recent literature on risk of malignancy in SLE and proposed
      mechanisms for these altered susceptibilities. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies
      have confirmed previous data showing an increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma,
      lung, liver, vulvar/vaginal, and thyroid malignancies, whereas demonstrating a
      decreased risk of breast and prostate cancer. Lymphomagenesis in SLE has been
      linked to increased activity of multiple inflammatory cytokines as well as
      possible viral diseases. The decreased rates of hormone-sensitive cancers, such
      as breast and prostate, are speculated to be related to the presence of lupus
      autoantibodies and downregulation of certain proteins in SLE. This knowledge has
      been utilized to investigate new therapeutic modalities for these malignancies.
      SUMMARY: Recent data confirm previously reported altered malignancy rates in SLE.
      Most striking in recent years are publications further elucidating mechanisms
      underlying cancer development in SLE, and subsequent investigations of potential
      therapeutics modulating these pathways.

PMID- 26125106
TI  - A Concise and Atom-Economical Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling Reaction Using Unactivated
      Trialkyl- and Triarylboranes with Aryl Halides.
AB  - A concise and atom-economical Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of trialkyl- and
      triarylboranes with aryl halides is described. This new protocol represents the
      first general, practical method that efficiently utilizes peralkyl and peraryl
      groups of the unactivated trialkyl- and triarylboranes for the Suzuki-Miyaura
      coupling reaction. 

PMID- 26125108
TI  - Computed tomography measurement of hepatic steatosis: Prevalence of hepatic
      steatosis in a Canadian population.

PMID- 26125107
TI  - Partially covered self-expandable metal stents versus polyethylene stents for
      malignant biliary obstruction: a cost-effectiveness analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVE: Partially covered self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) and
      polyethylene stents (PES) are both commonly used in the palliation of malignant
      biliary obstruction. Although SEMS are significantly more expensive, they are
      more efficacious than PES. Accordingly, a cost-effectiveness analysis was
      performed. METHODS: A cost-effectiveness analysis compared the approach of
      initial placement of PES versus SEMS for the study population. Patients with
      malignant biliary obstruction underwent an endoscopic retrograde
      cholangiopancreatography to insert the initial stent. If the insertion failed, a
      percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram was performed. If stent occlusion
      occurred, a PES was inserted at repeat endoscopic retrograde
      cholangiopancreatography, either in an outpatient setting or after admission to
      hospital if cholangitis was present. A third-party payer perspective was adopted.
      Effectiveness was expressed as the likelihood of no occlusion over the one-year
      adopted time horizon. Probabilities were based on a contemporary randomized
      clinical trial, and costs were issued from national references. Deterministic and
      probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: A PES-first strategy
      was both more expensive and less efficacious than an SEMS-first approach. The
      mean per-patient costs were US$6,701 for initial SEMS and US$20,671 for initial
      PES, which were associated with effectiveness probabilities of 65.6% and 13.9%,
      respectively. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these results.
      CONCLUSION: At the time of initial endoscopic drainage for patients with
      malignant biliary obstruction undergoing palliative stenting, an initial SEMS
      insertion approach was both more effective and less costly than a PES-first
      strategy.

PMID- 26125110
TI  - Bilayer Molecular Metals Based on Dissymmetrical Electron Donors.
AB  - The electrocrystallization from solutions of cyanobenzene-ethylenedithio
      tetrathiafulvalene (CNB-EDT-TTF) in the presence of different anions X = ClO4(-),
      PF6(-), and I3(-), affords a new type of 2D molecular metals with composition
      (CNB-EDT-TTF)4X based on an unprecedented bilayer structure of the donors induced
      by effective head to head interdonor interactions through the nitrile groups,
      which is responsible for 2D metallic systems with unusual properties such as the
      higher band filling, larger effective mass of carriers, and almost degenerated
      double Fermi surfaces. 

PMID- 26125109
TI  - Clinicians' guide to the use of fecal calprotectin to identify and monitor
      disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Objective monitoring of the severity of inflammation in patients with
      inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an essential part of disease management.
      However, repeat endoscopy to define extent and severity of inflammation is not
      practical. Fecal calprotectin (FC) is a biomarker that can be used as a surrogate
      test to distinguish inflammatory from noninflammatory gastrointestinal disease.
      METHODS: A targeted search of the literature regarding FC, focusing primarily on
      the past three years, was conducted to develop practical clinical guidance on the
      current utility of FC in the routine management of IBD patients. RESULTS: It is
      recommended that samples for FC testing be obtained from the first bowel
      excretion of the day. FC testing should be used as standard of care to accurately
      confirm inflammation and 'real-time' disease activity when a clinician suspects
      an IBD flare. Although FC is a reliable marker of inflammation, its role in
      routine monitoring in improving long-term outcomes has not yet been fully
      assessed. Based on available evidence, the authors suggest the following cut-off
      values and management strategies: when FC levels are <50 ug/g to 100 ug/g,
      quiescent disease is likely and therapy should be continued; when FC levels are
      >100 ug/g to 250 ug/g, inflammation is possible and further testing (eg,
      colonoscopy) is required to confirm inflammation; and when FC levels are >250
      ug/g, active inflammation is likely and strategies to control inflammation should
      be initiated (eg, optimizing current therapies or switching to an alternative
      therapy). DISCUSSION: FC is a useful biomarker to accurately assess the degree of
      inflammation and should be incorporated into the management of patients with IBD.

PMID- 26125111
TI  - Assessment of fat and lean mass by quantitative magnetic resonance: a future
      technology of body composition research?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: For the assessment of energy balance or monitoring of
      therapeutic interventions, there is a need for noninvasive and highly precise
      methods of body composition analysis that are able to accurately measure small
      changes in fat and fat-free mass (FFM). RECENT FINDINGS: The use of quantitative
      magnetic resonance (QMR) for measurement of body composition has long been
      established in animal studies. There are, however, only a few human studies that
      examine the validity of this method. These studies have consistently shown a high
      precision of QMR and only a small underestimation of fat mass by QMR when
      compared with a 4-compartment model as a reference. An underestimation of fat
      mass by QMR is also supported by the comparison between measured energy balance
      (as a difference between energy intake and energy expenditure) and energy balance
      predicted from changes in fat mass and FFM. Fewer calories were lost and gained
      as fat mass compared with the value expected from measured energy balance.
      SUMMARY: Current evidence in healthy humans has shown that QMR is a valid and
      precise method for noninvasive measurement of body composition. Contrary to
      standard reference methods, such as densitometry and dual X-ray absorptiometry,
      QMR results are independent of FFM hydration. However, despite a high accuracy
      and a low minimal detectable change, underestimation of fat mass by QMR is
      possible and limits the use of this method for quantification of energy balance.

PMID- 26125112
TI  - A changing landscape: web-based methods for dietary assessment in adolescents.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Adolescents' dietary intake is an important determinant of
      health and well-being and is influenced by a complex interaction of
      environmental, social, psychological, and physiological factors. The complexity
      of the adolescent diet makes its assessment prone to error, which has prompted
      researchers and clinicians to turn to technology to reduce this error. Previous
      reviews have been conducted regarding the use of technology in dietary assessment
      for adults; however, there are no known reviews for adolescents. Therefore, the
      purpose of this review is to describe the practical considerations for web-based
      dietary assessment methods and to evaluate recent evidence on their validity and
      implications. RECENT FINDINGS: There are numerous web-based dietary assessment
      methods that are available, valid, and reliable for use in the adolescent
      population. Web-based methods include both native and web-based applications (or
      'apps'), and have been developed for use as food records, 24-h dietary recalls,
      and food frequency questionnaires. SUMMARY: Web-based methods provide an
      efficient, cost-effective and practical solution to assess dietary intake; they
      are less burdensome to respondents and reduce errors and bias. Furthermore,
      adolescents are technologically savvy and often prefer the use of technology. Web
      based methods should be considered when assessing adolescents' dietary intake.

PMID- 26125113
TI  - Surgical Site Infections Rates in More Than 13,000 Surgical Procedures in Three
      Cities in Peru: Findings of the International Nosocomial Infection Control
      Consortium.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a threat to patient safety.
      However, there are not available data on SSI rates stratified by surgical
      procedure (SP) in Peru. METHODS: From January 2005 to December 2010, a cohort
      prospective surveillance study on SSIs was conducted by the International
      Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) in four hospitals in three cities
      of Peru. Data were recorded from hospitalized patients using the U.S. Centers for
      Disease Control and Prevention-National Healthcare Safety Network (CDC-NHSN)
      methods and definitions for SSI. Surgical procedures (SPs) were classified into 4
      types, according to ICD-9 criteria. RESULTS: We recorded 352 SSIs, associated to
      13,904 SPs (2.5%; CI, 2.3-2.8) SSI rates per type of SP were the following for
      this study's Peruvian hospitals, compared with rates of the INICC and CDC-NHSN
      reports, respectively: 2.9% for appendix surgery (vs. 2.9% vs. 1.4%); 2.8% for
      gallbladder surgery (vs. 2.5% vs. 0.6%); 2.2% for cesarean section (vs. 0.7% vs.
      1.8%); 2.8% for vaginal hysterectomy (vs. 2.0% vs. 0.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Our SSIs
      rates were higher in all of the four analyzed types of SPs compared with CDC
      NHSN, whereas compared with INICC, most rates were similar. This study represents
      an important advance in the knowledge of SSI epidemiology in Peru that will allow
      us to introduce targeted interventions.

PMID- 26125114
TI  - Cyclin B3 controls anaphase onset independent of spindle assembly checkpoint in
      meiotic oocytes.
AB  - Cyclin B3 is a relatively new member of the cyclin family whose functions are
      little known. We found that depletion of cyclin B3 inhibited metaphase-anaphase
      transition as indicated by a well-sustained MI spindle and cyclin B1 expression
      in meiotic oocytes after extended culture. This effect was independent of spindle
      assembly checkpoint activity, since both Bub3 and BubR1 signals were not observed
      at kinetochores in MI-arrested cells. The metaphase I arrest was not rescued by
      either Mad2 knockdown or cdc20 overexpression, but it was rescued by securin
      RNAi. We conclude that cyclin B3 controls the metaphase-anaphase transition by
      activating APC/C(cdc20) in meiotic oocytes, a process that does not rely on SAC
      activity. 

PMID- 26125116
TI  - Interaction of menthol with mixed-lipid bilayer of stratum corneum: A coarse
      grained simulation study.
AB  - Menthol is a widely used penetration enhancer in clinical medicine due to its
      high efficiency and relative safety. Although there are many studies focused on
      the penetration-enhancing activity of menthol, the details of molecular mechanism
      are rarely involved in the discussion. In this study, we present a series of
      coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the interaction of
      menthol with a mixed-lipid bilayer model consisting of ceramides, cholesterol and
      free fatty acids in a 2:2:1 molar ratio. Taking both the concentration of menthol
      and temperature into consideration, it was found that a rise in temperature and
      concentration within a specific range (1-20%) could improve the penetration
      enhancing property of menthol and the floppiness of the bilayer. However, at high
      concentrations (30% and more), menthol completely mixed with the lipids and the
      membrane can no longer maintain a bilayer structure. Our results elucidates some
      of the molecular basis for menthol's penetration enhancing effects and may
      provide some assistance for the development and applications of menthol as a
      penetration enhancer. Furthermore, we establish a method to investigate the
      penetration enhancement mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine using the mixed
      lipid bilayer model of stratum corneum by molecular dynamics simulations. 

PMID- 26125117
TI  - American Academy of Periodontology Task Force Report on the Update to the 1999
      Classification of Periodontal Diseases and Conditions.

PMID- 26125118
TI  - In Search of an Efficient Photoswitch for Functional RNA: Design Principles from
      a Microscopic Analysis of Azobenzene-linker-RNA Dynamics with Different Linkers.
AB  - The design of optimal photoswitches to regulate nucleic acid functionality is a
      considerable challenge. Azobenzene switches that are covalently bound to the
      nucleic acid backbone are a paradigm example that has been studied using
      different types of linker species connecting the chromophore to the backbone. To
      support experimental efforts to construct optimal azobenzene-linker-RNA
      combinations, we introduce here a systematic approach for theoretical analysis,
      which provides criteria for the local embedding of the chromophore via a chosen
      linker. Using a local reference frame adapted to the chromophore, quantitative
      measures are provided for (i) the propensity of stacking in competition with a
      drift toward the minor or major groove, (ii) the tendency to disrupt the native
      hydrogen bond network, (iii) the structural flexibility of the chromophore-linker
      combination, and (iv) the correlations with the presence of a base in the
      opposite strand. Large differences in structural stability between the trans and
      cis forms of the azobenzene chromophore, according to these criteria, indicate
      good functionality and lead to significant differences in melting temperatures.
      In particular, a recently synthesized deoxyribose linker proves optimal within
      the set of azobenzene-linker-RNA combinations considered. 

PMID- 26125120
TI  - Impact of outpatient non-myeloablative haematopoietic stem cell transplantation
      in quality of life vs. conventional therapy.
AB  - The role of outpatient hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) as a
      therapeutic tool has been strengthened significantly because of the increasing
      number of patients undergoing this treatment. Due the very nature of this
      procedure, one of the aspects that should not be overlooked is the quality of
      life (QOL) of patients undergoing HSCT. Thus, one must consider not only health
      status after treatment, but also, the psychosocial implications for the patient.
      This is an observational, longitudinal, and prospective study to assess QOL in
      patients undergoing outpatient HSCT vs. similar patients receiving medical
      treatment (MxTx). By applying the COOP/WONKA charts on five occasions (pre
      HSCT/initial, post-HSCT/first month, and at 3, 6, and 9 months), thirty-eight
      patients were analysed, 19 with HSCT and 19 with MxTx with no differences in age,
      gender or diagnosis. The initial survey found significant differences only in
      pain perception, which was higher in the HSCT group (p = .08); at the first
      month, there was a greater tendency for feelings of depression or anxiety in the
      HSCT group (p = .016), with more limitations in social (p = .003) and daily (p =
      .044) activities. From 3 months post-HSCT, the results were very similar. The
      differences persisted only in the area of social activities. Four patients
      developed graft-versus-host disease with no significant difference in the scores
      obtained compared to other transplant patients at 3, 6, and 9 months (p = .26) of
      follow-up. 

PMID- 26125119
TI  - Baseline brain perfusion and brain structure in patients with major depression: a
      multimodal magnetic resonance imaging study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Abnormal regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and grey matter volume
      have been frequently reported in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).
      However, it is unclear to what extent structural and functional change co-occurs
      in patients with MDD and whether markers of neural activity, such as rCBF, can be
      predicted by structural change. METHODS: Using MRI, we investigated resting-state
      rCBF and brain structure in patients with MDD and healthy controls between July
      2008 and January 2013. We acquired perfusion images obtained with continuous
      arterial spin labelling, used voxel-based morphometry to assess grey matter
      volume and integrated biological parametric mapping analyses to investigate the
      impact of brain atrophy on rCBF. RESULTS: We included 43 patients and 29 controls
      in our study. Frontotemporal grey matter volume was reduced in patients compared
      with controls. In patients, rCBF was reduced in the anterior cingulate and
      bilateral parahippocampal areas and increased in frontoparietal and striatal
      regions. These abnormalities were confirmed by analyses with brain volume as a
      covariate. In patients with MDD there were significant negative correlations
      between the extent of depressive symptoms and bilateral parahippocampal rCBF. We
      found a positive correlation between depressive symptoms and rCBF for right
      middle frontal cortical blood flow. LIMITATIONS: Medication use in patients has
      to be considered as a limitation of our study. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that
      while changes of cerebral blood flow and brain volume co-occur in patients with
      MDD, structural change is not sufficient to explain altered neural activity in
      patients at rest. Abnormal brain structure and function in patients with MDD
      appear to reflect distinct levels of neuropathology.

PMID- 26125121
TI  - Predawn respiration rates during flowering are highly predictive of yield
      response in Gossypium hirsutum when yield variability is water-induced.
AB  - Respiratory carbon evolution by leaves under abiotic stress is implicated as a
      major limitation to crop productivity; however, respiration rates of fully
      expanded leaves are positively associated with plant growth rates. Given the
      substantial sensitivity of plant growth to drought, it was hypothesized that
      predawn respiration rates (RPD) would be (1) more sensitive to drought than
      photosynthetic processes and (2) highly predictive of water-induced yield
      variability in Gossypium hirsutum. Two studies (at Tifton and Camilla Georgia)
      addressed these hypotheses. At Tifton, drought was imposed beginning at the onset
      of flowering (first flower) and continuing for three weeks (peak bloom) followed
      by a recovery period, and predawn water potential (PsiPD), RPD, net
      photosynthesis (AN) and maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) were
      measured throughout the study period. At Camilla, plants were exposed to five
      different irrigation regimes throughout the growing season, and average PsiPD and
      RPD were determined between first flower and peak bloom for all treatments. For
      both sites, fiber yield was assessed at crop maturity. The relationships between
      PsiPD, RPD and yield were assessed via non-linear regression. It was concluded
      for field-grown G. hirsutum that (1) RPD is exceptionally sensitive to
      progressive drought (more so than AN or Fv/Fm) and (2) average RPD from first
      flower to peak bloom is highly predictive of water-induced yield variability. 

PMID- 26125122
TI  - Proline synthesis in barley under iron deficiency and salinity.
AB  - This work investigates proline synthesis in six barley varieties subjected to
      iron deficiency, salinity or both stresses. The highest growth under Fe
      sufficiency corresponded to Belgrano and Shakira. A moderate augment of leaf
      phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) activity was observed in all six varieties
      in response to Fe deficiency, consistently in leaves and sporadically in roots.
      All six varieties accumulated proline under Fe deficiency, to a higher extent in
      leaves than in roots. The decrease of Fe supply from 100 MUM NaFe(III)-EDTA to
      0.5 MUM NaFe(III)-EDTA reduced growth and photosynthetic pigments similarly in
      the six barley varieties. On the contrary, differences between varieties could be
      observed with respect to increased or, conversely, decreased proline content as a
      function of the amount of NaFe(III)-EDTA supplied. These two opposite types were
      represented by Belgrano (higher proline under Fe deficiency) and Shakira (higher
      proline under Fe sufficiency). Time-course experiments suggested that leaf PEPC
      activity was not directly responsible for supplying C for proline synthesis under
      Fe deficiency. High proline levels in the leaves of Fe-deficient Belgrano plants
      in salinity were associated to a better performance of this variety under these
      combined stresses.

PMID- 26125123
TI  - Regulation of invertase activity in different root zones of wheat (Triticum
      aestivum L.) seedlings in the course of osmotic adjustment under water deficit
      conditions.
AB  - Osmotic adjustment of roots is an essential adaptive mechanism to sustain water
      uptake and root growth under water deficit. In this paper, the role of invertases
      (beta-fructofuranosidase, EC 3.2.1.26) in osmotic adjustment was investigated in
      the root tips (cell division and elongation zone) and the root maturation zone of
      wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Josef) in the course of osmotic stress imposed by
      20% polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000. The two root zones investigated differed
      distinctly in the response of invertases to water deprivation. In the root tips,
      the activity of the vacuolar and cell wall-bound invertases increased markedly
      under water stress resulting in the accumulation of hexoses (glucose and
      fructose) that contributed significantly to osmotic adjustment. A transient rise
      in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) preceded the enhancement of invertases upon exposure
      to osmotic stress. Treatment with the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenylene
      iodonium (DPI) abolished the stress induced H2O2 production and suppressed the
      stimulation of the vacuolar invertase activity, whereas the activity of the cell
      wall-bound invertase was not influenced by DPI. As a consequence of the
      inhibitory effect of DPI on the vacuolar invertase, hexose levels and osmotic
      adjustment were also markedly decreased in the root tips under water deficit in
      the presence of DPI. These data suggest that H2O2 probably generated by a NADPH
      oxidase is required as a signalling molecule for the up-regulation of the
      vacuolar invertase activity in the root tips under osmotic stress, thereby
      enhancing the capacity for osmotic adjustment. In the root maturation zone, an
      early H2O2 signal could not be detected in response to PEG application. Only an
      increase in the glucose level that was not paralleled by fructose and a slight
      stimulation of the activity of the vacuolar invertase occurred in the maturation
      zone after water deprivation. The stress induced accumulation of glucose in the
      maturation zone was not affected by DPI and thus seems to be not regulated by
      NADPH oxidase-derived H2O2. Altogether, osmotic adjustment was considerably
      smaller in the maturation zone than in the root tips. 

PMID- 26125124
TI  - Therapeutic management of evans syndrome in a pregnancy with maternal systemic
      lupus erythematosus.
AB  - A 31-year-old 2 G 1 P was referred to our unit of prenatal medicine at 35+3 weeks
      of gestation with a spontaneously conceived singleton pregnancy of a female fetus
      without detectable anomalies. Maternal hematological evaluation revealed an Evans
      syndrome-related thrombocytopenia based on a lupus erythematosus. The former
      delivery was aggravated by a severe hemorrhage several years before. Anti
      autoimmunologic therapy was started and maternal platelets count increased to
      physiological values. Uneventful ceasarean section was performed at 37 weeks of
      gestation with favourable outcome for mother and child. This case is the first
      report of a successful therapy in maternal Evans syndrome in pregnancy combined
      with a lupus erythematosus. 

PMID- 26125125
TI  - Electrocatalytic Dihydrogen Production by an Earth-Abundant Manganese Bipyridine
      Catalyst.
AB  - Earth-abundant manganese bipyridine complexes have been extensively studied as
      homogeneous electrocatalysts for proton-coupled CO2 reduction. To date, these
      manganese complexes have not been examined as catalysts for the reduction of
      other small molecules. We report electrocatalytic H2 production by
      [Mn(mesbpy)(CO)3(MeCN)](OTf)]. In acetonitrile, this manganese electrocatalyst
      displays a turnover frequency (TOF) of 5500 s(-1) at an overpotential of 0.90 V
      (at Ecat/2) for the reduction of protons to H2 using trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)
      as the acid source. These findings show the flexibility of these manganese
      bipyridine complexes to serve as catalysts for a variety of small molecule
      reductions. 

PMID- 26125126
TI  - An overview of experimental and early investigational therapies for the treatment
      of polycystic kidney disease.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: At present, treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney
      disease (ADPKD) is essentially supportive as there is still no specific therapy.
      However, recent advances with ADPKD pathophysiology have stimulated research for
      new therapeutic strategies. AREAS COVERED: The aim of this systematic review is
      to analyze the experimental and early investigational therapies currently under
      evaluation in this field. Data from completed clinical trials were retrieved from
      the currently available scientific literature and from the ClinicalTrials.gov
      website. EXPERT OPINION: Among the drugs currently being explored, mammalian
      target of rapamycin inhibitors reduce kidney volume enlargement but their role
      remains uncertain. The most promising drug is the V2 receptor antagonist
      tolvaptan, which reduces the increased rate of total kidney volume and slows down
      glomerular filtration rate decline. The main candidates for the treatment of
      cysts growth, both in the kidney and in the liver whenever present, are the
      somatostatin analogues, such as lanreotide and octreotide and more recently
      pasireotide. As for other therapies, some favorable results have been achieved
      but data are still not sufficient to establish if these approaches may be
      beneficial in slowing ADPKD progression in the future.

PMID- 26125127
TI  - Recognition of Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum by Toll-like receptors and up
      regulation of antimicrobial peptides in human corneal epithelial cells.
AB  - Bacterial keratitis is a major cause of corneal ulcers in developing and
      industrialized nations. In this study, we examined the host innate immune
      responses to Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum, often overlooked as commensal,
      in human corneal epithelial cells. The expressions of innate immune mediators
      were determined by quantitative PCR from corneal ulcers of patients and
      immortalized human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC). We have found an elevated
      expression of Toll like receptors (TLRs) along with IL-6 and IL-1beta from both
      ulcers and epithelial cells infected with C. pseudodiphtheriticum. Activation of
      NF-kappaB and MAPK signaling pathways were also observed in HCEC in response to
      C. pseudodiphtheriticum. In addition, we found a significant increase in the
      expression of antimicrobial peptides S100A8, S100A9 and human beta-defensin 1
      from both corneal ulcers and HCEC.

PMID- 26125128
TI  - Potential therapeutic targets in ARID1A-mutated cancers.
AB  - ARID1A is a subunit of the Switch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin
      remodeling complex that regulates gene expression by controlling gene
      accessibility. ARID1A shows one of the highest mutation rates across different
      human cancer types. For example, ARID1A is mutated in ~ 50% of ovarian clear cell
      carcinoma (OCCC). There is considerable interest in developing cancer
      therapeutics that correlate with ARID1A mutational status. A recent study
      demonstrated a synthetic lethality by targeting EZH2 histone methyltransferase
      activity in ARID1A-mutated OCCC using a clinically applicable small-molecule
      inhibitor. The observed synthetic lethality correlated with inhibition of
      PI3K/AKT signaling. In addition, there is evidence indicating that ARID1A-mutated
      cancer may also be subjected to therapeutic intervention by targeting residual
      SWI/SNF activity, the PI3K/AKT pathway, the DNA damage response, the tumor
      immunological microenvironment and stabilizing wild-type p53. In summary, we
      propose EZH2 inhibitor-based combinatorial strategies for targeting ARID1A
      mutated cancers. 

PMID- 26125129
TI  - Shift work and serum 25-OH vitamin D status among factory workers in Northern
      Italy: Cross-sectional study.
AB  - Low levels of vitamin D are related to muscle weakness, poor balance, and higher
      risk of falls, and can therefore have a major impact on performance and safety at
      work. Little knowledge exists on the association between work environment and
      vitamin D status. This study evaluates vitamin D status in shift workers. In this
      cross-sectional study, led during early springtime, 96 male shift workers at an
      engineering factory in Northern Italy, and 100 male daily workers operating
      nearby, participated. 25-OH vitamin D concentration, anthropometric indexes,
      fasting glycemia and triglycerides were detected. 51 shift workers underwent
      anamnesis collection on lifestyle and habits and determination of heel bone
      mineral density. Vitamin D levels were lower in shift workers than daily ones
      (13.4 +/- 5.3 ng/mL versus 21.9 +/- 10.7 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Linear regression
      analysis adjusted for age, body mass index and smoking habits confirms a
      statistically significant association between shift work and vitamin D levels (p
      < 0.0001). An association trend between cigarette smoking and low vitamin D
      values was found. No significant association was detected between the heel bone
      mineral density values and vitamin D levels or smoking habits. In conclusion,
      this cross-sectional study highlights the high prevalence of vitamin D deficit
      among shift workers compared with daily ones. 

PMID- 26125130
TI  - The hepatic circadian clock regulates the choline kinase alpha gene through the
      BMAL1-REV-ERBalpha axis.
AB  - The circadian timing system adapts most of the mammalian physiology and behaviour
      to the 24 h light/dark cycle. This temporal coordination relies on endogenous
      circadian clocks present in virtually all tissues and organs and implicated in
      the regulation of key cellular processes including metabolism, transport and
      secretion. Environmental or genetic disruption of the circadian coordination
      causes metabolic imbalance leading for instance to fatty liver, dyslipidaemia and
      obesity, thereby contributing to the development of a metabolic syndrome state.
      In the liver, a key metabolic organ, the rhythmic regulation of lipid
      biosynthesis is known, yet the molecular mechanisms through which the circadian
      clock controls lipogenesis, in particular, that of phospholipids, is poorly
      characterised. In this study, we show that the wild-type mice display a rhythmic
      accumulation of hepatic phosphatidylcholine with a peak at ZT 22-0 while clock
      deficient Bmal1(-/-) mice show elevated phosphatidylcholine levels in the liver
      associated with an atherogenic lipoprotein profile. Profiling of the mRNA
      expression of enzymes from the Kennedy and phosphatidylethanolamine N
      methyltransferase pathways which control the production of hepatic
      phosphatidylcholine revealed a robust circadian pattern for Chkalpha while other
      mRNA showed low amplitude (Chkbeta and Pemt) or no rhythm (Cctalpha and Chpt1).
      Chkalpha mRNA expression was increased and no longer rhythmic in the liver from
      clock-deficient Bmal1(-/-) mice. This change resulted in the upregulation of the
      CHKalpha protein in these animals. We further show that the robust circadian
      expression of Chkalpha is restricted to the liver and adrenal glands. Analysis of
      the Chkalpha gene promoter revealed the presence of a conserved response element
      for the core clock transcription factors REV-ERB and ROR. Consistent with the
      antiphasic phase relationship between Chkalpha and Rev-erbalpha expression, in
      cotransfection experiments using HepG2 cells we show that RORalpha4-dependent
      transactivation of this element is repressed by REV-ERBalpha. Correspondingly,
      Rev-erbalpha(-/-)mice displayed higher Chkalpha mRNA levels in liver at ZT 12.
      Collectively, these data establish that hepatic phosphatidylcholine is regulated
      by the circadian clock through a Bmal1-Rev-erbalpha-Chkalpha axis and suggest
      that an intact circadian timing system is important for the temporal coordination
      of phospholipid metabolism. 

PMID- 26125131
TI  - Association between circadian preference and academic achievement: A systematic
      review and meta-analysis.
AB  - The association between circadian preference and academic achievement has been
      assessed through a systematic review and meta-analysis. The literature searches
      retrieved 1647 studies; 31 studies, with a total sample size of 27 309
      participants, fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta
      analysis. With reference to all these 31 studies, before running the meta
      analysis, the sign of the correlation between the investigated variables was set
      in a way that a positive correlation showed that eveningness was related to worse
      academic performance. The meta-analysis yielded a small overall effect size of
      0.143 (CI [0,129; 0,156]) under a fixed effects model (Z = 20.584, p < 0.001,
      I(2)( )= 72.656; Q = 109.715) and of 0.145 (CI [0.117; 0.172]) under a random
      effects model (Z = 10.077, p < 0.001). A random effects model with a grouping
      variable (participants) revealed 15 studies based on school pupils and 16 on
      university students. The random model showed a higher effect size in school
      pupils (0.166, CI from 0.127 to 0.206) compared to university students (0.121, CI
      from 0.080 to 0.163). Self-report measures of grades revealed a stronger effect
      size (0.171; CI: 0.137 to 0.206; N = 20) compared to objective measures (0.093;
      CI: 0.047 to 0.140; N = 19). Overall, the present results suggest that evening
      orientation is associated with a worse academic performance, both in school
      pupils and university students; for the first time, it has been shown that such
      relationship changes over time, being weaker in university students.

PMID- 26125132
TI  - Prenatal examination of the area and morphology of the atrioventricular valves
      using four-dimensional ultrasound in normal and abnormal hearts.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Our aim is to evaluate the feasibility to examine the morphology and
      area of the atrioventricular (AV) valves in normal fetuses and fetuses with
      cardiac defects using spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC). METHODS:
      Atrioventricular valves were analyzed longitudinally in STIC volumes of 74 normal
      fetuses between the 15th and 36th week of pregnancy. The valve area was measured
      in a rendered view in diastole, the number of valve leaflets in systole.
      Longitudinal data analysis was performed using linear mixed models. Fifty fetuses
      with cardiac defects were examined. RESULTS: Examination of 355 STIC volumes of
      normal fetuses showed in 82.5% sufficient quality. The tricuspid valve leaflets
      were seen in 200 (68.3%) volumes and the mitral valve leaflets in 219 (74.7%)
      volumes. The tricuspid valve showed in 61.1% a round, 29.0% rectangle, and 8.9%
      elliptical shape and the mitral valve in 60.1% round, 28.0% rectangle, and 10.9%
      elliptical. Regression analysis revealed a positive relationship of the valve
      area with gestational age (p < 0.0001). Most heart defects with stenosis showed
      an area below the 5th percentile. CONCLUSION: Prenatal examination of the
      morphology and area of the AV valves using four-dimensional ultrasound is
      feasible. A rectangular valve opening is normal, which was visualized in about
      one third of the normal fetuses.

PMID- 26125133
TI  - Correction to On the Analytical Superiority of 1D NMR for Fingerprinting the
      Higher Order Structure of Protein Therapeutics Compared to Multidimensional NMR
      Methods.

PMID- 26125134
TI  - Predicting Treatment Time and Long-Term Outcome of the Lidcombe Program: A
      Replication and Reanalysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study presents treatment duration and outcome data on 14
      children who stutter (CWS) recently treated by the Lidcombe Program (LP). These
      data were then combined with data from a previous LP treatment study (Miller &
      Guitar, 2009) to examine predictor variables for treatment duration and outcome.
      The present study also provides evidence of the effectiveness of LP from
      researchers who are independent of the developers of the program. METHOD:
      Fourteen preschool CWS were assessed on stuttering severity variables and
      participant characteristics prior to treatment, given LP treatment, and
      reassessed 2 years after the children achieved stable fluency. These children's
      data were added to the data of 15 previously treated CWS to examine predictors of
      treatment duration and long-term outcome. Preliminary analysis lead to the
      identification of two predictors that were tested in a generalized linear model.
      RESULTS: For the new group of 14 CWS, median treatment duration was 15 clinic
      visits and resulted in near-zero stuttering long term for most of the children
      and substantial reductions in stuttering for all of the children. For the
      combined group of 29 children, pretreatment stuttering frequency and severity
      were the best predictors of treatment duration in both clinic visits and weeks.
      CONCLUSIONS: Children with more frequent and more severe stuttering may take
      longer in LP treatment. Long-term outcome may best be predicted by pretreatment
      stuttering and sex.

PMID- 26125135
TI  - A tale of two viruses: HIV, Ebola and health systems.

PMID- 26125136
TI  - Identification and characterization of a subpocket on the N-trimer of HIV-1 Gp41:
      implication for viral entry and drug target.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Crystallographic studies of HIV-1 gp41 demonstrate a stable six-helix
      bundle (6-HB) folded by trimeric N and C-terminal heptad repeats (NHR and CHR),
      and a deep hydrophobic pocket (pocket-1) on the NHR helices (N-trimer); however,
      previous crystal structures of 6-HB core were determined by peptide fragments
      missing the downstream sequence of pocket-1; thus, the structural features of
      this site could not be observed. DESIGN: We recently determined several 6-HB
      structures containing the pocket-1 and its downstream site. Here, we focused to
      investigate the structural features of N-trimer previously uncharacterized.
      METHODS: Biophysical, biochemical and functional approaches were combined to
      characterize the downstream residues of pocket-1. RESULTS: A subpocket
      (designated pocket-2) was visualized on the C-terminal portion of N-trimer, which
      is formed by a cluster of seven residues, including Leu587, Lys588 and Glu584 on
      one NHR helix and Tyr586, Val583, Ala582 and Arg579 of another NHR helix.
      Mutagenesis studies demonstrated that the pocket-2 residues play essential roles
      for HIV-1 Env-mediated cell entry and critically determine the antiviral activity
      of NHR-derived peptide fusion inhibitor T21. Further, the pocket-2 mutations
      dramatically impaired the thermostability and conformation of 6-HB structure and
      reduced the binding affinity of CHR-derived inhibitor HP23 that specifically
      targets the deep pocket-1. CONCLUSION: These data have provided important
      information for the structure-function relationship of HIV-1 gp41 and for the
      development of antiviral entry inhibitors.

PMID- 26125137
TI  - Low cross-neutralization of hepatitis C correlates with liver disease in
      immunocompromized patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes severe
      liver disease in HIV-infected patients and liver transplant recipients. The
      impact of serum and immunoglobulin on viral entry was analysed in these patients.
      METHOD: Sera from 60 anti-HCV positive patients, including 30 who were also anti
      HIV positive, were tested with HCVpp from different genotypes (1a, 1b, 3 and 4)
      and with HCVcc (H77/JFH1). Seventeen HIV-seropositive and 13 HIV-seronegative
      patients with decompensated liver disease were studied before and after liver
      transplant. RESULTS: Serum neutralization was markedly lower after liver
      transplant and in HIV patients than in mono-infected immune-competent
      individuals. This effect was due to low antibody-mediated neutralization. In HIV
      patients, low neutralization was correlated with low lymphocyte T CD4 cell counts
      and the severity of liver disease. To characterize neutralization, we tested
      HCVpp lacking hypervariable region (HVR1) and SR-BI receptor cholesterol transfer
      inhibition by BLT-4. These experiments showed that neutralization was strongly
      dependent on the HVR1 and the SR-BI receptor. HVR1 sequences showed that
      selective pressures were low in immune-compromised patients and highly correlated
      to HCV neutralization after liver transplant. Neutralization experiments were
      reproduced with HCV strain JFH1. CONCLUSION: Serum neutralization in HIV
      coinfected patients and HCV-infected liver transplant recipients is poor
      enhancing HCV entry through HVR1/SR-BI interplay. This may contribute to the
      severity of hepatitis C in these settings.

PMID- 26125138
TI  - White matter microstructure among youth with perinatally acquired HIV is
      associated with disease severity.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether HIV disease severity was associated with
      alterations in structural brain connectivity, and whether those alterations in
      turn were associated with cognitive deficits in youth with perinatally acquired
      HIV (PHIV). DESIGN: PHIV youth (n = 40) from the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study
      (PHACS) (mean age: 16 +/- 2 years) were included to evaluate how current and past
      disease severity measures (recent/nadir CD4%; peak viral load) relate to white
      matter microstructure within PHIV youth. PHIV youth were compared with 314
      controls from the Pediatric Imaging, Neurocognition and Genetics (PING) study.
      METHODS: Diffusion tensor imaging and tractography were utilized to assess white
      matter microstructure. Mediation analyses were conducted to examine whether
      microstructure alterations contributed to relationships between higher disease
      severity and specific cognitive domains in PHIV youth. RESULTS: Whole brain
      fractional anisotropy was reduced, but radial and mean diffusivity were increased
      in PHIV compared with control youth. Within PHIV youth, more severe past HIV
      disease was associated with reduced fractional anisotropy of the right inferior
      fronto-occipital (IFO) and left uncinate tracts; elevated mean diffusivity of the
      F minor; and increased streamlines comprising the left inferior longitudinal
      fasciculus (ILF). Associations of higher peak viral load with lower working
      memory performance were partly mediated by reductions in right IFO fractional
      anisotropy levels. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that PHIV youth have a higher
      risk of alterations in white matter microstructure than typically developing
      youth, and certain alterations are related to past disease severity. Further,
      white matter alterations potentially mediate associations between HIV disease and
      working memory.

PMID- 26125139
TI  - The burden of dialysis-requiring acute kidney injury among hospitalized adults
      with HIV infection: a nationwide inpatient sample analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the incidence of acute
      kidney injury (AKI) requiring renal replacement therapy ('dialysis-requiring
      AKI') and the impact on in-hospital mortality among hospitalized adults with HIV
      infection. DESIGN: A longitudinal analysis of a nationally representative
      administrative database. METHODS: We reviewed the Healthcare Cost and Utilization
      Project's Nationwide Inpatient Sample Database, a large, nationally
      representative sample of inpatient hospital admissions, to identify all adult
      hospitalizations with an associated diagnosis of HIV infection from 2002 to 2010.
      We analysed temporal trends in the incidence of dialysis-requiring AKI and the
      associated odds of in-hospital mortality. We also explored potential reasons
      behind temporal changes. RESULTS: Among 183 0041 hospitalizations with an
      associated diagnosis of HIV infection, the proportion complicated by dialysis
      requiring AKI increased from 0.7% in 2002 to 1.35% in 2010. This temporal rise
      was completely explained by changes in demographics and an increase in concurrent
      comorbidities and procedure utilization. The adjusted odds of in-hospital
      mortality associated with dialysis-requiring AKI also increased over the study
      period, from 1.45 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.97-2.12] in 2002 to 2.64
      (95% CI 2.04-3.42) in 2010. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the incidence of
      dialysis-requiring AKI among hospitalized adults with HIV infection continues to
      increase, and that severe AKI remains a significant predictor of in-hospital
      mortality in this population. The increased incidence of dialysis-requiring AKI
      was largely explained by ageing of the HIV population and increasing prevalence
      of chronic non-AIDS comorbidities, suggesting that these trends will continue.

PMID- 26125140
TI  - CD4+ gain percentile curves for monitoring response to antiretroviral therapy in
      HIV-infected adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We constructed CD4 cell count gain percentile distributions
      standardized by baseline CD4 cell count and assessed the association between poor
      CD4 cell count gain and subsequent death and virological failure on
      antiretroviral therapy (ART). DESIGN: Secondary analysis of 10 years of clinical
      data from a cohort of adults initiated on ART at the Themba Lethu clinic in
      Johannesburg, South Africa. METHODS: The generalized additive model for location,
      scale and shape was used to construct percentile curves for CD4 cell count gain
      standardized by baseline CD4 cell count in the first 28 months of ART. Cox
      proportional models were used to assess the association between lower percentiles
      (<50th) of CD4 cell count gain, and subsequent death and virological failure.
      RESULTS: Among 9640 nonpregnant adults 7406, with available CD4 cell count
      results for CD4 gain calculation at 4 months of ART, 843 (8.7%) died subsequently
      and 1101 (11.4%) experienced virologic failure, respectively. For CD4 gains below
      the third percentile, the adjusted hazard ratios at different time points ranged
      between 2.72 and 5.73 for death, and between 1.48 and 6.93 for virologic failure.
      The CD4 percentile curves revealed a gradient of increasing risk of subsequent
      death and virological failure, with lower CD4 gain percentiles and increasing
      time on ART, and were more informative than the WHO criteria for immunological
      failure or current CD4 cell count. CONCLUSION: Percentile curves of CD4 cell
      count gain provide a simple tool for healthcare workers in low-resource settings
      to monitor response to ART with improved information regarding risk of death and
      virological failure compared to current WHO criteria for immunological failure.

PMID- 26125141
TI  - Changes in the contribution of genital tract infections to HIV acquisition among
      Kenyan high-risk women from 1993 to 2012.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to understand temporal trends in the
      contribution of different genital tract infections to HIV incidence over 20 years
      of follow-up in a cohort of high-risk women. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study.
      METHODS: We performed monthly evaluations for HIV, vaginal yeast, bacterial
      vaginosis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, nonspecific cervicitis,
      herpes simplex virus type two (HSV-2), genital ulcer disease (GUD) and genital
      warts. We used Cox regression to evaluate the association between sexually
      transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV acquisition over four time periods (1993
      1997, 1998-2002, 2003-2007, 2008-2012). Models were adjusted for age, workplace,
      sexual risk behaviour, hormonal contraceptive use and other STIs. The resulting
      hazard ratios were used to calculate population attributable risk percentage
      (PAR%). RESULTS: Between 1993 and 2012, 1964 women contributed 6135 person-years
      of follow-up. The overall PAR% for each infection was prevalent HSV-2 (48.3%),
      incident HSV-2 (4.5%), bacterial vaginosis (15.1%), intermediate microbiota
      (7.5%), vaginal yeast (6.4%), T. vaginalis (1.1%), N. gonorrhoeae (0.9%),
      nonspecific cervicitis (0.7%), GUD (0.8%) and genital warts (-0.2%). Across the
      four time periods, the PAR% for prevalent HSV-2 (40.4%, 61.8%, 58.4%, 48.3%) and
      bacterial vaginosis (17.1%, 19.5%, 14.7%, 17.1%) remained relatively high and had
      no significant trend for change over time. The PAR% for trichomoniasis,
      gonorrhoea, GUD and genital warts remained less than 3% across the four periods.
      CONCLUSION: Bacterial vaginosis and HSV-2 have consistently been the largest
      contributors to HIV acquisition risk in the Mombasa Cohort over the past 20
      years. Interventions that prevent these conditions would benefit women's health
      and could reduce their risk of becoming infected with HIV.

PMID- 26125142
TI  - Protease inhibitors exposure is not related to lung cancer risk in HIV smoker
      patients: a nested case-control study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed at assessing in persons living with HIV with a smoking
      history an association between lung cancer risk and protease inhibitors exposure,
      especially ritonavir. DESIGN: A nested case-control study was conducted within
      the ANRS CO4 FHDH, CO3 Aquitaine and Tenon's Hospital Cohorts. METHODS: Cases and
      controls were eligible if they were ex-smokers or current smokers at the index
      date, and had a CD4 cell count reported in the year preceding the index date.
      Cases were incident cases of lung cancer diagnosed between 1 January 2000 and 31
      December 2011. All cancer cases were validated and histological types identified
      when available. Three controls were randomly selected by incidence density
      sampling using calendar time as the time axis, with individual matching on
      cohort, age (+/- 5 years), route of HIV acquisition, sex and hospital. Analyses
      were performed using conditional logistic regression adjusted for nadir CD4 cell
      count and smoking status. Ritonavir and protease inhibitors exposures were
      represented in separate models using categorical variables (never exposed, ever
      exposed). Several sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: This study
      performed in 1447 persons living with HIV with a smoking history (383 lung cancer
      cases and 1064 control patients) did not evidence any association between lung
      cancer risk and protease inhibitors exposure including ritonavir. CONCLUSION:
      These results suggest that the risk of lung cancer is not influenced by
      pharmacologically induced P450 cytochrome protease inhibitors inhibition among
      smokers or ex-smokers.

PMID- 26125143
TI  - HAART and lungs: do HIV protease inhibitors impact cancer risk?

PMID- 26125144
TI  - Anti-tumor necrosis factor monoclonal antibody for steroid-dependent TB-IRIS in
      AIDS.

PMID- 26125145
TI  - Acute myocardial infarction following thalidomide treatment for AIDS-related
      ulcers.

PMID- 26125146
TI  - Cobicistat-vinblastine interaction and severe peripheral neuropathy.

PMID- 26125147
TI  - Serum Zinc, Copper, Iron, and Magnesium Levels in Iranian Drug Users: A Case
      Control Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The changes in concentration of trace elements have effects on many
      organ systems, including the immune system. There have been conflicting reports
      on serum trace element levels in heroin users. This study was carried out to
      compare serum trace element concentrations in opium, heroin, and methamphetamine
      users. METHODS: The study was done on 90 chronically illegal drug users (n = 30
      per group) and 30 controls of the similar sex and age range (from 20 to 40
      years). The control group was healthy subjects with no lifetime history of
      substance abuse or dependence. All of the substance users were selected from
      among those who had a history of substance use, for a minimum of 1 year. Serum
      zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and magnesium (Mg) were measured
      spectrophotometrically using chemistry analyzer. RESULTS: Serum Fe concentration
      was decreased in heroin (P = 0.026) and methamphetamine (P = 0.0001) users
      compared with healthy subjects, whereas serum Cu was higher in opium, heroin, and
      methamphetamine users (P < 0.01). Copper was negatively and significantly
      correlated with Fe in all groups (P < 0.05). There was no statistically
      significant difference between drug users and healthy subjects in serum
      concentrations of Zn and Mg. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed decreased in serum
      concentration of iron and increase in serum copper in drug users when compared
      with controls.

PMID- 26125148
TI  - Comparison of Peripheral Nerve Axonal Area Differences in Central and Peripheral
      Zones of Injured and Repaired Nerves.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Histological analysis remains a cornerstone approach for the
      investigation of peripheral nerve regeneration. This study investigates a newly
      recognized histological difference between peripheral and central zones within
      the regenerating nerve trunks. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to determine
      if the nerve axonal area (NXA) in regenerating peripheral nerves differs within
      central and peripheral areas, when viewed in cross-section. METHODS: A total of
      14 rats were divided into two groups, and subjected to different injuries to the
      right sciatic nerve. Group 1: Transection injury with immediate repair. Group 2:
      Crush injury without any treatment. The left sciatic nerve was left uninjured and
      served as a control in each rat. Following 4 weeks of recovery, nerve trunk cross
      sections were prepared. Computerized techniques were then employed to divide
      nerve sections into central and peripheral zones and calculate corresponding NXA
      values for subsequent statistical analysis. RESULTS: NXA of injured nerves was
      greater within peripheral as compared with the central zones, independent of
      injury type (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference existed within
      the control groups or between the injury methods with regards to NXA regeneration
      extent. CONCLUSION: NXA in regenerating peripheral nerves was greater in the
      peripheral zones than within the central zones.

PMID- 26125149
TI  - Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine Huangqi Injection (Radix astragali) on
      Random Skin Flap Survival in Rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Huangqi (Radix astragali) is a traditional Chinese drug, designed to
      "buqi," which means invigorating vital energy, widely used in clinical settings.
      We investigated the effect of Huangqi injection on the survival of random skin
      flaps. METHODS: McFarlane flaps were established in 60 rats divided into two
      groups. Postoperative celiac injections were given to both groups for 7 days.
      Huangqi was injected into the test group, and saline was injected into controls.
      On day 7, tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, immunohistochemically
      evaluated, and the expression levels of xanthine oxidase determined. RESULT: The
      mean area of flap survival in the test group was significantly higher compared
      with the controls. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and
      superoxide dismutase, and microvessel development, were markedly increased in the
      test group, and the malondialdehyde level was reduced. CONCLUSION: Huangqi
      injection promotes random skin flap survival.

PMID- 26125150
TI  - Regenerated Nerve Defects with a Nerve Conduit Containing Dental Pulp Stem Cells
      in Pigs: An Immunohistochemical and Electrophysiological Evaluation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) present an exciting new tool in the
      field of peripheral nerve regeneration due to their close embryonic origin. In
      this study, we examined their potential in pigs, using biodegradable collagen
      conduits filled with DPSCs. To our knowledge, this is the first time DPCSs are
      tested for peripheral nerve regeneration in such large animal model. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: The second lateral incisor was extracted from every animal's lower
      jaw and stem cells were isolated and cultured. The collagen nerve conduits
      containing the DPSCs were subsequently transplanted into the transected fifth and
      sixth intercostal nerves, while the seventh intercostal nerve was used as a
      control and no stem cells were added on the respective collagen conduit. RESULTS:
      A histological examination was performed on the 3rd and 6th postoperative months
      and showed the gradual development of neural tissue and immunohistochemical
      expression of neuron-specific enolase. An electrophysiological study was
      performed on the 6th postoperative month and showed similar potentials between
      the stem cell infusion region (5 +/- 0.04 units) and their proximal stumps (5 +/-
      0.05 units) and slightly smaller potentials in the respective distal stumps (4 +/
      0.045 units). CONCLUSION: The nerves where DPSCs were injected exhibited
      morphological and functional recovery, in contrast to the control nerves where no
      recovery was detected; thus, there is a first evidence of the therapeutic
      potential of DPSCs in peripheral nerve regeneration.

PMID- 26125151
TI  - Pd(II)-Catalyzed Cycloisomerization/Dipolar Cycloaddition Cascade of N
      Arylnitrone Alkynes with Olefins.
AB  - A cycloisomerization/dipolar cycloaddition tandem reaction of nitrone alkynes and
      electron-deficient olefins was described by employing a simple palladium
      catalyst. N-Arylnitrone alkynes, which were not well tolerated in previously
      reported methodologies, were successfully incorporated in the tandem reaction
      with generally good yields and moderate diastereoselectivities. 

PMID- 26125152
TI  - Meta-analysis of osteoporosis: fracture risks, medication and treatment.
AB  - Osteoporosis is a brittle bone disease that can cause fractures mostly in older
      men and women. Meta-analysis is the statistical method which is applied in the
      frame work for the assessment of results obtained from various research studies
      conducted in several years. A meta-analysis of osteoporotic fracture risk with
      medication non-adherence has been described to assess the bone fracture risk
      among patients non-adherent versus adherent to therapy for osteoporosis by many
      researchers. Osteoporosis therapy reduces the risk of fracture in clinical
      trials, and real-world adherence to therapy which is suboptimal and can reduce
      the effectiveness of intervention. The methods of Medline, Embase, and CINAHL
      were literature searched for these observational studies from year 1998 to 2009,
      and up to 2015. The results of meta-analysis of osteoporosis research on
      fractures of postmenopausal women and men are presented. The use of
      bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporosis has been described with other drugs. The
      authors, design, studies (women %), years (data), follow-up (wks), fractures
      (types), and compliance or persistence results from years 2004 to 2009 from are
      shown in a brief table. The meta-analysis studies have been reviewed from other
      researchers on osteoporosis and fractures, medications and treatments. 

PMID- 26125153
TI  - The BDNF Val66Met polymorphism moderates the relationship between cognitive
      reserve and executive function.
AB  - The concept of cognitive reserve (CR) has been proposed to account for observed
      discrepancies between pathology and its clinical manifestation due to underlying
      differences in brain structure and function. In 433 healthy older adults
      participating in the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project, we investigated whether
      common polymorphic variations in apolipoprotein E (APOE) or brain-derived
      neurotrophic factor (BDNF) influenced the association between CR contributors and
      cognitive function in older adults. We show that BDNF Val66Met moderates the
      association between CR and executive function. CR accounted for 8.5% of the
      variance in executive function in BDNF Val homozygotes, but CR was a
      nonsignificant predictor in BDNF Met carriers. APOE polymorphisms were not linked
      to the influence of CR on cognitive function. This result implicates BDNF in
      having an important role in capacity for building or accessing CR. 

PMID- 26125154
TI  - Increased anterior insula activity in anxious individuals is linked to diminished
      perceived control.
AB  - Individuals with high-trait anxiety frequently report decreased perceived
      control. However, it is unclear how these processes are instantiated at a neural
      level. Prior research suggests that individuals prone to anxiety may have
      exaggerated activity in the anterior insula and altered activity in the cingulate
      cortex during anticipation of aversive events. Thus, we hypothesized that anxiety
      proneness influences anterior insula activation during anticipation of
      unpredictable threat through decreased perceived control. Forty physically
      healthy adults underwent neuroimaging while they explored computer-simulated
      contexts associated either with or without the threat of an unpredictable shock.
      Skin conductance, anxiety ratings and blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD)
      functional magnetic resonance imaging were used to assess responses to threat
      versus no threat. Perceived control was measured using the Anxiety Control
      Questionnaire-Revised. Mediation analysis examined how anxiety proneness
      influenced BOLD activity. Anticipation of unpredictable threat resulted in
      increased skin conductance responses, anxiety ratings and enhanced activation in
      bilateral insula, anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) and bed nucleus of the
      stria terminalis. Individuals with greater anxiety proneness and less perceived
      control showed greater activity in dorsal anterior insula (dAI). Perceived
      control mediated the relationship between anxiety proneness and dAI activity.
      Increased dAI activity was associated with increased activity in aMCC, which
      correlated with increased exploratory behavior. Results provide evidence that
      exaggerated insula activation during the threat of unpredictable shock is
      directly related to low perceived control in anxiety-prone individuals. Perceived
      control thus may constitute an important treatment target to modulate insula
      activity during anxious anticipation in anxiety-disordered individuals. 

PMID- 26125155
TI  - Major depressive disorder and current psychological distress moderate the effect
      of polygenic risk for obesity on body mass index.
AB  - Major depressive disorder (MDD) and obesity are frequently co-morbid and this
      correlation is partly due to genetic factors. Although specific genetic risk
      variants are associated with body mass index (BMI) and with larger effect sizes
      in depressed individuals, the genetic overlap and interaction with depression has
      not been addressed using whole-genome data. Polygenic profile scores for MDD and
      BMI were created in 13,921 members of Generation Scotland: the Scottish Family
      Health Study and tested for their association with BMI, MDD, neuroticism and
      scores on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) (current psychological
      distress). The association between BMI polygenic profile scores and BMI was
      tested fitting GHQ, neuroticism or MDD status as an interaction term to test for
      a moderating effect of mood disorder. BMI polygenic profile scores were not
      associated with lifetime MDD status or neuroticism although a significant
      positive association with GHQ scores was found (P = 0.0001, beta = 0.034, r(2) =
      0.001). Polygenic risk for MDD was not associated with BMI. A significant
      interaction between BMI polygenic profile scores and MDD (P = 0.0003, beta =
      0.064), GHQ (P = 0.0005, beta = 0.027) and neuroticism (P = 0.003, beta = 0.023)
      was found when BMI was the dependent variable. The effect of BMI-increasing
      alleles was greater in those with MDD, high neuroticism or current psychological
      distress. MDD, neuroticism and current psychological distress amplify the effect
      of BMI polygenic profile scores on BMI. Depressed individuals with a greater
      polygenic load for obesity are at greater risk of becoming obese than control
      individuals.

PMID- 26125156
TI  - Psychometric precision in phenotype definition is a useful step in molecular
      genetic investigation of psychiatric disorders.
AB  - Affective disorders are highly heritable, but few genetic risk variants have been
      consistently replicated in molecular genetic association studies. The common
      method of defining psychiatric phenotypes in molecular genetic research is either
      a summation of symptom scores or binary threshold score representing the risk of
      diagnosis. Psychometric latent variable methods can improve the precision of
      psychiatric phenotypes, especially when the data structure is not
      straightforward. Using data from the British 1946 birth cohort, we compared
      summary scores with psychometric modeling based on the General Health
      Questionnaire (GHQ-28) scale for affective symptoms in an association analysis of
      27 candidate genes (249 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)). The psychometric
      method utilized a bi-factor model that partitioned the phenotype variances into
      five orthogonal latent variable factors, in accordance with the multidimensional
      data structure of the GHQ-28 involving somatic, social, anxiety and depression
      domains. Results showed that, compared with the summation approach, the affective
      symptoms defined by the bi-factor psychometric model had a higher number of
      associated SNPs of larger effect sizes. These results suggest that
      psychometrically defined mental health phenotypes can reflect the dimensions of
      complex phenotypes better than summation scores, and therefore offer a useful
      approach in genetic association investigations. 

PMID- 26125158
TI  - Cinnarizine for Sea Sickness During a Remote Pacific Ocean Rescue Mission.
AB  - Motion sickness can be a limiting factor for sea and air missions. We report the
      experience of a Pararescue (PJ) team on a Pacific Ocean rescue mission in which
      motion sickness was prevalent. Cinnarizine, an antagonist of H1-histamine
      receptors, was used to treat affected PJs. We also report findings of a survey of
      PJs regarding motion sickness. A family of four on a disabled sailboat 900 miles
      off the coast of Mexico sent out a distress call because their 1-year-old
      daughter became severely ill with fever and diarrhea. Four PJs were deployed on a
      C-130, performed a free-fall parachute insertion into the ocean, and boarded the
      sailboat. All four PJs experienced onset of motion sickness at some point during
      the early part of the mission and symptoms persisted through the first 24 hours.
      Three PJs experienced ongoing nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and sensory
      imbalances. The captain of the sailboat offered the three sick PJs approximately
      18mg of cinnarizine two or three times a day with relief of symptoms and
      improvement on operational effectiveness. A new, anonymous, voluntary survey of
      Air National Guard PJs and combat rescue officers revealed that 78.4% of
      Operators have experienced motion sickness at sea. We discuss the current
      theories on motion sickness, the effect of motion sickness on operational
      effectiveness, and research on treatment of motion sickness, including the
      medication cinnarizine. 

PMID- 26125157
TI  - Causality Analysis: Identifying the Leading Element in a Coupled Dynamical
      System.
AB  - Physical systems with time-varying internal couplings are abundant in nature.
      While the full governing equations of these systems are typically unknown due to
      insufficient understanding of their internal mechanisms, there is often interest
      in determining the leading element. Here, the leading element is defined as the
      sub-system with the largest coupling coefficient averaged over a selected time
      span. Previously, the Convergent Cross Mapping (CCM) method has been employed to
      determine causality and dominant component in weakly coupled systems with
      constant coupling coefficients. In this study, CCM is applied to a pair of
      coupled Lorenz systems with time-varying coupling coefficients, exhibiting
      switching between dominant sub-systems in different periods. Four sets of
      numerical experiments are carried out. The first three cases consist of different
      coupling coefficient schemes: I) Periodic-constant, II) Normal, and III) Mixed
      Normal/Non-normal. In case IV, numerical experiment of cases II and III are
      repeated with imposed temporal uncertainties as well as additive normal noise.
      Our results show that, through detecting directional interactions, CCM identifies
      the leading sub-system in all cases except when the average coupling coefficients
      are approximately equal, i.e., when the dominant sub-system is not well defined. 

PMID- 26125159
TI  - Oral Steroids for Dermatitis.
AB  - Contact/allergic dermatitis is frequently treated inappropriately with lower-than
      recommended doses or inadequate duration of treatment with oral and intramuscular
      glucocorticoids. This article highlights a case of dermatitis in a Ranger
      Assessment and Selection Program student who was improperly treated over 2 weeks
      with oral steroids after being bit by Cimex lectularius, commonly known as bed
      bugs. The article also highlights the pitfalls of improper oral steroid dosing
      and provides reasoning for longer-duration oral steroid treatment. 

PMID- 26125160
TI  - Treatment of Psoriasis in the Deployed Setting.
AB  - Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated disorder that can be triggered by
      environmental changes, illness, smoking, or medications. This case describes a 25
      year-old, active-duty Marine Corps Sergeant with a severe perideployment
      psoriatic flare, and illustrates treatment limitations, restricted access to
      specialized care, and the importance of mitigating triggers in the deployed
      setting. 

PMID- 26125161
TI  - Replacement of Promethazine With Ondansetron for Treatment of Opioid- and Trauma
      Related Nausea and Vomiting in Tactical Combat Casualty Care.
AB  - The current Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) Guidelines recommend parenteral
      promethazine as the single agent for the treatment of opioid-induced nausea
      and/or vomiting and give a secondary indication of "synergistic analgesic
      effect." Promethazine, however, has a well-documented history of undesired side
      effects relating to impairment and dysregulation of the central and autonomic
      nervous systems, such as sedation, extrapyramidal symptoms, dystonia, impairment
      of psychomotor function, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and hypotension. These
      may be particularly worrisome in the combat casualty. Additionally, since 16
      September 2009, there has been a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) black box
      warning for the injectable form of promethazine, due to "the risk of serious
      tissue injury when this drug is administered incorrectly." Conversely,
      ondansetron, which is now available in generic form, has a well-established
      favorable safety profile and demonstrated efficacy in undifferentiated nausea and
      vomiting in the emergency department and prehospital settings. It has none of the
      central and autonomic nervous system side effects noted with promethazine and
      carries no FDA black box warning. Ondansetron is available in parenteral form and
      an orally disintegrating tablet, providing multiple safe and effective routes of
      administration. Despite the fact that it is an off-label use, ondansetron is
      being increasingly given for acute, undifferentiated nausea and vomiting and is
      presently being used in the field on combat casualties by some US and Allied
      Forces. Considering the risks involved with promethazine use, and the efficacy
      and safety of ondansetron and ondansetron?s availability in a generic form, we
      recommend removing promethazine from the TCCC Guidelines and replacing it with
      ondansetron. 

PMID- 26125162
TI  - Saving Lives on the Battlefield (Part II) ? One Year Later A Joint Theater Trauma
      System and Joint Trauma System Review of Prehospital Trauma Care in Combined
      Joint Operations Area?Afghanistan (CJOA-A) Final Report, 30 May 2014.
AB  - The United States has achieved unprecedented survival rates, as high as 98%, for
      casualties arriving alive at the combat hospital. Our military medical personnel
      are rightly proud of this achievement. Commanders and Servicemembers are
      confident that if wounded and moved to a Role II or III medical facility, their
      care will be the best in the world. Combat casualty care, however, begins at the
      point of injury and continues through evacuation to those facilities. With up to
      25% of deaths on the battlefield being potentially preventable, the prehospital
      environment is the next frontier for making significant further improvements in
      battlefield trauma care. Strict adherence to the evidence-based Tactical Combat
      Casualty Care (TCCC) Guidelines has been proven to reduce morbidity and mortality
      on the battlefield. However, full implementation across the entire force and
      commitment from both line and medical leadership continue to face ongoing
      challenges. This report on prehospital trauma in the Combined Joint Operations
      Area?Afghanistan (CJOA-A) is a follow-on to the one previously conducted in
      November 2012 and published in January 2013. Both assessments were conducted by
      the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) Joint Theater Trauma System (JTTS).
      Observations for this report were collected from December 2013 to January 2014
      and were obtained directly from deployed prehospital providers, medical leaders,
      and combatant leaders. Significant progress has been made between these two
      reports with the establishment of a Prehospital Care Division within the JTTS,
      development of a prehospital trauma registry and weekly prehospital trauma
      conferences, and CJOA-A theater guidance and enforcement of prehospital
      documentation. Specific prehospital trauma-care achievements include expansion of
      transfusion capabilities forward to the point of injury, junctional tourniquets,
      and universal approval of tranexamic acid. 

PMID- 26125163
TI  - Role of the Windlass in Improvised Tourniquet Use on a Manikin Hemorrhage Model.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In emergencies when commercially designed tourniquets are
      unavailable, hemorrhage may need to be controlled with improvised tourniquets. In
      the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, no improvised strap-and-windlass
      tourniquets were used to treat casualties; tourniquets without windlasses were
      used. The purpose of the present study is to determine the effectiveness of
      improvised tourniquets with and without a windlass to better understand the role
      of the windlass in tightening the tourniquet strap. METHODS: An experiment was
      designed to test the effectiveness of improvised strap-and-windlass tourniquets
      fashioned out of a tee shirt on a manikin thigh. Two users conducted 40 tests
      each with and without the use of a windlass. RESULTS: Without a windlass,
      improvised tourniquets failed to stop bleeding in 99% of tests (79 of 80 tests).
      With a windlass, improvised tourniquets failed to stop bleeding in 32% of tests
      (p < .0001). In tests with no windlass, attempts to stop the pulse completely
      failed (100%, 80 of 80 tests). With a windlass, however, attempts to stop the
      pulse failed 31% of the time (25 of 80 tests); the difference in proportions was
      significant (p < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Improvised strap-and-windlass tourniquets
      were more effective than those with no windlass, as a windlass allowed the user
      to gain mechanical advantage. However, improvised strap-and-windlass tourniquets
      failed to control hemorrhage in 32% of tests.

PMID- 26125164
TI  - Prehospital Use of Hemostatic Bandages and Tourniquets: Translation From Military
      Experience to Implementation in Civilian Trauma Care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: While the military use of tourniquets and hemostatic gauze is well
      established, few data exist regarding civilian emergency medical services (EMS)
      systems experience. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of consecutive
      patients with prehospital tourniquet and hemostatic gauze application in a single
      ground and rotor-wing rural medical transport service. Standard EMS registry data
      were reviewed for each case. RESULTS: During the study period, which included
      203,301 Gold Cross Ambulance and 8,987 Mayo One Transport records, 125 patients
      were treated with tourniquets and/or hemostatic gauze in the prehospital setting.
      Specifically, 77 tourniquets were used for 73 patients and 62 hemostatic
      dressings were applied to 52 patients. Seven patients required both
      interventions. Mechanisms of injury (MOIs) for tourniquet use were blunt trauma
      (50%), penetrating wounds (43%), and uncontrolled hemodialysis fistula bleeding
      (7%). Tourniquet placement was equitably distributed between upper and lower
      extremities, as well as proximal and distal locations. Mean tourniquet time was
      27 minutes, with 98.7% success. Hemostatic bandage MOIs were blunt trauma (50%),
      penetrating wounds (35%), and other MOIs (15%). Hemostatic bandage application
      was head and neck (50%), extremities (36%), and torso (14%), with a 95% success
      rate. Training for both interventions was computer-based and hands-on, with
      maintained proficiency of %gt;95% after 2 years. CONCLUSION: Civilian prehospital
      use of tourniquets and hemostatic gauze is feasible and effective at achieving
      hemostasis. Online and practical training programs result in proficiency of
      skills, which can be maintained despite infrequent use.

PMID- 26125165
TI  - Potential of Visual Sensory Screening, Diagnostic Evaluation, and Training for
      Treatment of Postconcussive Symptoms and Performance Enhancement for Special
      Forces Qualified Personnel.
AB  - Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) or concussive injuries remain a challenge for
      both athletes and clinicians, given high incidence rates and heterogeneous
      clinical trajectories. Moreover, exposure to blast in combat is compounded by
      chronic, frequent exposure to a variety of subclinical impacts and overpressure,
      in some cases annually over many years. Subsequent injuries are often more severe
      than the original and lead to higher incidence of chronic symptoms in combat
      units, particularly Special Operations Forces (SOF), which is compounded by a
      propensity to underreport or avoid Army medical systems altogether. The unique
      nature and psychological makeup of SOF Soldiers suggest that new guidelines for
      progressive return-to-activity and return-to-duty decision-making within the
      traditional medical setting may not be generalizable to this population. Further,
      the traditional criteria for return to duty and return to play in sport may be
      insensitive to persistent deficits, resulting in premature return. There is
      presidential and Department of Defense mandates for continued research in the
      areas of diagnostics, treatment, and assessments for return to duty. With recent
      shift toward understanding clinical trajectories, particularly visual and
      vestibular trajectories, promising new technology from the field of sports vision
      may prove useful toward that endeavor. Since the advent of performance programs
      within SOF units, these Soldiers build trust with performance personnel, which
      include rehabilitative personnel, through consistent and regular shared
      experience. Implementation of comprehensive vision and visual performance
      screening in conjunction with the study of sports vision technology within the
      performance setting, in conjunction with unit medical personnel, may yield
      important findings for diagnosis and treatment of mTBI; to include the
      chronically symptomatic postconcussive Soldiers. Last, with a wealth of
      literature supporting visual skills training for athlete populations, to include
      competitive shooters, the implementation of visual skills training will likely be
      a useful adjunct to performance training of SOF personnel. 

PMID- 26125166
TI  - Injuries, Medical Conditions, and Changes in Blood Levels in German Special
      Operations Forces Selection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical conditions often develop during military training. The aim of
      this study was to compile medical conditions and injuries sustained during a 5
      day military exercise, compare them with incidences at similar civilian events,
      and subsequently identify differences between those who finished the exercise
      (Finishers) and those who did not (Nonfinishers) to identify preventable causes
      for not finishing and to reduce unnecessary health risks. METHODS: Fifty-one
      soldiers had their blood parameters (creatine kinase [CK], aspartate transaminase
      [AST], alanine transaminase [ALT], gamma-glutamyl transferase [GGT], C-reactive
      protein [CRP], leukocytes, sodium), weight loss, and body temperature determined
      after the exercise. Additionally, the injuries and conditions that led the
      Nonfinishers to drop out were recorded. RESULTS: The main reasons why
      Nonfinishers did not complete the exercise were physical exhaustion and minor
      injuries. After exercise, the Finishers showed only slightly increased incidence
      of hyponatremia, higher levels of CK, and significantly higher levels of AST,
      ALT, and CRP, and body weight loss. The Nonfinishers? results were significant
      for an elevated leukocyte count and lower mean temperatures. CONCLUSION: The
      specifics of military training did not influence the kind or the number of
      exertion-related medical conditions compared to similar civilian events. Both
      Finishers and Nonfinishers are at risk of developing exertion-related medical
      conditions such as rhabdomyolysis and hyponatremia. However, plain water did not
      increase the risk of exertional hyponatremia. Leukocytosis found in the
      Nonfinisher group could have been due to acute excessive exertion and, therefore,
      may be an indicator of general systemic fatigue. This could be used to differ
      between physical and psychological reasons for not finishing.

PMID- 26125167
TI  - Rationale for Use of Intravenous Acetaminophen in Special Operations Medicine.
AB  - Use of intravenous acetaminophen has increased recently as an opioid-sparing
      strategy for patients undergoing major surgery. Its characteristics and efficacy
      suggest that it would a useful adjunct in combat trauma medicine. This article
      reviews those characteristics, which include rapid onset, high peak plasma
      concentration, and favorable side-effect profile. Also discussed is the
      hepatotoxicity risk of acetaminophen in a combat trauma patient. It concludes
      that intravenous acetaminophen should be considered as an addition to the US
      Special Operations Command Tactical Trauma Protocols and supplied to medics for
      use in field care. 

PMID- 26125168
TI  - Emergency Department Patients Support the Use of Combat Medics in Their Clinical
      Care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As US military combat operations draw down in Afghanistan, the
      military health system will shift focus to garrison- and hospital-based care.
      Maintaining combat medical skills while performing routine healthcare in military
      hospitals and clinics is a critical challenge for Combat medics. Current
      regulations allow for a wide latitude of Combat medic functions. The Surgeon
      General considers combat casualty care a top priority. Combat medics are expected
      to provide sophisticated care under the extreme circumstances of a hostile
      battlefield. Yet, in the relatively safe and highly supervised setting of
      contiguous US-based military hospitals, medics are rarely allowed to perform the
      procedures or administer medications they are expected to use in combat. This
      study sought to determine patients? opinions on the use of combat medics in their
      healthcare. METHODS: Patients in hospital emergency department (EDs) were offered
      anonymous surveys. Examples of Combat medic skills were provided. Participants
      expressed agreement using the Likert scale (LS), with scores ranging from
      "strongly agree" (LS score, 1) to "strongly disagree" (LS score, 5). The study
      took place in the ED at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, Fort Polk,
      Louisiana. Surveys were offered to adult patients when they checked into the ED
      or to adults with other patients. RESULTS: A total of 280 surveys were completed
      and available for analysis. Subjects agreed that Combat medic skills are
      important for deployment (LS score, 1.4). Subjects agreed that Combat medics
      should be allowed to perform procedures (LS score, 1.6) and administer
      medications (LS score, 1.6). Subjects would allow Combat medics to perform
      procedures (LS score, 1.7) and administer medications (LS score, 1.7) to them or
      their families. Subjects agreed that Combat medic activities should be a core
      mission for military treatment facilities (MTFs) (LS score, 1.6). CONCLUSION:
      Patients support the use of Combat medics during clinical care. Patients agree
      that Combat medic use should be a core mission for MTFs. Further research is
      needed to optimize Combat medic integration into patient healthcare.

PMID- 26125169
TI  - Clinical Guidelines for Stellate Ganglion Block to Treat Anxiety Associated With
      Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
AB  - Multiple case series published in the peer-reviewed medical literature have
      demonstrated the safety and efficacy of right-sided stellate ganglion block (SGB)
      for the treatment of anxiety symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress
      disorder (PTSD). As this is a new indication for a well-established procedure,
      there is relatively little information available to assist clinicians in
      determining the utility of SGB for their patients. Presented are clinical
      guidelines to assist the provider with patient selection, patient education, and
      follow-up. Also described is a technique to perform SGB under ultrasound
      guidance. Although additional rigorous clinical research is needed to further
      investigate SGB for the treatment of anxiety symptoms associated with PTSD, these
      guidelines can also assist clinical investigators in their participant selection,
      design, and conduct of future research as it pertains to this important topic. 

PMID- 26125170
TI  - Interobserver Variability in Injury Severity Scoring After Combat Trauma:
      Different Perspectives, Different Values?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anatomic measures of injury burden provide key information for
      studies of prehospital and in-hospital trauma care. The military version of the
      Abbreviated Injury Scale [AIS(M)] is used to score injuries in deployed military
      hospitals. Estimates of total trauma burden are derived from this. These scores
      are used for categorization of patients, assessment of care quality, and research
      studies. Scoring is normally performed retrospectively from chart review. We
      compared data recorded in the UK Joint Theatre Trauma Registry (JTTR) and scores
      calculated independently at the time of surgery by the operating surgeons to
      assess the concordance between surgeons and trauma nurse coordinators in
      assigning injury severity scores. METHODS: Trauma casualties treated at a
      deployed Role 3 hospital were assigned AIS(M) scores by surgeons between 24
      September 2012 and 16 October 2012. JTTR records from the same period were
      retrieved. The AIS(M), Injury Severity Score (ISS), and New Injury Severity Score
      (NISS) were compared between datasets. RESULTS: Among 32 matched casualties, 214
      injuries were recorded in the JTTR, whereas surgeons noted 212. Percentage
      agreement for number of injuries was 19%. Surgeons scored 75 injuries as
      "serious" or greater compared with 68 in the JTTR. Percentage agreement for the
      maximum AIS(M), ISS, and NISS assigned to cases was 66%, 34%, and 28%,
      respectively, although the distributions of scores were not statistically
      different (median ISS: surgeons: 20 [interquartile range (IQR), 9-28] versus
      JTTR: 17.5 [IQR, 9-31.5], p = .7; median NISS: surgeons: 27 [IQR, 12-42] versus
      JTTR: 25.5 [IQR, 11.5-41], p = .7). CONCLUSION: There are discrepancies in the
      recording of AIS(M) between surgeons directly involved in the care of trauma
      casualties and trauma nurse coordinators working by retrospective chart review.
      Increased accuracy might be achieved by actively collaborating in this process.

PMID- 26125171
TI  - "It's What Color?".
AB  - The series objective is to review various clinical conditions/presentations,
      including the latest evidence on management, and to dispel common myths. In the
      process, core knowledge and management principles are enhanced. A clinical case
      will be presented. Cases will be drawn from real life but phrased in a context
      that is applicable to the Special Operations Forces (SOF) or tactical emergency
      medical support (TEMS) environment. Details will be presented in such a way that
      the reader can follow along and identify how they would manage the case
      clinically depending on their experience and environment situation. Commentary
      will be provided by currently serving military medical technicians. The medics
      and author will draw on their SOF experience to communicate relevant clinical
      concepts pertinent to different operational environments including SOF and TEMS.
      Commentary and input from active special operations medical technicians will be
      part of the feature. 

PMID- 26125172
TI  - Monitoring Training for Human Performance Optimization.
AB  - Physical fitness can significantly impact the mission success of Special
      Operations Forces (SOF). Much like athletes, Operators have multiple training
      components including technical, tactical, physical and mental conditioning, which
      must simultaneously be developed for mission success. Balancing multiple physical
      stressors to ensure positive results from training can be achieved through
      periodization?the intentional planning for success. Monitoring the training load
      can assist SOF in managing training stress and designing periodization that
      minimizes fatigue. The present article provides an overview of modern technology
      developed to quantify the stress of training. The training load maintained by SOF
      consists of external loads created through physical work and internal units of
      load determined by the rate of perceived effort during training that must be
      integrated in a manner that minimizes the accumulation of fatigue. Methods for
      determining training load are discussed in this article and examples are provided
      for determining training load, developing conditioning sessions and utilizing
      training load to maintain physical fitness, and improve return from injury. 

PMID- 26125173
TI  - Q Fever.
AB  - Q fever is a zoonotic disease found throughout the world. It is caused by the
      intracellular gram-negative bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Infection by C. burnetii
      occurs primarily by inhalation of the aerosolized bacteria from birthing animals
      or contaminated dust. The bacterium is very resistant to drying and heat, and is
      considered highly endemic in the Middle East, where it is likely underdiagnosed.
      Special Operations Forces medical providers should be aware of this disease,
      which must be in the differential diagnosis of a patient who has a history of
      fever, elevated liver enzymes, pneumonia in its acute form, and endocarditis,
      especially in those with existing valvular heart disease in its chronic form. 

PMID- 26125174
TI  - The Importance of Physical Fitness for Injury Prevention: Part 2.
AB  - This report examines associations between injuries and flexibility, stretching,
      warm-up, and body composition. Military studies show that either too much or too
      little flexibility increases injury risk. Static stretching prior to exercise
      does not appear to reduce the overall injury incidence, although further research
      is needed on some types of injuries. Static stretching also appears to reduce
      strength and power (explosive strength). Warm-up (low intensity activity prior to
      exercise or sports) appears to reduce injury risk. Body mass index (BMI; weight
      in kg/ height in m2) is a surrogate measure of body fat because it is highly
      related to laboratory measures of body fat. However, Soldiers can also have a
      high BMI because of higher muscle mass. If high BMI reflects a larger percentage
      of body fat relative to height, injury risk might be increased because the
      additional fat would increase the intensity of physical activity, leading to more
      rapid fatigue and repetitive stress on the musculoskeletal system. Low BMI could
      reflect a paucity of fat or muscle/ bone, or both. Low BMI may make Soldiers more
      susceptible to injury if they lack the muscle mass or strength in the supportive
      structures (ligaments, bones) required to perform certain physical tasks, and if
      they overexert or overuse the available muscle mass or supportive structures.
      Studies in basic combat training show that both high and low BMI increases injury
      risk. However, studies among active duty Soldiers only show that injury risk
      increases as BMI increases, possibly because very few active duty Soldiers have
      very low BMI (i.e., less than 18 kg/m2). 

PMID- 26125175
TI  - A Descriptive Analysis of US Prehospital Care Response to Law Enforcement
      Tactical Incidents.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Law enforcement tactical incidents involve high-risk operations that
      exceed the capabilities of regular, uniformed police. Despite the existence of
      tactical teams for 50 years, little is known about the frequency or nature of
      emergency medical services (EMS) response to tactical events in the United
      States. The purpose of this study was to perform a descriptive analysis of
      tactical events reported to a national EMS database. METHODS: Descriptive
      analysis of the 2012 National Emergency Medical Services Information System
      (NEMSIS) Public Release research data set, containing EMS emergency response data
      from 41 states. RESULTS: A total of 17,479,328 EMS events were reported, of which
      3,953 events were coded as "Activation-Tactical or SWAT Specialty
      Service/Response Team." The most common level of prehospital care present on
      scene was basic life support (55.2%). The majority (72.3%) of tactical incident
      activations involved a single patient; mass casualty incidents occurred in 0.5%
      of events. The most common EMS response locations were homes (48.4%), streets or
      highways (37.0%), and public buildings (6.3%). The mean age of treated patients
      was 44.1 years +/- 22.0 years; 3.5% of tactical incident activation patients were
      aged 8 years or less. Injuries were coded as firearm assault in 14.8% and as
      chemical exposure in 8.9% of events. Cardiac arrest occurred in 5.1% of patients,
      with the majority (92.2%) occurring prior to EMS arrival. The primary symptoms
      reported by EMS personnel were pain (37.4%), change in responsiveness (13.1%),
      and bleeding (8.1%). Advanced airway procedures occurred in 30 patients. No
      patients were documented as receiving tourniquets or needle thoracostomy.
      CONCLUSION: Approximately 11 EMS responses in support of law enforcement tactical
      operations occur daily in the United States. The majority occur in homes and
      involve a single patient. Advanced airway procedures are required in a minority
      of patients. Cardiac arrest is rare and occurs prior to EMS response in the
      majority of cases. Better understanding of the nature and location of EMS
      responses to tactical incidents is required to develop consistent EMS policies in
      support of law enforcement tactical operations.

PMID- 26125176
TI  - A Case Study of MEDCANGRO Relative to RAND Conceptual Framework.
AB  - The 2010 Department of Defense (DoD) Instruction 6000.16, Military Health Support
      for Stability Operations, established medical stability operations as a core
      military mission. National military leaders appreciated that to better manage
      risks for US military personnel operating in far forward locations, reduce cost
      and footprint requirements for operations, and aid partner nations with providing
      service to relevant populations in underserviced/undergoverned the US military
      would need to be employed strategically in efforts to build partner nation
      medical capacity. Medical Stability Operations has evolved into Global Health
      Engagement in the lexicon of planners but the goal is still the same. This
      article used a technical report authored by the RAND Corporation as the basis of
      a case study of a Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAF) Mission to the
      country of Niger to build a casualty evacuation capability. The case study
      evaluates the utility of a hypothetical framework developed by the RAND
      researchers relative to the actual events and outcomes of an actual mission. The
      principal finding is that the RAND technical report is of value to planners,
      Operators, and trainers as a systematic approach to successful building partner
      capacity in health (BPC-H) missions. The article also offers several examples of
      metrics that aid leadership in making better decisions as to when corrective
      actions might be required. 

PMID- 26125177
TI  - Psoriasis.
AB  - An active duty Sailor has a long history of skin lesions on his scalp, chest,
      back, and legs. He was evaluated and treated previously but could not recall the
      specific details. He is diagnosed with plaque psoriasis, an immune-mediated
      chronic disease. This article reviews the etiology, morphology, diagnosis, and
      treatment of psoriasis. 

PMID- 26125178
TI  - Preventive Medicine and Its Role in the Special Operation Forces Medical Team.
AB  - Throughout history, Soldiers in wartime have been especially vulnerable to
      infectious diseases, which have devastated and decimated entire armies, causing
      suspension and, in some cases, complete cancellation of military operations. Dr.
      William Foege,1 a renowned Harvard epidemiologist, and his colleagues claim that
      throughout history, infectious diseases have killed more Soldiers than have
      weapons. Reality shows that it does not matter if your Soldiers had the best
      training available with the best equipment and top of the world intelligence: if
      your personnel get sick, they become more of a liability than an asset for a
      combat operation. This article presents some of the key findings that continue to
      affect our Special Operations Forces (SOF) and how the use of specifically
      designed new products can help in controlling short- and long-term consequences
      of infectious diseases. 

PMID- 26125179
TI  - POW and Detainee Operations: Lessons Unlearned.
AB  - Throughout the history of modern warfare, tales of atrocities have repeatedly
      surfaced that depict active and passive aggression toward prisoners of war
      (POWs). Yet, with each conflict, new tales are born and an undeniable reality of
      warfare inflicts fresh scars for aggressors to bear. It is understandable, based
      on human nature and the goals of war, that a government (or its representatives)
      will feel malice toward enemy prisoners captured during a conflict. It is
      unquestionably a challenge to overcome that human nature, despite the statutes
      that outline lawful treatment of POWs. While most aspects of warfare have been
      revolutionized throughout history, the means by which a military deals with its
      POWs remains somewhat mired in the reticence of leaders to acknowledge that it
      will factor into every conflict--that it will, in fact, become a source of
      controversy as long as it is handled as an afterthought. As shown in accounts
      dating back to the Revolutionary War, the law can only influence human nature to
      a point, especially when resources are limited, ignorance is a reality, and no
      one is watching.

PMID- 26125180
TI  - Fuzileiros Portugueses (Portuguese Marines).

PMID- 26125182
TI  - Correction: Altered Ca2+ Kinetics Associated with alpha-Actinin-3 Deficiency May
      Explain Positive Selection for ACTN3 Null Allele in Human Evolution.

PMID- 26125181
TI  - The Differential Expression of Immune Genes between Water Buffalo and Yellow
      Cattle Determines Species-Specific Susceptibility to Schistosoma japonicum
      Infection.
AB  - Water buffalo are less susceptible to Schistosoma japonicum infection than yellow
      cattle. The factors that affect such differences in susceptibility remain
      unknown. A Bos taurus genome-wide gene chip was used to analyze gene expression
      profiles in the peripheral blood of water buffalo and yellow cattle pre- and post
      infection with S. japonicum. This study showed that most of the identified
      differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between water buffalo and yellow cattle pre
      and post-infection were involved in immune-related processes, and the expression
      level of immune genes was lower in water buffalo. The unique DEGs (390) in yellow
      cattle were mainly associated with inflammation pathways, while the unique DEGs
      (2,114) in water buffalo were mainly associated with immune-related factors. The
      83 common DEGs may be the essential response genes during S. japonicum infection,
      the highest two gene ontology (GO) functions were associated with the regulation
      of fibrinolysis. The pathway enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs constituted
      similar immune-related pathways pre- and post-infection between the two hosts.
      This first analysis of the transcriptional profiles of natural hosts has enabled
      us to gain new insights into the mechanisms that govern their susceptibility or
      resistance to S. japonicum infections.

PMID- 26125183
TI  - Occurrence of Isopenicillin-N-Synthase Homologs in Bioluminescent Ctenophores and
      Implications for Coelenterazine Biosynthesis.
AB  - The biosynthesis of the luciferin coelenterazine has remained a mystery for
      decades. While not all organisms that use coelenterazine appear to make it
      themselves, it is thought that ctenophores are a likely producer. Here we analyze
      the transcriptome data of 24 species of ctenophores, two of which have published
      genomes. The natural precursors of coelenterazine have been shown to be the amino
      acids L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine, with the most likely biosynthetic pathway
      involving cyclization and further modification of the tripeptide Phe-Tyr-Tyr
      ("FYY"). Therefore, we searched the ctenophore transcriptome data for genes with
      the short peptide "FYY" as part of their coding sequence. We recovered a group of
      candidate genes for coelenterazine biosynthesis in the luminous species which
      encode a set of highly conserved non-heme iron oxidases similar to isopenicillin
      N-synthase. These genes were absent in the transcriptomes and genome of the two
      non-luminous species. Pairwise identities and substitution rates reveal an
      unusually high degree of identity even between the most unrelated species.
      Additionally, two related groups of non-heme iron oxidases were found across all
      ctenophores, including those which are non-luminous, arguing against the
      involvement of these two gene groups in luminescence. Important residues for iron
      binding are conserved across all proteins in the three groups, suggesting this
      function is still present. Given the known functions of other members of this
      protein superfamily are involved in heterocycle formation, we consider these
      genes to be top candidates for laboratory characterization or gene knockouts in
      the investigation of coelenterazine biosynthesis. 

PMID- 26125184
TI  - Menstrual Hygiene Practices, WASH Access and the Risk of Urogenital Infection in
      Women from Odisha, India.
AB  - Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) practices vary worldwide and depend on the
      individual's socioeconomic status, personal preferences, local traditions and
      beliefs, and access to water and sanitation resources. MHM practices can be
      particularly unhygienic and inconvenient for girls and women in poorer settings.
      Little is known about whether unhygienic MHM practices increase a woman's
      exposure to urogenital infections, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV) and urinary
      tract infection (UTI). This study aimed to determine the association of MHM
      practices with urogenital infections, controlling for environmental drivers. A
      hospital-based case-control study was conducted on 486 women at Odisha, India.
      Cases and controls were recruited using a syndromic approach. Vaginal swabs were
      collected from all the participants and tested for BV status using Amsel's
      criteria. Urine samples were cultured to assess UTI status. Socioeconomic status,
      clinical symptoms and reproductive history, and MHM and water and sanitation
      practices were obtained by standardised questionnaire. A total of 486 women were
      recruited to the study, 228 symptomatic cases and 258 asymptomatic controls.
      Women who used reusable absorbent pads were more likely to have symptoms of
      urogenital infection (AdjOR=2.3, 95%CI1.5-3.4) or to be diagnosed with at least
      one urogenital infection (BV or UTI) (AdjOR=2.8, 95%CI1.7-4.5), than women using
      disposable pads. Increased wealth and space for personal hygiene in the household
      were protective for BV (AdjOR=0.5, 95%CI0.3-0.9 and AdjOR=0.6, 95%CI0.3-0.9
      respectively). Lower education of the participants was the only factor associated
      with UTI after adjusting for all the confounders (AdjOR=3.1, 95%CI1.2-7.9).
      Interventions that ensure women have access to private facilities with water for
      MHM and that educate women about safer, low-cost MHM materials could reduce
      urogenital disease among women. Further studies of the effects of specific
      practices for managing hygienically reusable pads and studies to explore other
      pathogenic reproductive tract infections are needed. 

PMID- 26125185
TI  - A Comparative Study of Early Afterdepolarization-Mediated Fibrillation in Two
      Mathematical Models for Human Ventricular Cells.
AB  - Early afterdepolarizations (EADs), which are abnormal oscillations of the
      membrane potential at the plateau phase of an action potential, are implicated in
      the development of cardiac arrhythmias like Torsade de Pointes. We carry out
      extensive numerical simulations of the TP06 and ORd mathematical models for human
      ventricular cells with EADs. We investigate the different regimes in both these
      models, namely, the parameter regimes where they exhibit (1) a normal action
      potential (AP) with no EADs, (2) an AP with EADs, and (3) an AP with EADs that
      does not go back to the resting potential. We also study the dependence of EADs
      on the rate of at which we pace a cell, with the specific goal of elucidating
      EADs that are induced by slow or fast rate pacing. In our simulations in two- and
      three-dimensional domains, in the presence of EADs, we find the following wave
      types: (A) waves driven by the fast sodium current and the L-type calcium current
      (Na-Ca-mediated waves); (B) waves driven only by the L-type calcium current (Ca
      mediated waves); (C) phase waves, which are pseudo-travelling waves. Furthermore,
      we compare the wave patterns of the various wave-types (Na-Ca-mediated, Ca
      mediated, and phase waves) in both these models. We find that the two models
      produce qualitatively similar results in terms of exhibiting Na-Ca-mediated wave
      patterns that are more chaotic than those for the Ca-mediated and phase waves.
      However, there are quantitative differences in the wave patterns of each wave
      type. The Na-Ca-mediated waves in the ORd model show short-lived spirals but the
      TP06 model does not. The TP06 model supports more Ca-mediated spirals than those
      in the ORd model, and the TP06 model exhibits more phase-wave patterns than does
      the ORd model. 

PMID- 26125187
TI  - Identification of Essential Proteins Based on a New Combination of Local
      Interaction Density and Protein Complexes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Computational approaches aided by computer science have been used to
      predict essential proteins and are faster than expensive, time-consuming,
      laborious experimental approaches. However, the performance of such approaches is
      still poor, making practical applications of computational approaches difficult
      in some fields. Hence, the development of more suitable and efficient computing
      methods is necessary for identification of essential proteins. METHOD: In this
      paper, we propose a new method for predicting essential proteins in a protein
      interaction network, local interaction density combined with protein complexes
      (LIDC), based on statistical analyses of essential proteins and protein
      complexes. First, we introduce a new local topological centrality, local
      interaction density (LID), of the yeast PPI network; second, we discuss a new
      integration strategy for multiple bioinformatics. The LIDC method was then
      developed through a combination of LID and protein complex information based on
      our new integration strategy. The purpose of LIDC is discovery of important
      features of essential proteins with their neighbors in real protein complexes,
      thereby improving the efficiency of identification. RESULTS: Experimental results
      based on three different PPI(protein-protein interaction) networks of
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli showed that LIDC outperformed
      classical topological centrality measures and some recent combinational methods.
      Moreover, when predicting MIPS datasets, the better improvement of performance
      obtained by LIDC is over all nine reference methods (i.e., DC, BC, NC, LID, PeC,
      CoEWC, WDC, ION, and UC). CONCLUSIONS: LIDC is more effective for the prediction
      of essential proteins than other recently developed methods.

PMID- 26125186
TI  - Methodological Considerations in Estimation of Phenotype Heritability Using
      Genome-Wide SNP Data, Illustrated by an Analysis of the Heritability of Height in
      a Large Sample of African Ancestry Adults.
AB  - Height has an extremely polygenic pattern of inheritance. Genome-wide association
      studies (GWAS) have revealed hundreds of common variants that are associated with
      human height at genome-wide levels of significance. However, only a small
      fraction of phenotypic variation can be explained by the aggregate of these
      common variants. In a large study of African-American men and women (n = 14,419),
      we genotyped and analyzed 966,578 autosomal SNPs across the entire genome using a
      linear mixed model variance components approach implemented in the program GCTA
      (Yang et al Nat Genet 2010), and estimated an additive heritability of 44.7% (se:
      3.7%) for this phenotype in a sample of evidently unrelated individuals. While
      this estimated value is similar to that given by Yang et al in their analyses, we
      remain concerned about two related issues: (1) whether in the complete absence of
      hidden relatedness, variance components methods have adequate power to estimate
      heritability when a very large number of SNPs are used in the analysis; and (2)
      whether estimation of heritability may be biased, in real studies, by low levels
      of residual hidden relatedness. We addressed the first question in a semi
      analytic fashion by directly simulating the distribution of the score statistic
      for a test of zero heritability with and without low levels of relatedness. The
      second question was addressed by a very careful comparison of the behavior of
      estimated heritability for both observed (self-reported) height and simulated
      phenotypes compared to imputation R2 as a function of the number of SNPs used in
      the analysis. These simulations help to address the important question about
      whether today's GWAS SNPs will remain useful for imputing causal variants that
      are discovered using very large sample sizes in future studies of height, or
      whether the causal variants themselves will need to be genotyped de novo in order
      to build a prediction model that ultimately captures a large fraction of the
      variability of height, and by implication other complex phenotypes. Our overall
      conclusions are that when study sizes are quite large (5,000 or so) the additive
      heritability estimate for height is not apparently biased upwards using the
      linear mixed model; however there is evidence in our simulation that a very large
      number of causal variants (many thousands) each with very small effect on
      phenotypic variance will need to be discovered to fill the gap between the
      heritability explained by known versus unknown causal variants. We conclude that
      today's GWAS data will remain useful in the future for causal variant prediction,
      but that finding the causal variants that need to be predicted may be extremely
      laborious. 

PMID- 26125188
TI  - Genome-Wide Analysis of the NAC Gene Family in Physic Nut (Jatropha curcas L.).
AB  - The NAC proteins (NAM, ATAF1/2 and CUC2) are plant-specific transcriptional
      regulators that have a conserved NAM domain in the N-terminus. They are involved
      in various biological processes, including both biotic and abiotic stress
      responses. In the present study, a total of 100 NAC genes (JcNAC) were identified
      in physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.). Based on phylogenetic analysis and gene
      structures, 83 JcNAC genes were classified as members of, or proposed to be
      diverged from, 39 previously predicted orthologous groups (OGs) of NAC sequences.
      Physic nut has a single intron-containing NAC gene subfamily that has been lost
      in many plants. The JcNAC genes are non-randomly distributed across the 11
      linkage groups of the physic nut genome, and appear to be preferentially retained
      duplicates that arose from both ancient and recent duplication events. Digital
      gene expression analysis indicates that some of the JcNAC genes have tissue
      specific expression profiles (e.g. in leaves, roots, stem cortex or seeds), and
      29 genes differentially respond to abiotic stresses (drought, salinity,
      phosphorus deficiency and nitrogen deficiency). Our results will be helpful for
      further functional analysis of the NAC genes in physic nut. 

PMID- 26125191
TI  - Behavior of Ants Escaping from a Single-Exit Room.
AB  - To study the rules of ant behavior and group-formation phenomena, we examined the
      behaviors of Camponotus japonicus, a species of large ant, in a range of
      situations. For these experiments, ants were placed inside a rectangular chamber
      with a single exit that also contained a filter paper soaked in citronella oil, a
      powerful repellent. The ants formed several groups as they moved toward the exit
      to escape. We measured the time intervals between individual escapes in six
      versions of the experiment, each containing an exit of a different width, to
      quantify the movement of the groups. As the ants exited the chamber, the time
      intervals between individual escapes changed and the frequency distribution of
      the time intervals exhibited exponential decay. We also investigated the
      relationship between the number of ants in a group and the group flow rate. 

PMID- 26125189
TI  - Plasmodium vivax Diversity and Population Structure across Four Continents.
AB  - Plasmodium vivax is the geographically most widespread human malaria parasite. To
      analyze patterns of microsatellite diversity and population structure across
      countries of different transmission intensity, genotyping data from 11
      microsatellite markers was either generated or compiled from 841 isolates from
      four continents collected in 1999-2008. Diversity was highest in South-East Asia
      (mean allelic richness 10.0-12.8), intermediate in the South Pacific (8.1-9.9)
      Madagascar and Sudan (7.9-8.4), and lowest in South America and Central Asia (5.5
      7.2). A reduced panel of only 3 markers was sufficient to identify approx. 90% of
      all haplotypes in South Pacific, African and SE-Asian populations, but only 60
      80% in Latin American populations, suggesting that typing of 2-6 markers,
      depending on the level of endemicity, is sufficient for epidemiological studies.
      Clustering analysis showed distinct clusters in Peru and Brazil, but little sub
      structuring was observed within Africa, SE-Asia or the South Pacific. Isolates
      from Uzbekistan were exceptional, as a near-clonal parasite population was
      observed that was clearly separated from all other populations (FST>0.2). Outside
      Central Asia FST values were highest (0.11-0.16) between South American and all
      other populations, and lowest (0.04-0.07) between populations from South-East
      Asia and the South Pacific. These comparisons between P. vivax populations from
      four continents indicated that not only transmission intensity, but also
      geographical isolation affect diversity and population structure. However, the
      high effective population size results in slow changes of these parameters. This
      persistency must be taken into account when assessing the impact of control
      programs on the genetic structure of parasite populations. 

PMID- 26125192
TI  - Elastic and magnetoelastic relaxation behaviour of multiferroic (ferromagnetic +
      ferroelectric + ferroelastic) Pb(Fe0.5Nb0.5)O3 perovskite.
AB  - Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy has been used to characterize elastic and
      anelastic anomalies in a polycrystalline sample of multiferroic
      Pb(Fe(0.5)Nb(0.5))O(3) (PFN). Elastic softening begins at ~550 K, which is close
      to the Burns temperature marking the development of dynamical polar nanoregions.
      A small increase in acoustic loss at ~425 K coincides with the value of T(*)
      reported for polar nanoregions starting to acquire a static or quasi-static
      component. Softening of the shear modulus by ~30-35% through ~395-320 K, together
      with a peak in acoustic loss, is due to classical strain/order parameter coupling
      through the cubic -> tetragonal -> monoclinic transition sequence of
      ferroelectric/ferroelastic transitions. A plateau of high acoustic loss below
      ~320 K is due to the mobility under stress of a ferroelastic microstructure but,
      instead of the typical effects of freezing of twin wall motion at some low
      temperature, there is a steady decrease in loss and increase in elastic stiffness
      below ~85 K. This is attributed to freezing of a succession of strain-coupled
      defects with a range of relaxation times and is consistent with a report in the
      literature that PFN develops a tweed microstructure over a wide temperature
      interval. No overt anomaly was observed near the expected Neel point, ~145 K,
      consistent with weak/absent spin/lattice coupling but heat capacity measurements
      showed that the antiferromagnetic transition is actually smeared out or
      suppressed. Instead, the sample is weakly ferromagnetic up to ~560 K, though it
      has not been possible to exclude definitively the possibility that this could be
      due to some magnetic impurity. Overall, evidence from the RUS data is of a
      permeating influence of static and dynamic strain relaxation effects which are
      attributed to local strain heterogeneity on a mesoscopic length scale. These, in
      turn, must have a role in determining the magnetic properties and multiferroic
      character of PFN.

PMID- 26125190
TI  - Sex-Specific Mediating Role of Insulin Resistance and Inflammation in the Effect
      of Adiposity on Blood Pressure of Prepubertal Children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between obesity indices and blood pressure
      (BP) at 4 years of age, in each sex, and to quantify to which extent this
      association is mediated by inflammation and insulin resistance (IR). MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: We studied 1250 4-year-old children selected from the population
      based birth cohort Generation XXI. Associations between body mass index (BMI) z
      score and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), office BP, inflammation (high sensitivity
      C-reactive protein) and IR (HOMA-IR index) were assessed. Path Analysis, a
      modified multivariate regression approach, was applied to test causal models and
      quantify direct and indirect effects of predictors of systolic (SBP) and
      diastolic BP (DBP). RESULTS: SBP and DBP increased significantly with BMI and
      WHtR in both sexes. There was a strong direct association (explaining 74.1-93.2%
      of the total association) of both measures of adiposity with SBP, in both sexes.
      This association was additionally indirectly mediated by IR, particularly
      regarding WHtR (20.5% in girls and 9.4% in boys). Mediation by inflammation did
      not reach statistical significance in either sex. Regarding DBP, the direct
      effect of adiposity was strong (>95% for BMI and WHtR in boys) and the mediation
      by IR was much smaller in boys than in girls. DISCUSSION: The direct association
      between adiposity and BP in healthy 4-year-old children is strong and IR plays an
      important mediating role. The strength of effects of IR and inflammation suggests
      sex differences in the complex interplay between BP, adiposity and inflammation.

PMID- 26125193
TI  - Multiple interventions improve analgesic treatment of supracondylar humerus
      fractures in a pediatric emergency department.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Provision of appropriate and timely treatment for pain in the
      pediatric population has been challenging. Children with painful conditions
      commonly present to emergency departments (EDs), a setting in which it may be
      particularly difficult to consistently provide timely analgesic interventions.
      OBJECTIVES: To measure the effectiveness of a set of interventions in improving
      the rate and timeliness of analgesic medication administration, as well as
      appropriate backslab immobilization (application of a moldable plaster or
      fiberglass splint), in a pediatric ED. METHODS: Data regarding pain management
      were collected on a consecutive sample of cases of supracondylar fracture over a
      13-month period. This followed the implementation of a formal triage pain
      assessment and treatment medical directive, supplemented with relevant education
      of nursing and house staff, and posters in the ED. These data were compared with
      data previously collected from a similar cohort of cases, which presented before
      the interventions. RESULTS: Postintervention, the proportion of patients treated
      with an analgesic within 60 min of triage increased from 15% to 54% (P<0.001),
      and the median time to administration of an analgesic decreased from 72.5 min to
      11 min (P<0.001). Rates for backslab application before radiography were similar
      before and after the intervention (29% and 33%, respectively; P=0.646).
      CONCLUSIONS: A multifaceted approach to improving early analgesic interventions
      was associated with considerably improved rates of early analgesic treatments for
      supracondylar fracture; however, no improvement in early immobilization was
      observed.

PMID- 26125194
TI  - Effects of continuous fascia iliaca compartment blocks for postoperative
      analgesia in patients with hip fracture
AB  - BACKGROUND: Effective analgesia is essential for the postoperative care of
      orthopedic patients. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of continuous fascia
      iliaca compartment block (FIB) as postoperative analgesia after hip fracture
      surgery, and to compare FIB with patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA)
      using fentanyl for 48 h postoperatively. METHODS: Patients with hip fractures who
      were scheduled for open reduction and internal fixation surgery using the
      antirotation proximal femoral nail technique were randomly assigned to the FIB or
      PCIA groups. Postoperative pain was assessed using a numeral rating scale at 2 h,
      4 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h after analgesia was started. Delirium,
      postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and pruritus were also monitored.
      RESULTS: Patients in the FIB group reported less pain than those in the PCIA
      group (P=0.039, d=-0.3). The change in pain scores over time was similar between
      the two groups. There were six patients with PONV and five patients with pruritus
      in the PCIA group, while no PONV or pruritus was noticed in the FIB group
      (P=0.013). Ten (19.6%) patients in the FIB group and three (5.7%) patients in the
      PCIA group developed postoperative delirium (P=0.032, d=0.77). CONCLUSION:
      Continuous FIB is a safe and effective technique for postoperative analgesia
      after hip fracture surgery, making it an option for pain management in elderly
      patients with hip fractures.

PMID- 26125196
TI  - Folate and Vitamin B12 Status in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Update.
AB  - Background: The current magnitude of folate and vitamin B12 deficiency in Latin
      America and the Caribbean is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To summarize data on plasma or
      serum vitamin B12 and folate concentrations in Latin America and the Caribbean
      reported since 1990, a period that covers the era before and after the
      introduction of folic acid fortification. METHODS: A systematic review was
      conducted in 2012 and updated in 2014. Studies and surveys using biochemical
      biomarkers and conducted in apparently healthy individuals were identified.
      RESULTS: Folate deficiency in Latin America and the Caribbean appears not to be a
      public health problem (prevalence < 5%) after the introduction of folic acid
      fortification. However, there is some indication that high rates of low or
      marginal vitamin B12 status remain in most locations and across population
      groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adding vitamin B12 as a fortificant with folic acid may be
      the best strategy in areas where vitamin B12 deficiency is an established
      concern.

PMID- 26125195
TI  - Modifiable lifestyle factors are associated with lower pain levels in adults with
      knee osteoarthritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With no cure or effective treatments for osteoarthritis (OA), the
      need to identify modifiable factors to decrease pain and increase physical
      function is well recognized. OBJECTIVE: To examine factors that characterize OA
      patients at different levels of pain, and to investigate the relationships among
      these factors and pain. METHODS: Details of OA characteristics and lifestyle
      factors were collected from interviews with healthy adults with knee OA (n=197).
      The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index was used to
      assess pain. Factors were summarized across three pain score categories, and
      chi(2) and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to examine differences. Multiple linear
      regression analysis using a stepwise selection procedure was used to examine
      associations between lifestyle factors and pain. RESULTS: Multiple linear
      regression analysis indicated that pain was significantly higher with the use of
      OA medications and higher body mass index category, and significantly lower with
      the use of supplements and meeting physical activity guidelines (>= 150
      min/week). Stiffness and physical function scores, bilateral knee OA, body mass
      index category and OA medication use were significantly higher with increasing
      pain, whereas self-reported health, servings of fruit, supplement use and meeting
      physical activity guidelines significantly lower. No significant differences
      across pain categories were found for sex, age, number of diseases, duration of
      OA, ever smoked, alcoholic drinks/week, over-the-counter pain medication use, OA
      supplement use, physical therapy use, servings of vegetables or minutes
      walked/week. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy weight maintenance, exercise for at least 150
      min/week and appropriate use of medications and supplements represent important
      modifiable factors related to lower knee OA pain.

PMID- 26125197
TI  - Prevalence of Anemia in Latin America and the Caribbean.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In Latin America and the Caribbean, anemia has been a public health
      problem that affects mainly women of childbearing age and children under 6 years
      of age. However, the current prevalence of anemia in this region is unknown.
      OBJECTIVE: To examine the latest available prevalence data on anemia in Latin
      America and the Caribbean. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted in 2011 and
      updated in 2014. Studies determining the prevalence of anemia conducted in
      apparently healthy populations with national or regional representativeness were
      included in the review. RESULTS: The lowest prevalence rates of anemia among
      children under 6 years of age were found in Chile (4.0%), Costa Rica (4.0%),
      Argentina (7.6%), and Mexico (19.9%). In Nicaragua, Brazil, Ecuador, El Panama,
      and Honduras, anemia was a moderate public health problem, with prevalence
      ranging Salvador, Cuba, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Peru, from 20.1% to
      37.3%. Anemia was a severe public health problem in Guatemala, Haiti, and
      Bolivia. The prevalence of anemia among women of childbearing age was lowest in
      Chile (5.1%). In Colombia, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Mexico,
      Peru, Honduras, and Argentina, anemia was a mild public health problem, with
      prevalence ranging from 7.6% to 18.7%. In Guatemala, Brazil, the Dominican
      Republic, and Bolivia, anemia was a moderate public health problem, with
      prevalence ranging from 21.4% to 38.3%. Panama and Haiti had the highest reported
      prevalence rates (40.0% and 45.5%, respectively), and anemia was considered a
      severe public health problem in those countries. CONCLUSIONS: Anemia remains a
      public health problem in children under 6 years of age and women of childbearing
      age in most Latin America and Caribbean countries for which data are available.

PMID- 26125198
TI  - Zinc Deficiency in Latin America and the Caribbean.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Zinc deficiency affects multiple vital functions in the life cycle,
      especially growth. Limited information is available on the magnitude of zinc
      deficiency in Latin America and the Caribbean. OBJECTIVE: To examine the latest
      available information on both the prevalence of zinc deficiency and the risk of
      zinc deficiency in Latin America and the Caribbean. METHODS: The prevalence of
      zinc deficiency was identified through a systematic review looking for the latest
      available data on serum zinc concentrations from surveys or studies with national
      representativeness conducted in Latin America and the Caribbean. The risk of zinc
      deficiency in Latin America and the Caribbean was estimated based on dietary zinc
      inadequacy (according to the 2011 National Food Balance Sheets) and stunting in
      children under 5 years of age. RESULTS: Only four countries had available
      national biochemical data. Mexican, Colombian, Ecuadorian, and Guatemalan
      children under 6 years of age and women 12 to 49 years of age had a high
      prevalence of zinc deficiency (19.1% to 56.3%). The countries with the highest
      risk of zinc deficiency (estimated prevalence of inadequate zinc intake > 25%
      plus prevalence of stunting > 20%) were Belize, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala,
      Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Zinc dietary
      inadequacy was directly correlated with stunting (r = 0.64, p < .001).
      CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence data from the four available Latin America and Caribbean
      national surveys indicate a high prevalence of zinc deficiency in children under
      6 years of age and women 12 to 49 years of age. High rates of both estimated zinc
      dietary inadequacy and stunting were also reported in most Latin America and
      Caribbean countries.

PMID- 26125199
TI  - Introduction: Prevalence of Micronutrient Deficiencies in Latin America and the
      Caribbean.
AB  - This Food and Nutrition Bulletin supplement summarizes updated prevalence data on
      micronutrient deficiencies in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). In order to
      provide an updated view of micronutrient status in LAC, systematic reviews were
      performed utilizing national health surveys and research-oriented studies focused
      on the prevalence of deficiencies of vitamin A, folate, anemia (as a proxy of
      iron deficiency), and zinc. Results show that the prevalence of vitamin A
      deficiency has been reduced in many countries, folate deficiency is now almost
      non-existent, low or marginal vitamin B12 status is still prevalent in most
      locations, anemia remains a public health problem among children under 6 years of
      age and women of childbearing age in most surveyed countries, and there is a high
      prevalence of zinc deficiency in children under 6 years of age and girls and
      women 12 to 49 years of age. Thus, regardless of improvements in the overall
      rates of economic growth in LAC, deficiencies of these micronutrients still
      remain a public health problem.

PMID- 26125200
TI  - Interpretation of Serum Retinol Data From Latin America and the Caribbean.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent decades, the general socioeconomic situation in Latin
      America and the Caribbean countries has improved, and many vitamin A programs
      have been implemented in an attempt to reduce vitamin A deficiency in the region.
      OBJECTIVE: To examine vitamin A status in Latin America and the Caribbean based
      on serum retinol concentrations and to contrast available data published before
      and after 1998. METHODS: A systematic review was performed. National surveys or
      representative studies that reported vitamin A status were selected. RESULTS: Ten
      national surveys and six representative studies were identified. Data for
      children under 6 years of age indicate that Guatemala and Nicaragua have
      practically eradicated vitamin A deficiency (less than 2% prevalence of serum
      retinol < 20 MUg/dL). In Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, and Panama, the
      prevalence of vitamin A deficiency ranged from 2.8% to 9.4%. In Peru, Honduras,
      Argentina, Ecuador, and Brazil, vitamin A deficiency is a moderate public health
      problem (prevalence from 14.0% to 17.4%), while in Colombia, Mexico, and Haiti it
      is a severe public health problem (prevalence from 24.3% to 32.0%). Disadvantaged
      groups (indigenous people and those of Afro-Colombian descent) have the highest
      rates of deficiency. The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency is under 20% in
      school-children and adult women. When data published before and after 1998 for
      children under 6 years of age were compared, most Central American countries had
      a reduction in the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency (p < .05), whereas in South
      American countries, the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency increased over time (p
      < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in children under 6
      years of age has decreased in many Central American countries, but vitamin A
      deficiency still remains a public health problem in numerous Latin America and
      Caribbean countries, especially among disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.
      Because of issues with the accuracy of the serum retinol biomarker reflecting
      body stores, these results must be interpreted with caution.

PMID- 26125201
TI  - Structural Requirements for CNS Active Opioid Glycopeptides.
AB  - Glycopeptides related to beta-endorphin penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB)
      of mice to produce antinociception. Two series of glycopeptides were assessed for
      opioid receptor binding affinity. Attempts to alter the mu-selectivity of [D
      Ala(2),N-MePhe(4),Gly-ol(5)]enkephalin (DAMGO)-related glycopeptides by altering
      the charged residues of the amphipathic helical address were unsuccessful. A
      series of pan-agonists was evaluated for antinociceptive activity (55  degrees C
      tail flick) in mice. A flexible linker was required to maintain antinociceptive
      activity. Circular dichroism (CD) in H2O, trifluoroethanol (TFE), and SDS
      micelles confirmed the importance of the amphipathic helices (11s -> 11sG -> 11)
      for antinociception. The glycosylated analogues showed only nascent helices and
      random coil conformations in H2O. Chemical shift indices (CSI) and nuclear
      Overhauser effects (NOE) with 600 MHz NMR and CD confirmed helical structures in
      micelles, which were rationalized by molecular dynamics calculations.
      Antinociceptive studies with mice confirm that these glycosylated endorphin
      analogues are potential drug candidates that penetrate the BBB to produce potent
      central effects.

PMID- 26125203
TI  - Highly Reproducible Perovskite Solar Cells with Average Efficiency of 18.3% and
      Best Efficiency of 19.7% Fabricated via Lewis Base Adduct of Lead(II) Iodide.
AB  - High efficiency perovskite solar cells were fabricated reproducibly via Lewis
      base adduct of lead(II) iodide. PbI2 was dissolved in N,N-dimethyformamide with
      equimolar N,N-dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and CH3NH3I. Stretching vibration of S?O
      appeared at 1045 cm(-1) for bare DMSO, which was shifted to 1020 and 1015 cm(-1)
      upon reacting DMSO with PbI2 and PbI2 + CH3NH3I, respectively, indicative of
      forming the adduct of PbI2.DMSO and CH3NH3I.PbI2.DMSO due to interaction between
      Lewis base DMSO and/or iodide (I(-)) and Lewis acid PbI2. Spin-coating of a DMF
      solution containing PbI2, CH3NH3I, and DMSO (1:1:1 mol %) formed a transparent
      adduct film, which was converted to a dark brown film upon heating at low
      temperature of 65  degrees C for 1 min due to removal of the volatile DMSO from
      the adduct. The adduct-induced CH3NH3PbI3 exhibited high charge extraction
      characteristics with hole mobility as high as 3.9 * 10(-3) cm(2)/(V s) and slow
      recombination rate. Average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.3% was
      achieved from 41 cells and the best PCE of 19.7% was attained via adduct
      approach. 

PMID- 26125202
TI  - Breast Metastasis of Extraskeletal Myxoid Chondrosarcoma: A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma is a unique and distinct
      clinicopathological entity in terms of its origin, morphology, and biologic
      behavior. Despite being a slow-growing tumor, it has a high rate of local
      recurrences and history of metastases to uncommon sites like the mandible, liver,
      retroperitoneum, right ventricle, pancreas, and central nervous system. Here, we
      report a very unique case of extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma that
      metastasized to the breast, which itself is a very rare site for metastases. CASE
      REPORT: A 58-year-old woman presented with a large, firm, and tender soft-tissue
      mass (6.0*7.0 cm) underneath the sole of the left foot. A computerized tomography
      (CT) scan showed a heterogeneous lobulated mass in the plantar aspect of the
      forefoot, measuring 8.6*8.0*7.1 cm. Punch biopsies revealed histology consistent
      with extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma. Metastatic work-up was negative. The
      mass was fully resected with left below-knee amputation. The histology of the
      resected mass was consistent with extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma. A follow
      up CT showed a new right breast nodule along with metastases to lung and bones.
      The results of the core needle biopsies of the right breast masses seen on
      mammogram were morphologically identical to extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma.
      CONCLUSIONS: Although rare, metastases to the breast should be considered in the
      differential diagnosis of a breast mass. A close long-term follow-up is needed
      due to the unpredictable behavior of extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma and the
      high frequency of local recurrences, metastases, and death due to disease.

PMID- 26125204
TI  - Robust magnetic domains in fluorinated ReS22monolayer.
AB  - Transition metal dichalcogenides are layered materials that are typically bound
      together by van der Waals forces. An exception in the family is ReS2; the
      geometrical distortion of its lattice structure due to Peierls distortion
      dimerizes Re atoms to form zigzag chains, thus decoupling the layers
      electronically and vibrationally. This in turn reduces the layer dependence of
      its physical and chemical properties. In order to tailor the properties of ReS2
      monolayer, an alternative way by fluorination above and between Re chains in the
      lattice is investigated. The results of density functional theory calculations
      show the site-dependent electronic properties of fluorinated ReS2: (i) F atoms
      above the Re chains induce metallic mid-gap states which are ferromagnetically
      coupled within the Re chains, and antiferromagnetically-coupled between chains;
      (ii) F atoms between the Re chains induce semiconducting mid-gap states which are
      non-magnetic. Unlike other states observed, the mid-gap states associated with
      top sites above the Re chains are generally insusceptible to the external
      electric field. The electron localization and negative Laplacian plots show that
      not only bonds between F and S atoms are ionic in character, the Re chains are
      also coupled ionically. The emergence of these robust metallic mid-gap states in
      the localized domains suggest that electrons could conduct along the Re chains by
      hopping. The electron conduction in such functionalized ReS2 is anisotropic in
      nature, and hence could be applied in spintronic devices, such as spin-transfer
      torque and spin-wave logic devices. 

PMID- 26125205
TI  - Embracing change: is it possible?

PMID- 26125207
TI  - Coding for "incident-to" services.

PMID- 26125206
TI  - Black salve and bloodroot extract in dermatologic conditions.
AB  - Due to extensive advertising of black salve's effectiveness in "curing" skin
      cancers and healing other skin conditions, many patients are turning to self
      treating with black salve. Although black salve has not been proven to have
      anticancer properties, application of black salve has been shown to cause damage
      to healthy tissue and the need for further treatment. We describe a 35-year-old
      woman whose one-time application of black salve to a healing biopsy site resulted
      in skin erosion and formation of a dermatitic plaque with subsequent scarring.
      Dermatologists and other health professionals need to be aware of this
      increasingly popular product to be able to better inform and treat their
      patients. 

PMID- 26125208
TI  - Prevalence and impact of health-related internet and smartphone use among
      dermatology patients.
AB  - Health information is increasingly accessible via the Internet and smartphone
      applications (apps), and patients may perceive these resources as tools for self
      education and/or self-diagnosis. The objective of this study was to assess the
      characteristics of dermatology patients who use the Internet and/or smartphone
      apps to access health information and to evaluate the impact that these resources
      have on patients' health care-seeking behavior and interactions with physicians.
      Online resources offer both opportunities and challenges for dermatologists.
      Because patients often consult online resources for information about
      dermatologic conditions and may rely on these resources instead of seeking the
      care of a dermatologist, it is important for dermatologists to be involved in the
      development of high-quality online content that educates the public while also
      emphasizing the need to seek in-person medical care. 

PMID- 26125209
TI  - Rare angioinvasive fungal infection in association with leukemia cutis.
AB  - Leukemia cutis (LC) is characterized by the infiltration of malignant neoplastic
      leukocytes or their precursors into the skin and is most often seen in
      conjunction with systemic leukemia. Patients with LC frequently are in a relative
      or absolute immunocompromised state. We report the case of a 52-year-old man with
      primary refractory acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) following allogeneic stem
      cell transplant (SCT) who presented with a progressive reddish purple nodule with
      surrounding erythema and central necrosis in the setting of leukocytosis and
      possible fungal pneumonia. Histopathologic examination revealed an ulcerated
      dense diffuse dermal infiltrate of large atypical lymphocytes consistent with LC
      and septate hyphae with acute-angle branching in the dermal blood vessels.
      Cultures from a biopsied lesion grew Paecilomyces species, a rare but emerging
      opportunistic infection, despite the patient being on antifungal prophylaxis.
      This novel report of a rare angioinvasive infection occurring within a lesion of
      LC supports the need to maintain a high index of suspicion for invasive infection
      in patients with hematologic malignancy, even those on antifungal prophylaxis. 

PMID- 26125210
TI  - Hidradenitis suppurativa and concomitant pyoderma gangrenosum treated With
      infliximab.
AB  - Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) are rare chronic
      inflammatory dermatoses of unknown etiologies that often are refractory to
      conventional treatments. The therapeutic benefits of tumor necrosis factor a (TNF
      alpha) inhibitors have been reported in patients with refractory PG or HS. The
      copresentation of these 2 diseases has previously been described in several cases
      in the literature and may present a therapeutic challenge. We present the case of
      a 51-year-old man who developed widespread inflammatory ulcers affecting
      approximately 50% of the body surface area and subsequent chronic debilitation
      from severe pain. He was ultimately diagnosed with concurrent PG and HS. Both
      diseases remitted in response to treatment with infliximab, which resulted in
      complete restoration of skin integrity and resolution of his chronic severe pain.

PMID- 26125211
TI  - Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy occurring postpartum.
AB  - Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP)(also known as
      polymorphic eruption of pregnancy in Europe) is an intensely pruritic eruption
      that affects women during the third trimester of pregnancy. Treatment usually is
      aimed at symptom relief until delivery, as the eruption usually resolves rapidly
      in the postpartum period. We report the case of a 30-year-old woman who presented
      2 weeks postpartum with an intensely pruritic generalized eruption. The eruption
      started on the abdominal striae within 24 hours of delivery and gradually spread
      to the buttocks, legs, and arms. Punch biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of PUPPP.
      Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy presenting in the postpartum
      period is extremely rare. We present this case for clinical interest and to
      remind clinicians to keep PUPPP as a consideration in the differential diagnosis
      when evaluating pruritic eruptions in women who are in the postpartum period. 

PMID- 26125212
TI  - Imiquimod-induced subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus-like changes.
AB  - Imiquimod is a topical immunomodulator used to treat genital warts and cutaneous
      malignancies that exerts its effects via induction of proinflammatory cytokines
      through activation of toll-like receptor (TLR) 7. Although subacute cutaneous
      lupus erythematosus (SCLE) has been reported in association with multiple
      systemic medications, SCLE in patients treated with topical agents has not been
      widely reported. We report the case of a 50-year-old woman with local induction
      of lesions that clinically and histologically resembled SCLE following treatment
      with topical imiquimod. 

PMID- 26125213
TI  - Extramammary Paget disease.

PMID- 26125214
TI  - What is your diagnosis? onychomadesis following hand-foot-and-mouth disease.

PMID- 26125215
TI  - Cystic nodule on the palm.

PMID- 26125216
TI  - Benign cephalic histiocytosis.

PMID- 26125217
TI  - Leukemia cutis presenting as scrotal ulcerations in a patient with acute
      myelogenous leukemia.

PMID- 26125218
TI  - Firm plaques and nodules over the body.

PMID- 26125219
TI  - Primary localized cutaneous nodular amyloidosis of the thighs.
AB  - Primary localized cutaneous nodular amyloidosis (PLCNA) is a rare form of
      cutaneous amyloidosis. We report the case of a 65-year-old woman with multiple
      asymptomatic discrete nodules and atrophic plaques on the thighs of 4 years'
      duration that had increased in number and size. Results of extensive clinical,
      histologic, and laboratory evaluation showed no evidence of systemic amyloidosis
      or myeloma. A diagnosis of PLCNA was made. The patient refused treatment due to
      the asymptomatic nature of the lesions, and follow-up examination 2.5 years later
      showed minimal progression of the disease. 

PMID- 26125220
TI  - Minimize that "pinch and burn": tips and tricks to reduce injection pain with
      local anesthetics.
AB  - Local anesthetics are commonly utilized in the practice of dermatology.
      Minimizing local anesthetic injection pain can be beneficial to both physicians
      and patients. Easily implemented techniques that reduce injection pain of
      intralesional local anesthetics are reviewed. 

PMID- 26125221
TI  - Non-HIV-related Kaposi sarcoma in 2 Hispanic patients arising in the setting of
      chronic venous insufficiency.
AB  - Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a vascular neoplasm associated with human herpesvirus 8
      (HHV-8) infection that can be confused with the clinical and histological
      findings of chronic venous insufficiency. Definitive diagnosis of KS can only be
      achieved by performing a polymerase chain reaction for HHV-8 or by immunostaining
      for the HHV-8 antigen. We describe 2 unusual clinical presentations of KS in the
      setting of chronic venous insufficiency with clinical and histologic features
      consistent with stasis dermatitis but positive HHV-8 immunostaining. Both
      patients had no known risk factors for KS. We propose the possibility that these
      cases may represent a new clinical variant of KS that may become more prevalent
      over time. Further studies are needed to identify the risk factors involved.
      Meanwhile, skin biopsy with HHV-8 testing may be warranted for violaceous patches
      and plaques arising on the legs in the setting of chronic venous insufficiency,
      especially in patients who are unresponsive to treatment. 

PMID- 26125222
TI  - Indurated erythematous papules and plaques on the forearm.

PMID- 26125223
TI  - Remission of psoriasis 13 years after autologous stem cell transplant.

PMID- 26125224
TI  - Idiopathic follicular mucinosis or mycosis fungoides? classification and
      diagnostic challenges.
AB  - In recent years, the distinction between idiopathic follicular mucinosis (FM) and
      lymphoma-associated follicular mucinosis (LAFM) has been made through assessment
      of T-cell receptor gene rearrangement, flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry.
      These methods, among others, have mostly identified monoclonality as a defining
      characteristic of LAFM; however, this finding cannot be considered conclusive, as
      monoclonality also has been described in benign inflammatory dermatoses such as
      lichen planus and idiopathic FM. Pure histologic diagnosis also is unreliable in
      many cases, as the histologic patterns of idiopathic FM and LAFM overlap. In this
      article, we discuss the importance of close clinical follow-up in patients with
      patch-stage mycosis fungoides (MF) or FM who have had a nondiagnostic
      histopathologic evaluation. We also highlight the value of ancillary testing,
      including T-cell receptor gene rearrangement, flow cytometry, and
      immunohistochemistry, as a component in the diagnostic process rather than the
      sole diagnostic moiety. Diagnosis and classification of idiopathic FM and LAFM
      continue to pose challenges for dermatologists, oncologists, and pathologists,
      and no single diagnostic tool is sufficient in providing diagnostic certainty;
      rather, a collective evaluation of pathologic, molecular, and clinical criteria
      is required. Currently, classification of idiopathic FM and LAFM incorporates
      clinical information and histologic assessment, but little consideration is given
      to the implications of the diagnosis from the patient's perspective. Revisiting
      histologic classification of these entities while incorporating the patient's
      perspective may prove beneficial to dermatologists as well as patients. 

PMID- 26125225
TI  - Field effects on spontaneous magnetization reversal of bulk BiFe0.5Mn0.5O3, an
      effective strategy for the study of magnetic disordered systems.
AB  - We report a comprehensive study of the spontaneous magnetization reversal (MRV)
      performed on the disordered polycrystalline perovskite BiFe(0.5)Mn(0.5)O(3), an
      intriguing compound synthesized in high pressure-high temperature conditions. In
      disordered systems, the origin of MRV is not completely clarified, yet. In
      BiFe(0.5)Mn(0.5)O(3), compositional disorder involves the ions on the B-site of
      the perovskite determining the presence of mesoscopic clusters, characterized by
      high concentrations of iron or manganese and thus by different resultant
      magnetization. This leads to the observation of two singular fields H(1) and H(2)
      dependent on the degree of inhomogeneity, unpredictably changing from sample to
      sample due to synthesis effects. These fields separate different magnetic
      responses of the system; for applied fields H < H(1), the Fe and Mn clusters
      weakly interact in a competitive way, giving rise to MRV, while for an
      intermediate field regime the energy of this weak interaction becomes comparable
      to the energy of the system under field application. As a consequence, the zero
      field cooled magnetization thermal evolution depends on the sample degree of
      inhomogeneity. In this field regime, applied field Mossbauer spectroscopy
      indicates that the iron rich clusters are highly polarized by the field, while
      the largest part of the material, consisting of AFM clusters characterized by
      axial anisotropy and uncompensated moments, shows soft or hard magnetism
      depending on T. Above the higher singular field, the M(T) curves show the trend
      expected for a classical antiferromagnetic material and the competitive character
      is suppressed. The MRV phenomenon results to be highly sensitive on both the
      thermal and magnetic measurement conditions; for this reason the present work
      proposes a characterization strategy that in principle has a large applicability
      in the study of disordered perovskites showing similar phenomenology.

PMID- 26125226
TI  - Toxic and nutrient elements in yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis).
AB  - Toxic and nutrient elements were investigated in yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis)
      from South America. Fifty-four brands of commercialised yerba mate from
      Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay were analysed for Al, Ba, Ca, Cu, Fe, K,
      Mg, Mn, P, Sr, and Zn, using inductively coupled plasma optical emission
      spectrometry (ICP-OES), and Li, Be, Ti, V, Cr, Ni, Co, As, Se, Rb, Mo, Ag, Cd,
      Sb, La, Ce, Pb, Bi and U using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP
      MS). Antimony, Se, Ag and Bi were not detected in any sample whereas the limits
      of detection (LODs) of these elements were 0.19, 0.40, 0.003 and 0.001 MUg g(-1),
      respectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the concentrations of
      Cd, Ti, Ni, As, Mo, U, Li and Be in yerba mate were not statistically different
      with regard to the country of origin, while those of the other investigated
      elements differed.

PMID- 26125227
TI  - Direct regulation of E-cadherin by targeted histone methylation of TALE-SET
      fusion protein in cancer cells.
AB  - TALE-nuclease chimeras (TALENs) can bind to and cleave specific genomic loci and,
      are used to engineer gene knockouts and additions. Recently, instead of using the
      FokI domain, epigenetically active domains, such as TET1 and LSD1, have been
      combined with TAL effector domains to regulate targeted gene expression via DNA
      and histone demethylation. However, studies of histone methylation in the TALE
      system have not been performed. Therefore, in this study, we established a novel
      targeted regulation system with a TAL effector domain and a histone methylation
      domain. To construct a TALE-methylation fusion protein, we combined a TAL
      effector domain containing an E-Box region to act as a Snail binding site and the
      SET domain of EHMT 2 to allow for histone methylation. The constructed TALE-SET
      module (TSET) repressed the expression of E-cadherin via by increasing H3K9
      dimethylation. Moreover, the cells that overexpressed TSET showed increased cell
      migration and invasion. This is the first phenotype-based study of targeted
      histone methylation by the TALE module, and this new system can be applied in new
      cancer therapies to reduce side effects. 

PMID- 26125228
TI  - Epi-reevesioside F inhibits Na+/K+-ATPase, causing cytosolic acidification, Bak
      activation and apoptosis in glioblastoma.
AB  - Epi-reevesioside F, a new cardiac glycoside isolated from the root of Reevesia
      formosana, displayed potent activity against glioblastoma cells. Epi-reevesioside
      F was more potent than ouabain with IC50 values of 27.3+/-1.7 vs. 48.7+/-1.8 nM
      (P < 0.001) and 45.0+/-3.4 vs. 81.3+/-4.3 nM (P < 0.001) in glioblastoma T98 and
      U87 cells, respectively. However, both Epi-reevesioside F and ouabain were
      ineffective in A172 cells, a glioblastoma cell line with low Na+/K+-ATPase alpha3
      subunit expression. Epi-reevesioside F induced cell cycle arrest at S and G2
      phases and apoptosis. It also induced an increase of intracellular concentration
      of Na+ but not Ca2+, cleavage and exposure of N-terminus of Bak, loss of
      mitochondrial membrane potential, inhibition of Akt activity and induction of
      caspase cascades. Potassium supplements significantly inhibited Epi-reevesioside
      F-induced effects. Notably, Epi-reevesioside F caused cytosolic acidification
      that was highly correlated with the anti-proliferative activity. In summary, the
      data suggest that Epi-reevesioside F inhibits Na+/K+-ATPase, leading to overload
      of intracellular Na+ and cytosolic acidification, Bak activation and loss of
      mitochondrial membrane potential. The PI3-kinase/Akt pathway is inhibited and
      caspase-dependent apoptosis is ultimately triggered in Epi-reevesioside F-treated
      glioblastoma cells. 

PMID- 26125229
TI  - Upregulation of FAM83D affects the proliferation and invasion of hepatocellular
      carcinoma.
AB  - The identification of potential oncogenes plays an important role in finding
      novel therapeutic targets for many cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma
      (HCC), which is one of the most common cancers worldwide. In our previous
      research, using microarray technology, we found that FAM83D was overexpressed in
      HCCs. However, whether the overexpression of FAM83D contributes to
      hepatocarcinogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we found that FAM83D was
      significantly upregulated in 76.6% (167 of 218) of the HCC specimens at the mRNA
      level and in 69.44% (50 of 72) of the HCC specimens at the protein level compared
      with adjacent non-cancerous liver specimens, as indicated by RT-PCR and
      immunohistochemical staining, respectively. The FAM83DmRNA expression level was
      positively correlated with the level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) (>=100 ng/ml),
      the clinical TNM stage, the presence of a portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT),
      disease-free survival (DFS) and the overall survival (OS) time of the HCC
      patients (P < 0.05). Knocking down FAM83D significantly promoted the growth of
      Huh7 and HepG2 cells, as demonstrated in an RNA interference assay. Moreover, the
      DNA methylation status of the FAM83D promoter was significantly reduced in the
      HCC specimens with overexpression of FAM83D gene. Our data suggest that the
      upregulation of FAM83D, a potential oncotarget gene, may be triggered by
      epigenetic events and can contribute to hepatocarcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26125230
TI  - The MDM2-inhibitor Nutlin-3 synergizes with cisplatin to induce p53 dependent
      tumor cell apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer.
AB  - The p53/MDM2 interaction has been a well-studied target for new drug design
      leading to the development of the small molecule inhibitor Nutlin-3. Our
      objectives were to combine Nutlin-3 with cisplatin (CDDP), a well-known activator
      of the p53 pathway, in a series of non-small cell lung cancer cell lines in order
      to increase the cytotoxic response to CDDP. We report that sequential treatment
      (CDDP followed by Nutlin-3), but not simultaneous treatment, resulted in strong
      synergism. Combination treatment induced p53's transcriptional activity,
      resulting in increased mRNA and protein levels of MDM2, p21, PUMA and BAX. In
      addition we report the induction of a strong p53 dependent apoptotic response and
      induction of G2/M cell cycle arrest. The strongest synergistic effect was
      observed at low doses of both CDDP and Nutlin-3, which could result in fewer (off
      target) side effects while maintaining a strong cytotoxic effect. Our results
      indicate a promising preclinical potential, emphasizing the importance of the
      applied treatment scheme and the presence of wild type p53 for the combination of
      CDDP and Nutlin-3. 

PMID- 26125231
TI  - The Accuracy of Hospital Discharge Diagnosis Codes for Major Birth Defects:
      Evaluation of a Statewide Registry With Passive Case Ascertainment.
AB  - CONTEXT: Birth defects prevention, research, education, and support activities
      can be improved through surveillance systems that collect high-quality data.
      OBJECTIVE: To estimate the overall and defect-specific accuracy of Florida Birth
      Defects Registry (FBDR) data, describe reasons for false-positive diagnoses, and
      evaluate the impact of statewide case confirmation on frequencies and prevalence
      estimates. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort evaluation study. PARTICIPANTS: A total
      of 8479 infants born to Florida resident mothers between January 1, 2007, and
      December 31, 2011, and diagnosed with 1 of 13 major birth defects in the first
      year of life. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Positive predictive value: calculated
      overall (proportion of FBDR-identified cases confirmed by medical record review,
      regardless of which of the 13 defects were confirmed) and defect-specific
      (proportion of FBDR-identified cases confirmed by medical record review with the
      same defect) indices. RESULTS: The FBDR's overall positive predictive value was
      93.3% (95% confidence interval, 92.7-93.8); however, there was variation in
      accuracy across defects, with positive predictive values ranging from 96.0% for
      gastroschisis to 54.4% for reduction deformities of the lower limb. Analyses
      suggested that International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical
      Modification, codes, upon which FBDR diagnoses are based, capture the general
      occurrence of a defect well but often fail to identify the specific defect with
      high accuracy. Most infants with false-positive diagnoses had some type of birth
      defect that was incorrectly documented or coded. If prevalence rates reported by
      the FBDR for these 13 defects were adjusted to incorporate statewide case
      confirmation, there would be an overall 6.2% rate reduction from 82.6 to 77.5 per
      10 000 live births. CONCLUSIONS: A statewide birth defects surveillance system,
      relying on linkage of administrative databases, is capable of achieving high
      accuracy (>93%) for identifying infants with any one of the 13 major defects
      included in this study. However, the level of accuracy and the ability to
      minimize false-positive diagnoses vary depending on the defect.

PMID- 26125232
TI  - Development of Guidelines for Health Impact Assessment in Southern Italy.
AB  - Health impact assessment (HIA) is a multidisciplinary method aimed at assessing
      the health effects of policies, plans, and projects using quantitative,
      qualitative, and participatory techniques. In many European countries, such as in
      Italy, there is a lack of implementation of HIA procedures and it would be
      necessary to develop instruments and protocols in order to improve the specific
      skills of professionals involved in the assessment process. This article aims to
      describe the development and implementation of HIA guidelines, promoted by the
      Italian National Agency for Regional Health Services (AGENAS), in 4 Southern
      Italian regions. Public health search engine and institutional Web sites were
      consulted to collect international data existing in this field. Monthly workshops
      were then organized with regional representatives to discuss the scientific
      literature and to identify the guidelines' contents: source of data,
      stakeholders, screening- and scoping-phase checklist tools, priority areas,
      monitoring, and reporting plans. Four regions (Calabria, Campania, Puglia, and
      Sicilia) took part in the project. This article describes the methodology of
      development and implementation of HIA guidelines in the Italian context. The
      tools created to collect data and assess health consequences (such as screening
      and scoping grids) are reported. This project represents the first structured
      initiative proposed and supported by the Ministry of Health aiming to introduce
      HIA in Italy. HIA should be considered a priority in the public health agenda, as
      a fundamental instrument in helping decision makers to make choices about
      alternatives to prevent disease/injury and to actively promote health.

PMID- 26125233
TI  - Static Foot Posture and Mobility Associated With Postural Sway in Elderly Women
      Using a Three-dimensional Foot Scanner.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Maintaining balance is a complex phenomenon that is influenced by a
      range of sensorimotor factors. Foot posture and mobility may also influence
      balance and postural sway. Recently, three-dimensional foot scanners have been
      used to assess foot posture. This tool allows many individuals to be scanned
      quickly and easily and helps reduce patients' radiation exposure. The objective
      of this study was to determine whether static foot posture and mobility are
      independently associated with postural sway in a large community sample of older
      women using objective measures of balance status and the recently launched
      technology of three-dimensional foot scanning. METHODS: This cross-sectional
      study included 140 community-dwelling elderly women (mean +/- SD age, 73.9 +/-
      5.1 years) recruited in Kasama City, Japan. The postural sway variables were
      total path length and area and were measured by force plate. We measured static
      foot posture, sitting and standing navicular height, and mobility using a three
      dimensional foot scanner. Foot mobility was determined as the amount of vertical
      navicular excursion between the positions of the subtalar joint, from neutral in
      sitting position to relaxed bilateral standing. RESULTS: After adjusting for
      potential cofounders, analysis of covariance revealed that sitting navicular
      height was associated with total path length (P = .038) and area (P = .031). Foot
      mobility was associated with total path length (P = .018). CONCLUSIONS: These
      findings suggest that sitting navicular height and foot mobility are associated
      with postural sway in elderly women and might be an important factor in defining
      balance control in older adults.

PMID- 26125234
TI  - Use of caffeinated energy drinks among secondary school students in Ontario:
      Prevalence and correlates of using energy drinks and mixing with alcohol.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Caffeinated energy drinks have become increasingly popular among
      young people, raising concern about possible adverse effects, including increased
      alcohol consumption and related risk behaviours. The current study examined
      consumption of caffeinated energy drinks and use of energy drinks with alcohol,
      as well as associations with socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics,
      among a sample of secondary school students in Ontario. METHODS: Survey data from
      23,610 grade 9-12 students at 43 purposefully sampled Ontario secondary schools
      participating in the baseline wave (2012/13) of the COMPASS study were analyzed
      using generalized linear mixed-effects models. Outcomes were any energy drink
      use, frequency of use, and use of alcohol mixed with energy drinks; covariates
      were age, sex, race, spending money, bodymass index (BMI), weight-related efforts
      and alcohol use. Two-way interactions between sex and other covariates were
      tested. RESULTS: Nearly one in five students (18.2%) reported consuming energy
      drinks in a usual week. Use of energy drinks was associated (p < 0.01) with all
      socio-demographic variables examined and was more common among students who were
      male, off-reserve Aboriginal, had some spending money, had a BMI outside of
      "healthy" range, were trying to lose weight, and/or reported a higher intensity
      of alcohol use. Interactions with sex were observed for age, spending money and
      weight-related efforts. Use of energy drinks mixed with alcohol in the previous
      12 months was reported by 17.3% of the sample, and was associated with race,
      spending money, and more frequent binge drinking. CONCLUSION: Regular use of
      energy drinks was common among this sample of students and strongly linked to
      alcohol consumption.

PMID- 26125235
TI  - Exploring the prevalence and correlates of meeting health behaviour guidelines
      among university students.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of students meeting physical activity, diet
      and smoking health recommendations and to examine the correlates of meeting these
      guidelines. METHODS: Randomly selected students at the University of Toronto (N =
      2,812; female = 71.60%, mean age = 22.11 +/- 5.24 years, mean body mass index =
      22.80 kg/m2) completed the National College Health Assessment-II survey in spring
      of 2013. RESULTS: Only 0.1% of the sample reported meeting physical activity,
      diet and non-smoking guidelines. Males were more likely than females to meet
      physical activity and both physical activity and fruit and vegetable guidelines
      (X2 [1, 2812] = 7.33, p < 0.05). Women were more likely than men to be nonsmokers
      (X2 [1, 2812] = 7.80, p < 0.05). Being overweight was associated with meeting
      physical activity guidelines. Being a healthy weight was associated with meeting
      both physical activity and fruit and vegetable guidelines (X2 [1, 2812] = 6.29, p
      < 0.05). Underweight participants were more likely to be nonsmokers (X2 [2, 2812]
      = 6.36, p < 0.05). In the logistic regression, being Caucasian and male and
      trying to change weight were correlated with meeting moderate-to-vigorous
      physical activity and strength training guidelines. Being older, Caucasian and
      trying to change weight were correlates of consuming greater than five fruits and
      vegetables per day. Beings Caucasian, female, and trying to change weight were
      correlates of being a non-smoker. CONCLUSION: University health promotion
      programs should be targeted to specific age, ethnicity and weight status groups,
      as there are distinct differences among those not meeting physical activity, diet
      and non-smoking guidelines.

PMID- 26125236
TI  - Patterns and trends in gambling participation in the Quebec population between
      2009 and 2012.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe gambling practices and trends in Quebec between 2009 and
      2012 given that, in Canada, public funding allocation to address the risks
      associated with gambling practices should be based on valid prevalence data and
      knowledge of patterns and trends in vulnerable populations. METHODS: The study
      data were taken from the 2009 and 2012 cross-sectional waves of the Enquete sur
      les habitudes de jeu des Quebecois (ENHJEU-Quebec). The analytical sample
      consisted of 11,888 respondents in 2009 and 12,008 respondents in 2012. RESULTS:
      The prevalence of lifetime non-gamblers in the adult population of Quebec
      increased from 13.6% in 2009 to 16.4% in 2012, and past-year gambling
      participation decreased from 70.5% to 66.2%. Changes in gambling patterns were
      not contingent on demographic characteristics; gambling prevalence decreased in
      all subcategories. The proportion of problem and low-risk gamblers remained
      unchanged, whereas the prevalence of non-problem gamblers decreased significantly
      from 66.1% in 2009 to 61.5% in 2012. CONCLUSION: Gambling participation in Quebec
      is decreasing, though the proportion of problem gamblers remains stable. Given
      these findings, allocation of public resources for health care services should be
      maintained. Secondary and primary prevention efforts need to be initiated or
      maintained to prevent gambling harm.

PMID- 26125237
TI  - Waterpipe use among high school students in Ontario: Demographic and substance
      use correlates.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine waterpipe use and its association with demographic factors,
      tobacco cigarette smoking, ever use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and
      alcohol use among high school students. METHODS: Data were derived from the 2013
      Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a school-based survey of 7th to 12th
      grade students. This province-wide survey was based on a stratified two-stage
      cluster design. Analyses were based on a subsample of 2,873 high school students
      and included adjustments for the complex sample design. RESULTS: Overall, 12.5%
      of high school students (grades 9-12) had used a waterpipe in the previous year.
      Awareness of waterpipes was high - 68.4% of students reported that they were
      aware of waterpipes but had not used one in the past year; 19.1% had never heard
      of waterpipes or hookah. The percentage of high school students reporting
      waterpipe use in the past year was similar to reports of tobacco cigarette use
      (12.5% and 11% respectively). Waterpipe use was highly associated with past-year
      tobacco cigarette and regular alcohol use as well as ever use of e-cigarettes. In
      multivariate analyses, males and females had similar odds of waterpipe use, and
      non-White students and those in higher grades had greater odds of use after
      controlling for other substance use. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that
      waterpipe use among high school students should be of some concern and suggest
      the need for policy measures to address potential risks associated with use.

PMID- 26125239
TI  - Growing social inequality in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Canada, 2004
      2012.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of diabetes in Canada has nearly doubled since 2000.
      Trends in social inequalities in diabetes across Canada and its different regions
      have not been assessed. We estimated relative and absolute social inequalities in
      type 2 diabetes prevalence in Canada between 2004 and 2012. METHODS: We used the
      relative (RII) and slope (SII) indices of inequality to measure relative and
      absolute education-based inequalities respectively in type 2 diabetes prevalence
      in a sample of 413,453 men and women surveyed as part of the Canadian Community
      Health Survey between 2004 and 2012. RESULTS: Across regions and time periods,
      inequalities were more pronounced for women than for men, both on the absolute
      and relative scales. The difference in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes between
      individuals with the highest level of educational attainment compared to the
      lowest, as reflected by the SII, expanded from approximately 2.5% to 4.5% for
      women and 1.4% to 2.3% for men between 2004 and 2012. CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring and
      tracking social inequalities in the burden of diabetes over time can help to
      assess whether Canadian diabetes strategies are effective at reaching
      marginalized populations and mitigating inequalities. Our results signal the need
      for interventions to address growing social inequalities in Canada with regard to
      type 2 diabetes, particularly among women.

PMID- 26125238
TI  - Visits to physicians for oral health-related complaints in Ontario, Canada.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Canada's national system of health insurance facilitates equitable
      access to health care; however, since dental care is generally privately financed
      and delivered, access to oral health care remains uneven and inequitable. To
      avoid the upfront costs, many argue that socially marginalized groups should seek
      oral health care from medical providers. This study therefore explored the rates
      and numbers of visits to physicians for oral health-related diagnoses in Ontario,
      Canada's most populated province. METHODS: A retrospective secondary data
      analysis of health system utilization in Ontario was conducted for visits to
      physicians for oral health-related diagnoses. Data for all Ontario Health
      Insurance Plan (OHIP) approved billing claims were accessed over 11 fiscal years
      (2001-2011). Age- and sex-adjusted rates were calculated. RESULTS: Approximately
      208,375 visits per year, with an average of 1,298/100,000 persons, were made to
      physicians for oral health-related diagnoses. Women, irrespective of the year,
      made more visits, and there was an increasing trend in visits made by elderly
      people. CONCLUSION: The number of people visiting physicians for oral health
      reasons is arguably high. The public health system is being billed for services
      for oral health issues that the provider is not appropriately trained to treat.
      Provision of timely and accessible oral health care for socially marginalized
      populations needs to be prioritized in health care policy.

PMID- 26125240
TI  - Rural food insecurity: When cooking skills, homegrown food, and perseverance
      aren't enough to feed a family.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: More than 1 in 10 Canadians experience food insecurity, and a growing
      number of families rely on food banks each month. This ethnographic study aimed
      to give voice to rural families about their experiences with food insecurity
      while situating the findings within the broader social, political and economic
      context. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with women who had
      children living at home, and interviewer observations within the food bank were
      recorded as field notes. Content analysis was combined with the constant
      comparison method of data analysis to identify common themes regarding the
      experience of living with food insecurity and the influence of public policy.
      RESULTS: Seven female participants described the emotional toll that food
      insecurity had on their well-being and relationships, with stress and depression
      common to many women. Strategies used to stretch resources included cooking from
      scratch, growing produce, stocking up on sale items, hunting and fishing, and
      paying half-bills. Many participants described going without food so that their
      children could eat first, and three participants went without prescription
      medications. Rurality and social programs were identified as both supports and
      barriers to overcoming food insecurity. CONCLUSION: Participants in this study
      were highly skilled in attempting to feed their families with limited resources,
      although this proved inadequate to overcome their food insecurity. This
      highlights the need for policy initiatives to address the root causes of food
      insecurity and health inequities, including access to rural employment and high
      quality child care, drug benefits and guaranteed annual income programs.

PMID- 26125241
TI  - Cross-sectional analysis of a community-based cooperative grocery store
      intervention in Saskatoon, Canada.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research is to examine the awareness and use of the
      Good Food Junction (GFJ), a not-for-profit full service cooperative grocery store
      in a former food desert in Saskatoon, Canada. METHODS: Through door-to-door
      sampling, 365 residents in their neighbourhoods surrounding the GFJ grocery store
      were recruited. Quantitative surveys examined awareness, use and primary use of
      GFJ, mode of transportation to and from GFJ and primary grocery stores, other
      food program use and demographic data. Differences between those who had or had
      not shopped at GFJ were characterized using descriptive statistics and Pearson's
      chi-square test. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were
      developed to predict shopping at GFJ and the use of GFJ as a primary grocery
      store. RESULTS: Of those surveyed, 69% had shopped at GFJ. A significant
      proportion of shoppers were Aboriginal, had an annual household income per person
      of less than $20,000, and participated in other food-based programs and
      initiatives. Aboriginal people (OR = 2.0, p = 0.03) and users of neighbourhood
      based fruit and vegetable markets (OR = 2.7, p = 0.04) were significantly more
      likely, but new immigrants to Canada (OR = 0.3, p = 0.05) were significantly less
      likely to have ever shopped at GFJ. Aboriginal respondents (OR = 2.6, p = 0.04)
      were significantly more likely to use GFJ as their primary grocery store.
      CONCLUSION: Our results confirm both that GFJ is able to serve households where
      food insecurity is likely and, based on the prevalence of users, the importance
      and need for a full-service supermarket in Saskatoon's inner city.

PMID- 26125242
TI  - [Community health workers: a health model without walls].
AB  - The aim of this commentary is to respond to a published Canadian Journal of
      Public Health article on Brazil's family health strategy, in order to clarify
      some aspects - in particular, the work of community health workers - that make
      the strategy a unique experience. In the same vein, the authors explore the
      similarities, differences and peculiarities between Brazil and Quebec with regard
      to the organizational model for primary health care. 

PMID- 26125243
TI  - Community health workers in Canada and other high-income countries: A scoping
      review and research gaps.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Community health workers (CHWs) have been deployed to provide health
      related services to their fellow community members and to guide them through
      often complex health systems. They help address concerns about how marginalized
      populations in many countries experience health inequities that are due, in part,
      to lack of appropriate primary health care services, possibly resulting in
      inappropriate use of higher-cost health services or facilities. This paper
      reviews studies on CHW interventions in a number of high-income countries,
      including Canada, to identify research gaps on CHW roles. METHODS: A scoping
      review using 68 sources of interventions involving CHWs was undertaken. The five
      step Arksey and O'Malley model guided this review with the aim of summarizing
      research findings and identifying research gaps in the existing literature on
      CHWs in Canada (23 sources). A standardized extraction tool was employed to
      synthesize the literature. SYNTHESIS: We found that CHWs provide a wide range of
      health-related services but in a manner that, in Canada, is unrecognized and
      unregulated. In highincome countries, CHW interventions have contributed to
      health-related issues in communities and demonstrated potential to both reduce
      health inequity in marginalized populations and reduce the cost of medical
      services. CONCLUSION: CHWs are an under-recognized, and therefore underutilized,
      public health workforce, which has a promising capacity to reduce health
      inequities in marginalized populations in Canada. There is growing support to
      suggest that CHW roles need to be better integrated within the broader health and
      social services systems to enable their full potential to be realized.

PMID- 26125244
TI  - Response to Johnson and Beaudet's commentary: Moving beyond sex and gender
      reporting in health research.

PMID- 26125245
TI  - Quebec's public health cuts.

PMID- 26125246
TI  - Advocacy: It's not a dirty word, it's a duty.

PMID- 26125247
TI  - Community pharmacists' knowledge, beliefs and attitudes towards immunization in
      Quebec.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe the knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of Quebec's
      pharmacists towards immunization and determine their perceived barriers to
      pharmacist-led immunization. METHODS: The current study was a descriptive survey
      of pharmacists working in a community setting in Quebec. Pharmacists were
      randomly chosen from a list of Quebec's community pharmacies and were contacted
      by phone from January 17 to 25, 2013. Participating pharmacists were given a web
      link to the online questionnaire. An e-mail reminder was sent 5-7 days after the
      first contact. RESULTS: A total of 201 community pharmacists were contacted
      during the study period, and 115 answered the survey, generating a 57% response
      rate. The vast majority of respondents answered that vaccines have more benefits
      than adverse effects. Approximately 52% answered that pharmacists should be able
      to prescribe and administer vaccines, pending a legislative change. These
      pharmacists were more interested in administering travel (92%), flu (88%) and
      pandemic (85%) vaccines than regularly scheduled vaccines for adults (65%) or
      children (18%). Leading barriers to pharmacist-led immunization were lack of time
      (90%) and training (92%), and the most common factors that would help its
      implementation were increased immunization training (95%) and adequate
      remuneration (92%). CONCLUSION: These findings should push for a renewed
      discussion about the role of pharmacists as immunization agents in Canadian
      provinces where pharmacists do not have the right to administer vaccines.

PMID- 26125248
TI  - Variations over four decades in body mass index trajectories prior to diagnosis
      of diabetes mellitus: The Manitoba Follow-up Study, 1948-2007.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to explore the variations in body mass index
      (BMI) trajectories during the 20 years before diagnosis of type 2 diabetes
      mellitus (T2DM) over four decades between 1968 and 2007. METHODS: Longitudinal
      measurements of BMI from 437 men, all with a diagnosis of T2DM, were used in the
      analysis. A mixed method approach was used to fit individual patterns of BMI
      measurements during the 20 years before diagnosis of T2DM. RESULTS: The mean BMI
      at diagnosis was 26.7 kg/m2 (95% confidence interval, 26.4-27.1). Compared with
      men whose condition was diagnosed between 1968 and 1977, for men with a diagnosis
      between 1978 and 2007 the mean BMI about 10 years before diagnosis significantly
      increased by 0.92 to 1.54 BMI units. Decades also varied in how long there was a
      persistent increase in BMI during the 20 years before diagnosis. The rate of
      change in mean BMI among men whose T2DM was diagnosed in the most recent two
      decades increased by 8.8% to 22.6% during the 10-year interval before diagnosis,
      but there was no significant difference among men given a diagnosis between 1978
      and 1987. The quadratic trend of BMI prior to diagnosis was also significantly
      affected by age at diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The BMI trajectories during the 20
      years leading up to T2DM varied by decade of diagnosis. The increase in BMI
      persisted for much longer among relatively younger men with a diagnosis in more
      recent decades. Strategies to prevent T2DM, informed by the pattern of BMI
      trajectories, should be customized to consider a potential age-period effect.

PMID- 26125250
TI  - Left atrial dynamic function and interatrial block in hemodialysis patients: the
      importance of P-wave morphology analysis.

PMID- 26125249
TI  - Tuberculosis vaccine development: Shifting focus amid increasing development
      challenges.
AB  - A new tuberculosis vaccine is needed to replace or enhance BCG, which induces
      variable protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis pulmonary infections in
      adults. Development of new TB vaccine candidates is severely hampered by the lack
      of a correlate of immunity, unproven animal models, and limited funding
      opportunities. One candidate, MVA85A, recently failed to meet its efficacy
      endpoint goals despite promising early-phase trial data. As a result, some in the
      field believe we should now shift our focus away from product development and
      toward a research-oriented approach. Here, we outline our suggestions for this
      research-oriented strategy including diversification of the candidate pipeline,
      expanding measurements of immunity, improving pre-clinical animal models, and
      investing in combination pre-clinical/experimental medicine studies. As with any
      evolution, this change in strategy comes at a cost but may also represent an
      opportunity for advancing the field. 

PMID- 26125251
TI  - Levobupivacaine for local intraperitoneal anesthetics as a supplement to general
      anesthesia for laparoscopic surgery: a randomized double blind study.

PMID- 26125252
TI  - Evaluation of cytotoxicity of some common ophthalmic drugs.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study was aimed at evaluating the in vitro cytotoxicity of some
      commonly used drugs in ophthalmology. Hydrocortisone sodium succinate,
      Dexamethasone sodium phosphate, 5-Fluorouracil, Tobramycin and Pilocarpine
      nitrate are frequently used in various indications involving eye care, and the
      aim was to test the safety of these in cell culture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      in vitro cytotoxicity was carried out on the NIH 3T3 cell line by the
      Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. RESULTS: With the exception of 5-Fluorouracil, none
      of the other drugs demonstrated appreciable cytotoxicity up to high
      concentrations of 200 ug/ml at 48 hours of drug exposure. CONCLUSIONS:
      Hydrocortisone sodium succinate, Dexamethasone sodium phosphate, Tobramycin and
      Pilocarpine nitrate were confirmed to be non-cytotoxic while 5-Fluorouracil was
      highly cytotoxic especially at 48 hours at very low concentrations.

PMID- 26125253
TI  - The histological analysis of the anterior cruciate ligament of canine after
      radiofrequency shrinkage.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Radiofrequency (RF) shrinkage has been widely conducted in clinical
      practice and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) laxity is regarded as one of
      the indications. However, basic researches regarding the postoperative
      histological changes were still insufficient. The study aimed to investigate
      postoperative histological changes of different areas of ACL for further
      identifying the optimal area for RF shrinkage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of
      29 healthy canine (16.5 +/- 2.2 kg, 4.1 +/- 0.7 years) were recruited, 24 of
      which were randomly divided into group A and group B. The epiphyseal arrest was
      confirmed by X-ray examination in all animals. On one canine, an ACL's vascular
      perfusion model was established by the ink-perfusion method to observe the blood
      supply of the ACL. The mid-portion of ACL was conducted by RF in group A while
      the amph-portions of ACL were conducted in group B. Two legs of each canine were
      sub-divided into fixation group (group A1 and B1) and non-fixation group (group
      A2 and B2). 8 ACLs were separated from the rest 4 canine. 2 ACLs were sent for
      the histological examination after RF shrinkage and the rest 6 ACLs were served
      as blank controls. Masson staining and hematoxylin-eosin (H-E) staining were
      applied to observe the features of inner fibrous changes of ACL, cell count and
      vascular density. RESULTS: According to the Masson staining, collagenous tissues
      were observed in area after RF shrinkage, which was more evident among group B1
      than the others. The cellar density in both group A and B was found lower at 12
      weeks postoperatively than that at 6 weeks postoperatively (p < 0.05). In
      addition, the cellar density in B1 group was found higher than that in A1 group
      at both 6 and 12 weeks postoperatively (p < 0.05). The density of subsynovial
      vessel in B1 group was found higher than that in A1 group at 6 weeks
      postoperatively (p < 0.05) and the density of subsynovial vessel in both A1 and
      B1 groups was found lower at 12 postoperatively weeks than that at 6 weeks
      postoperatively (p < 0.05). In both A2 and B2 groups, all ACLs were found
      ruptured at 12 weeks postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: The postoperative
      revascularization pattern of RF-treated ACL was permeating from the synovium to
      the RF-treated areas, and the best area for the RF shrinkage treatment was the
      amph-portions of the ACL. Moreover, the application of postoperative external
      fixation to restrict the movement of injured limb was necessary.

PMID- 26125254
TI  - Multiple repeat cesarean delivery is associated with increased maternal morbidity
      irrespective of placenta accreata.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the perinatal morbidity
      associated with multiple repeat cesarean deliveries (CD) and, thus, to achieve a
      body of evidence for the current practice of discouraging pregnancy after
      undergoing three CDs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study prospectively reviewed a
      total of 500 women who consecutively underwent CD between January 1, 2009 and
      April 1, 2009. The patients were allocated into four groups based on the number
      of CDs they had undergone (Group 1: first CD, Group 2: second CD, Group 3: third
      CD, Group 4: fourth CD). Data related with their demographic and clinical
      characteristics were recorded as well as their perioperative characteristics and
      clinical characteristics of the neonates born to them. Cochran-Armitage test for
      trends and Spearman rank correlation analysis test was used to evaluate the trend
      of perioperative complications and neonatal outcome with the increasing number of
      CDs. RESULTS: The mean age, gravidity and parity were significantly higher in
      groups 2-4 than those of the women who had their first CD (Group 1). The average
      operation time and mean delivery time as well as severe adhesions, bowel injury
      increased significantly with the number of CD. Neonatal characteristics were
      similar among groups except for a trend towards a decrease in the rate of
      meconium stained and a trend towards increase in the rate of neonatal sepsis with
      the increasing number of CD. CONCLUSIONS: We have found positive correlation
      between the maternal morbidity and the number of CDs. The occurrence of adhesions
      emerges as the most significant indicator of maternal morbidity, eventually
      leading to the neighboring organ injury and prolonged operation time.

PMID- 26125255
TI  - Environment and Endometriosis: a toxic relationship.
AB  - Endometriosis is a common, benign, estrogen-dependent gynecological disease that
      represents one of the main causes of hospitalization in industrialized countries.
      It is well established that a large amount of natural and man-made chemicals are
      present in the environment and both humans and animals are exposed to them.
      Dioxin and dioxin-like compounds have long biological half-life, can accumulate
      within the organism and could negatively affect several physiological processes.
      The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the possible relationship
      between these chemicals and the pathogenesis of endometriosis. 

PMID- 26125256
TI  - Spiral brush cervical biopsy experience in a community clinic.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This article seeks to demonstrate the experience of implementing the
      spiral brush in several community clinic locales. Before the introduction of the
      spiral brush cervical biopsy in 2002 there were few alternatives to colposcopy
      directed punch biopsy when evaluating and managing abnormal dysplastic
      Papanicolaou (pap) smear or a visually abnormal cervix. Subsequent investigations
      validated the spiral brush usage but there are limited reports for its
      implementation in primary care colposcopy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Over a two year
      period (2004-2006) patients with internal referrals for colposcopy received the
      spiral brush cervical biopsy. Those that resulted in the diagnoses of high grade
      squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) diagnoses (CIN2-3) were compared to the
      final pathology diagnosis from the loop excision specimen. RESULTS: 15 cases of
      HSIL were identified with subsequent loop excision. Comparison of the pathology
      diagnosis from the loop excision and the spiral brush biopsy resulted in 13.3%
      (n=2) of cases differing. In both cases, low grade squamous intraepithelial
      lesion (LSIL) diagnoses (CIN1) were found whereas the remainder had the same
      diagnosis of HSIL. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed acceptable rates of
      concordance with traditional pathology specimens which supports the use of this
      Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved device within a primary care setting.

PMID- 26125257
TI  - Efficacy of type a botulinum toxin injections and infrared polarized light on
      treating chronic migraine.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical value of the combination of ultrasound-and
      hyponome-guided type A botulinum toxin injection and infrared polarized light on
      treating chronic migraine. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-one patients with chronic
      migraine were randomly divided into four groups: in the control group (group A,
      22 cases in total), nimodipine was used in the treatment of chronic migraine for
      two months; in the infrared polarized light therapy group (group B, 22 cases in
      total), infrared polarized light was adopted in the treatment of chronic migraine
      for 50-60d; in the botulinum toxin treatment group (group C, 24 cases in total),
      ultrasound-and-hyponome-guided type A botulinum toxin was injected into frontal,
      temporal, and occipital muscles in treating chronic migraine; in the joint
      treatment group (group D, 23 cases in total), ultrasound-and-hyponome-guided type
      A botulinum toxin injection in group C and infrared polarized light in group B
      were both used here in the treatment of chronic migraine. Infrared polarized
      light therapy lasted 50-60d and the time of study lasted six months. The survey
      would include the conditions of patients with chronic migraine three months
      before treatment and at one, three and six months after treatment. Patients were
      asked to fill the MIDAS (migraine disability assessment questionnaire) and were
      graded on the evaluation scale of life quality, so that the researchers would be
      able to compare attack frequency, duration of attack, attack severity, the use of
      painkillers and their recovery from chronic migraine, and then observe their
      adverse reactions. RESULTS: Eleven cases dropped out during the treatment, three
      cases in A group, two cases in group B, four cases in group C and two cases in
      group D. One, three and six months after treatment, the MIDAS scores in group A,
      B, C and D were significantly lower than before the treatment. Hence, the
      differences were statistically significant (p < 0.01). The scores in quality of
      life rating scale were significantly higher than pre-treatment scores, so the
      difference was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The MIDAS scores and quality
      of life rating scale scores in group D were compared with those in group A, B,
      and C respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (p <
      0.05). Two patients were recorded with dizziness, and the dizziness disappeared
      after two weeks with no treatments at all. Forehead lines and crow's feet of 21
      patients shallowed or disappeared in varying degrees after the injection.
      CONCLUSIONS: The combination of ultrasound-and-hyponome-guided type A botulinum
      toxin injection and infrared polarized light on treating chronic migraine
      demonstrated a significant clinical effect.

PMID- 26125258
TI  - Serum myeloperoxidase levels in predicting the severity of stroke and mortality
      in acute ischemic stroke patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the level of myeloperoxidase
      (MPO) measured before specific treatment in patients presenting to the Emergency
      Department with acute ischemic stroke and its correlation to mortality and the
      severity of the stroke. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was carried out on 55
      patients with a confirmed diagnosis of ischemic stroke, and on 44 healthy control
      group. Before specific intervention, serum samples were taken to measure levels
      of MPO. The medical records, demographic, clinical, laboratory and neuro-imaging
      data were noted.  The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale was used to
      determine the severity of the stroke. RESULTS: A total of 55 patients, of whom 32
      (58.2%) were male, who had presented within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms of
      acute ischemic stroke were included in the study. Fifteen of these patients
      (27.2%), of whom five were women, died. There was a statistically significant
      difference in the serum MPO levels of patients who survived and those who died.
      When the patients were grouped as high or normal in terms of plasma MPO levels, a
      significant correlation was found between MPO level, cortical + subcortical
      stroke location and strokes with a lesion diameter of more than 4 cm. In the high
      MPO group, Troponin T and CRP levels were significantly higher than those of the
      normal MPO group. CONCLUSIONS: The level of myeloperoxidase in the serum of acute
      ischemic stroke patients rises and there is a correlation between myeloperoxidase
      level and prognosis.

PMID- 26125259
TI  - Efficacy analysis of ultrasound-guided local injection of botulinum toxin type A
      treatment with orthopedic joint brace in patients with cervical dystonia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy of ultrasound-guided local injection of
      botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) treatment with orthopedic joint brace in patients
      with cervical dystonia (CD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 105 patients with
      cervical dystonia were selected and randomly divided into medication treatment
      group (A group), botulinum toxin treatment group under the guidance of ultrasound
      treatment (B group) and botulinum toxin under the guidance of ultrasound
      treatment combined with orthopedic joint brace treatment group (C group). Tsui
      scale and Spitzer quality of life index was applied to evaluate the spasm and
      quality of life. The scores of Tsui scale and Spitzer quality of life index were
      compared after ultrasound-guided local treatment for one month, three months and
      six months. RESULTS: The difference in Tsui and Spitzer scores before and after
      the treatment of oral medications were not statistically significant (p > 0.05).
      Whereas, the differences in Tsui and Spitzer scores before and after the
      treatment between local injection of BTX-A treatment group and orthopedic joint
      brace combined with BTX-A injection group were statistically significant (p <
      0.05). Also, the difference in Tsui and Spitzer scores of orthopedic joint brace
      combined with BTX-A injection group at 3 months, and 6 months were statistically
      significant compared to local injection of BTX-A treatment group (p < 0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound-guided local injection of BTX-A combined with orthopedic
      brace could significantly reduce muscle tension and improve quality of life.

PMID- 26125260
TI  - Effect of 5-fluorouracil mobilized bone marrow regenerative cells transplantation
      on brain injury following focal cerebral ischemia in rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 5-fluorouracil
      mobilized bone marrow regenerative cells (BMRCs) transplantation on brain injury
      following focal cerebral ischemia and to explore the mechanisms. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery
      occlusion (MACO) for 120 minutes, followed by intravenous administration of DAPI
      labeled 1*10(7) 5-fluorouracil mobilized BMRCs at 24 h post MACO. Infarct
      volumes, neurological deficit score, angiogenesis and cytokine expression were
      evaluated at specific time point after cell transplantation. RESULTS: Comparable
      number of BMRCs and bone marrow cells (BMCs) were found in the infarcted area at
      Day 3 and Day 14 post MACO. Significant decreased infarcted size and neurological
      deficit score were found in the animals receiving BMRCs. The microvessel density
      was significantly increased after BMRCs transplantation. Moreover, the expression
      of vessel endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was increased significantly after
      BMRCs transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous 5-fluorouracil mobilized BMRCs
      were neuroprotective following MACO and might be considered as therapeutic choice
      in the treatment of transient focal cerebral ischemia.

PMID- 26125261
TI  - Rhythmic auditory stimulation with visual stimuli on motor and balance function
      of patients with Parkinson's disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Discuss the effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation with visual
      stimuli on motor and balance function in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).
      PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and sixteen patients with PD participated in
      this study. The control group used a routine drug treatment for eight weeks. The
      comprehensive treatment group used conventional drug treatment with sound rhythm
      metronome released as the rhythmical auditory stimulation, in accordance with the
      ground fixed ribbon rhythmic visual stimulation walking training for eight weeks.
      After four and eight weeks, the two groups of subjects took the walking
      parameters test, and used the disease Parkinson score scale to assess the damaged
      degree of motor function of PD patients. The Berg Balance Scale was used to
      evaluate the balance function of the PD patients. A six minute walk test was used
      to evaluate the walking motor function of the patients. RESULTS: The comparison
      between the groups suggests that after treatment of rhythmic auditory stimulation
      with visual stimulation group, the step size increased, frequency decreased, pace
      increased, and PD score scale part II decreased. As well, the PD score scale part
      III reduced, the six minute walking distance increased, and the Berg Balance
      Scale score increased significantly. There were significant differences compared
      with the control group after the treatment (p < 0.01). Comparison of time points
      suggests that after rhythmic auditory stimulation with visual stimulation group
      trained for eight weeks, the step size increased, frequency decreased, pace
      increased, and PD score scale part II were reduced. As well the PD score scale
      part III reduced, six minute walking distance increased, Berg Balance Scale
      increased. There were significant differences compared with the parameters of
      training for four weeks (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Rhythmic auditory stimulation
      with visual stimulation can improve motor and balance function of patients with
      PD.

PMID- 26125262
TI  - Role of peripheral eosinophilia in adverse cutaneous drug reactions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The objective of this retrospective study was to verify whether
      peripheral eosinophilia (PE) may be a marker of severity for adverse cutaneous
      drug reactions (ACDR). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated for PE in sixty
      three patients diagnosed as adverse cutaneous drug reactions. All the patients
      underwent blood tests at baseline visit. Only patients that showed a very likely
      connection between ACDR and the suspected causative drug were induced in the
      study. RESULTS: We found that 11 out of 63 patients (17%) presented PE for values
      >= 0.6 x 10(9) cells/l or for a percentage of total leukocytes >= 6%. These 11
      patients compared to patients without eosinophilia had a longer recovery time,
      they showed diffuse severe cutaneous reactions and they all needed a systemic
      therapy compared to the 41% of patients without eosinophilia. CONCLUSIONS: These
      outcomes prompt us to believe that peripheral eosinophilia may be an index of
      severity for adverse cutaneous drug reactions. Therefore, we suggest physicians
      to always detect the presence of peripheral eosinophilia in order to not
      underestimate the reaction and to promptly start an appropriate therapy.

PMID- 26125263
TI  - Regulatory T cells in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus retinopathy by
      miR-155.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the regulatory T cells (Treg) in the peripheral blood of
      diabetic retinopathy patients by microRNA-155 (miR-155), and investigate the
      mechanisms of regulatory T cells and miR-155 in the pathogenesis of diabetic
      retinopathy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study explores the percentage of CD4+
      CD25+ Foxp3+ T cells (Treg cells) and the expression of miR-155 in the peripheral
      blood of 20 cases with background diabetic retinopathy (BDR group) and 20 cases
      with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR group). Flow cytometry and RT-PCR
      determined 18 cases with non-diabetic retinopathy (NDR group) and 20 cases of
      healthy control (NC group). ELISA determined the expression of TGF-beta. RESULTS:
      The percentages of Treg cells in the peripheral blood of patients in BDR group,
      PDR group, and NDR group had significantly decreased compared to that in the NC
      group (p < 0.05). The percentages of the Treg cells in the BDR and PDR groups
      were lower than those in NDR group (p < 0.05 in both cases). The percentage of
      Treg cells in the PDR group was lower than that in the BDR group (p < 0.05). The
      expression levels of miR-155 in the peripheral blood of the patients in the BDR
      group, PDR group, and NDR group had significantly increased compared to that in
      NC group (p < 0.05). The expression levels of miR-155 in the BDR group and PDR
      group were higher than that in the NDR group (p < 0.05 in both cases). The
      expression level of miR-155 in the PDR group was higher than that in the BDR
      group (p < 0.05). The expression levels of TGF-beta in the BDR group and PDR
      group were significantly decreased compared to those in the NDR group and NC
      group (p < 0.05 in both cases). The expression of miR-155 was negatively related
      to the Treg cells and the expression level of TGF-beta2 (r1 = -0.835, p1 = 0.000,
      r2 = -0.771, p2 = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: In type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)
      retinopathy, miR-155 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of T2DM
      retinopathy by regulating the Treg cells with TGF-beta.

PMID- 26125264
TI  - Survival and associated mortality risk factors among post-treatment pulmonary
      tubercolosis patients in the northwest of China.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The tuberculosis (TB) program was carried out in the Changji zone in
      northwest of China. Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course (DOTS) is a modern
      control strategy against tuberculosis recommended by World Health Organization.
      The purpose of this work is to describe the survival of post-treatment TB (PTB)
      patients and to identify the risk factors associated with mortality and treatment
      outcomes, so that effective measures and interventions could be used to decrease
      the mortality rate. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Registry of 4501 TB patients at Center
      for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) treated from 2007 to 2014 were
      collected. Mortality was used as an outcome measure and calculated per 100 person
      years of observation (PYO) from the date of completion of the treatment to the
      date of interview if the patients were alive or to the date of death. Kaplan
      Meier and Cox regression methods were used to determine the survival and hazard
      ratios. An indirect method of standardization was used to calculate the standard
      mortality ratio (SMR). RESULTS: The average PYO was 5.0 and the total was 21851.
      Mortality per 100 PYO was 1.9/100 PYO [223/11871] for smear-positive, 3.4/100 PYO
      [305/9048] for smear-negative and 2.4/100 PYO [22/932] for EPTB cases. Univariate
      and Cox regression analysis showed that age (p < 0.01), education (p < 0.01),
      occupation (p < 0.01) and economic status (p < 0.01) were associated with
      increased mortality. DISCUSSION: Since the mortality rate was higher in Post
      treatment TB patients than the general population these patients need special
      health care. An integrated survival and associated mortality risk factors and
      information system is necessary for TB surveillance, personal health status and
      treatment management. Further studies are required to identify the causes of
      death in these patients.

PMID- 26125265
TI  - Angiotensin-converting enzyme gene insertion deletion (ACE I/D) polymorphism in
      Saudi children with congenital heart disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are the leading cause of infant
      deaths worldwide. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene I/D polymorphism is
      associated with many cardiovascular diseases. The precise relationship between
      this polymorphism and CHDs is not clear. The aim of this work is to determine the
      normal distribution of I/D polymorphism in Saudi citizens and to test for any
      association between this polymorphism and CHDs in Saudi children. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Ninety-six CHD cases and 145 controls were included in this study. DNA
      was isolated from their peripheral blood, and then ACE I/D gene polymorphism was
      assayed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: There was no significant
      difference among the frequencies of the DD, DI and II genotypes in patients and
      controls [39 (41%), 64 (44%), 48 (51%) and 62 (43%), 7 (7%), 19 (13%)]
      respectively (p-value = 0.3 and OR (95% CI) = 0.3). There was no significant
      difference between D allele (DD+DI) and II genotype distribution among patients
      and controls [p-value = 0.2 & OR (95% CI) = 1.9 (0.8-4.7)]. Moreover, there was
      no difference between I allele (II+DI) and DD frequency [p-value = 0.8 & OR =
      0.9, CI = 0.5-1.5]. CONCLUSIONS: ACE I/D gene polymorphism is not associated with
      CHDs in Saudi children. Further large-scale studies are necessary to establish
      our findings.

PMID- 26125266
TI  - Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in pediatric celiac disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: A lower risk of celiac disease (CD) in patients with Helicobacter
      pylori (Hp) infection has been reported when Hp infection prevalence in CD
      patients was compared against CD-negative symptomatic persons with indications
      for diagnostic gastroduodenoscopy. Therefore, we aimed to determine Hp infection
      frequency in a group of pediatric CD patients at diagnosis and to compare
      obtained results to data coming from age-matched healthy population. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: The study population consisted of 74 CD subjects aged 3 to 12 years in
      whom the presence of Hp was diagnosed routinely in the course of differential
      diagnosis with the use of stable isotope breath test which is the gold standard.
      The control group consisted of 296 healthy age-matched subjects. RESULTS: Hp
      infection was diagnosed in 4 CD patients and 20 healthy subjects. Its prevalence
      in CD patients and HS did not differ neither in the entire age group undergoing
      comparison (5.4% vs. 6.8%, p = 0.5713) nor in the selected age subgroups (3-6
      years: 2.5% vs. 3.7%, p = 0.8551; 7-12 years: 8.8% vs. 11.0%, p = 0.8742).
      CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of Hp infection in CD patients does not seem to be
      different than that in general population. However, further studies are needed to
      assess the potential role of Hp in the pathogenesis of CD.

PMID- 26125267
TI  - The mechanisms and strategies to protect from hepatic ischemia-reperfusion
      injury.
AB  - Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury is a major cause of post-operative hepatic
      dysfunction and liver failure after transplantation. This review summarizes the
      mechanisms of ischemia-reperfusion injury and analyzes the protective strategies
      based on the recent developments in the field. Development of hepatic ischemia
      reperfusion injury is associated with metabolic acidosis, calcium overloading,
      and changes of mitochondrial membrane permeability. Hypoxia-induced activation of
      Kupffer cells results in generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These
      processes lead to activation of inflammation and immune responses that involve
      multiple cells and signaling molecules and result in increased level of apoptosis
      and necrosis. Generation of ROS is one of the major risk factors in the hepatic
      ischemia-reperfusion injury. A number of methods aimed to reduce the oxidative
      stress have been investigated, and some of them have been applied clinically. The
      methods mainly rely on the activation of pro-survival genes and associated
      mechanisms capable of reducing the level of ROS and inflammation at pre-treatment
      and post-conditioning stages. Potential benefits of these clinical approaches
      have been discussed here. 

PMID- 26125268
TI  - Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 regulates in vitro osteogenic differentiation of
      mouse adipose derived stem cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility and efficiency
      of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (BMP-2) in regulating in vitro osteogenic
      differentiation of mouse adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Mouse ADSCs were isolated from adipose tissues of C57/BL6 mice (age of 4
      6 w) and cultured. Surface antigens of passage 3 (P3) ADSCs, including CD31,
      CD34, CD90, CD105 and CD133, were analyzed using flow cytometry. Overexpression
      of BMP-2 was achieved through gene transfection of ADSCs. In vitro osteogenic
      differentiation of transfected and non-transfected ADSCs cultured in specific
      induction media was evaluated by Alizarin Red staining. In addition, expression
      of osteoblast-specific gene, Runx2, was analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT
      PCR). RESULTS: Abundant ADSCs could be isolated from adipose tissue. P3 ADSCs
      expressed stem cell-specific molecular markers, CD90 and CD105 but did not
      express CD31, CD34 or CD133. BMP-2 could efficiently transfect mouse ADSCs.
      Alizarin Red staining revealed that more calcified nodules were formed in BMP-2
      transfected ADSCs. qRT-PCR further confirmed higher level of Runx2 expression in
      BMP-2 transfected ADSCs (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: BMP-2 can promote in vitro
      osteogenic differentiation of mouse adipose stem cells.

PMID- 26125269
TI  - Bioinformatics analysis of gene expression profiles in hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to identify the gene expression profile
      specific to Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) by comparing the different expression
      profiles in cirrhosis, dysplastic nodule (DN) and HCC tissues. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: The microarray data were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)
      repository, involving 39 samples of normal liver tissues, 33 samples of
      cirrhosis, 17 samples of DNs and 286 samples of HCCs of different stages.
      Differential Expressed Genes (DEGs) of cirrhosis, DN and HCC liver tissues were
      analyzed by BRB-ArrayTool software; besides, the Gene Ontology (GO) analysis,
      Kyoto encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Biocarta pathway enrichment
      analysis were also performed. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was
      then constructed by STRING software using the genes in significantly different
      pathways. The resulting network was analyzed by Cytoscape software with
      CentiScaPe plugin to calculate the topological characteristics of the network and
      its individual node. Key genes were screened according to betweenness and degree
      of nodes. RESULTS: few overlaps occurred in the GO categories of DEGs and in the
      gene sets from pathway analysis between HCCs, cirrhosis and DNs. DEGs in abnormal
      tissues were shown to be enriched in 29 KEGG pathways and 18 Biocarta pathways;
      and 43 key genes were identified to be involved in the maintenance of PPI
      network. In addition, the gene expression profiles were significantly different
      among cirrhosis, DN and HCC tissues. CONCLUSIONS: The bioinformatic analysis of
      GEO datasets of HCC identified the functional gene sets associated with the
      genesis and development of HCC, and the key genes that were playing important
      roles in the maintenance of the molecular network for biological function
      specific to HCC. It provides the insights for more precise understandings of
      pathogenic mechanism, which will further expand the study on biomarker and
      targeted therapy of HCC.

PMID- 26125270
TI  - YM155 inhibits tumor growth and enhances chemosensitivity to cisplatin in
      osteosarcoma.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Chemoresistance is the principal reason for poor survival and disease
      recurrence in osteosarcoma patients. Survivin, a family member of the inhibitor
      of apoptosis proteins, plays an important role in inhibition of apoptosis.
      Survivin is expressed in a vast majority of human cancers, which is often
      correlated with poor prognosis in a wide variety of cancer patients. Furthermore,
      survivin expression is often related with chemoresistance in cancer cells,
      including osteosarcoma (OS). Here, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of
      YM155, a selective survivin suppressant alone and in combination with cisplatin
      using human OS models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: U-2 OS, SW1353, MG-63 cells were
      treated with YM155, and/or cisplatin, and cell viability, apoptosis, survivin
      protein expression levels were then evaluated. Furthermore, the efficacy of YM155
      combined with cisplatin was further examined in established xenograft models.
      RESULTS: YM155 was sufficient to induce spontaneous apoptosis of OS cells.
      Combination with YM155 significantly augmented the cytotoxicity of cisplatin in
      OS cells. Combination treatment of YM155 and cisplatin showed antiproliferative
      effects and induced a greater rate of apoptosis than the sum of the single
      treatment rates and promoted tumor regression in established OS xenograft models.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide evidence that YM155 could act as a survivin
      inhibitor on OS cells. Chemotherapeutic approaches using YM155 might enhance the
      benefit of the cisplatin in the treatment of OS cells. YM155 could be further
      developed as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of OS.

PMID- 26125271
TI  - Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor promotes proliferation of neuroglioma
      cells by up-regulation of cyclins PCNA and Ki-67.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We wished to test whether glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor
      (GDNF) stimulates proliferation of gliomas by up-regulating expression of nuclear
      cyclins PCNA and Ki37. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As a model, we tested rat C6 glioma
      cell line exposed to basal conditions, vehicle control, or exogenous GDNF at
      different concentrations (0-90 ug/L) or different times (0-72 hours). Cell
      proliferation was quantified by MTT test, cell cycle by flow cytometry and
      propidium iodide staining, expression of PCNA and Ki67 by intracellular antibody
      staining and flow cytometry. RESULTS: We first observed that cell proliferation
      was most stimulated by GDNF at concentration of 70 ug/L and incubation time of 48
      hours. Using this concentration and incubation time, we next documented that GDNF
      increased the percentage of cells in the S phase (47.98% vs. 32.57% in basal
      cells; p < 0.05), while not affecting the percentage of cells in G0/G1 or G2/M
      phases. Finally, we demonstrated that expression of both PCNA and Ki67 was
      significantly increased in cells exposed to GDNF. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate
      that GDNF stimulates proliferation of glioma cells by up-regulating expression of
      cyclins PCNA and Ki-67.

PMID- 26125272
TI  - Acid sphingomyelinase, a novel negative biomarker of ovarian cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer and the main cause of
      death in women. However, the molecular mechanism for the cause of the ovarian
      cancer has not been fully elucidated. Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM), a lipid
      hydrolase, has been suggested for treating cancer and may affect the development
      of ovarian cancer. We want to find the function of ASM in the development of
      ovarian cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Human ovarian cancer cells HO 8910 (HOCC)
      and human primary ovarian cells (HPOC) were transfected with ASM gene and ASM
      RNAi. Real-time qPCR and western blot analysis was carried out to examine the
      level of ASM. The growth rate of transfected and non-transfected cells was
      measured. Ovarian biopsies were collected from 80 ovarian cancer patients and 20
      healthy subjects. RESULTS: The growth rate of HOCC and HPOC was decreased by 22%
      and 19% in the ASM-transfected group compared with non-transfected group.
      Inversely, the growth rate of HOCC and HPOC was increased by 16% and 35% in the
      ASM-RNAi-transfected group compared with non-transfected group. In the
      transfected and non-transfected cells, the change level of SAM was approved by
      Real-time qPCR and western blot analysis. The levels of SAM were reducing with
      the development of ovarian cancer. CONCLUSIONS: SAM is higher expressed in normal
      cell than that in ovarian cancer, and can be a negative biomarker for the
      diagnosis of ovarian cancer. SAM can be developed a new drug for the ovarian
      cancer therapy.

PMID- 26125273
TI  - Underlying mechanism of 2-methoxyestradiol-induced apoptosis and growth arrest in
      SKOV3 human ovarian cancer cells.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: In this study, we sought to investigate the effects of 2
      methoxyestradiol (2-ME) on cisplatin-induced apoptosis and growth inhibition in
      SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells were treated with 2-ME,
      carboplatin, or both, the control group, and cell viability and growth inhibition
      assays were performed using the MTT method. Apoptosis was detected by flow
      cytometry analysis. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western
      blotting were used to monitor the mRNA and protein expression of the pro
      apoptotic genes bax and caspase-3 and the anti-apoptotic gene bcl-2. The
      phosphorylation of Bcl-2 protein was monitored by western blotting. RESULTS: Cell
      viability was inhibited by all three treatments in a time-dependent manner.
      Importantly, the combination treatment resulted in significantly reduced cell
      growth compared with the other groups. The mRNA and protein expression of Bax and
      caspase-3 were increased in the combination treatment group, and the expression
      of Bcl-2 was decreased in the combination treatment group as compared with the
      other two groups. The ratio of bax to Bcl-2 mRNA in the combination treatment
      group was higher than that in the carboplatin-treated group. Finally,
      phosphorylation of Bcl-2 protein was increased stronger in the combination
      treatment group compared with the carboplatin-treated group. CONCLUSIONS: 2-ME
      promoted the growth inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing effects of platinum-based
      agents in SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells. The mechanism mediating this effect may be
      related to the phosphorylation of Bcl-2 protein, which reduces the formation of
      dimers and, thereby, increases apoptosis. Moreover, 2-ME promoted the mRNA and
      protein expression of Bax, thereby, increasing the Bax/Bcl-2 expression ratio and
      activating the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.

PMID- 26125274
TI  - Hsa-miR-206 represses the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells by
      targeting Cx43.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Hsa-miR-206, a microRNA, was found to be able to switch subtypes by
      targeting ER-alpha in breast cancer. However, there are few studies addressing
      the role of miR-206 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The purpose of this
      study was to evaluate the metastatic-regulatory ability of miR-206 in TNBC.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: We treated two TNBC lines (MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-436) with
      miR-206 mimics, inhibitors and paired controls and examined the in vitro and in
      vivo functions of miR-206 via the degradation of Connexin43 (Cx43). A luciferase
      reporter assay was used to identify the binding site of GJA1 (gap junctional
      intercellular communication) (Cx43) and miR-206. Furthermore, quantitative RT-PCR
      was used to evaluate miR-206 expression in 77 breast cancer samples to determine
      the association with lymph node status and Cx43 expression. RESULTS: Up
      regulation of miR-206 in TNBC contributed to a decreasing metastatic potential,
      as demonstrated by a reduction of cell viability and proliferation, decreased
      cell migration and invasion, lower expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase
      (MMP)-2, MMP-9 and a higher expression level of breast cancer metastatic
      suppressor (BRMS)-1. In vitro dual luciferase assays showed GJA1 (Cx43) is a
      target of miR-206. Quantitative RT-PCR was conducted to evaluate miR-206
      expression in 77 breast cancer samples to determine the associations between miR
      206 levels and both lymph node status and Cx43 expression. Restoring Cx43
      expression positively regulated cell adhesion and GJA1, which may facilitate
      metastasis. MiR-206 significantly attenuated the proliferation and metastatic
      potential of cancer cells but did not inhibit tumor onset in a mouse xenograft
      model because of the dual function of Cx43. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest hsa
      miR-206 may repress the tumor proliferation and invasion in breast cancer by
      targeting Cx43.

PMID- 26125275
TI  - RLIP76 expression as a prognostic marker of breast cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: RLIP (Ral-interacting protein)-76/RalBP11 (Ral-binding protein-1), a
      multifunctional protein and stress-inducible non-ABC transporter, have been
      proven to serve as a critical role in cancer development and progression;
      however, little is known about the pathological role of RLIP76 in breast cancer
      patients. The study aimed to determine the correlation between RLIP76 expression
      in breast cancer patient and clinical outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using RT
      PCR and Western blot, messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of RLIP76 were
      determined in breast cancer and adjacent normal mammary tissues. The relationship
      of RLIP76 expression with clinical characteristics of 245 breast cancer patients
      was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In the present study, our results
      indicated that RLIP76 mRNA and protein were highly expressed in the breast cancer
      tissues while compared with adjacent normal mammary tissues and the correlation
      with RLIP76 protein expression was significantly associated with age (the non-ABC
      transporter, stage and the expression were significantly associated-T2 vs. T3-T4,
      p < 0.01), lymph node metastasis (N0-N1 vs. N2-N3, p < 0.01), and PR (positive
      vs. negative, p < 0.01) in breast cancer patients; furthermore, we also found
      that RLIP76 protein overexpression was an unfavorable prognostic factor in the
      patients suffered from breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: RLIP76 overexpression serves
      as an unfavorable prognostic biomarker in breast cancer patients.

PMID- 26125276
TI  - The cancer-associated fibroblasts and drug resistance.
AB  - The present treatment of solid tumors is plagued by drug resistance. Despite
      continued development of meticulously designed therapeutic scheme, cancer cells
      remain poorly being completely eliminated. Because therapeutic resistance is a
      problem with the drug used in cancer therapy, most of the studies about the drugs
      resistance have focused on the role of epithelial cancer cells themselves.
      However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that tumor microenvironment could
      provide a shelter for tumor cells which keep their survival after initial drug
      exposure. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the crucial component of the
      tumor microenvironment; substantial evidence suggests that the CAFs mediate
      resistance of solid tumor cells to the anticancer drugs. In this review, we
      describe how the CAFs may be involved in the resistance of tumor cells to the
      therapeutic agents and present some of the emerging therapeutic targets for
      modulation this resistant phenotype. 

PMID- 26125277
TI  - Pregabalin versus sertraline in generalized anxiety disorder. An open label
      study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic mental illness with a
      prevalence of 5-7% in the general population. t GAD is characterized by extreme
      persistent worry, mostly about minor problems, involving pathological fear with
      high occurrences of vegetative disturbance. GAD leads to functional impairment
      and a significantly reduced patient's quality of life. According to the
      guidelines of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP),
      the first-line treatments for GAD are Serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors
      (SSRIs), Selective serotonin- and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and
      pregabalin, an atypical anxiolytic. In this study, both efficacy and tolerability
      of pregabalin were evaluated and compared with efficacy and tolerability of
      sertraline, an SSRI antidepressant. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 107 patients both male
      and female, aged 20-60 were included in the study. All patients were hospitalized
      outward at the Psychiatric Clinic. Patients fulfilled criteria for GAD, according
      to ICD-X and DSM-IV. Each patient was randomly assigned to 4 weeks of treatment
      with pregabalin (n=47) or sertraline (n=60). Patients treated with sertraline
      were previously treated with SSRIs and SNRIs without remission, according to the
      latest National Clinical Guideline issued by the National Institute of Health and
      Clinical Excellence for treating GAD (NICE). The primary analysis was the change
      in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAMA), a total score from baseline to
      endpoint. The second indicator of efficacy was the change in the HAMA psychic
      (emotional) and somatic (physical) scores, weekly, till endpoint. Global clinical
      assessment was conducted by using the Clinical Global Impression change rating
      (CGI). RESULTS: Both pregabalin and sertraline showed good results in treating
      symptoms of Generalized Anxious Disorder. The onset of action was shorter in
      treatment with pregabalin compared to the treatment with sertraline. In the
      patients treated with sertraline, the anxiolytic effect was detectable after at
      least 14 days while pregabalin showed initial good results during the first week
      of treatment. Adverse effects were reported in 28% patients treated with
      pregabalin and 27% of patients treated with sertraline, without significant
      differences. There were no drop-out patients in neither group. Beside
      pharmacotherapy, each patient received 8 weeks of cognitive/behavior therapy. In
      concomitant therapy benzodiazepine was used (klonazepam, in low doses). In all
      patients adverse events were short-lasting withmild intensity and there were no
      withdrawal events during this study. CONCLUSIONS: Efficacy and tolerability of
      pregabalin were high. Compared to sertraline, pregabalin showed more rapid onset
      of action and equal efficacy. Adverse reactions are short-lasting and the dose
      depends. Our investigation showed that pregabalin, an atypic anxiolytic is
      efficient and well tolerable in treatment of GAD.

PMID- 26125279
TI  - The effect of alpha lipoic acid on rat kidneys in methotrexate induced oxidative
      injury.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the antioxidant and anti
      inflammatory effects of alpha lipoic acid (ALA) on methotrexate (MTX) induced
      kidney injury in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two rats were equally
      divided into four groups; control, ALA, MTX and MTX with ALA groups. A single
      dose of MTX (20 mg/kg) was administered to make kidney injury to groups 3 and 4,
      intraperitoneally. The ALA was administered intraperitonealy in groups 2 and 4
      and the other groups received saline injection for five days. On the sixth day
      the blood samples and kidney tissues were obtained for the measurement of TNF
      alpha, IL-1beta, malondialdehyde, glutathione, myeloperoxidase and sodium
      potassium-adenosine triphosphatase levels and histological examination. RESULTS:
      Administration of MTX caused a decrease in tissue GSH, and Na+, K+-ATPase
      activity significantly. A significant increase in tissue MDA and MPO activities
      were also seen. The pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-beta) were
      increased in the MTX group significantly. ALA treatment reversed all biochemical
      indices as well as histopathological alterations induced by MTX administration.
      CONCLUSIONS: MTX made oxidative damage on kidneys of rat and it was partially
      prevented by anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of ALA treatment.

PMID- 26125278
TI  - Effect of garlic component s-allyl cysteine sulfoxide on glycated human serum
      albumin induced activation of endothelial cells: an in vitro study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Alternative medicine or herbal therapies have been in use for blood
      glucose control in patients with diabetes for considerable time. Effect of
      garlic, more specifically its biologically active component s-allyl cysteine, on
      amelioration of hyperglycemia has also been reported. However, the cellular or
      molecular target of this compound is little known. This study was designed to
      determine the action of s-allyl cysteine sulfoxide (SACSO) at the cellular and
      molecular level in the widely reported HUVEC model when activated with advanced
      glycation end products (AGEs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: AGE-HSA was derived from
      non-enzymatic glycation of human serum albumin in the presence of 20 mM glucose.
      AGE-HSA induced expression of receptors of AGEs, namely RAGE and galectin-3 has
      been assayed. Activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS) denoting normal
      endothelial function and expression of AGE-RAGE triggered inflammatory marker
      sICAM-1 is also evaluated in the presence or absence of SACSO. RESULTS: In
      presence of SACSO, AGE-HSA induced expression of RAGE was down-regulated,
      galectin-3 was significantly up-regulated, NOS activity was enhanced and sICAM-1
      expression was reduced. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that SACSO exerts an
      attenuating effect on 20 mM glucose derived AGE-HSA induced inflammation, by
      selectively inhibiting RAGE while stimulating galectin-3 expression. The former
      triggers inflammatory pathways while the latter sequesters AGE molecules and
      prevents AGE-RAGE engagement. This may form the basis for its therapeutic action.

PMID- 26125280
TI  - Predictive value of cyclooxygenase-2 over expression for identifying prostate
      cancer from benign prostatic hyperplasia in prostate biopsy specimens.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We studied cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) immunohistochemical staining
      intensity both in prostatic biopsy and surgical samples of patients with prostate
      cancer to determine if it might provide prognostic information for the decision
      of re-biopsy indication. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients undergone radical
      prostatectomy whose final pathologic examination revealed prostatic
      adenocarcinoma were included in the study. Twelve patients with BPH in their
      pathological examination of both prostatic biopsy and open prostatectomy were
      considered as a control group. Intensity of COX-2 receptor was examined with
      immunohistochemical staining according to standard techniques. RESULTS: Positive
      COX-2 receptor staining was obtained 89.3% of biopsy samples and 93% of surgical
      samples in all cancer patients. The rate of agreement in COX-2 receptor staining
      of biopsy samples and radical prostatectomy samples was 76% in same patients
      (P=0.54). Similarly, the COX-2 receptor levels in biopsy specimens of patients
      with BPH open surgery compared with samples of the agreement still rate was 41%
      (P=0.41). Prostate cancer exchanging COX-2 receptor levels in patients with
      biopsy specimens in patients with BPH were found significantly more (P=0.008).
      CONCLUSIONS: In this study the feasibility of presence of COX-2 receptor staining
      in biopsy samples was shown. We have also demonstrated that COX-2 staining
      intensity was higher in prostatic biopsy samples of patients with prostatic
      cancer than patients with BPH. This leads a conclusion that, higher COX-2
      expression levels in biopsy specimens may be used to decide re-biopsy in
      borderline preoperative PSA levels as well as in the cases with suspicious
      pathological findings for cancer.

PMID- 26125281
TI  - The relationship between FGF-23 and ghrelin levels in CKD patients: preliminary
      data.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-23 is a recently discovered
      phosphaturic hormone that increases in chronic kidney disease (CKD). It has been
      accepted as a determinant of mortality and a therapeutic target in these
      patients. Ghrelin is a hormone that has roles in energy and nutrient metabolism.
      Ghrelin level was found to be increased in CKD patients. This is a controlled
      study in which the relationship between FGF-23 and ghrelin levels in CKD patients
      has been studied. METHODS: Three groups were involved: 88 individuals. Dialysis
      group (DG, 33 patients) including patients on hemodialysis (21 patients) or
      peritoneal dialysis program (12 patients); predialysis group (PG, 29 patients)
      consisting of patients with stage-3 CKD; and the control group (CG, 29
      individuals) of healthy adults. Serum FGF-23 and ghrelin levels were measured as
      well as routine biochemical parameters. RESULTS: FGF-23 levels were similar
      within the groups (CG: 268+/-45 pg/mL, PG: 284+/-94 pg/mL, DG: 259+/-87 pg/mL,
      P=0.11). Ghrelin level was higher in the PG group compared with the DG and CG,
      while DG had higher ghrelin level than the CG (CG: 2.79+/-0.38 ng/mL, PG: 4.53+/
      1.18 ng/mL, DG: 3.98+/-0.89 ng/mL). When all groups were studied together; a
      strong correlation was found between FGF-23 and ghrelin levels. When the analysis
      was repeated with PG and DG accepted as CKD group; this strong correlation
      persisted; while it was not true for the CG. CONCLUSIONS: There might be a strong
      correlation between FGF-23 and ghrelin levels irrespective of the stage of CKD
      and the dialysis modality. There is need for further studies to clarify the
      pathophysiological link between these parameters.

PMID- 26125282
TI  - X-ray Photochemistry of Prussian Blue Cellulosic Materials: Evidence for a
      Substrate-Mediated Redox Process.
AB  - Beside its promising applications in the design of multifunctional materials,
      batteries and biosensors, the pigment Prussian blue is still studied in heritage
      science because of its capricious fading behavior due to a complex light-induced
      redox mechanism. We studied model heritage materials composed of Prussian blue
      embedded into a cellulosic fiber substrate by means of X-ray absorption near-edge
      spectroscopy. Significant X-ray radiation damage was observed and characterized.
      X-ray radiation induced first a reduction of Prussian blue, in a similar way to
      what visible light does, followed by a complete degradation of the pigment and
      the formation of iron(III) oxyhydroxide. We took advantage of this X-ray
      photochemistry to investigate in depth the redox behavior of Prussian blue. We
      could particularly demonstrate that the rate, extent, and quality of Prussian
      blue photoreduction can be tuned by modifying the pH and alkali cation content of
      the cellulosic substrate. The present study represents a step further in the
      understanding of Prussian blue heritage materials from an electrochemical
      viewpoint and provides evidence of substrate-mediated photochemistry applicable
      to a wider class of Prussian blue composite materials. 

PMID- 26125283
TI  - The Effects of Solvent Polarity on Hypoglycemic and Hypolipidemic Activities of
      Securigera Securidaca (L.) Seeds.
AB  - The search for indigenous natural antidiabetic and antilipidemec agents is still
      ongoing. Medicinal plants are widely used for this purpose. These herbs are very
      rich sources of bioactive compounds as flavonoids, polyphenols, tannins,
      alkaloids which have been reported as effective role to reduce blood glucose and
      lipid levels. Securigera securidaca seed is reputed in folk medicine for their
      value as antidiabetic and antilipidemec drugs. In this research, the effect of
      solvent polarity in bioactive extraction contents of this plant was evaluated by
      GC-MS analysis. Then antidiabetic and antilipidemic activies of different
      extracts were investigated in streptozotocine-induced diabetic rats and compared
      to glibenclamide as known chemical drug for diabetes.The results indicated that,
      carbon tetrachloride extract of Securigera securidaca seeds showed the best and
      significant hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activities compared to other extracts
      because of its more sterols and fatty acids content with beta cells protecting
      effect from high glucose-induced apoptosis and also increasing in insulin level
      and sensitivity. 

PMID- 26125284
TI  - The Beneficial Effects of the DPP-4 Inhibitor Alogliptin on Hemoglobin A1c and
      Serum Lipids in Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
AB  - It has been reported that dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors improve
      hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in diabetic patients and may also improve the serum
      lipids. However, few studies have examined relationship between the effects of
      the DPP-4 inhibitor and the pretreatment HbA1c levels in diabetic patients.
      Furthermore, it has been reported that prolonged treatment with DPP-4 inhibitors
      may make glycemic control difficult in some patients. In the present study, we
      investigated (1) the effect of the DPP-4 inhibitor alogliptin on HbA1c, blood
      glucose (BG), and serum lipid in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes, (2) the
      relationship between the HbA1c levels at baseline and the effects of alogliptin,
      and (3) the effects of switching of the DPP-4 inhibitor to alogliptin after 12
      months' administration of sitagliptin on glycemic control and serum lipids. After
      6-months' treatment with alogliptin, we found reductions of HbA1c, BG, and serum
      total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels. Pretreatment level of HbA1c was
      well correlated with the degree of reduction of both HbA1c and BG levels after
      the treatment. Also, alogliptin kept levels of HbA1c and BG reduced by
      sitagliptin for 12 months, and relapsing of these levels and serum lipids were
      not observed. This study revealed that alogliptin improved HbA1c, BG, and serum
      lipid profiles in type 2 diabetic patients, and the effect of alogliptin on HbA1c
      and BG levels was correlated with HbA1c level at pretreatment. Furthermore, long
      term treatment with alogliptin did not cause relapsing of glycemic control and
      serum lipids. 

PMID- 26125285
TI  - Evaluation of Levothyroxine Bioavailability after Oral Administration of a Fixed
      Combination of Soy Isoflavones in Post-menopausal Female Volunteers.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Post-menopausal women under treatment with levothyroxine for their
      medical conditions may take concomitantly dietary supplements containing soy
      isoflavones in combination to treat their post-menopausal symptoms. The aim of
      this study was to investigate the effect of a fixed combination of soy
      isoflavones on the oral bioavailability of levothyroxine in post-menopausal
      female volunteers. METHODS: 12 healthy post-menopausal female, who were on stable
      oral levothyroxine as replacement/supplementation therapy for hypothyroidism,
      received a single recommended oral dose of a food supplement containing 60 mg of
      soy isoflavones (>19% genistin and daidzin) concomitantly with (test) and 6 h
      later (reference) the administration of levothyroxine in a randomized, open
      label, crossover fashion. Plasma concentrations of levothyroxine and soy
      isoflavones (daidzin, daidzein, genistin, genistein, S-equol) were determined by
      LC-MS/MS. Pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters were determined by non-compartmental
      analysis. No effect of soy isoflavones was assumed if the 90% confidence
      intervals (CIs) for the estimated ratio test/reference was included in the
      acceptance limits 0.80-1.25 for PK parameters Cmax and AUCt. RESULTS: The
      test/reference ratios Cmax and AUCt of levothyroxine were very close to unity
      (1.02 and 0.99, respectively) and the corresponding 90% CIs (0.99-1.04 and 0.88
      1.12, respectively) fell entirely within the acceptance bioequivalence limits.
      CONCLUSION: The combination of soy isoflavones used in the present investigation
      does not affect the rate and extent of levothyroxine absorption when administered
      concomitantly in post-menopausal women.

PMID- 26125286
TI  - Rembrandt's Ocular Pathologies.
AB  - PURPOSE: This article aims to medically and artistically analyze various
      ophthalmological ailments documented in self-portraits of Rembrandt to determine
      if those ailments were medical conditions or stylistic and age-related changes.
      METHODS: A systematic literature review using Pub Med and Google Scholar found
      232 results from a search of "Rembrandt" and more than 5,000 results for
      "Rembrandt Aging." After extensive review of the literature, the authors found 17
      relevant sources. These sources were then supplemented with historical books on
      Rembrandt and the aging processes of artists. Analytical observations with
      proportional measurements of anthropometrical landmarks (from self-portraits of
      Rembrandt at various ages) were studied, measured, analyzed, and compared using a
      standardized technique via MB ruler graphic software to assess age- or medically
      related changes. RESULTS: The ophthalmological problems cited in the literature
      related to Rembrandt's periorbital structures were found by the authors to be
      false. Signs of inappropriate aging and ailments, such as hyperthyroidism were
      deemed inaccurate by the authors based on absence of classical disease
      progression. Ophthalmological problems cited in the literature on Rembrandt's
      visual acuity were found to be stylistic changes or considered normal aging.
      Finally, the authors found that ophthalmological problems relating to Rembrandt's
      eye and orbital adnexa are unfitting because these problems were not seen in
      subsequent paintings. CONCLUSIONS: The authors believe that all the physical
      changes seen in Rembrandt's portraits represent natural age-related or stylistic
      changes, and do not represent signs or symptoms of diseases in the master.

PMID- 26125287
TI  - External Compression Versus Intravascular Injection: A Mechanistic Animal Model
      of Filler-Induced Tissue Ischemia.
AB  - PURPOSE: Soft tissue ischemia is a devastating and unpredictable complication
      following dermal filler injection. Multiple mechanisms to explain this
      complication have been proposed, including vascular compression, vessel damage,
      and intraarterial filler emboli. To elucidate the mechanism of injury, the
      authors introduce a mouse model, imaged with optical microangiography and laser
      speckle contrast imaging technologies, to demonstrate in vivo microvascular
      response to soft tissue and intravascular filler injection. METHODS: To determine
      the effect of external vascular compression on distal perfusion, the authors
      attempted to occlude vessels with subcutaneous hyaluronic acid gel (HAG) bolus
      injections into the pinna of hairless mice. The authors also performed suture
      ligation of a major vascular bundle. Following these interventions, laser speckle
      and optical microangiography were performed serially over 1 week follow up. To
      determine the effect of intravascular HAG injection, the authors devised and
      validated a novel method of cannulating the mouse external carotid artery for
      intraarterial access to the pinna vasculature. Using this model, the authors
      performed intraarterial HAG injections and completed optical microangiography and
      laser speckle contrast imaging. RESULTS: Despite large HAG bolus injections
      directly adjacent to vascular bundles, the authors were unable to induce
      compressive occlusion of the mouse pinna vessels. Vascular occlusion was
      successfully performed with suture ligation, but optical microangiography and
      laser speckle contrast imaging confirmed undisturbed distal capillary bed
      perfusion. With intravascular HAG injection, large segments of pinna showed
      distinct perfusion reduction along a vascular distribution when compared with
      preinjection images, most noticeably at the capillary level. CONCLUSIONS: The
      novel mouse pinna model combining intravascular access and in vivo microvascular
      perfusion imaging has furthered the understanding of the mechanism of filler
      induced tissue ischemia. Distal capillary perfusion was maintained despite
      external vascular compression. Intraarterial HAG filler injection, however,
      resulted in large areas of capillary nonperfusion and is the most likely etiology
      for filler-induced tissue necrosis that is observed clinically.

PMID- 26125288
TI  - Total Synthesis of (-)-Nemorosone and (+)-Secohyperforin.
AB  - A general strategy for the synthesis of polycyclic polyprenylated
      acylphloroglucinols is described in which a scalable, Lewis acid catalyzed
      epoxide-opening cascade cyclization is used to furnish common intermediate 4. The
      utility of this approach is exemplified by the total syntheses of both ent
      nemorosone and (+)-secohyperforin, which were each accomplished in four steps
      from this intermediate. 

PMID- 26125289
TI  - Deubiquitinase MYSM1 Is Essential for Normal Fetal Liver Hematopoiesis and for
      the Maintenance of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Adult Bone Marrow.
AB  - MYSM1 is a chromatin-interacting deubiquitinase recently shown to be essential
      for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function and normal progression of
      hematopoiesis in both mice and humans. However, it remains unknown whether the
      loss of function in Mysm1-deficient HSCs is due to the essential role of MYSM1 in
      establishing the HSC pool during development or due to a continuous requirement
      for MYSM1 in adult HSCs. In this study we, for the first time, address these
      questions first, by performing a detailed analysis of hematopoiesis in the fetal
      livers of Mysm1-knockout mice, and second, by assessing the effects of an
      inducible Mysm1 ablation on adult HSC functions. Our data indicate that MYSM1 is
      essential for normal HSC function and progression of hematopoiesis in the fetal
      liver. Furthermore, the inducible knockout model demonstrates a continuous
      requirement for MYSM1 to maintain HSC functions and antagonize p53 activation in
      adult bone marrow. These studies advance our understanding of the role of MYSM1
      in HSC biology, and provide new insights into the human hematopoietic failure
      syndrome resulting from MYSM1 deficiency. 

PMID- 26125291
TI  - [Overview of Alternative Methods of Cochleostomy with Focus on Laser Ablative
      Techniques].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bone removal during mastoidectomy and cochleostomy or round window
      enlargement prior to electrode insertion is typically performed with a drill. The
      present work is a review of alternate methods of mastoidectomy and
      cochleostomy/round window enlargement that may reduce the risk of acoustic inner
      ear trauma associated with use of surgical drills during cochlear implant
      surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MEDLINE database search was conducted using
      PubMed and Google Scholar search engines. Inclusion criteria for this study was
      the use of a laser to ablate the bone respectively the opening of Cochlear in
      terms of Cochleostomy. RESULTS: For the experimental studies, a total number of 4
      papers were found, which deal with the application of the widely used CO2 laser.
      A comparison of the works could only partially under the above criteria, since no
      single study protocol was used and not always the sound pressure levels were
      determined occurring or evidence of damage to the inner ear missing. But for all
      that, a comparison of the work has been attempted because it is the authors'
      opinion about a promising approach to the atraumatic opening of the inner ear.
      CONCLUSION: There are promising approaches, using a laser to realize the erosion
      of bone and perform the opening of the inner ear. Nevertheless, there is a
      significant need for further investigations and in particular, the acoustic
      injury is not well enough understood here.

PMID- 26125292
TI  - [From the Expert's Office: Noise Induced Hearing Loss by Dog-barking?].

PMID- 26125293
TI  - [Actinic Keratosis].
AB  - Actinic keratosis is a cutaneous lesion characterized by proliferation of
      atypical epidermal keratinocytes due to prolonged exposure to exogenous factors
      such as ultraviolet radiation. AKs are in-situ-squamous cell carcinomas (PEC) of
      the skin. AK typically presents as erythematous, scaly patch or papule (classic
      AK), occasionally as thick, adherent scale on an erythematous base. Mostly fair
      skinned adults are affected. AKs typically occur in areas of frequent sun
      exposure (balding scalp, face, "H-region", lateral neck, decollete, dorsum of the
      hand and lower extremities). Actinic Cheilitis is the term used for AKs appearing
      on the lips. The diagnosis of AK is based on clinical examination including
      inspection and palpation. The typical palpable rough surface of AK often precedes
      a visible lesion. Dermoscopy may provide additional information. If diagnosis is
      uncertain and invasion suspected, biopsy and histopathologic evaluation should be
      performed. The potential for progression to invasive PECs mandates therapeutic
      intervention. Treatment options include topical and systemic therapies. Topical
      therapies are classified into physical, medical and combined physical-chemical
      approaches and a sequential combination of treatment modalities is possible.
      Topical-physical cryotherapy is the treatment of choice for isolated, non
      hypertrophic AK. Topical-medical treatment, e. g. 5-fluoruracil (5FU) cream or
      Imiquomod or Ingenolmebutat application is used for multiple, non-hypertrophic
      AKs. For hypertrophic AKs, a dehorning pretreatment with salicinated vaseline is
      recommended. Isolated hypertrophic AKs often need cryotherapy with prolonged
      freezing time or several consecutive applications. Sequentially combined
      approaches are recommended for multiple, hypertrophic AKs. Photodynamic therapy
      (PDT) as example for a combined physical-chemical approach is an established
      treatment for multiple, non-hypertrophic and hypertrophic AKs. Prevention
      includes avoidance of sun and application of sunscreen with high sun protection
      factor. Regular clinical checkups aid in early recognition of AKs. 

PMID- 26125294
TI  - [Preventing and managing complications].

PMID- 26125295
TI  - Regulation of the plasma amino acid profile by leucine via the system L amino
      acid transporter.
AB  - Plasma concentrations of amino acids reflect the intracellular amino acid pool in
      mammals. However, the regulatory mechanism requires clarification. In this study,
      we examined the effect of leucine administration on plasma amino acid profiles in
      mice with and without the treatment of 2-aminobicyclo-(2,2,1)-heptane-2
      carboxylic acid (BCH) or rapamycin as an inhibitor of system L or mammalian
      target of rapamycin complex 1, respectively. The elevation of plasma leucine
      concentration after leucine administration was associated with a significant
      decrease in the plasma concentrations of isoleucine, valine, methionine,
      phenylalanine, and tyrosine; BCH treatment almost completely blocked the leucine
      induced decrease in plasma amino acid concentrations. Rapamycin treatment had
      much less effects on the actions of leucine than BCH treatment. These results
      suggest that leucine regulates the plasma concentrations of branched-chain amino
      acids, methionine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine, and that system L amino acid
      transporters are involved in the leucine action. 

PMID- 26125296
TI  - Functional and Anatomical Brain Abnormalities and Effects of Antidepressant in
      Major Depressive Disorder: Combined Application of Voxel-Based Morphometry and
      Amplitude of Frequency Fluctuation in Resting State.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Convergent studies suggest that functional and morphological
      abnormalities of the brain circuits may contribute to the pathophysiology of
      major depressive disorders (MDD). However, few study has been conducted to
      examine how or whether functional abnormalities are related to anatomical
      alterations in the brain. We used voxel-based morphometry and amplitude of
      frequency fluctuation (ALFF) methods to investigate their association. METHODS:
      Twenty MDD participants, 16 treated MDD participants and 18 healthy controls
      acquired baseline high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging and
      functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Using SPM8 and REST1.8 software to
      analyze the imaging data. RESULTS: The MDDs had decreased gray matter volume and
      ALFF values in different brain regions. Compared to pretreatment, posttreatment
      MDDs had increased gray matter volume and ALFF values in some brain regions.
      CONCLUSIONS: There is no overlap of brain regions with the functional and
      anatomical alterations, and they may alter independently in MDDs.

PMID- 26125297
TI  - Low Dose Computed Tomography for 3D Planning of Total Hip Arthroplasty:
      Evaluation of Radiation Exposure and Image Quality.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare radiation exposure and image
      quality between dedicated computed tomography (CT) protocols for preoperative
      total hip arthroplasty (THA) planning. METHODS: Three protocols with automated
      tube current modulation using 64-slice (n = 177) and 128-slice CT scanners
      without (n = 129) and with automated tube voltage preselection (n = 84) were
      compared. RESULTS: All 390 CTs were of sufficient quality for THA planning. Mean
      DLP was 235.0 mGy*cm (effective dose 2.8 mSv). Lowest radiation exposure (2.5
      mSv) was seen with automated voltage preselection and the algorithm's selection
      was 100 kV (90.5% of patients) and 120 kV. Lowest image noise was seen in the
      highest dose group (3.1 mSv, 128-slice CT fixed tube voltage). A significant
      difference in cortical bone radiodensity was seen between 100 kV and 120 kV (P <
      0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative pelvic CT for THA planning is possible with
      very low radiation dose and reliable quality. Automated voltage preselection
      further decreases the effective dose by 18.2%.

PMID- 26125298
TI  - Low-Dose Pelvic Computed Tomography Using Adaptive Iterative Dose Reduction 3
      Dimensional Algorithm: A Phantom Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the image quality and radiation dose reduction in pelvic
      computed tomography (CT) achieved with an adaptive iterative dose reduction 3
      dimensional (AIDR 3D) algorithm using a phantom model. METHODS: Two phantoms were
      scanned using a 320-detector row CT scanner with 8 tube current levels, and the
      images were reconstructed with a standard filtered back projection (FBP)
      algorithm and with an AIDR 3D algorithm. RESULTS: Compared with FBP, AIDR 3D
      reduced image noise and improved contrast-to-noise ratios. The diagnostic
      performance for detection of low-contrast targets of AIDR 3D images obtained with
      100 mA at 120 kVp was almost as good as that of the FBP images obtained with 200
      mA. CONCLUSIONS: The AIDR 3D algorithm substantially reduced image noise and
      improved the image quality of pelvic CT images compared with those obtained with
      the FBP algorithm and can thus be considered a promising technique for low-dose
      pelvic CT examinations.

PMID- 26125299
TI  - Myocardial Fibrosis in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Volumetric Assessment of Late
      Enhancement Provided by Cardiac Computed Tomography.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: With subgroups of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
      confers a 4% to 5% risk for adverse prognosis. Besides left-ventricular muscle
      mass (LV-MM) myocardial fibrosis (MF) assessable by late gadolinium enhancement
      in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) has been related to that.
      Myocardial fibrosis can also be demonstrated by late enhancement (LE) in late
      enhanced multislice computed tomography (leMDCT). This analysis investigates
      leMDCT whether to enable quantification of LE load in terms of LE mass by percent
      LV-MM in HCM. METHODS: In a prospective validation study, we included 30
      consecutive patients with HCM who underwent leMDCT (64 slice) and LGE-CMR (1.5
      T). The leMDCT scan was performed 7 minutes after injection of iodine contrast
      (Iopromid). Endocardial and epicardial planimetry served for the assessment of LV
      MM. Visually detectable LE was quantified using the manual quantification method
      resulting in LE by percent LV-MM (%LE). The LGE-CMR data served for validation.
      RESULTS: Mean (SD) age was 64.1 (13.9) years. Myocardial fibrosis prevalence was
      63.3% (19/30 patients indentified by both leMDCT and LGE-CMR). In leMDCT, tissue
      density in LE areas compared with normal myocardium was higher (138.2 [23.9] HU
      vs 98.4 [16.5] HU, P < 0.001) but lower than in the LV cavity (138.2 [23.9] HU vs
      169.2 [35.9] HU, P < 0.001). Late enhancement mass in leMDCT seemed to be 7.9
      (8.5) g LE versus 8.6 [11] g LGE in CMR (P = 0.497, r = 0.95) resulting in a
      leMDCT/LGE-CMR relation of 1.2. Referring LE mass to LV-MM gave an LE proportion
      measured by leMDCT of 4 (3.9) %LE versus 3.9 (4.1) %LGE in LGE-CMR (r = 0.88, P =
      0.75). Intraobserver/interobserver reliability of LE mass assessment showed an
      intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.99 and 0.97. CONCLUSIONS: In patients
      with HCM, leMDCT provides volumetric assessment of LE mass-absolutely and by
      percent LV-MM.

PMID- 26125300
TI  - Decoration of Micro-/Nanoscale Noble Metal Particles on 3D Porous Nickel Using
      Electrodeposition Technique as Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in
      Alkaline Electrolyte.
AB  - Micro-/nanoscale noble metal (Ag, Au, and Pt) particle-decorated 3D porous nickel
      electrodes for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline electrolyte are
      fabricated via galvanostatic electrodeposition technique. The developed
      electrodes are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and
      electrochemical measurements including Tafel polarization curves, cyclic
      voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. It is clearly shown that
      the enlarged real surface area caused by 3D highly porous dendritic structure has
      greatly reinforced the electrocatalytic activity toward HER. Comparative analysis
      of electrodeposited Ag, Au, and Pt particle-decorated porous nickel electrodes
      for HER indicates that both intrinsic property and size of the noble metal
      particles can lead to distinct catalytic activities. Both nanoscale Au and Pt
      particles have further reinforcement effect toward HER, whereas microscale Ag
      particles exhibit the reverse effect. As an effective 3D hydrogen evolution
      cathode, the nanoscale Pt-particle-decorated 3D porous nickel electrode
      demonstrates the highest catalytic activity with an extremely low overpotential
      of -0.045 V for hydrogen production, a considerable exchange current density of
      9.47 mA cm(-2) at 25  degrees C, and high durability in long-term electrolysis,
      all of which are attributed to the intrinsic catalytic property and the extremely
      small size of Pt particles. 

PMID- 26125301
TI  - Oxaliplatin for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Oxaliplatin is an important drug in treatment of several solid
      tumors. Ovarian cancer (OC) is sensitive to chemotherapy and the overall response
      rate with primary therapy is about 75%. Unfortunately, 60 - 70% of patients
      experience recurrence requiring additional treatments and finally die of
      progressive disease within 5 years of the initial diagnosis. Currently, a
      platinum-based combination therapy is recommended in platinum-sensitive disease
      while a non-platinum single-agent therapy is preferred in platinum-resistant
      disease that is characterized by a low response rate. AREAS COVERED: In this
      article, the authors review the Phase II and Phase III studies of oxaliplatin as
      an OC therapy. Furthermore, the authors discuss the pharmacokinetic and
      pharmacodynamic features of oxaliplatin. EXPERT OPINION: Platinum emerged as the
      mainstay of OC treatment in frontline therapy, and platinum compounds remain a
      critical component of chemotherapy also in relapsed disease. Unfortunately,
      increasing exposure to carboplatin/cisplatin raises the risk of resistance or
      hypersensitivity to platinum. Several studies have demonstrated the safety and
      effectiveness of oxaliplatin, both alone and in combination regimens, in relapsed
      OC, demonstrating a good tolerability profile. Moreover, the therapeutic spectrum
      of oxaliplatin might be extended to OC patients who experienced hypersensitivity
      to carboplatin because of its favorable toxicity profile and at least equal
      efficacy.

PMID- 26125302
TI  - RECQL: a new breast cancer susceptibility gene.
AB  - Identifying and characterizing novel genetic risk factors for BRCA1/2 negative
      breast cancers is highly relevant for early diagnosis and development of a
      management plan. Mutations in a number of DNA repair genes have been associated
      with genomic instability and development of breast and various other cancers.
      Whole exome sequencing efforts by 2 groups have led to the discovery in distinct
      populations of multiple breast cancer susceptibility mutations in RECQL, a gene
      that encodes a DNA helicase involved in homologous recombination repair and
      response to replication stress. RECQL pathogenic mutations were identified that
      truncated or disrupted the RECQL protein or introduced missense mutations in its
      helicase domain. RECQL mutations may serve as a useful biomarker for breast
      cancer. Targeting RECQL associated tumors with novel DNA repair inhibitors may
      provide a new strategy for anti-cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26125303
TI  - The Prognostic Significance of c-MET and EGFR Overexpression in Resected Gastric
      Adenocarcinomas.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and c-MET are tyrosine kinase
      growth factor receptors implicated in gastric cancer (GC), and their pathways
      appear to be interdependent. The aim of this study was to investigate the
      prognostic value of EGFR and c-MET protein overexpression by immunohistochemistry
      in Canadian patients with resected GC and correlate it with clinicopathologic
      characteristics and overall survival (OS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tissue
      microarray blocks were constructed from 120 resected GCs stained with EGFR and c
      MET and scored semiquantitatively (0 to 3+). Each receptor's expression was
      compared with clinicopathologic characteristics and survival. Descriptive
      statistics, Kaplan-Meyer, and Cox regression were used for statistical analyses.
      RESULTS: Of the 113 interpretable cases, overexpression of EGFR and c-MET was
      noted in 17 (15%) and 65 (57%), respectively; coexpression of EGFR and c-MET was
      observed in 12 (10%) of GC. EGFR and c-MET overexpression correlated with poor
      OS: median 13 versus 30 months in EGFR positive versus negative GC (hazard ratio
      [HR]=1.67, P=0.11); 27 versus 49 months in c-MET positive versus negative GC
      (HR=1.17, P=0.49), respectively. GC coexpressing EGFR and c-MET was significantly
      correlated with poor survival: 12 versus 29 months in double-positive versus rest
      of tumors both in univariate (HR=2.62, P=0.003) and multivariate analyses
      (HR=2.58, P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study describes the prevalence and
      prognostic value of EGFR and c-MET in a Canadian population of patients
      undergoing curative intent resection for GC. Both c-MET and EGFR overexpression
      trended toward poor OS, but only the group with EGFR+/c-MET+ GC reached
      statistical significance on multivariate analysis.

PMID- 26125304
TI  - Do Prostate Cancer Patients With Markedly Elevated PSA Benefit From Radiation
      Therapy?: A Population-based Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Patients with clinically localized prostate cancer but markedly
      elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) are often treated with systemic agents
      alone. We hypothesized that they would benefit from radiation therapy. METHODS:
      We utilized the Survival, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Database for
      patients diagnosed with nonmetastatic prostate cancer from 2004 to 2008. Patients
      treated surgically or with brachytherapy were excluded. Survival was analyzed
      using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models. Propensity
      score was used to adjust for the nonrandomized assignment of local therapies.
      RESULTS: A total of 75,539 nonmetastatic prostate cancer patients were identified
      who received either radiotherapy or no local treatment. Median age was 70 years.
      Median follow-up of alive subjects was 60 months, with an interquartile range of
      47 to 77 months. Estimated 4-year overall survival of entire population was 88%.
      Significant prognostic variables for overall survival on multivariate analysis
      included age, grade, PSA level, T stage, and use of radiation therapy. Use of
      radiation therapy was the most powerful predictor of both cause-specific and
      overall survival (HR=0.41 and 0.46, respectively, P<0.001). The benefit conferred
      by local treatment was seen even in subjects with PSA>=75 ng/mL. Four-year cancer
      specific survival was 93.8% in those receiving radiation treatments versus 76.5%
      in those who did not receive any local treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Survival was
      significantly improved by radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer. Extremely
      high PSA levels (>=25 ng/mL) should not be considered a contraindication to local
      treatment.

PMID- 26125305
TI  - Psychosocial consequences of living with breathlessness due to advanced disease.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Breathlessness is one of the most important symptoms of
      patients with advanced life-limiting disease, such as chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease, chronic heart failure, cancer, or pulmonary fibrosis.
      Breathlessness has major implications for patients as well as their family
      caregivers. The present review provides an overview of recent knowledge
      concerning the psychological and social consequences of breathlessness, including
      behavioural responses to breathlessness, and the impact of breathlessness on the
      family caregiver. RECENT FINDINGS: Breathlessness results in avoidance of
      exertion and deterioration of functional status. Functional impairment leads to
      care dependency and social limitations, resulting in a change in social role.
      Anxiety is an emotional response to breathlessness, but also increases the
      perception of breathlessness. Family caregivers of patients have to cope with
      changes in daily life, witnessing breathlessness and adapt to new and challenging
      role as family caregiver. SUMMARY: The consequences of living with breathlessness
      are multidimensional and arise in all aspects of daily life of patients, their
      family caregivers and their social environment. Multidimensional treatment
      programmes should become widely available to support patients with advanced
      disease and their family caregivers in coping with the functional, psychological
      and social consequences of living with breathlessness.

PMID- 26125306
TI  - Perioperative chemotherapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Radical cystectomy with or without systemic chemotherapy is
      considered a standard of care for patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer
      (MIBC). The purpose of this review is to provide an update on current and recent
      literature published within the last 12 months reviewing the evidence for use of
      perioperative chemotherapy for patients with MIBC. RECENT FINDINGS: In the
      neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) setting, the evidence demonstrates clinical
      efficacy and lower rate of toxicity with the use of high-dose methotrexate,
      vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (MVAC) compared with standard
      MVAC. Higher quality evidence for the use of gemcitabine with cisplatin is not
      yet available. Meta-analysis of cisplatin-based regimens in the adjuvant setting
      demonstrates significant benefit in overall survival and disease-free survival
      specifically in patients with lymph-node-positive disease. SUMMARY: The available
      evidence suggests that along with radical cystectomy, cisplatin-based
      perioperative chemotherapy should be the standard of care in patients with MIBC
      with a higher quality and quantity of literature in support of the NAC approach.
      Adoption of perioperative chemotherapy for MIBC is on the rise in North America,
      which is reassuring. Novel therapeutic approaches for cisplatin-ineligible
      patients are currently being investigated.

PMID- 26125307
TI  - Nonopioid medication for the relief of refractory breathlessness.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To provide an overview of recent evidence relating to
      nonopioid medication for the treatment of refractory breathlessness. RECENT
      FINDINGS: A search of publications since 2013 found systematic reviews on
      phenothiazines and nebulized medications, together with one study examining the
      use of benzodiazepines and another nebulized furosemide. However, all provided
      limited data and concluded that further clinical trials are required. SUMMARY:
      Based on this review, there is insufficient evidence to support the routine use
      of nonopioid medication in the treatment of refractory breathlessness.

PMID- 26125308
TI  - Specialized programs to support young women with breast cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Because of the recognized impact of breast cancer and its
      treatment on a young woman's life, initiatives are being established worldwide.
      The main aim of this review was to describe existing specialized programs that
      support young women with breast cancer (YWBC), advances to date, current
      challenges and future actions. RECENT FINDINGS: Current programs for YWBC are now
      educating professionals, patients, and communities on their specific needs. Also,
      support groups have helped break isolation and connect YWBC together. Research on
      biology, treatment, adverse effects, risk factors, genetics, and social aspects
      on YWBC is now being actively conducted. In low- and middle-income countries, the
      particular issues of young women are, however, still not systematically
      addressed, because of scarce funding, lack of awareness of YWBC needs, and
      deficient provider training. SUMMARY: Practice guidelines and algorithms should
      be disseminated and available for their widespread use to allow standard clinical
      and supportive care for YWBC even in oncologic centers where no specific programs
      exist. Also, cancer centers should formally commit to financing, at least
      partially, dedicated services, and existing programs for YWBC, guaranteeing their
      continuity. Finally, interinstitutional and international collaborations should
      be encouraged to facilitate adequately powered research, to avoid repetitive
      efforts, and to promote knowledge sharing and translation.

PMID- 26125309
TI  - Chronic refractory breathlessness is a distinct clinical syndrome.

PMID- 26125310
TI  - Breast cancer in young women: challenges, progress, and barriers.

PMID- 26125311
TI  - Counseling About Weight Gain Guidelines and Subsequent Gestational Weight Gain.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate what percentage of
      postpartum women were informed about how much weight to gain during pregnancy,
      the accuracy of the weight gain recommendations based on the 2009 Institute of
      Medicine (IOM) gestational weight gain (GWG) recommendations and whether being
      informed was associated with greater likelihood of meeting the recommendations.
      METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of postpartum women interviewed in
      maternity recovery rooms at two large urban hospitals. Body mass index was
      obtained from medical records, and adherence to gestational weight gain
      guidelines was determined based on the 2009 IOM recommendations. RESULTS: One
      hundred thirty four women with a mean pregravid body mass index of 28.0 kg/m(2)
      were studied. Sixty-seven percent of participants reported receiving weight gain
      recommendations. A greater percentage of healthy weight women (78.6%) reported
      being informed of a GWG recommendation than overweight (53.8%) or obese women
      (64.9%), (chi-squared=6.6, p=0.04). Of the women given information about
      gestational weight gain, 40 (54.8%) received GWG recommendations consistent with
      the IOM and 33 (45.2%) received discrepant information. The accuracy of the GWG
      recommendation varied based on weight status. Women of healthy weight were much
      more likely to be given information in accordance with the IOM recommendations
      (86.8%) than women who were overweight (12.5%) or obese (26.3%) (chi
      squared=33.5, p<0.001). Meeting the IOM recommendations did not differ depending
      on whether women were told how much weight to gain during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS:
      Women who are overweight or obese are less likely to be informed about weight
      gain recommendations than healthy weight women, and nearly half of women receive
      information inconsistent with the IOM recommendations. There may be a need for
      further practitioner education on GWG recommendations and increased patient
      counseling to help promote healthy weight gain during pregnancy.

PMID- 26125312
TI  - Lewis Acid/Rhodium-Catalyzed Formal [3 + 3]-Cycloaddition of Enoldiazoacetates
      with Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes.
AB  - A formal [3 + 3]-cycloaddition of enoldiazoacetates with donor-acceptor
      cyclopropanes was realized by the combination of a Lewis acid-catalyzed
      diastereoselective [3 + 2]-cycloaddition and a subsequent rhodium-catalyzed
      chemoselective ring expansion. This tandem transformation provides an efficient
      approach to highly functionalized cyclohexenes. 

PMID- 26125314
TI  - Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Imidazole Phenanthroline Complexes as Luminescent and
      Electrochemiluminescent G-Quadruplex DNA Binders.
AB  - Six cyclometalated iridium(III) phenanthroimidazole complexes with different
      modifications to the imidazole phenanthroline ligand exhibit enhanced
      luminescence when bound to guanine (G-) quadruplex DNA sequences. The complexes
      bind with low micromolar affinity to human telomeric and c-myc sequences in a 1:1
      complex:quadruplex stoichiometry. Due to the luminescence enhancement upon
      binding to G-quadruplex DNA, the complexes can be used as selective quadruplex
      indicators. In addition, the electrogenerated chemiluminescence of all complexes
      increases in the presence of specific G-quadruplex sequences, demonstrating
      potential for the development of an ECL-based G-quadruplex assay. 

PMID- 26125315
TI  - Diabetes associated with pancreatic diseases.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A relevant number of patients with pancreatic disorders suffer
      from secondary diabetes. Recent data have shed light on the link between
      pancreatic damage and subsequent impairments in glucose homeostasis. Furthermore,
      epidemiological studies provided insights into the relationship between diabetes
      and the risk of pancreatic carcinoma or pancreatitis. Pancreaticogenic diabetes
      requires a tailored therapeutic approach taking into account the individual
      properties of the available glucose-lowering drugs. RECENT FINDINGS: We review
      the available literature concerning diabetes in patients with acute or chronic
      pancreatitis or pancreatic carcinoma. The relationship between the pancreatic
      damage and alterations in insulin and glucose homeostasis is summarized as well
      as the effect of diabetes mellitus on the risk of pancreatic cancer and
      pancreatitis. Caveats in the treatment of pancreaticogenic diabetes with
      currently available drugs are being discussed. SUMMARY: Patients with pancreatic
      diseases should be screened for diabetes by means of an oral glucose tolerance
      test. There is a close inverse relationship between pancreatic beta-cell loss and
      postchallenge hyperglycemia. The risk of hypoglycemia may be increased in
      patients with pancreaticogenic diabetes. Newly diagnosed diabetes may be a
      harbinger of pancreatic cancer. There is increasing evidence suggesting an
      increased risk for (pancreatic) cancer and pancreatitis in patients with diabetes
      mellitus. Further studies on the ideal glucose-lowering treatment of patients
      with pancreaticogenic diabetes will be required.

PMID- 26125313
TI  - The Use of SGLT-2 Inhibitors in Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Failure.
AB  - The concurrent management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and chronic
      congestive heart failure presents several therapeutic challenges. Of concern is
      that insulin and insulin-sensitizing medications detrimentally "flood" the heart
      with energy-providing substrates, including fats and glucose. In this population,
      treatment of T2DM should focus on the reduction of increased substrate supply.
      Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, a new class of antidiabetic
      medication, operate via this principle by blocking the reabsorption of glucose in
      the kidney and subsequently releasing glucose through the urine. In this review,
      we begin with an examination of the mechanisms of glucotoxicity and lipotoxicity
      in the heart. Then we analyze the potential role of SGLT-2 inhibitor therapy in
      patients with concurrent T2DM and chronic heart failure. Based on the available
      evidence, SGLT-2 inhibitors are safe and can be recommended to treat T2DM in
      patients with chronic heart failure and intact renal function. Further studies
      are in progress to assess long-term survival benefits. 

PMID- 26125316
TI  - Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Our understanding of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm
      (IPMN) of the pancreas has remarkably grown within the last decade; nonetheless
      there is still an ongoing controversy if the majority of these potentially
      malignant neoplasms need to be resected or if observation in a subset is well
      tolerated. RECENT FINDINGS: Novel cyst fluid biomarkers, like Gnas mutations or
      mab DAS-1, could play a pivotal role in the distinction of IPMN vs. other cystic
      lesions, in the sub-classification of IPMN and in the detection of IPMN with high
      grade dysplasia or invasive cancer. Other recent studies focused on natural
      history of minimal- and extensive-mixed IPMN and the safety of the 2012 AIP
      guidelines. Small series also described that observation can be an option in
      selected frail patients with MD-IPMN. Further, data from a large European
      multicenter study analysis indicated that patients with IPMN do not have an
      increased frequency of extrapancreatic malignancies. SUMMARY: Increasing
      knowledge about the nature of IPMN and their subtypes has resulted in an
      individualized approach in diagnosis and treatment. Owing to the availability of
      accurate diagnostic instruments, timing and indication for pancreatic resection
      have become more selective, sparing patients with harmless IPMN from major
      surgery.

PMID- 26125317
TI  - Pancreatic stellate cell: physiologic role, role in fibrosis and cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Ever since the first descriptions of methods to isolate
      pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) from rodent and human pancreas 17 years ago,
      rapid advances have been made in our understanding of the biology of these cells
      and their functions in health and disease. This review updates recent literature
      in the field, which indicates an increasingly complex role for the cells in
      normal pancreas, pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. RECENT FINDINGS: Work
      reported over the past 12 months includes improved methods of PSC
      immortalization, a role for PSCs in islet fibrosis, novel factors causing PSC
      activation as well as those inducing quiescence, and translational research aimed
      at inhibiting the facilitatory effects of PSCs on disease progression in chronic
      pancreatitis as well as pancreatic cancer. SUMMARY: Improved understanding of the
      role of PSCs in pancreatic pathophysiology has prompted a focus on translational
      studies aimed at developing novel approaches to modulate PSC function in a bid to
      improve clinical outcomes of two major fibrotic diseases of the pancreas: chronic
      pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.

PMID- 26125318
TI  - First Record of Paratenic Hosts of the Swimbladder Nematode Anguillicola crassus
      in North America.
AB  - Anguillicola crassus is a non-native parasite of the American eel, Anguilla
      rostrata. Since being introduced into North America, the nematode has spread
      rapidly across the range of A. rostrata, but paratenic hosts, which may
      facilitate parasite dispersion, have yet to be identified in the region. We
      investigated infection of larval A. crassus in 261 fish specimens belonging to 23
      species and 12 orders collected from estuarine habitats in South Carolina
      (salinities 0-9 ppt) and Nova Scotia (10-18 ppt). A total of 35 fish belonging to
      5 species and 3 orders were infected with the third-stage larvae (L3) of A.
      crassus, providing the first record of paratenic hosts for the parasite in North
      America. In South Carolina, high prevalence and abundance of the worm were found
      in spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), silver perch (Bairdiella chrysoura), and highfin
      goby (Gobionellus oceanicus), and a high prevalence but lower abundance was found
      in mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus). In Nova Scotia, 2 nematodes were found in a
      single specimen of tomcod (Microgadus tomcod). All of the infected species are
      associated with a benthic lifestyle, and some of them are known to move between
      estuaries along the coastline. Lower infection rates in Nova Scotia may be
      associated with lower water temperatures and/or higher salinity of the sampling
      site. Most of the L3 were found encapsulated in mesenteric tissue around the
      intestine and stomach. No L4 or pre-adult worms were found. Mean body length of
      the L3 was smaller than L3 stages found in American eels from Cape Breton. This
      suggests that development of A. crassus is arrested at the L3 in the 5 fish
      species reported here, supporting their status as paratenic hosts.

PMID- 26125319
TI  - Carfilzomib for the treatment of patients with relapsed and/or refractory
      multiple myeloma.
AB  - Carfilzomib is a proteasome inhibitor that irreversibly binds to its target,
      resulting in sustained proteasomal inhibition with minimal off-target effects. As
      a single agent, carfilzomib has demonstrated durable antimyeloma activity with
      manageable toxicities, which has resulted in its approval in Argentina, Israel,
      Mexico and the USA for the treatment of patients with relapsed and refractory
      multiple myeloma. Data from ongoing Phase III studies that are evaluating
      carfilzomib in earlier lines of therapy may facilitate an expanded indication for
      this agent, as well as for regulatory approval in the EU. This article summarizes
      the chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and available clinical data for
      carfilzomib in the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma. 

PMID- 26125320
TI  - Mini-Review: Impaired Axonal Transport and Glaucoma.
AB  - Glaucoma is increasingly recognized as a neurodegenerative disorder,
      characterized by the accelerated loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their
      axons. Impaired axonal transport has been implicated as a pathogenic mechanism in
      a number of neurodegenerative diseases, including glaucoma. The long RGC axon,
      with its high metabolic demand and crucial role in conveying neurotrophic
      signals, relies heavily on intact axonal transport. In this mini review, we
      consider the evidence for transport disruption along RGCs in association with
      glaucoma and other intraocular pressure models. We give a brief overview of the
      axonal transport process and the methods by which it is assessed. Spatial and
      temporal patterns of axonal transport disruption are considered as well as the
      reversibility of these changes. Biomechanical, metabolic and cytoskeletal insults
      may underlie the development of axonal transport deficits, and there are multiple
      perspectives on the impact that transport disruption has on the RGC. Eliciting
      the role of impaired axonal transport in glaucoma pathogenesis may uncover novel
      therapeutic targets for protecting the optic nerve and preventing vision loss in
      glaucoma. 

PMID- 26125321
TI  - Reversible Semiconducting-to-Metallic Phase Transition in Chemical Vapor
      Deposition Grown Monolayer WSe2 and Applications for Devices.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides
      (TMDCs) have stimulated lots of interest because they are direct bandgap
      materials that have reasonably good mobility values. However, contact between
      most metals and semiconducting TMDCs like 2H phase WSe2 are highly resistive,
      thus degrading the performance of field effect transistors (FETs) fabricated with
      WSe2 as active channel materials. Recently, a phase engineering concept of 2D
      MoS2 materials was developed, with improved device performance. Here, we applied
      this method to chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown monolayer 2H-WSe2 and
      demonstrated semiconducting-to-metallic phase transition in atomically thin WSe2.
      We have also shown that metallic phase WSe2 can be converted back to
      semiconducting phase, demonstrating the reversibility of this phase transition.
      In addition, we fabricated FETs based on these CVD-grown WSe2 flakes with phase
      engineered metallic 1T-WSe2 as contact regions and intact semiconducting 2H-WSe2
      as active channel materials. The device performance is substantially improved
      with metallic phase source/drain electrodes, showing on/off current ratios of
      10(7) and mobilities up to 66 cm(2)/V.s for monolayer WSe2. These results further
      suggest that phase engineering can be a generic strategy to improve device
      performance for many kinds of 2D TMDC materials. 

PMID- 26125322
TI  - High Concentrations of the Antibiotic Spiramycin in Wastewater Lead to High
      Abundance of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea in Nitrifying Populations.
AB  - To evaluate the potential effects of antibiotics on ammonia-oxidizing microbes,
      multiple tools including quantitative PCR (qPCR), 454-pyrosequencing, and a high
      throughput functional gene array (GeoChip) were used to reveal the distribution
      of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and archaeal amoA (Arch-amoA) genes in three
      wastewater treatment systems receiving spiramycin or oxytetracycline production
      wastewaters. The qPCR results revealed that the copy number ratios of Arch-amoA
      to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) amoA genes were the highest in the spiramycin
      full-scale (5.30) and pilot-scale systems (1.49 * 10(-1)), followed by the
      oxytetracycline system (4.90 * 10(-4)), with no Arch-amoA genes detected in the
      control systems treating sewage or inosine production wastewater. The
      pyrosequencing result showed that the relative abundance of AOA affiliated with
      Thaumarchaeota accounted for 78.5-99.6% of total archaea in the two spiramycin
      systems, which was in accordance with the qPCR results. Mantel test based on
      GeoChip data showed that Arch-amoA gene signal intensity correlated with the
      presence of spiramycin (P < 0.05). Antibiotics explained 25.8% of variations in
      amoA functional gene structures by variance partitioning analysis. This study
      revealed the selection of AOA in the presence of high concentrations of
      spiramycin in activated sludge systems. 

PMID- 26125323
TI  - Regional Variability and Uncertainty of Electric Vehicle Life Cycle CO2 Emissions
      across the United States.
AB  - We characterize regionally specific life cycle CO2 emissions per mile traveled
      for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs)
      across the United States under alternative assumptions for regional electricity
      emission factors, regional boundaries, and charging schemes. We find that
      estimates based on marginal vs average grid emission factors differ by as much as
      50% (using National Electricity Reliability Commission (NERC) regional
      boundaries). Use of state boundaries versus NERC region boundaries results in
      estimates that differ by as much as 120% for the same location (using average
      emission factors). We argue that consumption-based marginal emission factors are
      conceptually appropriate for evaluating the emissions implications of policies
      that increase electric vehicle sales or use in a region. We also examine
      generation-based marginal emission factors to assess robustness. Using these two
      estimates of NERC region marginal emission factors, we find the following: (1)
      delayed charging (i.e., starting at midnight) leads to higher emissions in most
      cases due largely to increased coal in the marginal generation mix at night; (2)
      the Chevrolet Volt has higher expected life cycle emissions than the Toyota Prius
      hybrid electric vehicle (the most efficient U.S. gasoline vehicle) across the
      U.S. in nearly all scenarios; (3) the Nissan Leaf BEV has lower life cycle
      emissions than the Prius in the western U.S. and in Texas, but the Prius has
      lower emissions in the northern Midwest regardless of assumed charging scheme and
      marginal emissions estimation method; (4) in other regions the lowest emitting
      vehicle depends on charge timing and emission factor estimation assumptions. 

PMID- 26125324
TI  - Post-Assembly Covalent Di- and Tetracapping of a Dinuclear [Fe2L3](4+) Triple
      Helicate and Two [Fe4L6](8+) Tetrahedra Using Sequential Reductive Aminations.
AB  - The use of a highly efficient reductive amination procedure for the postsynthetic
      end-capping of metal-templated helicate and tetrahedral supramolecular structures
      bearing terminal aldehyde groups is reported. Metal template formation of a
      [Fe2L3](4+) dinuclear helicate and two [Fe4L6](8+) tetrahedra (where L is a
      linear ligand incorporating two bipyridine domains separated by one or two 1,4
      (2,5-dimethoxyaryl) linkers and terminated by salicylaldehyde functions is
      described. Postassembly reaction of each of these "open" di- and tetranuclear
      species with excess ammonium acetate (as a source of ammonia) and sodium
      cyanoborohydride results in a remarkable reaction sequence whereby the three
      aldehyde groups terminating each end of the helicate, or each of the four
      vertices of the respective tetrahedra, react with ammonia then undergo successive
      reductive amination to yield corresponding fully tertiary-amine capped cryptate
      and tetrahedral covalent cages. 

PMID- 26125325
TI  - Water in Hydration Shell of an Iodide Ion: Structure and Dynamics of Solute-Water
      Hydrogen Bonds and Vibrational Spectral Diffusion from First-Principles
      Simulations.
AB  - The dynamics of hydrogen bonds and vibrational spectral diffusion of water in the
      hydration shell of an iodide ion and in bulk have been investigated for aqueous
      iodide solutions of two different concentrations by using ab initio molecular
      dynamics simulations. The effects of dispersion interactions on the dynamics have
      also been investigated by using a dispersion corrected density functional. For
      the dilute solution containing a single iodide ion, three time scales are found
      for the spectral diffusion of solvation shell water: A short time scale of ~150
      fs, a slower time scale of ~2-3 ps and a yet longer time scale of ~14-16 ps. The
      long time scale of ~14-16 ps is not noticed when calculations are done for all OD
      modes for both the dilute and concentrated solutions. It is found that a clear
      separation between the solvation shell and bulk water does not exist in terms of
      OD stretching frequencies for the concentrated solution. The dynamics of
      vibrational spectral diffusion is explained in terms of hydrogen bond dynamics,
      other dynamical modes such as orientational relaxation and molecular diffusion,
      and also structural aspects of water molecules in the solvation shells. The
      current results are compared with those of available experimental and other
      theoretical studies. 

PMID- 26125326
TI  - Role of Solvent and Effect of Substituent on Azobenzene Isomerization by Using
      Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids as Reaction Media.
AB  - The effects of a para substituent, as the electron-donating -OCH3 and -OtBu
      groups and the electron-withdrawing -Br and -F atoms, on azobenzene isomerization
      have been investigated in a series of imidazolium ionic liquids (BMIM PF6, BMIM
      BF4, BMIM Tf2N, EMIM Tf2N, BM2IM Tf2N, and HMIM Tf2N). The thermal cis-trans
      conversion tends to be improved in the presence of the substituent, as pointed
      out by the first-order rate constants measured at 25  degrees C. Both the
      rotation and the inversion mechanisms occur in BMIM Tf2N, EMIM Tf2N, and HMIM
      Tf2N, as highlighted by typical V-shape Hammett plots, but only rotation takes
      place in BMIM PF6, BMIM BF4, and BM2IM Tf2N. The possible interactions between
      the cation and the anion of the solvent and both the isomers of the azobenzene
      derivatives have been studied by small-wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS). The
      calculated cis population in the photostationary state and the hardness parameter
      eta of the trans isomer show that azobenzene and F-azobenzene are the less
      reactive molecules for the trans-cis conversion in all the investigated ionic
      liquids. 

PMID- 26125327
TI  - Structure-Affinity Relationships (SARs) and Structure-Kinetics Relationships
      (SKRs) of Kv11.1 Blockers.
AB  - Kv11.1 (hERG) blockers with comparable potencies but different binding kinetics
      might display divergent pro-arrhythmic risks. In the present study, we explored
      structure-kinetics relationships in four series of Kv11.1 blockers next to their
      structure-affinity relationships. We learned that despite dramatic differences in
      affinities and association rates, there were hardly any variations in the
      dissociation rate constants of these molecules with residence times (RTs) of a
      few minutes only. Hence, we synthesized 16 novel molecules, in particular in the
      pyridinium class of compounds, to further address this peculiar phenomenon. We
      found molecules with very short RTs (e.g., 0.34 min for 37) and much longer RTs
      (e.g., 105 min for 38). This enabled us to construct a k on-k off-KD kinetic map
      for all compounds and subsequently divide the map into four provisional
      quadrants, providing a possible framework for a further and more precise
      categorization of Kv11.1 blockers. Additionally, two representative compounds (21
      and 38) were tested in patch clamp assays, and their RTs were linked to their
      functional IC50 values. Our findings strongly suggest the importance of the
      simultaneous study of ligand affinities and kinetic parameters, which may help to
      explain and predict Kv11.1-mediated cardiotoxicity.

PMID- 26125328
TI  - Carpenter's Rule Folding in Rigid-Flexible Block Copolymers with Conjugation
      Interrupting, Flexible Tethers Between Oligophenylenevinylenes.
AB  - Rigid-flexible segmented block copolymers were synthesized and characterized as
      4.5-oligophenylenevinylene chromophores tethered by flexible, conjugation
      interrupting 1,2-ethanedioxy or 1,4-butanedioxy units. The flexible tethers allow
      the possibility of collapsed order chromophore assemblies within individual
      polymers by chain folding at specific sites much like an old fashioned, folding
      carpenter's rule. Our results indicate that using a short, flexible tether in a
      rigid-flexible segmented copolymer can result in collapsed rodlike structures as
      signaled by strongly quenched photoluminescence, even after thermal annealing.
      Such ability to "program" folding and tertiary structure in conjugated copolymers
      is important for solid-state organic light emitting materials and understanding
      of organic chromophore self-assembly. 

PMID- 26125329
TI  - Acetate anion-triggered peroxygenation of non-native substrates by wild-type
      cytochrome P450s.
AB  - Cytochrome P450SPalpha (P450SPalpha) and cytochrome P450BSbeta (P450BSbeta)
      belonging to the CYP152 family of enzymes (CYP152s) can utilize H2O2 efficiently
      as an oxidant for the generation of compound I. Although P450SPalpha and
      P450BSbeta have very high substrate specificity and catalyse hydroxylation of
      long-chain fatty acids exclusively, we found that they can oxidize non-native
      substrates such as styrene simply by including medium chain length n-alkyl
      carboxylic acids as "decoy molecules." Although we had assumed that acetic acid
      did not serve as a decoy molecule, P450SPalpha and P450BSbeta efficiently
      catalysed oxidation of non-native substrates when the reaction was carried out at
      a high concentration of acetate anion. The turnover rate for epoxidation of
      styrene catalysed by P450BSbeta in the presence of 1 M acetate anion reached 590
      +/- 30 min(-1). 

PMID- 26125330
TI  - Comparison of a Wipe Method With and Without a Rinse to Recover Wall Losses in
      Closed Face 37-mm Cassettes used for Sampling Lead Dust Particulates.
AB  - Closed-face 37-mm polystyrene cassettes are often used for exposure monitoring of
      metal particulates. Several methods have been proposed to account for the wall
      loss in air sampling cassettes, including rinsing, wiping, within-cassette
      dissolution, and an internal capsule fused to the filter that could be digested
      with the filter. Until internal capsules replace filters, other methods for
      assessing wall losses may be considered. To determine if rinsing and wiping or
      wiping alone is adequate to determine wall losses on cassettes, we collected 54
      full-shift area air samples at a battery recycling facility. We collected six
      replicate samples at three locations within the facility for three consecutive
      days. The wall losses of three replicate cassettes from each day-location were
      analyzed following a rinse and two consecutive wipes. The wall losses of the
      other three replicates from each day-location were analyzed following two
      consecutive wipes only. Mixed-cellulose ester membrane filter, rinse, and wipes
      were analyzed separately following NIOSH Method 7303. We found an average of 29%
      (range: 8-54%) recovered lead from the cassette walls for all samples. We also
      found that rinsing prior to wiping the interior cassette walls did not
      substantially improve recovery of wall losses compared to wiping alone. A rinse
      plus one wipe recovered on average 23% (range: 13-33%) of the lead, while one
      wipe alone recovered on average 21% (range: 16-22%). Similarly, we determined
      that a second wipe did not provide substantial additional recovery of lead
      (average: 4%, range: 0.4-19%) compared to the first wipe disregarding the rinse
      (average: 18%, range: 4-39%). We concluded that when an internal capsule is not
      used, wall losses of lead dust in air sampling cassettes can be adequately
      recovered by wiping the internal wall surfaces of the cassette with a single
      wipe. 

PMID- 26125331
TI  - The Relationship between the Hydrophilicity and Surface Chemical Composition
      Microphase Separation Structure of Multicomponent Silicone Hydrogels.
AB  - Three series of multicomponent silicone hydrogels were prepared by the
      copolymerization of two hydrophobic silicon monomers bis(trimethylsilyloxy)
      methylsilylpropyl glycerol methacrylate (SiMA) and tris(trimethylsiloxy) 3
      methacryloxypropylsilane (TRIS) with three hydrophilic monomers. The surface
      hydrophilicity of the silicone hydrogels was characterized by contact angle
      measurements, and an interesting phenomenon was found that the silicone hydrogels
      made from less hydrophobic monomer SiMA possess more hydrophobic surfaces than
      those made from TRIS. The surface properties such as morphology and elemental
      composition of the silicone hydrogels were explored by scanning electron
      microscopy (SEM) imaging and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) analysis, and
      their relationships with the surface hydrophilicity were investigated in details.
      The results show neither the surface morphology nor the elemental composition has
      obvious impact on the surface hydrophilicity. Atomic force microscopy (AFM)
      imaging revealed that SiMA hydrogel had a more significant phase separation
      structure, which also made its surface uneven: a lot of tiny holes were observed
      on the surface. This surface phase separation structure made SiMA hydrogel more
      difficult to be wetted by water or PBS buffer, i.e., more hydrophobic than TRIS
      hydrogel. On the basis of these results, we propose that the phase separation
      structure as well as the nature of silicon monomers might be the fundamental
      reasons of surface hydrophilicity. These results could help to design a silicone
      hydrogel with better surface properties and wider application. 

PMID- 26125332
TI  - Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Detection of Nucleic Acids Based on the Dual
      Signaling Electrochemical Ratiometric Method and Exonuclease III-Assisted Target
      Recycling Amplification Strategy.
AB  - Because of the intrinsic importance of nucleic acids as biotargets, the simple
      and sensitive detection of nucleic acids is very essential for biological studies
      and medical diagnostics. In this work, a novel, simple, and selective
      electrochemical DNA biosensor for the sensitive detection of target DNA (T-DNA)
      has been developed based on the dual-signaling electrochemical ratiometric method
      and exonuclease III (Exo III)-assisted target recycling amplification strategy.
      The assay strategy includes both "signal-on" and "signal-off" elements. The stem
      loop (hairpin) DNA capture probe (HP), which was labeled by thiolated methylene
      blue (MB) at the 3'-protruding termini and ferrocene (Fc) in the middle of the
      loop, first self-assembled on the gold electrode surface via a Au-S bond. In the
      presence of T-DNA, the T-DNA hybridized with HP, which triggered the Exo III
      cleavage process and accompanied the release of T-DNA. As a result, the MB tags
      were away from and the Fc tags close to the gold electrode surface, leading to
      the decrease of the oxidation peak current of MB (I(MB)) and the increase of that
      of Fc (I(Fc)). The value of DeltaI(Fc)/|DeltaI(MB)| (DeltaI(Fc) and DeltaI(MB)
      are the change values of the oxidation peak currents of Fc and MB, respectively)
      is linear with the concentration of T-DNA from 0.01 pM to 0.8 pM. The detection
      limit (4.16 fM) of the developed method is much lower than that of the most
      reported electrochemical DNA biosensors. This strategy provides a simple and
      sensitive approach for the detection of T-DNA and has promising applications in
      bioanalysis, disease diagnostics, and clinical biomedicine.

PMID- 26125333
TI  - Growing Zigzag (16,0) Carbon Nanotubes with Structure-Defined Catalysts.
AB  - The growth of zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is most challenging
      among all types of SWNTs, with the highest reported selectivity of ~7%. Here we
      realized the dominant growth of (16,0) tubes at the abundance near ~80% by using
      intermetallic W6Co7 catalysts containing plenty of (1 1 6) planes together with
      optimizing the growth conditions. These (1 1 6) planes may act as the structure
      templates for (16,0) SWNTs due to the geometrical match between the open end of
      the (16,0) tube and the atomic arrangements of the (1 1 6) planes in W6Co7. Using
      catalysts with designed structure as solid state template at suitable kinetic
      conditions offers a strategy for selective growth of zigzag SWNTs. 

PMID- 26125335
TI  - Parts-per-trillion-level detection of nitrogen dioxide by cantilever-enhanced
      photo-acoustic spectroscopy.
AB  - We present a simple and highly sensitive cantilever-enhanced photo-acoustic
      sensor for detection of nitrogen dioxide. A noise equivalent detection limit of
      50 parts-per-trillion in 1 s is demonstrated. The limit was reached with an
      average optical power of 4.7 W using a continuous-wave laser at 532 nm. The
      achieved normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient was 2.6*10(-10)  W
      cm(-1) Hz(-1/2).

PMID- 26125334
TI  - Proteomic analysis of extracellular medium of cryopreserved carp (Cyprinus carpio
      L.) semen.
AB  - During freezing and thawing, spermatozoa are exposed to physical and chemical
      stressors that result in adverse changes in sperm structures and physiological
      functions. The present study provides, for the first time, a comprehensive
      description of protein changes in the extracellular medium of cryopreserved
      semen. Using 2D-DIGE and a combination of protein fractionation by one
      dimensional gel electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography
      electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, 183 proteins released from
      sperm to an extracellular medium were identified. The majority of released
      proteins were involved in metabolism and energy production. Moreover, proteins
      associated with a response to stress, apoptosis, small GTPase mediated signal
      transduction, transcription, translation, protein folding and turnover,
      reproduction and DNA repair were identified. The dominant group of released
      proteins was related to cytoplasm. Moreover, specific proteins associated with
      the membrane, mitochondria and nucleus were identified. The identification of a
      high number of proteins released from sperm provides new insight into the
      mechanism of cryodamage to the particular sperm structure and to specific
      metabolic pathways, which were affected by cryopreservation. The availability of
      a catalog of carp sperm proteins altered by cryopreservation provides a crucial
      tool for the development of novel potential biomarkers of cryoinjuries and for
      the improvement of a long-term sperm preservation procedure. 

PMID- 26125336
TI  - General closed-form bit-error rate expressions for coded M-distributed
      atmospheric optical communications.
AB  - In this Letter, general closed-form expressions for the average bit error rate in
      atmospheric optical links employing rate-adaptive channel coding are derived. To
      characterize the irradiance fluctuations caused by atmospheric turbulence, the
      Malaga or M distribution is employed. The proposed expressions allow us to
      evaluate the performance of atmospheric optical links employing channel coding
      schemes such as OOK-GSc, OOK-GScc, HHH(1,13), or vw-MPPM with different coding
      rates and under all regimes of turbulence strength. A hyper-exponential fitting
      technique applied to the conditional bit error rate is used in all cases. The
      proposed closed-form expressions are validated by Monte-Carlo simulations. 

PMID- 26125337
TI  - Synthetic gauge fields for light beams in optical resonators.
AB  - A method to realize artificial magnetic fields for light waves trapped in passive
      optical cavities with anamorphic optical elements is theoretically proposed. In
      particular, when a homogeneous magnetic field is realized, a highly degenerate
      Landau-level structure for the frequency spectrum of the transverse resonator
      modes is obtained, corresponding to a cyclotron motion of the optical-cavity
      field. This can be probed by transient excitation of the passive optical
      resonator. 

PMID- 26125338
TI  - Plasmonic Zitterbewegung in binary graphene sheet arrays.
AB  - We theoretically investigate the plasmonic Zitterbewegung (ZB) effect in binary
      graphene sheet arrays (GSAs). The surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes of two
      minibands are realized by alternately varying the chemical potentials of
      individual graphene sheets in the arrays. Numerical simulations show that SPPs in
      the array experience characteristic trembling motion. The oscillating periods of
      the plasmonic ZB are strongly dependent on the propagation constant mismatch and
      varied in the range of micrometer, while the amplitude reaches tens of
      nanometers, making the ZB effect easier to be observed in practice. 

PMID- 26125339
TI  - Extreme amplitude spikes in a laser model described by the complex Ginzburg
      Landau equation.
AB  - We have found new dissipative soliton in the laser model described by the complex
      cubic-quintic Ginzburg-Landau equation. The soliton periodically generates spikes
      with extreme amplitude and short duration. At certain range of the equation
      parameters, these extreme spikes appear in pairs of slightly unequal amplitude.
      The bifurcation diagram of spike amplitude versus dispersion parameter reveals
      the regions of both regular and chaotic evolution of the maximal amplitudes. 

PMID- 26125340
TI  - Optical nonlinearity in the nematic phase of bent-core mesogens.
AB  - Nonlinear optical response of the cybotactic nematic phase of a bent-core mesogen
      has been investigated for the first time through self-phase modulation induced by
      a Gaussian beam. The material exhibits a high nonlinear response achieving a
      nonlinear index n(2)~5*10(-5)  cm(2)/W and an unconventional behavior
      characterized by two different regimes. While the high-intensity regime can be
      easily explained in terms of a thermal indexing effect, the low-intensity regime
      is metastable and characterized by an unusual dependence on the irradiation
      energy. It is suggested that a change of the director configuration, possibly due
      to a light-induced modification of surface anchoring, is responsible for the
      observed behavior.

PMID- 26125341
TI  - Talbot cavity redesigned for increased supermode discrimination with reduced
      loss.
AB  - Talbot effect is a well known optical phenomenon that can be used to perform
      passive coherent laser combination. Using an appropriately configured Talbot
      cavity, an array of laser elements can be forced to oscillate in a single
      supermode with a spatially coherent output. One disadvantage of the Talbot cavity
      is the high loss incurred when the array is configured to provide good supermode
      discrimination. In this Letter, we present a new arrangement of the laser
      elements in the cavity with all of the elements pointing toward the common center
      of the array in the plane of the coupled feedback. This configuration provides
      significantly increased supermode discrimination along with significantly reduced
      loss. 

PMID- 26125342
TI  - Enhanced spin Hall effect of transmitted light through a thin epsilon-near-zero
      slab.
AB  - Spin Hall effect (SHE) of transmitted light is small even near the Brewster angle
      in general case, e.g., at the air-glass interface. However, we find that the SHE
      can be enhanced when a linearly polarized Gaussian beam transmits through a thin
      epsilon-near-zero slab due to the difference between the Fresnel transmission
      coefficients t(p) and t(s). For a vertically polarized incident beam, the spin
      dependent transverse displacement of transmitted beam is enhanced near the
      Brewster angle, while it takes large value over a large angle scale for a
      horizontally polarized incident beam.

PMID- 26125343
TI  - 109  MHz optical tomography using temporal magnification.
AB  - Ultrafast optical tomographic imaging with a 109 MHz A-scan rate is achieved by
      using temporal magnification. Based on two four-wave mixing (FWM) time lenses
      with carefully designed group delay dispersion, we construct a temporal imaging
      system with a magnification factor of 48.3*. The two time-lens scheme not only
      relaxes the requirement for the pump source but also facilitates the application
      for tomographic imaging. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, our system achieves
      an axial resolution of 140 MUm in air (~105  MUm in biosample) over a 28 mm depth
      range with sensitivity up to 55 dB. We then evaluate the imaging performance
      using a fish-eye lens at a 109 MHz A-scan rate. Utilizing better dispersion
      engineered nonlinear media, resolution of less than 5 MUm in the biosample with
      higher sensitivity may be achieved. We believe this scheme will provide a
      promising solution for video-rate 3D tomographic imaging. 

PMID- 26125344
TI  - Single-mode selection for hard x-ray cavity resonance.
AB  - Single-mode selection is realized for hard x-ray cavity resonance using a three
      mirror crystal device. The developed device consists of two coupled Si Fabry
      Perot resonators (FPRs) and uses (12 4 0) backward diffraction to reflect back
      and forth the incident 14.4388 keV x-ray beam. The coupling between the two
      cavities gives an effective single-mode spectrum with a bandwidth of 0.81 meV.
      This method can be used to enhance the longitudinal coherent length without
      affecting transverse coherence, and is potentially useful in generating nearly
      total coherent beams in synchrotron or free-electron laser facilities. 

PMID- 26125345
TI  - Power scaling of narrowband high-power all-fiber superfluorescent fiber source to
      1.87  kW.
AB  - We demonstrate a high-power narrowband all-fiber superfluorescent fiber source
      employing three-stages master oscillator power-amplifier chain. Narrowband seed
      light is selected from a broadband-amplified spontaneous-emission source by a
      spectrum filter combing with fiber circulator and fiber Bragg grating. In the
      main amplifier, the maximal output power is 1.87 kW with an optical-to-optical
      conversion efficiency of 77.4% and a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) linewidth
      of 1.7 nm. The corresponding power fluctuation is +/-1.4% in 100 s operation, and
      no parasitic oscillation or self pulsation is observed. A beam quality of
      M(2)=1.71 is measured at 1.4 kW output power. This manuscript investigates the
      spectral evolution in high-power amplification. The central wavelength shifted
      from 1079.5 nm to 1080.7 nm, and the FWHM linewidth narrowed from 2 nm to 1.7 nm
      at full power, respectively. These effects could be inferred as hybrid effects of
      many factors, such as wavelength shifting of pump LD, nonoptimized length of gain
      fiber, and enhancement of temperature level of gain fiber. The narrowband
      maintained characteristic in spectral domain under high-power amplification is
      significant for applications such as spectral beam combination, and further power
      scaling is available as the output power is only limited by the pump power.

PMID- 26125346
TI  - Ultra-wide free spectral range, enhanced sensitivity, and removed mode splitting
      SOI optical ring resonator with dispersive metal nanodisks.
AB  - A refractive index sensor with a free spectral range that is unlimited by
      neighboring mode spacing (10 fold increase with respect to 20 nm of an unmodified
      ring), based on an optical silicon-on-insulator microring resonator patterned
      with periodically arranged set of gold nanodisks, is presented and numerically
      verified. It is shown that the particular periodic arrangement of nanodisks
      selects a single resonance from a wide set of ring resonator modes and removes
      mode splitting. Extraction of the waveguided electromagnetic energy into
      evanescent plasmonic modes enhances light-analyte interaction and increases
      device sensitivity to variation of refractive index up to 176  nm/RIU (about 2
      fold increase compared to the unmodified ring), which is useful for sensor
      applications. Proof of the concept is presented by finite-difference time-domain
      simulations of a design readily practicable by means of modern nanotechnology. 

PMID- 26125347
TI  - Beam self-cleanup by use of self-written waveguide generated by
      photopolymerization.
AB  - A novel method for multimode fiber (MMF) laser-beam cleanup is introduced based
      on the optically induced growth and interaction of self-written waveguides (SWWs)
      in a photopolymer material. Theoretically, it is predicted that when the light is
      introduced into a free-radical photopolymerizable system from a MMF, the incident
      multichannel and structured beam shape can be caused to merge to form a single
      channel Gaussian-like beam under specific exposure and material conditions.
      Experimental validation was carried out using a dry acrylamide/polyvinyl alcohol
      (AA/PVA) photopolymer sample. This work opens the door to studies involving self
      developing laser beam cleanup and also to possible applications in photonic
      telecommunication systems and integrated optical devices. 

PMID- 26125348
TI  - Timing jitter characterization of mode-locked lasers with <1 zs/?Hz resolution
      using a simple optical heterodyne technique.
AB  - Timing jitter characterization of free-running mode-locked lasers with an
      unprecedented resolution is demonstrated using an optical heterodyne technique. A
      highly sensitive timing jitter phase-discrimination signal with low-parasitic
      amplitude sensitivity is achieved. Analytical and numerical methods are used to
      analyze the properties of the discrimination signal. For an experimental
      demonstration, we measure the timing jitter between two loosely synchronized mode
      locked Er:Yb:glass lasers with 500-MHz fundamental repetition rates. The timing
      jitter-detection noise floor for a single mode-locked laser reaches 2.8*10(-13) 
      fs(2)/Hz (~530  ys/?Hz), and the integrated timing jitter is 16.3 as from 10 kHz
      to the Nyquist frequency (250 MHz). These results show that this approach can be
      a simpler alternative to the well-established balanced optical cross-correlation
      technique.

PMID- 26125349
TI  - Fast two-dimensional super-resolution image reconstruction algorithm for ultra
      high emitter density.
AB  - Single-molecule localization microscopy achieves sub-diffraction-limit resolution
      by localizing a sparse subset of stochastically activated emitters in each frame.
      Its temporal resolution is limited by the maximal emitter density that can be
      handled by the image reconstruction algorithms. Multiple algorithms have been
      developed to accurately locate the emitters even when they have significant
      overlaps. Currently, compressive-sensing-based algorithm (CSSTORM) achieves the
      highest emitter density. However, CSSTORM is extremely computationally expensive,
      which limits its practical application. Here, we develop a new algorithm
      (MempSTORM) based on two-dimensional spectrum analysis. With the same
      localization accuracy and recall rate, MempSTORM is 100 times faster than CSSTORM
      with l(1)-homotopy. In addition, MempSTORM can be implemented on a GPU for
      parallelism, which can further increase its computational speed and make it
      possible for online super-resolution reconstruction of high-density emitters.

PMID- 26125350
TI  - Multilayer photo-aligned thin-film structure for polarizing photonics.
AB  - In this Letter, an advanced multilayer photo-aligned liquid crystal polymer (LCP)
      thin-film structure with multiple optical functions is introduced. Within each
      LCP layer, a spatially distribution of local optical axes can be controlled by a
      patterned photo-alignment layer. As an embodiment of the proposed structure, a
      two-layer structure with pixelated controlled light-propagation directions and
      polarizations has been studied, which has shown the potential to be used as a
      photomask for generating multi-domain photo-alignment structures with a single
      exposure step. The combination of the multilayer structure with patterned photo
      alignment technology provides a new perspective of designing optical structures
      for polarizing photonics applications. 

PMID- 26125351
TI  - Frequency conversion of mode-locked and Q-switched CO laser radiation with
      efficiency up to 37%.
AB  - Frequency conversion of CO laser radiation was experimentally studied in ZnGeP(2)
      and GaSe nonlinear crystals. To enhance conversion efficiency, we applied a CO
      laser system "master oscillator power amplifier" with concurrent mode locking and
      Q switching. The laser system emitted ~1-MUs train of ns pulses. Internal
      efficiency of frequency doubling reached 37% in ZnGeP(2) crystal and 5% in GaSe
      crystal. Two-stage frequency conversion (including second-harmonic and difference
      frequency generation) in ZnGeP(2) crystal under optical pumping by a selective
      two-spectral line CO laser was studied.

PMID- 26125353
TI  - 1000-1400-nm partially mode-locked pulse from a simple all-fiber cavity.
AB  - We demonstrate a partially mode-locked pulse laser delivering ultra-wideband
      optical spectrum, i.e., 1000-1400 nm at 30 dB, from a simple all-fiber short
      cavity with all-normal dispersion. Examined by both real-time temporal and
      spectral analyzers, the partially mode-locked pulse exhibits double-scale noise
      like characteristics-the fast L-shaped mode-locked pulse modulated by slow free
      running Q-switched envelopes. Moreover, the statistical analysis as a function of
      its optical bandwidth shows that the spectral tuning does not compromise the
      temporal stability, but affects the pulsing periodicity. It is believed that the
      wide spectrum of knowledge obtained here would enrich the field of noise-like
      pulse, such as being beneficial to the rogue wave generation. 

PMID- 26125352
TI  - Depth resolved imaging by digital holography with an illumination of constantly
      changing curvature.
AB  - In this Letter, a single wavelength digital holographic method is proposed to
      achieve depth resolved imaging by recording a series of holograms in the
      reflection geometry with an illumination of constantly changing curvature. A
      proper algorithm is employed to selectively generate the images of the object at
      different depths, including the phase and the modulus information. Theoretical
      analysis is supported by a visible light experiment to illustrate the feasibility
      of the proposed method. 

PMID- 26125354
TI  - Spatial-domain interferometer for measuring plasma mirror expansion.
AB  - We present a practical spatial-domain interferometer for characterizing the
      electronic density gradient of laser-induced plasma mirrors with sub-30
      femtosecond temporal resolution. Time-resolved spatial imaging of an intensity
      shaped pulse reflecting off an expanding plasma mirror induced by a time-delayed
      pre-pulse allows us to measure characteristic plasma gradients of 10-100 nm with
      an expansion velocity of 10.8 nm/ps. Spatial-domain interferometry (SDI) can be
      generalized to the ultrafast imaging of nm to MUm size laser-induced phenomena at
      surfaces. 

PMID- 26125355
TI  - Low-loss waveguides in a single-crystal lithium niobate thin film.
AB  - We report low-loss channel waveguides in a single-crystal LiNbO(3) thin film
      achieved using the annealed proton exchange process. The simulation indicated
      that the mode size of the alpha phase channel waveguide could be as small as 1.2 
      MUm(2). Waveguides with several different widths were fabricated, and the 4 MUm
      wide channel waveguide exhibited a mode size of 4.6  MUm(2). Its propagation loss
      was accurately evaluated to be as low as 0.6 dB/cm at 1.55 MUm. The single
      crystal lattice structure in the LiNbO(3) thin film was preserved by a moderate
      annealed proton exchange process (5 min of proton exchange at 200 degrees C,
      followed by 3 h annealing at 350 degrees C), as revealed by measuring the
      extraordinary refractive index change and x ray rocking curve. A longer proton
      exchange time followed by stronger annealing would destroy the crystal structure
      and induce a high loss in the channel waveguides.

PMID- 26125356
TI  - Fast calculation method of computer-generated cylindrical hologram using wave
      front recording surface.
AB  - Fast calculation method for a computer-generated cylindrical hologram (CGCH) is
      proposed. The method consists of two steps: the first step is a calculation of a
      virtual wave-front recording surface (WRS), which is located between the 3D
      object and CGCH. In the second step, in order to obtain a CGCH, we execute the
      diffraction calculation based on the fast Fourier transform (FFT) from the WRS to
      the CGCH, which are in the same concentric arrangement. The computational
      complexity is dramatically reduced in comparison with direct integration method.
      The simulation results confirm that our proposed method is able to improve the
      computational speed of CGCH. 

PMID- 26125357
TI  - Optical torque on small bi-isotropic particles.
AB  - We establish the equations for the time-averaged optical torque on dipolar bi
      isotropic particles. Due to the interference of the scattered fields, it has a
      term additional to the one that is commonly employed in theory and experiments.
      Its consequences for conservation of energy, angular momentum, and effects like
      negative torques are discussed. 

PMID- 26125358
TI  - Unrepeatered Nyquist PDM-16QAM transmission over 364  km using Raman
      amplification and multi-channel digital back-propagation.
AB  - Transmission of a net 467-Gb/s PDM-16QAM Nyquist-spaced superchannel is reported
      with an intra-superchannel net spectral efficiency (SE) of 6.6 (b/s)/Hz, over 364
      km SMF-28 ULL ultra-low loss optical fiber, enabled by bi-directional second
      order Raman amplification and digital nonlinearity compensation. Multi-channel
      digital back-propagation (MC-DBP) was applied to compensate for nonlinear
      interference; an improvement of 2 dB in Q(2) factor was achieved when 70-GHz DBP
      bandwidth was applied, allowing an increase in span length of 37 km.

PMID- 26125359
TI  - Low-power continuous-wave four-wave mixing wavelength conversion in AlGaAs
      nanowaveguide microresonators.
AB  - We experimentally demonstrate enhanced wavelength conversion in a Q~7500 deeply
      etched AlGaAs-nanowaveguide microresonator via degenerate continuous-wave four
      wave mixing with a pump power of 24 mW. The maximum conversion efficiency is -43 
      dB and accounts for 12 dB enhancement compared to that of a straight
      nanowaveguide. The experimental results and theoretical predictions agree very
      well and show optimized conversion efficiency of -15  dB. This work represents a
      step toward realizing a fully integrated optical devices for generating new
      optical frequencies. 

PMID- 26125360
TI  - Highly birefringent polymer side-hole fiber for hydrostatic pressure sensing.
AB  - We report on the fabrication of a birefringent side-hole polymer optical fiber
      with an elliptical core made of polymethyl metacrylate-polystyrene (PMMA/PS)
      copolymer and pure PMMA cladding. The fiber core is located in a narrow PMMA
      bridge separating the holes. Two fibers with different bridge thickness were
      fabricated and characterized. We demonstrate, experimentally and numerically,
      that, by narrowing the bridge between the holes, one can increase simultaneously
      the fiber birefringence and the polarimetric sensitivity to hydrostatic pressure.
      In the fiber with the bridge as narrow as 5 MUm, we achieved a record-high
      polarimetric sensitivity to hydrostatic pressure ranging between 175 and 140
      rad/MPa/m in the spectral range of 600-830 nm. The phase modal birefringence in
      this fiber is also high and exceeds 3*10(-5) at 600 nm, which results in small
      polarization cross talk.

PMID- 26125361
TI  - Direct design of aspherical lenses for extended non-Lambertian sources in two
      dimensional geometry.
AB  - Illumination design for extended sources is very important for practical
      applications. The existing direct methods that are all developed for extended
      Lambertian sources are not applicable to extended non-Lambertian sources whose
      luminance is a function of position and direction. What we present in this Letter
      is to our knowledge the first direct method for extended non-Lambertian sources.
      In this method, the edge rays and the interior rays are both used, and the output
      intensity at a given direction is calculated to be the integral of the luminance
      function of all the outgoing rays at this direction. No cumbersome iterative
      illuminance compensation is needed. Two examples are presented to demonstrate the
      elegance of this method in prescribed intensity design for extended non
      Lambertian sources in two-dimensional geometry. 

PMID- 26125362
TI  - p-type doping of MgZnO films and their applications in optoelectronic devices.
AB  - A lithium and nitrogen codoping method has been employed to prepare p-type MgZnO
      films, and p-MgZnO/i-ZnO/n-ZnO structured light-emitting devices (LEDs) and
      photodetectors have been fabricated. The LEDs can work continuously for about 97
      h under the injection of a 20 mA continuous current, which is the best value ever
      reported for ZnO-based LEDs. The performance of the photodetectors degrades
      little after several running cycles. The above results reveal the applicability
      of the p-MgZnO films in optoelectronic devices. 

PMID- 26125363
TI  - Ultrawideband compressed sensing of arbitrary multi-tone sparse radio frequencies
      using spectrally encoded ultrafast laser pulses.
AB  - We demonstrate a photonic system for pseudorandom sampling of multi-tone sparse
      radio-frequency (RF) signals in an 11.95-GHz bandwidth using <1% of the
      measurements required for Nyquist sampling. Pseudorandom binary sequence (PRBS)
      patterns are modulated onto highly chirped laser pulses, encoding the patterns
      onto the optical spectra. The pulses are partially compressed to increase the
      effective sampling rate by 2.07*, modulated with the RF signal, and fully
      compressed yielding optical integration of the PRBS-RF inner product prior to
      photodetection. This yields a 266* reduction in the required electronic sampling
      rate. We introduce a joint-sparsity-based matching-pursuit reconstruction via
      bagging to achieve accurate recovery of tones at arbitrary frequencies relative
      to the reconstruction basis. 

PMID- 26125364
TI  - Design and development of a high-power LED-pumped Ce:Nd:YAG laser.
AB  - By studying quasi-continuous wave (QCW) operation of a Ce:Nd:YAG solid-state
      laser directly pumped by LED arrays, we demonstrate the feasibility of direct-LED
      pumping as an alternative to direct-diode or flashlamp pumping. LEDs emitting
      either at 460 or 810 nm were used to pump an uncooled Ce:Nd:YAG laser rod (at 30
      Hz repetition rate for tens of seconds). Pumping at 460 nm was made possible by
      the Ce(3+) co-dopant that enables transfer of excitations near to Nd(3+) ions in
      the YAG lattice. Comparison of these two pumping schemes has allowed for a
      thorough analysis of the performance and efficiency of this laser system. QCW
      output energies as high as 18 mJ/pulse are reported, which to the best of our
      knowledge is the highest output pulse energy achieved by an LED-pumped solid
      state laser to date.

PMID- 26125365
TI  - Broadband-tunable CW laser operation of Pr(3+):LiYF(4) around 900  nm.
AB  - We present here the first broadband-tunable CW laser operation of a Pr(3+)-doped
      LiYF(4) crystal in the 900-nm spectral range after pumping with an optically
      pumped semiconductor laser at 479 nm. It is confirmed that the entire emission
      band can be assigned to the same set of thermalized emitting levels
      (I(6)1,P3(0,1)). It is also demonstrated that laser performance could be improved
      up to laser slope efficiencies of about 33% with threshold absorbed pump powers
      not exceeding 100 mW.

PMID- 26125366
TI  - III-V-on-silicon anti-colliding pulse-type mode-locked laser.
AB  - An anti-colliding pulse-type III-V-on-silicon passively mode-locked laser is
      presented for the first time based on a III-V-on-silicon distributed Bragg
      reflector as outcoupling mirror implemented partially underneath the III-V
      saturable absorber. Passive mode-locking at 4.83 GHz repetition rate generating 3
      ps pulses is demonstrated. The generated fundamental RF tone shows a 1.7 kHz 3 dB
      linewidth. Over 9 mW waveguide coupled output power is demonstrated. 

PMID- 26125367
TI  - Highly efficient source for frequency-entangled photon pairs generated in a 3(rd)
      order periodically poled MgO-doped stoichiometric LiTaO(3) crystal.
AB  - We present a highly efficient source for discrete frequency-entangled photon
      pairs based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion using 3rd-order type-0
      quasi-phase matching in a periodically poled MgO-doped stoichiometric LiTaO(3)
      crystal pumped by a 355.66-nm laser. Correlated two-photon states were generated
      with automatic conservation of energy and momentum in two given spatial modes.
      These states have a wide spectral range, even under small variations in crystal
      temperature, which consequently results in higher discreteness. Frequency
      entanglement was confirmed by measuring two-photon quantum interference fringes
      without any spectral filtering.

PMID- 26125368
TI  - Linewidth narrowing of a tunable mode-locked pumped continuous-wave Ce:LiCAF
      laser.
AB  - We report birefringent tuning using single and multiple magnesium fluoride
      (MgF(2)) Brewster tuning plates in a mode-locked pumped continuous-wave Ce:LiCAF
      laser. Depending on the thickness of the MgF(2) plates used, continuous tuning
      over a range of up to 13 nm from 284.5 to 297.5 nm with a full width at half
      maximum linewidth of 14 pm (50 GHz) was achieved. By combining MgF(2) plates with
      etalons, the linewidth of the laser was narrowed down to 0.75 pm (2.7 GHz). This
      generated narrowband output is suitable for many applications in spectroscopy,
      cold-atom manipulation, and sensing.

PMID- 26125369
TI  - Optimal design of radial Bragg cavities and lasers.
AB  - We present a new and optimal design approach for obtaining maximal confinement of
      the field in radial Bragg cavities and lasers for TM polarization. The presented
      approach outperforms substantially the previously employed periodic and semi
      periodic design schemes of such lasers. We show that in order to obtain maximal
      confinement, it is essential to consider the complete reflection properties
      (amplitude and phase) of the propagating radial waves at the interfaces between
      Bragg layers. When these properties are taken into account, we find that it is
      necessary to introduce a wider ("half-wavelength") layer at a specific radius in
      the "quarter-wavelength" radial Bragg stack. It is shown that this radius
      corresponds to the cylindrical equivalent of Brewster's angle. The confinement
      and field profile are calculated numerically by means of transfer matrix method. 

PMID- 26125370
TI  - Convolution of degrees of coherence.
AB  - The conditions under which convolution of two degrees of coherence represents a
      novel legitimate degree of coherence are established for wide-sense statistically
      stationary Schell-model beam-like optical fields. Several examples are given to
      illustrate how convolution can be used for generation of a far field being a
      modulated version of another one. Practically, the convolutions of the degrees of
      coherence can be achieved by programming the liquid crystal spatial light
      modulators. 

PMID- 26125371
TI  - Polarization changes in light beams trespassing anisotropic turbulence.
AB  - The polarization properties of deterministic or random light with isotropic
      source correlations propagating in anisotropic turbulence along horizontal paths
      are considered for the first time and predicted to change on the basis of the
      second-order coherence theory of beam-like fields and the extended Huygens
      Fresnel integral. Our examples illustrate that the beams whose degree of
      polarization is unaffected by free-space propagation or isotropic turbulence can
      either decrease or increase on traversing the anisotropic turbulence, depending
      on the polarization state of the source. 

PMID- 26125372
TI  - Coherent pseudo-mode decomposition of a new partially coherent source class.
AB  - We introduce a new class of Schell-model temporal sources that admit a closed
      form analytical decomposition in terms of coherent pseudo-modes. We explore the
      source mode and the corresponding eigenvalue structure and demonstrate that the
      lowest-order mode profile reflects the distribution of the source intensity as a
      function of time. We also examine the global degree of coherence of the class and
      show that it is virtually independent of the pulse intensity profile particulars
      at the source. 

PMID- 26125373
TI  - Duration-tunable picosecond source at 560  nm with watt-level average power.
AB  - A pulse source at 560 nm that is tunable in duration between 50 ps and 2.7 ns
      with >1  W of average power and near diffraction-limited beam quality is
      demonstrated. The source is based on efficient (up to 50%) second-harmonic
      generation in a periodically poled lithium tantalate crystal of a linearly
      polarized fiber-integrated Raman amplifier operating at 1120 nm. A duration
      tunable ytterbium master-oscillator power-fiber amplifier is used to pulse-pump
      the Raman amplifier, which is seeded by a continuous-wave distributed-feedback
      laser diode at 1120 nm. The performance of the system using two different master
      oscillator schemes is compared. A pulse energy of up to 765 nJ is achieved with a
      conversion efficiency of 25% from the ytterbium fiber pump, demonstrating a
      compact and turn-key architecture for obtaining high peak-power radiation at 560
      nm. 

PMID- 26125374
TI  - Direct detection of super-thermal photon-number statistics in second-harmonic
      generation.
AB  - Changes in the statistical properties of light undergoing second-harmonic
      generation are investigated in the photon-number-resolving domain. We
      theoretically demonstrate that when a portion of multimode thermal light produced
      by parametric down-conversion is up-converted, both the second-harmonics and the
      residual beam at the fundamental wavelength are endowed with super-thermal photon
      number distributions. The experimental results, which were obtained by exploiting
      the photo-number-resolving capability of hybrid photodetectors, are in excellent
      agreement with the theoretical expectations. 

PMID- 26125375
TI  - 2-MUm Ho emitter-based coherent DIAL for CO(2) profiling in the atmosphere.
AB  - We report on the use of a thulium-fiber-pumped holmium-based emitter in a
      coherent differential absorption lidar (CDIAL) experiment for high time and space
      resolution of CO(2) absorption field in the atmosphere. The 2-MUm high-power dual
      wavelength single-mode Q-switched Ho:YLF oscillator delivers 10-mJ pulses with a
      duration of 40 ns at 2 kHz. Both short pulse duration and high repetition rate
      were chosen to increase the DIAL precision and time and space resolution in
      coherent detection. The CDIAL provides 150-m range and 15-min time-resolved CO(2)
      absorption coefficient with a calculated instrumental error of 0.5% at 500 m and
      less than 2% at 1 km. Dry-air CO(2) mixing ratio estimates from the DIAL system
      are compared with simultaneous in situ gas analyzer measurements during a 20-h
      long experiment.

PMID- 26125376
TI  - Integrated heterodyne interferometer with on-chip modulators and detectors.
AB  - We demonstrate, to our knowledge, the first on-chip heterodyne interferometer
      fabricated on a 300-mm CMOS compatible process that exhibits root-mean-square
      (RMS) position noise on the order of 2 nm. Measuring 1 mm by 6 mm, the
      interferometer is also, to our knowledge, the smallest heterodyne interferometer
      demonstrated to date and will surely impact numerous interferometric and
      metrology applications, including displacement measurement, laser Doppler
      velocimetry and vibrometry, Fourier transform spectroscopy, imaging, and light
      detection and ranging (LIDAR). Here we present preliminary results that
      demonstrate the displacement mode. 

PMID- 26125377
TI  - Statistics of a turbulent Raman fiber laser.
AB  - We report the experimental study of statistical properties of partially coherent
      waves emitted by a Raman fiber laser operating in the normal dispersion regime.
      Using an asynchronous optical sampling technique, we accurately measure the
      probability density function of the optical power of the Stokes wave that
      exhibits strong and fast fluctuations. As predicted from numerical simulations
      presented by Randoux et al. [Opt. Lett.36, 790 (2011)], the statistical
      distributions of the intracavity Stokes power are found to be very different
      before and after reflection on the cavity Bragg mirrors. In particular, the
      Stokes wave incident on fiber Bragg grating mirrors exhibits statistics with
      tails that are much lower than those defined by the normal law.

PMID- 26125378
TI  - Vacancy-induced transmission in three-dimensional photonic crystal slabs.
AB  - The transmission spectra of finite-thickness slabs of three-dimensional (3D)
      diamond-lattice photonic crystals of air spheres in a dielectric background in
      which various concentrations of randomly located vacancies are present are
      studied. We find that resonant modes associated with isolated defects couple to
      form an extended defect band, leading to a significant increase in transmission
      for frequencies inside the 3D photonic bandgap. Outside the 3D gap, vacancies
      induce scattering from evanescent to propagating modes, leading to an increase in
      transmission near the pseudo-gap edges within the gap. The local defect density
      of states for several concentrations of vacancies is computed; thus, it is shown
      that the total number of defect states and the range of supported frequencies
      increase due to increasing vacancy density. 

PMID- 26125379
TI  - Cladding waveguide gratings in standard single-mode fiber for 3D shape sensing.
AB  - Femtosecond laser pulses were used for the direct point-by-point inscription of
      waveguides into the cladding of standard single-mode fibers. Homogeneous S-shaped
      waveguides have been processed as a bundle of overlapping lines without damaging
      the surrounding material. Within these structures, FBGs have been successfully
      inscribed and characterized. A sensor device to measure the bending direction of
      a fiber was created by two perpendicular inscribed cladding waveguides with FBG.
      Finally, a complete 3D shape sensor consisting of several bending sensor planes,
      capable of detecting bending radii even below 2.5 cm is demonstrated. 

PMID- 26125380
TI  - Photonic crystal fiber interferometric vector bending sensor.
AB  - A compact and highly sensitive interferometric bending sensor (inclinometer)
      capable of distinguishing the bending or inclination orientation is demonstrated.
      The device operates in reflection mode and consists of a short segment of
      photonic crystal fiber (PCF) inserted in conventional single-mode optical fiber
      (SMF). A microscopic collapsed zone in the PCF-SMF junction allows the excitation
      and recombination of core modes, hence, to build a mode interferometer. Bending
      on the device induces asymmetric refractive index changes in the PCF core as well
      as losses. As a result, the effective indices and intensities of the interfering
      modes are altered, which makes the interference pattern shift and shrink. The
      asymmetric index changes in the PCF make our device capable of distinguishing the
      bending orientation. The sensitivity of our sensor is up to 1225 pm/degree and it
      can be used to monitor small bending angles (+/-2 degrees ). We believe that the
      attributes of our sensor make it appealing in a number of applications. 

PMID- 26125381
TI  - Regenerative Fourier transformation for dual-quadrature regeneration of
      multilevel rectangular QAM.
AB  - We propose a new nonlinear optical loop mirror based configuration capable of
      regenerating regular rectangular quadrature amplitude modulated (QAM) signals.
      The scheme achieves suppression of noise distortion on both signal quadratures
      through the realization of two orthogonal regenerative Fourier transformations.
      Numerical simulations show the performance of the scheme for high constellation
      complexities (including 256-QAM formats). 

PMID- 26125382
TI  - Investigations on spatio-spectrally resolved Stokes polarization parameters of
      oxide-confined vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers.
AB  - Recently, we have shown [Opt. Lett.37, 4799 (2012)] that the amount of
      unpolarized light, quantified by the degree of polarization (DOP), is strongly
      enhanced by increasing the oxide aperture of vertical-cavity surface-emitting
      lasers (VCSELs). Here, we reveal the physical mechanism of the DOP reduction when
      investigating spatio-spectrally resolved Stokes polarization parameters of
      transverse multi-mode VCSELs. These results uncover a complementary polarization
      behavior of each particular transverse mode contributing to the total emission,
      resulting in the observed unpolarized state of light.

PMID- 26125383
TI  - Mode multiplexer based on integrated horizontal and vertical polymer waveguide
      couplers.
AB  - We demonstrate a mode demultiplexer with two cascaded few-mode polymer waveguide
      directional couplers fabricated on the same substrate along the horizontal and
      vertical directions, respectively. The three waveguides that form the two
      couplers have the same core size. The horizontal and vertical couplers are
      designed to provide complete power transfer for the LP(11a) and LP(11b) modes,
      with the LP(01) mode staying in the central core that incorporates a biconical
      taper to suppress any remaining LP(11) modes. A typical fabricated demultiplexer,
      which is 18.5 mm long, shows a coupling ratio higher than ~96% in the wavelength
      range of 1530-1570 nm for both couplers. The device shows negligible crosstalk to
      the LP(01)-mode channel, while the crosstalks to the LP(11)-mode channels are
      lower than -15.6 and -13.4  dB for the TE and TM polarizations, respectively. The
      device can be considered polarization insensitive. The propagation losses for the
      three modes are about 2.0  dB/cm. This device could find applications in mode
      division-multiplexing systems.

PMID- 26125384
TI  - Accurate quantification of fluorescent targets within turbid media based on a
      decoupled fluorescence Monte Carlo model.
AB  - We propose a method based on a decoupled fluorescence Monte Carlo model for
      constructing fluorescence Jacobians to enable accurate quantification of
      fluorescence targets within turbid media. The effectiveness of the proposed
      method is validated using two cylindrical phantoms enclosing fluorescent targets
      within homogeneous and heterogeneous background media. The results demonstrate
      that our method can recover relative concentrations of the fluorescent targets
      with higher accuracy than the perturbation fluorescence Monte Carlo method. This
      suggests that our method is suitable for quantitative fluorescence diffuse
      optical tomography, especially for in vivo imaging of fluorophore targets for
      diagnosis of different diseases and abnormalities. 

PMID- 26125385
TI  - Tunneling-induced giant Goos-Hanchen shift in quantum wells.
AB  - Tunneling-induced quantum interference experienced by an incident probe in the
      asymmetric double AlGaAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) structure can be modulated by
      means of an external control light beam and the tunable coupling strengths of
      resonant tunneling. These phenomena can be exploited to devise a novel
      intracavity medium to control Goos-Hanchen (GH) shifts of a mid-infrared probe
      beam incident on a cavity. For a suitably designed QW structure, our results show
      that maximum negative shift of 2.62 mm and positive shift of 0.56 mm are
      achievable for GH shifts in the reflected and transmitted light. 

PMID- 26125386
TI  - Accurate determination of absolute carrier-envelope phase dependence using photo
      ionization.
AB  - The carrier-envelope phase (CEP) dependence of few-cycle above-threshold
      ionization (ATI) of Xe is calibrated for use as a reference measurement for
      determining and controlling the absolute CEP in other interactions. This is
      achieved by referencing the CEP-dependent ATI measurements of Xe to measurements
      of atomic H, which are in turn referenced to ab initio calculations for atomic H.
      This allows for the accurate determination of the absolute CEP dependence of Xe
      ATI, which enables relatively easy determination of the offset between the
      relative CEP measured and/or controlled by typical devices and the absolute CEP
      in the interaction. 

PMID- 26125387
TI  - Broadband supercontinuum laser absorption spectrometer for multiparameter gas
      phase combustion diagnostics.
AB  - We report on the development and application of a broadband absorption
      spectrometer utilizing a pulsed supercontinuum laser light source and dispersion
      compensating fiber with a single-pass absorption path to obtain absolute methane
      mole fractions in a laminar nonpremixed CH(4)/air flame supported on a Wolfhard
      Parker burner. The basic principle of supercontinuum broadband absorption
      spectroscopy (SCLAS) provides advantageous means of combustion diagnostics since
      the broad spectral coverage allows for use in high-pressure high-temperature
      environments. Furthermore, a previously validated tunable diode laser absorption
      spectroscopy fitting algorithm was applied to the recorded spectra and found to
      be applicable to SCLAS measurements as well, by comparison of fitted methane gas
      concentrations to reference measurements on the Wolfhard-Parker burner. The
      spectrometer reached spectral resolutions of up to 0.152  cm(-1), while providing
      a spectral coverage of over 110  cm(-1), with an absorption path length of only
      41 mm. First measurements of absolute CH(4) mole fractions showed the suitability
      of SCL-based spectroscopy for combustion diagnostics with short absorption path
      lengths in the nIR spectral region. Here, we achieved in-flame methane mole
      fraction resolutions of 3%(Vol.) (1210 ppm.m) and optical resolutions of up to
      1.1*10(-2). Based on this first validation, this method can now be extended to
      other species and combustion parameters such as temperature and pressure.

PMID- 26125388
TI  - Turbulence-induced persistence in laser beam wandering.
AB  - We have experimentally confirmed the presence of long-memory correlations in the
      wandering of a thin Gaussian laser beam over a screen after propagating through a
      turbulent medium. A laboratory-controlled experiment was conducted in which
      coordinate fluctuations of the laser beam were recorded at a sufficiently high
      sampling rate for a wide range of turbulent conditions. Horizontal and vertical
      displacements of the laser beam centroid were subsequently analyzed by
      implementing detrended fluctuation analysis. This is a very well-known and widely
      used methodology to unveil memory effects from time series. Results obtained from
      this experimental analysis allow us to confirm that both coordinates behave as
      highly persistent signals for strong turbulent intensities. This finding is
      relevant for a better comprehension and modeling of the turbulence effects in
      free-space optical communication systems and other applications related to
      propagation of optical signals in the atmosphere. 

PMID- 26125389
TI  - Statistical generalized phase-shifting digital holography with a continuous
      fringe-scanning scheme.
AB  - We propose a novel statistical generalized phase-shifting digital holography
      using a continuous fringe-scanning scheme. In this method, the continuous fringe
      scanning scheme is implemented using a PC-based measurement system without any
      synchronous circuit between the digital camera and the phase shifter. Thus,
      nonuniformly phase-shifted interference fringes are captured sequentially because
      of the fluctuation of the image-capturing interval. To cope with the nonuniform
      phase shifts, we employ a statistical generalized phase-shifting approach. Since
      the algorithm is designed to use an arbitrary phase shift, the nonuniform phase
      shifts do not obstruct object wave retrieval. Simulations and experiments
      demonstrate that the proposed method can be used to implement a practical and
      accurate digital holography system. 

PMID- 26125390
TI  - Silicon-based on-chip electrically tunable sidewall Bragg grating Fabry-Perot
      filter.
AB  - We report the design, fabrication, and testing of a silicon-based on-chip
      electrically tunable sidewall Bragg grating Fabry-Perot filter. Spectral
      measurement shows that the filter has a narrow notch in reflection of
      approximately 46 pm, a Q-factor of 33,500, and an extinction ratio of 16.4 dB. DC
      measurement shows that the average central wavelength shift rates with forward
      and reverse bias are -1.15  nm/V and 4.2  pm/V, respectively. Due to strong light
      confinement in the Fabry-Perot cavity, the electro-optic frequency response shows
      that the filter has a 3-dB modulation bandwidth of ~5.6  GHz. The performance of
      using the filter to perform modulation of a 3.5  Gb/s2(7)-1 nonreturn-to-zero
      pseudorandom binary sequence is evaluated.

PMID- 26125391
TI  - Optical-phase demodulation using zero-index metamaterials.
AB  - We theoretically demonstrate that zero-index materials junction with three ports
      can realize functions of optical interferometer in optical phase demodulator to
      finish a critical step of phase demodulation. When the junction is made up of
      epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials, performances of the proposed structure get
      worse due to impedance mismatch, which result in distortion and decrease of final
      demodulation outputs. To improve performances, three approaches including
      narrowing the ENZ junction, embedding proper defect, and using anisotropy ENZ
      junction are proposed. Our work provides an effective way for optical phase
      demodulation based on zero-index metamaterials. 

PMID- 26125392
TI  - Passive absorption in a classical photonic crystal-based organic solar cell.
AB  - We study the light trapping efficiency of a bidimensional photonic crystal (PC)
      integrated in a classical organic multilayer solar cell. The role of the PC is to
      enhance light absorption in the active layer by leveraging resonant mode
      excitation. However the light trapping efficiency is drastically inhibited by the
      overall absorption of the entire multilayer, which includes absorption by the
      passive layers that do not contribute to the photocurrent. This study focuses on
      the impact of passive absorption in ITO and PEDOT, which is often neglected in
      the study of light trapping organic solar cell systems, despite the significant
      role it plays in highly absorbing devices. Indeed, we show here that the
      absorption enhancement in the active layer can vary between 23% and 46% depending
      on the optical properties of the passive layers, which are dependent on
      fabrication conditions. We also detail how the PC behaves with coupled parameters
      such as the optical indices of the passive layers, as well as the period and the
      air filling fraction of the PC. 

PMID- 26125393
TI  - Rapid scanning catheterscope for expanded forward-view volumetric imaging with
      optical coherence tomography.
AB  - We demonstrate a novel catheterscope, based on scanning fiber endoscopy, for
      volumetric imaging with optical coherence tomography (OCT), which possesses a
      high resonance frequency (>2  kHz) and a small outer diameter (OD) (1.07 mm). Our
      design is the fastest volumetric-scanning, forward-viewing catheterscope for OCT,
      and the scanning package has the smallest OD of any such OCT package published to
      date. Using a proof-of-operation catheterscope with commercial lenses, we
      demonstrate high-quality in vivo and ex vivo volumetric imaging and extend the
      1.1 mm diameter field of view more than 200-fold by mosaicking. Due to its small
      OD, short rigid tip length, and fast scan rate, this scope is the leading
      candidate design to enable early detection and staging of bladder cancer during
      flexible white light cystoscopy. 

PMID- 26125394
TI  - Measurement of absolute optical thickness of mask glass by wavelength-tuning
      Fourier analysis.
AB  - Optical thickness is a fundamental characteristic of an optical component. A
      measurement method combining discrete Fourier-transform (DFT) analysis and a
      phase-shifting technique gives an appropriate value for the absolute optical
      thickness of a transparent plate. However, there is a systematic error caused by
      the nonlinearity of the phase-shifting technique. In this research the absolute
      optical-thickness distribution of mask blank glass was measured using DFT and
      wavelength-tuning Fizeau interferometry without using sensitive phase-shifting
      techniques. The error occurring during the DFT analysis was compensated for by
      using the unwrapping correlation. The experimental results indicated that the
      absolute optical thickness of mask glass was measured with an accuracy of 5 nm. 

PMID- 26125395
TI  - Homodyne detection of coherence and phase shift of a quantum dot in a cavity.
AB  - A homodyne measurement technique is demonstrated that enables direct observation
      of the coherence and phase of light that passed through a coupled quantum dot
      (QD)-microcavity system, which in turn enables clear identification of coherent
      and incoherent QD transitions. As an example, we study the effect of power
      induced decoherence, where the QD transition saturates and incoherent emission
      from the excited state dominates at higher power. Further, we show that the same
      technique allows measurement of the quantum phase shift induced by a single QD in
      the cavity, which is strongly enhanced by cavity quantum electrodynamics effects.

PMID- 26125396
TI  - Strong coupling between localized and propagating plasmon polaritons.
AB  - We investigate plasmon-plasmon (PP) coupling in the strongly interacting regimes
      by using a tunable plasmonic platform consisting of triangular Ag nanoprisms
      placed nanometers away from Ag thin films. The nanoprisms are colloidally
      synthesized using a seed-mediated growth method and having size-tunable localized
      surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonances immobilized on Si(3)N(4) films. The PP
      coupling between the localized SPPs of metal nanoprisms and the propagating SPPs
      of the metal film is controlled by the nanoprism concentration and the plasmon
      damping in the metal film. Results reveal that Rabi splitting energy determining
      the strength of the coupling can reach up to several hundreds meV, thus
      demonstrating the ultrastrong coupling occurring between localized and
      propagating SPPs. The metal nanoparticle-metal thin film hybrid system over the
      square-centimeter areas presented here provides a unique configuration to study
      PP coupling all the way from the weak to ultrastrong coupling regimes in a broad
      range of wavelengths.

PMID- 26125397
TI  - All optical mode controllable Er-doped random fiber laser with distributed Bragg
      gratings.
AB  - An all-optical method to control the lasing modes of Er-doped random fiber lasers
      (RFLs) is proposed and demonstrated. In the RFL, an Er-doped fiber (EDF) recoded
      with randomly separated fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) is used as the gain medium and
      randomly distributed reflectors, as well as the controllable element. By
      combining random feedback of the FBG array and Fresnel feedback of a cleaved
      fiber end, multi-mode coherent random lasing is obtained with a threshold of 14
      mW and power efficiency of 14.4%. Moreover, a laterally-injected control light is
      used to induce local gain perturbation, providing additional gain for certain
      random resonance modes. As a result, active mode selection of the RFL is realized
      by changing locations of the laser cavity that is exposed to the control light. 

PMID- 26125398
TI  - Realization of broadband cross-polarization conversion in transmission mode in
      the terahertz region using a single-layer metasurface.
AB  - We present the design specifications and in-depth analysis of a terahertz (THz)
      broadband cross-polarization converter composed of a single-layer metasurface.
      This device can convert linearly polarized light into its cross-polarization in
      transmission mode. Different from other polarization conversion devices, this
      effect results from the suppression and enhancement for different electric
      components. The broadband characteristic is also achieved by specific partial
      symmetries designed in the structure. The proposed polarization converter can aid
      in the development of novel plasmonic polarization devices, and can help to
      overcome certain limitations of the customary designs that have been proposed
      thus far. 

PMID- 26125399
TI  - Frequency analysis of a self-bending point spread function for 3D localization
      based optical microscopy.
AB  - We developed several approaches to characterize the recently reported self
      bending point spread function for 3D localization-based light microscopy.
      Experimentally, we generated Gaussian, astigmatic, and self-bending point spread
      functions. We compared the optical transfer functions, ambiguity functions, and
      Fisher information of these point spread functions. Our comprehensive frequency
      domain analysis describes quantitative tools for the development of engineered
      point spread functions for 3D imaging systems. 

PMID- 26125400
TI  - Generation of Airy vortex and Airy vector beams based on the modulation of
      dynamic and geometric phases.
AB  - We propose a novel method for the generation of Airy vortex and Airy vector beams
      based on the modulation of dynamic and geometric phases. In our scheme, the Airy
      beam is generated by the dynamic phase with a spatial light modulator, and the
      vortex phase or the vector polarization is modulated by the geometric phase with
      a dielectric metasurface. The modulation of the geometric phase provides an extra
      degree of freedom to manipulate the phase and the polarization of Airy beams.
      This scheme can be extended to generate any other types of optical beams with
      desirable phase and polarization. 

PMID- 26125401
TI  - Trapping waves with terahertz metamaterial absorber based on isotropic Mie
      resonators.
AB  - Quasi-monodisperse dielectric particles organized in a periodic hexagonal network
      on an aluminum surface are exploited numerically and experimentally as a single
      layered near-perfect absorber in the terahertz regime. Of particular interest are
      titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) microspheres because of their large dielectric
      permittivity and isotropic shape leading to Mie resonances with insensitive
      polarization. Absorption higher than 80% at normal incidence covering two
      distinct ranges of frequencies is demonstrated experimentally. Furthermore, the
      performance of the metamaterial absorber is kept over a wide range of incident
      angles.

PMID- 26125402
TI  - Multi-view second-harmonic generation imaging of mouse tail tendon via reflective
      micro-prisms.
AB  - Here we experimentally show that second-harmonic generation (SHG) imaging is not
      sensitive to collagen fibers oriented parallel to the direction of laser
      propagation and, as a consequence, can potentially miss important structural
      information. As an alternative approach, we demonstrate the use of reflective
      micro-prisms to enable multi-view SHG imaging of mouse tail tendon by redirecting
      the focused excitation and collection of subsequent emission. Our approach data
      corroborates the theoretical treatment on vanishing and nonvanishing
      orientations, where fibers along the laser direction are largely transparent by
      SHG. In strong contrast, the two-photon excited fluorescence of dye-labeled
      collagen fibers is isotropic and is not subject to this constraint. We utilized
      Pearson correlation to quantify differences in fluorescent and backward detected
      SHG images of the tendon fiber structure, where the SHG and TPEF were highly
      statistically correlated (0.6-0.8) for perpendicular excitation but were
      uncorrelated for excitation parallel to the fiber axis. The results suggest that
      improved imaging of 3D collagen structure is possible with multi-view SHG
      microscopy. 

PMID- 26125403
TI  - Fourier transform holography with high harmonic spectra for attosecond imaging
      applications.
AB  - We demonstrate a method of using a Fourier holographic technique to utilize
      attosecond soft x-ray pulses to image nanometer-scale objects. A discrete
      frequency comb of laser-generated high-order harmonics, yielding a train of
      attosecond pulses, has been used to record spatially and spectrally resolved
      images. The individual wavelengths were also combined to form a single image,
      albeit with lower spatial resolution, demonstrating the applicability of the
      method to using isolated attosecond pulses with continuous bandwidths. 

PMID- 26125404
TI  - Electroluminescence of GeSn/Ge MQW LEDs on Si substrate.
AB  - Multi-quantum well light-emitting diodes, consisting of ten alternating GeSn/Ge
      layers, were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Si. The Ge barriers were 10 nm
      thick, and the GeSn wells were grown with 7% Sn and thicknesses between 6 and 12
      nm. The electroluminescence spectra measured at 300 and 80 K yield a broad and
      intensive luminescence band. Deconvolution revealed three major lines produced by
      the GeSn wells that can be interpreted in terms of quantum confinement. We
      interpret that the three lines represent two direct lines, formed by transitions
      with the light and heavy hole band, respectively, and an indirect line. Biaxial
      compressive strain causes a splitting of light and heavy holes in the GeSn wells.
      This interpretation is supported by an effective mass band structure calculation.

PMID- 26125405
TI  - Energy enhancement of mixed Nd:LuYSGG crystal in passively Q-switched lasers.
AB  - The continuous-wave (cw) and passively Q-switched laser performances of mixed
      Nd:Lu(2)YSc(1.5)Ga(3.5)O(12) (Nd:LuYSGG) crystal at 1.06 MUm were reported for
      the first time. The cw output power reached 4.39 W at the absorbed pump power of
      10.34 W with slope efficiency of 48.0%. With a Cr(4+):YAG crystal as both the
      saturable absorber and output coupler, a passively Q-switched laser was realized
      with the maximum average output power of 1.43 W and slope efficiency of 21.0%.
      The shortest pulse width, largest pulse energy, and highest peak power were 4.1
      ns, 157.1 MUJ, and 38.3 kW, respectively. Compared with
      Nd:Lu(3)Sc(1.5)Ga(3.5)O(12) (Nd:LuSGG) crystal, the pulse energy and peak power
      are enhanced over more than two times for Nd:LuYSGG. The results show that
      Nd:LuYSGG crystal is a promising laser material with large energy storage
      capacities and suitable for the application of pulsed lasers with shorter pulses
      and larger energies.

PMID- 26125406
TI  - Miniature spectrometer based on diffraction in a dispersive hole array.
AB  - We present an ultra-compact spectrometer that uses a 10*10 hole array as the
      dispersive component. Our analysis shows that the two-dimensional intensity
      distribution can be modeled by a system of simultaneous linear equations when the
      size of each hole in the dispersive component has been pre-designed
      appropriately. One can readily recover the spectral contents of the input
      radiation by solving the linear equation system with regularized procedure.
      Experimental results show that the reconstruction range is at least within the
      entire visible band, which can be further extended if a near-infrared CCD is
      used. One therefore envisions strong potential for many wavelength analysis
      applications. 

PMID- 26125407
TI  - Nocardia Colonization: A Risk Factor for Lung Deterioration in Cystic Fibrosis
      Patients?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are predisposed to infection and
      colonization with different microbes. Some cause deterioration of lung functions,
      while others are colonizers without clear pathogenic effects. Our aim was to
      understand the effects of Nocardia species in sputum cultures on the course of
      lung disease in CF patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study
      analyzing the impact of positive Nocardia spp. in sputum of 19 CF patients over a
      period of 10 years, comparing them with similar status patients without Nocardia
      growth. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are used as indicators of lung disease
      severity and decline rate in functions per year is calculated. RESULTS: No
      significant difference in PFTs of CF patients with positive Nocardia in sputum
      was found in different sub-groups according to number of episodes of growth,
      background variables, or treatment plans. The yearly decline in PFTs was similar
      to that recognized in CF patients. The control group patients showed similar
      background data. However, a small difference was found in the rate of decline of
      their PFTs, which implies a possibly slower rate of progression of lung disease.
      CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of lung disease in CF patients colonized with Nocardia
      does not seem to differ based on the persistence of growth on cultures, different
      treatment plans or risk factors. Apparently, Nocardia does not cause a
      deterioration of lung functions with time. However, it may show a trend to faster
      decline in PFTs compared to similar status CF patients without isolation of this
      microorganism in their sputum.

PMID- 26125408
TI  - Is long range transport of pollen in the NW Mediterranean basin influenced by
      Northern Hemisphere teleconnection patterns?
AB  - Climatic oscillations triggered by the atmospheric modes of the Northern
      Hemisphere teleconnection patterns have an important influence on the atmospheric
      circulation at synoptic scale in Western Mediterranean Basin. Simultaneously,
      this climate variability could affect a variety of ecological processes. This
      work provides a first assessment of the effect of North Atlantic Oscillation
      (NAO), Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO) on
      the atmospheric long-range pollen transport episodes in the North-Eastern Iberian
      Peninsula for the period 1994-2011. Alnus, Ambrosia, Betula, Corylus and Fagus
      have been selected as allergenic pollen taxa with potential long-range transport
      associated to the Northern Hemisphere teleconnection patterns in the Western
      Mediterranean Basin. The results showed an increase of long range pollen
      transport episodes of: (1) Alnus, Corylus and Fagus from Western and Central
      Europe during the negative phase of annual NAO and AO; (2) Ambrosia, Betula and
      Fagus from Europe during the negative phase of winter WeMO; (3) Corylus and Fagus
      from Mediterranean area during the positive phase of the annual AO; and (4)
      Ambrosia from France and Northern Europe during the positive phase of winter
      WeMO. Conversely, the positive phase of annual NAO and AO are linked with the
      regional transport of Alnus, Betula and Corylus from Western Iberian Peninsula.
      The positive phase of annual WeMO was also positively correlated with regional
      transport of Corylus from this area. 

PMID- 26125409
TI  - Density of river otters (Lontra canadensis) in relation to energy development in
      the Green River Basin, Wyoming.
AB  - Exploration and extraction of oil and natural gas have increased in recent years
      and are expected to expand in the future. Reduction in water quality from energy
      extraction may negatively affect water supply for agriculture and urban use
      within catchments as well as down river. We used non-invasive genetic techniques
      and capture-recapture modeling to estimate the abundance and density of North
      American river otters (Lontra canadensis), a sentinel species of aquatic
      ecosystems, in Southwestern Wyoming. While densities in two of three river
      reaches were similar to those reported in other freshwater systems in the western
      US (1.45-2.39 km per otter), otters appeared to avoid areas near energy
      development. We found no strong difference in habitat variables, such as
      overstory cover, at the site or reach level. Also, fish abundance was similar
      among the three river reaches. Otter activity in our study area could have been
      affected by elevated levels of disturbance surrounding the industrial gas fields,
      and by potential surface water contamination as indicated by patterns in water
      conductivity. Continued monitoring of surface water quality in Southwestern
      Wyoming with the aid of continuously recording devices and sentinel species is
      warranted.

PMID- 26125410
TI  - Layer-preferential substitutions and magnetic properties of pyrrhotite-type Fe7
      yMyX8 chalcogenides (X = S, Se; M = Ti, Co).
AB  - A comparative study of four series of pyrrhotite-type chalcogenide compounds Fe(7
      y)M(y)X(8) (X = S, Se) with substitution of Ti or Co for iron has been performed
      by means of x-ray and neutron powder diffraction, and by magnetization
      measurements. In Fe(7-y)M(y)X(8) compounds having a ferrimagnetic order at y = 0,
      the substitution of either Ti or Co for iron is observed to result in a
      monotonous decrease of the magnetic ordering temperature, while the resultant
      magnetization shows a non-monotonous behavior with a minimum around y = 1.0-1.5
      in all the Fe(7-y)M(y)X(8) families except Fe(7-y)Co(y)Se(8). Suppression of a
      magnetically ordered state with substitutions in Fe(7-y)M(y)X(8) is ascribed to
      nearly zero values of Ti and Co magnetic moments, while the non-monotonous
      changes of the resultant magnetization are explained by the compensation of the
      sublattice magnetizations due to the non-random substitutions in alternating
      metallic layers. The difference in the cation partitioning observed in Fe(7
      y)Ti(y)X(8) and Fe(7-y)Co(y)X(8) is attributed to the difference in the spatial
      extension of Ti and Co 3d orbitals. High coercive field values (20-24 kOe)
      observed at low temperatures in the Ti-containing compounds Fe(7-y)Ti(y)X(8) with
      y ? 3 are suggested to result from the enhancement of Fe orbital moment due to
      the Ti for Fe substitution.

PMID- 26125411
TI  - Hepcidin-ferroportin axis controls toll-like receptor 4 dependent macrophage
      inflammatory responses in human atherosclerotic plaques.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4) is implicated in modulating inflammatory
      cytokines though its role in atherosclerosis remains uncertain. We have recently
      described a non-foam cell macrophage phenotype driven by ingestion of
      hemoglobin:haptoglobin complexes (HH), via the scavenger receptor CD163,
      characterized by reduced inflammatory cytokine production. In this study, we
      examined the role of iron metabolism in modulating TLR4 signaling in these cells.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: Areas in human atherosclerotic plaque with non-foam cell,
      CD163 positive macrophages demonstrated reduced expression of tumor necrosis
      factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-beta (INF-beta) compared to foam cells.
      Human macrophages differentiated in hemoglobin:haptoglobin (HH) complexes
      expressed the CD163 positive non-foam cell phenotype and demonstrated
      significantly less TNF-alpha and INF-beta compared to control macrophages when
      exposed to oxidized LDL (oxLDL) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS stimulated
      expression of TNF-alpha and INF-beta could be restored in HH macrophages by
      pretreatment with hepcidin, an endogenous suppressor of ferroportin1 (FPN), or by
      genetic suppression of FPN in macrophages derived from myeloid specific FPN
      knockout mice. LPS stimulated control macrophages demonstrated increase in TLR4
      trafficking to lipid rafts; this response was suppressed in HH macrophages but
      was restored upon pretreatment with hepcidin. Using a pharmacologic hepcidin
      suppressor, we observed a decrease in cytokine expression and TLR4-lipid raft
      trafficking in LPS-stimulated in a murine macrophage model. CONCLUSION: TLR4
      dependent macrophage signaling is controlled via hepcidin-ferroportin1 axis by
      influencing TLR4-lipid raft interactions. Pharmacologic manipulation of iron
      metabolism may represent a promising approach to limiting TLR4-mediated
      inflammatory responses.

PMID- 26125412
TI  - Expression of fibromodulin in carotid atherosclerotic plaques is associated with
      diabetes and cerebrovascular events.
AB  - AIMS: The small leucine-rich proteoglycans fibromodulin and lumican are
      functionally related extracellular matrix proteins involved in the regulation of
      collagen fiber formation. Fibromodulin-deficient apolipoprotein E-null mice have
      decreased vascular retention of lipids and reduced development of atherosclerosis
      suggesting that fibromodulin may influence the disease process. The aim of the
      present study was to investigate if fibromodulin and lumican are expressed in
      human carotid plaques and to determine if their expression is associated with the
      occurrence of preoperative symptoms and with risk for postoperative
      cardiovascular events. METHODS AND RESULTS: 153 plaques (51% symptomatic)
      obtained by carotid endarterectomy were included in this study. Plaque content
      was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and plaque cytokine content by multiplex
      technology. Fibromodulin and lumican were widely expressed in plaques and
      fibromodulin expression was significantly higher in symptomatic plaques.
      Expression of fibromodulin was significantly higher in plaques obtained from
      patients with diabetes and a high fibromodulin expression was associated with a
      higher incidence of post-operative cerebrovascular events, whereas no such
      associations were seen for lumican. Fibromodulin expression also correlated with
      plaque lipids and several pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, fibromodulin
      expression correlated with low levels of smooth muscle cells and the anti
      inflammatory cytokine IL-10. CONCLUSIONS: These observations support previous
      experimental findings in mice for a role of fibromodulin in atherosclerosis and
      provide clinical evidence of the involvement of fibromodulin in the inflammatory
      processes that characterize atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability. They also
      suggest that this is of particular importance in diabetes.

PMID- 26125413
TI  - Apolipoprotein A-I mimetic peptide reverses impaired arterial healing after
      injury by reducing oxidative stress.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Endothelial cell (EC) migration is essential for healing of arterial
      injuries caused by angioplasty, but a high cholesterol diet inhibits endothelial
      repair. In vivo studies suggest that apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), the major
      protein constituent of HDL, is essential for normal healing of arterial injuries.
      ApoA-I mimetics, including 4F, have been designed to mimic the amphipathic
      portion of the apoA-I molecule. This study was undertaken to determine if 4F
      improves endothelial migration and healing. METHODS: A razor scrape assay was
      used to analyze the effect of 4F on EC migration in vitro. Endothelial healing in
      vivo was assessed following electrical injury of carotid arteries in mice.
      Markers of oxidative stress were also examined. RESULTS: Lipid oxidation products
      inhibited EC migration in vitro, but preincubation with L-4F preserved EC
      migration. Endothelial healing of carotid arterial injuries in mice on a high
      cholesterol diet was delayed compared with mice on a chow diet with 27.8% vs.
      48.2% healing, respectively, at 5 days. Administration of D-4F improved
      endothelial healing in mice on a high cholesterol diet to 43.4%. D-4F
      administration had no effect on lipid levels but decreased markers of oxidation.
      In vivo, there was a significant inverse correlation between endothelial healing
      and plasma markers of oxidative stress. CONCLUSION: These studies suggested that
      an apoA-I mimetic can improve endothelial healing of arterial injuries by
      decreasing oxidative stress.

PMID- 26125414
TI  - Aflatoxin M1 in processed milk and infant formulae and corresponding exposure of
      adult population in Serbia in 2013-2014.
AB  - Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) occurrence was analysed in 80 samples of milk and 21 samples
      of infant formulae on the Serbian market, using high-performance liquid
      chromatography with fluorescence detection. All milk samples collected in 2013
      showed AFM1 contamination in the range 0.02-0.32 MUg kg(-1), with a mean level of
      0.13 MUg kg(-1). The EU maximum level for AFM1 in milk (0.05 MUg kg(-1)) was
      exceeded in 75% of the samples. In 2014, AFM1 was found in 83%, 70%, 80% and 58%
      of the samples collected in April, July, September and December, respectively,
      exceeding the limit in 5% of the samples taken in July. The additional number of
      liver cancer cases per year associated with exposure to AFM1 was estimated to be
      0.004 in the adult population. Regarding infant formulae, AFM1 was found in only
      one sample. 

PMID- 26125415
TI  - A randomized trial of mobile health support for heart failure patients and their
      informal caregivers: impacts on caregiver-reported outcomes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mobile health services may improve chronic illness care, but
      interventions rarely support informal caregivers' efforts. OBJECTIVES: To
      determine whether automated feedback to caregivers of chronic heart failure
      patients impacts caregiving burden and assistance with self-management. RESEARCH
      DESIGN: Randomized comparative effectiveness trial. SUBJECTS: A total of 369
      heart failure patients were recruited from a Veterans Health Administration
      health care system. All patients participated with a "CarePartner" or informal
      caregiver outside their household. INTERVENTION: Patients randomized to "standard
      mHealth" received weekly automated self-care support calls for 12 months with
      notifications about problems sent to clinicians. "mobile health+CarePartner"
      (mHealth+CP) patients received identical services, plus email summaries and
      suggestions for self-care assistance automatically sent to their CarePartners.
      MEASURES: At baseline, 6, and 12 months, CarePartners completed assessments of
      caregiving strain, depressive symptoms, and participation in self-care support.
      RESULTS: mHealth+CP CarePartners reported less caregiving strain than controls at
      both 6 and 12 months (both P<=0.03). That effect as well as improvements in
      depressive symptoms were seen primarily among CarePartners reporting greater
      burden at baseline (P<=0.03 for interactions between arm and baseline
      strain/depression at both endpoints). Although most mHealth+CP CarePartners
      increased the amount of time spent in self-care support, those with the highest
      time commitment at baseline reported decreases at both follow-ups (all P<0.05).
      mHealth+CP CarePartners reported more frequently attending patients' medical
      visits at 6 months (P=0.049) and greater involvement in medication adherence at
      both endpoints (both P<=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: When CarePartners experienced
      significant caregiving strain and depression, systematic feedback about their
      patient-partner decreased those symptoms. Feedback also increased most
      CarePartners' engagement in self-care.

PMID- 26125416
TI  - Hospital comparisons based on mortality: revisiting the choice of postadmission
      timeframe and evaluating the contribution of cause-of-death data, France, 2009.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In-hospital mortality is widely used to judge the quality of hospital
      care, but is biased by discharge patterns. Fixed-timeframe indicators have thus
      been recommended. However, the 30-day postadmission indicator may underestimate
      hospital-wide mortality, as patients dying in hospital >30 days after admission
      are considered as survivors. OBJECTIVES: To identify the most relevant timeframes
      and to assess the contribution of cause-of-death data. METHODS: The 2009 French
      hospital discharge database was linked to vital status records and to the causes
      of death register for 11.5 million hospital stays by beneficiaries of French
      general health insurance. Correlations and agreements between the 30-day hospital
      standardized mortality ratio (HSMR) and the in-hospital, 60-, 90-, 180-, and 365
      day postadmission HSMRs were estimated. RESULTS: A total of 7.8%, 1.5%, and 0.5%
      of patients who died during their hospital stay were considered as survivors by
      the 30-, 60-, and 90-day HSMRs, respectively. The 30-day HSMR correlated strongly
      with the 60-day HSMR (Pearson coefficient=0.92), and their agreement on outlier
      status was excellent (kappa coefficient=0.80). The association remained
      substantial at 90 days, but weakened at 180 days and even more so at 365 days.
      Regardless of the timeframe, exclusion of deaths likely due to independent causes
      barely modified the indicators. CONCLUSIONS: This nationwide study shows that 60-
      and 90-day HSMRs encompass in-hospital deaths better than the 30-day HSMR, while
      capturing the same interhospital variations. They should thus be preferred. The
      contribution of cause-of-death data to hospital-wide indicators seems negligible.

PMID- 26125417
TI  - First trimester initiation of prenatal care in the US-Mexico border region.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To systematically examine prevalence of first trimester prenatal care
      (FTPNC) in the 44 US counties and 80 Mexican municipios of the binational border
      region; and to describe disparities between border and nonborder areas within
      states, border states, and countries. METHODS: We combined 2009 records of
      singleton live births from the 10 US-Mexico border states (N=1,370,206) into a
      single file. We included FTPNC; county/municipio, state, and country of maternal
      residence; and demographic variables common to all records. We computed
      prevalence of FTPNC for border and nonborder residents by state and country.
      Using multivariable regression, we computed adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) for
      FTPNC in border relative to nonborder residents, states relative to one another,
      and the US relative to Mexico. RESULTS: In 2009, 68.8% of US-Mexico border
      mothers and 72.9% of nonborder mothers received FTPNC. After adjustment,
      nonborder residents had higher prevalence of FTPNC than border residents in
      Sonora, New Mexico, Arizona, Coahuila, and Chihuahua (aPR=1.09-124). In US
      states, prevalence was 13%-36% higher in New Mexico, Arizona, and California than
      Texas. In Mexico, when compared with Coahuila, adjusted prevalence was 12%-20%
      higher in neighboring states. Between countries, FTPNC prevalence in border
      counties/municipios was higher in Mexico among women with low parity/low
      education and in the United States among women with high parity/high education.
      CONCLUSIONS: In the US and Mexico, women in border counties/municipios receive
      less timely prenatal care than their nonborder counterparts, but the magnitude of
      the disparity varies by state. Lack of a consistent, binational approach to birth
      data collection requires cautious interpretation of findings.

PMID- 26125418
TI  - Does mandating nursing home participation in quality reporting make a difference?
      Evidence from Massachusetts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quality report cards have been shown to be effective in influencing
      patients' referrals and promoting quality improvement in some instances and not
      others. In this study, we investigate one of the mechanisms that may detract from
      their effectiveness: voluntary versus mandatory participation of nursing homes in
      public quality reporting. OBJECTIVES: To answer 2 questions: (1) Were the nursing
      homes choosing not to participate low-quality performers relative to those who
      chose to participate? (2) Once participation became mandatory, did those that did
      not voluntarily participate initially, improve more than those that participated
      voluntarily? RESEARCH DESIGN: Massachusetts published the Massachusetts
      Satisfaction Survey report card for nursing homes for the years 2005, 2007, and
      2009. Nursing homes' participation was voluntary in 2005 and mandatory in 2007
      and 2009. We performed a retrospective statistical analysis of the relationship
      between nursing homes' decision to participate in quality reporting and 12
      quality outcomes: deficiency citations, staffing, and 8 survey domains. SUBJECTS:
      A total of 424 Massachusetts nursing homes. RESULTS: Sixty-seven percent of
      nursing homes participated in reporting voluntarily. Volunteer nursing homes had
      better quality for all measures (significant at the 0.05 level or trending toward
      significance at the 0.10 level for all but 2). Once reporting became mandatory,
      nonvolunteers improved more than volunteers in all but 2 staffing measures
      (trending toward significance at the 0.10 level in 5). CONCLUSIONS: Report cards
      are more effective if nursing homes' participation is mandated. Nonmandatory
      reporting systems, as those implemented by some states and professional
      associations, lead to missed opportunities for quality improvements.

PMID- 26125419
TI  - Racial differences in false-positive mammogram rates: results from the ACRIN
      Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST).
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mammography screening reduces breast cancer mortality, but false
      positive tests are common. Few studies have assessed racial differences in false
      positive rates. OBJECTIVES: We compared false-positive mammography rates for
      black and white women, and the effect of patient and facility characteristics on
      false positives. RESEARCH DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: A prospective cohort study. From a
      sample of the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) Digital
      Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST), we identified black/African
      American (N=3176) or white (N=26,446) women with no prior breast surgery or
      breast cancer. MEASURES: Race, demographics, and breast cancer risk factors were
      self-reported. Results of initial digital and film mammograms were assessed.
      False positives were defined as a positive mammogram (Breast Imaging Reporting
      and Data System category 0, 4, 5) with no cancer diagnosis within 15 months.
      RESULTS: The false-positive rate for digital mammograms was 9.2% for black women
      compared with 7.8% for white women (P=0.009). After adjusting for age, black
      women had 17% increased odds of false-positive digital mammogram compared with
      whites (OR=1.17; 95% CI, 1.01-1.35; P=0.033). This association was attenuated
      after adjusting for patient factors, prior films, and study site (OR=1.04; 95%
      CI, 0.91-1.20; P=0.561). There was no difference in the occurrence of false
      positives by race for film mammography. CONCLUSIONS: Black women had higher
      frequency of false-positive digital mammograms explained by lack of prior films
      and study site.The variation in the disparity between the established technique
      (film) and the new technology (digital) raises the possibility that racial
      differences in screening quality may be greatest for new technologies.

PMID- 26125420
TI  - Sentinel Node Biopsy After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: Prechemotherapy Nodal Status
      Is Crucial for Test Performance.

PMID- 26125421
TI  - In Reply.

PMID- 26125422
TI  - In Reply.

PMID- 26125423
TI  - Ongoing Marrow Adequacy Issue.

PMID- 26125424
TI  - Smart Phones and Microscopic Image Capturing: Searching, Finding, Capturing,
      Talking About, as Well as Sharing Microscopic Images of Pathologic Conditions
      Form Another Type of Learning Module.

PMID- 26125425
TI  - Difficult Diagnostic Problems in Pancreatobiliary Neoplasia.
AB  - CONTEXT: Many common diagnostic dilemmas are encountered in pancreatobiliary
      pathology, frequently resulting in uncertainty on behalf of the pathologist and
      referral for a second opinion. OBJECTIVES: To review 4 common diagnostic dilemmas
      encountered in the practice of pancreatobiliary pathology: (1) pancreatic ductal
      adenocarcinoma versus chronic pancreatitis; (2) pancreatic ductal carcinoma
      versus adenocarcinomas arising in the ampulla and intrapancreatic common bile
      duct; (3) the distinction of uncommon intraductal neoplasms--intraductal
      oncocytic papillary neoplasm, intraductal tubulopapillary neoplasm, and
      intraductal acinar cell carcinoma; and (4) intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma versus
      metastatic carcinoma. DATA SOURCES: A review of pertinent literature, along with
      the authors' personal experience, based on institutional and consultation
      materials. CONCLUSIONS: Important diagnostic features for a few challenging
      problems in pancreatobiliary pathology are reviewed. Careful study of the
      microscopic features along with awareness of differential diagnoses and
      diagnostic pitfalls generally allows distinction of these entities. We also
      highlight established and novel ancillary studies that help to arrive at an
      accurate diagnosis.

PMID- 26125426
TI  - Pathophysiology and Diseases of the Proximal Pathways of the Biliary System.
AB  - CONTEXT: Diseases of the proximal pathways of the biliary system can be divided
      into those that affect the interlobular bile ducts and those that affect the bile
      canaliculi. The former include primary biliary cirrhosis, small-duct variant of
      primary sclerosing cholangitis, graft-versus-host disease, and drug-induced liver
      injury, whereas the latter include progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis,
      benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy,
      and drug-induced liver injury. OBJECTIVE: To summarize the current state of
      knowledge of diseases of the proximal pathways of the biliary system, with
      special emphasis on clinical presentation, pathological features, and
      differential diagnosis. DATA SOURCES: Clinicopathological information was
      extracted from pertinent published literature. CONCLUSIONS: Care of the patient
      with cholestasis hinges on identifying the etiology. Diagnostic steps in
      cholestatic conditions comprise a thorough patient history, abdominal imaging,
      distinct serological studies, and liver biopsy. Primary biliary cirrhosis is
      characterized by distinctive serological and histological findings. The small
      duct variant of primary sclerosing cholangitis is very rare and difficult to
      diagnose; imaging of the bile ducts is not helpful. Graft-versus-host disease is
      characterized by damage and loss of intrahepatic bile ducts. Drugs can cause
      injury variably at the level of bile canaliculus or the interlobular bile duct.
      Loss of bile ducts may be seen with primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing
      cholangitis, graft-versus-host disease, and drug-induced liver injury.
      Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis and progressive familial
      intrahepatic cholestasis represent 2 extreme ends of the spectrum of
      abnormalities in transporters responsible for bile formation. Intrahepatic
      cholestasis of pregnancy has a variable incidence in different parts of the world
      and may be due to abnormalities in transporter molecules.

PMID- 26125427
TI  - Hepatic Granulomas: A Review With Emphasis on Infectious Causes.
AB  - CONTEXT: Many diseases that cause granulomas or granulomatous inflammation
      involve the liver. Some of these disease processes are intrinsic hepatic
      diseases, whereas others are disseminated systemic diseases that involve the
      liver as well as other organs. OBJECTIVE: To review the evaluation of granulomas
      in the liver with an emphasis on infectious causes, as well as the use of special
      stains, serologic studies, and molecular diagnostic techniques. Pertinent
      noninfectious causes of hepatic granulomas that are in the differential diagnosis
      are also discussed. DATA SOURCES: Literature review and cases acquired during
      years of practice. CONCLUSIONS: A wide variety of infectious and noninfectious
      entities cause hepatic granulomas.

PMID- 26125428
TI  - Drug-Induced Liver Injury.
AB  - CONTEXT: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) represents a diverse set of responses
      following exposure to any manufactured or naturally occurring chemical compound.
      Drug-induced liver injury is of major concern owing to the ever increasing number
      of compounds introduced into the market for treatment of various diseases as well
      as the increasing popularity of herbals, which lend themselves to self-medication
      but are not rigorously regulated. OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the
      prevalence, classification, and diagnosis of DILI with emphasis on pathogenesis
      and the role of a liver biopsy. To focus on the most common, emerging, and herbal
      agents that cause DILI with emphasis on the histologic pattern of injury
      observed. DATA SOURCES: A review of the literature was drawn from the PubMed (US
      National Library of Medicine) repository, textbooks, and online databases. All
      figures were taken from cases seen at our tertiary referral center, which is 1 of
      12 participating sites in the National Institutes of Health-funded Drug-Induced
      Liver Injury Network. CONCLUSIONS: Drug-induced liver injury due to prescription,
      over-the-counter, and herbal products is a major cause of liver disease in the
      United States and around the world. Diagnosis of DILI is challenging because
      there is no single clinical, laboratory, or histologic feature specific to DILI.
      Accurate diagnosis requires establishing a causal relationship with the suspected
      agent and excluding competing causes of liver injury. The liver biopsy is an
      essential component in the management of DILI by offering clues to the underlying
      pathogenesis, providing prognostic information, and guiding therapy.

PMID- 26125429
TI  - Design of a Genomics Curriculum: Competencies for Practicing Pathologists.
AB  - CONTEXT: The field of genomics is rapidly impacting medical care across
      specialties. To help guide test utilization and interpretation, pathologists must
      be knowledgeable about genomic techniques and their clinical utility. The
      technology allowing timely generation of genomic data is relatively new to
      patient care and the clinical laboratory, and therefore, many currently
      practicing pathologists have been trained without any molecular or genomics
      exposure. Furthermore, the exposure that current and recent trainees receive in
      this field remains inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: To assess pathologists' learning
      needs in genomics and to develop a curriculum to address these educational needs.
      DESIGN: A working group formed by the College of American Pathologists developed
      an initial list of genomics competencies (knowledge and skills statements) that a
      practicing pathologist needs to be successful. Experts in genomics were then
      surveyed to rate the importance of each competency. These data were used to
      create a final list of prioritized competencies. A subset of the working group
      defined subtopics and tasks for each competency. Appropriate delivery methods for
      the educational material were also proposed. RESULTS: A final list of 32 genomics
      competency statements was developed. A prioritized curriculum was created with
      designated subtopics and tasks associated with each competency. CONCLUSIONS: We
      present a genomics curriculum designed as a first step toward providing
      practicing pathologists with the competencies needed to practice successfully.

PMID- 26125430
TI  - Clinical Laboratory Quality Practices When Hemolysis Occurs.
AB  - CONTEXT: Hemolyzed specimens delay clinical laboratory results, proliferate
      unnecessary testing, complicate physician decisions, injure patients indirectly,
      and increase health care costs. OBJECTIVE: To determine quality improvement
      practices when hemolysis occurs. DESIGN: We used the College of American
      Pathologists (CAP) Survey Program to distribute a Q-Probes-type questionnaire
      about hemolysis practices to CAP Chemistry Survey participants. RESULTS: Of 3495
      participants sent the questionnaire, 846 (24%) responded. Although 85%, 69%, and
      55% of participants had written hemolysis policies for potassium, lactate
      dehydrogenase, and glucose, respectively, only a few (46%, 40%, and 40%) had
      standardized hemolysis reports between their primary and secondary chemistry
      analyzers for these 3 analytes. Most participants (70%) had not attempted to
      validate the manufacturers' hemolysis data for these 3 analytes; however,
      essentially all who tried, succeeded. Forty-nine percent of participants had
      taken corrective action to reduce hemolysis during the past year and used, on
      average, 2.4 different actions, with collection and distribution of hemolysis
      data to administrative leadership (57%), troubleshooting outliers (55%),
      retraining phlebotomist (53%), and establishment of quality improvement teams
      among the laboratory and at problem locations (37%) being the most common
      actions. When asked to assess their progress in reducing hemolysis, 70% noted
      slow to no progress, and 2% gave up on improvement. Upon measuring potassium,
      lactate dehydrogenase, and glucose, approximately 60% of participants used the
      same specimen flag for hemolysis as for lipemia and icterus. CONCLUSIONS:
      Hemolysis decreases the quality and increases the cost of health care. Practices
      for measuring, reporting, and decreasing hemolysis rates need improvement.

PMID- 26125431
TI  - Routine Clinical Mutation Profiling of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Using Next
      Generation Sequencing.
AB  - CONTEXT: The availability of massive, parallel-sequencing technologies makes
      possible efficient, simultaneous detection of driver and druggable mutations in
      cancer. OBJECTIVE: To develop an amplicon-based, next-generation sequencing,
      mutation-detection assay for lung cancer using the 454 GS Junior (Roche Applied
      Science, Indianapolis, Indiana) platform. DESIGN: Fusion primers incorporating
      target sequence, 454 adaptors, and multiplex identifiers were designed to
      generate 35 amplicons (median length 246 base pairs) covering 8.9 kilobases of
      mutational hotspots in AKT1, BRAF, EGFR, ERBB2, HRAS, KRAS, NRAS, PIK3CA, and
      MAP2K1 genes and all exons of the PTEN gene. RESULTS: The assay was validated on
      23 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung cancer specimens. A minimum number of
      reads was consistently achieved with overall median read depth of 529* per
      amplicon. In total, 25 point mutations and 4 insertions/deletions (indels) with a
      frequency of 5.5% to 93.1% mutant alleles were detected. All EGFR, ERBB2, KRAS,
      PIK3CA, KRAS, and PTEN mutations, as detected by next-generation sequencing, were
      confirmed by pyrosequencing, with the exception of 3 point mutations in a tumor
      sample with low mutant-allele burden (below the pyrosequencing limit of
      detection). CONCLUSIONS: The GS Junior-based, targeted, resequencing assay for a
      focused set of non-small cell lung cancer driver genes allows for quick and
      sensitive detection of point mutations and indels for the most relevant
      therapeutic genes in this type of cancer.

PMID- 26125432
TI  - Evaluation of HER2/neu Status by Immunohistochemistry Using Computer-Based Image
      Analysis and Correlation With Gene Amplification by Fluorescence In Situ
      Hybridization Assay: A 10-Year Experience and Impact of Test Standardization on
      Concordance Rate.
AB  - CONTEXT: The American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American
      Pathologists proposed several recommendations for human epidermal growth factor
      receptor 2 (HER2) test standardization. One suggestion was that image analysis
      (IA) could be useful for scoring of HER2/neu immunohistochemistry. The
      utilization of IA in a real-world practice in a large cohort of cases has not
      been previously reported. OBJECTIVES: To compare HER2/neu quantification by IA
      with gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH); to
      determine sensitivity, specificity, and concordance rates with the FISH assay;
      and to determine association between HER2 status with estrogen receptor (ER),
      progesterone receptor (PR), and Ki-67 expression. DESIGN: We evaluated HER2
      results performed by immunohistochemistry and FISH in conjunction with ER, PR,
      and Ki-67 in 3093 invasive breast cancer cases from 2002 to 2011. RESULTS: The
      overall concordance between immunohistochemistry and FISH was 87.3% (1768 of
      2026). When analyzed by year, there was an improvement in the positive
      concordance rate from 49.4% (44 of 89) to 95.0% (57 of 60) (P < .001). The
      negative concordance rate was at least 95% with a median false-negative rate of
      1.5%. In the FISH+ group, amplification ratio showed significant correlation with
      IA scores (P < .001). Positive versus negative HER2 status was associated with
      lower ER and PR levels (P < .001) and higher Ki-67 expression (P < .001).
      CONCLUSION: Scoring of HER2/neu by IA was associated with high false-positive
      rates before 2008. Improvement in concordance rate after 2008 may be due to
      proper tissue handling, improved HER2/neu scoring by IA, and assay
      standardization.

PMID- 26125433
TI  - Artificial Intelligence for Pathologists Is Not Near--It Is Here: Description of
      a Prototype That Can Transform How We Practice Pathology Tomorrow.
AB  - CONTEXT: Pathologists' daily tasks consist of both the professional
      interpretation of slides and the secretarial tasks of translating these
      interpretations into final pathology reports, the latter of which is a time
      consuming endeavor for most pathologists. OBJECTIVE: To describe an artificial
      intelligence that performs secretarial tasks, designated as Secretary-Mimicking
      Artificial Intelligence (SMILE). DESIGN: The underling implementation of SMILE is
      a collection of computer programs that work in concert to "listen to" the voice
      commands and to "watch for" the changes of windows caused by slide bar code
      scanning; SMILE responds to these inputs by acting upon PowerPath Client windows
      (Sunquest Information Systems, Tucson, Arizona) and its Microsoft Word
      (Microsoft, Redmond, Washington) Add-In window, eventuating in the reports being
      typed and finalized. Secretary-Mimicking Artificial Intelligence also
      communicates relevant information to the pathologist via the computer speakers
      and message box on the screen. RESULTS: Secretary-Mimicking Artificial
      Intelligence performs many secretarial tasks intelligently and semiautonomously,
      with rapidity and consistency, thus enabling pathologists to focus on slide
      interpretation, which results in a marked increase in productivity, decrease in
      errors, and reduction of stress in daily practice. Secretary-Mimicking Artificial
      Intelligence undergoes encounter-based learning continually, resulting in a
      continuous improvement in its knowledge-based intelligence. CONCLUSIONS:
      Artificial intelligence for pathologists is both feasible and powerful. The
      future widespread use of artificial intelligence in our profession is certainly
      going to transform how we practice pathology.

PMID- 26125434
TI  - Calcifying Fibrous Tumor of the Gastrointestinal Tract.
AB  - Calcifying fibrous tumor is a benign mass lesion classically described as a soft
      tissue tumor. However, a thorough review of the literature reveals that it can
      occur virtually anywhere, including the tubular gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Its
      clinical manifestations are variable in the GI tract, and its imaging findings
      are nonspecific. However, it has unique histologic and immunophenotypical
      features that must be recognized by GI pathologists to differentiate it from an
      assortment of other rare mesenchymal lesions of the abdomen and GI tract.
      Calcifying fibrous tumor is composed of a paucicellular collagen matrix,
      interspersed calcified bodies, and a sparse inflammatory infiltrate. Although
      calcifying fibrous tumor is benign, pathologists must be aware that it may occur
      in the GI tract to differentiate it from other potentially more aggressive, rare
      mesenchymal lesions. 

PMID- 26125435
TI  - Clinicopathologic Correlates of Primary Aldosteronism.
AB  - Primary aldosteronism is the most common cause of secondary hypertension,
      incurring significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Our understanding
      of this disease has evolved substantially during the past decade. Recently, the
      molecular basis of primary aldosteronism has begun to be unraveled, with the
      discovery of mutations in potassium channel (KCNJ5), ATPases (ATP1A1, ATP2B3),
      and calcium channel (CACNA1D), and aberrant Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. The most
      recent data suggest that 95% of cases are sporadic, whereas 5% of cases are
      hereditary. Pathologic correlates of primary aldosteronism include adrenal
      cortical hyperplasia, adenoma, and carcinoma. Although the most common clinical
      presentation is bilateral adrenal cortical hyperplasia, this entity is usually
      treated medically. Therefore, in the setting of primary aldosteronism, surgical
      pathologists are most commonly exposed to adrenocortical adenomas and the odd
      occasional carcinoma. This review provides an update on the current knowledge of
      primary aldosteronism and discusses the clinicopathologic correlations of this
      important disease. 

PMID- 26125436
TI  - Gene-based vaccines and immunotherapeutic strategies against neurodegenerative
      diseases: Potential utility and limitations.
AB  - There has been a recent expansion of vaccination and immunotherapeutic strategies
      from controlling infectious diseases to the targeting of non-infectious
      conditions including neurodegenerative disorders. In addition to conventional
      vaccine and immunotherapeutic modalities, gene-based methods that express
      antigens for presentation to the immune system by either live viral vectors or
      non-viral naked DNA plasmids have been developed and evaluated. This mini
      review/commentary summarizes the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the
      research findings to date, of both of these gene-based vaccination approaches in
      terms of how they can be targeted against appropriate antigens within the
      Alzheimer and Parkinson disease pathogenesis processes as well as potentially
      against targets in other neurodegenerative diseases. Most recently, the novel
      utilization of these viral vector and naked DNA gene-based technologies includes
      the delivery of immunoglobulin genes from established biologically active
      monoclonal antibodies. This modified passive immunotherapeutic strategy has
      recently been applied to deliver passive antibody immunotherapy against the
      pathologically relevant amyloid beta protein in Alzheimer disease. The advantages
      and disadvantages of this technological application of gene-based immune
      interventions, as well as research findings to date are also summarized. In sum,
      it is suggested that further evaluation of gene based vaccines and
      immunotherapies against neurodegenerative diseases are warranted to determine
      their potential clinical utility. 

PMID- 26125438
TI  - Extracellularly secreted APE1/Ref-1 triggers apoptosis in triple-negative breast
      cancer cells via RAGE binding, which is mediated through acetylation.
AB  - The present study evaluated the mechanism of apoptosis caused by post
      translational modification, hyperacetylation in triple-negative breast cancer
      (TNBC) cells. We previously showed that trichostatin A (TSA) induced secretion of
      acetylated apurinic apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/redox factor-1 (Ac-APE1/Ref-1).
      This is the first report showing that Ac-APE1/Ref-1 initiates apoptosis in TNBC
      cells by binding to the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). The
      functional significance of secreted Ac-APE1/Ref-1 was studied by induction of
      intracellular hyperacetylation through co-treatment with acetylsalicylic acid and
      TSA in MDA-MB-231 cells. In response to hyperacetylation, secretion of Ac
      APE1/Ref-1 in vesicles was observed, resulting in significantly decreased cell
      viability and induction of apoptosis with increased expression of RAGE. The
      hyperacetylation-induced apoptosis was similar in two other TNBC cell lines: BT
      459 and MDA-MB-468. Therefore, hyperacetylation may be a therapeutic target for
      treatment of TNBCs. This study introduces a novel paradigm whereby post
      translational modification induces apoptotic cell death in breast cancer cells
      resistant to standard chemotherapeutic agents through secretion of auto- or
      paracrine molecules such as Ac-APE1/Ref-1. 

PMID- 26125439
TI  - miR-193a-3p is a potential tumor suppressor in malignant pleural mesothelioma.
AB  - Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an asbestos-induced cancer with poor
      prognosis that displays characteristic alterations in microRNA expression.
      Recently it was reported that the expression of a subset of microRNAs can
      distinguish between MPM and adenocarcinoma of the lung. However, the functional
      importance of these changes has yet to be investigated. We compared expression of
      miR-192, miR-193a-3p and the miR-200 family in normal pleura and MPM tumor
      specimens and found a statistically significant reduction in the levels of miR
      193a-3p (3.1-fold) and miR-192 (2.8-fold) in MPM. Transfection of MPM cells with
      a miR-193a-3p mimic resulted in inhibition of growth and an induction of
      apoptosis and necrosis in vitro. The growth inhibitory effects of miR-193a-3p
      were associated with a decrease in MCL1 expression and were recapitulated by RNAi
      mediated MCL1 silencing. Targeted delivery of miR-193a-3p mimic using EDV
      minicells inhibited MPM xenograft tumour growth, and was associated with
      increased apoptosis. In conclusion, miR-193a-3p appears to have importance in the
      biology of MPM and may represent a target for therapeutic intervention. 

PMID- 26125441
TI  - Critical role of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in driving epithelial ovarian cancer
      platinum resistance.
AB  - Resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy is the major barrier to treating
      epithelial ovarian cancer. To improve patient outcomes, it is critical to
      identify the underlying mechanisms that promote platinum resistance. Emerging
      evidence supports the concept that platinum-based therapies are able to eliminate
      the bulk of differentiated cancer cells, but are unable to eliminate cancer
      initiating cells (CIC). To date, the relevant pathways that regulate ovarian CICs
      remain elusive. Several correlative studies have shown that Wnt/beta-catenin
      pathway activation is associated with poor outcomes in patients with high-grade
      serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). However, the functional relevance of these
      findings remain to be delineated. We have uncovered that Wnt/beta-catenin pathway
      activation is a critical driver of HGSOC chemotherapy resistance, and targeted
      inhibition of this pathway, which eliminates CICs, represents a novel and
      effective treatment for chemoresistant HGSOC. Here we show that Wnt/beta-catenin
      signaling is activated in ovarian CICs, and targeted inhibition of beta-catenin
      potently sensitized cells to cisplatin and decreased CIC tumor sphere formation.
      Furthermore, the Wnt/beta-catenin specific inhibitor iCG-001 potently sensitized
      cells to cisplatin and decreased stem-cell frequency in platinum resistant cells.
      Taken together, our data is the first report providing evidence that the Wnt/beta
      catenin signaling pathway maintains stem-like properties and drug resistance of
      primary HGSOC PDX derived platinum resistant models, and therapeutic targeting of
      this pathway with iCG-001/PRI-724, which has been shown to be well tolerated in
      Phase I trials, may be an effective treatment option. 

PMID- 26125442
TI  - The genomic evolution of human prostate cancer.
AB  - Prostate cancers are highly prevalent in the developed world, with inheritable
      risk contributing appreciably to tumour development. Genomic heterogeneity within
      individual prostate glands and between patients derives predominantly from
      structural variants and copy-number aberrations. Subtypes of prostate cancers are
      being delineated through the increasing use of next-generation sequencing, but
      these subtypes are yet to be used to guide the prognosis or therapeutic strategy.
      Herein, we review our current knowledge of the mutational landscape of human
      prostate cancer, describing what is known of the common mutations underpinning
      its development. We evaluate recurrent prostate-specific mutations prior to
      discussing the mutational events that are shared both in prostate cancer and
      across multiple cancer types. From these data, we construct a putative overview
      of the genomic evolution of human prostate cancer. 

PMID- 26125443
TI  - Vascular endothelial growth factor D  expression is a potential biomarker of 
      bevacizumab benefit in colorectal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Bevacizumab prolongs progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with
      metastatic colorectal cancer. We analysed the protein expression levels of
      vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) ligands and receptors to determine
      their prognostic and predictive effects. METHODS: We graded expression of VEGF-A,
      VEGF-B, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, VEGF-R1, and VEGF-R2 to assess whether overexpression
      predicted bevacizumab resistance in samples from 268 of 471 patients randomised
      to capecitabine (C), capecitabine and bevacizumab (CB), or CB and mitomycin (CBM)
      in the MAX trial and extended the analysis to the CAIRO-2 population. RESULTS:
      Patients with low expression of VEGF-D (0, 1p) benefited from bevacizumab
      treatment (PFS hazard ratio (HR) (C vs CBpCBM), 0.21; 95% CI, 0.08-0.55; overall
      survival (OS) HR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.13-0.90). Patients with higher VEGF-D
      expression received less benefit (VEGF-D 2p PFS HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.45-1.00; OS
      HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.52-1.30; VEGF-D 3p PFS HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.50-1.17; OS HR,
      1.28; 95% CI, 0.79-2.09) (P interaction o0.05). In CAIRO-2, there was no
      difference in PFS or OS according to VEGF-D expression. CONCLUSIONS: The
      predictive value of VEGF-D expression for bevacizumab may depend on the
      chemotherapy backbone used. Further evaluation is required before clinical
      utilisation.

PMID- 26125440
TI  - Targeting cancer by binding iron: Dissecting cellular signaling pathways.
AB  - Newer and more potent therapies are urgently needed to effectively treat advanced
      cancers that have developed resistance and metastasized. One such strategy is to
      target cancer cell iron metabolism, which is altered compared to normal cells and
      may facilitate their rapid proliferation. This is supported by studies reporting
      the anti-neoplastic activities of the clinically available iron chelators,
      desferrioxamine and deferasirox. More recently, ligands of the di-2-pyridylketone
      thiosemicarbazone (DpT) class have demonstrated potent and selective anti
      proliferative activity across multiple cancer-types in vivo, fueling studies
      aimed at dissecting their molecular mechanisms of action. In the past five years
      alone, significant advances have been made in understanding how chelators not
      only modulate cellular iron metabolism, but also multiple signaling pathways
      implicated in tumor progression and metastasis. Herein, we discuss recent
      research on the targeting of iron in cancer cells, with a focus on the novel and
      potent DpT ligands. Several key studies have revealed that iron chelation can
      target the AKT, ERK, JNK, p38, STAT3, TGF-beta, Wnt and autophagic pathways to
      subsequently inhibit cellular proliferation, the epithelial-mesenchymal
      transition (EMT) and metastasis. These developments emphasize that these novel
      therapies could be utilized clinically to effectively target cancer. 

PMID- 26125444
TI  - Family history of cancer and the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of oesophagus: a
      case-control study in Kashmir, India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Only a few studies have examined the association between family
      history of cancer (FHC) and the risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma
      (ESCC) in high incidence areas of ESCC. We conducted a case-control study to
      evaluate the relationship between FHC and ESCC risk in Kashmir, India, with
      analysis of detailed epidemiological data and information on multiple gene
      polymorphisms. METHODS: We collected detailed information on FHC and a number of
      socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, and also obtained blood samples for
      genetic analysis from 703 histopathologically confirmed ESCC cases and 1664
      individually matched controls. Conditional logistic regression models were used
      to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). RESULTS:
      Participants who had FHC showed a strong association with ESCC risk, and the risk
      was stronger when first-degree relatives (FDRs) had FHC (OR=6.8; 95% CI=4.6-9.9).
      Having a sibling with a cancer showed the strongest association (OR=10.8; 95%
      CI=6.0-19.3), but having a child with a cancer was not associated with ESCC risk.
      A history of any cancer in the spouse was also associated with ESCC risk (OR=4.1;
      95% CI=1.6-10.2). Those with two or more relatives with FHC were at a higher risk
      of ESCC. After restricting FHC to familial ESCC only, the above associations were
      strengthened, except when spouses were affected with ESCC (OR=2.5; 95% CI=0.7
      8.9). When we examined the associations between several single-nucleotide
      polymorphisms and ESCC in those with and without FHC, the associations of variant
      genotypes in cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 and CYP2D6 and the wild genotype of
      CYP2E1 with ESCC were much stronger in those with FHC. The FHC had an additive
      interaction with several risk factors of ESCC in this population. CONCLUSION: Our
      results showed that FHC was strongly associated with ESCC risk in Kashmir. It
      seems both genetic factors and shared environment are involved in this
      association.

PMID- 26125445
TI  - Bone marrow-derived stromal cells are associated with gastric cancer progression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to clarify the role of bone marrow-derived
      stromal cells (BM-SCs) expressing CD271 in the development of gastric cancer.
      METHODS: The effect of human BM-SCs on the proliferation and motility of six
      gastric cancer cell lines, OCUM-2M, OCUM-2MD3, OCUM-12, KATO-III, NUGC-3, and MKN
      74, was examined. CD271 expression levels in BM-SCs were analysed by flow
      cytometry. We also generated a gastric tumour model by orthotopic inoculation of
      OCUM-2MLN cells in mice that had received transplantation of bone marrow from the
      CAG-EGFP mice. The correlation between the clinicopathological features of 279
      primary gastric carcinomas and CD271 expression in tumour stroma was examined by
      immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Numerous BM-SCs infiltrated the gastric tumour
      microenvironment; CD271 expression was found in ~25% of BM-SCs. Conditioned
      medium from BM-SCs significantly increased the proliferation of gastric cancer
      cell lines. Furthermore, conditioned medium from gastric cancer cells
      significantly increased the number of BM-SCs, whereas migration of OCUM-12 and
      NUGC-3 cells was significantly increased by conditioned medium from BM-SCs. CD271
      expression in stromal cells was significantly associated with macroscopic type-4
      cancers, diffuse-type tumours, and tumour invasion depth. The overall survival of
      patients (n=279) with CD271-positive stromal cells was significantly worse
      compared with that of patients with CD271-negative stromal cells. This is the
      first report of the significance of BM-SCs in gastric cancer progression.
      CONCLUSIONS: Bone marrow-derived stromal cells might have an important role in
      gastric cancer progression, and CD271-positive BM-SCs might be a useful
      prognostic factor for gastric cancer patients.

PMID- 26125446
TI  - Early diagnosis of bladder cancer through the detection of urinary tyrosine
      phosphorylated proteins.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A noninvasive, highly sensitive and specific urine test is needed for
      bladder cancer (BC) diagnosis and surveillance in addition to the invasive
      cystoscopy. We previously described the diagnostic effectiveness of urinary
      tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins (UPY) and a new assay (UPY-A) for their
      measurement in a pilot study. The aim of this work was to evaluate the
      performances of the UPY-A using an independent cohort of 262 subjects. METHODS:
      Urinary tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins were measured by UPY-A test. The area
      under ROC curve, cutoff, sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of UPY-A
      were determined. The association of UPY levels with tumour staging, grading,
      recurrence and progression risk was analysed by Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon's
      test. To test the probability to be a case if positive at the UPY-A, a logistic
      test adjusted for possible confounding factor was used. RESULTS: Results showed a
      significant difference of UPY levels between patients with BC vs healthy
      controls. For the best cutoff value, 261.26 Standard Units (SU), the sensitivity
      of the assay was 80.43% and the specificity was 78.82%. A statistically
      significant difference was found in the levels of UPY at different BC stages and
      grades between Ta and T1 and with different risk of recurrence and progression. A
      statistically significant increased risk for BC at UPY-A ?261.26 SU was observed.
      CONCLUSIONS: The present study supplies important information on the diagnostic
      characteristics of UPY-A revealing remarkable performances for early stages and
      allowing its potential use for different applications encompassing the screening
      of high-risk subjects, primary diagnosis and posttreatment surveillance.

PMID- 26125447
TI  - Cell-free DNA levels in plasma of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer and
      inflammatory lung disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The analysis of plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is expected to provide
      useful biomarkers for early diagnosis of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
      However, it remains unclear whether the intense release of cfDNA into the
      bloodstream of NSCLC patients results from malignancy or chronic inflammatory
      response. Consequently, the current diagnostic utility of plasma cfDNA
      quantification has not been thoroughly validated in subjects with chronic
      respiratory inflammation. Here we assess the effect of chronic respiratory
      inflammation on plasma cfDNA levels and evaluate the potential clinical value of
      this phenomenon as an early lung cancer diagnostic tool. METHODS: We measured
      plasma cfDNA concentrations in 50 resectable NSCLC patients, 101 patients with
      chronic respiratory inflammation (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
      sarcoidosis, or asthma) and 40 healthy volunteers using real-time PCR. RESULTS:
      We found significantly higher plasma cfDNA levels in NSCLC patients than in
      subjects with chronic respiratory inflammation and healthy individuals
      (P<0.0001). There were no significant differences in plasma cfDNA levels between
      patients with chronic respiratory inflammation and healthy volunteers. The cutoff
      point of >2.8 ng ml(-1) provided 90% sensitivity and 80.5% specificity in
      discriminating NSCLC from healthy individuals (area under the curve (AUC)=0.90).
      The receiver-operating characteristics curve distinguishing NSCLC patients from
      subjects with chronic respiratory inflammation indicated 56% sensitivity and 91%
      specificity at the >5.25-ng ml(-1) cutoff (AUC=0.76). CONCLUSIONS: We
      demonstrated that elevated plasma cfDNA levels in NSCLC resulted primarily from
      tumour development rather than inflammatory response, raising the potential
      clinical implications for lung cancer screening and early diagnosis. Further
      research is necessary to better characterise and identify factors and processes
      regulating cfDNA levels in the blood under normal and pathological conditions.

PMID- 26125448
TI  - Impact of KRAS codon subtypes from a randomised phase II trial of selumetinib
      plus docetaxel in KRAS mutant advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Selumetinib (AZD6244, ARRY-142886)+docetaxel increases median overall
      survival (OS) and significantly improves progression-free survival (PFS) and
      objective response rate (ORR) compared with docetaxel alone in patients with KRAS
      mutant, stage IIIB/IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC; NCT00890825). METHODS:
      Retrospective analysis of OS, PFS, ORR and change in tumour size at week 6 for
      different sub-populations of KRAS codon mutations. RESULTS: In patients receiving
      selumetinib+docetaxel and harbouring KRAS G12C or G12V mutations there were
      trends towards greater improvement in OS, PFS and ORR compared with other KRAS
      mutations. CONCLUSION: Different KRAS mutations in NSCLC may influence
      selumetinib/docetaxel sensitivity.

PMID- 26125449
TI  - Dexamethasone exerts profound immunologic interference on treatment efficacy for
      recurrent glioblastoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with recurrent glioblastoma have a poor outcome. Data from
      the phase III registration trial comparing tumour-treating alternating electric
      fields (TTFields) vs chemotherapy provided a unique opportunity to study
      dexamethasone effects on patient outcome unencumbered by the confounding immune
      and myeloablative side effects of chemotherapy. METHODS: Using an unsupervised
      binary partitioning algorithm, we segregated both cohorts of the trial based on
      the dexamethasone dose that yielded the greatest statistical difference in
      overall survival (OS). The results were validated in a separate cohort treated in
      a single institution with TTFields and their T lymphocytes were correlated with
      OS. RESULTS: Patients who used dexamethasone doses >4.1 mg per day had a
      significant reduction in OS when compared with those who used ?4.1 mg per day,
      4.8 vs 11.0 months respectively (chi(2)=34.6, P<0.0001) in the TTField-treated
      cohort and 6.0 vs 8.9 months respectively (chi(2)=10.0, P<0.0015) in the
      chemotherapy-treated cohort. In a single institution validation cohort treated
      with TTFields, the median OS of patients who used dexamethasone >4.1 mg per day
      was 3.2 months compared with those who used ?4.1 mg per day was 8.7 months
      (chi(2)=11.1, P=0.0009). There was a significant correlation between OS and T
      lymphocyte counts. CONCLUSIONS: Dexamethasone exerted profound effects on both
      TTFields and chemotherapy efficacy resulting in lower patient OS. Therefore,
      global immunosuppression by dexamethasone likely interferes with immune functions
      that are necessary for the treatment of glioblastoma.

PMID- 26125450
TI  - Cancer symptom awareness and barriers to symptomatic presentation in England--are
      we clear on cancer?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Low cancer awareness may contribute to delayed diagnosis and poor
      cancer survival. We aimed to quantify socio-demographic differences in cancer
      symptom awareness and barriers to symptomatic presentation in the English
      population. METHODS: Using a uniquely large data set (n=49 270), we examined the
      association of cancer symptom awareness and barriers to presentation with age,
      gender, marital status and socio-economic position (SEP), using logistic
      regression models to control for confounders. RESULTS: The youngest and oldest,
      the single and participants with the lowest SEP recognised the fewest cancer
      symptoms, and reported most barriers to presentation. Recognition of nine common
      cancer symptoms was significantly lower, and embarrassment, fear and difficulties
      in arranging transport to the doctor's surgery were significantly more common in
      participants living in the most deprived areas than in the most affluent areas.
      Women were significantly more likely than men to both recognise common cancer
      symptoms and to report barriers. Women were much more likely compared with men to
      report that fear would put them off from going to the doctor. CONCLUSIONS: Large
      and robust socio-demographic differences in recognition of some cancer symptoms,
      and perception of some barriers to presentation, highlight the need for targeted
      campaigns to encourage early presentation and improve cancer outcomes.

PMID- 26125451
TI  - miR-9-3p plays a tumour-suppressor role by targeting TAZ (WWTR1) in
      hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The inactivation of the Hippo pathway lead to TAZ (PDZ-binding
      motif)/YAP (yes-associated protein) overexpression, and is associated with worse
      prognostic outcomes in various cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
      Although there are several reports of microRNA (miR) targeting for YAP, miR
      targeting for TAZ remains unclear. The aim of this study is to identify the miR
      targeting TAZ expression in HCC. METHODS: MicroRNA expression was analysed using
      the Human miFinder 384HC miScript miR PCR array, and was compared between low and
      high TAZ expression cell lines. Then, we extracted miR-9-3p as a tumour
      suppressor miR targeting TAZ. We examined the functional role of miR-9-3p using
      miR-9-3p mimic and inhibitor in HCC cell lines). RESULTS: In HCC cell lines and
      HCC clinical samples, there was the inverse correlation between miR-9-3p and TAZ
      expressions. TAZ expression was induced by treatment of miR-9-3p inhibitor and
      was downregulated by treatment of miR-9-3p mimic. Treatment of miR-9-3p mimic
      inhibited cell proliferative ability with downregulated phosphorylations of
      Erk1/2, AKT, and beta-catenin in HLF. Inversely, treatment of miR-9-3p inhibitor
      accelerated cell growth compared with control in HuH1. CONCLUSIONS: MicroRNA-9-3p
      was identified as the tumour-suppressor miR targetting TAZ expression in HCC
      cells.

PMID- 26125452
TI  - Systemic neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in colorectal cancer: the relationship to
      patient survival, tumour biology and local lymphocytic response to tumour.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity.
      The impact of inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein etc.) on CRC is
      increasingly studied including systemic neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as
      they seem to predict outcome. METHODS: All patients who underwent curative
      resection for CRC from 2000 to 2004 at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had pre
      operative NLR calculated. Demographic, histopathological and survival data were
      collected. Tissue microarrays were created and stained to determine the mismatch
      repair (MMR) protein status of each tumour. Local lymphocytic response to the
      tumour was assessed and graded. RESULTS: About 358 patients were eligible. Of
      these 88 had an NLR ?5, which predicted lower overall survival and greater
      disease recurrence. A high NLR is associated with higher pT- and pN-stage and a
      greater incidence of extramural venous invasion. MMR protein status was not
      associated with NLR. A pronounced lymphocytic reaction at the invasive margin
      (IM) indicated a better prognosis and was associated with a lower NLR.
      CONCLUSION: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts disease-free and overall
      survival and is associated with a more aggressive tumour phenotype. The
      lymphocytic response to tumour at the IM is associated with NLR however dMMR is
      not. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is a cheap, easy-to-access test that predicts
      outcome in CRC.

PMID- 26125453
TI  - gamma-Turn Mimicry with Benzodiazepinones and Pyrrolobenzodiazepinones
      Synthesized from a Common Amino Ketone Intermediate.
AB  - To investigate diazepinone analogues as gamma-turn mimics, seven 1,4
      benzodiazepin-2-ones 6 and fourteen pyrrolo[1,2-d][1,4]benzodiazepin-6-ones 4 and
      5 were synthesized from 1-(2-aminophenyl)pent-4-en-1-one (7). Acylation of
      aniline 7 with N-Boc-amino acids, olefin oxidation, Boc removal, and
      intramolecular Paal-Knorr condensation gave 4 and 5. Alternatively, Boc removal
      prior to oxidation gave benzodiazepinones 6, which were converted to 4 by
      ozonolysis and cyclization. Comparison of dihedral angle values for the amino
      acid component from X-ray analyses of 4g, 5f, and 6f and related diazepinones has
      catalogued the manner by which ring substituents affect the component's ability
      to mimic the central residues of gamma-turns. 

PMID- 26125455
TI  - Evaluation of Quality, Content, and Use of the Web Site Prepared for Family
      Members Giving Care to Stroke Patients.
AB  - This study was designed to evaluate the quality, content, usability, and efficacy
      of a Web site prepared for the purpose of improving the caregiving capability of
      family members who provide care for stroke survivors at home. The DISCERN score
      for the Web site was found to be 4.35 over 5. The first section that assesses
      reliability of the Web site was 4.38 over 5; mean score of the second section
      that measures the quality of the provided information on treatment/care options
      was 4.30, and mean score of the third section that gives a general evaluation of
      the material was 4.1. The Web site content achieved an average score of 3.47 over
      4 after evaluation by experts. The Web site system usability score was found to
      be 79.4 over 100. The Web site was utilized mostly for exercises in bed (76.3%; n
      = 29), use of medications, and patient safety (68.4%; n = 26). It was determined
      that those who were younger and employed and had no previous experience of
      nursing any patient utilized relatively more from the section of patient
      nutrition and oral care and married family caregivers from the body hygiene
      section. The Web site quality and content were judged to be good and reliable to
      use. The Web site was efficiently used by caregivers. 

PMID- 26125454
TI  - The Effects of Local Warming on Surgical Site Infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSI) account for a major proportion of
      hospital-acquired infections. They are associated with longer hospital stay,
      readmissions, increased costs, mortality, and morbidity. Reducing SSI is a goal
      of the Surgical Care Improvement Project and identifying interventions that
      reduce SSI effectively is of interest. In a single-blinded randomized controlled
      trial (RCT) we evaluated the effect of localized warming applied to surgical
      incisions on SSI development and selected cellular (immune, endothelial) and
      tissue responses (oxygenation, collagen). METHODS: After Institutional Review
      Board approval and consent, patients having open bariatric, colon, or gynecologic
      oncologic related operations were enrolled and randomly assigned to local
      incision warming (6 post-operative treatments) or non-warming. A prototype
      surgical bandage was used for all patients. The study protocol included intra
      operative warming to maintain core temperature >=36 degrees C and administration
      of 0.80 FIO2. Patients were followed for 6 wks for the primary outcome of SSI
      determined by U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) criteria and ASEPSIS scores
      (additional treatment; presence of serous discharge, erythema, purulent exudate,
      and separation of the deep tissues; isolation of bacteria; and duration of
      inpatient stay). Tissue oxygen (PscO2) and samples for cellular analyses were
      obtained using subcutaneous polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) tubes and oxygen
      micro-electrodes implanted adjacent to the incision. Cellular and tissue ePTFE
      samples were evaluated using flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, and SircolTM
      collagen assay (Biocolor Ltd., Carrickfergus, United Kingdom). RESULTS: One
      hundred forty-six patients participated (n=73 per group). Study groups were
      similar on demographic parameters and for intra-operative management factors. The
      CDC defined rate of SSI was 18%; occurrence of SSI between groups did not differ
      (p=0.27). At 2 wks, warmed patients had better ASEPSIS scores (p=0.04) but this
      difference was not observed at 6 wks. There were no significant differences in
      immune, endothelial cell, or collagen responses between groups. On post-operative
      days one to two, warmed patients had greater PscO2 change scores with an average
      PscO2 increase of 9-10 mm Hg above baseline (p<0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Post-operative
      local warming compared with non-warming followed in this study, which included
      intra-operative warming to maintain normothermia and FIO2 level of 0.80, did not
      reduce SSI and had no effect on immune, endothelial cell presence, or collagen
      synthesis. PscO2 increased significantly with warming, however, the increase was
      modest and less than expected or what has been observed in studies testing other
      interventions.

PMID- 26125456
TI  - Honeycomb-like Porous Carbon-Cobalt Oxide Nanocomposite for High-Performance
      Enzymeless Glucose Sensor and Supercapacitor Applications.
AB  - Herein, we report the preparation of Pongam seed shells-derived activated carbon
      and cobalt oxide (~2-10 nm) nanocomposite (PSAC/Co3O4) by using a general and
      facile synthesis strategy. The as-synthesized PSAC/Co3O4 samples were
      characterized by a variety of physicochemical techniques. The PSAC/Co3O4-modified
      electrode is employed in two different applications such as high performance
      nonenzymatic glucose sensor and supercapacitor. Remarkably, the fabricated
      glucose sensor is exhibited an ultrahigh sensitivity of 34.2 mA mM(-1) cm(-2)
      with a very low detection limit (21 nM) and long-term durability. The PSAC/Co3O4
      modified stainless steel electrode possesses an appreciable specific capacitance
      and remarkable long-term cycling stability. The obtained results suggest the as
      synthesized PSAC/Co3O4 is more suitable for the nonenzymatic glucose sensor and
      supercapacitor applications outperforming the related carbon based modified
      electrodes, rendering practical industrial applications. 

PMID- 26125457
TI  - Yvh1 protein phosphatase is required for pre-autophagosomal structure formation
      after TORC1 inactivation.
AB  - The pre-autophagosomal structure (PAS) is a putative site for autophagosome
      formation in budding yeast. Upon nutrient depletion or rapamycin treatment,
      target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) becomes inactive, inducing PAS formation
      and autophagy. Here, we show that Yvh1 phosphatase is critical for PAS formation,
      but not autophagy induction, after TORC1 inactivation. 

PMID- 26125458
TI  - Endoscopic Management of Early Esophageal Cancer.
AB  - The absolute incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has increased 7-fold over the
      past 5 decades, and esophageal adenocarcinoma is the most rapidly increasing
      epithelial malignancy in the United States. The incidence of early esophageal
      cancer has also increased proportionately. In the past decade, radiofrequency
      ablation has become the standard first-line therapy for high-grade dysplasia when
      found in the precursor lesion to esophageal adenocarcinoma, Barrett's esophagus.
      Success in the endoscopic management of high-grade dysplasia has furthered
      efforts to treat early esophageal cancers endoscopically. Although surgery
      remains the mainstay of treatment for more advanced tumors, national guidelines
      now recommend endoscopic mucosal resection followed by radiofrequency ablation
      for intramucosal carcinomas and T1a cancers. T1b cancers represent a more
      challenging group-very good results have been reported in highly selected subsets
      of patients with T1b tumors; however, many recommendations favor
      individualization or a surgical approach for this stage. This review examines the
      current data and recommendations regarding the endoscopic management of early
      esophageal adenocarcinomas. 

PMID- 26125459
TI  - What is the Risk of Colorectal Cancer After an Episode of Acute Diverticulitis in
      Conservatively Treated Patients?
AB  - GOALS: The goal is to find the risk of colorectal cancer after an episode of
      acute diverticulitis in conservatively treated patients. Secondly, to determine
      the benefit of colonoscopy in these patients. BACKGROUND: In the Netherlands, it
      is a common practice to routinely perform a colonoscopy after an episode of
      conservatively treated diverticulitis to exclude a malignancy. Yet according to
      the Dutch guidelines, these patients should not undergo a colonoscopy on a
      routine basis. The aim of this study is to determine the benefit of a colonoscopy
      in patients who have been treated for diverticulitis conservatively. STUDY: This
      retrospective study includes patients who were diagnosed with acute
      diverticulitis (Hinchey 0 and I) and were treated conservatively, with or without
      antibiotics. Only patients who underwent colonoscopy were included for analysis.
      In addition, the outcome (yes or no colorectal cancer) of colonoscopy was
      analyzed according to patients' presentation of alarm symptoms for colorectal
      cancer. RESULTS: Between January 2008 and June 2013, 977 patients were treated
      conservatively for an episode of acute diverticulitis. Of those, 645 underwent
      colonoscopy during follow-up. Alarm symptoms for colorectal cancer were present
      in 205 patients. Nine of them were diagnosed with colorectal cancer (4.4%) versus
      1 patient (0.2%, P=0.0002) in the group without alarm symptoms (N=440).
      CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that routine colonoscopy is not indicated after
      acute diverticulitis which has been treated conservatively in a large series.
      Only in case of alarm symptoms a colonoscopy is mandatory, but even then the
      actual finding of a colorectal cancer is rare.

PMID- 26125460
TI  - Long-term Follow-up Study of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Severe and/or
      Complicated Clostridium difficile Infection: A Multicenter Experience.
AB  - GOAL: Our aim was to investigate fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) efficacy
      in patients with severe and/or complicated Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).
      BACKGROUND: FMT is successful for recurrent CDI, although its benefit in severe
      or complicated CDI has not specifically been evaluated. STUDY METHODS: A
      multicenter long-term follow-up study was performed in patients who received FMT
      for severe and/or complicated CDI (diagnosed using standard criteria). Pre-FMT
      and post-FMT questionnaires were completed. Study outcomes included cure rates
      and time to resolution of symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients (82%
      inpatients, 18% outpatients) were included (76.4% women; mean age, 66.4 y; mean
      follow-up, 11.4 mo). Patients had severe and complicated (76.4%) or either severe
      or complicated (23.6%) CDI. Sixteen patients (94.1%) had diarrhea, which resolved
      in 12 (75%; mean time to resolution, 5.7 d) and improved in 4 (25%) after FMT.
      Eleven patients (64.7%) had abdominal pain, which resolved in 8 (72.7%; mean time
      to resolution, 9.6 d) and improved in 3 (27.3%) after FMT. Two of 17 patients
      experienced early CDI recurrence (<=90 d) after FMT (primary cure rate, 88.2%);
      and in 1 patient, a second FMT resulted in cure (secondary cure rate, 94.1%).
      Late CDI recurrence (>=90 d) was seen in 1 of 17 patients (5.9%) in association
      with antibiotics and was successfully treated with a repeat FMT. No adverse
      effects directly related to FMT occurred. CONCLUSIONS: FMT was successful and
      safe in this cohort of patients with severe or complicated CDI. Primary and
      secondary cure rates were 88.2% and 94.1%, respectively.

PMID- 26125461
TI  - Fellowship Colonoscopy Training and Preparedness for Independent Gastroenterology
      Practice.
AB  - GOALS: To objectively assess when gastroenterology (GI) fellows achieve technical
      competency to perform colonoscopy independently. BACKGROUND: New guidelines to
      assess the procedural competency of GI fellows in training have been developed.
      Although comprehensive, they do not account for the quality metrics to which
      independently practicing gastroenterologists are held. STUDY: We performed a
      prospective study examining consecutive colonoscopies performed by GI fellows
      from November 2013 through March 2014 at an academic medical center. Using a
      brief postprocedure questionnaire and the online medical record, we measured
      rates of independent fellow cecal intubation rate (CIR), insertion time to the
      cecum (cecal IT), and independent polypectomy rate. Our secondary outcomes were
      adenoma detection rate and polyp detection rate. RESULTS: A total of 898
      colonoscopies performed by 10 GI fellows were analyzed. In the multivariate
      analysis, CIR [odds ratio (OR)=1.29, P=0.012], cecal IT (beta-coefficient=0.19,
      P=0.006), and rates of unassisted independent snare polypectomy (OR=1.36,
      P<0.001) all improved significantly with increased number of procedures performed
      (OR and beta-coefficient per 100 colonoscopies performed). After performing 500
      colonoscopies, fellows achieved a mean CIR>90%, cecal IT between 7 and 10
      minutes, and independent polypectomy rate of 90% with further improvement in
      cecal IT to <7 minutes, and independent snare polypectomy of >95% after 700
      cases. CONCLUSIONS: Current procedural recommendations for fellowship training
      may underestimate the technical skill necessary for independent GI practice upon
      completion of fellowship. Technical proficiency in snare polypectomy may lag
      behind proficiency in cecal intubation.

PMID- 26125462
TI  - Development and Internal Validation of a Model for Early Detection of
      Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients With Cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is recommended in
      patients with cirrhosis; however, early detection efforts are limited by
      suboptimal effectiveness. AIM: To derive and validate a model to accurately
      distinguish cirrhotic patients with and without HCC and compare the accuracy of
      the model to that of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) alone. METHODS: We conducted a case
      control study of cirrhotic patients with and without HCC seen at a large urban
      hospital system between January 2005 and June 2012. We derived multivariate
      logistic regression models for the presence of HCC and early-stage HCC.
      Discriminatory power was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve
      analysis in derivation and validation cohorts using a 10-fold cross-validation
      approach. RESULTS: We identified 1356 patients with cirrhosis, with (n=455, 147
      early stage) and without (n=901) HCC. We found that AFP>20 ng/mL and FIB-4, a
      noninvasive marker of fibrosis, were significantly associated with the presence
      of HCC (OR=10.5; 95% CI, 7.9-13.9 and OR=1.05; 95% CI, 1.03-1.07, respectively)
      and early-stage HCC (OR=4.4; 95% CI, 2.9-6.5 and OR=1.06; 95% CI, 1.03-1.09,
      respectively). Models incorporating AFP and FIB-4 had good discriminatory power,
      with c-statistics of approximately 0.80, in both derivation and validation
      cohorts. The model for early-stage HCC had higher discriminatory power than AFP
      alone (c-statistic 0.73; 95% CI, 0.69-0.78) in derivation and validation cohorts
      (P=0.02 and 0.15, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Models including AFP and FIB-4 can
      accurately discriminate cirrhotic patients with early-stage HCC from those
      without HCC.

PMID- 26125463
TI  - Chemokine Ligand 20: A Signal for Leukocyte Recruitment During Human Ovulation?
AB  - Ovulation is one of the cornerstones of female fertility. Disruption of the
      ovulatory process results in infertility, which affects approximately 10% of
      couples. Using a unique model in which the dominant follicle is collected across
      the periovulatory period in women, we have identified a leukocyte
      chemoattractant, chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20), in the human ovary. CCL20 mRNA is
      massively induced after an in vivo human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) stimulus in
      granulosa (>10 000-fold) and theca (>4000-fold) cells collected during the early
      ovulatory (12-18 h) and late ovulatory (18-34 h) periods after hCG
      administration. Because the LH surge sets in motion an inflammatory reaction
      characterized by an influx of leukocytes and CCL20 is known to recruit leukocytes
      in other systems, the composition of ovarian leukocytes (CD45+) containing the
      CCL20 receptor CCR6 was determined immediately prior to ovulation. CD45+/CCR6+
      cells were primarily natural killer cells (41%) along with B cells (12%), T cells
      (11%), neutrophils (10%), and monocytes (9%). Importantly, exogenous CCL20
      stimulated ovarian leukocyte migration 59% within 90 minutes. Due to the
      difficulties in obtaining human follicles, an in vitro model was developed using
      granulosa-lutein cells to explore CCL20 regulation. CCL20 expression increased 40
      fold within 6 hours after hCG, was regulated partially by the epithelial growth
      factor pathway, and was positively correlated with progesterone production. These
      results demonstrate that hCG dramatically increases CCL20 expression in the human
      ovary, that ovarian leukocytes contain the CCL20 receptor, and that CCL20
      stimulates leukocyte migration. Our findings raise the prospect that CCL20 may
      aid in the final ovulatory events and contribute to fertility in women. 

PMID- 26125465
TI  - Pancreatic PYY Is Critical in the Control of Insulin Secretion and Glucose
      Homeostasis in Female Mice.
AB  - Insulin secretion is tightly controlled through coordinated actions of a number
      of systemic and local factors. Peptide YY (PYY) is expressed in alpha-cells of
      the islet, but its role in control of islet function such as insulin release is
      not clear. In this study, we generated a transgenic mouse model (Pyy(tg/+)/Rip
      Cre) overexpressing the Pyy gene under the control of the rat insulin 2 gene
      promoter and assessed the impact of islet-released PYY on beta-cell function,
      insulin release, and glucose homeostasis in mice. Our results show that up
      regulation of PYY in islet beta-cells leads to an increase in serum insulin
      levels as well as improved glucose tolerance. Interestingly, PYY-overproducing
      mice show increased lean mass and reduced fat mass with no significant changes in
      food intake or body weight. Energy expenditure is also increased accompanied by
      increased respiratory exchange ratio. Mechanistically, the enhanced insulin
      levels and improved glucose tolerance are primarily due to increased beta-cell
      mass and secretion. This is associated with alterations in the expression of
      genes important for beta-cell proliferation and function as well as the
      maintenance of the beta-cell phenotype. Taken together, these data demonstrate
      that pancreatic islet-derived PYY plays an important role in controlling glucose
      homeostasis through the modulation of beta-cell mass and function. 

PMID- 26125466
TI  - TNF-alpha Suppressed FSH-Induced LH Receptor Expression Through Transcriptional
      Regulation in Rat Granulosa Cells.
AB  - Several inflammatory cytokines regulate ovarian function. TNF-alpha is produced
      in granulosa cells under physiological conditions and has a reciprocal action on
      follicle development. In contrast, in pelvic inflammatory diseases, TNF-alpha is
      excessively produced in the pelvic cavity and has an adverse effect on
      reproductive functions. The objective of this study was to elucidate the
      mechanism of action of TNF-alpha on the expression of LH receptor (LHR) in
      immature rat granulosa cells. TNF-alpha suppressed FSH-induced LHR mRNA and
      protein expression and was not associated with cAMP accumulation. By using a
      luciferase assay, the construct containing base pairs -1389 to -1 of the rat
      Lhcgr promoter revealed that TNF-alpha decreased FSH-induced promoter activity.
      In response to TNF-alpha, nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB p65 was translocated to the
      nucleus, and the suppressive effect of TNF-alpha on LHR mRNA expression was
      abrogated by an NF-kappaB inhibitor. In a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay,
      TNF-alpha induced the association of NF-kappaB p65 with the rat Lhcgr
      transcriptional promoter region. NF-kappaB p65 and histone deacetylase (HDAC)
      interact to mediate expression of several genes at a transcriptional level. HDAC
      activity is thought to induce tight connections within local chromatin structures
      and repress gene transcription. Furthermore, the TNF-alpha-induced suppression of
      LHR mRNA expression was blocked by an HDAC inhibitor. Taken together, these
      results suggest that the interaction of NF-kappaB p65 with HDAC in the promoter
      region of rat Lhcgr might be responsible for TNF-alpha action on the regulation
      of LHR. 

PMID- 26125464
TI  - miR-122 Regulates LH Receptor Expression by Activating Sterol Response Element
      Binding Protein in Rat Ovaries.
AB  - LH/human chorionic gonadotropin receptor (LHR) undergoes down-regulation during
      preovulatory LH surge or in response to exposure to a supraphysiological
      concentration of its ligands through a posttranscriptional mechanism involving an
      RNA binding protein designated as LHR mRNA binding protein (LRBP). miR-122, a
      short noncoding RNA, has been shown to mediate the up-regulation of LRBP. In the
      present study, we show that inhibition of miR-122 using a locked nucleic acid
      (LNA)-conjugated antagomir suppressed human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-induced
      up-regulation of LRBP as well as its association with LHR mRNA, as analyzed by
      RNA EMSA. Most importantly, inhibition of miR-122 resulted in the abolishment of
      hCG-mediated LHR mRNA down-regulation. We also show that the transcription
      factor, sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) (SREBP-1a and SREBP-2
      isoforms), is an intermediate in miR-122-mediated LHR mRNA regulation. HCG
      stimulated increase in the activation of both SREBP-1a and SREBP-2 was inhibited
      by pretreatment with the miR-122 antagomir. The inhibition of cAMP/protein kinase
      A (PKA) and ERK pathways, upstream activators of miR-122, abolished SREBP
      activation after hCG treatment. SREBP-mediated regulation of LRBP expression is
      mediated by recruitment of LRBP promoter element to SREBP-1a, because chromatin
      immunoprecipitation assay revealed that association of LRBP promoter to SREBP was
      increased by hCG treatment. Pretreatment with miR-122 antagomir suppressed this
      response. Inhibition of SREBP activation by pretreating the rats with a chemical
      compound, fatostatin abrogated hCG-induced up-regulation of LRBP mRNA and
      protein. Fatostatin also inhibited LHR-LRBP mRNA-protein complex formation and
      LHR down-regulation. These results conclusively show that miR-122 plays a
      regulatory role in LH/hCG-induced LHR mRNA down-regulation by increasing LRBP
      expression through the activation of SREBP pathway. 

PMID- 26125468
TI  - Solid/fluid interface: general discussion.

PMID- 26125467
TI  - Overexpression of monocarboxylate anion transporter 1 and 4 in T24-induced cancer
      associated fibroblasts regulates the progression of bladder cancer cells in a 3D
      microfluidic device.
AB  - Stromal fibroblasts are essential for tumor proliferation and invasion. Here we
      presented a 3-dimensional (3D) microfluidic co-culture device to reconstruct an
      in vivo-like tumor microenvironment for investigation of the interactions of
      cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and bladder cancer cells. With this device,
      we verified that the cytokines secreted by bladder cancer cells T24 effectively
      transform the fibroblasts into CAFs. Compared to fibroblasts, the CAFs, which
      undergo the aerobic glycolysis, showed higher ability to produce lactate and
      provide energy for bladder cancer cell proliferation and invasion. We also
      demonstrated that this kind of tumor-promoting effect was associated with the
      upregulation of monocarboxylate anion transporter 1 (MCT1) and MCT4 expression in
      CAFs. We concluded that MCT1 and MCT4 are involved in bladder cancer cell
      proliferation and invasiveness. Moreover, this 3D microfluidic co-culture device
      allows for the assay to characterize various cellular events in a single device
      sequentially, facilitating a better understanding of the interactions among
      heterotypic cells in a sophisticated microenvironment. 

PMID- 26125469
TI  - On Time.

PMID- 26125470
TI  - Task Specific Tremors.
AB  - VIDEO: A patient reported bilateral hand tremors when writing but not with other
      tasks. These "task specific" tremors are considered subcategories of essential
      tremor. Primary writing tremor, in which the tremor occurs only with writing, is
      probably the most common. The important teaching point is that the "standard"
      tremor assessment, watching the patient holding a sustained posture and touching
      his finger to the examiner's and then back to the nose is not adequate. Patients
      should be tested doing the activity that causes them the most difficulty.

PMID- 26125471
TI  - Overview of Brown's Unique 8-year Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME).

PMID- 26125473
TI  - Reflections from Students in PLME Senior Seminar, Doctoring Courses.

PMID- 26125474
TI  - The 'L' in PLME: A Broad Approach to Medical Education.

PMID- 26125475
TI  - A Student Collaboration to Address Mental Health Wellness in Medical School.

PMID- 26125476
TI  - Heat Illness - A Practical Primer.
AB  - Heat stroke is one of the top three causes of death for athletes. Vigilance is
      required to prevent these illnesses and when faced with an individual who is
      suffering an exertional heat stroke, the goal is to aggressively cool the patient
      to 102 degrees F within 30 minutes to optimize survival. The elderly are also at
      risk for heat illness and physicians caring for these patients should discuss
      prevention and treatment plans.

PMID- 26125477
TI  - Attending Physician Attitudes Toward Choice of Oral Anticoagulant for the
      Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism.
AB  - Until recently, warfarin has been the primary treatment of venous thromboembolism
      (VTE). Limited data are available regarding physician attitudes toward
      anticoagulant choice in the setting of novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC)
      availability. This study sought to evaluate attending physician attitudes toward
      NOACs. A survey was sent to attending physicians from internal medicine (primary
      care and hospitalist medicine), family medicine, cardiology, and hematology
      oncology asking about their preference and reasoning for choice of oral
      anticoagulant for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary
      embolism (PE). Warfarin was the most common choice of initial treatment of both
      DVT (85.6%) and PE (89%). Among the specialties surveyed, cardiologists were more
      likely to use rivaroxaban as initial treatment of VTE as compared to other
      specialties including internal medicine or hematology (p=0.011 for DVT and 0.004
      for PE). Cost-effectiveness and lack of a reversal agent were cited as the major
      disadvantages for NOAC use.

PMID- 26125478
TI  - Adult Spinal Deformity: Contemporary Treatment and Patient Outcomes.
AB  - The incidence of symptomatic adult spinal deformity (ASD) is increasing due to
      aging of the population, iatrogenic factors, and an increasingly active elderly
      population. Spinal deformity in the adult population can produce major functional
      disability. Patients with less severe forms of ASD can generally be managed
      without operative intervention. For those individuals with disabling pain,
      functional impairment, or progressive spinal malalignment, surgical treatment is
      available and effective. However, the surgery is complex and associated with a
      significant risk of perioperative complications. Efficacy and safety is optimal
      when operative intervention is performed by a surgical team (and hospital system)
      experienced in the management of complex spinal pathology. Quality of life for
      the ASD patient can be greatly improved with proper patient selection, technical
      execution, and perioperative care.

PMID- 26125479
TI  - An Electrical Burn.

PMID- 26125480
TI  - Implications of the Affordable Care Act on Access to Effective HIV Services in
      Rhode Island.

PMID- 26125482
TI  - Multiple Drug Transport Pathways through Human P-Glycoprotein.
AB  - P-Glycoprotein (P-gp) is a plasma membrane efflux pump that is commonly
      associated with therapy resistances in cancers and infectious diseases. P-gp can
      lower the intracellular concentrations of many drugs to subtherapeutic levels by
      translocating them out of the cell. Because of the broad range of substrates
      transported by P-gp, overexpression of P-gp causes multidrug resistance. We
      reported previously on dynamic transitions of P-gp as it moved through
      conformations based on crystal structures of homologous ABCB1 proteins using in
      silico targeted molecular dynamics techniques. We expanded these studies here by
      docking transport substrates to drug binding sites of P-gp in conformations open
      to the cytoplasm, followed by cycling the pump through conformations that opened
      to the extracellular space. We observed reproducible transport of two substrates,
      daunorubicin and verapamil, by an average of 11-12 A through the plane of the
      membrane as P-gp progressed through a catalytic cycle. Methylpyrophosphate, a
      ligand that should not be transported by P-gp, did not show this movement through
      P-gp. Drug binding to either of two subsites on P-gp appeared to determine the
      initial pathway used for drug movement through the membrane. The specific side
      chain interactions with drugs within each pathway seemed to be, at least in part,
      stochastic. The docking and transport properties of a P-gp inhibitor, tariquidar,
      were also studied. A mechanism of inhibition by tariquidar that involves
      stabilization of an outward open conformation with tariquidar bound in
      intracellular loops or at the drug binding domain of P-gp is presented. 

PMID- 26125483
TI  - Social, Reproductive, and Attitudinal Factors Associated with U.S. Women's
      Disagreement with the Passage of the Affordable Care Act.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Notably absent from research and public and policy dialogue on the
      Affordable Care Act (ACA) and reproductive health care are women's perspectives
      and a broader understanding of factors that shape ACA attitudes. We investigated
      social, reproductive, and attitudinal factors associated with women's
      disagreement with the passage of the ACA. METHODS: Data were drawn from the
      Women's Health Care Experiences and Preferences Study, our population-based
      internet survey of 1,078 randomly sampled United States women ages 18-55 years
      conducted in September 2013. Items measured ACA attitudes, including disagreement
      with the ACA's passage. We examined relationships between ACA disagreement,
      sociodemographic and reproductive characteristics, health service experiences,
      and reproductive health care and policy attitudes with logistic regression.
      RESULTS: Among women who had heard of the ACA (n=888), 35% disagreed with it and
      38% did not know how they felt. Black women (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.12, 95%
      confidence interval [CI] 0.03-0.55) and women with incomes of >$75k (aOR 0.38, CI
      0.17-0.88), Medicare/Medicaid insurance (aOR 0.24, CI 0.10-0.61), and infrequent
      religious service attendance (aOR 0.57, CI 0.35-0.93) were less likely to
      disagree with the ACA's passage, compared with their counterparts. Republican
      party affiliation was the strongest predictor of ACA disagreement (aOR 17.10, CI
      9.12-32.09). Negative beliefs about the ACA's ability to improve access to
      preferred care and regarding employers' and the government's roles in
      reproductive health care were positively associated with ACA disagreement.
      CONCLUSIONS: Many women who could benefit from the ACA disagree with or do not
      know how they feel about its passage, which may influence participation in ACA
      benefits and services.

PMID- 26125484
TI  - Onset Time and Durability of Huntingtin Suppression in Rhesus Putamen After
      Direct Infusion of Antihuntingtin siRNA.
AB  - One possible treatment for Huntington's disease involves direct infusion of a
      small, interfering RNA (siRNA) designed to reduce huntingtin expression into
      brain tissue from a chronically implanted programmable pump. Here, we studied the
      suppression of huntingtin mRNA achievable with short infusion times, and
      investigated how long suppression may persist after infusion ceases. Rhesus
      monkeys received 3 days of infusion of Magnevist into the putamen to confirm
      catheter patency and fluid distribution. After a 1-week washout period, monkeys
      received radiolabeled siRNA targeting huntingtin. After 1 or 3 days of siRNA
      delivery, monkeys were either terminated, or their pumps were shut off and they
      were terminated 10 or 24 days later. Results indicate that the onset of
      huntingtin mRNA suppression in the rhesus putamen occurs rapidly, achieving a
      plateau throughout the putamen within 4 days. Conversely, loss of huntingtin
      suppression progresses slowly, persisting an estimated 27-39 days in the putamen
      and surrounding white matter. These findings indicate the rapid onset and
      durability of siRNA-mediated target gene suppression observed in other organs
      also occurs in the brain, and support the use of episodic delivery of siRNA into
      the brain for treatment of Huntington's disease and possibly other
      neurodegenerative diseases. 

PMID- 26125485
TI  - Effect of hemodynamics on the recurrence of posterior communicating artery
      aneurysm: a computational fluid dynamics simulation study.
AB  - AIM: To compare the hemodynamic characteristics of posterior communicating artery
      aneurysm before and after embolization and investigate its relationship with
      aneurysm recurrence using a computational fluid dynamics simulation study.
      METHODS: Thirteen patients undergone embolization of posterior communicating
      artery aneurysm between January 2008 and February 2010 were enrolled and divided
      into recurrent and recovered group according to their follow-up angiographic
      data. Aneurysm models were established using three-dimensional cerebral
      angiography data collected before and after embolization. Preoperative and
      postoperative hemodynamic modalities at aneurysm neck region were analyzed with
      computational fluid dynamics software using the finite element algorithm. In this
      study, computational models were set according to transcranial Doppler pulsatile
      flow, and the part of aneurysm occluded by spring coil is completely independent
      of the blood flow. RESULTS: In recurrent group, peak systolic wall shear stress
      and blood flow velocity at the aneurysm neck region were significant increased
      after the embolization. On the contrary, in recovered group peak systolic wall
      shear stress and blood flow velocity were significantly reduced after the
      embolization. The recurrent group also had higher post-embolization peak systolic
      wall shear stress and blood flow velocity than the recovered group. CONCLUSION:
      High wall shear stress and blood flow velocity after embolization at the neck
      region of posterior communicating artery aneurysm may promote early aneurysm
      recurrence.

PMID- 26125486
TI  - Stereoselective Determination of Tebuconazole in Water and Zebrafish by
      Supercritical Fluid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - A simple and sensitive method for the enantioselective determination of
      tebuconazole enantiomers in water and zebrafish has been established using
      supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC)-MS/MS. The effects of the chiral
      stationary phases, mobile phase, auto back pressure regulator (ABPR) pressure,
      column temperature, flow rate of the mobile phase, and compensation pump solvent
      were evaluated. Finally, the optimal SFC-MS/MS working conditions were determined
      to include a CO2/MeOH mobile phase (87:13, v/v), 2.0 mL/min flow rate, 2200 psi
      ABPR, and 30  degrees C column temperature using a Chiralpak IA-3 chiral column
      under electrospray ionization positive mode. The modified QuEChERS method was
      applied to water and zebrafish samples. The mean recoveries for the tebuconazole
      enantiomers were 79.8-108.4% with RSDs <= 7.0% in both matrices. The LOQs ranged
      from 0.24 to 1.20 MUg/kg. The developed analytical method was further validated
      by application to the analysis of authentic samples. 

PMID- 26125487
TI  - Complexation and release of DNA in polyplexes formed with reducible linear
      poly(beta-amino esters).
AB  - Designing nanocarriers for gene delivery is a multidisciplinary challenge that
      involves not only DNA condensation with biocompatible polymers, but also DNA
      release processes. Once the genetic material is introduced into the cell, the
      rupture of degradable bonds permits the unpacking and release of the load. In
      this work, a dual-degradable polycation - composed by a linear poly(beta-amino
      ester) chain in which ester and disulfide bonds coexist - has been used to
      condense a DNA plasmid. The goal was to reinforce the spontaneous hydrolysis of
      the ester groups with the intracellular break-up of the disulfide bonds, since
      these reducible bonds are degraded in the reductive intracellular environment.
      For a comparative study, two poly(beta-amino ester) molecules differing only in
      the presence (or absence) of some SS bonds have been tested. DNA condensation,
      physico-chemical characterization of the polyplexes formed, and degradation
      studies have been carried out at pH 5 and pH 7. The acidic conditions gave the
      best nanoparticles, due to a better solubilization of both polymers and to a
      higher stability of the ester bonds. Despite the synthesis and storage of
      polyplexes were much more appropriate at pH 5, transfection efficiency in HeLa
      cells was similar irrespective the original pH used. Only in those polyplexes
      formed at low polymer:DNA ratios (i.e. 5 and 10 (w/w)) was transfection more
      effective when the plasmid was condensed at an acidic pH. With regard to the DNA
      release efficiency in the intracellular medium, degradation of the polymers was
      practically governed by the rapid hydrolysis of the ester groups, this
      spontaneous and rapid process masking, unfortunately, any potential contribution
      associated with the breakup of the disulfide bonds. 

PMID- 26125488
TI  - Gray matter abnormalities in cocaine versus methamphetamine-dependent patients: a
      neuroimaging meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Voxel-based morphometry has been used to explore gray matter
      alterations in cocaine and methamphetamine dependence. However, the results of
      this research are inconsistent. OBJECTIVES: The current study meta-analytically
      examined neuroimaging findings of all studies published before 2014 using the
      Anisotropic Effect-Size Signed Differential Mapping (ES-SDM). METHODS:
      Independent investigators searched four major databases for relevant neuroimaging
      studies involving cocaine and methamphetamine dependence. Nine cocaine and four
      methamphetamine studies met inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Results indicated that
      cocaine- and methamphetamine-dependent patients share overlapping regional gray
      matter abnormalities compared to healthy controls. However, subgroup analysis
      showed some regional differences; with methamphetamine showing more prominent
      reductions in the left superior temporal gyrus and the right inferior parietal
      lobe. Reductions in the right insula and the left superior frontal gyrus were
      more prominent in cocaine dependence. Moderator analyses indicated that with
      longer use, cocaine is associated with reductions in the right hippocampus, right
      middle temporal gyrus, and right inferior frontal gyrus, while methamphetamine is
      associated with reductions in the left precentral gyrus and the right
      supramarginal gyrus. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that cocaine and
      methamphetamine dependence are significantly and differentially associated with
      gray matter abnormalities. Results also point to possible gray matter recovery
      after abstinence from methamphetamine. Although the sample size was adequate,
      these findings should be considered preliminary and analyses should be revisited
      with additional primary research focusing on long or short-term duration of use,
      as well as the length of abstinence.

PMID- 26125489
TI  - Quantitative distribution of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli on beef
      carcasses and raw beef at retail establishments.
AB  - Salmonella is a foodborne pathogen that commonly inhabits the gastrointestinal
      tract of a healthy feedlot cattle and can be transferred to the carcass surface
      during hide removal and evisceration procedures. Numerous investigations on
      Salmonella prevalence throughout different stages of the beef chain have been
      conducted. In contrast, limited studies are available on quantitative
      determinations of Salmonella at different steps in raw meat production.
      Quantitative data, particularly for pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella are
      important for quantitative risk assessment. Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli
      populations were enumerated on beef carcass samples collected at abattoirs and
      also in beef chunks and ground beef samples collected from butcher's shops at
      retail in Jalisco State, Mexico. Sponge samples from beef carcass sides (n=142)
      were collected immediately after final water wash and before chilling at three
      non-federally inspected abattoirs following USDA-FSIS sampling protocols. Beef
      chunks (n=84) and ground beef (n=65) samples were obtained from 86 butcher's
      shops. Salmonella enumeration was conducted by the Most Probable Number method
      and E. coli counts were determined using Petrifilm plates. Salmonella was
      isolated from 18% of beef carcasses, 39% of beef chunks and 71% of ground beef
      samples. Salmonella mean counts were 1.3+/-0.9 Log MPN/300 cm(2) on beef
      carcasses, 1.9+/-0.9 and 2.3+/-1.1 Log MPN/25 g in beef chunks and ground beef
      samples, respectively. Twenty-six Salmonella serotypes and 11 serogroups were
      identified among 432 isolates recovered. Salmonella typhimurium (14%), Salmonella
      sinstorf (12%) and S. Group E1 monophasic (10%) were the most frequent.
      Escherichia coli was present on 97, 84 and 100% of beef carcasses, beef chunks
      and ground beef samples, respectively. Escherichia coli mean counts were 3.2+/
      0.7 Log CFU/300 cm(2), 3.9+/-1.1 and 4.5+/-1.2 Log CFU/25 g on beef carcasses,
      beef chunks and ground beef, respectively. Salmonella prevalence and mean counts
      found in raw beef were higher than previously reported in studies from other
      countries. The data collected in this study show a trend in the prevalence of
      Salmonella to be higher as meat processing is extended at retail. This, together
      with the diversity of serotypes found, indicates that raw meat is exposed to
      multiple contamination sources during slaughter and retail processing and
      highlights the necessity to implement Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures
      for those establishments. Finally, this study provides quantitative information
      for future risk assessments associated with the risk of human salmonellosis.

PMID- 26125490
TI  - Recent Progress in RXLR Effector Research.
AB  - Some of the most devastating oomycete pathogens deploy effector proteins, with
      the signature amino acid motif RXLR, that enter plant cells to promote virulence.
      Research on the function and evolution of RXLR effectors has been very active
      over the decade that has transpired since their discovery. Comparative genomics
      indicate that RXLR genes play a major role in virulence for Phytophthora and
      downy mildew species. Importantly, gene-for-gene resistance against these
      oomycete lineages is based on recognition of RXLR proteins. Comparative genomics
      have revealed several mechanisms through which this resistance can be broken,
      most notably involving epigenetic control of RXLR gene expression. Structural
      studies have revealed a core fold that is present in the majority of RXLR
      proteins, providing a foundation for detailed mechanistic understanding of
      virulence and avirulence functions. Finally, functional studies have demonstrated
      that suppression of host immunity is a major function for RXLR proteins. Host
      protein targets are being identified in a variety of plant cell compartments.
      Some targets comprise hubs that are also manipulated by bacteria and fungi,
      thereby revealing key points of vulnerability in the plant immune network. 

PMID- 26125491
TI  - Intraspecies Interaction of Fusarium graminearum Contributes to Reduced Toxin
      Production and Virulence.
AB  - Fusarium graminearum is a pathogenic fungus that causes Fusarium head blight in
      wheat and lowers the yield and quality of grains by contamination with the
      trichothecene mycotoxin deoxynivalenol. The fungi coexist and interact with
      several different fusaria as well as other plant pathogenic fungi and bacteria in
      the field. In Canada, F. graminearum exists as two main trichothecene chemotypes:
      3-acetyldeoxynivalenol and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol. To understand the potential
      interactions between two isolates of these chemotypes, we conducted coinoculation
      studies both in culture and in planta. The studies showed that intraspecies
      interaction reduces trichothecene yield in culture and disease symptoms in wheat.
      To elucidate the genes involved in the intraspecies interaction, expression
      profiling was performed on RNA samples isolated from coinoculated cultures, and
      potential genes were identified by using the genome sequences of the respective
      isolates. 

PMID- 26125493
TI  - Differential Decay of Wastewater Bacteria and Change of Microbial Communities in
      Beach Sand and Seawater Microcosms.
AB  - Laboratory microcosm experiments were conducted to determine the decay kinetics
      of wastewater bacteria and the change of microbial communities in beach sand and
      seawater. Cultivation-based methods showed that common fecal indicator bacteria
      (FIBs; Escherichia coli, enterococci, and Clostridium perfringens) exhibited
      biphasic decay patterns in all microcosms. Enterococci and C. perfringens, but
      not E. coli, showed significantly smaller decay rates in beach sand than in
      seawater. Cultivation-independent qPCR quantification of 16S rRNA gene also
      showed significantly slower decrease of total bacterial densities in beach sand
      than in seawater. Microbial community analysis by next-generation sequencing
      (NGS) further illustrated that the decreasing relative abundance of wastewater
      bacteria was contrasted by the increase in indigenous beach sand and seawater
      microbiota, and the overall microbial community dynamics corresponded well with
      the decay of individual FIB populations. In summary, the differential decay of
      wastewater bacteria in beach sand and in seawater provides a kinetic explanation
      to the often-observed higher abundance of FIBs in beach sand, and the NGS-based
      microbial community analysis can provide valuable insights to understanding the
      fate of wastewater bacteria in the context of indigenous microbial communities in
      natural environments. 

PMID- 26125492
TI  - Modified mRNA as an alternative to plasmid DNA (pDNA) for transcript replacement
      and vaccination therapy.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Current gene therapy involves replacement of defective gene by
      delivery of healthy genetic material to precede normal function. Virus-mediated
      gene delivery is the most successful and efficient method for gene therapy, but
      it has been challenged due to serious safety concerns. Conversely, gene delivery
      using plasmid DNA (pDNA) is considered safer, but its transfection efficiency is
      much lower than virus-mediated gene transfer. Recently, mRNA has been suggested
      as an alternative option to avoid undesired insertion of delivered DNA sequences
      with higher transfection efficiency and stability. AREA COVERED: In this review,
      we summarize the currently available strategies of mRNA modification to increase
      the therapeutic efficacy; we also highlight the recent improvements of mRNA
      delivery for in vivo applications of gene therapy. EXPERT OPINION: The use of
      mRNA-based gene transfer could indeed be a promising new strategy for gene
      therapy. Notable advantages include no risk of integration into the genomic DNA,
      adjustable gene expression and easier modulation of the immune system. By
      reducing or utilizing the immunogenic properties, mRNA offers a promising tool
      for gene/or transcript replacement.

PMID- 26125494
TI  - Crystalline Oligo(ethylene sulfide) Domains Define Highly Stable Supramolecular
      Block Copolymer Assemblies.
AB  - With proper control over copolymer design and solvation conditions, self
      assembled materials display impressive morphological variety that encompasses
      nanoscale colloids as well as bulk three-dimensional architectures. Here we take
      advantage of both hydrophobicity and crystallinity to mediate supramolecular self
      assembly of spherical micellar, linear fibrillar, or hydrogel structures by a
      family of highly asymmetric poly(ethylene glycol)-b-oligo(ethylene sulfide) (PEG
      OES) copolymers. Assembly structural polymorphism was achieved with modification
      of PEG-OES topology (linear versus multiarm) and with precise, monomer-by-monomer
      control of OES length. Notably, all three morphologies were accessed utilizing
      OES oligomers with degrees of polymerization as short as three. These
      exceptionally small assembly forming blocks represent the first application of
      ethylene sulfide oligomers in supramolecular materials. While the assemblies
      demonstrated robust aqueous stability over time, oxidation by hydrogen peroxide
      progressively converted ethylene sulfide residues to increasingly hydrophilic and
      amorphous sulfoxides and sulfones, causing morphological changes and permanent
      disassembly. We utilized complementary microscopic and spectroscopic techniques
      to confirm this chemical stimulus-responsive behavior in self-assembled PEG-OES
      colloidal dispersions and physical gels. In addition to inherent stimulus
      responsive behavior, fibrillar assemblies demonstrated biologically relevant
      molecular delivery, as confirmed by the dose-dependent activation of murine bone
      marrow-derived dendritic cells following fibril-mediated delivery of the
      immunological adjuvant monophosphoryl lipid A. In physical gels composed of
      either linear or multiarm PEG-OES precursors, rheologic analysis also identified
      mechanical stimulus-responsive shear thinning behavior. Thanks to the facile
      preparation, user-defined morphology, aqueous stability, carrier functionality,
      and stimuli-responsive behaviors of PEG-OES supramolecular assemblies, our
      findings support a future role for these materials as injectable or implantable
      biomaterials. 

PMID- 26125495
TI  - Correction to Deciphering the Mechanism of Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibition with
      Coumarins and Thiocoumarins.

PMID- 26125496
TI  - Prevalence of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O121,
      O145, and O157 on Hides and Preintervention Carcass Surfaces of Feedlot Cattle at
      Harvest.
AB  - Cattle hides are a main source of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC)
      contamination of beef carcasses. The objectives of this study were to (1)
      determine the prevalence of "top 6" non-O157 plus O157:H7 EHEC (EHEC-7) on
      feedlot cattle hides and their matched preintervention carcasses; (2) assess the
      agreement among detection methods for these matrices; and (3) conduct a molecular
      risk assessment of EHEC-7 isolates. Samples from 576 feedlot cattle were obtained
      at a commercial harvest facility and tested for EHEC-7 by a culture-based method
      and the polymerase chain reaction/mass spectrometry-based NeoSEEK(TM) STEC
      Detection and Identification test (NS). Prevalence data were analyzed with
      generalized linear mixed models. The cumulative prevalence of EHEC-7 in hide
      samples as detected by NS was 80.7%, with a distribution of 49.9%, O145; 37.1%,
      O45; 12.5%, O103; 11.0%, O157; 2.2%, O111; 2.0%, O121; and 0.2%, O26. In
      contrast, the cumulative prevalence of EHEC-7 in hide samples by culture was
      1.2%, with a distribution of 0.6%, O157; 0.4%, O26; 0.2%, O145; and 0%, O45,
      O103, O111, and O121. The cumulative prevalence of EHEC-7 on matched
      preintervention carcasses as detected by NS was 6.0%, with a distribution of
      2.8%, O157; 1.6%, O145; 1.2%, O103; 1.1%, O45; 0.2%, O26; and 0.0%, O111 and
      O121. Although the culture-based method detected fewer positive hide samples than
      NS, it detected EHEC in five hide samples that tested negative for the respective
      organism by NS. McNemar's chi-square tests indicated significant (p<0.05)
      disagreement between methods. All EHEC-7 isolates recovered from hides were
      seropathotype A or B, with compatible virulence gene content. This study
      indicates that "top 6" and O157:H7 EHEC are present on hides, and to a lesser
      extent, preintervention carcasses of feedlot cattle at harvest. However,
      continued improvement in non-O157 detection methods is needed for accurate
      estimation of prevalence, given the discordant results across protocols. 

PMID- 26125497
TI  - Comparison of the Anti-angiogenic and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Two
      Antibiotics: Clarithromycin Versus Moxifloxacin.
AB  - PURPOSE: Clarithromycin is a 14-membered ring macrolide antibiotic with anti
      inflammatory as well as antibacterial activity, and has been used worldwide.
      Moxifloxacin is a leading fourth generation quinolone antibiotic that has been
      used worldwide perioperatively. We intended to evaluate whether clarithromycin
      can suppress angiogenesis and inflammation in the cornea, and to compare the anti
      inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects of the two antibiotics, clarithromycin
      and moxifloxacin. METHODS: We made a murine corneal suture model and tested the
      anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects of clarithromycin (5 mg/ml) and
      moxifloxacin (5 mg/ml) in two randomly divided groups. Dexamethasone (5 mg/ml)
      was used as a positive control. After making two sutures on the cornea, we
      performed subconjunctival injections (10 MUl) on each group on the day of suture,
      and every day thereafter until the 8th day post-suture. After harvesting corneas
      on the 8th post-suture day for immunohistochemical staining, we compared
      neovascularization (NV), lymphangiogenesis (LY) and inflammatory cell
      infiltration among the groups. RESULTS: Clarithromycin suppressed NV, LY and
      inflammatory infiltration, compared with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS).
      However, moxifloxacin did not suppress NV, LY, or inflammatory infiltration,
      compared with PBS. Comparison between clarithromycin and moxifloxacin,
      clarithromycin showed a tendency of decreasing LY (p = 0.063) and had less
      inflammatory cell infiltration (p < 0.05) than did the moxifloxacin group. The
      anti-(lymph)angiogenic and anti-inflammatory effects of clarithromycin were as
      high as those of dexamethasone. CONCLUSION: Clarithromycin suppressed LY and
      inflammation in the cornea, and its anti-inflammatory effect was significantly
      superior to that of moxifloxacin.

PMID- 26125498
TI  - Roles of jasmonate signalling in plant inflorescence and flower development.
AB  - Development of inflorescences and flowers in plants is controlled by the combined
      action of environmental and genetic signals. Investigations reveal that the
      phytohormone jasmonate (JA) plays a critical function in plant reproduction such
      as male fertility, sex determination and seed maturation. Here, we review recent
      progress on JA synthesis, signalling, the interplay between JAs and other
      hormones, and regulatory network of JA in controlling the development of
      inflorescence, flower and the male organ. The conserved and diversified roles of
      JAs in meristem transition and specification of flower organ identity and number,
      and multiple regulatory networks of JAs in stamen development are highlighted.
      Further, this review provides perspectives on future research endeavors to
      elucidate mechanisms underlying JAs homeostasis and transport during plant
      reproductive development. 

PMID- 26125499
TI  - Role of plant growth regulators as chemical signals in plant-microbe
      interactions: a double edged sword.
AB  - Growth regulators act not only as chemicals that modulate plant growth but they
      also act as signal molecules under various biotic and abiotic stresses. Of all
      growth regulators, abscisic acid (ABA) is long known for its role in modulating
      plants response against both biotic and abiotic stress. Although the genetic
      information for ABA biosynthesis in plants is well documented, the knowledge
      about ABA biosynthesis in other organisms is still in its infancy. It is known
      that various microbes including bacteria produce and secrete ABA, but the overall
      functional significance of why ABA is synthesized by microbes is not known. Here
      we discuss the functional involvement of ABA biosynthesis by a pathogenic fungus.
      Furthermore, we propose that ABA biosynthesis in plant pathogenic fungi could be
      targeted for novel fungicidal discovery. 

PMID- 26125500
TI  - Degradation of trace concentrations of the persistent groundwater pollutant 2,6
      dichlorobenzamide (BAM) in bioaugmented rapid sand filters.
AB  - Groundwater is an important drinking water resource. Yet, this resource is
      threatened by pollution from chemicals, such as pesticides and their degradation
      products. To investigate the potential for remediation of groundwater polluted by
      trace concentrations of the pesticide residue 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM), we
      established a pilot waterworks including two sand filters. The waterworks treated
      groundwater polluted with 0.2 MUg/L BAM at flow conditions typical for rapid sand
      filters. Bioaugmentation of the sand filter with a specific BAM-degrading
      bacterium (Aminobacter sp. MSH1) resulted in significant BAM degradation to
      concentrations below the legal threshold level (0.1 MUg/L), and this without
      adverse effects on other sand filter processes such as ammonium and iron
      oxidation. However, efficient degradation for more than 2-3 weeks was difficult
      to maintain due to loss of MSH1-bacteria, especially during backwashing. By
      limiting backwash procedures, the period of degradation was prolonged, but
      bacteria (and hence degradation activity) were still lost with time. Protozoa
      were observed to grow in the filters to a density that contributed significantly
      to the general loss of bacteria from the filters. Additionally, the concentration
      of easily assimilable organic carbon (AOC) in the remediated water may have been
      too low to sustain a sufficient population of degrader bacteria in the filter.
      This study shows that scaling up is not trivial and shortcomings in transferring
      degradation rates obtained in batch experiments to a rapid sand filter system are
      discussed. Further optimization is necessary to obtain and control more
      temporally stable systems for water purification. However, for the first time
      outside the laboratory and at realistic conditions a potential for the
      biodegradation of recalcitrant micropollutants in bioaugmented rapid sand filters
      is shown. 

PMID- 26125503
TI  - Mechanism of Magnetostructural Transitions in Copper-Nitroxide-Based Switchable
      Molecular Magnets: Insights from ab Initio Quantum Chemistry Calculations.
AB  - The gradual magnetostructural transition in breathing crystals based on
      copper(II) and pyrazolyl-substituted nitronyl nitroxides has been analyzed by
      means of DDCI quantum chemistry calculations. The magnetic coupling constants (J)
      within the spin triads of Cu(hfac)2L(Bu).0.5C8H18 have been evaluated for the X
      ray structures reported at different temperatures. The coupling is strongly
      antiferromagnetic at low temperature and becomes ferromagnetic when the
      temperature increases. The intercluster magnetic coupling (J') is
      antiferromagnetic and shows a marked dependence on temperature. The
      magnetostructural transition can be reproduced using the calculated J values for
      each structure in the simulation of the magnetic susceptibility. However, the
      MU(T) curve can be improved nicely by considering the coexistence of two phases
      in the transition region, whose ratio varies with temperature corresponding to
      both the weakly and strongly coupled spin states. These results complement a
      recent VT-FTIR study on the parent Cu(hfac)2L(Pr) compound with a gradual
      magnetostructural transition. 

PMID- 26125501
TI  - Bioactive lipid coating of bone allografts directs engraftment and fate
      determination of bone marrow-derived cells in rat GFP chimeras.
AB  - Bone grafting procedures are performed to treat wounds incurred during wartime
      trauma, accidents, and tumor resections. Endogenous mechanisms of repair are
      often insufficient to ensure integration between host and donor bone and
      subsequent restoration of function. We investigated the role that bone marrow
      derived cells play in bone regeneration and sought to increase their
      contributions by functionalizing bone allografts with bioactive lipid coatings.
      Polymer-coated allografts were used to locally deliver the immunomodulatory small
      molecule FTY720 in tibial defects created in rat bone marrow chimeras containing
      genetically-labeled bone marrow for monitoring cell origin and fate. Donor bone
      marrow contributed significantly to both myeloid and osteogenic cells in
      remodeling tissue surrounding allografts. FTY720 coatings altered the phenotype
      of immune cells two weeks post-injury, which was associated with increased
      vascularization and bone formation surrounding allografts. Consequently,
      degradable polymer coating strategies that deliver small molecule growth factors
      such as FTY720 represent a novel therapeutic strategy for harnessing endogenous
      bone marrow-derived progenitors and enhancing healing in load-bearing bone
      defects.

PMID- 26125502
TI  - Decellularized skeletal muscle as an in vitro model for studying drug
      extracellular matrix interactions.
AB  - Several factors can affect drug absorption after intramuscular (IM) injection:
      drug solubility, drug transport across cell membranes, and drug metabolism at the
      injection site. We found that potential interactions between the drug and the
      extracellular matrix (ECM) at the injection site can also affect the rate of
      absorption post-injection. Using decellularized skeletal muscle, we developed a
      simple method to model drug absorption after IM injection, and showed that the
      nature of the drug-ECM interaction could be investigated by adding compounds that
      alter binding. We validated the model using the vitamin B12 analog cobinamide
      with different bound ligands. Cobinamide is being developed as an IM injectable
      treatment for cyanide poisoning, and we found that the in vitro binding data
      correlated with previously published in vivo drug absorption in animals.
      Commercially available ECM products, such as collagen and GelTrex, did not
      recapitulate drug binding behavior. While decellularized ECM has been widely
      studied in fields such as tissue engineering, this work establishes a novel use
      of skeletal muscle ECM as a potential in vitro model to study drug-ECM
      interactions during drug development.

PMID- 26125504
TI  - Did we abandon probucol too soon?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Probucol is a potent antioxidative drug that has been used for
      prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases and xanthoma.
      Probucol has been used as a lipid-lowering drug for a long time especially in
      Japan, although Western countries quitted its use because of the reduction in
      serum HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C). This review highlights both basic and clinical
      studies that provide new insights into the pleiotropic effects of probucol.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Recently, the mechanisms for the pharmacologic actions of
      probucol have been elucidated at the molecular level with a special focus on HDL
      metabolism and its functions. Probucol enhances plasma cholesteryl ester transfer
      protein activity and hepatic scavenger receptor class B type I, causing a
      decrease in HDL-C. It also accelerates the antioxidative function of HDL via
      increase in paraoxonase 1 activity. Recent retrospective analyses of probucol
      treated patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia and those after
      coronary revascularization demonstrated a strong beneficial effect of probucol on
      secondary prevention of cardiovascular events and mortality. SUMMARY: Probucol
      has pleiotropic and beneficial therapeutic effects on cardiovascular system.
      Although statins are effective for lowering LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and reducing
      coronary heart disease risk, probucol should be considered as an option in case
      statins are not effective.

PMID- 26125505
TI  - Sex difference in presentation and outcomes of bladder cancer: biological reality
      or statistical fluke?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The impact of sex on the prognosis of patients with muscle
      invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is discussed. Reasons for the presumably worse
      prognosis in female patients may be anatomical differences, different time delays
      from first symptoms to diagnosis and variations in hormone receptors and tumour
      biology. This review summarizes literature on this topic published during the
      period 2012-2015. RECENT FINDINGS: Methodological quality of most available
      studies analysing the impact of sex on prognosis of MIBC is limited by their
      retrospective design or lacking standardization of study parameters. Time delay
      from first symptoms to diagnosis in women with bladder cancer seems possible,
      although a prognostic impact of this delay has not been proven yet. Recent
      cystectomy-series predominantly show comparable tumour stages, although strongest
      deterioration of prognosis in female patients is described in younger patients
      and in cases with lymphovascular invasion. No survival difference between sexes
      was found in studies with rigorous statistics using propensity score matching.
      Interpretation of studies analysing the prognostic impact of hormone receptors is
      limited by methodological shortcomings and missing definitions of subsequent
      signal pathways. SUMMARY: Analyses of population-based cancer-registries
      demonstrate a comparatively higher cancer-specific mortality for female patients,
      but the reason for this difference remains unclear. Interaction between sex and
      oncologic outcome of patients with MIBC seems to be multifactorial, while to
      date, an independent prognostic impact of sex cannot be proven validly. Research
      activities in the future should include parameters mentioned above.

PMID- 26125506
TI  - T-cell checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The advent of checkpoint inhibitors has fostered great
      expectations for long-term outcome in cancer patients. Inhibitors of programmed
      death -1, programmed death ligand-1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein
      4 are targets of contemporary cancer immunotherapy. Current phase III studies are
      ongoing and may define a novel treatment paradigm in metastatic renal cell
      carcinoma (mRCC). This review focuses on current clinical data in mRCC. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Nivolumab and ipilimumab are the most advanced checkpoint inhibitors in
      the field of mRCC. Current available data include phase I and randomized phase II
      trials, investigating single agent or combination therapies in mRCC, with
      objective responses in 20-52% of patients and 19-26 months overall survival in
      previously treated patients. SUMMARY: Immunotherapies have fostered great
      expectations on long-term overall survival in mRCC. As seen with previous
      cytokine treatment, long-term response is a key clinical outcome. Phase III data
      for previously treated patients are expected later this year and may define a
      novel standard for treatment. Combinational therapies have generated promising
      response data, indicating a potential role in treatment intensification in mRCC.
      Combination treatment is associated with ample toxicity, which might restrict
      this approach to selected patients. The major task for the future is to tailor
      immunotherapy for individual patients.

PMID- 26125507
TI  - Managing noninvasive recurrences after definitive treatment for muscle-invasive
      bladder cancer or high-grade upper tract urothelial carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Approximately 50% of patients with muscle invasive urothelial
      carcinoma will relapse with distant recurrence. Though rates of local recurrence
      after definitive therapy have improved, management remains a challenge. In this
      review, treatment strategies for this cohort are re-examined in an effort to
      enhance patient outcomes. RECENT FINDINGS: Urothelial carcinoma continues to
      demonstrate high rates of recurrence and low rates of survival. Similarly to the
      treatment of primary urothelial cancer, treatment of recurrence focuses on
      cytology, stage, and clinical characteristics. Current areas of interest have
      focused on identification and causes/predictors of recurrence. SUMMARY: Limited
      progress has been achieved in differentiating management of recurrent urothelial
      carcinoma from the treatment of primary urothelial carcinoma. However, there may
      be an increasing role for endoscopic and organ conserving therapies for carefully
      selected patients with recurrent noninvasive urothelial carcinoma. Identifying
      those at risk for early recurrence and early diagnosis of recurrence may be the
      most beneficial future strategies. The treatment regimen for noninvasive bladder
      recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma
      should include intravesical chemotherapy or Bacillus Calmette-Guerin to prevent
      further bladder recurrence or tumor progression. We do not advocate diversion
      sparing techniques for local recurrence after radical cystectomy. Metastasectomy
      for distant/metastatic urothelial carcinoma recurrence represents a promising
      area of future study.

PMID- 26125508
TI  - Role of metastasectomy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Management of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma is
      challenging and continues to be delivered in a multidisciplinary context. Even
      with the advent of systemic targeted therapy, complete remission with these new
      agents is rare using systemic therapy alone. Surgical resection of the primary
      tumor and metastatic deposits continues to play an important role in managing
      patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma when aiming for complete
      remissions. To date, despite the lack of level 1 evidence, metastasectomy appears
      to prolong survival and achieve long-term cure in carefully selected patients.
      This review examines current evidence for the role of metastasectomy in renal
      cell carcinoma. RECENT FINDINGS: Studies continue to consistently support a
      benefit of complete metastasectomy for overall and cancer-specific survival at
      most sites for resection, with the exception of brain and bone, which tend to
      perform for symptomatic relief and palliation. Metastasectomy has not yet been
      examined in a randomized setting. The debate of survival benefit because of
      selection bias of patients or differences in tumor biology is relevant and has
      yet to be resolved in the literature. Clearly, careful patient selection remains
      paramount in optimizing survival benefit from metastasectomy. SUMMARY: Patients
      with isolated surgically resectable metastatic disease, with long disease-free
      intervals, and with good performance status are likely to benefit the most from
      metastasectomy.

PMID- 26125509
TI  - How should clinicians address intratumour heterogeneity in clear cell renal cell
      carcinoma?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite the availability of multiple targeted therapies, the 5
      year survival rate of patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma
      (ccRCC) rarely exceeds 10%. Recent insights into the mutational landscape and
      evolutionary dynamics of ccRCC have offered up a plausible explanation for these
      outcomes. The purpose of this review is to link the research findings to
      potential changes in clinical practice. RECENT FINDINGS: Intratumour
      heterogeneity (ITH) dominates the evolutionary landscape in ccRCC at the genetic,
      transcriptomic and proteomic level. Spatial and temporal separation of tumour
      subclones within the primary tumour as well as between primary and metastatic
      sites has been demonstrated at single nucleotide resolution. In the cases
      analysed to date, approximately two-thirds of somatic mutations are not shared
      between multiple biopsies from the same primary tumour. Very few of the key
      disease-driving events are shared across all primary tumour regions (with the
      exception of VHL and loss of chromosome 3p), whereas the majority are restricted
      to one or more tumour regions (TP53, SETD2, BAP1, PTEN, mTOR, PIK3CA and KDM5C).
      SUMMARY: ITH must be considered in the management of ccRCC with respect to
      diagnostic procedures, prognostic and predictive biomarkers and drug development.

PMID- 26125510
TI  - Trimodal therapy for invasive bladder cancer: is it really equal to radical
      cystectomy?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Trimodal therapy (TMT) is considered the most effective
      bladder-sparing approach for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder
      (MIBC) and an alternative to radical cystectomy. The purpose of this article was
      to review and summarize the current knowledge on the equivalence of TMT and
      radical cystectomy based on the recent literature. RECENT FINDINGS: TMT consists
      of a maximal transuretral resection of the bladder, followed by a concurrent
      radiotherapy and chemotherapy, limiting salvage radical cystectomy to
      nonresponder tumors or muscle-invasive recurrence. In large population studies,
      less than 6% of the patients with nonmetastatic MIBC receive a chemoradiation
      therapy and this rate is stable. A growing body of evidence exists that TMT
      provides good oncologic outcomes with low morbidity when compared with radical
      cystectomy. TMT requires, however, a close follow-up because of the high risk of
      local recurrence and salvage radical cystectomy in up to 30% of the patients.
      Salvage radical cystectomy can be performed with adequate results but does not
      offer the same opportunity of reconstruction and functional outcomes than primary
      radical cystectomy. SUMMARY: Although radical cystectomy is still the treatment
      of reference for most of the patients with localized MIBC, TMT represents a
      reasonable alternative in highly selected patients. Any firm conclusion on the
      equivalence or superiority of one treatment to the other is still limited by the
      lack of randomized controlled trials and the heterogeneity of the available
      literature. Future studies and multidisciplinary approach are mandatory to
      optimize the patient selection and regimen of TMT.

PMID- 26125511
TI  - Prognostic significance of substage and WHO classification systems in T1
      urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Treatment of T1 urothelial bladder cancer (T1-BC) is
      challenging as risk assessment criteria for progression are lacking. Histological
      grade and T1 substage have been identified as important prognostic factors.
      Currently, no consensus exists regarding the optimal sub-staging and grading
      systems for T1-BC. We reviewed recent advances in the various grading and sub
      staging systems and their clinical applicability. RECENT FINDINGS: Stratification
      by muscularis mucosae invasion is the most explored sub-staging system. Its
      prognostic value was established by 12/23 (52%) available studies. Importantly,
      muscularis mucosae identification varied substantially among pathologists. Sub
      staging based on diameter of invasive carcinoma [T1 microinvasive and T1
      extensive-invasive (T1m/e)] proved a more reproducible system with at least equal
      prognostic value. However, more study is needed to investigate interobserver
      variation. For nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer grading, the 1973 and 2004 WHO
      classifications both provide independent prognostic information. However,
      remarkably few studies have investigated their applicability in T1-BC only. The
      available reports suggest that the 1973 WHO classification is superior to WHO
      2004. SUMMARY: If multicenter studies confirm the promising results of T1m/e sub
      staging, it may be incorporated in the Internation Union Against Cancer TNM
      classification system for urinary bladder cancer. More studies are warranted to
      define the optimal classification system for grade in T1-BC.

PMID- 26125512
TI  - Computational Study of Chemical Reactivity Using Information-Theoretic Quantities
      from Density Functional Reactivity Theory for Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution
      Reactions.
AB  - The electrophilic aromatic substitution for nitration, halogenation, sulfonation,
      and acylation is a vastly important category of chemical transformation. Its
      reactivity and regioselectivity is predominantly determined by nucleophilicity of
      carbon atoms on the aromatic ring, which in return is immensely influenced by the
      group that is attached to the aromatic ring a priori. In this work, taking
      advantage of recent developments in quantifying nucleophilicity
      (electrophilicity) with descriptors from the information-theoretic approach in
      density functional reactivity theory, we examine the reactivity properties of
      this reaction system from three perspectives. These include scaling patterns of
      information-theoretic quantities such as Shannon entropy, Fisher information,
      Ghosh-Berkowitz-Parr entropy and information gain at both molecular and atomic
      levels, quantitative predictions of the barrier height with both Hirshfeld charge
      and information gain, and energetic decomposition analyses of the barrier height
      for the reactions. To that end, we focused in this work on the identity reaction
      of the monosubstituted-benzene molecule reacting with hydrogen fluoride using
      boron trifluoride as the catalyst in the gas phase. We also considered 19
      substituting groups, 9 of which are ortho/para directing and the other 9 meta
      directing, besides the case of R = -H. Similar scaling patterns for these
      information-theoretic quantities found for stable species elsewhere were
      disclosed for these reactions systems. We also unveiled novel scaling patterns
      for information gain at the atomic level. The barrier height of the reactions can
      reliably be predicted by using both the Hirshfeld charge and information gain at
      the regioselective carbon atom. The energy decomposition analysis ensued yields
      an unambiguous picture about the origin of the barrier height, where we showed
      that it is the electrostatic interaction that plays the dominant role, while the
      roles played by exchange-correlation and steric effects are minor but
      indispensable. Results obtained in this work should shed new light for better
      understanding of the factors governing the reactivity for this class of reactions
      and assisting ongoing efforts for the design of new and more efficient catalysts
      for such kind of transformations. 

PMID- 26125514
TI  - Discovery of Novel Indazole Derivatives as Highly Potent and Selective Human
      beta3-Adrenergic Receptor Agonists with the Possibility of Having No
      Cardiovascular Side Effects.
AB  - Novel indazole derivatives were prepared and evaluated for their biological
      activity and cardiovascular safety profile as human beta3-adrenergic receptor
      (AR) agonists. Although the initial hit compound 5 exhibited significant beta3-AR
      agonistic activity (EC50 = 21 nM), it also exhibited agonistic activity at the
      alpha1A-AR (EC50 = 219 nM, selectivity: alpha1A/beta3 = 10-fold). The major
      metabolite of 5, which was an oxidative product at the indazole 3-methyl moiety,
      gave a clue to a strategy for improvement of the selectivity for beta3-AR
      agonistic activity versus alpha1A-AR agonistic activity. Thus, modification of
      the 3-substituent of the indazole moiety effectively improved the selectivity to
      develop compound 11 with potent beta3-AR agonistic activity (EC50 = 13 nM) and
      high selectivity (alpha1A/beta3 = >769-fold). Compound 11 was also inactive
      toward beta1 and beta2-ARs and showed dose dependent beta3-AR mediated relaxation
      of marmoset urinary bladder smooth muscle, while it did not obviously affect
      heart rate or blood pressure (iv, 3 mg/kg) in anesthetized rats. 

PMID- 26125513
TI  - Dynamically Allocated Hub in Task-Evoked Network Predicts the Vulnerable
      Prefrontal Locus for Contextual Memory Retrieval in Macaques.
AB  - Neuroimaging and neurophysiology have revealed that multiple areas in the
      prefrontal cortex (PFC) are activated in a specific memory task, but severity of
      impairment after PFC lesions is largely different depending on which activated
      area is damaged. The critical relationship between lesion sites and impairments
      has not yet been given a clear mechanistic explanation. Although recent works
      proposed that a whole-brain network contains hubs that play integrative roles in
      cortical information processing, this framework relying on an anatomy-based
      structural network cannot account for the vulnerable locus for a specific task,
      lesioning of which would bring impairment. Here, we hypothesized that (i)
      activated PFC areas dynamically form an ordered network centered at a task
      specific "functional hub" and (ii) the lesion-effective site corresponds to the
      "functional hub," but not to a task-invariant "structural hub." To test these
      hypotheses, we conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments in
      macaques performing a temporal contextual memory task. We found that the
      activated areas formed a hierarchical hub-centric network based on task-evoked
      directed connectivity, differently from the anatomical network reflecting axonal
      projection patterns. Using a novel simulated-lesion method based on support
      vector machine, we estimated severity of impairment after lesioning of each area,
      which accorded well with a known dissociation in contextual memory impairment in
      macaques (impairment after lesioning in area 9/46d, but not in area 8Ad). The
      predicted severity of impairment was proportional to the network "hubness" of the
      virtually lesioned area in the task-evoked directed connectivity network, rather
      than in the anatomical network known from tracer studies. Our results suggest
      that PFC areas dynamically and cooperatively shape a functional hub-centric
      network to reallocate the lesion-effective site depending on the cognitive
      processes, apart from static anatomical hubs. These findings will be a foundation
      for precise prediction of behavioral impacts of damage or surgical intervention
      in human brains. 

PMID- 26125515
TI  - An environmentally safe larvicide against Aedes aegypti based on in situ gelling
      nanostructured surfactant systems containing an essential oil.
AB  - HYPOTHESIS: Liquid crystalline precursors, which are in situ gelling
      nanostructured surfactant systems, can undergo phase transition in aqueous
      solution and become more structured aggregates, controlling release of larvicides
      and acting as biotechnology alternatives for dengue control. Such systems can
      contain bioactive substances as Citrus sinensis essential oil (CSEO) which
      exhibits biological activity against Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) larvae.
      EXPERIMENTS: The formulations were composed by fixed concentration of CSEO
      stabilized by Polyoxypropylene (5) Polyoxyethylene (20) Cetyl Ether (PPG-5 CETETH
      20): oleic acid (OA) 2:1, increasing water content. The phase diagram was
      established and systems structure was evaluated by polarized light microscopy
      (PLM), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and rheology. Median lethal
      concentration was determined against Ae. aegypti larvae. FINDINGS: The phase
      diagram exhibited four regions: liquid crystal (LC), emulsion, microemulsion (ME)
      and phase separation. The PLM and SAXS distinguished microemulsions, lamellar and
      hexagonal LC structures. Flow and oscillatory tests showed that increasing water
      content increases elasticity from Newtonian to non-newtonian behavior confirming
      the in situ gelation behavior. The larvicidal activity of formulations indicates
      that these nanostructured systems improved the oil solubility in aqueous medium
      and in addition are potential environmental larvicide against Ae. aegypti larvae.

PMID- 26125516
TI  - Protection of open-metal V(III) sites and their associated CO2/CH4/N2/O2/H2O
      adsorption properties in mesoporous V-MOFs.
AB  - Metal-organic frameworks with open metal site are potential sorbents for the
      separation of gas mixtures; however, low valence metal will bind to oxygen in the
      open air causing a decrease in adsorption ability. We now report open-metal sites
      V(III) on both MIL-100V(III/IV) and MIL-101V(III/IV) that can be protected with
      water molecules, and which associated CO2/CH4/N2/O2 adsorption properties on
      these two mesoporous V-MOFs were investigated. The protective properties of water
      were investigated and evaluated using density functional theory simulations. The
      binding energy of single O2 on open-metal V(III) site was 93.278 kJ/mol, which
      decreased to 26.5 kJ/mol when H2O occupies the site. When the water coating is
      removed, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy pattern of V2p showed that the V
      MOF changes to MIL-100V(IV) and MIL-101V(IV) at 298 K because of the action of
      O2. Under these conditions, O2 binds strongly on the open V site significantly
      reducing the BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) surface and CH4 adsorption volume of
      the V-MOFs. From the ideal adsorbed solution theory calculated, the adsorption
      selectivity of CH4/N2 is higher before than after binding of O2 (with V(III)
      site). In contrast, the adsorption selectivity of CO2/CH4 is higher after than
      before O2 binding (with no more V(III) sites).

PMID- 26125517
TI  - Liposomes as nanoreactors for the photochemical synthesis of gold nanoparticles.
AB  - A simple and novel method for the photochemical synthesis of AuNPs in liposomes
      is described. Gold salt is co-encapsulated with the photoinitiator Irgacure-2959
      in POPC liposomes prepared via traditional thin-film hydration technique. UVA
      irradiation for 15 min results in encapsulated AuNPs of 2.8+/-1.6 nm in diameter
      that are primarily dispersed in the aqueous interior of the liposomes.

PMID- 26125518
TI  - Exploring the Role of La Codoping beyond Charge Compensation for Enhanced
      Hydrogen Evolution by Rh-SrTiO3.
AB  - In this theoretical study, we investigate recent observation of enhancement of
      hydrogen evolution efficiency of Rh-doped SrTiO3 due to codoping with La at the
      Sr lattice site. Using hybrid density functional theory, we have systematically
      studied the electronic structure of (Rh, La)-codoped SrTiO3 and compared with
      that of Rh-doped SrTiO3, La-doped SrTiO3, and undoped SrTiO3. The aim of the
      present study has been to explore the role of different factors toward the
      observed enhanced photoactivity of (Rh, La)-codoped SrTiO3. Doping with only Rh
      significantly reduces the photoabsorption energy by introducing localized
      acceptor states between the valence band and conduction band. Unfortunately,
      these states act as efficient sources for charge carrier trapping. Besides, the
      oxygen vacancy found to be present in the Rh-doped SrTiO3 as a charge
      compensating defect also accelerates the electron-hole recombination rate. We
      have shown that codoping with La and Rh leads to the formation of clean band
      structure without encountering any midgap states. Introduction of La into the Rh
      doped SrTiO3 not only reduces the quantity of Rh(4+) species but also suppresses
      the oxygen vacancy due to formation of a charge-compensated system. The presence
      of La favors Rh doping into the crystal structure of SrTiO3 by reducing the
      formation energy. Moreover, the conduction band minima are found to be shifted in
      the upward direction significantly due to codoping with Rh and La, thereby
      increasing the reducing behavior at the conduction band. This leads to
      enhancement of hydrogen evolution activity of SrTiO3 during photocatalytic water
      splitting under visible light. 

PMID- 26125519
TI  - The bladder carcinoma secondary to schistosoma mansoni infection: A case report
      with review of the literature.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Schistosomiasis is a rare condition in Turkey but remains second
      most prevelant parasitic infestation worldwide. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 67-years
      old male patient admitted to a hospital with macroscopic hematuria. Bladder tumor
      was diagnosed and referred to our department for the treatment. Transurethral
      resection of bladder tumor was performed and pathological examination revealed
      high-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma and Schistosoma mansoni eggs. The
      patient used praziquantel 40mg orally for the treatment of Schistosomiasis and
      intravesical immunotherapy was applied 6 weeks along per week. Neither recurrence
      of tumor nor S. mansoni eggs in the urine were detected at the 18th month.
      DISCUSSION: In spite of well-known etiological relationships between Schistosoma
      haematobium and bladder cancer, there is very limited number of cases of bladder
      carcinoma secondary to S. mansoni infestation in the literature. All of the
      reported 5 cases were from the rural regions of Brazil. On the other hand, it was
      noticed that pathological examination had been reported in only one of these
      cases, and the diagnosis was leiomyoma. Therefore, to the best of our knowledge,
      there is no data in the literature regarding the clinical course of the
      transitional cell carcinoma secondary to S. mansoni. CONCLUSION: Regarding the
      increasing travels all around the world, clinicians should remember that
      Schistosoma infection is certainly a part of the differential diagnosis of
      bladder carcinoma, even if the patients are not from endemic regions.

PMID- 26125520
TI  - Acquisition of Consonant Clusters and Acceptable Variants in Chinese-Influenced
      Malaysian English-Speaking Children.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study investigated consonant cluster acquisition in Chinese
      influenced Malaysian English (ChME)-speaking children. METHOD: This cross
      sectional study involved 262 typically developing ChME-speaking children (138
      girls, 124 boys) ages 3 to 7 years old. A single-word picture-naming task, which
      contained 66 words and targeted 32 syllable-initial (SI) and 14 syllable-final
      (SF) consonant clusters, was administered. RESULTS: Older children produced more
      correct productions than younger children, and there was no sex effect for
      consonant cluster production. SF consonant clusters were more accurate than SI
      consonant clusters among the younger children. The overall sequence of SI
      consonant cluster accuracy based on cluster categories from most to least
      accurate was /s/ + C, C + /w/, C + /j/, C + /l/, and C + /r/, whereas for SF
      consonant clusters, the order was C + stop, C + /s/, nasal + C, and /l/ + C. Two
      element clusters consistently had higher accuracy in comparison to three-element
      clusters across the age groups. The overall consonant cluster accuracy of the
      present study showed similar patterns to those found in previous studies of
      Standard English. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study will be useful in the
      assessment of consonant cluster production of ChME-speaking children.

PMID- 26125522
TI  - Bio-inspired scale-like surface textures and their tribological properties.
AB  - Friction, wear and the associated energy dissipation are major challenges in all
      systems containing moving parts. Examples range from nanoelectromechanical
      systems over hip prosthesis to off-shore wind turbines. Bionic approaches have
      proven to be very successful in many engineering problems, while investigating
      the potential of a bio-inspired approach in creating morphological surface
      textures is a relatively new field of research. Here, we developed laser-created
      textures inspired by the scales found on the skin of snakes and certain lizards.
      We show that this bio-inspired surface morphology reduced dry sliding friction
      forces by more than 40%. In lubricated contacts the same morphology increased
      friction by a factor of three. Two different kinds of morphologies, one with
      completely overlapping scales and one with the scales arranged in individual
      rows, were chosen. In lubricated as well as unlubricated contacts, the surface
      texture with the scales in rows showed lower friction forces than the completely
      overlapping ones. We anticipate that these results could have significant impact
      in all dry sliding contacts, ranging from nanoelectromechanical and micro
      positioning systems up to large-scale tribological contacts which cannot be
      lubricated, e.g. because they are employed in a vacuum environment. 

PMID- 26125521
TI  - Dose-dependent inhibition of Gag cellular immunity by Env in SIV/HIV DNA
      vaccinated macaques.
AB  - The induction of a balanced immune response targeting the major structural
      proteins, Gag and Env of HIV, is important for the development of an efficacious
      vaccine. The use of DNA plasmids expressing different antigens offers the
      opportunity to test in a controlled manner the influence of different vaccine
      components on the magnitude and distribution of the vaccine-induced cellular and
      humoral immune responses. Here, we show that increasing amounts of env DNA
      results in greatly enhanced Env antibody titers without significantly affecting
      the levels of anti-Env cellular immune responses. Co-immunization with Env
      protein further increased antibody levels, indicating that vaccination with DNA
      only is not sufficient for eliciting maximal humoral responses against Env. In
      contrast, under high env:gag DNA plasmid ratio, the development of Gag cellular
      responses was significantly reduced by either SIV or HIV Env, whereas Gag humoral
      responses were not affected. Our data indicate that a balanced ratio of the 2 key
      HIV/SIV vaccine components, Gag and Env, is important to avoid immunological
      interference and to achieve both maximal humoral responses against Env to prevent
      virus acquisition and maximal cytotoxic T cell responses against Gag to prevent
      virus spread. 

PMID- 26125523
TI  - Structural Characterization of Dihydrofolate Reductase Complexes by Top-Down
      Ultraviolet Photodissociation Mass Spectrometry.
AB  - The stepwise reduction of dihydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate entails significant
      conformational changes of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Binary and ternary
      complexes of DHFR containing cofactor NADPH, inhibitor methotrexate (MTX), or
      both NADPH and MTX were characterized by 193 nm ultraviolet photodissociation
      (UVPD) mass spectrometry. UVPD yielded over 80% sequence coverage of DHFR and
      resulted in production of fragment ions that revealed the interactions between
      DHFR and each ligand. UVPD of the binary DHFR.NADPH and DHFR.MTX complexes led to
      an unprecedented number of fragment ions containing either an N- or C-terminal
      protein fragment still bound to the ligand via retention of noncovalent
      interactions. In addition, holo-fragments retaining both ligands were observed
      upon UVPD of the ternary DHFR.NADPH.MTX complex. The combination of extensive
      holo and apo fragment ions allowed the locations of the NADPH and MTX ligands to
      be mapped, with NADPH associated with the adenosine binding domain of DHFR and
      MTX interacting with the loop domain. These findings are consistent with previous
      crystallographic evidence. Comparison of the backbone cleavage propensities for
      apo DHFR and its holo counterparts revealed significant variations in UVPD
      fragmentation in the regions expected to experience conformational changes upon
      binding NADPH, MTX, or both ligands. In particular, the subdomain rotation and
      loop movements, which are believed to occur upon formation of the transition
      state of the ternary complex, are reflected in the UVPD mass spectra. The UVPD
      spectra indicate enhanced backbone cleavages in regions that become more flexible
      or show suppressed backbone cleavages for those regions either shielded by the
      ligand or involved in new intramolecular interactions. This study corroborates
      the versatility of 193 nm UVPD mass spectrometry as a sensitive technique to
      track enzymatic cycles that involve conformational rearrangements. 

PMID- 26125524
TI  - Modifying Surface Energy of Graphene via Plasma-Based Chemical Functionalization
      to Tune Thermal and Electrical Transport at Metal Interfaces.
AB  - The high mobility exhibited by both supported and suspended graphene, as well as
      its large in-plane thermal conductivity, has generated much excitement across a
      variety of applications. As exciting as these properties are, one of the
      principal issues inhibiting the development of graphene technologies pertains to
      difficulties in engineering high-quality metal contacts on graphene. As device
      dimensions decrease, the thermal and electrical resistance at the metal/graphene
      interface plays a dominant role in degrading overall performance. Here we
      demonstrate the use of a low energy, electron-beam plasma to functionalize
      graphene with oxygen, fluorine, and nitrogen groups, as a method to tune the
      thermal and electrical transport properties across gold-single layer graphene
      (Au/SLG) interfaces. We find that while oxygen and nitrogen groups improve the
      thermal boundary conductance (hK) at the interface, their presence impairs
      electrical transport leading to increased contact resistance (rhoC). Conversely,
      functionalization with fluorine has no impact on hK, yet rhoC decreases with
      increasing coverage densities. These findings indicate exciting possibilities
      using plasma-based chemical functionalization to tailor the thermal and
      electrical transport properties of metal/2D material contacts. 

PMID- 26125525
TI  - Antimicrobial activity of the synthesized non-allergenic urushiol derivatives.
AB  - Synthesized urushiol derivatives possessing different carbon atomic length in the
      alkyl side chain inhibited the growth of food spoilage and pathogenic
      microorganisms. Particularly, non-allergenic 3-pentylcatechol showed a broad
      antimicrobial spectrum on an agar plate. Most food spoilage and pathogenic
      microorganisms were sensitive to urushiol derivatives in the liquid culture. The
      morphologies of the microorganisms were changed after treatment of 3
      pentylcatechol. 

PMID- 26125526
TI  - Chromophoric dissolved organic matter of black waters in a highly eutrophic
      Chinese lake: Freshly produced from algal scums?
AB  - Field campaigns and an incubation experiment were conducted to evaluate the
      sources of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in black water spots in
      highly polluted regions of the Chinese Lake Taihu. A significant positive
      correlation (p<0.0001) was found between chlorophyll a (Chl-a) and the CDOM
      absorption coefficient a(350), indicating that algae degradation was likely the
      primary source of CDOM in black waters. This is supported by our field results
      that Chl-a, a(350) and the spectral slope ratio (SR) were significantly higher in
      the black water samples than in the regular samples (p<0.001). Our incubation
      experiment further substantiated the primary significance of biological CDOM
      source where a(350) increased with decreasing Chl-a concentrations. After seven
      days' incubation, a 72.2% decrease and a 74.9% increase were recorded for Chl-a
      and a(350), respectively, relative to the initial values. Parallel factor
      analysis identified five fluorescent components. The maximal fluorescence
      intensity (Fmax) of tryptophan-like C1 and microbial humic-like C3 of black water
      samples was significantly higher than in the regular water samples (p<0.0005).
      This is consistent with incubation experiment results showing a rapid increase in
      Fmax of the two components, emphasizing the priority of the in situ biological
      CDOM source in black water spots.

PMID- 26125527
TI  - Successive self-propagating sintering process using carbonaceous materials: A
      novel low-cost remediation approach for dioxin-contaminated solids.
AB  - The disposal of dioxin-contaminated solids was studied using a novel successive
      self-propagating sintering process (SSPSP) incorporating a carbonaceous material.
      Among the five types of carbonaceous materials investigated, Charcoal B displayed
      optimum adsorbent properties and was selected as the best thermal source in the
      current remediation approach based on economical efficiency aspects. The
      feasibility of this proposed approach, removal efficiencies, and congener
      compositions of dioxins were examined using two types of dioxin-contaminated
      solids (Fugan sediment and Toyo soil) that displayed different characteristics
      including the initial concentrations of dioxins. The removal efficiencies of DL
      PCBs ("dioxin-like" polychlorinated biphenyls) were higher than those of PCDD/Fs
      (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans), achieving 99.9 and 92% removal
      in the Fugan sediment and Toyo soil, respectively. In contrast, the degradation
      efficiencies of DL-PCBs were lower (i.e., 89.3 and 88.8%, respectively). The
      initial concentrations of dioxins, available precursors, and properties of the
      solids strongly influenced the congener compositions and removal efficiencies of
      dioxins. Furthermore, the dechlorination reaction pathways of high-chlorinated
      PCDDs and potential regeneration pathways of PCDFs from PCBs were deduced using
      isotope labeling. The proposed novel low-cost remediation approach for the
      removal of dioxins from solids is a highly efficient and environmentally sound
      treatment technology. 

PMID- 26125528
TI  - Arsenic in rice and diets of children.
AB  - Levels of arsenic in Australian and imported rice (n = 36) were evaluated using
      inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for total arsenic and a
      hyphenated high-performance liquid chromatography ICP-MS system for arsenic
      species. The study also assessed the daily intake of total As from diets of
      healthy children (n = 15), collected over three consecutive days. A wide
      variation of total As levels (range: <0.05-0.42 mg/kg) in Australian and imported
      rice was found. The mean level of total As (0.24 +/- 0.09 mg/kg, n = 10) in the
      Australian rice was relatively higher than imported rice from other countries
      (0.09 +/- 0.04 mg/kg, n = 26). The mean level (0.25 +/- 0.08 mg/kg, n = 7) of
      dimethylarsenic acid was considerably higher than that of inorganic As (III)
      (0.07 +/- 0.03 mg/kg, n = 7) in the Australian rice. Children's daily intakes of
      total As varied widely, ranging from 1.7 to 31.2 (11.5 +/- 8.9 ug/day), which was
      comparable to other countries.

PMID- 26125529
TI  - Geometrically frustrated Fe2P-like systems: beyond the Fe-trimer approximation.
AB  - Fe(2)P-like structures can be strongly frustrated magnets due to their
      Kagome/triangular intercalated-layer structure. A complete magnetic solution of
      the complex spin architecture, and hence the full potential of the magnetic
      phenomena in Fe(2)P-like material prototypes, is yet to be found. A previous
      magnetic model for a representative FeCrAs-like system used a mean-field
      effective-spin to describe the 3g-Wyckoff located Fe-triangles. Such an approach
      demonstrated the outstanding magnetocaloric properties of the material but left
      the question of whether the intra-trimer interaction could lead to new physical
      phenomena and therefore more potentially useful properties. In this work Monte
      Carlo simulations are employed in order to understand both the influence of the
      additional degrees of freedom introduced by the Fe-trimers and the changes caused
      by all the possible exchange couplings between them. Complex scenarios arise, in
      which FM coupling in the trimers gives rise to both in-plane and out-of-plane
      inter-layer AFM states; whereas AFM exchange in the trimers gives rise to three
      distinct states, i.e. AFM-canted layers, a non-collinear superposition of
      ferromagnetic Kagome/triangular orderings, and tilted inter-planar AFM order.
      These last three configurations generate a double bifurcated magnetic phase
      diagram while the first one mimics the behavior seen in a model that treats the
      trimer as an effective-spin under an applied magnetic field.

PMID- 26125530
TI  - Clinical Profile and Sex Differences in Brazilian Children and Adolescents
      Receiving Psychiatric Services in the Emergency Department.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We present a survey of sex differences and socio-demographic and
      clinical variables in children and adolescents receiving a psychiatric
      consultation service in an emergency department (ED). METHODS: This
      observational, retrospective, and cross-sectional study included all records of
      patients (age, <18 years) who received psychiatric services in an ED in a 4-year
      period (January 2010 to December 2013). RESULTS: Two hundred fifty-nine records
      of children and adolescents were located. The mean age of the participants was
      14.19 years, and most subjects were female (59.5%) and had private health
      insurance (83.7%). Most participants (87.4%) were accompanied by their parents.
      The main complaints were suicide attempts (21.8%) and psychomotor
      agitation/aggressiveness (21.8%). Unipolar depression (37.8%) and adjustment,
      reactive, and anxiety disorders (13.7%) were the most prevalent diagnoses. Most
      patients received an indication of psychiatric hospitalization (51.7%). Females
      had more suicide attempts than males (28.3% vs 12.4%) and less psychomotor
      agitation/aggressiveness than males (15.5% vs 31.4%). Females also exhibited more
      unipolar depression (47.6% vs 23.5%), fewer psychotic disorders (4.2% vs 16.3%),
      and substance use/misuse (1.4% vs 13.3%) than males. Males needed more
      psychiatric medication during evaluation (37.9% vs 19.2%). CONCLUSIONS: This
      survey of the profile of pediatric patients evaluated by a psychiatric service in
      an ED in Brazil was the first of its kind. The large percentage of patients
      referred for hospitalization highlights the importance of specialized psychiatry
      care for this age group in this facility, which is a common entry point for
      mental health care.

PMID- 26125531
TI  - Prevalence of Inconsistencies in the Recorded Outcomes of Clinical Evaluations.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of variations
      in the recorded outcomes of clinical evaluations by 2 different physicians during
      a single patient visit and to comment on observations of physician practices
      regarding history taking and physical examination. METHODS: Structured interviews
      were conducted with both junior and supervising physicians after they had
      evaluated patients in a pediatric emergency department who presented with
      complaints of fever (temperature, >100.4 degrees F) in infants younger than 3
      months, fever (temperature, >102.2 degrees F) in infants aged 3 to 12 months,
      headache in patients older than 5 years, abdominal pain in patients older than 5
      years, and head injury in patients younger than 18 years. Data were analyzed with
      descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Most of the data reported by both junior and
      supervising physicians showed response disagreement. The questions on fever
      (temperature, >102.2 degrees F) in infants aged 3 to 12 months showed 29% (10/34)
      disagreement on fever duration and 45% (5/11) on fever height. Questions on
      abdominal pain in children older than 5 years showed 24% (24/100) disagreement on
      reporting right lower quadrant pain and 10% (11/106) on right lower quadrant
      tenderness on examination; however, the discrepancy rates were 56% (56/100) when
      considering less than complete agreement on all painful sites and 53% (56/106) on
      all tender sites. Supervising physicians questioned and examined patients
      presenting with abdominal pain more often than those presenting with other
      complaints. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant variations in the recorded outcome
      of clinical evaluations by 2 different physicians during a single patient visit.
      Supervising physicians are more cautious to question and examine patients
      presenting with abdominal pain compared with other chief complaints.

PMID- 26125532
TI  - Analyses of the Disease Spectrum of Children After the Lushan Earthquake.
AB  - : An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 struck Lushan in Sichuan Province in
      China on April 20, 2013. Uniformed pediatricians visited the area where the
      epicenter was located to provide emergency relief care for children 10 days after
      the earthquake. OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to analyze the features of
      the disease spectrum of children in Baoxing at early time after Lushan earthquake
      and to provide basis information, which will be useful for the arrangement of the
      medical resources of pediatrics in the medical relief after Lushan earthquake in
      similar situation in the future. METHODS: A total of 220 case files were
      classified and analyzed. These files provided information regarding pediatric
      patients whose conditions were diagnosed and treated in the mobile hospital
      established by the Affiliated Hospital of Logistical University of Chinese
      People's Armed Police Forces in Baoxing from April 20, 2013 to April 30, 2013.
      The demographic data of all these patients were collected and the disease
      spectrum was analyzed. RESULTS: Children's ages differed. A total of 59 patients
      were neonates, infants, and toddlers (27%); 111 were school-aged children (50%)
      and 50 were adolescents (23%). Common diseases and injuries include respiratory
      tract infection, dermatosis, and trauma, which were observed 10 days after the
      earthquake. Trauma was mainly accidental injury. The morbidity rate of infectious
      diseases was low. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatricians have an important role in the early
      treatment and subsequent control of infectious diseases during earthquakes.

PMID- 26125534
TI  - Internal Applicants to Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowships and Current Use
      of the National Resident Matching Program Match: A Survey of Fellowship
      Directors.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Applicants to fellowship programs are divided into the following 2
      distinct groups: the external versus internal candidate. Internal fellowship
      candidates did residency at the same institution they are applying to, whereas
      the external candidate is from another institution. Internal candidates have
      likely done rotation(s) within the fellowship's division and are known to
      faculty, whereas the external candidates are evaluated by their applications and
      interviews alone. Acceptance of internal fellowship candidates may be complicated
      by competing interests of the associated residency program and overlapping
      faculty who have academic roles in both training programs. The current percentage
      of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellowships exclusively using the National
      Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Specialties Matching Service (SMS) for filling
      fellowship slots is not known. METHODS: We surveyed all the current US PEM
      fellowship directors in April/May 2013 using a 15-question anonymous
      institutional review board-approved survey. This survey was hosted through
      http://www.surveymonkey.com and was available between April 08, 2013 and May 08,
      2013. The unique link sent to each fellowship director recorded completion of the
      survey but no individual responses. All questions had to be answered for the
      results to be recorded. RESULTS: Fifty-four of 70 fellowship directors responded.
      Each question was individually evaluated. Fellowship directors had different
      feelings toward internal candidates. The NRMP-SMS exclusive use was high.
      Possible confounders using the NRMP match seemed uncommon. CONCLUSIONS: Twenty
      nine percent of current PEM fellows are in training at the same institution where
      they completed their residency. Both internal and external candidates are valued
      by PEM fellowship directors. The exclusive use of the NRMP SMS is high and not
      confounded by internal factors.

PMID- 26125533
TI  - RNA Biosignatures in Adolescent Patients in a Pediatric Emergency Department With
      Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Adolescents are at high risk for pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
      Because accurate diagnosis of PID is difficult, and complications of untreated
      PID are significant, novel methods to improve diagnosis are essential.
      OBJECTIVES: To determine if patients with PID have unique RNA expression patterns
      compared to controls. METHODS: Peripheral blood was collected from adolescent
      females with PID in the emergency department, and from control patients in the
      operating room. RNA was isolated, and microarray analysis was performed. Initial
      analysis involved a training set of 18 patients (9 PID patients with either
      Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Chlamydia trachomatis infection and 9 control patients).
      Supervised and unsupervised cluster analyses were performed, followed by network
      analysis. The training set was used to classify a set of 15 additional PID
      patients and 2 controls. RESULTS: Supervised cluster analysis of the training set
      revealed 170 genes which were differentially expressed in PID patients versus
      controls. Network analysis indicated that several differentially expressed genes
      are involved in immune activation. Analysis of additional PID patients based on
      the training set findings revealed that patients with positive testing for
      Trichomonas vaginalis partitioned with the PID group, whereas patients with no
      organism identified partitioned with both groups. CONCLUSIONS: RNA sample
      collection from adolescents in the emergency department is feasible. Genes were
      identified which were differentially expressed in PID patients versus controls,
      many of which are involved in inflammation. Future studies should confirm the
      training set findings on a larger sample and may lead to improved accuracy of PID
      diagnosis.

PMID- 26125536
TI  - Direct aqueous synthesis of non-protected glycosyl sulfoxides; weak inhibitory
      activity against glycosidases.
AB  - A flavinium catalyst, in conjunction with hydrogen peroxide as stoichiometric
      oxidant, allowed the aqueous conversion of non-protected thioglycosides into the
      corresponding glycosyl sulfoxides. These glycosyl sulfoxides displayed only very
      weak inhibitory activity against corresponding glycosidases. 

PMID- 26125535
TI  - CTCF-dependent co-localization of canonical Smad signaling factors at
      architectural protein binding sites in D. melanogaster.
AB  - The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and bone morphogenetic protein
      (BMP) pathways transduce extracellular signals into tissue-specific
      transcriptional responses. During this process, signaling effector Smad proteins
      translocate into the nucleus to direct changes in transcription, but how and
      where they localize to DNA remain important questions. We have mapped Drosophila
      TGF-beta signaling factors Mad, dSmad2, Medea, and Schnurri genome-wide in Kc
      cells and find that numerous sites for these factors overlap with the
      architectural protein CTCF. Depletion of CTCF by RNAi results in the
      disappearance of a subset of Smad sites, suggesting Smad proteins localize to
      CTCF binding sites in a CTCF-dependent manner. Sensitive Smad binding sites are
      enriched at low occupancy CTCF peaks within topological domains, rather than at
      the physical domain boundaries where CTCF may function as an insulator. In
      response to Decapentaplegic, CTCF binding is not significantly altered, whereas
      Mad, Medea, and Schnurri are redirected from CTCF to non-CTCF binding sites.
      These results suggest that CTCF participates in the recruitment of Smad proteins
      to a subset of genomic sites and in the redistribution of these proteins in
      response to BMP signaling. 

PMID- 26125537
TI  - Hormonal contraception and postmenopausal hormone therapy in Spain: time trends
      and patterns of use.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe time trends in and patterns of use of
      hormonal contraception and postmenopausal hormone therapy and to identify factors
      associated with their use among Spanish women. METHODS: We performed a cross
      sectional analysis using data from 1,954 population controls (aged 24-85 y) in 12
      provinces of Spain who were enrolled in the Multi Case-Control Spain study (2007
      2013). Data were collected from a questionnaire conducted face-to-face by trained
      personnel. We collected information on sociodemographic factors, lifestyle, sleep
      patterns, reproductive history, and occupational history. RESULTS: Overall, 48.5%
      of Spanish women reported ever use of hormonal contraception, and 9.8% of women
      in the postmenopausal group reported use of postmenopausal hormone therapy.
      Younger cohorts used hormonal contraception for a longer period, whereas
      postmenopausal hormone therapy use dramatically dropped in the 2000s. Women with
      higher education levels (including education of partners) and smoking history
      were the most probable users of hormonal contraception, whereas inverse
      associations were observed among housewives, obese women, and nulliparous women.
      Postmenopausal hormone therapy use was associated with a surgical or therapeutic
      cause of menopause and with occupational history of rotating shifts. CONCLUSIONS:
      In this Spanish population, several demographic, lifestyle, occupational, and
      reproductive factors are associated with use of hormonal compounds.
      Characterizing hormonal users and monitoring trends in the use of these hormonal
      compounds are essential from a public health perspective.

PMID- 26125538
TI  - Armodafinil for fatigue associated with menopause: an open-label trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aims to obtain preliminary data on the efficacy of
      armodafinil for improving menopause-related fatigue and quality of life. METHODS:
      Women (aged 40-65 y) experiencing menopause-related fatigue received open-label
      armodafinil therapy (up to 150 mg/d) for 4 weeks. Changes from baseline in Brief
      Fatigue Inventory score and Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) physical
      domain score were examined using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Exploratory
      analyses examined the effects of armodafinil on hot flashes, overall quality of
      life, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and perceived cognitive performance. After
      open-label treatment, participants were randomized to double-blind continuation
      of armodafinil versus placebo for 2 weeks to examine whether treatment
      discontinuation would precipitate symptom recurrence. RESULTS: Of 29 eligible
      participants, 20 women (69.0%) completed the trial. During treatment with
      armodafinil (mean dose, 120 mg/d), median Brief Fatigue Inventory scores
      decreased by 57.7% from 5.2 (interquartile range [IQR], 4.6-6.2) to 2.2 (IQR, 1.1
      4.4; P = 0.0002), and median MENQOL physical domain scores decreased by 51.3%
      from 3.9 (IQR, 2.3-4.8) to 1.9 (IQR, 1.3-2.7; P = 0.0001). Median hot flashes for
      24 hours decreased by 48.3% from 2.9 (IQR, 1.1-4.6) to 1.5 (IQR, 0.4-2.4; P =
      0.0005). Improvements in MENQOL total score (49%; P = 0.0001), cognitive function
      (59.2%; P = 0.0002), depressive symptoms (64.7%; P = 0.0006), insomnia (72.7%; P
      = 0.0012), and excessive sleepiness (57.1%; P = 0.0006) were noted. Randomized
      continuation (n = 10) or discontinuation (n = 10) did not indicate group
      differences. Armodafinil was well-tolerated; three women (12%) were withdrawn for
      adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest a therapeutic
      effect of armodafinil on fatigue affecting quality of life during menopause, and
      a potential benefit for other menopause-related symptoms.

PMID- 26125539
TI  - Rhodium-Catalyzed Alkylation of C-H Bonds in Aromatic Amides with Styrenes via
      Bidentate-Chelation Assistance.
AB  - Rhodium-catalyzed alkylation reactions of aromatic C-H bonds in aromatic amides
      with styrene derivatives have been developed by using an 8-aminoquinoline as a
      bidentate directing group. C-C bond formation selectively occurred between the
      ortho C-H bonds in aromatic amides and the terminal carbon of the styrene
      derivatives. The presence of an 8-aminoquinoline moiety is essential for the
      success of the reaction. 

PMID- 26125540
TI  - Computational analysis of stable hard structures in the Ti-B system.
AB  - The lowest energy crystalline structures of various stoichiometric titanium
      boride (Ti-B) intermetallic compounds are sought based on density functional
      theory combined with the particle-swarm optimization (PSO) technique. Besides
      three established experimental structures, i.e., FeB-type TiB, AlB2-type, and
      Ta3B4-type Ti3B4, we predict additional six metastable phases at these
      stoichiometric ratios, namely, alpha- and beta-phases for TiB, TiB2, and Ti3B4,
      respectively. Moreover, we predict the most stable crystalline structures of four
      new titanium boride compounds with different stoichiometric ratios: Ti2B-PSA,
      Ti2B3-PSB, TiB3-PSC, and TiB4-PSD. Notably, Ti2B-PSA is shown to have lower
      formation energy (thus higher stability) than the previously proposed Al2Cu-type
      Ti2B. The computed convex-hull and phonon dispersion relations confirm that all
      the newly predicted Ti-B intermetallic crystals are thermodynamically and
      dynamically stable. Remarkably, the predicted alpha-TiB2 and beta-TiB2 show semi
      metal-like electronic properties and possess high Vickers hardnesses (39.4 and
      39.6 GPa), very close to the lower limit of superhard materials (40 GPa).
      Analyses of band structure, density of states, electronic localization function,
      and various elastic moduli provide further understanding of the electronic and
      mechanical properties of the intermetallic titanium borides. We hope the newly
      predicted hard intermetallic titanium borides coupled with desirable electronic
      properties and high elastic modulus will motivate future experimental synthesis
      for applications such as high-temperature structural materials. 

PMID- 26125541
TI  - Adverse Clinical Outcomes and Resource Utilization Associated with Methicillin
      Resistant and Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus Infections after
      Elective Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current studies of post-operative Staphylococcus aureus disease focus
      primarily on surgical site infections and are often limited to infections caused
      by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The objective of this
      retrospective cohort analysis was to describe the occurrence of and outcomes
      associated with post-operative MRSA and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA)
      infections in patients undergoing elective surgical procedures. METHODS: Data
      were extracted from Health Facts for inpatients aged 18 years or older with pre
      defined International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical
      Modification (ICD-9-CM) procedure codes, meeting additional criteria indicating
      that the procedure was elective. Post-operative S. aureus infection was
      identified by one or more qualifying culture positive for MRSA or MSSA.
      Multivariable regression models compared patients with MRSA, MSSA, and no S.
      aureus infection. RESULTS: Among 34,866 qualifying patients, the incidence of S.
      aureus infections was 0.9% during the index admission and 1.7% within 90 d after
      elective surgery, of which 36.6% and 38.4% were MRSA, respectively. The highest
      rates were observed among patients undergoing general surgery (2.2% during index
      admission, 3.2% within 90 d) and plastic surgery (1.8% during index admission,
      3.1% within 90 d). Patients with MRSA and MSSA experienced poorer outcomes than
      uninfected patients, based on index admission length of stay (LOS; mean, 30.2,
      22.7, and 5.7 d, respectively), hospital charges ($165,651, $134,313, and
      $52,077), and hospital mortality (odds ratios, 6.4 for MRSA, 4.8 for MSSA versus
      uninfected patients). Relative to MSSA infection, MRSA infection was associated
      with greater total hospital LOS and hospital charges but not with increased re
      admission or mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The burden of post-operative S. aureus
      infection is shared among elective surgical procedures, however, rates and types
      of infections vary. Whereas MRSA infection results in substantially greater
      health care cost and LOS, mortality and re-admission rates are similar among
      patients with MRSA and MSSA. In elective surgery, infection control and
      surveillance for both MRSA and MSSA are warranted.

PMID- 26125542
TI  - Anharmonic Backbone Vibrations in Ultrafast Processes at the DNA-Water Interface.
AB  - The vibrational modes of the deoxyribose-phosphodiester backbone moiety of DNA
      and their interactions with the interfacial aqueous environment are addressed
      with two-dimensional (2D) infrared spectroscopy on a femto- to picosecond time
      scale. Beyond the current understanding in the harmonic approximation, the
      anharmonic character and delocalization of the backbone modes in the frequency
      range from 900 to 1300 cm(-1) are determined with both diagonal anharmonicities
      and intermode couplings on the order of 10 cm(-1). Mediated by the intermode
      couplings, energy transfer between the backbone modes takes place on a picosecond
      time scale, parallel to vibrational relaxation and energy dissipation into the
      environment. Probing structural dynamics noninvasively via the time evolution of
      the 2D lineshapes, limited structural fluctuations are observed on a 300 fs time
      scale of low-frequency motions of the helix, counterions, and water shell.
      Structural disorder of the DNA-water interface and DNA-water hydrogen bonds are,
      however, preserved for times beyond 10 ps. The different interactions of limited
      strength ensure ultrafast vibrational relaxation and dissipation of excess energy
      in the backbone structure, processes that are important for the structural
      integrity of hydrated DNA. 

PMID- 26125543
TI  - Associations among dehydration, testosterone and stress hormones in terms of body
      weight loss before competition.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In weight class sports, such as judo, taekwondo and wrestling,
      reducing body weight before competitions is common. However, it is recommended
      that weight loss per week should not exceed 1.5% of total body weight otherwise,
      athletes' metabolism and endocrine parameters are negatively affected, which will
      deteriorate their physiology and psychology and thus decrease their performance.
      The aim of this study was to determine weight loss and hydration levels after
      weight loss before competitions among the elite wrestlers and to explore the
      association between hydration levels, and stress and testosterone. METHODS: This
      was an observational study. The study was undertaken with 56 voluntary athletes
      who participated in wrestling championship. With blood samples taken from the
      wrestlers, glucose, blood urea nitrogen, sodium (Na), cortisol, prolactin and
      testosterone hormone analyses were evaluated by a specialist at a biochemical
      laboratory. RESULTS: It was found out that according to plasma osmolarity levels,
      there were significant differences between those dehydrated and those who
      maintained euhydration in terms of cortisol and total testosterone levels (P <
      0.001). It was detected that an association was present between plasma
      osmolarity, and cortisol (r = 0.667) and total testosterone levels (r = -0.627)
      among the elite wrestlers. CONCLUSIONS: It was discovered that elite wrestlers
      were subjected to quick and high level of weight losses before competitions in a
      very short time (1-5 days). It was seen that their hydration levels differed due
      to the weight loss, which was explored to be causing acute dehydration among the
      wrestlers.

PMID- 26125544
TI  - Dose-Dependent Paliperidone Associated With Angioedema.

PMID- 26125545
TI  - Real-Time Monitoring of Cellular Bioenergetics with a Multianalyte Screen-Printed
      Electrode.
AB  - Real-time monitoring of changes to cellular bioenergetics can provide new
      insights into mechanisms of action for disease and toxicity. This work describes
      the development of a multianalyte screen-printed electrode for the detection of
      analytes central to cellular bioenergetics: glucose, lactate, oxygen, and pH.
      Platinum screen-printed electrodes were designed in-house and printed by Pine
      Research Instrumentation. Electrochemical plating techniques were used to form
      quasi-reference and pH electrodes. A Dimatix materials inkjet printer was used to
      deposit enzyme and polymer films to form sensors for glucose, lactate, and
      oxygen. These sensors were evaluated in bulk solution and microfluidic
      environments, and they were found to behave reproducibly and possess a lifetime
      of up to 6 weeks. Linear ranges and limits of detection for enzyme-based sensors
      were found to have an inverse relationship with enzyme loading, and iridium oxide
      pH sensors were found to have super-Nernstian responses. Preliminary measurements
      where the sensor was enclosed within a microfluidic channel with RAW 264.7
      macrophages were performed to demonstrate the sensors' capabilities for
      performing real-time microphysiometry measurements. 

PMID- 26125546
TI  - Antitumor Properties of the Essential Oil From the Leaves of Duguetia
      gardneriana.
AB  - Duguetia gardneriana, popularly known in the Brazilian northeast as "jaquinha",
      is a species belonging to the family Annonaceae. The aim of this work was to
      assess the chemical composition and antitumor properties of the essential oil
      from the leaves of D. gardneriana in experimental models. The chemical
      composition of the essential oil was analyzed via gas chromatography-flame
      ionization detector and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In vitro cytotoxic
      activity was determined in cultured tumor cells, and in vivo antitumor activity
      was assessed in B16-F10-bearing mice. The identified compounds were beta
      bisabolene (80.99%), elemicin (8.04%), germacrene D (4.15%), and cyperene
      (2.82%). The essential oil exhibited a cytotoxic effect, with IC50 values of
      16.89, 19.16, 13.08, and 19.33 ug/mL being obtained for B16-F10, HepG2, HL-60,
      and K562 cell lines, respectively. On the other hand, beta-bisabolene was
      inactive in all of the tested tumor cell lines (showing IC50 values greater than
      25 ug/mL). The in vivo analysis revealed tumor growth inhibition rates of 5.37
      37.52% at doses of 40 and 80 mg/kg/day, respectively. Herein, the essential oil
      from the leaves of D. gardneriana presented beta-bisabolene as the major
      constituent and showed cytotoxic and antitumor potential.

PMID- 26125547
TI  - Ureteral Hernia Mimicking Retrocrural Lymphadenopathy in 18F-FDG PET/CT.
AB  - An 82-year-old woman was submitted to (18)F-FDG PET/CT to evaluate an
      indeterminate solitary lung nodule identified on chest CT. At the examination,
      there was a hypermetabolic area at the topography of the right retrocrural
      region, mimicking a lymphadenopathy on axial images. After careful analysis of
      multiplanar CT images, it was better characterized as a loop of the ureter
      insinuating itself by a small diaphragmatic hernia. Ureteral hernia is a rare
      entity with few cases reported in the literature. This case demonstrates the
      importance of conducting careful evaluation of multiplanar CT images to avoid
      false-positive results on PET/CT.

PMID- 26125548
TI  - Bacterial Sugar 3,4-Ketoisomerases: Structural Insight into Product
      Stereochemistry.
AB  - 3-Acetamido-3,6-dideoxy-d-galactose (Fuc3NAc) and 3-acetamido-3,6-dideoxy-d
      glucose (Qui3NAc) are unusual sugars found on the lipopolysaccharides of Gram
      negative bacteria and on the S-layers of Gram-positive bacteria. The 3,4
      ketoisomerases, referred to as FdtA and QdtA, catalyze the third steps in the
      respective biosynthetic pathways for these sugars. Whereas both enzymes utilize
      the same substrate, the stereochemistries of their products are different.
      Specifically, the hydroxyl groups at the hexose C-4' positions assume the
      "galactose" and "glucose" configurations in the FdtA and QdtA products,
      respectively. In 2007 we reported the structure of the apoform of FdtA from
      Aneurinibacillus thermoaerophilus, which was followed in 2014 by the X-ray
      analysis of QdtA from Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum as a binary
      complex. Both of these enzymes belong to the cupin superfamily. Here we report a
      combined structural and enzymological study to explore the manner in which these
      enzymes control the stereochemistry of their products. Various site-directed
      mutant proteins of each enzyme were constructed, and their dTDP-sugar products
      were analyzed by NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the kinetic parameters for these
      protein variants were measured, and the structure of one, namely, the QdtA
      Y17R/R97H double mutant form, was determined to 2.3-A resolution. Finally, in an
      attempt to obtain a model of FdtA with a bound dTDP-linked sugar, the 3,4
      ketoisomerase domain of a bifunctional enzyme from Shewanella denitrificans was
      cloned, purified, and crystallized in the presence of a dTDP-linked sugar
      analogue. Taken together, the results from this investigation demonstrate that it
      is possible to convert a "galacto" enzyme into a "gluco" enzyme and vice versa. 

PMID- 26125549
TI  - National Survey of Radiation Dose and Image Quality in Adult CT Head Scans in
      Taiwan.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the influence of
      different variables on radiation dose and image quality based on a national
      database. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare
      requested all radiology departments to complete a questionnaire for each of their
      CT scanners. Information gathered included all scanning parameters for CT head
      scans. For the present analysis, CT machines were divided into three subgroups:
      single slice CT (Group A); multi-detector CT (MDCT) with 2-64 slices (Group B);
      and MDCT with more than 64 slices (Group C). Correlations between computed
      tomography dose index (CTDI) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with cumulated tube
      rotation number (CTW(n)) and cumulated tube rotation time (CTW(s)), and sub group
      analyses of CTDI and SNR across the three groups were performed. RESULTS: CTDI
      values demonstrated a weak correlation (r = 0.33) with CTW(n) in Group A. SNR
      values demonstrated a weak negative correlation (r = -0.46) with CTW(n) in Group
      C. MDCT with higher slice numbers used more tube potential resulting in higher
      effective doses. There were both significantly lower CTDI and SNR values in
      helical mode than in axial mode in Group B, but not Group C. CONCLUSION: CTW(n)
      and CTW(s) did not influence radiation output. Helical mode is more often used in
      MDCT and results in both lower CTDI and SNR compared to axial mode in MDCT with
      less than 64 slices.

PMID- 26125550
TI  - Simultaneous DNA and RNA Mapping of Somatic Mitochondrial Mutations across
      Diverse Human Cancers.
AB  - Somatic mutations in the nuclear genome are required for tumor formation, but the
      functional consequences of somatic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are less
      understood. Here we identify somatic mtDNA mutations across 527 tumors and 14
      cancer types, using an approach that takes advantage of evidence from both
      genomic and transcriptomic sequencing. We find that there is selective pressure
      against deleterious coding mutations, supporting that functional mitochondria are
      required in tumor cells, and also observe a strong mutational strand bias,
      compatible with endogenous replication-coupled errors as the major source of
      mutations. Interestingly, while allelic ratios in general were consistent in RNA
      compared to DNA, some mutations in tRNAs displayed strong allelic imbalances
      caused by accumulation of unprocessed tRNA precursors. The effect was explained
      by altered secondary structure, demonstrating that correct tRNA folding is a
      major determinant for processing of polycistronic mitochondrial transcripts.
      Additionally, the data suggest that tRNA clusters are preferably processed in the
      3' to 5' direction. Our study gives insights into mtDNA function in cancer and
      answers questions regarding mitochondrial tRNA biogenesis that are difficult to
      address in controlled experimental systems. 

PMID- 26125551
TI  - Quantitative Characterization of Collagen in the Fibrotic Capsule Surrounding
      Implanted Polymeric Microparticles through Second Harmonic Generation Imaging.
AB  - The collagenous capsule formed around an implant will ultimately determine the
      nature of its in vivo fate. To provide a better understanding of how surface
      modifications can alter the collagen orientation and composition in the fibrotic
      capsule, we used second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy to evaluate collagen
      organization and structure generated in mice subcutaneously injected with
      chemically functionalized polystyrene particles. SHG is sensitive to the
      orientation of a molecule, making it a powerful tool for measuring the alignment
      of collagen fibers. Additionally, SHG arises from the second order susceptibility
      of the interrogated molecule in response to the electric field. Variation in
      these tensor components distinguishes different molecular sources of SHG,
      providing collagen type specificity. Here, we demonstrated the ability of SHG to
      differentiate collagen type I and type III quantitatively and used this method to
      examine fibrous capsules of implanted polystyrene particles. Data presented in
      this work shows a wide range of collagen fiber orientations and collagen
      compositions in response to surface functionalized polystyrene particles.
      Dimethylamino functionalized particles were able to form a thin collagenous
      matrix resembling healthy skin. These findings have the potential to improve the
      fundamental understanding of how material properties influence collagen
      organization and composition quantitatively. 

PMID- 26125552
TI  - A New Model for a Carpool Matching Service.
AB  - Carpooling is an effective means of reducing traffic. A carpool team shares a
      vehicle for their commute, which reduces the number of vehicles on the road
      during rush hour periods. Carpooling is officially sanctioned by most
      governments, and is supported by the construction of high-occupancy vehicle
      lanes. A number of carpooling services have been designed in order to match
      commuters into carpool teams, but it known that the determination of optimal
      carpool teams is a combinatorially complex problem, and therefore technological
      solutions are difficult to achieve. In this paper, a model for carpool matching
      services is proposed, and both optimal and heuristic approaches are tested to
      find solutions for that model. The results show that different solution
      approaches are preferred over different ranges of problem instances. Most
      importantly, it is demonstrated that a new formulation and associated solution
      procedures can permit the determination of optimal carpool teams and routes. An
      instantiation of the model is presented (using the street network of Guangzhou
      city, China) to demonstrate how carpool teams can be determined. 

PMID- 26125553
TI  - Maximising Acute Kidney Injury Alerts--A Cross-Sectional Comparison with the
      Clinical Diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is serious and widespread across healthcare
      (1 in 7 hospital admissions) but recognition is often delayed causing avoidable
      harm. Nationwide automated biochemistry alerts for AKI stages 1-3 have been
      introduced in England to improve recognition. We explored how these alerts
      compared with clinical diagnosis in different hospital settings. METHODS: We used
      a large population cohort of 4464 patients with renal impairment. Each patient
      had case-note review by a nephrologist, using RIFLE criteria to diagnose AKI and
      chronic kidney disease (CKD). We identified and staged AKI alerts using the new
      national NHS England AKI algorithm and compared this with nephrologist diagnosis
      across hospital settings. RESULTS: Of 4464 patients, 525 had RIFLE AKI, 449 had
      mild AKI, 2185 had CKD (without AKI) and 1305 were of uncertain chronicity. NHS
      AKI algorithm criteria alerted for 90.5% of RIFLE AKI, 72.4% of mild AKI, 34.1%
      of uncertain cases and 14.0% of patients who actually had CKD.The algorithm
      identified AKI particularly well in intensive care (95.5%) and nephrology
      (94.6%), but less well on surgical wards (86.4%). Restricting the algorithm to
      stage 2 and 3 alerts reduced the over-diagnosis of AKI in CKD patients from 14.0%
      to 2.1%, but missed or delayed alerts in two-thirds of RIFLE AKI patients.
      CONCLUSION: Automated AKI detection performed well across hospital settings, but
      was less sensitive on surgical wards. Clinicians should be mindful that
      restricting alerts to stages 2-3 may identify fewer CKD patients, but including
      stage 1 provides more sensitive and timely alerting.

PMID- 26125554
TI  - HLA-B27-Homodimer-Specific Antibody Modulates the Expansion of Pro-Inflammatory T
      Cells in HLA-B27 Transgenic Rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: HLA-B27 is a common genetic risk factor for the development of
      Spondyloarthritides (SpA). HLA-B27 can misfold to form cell-surface heavy chain
      homodimers (B272) and induce pro-inflammatory responses that may lead to SpA
      pathogenesis. The presence of B272 can be detected on leukocytes of HLA-B27+
      Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and HLA-B27 transgenic rats. We
      characterized a novel B272-specific monoclonal antibody to study its therapeutic
      use in HLA-B27 associated disorders. METHODS: The monoclonal HD5 antibody was
      selected from a phage library to target cell-surface B272 homodimers and
      characterized for affinity, specificity and ligand binding. The immune modulating
      effect of HD5 was tested in HLA-B27 transgenic rats. Onset and progression of
      disease profiles were monitored during therapy. Cell-surface B272 and expansion
      of pro-inflammatory cells from blood, spleen and draining lymph nodes were
      assessed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: HD5 bound B272 with high specificity and
      affinity (Kd = 0.32 nM). HD5 blocked cell-surface interaction of B272 with immune
      regulatory receptors KIR3DL2, LILRB2 and Pirb. In addition, HD5 modulated the
      production of TNF from CD4+ T-cells by limiting B272 interactions in vitro. In an
      HLA-B27 transgenic rat model repetitive dosing of HD5 reduced the expansion of
      pro-inflammatory CD4+ T-cells, and decreased the levels of soluble TNF and number
      of cell-surface B272 molecules. CONCLUSION: HD5 predominantly inhibits early TNF
      production and expansion of pro-inflammatory CD4+ T-cells in HLA-B27 transgenic
      rats. Monoclonal antibodies targeting cell-surface B272 propose a new concept for
      the modulation of inflammatory responses in HLA-B27 related disorders.

PMID- 26125556
TI  - Detecting Associations between Early-Life DDT Exposures and Childhood Growth
      Patterns: A Novel Statistical Approach.
AB  - It has been hypothesized that environmental exposures at key development periods
      such as in utero play a role in childhood growth and obesity. To investigate
      whether in utero exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals,
      dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolite,
      dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDE), is associated with childhood physical
      growth, we took a novel statistical approach to analyze data from the CHAMACOS
      cohort study. To model heterogeneity in the growth patterns, we used a finite
      mixture model in combination with a data transformation to characterize body mass
      index (BMI) with four groups and estimated the association between exposure and
      group membership. In boys, higher maternal concentrations of DDT and DDE during
      pregnancy are associated with a BMI growth pattern that is stable until about age
      five followed by increased growth through age nine. In contrast, higher maternal
      DDT exposure during pregnancy is associated with a flat, relatively stable growth
      pattern in girls. This study suggests that in utero exposure to DDT and DDE may
      be associated with childhood BMI growth patterns, not just BMI level, and both
      the magnitude of exposure and sex may impact the relationship. 

PMID- 26125555
TI  - Distribution and Inhibition of Liposomes on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas
      aeruginosa Biofilm.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are major pathogens
      in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and their biofilms have been associated with
      poorer postsurgical outcomes. This study investigated the distribution and anti
      biofilm effect of cationic (+) and anionic (-) phospholipid liposomes with
      different sizes (unilamellar and multilamellar vesicle, ULV and MLV respectively)
      on S. aureus and P. aeruginosa biofilms. METHOD: Specific biofilm models for S.
      aureus ATCC 25923 and P. aeruginosa ATCC 15692 were established. Liposomal
      distribution was determined by observing SYTO9 stained biofilm exposed to DiI
      labeled liposomes using confocal scanning laser microscopy, followed by
      quantitative image analysis. The anti-biofilm efficacy study was carried out by
      using the alamarBlue assay to test the relative viability of biofilm treated with
      various liposomes for 24 hours and five minutes. RESULTS: The smaller ULVs
      penetrated better than larger MLVs in both S. aureus and P. aeruginosa biofilm.
      Except that +ULV and -ULV displayed similar distribution in S. aureus biofilm,
      the cationic liposomes adhered better than their anionic counterparts. Biofilm
      growth was inhibited at 24-hour and five-minute exposure time, although the
      decrease of viability for P. aeruginosa biofilm after liposomal treatment did not
      reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The distribution and anti-biofilm
      effects of cationic and anionic liposomes of different sizes differed in S.
      aureus and P. aeruginosa biofilms. Reducing the liposome size and formulating
      liposomes as positively charged enhanced the penetration and inhibition of S.
      aureus and P. aeruginosa biofilms.

PMID- 26125557
TI  - Adult Moyamoya Disease: A Burden of Intracranial Stenosis in East Asians?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both Moyamoya disease (MMD) and intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis
      (ICAS) are more prevalent in Asians than in Westerners. We hypothesized that a
      substantial proportion of patients with adult-onset MMD were misclassified as
      having ICAS, which may in part explain the high prevalence of intracranial
      atherosclerotic stroke in Asians. METHOD: We analyzed 352 consecutive patients
      with ischemic events within the MCA distribution and relevant intracranial
      arterial stenosis, but no demonstrable carotid or cardiac embolism sources.
      Conventional angiography was performed in 249 (70.7%) patients, and the remains
      underwent MRA. The occurrence of the c.14429G>A (p.Arg4810Lys) variant in ring
      finger protein 213 (RNF213) was analyzed. This gene was recently identified as a
      susceptibility gene for MMD in East Asians. RESULTS: The p.Arg4810Lys variant was
      observed in half of patients with intracranial stenosis (176 of 352, 50.0%), in
      no healthy control subjects (n = 51), and in 3.2% of stroke control subjects (4
      of 124 patients with other etiologies). The presence of basal collaterals,
      bilateral involvement on angiography, and absence of diabetes were independently
      associated with the presence of the RNF213 variant. Among 131 patients who met
      all three diagnostic criteria and were diagnosed with MMD, three-fourths (75.6%)
      had this variant. However, a significant proportion of patients who met two
      criteria (57.7%), one criterion (28.6%), or no criteria (20.0%) also had this
      variant. Some of them developed typical angiographic findings of MMD on follow-up
      angiography. CONCLUSIONS: Careful consideration of MMD is needed when diagnosing
      ICAS because differential therapeutic strategies are required for these diseases
      and due to the limitations of the current diagnostic criteria for MMD.

PMID- 26125558
TI  - Hippo Stabilises Its Adaptor Salvador by Antagonising the HECT Ubiquitin Ligase
      Herc4.
AB  - Signalling through the Hippo (Hpo) pathway involves a kinase cascade, which leads
      to the phosphorylation and inactivation of the pro-growth transcriptional co
      activator Yorkie (Yki). Despite the identification of a large number of pathway
      members and modulators, our understanding of the molecular events that lead to
      activation of Hpo and the downstream kinase Warts (Wts) remain incomplete.
      Recently, targeted degradation of several Hpo pathway components has been
      demonstrated as a means of regulating pathway activity. In particular, the
      stability of scaffold protein Salvador (Sav), which is believed to promote
      Hpo/Wts association, is crucially dependent on its binding partner Hpo. In a cell
      based RNAi screen for ubiquitin regulators involved in Sav stability, we identify
      the HECT domain protein Herc4 (HECT and RLD domain containing E3 ligase) as a Sav
      E3 ligase. Herc4 expression promotes Sav ubiquitylation and degradation, while
      Herc4 depletion stabilises Sav. Interestingly, Hpo reduces Sav/Herc4 interaction
      in a kinase-dependent manner. This suggests the existence of a positive feedback
      loop, where Hpo stabilises its own positive regulator by antagonising Herc4
      mediated degradation of Sav. 

PMID- 26125559
TI  - Shaped by the Past: The Default Mode Network Supports Cognition that Is
      Independent of Immediate Perceptual Input.
AB  - Although many different accounts of the functions of the default mode network
      (DMN) have been proposed, few can adequately account for the spectrum of
      different cognitive functions that utilize this network. The current study used
      functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore the hypothesis that the
      role of the DMN in higher order cognition is to allow cognition to be shaped by
      information from stored representations rather than information in the immediate
      environment. Using a novel task paradigm, we observed increased BOLD activity in
      regions of the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex when
      individuals made decisions on the location of shapes from the prior trial and
      decreased BOLD activity when individuals made decisions on the location of shapes
      on the current trial. These data are inconsistent with views of the DMN as a task
      negative system or one that is sensitive only to stimuli with strong personal or
      emotional ties. Instead the involvement of the DMN when people make decisions
      about where a shape was, rather than where it is now, supports the hypothesis
      that the core hubs of the DMN allow cognition to be guided by information other
      than the immediate perceptual input. We propose that a variety of different forms
      of higher order thought (such as imagining the future or considering the
      perspective of another person) engage the DMN because these more complex
      introspective forms of higher order thought all depend on the capacity for
      cognition to be shaped by representations that are not present in the external
      environment. 

PMID- 26125560
TI  - Development of an Immunochromatographic Test for Diagnosis of Visceral
      Leishmaniasis Based on Detection of a Circulating Antigen.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a life-threatening disease caused by
      protozoan parasites of the Leishmania donovani complex. Early case detection
      followed by adequate treatment is essential to the control of VL. However, the
      available diagnostic tests are either invasive and require considerable expertise
      (parasitological demonstration of the parasite in tissue smears) or unable to
      distinguish between past and active infection (serological methods). Therefore,
      we aimed to develop a lateral flow assay in the form of an immunochromatographic
      test (ICT) device based on the detection of a circulating Leishmania antigen
      using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: mAbs were
      produced by fusion of murine myeloma cells with splenocytes isolated from a mouse
      immunized with L. donovani soluble crude antigen. Out of 12 cloned hybridoma cell
      lines, two secreted mAbs recognizing the same leishmanial protein. These mAbs
      were used to produce an ICT as a sandwich assay for the detection of circulating
      antigen in serum and blood samples. The ICT was evaluated with 213 serum samples
      from VL patients living in VL endemic areas in China, and with 156 serum samples
      from patients with other diseases as well as 78 serum samples from healthy
      donors. Sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic efficiency of the new ICT was
      95.8%, 98.7% and 97.3%, respectively. Compared with a commercially available
      antibody detecting ICT, our antigen-based ICT performed slightly better.
      CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The newly developed ICT is an easy to use and more
      accurate diagnostic tool which fulfils the performance and operational
      characteristics required for VL case detection under field and laboratory
      conditions. As our ICT detects a circulating antigen, it will also be useful in
      monitoring treatment success and diagnosing VL in immunocompromised patients.

PMID- 26125561
TI  - Network Hubs in the Brain Have the Biggest Impact on Behavior.
AB  - Are memory deficits better explained by damage to individual brain areas or by an
      interruption in the flow of information among widely distributed networks in the
      prefrontal cortex? A new study highlights the importance of task-related function
      over anatomy. Read the Research Article. 

PMID- 26125562
TI  - A Milk and Ochre Paint Mixture Used 49,000 Years Ago at Sibudu, South Africa.
AB  - Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, proteomic and scanning electron microscopy
      with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) analyses of residue on a
      stone flake from a 49,000 year-old layer of Sibudu (South Africa) indicate a
      mixture of ochre and casein from milk, likely obtained by killing a lactating
      wild bovid. Ochre powder production and use are documented in Middle Stone Age
      South African sites but until now there has been no evidence of the use of milk
      as a binder. Our analyses show that this ochre-based mixture was neither a
      hafting adhesive nor a residue left after treating animal skins, but a liquid
      mixture consisting of a powdered pigment mixed with milk; in other words, a paint
      medium that could have been applied to a surface or to human skin. The
      significance of our finds also lies in the fact that it establishes the antiquity
      of the use of milk as a binder well before the introduction of domestic cattle in
      South Africa in the first millennium AD. 

PMID- 26125563
TI  - Independent Neuronal Origin of Seizures and Behavioral Comorbidities in an Animal
      Model of a Severe Childhood Genetic Epileptic Encephalopathy.
AB  - The childhood epileptic encephalopathies (EE's) are seizure disorders that
      broadly impact development including cognitive, sensory and motor progress with
      severe consequences and comorbidities. Recently, mutations in DNM1 (dynamin 1)
      have been implicated in two EE syndromes, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome and Infantile
      Spasms. Dnm1 encodes dynamin 1, a large multimeric GTPase necessary for activity
      dependent membrane recycling in neurons, including synaptic vesicle endocytosis.
      Dnm1Ftfl or "fitful" mice carry a spontaneous mutation in the mouse ortholog of
      DNM1 and recapitulate many of the disease features associated with human DNM1
      patients, providing a relevant disease model of human EE's. In order to examine
      the cellular etiology of seizures and behavioral and neurological comorbidities,
      we engineered a conditional Dnm1Ftfl mouse model of DNM1 EE. Observations of
      Dnm1Ftfl/flox mice in combination with various neuronal subpopulation specific
      cre strains demonstrate unique seizure phenotypes and clear separation of major
      neurobehavioral comorbidities from severe seizures associated with the germline
      model. This demonstration of pleiotropy suggests that treating seizures per se
      may not prevent severe comorbidity observed in EE associated with dynamin-1
      mutations, and is likely to have implications for other genetic forms of EE. 

PMID- 26125564
TI  - Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) Genotypes Differ between Coastal Sites and
      Inland Road Corridors in the Northeastern US.
AB  - Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a North American grass that exhibits vast
      genetic diversity across its geographic range. In the Northeastern US, local
      switchgrass populations were restricted to a narrow coastal zone before European
      settlement, but current populations inhabit inland road verges raising questions
      about their origin and genetics. These questions are important because
      switchgrass lines with novel traits are being cultivated as a biofuel feedstock,
      and gene flow could impact the genetic integrity and distribution of local
      populations. This study was designed to determine if: 1) switchgrass plants
      collected in the Long Island Sound Coastal Lowland coastal Level IV ecoregion
      represented local populations, and 2) switchgrass plants collected from road
      verges in the adjacent inland regions were most closely related to local coastal
      populations or switchgrass from other geographic regions. The study used 18
      microsatellite markers to infer the genetic relationships between 122 collected
      switchgrass plants and a reference dataset consisting of 28 cultivars
      representing ecotypes, ploidy levels, and lineages from North America. Results
      showed that 84% of 88 plants collected in the coastal plants were most closely
      aligned with the Lowland tetraploid genetic pool. Among this group, 61 coastal
      plants were similar to, but distinct from, all Lowland tetraploid cultivars in
      the reference dataset leading to the designation of a genetic sub-population
      called the Southern New England Lowland Tetraploids. In contrast, 67% of 34
      plants collected in road verges in the inland ecoregions were most similar to two
      Upland octoploid cultivars; only 24% of roadside plants were Lowland tetraploid.
      These results suggest that cryptic, non-local genotypes exist in road verges and
      that gene flow from biofuels plantations could contribute to further changes in
      switchgrass population genetics in the Northeast. 

PMID- 26125565
TI  - Tooth Retrospective Dosimetry Using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance: Influence of
      Irradiated Dental Composites.
AB  - In the aftermath of a major radiological accident, the medical management of
      overexposed individuals will rely on the determination of the dose of ionizing
      radiations absorbed by the victims. Because people in the general population do
      not possess conventional dosimeters, after the fact dose reconstruction methods
      are needed. Free radicals are induced by radiations in the tooth enamel of
      victims, in direct proportion to dose, and can be quantified using Electron
      Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectrometry, a technique that was demonstrated to
      be very appropriate for mass triage. The presence of dimethacrylate based
      restorations on teeth can interfere with the dosimetric signal from the enamel,
      as free radicals could also be induced in the various composites used. The aim of
      the present study was to screen irradiated composites for a possible radiation
      induced EPR signal, to characterize it, and evaluate a possible interference with
      the dosimetric signal of the enamel. We investigated the most common commercial
      composites, and experimental compositions, for a possible class effect. The
      effect of the dose was studied between 10 Gy and 100 Gy using high sensitivity X
      band spectrometer. The influence of this radiation-induced signal from the
      composite on the dosimetric signal of the enamel was also investigated using a
      clinical L-Band EPR spectrometer, specifically developed in the EPR center at
      Dartmouth College. In X-band, a radiation-induced signal was observed for high
      doses (25-100 Gy); it was rapidly decaying, and not detected after only 24 h post
      irradiation. At 10 Gy, the signal was in most cases not measurable in the
      commercial composites tested, with the exception of 3 composites showing a
      significant intensity. In L-band study, only one irradiated commercial composite
      influenced significantly the dosimetric signal of the tooth, with an
      overestimation about 30%. In conclusion, the presence of the radiation-induced
      signal from dental composites should not significantly influence the dosimetry
      for early dose assessment.

PMID- 26125568
TI  - Research collaboration enhances research impact.

PMID- 26125567
TI  - Depressive Symptom Severity and Community Collective Efficacy following the 2004
      Florida Hurricanes.
AB  - There is a lack of research investigating community-level characteristics, such
      as community collective efficacy, mitigating the impact of disasters on
      psychological health, specifically depression. We examined the association of
      community collective efficacy with depressive symptom severity in Florida public
      health workers (n = 2249) exposed to the 2004 hurricane season using a multilevel
      approach. Cross-sectional anonymous questionnaires were distributed
      electronically to all Florida Department of Health (FDOH) personnel that assessed
      depressive symptom severity and collective efficacy nine months after the 2004
      hurricane season. Analyses were conducted at the individual level and community
      level using zip codes. The majority of participants were female (81.9%), and ages
      ranged from 20 to 78 years (median = 49 years). The majority of participants
      (73.4%) were European American, 12.7% were African American, and 9.2% were
      Hispanic. Using multilevel analysis, our data indicate that higher community
      level and individual-level collective efficacy were associated with significantly
      lower depressive symptom severity (b = -0.09 [95% CI: -0.13, -0.04] and b = -0.09
      [95% CI: -0.12, -0.06], respectively) even after adjusting for individual
      sociodemographic variables, community socioeconomic characteristics, individual
      injury/damage, and community storm damage. Lower levels of depressive symptom
      severity were associated with communities with high collective efficacy. Our
      study highlights the possible importance of programs that enrich community
      collective efficacy for disaster communities. 

PMID- 26125566
TI  - Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin Is an Early and Accurate Biomarker of
      Graft Function and Tissue Regeneration in Kidney Transplantation from Extended
      Criteria Donors.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Delayed graft function (DGF) is an early complication of kidney
      transplantation (KT) associated with increased risk of early loss of graft
      function. DGF increases using kidneys from extended criteria donors (ECD). NGAL
      is a 25KDa protein proposed as biomarker of acute kidney injury. The aim of this
      study was to investigate the role of NGAL as an early and accurate indicator of
      DGF and Tacrolimus (Tac) toxicity and as a mediator of tissue regeneration in KT
      from ECD. METHODS: We evaluated plasma levels of NGAL in 50 KT patients from ECD
      in the first 4 days after surgery or after Tac introduction. RESULTS: Plasma
      levels of NGAL at day 1 were significantly higher in DGF group. In the non DGF
      group, NGAL discriminated between slow or immediate graft function and decreased
      more rapidly than serum creatinine. NGAL increased after Tac introduction,
      suggesting a role as marker of drug toxicity. In vitro, hypoxia and Tac induced
      NGAL release from tubular epithelial cells (TEC) favoring an autocrine loop that
      sustains proliferation and inhibits apoptosis (decrease of caspases and Bax/Bcl-2
      ratio). CONCLUSIONS: NGAL is an early and accurate biomarker of graft function in
      KT from ECD favoring TEC regeneration after ischemic and nephrotoxic injury.

PMID- 26125569
TI  - Potential underreporting of medication errors in a psychiatric general hospital
      in Japan.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to explore a pattern of underreporting within a
      psychiatric general hospital in Japan. All the medication errors reported online
      in 2010 were analysed. This research was approved by the university and the study
      hospital. There were 651 incidents related to medication errors. Medication error
      rate per 1000 patient days was 2.14 (range: 0.45-6.05). Medication error rates
      between two acute care wards with comparable case and staff mix differed. A low
      proportion of intercepted near-misses and low medication error rates around
      mealtime in acute care 1 were suggestive of under-reporting. Two dementia care
      wards with low medication error rates had no report of intercepted errors, which
      was also suggestive of underreporting. Ward-specific medication error rates and
      patterns are useful to identify wards with potential underreporting of medication
      error within the hospital. 

PMID- 26125570
TI  - The mediating and moderating effects of sleep hygiene practice on anxiety and
      insomnia in hospital nurses.
AB  - This study aimed to test the mediating and moderating effects of sleep hygiene
      practice on the relationship between anxiety and insomnia severity in hospital
      nurses. A cross-sectional survey was employed, and a convenience sample was
      recruited from one regional hospital in Taiwan. Participants completed the
      following self-report questionnaires over a 3-month period in 2009: the Insomnia
      Severity Index, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Sleep Hygiene Awareness and
      Practice Scale. The results indicated that nurses with more anxiety tended to
      have higher insomnia severity. Further, nurses with poor sleep hygiene practice
      had more insomnia. Sleep hygiene practice partially mediated the effects of
      anxiety on insomnia severity. Also, sleep hygiene practice was a moderator in the
      relationship between anxiety and insomnia severity with age and work units as
      covariates. Sleep hygiene practice mediated and moderated the relationship
      between anxiety and insomnia severity after controlling the variables of age and
      work units. Continuing to learn and train sleep hygiene practice might promote
      nurses' sleep hygiene, and thereby ameliorate anxiety and reduce the risk of
      insomnia. 

PMID- 26125571
TI  - Calcium supplementation reducing the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
      and related problems: A meta-analysis of multicentre randomized controlled
      trials.
AB  - Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are closely related to maternal mortality and
      morbidity. Calcium supplementation during pregnancy seems to reduce the risk of
      hypertensive disorders. No systematic review on multicentre RCTs of calcium
      supplementation during pregnancy has been published. The purpose of this study
      was to report a quantitative systematic review of the effectiveness of calcium
      supplementation during pregnancy on reducing the risk of hypertensive disorders
      of pregnancy and related problems. Publications over the years of 1991-2012 were
      searched through PubMed, Science Direct, EMBASE, CINAHL and Web of Science. The
      literatures were selected of the multicentre RCTs on calcium supplementation
      during pregnancy in prevention of hypertensive disorders and related problems.
      Reference lists from the studies were also examined for additional references.
      Studies were critically appraised by three independent reviewers, and the
      Cochrane Handbook was used to assess the quality of those included trials. Four
      studies were included in this systematic review. All included studies were high
      quality, with low risk of bias. There was an observed risk reduction in
      hypertension in calcium group. However, there was no reduction in the risk of
      severe gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, severe pre-eclampsia, preterm
      birth and low birthweight. Calcium supplementation appears to reduce the risk of
      hypertension in pregnancy. 

PMID- 26125572
TI  - Back massage intervention for relieving lower back pain in puerperal women: A
      randomized control trial study.
AB  - This study evaluates the effectiveness of a back massage (BM) intervention in
      relieving lower back pain (LBP) in post-partum women.This is a randomized
      controlled trial study. Sixty normal spontaneous delivery women (response rate:
      96.7%), who gave birth at our hospital, participated in this study from February
      to May of 2012. We randomly assigned 30 women to the experimental group and 30
      women to the control group. During the 1 month post-partum period, the women in
      the experimental group received a BM for 5 consecutive days, whereas the women in
      the control group received routine care only. The LBP score was assessed
      according to a pain visual analog scale. After 5 days of intervention, the
      experimental group (n = 30) experienced significantly less LBP than did the
      control group (n = 30) (2.97 +/- 1.71 vs. 4.43 +/- 1.77, t = 3.26, P = 0.002). BM
      therapy can effectively reduce LBP during the first post-partum month. Additional
      studies are required to confirm the effects of BM therapy during extended post
      partum periods. 

PMID- 26125573
TI  - How do Clostridium difficile infections affect nurses' everyday hospital work: A
      qualitative study.
AB  - This qualitative study explored the impact of Clostridium difficile infections on
      nurses' everyday work in the hospital. Twelve nurses (six in France and six in
      the United States) were interviewed in depth using a semi-structured interview
      guide. Thematic analysis of the interviews was performed. Managing diarrhoea and
      taking precautionary measures for infection control were the two most
      inconvenient aspects nurses reported with C. difficile patient management.
      Precautions included contact isolation, hand hygiene and
      reorganization/coordination of nursing care and ward. Precautions were time
      consuming and significantly increased nurses' workload when combined with caring
      for patients with uncontrollable, frequent bouts of diarrhoea. Management of C.
      difficile infection is extremely burdensome for nurses in their everyday work and
      disruptive to hospital organizations as a whole. Prevention of C. difficile
      infections, together with coordinated team work and communication, would
      therefore contribute to decreasing nurses' workload and the burden to health-care
      facilities associated with caring for these patients. 

PMID- 26125574
TI  - Application of PRECEDE-PROCEED model to tackle problems identified with diarrhoea
      burden among under-5s in Botswana.
AB  - Diarrhoea has been identified as the second leading cause of mortality among
      under-5s and also claims more life than HIV, measles and malaria combined
      together in the same category of population. This article is a combination of
      literature review and personal experience of lessons learnt from past diarrhoea
      outbreaks in Botswana that caused significant rate of mortality among under-5s.
      The paper used literature review to identify contributory factors to diarrhoea
      burden among under-5s in Botswana and applied a community health nursing
      framework (PRECEDE-PROCEED) to tackle the problems identified. The study revealed
      that Botswana mothers are lacking in knowledge related to exclusive
      breastfeeding, prevention and treatment of diarrhoea disease. The paper
      recommends that health-care workers in Botswana be sensitized on current
      diarrhoea management to tailor their health education methods appropriately. 

PMID- 26125575
TI  - Fathers' feelings related to their partners' childbirth and views on their
      presence during labour and childbirth: A descriptive quantitative study.
AB  - This study examined Chinese fathers' feelings about their partners' delivery and
      views on their presence during labour and birth. A questionnaire survey was
      conducted with 403 fathers whose partners gave birth in one provincial hospital
      in China. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics, chi(2)-test and content
      analysis. The results indicated that more than 80% of fathers experienced
      feelings of pride related to fatherhood and of love towards their partners and
      newborns. Significant differences in fathers' feelings were found between
      subgroups with regard to age, education, employment, presence in the delivery
      room, method of birth and whether preparatory visits had been made to the
      hospital. The majority who answered an open-ended question on the meaning of
      fathers' presence in the delivery room held a positive attitude towards fathers'
      presence at labour and birth, as their presence could empower their partners and
      provide psychological support. This study indicates fathers' presence at delivery
      and birth is important and that younger fathers need more support. It also
      provides evidence for clinical practice and future interventions to improve
      fathers' psychological health and experiences. 

PMID- 26125576
TI  - Vital signs monitoring to detect patient deterioration: An integrative literature
      review.
AB  - Vital signs monitoring is an important nursing assessment. Yet, nurses seem to be
      doing it as part of a routine and often overlooking their significance in
      detecting patient deterioration. An integrative literature review was conducted
      to explore factors surrounding ward nursing practice of vital signs monitoring in
      detecting and reporting deterioration. Twenty papers were included. The
      structural component of a Nursing Role Effectiveness Model framework, which
      comprises of patient, nurse and organizational variables, was used to synthesize
      the review. Patient variables include signs of deterioration displayed by
      patients which include physical cues and abnormal vital signs. Nursing variables
      include clinical knowledge, roles and responsibilities, and reporting of
      deteriorating vital signs. Organizational variables include heavy workload,
      technology, and observation chart design. This review has highlighted current
      nursing practice in vital signs monitoring. A myriad of factors were found to
      surround ward practice of vital signs monitoring in detecting and reporting
      deterioration. 

PMID- 26125577
TI  - Postpartum social support of women in Singapore: A pilot study.
AB  - This pilot study aimed to identify the levels of support expected and received by
      postpartum women in Singapore. Another objective was to compare the different
      subdomains of social support. A descriptive design was adopted using a self
      administered questionnaire comprising demographics and the Postpartum Support
      Questionnaire. The study took place at a subsidized obstetrics and gynaecology
      clinic at a restructured hospital in Singapore from the end of December 2009 to
      the end of February 2010. The 25 participants were 6 to 8 weeks postpartum and
      had delivered healthy term infants. They were recruited via convenience sampling.
      Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The
      overall support needs of the participants were met. Only their informational
      support needs were unmet. Assessing the needs of postpartum women and teaching
      them how to convey and manage expectations are recommended initiatives for health
      care practitioners to consider. 

PMID- 26125578
TI  - Occupational-related back pain among Jordanian nurses: A descriptive study.
AB  - Back pain is the leading cause of disability, decreased physical performance at
      work and absenteeism. Activities leading to the occurrence of back pain include
      patient transfer and long standing hours. This study aimed to explore the
      prevalence and determine the activities responsible for the presence of back pain
      among Jordanian nurses. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on a
      convenience sample of nurses from governmental hospitals in Jordan. A self-report
      questionnaire was developed by Stubbs et al. and Harber et al. A descriptive
      method using mean, standard deviations and percentages was used, in addition to
      chi-square tests. Baseline findings indicated that more than three-quarters of
      the nurses studied suffered back pain during their work. Among nurses with back
      pain, about a fifth of them reported it to administration. The highest percentage
      of back pain was among critical care nurses. Further, the static factors
      contributed less commonly to back pain compared with the dynamic factors. Nearly
      half the participants with back pain reported taking days off more frequently.
      Jordanian nurses demonstrated one of the highest frequencies of back pain
      compared with other studies. Focus should be placed on education programmes about
      the appropriate body mechanics. 

PMID- 26125579
TI  - Self-care management programme for older adults with diabetes: An integrative
      literature review.
AB  - This paper summarizes evidence on effectiveness of diabetes self-care
      interventions for older adults with diabetes, and identifies factors influencing
      self-care behaviours. The search for articles published from 2002 to 2012 was
      done using electronic databases, namely, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO and
      PubMed. Search terms include diabetes, self-management, self-care, barriers and
      intervention. Out of 261 articles screened, 21 were selected for review. Findings
      revealed that interventions using concepts of self-efficacy, self-determination
      and proactive coping, and interventions incorporating information technology were
      effective in influencing diabetes self-care behaviours with improved health
      outcomes. Psychosocial factors influencing self-care include motivation,
      socioeconomic status, literacy, knowledge, social and health-care providers'
      support, and particularly for older adults, the key factors were their self
      efficacy, motor skill and literacy in self-care activities. This review provides
      important insight for nurse practitioners to address psychosocial issues in
      developing self-care management programmes for older adults with diabetes. 

PMID- 26125580
TI  - Effectiveness of a community-based diabetes self-management intervention for
      Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes: A pilot study.
AB  - This pilot study examined the effects of an intervention on diabetes knowledge
      and self-management among adults with type 2 diabetes in Wuhan, China. A
      convenience sample of 29 adults with type 2 diabetes participated in a 6-week
      diabetes intervention in a community health center. Data on diabetes knowledge,
      diabetes self-management, fasting blood glucose level, blood pressure, body mass
      index and waist circumference were collected pre- and postintervention and at 1
      month follow-up. The level of diabetes knowledge was significantly greater
      postintervention, increasing from a score of 12.97 (+/- 4.04) to 17.14 (+/- 3.00)
      and remaining at 17.03 (+/- 2.23) at 1-month follow-up; Significant improvements
      in self-monitoring of blood glucose and medication adherence were not found after
      the intervention. However, fasting blood glucose levels showed a significant
      decrease from baseline to postintervention and 1-month follow-up. Diabetes self
      management education was thus an effective way to improve diabetes self-care in
      this Chinese sample. 

PMID- 26125581
TI  - Using knowledge translation as a framework for the design of a research protocol.
AB  - Knowledge translation has been defined as the synthesis, dissemination, exchange
      and ethically sound application of knowledge to improve health, resulting in a
      stronger health-care system. Using KT activities to aid in the adoption of
      evidence into practice can address current health-care challenges such as
      increasing organizational practice standards, alleviating the risk for adverse
      events and meeting practitioner needs for evidence at the bedside. Two general
      forms of KT have been identified. These being integrated KT and end-of-grant KT.
      Integrated KT involves the knowledge users in the research team and in the
      majority of stages of the research process. End-of-grant KT relates to the
      translation of findings through a well-developed dissemination plan. This paper
      describes the process of using an integrated knowledge translation approach to
      design a research protocol that will examine the effectiveness of a web-based
      patient educational intervention. It begins with a description of integrated
      knowledge translation, followed by the presentation of a specific case example in
      which integrated knowledge translation is used to develop a nursing intervention.
      The major elements of integrated knowledge translation pertain to need for a
      knowledge user who represents the broad target user group, and who is
      knowledgeable in the area under investigation and who as authority to enact
      changes to practice. Use of knowledge users as equal partners within the research
      team; exploring all feasible opportunities for knowledge exchange; and working
      with knowledge users to identify all outcomes related to knowledge translation
      are the other major elements of integrated knowledge translation that are
      addressed throughout this paper. Furthermore, the relevance of psychosocial or
      educational interventions to knowledge translation is also discussed as a source
      of knowledge. In summary, integrated knowledge translation is an important tool
      for the development of new interventions, as it helps to apply science to
      practice accurately. It supports the elaboration of the design while enhancing
      the relevance of the intervention through the validation of feasibility and
      acceptability with clinicians and patients. 

PMID- 26125582
TI  - Genetic Analysis of T Cell Lymphomas in Carbon Ion-Irradiated Mice Reveals
      Frequent Interstitial Chromosome Deletions: Implications for Second Cancer
      Induction in Normal Tissues during Carbon Ion Radiotherapy.
AB  - Monitoring mice exposed to carbon ion radiotherapy provides an indirect method to
      evaluate the potential for second cancer induction in normal tissues outside the
      radiotherapy target volume, since such estimates are not yet possible from
      historical patient data. Here, male and female B6C3F1 mice were given single or
      fractionated whole-body exposure(s) to a monoenergetic carbon ion radiotherapy
      beam at the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba, Japan, matching the radiation
      quality delivered to the normal tissue ahead of the tumour volume (average linear
      energy transfer = 13 keV x MUm(-1)) during patient radiotherapy protocols. The
      mice were monitored for the remainder of their lifespan, and a large number of T
      cell lymphomas that arose in these mice were analysed alongside those arising
      following an equivalent dose of 137Cs gamma ray-irradiation. Using genome-wide
      DNA copy number analysis to identify genomic loci involved in radiation-induced
      lymphomagenesis and subsequent detailed analysis of Notch1, Ikzf1, Pten, Trp53
      and Bcl11b genes, we compared the genetic profile of the carbon ion- and gamma
      ray-induced tumours. The canonical set of genes previously associated with
      radiation-induced T cell lymphoma was identified in both radiation groups. While
      the pattern of disruption of the various pathways was somewhat different between
      the radiation types, most notably Pten mutation frequency and loss of
      heterozygosity flanking Bcl11b, the most striking finding was the observation of
      large interstitial deletions at various sites across the genome in carbon ion
      induced tumours, which were only seen infrequently in the gamma ray-induced
      tumours analysed. If such large interstitial chromosomal deletions are a
      characteristic lesion of carbon ion irradiation, even when using the low linear
      energy transfer radiation to which normal tissues are exposed in radiotherapy
      patients, understanding the dose-response and tissue specificity of such DNA
      damage could prove key to assessing second cancer risk in carbon ion radiotherapy
      patients.

PMID- 26125583
TI  - The Czech Surveillance System for Invasive Pneumococcal Disease, 2008-2013: A
      Follow-Up Assessment and Sensitivity Estimation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is caused by Streptococcus
      pneumoniae and mostly presents as pneumonia, sepsis or meningitis. A notable
      portion of IPD cases is vaccine preventable and the pneumococcal conjugate
      vaccine (PCV) was introduced into the routine childhood immunization programs in
      many countries during the last decades. OBJECTIVES: Before PCV introduction in
      the Czech Republic in 2010, a national surveillance system for IPD was
      implemented in 2008 and further improved in 2011. In this study, we describe the
      new surveillance system for the first time and measure its sensitivity between
      2010 and 2013 using the capture-recapture method. Furthermore, we describe the
      recent epidemiological trend of IPD, taking sensitivity estimates into account.
      RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Between 2010 and 2013 the estimated sensitivity of the
      overall IPD surveillance increased from 81% to 99%. The sensitivity of individual
      reporting sources increased from 72% to 87% for the laboratory system and from
      31% to 89% for the epidemiological notification system. Crucial for this
      improvement was the introduction of quarterly report reminders in 2011. Due to
      positive source dependency, the presented sensitivity estimates are most probably
      overestimated and reflect the upper limit of reporting completeness.
      Stratification showed variation in sensitivity of reporting particularly
      according to region. An effect of the PVC vaccination in the Czech Republic is
      visible in the incidence of IPD in target age groups (<5 y). This influence was
      not evident in the total IPD incidence and may interfere with increasing
      sensitivity of reporting. In 2013, an increase in the IPD incidence was observed.
      This finding requires further observation and a detailed vaccine impact analysis
      is needed to assess the current immunization strategy.

PMID- 26125585
TI  - Failure of PCR to Detect Treponema pallidum ssp. pertenue DNA in Blood in Latent
      Yaws.
AB  - Yaws, caused by Treponema pallidum ssp. pertenue, is a neglected tropical disease
      closely related to venereal syphilis and is targeted for eradication by 2020.
      Latent yaws represents a diagnostic challenge, and current tools cannot
      adequately distinguish between individuals with true latent infection and
      individuals who are serofast following successful treatment. PCR on blood has
      previously been shown to detect T. pallidum DNA in patients with syphilis,
      suggesting that this approach may be of value in yaws. We performed real-time PCR
      for Treponema pallidum ssp. pertenue on blood samples from 140 children with
      positive T. pallidum Particle Agglutination (TPPA) and Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR)
      tests and 7 controls (negative serology), all collected as part of a prospective
      study of yaws in the Solomon Islands. All samples were also tested by a nested
      PCR for T. pallidum. 12 patients had clinical evidence of active yaws whilst 128
      were considered to have latent yaws. 43 children had high titre rapid plasma
      reagins (RPRs) of >=1:32. PCR testing with both assays gave negative results in
      all cases. It is possible that the failure to detect T. pallidum ssp. pertenue in
      blood reflects lower loads of organism in latent yaws compared to those in latent
      infection with T. pallidum ssp. pertenue, and/or a lower propensity for
      haematogenous dissemination in yaws than in syphilis. As the goal of the yaws
      control programme is eradication, a tool that can differentiate true latent
      infection from individuals who are serofast would be of value; however, PCR of
      blood is not that tool. 

PMID- 26125584
TI  - Proliferation-Independent Initiation of Biliary Cysts in Polycystic Liver
      Diseases.
AB  - Biliary cysts in adult patients affected by polycystic liver disease are lined by
      cholangiocytes that proliferate, suggesting that initiation of cyst formation
      depends on proliferation. Here, we challenge this view by analyzing cyst-lining
      cell proliferation and differentiation in Cpk mouse embryos and in livers from
      human fetuses affected by Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD),
      at early stages of cyst formation. Proliferation of fetal cholangiocyte
      precursors, measured by immunostaining in human and mouse livers, was low and did
      not differ between normal and ARPKD or Cpk livers, excluding excessive
      proliferation as an initiating cause of liver cysts. Instead, our analyses
      provide evidence that the polycystic livers exhibit increased and accelerated
      differentiation of hepatoblasts into cholangiocyte precursors, eventually
      coalescing into large biliary cysts. Lineage tracing experiments, performed in
      mouse embryos, indicated that the cholangiocyte precursors in Cpk mice generate
      cholangiocytes and periportal hepatocytes, like in wild-type animals. Therefore,
      contrary to current belief, cyst formation in polycystic liver disease does not
      necessarily depend on overproliferation. Combining our prenatal data with
      available data from adult livers, we propose that polycystic liver can be
      initiated by proliferation-independent mechanisms at a fetal stage, followed by
      postnatal proliferation-dependent cyst expansion. 

PMID- 26125586
TI  - The effect of alcohol priming on neural markers of alcohol cue-reactivity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Priming doses of alcohol are associated with increased desire to
      drink and disinhibitory effects on subsequent control over drinking. Despite the
      importance of alcohol priming in the cue-reactivity literature, the effects of
      priming on brain responses to alcohol cues remains unclear. Furthermore, evidence
      suggests this relationship may be moderated by OPRM1 genotype. METHODS: Twenty
      individuals with alcohol dependence (six females; 90% Caucasian; mean age = 29.4)
      who were prospectively genotyped on the OPRM1 gene underwent two functional
      magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sessions, before and after a priming dose of
      alcohol, each including a gustatory alcohol cue reactivity paradigm and self
      reported craving measures. RESULTS: Self-reported alcohol craving generally
      increased and remained higher for alcohol versus water cue presentations across
      pre- and post-priming scans. Compared to alcohol cues delivered during the post
      priming scan, alcohol cues delivered pre-priming were associated with greater
      activation in regions including the hippocampus, amygdala, inferior frontal
      gyrus, temporal cortex, and occipital cortex. Controlling for alcoholism severity
      increased statistical significance of activation in these regions. Follow-up
      analyses revealed a positive correlation between alcoholism severity and pre-
      versus post-priming alcohol cue-reactivity primarily in frontal regions. OPRM1
      genotype was also found to moderate alcohol cue-reactivity across scans.
      CONCLUSION: This study provides initial evidence of alcohol cue-elicited
      habituation in fronto-temporal regions, despite continued craving, following a
      priming dose of alcohol. Further, it provides preliminary evidence for moderating
      roles of alcoholism severity and OPRM1 genotype on priming-related changes in cue
      reactivity, adding to our understanding of the function of alcohol priming in
      alcohol dependence.

PMID- 26125587
TI  - Administration Time for the First Dose of Antimicrobials in Episodes of Fever and
      Neutropenia in Children With Cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Early administration of antimicrobial (AM) is relevant in children
      with cancer, fever and neutropenia (FN). The recommendation is to administer the
      first dose of AM within the first hour of hospital admission. Our aims were to
      determine the time from the moment that a child with FN is admitted to the
      hospital until they receive their first dose of AM and to determine the
      association with clinical outcomes. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter study
      evaluated the time elapsed from the admission to the first dose of AM, comparing
      this variable by admitting hospital and presentation location (Emergency
      Department/Oncology Units) and evaluating the clinical outcomes by the following
      variables: days of fever, days of hospitalization, hypotension, transfer to
      intensive care unit, sepsis and mortality. RESULTS: A total of 226 children with
      388 episodes of FN were enrolled from 5 hospitals (July 2012-April 2014). The
      median time between hospital admission and administration of the first dose of AM
      was 132 minutes (interquartile range: 60-246 minutes). The median time to AM
      administration was significantly different between hospitals (70 vs. 200 minutes,
      P < 0.0001) and between presentation locations (Emergency Department vs. Oncology
      Units, median: 200 vs. 100 minutes, P < 0.0001). Twenty-five percentage of
      children received AM within 1 hour of admission. The administration of AM after
      60 minutes was not associated with worse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Time to AM
      administration was longer than the recommendation. The findings described provide
      an opportunity to identify gaps and implement programs aimed at improving the
      equity and excellence of care in children with cancer and FN.

PMID- 26125588
TI  - iSMS: single-molecule FRET microscopy software.

PMID- 26125589
TI  - InferenceMAP: mapping of single-molecule dynamics with Bayesian inference.

PMID- 26125590
TI  - Chemically defined, albumin-free human cardiomyocyte generation.

PMID- 26125591
TI  - Mass spectrometrists should search only for peptides they care about.
AB  - Analysis pipelines that assign peptides to shotgun proteomics mass spectra often
      discard identified spectra deemed irrelevant to the scientific hypothesis being
      tested. To improve statistical power, I propose that researchers remove
      irrelevant peptides from the database prior to searching rather than assigning
      these peptides to spectra and then discarding the matches. 

PMID- 26125592
TI  - Metabolism: feeding fruit flies.

PMID- 26125593
TI  - Co-opting CRISPR to deliver functional RNAs.

PMID- 26125595
TI  - Maternal Exposure to Cadmium and Manganese Impairs Reproduction and Progeny
      Fitness in the Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus.
AB  - Metal contamination represents one of the major sources of pollution in marine
      environments. In this study we investigated the short-term effects of
      ecologically relevant cadmium and manganese concentrations (10(-6) and 3.6 x 10(
      5) M, respectively) on females of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus and their
      progeny, reared in the absence or presence of the metal. Cadmium is a well-known
      heavy metal, whereas manganese represents a potential emerging contaminant,
      resulting from an increased production of manganese-containing compounds. The
      effects of these agents were examined on both P. lividus adults and their
      offspring following reproductive state, morphology of embryos, nitric oxide (NO)
      production and differential gene expression. Here, we demonstrated that both
      metals differentially impaired the fertilization processes of the treated female
      sea urchins, causing modifications in the reproductive state and also affecting
      NO production in the ovaries. A detailed analysis of the progeny showed a high
      percentage of abnormal embryos, associated to an increase in the endogenous NO
      levels and variations in the transcriptional expression of several genes involved
      in stress response, skeletogenesis, detoxification, multi drug efflux processes
      and NO production. Moreover, we found significant differences in the progeny from
      females exposed to metals and reared in metal-containing sea water compared to
      embryos reared in non-contaminated sea water. Overall, these results greatly
      expanded previous studies on the toxic effects of metals on P. lividus and
      provided new insights into the molecular events induced in the progeny of sea
      urchins exposed to metals.

PMID- 26125594
TI  - Pathway and network analysis of cancer genomes.
AB  - Genomic information on tumors from 50 cancer types cataloged by the International
      Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) shows that only a few well-studied driver genes
      are frequently mutated, in contrast to many infrequently mutated genes that may
      also contribute to tumor biology. Hence there has been large interest in
      developing pathway and network analysis methods that group genes and illuminate
      the processes involved. We provide an overview of these analysis techniques and
      show where they guide mechanistic and translational investigations. 

PMID- 26125596
TI  - Analytical Validation of AmpliChip p53 Research Test for Archival Human Ovarian
      FFPE Sections.
AB  - The p53 tumor suppressor gene (TP53) is reported to be mutated in nearly half of
      all tumors and plays a central role in genome integrity. Detection of mutations
      in p53 can be accomplished by many assays, including the AmpliChip p53 Research
      Test. The AmpliChip p53 Research Test has been successfully used to determine p53
      status in hematologic malignancies and fresh frozen solid tissues but there are
      few reports of using the assay with formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE)
      tissue. The objective of this study was to describe analytical performance
      characterization of the AmpliChip p53 Research Test to detect p53 mutations in
      genomic DNA isolated from archival FFPE human ovarian tumor tissues. Method
      correlation with sequencing showed 96% mutation-wise agreement and 99% chip-wise
      agreement. We furthermore observed 100% agreement (113/113) of the most prevalent
      TP53 mutations. Workflow reproducibility was 96.8% across 8 samples, with 2
      operators, 2 reagent lots and 2 instruments. Section-to-section reproducibility
      was 100% for each sample across a 60 MUm region of the FFPE block from ovarian
      tumors. These data indicate that the AmpliChip p53 Research Test is an accurate
      and reproducible method for detecting mutations in TP53 from archival FFPE human
      ovarian specimens. 

PMID- 26125597
TI  - Simultaneous Brain-Cervical Cord fMRI Reveals Intrinsic Spinal Cord Plasticity
      during Motor Sequence Learning.
AB  - The spinal cord participates in the execution of skilled movements by translating
      high-level cerebral motor representations into musculotopic commands. Yet, the
      extent to which motor skill acquisition relies on intrinsic spinal cord processes
      remains unknown. To date, attempts to address this question were limited by
      difficulties in separating spinal local effects from supraspinal influences
      through traditional electrophysiological and neuroimaging methods. Here, for the
      first time, we provide evidence for local learning-induced plasticity in intact
      human spinal cord through simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging of
      the brain and spinal cord during motor sequence learning. Specifically, we show
      learning-related modulation of activity in the C6-C8 spinal region, which is
      independent from that of related supraspinal sensorimotor structures. Moreover, a
      brain-spinal cord functional connectivity analysis demonstrates that the initial
      linear relationship between the spinal cord and sensorimotor cortex gradually
      fades away over the course of motor sequence learning, while the connectivity
      between spinal activity and cerebellum gains strength. These data suggest that
      the spinal cord not only constitutes an active functional component of the human
      motor learning network but also contributes distinctively from the brain to the
      learning process. The present findings open new avenues for rehabilitation of
      patients with spinal cord injuries, as they demonstrate that this part of the
      central nervous system is much more plastic than assumed before. Yet, the
      neurophysiological mechanisms underlying this intrinsic functional plasticity in
      the spinal cord warrant further investigations. 

PMID- 26125598
TI  - DNA Aptamer Assembly as a Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor Agonist.
AB  - Controlling receptor-mediated processes in cells is paramount in many research
      areas. The activity of small molecules and growth factors is difficult to control
      and can lead to off-target effects through the activation of nonspecific
      receptors as well as binding affinity to nonspecific cell types. In this study,
      we report the development of a molecular trigger in the form of a divalent
      nucleic acid aptamer assembly toward vascular endothelial growth factor receptor
      2 (VEGFR2). The assembly binds to VEGFR2 and functions as a receptor agonist with
      targeted receptor binding, promoting receptor phosphorylation, activation of the
      downstream Akt pathway, upregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and
      endothelial cell capillary tube formation. The agonist action we report makes
      this aptamer construct a promising strategy to control VEGFR2-mediated cell
      signaling. 

PMID- 26125599
TI  - Novel synthetic organic compounds inspired from antifeedant marine alkaloids as
      potent bacterial biofilm inhibitors.
AB  - In this paper, we have reported seventeen novel synthetic organic compounds
      derived from marine bromopyrrole alkaloids, exhibiting potential inhibition of
      biofilm produced by Gram-positive bacteria. Compound 5f with minimumbiofilm
      inhibitory concentration(MBIC) of 0.39, 0.78 and 3.125 MUg/mL against MSSA, MRSA
      and SE respectively, emerged as promising anti-biofilm lead compounds. In
      addition, compounds 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5h, 5i and 5j revealed equal potency as
      that of the standard drug Vancomycin (MBIC = 3.125 MUg/mL) against Streptococcus
      epidermidis. Notably, most of the synthesized compounds displayed better potency
      than Vancomycin indicating their potential as inhibitors of bacterial biofilm.
      The cell viability assay for the most active hybrid confirms its anti-virulence
      properties which need to be further researched.

PMID- 26125600
TI  - A role for homologous recombination proteins in cell cycle regulation.
AB  - Eukaryotic cells respond to DNA breaks, especially double-stranded breaks (DSBs),
      by activating the DNA damage response (DDR), which encompasses DNA repair and
      cell cycle checkpoint signaling. The DNA damage signal is transmitted to the
      checkpoint machinery by a network of specialized DNA damage-recognizing and
      signal-transducing molecules. However, recent evidence suggests that DNA repair
      proteins themselves may also directly contribute to the checkpoint control. Here,
      we investigated the role of homologous recombination (HR) proteins in normal cell
      cycle regulation in the absence of exogenous DNA damage. For this purpose, we
      used Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells expressing the Fluorescent ubiquitination
      based cell cycle indicators (Fucci). Systematic siRNA-mediated knockdown of HR
      genes in these cells demonstrated that the lack of several of these factors
      alters cell cycle distribution, albeit differentially. The knock-down of MDC1,
      Rad51 and Brca1 caused the cells to arrest in the G2 phase, suggesting that they
      may be required for the G2/M transition. In contrast, inhibition of the other HR
      factors, including several Rad51 paralogs and Rad50, led to the arrest in the
      G1/G0 phase. Moreover, reduced expression of Rad51B, Rad51C, CtIP and Rad50
      induced entry into a quiescent G0-like phase. In conclusion, the lack of many HR
      factors may lead to cell cycle checkpoint activation, even in the absence of
      exogenous DNA damage, indicating that these proteins may play an essential role
      both in DNA repair and checkpoint signaling. 

PMID- 26125601
TI  - Nonenzymatic alpha-Linolenic Acid Derivatives from the Sea: Macroalgae as Novel
      Sources of Phytoprostanes.
AB  - Phytoprostanes, autoxidation products of alpha-linolenic acid, have been studied
      in several plant species, but information regarding the natural occurrence of
      this large family of biologically active oxidized lipids in macroalgae is still
      scarce. In this work, the free phytoprostane composition of 24 macroalgae species
      belonging to Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta, and Rhodophyta was determined through a
      recently validated UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS method. The phytoprostane profiles varied
      greatly among all samples, F1t-phytoprostanes and L1-phytoprostanes being the
      predominant and minor classes, respectively. No correlation between the amounts
      of alpha-linolenic acid in alga material and phytoprostane content was found.
      Therefore, it was hypothesized that the observed variability could be species
      specific or result from interspecific interactions. This study provides new
      insight about the occurrence of phytoprostanes in macroalgae and opens doors for
      future exploitation of these marine photosynthetic organisms as sources of
      potentially bioactive oxylipins, encouraging their incorporation in food products
      and nutraceutical and pharmaceutical preparations for human health. 

PMID- 26125603
TI  - Antagonism effects of cypermethrin on interleukin-6-induced androgen receptor
      activation.
AB  - To identify whether androgen receptor (AR) antagonism by cypermethrin involves
      interleukin-6 (IL-6)-induced ligand-independent AR signaling, we have developed
      the AR reporter gene assay. The reporter gene plasmid pMMTV-chloramphenicol
      transferase (CAT) was transfected into LNCaP cells. IL-6 increased expression of
      MMTV-CAT significantly (P<0.05). Cypermethrin decreased CAT reporter expression
      induced by IL-6 (50 ng/ml), and the significant inhibition was detected at 10(
      5)M (P<0.05). IL-6 induces ligand-independent activation of AR. Cypermethrin
      exhibits inhibitory effects on IL-6-induced ligand-independent AR signaling. We
      provide a novel insight into cypermethrin-mediated antagonism of the IL-6
      mediated ligand-independent activation of the AR.

PMID- 26125602
TI  - Perinatal Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Assessment and Treatment.
AB  - Perinatal generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has a high prevalence of 8.5%-10.5%
      during pregnancy and 4.4%-10.8% postpartum. Despite its attendant dysfunction in
      the patient, this potentially debilitating mental health condition is often
      underdiagnosed. This overview will provide guidance for clinicians in making
      timely diagnosis and managing symptoms appropriately. A significant barrier to
      the diagnosis of GAD in the perinatal population is difficulty in distinguishing
      normal versus pathological worry. Because a perinatal-specific screening tool for
      GAD is nonexistent, early identification, diagnosis and treatment is often
      compromised. The resultant maternal dysfunction can potentially impact mother
      infant bonding and influence neurodevelopmental outcomes in the children.
      Comorbid occurrence of GAD and major depressive disorder changes the illness
      course and its treatment outcome. Psychoeducation is a key component in
      overcoming denial/stigma and facilitating successful intervention. Treatment
      strategies are contingent upon illness severity. Cognitive behavior therapy
      (CBT), relaxation, and mindfulness therapy are indicated for mild GAD.
      Moderate/severe illness requires pharmacotherapy and CBT, individually or in
      combination. No psychotropic medications are approved by the FDA or Health Canada
      in pregnancy or the postpartum; off-label pharmacological treatment is instituted
      only if the benefit of therapy outweighs its risk. SSRIs/SNRIs are the first-line
      treatment for anxiety disorders due to data supporting their efficacy and overall
      favorable side effect profile. Benzodiazepines are an option for short-term
      treatment. While research on atypical antipsychotics is evolving, some can be
      considered for severe manifestations where the response to antidepressants or
      benzodiazepines has been insufficient. A case example will illustrate the onset,
      clinical course, and treatment strategies of GAD through pregnancy and the
      postpartum. 

PMID- 26125604
TI  - Efficient expression of stabilized mRNA PEG-peptide polyplexes in liver.
AB  - The expression efficiency in liver following hydrodynamic delivery of in vitro
      transcribed mRNA was improved 2000-fold using a codon-optimized mRNA luciferase
      construct with flanking 3' and 5' human beta-globin untranslated regions (UTR
      mRNA) over an unoptimized mRNA without beta-globin UTRs. Nanoparticle UTR mRNA
      polyplexes were formed using a novel polyacridine polyethylene glycol (PEG)
      peptide, resulting in an additional 15-fold increase in expression efficiency in
      the liver. The combined increase in expression for UTR mRNA PEG-peptide
      polyplexes was 3500-fold over mRNA lacking UTRs and PEG-peptide. The expression
      efficiency of UTR mRNA polyplex was 10-fold greater than the expression from an
      equivalent 1 MUg dose of pGL3. Maximal expression was maintained from 4 to 24 h.
      Serum incubation established the unique ability of the polyacridine PEG-peptide
      to protect UTR mRNA polyplexes from RNase metabolism by binding to double
      stranded regions. UTR mRNA PEG-peptide polyplexes are efficient nonviral vectors
      that circumvent the need for a nuclear uptake, representing an advancement toward
      the development of a targeted gene delivery system to transfect liver
      hepatocytes. 

PMID- 26125605
TI  - Helper-dependent adenovirus achieve more efficient and persistent liver transgene
      expression in non-human primates under immunosuppression.
AB  - Helper-dependent adenoviral (HDA) vectors constitute excellent gene therapy tools
      for metabolic liver diseases. We have previously shown that an HDA vector
      encoding human porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD) corrects acute intermittent
      porphyria mice. Now, six non-human primates were injected in the left hepatic
      lobe with the PBGD-encoding HDA vector to study levels and persistence of
      transgene expression. Intrahepatic administration of 5 * 10(12) viral particles
      kg(-1) (10(10) infective units kg(-1)) of HDA only resulted in transient (~14
      weeks) transgene expression in one out of three individuals. In contrast, a more
      prolonged 90-day immunosuppressive regimen (tacrolimus, mycophenolate, rituximab
      and steroids) extended meaningful transgene expression for over 76 weeks in two
      out of two cases. Transgene expression under immunosuppression (IS) reached
      maximum levels 6 weeks after HDA administration and gradually declined reaching a
      stable plateau within the therapeutic range for acute porphyria. The non-injected
      liver lobes also expressed the transgene because of vector circulation. IS
      controlled anticapsid T-cell responses and decreased the induction of
      neutralizing antibodies. Re-administration of HDA-hPBGD at week +78 achieved
      therapeutically meaningful transgene expression only in those animals receiving
      IS again at the time of this second vector exposure. Overall, immunity against
      adenoviral capsids poses serious hurdles for long-term HDA-mediated liver
      transduction, which can be partially circumvented by pharmacological IS.

PMID- 26125606
TI  - Prediction of adeno-associated virus neutralizing antibody activity for clinical
      application.
AB  - Patients with neutralizing antibodies (Nabs) against adeno-associated virus (AAV)
      are usually excluded from the treatment with AAV vectors. To develop a standard
      assay for detecting Nab inhibition activity, we systematically studied current
      AAV Nab assays in vitro and in vivo. Several factors were found that influence
      the Nab titers based on the in vitro assay, including sera volume, AAV dose per
      cell, cell number and choice of transgenes. When the Nab titer assay was
      performed in vivo via intramuscular (IM) or systemic administration, a fourfold
      increase in sensitivity for measurement of Nab titers was observed compared with
      an identical in vitro test. To better mimic the clinical setting, after passively
      transferring human Nabs into mice, blood was collected before systemic injection
      of AAV vector and used for Nab titer analysis in vitro or via IM injection. The
      results showed that AAV delivered via IM injection had a similar inhibition
      pattern to systemic administration. These studies indicate critical parameters
      necessary for optimizing Nab sensitivity and that an in vivo Nab assay is more
      sensitive than an in vitro assay for inclusion/exclusion criteria. The variables
      identified by this study may explain some of the compounding clinical data seen
      to date with respect to efficiency of AAV transduction in various phase I
      clinical trials. 

PMID- 26125607
TI  - The spread of adenoviral vectors to central nervous system through pathway of
      cochlea in mimetic aging and young rats.
AB  - There is no definitive conclusion concerning the spread of viral vectors to the
      brain after a cochlear inoculation. In addition, some studies have reported
      different distribution profiles of viral vectors in the central auditory system
      after a cochlear inoculation. Thus, rats were grouped into either a mimetic aging
      group or a young group and transfected with adenoviral vectors (AdVs) by round
      window membrane injection. The distribution of AdV in central nervous system
      (CNS) was demonstrated in the two groups with transmission electron microscopy
      and immunofluorescence. We found that the AdV could disseminate into the CNS and
      that the neuronal damage and stress-induced GRP78 expression were reduced after
      transfection with PGC-1alpha, as compared with the control vectors, especially in
      the mimetic aging group. We also found that the host immune response was degraded
      in CNS in the mimetic aging group after transduction through the cochlea, as
      compared with the young group. These results demonstrate that viral vectors can
      disseminate into the CNS through the cochlea. Moreover, mimetic aging induced by
      D-galactose could facilitate the spread of viral vectors into the CNS from the
      cochlea. These findings may indicate a new potential approach for gene therapy
      against age-related diseases in the CNS.

PMID- 26125608
TI  - AAV1.NT-3 gene therapy attenuates spontaneous autoimmune peripheral
      polyneuropathy.
AB  - The spontaneous autoimmune peripheral polyneuropathy (SAPP) model in B7-2
      knockout non-obese diabetic mice shares clinical and histological features with
      chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). Secondary
      axonal loss is prominent in the progressive phase of this neuropathy.
      Neurotrophin 3 (NT-3) is an important autocrine factor supporting Schwann cell
      survival and differentiation and stimulates neurite outgrowth and myelination.
      The anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of NT-3 raised considerations
      of potential efficacy in the SAPP model that could be applicable to CIDP. For
      this study, scAAV1.tMCK.NT-3 was delivered to the gastrocnemius muscle of 25-week
      old SAPP mice. Measurable NT-3 levels were found in the serum at 7-week postgene
      delivery. The outcome measures included functional, electrophysiological and
      histological assessments. At week 32, NT-3-treated mice showed increased hind
      limb grip strength that correlated with improved compound muscle action potential
      amplitude. Myelinated fiber density was 1.9 times higher in the NT-3-treated
      group compared with controls and the number of demyelinated axons was
      significantly lower. The remyelinated nerve fiber population was significantly
      increased. These improved histopathological parameters from scAAV1.tMCK.NT-3
      treatment occurred in the setting of reduced sciatic nerve inflammation.
      Collectively, these findings suggest a translational application to CIDP. 

PMID- 26125610
TI  - Assessing the Suitability of Historical PM(2.5) Element Measurements for Trend
      Analysis.
AB  - The IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments) network has
      characterized fine particulate matter composition at locations throughout the
      United States since 1988. A main objective of the network is to evaluate long
      term trends in aerosol concentrations. Measurements inevitably advance over time,
      but changes in measurement technique have the potential to confound the
      interpretation of long-term trends. Problems of interpretation typically arise
      from changing biases, and changes in bias can be difficult to identify without
      comparison data that are consistent throughout the measurement series, which
      rarely exist. We created a consistent measurement series for exactly this purpose
      by reanalyzing the 15-year archives (1995-2009) of aerosol samples from three
      sites - Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, and
      Point Reyes National Seashore-as single batches using consistent analytical
      methods. In most cases, trend estimates based on the original and reanalysis
      measurements are statistically different for elements that were not measured
      above the detection limit consistently over the years (e.g., Na, Cl, Si, Ti, V,
      Mn). The original trends are more reliable for elements consistently measured
      above the detection limit. All but one of the 23 site-element series with
      detection rates >80% had statistically indistinguishable original and reanalysis
      trends (overlapping 95% confidence intervals). 

PMID- 26125609
TI  - Tightly regulated 'all-in-one' lentiviral vectors for protection of human
      hematopoietic cells from anticancer chemotherapy.
AB  - Successful application of gene therapy strategies may require stringently
      regulated transgene expression. Along this line, we describe a doxycycline (Dox)
      inducible 'all-in-one' lentiviral vector design using the pTET-T11 (TII) minimal
      promoter and a reverse transactivator protein (rtTA2S-M2) driven by the
      phosphoglycerate kinase promoter allowing for tight regulation of transgene
      expression (Lv.TII vectors). Vector design was evaluated in human hematopoietic
      cells in the context of cytidine deaminase (hCDD)-based myeloprotective gene
      therapy. Upon Dox administration, a rapid (16-24 h) and dose-dependent (>0.04 MUg
      ml(-1) Dox) onset of transgene expression was detected in Lv.TII.CDD gene
      modified K562 cells as well as in primary human CD34(+) hematopoietic cells.
      Importantly, in both cell models low background transgene expression was observed
      in the absence of Dox. Functionality of Dox-inducible hCDD expression was
      demonstrated by >10-fold increase in cytosine arabinoside (1-beta-d
      arabinofuranosylcytosine, Ara-C) resistance of Lv.TII.CDD-transduced K562 cells.
      In addition, Lv.TII.CDD-transduced CD34(+)-derived myeloid cells were protected
      from up to 300 nm Ara-C (control affected from 50 nm onwards). These data clearly
      demonstrate the suitability of our self-inactivating lentiviral vector to induce
      robust, tightly regulated transgene expression in human hematopoietic cells with
      minimal background activity and highlight the potential of our construct in
      myeloprotective gene therapy strategies.

PMID- 26125611
TI  - Removal of copper ions from aqueous solutions via adsorption on carbon
      nanocomposites.
AB  - The development of technologies for water purification is critical to meet the
      global challenges of insufficient water supply and inadequate sanitation. Among
      all wastewater treatments, adsorption is globally recognized as the most
      promising method because of its versatility and economic feasibility. Herein, the
      removal of copper ions (Cu(II)) from aqueous solutions through adsorption on free
      standing hybrid papers comprised of a mixture between graphene and different
      types of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was examined. Results indicate that the rate of
      adsorption and long-time capacity of the metal ions on the nanocomposites
      significantly exceeds that of activated carbon by a factor of 4. Moreover, the
      combination of graphene with CNTs endows an increase in the uptake of Cu(II) up
      to 50% compared to that of CNTs alone, with a maximum adsorption capacity higher
      than 250 mg.g(-1). The removal of Cu(II) from water is sensitive to solution pH,
      and the presence of oxygen functional groups on the adsorbent surface promotes
      higher adsorption rates and capacities than pristine materials. These hybrid
      nanostructures show great promise for environmental remediation efforts,
      wastewater treatments, and separation applications, and the results presented in
      this study have important implications for understanding the interactions of
      carbonaceous materials at environmental interfaces. 

PMID- 26125612
TI  - Combined pretreatment with hot compressed water and wet disk milling opened up
      oil palm biomass structure resulting in enhanced enzymatic digestibility.
AB  - Combined pretreatment with hot compressed water and wet disk milling was
      performed with the aim to reduce the natural recalcitrance of oil palm biomass by
      opening its structure and provide maximal access to cellulase attack. Oil palm
      empty fruit bunch and oil palm frond fiber were first hydrothermally pretreated
      at 150-190 degrees  C and 10-240 min. Further treatment with wet disk milling
      resulted in nanofibrillation of fiber which caused the loosening of the tight
      biomass structure, thus increasing the subsequent enzymatic conversion of
      cellulose to glucose. The effectiveness of the combined pretreatments was
      evaluated by chemical composition changes, power consumption, morphological
      alterations by SEM and the enzymatic digestibility of treated samples. At optimal
      pretreatment process, approximately 88.5% and 100.0% of total sugar yields were
      obtained from oil palm empty fruit bunch and oil palm frond fiber samples, which
      only consumed about 15.1 and 23.5 MJ/kg of biomass, respectively.

PMID- 26125613
TI  - Application of nano TiO2 modified hollow fiber membranes in algal membrane
      bioreactors for high-density algae cultivation and wastewater polishing.
AB  - Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membranes with nano-TiO2 (5% of PVDF
      by mass, average size = 25 nm) additives were fabricated and applied for high
      density algae (Chlorella vulgaris) cultivation. At the average light intensity of
      121 MUmol/m(2)/s, the algal membrane bioreactors (A-MBR) operated at a hydraulic
      retention time of 0.5d and an average solids retention time of 25d had an average
      algae biomass concentration of 2350 +/- 74 mg/L (in COD units) and algal biomass
      production rate of 6.5 +/- 0.1g/m(2)/d. The A-MBRs removed an average of 78% of
      phosphorus from the wastewater at the initial total phosphorus concentrations
      ranging from 3.5 to 8.6 mg/L. The nano TiO2-embedded membranes had improved
      surface hydrophilicity with its total resistance about 50% lower than that of the
      control. This study demonstrated that PVDF/TiO2 nanocomposite membranes had a
      better antifouling property for high-density algae cultivation and wastewater
      polishing.

PMID- 26125614
TI  - High-throughput determination of citrinin in rice by ultra-high-performance
      liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection (UHPLC-FL).
AB  - A rapid, simple and effective method for the determination of citrinin in rice by
      UHPLC coupled to fluorescence detection has been developed and validated.
      Extraction of citrinin from rice samples was achieved by applying a QuEChERS
      based extraction/partitioning process with water and acetonitrile, without the
      need of further extract clean-up. The method was fully validated for white rice,
      and its applicability in other rice matrices, such as brown and red rice, was
      confirmed by recovery experiments. Under optimum conditions, recoveries ranged
      from 72.5% to 92.8%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 7.1%.
      Detection and quantification limits were estimated to be 1.5 and 5.0 ug kg(-1),
      respectively. Finally, 21 organic rice samples were analysed, but none was
      contaminated with citrinin above the detection limit of the method. The method
      proved to be fast and non-laborious. 

PMID- 26125615
TI  - Instrumentation in osteomyelitis-related cervical deformity.

PMID- 26125616
TI  - Automatic Detection and Reproduction of Natural Head Position in Stereo
      Photogrammetry.
AB  - The aim of this study was to develop an automatic orientation calibration and
      reproduction method for recording the natural head position (NHP) in stereo
      photogrammetry (SP). A board was used as the physical reference carrier for true
      verticals and NHP alignment mirror orientation. Orientation axes were detected
      and saved from the digital mesh model of the board. They were used for correcting
      the pitch, roll and yaw angles of the subsequent captures of patients' facial
      surfaces, which were obtained without any markings or sensors attached onto the
      patient. We tested the proposed method on two commercial active (3dMD) and
      passive (DI3D) SP devices. The reliability of the pitch, roll and yaw for the
      board placement were within +/-0.039904 degrees , +/-0.081623 degrees , and +/
      0.062320 degrees ; where standard deviations were 0.020234 degrees , 0.045645
      degrees  and 0.027211 degrees  respectively. CONCLUSION: Orientation-calibrated
      stereo-photogrammetry is the most accurate method (angulation deviation within +/
      0.1 degrees ) reported for complete NHP recording with insignificant clinical
      error.

PMID- 26125618
TI  - Correction: Genomic Selection and Association Mapping in Rice (Oryza sativa):
      Effect of Trait Genetic Architecture, Training Population Composition, Marker
      Number and Statistical Model on Accuracy of Rice Genomic Selection in Elite,
      Tropical Rice Breeding Lines.

PMID- 26125617
TI  - Complete Taiwanese Macaque (Macaca cyclopis) Mitochondrial Genome: Reference
      Assisted de novo Assembly with Multiple k-mer Strategy.
AB  - The Taiwanese (Formosan) macaque (Macaca cyclopis) is the only nonhuman primate
      endemic to Taiwan. This primate species is valuable for evolutionary studies and
      as subjects in medical research. However, only partial fragments of the
      mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of this primate species have been sequenced,
      not mentioning its nuclear genome. We employed next-generation sequencing to
      generate 2 x 90 bp paired-end reads, followed by reference-assisted de novo
      assembly with multiple k-mer strategy to characterize the M. cyclopis mitogenome.
      We compared the assembled mitogenome with that of other macaque species for
      phylogenetic analysis. Our results show that, the M. cyclopis mitogenome consists
      of 16,563 nucleotides encoding for 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs and
      22 transfer RNAs. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that M. cyclopis is most
      closely related to M. mulatta lasiota (Chinese rhesus macaque), supporting the
      notion of Asia-continental origin of M. cyclopis proposed in previous studies
      based on partial mitochondrial sequences. Our work presents a novel approach for
      assembling a mitogenome that utilizes the capabilities of de novo genome assembly
      with assistance of a reference genome. The availability of the complete Taiwanese
      macaque mitogenome will facilitate the study of primate evolution and the
      characterization of genetic variations for the potential usage of this species as
      a non-human primate model for medical research. 

PMID- 26125619
TI  - The Impact of Climate on the Spread of Rice to North-Eastern China: A New Look at
      the Data from Shandong Province.
AB  - Moving crops outside of their original centers of domestication was sometimes a
      challenging process. Because of its substantial heat requirements, moving rice
      agriculture outside of its homelands of domestication was not an easy process for
      farmers in the past. Using crop niche models, we examine the constraints faced by
      ancient farmers and foragers as they moved rice to its most northerly extent in
      Ancient China: Shandong province. Contrary to previous arguments, we find that
      during the climatic optimum rice could have been grown in the region. Climatic
      cooling following this date had a clear impact on the distribution of rice, one
      that may have placed adaptive pressure on rice to develop a temperate phenotype.
      Following the development of this temperate phenotype, rice agriculture could
      once again become implanted in select areas of north-eastern China. 

PMID- 26125620
TI  - A Colloidal Description of Intermolecular Interactions Driving Fibril-Fibril
      Aggregation of a Model Amphiphilic Peptide.
AB  - We apply a kinetic analysis platform to study the intermolecular interactions
      underlying the colloidal stability of dispersions of charged amyloid fibrils
      consisting of a model amphiphilic peptide (RADA 16-I). In contrast to the
      aggregation mechanisms observed in the large majority of proteins and peptides,
      where several elementary reactions involving both monomers and fibrils are
      present simultaneously, the system selected in this work allows the specific
      investigation of the fibril-fibril aggregation process. We examine the
      intermolecular interactions driving the aggregation reaction at pH 2.0 by
      changing the buffer composition in terms of salt concentration, type of ion as
      well as type and concentration of organic solvent. The aggregation kinetics are
      followed by dynamic light scattering, and the experimental data are simulated by
      Smoluchowski population balance equations, which allow to estimate the energy
      barrier between two colliding fibrils in terms of the Fuchs stability ratio (W).
      When normalized on a dimensionless time weighted on the Fuchs stability ratio,
      the aggregation profiles under a broad range of conditions collapse on a single
      master curve, indicating that the buffer composition modifies the aggregation
      kinetics without affecting the aggregation mechanism. Our results show that the
      aggregation process does not occur under diffusion-limited conditions. Rather,
      the reaction rate is limited by the presence of an activation energy barrier that
      is largely dominated by electrostatic repulsive interactions. Such interactions
      could be reduced by increasing the concentration of salt, which induces charge
      screening, or the concentration of organic solvent, which affects the dielectric
      constant. It is remarkable that the dependence of the activation energy on the
      ionic strength can be described quantitatively in terms of charge screening
      effects in the frame of the DLVO theory, although specific anion and cation
      effects are also observed. While anion effects are mainly related to the binding
      to the positive groups of the fibril surface and to the resulting decrease of the
      surface charge, cation effects are more complex and involve additional solvation
      forces. 

PMID- 26125621
TI  - Semantic Processing Persists despite Anomalous Syntactic Category: ERP Evidence
      from Chinese Passive Sentences.
AB  - The syntax-first model and the parallel/interactive models make different
      predictions regarding whether syntactic category processing has a temporal and
      functional primacy over semantic processing. To further resolve this issue, an
      event-related potential experiment was conducted on 24 Chinese speakers reading
      Chinese passive sentences with the passive marker BEI (NP1 + BEI + NP2 + Verb).
      This construction was selected because it is the most-commonly used Chinese
      passive and very much resembles German passives, upon which the syntax-first
      hypothesis was primarily based. We manipulated semantic consistency (consistent
      vs. inconsistent) and syntactic category (noun vs. verb) of the critical verb,
      yielding four conditions: CORRECT (correct sentences), SEMANTIC (semantic
      anomaly), SYNTACTIC (syntactic category anomaly), and COMBINED (combined
      anomalies). Results showed both N400 and P600 effects for sentences with semantic
      anomaly, with syntactic category anomaly, or with combined anomalies. Converging
      with recent findings of Chinese ERP studies on various constructions, our study
      provides further evidence that syntactic category processing does not precede
      semantic processing in reading Chinese. 

PMID- 26125622
TI  - Spacer-Directed Selective Assembly of Copper Square or Hexagon and Ring-Stacks or
      Coordination Nanotubes.
AB  - The use of simple self-assembly methods to direct or engineer porosity or
      channels of desirable functionality is a major challenge in the field of metal
      organic frameworks. We herein report a series of frameworks by modifying square
      ring structure of [{Cu2(5-dmpy)2(L1)2(H2O)(MeOH)}2{ClO4}4].4MeOH (1.4MeOH, 5-dmpy
      = 5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine, HL1 = 4-pyridinecarboxylic acid). Use of pyridyl
      carboxylates as directional spacers in bipyridyl chelated Cu(II) system led to
      the growth of square unit into other configurations, namely, square ring, square
      chain, and square tunnel. Another remarkable characteristic is that the novel use
      of two isomers of pyridinyl-acrylic acid directs selectively to two different
      extreme tubular forms-aligned stacking of discrete hexagonal rings and crack-free
      one-dimensional continuum polymers. This provides a unique example of two extreme
      forms of copper nanotubes from two isomeric spacers. All of the reactions are
      performed in a one-pot self-assembly process at room temperature, while the
      topological selectivity is exclusively determined by the skeletal characteristics
      of the spacers. 

PMID- 26125624
TI  - Infected Hepatic Echinococcosis: Results of Surgical Treatment of a Consecutive
      Series of Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: One of the progressive complications of hepatic echinococcosis (HE)
      is cyst infection and subsequent liver abscess of a hepatic formation (LAHO). To
      date, this entity has not been studied or reported on extensively. Traditionally,
      the issue has been addressed with cystectomy and drainage, but this is associated
      with unsatisfactory outcomes. The aim of this study was to describe the results
      of surgical treatment in a group of patients with LAHO in terms of post-operative
      morbidity (POM). METHODS: We describe a case series of 64 consecutive patients
      with LAHO treated at two medical centers in Temuco, Chile. General and liver
      laboratory parameters were determined, thoracic radiographs, and abdominal
      ultrasound and computed tomography scans were performed. Study variables were
      POM, hospital stay, mortality rate, and recurrence. The minimum follow-up was
      three months, and clinical checkups were undertaken at months 1, 6, 12, 24, 36,
      48, and 60. Descriptive statistics were applied. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients
      were treated with a median age and cyst diameter of 51 years and 16 cm,
      respectively. Of the series, 57.8% were female. The median hospital stay was 8
      days. General POM and mortality rates were 23.4% and 3.1%, respectively. With a
      median follow-up of 67 months, non-hydatid recurrences were observed. CONCLUSION:
      The POM of LAHO is high, and the mortality rate is significant if we consider it
      a clinical entity within the context of a benign disease.

PMID- 26125623
TI  - A Structural and Functional Comparison Between Infectious and Non-Infectious
      Autocatalytic Recombinant PrP Conformers.
AB  - Infectious prions contain a self-propagating, misfolded conformer of the prion
      protein termed PrPSc. A critical prediction of the protein-only hypothesis is
      that autocatalytic PrPSc molecules should be infectious. However, some
      autocatalytic recombinant PrPSc molecules have low or undetectable levels of
      specific infectivity in bioassays, and the essential determinants of recombinant
      prion infectivity remain obscure. To identify structural and functional features
      specifically associated with infectivity, we compared the properties of two
      autocatalytic recombinant PrP conformers derived from the same original template,
      which differ by >105-fold in specific infectivity for wild-type mice.
      Structurally, hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (DXMS) studies
      revealed that solvent accessibility profiles of infectious and non-infectious
      autocatalytic recombinant PrP conformers are remarkably similar throughout their
      protease-resistant cores, except for two domains encompassing residues 91-115 and
      144-163. Raman spectroscopy and immunoprecipitation studies confirm that these
      domains adopt distinct conformations within infectious versus non-infectious
      autocatalytic recombinant PrP conformers. Functionally, in vitro prion
      propagation experiments show that the non-infectious conformer is unable to seed
      mouse PrPC substrates containing a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor,
      including native PrPC. Taken together, these results indicate that having a
      conformation that can be specifically adopted by post-translationally modified
      PrPC molecules is an essential determinant of biological infectivity for
      recombinant prions, and suggest that this ability is associated with discrete
      features of PrPSc structure. 

PMID- 26125625
TI  - Learning with the Spinal Cord.
AB  - To what extent does the spinal cord play a role in the learning of motor tasks? A
      new study that simultaneously images the brain and spinal cord shows that the
      spinal cord is actively and independently involved in the earliest stages of
      motor learning. 

PMID- 26125627
TI  - Ion Association in Hydrothermal Sodium Sulfate Solutions Studied by Modulated FT
      IR-Raman Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics.
AB  - Saline aqueous solutions at elevated pressures and temperatures play an important
      role in processes such as supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) and supercritical
      water gasification (SCWG), as well as in natural geochemical processes in Earth
      and planetary interiors. Some solutions exhibit a negative temperature
      coefficient of solubility at high temperatures, thereby leading to salt
      precipitation with increasing temperature. Using modulated FT-IR Raman
      spectroscopy and classical molecular dynamics simulations (MD), we studied the
      solute speciation in solutions of 10 wt % Na2SO4, at conditions close to the
      saturation limit. Our experiments reveal that ion pairing and cluster formation
      are favored as solid saturation is approached, and ionic clusters form prior to
      the precipitation of solid sulfate. The proportion of such clusters increases as
      the phase boundary is approached either by decreasing pressure or by increasing
      temperature in the vicinity of the three-phase (vapor-liquid-solid) curve. 

PMID- 26125626
TI  - Microevolution of Duplications and Deletions and Their Impact on Gene Expression
      in the Nematode Pristionchus pacificus.
AB  - The evolution of diversity across the animal kingdom has been accompanied by
      tremendous gene loss and gain. While comparative genomics has been fruitful to
      characterize differences in gene content across highly diverged species, little
      is known about the microevolution of structural variations that cause these
      differences in the first place. In order to investigate the genomic impact of
      structural variations, we made use of genomic and transcriptomic data from the
      nematode Pristionchus pacificus, which has been established as a satellite model
      to Caenorhabditis elegans for comparative biology. We exploit the fact that P.
      pacificus is a highly diverse species for which various genomic data including
      the draft genome of a sister species P. exspectatus is available. Based on
      resequencing coverage data for two natural isolates we identified large (> 2 kb)
      deletions and duplications relative to the reference strain. By restriction to
      completely syntenic regions between P. pacificus and P. exspectatus, we were able
      to polarize the comparison and to assess the impact of structural variations on
      expression levels. We found that while loss of genes correlates with lack of
      expression, duplication of genes has virtually no effect on gene expression.
      Further investigating expression of individual copies at sites that segregate
      between the duplicates, we found in the majority of cases only one of the copies
      to be expressed. Nevertheless, we still find that certain gene classes are
      strongly depleted in deletions as well as duplications, suggesting evolutionary
      constraint acting on synteny. In summary, our results are consistent with a
      model, where most structural variations are either deleterious or neutral and
      provide first insights into the microevolution of structural variations in the P.
      pacificus genome.

PMID- 26125628
TI  - Nucleoside Diphosphate Prodrugs: Nonsymmetric DiPPro-Nucleotides.
AB  - Nonsymmetric DiPPro-nucleotides are described as nucleoside diphosphate (NDP)
      delivery systems. The concept is to attach different bis(acyloxybenzyl) moieties
      at the beta-phosphate moiety of a NDP. DiPPro compounds bearing two
      alkanoylbenzyl residues and DiPPro compounds bearing an alkanoylbenzyl or a
      benzoylbenzyl group as bioreversible prodrug moieties were studied. Compounds
      bearing short chain alkanoyl esters led to a fast hydrolysis by chemical or
      enzymatic means. The ester group in the second prodrug group comprised a long
      lipophilic aliphatic or an aromatic residue. The lipophilicity of this group
      enabled the prodrug to penetrate the cell membrane. The introduction of two
      different groups allowed a controlled stepwise removal of the prodrug moieties to
      achieve a highly selective delivery of the NDP in CEM cell extracts. The
      compounds were highly active against HIV even in thymidine kinase-deficient CEM
      cells. Thus, the compounds, although charged at the alpha-phosphate group, were
      taken up by the cells and released NDPs. 

PMID- 26125629
TI  - Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling to Examine How Individual SLPs Differentially
      Contribute to Children's Language and Literacy Gains in Public Schools.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to determine the unique
      contributions in children's language and literacy gains, over 1 academic year,
      that are attributable to the individual speech-language pathologist (SLP) and (b)
      to explore possible child- and SLP-level factors that may further explain SLPs'
      contributions to children's language and literacy gains. METHOD: Participants
      were 288 kindergarten and 1st-grade children with language impairment who were
      currently receiving school-based language intervention from SLPs. Using
      hierarchical linear modeling, we partitioned the variance in children's gains in
      language (i.e., grammar, vocabulary) and literacy (i.e., word decoding) that
      could be attributed to their individual SLP. RESULTS: Results revealed a
      significant contribution of individual SLPs to children's gains in grammar,
      vocabulary, and word decoding. Children's fall language scores and grade were
      significant predictors of SLPs' contributions, although no SLP-level predictors
      were significant. CONCLUSIONS: The present study makes a first step toward
      incorporating implementation science and suggests that, for children receiving
      school-based language intervention, variance in child language and literacy gains
      in an academic year is at least partially attributable to SLPs. Continued work in
      this area should examine the possible SLP-level characteristics that may further
      explicate the relative contributions of SLPs.

PMID- 26125630
TI  - Influence of Seasonal Food Availability on the Dynamics of Seabird Feeding Flocks
      at a Coastal Upwelling Area.
AB  - The formation of multi-species feeding flocks (MSFFs) through visual recruitment
      is considered an important strategy for obtaining food in seabirds and its
      functionality has been ascribed to enhanced foraging efficiency. Its use has been
      demonstrated in much of the world's oceans and includes numerous species.
      However, there is scant information on the temporal stability of the composition
      and abundance of MSFFs as well as the effect of seasonal food availability on
      their dynamics. Between July 2006 and September 2014, we conducted monthly at-sea
      seabird counts at Valparaiso Bay (32 degrees 56' to 33 degrees 01'S, 71 degrees
      36' to 71 degrees 46'W) within the area of influence of the Humboldt Current in
      central Chile. This area is characterized by a marked seasonality in primary and
      secondary production associated with upwelling, mainly during austral spring
      summer. Based on studies that provide evidence that flocking is most frequent
      when food is both scarce and patchy, we hypothesized that seabird MSFF attributes
      (i.e. frequency of occurrence, abundance and composition) will be modified
      according to the seasonal availability of food. Using generalized linear models
      (GLMs), our results show that the contrasting seasonality in food availability of
      the study area (using chlorophyll-a concentration as a proxy) had no significant
      influence on MSFF attributes, sparsely explaining their variations (P>0.05).
      Rather than seasonal food availability, the observed pattern for MSFF attributes
      at Valparaiso Bay suggests a substantial influence of reproductive and migratory
      (boreal and austral migrants) habits of birds that modulates MSFF dynamics
      consistently throughout the whole year in this highly variable and patchy
      environment. We highlight the importance of visual recruitment as a mechanism by
      which migratory and resident birds interact. This would allow them to reduce
      resource unpredictability, which in turn has a major impact on structuring
      seabird's MSFF dynamics. 

PMID- 26125631
TI  - Information Filtering via Heterogeneous Diffusion in Online Bipartite Networks.
AB  - The rapid expansion of Internet brings us overwhelming online information, which
      is impossible for an individual to go through all of it. Therefore, recommender
      systems were created to help people dig through this abundance of information. In
      networks composed by users and objects, recommender algorithms based on diffusion
      have been proven to be one of the best performing methods. Previous works
      considered the diffusion process from user to object, and from object to user to
      be equivalent. We show in this work that it is not the case and we improve the
      quality of the recommendation by taking into account the asymmetrical nature of
      this process. We apply this idea to modify the state-of-the-art recommendation
      methods. The simulation results show that the new methods can outperform these
      existing methods in both recommendation accuracy and diversity. Finally, this
      modification is checked to be able to improve the recommendation in a realistic
      case. 

PMID- 26125633
TI  - Accurate Alternative Measurements for Female Lifetime Reproductive Success in
      Drosophila melanogaster.
AB  - Fitness is an individual's ability to survive and reproduce, and is an important
      concept in evolutionary biology. However, accurately measuring fitness is often
      difficult, and appropriate fitness surrogates need to be identified. Lifetime
      reproductive success, the total progeny an organism can produce in their
      lifetime, is thought to be a suitable proxy for fitness, but the measure of an
      organism's reproductive output across a lifetime can be difficult or impossible
      to obtain. Here we demonstrate that the short-term measure of reproductive
      success across five days provides a reasonable prediction of an individual's
      total lifetime reproductive success in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the
      lifetime reproductive success of a female that has only mated once is not
      correlated to the lifetime reproductive success of a female that is allowed to
      mate multiple times, demonstrating that these measures should not serve as
      surrogates nor be used to make inferences about one another. 

PMID- 26125632
TI  - Dual Transcriptomic Profiling of Host and Microbiota during Health and Disease in
      Pediatric Asthma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High-throughput sequencing (HTS) analysis of microbial communities
      from the respiratory airways has heavily relied on the 16S rRNA gene. Given the
      intrinsic limitations of this approach, airway microbiome research has focused on
      assessing bacterial composition during health and disease, and its variation in
      relation to clinical and environmental factors, or other microbiomes.
      Consequently, very little effort has been dedicated to describing the functional
      characteristics of the airway microbiota and even less to explore the microbe
      host interactions. Here we present a simultaneous assessment of microbiome and
      host functional diversity and host-microbe interactions from the same RNA-seq
      experiment, while accounting for variation in clinical metadata. METHODS:
      Transcriptomic (host) and metatranscriptomic (microbiota) sequences from the
      nasal epithelium of 8 asthmatics and 6 healthy controls were separated in silico
      and mapped to available human and NCBI-NR protein reference databases. Human
      genes differentially expressed in asthmatics and controls were then used to infer
      upstream regulators involved in immune and inflammatory responses. Concomitantly,
      microbial genes were mapped to metabolic databases (COG, SEED, and KEGG) to infer
      microbial functions differentially expressed in asthmatics and controls. Finally,
      multivariate analysis was applied to find associations between microbiome
      characteristics and host upstream regulators while accounting for clinical
      variation. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Our study showed significant differences in
      the metabolism of microbiomes from asthmatic and non-asthmatic children for up to
      25% of the functional properties tested. Enrichment analysis of 499
      differentially expressed host genes for inflammatory and immune responses
      revealed 43 upstream regulators differentially activated in asthma. Microbial
      adhesion (virulence) and Proteobacteria abundance were significantly associated
      with variation in the expression of the upstream regulator IL1A; suggesting that
      microbiome characteristics modulate host inflammatory and immune systems during
      asthma.

PMID- 26125634
TI  - Integrating Multiple Distribution Models to Guide Conservation Efforts of an
      Endangered Toad.
AB  - Species distribution models are used for numerous purposes such as predicting
      changes in species' ranges and identifying biodiversity hotspots. Although
      implications of distribution models for conservation are often implicit, few
      studies use these tools explicitly to inform conservation efforts. Herein, we
      illustrate how multiple distribution models developed using distinct sets of
      environmental variables can be integrated to aid in identification sites for use
      in conservation. We focus on the endangered arroyo toad (Anaxyrus californicus),
      which relies on open, sandy streams and surrounding floodplains in southern
      California, USA, and northern Baja California, Mexico. Declines of the species
      are largely attributed to habitat degradation associated with vegetation
      encroachment, invasive predators, and altered hydrologic regimes. We had three
      main goals: 1) develop a model of potential habitat for arroyo toads, based on
      long-term environmental variables and all available locality data; 2) develop a
      model of the species' current habitat by incorporating recent remotely-sensed
      variables and only using recent locality data; and 3) integrate results of both
      models to identify sites that may be employed in conservation efforts. We used a
      machine learning technique, Random Forests, to develop the models, focused on
      riparian zones in southern California. We identified 14.37% and 10.50% of our
      study area as potential and current habitat for the arroyo toad, respectively.
      Generally, inclusion of remotely-sensed variables reduced modeled suitability of
      sites, thus many areas modeled as potential habitat were not modeled as current
      habitat. We propose such sites could be made suitable for arroyo toads through
      active management, increasing current habitat by up to 67.02%. Our general
      approach can be employed to guide conservation efforts of virtually any species
      with sufficient data necessary to develop appropriate distribution models. 

PMID- 26125635
TI  - Paper-Based RNA Extraction, in Situ Isothermal Amplification, and Lateral Flow
      Detection for Low-Cost, Rapid Diagnosis of Influenza A (H1N1) from Clinical
      Specimens.
AB  - The 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic disproportionately affected the developing
      world and highlighted the key inadequacies of traditional diagnostic methods that
      make them unsuitable for use in resource-limited settings, from expensive
      equipment and infrastructure requirements to unacceptably long turnaround times.
      While rapid immunoassay diagnostic tests were much less costly and more context
      appropriate, they suffered from drastically low sensitivities and high false
      negative rates. An accurate, sensitive, and specific molecular diagnostic that is
      also rapid, low-cost, and independent of laboratory infrastructure is needed for
      effective point-of-care detection and epidemiological control in these developing
      regions. We developed a paper-based assay that allows for the extraction and
      purification of RNA directly from human clinical nasopharyngeal specimens through
      a poly(ether sulfone) paper matrix, H1N1-specific in situ isothermal
      amplification directly within the same paper matrix, and immediate visual
      detection on lateral flow strips. The complete sample-to-answer assay can be
      performed at the point-of-care in just 45 min, without the need for expensive
      equipment or laboratory infrastructure, and it has a clinically relevant viral
      load detection limit of 10(6) copies/mL, offering a 10-fold improvement over
      current rapid immunoassays. 

PMID- 26125636
TI  - Complex Evolution of Built-in Potential in Compositionally-Graded PbZr(1
      x)Ti(x)O3 Thin Films.
AB  - Epitaxial strain has been widely used to tune crystal and domain structures in
      ferroelectric thin films. New avenues of strain engineering based on varying the
      composition at the nanometer scale have been shown to generate symmetry breaking
      and large strain gradients culminating in large built-in potentials. In this
      work, we develop routes to deterministically control these built-in potentials by
      exploiting the interplay between strain gradients, strain accommodation, and
      domain formation in compositionally graded PbZr1-xTixO3 heterostructures. We
      demonstrate that variations in the nature of the compositional gradient and
      heterostructure thickness can be used to control both the crystal and domain
      structures and give rise to nonintuitive evolution of the built-in potential,
      which does not scale directly with the magnitude of the strain gradient as would
      be expected. Instead, large built-in potentials are observed in compositionally
      graded heterostructures that contain (1) compositional gradients that traverse
      chemistries associated with structural phase boundaries (such as the morphotropic
      phase boundary) and (2) ferroelastic domain structures. In turn, the built-in
      potential is observed to be dependent on a combination of flexoelectric effects
      (i.e., polarization-strain gradient coupling), chemical-gradient effects (i.e.,
      polarization-chemical potential gradient coupling), and local inhomogeneities (in
      structure or chemistry) that enhance strain (and/or chemical potential) gradients
      such as areas with nonlinear lattice parameter variation with chemistry or near
      ferroelastic domain boundaries. Regardless of origin, large built-in potentials
      act to suppress the dielectric permittivity, while having minimal impact on the
      magnitude of the polarization, which is important for the optimization of these
      materials for a range of nanoapplications from vibrational energy harvesting to
      thermal energy conversion and beyond. 

PMID- 26125637
TI  - Vigorous Physical Activity and All-Cause Mortality: A Story That Got Lost in
      Translation.

PMID- 26125638
TI  - Energy Expenditure in Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy: Comparison of the
      SenseWear Armband and Indirect Calorimetry.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Inactivity and overweight are major health concerns in children and
      adolescents with disabilities. Methods for the assessment of activity and energy
      expenditure may be affected negatively by the underlying disability, especially
      when motor function is impaired. The purpose of this study was to assess the
      validity of the SenseWear Armband in adolescents with cerebral palsy and
      hemiparesis. METHODS: Ten volunteers (age: 13.4 +/- 1.6 years) were equipped with
      SenseWear Armbands on the hemiparetic and nonhemiparetic side of the body. Energy
      expenditure was measured at rest and during treadmill exercise (speed range: 0.85
      to 2.35 m/s). Indirect calorimetry served as independent reference method.
      RESULTS: The mean error was between -0.6 and 0.8 kcal/min and there were no
      significant differences between SenseWear and indirect calorimetry at any speed.
      Differences between body sides in expenditure (mean: -0.2 to 0.0 kcal/min) and
      step count (mean: -3.4 to 9.7 steps/min) were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The
      validity of the SenseWear Armband does not appear to be negatively affected by
      cerebral palsy during laboratory treadmill exercise. Future field studies are
      necessary to assess the validity and practicability energy expenditure and
      physical activity in children and adolescents with physical disabilities.

PMID- 26125639
TI  - Structural Changes in Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome Evaluated with Spectral Domain
      Optical Coherence Tomography.
AB  - PURPOSE: To detect early structural changes of macular ganglion cell complex
      (GCC), peripapillary nerve fiber layer (pNFL), and optic nerve head (ONH)
      topography in subjects with pseudoexfoliation (PEX) using 3-D spectral domain
      optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT, Topcon 3D-2000). MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Thirty-five participants with PEX and 29 healthy control subjects were included
      in the study. All study participants underwent SD-OCT imaging. Macular NFL,
      ganglion cell layer and inner plexiform layer (GCL + IPL), pNFL, and ONH
      parameters were measured in each participant. The results were compared within
      the two groups. RESULTS: In eyes with PEX, the superior and total mNFL thickness;
      superior, and total GCL + IPL thickness; superior, inferior, and total GCC
      thickness; and inferior, temporal, nasal, and total pNFL thickness were
      significantly thinner than the control subjects. In the topographic evaluation of
      ONH, there was no significant difference in optic disc area (ODA), cup area, rim
      area, cup to disc ratio (CDR), cup volume, rim volume, linear CDR and vertical
      CDR between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In PEX syndrome, similar decreases of
      the GCC and NFL occurred, and a high correlation existed between the two.
      Therefore, GCC can potentially be used to detect the early stages of PEX
      glaucoma.

PMID- 26125640
TI  - Directed Amination of Aryl Methyl Ethers Mediated by Ti(NMe2)4 at Room
      Temperature.
AB  - An efficient C-O amination of aryl methyl ethers has been achieved. This
      transformation proceeds via imine-directed Ti(IV)-mediated cross-coupling
      reactions between aryl methyl ethers and Ti(NR2)4 at room temperature,
      straightforwardly leading to a series of arylamines. This protocol features a
      wide substrate scope, exclusive regioselectivity, and mild reaction conditions. 

PMID- 26125641
TI  - Vitamin D, Iron Metabolism, and Diet in Alpinists During a 2-Week High-Altitude
      Climb.
AB  - A defensive mechanism against hypobaric hypoxia at high altitude is
      erythropoesis. Some authors point to the contribution of vitamin D to the
      regulation of this process. The aim of the present study was to assess the 25
      hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D) level and its associations with iron metabolic
      and inflammatory indices in participants of a 2-week mountaineering expedition.
      The study sample included 9 alpinists practicing recreational mountain climbing.
      Every 2 or 3 days they set up a different base between 3200 and 3616 m with the
      intention of climbing 4000 m peaks in the Mont Blanc massif. Before their
      departure for the mountains and 2 days after returning to the sea level
      anthropometric parameters, hematological parameters, serum levels of 25(OH)D and
      iron metabolic indices were measured in all the participants. The composition of
      the participants' diet was also evaluated. The comparative analysis showed a
      significant decrease in body mass, BMI values, total iron, and 25(OH)D
      concentrations (p<0.05). Also significant increases in unsaturated iron-binding
      capacity, hematocrit, and C-reactive protein concentrations (p<0.05) were found.
      It can be concluded that the 2-week climbing expedition contributed to the
      reduction of 25(OH)D levels and these changes were associated with modulation of
      immune processes. Moreover, the climbers' diet requires some serious
      modifications.

PMID- 26125642
TI  - Regulation of NKCC2 splicing and phosphorylation.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Transepithelial salt transport in the thick ascending limb of
      Henle's loop (TAL) crucially depends on the activity of the Na/K/2Cl
      cotransporter NKCC2. The pharmacologic blockade of NKCC2 leads to pronounced
      natriuresis and diuresis, which indicate key roles for NKCC2 in renal salt
      retrieval. The inadequate regulation of NKCC2 and the loss of NKCC2 function are
      associated with the disruption of salt and water homoeostasis. This review
      provides a specific overview of our current knowledge with respect to the
      regulation of NKCC2 by differential splicing and phosphorylation. RECENT
      FINDINGS: Several mechanisms have evolved to adapt NKCC2 transport to
      reabsorptive needs. These mechanisms include the regulation of NKCC2 gene
      expression, the differential splicing of the NKCC2 pre-mRNA, the membrane
      trafficking, and the modulation of the specific transport activity. Substantial
      progress has been made over the past few years in deciphering the function of
      kinases in the regulatory network controlling NKCC2 activity and in elucidating
      the underlying mechanism and the functional consequences of the regulated
      differential splicing of the NKCC2 pre-mRNA. SUMMARY: NKCC2 differential splicing
      and phosphorylation are critically involved in the modulation of the thick
      ascending limb of Henle's loop reabsorptive capacity and, consequently, in salt
      homoeostasis, volume regulation, and blood pressure control.

PMID- 26125643
TI  - FGF23 regulation of renal tubular solute transport.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) is a bone-derived hormone
      known to suppress phosphate reabsorption in the kidney. The purpose of this
      review was to highlight the recent advances in the area of FGF23-regulated solute
      transport in the kidney. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent evidence suggests that FGF23
      suppresses phosphate reabsorption in renal proximal tubular epithelium by a
      Klotho-dependent, FGF receptor (FGFR)-1 and FGFR4-mediated signaling mechanism
      that may also involve Janus kinase 3. Moreover, it was recently established that
      FGF23 signaling in the distal renal tubule targets with-no-lysine kinase-4
      (WNK4), a key molecule in the regulation of solute transport in the distal
      nephron. By targeting WNK4, FGF23 has been shown to increase the membrane
      abundance of the epithelial calcium channel TRPV5 and of the sodium-chloride
      cotransporter NCC, resulting in augmented renal calcium and sodium reabsorption.
      SUMMARY: Significant progress has been made in the further characterization of
      the signaling pathways involved in the FGF23-induced inhibition of phosphate
      transport in proximal tubular epithelium, and major new functions of FGF23 in
      solute transport have been discovered in distal renal tubules. The calcium- and
      sodium-conserving functions of FGF23 may have major implications for the
      pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

PMID- 26125645
TI  - Hypertension and immunity: mechanisms of T cell activation and pathways of
      hypertension.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The role of immune mechanisms to amplify hypertension in
      patients and animal models has been appreciated for decades. This review briefly
      summarizes recent studies exploring the mechanistic pathways, whereby the immune
      system participates in hypertension and renal disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Emphasis
      in this review is placed upon recent studies exploring the role of T cell
      subtypes, newly described mechanisms of T cell activation, the identification of
      potential neoantigens, and environmental influences on immune cell activation.
      SUMMARY: Significant advancements have been made in the search for antigens and
      pathways responsible for activation of the adaptive immune response, furthering
      our understanding of the factors contributing to hypertension and potentially
      leading to the development of new and more effective therapies.

PMID- 26125644
TI  - Gut microbiota in hypertension.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Hypertension, which is present in about one quarter of the
      world's population, is responsible for about 41% of the number one cause of death
      - cardiovascular disease. Not included in these statistics is the effect of
      sodium intake on blood pressure, even though an increase or a marked decrease in
      sodium intake can increase blood pressure. This review deals with the interaction
      of gut microbiota and the kidney with genetics and epigenetics in the regulation
      of blood pressure and salt sensitivity. RECENT FINDINGS: The abundance of the gut
      microbes, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, is associated with increased blood
      pressure in several models of hypertension, including the spontaneously
      hypertensive and Dahl salt-sensitive rats. Decreasing gut microbiota by
      antibiotics can increase or decrease blood pressure that is influenced by
      genotype. The biological function of probiotics may also be a consequence of
      epigenetic modification, related, in part, to microRNA. Products of the
      fermentation of nutrients by gut microbiota can influence blood pressure by
      regulating expenditure of energy, intestinal metabolism of catecholamines, and
      gastrointestinal and renal ion transport, and thus, salt sensitivity. SUMMARY:
      The beneficial or deleterious effect of gut microbiota on blood pressure is a
      consequence of several variables, including genetics, epigenetics, lifestyle, and
      intake of antibiotics. These variables may influence the ultimate level of blood
      pressure and control of hypertension.

PMID- 26125646
TI  - Chloride secretion by renal collecting ducts.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Renal collecting ducts maintain NaCl homeostasis by fine
      tuning urinary excretion to balance dietary salt intake. This review focuses on
      recent studies on transcellular Cl secretion by collecting ducts, its regulation
      and its role in cyst growth in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease
      (ADPKD). RECENT FINDINGS: Lumens of nonperfused rat medullary collecting ducts
      collapse in control media but expand with fluid following treatment with cAMP,
      demonstrating the capacity for both salt absorption and secretion. Recently,
      inhibition of apical epithelial Na channels (ENaC) unmasked Cl secretion in
      perfused mouse cortical collecting ducts (CCDs), involving Cl uptake by
      basolateral NKCC1 and efflux through apical Cl channels. AVP, the key hormone for
      osmoregulation, promotes cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator
      (CFTR)-mediated Cl secretion. In addition, prostaglandin E2 stimulates Cl
      secretion through both CFTR and Ca-activated Cl channels. SUMMARY: Renal Cl
      secretion has been commonly overlooked because of the overwhelming capacity for
      the nephron to reabsorb NaCl from the glomerular filtrate. In ADPKD, Cl secretion
      plays a central role in the accumulation of cyst fluid and the remarkable size of
      the cystic kidneys. Investigation of renal Cl secretion may provide a better
      understanding of NaCl homeostasis and identify new approaches to reduce cyst
      growth in PKD.

PMID- 26125648
TI  - Characterization of the 2,3-Oxidosqualene Cyclase Gene from Antrodia cinnamomea
      and Enhancement of Cytotoxic Triterpenoid Compound Production.
AB  - Antrodia cinnamomea is a scarce, epiphyte, host-specific, brown-rot fungus that
      produces diverse bioactive compounds with potent biological activity. Natural
      wild-type fruiting bodies of A. cinnamomea are rare and highly valued, but their
      artificial culture poses challenges. Triterpenoids are a group of secondary
      metabolites that contribute to the bioactivities of A. cinnamomea. 2,3
      Oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC) is a key enzyme in triterpenoid biosynthesis, which
      converts 2,3-oxidosqualene (OS) into polycyclic triterpenoids. In this study, we
      isolated a 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclase gene from A. cinnamomea with degenerate
      primers and designated it as AcOSC. The full length AcOSC cDNA was subcloned into
      a yeast expression vector, and AcOSC activity was confirmed. RT-PCR results
      showed that AcOSC expression was highest in the wild-type fruiting body and
      correlated with a higher concentration of triterpenoids. Agrobacterium-mediated
      gene transformation was conducted to enhance the triterpenoid synthesis capacity
      of the cultured mycelium. Metabolite profiling was conducted by LC-MS/MS and
      principal component analysis (PCA). The compositions and contents of metabolites
      in the AcOSC transgenic lines were different from those in the wild-type mycelium
      and vector control. The levels of two important triterpenoids, dehydrosulphurenic
      acid (DSA) and dehydroeburicoic acid (DEA), were increased in A. cinnamomea
      oxidosqualene cyclase overexpression strains compared to controls. In summary an
      Agrobacterium-mediated gene transformation procedure was established that
      successfully increased the level of transgene expression and enhanced the
      triterpenoid content in cultured A. cinnamomea. 

PMID- 26125649
TI  - Application of Computer-Aided Designing and Rapid Prototyping Technologies in
      Reconstruction of Blowout Fractures of the Orbital Floor.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Traumatology of the maxillofacial region represents a wide range of
      different types of facial skeletal injuries and encompasses numerous treatment
      methods. Application of computer-aided design (CAD) in combination with rapid
      prototyping (RP) technologies and three-dimensional computed tomography
      techniques facilitates surgical therapy planning for efficient treatment.
      OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the efficiency of
      individually designed implants of poly-DL-lactide (PDLLA) in the reconstruction
      of blowout fractures of the orbital floor. METHODS: In the course of a surgical
      treatment, individually designed implants manufactured by CAD/RP technologies
      were used. Preoperative analysis and postoperative monitoring were conducted to
      evaluate the successfulness of orbital floor reconstruction using customized
      PDLLA implants, based on: presence of diplopia, paresthesia of infraorbital
      nerve, and presence of enophthalmos. RESULTS: In 6 of the 10 patients, diplopia
      completely disappeared immediately after surgical procedure. Diplopia gradually
      disappeared after 1 month in 3 patients, whereas in 1, it remained even after 6
      months. In 7 patients, paresthesia disappeared within a month after surgery and
      in 3 patients within 2 months. Postoperative average Orbital volume (OV) of the
      injured side (13.333 +/- 3.177) was significantly reduced in comparison with
      preoperative OV (15.847 +/- 3.361) after reconstruction of the orbital floor with
      customized PDLLA implant (P < 0.001). Thus, average OV of corrected orbit was not
      different compared with the OV of the uninjured orbit (P = 0.981). CONCLUSIONS:
      Reconstruction of blowout fractures of the orbital floor by an individually
      designed PDLLA implant combined with virtual preoperative modeling allows easier
      preoperative preparation and yields satisfactory functional and esthetic
      outcomes.

PMID- 26125650
TI  - Humanized mice models for primary bone tumor and bone metastasis research.

PMID- 26125647
TI  - Sodium-glucose cotransport.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Sodium-glucose cotransporters (SGLTs) are important mediators
      of glucose uptake across apical cell membranes. SGLT1 mediates almost all sodium
      dependent glucose uptake in the small intestine, while in the kidney SGLT2, and
      to a lesser extent SGLT1, account for more than 90% and nearly 3%, respectively,
      of glucose reabsorption from the glomerular ultrafiltrate. Although the recent
      availability of SGLT2 inhibitors for the treatment of diabetes mellitus has
      increased the number of clinical studies, this review has a focus on mechanisms
      contributing to the cellular regulation of SGLTs. RECENT FINDINGS: Studies have
      focused on the regulation of SGLT expression under different
      physiological/pathophysiological conditions, for example diet, age or diabetes
      mellitus. Several studies provide evidence of SGLT regulation via cyclic
      adenosine monophosphate/protein kinase A, protein kinase C, glucagon-like peptide
      2, insulin, leptin, signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3),
      phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs),
      nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), with-no-K[Lys] kinases/STE20/SPS1-related
      proline/alanine-rich kinase (Wnk/SPAK) and regulatory solute carrier protein 1
      (RS1) pathways. SUMMARY: SGLT inhibitors are important drugs for glycemic control
      in diabetes mellitus. Although the contribution of SGLT1 for absorption of
      glucose from the intestine as well as SGLT2/SGLT1 for renal glucose reabsorption
      has been comprehensively defined, this review provides an up-to-date outline for
      the mechanistic regulation of SGLT1/SGLT2.

PMID- 26125651
TI  - Personalized immunotherapy ( AGS-003 ) when combined with sunitinib for the
      treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: AGS-003 is a novel autologous dendritic cell vaccine currently in
      Phase III clinical development in combination with sunitinib for patients with
      intermediate- and poor-risk clear cell metastatic renal cell carcinoma (ccmRCC).
      AREAS COVERED: In addition to research published within the past 15 years
      demonstrating the efficacy of novel targeted therapies, early-phase clinical
      trial results recently published for AGS-003 in combination with sunitinib are
      discussed, as well as the ongoing Phase III clinical trial Autologous Dendritic
      Cell Immunotherapy (AGS-003) Plus Standard Treatment of Advanced Renal Cell
      Carcinoma. EXPERT OPINION: AGS-003 in combination with sunitinib is a rational
      step forward for the clinical management of patients with ccmRCC. If the Phase
      III Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma trial is positive, this treatment modality will
      provide a significant survival benefit with minimal toxicity and could change the
      standard of care for ccmRCC.

PMID- 26125652
TI  - Total Synthesis of (+)-3-Demethoxyerythratidinone and (+)-Erysotramidine via the
      Oxidative Amidation of a Phenol.
AB  - Oxidative amidation chemistry provides a unified route to aromatic Erythrina
      alkaloids through a sequence that illustrates new principles and improved
      conditions to effect a crucial eliminative Curtius-Schmidt rearrangement. 

PMID- 26125653
TI  - Weight and BMI are the most important predictors influencing the needle insertion
      distance to the thoracic epidural space.

PMID- 26125654
TI  - Anharmonic lattice interactions in improper ferroelectrics for multiferroic
      design.
AB  - The design and discovery of new multiferroics, or materials that display both
      ferroelectricity and long-range magnetic order, is of fundamental importance for
      new electronic technologies based on low-power consumption. Far too often,
      however, the mechanisms causing these properties to arise are incompatible or
      occur at ordering temperatures below room temperature. One design strategy which
      has gained considerable interest is to begin with a magnetic material, and find
      novel ways to induce a spontaneous electric polarization within the structure. To
      this end, anharmonic interactions coupling multiple lattice modes have been used
      to lift inversion symmetry in magnetic dielectrics. Here we provide an overview
      of the microscopic mechanisms by which various types of cooperative atomic
      displacements result in ferroelectricity through anharmonic multi-mode coupling,
      as well as the types of materials most conducive to these lattice instabilities.
      The review includes a description of the origins of the displacive modes, a
      classification of possible non-polar lattice modes, as well as how their coupling
      can produce spontaneous polarizations. We then survey the recent improper
      ferroelectric literature, and describe how the materials discussed fall within a
      proposed classification scheme, offering new directions for the theoretical
      design of magnetic ferroelectrics. Finally, we offer prospects for the future
      discovery of new magnetic improper ferroelectrics, as well as detail remaining
      challenges and open questions facing this exciting new field. 

PMID- 26125655
TI  - WITHDRAWN: Group based diabetes self-management education compared to routine
      treatment, waiting list control or no intervention for people with type 2
      diabetes mellitus.

PMID- 26125656
TI  - Effects of Respiratory Therapy (bagging) on Respiratory Function, Swallowing
      Frequency and Vigilance in Tracheotomized Patients in Early Neurorehabilitation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Tracheotomized patients often suffer from impairments in mucociliary
      clearance and limited capacities for active expectoration of secretions. We
      investigated the effects of a specific respiratory intervention method (bagging)
      for tracheotomized patients on respiratory parameters (pO2, pCO2, SpO2,
      respiratory rates), swallowing frequency, vigilance and secretion viscosity.
      METHODS: The bagging method supports enforced mobilization and expectoration of
      secretions by application of a series of manual hyperinflations with a
      resuscitation bag during active inspiration and manual cough support on the
      chest. 30 tracheotomized neurological patients participated in a multiple
      baseline study including a three-weeks intervention period and a follow-up
      measurement three weeks after termination of the treatment. RESULTS: Most outcome
      parameters improved significantly during the intervention period: pO2 (p < .01),
      SpO2 (p < .01), respiratory rates (p < .01), swallowing rates (p < .01), and
      vigilance scores (p < .01). The quality of bronchial secretions improved in all
      participants. All effects were sustained up to the follow-up measurements.
      CONCLUSION: This preliminary data indicates positive effects for a respiratory
      intervention method (bagging) on respiratory function and additional respiration
      related functions in tracheotomized neurological patients. This easy-to-learn and
      inexpensive method might expand the range of treatment options for tracheotomized
      and non-responsive patients.

PMID- 26125658
TI  - Release of Oxygen from Palladium Oxide Cluster Ions by Heat.
AB  - Palladium oxide cluster ions, PdnOm(+), were prepared in the gas phase using
      laser ablation of a palladium rod in the presence of oxygen. The cluster ions
      were heated to 1000 K downstream from the cluster source (post heating), and the
      abundance of PdnOm(+) (n = 2-7) was examined using mass spectrometry. Temperature
      programmed desorption experiments revealed that an oxygen molecule is released
      from oxygen-rich PdnOm(+), forming oxygen-deficient PdnOm-2(+). It was found that
      Pd6O4(+) was thermally stable up to 1000 K. The activation energy for oxygen
      molecule desorption has been obtained and compared with previous results by Lang
      et al. 

PMID- 26125657
TI  - Transition State Features in the Hepatitis Delta Virus Ribozyme Reaction Revealed
      by Atomic Perturbations.
AB  - Endonucleolytic ribozymes constitute a class of non-coding RNAs that catalyze
      single-strand RNA scission. With crystal structures available for all of the
      known ribozymes, a major challenge involves relating functional data to the
      physically observed RNA architecture. In the case of the hepatitis delta virus
      (HDV) ribozyme, there are three high-resolution crystal structures, the product
      state of the reaction and two precursor variants, with distinct mechanistic
      implications. Here, we develop new strategies to probe the structure and
      catalytic mechanism of a ribozyme. First, we use double-mutant cycles to
      distinguish differences in functional group proximity implicated by the crystal
      structures. Second, we use a corrected form of the Bronsted equation to assess
      the functional significance of general acid catalysis in the system. Our results
      delineate the functional relevance of atomic interactions inferred from
      structure, and suggest that the HDV ribozyme transition state resembles the
      cleavage product in the degree of proton transfer to the leaving group. 

PMID- 26125659
TI  - A Cellular Assay for Inhibitors of the Fatty Acid Biosynthetic Pathway Using
      Scintillating Microplates.
AB  - A simplified method for monitoring the incorporation of radiolabeled acetate into
      lipids in a cellular system is described. The assay eliminates the commonly
      employed labor-intensive organic extraction step by plating the cells in 96-well
      tissue culture-treated ScintiPlates((r)) that enable direct measurement of
      radiolabeled cell membrane-embedded lipids. Since the scintillant is entrenched
      in the plates, radioactivity in close proximity to the scintillant is measured
      without the need for liquid scintillation cocktail. The utility of this method
      for evaluating inhibitors of the de novo fatty acid synthetic pathway is
      demonstrated here with fatty acid synthase (FASN). Due to the upregulation of
      FASN activity in many tumor types, development of inhibitors to block the FASN
      activity in cells shows promise as an attractive and tractable approach for
      therapeutic intervention. 

PMID- 26125660
TI  - Erratum to Sala et al. "MiR-143/145 deficiency attenuates the progression of
      atherosclerosis in Ldlr-/-mice" (Thromb Haemost 2014; 112: 796-802).

PMID- 26125661
TI  - Erratum to Hillis et al. "Acute phase treatment of VTE: Anticoagulation,
      including non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants" (Thromb Haemost 2014;
      113: 1193-1201).

PMID- 26125662
TI  - In Vitro Evaluation of a Novel mRNA-Based Therapeutic Strategy for the Treatment
      of Patients Suffering from Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency.
AB  - In single-gene disorders, like alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), a gene
      mutation causes missing or dysfunctional protein synthesis. This, in turn, can
      lead to serious complications for the patient affected. Furthermore, single-gene
      disorders are associated with severe early-onset conditions and necessitate
      expensive lifelong care. Until nowadays, therapeutic treatment options are still
      limited, cost-intensive, or lack effectiveness. For these reasons, we aim to
      develop a novel mRNA-based therapeutic strategy for the treatment of single-gene
      disorders, such as AATD, which is based on the induction of de novo synthesis of
      the functional proteins. Therefore, an alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) encoding mRNA
      was generated by in vitro transcription. After in vitro delivery of the mRNA to
      different cells, protein expression and functionality, as well as adverse effects
      and mRNA serum stability, were analyzed. Our results show that the AAT mRNA
      transfected cells express the AAT protein in high amounts within the first 24 h.
      Moreover, the expressed AAT protein is highly functional, since the activity of
      elastase is significantly inhibited. Our data also show that mRNA concentrations
      up to 1 MUg per 150,000 cells have no adverse effects on cell viability and
      immune activation. Furthermore, the encapsulated AAT encoding mRNA is stable and
      functional in human serum for up to 30 min. Overall, the proposed project
      provides an innovative, highly promising, and safe therapeutic approach and,
      thus, promises a novel progress in the treatment of single-gene disorders,
      whereby affected patients could greatly benefit.

PMID- 26125663
TI  - Downregulation of miR-410 targeting the cyclin B1 gene plays a role in pituitary
      gonadotroph tumors.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that act as posttranscriptional
      regulators of gene expression, and are frequently altered in human neoplasias.
      Here, we have analyzed the miRNA expression profile of human gonadotroph adenomas
      versus normal pituitary tissue using a miRNACHIP microarray. We demonstrate that
      miRNA-410 is downregulated in gonadotroph adenomas when compared with normal
      pituitary gland. We validate CCNB1 as target of miRNA-410 since its
      overexpression reduces CCNB1 at protein and mRNA levels, decreasing cell
      proliferation. In conclusion, our study suggess that the downregulation of miRNA
      410 plays a role in the behavior of gonadotroph tumors. 

PMID- 26125664
TI  - Prevalence of Warfarin Genotype Polymorphisms in Patients with Mechanical
      Circulatory Support.
AB  - Polymorphisms for VKORC1 and CYP2C9 are associated with increased warfarin
      sensitivity. The prevalence of these polymorphisms in patients with mechanical
      circulatory support (MCS) is unknown. Polymorphisms for VKORC1 and CYP2C9 were
      determined in 65 patients undergoing MCS surgery. Postoperative warfarin dose,
      international normalized ratio (INR), and bleeding events were measured until
      discharge, 6 months, or composite end point (in-hospital MCS recovery, heart
      transplant, or death). A total of 67.7% (44/65) had at least one polymorphism:
      VKORC1 (44.6%), CYP2C9*2 (7.7%), CYP2C9*3 (4.6%), CYP2C9*2 and VKORC1 (3.1%), or
      CYP2C9*3 and VKORC1 (7.7%). At discharge or before composite end point, patients
      with any polymorphism received a lower mean warfarin dosage than patients having
      no polymorphism (3.21 +/- 1.47 vs. 5.57 +/- 3.72 mg, p = 0.015) and achieved a
      similar mean INR (2.20 +/- 0.67 vs. 2.19 +/- 0.69, p = 0.96). There was no
      significant difference in bleeding rates within 6 months or before composite end
      point (6.13 vs. 8.02 events/patient-year, p = 0.13). One or more polymorphisms
      for VKORC1 or CYP2C9 (associated with warfarin sensitivity) were found in 67.7%
      of MCS patients. By using a warfarin genotype-guided approach, MCS patients with
      polymorphisms received a lower warfarin dosage to achieve a similar INR, with
      similar bleeding rates, in comparison with no polymorphisms. A warfarin genotype
      guided approach avoided excessive anticoagulation and its attendant bleeding
      risks.

PMID- 26125665
TI  - Contemporary Outcomes of Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for
      Refractory Cardiogenic Shock at a Large Tertiary Care Center.
AB  - Refractory cardiogenic shock (RCS) is associated with significant morbidity and
      mortality, and current mainstays of medical therapy appear inadequate.
      Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) represents an
      increasingly accepted therapy for RCS. Demographics, past medical history,
      preoperative characteristics, outcomes, and adverse events were collected for
      consecutive patients who received VA-ECMO support for RCS at our institution from
      March 2007 to December 2013. One hundred and seventy-nine patients with a mean
      age of 56.9 +/- 16.1 years were included. Etiologies of RCS included
      postcardiotomy shock in 70 patients (39%), acute myocardial infarction in 46
      patients (26%), primary graft failure in 17 patients (10%), and acute
      decompensated heart failure in 24 patients (13%). Mean arterial pressure before
      VA-ECMO support was 59.4 +/- 22.8 mm Hg and 30.7% (n = 55) were undergoing active
      cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the time of cannulation. Overall, 38.6% of
      patients (n = 69) survived to discharge and 44.7% of patients (n = 80) survived
      to 30 days. Myocardial recovery was achieved in 79.7% of survivors (n = 55) and
      39.1% were transitioned to a more durable device. Univariate analysis identified
      age (p = 0.002) and etiology of RCS (p = 0.041) as the most significant
      predictors of in-hospital mortality. Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane
      oxygenation for RCS appears successful as salvage therapy. Age and etiology
      should be considered when evaluating patients for VA-ECMO.

PMID- 26125666
TI  - The Effect of Decreasing Flow Rate on Cerebral Hemodynamics During Veno-Arterial
      Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Piglets.
AB  - To explore the influence of decreasing flow rate on cerebral hemodynamics during
      veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (va-ECMO), six normoxemic and
      six hypoxemic piglets were put on va-ECMO. The ECMO flow rate was decreased from
      the maximal achievable level to 50 mL min1 with steps of 50 mL min1 every 2
      minutes. Changes in mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), left common carotid
      artery blood flow (Qcar), and other physiologic variables were continuously
      measured. Changes in concentrations of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin were
      measured using near infrared spectrophotometry (NIRS). Changes in difference
      between cerebral oxygen hemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin concentration (DeltacHbD)
      and total hemoglobin concentration (DeltactHb) were calculated. DeltacHbD
      represents changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF), and DeltactHb reflects changes
      in cerebral blood volume (CBV). Data analysis was performed using mixed models
      and demonstrated a significant positive correlation between ECMO flow and,
      respectively, MABP (r = 0.7, p < 0.001), Qcar (r = 0.7, p < 0.001), cHbD (r =
      0.8, p < 0.001), and ctHb (r = 0.7, p < 0.001). There was no significant relation
      between oxygenation state preceding ECMO and Qcar, cHbD, and ctHb during
      decreasing ECMO flow rate. We conclude that decreasing ECMO flow rate ultimately
      leads to concurrent decrease in MABP, CBF, and CBV.

PMID- 26125667
TI  - Are Fluorination and Chlorination of Morpholinium-Based Ionic Liquids Favorable?
AB  - Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) constitute a fine-tunable class of
      compounds. Morpholinium-based cations are new to the field. They are promising
      candidates for electrochemistry, micellization, and catalytic applications. We
      investigate halogenation (fluorination and chlorination) of the N-ethyl-N
      methylmorpholinium cation from the thermodynamics perspective. We find that
      substitutional fluorination is much more energetically favorable than
      substitutional chlorination, although the latter is also a permitted process.
      Although all halogenations at different locations are possible, they are not
      equally favorable. Furthermore, the trends are not identical in the case of
      fluorination and chlorination. We link the thermodynamic observables to electron
      density distribution within the investigated cation. The reported insights are
      based on the coupled-cluster technique, which is a highly accurate and reliable
      electron-correlation method. Novel derivatives of the morpholinium-based RTILs
      are discussed, motivating further efforts in synthetic chemistry. 

PMID- 26125668
TI  - Chemoprophylaxis for Venous Thromboembolism Prevention: Has the Horse Already
      Left the Barn?

PMID- 26125669
TI  - Funding for Graduate Medical Education: A Changing Landscape.

PMID- 26125670
TI  - Publicize or Perish! A Guide to Social Media Promotion of Scientific Articles:
      Featuring the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery "Author Tool Kit".

PMID- 26125671
TI  - Weeds ability to phytoremediate cadmium-contaminated soil.
AB  - An alternative method to other technologies to clean up the soil, air and water
      pollution by heavy metals is phytoremediation. Therefore, a pot culture
      experiment was conducted at the College of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of
      Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran, in 2014 to determine the potential absorption of cadmium
      by Portulaca oleracea (Common purslane), Solanum nigrum (Black nightshade),
      Abutilon theophrasti (Velvetleaf) and Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion). The type
      of experiment was completely randomized design with factorial arrangement and
      four replications. The soil in pot was treated with different rates of CdCl2.H2O
      (0 (control), 10, 20, 40, 60, and 80 mg Cd/kg soil) and the plants were sown.
      With increasing concentration levels, fresh weight and dry weight of shoots and
      roots of all plant species were reduced. The reduction severity was ranked
      according the following order, P. oleracea > A. theophrasti > S. nigrum > T.
      officinale. Bioconcentration factor (BCF), Translocation factor (TF) and
      Translocation efficiency (TE%) was ranked according the following order, T.
      officinale > S. nigrum > A. theophrasti > P. oleracea. The results of this study
      revealed that T. officinale and S. nigrum are effective species to phytoremediate
      Cd-contaminated soil. 

PMID- 26125672
TI  - Occipital Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Patients With Medically
      Refractory Occipital Neuralgia: Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic
      Review and Evidence-Based Guideline.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Occipital neuralgia (ON) is a disorder characterized by sharp,
      electrical, paroxysmal pain, originating from the occiput and extending along the
      posterior scalp, in the distribution of the greater, lesser, and/or third
      occipital nerve. Occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) constitutes a promising
      therapy for medically refractory ON because it is reversible with minimal side
      effects and has shown continued efficacy with long-term follow-up. OBJECTIVE: To
      conduct a systematic literature review and provide treatment recommendations for
      the use of ONS for the treatment of patients with medically refractory ON.
      METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted using the PubMed database
      and the Cochrane Library to locate articles published between 1966 and April 2014
      using MeSH headings and keywords relevant to ONS as a means to treat ON. A second
      literature search was conducted using the PubMed database and the Cochrane
      Library to locate articles published between 1966 and June 2014 using MeSH
      headings and keywords relevant to interventions that predict response to ONS in
      ON. The strength of evidence of each article that underwent full text review and
      the resulting strength of recommendation were graded according to the guidelines
      development methodology of the American Association of Neurological
      Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Joint Guidelines Committee. RESULTS:
      Nine studies met the criteria for inclusion in this guideline. All articles
      provided Class III Level evidence. CONCLUSION: Based on the data derived from
      this systematic literature review, the following Level III recommendation can be
      made: the use of ONS is a treatment option for patients with medically refractory
      ON.

PMID- 26125673
TI  - Lack of BRAF-V600E Mutation in Papillary Tumor of the Pineal Region.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Papillary tumor of the pineal region (PTPR) is a rare central nervous
      system tumor with a variably aggressive clinical behavior, corresponding to World
      Health Organization grade II/III. Very little is known about the genetic
      mutations comprising PTPR. Recent studies have shown that other papillary tumors
      harbor BRAF-V600E mutations, namely papillary thyroid carcinoma and papillary
      craniopharyngioma, the latter of which is a midline central nervous system
      papillary tumor like PTPR. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether PTPR may contain the
      BRAF-V600E mutation. METHODS: A search of our institutional files was conducted
      for PTPR cases. Chart review was performed to obtain demographics and pertinent
      clinical information when possible. Immunohistochemistry was performed with an
      anti-BRAF-V600E antibody for cases with additional material for testing. RESULTS:
      We identified 19 PTPR cases occurring in 16 patients. The patient age range was 1
      to 73 years (average, 32.2 years). The male-to-female ratio was 1:1. Thirteen
      patients presented with symptoms of obstructive hydrocephalus, and the other 3
      had unknown presenting symptoms. Initial magnetic resonance imaging
      characteristics tended to include partially cystic masses with heterogeneous
      postcontrast enhancement. The tumor size ranged from 1.1 to 4.4 cm (average, 2.5
      cm). CONCLUSION: Of the 16 patients, 13 had additional material for BRAF-V600E
      immunohistochemistry, all of which demonstrated negativity for BRAF-V600E. This
      rate is unlike that of other midline papillary tumors and suggests that these
      tumors, despite their papillary phenotype, may have a distinctive molecular
      background.

PMID- 26125674
TI  - Pregnancy as a Window to Cardiovascular Disease Risk: How Will We Know?

PMID- 26125675
TI  - Regression of an atlantoaxial rheumatoid pannus following posterior instrumented
      fusion.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid patients may develop a retrodental lesion (atlantoaxial
      rheumatoid pannus) that may cause cervical instability and/or neurological
      compromise. The objective is to characterize clinical and radiographic outcomes
      after posterior instrumented fusion for atlantoaxial rheumatoid pannus. METHODS:
      We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent posterior fusions for an
      atlantoaxial rheumatoid pannus at a single institution. Both preoperative and
      postoperative imaging was available for all patients. Anterior or circumferential
      operations, non-atlantoaxial panni, or prior C1-C2 operations were excluded.
      Primary outcome measures included Nurick score, Ranawat score (neurologic status
      in patients with rheumatoid arthritis), pannus regression, and reoperation.
      Pannus volume was determined with axial and sagittal views on both preoperative
      and postoperative radiological images. RESULTS: Thirty patients surgically
      managed for an atlantoaxial rheumatoid pannus were followed for a mean of 24.43
      months. Nine patients underwent posterior instrumented fusion alone, while 21
      patients underwent posterior decompression and instrumented fusion. Following a
      posterior instrumented fusion in all 30 patients, the pannus statistically
      significantly regressed by 44.44%, from a mean volume of 1.26cm(3) to 0.70cm(3)
      (p<0.001), over 8.02 months. The Nurick score significantly improved from 2.40 to
      0.60 (p<0.001), but the marginal improvement of 0.20 in the Ranawat score did not
      reach significance (p=0.312). Six patients (20%) required reoperations over a
      mean of 13.18 months. Reoperations were indicated for C1 instrumentation failure
      in four patients and pseudoarthrosis in two patients. CONCLUSION: Following
      posterior instrumented fusion, the pannus radiographically regressed by 44.44%
      over a mean of 8.02 months, and patients clinically improved per the Nurick
      score. The Ranawat score did not improve, and 20% of patients required
      reoperation over a mean of 13.18 months. The annualized reoperation rate was
      approximately 13.62%.

PMID- 26125676
TI  - Cocoa, blood pressure, and cardiovascular health.
AB  - High blood pressure is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and
      cardiovascular events worldwide. Clinical and epidemiological studies suggest
      that cocoa-rich products reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. According to
      this, cocoa has a high content in polyphenols, especially flavanols. Flavanols
      have been described to exert favorable effects on endothelium-derived
      vasodilation via the stimulation of nitric oxide-synthase, the increased
      availability of l-arginine, and the decreased degradation of NO. Cocoa may also
      have a beneficial effect by protecting against oxidative stress alterations and
      via decreased platelet aggregation, decreased lipid oxidation, and insulin
      resistance. These effects are associated with a decrease of blood pressure and a
      favorable trend toward a reduction in cardiovascular events and strokes. Previous
      meta-analyses have shown that cocoa-rich foods may reduce blood pressure. Long
      term trials investigating the effect of cocoa products are needed to determine
      whether or not blood pressure is reduced on a chronic basis by daily ingestion of
      cocoa. Furthermore, long-term trials investigating the effect of cocoa on
      clinical outcomes are also needed to assess whether cocoa has an effect on
      cardiovascular events. A 3 mmHg systolic blood pressure reduction has been
      estimated to decrease the risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. This
      paper summarizes new findings concerning cocoa effects on blood pressure and
      cardiovascular health, focusing on putative mechanisms of action and
      "nutraceutical " viewpoints. 

PMID- 26125677
TI  - Multi-residue analysis of pesticides in traditional Chinese medicines using gas
      chromatography-negative chemical ionisation tandem mass spectrometry.
AB  - In this study, a residue analysis method for the simultaneous determination of
      107 pesticides in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), Angelica sinensis, A.
      dahurica, Leonurus heterophyllus Sweet, Pogostemon cablin and Lonicera japonica
      Thunb., was developed using gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass
      spectrometry in negative chemical ionisation mode (GC-NCI-MS/MS). NCI has
      advantages of high sensitivity and selectivity to chemicals with electron
      withdrawing groups, and yields low background interference. For sample
      preparation, QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) was
      applied. Due to the unique characteristics of TCMs, the clean-up step was
      optimised by adjusting amounts of primary secondary amine, C18, graphitised
      carbon black and silica sorbents. Validation was mainly performed by determining
      analyte recoveries at four different spiking concentrations of 10, 50, 100 and
      200 ng g(-1), with seven replicates at each concentration. Method trueness,
      precision, linearity of calibration curves, lowest calibrated levels (LCLs) and
      matrix effects were determined to demonstrate method and instrument performance.
      Among the 107 pesticides tested, approximately 80% gave recoveries from 80% to
      110% and < 10% relative standard deviation (RSD). The LCLs for nearly all
      pesticides were 5 ng g(-1), and as low as 0.1 ng g(-1) for dichlofenthion,
      endosulfan sulphate, flumetralin, isofenphos-methyl, methyl-pentachlorophenyl
      sulphide and trifluralin. The results indicate that GC-NCI-MS/MS is an excellent
      technique for quantitative and qualitative analysis of targeted GC-amenable
      pesticides at ultra-trace levels, especially in complex matrices such as TCMs. 

PMID- 26125678
TI  - Hierarchical Configuration of NiCo2S4 Nanotube@Ni-Mn Layered Double Hydroxide
      Arrays/Three-Dimensional Graphene Sponge as Electrode Materials for High
      Capacitance Supercapacitors.
AB  - Three dimensional (3D) hierarchical network configurations are composed of
      NiCo2S4 nanotube @Ni-Mn layered double hydroxide (LDH) arrays in situ grown on
      graphene sponge. The 3D graphene sponge with robust hierarchical porosity
      suitable for as a basal growth has been obtained from a colloidal dispersion of
      graphene oxide using a simple directional freeze-drying technique. The high
      conductive NiCo2S4 nanotube arrays grown on 3D graphene shows excellent
      pseudocapacity and good conductive support for high-performance Ni-Mn LDH. The 3D
      NiCo2S4@Ni-Mn LDH/GS shows a high specific capacitance (Csp) 1740 mF cm(-2) at 1
      mA cm(-2), even at 10 mA cm(-2), 1267.9 mF cm(-2) maintained. This high
      performance composite electrode proposes a new and feasible general pathway as 3D
      electrode configuration for energy storage devices. 

PMID- 26125679
TI  - Fate of Human Noroviruses in Shellfish and Water Impacted by Frequent Sewage
      Pollution Events.
AB  - Knowledge of the fate of human noroviruses (NoV) in the marine environment is key
      to better controlling shellfish-related NoV gastroenteritis. We quantified NoV
      and Escherichia coli in sewage from storm tank discharges and treated effluent
      processed by a UV-disinfection plant following activated sludge treatment and
      studied the fate of these microorganisms in an oyster harvesting area impacted by
      frequent stormwater discharges and infrequent freshwater discharges. Oyster
      monitoring sites were positioned at intervals downstream from the wastewater
      treatment works (WwTW) outfall impacting the harvesting area. The decay rates of
      NoV in oysters as a function of the distance from the outfall were less rapid
      than those for E. coli that had concentrations of NoV of the same order of
      magnitude and were over 7 km away from the outfall. Levels of E. coli in oysters
      from more tidally influenced areas of the estuary were higher around high water
      than around low water, whereas tidal flows had no influence on NoV contamination
      in the oysters. The study provides comparative data on the contamination profiles
      and loadings of NoV and E. coli in a commercial oyster fishery impacted by a
      WwTW. 

PMID- 26125680
TI  - A Fluorescence-Based Assay for Proteinuria Screening in Larval Zebrafish (Danio
      rerio).
AB  - Analysis of genes compromising the glomerular filtration barrier in rodent models
      using transgenic or knockdown approaches is time- and resource-consuming and
      often leads to unsatisfactory results. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have
      a selection tool indicating that your gene of interest is in fact associated with
      proteinuria. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a rapid screening tool to study effects
      in glomerular filtration barrier integrity after genetic manipulation. We use
      either injection of high-molecular-weight dextrans or a transgenic fluorescent
      fish line [Tg(l-fabp:DBP:EGFP)] expressing a vitamin D-binding protein fused with
      eGFP for indirect detection of proteinuria. A loss of high-molecular-weight
      proteins from the circulation of the fish into the urine can be identified by
      monitoring fluorescence intensity in the zebrafish eye. Paired with an optimized
      analysis method, this assay provides an effective screening solution to detect
      filtration barrier damage with proteinuria before moving to a mammalian system. 

PMID- 26125681
TI  - Stone-dwelling actinobacteria Blastococcus saxobsidens, Modestobacter marinus and
      Geodermatophilus obscurus proteogenomes.
AB  - The Geodermatophilaceae are unique model systems to study the ability to thrive
      on or within stones and their proteogenomes (referring to the whole protein
      arsenal encoded by the genome) could provide important insight into their
      adaptation mechanisms. Here we report the detailed comparative genome analysis of
      Blastococcus saxobsidens (Bs), Modestobacter marinus (Mm) and Geodermatophilus
      obscurus (Go) isolated respectively from the interior and the surface of
      calcarenite stones and from desert sandy soils. The genome-scale analysis of Bs,
      Mm and Go illustrates how adaptation to these niches can be achieved through
      various strategies including 'molecular tinkering/opportunism' as shown by the
      high proportion of lost, duplicated or horizontally transferred genes and ORFans.
      Using high-throughput discovery proteomics, the three proteomes under unstressed
      conditions were analyzed, highlighting the most abundant biomarkers and the main
      protein factors. Proteomic data corroborated previously demonstrated stone
      related ecological distribution. For instance, these data showed starvation
      inducible, biofilm-related and DNA-protection proteins as signatures of the
      microbes associated with the interior, surface and outside of stones,
      respectively. 

PMID- 26125683
TI  - Environmental stability affects phenotypic evolution in a globally distributed
      marine picoplankton.
AB  - Marine phytoplankton can evolve rapidly when confronted with aspects of climate
      change because of their large population sizes and fast generation times. Despite
      this, the importance of environment fluctuations, a key feature of climate
      change, has received little attention-selection experiments with marine
      phytoplankton are usually carried out in stable environments and use single or
      few representatives of a species, genus or functional group. Here we investigate
      whether and by how much environmental fluctuations contribute to changes in
      ecologically important phytoplankton traits such as C:N ratios and cell size, and
      test the variability of changes in these traits within the globally distributed
      species Ostreococcus. We have evolved 16 physiologically distinct lineages of
      Ostreococcus at stable high CO2 (1031+/-87 MUatm CO2, SH) and fluctuating high
      CO2 (1012+/-244 MUatm CO2, FH) for 400 generations. We find that although both
      fluctuation and high CO2 drive evolution, FH-evolved lineages are smaller, have
      reduced C:N ratios and respond more strongly to further increases in CO2 than do
      SH-evolved lineages. This indicates that environmental fluctuations are an
      important factor to consider when predicting how the characteristics of future
      phytoplankton populations will have an impact on biogeochemical cycles and higher
      trophic levels in marine food webs. 

PMID- 26125682
TI  - Antarctic archaea-virus interactions: metaproteome-led analysis of invasion,
      evasion and adaptation.
AB  - Despite knowledge that viruses are abundant in natural ecosystems, there is
      limited understanding of which viruses infect which hosts, and how both hosts and
      viruses respond to those interactions-interactions that ultimately shape
      community structure and dynamics. In Deep Lake, Antarctica, intergenera gene
      exchange occurs rampantly within the low complexity, haloarchaea-dominated
      community, strongly balanced by distinctions in niche adaptation which maintain
      sympatric speciation. By performing metaproteomics for the first time on
      haloarchaea, genomic variation of S-layer, archaella and other cell surface
      proteins was linked to mechanisms of infection evasion. CRISPR defense systems
      were found to be active, with haloarchaea responding to at least eight distinct
      types of viruses, including those infecting between genera. The role of BREX
      systems in defending against viruses was also examined. Although evasion and
      defense were evident, both hosts and viruses also may benefit from viruses
      carrying and expressing host genes, thereby potentially enhancing genetic
      variation and phenotypic differences within populations. The data point to a
      complex inter-play leading to a dynamic optimization of host-virus interactions.
      This comprehensive overview was achieved only through the integration of results
      from metaproteomics, genomics and metagenomics. 

PMID- 26125684
TI  - Viral assemblage composition in Yellowstone acidic hot springs assessed by
      network analysis.
AB  - Understanding of viral assemblage structure in natural environments remains a
      daunting task. Total viral assemblage sequencing (for example, viral
      metagenomics) provides a tractable approach. However, even with the availability
      of next-generation sequencing technology it is usually only possible to obtain a
      fragmented view of viral assemblages in natural ecosystems. In this study, we
      applied a network-based approach in combination with viral metagenomics to
      investigate viral assemblage structure in the high temperature, acidic hot
      springs of Yellowstone National Park, USA. Our results show that this approach
      can identify distinct viral groups and provide insights into the viral assemblage
      structure. We identified 110 viral groups in the hot springs environment, with
      each viral group likely representing a viral family at the sub-family taxonomic
      level. Most of these viral groups are previously unknown DNA viruses likely
      infecting archaeal hosts. Overall, this study demonstrates the utility of
      combining viral assemblage sequencing approaches with network analysis to gain
      insights into viral assemblage structure in natural ecosystems. 

PMID- 26125685
TI  - Making pathogens sociable: the [corrected] emergence of high relatedness through
      limited host invasibility.
AB  - Cooperation depends upon high relatedness, the high genetic similarity of
      interacting partners relative to the wider population. For pathogenic bacteria,
      which show diverse cooperative traits, the population processes that determine
      relatedness are poorly understood. Here, we explore whether within-host dynamics
      can produce high relatedness in the insect pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis. We
      study the effects of host/pathogen interactions on relatedness via a model of
      host invasion and fit parameters to competition experiments with marked strains.
      We show that invasibility is a key parameter for determining relatedness and
      experimentally demonstrate the emergence of high relatedness from well-mixed
      inocula. We find that a single infection cycle results in a bottleneck with a
      similar level of relatedness to those previously reported in the field. The
      bottlenecks that are a product of widespread barriers to infection can therefore
      produce the population structure required for the evolution of cooperative
      virulence. 

PMID- 26125686
TI  - Alleged malpractice in anesthesiology: analysis of a series of private insurance
      claims.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Medical malpractice is currently a crucial topic and anesthesia is a
      key specialty for the improvement of patient safety. However, death and permanent
      impairment due to anesthesia still occur and studies of insurance analysis data
      are increasing. We investigated the main features of a major Italian insurance
      broker's archive in order to identify possible recurrent pitfalls in this
      critical field of medicine. METHODS: Three hundred seventeen Italian claims were
      analyzed, filling out a standardized form that recorded information on patient
      and physician's characteristics, procedures, sequence and location of events and
      outcomes. The operative setting, the type of anesthesia performed the origin of
      the multidisciplinary team malpractice hypothesis, the final clinical outcome and
      the malpractice investigation results were also analyzed. RESULTS: In 225
      malpractice claims, the adverse event was surgery-linked, either intraoperatively
      (114 cases) or postoperatively (111 cases): abdominal surgery (26%), orthopedics
      (22%), gynecology (20%), heart surgery (11%) and neurosurgery (9.5%) were the
      most frequently involved surgical specialties. In 92 cases, the claim was
      unlinked to a surgeon's activity, with dental damage in oral intubation
      procedures as the greatest contributor (42.3%). Anesthetists' malpractice was
      technically ascertained in 39% of cases, 74.8% resulting in permanent impairment.
      CONCLUSIONS: Malpractice was mainly suspected in surgery-linked procedures. Most
      of the claims were settled for procedural error in performing locoregional
      anesthesia and oral intubation procedures. 60% of all closed claims resulted in
      no malpractice ascertained. Confirmed malpractice typically deals with non
      surgery-linked and non multidisciplinary team cases, causing permanent
      impairment.

PMID- 26125687
TI  - International survey on the management of mechanical ventilation during ECMO in
      adults with severe respiratory failure.
AB  - BACKGROUND: No consensus exists on the optimal settings of mechanical ventilation
      during veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Our aim was to
      describe how mechanical ventilation and related interventions are managed by
      adult ECMO centres. METHODS: A cross-sectional, multi-centre, international
      survey of 173 adult respiratory ECMO centres. The survey was generated through an
      iterative process and assessed for clarity, content and face validity. RESULTS:
      One hundred thirty-three centres responded (76.8%). Pressure control was the most
      commonly used mechanical ventilation mode (64.4%). Although the median PEEP was
      10 cmH2O, 22.6% set PEEP <10 cmH2O and 15.5% used 15-20 cmH2O. In 63% of centres
      PEEP was fixed and not titrated. Recruitment maneuvres, were never used in 34.1%
      of centres, or used daily in 13.2%. Centres reported using either a "lung rest"
      (45.7%), or an "open lung" strategy (44.2%). Only 24.8% used chest CT to guide
      mechanical ventilation. Adjunctive treatments were never or occasionally used.
      Only 10% of centres extubated patients on ECMO, mainly in more experienced
      centres. 71.3% of centres performed tracheostomy on ECMO, with large variability
      in timing (most frequent on days 6-10). Only 27.1% of ECMO centres had a protocol
      for mechanical ventilation on ECMO. CONCLUSION: We found large variability in
      ventilatory practices during ECMO. The clinicians' training background and the
      centres' experience had no influence on the approach to ventilation. This survey
      shows that well conducted studies are necessary to determine the best practice of
      mechanical ventilation during ECMO and its impact on patient outcome.

PMID- 26125688
TI  - The conundrum of anticoagulation and hemostatic management in ECMO patients.

PMID- 26125689
TI  - A Rare Cause of Patient Movement Occurring During Carotid Surgery.
AB  - In this case, we report difficulty in the conduct of carotid surgery during an
      earthquake. With the epicenter >200 miles away, intraoperative movement was
      subtle and initially attributed to recovery from neuromuscular blockade. More
      significant seismic motion in a hospital is accompanied by additional challenges
      that are discussed. 

PMID- 26125690
TI  - Hemostatic Management of Severe Thrombocytopenia in a Patient Undergoing Pulmonic
      Valve Replacement.
AB  - Perioperative management of thrombocytopenia is often focused on platelet
      transfusion. However, there are thrombocytopenic cases that are refractory to
      platelet transfusion as a result of immune response or consumptive coagulopathy.
      Acuity of the disease may necessitate an invasive procedure despite a grossly
      abnormal platelet count. We describe a case of severe thrombocytopenia refractory
      to platelet transfusion and hemostatic management after an urgent pulmonary valve
      replacement and pulmonary embolectomy. 

PMID- 26125691
TI  - Management of a Parturient with Diastrophic Dysplasia.
AB  - A 27-year-old primigravida patient with diastrophic dysplasia (DTD) presented to
      our obstetrics clinic at 8 weeks' gestational age. Diastrophic dysplasia is a
      rare, autosomal-recessive abnormality that presents multiple challenges to
      perinatal anesthetic management, including difficult airway management and
      relative contraindications to neuraxial anesthesia. The patient underwent
      elective cesarean delivery at 35 weeks' gestational age under general anesthesia.
      In this report, we describe our preoperative evaluation and management strategy
      that involved a multidisciplinary care team. 

PMID- 26125692
TI  - Intact Survival After Obstetric Hemorrhage and 55 Minutes of Cardiopulmonary
      Resuscitation.
AB  - Cardiac arrest occurs in approximately 1:12,000 parturients. Among nonpregnant
      patients who have in-hospital cardiac arrest, those whose spontaneous circulation
      does not return within 15 to 20 minutes have a high risk of death and disability,
      so life support efforts are generally stopped after this period. However, among
      parturients, witnessed in-hospital arrest is often reversible and has a better
      prognosis. We describe a successful clinical outcome after maternal cardiac
      arrest and 55 minutes of advanced cardiac life support. This case underscores the
      importance of high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation and raises questions
      about the appropriate duration of resuscitation efforts in otherwise healthy
      young mothers with a potentially reversible cause of arrest. 

PMID- 26125693
TI  - Perioperative Glucose Management: Point-of-Care Testing and Pseudohypoglycemia.
AB  - Perioperative hypoglycemia has been associated with adverse outcomes.
      Consequently, perioperative monitoring of blood glucose using convenient point-of
      care (POC) monitors is frequently used. Although venous or arterial glucose POC
      testing has been cleared for use in critically ill hospitalized patients, the
      results of capillary glucose POC testing should be interpreted with caution
      because capillary POC samples are usually less reliable than those obtained from
      arterial or venous sites. We describe a case of pseudohypoglycemia using such
      testing. This case highlights the importance of individualizing perioperative
      glucose management to venous or arterial rather than capillary sampling in
      certain clinical situations. 

PMID- 26125694
TI  - SnO2 nanoparticle-loaded activated carbon for simultaneous removal of Acid Yellow
      41 and Sunset Yellow; derivative spectrophotometric, artificial neural network
      and optimization approach.
AB  - The simultaneous adsorption of Acid Yellow 41 (AY41) and Sunset Yellow (SY) onto
      SnO2 nanoparticle-loaded activated carbon (SnO2-NP-AC with very high BET surface
      area of 1278.71 m(2) g(-1)) was investigated. To overcome the severe dyes
      spectral overlapping, derivative spectrophotometric method and principal
      component analysis-artificial neural network (PCA-ANN) were successfully applied
      for the simultaneous determination of AY41 and SY in their binary solutions. By
      using central composite design (CCD) under response surface methodology, the
      effects of variables such as contact time, adsorbent dosage, pH, AY41
      concentration and SY concentration on responses such as binary dyes removal
      percentages were examined. Optimal values were found to be 17.9 min, 0.024 g,
      3.1, and 15.9 mg L(-1) and 18.7 mg L(-1), respectively. In binary solutions, the
      best fit to modified-extended Langmuir isotherm was obtained for the whole
      concentration range. In binary solutions, a synergism was observed for the AY41
      and SY dyes adsorption onto SnO2-NP-AC. The adsorption rates at various times
      were analyzed. It indicated a pseudo-second-order kinetic model for the
      adsorption of both dyes.

PMID- 26125695
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups and somatic mutations are associated with lung
      cancer in patients from Southwest China.
AB  - Mitochondrial DNA mutations play crucial roles in the pathogenesis and
      progression of human malignancies. Therefore, to determine whether maternal
      background or mitochondrial DNA somatic mutations were essential cofactors in the
      lung cancer of Chinese patients as well, the complete mitochondrial DNA
      displacement loop of the primary cancerous, matched para-cancerous normal and
      distant normal tissues for 79 Chinese patients with lung cancer were analyzed in
      this study. Our results indicated that the higher detected frequency of
      haplogroups prevalent in southern East Asia (53.16%; 42/79) versus those of
      northern East Asia in the studied population supported the southern East Asian
      characteristics of the Chinese lung cancer group. Further statistical analysis
      revealed that the haplogroups F* and G* contributed to the susceptibility to lung
      cancer in Chinese patients. In addition, by comparing sequences from different
      tissues of the same patients, a total of eight somatic mutations from six
      patients were detected. Combined with the fourteen somatic mutations identified
      in our previous study, the somatic mutation spectrum of the 79 Chinese patients
      with lung cancer was 25.32% (20/79). Our results suggest that mitochondrial DNA
      haplogroups and somatic mutations are associated with lung cancer in patients
      from Yunnan, Southwest China, and that somatic mitochondrial DNA mutations in the
      displacement loop can serve as potential biomarkers for clinical utility. 

PMID- 26125696
TI  - Aggressiveness of Pseudocercospora griseola strains in common bean genotypes and
      implications for genetic improvement.
AB  - The fungus Pseudocercospora griseola, the causal agent of angular leaf spot in
      the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), exhibits a broad pathogenic variability
      that complicates the development of resistant cultivars. For breeding programs to
      successfully obtain common bean cultivars with durable resistance, knowing the
      aggressiveness of different strains, as well as the mechanisms of genetic
      resistance, is important. The aims of this study were to study the variation
      within race 63.63 by evaluating the aggressiveness of different strains, to
      analyze the genetic resistance of common bean lines to P. griseola, and to
      ascertain the implications for genetic improvement in obtaining resistance in
      this pathosystem. Four strains, collected from different locations, were
      inoculated in three groups of common bean lines in a greenhouse, and the severity
      of the disease was subsequently evaluated. Statistical analyses were carried out
      using the diallel method, which provided information on the vertical and
      horizontal resistance of host plants, in addition to information regarding the
      aggressiveness of the strains. The aggressiveness of P. griseola differed between
      the strains of race 63.63. The diallel method proved to be promising for the
      identification of horizontal and vertical resistance in the common bean-P.
      griseola pathosystem, with a predominance of horizontal resistance. Gene
      pyramiding, using marker-assisted selection, may not be the most effective
      strategy for obtaining durable resistance. 

PMID- 26125697
TI  -  Acetobacter bacteria are found in Zhenjiang vinegar grains.
AB  - Zhenjiang vinegar, the grains of which contain a unique microbial flora, is one
      of the four famous traditional Chinese vinegars. We investigated the components
      of Zhenjiang vinegar grains. Unique acetic acid bacteria were randomly isolated
      from Zhenjiang vinegar grains, and the obtained strains were qualitatively
      analyzed to compare their capacities for acetate decomposition and acid
      production. Acetic acid bacteria with a high acid-producing rate were identified
      by 16S rDNA sequencing, and further confirmation was performed using the Basic
      Local Alignment Search Tool comparison method. Six significant strains of acetic
      acid bacteria were isolated. Qualitative analysis showed that these strains
      produced no brown precipitate and had a capacity for acetate decomposition. Based
      on physiological and biochemical evaluation, the two strains with the highest
      acid yield were sequenced, and the results identified strain W1 as Acetobacter
      aceti and strain W6 as A. pasteurianus. 

PMID- 26125698
TI  - BRAF overexpression is associated with BRAF V600E mutation in papillary thyroid
      carcinomas.
AB  - A common mutation in the BRAF gene, comprising the T1799A nucleotide
      transversion, which leads to the V600E amino acid substitution in the BRAF
      protein, has been observed in about 50% of papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs).
      However, BRAF protein expression has been rarely examined in such tumors.
      Clinical studies have shown important associations between BRAF mutation and
      clinical parameters in PTC, such as progression, invasion, and recurrence. The
      aim of this study was to evaluate the association between BRAF protein
      overexpression and the BRAF V600E mutation in a group of PTC patients. The study
      group included 116 patients with PTC from Araujo Jorge Hospital, Goiania, Goias,
      Brazil. Immunohistochemistry was utilized to analyze BRAF protein expression.
      Presence of the BRAF V600E mutation was determined by polymerase chain reaction
      amplification and restriction fragment length polymorphism, and confirmed by
      direct sequencing. The chi-square test with Yates correction and the Fisher exact
      test were used for statistical analysis. BRAF overexpression was detected in 55
      patients with PTC (47.4%) and the BRAF V600E mutation was observed in 74 patients
      (63.8%). In the studied group, significant associations were observed between the
      BRAF V600E mutation and BRAF protein overexpression (P = 0.0115), and also
      between BRAF overexpression and extra-thyroid extension of the tumor (P =
      0.0111). This study demonstrated a significant association between BRAF
      overexpression and the BRAF V600E mutation in PTC, highlighting the importance of
      these molecular events in the process of PTC carcinogenesis. 

PMID- 26125699
TI  - Observed impacts of insulin therapy on callus cell transforming growth factor
      beta 1 expression in diabetic rats.
AB  - The expression of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1) inside the callus
      cells of diabetic rats and the impact of insulin therapy on its expression and
      biomechanics was investigated. The rats were randomly divided as follows: an
      insulin therapy group (IT), a diabetic model group (DM), and a non-diabetic
      control group (NC). Bone specimens from each group were extracted at different
      times for immunohistochemical observation of the expression of TGF-beta1.
      Concurrently, the destruction torque and torsional stiffness were detected at
      different times. One to four weeks after fracture, TGF-beta1 was widely expressed
      in fractured callus cells and periosteal proliferating cells, while the
      expression inside diabetic cells was significantly reduced. The expression of TGF
      beta1 decreased over the first 68 weeks, and the mature bone cells never
      expressed TGF-beta1. The destruction torque (Nm) detected in the 6th week
      revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the DM,
      NC, and IT groups (P < 0.01). In conclusion, TGF-beta1 expression was
      significantly reduced inside the callus cells of diabetic rats. Insulin therapy
      increased TGF-beta1 expression inside the callus cells of diabetic rats and
      improved the biomechanical characteristics of the callus. 

PMID- 26125700
TI  - Physiological quality and gene expression during the development of habanero
      pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacquin) seeds.
AB  - Phytohormones have different characteristics and functions, and they may be
      subject to changes in their gene expression and synthesis during seed
      development. In this study, we evaluated the physiological qualities of habanero
      peppers (Capsicum chinense Jacquin) during seed development and the expression of
      genes involved in germination. Seeds were obtained from fruits harvested at
      different stages of development [i.e., 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, and 70
      days after anthesis (DAA)]. Immediately after harvesting, the seeds were
      subjected to various tests to determine moisture content, germination, first
      count germination, and seedling emergence. Real-time polymerase chain reaction
      was used to evaluate the expression of various genes, including MAN2, NCED, B73,
      ICL6, and GA3ox. Electrophoresis was used to assess the expression of various
      enzymes, including alpha-amylase, isocitrate-lyase, and endo-beta-mannanase.
      Habanero peppers harvested at 70 DAA and subjected to 7 days of rest exhibited
      higher germination rates and vigor compared to those harvested at all other
      developmental stages. Peppers harvested at 63 DAA without drying exhibited higher
      alpha amylase and AmyB73 gene expression levels. Peppers harvested at 70 DAA with
      7 days of rest exhibited higher endo-beta-mannanase expression levels. MAN2 gene
      expression increased during the development of non-dried seeds until 70 DAA.
      Peppers harvested at 42 DAA exhibited the highest isocitrate-lyase and ICL6 gene
      activity levels in comparison to those at all other developmental stages. 

PMID- 26125701
TI  - Development of novel microsatellite markers in the Korean rockfish Sebastes
      schlegeli.
AB  - The Korean rockfish Sebastes schlegeli is a valuable recreational and commercial
      fish in China, and is cultured in land-based tanks and net cages. Fifteen
      microsatellite markers were developed for this species, and their polymorphisms
      were examined in a population. The allele number of the 15 markers ranged from 2
      to 13, with an average of 5.933 per locus. The observed and expected
      heterozygosity values ranged from 0.063 to 0.938 (averaging 0.585), and 0.062 to
      0.908 (averaging 0.642), respectively. Thirteen loci were at Hardy-Weinberg
      equilibrium (HWE), whereas the other two significantly deviated from the HWE
      after a Bonferroni's correction. No significant linkage disequilibrium was
      detected between the comparisons of these loci. These markers are useful for
      studies of population genetics, linkage mapping, and other relevant studies on S.
      schlegeli. 

PMID- 26125702
TI  - Development of a new amplification-refractory mutation system for detection of a
      single nucleotide polymorphism linked to drug resistance in Ancylostoma caninum.
AB  - Single nucleotide polymorphisms at codons 167, 198, and 200 in the beta-tubulin
      isotype 1 gene have been associated with benz-imidazole resistance. Until now,
      the only mutation observed in Ancy-lostoma caninum was at codon 200 of this gene.
      However, the standard-ized methodologies used to detect mutations in this species
      are faulty. The objective of this study was to standardize a molecular technique
      based on amplification-refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS
      PCR) for detecting the mutation at codon 200 in the A. caninum beta-tubulin
      isotype 1 gene. Controls were synthesized both for the absence of the mutation,
      using conventional PCR, and for the presence of the mutation, using the
      Megaprimer-PCR technique. After standardization of the ARMS-PCR using the
      controls, the technique was validated through an analysis of 75 A. caninum DNA
      samples, fol-lowed by sequencing. The results revealed that the developed
      technique has high sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility, which allow its
      ap-plication in the field. 

PMID- 26125703
TI  - Association of CHRNA4 gene rs1044396 and rs1044397 polymorphisms with Parkinson's
      disease symptoms and smoking.
AB  - We assessed the CHRNA4 exon 5 rs1044396 and rs1044397 polymorphisms and
      investigated their relationship with Parkinson's disease (PD) severity and
      several non-motor symptoms. Ninety-seven patients with primary PD and 108
      controls were recruited, and their smoking history identified. Patients with PD
      were assessed using the unified PD rating scale (UPDRS), Hoehn & Yahr (H&Y)
      grade, Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD), visual analogue 10-points scale
      (VAS), and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). Polymerase chain reaction
      amplification and direct sequencing was performed on genomic DNA to identify
      polymorphic variants. Statistical analysis demonstrated that there were no gender
      differences in rs1044396(C->T) and rs1044397(G->A) frequencies. More smokers were
      identified among carriers of rs1044396 CT/TT genotypes. We also found no
      differences between PD and control groups in frequencies of either polymorphism.
      However, in women, PD onset was latest in rs1044397 GA/AA (P = 0.015). rs1044396
      CT/TT genotype carriers and rs1044397 GG genotype patients with PD had higher VAS
      scores. No differences were found on the course of PD, H&Y grade, or UPDRS-II or 
      III scores between various genotypes, nor were differences found on scores of
      HAMD, nocturia, or PSQI in PD patients. Our results suggested that the CHRNA4
      rs1044396 CT/TT genotype is related to cigarette smoking, that the rs1044397
      polymorphism may associate with PD age of onset in women, and that rs1044396 and
      rs1044397 may relate to pain in PD patients, but not to the course or severity of
      disease, or to depression or nocturnal or sleeping disorders. 

PMID- 26125704
TI  - Microsatellite markers for Amazon pellona Pellona castelnaeana (Clupeiformes:
      Pristigasteridae).
AB  - The Amazon pellona is one of the few species of Pristigasteridae with recognized
      commercial value in the Amazon. We isolated 24 and characterized 8 microsatellite
      loci for this species. The number of alleles ranges from 2-8 per locus. Observed
      heterozygosities ranged from 0.052-0.823, while expected heterozygosities from
      0.052-0.836. These 8 microsatellites are potentially valuable tools for
      characterizing the levels and distribution of genetic diversity, population
      structure, and gene flow. They may also be important parameters for the genetic
      conservation of this species, as well as for its sister taxon Pellona
      flavipinnis. 

PMID- 26125706
TI  - Effect of ultraviolet A exposure on transport of compatible organic osmolytes in
      human lens epithelial cells.
AB  - Compatible organic osmolytes, such as betaine, myoinositol, and taurine, are
      involved in antioxidant defense, protein stabilization, and stress responses.
      This osmolyte strategy requires the expression of specific osmolyte transporters
      such as betaine (BGT-1), myoinositol (SMIT), and taurine (TAUT). In contrast to
      the kidney, keratinocytes, and neural cells, few studies have examined osmolytes
      in human lens epithelial cells (HLECs). We examined the expression of mRNA
      specific for BGT-1, SMIT, and TAUT in HLECs. In comparison to normoosmotic (305
      mOsM) controls, there was a 3-5-fold time-dependent reaction of BGT-1, SMIT, and
      TAUT mRNA levels in HLECs exposed to hyperosmotic stress (405 mOsM). Maximal
      responses were obtained for BGT-1, SMIT, and TAUT mRNA expression after 3, 24 and
      9 h of hyperosmotic exposure, respectively. This expression was correlated with
      increased osmolyte uptake. In contrast, hypoosmotic (205 mOsM) stimulation led to
      a significant efflux of osmolytes. Exposure to ultraviolet A (340-400 nm)
      radiation significantly stimulated osmolyte uptake. Increased osmolyte uptake was
      associated with upregulation of mRNA steady-state levels for osmolyte
      transporters in irradiated cells. These results demonstrate that ultraviolet A
      radiation leads to the accumulation of compatible organic osmolytes in HLECs as
      hyperosmotic pressure, which can maintain cellular environmental homeostasis. 

PMID- 26125705
TI  - Effects of the Zhikang capsule on healing of the flap after radical breast cancer
      surgery.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of trauma flap healing
      promoted by the Zhikang capsule after radical breast cancer surgery. The enrolled
      breast cancer patients were randomly divided into two groups: treatment and
      observation. The patients in the treatment group were treated with the Zhikang
      capsule in addition to the conventional dressing changes, while patients in the
      observation group underwent only the regular dressing changes. Serum samples of
      98 breast cancer patients (with complete clinical data) who underwent modified
      radical mastectomy were collected and analyzed for expressions of transforming
      growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). The
      drainage fluid amount and tissue necrosis rate were found to be lower in the
      treatment group than in the observation group. Moreover, bFGF expression in
      peripheral blood was higher in the treatment group than in the observation group.
      However, no significant difference was found between the two groups in the
      expression of TGF-beta in peripheral blood. In conclusion, Zhikang capsule is
      effective in promoting flap healing after radical breast cancer surgery, and the
      increase of bFGF expression in peripheral blood may be the underlying mechanism. 

PMID- 26125707
TI  - Molecular cloning, characterization, and expression analysis of a Broad-Complex
      homolog during development in the oriental river prawn Macrobrachium nipponense.
AB  - Broad-Complex (BR-C) is an early ecdysone-responsive gene encoding a family of
      zinc-finger transcription factors. In this study, we isolated the full-length
      cDNA of a BR-C homolog from the testes of the oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium
      nipponense), according to established expressed sequence tag information, using
      the rapid amplification of cDNA ends technique. The homolog was designated as
      MnBR-C. The full-length cDNA of MnBR-C contained a 1095-bp open reading frame
      encoding a precursor protein of 365 amino acid residues. Comparative and
      bioinformatic analyses revealed that MnBR-C exhibited a high degree of homology
      with BR-C proteins, and contained the BTB and Zf-H2C2-2 domains. Real-time
      quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis revealed that the MnBR-C
      expression level varied significantly in the developing embryo, postembryonic
      larva, and adult tissue. Real-time qPCR showed that the MnBR-C gene was expressed
      in all of the tissues investigated, with the highest level of expression in the
      brain. In addition, MnBR-C was more abundantly expressed in the testes than in
      the ovaries. 

PMID- 26125708
TI  - Genetic structure and diversity in natural and stocked populations of the
      mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) in China.
AB  - The Chinese perch, or mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi), is a freshwater fish
      that is endemic to East Asia. In this study, we investigated the genetic
      diversity and structure of nine natural mandarin fish populations (from the
      Yangtze River and Amur River basins) and six hatchery stocks (from central and
      south China) using microsatellite markers. The results show that the genetic
      diversity of the Yangtze River populations was high and stable, and genetic
      differences between them were not significant. In contrast, a low level of
      genetic diversity and strong genetic structure were detected in the Amur River
      population. These results suggest that the Yangtze River region and the Amur
      River region should be treated as two separate units in conservation programs.
      The hatchery stocks exhibited low genetic diversity and significant genetic
      differentiation compared to natural populations; this may result in a significant
      impact on the species if escape events occur. Therefore, a scientific aquaculture
      management strategy is necessary for the long-term development of hatcheries. 

PMID- 26125709
TI  - Meta-analysis of differentially expressed genes in ankylosing spondylitis.
AB  - The purpose of this study was to identify differentially expressed (DE) genes and
      biological processes associated with changes in gene expression in ankylosing
      spondylitis (AS). We performed a meta-analysis using the integrative meta
      analysis of expression data program on publicly available microarray AS Gene
      Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. We performed Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment
      analyses and pathway analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes.
      Four GEO datasets, including 31 patients with AS and 39 controls, were available
      for the meta-analysis. We identified 65 genes across the studies that were
      consistently DE in patients with AS vs controls (23 upregulated and 42
      downregulated). The upregulated gene with the largest effect size (ES; -1.2628, P
      = 0.020951) was integral membrane protein 2A (ITM2A), which is expressed by CD4+
      T cells and plays a role in activation of T cells. The downregulated gene with
      the largest ES (1.2299, P = 0.040075) was mitochondrial ribosomal protein S11
      (MRPS11). The most significant GO enrichment was in the respiratory electron
      transport chain category (P = 1.67 x 10-9). Therefore, our meta-analysis
      identified genes that were consistently DE as well as biological pathways
      associated with gene expression changes in AS. 

PMID- 26125710
TI  - Cyclin D1 G870A gene polymorphism and risk of leukemia and hepatocellular
      carcinoma: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Cyclin D1 (CCND1) is a key protein involved in cell-cycle regulation, and the
      CCND1 G870A polymorphism is associated with many types of malignancy. Studies
      examining the associations between this G870A polymorphism and susceptibility to
      leukemia and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have shown inconsistent results.
      Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to clarify these associations. A search
      of the PubMed database yielded 7 relevant articles: 3 pertaining to leukemia and
      4 to HCC. The odds ratios (ORs) from individual studies were pooled using a fixed
      or random-effect model. A significant association was observed between the CCND1
      G870A variant and leukemia under the allele contrast model [P = 0.003, OR = 1.49,
      95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.15-1.95], the homozygote contrast model (P =
      0.003, OR = 2.30, 95%CI = 1.34-3.96), and the recessive model (P = 0.002, OR =
      2.03, 95%CI = 1.29-3.21). A significant association was observed between this
      variant and HCC under the recessive model (P = 0.0006, OR = 1.62, 95%CI = 1.23
      2.14), the dominant model (P = 0.002, OR = 1.59, 95%CI = 1.19-2.14), the
      homozygote contrast model (P < 0.0001, OR = 2.06, 95%CI = 1.45-2.94), and the
      allele contrast model (P < 0.0001, OR = 1.43, 95%CI = 1.20-1.69). Our findings
      suggest that heritable CCND1 status may influence the risk of developing leukemia
      and HCC, and that more attention should be given to carriers of these
      susceptibility genes. 

PMID- 26125711
TI  - Effects of changes in serum endostatin and fibroblast growth factor 19 on the
      chemotherapeutic sensitivity in acute myeloid leukemia patients.
AB  - The present study aimed to explore the changes in serum endostatin and fibroblast
      growth factor 19 (FGF-19) in acute myeloid leukemia patients, and to determine
      their effects on chemotherapeutic sensitivity. Sixty acute myeloid leukemia
      patients and 30 healthy controls were included in the study. Patient serum
      endostatin and FGF-19 levels were measured on admission, and then, standard
      chemotherapy was administered. The patients were divided into 2 groups according
      to chemotherapeutic effects: 21 patients in the chemotherapeutic sensitivity
      group (complete remission + partial remission) and 39 in the chemotherapeutic
      resistance group (no remission + degradation). A receiver operating
      characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the relationship of serum
      endostatin and FGF-19 levels with chemotherapeutic sensitivity in acute myeloid
      leukemia patients. The levels of serum endostatin and FGF-19 in acute myeloid
      leukemia patients before chemotherapy were significantly higher than those in the
      control group. Moreover, these levels significantly decreased after chemotherapy
      (P < 0.01). The levels of serum endostatin and FGF-19 in the chemotherapeutic
      sensitivity group were lower than those in the chemotherapeutic resistance group,
      both before and after chemotherapy (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). ROC
      curve analysis showed that the predictive values of endostatin and FGF-19 were
      good, and there was no significant difference between these results. In
      conclusion, serum endostatin and FGF-19 can be used as predictors of
      chemotherapeutic sensitivity for acute myeloid leukemia patients, and may be
      important for determining prognosis. 

PMID- 26125712
TI  - B-type natriuretic peptide and cirrhosis progression.
AB  - Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is used as a marker of cardiac dysfunction to
      predict heart failure mortality. The significance of the prognostic ability of
      BNP for liver cirrhosis remains unknown, although the levels of BNP seen in
      cirrhosis are high. We aimed to determine whether the BNP level is related to the
      stage of cirrhosis and could serve as a prognostic marker of cirrhosis (predict
      the 1-year all-cause mortality). We recruited 92 patients at different stages of
      cirrhosis and 81 controls matched by age and gender for this study. At admission,
      cardiac physical examination and BNP measurements were performed. Upon discharge,
      the 89 patients were followed up for 12 months. The median BNP levels of patients
      with cirrhosis were 167.0 pg/mL, which were significantly higher than those of
      the control group (167.0 vs 34.8 pg/mL, P = 0.001). Serum BNP levels were
      positively correlated with the Child score, the grade of esophageal varices, a
      history of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and the presence of ascites and
      collateral circulation. BNP levels above the median were associated with an
      increased occurrence of death within 12 months of discharge (log rank P = 0.025),
      as determined by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Esophageal
      varices, large/medium volume ascites, and BNP levels were related to the clinical
      outcome (P = 0.034, 0.030, and 0.025, respectively). Together, these results
      suggested that serum BNP levels are significantly correlated with the stage of
      cirrhosis, suggesting that BNP levels might serve as a significant predictor for
      1-year all-cause mortality. 

PMID- 26125713
TI  - Association between rs9904341 G<C gene polymorphism and susceptibility to
      pancreatic cancer in a Chinese population.
AB  - We conducted a case-control study to investigate the association between the
      survivin rs9904341 G<C polymorphism and risk of pancreatic cancer. A total of 261
      pancreatic cancer patients who were pathologically confirmed to have pancreatic
      cancer were included in the study. Polymorphisms of rs9904341 G<C were assessed
      by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Pancreatic
      cancer patients were more likely to be smokers, have a family history of cancer,
      and have diabetes. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, the CC
      genotype was found to be associated with a significantly increased risk of
      pancreatic cancer risk compared with the GG genotype (odds ratio = 1.85, 95%
      confidence interval = 1.12-3.01). Moreover, those carrying the C allele had a
      higher risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those with the G allele (odds ratio
      = 1.38, 95% confidence interval = 1.08-1.77). In conclusion, we found that the
      survivin rs9904341 polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of acute
      pancreatitis. 

PMID- 26125714
TI  - CYP2E1 PstI polymorphism increases cervical neoplasia risk: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) is a key enzyme in the metabolic activation of many
      carcinogens, but the roles of CYP2E1 polymorphisms in cervical neoplasia (CN) are
      inconclusive. Published case-control cohort studies from the Pubmed, Embase, and
      China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were retrieved. Data were
      extracted and pooled odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated.
      Seven studies examining 1097 cases and 1117 controls were included in this meta
      analysis. The pooled effect size showed no association between CYP2E1 RsaI and
      DraI polymorphisms and CN risk in a codominant model. However, using a recessive
      model, an association between the PstI polymorphism and CN risk was observed
      (odds ratio: 2.10, 95% confidence interval: 0.96-4.62, P = 0.06), indicating that
      individuals with the homozygous rare genotype have a higher risk of developing CN
      compared to those with homozygous wild-type and heterozygous genotypes. When
      stratified by ethnicity, the PstI polymorphism was significantly correlated with
      CN susceptibility in non-Asians (odds ratio: 3.74, 95% confidence interval: 1.13
      12.43, P = 0.03). This meta-analysis suggests that the CYP2E1 PstI polymorphism
      increases the risk of CN in non-Asians. 

PMID- 26125715
TI  - Association of the TNF-alpha+489 G/A polymorphism with chronic obstructive
      pulmonary disease risk in Asians: meta-analysis.
AB  - The association between the TNF-alpha +489 G/A polymorphism and chronic
      obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains controversial because of small group
      size and varied design among different studies. In the present study, a meta
      analysis was conducted to assess the association between the +489 G/A
      polymorphism and COPD risk. A comprehensive search was conducted to identify
      articles that have reported an association between the TNF-alpha +489 G/A
      polymorphism and COPD risk. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence
      intervals (CIs) were calculated under both dominant (AA+GA vs GG genotypes) and
      allele (A vs G) models. Heterogeneity was assessed, as well as publication bias.
      Nine articles with ten eligible studies were included in this analysis.
      Significant association between the +489 G/A polymorphism and COPD was identified
      in Asians under the allele model (OR = 1.582, 95%CI = 1.035-2.419). However, no
      significant difference was found in the Caucasian groups. Strong evidence for
      between-study heterogeneity was identified under both models, and no publication
      bias was detected. Our results indicated a potential role of the A allele of the
      TNF-alpha +489 G/A polymorphism in increasing COPD risk in Asians, but not in
      Caucasians. Additional studies will be necessary to verify this conclusion. 

PMID- 26125716
TI  - Polymorphism of UGT1A1*28 (TA)7 and liver damage in hepatitis B virus-positive
      patients in Albania.
AB  - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the infectious agent of both acute and chronic
      hepatitis. HBV exists in multiple genotypic variants that differ in their
      capacity to become persistent chronic infections and in their clinical
      manifestations, including hepatocellular carcinoma. The 8 genotypes (A-H) of HBV
      show a specific worldwide geographic distribution and are correlated with
      different disease course, severity, and response to therapy. We isolated DNA from
      75 HBV-positive blood donors, chosen randomly from the database of the National
      Blood Bank in Tirana, to specifically analyze the UGT1A1 polymorphism to
      determine its correlations with bilirubin levels and liver function. The large
      number of subjects who were HBV-positive carriers of heterozygosis or homozygosis
      for the UGT1A1*28 (TA)7 polymorphism suggests that these individuals may be more
      susceptible to cancer and should follow a strict regime of prevention. 

PMID- 26125717
TI  - Genome-wide association with residual body weight gain in Bos indicus cattle.
AB  - Weight gain is a key performance trait for beef cat-tle; however, attention
      should be given to the production costs for better profitability. Therefore, a
      feed efficiency trait based on per-formance can be an interesting approach to
      improve performance without increasing food costs. To identify candidate genes
      and ge-nomic regions associated with residual body weight gain (RWG), we
      conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) with 720 Nellore cattle using
      the GRAMMAR-Gamma association test. We identified 30 significant single
      nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), especially on chromosomes 2, 8, 12, and 17.
      Several genes and quantitative train loci (QTLs) present in the regions
      identified were appointed; we highlight DMRT2 (doublesex and mab-3 related tran
      scription factor 2), IFFO2 (intermediate filament family orphan 2), LNX2 (ligand
      of numb-protein X 2), MTIF3 (mitochondrial transla-tional initiation factor 3),
      and TRNAG-CCC (transfer RNA glycine anticodon CCC). The metabolic pathways that
      can explain part of the phenotypic variation in RWG are related to oxidative
      stress and muscle control. 

PMID- 26125718
TI  - Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with aplastic
      anemia.
AB  - The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate the efficacy and safety of
      fully matched allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants in children with
      severe aplastic anemia in China. A total of twenty patients with severe aplastic
      anemia were enrolled in our study. Thirteen cases underwent transplantation with
      fully human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched, granulocyte-colony stimulating
      factor (G-CSF)-primed bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) from
      matching sibling donors. One patient received fully HLA-matched bone marrow from
      an unrelated donor. Six patients received fully HLA-matched G-CSF-primed PBSCs
      from unrelated donors. The conditioning regimen included fludarabine,
      cyclophosphamide, and rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin. Graft-versus-host disease
      prophylaxis was conducted with cyclosporin A and short-course methotrexate. The
      median follow-up duration was 3.08 years (range, 0.83-8.41years). The median time
      of neutrophil recovery (>0.5 x 10(9)/L) was 14 days (range, 10-20 days), and the
      median time of platelet recovery (>20 x 10(9)/L) was 19 days (range, 14-31 days).
      The survival rate at the cutoff point of follow-up was 95.0% (19/20). Initial
      engraftment rate was 95% (19/20). Late graft failure (graft failures occurring 1
      year or longer after transplantation) was observed in one patient. Only one
      patient developed Grade I acute graft-versus-host disease. Two cases suffered
      from Epstein- Barr virus (EBV)-associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative
      disorder and remitted after treatment with rituximab. One patient was diagnosed
      with hyperthyroidism 2.5 years after transplantation. Our study indicated that
      allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an effective and safe
      treatment for children with severe aplastic anemia in China. 

PMID- 26125719
TI  - Effect of high-concentrate diet on amino acid transporter expression and milk
      quality in Holstein dairy cows.
AB  - In order to evaluate the effect of high-concentrate diet supplementation on milk
      protein content, six Holstein dairy cows were assigned into high-concentrate diet
      (HC) or low-concentrate diet (LC) groups (N = 3/group) for 50 days. With regard
      to milk protein, HC feeding significantly reduced the percentage of milk protein
      (P < 0.01), and milk protein yield also reduced. The milk somatic cell count
      numbers and N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase activity was significantly higher (P <
      0.01) in the HC group than in the LC group. A pre-column derivatization procedure
      of o-phthalaldehyde was used to analyze the milk amino acid profile, the contents
      of Asp, Gln, Ala, Ile, Leu, and Lys were significantly lower in milk (P < 0.05),
      but Arg and Phe were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the HC group than in the
      LC group. The mRNA abundance for amino acid transporters SLC7A8, SLC7A10 (P <
      0.05), SLC1A3 (P < 0.05), and SLC16A10 (P < 0.05) were decreased in the HC group.
      These data indicate that expression of amino acid transporters alters regulation
      of amino acid utilization and decreases milk quality in dairy cows. 

PMID- 26125720
TI  - Effect of recombinant human endostatin on the expression of c-Myc and bFGF in
      mouse gastric cancer cells.
AB  - The aim of this study was to observe the effects of re-combinant human endostatin
      on the proliferation and apoptosis of mouse gastric cancer cells, and explore
      some possible mechanisms of recom-binant human endostatin inhibition of cancer. A
      murine gastric cancer xenograft model was established. A total of 20 mice were
      divided into two groups (control and experimental groups). The expression of c
      Myc and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was determined by reverse
      transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immu
      nohistochemical staining methods. Tumor volume was measured and a growth curve
      was calculated. The tumor diameter in the experimental group was significantly
      smaller than that in the control group after treat-ment with endostatin for 21
      days. The expression levels of c-Myc and bFGF in the experimental group were
      significantly lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). There was a
      positive correlation between the expression of c-Myc and bFGF in the experimental
      group. Microvessel density was significantly inhibited in the experimental group
      (P < 0.05). These results demonstrated that recombinant human endostatin could in
      hibit tumor metastasis by inhibition of the expression of c-Myc and bFGF in
      gastric cancer tissue as well as by inhibition of angiogenesis. 

PMID- 26125721
TI  - Isolation of microsatellite loci for Rhodiola alsia (Crassulaceae), an important
      ethno-medicinal herb endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.
AB  - Rhodiola alsia, which has been used widely in traditional Chinese medicine for a
      considerable time, grows on moist habitats at high altitude near the snow line.
      Microsatellite loci were developed for R. alsia to investigate its population
      genetics. In total, 17 polymorphic microsatellites were developed based on ESTs
      from the Illumina HiSeq(TM) 2000 platform. The microsatellite loci were checked
      for variability using 80 individuals of R. alsia sampled from four locations on
      the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The total number of alleles per locus ranged from 10
      to 20, and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 1.000. The null
      allele frequency ranged from 0.000 to 0.324. These microsatellites are expected
      to be helpful in future studies of population genetics in R. alsia and related
      species. 

PMID- 26125722
TI  - Characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the swine leukocyte antigen 3 gene
      from Korean native pigs.
AB  - We investigated the phylogenetic relationships between pig breeds, compared the
      genetic similarity between humans and pigs, and provided basic genetic
      information on Korean native pigs (KNPs), using genetic variants of the swine
      leukocyte antigen 3 (SLA-3) gene. Primers were based on sequences from GenBank
      (accession Nos. AF464010 and AF464009). Polymerase chain reaction analysis
      amplified approximately 1727 bp of segments, which contained 1086 bp of coding
      regions and 641 bp of the 3'- and 5'-untranslated regions. Bacterial artificial
      chromosome clones of miniature pigs were used for sequencing the SLA-3 genomic
      region, which was 3114 bp in total length, including the coding (1086 bp) and non
      coding (2028 bp) regions. Sequence analysis detected 53 single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs), based on a minor allele frequency greater than 0.01, which
      is low compared with other pig breeds, and the results suggest that there is low
      genetic variability in KNPs. Comparative analysis revealed that humans possess
      approximately three times more genetic variation than do pigs. Approximately 71%
      of SNPs in exons 2 and 3 were detected in KNPs, and exon 5 in humans is a highly
      polymorphic region. Newly identified sequences of SLA-3 using KNPs were submitted
      to GenBank (accession No. DQ992512-18). Cluster analysis revealed that KNPs were
      grouped according to three major alleles: SLA-3*0502 (DQ992518), SLA-3*0302
      (DQ992513 and DQ992516), and SLA-3*0303 (DQ992512, DQ992514, DQ992515, and
      DQ992517). Alignments revealed that humans have a relatively close genetic
      relationship with pigs and chimpanzees. The information provided by this study
      may be useful in KNP management. 

PMID- 26125723
TI  - Short Communication: Effect of heat stress on heat-shock protein (Hsp60) mRNA
      expression in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss.
AB  - The enhanced expression of heat shock proteins (hsps) in organisms can be
      detected in response to many kinds of stressor. For fish, high temperature is an
      important stressor, and hsp expression is associated with differences in
      environmental temperature. In this study, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
      that were accustomed to an aquatic temperature of 18 degrees C were exposed to an
      elevated temperature (25 degrees C), and hsp60 expression in the gill, liver,
      spleen, heart, and head kidney was quantified using real-time polymerase chain
      reaction in unstressed and heat-stressed animals. The fish responded to heat
      stress in a time- and tissue-specific manner. Cardiac hsp60 mRNA levels were
      largely unchanged, and the greatest induction of hsp60 in heat-stressed animals
      was recorded in the liver, suggesting that protein damage and the consequent
      requirement for the Hsp60 protein are probably greater in hepatic tissue.
      Therefore, fish must be provided with optimal temperature conditions in order to
      realize their potential growth and maximize fish farm profits. 

PMID- 26125724
TI  - Pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor is markedly elevated in childhood
      hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.
AB  - Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening syndrome involving
      a final common pathway of hypercytokinemia, in which tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
      alpha, interferon (IFN)-gamma, and soluble interleukin 2-receptor-alpha (sIL
      2Ralpha) are the key cytokines. Pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor (PBEF) is an
      inflammatory cytokine involved in several inflammatory diseases. However, its
      role in HLH is unknown. In this study, we examined the role of PBEF in HLH.
      Plasma was collected from 22 children with HLH and 14 healthy children. The
      concentrations of plasma PBEF, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and sIL-2Ralpha were
      determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All clinical data were
      derived from medical records. In the acute phase, children with HLH had much
      higher PBEF, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and sIL- 2Ralpha levels than did healthy
      children (P < 0.05). After treatment, 13 HLH children improved and PBEF, TNF
      alpha, and IFN-gamma levels decreased to normal levels (P < 0.05); sIL-2Ralpha
      levels also decreased (P < 0.05), but remained above the normal level (P < 0.05).
      Two patients were lost to follow-up, while 7 patients showed a bad response to
      therapy and eventually died, showing high PBEF levels above those of the
      survivors (P < 0.01). PBEF level was significantly positively correlated with TNF
      alpha, IFN-gamma, sIL-2Ralpha, serum ferritin, and triglycerides (all P < 0.05),
      and was negatively correlated with fibrin (P < 0.05). PBEF appears to be involved
      in the inflammatory process of HLH, and elevated PBEF is related to disease
      activity. We are currently evaluating the role of PBEF as a marker for the
      diagnosis and management of patients. 

PMID- 26125725
TI  - Clinical analysis of patients with myeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic
      antibody-associated vasculitis.
AB  - This prospective study analyzed the clinical characteristics of myeloperoxidase
      antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA)-associated vasculitis and explored
      the relationship between MPO-ANCA and clinical manifestations of the associated
      vasculitis in 132 p-ANCA and MPO-ANCA-positive patients (average age, 62.3 +/-
      14.8 years) who were initially diagnosed with ANCA-associated vasculitis. The p
      ANCA and MPO-ANCA levels in peripheral blood were detected in all patients. Among
      these, 128 (97%) had microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), 3 (2.3%) had granulomatous
      polyangiitis, and 1 (0.7%) had eosinophilic granulomatous vasculitis. The average
      time of diagnosis was 10.2 +/- 18 months; only 14 (10.6%) patients were diagnosed
      within 1 month. The main organs involved and the corresponding number of patients
      were: renal, 95 (72%); lung, 89 (67.4%); joints, 35 (26.5%); heart, 26 (19.7%);
      peripheral nerve, 23 (17.4%); skin rash, 14 (10.6%); and CNS, 13 (9.8%). Older
      patients were more likely to show lung involvement in the early disease stage,
      whereas the joints were involved mostly in the younger patients. The p-ANCA
      levels (mean titers, 1:60) were not correlated with disease activity and extent
      of organ involvement, and the MPO-ANCA levels were positively correlated with
      disease activity, but had no correlation with the extent of organ involvement.
      MPO-ANCA vasculitis is a common occurrence in China; it mainly involves the
      elderly and presents as clinical manifestations of MPA. However, the multiple
      organ damage is not specific leading to delay in diagnosis. MPO-ANCA may play a
      pathogenic role in the associated vasculitis, and the diverse clinical
      manifestations might be related with the different characteristics of MPO-ANCA. 

PMID- 26125726
TI  - Fyn arrests swainsonine-induced apoptosis in 293T cells via Akt and its
      phosphorylation.
AB  - Swainsonine (SW), an extract from Astragalus membranaceus, represents a new class
      of compounds that inhibit growth and induce apoptosis in a cancer model. In this
      study, we demonstrated the effect of Fyn on SW-induced apoptosis in 293T cells.
      Western blotting was used to measure the expression of the apoptosis-related
      factors caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bax, and the key factor Akt (also known as protein
      kinase B). Apoptosis increased dramatically after treatment with SW. Unlike the
      control group, after transfection with Fyn, the expression of Bcl-2, in contrast
      to Bax, was markedly upregulated. The results also showed that the protein
      expression levels of Akt and phosphorylated Akt were markedly increased. Our
      results establish that Fyn can arrest SW-induced apoptosis via the activity of
      Akt and its effective phosphorylation in 293T cells. 

PMID- 26125727
TI  - Repeatability and genotypic correlations of reproductive and productive traits of
      crossbred beef cattle dams.
AB  - Beef cattle production requires reproductive efficiency. However, measures of
      reproductive traits are not usually collected; consequently, correlated traits
      that could be used as indicators would be useful. We examined associations
      between measures of reproductive and productive efficiency that could be used as
      selection indicators. Data from 194 dams of the genetic groups Angus x Nelore,
      Caracu x Nelore, and Valdostana x Nelore collected over 4 years were used. The
      reproductive traits analyzed were days to heat (DH), calving interval (CI), days
      to calving (DC), and pregnancy rate (PR). The productive traits were dam weight
      (DW), body condition score (BCS), calf weight (CW), and weaning rate (WR). The
      effects on the model were: year, genetic group, reproductive status (RS), age,
      reproductive rest, and breed of bull (CW and WR). Multivariate analyses were
      performed, using the Bayesian approach via Gibbs sampling. We conclude that the
      reproductive measures are ineffective as selection indicators, whereas using dam
      weight may be a good alternative. 

PMID- 26125728
TI  - Investigation of TG gene variants and their effects on growth, carcass
      composition, and meat quality traits in Chinese steers.
AB  - Thyroid hormones play an important role in regulating metabolism and can affect
      metabolism-related traits such as fat deposition. The thyroglobulin (TG) gene
      produces the precursor of thyroid hormones and has been proposed as a candidate
      gene for a quantitative trait locus with an effect on fat deposition. In this
      study, we identified 4 novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5'
      flanking region of the TG gene using a DNA sequencing method. The SNP marker
      association analysis indicated that the T1355C SNPs were significantly associated
      with meat percentage (P < 0.05). A significant association between the G1356A
      polymorphism and live weight and loin muscle area was also detected (P < 0.05).
      However, no significant association was found between 4 SNPs and the other
      growth, carcass composition, and meat quality traits including intramuscular fat.
      The results of this study suggest that TG gene-specific SNPs may be a useful
      marker for growth traits in marker-assisted selection programs in beef cattle. 

PMID- 26125729
TI  - Association between C1GALT1 variants and genetic susceptibility to IgA
      nephropathy in Uygur.
AB  - Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy (IgAN) is a common form of primary
      glomerulonephritis characterized by diffuse glomerular mesangial IgA1 deposition
      leading to mesangial proliferation and chronic glomerular inflammation. Analyses
      of serum IgA1 from IgAN patients revealed abnormal galactosylation of the O
      linked carbohydrate moieties of IgA that may result from altered activity in the
      core of 1 b1,3-galactosyltransferase (C1GalT1). To evaluate the association
      between C1GalT1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and IgAN, we performed a
      case-control study on cohorts from the Uyghur population in China. A total of 180
      IgAN patients and 180 healthy controls were recruited for the study. We sequenced
      5 SNPs, including SNP1 (rs9639031), SNP2 (-527A/G), SNP3 (rs1008898), SNP4
      (rs5882115), and SNP5 (rs1047763) in the C1GalT1 gene in all eligible
      participants. The frequencies of the I allele and DI genotype of rs5882115 in
      IgAN patients were significantly higher than those in controls (P < 0.05). The
      frequency of haplotype GAGDA was significantly higher in patients than in
      controls (0.0719 vs 0.00, P = 0.024). Polymorphisms in the C1GALT1 gene were
      associated with genetic susceptibility to Uyghur IgAN. 

PMID- 26125730
TI  - Fatty acid composition evaluation of edible parts of Eriocheir sinensis in
      intensive ponds of Gucheng waters.
AB  - In Gucheng Lake, Jiangsu Province, China, randomly selected crabs were fed 2 diet
      types. Crab crude oil methyl ester analysis was performed using gas
      chromatography-mass spectrometry. Fatty acid compositions in the 3 edible parts
      of a crab - the hepatopancreas, gonad, and muscle - were analyzed. C16:1 and
      C18:2 were significantly higher in most commercial pellet feed-feeding crabs than
      in small trash fish-feeding crabs, while the opposite was observed for
      eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids. Phytanic acid reached 1.93% in the
      hepatopancreas of small trash fish-feeding crabs. Furan fatty-acid-DiMe (11,5)
      contents in the testes of small trash fish-feeding crabs was 1.49%. These values
      were higher in male crabs than in female crabs. According to a standard ratio of
      1:1:1 which meaning the saturated fathy acid (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acid
      (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) were 33.33 each, fatty acid
      structure analysis of crab edible parts showed that SFA:MUFA:PUFA of crab edible
      parts was 2.3-4.1:2.9-5.0:1.3-4.8. The highest muscle score was 29.53 in male
      trash fish-feeding crabs, and the lowest hepatopancreas score was -40.81 in
      female commercial pellet feed-feeding crabs. The n-6/n-3 ratio was 0.36-2.48.
      Muscle ratio was the lowest in female commercial pellet feed-feeding crabs. Thus,
      small trash fish-feeding and commercial pellet feed-feeding crabs are healthy
      foods. Overall, for consumption, the males of small trash fish-feeding crabs were
      better than the females, the muscle was better than the gonads and
      hepatopancreas, and the testis was better than the ovary. 

PMID- 26125731
TI  - Expression and role of cyclophilin B in stomach cancer.
AB  - We elucidated the expression of ciclosporin protein B (cyclophilin B) in stomach
      cancer tissue and the correlation between cyclophilin B and clinicopathological
      parameters, and determined the effect of cyclophilin B on growth and
      proliferation of stomach cancer cells. Pathological sections of stomach cancer
      and paracancerous tissue were collected for detecting the expression and
      distribution of cyclophilin B, using immunohistochemistry, and for analyzing the
      relationship between the expression levels of cyclophilin B in stomach cancer and
      the clinical pathological parameters of the patients. A cyclophilin BsiRNA
      lentiviral (LV-cyclophilin B-siRNA) and corresponding control vector (LV-siRNA
      con) were constructed. MTT and cell cycle assays were used to detect the effect
      of downregulation of cyclophilin B expression on in vitro growth and
      proliferation and clone formation capacity of BGC823 and SGC7901 cells. The
      cyclophilin B-positive rate of stomach cancer tissue was 84.29% (59/70) and that
      of paracancerous tissue was 56.00% (28/50). The expression of cyclophilin B in
      stomach cancer tissue was significantly higher than that in paracancerous tissue
      (P < 0.05). Staining for cyclophilin B was primarily present in the cytoplasm and
      was seldom present in the cell nuclei. Downregulation of cyclophilin B
      significantly inhibited growth and proliferation of stomach cancer cells, cell
      cycle progression, and in vivo tumorigenicity capacity. Cyclophilin B has a high
      diagnostic value for stomach cancer and its downregulation can effectively
      inhibit the growth of stomach cancer cells. Thus, cyclophilin B may be a
      potential therapeutic target for stomach cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26125732
TI  - Molecular phylogenetics of the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) did not
      confirm morphological subspecies in northwestern South America.
AB  - We sequenced the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region of 59 peccaries (44
      white-lipped peccaries, Tayassu pecari, and 15 collared peccaries, Pecari
      tajacu). We also genotyped 3 DNA microsatellites from 78 white-lipped peccaries
      representing the 4 putative morphological subspecies (i.e., spiradens,
      aequatoris, pecari, and albirostris) present in northwestern South America (i.e.,
      Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia). Our results showed: 1) the estimated
      diversity of the mtDNA control region in the T. pecari population was extremely
      high, whereas the average genetic diversity for the microsatellites was medium to
      high and similar to that observed in European pig breeds; 2) there was no
      significant genetic heterogeneity among the quoted putative morphological
      subspecies at the mitochondrial marker, but we did detect significant (although
      relatively small) genetic heterogeneity using microsatellites, indicating that T.
      pecari albirostris is a uniquely differentiated group; and 3) the phylogenetic
      mtDNA trees showed that haplotypes were intermixed independent of their "a
      priori" subspecies classification. In addition, the microsatellite assignation
      analyses yielded low percentages of well-classified individuals when the analysis
      considered the geographic morphology of the subspecies. Thus, the molecular
      results do not support the putative morphological subspecies of T. pecari in
      northwestern South America. Finally, our results did not detect clear historical
      demographic changes using the mtDNA control region sequences. These genetic
      results are discussed in the context of the ecological and social characteristics
      of T. pecari. 

PMID- 26125733
TI  - Carcass and meat quality traits in Nellore and F1 Nellore-Araguaia crosses.
AB  - We evaluated and compared carcass traits and meat quality in Nellore cattle and
      F1 crosses between Nellore and Araguaia, where 17 individuals were from the
      Nellore group and 19 were 1/2 Nellore and 1/2 Araguaia crosses. All animals
      belonged to the same birth season and were raised in pasture systems under the
      same nutritional, environmental, and management conditions. When the animals
      reached slaughter weight, they were taken to an industrial slaughterhouse where
      food was not provided for 24 h (free access to water); they were then stunned,
      bled, the leather was removed, and they were eviscerated. The carcasses were
      weighed (hot weight), kept in chilled storage for approximately 24 h at 4 degrees
      C, and weighed again to obtain the chilled carcass weight. Carcass yield, carcass
      length, carcass width, leg length, thigh perimeter, loin eye area (LEA), retail
      cuts, cooling loss, pH, fat depth, marbling rate, intramuscular fat, color, and
      shear force were analyzed and sensory analysis of the meat was conducted.
      Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed for the following variables:
      slaughter weight, hot and chilled carcass weights, carcass and leg lengths, thigh
      perimeter, LEA, retail cuts, and lightness (L*), where the 1/2 Nellore 1/2
      Araguaia individuals showed higher means for all of these traits, except leg
      length and L*. Therefore, crossbreeding between Nellore and Araguaia did not
      affect the meat's sensory characteristics, but contributed to an improvement in
      carcass traits, providing an alternative for farmers that aim for good meat
      quality, with a higher meat percentage. 

PMID- 26125734
TI  - Relationship between DNA repair gene XPD751 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and
      prognosis of colorectal cancer.
AB  - We examined the relationships between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in
      the DNA repair gene XPD751 and the efficacy and time to disease progression (TTP)
      in colorectal cancer patients after platinum-based chemotherapy. Ninety-eight
      patients diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer were subjected to oxaliplatin
      and 5-fluorouracil combination therapy. DNA was extracted from venous blood
      before chemotherapy. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length
      polymorphism analysis was used to detect XPD751 SNPs. The relationship between
      genotypes and prognosis was compared. The frequencies of the XPD751 Lys/Lys,
      Lys/Gln, and Gln/Gln genotypes were 76 (77.55%), 17 (17.35%), and 5 (5.10%),
      respectively. The efficiency of XPD751 Lys/Lys, Lys/Gln and Gln/Gln genotypes
      were 50.00, 29.41, and 20%, respectively. The efficiency rate between XPD751
      Lys/Lys and Lys/Gln showed a significant difference (c2 = 4.04, P < 0.05). After
      adjusting for gender, age, and metastasis location, chemotherapy failure in
      patients carrying XPD751 Lys/Gln was 3.404-fold higher than in patients carrying
      the Lys/Lys genotype. Median TTP was 304 days (10.1 months) and median TTP in
      patients with XPD751 Lys/Lys and >=1 Gln genotype was 340 and 87 days. After
      comparing TTP in patients carrying Lys/Lys and patients carrying >=1 Gln, the
      difference was significant. SNPs in the DNA repair gene XPD751 may be associated
      with oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy sensitivity in colorectal cancer
      patients. These polymorphisms may be associated with TTP in patients with
      advanced colorectal cancer after first-line chemotherapy of oxaliplatin. XPD751
      SNPs may be predictive factors of prognosis in colorectal cancer patients
      receiving oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy. 

PMID- 26125735
TI  - Effects of docetaxel plus three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy on
      microvessel density and apoptosis expression in local advanced squamous non-small
      cell lung cancer.
AB  - We examined the effects of weekly single-agent docetaxel plus three-dimensional
      conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) on apoptotic index (AI) and microvessel
      density (MVD) in local advanced non-small-cell lung squamous cancer patients and
      analyzed the correlation of MVD, AI, and 50% tumor shrinkage time (T0.5) The
      molecular mechanism of docetaxel radiosensitization was investigated. Sixty
      untreated patients with stage IIIA or IIIB lung squamous cancer were enrolled and
      randomly divided into two groups: observation (N = 30; 3D-CRT + docetaxel +
      adjuvant chemotherapy) and control (N = 30; 3D-CRT + adjuvant chemotherapy). From
      day 1 radiotherapy, the observation group received intravenous docetaxel (36
      mg/m(2)) once weekly for 6 weeks. Post-radiotherapy, chemotherapy of docetaxel
      combined with cisplatin lasted 4-6 cycles in both groups. Before radiotherapy and
      within 24 h after radiotherapy (20 Gy), bronchoscopic biopsy was performed twice
      at the same site. To analyze the MVD of tumor specimens with immunohistochemical
      staining . The AI of lung cancer cells was assessed with TUNEL assay, T0.5 values
      were calculated. The observation group had significantly lower MVD than the
      control group (P < 0.05). AI significantly increased before and after treatment
      in the observation group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The
      decreased MVD values negatively correlated with T0.5 values (r = -0.624, P <
      0.05), whereas the increased AI values did not correlate with the T0.5 values.
      Docetaxel radiosensitization may occur by decrease in MVD and increase in AI
      values. Weekly single-agent docetaxel plus 3D-CRT can improve prognosis and
      quality of life in local advanced non-small-cell lung squamous cancer patients. 

PMID- 26125736
TI  - Type II deiodinase polymorphisms and serum thyroid hormone levels in patients
      with mild cognitive impairment.
AB  - We investigated type II deiodinase (DIO2) polymorphisms and serum thyroid hormone
      levels in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in a Uygur population. We
      studied the DIO2 Thr92Ala (rs225014) and ORFa-Gly3Asp (rs12885300) polymorphisms
      of 129 unrelated MCI cases and 131 matched controls. All subjects were genotyped
      using SNaPshot SNP genotyping assays. Serum thyroid hormone levels were measured
      by radioimmunoassay. Levels of serum triiodothyronine and thyroxine in the MCI
      group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Genotype and
      allele frequencies in the DIO2 gene between the MCI and control groups were not
      significantly different. There was no association in genotype and allele
      frequencies of Thr92Ala between genders in both groups. ORFa-Gly3Asp genotype and
      allele frequencies were significantly different in patients and controls by
      gender. The Asp allele was less frequent among male MCI patients compared to
      controls (odds ratio = 0.471, 95% confidence interval = 0.261-0.848). However,
      female Asp carriers were more frequent among MCI patients than among controls
      (odds ratio = 2.842, 95% confidence interval = 1.326-6.09). Serum levels of
      triiodothyronine and thyroxine were lower in individuals of the Ala/Ala genotype
      than in those with the Thr/Thr or Thr/Ala genotype. Serum levels of
      triiodothyronine were lower in male Gly/Gly carriers than in Gly/Asp or Asp/Asp
      carriers. Decreased serum levels of triiodothyronine and thyroxine may influence
      the incidence of MCI in the Uygur population. DIO2 gene polymorphisms may play a
      role in the incidence of MCI in male patients. 

PMID- 26125737
TI  - Immunohistochemical detection and clinicopathological significance of
      JARID1B/KDM5B and P16 expression in invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast.
AB  - The aims of this study were to investigate the expression of the H3K4
      demethylase, jumonji AT-rich interactive domain 1B (JARID1B/KDM5B) and of p16
      (multiple tumor suppressor gene MTS1) in breast cancer tissue and determine its
      clinicopathological significance. JARID1B/KDM5B and P16 protein expression in 176
      resected breast cancer specimens and adjacent normal breast tissue was detected
      by the streptavidin-peroxidase (S-P) immunohistochemical method. The TNM staging
      grade was assigned according to the World Health Organization (2012) breast
      classification system. The positive staining rate of JARID1B/KDM5B and p16
      protein in cancer tissue was 74.43 and 35.8%, respectively. JARID1B/KDM5B protein
      expression was positively associated with T grade, Bloom and Richardson (B&R)
      score and axillary lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). p16 protein expression was
      negatively associated with T grade, B&R score, and axillary lymph node metastasis
      (P < 0.05). JARID1B/KDM5B and p16 protein expression in breast cancer and
      adjacent normal breast tissue were negatively correlated (r = -0.303, P < 0.001).
      The data demonstrated that protein expression of p16 and JARID1B/KDM5B is
      negatively correlated in invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast. 

PMID- 26125738
TI  - Effects of Astragaloside IV on diabetic nephropathy in rats.
AB  - The aims of this study were to explore the effects of Astragaloside IV on
      diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats. A total of 38 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were
      divided into three groups: 10 in the normal (control) group, 14 in the DN model
      group, and 14 in the AS-IV group. Treatment began one week after the
      streptozotocin DN model was successfully established. Blood glucose and urine
      micro-albumin levels were measured every four weeks. After being treated for 12
      weeks, all SD rats were sacrificed for blood and renal specimen collec-tion.
      Renal cortex specimens were observed after hematoxylin and eo-sin and Masson
      staining. Expression levels of protein beta1, beta1-integrin-linked protein
      kinase (ILK) and alpha-actinin-4 were also measured. After eight weeks of
      intervention, blood glucose levels in the AS-IV group decreased significantly
      when compared with those of the model group (P < 0.01). By the end of the twelfth
      week, the urine micro-albumin levels showed significant differences (P < 0.01)
      between the AS-IV and model groups, and the expression levels of integrin beta1,
      ILK, and alpha-actinin-4 also showed significant differences (P < 0.05,
      respectively). Concomitantly, expression levels of integrin beta1, ILK, and alpha
      actinin-4 in the model group were significantly different from those of normal
      group (P < 0.05). These results suggest that AS-IV can be quite effective in
      decreasing blood glucose levels, reducing urine albumin excretion, and improving
      the adhesion function of potocytes, and can thus delay the development of DN.

PMID- 26125739
TI  - Streptomyces ansochromogenes Tur-10 produces a substance with antifungal
      bioactivity.
AB  - The increased incidence of fungal infections and the development of drug
      resistance have led to the search for microorganisms capable of producing
      bioactive metabolites with antifungal activity. Among these microorganisms,
      Streptomyces spp are distinguished mainly owing to their potential to secrete
      bioactive molecules. The aim of this study was to evaluate the production of
      secondary metabolites by Streptomyces sp TUR-10 against 12 fungal clinical
      isolates (yeast and filamentous fungi). In the preliminary screening,
      Streptomyces sp TUR-10 showed activity against 75% of the clinical isolates, and
      was selected for fermentation. In this assay, we tested three different media
      (MPE, M1, and ISP-4) for 96 h at pH 7.0 and 30 degrees C for the production of
      bioactive metabolites. Increased production of bioactive compounds was observed
      when using the MPE medium for 48 h, with good activity against Candida
      pelliculosa. The minimum inhibitory concentration showed significant antifungal
      activity values ranging from 15.6 to 250 MUg/mL. The actinobacterium was
      characterized by 16S rRNA analysis and the pattern suggested that the isolate
      studied belonged to the species Streptomyces ansochromogenes. The
      biotechnological potential of this strain was also demonstrated by the detection
      of the nrps and pks genes. These results indicate the production of secondary
      metabolites of biotechnological interest by actinobacteria from the rhizosphere,
      suggesting great potential for further research. 

PMID- 26125740
TI  - Blocking the expression of the hepatitis B virus S gene in hepatocellular
      carcinoma cell lines with an anti-gene locked nucleic acid in vitro.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inhibition of the
      hepatitis B virus (HBV) S gene by polypurine region locked nucleic acid on viral
      replication in cells. We designed and synthesized a locked nucleic acid,
      phosphorothioate oligonucleotides, unmodified oligonucleotides, and unrelated
      control sequence for the hepatitis B virus S gene polypurine region. HepG2.2.15
      cells were transfected by cationic liposome, and fluorescence quantitative
      polymerase chain reaction technology (PCR) and time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay
      technology was utilized to monitor the content of HBV DNA, HbsAg, and HBeAg at 2,
      4, 6, 8 and 10 days post-transfection. The effects on cell metabolism were
      detected by four methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay. The locked nucleic acid had
      an obvious effect on HBV DNA replication and HBsAg and HBeAg expression in a dose
      and time dependent man-ner. The inhibition rates were 52.14, 57.48, and 29.63%
      after 6 days, respectively. The locked nucleic acid had no significant effect on
      cell metabolism. The HBV S gene polypurine region locked nucleic acid could
      effectively inhibit the replication of HBV in vitro, and could provide an
      effective target for the treatment of HBV and a theoretical and experimental
      basis for anti-gene therapy.

PMID- 26125741
TI  - Prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus in women in the
      Henan Province.
AB  - We studied human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and genotype distribution among
      women in the Henan Province to provide epidemiological data as a means of
      preventing cervical cancer and developing a vaccine. A total of 14,873 samples
      were genotyped by using polymerase chain reaction reverse dot-blot. The overall
      HPV-positive rate in the sample was 23.98% (3566/14873), of which 69.01%
      (2461/3566) were infected with high-risk HPV types and 17.33% (618/3566) with low
      risk types. Eighteen high-risk HPV types were detected; HPV 16 (16.73%) was the
      most common, followed by 58 (10.17%), 52 (9.11%), 56 (6.48%), 66 (5.76%), 33
      (4.74%), 68 (3.92%), 31 (3.60%), 53 (3.13%), 59 (3.00%), 35 (2.53%), 51 (2.00%),
      73 (1.08%), 45 (0.94%), 83 (0.84%), 39 (0.69%), 18 (0.61%), and MM4 (0.04%). Four
      low-risk HPV types were detected; HPV 43 (11.34%) was the most common, followed
      by 6 (5.17%), 42 (4.76%), and 11 (3.35%). Type 44 was not detected. Among the
      women positive for HPV, 71.17% (2538/3566) had a single type of infection; of
      these, 54.66% (1949/3566) had high-risk and 16.52% (589/3566) had low-risk
      infections. A total of 28.83% (1028/3566) had multiple HPV infections, of which
      20.11% (717/3566) had double HPV infections. One peak in HPV prevalence occurred
      among women younger than age 25; a second peak occurred among women older than
      age 55. The overall prevalence of HPV infection in the Henan Province was 23.98%,
      of which the most common type was high-risk HPV and a single type of infection.
      The leading genotypes were HPV 16, 43, 58, 52, and 56.

PMID- 26125742
TI  - Effect of atorvastatin on diabetic rat endothelial cells and retinal lesions.
AB  - We investigated the effect of atorvastatin on vascular endothelial growth
      inhibitor (VEGI) expression in rats with diabetic retinopathy. Wistar rats were
      divided into a blank group and diabetic model group, which was further randomly
      divided into treatment and control groups. Rats in the treatment group received
      10 mg/kg atorvastatin daily, while rats in the blank and control groups received
      normal saline. Rats were randomly euthanized at 3 or 6 months.
      Immunohistochemical staining was used to determine changes in VEGI and vascular
      endothelial growth factor, interleukin-4, and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels
      in rats with diabetic retinopathy. Survival rate in the treatment group was 84%
      (63/75) after 6 months, which was significantly higher than that in the control
      group (P < 0.05); rats in the control group showed the lowest survival rate.
      Survival in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group but not
      significant compared with the blank group after 3 months. VEGI, vascular
      endothelial growth factor, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interluekin-4
      expression was lower than that in the control group, but higher than the blank
      group after 3 months. The expression of each factor decreased to the blank group
      level in the treatment group and was significantly lower than that in the control
      group after 6 months (P < 0.05). Expression in control and blank groups was
      similar at 3 and 6 months. Atorvastatin can inhibit VEGI and vascular endothelial
      growth factor expression to protect rats from diabetic retinopathy. 

PMID- 26125743
TI  - Cloning and functional analysis of the promoter of a maize starch synthase III
      gene (ZmDULL1).
AB  - The ZmDULL1 gene encodes a starch synthase and is a determinant of the structure
      of endosperm starch in maize (Zea mays L.). However, little is known regarding
      the regulatory mechanism of the ZmDULL1 gene. In this study, we isolated and
      characterized the ZmDULL1 promoter (PDULL1), which is the 5' flanking region of
      ZmDULL1 in maize. Sequence analysis showed that several cis-acting elements
      important for endosperm expression (GCN4_motif and AACA-element) were located
      within the promoter. A series of PDULL1 deletion derivatives, PDULL1-1-PDULL1-4,
      from the translation start code (-1676, -1216, -740, and -343) were fused to the
      beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene. Each deletion construct was transformed
      into rice using the Agrobacterium-mediated method, and then GUS activity was
      measured in transgenic plants. The results showed that PDULL1 was an endosperm
      specific promoter. Further analysis showed that the promoter sequence (-343 to -1
      base pairs) was sufficient for mediating GUS gene expression in endosperm. These
      results indicate that the region from -343 to -1 base pairs of PDULL1 is valuable
      for transgenic rice breeding and genetic engineering studies. 

PMID- 26125744
TI  - Short Communication: Genetic linkage map of Cucurbita maxima with molecular and
      morphological markers.
AB  - Cucurbita maxima is one of the most widely cultivated vegetables in China and
      exhibits distinct morphological characteristics. In this study, genetic linkage
      analysis with 57 simple-sequence repeats, 21 amplified fragment length
      polymorphisms, 3 random-amplified polymorphic DNA, and one morphological marker
      revealed 20 genetic linkage groups of C. maxima covering a genetic distance of
      991.5 cM with an average of 12.1 cM between adjacent markers. Genetic linkage
      analysis identified the simple-sequence repeat marker 'PU078072' 5.9 cM away from
      the locus 'Rc', which controls rind color. The genetic map in the present study
      will be useful for better mapping, tagging, and cloning of quantitative trait
      loci/gene(s) affecting economically important traits and for breeding new
      varieties of C. maxima through marker-assisted selection. 

PMID- 26125745
TI  - Identification of critical TF-miRNA-mRNA regulation loops for colorectal cancer
      metastasis.
AB  - To explore the potential cause of colorectal cancer metastasis, gene expression
      profiles, GSE21510, and miRNA expression profiles, GSE48074, were downloaded from
      the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes in
      metastatic colorectal and non metastatic colorectal cancer compared with the
      normal samples were identified via the limma package in R. The differentially
      expressed miRNAs in colorectal cancer samples with lymph node metastasis compared
      with those without lymph node metastasis were screened out by the some method.
      Differentially expressed genes that were upregulated in colorectal cancer samples
      with distant metastasis in comparison to that in samples without distant
      metastasis and normal samples were considered to play important roles in
      colorectal cancer metastasis. Functional enrichment analysis of these genes was
      conducted using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated
      Discovery v6.7. Biological processes related to cell differentiation and cell
      proliferation were significantly enriched. TF (transcription factor)-miRNA-mRNA
      regulation loops were constructed by using the starBase and ChIPBase databases.
      Finally, six critical regulation loops were screened out. They were composed of
      two TFs, two miRNAs, and three mRNAs. Some of these TFs, mRNAs, or miRNAs have
      previously been identified as critical targets in colorectal cancer metastasis.
      Additionally, several new targets were identified in our study, which may be
      helpful to improve metastatic colorectal cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26125746
TI  - Ebp1 protein expression in cervical cancer tissue and its significance.
AB  - The objectives of this study were to observe the changes in expression of ErbB-3
      binding protein (Ebp1) in cervical cancer and to investigate their clinic
      significance. We detected the expression level of Ebp1 in cancerous and adjacent
      tissues from 56 patients with cervical cancer. We identified 21 Ebp1 positive
      samples (37.5%) from among the 56 cervical cancer tissue samples and 5 Ebp1
      positive samples (8.9%) in the corresponding adjacent tissues; the difference was
      statistically significant (P < 0.05). No statistically significant (P > 0.05)
      differences in the rates of positive Ebp1 expression were found between patients
      under 60 years of age and those equal to or over this age. No statistically
      significant differences (P > 0.05) were found between patients whose tumor
      diameters were under 5 cm and those with tumor diameters over 5 cm. No
      statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) in the Ebp1 positive rates were
      found among the cervical cancer samples when stratified by grade (I, II, or III).
      Together, these results demonstrate that Ebp1 protein expression is upregulated
      in cervical cancer tissues but is not related to clinical pathologic factors such
      as patient age or tumor size or differentiation level, suggesting that Ebp1 plays
      an important role in the genesis and growth process of cervical cancer. 

PMID- 26125747
TI  - Systematic meta-analysis of the association between monocyte chemoattractant
      protein-1 -2518A/G polymorphism and risk of tuberculosis.
AB  - Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the association between
      2518A/G polymorphisms in the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) gene and
      the risk of tuberculosis (TB). However, the results have been inconsistent and
      inconclusive. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the
      association between the MCP-1 -2518A/G polymorphism and TB. The National Center
      for Biotechnology Information Global Cross Database and Google Scholar database
      were searched for relative studies. A total of 22 case-control studies that
      included 7332 cases and 8004 controls for the -2518A/G single-nucleotide
      polymorphism were identified. The results revealed an association between the MCP
      1 -2518A/G polymorphism and human TB susceptibility under a recessive model (GG
      vs GA+AA), dominant model (GG+GA vs AA), and homozygote comparison (GG vs AA)
      model for the entire database. For the dominant model, the overall odds ratio was
      1.34 (95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.64, P = 0.004). For the recessive model,
      the overall odds ratio was 1.46 (95% confidence interval, 1.15- 1.86, P = 0.002).
      For the homozygote comparison, the overall odds ratio was 1.67 (95% confidence
      interval, 1.20-2.32, P = 0.002). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity,
      significantly elevated risks were found in Asians and Americans, but not in
      Africans and Europeans. We also used the Begg and Egger tests to examine
      publication bias, and no major publication bias was detected. Our results
      indicate that there is an association between the MCP-1 -2518A/G polymorphism and
      human TB susceptibility. 

PMID- 26125748
TI  - Ulinastatin promotes T lymphocyte apoptosis in rats with severe acute
      pancreatitis via mitochondrial pathways.
AB  - We explored the influence of ulinastatin on apoptosis of T lymphocytes in rats
      with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and the effect of ulinastatin on
      mitochondrial apoptosis pathways in spleen lymphocytes. Thirty-six Wistar rats
      were randomly divided into three groups (N = 12): a sham operated group, a SAP
      group, and an ulinastatin-treated SAP group. The SAP model was established by
      injecting 5% sodium taurocholate into the intrapancreatobiliary duct. Study rats
      were sacrificed after 24 h, and splenic lymphocytes were then collected. CD4(+)
      and CD8(+) T lymphocytes were labeled by direct immune fluorescence assays; the
      percentage of apoptotic cells, mitochondrial membrane potential levels, and
      mitochondria permeability transition pore opening levels were measured by flow
      cytometry. In the ulinastatin-treated SAP group, the ratio of CD4(+)/CD8(+) T
      lymphocytes was significantly higher than that in the SAP group, and the
      apoptosis percentage of CD4(+) T lymphocytes was significantly decreased. The
      percentage of lymphocytes with an abnormal opening of the mitochondrial
      permeability transition pore and lymphocytes with decreased mitochondrial
      membrane potential in the ulinastatin-treated SAP group were significantly lower
      than that in the SAP group. Ulinastatin can directly enhance immunological
      function and attenuate immune suppression in SAP rats through inhibiting the
      apoptosis of CD4(+) T lymphocytes. These study findings demonstrate that
      therapeutic effects may occur through inhibiting the apoptosis induced by
      mitochondrial signaling pathways. 

PMID- 26125749
TI  - Serum level of endothelial cell-specific molecule-1 and prognosis of colorectal
      cancer.
AB  - We evaluated the clinical significance and explored the prognostic value of serum
      endothelial cell-specific molecule-1 (ESM-1) expression in colorectal cancer
      (CRC) in a Chinese population. Serum samples were obtained from 89 CRC patients
      undergoing surgical treatment and 90 healthy volunteers (control group). ESM-1
      levels in serum samples from CRC patients and controls were measured using a
      sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Overall survival was analyzed by the
      log-rank test, and survival curves were plotted according to the Kaplan-Meier
      method. Univariate Cox regression was performed on each clinical covariate to
      examine its influence on patient survival. Final multivariate models were based
      on step-wise addition. Serum ESM-1 expression levels were significantly higher in
      patients with CRC (66.81 +/- 22.97 pg/mL) than in healthy volunteers (31.50 +/-
      16.81 pg/mL, P = 0.012). Expression levels of ESM-1 in CRC patients were
      significantly correlated with histological differentiation (P = 0.004), TNM stage
      (P = 0.007), depth of tumor invasion (P = 0.02), and lymph node metastasis (P =
      0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed that the overall survival was
      significantly lower in patients with high ESM-1 levels than in those with low
      levels (29.43 vs 61.20%, P = 0.0166). Multivariate analysis confirmed that the
      hazard risk of death was significantly higher in patients with high serum ESM-1
      expression compared with low expression (hazard risk = 4.09, 95% confidence
      interval: 2.27-10.88, P < 0.001). Detection of ESM-1 levels in the serum may
      serve as a tumor biomarker for assessing prognosis in CRC. 

PMID- 26125750
TI  - Association between G-217A polymorphism in the AGT gene and essential
      hypertension: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Numerous studies have evaluated the association between the angiotensinogen (AGT)
      G-217A gene polymorphism and essential hypertension risk. However, the results
      have been inconsistent. We examined whether the AGT G-217A gene polymorphism
      confers essential hypertension risk by conducting a meta-analysis. We conducted a
      literature search of the Google Scholar, PubMed, and China National Knowledge
      Infrastructure databases for relevant studies that examined the G-217A
      polymorphism and risk of essential hypertension. Statistical analyses were
      carried out using Stata 12.0 to combine all relevant studies. Crude odds ratios
      (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated to estimate the
      strength of this association. A total of 2017 patients with psoriasis and 1708
      controls from 7 comparative studies were included in this meta-analysis. We found
      a significant association between the AGT G-217A gene polymorphism and the risk
      of essential hypertension (AA vs GG: OR = 2.52, 95%CI = 1.68-3.78; AA vs GA: OR =
      2.26, 95%CI = 1.48-3.45; dominant model: OR = 0.38, 95%CI = 0.26-0.57; recessive
      model: OR = 1.20, 95%CI = 1.03-1.39). Further stratified analyses were conducted
      by ethnicity and sample size and produced similar results. No evidence of
      publication bias was found. This meta-analysis confirms that the AGT G-217A gene
      polymorphism is associated with essential hypertension susceptibility. 

PMID- 26125751
TI  - Effects of forkhead box C2 on carcinogenesis and lymphatic metastasis in
      endometrial carcinoma.
AB  - We investigated the distribution of endometrial lymphatic vessels and expression
      of forkhead box C2 (FOXC2) in normal endometrium during menstrual cycle and in
      endometrial adenocarcinoma. Full-thickness uterine samples and endometrial
      adenocarcinoma samples were collected for immunohistochemical analysis using D2
      40 and FOXC2 mouse monoclonal antibodies. The lymphatic vessel density (LVD) of
      the endometrium was significantly reduced compared with the myometrium during the
      cycle. Intra-tumoral LVD was significantly decreased in both stages of
      endometrioid adenocarcinoma compared with normal endometrium and myometrium.
      Intra-tumoral LVD significantly decreased from stage IA to stage IIIC. Peri
      tumoral LVD for stage IA and stage IIIC tumors was significantly increased
      compared with normal endometrial LVD, but decreased compared with normal
      myometrial LVD. Stage IIIC showed increased peri-tumoral LVD when compared with
      stage IA. The positive rate of FOXC2 was 73.3% in proliferative endometrium and
      80% in secretory endometrium. Secretory endometrium showed significantly
      increased FOXC2 expression compared with proliferative endometrium. Endometrioid
      adenocarcinoma showed significantly increased FOXC2 expression compared with
      normal endometrium, both in the epithelium and stroma. FOXC2 expression in the
      stroma significantly increased when pelvic and/or para-aotic lymph nodes were
      involved. FOXC2 was immunolocalized in low-risk endometrial carcinoma in
      endometrioid adenocarcinoma, but not in normal endometrium. Endometrial lymphatic
      vessels were located in normal endometrium and myometrium across the menstrual
      cycle and in intra-and peri-endometrioid adenocarcinoma, and increased in
      endometrial adenocarcinoma. Peri-tumoral lymphatics were associated with
      increased lymphatic metastasis. FOXC2 may be associated with the genesis of
      endometrial carcinoma and lymphangiogensis in endometrial adenocarcinoma in intra
      and peri-tumoral lymphatics. 

PMID- 26125752
TI  - Associations between TNF-alpha polymorphisms and susceptibility to rheumatoid
      arthritis and vitiligo: a meta-analysis.
AB  - We investigated whether the tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-alpha) promoter -238 A/G
      and -308 A/G polymorphisms are associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and
      vitiligo susceptibility. MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and a manual search were
      used to identify articles in which TNF-alpha polymorphisms were determined in RA
      or vitiligo patients and controls. Meta-analysis was used to examine the
      associations between the TNF-alpha -238 A/G polymorphism and RA and vitiligo
      using the allelic contrast and dominant models. Fifteen studies (10 RA and 5
      vitiligo) involving 3678 cases and 4400 controls were considered. We observed an
      association between the TNF-alpha -238 A allele and RA when all subjects were
      considered [odds ratio (OR) = 0.686, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.476-0.968,
      P = 0.043]. After stratification by ethnicity, we found no association between
      the TNF-alpha -238 A allele and RA in European or Asian populations. We observed
      no association between the TNF-alpha -308 A allele and vitiligo (OR = 1.787,
      95%CI = 0.894-3.573, P = 0.101). However, the adjusted OR by the trim-and-fill
      technique was significant (OR = 2.064, 95%CI = 1.138- 3.743). After
      stratification by geographic continent, the TNF-alpha -308 A allele was
      significantly associated with vitiligo in Middle Eastern populations (OR = 1.569,
      95%CI = 1.224-2.013, P = 3.8 x 10(-5)). The TNF-alpha -238 A/G polymorphism was
      associated with RA susceptibility, and the TNF-alpha -308 A/G polymorphism may be
      a significant risk factor for vitiligo in Middle Eastern populations. 

PMID- 26125753
TI  - Leptin and leptin receptor gene polymorphisms are correlated with production
      performance in the Arctic fox.
AB  - The polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism technique
      was employed to measure mononucleotide diversity in the coding region of the
      leptin and leptin receptor genes in the Arctic fox. The relationships between
      specific genetic mutations and reproductive performance in Arctic foxes were
      determined to im-prove breeding strategies. We found that a leptin gene
      polymorphism was significantly associated with body weight (P < 0.01), abdominal
      circumference (P < 0.01), and fur length (P < 0.01). Furthermore, a polymorphism
      in the leptin receptor gene was associated with carcass weight and guard hair
      length (P < 0.01). Leptin and leptin receptor gene combinatorial genotypes were
      significantly associated with abdominal circumference, fur length (P < 0.01), and
      body weight (P < 0.05). The leptin gene is thus a key gene affecting body weight,
      abdominal circumference, and fur length in Arctic foxes, whereas variations in
      the leptin receptor mainly affect carcass weight and guard hair. The marker loci
      identified in this study can be used to assist in the selection of Arctic foxes
      for breeding to raise the production performance of this species.

PMID- 26125754
TI  - Effects of intravenous analgesia with combined dezocine and butorphanol on
      postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients.
AB  - The aim of this study was to observe the analgesic effects of the combination of
      dezocine and butorphanol on postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients.
      Forty elderly patients undergoing upper abdominal surgeries or thoracotomies with
      general anesthesia were randomly divided into the dezocine and butorphanol group
      or the butorphanol group (20 patients per group). A visual analog scale was used
      to evaluate analgesia and the degree of malignant vomiting. The Ramsay scoring
      method was used to evaluate sedation. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)
      was used to evaluate cognitive function. Forty-eight hours after the operation,
      the pain score of the dezocine and butorphanol group (means +/- SD, 1.75 +/-
      0.44) was lower than that of the butorphanol group (2.25 +/- 0.79; P < 0.05), and
      the nausea and vomiting score of the dezocine and butorphanol group (0) was lower
      than that of the butorphanol group (0.70 +/- 1.30; P < 0.05). Six hours after the
      operation, the sedative score of the butorphanol group (3.75 +/- 0.79) was higher
      than that of the dezocine and butorphanol group (2.15 +/- 0.75; P < 0.05).
      Compared to 1 day before the operation, the MMSE scores of both groups decreased
      6 h after the operation, and the MMSE score of the butorphanol group (15.00 +/-
      2.00) was lower than that of the dezocine and butorphanol group (20.95 +/- 1.54;
      P < 0.05). Dezocine and butorphanol analgesia had transient effects on
      postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients, and the effect of the
      combination was superior than butorphanol only. 

PMID- 26125755
TI  - Variation of plasma levels of endothelin, calcitonin gene-related peptide, nitric
      oxide, and malondialdehyde in acute myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in a
      rabbit model.
AB  - We examined the variation in plasma levels of endothelin (ET), calcitonin gene
      related peptide (CGRP), nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as
      superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, in acute myocardial ischemia reperfusion
      injury in a rabbit model. Seventy rabbits were randomly assigned into 3 groups.
      Open-chest surgery (OCS) was performed for all rabbits. Group A (N = 20) received
      sham-surgery, group B (N = 25) was the reperfusion group, and group C (N = 25)
      was the infarction group. At 12 h after chest clo-sure, plasma ET levels in
      groups B and C were clearly increased, while CGRP levels were clearly decreased,
      particularly in group B. At 24 h after chest closure, ET levels were higher than
      before OCS, while there was no significant difference between groups B and C. ET
      in group B was decreased, while that in group C was increased at 12 h. No
      significant difference in CGRP was observed between 12 and 24 h after chest
      closure. NO levels in groups B and C at 12 h after chest closure were
      significantly decreased compared to those before OCS. NO levels in group B at 24,
      48, and 72 h were significantly lower than those at 12 h, while those of group C
      were not significantly changed after 12 h. Dynamic monitoring and comparison of
      plasma levels of ET, CGRP, NO, and MDA as well as SOD activity revealed that
      appropriate intervention of these factors may reduce reperfusion injury.

PMID- 26125756
TI  - Cut-and-paste-based cloning strategy for large gene site-directed mutagenesis.
AB  - Site-directed mutagenesis is an essential technique for investigating the
      mechanisms of gene regulation on a molecular level, as well as for exploring post
      translational modifications and functional structure at the protein level.
      Polymerase chain reaction combining in vitro synthesis of oligonucleotide primers
      allows for site-directed mutation to be performed with ease. However, site
      directed mutagenesis is difficult when larger plasmids are involved. Here, we
      present a novel method for generating large gene site-directed mutagenesis
      products based on a cut-and-paste-based cloning strategy. This method uses 4
      primers, incorporating relevant mutations and restriction enzyme site sequences,
      to generate 2 DNA fragments by polymerase chain reaction. The fragments are then
      ligated into TA cloning vectors. Large genes containing mutations of interest
      were obtained by cutting and then pasting, and then inserting one fragment into
      another T-vector. We demonstrated the practicality of this method by creating a
      G59S mutation within the p150(Glued)-encoding gene. 

PMID- 26125757
TI  - FSHR gene Thr307Ala and Asn680Ser polymorphisms in infertile men: an association
      study in North China and meta-analysis.
AB  - Male infertility is a complex multifactorial and polygenic disease, and genetic
      factors play an important role in its formation and development. Recently, the
      association between follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) gene
      polymorphisms and male infertility risk has attracted widespread attention due to
      the unique biological functions of FSH. The aim of this study was to further
      explore the associations between the Thr307Ala and Asn680Ser polymorphisms of the
      FSHR gene and male infertility. A case-control study of 212 infertile and 164
      fertile men from North China was performed. FSHR polymorphism genotypes were
      obtained through direct DNA sequencing. A meta-analysis was also performed. In
      the single-site association analysis, no significant associations were identified
      between FSHR Thr307Ala and Asn680Ser polymorphisms and male infertility (P >
      0.05). However, we found that the combined genotypic frequency of Thr/Ala +
      Asn/Asn was higher in infertile patients than in controls (6.6 vs 1.8%; odds
      ratio (OR) = 3.795; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.072-13.434, P = 0.027). In
      the meta-analysis, there was also no evidence of FSHR polymorphism (rs 6165 and
      rs 6168) association with male infertility (P > 0.05). However, we found that the
      combined genotypes Thr/Thr + Asn/Asn had an increased risk of male infertility
      (OR = 1.238; 95%CI: 1.001-1.537, P = 0.049). Our studies further confirmed
      reports that there were no significant associations between the FSHR Thr307Ala
      and Asn680Ser polymorphisms and male infertility risk. However, a combined FSHR
      genotype showed significant association with male infertility. 

PMID- 26125758
TI  - Clinical significance of SHMT1 rs1979277 polymorphism in Asian solid tumors:
      evidence from a meta-analysis.
AB  - Published data regarding the association between the cytosolic serine
      hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT1) C1420T (Leu474Phe) polymorphism and solid tumor
      risk have shown inconclusive results. To derive a more precise estimation of the
      relationship, we performed a meta-analysis of 23 published studies that included
      14,409 cancer cases and 16,996 controls. A comprehensive search was conducted to
      identify all eligible studies of the SHMT1 rs1979277 polymorphism and solid tumor
      risk. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and the 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were
      calculated using a fixed- or random-effects model. Heterogeneity was represented
      by PH; publication bias and sensitivity analysis were also explored. Overall, no
      significant associations were found for any genetic models tested. However, upon
      stratification by cancer type, a significant decreased risk of breast cancer risk
      was identified in the homozygote comparison (OR = 0.79, 95%CI = 0.65-0.97 for TT
      versus CC). An analysis stratified by ethnicity and source of controls revealed
      an obvious decrease in risk among Asian groups in all genetic models, and among
      population-based controls only in the homozygote comparison and recessive model.
      Therefore, our meta-analysis suggested that the SHMT1 C1420T polymorphism was
      associated with decreased risk of breast cancer. Significant protective effects
      were found among Asian populations, but not in Caucasian groups. Due to some
      minor limitations, our findings should be confirmed by further studies. 

PMID- 26125759
TI  - Polymorphisms in a myostatin gene and associations with growth in a hybrid of
      Culter alburnus and Ancherythroculter nigrocauda.
AB  - Myostatin (MSTN) is a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily
      that negatively regulates skeletal muscle development and growth. In the present
      study, partial genomic fragments of MSTN were screened for single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) in a hybrid of Culter alburnus (?) x Ancherythroculter nigro
      cauda (?) individuals from a commercial hatchery population, and two non
      synonymous SNPs (c.6T>C and c.162G>A) and two synonymous SNPs (c.152G>A and
      c.155G>A) in exon 2 were identified. The two non-synonymous SNPs caused an amino
      acid change, from Ser to Pro and from Val to Ile, respectively. Genotyping by the
      direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction products for these four SNPs was
      conducted in 190 individuals from the commercial hatchery population. Association
      analysis showed that one non-synonymous SNP (c.6T>C) in exon 2 was significantly
      associated with total length, body length, body height, head length, and body
      weight. Haplotype analyses revealed that the haplotype combination H1H3 exhibited
      the best growth performance. Our results demonstrate that some of the SNPs in
      MSTN may have positive effects on growth, and suggest that MSTN could be a
      candidate gene for marker-assisted selection in C. alburnus and A. nigrocauda.

PMID- 26125760
TI  - Autophagy in drug resistance of the multiple myeloma cell line RPMI8226 to
      doxorubicin.
AB  - We investigated the effect of autophagy on drug resistance of multiple myeloma
      (MM) to doxorubicin (DOX). A DOX-resistant MM cell line (RPMI8226/DOX) was
      developed by progressively increasing the DOX concentration gradient. The drug
      resistance index was determined using the MTT method. Transmission electron
      microscopy, anti-light chain 3-fluorescein isothiocyanate immunofluorescence, and
      Western blotting were used to detect autophagy of MM cells. Flow cytometry was
      applied to detect changes in apoptosis of RPMI8226/DOX cells (stained with
      annexin-V/propidium iodide) caused by inhibition by hydroxychloroquine and 3
      methyladenine on autophagy. The drug resistance index of RPMI8226/DOX to DOX was
      10.8, and autophagy/lysosomal was clearly observed in RPMI8226/DOX cells under
      transmission electron microscopy, while immunofluorescence showed granular
      immunofluorescence in cells. Western blot analysis showed that light chain 3-II
      protein expression level was higher in RPMI8226/DOX cells than in RPMI8226/S
      cells. The apoptosis test showed that hydroxychloroquine or 3-methyladenine
      partially reversed the drug resistance of RPMI8226/DOX cells by inhibiting
      autophagy. Activation of autophagy in MM cells may explain the drug resistance of
      myeloma. 

PMID- 26125761
TI  - Ara-C and anti-CD47 antibody combination therapy eliminates acute monocytic
      leukemia THP-1 cells in vivo and in vitro.
AB  - Leukemia stem cells (LSCs) are regarded as the origin of leukemia and its
      recurrence. Side population (SP) cells possess some intrinsic stem cell
      properties and contain numerous LSCs. In this study, we examined the prognostic
      significance of cluster differentiation 47 (CD47) and identified the appropriate
      target for eliminating LSCs. We determined the percentage of SP cells in a THP-1
      cell population and analyzed CD47 expression in different cell subsets. We then
      explored whether CD47 affected the phagocytic ability of macrophages to LSCs in
      vitro. Finally, the effect of anti-CD47 monoclonal antibodies, alone or
      combination with cytarabine, against leukemic cells was evaluated in vitro and in
      vivo to identify the optimal targets for the treatment of leukemia. We observed
      an SP sub-fraction at low frequency (1.81 +/- 0.99%), which was a likely
      candidate for LSC enrichment. CD47 was more highly expressed on THP-1 LSCs (P <
      0.05) and was an independent predictor of survival and refractory disease in THP
      1-engrafted mice. Furthermore, the anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody stimulated
      preferential phagocytosis of LSCs by macrophages in vitro. Finally, single or
      combination treatment of THP-1 LSC-engrafted mice with cytarabine and anti-CD47
      antibody resulted in targeting of LSCs and depletion of leukemia cells. These
      findings suggest that CD47 is an antibody target in LSCs and combination
      treatment with cytarabine and anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody represents an
      attractive option for the therapeutic targeting of acute monocytic leukemia. 

PMID- 26125762
TI  - Well-balanced commensal microbiota contributes to anti-cancer response in a lung
      cancer mouse model.
AB  - The intestinal microflora affects inflammation and immunity, not only locally at
      the mucosal level but also systemically, raising the question of whether the
      microflora affects inflammatory processes that contribute to cancer and its
      therapy. Prebiotics have also been found to play an antitumor role that is not
      limited to the gut. We investigated the antitumor roles of the intestinal
      microbiota using the Lewis lung cancer mouse model. In mice treated with
      cisplatin combined with ABX (an antibiotic cocktail of vancomycin, ampicillin,
      and neomycin), which can destroy the host commensal microflora, the tumor size
      was larger than in mice on a single treatment of cisplatin. Moreover, the
      survival rate of mice treated with cisplatin combined with ABX was significantly
      reduced. In contrast, mice treated with cisplatin combined with Lactobacillus
      bacteria had smaller tumors and an improved survival rate. Further study on gene
      expression indicated that ABX can partially impair the function of cisplatin by
      upregulating the expression of VEGFA and downregulating the expression of BAX and
      CDKN1B. The expression of IFN-gamma, GZMB, and PRF1 in the CD8(+) T cells of
      these mice was reduced by ABX, indicating an immuno-enhancement role of commensal
      microbiota. Conversely, Lactobacillus co-treatment mice showed an enhanced
      antitumor response with upregulated IFN-gamma, GZMB, and PRF1 expression. We
      conclude that the commensal microbiota contributes to the anti-lung cancer
      response and probiotics co-treatment can enhance the antigrowth and proapoptotic
      effects of cisplatin. 

PMID- 26125763
TI  - Human leukocyte antigen-B27 alleles in Xinjiang Uygur patients with ankylosing
      spondylitis.
AB  - We investigated the distribution of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 subtypes in
      Uygur ankylosing spondylitis patients in Xinjiang. B27-positive patients with
      ankylosing spondylitis were subtyped by using polymerase chain reaction-sequence
      based typing. The HLA-B27 subtype frequencies of Uygur patients were compared
      with those in Han patients in Xinjiang and the other areas of China. B*2705 was
      the predominant subtype in Uygur patients with a frequency of 58.95%, which was
      much higher than that in Han patients in Xinjiang (31.58%, P < 0.05) and the
      other areas of China (excluding the Shandong region, which was 63.89%). The
      frequency of B*2704 (27.37%) in Uygur patients was the lowest and significantly
      lower than that in Han patients (61.18%, P < 0.05) and in 8 other areas of China.
      B*2710 has not been previously reported in Uygur ankylosing spondylitis patients;
      B*2704 was the main (61.18%) subtype in Han patients in Xinjiang, followed by
      B*2705 (31.58%) and was similar to the characteristics of Han patients in the
      other areas of China. B*2724 in Han ankylosing spondylitis patients has not been
      previously reported. Additionally, the B*2702/B*2705 homozygote was identified in
      Uygur patients. B*2702/B*2704, B*2704/B*2705, and B*2705/B*2705 homozygotes were
      identified in 3 Han patients. The distribution of HLAB27 subtypes in Uygur
      ankylosing spondylitis patients in Xinjiang significantly differed from that in
      Han patients. Understanding the distribution of HLAB27 subtypes in ethnic
      minority populations of Xinjiang is important for anthropological genetic studies
      and for analyzing the impact of genetic background on ankylosing spondylitis
      susceptibility. 

PMID- 26125764
TI  - Genetic diversity of Ceratoides arborescens, a species endemic to China, detected
      by inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR).
AB  - In order to investigate genetic diversity and population structure of Ceratoides
      arborescens, six populations were selected from different steppe types in Inner
      Mongolia grasslands of China. Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were
      used to assess the genetic diversity within and among natural populations of C.
      arborescens. Thirteen ISSR primers generated 154 discernible DNA bands, of which
      151 (98.05%) were polymorphic. High genetic diversity was detected at the species
      level [percentage of polymorphic loci (PPB) = 98.05%; H = 0.2984; I = 0.4557],
      whereas, relatively low genetic diversity existed within populations (PPB =
      80.62%; H = 0.2675; I = 0.4031). Analysis of molecular variance showed that
      variation existed mainly within populations (73.25%) rather than among
      populations (26.75%), which was in line with the high level of gene flow (Nm =
      4.3332). The Mantel test found no significant correlation between genetic
      distance and geographic distance (r = 0.7522, P < 0.05). Six populations were
      clustered into two main groups, a desert steppe group and a typical steppe group.

PMID- 26125765
TI  - Development of RAPD-SCAR markers for different Ganoderma species authentication
      by improved RAPD amplification and molecular cloning.
AB  - The sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) is a valuable molecular
      technique for the genetic identification of any species. This method is mainly
      derived from the molecular cloning of the amplified DNA fragments achieved from
      the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). In this study, we collected DNA from
      10 species of Ganoderma mushroom and amplified the DNA using an improved RAPD
      technique. The amplified fragments were then cloned into a T-vector, and positive
      clones were screened, indentified, and sequenced for the development of SCAR
      markers. After designing PCR primers and optimizing PCR conditions, 4 SCAR
      markers, named LZ1-4, LZ2-2, LZ8-2, and LZ9-15, were developed, which were
      specific to Ganoderma gibbosum (LZ1-4 and LZ8-2), Ganoderma sinense (LZ2-2 and
      LZ8-2), Ganoderma tropicum (LZ8-2), and Ganoderma lucidum HG (LZ9-15). These 4
      novel SCAR markers were deposited into GenBank with the accession Nos. KM391935,
      KM391936, KM391937, and KM391938, respectively. Thus, in this study we developed
      specific SCAR markers for the identification and authentication of different
      Ganoderma species. 

PMID- 26125766
TI  - Limitations of cytochrome oxidase I for the barcoding of Neritidae (Mollusca:
      Gastropoda) as revealed by Bayesian analysis.
AB  - The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene has been
      universally and successfully utilized as a barcoding gene, mainly because it can
      be amplified easily, applied across a wide range of taxa, and results can be
      obtained cheaply and quickly. However, in rare cases, the gene can fail to
      distinguish between species, particularly when exposed to highly sensitive
      methods of data analysis, such as the Bayesian method, or when taxa have
      undergone introgressive hybridization, over-splitting, or incomplete lineage
      sorting. Such cases require the use of alternative markers, and nuclear DNA
      markers are commonly used. In this study, a dendrogram produced by Bayesian
      analysis of an mtDNA COI dataset was compared with that of a nuclear DNA ATPS
      alpha dataset, in order to evaluate the efficiency of COI in barcoding Malaysian
      nerites (Neritidae). In the COI dendrogram, most of the species were in
      individual clusters, except for two species: Nerita chamaeleon and N. histrio.
      These two species were placed in the same subcluster, whereas in the ATPS-alpha
      dendrogram they were in their own subclusters. Analysis of the ATPS-alpha gene
      also placed the two genera of nerites (Nerita and Neritina) in separate clusters,
      whereas COI gene analysis placed both genera in the same cluster. Therefore, in
      the case of the Neritidae, the ATPS-alpha gene is a better barcoding gene than
      the COI gene. 

PMID- 26125767
TI  - Disease indicators for sepsis and analysis of sepsis treatment in children using
      the continuous blood purification technique.
AB  - We analyzed disease severity, inflammation markers, and dynamic changes in
      cartilage glycoprotein 39 (YKL-40) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in
      children with sepsis before and after treatment with continuous blood
      purification (CBP). Study participants were 30 children with severe sepsis who
      were cured from the disease (experimental group) in the Children's Serious
      Disease Center of In-ner Mongolia People's Hospital between June 2012 and October
      2013. Symptomatic CBP treatment was performed after disease severity scoring.
      Interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), YKL-40, and CRP
      levels were tested 0, 12, 24, and 48 h after CBP treatment. YKL-40 mRNA
      expression in whole blood was determined biochemically, and its expression in
      peripheral blood was determined with an immunochemical method. We found a
      significant difference in disease severity scores before and 48 h after CBP
      treatment (P < 0.05). IL-6, TNF-alpha, YKL-40, and CRP levels in children with
      sepsis at 12, 24, and 48 h after CBP treatment significantly differed from those
      before treatment (P < 0.05). The relative expression of YKL-40 mRNA in the
      experimental group before CBP treatment significantly increased from that of the
      control group (P < 0.05). We found a positive correlation between IL-6, TNF
      alpha, YKL-40, and CRP levels 48 h after CBP treatment. In conclusion, CBP is an
      effective treatment strategy for pediatric sepsis. YKL-40 and CRP can be used to
      evaluate the effects of sepsis treatment.

PMID- 26125768
TI  - Development and characterization of microsatellite markers via cross-species
      amplification of Paramisgurnus dabryanus.
AB  - The large-scale loach, Paramisgurnus dabryanus, is a small freshwater fish of
      major economic importance in many Asian countries, particularly China and South
      Korea. Fifteen polymorphic microsatellite (simple sequence repeat) markers were
      obtained through cross-species amplification between this loach and a related
      species, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (GenBank accession numbers: KC117456 to
      KC117470). The number of alleles per locus ranged from 5 to 12 among 40
      individuals, and the average observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.344
      and 0.828, respectively. Three loci showed significant deviations from Hardy
      Weinberg equilibrium. These polymorphic loci could provide a valuable tool for
      investigations of the population genetics, phylogeography, and conservation
      genetics of P. dabryanus. 

PMID- 26125769
TI  - Value of human brain natriuretic peptide in treatment of acute anterior
      myocardial infarction evaluated via three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging.
AB  - Three-dimensional ultrasound speckle tracking imaging was used to evaluate the
      effects of recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide (rhBNP) in acute anterior
      and extensive anterior myocardial infarction. Ninety patients with acute anterior
      or extensive myocardial infarction were randomly divided into 3 groups: Group A
      [emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)], Group B (emergency PCI +
      rhBNP early treatment), and Group C (emergency PCI + late rhBNP treatment).
      Within 6 h of admission and at 1 week and 3 and 6 months after PCI, patients
      underwent routine transthoracic echocardiography and real-time three-dimensional
      echocardiography. At 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months, ejection
      fraction values in groups B and C were significantly greater than those in group
      A (P < 0.05), and left ventricular end-diastolic volume and left ventricular end
      systolic volume values in groups B and C were less than those in group A (P <
      0.05). Within 6 h of admission in each group, long-axis, radial, circumferential,
      and area variables corresponding to anterior descending artery segments showed no
      significant difference (all P > 0.05). However, at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6
      months, and 12 months, long-axis, radial, circumferential and area variables in
      groups B and C were significantly less than those in group A (P < 0.05).
      Intervention with rhBNP can im-prove resilience of the local myocardium, left
      ventricular mechanical function, and cardiac remodeling. Within 6 h of admission
      or after PCI, rhBNP application showed no significant difference in heart
      function improvement or myocardial remodeling inhibition.

PMID- 26125770
TI  - Three branches of phospholipase C signaling pathway promote hepatocyte growth in
      rat liver regeneration.
AB  - In general, the phospholipase C (PLC) signaling pathway is involved in many
      physiological activities, including cell growth. However, little is known
      regarding how the PLC signaling pathway participates in regulating hepatocyte
      (HC) growth during liver regeneration (LR). To further explore the influence of
      the PLC signaling pathway on HCs at the cellular level, HCs of high purity and
      vitality were isolated using Percoll density-gradient centrifugation after
      partial hepatectomy. The genes of the PLC signaling pathway and target genes of
      transcription factors in the pathway were obtained by searching the pathways and
      transcription factor databases, and changes in gene expression of isolated HCs
      were examined using the Rat Genome 230 2.0 Microarray. The results suggested that
      various genes involved in the pathway (including 151 known genes and 39
      homologous genes) and cell growth (including 262 known genes and 37 homologous
      genes) were associated with LR. Subsequently, the synergetic effect of these
      genes in LR was analyzed using a mathematical model (Et) according to their
      expression profiles. The results showed that the Et values of G protein-coupled
      receptor/PLC, integrin/PLC, and growth factor receptor/PLC branches of the PLC
      pathway were all significantly strengthened during the progression and
      termination phases of LR. The synergetic effect of target genes, in parallel with
      target gene-related cell growth, was also enhanced during whole rat LR,
      suggesting the potential positive effect of PLC on HC growth. The present data
      indicate that the PLC signaling pathway may promote HC growth through 3
      mechanisms during rat LR after partial hepatectomy. 

PMID- 26125771
TI  - Impact of caffeine on beta cell proliferation and apoptosis under the influence
      of palmitic acid.
AB  - We examined the influence of caffeine on the proliferation and apoptosis of beta
      cells cultured in vitro in the presence of the free fatty acid palmitic acid
      (PA). Different concentrations of caffeine (1-100 mM) and free fatty PA were
      added to cultured beta cells. The MTT assay was used to analyze cell
      proliferative activity; flow cytometry was used to measure apoptosis and
      calculate the apoptosis rate. Compared with the blank control group, cells
      cultured with 500 mM PA for 24, 48, 72, and 96 h showed inhibition of pancreatic
      beta cell proliferative activity. In the 10 and 25 mM caffeine groups cultured
      for 48, 72, and 96 h, beta cell proliferative activity was much higher than that
      in the 500 mM PA group. The apoptosis rate in the 500 mM PA group was 40.55 +/-
      20.33%, which was higher than that in the blank control group. The apoptosis
      rates in the 10 and 25 mM caffeine group and the PA group were 19.12 +/- 10.56
      and 20.97 +/- 9.75%, respectively, which was lower than that in the 500 mM PA
      group. At some concentrations, caffeine can improve free fatty PA levels and
      guide pancreatic beta cell proliferation inhibition and cell apoptosis. 

PMID- 26125772
TI  - Screening relevant genes of tolerance to low phosphorus in maize using cDNA
      amplified fragment length polymorphism.
AB  - Soil contains a large amount of phosphorus, but plants cannot absorb most of this
      phosphorus effectively. Low inorganic phosphorus has been singled out as a major
      constraint that leads to a perpetually low Zea mays (maize) grain yield. The
      fundamental approach to solving this problem is to screen new genes of low
      phosphorous (LP) tolerance. Consequently, the exploration and utilization of LP
      tolerant genes are of great significance in plants. The maize inbred line 178 is
      an inbred LP-tolerant line. In the current study, the expression of this inbred
      line was induced under the stress of LP conditions. We applied cDNA-amplified
      fragment length polymorphism to screen LP-tolerant genes and obtained and
      sequenced 78 differentially expressed gene fragments. Their functions were
      predicted via bioinformatic analysis. There were no function annotations for 8
      differentially expressed fragments. Nine genes exhibited high homology to
      Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa genes involved in phosphorus metabolism.
      This study lays a good foundation for further cloning and verification of the
      genes involved in phosphorus metabolism in maize. 

PMID- 26125773
TI  - PUMA gene transfection can enhance the sensitivity of epirubicin-induced
      apoptosis of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.
AB  - We explored whether p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) gene
      transfection could enhance the sensitivity of epirubicin-induced apoptosis of MCF
      7 breast cancer cells. The liposome-mediated recombinant eukaryotic expression
      vector PU-MA-pCDNA3 and empty vector plasmid were stably transfected into MCF-7
      cells. Epirubicin (0.01-100 MUM) was applied to MCF-7, MCF-7/PUMA, and MCF
      7/pCDNA3 cells for 72 h. The MTT assay was used to calculate the cell survival
      rate in each group, and the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated.
      The IC50 values of epirubicin in MCF-7, MCF-7/PUMA, and MCF-7/pCDNA3 cells were
      13 +/- 1.4, 1.8 +/- 0.2, and 10.7 +/- 1.3 MUM, respectively. The sensitivity of
      MCF-7/PUMA cells to epirubicin increased 7.2-fold. Epirubicin induced apoptosis
      in MCF-7 cells dose-dependently, but MCF-7/PUMA cell-induced apoptosis was more
      significant compared to controls. Low concentrations of epirubicin (0.1 MUM)
      caused low levels of apoptosis of MCF-7/pCDNA3 (1.15 +/- 0.26%) and MCF-7 cells
      (0.9 +/- 0.24%), but significantly induced apoptosis of MCF-7/PUMA cells (6.44 +/
      1.46%). High epirubicin concentration (1 MUM) induced apoptosis in each group,
      but the epirubicin MCF-7/PUMA apoptosis rate (35.47 +/- 9.36%) was significantly
      higher than that of MCF-7 (12.6 +/- 3.73%) and MCF-7/ pCDNA3 (15.2 +/- 5.17%)
      cells (P < 0 01). Flow cytometry and TUNEL assays for apoptosis detection showed
      similar results. PUMA protein expression in MCF-7/PUMA cells was significantly
      higher than that in MCF-7 and MCF-7/pCDNA3 cells by Western blot analysis. There
      fore, stable transfection of PUMA can significantly enhance epirubicin-induced
      apoptosis sensitivity of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

PMID- 26125774
TI  - Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel Y-box gene from Sepiella
      maindroni.
AB  - Y-box proteins are a family of highly conserved nucleic acid binding proteins
      that interact with genome and transcription product to modulate the
      transcriptional and translational processes. In the present study, a complete
      mRNA of Y-box binding protein (designated SmYB) was obtained from Sepiella
      maindroni by amplification of flanking sequences. The full size of SmYB cDNA was
      1502 bp, including 99 bp at the 5? untranslated region (UTR), a 3? UTR of 821 bp
      with a poly (A) tail, and an open reading frame of 582 bp, encoding a polypeptide
      of 193 amino acids with the predicted molecular weight of 16.48 kDa. The
      conserved cold-shock domain and two known RNA binding motifs identified in SmYB
      strongly suggested that SmYB was a new member of Y-box proteins. Quantitative
      real-time PCR was performed to examine the expression of SmYB mRNA in various
      tissues, embryos, and its temporal expression in liver after cold shock. The mRNA
      transcript of SmYB was detected in all examined tissues, with the highest
      expression level in testis and ovary. SmYB was abundant in early developmental
      stages of S. maindroni embryos but diminished in the late post-embryonic
      development. In addition, cold-shock treatment upregulated the transcription of
      SmYB mRNA in liver. These results demonstrated that SmYB is involved in embryonic
      development of S. maindroni and its tolerance to acute low temperatures.

PMID- 26125775
TI  - Genetic potential of common bean progenies selected for crude fiber content
      obtained through different breeding methods.
AB  - Gastrointestinal health is of great importance due to the increasing consumption
      of functional foods, especially those concern-ing diets rich in fiber content.
      The common bean has been valorized as a nutritious food due to its appreciable
      fiber content and the fact that it is consumed in many countries. The current
      study aimed to evaluate and compare the genetic potential of common bean
      progenies of the carioca group, developed through different breeding methods, for
      crude fiber content. The progenies originated through hybridization of two
      advanced strains, CNFC 7812 and CNFC 7829, up to the F7 generation using three
      breeding methods: bulk-population, bulk within F2 families, and single seed
      descent. Fifteen F8 progenies were evaluated in each method, as well as two check
      cultivars and both parents, us-ing a 7 x 7 simple lattice design, with
      experimental plots comprised of two 4-m long rows. Field trials were conducted in
      eleven environments encompassing four Brazilian states and three different sowing
      times during 2009 and 2010. Estimates of genetic parameters indicate differences
      among the breeding methods, which seem to be related to the different processes
      for sampling the advanced progenies inherent to each method, given that the trait
      in question is not subject to natural selection. Variability amongst progenies
      occurred within the three breeding methods and there was also a significant
      effect of environment on the progeny for all methods. Progenies developed by bulk
      population attained the highest estimates of genetic parameters, had less
      interaction with the environment, and greater variability.

PMID- 26125776
TI  - Entoepidemiology of Chagas disease in the Western region of the State of Sao
      Paulo from 2004 to 2008, and cytogenetic analysis in Rhodnius neglectus
      (Hemiptera, Triatominae).
AB  - To complement the epidemiological data and assist in the prophylaxis of Chagas
      disease in the State of Sao Paulo, we examined entomological lifting conducted in
      40 municipalities of the Western region of the state from 2004 to 2008,
      highlighted the main vector species in this region, and reanalyzed the
      cytogenetic characteristics of Rhodnius neglectus from 3 different Brazilian
      states (Formoso/GO, Frutal/MG, Guaira/SP, and Pitangueiras/SP). The
      municipalities of Castilho and Santo Antonio do Acarangua registered the highest
      relative amounts of notifications. The main species notified in Western Sao Paulo
      were Triatoma sordida and R. neglectus. We collected a large number of T. sordida
      in 2005 and noted the absence of notification of infected insects in 2008. We
      observed no variation in chromosomal characteristics of R. neglectus of different
      states. These data are complementary to the survey presented from 1990 to 1999,
      as the vector species were the same (T. sordida and R. neglectus), with emphasis
      on T. sordida. We corroborate the future colonization domiciliary initially
      proposed for T. sordida in the region and underscore the importance of vector
      control programs in the prophylaxis of Chagas disease. Furthermore, we observed
      that the populations of R. neglectus in Brazil showed no intraspecific variation
      and we corroborated the chromosomal patterns originally described. These data are
      important for understanding the evolution of these hematophagous insects, which
      are vectors of Chagas disease.

PMID- 26125777
TI  - Relevance of E-cadherin expression to EGFR-TKI molecular targeted therapy
      sensitivity/resistance and its clinical significance.
AB  - We examined the effect of E-cadherin expression on epidermal growth factor
      receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) molecular targeted therapy
      sensitivity/resistance. We treated MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, T24, SiHa, H460, SK-HEP-1,
      MHCC97-H, and THP-1 cells with the EGFR-TKIs PD153035 and gefitinib, and then
      tested the drug-resistance and sensitivity using the MTT method, calculated IC50
      values for each cell line, and compared the results to E-cadherin content. The
      MTT assay was used to determine the survival rates of MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, T24,
      SiHa, H460, SK-HEP-1, MHCC97-H, and THP-1 cells upon the action of EGFR-TKI
      (PD153035, gefitinib). For PD153035, the IC50 in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, T24, and SiHa
      cells differed from that of H460, SK-HEP-1, MHCC97-H, and THP-1 (P < 0.05).
      Following gefitinib treatment, the IC50 values of MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, T24, and
      SiHa cells differed from those of H460, SK-HEP-1, MHCC97-H, and THP-1 cells (P <
      0.01). The survival rate of MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, T24, and SiHa cells clearly
      decreased with increasing drug concentration, indicating the cells were sensitive
      to the drugs and that E-cadherin expression was positive; however, H460, SK-HEP
      1, MHCC97-H, and THP-1 cells showed no significant decreased with increasing drug
      concentration, indicating that they were resistant to the drugs and that E
      cadherin expression was negative. The survival rate of epithelial tumor cells
      through the action of EGFR-TKI is related to E-cadherin expression. E-cadherin
      may play a significant role in the sensitivity regulation of EGFR molecular
      targeting treatment. E-cadherin may provide important clues for selecting proper
      EGFR-TKI molecular targeting treatment. 

PMID- 26125778
TI  - Effect of Rhizoma paridis total saponins on apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells
      and imbalance of the JAK/STAT3 molecular pathway induced by IL-6 suppression.
AB  - We observed the influence of different concentrations of Rhizoma paridis total
      saponins (RPTS) on the apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells and explored the
      internal mechanism involved. We determined whether RPTS influences the
      interleukin-6 (IL-6)/Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of
      transcription-3 (STAT3) apoptosis molecular pathway and looked for colon cancer
      related signal transduction pathways or targets inducing apoptosis. We also
      cultured SW480 colorectal cancer cells using different concentrations of RPTS
      (10, 20, 40, and 80 MUg/ mL), and observed the effect of RPTS on SW480 cell
      morphology under a fluorescence inverted microscope. We detected serum IL-6 using
      the polymerase chain reaction and the expression of JAK-STAT3 protein by western
      blot. After treating SW480 with RPTS and Hoechst 33258 dyeing, we found that the
      typical apoptosis morphology had changed. Secretion of IL-6 in the serum
      decreased significantly (P < 0.05), and STAT3 levels were reduced. RPTS can
      significantly promote apoptosis in SW480 colorectal cancer cells. The mechanism
      may be that it suppresses the secretion of IL-6 and inhibits the IL-6/JAK-STAT3
      protein signaling pathway.

PMID- 26125779
TI  - Correlation between ERCC1 expression and concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy
      in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer.
AB  - In this study, the expression of DNA excision repair cross-complementing gene 1
      (ERCC1) in local advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma has been correlated with the
      efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy. A total of 76 patients diagnosed with
      undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosed by nasopharyngeal biopsy and
      undergoing single-agent cisplatin chemotherapy (80 mg/m(2)) with concurrent
      radiotherapy (on the first, twenty-second, and forty-third day, 5 times per week,
      mean dose 74 Gy, range 70-78 Gy) at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guangxi
      Medical University between January and December 2010 were included. After
      chemoradiotherapy, outcomes and long-term survival were evaluated.
      Immunohistochemistry was used to detect expression of ERCC1 protein in
      nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The relationship between the expression of ERCC1 and
      efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy and long-term survival were analyzed.
      ERCC1 was expressed in 42.1% of cases. The expression of ERCC1 was correlated
      with T stage and clinical staging (P < 0.05), but not with gender, age, or N
      stage. The response rate in the ERCC1-positive and ERCC1-negative groups was
      75.0% and 97.7%, respectively (P < 0.05). In the 72 cases with follow-up
      available, 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 91.0, 83.3, and 79.0%; they
      were 92.4, 87.8, 80.5%, respectively, in the ERCC1-positive group, and 87.9,
      77.4, 77.4%, respectively, in the ERCC1-negative group. The expression of ERCC1
      may be a sensitive prognostic indicator of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in
      locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. 

PMID- 26125780
TI  - Characterization of Ty1/copia-like retrotransposon families from pigeonpea
      genome.
AB  - Retrotransposons contribute significantly to the size, organization, and genetic
      diversity of their host genomes. To characterize novel retrotransposon families
      in pigeonpea and develop retrotransposon-based sequence-specific amplification
      polymorphic markers, in silico homology sequence search was carried out against
      the whole genome shotgun sequence of pigeonpea variety Asha (ICPL87119). For
      homology searching, 5 copia-like retro elements belonging to soybean, common
      bean, mungbean, chickpea, and field pea were used as query sequences. Contigs
      with at least 80% query coverage and >70% similarity were searched for
      retroelements using the long terminal repeat finder. A total of 28 copia-like
      retroelements were identified using this method. Multiple sequence alignment for
      the reverse transcriptase domain indicated conserved reverse transcriptase
      domains in all 28 elements compared with other reported elements. Phylogenetic
      analysis based on reverse transcriptase domains revealed 11 families. The copy
      number per family ranged from 1 (for B, J, and K family) to 8 (I). The sequence
      specific amplification polymorphic marker-based insertion site profiling for one
      of the retrotransposon families (G) confirmed multiple insertions of this element
      across the pigeonpea genome. This study showed that our in silico homology search
      strategy was efficient for identifying and characterizing the Ty1/copia-like
      retrotransposon. The results of this study are useful for developing
      retrotransposon-based sequence-specific amplification polymorphic markers for
      pigeonpea crop improvement.

PMID- 26125781
TI  - Predictive value of CK20 in evaluating the efficacy of treatment and prognosis
      after surgery for colorectal cancer.
AB  - Herein, correlations between expression levels of CK20 and efficacy of treatment
      and postoperative prognosis of colorectal cancer were evaluated to elucidate the
      clinical value of CK20. Postoperative follow-up was performed on 62 patients who
      underwent surgery for colorectal cancer between January 2010 and December 2010.
      Samples of tumor tissues and intraperitoneal drainage fluids were collected.
      Blood samples were obtained during the 2-year follow-up period. The expression of
      CK20 in surgical specimen, intraperitoneal drainage fluids, and postoperative
      serum samples was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, RT-PCR, and
      western blotting. Correlation between the levels of CK20 and postoperative
      outcomes was investigated by Spearman correlation analysis. In both tumor
      specimens and intraperitoneal drainage fluids, CK20 levels were lower in patients
      with earlier cancer stages than in those at later stages. During postoperative
      follow-up, serum negative CK20 patients had significantly higher 3-year survival
      rates than serum positive CK20 patients. All differences were statistically
      significant (P < 0.05). CK20 levels can provide clinically valuable information
      on the postoperative prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer. 

PMID- 26125782
TI  - Abundance and diversity of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the sediment of the Zhou
      Cun drinking water reservoir in Eastern China.
AB  - Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) play an important role in the sediments of bay
      areas, estuaries, and lakes. However, information regarding the genetic diversity
      of SRB in the sediments of drinking water reservoirs is scarce. In this study, we
      collected sediment samples from different sites in the Zhou Cun drinking water
      reservoir between April and June 2012. To explore the genetic diversity of SRB,
      we used the most-probable-number (MPN) method, polymerase chain reaction
      denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE), and a cloning approach. The
      average content of acid-volatile sulfide at the deepest sampling site was 205.87
      MUg/g sediment. This result is often associated with a large abundance of SRB in
      the associated sediment. The highest MPN estimate (1.15 x 10(5) cells/g sediment)
      was detected in May at the deepest sampling site. The PCR-DGGE fingerprints of
      SRB based on the dissimilatory sulfite reductase beta subunit (dsrB) gene varied
      according to the different sampling sites and dates. The highest abundance of SRB
      in the sediments was predominantly found at the deepest sampling sites, as
      expected from the acid-volatile sulfide content. The dominant species were
      Desulfobulbus sp, Desulfobacterium sp, and uncultured sulfate-reducing bacteria.
      Redundancy analysis revealed that organic matter and the concentrations of
      nitrogen and phosphorus in the sediments were significantly correlated with the
      diversity of SRB communities present. The results of this study provide a better
      understanding of the sulfate-reducing microbial species in the sediments of the
      Zhou Cun drinking water reservoir.

PMID- 26125783
TI  - Cluster analysis of Pinus taiwanensis for its ex situ conservation in China.
AB  - Pinus taiwanensis Hayata is one of the most famous sights in the Huangshan Scenic
      Resort, China, because of its strong adaptability and ability to survive;
      however, this endemic species is currently under threat in China. Relationships
      between different P. taiwanensis populations have been well-documented; however,
      few studies have been conducted on how to protect this rare pine. In the present
      study, we propose the ex situ conservation of this species using geographical
      information system (GIS) cluster and genetic diversity analyses. The GIS cluster
      method was conducted as a preliminary analysis for establishing a sampling site
      category based on climatic factors. Genetic diversity was analyzed using
      morphological and genetic traits. By combining geographical information with
      genetic data, we demonstrate that growing conditions, morphological traits, and
      the genetic make-up of the population in the Huangshan Scenic Resort were most
      similar to conditions on Tianmu Mountain. Therefore, we suggest that Tianmu
      Mountain is the best choice for the ex situ conservation of P. taiwanensis. Our
      results provide a molecular basis for the sustainable management, utilization,
      and conservation of this species in Huangshan Scenic Resort. 

PMID- 26125784
TI  - Cyclin D1 G870A polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of multiple
      myeloma.
AB  - Cyclin D1 is an important cell cycle regulator implicated in the pathogenesis of
      many cancer types. In particular, translocation and overexpression of cyclin D1
      are common events in multiple myeloma (MM), suggesting that it may drive the
      initiation and progression of this malignancy. However, the association between
      genetic polymorphisms of cyclin D1 and the risk for developing MM remains poorly
      characterized. We performed a case-control study with 67 patients with MM and 66
      healthy controls in a Chinese population. The cancer-associated G870A single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of CCND1, the gene encoding cyclin D1, was
      determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length
      polymorphism. We found that there was a strong association between the homozygous
      variant allele  (GG) and MM susceptibility, with an odds ratio (OR) of 4.679 [95%
      confidence interval (CI): 1.081-5.647]. When further stratified analysis was
      performed, the increased risk was only evident in individuals over 60 years old
      (OR=3.297; 95%CI: 1.058-10.276). Our results suggest that the CCND1 G870A SNP may
      be critically involved in MM development. 

PMID- 26125785
TI  - A case-control study on the risk factors of urinary calculus in Uyghur children
      in the Kashi region.
AB  - The incidence of urinary calculus (UC) is very high in Uyghur children in the
      Kashi region of Xinjiang, China, which seriously affects the growth and life
      quality of these children. This study was aimed at investigating the risk factors
      of UC in Uyghur children in Kashi region. One hundred fifteen Uyghur children
      (age <7 years) with UC who were treated in First People's Hospital in Kashi were
      enrolled in the case group. A 1:1 case-control study with a questionnaire was
      performed. The results showed that, among the 115 UC patients, there were more
      boys (71.3%) than girls (28.7%), and most cases had an onset age of 1-3 years
      (75.7%). A lower than primary school education in the mother, drinking unboiled
      water, water intake <500 mL/day, and eating too much sweets were risk factors
      [odds ratio (OR) = 2.385, 9.160, 3.263, and 8.945, respectively], whereas
      vegetable intake and exposure to summer sunshine of <2 h/day were protective
      factors against UC onset (OR = 0.154 and 0.344, respectively). Analysis of UC
      related factors in 99 cases of <3-year-old children revealed that breastfeeding
      was also a protective factor (OR = 0.007), whereas frequent cow's milk intake
      within 5 months (OR = 2.414) and frequent "panada" intake (OR = 2.529) were risk
      factors. The occurrence of UC in Uyghur children in the Kashi region is mainly
      affected by maternal educational background, quality of drinking water, water
      intake volume, and dietary pattern. Furthermore, geography may also have a role. 

PMID- 26125786
TI  - Assessment of genetic diversity in lentils (Lens culinaris Medik.) based on SNPs.
AB  - This study is the first attempt to establish an SNP database for the purpose of
      estimating the genetic diversity and relatedness of Palestinian lentil genotypes.
      A total of 14 lentil accessions (11 local, two supplied by ICARDA, and one
      introduced from Italy) were investigated. By sequencing two genes, lectin and
      lipid transfer protein 5 (LTP5), four SNPs were detected (three in the first and
      one in latter gene) with average frequencies of one SNP every 228 and 578 bp,
      respectively. In addition, in LTP5 two single-nucleotide indels were observed in
      the non-coding part of the gene. Four haplotypes were identified in the lectin
      gene, three in LTP5. One lectin haplotype coincided with that present in GenBank
      belonging to two cultivated varieties, two were rather similar to this, whereas
      the last one turned out closer to the sequence of one wild lentil accession,
      indicating the existence of diversity in the Palestinian germplasm. These
      results, enhancing the available knowledge of lentil genetic resources in
      Palestine, may contribute to their conservation and utilization in breeding
      projects. 

PMID- 26125787
TI  - Assessing hygienic behavior of Apis mellifera unicolor (Hymenoptera: Apidae), the
      endemic honey bee from Madagascar.
AB  - Hygienic behavior (HB) is one of the natural mechanisms of honey bee for limiting
      the spread of brood diseases and Varroa destructor parasitic mite. Objective of
      our study was to measure HB of Apis mellifera unicolor colonies (N = 403) from
      three geographic regions (one infested and two free of V. destructor) in
      Madagascar. The pin-killing method was used for evaluation of the HB. Responses
      were measured from 3 h 30 min to 7 h after perforation of the cells. Colonies
      were very effective in detecting perforated cells. In the first 4 h, on average,
      they detected at least 50% of the pin-killed brood. Six hours after cell
      perforation, colonies tested (N = 91) showed a wide range of uncapped (0 to 100%)
      and cleaned cells (0 to 82%). Global distribution of the rate of cleaned cells at
      6 h was multimodal and hygienic responses could be split in three classes.
      Colonies from the three regions showed a significant difference in HB responses.
      Three hypotheses (geographic, genetic traits, presence of V. destructor) are
      further discussed to explain variability of HB responses among the regions.
      Levels of HB efficiency of A. mellifera unicolor colonies are among the greatest
      levels reported for A. mellifera subspecies. Presence of highly hygienic colonies
      is a great opportunity for future breeding program in selection for HB. 

PMID- 26125788
TI  - Development of novel polymorphic microsatellite markers for the silver fox
      (Vulpes vulpes).
AB  - The silver fox (Vulpes vulpes), a coat color variant of the red fox, is one of
      the most important fur-bearing animals. To date, development of microsatellite
      loci for the silver fox has been limited and mainly based on cross-amplification
      by using canine SSR primers. In this study, 28 polymorphic microsatellite markers
      were isolated and identified for silver fox through the construction and
      screening of an (AC)n-enriched library. The number of alleles per locus ranged
      from 2 to 8 based on 48 individuals tested. The expected and observed hetero-
      zygosity and polymorphism information content per locus ranged from 0.2544 to
      0.859, 0.2083 to 0.7917, and 0.2181 to 0.821, respectively. The polymorphic
      markers presented in this study may be useful for future analysis of the genetic
      diversity and population structure of farmed silver fox and wild red fox.

PMID- 26125789
TI  - Expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha during ovarian follicular growth
      and development in Sprague-Dawley rats.
AB  - Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) has been identified as a
      transcription factor that is involved in diverse physiological and pathological
      processes in the ovary. In this study, we examined whether HIF-1alpha is
      expressed in a cell- and stage-specific manner during follicular growth and
      development in the mammalian ovaries. Using immunohistochemistry and Western blot
      analysis, HIF-1alpha expression was observed in granulosa cells specifically and
      was significantly increased during the follicular growth and development of
      postnatal rats. Furthermore, pregnant mare serum gonadotropin also induced HIF
      1alpha expression in granulosa cells and ovaries during the follicular
      development of immature rats primed with gonadotropin. Moreover, we also examined
      proliferation cell nuclear antigen, a cell proliferation marker, during
      follicular growth and development and found that its expression pattern was
      similar to that of HIF-1alpha protein. Granulosa cell culture experiments
      revealed that proliferation cell nuclear antigen expression may be regulated by
      HIF-1alpha. These results indicated that HIF-1alpha plays an important role in
      the follicular growth and development of these 2 rat models. The HIF-1alpha
      mediated signaling pathway may be an important mechanism regulating follicular
      growth and development in mammalian ovaries in vivo.

PMID- 26125790
TI  - Genomic cloning, expression, and single nucleotide polymorphism association
      analysis of the insulin-like androgenic gland hormone gene in the oriental river
      prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense).
AB  - Increasing evidence suggests that the insulin-like androgenic gland hormone (IAG)
      gene plays an important role in male sexual differentiation, metabolism, and
      growth in crustaceans. In the present study, we isolated the full-length genome
      sequence of IAG by genome walking based on the cDNA sequence in Macrobrachium
      nipponense. Four novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were studied,
      including 509G>T, 529G>T, 590A>T in intron 1, and 2226A>G in intron 2. The
      association of genetic variation with growth traits [body length (BL) and body
      weight (BW)] was analyzed. Individuals with GG geno- type at locus 2226A>G
      maintained higher mean BL (P < 0.01) and BW (P < 0.05) than AA and GA
      individuals. These results suggest that IAG SNPs may be useful molecular markers
      for selecting growth traits in M. nipponense.

PMID- 26125791
TI  - Association between beta1 adrenergic receptor gene Arg389Gly polymorphism and
      risk of heart failure: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Numerous studies have evaluated the association between Arg389Gly polymorphism in
      the beta1 adrenergic receptor gene and heart failure risk. However, the specific
      association is still controversial. We performed a meta-analysis of all case
      control studies that evaluated the association between Arg389Gly polymorphism and
      heart failure in humans. Studies were identified in the PubMed, Embase, and China
      National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. Two reviewers independently assessed
      the studies. Six case-control studies with a total of 1736 participants were
      included in the meta-analysis, including 882 cases with heart failure and 854
      controls, and our results showed no association between the Arg389Gly
      polymorphism and heart failure [ArgArg vs GlyGly: odds ratio (OR) = 0.84, 95%
      confidence interval (CI) 0.59-1.20; ArgArg vs ArgGly: OR = 0.95, 95%CI 0.78-1.16;
      dominant model: OR = 1.08, 95%CI 0.89-1.31; recessive model: OR = 0.96, 95%CI
      0.69-1.35]. No publication bias was found in the present study (all P values >
      0.05). In conclusion, the beta1 adrenergic receptor gene Arg389Gly polymorphism
      might not be associated with heart failure risk. Further large and well-designed
      studies are needed to confirm this conclusion. 

PMID- 26125792
TI  - Molecular cloning, characterization and expression analysis of a Doublesex gene
      from Daphnia carinata (Crustacea: Cladocera) during different reproductive
      stages.
AB  - To better understand the reproductive transformation mechanism of Daphnia
      carinata, a Doublesex (Dsx) gene was cloned based on rapid amplification of cDNA
      ends (RACE), and was designated DapcaDsx2. Next, we compared similarities and
      assumed homology based on deduced amino acid sequences. It showed 97.52, 87.94,
      and 85.11% identity to orthologous genes in D. magna, D. pulex, and D. galeata
      respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that DapcaDsx2 clustered in the same
      class, and was evolutionarily more distant to sequences from other species. qRT
      PCR showed that DapcaDsx2 was most abundantly expressed during sexual
      reproduction (P < 0.05). Using digoxigenin-labeled RNA probes, we studied
      DapcaDsx2 expression in parthenogenetic and sexual females by whole-mount in situ
      hybridization. The results revealed that DapcaDsx2 was mainly expressed in the
      second antennae and several sites of the ventral carapace, whereas higher
      expression levels were found in sexual than in parthenogenetic females. This
      suggests that the DapcaDsx2 gene is involved in switching modes of reproduction
      and in sexual differentiation. 

PMID- 26125793
TI  - DNA barcoding and phylogenetic relationships in Timaliidae.
AB  - The Timaliidae, a diverse family of oscine passerine birds, has long been a
      subject of debate regarding its phylogeny. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase
      subunit I (COI) gene has been used as a powerful marker for identification and
      phylogenetic studies of animal species. In the present study, we analyzed the COI
      barcodes of 71 species from 21 genera belonging to the family Timaliidae. Every
      bird species possessed a barcode distinct from that of other bird species. Kimura
      two-parameter (K2P) distances were calculated between barcodes. The average
      genetic distance between species was 18 times higher than the average genetic
      distance within species. The neighbor-joining method was used to construct a
      phylogenetic tree and all the species could be discriminated by their distinct
      clades within the phylogenetic tree. The results indicate that some currently
      recognized babbler genera might not be monophyletic, with the COI gene data
      supporting the hypothesis of polyphyly for Garrulax, Alcippe, and Minla. Thus,
      DNA barcoding is an effective molecular tool for Timaliidae species
      identification and phylogenetic inference.

PMID- 26125794
TI  - Population structure and genetic variation of the endangered species Elaeagnus
      mollis Diels (Elaeagnaceae).
AB  - Elaeagnus mollis Diels is a group of shrubs and dwarf trees endemic to China and
      are endangered plants. However, the reason why these plants are endangered
      remains controversial. The current study aimed to explore the endangered status
      of E. mollis from a genetic perspective and to propose conservation strategies
      for this species. Using 16 polymorphic allozyme loci, the population genetic
      structure was investigated for three populations representing the taxa and
      variants. The variants exhibited relatively high levels of genetic variation
      compared to other woody shrubs with similar geographic distributions. The overall
      genetic diversity (HE = 0.352) was elevated compared to long-lived woody
      angiosperms. The average number of alleles per locus (A), percentage polymorphic
      loci (P), and observed heterozygosity (HO) were 2.0, 85.2, and 0.371,
      respectively. Furthermore, gene flow estimates within the population groups were
      also elevated. The life history and habitats of E. mollis play major roles in the
      levels of genetic diversity. The results of this study may help to device
      strategies for preserving the genetic diversity of E. mollis and for promoting
      planting. 

PMID- 26125795
TI  - Genetic relationships analysis of olive cultivars grown in China.
AB  - The olive tree is an iconic tree of the Mediterranean, and is used extensively to
      produce high-quality olive oil. Although the China olive industry has just begun
      to be valued, there were also existed mislabeling and synonyms in introduced
      cultivars. The aim of this study was to analyze genetic similarities among olive
      cultivars in China using SSR and ISSR techniques. Thirty-two samples were
      collected from Xichang. Five of these cultivars were issued from a Chinese
      breeding program. Genomic DNA samples were extracted from young leaves and PCR
      was used to generate SSR and ISSR markers. A total of 107 polymorphic bands were
      detected on thirteen SSR loci, with an average of eight alleles per locus. The
      observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.785 (DCA03) to 0.990 (GAPU47), and the
      expected heterozygosity varied between 0.782 (DCA03) and 0.940 (GAPU103A). The
      discrimination power ranged from 0.57 to 0.83, while the polymorphism information
      content values ranged from 0.768 (DCA03) to 0.934 (GAPU103A). Nine ISSR primers
      generated 85 reproducible bands of which 78 (91.8%) were polymorphic. Based on
      our data, genetic similarity between cultivars ranged from 0.57 to 0.83. Cluster
      analysis revealed that 32 cultivars were clustered into six groups, which
      supports similar morphology such as use, oil content and fruit weight but not
      similar geographical origins. Our data also allow the identification of unknown
      cultivars and cases of synonyms. 

PMID- 26125796
TI  - Proteomic analysis revealed the altered kidney protein profile of a Cyld knockout
      mouse model.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the proteomics pattern of the kidneys from
      Cyld knockout mice with that from normal mouse kidneys and establish a
      preliminary understanding of the role of Cyld in the kidney. Proteins from the
      kidneys of knockout Cyld mice and wild-type mice were extracted, isobaric tags
      for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) was performed, and the proteomics
      patterns of the two groups were compared. The genotypes of the mice were verified
      by polymerase chain reaction. A total of 1748 proteins with a local false
      discovery rate of <=5% were identified, among which 1437 proteins were reliably
      recognized and quantified. The expression of two dysregulated proteins was
      confirmed by Western blotting. Gene ontology and pathway analyses indicated that
      the proteins identified were involved in biological processes, cell components,
      and molecular functions, and participated in different pathways. Some of the
      proteins identified were relevant to renal function or kidney diseases. The
      difference between the proteomics profiles of kidneys from Cyld knockout mice and
      wild-type mice was prominent, which correlates to kidney dysfunction and the
      development of renal diseases. 

PMID- 26125797
TI  - Effect of leukocyte filtration on the P-selectin expression of apheresis
      platelets.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of leukocyte filtration on
      the P-selectin (CD62P) surface expression of apheresis platelets during the
      retention period. Ten bags of apheresis platelets stored for 1 day (0-24 h) and
      10 bags of apheresis platelets stored for 2 days (24-48 h) were used for
      leukocyte filtration (experimental group). Ten bags of apheresis platelets with
      the corresponding retention periods but without filtration were used as a
      negative control (control group). Thereafter, 100 MUL of platelet suspensions
      from apheresis platelets with or without leukocyte filtration were sampled before
      and after leukocyte filtration for the detection of CD62P surface expression by
      flow cytometry. No statistical difference in the CD62P surface expression of
      apheresis platelets was observed before and after leukocyte filtration (P >
      0.05), neither did the CD62P surface expression exhibit any change among the
      different retention periods. Leukocyte filtration does not affect the CD62P
      surface expression of apheresis platelets stored for up to 2 days, which
      indicates that leukocyte filtration does not damage the activation of apheresis
      platelets within the retention period. 

PMID- 26125798
TI  - Genetic polymorphisms in the carbonic anhydrase VI gene and dental caries
      susceptibility.
AB  - We investigated the role of 7 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the carbonic
      anhydrase (CA) VI gene (rs2274328, rs17032907, rs11576766, rs2274333, rs10864376,
      rs3765964, and rs6680186) and the possible association between these
      polymorphisms and dental caries susceptibility in a Northwestern Chinese
      population. We collected samples from 164 high caries experience and 191 very low
      caries experience and conducted a case-control study according to the number of
      decayed, missing, and filled teeth index and genotyped the 7 polymorphisms using
      a 384-well plate format with the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Individuals
      carrying the rs17032907 TT genotype were more likely to have an increased risk of
      dental caries compared with carriers of the C/C genotype in the co-dominant
      model, with an odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 2.144 (1.096-4.195). We
      also found that the haplotype (ACA) (rs2274328, rs17032907 and rs11576766) was
      associated with a low number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth index with an
      odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 0.635 (0.440-0.918). However, we found no
      association between dental caries susceptibility and the rs2274328, rs11576766,
      rs2274333, rs10864376, rs3765964, and rs6680186 polymorphisms and other
      haplotypes. The rs17032907 genetic variant and the haplotype (ACA) of CA VI may
      be associated with dental caries susceptibility.

PMID- 26125799
TI  - Proapoptotic effects of heme oxygenase-1 inhibitor on Kasumi-1 cells via the
      ATF4/CHOP/Ire-1alpha pathway.
AB  - We evaluated the effects of down-regulated heme oxygenase (HO)-1 expression on
      the proliferation of the acute myelocytic leukemia Kasumi-1 cell line by using
      the HO-1 inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPPIX) in combination with
      daunorubicin (DNR), and evaluated the mechanism. The proliferation rates of cells
      treated with 10 mg/mL DNR and 10 mM ZnPPIX individually or in combination for
      different time periods were detected using the MTT assay. The apoptotic outcomes
      of the blank control, ZnPPIX, DNR, and ZnPPIX groups in combination with the DNR
      group were detected by flow cytometry. The expression of HO-1, activating
      transcription factor 4, CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein, and
      inositol-requiring enzyme-alpha mRNA and proteins were detected by fluorescent
      quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting,
      respectively. Combined administration inhibited the cells most potently and time
      dependently, decreased the expression of HO-1, and significantly increased the
      expression of activating transcription factor 4, CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein
      homologous protein, and inositol-requiring enzyme-alpha expression levels. The
      cell apoptotic rates in the blank control, DNR, ZnPPIX, and combined
      administration groups were 8.32 +/- 0.53, 39.16 +/- 1.46, 10.46 +/- 0.88, and
      56.26 +/- 2.24%, respectively. Inhibiting HO-1 expression can enhance the
      damaging effects of DNR on Kasumi-1 cells, providing experimental evidence for
      the improvement of therapeutic effects on acute myelocytic leukemia in clinical
      practice. 

PMID- 26125800
TI  - Molecular cloning and bioinformatic analysis of the Streptococcus agalactiae neuA
      gene isolated from tilapia.
AB  - Cytidine monophosphate (CMP) N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuNAc) synthetase, which
      is encoded by the neuA gene, can catalyze the activation of sialic acid with CMP,
      and plays an important role in Streptococcus agalactiae infection pathogenesis.
      To study the structure and function of the S. agalactiae neuA gene, we isolated
      it from diseased tilapia, amplified it using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with
      specific primers, and cloned it into a pMD19-T vector. The recombinant plasmid
      was confirmed by PCR and restriction enzyme digestion, and identified by
      sequencing. Molecular characterization analyses of the neuA nucleotide amino acid
      sequence were performed using bioinformatic tools and an online server. The
      results showed that the neuA nucleotide sequence contained a complete coding
      region, which comprised 1242 bp, encoding 413 amino acids (aa). The aa sequence
      was highly conserved and contained a Glyco_tranf_GTA_type superfamily and an
      SGNH_hydrolase superfamily conserved domain, which are related to sialic acid
      activation catalysis. The NeuA protein possessed many important sites related to
      post-translational modification, including 28 potential phosphorylation sites and
      2 potential N-glycosylation sites, had no signal peptides or transmembrane
      regions, and was predicted to reside in the cytoplasm. Moreover, the protein had
      some B-cell epitopes, which suggests its potential in development of a vaccine
      against S. agalactiae infection. The codon usage frequency of neuA differed
      greatly in Escherichia coli and Homo sapiens genes, and neuA may be more
      efficiently expressed in eukaryotes (yeast). S. agalactiae neuA from tilapia
      maintains high structural homology and sequence identity with CMP-NeuNAc
      synthetases from other bacteria.

PMID- 26125801
TI  - Effect of Xin Mai Jia on atherosclerosis in rats.
AB  - We investigated the therapeutic effect of Xin Mai Jia (XMJ) on atherosclerosis
      (AS) in rats. Rat models of AS were established by peritoneally injecting vitamin
      D, feeding a high-fat diet, and inducing balloon injuries in rats. The stomachs
      of the rats were irrigated continuously for 10 weeks with XMJ. Blood lipid- and
      hemorheology-related indices of blood samples were detected. Pathological changes
      in the right common carotid arterial tissues were also determined. The protein
      expression levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, angio-tensin-1, and
      endothelin-1 were determined by western blotting. XMJ reduced cholesterol,
      trigylecride, and low-density lipoprotein levels as well as blood viscosity,
      sedimentation, and hematocrit. Furthermore, XMJ alleviated vascular endothelial
      injury and reduced/eliminated atherosclerotic plaques. In contrast, XMJ
      significantly increased the endothelium-dependent relaxing response of the AS rat
      models. The western blotting results showed that XMJ upregulated endothelial
      nitric oxide synthase but downregulated angiotensin-1 and endothelin-1. XMJ
      prevented the development of AS by regulating blood lipid levels, hemorheology,
      and vascular function.

PMID- 26125802
TI  - Integrated miRNA-mRNA analysis of Epstein-Barr virus-positive nasopharyngeal
      carcinoma.
AB  - This study aims to identify the crucial miRNAs in Epstein-Barr virus-positive
      nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and their target genes. Gene expression profile
      data (GSE12452) that included 31 NPC and 10 normal nasopharyngeal tissue
      specimens were downloaded. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified
      using significance analysis of microarrays. The underlying function of DEGs was
      predicted via Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway
      enrichment analyses. The miRNA sequencing dataset GSE14738 was also downloaded,
      and expression levels of miRNA were calculated by the number of reads mapped to
      each miRNA. The selected miRNAs were integrated into the miRecords database to
      obtain their target genes. Target genes associated with DEGs were used to
      construct the interaction network via Cytoscape. A total of 1437 DEGs between NPC
      and control were identified, most of which were enriched in cell cycle and
      extracellular matrix-receptor interaction signaling pathways. Furthermore, 112
      miRNAs were considered upregulated in NPC samples. A total of 2228 relationships
      between 39 miRNAs and 1247 target genes were obtained, of which 182 relationships
      between 32 miRNAs and 97 target genes were chosen to construct an interaction
      network. The interactions between DEGs and the let-7 or miR-29 families appeared
      strongest in this network, where CDC25A, COL3A1, and COL1A1 were regulated by
      several let-7 family members, while COL4A1 and COL5A2 were regulated by several
      miR-29 family members. The let-7 and miR-29 families may be related to the
      development of NPC by regulating the genes involved in cell cycle and ECM
      receptor interaction. 

PMID- 26125803
TI  - Polymorphisms in different EST-SSR types derived from the Chinese bayberry Myrica
      rubra, Myricaceae) transcriptome.
AB  - Most plant expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeats (EST-SSRs) are not
      polymorphic, and it is important to learn the characteristics of highly
      polymorphic EST-SSRs. In this study, 357 compound and 5557 non-compound EST-SSRs,
      identified from the transcriptome of the Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra 'Biqi'),
      were divided into 11 types based on their characteristics. Polymorphisms in all
      11 EST-SSR types were investigated in 10 cultivars. The percentages of
      polymorphic loci ranged from 12.9 to 87.5%, with 2-ntL having the highest,
      followed by 3-ntL, Compound B, and Compound A. The number of alleles and the
      polymorphic information content of 2-ntL and Compound B were the highest,
      followed by 2-ntM and Compound A. Therefore, we recommend that 2-ntL, Compound B,
      and Compound A EST-SSRs should be preferentially selected for the screening of
      polymorphic EST-SSRs in the Chinese bayberry. Our results should facilitate
      genetic and breeding studies of this species, and provide a reference for similar
      study in other plant species. 

PMID- 26125804
TI  - Correlation analysis between single nucleotide polymorphism of DRD1 gene and
      stereotyped behavior of blue fox.
AB  - This study was performed to investigate the correlation between stereotyped
      behavior of the blue fox and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the DRD1
      gene. We choose the DRD1 gene as a major gene for investigating the correlation
      of gene polymorphism and self-biting disease by means of direct sequencing. Part
      of the DRD1 gene exon of the blue fox was cloned; the length of the whole
      sequence was 864 bp. Four SNPs were detected and analyzed by the chi-square
      analysis; the results showed that the gene polymorphism of T206C in the DRD1 gene
      had a significant correlation with self-biting (P < 0.01). Therefore, marker
      assistant selection on self-biting of blue foxes using these SNPs can be applied
      to select healthy individuals. 

PMID- 26125805
TI  - Association between polymorphisms in exons 4 and 10 of the BPI gene and immune
      indices in Sutai pigs.
AB  - The bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) gene has been identified
      as a candidate gene for disease-resistance breeding. We evaluated whether
      polymorphisms in exons 4 and 10 of the BPI gene are associated with immune
      indices [interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-6, interferon-b (IFN-b), IL-10, and IL
      12]. In this study, we identified one mutation (C522T) in the BPI exon 4 site and
      two mutations (A1060G and T1151G) in the BPI exon 10 site. Correlation analysis
      revealed that in the Sutai pig population, the effect of genotypes at the BPI
      exon 4 site on the level of IL-6 was significant (P < 0.05), with an effective
      genotype of CD; moreover, the effect of genotypes at the BPI exon 10 site on the
      level of IL-12 was significant (P < 0.05), and the effective genotype was AB. The
      optimal combined genotype was CD-AB, which was more effective regarding the IL-6
      and IL-12 levels compared to the other combined genotypes (P < 0.05). These
      results indicate that single nucleotide polymorphisms and the combined genotypes
      of BPI exons 4 and 10 affect immune indices in Sutai pigs. Therefore, these
      genotypes should be further examined as effective markers for disease-resistant
      breeding of pigs. 

PMID- 26125806
TI  - Comparison between meat quality of Hanzhong White pigs and carcass weight.
AB  - A total of 48 carcasses of crossbred Hanzhong White pigs were divided into 3
      groups (I, 90-99 kg; II, 100-109 kg; III, 110-119 kg) to investigate the
      influence of carcass weight on meat quality. The intramuscular fat content of the
      3 groups increased from 1.90 to 4.90%; for meat color, Warner-Bratzler shear
      force, drip loss, and oxidation-type muscle fiber percentage, and muscle fiber
      diameter of the longissimus lumborum, the indices in group II and group III were
      better than those in group I (P < 0.05). The saturated fatty acid and
      polyunsaturated fatty acid percentages of the longissimus lumborum muscle (2.80
      and 37.30%, respectively) in group II were significantly lower than those in the
      other 2 groups, while the monounsaturated fatty acid percentage was the highest
      (59.10%). In conclusion, our results suggest that a carcass weight of 100-109 kg
      is sufficient to produce acceptable meat quality of Hanzhong White pigs. 

PMID- 26125807
TI  - Impact of enteral nutrition on postoperative immune function and nutritional
      status.
AB  - We studied the effects of enteral nutrition (EN) support initiated 1 week before
      surgery on postoperative nutritional status, immune function, and inflammatory
      response in gastric cancer patients. A total of 200 gastric cancer patients were
      randomly divided into two groups: EN starting 1 week before surgery (study group)
      and EN starting early after surgery (control group). The two groups received EN
      support, following different therapeutic schedules, until the 9th day after
      operation. In the patients, body weight, skinfold thickness, upper-arm
      circumference, white blood cell count, albumin, prealbumin, C-reactive protein,
      peripheral immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, and IgM), T lymphocyte subsets, interleukin
      6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were measured 10 days before and after surgery
      and on the first day after surgery. There was no statistically significant
      difference in the results of recovery time of passage of gas by anus, abdominal
      distension, stomachache, blood glucose, hepatic and renal functions, and
      electrolytes between the two groups of patients (P > 0. 05). Adverse reactions
      occurred to both groups at 1 and 2 days after operation. Such conditions was
      improved after the intravenous drip rate was adjusted. The albumin and prealbumin
      levels of the patients in both groups decreased at 1 day after operation (P < 0.
      05). The levels rose when the research was finished (P < 0. 05). The prealbumin
      level of the study group was higher than that of the control group at 10 days
      after operation (P < 0. 05). The IgG level of the study group was higher than
      that of the control group at 10 days after operation (P < 0. 05). The two groups
      of inflammatory reaction indicators of the study group were lower than those of
      the control group at 10 days after operation (P < 0. 05). This study indicates
      that appropriate preoperative EN support for gastric cancer patients can improve
      their postoperative nutritional status and immune function, can reduce
      inflammatory response, and is more conducive to the recovery of patients. 

PMID- 26125808
TI  - Characterization and expression analysis of Toll-like receptor 3 cDNA from
      Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).
AB  - Innate pathway activation is fundamental for early anti-viral defense in fish,
      but currently there is insufficient understanding of how salmonid fish identify
      viral molecules and activate these pathways. The Toll-like receptor (TLR) is
      believed to play a crucial role in host defense of pathogenic microbes in the
      innate immune system. In the present study, the full-length cDNA of Salmo salar
      TLR3 (ssTLR3) was cloned. The ssTLR3 cDNA sequence was 6071 bp long, containing
      an open reading frame of 2754 bp and encoding 971 amino acids. The TLR group
      motifs, such as leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domains and Toll-interleukin-1 receptor
      (TIR) domains, were maintained in ssTLR3, with sixteen LRR domains and one TIR
      domain. In contrast to descriptions of the TLR3 in rainbow trout and the murine
      (TATA-less), we found a putative TATA box in the proximal promoter region 29 bp
      upstream of the transcription start point of ssTLR3. Multiple-sequence alignment
      analysis of the ssTLR3 protein-coding sequence with other known TLR3 sequences
      showed the sequence to be conserved among all species analyzed, implying that the
      function of the TLR3 had been sustained throughout evolution. The ssTLR3 mRNA
      expression patterns were measured using real-time PCR. The results revealed that
      TLR3 is widely expressed in various healthy tissues. Individuals challenged with
      infectious pancreatic necrosis virus and immunostimulated with
      polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid exhibited increased expression of TLR3 at the
      mRNA level, indicating that ssTLR3 may be involved in pathogen recognition in the
      early innate immune system. 

PMID- 26125809
TI  - A cultured endophyte community is associated with the plant Clerodendrum inerme
      and antifungal activity.
AB  - Fungal endophytes live in the inner tissues of Clerodendrum inerme and may be
      significant resources for new chemicals in drug discovery. A total of 242
      endophytic fungi were recovered from 602 sample segments of C. inerme; 66 were
      purified. The 66 fungi belonging to 16 taxa and 11 genera (Alternaria,
      Nigrospora, Bartalinia, Pestalotiopsis, Fusarium, Mycoleptodiscus, Trichoderma,
      Phomopsis, Diaporthe, Lasiodiplodia, and Curvularia) were identified by
      morphological characteristics and fungal internal transcribed spacer sequences.
      The most abundant genera were Alternaria and Lasiodiplodia. Some of the
      endophytes exhibited tissue specificity. The colonization frequencies of
      endophytes in the stems were evidently higher than those in the roots and leaves.
      The crude ethyl acetate extracts were tested against 6 endophytes isolated from
      C. inerme. Three of 10 (33.3%) endophytes, which were identified as Phomopsis sp,
      Curvularia sp, and Mycoleptodiscus sp, displayed distinct antifungal activity
      against >=3 tested fungi. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an
      endophytic community associated with C. inerme in China and its antifungal
      activity in vitro. 

PMID- 26125810
TI  - BORIS and CTCF are overexpressed in squamous intraepithelial lesions and cervical
      cancer.
AB  - We investigated the expression of Brother of Regulator of Imprinted Sites (BORIS)
      and CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) in squamous intraepithelial lesions and cervical
      cancer. To analyze BORIS and CTCF expression, an endocervical cytobrush sample
      was taken for total RNA isolation. CTCF and BORIS mRNA was quantified from total
      RNA using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. A total
      of 71 samples were collected and classified according to the Bethesda
      Classification of squamous intraepithelial lesions. BORIS expression was observed
      in 9 (12.7%) samples; of these, 5.3, 5.9, 14.8, and 37.5% in the groups that were
      cytology negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy, low-grade squamous
      intraepithelial lesions (LSIL), high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions
      (HSIL), and invasive cervical carcinoma, respectively. The expression level of
      BORIS was significantly higher in the group with invasive cervical carcinoma as
      compared with the groups negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy, LSIL,
      and HSIL (P < 0.0005). CTCF mRNA was expressed in all samples. CTCF expression
      was significantly higher in carcinoma groups compared with LSIL, HSIL, and
      negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy groups. We found that BORIS and
      CTCF expressions in the LSIL and invasive cervical carcinoma groups were higher
      than expression in cytological normal samples. Additional studies should be
      conducted to examine the function of transcription factors during different
      stages of the transformation of cervical cancer cells. 

PMID- 26125811
TI  - Analysis of quantitative trait loci for main plant traits in soybean.
AB  - Plant traits are important indices for regulating and controlling yield ability
      in soybean varieties. It is important to comprehensively study the quantitative
      trait locus (QTL) mapping for soybean plant traits, cloning related genes, and
      marker assistant breeding. In this study, 236 F2 generation plants and a
      derivative group were constructed by using Jiyu50 and Jinong18, obtained from
      Jilin Province. A total of 102 simple sequence repeat markers were used to
      construct a genetic linkage map. With 2 years of molecular and phenotypic data,
      QTL analyses and mapping were conducted for soybean maturity, plant height, main
      stem node, main stem branch, seed weight per plant, and more. Five main plant
      traits were analyzed via inclusive composite interval mapping using QTL
      IciMapping v2.2. Using one-dimensional scanning, a total of 30 QTLs were detected
      and distributed across 1 (A1), 4 (C2), and 12 (G). There were 9 linkage groups,
      including 16 major QTLs. Using two-dimensional scanning, 7 pairs of epistatic QTL
      interactions for maturity and plant height were detected in the soybean.

PMID- 26125812
TI  - Association analysis between SNPs in the 5'-flanking region of the chicken GRP78
      gene, thermotolerance parameters, and tissue mRNA expression.
AB  - Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is a molecular chaperone in the endoplasmic
      reticulum and can be induced by different kinds of environmental and
      physiological stress. Thus far, the role of the GRP78 gene in thermotolerance in
      chickens has not been investigated. In the present study, we detected sequence
      variations in the 5?-flanking region of the GRP78 gene and evaluated several
      thermotolerance parameters, such as T3, corticosterone, H/L ratio, and levels of
      CD3(+), CD4(+), and CD8(+) T cells, to further determine its associations at 35
      degrees  and 15 degrees C. The sequencing results revealed 10 SNPs in the 5'
      flanking region of the GRP78 gene, and seven mutations were chosen for further
      genotyping in a White Recessive Rock (WRR) chicken population. The SNP C.-744C>G
      in WRR chickens was significantly correlated with heat tolerance parameters under
      both conditions; it may therefore exert a potential hereditary effect on heat
      tolerance, and the genotype GG may be advantageous for thermotolerance. The
      heart, liver, brain, and leg muscle tissues of 8-day-old WRR chickens were
      sampled from heat stress groups, which were defined by exposure to 1, 2, 3, and 6
      h of persistent thermal stress, and a control group, which was not exposed to
      thermal stress. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay indicated
      that the mRNA expression level of the GRP78 gene increased gradually under heat
      stress, peaked at 3 h, and then decreased. We conclude that the mRNA expression
      of the GRP78 gene is time- and tissue-dependent. 

PMID- 26125813
TI  - Genetic variation detected by RAPD markers in natural populations of babassu palm
      (Attalea speciosa Mart.).
AB  - The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of management on the genetic
      structure of natural populations of Attalea speciosa in the State of Piaui,
      Brazil, using random-amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Three babassu
      populations under different management systems were selected. Polymerase chain
      reactions were performed for 20 RAPD primers. A total of 146 bands were
      generated, 141 of which were polymorphic (96.58%), with a variation of 4 and 12
      loci and an average of 7 bands per primer. A dendrogram revealed a clear
      separation between the three populations (0.57). Data reliability and node
      consistency were verified by bootstrap values and the cophenetic correlation
      coefficient (88.15%). Coefficients of similarity between pairs of genotypes
      ranged from 0.26 to 0.86, with a mean of 0.57. Nei's genetic diversity index (HE)
      value of the population sampled in Teresina was 0.212, of Esperantina it was
      0.195, and of Jose de Freitas it was 0.207. After the HE was decomposed, the
      complete diversity was found to be 0.3213. Genetic differentiation between
      populations was 0.362, and the estimation of gene flow between populations was
      low (0.879). Analysis of molecular variance revealed that 59.52% of the variation
      was contained within populations, and 40.48% was between populations. RAPD
      markers were effective for genetic diversity analysis within and between natural
      babassu populations, and exhibited a high level of polymorphism. Genetic
      diversity was the highest within populations; variability was lower in the
      managed populations than in the undisturbed populations. 

PMID- 26125814
TI  - Association between TNFSF4 tagSNPs and myocardial infarction in a Chinese Han
      population.
AB  - Tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 4 (TNFSF4) plays an important role in
      atherosclerosis development. However, the biological significance of TNFSF4
      variants on myocardial infarction (MI) pathogenesis remains poorly understood. We
      investigated the influence of 5 TNFSF4 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (rs3861950, rs17346501, rs7518045, rs1234313, and rs3850641) on individual
      susceptibility to MI in a Chinese population of 285 MI patients and 645 controls.
      Genotyping was performed using the polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection
      reaction method. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, only the TNFSF4
      tagging single nucleotide polymorphism rs7518045 exhibited a significant effect
      on MI risk; A allele (odds ratio = 0.68, 95% confidence interval = 0.46-1.00, P =
      0.048) and AA genotype (odds ratio = 0.64, 95% confidence interval = 0.42-0.97, P
      = 0.036) were associated with a decreased risk of MI compared with the G allele
      and the combined AG/GG genotype, respectively. Moreover, the haplotype rs3861950C
      rs17346501C-rs7518045A-rs1234313G containing the rs7518045 A allele also
      exhibited a significant association with a decreased risk for MI (odds ratio =
      0.42, 95% confidence interval = 0.21-0.84, P = 0.011). Our study showed that the
      A allele of the rs7518045 and haplotype rs3861950C-rs17346501C-rs7518045A
      rs1234313G in the TNFSF4 gene were associated with decreased MI risk in a Chinese
      Han population. Further studies using larger sample sizes and in diverse ethnic
      populations are needed to confirm the general validity of our findings.

PMID- 26125815
TI  - Application of vacuum-assisted closure in seawater-immersed wound treatment under
      different negative pressures.
AB  - The therapeutic effect of vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) has been confirmed in
      many types of complex wounds, but there are few relevant reports regarding
      seawater-immersed wounds. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of
      VAC on seawater-immersed wound healing under different negative pressures and
      explore the optimal negative pressure value. Four purebred miniature pigs were
      used as the experimental animal models. Four acute, symmetrical wounds were made
      on each side of the spine and designated as the experimental group (wounds with 2
      h of seawater immersion) and the control group (wounds without seawater
      immersion). Wounds were divided into a conventional dressing group and 3 further
      groups with different VAC therapies (negative pressure at either 120, 180, or 240
      mmHg). The extent of wound healing, and speed of granulation growth and re
      epithelialization were measured. Bacterial flora distribution in the wounds was
      observed, and fibronectin levels in the exudate of the wounds were tested.
      Results showed that seawater immersion aggravated wound injury and that VAC
      therapy with 180 mmHg negative pressure induced the fastest epidermis migration,
      obvious edema elimination, significant capillary proliferation, and the highest
      level of fibronectin, and that in wounds, the proportion of Gram-negative
      bacteria tended to decrease and that of Gram-positive bacteria tended to
      increase. Our results show that VAC promotes seawater-immersed wound healing and
      that 180 mmHg negative pressure may be optimal for wound healing. 

PMID- 26125816
TI  - Vitamin D receptor FokI gene polymorphism and tuberculosis susceptibility: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - Numerous studies have evaluated the association between FokI polymorphisms in the
      vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and tuberculosis risk. However, the specific
      association remains controversial. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to
      assess the association between the VDR gene FokI polymorphism and tuberculosis.
      Published studies from the PubMed and Embase databases were retrieved. The pooled
      odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using fixed- or
      random-effect models. Overall, a significant association was found between FokI
      polymorphism and tuberculosis risk when all studies were pooled (ff vs FF: OR =
      1.36, 95%CI = 1.11-1.66; ff vs Ff: OR = 1.38, 95%CI = 1.14-1.67; dominant model:
      OR = 0.73, 95%CI = 0.61-0.88). In subgroup analysis by race, a significant
      association between FokI polymorphism and tuberculosis risk was observed in
      Asians (ff vs FF: OR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.02-2.85; ff vs Ff: OR = 1.86, 95%CI = 1.40
      2.47; dominant model: OR = 0.55, 95%CI = 0.42-0.72), and no significant
      association was observed among Caucasians and Africans. In conclusion, the FokI
      polymorphism in the VDR gene may be related to an increased risk of tuberculosis
      in Asians. Further large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm these
      conclusions. 

PMID- 26125817
TI  - Mutation analyses and prenatal diagnosis in families of X-linked severe combined
      immunodeficiency caused by IL2Rgamma gene novel mutation.
AB  - We investigated the feasibility of interleukin-2 receptor gamma (IL2Rgamma) gene
      based on gene mutation analysis and pre-natal diagnosis of X-linked severe
      combined immunodeficiency (X-SCID). Blood samples of patients and their parents
      of X-SCID (family 1) and X-SCID (family 2) were collected. IL2Rgamma gene
      sequences of the 2 families were analyzed using bi-directional direct sequencing
      by polymerase chain reaction. DNA sequence changes in the IL2Rgamma gene exon
      region and shear zone were also analyzed. We also sequenced the IL2Rgamma gene in
      100 healthy individuals. Prenatal genetic diagnoses for a high-risk fetus in
      family 1 were performed by chorionic villus sampling after determining each
      family's genotypes. The suspect fe-male in family 1 underwent carrier detection.
      Two novel mutations of IL2Rgamma gene were identified, including c.361-363delGAG
      (p.E121del) in the patient and his mother in family 1, and c.510-511insGAACT
      (p.W173X) heterozygous mutation in the proband's mother in family 2. These
      mutations were absent in the 100 controls. Prenatal diagnosis of early pregnancy
      in the female fetus of family 1 was performed; the fetus was heterozygous, which
      was confirmed at postnatal follow-up. The suspect female in family 1 showed no
      mutation in carrier detection. The novel p.E121del and p.W173X mutations in
      IL2Rgamma may have been the primary causes of disease in 2 families with X-SCID.
      In couples with an X-SCID reproductive history, prenatal gene mutation analysis
      of IL2Rgamma can effectively prevent the birth of children with X-SCID and
      carrier detection for suspected females.

PMID- 26125818
TI  - Analysis of the GSTM1-null polymorphism in patients with pterygium from Goiania,
      Goias Brazil.
AB  - The first reports about pterygium date back to Hippocrates, and this disease
      still threatens vision health around the world. Pterygium is a formation of
      fibrous tissue consisting of highly vascularized epithelial and subepithelial
      tissue that grows excessively and with an abnormal shape on the cornea. Many
      physical and biological factors are associated with the pathogenesis of
      pterygium, including heat, dust, and other particles in the atmosphere, and
      immunological mechanisms, mechanisms involving extracellular matrix
      reorganization, growth factors, cytokines, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. The aim
      of this study was to further investigate the association between polymorphisms in
      GSTM1 and the formation of pterygium. We collected peripheral blood samples from
      90 patients diagnosed with pterygium and from 23 subjects with-out the disease in
      order to perform molecular analysis of the GSTM1 gene. Subjects with one or two
      copies of the GSTM1 allele had a normal genotype while those without any copies
      of the allele had a null geno-type. The chi-square test or the Fisher exact test
      was performed in order to investigate possible associations between the molecular
      analysis and the risk of pterygium. A significant difference between the
      frequency of the GSTM1-null genotype in patient and control groups was
      identified. However, sub-group analysis found that the GSTM1-null genotype was
      statistically significant in men, but not in women, and in Caucasians, but not in
      Brown or Black groups. Furthermore, the GSTM1-null geno-type was not related to
      any of the risk factors analyzed: cases in family, occupational exposure,
      smoking, hypertension, and diabetes.

PMID- 26125819
TI  - Pterygium in patients from Goiania, Goias, Brazil.
AB  - Pterygium is an inflammatory and degenerative ocular surface disease in which the
      conjunctiva on the cornea grows to form a fibrous tissue in the shape of a
      triangle. The disorder may be characterized by cell proliferation, inflammatory
      processes, fibrosis, angiogenesis, and destruction of the extracellular matrix.
      The anomaly is considered a degenerative eye disease and is erroneously confused
      with cataract. It displays similar features to those of tumors, such as local
      invasion, metaplasia of epithelial cells, presence of oncogenic viruses (human
      papilloma virus), inactivation of tumor suppressor genes (e.g., p53), and loss of
      heterozygosity. The treatment of pterygium is based on factors such as the
      evolution and progression of the disease, risk factors, symptoms, and patient
      age. Considerations about the best technique for the surgical removal of
      pterygium remain controversial, and complications and recurrence are very common.
      The development of new surgical techniques and adjuvant drugs is thus necessary.
      This study aims to analyze and compare the frequency of the GSTT1 genotypes in
      relation to pterygium through statistical analyzes in order to build a genotypic
      profile for the Replicon patients. The genotypic profile of the GSTT1-null
      polymorphism in Goiania showed no significant difference when the frequency of
      the null genotype was compared between the control and experimental groups. The
      null genotype was more frequent in the population studied. Furthermore, the GSTT1
      genotype was not related to the analyzed risk factors for pterygium, namely
      gender, ethnicity, family history, occupational exposure, smoking, hypertension,
      and diabetes. 

PMID- 26125820
TI  - De novo assembly and characterization of the root transcriptome and development
      of simple sequence repeat markers in Paphiopedilum concolor.
AB  - Paphiopedilum orchids (Orchidaceae) have attracted much attention from botanists
      and horticulturists because of their peculiar leaves and beautiful flowers.
      Furthermore, the dry roots of Paphiopedilum plants have well-known medicinal
      uses. However, it is unknown how sensitive and plastic the root genes are to
      environmental changes or how these environmental changes regulate the
      biosynthesis of active ingredients. In this study, we chose Paphiopedilum
      concolor for root sequencing, as it is widely used as a parent in breeding
      experiments. A total of 3.77 Gb of sequence data were generated by Illumina
      paired-end sequencing. De novo assemblies yielded 72,952 contigs, 67,434
      scaffolds, 64,304 unigenes with average lengths of 937, 1022, and 1047 bp,
      respectively. Based on Basic Local Alignment Search Tool with known protein
      sequences, 40,815 (63.5%) unigenes were annotated with an E-value cutoff of 1.0E
      5. Among the unigenes, 24,605 were classified in the Gene Ontology database,
      17,361 were assigned to Cluster of Orthologous Groups, and 14,170 were annotated
      in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Among these annotations, over 1195
      unigenes related to secondary metabolic pathways, as well as 609 unigenes
      involved in plant hormone synthesis and signal transduction, were identified. In
      addition, 5322 potential simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified, and 4989
      primer pairs for 3975 sequences containing SSRs were obtained. This study
      provides valuable insights into the mechanisms of genes that regulate root growth
      and development and provides a comprehensive resource for genes related to
      secondary metabolism in roots and for marker-assisted studies in Paphiopedilum. 

PMID- 26125821
TI  - Protective effects of hydrogen-rich medium on lipopolysaccharide-induced
      monocytic adhesion and vascular endothelial permeability through regulation of
      vascular endothelial cadherin.
AB  - We observed the effect of hydrogen-rich medium on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
      induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), hyaline leukocyte
      conglutination, and permeability of the endothelium. Endotheliocytes were
      inoculated on 6-well plates and randomly divided into 4 groups: control, H2, LPS,
      LPS+H2, H2, and LPS+H2 in saturated hydrogen-rich medium. We applied Wright's
      stain-ing to observe conglutination of hyaline leukocytes and HUVECs, flow
      cytometry to determine the content of vascular cell adhesion protein 1 (VCAM-1)
      and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
      to measure the E-selectin concentration in the cell liquor, the transendothelial
      electrical resistance (TEER) to test the permeability of endothelial cells, and
      Western blot and immunofluorescence to test the expression and distribution of
      vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin. Compared with control cells, there was an
      increase in endothelium-hyaline leukocyte conglutination, a reduction in VCAM-1,
      ICAM-1, and E-selectin, and the TEER value increased obviously. Compared with
      LPS, there was an obvious reduction in the conglutination of LPS+H2 cells, a
      reduction in VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and E-selectin levels, and a reduction in the TEER
      resistance value, while the expression of VE-cadherin increased. Fluorescence
      results showed that, compared with control cells, the VE-cadherin in LPS cells
      was in-complete at the cell joints. Compared with LPS cells, the VE-cadherin in
      LPS+H2 cells was even and complete at the cell joints. Liquid rich in hydrogen
      could reduce LPS-induced production of adhesion molecules and endothelium-hyaline
      leukocyte conglutination, and influence the expression and distribution of VE
      cadherin to regulate the permeability of the endothelium.

PMID- 26125822
TI  - Genetic polymorphism at the KIR gene locus: determination of gene, genotype, and
      haplotype frequencies in the Xinjiang Han population.
AB  - The aim of this study was to explore the genetic polymorphism, genotype, and
      haplotype characteristics of the KIR locus in the Xinjiang Han population in
      order to establish a foundation for future analysis of the relationship between
      KIR genes and disease. KIR genes were detected by sequence-specific primer
      polymerase chain reaction in 184 randomly selected, healthy individuals from the
      Han population in Xinjiang, China. Standard genotype and haplotype analyses were
      conducted using Hsu's standards classified for analysis. Sixteen KIR genes were
      detected: 3DL3, 2DL4, 3DL2, and 3DL2 (100%); 2DL1 and 2DP1 (99.46%); 2DL3
      (98.91%); and so on. The 2DS2 gene frequency was the lowest at 21.74%. Twenty-one
      genotypes were detected: AJ (2, 2) was relatively common (42.39%), followed by AH
      (5, 2), AE (2, 8) and H (2, 4), with frequencies of 17.39, 11.96, and 8.15%,
      respectively. In addition, six novel genotypes were identified in 11 Han
      individuals as well as in other populations in China, which could not be
      classified for analysis. These results indicated that the Xinjiang Han population
      shares KIR gene, genotype, and haplotype frequency distributions with the Chinese
      Han population, but also has unique genotypes and haplotypes. 

PMID- 26125823
TI  - Bovine yolk sac: from morphology to metabolomic and proteomic profiles.
AB  - In several species, placentation involves the presence of two different membranes
      responsible for maternal-fetal exchanges: the yolk sac and the chorioallantoic
      placenta. The yolk sac plays important roles in embryonic survival, mainly during
      the early stages of gestation. In bovine, it is a transitional membrane that is
      present until day 50-70 of pregnancy. Herein, we evaluated the morphological and
      molecular aspects of the yolk sac of bovine embryos during 24 to 52 days of
      gestation. A total of 69 embryos were allocated into three groups according to
      the crown-rump length and estimated ages. Yolk sac samples were then subjected to
      morphological and molecular analysis using mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic
      resonance techniques. In contrast to alanine, which was observed only in Group I,
      during all gestational stages, we identified important metabolites such as
      aspartate, taurine, glycerophosphocholine, creatinine, creatine, hydrouracil,
      glutamate, glutamine, lactate, lysine, valine, myo-inositol, cadaverine, and
      choline. In addition, 314 random sequences of proteins were identified in the
      bovine yolk sac, and 47 of these were considered to be specific. Changes in alpha
      fetoprotein and carcinoembryonic antigen concentrations during gestation were
      also evaluated. In conclusion, the majority of these proteins are related to the
      development of secondary metabolites that are involved in the activation of other
      proteins and metabolites, and in signaling pathways that are responsible for
      maternal-fetal exchanges, activation of programmed cell death mechanisms, and
      cellular differentiation, and also in proteins that are responsible for the yolk
      sac involution that is required to establish chorioallantoic placentation. 

PMID- 26125824
TI  - Expression of COX-2 and VEGF-C in cholangiocarcinomas at different clinical and
      pathological stages.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance
      of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and vascular en-dothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) in
      cholangiocarcinomas at differ-ent clinical and pathological stages. Eighty
      cholangiocarcinoma sam-ples of patients treated with surgery between January 2012
      and January 2014 were collected. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect COX-2
      and VEGF-C expression at different clinical and pathological stages. ELISA, real
      time PCR, invasive chambers, and MTT assay were ap-plied in cultured
      cholangiocarcinoma cells treated with a COX-2 inhib-itor. Expression of COX-2 and
      VEGF-C correlated positively with the clinical TNM stage but did not correlate
      with the differentiation status. Inhibition of COX-2 activity reduced VEGF-C mRNA
      expression and secretion in cholangiocarcinoma cells and decreased their
      migration but not proliferation. Because of its ability to inhibit invasion, COX
      2 could be a new target for treatment of cholangiocarcinoma. 

PMID- 26125825
TI  - Case Report Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the primary bone marrow.
AB  - This study aimed to improve understanding of the diagnosis, treatment, and
      prognosis of primary bone marrow (PBM) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a
      rare illness. We report a 56-year-old man with pancytopenia and
      hyperbilirubinemia but without lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, or splenomegaly.
      Bone marrow aspiration, flow cytometry, biopsy, and immunohistochemistry
      confirmed DLBCL. Two cycles of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin,
      vincristine, and prednisone were administered. Blood cell numbers and
      hyperbilirubinemia improved. Although the patient did not completely recover, he
      survived for at least 3 years after chemotherapy and receiving blood
      transfusions. PBM DLBCL is a distinct, aggressive lymphoma characterized by
      lymphoma cells only in the bone marrow and effectively treated via chemotherapy.
      Prognoses for PBM DLBCL vary. 

PMID- 26125826
TI  - Antioxidant content and cytological examination of aqueous fluid from patients
      with age-related cataracts at different stages.
AB  - We investigated the antioxidant content and conducted a cytological examination
      of the aqueous fluid and lenses of patients with age-related cataracts at
      different stages. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and
      glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) in the aqueous fluid and lenses were determined
      by the xanthine oxidase method, the colorimetric method, and the improved reduced
      glutathione (GSH) depletion method, respectively. SOD, CAT, and GSH-PX content in
      the aqueous fluid and lenses decreased significantly with increasing lenticular
      nucleus hardness grading. However, the number of white blood cells, neutrophils,
      monocytes, lymphocytes, and eosinophils did not vary significantly with varying
      lenticular nucleus hardness. Antioxidant content examination is an important
      quantitative indicator for clinical diagnosis and treatment of age-related
      cataracts. Antioxidant content in the aqueous fluid and lenses decreased
      significantly with increasing lenticular nucleus hardness grading. Lenses at
      hardness level V had the lowest content of antioxidants. 

PMID- 26125827
TI  - Association between the FCGR2A gene H131R polymorphism and risk of Kawasaki
      disease: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Several previous studies have investigated whether the FCGR2A gene H131R
      polymorphism confers an increased risk of Kawasaki disease (KD), but conflicting
      results have been reported. To further explore the association of this
      polymorphism with KD susceptibility, we performed an extensive search of relevant
      studies and conducted a meta-analysis to obtain a more precise estimate of risk.
      Systematic searches of the electronic databases Embase, PubMed, and Google
      Scholar were performed to identify relevant studies. Odds ratios (ORs) and their
      95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used for statistical analysis. Six studies
      were included in the meta-analysis, involving 1709 patients with KD and 3207
      controls. Significant association was found between the FCGR2A gene H131R
      polymorphism and KD risk in analysis of the total population (HH vs RR: OR =
      1.97, 95%CI = 1.55-2.50; HH vs HR: OR = 1.38, 95%CI = 1.21-1.57; the dominant
      model: OR = 0.69, 95%CI = 0.60-0.78; and the recessive model: OR = 1.65, 95%CI =
      1.32-2.07). In subgroup analysis by ethnicity, significant association was found
      between the H131R polymorphism and KD risk in Asians, but not in Caucasians. In
      addition, we found no significant association between the FCGR2A gene H131R
      polymorphism and risk of KD-associated coronary artery lesions. In conclusion,
      this meta-analysis suggested that the H131R polymorphism in the FCGR2A gene might
      be associated with susceptibility to KD in Asians. 

PMID- 26125828
TI  - Novel polymorphic microsatellite markers in Odontobutis potamophila.
AB  - We characterized 16 novel polymorphic loci isolated from a partial genomic DNA
      library of Odontobutis potamophila enriched for CA repeats. We tested the
      variability of these microsatellites on 51 unrelated individuals collected in
      China. All loci were polymorphic. The average allele number was 14.6 per locus,
      ranging from 2 to 27. The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.35 to 0.90, with
      an average of 0.70, whereas the average expected heterozygosity was 0.76. Twelve
      of the 16 microsatellites conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and were
      inherited independently. These developed microsatellites will be useful in
      studies of population genetics and other genetic studies on this important food
      species. 

PMID- 26125829
TI  - Hypolipidemic effect of safflower yellow and primary mechanism analysis.
AB  - We examined the hypolipidemic effect of safflower yellow (SY) on hyperlipidemic
      mice and its influence on the biological synthesis of cholesterol in cells. Over
      4 weeks, the levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein
      cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in serum were detected
      using a kit; mouse liver samples were acquired for paraffin sections, and mouse
      liver cells were observed under light microscope. Chinese hamster ovary cells
      were cultured in vitro, and an amphotericin B-cell model was adopted to observe
      the inhibitory effect of SY on the biological synthesis of intracellular
      cholesterol. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the survival
      rate of Chinese hamster ovary cells. The middle and high doses of SY
      significantly reduced the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low
      density lipoprotein cholesterol in the serum of hyperlipidemic mice and low
      density lipoprotein cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (P <
      0.05), and the fatty liver of hyperlipidemic mice was significantly alleviated.
      SY had a protective effect on Chinese hamster ovary cells following amphotericin
      B injury (P < 0.01). SY exerts significant hypolipidemic effects and prevents
      fatty liver in a mechanism associated with inhibition of the biosynthesis of
      intracellular cholesterol. 

PMID- 26125830
TI  - Polymorphisms in the PPARgamma gene and their association with metabolic syndrome
      in Uyghurs and Kazakhs from Xinjiang, China.
AB  - We investigated the association between polymorphisms rs1801282 and rs3856806 of
      the PPARgamma gene and metabolic syndrome (MS) among Uyghurs and Kazakhs. Mass
      spectrometry techniques were used to detect the PPARgamma genotypes rs1801282 and
      rs3856806 in 987 subjects, CC genotype and C allele frequencies were 83.6 and
      91.7%, respectively, at rs1801282 in Kazakhs, which were higher than those in
      Uyghurs (72.3 and 85.0%, respectively; P < 0.05). CC genotype and C allele
      frequencies were 73.6 and 85.3%, respectively, at the rs3856806 loci in Kazakhs,
      which were higher than those in Uyghurs (60.7 and 77.9%, respectively; P < 0.05).
      For the rs3856806 polymorphism in Kazakhs, CT/TT genotype and T allele
      frequencies were 21.2 and 12.4% for MS subjects, which were lower than those for
      the control group (31.6 and 17.0%, respectively; P < 0.05). Risk analysis of
      Kazakhs revealed that individuals with the CT and TT genotypes at rs3856806 had
      an increased risk, 0.524- and 0.770-fold, respectively, of developing MS than
      those possessing the CC genotype. Individuals with the T allele also had an
      increase in risk, by 0.699-fold, of developing MS than those with the C allele.
      For Uyghurs, those with the CC genotype at rs1801282 had higher systolic blood
      pressure than those with the CG/GG genotype. Among Kazakhs, those with the CC
      genotype at rs3856806 had higher triglyceride and waist-hip ratio levels but
      lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels than those with the CT/TT
      genotype. The rs1801282 and rs3856806 PPARgamma polymorphisms differ between
      Uyghurs and Kazakhs from Xinjiang Province, China. 

PMID- 26125831
TI  - Associations of miRNA polymorphisms and expression levels with breast cancer risk
      in the Chinese population.
AB  - Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in microRNAs (miRNAs) may dramatically affect
      gene expression and subsequently alter individual susceptibility to cancer, and
      thus has become a research hotspot for many cancer types, including breast
      cancer. We recruited 321 breast cancer patients and 290 controls in our study.
      Four established miRNA single-nucleotide polymorphisms (mir-499 rs3746444 A>G;
      miR-27a rs895819 A>G; miR-196a2 rs11614913 T>C; miR-146a rs2910164 G/C) were
      detected using Taqman assays. Mature miRNA expression, allele distribution, and
      the association with clinical features were further analyzed. Our results showed
      that the miR146a rs2910164 G/C polymorphism was associated with an elevated risk
      of breast cancer (odds ratio = 1.85, 95% confidence interval = 1.03-3.32; P <
      0.05). Compared with the ancestral T allele in miR-196a2 rs11614913, the variant
      C allele was consistently associated with an increased risk of breast cancer
      (odds ratio = 2.20, 95% confidence interval = 1.19-4.09, P < 0.01) and clinical
      pathological type (P < 0.01). miR-27a rs895819 A>G and miR-499 rs3746444 A>G were
      not associated with breast cancer risk. Analysis of mature miRNA expression
      confirmed that the variant C allele in miR146a rs2910164 and miR-196a2 rs11614913
      dramatically inhibited production of their mature products. Our results suggested
      that miR-146a rs2910164 G>C and miR-196a2 rs11614913 T>C may be biomarkers for
      predicting breast cancer risk in the Chinese population. 

PMID- 26125832
TI  - Karyotype of Philodryas nattereri and Philodryas olfersii with a comparative
      analysis of the Dipsadidae family.
AB  - Cytogenetic studies of Philodryas nattereri and Philodryas olfersii revealed a
      diploid chromosome number 2n = 36 for both species (3 metacentrics, 4
      submetacentrics, and 10 acrocentrics, with a fundamental number of 51 and 52,
      respectively). The results obtained are novel and similar to those previously
      described for species belonging to the Dipsadidae family. The conventional
      karyotype is also novel and divergent from other species of the Dipsadidae
      family, where a higher proportion of macrochromosomes predominate, revealing two
      distinct groups in this family. The data are reported and discussed considering
      the cytotaxonomy of the family. These results strongly support the current view
      that chromosomal alterations, such as centric fusion and Robertsonian's
      translocations, seems to support the distinct importance of chromosomal
      rearrangements in speciation within this group. 

PMID- 26125833
TI  - Estimating additive and dominance variances for complex traits in pigs combining
      genomic and pedigree information.
AB  - Knowledge of dominance effects should improve ge-netic evaluations, provide the
      accurate selection of purebred animals, and enable better breeding strategies,
      including the exploitation of het-erosis in crossbreeds. In this study, we
      combined genomic and pedi-gree data to study the relative importance of additive
      and dominance genetic variation in growth and carcass traits in an F2 pig
      population. Two GBLUP models were used, a model without a polygenic effect (ADM)
      and a model with a polygenic effect (ADMP). Additive effects played a greater
      role in the control of growth and carcass traits than did dominance effects.
      However, dominance effects were important for all traits, particularly in backfat
      thickness. The narrow-sense and broad-sense heritability estimates for growth
      (0.06 to 0.42, and 0.10 to 0.51, respectively) and carcass traits (0.07 to 0.37,
      and 0.10 to 0.76, respec-tively) exhibited a wide variation. The inclusion of a
      polygenic effect in the ADMP model changed the broad-sense heritability estimates
      only for birth weight and weight at 21 days of age. 

PMID- 26125834
TI  - DKK1 eukaryotic expression plasmid and expression product identification.
AB  - We constructed the human dickkopf 1 (DKK1) eukaryotic expression plasmid and
      expressed, purified, and identified its expression product. We extracted cancer
      cells from cervical cancer tissue, followed by extraction of mRNA. Reverse
      transcription-polymerase chain reaction was conducted to obtain DKK1 gene
      fragments. Using these fragments, we prepared the recombinant plasmid pCMV
      HA2/DKK1. The recombinant plasmid was restriction enzyme-digested and sequenced,
      and using liposome vectors, was transiently transfected into Free-Style 293-F
      cells (serum-free medium). DKK1 protein was detected by western blotting. The
      amplification product showed the expected size. Restriction enzyme digestion and
      sequence analysis showed that the recombinant plasmid was PCMV-HA2/DKK1. The
      expression product was verified properly by western blotting using an anti-DKKI
      antibody. The successful cloning of the DKKI gene and expression of DKKI protein
      will be useful for studying the biological activity of tumorigenesis. 

PMID- 26125835
TI  - Screening the first set of polymorphic microsatellite loci in Lunella coronata
      granulata (Turbinidae).
AB  - Lunella coronata granulata, from the family Turbini-dae, is an economically
      important species. The first set of 10 poly-morphic microsatellite loci was
      screened from L. coronata granulata, and 30 individuals were used to analyze the
      degree of polymorphism in these loci. The level of observed and expected
      heterozygosity was 0.0667-0.7333 and 0.0644-0.6628, respectively. The
      polymorphism information content varied from 0.305 to 0.559. Eight loci were in
      Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) (P > 0.05), while two loci devi-ated
      significantly from the HWE after Bonferroni's correction (P < 0.005). The
      isolated microsatellite loci can be utilized in studies of population genetic
      analysis and they provide important genetic mark-ers for construction of genetic
      linkage maps and genetic breeding of L. coronata granulata resources. 

PMID- 26125836
TI  - Assessment of the cytotoxic, genotoxic, and antigenotoxic activities of sucupira
      oil (Pterodon emarginatus).
AB  - The present study aimed to assess the cytotoxic, genotoxic, and antigenotoxic
      activities of sucupira oil (Pterodon emarginatus), which is commonly used as an
      anti-rheumatic, analgesic, antimicrobial, anticercariae, and anti-inflammatory.
      We used the mouse bone marrow micronucleus test as an experimental model. The
      experimental groups, which consisted of 5 animals, was administered sucupira oil
      (100 mg/kg body weight) intraperitoneally and evaluated 24 h after the treatment.
      The negative control group was treated with sterile distilled water, and the
      positive control group received an intraperitoneal dose of 4 mg/kg mitomycin C, a
      dose that corresponds to 80% of its median lethal dose. Cytotoxicity was
      determined by the polychromatic to normochromatic erythrocytes ratio (PCE/NCE).
      Sucupira oil had no significant effects (P > 0.05) on the frequency of
      micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes as compared to the negative control
      group. However, the difference was significant (P < 0.005) as compared to the
      positive control group. The PCE/NCE (100 mg/kg oil and 4 mg/kg mitomycin) ratio
      did not differ between the experimental group and the positive control group, but
      it differed significantly when compared to the negative control group (P < 0.05).
      Thus, these findings suggested that the P. emarginatus oil showed no cytotoxic,
      mutagenic, or antimutagenic activities at a dose of 100 mg/kg. 

PMID- 26125837
TI  - Association of MDR1 C3435T and C1236T single nucleotide polymorphisms with male
      factor infertility.
AB  - Infertility affects 1 in 6 couples and approximately 1 in 25 men. Male factor
      infertility is a major cause of spermatogenic anomalies, the causes of which are
      largely unknown. Impaired repro-ductive functions in men might result from
      physiological, genetic, and/or environmental factors such as xenobiotics. The
      multi-drug re-sistance1 (MDR1) gene encodes a P-glycoprotein which has a role in
      the active transport of various substrates providing protection of somatic cells
      from potentially toxic substances, including xenobi-otics. MDR1 is highly
      expressed at the luminal surface of capillary endothelial cells, and is expressed
      in Leydig cells, testicular mac-rophages, and Sertoli cells. We performed
      genotype and haplotype analyses of MDR1 in 192 infertile and 102 fertile Turkish
      men for the genetic markers C1236T and C3435T, using polymerase chain reaction
      restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. In the overall population,
      correlations were analyzed in all genotype mod-els. We found that the C3435T
      polymorphism TT vs CT genotypes showed statistically significant differences in
      their association with infertility (P = 0.045), and that the CT genotype was
      associated with high sperm DNA damage (P = 0.02), suggesting that the CT genotype
      might be a susceptibility factor for infertility. Additionally, the T-T haplotype
      was significantly more frequent in the control group (13.2 vs 6.5%; odds ratio =
      0.459, 95%CI = 0.259-0.814, P = 0.006). This study showed that MDR1 might have a
      role in male infertility. Fur-ther research in large cohorts with different
      populations is required to clarify the role of MDR in male fertility. 

PMID- 26125838
TI  - Dynamic changes of virus load in supernatant of primary CEK cell culture infected
      with different generations of avian infectious bronchitis virus strains Sczy3 as
      revealed by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
AB  - Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) can multiply effectively in chick embryo kidney
      (CEK) cells after adapting to the chick embryo. To investigate the dynamic
      changes in IBV load in the supernatant of primary CEK cells, we developed an SYBR
      Green I-based real-time polymerase chain reaction assay to quantify nucleic copy
      numbers of the IBV-Sczy3 strain. The 20, 54, and 87th generations of CEK-adapted
      IBV-Sczy3 strains were used to infect CEK cells, and then nucleic copy numbers in
      the samples of supernatant collected at 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 h were
      detected. The results showed that the rapid growth period of the virus load of
      all the 3 generations was approximately 12-36 h post-infection; the peak of the
      virus load appeared at 36 h post-infection and then decreased gradually in the
      order of 20th > 54th > 87th for the 3 generations of CEK-adapted strains; the
      dynamic change curve of the IBV load in the supernatant of primary CEK cells
      showed a single peak. The results of this study provide a useful reference for
      CEK-adapted IBV field strains and the production of CEK-attenuated IBV vaccine. 

PMID- 26125839
TI  - Positive association between PPARD rs2016520 polymorphism and coronary heart
      disease in a Han Chinese population.
AB  - PPARD encodes peroxisome proliferator-activated re-ceptor delta, which has been
      shown to play an important role in control-ling lipid metabolism and
      atherosclerosis. In this case-control study, we explored the relationship between
      PPARD rs2016520 polymorphism and coronary heart disease (CHD) in a Han Chinese
      population. A to-tal of 657 CHD cases and 640 controls were included in the
      associa-tion study. rs2016520 polymorphism genotyping was performed using the
      melting temperature-shift polymerase chain reaction method. The PPARD rs2016520-G
      allele reduced CHD risk by 17.9% (chi(2) = 5.061, P = 0.025, OR = 0.821, 95%CI =
      0.692-0.975). Furthermore, a signifi-cant difference in CHD risk was observed for
      the PPARD rs2016520 polymorphism in the dominant model (AG + GG vs AA: chi(2) =
      4.751, degrees of freedom (df) = 1, P = 0.029, OR = 0.784, 95%CI = 0.631- 0.976).
      Analysis by age suggested that the G-allele decreased CHD risk by 14.8% in ages
      greater than 65 years (chi(2) = 4.446, P = 0.035, OR = 0.852, 95%CI = 0.684
      1.060). In contrast, meta-analysis of PPARD rs2016520 among 3732 cases and 5042
      controls revealed no associa-tion between PPARD rs2016520 and CHD (P = 0.19). We
      found that the PPARD rs2016520-GG genotype decreased CHD risk in a Han Chinese
      population. Moreover, we found an association between serum high-density
      lipoprotein cholesterol level and PPARD rs2016520 in senior individuals aged >=
      65 years. The meta-analysis revealed no association between PPARD rs2016520 and
      CHD, suggesting ethnic differences in the association between the PPARD locus and
      CHD. 

PMID- 26125840
TI  - Activity of matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 in cultured rabbit corneal
      epithelium cells stimulated by tumor necrosis factor alpha.
AB  - We studied the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9 generated by
      cultured rabbit corneal epithelium cells that had been stimulated with tumor
      necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), to investigate the possible regulative
      mechanisms of MMP-2/9 and their potential effect on corneal inflammatory
      diseases. The rabbit corneal epithelium cells were cultured in vitro and
      incubated with different concentrations of TNF-alpha (0, 1, 10, and 100 ng/mL)
      for 24 h. The activity of MMP-2/9 was examined using gelatin zymography. The
      results were analyzed by computer image analysis and statistical tests. TNF-alpha
      stimulated the secretion of MMP-2/9 in a dose-dependent manner, and MMP-2 was
      activated by TNF-alpha. Inflammatory factors such as TNF-alpha can stimulate MMP
      2/9 activity in corneal epithelium cells. This may be a potential manipulating
      mechanism of MMP expression in the pathogenesis of corneal diseases, and could
      play an important role in the prevention and treatment of corneal inflammatory
      diseases. 

PMID- 26125841
TI  - A simplified genomic DNA extraction protocol for pre-germination genotyping in
      rice.
AB  - Genotyping is a critical step for molecular marker-assisted selection in rice.
      Rice genomic DNA samples for genotyping are typically isolated from living
      tissues such as seedlings. This requires the germination of all candidate seeds
      and extraction of DNA from the seedlings. Currently, an ideal individual is
      selected from a very large number of plants, which is time- and labor-consuming,
      requiring several transplantations of materials and sampling processes. In this
      study, we developed a simplified genomic DNA extraction protocol in rice by using
      amylase to treat half-seeds. The yields of genomic DNA from a half-seed of Indica
      and Japonica rice were greater than 203.8 +/- 32.5 and 143.2 +/- 25.5 ng,
      respectively, and the 260/280 nm absorbance ratio was 1.75-2.10. The DNA was
      confirmed to be sufficient for polymerase chain reaction amplification and can be
      used in a marker-assisted selection program. 

PMID- 26125842
TI  - FlgN plays important roles in the adhesion of Aeromonas hydrophila to host mucus.
AB  - Adhesion to the host mucus is a crucial step in the early infection stage of
      pathogenic bacteria. To investigate the mechanisms of the adhesion of Aeromonas
      hydrophila to its host mucus, a mutant library was constructed using the mini
      Tn10 transposon mutagenesis system. Of 276 individual colonies, the mutant strain
      with the most attenuated adhesion ability in this study was screened out and
      designated A77. Molecular analysis showed that a 414-bp sequence flanking mini
      Tn10 in A77 had the highest identity (97%) with the bacterial flagellar protein
      gene flgN. A complemented strain flgN+ was constructed and the biological
      characteristics of the wild-type, mutant A77, and complemented flgN+ strains were
      investigated. The results showed that the decreased abilities of motility,
      adhesion to mucus, and biofilm formation in the mutant strain were partially
      recovered in the complemented flgN+ strain, which suggested that flgN plays an
      important role in the adhesion of A. hydrophila to its host. 

PMID- 26125843
TI  - Effect of Ginkgo biloba extract on apoptosis of brain tissues in rats with acute
      cerebral infarction and related gene expression.
AB  - We investigated the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract on apoptosis of brain tissues
      in rats with acute cerebral infarction and apoptosis-related gene expression. Rat
      models of acute cerebral infarction were constructed using the suture method, and
      randomly divided into the control group, model, and treatment groups. In the
      treatment group, 4 mg/kg G. biloba extract was intravenously injected into the
      rat tail vein. Phosphate-buffered saline solution was injected in the model
      group. Seventy-two hours after treatment, rats were euthanized, and brain tissues
      were removed to analyze the changes in caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and
      Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) mRNA and protein levels, and variation in brain
      tissue cells' apoptosis indices was measured. Compared with the control group,
      the model and treatment groups showed significantly upregulated caspase-3, Bcl-2,
      and Bax mRNA and protein levels in brain tissues, but remarkably downregulated
      Bcl-2 mRNA and protein levels (P < 0.05). After treatment, in treatment group
      brain tissues, caspase-3 and Bax mRNA and protein levels were significantly lower
      than those in the model group, while Bcl-2 mRNA and protein levels were higher
      than that in the model group (P < 0.05). The model and treatment groups showed
      increased cell apoptosis indices of brain tissues compared to the control group;
      after treatment, the apoptosis index in the treatment group was significantly
      downregulated compared with that in the model group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, G.
      biloba extract significantly reduced apoptosis in rat brain tissue cells with
      acute cerebral infarction and thus protected brain tissues. 

PMID- 26125844
TI  - Repair of large segmental bone defects in rabbits using BMP and FGF composite
      xenogeneic bone.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the ability of bone morphogenetic
      protein (BMP) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) to repair large segmental radial
      bone defects in rabbits. We treated calf cancellous bones with 3 mg/L BMP (Group
      A), 5 MUg/L FGF (Group B), or 3 mg/L BMP plus 5 MUg/L FGF (Group C). A bone
      damage model was established using healthy radii from rabbits. The complexes were
      implanted in the areas of the bone defects in the radii. After successful
      transplantation, the rabbits underwent radiographic imaging, and bone graft
      specimens were detected by histopathology methods. Biomechanical indexes were
      also assessed in order to observe the healing status of the bone defects. Our
      results indicated that the repair of bone defects was significantly better in
      Group C compared to the other 2 groups. Therefore, we concluded that combining
      BMP and FGF significantly promoted bone defect repair and achieved effects that
      were superior to the use of BMP alone. 

PMID- 26125845
TI  - Effects of exogenous 5-aminolevulinic acid on photosynthesis, stomatal
      conductance, transpiration rate, and PIP gene expression of tomato seedlings
      subject to salinity stress.
AB  - The effects of exogenous 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) on photosynthesis, plant
      growth, and the expression of two aquaporin genes in tomato seedlings under
      control and salinity conditions were investigated. Exogenous ALA application
      significantly improved net photosynthetic rate (Pn), total chlorophyll content,
      and plant biomass accumulation of tomato seedlings under salinity stress. As
      revealed by real-time PCR analyses, after treatment with ALA alone, expression of
      both LePIP1 and LePIP2 in the two tomato cultivars was up-regulated at 2 h and
      subsequently decreased to normal levels. Under salinity stress, transcript levels
      of LePIP1 in both leaves and roots of salt-sensitive cultivars (cv. Zhongza No.9)
      increased significantly and were considerably higher than in cultivars exposed to
      ALA alone. In contrast, the expression levels of LePIP1 and LePIP2 in cvs.
      Jinpeng No.1 cultivars were slightly lower under salinity stress than under ALA
      treatment. In addition, transcript levels of both LePIP1 and LePIP2 in the roots
      of Jinpeng No. 1 cultivars were considerably lower than those in the roots of
      Zhongza No. 9 cultivars under salinity stress, regardless of ALA supplementation,
      implying that Jinpeng No. 1 cultivars had a better capacity to maintain membrane
      intrinsic protein stability. Further, ALA application distinctly counteracted the
      up- or down-regulation of LePIP1 and LePIP2 in both cultivars under salinity
      stress, in accordance with the improvements instomatal conductance, transpiration
      rate, and Pn of tomato leaves. The results presented here indicate that ALA
      controls aquaporin expression, thus, presumably ALA regulates water homeostasis
      and enhances salt tolerance of tomato seedlings. 

PMID- 26125846
TI  - Inhibition of human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cell growth following
      combination treatment with resveratrol and imatinib mesylate.
AB  - To investigate the effect of treatment with resveratrol combined with imatinib
      mesylate on human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cell growth inhibition and
      apoptosis, in vitro cultured human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells were
      incubated with different concentrations of resveratrol and imatinib mesylate when
      the cells were in the logarithmic phase. Next, the cell growth inhibition was
      evaluated using the MTT assay and cellular morphology observation. Apoptosis was
      determined using Annexin V fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide double
      staining. The results demonstrated that treatment with resveratrol (concentration
      dependent) and imatinib mesylate showed significantly greater inhibition of K562
      cell growth and a higher apoptosis rate of K562 cells than imatinib mesylate
      medication alone and the control group (P < 0.01). The imatinib mesylate
      medication alone group showed significant inhibition of K562 cell growth and
      apoptosis rate of K562 cells compared to the control group (P < 0.01). Our
      findings indicate that imatinib mesylate and resveratrol are potent drug
      treatments for human chronic myelogenous leukemia, offering a promising means of
      inhibiting cell growth and apoptosis. 

PMID- 26125847
TI  - Identification and characterization of novel NBS-LRR resistance gene analogues
      from the pea.
AB  - Pea (Pisum sativum) is one of the most cultivated le-gumes in the world, and its
      yield and seed quality are affected by a variety of pathogens. In plants, NBS-LRR
      (nucleotide binding site-leucine-rich repeat) is the main class of disease
      resistance genes. Using degenerate primers deduced from conserved motifs in the
      NBS domain of known resistance genes, we identified 10 NBS sequences in three
      varieties of P. sativum. The deduced amino acid sequences of the iden-tified
      resistance gene analogues (RGAs) exhibited the typical motifs of the NBS domain
      (P-loop, kinase-2, kinase-3a, and the hydrophobic domain, GLPL) present in the
      majority of plant proteins belonging to the NBS-LRR class. Phylogenetic analysis
      showed that seven RGAs belonged to the non-TIR-NBS-LRR subclass and three to the
      TIR-NBS-LRR subclass. The results of this study provide insights into the
      structure of this class of resistance genes in the pea, and their evolution-ary
      relationships with those of other plant species. 

PMID- 26125848
TI  - Genome-wide pathway analysis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
AB  - The aims of this study were to identify candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) and mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to generate SNP
      to-gene-to-pathway hypotheses. An ALS genome-wide association study (GWAS)
      dataset that included 483,051 SNPs in 276 patients with ALS and 271 controls of
      European descent was used in this study. Identify Candidate Causal SNPs and
      Pathway (ICSNPathway) analysis was applied to the GWAS dataset. ICSNPathway
      analysis identified 19 candidate SNPs, 8 genes, and 9 pathways, which provided 8
      hypothetical biological mechanisms. The strongest hypothetical biological
      mechanism was that rs9352 alters the role of chromatin assembly factor 1 subunit
      A in the context of the pathways of chromatin and nucleosome assembly (nominal P
      < 0.001, false discovery rate (FDR) <= 0.001, 0.018, respectively). The second
      strongest was rs1046329 -> HILS1 -> chromatin assembly (nominal P < 0.001, FDR =
      0.018). The third was rs11100790 -> SMARCA5 -> chromatin and nucleosome assembly
      (nominal P < 0.001, FDR <= 0.001, 0.018, respectively). The application of
      ICSNPathway analysis to the ALS GWAS dataset resulted in the identification of
      candidate SNPs, pathways, and biological mechanisms that might contribute to ALS
      susceptibility. 

PMID- 26125849
TI  - Characterization of Aspergillus niger endo-1,4-beta-glucanase ENG1 secreted from
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae using different expression vectors.
AB  - Heterologous expression of Aspergillus niger endo-1,4-beta-glucanase (ENG1) in
      Saccharomyces cerevisiae was tested both with an episomal plasmid vector
      (YEGAp/eng1) and a yeast vector capable of integration into the HO locus of the
      S. cerevisiae chromosome (pHO-GAPDH-eng1-KanMX4-HO). In both cases, eng1 gene
      expression in yeast, with its native signal sequence for secretion, was under the
      control of the strong glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) promoter.
      We aimed to verify how each expression system affects protein expression,
      posttranslational modification, and biochemical properties. Expression of eng1
      from the episomal plasmid vector YEGAp/eng1 significantly slowed the growth of a
      yeast cell culture. However, expression of eng1 from the vector integrated into
      the HO locus of the chromosome did not cause growth suppression, and the enzyme
      activity in a culture supernatant was maintained throughout the incubation time.
      ENG1 has optimum catalytic activity at pH 6.0, and is stable in the pH range 5.0
      9.0. The enzyme's optimum temperature for catalytic activity at pH 6.0 is 70
      degrees C; importantly, more than 95% of the enzyme's initial activity remained
      after a 2-h incubation at 60 degrees C. The biochemical characterization of ENG1
      confirmed the correct expression of the protein and showed that ENG1 expressed by
      the pHO-GAPDH-eng1-KanMX4-HO vector, in addition to its N-linked sites, is
      overglycosylated at its O-glycosylation sites compared with ENG1 expressed by the
      YEGAp/eng1 vector. It is likely that the O-glycosylated form of the A. niger ENG1
      retains more stable activity during continuous cultivation of recombinant yeasts
      than the form that is only N-glycosylated. 

PMID- 26125850
TI  - Assessment of apple core collections constructed using phenotypic and genotypic
      data.
AB  - Several types of information can be used to select core collections, including
      passport data, agronomic data, and molecular data. However, little is known about
      the ability of core collections to retain the genetic diversity and structure of
      the whole collection for characters that were not considered during the
      selection, particularly when molecular markers are used. In this study, two core
      subsets were established for the apple (Malus spp) germplasm bank curated at the
      Apple Research Station, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science,
      Korea, based upon genetic diversity estimated with 14 simple sequence repeat
      markers, and phenotypic diversity based on 23 traits. Comparisons between these
      two subsets and with the whole collection were used to determine the effect of
      the data used in the selection on phenotypic and genetic diversity, and
      population structure. The two subsets had a similar diversity and did not differ
      from the original collection, according to the Nei and Shannon diversity indices.
      Allele and class frequencies were also maintained in the two subsets. Overall,
      the type of data used to construct the core collection had little influence on
      the phenotypic and genetic diversity retained. Therefore, in the case of apple
      collections, the use of molecular markers is preferable, because they allow rapid
      and reliable characterization. 

PMID- 26125851
TI  - Polymorphisms in GSTM1, GSTT1, GSTP1, and GSTM3 genes and breast cancer risk in
      northeastern Mexico.
AB  - Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a family of phase II metabolizing enzymes
      involved in carcinogen detoxification and the metabolism of various bioactive
      compounds. Several genes that code for these enzymes are polymorphic in an
      ethnicity-dependent manner, with particular genotypes previously associated with
      an increased risk of breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine
      the frequencies of polymorphisms in the genes GSTM1, GSTT1, GSTP1, and GSTM3 and
      to investigate whether an association exists between these genes and breast
      cancer risk in subjects from northeastern Mexico. Genotypes were determined for
      243 women with histologically confirmed breast cancer and 118 control subjects.
      Gene polymorphisms were analyzed using a DNA microarray. We found an increased
      breast cancer risk associated with the GSTM1 gene deletion polymorphism (OR =
      2.19; 95%CI = 1.50-3.21; P = 0.001). No associations between the GSTT1, GSTP1,
      and GSTM3 genotypes and neoplasia risk were observed. In conclusion, we
      determined the genotype distribution of GST polymorphisms in control subjects and
      breast cancer patients from northeastern Mexico. The GSTM1 null genotype was
      associated with breast cancer risk. Our findings may be used to individualize
      breast cancer screening and therapeutic intervention in our population, which
      displays ethnic characteristics that differentiate it from other populations in
      Mexico. 

PMID- 26125852
TI  - Population genetic structure of Attalea vitrivir Zona (Arecaceae) in fragmented
      areas of southeast Brazil.
AB  - Attalea vitrivir Zona (synonym Orbignya oleifera) is one of the six species of
      Arecaceae known as "babassu". This species is used to make cosmetics, food, and
      detergents due to the high concentration of oil in the seeds. It is found only in
      fragmented areas of southern Bahia State and northern Minas Gerais State,
      southeast Brazil, and this fragmentation has affected both its ecological and
      genetic characteristics. We evaluated the genetic diversity and population
      genetic structure of A. vitrivir in six areas of two different regions at the
      extremes of its geographical range, in order to gain a better understanding of
      the factors that affect the distribution and partitioning of its diversity. Nine
      inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers amplified 74 polymorphic bands,
      resulting in large diversity values (Shannon diversity index, 0.37-0.47;
      intrapopulation genetic diversity, 0.25-0.34). Analysis of molecular variance
      (AMOVA) revealed considerable differentiation between sampling sites (30.03%) and
      regions (12.08%), although most of the diversity was observed within sampling
      sites (69%). Further differentiation between sampling sites was noted more in the
      northern region than in the southern region, highlighting the genetic
      connectivity between the sampling sites within Rio Pandeiros Environmental
      Protection Area (southern region). The identification of two distinct genetic
      clusters (K = 2) corresponded to the northern and southern regions, and
      corroborated the AMOVA results. We suggest that the northern area, outside Rio
      Pandeiros Environmental Protection Area, must be included in future management
      plans for this species. 

PMID- 26125853
TI  - Study of the obp5 gene in Apis mellifera ligustica and Apis cerana cerana.
AB  - Apis mellifera ligustica and A. cerana cerana exhibit differences in olfactory
      sensitivity to odors from nectariferous plants and diseased broods. It is
      presumed that the differences in odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) between these 2
      species contribute to their olfactory sensitivity. We compared the sequences,
      temporal expression pattern, and binding properties of the 2 OBP-encoding genes.
      We cloned the Amobp5 and Acobp5 genes. Among the ligands tested, phenethyl
      acetate was the most variable, with AcOBP5 showing high affinity and AmOBP5
      having no apparent affinity for this ligand. While AmOBP5 had high affinity to
      both benzyl alcohol and 2-phenylethanol, the binding affinity of AcOBP5 to these
      compounds was moderate. However, the fluorescence intensity of these compounds
      was not decreased below 50%; thus, the dissociation constants could not be
      calculated. The Amobp5 gene showed significantly higher expression in 10- and 15
      day-old workers than in other stages, while the Acobp5 gene had the highest
      expression in 30-day-old workers. Both the Amobp5 and Acobp5 genes had the lowest
      expression level in 1-day-old workers. These results suggest that the binding
      properties and temporal expression patterns of the obp5 genes in A. mellifera and
      A. cerana play a critical role in the olfactory sensitivity of workers. 

PMID- 26125854
TI  - Phenotypic variation and diversity of Magnolia sprengeri Pamp. in native habitat.
AB  - The population of Magnolia sprengeri individuals deceased drastically in the late
      20th century because of the widespread harvest for traditional Chinese medicinal
      recipes. In this study, the levels of phenotypic variation and the genetic
      structure of 2 populations of M. sprengeri were estimated. The phenotypic
      variation of M. sprengeri characteristics was nonsynchronous, with a coefficient
      of variation for 37 characters from 9.55-35.87%. The variance stabilizing
      transformation value ranged from 0.034-52.344%. The variation contribution within
      the population was greater than the contribution among the population; the among
      population rate was 2.864%, while the within-population rate was 15.849%; values
      of repeatability for among-population and within-population were 0.430 and 0.098,
      respectively. This indicates that more variation arose from within-population and
      that population repeatability was much greater than individual repeatability.
      Variation in the flower organ was greater than that in the leaf organ; this means
      that vegetative variation was more stable than reproductive variation. Variation
      in the southern population was greater than that in the northern population. 

PMID- 26125855
TI  - Genetic diversity in elite inbred lines of maize and its association with
      heterosis.
AB  - The objective of the current study was to apply molecular markers
      (microsatellites) in the analysis of genetic diversity of 48 lines of the elite
      maize germplasm stored in the bank of the Cooperativa Central de Pesquisa
      Agricola - Coodetec, PR, Brazil, and estimate the correlation between genetic
      distance and heterosis and hybrid performance from the crosses among these maize
      lines. Forty-four random primers were used and amplification of 124 polymorphic
      fragments was obtained. The expected findings from the correlation of the yield
      and heterosis with the genetic distance were non-significant. However, the
      results suggested that data from the extreme distances could be used in breeding
      for more productive crosses and heterotic hybrids. Thereby, molecular markers are
      efficient tools for predicting hybrid performance. 

PMID- 26125856
TI  - Qualitative analysis of the vaginal microbiota of healthy cattle and cattle with
      genital-tract disease.
AB  - The microbial community of the reproductive appara-tus, when known, can provide
      information about the health of the host. Metagenomics has been used to
      characterize and obtain genetic infor-mation about microbial communities in
      various environments and can relate certain diseases with changes in this
      community composition. In this study, samples of vaginal surface mucosal
      secretions were col-lected from five healthy cows and five cows that showed
      symptoms of reproductive disorders. Following high-throughput sequencing of the
      isolated microbial DNA, data were processed using the Mothur soft-ware to remove
      low-quality sequences and chimeras, and released to the Ribosomal Database
      Project for classification of operational taxo-nomic units (OTUs). Local BLASTn
      was performed and results were loaded into the MEGAN program for viewing profiles
      and taxonomic microbial attributes. The control profile comprised a total of 15
      taxa, with Bacteroides, Enterobacteriaceae, and Victivallis comprising the
      highest representation of OTUs; the reproductive disorder-positive profile
      comprised 68 taxa, with Bacteroides, Enterobacteriaceae, His-tophilus,
      Victivallis, Alistipes, and Coriobacteriaceae being the taxa with the most OTU
      representation. A change was observed in both the community composition as well
      as in the microbial attributes of the profiles, suggesting that a relationship
      might exist between the patho-gen and representative taxa, reflecting the
      production of metabolites to disease progression. 

PMID- 26125857
TI  - Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in the sea
      cucumber Holothuria scabra.
AB  - The sea cucumber Holothuria scabra is an endangered species. In this study, nine
      new polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed and tested in 30 individuals.
      The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 5, and the observed and expected
      heterozygosities ranged from 0.1200 to 0.7391 and from 0.2408 to 0.5983,
      respectively. No loci significantly deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
      af-ter a Bonferroni correction, and no significant linkage disequilibrium was
      found between pairs of loci. These polymorphic microsatellite loci will be useful
      in studying the genetic diversity of H. scabra and its conservation. 

PMID- 26125858
TI  - IDH1 and IDH2 mutations in different histologic subtypes and WHO grading gliomas
      in a sample from Northern Brazil.
AB  - Glioma is a term used to describe tumors derived from glial cells. These tumors
      are divided into subgroups based on the histological morphology and similarity of
      their differentiated glia cells. Traditionally, they are classified according to
      the World Health Organization and include astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas,
      ependymomas, and oligoastrocytomas. Like most cancers, gliomas develop as a
      result of genetic changes that accumulate with tumor progression. Alterations in
      isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and IDH2 were found to be relevant in the
      classification and prognostic of gliomas. Because of the importance of mutations
      in these genes, particularly in IDH1, in different proposals of the genesis and
      progression of gliomas, we analyzed the occurrence of mutations in these genes in
      samples obtained from patients from Belem (PA, Brazil) using polymerase chain
      reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism followed by sequencing. We
      compared the results obtained from tumors of different malignancy grades,
      evaluating the significance of the associations between different variables.
      R132H was the only mutation found in 17.6% (6/34) of cases, including in
      astrocytomas, anaplastic astrocytomas, oligodendroglioma, and anaplastic
      oligoastrocytoma. No mutations were found in the IDH2 gene. We found no
      significant relationship between the identified mutations in IDH1 and the
      variables. Our data could not confirm that mutations in IDH1/IDH2 are indicative
      of malignancy and prognosis. However, the results support that the mutation in
      IDH1 gene was an early event in the development of gliomas, as it was found in
      tumors of different malignancy grades. 

PMID- 26125860
TI  - Cloning and association analysis of KIT and EDNRB polymorphisms with dominant
      white coat color in the Chinese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides
      procyonoides).
AB  - The Chinese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides procyonoides) is one of the
      most important fur-bearing animal species. The dominant white individual, a coat
      color variant in farmed Chinese raccoon dog, shows a completely white phenotype
      over the entire body. The KIT and EDNRB genes have been reported to be associated
      with the dominant white coat color in some mammalian species. In the present
      study, the full-length coding sequences of KIT and EDNRB were amplified from a
      dominant white and a wild-type Chinese raccoon dog. Sequence analysis revealed
      that the coding region of KIT and EDNRB in Chinese raccoon dog was 2919 and 1332
      base pairs in length (accession No. KM083121 and KM083122), respectively, and 2
      single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; c.600C>T and c.967G>A) in KIT and 1 SNP
      (c.259A>C) in EDNRB was found only in the dominant white individual. An
      alternative splicing site at the boundary of 4 and 5 of the KIT gene was
      identified in both individuals. We further investigated the association between
      the 3 SNPs of KIT and EDNRB and dominant white coat color by genotyping 18
      individuals. We found no association between these SNPs and dominant white coat
      color. Based on these results, we can exclude the coding regions of the KIT and
      EDNRB genes as determinants of the dominant white coat color in Chinese raccoon
      dog. 

PMID- 26125859
TI  - Decreased TIM-3 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from
      nephropathy patients.
AB  - Increasing evidence shows that TIM-1 and TIM-3 in-fluence chronic autoimmune
      diseases, and their expression levels in immune cells from nephritic patients are
      still unknown. Real-time transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis was
      used to deter-mine expression levels of TIM-1 and TIM-3 mRNA in peripheral blood
      mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 36 patients with minimal change glo-merulopathy
      (MCG), 65 patients with lupus nephritis (LN), 78 patients with IgA nephropathy
      (IgAN), 55 patients with membranous nephropa-thy (MN), 22 patients with
      crescentic glomerulonephritis (CGN), 26 patients with anaphylactoid purpura
      nephritis (APN), and 63 healthy controls. TIM-3 mRNA expression significantly
      decreased in PBMCs from nephritic patients (LN, P < 0.0001; MCG, P < 0.0001; MN,
      P = 0.0031; CGN, P = 0.0464; IgAN, P = 0.0002; APN, P = 0.0392) com-pared with
      healthy controls. In contrast, there was no significant differ-ence in TIM-1 mRNA
      expression between the patients and the healthy controls. Our results suggest
      that insufficient expression of TIM-3 mRNA may be involved in the pathogenesis of
      nephropathy. 

PMID- 26125861
TI  - Screening and characterization of novel polymorphic microsatellite markers from
      sea cucumber Holothuria leucospilota.
AB  - The sea cucumber Holothuria leucospilota has high me-dicinal value and rich
      nutritional edible value, and thus is a commercially important aquatic product in
      China. Microsatellite loci were developed and screened using a fast isolation
      protocol and amplified fragment length polymorphism of sequences containing
      repeats. In this study, 16 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers in H.
      leucospilota were identified, and the relevant genetic variability index was
      assessed using 30 individu-als from a wild population. The polymorphic
      information content ranged from 0.183 to 0.668, and the number of alleles per
      locus varied from 3 to 5. The observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.0370
      0.5000 and 0.0776-0.6250, respectively. With the exception of 3 loci (Y1-15, Y11
      1, and Y28), the polymorphic loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P >
      0.003125). These polymorphic microsatellite loci will contribute to studies of
      genetic diversity, the research of population structure, and the design of
      conservation strategies for H. leucospilota. 

PMID- 26125862
TI  - Apelin polymorphism predicts blood pressure response to losartan in older Chinese
      women with essential hypertension.
AB  - We determined whether the blood pressure response to losartan in an older Chinese
      population with essential hypertension was associated with apelin gene
      polymorphisms. We genotyped the -1860T>C polymorphism of the apelin gene in a
      case-control study of 222 patients with hypertension and 250 controls. Following
      24 weeks of treatment with losartan (50 mg/day), reductions in systolic blood
      pressure were significantly different among the additive (CT vs CC vs TT),
      dominant (TT vs CC/CT), and recessive models (CC vs CT/TT; all P < 0.05) in women
      but not in men. In the additive model, the TT group showed the greatest
      reductions in systolic BP (23 +/- 10 mmHg) after treatment. The CT group showed
      greater reductions in systolic BP (21 +/- 11 mmHg) compared to the CC group (8 +/
      3 mmHg) (P < 0.05). The reductions in systolic BP of the TT and CT/CC groups
      were 23 +/- 10 and 19 +/- 10 mmHg, respectively. The reductions in systolic BP of
      the CC and TT/CT groups were 8 +/- 3 and 21 +/- 10 mmHg, respectively. After
      adjustment for confounding factors, quantitative trait analysis with a general
      linear model showed that the female patients with TT genotype showed greater
      reductions in systolic blood pressure after 24 weeks of treatment compared to the
      patients with the C allele (P < 0.05). The apelin -1860T>C genotype may play an
      important predictive role in the response to losartan in hypertensive women. 

PMID- 26125863
TI  - Osteoprotegerin polymorphisms in Chinese Han patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
AB  - In order to investigate the association between osteoprotegerin (OPG) gene
      polymorphisms and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we studied OPG rs3102735 T/C and
      rs2073618 G/C polymorphisms in a Chinese Han population comprising 574 patients
      with RA and 804 controls. Genotyping by matrix-assisted laser
      desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was
      conducted. Our data indicated that OPG rs3102735 T/C and rs2073618 G/C
      polymorphisms were not associated with the risk of RA. However, among older
      patients (>=55 years), patients with the OPG rs3102735 TC (TC vs TT: OR = 0.68,
      95%CI = 0.49-0.96, P = 0.029) and TC/CC (TC+CC vs TT: OR = 0.69, 95%CI = 0.49
      0.96, P = 0.026) genotypes showed a significantly lower risk of RA than patients
      with the TT genotype, while patients with the OPG rs2073618 GC (GC vs GG: OR =
      1.53, 95%CI = 1.13-2.07, P = 0.006) and GC/CC (GC+CC vs GG: OR = 1.43, 95%CI =
      1.07-1.92, P = 0.015) genotypes showed a significantly higher risk of RA than
      patients with the GG genotype. We also found a significantly increased risk of RA
      associated with the OPG rs2073618 GC (GC vs GG: OR = 1.44, 95%CI = 1.07-1.93, P =
      0.018) and GC/CC (GC+CC vs GG: OR = 1.39, 95%CI = 1.04-1.86, P = 0.024) genotypes
      among functional class III+IV patients. Our results were obtained from only a
      moderate-sized sample and, thus, a larger study with a more diverse ethnic
      population is needed to confirm these results. 

PMID- 26125864
TI  - Association of miR-21 with esophageal cancer prognosis: a meta-analysis.
AB  - The present study aimed to explore the relationship between miRNA expression and
      survival in patients with esophageal cancer (EC) using meta-analysis. We searched
      PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang, and ISI Web of Science databases without time
      restrictions, and extracted relevant data, such as the name of first author,
      publication year, age, gender, number of case, etc. from the studies included. We
      calculated the pooled hazard ratios (HRs) using the RevMan 5.2 software. A total
      of five studies involving 504 subjects were included in the meta-analysis, with
      the purpose of analyzing the association of miRNA-21 expression with EC
      prognosis. The pooled HR of elevated versus decreased miR-21 expression in EC was
      1.87 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.37-2.55, P < 0.001], with elevated miR-21
      expression being associated with poorer prognosis for patients with EC. Our
      results support a prognostic role for miR-21 in EC. 

PMID- 26125865
TI  - Varicocele and male infertility in Northeast China: Y chromosome microdeletion as
      an underlying cause.
AB  - The prevalence of Y chromosome microdeletions among azoospermic, severe
      oligozoospermic, moderate oligozoospermic, and mild oligozoospermic patients with
      varicocele-related and idiopathic infertility shows conflicting data in Asian
      countries. We aimed to detect this frequency in Northeast China, and investigated
      spermatogenic defects whether associated with varicocele or Y chromosome
      microdeletions. All samples underwent a thorough physical examination, semen
      analysis, and PCR analyses for Y chromosome microdeletions. We randomly selected
      150 infertile non-obstructive azoospermic patients with left varicocele (Group
      1), 150 idiopathic non-obstructive azoospermic infertility patients (Group 2),
      150 infertile severe oligozoospermic patients with left varicocele (Group 3), 150
      idiopathic severe oligozoospermic infertility patients (Group 4), 150 infertile
      moderate oligozoospermic patients with left varicocele (Group 5), 150 idiopathic
      moderate oligozoospermic infertility patients (Group 6), 150 infertile mild
      oligozoospermic patients with left varicocele (Group 7), 150 idiopathic mild
      oligozoospermic infertility patients (Group 8), and 60 healthy unrelated men with
      proven fertility were recruited as control subjects (Group 9). We observed that
      our samples from Northeastern China had a higher frequency of microdeletions
      among the non-obstructive azoospermic individuals with varicocele, as compared
      with other Asian countries. Furthermore, the spermatogenic defect is due to the
      underlying Y chromosome microdeletion, and not the varicocele itself. Although
      varicocele is not the cause of male infertility, it may be associated with male
      infertility in the Northeastern Chinese population. 

PMID- 26125866
TI  - Recombinant adenovirus-mediated overexpression of PTEN and KRT10 improves
      cisplatin resistance of ovarian cancer in vitro and in vivo.
AB  - Drug resistance is a major cause of treatment failure in ovarian cancer patients,
      and novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Overexpression of
      phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) has been shown to preserve the cisplatin
      resistance of ovarian cancer cells, while cisplatin-induced keratin 10 (KRT10)
      overexpression mediates the resistance-reversing effect of PTEN. However, whether
      overexpression of PTEN or KRT10 can improve the cisplatin resistance of ovarian
      cancer in vivo has not been investigated. Therefore, we investigated the effects
      of adenovirus-mediated PTEN or KRT10 overexpression on the cisplatin resistance
      of ovarian cancer in vivo. Recombinant adenoviruses carrying the gene for PTEN or
      KRT10 were constructed. The effects of overexpression of PTEN and KRT10 on
      cisplatin resistance of ovarian cancer cells were examined using the 3(4,5
      dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and TdT-mediated dUTP
      nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assays in vitro. Subcutaneously transplanted nude mice,
      as a model of human ovarian cancer, were used to test the effects of PTEN and
      KRT10 on cisplatin resistance of ovarian cancer in vivo. The MTT assay showed
      that recombinant adenovirus-mediated overexpression of KRT10 and PTEN enhanced
      the proliferation inhibition effect of cisplatin on C13K cells. Recombinant
      adenovirus-mediated overexpression of KRT10 and PTEN also increased the cisplatin
      induced apoptosis rate of C13K cells. Furthermore, recombinant adenovirus
      mediated overexpression of KRT10 and PTEN enhanced the inhibitory effect of
      cisplatin on C13K xenograft tumor growth. Thus, recombinant adenovirus-mediated
      overexpression of KRT10 and PTEN may improve the cisplatin resistance of ovarian
      cancer in vitro and in vivo. 

PMID- 26125867
TI  - Partial least squares-based gene expression analysis in preeclampsia.
AB  - Preeclampsia is major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality.
      Currently, the etiology of preeclampsia is unclear. In this study, we
      investigated differences in gene expression between preeclampsia patients and
      controls using partial least squares-based analysis, which is more suitable than
      routine analysis. Expression profile data were downloaded from the Gene
      Expression Omnibus database. A total of 503 genes were found to be differentially
      expressed, including 248 downregulated genes and 255 overexpressed genes. Network
      analysis identified 5 hub genes, including UBB, PIK3R1, MAPRE1, VEGFA, and ITGB1.
      Three of these, PIK3R1, VEGFA, and ITGB1, are known to be associated with
      preeclampsia or preeclampsia-related biological processes. Our findings shed
      light on expression signatures of preeclampsia patients that can be used as
      theoretical support in future therapeutic studies. 

PMID- 26125868
TI  - FOXO1 is a tumor suppressor in cervical cancer.
AB  - Forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) is an important transcriptional regulator of cell
      proliferation, and is considered essential for tumor growth and progression.
      However, the function of FOXO1 in human cervical cancer remains unclear. In this
      study, we investigated the role of FOXO1 in cervical cancer. Our results showed
      that FOXO1 expression was lower in cervical cancer than in cervical
      intraepithelial neoplasia and normal cervix by immunohistochemical analysis (P <
      0.05). The level of FOXO1 in high-grade lesions was significantly lower than in
      low-grade lesion (P < 0.05), indicating that deficient expression of FOXO1 is
      involved in tumor progression and significantly associated with late-stage tumors
      (P < 0.05), which was further supported by clinicopathological, real-time
      polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting analysis. Moreover, we confirmed
      that the overexpression of FOXO1 remarkably repressed cell growth and blocked
      cell proliferation, accompanied by cell-cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and
      upregulation of caspases-3 and -9 gene expression. Collectively, our data suggest
      that FOXO1 plays a vital role in inhibiting cervical cancer development by
      inducing cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. FOXO1 expression is a favorable
      prognostic factor for human cervical cancer. 

PMID- 26125869
TI  - Clinical features and treatment of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features and treatment
      results of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery. Five patients with
      endophthalmitis after phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation were
      enrolled in this study. The pathogenesis, clinical manifestation, and surgical
      outcomes of 5 patients were compared. Three patients were surgically treated with
      anterior chamber irrigation and vitrectomy with intravitreal injection. The
      remaining two patients were medically treated with an intravitreal injection of
      vancomycin and ceftazidime. Treatment results of the five patients were analyzed.
      Four patients had positive cultures for bacteria (two cases Staphylococcus
      epidermidis, one case Enterococcus faecalis, and one case head-like
      Staphylococcus). The culture of the fifth patient did not have bacterial growth.
      One year following treatment, four patients had restored visual acuity and a
      clear vitreous cavity. Retinal detachment and other complications were not
      observed. The remaining patient had a visual acuity of index at 30 cm one year
      following treatment. For patients with endophthalmitis after cataract surgery, a
      biochemical laboratory examination should be promptly performed and should
      include a bacterial culture and drug sensitivity test. When necessary, vitrectomy
      combined with an intravitreal injection of vancomycin should be performed to
      treat the infection early and to help retain useful vision. 

PMID- 26125870
TI  - Karyotype structure of Hypostomus cf. plecostomus (Linnaeus, 1758) from Tapajos
      River basin, Southern Amazon: occurrence of sex chromosomes (ZZ/ZW) and their
      evolutionary implications.
AB  - Hypostomus is a group of fish with numerical and struc-tural karyotypic
      variability. Among them, only six species, three of which belong to the Amazon
      basin, show a sex chromosome. In this study, we present the karyotype structure
      of Hypostomus cf. plecos-tomus from the Teles Pires river basin in the
      municipality of Alta Flo-resta, MT. The species has 2n = 68 and the karyotype
      formula 14m+ 24sm+ 14st+ 16a [fundamental number (FN) = 120] in males and 15m+
      24sm+14st+15a (FN = 121) in females and sex chromosomes ZZ/ZW. Argyrophilic
      nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) were identified in two pairs of chromosomes
      at different positions: short arm of the pair 21and long arm of the pair 27,
      matching the signals displayed by 18S FISH and indicating multiple NORs. Analysis
      of band C detected few blocks of constitutive heterochromatin in the
      pericentromeric regions of most chromosomes and the telomeric regions of some
      pairs, includ-ing the nucleolar pair 21. However, large blocks on the long arm of
      the nucleolar pair 27 still stood out. GC-rich heterochromatin (CMA3) was
      visualized only coincidently with nucleolar sites. Mapping of 5S rDNA sites with
      FISH revealed markings in eight chromosomes, demonstrat-ing synteny between the
      18S and 5S sites. The data obtained for H. cf. plecostomus are important for
      taxonomic studies of this Amazon com-plex "H. plecostomus group". The occurrence
      of sex chromosomes in Amazon species of Hypostomus suggests an evolutionary event
      that is independent of other species in the group. 

PMID- 26125871
TI  - Association between IL-1beta, IL-8, and IL-10 polymorphisms and risk of acute
      pancreatitis.
AB  - We assessed the possible correlation between genetic polymorphisms in interleukin
      (IL)-1beta, IL-8, and IL-10 and risk of acute pancreatitis. Polymorphisms of IL
      1beta+3954C/T (rs1143634), IL-1beta-511C/T (rs16944), IL-8 -251T/A (rs4073), IL
      10 -1082A/G (rs1800896), and IL-10 -819C/T (rs1800871) were assessed by
      polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Patients with
      acute pancreatitis were more likely to have a family history of acute
      pancreatitis and a habit of tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking. Conditional
      logistic regression analyses showed that subjects carrying IL-10 -1082A/G and IL
      8 -251 AA genotype with the A allele were significantly associated with an
      increased risk of acute pancreatitis, with adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence
      interval) of 1.82 (1.01-3.31) and 1.39 (1.02-1.90), respectively. However, we did
      not observe that IL-1beta +3954C/T, IL-1beta -511C/T, IL-10 -1082A/G, and IL-10 
      819C/T polymorphisms were associated with the risk of acute pancreatitis. We
      found that the IL-8 -251T/A polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of
      acute pancreatitis, and no significant association between IL-1betaand IL-10 gene
      polymorphisms and risk of acute pancreatitis was detected. 

PMID- 26125872
TI  - Effect of morphine preconditioning in the delayed phase on the expression of p38
      mitogen-activated protein kinase in a rabbit model of myocardial ischemia
      reperfusion injury.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of delayed morphine
      preconditioning on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. We randomly divided 30
      rabbits into three groups with 10 rab-bits in each group as follows: sham
      operation group (C group), isch-emia-reperfusion group (I/R group), and morphine
      pretreatment group (M group). Rabbits in C Group received left coronary without
      blocking for 160 min. The left descending artery of rabbits in the I/R group was
      blocked for 40 min and reperfused for 120 min. Rabbits in the M group received
      intravenous administration of 1.0 mg/kg morphine; after 24 h, rabbits in this
      group received the same treatment as that administered to the I/R group. We
      determined tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) levels in blood samples from
      the internal carotid artery of rabbits in each group 20 min before occlusion of
      the left descending coronary artery, 20 and 40 min after occlusion of the left
      descending coronary artery, and 1 and 2 h after myocardial reperfusion. After 120
      min of reperfusion, immunoblotting was used to measure the activity levels of
      myocardial p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK); in addition, the infarct
      size was measured. Compared to the I/R group, the M group showed a significant
      decrease in TNF-alpha levels, p38 MAPK activity, and the myocardial infarct size
      (I/R group 37.8% +/- 1.7% vs 21.5% +/- 2.4%; P < 0.05). Thus, morphine
      preconditioning in the delayed phase may exert protective effects on myocardial
      I/R injury by inhibiting myocar-dial p38 MAPK activity and decreasing TNF-alpha
      production. 

PMID- 26125873
TI  - Effects of goal-directed fluid therapy with different lactated Ringer's:
      hydroxyethyl starch ratios in hemorrhagic shock dogs.
AB  - The effects of goal-directed fluid therapy, with lactated Ringer's (LR) and 6%
      hydroxyethyl starch (HES) solution, on hemorrhagic shock dogs are unknown. We
      aimed to determine the optimal LR: HES ratio for the resuscitation of hemorrhagic
      shock dogs. Hemorrhagic shock was induced in 40 ventilated dogs by drawing an
      estimated 60% blood volume. The animals were randomly divided into five groups (N
      = 8) according to the LR: HES ratio of the resuscitation fluid (3:1, 2:1, 1:1,
      1:2, and 1:3), and were then resuscitated for 24 h to reach the stroke volume
      variation (SVV) and hemoglobin (Hb) goals by fluid infusion and autologous blood
      perfusion. The extravascular lung water index (EVLWI), pH, partial pressure of
      oxygen (PaO2), base excess (BE), sodium, chloride, Hb and creatinine clearance
      (Clearcrea) were checked after 24 h (R24). The EVLWI of the 3:1 group at R24 were
      higher than that of the 1:3 group and the baseline value (P < 0.05), whereas the
      PaO2 was lower (P < 0.05). In contrast to the 3:1 group at R24 and baseline,
      plasma chloride and sodium in the 1:3 and 1:2 groups increased; however, pH, BE,
      and Clearcrea decreased (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in the
      1:1 and 2:1 groups at R24 compared with baseline (P > 0.05). Resuscitation with
      LR and HES at 2:1 and 1:1 ratios are superior in maintaining the acid-base,
      electrolyte, and lung water balances as well as renal function in hemorrhagic
      shock dogs than at ratios of 3:l, 1:2, and1:3. 

PMID- 26125874
TI  - Non-invasive determination of the immune physiological state of reindeer
      (Rangifer tarandus) in the Greater Khingan Mountains, China.
AB  - Immunoglobulin and cortisol levels are good indicators of well-being and living
      status in animals. In this study, the concentrations of fecal immunoglobulins A
      ([IgAF]), G ([IgGF]), and M ([IgMF]), and cortisol ([cortisolF]) were examined by
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in reindeer of the Greater Khingan Mountains of
      Inner Mongolia, China. [IgAF] was significantly higher than [IgGF] and [IgMF],
      and [IgGF] was significantly higher than [IgMF] (P < 0.05). Both [IgAF] and
      [IgGF] were higher in the Adult group than in Aged or Infant groups, and higher
      in the Young than Infant group (P < 0.05). The four age group [IgMF]s were not
      significantly different (P > 0.05). [IgAF], [IgGF], and [IgMF] in each age group
      were higher in females than in males, with a significant difference in the Young
      group (P < 0.05). The Infant group had the highest [cortisolF], and the Adult
      group the lowest; [cortisolF] was significantly higher in the Infant group than
      in other age groups (P < 0.05). In each age group, [cortisolF] was higher in
      females than males, and there were significant differences among the Infant,
      Young, and Aged groups (P < 0.05). A significant negative correlation was
      observed between [cortisolF] and [IgAF] and [IgGF] (P > 0.05). Overall physical
      condition was better in the Adult and Young groups than in the Aged and Infant
      groups as determined by the comprehensive analysis of fecal Ig levels in the four
      age groups, with the Infant group the worst. 

PMID- 26125875
TI  - Case Report Unicentric Castleman disease located in the anterior mediastinum
      misdiagnosed as invasive thymoma: a case report.
AB  - Castleman disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder of unknown etiology. The
      localized form, which usually presents as a slow-growing mass, is most commonly
      located in the mediastinum. Invasion of the vena anonyma by a mass has rarely
      been reported. We herein describe a case of initially misdiagnosed invasive
      thymoma in a 72-year-old woman, but postoperatively proven to have anterior
      mediastinal Castleman disease with invasion of the vena anonyma. 

PMID- 26125876
TI  - Development and characterization of new microsatellite markers of Fenneropenaeus
      penicillatus.
AB  - Thirteen new polymorphic microsatellite markers in Fenneropenaeus penicillatus
      were isolated and characterized. The polymorphism of the thirteen microsatellite
      markers was tested by 30 individuals from Lianjiang, China. It showed that the
      number of al-leles per locus ranged from 3 to 6 and the Polymorphism Information
      Content (PIC) was from 0.324 to 0.706. The observed and expected heterozygosities
      were 0.3217-0.8023 and 0.1977-0.6783, respectively. Only one loci (LJ-19)
      deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) (P < 0.00385) after
      Bonferroni correction, while the other twelve markers were in HWE after
      Bonferroni correction (P > 0.00385). The thirteen polymorphic microsatellite
      markers could pro-vide more genetic data for further research on cultivation and
      recovery of F. penicillatus. 

PMID- 26125877
TI  - Construction of an integrated genetic map for Capsicum baccatum L.
AB  - Capsicum baccatum L. is one of the five Capsicum domesticated species and has
      multiple uses in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. This species
      is also a valuable source of genes for chili pepper breeding, especially genes
      for disease resistance and fruit quality. However, knowledge of the genetic
      structure of C. baccatum is limited. A reference map for C. baccatum (2n = 2x =
      24) based on 42 microsatellite, 85 inter-simple sequence repeat, and 56 random
      amplified polymorphic DNA markers was constructed using an F2 population
      consisting of 203 individuals. The map was generated using the JoinMap software
      (version 4.0) and the linkage groups were formed and ordered using a LOD score of
      3.0 and maximum of 40% recombination. The genetic map consisted of 12 major and
      four minor linkage groups covering a total genome distance of 2547.5 cM with an
      average distance of 14.25 cM between markers. Of the 152 pairs of microsatellite
      markers available for Capsicum annuum, 62 were successfully transferred to C.
      baccatum, generating polymorphism. Forty-two of these markers were mapped,
      allowing the introduction of C. baccatum in synteny studies with other species of
      the genus Capsicum. 

PMID- 26125878
TI  - Improving plant transformation using Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
AB  - Here, we report a quick and low-cost method to improve plant transformation using
      Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This method involves the use of physical wounding,
      ultrasound, and an increase in exposure time to the bacteria. We show how the
      transformation rate increased from 0 to 14% when an ultrasound pulse of 10 s was
      used in conjunction with 96 h of bacterial exposure in Eclipta alba explants. 

PMID- 26125879
TI  - Association between FTO polymorphism in exon 3 with carcass and meat quality
      traits in crossbred ducks.
AB  - The fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) is an excellent candidate gene
      that affects energy metabolism. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FTO are
      associated with carcass and meat quality traits in pigs, cattle, and rabbits. The
      aim of this study was to investigate the association between novel SNPs in the
      FTO coding region and carcass and meat quality traits in 95 crossbred ducks,
      using DNA sequencing. We found two transitions G/A (SNP 387 and 473) within exon
      3. SNP 387 was a synonymous mutation, whereas SNP 473 was a missense mutation.
      Association analysis suggested that SNP g.387G>A was significantly associated
      with all of the carcass traits measured, the intramuscular fat content (IMF),
      cooking yield (CY), pH values 45 min after slaughter (pH45m), drip losses from
      the breast muscle, and the leg muscle (P < 0.05). For SNP g.473G>A, the genotype
      AA exhibited greater leg muscle weight than the genotypes GG or AG (P < 0.05).
      The D value suggested that the two SNPs exhibited strong linkage disequilibrium.
      Three haplotypes (G1G2, G1A2, and A1A2) were significantly associated with IMF,
      CY, the a* value, and all of the carcass traits measured (P < 0.05). The results
      suggest that FTO is a candidate locus that affects carcass and meat quality
      traits in ducks. 

PMID- 26125880
TI  - Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha expression in the different stages of rat
      thromboangiitis obliterans.
AB  - We investigated the expression and effects of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha
      (HIF-1alpha) in rat thromboangiitis obliterans (TO). Rats were divided into sham
      and model groups. The model group was further divided into groups based on
      observation duration. Lauric acid was injected below an artery clamp to simulate
      TO in the model group; saline was used in the sham group. Clamps were removed 15
      min after injection in both groups, and physiological changes were observed at
      different times (gross observation and hematoxylin and eosin staining). The
      animals were killed at various times following the operation and serum and muscle
      tissues were sampled. For the sham group: the endometrium was relatively intact;
      medial membrane and epineurium lesions were absent; and blood vessels and
      surrounding tissues had no inflammatory cell infiltration. For the model group:
      all subgroups displayed inflammation; large numbers of inflammatory cells were
      gathered; muscle tissue lost its normal texture and structure; and the internal
      elastic membrane was integrated. Compared with the preoperative status, HIF
      1alpha expression increased significantly in all subgroups (P < 0.05); there was
      no change in the sham group. HIF-1alpha expression in each subgroup was different
      (F = 14.267, P < 0.05). Femoral artery injection of lauric acid can be used as a
      rat TO model owing to its simple application and success rate. HIF-1alpha
      expression increased in the early stage of TO and gradually decreased with the
      extension of ischemia time; it may play a leading role in TO development and can
      be used for diagnosis and cure evaluation. 

PMID- 26125881
TI  - Detection of drug-resistance mechanism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa developing from
      a sensitive strain to a persister during carbapenem treatment.
AB  - We explored the mechanism of the development from sensitivity to resistance to
      carbapenem in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Two P. aeruginosa strains were collected
      during treatment with carbapenem. Strain homology was investigated using pulsed
      field gel electrophoresis. Porin oprD2 expression was analyzed by sodium dodecyl
      sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The minimum inhibitory
      concentrations (MICs) of imipenem and meropenem with or without MC207110 were
      determined using the agar dilution method. The expression level of efflux pump
      mRNA was tested using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Metallo-lactamases
      (MBLs) were screened using the EDTA-disk synergy test. Genes encoding MBLs were
      amplified and then analyzed by DNA sequencing. The two treated strains belonged
      to the same pulsed-field gel electrophoresis type. The SDS-PAGE profile of the P.
      aeruginosa strains revealed that the 46-kDa membrane protein OprD2 of
      IMP(R)MEM(R) type strains was lost, whereas OprD2 of 1 IMP(S)MEM(S) strain was
      normal. With or without MC207110 treatment, the MIC of carbapenem-resistant P.
      aeruginosa decreased by 4-fold, while the MIC of carbapenem-sensitive P.
      aeruginosa did not. Compared with the carbapenem-sensitive strain, MexX mRNA
      expression in the carbapenem-resistant strain increased by 102.5-fold, while the
      mRNA expression of other efflux pumps did not markedly increase. Neither
      carbapenem-resistant nor carbapenem-sensitive P. aeruginosa produced MBL. The
      mechanism of development from sensitivity to resistance of P. aeruginosa to
      carbapenem during carbapenem treatment is due to porin oprD2 loss and an
      increased expression level of MexXY-OprM. 

PMID- 26125882
TI  - Relationship between zinc finger protein 36 (ZFP36) gene polymorphisms and
      obstructive sleep apnea.
AB  - Recent data have indicated that inflammation may have an important correlation
      with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Studies have indicated a relationship between
      OSA and TNF-alpha gene polymorphisms. Zinc finger protein 36 (ZFP36) regulates
      TNF-alpha mRNAs. However, ZFP36 gene polymorphisms have not been investigated in
      OSA. Therefore, we conducted the present case-control study to assess whether
      variances in ZFP36 gene polymorphisms account for differences in TNF-alpha levels
      in patients with moderate-to-severe OSA. This case-control study aims to
      investigate the relationship between genetic variations in the ZFP36 gene and
      moderate-to-severe OSA. Three common single nucleotide polymorphisms of the ZFP36
      gene (rs251864, rs3746083, and rs17879933) were evaluated in a group of patients
      with moderate-to-severe OSA (N = 408) and in a control group (N = 394) by using
      TaqMan polymerase chain reaction analysis. The moderate-to-severe OSA group and
      the control group exhibited significant differences in the distributions of
      rs251864 and rs17879933 genotypes and alleles (P < 0.05). TNF-alpha levels were
      significantly different not only among the three rs251864 genotypes but also
      between the II genotype and the DD + ID genotypes of rs17879933. However, no
      significant differences in sleep apnea parameters in the three ZFP36 gene
      polymorphisms were observed. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that TNF
      alpha and the three ZFP36 gene polymorphisms were not independently associated
      with OSA. ZFP36 might be involved in TNF-alpha regulation. However, ZFP36 gene
      variants were not independent risk factors for moderate-to-severe OSA. 

PMID- 26125883
TI  - Multi-objective optimization in systematic conservation planning and the
      representation of genetic variability among populations.
AB  - Biodiversity crises have led scientists to develop strategies for achieving
      conservation goals. The underlying principle of these strategies lies in
      systematic conservation planning (SCP), in which there are at least 2 conflicting
      objectives, making it a good candidate for multi-objective optimization. Although
      SCP is typically applied at the species level (or hierarchically higher), it can
      be used at lower hierarchical levels, such as using alleles as basic units for
      analysis, for conservation genetics. Here, we propose a method of SCP using a
      multi-objective approach. We used non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II in
      order to identify the smallest set of local populations of Dipteryx alata (baru)
      (a Brazilian Cerrado species) for conservation, representing the known genetic
      diversity and using allele frequency information associated with heterozygosity
      and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. We worked in 3 variations for the problem. First,
      we reproduced a previous experiment, but using a multi-objective approach. We
      found that the smallest set of populations needed to represent all alleles under
      study was 7, corroborating the results of the previous study, but with more
      distinct solutions. In the 2nd and 3rd variations, we performed simultaneous
      optimization of 4 and 5 objectives, respectively. We found similar but refined
      results for 7 populations, and a larger portfolio considering intra-specific
      diversity and persistence with populations ranging from 8-22. This is the first
      study to apply multi-objective algorithms to an SCP problem using alleles at the
      population level as basic units for analysis. 

PMID- 26125884
TI  - Correlation between promoter methylation in the GSTP1 gene and hepatocellular
      carcinoma development: a meta-analysis.
AB  - Epigenetic silencing of the GSTP1 gene by promoter methylation has been
      associated with increased risk and shortened survival in patients with
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to obtain
      a more precise estimate of this association. By searching the Cochrane Library,
      CBM, EMBASE, PubMed, and the Web of Science, we tabulated and analyzed parameters
      from each study. Results were summarized by meta-analyses using the version 12.0
      STATA software. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were also
      calculated in this analysis. A total of 14 cohort studies (tumor samples = 607,
      adjacent samples = 356, benign samples = 182, normal samples = 133) were included
      for the following statistical analysis. Our meta-analysis results demonstrated
      that the frequency of GSTP1 methylation in cancer tissues was significantly
      higher than those in adjacent tissues, benign tissues, and normal tissues (all P
      < 0.05). Further subgroup analysis by country indicated that the frequency of
      aberrant GSTP1 promoter methylation was correlated to the development of HCC
      among all the included experimental subgroups (all P < 0.05). The results
      indicate a significant association between GSTP1 methylation and poor outcomes in
      HCC patients. 

PMID- 26125885
TI  - Differential gene expression in pre-laying and laying period ovaries of Sichuan
      White geese (Anser cygnoides).
AB  - Geese are an economically important poultry species worldwide. Their superior
      meat production performance and meat qual-ity make them a popular food. However,
      they are not bred worldwide because their poor laying capacity increases farming
      costs. To gain a global view of the genes that are differentially expressed
      between pre-laying (P) and laying (L) periods and to develop a database for
      further studies, we performed large-scale transcriptome sequencing of ovarian
      tissue collected from Anser cygnoides. In total, 30,151,422 raw reads, with an
      average length of 151 bp and a total length of 4,552,864,722 bp, were obtained.
      After primers and adaptors were removed, 19,167,132 clean reads, with an average
      length of 134.5 bp and a total length of 2,577,297,281 bp, were obtained, among
      which 1,268,906,694 bp and 1,308,390,587 bp were from L and P ovarian tissue,
      respectively. The 16,605 assembled sequences were further functionally annotated
      by comparing their sequences to different protein and functional domain databases
      and assigning gene ontology (GO) terms. Of these, 511 as-sembled sequences were
      considered differentially expressed based on the 2-fold method, among which 396
      were assigned at least one GO term. Digital expression analysis using the Kyoto
      encyclopedia of genes and genomes annotation identified 121 genes that were
      differ-entially expressed in the P vs L periods. Five of these are of special
      interest for further investigation of their roles in determining high re
      productive performance. This study provides valuable information and sequence
      resources for uncovering genes determining high egg-laying performance and for
      future functional genomics analysis of geese. 

PMID- 26125886
TI  - QTLs for rice flag leaf traits in doubled haploid populations in different
      environments.
AB  - Two rice doubled haploid (DH) populations derived from the crosses of ZYQ8/JX17
      and CJ06/TN1 were used to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for flag leaf
      length (FLL), width (FLW), and angle (FLA) under long-day conditions in Hangzhou
      (subtropical zone) and short-day conditions in Hainan (tropical zone), China. The
      four parents differed significantly in all 3 traits. FLL was found to be
      positively correlated with FLW in the 2 populations. A total of 30 QTLs were
      identified for flag leaf traits, with a contribution to the phenotypic variation
      of each QTL from 4.49 to 26.30%. Among these, qFLL-4b, qFLW-12, and qFLA-2a
      showed larger additive effects on the phenotype and explained more variations
      compared to the other QTLs. qFLL-1a and qFLL-8 were detected in both
      environments, while qFLL-2, qFLL-3, qFLL-10, qFLL-12, qFLW11, qFLW2, and qFLA8
      were novel QTLs, which may be beneficial to rice ideal-type breeding. 

PMID- 26125887
TI  - Artificial neural networks reveal efficiency in genetic value prediction.
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of artificial neural
      networks (ANNs) for predicting genetic value in experiments carried out in
      randomized blocks. Sixteen scenarios were simulated with different values of
      heritability (10, 20, 30, and 40%), coefficient of variation (5 and 10%), and the
      number of genotypes per block (150 and 200 for validation, and 5000 for neural
      network training). One hundred validation populations were used in each scenario.
      Accuracy of ANNs was evaluated by comparing the correlation of network value with
      genetic value, and of phenotypic value with genetic value. Neural networks were
      efficient in predicting genetic value with a 0.64 to 10.3% gain compared to the
      phenotypic value, regardless the simulated population size, heritability, or
      coefficient of variation. Thus, the artificial neural network is a promising
      technique for predicting genetic value in balanced experiments. 

PMID- 26125888
TI  - Identification of smut-responsive genes in sugarcane using cDNA-SRAP.
AB  - Sugarcane smut, caused by the fungus Sporisorium scitamineum, is one of the main
      diseases that affect sugarcane worldwide. In the present study, the cDNA-SRAP
      technique was used to identify genes that are likely to be involved in the
      response of sugarcane to S. scitamineum infection. In total, 21 bands with
      significant differential expression during cDNA-SRAP analysis were cloned and
      sequenced. Real-time qPCR confirmation demonstrated that expression of 19 of
      these 21 differential bands was consistent with the expression observed during
      cDNA-SRAP analysis, with a deduced false positive rate of 9.5%. Sequence
      alignment indicated that 18 of 19 differentially expressed genes showed
      homologies from 19% to 100% to certain genes in GenBank, including the following
      genes: topoisomerase (EU048780), ethylene insensitive (EU048778), and tetraspanin
      (EU048770). A real-time qPCR assay showed that during 0-72 h after pathogen
      infection, expression of the topoisomerase and the ethylene insensitive genes was
      upregulated, whereas expression of the tetraspanin gene was downregulated,
      identical to the expression patterns observed under salicylic acid treatment.
      Therefore, all three genes are thought to play a role during S. scitamineum
      challenge, but with different functions. To our knowledge, this is the first
      report on the application of cDNA-SRAP in differential gene expression analysis
      of sugarcane during a sugarcane-S. scitamineum interaction. The results obtained
      also contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated
      with sugarcane-S. scitamineum interactions. 

PMID- 26125889
TI  - Cloning and expression of an APETALA1-like gene from Nelumbo nucifera.
AB  - The objective of this study was to clone the full-length cDNA of the APETALA1
      (AP1) gene from lotus and analyze its sequence and expression pattern. The full
      length cDNA sequence of the NnAP1 gene was amplified from the petals of Nelumbo
      nucifera 'Hongxia' using RT-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends.
      Bioinformatic methods were used to analyze the sequence characteristics of the
      gene. Quantitative real-time PCR methods were used to investigate the expression
      pattern of NnAP1 in various organs and during different developmental stages. The
      cloned full-length NnAP1 cDNA (GenBank accession No. KF361315) was 902 bp,
      containing a 795-bp open reading frame encoding 264 amino acids with a relative
      molecular mass of 30,288.4 and an isoelectric point of 9.13. NnAP1 had a MADS-box
      domain and a K-box domain, which is typical of the SQUA/AP1 gene family. A
      protein sequence identity search showed that NnAP1 was 75-96% similar to other
      plant AP1s. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that NnAP1 was very closely
      related to AP1 of Glycine max, suggesting that they shared the same protein
      ancestor. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that NnAP1 was expressed in
      various organs during different developmental stages; it had the highest
      expression in blooming flowers and had trace expression in the young vegetative
      and flower senescence stages. Our analysis suggests that NnAP1 plays an important
      role in controlling floral meristem identity and floral organ formation. 

PMID- 26125890
TI  - Clinical and pathological features and treatment of AIDS-related cutaneous
      Kaposi's sarcoma in Chinese Han patients.
AB  - This retrospective study aimed to observe the clinicopathological features and
      immunological phenotypes, and explore effective treatment and prognosis for 12
      Chinese Han patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related cutaneous
      Kaposi's sarcoma. All 12 patients were human immunodeficiency virus-positive, and
      underwent the standard highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Skin lesions
      mainly presented as purple, or rufous papules, or plaques; skin biopsy showed
      diffuse or flaky infiltration of spindle cells, active proliferation of slit-like
      vasculature, erythrocyte exudation, hemosiderin deposition, and inflammatory cell
      infiltration. Immunohistochemical analysis showed the expression of Ubiquitin C
      terminal hydrolase L1 (+), and CD31 (+) in T-cells; factor VIII (+) and HHF-35
      (+) in the proliferating vascular endothelial cells; vimentin (+) and S-100
      protein (-) in the vessel wall; and CD34 (+++) in the spindle cells of 6 cases,
      with 1 case of negative CD34 expression. Four patients with confined lesions
      underwent surgery and microwave therapy, and received a favorable prognosis. Two
      patients with limited lesions underwent microwave therapy, and the lesions
      subsided. Of six patients with widely distributed sarcomas, five underwent
      microwave therapy and one received combined chemotherapy; five attained
      significant efficacy, and one died. There were no significant differences in the
      clinicopathological features and immunological phenotypes between the Chinese Han
      patients and those from other populations. Along with basal HAART, patients in
      early stages, with sarcomas <2 cm in diameter should undergo surgery and
      microwave therapy, while patients with sarcomas >2 cm in diameter should undergo
      chemotherapy and microwave therapy. 

PMID- 26125891
TI  - Association between interleukin gene polymorphisms and risk of recurrent oral
      ulceration.
AB  - We conducted a case-control study to investigate the association between the
      functional IL-1beta+3954 (C/T), IL-6-174 (G/C), IL-10-1082 (G/A), and IL-10
      819C/T genetic polymorphisms and risk of recurrent oral ulceration (ROU) in a
      Chinese population. Polymorphisms of IL-1beta+3954C/T, IL-6-174G/C, IL-10-1082A/G
      and IL-10-819C/T were assessed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment
      length polymorphism. The genotype distributions of the IL-1beta+3954 C/T and IL
      10-819C/T were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the control group. Conditional
      logistic regression analyses showed that subjects carrying the IL-1beta+3954CC
      and IL-10-1082AA genotypes had a significantly increased risk of ROU, with
      adjusted ORs (95%CI) of 2.86 (1.37-6.33) and 1.72 (1.02-2.89), respectively. In
      summary, we found that IL-1beta+3954C/T and IL-10-1082A/G polymorphisms are
      associated with an increased risk of ROU. 

PMID- 26125892
TI  - Expression and significance of S100P, CD147, and OCT4 in different prostate
      cancer tissue TNM stages.
AB  - The aim of this project was to investigate the expression and significance of
      S100P, CD147, and OCT4 in prostate cancer tissue at different TNM stages. We
      enrolled 54 patients with prostate cancer, 40 with benign prostatic hyperplasia,
      and 20 subjects with normal prostates. S100P, CD147, and OCT4 were detected by
      immunohistochemistry. The positive rate of S100P detection was 18.52% in prostate
      cancer tissues, significantly lower than in normal and benign prostate
      hyperplasia tissues (P ? 0.05). The positive expression rate of CD147 and OCT4
      were 100 and 77.38% in prostate cancer tissue, respectively, both markedly higher
      than in normal and benign prostate hyperplasia tissue (P ? 0.05). The positive
      rate of S100P in stage V was 0, which was significantly lower than in stages I
      (37.50%) and II (35.71%) (P ? 0.05). OCT4 expression in stages III (86.67%) and V
      (94.12%) was higher than in stage I (37.50%). The positive rate of S100P in
      patients with distant metastasis was 4%, which was significantly lower than that
      in patients without metastases (P ? 0.05). In contrast, the positive rate of OCT4
      in patients with distant metastasis was 92%. S100P, CD147, and OCT4 expression in
      prostate cancer patients with different degrees of differentiation had no
      significant difference (P > 0.05). Overall, our results demonstrated that S100P
      expression in prostate cancer tissue was significantly decreased, whereas CD147
      and OCT4 expression was increased. Their expression levels were closely
      associated with TNM stage and distant metastasis, but were not related to the
      degree of differentiation. 

PMID- 26125893
TI  - Expression of TNF-alpha, VEGF, and MMP-3 mRNAs in synovial tissues and their
      roles in fibroblast-mediated osteogenesis in ankylosing spondylitis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to explore the mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor
      alpha (TNF-alpha), vessel endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and matrix
      metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in synovial tissues in ankylosing spondylitis (AS),
      and to analyze the functions of these proteins in the differentiation of AS
      synovial tissue fibroblasts into osteoblasts (OB) and osteoclasts. Synovial
      tissue samples from 22 AS patients and 22 normal individuals were collected. In
      situ hybridization was utilized to detect TNF-alpha, VEGF, and MMP-3 transcripts.
      After counting numbers of positive cells, Spearman analysis was used to determine
      the correlation between transcriptional levels of the three mRNAs and the AS
      disease activity index (BASDAI) and the C-response protein (CRP) levels. With the
      addition of TNF-alpha, VEGF, or both factors into cultured normal synovial
      fibroblasts, osteocalcin (bone gla protein, BGP) secretion levels were compared.
      We found that expression of TNF-alpha, VEGF, and MMP-3 was identified exclusively
      in the disease group. mRNA levels were significantly positively correlated with
      BASDAI (r = 0.42, 0.38, and 0.47, respectively; P < 0.05) and CRP (r = 0.44,
      0.34, and 0.47 respectively; P < 0.05) scores. The secretion level of BGP in
      normal synovial fibroblasts increased progressively with increasing
      concentrations of VEGF or TNF-alpha (P < 0.01 compared to levels before
      treatment). Furthermore, co-incubation using both VEGF and TNF-alpha
      significantly elevated BGP levels compared to the single addition of VEGF or TNF
      alpha (P < 0.01). These results suggest TNF-alpha, VEGF, and MMP-3 might directly
      participate in the differentiation of fibroblasts into OBs. 

PMID- 26125894
TI  - Association of cytokine gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to invasive
      candidiasis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the role of cytokine genes in the
      susceptibility to Candida infection. A total of 275 consecutive patients
      diagnosed with Candida infection were selected between May 2010 and May 2011,
      along with 305 uninfected controls. Genotyping of the IL-1beta gene polymorphisms
      (IL1beta) rs1143634, IL1betars16944, IL8 rs4073, IL10 rs1800872, and IL10
      rs1800896 was carried out using a 384-well plate format on the Sequenom MassARRAY
      platform. Patients with invasive Candida infections were more likely to have had
      an immunocompromised state, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, solid organ
      transplant, solid tumor, chemotherapy within the past three months, neutropenia,
      surgery within the past 30 days, acute renal failure, liver failure, and/or
      median baseline serum creatinine. Conditional logistic regression analyses found
      that individuals with the rs1800896 GG genotype were associated with a higher
      risk of invasive Candida infections than those carrying the AA genotype (odds
      ratio = 0.61, 95% confidence interval = 0.37-0.94). From the results of this case
      control study, we suggest that the cytokine IL-10 gene rs1800896 polymorphism
      might play a role in the etiology of invasive Candida infections. 

PMID- 26125895
TI  - Intracranial aneurysm risk factor genes: relationship with intracranial aneurysm
      risk in a Chinese Han population.
AB  - Few studies have examined the genes related to risk fac-tors that may contribute
      to intracranial aneurysms (IAs). This study in Chinese patients aimed to explore
      the relationship between IA and 28 gene loci, proven to be associated with risk
      factors for IA. We recruited 119 patients with aneurysms and 257 controls. Single
      factor and logistic regression models were used to analyze the association of IA
      and IA rup-ture with risk factors. Twenty-eight single nucleotide polymorphisms
      (SNPs) in 22 genes were genotyped for the patient and control groups. SNP
      genotypes and allele frequencies were analyzed by the chi-square test. Logistic
      regression analysis identified hypertension as a factor that increased IA risk (P
      = 1.0 x 10(-4); OR, 2.500; 95%CI, 1.573-3.972); IA was associated with two SNPs
      in the TSLC2A9 gene: rs7660895 (P = 0.007; OR, 1.541; 95%CI, 1.126-2.110); and in
      the TOX gene: rs11777927 (P = 0.013; OR, 1.511; 95%CI, 1.088-2.098). Subsequent
      removal of the influence of family relationship identified between 12 of 119
      patients enhanced the significant association of these SNPs with IA (P = 0.001;
      OR, 1.691; 95%CI, 1.226-2.332; and P = 0.006; OR, 1.587; 95%CI, 1.137-2.213 for
      rs7660895 and rs11777927, respectively). Fur-thermore, the minor allele of
      rs7660895 (A) was also associated with IA rupture (P = 0.007; OR, 2.196; 95%CI,
      1.230-3.921). Therefore, hypertension is an independent risk factor for IA.
      Importantly, the TSL-C2A9 (rs7660895) and TOX (rs11777927) gene polymorphisms may
      be associated with formation of IAs, and rs7660895 may be associated with IA
      rupture. 

PMID- 26125896
TI  - Investigation of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum strains variability in Brazil.
AB  - White mold is a common bean disease caused by the fungus Sclerotinia
      sclerotiorum, resulting in economic losses in Brazil and worldwide. Lack of
      knowledge about the population structure of the pathogen makes it difficult to
      control the disease. The aim of this study was to characterize strains of S.
      sclerotiorum obtained from ex-perimental and commercial common bean fields in
      Brazil. We analyzed 50 strains of S. sclerotiorum collected at several locations
      in the state of Minas Gerais. The strains were characterized according to their
      ability and time for developing apothecia. Morphological and physiological
      analyses such as the mycelial growth index, colony color, the time re-quired to
      form the first sclerotia on media, the number of sclerotia per plate, average
      sclerotium size, and sclerotium shape were performed. We determined the mycelial
      compatibility, conducted molecular analy-sis of microsatellites, and evaluated
      the aggressiveness of 28 strains. Most strains had the ability to form apothecia.
      A small group of strains showed mycelial compatibility, and the strains showed
      different aggres-siveness levels. Overall, the population studied here
      demonstrated wide variability based on the morphological, physiological, and
      molecular traits analyzed. The average size and shape of sclerotia presented a
      cor-relation of 0.617, whereas the times required to form sclerotia and the
      number of sclerotia per plate showed a correlation of -0.455. The char
      acterization of the pathogen population described herein will provide an
      important tool for promoting the development of bean cultivars re-sistant to
      white mold. 

PMID- 26125897
TI  - Screening for fragile X syndrome in males from specialized institutions in the
      northeast region of Brazil.
AB  - The objective of this study was to perform a study of fragile X syndrome (FXS) in
      Sao Luis, Maranhao, in males residing in five specialized institutions. Two
      hundred thirty-eight males with intel-lectual disability of unknown etiology
      participated in this study. Blood samples were processed and stored until DNA
      extraction. Screening for FMR1 gene mutations was performed using non-isotopic
      polymerase chain reaction amplification and DNA sequencing using an ABI Prism
      3130 automated sequencer. Two individuals (0.84%) were positive for FMR1
      mutations. One had a mutation due to expansion of the CGG repeat beyond normal
      levels and the other had a deletion in exon 1 of the FMR1 gene, which was
      confirmed by sequencing. Both probands were over 18 years old, which demonstrates
      the late diagnosis of the condition in these individuals and reinforces the need
      to implement ef-fective programs for early diagnosis of FXS in the state of
      Maranhao. We found that FXS might be transmitted in the families of the two indi
      viduals bearing the mutation, and that it is important to understand the mutation
      dynamics to provide better counseling to the family members of these two
      individuals. 

PMID- 26125898
TI  - Development and cross-species transferability of unigene-derived microsatellite
      markers in an edible oil woody plant, Camellia oleifera (Theaceae).
AB  - Camellia oleifera is an important edible oil woody plant in China. Lack of useful
      molecular markers hinders current genetic research on this tree species.
      Transcriptome sequencing of developing C. oleifera seeds generated 69,798
      unigenes. A total of 6949 putative microsatellites were discovered among 6042 SSR
      containing unigenes. Then, 150 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were evaluated in
      20 varieties of C. oleifera. Of these, 52 SSRs revealed polymorphism, with the
      number of alleles per locus ranging from 2 to 15 and expected heterozygosity
      values from 0.269 to 0.888. The polymorphic information content varied from 0.32
      to 0.897. Cross-species transferability rates in Camellia chekangoleosa and
      Camellia japonica were 90.4 and 78.8%, respectively. The 52 polymorphic unigene
      derived SSR markers serve to enrich existing microsatellite marker resources for
      C. oleifera and offer potential for applications in genetic diversity evaluation,
      molecular fingerprinting, and genetic mapping in C. oleifera, C. chekangoleosa,
      and C. japonica. 

PMID- 26125899
TI  - Diadenylate cyclase evaluation of ssDacA (SSU98_1483) in Streptococcus suis
      serotype 2.
AB  - Cyclic diadenosine monophosphate is a recently identified signaling molecule. It
      has been shown to play important roles in bacterial pathogenesis. SSU98_1483
      (ssDacA), which is an ortholog of Listeria monocytogenes DacA, is a putative
      diadenylate cyclase in Streptococcus suis serotype 2. In this study, we
      determined the enzymatic activity of ssDacA in vitro using high-performance
      liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Our results showed that ssDacA was a
      diadenylate cyclase that converts ATP into cyclic diadenosine monophosphate in
      vitro. The diadenylate cyclase activity of ssDacA was dependent on divalent metal
      ions such as Mg(2+), Mn(2+), or Co(2+), and it is more active under basic pH than
      under acidic pH. The conserved RHR motif in ssDacA was essential for its
      enzymatic activity, and mutation in this motif abolished the diadenylate cyclase
      activity of ssDacA. These results indicate that ssDacA is a diadenylate cyclase,
      which synthesizes cyclic diadenosine monophosphate in Streptococcus suis serotype
      2. 

PMID- 26125900
TI  - Brief Note Low diversity of the major histocompatibility complex class II DRA
      gene in domestic goats (Capra hircus) in Southern China.
AB  - DRA encodes the alpha chain of the DR heterodimer, is closely linked to DRB and
      is considered almost monomorphic in major histocompatibility complex region. In
      this study, we identified the exon 2 of DRA to evaluate the immunogenetic
      diversity of Chinese south indigenous goat. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms
      in an untranslated region and one synonymous substitution in coding region were
      identified. These data suggest that high immunodiversity in native Chinese
      population. 

PMID- 26125901
TI  - Mechanisms of cytotoxicity induced by the anesthetic isoflurane: the role of
      inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors.
AB  - Isoflurane can induce widespread cytotoxicity. We hypothesized that isoflurane
      induces apoptosis partly by causing excessive calcium release from the
      endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via direct activation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate
      receptors (IP3R). Rat pheochromocytoma cells cultured for seven days with nerve
      growth factor were divided into four groups: control group (C), IP3R antagonist
      group (X), isoflurane group (I) and isoflurane + IP3R antagonist group (I+X).
      Groups I and I+X were treated with 1 MAC isoflurane for 12 h. Groups X and I+X
      were pretreated with IP3R antagonist. Annexin V/PI apoptosis and TUNEL assays
      were performed to evaluate cell apoptosis. TEM was used to observe changes in
      cell ultrastructure. Changes in calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) in the
      cytoplasm were measured by flow cytometry. RT-PCR was performed to evaluate IP3R
      mRNA expression. TEM showed that isoflurane treatment altered cell
      ultrastructure. Compared to group C, cell apoptosis rate and [Ca(2+)]i increased
      in groups I and I+X (P < 0.05). Compared to group C, IP3R mRNA expression was
      lower in group X and higher in group I (P < 0.05). Compared to group X, cell
      apoptosis rate, [Ca(2+)]i and IP3R mRNA expression increased in groups I and I+X
      (P < 0.05). Compared to group I, cell apoptosis rate, [Ca(2+)]i and IP3R mRNA
      expression decreased in group I+X (P < 0.05). These results suggest that exposure
      to 1 MAC isoflurane for 12 h causes excessive calcium release partly by direct
      activation of IP3R on the ER membrane and triggers cell apoptosis. 

PMID- 26125902
TI  - Decreased microRNA-143 expression and its tumor suppressive function in human
      oral squamous cell carcinoma.
AB  - MicroRNA-143 serves as a tumor suppressor in many human malignancies. However,
      its involvement in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is still unclear. In this
      study, we investigated the effects of miR-143 in OSCC tumorigenesis and
      development. Using real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain
      reaction, we detected miR-143 expression in 109 pairs of human OSCC and adjacent
      noncancerous tissues. The associations between miR-143 expression and
      clinicopathological factors and prognosis of OSCC patients were also
      statistically analyzed. Further, the effects of miR-143 on the biological
      behavior of OSCC cells were investigated. miR-143 expression was significantly
      downregulated in OSCC tissue samples and cell lines. Decreased miR-143 expression
      was significantly associated with advanced T classifications, positive N
      classification, advanced TNM stage, and shorter overall survival. In addition,
      upregulation of miR-143 in Tca8113 cells reduced cell proliferation, invasion,
      and migration, as well as promoted cell apoptosis in vitro. These findings
      validate the clinical significance of miR-143 in OSCC and reveal that it may be
      an intrinsic regulator of tumor progression and a potential prognostic factor for
      this disease. 

PMID- 26125903
TI  - Clinical significance and levels of blood brain natriuretic peptides in patients
      with persistent atrial fibrillation before and after catheter ablation.
AB  - The aim of this study was to observe levels of blood brain natriuretic peptides
      (BNPs) in patients with persistent atrial fibril-lation (AF) before and after
      catheter ablation. Thirty-six patients with persistent AF (28 successful
      surgeries and eight recurrent cases) and 36 healthy controls with normal sinus
      rhythm were recruited for this study. BNP levels in the AF and control groups
      were measured before and after catheter ablation. BNP levels before surgery were
      significantly higher in the persistent AF group than in the control group (P <
      0.01). The successful surgery group had distinctly lower BNP levels before
      ablation than the recurrent group (P < 0.01). In the recurrent group, BNP levels
      2 h after ablation were significantly lower than those be-fore ablation (P <
      0.01); these levels increased after AF recurrence (P < 0.01) and were comparable
      with those before ablation (P < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis indicated
      that the BNP level was an inde-pendent factor for and predictor of AF recurrence
      (P < 0.01). The BNP level in patients with persistent AF is clinically important
      in predicting and evaluating AF recurrence after ablation. 

PMID- 26125904
TI  - PDIA3 and PDIA6 gene expression as an aggressiveness marker in primary ductal
      breast cancer.
AB  - Changes in the expression of the protein disulfide isomerase genes PDIA3 and
      PDIA6 may increase endoplasmic reticulum stress, leading to cellular instability
      and neoplasia. We evaluated the expression of PDIA3 and PDIA6 in invasive ductal
      carcinomas. Using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction,
      we compared the mRNA expression level in 45 samples of invasive ductal carcinoma
      with that in normal breast samples. Increased expression of the PDIA3 gene in
      carcinomas (P = 0.0009) was observed. In addition, PDIA3 expression was increased
      in tumors with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.009) and with grade III (P < 0.02).
      The PDIA6 gene showed higher expression levels in the presence of lymph node
      metastasis (U = 99.00, P = 0.0476) and lower expression for negative hormone
      receptors status (P = 0.0351). Our results suggest that alterations in PDIA3/6
      expression levels may be involved in the breast carcinogenic process and should
      be further investigated as a marker of aggressiveness. 

PMID- 26125905
TI  - Inhibition of adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by
      erythropoietin via activating ERK and P38 MAPK.
AB  - We examined whether erythropoietin (EPO) can inhibit adipogenic differentiation
      of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the mouse bone marrow and its underlying
      mechanism. We separated and extracted mouse bone marrow MSCs and induced
      adipogenic differen-tiation using 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, insulin, and
      dexamethasone. Different concentrations of EPO were added to the cells and
      observed by Oil Red O staining on the 20th day to quantitatively analyze the
      degree of cell differentiation. mRNA expression levels of peroxysome proliferator
      activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha, and
      adiponectin were analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction,
      and the activity of PPARgamma, extracellular sig-nal-regulated kinase (ERK), and
      p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) were determined by western
      blotting. EPO significantly inhibited adipogenic differentiation of MSCs after 20
      days and reduced absorbance values by Oil Red O staining without affecting
      proliferation activity. EPO downregulated the mRNA expression of PPARgamma, CCAAT
      enhancer binding protein alpha, fatty acid binding protein 4, and adiponec-tin
      during adipogenesis and increased protein phosphorylation of ERK, p38 MAPK, and
      PPARgamma during differentiation. EPO downregulated the mRNA expression of
      PPARgamma, CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha, fatty acid binding protein 4,
      and adiponectin by increasing protein phosphor-ylation of ERK, p38 MAPK, and
      PPARgamma during differentiation, which inhibited adipogenic differentiation of
      MSCs. 

PMID- 26125906
TI  - WY14643 combined with all-trans retinoic acid acts via p38 MAPK to induce
      "browning" of white adipocytes in mice.
AB  - The ability of mammals to resist body fat accumulation is linked to their ability
      to expand the number of "brown adipocytes" within white fat depots. All-trans
      retinoic acid (t-RA) and peroxi-some proliferator-activated receptor-alpha
      (PPARalpha) have been implicated in "browning-like" or "browning" programs,
      respectively. However, a PPARalpha-agonist (WY14643) failed to regulate the
      expression of the uncoupling protein 1(UCP1) gene unless combined with retinoic
      acid. This study investigated the effects of the PPARalpha-agonist WY14643
      combined with t-RA, on the "browning" of white adipocytes in mice mediated by
      UCP1, and the molecular mechanisms involved in this process. We compared the
      effects of WY14643 alone and WY14643 combined with t-RA or the p38 MAPK
      inhibitor, SB203580, on white adipocytes after 24 h using the expression of UCP1,
      detected with RT-PCR and western blot. We also determined the mechanism by which
      p38 MAPK and phospho-p38 MAPK influence the process of "brown-ing" using western
      blot. All concentrations of WY14643 failed to in-duce UCP1 mRNA expression,
      protein expression, or phosphorylation of p38 MAPK (P < 0.05). WY14643 combined
      with t-RA was observed to induce UCP1 mRNA expression, protein expression, and
      phosphory-lation of p38 MAPK (P < 0.05). SB203580 combined with WY14643 and t-RA
      suppressed UCP1 mRNA expression, protein expression, and p38 MAPK phosphorylation
      (P < 0.05). WY14643 combined with t-RA can induce the transformation of white
      adipocytes to brown adipocytes through activation of the p38 MAPK signaling
      pathway. 

PMID- 26125907
TI  - Effects of conjugated linoleic acid on the expression levels of miR-27 and miR
      143 in pig adipose tissue.
AB  - In this study, we evaluated the effect and possible mech-anism of action of
      dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on pig body fat deposition. Landrace
      piglets (N = 48) were randomly divided into three groups, which were fed diets
      containing 0% (control), 1%, or 2% CLA. Dorsal and abdominal subcutaneous adipose
      tissues were col-lected, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used
      to de-termine the expression of adipocyte differentiation marker genes and
      associated microRNAs (miRNAs). Our results indicated that dietary CLA
      significantly decreased body fat deposition in the pig dorsum. The expression of
      adipocyte differentiation marker genes, including peroxi-some proliferator
      activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha
      (C/EBPalpha) were not affected, whereas the expression of fatty acid binding
      protein 4 (FABP4) was significantly enhanced (P < 0.05). The expression of miR-27
      and miR-143 in adipose tissue was significantly decreased. Data analysis
      indicated a significant negative correlation between miR-27 and FABP4 expression
      in the dorsal sub-cutaneous adipose tissue. In addition, the expression of miR
      143 and miR-27 exhibited a significant negative relationship with FABP4 and
      PPARgamma in the abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue. Thus, miRNA levels in
      adipose tissues could be modulated by CLA, thereby affecting adipose metabolism. 

PMID- 26125908
TI  - Expression profile of tumor suppressor gene RASSF1 in lacrimal gland carcinoma.
AB  - We examined the expression pattern of the tumor sup-pressor gene RAS association
      domain family gene 1 (RASSF1) in lacri-mal gland carcinoma and analyzed its
      relationship with the oncogenesis and progression of tumors. Sixty-two patients
      (30 males, 32 females, average age = 47 +/- 3.5 years) admitted with lacrimal
      gland carcinoma to the Department of Ophthalmology of our hospital between
      January 2012 and January 2014 were enrolled in this study. Based on tumor ma
      lignancy, patients were classified into a malignant group (N = 25) and benign
      group (N = 37). Healthy lacrimal gland resections from trauma surgery (N = 35)
      were recruited as a healthy control group. Expres-sion profiles of RASSF1 in all
      groups were quantified using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and
      western blotting. Recur-rence of lacrimal gland carcinoma was surveyed through
      postopera-tive follow-up. Expression levels of RASSF1 in samples from the ma
      lignant and benign groups were significantly lower than those in the healthy
      group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the malignant group showed lower RASSF1 expression
      than the benign group (P < 0.05). Postopera-tive follow-up identified 22 cases of
      recurrence in the malignant group, with a recurrence rate of 88%, while 15 cases
      in the benign group had a recurrence rate of 40.5%. A direct relationship exists
      between RASSF1 expression levels and the malignancy grade of lacrimal gland carci
      noma. Patients with lower RASSF1 expression showed a higher recur-rence
      probability, indicating unfavorable prognosis. Therefore, measur-ing RASSF1
      expression can be used as a diagnostic method for lacrimal gland carcinoma. 

PMID- 26125909
TI  - Verification and characterization of chromosome duplication in haploid maize.
AB  - Doubled haploid technology has been used by various private companies. However,
      information regarding chromosome duplication methodologies, particularly those
      concerning techniques used to identify duplication in cells, is limited. Thus, we
      analyzed and characterized artificially doubled haploids using microsatellites
      molecular markers, pollen viability, and flow cytometry techniques. Evaluated
      material was obtained using two different chromosome duplication protocols in
      maize seeds considered haploids, resulting from the cross between the haploid
      inducer line KEMS and 4 hybrids (GNS 3225, GNS 3032, GNS 3264, and DKB 393).
      Fourteen days after duplication, plant samples were collected and assessed by
      flow cytometry. Further, the plants were transplanted to a field, and samples
      were collected for DNA analyses using microsatellite markers. The tassels were
      collected during anthesis for pollen viability analyses. Haploid, diploid, and
      mixoploid individuals were detected using flow cytometry, demonstrating that this
      technique was efficient for identifying doubled haploids. The microsatellites
      markers were also efficient for confirming the ploidies preselected by flow
      cytometry and for identifying homozygous individuals. Pollen viability showed a
      significant difference between the evaluated ploidies when the Alexander and
      propionic-carmin stains were used. The viability rates between the plodies
      analyzed show potential for fertilization. 

PMID- 26125910
TI  - IL-17A and IL-17F polymorphisms and gastric cancer risk: a meta-analysis.
AB  - We conducted a meta-analysis of eligible studies to estimate the association
      between gastric cancer risk and rs2275913G>A IL-17A and rs763780T>C IL-17F
      polymorphisms. We searched the relevant studies in both Chinese and English
      through PubMed, the Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE up to
      January 1, 2014, including 3939 cases and 5407 controls. Seven eligible case
      control studies were selected, including seven studies on rs2275913G>A IL-17A and
      four studies on rs763780T>C IL-17F. The rs2275913 AG [odds ratio (OR) = 1.50, 95%
      confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.04-2.15] and GG (OR = 1.40, 95%CI = 1.00-1.96)
      genotypes were significantly associated with increased risk of gastric cancer
      compared with the AA genotype. The rs763780 TC (OR = 1.47, 95%CI = 1.32-1.64) and
      TT (OR = 1.49, 95%CI = 1.11-1.99) gen-otypes can influence gastric cancer risk.
      Subgroup analysis showed that rs2275913 GG (OR = 1.35, 95%CI = 1.05-1.73) and
      rs763780 TC (OR= 1.44, 95%CI = 1.20-1.75) genotypes were not significantly
      associated with increased risk of gastric cancer in Japanese populations. Our
      meta-analysis is the first to indicate that the rs2275913G>A and rs763780T>C
      polymor-phisms are risk factors for gastric cancer development. 

PMID- 26125911
TI  - Construction of a gene-gene interaction network with a combined score across
      multiple approaches.
AB  - Recent progress in computational methods for inves-tigating physical and
      functional gene interactions has provided new insights into the complexity of
      biological processes. An essential part of these methods is presented visually in
      the form of gene interaction networks that can be valuable in exploring the
      mechanisms of disease. Here, a combined network based on gene pairs with an extra
      layer of re-liability was constructed after converting and combining the gene
      pair scores using a novel algorithm across multiple approaches. Four groups of
      kidney cancer data sets from ArrayExpress were downloaded and analyzed to
      identify differentially expressed genes using a rank prod-ucts analysis tool.
      Gene co-expression network, protein-protein interac-tion, co-occurrence network
      and a combined network were constructed using empirical Bayesian meta-analysis
      approach, Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING)
      database, an odds ratio formula of the cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics and a novel
      rank algorithm with combined score, respectively. The topological features of
      these networks were then compared to evaluate their performances. The results
      indicated that the gene pairs and their relationship rank-ings were not uniform.
      The values of topological parameters, such as clustering coefficient and the
      fitting coefficient R(2) of interaction net-work constructed using our ranked
      based combination score, were much greater than the other networks. The combined
      network had a classic small world property which transferred information quickly
      and displayed great resilience to the dysfunction of low-degree hubs with high
      clustering and short average path length. It also followed distinct-ly a scale
      free network with a higher reliability. 

PMID- 26125912
TI  - Regulating effects of insertion direction of matrix attachment regions on
      transgenic expression in stably transformed Chinese hamster ovary cells.
AB  - We investigated the effects of different directions of insertion of matrix
      attachment region (MAR) sequences on transgenic expression in stably transformed
      Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The MAR sequences were inserted in forward or
      reverse directions into the expression vectors, and transfected into CHO cells.
      The expression of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene and
      the relative copy numbers of the CAT gene were analyzed. The CAT gene expression
      levels in the vector with the MAR sequence inserted in the forward or reverse
      directions increased compared with expression without the MAR sequence. The
      relative copy numbers of the CAT gene with MAR sequenced vectors inserted in the
      reverse and forward directions were lower, than in the control group. The
      direction of insertion of MAR sequences had no significant effect on expression
      levels. The expression levels were not proportional to the copy numbers of the
      gene. 

PMID- 26125913
TI  - Immunomodulatory effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on T lymphocytes in
      patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis.
AB  - We explored the immunomodulatory effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
      (BMSCs) on peripheral blood T lym-phocytes in patients with decompensation stage,
      hepatitis B-associated cirrhosis. MSCs from nine patients were analyzed by flow
      cytometry. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were isolated for fluorescent staining.
      Following stimulation by phytohemagglutinin (PHA), peripheral blood lymphocytes
      were co-cultured with BMSCs in serum and divided into four groups: (1) BMSC +
      lymphocyte + PHA contact culture group; (2) BMSC + lymphocyte + PHA non-contact
      culture group; (3) lym-phocyte + PHA positive control group; and (4) lymphocyte
      only negative control group. Lymphocyte proliferation and frequencies of
      CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(-) Tregs and CD4(+)CD8(-)IL-17(+) (Th17) cells were de-tected.
      Cell proliferation in groups 1 and 2 declined compared with group 3 (P < 0.01),
      and was notably higher than in group 4 (P < 0.01). CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(-) Tregs
      frequencies in groups 1 and 2 were higher than in groups 3 and 4. In an intra
      group comparison before and after culture, Th17 cell frequencies in groups 1 and
      2 were higher than in group 4 (P < 0.01), but lower than in group 3 (P < 0.01).
      The Treg/Th17 ratio in groups 1 and 2 increased (P < 0.01), but did not change
      signifi-cantly in groups 3 and 4 (P > 0.05). In a comparison between groups after
      culture, the Treg/Th17 ratio in groups 1 and 2 increased more than in groups 3
      and 4 (P < 0.01). BMSCs from cirrhotic patients can inhibit the proliferation of
      peripheral blood T lymphocytes, upregulate the ex-pression of CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(
      ) Tregs, and improve Treg/Th17 imbal-ance. The mechanism by which this takes
      place may be associated with immunomodulatory effects induced by the secretion of
      soluble factors. 

PMID- 26125914
TI  - Relationship between genetic polymorphisms of DNA ligase 1 and non-small cell
      lung cancer susceptibility and radiosensitivity.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between genetic
      polymorphisms in DNA ligase 1 (LIG1) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
      susceptibility and radiosensitivity in a Chinese population. This was a case
      control study that included 352 NSCLC patients and 448 healthy controls.
      Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was
      conducted to detect HaeIII polymorphisms in exon 6 of the LIG1 gene in this
      popula-tion. This information was used to observe the effects of radiation in pa
      tients with different genotypes in order to determine the genotypes as-sociated
      with radiosensitivity. The CC genotype and C allele frequency were significantly
      higher in the NSCLC group than in the control group (P = 0.012 and P = 0.023,
      respectively). The relative risk of experienc-ing NSCLC was 2.55 [95% confidence
      interval (CI), 1.12-3.98] for CC homozygous patients and 0.87 (95%CI, 0.46-1.88)
      for AA homozygous patients. Analysis of LIG1 genetic polymorphisms and
      radiosensitiv-ity of NSCLC patients showed that AA homozygous patients were sig
      nificantly more radiosensitive than the control group (AA vs AC, P = 0.014; AA vs
      CC, P < 0.001; AC vs CC, P = 0.023). Therefore, the LIG1 CC genotype was
      associated with susceptibility to NSCLC, and the AA genotype demonstrated
      increased radiosensitivity compared to the AC and CC genotypes. 

PMID- 26125915
TI  - Expression and clinical significance of PIWIL2 in hilar cholangiocarcinoma
      tissues and cell lines.
AB  - The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between PIWI-like
      protein 2 (PIWIL2) and clinicopathological charac-teristics and prognosis after
      radical resection. To accomplish this, we analyzed PIWIL2 expression in hilar
      cholangiocarcinoma tissues and cell lines. PIWIL2 expression was detected by
      immunohistochemistry in 41 hilar cholangiocarcinoma samples and 10 control
      tissues. Western blotting and immunocytofluorescence were used to investigate
      PIWIL2 expression in the cholangiocarcinoma cell line QBC939 and the bile duct
      epithelial cell line HIBEpic. Univariate and multivariate surviv-al analyses were
      performed using the Kaplan-Meier method for hilar cholangiocarcinoma patients who
      underwent radical resection. PIWIL2 expression was significantly higher in the
      hilar cholangiocarcinoma tissues and QBC939 cells than in control tissues and
      HIBEpic cells, respectively (P < 0.05). Poorly and moderately differentiated
      cholan-giocarcinoma tissues had significantly higher PIWIL2 expression than well
      differentiated tissues (P < 0.05). Univariate analysis demonstrated that high
      PIWIL2 expression was associated with shorter survival time after radical
      resection (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that PI-WIL2 expression was an
      independent prognostic factor after radical re-section of hilar
      cholangiocarcinoma (P < 0.05). PIWIL2 expression was also associated with tumor
      node-metastasis stage and differentiation. PIWIL2 was an independent prognostic
      factor after radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. 

PMID- 26125916
TI  - Sublingual vein parameters, AFP, AFP-L3, and GP73 in patients with hepatocellular
      carcinoma.
AB  - This study evaluated the diagnostic value of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), AFP
      heterogeneity 3 (AFP-L3), Golgi protein 73 (GP73), and sublingual vein parameters
      in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Levels of serum AFP, AFP-L3, GP73, and
      sublingual vein scores were measured in 34 patients with chronic hepatitis, 65
      patients with post-hepatitis B cirrhosis, 71 patients with HCC, and 6 healthy
      controls. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore potential
      correlations. Sublingual vein grades in patients with HCC were higher than those
      in the other three groups; sublingual vein scores were also different between
      groups; combined diagnosis using AFP, GP73, and sublingual vein grade was
      superior to the individual parameters alone or when only two were used in
      different combinations. Thus, sublingual vein grade can be considered as an
      independent risk factor for diagnosis of HCC. Furthermore, combined detection
      with AFP, GP73, and sublingual vein grade is simple, inexpensive, and effective.
      It may therefore be suitable for screening high-risk populations for early
      diagnosis of HCC. 

PMID- 26125917
TI  - Construction of overexpression vectors of Magnaporthe oryzae genes BAS1 and BAS4
      fusion to mCherry and screening of overexpression strains.
AB  - The aim of this study was to construct overexpression vectors and selecting
      strains of the Magnaporthe oryzae effectors BAS1 and BAS4. Primer pairs of BAS1,
      BAS4, and mCherry were designed based on their known nucleotide sequences. The
      coding sequences of BAS1 and BAS4 were amplified, and the pXY201 plasmid was
      selected as a template to amplify the mCherry sequence. Fragments of BAS1 and
      mCherry, and BAS4 and mCherry were ligated into the pCAMBIA1302 vector. The
      recombinant pCAMBIA-BAS1-mCherry and pCAMBIA-BAS4-mCherry plasmids were
      transformed into E. coli DH5alpha competent cells. Transformants were screened by
      PCR, and plasmids from the positive transformants were extracted by enzymatic
      digestion to obtain pCAMBIA-BAS1-mCherry and pCAMBIA-BAS4-mCherry. The pCAMBIA
      BAS1-mCherry and pCAMBIA-BAS4-mCherry plasmids were transformed into protoplasts
      of rice blast strains and the transformed strains were screened by PCR using
      primer pairs against the hygromycin gene. The result showed that the PCR products
      corresponded with the theoretical sizes. RT-PCR was used to analyze the
      expression of BAS1 and BAS4 in five transformed strains of BAS1 and BAS4, and the
      result showed that the higher expression level of the two genes was occurred in
      five transformant strains comparing to wild-type strain A3467-40 (the strain
      containing BAS1 and BAS4), but there was no difference among the five
      overexpression strains. The sporulation and spore germination of transformed
      strains was higher than in wild type strain, and there was no difference in the
      germination time. Construction of overexpression vectors and strains of M. oryzae
      effectors BAS1 and BAS4 provide reference material for other new effectors. 

PMID- 26125918
TI  - Identification and expression analysis of YABBY family genes associated with
      fruit shape in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.).
AB  - YABBY family genes play important roles in the development of leaf, flower, and
      fruit. The purpose of this research was to integrate all the YABBY genes and
      analyze the correlation between gene expression and fruit shape in tomato.
      Scanning of 24 genomes of sequenced species demonstrated that YABBY genes were
      very normal and stable in flowering plants except the seedless plants. Nine YABBY
      genes in tomato were computationally and experimentally characterized. The
      phylogeny was constructed based on whole proteins or the YABBY domain, and five
      distinct clades were observed as described in other angiosperms. A comparison of
      the expression patterns in tomatoes with large differences in fruit shape and/or
      size suggested that during the fruit development, YABBY genes had both negative
      and positive functions. The obtained information could provide a deeper
      understanding of the evolution of YABBY genes and can also be useful for tomato
      yield and shape breeding. 

PMID- 26125919
TI  - A novel variant of the beta-lactamase ADC-61 gene in multi-drug resistant
      Acinetobacter baumannii.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the existence of a beta-lactamase gene
      in a group of multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Twenty strains of
      multi-drug resistant A. baumannii were isolated. Thirty-four beta-lactamase genes
      and the ISaba1-OXA-23 linkage were analyzed in these strains by polymerase chain
      reaction (PCR) and verified by DNA sequencing. Three kinds of beta-lactamase
      genes (TEM, ADC, and OXA-23) were identified, among which the sequence of strain
      No. 20, ADC, was different from ADC subtypes recorded by GenBank, and was
      identified as a new variant of beta-lactamase genes (named ADC-61 and registered
      in GenBank: accession No. JQ753702); all the other 19 strains were ADC-30.
      Eighteen strains of the OXA-23 group were all positive as indicated by detection
      of ISaba1-OXA-23 linkage. Gene sequencing indicated that the TEM gene was TEM-1.
      These results suggest that the three kinds of beta-lactamase genes identified in
      this study, TEM, ADC, and OXA-23, play a key role in drug resistance in this
      group of A. baumannii. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an emergent
      new mutation of the beta-lactamase gene, ADC-61, in China or abroad. 

PMID- 26125920
TI  - Correlation between the genetic polymorphism of ORMDL3 gene and asthma risk: a
      meta-analysis.
AB  - While increasing scientific evidence suggests that the ORMDL3 rs7216389
      polymorphism may contribute to a higher susceptibility to asthma, many of the
      current studies have yielded inconclusive results. This meta-analysis aimed to
      assess the association between the ORMDL3 rs7216389 polymorphism and the risk of
      asthma. An extensive literature search for relevant studies was conducted in
      PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National
      Knowledge Infrastructure, and Google Scholar. This meta-analysis was performed
      using the STATA 12.0 software. Crude odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence
      intervals (CI) were calculated. Thirteen studies were included with a total of
      14,851 subjects, comprised of 6739 patients with asthma and 8112 healthy
      controls. Our meta-analysis results revealed that the ORMDL3 rs7216389
      polymorphism may be associated with an increased risk of asthma (allele model: OR
      = 1.39, 95%CI = 1.27-1.52, P < 0.001; dominant model: OR = 1.46, 95%CI = 1.31
      1.62, P < 0.001; recessive model: OR = 1.57, 95%CI = 1.37-1.81, P < 0.001;
      homozygous model: OR = 1.58, 95%CI = 1.32-1.90, P < 0.001; heterozygous model: OR
      = 1.54, 95%CI = 1.30-1.82, P < 0.001). We also found significant associations in
      our subgroup analyses based on ethnicity and type of asthma. However, in our
      subgroup analysis based on sources of controls, an association was found in the
      population-based case-control subgroup but not in the hospital-based case-control
      subgroup. This meta-analysis indicates that ORMDL3 rs7216389 may contribute to
      increasing susceptibility to asthma. 

PMID- 26125921
TI  - Expression of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase is enhanced in Leishmania
      spp naturally resistant to nitric oxide.
AB  - Leishmania spp are the causative agents of a spectrum of diseases termed
      leishmaniasis that affect mammals, including humans and dogs. Although reactive
      nitrogen species are employed in the control of parasitism by the immune system,
      it is known that Leishmania can withstand this oxidative stress. As the mechanism
      by which these species are resistant to nitric oxide (NO) is poorly understood,
      the main objective of this study was to evaluate the expression of glyceraldehyde
      3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) in Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania
      chagasi promastigotes showing natural resistance to NO. GAPDH transcript levels
      were quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction amplification, and GAPDH
      activity (assessed by levels of NADH oxidation) was measured by
      spectrophotometry. The level of nitration in total protein was assessed by
      immunoblotting. The results demonstrated an increase in GAPDH expression in
      resistant isolates of both species compared to susceptible isolates. The increase
      in GAPDH expression led to an increase in the activity of GAPDH in L. amazonensis
      human isolates resistant to NO. The pattern of protein nitration did not differ
      between sensitive and resistant isolates. Our results suggest that changes in
      expression of GAPDH may be responsible, at least in part, to natural resistance
      to NO found in human and canine Leishmania spp. 

PMID- 26125922
TI  - Association between XRCC1 Arg280His polymorphism and risk of hepatocellular
      carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most life-threatening malignancies
      worldwide. Defects in DNA repair genes may increase the risk of HCC. X-ray cross
      complementing group 1 gene (XRCC1) is a major DNA repair gene involved in base
      excision re-pair. Recently, several studies have indicated that an association
      exists between XRCC1 polymorphism and HCC, particularly the Arg280His
      polymorphism. However, the data is inconsistent and incomplete. In this study, we
      conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the association between the XRCC1
      Arg280His polymorphism and HCC risk. A total of 10 case-control studies included
      1848 HCC cases and 1969 controls were examined in this analysis. Our results
      suggest that variant geno-types of the XRCC1 Arg280His gene are associated with a
      significantly increased risk of HCC in homozygote comparison (HisHis vs ArgArg,
      odds ratio, 1.55, 95% confidence interval, 1.10-2.18, P = 0.013); no het
      erogeneity was observed (I2 = 0%). Our analysis suggests that the XRCC1 Arg280His
      polymorphism is associated with a higher risk of HCC. 

PMID- 26125923
TI  - Impact of early enteral and parenteral nutrition on prealbumin and high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein after gastric surgery.
AB  - We investigated the impact of early enteral nutrition (EEN) and parenteral
      nutrition (PN) on prealbumin (PA) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs
      CRP) in patients after gastric cancer surgery. Sixty-eight selected patients
      undergoing gastric cancer surgery were randomly divided into the EEN (N = 34) and
      PN (N = 34) groups. Body weight (BW), serum albumin (ALB), transferrin (TF), PA,
      hs-CRP, length of hospital stay, cost of postoperative nutritional support, and
      incidence of complications were compared between groups. On postoperative day 7,
      the BW, TF, ALB, and PA for both groups were significantly decreased compared
      with the values obtained on preoperative day 1 (P < 0.01). A significant decrease
      was observed in TF and PA in the PN group compared with the EEN group (P < 0.01).
      There was no significant difference in BW and ALB between the two groups (P >
      0.05). The hs-CRP level of both groups was significantly higher than on
      preoperative day 1. There was a significant increase in hs-CRP in the PN group
      compared with the EEN group (P < 0.01). The anal exhaust time, length of hospital
      stay, and nutritional support cost were significantly shorter or lower in the EEN
      group than in the PN group (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the
      incidence of complications between the two groups (P > 0.05). EEN helps regulate
      the postoperative response of patients after gastric cancer surgery, promotes
      rehabilitation, and accelerates the recovery of gastrointestinal function.
      Furthermore, EEN has the advantage of being inexpensive. 

PMID- 26125924
TI  - Impact of early postoperative enteral nutrition on clinical outcomes in patients
      with gastric cancer.
AB  - The impact of early enteral nutrition (EEN) on clinical outcomes of gastric
      cancer patients was investigated. Three hundred pa-tients undergoing gastric
      cancer surgery from July 2010 to May 2014 were randomly divided into experimental
      and control groups (n = 150/group). Experimental group patients received enteral
      nutrition in water during the early postoperative period. Control group patients
      received conventional perioperative treatment. Patients' clinical outcomes, post
      operative immune function, and nutritional statuses were compared, which revealed
      that the postoperative fever duration (80.2 +/- 6.0 vs 88.1 +/- 8.1 h, P < 0.05),
      anal exhaust time (78.8 +/- 9.3 vs 85.3 +/- 8.4 h, P < 0.05), and length of
      hospitalization (7.73 +/- 2.13 vs 9.77 +/- 1.76 days, P < 0.01) differed
      significantly. Treatment costs in thousands of dol-lars were 31.24 +/- 3.21 for
      the experimental group and 35.61 +/- 2.32 for the control group; this difference
      was statistically significant (P < 0.01). The incidence of postoperative
      complications did not significantly differ between the experimental and control
      groups [14.0% (21/150) vs 17.3% (26/150), P > 0.05]. At postoperative days 3 and
      7, the CD3(+), CD4(+), natural killer cell, albumin, and prealbumin levels and
      CD4(+)/CD8(+) ra-tio were significantly higher in the experimental group than the
      control group (all P < 0.05). CD8(+) cell counts were significantly lower in the
      experimental group than the control group (P < 0.05). Postsurgical oral EEN can
      improve nutritional status and immune function and promote early recovery of
      intestinal function in patients with gastric cancer. 

PMID- 26125925
TI  - Analysis of postoperative PSA changes after ultrasound-guided permanent [125I]
      seed implantation for the treatment of prostate cancer.
AB  - The aim of this study was to explore postoperative changes in prostate-specific
      antigen (PSA) levels and risk factors that influence the clinical effects of
      ultrasound-guided permanent [(125)I] seed implantation in the treatment of
      prostate cancer. From July 2009 to December 2012, 41 prostate cancer patients who
      underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided [(125)I] seed implantation were followed
      up for 3-56 months. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to their
      results: group A, benign rebound group, 31 cases; and group B, biochemical
      relapse group, 10 cases. A blood analysis of group A showed that the initial PSA
      rise after a nadir occurred postoperatively at 16.8 +/- 1.2 months, and in 65.8%
      (27/41) patients the rise occurred during 15-27 weeks. For group B, the initial
      PSA rise after a nadir occurred postoperatively at 30.2 +/- 2.1 months, and the
      difference in the time parameter of the initial PSA rise after the nadir was
      statistically significant between the 2 groups (P < 0.01). During treatment, age
      was shown to be a risk factor for group A (P = 0.0027, P < 0.01). Postoperative
      changes in PSA levels after ultrasound-guided permanent [(125)I] seed
      implantation contributed to the assessment of the clinical treatment effects. 

PMID- 26125926
TI  - Reaction norms for the study of genotype-environment interaction for growth and
      indicator traits of sexual precocity in Nellore cattle.
AB  - The objective of this study was to quantify the magnitude of genotype-environment
      interaction (GxE) effects on age at first calving (AFC), scrotal circumference
      (SC), and yearling weight (YW) in Nellore cattle using reaction norms. For the
      study, 89,152 weight records of female and male Nellore animals obtained at
      yearling age were used. Genetic parameters were estimated with a single-trait
      random-regression model using Legendre polynomials as base functions. The
      heritability estimates were of low to medium magnitude for AFC (0.05 to 0.47) and
      of medium to high magnitude for SC (0.32 to 0.51) and YW (0.13 to 0.72), and
      increased as the environmental gradient became more favorable. The genetic
      correlation estimates ranged from 0.25 to 1.0 for AFC, from 0.71 to 1.0 for SC,
      and from 0.42 to 1.0 for YW. High Spearman correlation coefficients were obtained
      for the three traits, ranging from 0.97 to 0.99. The reaction norms along the
      environmental gradient of 10 sires each with the highest or lowest breeding value
      for YW predicted by single-trait analysis demonstrated more plastic phenotypes
      for YW and more robust phenotypes for SC. The effect of GxE was most important
      for YW and AFC with respect to SC. When animals are selected for higher SC or YW
      or lower AFC, considering or not the GxE effect, it is expected that the same
      animals will be selected. The reaction norms obtained based on sire breeding
      values along the environmental gradient showed that animals with extreme breeding
      values respond differently as environmental conditions improve. 

PMID- 26125927
TI  - Immunohistochemistry of lymphocytes in benign lymphoadenosis of oral mucosa.
AB  - Benign lymphoadenosis of oral mucosa (BLOM) is a common oral mucosa disease and
      may be regarded as a precancerous lesion. However, the association between its
      biological behavior and lymphocyte distribution remains unclear. Therefore, to
      investigate the characteristics of BLOM, we studied the infiltration of
      lymphocytes associated with it. The expression levels of CD74, CD20, CD3, and
      CD45RO were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining in 14 sam-ples from BLOM, 9
      samples from BLOM with atypia hyperplasia, 11 samples from BLOM with canceration,
      and 10 samples from normal oral mucosa tissues. The results were analyzed by two
      sample t-test using SPSS 10.0 for Windows, and P < 0.05 was considered to be sig
      nificant. In normal oral mucosa, positive expression levels of CD3 and CD45RO
      were presented in the extra-lymphoid follicle, and the expres-sion levels of CD74
      and CD20 were negative. In all BLOM groups, the expression level of CD20 was
      positive except for one case of BLOM with canceration; the expression levels of
      CD74 were all positive. Posi-tive expression levels of CD3 and CD45RO could be
      found not only in extra-lymphoid follicles but also in inner-lymphoid follicles
      in the BLOM groups. The expression levels of CD74 and CD20 in extra-lym-phoid
      follicles, and CD3 and CD45RO in inner-lymphoid follicles in BLOM were
      significantly higher than in BLOM with canceration. The infiltrated lymphocytes
      in BLOM comprise T- and B-cells. This indi-cates that the lymphoid tissue in BLOM
      is mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue and BLOM is a proliferative lesion. 

PMID- 26125928
TI  - Flow cytometry reliability analysis and variations in sugarcane DNA content.
AB  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of flow cytometry analysis
      and the use of this technique to differentiate species and varieties of sugarcane
      (Saccharum spp) according to their relative DNA content. We analyzed 16 varieties
      and three species belonging to this genus. To determine a reliable protocol, we
      evaluated three extraction buffers (LB01, Marie, and Tris.MgCl2), the presence
      and absence of RNase, six doses of propidium iodide (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 MUg),
      four periods of exposure to propidium iodide (0, 5, 10, and 20 min), and seven
      external reference standards (peas, beans, corn, radish, rye, soybean, and
      tomato) with reference to the coefficient of variation and the DNA content. For
      statistical analyses, we used the programs Sisvar((r)) and Xlstat((r)). We
      recommend using the Marie extraction buffer and at least 15 MUg propidium iodide.
      The samples should not be analyzed immediately after the addition of propidium
      iodide. The use of RNase is optional, and tomato should be used as an external
      reference standard. The results show that sugarcane has a variable genome size
      (8.42 to 12.12 pg/2C) and the individuals analyzed could be separated into four
      groups according to their DNA content with relative equality in the genome sizes
      of the commercial varieties. 

PMID- 26125929
TI  - Cloprostenol and pregnant mare serum gonadotropin promote estrus synchronization,
      uterine development, and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor expression in
      mice.
AB  - This study investigated the effects of pregnant mare se-rum gonadotropin (PMSG)
      and cloprostenol (CLO) on estrus induc-tion and synchronization, uterine
      development, and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) expression in mice.
      A total of 105 Kunming pre-puberty mice were divided into seven subgroups. Three
      PMSG sub-groups were injected intraperitoneally with 10, 20, and 40 IU PMSG twice
      (on days 0 and 4), and three CLO subgroups were injected intra-peritoneally with
      10, 15, and 20 MUg cloprostenol acetate twice (on days 0 and 4). The results
      showed that 93.33 and 66.67% of synchronized mice displayed estrus within 18.68
      37.59 h following CLO and PMSG exposure, respectively. Estrus numbers, estrus
      onset time, and estrus rates in CLO and PMSG groups were greater than in control
      groups (CG) (P < 0.05). Uterine weights of the PMSG group were higher than that
      of CLO and CG groups, and the uterine horn longitudinal diameters in experimental
      mice were greater than CG. Expression levels of FSHR proteins in CLO and PMSG
      groups increased slightly when compared to CG. In conclusion, CLO and PMSG
      administration did not clearly af-fect the expression of uterine FSHR proteins in
      mice. Moreover, PMSG and CLO treatments synchronized estrus and enhanced the
      uterine de-velopment of mice. The efficacy of CLO on estrus synchronization was
      greater than PMSG, and the effects of PMSG on uterine development were stronger
      than CLO. These results have important significance re-garding the modulation of
      animal reproductive functions. 

PMID- 26125930
TI  - Differential gene expression in drought-tolerant sugarcane roots.
AB  - Drought is one of the most frequent abiotic stresses limiting the productivity
      and geographical distribution of sugarcane culture. The use of drought-tolerant
      genotypes is one approach for overcoming the effects of water stress. We
      conducted a comparative study to identify gene expression profiles under water
      stress in tolerant sugarcane roots. Two different cultivars, 1 drought tolerant
      (RB867515) and 1 drought susceptible (SP86-155), were evaluated at 4 sampling
      time points (1, 3, 5, and 10 days) using the cDNA-amplified fragment length
      polymorphism technique. A total of 173 fragments were found to be differentially
      expressed in response to water stress in the tolerant cultivar. Seventy of these
      were cloned, sequenced, and categorized. Similarity analysis using BLAST revealed
      that 64% of the fragments differentially expressed code proteins classified as no
      hits (23%), hypothetical (21%), or involved in stress response (20%), with others
      were involved in communication pathways and signal transduction, bioenergetics,
      secondary metabolism, and growth and development. Four genes were analyzed and
      validated using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to determine
      their expression and showed consistency with the cDNA-amplified fragment length
      polymorphism analyses. Our results contribute insight into the molecular
      responses to water stress in sugarcane and possibility to the development of
      cultivars with improved tolerance to drought. 

PMID- 26125931
TI  - Anti-prostate cancer effects of CTL cell induction in vitro by recombinant
      adenovirus mediated PSMA/4-1BBL dendritic cells: an immunotherapy study.
AB  - This study aimed to examine anti-prostate cancer immune response induced by
      dendritic cells (DCs) transduced with PSMA/4-1BBL recombinant adenoviruses in
      vitro. Ad-PSMA, Ad-4-1BBL, and Ad-GFP were transfected into DCs derived from
      peripheral blood of healthy volunteers. Ad-PSMA/4-1BBL-DC, Ad-PSMA-DC, Ad-4-1BBL
      DC, Ad-GFP-DC, and normal-DC, PSMA and 4-1BBL protein levels in DCs were detected
      by western blot. IL-12, IFN-gamma and IL-10 were measured by ELISA. Mixed
      lymphocyte reaction and the cytotoxicity of each group targeted to LNCap, Du145,
      and 22RV prostate cancer cells were determined by CCK-8 assay. PSMA and 4-1BBL
      protein could express on DC successfully, the IL-12 supernatant content (134.29
      +/- 2.22 pg) was higher than others (P < 0.05). The ability to stimulate
      autologous T lymphocyte proliferation in the co-transfection group was higher
      than others (P < 0.05). When the DCs were co-cultured with CTLs, the PSMA/4-1BBL
      DC-CTL group showed the highest content of IFN-gamma (1176.10 +/- 14.37pg/5 x
      10(6) cells), but the lowest IL-10 content (75.14 +/- 2.01 pg/5 x 10(6) cells) (P
      < 0.05), and the strongest anti-tumor effect when the effector to target ratio
      was 40:1, along with a higher killing ratio of LNCap cells than others (P <
      0.05). Overall, Mature DCs transfected with Ad-PSMA/4- 1BBL not only showed high
      secretion of IL-12, but also induced CTLs to stimulate and enhance the killing
      effect of PSMA specific effector cells to PSMA positively expressing prostate
      cancer cells. Furthermore, the DCs infected with two kinds of tumor-associated
      antigens would induce more effective tumor-specific CTL induction. 

PMID- 26125932
TI  - Potential hippocampal genes and pathways involved in Alzheimer's disease: a
      bioinformatic analysis.
AB  - Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disor-der and the most common
      cause of dementia in elderly people. Nu-merous studies have focused on the
      dysregulated genes in AD, but the pathogenesis is still unknown. In this study,
      we explored critical hippocampal genes and pathways that might potentially be
      involved in the pathogenesis of AD. Four transcriptome datasets for the hip
      pocampus of patients with AD were downloaded from ArrayExpress, and the gene
      signature was identified by integrated analysis of mul-tiple transcriptomes using
      novel genome-wide relative significance and genome-wide global significance
      models. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed, and five clusters
      were selected. The biologi-cal functions and pathways were identified by Gene
      Ontology and Kyo-to Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment
      analysis. A total of 6994 genes were screened, and the top 300 genes were
      subjected to further analysis. Four significant KEGG pathways were identified,
      including oxidative phosphorylation and Parkinson's disease, Huntington's
      disease, and Alzheimer's disease pathways. The hub network of cluster 1 with the
      highest average rank value was de-fined. The genes (NDUFB3, NDUFA9, NDUFV1,
      NDUFV2, NDUFS3, NDUFA10, COX7B, and UQCR1) were considered critical with high
      degree in cluster 1 as well as being shared by the four significant path-ways.
      The oxidative phosphorylation process was also involved in the other three
      pathways and is considered to be relevant to energy-related AD pathology in the
      hippocampus. This research provides a perspec-tive from which to explore critical
      genes and pathways for potential AD therapies. 

PMID- 26125933
TI  - Expression and clinical value of the soluble major histocompatibility complex
      class I-related chain A molecule in the serum of patients with renal tumors.
AB  - We investigated the expression and clinical value of the soluble major
      histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A (sMICA) molecule in the serum
      of patients with renal tumors. Sixty patients diagnosed with renal tumors were
      enrolled in the experimental group, whereas 20 healthy volunteers served as the
      control group. The sMICA levels were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent
      assay, and the results were analyzed in combination with data from pathol-ogy
      examination. The experimental group had a statistically significant higher sMICA
      level (P < 0.05) than the control group. The sMICA level was higher in patients
      with malignant tumors than in those with be-nign tumors. We also observed a
      positive relationship among different tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) pathological
      stages with more advanced diseases exhibiting higher sMICA levels. As a tumor
      associated antigen, MICA has a close relationship with renal tumorigenesis and
      immune es-cape. Our results indicated that sMICA levels were related to tumor
      pathol-ogy, TNM stage, and metastasis. Therefore, sMICA might be a potential
      marker for tumor characteristics, prognosis, and recurrence prediction. 

PMID- 26125934
TI  - Correlation of UGT1A1 and ERCC1 gene polymorphisms with the outcome of combined
      irinotecan plus cisplatin treatment in recurrent ovarian cancer.
AB  - The aim of this study was to define the genotypes of UGT1A1 and ERCC1 and to
      examine their relationship with the efficacy and toxicity of a combination
      therapy of irinotecan and cisplatin in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. The
      allelic frequencies of the UGT1A1 and ERCC1 variants in a group of 89 patients
      with advanced ovarian cancer were determined. The relationship between the
      adverse events of irinotecan-based chemotherapy and the efficacy of cisplatin in
      patients with advanced ovarian cancer were analyzed. For patients who carried the
      UGT1A1*28 wild-type (WW) or the UGT1A1*28 heterozygous and homozygous mutant
      (WM+MM) genotypes, the incidences of grade 2 or 3 tardive diarrhea were 52.2 and
      72.7% respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.031,
      OR = 2.1, 95%CI = 1.6-9.2). For grade 3 or 4 tardive diarrhea, the incidence
      rates were 7.5 and 36.4% respectively; this difference was also statistically
      significant (P = 0.000, OR = 4.9, 95%CI = 3.3-15.8). The response rates of ERCC1
      WW and ERCC1 WM+MM carriers were 30.3 and 20.2% respectively; this difference was
      significant (P = 0.032, OR = 3.2, 95%CI = 1.4-9.1). Together, the results from
      this study suggest that UGT1A1 is a target gene for tardive diarrhea, and that
      the UGT1A1*28 gene mutation might increase the risk of diarrhea with irinotecan
      based chemotherapy. Furthermore, the results suggest that ERCC1 WW carriers might
      obtain a better rate of clinical response from a combined irinotecan and
      cisplatin regimen than ERCC1 WM+MM carriers. 

PMID- 26125935
TI  - PPARgamma Pro12Ala and His447His polymorphisms and susceptibility to Alzheimer's
      disease: a meta-analysis.
AB  - We investigated whether Pro12Ala (C->G) and His447His (C->T) polymorphisms of the
      peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) gene are associated
      with susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease (AD). We conducted a meta-analysis of
      the associations between the PPARgamma Pro12Ala and His447His polymorphisms and
      AD in subjects. The meta-analysis was performed according to the apolipoprotein E
      (APOE) E4 allele status. A total of eight studies were considered in our meta
      analysis, comprising 2948 patients with AD and 3753 controls. Meta-analysis
      showed no association between AD and the PPARgamma Pro12Ala G allele in any of
      the study subjects [odds ratio (OR) = 1.013, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) =
      0.906-1.132, P = 0.821] or in the European and Asian populations (OR = 0.997,
      95%CI = 0.890-1.118, P = 0.965; OR = 1.409, 95%CI = 0.832-2.387, P = 0.202,
      respectively). We tested whether the APOE E4 allele affects the association
      between the PPARgamma Pro12Ala polymorphism and AD. Meta-analysis showed no
      association between AD and the PPARgamma G allele in any of the study subjects
      with or without the APOE E4 allele. Meta-analysis showed no association between
      AD and the PPARgamma His447His T allele in the European population (OR for T
      allele = 0.912, 95%CI = 0.732-1.136, P = 0.409). This meta-analysis has shown
      that there is a lack of association between the PPARgamma Pro12Ala and His447His
      polymorphisms and AD risk. 

PMID- 26125936
TI  - Ion beam transformation with corn DNA alters proteinase expression in rice
      seedling roots.
AB  - Corn DNA was introduced into dry seeds of rice (cv. 'YuJing-6') by ion beam
      irradiation. Proteinase activities in rice seedling roots were subsequently
      analyzed by renaturation electrophoresis at pH 4.5, 7.0, and 8.5. Proteinase
      activity was more pronounced on gels at higher pH. Irradiation of rice seedling
      roots caused the loss of some proteinase bands at all pH conditions although a
      novel 50-kDa band was found at both pH 7.0 and 8.5. No new proteinase activity
      was detected at pH 4.5. However, novel bands and bands showing stronger activity
      were observed at pH 7.0 and 8.5. The data indicate that the expression of
      proteinases in rice seedling roots was altered following low energy ion beam
      mediated transformation with corn DNA. 

PMID- 26125938
TI  - Inequitable and Ineffective: Exclusion of Mental Health from the Post-2015
      Development Agenda.

PMID- 26125937
TI  - Identification of Candidate Adherent-Invasive E. coli Signature Transcripts by
      Genomic/Transcriptomic Analysis.
AB  - Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) strains are detected more frequently
      within mucosal lesions of patients with Crohn's disease (CD). The AIEC phenotype
      consists of adherence and invasion of intestinal epithelial cells and survival
      within macrophages of these bacteria in vitro. Our aim was to identify candidate
      transcripts that distinguish AIEC from non-invasive E. coli (NIEC) strains and
      might be useful for rapid and accurate identification of AIEC by culture
      independent technology. We performed comparative RNA-Sequence (RNASeq) analysis
      using AIEC strain LF82 and NIEC strain HS during exponential and stationary
      growth. Differential expression analysis of coding sequences (CDS) homologous to
      both strains demonstrated 224 and 241 genes with increased and decreased
      expression, respectively, in LF82 relative to HS. Transition metal transport and
      siderophore metabolism related pathway genes were up-regulated, while glycogen
      metabolic and oxidation-reduction related pathway genes were down-regulated, in
      LF82. Chemotaxis related transcripts were up-regulated in LF82 during the
      exponential phase, but flagellum-dependent motility pathway genes were down
      regulated in LF82 during the stationary phase. CDS that mapped only to the LF82
      genome accounted for 747 genes. We applied an in silico subtractive genomics
      approach to identify CDS specific to AIEC by incorporating the genomes of 10
      other previously phenotyped NIEC. From this analysis, 166 CDS mapped to the LF82
      genome and lacked homology to any of the 11 human NIEC strains. We compared these
      CDS across 13 AIEC, but none were homologous in each. Four LF82 gene loci
      belonging to clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats region
      (CRISPR)--CRISPR-associated (Cas) genes were identified in 4 to 6 AIEC and absent
      from all non-pathogenic bacteria. As previously reported, AIEC strains were
      enriched for pdu operon genes. One CDS, encoding an excisionase, was shared by 9
      AIEC strains. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays
      for 6 genes were conducted on fecal and ileal RNA samples from 22 inflammatory
      bowel disease (IBD), and 32 patients without IBD (non-IBD). The expression of Cas
      loci was detected in a higher proportion of CD than non-IBD fecal and ileal RNA
      samples (p <0.05). These results support a comparative genomic/transcriptomic
      approach towards identifying candidate AIEC signature transcripts.

PMID- 26125939
TI  - Neisseria gonorrhoeae Modulates Immunity by Polarizing Human Macrophages to a M2
      Profile.
AB  - Current data suggest that Neisseria gonorrhoeae is able to suppress the
      protective immune response at different levels, such as B and T lymphocytes and
      antigen-presenting cells. The present report is focused on gonococcus evasion
      mechanism on macrophages (MF) and its impact in the subsequent immune response.
      In response to various signals MF may undergo classical-M1 (M1-MF) or alternative
      M2 (M2-MF) activation. Until now there are no reports of the gonococcus effects
      on human MF polarization. We assessed the phagocytic ability of monocyte-derived
      MF (MDM) upon gonococcal infection by immunofluorescence and gentamicin
      protection experiments. Then, we evaluated cytokine profile and M1/M2 specific
      surface markers on MF challenged with N. gonorrhoeae and their proliferative
      effect on T cells. Our findings lead us to suggest N. gonorrhoeae stimulates a M2
      MF phenotype in which some of the M2b and none of the M1-MF-associated markers
      are induced. Interestingly, N. gonorrhoeae exposure leads to upregulation of a
      Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1), widely known as an immunosuppressive molecule.
      Moreover, functional results showed that N. gonorrhoeae-treated MF are unable to
      induce proliferation of human T-cells, suggesting a more likely regulatory
      phenotype. Taken together, our data show that N. gonorroheae interferes with MF
      polarization. This study has important implications for understanding the
      mechanisms of clearance versus long-term persistence of N. gonorroheae infection
      and might be applicable for the development of new therapeutic strategies. 

PMID- 26125940
TI  - Applicability of ISSR and DAMD markers for phyto-molecular characterization and
      association with some important biochemical traits of Dendrobium nobile, an
      endangered medicinal orchid.
AB  - Dendrobium nobile is an important medicinal orchid having profound importance in
      traditional herbal drug preparations and pharmacopeias worldwide. Due to various
      anthropogenic pressures the natural populations of this important orchid species
      are presently facing threats of extinction. In the present study, genetic and
      chemical diversity existing amongst 6 natural populations of D. nobile were
      assessed using molecular markers, and the influence of genetic factors on its
      phytochemical activity especially antioxidant potential was determined. Molecular
      fingerprinting of the orchid taxa was performed using ISSR and DAMD markers along
      with the estimation of total phenolics, flavonoids and alkaloid contents.
      Antioxidant activity was also measured using DPPH and FRAP assays which
      cumulatively revealed a significant level of variability across the sampled
      populations. The representatives from Sikkim in Northeast India revealed higher
      phytochemical activity whereas those from Mizoram showed lesser activity.
      Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that variation amongst the
      populations was significantly higher than within the populations. The data
      generated by UPGMA and Bayesian analytical models were compared in order to
      estimate the genetic relationships amongst the D. nobile germplasm sampled from
      different geographical areas of Northeast India. Interestingly, identical
      grouping patterns were exhibited by both the approaches. The results of the
      present study detected a high degree of existing genetic and phytochemical
      variation amongst the populations in relation to bioclimatic and geographic
      locations of populations. Our results strongly establish that the cumulative
      marker approach could be the best suited for assessing the genetic relationships
      with high accuracy amongst distinct D. nobile accessions. 

PMID- 26125941
TI  - Biologically active vallesamine, strychnan, and rhazinilam alkaloids from
      Alstonia: Pneumatophorine, a nor-secovallesamine with unusual incorporation of a
      3-ethylpyridine moiety.
AB  - Four alkaloids comprising two vallesamine, one strychnan, and one pyranopyridine
      alkaloid, in addition to 32 other known alkaloids were isolated from two Malayan
      Alstonia species, Alstonia pneumatophora and Alstonia rostrata. The structures of
      these alkaloids were determined using NMR and MS analyses, and in one instance,
      confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The nor-6,7-secovallesamine alkaloid,
      pneumatophorine, is notable for an unusual incorporation of a 3-ethylpyridine
      moiety in a monoterpenoid indole. The rhazinilam-type alkaloids (rhazinicine, nor
      rhazinicine, rhazinal, and rhazinilam) showed strong cytotoxicity toward human
      KB, HCT-116, MDA-MB-231, and MRC-5 cells, while pneumatophorine, the uleine
      alkaloid undulifoline, and the strychnan alkaloids, N4-demethylalstogustine and
      echitamidine, induced concentration dependent relaxation in phenylephrine
      precontracted rat aortic rings. 

PMID- 26125942
TI  - Anti-inflammation furanoditerpenoids from Caesalpinia minax Hance.
AB  - Cassane skeletons are rare in nature, but often possess valuable medicinal
      properties. A furanoditerpenoid with an unusual A-seco-rearranged cassane
      skeleton, neocaesalminin A, and five furanoditerpenoids were isolated from seeds
      of Caesalpinia minax Hance, along with six known cassane derivatives, 7-O-acetyl
      bonducellpin C, caesalmin F, caesalmin C, zeta-caesalmin, caesalmin E1 and
      caesalpinin K. Compound structures were determined by spectroscopy (HR-ESI-MS,
      UV, IR, 1D NMR, 2D NMR), X-ray crystallography and quantum chemical computation
      of electronic circular dichroism). Three of the previously known compounds
      exhibited significant inhibition of nitric oxide production of RAW264.7
      macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). 

PMID- 26125943
TI  - The sesquiterpene lactone polymatin B from Smallanthus sonchifolius induces
      different cell death mechanisms in three cancer cell lines.
AB  - A 8beta-angeloyloxy-9alpha-hydroxy-14-oxo-acanthospermolide and five known
      melampolide sesquiterpene lactones (uvedalin, enhydrin, polymatin B, sonchifolin,
      and fluctuanin) were isolated from the leaves of Smallanthus sonchifolius. The
      compounds were identified by 1D-, 2D-NMR, HRMS, IR and UV analyses. In vitro
      cytotoxicity assays (MTT) showed that these sesquiterpene lactones display poor
      cytotoxic effects on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of healthy human
      subjects, whereas a strong cytotoxicity was observed in leukemia and pancreas
      cancer cells. For the mechanism of action of polymatin B, oxidative stress seems
      to be involved. Interestingly, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation mainly
      induced different effects: apoptosis in CCRF-CEM cells, necroptosis in CEM
      ADR5000 cells through induction of RIP1K, neither apoptosis nor necroptosis in
      MIA-PaCa-2 cells. Additionally, cells also died partly by necrosis. 

PMID- 26125944
TI  - The Amyloid Precursor Protein Controls PIKfyve Function.
AB  - While the Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) plays a central role in Alzheimer's
      disease, its cellular function still remains largely unclear. It was our goal to
      establish APP function which will provide insights into APP's implication in
      Alzheimer's disease. Using our recently developed proteo-liposome assay we
      established the interactome of APP's intracellular domain (known as AICD),
      thereby identifying novel APP interactors that provide mechanistic insights into
      APP function. By combining biochemical, cell biological and genetic approaches we
      validated the functional significance of one of these novel interactors. Here we
      show that APP binds the PIKfyve complex, an essential kinase for the synthesis of
      the endosomal phosphoinositide phosphatidylinositol-3,5-bisphosphate. This
      signalling lipid plays a crucial role in endosomal homeostasis and receptor
      sorting. Loss of PIKfyve function by mutation causes profound neurodegeneration
      in mammals. Using C. elegans genetics we demonstrate that APP functionally
      cooperates with PIKfyve in vivo. This regulation is required for maintaining
      endosomal and neuronal function. Our findings establish an unexpected role for
      APP in the regulation of endosomal phosphoinositide metabolism with dramatic
      consequences for endosomal biology and important implications for our
      understanding of Alzheimer's disease. 

PMID- 26125945
TI  - Orally Administered Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole and Metronidazole as Infection
      Prophylaxis in Elective Colorectal Surgery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This randomized clinical trial evaluated orally administered
      trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and metronidazole (TSM) in elective colorectal
      surgery as prophylactic for post-operative surgical site infections (SSI).
      METHODS: Patients undergoing elective colorectal resection were evaluated for
      inclusion. Randomized subjects received either orally administered TSM or
      intravenously administered cefuroxime and metronidazole (control group, CXM). The
      primary endpoint was the rate of SSI. RESULTS: A total of 1073 subjects were
      randomized to either control (540) or TSM (533). 486 patients in the TSM group
      and 499 in the control group were followed-up with after 4 weeks. Thirty-seven
      (3.8%) patients were afflicted by SSI at discharge from hospital and 69 (7.0%) at
      follow-up four weeks after surgery. After four weeks, the rate of incisional SSI
      was 7.0% in the TSM group and 3.6% in the control group (p=0.022). For
      organ/space SSI and the other complications monitored in the study, no
      differences were observed between the groups. CONCLUSION: Orally administered TSM
      as prophylaxis before elective colorectal surgery results in a low rate of
      organ/space SSI but an increased rate of incisional SSI compared with
      intravenously administered cefuroxime and metronidazole. Thus, when considering
      orally administered TSM, because of environmental concerns or for economic
      reasons, the slightly increased infection rate has to be kept in mind.

PMID- 26125946
TI  - Effects of Dietary Energy Sources on Post Mortem Glycolysis, Meat Quality and
      Muscle Fibre Type Transformation of Finishing Pigs.
AB  - Dietary energy source can influence muscle glycogen storage at slaughter.
      However, few studies have demonstrated whether the diet-induced change of muscle
      glycogen is achieved by the transformation of muscle fibre type. This study
      investigated the effects of dietary energy sources on meat quality, post mortem
      glycolysis and muscle fibre type transformation of finishing pigs. Seventy-two
      barrows with an average body weight of 65.0 +/- 2.0 kg were selected and were
      allotted to three iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous diets A, B or C, and each
      treatment consisted of three replicates (pens) of eight pigs each. Diet A
      contained 44.1% starch, 5.9% crude fat and 12.6% neutral detergent fiber (NDF);
      diet B contained 37.6% starch, 9.5% crude fat and 15.4% NDF; and diet C contained
      30.9% starch, 14.3% crude fat and 17.8% NDF. The duration of the experiment was
      28 days. After feed withdrawal 12 h, 24 pigs (eight per treatment) were
      slaughtered, samples from M. longissimus lumborum (LL) were collected for
      subsequent analysis. The results showed that pigs fed diet C had lesser average
      daily gain, average daily feed intake and back fat depth than those fed diet A
      (P<0.05). Diet C increased pH45min (P<0.05) and decreased drip loss (P<0.05) in
      LL muscles compared with diet A. Meat from pigs fed diet A showed increased
      contents of lactate and greater glycolytic potential (GP) compared with those fed
      diet C (P<0.05). Greater mRNA expression of myosin heavy-chain (MyHC)-I and IIa
      and lesser expression of MyHC-IIx and IIb (P<0.05) in LL muscles were found in
      pigs fed diet C, than in pigs fed diet A. In addition, pigs fed diet C resulted
      in downregulation of miR23a and upregulation of miR409 and miR208b (P<0.05),
      associated with conserved changes of their corresponding targets. These findings
      indicated that diets containing low starch and high fibre were beneficial in
      reducing muscle glycolysis, improving meat quality of finishing pigs. This
      reduction of GP may be partially associated with the improvement of oxidative
      fibre composition in LL muscle, and the change in myofibre type may be correlated
      with the change in the miRNA expression. 

PMID- 26125947
TI  - Impact of Lipid Oxidization on Vertical Structures and Electrostatics of
      Phospholipid Monolayers Revealed by Combination of Specular X-ray Reflectivity
      and Grazing-Incidence X-ray Fluorescence.
AB  - The influence of phospholipid oxidization of floating monolayers on the structure
      perpendicular to the global plane and on the density profiles of ions near the
      lipid monolayer has been investigated by a combination of grazing incidence X-ray
      fluorescence (GIXF) and specular X-ray reflectivity (XRR). Systematic variation
      of the composition of the floating monolayers unravels changes in the thickness,
      roughness and electron density of the lipid monolayers as a function of molar
      fraction of oxidized phospholipids. Simultaneous GIXF measurements enable one to
      qualitatively determine the element-specific density profiles of monovalent (K(+)
      or Cs(+)) and divalent ions (Ca(2+)) in the vicinity of the interface in the
      presence and absence of two types of oxidized phospholipids (PazePC and PoxnoPC)
      with high spatial accuracy (+/-5 A). We found the condensation of Ca(2+) near
      carboxylated PazePC was more pronounced compared to PoxnoPC with an aldehyde
      group. In contrast, the condensation of monovalent ions could hardly be detected
      even for pure oxidized phospholipid monolayers. Moreover, pure phospholipid
      monolayers exhibited almost no ion specific condensation near the interface. The
      quantitative studies with well-defined floating monolayers revealed how the
      elevation of lipid oxidization level alters the structures and functions of cell
      membranes. 

PMID- 26125948
TI  - Discovery of CREBBP Bromodomain Inhibitors by High-Throughput Docking and Hit
      Optimization Guided by Molecular Dynamics.
AB  - We have identified two chemotypes of CREBBP bromodomain ligands by fragment-based
      high-throughput docking. Only 17 molecules from the original library of two
      million compounds were tested in vitro. Optimization of the two low-micromolar
      hits, the 4-acylpyrrole 1 and acylbenzene 9, was driven by molecular dynamics
      results which suggested improvement of the polar interactions with the Arg1173
      side chain at the rim of the binding site. The synthesis of only two derivatives
      of 1 yielded the 4-acylpyrrole 6 which shows a single-digit micromolar affinity
      for the CREBBP bromodomain and a ligand efficiency of 0.34 kcal/mol per non
      hydrogen atom. Optimization of the acylbenzene hit 9 resulted in a series of
      derivatives with nanomolar potencies, good ligand efficiency and selectivity (see
      Unzue, A.; Xu, M.; Dong, J.; Wiedmer, L.; Spiliotopoulos, D.; Caflisch, A.;
      Nevado, C.Fragment-Based Design of Selective Nanomolar Ligands of the CREBBP
      Bromodomain. J. Med. Chem. 2015, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b00172). The in
      silico predicted binding mode of the acylbenzene derivative 10 was validated by
      solving the structure of the complex with the CREBBP bromodomain.

PMID- 26125949
TI  - The Role of Immunohistochemistry in Rhabdomyosarcoma Diagnosis Using Tissue
      Microarray Technology and a Xenograft Model.
AB  - Rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) may resemble other non-myogenic sarcomas and malignant
      rhabdoid tumor (MRT). Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) often harbors a typical
      translocation, but embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) lacks any specific
      rearrangement. Histopathology is not always sufficient for an unequivocal
      diagnosis, necessitating ancillary studies, including immunohistochemistry (IHC).
      Sixteen genetically tested RMS and two MRT were xenografted and followed in
      successive passages. Tissue microarrays were constructed including samples from
      original and xenograft tumors. Desmin, myogenin, CK, EMA, INI1, LSD1, AP2beta,
      fibrillin-2, HMGA2, nestin, and SIRT1 were tested using immunohistochemical
      staining. Desmin and myogenin were positive in all RMS, and the epithelial
      markers were negative in almost all RMS. New markers (LSD1, AP2beta, HMGA2,
      Nestin, and SIRT1) were positive in all RMS and MRT. There were no differences in
      IHC expression between the three RMS subtypes tested except fibrillin-2, which
      was negative in ARMS. Applying new IHC markers can contribute to RMS diagnosis.
      Nevertheless, most markers are also expressed in MRT, and further studies are
      needed to confirm their value against this and other small round cell tumors.

PMID- 26125951
TI  - Tier 2 Language Intervention for Diverse Preschoolers: An Early-Stage Randomized
      Control Group Study Following an Analysis of Response to Intervention.
AB  - PURPOSE: The first purpose of this study was to explore the use of a whole class,
      test-teach-test, dynamic assessment of narratives for identifying participants.
      The second purpose was to examine the efficacy of a Tier 2 narrative language
      intervention for culturally and linguistically diverse preschoolers. METHOD: A
      dynamic assessment was conducted with students from 3 Head Start classrooms. On
      the basis of the results of the dynamic assessment, 22 children were randomly
      assigned to treatment (n = 12) and control (n = 10) groups for intervention.
      Participants received a small-group (4:1), differentiated, narrative intervention
      for 15-20 min, twice a week, for 9 weeks. Interventionists used weekly progress
      monitoring data to explicitly focus on individualized narrative and linguistic
      targets. RESULTS: The treatment group showed significant improvement over the
      control group on proximal and distal measures of narrative retells, with large
      effect sizes. Group differences on a measure of children's language in the
      context of personal stories were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: This
      early-stage study provides evidence that narrative language intervention is an
      effective approach to improving the language skills of preschoolers with diverse
      language needs. Furthermore, the evidence supports the use of dynamic assessment
      for reducing overidentification and identifying candidates for small-group
      language intervention.

PMID- 26125950
TI  - Rational Design and Adaptive Management of Combination Therapies for Hepatitis C
      Virus Infection.
AB  - Recent discoveries of direct acting antivirals against Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
      have raised hopes of effective treatment via combination therapies. Yet rapid
      evolution and high diversity of HCV populations, combined with the reality of
      suboptimal treatment adherence, make drug resistance a clinical and public health
      concern. We develop a general model incorporating viral dynamics and
      pharmacokinetics/ pharmacodynamics to assess how suboptimal adherence affects
      resistance development and clinical outcomes. We derive design principles and
      adaptive treatment strategies, identifying a high-risk period when missing doses
      is particularly risky for de novo resistance, and quantifying the number of
      additional doses needed to compensate when doses are missed. Using data from
      large-scale resistance assays, we demonstrate that the risk of resistance can be
      reduced substantially by applying these principles to a combination therapy of
      daclatasvir and asunaprevir. By providing a mechanistic framework to link patient
      characteristics to the risk of resistance, these findings show the potential of
      rational treatment design. 

PMID- 26125952
TI  - Nonalcoholic Hepatic Steatosis Is a Strong Predictor of High-Risk Coronary-Artery
      Plaques as Determined by Multidetector CT.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with a risk of
      coronary artery disease (e.g., diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, metabolic
      syndrome). We evaluated whether nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis is associated with
      high-risk plaques as assessed by multidetector computed tomography (CT). METHODS:
      This retrospective study involved 414 participants suspected of having coronary
      artery disease. Nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis was defined as a liver-to-spleen
      fat ratio of <1.0 and the presence and appropriate characteristics of coronary
      artery plaques as assessed by coronary CT angiography. High-risk plaques were
      identified, as were low-density plaques, positive remodeling, and spotty
      calcification. RESULTS: Compared with patients who did not have nonalcoholic
      hepatic steatosis, patients with nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis had more low
      density plaques (21% vs. 44%, p<0.01), positive remodeling (41% vs. 58%, p =
      0.01), and spotty calcification (12% vs. 36%, p<0.01). The number of high-risk
      plaques in patients with nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis was greater than in those
      without nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis (p<0.01). Patients with nonalcoholic
      hepatic steatosis were more likely to have high-risk plaques than were those with
      only an elevated level of visceral adipose tissue (>=86 cm2; 35% vs. 16%,
      p<0.01). Multivariate analyses that included nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis,
      amount of visceral adipose tissue, and the presence/absence of traditional risk
      factors demonstrated that nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis was an independent
      predictor of high-risk plaques (odds ratio: 4.60; 95% confidence interval: 1.94
      9.07, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis may be of
      value when assessing the risk of coronary artery disease.

PMID- 26125953
TI  - Positively Charged Chitosan and N-Trimethyl Chitosan Inhibit Abeta40
      Fibrillogenesis.
AB  - Amyloid fibrils, formed by aggregation of improperly folded or intrinsically
      disordered proteins, are closely related with the pathology of a wide range of
      neurodegenerative diseases. Hence, there is a great deal of interest in
      developing molecules that can bind and inhibit amyloid formation. In this regard,
      we have investigated the effect of two positively charged polysaccharides,
      chitosan (CHT) and its quarternary derivative N-trimethyl chitosan chloride
      (TMC), on the aggregation of Abeta40 peptide. Our aggregation kinetics and atomic
      force microscopy (AFM) studies show that both CHT and TMC exhibit a concentration
      dependent inhibiting activity on Abeta40 fibrillogenesis. Systematic pH-dependent
      studies demonstrate that the attractive electrostatic interactions between the
      positively charged moieties in CHT/TMC and the negatively charged residues in
      Abeta40 play a key role in this inhibiting activity. The stronger inhibiting
      activity of TMC than CHT further suggests the importance of charge density of the
      polymer chain in interacting with Abeta40 and blocking the fibril formation. The
      possible interactions between CHT/TMC and Abeta40 are also revealed at the atomic
      level by molecular docking simulation, showing that the Abeta40 monomer could be
      primarily stabilized by electrostatic interactions with charged amines of CHT and
      quaternary amines of TMC, respectively. Binding of CHT/TMC on the central
      hydrophobic core region of Abeta40 peptide may be responsible for blocking the
      propagation of the nucleus to form fibrillar structures. These results suggest
      that incorporation of sugar units such as d-glucosamine and N-trimethyl-d
      glucosamine into polymer structural template may serve as a new strategy for
      designing novel antiamyloid molecules. 

PMID- 26125954
TI  - Reverse Transcriptase in Action: FRET-Based Assay for Monitoring Flipping and
      Polymerase Activity in Real Time.
AB  - Reverse transcriptase (RT) of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) is a
      multifunctional enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of the single stranded viral
      RNA genome into double-stranded DNA, competent for host-cell integration. RT is
      endowed with RNA- and DNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity and DNA-directed RNA
      hydrolysis (RNase H activity). As a key enzyme of reverse transcription, RT is a
      key target of currently used highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), though
      RT inhibitors offer generally a poor resistance profile, urging new RT inhibitors
      to be developed. Using single molecule fluorescence approaches, it has been
      recently shown that RT binding orientation and dynamics on its substrate play a
      critical role in its activity. Currently, most in vitro RT activity assays,
      inherently end-point measurements, are based on the detection of reaction
      products by using radio-labeled or chemically modified nucleotides. Here, we
      propose a simple and continuous real-time Forster resonance energy transfer
      (FRET) based-assay for the direct measurement of RT's binding orientation and
      polymerase activity, with the use of conventional steady-state fluorescence
      spectroscopy. Under our working conditions, the change in binding orientation and
      the primer elongation step can be visualized separately on the basis of their
      opposite fluorescence changes and their different kinetics. The assay presented
      can easily discriminate non-nucleoside RT inhibitors from nucleoside RT
      inhibitors and determine reliably their potency. This one-step and one-pot assay
      constitutes an improved alternative to the currently used screening assays to
      disclose new anti-RT drugs and identify at the same time the class to which they
      belong. 

PMID- 26125955
TI  - Inflammatory Vulvar Dermatoses.
AB  - Inflammatory vulvar dermatoses affect many women, but are likely underdiagnosed
      due to embarrassment and reluctance to visit a health care provider. Although
      itch and pain are common presenting symptoms, the physical examination can help
      distinguish between different disease entities. Because many women's health
      providers have minimal training in the categorization and management of
      dermatologic disease, definitive diagnosis and management can be difficult.
      Herein, strategies for diagnosing vulvar lichen sclerosus, lichen planus, contact
      dermatitis, lichen simplex chronicus, and psoriasis are discussed along with
      basic management of these diseases, which commonly involves decreasing
      inflammation through behavioral change, gentle skin care, topical
      corticosteroids, and systemic therapies. 

PMID- 26125956
TI  - Vulvovaginal Diseases. Foreword.

PMID- 26125957
TI  - Benign Tumors and Tumor-like Lesions of the Vulva.
AB  - A variety of mass lesions may affect the vulva. These may be non-neoplastic, or
      represent benign or malignant neoplasms. A review of benign mass lesions and
      neoplasms of the vulva is presented. 

PMID- 26125958
TI  - New Perspectives on the Normal Vagina and Noninfectious Causes of Discharge.
AB  - An understanding of how the vaginal flora is influenced by hormonal status is
      crucial in distinguishing normal from abnormal secretions. New studies exploring
      the vaginal microbiome with culture-independent techniques have led to the
      discovery of previously uncultivable bacteria on a species level, and have
      contributed to a better understanding of disease processes including bacterial
      vaginosis. It is important to note that not all vaginal discharge is abnormal or
      infectious in etiology, but a thorough evaluation will help reassure both the
      patient and the provider. 

PMID- 26125959
TI  - Clinical Manifestations and Therapeutic Management of Vulvar Cellulitis and
      Abscess: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Necrotizing Fasciitis,
      Bartholin Abscess, Crohn Disease of the Vulva, Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
AB  - Infections of the vulva can present a complex differential to the gynecologist,
      ranging from superficial skin infections to life-threatening necrotizing
      fasciitis. Recognition and timely treatment remain universal to skin and soft
      tissue infections as the subcutaneous anatomy of the vulva can facilitate rapid
      spread to other tissues with significant morbidity and mortality. Ineffective
      antibiotics or deferring necessary surgical debridement have proven to be costly
      to the patient, and the gynecologist must maintain an appropriately high index of
      suspicion. Employing a multidisciplinary team approach to care for vulvar
      cellulitis can guide treatment from antibiotic therapies to more aggressive
      surgical debridement. 

PMID- 26125960
TI  - "How-To" Guide to Pelvic Floor Muscle Dysfunction.
AB  - The purpose of this paper is to assist the clinician in recognizing pelvic floor
      muscle dysfunction in women with vulvar symptoms, to provide general treatment
      algorithms, and to facilitate understanding of the scientific rationale behind
      appropriate treatment. In short, this paper is meant to provide a "how-to" guide
      to pelvic floor pain management for the Ob/Gyn. 

PMID- 26125961
TI  - Nutrition for Multiples.
AB  - In 2012 there were 135,943 infants of multiple pregnancies born in the United
      States, nearly a 2-fold increase since 1980, with twins accounting for 96% of all
      multiple births. To date, most perinatal morbidities associated with multiple
      births have proven resistant to technological or pharmaceutical interventions.
      Maternal nutrition can have a profound effect on the course and outcome of
      multiple pregnancy, with the goal of achieving optimal intrauterine growth and
      birthweights, and minimizing prenatal and perinatal complications for the mother
      and her children. 

PMID- 26125962
TI  - Vulvar and Vaginal Atrophy: Physiology, Clinical Presentation, and Treatment
      Considerations.
AB  - Vulvovaginal atrophy is a common condition associated with decreased
      estrogenization of the vaginal tissue. Symptoms include vaginal dryness,
      irritation, itching, soreness, burning, dyspareunia, discharge, urinary
      frequency, and urgency. It can occur at any time in a woman's life cycle,
      although more commonly in the postmenopausal phase, during which the prevalence
      is approximately 50%. Despite the high prevalence and the substantial effect on
      quality of life, vulvovaginal atrophy often remains underreported and
      undertreated. This article aims to review the physiology, clinical presentation,
      assessment, and current recommendations for treatment, including aspects of
      effectiveness and safety of local vaginal estrogen therapies. 

PMID- 26125963
TI  - Vulvodynia.
AB  - Vulvodynia, a chronic pain disorder, affects women throughout the lifespan.
      Appropriate evaluation and diagnosis is necessary to enable effective management.
      The etiology is considered multifactorial. Therapies include self-management,
      nonpharmacologic, pharmacologic, and surgical. Vulvodynia can have a significant
      impact upon a patient's quality of life. Emotional and psychological support is
      invaluable. This article serves to give the primary gynecologist and practitioner
      a basic framework with which to identify, diagnose, and begin treatment for such
      patients as well as understanding for referral if necessary. The initial
      evaluation and physical examination will be discussed in detail. 

PMID- 26125964
TI  - Psychosexual Aspects of Vulvar Disease.
AB  - Physically, the vulva is an anatomic location of convergence, which includes
      vascular, neural, hormonal, reproductive, dermatologic, and musculoskeletal
      systems. Psychosocially, the vulva represents privacy, femininity, sexuality, and
      intimacy. Because of this intertwined relationship, vulvar disease and
      dysfunction can significantly impact a woman's physical health as well as her
      relationships. This article elucidates the impact of vulvar disease on the
      individual psyche, sexual functioning, and intimate relationships. Psychological
      concepts are explained, psychological interventions are reviewed, and integrative
      approaches addressing psychological factors in the clinic are introduced. 

PMID- 26125965
TI  - Speeding Up Non-Parametric Bootstrap Computations for Statistics Based on Sample
      Moments in Small/Moderate Sample Size Applications.
AB  - In this paper we propose a vectorized implementation of the non-parametric
      bootstrap for statistics based on sample moments. Basically, we adopt the
      multinomial sampling formulation of the non-parametric bootstrap, and compute
      bootstrap replications of sample moment statistics by simply weighting the
      observed data according to multinomial counts instead of evaluating the statistic
      on a resampled version of the observed data. Using this formulation we can
      generate a matrix of bootstrap weights and compute the entire vector of bootstrap
      replications with a few matrix multiplications. Vectorization is particularly
      important for matrix-oriented programming languages such as R, where
      matrix/vector calculations tend to be faster than scalar operations implemented
      in a loop. We illustrate the application of the vectorized implementation in real
      and simulated data sets, when bootstrapping Pearson's sample correlation
      coefficient, and compared its performance against two state-of-the-art R
      implementations of the non-parametric bootstrap, as well as a straightforward one
      based on a for loop. Our investigations spanned varying sample sizes and number
      of bootstrap replications. The vectorized bootstrap compared favorably against
      the state-of-the-art implementations in all cases tested, and was
      remarkably/considerably faster for small/moderate sample sizes. The same results
      were observed in the comparison with the straightforward implementation, except
      for large sample sizes, where the vectorized bootstrap was slightly slower than
      the straightforward implementation due to increased time expenditures in the
      generation of weight matrices via multinomial sampling. 

PMID- 26125966
TI  - Nanowire Heterostructures Comprising Germanium Stems and Silicon Branches as High
      Capacity Li-Ion Anodes with Tunable Rate Capability.
AB  - Here we report the rational design of a high-capacity Li-ion anode material
      comprising Ge nanowires with Si branches. The unique structure provides an
      electrode material with tunable properties, allowing the performance to be
      tailored for either high capacity or high rate capability by controlling the mass
      ratio of Si to Ge. The binder free Si-Ge branched nanowire heterostructures are
      grown directly from the current collector and exhibit high capacities of up to
      ~1800 mAh/g. Rate capability testing revealed that increasing the Ge content
      within the material boosted the performance of the anode at fast cycling rates,
      whereas a higher Si content was optimal at slower rates of charge and discharge.
      Using ex-situ electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray
      spectroscopy mapping, the composition of the material is shown to be transient in
      nature, transforming from a heterostructure to a Si-Ge alloy as a consequence of
      repeated lithiation and delithiation. 

PMID- 26125967
TI  - Choosing a Cluster Sampling Design for Lot Quality Assurance Sampling Surveys.
AB  - Lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) surveys are commonly used for monitoring
      and evaluation in resource-limited settings. Recently several methods have been
      proposed to combine LQAS with cluster sampling for more timely and cost-effective
      data collection. For some of these methods, the standard binomial model can be
      used for constructing decision rules as the clustering can be ignored. For other
      designs, considered here, clustering is accommodated in the design phase. In this
      paper, we compare these latter cluster LQAS methodologies and provide
      recommendations for choosing a cluster LQAS design. We compare technical
      differences in the three methods and determine situations in which the choice of
      method results in a substantively different design. We consider two different
      aspects of the methods: the distributional assumptions and the clustering
      parameterization. Further, we provide software tools for implementing each method
      and clarify misconceptions about these designs in the literature. We illustrate
      the differences in these methods using vaccination and nutrition cluster LQAS
      surveys as example designs. The cluster methods are not sensitive to the
      distributional assumptions but can result in substantially different designs
      (sample sizes) depending on the clustering parameterization. However, none of the
      clustering parameterizations used in the existing methods appears to be
      consistent with the observed data, and, consequently, choice between the cluster
      LQAS methods is not straightforward. Further research should attempt to
      characterize clustering patterns in specific applications and provide suggestions
      for best-practice cluster LQAS designs on a setting-specific basis. 

PMID- 26125968
TI  - Safety of Polyacrylamide 1.5% Left in Anterior Chamber in Combined
      Phacoemulsification and Pars Plana Vitrectomy Surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate safety, efficacy and postoperative characteristics of
      polyacrylamide 1.5% ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD) left in anterior
      chamber during and at the end of combined phacoemulsification and pars plana
      vitrectomy surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study comprised 20
      eyes that received combined phacoemulsification and pars plana vitrectomy
      performed by the same surgeon. Polyacrylamide 1.5% was left in anterior chamber
      at the end of the surgery. Preoperative and postoperative examinations (4, 12 and
      24 hours; 14 days; 1 and 3 months) included measurement of intraocular pressure
      (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT), endothelial cell density and assessment
      of any ocular adverse reactions. RESULTS: Four of the 20 patients (20%) showed
      increased IOP at hours postoperatively and needed medical treatment for IOP
      control. There was no significant difference in IOP between the preoperative
      visit and postoperative 3 months (p > 0.05). CCT measurements were similar
      between preoperative and postoperative visits (p > 0.05). A mean endothelial cell
      density loss of 6.7% was observed at postoperative day 14, however there was no
      change after this visit. CONCLUSION: Polyacrylamide 1.5% is safe, well-tolerated
      and protective in eyes undergoing combined phacoemulsification and pars plana
      vitrectomy.

PMID- 26125969
TI  - Total Synthesis of the Glycosylated Macrolide Antibiotic Fidaxomicin.
AB  - The first enantioselective total synthesis of fidaxomicin, also known as
      tiacumicin B or lipiarmycin A3, is reported. This novel glycosylated macrolide
      antibiotic is used in the clinic for the treatment of Clostridium difficile
      infections. Key features of the synthesis involve a rapid and high-yielding
      access to the noviose, rhamnose, and orsellinic acid precursors; the first
      example of a beta-selective noviosylation; an effective Suzuki coupling of highly
      functionalized substrates; and a ring-closing metathesis reaction of a
      noviosylated dienoate precursor. Careful selection of protecting groups allowed
      for a complete deprotection yielding totally synthetic fidaxomicin. 

PMID- 26125970
TI  - Similar Impacts of the Interaural Delay and Interaural Correlation on Binaural
      Gap Detection.
AB  - The subjective representation of the sounds delivered to the two ears of a human
      listener is closely associated with the interaural delay and correlation of these
      two-ear sounds. When the two-ear sounds, e.g., arbitrary noises, arrive
      simultaneously, the single auditory image of the binaurally identical noises
      becomes increasingly diffuse, and eventually separates into two auditory images
      as the interaural correlation decreases. When the interaural delay increases from
      zero to several milliseconds, the auditory image of the binaurally identical
      noises also changes from a single image to two distinct images. However,
      measuring the effect of these two factors on an identical group of participants
      has not been investigated. This study examined the impacts of interaural
      correlation and delay on detecting a binaurally uncorrelated fragment (interaural
      correlation = 0) embedded in the binaurally correlated noises (i.e., binaural gap
      or break in interaural correlation). We found that the minimum duration of the
      binaural gap for its detection (i.e., duration threshold) increased exponentially
      as the interaural delay between the binaurally identical noises increased
      linearly from 0 to 8 ms. When no interaural delay was introduced, the duration
      threshold also increased exponentially as the interaural correlation of the
      binaurally correlated noises decreased linearly from 1 to 0.4. A linear
      relationship between the effect of interaural delay and that of interaural
      correlation was described for listeners participating in this study: a 1 ms
      increase in interaural delay appeared to correspond to a 0.07 decrease in
      interaural correlation specific to raising the duration threshold. Our results
      imply that a tradeoff may exist between the impacts of interaural correlation and
      interaural delay on the subjective representation of sounds delivered to two
      human ears. 

PMID- 26125971
TI  - The potential of fibroblast growth factor/fibroblast growth factor receptor
      signaling as a therapeutic target in tumor angiogenesis.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are endowed with a potent pro
      angiogenic activity. Activation of the FGF/FGF receptor (FGFR) system occurs in a
      variety of human tumors. This may lead to neovascularization, supporting tumor
      progression and metastatic dissemination. Thus, a compelling biologic rationale
      exists for the development of anti-FGF/FGFR agents for the inhibition of tumor
      angiogenesis in cancer therapy. AREAS COVERED: A comprehensive search on PubMed
      was performed to identify studies on the role of the FGF/FGFR system in
      angiogenesis. Endothelial FGFR signaling, the pro-angiogenic function of
      canonical FGFs, and their role in human tumors are described. In addition,
      experimental approaches aimed at the identification and characterization of
      nonselective and selective FGF/FGFR inhibitors and their evaluation in clinical
      trials are summarized. EXPERT OPINION: Different approaches can be envisaged to
      inhibit the FGF/FGFR system, a target for the development of 'two-compartment'
      anti-angiogenic/anti-tumor agents, including FGFR selective and nonselective
      small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors, anti-FGFR antibodies, and FGF ligand
      traps. Further studies are required to define the correlation between tumor
      vascularization and activation of the FGF/FGFR system and for the identification
      of cancer patients more likely to benefit from anti-FGF/FGFR treatments. In
      addition, advantages and disadvantages about the use of selective versus non
      selective FGF inhibitors remain to be elucidated.

PMID- 26125972
TI  - Implications of Nubian-Like Core Reduction Systems in Southern Africa for the
      Identification of Early Modern Human Dispersals.
AB  - Lithic technologies have been used to trace dispersals of early human populations
      within and beyond Africa. Convergence in lithic systems has the potential to
      confound such interpretations, implying connections between unrelated groups. Due
      to their reductive nature, stone artefacts are unusually prone to this chance
      appearance of similar forms in unrelated populations. Here we present data from
      the South African Middle Stone Age sites Uitpanskraal 7 and Mertenhof suggesting
      that Nubian core reduction systems associated with Late Pleistocene populations
      in North Africa and potentially with early human migrations out of Africa in MIS
      5 also occur in southern Africa during early MIS 3 and with no clear connection
      to the North African occurrence. The timing and spatial distribution of their
      appearance in southern and northern Africa implies technological convergence,
      rather than diffusion or dispersal. While lithic technologies can be a critical
      guide to human population flux, their utility in tracing early human dispersals
      at large spatial and temporal scales with stone artefact types remains
      questionable. 

PMID- 26125973
TI  - rs11886868 and rs4671393 of BCL11A associated with HbF level variation and
      modulate clinical events among sickle cell anemia patients.
AB  - AIMS: Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) modulates the phenotype of sickle cell anemia (SCA)
      by inhibiting deoxy sickle hemoglobin (HbS) polymerization. HbF genes are
      genetically regulated, and the level of HbF and its distribution among sickle
      erythrocytes is highly variable. Herein, we aimed to determine whether two
      functional polymorphisms of BCL11A are implicated in the variation of HbF and
      clinical events in SCA Tunisian patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The studied
      population consisted of 148 SCA patients with SS phenotype. The group of patients
      was divided into two subgroups according to the threshold point of %HbF which is
      15%. Genotyping of rs11886868 and rs4671393 was performed using PCR/Sequencing.
      To test for trait association with the candidate SNPs, genotype and allele
      frequencies between 'group who had %HbF < 15' and 'group who had %HbF >15'
      (controls) were compared using Pearson's chi-square test (compare 2, version
      1.02). The association of each genotype and the combined genotype with
      complications was performed by logistic regression test. RESULTS: Our findings
      showed that the majority of patients carried genotype CT of rs11886868 and
      genotypes AG and GG of rs4671393 present HbF level < 15%. RR = 0.08, RR = 0.176,
      and RR = 0.189, respectively. The results showed a significant association
      between the alleles T of rs11886868 and G of rs4671393 and %HbF < 15% with P =
      0.016; RR = 0.39 and P = 8.9 * 10-3: RR = 0.567, respectively. Interestingly, the
      C allele of the rs11886868 and the A allele of the rs46713939 were associated
      with an ameliorated phenotype in patient's SCA. The combination of the genotypes
      GG and CT explains more phenotypic variance than the sum of the two BCL11A SNPs
      taken individually.

PMID- 26125974
TI  - Use of Powered Prosthesis for Children with Upper Limb Deficiency at Hyogo
      Rehabilitation Center.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There has been no research investigating the use of powered
      prosthetic for children in Japan. OBJECTIVE: To gain better insight into the
      state of powered prosthesis usage and identify a ratio of rejection among
      children. METHODS: Subjects were 37 unilateral below elbow amputees between the
      ages of 0 and 16 at the time of their first experienced fitting with a powered
      prosthesis at our Center. The information was collected from medical records and
      through face-to-face interviews, and we examined rejection rate and the factors
      affecting the use of powered prosthesis. RESULTS: The rate of discontinuation was
      21.6% as 8 of the 37 children stopped using powered prosthesis. All of them were
      fitted their prosthesis after 2 years of age, and they rejected prosthesis
      between 5 to 19 years. We found that the level of amputation had no influence on
      the use of a powered prosthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Children fitted before 2 years of
      age tend to accept their powered prosthesis than those fitted after 2 years.
      Multidisciprinary team approach, adequate rehabilitation, detailed follow-up and
      involvement of parents are quite important for introducing powered prosthesis for
      children.

PMID- 26125975
TI  - Volumetric relief map for intracranial cerebrospinal fluid distribution analysis.
AB  - Cerebrospinal fluid imaging plays a significant role in the clinical diagnosis of
      brain disorders, such as hydrocephalus and Alzheimer's disease. While three
      dimensional images of cerebrospinal fluid are very detailed, the complex
      structures they contain can be time-consuming and laborious to interpret. This
      paper presents a simple technique that represents the intracranial cerebrospinal
      fluid distribution as a two-dimensional image in such a way that the total fluid
      volume is preserved. We call this a volumetric relief map, and show its
      effectiveness in a characterization and analysis of fluid distributions and
      networks in hydrocephalus patients and healthy adults. 

PMID- 26125976
TI  - Indole Alkaloids from Chaetomium globosum.
AB  - Two new indole alkaloids chaetocochin J (1) and chaetoglobinol A (8), along with
      chetomin (2), chetoseminudin A (3), cochliodinol (9), and semicochliodinol (10),
      were isolated from the rice culture of the fungus Chaetomium globosum. Their
      structures were elucidated by spectral analysis. Three new
      epipolythiodioxopiperazines, chaetocochins G-I (5-7), were identified by the
      combination of UPLC and mass spectrometric analysis. Chaetocochin I contained two
      sulfur bridges, one formed by three sulfur atoms between C-3 and C-11a, and the
      other formed by four sulfur atoms between C-3' and C-6'. Chaetocochin I was
      readily transformed into chetomin (2), chetoseminudin A (3), chaetocochin D (4),
      chaetocochin G (5), and chaetocochin H (6) by losing sulfur atoms. Compounds 1-3,
      and 8 exhibited antibacterial activities against Bacillus subtilis with MICs of
      25, 0.78, 0.78, and 50 MUg/mL, respectively, but not against Gram-negative
      bacterium (Escherichia coli). Compounds 2 and 8 were inactive against Candida
      albicans, Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium vasinfectum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae,
      and Aspergillus niger even at the high concentrations of 200 and 100 MUg/mL,
      respectively. Compound 8 showed free radical scavenging capacity against the 1,1
      diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6
      sulfonic acid radical (ABTS(+*)), with IC50 values of 143.6 and 45.2 MUM,
      respectively. The free radical scavenging capacity rates of compounds 1-3 on the
      DPPH and ABTS(+*) were less than 20% at the test concentrations (89.9-108.3 MUM).
      The superoxide anion radical scavenging assay indicated that compounds 1-3, and 8
      showed 14.8% (90.9 MUM), 18.1% (90.9 MUM), 51.5% (88.3 MUM), and 30.4% (61.3 MUM)
      superoxide anion radical scavenging capacity, respectively. 

PMID- 26125977
TI  - Progesterone supplementation in the frozen embryo transfer cycle.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Currently, different modalities with regard to endometrial
      preparation for frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FTET) are used, the natural and
      artificial cycles being the most common approaches. This review is aimed to
      update the current knowledge about progesterone supplementation in both types of
      protocols. RECENT FINDINGS: Natural cycle-frozen-thawed embryo transfer (NC-FTET)
      is the favored option for women with normal ovulatory menstrual cycles and may be
      programmed following two different protocols: the 'true NC-FTET', associated with
      daily blood or urine luteinizing hormone measurements, and 'modified NC-FTET',
      triggering ovulation with human chorionic gonadotropin. Both methods of
      endometrial preparation show comparable reproductive outcomes. In artificial
      cycle-frozen-thawed embryo transfer, estrogen and progesterone are sequentially
      administered, being the option of choice for women with irregular menstrual
      cycles. Nowadays, no differences between the different formulations of
      progesterone have been observed. Furthermore, there seems to be no agreement on
      doses and duration of progesterone supplementation during FTET. SUMMARY: We
      conclude that, according to the current available data, there is no superiority
      of any one regimen over another with regard to reproductive outcomes. Therefore,
      the final decision must be based on individualization of the treatment while
      considering patient characteristics prior to FTET, convenience, optimization of
      clinical outcomes and cost efficiency of the procedure.

PMID- 26125978
TI  - A link between human papilloma virus vaccination and primary ovarian
      insufficiency: current analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The cause of primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is
      multifactorial. Known causes include external factors such as chemotherapy,
      radiotherapy, exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, infections that lead to
      a permanent insult to the ovary, autoimmune conditions, and genetic causes. An
      association between the quadrivalent antihuman papilloma vaccine (HPV4) and POI
      was recently suggested. RECENT FINDINGS: An increasing number of cases of POI
      post-HPV4 are being reported. Possible mechanisms for the suspected effect of HPV
      on female reproductive function are a toxic effect or an autoimmune response. The
      trigger could be the vaccine immunogen contents or the adjuvants, the latter are
      used to increase the immune reaction. The adjuvant in HPV4 contains aluminum.
      Animal models have shown aluminum exposure to inhibit expression of female
      reproductive hormones and to induce histologic changes in the ovaries. Specific
      genetic compositions may be more susceptible to developing an autoinflammatory
      syndrome after exposure to an environmental factor. SUMMARY: The mechanisms
      responsible for POI are not yet fully understood. Although case reports cannot
      establish causation, awareness of a possible link between HPV4 and POI will help
      to identify and manage future cases that may arise.

PMID- 26125979
TI  - Preoperative assessment and diagnosis of endometriosis: are we any closer?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The management of endometriosis has progressed vastly with
      medical treatments providing a large role in controlling endometriosis symptoms.
      Despite these advances we still lack an accurate noninvasive test to diagnose
      endometriosis. This has a large role in the delay to diagnosis, management and
      progression of the disease amongst a population that is choosing to conceive
      later. RECENT FINDINGS: Endometriosis is now thought to affect 1 in 10 women with
      patient annual healthcare costs estimated at &OV0556;9579. The diagnosis of this
      disease is still delayed by an average of 6-9 years allowing disease and symptom
      progression. Researchers have assessed a wide variety of noninvasive markers from
      urinary derivatives to MRI. There has been limited success in producing a highly
      sensitive and specific preoperative test for endometriosis. Novel markers such as
      miRNA provide the most encouraging diagnostic accuracy. SUMMARY: The development
      of a noninvasive accurate marker for endometriosis is a research target and
      priority of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. The
      current markers in use have moderate sensitivity and sensitivity. The
      inflammatory basis for the disease underpins many biomarkers but also many other
      concomitant diseases reducing accuracy and increasing false positive results.

PMID- 26125980
TI  - Shape-encoded silica microparticles for multiplexed bioassays.
AB  - Shape-encoded silica microparticles for use in multiplexed bioassays were
      fabricated by using optofluidic maskless lithography (OFML) and
      tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) polymerization. These encoded silica
      microparticles exhibit excellent bioconjugation properties and negligible non
      specific analyte adsorption. Encoded silica microparticles could be useful in a
      wide variety of applications, including DNA- and protein-based diagnostics. 

PMID- 26125981
TI  - FT-IR and FT-Raman studies of cross-linking processes with Ca2+ ions,
      glutaraldehyde and microwave radiation for polymer composition of poly(acrylic
      acid)/sodium salt of carboxymethyl starch - In moulding sands, Part II.
AB  - The hardening process of moulding sands on quartz matrices bound by polymer
      binders containing carboxyl and hydroxyl groups can be carried out by using
      physical (microwave radiation, thermal holding) and chemical (Ca(2+) cations,
      glutaraldehyde) cross-linking agents. The highest hardening level obtain moulding
      sand samples containing binders in a form of the aqueous composition of
      poly(acrylic acid)/sodium salt of carboxymethyl starch (PAA/CMS-Na) within the
      microwave radiation field, for which the bending strength is of 1.6 MPa value
      even after 24h from ending the agent activity. The authors focused, in this
      study, on finding the reason of this effect. It was shown, by means of the FT-IR
      and FT-Raman spectroscopic methods, that the chemical adsorption process
      activated by microwaves plays an essential role. The applied microwaves activate
      the polar groups present in the polymer composition structure as well as the
      quartz crystals surfaces (silane groups). Then the chemical adsorption occurs in
      the binder-matrix system within the microwave radiation field and intermolecular
      lattices are formed with a participation of hydrogen bridges (SiOH?OC, SiOH?OH)
      and COSi type bonds.

PMID- 26125982
TI  - A new dual fluorogenic and chromogenic "turn-on" chemosensor for Cu2+/F- ions.
AB  - Turn "off-on" chemosensor 2-(-2-((3',6'-bis(diethylamino)-3-oxospiro[isoindoline
      1,9'-xanthen]-2-yl)imino)ethylidene)-N-phenylhydrazine-1-carbothioamide (RBS) was
      designed and synthesized. Using the naked eye, RBS showed favorable observation
      characteristics with both Cu(2+) and F(-) ions. The various modes of sensitivity
      shown by RBS toward the Cu(2+) and F(-) ions were investigated by spectral
      techniques, including UV-Vis, fluorescence and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The Job's
      plot indicated the formation of 1:1 complex between RBS and Cu(2+)/F(-). The
      binding constant of the RBS-guest(-) complexes were found to be 1.3*10(4) and
      6.2*10(3)M(-1) for the RBS-Cu(2+) and RBS-F(-), respectively.

PMID- 26125983
TI  - Synthesis, characterization, low temperature solid state PL and photocatalytic
      activities of Ag2O.CeO2.ZnO nanocomposite.
AB  - A novel multi-metal nanocomposite oxide Ag2O.CeO2.ZnO has been prepared by co
      precipitation of their carbonates from aqueous solutions of the metal nitrates
      following calcinations and annealing 5h at 450 degrees C and 4h at 600 degrees C.
      Ag2O.CeO2.ZnO has been characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS and PL spectra. According
      to XRD results the crystallite size of Ag2O.CeO2.ZnO varies in the range of 19
      111 nm with an average size of 50 nm, which is in good agreement with SEM
      results. Elemental analysis was performed by SEM-EDS. Emissions of Ag2O.CeO2.ZnO
      has been observed in UV (NBE emission), visible and NIR regions at 325 nm
      excitation by a line of He-Cd laser. Photocatalytic as well as anti-bacterial
      activities have been studied. The nano composite Ag2O.CeO2.ZnO shows an excellent
      photocatalytic dye degradation activity.

PMID- 26125984
TI  - Synthesis, crystal structures, photoluminescence properties and DNA binding of
      triazine-nickel(II) complexes for DNA detection.
AB  - We report here the synthesis of three new nickel(II) complexes:
      [Ni(PzTA)2CO3].5H2O (PzTA=2,4-diamino-6-(2'-pyrazin)-1,3,5-triazine) in 1,
      [NiQ(PyTA)(H2O)2]Cl.H2O (HQ=8-hydroxyquinoline, PyTA=2,4-diamino-6-(2'-pyridyl)
      1,3,5-triazine) in 2, [NiQ(PzTA)(H2O)2]Cl.H2O in 3, and they were characterized
      by UV spectroscopy, elemental analysis, molar conductivity and X-ray single
      crystal diffraction. Binding of the complexes to ct-DNA was investigated with
      electronic spectroscopy, ethidium bromide displacement from DNA, viscometry and
      cyclic voltammetry. The results depicted the DNA binding mode of the three
      complexes was intercalation, and complex 1 together with external static
      electricity. Moreover, the three complexes also presented potential anti-oxidant
      activity. Interestingly, we found 1 was sensitive to oxygen and to the polarity
      of nonaqueous solvents in fluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence of 2 and 3 is
      weak in neutral aqueous solvents, but is greatly enhanced by addition of ct-DNA.
      Thus, 2 and 3 can be used to DNA detection as DNA fluorescence probes with a LOD
      of 1.61 ng mL(-1), 4.90 ng mL(-1) for the relative wide linear range of 0.01-20
      MUg mL(-1), 0.02-30 MUg mL(-1), respectively. These findings indicate that 1 may
      be a potential optical probe for oxygen-free environments in nonaqueous form,
      while 2 and 3 were DNA-targeted probes.

PMID- 26125985
TI  - Spectroscopic and electrochemical behavior of newly synthesized high fluorescent
      symmetric 4'-nitrophenyl-3,4,9,10-perylenebisdiimide-azo hybrid dyes.
AB  - The investigation has been made in the synthesis of azo hybrid rylene dyes. The
      hybridization of perylene bis-diimide with phenolic azo-dyes was carried out by
      the nucleophilic substitution (SNAr) reaction of tetrachloroperylene-3,4,9,10
      bisdiimide 3 with phenolic azo-dyes 4a-g in basic medium. The hybrid dyes
      exhibited two absorption maxima lambdamax in the range 300-350, 426-438 nm in
      ethanol due to presence of azo linkage and highly conjugated framework of pi
      bonds. Fluorescence spectra of these dyes in water showed sharp emission peaks
      with small bandwidths in the range 490-495 nm, and fluorescence quantum yield was
      0.71-0.83 in comparison with standard reference fluorescein. The structures of
      perylene-azo dyes were elucidated by FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. Luminescence was
      determined by LS-100 meter which was found to be excellent in limits 0.208-0.239
      cd/m(2). Cyclic voltammetric studies were made by Electrochemical Analyzer
      CH1830C which showed the oxidation chemical potential of these hybrid dyes.

PMID- 26125986
TI  - Synthesis and spectroscopic analysis of polydiphenylamine via oxidation with
      bentonite clay in the solid state.
AB  - In this study, solids of polydiphenylamine (PDPA) synthesized mechanochemically
      by reaction with bentonite (PDPAOB) were studied using Raman spectroscopy. It was
      possible to identify the chemical species in the PDPA-bentonite compound. The
      spectra obtained were compared to the spectra of PDPA prepared chemically by
      oxidation of DPA with K2S2O8 in the solid state, and PDPA produced
      electrochemically, with the aim of studying the characteristic frequencies of the
      aromatic segments (DPB), radical cation (DPB(+)) and dication (DPB(2+)) of N,N
      diphenylbenzidine (DPB) in the polymer structure of the PDPA. To analyze the
      segments present, the band characteristic of CC asymmetric stretching of the
      aromatic ring in the Raman spectra was deconvoluted because of the widening of
      the band and shifts observed by irradiation at wavelengths of 532 and 785 nm.
      This procedure showed that there are three distinct contributions in the spectra
      which facilitate the monitoring of changes in the contributions of the segments
      in the materials doped with HCl (PDPAOBD) and de-doped with NH4OH, (PDPAOBR).

PMID- 26125987
TI  - Formation of plasmonic silver nanoparticles by flavonoid reduction: A comparative
      study and application for determination of these substances.
AB  - Formation of plasmonic silver nanoparticles by flavonoid reduction was studied.
      Effects of the nature and the concentration of a flavonoid and a stabilizer,
      composition of the solution and the interaction time were revealed. It was found
      that quercetin, dihydroquercetin, rutin and morin produced an intense surface
      plasmon resonance band of silver nanoparticles at 415 nm which was linearly
      related to the concentration of a flavonoid, while chrysin, naringenin and
      naringin did not produce any remarkable changes. It was used for the
      spectrophotometric determination of the former four flavonoids with the detection
      limits of 0.03; 0.06; 0.09 and 0.1 MUg mL(-1), respectively. The developed method
      was applied for the determination of flavonoids in biologically active food
      additives.

PMID- 26125988
TI  - A copper(II) complex with a Cu-S8 bond. Attenuated total reflectance, electron
      paramagnetic resonance, resonance Raman and atoms-in-molecule calculations.
AB  - Green [Cu(1,10-phenanthroline)2OH2](ClO4)2 (1) reacts with yellow elemental
      sulfur at room temperature in methanol to yield turquoise blue [Cu(1,10
      phenanthro-line)2(S8)](ClO4)2 (2). A comparative study of the EPR spectra of 1
      and 2 in solid state and in methanol glass indicates that the S8 unit in 2 is
      bound to the metal. High level DFT calculations show that the cation in 2 is five
      coordinate, distorted square pyramidal with S8 occupying the apical position. The
      crucial Cu(II)-S bond is around 2.9A. Such long Cu(II)-S bonds occur in oxidized
      plastocyanin where it is considered to be bonding. Presence of a weak Cu-S8 bond
      is revealed in the resonance Raman spectra of 2. Satisfactory matching of the
      calculated and experimental IR spectra vindicates the theoretically derived
      structure of the cation in 2. 

PMID- 26125989
TI  - Novel multi-component hybrids through double luminescent lanthanide unit
      functionalized zeolite L and titania.
AB  - Zeolite L (ZL) is functionalized with inside-outside double modification paths
      (gas disperse ("ship in bottle") and covalently grafting) with two kinds of
      luminescent lanthanide species (Tb(3+) complex of acetylacetone (AA), lanthanide
      polyoxometalate (NaLnW10O36.32H2O, abbreviated as LnW10, Ln=Eu, Tb)) to prepare
      the hybrid materials. The prepared hybrids show the red and green luminescence,
      which provides a useful path to obtain multi-component lanthanide hybrids.

PMID- 26125990
TI  - Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticles synthesized in presence of ammonium
      hexafluorosilicate.
AB  - A series of silicon incorporated TiO2 with anatase crystalline phase were
      prepared via sol-gel using ammonium hexafluorosilicate (AHFS). The synthesized
      products were characterized using X-ray diffraction, FTIR, X-ray photoelectron
      spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-vis diffuse
      reflectance spectrophotometry (DRS), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and
      BET surface area measurement. Presence of Si-O-Ti bonds is revealed based on the
      XPS results. The products were tested for their activity as photocatalysts for
      degradation of congo red as a prob molecule. The 20% AHFS incorporation displayed
      the highest photocatalytic activity. This adequate amount of AHFS was beneficial
      for transferring photogenerated electron and reducing the recombination of
      electron-holes. 

PMID- 26125991
TI  - Conformational and vibrational analyses of meta-tyrosine: An experimental and
      theoretical study.
AB  - M-tyrosine is one kind of positional isomer of tyrosine which is widely applied
      in agrichemical, medicinal chemistry, and food science. However, the structural
      and vibrational features of m-tyrosine have not been reported or systematically
      investigated. In this work, potential energy surface (PES) calculations were used
      for searching and determining the stable zwitterionic conformers of m-tyrosine,
      and the Raman spectra of m-tyrosine and deuterated m-tyrosine were measured and
      interpreted based on theoretical computation. For the spectral simulation,
      several DFT-based quantum chemistry (QC) methods were employed, and the M06-2X
      functional with SMD solvent model was found to be best in reproducing the Raman
      spectra and geometrical property. As such, this study has not only presented a
      detailed study of m-tyrosine's vibrational property which is lack in the
      literature, but also may shed some light on the optimal choice of QC methods for
      calculation of conformations and vibrational properties of zwitterionic amino
      acids. 

PMID- 26125992
TI  - Probing the toxic mechanism of Ag+ with lysozyme.
AB  - Silver (Ag) is widely used in human activities, which provides possibilities to
      distribute in organisms and tissues, resulting in harmful effects on human
      health. In this work, lysozyme was chosen as the target molecule to study the
      mechanism of toxic interactions between Ag(+) and protein using fluorescence
      emission spectra, synchronous fluorescence spectra, UV-vis absorption spectra,
      circular dichroism (CD) spectra, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and
      enzyme activity assay. The results of fluorescence emission and synchronous
      fluorescence showed that there were interactions between Ag(+) and lysozyme by
      eliminating the inner filter effect (IFE). Data from UV-vis spectra indicated
      that the frame structure of lysozyme became looser with Ag(+) existent, while the
      micro-environment of aromatic amino acid residues did not show any significant
      alteration. CD results suggested that the secondary structure of lysozyme
      presented a decrease in alpha-helix contents with the increasing amount of Ag(+).
      ITC results showed Ag(+) can spontaneously bind with lysozyme through hydrogen
      bonding and van der Waals forces with one binding site (Ka=1.93*10(6)). The
      lysozyme activity was inhibited by Ag(+) according to the enzyme activity assay,
      revealing that Ag(+) bound to lysozyme at the active site which resulted in
      inhibition of lysozyme activity. This work showed that Ag(+) can cause damages to
      the structure and function of lysozyme.

PMID- 26125993
TI  - Bio-mediated route for the synthesis of shape tunable Y2O3: Tb3+ nanoparticles:
      Photoluminescence and antibacterial properties.
AB  - The study reports green mediated combustion route for the synthesis of Tb(3+) ion
      activated Y2O3 nanophosphors using Aloe Vera gel as fuel. The concentration of
      Tb(3+) plays a key role in controlling the morphology of Y2O3 nanostructures. The
      formation of different morphologies of Y2O3: Tb(3+) nanophosphors were
      characterized by PXRD, SEM, TEM and HRTEM. PXRD data and Rietveld analysis
      evident the formation of single phase Y2O3 with cubic crystal structure. The
      influence of Tb(3+) ion concentration on structural morphology, UV-visible
      absorption and PL emission were investigated systematically. The PL emission of
      Y2O3: Tb(3+) (1-11 mol%) nanophosphors were studied in detail under 271 and 304nm
      excitation wavelengths. The CIE coordinates lies well within green region and
      correlated color temperature values were found to be 6221 and 5562K under
      different excitations. Thus, the present phosphor can serve as an excellent
      candidate for LEDs. Further, prismatic Y2O3: Tb(3+) (3 mol%) nanophosphor showed
      significant antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas desmolyticum and
      Staphylococcus aureus. The present study successfully demonstrates Y2O3: Tb(3+)
      nanophosphors can be used for display applications as well as in medical
      applications for controlling pathogenic bacteria.

PMID- 26125994
TI  - Ophthalmic and Glaucoma Treatment Characteristics Associated With Changes in
      Health-related Quality of Life Before and After Newly Diagnosed Primary Open
      angle Glaucoma in Nurses' Health Study Participants.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify attributes related to glaucoma diagnosis or early glaucoma
      treatment patterns that are associated with changes in health-related quality of
      life among those with newly diagnosed primary open-angle glaucoma. METHODS: Among
      Nurses' Health Study participants with incident medical record-confirmed primary
      open-angle glaucoma diagnosed in 1992 to 2000, we included 317 women who
      completed the Short Form-36 Health Survey prediagnosis and postdiagnosis. The 2
      primary outcomes were 4-year changes (1992 to 1996 or 1996 to 2000) in the
      physical and mental component summary scores. Multiple regression models were
      used to estimate differences in score changes by early treatment pattern history
      and characteristics as of diagnosis (ie, number of eyes affected, history of
      cataract, macular degeneration, cup-to-disc ratio, intraocular pressure, visual
      field loss type). RESULTS: In multivariable models, no ophthalmologic
      characteristics were associated with physical component score change. However,
      compared with treatment with eye drops or pills only, laser trabeculoplasty
      treatment (concomitant with history of treatment with eye drops or pills in 84%)
      was associated with a worse mental component score change over 4 years (-2.5
      units; 95% confidence interval: -4.6, -0.3); this association was stronger with a
      family history of glaucoma (P-interaction=0.04) or with bilateral disease (P
      interaction=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with incident glaucoma, no major
      factors were associated with change in physical well being. However, compared
      with medical treatment only, a history of laser trabeculoplasty, which was
      commonly accompanied with a history of medical treatment and likely represented
      the need for a second line of treatment, was associated with a worse decline in
      mental well being.

PMID- 26125995
TI  - Haematopoietic stem cells and their niches.

PMID- 26125996
TI  - A theoretical approach based on electromagnetic scattering for analysing
      dielectric shimming in high-field MRI.
AB  - PURPOSE: In this study, we analyzed dielectric shimming by formulating it as an
      electromagnetic scattering problem using integral equations. METHODS: Three
      dimensional simulations of the radiofrequency field in two configurations using
      different materials were analyzed in terms of induced currents and secondary
      fields. A two-dimensional integral equation method with different backgrounds was
      used to identify the underlying physical mechanisms. This framework was then used
      to develop an inversion method for the design of dielectric pads. RESULTS: The
      effects of a dielectric pad can be attributed to the interference of a secondary
      field that is produced by the currents induced in the dielectric pad, radiating
      in an inhomogeneous background. The integral equation method with inhomogeneous
      background reduces the complexity of the forward and inverse problem
      significantly and can be used to optimize the permittivity distribution for a
      desired B1+ field. Agreement with experimental B1+ maps was obtained in a
      cylindrical phantom, demonstrating the validity of the method. CONCLUSIONS: The
      integral equation method with inhomogeneous background yields an efficient
      numerical framework for the analysis and inverse design of dielectric shimming
      materials.

PMID- 26125997
TI  - Improving attrition rates in Ebola virus drug discovery.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The Ebola 2014/2015 outbreak has had devastating effects on the
      people living in West Africa. The spread of the disease in endemic countries and
      the potential introduction of sporadic cases in other continents points out the
      global health threat of Ebola virus disease (EVD). Despite the urgent need for
      treating EVD, there are no approved treatments. Given the lack of treatments
      available, alternative therapeutic strategies have had to be used. AREAS COVERED:
      This article summarizes the unregistered therapeutics that were used to treat
      patients during the Ebola 2014/2015 outbreak, in addition to approaches used for
      the selection of candidate drugs. The article also proposes potential theoretical
      criterion for use in virtual screening of molecular libraries for candidate Ebola
      drugs. EXPERT OPINION: In the absence of approved therapeutics for EVD,
      experimental drugs have had to be used. The repurposing of approved drugs for the
      treatment of EVD, as an alternative therapeutic strategy, has also been
      suggested. Screening in vitro- and in silico-approved drugs revealed several
      promising candidates but further testing is required to test their efficacy. All
      these therapeutic approaches are, however, only short-term solutions and there is
      still an urgent need for the development of specific drugs for the current and
      future outbreaks.

PMID- 26125998
TI  - A combinatorial role for MutY and Fpg DNA glycosylases in mutation avoidance in
      Mycobacterium smegmatis.
AB  - Hydroxyl radical (OH) among reactive oxygen species cause damage to nucleobases
      with thymine being the most susceptible, whilst in contrast, the singlet oxygen
      ((1)02) targets only guanine bases. The high GC content of mycobacterial genomes
      predisposes these organisms to oxidative damage of guanine. The exposure of
      cellular DNA to OH and one-electron oxidants results in the formation of two main
      degradation products, the pro-mutagenic 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoGua) and
      the cytotoxic 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamidopyrimidine (FapyGua). These
      lesions are repaired through the base excision repair (BER) pathway and we
      previously, demonstrated a combinatorial role for the mycobacterial Endonuclease
      III (Nth) and the Nei family of DNA glycosylases in mutagenesis. In addition, the
      formamidopyrimidine (Fpg/MutM) and MutY DNA glycosylases have also been
      implicated in mutation avoidance and BER in mycobacteria. In this study, we
      further investigate the combined role of MutY and the Fpg/Nei DNA glycosylases in
      Mycobacterium smegmatis and demonstrate that deletion of mutY resulted in
      enhanced sensitivity to oxidative stress, an effect which was not exacerbated in
      Deltafpg1 Deltafpg2 or Deltanei1 Deltanei2 double mutant backgrounds. However,
      combinatorial loss of the mutY, fpg1 and fpg2 genes resulted in a significant
      increase in mutation rates suggesting interplay between these enzymes. Consistent
      with this, there was a significant increase in C -> A mutations with a
      corresponding change in cell morphology of rifampicin resistant mutants in the
      Deltafpg1 Deltafpg2 DeltamutY deletion mutant. In contrast, deletion of mutY
      together with the nei homologues did not result in any growth/survival defects or
      changes in mutation rates. Taken together these data indicate that the
      mycobacterial mutY, in combination with the Fpg DNA N-glycosylases, plays an
      important role in controlling mutagenesis under oxidative stress.

PMID- 26125999
TI  - Modular, Concise, and Efficient Synthesis of Highly Functionalized 5
      Fluoropyridazines by a [2 + 1]/[3 + 2]-Cycloaddition Sequence.
AB  - An easy access to 5-fluoropyridazines by a [2 + 1]/[3 + 2]-cycloaddition sequence
      between terminal alkynes, a difluorocarbene, and a diazo compound is reported.
      This approach does not necessitate the isolation of any intermediates, and a wide
      range of novel 5-fluoropyridazines was synthesized from readily available
      starting materials. Additionally, these compounds were used as a platform to
      access novel and highly diversified pyridazines. 

PMID- 26126000
TI  - Self-reported health-related quality-of-life issues for Aboriginal and Torres
      Strait Islander patients with experience of cancer in Australia: a review of
      literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples (who comprise
      the indigenous people or the original inhabitants of Australia before
      colonization) are more likely to experience cancers with poorer prognoses, are
      more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at a later stage of disease progression,
      are less likely to receive adequate cancer treatment and are more likely to pass
      away due to cancer, compared with other Australians. Cancer and biomedical
      therapies for cancer often have significant, ongoing effects on patient health
      related quality of life (HRQL). Therefore, consideration of HRQL for Aboriginal
      and Torres Strait Islander peoples with experience of cancer in Australia is
      imperative. This article examines the literature for HRQL issues self-reported by
      Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people with experience of cancer in
      Australia. METHODS: A search of peer-reviewed journal articles, government
      reports, and other literature was undertaken using electronic databases and
      citation snowballing. Self-reports from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
      people with experience of cancer were examined. HRQL issues were determined
      utilizing the Australian Psycho-Oncology Co-operative Research Group's definition
      of HRQL. RESULTS: Fifty-two documents were found with original data from
      Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people who self-reported their
      experiences of cancer. No published reports were found that specifically examined
      self-reports from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people on the impact
      of cancer and biomedical treatment on their HRQL. CONCLUSION: Previous literature
      suggests that there is urgency for improved communication and cultural competency
      in cancer care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients in Australia,
      with a stronger focus on meeting patient needs and improving HRQL. This review
      has provided insight into HRQL issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
      patients with cancer in Australia. Further work using patient-reported outcomes
      measures would provide greater insight into the impact of cancer and biomedical
      treatments on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients' HRQL.

PMID- 26126001
TI  - Control of invasive meningococcal disease: is it achievable?
AB  - Neisseria meningitidis still leads to deaths and severe disability in children,
      adolescents and adults. Six different capsular groups of N. meningitidis cause
      invasive meningococcal disease in the form of meningitis and septicaemia in
      humans. Although conjugate meningococcal vaccines have been developed to provide
      protection against four of the capsular groups causing most diseases in humans,
      vaccines against capsular group B, which causes 85% of cases in Australia and the
      United Kingdom, have only recently been developed. A capsular group B
      meningococcal vaccine - 4CMenB (Bexsero) - has recently been licensed in the
      European Union, Canada and Australia. In Australia, a submission for inclusion of
      4CMenB in the funded national immunization programme has recently been rejected.
      The vaccine will now be introduced into the national immunization programme in
      the United Kingdom following negotiation of a cost-effective price. With the
      current low incidence of invasive meningococcal disease in many regions, cost
      effectiveness of a new capsular group B meningococcal vaccine is borderline in
      both the United Kingdom and Australia. Cost-effectiveness of an infant programme
      is determined largely by the direct protection of those vaccinated and is driven
      by the higher rate of disease in this age group. However, for an adolescent
      programme to be cost-effective, it must provide both long-term protection against
      both disease and carriage. The potential of vaccination to reduce the rate of
      severe invasive disease is a real possibility. A dual approach using both an
      infant and adolescent immunization programme to provide direct protection to
      those age groups at highest risk of meningococcal disease and to optimize the
      potential herd immunity effects is likely to be the most effective means of
      reducing invasive meningococcal disease. This commentary aims to describe the
      known disease burden and consequences of meningococcal disease, and the
      development and potential effectiveness of new capsular group B meningococcal
      vaccines. 

PMID- 26126002
TI  - Simultaneous Detection of Multiple Proteins that Bind to the Identical Ligand in
      Supported Lipid Bilayers.
AB  - Herein, we developed a new separation-based detection method that is capable of
      simultaneously identifying multiple competitively binding proteins for the same
      ligand on supported lipid bilayers (SLBs). This strategy used unlabeled target
      analyte proteins that bind to fluorescently tagged, lipid-conjugated ligands
      within the SLB. The protein-ligand binding complexes were then focused under an
      applied potential to different locations within the SLB based on each protein's
      size and charge. Both protein identity and relative surface concentration
      information could be obtained, simultaneously. Specifically, the competitive
      binding of streptavidin and goat anti-biotin for biotin-conjugated lipids was
      explored. It was found that streptavidin could inhibit the binding of goat anti
      biotin antibodies for biotin-cap-1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine
      N-(7-nitro-2-1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl)(biotin-cap-NBD-PE) lipids and that
      streptavidin more effectively outcompeted the anti-biotin antibody at lower
      protein concentrations. Also, modulating the chemical composition of the membrane
      helped control the ultimate focusing position and separation of the streptavidin
      bound biotin, anti-biotin-bound biotin, and free biotin-conjugated lipid bands.
      The assay developed herein provides a simple and convenient strategy for
      simultaneously monitoring target analytes that bind to the identical ligand and
      may ultimately be useful in developing assays that help overcome problems
      associated with cross-reactivity. 

PMID- 26126003
TI  - Calcium supplementation for prevention of primary hypertension.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a major public health problem that increases the risk
      of cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Several studies have shown an inverse
      association between calcium intake and blood pressure. As small reductions in
      blood pressure have been shown to produce rapid reductions in vascular disease
      risk even in individuals with normal blood pressure ranges, this review intends
      to evaluate the effect of calcium supplementation in normotensive individuals as
      a preventive health measure. OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy and safety of
      calcium supplementation versus placebo or control for reducing blood pressure in
      normotensive people. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Hypertension Group
      Specialised Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials
      (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process, EMBASE and ClinicalTrials.gov for
      randomised controlled trials up to October 2014. The WHO International Clinical
      Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) is searched for inclusion in the Group's
      Specialised Register. We also reviewed reference lists from retrieved studies and
      contacted authors of relevant papers. We applied no language restrictions.
      SELECTION CRITERIA: We selected trials that randomised normotensive people to
      dietary calcium interventions such as supplementation or food fortification
      versus placebo or control. We excluded quasi-random designs. The primary outcomes
      were hypertension (defined as blood pressure >= 140/90 mmHg) and blood pressure
      measures. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently selected
      trials for inclusion, abstracted the data and assessed the risks of bias. MAIN
      RESULTS: We included 16 trials with 3048 participants. None of the studies
      reported hypertension as a dichotomous outcome. The effect on systolic and
      diastolic blood pressure was mean difference (MD) -1.43 mmHg (95% confidence
      interval (CI) -2.15 to -0.72) and -0.98 mmHg (95%CI -1.46 to -0.50) respectively.
      The effect on systolic and diastolic blood pressure for those younger than 35
      years (7 trials with 399 participants) was -2.11 mmHg (95%CI -3.58 to -0.64) / 
      2.61 mmHg (95% CI -3.74, -1.49). The effect on systolic and diastolic blood
      pressure for those 35 years or more (9 trials with 2649 participants) was -0.96
      mmHg (95%CI -1.83 to -0.09) / -0.59 mmHg (95%CI -1.13 to -0.06). The effect on
      systolic and diastolic blood pressure for women (6 trials with 1823 participants)
      was -1.45 mmHg (95% CI -2.78 to -0.12) / -0.92 mmHg (95% CI -1.71 to -0.14). The
      effect on systolic and diastolic blood pressure for men (5 trials with 617
      participants) was -2.07 (95%CI -3.56 to -0.59] / -1.91 (95%CI -2.80 to -1.02).The
      quality of evidence for each of these outcomes was high. The effect is consistent
      in both genders regardless of baseline calcium intake.The effect on systolic
      blood pressure was 0.08 mmHg (95% CI -2.16 to 2.32) with doses less than 1000 mg,
      -1.14 mmHg (95% CI -2.01 to -0.27) with 1000 - 1500 mg, and -2.79 mmHg (95% CI 
      4.71 to -0.86) with more than 1500 mg. The effect on diastolic blood pressure was
      -0.54 mmHg (95% CI -2.23 to 1.15), -0.71 mmHg (95% CI -1.37 to -0.06) and -1.43
      mmHg (95% CI -2.22 to -0.64) respectively. The quality of evidence for each of
      these outcomes was high.None of the studies reported adverse events. AUTHORS'
      CONCLUSIONS: An increase in calcium intake slightly reduces both systolic and
      diastolic blood pressure in normotensive people, particularly in young people,
      suggesting a role in the prevention of hypertension. These results should be
      interpreted with caution, since the proposed biological mechanism explaining the
      relationship between calcium and blood pressure has not been fully confirmed. The
      effect across multiple prespecified subgroups and a possible dose response effect
      reinforce this conclusion. Even small reductions in blood pressure could have
      important health implications for reducing vascular disease.There is a great need
      for adequately-powered clinical trials randomising young people. Subgroup
      analysis should involve basal calcium intake, age, sex, basal blood pressure, and
      body mass index. We also require assessment of side effects, optimal doses and
      the best strategy to improve calcium intake.

PMID- 26126004
TI  - Hemostatic Dysfunction in Liver Diseases.

PMID- 26126005
TI  - [Skin lightening products are a part of everyday life in many parts of the world.
      Corticosteroids, hydroquinone and mercury are common ingredients].
AB  - During the past decade, attention has been drawn towards the globally increased
      usage of skin-lightening (bleaching) products which are manufactured and sold,
      particularly in Africa and Asia, but also via the internet and in local shops all
      over North America and Europe. The active ingredients include hydroquinone,
      mercury and potent corticosteroids which can have severe health effects.  After
      investigating a patient at our clinic where the symptoms and findings could be
      linked to the use of bleaching products, we started to search the literature for
      similar cases. We found a global epidemic of health disorders related to skin
      lightening products. With this article we want to increase the awareness among
      Swedish physicians of this growing and harmful cosmetic trend. 

PMID- 26126006
TI  - [The usefulness of pharmacogenetics for a more individualized treatment. The
      example thiopurines in inflammatory bowel disease and childhood leukemia].
AB  - Thiopurines are chemotherapeutic drugs used for treatment of inflammatory bowel
      diseases and childhood leukemia. Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) is a
      polymorphic enzyme involved in the metabolism of thiopurines. Individuals lacking
      TPMT are at increased risk for severe side effects when treated with conventional
      doses of thiopurines. A research group at the division of drug research at
      Linkoping University is studying thiopurine pharmacogenetics. Since the year
      2000, the lab has determined the TPMT status in over 12000 individuals, as an aid
      to decide thiopurine doses before starting treatment. New knowledge of how
      genetic factors influence thiopurine treatment effect are anticipated to improve
      the possibilities for individualization of thiopurine therapy. 

PMID- 26126007
TI  - [Questions regarding the physician's role in the alcohol locks clarified].

PMID- 26126008
TI  - [Crossroads].

PMID- 26126009
TI  - [The hidden messages of pain metaphors. About pain as experience and metaphor].

PMID- 26126010
TI  - [With the name in the wrong box--the physicians' experience of a different kind
      of life].

PMID- 26126011
TI  - [Train on teamwork for safe obstetric care!].

PMID- 26126013
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26126012
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26126014
TI  - [The debate on ethics, law and new expensive drugs. Speak clearly about health
      care limitations].

PMID- 26126015
TI  - [Good that the quality of laboratory results are observed].

PMID- 26126016
TI  - [Not Available].

PMID- 26126017
TI  - Carbon Nanohoops: Excited Singlet and Triplet Behavior of Aza[8]CPP and 1,15
      Diaza[8]CPP.
AB  - The excited state properties of two nitrogen-doped cycloparaphenylene molecules,
      or carbon nanohoops, have been studied using steady-state and time-resolved
      absorption and emission spectroscopies. Quantum yield of fluorescence (Phif =
      0.11 and 0.13) and intersystem crossing (Phiisc = 0.45 and 0.32) were determined
      for aza[8]CPP and 1,15-diaza[8]CPP, respectively. We also present the proton
      transfer reaction between trifluoroacetic acid and the nitrogen-doped nanohoops,
      which resulted in significant modifications to the steady-state absorption and
      emission spectra as well as the triplet-triplet absorption spectra. From
      fluorescence quenching data we determine the equilibrium constant for the proton
      transfer reaction between aza[8]CPP (Keq = 1.39 * 10(-3)) and 1,15-diaza[8]CPP
      (Keq = 2.79 * 10(-3)) confirming that 1,15-diaza[8]CPP is twice as likely to be
      protonated at a particular concentration of trifluoroacetic acid. 

PMID- 26126020
TI  - Pattern of lymph node metastases and its implication in radiotherapeutic clinical
      target volume in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer: a study of 2062 cases.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the pattern of lymph node metastasis (LNM) of non-small-cell
      lung cancer (NSCLC) and to clarify which node level should be included while
      undergoing radiotherapy (RT). METHODS: A total of 2062 patients with NSCLC
      patients who had undergone thoracotomy were retrospectively examined. The
      clinicopathological factors related to LNM were analysed. RESULTS: The LNM rates
      (the number of node-positive patients/the total number of patients) in patients
      with primary tumours in different lobes (left upper lobe, left lower lobe, right
      upper lobe, right middle lobe and right lower lobe) were 53.25%, 53.87%, 53.77%,
      64.67% and 61.58%, respectively. We have found that in all of the
      clinicopathological factors, including sex, age, tumour location, histological
      type, maximum diameter, T stage, degree of differentiation and tumour growth
      pattern, only maximum diameter (p = 0.336) and histological type (p = 0.360) did
      not have significant correlation with LNM rate. All of the above factors except
      tumour growth pattern (p = 0.239) and maximum diameter (p = 0.613) were
      significantly associated with lymph node ratio [LNR, ratio between metastatic and
      examined lymph nodes (LNs)] in linear regression. CONCLUSION: For patients with
      NSCLC, LNM rate and LNR can be recommended as applicable parameters for LN
      involvement. Multiple clinicopathological factors should be considered
      comprehensively to design the clinical target volume for RT of NSCLC. ADVANCES IN
      KNOWLEDGE: This article can provide evidence to radio-oncologists how to choose
      range of lymph nodal clinical target volume when they are treating inoperable
      patients with NSCLC patients by analysing data of patients after surgery.

PMID- 26126022
TI  - Semiconducting transition metal oxides.
AB  - Open shell transition metal oxides are usually described as Mott or charge
      transfer insulators, which are often viewed as being disparate from
      semiconductors. Based on the premise that the presence of a correlated gap and
      semiconductivity are not mutually exclusive, this work reviews electronic
      structure calculations on the binary 3d oxides, so to distill trends and design
      principles for semiconducting transition metal oxides. This class of materials
      possesses the potential for discovery, design, and development of novel
      functional semiconducting compounds, e.g. for energy applications. In order to
      place the 3d orbitals and the sp bands into an integrated picture, band structure
      calculations should treat both contributions on the same footing and, at the same
      time, account fully for electron correlation in the 3d shell. Fundamentally, this
      is a rather daunting task for electronic structure calculations, but quasi
      particle energy calculations in GW approximation offer a viable approach for band
      structure predictions in these materials. Compared to conventional
      semiconductors, the inherent multivalent nature of transition metal cations is
      more likely to cause undesirable localization of electron or hole carriers.
      Therefore, a quantitative prediction of the carrier self-trapping energy is
      essential for the assessing the semiconducting properties and to determine
      whether the transport mechanism is a band-like large-polaron conduction or a
      small-polaron hopping conduction. An overview is given for the binary 3d oxides
      on how the hybridization between the 3d crystal field symmetries with the O-p
      orbitals of the ligands affects the effective masses and the likelihood of
      electron and hole self-trapping, identifying those situations where small masses
      and band-like conduction are more likely to be expected. The review concludes
      with an illustration of the implications of the increased electronic complexity
      of transition metal cations on the defect physics and doping, using as an example
      the diversity of possible atomic and magnetic configurations of the O vacancy in
      TiO(2), and the high levels of hole doping in Co(2)ZnO(4) due to a self-doping
      mechanism that originates from the multivalence of Co.

PMID- 26126021
TI  - An "immune barrier" is formed in the placenta by hepatitis B immunoglobulin to
      protect the fetus from hepatitis B virus infection from the mother.
AB  - The effect of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) on hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA
      load and its protective mechanism are not well understood. Twenty-eight hepatitis
      B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive pregnant women and their newborns were
      assigned to an experimental (n = 12) or control group (n = 16) according to
      whether they received HBIG during pregnancy. HBV DNA load and markers titer of
      the mothers and newborns were tested. These markers and HBV DNA load in mothers
      of the experimental group did not fluctuate significantly and were comparable to
      the control. In the experimental group, there was a positive correlation between
      mothers and their newborns with regard to hepatitis B surface antibody titer.
      Immunohistochemical staining of placenta sections showed that HBsAg-positive
      areas mainly included trophoblastic cells and villous mesenchymal cells without
      HBIG colocalization, whereas HBIG-positive areas principally included villous
      capillary endothelial cells and villous mesenchymal cells. Additionally, compared
      with the control group, the positive rate and mean density of HBIG in the
      experimental group were remarkably higher. HBIG deposition was seen in Hofbauer
      cells. Thus, rather than influencing virus replication, HBIG forms an immune
      barrier between the mother and fetus to prevent HBV transmission. 

PMID- 26126024
TI  - Revisiting Patient Education in Changing Health Care Times.

PMID- 26126023
TI  - Characteristics of Fluency and Speech in Two Families With High Incidences of
      Stuttering.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study presents data from 2 families with high incidence of
      stuttering, comparing methods of phenotype assignment and exploring the presence
      of other fluency disorders and corresponding speech characteristics. METHOD:
      Three methods for assigning phenotype of stuttering were used: self
      identification, family identification, and expert identification. Agreement on
      which individuals were assigned by each of these methods was studied. Multiple
      measures of fluency and speech production were obtained. RESULTS: Self-reports
      and descriptions of blocking rather than self-identification as a person who
      stutters demonstrated the best agreement with expert identification of
      stuttering. Family identification showed poor agreement with both expert and self
      identification of stuttering. Using binary categories of fluent or stuttering,
      90% of individuals in 1 family were classified by expert consensus. Only 70% of
      the other family could be similarly categorized. Experts required 2 other
      categories, cluttering and other fluency disorders, to fully characterize
      dysfluency within this family. These 2 families also demonstrated differences in
      speech production. CONCLUSION: Some families with high incidence of stuttering
      may also have high incidence of other fluency disorders and other speech
      production difficulties. This finding may have ramifications for genetic studies,
      including criteria for defining phenotype and collapsing data across multiple
      families.

PMID- 26126025
TI  - Tackling Communication Barriers Between Long-Term Care Facility and Emergency
      Department Transfers to Improve Medication Safety in Older Adults.
AB  - In 2013, the American College of Emergency Physicians, American Geriatrics
      Society, Emergency Nurses Association, and Society for Academic Emergency
      Medicine created geriatric emergency department guidelines, making
      recommendations for staffing/administration, follow up and transitions of care,
      education, quality improvement, equipment/supplies, and other policies,
      procedures, and protocols to be implemented. Awareness of these guidelines, as
      well as communication barriers, can help improve the delivery of care for older
      adults during transitions in care, particularly regarding medication safety.

PMID- 26126026
TI  - Older Adult Inpatient Falls in Acute Care Hospitals: Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and
      Environmental Factors.
AB  - The current integrative literature review of 23 studies aimed to identify
      multidimensional risk factors of falls among older adult patients in acute care
      hospitals. The incidence rate of fall-related injuries ranged from 6.8% to 72.1%.
      Advanced age was a major intrinsic risk factor, whereas being a patient in a
      geriatric unit was a significant extrinsic factor for inpatient falls and fall
      related injuries based on statistical significance obtained from quantitative
      data analyses. Other critical risk factors were: (a) cognitive impairment; (b)
      impaired mobility; (c) prolonged length of hospital stay; and (d) fall history.
      Environmental/situational factors, such as patient ambulation and fall locations,
      also contributed to inpatient falls. In clinical practice, nurses need to know
      who are the most vulnerable patients in the hospital and develop comprehensive
      interventions to decrease intrinsic, extrinsic, and environmental risk factors.
      Prospective mixed-methods studies are needed to examine psychosocial factors and
      consequences of falls.

PMID- 26126029
TI  - Platelet disorders: an overview.
AB  - Thrombocytes or platelets are anucleated cells derived from megakaryocytes by
      process of megakaryopoiesis, with maturation time of 4-5 days. They are small and
      discoid in shape with size ranging from 2 to 4 MUm. The platelet concentration in
      blood varies between 150, 000 and 400, 000  cells/MUl of blood. They are involved
      in both hemostasis and wound healing. Hence, any abnormalities in platelets can
      lead to various bleeding disorders. Platelet disorders include thrombocythemia
      and thrombocytosis, thrombocytopenia and platelet dysfunction. Thrombocythemia
      and thrombocytosis are associated with increased platelet count because of
      overproduction of platelets. Thrombocytopenia includes decreased platelet count
      because of failed platelet production, increased sequestration of platelets in
      spleen, dilution of platelets and combination of these mechanisms. Platelet
      dysfunction can be because of intrinsic platelet defect or an extrinsic factor
      that alters the normal platelet function and can be hereditary or acquired. The
      following review provides a comprehensive overview of the above platelet
      disorders.

PMID- 26126030
TI  - Association of selenoprotein S gene polymorphism with ischemic stroke: how strong
      is the evidence?

PMID- 26126031
TI  - Retrospective evaluation mean platelet volume in patients with mesenteric
      ischemia can give us wrong results.

PMID- 26126032
TI  - Alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase is expressed in a majority of pancreatic neoplasms
      of neuroendocrine, acinar, and solid pseudopapillary differentiation.

PMID- 26126033
TI  - VEGF and VEGFR2 in dentigerous cysts associated with impacted third molars.
AB  - The aims of this study were to determine the presence and distribution of
      vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor
      receptor-2 (VEGFR2) in dentigerous cysts compared with normal dental follicles as
      a control tissue and to evaluate endothelial cells and proliferating cells as
      indicators of angiogenic activity in these tissues.Twenty specimens
      histologically diagnosed as dentigerous cysts and 20 dental follicle specimens
      were included. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) using anti-VEGF and anti-VEGFR2
      antibodies stained for the growth factor and its receptor, while anti-CD34 and
      anti-CD146 antibodies were used to identify endothelial cells. Anti-proliferating
      cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) antibody detected proliferating cells within the
      specimens. Slides were examined microscopically and results evaluated using kappa
      statistics, negative binomial regression and ordinal logistic regression.The mean
      age for patients with dentigerous cysts was 23 years and they were more common in
      males. Proteins for VEGF, VEGFR2, PCNA, CD34, and CD146 were expressed in all
      dentigerous cysts and dental follicles. VEGF and VEGFR2 were expressed on several
      cell types within the tissues, however there was a significantly greater
      percentage of positive staining in dentigerous cysts compared with dental
      follicles (odds ratio = 31.24, p < 0.001). CD34(+), CD146(+), and PCNA(+) cells
      were observed in both dentigerous cysts and dental follicles but for all markers
      there were significantly more positive cells in dentigerous cysts (p < 0.001);
      this was especially evident in cases associated with inflammation. PCNA was seen
      in most endothelial cells lining small thin walled blood vessels suggesting
      endothelial proliferation. There was a high level of intra- and inter-examiner
      agreement (kappa 0.77 and 0.75, respectively).VEGF and VEGFR2 and angiogenic
      activity are present in dental follicles and dentigerous cysts and may contribute
      to local bone resorption for tooth eruption or the development and progression of
      dentigerous cysts.

PMID- 26126034
TI  - Trends and physiology of common serum biochemistries in children aged 0-18 years.
AB  - The aim of this study was to visually present and discuss in detail the
      physiological trends of 22 serum biochemistries in children aged 0-18.A data
      mining, LMS (lambda, mu, and sigma) approach was employed to derive the smoothed
      continuous serum biochemistry centile charts, after application of stringent
      outlier exclusion criteria.Serum sodium and calculated osmolality are low in
      early life and rise with age due to maturing kidney and body water
      redistribution. Urea, creatinine and uric acid is high at birth, declines to
      reach a trough by 1 month of age and gradually rises again thereafter. Serum
      bicarbonate falls initially during the neonatal and toddler period, then rises
      with declining respiratory rate, further increasing sodium and suppressing
      chloride. Potassium, calcium and phosphate are required for somatic growth and
      are actively accrued during periods of rapid growth. Albumin increases until
      puberty while globulin rises to age 10 as a result of increased hepatic synthetic
      capacity and maturing immunity. Serum alkaline phosphatase activity peaks during
      bone growth spurts in infancy and adolescence due to osteoblast leakage, while
      creatinine increases with muscle mass. Serum gamma-glutamyl transferase,
      aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase activities are high at birth
      and decline with age. Serum alanine aminotransferase activity is low at birth and
      is induced by increased gluconeogenesis. Serum bilirubin increases continuously
      with age, mirroring haemoglobin concentration. Serum total cholesterol declines
      more markedly in boys than girls during puberty due to the combined effects of
      free testosterone (lowering high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in boys) and
      oestradiol (lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in boys and girls).It is
      important to understand trends and biological variation when interpreting results
      since partitioned reference intervals may mask this information. 

PMID- 26126035
TI  - Unusual presentations of lymphocytic phlebitis of the digestive tract.

PMID- 26126036
TI  - Reporting unit size and measurement uncertainty: current Australian practice in
      clinical chemistry and haematology.
AB  - In this study we aimed to compare the reporting unit size used by Australian
      laboratories for routine chemistry and haematology tests to the unit size used by
      learned authorities and in standard laboratory textbooks and to the justified
      unit size based on measurement uncertainty (MU) estimates from quality assurance
      program data. MU was determined from Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia
      (RCPA) - Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists (AACB) and RCPA
      Haematology Quality Assurance Program survey reports. The reporting unit size
      implicitly suggested in authoritative textbooks, the RCPA Manual, and the General
      Serum Chemistry program itself was noted. We also used published data on
      Australian laboratory practices.The best performing laboratories could justify
      their chemistry unit size for 55% of analytes while comparable figures for the
      50% and 90% laboratories were 14% and 8%, respectively. Reporting unit size was
      justifiable for all laboratories for red cell count, >50% for haemoglobin but
      only the top 10% for haematocrit. Few, if any, could justify their mean cell
      volume (MCV) and mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) reporting unit
      sizes.The reporting unit size used by many laboratories is not justified by
      present analytical performance. Using MU estimates to determine the reporting
      interval for quantitative laboratory results ensures reporting practices match
      local analytical performance and recognises the inherent error of the measurement
      process.

PMID- 26126037
TI  - An unusual ampullary adenocarcinoma with Paneth cell and mucinous
      differentiation.

PMID- 26126038
TI  - Endometrial carcinosarcoma with prominent neuroectodermal component.

PMID- 26126039
TI  - Superficial CD34-positive fibroblastic tumour: report of two new cases.

PMID- 26126040
TI  - Solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas with extensive pleomorphic
      neuroendocrine differentiation.

PMID- 26126041
TI  - SWI/SNF complex deficiency and mismatch repair protein expression in
      undifferentiated and dedifferentiated endometrial carcinoma.
AB  - Undifferentiated endometrial carcinoma (UEC) is a relatively uncommon but
      clinically aggressive uterine malignancy. In common with a subset of poorly
      differentiated carcinomas arising in other sites, UEC may exhibit rhabdoid
      morphology and be associated with a low-grade tumour component (dedifferentiated
      carcinoma). Recent studies have implicated inactivation of the SWI/SNF complex
      subunits in the aforementioned extrauterine tumours. Therefore we have examined
      INI1 (SMARCB1), BRG1 (SMARCA4), and BAF250a (ARID1A) immunostaining, and also
      expression of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) proteins MLH1, PMS2, MSH2 and MSH6 in
      22 UEC, seventeen of which were dedifferentiated. Abnormal SWI/SNF subunit
      expression was detected in four dedifferentiated carcinomas including three with
      loss of BRG1 staining limited to the undifferentiated tumour component and one
      case with loss of INI1 expression in both low- and high-grade elements; the
      latter case also showed BAF250a deficiency in the undifferentiated tumour cells.
      Abnormal MMR protein expression was identified in 13 tumours (59%) including nine
      with concurrent loss of MLH1 and PMS2. These findings suggest that SWI/SNF
      subunit alterations may play a role in the progression/ dedifferentiation of
      endometrial carcinoma, and that SWI/SNF and MMR protein deficiencies may act
      synergistically in deregulating DNA repair mechanisms in these tumours. 

PMID- 26126042
TI  - Sternoclavicular septic arthritis caused by Neisseria elongata subspecies
      nitroreducens.

PMID- 26126043
TI  - Follicular porokeratosis of the nose: two further cases of an emerging variant of
      porokeratosis.

PMID- 26126044
TI  - Endometrial polyp-like lesion arising in adenomyosis: a report of three cases.

PMID- 26126045
TI  - Effect of HbE trait on measurement of HbA1c by three different methods.

PMID- 26126046
TI  - Granulosa cell tumour of the adrenal.

PMID- 26126047
TI  - Recently described entities in the gynaecological tract.
AB  - In recent years there have been significant advances in our understanding of
      female genital tract tumours due to the fact that new molecular abnormalities and
      translocations have been identified in certain neoplasms. Also, terminology of
      various lesions in the gynaecological tract has changed and a couple of new
      entities have been described.In this review we will highlight some mesenchymal
      neoplasms including gynaecological perivascular epithelioid cell tumour (PEComa),
      inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour (IMT) occurring in the uterus and discuss and
      review terminology of endometrial stromal neoplasms.A recently described entity,
      gastric type endocervical adenocarcinoma will be reviewed, summarising its most
      salient microscopic and clinical features. The newly proposed endocervical
      adenocarcinoma classification system by Silva and collegues will be reviewed as
      well.Finally, a particular high-grade endometrial carcinoma (undifferentiated
      endometrial carcinoma) will be discussed highlighting the importance of its
      recognition and differential diagnosis. 

PMID- 26126048
TI  - Preparing for Ebolavirus disease: specimen collection, packaging and transport.
AB  - Ebolavirus is classified by Standards Australia as a Risk Group 4 pathogen for
      handling in laboratories. Specimens known or reasonably expected to contain
      Ebolavirus are classified by the United Nations as Dangerous Goods Infectious
      Substances Category A, UN 2814, which if transported by air must comply with
      International Air Transport Association (IATA) Hazard Class 6.2 and Packing
      Instruction 620 and Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Regulations. As such
      high risk pathogens are rarely encountered in pathology laboratories in
      Australia, the possibility of an imported case of Ebolavirus disease occurring in
      NSW during the current ongoing outbreak which began in West Africa in 2014
      prompted a review and rapid implementation of specific risk management protocols
      for Ebolavirus testing. Here we describe and report on the management of specimen
      collection, packaging and transport by public and private pathology laboratories
      agreed by a task force led by NSW Health Pathology and Health Protection NSW. 

PMID- 26126049
TI  - Evaluation of point-of-care testing in critically unwell patients: comparison
      with clinical laboratory analysers and applicability to patients with Ebolavirus
      infection.
AB  - Data on the performance of point-of-care (POC) or near-patient devices in the
      management of critically unwell patients are limited, meaning that there are
      demands for confirming POC test results in the routine clinical laboratory and so
      potentially leading to delay in treatment provision. We evaluated the performance
      of the i-STAT CHEM 8+ and CG4+, Hemochron Signature Elite, HemoCue Hb 201+ and
      WBC Diff Systems on whole blood collected from medical and surgical patients
      admitted to the intensive care unit at an Australian tertiary care hospital.
      Measurements obtained for haematology, coagulation, biochemistry and arterial
      blood gas parameters using POC devices were compared against clinical laboratory
      analysers (XE-5000, STA-R Evolution, Dimension Vista 1500 and ABL800 FLEX). Bland
      Altman and Passing-Bablok regression plots were constructed to assess agreement.
      Good correlation was defined as a bias of <10% between the POC device and the
      reference method. Forty arterial blood samples were collected from 28 patients.
      There was good correlation demonstrated for sodium, potassium, chloride, ionised
      calcium, glucose, urea, haemoglobin and haematocrit values (i-STAT Chem 8+); pH,
      pCO(2), bicarbonate and oxygen saturation (i-STAT CG4+); haemoglobin, white cell,
      neutrophil count and lymphocyte counts (Hemocue); and internationalised normal
      ratio (INR; Hemochron Signature Elite), but not creatinine, anion gap, pO(2),
      base excess, lactate, eosinophil count, prothrombin and activated partial
      thromboplastin time. POC devices were comparable to clinical laboratory analysers
      in measuring the majority of haematology, biochemistry and coagulation parameters
      in critically unwell patients, including those with infections. These devices may
      be deployed at the bedside to allow 'real-time' testing to improve patient care.

PMID- 26126050
TI  - Virological diagnosis of Ebolavirus infection.
AB  - Ebolaviruses, and the other viral causes of haemorrhagic fevers (VHF) have always
      posed special problems for diagnostic laboratories. These arise from the rarity
      of human infections, minimal documented experience with test delivery and
      interpretation, the paucity of established commercial or in-house assays, the
      lack of clinical material for test development and validation, the high level
      containment required for handling live virus, the ongoing evolution of the
      viruses, and the high personal and public health requirements for accurate
      diagnosis. This article addresses the current situation and the ongoing
      challenges associated with delivering timely, high quality and safe testing
      within Australia for people exposed as part of the current major outbreak of
      Ebolavirus disease (EVD) in Western Africa. The members of the Public Health
      Laboratory Network have developed deliverable and reliable nucleic acid detection
      tests, and also have the laboratory capacity to handle the live viruses if
      necessary. However delivering and maintaining these services necessitates high
      levels of experience in developing and applying tests for exotic and emerging
      infections, strong national and international links and collaborations, ongoing
      monitoring and reassessment of test design and performance, innovative approaches
      to generation of positive control material, and a regular quality assurance
      program. 

PMID- 26126051
TI  - The secondary Mullerian system, field effect, BRCA, and tubal fimbria: our
      evolving understanding of the origin of tubo-ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma
      and why assignment of primary site matters.
AB  - It has long been held that most epithelial ovarian carcinomas arise from the
      ovarian surface epithelium. Theories on origin were based on the assumption that
      there was a common cell of origin for all ovarian carcinoma histotypes, and that
      these histotypes were closely related and frequently admixed. It is now
      recognised that the histotypes are distinct diseases. Recent studies on early,
      organ-confined, non-uterine high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) have led to a
      change in our understanding of their anatomical site of origin. These studies
      were initially on patients at high risk of developing HGSC but more recently have
      been extended to cases without family history or genetic markers of increased
      risk. These have shown that incidental HGSC, when detected before dissemination,
      is most commonly identified in the tubal fimbria. As a result, we have had to
      revisit theories on the cell and site of origin of HGSC. This progress in our
      understanding has necessitated a change in how we handle cases in clinical
      practice, as it impacts on primary site assignment, which in turn has
      implications for staging. In this review we will discuss the evolution of our
      understanding of the cell of origin of HGSC, the evidence for the tubal fimbria
      as the anatomical site of origin of most non-uterine HGSC, and the clinical
      implications of these recent developments. 

PMID- 26126052
TI  - Editorial: Laboratory preparedness for Ebolavirus disease.

PMID- 26126053
TI  - Redesigning TRACER trial after TRITON.
AB  - Designing of smart clinical trials is critical for regulatory approval and future
      drug utilization. Importantly, trial design should be reconsidered if the interim
      analyses suggest unexpected harm, or conflicting results were yielded from the
      other trials within the same therapeutic area. With regard to antiplatelet
      agents, the perfect example is redesigning of the ongoing PRoFESS trial by
      eliminating aspirin from clopidogrel arm after the earlier MATCH trial results
      became available. The goal was to aseess the unchanged TRACER trial design in
      light of the evidence yielded from the earlier completed TRITON trial. TRACER was
      designed as a triple versus dual antiplatelet trial in NSTEMI patients with no
      previous long-term outcome data supporting such aggressive strategy. TRITON data
      represented dual versus dual antiplatelet therapy, and became available before
      TRACER enrollment starts revealing prasugrel front-loaded early vascular benefit
      predominantly in STEMI patients with the growing over time bleeding and cancer
      risks. Moreover, large prasugrel NSTEMI TRITON cohort exhibited trend towards
      excess mortality in experimental arm warning against aggressive TRACER design.
      The long-term TRITON results in general, and especially in the NSTEMI patients
      challenge unchanged TRACER trial design. Applying dual, rather than triple
      antiplatelet therapy protocol modification should be considered in TRACER to
      minimize bleeding, cancer, and non-cardiovascular death risks. 

PMID- 26126054
TI  - Impact of statin use on cardiorespiratory fitness in multi-racial men and women:
      The Henry Ford Exercise Testing (FIT) Project.

PMID- 26126055
TI  - Unravelling the "adipokine paradox": When the classic proatherogenic adipokine
      leptin is deemed the beneficial one.
AB  - Adipokines released by adipose tissue have been recognised as important players
      in the development of cardiovascular disease. Leptin is a well-studied adipokine
      with an important role in body metabolism and energy expenditure and leptin
      deficiency or deficient leptin signalling results in excessive obesity and type 2
      diabetes. Studies in cells and animal models support that leptin has a pro
      atherogenic potential and exerts pro-hypertrophic effects on the heart. However,
      recent basic and clinical evidence suggests that leptin may also have a
      beneficial role in cardiovascular physiology. Notably, clinical studies have
      failed to convincingly link leptin with increased cardiovascular disease risk. We
      herein summarise the role of leptin in cardiovascular disease as another example
      of the 'adipokine paradox' and discuss the complexity in using serum adipokine
      levels as biomarkers in cardiovascular disease. 

PMID- 26126056
TI  - First series of mechanical circulatory support in non-compaction cardiomyopathy:
      Is LVAD implantation a safe alternative?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) is a rare cardiac disorder
      characterized by prominent trabeculae and deep recesses of the ventricular
      myocardium. Patients with LVNC may develop severe congestive heart failure
      refractory to medical therapy. However, heart transplantation is strongly limited
      due to donor organ shortage. Thus mechanical circulatory support by left
      ventricular assist devices (LVADs) is a promising alternative. Nevertheless,
      hypertrabeculation and proarrhythmogenic potential in LVNC might represent
      important hurdles for success of LVAD therapy in these patients. METHODS AND
      RESULTS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of a total of 5 patients (3 HVAD,
      Heartware(r); 2 HeartMate II, Thoratec(r)) with LVNC who underwent LVAD
      implantation in our institution between 2010 and 2014. Mean follow-up time was
      86.5weeks. 30-day survival was 100% without major intrahospital complications.
      During follow-up, 3 patients developed pump thrombosis requiring pump
      replacement. Arrhythmias were not detected during follow-up as assessed by ICD
      interrogation. CONCLUSIONS: LVAD implantation in LVNC can be performed with low
      intrahospital complication rates. However, we observed a high incidence of pump
      thrombosis during follow-up, possibly related to thromboembolic predisposition by
      the underlying LVNC. Therefore, careful management of anticoagulation appears to
      be critical in these patients.

PMID- 26126057
TI  - Atrial fibrillation, CHA2DS2-VASc score, antithrombotics and risk of traffic
      accidents: A population-based cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Traffic accidents account for a substantial proportion of premature
      disabilities and deaths. Whether atrial fibrillation (AF) provokes while
      antithrombotics prevent from such events remains un-investigated. METHODS: All
      patients >=40years with newly diagnosed AF in 2005 were scrutinized from the
      "Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005" (1 million beneficiaries) of
      Taiwan's National Health Insurance Institute as the AF group. Four-fold number of
      age-, gender-, and comorbidity-matched patients but without AF served as the Non
      AF controls. Patients were followed till occurrence of hospitalization-requiring
      traffic injury, death, withdrawal from insurance, or the end of 2010. Cumulative
      incidence of traffic accidents was compared between groups, and predictors and
      preventive role of antithrombotics for these accidents were identified by Cox
      regression analysis. RESULTS: Within a mean follow-up of 4.3years, traffic injury
      occurred significantly more often in patients with AF (N=1724) than those without
      it (N=6896) (5.4 vs. 4.9 per 1000 person-years, log-rank p=0.012, HR 1.110, 95%
      CI 1.013-1.572). Cox models identified age ?65years, hypertension, coronary
      artery disease, stroke, liver cirrhosis and CHADS2VASC score?1 as risk factors
      for traffic injury in AF patients, whereas oral anticoagulants (HR 0.576, 95% CI
      0.285-0.791, p=0.002) used in patients with CHADS2VASC score ?1 but not
      antiplatelet therapy (p=0.197) as negative predictors. CONCLUSION: Patients with
      AF are more vulnerable to traffic accidents especially when with higher
      CHADS2VASC scores and other comorbidities. This tendency to traffic accidents,
      however, could be ameliorated by oral anticoagulation in specialized cases but
      not by antiplatelet therapy.

PMID- 26126058
TI  - New Scholars Writing for Publication.

PMID- 26126059
TI  - Mining Patterns Associated With Mobility Outcomes in Home Healthcare.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mobility is critical for self-management. Understanding factors
      associated with improvement in mobility during home healthcare can help nurses
      tailor interventions to improve mobility outcomes and keep patients safely at
      home. OBJECTIVES: The aims were to (a) identify patient and support system
      factors associated with mobility improvement during home care, (b) evaluate
      consistency of factors across groups defined by mobility status at the start of
      home care, and (c) identify patterns of factors associated with improvement and
      no improvement in mobility within each group. METHODS: Outcome and Assessment
      Information Set data extracted from a national convenience sample of 270,634
      patient records collected from October 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009 from 581
      Medicare-certified, home healthcare agencies were used. Patients were placed into
      groups based on mobility scores at admission. Odds ratios were used to index
      associations of factors with improvement at discharge. Discriminative pattern
      mining was used to discover patterns associated with improvement of mobility.
      RESULTS: Overall, mobility improved for 49.4% of patients; improvement occurred
      most frequently (80%) among patients who were able, at admission, to walk only
      with the supervision or assistance of another person at all times. Numerous
      factors associated with improvement in mobility outcome were similar across the
      groups (except for those who were chairfast but were able to wheel themselves
      independently); however, the number, strength, and direction of associations
      varied. In most groups, data mining-discovered patterns of factors associated
      with the mobility outcome were composed of combinations of functional and
      cognitive status and the type and amount of help required at home. DISCUSSION:
      This study provides new data mining-based information about how factors
      associated with improvement in mobility group together and vary by mobility at
      admission. These approaches have potential to provide new insights for clinicians
      to tailor interventions for improvement of mobility.

PMID- 26126060
TI  - Pain and Aggression in Nursing Home Residents With Dementia: Minimum Data Set 3.0
      Analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the potential relationship between pain and
      aggressive behavioral symptoms in nursing home (NH) residents with dementia as a
      function of resident communicative status (ability to self-report pain).
      OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between
      pain and aggression for residents who self-reported pain and for those whose pain
      was measured by staff evaluation of pain-related behaviors. METHODS: This is a
      secondary analysis of the comprehensive data collected from January to March 2012
      in the national Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 of NH residents, aged 65 years or
      older, with dementia (N = 71,227). Pain was measured using the MDS Pain
      Assessment Interview for residents who could communicate or by staff evaluation
      using the MDS Pain Behavior Scale for residents who could not communicate. The
      relationship between pain and aggressive behavioral symptoms was estimated from
      logistic regression models after controlling for covariates (functional/cognitive
      impairments, pain medications, comorbidities, and sociodemographic variables).
      RESULTS: In residents who could not communicate, pain was associated with both
      verbal and physical aggression (verbal aggression: adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =
      1.23, 95% CI [1.17, 1.29]; physical aggression: AOR = 1.20, 95% CI [1.14, 1.26]).
      In residents who could communicate, pain was associated with verbal aggression
      only (AOR = 1.12, 95% CI [1.04, 1.18]). DISCUSSION: The relationship between pain
      and aggressive behavioral symptoms varies according to the communicative status
      of NH residents and disproportionately affects those who cannot articulate their
      pain. Strategies for enhancing pain management in these residents are needed to
      adequately treat pain and reduce aggression.

PMID- 26126061
TI  - Attitudes of Nurses and Physicians About Clinical Autopsy in Neonatal and Adult
      Hospital Care: A Survey in Sweden.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The rate of autopsies has dropped to low levels in Western countries.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the experiences and attitudes of
      registered nurses (RNs) and physicians (MD) toward clinical autopsies in neonatal
      and adult hospital care in Sweden. METHODS: RNs and MDs in neonatal and adult
      care specialized clinics at a university-affiliated hospital in Sweden were
      surveyed. Survey responses were tallied, and free-text comments were assessed
      with qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Three hundred thirty-six surveys were
      distributed; the response rate was 35%. Most RNs and 14% of the MDs had limited
      or no experience participating in an autopsy. Notably, few RNs and approximately
      one third of the MDs were familiar with the autopsy processes and the treatment
      of the deceased person's body after an autopsy. More than one third of RNs had
      experience with talking to relatives regarding autopsy. Most agreed that an
      autopsy could be supportive for relatives during the grieving process and
      beneficial for the quality of healthcare. Most MDs (70%) thought that autopsies
      should be performed more frequently. Qualitative results emphasized that RNs and
      MDs thought that autopsy information supported the grieving process of relatives
      especially parents who had lost a child. DISCUSSION: The survey data confirm
      belief in the value of clinical autopsies in neonatal and adult hospital care.
      RNs and MDs should receive training about the autopsy process and procedures for
      obtaining consent for an autopsy. RNs are in a position to support the decision
      making of relatives about providing consent for autopsy and have an opportunity
      to take a more active role in the autopsy process.

PMID- 26126062
TI  - Nursing Case Management and Glycemic Control Among Brazilians With Type 2
      Diabetes: Pragmatic Clinical Trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition that requires
      ongoing, life-long care in order to be controlled. OBJECTIVES: The aims of the
      study were to assess the effect of nursing case management on glycated hemoglobin
      (HbA1c) levels compared to usual care in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus and
      to determine if effects of nursing case management varied by gender, age,
      duration of disease, education, and income. METHODS: This is a pragmatic clinical
      trial, conducted in the municipality of Bandeirantes, Parana, Brazil, in 2011 and
      2012. Eighty individuals were recruited and randomized equally to receive nursing
      case management or usual care. Covariates were sociodemographic and clinical
      factors. The outcome was HbA1c measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months.
      RESULTS: The sample consisted predominately of women; most had been diagnosed
      with type 2 diabetes mellitus within the previous 5 years. Mean age was 50.14 (SD
      = 7.00), with 5.27 (SD = 4.39) years of schooling and an average HbA1c of 9.90%
      (SD = 2.49). Hemoglobin A1c was reduced from an average of 10.33% to 9.0% (p <
      .01) in the nursing case management group and from 9.57% to 8.93% (p = .05) in
      the usual care group; the group by time effect was not significant. Case
      management effects varied by younger age (p = .05), duration of type 2 diabetes
      less than 5 years (p = .03), up to 4 years of schooling (p = .04), and being in
      the lowest-income stratum (p = .02). DISCUSSION: Both groups showed a
      statistically significant reduction of HbA1c at 6 and 12 months following
      baseline. The difference in proportional reduction of HbA1c between groups was
      not statistically significant.

PMID- 26126063
TI  - Potential for Self-Management in Chronic Care: Nurses' Assessments of Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Although self-management interventions are, to some extent,
      individualized in clinical practice, the decision-making process is not fully
      understood. Exploring nurses' clinical reasoning about how and to what extent
      they currently tailor self-management support can provide new insights, enhancing
      process and outcome of chronic care. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to
      explore how nurses assess chronic patients concerning the potential of self
      management and clinical reasoning with regard to tailoring care to the individual
      patient. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted using grounded theory.
      Semistructured interviews were held with 15 nurses working within chronic care.
      All interviews were carried out from February to July 2013. RESULTS: All nurses
      provided individualized care; however, a nurse's view of self-management
      influenced how tailoring was performed. Substantial differences were seen in
      patient assessments and how care was individualized. Patients' motivation,
      capacities, mindset, needs, and preferences were obtained through communication,
      experience, intuition, and trusting relationships. A typology with four patient
      types emerged: the unmotivated patient, the patient with limited capacities, the
      oblivious patient, and the ideal patient. Nurses elaborated on using different
      approaches for patients in each of these groups. DISCUSSION: A nurse's perception
      of self-management substantially impacted how care was individualized. Patient
      assessment was the key driver of tailoring, which was performed in various ways,
      and influenced how and the extent to which care was individualized. To enable
      responding to the unique wishes and needs of individual patients, both scientific
      and educational efforts need to be directed toward systematic assessments of
      patient capacity to self-manage their disease.

PMID- 26126064
TI  - Sacral Peak Pressure in Healthy Volunteers and Patients With Spinal Cord Injury:
      With and Without Liquid-Based Pad.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence of sacral pressure ulcers in patients with spinal cord
      injuries is high. The sacral area is vulnerable to compressive pressure because
      of immobility and because the sacrum and posterior superior iliac prominence lie
      closely under the skin with no muscle layer in between. OBJECTIVE: The aim of
      this study was to assess peak sacral pressure before and after use of PURAP, a
      liquid-based pad that covers only the sacral area and can be applied on any bed
      surface. METHODS: Healthy volunteers (n = 12) and patients with spinal cord
      injuries (n = 10) took part; the patients had undergone spine surgery within 7
      days before data collection. Participants were in bed, pretest pressure maps were
      generated, PURAP was placed for 15 minutes, and then posttest pressure maps were
      generated. Peak pressure was obtained every second and averaged over the entire
      period. Patients rated whether their comfort had improved when PURAP was in use.
      RESULTS: For healthy volunteers, mean pretest peak sacral pressure was 74.7 (SD =
      16.2) mmHg; the posttest mean was 49.1 (SD = 7.5) mmHg (p < .001, Wilcoxon signed
      rank test). For patients with spinal cord injuries, mean pretest peak sacral
      pressure was 105.7 (SD = 22.4) mmHg; the posttest mean was 81.4 (SD = 18.3) mmHg
      (p < .001, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). The pad reduced the peak sacral pressure
      in the patient group by 23% (range = 11%-42%) and in the volunteers by 32% (range
      = 19%-46%). Overall, 70% of the patients reported increased comfort with PURAP.
      DISCUSSION: Peak sacral pressure was reduced when PURAP was used. It covers only
      the sacral area but could help many patients with spinal cord injury because the
      prevalence of sacral pressure ulcers is high in this group. PURAP may be
      economically advantageous in countries and hospitals with limited financial
      resources needed for more expensive mattresses and cushions.

PMID- 26126065
TI  - Motion Sensor Use for Physical Activity Data: Methodological Considerations.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity continues to be a major risk factor for
      cardiovascular disease, and only one half of adults in the United States meet
      physical activity (PA) goals. PA data are often collected for surveillance or for
      measuring change after an intervention. One of the challenges in PA research is
      quantifying exactly how much and what type of PA is taking place-especially
      because self-report instruments have inconsistent validity. OBJECTIVE: The
      purpose is to review the elements to consider when collecting PA data via motion
      sensors, including the difference between PA and exercise, type of data to
      collect, choosing the device, length of time to monitor PA, instructions to the
      participants, and interpretation of the data. METHODS: The current literature on
      motion sensor research was reviewed and synthesized to summarize relevant
      considerations when using a motion sensor to collect PA data. RESULTS: Exercise
      is a division of PA that is structured, planned, and repetitive. Pedometer data
      include steps taken and calculated distance and energy expenditure. Accelerometer
      data include activity counts and intensity. The device chosen depends on desired
      data, cost, validity, and ease of use. Reactivity to the device may influence the
      duration of data collection. Instructions to participants may vary depending on
      the purpose of the study. Experts suggest pedometer data be reported as steps
      because that is the direct output-and distance traveled and energy expenditure
      are estimated values. Accelerometer count data may be analyzed to provide
      information on time spent in moderate or vigorous activity. DISCUSSION:
      Thoughtful decision making about PA data collection using motion sensor devices
      is needed to advance nursing science.

PMID- 26126067
TI  - Causes of endometriosis and prevalent infertility in patients undergoing
      laparoscopy without achieving pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a disease with an unknown pathogenesis that can lead
      to infertility. Endometrial polyps, fibroids, and polycystic ovarian syndrome
      (PCOS) have relatively high frequency and are causes of infertility. We
      hypothesized a possible relationship between the presence of polyps, fibroids,
      and PCOS in infertile women with endometriosis who underwent laparoscopy and did
      not get pregnant, compared to women in the control group. METHODS: This study was
      a cross-sectional study of 1243 infertile patients (621 with endometriosis and
      622 controls). Endometriosis, Body Mass Index (BMI), infertility duration, age,
      and smoking habits were analyzed in relation to the presence of endometrial
      polyps, fibroids, and PCOS. RESULTS: Polyps, 1.8 (95% CI 1.3-2.5); fibroids, 2.5
      (95% CI 1.5-4.1); and PCOS, 1.0 (95% CI 0.6-1.6 were observed in the
      endometriosis group. A total of 285 patients (45.9%) were classified presenting
      endometriosis grades I and II, and 336 patients (54.1%) with grades III and IV.
      Our findings showed a significant association between the presence of fibroids in
      129 women with endometriosis (20.8%), and in 69 (53.9%) with endometriosis grades
      III and IV (P=0:04). Among the 31 PCOS patients, 24 (77.4%) showed grades I and
      II (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Endometriosis and infertility are associated with the
      presence of polyps and fibroids. Furthermore, associations between the presence
      of fibroids with endometriosis grades III and IV, and presence of PCOS with
      grades I and II were observed.

PMID- 26126066
TI  - The potential predictive role of nuclear NHERF1 expression in advanced gastric
      cancer patients treated with epirubicin/oxaliplatin/capecitabine first line
      chemotherapy.
AB  - Cellular resistance in advanced gastric cancer (GC) might be related to function
      of multidrug resistance (MDR) proteins. The adaptor protein NHERF1 (Na(+)/H(+)
      exchanger regulatory factor) is an important player in cancer progression for a
      number of solid malignancies, even if its role to develop drug resistance remains
      uncertain. Herein, we aimed to analyze the potential association between NHERF1
      expression and P-gp, sorcin and HIF-1alpha MDR-related proteins in advanced GC
      patients treated with epirubicin/oxaliplatin/capecitabine (EOX) chemotherapy
      regimen, and its relation to response. Total number of 28 untreated patients were
      included into the study. Expression and subcellular localization of all proteins
      were assessed by immunohistochemistry on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tumor
      samples. We did not found significant association between NHERF1 expression and
      the MDR-related proteins. A trend was observed between positive cytoplasmic
      NHERF1 (cNHERF1) expression and negative nuclear HIF-1alpha (nHIF-1alpha)
      expression (68.8% versus 31.3% respectively, P = 0.054). However, cytoplasmic P
      gp (cP-gp) expression was positively correlated with both cHIF-1alpha and sorcin
      expression (P = 0.011; P = 0.002, respectively). Interestingly, nuclear NHERF1
      (nNHERF1) staining was statistically associated with clinical response. In
      detail, 66.7% of patients with high nNHERF1 expression had a disease control
      rate, while 84.6% of subjects with negative nuclear expression of the protein
      showed progressive disease (P = 0.009). Multivariate analysis confirmed a
      significant correlation between nNHERF1 and clinical response (OR 0.06, P =
      0.019). These results suggest that nuclear NHERF1 could be related to resistance
      to the EOX regimen in advanced GC patients, identifying this marker as a possible
      independent predictive factor. 

PMID- 26126068
TI  - Vulvodynia: current opinion and treatment strategies.
AB  - Vulvodynia is a women's health problem that may affect as many as 15% of women
      who seek gynecological care, and yet little attention is given to this condition
      and it is frequently dismissed as psychosomatic. Thus, vulvodynia still remains a
      major health problem in Western countries, leading to significant morbidity and a
      reduced quality of life for many women. This condition carries large costs
      incurred as a result of both medical treatment and lost productivity. Vulvodynia
      is becoming a universal priority in the prevention, care, education, and research
      areas of pain and its consequences and it remains one of the poorly understood
      complex chronic pain syndromes, representing a multifactorial clinical syndrome
      of unexplained vulvar pain and sexual dysfunction. 

PMID- 26126069
TI  - Presenting and getting published in the history of anaesthesia-why and where?

PMID- 26126070
TI  - Pioneers of laryngoscopy: indirect, direct and video laryngoscopy.
AB  - Airway management is one of the core skills of the anaesthetist and various
      techniques of airway management have developed over many years. Initially, the
      only view of the glottis that could be obtained was an indirect view (indirect
      laryngoscopy). Late in the 19th century, a direct view of the glottis was
      obtained via various direct laryngoscopes. Currently, in the early 21st century,
      there has been a return to indirect laryngoscopy via videolaryngoscopy using a
      videolaryngoscope. The aim of this paper is to give a historical overview of the
      development of both direct and indirect laryngoscopy. 

PMID- 26126071
TI  - Developments in labour analgesia and their use in Australia.
AB  - Since the introduction of chloroform for labour analgesia in 1847, different
      methods and medications have been used to relieve the pain of labour. The use of
      heavy sedative medication in the early 1900s was encouraged by enthusiastic
      doctors and by women empowered by the women's suffrage movement in America.
      Nitrous oxide by inhalation has been used in Australia since the 1950s and
      improved methods of administration have made this method of analgesia safe and
      practical. Caudal epidural analgesia and lumbar epidural analgesia were first
      made popular in America and by the 1970s these techniques were more widely
      available in Australia. In 1847, physicians and the public were unsure whether
      relieving labour pains was the 'right' thing to do. However, many medical and
      social changes have occurred thanks to the clinical connection between Australia
      and the United Kingdom and those first settlers to land on Australian shores.
      Thanks to this historical connection, in today's Australia there is no question
      that women should use analgesia as a pain relief if they wish. Currently, the
      majority of women worldwide use some form of analgesia during labour and
      different methods are widely available. This paper discusses the four milestones
      of the development of obstetric analgesia and how they were introduced into
      patient care in Australia. 

PMID- 26126072
TI  - Becoming a physician anaesthetist-difficulties encountered for half a century.
AB  - William T.G. Morton was not the first to use ether or nitrous oxide as an
      anaesthetic. However, his public demonstration on 16 October, 1846 (Ether Day),
      and the notoriety that followed thereafter, are credited for announcing man's
      victory over surgical pain to the entire world. The use of ether during surgery
      spread rapidly through most of the world. One would expect that the careers of
      Ether Day participants would have been greatly affected by this seminal event and
      that some would go on to become anaesthetists. An examination of the
      participants' professional lives shows that some became strong advocates of
      anaesthesia and ether was used extensively for their patients. Some were prolific
      writers and helped spread the use of anaesthesia. However, attracting physicians
      to this new discipline proved difficult and there were segments of the medical
      establishment and society who were unwilling to accept this most significant
      advancement. In this article, we examine the reasons why many physicians and
      patients resisted the use of anaesthesia. 

PMID- 26126073
TI  - Pain relief in childbirth: changing historical and feminist perspectives.
AB  - Pain during human childbirth is ubiquitous and severe. Opium and its derivatives
      constitute the oldest effective method of pain relief and have been used in
      childbirth for several thousand years, along with numerous folk medicines and
      remedies. Interference with childbirth pain has always been criticised by doctors
      and clergy. The 19th century saw the introduction of three much more effective
      approaches to childbirth pain; diethyl ether, chloroform and nitrous oxide.
      Access to pain relief was demanded by the first wave of feminist activists as a
      woman's right. They popularised the use of 'twilight sleep', a combination of
      morphine and scopolamine, which fell into disrepute as its adverse effects became
      known. From the 1960s, as epidural analgesia became more popular, a second wave
      of feminists took the opposite position, calling for a return to non-medicalised,
      female-controlled, 'natural' childbirth and, in some cases, valorising the
      importance of the pain experience as empowering for women. However, from the
      1990s, a third wave of feminist thought has begun to emerge, revalidating a
      woman's right to choose a 'technological', pain-free birth, rather than a
      'natural' one, and regarding this as a legitimate feminist position. 

PMID- 26126074
TI  - Pioneering early Intensive Care Medicine by the 'Scandinavian Method' of
      treatment for severe acute barbiturate poisoning.
AB  - Between the 1920s and the mid-1950s, barbiturates were the sedative-hypnotic
      agents most used in clinical practice. Their ready availability and narrow
      therapeutic margin accounted for disturbingly high rates of acute poisoning,
      whether suicidal or accidental. Until the late 1940s, medical treatment was
      relatively ineffective, with mortality subsequently high - not only from the
      effects of coma, respiratory depression and cardiovascular shock with renal
      impairment, but also from complications of the heavy use in the 1930s and 1940s
      of analeptic stimulating agents. Incidence of barbiturate intoxication increased
      substantially following World War II and this paper details development of what
      became known as the 'Scandinavian Method' of treatment, which contributed
      substantially to the earliest establishment of intensive care units and to the
      practice and methods of intensive care medicine. Three names stand out for the
      pioneering of this treatment. Successively, psychiatrist, Aage Kirkegaard, for
      introducing effective anti-shock fluid therapy; anaesthetist, Eric Nilsson, for
      introducing anaesthesiologic principles, including manual intermittent positive
      pressure ventilation into management; and, psychiatrist, Carl Clemmesen, for
      introducing centralisation of seriously poisoned patients in a dedicated unit.
      Clemmesen's Intoxication Unit opened at the Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, on 1
      October 1949. ICU pioneer Bjorn Ibsen suggested it was the initial ICU, while
      noting that it supplied Intensive Therapy for one type of disorder only (as had
      HCA Lassen's Blegdam Hospital unit for Denmark's 1952 to 1953 polio epidemic).
      Treatment for barbiturate poisoning during the 1950s in some other Scandinavian
      hospitals will also be considered briefly. 

PMID- 26126075
TI  - The Heister mouth gag or 'speculum oris'.
AB  - The Heister mouth gag is attributed to Lorenz Heister, an eighteenth century
      German surgeon. There is no evidence that Heister designed the mouth gag, the
      earliest known illustration of which is in the 1719 edition of Heister's
      Chirurgie. In the first half of the twentieth century, the Heister gag was widely
      available for use during anaesthesia. It is now rarely used by anaesthestists,
      but occasionally used by surgeons during oral surgery. 

PMID- 26126076
TI  - The Longfellow portrait & ether anaesthesia.

PMID- 26126077
TI  - Cocoa, glucose tolerance, and insulin signaling: cardiometabolic protection.
AB  - Experimental and clinical evidence reported that some polyphenol-rich natural
      products may offer opportunities for the prevention and treatment of type 2
      diabetes, due to their biological properties. Natural products have been
      suggested to modulate carbohydrate metabolism by various mechanisms, such as
      restoring beta-cell integrity and physiology and enhancing insulin-releasing
      activity and glucose uptake. Endothelium is fundamental in regulating arterial
      function, whereas insulin resistance plays a pivotal role in pathophysiological
      mechanisms of prediabetic and diabetic states. Glucose and insulin actions in the
      skeletal muscle are improved by insulin-dependent production of nitric oxide,
      favoring capillary recruitment, vasodilatation, and increased blood flow.
      Endothelial dysfunction, with decreased nitric oxide bioavailability, is a
      critical step in the development of atherosclerosis. Furthermore, insulin
      resistance has been described, at least in part, to negatively affect endothelial
      function. Consistent with this, conditions of insulin resistance are usually
      linked to endothelial dysfunction, and the exposure of the endothelial cells to
      cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia
      is associated with reduced nitric oxide bioavailability, resulting in impaired
      endothelial-dependent vasodilatation. Moreover, endothelial dysfunction has been
      described as an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk and events. Cocoa
      and cocoa flavonoids may positively affect the pathophysiological mechanisms
      involved in insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction with possible benefits
      in the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases. 

PMID- 26126078
TI  - Developing Polycation-Clay Sorbents for Efficient Filtration of Diclofenac:
      Effect of Dissolved Organic Matter and Comparison to Activated Carbon.
AB  - The presence of nanoconcentrations of persistent pharmaceuticals in treated
      wastewater effluent and in surface water has been frequently reported. A novel
      organic-inorganic hybrid sorbent based on adsorbing quarternized poly
      vinylpyridinium-co-styrene (QPVPcS) to montmorillonite (MMT) was designed for the
      removal of the anionic micropollutants. QPVPcS-clay composites were characterized
      by X-ray diffraction, FTIR, thermal gravimetric analysis, Zeta potential and
      element analysis. Based on these measurements polymer-clay micro- and
      nanostructures, as a function of polymer loading, were suggested. The affinity of
      the anionic pharmaceutical, diclofenac (DCF), to the composite was high and did
      not decrease dramatically with an increase of ionic strength, indicating that the
      interactions are not only electrostatic. The presence of humic acid (HA) did not
      hinder DCF removal by the composite; whereas, its filtration by granulated
      activated carbon (GAC) was compromised in the presence of HA. The kinetics and
      adsorption at equilibrium of DCF to the composite and to GAC were measured and
      modeled by the time dependent Langmuir equation. The adsorption of DCF to the
      composite was significantly faster than to GAC. Accordingly, the filtration of
      micro- and nanoconcentrations of DCF by composite columns, in the presence of HA,
      was more efficient than by GAC columns. 

PMID- 26126079
TI  - Client Satisfaction with Telehealth in Assisted Living and Homecare.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society launched
      LivingWell@Home (LW@H) to provide telehealth services to clients in assisted
      living and home healthcare. LW@H assures client safety through remote monitoring
      of physiological parameters and assessment of nonbiometric parameters. Public
      policies increasingly support aging in place by allowing older adults with
      greater levels of impairment avoid or delay nursing home placement through
      alternative services offered in assisted living facilities and home healthcare
      agencies. Provider organizations face challenges caring for frail seniors with
      complex medical needs. Telehealth services may be helpful in supporting frail
      seniors living at home. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seniors were recruited into a
      randomized trial. Telehealth services were provided to 820 experimental subjects.
      Control subjects (n=762) received usual care. Clients rated their satisfaction at
      three points in time postimplementation: baseline, 6 months, and 12 months.
      Fisher's exact test compared client ratings at each measurement interval.
      RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found between experimental
      and control subjects at baseline. Statistically significant differences emerged
      at follow-up. Experimental subjects in home healthcare agencies reported higher
      levels of satisfaction relative to controls, whereas experimental subjects in
      assisted living facilities reported lower levels of satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS:
      Telehealth services increased the probability that clients will be more satisfied
      compared with those without telehealth in homecare agencies. The opposite effect
      resulted among assisted living residents. Value propositions among community
      dwelling older adults may influence their satisfaction with telehealth services
      postimplementation. More research is needed to examine the clinical efficacy and
      cost-effectiveness of these services.

PMID- 26126080
TI  - Nanoplasmonic chitosan nanofibers as effective SERS substrate for detection of
      small molecules.
AB  - The use of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is limited by low
      reproducibility and uniformity of the response. Solving these problems can turn
      the laboratory use of SERS into real-world application. In this regard, soft SERS
      active substrates can enable portable instrumentation and reduce costs in the
      fabrication of SERS-based sensors. Here, plasmonic free-standing films made of
      biocompatible chitosan nanofibers and gold nanoparticles are engineered by a
      simple protocol varying the concentration of chloroauric acid. The concentration
      and distribution of gold nanoparticles in films are controlled in a predictable
      way, and SERS spectra for the standard 2-naphthalenethiol with concentration less
      than 10(-15) M are acquired in a reproducible way. The statistical analysis
      reveals a relatively high and locally uniform performance of SERS with an
      enhancement factor of 2 * 10(5) for 86% of the points on the imaged area of the
      SERS substrate. Potential SERS detection of small molecules, both Rhodamine 6G
      and d-Glucose, in the micromolar range is demonstrated. 

PMID- 26126081
TI  - Insights into B-type RR members as signaling partners acting downstream of HPt
      partners of HK1 in the osmotic stress response in Populus.
AB  - The B-type response regulators (B-type RRs), final elements of a signaling
      pathway called "histidine/aspartate phosphorelay system" in plants, are devoted
      to the regulation of response genes through a transcription factor activity.
      Signal transduction consists in the transfer of a phosphoryl group from a
      transmembrane histidine kinase (HK) which recognizes a given stimulus to nuclear
      RRs via cytosolic shuttle phosphotransfer proteins (HPts). In Arabidopsis, the
      receptors HK are to date the major characterized candidates to be responsible for
      initiation of osmotic stress responses. However, little information is available
      concerning the signaling partners acting downstream of HKs. In Populus, three
      HPts and five B-type RRs were previously identified as interacting partners of
      HK1, the Arabidopsis AHK1 homolog. Here, we report the isolation of RR18, a
      member of the B-type RR family, which shares high sequence similarities with
      ARR18 characterized to act in the osmosensing signaling pathway in Arabidopsis,
      from poplar cuttings subjected to osmotic stress conditions. By using yeast and
      in planta interaction assays, RR18 was further identified as acting downstream of
      HK1 and its three preferential HPt partners. Besides, our results are in favor of
      a possible involvement of both RR18 and RR13, the main expressed poplar B-type
      RR, in the osmotic signaling pathway. Nonetheless, different behaviors of these
      two B-type RRs in this pathway need to be noted, with one RR, RR13, acting in an
      early phase, mainly in roots of poplar cuttings, and the other one, RR18, acting
      in a late phase, mainly in leaves to supply an adequate response. 

PMID- 26126082
TI  - Animal models for influenza virus transmission studies: a historical perspective.
AB  - Animal models are used to simulate, under experimental conditions, the complex
      interactions among host, virus, and environment that affect the person-to-person
      spread of influenza viruses. The three species that have been most frequently
      employed, both past and present, as influenza virus transmission models-ferrets,
      mice, and guinea pigs-have each provided unique insights into the factors
      governing the efficiency with which these viruses pass from an infected host to a
      susceptible one. This review will highlight a few of these noteworthy
      discoveries, with a particular focus on the historical contexts in which each
      model was developed and the advantages and disadvantages of each species with
      regard to the study of influenza virus transmission among mammals. 

PMID- 26126086
TI  - A scoring system to screen elderly potential kidney transplant recipients: a
      simple tool for a complex task.
AB  - Despite the rapid growth in the number of dialysis patients ?65, relatively few
      of these patients are receiving transplants. Dusseux et al. present a simple
      scoring system that helps to identify a group of such patients with a higher
      survival rate on dialysis. They suggest that such a screening tool might help to
      identify older patients for more comprehensive transplant assessment. 

PMID- 26126083
TI  - Helix 8 of the angiotensin- II type 1A receptor interacts with
      phosphatidylinositol phosphates and modulates membrane insertion.
AB  - The carboxyl-terminus of the type 1 angiotensin II receptor (AT1A) regulates
      receptor activation/deactivation and the amphipathic Helix 8 within the carboxyl
      terminus is a high affinity interaction motif for plasma membrane lipids. We have
      used dual polarisation interferometry (DPI) to examine the role of
      phosphatidylinositdes in the specific recognition of Helix 8 in the AT1A
      receptor. A synthetic peptide corresponding to Leu(305) to Lys(325) (Helix 8
      AT1A) discriminated between PIPs and different charges on lipid membranes.
      Peptide binding to PtdIns(4)P-containing bilayers caused a dramatic change in the
      birefringence (a measure of membrane order) of the bilayer. Kinetic modelling
      showed that PtdIns(4)P is held above the bilayer until the mass of bound peptide
      reaches a threshold, after which the peptides insert further into the bilayer.
      This suggests that Helix 8 can respond to the presence of PI(4)P by withdrawing
      from the bilayer, resulting in a functional conformational change in the
      receptor. 

PMID- 26126087
TI  - Elevated pulmonary pressure: A novel risk marker in kidney disease?
AB  - Pulmonary hypertension is associated with adverse cardiac outcomes and death in
      the general population. Bolignano and colleagues studied the prevalence of higher
      estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure (?35 mm Hg) assessed using
      echocardiogram among patients with stage 1-4 chronic kidney disease. They further
      examined the associations of higher pulmonary pressures with a composite
      cardiovascular outcome. These findings suggest the potential role of pulmonary
      arterial systolic pressure as a risk marker in those with chronic kidney disease.

PMID- 26126088
TI  - The balance of the evidence on acid-base homeostasis and progression of chronic
      kidney disease.
AB  - Normalization of acid-base homeostasis in chronic kidney disease (CKD) holds
      promise for mitigating disease progression, but whether efforts should focus on
      patients with low serum bicarbonate or high dietary acid load is unknown. Vallet
      et al. report that low urinary ammonia excretion independently associates with
      increased progression in moderate CKD. Whether this finding implicates
      differences in endogenous acid production or the ability to excrete an acid load
      in the pathogenesis of progression requires further study. 

PMID- 26126089
TI  - Chronic kidney disease and heart disease: after 179 years, do we yet understand
      the link?
AB  - A definitive understanding of the link between heart and kidney disease remains
      elusive. Bittencourt et al. explore the association between chronic kidney
      disease (CKD) status, severity of coronary lesions, and clinical outcome in more
      than 1500 consecutive adult subjects who underwent a clinically indicated
      coronary computed tomography angiography for the evaluation of the coronary
      disease. We discuss the implications of their findings in the context of our
      current understanding of the development of heart disease in CKD. 

PMID- 26126090
TI  - Will introduction of tolvaptan change clinical practice in autosomal dominant
      polycystic kidney disease?
AB  - The vasopressin inhibitor tolvaptan is clinically effective in slowing growth of
      renal cysts and reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in
      autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), but these effects are
      mitigated by the associated polyuria. Changes of total kidney volume, eGFR, and
      symptoms will guide physicians and patients in tolvaptan treatment. Guidance
      about when to initiate treatment in the course of ADPKD may be forthcoming.
      Ongoing long-term observations will inform future recommendations about tolvaptan
      use in ADPKD. 

PMID- 26126091
TI  - Evaluating central blood pressure in dialysis patients.

PMID- 26126092
TI  - The Authors Reply.

PMID- 26126093
TI  - The Authors Reply.

PMID- 26126094
TI  - Decreasing incidence of renal replacement therapy over time at the critical 50-59
      year age range suggests a role for nephroprotective therapy in ADPKD.

PMID- 26126095
TI  - Improved renal function in diabetic patients with acute gout treated with
      anakinra.

PMID- 26126096
TI  - The Authors Reply.

PMID- 26126097
TI  - The Authors Reply.

PMID- 26126098
TI  - Coefficient of variation among ferritin measurement methods in hemodialysis and
      standard serum ferritin level.

PMID- 26126099
TI  - ROS, P53, and ischemic acute kidney injury in diabetic models.

PMID- 26126100
TI  - Carfilzomib-induced nephrotoxcity.

PMID- 26126101
TI  - The Authors Reply.

PMID- 26126102
TI  - Monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance: systemic involvement by benign
      condition.

PMID- 26126103
TI  - The Authors Reply.

PMID- 26126104
TI  - The Authors Reply.

PMID- 26126105
TI  - Bone cells, sclerostin, and FGF23: what's bred in the bone will come out in the
      flesh.

PMID- 26126106
TI  - Terminal hematuria.

PMID- 26126107
TI  - Milky urine and struvite crystals.

PMID- 26126108
TI  - The Case | Bilateral severe mechanical joint pain in the lower limbs in a
      hemodialysis patient. Hypophosphatemia-induced osteomalacia.

PMID- 26126109
TI  - Assessment of Disability among the Elderly in Xiamen of China: A Representative
      Sample Survey of 14,292 Older Adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The unprecedented number of elderly individuals in China presents a
      serious public health challenge. Limited data are available on the prevalence of
      disability or factors resulting in disability among the elderly in China.
      OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the prevalence of disability and related risk
      factors among the elderly of Xiamen, China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was
      performed on individuals who were >=60 years of age. The subjects were recruited
      by multi-stage sampling; a total of 14,292 valid questionnaires were received.
      Study measurements included activities of daily living (ADL), demographics, and
      health status. The ADL was assessed by the Katz Index Scale to evaluate
      disability. Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression were used to identify
      factors associated with disabilities. RESULTS: Among the valid participants,
      4.27% had at least one disability. Bathing was the most frequently reported
      disability and feeding was the least frequently reported disability. Disabilities
      were significantly associated with female gender, older age, unmarried status,
      living with family, urban residence, illiteracy, poor economic status, self-rated
      bad health, chronic illnesses, lower life satisfaction, bad mood, and feelings of
      loneliness. CONCLUSION: Functional disability among the elderly requires more
      public attention. Culturally appropriate policies and programs are also needed to
      address the care for the disabled elderly.

PMID- 26126111
TI  - Peer Review Evaluation Process of Marie Curie Actions under EU's Seventh
      Framework Programme for Research.
AB  - We analysed the peer review of grant proposals under Marie Curie Actions, a major
      EU research funding instrument, which involves two steps: an independent
      assessment (Individual Evaluation Report, IER) performed remotely by 3 raters,
      and a consensus opinion reached during a meeting by the same raters (Consensus
      Report, CR). For 24,897 proposals evaluated from 2007 to 2013, the association
      between average IER and CR scores was very high across different panels, grant
      calls and years. Median average deviation (AD) index, used as a measure of inter
      rater agreement, was 5.4 points on a 0-100 scale (interquartile range 3.4-8.3),
      overall, demonstrating a good general agreement among raters. For proposals where
      one rater disagreed with the other two raters (n=1424; 5.7%), or where all 3
      raters disagreed (n=2075; 8.3%), the average IER and CR scores were still highly
      associated. Disagreement was more frequent for proposals from Economics/Social
      Sciences and Humanities panels. Greater disagreement was observed for proposals
      with lower average IER scores. CR scores for proposals with initial disagreement
      were also significantly lower. Proposals with a large absolute difference between
      the average IER and CR scores (>=10 points; n=368, 1.5%) generally had lower CR
      scores. An inter-correlation matrix of individual raters' scores of evaluation
      criteria of proposals indicated that these scores were, in general, a reflection
      of raters' overall scores. Our analysis demonstrated a good internal consistency
      and general high agreement among raters. Consensus meetings appear to be relevant
      for particular panels and subsets of proposals with large differences among
      raters' scores. 

PMID- 26126110
TI  - The Mistreatment of Women during Childbirth in Health Facilities Globally: A
      Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite growing recognition of neglectful, abusive, and disrespectful
      treatment of women during childbirth in health facilities, there is no consensus
      at a global level on how these occurrences are defined and measured. This mixed
      methods systematic review aims to synthesize qualitative and quantitative
      evidence on the mistreatment of women during childbirth in health facilities to
      inform the development of an evidence-based typology of the phenomenon. METHODS
      AND FINDINGS: We searched PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase databases and grey
      literature using a predetermined search strategy to identify qualitative,
      quantitative, and mixed-methods studies on the mistreatment of women during
      childbirth across all geographical and income-level settings. We used a thematic
      synthesis approach to synthesize the qualitative evidence and assessed the
      confidence in the qualitative review findings using the CERQual approach. In
      total, 65 studies were included from 34 countries. Qualitative findings were
      organized under seven domains: (1) physical abuse, (2) sexual abuse, (3) verbal
      abuse, (4) stigma and discrimination, (5) failure to meet professional standards
      of care, (6) poor rapport between women and providers, and (7) health system
      conditions and constraints. Due to high heterogeneity of the quantitative data,
      we were unable to conduct a meta-analysis; instead, we present descriptions of
      study characteristics, outcome measures, and results. Additional themes
      identified in the quantitative studies are integrated into the typology.
      CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review presents a comprehensive, evidence-based
      typology of the mistreatment of women during childbirth in health facilities, and
      demonstrates that mistreatment can occur at the level of interaction between the
      woman and provider, as well as through systemic failures at the health facility
      and health system levels. We propose this typology be adopted to describe the
      phenomenon and be used to develop measurement tools and inform future research,
      programs, and interventions.

PMID- 26126112
TI  - Pulse Wave Transit Time Measurements of Cardiac Output in Septic Shock Patients:
      A Comparison of the Estimated Continuous Cardiac Output System with Transthoracic
      Echocardiography.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We determined reliability of cardiac output (CO) measured by pulse
      wave transit time cardiac output system (esCCO system; COesCCO) vs transthoracic
      echocardiography (COTTE) in mechanically ventilated patients in the early phase
      of septic shock. A secondary objective was to assess ability of esCCO to detect
      change in CO after fluid infusion. METHODS: Mechanically ventilated patients
      admitted to the ICU, aged >18 years, in sinus rhythm, in the early phase of
      septic shock were prospectively included. We performed fluid infusion of 500 ml
      of crystalloid solution over 20 minutes and recorded CO by EsCCO and TTE
      immediately before (T0) and 5 minutes after (T1) fluid administration. Patients
      were divided into 2 groups (responders and non-responders) according to a
      threshold of 15% increase in COTTE in response to volume expansion. RESULTS: In
      total, 25 patients were included, average 64+/-15 years, 15 (60%) were men.
      Average SAPSII and SOFA scores were 55+/-21.3 and 13+/-2, respectively. ICU
      mortality was 36%. Mean cardiac output at T0 was 5.8+/-1.35 L/min by esCCO and
      5.27+/-1.17 L/min by COTTE. At T1, respective values were 6.63 +/- 1.57 L/min for
      esCCO and 6.10+/-1.29 L/min for COTTE. Overall, 12 patients were classified as
      responders, 13 as non-responders by the reference method. A threshold of 11%
      increase in COesCCO was found to discriminate responders from non-responders with
      a sensitivity of 83% (95% CI, 0.52-0.98) and a specificity of 77% (95% CI, 0.46
      0.95). CONCLUSION: We show strong correlation esCCO and echocardiography for
      measuring CO, and change in CO after fluid infusion in ICU patients.

PMID- 26126113
TI  - Enhanced Bone Tissue Regeneration by Porous Gelatin Composites Loaded with the
      Chinese Herbal Decoction Danggui Buxue Tang.
AB  - Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT) is a traditional Chinese herbal decoction containing
      Radix Astragali and Radix Angelicae sinensis. Pharmacological results indicate
      that DBT can stimulate bone cell proliferation and differentiation. The aim of
      the study was to investigate the efficacy of adding DBT to bone substitutes on
      bone regeneration following bone injury. DBT was incorporated into porous
      composites (GGT) made from genipin-crosslinked gelatin and beta-triclacium
      phosphates as bone substitutes (GGTDBT). The biological response of mouse
      calvarial bone to these composites was evaluated by in vivo imaging systems
      (IVIS), micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), and histology analysis. IVIS images
      revealed a stronger fluorescent signal in GGTDBT-treated defect than in GGT
      treated defect at 8 weeks after implantation. Micro-CT analysis demonstrated that
      the level of repair from week 4 to 8 increased from 42.1% to 71.2% at the sites
      treated with GGTDBT, while that increased from 33.2% to 54.1% at GGT-treated
      sites. These findings suggest that the GGTDBT stimulates the innate regenerative
      capacity of bone, supporting their use in bone tissue regeneration. 

PMID- 26126114
TI  - Identification of Personalized Chemoresistance Genes in Subtypes of Basal-Like
      Breast Cancer Based on Functional Differences Using Pathway Analysis.
AB  - Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease that is clinically classified
      into several subtypes. Among these subtypes, basal-like breast cancer largely
      overlaps with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and these two groups are
      generally studied together as a single entity. Differences in the molecular
      makeup of breast cancers can result in different treatment strategies and
      prognoses for patients with different breast cancer subtypes. Compared with other
      subtypes, basal-like and other ER+ breast cancer subtypes exhibit marked
      differences in etiologic factors, clinical characteristics and therapeutic
      potential. Anthracycline drugs are typically used as the first-line clinical
      treatment for basal-like breast cancer subtypes. However, certain patients
      develop drug resistance following chemotherapy, which can lead to disease relapse
      and death. Even among patients with basal-like breast cancer, there can be
      significant molecular differences, and it is difficult to identify specific drug
      resistance proteins in any given patient using conventional variance testing
      methods. Therefore, we designed a new method for identifying drug resistance
      genes. Subgroups, personalized biomarkers, and therapy targets were identified
      using cluster analysis of differentially expressed genes. We found that basal
      like breast cancer could be further divided into at least four distinct
      subgroups, including two groups at risk for drug resistance and two groups
      characterized by sensitivity to pharmacotherapy. Based on functional differences
      among these subgroups, we identified nine biomarkers related to drug resistance:
      SYK, LCK, GAB2, PAWR, PPARG, MDFI, ZAP70, CIITA and ACTA1. Finally, based on the
      deviation scores of the examined pathways, 16 pathways were shown to exhibit
      varying degrees of abnormality in the various subgroups, indicating that patients
      with different subtypes of basal-like breast cancer can be characterized by
      differences in the functional status of these pathways. Therefore, these nine
      differentially expressed genes and their associated functional pathways should
      provide the basis for novel personalized clinical treatments of basal-like breast
      cancer. 

PMID- 26126115
TI  - Automatic Detection of Calcaneal-Fifth Metatarsal Angle Using Radiograph: A
      Computer-Aided Diagnosis of Flat Foot for Military New Recruits in Taiwan.
AB  - Flatfoot (pes planus) is one of the most important physical examination items for
      military new recruits in Taiwan. Currently, the diagnosis of flatfoot is mainly
      based on radiographic examination of the calcaneal-fifth metatarsal (CA-MT5)
      angle, also known as the arch angle. However, manual measurement of the arch
      angle is time-consuming and often inconsistent between different examiners. In
      this study, seventy male military new recruits were studied. Lateral radiographic
      images of their right and left feet were obtained, and mutual information (MI)
      registration was used to automatically calculate the arch angle. Images of two
      critical bones, the calcaneus and the fifth metatarsal bone, were isolated from
      the lateral radiographs to form reference images, and were then compared with
      template images to calculate the arch angle. The result of this computer
      calculated arch angle was compared with manual measurement results from two
      radiologists, which showed that our automatic arch angle measurement method had a
      high consistency. In addition, this method had a high accuracy of 97% and 96% as
      compared with the measurements of radiologists A and B, respectively. The
      findings indicated that our MI registration measurement method cannot only
      accurately measure the CA-MT5 angle, but also saves time and reduces human error.
      This method can increase the consistency of arch angle measurement and has
      potential clinical application for the diagnosis of flatfoot. 

PMID- 26126116
TI  - Cognitive Learning, Monitoring and Assistance of Industrial Workflows Using
      Egocentric Sensor Networks.
AB  - Today, the workflows that are involved in industrial assembly and production
      activities are becoming increasingly complex. To efficiently and safely perform
      these workflows is demanding on the workers, in particular when it comes to
      infrequent or repetitive tasks. This burden on the workers can be eased by
      introducing smart assistance systems. This article presents a scalable concept
      and an integrated system demonstrator designed for this purpose. The basic idea
      is to learn workflows from observing multiple expert operators and then transfer
      the learnt workflow models to novice users. Being entirely learning-based, the
      proposed system can be applied to various tasks and domains. The above idea has
      been realized in a prototype, which combines components pushing the state of the
      art of hardware and software designed with interoperability in mind. The emphasis
      of this article is on the algorithms developed for the prototype: 1) fusion of
      inertial and visual sensor information from an on-body sensor network (BSN) to
      robustly track the user's pose in magnetically polluted environments; 2) learning
      based computer vision algorithms to map the workspace, localize the sensor with
      respect to the workspace and capture objects, even as they are carried; 3) domain
      independent and robust workflow recovery and monitoring algorithms based on
      spatiotemporal pairwise relations deduced from object and user movement with
      respect to the scene; and 4) context-sensitive augmented reality (AR) user
      feedback using a head-mounted display (HMD). A distinguishing key feature of the
      developed algorithms is that they all operate solely on data from the on-body
      sensor network and that no external instrumentation is needed. The feasibility of
      the chosen approach for the complete action-perception-feedback loop is
      demonstrated on three increasingly complex datasets representing manual
      industrial tasks. These limited size datasets indicate and highlight the
      potential of the chosen technology as a combined entity as well as point out
      limitations of the system. 

PMID- 26126117
TI  - An Accurate Model for Biomolecular Helices and Its Application to Helix
      Visualization.
AB  - Helices are the most abundant secondary structural elements in proteins and the
      structural forms assumed by double stranded DNAs (dsDNA). Though the mathematical
      expression for a helical curve is simple, none of the previous models for the
      biomolecular helices in either proteins or DNAs use a genuine helical curve,
      likely because of the complexity of fitting backbone atoms to helical curves. In
      this paper we model a helix as a series of different but all bona fide helical
      curves; each one best fits the coordinates of four consecutive backbone Calpha
      atoms for a protein or P atoms for a DNA molecule. An implementation of the model
      demonstrates that it is more accurate than the previous ones for the description
      of the deviation of a helix from a standard helical curve. Furthermore, the
      accuracy of the model makes it possible to correlate deviations with structural
      and functional significance. When applied to helix visualization, the ribbon
      diagrams generated by the model are less choppy or have smaller side chain
      detachment than those by the previous visualization programs that typically model
      a helix as a series of low-degree splines. 

PMID- 26126118
TI  - Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Risk Factor for Surgical Site Infection following
      Colectomy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with increased systemic
      oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, and activation of pro-inflammatory
      cascades, which increase host susceptibility to infection. OSA has not been
      evaluated as a risk factor for surgical site infection (SSI) following colectomy.
      We hypothesized that OSA increases the risk for SSI after colectomy. METHODS: We
      performed a retrospective review of 507 colectomies that took place between
      August 2011 and September 2013. Forty-two patients carried the diagnosis of OSA
      prior to surgery. These 42 patients were matched to 68 patients with no OSA for
      age, body mass index (BMI), diabetes mellitus (DM), reason for surgery and
      surgical approach. RESULTS: The rate of SSI was 28.6% (12 of 42) in the patients
      with and 10.3% (7 of 68) in the patients without OSA (p=0.03). Using logistic
      regression, the predictors of SSI following colectomy were found to be OSA (odds
      ratio [OR] of 3.98, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.29-12.27), and DM (OR of 7.16,
      95% CI=2.36-21.96). The average hospital stay after colectomy for patients with
      OSA complicated with SSI was 16.7 d whereas patients with OSA without SSI stayed
      7.4 d (p<0.001). The rate of organ space infections was 9.5% (4 of 42) in the
      patients with OSA compared with 0 (p=0.02) in patients without OSA. CONCLUSIONS:
      OSA is an independent risk factor for SSI following colectomy. Patients with OSA
      have substantially greater rates of organ space SSI and longer hospital stay.

PMID- 26126119
TI  - The Sbi Protein Contributes to Staphylococcus aureus Inflammatory Response during
      Systemic Infection.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen that causes infections that
      may present high morbidity and mortality. Among its many virulence factors
      protein A (SpA) and Staphylococcal binding immunoglobulin protein (Sbi) bind the
      Fc portion of IgG interfering with opsonophagocytosis. We have previously
      demonstrated that SpA interacts with the TNF-alpha receptor (TNFR) 1 through each
      of the five IgG binding domains and induces the production of pro-inflammatory
      cytokines and chemokines. The IgG binding domains of Sbi are homologous to those
      of SpA, which allow us to hypothesize that Sbi might also have a role in the
      inflammatory response induced by S. aureus. We demonstrate that Sbi is a novel
      factor that participates in the induction of the inflammatory response during
      staphylococcal infections via TNFR1 and EGFR mediated signaling as well as
      downstream MAPKs. The expression of Sbi significantly contributed to IL-6
      production and modulated CXCL-1 expression as well as neutrophil recruitment to
      the site of infection, thus demonstrating for the first time its relevance as a
      pro-inflammatory staphylococcal antigen in an in vivo model. 

PMID- 26126120
TI  - Identification and Characterization of a Novel Microvitellogenin from the Chinese
      Oak Silkworm Antheraea pernyi.
AB  - Microvitellogenin (mVg) is a relatively small vitellogenic protein only
      characterized in the eggs of the lepidopteran insects Manduca sexta and Bombyx
      mori. In the present study, we report a novel mVg (ApmVg) isolated from the
      Chinese oak silkworm Antheraea pernyi. The obtained ApmVg cDNA sequence contains
      an open reading frame of 783 bp encoding a protein of 260 amino acids with a
      predicted molecular weight of 29.96 kDa. This gene does not contain introns.
      Structural analysis revealed that this protein shares putative conserved domains
      with the lepidopteran low-molecular weight lipoprotein, which belongs to the
      lipoprotein_11 superfamily. The protein sequence of ApmVg exhibits 48% sequence
      identity with mVg from M. sexta and 40-47% sequence identity with the 30K
      lipoproteins from B. mori. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that ApmVg is a novel
      member of the lepidopteran low-molecular weight lipoproteins. Transcriptional
      analysis indicated that ApmVg mRNA is mainly expressed in the fat body (both
      female and male) during post-diapause development of the pupal stage, and it was
      also detected in ovaries and spermaries in smaller amounts. RT-PCR and Western
      blot analyses revealed that ApmVg is synthesized by the fat body and secreted
      into hemolymph and ultimately accumulates in eggs. The ApmVg transcript can be
      detected in the fat bodies of female pupae four days after treatment with 20
      hydroxyecdysone and shows an expression pattern distinct from that of
      vitellogenin (Vg), which is detectable throughout diapausing and in post-diapause
      development. ApmVg decreased dramatically during embryonic development. These
      results represent the first study of mVg outside M. sexta and B. mori and provide
      insight into the physiological role and evolution of mVgs. 

PMID- 26126121
TI  - A Dinuclear Platinum(II) N4Py Complex: An Unexpected Coordination Mode For N4Py.
AB  - The polypyridyl compound N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-N-bis(2-pyridyl)methylamine
      (N4Py) acts as a bridging ligand and coordinates to two Pt(II) ions giving an
      unexpected diplatinum(II) complex, whose photophysical and anticancer properties
      were investigated. 

PMID- 26126122
TI  - Cholesterol acquisition by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
AB  - In this issue of Virulence, Ramon-Garcia et al. demonstrate the requirement of a
      mycobacterial efflux pump during growth on cholesterol. In this editorial I
      replace the study in the context of nutrient acquisition by Mycobacterium
      tuberculosis. 

PMID- 26126124
TI  - Update of patient-specific maxillofacial implant.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Patient-specific implant (PSI) is a personalized approach to
      reconstructive and esthetic surgery. This is particularly useful in maxillofacial
      surgery in which restoring the complex three-dimensional (3D) contour can be
      quite challenging. In certain situations, the best results can only be achieved
      with implants custom-made to fit a particular need. Significant progress has been
      made over the past decade in the design and manufacture of maxillofacial PSIs.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Computer-aided design (CAD)/computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
      technology is rapidly advancing and has provided new options for fabrication of
      PSIs with better precision. Maxillofacial PSIs can now be designed using
      preoperative imaging data as input into CAD software. The designed implant is
      then fabricated using a CAM technique such as 3D printing. This approach
      increases precision and decreases or completely eliminates the need for
      intraoperative modification of implants. The use of CAD/CAM-produced PSIs for
      maxillofacial reconstruction and augmentation can significantly improve contour
      outcomes and decrease operating time. SUMMARY: CAD/CAM technology allows timely
      and precise fabrication of maxillofacial PSIs. This approach is gaining
      increasing popularity in maxillofacial reconstructive surgery. Continued advances
      in CAD technology and 3D printing are bound to improve the cost-effectiveness and
      decrease the production time of maxillofacial PSIs.

PMID- 26126125
TI  - Near-misses are an opportunity to improve patient safety: adapting strategies of
      high reliability organizations to healthcare.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Near-miss investigations in high reliability organizations
      (HROs) aim to mitigate risk and improve system safety. Healthcare settings have a
      higher rate of near-misses and subsequent adverse events than most high-risk
      industries, but near-misses are not systematically reported or analyzed. In this
      review, we will describe the strategies for near-miss analysis that have
      facilitated a culture of safety and continuous quality improvement in HROs.
      RECENT FINDINGS: Near-miss analysis is routine and systematic in HROs such as
      aviation. Strategies implemented in aviation include the Commercial Aviation
      Safety Team, which undertakes systematic analyses of near-misses, so that
      findings can be incorporated into Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Other
      strategies resulting from incident analyses include Crew Resource Management
      (CRM) for enhanced communication, situational awareness training, adoption of
      checklists during operations, and built-in redundancy within systems. SUMMARY:
      Health care organizations should consider near-misses as opportunities for
      quality improvement. The systematic reporting and analysis of near-misses,
      commonplace in HROs, can be adapted to health care settings to prevent adverse
      events and improve clinical outcomes.

PMID- 26126123
TI  - DARC: Mapping Surface Topography by Ray-Casting for Effective Virtual Screening
      at Protein Interaction Sites.
AB  - Protein-protein interactions represent an exciting and challenging target class
      for therapeutic intervention using small molecules. Protein interaction sites are
      often devoid of the deep surface pockets presented by "traditional" drug targets,
      and crystal structures reveal that inhibitors typically engage these sites using
      very shallow binding modes. As a consequence, modern virtual screening tools
      developed to identify inhibitors of traditional drug targets do not perform as
      well when they are instead deployed at protein interaction sites. To address the
      need for novel inhibitors of important protein interactions, here we introduce an
      alternate docking strategy specifically designed for this regime. Our method,
      termed DARC (Docking Approach using Ray-Casting), matches the topography of a
      surface pocket "observed" from within the protein to the topography "observed"
      when viewing a potential ligand from the same vantage point. We applied DARC to
      carry out a virtual screen against the protein interaction site of human
      antiapoptotic protein Mcl-1 and found that four of the top-scoring 21 compounds
      showed clear inhibition in a biochemical assay. The Ki values for these compounds
      ranged from 1.2 to 21 MUM, and each had ligand efficiency comparable to promising
      small-molecule inhibitors of other protein-protein interactions. These hit
      compounds do not resemble the natural (protein) binding partner of Mcl-1, nor do
      they resemble any known inhibitors of Mcl-1. Our results thus demonstrate the
      utility of DARC for identifying novel inhibitors of protein-protein interactions.

PMID- 26126126
TI  - Interplay of Dynamical Properties between Ionic Liquids and Ionic Surfactants:
      Mechanism and Aggregation.
AB  - The dynamical and aggregation behaviors of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in 1
      ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate [EMIM+][EtSO4-] are characterized
      experimentally and computationally. A retardation of the ionic liquid (IL) and
      SDS diffusion coefficients with a concentration increase of SDS is observed. In
      agreement with experiments, aggregation is detected for concentrations higher
      than the experimental critical micelle concentration (CMC), which is mostly
      driven by alkyl tail aggregation. Solvent-exposed hydrophobic patches are
      observed on the micelle's surfaces. The hydrophobic tails of the IL molecules are
      found to fill those micelle's hydrophobic patches. Also, penetration of the IL is
      found in the SDS micelles, indicating that the IL acts as a cosurfactant,
      allowing the formation of "mixed" micelles. A higher level of Na+ counterion
      dissociation compared to previous studies of SDS micelles in aqueous solutions is
      also observed. A multilayering effect of alternating IL anions and cations is
      detected at the surface of the formed aggregates. The observed increase in system
      ordering with SDS concentration is what hinders the mobility of each chemical
      species.

PMID- 26126127
TI  - Biomechanical Changes of Collagen Cross-Linking on Human Keratoconic Corneas
      Using Scanning Acoustic Microscopy.
AB  - PURPOSE: To assess the biomechanical changes of collagen cross-linking on
      keratoconic corneas in vitro. METHODS: Six keratoconic corneal buttons were
      included in this study. Each cornea was divided into two halves, where one half
      was cross-linked and the other half was treated with riboflavin only and served
      as control. The biomechanical changes of the corneal tissue were measured across
      the stroma using scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM). RESULTS: In the cross-linked
      corneas, there was a steady decrease in the magnitude of speed of sound from the
      anterior region through to the posterior regions of the stroma. The speed of
      sound was found to decrease slightly across the corneal thickness in the control
      corneas. The increase in speed of sound between the cross-linked and control
      corneas in the anterior region was by a factor of 1.039*. CONCLUSION: A higher
      speed of sound was detected in cross-linked keratoconic corneal tissue when
      compared with their controls, using SAM. This in vitro model can be used to
      compare to the cross-linking results obtained in vivo, as well as comparing the
      results obtained with different protocols.

PMID- 26126130
TI  - Epidemiology of the high-risk population: perioperative risk and mortality after
      surgery.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review will provide an overview of actual data concerning
      perioperative risk. Furthermore, strategies to prevent, detect and treat
      perioperative complications will be discussed. RECENT FINDINGS: Perioperative in
      hospital mortality rate of 0.4-4% has not improved over the last years possibly
      resulting in one to several million deaths during or immediately after surgery
      each year worldwide. Perioperative complications and mortality are determined not
      only by the type of surgery but also by preexisting comorbidities of the patient.
      However, most potentially lethal complications have a slow onset like surgical
      site infections, pneumonia and sepsis. Therefore, a time window of opportunity
      might exist to detect and treat these complications as well as to improve
      outcome. In this context, failure to rescue (FTR) has been introduced as an
      indicator for the quality of perioperative care. There is growing evidence that
      FTR is a relevant phenomenon in perioperative medicine, possibly accounting for
      almost half of postoperative mortality. SUMMARY: It is imperative to reliably
      identify patients at risk for postoperative complications and to implement
      strategies into clinical practice allowing for prevention, early detection and
      effective treatment of complications. By bundling best practice concepts in all
      phases of perioperative care, patient outcome will be effectively improved.

PMID- 26126129
TI  - Pathogenesis of infection in surgical patients.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite the application of prophylactic antimicrobial therapy
      and advanced technologies, infection remains one of the most common causes of
      morbidity and mortality in surgical patients. Understanding the pathogenesis of
      surgical infection would offer new insights into the development of biomarkers to
      predict and stratify infection in patients, and to explore specific strategies to
      minimize this serious postoperative complication. RECENT FINDINGS: The acute
      nonspecific inflammatory response triggered by endogenous danger signals evoked
      by surgical insult is beneficial, while paradoxically associated with reduced
      resistance to infection. There is growing evidence indicating that primed
      inflammation by surgical insult exaggerates the dysregulation of the immune
      inflammatory response to the invasion of pathogens postoperatively. Innate immune
      receptors, such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), contribute to detecting both
      pathogen-associated molecular patterns and endogenous damage-associated molecular
      patterns, and to further amplifying inflammatory responses to infection. Current
      evidence shows the fascinating role of non-TLRs in the process of infection. Non
      TLRs, such as membrane-associated triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells
      family, cytosolic nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors and
      nuclear receptor nuclear family 4 subgroup A receptors, are also crucial in
      triggering the immune responses and mounting an effective defense against
      surgical insults and the second hit of infection. SUMMARY: Understanding the
      pivotal role of non-TLRs in sensing exogenous and endogenous molecules, and the
      influence of primed systemic inflammation and depressed immune status on the
      defense against pathogen after surgical insult, would be helpful to fully explore
      the relevant sophisticated phenomena of surgical infection, and to elucidate the
      occurrence of heterogeneous constellations of clinical signs and symptoms among
      this special population.

PMID- 26126131
TI  - G protein coupled growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase: no longer an oxymoron.
AB  - Environmental cues are transmitted to the interior of the cell via a complex
      network of signaling hubs. Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and trimeric G
      proteins are 2 such major signaling hubs in eukaryotes. Canonical signal
      transduction via trimeric G proteins is spatially and temporally restricted,
      i.e., triggered exclusively at the plasma membrane (PM) by agonist activation of
      G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) via a process that completes within a few
      hundred milliseconds. Recently, a rapidly emerging paradigm has revealed a non
      canonical pathway for activation of trimeric G proteins by the non-receptor GEF,
      GIV/Girdin, that has distinctive temporal and spatial features. Such activation
      can be triggered by multiple growth factor RTKs, can occur at the PM and on
      internal membranes discontinuous with the PM, and can continue for prolonged
      periods of time. The molecular mechanisms that govern such non-canonical G
      protein activation and the relevance of this new paradigm in health and disease
      is discussed. 

PMID- 26126132
TI  - First Total Synthesis of Pandamarine.
AB  - The first total synthesis of pandamarine, an alkaloid isolated from Pandanus
      amaryllifolius is reported. The key step of this extremely short (six steps in
      total) and protecting group-free synthesis is a highly efficient cascade reaction
      sequence initiated by the photooxidation of an easily accessible and symmetric
      difuran precursor. 

PMID- 26126128
TI  - Nonspeech Oral Movements and Oral Motor Disorders: A Narrative Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: Speech and other oral functions such as swallowing have been compared
      and contrasted with oral behaviors variously labeled quasispeech, paraspeech,
      speechlike, and nonspeech, all of which overlap to some degree in neural control,
      muscles deployed, and movements performed. Efforts to understand the
      relationships among these behaviors are hindered by the lack of explicit and
      widely accepted definitions. This review article offers definitions and
      taxonomies for nonspeech oral movements and for diverse speaking tasks, both
      overt and covert. METHOD: Review of the literature included searches of Medline,
      Google Scholar, HighWire Press, and various online sources. Search terms
      pertained to speech, quasispeech, paraspeech, speechlike, and nonspeech oral
      movements. Searches also were carried out for associated terms in oral biology,
      craniofacial physiology, and motor control. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Nonspeech
      movements have a broad spectrum of clinical applications, including developmental
      speech and language disorders, motor speech disorders, feeding and swallowing
      difficulties, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, trismus, and tardive
      stereotypies. The role and benefit of nonspeech oral movements are controversial
      in many oral motor disorders. It is argued that the clinical value of these
      movements can be elucidated through careful definitions and task descriptions
      such as those proposed in this review article.

PMID- 26126133
TI  - Effects of seated lumbar extension postures on spinal height and lumbar range of
      motion during prolonged sitting.
AB  - Prolonged sitting during sedentary work has been reported as a potential risk
      factor for low back pain. Furthermore, prolonged sitting can result in both
      reduced spinal height (SH) and lumbar range of motion (LROM). This study compared
      the effects of no intervention (control) with two recovery postures on SH and
      LROM (flexion and extension) during prolonged sitting. Twenty-four participants
      were randomly assigned to three interventions for three consecutive days. The
      interventions comprised two seated lumbar extension recovery postures
      (unsupported sustained and supported dynamic lumbar extension postures) and a
      control. Both interventions facilitated a relatively short recovery period for
      both SH and LROM. Supported dynamic lumbar extension conditions significantly
      helped SH recovery, as compared with control condition, after the first recovery
      posture intervention, and both postures have potential to maintain LROM. However,
      both postures failed to induce SH recovery over an extended time. PRACTITIONER
      SUMMARY: Unsupported sustained lumbar extension and supported dynamic lumbar
      extension postures may serve as effective and practical methods for reducing rate
      of SH loss and maintaining LROM. However, these postures should be further
      examined in various 'doses' to define optimal protocol for effectively minimising
      SH loss over time.

PMID- 26126134
TI  - Endocannabinoid signaling in female reproductive events: a potential therapeutic
      target?
AB  - Nearly 30 years after the discovery in 1964 of the psychoactive ingredient of
      cannabis (Cannabis sativa), Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, its endogenous
      counterparts were discovered and collectively termed endocannabinoids (eCBs): N
      arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide) in 1992 and 2-arachidonoylglycerol in 1995.
      Since then, intense research has identified additional eCBs and an ensemble of
      proteins that bind, synthesize and degrade them, the so-called eCB system.
      Altogether, these new compounds have been recognized as key mediators of several
      aspects of human pathophysiology, and in particular of female fertility. Here,
      the main features of the eCB system are presented, in order to put in a better
      perspective the relevance of eCB signaling in virtually all steps of human
      reproduction and to highlight emerging hopes that elements of this system might
      indeed become novel targets to combat fertility problems. 

PMID- 26126135
TI  - EFFECTS OF STROBOSCOPIC VISUAL TRAINING ON VISUAL ATTENTION, MOTION PERCEPTION,
      AND CATCHING PERFORMANCE.
AB  - It has been shown recently that stroboscopic visual training can improve visual
      perceptual abilities, such as central field motion sensitivity and anticipatory
      timing. Such training should also improve a sports skill that relies on these
      perceptual abilities, namely ball catching. Thirty athletes (12 women, 18 men; M
      age=22.5 yr., SD=4.7) were assigned to one of two types of stroboscopic training
      groups: a variable strobe rate (VSR) group for which the off-time of the glasses
      was systematically increased (as in previous research) and a constant strobe rate
      group (CSR) for which the glasses were always set at the shortest off-time.
      Training involved simple, tennis ball-catching drills (9*20 min.) occurring over
      a 6-wk. PERIOD: In pre- and post-training, the participants completed a one
      handed ball-catching task and the Useful Field of View (UFOV) and the Motion in
      Depth Sensitivity (MIDS) tests. Since the CSR condition used in the present study
      has been shown to have no effect on catching performance, it was predicted that
      the VSR group would show significantly greater improvement pre-post-training.
      There were no significant differences between the CSR and VSR on any of the
      tests. However, changes in catching performance (total balls caught) pre-post
      training were significantly correlated with changes in scores for the UFOV single
      task and MIDS tests. That is, regardless of group, participants whose perceptual
      cognitive performance improved in the post-test were significantly more likely to
      improve their catching performance. This suggests that the perceptual changes
      observed in previous stroboscopic training studies may be linked to changes in
      sports skill performance.

PMID- 26126136
TI  - Patient Safety: So, What Does It Mean?

PMID- 26126138
TI  - State of the Society.

PMID- 26126137
TI  - A Missed Opportunity.

PMID- 26126139
TI  - 2014 INS Financial Report.

PMID- 26126140
TI  - Chief Executive Officer's Message.

PMID- 26126141
TI  - Presidential Address.

PMID- 26126142
TI  - Evaluating an Educational Module on Home Inotrope Therapy.
AB  - Educating home health nurses presents significant challenges for nurse educators
      because of the vast geographical areas served and the types of patient cared for.
      The integration of technology into the home health care arena offers new and
      innovative opportunities to address the ongoing educational needs of nurses as
      required by accrediting bodies. This exploratory study evaluated a Web-based
      educational module on home inotrope therapy in regard to nurses' perceived
      knowledge and confidence. 

PMID- 26126143
TI  - One Hospital's Initiatives to Encourage Safe Opioid Use.
AB  - Pain is the leading reason people seek health care. In an effort to aggressively
      manage pain in the hospitalized patient, we have seen an increase in the use of
      opioids. Unfortunately, there has been a similar increase in the number of opioid
      related adverse events. As a result, The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event
      Alert in August 2012 with suggested evidenced-based actions to help avoid these
      adverse events. This article describes one hospital's initiatives to provide
      opioids safely. 

PMID- 26126144
TI  - Moral Distress: Recognition, Diagnosis, and Treatment.
AB  - Infusion nursing is a unique hybrid of inpatient and ambulatory nursing. The
      subspecialty of nurses cares for patients requiring treatment over long periods,
      including cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and patients who require short
      bursts of treatment, such as those with multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, and
      rheumatoid arthritis. Infusion nurses are exposed to many of the common root
      causes of moral distress in their practice, similar to nurses caring for
      terminally ill or critically ill patients. The specific aims of this article are
      to (1) define moral distress, moral residue, and the crescendo effect; (2)
      describe ethical stressors that can be confused with moral distress; (3) review
      the effects of moral distress on different health care providers; and (4) provide
      strategies to manage moral distress in the workplace using a case example. 

PMID- 26126145
TI  - The Impact of Long-Term Home Parenteral Nutrition on the Patient and the Family:
      Achieving Normalcy in Life.
AB  - Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is a technologically complex, life-sustaining
      therapy for individuals who have intestinal failure. Accepting an invasive
      lifelong therapy like HPN is challenging for patients and their family
      caregivers. There is a desire to maintain a sense of normalcy in life and to
      carry on as usual. Using qualitative methodology, the authors explored and
      described the lived experience of HPN-dependent adults and identified
      normalization as a repeating and strong theme. Understanding how individuals
      adapt, cope, or experience this complex therapy provides insight into how they
      manage their lives in as normal a way as possible. By understanding the
      perspective of normalization, home infusion nurses and nutrition support
      clinicians can embrace caregiving strategies and tools consistent with the
      changing social environment in which the HPN experience is lived. 

PMID- 26126146
TI  - (+)- and (-)-Spiroreticulatine, A Pair of Unusual Spiro Bisheterocyclic Quinoline
      imidazole Alkaloids from the South China Sea Sponge Fascaplysinopsis reticulata.
AB  - A pair of novel bisheterocyclic quinoline-imidazole alkaloids, (+)- and (-)
      spiroreticulatine (1), were isolated from the South China Sea sponge
      Fascaplysinopsis reticulata. The structures and absolute configurations were
      elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis, single-crystal X-ray
      diffraction, and quantum chemical calculation methods. Spiroreticulatine is the
      first example of a sponge-derived natural spiro quinoline-imidazole alkaloid that
      may derive from tryptophan and 1,3-dimethylurea. Compound 1 showed inhibitory
      activity on IL-2 production but inactive against normal tumor cell lines. 

PMID- 26126147
TI  - M3C (M: Fe, Co, Ni) Nanocrystals Encased in Graphene Nanoribbons: An Active and
      Stable Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction and Hydrogen Evolution
      Reactions.
AB  - Transition metal carbide nanocrystalline M3C (M: Fe, Co, Ni) encapsulated in
      graphitic shells supported with vertically aligned graphene nanoribbons (VA-GNRs)
      are synthesized through a hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HF-CVD) method.
      The process is based on the direct reaction between iron group metals (Fe, Co,
      Ni) and carbon source, which are facilely get high purity carbide nanocrystals
      (NCs) and avoid any other impurity at relatively low temperature. The M3C-GNRs
      exhibit superior enhanced electrocatalystic activity for oxygen reduction
      reaction (ORR), including low Tafel slope (39, 41, and 45 mV dec(-1) for Fe3C
      GNRs, Co3C-GNRs, and Ni3C-GNRs, respectively), positive onset potential (~0.8 V),
      high electron transfer number (~4), and long-term stability (no obvious drop
      after 20 000 s test). The M3C-GNRs catalyst also exhibits remarkable hydrogen
      evolution reaction (HER) activity with a large cathodic current density of 166.6,
      79.6, and 116.4 mA cm(-2) at an overpotential of 200 mV, low onset overpotential
      of 32, 41, and 35 mV, small Tafel slope of 46, 57, and 54 mV dec(-1) for Fe3C
      GNRs, Co3C-GNRs, and Ni3C-GNRs, respectively, as well as an excellent stability
      in acidic media. 

PMID- 26126148
TI  - The Effect of Parathyroid Hormone on Osseointegration in Insulin-Treated Diabetic
      Rats.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus is associated with impaired
      osseointegration. Diabetic individuals might benefit from bone anabolic
      therapies. Intermittent administration of 1-34 parathyroid hormone (PTH)
      stimulates bone formation in rodent models. However, this anabolic effect fails
      in diabetic rats. Whether the anabolic effect of PTH can be achieved in insulin
      controlled diabetic rats has not been investigated yet. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      After diabetes induction with streptozotocin in 40 female Wistar rats, the
      animals were randomly divided into 4 groups: diabetes, diabetes plus PTH, insulin
      treated diabetes, and insulin-treated diabetes plus PTH. After 1 week, miniscrews
      were inserted in the tibiae. Osmotic pumps with insulin or saline solution were
      implanted. Animals received 60 mg/kg PTH or saline solution. Histomorphometric
      analysis was performed. RESULTS: In diabetic rats, no changes of medullary
      periimplant bone area or bone-to-implant contacts (BICs) were achieved with or
      without treatment with PTH. However, also animals treated with insulin failed to
      response significantly to PTH regarding bone area (7.4 +/- 4.1% and 8.1 +/- 4.1%)
      and BICs (33.7 +/- 16.9% and 49.9 +/- 11.9%). CONCLUSION: These results
      demonstrate that the metabolic characteristics of the diabetic rats produced a
      condition unable to respond to PTH treatment, even when hyperglycemia was
      controlled with insulin.

PMID- 26126149
TI  - Speckle-Tracking-Based Evaluation of Vascular Strain at Different Sites of the
      Arterial Tree in Healthy Adults.
AB  - Purpose: Vascular ultrasound (US) allows the analysis of vascular strain by
      speckle-tracking. This study sought to assess the extent to which vas cular
      strain varies between different segments of the arterial tree. Furthermore, this
      study aimed to investigate the reproducibility of vascular strain determination
      as well as of the components that contribute to the variance of vascular strain
      measurements in different vascular beds. Materials and Methods: Speckle-tracking
      was used to determine the vascular strain of the abdominal aorta (AA), the common
      carotid artery (CCA), the common femoral (CFA) and the popliteal artery (PA) of
      healthy adults. Intra- and interday reproducibility and the components of
      variance of vascular strain of the respective arteries were determined. Results:
      A total of 589 US clips obtained in 10 healthy adults (7 males, 28.3 +/- 3.2
      years) were analyzable. Vascular strain was 7.2 +/- 3.0 % in the AA, 5.7 +/- 2.1
      % in the CCA, 2.1 +/- 1.1 % in the CFA and 1.9 +/- 1.1 % in the PA. The intraday
      coefficients of variation of vascular strain were 6.2 % (AA), 3.9 % (CCA), 3.3 %
      (CFA) and 6.1 % (PA), and the interday coefficients of variation were 5.9 % (AA),
      8.4 % (CCA), 10 % (CFA) and 4.6 % (PA). The variance of vascular strain mainly
      depended on the investigated vessel and subject. Individual DUS clips, the day of
      examination and the (right/left) body side (in paired arteries) had no impact on
      the variance of vascular strain. Conclusion: Vascular strain substantially varies
      between different sites of the arterial tree. Speckle-tracking by DUS allows the
      reliable determination of vascular strain at different arterial sites.

PMID- 26126150
TI  - The Prospective External Validation of International Ovarian Tumor Analysis
      (IOTA) Simple Rules in the Hands of Level I and II Examiners.
AB  - Objective: To externally validate the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA)
      Simple Rules (SR) by examiners with different levels of sonographic experience
      defined by the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and
      Biology (EFSUMB) and to assess the morphological ultrasound features of the
      adnexal tumors classified as inconclusive based on IOTA SR. Materials and
      Methods: In the two-year prospective study adnexal tumors were assessed
      preoperatively with transvaginal ultrasound by examiners with different levels of
      experience (level 1- IOTA SR1, level 2-IOTA SR2). Additionally, an expert (level
      3) evaluated all tumors by subjective assessment (SA). If the rules could not be
      applied, the tumors were considered inconclusive. The final diagnosis was based
      on the histopathological result of the removed mass. The diagnostic performance
      measures for the assessed model were sensitivity, specificity, negative (LR-) and
      positive(LR+) likelihood ratios, accuracy (ACC) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR).
      Results: 226 women with adnexal tumors scheduled for surgery were included in the
      stutdy. The prevalence of malignancy was 36.3 % in the group of all studied
      tumors and was 52.5 % in the inconclusive group (n = 40) (p = 0.215). Fewer
      tumors were classified as inconclusive by level 2 examiners compared to level 1
      examiners [20 (8.8 %) vs. 40 (17.7 %); p = 0.008], resulting from the discrepancy
      in the evaluation of acoustic shadows and the vascularization within the tumor.
      For level 1 examiners a diagnostic strategy using IOTA SR1 +MA (assuming
      malignancy when SR inconclusive) achieved a sensitivity, specificity and DOR of
      96.3 %, 81.9 %, 13.624 respectively. For level 2 examiners the diagnostic
      strategy for IOTA SR2 +MA achieved a sensitivity, specificity and DOR of 95.1 %,
      89.6 %, 137,143, respectively. Adding SA by an expert (or level 3 examiner) when
      IOTA SR were not applicable improved the specificity of the test and achieved a
      DOR of 505.137 (SR1 +SA) and 293.627 (SR2 +SA). The SA by an expert proved to
      have the best diagnostic performance with a DOR of 5768.857, and a sensitivity
      and specificity of 97.6 % and 99.3 % respectively. Within the inconclusive group
      the most common tumors were unilocular-solid (n-13), solid (n-8) and multilocular
      solid (n-10) ones. All multilocular tumors were classified as inconclusive
      because of their size (>= 100 mm) and were found to be benign by pathology. Most
      of the inconclusive tumors with cystic content presented low-level (43.75 %)
      echogenicity, followed by ground-glass (34.37 %), mixed (12.5 %) and anechoic
      (9.4 %). Conclusion: The study results show excellent diagnostic performance of
      IOTA Simple Rules followed by subjective expert assessment in inconclusive tumors
      irrespective of the level of experience, while subjective assessment by an expert
      still has the highest diagnostic odds ratio. The number of inconclusive cases
      seems to depend on the level of ultrasound expertise and less experienced
      examiners have a tendency to overestimate blood flow and a presence of acoustic
      shadows within the tumors. IOTA SR were not applicable either because no benign
      or malignant features were found or both were identified. Within inconclusive
      tumors the majority of cases comprise malignant masses that are either unilocular
      solid, solid tumors or small multilocular-solid ones with a diameter of less than
      100 mm.

PMID- 26126151
TI  - Congenital Lung Lesion: Prenatal Course, Therapy and Predictors of Perinatal
      Outcome.
AB  - Purpose To describe the prenatal course and perinatal outcome, and to define
      prognostic markers for fetuses with congenital pulmonary airway malformation
      (CPAM) or bronchopulmonary sequestration (BPS). Materials and Methods A
      retrospective study was performed at the University Hospital Zurich including
      pregnancies with either fetal CPAM (n = 26) or BPS (n = 11) between 2000 and
      2013. Results Three patients decided for termination of pregnancy. Two
      intrauterine deaths (CPAM) occurred at 25 weeks. Minimally invasive interventions
      were performed in 9/37 (24 %) fetuses, post-interventional survival was 8/9 (89
      %). Mean gestational age at delivery was 38.1 +/-2.8 and 39.1 +/-2.5 weeks in
      fetuses with CPAM or BPS, respectively. In fetuses with CPAM the perinatal
      mortality rate was 4/24 (17 %); the rate of invasive interventions or surgery
      during the early neonatal period (neonatal morbidity) was 9/22 (41 %). Prenatal
      diagnosis of hydrothorax and/or increasing cystic volume ratio (CVR) until
      delivery preceded perinatal death in 3/5 (60 %). Absent mediastinal shift showed
      a neonatal morbidity rate of 1/8 (13 %) without any perinatal mortality. In
      fetuses with BPS the perinatal morbidity and mortality were both 1/10 (10 %).
      Hydrops predicted morbidity and mortality in 100 % of cases. Absent hydrops was
      followed by uncomplicated perinatal outcome. Conclusion Fetuses with CPAM or BPS
      have a good outcome under optimal perinatal care including the possibility to
      perform minimally invasive prenatal interventions. CPAM without mediastinal shift
      and BPS without hydrops have an excellent prognosis. Hydrothorax, increasing CVR
      or hydrops indicates a high risk for perinatal morbidity and mortality.

PMID- 26126152
TI  - Sound localization in a changing world.
AB  - In natural environments, neural systems must be continuously updated to reflect
      changes in sensory inputs and behavioral goals. Recent studies of sound
      localization have shown that adaptation and learning involve multiple mechanisms
      that operate at different timescales and stages of processing, with other sensory
      and motor-related inputs playing a key role. We are only just beginning to
      understand, however, how these processes interact with one another to produce
      adaptive changes at the level of neuronal populations and behavior. Because there
      is no explicit map of auditory space in the cortex, studies of sound localization
      may also provide much broader insight into the plasticity of complex neural
      representations that are not topographically organized. 

PMID- 26126154
TI  - Short communication: feasibility and acceptability of developing a multisite
      clinical cohort of transgender people with HIV infection.
AB  - Transgender women bear a disproportionate burden of HIV, yet data among this
      population are not routinely collected in HIV clinical cohorts. Brief surveys and
      follow-up qualitative interviews were conducted with principal investigators or
      designated representatives of 17 HIV clinical cohorts to determine the
      acceptability and feasibility of pooling transgender-specific data from existing
      HIV clinical cohort studies. Twelve of 17 sites reported that they already
      collect gender identity data but not consistently. Others were receptive to
      collecting this information. Many also expressed interest in a study of clinical
      outcomes among HIV-infected transgender women using pooled data across cohorts.
      The collection of longitudinal data on transgender people living with HIV is
      acceptable and feasible for most North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on
      Research and Design (NA-ACCORD) cohorts. HIV clinical cohort studies should make
      efforts to include transgender individuals and develop the tools to collect
      quality data on this high-need population. 

PMID- 26126153
TI  - Competition, inhibition, and critical periods of cortical plasticity.
AB  - Maturation of cortical inhibition just after eye opening is a necessary precedent
      for the emergence of competitive, experience-dependent ocular dominance
      plasticity in the visual cortex. What inhibition is doing in this context,
      though, is not clear. Here I outline new hypotheses on the roles of somatic and
      dendritic inhibition in the opening and closure of critical periods, and their
      roles in the competitive processes therein. 

PMID- 26126155
TI  - Addition Rate Constants of Phosphorus- and Carbon-Centered Radicals to Double
      Bond of Monomers as Studied by a Pulsed Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Method.
AB  - Addition reaction of a radical to the double bond of a monomer, which is
      important at early stage of photopolymerization, has been studied by time
      resolved (TR-) and pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic
      methods. Reactions of one phosphorus-centered and three carbon-centered radicals
      attacking to several monomers have been employed. Intermediate radicals were
      identified by analyzing the recorded TR-EPR spectra, and the reaction rate
      constants were determined by the electron spin-echo detection method proposed by
      Weber and Turro [J. Phys. Chem. A, 2003, 107 (18), 3326 - 3334]. The quantum
      chemical calculation shows that the rate constants for the addition reactions are
      well-explained by introducing two factors of "enthalpy effect" and "polar effect"
      to control the activation barrier height. It was observed that the rate constants
      of the phosphorus-centered radical were larger than those of carbon-centered
      radicals for some monomers. The difference in the rate constants was argued on
      the basis of frequency factor and activation barrier both of which are influenced
      by an atom of radical center.

PMID- 26126156
TI  - Endoscopic drainage of walled-off pancreatic necrosis using a novel self
      expanding metal stent.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: This report describes the use of a novel, fully
      covered, self-expanding metal stent (FCSEMS) for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)
      guided drainage of walled-off pancreatic necrosis (WON). PATIENTS AND METHODS:
      Patients with WON, as defined by the revised Atlanta Criteria, were included in
      this open-lable, two-center, observational study. The WON was punctured using a
      cystotome, and the FCSEMS was inserted under fluoroscopic guidance. Necrosectomy
      procedures were performed as necessary. RESULTS: A total of 19 patients were
      included. The median maximum collection size was 15 cm with a median of 50 %
      necrosis. A total of 14/19 patients underwent necrosectomy, requiring a median of
      4 procedures. Resolution or reduction in the size of collection by at least 80 %
      was achieved in all patients. Percutaneous or surgical drainage was required in
      three patients. Five stents migrated or dislodged. One patient had abdominal pain
      post-procedure. Five patients died during follow-up (three from multi-organ
      failure, and two unrelated to pancreatitis). CONCLUSIONS: Use of this stent is
      feasible and safe for drainage of WON. However, stent displacement rates were
      high, and improvements to the stent design are required before it can be
      advocated for routine use in WON.

PMID- 26126157
TI  - Nonexposure endolaparoscopic full-thickness resection with simple suturing
      technique.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIM: Current endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) methods
      are limited by their transmural communication and exposure of tumor to the
      peritoneum. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of a new resection
      technique that does not expose the mucosa to the peritoneum, although it involves
      an easy and secure suture method, which could be applied in the clinical setting.
      METHODS: The nonexposure endolaparoscopic full-thickness resection with simple
      suturing technique was performed in four pigs. This new technique includes the
      steps of laparoscopic seromuscular suturing, which results in inversion of the
      stomach wall; EFTR of the inverted stomach wall from inside the stomach; and
      finally, endoscopic mucosal suturing with endoloops and clips. RESULTS: En bloc
      and complete resections were achieved without adverse events in all pigs. The
      mean (+/- standard deviation) operation time was 137.0 +/- 28.2 minutes. All pigs
      survived with no clinical evidence of illness until euthanasia. Gross and
      microscopic examination of the resection site showed healing without evidence of
      leakage or infection. CONCLUSION: The nonexposure endolaparoscopic full-thickness
      resection with simple suturing technique was feasible in an animal model.

PMID- 26126158
TI  - Colonoscopy with robotic steering and automated lumen centralization: a
      feasibility study in a colon model.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: We introduced a new platform for performing
      colonoscopy with robotic steering and automated lumen centralization (RS-ALC) and
      evaluated its technical feasibility. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Expert
      endoscopists (n = 8) and endoscopy-naive novices (n = 10) used conventional
      steering and RS-ALC to perform colonoscopy in a validated colon model with
      simulated polyps (n = 21). The participants were randomized to which modality
      they were to use first. End points were the cecal intubation time, number of
      detected polyps, and subjective evaluation of the platform. RESULTS: Novices were
      able to intubate the cecum faster with RS-ALC (median 8 minutes [min] 56 seconds
      [s], interquartile range [IQR] 6  min 46  s - 16  min 34  s vs. median 11  min 47
      s, IQR 8  min 19  s - 15  min 33  s, P = 0.65), whereas experts were faster with
      conventional steering (median 2  min 9  s, IQR 1  min 13 s - 7  min 28  s vs.
      median 13  min 1  s, IQR 5  min 9 s - 16  min 54  s, P = 0.12). Novices detected
      more polyps with RS-ALC (median 88.1 %, IQR 79.8 % - 95.2 % vs. median 78.6 %,
      IQR 75.0 % - 91.7 %, P = 0.17), whereas experts detected more polyps with
      conventional steering (median 80.9 %, IQR 76.2 % - 85.7 % vs. median 69.0 %, IQR
      61.0 % - 75.0 %, P = 0.03). Novices were more positive than experts about the new
      platform (P = 0.02), noting an easier and faster introduction of the colonoscope
      with RS-ALC than with conventional steering. CONCLUSIONS: Colonoscopy with RS-ALC
      is technically feasible and appears to be easier and more intuitive than
      conventional steering for endoscopy-naive novices.

PMID- 26126159
TI  - Comparing outcome of radiofrequency ablation in Barrett's with high grade
      dysplasia and intramucosal carcinoma: a prospective multicenter UK registry.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM: Mucosal neoplasia arising in Barrett's esophagus can be
      successfully treated with endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) followed by
      radiofrequency ablation (RFA). The aim of the study was to compare clinical
      outcomes of patients with high grade dysplasia (HGD) or intramucosal cancer (IMC)
      at baseline from the United Kingdom RFA registry. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prior to
      RFA, visible lesions and nodularity were removed entirely by EMR. Thereafter,
      patients underwent RFA every 3 months until all visible Barrett's mucosa was
      ablated or cancer developed (end points). Biopsies were taken at 12 months or
      when end points were reached. RESULTS: A total of 515 patients, 384 with HGD and
      131 with IMC, completed treatment. Prior to RFA, EMR was performed for visible
      lesions more frequently in the IMC cohort than in HGD patients (77 % vs. 47 %; P
      < 0.0001). The 12-month complete response for dysplasia and intestinal metaplasia
      were almost identical in the two cohorts (HGD 88 % and 76 %, respectively; IMC 87
      % and 75 %, respectively; P = 0.7). Progression to invasive cancer was not
      significantly different at 12 months (HGD 1.8 %, IMC 3.8 %; P = 0.19). A trend
      towards slightly worse medium-term durability may be emerging in IMC patients (P
      = 0.08). In IMC, EMR followed by RFA was definitely associated with superior
      durability compared with RFA alone (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The Registry reports
      on endoscopic therapy for Barrett's neoplasia, representing real-life outcomes.
      Patients with IMC were more likely to have visible lesions requiring initial EMR
      than those with HGD, and may carry a higher risk of cancer progression in the
      medium term. The data consolidate the approach to ensuring that these patients
      undergo thorough endoscopic work-up, including EMR prior to RFA when necessary.

PMID- 26126160
TI  - Bleeding after endoscopic sphincterotomy or papillary balloon dilation among
      users of antithrombotic agents.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Severe bleeding is a potentially lethal complication
      after endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) and endoscopic papillary balloon dilation
      (EPBD) for choledocholithiasis. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of
      antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants on this complication. PATIENTS AND
      METHODS: Patients who underwent EST and EPBD were identified in a Japanese
      nationwide administrative database covering 1090 hospitals. Adjusting for other
      potential risk factors, we evaluated the association between oral administration
      of antiplatelet agents and/or anticoagulants (continuation, discontinuation, and
      non-use) and clinically significant bleeding within 3 days of the procedure.
      RESULTS: In total, 61 002 patients were analyzed (EST, 54 493 patients; EPBD,
      6509). The rate of severe bleeding was 0.8 % in both groups, but EPBD was
      performed more frequently than EST in patients with chronic renal failure, liver
      cirrhosis, and in those receiving antiplatelet agents or anticoagulants. The
      impact of continuation/discontinuation of antiplatelet agents on severe bleeding
      was not statistically significant in the EST or EPBD groups. The use of
      anticoagulants was associated with a statistically significant increase in severe
      bleeding compared with non-use for EST (1.6 % 27 of 1688 patients vs. 0.8 % 429
      of 52 805 patients; adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.70; 95 % confidence interval [CI]
      1.10 - 2.63) and for EPBD (3.0 % [8 of 263 patients] vs. 0.7 % 46 of 6246
      patients; adjusted OR 2.91; 95 %CI 1.36 - 6.24). CONCLUSIONS: EST and EPBD can be
      safely performed in patients receiving antiplatelet agents. Users of
      anticoagulants are at high risk of bleeding, and the periprocedural management of
      these should be further investigated.

PMID- 26126161
TI  - Patient position and hypoxemia during propofol sedation for colonoscopy: a
      randomized trial.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the benefits of the left lateral position in avoiding hypoxemic
      events in patients undergoing colonoscopy. METHODS: We conducted a randomized,
      prospective, controlled trial at two study sites in Germany. Patients undergoing
      colonoscopy under propofol sedation were randomized to either the supine or left
      lateral position. The primary outcome was oxygen desaturation (SaO2<90%).
      Secondary outcome measures were apneic events, hypotension, patient satisfaction,
      propofol dosage, cecal intubation time, and adenoma detection. RESULTS: A total
      of 412 patients were randomized 1:1 to undergo colonoscopy in the supine or left
      lateral position. No severe adverse events were observed in either group.
      Intention-to-treat analysis revealed no significant difference in the frequency
      of desaturation in the left lateral arm compared with the supine arm (6.8% vs.
      12.1%; P=0.064). Patients in the left lateral arm showed lower apnea rates (9.4%
      vs. 16.2%; P= .040), but had more episodes of hypotension (12.3% vs. 2.9%;
      P<0.001). The frequency of repositioning was higher in the left lateral group. No
      significant differences were observed in patient satisfaction and cooperation,
      propofol dosage, or adenoma detection rate. Patients who were repositioned to
      facilitate endoscope passage were excluded from per-protocol analysis. The
      incidence of hypoxemia was lower for the left lateral than for the supine group
      in per-protocol analysis (1.8% vs. 11.2%; P=0.003). CONCLUSION: The positioning
      of patients in the left lateral position during propofol sedation for colonoscopy
      results in lower desaturation rates provided the position can be maintained
      throughout endoscopy. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02001792.

PMID- 26126162
TI  - Cap-assisted colonoscopy and detection of Adenomatous Polyps (CAP) study: a
      randomized trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM: Cap-assisted colonoscopy has improved adenoma detection
      in some but not other studies. Most previous studies have been limited by small
      sample sizes and few participating endoscopists. The aim of the current study was
      to evaluate whether cap-assisted colonoscopy improves adenoma detection in a two
      center, multi-endoscopist, randomized trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Consecutive
      patients who presented for an elective colonoscopy were randomized to cap
      assisted colonoscopy (4-mm cap) or standard colonoscopy performed by one of 10
      experienced endoscopists. Primary outcome measures were mean number of adenomas
      per patient and adenoma detection rate (ADR). Secondary outcomes included
      procedural measures and endoscopist variation; a logistic regression model was
      employed to examine predictors of increased detection with cap use. RESULTS: A
      total of 1113 patients (64 % male, mean age 62 years) were randomized to cap
      assisted (n = 561) or standard (n = 552) colonoscopy. The mean number of adenomas
      detected per patient in the cap-assisted and standard groups was similar (0.89
      vs. 0.82; P = 0.432), as was the ADR (42 % vs. 40 %; P = 0.452). Cap-assisted
      colonoscopy achieved a faster cecal intubation time (4.9 vs. 5.8 minutes; P <
      0.001), a similar cecal intubation rate (99 % vs. 98 %; P = 0.326), and a higher
      terminal ileum intubation rate (93 % vs. 89 %; P < 0.028). Cap-assisted
      colonoscopy resulted in a 20 % increase in ADR for some endoscopists and in a 15
      % decrease for others. Individual preference for the cap was an independent
      predictor of increased adenoma detection in adjusted analysis (P < 0.001),
      whereas baseline low adenoma detection was not. CONCLUSION: Although the
      efficiency of cecal and terminal ileum intubation was slightly improved by cap
      assisted colonoscopy, adenoma detection was not. Cap-assisted colonoscopy may be
      beneficial for selected endoscopists. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicalTrials.gov
      (NCT01935180).

PMID- 26126163
TI  - Fecal immunochemical testing results and characteristics of colonic lesions.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) are used to detect
      blood in feces, which might indicate the presence of colorectal neoplasia. The
      aim of this study was to investigate whether FIT results vary depending on the
      characteristics of colonic lesions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a
      retrospective analysis of lesions detected in a cohort of asymptomatic
      individuals (aged 50 - 75 years) who were invited to participate in a FIT-based
      screening pilot in The Netherlands. The mean FIT result was compared across
      subgroups of individuals defined by histopathology of the most advanced lesion
      detected. In addition, the results were compared with data from a primary
      colonoscopy screening trial, in which participants also completed a FIT. RESULTS:
      In three rounds of FIT-based screening, a total of 877 FIT-positive individuals
      underwent colonoscopy. Higher mean FIT results (hemoglobin [Hb]/g feces) were
      observed in individuals with carcinomas (199 MUg Hb/g) and advanced adenomas (87
      MUg Hb/g) compared with participants with nonadvanced adenomas (50 MUg Hb/g) or
      those with serrated lesions (46 MUg Hb/g) (P < 0.001). In the primary colonoscopy
      trial, 1256 participants completed a FIT test and underwent colonoscopy. The
      number of participants with nonadvanced adenomas as the most advanced lesion was
      comparable between this group and the FIT-based screening group (20 % vs. 22 %).
      CONCLUSION: In FIT-based screening, the mean FIT results varied depending on the
      characteristics of the most advanced colonic lesion. The proportion of
      participants with a nonadvanced adenoma as the most advanced lesion was similar
      in the FIT-based screening group and in the primary colonoscopy screening group,
      suggesting that these lesions are coincidental findings rather than FIT-detected
      findings. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.trialregister.nl number NTR2755.

PMID- 26126164
TI  - Low prevalence of serrated polyposis syndrome in screening populations: a
      systematic review.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The most frequently cited prevalence for serrated
      polyposis syndrome (SPS) is 1 in every 3000 people screened, but this value is
      debated. Additionally, changes in 2010 in the World Health Organization (WHO)
      diagnostic criteria for SPS might affect reported prevalence. An updated estimate
      of SPS prevalence is necessary to predict the number of cases in screening
      programs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted in
      the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases up to February 2014. Studies
      reporting the prevalence of SPS, as defined by WHO criteria, in screening
      populations were selected. RESULTS: Six studies reported prevalence of SPS in
      screening populations, varying from 0 to 0.66 %. The highest prevalences (0.34 %
      and 0.66 %) were seen in studies from screening programs with patients pre
      selected by fecal blood test. Primary colonoscopy-based screening programs, that
      have the lowest risk of bias, reported SPS prevalences ranging from 0 to 0.09 %.
      Across studies, 56 patients were diagnosed with SPS of whom 3 presented with
      synchronous colorectal cancer at index endoscopy. CONCLUSION: The true prevalence
      of SPS is unclear because of the risk of bias across studies, but is likely to be
      below 0.09 % as derived from primary colonoscopy screening programs. The
      prevalence in pre-selected screening populations after positive fecal testing is
      higher, with reported values of 0.34 % and 0.66 %. Large and high quality primary
      colonoscopy screening studies, reporting SPS prevalence in adequately described
      populations, are necessary for better estimation of the true prevalence of SPS in
      average-risk patients.

PMID- 26126165
TI  - Development of a Debye heat capacity model for vibrational modes with a gap in
      the density of states.
AB  - Low-energy vibrational modes that have a gap in the density of states (DOS) have
      often been observed in heat capacity data in the form of 'boson' peaks, but the
      functions used to model these modes are often inadequate or are not physically
      meaningful. We have adapted the Debye model to represent these gapped modes and
      have derived the heat capacity equations for these modes in one, two, and three
      dimensions. Applying these equations to the low-temperature heat capacity data
      fitting for a large variety of materials substantially improves the fit quality
      relative to conventional fits. From the fitting parameters, the underlying DOS
      were estimated, which we show to be comparable to those reported in the
      literature. This model expands the methods of theoretical low-temperature heat
      capacity data analysis and improves the procedure of approximating a material's
      DOS from its low-temperature heat capacity. 

PMID- 26126166
TI  - Entropy-Driven Crystallization Behavior in DNA-Mediated Nanoparticle Assembly.
AB  - Herein, we report an example of entropy-driven crystallization behavior in DNA
      nanoparticle superlattice assembly, marking a divergence from the well
      established enthalpic driving force of maximizing nearest-neighbor hybridization
      connections. Such behavior is manifested in the observation of a non-close
      packed, body-centered cubic (bcc) superlattice when using a system with self
      complementary DNA linkers that would be predicted to form a close-packed, face
      centered cubic (fcc) structure based solely on enthalpic considerations and
      previous design rules for DNA-linked particle assembly. Notably, this unexpected
      phase behavior is only observed when employing long DNA linkers with unpaired
      "flexor" bases positioned along the length of the DNA linker that increase the
      number of microstates available to the DNA ligands. A range of design conditions
      are tested showing sudden onsets of this behavior, and these experiments are
      coupled with coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to show that this
      entropy-driven crystallization behavior is due to the accessibility of additional
      microstates afforded by using long and flexible linkers. 

PMID- 26126167
TI  - A case of thrombosis of subcutaneous anterior chest veins (Mondor's disease) as
      an unusual complication of botulinum type A injection.
AB  - Mondor's disease is a rare entity, characterized by sclerosing thrombophlebitis
      classically involving one or more of the subcutaneous veins, including the
      anterior chest wall. It is usually a self-limited, benign condition, although it
      may be rarely associated with cancer. The intramuscular administration of
      botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A), and also, more recently, type B, is a well
      established treatment of many neurological, other medical and cosmetic disorders,
      including strabismus, blepharospasm, cervical and other focal/segmental dystonia,
      and also hyperhidrosis. Herein, we describe a case of thrombosis of the
      subcutaneous anterior chest veins, known as Mondor's disease, following botulinum
      toxin treatment for armpits hyperhidrosis. 

PMID- 26126168
TI  - Haemophilia A and B as a cause for secondary osteoporosis and increased fracture
      risk.
AB  - Despite the increasing evidence regarding its association with low bone mineral
      density (BMD) both in adults and children, haemophilia A or B has not yet been
      considered among the classic causes of secondary osteoporosis. Although the exact
      mechanisms are not fully elucidated, physical inactivity and vitamin D deficiency
      seem to play a fundamental role for such an association. Viral infections and
      arthropathy further compromise bone mass. Except for low BMD, patients with
      haemophilia seem to be at increased risk for fracture and falls. The FRAX tool
      may be of value in this population, for the estimation of fracture risk. Regular
      exercise, prophylactic factor replacement therapy in severe haemophilia, fall
      prevention strategies and optimization of calcium and vitamin D intake are
      recommended. In any case, individualized multidisciplinary approach and careful
      assessment and management of fracture risk are recommended. 

PMID- 26126169
TI  - Antithrombotic and antiplatelet activities of vicenin-2.
AB  - Cyclopia subternata is a medicinal plant commonly used in traditional medicine to
      relieve pain in physiological processes. However, there are limited modern data
      on its pharmacological effects and active components relating to its traditional
      use. Here, the anticoagulant and antiplatelet activities of vicenin-2 (VCN), an
      active compound in C. subternata, were determined. The anticoagulant activities
      were investigated by monitoring activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT),
      prothrombin time (PT), and the activities of thrombin and activated factor X
      (FXa). The effects of VCN on the expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor
      type 1 (PAI-1) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) were evaluated in
      tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-activated human umbilical vein endothelial
      cells (HUVECs). Treatment with VCN resulted in prolonged aPTT and PT and
      inhibition of the activities of thrombin and FXa, as well as inhibited production
      of thrombin and FXa in HUVECs. In addition, VCN inhibited thrombin-catalyzed
      fibrin polymerization and platelet aggregation. VCN also elicited anticoagulant
      effects in mice. In addition, treatment with VCN resulted in significant
      reduction of the PAI-1 to t-PA ratio. Collectively, VCN possesses antithrombotic
      activities and offers a basis for development of a novel anticoagulant. 

PMID- 26126170
TI  - Interest of chest X-ray in tailoring the diagnostic strategy in patients with
      suspected pulmonary embolism.
AB  - Current diagnostic strategies for pulmonary embolism rely on the sequential use
      of noninvasive diagnostic tests including ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scan and
      computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA). V/Q scan remains criticized
      because of a high proportion of nondiagnostic test results, especially when the
      chest X-ray (CXR) is abnormal. The present study assesses whether CXR results
      have an impact on the conclusiveness of a noninvasive diagnostic strategy of
      pulmonary embolism based on the combination of pretest probability, compression
      ultrasonography, V/Q scan, and CTPA. Patients suspected of having pulmonary
      embolism were managed according to a validated diagnostic strategy. All patients
      underwent a CXR within 24 h of the suspicion of pulmonary embolism. CXR results
      were correlated to strategy conclusiveness, as assessed by the rate of required
      CTPA as per the diagnostic algorithm. Two hundred and twenty-three patients were
      retrospectively analyzed. CXRs were considered as normal in 108 (48%) patients
      and abnormal in 115 (52%) patients. According to the diagnostic algorithm, a CTPA
      was required to reach a diagnostic conclusion in 11 (10%) patients of the normal
      CXR group, and in 14 (12%) patients of the abnormal CXR group (P > 0.05). In this
      study, the presence of CXR abnormalities did not have an impact on the
      conclusiveness of a diagnostic strategy of pulmonary embolism based on V/Q scan.
      CXR abnormalities should likely not be regarded as a contraindication to the use
      of V/Q scan in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism. 

PMID- 26126171
TI  - Cell cycle status dictates effectiveness of rapamycin.

PMID- 26126172
TI  - Dopant Concentration-Porosity-Li-Ion Conductivity Relationship in Garnet-Type
      Li5+2xLa3Ta2-xYxO12 (0.05 <= x <= 0.75) and Their Stability in Water and 1 M
      LiCl.
AB  - Highly Li-ion conductive Y-doped garnet-type Li5+2xLa3Ta2-xYxO12 (0.05 <= x <=
      0.75) were studied to understand the effects of yttrium- and lithium-doping on
      crystal structure, porosity, and Li-ion conductivity using (7)Li MAS NMR,
      electrochemical ac impedance spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy
      (SEM), as well as ex situ and in situ powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) to further
      explore the potential application of garnets in all-solid-state Li-ion batteries.
      Solid-state (7)Li MAS NMR studies showed an increase in the Li-ion mobility as a
      function of Y- and Li-doping in Li5+2xLa3Ta2-xYxO12, which is consistent with the
      results from ac impedance spectroscopy. The SEM studies on sintered pellets
      indicated a systematic decrease in porosity and an increase in sinterability as
      the Y- and Li-doping levels increase in Li5+2xLa3Ta2-xYxO12. These results are
      consistent with the calculated porosity and densities using the Archimedes
      method. Using the variable-temperature in situ PXRD in the temperature range of
      30-700  degrees C, a thermal expansion coefficient of 7.25 * 10(-6) K(-1) was
      observed for Li6La3Ta1.5Y0.5O12. To further explore the possibility of a new
      application for the Li-stuffed garnets, the stability of these materials in
      aqueous LiCl solution was also studied. A high degree of structural stability was
      observed in these materials upon 1 M LiCl treatment, making them suitable
      candidates for further studies as protective layers for lithium electrodes in
      aqueous lithium batteries. 

PMID- 26126173
TI  - Inert Gas Enhanced Laser-Assisted Purification of Platinum Electron-Beam-Induced
      Deposits.
AB  - Electron-beam-induced deposition patterns, with composition of PtC5, were
      purified using a pulsed laser-induced purification reaction to erode the
      amorphous carbon matrix and form pure platinum deposits. Enhanced mobility of
      residual H2O molecules via a localized injection of inert Ar-H2 (4%) is
      attributed to be the reactive gas species for purification of the deposits.
      Surface purification of deposits was realized at laser exposure times as low as
      0.1 s. The ex situ purification reaction in the deposit interior was shown to be
      rate-limited by reactive gas diffusion into the deposit, and deposit contraction
      associated with the purification process caused some loss of shape retention. To
      circumvent the intrinsic flaws of the ex situ anneal process, in situ deposition
      and purification techniques were explored that resemble a direct write atomic
      layer deposition (ALD) process. First, we explored a laser-assisted electron-beam
      induced deposition (LAEBID) process augmented with reactive gas that resulted in
      a 75% carbon reduction compared to standard EBID. A sequential deposition plus
      purification process was also developed and resulted in deposition of pure
      platinum deposits with high fidelity and shape retention. 

PMID- 26126174
TI  - Experimental philosophy of actual and counterfactual free will intuitions.
AB  - Five experiments suggested that everyday free will and moral responsibility
      judgments about some hypothetical thought examples differed from free will and
      moral responsibility judgments about the actual world. Experiment 1 (N=106)
      showed that free will intuitions about the actual world measured by the FAD-Plus
      poorly predicted free will intuitions about a hypothetical person performing a
      determined action (r=.13). Experiments 2-5 replicated this result and found the
      relations between actual free will judgments and free will judgments about
      hypothetical determined or fated actions (rs=.22-.35) were much smaller than the
      differences between them (etap(2)=.2-.55). These results put some pressure on
      theoretical accounts of everyday intuitions about freedom and moral
      responsibility.

PMID- 26126175
TI  - Mistreatment of Women in Childbirth: Time for Action on This Important Dimension
      of Violence against Women.

PMID- 26126176
TI  - Galectin-8 Ameliorates Murine Autoimmune Ocular Pathology and Promotes a
      Regulatory T Cell Response.
AB  - Galectins have emerged as potent immunoregulatory agents that control chronic
      inflammation through distinct mechanisms. Here, we report that treatment with
      Galectin-8 (Gal-8), a tandem-repeat member of the galectin family, reduces
      retinal pathology and prevents photoreceptor cell damage in a murine model of
      experimental autoimmune uveitis. Gal-8 treatment increased the number of
      regulatory T cells (Treg) in both the draining lymph node (dLN) and the inflamed
      retina. Moreover, a greater percentage of Treg cells in the dLN and retina of Gal
      8 treated animals expressed the inhibitory coreceptor cytotoxic T lymphocyte
      antigen (CTLA)-4, the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10, and the tissue-homing
      integrin CD103. Treg cells in the retina of Gal-8-treated mice were primarily
      inducible Treg cells that lack the expression of neuropilin-1. In addition, Gal-8
      treatment blunted production of inflammatory cytokines by retinal T helper type
      (TH) 1 and TH17 cells. The effect of Gal-8 on T cell differentiation and/or
      function was specific for tissues undergoing an active immune response, as Gal-8
      treatment had no effect on T cell populations in the spleen. Given the need for
      rational therapies for managing human uveitis, Gal-8 emerges as an attractive
      therapeutic candidate not only for treating retinal autoimmune diseases, but also
      for other TH1- and TH17-mediated inflammatory disorders. 

PMID- 26126177
TI  - Genomic Scans of Zygotic Disequilibrium and Epistatic SNPs in HapMap Phase III
      Populations.
AB  - Previous theory indicates that zygotic linkage disequilibrium (LD) is more
      informative than gametic or composite digenic LD in revealing natural population
      history. Further, the difference between the composite digenic and maximum
      zygotic LDs can be used to detect epistatic selection for fitness. Here we
      corroborate the theory by investigating genome-wide zygotic LDs in HapMap phase
      III human populations. Results show that non-Africa populations have much more
      significant zygotic LDs than do Africa populations. Africa populations (ASW, LWK,
      MKK, and YRI) possess more significant zygotic LDs for the double-homozygotes
      (DAABB) than any other significant zygotic LDs (DAABb, DAaBB, and DAaBb), while
      non-Africa populations generally have more significant DAaBb's than any other
      significant zygotic LDs (DAABB, DAABb, and DAaBB). Average r-squares for any
      significant zygotic LDs increase generally in an order of populations YRI, MKK,
      CEU, CHB, LWK, JPT, CHD, TSI, GIH, ASW, and MEX. Average r-squares are greater
      for DAABB and DAaBb than for DAaBB and DAABb in each population. YRI and MKK can
      be separated from LWK and ASW in terms of the pattern of average r-squares. All
      population divergences in zygotic LDs can be interpreted with the model of Out of
      Africa for modern human origins. We have also detected 19735-95921 SNP pairs
      exhibiting strong signals of epistatic selection in different populations. Gene
      gene interactions for some epistatic SNP pairs are evident from empirical
      findings, but many more epistatic SNP pairs await evidence. Common epistatic SNP
      pairs rarely exist among all populations, but exist in distinct regions (Africa,
      Europe, and East Asia), which helps to understand geographical genomic medicine. 

PMID- 26126178
TI  - Cannabis use in children with individualized risk profiles: Predicting the effect
      of universal prevention intervention.
AB  - AIM: To study the effect of a universal prevention intervention targeting
      cannabis use in individual children with different risk profiles. METHODS: A
      school-based randomized controlled prevention trial was conducted over a period
      of 33 months (n=1874 sixth-graders, baseline mean age 11.82). We used a two-level
      random intercept logistic model for panel data to predict the probabilities of
      cannabis use for each child. Specifically, we used eight risk/protective factors
      to characterize each child and then predicted two probabilities of cannabis use
      for each child if the child had the intervention or not. Using the two
      probabilities, we calculated the absolute and relative effect of the intervention
      for each child. According to the two probabilities, we also divided the sample
      into a low-risk group (the quarter of the children with the lowest
      probabilities), a moderate-risk group, and a high-risk group (the quarter of the
      children with the highest probabilities) and showed the average effect of the
      intervention on these groups. RESULTS: The differences between the intervention
      group and the control group were statistically significant in each risk group.
      The average predicted probabilities of cannabis use for a child from the low-risk
      group were 4.3% if the child had the intervention and 6.53% if no intervention
      was provided. The corresponding probabilities for a child from the moderate-risk
      group were 10.91% and 15.34% and for a child from the high-risk group 25.51% and
      32.61%. School grades, thoughts of hurting oneself, and breaking the rules were
      the three most important factors distinguishing high-risk and low-risk children.
      CONCLUSIONS: We predicted the effect of the intervention on individual children,
      characterized by their risk/protective factors. The predicted absolute effect and
      relative effect of any intervention for any selected risk/protective profile of a
      given child may be utilized in both prevention practice and research.

PMID- 26126179
TI  - Genes associated with the progression of neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's
      disease.
AB  - The spreading of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), intraneuronal aggregates of
      highly phosphorylated microtubule-associated protein tau, across the human brain
      is correlated with the cognitive severity of Alzheimer's disease (AD). To
      identify genes relevant to NFT expansion defined by the Braak stage, we conducted
      whole-genome exon array analysis with an exploratory sample set consisting of 213
      human post-mortem brain tissue specimens from the entorinal, temporal and frontal
      cortices of 71 brain-donor subjects: Braak NFT stages 0 (N=13), I-II (N=20), III
      IV (N=19) and V-VI (N=19). We identified eight genes, RELN, PTGS2, MYO5C, TRIL,
      DCHS2, GRB14, NPAS4 and PHYHD1, associated with the Braak stage. The expression
      levels of three genes, PHYHD1, MYO5C and GRB14, exhibited reproducible
      association on real-time quantitative PCR analysis. In another sample set,
      including control subjects (N=30), and in patients with late-onset AD (N=37),
      dementia with Lewy bodies (N=17) and Parkinson disease (N=36), the expression
      levels of two genes, PHYHD1 and MYO5C, were obviously associated with late-onset
      AD. Protein-protein interaction network analysis with a public database revealed
      that PHYHD1 interacts with MYO5C via POT1, and PHYHD1 directly interacts with
      amyloid beta-peptide 42. It is thus likely that functional failure of PHYHD1 and
      MYO5C could lead to AD development. 

PMID- 26126180
TI  - Mitochondrial respiration in peripheral blood mononuclear cells correlates with
      depressive subsymptoms and severity of major depression.
AB  - Mitochondrial dysfunction might have a central role in the pathophysiology of
      depression. Phenotypically, depression is characterized by lack of energy,
      concentration problems and fatigue. These symptoms might be partially explained
      by reduced availability of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as a consequence of
      impaired mitochondrial functioning. This study investigated mitochondrial
      respiration in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), an established model
      to investigate the pathophysiology of depression. Mitochondrial respiration was
      assessed in intact PBMCs in 22 individuals with a diagnosis of major depression
      (MD) compared with 22 healthy age-matched controls using high-resolution
      respirometry. Individuals with MD showed significantly impaired mitochondrial
      functioning: routine and uncoupled respiration as well as spare respiratory
      capacity, coupling efficiency and ATP turnover-related respiration were
      significantly lower in the MD compared with the control group. Furthermore,
      mitochondrial respiration was significantly negatively correlated with the
      severity of depressive symptoms, in particular, with loss of energy, difficulties
      concentrating and fatigue. The results suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction
      contributes to the biomolecular pathophysiology of depressive symptoms. The
      decreased immune capability observed in MD leading to a higher risk of
      comorbidities could be attributable to impaired energy supply due to
      mitochondrial dysfunction. Thus mitochondrial respiration in PBMCs and its
      functional consequences might be an interesting target for new therapeutical
      approaches in the treatment of MD and immune-related comorbidities. 

PMID- 26126182
TI  - Phenomenological Model of the Growth of Ultrasmooth Silver Thin Films Deposited
      with a Germanium Nucleation Layer.
AB  - The structural properties of optically thin (15 nm) silver (Ag) films deposited
      on SiO2/Si(100) substrates with a germanium (Ge) nucleation layer were studied.
      The morphological and crystallographical characteristics of Ag thin films with
      different Ge nucleation layer thicknesses were assessed by cross-sectional
      transmission electron microscopy (XTEM), reflection high-energy electron
      diffraction (RHEED), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), grazing incidence X-ray
      diffractometry (GIXRD), X-ray reflection (XRR), and Fourier transform infrared
      spectroscopy (FTIR). The surface roughness of Ag thin films was found to decrease
      significantly by inserting a Ge nucleation layer with a thickness in the range of
      1 to 2 nm (i.e., smoothing mode). However, as the Ge nucleation layer thickness
      increased beyond 2 nm, the surface roughness increased concomitantly (i.e.,
      roughing mode). For the smoothing mode, the role of the Ge nucleation layer in
      the Ag film deposition is discussed by invoking the surface energy of Ge, the
      bond dissociation energy of Ag-Ge, and the deposition mechanisms of Ag thin films
      on a given characteristic Ge nucleation layer. Additionally, Ge island formation,
      the precipitation of Ge from Ag-Ge alloys, and the penetration of Ge into SiO2
      are suggested for the roughing mode. This demonstration of ultrasmooth Ag thin
      films would offer an advantageous material platform with scalability for
      applications such as optics, plasmonics, and photonics. 

PMID- 26126181
TI  - PhenoWorld: a new paradigm to screen rodent behavior.
AB  - Modeling depression in animals has inherent complexities that are augmented by
      intrinsic difficulties to measure the characteristic features of the disorder.
      Herein, we describe the PhenoWorld (PhW), a new setting in which groups of six
      rats lived in an ethological enriched environment, and have their feeding,
      locomotor activity, sleeping and social behavior automatically monitored. A
      battery of emotional and cognitive tests was used to characterize the behavioral
      phenotype of animals living in the PhW and in standard conditions (in groups of
      six and two rats), after exposure to an unpredictable chronic mild stress
      paradigm (uCMS) and antidepressants. Data reveal that animals living in the PhW
      displayed similar, but more striking, behavioral differences when exposed to
      uCMS, such as increased behavioral despair shown in the forced swimming test,
      resting/sleep behavior disturbances and reduced social interactions. Moreover,
      several PhW-cage behaviors, such as spontaneous will to go for food or exercise
      in running wheels, proved to be sensitive indicators of depressive-like behavior.
      In summary, this new ethological enriched paradigm adds significant
      discriminative power to screen depressive-like behavior, in particularly rodent's
      hedonic behavior. 

PMID- 26126183
TI  - Safety effects of fixed speed cameras - An empirical Bayes evaluation.
AB  - The safety effects of 223 fixed speed cameras that were installed between 2000
      and 2010 in Norway were investigated in a before-after empirical Bayes study with
      control for regression to the mean (RTM). Effects of trend, volumes, and speed
      limit changes are controlled for as well. On road sections between 100m upstream
      and 1km downstream of the speed cameras a statistically significant reduction of
      the number of injury crashes by 22% was found. For killed and severely injured
      (KSI) and on longer road sections none of the results are statistically
      significant. However, speed cameras that were installed in 2004 or later were
      found to reduce injury crashes and the number of KSI on road sections from 100m
      upstream to both 1km and 3km downstream of the speed cameras. Larger effects were
      found for KSI than for injury crashes and the effects decrease with increasing
      distance from the speed cameras. At the camera sites (100m up- and down-stream)
      crash reductions are smaller and non-significant, but highly uncertain and
      possibly underestimated. 

PMID- 26126185
TI  - cis-1,2-Aminohydroxylation of Alkenes Involving a Catalytic Cycle of Osmium(III)
      and Osmium(V) Centers: Os(V)(O)(NHTs) Active Oxidant with a Macrocyclic
      Tetradentate Ligand.
AB  - Catalytic activity of [Os(III)(OH)(H2O)(L-N4Me2)](PF6)2 (1: L-N4Me2 = N,N'
      dimethyl-2,11-diaza-[3,3](2,6)pyridinophane) in 1,2-cis-aminohydroxylation of
      alkenes with sodium N-chloro-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide (chloramine-T) is
      explored. Simple alkenes as well as those containing several types of
      substituents are converted to the corresponding 1,2-aminoalcohols in modest to
      high yields. The aminoalcohol products have exclusively cis conformation with
      respect to the introduced -OH and -NHTs groups. The spectroscopic measurements
      including cold mass spectroscopic study of the reaction product of complex 1 and
      chloromine-T as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate
      that an oxido-aminato-osmium(V) species [Os(V)(O)(NHTs)(L-N4Me2)](PF6)2 (2) is an
      active oxidant for the aminohydroxylation. The DFT calculations further indicate
      that the reaction involves a [3 + 2] cycloaddition between 2 and alkene, and the
      regioselectivity in the aminohydroxylation of unsymmetrical alkenes is determined
      by the orientation that bears less steric hindrance from the tosylamino group,
      which leads to the energetically more preferred product isomer. 

PMID- 26126184
TI  - Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) in U.S. Latinas and Chileans:
      Clinical features, Ancestry Analysis, and Admixture Mapping.
AB  - In the Americas, women with Indigenous American ancestry are at increased risk of
      intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), relative to women of other
      ethnicities. We hypothesized that ancestry-related genetic factors contribute to
      this increased risk. We collected clinical and laboratory data, and performed
      biochemical assays on samples from U.S. Latinas and Chilean women, with and
      without ICP. The study sample included 198 women with ICP (90 from California,
      U.S., and 108 from Chile) and 174 pregnant control women (69 from California,
      U.S., and 105 from Chile). SNP genotyping was performed using Affymetrix arrays.
      We compared overall genetic ancestry between cases and controls, and used a
      genome-wide admixture mapping approach to screen for ICP susceptibility loci. We
      identified commonalities and differences in features of ICP between the 2
      countries and determined that cases had a greater proportion of Indigenous
      American ancestry than did controls (p = 0.034). We performed admixture mapping,
      taking country of origin into account, and identified one locus for which Native
      American ancestry was associated with increased risk of ICP at a genome-wide
      level of significance (P = 3.1 x 10(-5), Pcorrected = 0.035). This locus has an
      odds ratio of 4.48 (95% CI: 2.21-9.06) for 2 versus zero Indigenous American
      chromosomes. This locus lies on chromosome 2, with a 10 Mb 95% confidence
      interval which does not contain any previously identified hereditary 'cholestasis
      genes.' Our results indicate that genetic factors contribute to the risk of
      developing ICP in the Americas, and support the utility of clinical and genetic
      studies of ethnically mixed populations for increasing our understanding of ICP.

PMID- 26126186
TI  - Validating Community-Led Forest Biomass Assessments.
AB  - The lack of capacity to monitor forest carbon stocks in developing countries is
      undermining global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Involving local people in
      monitoring forest carbon stocks could potentially address this capacity gap. This
      study conducts a complete expert remeasurement of community-led biomass
      inventories in remote tropical forests of Papua New Guinea. By fully remeasuring
      and isolating the effects of 4,481 field measurements, we demonstrate that
      programmes employing local people (non-experts) can produce forest monitoring
      data as reliable as those produced by scientists (experts). Overall, non-experts
      reported lower biomass estimates by an average of 9.1%, equivalent to 55.2 fewer
      tonnes of biomass ha(-1), which could have important financial implications for
      communities. However, there were no significant differences between forest
      biomass estimates of expert and non-expert, nor were there significant
      differences in some of the components used to calculate these estimates, such as
      tree diameter at breast height (DBH), tree counts and plot surface area, but were
      significant differences between tree heights. At the landscape level, the
      greatest biomass discrepancies resulted from height measurements (41%) and,
      unexpectedly, a few large missing trees contributing to a third of the overall
      discrepancies. We show that 85% of the biomass discrepancies at the tree level
      were caused by measurement taken on large trees (DBH >=50 cm), even though they
      consisted of only 14% of the stems. We demonstrate that programmes that engage
      local people can provide high-quality forest carbon data that could help overcome
      barriers to reducing forest carbon emissions in developing countries.
      Nonetheless, community-based monitoring programmes should prioritise reducing
      errors in the field that lead to the most important discrepancies, notably;
      overcoming challenges to accurately measure large trees.

PMID- 26126187
TI  - N-Phenyl-4,5-dibromopyrrolamides and N-Phenylindolamides as ATP Competitive DNA
      Gyrase B Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation.
AB  - Bacterial DNA gyrase is a well-known and validated target in the design of
      antibacterial drugs. However, inhibitors of its ATP binding subunit, DNA gyrase B
      (GyrB), have so far not reached clinical use. In the present study, three
      different series of N-phenyl-4,5-dibromopyrrolamides and N-phenylindolamides were
      designed and prepared as potential DNA gyrase B inhibitors. The IC50 values of
      compounds on DNA gyrase from Escherichia coli were in the low micromolar range,
      with the best compound, (4-(4,5-dibromo-1H-pyrrole-2-carboxamido)benzoyl)glycine
      (18a), displaying an IC50 of 450 nM. For this compound, a high-resolution crystal
      structure in complex with E. coli DNA gyrase B was obtained, revealing details of
      its binding mode within the active site. The binding affinities of three
      compounds with GyrB were additionally evaluated by surface plasmon resonance, and
      the results were in good agreement with the determined enzymatic activities. For
      the most promising compounds, the inhibitory activities against DNA gyrase from
      Staphylococcus aureus and topoisomerases IV from E. coli and S. aureus were
      determined. Antibacterial activities of the most potent compounds of each series
      were evaluated against two Gram-positive and two Gram-negative bacterial strains.
      The results obtained in this study provide valuable information on the binding
      mode and structure-activity relationship of N-phenyl-4,5-dibromopyrrolamides and
      N-phenylindolamides as promising classes of ATP competitive GyrB inhibitors. 

PMID- 26126188
TI  - Roles of functional groups of naproxen in its sorption to kaolinite.
AB  - The sorption of acidic anti-inflammatory drugs to soils is important for
      evaluating their fate and transformations in the water-soil environment. However,
      roles of functional groups of ionisable drugs onto mineral surfaces have not been
      sufficiently studied. In this study, batch experiments of naproxen (NPX, anti
      inflammatory drug) and two kinds of competitors to kaolinite were studied. The Kd
      of naproxen to kaolinite is 1.30-1.62 L kg(-1). The n-pi electron donor-acceptor
      (n-pi EDA) interaction between diaromatic ring of naproxen (pi-electron
      acceptors) and the siloxane oxygens (n-donors) of kaolinite is the dominant
      sorption mechanism. The carboxyl group of naproxen can contribute to the overall
      sorption. A conception model was put forward to elucidate to sorption mechanisms,
      in which the contribution of n-pi EDA and hydrogen bond to overall sorption was
      quantified. These sorption mechanisms can be helpful for estimating the fate and
      mobility of acid pharmaceuticals in soil-water environment.

PMID- 26126189
TI  - Natural attenuation of arsenic in the environment by immobilization in
      nanostructured hematite.
AB  - Iron (hydr)oxides are known to play a major role in arsenic fixation in the
      environment. The mechanisms for long-term fixation into their crystal structure,
      however, remain poorly understood, especially arsenic partitioning behavior
      during transformation from amorphous to crystalline phases under natural
      conditions. In this study, these mechanisms are investigated in Fe-Al-oxisols
      exposed over a period of 10 years to a sulfide concentrate in tailings
      impoundments. The spatial resolution necessary to investigate the markedly
      heterogeneous nanoscale phases found in the oxisols was achieved by combining
      three different, high resolution electron microscopy techniques - Nano-Beam
      Electron Diffraction (NBD), Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy (EELS), and High
      Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM). Arsenic (1.6+/-0.5 wt.%) was
      unambiguously and precisely identified in mesocrystals of Al-hematite with an
      As/Fe atomic ratio of 0.026+/-0.006. The increase in the c-axis (c=1.379+/-0.009
      nm) compared to standard hematite (c=1.372 nm) is consistent with the presence of
      arsenic in the Al-hematite structure. The As-bearing Al-hematite is interpreted
      as a secondary phase formed from oxyhydroxides, such as ferrihydrite, during the
      long-term exposure to the sulfide tailings. The proposed mechanism of arsenic
      fixation in the Al-hematite structure involves adsorption onto Al-ferrihydrite
      nanoparticles, followed by Al-ferrihydrite aggregation by self-assembly oriented
      attachment and coalescence that ultimately produces Al-hematite mesocrystals. Our
      results illustrate for the first time the process of formation of stable arsenic
      bearing Al-hematite for the long-term immobilization of arsenic in environmental
      samples.

PMID- 26126190
TI  - A qualitative screening and quantitative measurement of organic contaminants on
      different types of marine plastic debris.
AB  - Chemical compounds present on plastic were characterised on different types of
      plastic litter and beached pellets, using a general GC-MS screening method. A
      variety of plastic related compounds, such as building blocks, antioxidants,
      additives and degradation products, were identified next to diverse environmental
      pollutants and biofilm compounds. A validated method for the analysis of PAHs and
      PCBs on beached pellets at the Belgian Coast, showed concentrations of ? 16 EPA
      PAHs of 1076-3007 ng g(-1) plastic, while the concentrations of ? 7 OSPAR-PCBs
      ranged from 31 to 236 ng g(-1) plastic. The wide variety of plastic compounds
      retrieved in the general screening showed the importance of plastic as a
      potential source of contaminants and their degradation products.

PMID- 26126191
TI  - Pathological Methods Applied to the Investigation of Causes of Death in
      Developing Countries: Minimally Invasive Autopsy Approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Complete diagnostic autopsies (CDA) remain the gold standard
      in the determination of cause of death (CoD). However, performing CDAs in
      developing countries is challenging due to limited facilities and human
      resources, and poor acceptability. We aimed to develop and test a simplified
      minimally invasive autopsy (MIA) procedure involving organ-directed sampling with
      microbiology and pathology analyses implementable by trained technicians in low-
      income settings. METHODS: A standardized scheme for the MIA has been developed
      and tested in a series of 30 autopsies performed at the Maputo Central Hospital,
      Mozambique. The procedure involves the collection of 20 mL of blood and
      cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and puncture of liver, lungs, heart, spleen, kidneys,
      bone marrow and brain in all cases plus uterus in women of childbearing age,
      using biopsy needles. RESULTS: The sampling success ranged from 67% for the
      kidney to 100% for blood, CSF, lung, liver and brain. The amount of tissue
      obtained in the procedure varied from less than 10 mm2 for the lung, spleen and
      kidney, to over 35 mm2 for the liver and brain. A CoD was identified in the
      histological and/or the microbiological analysis in 83% of the MIAs. CONCLUSIONS:
      A simplified MIA technique allows obtaining adequate material from body fluids
      and major organs leading to accurate diagnoses. This procedure could improve the
      determination of CoD in developing countries.

PMID- 26126192
TI  - Identification and Differential Expression of a Candidate Sex Pheromone Receptor
      in Natural Populations of Spodoptera litura.
AB  - Olfaction is primarily mediated by highly specific olfactory receptors (ORs), a
      subfamily of which are the pheromone receptors that play a key role in sexual
      communication and can contribute to reproductive isolation. Here we cloned and
      identified an olfactory receptor, SlituOR3 (Genbank NO. JN835270), from
      Spodoptera litura, to be the candidate pheromone receptor. It exhibited male
      biased expression in the antennae, where they were localized at the base of
      sensilla trichoidea. Conserved orthologues of these receptors were found amongst
      known pheromone receptors within the Lepidoptera, and SlituOR3 were placed
      amongst a clade of candidate pheromone receptors in a phylogeny tree of insect
      ORs. SlituOR3 is required for the EAG responses to both Z9E11-14:OAc and Z9E12
      14:OAc SlituOR3 showed differential expression in S. litura populations attracted
      to traps baited with a series of sex pheromone blends composed of different
      ratios of (9Z,11E)-tetradecadienyl acetate (Z9E11-14:OAc) and (9Z,12E)
      tetradecadienyl acetate (Z9E12-14:OAc). The changes in the expression level of
      SlitOR3 and antennal responses after SlitOR3 silencing suggested that SlitOR3 is
      required for the sex pheromone signaling. We infer that variation in
      transcription levels of olfactory receptors may modulate sex pheromone perception
      in male moths and could affect both of pest control and monitoring efficiency by
      pheromone application after long time mass trapping with one particular ratio of
      blend in the field. 

PMID- 26126194
TI  - T-cell alloreactivity and transplantation outcome: a budding role for
      heterologous immunity?
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite the association between alloreactive T cells and poor
      graft survival, the mechanisms behind T-cell-mediated rejection are still under
      investigation. In this review, we will discuss the latest insights into the
      impact of T-cell alloreactivity on solid organ transplantation and hematopoietic
      stem cell transplantation (HSCT), with special emphasis on the potential impact
      of heterologous immunity. RECENT FINDINGS: A large part of the memory T-cell
      repertoire is induced upon virus infections, and evidence for a role of T-cell
      receptor cross-reactivity of virus-induced memory T cells against allogeneic
      human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is accumulating in experimental and clinical solid
      organ transplantation studies. In HSCT, strong alloreactive potential of naive T
      cells causes concerns for graft-versus-host disease while additional HLA-DP
      matching is suggested to prevent CD4 alloreactivity. Furthermore, virus-induced
      memory T cells hamper mixed chimerism induction, pointing once more towards a
      role for heterologous immunity. SUMMARY: Both memory and naive T cells contribute
      to the alloimmune response after transplantation. Monitoring for T-cell
      phenotypes could help predict rejection episodes and/or graft-versus-host
      disease, allowing timely intervention. Tailoring donor lymphocyte infusions and
      additional HLA matching could prevent strong alloreactivity in HSCT. Furthermore,
      the potential role of heterologous immunity in T-cell alloreactivity and
      transplantation is gaining interest.

PMID- 26126193
TI  - New insights into the mechanisms of Treg function.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: CD4Foxp3 regulatory T cells (Tregs) are crucial in controlling
      immunity and self-tolerance. Consequently, in transplantation, Tregs play a
      central role in inhibiting acute rejection and promoting allograft tolerance. A
      more complete understanding of Treg biology may lead to novel therapeutic
      approaches to enhance Treg numbers and function. RECENT FINDINGS: The maintenance
      of self-tolerance in nonlymphoid tissues requires the differentiation of Tregs in
      secondary lymphoid organs from naive-like central Tregs into effector Tregs.
      Antigen and environmental cues guide this Treg differentiation, which parallels
      the types of adaptive immune responses taking place, allowing them to enter and
      function within specific nonlymphoid tissues. In addition to controlling
      inflammation, tissue-infiltrating Tregs unexpectedly regulate nonimmune
      processes, including metabolic homeostasis and tissue repair. Finally, Tregs can
      be directly and specifically targeted in vivo to augment their numbers or enhance
      their function in both secondary lymphoid organs and nonlymphoid tissues.
      SUMMARY: Tregs exhibit a previously unrecognized breadth of function, which
      includes tissue-specific specialization and the regulation of both immune and
      nonimmune processes. This is of particular importance in transplantation since
      allo-reactive memory T cells can act directly within the allograft. Thus,
      therapeutic approaches may need to promote Treg function in transplanted tissue,
      as well as in secondary lymphoid organs. Such therapy would not only prevent
      inflammation and acute rejection, but may also promote nonimmune processes within
      the allograft such as tissue homeostasis and repair.

PMID- 26126195
TI  - Novel preservation methods to increase the quality of older kidneys.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review was to summarize the novel
      developments in preservation of older kidneys. RECENT FINDINGS: The importance of
      older donors as a source of renal grafts is increasing, with a concomitant
      increase of posttransplant failure. Preservation of kidneys retrieved from older
      donors through hypothermic machine perfusion reduces delayed graft function rate
      and increases long-term graft survival. Assessment of renal function and
      selection through biomarkers or perfusion criteria to predict posttransplant
      function are limited. Normothermic perfusion offers the benefit of reperfusion
      under ideal circumstances, thereby reducing ischemic injury while having the
      opportunity to test graft viability and preselect kidneys on graft-specific
      characteristics. Both preservation methods enable active treatment of the
      isolated graft prior to transplantation, with stem cells or pharmaceuticals.
      SUMMARY: Older kidneys are more prone to acute kidney injury during ischemic
      periods combined with an impaired ability to fully recover after transplantation.
      Novel preservation and resuscitation methods provide the opportunity to select
      transplantable kidneys better founded or even repair re-existing damage reducing
      the risk of impaired graft function and improving survival.

PMID- 26126196
TI  - Molecular aspects of renal senescence.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aging kidney undergoes profound changes that lead to a
      reduction in stress resistance and impaired repair capacity. In order to improve
      the outcome of acute and chronic kidney damage, it is instrumental to understand
      the mechanisms that cause these changes. Cellular senescence has emerged as an
      important cellular process that contributes to age-associated kidney changes and
      chronic kidney disease progression. RECENT FINDINGS: New mechanistic insights
      into excessive intracellular glucose, advanced glycation end products and
      endoplasmatic reticulum stress further support the importance of cellular
      senescence in the development of diabetic nephropathy. As telomere length of
      leukocytic DNA is increasingly used as a biomarker to estimate senescence in
      clinical cohort studies, this review also summarizes the literature on telomere
      length with respect to the kidney and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of
      this methodology. Furthermore, novel findings on the relationships among
      telomeres, senescence and autophagy are discussed. SUMMARY: Cellular senescence
      contributes to the decline in renal function during aging and defective
      regeneration in kidney diseases. Further insight into the underlying molecular
      mechanisms of senescence will establish a basis for preventive strategies that
      improve renal stress resistance and regenerative capacity.

PMID- 26126197
TI  - Optimizing clinical utilization and allocation of older kidneys.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: With a persisting organ shortage and constant high discard
      rates, there is an urgent need to optimize the outcome and allocation of marginal
      grafts. RECENT FINDINGS: The Eurotransplant Senior Program was established as an
      'old-for-old' allocation system emphasizing on the importance of keeping ischemic
      times short when utilizing marginal grafts. In addition to refined allocation
      systems, brief cold ischemic times, novel preservation techniques, a careful
      assessment of organ quality the utilization of dual kidney transplantation and
      donation after cardiac death kidneys from elderly donors may all help to increase
      the supply for renal transplantation. Moreover, age-adapted immunosuppression,
      improved patient selection and preparation for transplantation may help in
      improving outcomes when using marginal kidneys. SUMMARY: There is a significant
      potential to increase the utilization of marginal grafts with reduced discard
      rates, an increased utilization of dual kidney transplantation and the
      application of novel preservation methods.

PMID- 26126198
TI  - Understanding alterations in drug handling with aging: a focus on the
      pharmacokinetics of maintenance immunosuppressants in the elderly.
AB  - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review presents current knowledge of the impact of age on
      the pharmacokinetics of maintenance immunosuppressants. RECENT FINDINGS: Over the
      past decade, there has been a steady increase in older patients on organ
      transplant waiting lists. As a result, the average age of transplant recipients
      has significantly increased. The survival and quality-of-life benefits of
      transplantation in the elderly population have been demonstrated. Advancing age
      is associated with changes in immune responses, as well as changes in drug
      handling. Immunosenescence is a physiological part of aging and is linked to
      reduced rejection rates, but also higher rates of diabetes, infections and
      malignancies. Physiologic changes associated with age can have a significant
      impact on the pharmacokinetics of the maintenance immunosuppressive agents. Taken
      together, these age-related changes impact older transplant candidates and may
      have significant implications for managing immunosuppression in the elderly.
      SUMMARY: Despite the lack of formal efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetic studies
      of individual immunosuppressants in the elderly transplant population, there are
      enough data available for practitioners to be able to adequately manage their
      older patients. A proficient understanding of the factors that impact the
      pharmacokinetics of the immunosuppressants in the elderly is essential to
      managing these patients successfully.

PMID- 26126199
TI  - Technical and conceptual advances in histocompatibility and immunogenetics inform
      on mechanisms of transplant rejection and pave the way to development of novel
      therapies.

PMID- 26126201
TI  - Interrelation of Hydration, Collagen Cross-Linking Treatment, and Biomechanical
      Properties of the Cornea.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present study was designed to investigate the effects of hydration
      and collagen cross-linking treatment on biomechanical properties of the cornea.
      METHODS: The original corneal collagen cross-linking protocol was used to induce
      cross-links in bovine corneas. The thickness of samples was used as a measure of
      their hydration and five different thickness groups (n = 5 each) were considered.
      The cross-linked corneal strips were allowed to hydrate/dehydrate until their
      thickness reached 500, 700, 900, 1100, and 1500 MUm. The tensile behavior of
      specimens in each thickness group was characterized by conducting uniaxial
      tensile experiments. The experiments were done in mineral oil in order to keep
      the thickness of samples constant and minimize hydration changes. RESULTS: It was
      observed that collagen cross-linking treatment significantly increased both the
      maximum tensile stress and the equilibrium (relaxed) stress of the bovine cornea
      (p < 0.01). Furthermore, with increasing the thickness (hydration) of the
      collagen cross-linked samples, their tensile stiffness significantly decreased (p
      < 0.01). An exponential relation and a logarithmic expression successfully
      represented experimentally measured stress-strain behavior and relaxation
      response of all groups (r(2 )> 0.99), respectively. CONCLUSION: Hydration and
      collagen cross-linking treatment concomitantly affect biomechanical properties of
      the cornea. Therefore, an accurate estimate of stiffening effects of collagen
      cross-linking treatment option using uniaxial tensile experiments is only
      possible if the hydration of specimens is fully controlled.

PMID- 26126200
TI  - Etiology of Severe Febrile Illness in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A
      Systematic Review.
AB  - BACKGROUND: With apparent declines in malaria worldwide during the last decade
      and more widespread use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests, healthcare workers in
      low-resource areas face a growing proportion of febrile patients without malaria.
      We sought to describe current knowledge and identify information gaps of the
      etiology severe febrile illness in low-and middle-income countries. METHODS AND
      FINDINGS: We conducted a systematic review of studies conducted in low-and-middle
      income countries 1980-2013 that prospectively assessed consecutive febrile
      patients admitted to hospital using rigorous laboratory-based case definitions.
      We found 45 eligible studies describing 54,578 patients; 9,771 (17.9%) had a
      positive result for >=1 pathogen meeting diagnostic criteria. There were no
      eligible studies identified from Southern and Middle Africa, Eastern Asia,
      Oceania, Latin American and Caribbean regions, and the European region. The
      median (range) number of diagnostic tests meeting our confirmed laboratory case
      definitions was 2 (1 to 11) per study. Of diagnostic tests, 5,052 (10.3%) of
      49,143 had confirmed bacterial or fungal bloodstream infection; 709 (3.8%) of
      18,142 had bacterial zoonosis; 3,488 (28.5%) of 12,245 had malaria; and 1,804
      (17.4%) of 10,389 had a viral infection. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate a wide range
      of pathogens associated with severe febrile illness and highlight the substantial
      information gaps regarding the geographic distribution and role of common
      pathogens. High quality severe febrile illness etiology research that is
      comprehensive with respect to pathogens and geographically representative is
      needed.

PMID- 26126202
TI  - Generation of Viable Plant-Vertebrate Chimeras.
AB  - The extreme dependence on external oxygen supply observed in animals causes major
      clinical problems and several diseases are related to low oxygen tension in
      tissues. The vast majority of the animals do not produce oxygen but a few
      exceptions have shown that photosynthetic capacity is physiologically compatible
      with animal life. Such symbiotic photosynthetic relationships are restricted to a
      few aquatic invertebrates. In this work we aimed to explore if we could create a
      chimerical organism by incorporating photosynthetic eukaryotic cells into a
      vertebrate animal model. Here, the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was
      injected into zebrafish eggs and the interaction and viability of both organisms
      were studied. Results show that microalgae were distributed into different
      tissues, forming a fish-alga chimera organism for a prolonged period of time. In
      addition, microscopic observation of injected algae, in vivo expression of their
      mRNA and re-growth of the algae ex vivo suggests that they survived to the
      developmental process, living for several days after injection. Moreover
      microalgae did not trigger a significant inflammatory response in the fish. This
      work provides additional evidence to support the possibility that photosynthetic
      vertebrates can be engineered. 

PMID- 26126204
TI  - Apparent Mineralocorticoid Excess by a Novel Mutation and Epigenetic Modulation
      by HSD11B2 Promoter Methylation.
AB  - CONTEXT: Apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME) is a rare autosomal recessive
      disease resulting from mutations within the hydroxysteroid (11beta-dehydrogenase2
      [HSD11B2]) gene causing a prominent mineralocorticoid receptor activation by
      cortisol and hypokalemic low renin hypertension as the main clinical feature.
      OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to characterize AME for possible novel
      HSD11B2 mutations and to define the role of HSD11B2 promoter methylation in the
      phenotypic expression of the disease. SUBJECTS: Two proband brothers and 10
      relatives participated in the study. METHODS: Peripheral blood mononuclear cell
      DNA was used for HSD11B2 exon sequencing, and a new predicted structure of 11beta
      hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 was generated by an in silico three
      dimensional modeling. Promoter methylation was determined by bisulfite
      pyrosequencing. Urinary tetrahydrocortisol plus allotetrahydrocortisol to
      tetrahydrocortisone ratio, a surrogate marker of 11beta-hydroxysteroid
      dehydrogenase type 2 activity, was measured by gas chromatography-mass
      spectrometry. RESULTS: A novel homozygous variant at HSD11B2 exon 3 site
      (c.C662G) resulting in an alanine-to-glycine change at position 221 was
      discovered by sequencing the DNA of the probands. A monoallelic mutation was
      found in the DNA of the parents and other four relatives. In silico three
      dimensional modeling showed that the Ala221Gly substitution could perturb a
      hydrophobic interaction by reducing the enzymatic affinity for the substrate. The
      HSD11B2 promoter methylation of normotensive heterozygous relatives was similar
      to that of wild types, whereas the hypertensive heterozygous subjects showed
      higher methylation than wild types, consistently with a transcriptional
      repressive effect of promoter hypermethylation. CONCLUSIONS: A novel HSD11B2
      functional mutation accounting for an Ala221Gly substitution causes AME. The
      hypertension phenotype is also epigenetically modulated by HSD11B2 methylation in
      subjects heterozygous for the mutation.

PMID- 26126203
TI  - Speech-Language Dissociations, Distractibility, and Childhood Stuttering.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study investigated the relation among speech-language
      dissociations, attentional distractibility, and childhood stuttering. METHOD:
      Participants were 82 preschool-age children who stutter (CWS) and 120 who do not
      stutter (CWNS). Correlation-based statistics (Bates, Appelbaum, Salcedo, Saygin,
      & Pizzamiglio, 2003) identified dissociations across 5 norm-based speech-language
      subtests. The Behavioral Style Questionnaire Distractibility subscale measured
      attentional distractibility. Analyses addressed (a) between-groups differences in
      the number of children exhibiting speech-language dissociations; (b) between
      groups distractibility differences; (c) the relation between distractibility and
      speech-language dissociations; and (d) whether interactions between
      distractibility and dissociations predicted the frequency of total, stuttered,
      and nonstuttered disfluencies. RESULTS: More preschool-age CWS exhibited speech
      language dissociations compared with CWNS, and more boys exhibited dissociations
      compared with girls. In addition, male CWS were less distractible than female CWS
      and female CWNS. For CWS, but not CWNS, less distractibility (i.e., greater
      attention) was associated with more speech-language dissociations. Last,
      interactions between distractibility and dissociations did not predict speech
      disfluencies in CWS or CWNS. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that for
      preschool-age CWS, attentional processes are associated with speech-language
      dissociations. Future investigations are warranted to better understand the
      directionality of effect of this association (e.g., inefficient attentional
      processes -> speech-language dissociations vs. inefficient attentional processes
      <- speech-language dissociations).

PMID- 26126205
TI  - Long-Term Natural Course of Pituitary Tumors in Patients With MEN1: Results From
      the DutchMEN1 Study Group (DMSG).
AB  - CONTEXT: Guidelines advise lifelong radiological followup for asymptomatic
      pituitary adenomas (PITs) because of the risk for growth and subsequent visual
      field defects. In the context of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) an
      even more comprehensive screening is advised because PITs are presumed to
      manifest more aggressive behavior. We studied the long-term course of MEN1
      related PITs, which may be used as a model for sporadically occurring PITs.
      OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study is to assess the results of systematic pre
      symptomatic PIT screening and subsequent long-term followup of PITs with emphasis
      on nonfunctioning microadenomas diagnosed by screening. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A
      cohort study was performed using the Dutch national MEN1 database, including
      greater than 90% of the Dutch MEN1 population older than 16 years (n = 323). MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Screening results, natural course, and effects of treatment of
      PIT were assessed. RESULTS: PIT was diagnosed in 123 patients with MEN1 (38.1 %),
      of whom 66 were diagnosed by MEN1-related screening. Ninety-one percent of the
      nonfunctioning PIT detected during screening (n = 35), did not require
      intervention during followup (median, 6.0 y). Three microadenomas showed limited
      growth but did not progress toward macroadenomas. Both screening-detected and
      prevalent prolactinomas (n = 52) responded well to treatment with dopamine
      agonists. CONCLUSION: Systematic presymptomatic screening for PIT in patients
      with MEN1 predominantly results in detection of nonfunctioning microadenomas.
      Prolactinoma in patients with MEN1 responded well to medical treatment.
      Microadenomas grew only occasionally and after many years without clinical
      consequences. Frequent magnetic resonance imaging followup of nonfunctioning
      microadenomas in the context of MEN1 and sporadically occurring PITs therefore
      seems debatable.

PMID- 26126206
TI  - New Nordic Diet-Induced Weight Loss Is Accompanied by Changes in Metabolism and
      AMPK Signaling in Adipose Tissue.
AB  - CONTEXT: The molecular mechanisms behind diet-induced metabolic improvements
      remain to be studied. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to investigate whether
      expression of proteins in skeletal muscle or adipose tissue could explain
      improvements in glucose and lipid homeostasis after weight loss. DESIGN:
      Volunteers consumed a New Nordic Diet (NND) or an Average Danish Diet for 26
      weeks in a controlled, free-living setting. SUBJECTS: Sixty four moderately obese
      women and men (44 +/- 2 y; body mass index, 31 +/- 1 kg/m(2)). INTERVENTION:
      Fasting blood samples and biopsies from the vastus lateralis muscle and
      subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SCAT) were obtained at week 0 and 26.
      OUTCOME: Gene and protein expressions were analyzed by real-time PCR and Western
      blotting. RESULTS: Improved homeostasis homeostatic model of assessment-insulin
      resistance index and lowered plasma triacylglycerol concentration after NND
      coincided with molecular adaptations in SCAT but not in skeletal muscle. NND
      induced greater reduction in fat mass than ADD (-6 +/- 1 kg and -2 +/- 1 kg; P <
      .01). In SCAT this was associated with increased AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase
      phosphorylation (P < .05). Concomitantly, NND induced up-regulation of Akt2 and
      Akt substrate of 160 kDa (P < .05) as well as fatty acid transport protein 4 and
      membrane associated fatty acid binding protein (P < .05). Indices of increased
      oxidative capacity were observed, as carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 mRNA (P =
      .08) as well as citrate synthase (P = .1) and cytochrome c (P = .05) protein
      tended to increase. CONCLUSION: NND-induced metabolic improvements were
      accompanied by increased AMPK signaling in SCAT, suggesting a role of AMPK in
      these adaptations. The concomitant up-regulation of key glucose and lipid
      handling proteins suggests an improved metabolic capacity in adipose tissue after
      weight loss.

PMID- 26126207
TI  - Increased Cardiovascular and Metabolic Morbidity in Patients With 21-Hydroxylase
      Deficiency: A Swedish Population-Based National Cohort Study.
AB  - CONTEXT: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is lethal in its most severe forms
      if not treated with glucocorticoids. However, glucocorticoids may increase the
      risk of cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to
      study cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity in CAH. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
      PARTICIPANTS: Patients with CAH due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (n = 588; >80%
      with known CYP21A2 mutations) were compared with controls matched for sex, year,
      and place of birth (n = 58 800). Data were obtained by linking national
      population-based registers. Subgroup analyses were performed regarding sex,
      clinical severity (salt wasting, simple virilizing, nonclassic), CYP21A2 genotype
      (null, I2 splice, I172N, P30L), and stratified by the introduction of neonatal
      screening, age groups, and nonobesity. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To study
      cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity in CAH. RESULTS: In CAH, both any
      cardiovascular and metabolic disorders (OR [odds ratio], 3.9; 95% CI [confidence
      interval], 3.1-5.0), and cardiovascular disease (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.9-3.9) were
      increased. Separate analyses of the individual diseases showed higher frequencies
      in CAH of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, atrial fibrillation, venous
      thromboembolism, obesity, diabetes (mainly type 2), obstructive sleep disorder,
      thyrotoxicosis, and hypothyroidism. Similar results were seen in the stratified
      groups. On the subgroup level, females were generally more affected (especially
      I172N and the nonclassic group), as were males with the null genotype.
      CONCLUSIONS: CAH was associated with excess cardiovascular and metabolic
      morbidity but the mechanism is not certain as the glucocorticoids were not
      assessed. Hypothyroidism and obesity may be an effect of close observation.
      However, more severe conditions were presumably detected equally in patients and
      controls. Screening for diabetes and other metabolic disorders that increase
      cardiovascular risk is important.

PMID- 26126208
TI  - Compensatory Increase in Ovarian Aromatase in Older Regularly Cycling Women.
AB  - CONTEXT: Serum estradiol (E2) levels are preserved in older reproductive-aged
      women with regular menstrual cycles despite declining ovarian function.
      OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine whether increased
      granulosa cell aromatase expression and activity account for preservation of E2
      levels in older, regularly cycling women. DESIGN: The protocol included daily
      blood sampling and dominant follicle aspirations at an academic medical center
      during a natural menstrual cycle. SUBJECTS: Healthy, regularly cycling older (36
      45 y; n = 13) and younger (22-34 y; n = 14) women participated in the study. MAIN
      OUTCOME MEASURES: Hormone levels were measured in peripheral blood and follicular
      fluid aspirates and granulosa cell CYP19A1 (aromatase) and FSH-R mRNA expression
      were determined. RESULTS: Older women had higher FSH levels than younger women
      during the early follicular phase with similar E2 but lower inhibin B and
      antimullerian hormone levels. Late follicular phase serum E2 did not differ
      between the two groups. Follicular fluid E2 [older (O) = 960.0 [interquartile
      range (IQR) 765.0-1419.0]; younger (Y) = 994.5 [647.3-1426.5] ng/mL, P = 1.0],
      estrone (O = 39.6 [29.5-54.1]; Y = 28.8 [22.5-42.1] ng/mL, P = 0.3), and the E2
      to testosterone (T) ratio (O = 109.0 +/- 41.9; Y = 83.0 +/- 18.6, P = .50) were
      preserved in older women. Granulosa cell CYP19A1 expression was increased 3-fold
      in older compared with younger women (P < .001), with no difference in FSH-R
      expression. CONCLUSIONS: Ovarian aromatase expression increases with age in
      regularly cycling women. Thus, up-regulation of aromatase activity appears to
      compensate for the known age-related decrease in granulosa cell number in the
      dominant follicle to maintain ovarian estrogen production in older premenopausal
      women.

PMID- 26126209
TI  - Human Preferences for Conformation Attributes and Head-And-Neck Positions in
      Horses.
AB  - Human preferences for certain morphological attributes among domestic animals may
      be entirely individual or, more generally, may reflect evolutionary pressures
      that favor certain conformation. Artificial selection for attributes, such as
      short heads and crested necks of horses, may have functional and welfare
      implications because there is evidence from other species that skull shape co
      varies with behaviour. Crested necks can be accentuated by flexion of the neck, a
      quality that is often manipulated in photographs vendors use when selling horses.
      Equine head-and-neck positions acquired through rein tension can compromise
      welfare. Our investigation was designed to identify conformations and postures
      that people are attracted to when choosing their 'ideal' horse. Participants of
      an internet survey were asked to rate their preference for horse silhouettes that
      illustrated three gradations of five variables: facial shape, crest height, ear
      length, ear position and head-and-neck carriage. There were 1,234 usable
      responses. The results show that overall preferences are for the intermediate,
      rather than extreme, morphological choices (p=<0.001). They also indicate that
      males are 2.5 times less likely to prefer thicker necks rather than the
      intermediate shape, and 4 times more likely to prefer the thinner neck shape.
      When compared to the novice participants, experienced participants were 1.9 times
      more likely to prefer a thicker neck shape than the intermediate neck shape and
      2.8 times less likely to prefer a thinner neck shape than the intermediate neck
      shape. There was overall preference of 93% (n=939) for the category of head
      carriage 'In front of the vertical'. However, novice participants were 1.8 times
      more likely to choose 'behind the vertical' than 'in front of the vertical'. Our
      results suggest that people prefer a natural head carriage, concave facial
      profile (dished face), larger ears and thicker necks. From these survey data, it
      seems that some innate preferences may run counter to horse health and welfare. 

PMID- 26126210
TI  - Small-Anion Selective Transmembrane "Holes" Induced by an Antimicrobial Peptide
      Too Short to Span Membranes.
AB  - Whereas many membrane-destabilization modes have been suggested for membrane
      spanning antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), few are available for those too short to
      span membrane thickness. Here we show that ORB-1, a 15-residue disulfide-bridged
      AMP that is only ~20 A long even when fully stretched like a hairpin, may act by
      inducing small anion-selective transmembrane "holes" of negative mean curvature.
      In model membranes of Gram-negative bacteria, ORB-1 induces chloride
      transmembrane transport and formation of transmembrane channels of negative mean
      curvature, whereas the inactive analogue, ORB-N, does not, suggesting a
      correlation between antibacterial activity and ability to induce transmembrane
      channels. Given that ORB-N is the C-terminus amidated form of ORB-1, our results
      further suggest that formation of membrane-spanning dimers may be required to
      initiate the observed channel induction. Moreover, ORB-1 renders model bacterial
      membranes permeable to anions with effective hydration diameters of <1 nm (e.g.,
      Cl(-) and NO3(-)), but not cations of similar sizes (e.g., H3O(+)), indicative of
      anion-selective transmembrane channels with an effective inner diameter of <=1
      nm. In addition, negative-intrinsic-curvature (NIC) lipids such as
      phosphoethanolamine (PE) may facilitate the membrane-destabilization process of
      ORB-1. Our findings may expand current understandings on how AMPs destabilize
      membranes and facilitate the pharmaceutical development of ORB-1. 

PMID- 26126211
TI  - Using Inverse Probability Bootstrap Sampling to Eliminate Sample Induced Bias in
      Model Based Analysis of Unequal Probability Samples.
AB  - In ecology, as in other research fields, efficient sampling for population
      estimation often drives sample designs toward unequal probability sampling, such
      as in stratified sampling. Design based statistical analysis tools are
      appropriate for seamless integration of sample design into the statistical
      analysis. However, it is also common and necessary, after a sampling design has
      been implemented, to use datasets to address questions that, in many cases, were
      not considered during the sampling design phase. Questions may arise requiring
      the use of model based statistical tools such as multiple regression, quantile
      regression, or regression tree analysis. However, such model based tools may
      require, for ensuring unbiased estimation, data from simple random samples, which
      can be problematic when analyzing data from unequal probability designs. Despite
      numerous method specific tools available to properly account for sampling design,
      too often in the analysis of ecological data, sample design is ignored and
      consequences are not properly considered. We demonstrate here that violation of
      this assumption can lead to biased parameter estimates in ecological research. In
      addition, to the set of tools available for researchers to properly account for
      sampling design in model based analysis, we introduce inverse probability
      bootstrapping (IPB). Inverse probability bootstrapping is an easily implemented
      method for obtaining equal probability re-samples from a probability sample, from
      which unbiased model based estimates can be made. We demonstrate the potential
      for bias in model-based analyses that ignore sample inclusion probabilities, and
      the effectiveness of IPB sampling in eliminating this bias, using both simulated
      and actual ecological data. For illustration, we considered three model based
      analysis tools--linear regression, quantile regression, and boosted regression
      tree analysis. In all models, using both simulated and actual ecological data, we
      found inferences to be biased, sometimes severely, when sample inclusion
      probabilities were ignored, while IPB sampling effectively produced unbiased
      parameter estimates.

PMID- 26126212
TI  - NO CLEAR LINK BETWEEN G LOADINGS AND HERITABILITY: A TWIN STUDY FROM KOREA.
AB  - A fundamental theoretical question in intelligence research is to what extent the
      g factor and heritability coefficients of the subtests of an IQ battery are
      correlated. Five studies from Western countries showed modest to strong positive
      correlations (range = .43-.77), and six studies from a Japanese meta-analysis
      showed zero to modest correlations (range = -0.01-0.59). The Western and Japanese
      studies were compared with a Korean sample of 24 monozygotic and 20 dizygotic
      young adult twin pairs administered the Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
      Revised (WAIS-R). A univariate twin model was applied to all subscale scores
      leading to estimates of heritability for all scales. g loadings were also
      computed using principal-axis factor analysis. Finally, the correlation between
      the heritabilities and the g loadings of these scales were computed. The
      correlations of r = -.15 were not in line with previous studies. It could be that
      Spearman's hypothesis is less strongly confirmed for Northeast Asians, but it is
      also possible that the study will be an outlier in a future meta-analysis. More
      primary research and a meta-analysis of all studies are needed.

PMID- 26126214
TI  - Preface. Nasal Trauma.

PMID- 26126213
TI  - 1/f Noise Scaling Analysis in Unipolar-Type Organic Nanocomposite Resistive
      Memory.
AB  - We studied noise characteristics of a nanocomposite of polyimide (PI) and phenyl
      C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) (denoted as PI:PCBM), a composite for the
      organic nonvolatile resistive memory material. The current fluctuations were
      investigated over a bias range that covers various intermediate resistive states
      and negative differential resistance (NDR) in organic nanocomposite unipolar
      resistive memory devices. From the analysis of the 1/f(gamma) type noises,
      scaling behavior between the relative noise power spectral density S and
      resistance R was observed, indicating a percolating behavior. Considering a
      linear rate equation of the charge trapping-detrapping at traps, the percolation
      behavior and NDR could be understood by the modulation of the conductive phase
      fraction phi with an external bias. This study can enhance the understanding of
      the NDR phenomena in organic nanocomposite unipolar resistive memory devices in
      terms of the current path formation and the memory switching. 

PMID- 26126215
TI  - An Algorithm for the Initial Management of Nasal Trauma.
AB  - Nasal fractures are the most common of all facial skeletal injuries. Untreated,
      these fractures frequently lead to functional and aesthetic problems. Careful
      history and physical assessment are critical to determine the extent of injury
      and to determine proper management. Critical aspects of assessment are discussed,
      as is the role of imaging in management. The unique aspects of pediatric nasal
      fractures and their management are reviewed. Fractures are classified based on
      the degree of injury and the involvement of the septum. A simple treatment
      algorithm is provided to help guide the selection of optimal treatment
      techniques. A review of instrumentation and treatment techniques is provided. The
      goal of treatment is to restore the nose to its preinjury shape and function and
      to minimize the need for secondary septorhinoplasty. 

PMID- 26126216
TI  - Management of Nasal and Perinasal Soft Tissue Injuries.
AB  - The prominence of the nose renders it susceptible to soft tissue trauma of
      multiple etiologies. In this review, we present a framework for evaluation and
      treatment of nasal soft tissue injuries. Initial evaluation of nasal soft tissue
      injuries should include a complete trauma assessment, history, and physical
      examination. Mechanisms described include lacerations, abrasions, bites, and
      thermal injuries. Finally, we discuss wound care and surgical treatment options,
      including local flap and free tissue transfer. Though timing of repair remains
      somewhat controversial, most sources indicate that immediate reconstruction
      should be undertaken when possible. 

PMID- 26126217
TI  - Complex Nasal Fractures in the Adult-A Changing Management Philosophy.
AB  - Acute management of complex nasal fractures in the adult nose is still frequently
      conducted using closed reduction techniques as first-line therapy. Treatment
      outcomes from closed reduction are often disappointing and secondary surgical
      corrections are required in a sizeable subset of patients. In response to the
      shortcomings of closed fracture manipulation, classic rhinoplasty techniques have
      been introduced to improve anatomic fracture reduction. Although these techniques
      improve the accuracy of skeletal reduction, they also weaken the nose, leaving it
      susceptible to the deformational forces of healing. To provide optimal anatomic
      fracture reduction and concomitant stabilization of the skeletal framework, we
      have been using contemporary strategies derived from open structure rhinoplasty
      and extracorporeal septal reconstruction for initial fracture treatment. Using
      wide-field exposure with open rhinoplasty, these strategies provide optimal
      fracture reduction and rigid stabilization of the septal L-strut using suture
      based fixation and structural grafting techniques. The result is unsurpassed
      contour restoration and lasting architectural stability of the nose. When
      combined with power-driven instruments to cut, shape, mobilize, and create
      osseous suture holes, open structure stabilization of the disrupted skeletal
      framework establishes a new benchmark in acute fracture management. 

PMID- 26126218
TI  - Management of the Deviated Nasal Dorsum.
AB  - The deviated nasal dorsum veers off the ideal straight vertical orientation at
      midline. Deviations in the dorsum lead to functional and aesthetic consequences
      that frequently prompt the patient to seek consultation with a rhinoplasty
      surgeon. Inability to breathe through the nose and self-image perception
      significantly detracts from the patient's quality of life. Correction of the
      deviated nasal dorsum represents a challenge for the rhinoplasty surgeon.
      Anatomic correction of deviations is the goal. Straightening a deviated nasal
      dorsum will require maneuvers to realign the nose distinct from traditional
      aesthetic rhinoplasty techniques. The nasal dorsum is formed by the three
      dimensional structures of the septum, the bony nasal pyramid, and the
      cartilaginous nasal midvault. Restoring the position of the septum at midline is
      the first step in providing adequate support to the nasal architecture.
      Extracorporeal septoplasty and anterior septal transplant are often necessary
      techniques to correct the septum and achieve dorsal correction. Subsequently,
      asymmetric maneuvers to bony dorsum and midvault are performed to restore
      symmetry. Asymmetric hump reduction and nasal osteotomies are often necessary.
      Supporting the midvault to avoid nasal collapse often requires asymmetric
      maneuvers to the upper lateral cartilages and asymmetric spreader grafts.
      Finally, camouflaging grafts to the nasal dorsum may be necessary. Significant
      rigidity and memory of the native tissues must be overcome to successfully
      straighten a nose. The surgeon who can master the deviated dorsum will
      significantly improve the appearance and quality of life of the patients he or
      she treats. 

PMID- 26126219
TI  - Autologous Rib Grafts in the Management of the Crooked Nose.
AB  - Rhinoplasty is arguably one of the most challenging procedures a facial plastic
      surgeon performs. Numerous techniques have been developed since the inception of
      rhinoplasty to aid in correction of aesthetic and functional issues. Congenital,
      iatrogenic, and traumatic etiologies can all lead to a crooked nose. Autologous
      rib or costal cartilage grafting is a powerful tool that can aid the surgeon in
      successful correction of the crooked nose. 

PMID- 26126220
TI  - Essential Grafting in the Traumatized Nose.
AB  - Corrective rhinoplasty after significant nasal trauma is a much different entity
      than elective rhinoplasty or rhinoplasty after minor trauma. The more significant
      the degree of trauma the patient is subjected to, the greater the deleterious
      effects will be on the soft tissue and skeletal elements of the patient's nose.
      With this disruption of the anatomic integrity and dynamics of the nose, the
      patient experiences deformity and dysfunction of the nose. This may be minor and
      transient or may be lifelong and disabling. In this article, the authors review
      some of the more long-term aspects of nasal trauma and provide the reader with
      insights to the use of cartilage grafting techniques that are useful in the
      management of posttraumatic nasal deformity and airway obstruction. 

PMID- 26126221
TI  - The Role of Transverse Osteotomies in Severe Nasal Trauma.
AB  - Facial trauma commonly produces trauma to the nose and perinasal area. In this
      review, emphasis is on the treatment of the severely deviated nose in terms of
      excessive shift of the bony dorsum and bony pyramid. In particular, we focus on
      the problem of centering the severely deviated bony dorsum and when we believe it
      is helpful to move the entire bony dorsum as a unit, utilizing the transverse
      osteotomy in addition to traditional osteotomies. 

PMID- 26126222
TI  - Posttraumatic Nasal Deformities: Correcting the Crooked and Saddle Nose.
AB  - The nose is frequently traumatized in facial injuries and this often results from
      motor vehicle accidents, sports-related injuries, and altercations. Subsequently,
      posttraumatic nasal deformity is one of the most common reasons that patients
      seek consultation in the doctor's office. Depending on the type of nasal
      deformities, this can result in functional impairment and aesthetic problems. Two
      challenging problems to be addressed in the posttraumatic nose include the
      crooked nose deformity and the saddle nose deformity. The numerous publications
      on these two topics attest to the exacting surgical expertise required in its
      treatment. The key features in management of these conditions are discussed
      further. 

PMID- 26126223
TI  - Cosmetic Concerns Related to the Posttraumatic Nose without Nasal Obstruction.
AB  - Because of its prominent position on the facial skeleton, the nose is commonly
      injured. Though significant trauma can result in nasal obstruction, there is also
      considerable concern for potential cosmetic deformity. Repairing traumatic
      deformities is complex and can involve all aspects of the nose, including the
      bony and cartilaginous framework as well as the soft tissue envelope. Trauma can
      result in deflection, asymmetry, and deformity of the bony nasal dorsum,
      midvault, and nasal tip. Any serious nasal trauma places patients at risk for
      complications that may include nasal septal hematoma, septal perforation, and
      possible cerebral spinal fluid leak. Unrecognized or untreated septal hematomas
      can result in cartilaginous septal necrosis followed by saddle nose deformity.
      Though damage to structural scaffolding is often the cause of cosmetic deformity
      following nasal trauma, the nasal soft tissue envelope is also commonly affected.
      This can result in lacerations, avulsions, and traumatic tattooing. The following
      will discuss the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of these cosmetic concerns
      relating to nasal trauma. 

PMID- 26126224
TI  - Management of Posttraumatic Pseudotelecanthus.
AB  - Injuries to the nose and perinasal region are common. Though the nasal fractures
      are commonly recognized and properly addressed, injuries to adjacent structures
      such as the orbit, medial canthus, and midface skeleton can be missed or
      misdiagnosed leading to improper primary treatment and subsequent secondary
      deformities. In this discussion, we focus on secondary deformities of the medial
      canthal region injuries that result from inadequate primary repair of the
      displaced medial canthal tendon apparatus in naso-orbital-ethmoid fractures.
      Emphasis is placed on the difference in complexity of the secondary
      pseudotelecanthus deformity relative to primary fracture treatment. Case examples
      are used to discuss the complexity of the correction of such deformities. 

PMID- 26126225
TI  - Dorsal Augmentation in Rhinoplasty: A Survey and Review.
AB  - Understanding the nuanced practices and grafting options of dorsal augmentation
      will improve outcomes and results in rhinoplasty. To better understand the
      practices of dorsal augmentation among our colleagues. To review the current
      literature regarding the indications, safety profiles, and outcomes of different
      materials used in dorsal augmentation. A PubMed search was performed to capture
      current articles containing reviews or large series regarding the safety and
      efficacy of various grafting materials used for dorsal augmentation. Of the many
      options available, autologous cartilage grafts maintain widespread use for dorsal
      augmentation and other techniques in rhinoplasty. Homologous cartilage grafts,
      namely irradiated rib, are a preferred alternative. Irradiated costal cartilage
      has been shown to have low complication rates and is unique in its abundance of
      supply, particularly in the revision rhinoplasty. Alloplastic implants,
      particularly silicone, are prevalent in Asian countries where they are a popular
      first-line choice. ePTFE has a favorable complication profile in primary
      rhinoplasty; however, caution is recommended when using ePTFE in revision cases.
      Porous polyethylene has a higher risk of associated complications than the other
      alloplastic implants listed, and therefore should be considered thoughtfully.
      Although cartilage is often the preferred graft for dorsal augmentation, there
      are many other autogenous, homologous, and alloplastic materials that have been
      shown to be safe and effective choices when applied in the proper setting. 

PMID- 26126226
TI  - Handheld-Level Electromechanical Cartilage Reshaping Device.
AB  - We have developed a handheld-level multichannel electromechanical reshaping (EMR)
      cartilage device and evaluated the feasibility of providing a means of cartilage
      reshaping in a clinical outpatient setting. The effect of EMR on pig costal
      cartilage was evaluated in terms of shape change, tissue heat generation, and
      cell viability. The pig costal cartilage specimens (23 mm * 6.0 mm * 0.7 mm) were
      mechanically deformed to 90 degrees and fixed to a plastic jig and applied 5, 6,
      7, and 8 V up to 8 minutes to find the optimal dosimetry for the our developed
      EMR device. The results reveal that bend angle increased with increasing voltage
      and application time. The maximum bend angle obtained was 70.5 +/- 7.3 at 8 V, 5
      minutes. The temperature of flat pig costal cartilage specimens were measured,
      while a constant electric voltage was applied to three pairs of electrodes that
      were inserted into the cartilages. The nonthermal feature of EMR was validated by
      a thermal infrared camera; that is, the maximum temperate of the flat cartilages
      is 20.3 degrees C at 8 V. Cell viability assay showed no significant difference
      in cell damaged area from 3 to 7 minutes exposure with 7 V. In conclusion, the
      multichannel EMR device that was developed showed a good feasibility of cartilage
      shaping with minimal temperature change.

PMID- 26126227
TI  - Injection Rhinoplasty with Hyaluronic Acid and Calcium Hydroxyapatite: A
      Retrospective Survey Investigating Outcome and Complication Rates.
AB  - Injection rhinoplasty offers an attractive, reversible alternative to surgery.
      Here we assessed outcome, longevity of benefits, adverse effects, and patient
      assessment of injection rhinoplasty, using degradable synthetic fillers. Forty
      six patients who underwent injection rhinoplasty using degradable fillers over
      the past 3 years were assessed (calcium hydroxyapatite: 26 patients, hyaluronic
      acid: 20 patients). Comparison of pre- and postoperative images indicated
      realistically achievable treatment results. Patient satisfaction was assessed
      using a 5-point questionnaire at 3 weeks and 9 months posttreatment. Forty-six
      patients (88 areas) were treated. At 3 weeks posttreatment, 85% of patients were
      satisfied with treatment results. At 9 months or later posttreatment, 87% of
      patients were very/completely satisfied with treatment results, regardless of
      filler used. Treatment longevity varied between 6 and 30 months (mean: 13.5
      months). Positive evaluation was mainly due to accurate prediction of achievable
      results to meet patient expectations. There were one moderate and two severe
      complications, all following calcium hydroxyapatite treatment. Two resolved
      completely following treatment and one patient was lost to follow-up. This
      resulted in subsequent exclusive use of hyaluronic acid filler. Injectable
      biodegradable fillers are effective for correction of minor nasal deformities or
      irregularities. Attention must be given to injection technique and adverse effect
      management. 

PMID- 26126228
TI  - Safety Approach to Otoplasty: A Surgical Algorithm.
AB  - An algorithm was developed through an evolution of refinements in surgical
      technique with the goal to minimize risk and morbidity in otoplasty. Key
      principles were avoidance of cartilage incisions and transections and the use of
      multiple surgical techniques to distribute the "surgical load" evenly among these
      techniques. The present retrospective study was designed to test safety and
      efficacy of the concept in 100 consecutive patients and to discuss the results in
      light of the literature. Data detailing the surgery, preoperative, and
      postoperative period were extracted from the record and during patient
      interviews. Patients were contacted to complete a questionnaire to rate the
      postoperative pain and their satisfaction with the final outcome on a 6-point
      visual analog scale (VAS). An expert and a lay panel assessed preoperative and
      postoperative frontal-view photographs, using the same VAS. Pain in the
      postoperative was rated as minor (pain level VAS average score, 2.33) and
      patients' satisfaction was excellent (satisfaction level VAS average score,
      1.82). The assessment by the panels of expert and lay evaluators paralleled these
      outcomes with a postoperative average VAS score of 1.69 and 1.87, respectively.
      Cartilage incision and transection can be effectively avoided in otoplasty. Even
      distribution of the surgical load among multiple techniques avoids the problems
      associated with "overload" of a single technique. The innovative technique of
      cortical mastoid drill-out is described. High satisfaction with the results,
      excellent patient comfort, and a favorable safety profile are associated with the
      present algorithm. 

PMID- 26126229
TI  - The Changes in Histopathology and Mass in Hyperbaric Oxygen-Treated Auricular
      Cartilage Grafts in a Rabbit Model.

PMID- 26126230
TI  - Chronic exposure to environmentally-relevant concentrations of fluoxetine
      (Prozac) decreases survival, increases abnormal behaviors, and delays predator
      escape responses in guppies.
AB  - This study evaluates the impact of fluoxetine, an antidepressant drug and common
      pollutant in aquatic environments, on growth, survival, and behavior in juvenile
      guppies and on predator escape responses in adult guppies (Poecilia reticulata).
      In juveniles, the effects of acute (4d) and chronic (35d) exposure on growth and
      survival were examined, and behavioral changes were noted throughout the chronic
      experiment. In adults, escape responses to a mock predator during chronic (28d)
      fluoxetine exposure were videotaped to determine the overall speed of response in
      treated vs. control fish. The effects of fish gender and the presence of a
      group/school on escape responses were also determined. Our results show that
      acute exposure to nominal concentrations of 0.03 and 0.5MUg/L, levels within the
      environment, did not adversely impact juvenile guppy survival. However, chronic
      exposure significantly reduced weight, length, and belly width/girth measurements
      compared to controls. Chronic exposure also resulted in abnormal swimming
      behavior and reduced survival in juveniles. In adults, fluoxetine exposure
      significantly delayed predator escape responses in both males and females. Escape
      responses were also reduced when adults were tested either individually or in a
      group, with significantly more delayed responses seen in individually tested
      fish. Taken together, these findings suggest that fluoxetine can impact guppy
      populations, during both juvenile and adult stages, with chronic exposure
      resulting in decreased survival and growth and altered behavioral responses.

PMID- 26126231
TI  - Living organisms influence on environmental conditions: pH modulation by
      amphibian embryos versus aluminum toxicity.
AB  - The LC10, 50 and 90/24h of aluminum for Rhinella arenarum embryos at complete
      operculum stage were 0.55, 0.75 and 1mgAl(3+)/L respectively. Those values did
      not change significantly by expanding the exposure period till 168h. The aluminum
      toxicity was evaluated in different pH conditions by means of a citrate buffer
      resulting for instance, 1mgAl(3+)/L at pH 4, 4.1, 5 and 6 in 100%, 70%, 35% and
      0% of lethality respectively. As an outstanding feature, the embryos changed the
      pH of the maintaining media both in the case of Al(3+) or citrate buffer
      treatments toward neutral. 10 embryos in 40mL of AMPHITOX solution were able to
      increase the pH from 4.2 to 7.05, a fact related with a metabolic shift resulting
      in an increase in nitrogen loss as ammonia. Our study point out the natural
      selection of the most resistant amphibian embryos both for pH or aluminum as well
      as the capacity of living organisms (as a population) to alter their chemical
      environment toward optimal conditions for their survival. As these facts occur at
      early life stages, it expand the concept that living organisms at ontogenic
      stages are biomarker of environmental signatures of the evolutionary process
      (Herkovits, 2006) to a global Onto-Evo concept which imply also the feedback
      mechanisms from living organisms to shape environmental conditions in a way that
      benefits them.

PMID- 26126232
TI  - Creating a Stable Oxide at the Surface of Black Phosphorus.
AB  - The stability of the surface of in situ cleaved black phosphorus crystals upon
      exposure to atmosphere is investigated with synchrotron-based photoelectron
      spectroscopy. After 2 days atmosphere exposure a stable subnanometer layer of
      primarily P2O5 forms at the surface. The work function increases by 0.1 eV from
      3.9 eV for as-cleaved black phosphorus to 4.0 eV after formation of the 0.4 nm
      thick oxide, with phosphorus core levels shifting by <0.1 eV. The results
      indicate minimal charge transfer, suggesting that the oxide layer is suitable for
      passivation or as an interface layer for further dielectric deposition. 

PMID- 26126233
TI  - Posttraumatic Psychological Symptoms are Associated with Reduced Inhibitory
      Control, not General Executive Dysfunction.
AB  - Although there is mounting evidence that greater PTSD symptoms are associated
      with reduced executive functioning, it is not fully understood whether this
      association is more global or specific to certain executive function subdomains,
      such as inhibitory control. We investigated the generality of the association
      between PTSD symptoms and executive function by administering a broad battery of
      sensitive executive functioning tasks to a cohort of returning Operation Enduring
      Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans with varying PTSD symptoms. Only tasks
      related to inhibitory control explained significant variance in PTSD symptoms as
      well as symptoms of depression, while measures of working memory, measures of
      switching, and measures simultaneously assessing multiple executive function
      subdomains did not. Notably, the two inhibitory control measures that showed the
      highest correlation with PTSD and depressive symptoms, measures of response
      inhibition and distractor suppression, explained independent variance. These
      findings suggest that greater posttraumatic psychological symptoms are not
      associated with a general decline in executive functioning but rather are more
      specifically related to stopping automatic responses and resisting internal and
      external distractions.

PMID- 26126236
TI  - Survey of Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Program Training in Outer and Middle
      Ear Screening.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the national training
      practices of speech-language pathology graduate programs in outer and middle ear
      screening. METHOD: Directors of all American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
      accredited speech-language pathology graduate programs (N = 254; Council on
      Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, 2013) were
      surveyed on instructional formats in outer and middle ear screening. RESULTS: The
      graduate speech-language pathology program survey yielded 84 (33.1%) responses.
      Results indicated that some programs do not provide any training in the areas of
      conventional screening otoscopy using a handheld otoscope (15.5%; n = 13) or
      screening tympanometry (11.9%; n = 10), whereas close to one half (46.4%; n = 39)
      reported no training in screening video otoscopy. Outcomes revealed that
      approximately one third or more of speech-language pathology graduate programs do
      not provide experiential opportunities in screening handheld otoscopy (36.9%) or
      tympanometry (32.1%), and most (78.6%) do not provide experiential opportunities
      in video otoscopy. CONCLUSIONS: The implication from the graduate speech-language
      pathology program survey findings is that some speech-language pathologists will
      graduate from academic programs without the acquired knowledge or experiential
      learning required to establish skill in 1 or more areas of screening otoscopy and
      tympanometry. Graduate speech-language pathology programs should consider
      appropriate training opportunities for students to acquire and demonstrate skill
      in outer and middle ear screening.

PMID- 26126237
TI  - Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Redefining an Illness.

PMID- 26126238
TI  - The Benefits of a 4-Year Anesthesiology Residency Program.

PMID- 26126239
TI  - Whole-Hearted for the Hole-Hearted.

PMID- 26126240
TI  - Trends in Androgen Prescriptions From Military Treatment Facilities: 2007 to
      2011.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The role of testosterone in health and quality of life has become
      increasingly visible and overtly marketed to the public. Some evidence suggests
      that testosterone levels in men may be low because of a variety of reasons,
      including stress and environmental exposures. OBJECTIVE: This study examines
      trends in testosterone prescriptions dispensed by military treatment facilities
      (MTFs). METHODS: We examined data from the Department of Defense Pharmacy Data
      Transaction Service to determine the nature of androgen prescriptions dispensed
      through MTFs from 2007 through 2011. RESULTS: The number of androgen
      prescriptions increased more than two-fold across the military from 19,494 in
      2007 to 45,270 in 2011. Most prescriptions (99%) were for men. Androgen
      prescription rates rose 23% per year from 2007 through 2011 (p < 0.001, CI 23
      24%). The prescription rate for 35- to 44-year-olds increased more than any other
      age group, with annual increases averaging 33% (p < 0.001, CI 32-34%).
      CONCLUSION: The number of androgen prescriptions within MTFs rose significantly
      from 2007 through 2011. This is similar to rises in androgen prescriptions seen
      in civilian medical systems. Clinical indications for the sharp increase in
      testosterone prescriptions are unknown, and the indications for clinically
      appropriate testosterone replacement need further clarification.

PMID- 26126241
TI  - Trends in B-Vitamin Prescriptions From Military Treatment Facilities: 2007 to
      2011.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The use of B-vitamin supplements has increased over the last
      decade. Although use is widespread in both military and civilian populations,
      data on patterns of B-vitamin prescription rates are lacking. OBJECTIVE: This
      study examines trends in B-vitamin prescriptions dispensed by military treatment
      facilities. METHODS: We examined data from the Department of Defense Pharmacy
      Data Transaction Service to determine the nature of several B-vitamin
      prescriptions dispensed through military treatment facilities from 2007 through
      2011. The eight B vitamins examined were B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3
      (niacin), B5 (panthenol), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), B9 (folic acid), and B12
      (cobalamin). RESULTS: The number of B-vitamin prescriptions dispensed from
      military treatment facilities decreased 7% from 278,972 in 2007 to 260,472 in
      2011. Individual vitamin prescription patterns varied widely. Vitamins B6, B9,
      and B12 were the most frequently prescribed in each year. Vitamin B2
      prescriptions quadrupled between 2009 and 2011, and B12 prescriptions showed a
      steady increase over time. In contrast, vitamins B3, B6, and B9 prescriptions
      showed a steady decline, and vitamin B7 prescriptions decreased by 66% between
      2008 and 2009. CONCLUSIONS: No single pattern in B-vitamin prescriptions was
      observed. The driving forces behind increases in prescribed and non-prescribed
      dietary supplement use remain speculative.

PMID- 26126242
TI  - Third-Party Evaluation: A Review of Dietary Supplements Dispensed by Military
      Treatment Facilities From 2007 to 2011.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Third-party certification/verification of dietary supplements (DS),
      although not mainstream, is one way to help ensure high-quality products. In the
      medical setting, physicians may prescribe DS to correct a deficiency or improve a
      health care outcome, and they want products of a certain standard of quality,
      free of adulteration/contamination. OBJECTIVE: We reviewed DS dispensed from all
      Department of Defense military treatment facilities over a 5-year period to
      determine which products had been third-party reviewed and certified/verified.
      METHODS: By using product name, manufacturer, and/or National Drug Codes, we
      examined product listings on the websites of three independent-evaluating
      organizations. RESULTS: Over 1.5 million dietary supplement prescriptions
      consisting of 753 different products were dispensed from 2007 through 2011. Less
      than 3.6% of the products examined were third-party certified/verified by any of
      the three most well-known evaluation organizations: 19 were verified by United
      States Pharmacopeial Convention; 9 products were reviewed and 8 certified by
      ConsumerLab; and none of the products were certified by NSF International.
      CONCLUSION: Most DS dispensed by military treatment facilities are not reviewed
      by a third party. This is not unexpected, as third party certification is not yet
      mainstream. However, one way to reduce potential hazards and exposure to unsafe
      products is to encourage use of supplements that have third-party
      certification/verification.

PMID- 26126243
TI  - Trends in Mineral Supplement Prescriptions From Military Treatment Facilities:
      2007 to 2011.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Mineral supplements such as calcium and iron are readily available
      over the counter and are some of the most frequently consumed dietary
      supplements. Health care providers also prescribe mineral supplements for
      treatment of certain conditions and to maintain health. OBJECTIVE: This study
      examines trends in mineral-supplement prescriptions dispensed by military
      treatment facilities. METHODS: We examined data from the DoD Pharmacy Data
      Transaction Service to determine the nature of mineral-supplement prescriptions
      dispensed by MTFs from 2007 through 2011. RESULTS: Overall, 1,785,158 calcium,
      844,655 iron, 166,207 magnesium, and 23,297 zinc prescriptions were dispensed
      over this 5-year period. Although the number of zinc prescriptions decreased
      considerably by an average of 30% across the 5-year period, calcium and magnesium
      prescriptions increased by 3% and 8%, respectively. The number of iron
      prescriptions dispensed was relatively stable across the 5 years. CONCLUSIONS:
      Patterns of mineral-supplement prescriptions in the military changed over the 5
      year period examined. However, the patterns within the DoD medical system may or
      may not represent those of the civilian medical system. Because we could not
      determine the reasons why the mineral supplements were prescribed, we cannot
      report whether the supplements were effective for the intended uses.

PMID- 26126244
TI  - Trends in Vitamin A, C, D, E, K Supplement Prescriptions From Military Treatment
      Facilities: 2007 to 2011.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Although prior studies have examined the prevalence of dietary
      supplement use among various populations, data on single vitamins prescribed by
      health care providers are limited. OBJECTIVE: This study examined trends in
      single-vitamin supplement (A, C, D, E, K) prescriptions by providers from
      military treatment facilities from 2007 to 2011. METHODS: We examined
      prescription data from the Department of Defense Pharmacy Data Transaction
      Service to determine trends in the aforementioned single-vitamin supplement
      prescriptions. Prescription rates per 1,000 active duty personnel were estimated
      using population data retrieved from the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database
      (i.e., [number of prescriptions/population size] * 1,000). RESULTS: Across the 5
      year period, the number of vitamin D prescriptions per 1,000 active duty
      personnel increased 454%. In contrast, the number of vitamin A, vitamin E, and
      vitamin K prescriptions per 1,000 active duty personnel decreased by 32%, 53%,
      and 29% respectively. Vitamin C prescriptions remained relatively constant.
      Across all age groups, total single-vitamin supplement prescriptions increased by
      180%. CONCLUSION: Together, prescriptions examined in this study increased
      steadily from 2007 to 2011, primarily because of the increase in vitamin D
      prescriptions. The exhibited trend reflects the current general-population
      pattern of dietary supplement use, with large increases in vitamin D and declines
      in vitamin E.

PMID- 26126245
TI  - Tyrosine for Mitigating Stress and Enhancing Performance in Healthy Adult Humans,
      a Rapid Evidence Assessment of the Literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tyrosine, a precursor of catecholamine neurotransmitters, may help
      alleviate physical/cognitive performance decrements in humans under conditions of
      high physical/psychological stress. OBJECTIVE: Determine whether supplemental
      tyrosine mitigates stress-induced decrements in cognitive and/or physical
      performance in healthy individuals using Samueli Institute's Rapid Evidence
      Assessment of the Literature methodology. METHODS: Key databases (PubMed/MEDLINE,
      CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, and Agricola) were searched for randomized controlled
      trials from inception to October 2012. Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines 50
      criteria and Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation
      framework were used to assess the quality of individual studies and the overall
      literature pool, respectively. Controlled clinical trials were included later in
      the overall methodology. RESULTS: 10 randomized controlled trials and 4
      controlled clinical trials met our inclusion criteria. On the basis of the
      available evidence, no recommendation could be made for the effect of tyrosine on
      physical performance under stressful physical conditions. However, a weak
      recommendation in favor of tyrosine was made for cognitive stress as all studies
      showed a positive effect. CONCLUSIONS: This review indicates that the available
      evidence is insufficient to make confident recommendations on the effectiveness
      of tyrosine for mitigating stress effects on physical/cognitive performance.
      However, tyrosine may benefit cognitive performance and is worthy of further
      study.

PMID- 26126246
TI  - Phase I Development of an Optimal Integrated Care Pathway for Veterans Discharged
      From the Armed Forces.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is a lack of evidence to manage veterans with service-related
      mental health problems. This research aimed to develop an optimally effective,
      feasible, and acceptable integrated care pathway (ICP). METHODS: A prototype ICP
      was developed through an initial modeling phase. Systematic reviews informed a
      portfolio of information for key stakeholders to discuss in a series of focus
      groups and semistructured interviews. They included 16 mental health
      professionals with expertise in the fields of mental health provision for
      military personnel, and 6 veterans with a history of mental illness. Data were
      analyzed through Inductive Thematic Analysis and used to inform the content,
      delivery, and guidance of an ICP. The prototype was piloted with 20 veterans in
      two pilot studies and refined on the basis of their quantitative and qualitative
      feedback. RESULTS: The final ICP was agreed with additional guidance notes. It
      included three pathways covering referral, intervention, and management of
      veterans. Qualitative and quantitative results supported its efficacy in terms of
      reducing mental health symptoms and its acceptability to veterans. CONCLUSIONS: A
      specific veteran ICP shows promise as an effective and acceptable way of treating
      veterans with service related mental health problems.

PMID- 26126247
TI  - Vitamin A-Deficiency Eye Disease Among Soldiers in the U.S. Civil War: Spectrum
      of Clinical Disease.
AB  - During the U.S. Civil War, nutritional night blindness was a common problem among
      soldiers forced to subsist of nutritionally inadequate diets, but medical
      officers typically attributed this complaint to malingering and did not suspect
      or appreciate a dietary basis. More than 8,000 cases of night blindness were
      recorded among Union troops, but many cases were not tabulated because of
      incomplete data for black soldiers and prisoners of war. From 1864 to 1865,
      during which comparable data were available for both whites and blacks, the
      average annual cumulative incidence of night blindness was 4.3 per 1,000 troops
      for whites, compared with 11.0 per 1,000 troops for blacks. Affected patients had
      dilated pupils that were poorly responsive to candle light. Approximately 30
      cases of keratomalacia were also reported among severely malnourished and
      emaciated soldiers with chronic diarrhea, generally within 2 weeks before death.
      The reported clinical manifestations are characteristic of the full range of
      vitamin A deficiency eye disease from night blindness to corneal ulceration and
      perforation. Although medical officers typically accused affected soldiers of
      malingering, malingering cannot account for either the observed abnormalities of
      pupillary reflexes, or the corneal epithelial pathology and mortality recorded in
      severe cases. 

PMID- 26126248
TI  - Evaluating MEDEVAC Force Structure Requirements Using an Updated Army Scenario,
      Total Army Analysis Admission Data, Monte Carlo Simulation, and Theater
      Structure.
AB  - In this study, we re-evaluate air ambulance requirements (rules of allocation)
      and planning considerations based on an Army-approved, Theater Army Analysis
      scenario. A previous study using workload only estimated a requirement of 0.4 to
      0.6 aircraft per admission, a significant bolus over existence-based rules. In
      this updated study, we estimate requirements for Phase III (major combat
      operations) using a simulation grounded in previously published work and Phase IV
      (stability operations) based on four rules of allocation: unit existence rules,
      workload factors, theater structure (geography), and manual input. This study
      improves upon previous work by including the new air ambulance mission
      requirements of Department of Defense 51001.1, Roles and Functions of the
      Services, by expanding the analysis over two phases, and by considering unit
      rotation requirements known as Army Force Generation based on Department of
      Defense policy. The recommendations of this study are intended to inform future
      planning factors and already provided decision support to the Army Aviation
      Branch in determining force structure requirements. 

PMID- 26126249
TI  - Assessment of the Risk of Fractures Because of Service on Diesel Submarines: A
      Retrospective Cohort Study.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Submariners are known to have decreased bone mass following periods
      of long submersion. We examined whether this produces a higher predilection to
      fractures. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study. Data were collected
      from the computerized medical records of 457 consecutive submariners (serving
      1091.42 man-years). The control group included 3,219 consecutive sailors,
      (serving 5845.04 man-years). Groups were stratified according to age at
      induction, body mass index, place of birth, and status of service (i.e.,
      compulsory versus professional). Analysis of fracture incidence and comparison of
      proportions between the groups was conducted using chi(2) tests and Fisher's
      exact test. The hazard ratio for fractures was performed using a survival
      analysis regression model for each group (Cox Proportional Hazard Model).
      RESULTS: Nineteen submariners (4.2%) and 94 sailors (2.9%) were shown to have
      fractures during their service (RR = 1.42, p = 0.15). A Cox proportional hazard
      model was employed. No statistically significant difference was found between the
      2 groups (HR = 1.037, p = 0.89). No correlation was found between length of
      service and risk of fracture. Most fractures suffered by submariners occurred
      outside their work environment. CONCLUSIONS: Submariners are repeatedly exposed
      to prolonged submersions that are deleterious to bone strength. However, no
      statistically significant difference in the incidence of fractures was found
      between submariners and surface sailors. This is an important finding for the
      bone and occupational health of submariners in general.

PMID- 26126250
TI  - Clearing the Cervical Spine in a War Zone: What Other Injuries Matter?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cervical spine clearance requires clinicians to assess the
      reliability of physical examination based on a patient's mental status and
      distracting injuries. Distracting injuries have never been clearly defined in
      military casualties. METHODS: Retrospective review was conducted of patients
      entered into Department of Defense Trauma Registry January 2008 to August 2013,
      identifying blunt trauma patients with cervical spine injury and Glasgow Coma
      Score >= 14. Physical examination and radiology results were abstracted from
      medical records and injury diagnoses were obtained from Department of Defense
      Trauma Registry. Groups were compared, p-value of < 0.05 was considered
      significant. RESULTS: A total of 149 patients met study criteria; 20 patients
      (13%) had a negative clinical examination of the cervical spine. Coexisting
      injuries identified in patients with negative physical examination included
      injuries in proximity to the neck (head, thoracic spine, chest, or humerus) in 17
      (85%) patients. In 3 patients (15%), coexisting injuries were not in proximity to
      the neck and included pelvic, femur, and tibia fractures. All patients without
      coexisting injury (n = 37) had a positive physical examination. CONCLUSION:
      Physical examination of multitrauma casualties with neck injury may be unreliable
      when distracting injuries are present. When no distracting injuries were present,
      the physical examination was accurate in all patients.

PMID- 26126251
TI  - Effects of Cardiac Surgery on Duty Status in the Active Duty Military Population.
AB  - No modern studies have addressed the impact of cardiac surgery on military duty
      status, which is associated with constraints not applicable to the general
      population. A review of all active duty patients undergoing coronary artery
      bypass grafting (CABG), mitral valve repair (MVrep), bioprosthetic valve
      replacement (BIOVALVE), mechanical valve replacement (MECHVALVE), and septal
      defect closure (ASD/VSD) at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth between January 1,
      2004 and December 31, 2011 was used to determine final duty status: Return to
      Full Duty (RTFD), Medical Board Separation or Planned Retirement/Separation.
      Complete data on final disposition was available for 99% (75/76) of patients.
      There were 9 Planned Retirement/Separation patients. There was a 100% rate of
      RTFD for all MVrep, BIOVALVE, and ASD/VSD patients. Patients undergoing CABG had
      an 83% (20/23) rate of RTFD. MECHVALVE patients had RTFD in only 23% (5/21) of
      cases. Patients undergoing MECHVALVE are unlikely to be suitable for continued
      service after surgery, but most if not all military patients undergoing MVrep,
      ASD/VSD, or BIOVALVE and the vast majority of CABG patients can expect to return
      to unrestricted active duty after surgery. 

PMID- 26126252
TI  - Assessment of Sleep Disruption and Sleep Quality in Naval Special Warfare
      Operators.
AB  - Little is known about sleep in elite military populations who are exposed to
      higher operational demands, unpredictable training, deployment, and mission
      cycles. Twenty-nine Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Operators wore an actiwatch for
      an 8-day/7-night period for objective sleep assessment and completed a nightly
      sleep log. A total of 170 nights of actigraphically recorded sleep were
      collected. When comparing objectively versus subjectively recorded sleep
      parameter data, statistically significant differences were found. Compared with
      sleep log data, actigraphy data indicate NSW Operators took longer to fall asleep
      (an average of 25.82 minutes), spent more time awake after sleep onset (an
      average of 39.55 minutes), and demonstrated poorer sleep efficiency (83.88%) (ps
      < 0.05). Self-reported sleep quality during the study period was 6.47 (maximum
      score = 10). No relationships existed between the objectively derived sleep
      indices and the self-reported measure of sleep quality (rs = -0.29 to 0.09, all
      ps > 0.05). Strong inter-relationships existed among the subjectively derived
      sleep indices (e.g., between self-reported sleep quality and sleep efficiency; r
      = 0.61, p < 0.001). To our knowledge, this is the first study to objectively and
      subjectively quantify sleep among NSW Operators. These findings suggest sleep
      maintenance and sleep efficiency are impaired when compared to normative
      population data. 

PMID- 26126253
TI  - Intimate Partner Violence in the Canadian Armed Forces: The Role of Family Stress
      and Its Impact on Well-Being.
AB  - Unique demands of military life (e.g., deployment) can have a significant impact
      on family life. Although most families cope effectively with military life
      stressors, some may have difficulty adjusting, experiencing marital conflicts,
      and violence. Evidence suggests that unmanaged occupational demands may create
      family stress by interfering with efforts to fulfill family duties. This study
      examined the effects of work-family conflict and marital satisfaction on intimate
      violence experienced by Canadian Armed Forces members, and the impact of such
      violence on their psychological well-being (N = 525). Regression analyses showed
      that both work-family conflict and marital satisfaction were unique and
      significant predictors of emotional and physical violence experienced by Canadian
      Armed Forces members. Moreover, bootstrapping analyses demonstrated that marital
      satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between work-family and family
      work conflicts and intimate partner violence. The results point to the importance
      of examining the interrelationship between family stress and occupational
      stressors when exploring interpersonal violence and its psychological impact on
      military personnel. 

PMID- 26126254
TI  - Sexual Functioning Among a Cohort of Treatment-Seeking Canadian Military
      Personnel and Veterans With Psychiatric Conditions.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess potential predictors of sexual
      dysfunction and dissatisfaction in a sample of 99 current and former Canadian
      Forces members attending the Parkwood Hospital Operational Stress Injury Clinic
      for mental health treatment. METHODS: Respondents completed a number of
      questionnaires assessing sexual functioning, post-traumatic stress disorder
      symptom severity, health-related quality of life, and self-perceived masculinity
      traits. RESULTS: Regression analyses revealed that role limitations because of
      physical problems predicted erectile functioning (beta = 0.107, p = 0.075),
      whereas vitality predicted orgasmic functioning (beta = 0.044, p = 0.032).
      Hypermasculinity was the strongest predictor of sexual desire (beta = 0.466, p =
      0.036), and sexual satisfaction was significantly predicted by bodily pain (beta
      = 0.036, p = 0.019). Preliminary analyses revealed a significant mediating effect
      of bodily pain on the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder symptom
      severity. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest a nuanced interplay between physical
      health and mental health factors regarding sexual functioning in treatment
      seeking military personnel and veterans; however, further research is needed to
      better delineate the relationship between the 2.

PMID- 26126255
TI  - Group Prenatal Care Outcomes in a Military Population: A Retrospective Cohort
      Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pregnancy outcomes in Centering Pregnancy patients.
      METHODS: This was an IRB-approved retrospective cohort study from November 2009
      to January 2013 involving 202 Centering Pregnancy patients and 202 Certified
      Nurse Midwife patients. The primary outcome was mean gestational age at time of
      delivery. Secondary outcomes included cesarean and operative vaginal delivery
      rate, triage visit frequency, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit admission rate, 1 and
      5 minute APGAR scores, birth weight, breastfeeding rate at discharge and 6 weeks
      postpartum, third and fourth degree laceration rate, weight gain in pregnancy,
      and excessive weight gain rate. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant
      difference in any obstetric outcome including preterm delivery rate. Centering
      Pregnancy patients were more likely to be active duty (52.0 vs. 35.6%, p =
      0.001), younger (24.8 vs. 26.3 years old, p < 0.001), and nulliparous (75.2 vs.
      56.9%, p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant increase in triage visit
      frequency >= 6 for Centering Pregnancy patients (11.9% vs. 8.9%, p = 0.011).
      CONCLUSION: There were no clinically significant differences in the primary or
      secondary outcomes. Significant cost savings could be realized by expanding
      Centering Pregnancy in the military health system.

PMID- 26126257
TI  - HAM, A Space Pioneer.

PMID- 26126256
TI  - Characterization of Foot-Strike Patterns: Lack of an Association With Injuries or
      Performance in Soldiers.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Characterize the distribution of foot-strike (FS) patterns in U.S.
      Army Soldiers and determine if FS patterns are related to self-reported running
      injuries and performance. METHODS: 341 male Soldiers from a U.S. Army Combined
      Arms Battalion ran at their training pace for 100 meters, and FSs were recorded
      in the sagittal plane. Participants also completed a survey related to training
      habits, injury history, and run times. Two researchers classified FS patterns as
      heel strike (HS) or nonheel strike (NHS, combination of midfoot strike and
      forefoot strike patterns). Two clinicians classified the musculoskeletal injuries
      as acute or overuse. The relationship of FS type with two-mile run time and
      running-related injury was analyzed (p <= 0.05). RESULTS: The Soldiers
      predominately landed with an HS (87%) and only 13% were characterized as NHS.
      Running-related injury was similar between HS (50.3%) and NHS (55.6%) patterns (p
      = 0.51). There was no difference (p = 0.14) between overuse injury rates between
      an HS pattern (31.8%) and an NHS pattern (31.0%). Two-mile run times were also
      similar, with both groups averaging 14:48 minutes. CONCLUSION: Soldiers were
      mostly heel strikers (87%) in this U.S. Army Combined Arms Battalion. Neither FS
      pattern was advantageous for increased performance or decreased incidence of
      running-related injury.

PMID- 26126258
TI  - Excessive Video Game Use, Sleep Deprivation, and Poor Work Performance Among U.S.
      Marines Treated in a Military Mental Health Clinic: A Case Series.
AB  - Excessive use of video games may be associated with sleep deprivation, resulting
      in poor job performance and atypical mood disorders. Three active duty service
      members in the U.S. Marine Corps were offered mental health evaluation for sleep
      disturbance and symptoms of blunted affect, low mood, poor concentration,
      inability to focus, irritability, and drowsiness. All three patients reported
      insomnia as their primary complaint. When asked about online video games and
      sleep hygiene practices, all three patients reported playing video games from 30
      hours to more than 60 hours per week in addition to maintaining a 40-hour or more
      workweek. Our patients endorsed sacrificing sleep to maintain their video gaming
      schedules without insight into the subsequent sleep deprivation. During the
      initial interviews, they exhibited blunted affects and depressed moods, but
      appeared to be activated with enthusiasm and joy when discussing their video
      gaming with the clinical provider. Our article illustrates the importance of
      asking about online video gaming in patients presenting with sleep disturbances,
      poor work performance, and depressive symptoms. Because excessive video gaming is
      becoming more prevalent worldwide, military mental health providers should ask
      about video gaming when patients report problems with sleep. 

PMID- 26126259
TI  - A Case Report of Supplement-Induced Hepatitis in an Active Duty Service Member.
AB  - The incidence of drug-induced hepatic injury has been increasing as a result of
      more widespread use of workout supplements containing anabolic steroids to
      increase muscle mass. Synthetic androgenic steroids are shown to cause
      cholestatic liver injury, but the exact mechanism of injury is not completely
      understood. We present a case of a healthy, young, active duty Army male soldier
      who developed pruritis and jaundice shortly after starting to take a body
      building supplement containing anabolic steroids, and was subsequently found to
      have significant biopsy proven drug-induced liver injury. 

PMID- 26126260
TI  - A Case of Paraspinal Muscle Rhabdomyolysis in a 22-Year-Old Male After Ingesting
      a Supplement Containing Higenamine.
AB  - Rhabdomyolysis is a painful and potentially life-threatening injury in which
      muscle breaks down in response to an insult. In this case report, we describe the
      clinical course of a 22-year-old man who developed paraspinal muscle
      rhabdomyolysis and possible compartment syndrome in association with strenuous
      activity and the ingestion of an exercise supplement containing the stimulant
      higenamine. Although he did not experience any renal damage, he did experience a
      high level of pain acutely and for the next 4 months. A history of exercise
      supplement intake should increase the index of suspicion for rhabdomyolysis when
      a patient presents with moderate to severe muscle pain, even if the muscle group
      is not in a classic location for rhabdomyolysis. 

PMID- 26126261
TI  - A Case of Penile Plaques in Afghanistan.
AB  - Deployed male soldiers may present with a myriad of dermatological conditions in
      the genital area. It is important to recognize the more common entities in the
      differential diagnosis for soldiers to receive optimal guidance and treatment.
      This is important in the deployed environment for unit strength to be maintained
      and to avoid unnecessary medical evacuations. We present a patient deployed to
      Afghanistan who sought care at his battalion aid station for penile plaques that
      were diagnosed as lichen planus. In this article, we discuss the differential
      diagnosis for penile plaques and other considerations for deployed patients
      diagnosed with lichen planus. 

PMID- 26126262
TI  - Airborne Priapism: A Case of Nonischemic Priapism After Military Static-Line
      Parachute Injury.
AB  - We report the case of a 21-year-old active duty U.S. Army soldier with painful
      and nonresolving priapism following blunt pelvic and lower extremity trauma from
      military static-line parachute injury during training. The patient's condition
      was initially managed with corporal aspiration and intracavernosal injections of
      phenylephrine that provided temporary relief but recurrence soon after. Referral
      to Urology at the site of the patient's injury yielded a diagnosis of penile
      hematoma. On subsequent evaluation by Urology on return to the patient's home
      duty station (over 96 hours after injury, with symptoms persisting), the corpora
      cavernosa were rigid, the corpus spongiosum was soft, and corporal blood gas
      drawn by the emergency department consistent with arterial blood. Penile duplex
      ultrasound revealed an isolated arterial-cavernosal fistula within the proximal
      left corporal body. The patient underwent percutaneous embolization of the
      fistula with successful resolution of his condition and return of normal erectile
      function. We discuss this unique case of high-flow priapism occurring after blunt
      trauma from military parachute injury and review suggested management in a
      stepwise fashion. The case is significant in that extensive literature review
      yields no previously described case of priapism following trauma from military
      parachute injury. 

PMID- 26126263
TI  - Postoperative Urinary Retention With Gross Vulvar Edema After Use of 4%
      Icodextrin.
AB  - BACKGROUND: 4% icodextrin is a fluid that can be instilled laparoscopically to
      prevent adhesion formation. There are few complications reported in the
      literature associated with its use. CASE: A 38-year-old woman, gravida 2, para 0,
      abortus 2 underwent laparoscopic salpingectomy. 4% icodextrin was instilled in an
      effort to prevent adhesion formation. Postoperatively, the patient experienced
      urinary retention and gross vulvar edema that required foley catheter use until
      the 4% icodextrin solution had absorbed. CONCLUSION: Postoperative complications
      that may be associated with the use of 4% icodextrin include urinary retention
      and vulvar edema.

PMID- 26126264
TI  - The Curse of the Nine-Banded Armadillo: Case Report and Review.
AB  - Hansen's disease (leprosy) is an ancient condition characterized by hypopigmented
      patches that progress to become plaques with hypoesthesia. Several case reports
      suggest that armadillos may be a source of Mycobacterium leprae for clinical
      cases, and contact with armadillos has been shown to be a significant risk factor
      in several case-control studies. Early diagnosis and treatment result in an
      excellent prognosis and provide an effective means to prevent complications of
      peripheral nerve injury, social stigma, and disability. We present a case of
      Hansen's disease in a previously healthy veteran and provide an overview of the
      diagnosis, classification, and treatment of the condition. Clinicians should
      consider leprosy in the differential diagnosis when confronted with chronic skin
      lesions in the appropriate clinical setting. 

PMID- 26126265
TI  - Hysteroscopic Sterilization Failure Following Post-Procedure Confirmatory Test
      Indicating Tubal Occlusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hysteroscopic sterilization procedure has gained traction in the past
      decade as a means of contraception advertised to be 99.83% effective following
      successful sterilization coil placement and postprocedure hysterosalpingogram
      confirmation of proper coil positioning and tubal occlusion. CASE: A 44-year-old
      female underwent a second sterilization procedure after delivering a pregnancy
      that occurred following a reportedly successful hysteroscopic sterilization
      procedure and subsequent confirmatory testing demonstrating appropriate
      sterilization coil placement and tubal occlusion. During the second sterilization
      procedure, a coil device was visible perforating through the left uterine cornua.
      CONCLUSION: Following hysteroscopic sterilization, confirmatory testing may
      demonstrate the appearance of tubal occlusion and proper coil placement when the
      sterilization devices are incorrectly placed and the fallopian tubes patent.

PMID- 26126268
TI  - Generation of Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma by the Ultrasonic Standing Waves.
AB  - Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a volume of autologous plasma that has a higher
      platelet concentration above baseline. It has already been approved as a new
      therapeutic modality and investigated in clinics, such as bone repair and
      regeneration, and oral surgery, with low cost-effectiveness ratio. At present,
      PRP is mostly prepared using a centrifuge. However, this method has several
      shortcomings, such as long preparation time (30 min), complexity in operation,
      and contamination of red blood cells (RBCs). In this paper, a new PRP preparation
      approach was proposed and tested. Ultrasound waves (4.5 MHz) generated from
      piezoelectric ceramics can establish standing waves inside a syringe filled with
      the whole blood. Subsequently, RBCs would accumulate at the locations of pressure
      nodes in response to acoustic radiation force, and the formed clusters would have
      a high speed of sedimentation. It is found that the PRP prepared by the proposed
      device can achieve higher platelet concentration and less RBCs contamination than
      a commercial centrifugal device, but similar growth factor (i.e., PDGF-betabeta).
      In addition, the sedimentation process under centrifugation and sonication was
      simulated using the Mason-Weaver equation and compared with each other to
      illustrate the differences between these two technologies and to optimize the
      design in the future. Altogether, ultrasound method is an effective method of PRP
      preparation with comparable outcomes as the commercially available centrifugal
      products.

PMID- 26126269
TI  - Bufferless Compression of Asynchronously Sampled ECG Signals in Cubic Hermitian
      Vector Space.
AB  - Asynchronous level crossing sampling analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are
      known to be more energy efficient and produce fewer samples than their
      equidistantly sampling counterparts. However, as the required threshold voltage
      is lowered, the number of samples and, in turn, the data rate and the energy
      consumed by the overall system increases. In this paper, we present a cubic
      Hermitian vector-based technique for online compression of asynchronously sampled
      electrocardiogram signals. The proposed method is computationally efficient data
      compression. The algorithm has complexity O(n), thus well suited for asynchronous
      ADCs. Our algorithm requires no data buffering, maintaining the energy advantage
      of asynchronous ADCs. The proposed method of compression has a compression ratio
      of up to 90% with achievable percentage root-mean-square difference ratios as a
      low as 0.97. The algorithm preserves the superior feature-to-feature timing
      accuracy of asynchronously sampled signals. These advantages are achieved in a
      computationally efficient manner since algorithm boundary parameters for the
      signals are extracted a priori. 

PMID- 26126266
TI  - Daple is a novel non-receptor GEF required for trimeric G protein activation in
      Wnt signaling.
AB  - Wnt signaling is essential for tissue homeostasis and its dysregulation causes
      cancer. Wnt ligands trigger signaling by activating Frizzled receptors (FZDRs),
      which belong to the G-protein coupled receptor superfamily. However, the
      mechanisms of G protein activation in Wnt signaling remain controversial. In this
      study, we demonstrate that FZDRs activate G proteins and trigger non-canonical
      Wnt signaling via the Dishevelled-binding protein, Daple. Daple contains a Galpha
      binding and activating (GBA) motif, which activates Galphai proteins and an
      adjacent domain that directly binds FZDRs, thereby linking Wnt stimulation to G
      protein activation. This triggers non-canonical Wnt responses, that is,
      suppresses the beta-catenin/TCF/LEF pathway and tumorigenesis, but enhances PI3K
      Akt and Rac1 signals and tumor cell invasiveness. In colorectal cancers, Daple is
      suppressed during adenoma-to-carcinoma transformation and expressed later in
      metastasized tumor cells. Thus, Daple activates Galphai and enhances non
      canonical Wnt signaling by FZDRs, and its dysregulation can impact both tumor
      initiation and progression to metastasis. 

PMID- 26126270
TI  - Sparse EEG Source Localization Using Bernoulli Laplacian Priors.
AB  - Source localization in electroencephalography has received an increasing amount
      of interest in the last decade. Solving the underlying ill-posed inverse problem
      usually requires choosing an appropriate regularization. The usual l2 norm has
      been considered and provides solutions with low computational complexity.
      However, in several situations, realistic brain activity is believed to be
      focused in a few focal areas. In these cases, the l2 norm is known to
      overestimate the activated spatial areas. One solution to this problem is to
      promote sparse solutions for instance based on the l1 norm that are easy to
      handle with optimization techniques. In this paper, we consider the use of an l0
      + l1 norm to enforce sparse source activity (by ensuring the solution has few
      nonzero elements) while regularizing the nonzero amplitudes of the solution. More
      precisely, the l0 pseudonorm handles the position of the nonzero elements while
      the l1 norm constrains the values of their amplitudes. We use a Bernoulli-Laplace
      prior to introduce this combined l0 + l1 norm in a Bayesian framework. The
      proposed Bayesian model is shown to favor sparsity while jointly estimating the
      model hyperparameters using a Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling technique. We
      apply the model to both simulated and real EEG data, showing that the proposed
      method provides better results than the l2 and l1  norms regularizations in the
      presence of pointwise sources. A comparison with a recent method based on
      multiple sparse priors is also conducted. 

PMID- 26126267
TI  - The global distribution of the arbovirus vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae.
      albopictus.
AB  - Dengue and chikungunya are increasing global public health concerns due to their
      rapid geographical spread and increasing disease burden. Knowledge of the
      contemporary distribution of their shared vectors, Aedes aegypti and Aedes
      albopictus remains incomplete and is complicated by an ongoing range expansion
      fuelled by increased global trade and travel. Mapping the global distribution of
      these vectors and the geographical determinants of their ranges is essential for
      public health planning. Here we compile the largest contemporary database for
      both species and pair it with relevant environmental variables predicting their
      global distribution. We show Aedes distributions to be the widest ever recorded;
      now extensive in all continents, including North America and Europe. These maps
      will help define the spatial limits of current autochthonous transmission of
      dengue and chikungunya viruses. It is only with this kind of rigorous
      entomological baseline that we can hope to project future health impacts of these
      viruses. 

PMID- 26126271
TI  - METEOR: An Enterprise Health Informatics Environment to Support Evidence-Based
      Medicine.
AB  - GOAL: The aim of this paper is to propose the design and implementation of next
      generation enterprise analytics platform developed at the Houston Methodist
      Hospital (HMH) system to meet the market and regulatory needs of the healthcare
      industry. METHODS: For this goal, we developed an integrated clinical informatics
      environment, i.e., Methodist environment for translational enhancement and
      outcomes research (METEOR). The framework of METEOR consists of two components:
      the enterprise data warehouse (EDW) and a software intelligence and analytics
      (SIA) layer for enabling a wide range of clinical decision support systems that
      can be used directly by outcomes researchers and clinical investigators to
      facilitate data access for the purposes of hypothesis testing, cohort
      identification, data mining, risk prediction, and clinical research training.
      RESULTS: Data and usability analysis were performed on METEOR components as a
      preliminary evaluation, which successfully demonstrated that METEOR addresses
      significant niches in the clinical informatics area, and provides a powerful
      means for data integration and efficient access in supporting clinical and
      translational research. CONCLUSION: METEOR EDW and informatics applications
      improved outcomes, enabled coordinated care, and support health analytics and
      clinical research at HMH. SIGNIFICANCE: The twin pressures of cost containment in
      the healthcare market and new federal regulations and policies have led to the
      prioritization of the meaningful use of electronic health records in the United
      States. EDW and SIA layers on top of EDW are becoming an essential strategic tool
      to healthcare institutions and integrated delivery networks in order to support
      evidence-based medicine at the enterprise level.

PMID- 26126272
TI  - Detecting the Elusive P-Wave: A New ECG Lead to Improve the Recording of Atrial
      Activity.
AB  - GOAL: In this study, we report on a lead selection method that was developed to
      detect the optimal bipolar electrode placement for recording of the P-wave.
      METHODS: The study population consisted of 117 lead body surface potential maps
      recorded from 229 healthy subjects. The optimal bipolar lead was developed using
      the training set (172 subjects) then extracted from the testing dataset (57
      subjects) and compared to other lead systems previously reported for improved
      recording of atrial activity. All leads were assessed in terms of P-wave, QRS,
      and STT root mean square (RMS). The P/QRST RMS ratio was also investigated to
      determine the atrioventricular RMS ratio. Finally, the effect of minor electrode
      misplacements on the P-lead was investigated. RESULTS: The P-lead discovered in
      this study outperformed all other investigated leads in terms of P-wave RMS. The
      P-lead showed a significant improvement in median P-wave RMS (93 versus 72 MUV, p
      < 0.001) over the next best lead, Lead II. An improvement in QRS and STT RMS was
      also observed from the P-lead in comparison to lead II (668 versus 573 MUV, p <
      0.001) and (327 versus 196 MUV, p < 0.001). Although P-wave RMS was reduced by
      incorrect electrode placement, significant improvement over Lead II was still
      evident. CONCLUSION: The P-lead improves P-wave RMS signal strength over all
      other investigated leads. Also the P-lead does not reduce QRS and STT RMS making
      it an appropriate choice for atrial arrhythmia monitoring. SIGNIFICANCE: Given
      the improvement in signal-to-noise ratio, an improvement in algorithms that rely
      on P-wave analysis may be achieved.

PMID- 26126273
TI  - Who discovered messenger RNA?
AB  - The announcement of the discovery of messenger RNA (mRNA) and the cracking of the
      genetic code took place within weeks of each other in a climax of scientific
      excitement during the summer of 1961. Although mRNA is of decisive importance to
      our understanding of gene function, no Nobel Prize was awarded for its discovery.
      The large number of people involved, the complex nature of the results, and the
      tortuous path that was taken over half a century ago, all show that simple claims
      of priority may not reflect how science works. 

PMID- 26126274
TI  - Mating failure.
AB  - Greenway et al. introduce the concept of mating failure, the failure to produce
      offspring. 

PMID- 26126275
TI  - Brown.
AB  - In this Quick Guide, Steven Buck explains how, uniquely among the bright primary
      perceptual hues, yellow changes its hue when it appears dark, becoming the colour
      brown. 

PMID- 26126277
TI  - Evolution: The Island of Misfit Mammoths.
AB  - The genomes of two woolly mammoths have been sequenced. One of the last survivors
      had reduced genetic diversity. Although divergent in their mitochondrial genomes,
      the mammoths had similar nuclear genomes, a finding germane to elephant
      conservation.

PMID- 26126276
TI  - Aneuploidy.
AB  - The terms 'haploid' and 'diploid' that describe single (n) and double (2n)
      chromosome sets in cells were coined by the Polish-German botanist Eduard
      Strasburger and originate from the Greek terms haploos meaning 'single' and
      diploos meaning 'double'. The term 'ploidy' was subsequently derived to describe
      the total chromosome content of cells. Consequently, the term 'euploid' refers to
      a chromosome complement that is an exact multiple of the haploid number.
      Therefore, haploids and diploids are both cases of normal euploidy. Euploid types
      that have more than two sets of chromosomes are 'polyploid' such as 'triploid'
      (3n), 'tetraploid' (4n), 'pentaploid' (5n), and so forth. There are various
      natural euploid states with some organisms existing as haploids (fungi), diploids
      (most mammals), and polyploids (plants). 

PMID- 26126278
TI  - Colour Vision: Understanding #TheDress.
AB  - A widely-viewed image of a dress elicits striking individual variation in colour
      perception. Experiments with multiple variants of the image suggest that the
      individual differences may arise through the action of visual mechanisms that
      normally stabilise object colour. 

PMID- 26126279
TI  - Cell Division: A New Role for the Kinetochore in Central Spindle Assembly.
AB  - The central spindle, which is formed between segregating chromosomes, is a
      critical structure for cell division. However, it was unclear how the central
      spindle is assembled at anaphase onset. A recent study reveals that a conserved
      kinetochore protein network plays an essential role in initiation of central
      spindle assembly. 

PMID- 26126280
TI  - Neural Circuits: Introducing Different Scales of Temporal Processing.
AB  - A new study describes a novel passive integration mechanism of inhibition in
      auditory neurons in the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus that turns
      extremely well-timed synaptic events into a signal code that is three orders of
      magnitude slower. 

PMID- 26126281
TI  - Cilia: Organelles at the Heart of Heart Disease.
AB  - Genetic disorders, such as heterotaxy, first provided a link between cilia and
      developmental heart defects. Now, a genetic screen in mice shows that ciliary
      dysfunction may indeed be the major contributing factor in the etiology of
      congenital heart disease. 

PMID- 26126282
TI  - Neurobiology: Myelin Goes Where the Action Is.
AB  - There is increasing evidence that neuronal activity modulates how axons are
      wrapped in myelin. Two recent studies demonstrate that activity-dependent vesicle
      release from neurons regulates myelination in vivo.

PMID- 26126283
TI  - Seedling Germination: Seedlings Follow Sunshine and Fresh Air.
AB  - The journey from seedling to plant requires guidance in the dark to establish
      which directions the roots and shoots should grow. A new study shows that, after
      germinating in darkness, plant seedlings sense the oxygen content of the
      surrounding airspace to guide further development. 

PMID- 26126284
TI  - Cell Migration: Recoiling from an Embrace.
AB  - For proper spacing or rapid dispersion, some migratory cells are guided by
      repulsive collisions with their neighbors. A new study reveals that a surprising
      intercellular coupling of leading edge actin networks forms the basis of mutual
      repulsion in Drosophila hemocytes. 

PMID- 26126287
TI  - Recurrent-Neural-Network-Based Multivariable Adaptive Control for a Class of
      Nonlinear Dynamic Systems With Time-Varying Delay.
AB  - At the beginning, an approximate nonlinear autoregressive moving average (NARMA)
      model is employed to represent a class of multivariable nonlinear dynamic systems
      with time-varying delay. It is known that the disadvantages of robust control for
      the NARMA model are as follows: 1) suitable control parameters for larger time
      delay are more sensitive to achieving desirable performance; 2) it only deals
      with bounded uncertainty; and 3) the nominal NARMA model must be learned in
      advance. Due to the dynamic feature of the NARMA model, a recurrent neural
      network (RNN) is online applied to learn it. However, the system performance
      becomes deteriorated due to the poor learning of the larger variation of system
      vector functions. In this situation, a simple network is employed to compensate
      the upper bound of the residue caused by the linear parameterization of the
      approximation error of RNN. An e -modification learning law with a projection for
      weight matrix is applied to guarantee its boundedness without persistent
      excitation. Under suitable conditions, the semiglobally ultimately bounded
      tracking with the boundedness of estimated weight matrix is obtained by the
      proposed RNN-based multivariable adaptive control. Finally, simulations are
      presented to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control. 

PMID- 26126286
TI  - Automated, Depth-Resolved Estimation of the Attenuation Coefficient From Optical
      Coherence Tomography Data.
AB  - We present a method for automated, depth-resolved extraction of the attenuation
      coefficient from Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) data. In contrast to previous
      automated, depth-resolved methods, the Depth-Resolved Confocal (DRC) technique
      derives an invertible mapping between the measured OCT intensity data and the
      attenuation coefficient while considering the confocal function and sensitivity
      fall-off, which are critical to ensure accurate measurements of the attenuation
      coefficient in practical settings (e.g., clinical endoscopy). We also show that
      further improvement of the estimated attenuation coefficient is possible by
      formulating image denoising as a convex optimization problem that we term
      Intensity Weighted Horizontal Total Variation (iwhTV). The performance and
      accuracy of DRC alone and DRC+iwhTV are validated with simulated data, optical
      phantoms, and ex-vivo porcine tissue. Our results suggest that implementation of
      DRC+iwhTV represents a novel way to improve OCT contrast for better tissue
      characterization through quantitative imaging.

PMID- 26126288
TI  - Cone Beam Computed Tomography evaluation of palatal bone thickness for miniscrew
      placement in Down's syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To quantify palatal bone thickness (PBT) in Down's syndrome (DS)
      patients in order to identify the best areas for miniscrew placement. DESIGN: The
      study group was formed of 40 DS patients (25 male and 15 female) with a mean age
      of 18.4+/-6.3 years (range, 9-40 years). A control group of 40 non-syndromic age-
      and sex-matched individuals was selected. Maxillary CBCT images were available
      for all participants. Coronal sections of the hard palate were selected at 4, 8,
      16 and 24mm posterior to the distal wall of the incisive foramen. PBT
      measurements were performed at 20 selected points on these coronal sections at
      the midline and at 3 and 6mm to right and left of the suture. RESULTS: Overall,
      PBT was similar in DS and controls and it was not affected by age or sex. In both
      groups PBT decreased progressively with increasing distance from the posterior
      wall of the nasopalatine foramen in an anteroposterior direction, except along
      the median palatal suture. PBT along the suture was lower in DS than in controls
      in all the paracoronal image planes (P=0.02, 0.007, 0.01 and 0.02 at 4mm, 8mm,
      16mm and 24mm, respectively, from the incisive foramen). PBT at the most anterior
      paramedian locations was also lower in DS than in controls (P=0.02 and 0.03,
      respectively, 3mm to the right and left of midline). CONCLUSIONS: In DS
      individuals, the most suitable area for miniscrew placement in terms of bone
      volume is the median palatal suture, irrespective of age or sex, as occurs in the
      general population, followed by the paramedian sites closest to the incisive
      foramen.

PMID- 26126289
TI  - Assessment of masticatory muscle activity and occlusion time in patients with
      advanced tooth wear.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Tooth wear is a basic physiological adjustment mechanism in the
      masticatory system. Unfortunately, it is not clear what the relationship is
      between the activity of the masticatory muscles and the tooth hard tissue loss
      (mainly enamel) in patients with advanced tooth wear. The aims of this study were
      (1) to compare the occlusion times and (2) to compare the EMG activity in maximal
      voluntary clench of the masseter and anterior temporalis muscles of patients with
      advanced tooth wear to the same activity of healthy volunteers. DESIGN: 50 (16F,
      34M) patients and 30 (12F, 18M) age matched controls were clinically examined to
      assess the degree of wear (TWI). Each subject underwent electromyographic
      analysis (bilateral anterior temporalis, superficial masseter, anterior digastric
      and sternocleidomastoid muscles) and digital occlusal analysis. RESULTS: Mean
      values of the electrical potentials of the mandible elevating muscles during
      clench were higher in the study group compared to the controls. A negative
      correlation was found between the temporalis and masseter muscle activities
      during clench and the mean value of TWI (r=-0.383, p=0.009; r=-0.447, p=0.002).
      Occlusion time was longer in the study group compared to controls (p<0.05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Mandibular adductors demonstrated lower muscular activities during
      clenching in the tooth wear patients; however, the cause of this finding is not
      certain. Prolongation of occlusion time may exacerbate occlusal surfaces wear or
      excessive wear may prolong occlusion time.

PMID- 26126285
TI  - Sirtuins and the Metabolic Hurdles in Cancer.
AB  - The nutrient demands of cancer cannot be met by normal cell metabolism. Cancer
      cells undergo dramatic alteration of metabolic pathways in a process called
      reprogramming, characterized by increased nutrient uptake and re-purposing of
      these fuels for biosynthetic, bioenergetic or signaling pathways. Partitioning
      carbon sources toward growth and away from ATP production necessitates other
      means of generating energy for biosynthetic reactions. Additionally, cancer cell
      adaptations frequently lead to increased production of reactive oxygen species
      and lactic acid, which can be beneficial to cancer growth but also are
      potentially toxic and must be appropriately cleared. Sirtuins are a family of
      deacylases and ADP-ribosyltransferases with clear links to regulation of cancer
      metabolism. Through their unique ability to integrate cellular stress and
      nutrient status with coordination of metabolic outputs, sirtuins are well poised
      to play pivotal roles in tumor progression and survival. Here, we review the
      multi-faceted duties of sirtuins in tackling the metabolic hurdles in cancer. We
      focus on both beneficial and adverse effects of sirtuins in the regulation of
      energetic, biosynthetic and toxicity barriers faced by cancer cells. 

PMID- 26126290
TI  - The Removal of EOG Artifacts From EEG Signals Using Independent Component
      Analysis and Multivariate Empirical Mode Decomposition.
AB  - The recorded electroencephalography (EEG) signals are usually contaminated by
      electrooculography (EOG) artifacts. In this paper, by using independent component
      analysis (ICA) and multivariate empirical mode decomposition (MEMD), the ICA
      based MEMD method was proposed to remove EOG artifacts (EOAs) from multichannel
      EEG signals. First, the EEG signals were decomposed by the MEMD into multiple
      multivariate intrinsic mode functions (MIMFs). The EOG-related components were
      then extracted by reconstructing the MIMFs corresponding to EOAs. After
      performing the ICA of EOG-related signals, the EOG-linked independent components
      were distinguished and rejected. Finally, the clean EEG signals were
      reconstructed by implementing the inverse transform of ICA and MEMD. The results
      of simulated and real data suggested that the proposed method could successfully
      eliminate EOAs from EEG signals and preserve useful EEG information with little
      loss. By comparing with other existing techniques, the proposed method achieved
      much improvement in terms of the increase of signal-to-noise and the decrease of
      mean square error after removing EOAs.

PMID- 26126291
TI  - Hybrid k -Nearest Neighbor Classifier.
AB  - Conventional k -nearest neighbor (KNN) classification approaches have several
      limitations when dealing with some problems caused by the special datasets, such
      as the sparse problem, the imbalance problem, and the noise problem. In this
      paper, we first perform a brief survey on the recent progress of the KNN
      classification approaches. Then, the hybrid KNN (HBKNN) classification approach,
      which takes into account the local and global information of the query sample, is
      designed to address the problems raised from the special datasets. In the
      following, the random subspace ensemble framework based on HBKNN (RS-HBKNN)
      classifier is proposed to perform classification on the datasets with noisy
      attributes in the high-dimensional space. Finally, the nonparametric tests are
      proposed to be adopted to compare the proposed method with other classification
      approaches over multiple datasets. The experiments on the real-world datasets
      from the Knowledge Extraction based on Evolutionary Learning dataset repository
      demonstrate that RS-HBKNN works well on real datasets, and outperforms most of
      the state-of-the-art classification approaches.

PMID- 26126292
TI  - An Improved Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm for Solving Hybrid Flexible Flowshop
      With Dynamic Operation Skipping.
AB  - In this paper, we propose an improved discrete artificial bee colony (DABC)
      algorithm to solve the hybrid flexible flowshop scheduling problem with dynamic
      operation skipping features in molten iron systems. First, each solution is
      represented by a two-vector-based solution representation, and a dynamic encoding
      mechanism is developed. Second, a flexible decoding strategy is designed. Next, a
      right-shift strategy considering the problem characteristics is developed, which
      can clearly improve the solution quality. In addition, several skipping and
      scheduling neighborhood structures are presented to balance the exploration and
      exploitation ability. Finally, an enhanced local search is embedded in the
      proposed algorithm to further improve the exploitation ability. The proposed
      algorithm is tested on sets of the instances that are generated based on the
      realistic production. Through comprehensive computational comparisons and
      statistical analysis, the highly effective performance of the proposed DABC
      algorithm is favorably compared against several presented algorithms, both in
      solution quality and efficiency.

PMID- 26126293
TI  - The Emergence of Environmental Health Literacy-From Its Roots to Its Future
      Potential.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Environmental health literacy (EHL) is coalescing into a new
      subdiscipline that combines key principles and procedural elements from the
      fields of risk communication, health literacy, environmental health sciences
      (EHS), communications research, and safety culture. These disciplines have
      contributed unique expertise and perspectives to the development of EHL. Since
      1992, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has
      contributed to the evolution of EHL and now seeks to stimulate its scientific
      advancement and rigor. OBJECTIVES: The principal objective of this article is to
      stimulate a conversation on, and advance research in, EHL. DISCUSSION: In this
      article, we propose a definition of and conceptual framework for EHL, describe
      EHL in its social and historical context, identify the complementary fields and
      domains where EHL is being defined and implemented, and outline a research
      agenda. Extensive reviews of web and literature searches indicate that the
      concept of EHL is evolving rapidly, as are the definitions of its scope and
      inquiry. Although several authors have outlined different frameworks, we believe
      that a more nuanced model based on Bloom's taxonomy is better suited to EHL and
      to future research in this area. CONCLUSIONS: We posit that EHL can potentially
      benefit the conduct and outcomes of community-engaged and health disparities EHS
      research and can ensure that the translation of research findings will lead to
      greater understanding of specific risks, reduction of exposures, and improvement
      of health outcomes for individuals and communities. We provide four
      recommendations to advance work in EHL.

PMID- 26126294
TI  - Exposure to Road Traffic Noise and Behavioral Problems in 7-Year-Old Children: A
      Cohort Study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Exposure to traffic noise has been associated with adverse effects on
      neuropsychological outcomes in children, but findings with regard to behavioral
      problems are inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether residential road
      traffic noise exposure is associated with behavioral problems in 7-year-old
      children. METHODS: We identified 46,940 children from the Danish National Birth
      Cohort with complete information on behavioral problems at 7 years of age and
      complete address history from conception to 7 years of age. Road traffic noise
      (Lden) was modeled at all present and historical addresses. Behavioral problems
      were assessed by the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
      (SDQ). Associations between pregnancy and childhood exposure to noise and
      behavioral problems were analyzed by multinomial or logistic regression and
      adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: A 10-dB increase in average time
      weighted road traffic noise exposure from birth to 7 years of age was associated
      with a 7% increase (95% CI: 1.00, 1.14) in abnormal versus normal total
      difficulties scores; 5% (95% CI: 1.00, 1.10) and 9% (95% CI: 1.03, 1.18)
      increases in borderline and abnormal hyperactivity/inattention subscale scores,
      respectively; and 5% (95% CI: 0.98, 1.14) and 6% (95% CI: 0.99, 1.12) increases
      in abnormal conduct problem and peer relationship problem subscale scores,
      respectively. Exposure to road traffic noise during pregnancy was not associated
      with child behavioral problems at 7 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Residential road
      traffic noise in early childhood may be associated with behavioral problems,
      particularly hyperactivity/inattention symptoms.

PMID- 26126295
TI  - OTC Secondary Prevention of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Moves Closer to Clinical
      Reality.

PMID- 26126296
TI  - Disseminating prevention info.

PMID- 26126297
TI  - Damages award for housing discrimination reversed in part.

PMID- 26126299
TI  - VA patient contended he did not authorize HIV, drug test.

PMID- 26126298
TI  - Man with HIV may proceed with ADA discrimination claim.

PMID- 26126300
TI  - SSI.  Court affirms denial of woman's application for benefits.

PMID- 26126302
TI  - Origin, Incidence, and Management of Nongynecologic Pelvic Masses Seen on Cross
      sectional Imaging.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize the origin of nongynecologic pelvic masses. STUDY
      DESIGN: Using a radiology database, women who underwent transvaginal ultrasound,
      CT scan, or MRI for the indication of pelvic mass or pelvic fullness were
      identified. Demographic information, radiologic data, and outcomes were reviewed.
      RESULTS: A total of 450 women underwent imaging for the above indications been
      2002 and 2012. Of those women, 347 had at least 1 pelvic mass; 3 women had both
      gynecologic and nongynecologic masses, and 13 women had 2 gynecologic masses.
      Forty women (12%) had nongynecologic pathology. Of the nongynecologic masses 13
      were gastrointestinal in origin, 9 were urologic, and 9 were neuromuscular. Other
      etiologies included metastatic cancers, iatrogenic masses, and hematologic
      masses. Seventy-four women had malignant pathology (21%): 17/40 (43%) of
      nongynecologic pelvic masses and 57/320 (18%) of gynecologic masses (p < 0.05).
      CONCLUSION: Compared to pelvic masses of gynecologic origin, nongynecologic
      pelvic masses are more likely to be malignant.

PMID- 26126303
TI  - Reproductive Outcomes in Women Following Radiofrequency Volumetric Thermal
      Ablation of Symptomatic Fibroids. A Retrospective Case Series Analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To report reproductive outcomes in women who underwent radiofrequency
      volumetric thermal ablation (RFVTA) of symptomatic uterine fibroids. STUDY
      DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of fibroid characteristics, treatment parameters,
      and pregnancy outcomes of 6 subjects in 3 prospective trials of laparoscopic
      ultrasound-guided RFVTA. RESULTS: Despite the requirement that women enrolled in
      the RFVTA studies did not desire current or future childbearing and were to
      continue contraception, 6 subjects conceived at between 3.5 and 15 months
      postreatment. The number of fibroids treated per patient ranged from 1 to 7,
      measured between 1.0 cm and 7.6 cm at the greatest diameter, and included
      multiple types (submucosal, intramural, transmural, and subserosal). Five
      patients (5/6, 83%) delivered full-term healthy infants: 1 by vaginal delivery
      and 4 by cesarean section. One patient (1/6, 17%) had a spontaneous miscarriage
      in the first trimester. CONCLUSION: Viable, full-term pregnancies are possible
      after RFVTA. Further, in-depth study of pregnancy outcomes following laparoscopic
      ultrasound-guided radiofrequency, volumetric ablation of fibroids is warranted.

PMID- 26126304
TI  - Estradiol and Antagonist Pretreatment Prior to Microdose Leuprolide in in Vitro
      Fertilization. Does It Improve IVF Outcomes in Poor Responders as Compared to
      Oral Contraceptive Pill?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes in low responders
      stimulated with microdose leuprolide protocol (ML) following pretreatment with
      either oral contraceptive pill (OCP) or luteal estradiol (E2) + GnRH antagonist
      (E2 + antag) for follicular synchronization prior to controlled ovarian
      hyperstimulation (COH). STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective study of 130
      women, who were poor responders, undergoing IVF with either OCP/ML or E2+
      antag/ML protocols. The main outcome measures were ongoing pregnancy rates,
      number of oocytes retrieved, and cancellation rate. RESULTS: Both groups were
      similar in baseline characteristics. There were no significant differences in
      gonadotropin requirement, cancellation rate, and number of embryos transferred.
      Ongoing pregnancy rates (40% vs. 15%) were significantly higher in the OCP/ML
      group. Trends toward greater number of oocytes retrieved (7.7 +/- 3.4 vs. 5.9 +/-
      4.2) and improved implantation rates (20% vs. 12%) were also noted, but these did
      not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: E2+antag pretreatment does not
      appear to improve IVF outcomes in ML protocol when compared to the standard OCP
      in poor responders. Randomized trials with adequate power to study the optimal
      method of steroid pretreatments appear justified.

PMID- 26126305
TI  - Do Obstetrical Providers, Counsel Women About Postpartum Pelvic Floor
      Dysfunction?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess prenatal counseling practices of obstetrics providers
      related to postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction at centers with integrated
      urogynecology services. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to
      obstetrical providers through urogynecology colleagues. The survey included
      questions about level of training as well as counseling practices related to
      common postpartum pelvic floor symptoms. All statistical tests were two-sided,
      and p values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total
      of 192 surveys were received; 19 respondents did not perform their own prenatal
      counseling and were excluded. Among the remaining 173 respondents, 94 (56.3%) of
      those who answered the question reported never discussing postpartum urinary
      incontinence, and 73.7% reported never discussing postpartum fecal incontinence
      during prenatal counseling. Obstetrics and gynecology residents were
      significantly less likely than attending physicians to report discussing various
      pelvic floor dysfunction topics in prenatal counseling. Among those who reported
      not counseling women regarding pelvic floor dysfunction, the most common reason
      cited was lack of time (39.9%) followed by lack of sufficient information
      (30.1%). CONCLUSION: Prenatal counseling of pelvic floor dysfunction risk is
      lacking at all levels of obstetrical training. Limitations of time and
      information are the obstacles most often cited by providers.

PMID- 26126306
TI  - Effect of Single-Use Negative Pressure Wound Therapy on Postcesarean Infections
      and Wound Complications for High-Risk Patients.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a single-use negative pressure wound therapy
      (NPWT) system on postoperative complications after cesarean delivery. STUDY
      DESIGN: A historical control cohort of women was collected as part of a quality
      improvement project over a 6-month period. All women with at least 1 risk factor
      for postoperative complications were included in this control cohort. An
      intervention cohort of 110 women with at least 1 risk factor for postoperative
      complications was eligible to have a single-use NPWT system placed at the time of
      cesarean delivery. Primary outcomes were wound/infectious morbidity, including
      any surgical site infection (deep or superficial) as defined by the Centers for
      Disease Control, or wound separation without infection. RESULTS: Despite
      significantly higher overall burden of risk factors for postoperative
      complications, the intervention group showed a significantly lower rate (21.0%
      vs. 6.4%, p = 0.0007) of overall wound/infectious morbidity. The rate of isolated
      wound separation betweenthe 2 groups was not statistically significant (3.8% vs.
      2.7%, p = 0.754) and was likely due to the low rate of wound separations.
      CONCLUSION: Application of an NPWT system to a primarily closed cesarean incision
      at time of surgery significantly decreased both deep and superficial infectious
      morbidity in our intervention group, which had more risk factors for wound
      complications and postoperative infection.

PMID- 26126307
TI  - Blood Contaminated Amniotic Fluid and the Lamellar Body Count Fetal Lung Maturity
      Test.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if maternal blood contamination falsely elevates the
      lamellar body count fetal lung maturity test. STUDY DESIGN: Fifty mothers
      undergoing amniocentesis for fetal lung maturity consented to participation in
      the study. For each participant a blood-contaminated sample using the patient's
      own blood was run in tandem with the noncontaminated sample used for clinical
      practice. RESULTS: Of the 50 study patient samples the lamellar body count
      decreased by >= 3,000/MUL in 33 (66%) and remained unchanged in 16 (32%). In only
      1 case did the value increase--the actual result of 37,000/MUL increased to
      44,000/MUL, both of which exceeded the mature level in our institution.
      CONCLUSION: Maternal blood contamination of amniotic fluid does not falsely
      increase the lamellar body count in 98% of cases. The result was falsely lowered
      in 2 out of 3 cases. Therefore, a mature lamellar body count test result in a
      blood-contaminated sample is reliable

PMID- 26126308
TI  - The Evidence-based Vulvodynia Assessment Project. A National Registry for the
      Study of Vulvodynia.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To create a national registry for the study of vulvodynia in order to
      enhance classification of vulvodynia based on multiple phenotypic domains such as
      pain characteristics, clinical examination, sexual function, psychological
      functioning, and distress. STUDY DESIGN: Methodology for this prospective cohort
      registry was institutional review board approved and implemented at 8 enrollment
      sites starting in 2009. Women underwent gynecologic evaluation and pressure
      sensory testing for assessment of pain sensitivity in the vaginal mucosa and
      vaginal muscles. Psychometric questionnaires were used to assess self-described
      pain, distress, sexual function, and quality of life. RESULTS: More than 300
      women were enrolled and 176 charts were analyzed. This cohort had a median age of
      29 years and median pain duration of 25.5 months. A total of 84% of participants
      were previously or currently sexually active in spite of pain. The most common
      pain comorbidities reported by the women were migraines (34%), chronic pelvic
      pain (22%), and irritable bowel syndrome (20%). Anxiety affected 41% of the
      cohort. More than 90% presented with localized vestibular pain, and 90% had
      muscular examination abnormalities. CONCLUSION: A national registry for the study
      of vulvodynia was established with successful enrollment of participants at 8
      sites. In addition to the cotton swab evaluation for vulvar allodynia, women with
      vulvar chronic pain should also be routinely screened for musculoskeletal
      dysfunction, emotional distress with specific emphasis on anxiety, and comorbid
      pain conditions.

PMID- 26126309
TI  - Maternal Abortion History and the Risk of Congenital Heart Defects. A Case
      Control Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between maternal abortion history and
      congenital heart defect (CHD) risk in subsequent pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN: A
      multihospital-based case-control study was conducted. The cases included 370
      women whose fetuses were diagnosed with CHDs. The controls were 413 women with
      fetuses without an apparent malformation in the same hospital. All of the
      participants were investigated by trained interviewers. Univariate analysis was
      performed, followed by multivariate logistic regression analysis to calculate
      odds ratio and 95% confidence interval to evaluate the risk of maternal abortion
      history on CHD risk. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant positive
      associations between maternal abortion (induced abortion and spontaneous
      abortion) occurrence and the risk of CHDs. There were no statistically
      significant positive associations between the number of maternal abortions
      (induced and spontaneous) and the risk of congenital heart defects. CONCLUSION:
      Maternal abortion history may not be associated with fetal CHDs.

PMID- 26126310
TI  - Outcomes of Treatment of Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia in a Primarily
      Indigent Urban Population.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review outcomes of women with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia
      (GTN) who presented to an inner-city hospital system, given that the rigorous
      treatment and follow-up for GTN is often problematic for certain women of low
      socioeconomic status with limited resources and social support. STUDY DESIGN: A
      retrospective review was performed with IRB approval of patients diagnosed with
      GTN based on the revised WHO scoring system from 1999-2010 at our institution.
      SPSS Statistics software was used to perform univariate and multivariate
      analyses. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients were treated for GTN: 32 low-risk and 17
      high-risk. Low-risk patients received an average of 5 cycles of initial single
      agent chemotherapy. Six patients had persistent disease and were switched to a
      second single-agent regimen. One patient required multiagent chemotherapy for
      normalization of human chorionic gonadotropin levels. No patient had recurrence
      of disease. All high-risk patients were initially treated with multiagent
      chemotherapy, averaging 8 cycles. Two of the 17 patients persisted; 1 recurred.
      All 3 currently have no evidence of disease. No patient died of disease.
      CONCLUSION: Excellent treatment outcomes in patients with GTN may be achieved in
      disadvantaged populations when compliance to regimens is optimized.

PMID- 26126311
TI  - Sclerosing Stromal Ovarian Tumor Combined with Early Onset Severe Preeclampsia. A
      Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sclerosing stromal tumor (SST) of the ovary is an extremely rare,
      benign, sex cord-stromal tumor. The tumor consists of cells with the multilineage
      potential of undifferentiated mesenchymal cells and the ability to secrete
      estrogen or androgen. Current research suggests that the tumor originates in the
      ovarian cortex. SSTs of the ovary are predominantly found in young women aged 20
      30 years; information describing SST during pregnancy is limited. CASE: We report
      a case of SST of the ovary combined with early onset severe preeclampsia.
      CONCLUSION: We document the clinical and pathological characteristics of the
      patient's disease, including the effects on the pregnancy and fetus.

PMID- 26126312
TI  - Uterine Perforation During Dilation and Evacuation Prior to Fetal Extraction--Now
      What? A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Uterine perforation is an infrequent but serious complication of
      dilation and evacuation (O&E). The purpose of this case report is to describe
      management strategies once a uterine perforation is identified. CASE: A 15-year
      old female at 15 weeks' gestation presented to a freestanding clinic for elective
      abortion. After serial cervical dilation, omentum was seen in the suction
      curette. The patient was transferred to a nearby hospital, she underwent an
      exploratory laparotomy. A 1.5-cm anterior uterine perforation was found. The
      uterus was evacuated under direct visualization prior to repair of the defect.
      CONCLUSION: Uterine perforation during D&E often requires laparotomy to repair
      the defect and to evaluate for injury to adjacent organs. Evacuation can be
      completed transcervically under direct visualization or through the perforation
      site.

PMID- 26126313
TI  - Cervical Ectopic Pregnancy: Persistence Despite a Serologically Negative beta
      hCG. A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Cervical pregnancy is a rare type of ectopic pregnancy that can be
      associated with significant hemorrhage and loss of fertility. Given its rarity,
      most effective treatment protocols are not well established. CASE: A 33-year-old
      primigravid woman at 11 weeks' gestation presented to our institution with a
      cervical ectopic pregnancy with an initial beta-hCG of 114,080 IU/L. She received
      2 doses of systemic multidose methotrexate (1 mg/kg) with oral leucovorin on
      alternating days. Fetal intracardiac potassium chloride injection was also
      performed. Despite an appropriate decline to undetectable levels of serum beta
      hCG, as well as resumption of menses, there was persistent sonographic
      demonstration of the cervical ectopic pregnancy. Surgery was ultimately required
      to remove the ectopic products of conception. CONCLUSION: Despite seemingly
      successful medical treatment of the cervical ectopic pregnancy with resultant
      undetectable serum beta-hCG levels, surgery was necessary for complete resolution
      of the cervical pregnancy. This report supports the need to integrate both serum
      beta-hCG levels and ultrasound to ensure complete resolution of these rare
      pregnancies.

PMID- 26126314
TI  - Imprinted Genes on Chromosome 6 Are Unlikely to Cause Hydatidiform Mole. A Report
      of Two Cases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hydatidiform moles are associated with an excess of paternal genome
      set(s) or abnormal imprinting of multiple imprinted genes. However, it appears
      unlikely that all imprinted genes are relevant for the pathogenesis of a
      hydatidiform mole. CASES: We studied two rare cases of triploid, diandric moles
      that were tetrasomic for chromosome 6. DNA-marker analysis showed that in one
      mole the fourth chromosome 6 originated in the father, and in the other mole the
      fourth chromosome 6 originated in the mother. Histopathologic revision disclosed
      that both moles were partial moles with no significant difference in the
      phenotypes. CONCLUSION: It is unlikely that a major gene involved in the
      pathogenesis of hydatidiform mole, or a major gene involved in determining the
      severity of the molar phenotype, is located on chromosome 6.

PMID- 26126315
TI  - Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in Pregnancy. A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Anaplastic large cell lymphoma is rarely diagnosed during pregnancy,
      and patients may be erroneously diagnosed with a dermatosis. CASE: A 34-year-old
      female was diagnosed with pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy in
      the third trimester. She underwent elective repeat cesarean section with a
      postoperative course complicated by skin and gingival ulcers and persistent
      fever. Imaging revealed lung and brain nodules. Video-assisted thoracic surgery
      lung biopsy demonstrated anaplastic large cell lymphoma. CONCLUSION: It is
      important to consider the diagnosis of anaplastic large cell lymphoma in a
      pregnant patient who presents with cutaneous symptoms.

PMID- 26126316
TI  - Ovarian Vein Thrombosis with Involvement of the Renal Vein After Cesarean
      Section. A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) is a rare postpartum venous
      thromboembolic disease (VTED) which may involve the renal vein and the inferior
      vena cava. It can cause pulmonary thromboembolism and is a potentially fatal
      postpartum complication. A high index of suspicion is required for the prompt
      diagnosis and management in cases with low back or abdominal pain after delivery.
      CASE: A 32-year-old woman complained of left low back pain at 6 days after
      cesarean section. On physical examination she had temperature of 37.7 degrees C
      and localized obvious percussion tenderness in the left renal region. Pelvic
      examination was unremarkable. Laboratory investigations revealed elevated white
      blood cell count (12,000) with neutrophilia (84.8%), urine protein 3+, and urine
      occult blood 3+. Computed tomography scan showed the classical radiological
      presentation of OVT with involvement of the renal vein. The patient was
      successfully managed conservatively with low-molecular-weight heparin and
      antibiotics. CONCLUSION: OVT with involvement of the renal vein is a very rare
      condition of postpartum VTED and may cause serious complications if left
      untreated. A high index of suspicion is required in order to diagnose this
      unusual cause of low back or abdominal pain and fever after delivery.

PMID- 26126317
TI  - Xanthogranulomatous Oophoritis Presenting as an Adnexal Mass and Bowel
      Obstruction. A Case Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Xanthogranulomatous inflammation of the female genital tract is a
      rare entity. When the gynecological organs are affected, it is particularly
      unusual for xanthogranulomataus inflammation to involve only the ovary. CASE: A
      45-year-old woman with an intrauterine device, long-term exposure to nicotine,
      and hyperlipidemia presented with an adnexal mass and bowel obstruction. She
      underwent 2 exploratory laparotomies, ureteral stent placement, left
      salpingooophorectomy, and rectosigmoid resection with end colostomy. Pathology
      revealed xanthogranulomatous oophoritis without involvement of the associated
      fallopian tube. CONCLUSION: The synergistic effects of intrauterine device use,
      abnormal lipid levels, and long-term nicotine exposure may have contributed to
      the development of this patient's condition. Knowledge of xanthogranulomatous
      inflammation is essential to avoid misdiagnosis of malignancy and excessive
      surgical intervention.

PMID- 26126318
TI  - Emergence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in an
      Iranian referral paediatric hospital.
AB  - The epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in
      hospitals has been changed in recent years due to the arrival of community
      associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) strains into healthcare settings. The aim of this study
      is to investigate the distribution of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec
      (SCCmec) type V as well as SCCmec IV subtypes, which have been associated with
      community-acquired infection among healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) isolates.
      Antimicrobial susceptibility, SCCmec type, spa type and the presence of Panton
      Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes were determined for all HA-MRSA isolates in an
      Iranian referral hospital. In this study of 48 HA-MRSA isolates, 13 (27%), three
      (6.2%), five (10.4%) and one (2%) belonged to SCCmec subtypes IVa, IVb, IVc and
      IVd, respectively. Only two isolates (4.2%) belonged to SCCmec types V Notably,
      one isolate was found to harbour concurrent SCCmec subtypes IVb and IVd. MRSA
      containing SCCmec subtype IVb, IVc and IVd as well as type V isolates were all
      susceptible to chloramphenicol, clindamycin and rifampicin, while the sensitivity
      to these antibiotics was lower among MRSA containing SCCmec subtype IVa. The most
      frequently observed spa ttype was t037, accounting for 88% (22/25). Three other
      spa type was t002, t1816 and t4478. Large reservoirs of MRSA containing type IV
      subtypes and type V now exist in patients in this Iranian hospital. Therefore,
      effective infection control management in order to control the spread of CA-MRSA
      is highly recommended.

PMID- 26126319
TI  - The lipaemic index: clinical observations.
AB  - The lipaemic index can be used to assess whether or not blood samples are
      suitable for laboratory analysis. However, little is known about which patients
      have a raised lipaemic index. In this article we study patient demographics and
      serum lipid concentrations in samples showing a raised lipaemic index. Of the
      4271 patient samples measured in the month of July 2014, a total of 310 had a
      lipaemic index 0.4. Blood samples showing a raised lipaemic index were studied in
      a retrospective patient case review of laboratory results. Overall, 7.3% of all
      samples measured had a raised lipaemic index 0.4. This study found that males
      were more likely to have a high lipaemic index (56%) and neonates were the group
      most frequently producing lipaemic samples (30.6%). The correlation between the
      lipaemic index and the triglyceride concentration showed an r2 value of only 0.37
      (r = 0.61), and the correlation between cholesterol and lipaemic index showed an
      r2 value of 0.16 (r = -0.41). Male and neonatal samples were most likely to show
      a raised lipaemic index. There was a positive correlation between sample
      triglyceride and lipaemic index and an inverse correlation with cholesterol
      concentration and the lipaemic index, although this did not account for all the
      variance. Thus, other factors may also be important in the expression of the
      lipaemic index.

PMID- 26126320
TI  - 25-hydroxy vitamin D and ischaemia-modified albumin levels in psoriasis and their
      association with disease severity.
AB  - Psoriasis is a T-helper-1 (Th1)/Th17-mediated chronic inflammatory skin disease,
      characterised by hyperproliferation of keratinocytes. Psoriasis and
      cardiovascular disease share similar pathogenic mechanisms such as vascular
      endothelial cell dysfunction, oxidative stress and metabolic syndrome. 25-hydroxy
      vitamin D is an immune-regulatory hormone, with the ability to reduce cellular
      proliferation in psoriasis. Ischaemia-modified albumin (IMA) is a marker of
      oxidative stress. This study examined 25-hydroxy vitamin D, IMA and high
      sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in patients with psoriasis, in
      comparison with healthy controls and their possible association with disease
      severity. A total of 43 cases of psoriasis and 43 controls were included in this
      cross-sectional study, and severity grading was performed according to psoriasis
      area severity index (PASI) scoring. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D, IMA and hs-CRP
      were evaluated in all study subjects. In psoriasis, 25-hydroxy vitamin D showed a
      significant decline, while hs-CRP and IMA levels were significantly elevated, as
      compared with controls. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D showed a significant negative
      correlation with PASI score. hs-CRP and IMA showed a significant positive
      correlation with PASI score. Significant negative correlation was observed
      between 25-hydroxy vitamin D and hs-CRP; 25-hydroxy vitamin D and IMA levels in
      psoriasis. The results indicate that psoriasis is associated with significantly
      lowered 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels, along with increased systemic inflammation
      and oxidative stress, especially in severe disease. Thus, vitamin D
      supplementation might reduce systemic inflammation and oxidative stress and help
      in delaying the pathogenesis of co-morbidities associated with psoriasis.

PMID- 26126321
TI  - Pan-cytokeratin markers for rapid frozen section immunocytochemistry from head
      and facial Mohs cases of basal cell carcinoma: a comparison and evaluation to
      determine the marker of choice.
AB  - The application of immunocytochemistry in the field of Mohs micrographic surgery
      (MMS) is well established. This study evaluates the use of pan-cytokeratins
      (AE1/AE3, MNF116 and AE1/AE3+PCK26) in the assessment of basal cell carcinoma
      (BCC) on frozen tissue debulk specimens. Fifty-five cases of BCC, all from head
      and facial sites, were assessed in the study. In addition to staining all cases
      for the three cytokeratin antibodies under investigation, sections were also
      stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) to demonstrate tumour architecture and
      morphology. All sections for immunocytochemistry were stained on a Roche Ventana
      BenchMark Ultra automated platform employing a rapid frozen section protocol.
      Results were assessed based on the intensity of staining of keratinocytes (scale:
      0-100%), as well as sensitivity of staining determined by the total percentage of
      keratinocytes stained within the tissue section. AE1/AE3 demonstrated the most
      consistent staining both in terms of intensity of staining and sensitivity, with
      a mean of 99.1% and 99.9%, respectively. AE1/AE3+PCK26 average results indicated
      scores of 70.6% for intensity and 87.2% for sensitivity, with MNF116 scoring
      92.9% for intensity but only 57.3% for sensitivity. The data indicate that
      AE1/AE3 is the best pan-cytokeratin antibody to use in the assessment of BCC in
      MMS. The use of cytokeratin immunocytochemistry is justified in morphologically
      complex cases of BCC, or in cases where dense inflammatory infiltrate surrounding
      any suspicious cells make identification of small numbers of tumour cells
      difficult to determine with just an H&E stain. The significant rationale is that
      cytokeratin staining is a valuable adjunct in the study of tumour cell assessment
      in cases of MMS for BCC. In addition, the use of anti-AE1/AE3 cytokeratin
      antibodies provides the most consistent staining results for such cases.

PMID- 26126322
TI  - Helicobacter pylori: correlation of the virulence marker iceA allele with
      clinical outcome in a high prevalence area.
AB  - The association of Helicobacter pylori virulence marker 'induced by contact with
      epithelium A' (iceA) allele types was determined in H. pylori-related diseases
      and virulence markers. Gastric biopsies were obtained at EGD from patients for
      culture, histopathology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for iceA types, cagA
      and vacA alleles. Two hundred and eighty-four H. pylori isolates were examined.
      iceA type 1 was positive in 177 (62%) and iceA type 2 in 158 (56%). In iceA type
      2, gastric ulcer was present in 34 (21%) (P < 0.001) and carcinoma in 28 (25%) (P
      = 0.002), compared to nine (8%) and 2 (2%) in iceA type 2-negative cases. For
      iceA type 2, 139 (88%) were associated with chronic active gastritis compared to
      95 (75%) (P = 0.006) in iceA type 2-negative. H. pylori cagA was positive in 101
      (64%) iceA type 2 strains compared to 57 (45%) in negative strains (P = 0.002).
      H. pylori iceA type 2 was dominant and associated with cagA, chronic active
      inflammation, gastric ulcer and carcinoma.

PMID- 26126323
TI  - Stem cells as a novel therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PMID- 26126324
TI  - Investigation into the misidentification of Hazard Group 3 gastrointestinal
      pathogens and associated health and safety risks.

PMID- 26126325
TI  - Lung cancer: the immune system and radiation.
AB  - Lung cancer has a known relationship with smoking and is one of the leading
      causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Although the number of studies
      discussing lung cancer is vast, treatment efficacy is still suboptimal due to the
      wide range of factors that affect patient outcome. This review aims to collect
      information on lung cancer treatment, specially focused on radiation therapy. It
      also compiles information regarding the influence of radiotherapy on the immune
      system and its response to tumour cells. It evaluates how immune cells react
      after radiation exposure and the influence of their cytokines in the tumour
      microenvironment. The literature analysis points out that the immune system is a
      very promising field of investigation regarding prognosis, mostly because the
      stromal microenvironment in the tumour can provide some information about what
      can succeed in the future concerning treatment choices and perspectives. T cells
      (CD4+ and CD8+), interleukin-8, vascular endothelial growth factor and
      transforming growth factor-beta seem to have a key role in the immune response
      after radiation exposure. The lack of large scale studies means there is no
      common consensus in the scientific community about the role of the immune system
      in lung cancer patients treated with radiotherapy. Clarification of the mechanism
      behind the immune response after radiation can lead to better treatments and
      better quality life for patients.

PMID- 26126327
TI  - [How to make examination questions].

PMID- 26126326
TI  - Medical uses of marijuana (Cannabis sativa): fact or fallacy?
AB  - Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) has been used throughout the world medically,
      recreationally and spiritually for thousands of years. In South Africa, from the
      mid-19th century to the 1920s, practitioners prescribed it for a multitude of
      conditions. In 1928 it was classified as a Schedule I substance, illegal, and
      without medical value. Ironically, with this prohibition, cannabis became the
      most widely used illicit recreational drug, not only in South Africa, but
      worldwide. Cannabis is generally regarded as enjoyable and relaxing without the
      addictive risks of opioids or stimulants. In alternative medicine circles it has
      never lost its appeal. To date 23 States in the USA have legalised its medical
      use despite the federal ban. Unfortunately, little about cannabis is not without
      controversy. Its main active ingredient, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), was
      not isolated until 1964, and it was not until the 1990s that the far-reaching
      modulatory activities of the endocannabinoid system in the human body was
      studied. This system's elucidation raises the possibility of many promising
      pharmaceutical applications, even as restrictions show no sign of abating.
      Recreational use of cannabis continues to increase, despite growing evidence of
      its addictive potential, particularly in the young. Public approval drives
      medical cannabis legalisation efforts without the scientific data normally
      required to justify a new medication's introduction. This review explores these
      controversies and whether cannabis is a panacea, a scourge, or both.

PMID- 26126328
TI  - [Manual for pathological diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy and hypertensive
      nephrosclerosis].

PMID- 26126329
TI  - [The genetic basis of nephrotic syndrome].

PMID- 26126330
TI  - [Alport syndrome].

PMID- 26126331
TI  - [Bartter syndrome and Gitelman syndrome].

PMID- 26126332
TI  - [Causative genetic variants of pseudohypoaldosteronism type II and essential
      hypertension].

PMID- 26126333
TI  - [Genetic diseases of renal phosphate handling].

PMID- 26126335
TI  - [Cystic kidney disease].

PMID- 26126334
TI  - [Disturbance of uric acid metabolism].

PMID- 26126336
TI  - [Myeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) -associated
      glomerulonephritis with acute pancreatitis: a case report].
AB  - We report here a case of a 64-year-old woman with myeloperoxidase antineutrophil
      cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) -associated glomerulonephritis who developed
      acute pancreatitis. The patient was admitted to our hospital because of abnormal
      urinalysis findings, edema, and progressive renal failure. Laboratory studies
      showed a high white blood cell count (11,570/MUL), anemia (hemoglobin 7.8 g/dL),
      and elevated serum creatinine (2.36 mg/dL) and C-reactive protein (12.20 mg/dL)
      levels. Furthermore, the MPO-ANCA titer was very high (1,625 U/mL, normal range <
      10 U/mL). Histopathological findings of the renal biopsy were consistent with
      microscopic polyangiitis. Accordingly, we diagnosed MPO-ANCA-associated
      glomerulonephritis. On the day after the renal biopsy, the patient complained of
      low back pain. Computed tomography (CT) revealed postbiopsy hemorrhage.
      Thereafter, the patient's symptoms and laboratory studies gradually worsened. A
      repeat CT performed a few days later revealed no changes in the perirenal
      hematoma; however, an enlarged pancreas head was incidentally observed. There was
      no obvious cause of acute pancreatitis, and MPO-ANCA-associated vasculitis,
      although rare, was suspected as the cause. We initiated prednisolone pulse
      therapy for vasculitis along with the administration of nafamostat mesilate and
      ulinastatin for acute pancreatitis. Subsequently, the levels of pancreatic
      enzymes gradually increased, but several days later, abdominal magnetic resonance
      imaging showed improvement in the pancreas head. The pancreatitis gradually
      resolved over time. Acute pancreatitis occurring concurrently with MPO-ANCA
      associated glomerulonephritis is extremely rare. To our knowledge, only a few
      such cases have been reported and have suggested that steroid therapy may play a
      role in triggering pancreatic involvement. In our case, however, an enlarged
      pancreas head was observed before steroid therapy was initiated. Therefore, we
      consider our case to be very rare.

PMID- 26126337
TI  - To Delete or Not to Delete, That Is the Question.

PMID- 26126338
TI  - What Is Affordable?

PMID- 26126339
TI  - Dr. Stumpel responds.

PMID- 26126340
TI  - The Sum of Its Parts.

PMID- 26126341
TI  - A Grammar of Ethics.

PMID- 26126343
TI  - Forensic Odontology.

PMID- 26126342
TI  - BPA Harms Tooth Enamel in Rats, Mimics MIH.

PMID- 26126344
TI  - Overview of Forensic Odontology.

PMID- 26126345
TI  - Atypical Forensic Dental Identifications.
AB  - Forensic dental identification specialists are typically the last conventional
      option for postmortem identification. Forensic dental identification is most
      often accomplished by comparing radiographs of the decedent's teeth with the
      dental radiographs obtained from the dentist of the suspected victim.
      Unfortunately, antemortem dental radiographs are not always available. When
      presented with this challenge, the authors of this article have been successful
      in completing identifications using means other than dental radiographic
      comparison.

PMID- 26126346
TI  - Bite-Mark and Pattern Injury Analysis: A Brief Status Overview.
AB  - Bite marks are one component of forensic investigation requiring subjective
      interpretation for determining unknown source evidence to a putative suspect.
      Recent scrutiny has lead to questions about the scientific validity of patterned
      evidence, bite-mark analysis in particular, and its role in judicial proceedings.
      This article discusses some issues that persist in forensic circles and the
      difficulties surrounding the field of bite-mark analysis that inherently must
      employ human subjectivity in its execution of duty.

PMID- 26126347
TI  - Forensic Dental Age Estimation: An Overview.
AB  - Forensic age estimation is a scientific process that estimates an individual's
      true chronologic age by assessing skeletal and dental development and maturation.
      Although human growth and maturation is unique to each individual, dental
      techniques for estimating age are currently considered the best in assessing true
      chronologic age particularly during the age range when the dentition is
      undergoing morphologic development. This article reviews the principles,
      methodology and commonly used techniques in forensic age estimation cases.

PMID- 26126348
TI  - The Forensic Dentist: An Overview of Expert Roles in Animal Bite-Mark
      Investigations.
AB  - With increasing incidence of human/animal confrontation and the potential for
      injury or even death, dentists who choose to work in the forensic sciences may be
      called upon to utilize their skills and training to render opinions in criminal
      and civil cases. The authors will show how working in a cooperative environment
      and combining their skills with those of other experts can achieve the best
      result.

PMID- 26126349
TI  - Report Employee Injuries Immediately.

PMID- 26126350
TI  - Uses and Disclosures of Patient Health Information: Part II.

PMID- 26126351
TI  - [End of life care, efforts to continue].

PMID- 26126352
TI  - [Debating the politics of health care].

PMID- 26126353
TI  - [Advanced practice nursing, opinion of the French nursing college].

PMID- 26126354
TI  - [Will the nursing code of ethics soon be publicized?].

PMID- 26126355
TI  - [The National Academy of Medicine is cautious regarding sedation].

PMID- 26126356
TI  - [Developing injectable chemotherapy for home use].

PMID- 26126357
TI  - [2015 vaccination calendar].

PMID- 26126358
TI  - [A new journal for nurses].

PMID- 26126359
TI  - [Recommendations for erythrocyte transfusion].

PMID- 26126360
TI  - [Status report of the hospital information systems modernization program].

PMID- 26126361
TI  - [A new directory of health careers].

PMID- 26126362
TI  - [Measuring inpatient satisfaction].

PMID- 26126363
TI  - [The right to not reveal pre-existing cancer, an insufficient provision?].

PMID- 26126365
TI  - [Health facility overview].

PMID- 26126364
TI  - [AIDS seropositivity, 2003-2013 report].

PMID- 26126366
TI  - [A new plan for rare disabilities].

PMID- 26126367
TI  - [The bill on societal adaptation to aging to be voted on in the Senate].

PMID- 26126368
TI  - [Roll out of telemedicine, working group report].

PMID- 26126369
TI  - [New rectangular format dressings].

PMID- 26126370
TI  - [One step closer to an artificial pancreas].

PMID- 26126371
TI  - [The importance of phenotypes in the management of asthma].

PMID- 26126372
TI  - [Training and professional attitudes regarding standard precautions].
AB  - In 2011, the Hospital Hygiene Practices Assessment Group provided health
      institutions with a tool to assess he institutional policy and available
      resources regarding the application of standard precautions as well as training
      and staff attitudes. The professionals declare that the practices relating to the
      risk of contact with contaminated equipment and the action to take in the event
      of the contact of biological fluid with mucosa are good. The practices to improve
      concern as a priority the wearing of protective equipment, the changing of gloves
      and the washing of hands between activities.

PMID- 26126373
TI  - [Type 2 diabetes and eating disorders].
AB  - Patients with type 2 diabetes are expected to follow numerous dietary
      recommendations which can be difficult to adhere to in the long-term. However, to
      improve the balance of their diabetes and avoid complications, it is important to
      lose weight and restore a healthy relationship with food. A dietary approach
      combining therapeutic education principles and a bio-psycho-sensorial approach
      can be useful in this context.

PMID- 26126374
TI  - [The "room of errors" called into question].
AB  - The "room of errors" called into question. In order to raise caregivers'
      awareness in relation to patient safety, some hospitals have setup a room of
      errors. The main aim of this method is to remind caregivers of best practices.
      However, it can give professionals the feeling of being inadequate and transfers
      certain responsibilities from the institution to the individual. Consequently, it
      is perhaps worthwhile reconsidering this approach.

PMID- 26126375
TI  - [The patient pathway, an essential element of the care project].
AB  - Constructing an innovative care project in oncology, common to two healthcare
      institutions with different statuses, was a challenge for the directors of
      nursing of the Claudius-Regaud Institute and Toulouse university hospital. The
      patient care pathway was a major organisational element of the project, keyto
      ensuring high quality patient care, from the diagnosis through to the
      personalised post-cancer plan.

PMID- 26126376
TI  - [Ambulatory surgery. A paradigm change for all].

PMID- 26126377
TI  - [Day surgery and public authorities].
AB  - France's public authorities finally came to realise that the country was lagging
      behind in the development of day surgery after the publication of a report by the
      French audit office in September 2013. An institutional policy to develop this
      type of care was put in place 10 years ago.

PMID- 26126378
TI  - [The economic challenges of day surgery].
AB  - The development of day surgery requires the hospital system to be restructured in
      order for real savings to be made. The hospital must therefore modify its
      organisational set-up to reap the benefits of the efficiency gains resulting from
      the development of day surgery.

PMID- 26126379
TI  - [Day surgery: recommendations, tools and feedback].
AB  - The ANAP (French agency for supporting medical institutions' performance) has the
      legal responsibility to provide tools and recommendations and to support
      institutions in improving their organisational performance. In the context of the
      public authorities' push for day surgery, the ANAP has specifically addressed
      this issue, gathering feedback from French and European health institutions.

PMID- 26126380
TI  - [The organizational challenges of day surgery for hospitals].
AB  - The ambulatory and conventional care models should not be opposed to one another
      as they can in fact feed off and enrich each other. The outpatient culture
      inspires and encourages the drive for more innovative forms of organisation. As a
      result, a "patient" model emerges, centred on a holistic approach to organisation
      and patient care.

PMID- 26126381
TI  - [Organization of nurses' work in day surgery].
AB  - Day surgery articulates strongly the dimensions of time, space and work
      organisation. This modifies the nursing practice itself, the visibility and the
      recognition of the tasks: maintaining the flow of the pathways, monitoring,
      informing the patient and seeing to their comfort.

PMID- 26126382
TI  - [Setting up a day surgery department].
AB  - Day surgery must be treated as a priority. The efficient implementation of an
      outpatient structure therefore requires strict rigour in terms of patient
      eligibility, organisation of the flows as well as the safety of the care pathway
      and the logistics.

PMID- 26126383
TI  - ["Day surgery, for an efficient patient pathway"].
AB  - Working in day surgery requires teams to harmonise their practices and coordinate
      with each other at all times.We interview Celine Burkhardt, a healthcare manager
      who oversaw the deployment of a day surgery unit in her hospital.

PMID- 26126384
TI  - [The challenge of ambulatory surgery].

PMID- 26126385
TI  - [Bibliography. Ambulatory surgery].

PMID- 26126386
TI  - [Delegation of authority in the hospital sector].

PMID- 26126387
TI  - Endometriosis: A Culprit for Chronic Pelvic Pain.

PMID- 26126388
TI  - Sun, sea, holidays and eczema.

PMID- 26126389
TI  - Swimming pools and eczema.

PMID- 26126390
TI  - Here comes the sun.

PMID- 26126391
TI  - How to handle summer skin. Common eczema queries answered.

PMID- 26126392
TI  - Novel real-time cell analysis platform for the dynamic monitoring of ionizing
      radiation effects on human tumor cell lines and primary fibroblasts.
AB  - Translational research in radiation oncology is important for the detection of
      adverse radiation effects, cellular responses, and radiation modifications, and
      may help to improve the outcome of radiation therapy in patients with cancer. The
      present study aimed to optimize and validate a real-time label-free assay for the
      dynamic monitoring of cellular responses to ionizing radiation. The xCELLigence
      system is an impedance-based platform that provides continuous information on
      alterations in cell size, shape, adhesion, proliferation, and survival. In the
      present study, various malignant human primary fibroblast cells (U251, GBM2,
      MCF7, A549, HT-29) were exposed to 0, 5 and 10 Gy of Cobalt60 radiation. As well
      as the xCELLigence system, cell survival and proliferation was evaluated using
      the following conventional end-point cell-based methods: Clonogenic, MTS, and
      lactate dehydrogenase assays, and apoptosis was detected by fluorescence
      activated cell sorting. The effects of ionizing radiation were detected for each
      cell line using impedance monitoring. The real-time data correlated with the
      colony forming assay results. At low cell densities (1,000-2,000 cells/well) the
      impedance-based method was more accurate at monitoring dose-dependent changes in
      the malignant human primary fibroblast cell lines, as compared with the end-point
      assays. The results of the present study demonstrated that the xCELLigence system
      may be a reliable and rapid diagnostic method for the monitoring of dynamic cell
      behavior following radiation. In addition, the xCELLigence system may be used to
      investigate the cellular mechanisms underlying the radiation response, as well as
      the time-dependent effects of radiation on cell proliferation and viability.

PMID- 26126393
TI  - Does visualisation during urethrocystoscopy provide pain relief? Results of an
      observational study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To measure the effects of real-time visualisation during
      urethrocystoscopy on pain in patients who underwent ambulatory urethrocystoscopy.
      METHODS: An observational study was designed. From June 2012 to June 2013
      patients who had ambulatory urethrocystoscopy participated in the study. In order
      to measure pain perception we used a numeric rating scale (NRS) 0 to 10.
      Additional data was collected including gender, reason for intervention, use of a
      rigid or a flexible instrument and whether the patient had had urethrocystoscopy
      before. RESULTS: 185 patients were evaluated. 125 patients preferred to watch
      their urethrocystoscopy on a real-time video screen, 60 patients did not. There
      was no statistically relevant difference in pain perception between those
      patients who watched their urethrocystoscopy on a real-time video screen and
      those who did not (p = 0.063). However, men who were allowed to watch their
      flexible urethrocystoscopy experienced significantly less pain, than those who
      did not (p = 0.007). No such effects could be measured for rigid
      urethrocystoscopy (p = 0.317). Furthermore, women experienced significantly
      higher levels of pain during the urethrocystoscopy than men (p = 0.032).
      CONCLUSIONS: Visualisation during urethrocystoscopy procedures in general does
      not significantly decrease pain in patients. Nevertheless, men who undergo
      flexible urethrocystoscopy should be offered to watch their procedure in real
      time on a video screen. To make urethrocystoscopy less painful for both genders,
      especially for women, should be subject to further research.

PMID- 26126395
TI  - Introduction: (In)famous neurological injuries and disease: cases and events of
      historical, political, cultural, and scientific impact.

PMID- 26126396
TI  - Eccentric neurosurgical virtuoso: the life and times of William Sharpe.
AB  - William Sharpe was an intriguing figure in the history of American neurosurgery.
      He was an extraordinarily bright and gifted man who led a flamboyant, colorful,
      and unconventional life. He had an international impact on the field of
      neurosurgery during the first half of the 20th century, yet few practicing
      neurosurgeons know his name. In this report, the authors discuss Sharpe's
      contributions to neurosurgery along with the remarkable quirkiness that came to
      define his professional and personal life. 

PMID- 26126397
TI  - Clair Engle and the brain tumor that almost derailed the Civil Rights Act.
AB  - Senator Clare Engle was a United States senator from California who cast an
      important vote to end the filibuster of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, even as a
      brain tumor had left him with an expressive aphasia and would claim his life just
      a month later. This paper reviews the history of Senator Engle's illness in
      parallel with that of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

PMID- 26126398
TI  - Prefrontal lobotomy on Evita was done for behavior/personality modification, not
      just for pain control.
AB  - Eva Peron, best known as Evita, underwent a prefrontal lobotomy in 1952. Although
      the procedure was said to have been performed to relieve the pain of metastatic
      cancer, the author carried out a search for evidence that suggests that the
      procedure was prescribed to decrease violence and to modify Evita's behavior and
      personality, and not just for pain control. To further elucidate the
      circumstances surrounding the treatment of this well-known historic figure, the
      author reviewed the development of the procedure known as prefrontal lobotomy and
      its three main indications: management of psychiatric illness, control of
      intractable pain from terminal cancer, and mind control and behavior/personality
      modification. The role of pioneering neurosurgeons in the development of
      prefrontal lobotomy, particularly in Connecticut and at Yale University, was also
      studied, and the political and historical conditions in Argentina in 1952 and to
      the present were analyzed. Evita was the wife of Juan Peron, who was the supreme
      leader of the Peronist party as well as president of Argentina. In 1952, however,
      the Peronist government in Argentina was bicephalic because Evita led the left
      wing of the party and ran the Female Peronist Party and the Eva Peron Foundation.
      She was followed by a group of hardcore loyalists interested in accelerating the
      revolution. Evita was also suffering from metastatic cervical cancer, and her
      illness increased her anxiety and moved her to purchase weapons to start training
      workers' militias. Although the apparent purpose was to fight her husband's
      enemies, this was done without his knowledge. She delivered fiery political
      speeches and wrote incendiary documents that would have led to a fierce clash in
      the country at that time. Notwithstanding the disreputable connotation of
      conspiracy theories, evidence was found of a potentially sinister political
      conspiracy, led by General Peron, to quiet down his wife Evita and modify her
      behavior/personality to decrease her belligerence, in addition to treating her
      cancer-related pain. Psychosurgery was purportedly intended to calm Evita and
      thus avoid a bloody civil war in Argentina. It was carried out in maximum secrecy
      and involved a distinguished American neurosurgeon, Dr. James L. Poppen, from the
      Lahey Clinic in Boston. A recorded and videotaped interview with a former scrub
      nurse and confidante of Dr. James L. Poppen revealed that prior to the lobotomy
      on Eva Peron, he performed lobotomies on a few prisoners in the prison system in
      Buenos Aires. Later, Dr. Poppen seems to have regretted his involvement and
      participation in this sad chapter in Argentine history. The treatment of Evita at
      the end of her life was influenced by extraordinary circumstances of time and
      place but also involved general issues of medical professionalism, the ethics of
      neuroscience, and the risks of being manipulated by labyrinthine byzantine
      politics. This story serves as a reminder that any physician, even one considered
      to be one of the best in the world, may act naively and become a pawn in a game
      he cannot begin to fathom. 

PMID- 26126399
TI  - Joseph Warren: a discussion of his life and analysis of his death.
AB  - As his fellow soldiers ran past him, Joseph Warren stood bravely on Bunker Hill.
      It was June 17, 1775, and British troops were fighting the colonists in one of
      the early battles of the American Revolution. The British had already attempted
      two major assaults that day, and the third would end with Warren's death. He was
      a medical doctor, public figure, and general who spent his life and last living
      moments fighting for freedom for the American colonists. After the battle, there
      was much confusion about what had happened to Joseph Warren. Some thought he had
      survived the battle; other accounts differed on how exactly he had died. The
      details of the events on Bunker Hill remained a mystery until the following year,
      when Paul Revere helped identify Warren's body by the false teeth that had been
      implanted years earlier. Warren's remains showed that his head had been struck by
      a bullet. Analysis of the skull helped to sift through the differing tales of
      Warren's death and thus unveil the truth about what occurred that day. The
      smaller bullet wound in the left maxilla suggests that he was not shot while
      retreating with the rest of the soldiers. The larger exit wound in the right
      occiput illustrates that the bullet's trajectory crossed the midline of the brain
      and most likely injured the brainstem. Therefore, contrary to rumors that
      circulated at the time, Joseph Warren most likely was killed instantly at the
      Battle of Bunker Hill while heroically facing his enemy. 

PMID- 26126400
TI  - Erratum: Are parenchymal AVMs congenital lesions?

PMID- 26126401
TI  - Did Emperor Moctezuma II's head injury and subsequent death hasten the fall of
      the Aztec nation?
AB  - This article analyzes the head injury of Emperor Moctezuma as one of those
      injuries that affected the course of history. The Emperor's death arguably
      changed the fate of an entire nation and led to the destruction of the Aztec
      civilization. Moctezuma died in the evening hours of June 30, 1520, in his palace
      in the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, while a prisoner of the Spanish
      conquistadors. The Emperor had been speaking to his people in an effort to
      persuade them to cease hostilities against Hernan Cortes, his Spanish soldiers,
      and Indian allies. Both Spanish and Indian contemporary sources document that he
      sustained a severe head injury when one of his own warriors hit him with a rock
      thrown from a sling. However, after the Conquest of Mexico some of the
      information collected by Spanish friars from Indian stories, songs, and pictorial
      representations raised the possibility that Moctezuma died of strangulation or
      stabbing at the hands of the Spaniards. There is even a suggestion of suicide.
      This issue remains unresolved and emotionally charged. The historical and
      clinical analysis of the events surrounding Moctezuma's death indicates that the
      Emperor most likely died as a consequence of head injury. The author has
      attempted to present a neutral analysis but agrees with Benjamin Keen that
      neutrality may be unattainable, no matter how remote the subject of historical
      inquiry is from the present. 

PMID- 26126402
TI  - Two bullets to the head and an early winter: fate permits Kutuzov to defeat
      Napoleon at Moscow.
AB  - General Mikhail Kutuzov (circa 1745-1813) brilliantly repelled Napoleon's
      invasion of Russia. Honored as a national hero and a savior of Russia, Kutuzov
      has a unique medical story. He was shot in the head twice while fighting the
      Turks (1774 and 1788) and survived the serious injuries seemingly against all
      odds. The first bullet "ran through the head from one temple to the other behind
      both eyes." The second bullet entered the cheek, destroyed upper teeth, traveled
      through the head, and exited the occiput. Massot, a French surgeon with the
      Russian army, wrote after treating Kutuzov's seemingly two mortal wounds: "It
      must be believed that fate appoints Kutuzov to something great, because he was
      still alive after two injuries, a death sentence by all the rules of medical
      science." Aided by Massot's expert surgical technique, Kutuzov lived to become
      intimately engaged in events that altered world history. His health did, however,
      suffer significant effects due to the bullet wounds. In 1812, as Napoleon's
      Grande Armee approached, Kutuzov realized he could not confront Napoleon and he
      strategically retreated from Moscow, submitting the French to the harsh winter
      and Russian cavalry. Napoleon's devastated army retreated to Paris, and Kutuzov
      became the personification of Russian spirit and character. Kutuzov's survival of
      two nearly mortal head wounds created the legends, additional mystery, and drama
      surrounding him, not the least astonishing of which was the skilled neurosurgical
      care that probably saved his life. 

PMID- 26126403
TI  - Understanding Edward Muybridge: historical review of behavioral alterations after
      a 19th-century head injury and their multifactorial influence on human life and
      culture.
AB  - Edward Muybridge was an Anglo-American photographer, well known for his
      pioneering contributions in photography and his invention of the "zoopraxiscope,"
      a forerunner of motion pictures. However, this 19th-century genius, with two
      original patents in photographic technology, made outstanding contributions in
      art and neurology alike, the latter being seldom acknowledged. A head injury that
      he sustained changed his behavior and artistic expression. The shift of his
      interests from animal motion photography to human locomotion and gait remains a
      pivotal milestone in our understanding of patterns in biomechanics and clinical
      neurology, while his own behavioral patterns, owing to an injury to the
      orbitofrontal cortex, remain a mystery even for cognitive neurologists. The
      behavioral changes he exhibited and the legal conundrum that followed, including
      a murder of which he was acquitted, all depict the complexities of his
      personality and impact of frontal lobe injuries. This article highlights the life
      journey of Muybridge, drawing parallels with Phineas Gage, whose penetrating head
      injury has been studied widely. The wide sojourn of Muybridge also illustrates
      the strong connections that he maintained with Stanford and Pennsylvania
      universities, which were later considered pinnacles of higher education on the
      two coasts of the United States. 

PMID- 26126404
TI  - Famous head injuries of the first aerial war: deaths of the "Knights of the Air".
AB  - World War I advanced the development of aviation from the concept of flight to
      the use of aircraft on the battlefield. Fighter planes advanced technologically
      as the war progressed. Fighter pilot aces Francesco Baracca and Manfred von
      Richthofen (the Red Baron) were two of the most famous pilots of this time
      period. These courageous fighter aces skillfully maneuvered their SPAD and
      Albatros planes, respectively, while battling enemies and scoring aerial
      victories that contributed to the course of the war. The media thrilled the
      public with their depictions of the heroic feats of fighter pilots such as
      Baracca and the Red Baron. Despite their aerial prowess, both pilots would
      eventually be shot down in combat. Although the accounts of their deaths are
      debated, it is undeniable that both were victims of traumatic head injury. 

PMID- 26126405
TI  - Woodrow Wilson's hidden stroke of 1919: the impact of patient-physician
      confidentiality on United States foreign policy.
AB  - World War I catapulted the United States from traditional isolationism to
      international involvement in a major European conflict. Woodrow Wilson envisaged
      a permanent American imprint on democracy in world affairs through participation
      in the League of Nations. Amid these defining events, Wilson suffered a major
      ischemic stroke on October 2, 1919, which left him incapacitated. What was
      probably his fourth and most devastating stroke was diagnosed and treated by his
      friend and personal physician, Admiral Cary Grayson. Grayson, who had tremendous
      personal and professional loyalty to Wilson, kept the severity of the stroke
      hidden from Congress, the American people, and even the president himself. During
      a cabinet briefing, Grayson formally refused to sign a document of disability and
      was reluctant to address the subject of presidential succession. Wilson was
      essentially incapacitated and hemiplegic, yet he remained an active president and
      all messages were relayed directly through his wife, Edith. Patient-physician
      confidentiality superseded national security amid the backdrop of friendship and
      political power on the eve of a pivotal juncture in the history of American
      foreign policy. It was in part because of the absence of Woodrow Wilson's vocal
      and unwavering support that the United States did not join the League of Nations
      and distanced itself from the international stage. The League of Nations would
      later prove powerless without American support and was unable to thwart the rise
      and advance of Adolf Hitler. Only after World War II did the United States assume
      its global leadership role and realize Wilson's visionary, yet contentious,
      groundwork for a Pax Americana. The authors describe Woodrow Wilson's stroke, the
      historical implications of his health decline, and its impact on United States
      foreign policy. 

PMID- 26126406
TI  - Pierre Curie: the anonymous neurosurgical contributor.
AB  - Pierre Curie, best known as a Nobel Laureate in Physics for his co-contributions
      to the field of radioactivity alongside research partner and wife Marie Curie,
      died suddenly in 1906 from a street accident in Paris. Tragically, his skull was
      crushed under the wheel of a horse-drawn carriage. This article attempts to honor
      the life and achievements of Pierre Curie, whose trailblazing work in
      radioactivity and piezoelectricity set into motion a wide range of technological
      developments that have culminated in the advent of numerous techniques used in
      neurological surgery today. These innovations include brachytherapy, Gamma Knife
      radiosurgery, focused ultrasound, and haptic feedback in robotic surgery. 

PMID- 26126407
TI  - Hitler's parkinsonism.
AB  - Of the multitude of medical and psychiatric conditions ascribed to Hitler both in
      his lifetime and since his suicide in April 1945, few are more substantiated than
      parkinsonism. While the timeline of the development of this condition, as well as
      its etiology, are debated, there is clear evidence for classic manifestations of
      the disease, most prominently a resting tremor but also stooped posture,
      bradykinesia, micrographia, and masked facial expressions, with progression
      steadily seen over his final years. Though ultimately speculation, some have
      suggested that Hitler suffered from progressive cognitive and mood disturbances,
      possibly due to parkinsonism, that affected the course of events in the war.
      Here, the authors discuss Hitler's parkinsonism in the context of the Third Reich
      and its eventual destruction, maintaining that ultimately his disease had little
      effect on the end result. 

PMID- 26126408
TI  - The neurosurgeon as baseball fan and inventor: Walter Dandy and the batter's
      helmet.
AB  - Baseball maintains one of the highest impact injury rates in all athletics. A
      principal causative factor is the "beanball," referring to a pitch thrown
      directly at a batter's head. Frequent morbidities elicited demand for the
      development of protective gear development in the 20th century. In this setting,
      Dr. Walter Dandy was commissioned to design a "protective cap" in 1941. His
      invention became widely adopted by professional baseball and inspired subsequent
      generations of batting helmets. As a baseball aficionado since his youth, Walter
      Dandy identified a natural partnership between baseball and medical practice for
      the reduction of beaning-related brain injuries. This history further supports
      the unique position of neurosurgeons to leverage clinical insights, inform
      innovation, and expand service to society. 

PMID- 26126409
TI  - Genetic variations in the epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EVER/TMC) genes,
      cutaneous human papillomavirus infection and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.

PMID- 26126410
TI  - A reversible fluorescent-colorimetric imino-pyridyl bis-Schiff base sensor for
      expeditious detection of Al(3+) and HSO3(-) in aqueous media.
AB  - A reversible fluorescent-colorimetric imino-pyridyl bis-Schiff base receptor
      (N(1)E,N(4)E)-N(1),N(4)-bis(pyridine-4-ylmethylene)benzene-1,4-diamine for the
      detection of both Al(3+) and HSO3(-) in aqueous medium has been developed.
      Receptor exhibits an excellent selective fluorescent-colorimetric response toward
      Al(3+). The sensitivity of the fluorescent based assay (0.903 MUM) for Al(3+) is
      far below the limit recommended in the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines
      for drinking water (7.41 MUM). From (1)H NMR data, the Job plot and the ESI-MS
      spectrum, 1 : 2 stoichiometric complexation between and Al(3+) has been
      established. Receptor shows remarkable detection ability in a wide pH range of 4
      11 and was successfully utilised in the determination of Al(3+) in aqueous
      solution of bovine serum albumin protein, and of HSO3(-) in real food samples.
      Moreover, shows a highly selective colorimetric response to HSO3(-) by changing
      its colour from yellow to colorless immediately without any interference from
      other anions. 

PMID- 26126413
TI  - Aryne generation vs. Truce-Smiles and fries rearrangements during the Kobayashi
      fragmentation reaction: a new bi-aryl synthesis.
AB  - Treatment of (ortho-trimethysilyl)aryl phenylsulfonates with a soluble fluoride
      source initiates a Truce-Smiles rearrangement leading to the formation of
      functionalized bi-aryls. This new carbon-carbon bond-forming reaction proceeds
      without recourse to transition metal catalysis, under mild reaction conditions
      and with good functional group compatibility. 

PMID- 26126411
TI  - Fibroblast viability and phenotypic changes within glycated stiffened three
      dimensional collagen matrices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There is growing interest in the development of cell culture assays
      that enable the rigidity of the extracellular matrix to be increased. A promising
      approach is based on three-dimensional collagen type I matrices that are
      stiffened by cross-linking through non-enzymatic glycation with reducing sugars.
      METHODS: The present study evaluated the biomechanical changes in the non
      enzymatically glycated type I collagen matrices, including collagen organization,
      the advanced glycation end products formation and stiffness achievement. Gels
      were glycated with ribose at different concentrations (0, 5, 15, 30 and 240 mM).
      The viability and the phenotypic changes of primary human lung fibroblasts
      cultured within the non-enzymatically glycated gels were also evaluated along
      three consecutive weeks. Statistical tests used for data analyze were Mann
      Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis, Student's t-test, two-way ANOVA, multivariate ANOVA,
      linear regression test and mixed linear model. RESULTS: Our findings indicated
      that the process of collagen glycation increases the stiffness of the matrices
      and generates advanced glycation end products in a ribose concentration-dependent
      manner. Furthermore, we identified optimal ribose concentrations and media
      conditions for cell viability and growth within the glycated matrices. The
      microenvironment of this collagen based three-dimensional culture induces alpha
      smooth muscle actin and tenascin-C fibroblast protein expression. Finally, a
      progressive contractile phenotype cell differentiation was associated with the
      contraction of these gels. CONCLUSIONS: The use of non-enzymatic glycation with a
      low ribose concentration may provide a suitable model with a mechanic and
      oxidative modified environment with cells embedded in it, which allowed cell
      proliferation and induced fibroblast phenotypic changes. Such culture model could
      be appropriate for investigations of the behavior and phenotypic changes in cells
      that occur during lung fibrosis as well as for testing different antifibrotic
      therapies in vitro.

PMID- 26126412
TI  - Gastrectomy in comprehensive treatment of advanced gastric cancer with
      synchronous liver metastasis: a prospectively comparative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Systemic chemotherapy is the key treatment for advanced gastric
      cancer. The benefit of adjuvant surgery following preoperative chemotherapy in
      gastric cancer with liver metastasis has not been well established. METHODS:
      Forty-nine gastric cancer patients diagnosed with synchronous liver metastasis
      initially treated with chemotherapy were categorized into the following two
      groups: surgery group: 25 patients who underwent gastrectomy and subsequently
      received postoperative chemotherapy and control group: 24 patients who received
      chemotherapy alone. RESULTS: The median overall survival of patients in the
      surgery group and control group was 20.5 and 9.1 months, respectively, (P =
      0.006). The median progression-free survival in the surgery group was 10.9
      months, with statistical significance when compared with 5.0 months in the
      control group (P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that response to
      chemotherapy was the only independent factor in predicting prognosis. The
      survival of patients who achieved partial response (PR) was prolonged if they
      received adjuvant surgery (P = 0.024). No significant difference in the survival
      of patients underwent combined hepatic resection when compared with patients
      performed gastrectomy only. CONCLUSIONS: For gastric cancer with synchronous
      liver metastasis, adjuvant gastrectomy followed by chemotherapy might be
      beneficial for survival comparing with chemotherapy alone, especially in patients
      response to initial preoperative chemotherapy.

PMID- 26126414
TI  - Applying Task-Technology Fit Model to the Healthcare Sector: a Case Study of
      Hospitals' Computed Tomography Patient-Referral Mechanism.
AB  - With the growth in the number of elderly and people with chronic diseases, the
      number of hospital services will need to increase in the near future. With myriad
      of information technologies utilized daily and crucial information-sharing tasks
      performed at hospitals, understanding the relationship between task performance
      and information system has become a critical topic. This research explored the
      resource pooling of hospital management and considered a computed tomography (CT)
      patient-referral mechanism between two hospitals using the information system
      theory framework of Task-Technology Fit (TTF) model. The TTF model could be used
      to assess the 'match' between the task and technology characteristics. The
      patient-referral process involved an integrated information framework consisting
      of a hospital information system (HIS), radiology information system (RIS), and
      picture archiving and communication system (PACS). A formal interview was
      conducted with the director of the case image center on the applicable
      characteristics of TTF model. Next, the Icam DEFinition (IDEF0) method was
      utilized to depict the As-Is and To-Be models for CT patient-referral medical
      operational processes. Further, the study used the 'leagility' concept to remove
      non-value-added activities and increase the agility of hospitals. The results
      indicated that hospital information systems could support the CT patient-referral
      mechanism, increase hospital performance, reduce patient wait time, and enhance
      the quality of care for patients. 

PMID- 26126415
TI  - A comparative study of perioperative complications between transforaminal versus
      posterior lumbar interbody fusion in degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Both posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) and transforaminal
      lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) are accepted surgical techniques for the treatment
      of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS). However, it is still unclear one
      technique offers distinct advantages over the other. OBJECTIVE: A retrospective
      study was performed to compare perioperative complications and functional
      outcomes of patients undergoing TLIF versus PLIF for DLS. METHODS: A total of 226
      consecutive patients who underwent surgery for treatment of DLS at three
      institutions were evaluated from January 2012 to December 2014. In this series,
      125 patients underwent PLIF and 101 received TLIF. The operative time, blood
      loss, allogeneic blood transfusion rate and perioperative complications
      (including re-operative rate, nerve root injury, dural tear, wound infection)
      were compared between the two groups. Pain (VAS) and functional outcomes of
      patients (Kirkaldy-Willis criteria) were quantified before surgery and 1 week
      after surgery. RESULTS: Patients involved in the two groups had similar baseline
      demographic, clinical and radiographic characteristics. The PLIF group was
      associated with a higher incidence of post-operative iatrogenic nerve root
      dysfunction [12 cases (9.6 %) versus 2 cases (1.9 %), P = 0.018] and dural tears
      [15 cases (12 %) versus 4 cases (3.9 %), P = 0.030]. The re-operation rate was
      significantly higher in patients undergoing PLIF [13 cases (10.4 %) versus 2
      cases (1.9 %), P = 0.011]. In addition, intra-operative blood loss, operative
      times, and allogeneic blood transfusion rates were higher in the PLIF group when
      compared to the TLIF group (P < 0.05). The wound infection rate of the PLIF group
      was similar to that of the TLIF group (7.2 versus 5.0 %, P = 0.486). VAS scores
      were decreased from 7.08 +/- 1.13 to 2.84 +/- 0.89 in the PLIF group, and from
      7.18 +/- 1.09 to 2.84 +/- 0.91 in the TLIF group, respectively (P = 0.32). 85.6 %
      of patients in the TLIF group had good or excellent functional outcomes within
      the first post-operative week compared to 83.2 % in the PLIF group (P = 0.64).
      CONCLUSION: Both PLIF and TLIF were equally beneficial in improving short-term
      functional outcomes for patients with DLS. However, PLIFs were associated with
      statistically significant higher incidences of nerve root injury, dural tears,
      allogeneic blood transfusion, increased intra-operative times, blood loss and re
      operations. Therefore, caution should be exercised when considering PLIFs.

PMID- 26126416
TI  - Repeated total en bloc spondylectomy for spinal metastases at different sites in
      one patient.
AB  - PURPOSE: Total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) is accompanied by preoperative
      embolization of segmental arteries, which is limited to three consecutive levels
      to avoid the risk of spinal cord ischemia. We retrospectively examined the
      efficacy and safety of repeated TES with embolization of more than three levels
      of segmental arteries. METHODS: Seven patients underwent TES twice for spinal
      metastases at different levels. Every patient underwent embolization of the
      bilateral segmental arteries before each surgery. We assessed the total number of
      segmental arteries embolized, the existence of Adamkiewicz arteries during the
      embolization procedure, intraoperative blood loss, and the motor function of the
      lower limbs, using the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) motor score.
      RESULTS: No patient experienced any motor deficit after embolization. During the
      embolization procedure, an Adamkiewicz artery was depicted in five patients,
      which precluded embolization at that level. The median number of segmental
      arteries embolized in total was 9 (9-11). Intraoperative blood loss (median, IQR)
      was 480 (420-630) ml during the first surgery and 520 (280-600) ml during the
      second surgery. The ASIA motor scores (median, IQR) were as follows; 100 (98-100)
      (first admission), 100 (100-100) (first discharge), 100 (98-100) (second
      admission), and 97 (94-100) (second discharge). No patients had developed
      statistically significant neurological deterioration, and there had been no local
      recurrence after a median follow-up of 17.8 months (range 1-51 months).
      CONCLUSION: Repeated TES procedures can be performed safely even if more than
      three levels of segmental arteries are embolized.

PMID- 26126417
TI  - Sacroiliac joint luxation after pedicle subtraction osteotomy: report of two
      cases and analysis of failure mechanism.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sagittal decompensation after pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) is
      considered as late onset complication. Several mechanisms have been suggested,
      but little attention has been paid to the caudal end of lumbar instrumented
      fusion, especially sacral iliac joint (SIJ) deterioration. METHODS: Clinical
      histories and radiographic sagittal parameters of two patients with SIJ luxation
      after PSO are presented. The biomechanical failure mechanism and risk factors are
      analysed. RESULTS: Two patients underwent correction of fixed anterior sagittal
      imbalance by PSO, followed by pseudarthrosis revision surgery. Both of them
      sustained persistent sacroiliac pain, progressive recurrence of anterior
      imbalance and progressive pelvic incidence (PI) increase around 10 degrees . An
      acute bilateral SIJ luxation occurred in both patients leading to sharp increase
      or PI around 20 degrees . One patient was treated by SIJ fusion and the other
      patient was placed on non-weight-bearing crutch ambulation for 1 year. Both
      patients had a high preoperative PI (95 degrees  and 78 degrees ). A theoretical
      match between lumbar lordosis (LL) and PI was not achieved by PSO. Osteopenia was
      present in both patients. Computed tomography evidenced L5-S1 pseudarthrosis and
      sacroiliac joint violation by pelvic or sacral ala screws. CONCLUSION: Patients
      with high PI might seek for further compensation at their SIJ when lacking LL
      after PSO. Chronic anterior imbalance might lead to progressive weakening of
      sacroiliac ligaments. Initial circumferential lumbosacral fusion and accurate
      iliac screw fixation might reduce stress on implants, risk for pseudarthrosis,
      implant failure and finally SIJ deterioration. Bone mineral density should
      further be investigated preoperatively.

PMID- 26126418
TI  - The extension of total gain (TG) statistic in survival models: properties and
      applications.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The results of multivariable regression models are usually summarized
      in the form of parameter estimates for the covariates, goodness-of-fit
      statistics, and the relevant p-values. These statistics do not inform us about
      whether covariate information will lead to any substantial improvement in
      prediction. Predictive ability measures can be used for this purpose since they
      provide important information about the practical significance of prognostic
      factors. R (2)-type indices are the most familiar forms of such measures in
      survival models, but they all have limitations and none is widely used. METHODS:
      In this paper, we extend the total gain (TG) measure, proposed for a logistic
      regression model, to survival models and explore its properties using simulations
      and real data. TG is based on the binary regression quantile plot, otherwise
      known as the predictiveness curve. Standardised TG ranges from 0 (no explanatory
      power) to 1 ('perfect' explanatory power). RESULTS: The results of our
      simulations show that unlike many of the other R (2)-type predictive ability
      measures, TG is independent of random censoring. It increases as the effect of a
      covariate increases and can be applied to different types of survival models,
      including models with time-dependent covariate effects. We also apply TG to
      quantify the predictive ability of multivariable prognostic models developed in
      several disease areas. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, TG performs well in our simulation
      studies and can be recommended as a measure to quantify the predictive ability in
      survival models.

PMID- 26126419
TI  - Is cognitive adaptation training (CAT) compensatory, restorative, or both?
AB  - Cognitive adaptation training (CAT) is a psychosocial treatment incorporating
      environmental supports including signs, checklists to bypass the cognitive
      deficits of schizophrenia. Our objective was to examine the association between
      CAT, functional outcomes, and cognitive test performance (cognition). The two
      research questions were as follows: 1) Does cognition mediate the effect of CAT
      intervention on functional outcome? 2) Does CAT impact cognitive test
      performance? A total of 120 participants with schizophrenia were randomized to
      one of three treatments: 1) CAT (weekly for 9months; monthly thereafter), 2)
      generic environmental supports (given to participants on clinic visits to promote
      adaptive behavior), or 3) treatment as usual (TAU). Assessments of cognition and
      functional outcome were conducted at baseline, 9 and 24months. Mediation analyses
      and mixed effects regression were conducted. Mediation analyses revealed that
      during the initial 9months, the direct path from treatment group to functional
      outcome on the primary measure was positive and highly significant. CAT
      significantly improved functional outcome compared to the other treatments.
      However, paths involving cognition were negligible. There was no evidence that
      cognition mediated improvement in functional outcomes. At 24months, cognition
      improved more in CAT compared to other treatment groups. The test for cognition
      mediating improvement in functional outcomes was not significant at this time
      point. However, improvement in functional outcome led to better performance on
      cognitive testing. We concluded that improvement in cognition is not a necessary
      condition for improvement in functional outcome and that greater engagement in
      functional behavior has a positive impact on cognition.

PMID- 26126420
TI  - Bioceramic microneedles with flexible and self-swelling substrate.
AB  - To reduce the effort required to penetrate the skin and optimize drug release
      profiles, bioceramic microneedle arrays with higher-aspect-ratio needles and a
      flexible and self-swelling substrate have been developed. Swelling of the
      substrate can assist in separating it from the needles and leave them in the skin
      as a drug depot. The preparation procedures for this bioceramic microneedle are
      described in the paper. Clonidine hydrochloride, the model drug, was released in
      a controlled manner by the microneedle device in vitro. Results showed that the
      microneedle array with a flexible and self-swelling substrate released the drug
      content faster than the array with a rigid substrate. Disintegration of the
      needle material and diffusion of the drug molecules are believed as the main
      control mechanisms of the drug release from these microneedle arrays. Ex vivo
      skin penetration showed that they can effectively penetrate the stratum corneum
      without an extra device. This work represents a progression in the improvement of
      bioceramic microneedles for transdermal drug delivery. 

PMID- 26126421
TI  - An Innovative Approach to Informing Research: Gathering Perspectives on Diabetes
      Care Challenges From an Online Patient Community.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Funding agencies and researchers increasingly recognize the
      importance of patient stakeholder engagement in research. Despite calls for
      greater patient engagement, few studies have engaged a broad-based online
      community of patient stakeholders in the early stages of the research development
      process. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to inform a research priority
      setting agenda by using a Web-based survey to gather perceptions of important and
      difficult aspects of diabetes care from patient members of a social networking
      site-based community. METHODS: Invitations to participate in a Web-based survey
      were sent by email to members of the PatientsLikeMe online diabetes community.
      The survey asked both quantitative and qualitative questions addressing
      individuals' level of difficulty with diabetes care, provider communication,
      medication management, diet and exercise, and relationships with others.
      Qualitative responses were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Of 6219
      PatientsLikeMe members with diabetes who were sent survey invitations, 1044
      (16.79%) opened the invitation and 320 (5.15% of 6219; 30.65% of 1044) completed
      the survey within 23 days. Of the 320 respondents, 33 (10.3%) reported having
      Type 1 diabetes; 107 (33.4%), Type 2 diabetes and taking insulin; and 180
      (56.3%), Type 2 diabetes and taking oral agents or controlling their diabetes
      with lifestyle modifications. Compared to 2005-2010 National Health and Nutrition
      Examination Survey data for individuals with diabetes, our respondents were
      younger (mean age 55.8 years, SD 9.9 vs 59.4 years, SE 0.5); less likely to be
      male (111/320, 34.6% vs 48.4%); and less likely to be a racial or ethnic minority
      (40/312, 12.8% vs 37.5%). Of 29 potential challenges in diabetes care, 19 were
      categorized as difficult by 20% or more of respondents. Both quantitative and
      qualitative results indicated that top patient challenges were lifestyle concerns
      (diet, physical activity, weight, and stress) and interpersonal concerns (trying
      not to be a burden to others, getting support from family/friends). In our
      quantitative analysis, similar concerns were expressed across patient subgroups.
      CONCLUSIONS: Lifestyle and interpersonal factors were particularly challenging
      for our online sample of adults with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Our study
      demonstrates the innovative use of social networking sites and online communities
      to gather rapid, meaningful, and relevant patient perspectives that can be used
      to inform the development of research agendas.

PMID- 26126422
TI  - Laparoscopic Approach for Primary Colorectal Cancer Improves Outcome of Patients
      Undergoing Combined Open Hepatic Resection for Liver Metastases.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Safety and efficacy of simultaneous resections for patients with
      colorectal cancer and synchronous liver metastases have been widely reported,
      while the topic of approach (laparoscopic or open) to hepatic and colorectal
      resection is still a debated issue. The aim of this study was to assess short
      term outcome of combined resection of left colon or rectum cancer and liver
      metastases, comparing the results of the primary tumor resection performed by
      laparoscopic or open approach. STUDY DESIGN: From January 2004 to March 2014, 106
      patients underwent combined resection of colorectal cancer and synchronous liver
      metastases. Sixty-nine patients underwent laparoscopic colorectal resection
      (laparoscopic colorectal surgery, LCS Group), and were compared with 37 patients
      undergoing colorectal resection by laparotomy (totally open surgery, TOS Group).
      Hepatic resection was performed by open approach in all the patients. RESULTS:
      Groups were comparable in terms of patients and disease characteristics, extent
      of liver resection, and length of surgery. In LCS Group, blood loss (400 vs. 650
      mL, p < 0.001) and rate of intraoperative transfusions (19.3 vs. 47.2 %, p =
      0.04) were lower compared to TOS Group. LCS Group was associated with reduced
      postoperative morbidity (24.6 vs. 44.4 %, p = 0.039), and shorter postoperative
      median hospital stay (9 vs. 13 days, p < 0.001). LCS and TOS Groups had
      comparable oncologic radicality in terms of primary tumor lymphadenectomy (median
      number of removed nodes 19 and 20, respectively, p NS) and rate of R1 colorectal
      resections (two patients in both Groups). Multivariate analysis revealed
      significant correlation morbidity with preoperative chemotherapy, blood loss, and
      approach to primary tumor. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic resection of colorectal
      cancer in patients undergoing simultaneous open resection of liver metastases is
      associated with a reduction of blood loss, morbidity, and postoperative hospital
      stay, without affecting oncologic radicality. Outcome is mainly conditioned by
      approach to intestinal surgery, rather than the extent of liver resection.

PMID- 26126424
TI  - Sonographic Measurement of the IVC Diameter as an Indicator for Fluid
      Resuscitation: Beware of the Intra-abdominal Pressure.

PMID- 26126423
TI  - Long-Term Outcome After Resection of Huge Hepatocellular Carcinoma >= 10 cm:
      Single-Institution Experience with 471 Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tumor recurrence is very common after resection of huge
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study intended to evaluate early recurrence
      and long-term outcomes in patients with huge HCC >= 10 cm after primary resection
      and treatment of recurrence. METHODS: Recurrence and survival outcomes were
      retrospectively evaluated in 471 patients with huge HCCs who underwent resection
      between January 2000 and April 2012. RESULTS: Mean tumor diameter was 13.6 +/-
      3.1 cm, with 93 % of patients having single tumors. Anatomic and R0 resection
      rates were 91.1 and 89.4 %, respectively. Perioperative mortality rate was 1.7 %.
      Tumor recurrence and patient survival rates were 62.2 and 69.2 % at 1 year and
      76.0 and 35.5 % at 5 years, respectively. Of patients with recurrence, 92.5 %
      received specific treatment. Median patient survival period after initial
      intrahepatic recurrence was 16 months. Tumor volume did not affect recurrence or
      survival outcomes. Independent risk factors for tumor recurrence and patient
      survival were serum alpha-fetoprotein >= 100 ng/mL, hypermetabolic uptake on
      positron emission tomography, satellite nodules, and microvascular invasion.
      These four factors were used to develop a risk prediction model, in which 1-year
      HCC recurrence rates in patients with 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 risk factors were 18.7,
      30.3, 58.7, 79.0, and 92.1 %, respectively, and their 1-year patient survival
      rates were 100, 97.0, 75.5, 63.9, and 42.1 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In
      patients with huge HCCs, hepatic resection with active recurrence treatment
      resulted in improved long-term survival. Our 4-factor risk prediction model
      appears to contribute to quantitative postoperative risk estimation for early HCC
      recurrence and patient survival in patients with HCC >= 10 cm.

PMID- 26126425
TI  - Targeting protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of transcription factors:
      Challenges of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and regions (IDRs).
AB  - In this review we discuss recent progress in targeting the protein-protein
      interactions made by oncogenic transcription factors. We particularly focus on
      the challenges posed by the prevalence of intrinsically disordered regions in
      this class of protein and the strategies being used to overcome them. 

PMID- 26126426
TI  - Movement-based subgrouping in low back pain: synergy and divergence in
      approaches.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Classification systems for low back pain (LBP) aim to guide treatment
      decisions. In physiotherapy, there are five classification schemes for LBP which
      consider responses to clinical movement examination. Little is known of the
      relationship between the schemes. OBJECTIVES: To investigate overlap between
      subgroups of patients with LBP when classified using different movement-based
      classification schemes, and to consider how participants classified according to
      one scheme would be classified by another. DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study.
      SETTING: University clinical laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and two
      participants with LBP were recruited from university, hospital outpatient and
      private physiotherapy clinics, and community advertisements. INTERVENTION:
      Participants underwent a standardised examination including questions and
      movement tests to guide subgrouping. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants were
      allocated to a LBP subgroup using each of the five classification schemes:
      Mechanical Diagnosis and Treatment (MDT), Movement System Impairment (MSI),
      O'Sullivan Classification (OSC), Pathoanatomic Based Classification (PBC) and
      Treatment Based Classification (TBC). RESULTS: There was concordance in
      allocation to subgroups that consider pain relief from direction-specific
      repeated spinal loading in the MDT, PBC and TBC schemes. There was consistency of
      subgrouping between the MSI and OSC schemes, which consider pain provocation to
      specific movement directions. Synergies between other subgroups were more
      variable. Participants from one subgroup could be subdivided using another
      scheme. CONCLUSIONS: There is overlap and discordance between LBP subgrouping
      schemes that consider movement. Where overlap is present, schemes recommend
      different treatment options. Where subgroups from one scheme can be subdivided
      using another scheme, there is potential to further guide treatment. An
      integrated assessment model may refine treatment targeting.

PMID- 26126428
TI  - A Mixed-Valence Tri-Zinc Complex, [LZnZnZnL] (L=Bulky Amide), Bearing a Linear
      Chain of Two-Coordinate Zinc Atoms.
AB  - Reduction of a variety of extremely bulky amido Group 12 metal halide complexes,
      [LMX(THF)(0,1)] (L=amide; M=Zn, Cd, or Hg; X=halide) with a magnesium(I) dimer
      gave a homologous series of two-coordinate metal(I) dimers, [L'MML']
      (L'=N(Ar(?))(SiMe3), Ar(?)=C6H2{C(H)Ph2}2Pr(i)-2,6,4); and the formally zinc(0)
      complex, [L*ZnMg((Mes)Nacnac)] (L*=N(Ar*)(SiPr(i)3); Ar*=C6H2{C(H)Ph2}2Me-2,6,4;
      (Mes)Nacnac=[(MesNCMe)2CH](-), Mes=mesityl), which contains the first unsupported
      Zn-Mg bond. Two equivalents of [L*ZnMg((Mes)Nacnac)] react with ZnBr2 or
      ZnBr2(tmeda) to give the mixed valence, two-coordinate, linear tri-zinc complex,
      [L*Zn(I)Zn(0)Zn(I)L*], and the first zinc(I) halide complex, [L*ZnZnBr(tmeda)],
      respectively. The analogues [L*ZnMZnL*] (M=Cd or Hg), were also prepared, the Cd
      species contains the first Zn-Cd bond in a molecular compound. Metal-metal
      bonding was studied by DFT calculations.

PMID- 26126431
TI  - Acute rupture of a feeding artery aneurysm after embolization of a brain
      arteriovenous malformation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Staged endovascular embolization of large arteriovenous malformations
      (AVMs) is frequently performed to gradually reduce flow and prevent abrupt
      hemodynamic changes. While feeding artery aneurysms have been associated with
      increased risk of hemorrhage in the setting of AVMs, decisions regarding if and
      when to treat these aneurysms vary. Acute, fatal rupture of a feeding artery
      aneurysm following embolization of a large, unruptured AVM has been infrequently
      reported in the literature. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 69-year-old female presented with
      headache and mild left hemiparesis referable to a 5 cm right fronto-parieto
      temporal AVM with surrounding vasogenic edema. The AVM was associated with
      numerous bilateral feeding artery aneurysms (the largest was a 2 cm right middle
      cerebral artery (MCA) bifurcation aneurysm). There was also a large, partially
      thrombosed venous varix. Staged embolization of the AVM was performed. Several
      hours after the third stage of her embolization, she became obtunded, with a
      fixed and dilated right pupil. Head computed tomography (CT) showed a large
      intraparenchymal hemorrhage with midline shift in the right sylvian fissure,
      remote from the AVM nidus. She was taken to surgery for a decompressive
      craniectomy and hematoma evacuation. The MCA aneurysm was confirmed to be the
      source of hemorrhage and it was clipped. Despite aggressive medical and surgical
      treatments, the patient died. CONCLUSIONS: An increase in AVM feeding artery
      pressure following endovascular embolization may contribute to the rupture of a
      feeding artery aneurysm. For this reason, treatment of large arterial aneurysms
      on feeding pedicles should be considered prior to embolization of the AVM nidus.

PMID- 26126432
TI  - Discharge before noon: Effect on throughput and sustainability.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Late afternoon hospital discharges are thought to contribute to
      admission bottlenecks. We previously described an intervention that resulted in a
      statistically significant increase in the discharge before noon (DBN) rate on 2
      inpatient medicine units. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate (1) the effect of an increased
      DBN rate on the admission arrival time and the number of admissions per hour and
      (2) the sustainability of our DBN initiative. DESIGN: Pre-/postintervention
      retrospective analysis. SETTING: Two acute-care inpatient medicine units in a
      tertiary care, urban, academic medical center. PATIENTS: For the admission
      arrival time and admissions per hour analysis, all inpatients admitted to the
      medical units from June 1, 2011 to June 31, 2013. For the sustainability
      analysis, all patients discharged from July 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014.
      INTERVENTION: A multidisciplinary intervention to increase the DBN rate.
      MEASUREMENTS: Date and time of arrival to all inpatient sites, and discharge date
      and time of all patients from 2 inpatient medicine units. RESULTS: Concurrent
      with our increase in DBN rate, we found a statistically significant change in the
      median arrival time of emergency department (ED) admissions and transfers from 5
      pm to 4 pm. High-frequency admission peaks were statistically significantly
      reduced for ED admissions. The statistically significant increase in DBN rate is
      sustained at 35%. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing the DBN rate correlates with admissions
      arriving earlier in the day and reductions in high-frequency peaks of ED
      admissions. Statistically significant improvements in DBN rates are sustainable.

PMID- 26126429
TI  - Selectivity is species-dependent: Characterization of standard agonists and
      antagonists at human, rat, and mouse adenosine receptors.
AB  - Adenosine receptors (ARs) have emerged as new drug targets. The majority of data
      on affinity/potency and selectivity of AR ligands described in the literature has
      been obtained for the human species. However, preclinical studies are mostly
      performed in mouse or rat, and standard AR agonists and antagonists are
      frequently used for studies in rodents without knowing their selectivity in the
      investigated species. In the present study, we selected a set of frequently used
      standard AR ligands, 8 agonists and 16 antagonists, and investigated them in
      radioligand binding studies at all four AR subtypes, A1, A2A, A2B, and A3, of
      three species, human, rat, and mouse. Recommended, selective agonists include
      CCPA (for A1AR of rat and mouse), CGS-21680 (for A2A AR of rat), and Cl-IB-MECA
      (for A3AR of all three species). The functionally selective partial A2B agonist
      BAY60-6583 was found to additionally bind to A1 and A3AR and act as an antagonist
      at both receptor subtypes. The antagonists PSB-36 (A1), preladenant (A2A), and
      PSB-603 (A2B) displayed high selectivity in all three investigated species. MRS
      1523 acts as a selective A3AR antagonist in human and rat, but is only moderately
      selective in mouse. The comprehensive data presented herein provide a solid basis
      for selecting suitable AR ligands for biological studies. 

PMID- 26126433
TI  - Application of Oncology Research to Resolve a Problem in Neurourology.

PMID- 26126434
TI  - Is 5'-AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Both Jekyll and Hyde in Bladder Cancer?
AB  - The 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key regulator of cellular
      metabolism and energy homeostasis in mammalian tissues. Metabolic adaptation is a
      critical step in ensuring cell survival during metabolic stress. Because of its
      critical role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and carbohydrate, lipid,
      and protein metabolism, AMPK is involved in many human diseases, including
      cancers. Although AMPK signaling was originally characterized as a tumor
      suppressive signaling pathway, several lines of evidence suggest that AMPK plays
      a much broader role and cannot simply be defined as either an oncogenic regulator
      or tumor suppressor. Notably, several recent studies demonstrated that the
      antitumorigenic effects of many indirect AMPK activators, such as metformin, do
      not depend on AMPK. Conversely, activation of AMPK induces the progression of
      cancers, emphasizing its oncogenic effect. Bladder cancer can be divided into two
      groups: non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder
      cancer (MIBC). The molecular mechanisms underlying these two types of cancer are
      distinct: NMIBC is associated with activation of the Ras pathway, whereas MIBC is
      characterized by loss of major tumor suppressors. Importantly, both pathways are
      connected to the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. In addition, our
      recent metabolomic findings suggest that beta-oxidation of fatty acids is an
      important factor in the development of bladder cancer. Both mTOR and beta
      oxidation are tightly associated with the AMPK pathway. Here, I summarize and
      discuss the recent findings on the two distinct roles of AMPK in cancer, as well
      as the relationship between bladder cancer and AMPK. 

PMID- 26126435
TI  - Does Methylphenidate Affect Cystometric Parameters in Spontaneously Hypertensive
      Rats?
AB  - PURPOSE: Methylphenidate (MPH) is one of the most commonly prescribed
      psychostimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However,
      there is limited research on its effects on lower urinary tract function. This
      study investigated changes in cystometric parameters after intragastric
      administration of MPH in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), an
      animal model of ADHD. METHODS: Fourteen- to 16-week-old male SHRs (n=10),
      weighing between 280 and 315 g, were used. Three micturition cycles were recorded
      before administering MPH. One hour after each intragastric MPH injection, three
      cycles of cystometrogram were obtained in the awake condition. Various
      cystometric parameters were evaluated, including basal pressure (BP), maximal
      pressure (MP), threshold pressure (TP), bladder capacity (BC), micturition volume
      (MV), micturition interval (MI), and residual volume (RV). The data were analyzed
      using paired Student t-tests. RESULTS: Five SHRs were each administered a dose of
      3-mg/kg MPH, and the other five received a dose of 6-mg/kg MPH. BP and MP
      increased significantly in the rats that received the 3-mg/kg MPH injection, but
      not in those that received the 6-mg/kg injection. BC, MV, and MI significantly
      increased in the rats that received the 6-mg/kg MPH injection, but not in those
      that received the 3-mg/kg injection. There were no significant changes in TP
      after either injection. CONCLUSIONS: Significant increases in BC, MV, and MI
      after the 6-mg/kg MPH injection suggest that the peripheral and the central
      nervous systems may play important roles in bladder function in those receiving
      MPH for ADHD.

PMID- 26126436
TI  - Urinary MicroRNAs of Prostate Cancer: Virus-Encoded hsv1-miRH18 and hsv2-miR-H9
      5p Could Be Valuable Diagnostic Markers.
AB  - PURPOSE: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in biological fluids are potential biomarkers for the
      diagnosis and assessment of urological diseases such as benign prostatic
      hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa). The aim of the study was to identify
      and validate urinary cell-free miRNAs that can segregate patients with PCa from
      those with BPH. METHODS: In total, 1,052 urine, 150 serum, and 150 prostate
      tissue samples from patients with PCa or BPH were used in the study. A urine
      based miRNA microarray analysis suggested the presence of differentially
      expressed urinary miRNAs in patients with PCa, and these were further validated
      in three independent PCa cohorts, using a quantitative reverse
      transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction analysis. RESULTS: The expression levels
      of hsa-miR-615-3p, hsv1-miR-H18, hsv2-miR-H9-5p, and hsa-miR-4316 were
      significantly higher in urine samples of patients with PCa than in those of BPH
      controls. In particular, herpes simplex virus (hsv)-derived hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2
      miR-H9-5p showed better diagnostic performance than did the serum prostate
      specific antigen (PSA) test for patients in the PSA gray zone. Furthermore, a
      combination of urinary hsv2-miR-H9-5p with serum PSA showed high sensitivity and
      specificity, providing a potential clinical benefit by reducing unnecessary
      biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that hsv-encoded hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2
      miR-H9-5p are significantly associated with PCa and can facilitate early
      diagnosis of PCa for patients within the serum PSA gray zone.

PMID- 26126437
TI  - Intravesical Sodium Chondroitin Sulphate to Treat Overactive Bladder: Preliminary
      Result.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to verify the efficacy and safety of intravesical
      treatment with sodium chondroitin sulfate (CS) in patients with overactive
      bladder (OAB) who are refractory to previous antimuscarinic treatment. METHODS:
      This study was performed between June 2012 and January 2015 and included 31
      consecutive women (mean age, 42.10+/-7.34 years) with OAB who had been previously
      treated with two types of antimuscarinic drugs. The results of gynecologic and
      cystoscopic examinations were normal, and OAB comorbidity was absent. Treatment
      with intravesical instillations containing 40 mL CS (0.2%; 2 mg/mL) was
      administered for 6 weeks; after weekly treatments, monthly treatments were
      administered. The OAB-validated 8 (OAB-V8) symptom scores, nocturia, frequency,
      urgency, urge incontinence, and urinary volumes measured by uroflowmetry were
      evaluated for all the patients. The values obtained before the treatment were
      statistically compared with those obtained six months after the treatment.
      RESULTS: The duration of the symptoms was 18.36+/-6.19 months. A statistically
      significant improvement of the patients' conditions was observed in terms of the
      OAB-V8 symptom scores, nocturia, frequency, urgency, urge incontinence, and
      urinary volumes measured by uroflowmetry after the treatment. CONCLUSIONS:
      Despite the limitations of this study, the outcomes confirmed that CS therapy is
      safe and effective for the treatment of OAB.

PMID- 26126438
TI  - Clinical and Pathological Characteristics of Hard Nodules Resistant to
      Morcellation During Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate.
AB  - PURPOSE: To identify the clinical and pathological characteristics of hard
      nodules resistant to morcellation (HNRM) during holmium laser enucleation of the
      prostate (HoLEP) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: Between July
      2008 and October 2011, 246 patients underwent HoLEP for symptomatic BPH. The
      first 30 patients were excluded from the analysis due to the learning curve of
      the procedure. The remaining patients were divided into HNRM (n=29) and non-HNRM
      groups (n=187), and comparative analysis of the clinical parameters of the two
      groups was performed. International prostate symptom score analysis and
      urodynamic studies were performed preoperatively. Histological analysis was
      performed after hematoxylin and eosin staining and Masson trichrome staining of
      the HNRM specimens. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients (13.4%) had HNRM. The patients
      in the HNRM group had significantly higher proportions of advanced age (>=65
      years, P=0.029), total prostate volume >=65 mL (P<0.001), transition zone volume
      >=35 mL (P<0.001), serum prostate-specific antigen levels >=10 ng/mL (P=0.007),
      and functional urethral length >=70 mm (P=0.009); larger enucleation weight
      (P<0.001); longer operation (P=0.001), enucleation (P=0.042), and morcellation
      times (P<0.001); and higher enucleation ratio (P=0.028) and enucleation efficacy
      (P=0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate logistic
      regression analysis revealed that age >=65 years and total prostate volume >=65
      mL were independent risk factors for HNRM. Pathological examination did not
      reveal any malignant cells, with mainly dense fibrous tissue found in the HNRM.
      CONCLUSIONS: HNRM can make morcellation cumbersome and time-consuming, and older
      patients with larger prostates have a higher incidence of HNRM. However, the
      histopathology of HNRM revealed mainly fibrotic tissue.

PMID- 26126439
TI  - Factors Associated With Self-reported and Medically Diagnosed Urinary
      Incontinence Among Community-Dwelling Older Women In Korea.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of urinary
      incontinence (UI) in community-dwelling Korean women 60 years or older, and to
      identify factors associated with self-reported and medically diagnosed UI.
      METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of data from the 2008 Actual Living
      Condition of the Elderly and Welfare Need Survey, which used a stratified two
      stage cluster sampling method to select a representative sample of 8,961 elderly
      Korean women. RESULTS: Of the 8,961 women in this study, 579 (6.5%) had self
      reported UI, and 209 (2.3%) were medically diagnosed with UI. As patient age and
      exercise ability of the upper extremities increased, risk for self-reported UI
      decreased (odds ratio [OR], 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96-0.99; OR,
      0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99, respectively). In contrast, as the number of limited
      instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) increased, the risk for self
      reported UI increased (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.24-1.35). Overweight women were 1.94
      times more likely to have self-reported UI compared to underweight women. Women
      with a history of stroke or asthma were more likely to have self-reported UI
      compared to women with no history. Also, women who reported being in good health
      were less likely to have UI, compared to women who reported being in poor health
      (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.31-0.70). Medically diagnosed UI was negatively associated
      with the number of limited IADL and exercise ability scores for the lower
      extremities (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.80-0.92; OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99,
      respectively). In contrast, as the exercise ability score for the upper
      extremities increased, so did the risk for medically diagnosed UI (OR, 1.02; 95%
      CI, 1.01-1.03). CONCLUSIONS: An interventional program for home visit health
      services is needed for incontinent women who are highly dependent on others for
      IADL.

PMID- 26126440
TI  - Alpha-Blocker Treatment Response in Men With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Based
      on Sympathetic Activity: Prospective, Multicenter, Open-Labeled, Observational
      Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: In this study, we compared the treatment outcomes for an alpha-blocker
      between 2 groups of men, one with high sympathetic activity (HSA) and another
      with low sympathetic activity (LSA) or normal sympathetic activity. METHODS: A
      total of 159 men (>=50 years of age) with lower urinary tract symptoms resulting
      from benign prostatic hyperplasia were analyzed. We assigned patients to groups
      according to their sympathetic activity, which was evaluated by heart
      ratevariability measurements. HSA was defined as a low frequency/high frequency
      ratio greater than 1.6. All patients received 10mg of alfuzosin once a day for 12
      weeks. The primary end point was a change in the total International Prostate
      SymptomScore (IPSS) at 12 weeks from baseline. RESULTS: Sixty-seven men were
      assigned to the HSA group and 92 men were assigned to the LSA group. The baseline
      characteristics were not significantly different between the 2 groups, and the
      response to alfuzosin was good in both groups. Themean total IPSS change was not
      different between the groups. Both groups were not significantly different with
      respect to the changes in maximal flow rate, IPSS voiding or storage symptom
      subscores, quality of life, and rates of adverse drug events. TheHSA group showed
      a similar willingness to continue treatment compared to the LSA group, although
      their treatment satisfaction rating was lower. CONCLUSIONS: The therapeutic
      effects of alfuzosin did not differ in regards to the differences in sympathetic
      activity, but treatment satisfaction ratings were lower in the HSA group.

PMID- 26126441
TI  - Effect of Continuous Urethro-Vesical Anastomosis Technique in Incontinence After
      Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy, 1:1 Matching Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Vesicourethral anastomosis (VUA) is an important step in radical
      prostatectomy and can affect clinical course in hospital. However, few studies
      comparing VUA by standard interrupted and continuous suturing techniques in
      radical retropubicprostatectomy (RRP) have been reported. We compared the
      postoperative outcomes and continence recovery rates of patients undergoing these
      two variations of VUA using 1:1 propensity score matching. METHODS: From January
      2008 to January 2014, a total of 188 patients underwent RRP. We conducted 1:1
      propensity score matching based on age, prostate volume, pathological stage,
      status of nerve sparing, and two baseline characteristics (preoperative prostate
      specific antigen [PSA] level and Gleason score determined by pathology). Patients
      were assigned to two groups based on the suturing method used (interrupted or
      continuous). After RRP, incontinence levels were assessed at 1, 3, 6, and
      12months based on pad usage per day (0, dry; <=1, social continence; >=2,
      incontinence). RESULTS: Each group consisted of 47 patients. The continuous group
      had a lower incidence of VUA site leakage (0% vs. 10.6%, P=0.022), but there were
      no significant differences in the rates of postoperative urethral stricture (6.4%
      vs. 6.4%, P=1.00) andpyuria (43.6% vs. 45.0%, P=0.770) between the two groups.
      The rate of recovery to social continence was greater in the continuous group at
      postoperative 3 months (85.1% vs. 66.0%, P=0.031). About 50% of patients had no
      incontinence (pad perday=0) after 6 months (59.6% in the continuous group and
      51.1% in the interrupted group, P=0.407) and at postoperative 12 months, the dry
      rate 61.7% in the interrupted group and 80.4% in the continuous group (P=0.047).
      The times required toreach social continence (3.21 months vs. 3.77 months,
      P=0.056) and no incontinence (7.23 months vs. 7.63 months, P=0.132) were also
      shorter in the continuous group, but these differences were not statistically
      significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that earlier recovery
      to social continence and a higher rate of complete recovery (dry) could be
      expected with VUA by continuous suturing. Furthermore, if adequate surgical
      experience is accumulated, VUAwith continuous suturing could be performed without
      difficulty.

PMID- 26126442
TI  - The Impact of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms on Quality of Life, Work Productivity,
      Depressive Symptoms, and Sexuality in Korean Men Aged 40 Years and Older: A
      Population-Based Survey.
AB  - PURPOSE: To examine the impact of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) on health
      related quality of life (HRQoL) in Korean men aged >=40 years. METHODS: A
      population-based, cross-sectional door-to-door survey was conducted among men
      aged >=40 years. Individuals with LUTS were defined as men reporting at least one
      LUTS using 2002 International Continence Society definitions.
      Structuredquestionnaires were used to assess several dimensions of HRQoL,
      including generic health status (EuroQoL-five-dimensions questionnaire), work
      productivity (work productivity and activity impairment questionnaire),
      depressive symptoms(center for epidemiologic studies depression scale), and
      sexual health (sexual satisfaction and erectile dysfunction). The impact of LUTS
      was assessed by comparing several dimensions of HRQoL among men with and without
      LUTS. RESULTS: Of the 1,842 participants, 1,536 (83.4%) reported having at least
      one LUTS. The prevalence of LUTS increased with age (78.3% among those aged 40-49
      years to 89.6% among those aged 60 years or older). Those with LUTS reported a
      significantlylower level of generic health status and worse work productivity
      compared with those without LUTS. Significantly more individuals with LUTS
      reported having a higher level of major depressive symptoms compared with those
      without LUTS.Those with LUTS reported worse sexual activity and enjoyment, and
      were significantly more likely to have erectile dysfunction than those without
      LUTS. CONCLUSIONS: LUTS seem to have a substantial impact on several dimensions
      of HRQoL in Korean men aged >=40 years.

PMID- 26126443
TI  - Advanced Male Urethral and Genital Reconstructive Surgery. 2nd ed.

PMID- 26126445
TI  - Vibrational spectra and structures of SinC clusters (n = 3-8).
AB  - The effects of doping bare silicon clusters with carbon on their physical
      properties are of fundamental interest for the chemistry of the interstellar
      medium and the development of novel nanostructures in materials science. Carbon
      doped silicon clusters (SinC, n = 3-8) are characterized in the gas phase with
      infrared-ultraviolet two-color ionization (IR-UV2CI) spectroscopy, mass
      spectrometry, and quantum chemical calculations. Structural identification is
      achieved by comparing the measured and calculated vibrational absorption spectra
      of the low-energy SinC isomers identified by global optimization algorithms.
      Except for planar Si3C, the most stable SinC clusters have three-dimensional
      configurations. While the Si3C and Si6C structures are uniquely assigned, several
      stable isomers of Si4C, Si5C, Si7C, and Si8C may co-exist under the present
      experimental conditions. Interestingly, some of the structures observed here are
      different from the ground state structures predicted previously. For the small
      neutral clusters (n <= 5), structures similar to those reported previously for
      the anions are observed. The highly stable Si3C unit with a nearly linear Si-C-Si
      motif is identified as characteristic building block in several of the most
      stable SinC structures. In all identified structures, a large negative charge of
      almost -2e is located on the C atom, indicating its role as electron donor in the
      Sin host moiety. The B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level proves reliable in finding the
      experimentally observed isomers. 

PMID- 26126444
TI  - Matching of received social support with need for support in adjusting to cancer
      and cancer survivorship.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optimal matching theory posits that the effects of social support are
      enhanced when its provision is matched with need for support. We hypothesized
      that matching received social support with the needs of persons with cancer, and
      cancer survivors would be related to better psychosocial adjustment than a
      mismatched condition. METHOD: In a cross-sectional design, sample 1, consisting
      of 171 cancer patients, and sample 2, consisting of 118 cancer survivors,
      completed measures of emotional and instrumental received support, physical
      debilitation, and psychological distress. RESULTS: The optimal matching theory
      model was confirmed; those needing support (i.e., greater physical debilitation),
      who did not receive it, experienced more distress than those who needed support
      and received it. Patients in treatment benefited from the matching of need and
      provision for both emotional and instrumental support, whereas survivors only
      benefited from the matching of emotional support. CONCLUSIONS: The results
      suggest that social support is contextualized by the degree of physical
      impairment and may be somewhat different for cancer patients in treatment
      compared with cancer survivors. The transition to cancer survivorship may involve
      a transformation in the need for as well as the type and amount of received
      social support. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID- 26126446
TI  - Adjusting for Cell Type Composition in DNA Methylation Data Using a Regression
      Based Approach.
AB  - Analysis of DNA methylation in a population context has the potential to uncover
      novel gene and environment interactions as well as markers of health and disease.
      In order to find such associations it is important to control for factors which
      may mask or alter DNA methylation signatures. Since tissue of origin and
      coinciding cell type composition are major contributors to DNA methylation
      patterns, and can easily confound important findings, it is vital to adjust DNA
      methylation data for such differences across individuals. Here we describe the
      use of a regression method to adjust for cell type composition in DNA methylation
      data. We specifically discuss what information is required to adjust for cell
      type composition and then provide detailed instructions on how to perform cell
      type adjustment on high dimensional DNA methylation data. This method has been
      applied mainly to Illumina 450K data, but can also be adapted to pyrosequencing
      or genome-wide bisulfite sequencing data.

PMID- 26126447
TI  - 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Profiling in Human DNA.
AB  - Since its "re-discovery" in 2009, there has been significant interest in defining
      the genome-wide distribution of DNA marked by 5-hydroxymethylation at cytosine
      bases (5hmC). In recent years, technological advances have resulted in a
      multitude of unique strategies to map 5hmC across the human genome. Here we
      discuss the wide range of approaches available to map this modification and
      describe in detail the affinity based methods which result in the enrichment of
      5hmC marked DNA for downstream analysis.

PMID- 26126448
TI  - Intracellular Calcium Measurements for Functional Characterization of Neuronal
      Phenotypes.
AB  - The central and peripheral nervous system is built by a network of many different
      neuronal phenotypes together with glial and other supporting cells. The
      repertoire of expressed receptors and secreted neurotransmitters and
      neuromodulators are unique for each single neuron leading to intracellular
      signaling cascades, many of them involving intracellular calcium signaling. Here
      we suggest the use of calcium signaling analysis upon specific agonist
      application to reliably identify neuronal phenotypes, being important not only
      for basic science, but also providing a reliable tool for functional
      characterization of cells prior to transplantation. Calcium imaging provides
      various cellular information including signaling amplitudes, cell localization,
      duration, and frequency. Microfluorimetry reveals a signal summarizing the entire
      population, and its use is indicated for high-throughput screening purposes. 

PMID- 26126449
TI  - Generation and Characterization of Patient-Specific iPSC Model for Cardiovascular
      Disease.
AB  - Advances in differentiation of cardiomyocytes from human induced pluripotent stem
      cell (hiPSC) were emerged as a tool for modeling of cardiovascular disease that
      recapitulates the phenotype for the purpose of drug screening, biomarker
      discovery, and testing of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) as a modifier for
      disease stratification. Here, we describe the (1) retroviral reprogramming
      strategies in the generation of human iPSC, (2) methodology in characterization
      of iPSC in order to identify the stem cell clones with the best quality, and (3)
      protocol of cardiac differentiation by modulation of Wnt signaling and beta
      catenin pathway.

PMID- 26126450
TI  - The piggyBac Transposon as a Platform Technology for Somatic Cell Reprogramming
      Studies in Mouse.
AB  - Somatic cell reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is a
      revolutionary technology, with repercussions affecting modern functional genomics
      and regenerative medicine. Still, relatively little is known about the processes
      underlying this dramatic cellular and molecular metamorphosis. Reprogramming
      technology based on the implementation of piggyBac (PB) transposons has enabled
      studies of iPSC reprogramming mechanisms, shedding an increasing light on these
      processes. Unique characteristics of PB transposons such as efficient genomic
      integration, unlimited cargo capacity, robust gene expression, and even seamless
      excision highlight the importance of this transgenic tool in advancing stem cell
      biology. In this chapter, we provide a detailed overview of versatile primary
      iPSC generation from mouse somatic cells using PB transposons, and the subsequent
      establishment of robust secondary reprogramming systems. These protocols are
      highlighted with examples from recent studies as to how PB has been, and
      continues to be, conducive to the dissection of reprogramming processes at the
      cellular and molecular levels. 

PMID- 26126451
TI  - Transgene-Free Disease-Specific iPSC Generation from Fibroblasts and Peripheral
      Blood Mononuclear Cells.
AB  - Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer great promise as tools for basic
      biomedical research, disease modeling, and drug screening. In this chapter, we
      describe the generation of patient-specific, transgene-free iPSCs from skin
      biopsies and peripheral blood mononuclear cells through electroporation of
      episomal vectors and growth under two different culture conditions. The resulting
      iPSC lines are characterized with respect to pluripotency marker expression
      through immunostaining, tested for transgene integration by PCR, and assayed for
      differentiation capacity via teratoma formation.

PMID- 26126452
TI  - Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, presenting with altered
      CD56 expression: A case report.

PMID- 26126453
TI  - Physician heal thyself.

PMID- 26126454
TI  - Of SOLOs and ensembles.

PMID- 26126455
TI  - The pudding, the beef, and conflicts of interest.

PMID- 26126456
TI  - Is simulation the next best thing?

PMID- 26126458
TI  - Anastomotic leaks and cancer recurrence: Associations versus causality.

PMID- 26126457
TI  - Intraoperative molecular imaging can identify lung adenocarcinomas during
      pulmonary resection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: More than 80,000 people undergo resection of a pulmonary tumor each
      year, and the only method to determine if the tumor is malignant is histologic
      analysis. We propose that a targeted molecular contrast agent could bind lung
      adenocarcinomas, which could be identified using real-time optical imaging at the
      time of surgery. METHODS: Fifty patients with a biopsy-proven lung adenocarcinoma
      were enrolled. Before surgery, patients were systemically administered 0.1 mg/kg
      of a fluorescent folate receptor alpha (FRalpha)-targeted molecular contrast
      agent by intravenous infusion. During surgery, tumors were imaged in situ and ex
      vivo, after the lung parenchyma was dissected to directly expose the tumor to the
      imaging system. RESULTS: Tumors ranged from 0.3 to 7.5 cm (mean: 2.6 cm), and 46
      of 50 (92%) lung adenocarcinomas were fluorescent. No false uptake occurred, and
      in 2 cases, intraoperative imaging revealed tumor metastases (3 mm and 6 mm) that
      were not recognized preoperatively. Four adenocarcinomas were not fluorescent,
      and immunohistochemistry showed that these adenocarcinomas did not express
      FRalpha. Tumor fluorescence was independent of nodule size, uptake of 2-deoxy-2
      ((18)F)fluoro-D-glucose, histology, and tumor differentiation. Molecular imaging
      could identify only 7 of the 50 adenocarcinomas in situ in the patient without
      bisection. The most important predictor of the success of molecular imaging in
      locating the tumor in situ was the distance of the nodule from the pleural
      surface. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative molecular imaging with a targeted contrast
      agent can identify lung adenocarcinomas, and this technology is currently useful
      in patients with subpleural tumors, irrespective of size. With further
      refinements, this tool may prove useful in locating adenocarcinomas that are
      deeper in the lung parenchyma, in lymph nodes, and at pleural and resection
      margins.

PMID- 26126459
TI  - How pathologic is the function of a bicuspid aortic valve?

PMID- 26126460
TI  - Encouraging durability results for sutureless aortic valve: The new gold standard
      for aortic valve replacement?

PMID- 26126461
TI  - For the arch: Where there is urine, there is hope.

PMID- 26126462
TI  - Nothing comes for free.

PMID- 26126463
TI  - Respect the aorta.

PMID- 26126464
TI  - The law of the instrument.

PMID- 26126465
TI  - Primary pulmonary vein stenosis: Can we expect different results?

PMID- 26126466
TI  - Acute kidney injury after Fontan completion: Risk factors and outcomes "The good,
      the bad, and the ugly".

PMID- 26126467
TI  - Parting ways with routine postoperative chest radiographs: Are we ready to cut
      the cord?

PMID- 26126468
TI  - A thorough understanding of the mitral apparatus will improve the results of
      mitral valve repair.

PMID- 26126469
TI  - Choosing from the menu.

PMID- 26126470
TI  - Bioprosthetic valve durability: An industrial pudding?

PMID- 26126471
TI  - State-of-the-art surgical coronary revascularization: Multiple arterial conduits,
      minimal aortic manipulation.

PMID- 26126472
TI  - OPCAB is not for every surgeon and not for every patient.

PMID- 26126473
TI  - Hard endpoints from large randomized, clinical trials are more important than
      early reports of surrogate endpoints from small studies.

PMID- 26126474
TI  - Surgeon versus device in aortic valve replacement.

PMID- 26126475
TI  - Surgeons and devices in aortic valve replacement. Reply to the editor.

PMID- 26126476
TI  - Epidurals, intraoperative fluid administration, and hypotension.

PMID- 26126477
TI  - Epidurals, intraoperative fluid administration, and hypotension. Reply to editor.

PMID- 26126478
TI  - Resuscitation in cardiac surgery patients. Reply to the editor.

PMID- 26126479
TI  - Long-term mechanical circulatory support: A new disease state?

PMID- 26126480
TI  - Pleurectomy and decortication for metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

PMID- 26126481
TI  - A case of right atrial compression by the elevated liver successfully treated by
      diaphragmatic plication.

PMID- 26126483
TI  - Coupled Models for Soft Biological Tissue Disorders.

PMID- 26126482
TI  - Fatal right coronary artery rupture following blunt chest trauma: detection by
      postmortem selective coronary angiography.
AB  - Coronary artery injury is a rare complication following blunt chest trauma (BCT),
      and can be fatal. Here we report findings on postmortem selective coronary
      angiography of right coronary artery rupture after an assault involving blunt
      trauma to the chest. A woman in her 60s died after her son stomped on her chest.
      There were no appreciable signs of injury on external examination, and cause of
      death could not be determined by postmortem computed tomography (PMCT). Internal
      findings indicated that an external force had been applied to the anterior chest,
      as evidenced by subcutaneous hemorrhage and pericardial and cardiac contusions.
      Postmortem coronary angiography revealed irregularity of the intima and of the
      fat tissue surrounding the proximal part of the right coronary artery associated
      with a local filling defect. Histopathological examination suggested coronary
      rupture with dissection of the tunica media and compression of the lumen cavity.
      The key points in the present case are that no fatal injuries could be determined
      on external examination, and the heart and coronary artery injuries were not
      evident on PMCT. Criminality might be overlooked in such cases, as external
      investigation at the crime scene would be inadequate and could result in a facile
      diagnosis of cause of death. This is the first report of coronary artery rupture
      with dissection that was detected by CT coronary angiography, and provides
      helpful findings for reaching an appropriate decision both forensically and
      clinically. 

PMID- 26126484
TI  - Computational Modeling of Traffic Related Thoracic Injury of a 10-Year-Old Child
      Using Subject-Specific Modeling Technique.
AB  - Traffic injuries have become a major health-related issue to school-aged
      children. To study this type of injury with numerical simulations, a finite
      element model was developed to represent the full body of a 10-year-old (YO)
      child. The model has been validated against test data at both body-part and full
      body levels in previous studies. Representing only the average 10-YO child, this
      model did not include subject-specific attributes, such as the variations in size
      and shape among different children. In this paper, a new modeling approach was
      used to morph this baseline model to a subject-specific model, based on
      anthropometric data collected from pediatric subjects. This mesh-morphing method
      was then used to rapidly morph the baseline mesh into the subject-specific
      geometry while maintaining a good mesh quality. The morphed model was
      subsequently applied to simulate a real-world motor vehicle crash accident. A
      lung injury observed in the accident was well captured by the subject-specific
      model. The findings of this study demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed
      morphing approach to develop subject-specific human models, and confirm their
      capability in prediction of traffic injuries. 

PMID- 26126485
TI  - Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Colorectal Neoplasia: "Cause and Effect" or Chance
      Association?

PMID- 26126486
TI  - Will the Benefits of Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis C Be Retained in the
      Interferon-free Era?

PMID- 26126487
TI  - Evaluation of thrombolysis by using ultrasonic imaging: an in vitro study.
AB  - The hematocrit of a thrombus is a key factor associated with the susceptibility
      to thrombolysis. Ultrasonic imaging is currently the first-line screening tool
      for thrombus examinations. Different hematocrits result in different acoustical
      structures of thrombi, which alter the behavior of ultrasonic backscattering.
      This study explored the relationships among thrombolytic efficiencies,
      hematocrits, and ultrasonic parameters (the echo intensity and backscattered
      statistics). Porcine thrombi with different hematocrits, ranging from 0% to 50%,
      were induced in vitro. An ultrasonic scanner was used to scan thrombi and acquire
      raw image data for B-mode (echo intensity measurements) and Nakagami imaging
      (backscattered statistics analysis). Experiments on thrombolysis were performed
      using urokinase to explore the effect of the hematocrit on thrombolytic
      efficiency. Results showed that the weight loss ratio of thrombi exponentially
      decreased as the hematocrit increased from 0% to 50%. Compared with the echo
      intensity obtained from the conventional B-scan, the Nakagami parameter predicts
      the weight loss ratio, increasing from 0.6 to 1.2 as the weight loss ratio
      decreased from 0.67 to 0.26. The current findings suggest that using Nakagami
      imaging characterizing thrombi provides information of backscattered statistics,
      which may be associated with the thrombolytic efficiency. 

PMID- 26126488
TI  - Screening of beta-Glucosidase and beta-Xylosidase Activities in Four Non
      Saccharomyces Yeast Isolates.
AB  - The finding of new isolates of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, showing beneficial
      enzymes (such as beta-glucosidase and beta-xylosidase), can contribute to the
      production of quality wines. In a selection and characterization program, we have
      studied 114 isolates of non-Saccharomyces yeasts. Four isolates were selected
      because of their both high beta-glucosidase and beta-xylosidase activities. The
      ribosomal D1/D2 regions were sequenced to identify them as Pichia membranifaciens
      Pm7, Hanseniaspora vineae Hv3, H. uvarum Hu8, and Wickerhamomyces anomalus Wa1.
      The induction process was optimized to be carried on YNB-medium supplemented with
      4% xylan, inoculated with 106 cfu/mL and incubated 48 h at 28  degrees C without
      agitation. Most of the strains had a pH optimum of 5.0 to 6.0 for both the beta
      glucosidase and beta-xylosidase activities. The effect of sugars was different
      for each isolate and activity. Each isolate showed a characteristic set of
      inhibition, enhancement or null effect for beta-glucosidase and beta-xylosidase.
      The volatile compounds liberated from wine incubated with each of the 4 yeasts
      were also studied, showing an overall terpene increase (1.1 to 1.3-folds) when
      wines were treated with non-Saccharomyces isolates. In detail, terpineol, 4-vinyl
      phenol and 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol increased after the addition of Hanseniaspora
      isolates. Wines treated with Hanseniaspora, Wickerhamomyces, or Pichia produced
      more 2-phenyl ethanol than those inoculated with other yeasts.

PMID- 26126489
TI  - Influence of P-Bonded Bulky Substituents on Electronic Interactions in Ferrocenyl
      Substituted Phospholes.
AB  - 2,5-Diferrocenyl-1-Ar-1H-phospholes 3 a-e (Ar=phenyl (a), ferrocenyl (b), mesityl
      (c), 2,4,6-triphenylphenyl (d), and 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl (e)) have been
      prepared by reactions of ArPH2 (1 a-e) with 1,4-diferrocenyl butadiyne. Compounds
      3 b-e have been structurally characterized by single-crystal XRD analysis.
      Application of the sterically demanding 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl group led to
      an increased flattening of the pyramidal phosphorus environment. The ferrocenyl
      units could be oxidized separately, with redox separations of 265 (3 b), 295 (3
      c), 340 (3 d), and 315 mV (3 e) in [NnBu4 ][B(C6 F5 )4]; these values indicate
      substantial thermodynamic stability of the mixed-valence radical cations.
      Monocationic [3 b](+)-[3 e](+) show intervalence charge-transfer absorptions
      between 4650 and 5050 cm(-1) of moderate intensity and half-height bandwidth.
      Compounds 3 c-e with bulky, electron-rich substituents reveal a significant
      increase in electronic interactions compared with less demanding groups in 3 a
      and 3 b.

PMID- 26126490
TI  - Suppressing Synonymy with a Homonym: The Emergence of the Nomenclatural Type
      Concept in Nineteenth Century Natural History.
AB  - 'Type' in biology is a polysemous term. In a landmark article, Paul Farber
      (Journal of the History of Biology 9(1): 93-119, 1976) argued that this
      deceptively plain term had acquired three different meanings in early nineteenth
      century natural history alone. 'Type' was used in relation to three distinct type
      concepts, each of them associated with a different set of practices. Important as
      Farber's analysis has been for the historiography of natural history, his account
      conceals an important dimension of early nineteenth century 'type talk.' Farber's
      taxonomy of type concepts passes over the fact that certain uses of 'type' began
      to take on a new meaning in this period. At the closing of the eighteenth
      century, terms like 'type specimen,' 'type species,' and 'type genus' were
      universally recognized as referring to typical, model members of their
      encompassing taxa. But in the course of the nineteenth century, the same terms
      were co-opted for a different purpose. As part of an effort to drive out
      nomenclatural synonymy - the confusing state of a taxon being known to different
      people by different names - these terms started to signify the fixed and
      potentially atypical name-bearing elements of taxa. A new type concept was born:
      the nomenclatural type. In this article, I retrace this perplexing nineteenth
      century shift in meaning of 'type.' I uncover the nomenclatural disorder that the
      new nomenclatural type concept dissolved, and expose the conceptual confusion it
      left in its tracks. What emerges is an account of how synonymy was suppressed
      through the coinage of a homonym. 

PMID- 26126492
TI  - OXA-372, a novel carbapenem-hydrolysing class D beta-lactamase from a Citrobacter
      freundii isolated from a hospital wastewater plant.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to characterize a novel class D
      carbapenemase, named OXA-372, identified in a carbapenem-resistant Citrobacter
      freundii strain (Cfr-FI-07) isolated from a hospital wastewater plant in central
      Italy. METHODS: Cfr-FI-07 was isolated using a selective chromogenic medium for
      carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Carbapenemase production was confirmed
      by spectrophotometric assay. WGS was carried out using an Illumina MiSeq
      platform. The functional profile of OXA-372 was investigated by expression of the
      cloned gene in Escherichia coli and by analysis of kinetic parameters of the
      purified enzyme. RESULTS: C. freundii Cfr-FI-07 produced carbapenemase activity,
      but tested negative for common carbapenemase genes. WGS confirmed the absence of
      known carbapenemase genes and revealed the presence of a novel class D beta
      lactamase (DBL) determinant, named blaOXA-372, encoding a protein distantly
      related to other DBLs. In E. coli, production of OXA-372 conferred resistance to
      penicillins, including temocillin, and reduced susceptibility to carbapenems,
      while susceptibility to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins was virtually
      unaffected. This substrate specificity was confirmed by kinetic characterization
      of the purified enzyme, which exhibited high catalytic efficiencies for
      carbapenems (kcat/KM values >= 0.22 s(-1) . MUM(-1)). The blaOXA-372 gene was
      associated with a genetic platform of original structure consisting of a
      Tn402/Tn5053 hybrid transposon derivative, named Tn6255, inserted into a TnPa38
      like transposon, named Tn6256, located on an IncA/C-IncN plasmid of approximately
      140 kb. CONCLUSIONS: OXA-372 is a novel class D carbapenemase, belonging to a new
      lineage of DBLs, encoded by a gene associated with mobile elements. Functional
      properties revealed similarities, but also some differences, compared with other
      class D carbapenemases.

PMID- 26126491
TI  - PKC412 normalizes mutation-related keratin filament disruption and hepatic injury
      in mice by promoting keratin-myosin binding.
AB  - Keratins, among other cytoskeletal intermediate filament proteins, are mutated at
      a highly conserved arginine with consequent severe disease phenotypes due to
      disruption of keratin filament organization. We screened a kinase inhibitor
      library, using A549 cells that are transduced with a lentivirus keratin 18 (K18)
      construct, to identify compounds that normalize filament disruption due to K18
      Arg90Cys mutation at the conserved arginine. High-throughput screening showed
      that PKC412, a multikinase inhibitor, ameliorated K18 Arg90Cys-mediated keratin
      filament disruption in cells and in the livers of previously described transgenic
      mice that overexpress K18 Arg90Cys. Furthermore, PKC412 protected cultured A549
      cells that express mutant or wild-type K18 and mouse livers of the K18 Arg90Cys
      overexpressing transgenic mice from Fas-induced apoptosis. Proteomic analysis of
      proteins that associated with keratins after exposure of K18-expressing A549
      cells to PKC412 showed that nonmuscle myosin heavy chain-IIA (NMHC-IIA)
      partitions with the keratin fraction. The nonmuscle myosin-IIA (NM-IIA)
      association with keratins was confirmed by immune staining and by
      coimmunoprecipitation. The keratin-myosin association is myosin dephosphorylation
      dependent; occurs with K8, the obligate K18 partner; is enhanced by PKC412 in
      cells and mouse liver; and is blocked by hyperphosphorylation conditions in
      cultured cells and mouse liver. Furthermore, NMHC-IIA knockdown inhibits PKC412
      mediated normalization of K18 R90C filaments. CONCLUSION: The inhibitor PKC412
      normalizes K18 Arg90Cys mutation-induced filament disruption and disorganization
      by enhancing keratin association with NM-IIA in a myosin dephosphorylation
      regulated manner. Targeting of intermediate filament disorganization by compounds
      that alter keratin interaction with their associated proteins offers a potential
      novel therapeutic approach for keratin and possibly other intermediate filament
      protein-associated diseases.

PMID- 26126493
TI  - Avbeta3 integrin: Pathogenetic role in osteotropic tumors.
AB  - The interplay of cancer cells and accessory cells within the microenvironment
      drives signals regulating the proliferation, migration and skeleton colonization.
      Osteotropism of tumor cells depends on chemokine activation, production of
      soluble factors and defective gene expression that cooperate within the
      metastatic niche to the bone resorbing functions of osteoclasts. Adhesion of
      cancer cells to the extracellular matrix is regulated by integrins as alphavbeta3
      that enhances their invasiveness, pro-tumor angiogenesis and skeleton invasion.
      Therefore, alphavbeta3 signaling is implicated in enhancing osteotropism of
      breast and prostate cancers as well as of multiple myeloma. Targeting of
      alphavbeta3 has been adopted to restrain the tumor progression in several cancer
      models leading to improvement of overall survival as effect of the reduction of
      both tumor burden and osteotropism by malignant cells. Here, we review both the
      role of alphavbeta3 in malignant osteoclastogenesis and its potential targeting
      to restrain the bone colonization by skeleton invading cancers. 

PMID- 26126494
TI  - Antiangiogenic agents in gynecological cancer: State of art and perspectives of
      clinical research.
AB  - Vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] pathway, which plays a key role in
      angiogenesis, may be blocked by either extracellular interference with VEGF
      itself (bevacizumab [BEV] or aflibercept), or intracytoplasmic inhibition of VEGF
      receptor (pazopanib, nintedanib, cediranid, sunitinib and sorafenib). An
      alternative approach is represented by trebananib, a fusion protein that prevents
      the interaction of angiopoietin [Ang]-1 and Ang-2 with Tie2 receptor on vascular
      endothelium. The combination of antiangiogenic agents, especially BEV, and
      chemotherapy is a rational therapeutic option for primary or recurrent ovarian
      carcinoma. However, it will be difficult to accept that it represents the new
      standard treatment, until biological characterization of ovarian carcinoma has
      not identified subsets of tumors with different responsiveness to BEV. Anti
      angiogenesis is an interesting target also for recurrent cervical or endometrial
      cancer, but nowadays the use of anti-angiogenic agents in these malignancies
      should be reserved to patients enrolled in clinical trials. 

PMID- 26126495
TI  - Risk factors and antibiotic prophylaxis of cellulitis in cirrhosis.

PMID- 26126496
TI  - Characterization and modeling of multiphase flow in structured microreactors: a
      post microreactor case study.
AB  - We study microreactors with internal fields of posts as typical examples of
      structured microreactors to elucidate flow fields and their implications for mass
      transfer. Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) visualization combined with image
      analysis is used to systematically quantify key features such as interfacial
      area, phase holdup and the characteristics of the post-wetting layer. The
      subsequent mass transport analysis yields insight into how the posts contribute
      to the overall enhanced mass transfer performance compared to open channels, and
      provides predictions of mass transfer performance under varying operating
      conditions. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of multiphase flow
      using the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method are in good agreement with experimentally
      observed multiphase flows. 

PMID- 26126497
TI  - Using Computational Fluid Dynamics in the forensic analysis of a prison fire.
AB  - On the 8th of December of 2010 a fire killed 81 inmates in a Chilean prison.
      While the collected evidence (including eye witness' accounts) indicated an
      intentional fire, started by a group of inmates who were fighting against another
      group and who ignited a mattress and threw it over a bunk bed inside the cell, it
      could not be established how fast the fire grew and whether the prison guards
      acted promptly enough to prevent the tragedy. In this context, the public
      defender office in charge of the case requested an independent investigation in
      order to determine the approximated time the fire started, and the temperature
      evolution of the padlocks at the cell doors during the initial stage, based on
      the construction characteristics of the prison, the existing materials and the
      evidence collected during the investigation. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
      were used to analyse the movement of the smoke and to match the first appearance
      of smoke on CCTV recordings at locations away from the fire, allowing for the
      estimation of the time-line of events. The padlock temperatures as a result of
      hot gases from the fire was also simulated. It was shown that the fire grew
      quickly and became uncontrollable before the guards could intervene. By the time
      the guards arrived at the cells' door, the padlocks were shown to be too hot to
      be handled without protection. 

PMID- 26126498
TI  - A two-level subject-specific biomechanical model for improving prediction of hip
      fracture risk.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sideways fall-induced hip fracture is a major worldwide health
      problem among the elderly population. However, all existing biomechanical models
      for predicting hip fracture mainly consider the femur related parameters. Their
      accuracy is limited as hip fracture is significantly affected by loading
      conditions as well. The objective of this study was to develop a biomechanical
      model for improving assessment of hip fracture risk by subject-specific
      prediction of fall-induced loading conditions. METHOD: All information required
      to construct the models was extracted from the subject's whole-body and hip
      medical image in order to make the models subject-specific. Fall-induced hip
      fracture risk for eighty clinical cases was calculated under two sets of loading
      conditions: subject-specific determined by the proposed model, and non-subject
      specific obtained from empirical functions. The predicted hip fracture risk
      indices were then compared with clinical observations. FINDINGS: It was found
      that the subject-specific prediction of fall-induced loading conditions
      significantly improves the hip fracture risk assessment. Consistent to the
      clinical observations, the fracture risk predicted by the proposed model
      suggested that obesity is a protective factor for hip fracture and underweight
      subjects are more likely to experience a hip fracture. INTERPRETATIONS: This
      study shows that hip fracture risk is affected by a number of factors, including
      body weight, body height, impact force, body mass index, hip soft tissue
      thickness, and bone quality. The proposed model provides a comprehensive, fast,
      accurate, and non-expensive method for prediction of hip fracture risk which
      should lead to more effective prevention of hip fractures.

PMID- 26126500
TI  - Evaluation of diagnostic criteria for IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: IgG4-TIN is the most common pattern of renal involvement in IgG4
      related disease. There are several proposed diagnostic criteria of IgG4-TIN
      recently. Two of them proposed by the Mayo Clinic and JSN are predominant.
      However, histopathological criteria of the number of IgG4+ plasma cells and
      several histological features are still under discussion due to low amount of
      tissue in renal biopsy specimens and low frequency of this kind of specimens. We
      aimed to screen IgG4-TIN on archived renal biopsy samples and evaluated the
      application of two proposed diagnostic criteria. METHODS: We selected 480
      interstitial inflammation samples for light and electron microscopy and
      immunohistochemistry of CD138, IgG and IgG4 test. The Mayo Clinic proposed
      criteria diagnosed high-probability IgG4-TIN and JSN criteria confirmed IgG4-TIN.
      RESULTS: Twelve high-probability IgG4-TIN were screened by histology, imaging,
      serology and other organ involvement according to the Mayo Clinic proposed
      criteria. The previous principal pathological diagnoses were IgAN (n=4), CreGN
      (n=4), tubulointerstitial nephritis (n=3) and LN (n=1). Three cases showed
      storiform fibrosis and a bird's eye pattern. The distribution of IgG4+ plasma
      cells was focal, multifocal or diffuse, with a mixed mild, moderate or strong
      stainingpattern. Their treatment and clinical outcomes varied depending on
      different levels of proteinuria, serum creatinine, eGFR and original glomerular
      disease presentation. Therefore, we applied strict histological criteria of
      storiform fibrosis and evenly distributed IgG4+ plasma cells by JSN to confirm
      typical IgG4-TIN. Two cases were finally diagnosed as real IgG4-TIN. One was
      previously diagnosed as idiopathic interstitial nephritis with rapid response to
      corticosteroid therapy. The other was CreGN with immune complex deposits, which
      had poor outcome and long-term hemodialysis. CONCLUSIONS: IgG4-TIN might present
      concurrently with glomerular disease. The proposed criteria by the Mayo Clinic is
      flexible, sensitive, and superior in the identification of early-stage or
      atypical IgG4-TIN, with enhanced risk of misdiagnosis as compared to the proposed
      criteria by JSN, which is stricter, more specific, and might overlook early-stage
      or atypical IgG4-TIN. We propose a new set of criteria to improve pathologist
      derived diagnosis.

PMID- 26126501
TI  - Prophylaxis and treatment recommendations for sinusoidal obstruction syndrome in
      adult and pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant: a
      review of the literature.
AB  - Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, a complication occurring early after
      hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, is a concern for clinicians. There are
      no guidelines to direct clinicians on the optimal way to prevent and treat this
      disease. Newer data show that defibrotide is a promising drug both for prevention
      and treatment, although it is not yet FDA approved. 

PMID- 26126502
TI  - Mechanically selflocked chiral gemini-catenanes.
AB  - Mechanically interlocked and entangled molecular architectures represent one of
      the elaborate topological superstructures engineered at a molecular resolution.
      Here we report a methodology for fabricating mechanically selflocked molecules
      (MSMs) through highly efficient one-step amidation of a pseudorotaxane derived
      from dual functionalized pillar[5]arene (P[5]A) threaded by alpha,omega
      diaminoalkane (DA-n; n=3-12). The monomeric and dimeric pseudo[1]catenanes thus
      obtained, which are inherently chiral due to the topology of P[5]A used, were
      isolated and fully characterized by NMR and circular dichroism spectroscopy, X
      ray crystallography and DFT calculations. Of particular interest, the dimeric
      pseudo[1]catenane, named 'gemini-catenane', contained stereoisomeric meso-erythro
      and dl-threo isomers, in which two P[5]A moieties are threaded by two DA-n chains
      in topologically different patterns. This access to chiral pseudo[1]catenanes and
      gemini-catenanes will greatly promote the practical use of such sophisticated
      chiral architectures in supramolecular and materials science and technology. 

PMID- 26126503
TI  - Patient attitudes towards prenatal diagnostic testing for inherited retinal
      disease.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore factors that influence decision-making in relation to
      prenatal diagnostic testing (PDT) for inherited retinal disease (IRD). METHOD:
      Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 adults with IRD, selected from
      a larger sample to provide a diversity of backgrounds and opinions on genetic
      testing. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic
      analysis. RESULTS: Mostly participants supported PDT, believing that it would
      provide information to help them prepare for and plan the future care of the
      child and the potential for early access to emerging therapies. Opposition to PDT
      stemmed from its use to justify termination of pregnancy, with participants
      feeling that it was not justified as they retained a good quality of life despite
      their visual impairment. Participants raised concerns about the risk of PDT and
      the accuracy of the results. However, most suggested that it should be available
      as an option for others, but for specific reasons and not as a part of routine
      care. CONCLUSION: The variation in attitudes towards PDT and uncertainty about
      the risk and accuracy of results suggest that individuals at risk of having a
      child with IRD should have access to genetic counselling to support decision
      making.

PMID- 26126504
TI  - Prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in Ixodes ricinus ticks from three
      islands in north-western Norway.
AB  - Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most important viral tick-borne disease in
      Europe and can cause severe disease in humans. In Norway, human cases have been
      reported only from the southern coast. The aim of this study was to investigate
      the prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in questing Ixodes ricinus
      ticks from the north-western part of Norway. A total of 4509 ticks were collected
      by flagging in May and June 2014. A subpopulation of 2220 nymphs and 162 adult
      ticks were analysed by real-time PCR and positive samples were confirmed by
      pyrosequencing. The estimated prevalence of TBEV was 3.08% among adult ticks from
      Sekken in More og Romsdal County and 0.41% among nymphs from both Hitra and Froya
      in Sor-Trondelag County. This study indicates that TBEV might be more widespread
      than the distribution of reported human cases suggests. 

PMID- 26126505
TI  - Outcomes of patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest in the setting of drug
      overdose.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To compare the attributes and clinical outcomes of patients with
      cardiac arrest in the setting of drug overdose (OD) to patients with cardiac
      arrest from non-drug related etiologies. METHODS: We utilized a US inpatient
      cardiac arrest registry used to study targeted temperature management (TTM) to
      identify patients with cardiac arrest in the setting of drug overdose between
      2005 and 2013. Data regarding the cardiac arrest, resuscitation interventions,
      use of post-arrest TTM, urine drug screen, survival, and neurologic outcome were
      examined. These results were compared to patients suffering cardiac arrest from
      other causes during the same time period using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests for
      continuous variables and chi-square tests on categorical variables. RESULTS:
      Approximately 2.5% (64/2584) of cardiac arrests occurred in the setting of drug
      overdose. Patients in the OD cohort were younger, more likely to be male, and
      more likely to have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest that was unwitnessed with
      no bystander CPR and from a non-shockable rhythm. However, the patients in the OD
      cohort had similar rates of survival and good neurologic outcomes (Cerebral
      Performance Category 1-2) compared to non-OD patients. A fraction of initially
      resuscitated patients in each group (8% in OD cohort vs. 15% in non-OD cohort,
      p=ns) did not receive post-arrest TTM due to prompt awakening following
      resuscitation. CONCLUSIONS: Patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest in the
      setting of drug OD have neurologic and survival outcomes comparable to non-OD
      patients despite lower rates of bystander CPR, shockable rhythms, and witnessed
      arrest.

PMID- 26126506
TI  - Inferences and conjectures in clinical trials: a systematic review of
      generalizability of study findings.

PMID- 26126508
TI  - Lawsuit seeks access to data from hepatitis C drug trial.

PMID- 26126509
TI  - Slipping with the waste (a wheelie bin hand injury).
AB  - A right hand dominant man in his 60s was moving his wheelie bin when he tripped
      and landed still holding on to the handle. His hand was trapped between the
      handle and the ground. He sustained lacerations at the level of the proximal
      interphalangeal joints of all the fingers of his right hand. The index and middle
      fingers had damage to the proximal phalangeal articular cartilage and central
      slip. The central slip loss in the middle finger required reconstruction. The
      wounds healed without complication by 4 weeks, at which point the patient's
      fingers were mobilised; he regained almost full range of movement by 3 months.

PMID- 26126510
TI  - Protective effect of pyrroloquinoline quinine on ultraviolet A irradiation
      induced human dermal fibroblast senescence in vitro proceeds via the anti
      apoptotic sirtuin 1/nuclear factor-derived erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme
      oxygenase 1 pathway.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to determine whether pyrroloquinoline quinine
      (PQQ) exerts a protective effect on ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation-induced
      senescence in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and to elucidate its mechanism of
      action in vitro. A senescence model was constructed as follows: HDFs (1x10(4)
      1x10(6)) were cultured in a six-well plate in vitro and then exposed to UVA
      irradiation at a dosage of 9 J/cm2. Various concentrations of PQQ (50, 100 and
      200 ng/ml) were added to the culture medium 24 h prior to UVA exposure. Following
      72 h of irradiation, senescence-associated beta-galactosidase staining was
      performed in order to evaluate the senescence state. Furthermore, mRNA expression
      of the senescence marker genes matrix-metalloprotease (MMP)1 and MMP3 was
      determined using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
      Protein expression of sirtuin (SIRT)1, SIRT6, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related
      factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) were detected using western blot
      analysis. The results showed that the percentage of cells stained by X-gal
      following 9 J/cm2 UVA irradiation was markedly increased compared with that of
      the control group (53 and 8%, respectively), while 50 ng/ml PQQ attenuated the
      ratio of positive staining compared with that of the UVA-only cells (29 vs. 53%,
      respectively). Expression of fibroblast senescence marker genes MMP1 and MMP3 was
      decreased in cells treated with UVA and 50 ng/ml PQQ compared with that of cells
      in the UVA-only group. Western blot analysis revealed significant effects of PQQ
      on SIRT1 and SIRT6. Nrf2 and HO-1 exbibited mild changes with the same trend when
      treated with or without UVA and PQQ. In conclusion, the results of the present
      study showed that pyrroloquinoline quinine may have a protective effect on UVA
      irradiation-induced HDF aging, which may be associated with the anti-apoptotic
      SIRT1/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway as well as SIRT6 signaling.

PMID- 26126511
TI  - CD4 count remission hypothesis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and
      human immunodeficiency virus infection: a systematic review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have shown controversial data concerning
      the remission hypothesis of IBD due to CD4 count depletion caused by HIV. The aim
      of our systematic review was to investigate the hypothesis whether low CD4 count
      due to HIV is related to IBD remission. METHODS: We systematically searched
      PubMed for studies reporting on HIV infection in IBD patients. We extracted
      characteristics of IBD and HIV disease course and CD4 counts. RESULTS: Thirteen
      papers (2 case-control studies, 2 case series, and 9 case reports) were eligible
      including 47 patients with IBD and HIV infection (43 male; 27 with Crohn's
      disease, 19 with ulcerative colitis, and 1 with indeterminate colitis). The IBD
      diagnosis criteria were heterogeneous among studies. Remission was reported for
      patients with IBD and HIV infection in 5 studies, including 4 case-control or
      case series and 1 case report. Four of 5 studies with IBD cases reported
      remission related to the CD4 count remission hypothesis but only 2 of them
      explicitly reported the CD4 count cut-off point (500 cells/MUL and 200 cells/mm3
      respectively). On the contrary, 7 case reports described an active IBD course or
      relapse even in patients under immunosuppression. CONCLUSIONS: Current literature
      cannot support or reject the CD4 count remission hypothesis in IBD patients with
      HIV infection. Prospective studies using uniform criteria on IBD and HIV disease
      course and CD4 counts are needed.

PMID- 26126512
TI  - Skin pigmentation variation among populations of West Maharashtra, India.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Global patterns of skin pigmentation have evolved as an adaptation to
      local ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Indian populations exposed to intense UVR show
      great variation in skin pigmentation. The UVR-based selection model cannot
      satisfactorily address the high prevalence of light skin among these populations.
      Thus, the present study examines pigmentation variation among populations of West
      Maharashtra and the Indian subcontinent within the context of population
      structure and social hierarchy. METHODS: Melanin index (MI) was measured from 555
      individuals representing six endogamous populations of West Maharashtra. Skin
      pigmentation was assessed in terms of variation between populations and
      differences between and among castes and tribes. A linear regression analysis was
      run to assess the relationship among MI, UVR, and social hierarchy using
      published MI data from 13 Indian endogamous populations. RESULTS: Skin
      pigmentation differed significantly among populations of West Maharashtra.
      Significant pigmentation variation exists between castes and tribes of West
      Maharashtra as well as across the Indian subcontinent. We observe a significant
      negative relationship between social hierarchy and skin pigmentation, whereas the
      relationship between UVR and MI is weak. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that
      various factors may have contributed to pigmentation diversity across the Indian
      subcontinent. The lack of correlation between UVR and MI suggests that natural
      selection may not have played a significant role in shaping pigmentation
      variation across the subcontinent. We discuss other possible explanations,
      including metabolic conservation and cultural factors such as traditional social
      hierarchies and strict endogamy that have led to the development of population
      structure.

PMID- 26126507
TI  - Norepinephrine ignites local hotspots of neuronal excitation: How arousal
      amplifies selectivity in perception and memory.
AB  - Emotional arousal enhances perception and memory of high-priority information but
      impairs processing of other information. Here, we propose that, under arousal,
      local glutamate levels signal the current strength of a representation and
      interact with norepinephrine (NE) to enhance high priority representations and
      out-compete or suppress lower priority representations. In our "glutamate
      amplifies noradrenergic effects" (GANE) model, high glutamate at the site of
      prioritized representations increases local NE release from the locus coeruleus
      (LC) to generate "NE hotspots." At these NE hotspots, local glutamate and NE
      release are mutually enhancing and amplify activation of prioritized
      representations. In contrast, arousal-induced LC activity inhibits less active
      representations via two mechanisms: 1) Where there are hotspots, lateral
      inhibition is amplified; 2) Where no hotspots emerge, NE levels are only high
      enough to activate low-threshold inhibitory adrenoreceptors. Thus, LC activation
      promotes a few hotspots of excitation in the context of widespread suppression,
      enhancing high priority representations while suppressing the rest. Hotspots also
      help synchronize oscillations across neural ensembles transmitting high-priority
      information. Furthermore, brain structures that detect stimulus priority interact
      with phasic NE release to preferentially route such information through large
      scale functional brain networks. A surge of NE before, during, or after encoding
      enhances synaptic plasticity at NE hotspots, triggering local protein synthesis
      processes that enhance selective memory consolidation. Together, these
      noradrenergic mechanisms promote selective attention and memory under arousal.
      GANE not only reconciles apparently contradictory findings in the emotion
      cognition literature but also extends previous influential theories of LC
      neuromodulation by proposing specific mechanisms for how LC-NE activity increases
      neural gain.

PMID- 26126513
TI  - Nanoparticles Exacerbate Both Ubiquitin and Heat Shock Protein Expressions in
      Spinal Cord Injury: Neuroprotective Effects of the Proteasome Inhibitor
      Carfilzomib and the Antioxidant Compound H-290/51.
AB  - Increased levels of ubiquitin and heat shock protein (HSP) 72 kD are often seen
      in spinal cord injury (SCI). However, their roles in cell injury or survival are
      not well known. Thus, we have investigated the possible relationship between
      ubiquitin and HSP expressions in relation to cell injury in healthy animals, or
      following nanoparticle (NP) intoxication in SCI animals. A focal SCI was
      inflicted on the T10-11 segments over the right dorsal horn; animals were allowed
      to survive from 5 to 8 h after trauma. Separate groups of rats were exposed to
      SiO2, Ag, or Cu NPs for 7 days and subjected to SCI on the eighth day. A marked
      increase in ubiquitin or HSP immunoreactive cells occurred in the T9 to T12
      segments 5 h after the injury, which further extended to the T4 and L5 after 8 h
      of survival. At this time, a marked increase in blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB)
      permeability to Evans blue and radioiodine, accompanied by an intense edema
      formation, was observed. Changes were further exacerbated in NP-treated
      traumatized rats. The most marked expressions of ubiquitin and HSP in SCI were
      seen in rats treated with SiO2, followed by Ag, and Cu NPs. Treatment with H
      290/51 (50 mg/kg p.o., 30 to 60 min after injury) or carfilzomib (1 mg/kg, i.v.,
      30 to 60 min after trauma) significantly reduced the ubiquitin or HSP
      expressions, as well as the BSCB breakdown, the edema formation, and the cell
      injury in the cord both 5 and 8 h after the injury, in normal animals. However, a
      double dose of H-290/51 (100 mg/kg) or carfilzomib (2 mg/kg) is needed to reduce
      cord pathology or ubiquitin and HSP expressions in traumatized animals treated
      with NPs. H-290/51 showed superior beneficial effects in reducing cord pathology
      in SCI than carfilzomib. These observations are the first to demonstrate that (i)
      NP-treated traumatized animals induce a widespread BSCB leakage, edema formation,
      and cord pathology as well as an overexpression of ubiquitin and HSP, (ii) high
      doses of antioxidant compounds or proteasome inhibitors are required for
      neuroprotection in the NP-exposed traumatized group, and (iii) ubiquitin and HSP
      expressions play a key role in neuronal injury in SCI, not reported earlier.

PMID- 26126514
TI  - Nanowired Delivery of Growth Hormone Attenuates Pathophysiology of Spinal Cord
      Injury and Enhances Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Concentration in the Plasma and
      the Spinal Cord.
AB  - Previous studies from our laboratory showed that topical application of growth
      hormone (GH) induced neuroprotection 5 h after spinal cord injury (SCI) in a rat
      model. Since nanodelivery of drugs exerts superior neuroprotective effects, a
      possibility exists that nanodelivery of GH will induce long-term neuroprotection
      after a focal SCI. SCI induces GH deficiency that is coupled with insulin-like
      growth factor-1 (IGF-1) reduction in the plasma. Thus, an exogenous supplement of
      GH in SCI may enhance the IGF-1 levels in the cord and induce neuroprotection. In
      the present investigation, we delivered TiO2-nanowired growth hormone (NWGH)
      after a longitudinal incision of the right dorsal horn at the T10-11 segments in
      anesthetized rats and compared the results with normal GH therapy on IGF-1 and GH
      contents in the plasma and in the cord in relation to blood-spinal cord barrier
      (BSCB) disruption, edema formation, and neuronal injuries. Our results showed a
      progressive decline in IGF-1 and GH contents in the plasma and the T9 and T12
      segments of the cord 12 and 24 h after SCI. Marked increase in the BSCB
      breakdown, as revealed by extravasation of Evans blue and radioiodine, was seen
      at these time points after SCI in association with edema and neuronal injuries.
      Administration of NWGH markedly enhanced the IGF-1 levels and GH contents in
      plasma and cord after SCI, whereas normal GH was unable to enhance IGF-1 or GH
      levels 12 or 24 h after SCI. Interestingly, NWGH was also able to reduce BSCB
      disruption, edema formation, and neuronal injuries after trauma. On the other
      hand, normal GH was ineffective on these parameters at all time points examined.
      Taken together, our results are the first to demonstrate that NWGH is quite
      effective in enhancing IGF-1 and GH levels in the cord and plasma that may be
      crucial in reducing pathophysiology of SCI.

PMID- 26126515
TI  - Obesity Exacerbates Rat Cerebral Ischemic Injury through Enhancing Ischemic
      Adiponectin-Containing Neuronal Apoptosis.
AB  - A diet consisting of high levels of saturated fat has been linked to a dramatic
      rise in obesity. Long-term exposure to high fat, "Western diet" (WD), is
      detrimental to ischemic brain injury. Adiponectin receptor 1 (ADR-1) activation
      is also shown to exacerbate ischemic neuronal death. However, it is not known
      whether increasing percentages of adiponectin (APN)-containing neurons attenuates
      ischemic neuronal apoptosis by modulating ADRS. To explore the role of APN and
      its ADRs in the development of acute cerebral injury, we subjected WD and control
      diet (CD) rats to 1 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by 23 h of
      reperfusion. Compared with CD rats, WD rats exhibited higher levels of brain
      infarct, neurologic deficits, brain edema, and apoptosis of APN-containing
      neurons; upregulation of both ADR-1 and P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase
      (P38MAPK); and downregulation of ADR-2 in ischemic brain tissues including
      frontal cortex, striatum, and hippocampus. Increasing percentages of APN
      containing neurons by baculovirus-mediated administration of APN, in addition to
      reducing apoptosis of APN-containing neurons in ischemic brain tissues,
      significantly attenuated brain infarct and edema, neurologic deficits, and
      altered expression of ADR-1, P38MAPK, and ADR-2 in both WD and CD group rats.
      These data suggest a negative correlation between percentages of APN-containing
      neurons and cerebral ischemic injury. Obesity could exacerbate rat cerebral
      ischemic injury by enhancing apoptosis of APN-containing neurons in ischemic
      brain tissues probably via modulating ADRs and P38MAPK.

PMID- 26126518
TI  - Trans-spliced Cas9 allows cleavage of HBB and CCR5 genes in human cells using
      compact expression cassettes.
AB  - CRISPR/Cas9 systems have been used in a wide variety of biological studies;
      however, the large size of CRISPR/Cas9 presents challenges in packaging it within
      adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) for clinical applications. We identified a two
      cassette system expressing pieces of the S. pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) protein which
      splice together in cellula to form a functional protein capable of site-specific
      DNA cleavage. With specific CRISPR guide strands, we demonstrated the efficacy of
      this system in cleaving the HBB and CCR5 genes in human HEK-293T cells as a
      single Cas9 and as a pair of Cas9 nickases. The trans-spliced SpCas9 (tsSpCas9)
      displayed ~35% of the nuclease activity compared with the wild-type SpCas9
      (wtSpCas9) at standard transfection doses, but had substantially decreased
      activity at lower dosing levels. The greatly reduced open reading frame length of
      the tsSpCas9 relative to wtSpCas9 potentially allows for more complex and longer
      genetic elements to be packaged into an AAV vector including tissue-specific
      promoters, multiplexed guide RNA expression, and effector domain fusions to
      SpCas9. For unknown reasons, the tsSpCas9 system did not work in all cell types
      tested. The use of protein trans-splicing may help facilitate exciting new
      avenues of research and therapeutic applications through AAV-based delivery of
      CRISPR/Cas9 systems. 

PMID- 26126520
TI  - Audit shows shortfall in care for emergency bowel surgery patients.

PMID- 26126519
TI  - Surgical management of post-cholecystectomy bile duct injuries: referral patterns
      and factors influencing early and long-term outcome.
AB  - Cholecystectomy-related bile duct injuries (BDI) remain a cause of significant
      morbidity and debate concerning optimal management is ongoing. We reviewed our
      experience with surgical management of BDI to assess patterns of referral along
      with postoperative and long-term outcomes. During September 1996-August 2013, 35
      patients were operated in our tertiary care center for a Bismuth-Strasberg grade
      >A BDI after a cholecystectomy performed elsewhere. Injury grade distribution was
      as follows: D, n = 3; E1, n = 4; E2, n = 15; E3, n = 5; E4, n = 5; E5, n = 3.
      Four patients (11.4%) had an associated vascular injury (arterial, n = 2; portal,
      n = 1; both, n = 1). Treatment was direct repair + Kehr drain placement (n = 1),
      hepaticojejunostomy (n = 28), hepaticojejunostomy + hepatic resection (n = 5),
      and liver transplantation (n = 1). There was one postoperative death (2.8%) due
      to hepatic failure after liver resection; severe (Dindo-Clavien grade >=3b)
      complications were observed in 12 (34.3%) patients. Sepsis at referral (OR 17.33,
      p = 0.007) and laparotomy prior to definitive repair (OR 14, p = 0.04) were the
      factors associated with severe complications. Median follow-up was 81 (range 12
      182) months; two patients were lost to follow-up. Treatment failure (defined as
      need for reoperation or interventional radiology procedure during follow-up) was
      observed in 7/32 (21.9%) patients. No association between baseline variables and
      treatment failure was observed. Post-cholecystectomy BDI represent a
      heterogeneous entity. The whole armamentarium of the hepatobiliary surgeon is
      required to achieve proper management. Patients referred with sepsis and
      requiring laparotomy prior to definitive repair are more prone to develop severe
      complications.

PMID- 26126521
TI  - Catalytic oxidation of water and alcohols by a robust iron(iii) complex bearing a
      cross-bridged cyclam ligand.
AB  - An iron(iii) complex bearing a cross-bridged cyclam ligand (4,11-dimethyl
      1,4,8,11-tetraazabicyclo[6.6.2]hexadecane) is an efficient catalyst for the
      oxidation of both water and alcohols using sodium periodate as the oxidant. In
      catalytic water oxidation a maximum turnover number (TON) of 1030 is achieved,
      while in catalytic alcohol oxidation >95% conversions and yields can be obtained.

PMID- 26126522
TI  - YAP is closely correlated with castration-resistant prostate cancer, and
      downregulation of YAP reduces proliferation and induces apoptosis of PC-3 cells.
AB  - Yes-associated protein 65 (YAP65) has been implicated as an oncogene, and its
      expression is increased in human cancer. Previous studies have demonstrated that
      alterations in YAP activity may result in tumourigenesis of the prostate. With
      androgen deprivation therapies becoming progressively ineffective, often leading
      to life-threatening androgen-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The present study
      aimed to analyse the role of YAP in prostate cancer (PCa), particularly in CRPC.
      YAP protein was detected using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis in
      different prostatic tissues. In addition, three specific RNA interference vectors
      targeting the human YAP gene were synthesised, and PC-3 cells with a stable
      inhibition of YAP were obtained by transfection. MTT, flow cytometry, reverse
      transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot assays were
      used to analyse the effects of YAP inhibition on the proliferation and apoptosis
      of PC-3 cells. The frequency of cells that were positive for YAP protein in PCa
      (78.13%) was significantly higher, compared with para-PCa (26.67%; P=0.007) and
      benign prostatic hyperplasia (0%; P=0.002). The frequency of cells, which were
      positive for the expression of YAP exhibited a positive correlation (P=0.008)
      with the Gleason score, the tumour-node-metastasis staging (P=0.033) and the
      level of prostate specific antigens (P=0.0032) in PCa. The proliferative capacity
      of the transfected group was significantly lower, compared with the negative
      control group (P=0.022). The cell-cycle of the transfected group was arrested in
      the G1 stage, which was detected using flow cytometry, and there was a
      significant increase in the apoptosis of cells in the transfected group
      (P=0.002). The mRNA and protein levels of TEA domain family member 1 were
      inhibited in the transfected group (P=0.001 and P=0.00, respectively). Therefore,
      it was concluded that gene transcription and protein expression of YAP may be
      involved in the development of PCa, particularly CRPC, and may be a novel
      biomarker for investigation of the occurrence and progression of CRPC. However,
      the mechanism underlying the modulation of YAP in CRPC remains to be fully
      elucidated.

PMID- 26126523
TI  - Transcriptomic analysis of the GCN5 gene reveals mechanisms of the epigenetic
      regulation of virulence and morphogenesis in Ustilago maydis.
AB  - Chromatin in the eukaryotic nucleus is highly organized in the form of
      nucleosomes where histones wrap DNA. This structure may be altered by some
      chemical modifications of histones, one of them, acetylation by histone
      acetyltransferases (HATs) that originates relaxation of the nucleosome structure,
      providing access to different transcription factors and other effectors. In this
      way, HATs regulate cellular processes including DNA replication, and gene
      transcription. Previously, we isolated Ustilago maydis mutants deficient in the
      GCN5 HAT that are avirulent, and grow constitutively as mycelium. In this work,
      we proceeded to identify the genes differentially regulated by GCN5, comparing
      the transcriptomes of the mutant and the wild type using microarrays, to analyse
      the epigenetic control of virulence and morphogenesis. We identified 1203 genes,
      574 positively and 629 negatively regulated in the wild type. We found that genes
      belonging to different categories involved in pathogenesis were downregulated in
      the mutant, and that genes involved in mycelial growth were negatively regulated
      in the wild type, offering a working hypothesis on the epigenetic control of
      virulence and morphogenesis of U. maydis. Interestingly, several differentially
      regulated genes appeared in clusters, suggesting a common regulation. Some of
      these belonged to pathogenesis or secondary metabolism. 

PMID- 26126524
TI  - Looking beyond Saccharomyces: the potential of non-conventional yeast species for
      desirable traits in bioethanol fermentation.
AB  - Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used for millennia in the production of food
      and beverages and is by far the most studied yeast species. Currently, it is also
      the most used microorganism in the production of first-generation bioethanol from
      sugar or starch crops. Second-generation bioethanol, on the other hand, is
      produced from lignocellulosic feedstocks that are pretreated and hydrolyzed to
      obtain monomeric sugars, mainly D-glucose, D-xylose and L-arabinose. Recently, S.
      cerevisiae recombinant strains capable of fermenting pentose sugars have been
      generated. However, the pretreatment of the biomass results in hydrolysates with
      high osmolarity and high concentrations of inhibitors. These compounds negatively
      influence the fermentation process. Therefore, robust strains with high stress
      tolerance are required. Up to now, more than 2000 yeast species have been
      described and some of these could provide a solution to these limitations because
      of their high tolerance to the most predominant stress conditions present in a
      second-generation bioethanol reactor. In this review, we will summarize what is
      known about the non-conventional yeast species showing unusual tolerance to these
      stresses, namely Zygosaccharomyces rouxii (osmotolerance), Kluyveromyces
      marxianus and Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha (thermotolerance), Dekkera
      bruxellensis (ethanol tolerance), Pichia kudriavzevii (furan derivatives
      tolerance) and Z. bailii (acetic acid tolerance). 

PMID- 26126525
TI  - Xp11.2 translocation renal cell carcinomas in young adults.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the biological behavior of Xp11.2 translocation
      renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) as few clinical studies have been performed using a
      large sample size. METHODS: This study included 103 consecutive young adult
      patients (age <= 45 years) with RCC who underwent partial or radical nephrectomy
      at our institution from 2008 to 2013. Five patients without complete clinical
      data were excluded. Of the 98 remaining patients, 16 and 82 patients were
      included in the Xp11.2 translocation and non-Xp11.2 translocation groups,
      respectively. Clinicopathologic data were collected, including age, gender, tumor
      size, laterality, symptoms at diagnosis, surgical procedure, pathologic stage,
      tumor grade, time of recurrence and death. RESULTS: Xp11.2 translocation RCCs
      were associated with higher tumor grade and pathologic stage (P < 0.05, Fisher's
      exact test). During the median follow-up of 36 months (range: 3-71 months), the
      number of cancer-related deaths was 4 (4.9%) and 3 (18.7%) in the non-Xp11.2
      translocation and Xp11.2 translocation groups, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier
      cancer specific survival curves revealed a significant difference between non
      Xp11.2 translocation RCCs and Xp11.2 translocation RCCs in young adults (P =
      0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with non-Xp11.2 translocation RCCs, the Xp11.2
      translocation RCCs seemingly showed a higher tumor grade and pathologic stage and
      have similar recurrence-free survival rates but poorer cancer-specific survival
      rates in young adults.

PMID- 26126526
TI  - Acute exacerbations of COPD are associated with significant activation of matrix
      metalloproteinase 9 irrespectively of airway obstruction, emphysema and
      infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE
      COPD) are associated with accelerated aggravation of clinical symptoms and
      deterioration of pulmonary function. The mechanisms by which exacerbations may
      contribute to airway remodeling and declined lung function are poorly understood.
      In this study, we investigated if AE-COPD are associated with differential
      expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors
      (TIMPs) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). METHODS: COPD patients undergoing
      diagnostic bronchoscopy, with either stable disease (n = 53) or AE-COPD (n = 44),
      matched for their demographics and lung function parameters were included in this
      study. Protein levels of MMP-2,-9,-12 and of TIMP-1 and -2 in BAL were measured
      by ELISA. Enzymatic activity of MMP-2 and -9 was assessed by gelatin zymography.
      RESULTS: We observed that MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were significantly increased
      in BAL during AE-COPD. Furthermore, there was a significant negative correlation
      of MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 with FEV1% predicted and a significant positive
      correlation of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 with RV% predicted in AE-COPD. None of MMPs and
      TIMPs correlated with DLCO% predicted, indicating that they are associated with
      airway remodeling leading to obstruction rather than emphysema. In AE-COPD the
      gelatinolytic activity of MMP-2 was increased and furthermore, MMP-9 activation
      was significantly up-regulated irrespective of lung function, bacterial or viral
      infections and smoking. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that
      during AE-COPD increased expression of TIMP-1, TIMP-2, and MMP-9 and activation
      of MMP-9 may be persistent aggravating factors associated with airway remodeling
      and obstruction, suggesting a pathway connecting frequent exacerbations to lung
      function decline.

PMID- 26126529
TI  - HIV prevalence is strongly associated with geographical variations in male
      circumcision and foreskin cutting in Papua New Guinea: an ecological study.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To examine the correlation between HIV prevalence and male
      circumcision and other foreskin cutting practices across the four regions of
      Papua New Guinea (PNG). DESIGN: An ecological substudy using unique data from an
      interdisciplinary research programme to evaluate the acceptability, sociocultural
      context and public health impact of male circumcision for HIV prevention in PNG.
      METHODS: Published data describing (a) self-reported circumcision status by
      region from the 'Acceptability and Feasibility of Male Circumcision for HIV
      prevention in PNG' study and (b) HIV prevalence by region from PNG National
      Department of Health were used to correlate male circumcision and other foreskin
      cutting practices and HIV prevalence. Maps were constructed to visually represent
      variations across the four regions of PNG. RESULTS: Regions of PNG with the
      highest HIV prevalence had the lowest prevalence of male circumcision and other
      forms of foreskin cutting and vice versa. Male circumcision and dorsal
      longitudinal cuts were strongly associated with HIV prevalence and able to
      explain 99% of the observed geographical variability in HIV prevalence in PNG
      (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The regional prevalence of HIV infection in PNG appears to
      be closely correlated with the regional distribution of male circumcision and
      dorsal longitudinal foreskin cuts. Further research is warranted to investigate
      causality of this correlation as well as the potential of dorsal longitudinal
      cuts to confer protection against HIV acquisition in heterosexual men.

PMID- 26126530
TI  - Have we forgotten? Oral Manifestations of Kaposi's Sarcoma.

PMID- 26126531
TI  - HIV indicator condition-guided testing to reduce the number of undiagnosed
      patients and prevent late presentation in a high-prevalence area: a case-control
      study in primary care.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Recent guidelines advocate accelerated provider-initiated HIV testing
      by general practitioners (GPs). We aimed to identify the number of patient
      consultations in six general practices in the South-East of Amsterdam, and the
      incidence of HIV indicator conditions reported in their medical files prior to
      diagnosis. METHODS: A cross-sectional search in an electronic general practice
      database. We used a case-control design to identify those conditions most
      associated with an HIV-positive status. RESULTS: We included 102 HIV cases
      diagnosed from 2002 to 2012, and matched them with 299 controls. In the year
      prior to HIV diagnosis, 61.8% of cases visited their GP at least once, compared
      with 38.8% of controls. In the 5 years prior to HIV diagnosis, 58.8% of HIV cases
      had exhibited an HIV indicator condition, compared with 7.4% of controls. The
      most common HIV-related conditions were syphilis and gonorrhoea. The most common
      HIV-related symptoms were weight loss, lymphadenopathy and peripheral neuropathy.
      During this period, average HIV prevalence among people aged 15-59 years
      increased from 0.4% to 0.9%. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed many opportunities
      for HIV indicator condition-guided testing in primary care. As yet, however, HIV
      indicator conditions are not exploited as triggers for early HIV testing.

PMID- 26126532
TI  - What type, or combination of exercise can improve preferred gait speed in older
      adults? A meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Improved preferred gait speed in older adults is associated with
      increased survival rates. There are inconsistent findings in clinical trials
      regarding effects of exercise on preferred gait speed, and heterogeneity in
      interventions in the current reviews and meta-analyses. OBJECTIVE: to determine
      the meta-effects of different types or combinations of exercise interventions
      from randomized controlled trials on improvement in preferred gait speed.
      METHODS:  DATA SOURCES: A literature search was performed; the following
      databases were searched for studies from 1990 up to 9 December 2013: PubMed,
      EMBASE, EBSCO (AMED, CINAHL, ERIC, Medline, PsycInfo, and SocINDEX), and the
      Cochrane Library. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials of
      exercise interventions for older adults >= 65 years, that provided quantitative
      data (mean/SD) on preferred gait speed at baseline and post-intervention, as a
      primary or secondary outcome measure in the published article were included.
      Studies were excluded when the PEDro score was <=4, or if participants were
      selected for a specific neurological or neurodegenerative disease, Chronic
      Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, cardiovascular disease, recent lower limb
      fractures, lower limb joint replacements, or severe cognitive impairments. The
      meta-effect is presented in Forest plots with 95 % confidence STUDY APPRAISAL AND
      SYNTHESIS METHODS: intervals and random weights assigned to each trial.
      Homogeneity and risk of publication bias were assessed. RESULTS: Twenty-five
      studies were analysed in this meta-analysis. Data from six types or combinations
      of exercise interventions were pooled into sub-analyses. First, there is a
      significant positive meta-effect of resistance training progressed to 70-80 % of
      1RM on preferred gait speed of 0.13 [CI 95 % 0.09-0.16] m/s. The difference
      between intervention- and control groups shows a substantial meaningful change
      (>0.1 m/s). Secondly, a significant positive meta-effect of interventions with a
      rhythmic component on preferred gait speed of 0.07 [CI 95 % 0.03-0.10] m/s was
      found. Thirdly, there is a small significant positive meta-effect of progressive
      resistance training, combined with balance-, and endurance training of 0.05 [CI
      95 % 0.00-0.09] m/s. The other sub-analyses show non-significant small positive
      meta-affects. CONCLUSIONS: Progressive resistance training with high intensities,
      is the most effective exercise modality for improving preferred gait speed.
      Sufficient muscle strength seems an important condition for improving preferred
      gait speed. The addition of balance-, and/or endurance training does not
      contribute to the significant positive effects of progressive resistance
      training. A promising component is exercise with a rhythmic component. Keeping
      time to music or rhythm possibly trains higher cognitive functions that are
      important for gait. LIMITATIONS: The focus of the present meta-analysis was at
      avoiding as much heterogeneity in exercise interventions. However heterogeneity
      in the research populations could not be completely avoided, there are probably
      differences in health status within different studies.

PMID- 26126534
TI  - Orally Administered Mucolytic Drug l-Carbocisteine Inhibits Angiogenesis and
      Tumor Growth in Mice.
AB  - Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels, is
      essential for the growth and metastasis of tumors. In this study, we found that l
      carbocisteine, a widely used expectorant, potently inhibits angiogenesis in vitro
      and in vivo. An in vivo Matrigel plug assay revealed that l-carbocisteine (2.5
      mg/kg i.p. twice daily) significantly inhibited vascular endothelial growth
      factor (VEGF)-induced angiogenesis. l-Carbocisteine also suppressed VEGF
      stimulated proliferation, migration, and formation of capillary-like structures
      of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We examined the signaling
      pathways affected in VEGF-stimulated HUVECs, and found that l-carbocisteine
      significantly inhibited VEGF-induced phosphorylation of phospholipase C (PLC)
      gamma, protein kinase C (PKC) MU, and extracellular signal-related kinases (ERK)
      1/2, which have been shown to be essential for angiogenesis. However, these
      inhibitory effects of l-carbocisteine were not observed in the HeLa human
      cervical cancer cell line. An in vivo study of Colon-26 tumor-bearing mice found
      that tumor volumes were significantly smaller in mice treated with l
      carbocisteine (150 mg/kg administered orally twice daily) in comparison with
      vehicle-treated mice. However, l-carbocisteine had no direct effect on Colon-26
      cell proliferation or ERK activation. Collectively, our results suggest that l
      carbocisteine inhibits tumor angiogenesis by suppressing PLCgamma/PKC/ERK
      signaling. 

PMID- 26126533
TI  - Stimulation of Liver X Receptor Has Potent Anti-HIV Effects in a Humanized Mouse
      Model of HIV Infection.
AB  - Previous studies demonstrated that liver X receptor (LXR) agonists inhibit human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication by upregulating cholesterol transporter
      ATP-binding cassette A1 (ABCA1), suppressing HIV production, and reducing
      infectivity of produced virions. In this study, we extended these observations by
      analyzing the effect of the LXR agonist T0901317 [N-[4-(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2
      hydroxypropan-2-yl)phenyl]-N-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzenesulfonamide] on the
      ongoing HIV infection and investigating the possibility of using LXR agonist for
      pre-exposure prophylaxis of HIV infection in a humanized mouse model. Pre
      exposure of monocyte-derived macrophages to T0901317 reduced susceptibility of
      these cells to HIV infection in vitro. This protective effect lasted for up to 4
      days after treatment termination and correlated with upregulated expression of
      ABCA1, reduced abundance of lipid rafts, and reduced fusion of the cells with
      HIV. Pre-exposure of peripheral blood leukocytes to T0901317 provided only a
      short-term protection against HIV infection. Treatment of HIV-exposed humanized
      mice with LXR agonist starting 2 weeks postinfection substantially reduced viral
      load. When eight humanized mice were pretreated with LXR agonist prior to HIV
      infection, five animals were protected from infection, two had viral load at the
      limit of detection, and one had viral load significantly reduced relative to mock
      treated controls. T0901317 pretreatment also reduced HIV-induced dyslipidemia in
      infected mice. In conclusion, these results reveal a novel link between LXR
      stimulation and cell resistance to HIV infection and suggest that LXR agonists
      may be good candidates for development as anti-HIV agents, in particular for pre
      exposure prophylaxis of HIV infection. 

PMID- 26126535
TI  - High-Mobility Group Box 1 Mediates Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in
      Pulmonary Fibrosis Involving Transforming Growth Factor-beta1/Smad2/3 Signaling.
AB  - Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial event in the cellular
      origin of myofibroblasts that secrete extracellular matrix in the progression of
      pulmonary fibrosis (PF). High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a novel mediator of
      EMT. However, whether this process involves the recognized transforming growth
      factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1)/Smad signaling that also contributes to EMT in PF has
      not yet been elucidated. Here, we developed a model of PF induced by bleomycin
      (BLM) in rats and conducted several simulation experiments in A549 (human) and
      RLE-6TN (rat) alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) lines to unravel the role of TGF
      beta1/Smad2/3 signaling in HMGB1-mediated EMT. We found that the levels of serum
      HMGB1 and lung hydroxyproline were severely elevated after BLM administration.
      Moreover, the protein expression of HMGB1, TGF-beta1, phosphorylated Smad2/3 (p
      Smad2/3), and mesenchymal markers including alpha-smooth muscle actin, vimentin,
      and type I collagen were significantly increased with the reduced protein
      expression of an epithelial marker (E-cadherin) in the rat model by Western blot
      or immunohistochemical analysis. In addition, the uptake of both exogenous TGF
      beta1 and HMGB1 by AECs could induce EMT; meanwhile, HMGB1 dramatically enhanced
      TGF-beta1 expression and triggered Smad2/3 phosphorylation. In contrast, TGF
      beta1 deficiency evidently ameliorated HMGB1-mediated EMT with reduced p-Smad2/3
      in A549 cells. It provides new insights that HMGB1 release from injured lungs
      promotes AEC damage through induction of the EMT process, in which TGF
      beta1/Smad2/3 signaling is activated and contributes to PF. These results suggest
      that HMGB1 may constitute a therapeutic target for developing antifibrotic agents
      for abnormal lung remodeling. 

PMID- 26126537
TI  - EDITORIAL RETRACTION: MiR-181c Regulates Human Embryonic Stem Cell.

PMID- 26126536
TI  - Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 1 Methylates Smurf2.
AB  - Smurf2, a member of the HECT domain E3 ligase family, is well known for its role
      as a negative regulator of TGF-beta signaling by targeting Smads and TGF-beta
      receptor. However, the regulatory mechanism of Smurf2 has not been elucidated.
      Arginine methylation is a type of post-translational modification that produces
      monomethylated or dimethylated arginine residues. In this report, we demonstrated
      methylation of Smurf2 by PRMT1. In vitro methylation assay showed that Smurf2,
      not Smurf1, was methylated by PRMT1. Among the type I PRMT family, only PRMT1
      showed activity for Smurf2. Transiently expressed Smurf2 was methylated by PRMT1,
      indicating Smurf2 is a novel substrate of PRMT1. Using deletion constructs,
      methylation sites were shown to be located within amino acid region 224-298 of
      Smurf2. In vitro methylation assay following point mutation of putative
      methylation sites confirmed the presence of Arg232, Arg234, Arg237, and Arg239.
      Knockdown of PRMT1 resulted in increased Smurf2 expression as well as inhibition
      of TGF-beta-mediated reporter activity. Although it is unclear whether or not
      increased Smurf2 expression can be directly attributed to lack of methylation of
      arginine residues, our results suggest that methylation by PRMT1 may regulate
      Smurf2 stability and control TGF-beta signaling. 

PMID- 26126538
TI  - Tubulin Beta3 Serves as a Target of HDAC3 and Mediates Resistance to Microtubule
      Targeting Drugs.
AB  - We investigated the role of HDAC3 in anti-cancer drug-resistance. The expression
      of HDAC3 was decreased in cancer cell lines resistant to anti-cancer drugs such
      as celastrol and taxol. HDAC3 conferred sensitivity to these anti-cancer drugs.
      HDAC3 activity was necessary for conferring sensitivity to these anti-cancer
      drugs. The down-regulation of HDAC3 increased the expression of MDR1 and
      conferred resistance to anti-cancer drugs. The expression of tubulin beta3 was
      increased in drug-resistant cancer cell lines. ChIP assays showed the binding of
      HDAC3 to the promoter sequences of tubulin beta3 and HDAC6. HDAC6 showed an
      interaction with tubulin beta3. HDAC3 had a negative regulatory role in the
      expression of tubulin beta3 and HDAC6. The down-regulation of HDAC6 decreased the
      expression of MDR1 and tubulin beta3, but did not affect HDAC3 expression. The
      down-regulation of HDAC6 conferred sensitivity to taxol. The down-regulation of
      tubulin beta3 did not affect the expression of HDAC6 or MDR1. The down-regulation
      of tubulin beta3 conferred sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs. Our results showed
      that tubulin beta3 serves as a downstream target of HDAC3 and mediates resistance
      to microtubule-targeting drugs. Thus, the HDAC3-HDAC6-Tubulin beta axis can be
      employed for the development of anti-cancer drugs. 

PMID- 26126539
TI  - Occurrence of glucocorticoids discharged from a sewage treatment plant in Japan
      and the effects of clobetasol propionate exposure on the immune responses of
      common carp (Cyprinus carpio) to bacterial infection.
AB  - The present study evaluated the environmental risks to common carp (Cyprinus
      carpio) posed by glucocorticoids present in sewage treatment plant (STP)
      effluent. To gather information on the seasonal variations in glucocorticoid
      concentration, the authors sampled the effluent of a Japanese STP every other
      week for 12 mo. Six of 9 selected glucocorticoids were detected in the effluent,
      with clobetasol propionate and betamethasone 17-valerate detected at the highest
      concentrations and frequencies. The present study's results indicated that
      effluent glucocorticoid concentration may depend on water temperature, which is
      closely related to the removal efficiency of the STP or to seasonal variations in
      the public's use of glucocorticoids. In a separate experiment, to clarify whether
      glucocorticoids in environmental water increase susceptibility to bacterial
      infection in fish, the authors examined the responses to bacterial infection
      (Aeromonas veronii) of common carp exposed to clobetasol propionate. Clobetasol
      propionate exposure did not affect bacterial infection-associated mortality. In
      fish infected with A. veronii but not exposed to clobetasol propionate, head
      kidney weight and number of leukocytes in the head kidney were significantly
      increased (p < 0.05), whereas these effects were not observed in infected fish
      exposed to clobetasol. This suggests that clobetasol propionate alleviated
      bacterial infection-associated inflammation. Together, these results indicate
      that susceptibility to bacterial infection in common carp is not affected by
      exposure to glucocorticoids at environmentally relevant concentrations.

PMID- 26126540
TI  - A comparison of genomic selection models across time in interior spruce (Picea
      engelmannii * glauca) using unordered SNP imputation methods.
AB  - Genomic selection (GS) potentially offers an unparalleled advantage over
      traditional pedigree-based selection (TS) methods by reducing the time commitment
      required to carry out a single cycle of tree improvement. This quality is
      particularly appealing to tree breeders, where lengthy improvement cycles are the
      norm. We explored the prospect of implementing GS for interior spruce (Picea
      engelmannii * glauca) utilizing a genotyped population of 769 trees belonging to
      25 open-pollinated families. A series of repeated tree height measurements
      through ages 3-40 years permitted the testing of GS methods temporally. The
      genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) platform was used for single nucleotide
      polymorphism (SNP) discovery in conjunction with three unordered imputation
      methods applied to a data set with 60% missing information. Further, three
      diverse GS models were evaluated based on predictive accuracy (PA), and their
      marker effects. Moderate levels of PA (0.31-0.55) were observed and were of
      sufficient capacity to deliver improved selection response over TS. Additionally,
      PA varied substantially through time accordingly with spatial competition among
      trees. As expected, temporal PA was well correlated with age-age genetic
      correlation (r=0.99), and decreased substantially with increasing difference in
      age between the training and validation populations (0.04-0.47). Moreover, our
      imputation comparisons indicate that k-nearest neighbor and singular value
      decomposition yielded a greater number of SNPs and gave higher predictive
      accuracies than imputing with the mean. Furthermore, the ridge regression
      (rrBLUP) and BayesCpi (BCpi) models both yielded equal, and better PA than the
      generalized ridge regression heteroscedastic effect model for the traits
      evaluated. 

PMID- 26126541
TI  - Mapping quantitative trait loci in selected breeding populations: A segregation
      distortion approach.
AB  - Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping is often conducted in line-crossing
      experiments where a sample of individuals is randomly selected from a pool of all
      potential progeny. QTLs detected from such an experiment are important for us to
      understand the genetic mechanisms governing a complex trait, but may not be
      directly relevant to plant breeding if they are not detected from the breeding
      population where selection is targeting for. QTLs segregating in one population
      may not necessarily segregate in another population. To facilitate marker
      assisted selection, QTLs must be detected from the very population which the
      selection is targeting. However, selected breeding populations often have
      depleted genetic variation with small population sizes, resulting in low power in
      detecting useful QTLs. On the other hand, if selection is effective, loci
      controlling the selected trait will deviate from the expected Mendelian
      segregation ratio. In this study, we proposed to detect QTLs in selected breeding
      populations via the detection of marker segregation distortion in either a single
      population or multiple populations using the same selection scheme. Simulation
      studies showed that QTL can be detected in strong selected populations with
      selected population sizes as small as 25 plants. We applied the new method to
      detect QTLs in two breeding populations of rice selected for high grain yield.
      Seven QTLs were identified, four of which have been validated in advanced
      generations in a follow-up study. Cloned genes in the vicinity of the four QTLs
      were also reported in the literatures. This mapping-by-selection approach
      provides a new avenue for breeders to improve breeding progress. The new method
      can be applied to breeding programs not only in rice but also in other
      agricultural species including crops, trees and animals. 

PMID- 26126544
TI  - Correction to: "Activity Suppression Behavior Phenotype in SULT4A1 Frameshift
      Mutant Zebrafish".

PMID- 26126542
TI  - Genetic and ecological data reveal species boundaries between viviparous and
      oviparous lizard lineages.
AB  - Identification of cryptic species is an essential aim for conservation biologists
      to avoid premature extinctions of 'unrecognized' species. Integrating different
      types of data can undoubtedly aid in resolving the issue of species delimitation.
      We studied here two lineages of the common lizard Zootoca vivipara that display
      different reproductive mode (the viviparous Z. v. vivipara and the oviparous Z.
      v. carniolica) and that overlap their distributional ranges in the European Alps.
      With the purpose of delimiting species' boundaries, we analyzed their ecological,
      genetic and natural history features. More than 300 samples were collected and
      analyzed at cytochrome b and 11 microsatellites loci for investigating genetic
      variation, population structure, individual relatedness and evolutionary
      histories of the two lineages. Additionally, we compared their ecological niches
      using eight ecological variables. Genetic data showed contrasting patterns of
      genetic structure between the two lineages, different demographic dynamics and no
      hybridization events. Also strong ecological differences (such as temperature)
      emerged between the two lineages, and niche overlap was limited. Taken together,
      these results indicate that Z. v. vivipara and Z. v. carniolica should be
      recognized as two separate species, and particular conservation consideration
      should be given to the oviparous lineage that tends to live in areas threatened
      by increasing impact of human activities. However, recent and rapid climate
      warming might determine an increasing risk for the persistence of the viviparous
      lineage, being adapted to cold environments. 

PMID- 26126545
TI  - Correction to: "Constitutive Androgen Receptor-Null Mice Are Sensitive to the
      Toxic Effects of Parathion: Association with Reduced Cytochrome P450-Mediated
      Parathion Metabolism".

PMID- 26126548
TI  - Authors' reply.

PMID- 26126547
TI  - Biochemical and Functional Characterization of RNF213 (Mysterin) R4810K, a
      Susceptibility Mutation of Moyamoya Disease, in Angiogenesis In Vitro and In
      Vivo.
AB  - BACKGROUND: P.R4810K of RNF213 (mysterin: rs112735431), which is an AAA(+)
      ATPase, is the susceptibility polymorphism for moyamoya disease (MMD) in East
      Asians. However, the role of RNF213 R4810K in the etiology of MMD is unknown.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: To clarify the role of RNF213 in known angiogenic pathways,
      RNF213 expression was analyzed in endothelial cells (ECs) treated with several
      angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors, including interferons (IFNs). RNF213 was
      upregulated by IFN-beta through signal transducer and activator of transcription
      x in the promoter and mediated antiangiogenic activity of IFN-beta. RNF213 wild
      type (WT) overexpression could not lower angiogenesis without IFN-beta, but
      RNF213 R4810K overexpression could. To correlate biochemical function as ATPase
      and the role of RNF213 oligomer formation with antiangiogenic activity, we
      investigated the effects of mutations in the AAA(+) module. A mutation of the
      Walker B motif (WEQ), which stabilizes oligomerization, inhibited angiogenesis,
      but AAA(+) module deletion, which cannot initiate oligomerization, did not.
      Intriguingly, R4810K, similar to WEQ, decreased ATPase activity, suggesting its
      antiangiogenic activity through stabilizing oligomers. To confirm the
      antiangiogenic effect of RNF213 upregulation in vivo, vascular EC- or smooth
      muscle cell-specific Rnf213 R4757K (R4810K ortholog) or WT transgenic (Tg) mice
      were exposed to hypoxia. Cerebral angiogenesis by hypoxia was suppressed in EC
      specific Rnf213 R4757K Tg mice, whereas it was not suppressed in other mice.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the importance of inflammatory signals as
      environmental factors and R4810K carriers for susceptibility to cerebral hypoxia.
      A specific inhibitor of ATP binding to the first AAA(+) could be a promising
      therapeutic candidate for MMD.

PMID- 26126546
TI  - Sex-Specific Parental Effects on Offspring Lipid Levels.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plasma lipid levels are highly heritable traits, but known genetic
      loci can only explain a small portion of their heritability. METHODS AND RESULTS:
      In this study, we analyzed the role of parental levels of total cholesterol (TC),
      low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol
      (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TGs) in explaining the values of the corresponding
      traits in adult offspring. We also evaluated the contribution of nongenetic
      factors that influence lipid traits (age, body mass index, smoking, medications,
      and menopause) alone and in combination with variability at the genetic loci
      known to associate with TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG levels. We performed comparisons
      among different sex-specific regression models in 416 families from the
      Framingham Heart Study and 304 from the SardiNIA cohort. Models including
      parental lipid levels explain significantly more of the trait variation than
      models without these measures, explaining up to ~39% of the total trait
      variation. Of this variation, the parent-of-origin effect explains as much as
      ~15% and it does so in a sex-specific way. This observation is not owing to
      shared environment, given that spouse-pair correlations were negligible (<1.5%
      explained variation in all cases) and is distinct from previous genetic and
      acquired factors that are known to influence serum lipid levels. CONCLUSIONS:
      These findings support the concept that unknown genetic and epigenetic
      contributors are responsible for most of the heritable component of the plasma
      lipid phenotype, and that, at present, the clinical utility of knowing age
      matched parental lipid levels in assessing risk of dyslipidemia supersedes
      individual locus effects. Our results support the clinical utility of knowing
      parental lipid levels in assessing future risk of dyslipidemia.

PMID- 26126549
TI  - Long-term immunologic and virologic responses on raltegravir-containing regimens
      among ART-experienced participants in the HIV Outpatient Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Raltegravir (RAL)-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) produced
      better immunologic and virologic responses than optimized background ART in
      clinical trials of heavily ART-experienced patients, but few data exist on long
      term outcomes in routine HIV care. METHODS: We studied ART-experienced HIV
      outpatient study (HOPS) participants seen at 10 US HIV-specialty clinics during
      2007-2011.We identified patients who started (baseline date) either continuous >=
      30 days of RAL-containing or RAL-sparing ART, and used propensity score (PS)
      matching methods to account for baseline clinical and demographic differences. We
      used Kaplan-Meier methods and log-rank tests for the matched subsets to evaluate
      probability of death, achieving HIV RNA < 50 copies/ml, and CD4 cell count (CD4)
      increase of >= 50 cells mm(- 3) during follow-up. RESULTS: Among 784 RAL-exposed
      and 1062 RAL-unexposed patients, 472 from each group were matched by PS. At
      baseline, the 472 RAL-exposed patients (mean nadir CD4, 205 cells mm(- 3); mean
      baseline CD4, 460 cells mm(- 3); HIV RNA < 50 copies ml(- 1) in 61%; mean years
      on prescribed ART, 7.5) were similar to RAL unexposed. During a mean follow-up of
      over 3 years, mortality rates and immunologic and virologic trajectories did not
      differ between the two groups. Among patients with detectable baseline HIV RNA
      levels, 76% of RAL-exposed and 63% of RAL-unexposed achieved HIV RNA < 50 copies
      ml(- 1) (P = 0.51); 69 and 58%, respectively, achieved a CD4 increase >= 50 cells
      mm(- 3) (P = 0.70). DISCUSSION: In our large cohort of US ART-experienced
      patients with a wide spectrum of clinical history, similar outcomes were observed
      when prescribed RAL containing versus other contemporary ART.

PMID- 26126550
TI  - Investigating the predictive role of computed tomography in patients with acute
      pancreatitis: let's not give up.

PMID- 26126551
TI  - The link between health and wellbeing and constitutional recognition.

PMID- 26126552
TI  - Celebrating 10 years of collaboration: the Australian Indigenous Doctors'
      Association and Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand.

PMID- 26126553
TI  - Time to move to a glycated haemoglobin-based algorithm for diabetes screening and
      diagnosis?

PMID- 26126555
TI  - Data sharing in Indigenous health research: guidelines needed.

PMID- 26126556
TI  - Open speeds on Northern Territory roads: not so fast.

PMID- 26126557
TI  - Ensuring safe exercise participation in clinical populations: who is responsible?

PMID- 26126558
TI  - Telehealth in remote Northern Territory: bridging the gap.

PMID- 26126559
TI  - Strongyloides stercoralis infection and antenatal care.

PMID- 26126560
TI  - Recent warnings of a rise in crystal methamphetamine ("ice") use in rural and
      remote Indigenous Australian communities should be heeded.

PMID- 26126561
TI  - Differing trends in thickness and survival between nodular and non-nodular
      primary cutaneous melanoma in Victoria, Australia.

PMID- 26126562
TI  - Equity in vision in Australia is in sight.

PMID- 26126563
TI  - Facilitators and barriers to implementation of a pragmatic clinical trial in
      Aboriginal health services.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify facilitators and barriers to clinical trial implementation
      in Aboriginal health services. DESIGN: Indepth interview study with thematic
      analysis. SETTING: Six Aboriginal community-controlled health services and one
      government-run service involved in the Kanyini Guidelines Adherence with the
      Polypill (KGAP) study, a pragmatic randomised controlled trial that aimed to
      improve adherence to indicated drug treatments for people at high risk of
      cardiovascular disease. PARTICIPANTS: 32 health care providers and 21 Aboriginal
      and Torres Strait Islander patients. RESULTS: A fundamental enabler was that
      participants considered the research to be governed and endorsed by the local
      health service. That the research was perceived to address a health priority for
      communities was also highly motivating for both providers and patients. Enlisting
      the support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff champions who were
      visible to the community as the main source of information about the trial was
      particularly important. The major implementation barrier for staff was balancing
      their service delivery roles with adherence to often highly demanding trial
      related procedures. This was partially alleviated by the research team's
      provision of onsite support and attempts to make trial processes more
      streamlined. Although more intensive support was highly desired, there were
      usually insufficient resources to provide this. CONCLUSION: Despite strong
      community and health service support, major investments in time and resources are
      needed to ensure successful implementation and minimal disruption to already
      overstretched, routine services. Trial budgets will necessarily be inflated as a
      result. Funding agencies need to consider these additional resource demands when
      supporting trials of a similar nature.

PMID- 26126564
TI  - Using glycated haemoglobin testing to simplify diabetes screening in remote
      Aboriginal Australian health care settings.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a combination of point-of-care (POC) and
      laboratory glycated haemoglobin A (HbA1c) testing (HbA1c algorithm) is more
      effective in testing for diabetes in everyday practice in remote Australian
      Aboriginal primary health care, by providing a more rapid definitive result and
      diagnosing more cases than the standard glucose algorithm. DESIGN: Cross
      sectional study that independently classified participants using both diagnostic
      algorithms and compared their outcomes. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and fifty-five
      Aboriginal Australians aged 15 years or more without confirmed diabetes and due
      for diabetes testing at participating clinics. SETTING: Six primary health care
      sites in the Kimberley region of Western Australia from 1 September 2011 to 30
      November 2013. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of participants with a definitive
      test result, a completed algorithm and a diagnosis of diabetes; time taken to
      deliver a test result. RESULTS: Participants were significantly more likely to
      have a definitive result within 7 days (249 v 199 of 255 participants; P <
      0.001), be followed up if an initial laboratory measurement was abnormal (92 v 74
      of 167 participants; P = 0.005), and be diagnosed with diabetes (15 v 4 of 255
      participants; P = 0.003) using the HbA1c than with the glucose algorithm. Eight
      participants subsequently diagnosed with diabetes (four using the HbA1c test,
      four with additional oral glucose tolerance tests that would not normally have
      been requested) were incorrectly classified as normal by the glucose algorithm.
      No participants with normal HbA1c measurements were subsequently diagnosed with
      diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Use of POC HbA1c testing and collection of venous blood on
      the same day for a confirmatory laboratory HbA1c testing if the POC HbA1c value
      is abnormal may simplify diabetes testing in remote areas, provide more timely
      diagnoses, and increase case detection.

PMID- 26126565
TI  - Coordinated care versus standard care in hospital admissions of people with
      chronic illness: a randomised controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether Care Navigation (CN), a nurse-led hospital-based
      coordinated care intervention, reduced the use of hospital services and improved
      quality of life for patients with chronic illness. DESIGN: Randomised controlled
      trial; participants were allocated to CN or standard care. PARTICIPANTS AND
      SETTING: Patients with chronic illness presenting to the emergency department of
      Nepean Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales. High-risk status for an unplanned
      admission was defined as i) three or more unplanned hospital admissions in 12
      months for patients aged >= 70 or at least one admission for cardiac or
      respiratory disease in patients aged 16-69 years; or ii) judged by a CN nurse to
      be high risk and likely to benefit. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Numbers of re
      presentations or readmissions, quality of life, time to re-presentation,
      readmission or death, length of stay, and access to hospital and community health
      services. RESULTS: 500 participants were randomised between May 2010 and February
      2011; 359 by previous unplanned admission and 141 by clinical impression. The CN
      group received more community health services (rate ratio, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.35
      2.81; P < 0.001) than participants receiving standard care; however, this did not
      result in statistically significant differences in number of re-presentations
      (rate ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.68-1.01; P = 0.07), number of readmissions (rate
      ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.70-1.04; P = 0.11), quality of life at 24 months (mean
      difference, 0; 95% CI, - 0.10 to 0.09, P = 0.93), or other measures. CONCLUSIONS:
      CN did not improve quality of life or reduce unplanned hospital presentations or
      admissions despite community health services almost doubling. Future service
      development should explore potential benefits of linking navigated intrahospital
      care to ongoing, proactive care planning and delivery in the community. TRIAL
      REGISTRATION: ACTRN12609000554268.

PMID- 26126566
TI  - First report of Lyme neuroborreliosis in a returned Australian traveller.

PMID- 26126567
TI  - Tinea hidden by a vemurafenib-induced phototoxic reaction in a patient with
      metastatic melanoma taking dexamethasone.

PMID- 26126568
TI  - Alcohol-based hand sanitiser: a potentially fatal toy.

PMID- 26126569
TI  - Penetrating neck injury in an isolated medical setting.

PMID- 26126570
TI  - The Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Act: evidence, ethics and the law.
AB  - The Northern Territory Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Act 2013 (AMT Act) permits
      mandatory residential alcohol rehabilitation for up to 3 months. International
      guidelines and human rights law confirm that mandatory rehabilitation should only
      be used for short periods. Evidence concerning the efficacy of long-term
      mandatory alcohol rehabilitation is lacking, and minimal data concerning the
      efficacy of the scheme have been released. Specific legal issues also arise
      concerning the AMT Act, including its potentially discriminatory application to
      Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The program only permits referral
      by police, despite the fact that it is ostensibly a medical intervention. Use of
      a treatment as a method of effectively solving a public intoxication problem is
      highly dubious, and should be of concern to the medical community. Given that
      more cost-effective and proven measures exist to combat alcohol dependence, the
      utility of the AMT Act is questionable. 

PMID- 26126571
TI  - Muslim doctors in the mainstream.

PMID- 26126572
TI  - Bond and small-molecule activation with low-valent nickel complexes.
AB  - The use of nickel compounds in low oxidation states allowed a variety of useful
      transformations of interest for academia, industry and in the solution of
      environmental issues. 

PMID- 26126573
TI  - Divergence at the edges: peripatric isolation in the montane spiny throated reed
      frog complex.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peripatric speciation and peripheral isolation have uncertain
      importance in species accumulation, and are largely overshadowed by assumed
      dominance of allopatric modes of speciation. Understanding the role of different
      speciation mechanisms within biodiversity hotspots is central to understanding
      the generation of biological diversity. Here, we use a phylogeographic analysis
      of the spiny-throated reed frogs and examine sister pairings with unbalanced
      current distributional ranges for characteristics of peripatric speciation. We
      further investigate whether forest/grassland mosaic adapted species are more
      likely created through peripatric speciation due to instability of this habitat
      type. RESULTS: We reconstructed a multi-locus molecular phylogeny of spiny
      throated reed frogs which we then combined with comparative morphologic data to
      delimit species and analyze historical demographic change; identifying three new
      species. Three potential peripatric speciation events were identified along with
      one case of allopatric speciation. Peripatric speciation is supported through
      uneven potential and realized distributions and uneven population size estimates
      based on field collections. An associated climate shift was observed in most
      potentially peripatric splits. Morphological variation was highest in sexually
      dimorphic traits such as body size and gular shape, but this variation was not
      limited to peripatric species pairs as hypothesized. The potentially allopatric
      species pair showed no niche shifts and equivalent effective population sizes,
      ruling out peripatry in that speciation event. Two major ecological niche shifts
      were recovered within this radiation, possibly as adaptations to occupy areas of
      grassland that became more prevalent in the last 5 million years. Restricted and
      fluctuating grassland mosaics within forests might promote peripatric speciation
      in the Eastern Arc Biodiversity Hotspot (EABH). CONCLUSIONS: In our case study,
      peripatric speciation appears to be an important driver of diversity within the
      EABH biodiversity hotspot, implying it could be a significant speciation
      mechanism in highly fragmented ecosystems. Extensive peripatric speciation in
      this montane archipelago may explain the abundance of discrete lineages within
      the limited area of the EABH, as inferred in remote island archipelagos. Future
      phylogenetic studies incorporating demographic and spatial analyses will clarify
      the role of peripatric speciation in creating biodiversity hotspots.

PMID- 26126574
TI  - Ultrasonic three-dimensional on-chip cell culture for dynamic studies of tumor
      immune surveillance by natural killer cells.
AB  - We demonstrate a simple method for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture controlled
      by ultrasonic standing waves in a multi-well microplate. The method gently
      arranges cells in a suspension into a single aggregate in each well of the
      microplate and, by this, nucleates 3D tissue-like cell growth for culture times
      between two and seven days. The microplate device is compatible with both high
      resolution optical microscopy and maintenance in a standard cell incubator. The
      result is a scaffold- and coating-free method for 3D cell culture that can be
      used for controlling the cellular architecture, as well as the cellular and
      molecular composition of the microenvironment in and around the formed cell
      structures. We demonstrate the parallel production of one hundred synthetic 3D
      solid tumors comprising up to thousands of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
      HepG2 cells, we characterize the tumor structure by high-resolution optical
      microscopy, and we monitor the functional behavior of natural killer (NK) cells
      migrating, docking and interacting with the tumor model during culture. Our
      results show that the method can be used for determining the collective ability
      of a given number of NK cells to defeat a solid tumor having a certain size,
      shape and composition. The ultrasound-based method itself is generic and can meet
      any demand from applications where it is advantageous to monitor cell culture
      from production to analysis of 3D tissue or tumor models using microscopy in one
      single microplate device. 

PMID- 26126575
TI  - A computational protocol for the study of circularly polarized phosphorescence
      and circular dichroism in spin-forbidden absorption.
AB  - We present a computational methodology to calculate the intensity of circular
      dichroism (CD) in spin-forbidden absorption and of circularly polarized
      phosphorescence (CPP) signals, a manifestation of the optical activity of the
      triplet-singlet transitions in chiral compounds. The protocol is based on the
      response function formalism and is implemented at the level of time-dependent
      density functional theory. It has been employed to calculate the spin-forbidden
      circular dichroism and circularly polarized phosphorescence signals of valence n 
      > pi* and n <- pi* transitions, respectively, in several chiral enones and
      diketones. Basis set effects in the length and velocity gauge formulations have
      been explored, and the accuracy achieved when employing approximate (mean-field
      and effective nuclear charge) spin-orbit operators has been investigated. CPP is
      shown to be a sensitive probe of the triplet excited state structure. In many
      cases the sign of the spin-forbidden CD and CPP signals are opposite. For the
      beta,gamma-enones under investigation, where there are two minima on the lowest
      triplet excited state potential energy surface, each minimum exhibits a CPP
      signal of a different sign. 

PMID- 26126576
TI  - Intravascular NK-cell lymphoma: a case report and review of the literature.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intravascular NK-cell lymphoma (IVNKL) is an extremely rare variant
      of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. To our knowledge, there are only a few cases reported in
      the English literature. Here, a case of a 29-year-old male with IVNKL involving
      the skin of the trunk and 4 extremities and liver is presented. A comprehensive
      literature review is undertaken to summarize the clinical and pathological
      features of this disorder. FINDINGS: In our case, large neoplastic lymphoid cells
      are restricted to the lumen of small vessels and exhibit the phenotype of a true
      NK cell. The morphology and immunophenotype, positivity of EBER and NK-cell
      origin are similar to other IVNKL cases. In addition, some cases including ours
      carry a poor prognosis as multiple systems or vital organs are involved.
      CONCLUSION: In summary, we report a case of an unusual intravascular lymphoma of
      NK-cell lineage that displays both clinical and pathological features and compare
      it with other differential diagnoses. It is important to recognize this rare
      entity to make an appropriate diagnosis and achieve a better understanding
      regarding the treatment and prognosis.

PMID- 26126577
TI  - Protection of rat intestinal epithelial cells from ischemia/reperfusion injury by
      (D-Ala2, D-Leu5)-enkephalin through inhibition of the MKK7-JNK signaling pathway.
AB  - Previous studies have demonstrated that (D-Ala2, D-Leu5)-enkephalin (DADLE)
      protects rats from hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. In the present
      study, DADLE was also observed to alleviate IR-induced intestinal epithelial cell
      injury in rats by inhibiting mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 7 (MKK7)-c
      Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway signaling. To investigate the protective
      effect of DADLE on hypoxia/reoxygenation injury in rat intestinal epithelial
      cells, rat intestinal epithelial cells were treated with different concentrations
      of DADLE, following which the cell survival rate was determined using a
      tetrazolium (MTT) colorimetric assay, and apoptosis was determined using flow
      cytometry. To confirm whether the protective effect of DADLE was due to its
      effect on MKK7-JNK signaling, the phosphorylation levels of MKK7 and JNK were
      analyzed using western blot analysis following treatment with different
      concentrations of DADLE. The results demonstrated that, following treatment with
      DADLE, the survival rate of the rat intestinal cells subjected to I/R-induced
      injury increased significantly and the apoptotic rate decreased in a
      concentration-dependent manner. In addition, the levels of phosphorylated MKK7
      and JNK decreased in a concentration-dependent manner following treatment with
      DADLE. Silencing the gene expression of MKK7 using small interfering RNA prior to
      DADLE treatment resulted in a reduction in the protective effects of DADLE on the
      rat intestinal epithelial cells subjected to I/R injury. Collectively, the
      results of the present study demonstrated that the protective effects of DADLE in
      I/R injury in rat intestinal cells occurred through inhibition of the MKK7-JNK
      pathway.

PMID- 26126578
TI  - Self-expanding metallic stent placement with an exaggerated 5-cm proximal tumor
      covering for palliation of esophageal cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The study aimed to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes with a
      technique of self-expanding metallic stent insertion in palliative esophageal
      cancer patients. We hypothesized that a systematic attempt at exaggerated (5 cm)
      proximal tumor covering could prevent both stent migration and tumor
      overgrowth/undergrowth. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively all patients who
      underwent esophageal stenting for palliation of malignant dysphagia over a 24
      month period. Consecutive patients were identified from a prospective thoracic
      surgery interventional endoscopy database. This technique consisted of endoscopic
      stent insertion with the aim of landing the proximal portion of the stent 5 cm
      cephalad to the proximal extent of the tumor. All patients were followed at one
      month post-procedure and every three months thereafter, until death. Short- and
      long-term complications associated with the procedure and mortality were
      evaluated. RESULTS: Forty seven patients underwent endoscopic insertion of an
      esophageal stent in the context of an inoperable esophageal cancer using this
      technique over a 24-month period. The mean age was 70.4+/-9.6 years. Four (8.5%)
      patients underwent re-stenting due to proximal tumor overgrowth. No stent
      migration, perforation, tumor ingrowth or stent occlusion was reported. The mean
      patient survival was 146+/-26.5 days. CONCLUSIONS: Esophageal stent insertion
      under endoscopic guidance with proximal tumor covering of 5 cm is effective and
      safe. No cases of stent migration and a low incidence of tumor
      overgrowth/undergrowth were observed with this technique.

PMID- 26126579
TI  - Serotonergic antidepressant use and the risk of fracture: a population-based
      nested case-control study.
AB  - This is the first study to investigate the association between the use of
      selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)/serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake
      inhibitor (SNRI) and the risk of fractures using a nationwide representative
      cohort of ethnic Chinese. Current use of SSRI/SNRI and the co-morbidity,
      especially osteoporosis and history of falling, play an important role in the
      increased risk of fractures. INTRODUCTION: This nested case-control study
      examines the association between the timing, intensity, and individual components
      of serotonergic antidepressant (including SSRIs and SNRIs) use and the risk of
      all-cause fracture. METHODS: Using the 2002-2011 Taiwan National Health Insurance
      Research Database, we identified patients who received at least three
      prescriptions of antidepressants between January 1st 2002 and December 31st 2010
      as our study cohort. In the study cohort, we identify 8250 patients who had first
      admission for fracture and 33,000 matched controls (1:4, matched by age, sex, and
      cohort entry date). Multivariate conditional logistic regression was used to
      estimate the association between the use of serotonergic antidepressants and the
      risk of fracture. RESULTS: Current users of serotonergic antidepressants were
      associated with an increased risk of fracture (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.16 [95
      % confidence interval 1.07-1.25]). Furthermore, a higher risk of fractures was
      found in patients with osteoporosis (aOR 3.05 [2.73-3.42]) or a history of
      falling (aOR 6.13 [3.41-11.0]). The risks of fracture between SSRI and SNRI users
      were comparable. CONCLUSION: Current use of SSRI/SNRI is associated with an
      increased risk of all caused fractures. Additionally, the co-morbidity,
      especially osteoporosis and a history of falling, plays an important role in the
      risk of fractures.

PMID- 26126580
TI  - Percutaneous CT-Guided Cryoablation as an Alternative Treatment for an Extensive
      Pelvic Bone Giant Cell Tumor.
AB  - A giant cell tumor (GCT) is an intermediate grade, locally aggressive neoplasia.
      Despite advances in surgical and clinical treatments, cases located on the spine
      and pelvic bones remain a significant challenge. Failure of clinical treatment
      with denosumab and patient refusal of surgical procedures (hemipelvectomy) led to
      the use of cryoablation. We report the use of percutaneous CT-guided cryoablation
      as an alternative treatment, shown to be a minimally invasive, safe, and
      effective option for a GCT with extensive involvement of the pelvic bones and
      allowed structural and functional preservation of the involved bones. 

PMID- 26126581
TI  - Proximal Embolization of the Splenic Artery with a Penumbra Occlusion Device
      (POD): A Novel Occlusion Technique for Blunt Splenic Injuries.

PMID- 26126582
TI  - Radiation Exposure in Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation is
      considered as being one of the most complex procedures in abdominal
      interventional radiology. Our aim was twofold: quantification of TIPS-related
      patient radiation exposure in our center and identification of factors leading to
      reduced radiation exposure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred and forty seven
      consecutive patients underwent TIPS in our center between 2007 and 2014. Three
      main procedure categories were identified: Group I (n = 88)-fluoroscopic-guided
      portal vein targeting, procedure done in an image intensifier-based angiographic
      system (IIDS); Group II (n = 48)--ultrasound-guided portal vein puncture,
      procedure done in an IIDS; and Group III (n = 211)--ultrasound-guided portal vein
      puncture, procedure done in a flat panel detector-based system (FPDS). Radiation
      exposure (dose-area product [DAP], in Gy cm(2) and fluoroscopy time [FT] in
      minutes) was retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: DAP was significantly higher in
      Group I (mean +/- SD 360 +/- 298; median 287; 75th percentile 389 Gy cm(2)) as
      compared to Group II (217 +/- 130; 178; 276 Gy cm(2); p = 0.002) and Group III
      (129 +/- 117; 70; 150 Gy cm(2) p < 0.001). The difference in DAP between Groups
      II and III was also significant (p < 0.001). Group I had significantly longer FT
      (25.78 +/- 13.52 min) as compared to Group II (20.45 +/- 10.87 min; p = 0.02) and
      Group III (19.76 +/- 13.34; p < 0.001). FT was not significantly different
      between Groups II and III (p = 0.73). CONCLUSIONS: Real-time ultrasound-guided
      targeting of the portal venous system during TIPS creation results in a
      significantly lower radiation exposure and reduced FT. Further reduction in
      radiation exposure can be achieved through the use of modern angiographic units
      with FPDS.

PMID- 26126583
TI  - Visual and structural prognosis of the untreated fellow eyes of unilateral normal
      tension glaucoma patients.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate the visual and structural prognosis of untreated initial
      non-glaucomatous fellow eyes of unilateral normal tension glaucoma (NTG)
      patients. METHODS: In this retrospective observational cohort study, 50 NTG
      patients with unilateral visual field (VF) loss and no VF defect, retinal nerve
      fiber layer (RNFL) defect or neuroretinal rim (NRR) notching in the fellow eyes,
      and those who had initial non-glaucomatous fellow eyes untreated were included.
      For the fellow eyes, the development of VF defect, RNFL defect, and NRR notching
      was inspected retrospectively by two observers. Baseline clinical characteristics
      including initial intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness, and
      spherical equivalent (SE) were compared between glaucomatous and fellow eyes.
      RESULTS: During the mean follow-up period of 8.77 +/- 2.92 years, five patients
      (10 %) developed RNFL defect and four patients (8 %) developed NRR notching in
      the fellow eye. Among six patients (12 %) who had developed either RNFL defect or
      NRR notching, only three patients (6 %) developed VF loss in 1.81, 3.09, and 9.27
      years respectively. The initial IOP was significantly higher (p = 0.031), SE was
      more myopic (p = 0.025), and the occurrence of disc hemorrhage (p = 0.049) was
      significantly higher in glaucomatous eyes than that in fellow eyes. CONCLUSIONS:
      The incidence of glaucoma development in the fellow eye is rather low. Therefore,
      the initial non-glaucomatous fellow eye of the unilateral NTG patient may be
      observed without treatment until glaucoma develops.

PMID- 26126585
TI  - Isolated complex limbal choristoma in a newborn baby.

PMID- 26126584
TI  - Macular structural characteristics in children with Down syndrome.
AB  - PURPOSE: This prospective study aimed to investigate macular structural
      characteristics in children with Down syndrome compared to those in healthy
      children. METHODS: Two groups of children (aged 6-16 years) were enrolled:
      children with Down syndrome (Down syndrome group, N = 17) and age-matched healthy
      children who were full-term at birth (control group, N = 18). Eligible patients
      had visual acuity of 20/100 or better and gestational age at birth of >= 36
      weeks. Fourier domain optical coherence tomography was used for imaging of the
      macular retinal structure, and retinal volume scans centered on the macula were
      obtained. Central subfield thickness (CST) and the thickness of the inner and
      outer retinal layer regions were analyzed using the instrument's segmentation
      software. The analysis of data is provided for the right eye only, since there
      was no significant difference between right and left eyes for either the Down
      syndrome or control groups. RESULTS: Children in the Down syndrome group
      generally had identifiable retinal structure. The CST for the full retina and
      inner and outer retinal layers were all significantly greater in the Down
      syndrome group than the control group (independent t test, all p < 0.05). Despite
      the significantly thicker macula, only about 29 % (5 of 17) of the right eyes of
      patients with Down syndrome had macular thickness outside the normal range.
      Visual acuity in the Down syndrome group was not directly correlated with
      increased CST (t = 1.288, r = 0.326, p = 0.202). CONCLUSIONS: On average, CST in
      the Down syndrome group was greater than that in the control group, suggesting
      abnormal macular development in children with Down syndrome.

PMID- 26126586
TI  - Condoms, Lubricants and Rectal Cleansing: Practices Associated with Heterosexual
      Penile-Anal Intercourse Amongst Participants in an HIV Prevention Trial in South
      Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
AB  - We investigated condom and lubricant use, rectal cleansing and rectal gel use for
      penile-anal intercourse (PAI), during in-depth interviews with women from South
      Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe who formerly participated in VOICE, a five-arm HIV
      prevention trial of two antiretroviral tablets and a vaginal gel. Few studies
      have addressed practices related to PAI among women; existing data from Africa on
      condom and lubricant use for PAI, as well as preparatory practices of PAI such as
      rectal cleansing, are limited to men who have sex with men. Women demonstrated a
      lack of awareness of HIV transmission risks of PAI and none of the participants
      reported using condom-compatible lubricants for PAI. Participants described a
      variety of preparatory rectal cleansing practices. Some participants disclosed
      rectal use of the vaginal study gel. Understanding practices related to PAI in
      Africa is critical to microbicide development, as these practices are likely to
      influence the acceptability, feasibility, and use of both vaginal and rectal
      microbicide products. 

PMID- 26126587
TI  - Retrograde nailing of femoral fractures: a retrospective study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retrograde femoral nailing is a common method to repair femoral shaft
      fractures in polytrauma patients. Studies have reported varying incidences of
      complications associated with retrograde femoral nailing such as knee pain,
      nonunion, and arthrofibrosis. The objective of this retrospective study was to
      describe healing and complication rates of 31 patients who underwent retrograde
      femoral nailing at our academic medical center. METHODS: Clinical notes and
      radiographs were reviewed retrospectively. Data points such as demographics,
      fracture location on femur, time to union after surgery, presence or absence of
      comminution, associated injuries, and complications were assessed. RESULTS:
      Average time to union was 4.69 months with no statistically significant
      relationship found between time to union and age, sex, comminution, or location
      of fracture. Knee pain was present in 23 % of patients, and distal screw removal
      was necessary in 19.4 % of patients. DISCUSSION: Retrograde femoral nailing is an
      effective method of femoral shaft fracture fixation in polytrauma patients. The
      healing rate of femoral shaft fractures fixed with a retrograde nail is the same
      regardless of location of fracture, age, sex, or comminution. Prevention of tip
      of nail lying into the knee and early physical therapy are important to prevent
      arthrofibrosis knee.

PMID- 26126588
TI  - Surgical treatment in spine Paget's disease: a systematic review.
AB  - Paget's disease of bone (PDB) is a disease characterized by a disorder in the
      bone metabolism. The spine is the second region affected after the pelvis.
      Surgical treatment is reserved for cases refractory to medical treatment. We
      performed a systematic review of patients with Paget disease of bone affecting
      the spine, treated surgically in the last 30 years. The main objective of the
      review is to find out indications for surgery, outcomes of these patients and
      also the standard perioperative management.

PMID- 26126589
TI  - Cloning, Purification and Characterization of Acetyl Xylane Esterase from
      Anoxybacillus flavithermus DSM 2641(T) with Activity on Low Molecular-Weight
      Acetates.
AB  - Family 4 carbohydrate esterases (CE-4) have deacetylate different forms of
      acetylated poly/oligosaccharides in nature. This family is recognized with a
      specific polysaccharide deacetylase domain assigned as NodB homology domain in
      their secondary structure. Most family 4 carbohydrate esterases have been
      structurally and biochemically characterized. However, this is the first study
      about the enzymological function of pdaB-like CE4s from thermophilic bacterium
      Anoxybacillus flavithermus DSM 2641(T). A. flavithermus WK1 genome harbors five
      putative CE4 family genes. One of them is 762 bp long and encodes a protein of
      253 amino acids in length and it was used as reference sequence in this study. It
      was described as acetyl xylane esterase (AXE) in genome project and this AfAXE
      gene was amplified without signal sequence and cloned. The recombinant protein
      was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3), purified by nickel affinity chromatography
      and its purity was visualized on SDS-PAGE. The activity of the recombinant enzyme
      was shown by zymogram analysis with alpha-naphtyl acetate as a substrate. The
      enzyme was characterized spectrophotometrically using chromogenic p-nitrophenyl
      acetate. Optimum temperature and pH were determined as 50  degrees C and 7.5,
      respectively. Km and Vmax were determined as 0.43 mM and 3333.33 U/mg,
      respectively under optimum conditions. To our knowledge this is the first
      enzymological characterization of a pdaB-like family 4 carbohydrate esterase from
      the members of Anoxybacillus genus. 

PMID- 26126590
TI  - NMR assignments of the C-terminal domain of human galectin-8.
AB  - Galectins recognize beta-galectosides to promote a variety of cellular functions.
      Despite their sequence variations, all galectins share the same carbohydrate
      recognition domains (CRD) and their modes of ligand recognition at a structural
      level are essentially identical. Human galectin 8 plays an important role in
      numerous cancer and immune responses. It consists of two CRDs that are connected
      via a flexible linker. The substrate affinities and specificities of the N- and C
      terminal domains are quite different. In order to investigate the structural
      basis of their substrate specificities, we complete the NMR (1)H, (13)C, and
      (15)N chemical shift assignments of C-terminal domain of human galectin-8 (hG8C).

PMID- 26126591
TI  - Erythropoietin improves glucose metabolism and pancreatic beta-cell damage in
      experimental diabetic rats.
AB  - Previous studies have implicated erythropoietin (EPO) signaling in the regulation
      of glucose metabolism. Whether EPO can be used treat diabetes and the underlying
      mechanism remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate whether
      EPO affects glucose metabolism, and the underlying mechanisms, in experimental
      diabetic rats. The effects of EPO (300 U/kg three times a week for 4 weeks) on
      glucose metabolism, hematopoietic function, blood selenium content and the
      ultrastructure of pancreatic beta-cells were investigated in low dose (25 mg/kg
      body weight) streptozotocin-induced experimental diabetic rats provided with a
      high-fat diet. The results demonstrated that EPO significantly decreased the
      fasting blood glucose, the area under the curve of the oral glucose tolerance and
      insulin tolerance tests and L-alanine gluconeogenesis. Ultrastructural
      examination of the pancreatic islets revealed that EPO prevented the dysfunction
      of pancreatic beta-cells in experimental diabetic rats, ameliorated cytoplasmic
      vacuolation and fragmentation of mitochondria, and increased the number of
      secretory granules. EPO administration increased the activities of superoxide
      dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, and decreased the level of malondialdehyde.
      Additionally, EPO increased blood selenium in the diabetic rats and produced a
      hematopoietic effect. These results indicated that EPO modulated glucose
      metabolism and improved pancreatic beta-cells damage by increasing anti
      oxidation. The detailed mechanisms underlying these effects require further
      investigation.

PMID- 26126592
TI  - Modelling MS: Chronic-Relapsing EAE in the NOD/Lt Mouse Strain.
AB  - Modelling complex disorders presents considerable challenges, and multiple
      sclerosis (MS) is no exception to this rule. The aetiology of MS is unknown, and
      its pathophysiology is poorly understood. Moreover, the last two decades have
      witnessed a dramatic revision of the long-held view of MS as an inflammatory
      demyelinating white matter disease. Instead, it is now regarded as a global
      central nervous system (CNS) disorder with a neurodegenerative component.
      Currently, there is no animal model recapitulating MS immunopathogenesis.
      Available models are based on autoimmune-mediated demyelination, denoted
      experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) or virally or chemically induced
      demyelination. Of these, the EAE model has been the most commonly used. It has
      been extensively improved since its first description and now exists as a number
      of variants, including genetically modified and humanized versions. Nonetheless,
      EAE is a distinct disease, and each variant models only certain facets of MS.
      Whilst the search for more refined MS models must continue, it is important to
      further explore where mechanisms underlying EAE provide proof-of-principle for
      those driving MS pathogenesis. EAE variants generated with the myelin component
      myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) have emerged as the preferred ones,
      because in this particular variant disease is associated with both T- and B-cell
      effector mechanisms, together with demyelination. MOG-induced EAE in the non
      obese diabetic (NOD) mouse strain exhibits a chronic-relapsing EAE clinical
      profile and high disease incidence. We describe the generation of this variant,
      its contribution to the understanding of MS immune and pathogenetic mechanisms
      and potential for evaluation of candidate therapies.

PMID- 26126593
TI  - Gene delivery polymer structure-function relationships elucidated via principal
      component analysis.
AB  - Principal component analysis was applied to a biomaterial library of poly(beta
      amino ester)s, useful for non-viral gene delivery, to elucidate chemical
      parameters that drive biological function. Correlative relationships and
      principal components were analyzed between 24 physico-chemical polymer properties
      and 3 cell-based functional variables in human glioblastoma cells (transfection,
      uptake, and viability). 

PMID- 26126596
TI  - Rapid characterization of human brain aspergillosis by confocal microscopy on a
      thick squash preparation.

PMID- 26126595
TI  - Case-control approach application for finding a relationship between candidate
      genes and clinical mastitis in Holstein dairy cattle.
AB  - Mastitis is a major source of economic loss in dairy herds. The objective of this
      research was to evaluate the association between genotypes within SLC11A1 and
      CXCR1 candidate genes and clinical mastitis in Holstein dairy cattle using the
      selective genotyping method. The data set contained clinical mastitis records of
      3,823 Holstein cows from two Holstein dairy herds located in two different
      regions in Iran. Data included the number of cases of clinical mastitis per
      lactation. Selective genotyping was based on extreme values for clinical mastitis
      residuals (CMR) from mixed model analyses. Two extreme groups consisting of 135
      cows were formed (as cases and controls), and genotyped for the two candidate
      genes, namely, SLC11A1 and CXCR1, using polymerase chain reaction-single strand
      conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and polymerase chain reaction-restriction
      fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), respectively. Associations between
      single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes with CMR and breeding values for
      milk and protein yield were carried out by applying logistic regression analyses,
      i.e. estimating the probability of the heterogeneous genotype in the dependency
      of values for CMR and breeding values (BVs). The sequencing results revealed a
      novel mutation in 1139 bp of exon 11 of the SLC11A1 gene and this SNP had a
      significant association with CMR (P < 0.05). PCR-RFLP analysis leads to three
      banding patterns for CXCR1c.735C>G and these genotypes had significant
      relationships with CMR. Overall, the results showed that SLC11A1 and CXCR1 are
      valuable candidate genes for the improvement of mastitis resistance as well as
      production traits in dairy cattle populations.

PMID- 26126598
TI  - Case report of transfusion-related acute lung injury in a pediatric spine surgery
      patient transfused leukoreduced red blood cells.
AB  - Despite leukoreduced red blood cells (LR-RBCs) reducing the risk of transfusion
      related acute lung injury (TRALI), we present a case of a 16-year-old female with
      kyphosis who received a transfusion of one unit of LR-RBCs, which lead to life
      threatening, intraoperative TRALI. The clinical presentation included pulmonary
      edema, severe postoperative lactic acidosis, left ventricular dysfunction,
      increased creatine phosphokinase, fatty infiltration of the liver, and
      hemodynamic instability requiring inotropic support. This presentation is not the
      classic description of TRALI. Our patient improved with supportive treatment and
      was successfully extubated on postoperative day 4. TRALI work-up revealed
      antibody formation to HLA A2, A68, B44, and DQA 5 for the LR-RBCs unit
      administered.

PMID- 26126597
TI  - Al[18F]NOTA-T140 Peptide for Noninvasive Visualization of CXCR4 Expression.
AB  - PURPOSE: Chemokine receptor CXCR4 plays an important role in tumor
      aggressiveness, invasiveness, and metastasis formation. Quantification of CXCR4
      expression by tumors may have an impact on prediction and evaluation of tumor
      response to therapies. In this study, we developed a robust and straightforward F
      18 labeling route of T140, a CXCR4 peptide-based antagonist. PROCEDURES: T140
      derivative was conjugated to 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-triacetic acid (NOTA) and
      labeled with Al[(18)F]. Al[(18)F]NOTA-T140 was evaluated in vitro in cell-based
      assay and stability in mouse serum and in vivo using CXCR4 positive and negative
      tumor xenograft models. RESULTS: Labeling of Al[(18)F]NOTA-T140 was completed
      within 30 min with a radiochemical yield of 58 +/- 5.3 % at the end of synthesis,
      based on fluoride-18 activity. Al[(18)F]NOTA-T140 accumulated in CHO-CXCR4
      positive but not negative tumors. Al[(18)F]NOTA-T140 uptake in the tumors
      correlated with CXCR4 protein expression. Moreover, Al[(18)F]NOTA-T140 had high
      accumulation in CXCR4-positive metastatic tumors. CONCLUSIONS: The simplicity of
      Al[(18)F]NOTA-T140 labeling along with its properties to specifically image CXCR4
      expression by tumors warrant further clinical application for the diagnosis of
      CXCR4 clinically.

PMID- 26126599
TI  - Myelodysplastic Syndromes Diagnosis: What Is the Role of Molecular Testing?
AB  - Diagnosing a myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) can be challenging. Somatic mutations
      are common in MDS and might have diagnostic utility in patients with idiopathic
      cytopenias of undetermined significance (ICUS). However, using mutations to
      diagnose MDS is complicated by several issues: (1) no gene is mutated in most
      cases, (2) no mutated gene is highly specific for MDS, (3) clonal hematopoiesis
      is common in older individuals without disease, and (4) we lack outcome data for
      ICUS patients with clonal cytopenias of undetermined significance (CCUS). Despite
      these caveats, genetic sequencing can inform the diagnosis of MDS. CCUS patients
      more closely resemble patients with MDS than age matched controls with somatic
      mutations. Genetic testing can identify alternative diagnoses in cytopenic
      patients and help risk stratify those with proven MDS. While we cannot include
      somatic mutations in the diagnostic definition of MDS now, testing to recognize
      CCUS will help characterize outcomes in these diagnostically challenging
      patients. 

PMID- 26126600
TI  - Outlook and Management of Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes Failed by
      Hypomethylating Agents.
AB  - The DNA hypomethylating agents (HMAs) azacitidine and decitabine are currently
      the most frequently administered disease-modifying therapies for patients with
      higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, azacitidine and decitabine
      are not curative, the median response duration is 11-15 months, and only 10-20 %
      of patients experience complete hematologic and cytogenetic response. Moreover,
      once an HMA fails the patient, the prognosis is poor, with a median survival of
      less than 6 months unless the patient undergoes hematopoietic stem cell
      transplantation (HSCT). Recent insights into the genetic basis of MDS have
      enhanced biological understanding and prognostication accuracy, but these
      developments have not yet led to regulatory approval of new therapies. While
      there are multiple potential approaches to patients with MDS for whom HMAs have
      failed, including supportive care alone, cytotoxic therapy, lenalidomide, histone
      deacetylase inhibitors, and HSCT, favorable responses to these approaches are
      limited and new therapies are greatly needed. Here, we review clinical and
      biological data about the population of patients failed by HMAs, evaluate
      currently available approaches to patients in this clinical situation, and
      discuss prospects for development of novel active agents. 

PMID- 26126601
TI  - Preparing Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndrome for Transplant When Is Pre
      transplant Cytoreductive Therapy Appropriate?
AB  - To date, the only treatment option with curative potential for patients suffering
      from myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is allogeneic stem cell transplantation
      (allo-SCT). However, patient selection for this procedure as well as the choice
      of the appropriate pre-transplant regime remain challenging. This review
      discusses both intensive chemotherapy and hypomethylating agents (HMAs) as
      debulking strategies. Current evidence on the use of AML-like intense
      chemotherapy suggests that this represents a valuable option especially in fitter
      and younger MDS patients with aggressive disease, whereas HMAs seem especially
      indicated in patients presenting with certain mutations and less proliferative
      disease in order to bridge them to transplant. The actual need for pre-transplant
      cytoreduction strongly depends on donor availability and disease progression:
      upfront allo-SCT might be considered for patients with slowly progressing MDS if
      a donor is readily available. Common to the data discussed in this review is
      their retrospective nature, making clear recommendations in terms of debulking
      strategy difficult. Prospective randomized trials are required to explicitly
      answer this question in the future. 

PMID- 26126602
TI  - Case of concurrence of anti-laminin gamma-1 pemphigoid and scabies.

PMID- 26126603
TI  - Identification of quantitative trait loci influencing inflammation-mediated
      alveolar bone loss: insights into polygenic inheritance of host-biofilm
      disequilibria in periodontitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The relative contribution of genetic and environmental
      factors to the onset and progression of periodontitis is inconclusive. Despite
      the high prevalence, phenotypic heterogeneity and significant local and systemic
      implications of this disease, early detection and individualized therapy are
      problematic. Using a murine model of periodontitis in a panel of 17 recombinant
      inbred mice, the current study addressed the heritability of, and oral dysbiosis
      associated with, inflammation-mediated alveolar bone loss (iABL), the hallmark of
      periodontitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Quantitative trait locus (QTL) genomics and
      quantitative PCR for over 99% of known murine oral microbiota were used. RESULTS:
      It was found that iABL is a polygenic trait with 32.7% heritability. One
      suggestive QTL, nicknamed inflammation-mediated alveolar bone loss locus (iABLL),
      was identified on chromosome 2. Eleven genes involved in innate immune responses
      and bone metabolism, particularly related to macrophage and osteoblast function,
      namely Etl4, Pdss1, Cobll1, 9330158F14Rik, Xirp2, Stk39, Mettl5, Metapl1, Itga6,
      Pdk1 and Sp3, were found in the iABLL using cis expression QTL and nonsynonymous
      single nucleotide polymorphism analyses. Specific oral microbiome shifts in
      saliva and tongue mucosa are associated with disease in this model. CONCLUSION:
      Our results indicate that complex host-biofilm interactions generate pathogenic
      states that extend beyond subgingival biofilms and periodontal tissues. Although
      no temporal relationship between the onset of iABL and microbiome changes were
      established, our findings suggest that host factors may be responsible for
      pathogenic shifts in subgingival biofilms when persistent and undisturbed.

PMID- 26126604
TI  - An online tool for evaluating diagnostic and prognostic gene expression
      biomarkers in bladder cancer.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the past ~15 years, the identification of diagnostic and
      prognostic biomarkers from gene expression data has increased our understanding
      of cancer biology and has led to advances in the personalized treatment of many
      cancers. A diagnostic biomarker is indicative of tumor status such as tumor
      stage, while a prognostic biomarker is indicative of disease outcome. Despite
      these advances, however, there are no clinically approved biomarkers for the
      treatment of bladder cancer, which is the fourth most common cancer in males in
      the United States and one of the most expensive cancers to treat. Although gene
      expression profiles of bladder cancer patients are publicly available, biomarker
      identification requires bioinformatics expertise that is not available to many
      research laboratories. DESCRIPTION: We collected gene expression data from 13
      publicly available patient cohorts (N = 1454) and developed BC-BET, an online
      Bladder Cancer Biomarker Evaluation Tool for evaluating candidate diagnostic and
      prognostic gene expression biomarkers in bladder cancer. A user simply selects a
      gene, and BC-BET evaluates the utility of that gene's expression as a diagnostic
      and prognostic biomarker. Specifically, BC-BET calculates how strongly a gene's
      expression is associated with tumor presence (distinguishing tumor from normal
      samples), tumor grade (distinguishing low- from high-grade tumors), tumor stage
      (distinguishing non-muscle invasive from muscle invasive samples), and patient
      outcome (e.g., disease-specific survival) across all patients in each cohort.
      Patients with low-grade, non-muscle invasive tumors and patients with high-grade,
      muscle invasive tumors are also analyzed separately in order to evaluate whether
      the biomarker of interest has prognostic value independent of grade and stage.
      CONCLUSION: Although bladder cancer gene expression datasets are publicly
      available, their analysis is computationally intensive and requires
      bioinformatics expertise. BC-BET is an easy-to-use tool for rapidly evaluating
      bladder cancer gene expression biomarkers across multiple patient cohorts.

PMID- 26126605
TI  - Current status on health sciences research productivity pertaining to Angola up
      to 2014.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Health research driven by the healthcare demands of the population
      can provide an informative evidence base to support decision-making processes on
      health policies, programmes, and practices. This paper surveyed the production of
      scientific research concerning health in Angola, specifically to access the
      publication rate over time, the main research topics and scientific fields, and
      the contribution of Angolan researchers and institutions. METHODS: The study
      focused on data collected in a retrospective literature search in Biblioteca
      Virtual em Saude (BVS) as of June 8, 2014, with the keyword "Angola" and on
      content information in correspondent publications deposited in PubMed. RESULTS:
      BVS generated 1,029 hits, 74.6 % of which were deposited in PubMed where 301
      abstracts were described. From 1979 to 2003, there were 62 publications and in
      2004-2013 the quantity increased four-fold (n = 232); malaria was the most
      frequent topic (n = 42). Angola was the country with the largest number of
      publications, taking into account the primary affiliation of the first author (n
      = 45). Universities, institutes, or research centres accounted for 65 % of the
      publications and in descending order Portugal, Brazil, and the United States of
      America occupied the three first positions. Epidemiology was by far the most
      frequent field of research (n = 165). CONCLUSIONS: The number of publications has
      increased steadily over the past 10 years, with predominance on malaria topics.
      Angola was the country with the largest number of major affiliations of the first
      author, but the contribution of Angolan institutions was relatively low,
      indicating a need to reinforce academic research institutions in the country.

PMID- 26126606
TI  - Impact of Clostridium difficile infection among pneumonia and urinary tract
      infection hospitalizations: an analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) remains one of the major
      hospital acquired infections in the nation, often attributable to increased
      antibiotic use. Little research, however, exists on the prevalence and impact of
      CDI on patient and hospital outcomes among populations requiring such treatment.
      As such, the goal of this study was to examine the prevalence, risk factors, and
      impact of CDI among pneumonia and urinary tract infection (UTI) hospitalizations.
      METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2009-2011), reflecting a 20% stratified
      sample of community hospitals in the United States, was used. A total of 593,038
      pneumonia and 255,770 UTI discharges were included. Survey-weighted multivariable
      regression analyses were conducted to assess the predictors and impact of CDI
      among pneumonia and UTI discharges. RESULTS: A significantly higher prevalence of
      CDI was present among men with UTI (13.3 per 1,000) as compared to women (11.3
      per 1,000). CDI was associated with higher in-hospital mortality among discharges
      for pneumonia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] for men = 3.2, women aOR = 2.8) and UTI
      (aOR for men = 4.1, women aOR = 3.4). Length of stay among pneumonia and UTI
      discharges were also double upon presence of CDI. In addition, CDI increased the
      total charges by at least 75% and 55% among pneumonia and UTI discharges,
      respectively. Patient and hospital characteristics associated with CDI included
      being 65 years or older, Charlson Deyo index for comorbidity of 2 or more,
      Medicare as the primary payer, and discharge from urban hospitals, among both
      pneumonia and UTI discharges. CONCLUSION: CDI occurs frequently in
      hospitalizations among those discharged from hospital for pneumonia and UTI, and
      is associated with increased in-hospital mortality and health resource
      utilization. Interventions to mitigate the burden of CDI in these high-risk
      populations are urgently needed.

PMID- 26126608
TI  - Use of RNA sequencing to evaluate rheumatic disease patients.
AB  - Studying the factors that control gene expression is of substantial importance
      for rheumatic diseases with poorly understood etiopathogenesis. In the past, gene
      expression microarrays have been used to measure transcript abundance on a genome
      wide scale in a particular cell, tissue or organ. Microarray analysis has led to
      gene signatures that differentiate rheumatic diseases, and stages of a disease,
      as well as response to treatments. Nowadays, however, with the advent of next
      generation sequencing methods, massive parallel sequencing of RNA tends to be the
      technology of choice for gene expression profiling, due to several advantages
      over microarrays, as well as for the detection of non-coding transcripts and
      alternative splicing events. In this review, we describe how RNA sequencing
      enables unbiased interrogation of the abundance and complexity of the
      transcriptome, and present a typical experimental workflow and bioinformatics
      tools that are often used for RNA sequencing analysis. We also discuss different
      uses of this next-generation sequencing technology to evaluate rheumatic disease
      patients and investigate the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases such as
      rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile idiopathic arthritis
      and Sjogren's syndrome. 

PMID- 26126610
TI  - Pharmacophore Modeling, Docking and Molecular Dynamics Studies on Caspase-3
      Activators Binding at beta-Tubulin Site.
AB  - Induction of apoptosis by the activation of caspase 3 makes it a promising target
      for designing anticancer drugs hence an investigation for the essential
      structural features mandatory for caspase 3 activation has been carried out using
      a dataset comprising of caspase 3 activator candidate drug Azixa in phase II
      clinical trial and its analogs using DS2.0. A training set of 40 compounds was
      selected for the purpose of model generation from 76 molecules with an activity
      range spanning from 0.002MUM to 6.9MUM. Among the generated pharmacophore models,
      the best model Hypo1 constituted by two hydrophobic aliphatic (Hal), two
      hydrophobic aromatic (Har), and one hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) features with a
      correlation coefficient of 0.85, and a cost difference (null cost - total cost)
      of 46 bits well predicted the test set of 36 compounds (Rpred = 0.8). The key
      mechanism conferring caspase 3 activation is due to binding of Azixa at beta
      tubulin site that is located close to or at same site as colchicine. In the
      absence of co-crystal structure we have proposed a binding mode of Azixa at the
      tubulin site by performing docking studies and performed molecular dynamics
      simulation to ascertain the temporal changes of the protein-ligand complex. 

PMID- 26126609
TI  - Hepatoprotective effect of juglone on dimethylnitrosamine-induced liver fibrosis
      and its effect on hepatic antioxidant defence and the expression levels of alpha
      SMA and collagen III.
AB  - The present study aimed to investigate the antifibrotic effects of juglone on
      dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced fibrosis in rats. Juglone, which is a quinone,
      significantly decreased DMN-induced rat hepatic fibrosis, which was associated
      with increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, decreased oxidative stress
      and reduced levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and collagen (Col)
      III in the liver. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate
      aminotransferase, hyaluronic acid, laminin, type III precollagen and type IV
      collagen were significantly reduced by treatment with juglone. Liver fibrosis was
      induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by subcutaneous injections of DMN solution
      and hepatic fibrosis was assessed using Massons trichome staining. The expression
      levels of alpha-SMA and Col III were determined using immunohistochemical
      techniques. The activities of SOD and malondialdehyde in liver homogenates were
      also determined. The results suggested that juglone augmented the antioxidative
      capability of the liver, possibly by stimulating the activity of SOD, which
      promoted the inactivation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and decreased the
      accumulation of extracellular matrix collagen in the liver, thereby alleviating
      hepatic fibrosis. Silymarin was used as a positive control for liver fibrosis
      protection. It was hypothesized that juglone alleviates or mitigates oxidative
      stress-mediated hepatic fibrosis by upregulating the expression of peroxisome
      proliferator-activated receptor gamma and inhibiting the activation of HSC.

PMID- 26126611
TI  - Mobile radiography units in Balkan Wars.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It is known that the first radiological units were widely used
      during war conflicts, whereas the first application of military radiology took
      place during the Greco-Turkish War in 1897. However, until recently automobile
      radiology units were assumed to be used for the first time during World War I.
      METHOD: Historical archives and reports were researched, and extensive research
      in available literature was also conducted. RESULTS: The automobile radiology
      units were purchased from France and were probably constructed under the guidance
      of Marie Curie (1867-1934). The figure of Dr. Dimitrios Vasilidis (?-1937), a
      pioneer in Radiology in Greece and the first president of the Hellenic
      Radiological Society, is highlighted. DISCUSSION: This short historical note
      describes the first use of a mobile radiology unit during the Balkan Wars (1912
      1913), predating its previously presumed first use in World War I. It also
      briefly highlights the contributions of some notable figures in 20th Century
      Greek scientific development.

PMID- 26126612
TI  - Altered Structural and Functional Feature of Striato-Cortical Circuit in Benign
      Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes.
AB  - Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECT) is the most common form of
      childhood idiopathic focal epilepsy syndrome. We investigated quantitative
      evidence regarding brain morphology and functional connectivity features to
      provide insight into the neuroanatomical foundation of this disorder, using high
      resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and resting state
      functional MRI in 21 patients with BECT and in 20 healthy children. The
      functional connectivity analysis, seeded at the regions with altered gray-matter
      (GM) volume in voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis, was further performed.
      Then, the observed structural and functional alteration were investigated for
      their association with the clinical and behavior manifestations. The increased GM
      volume in the striatum and fronto-temporo-parietal cortex (striato-cortical
      circuit) was observed in BECT. The decreased connections were found among the
      motor network and frontostriatal loop, and between the default mode network (DMN)
      and language regions. Additionally, the GM of striatum was negatively correlated
      with age at epilepsy onset. The current observations may contribute to the
      understanding of the altered structural and functional feature of striato
      cortical circuit in patients with BECT. The findings also implied alterations of
      the motor network and DMN, which were associated with the epileptic activity in
      patients with BECT. This further suggested that the onset of BECT might have
      enduring structural and functional effects on brain maturation. 

PMID- 26126613
TI  - Online Epileptic Seizure Prediction Using Wavelet-Based Bi-Phase Correlation of
      Electrical Signals Tomography.
AB  - Considerable efforts have been made in order to predict seizures. Among these
      methods, the ones that quantify synchronization between brain areas, are the most
      important methods. However, to date, a practically acceptable result has not been
      reported. In this paper, we use a synchronization measurement method that is
      derived according to the ability of bi-spectrum in determining the nonlinear
      properties of a system. In this method, first, temporal variation of the bi
      spectrum of different channels of electro cardiography (ECoG) signals are
      obtained via an extended wavelet-based time-frequency analysis method; then, to
      compare different channels, the bi-phase correlation measure is introduced.
      Since, in this way, the temporal variation of the amount of nonlinear coupling
      between brain regions, which have not been considered yet, are taken into
      account, results are more reliable than the conventional phase-synchronization
      measures. It is shown that, for 21 patients of FSPEEG database, bi-phase
      correlation can discriminate the pre-ictal and ictal states, with very low false
      positive rates (FPRs) (average: 0.078/h) and high sensitivity (100%). However,
      the proposed seizure predictor still cannot significantly overcome the random
      predictor for all patients. 

PMID- 26126615
TI  - Comparison of patient-reported quality of life outcome questionnaire response
      rates between patients treated surgically for renal cell carcinoma and prostate
      carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We sought to examine differences in response rates to quality of life
      (QoL) surveys in patients treated surgically for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and
      prostate cancer (PCa) and to analyze factors associated with non-response of the
      surveys. METHODS: Patients who underwent surgery for RCC or PCa between 2006 and
      2012 were offered enrollment in respective prospective cancer registries that
      included baseline and annual QoL assessments. We identified 201 RCC patients and
      616 PCa patients who completed a baseline QoL survey and were mailed annual QoL
      surveys [RCC: SF-36, FACT-G (73 questions), PCa: EPIC, IIEF, Max-PC (80
      questions)]. We compared patient characteristics between responders and non
      responders using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test for continuous variables and a Fisher's
      Exact test for categorical variables. RESULTS: The overall response rates for the
      PCa and RCC groups were 63 and 48% (p < 0.001), respectively. This difference in
      response rates remained when we limited analysis to only those with early stage
      disease (pT2 for PCa and pT1 RCC, 62% vs. 52%; p = 0.03). PCa characteristics
      associated with response included older age (64.1 vs 62.6 years, p = 0.032) and
      robotic versus open surgery (56% vs 44%; p = 0.009). There were no
      characteristics that were associated with response in RCC patients. CONCLUSIONS:
      Surgically treated PCa patients have higher QoL mail-based survey response rates
      compared to patients treated surgically for RCC. This difference holds true for
      clinically localized cancers as well.

PMID- 26126616
TI  - Quantifying retention during pre-antiretroviral treatment in a large urban clinic
      in Uganda.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retention studies are usually focused on patients on antiretroviral
      treatment (ART), however in Sub-Saharan Africa many patients get lost to program
      (LTP) in the pre-ART care period.. We investigated the proportion of patients not
      retained in care and factors associated with LTP (dead or lost to follow up >=6
      months) in the pre-ART care period. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Infectious
      Diseases Institute, Kampala, Uganda. We included all adult patients >=18 years,
      ART naive at program enrollment from 1(st)/Jan/2005. We described the number of
      patients not retained in care during the 3 steps of enrollment-to-treatment
      "cascade": Step 1) From enrollment to CD4 count testing, Step 2) ART eligibility
      assessment. Patients were initially considered eligible if CD4 count was <200
      cell/MUL, and <350 cell/MUL from 2012 onwards; Step 3) From eligibility to ART
      start. We described cumulative probability of being LTP by gender and ART
      eligibility using Kaplan Meier estimates. We used a Cox proportional hazards
      model to identify factors associated with being LTP at any stage for all patients
      and for those with a CD4 count available. Factors considered were age, gender,
      year of enrollment, and WHO stage. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: After enrollment in
      our program, cumulatively, a low proportion of patients (30.8 %) were retained
      and started on ART. The cumulative probability of being LTP was higher in males
      and patients not eligible for ART. In the multivariable Cox proportional Hazards
      model, male gender (HR: 1.19 CI 1.12-1.19) and clinical WHO stage 3 and 4 (HR:
      1.20 CI 1.13-1.27) were associated with being LTP while older age was protective
      (HR: 0.98 0.96-0.99). Patients enrolled in the program more recently were also at
      lower risk of being LTP. In addition, among patients with CD4 count test,
      patients with higher CD4 count were at higher risk of being LTP. CONCLUSIONS: In
      our program there has been suboptimal retention of patients in pre-ART care,
      particularly of patients not eligible for ART. Since the proportion of eligible
      patients has recently increased due to the higher recommended threshold for ART
      eligibility (CD4 count > 500 cell/MUL in 2014), this could lead to an increase in
      program retention as more people fall under the recommended threshold and seek
      care.

PMID- 26126617
TI  - Relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and multiple sclerosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Recent data indicate the presence of immunomodulating properties of
      Helicobacter pylori (Hp) (Hp Sydney Strain-1 antigen) in an experimental model of
      multiple sclerosis (MS), and there are limited contradictory epidemiologic data
      regarding Hp serology in MS patients. METHODS: The aim of this prospective,
      comparative study was to validate the incidence of active Hp infection by
      histology and the endoscopic abnormalities, in 44 patients with relapsing
      remitting MS and 20 anemic controls. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of
      histologically confirmed active Hp infection in 44 MS patients was 86.4% vs. 50%
      in 20 matched anemic control participants (P=0.002, odds ratio 6.33, 95%CI 1.85
      21.64). Concomitant diseases of autoimmune origin including hypothyroidism and
      ulcerative colitis were exclusively present in MS patients. Moreover, a trend of
      increased presence of pathological endoscopic findings such as hiatus hernia,
      Barrett's esophagus and duodenal ulcer disease was observed in MS patients
      compared with controls; Barrett's esophagus and duodenal ulcers were exclusively
      observed in MS patients. Likewise, Hp (+) MS patients showed exclusive presence
      of hiatus hernia, esophagitis and duodenal ulcer disease compared with Hp (-) MS
      patients. CONCLUSION: Hp infection appears to be more frequent in MS patients. If
      confirmed, this might indicate either a common factor that causes
      susceptibilities to both MS and Hp infection or that Hp might be a causal factor
      for developing MS. If a causal link between Hp infection and MS is confirmed in
      the future, this may have a major impact on the pathophysiology and management of
      MS.

PMID- 26126618
TI  - Case of nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome with multiple cutaneous keratocysts.

PMID- 26126620
TI  - A biomechanical comparison of 360 degrees  stabilizations for corpectomy and
      total spondylectomy: a cadaveric study in the thoracolumbar spine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To date, there has been no adequate biomechanical model that would
      allow a quantitative comparison in terms of stability/stiffness between a
      corpectomy with the posterior column preserved and a total spondylectomy with the
      posterior column sacrificed. The objective of this study was to perform a
      biomechanical comparison of 360 degrees  stabilizations for corpectomy and total
      spondylectomy, using the human thoracolumbar spine. METHODS: Five human cadaveric
      thoracolumbar spines (T8-L2) were tested according to the following loading
      protocol: axial compression, flexion, extension, lateral bending to the right and
      left, and axial rotation to the right and left. This loading protocol was applied
      three times. Each specimen was tested intact, after corpectomy, and after total
      spondylectomy. The relative stiffness of each motion segment was determined for
      each test. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in stiffness after
      reconstruction of total spondylectomy versus corpectomy in our thoracolumbar
      model. Our construct consisted of an anterior cage and four-level pedicle screw
      instrumentation (two above and two below) and provided similar stiffness in both
      models. Despite the additional bone resection in a total spondylectomy versus
      corpectomy, the constructs did not differ biomechanically. Additionally, there
      was no significant difference in stiffness between the intact specimen and either
      reconstruction model. CONCLUSIONS: A classic corpectomy, which leaves the
      posterior column intact, is no better in terms of stability/stiffness than a
      total spondylectomy carried out using a shorter cage, followed by compression
      using posterior instrumentation.

PMID- 26126619
TI  - The effect of a preparation of minerals, vitamins and trace elements on the
      cardiac gene expression pattern in male diabetic rats.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetic patients have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular
      diseases, which are the leading cause of death in developed countries. Although
      multivitamin products are widely used as dietary supplements, the effects of
      these products have not been investigated in the diabetic heart yet. Therefore,
      here we investigated if a preparation of different minerals, vitamins, and trace
      elements (MVT) affects the cardiac gene expression pattern in experimental
      diabetes. METHODS: Two-day old male Wistar rats were injected with streptozotocin
      (i.p. 100 mg/kg) or citrate buffer to induce diabetes. From weeks 4 to 12, rats
      were fed with a vehicle or a MVT preparation. Fasting blood glucose measurement
      and oral glucose tolerance test were performed at week 12, and then total RNA was
      isolated from the myocardium and assayed by rat oligonucleotide microarray for
      41012 oligonucleotides. RESULTS: Significantly elevated fasting blood glucose
      concentration and impaired glucose tolerance were markedly improved by MVT
      treatment in diabetic rats at week 12. Genes with significantly altered
      expression due to diabetes include functional clusters related to cardiac
      hypertrophy (e.g. caspase recruitment domain family, member 9; cytochrome P450,
      family 26, subfamily B, polypeptide; FXYD domain containing ion transport
      regulator 3), stress response (e.g. metallothionein 1a; metallothionein 2a;
      interleukin-6 receptor; heme oxygenase (decycling) 1; and glutathione S
      transferase, theta 3), and hormones associated with insulin resistance (e.g.
      resistin; FK506 binding protein 5; galanin/GMAP prepropeptide). Moreover the
      expression of some other genes with no definite cardiac function was also changed
      such as e.g. similar to apolipoprotein L2; brain expressed X-linked 1;
      prostaglandin b2 synthase (brain). MVT-treatment in diabetic rats showed opposite
      gene expression changes in the cases of 19 genes associated with diabetic
      cardiomyopathy. In healthy hearts, MVT-treatment resulted in cardiac gene
      expression changes mostly related to immune response (e.g. complement factor B;
      complement component 4a; interferon regulatory factor 7; hepcidin). CONCLUSIONS:
      MVT-treatment improved diagnostic markers of diabetes. This is the first
      demonstration that MVT-treatment significantly alters cardiac gene expression
      profile in both control and diabetic rats. Our results and further studies
      exploring the mechanistic role of individual genes may contribute to the
      prevention or diagnosis of cardiac complications in diabetes.

PMID- 26126621
TI  - Ameloblastic Carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ameloblastic carcinoma secondary type is an extremely rare and
      aggressive odontogenic neoplasm that exhibits histological features of malignancy
      in primary and metastatic sites. It arises through carcinomatous de
      differentiation of a pre-existing ameloblastoma or odontogenic cyst, typically
      following repeated treatments and recurrences of the benign precursor neoplasm.
      Identification of an ameloblastic carcinoma, secondary type presenting with
      histologic features of malignant transformation from an earlier untreated benign
      lesion remains a rarity. Herein, we report 1 such case. CASE REPORT: A 66-year
      old man was referred for management of a newly diagnosed ameloblastic carcinoma.
      He underwent radical surgical intervention comprising hemimandibulectomy,
      supraomohyoid neck dissection, and free-flap reconstruction. Final histologic
      analysis demonstrated features suggestive of carcinomatous de-differentiation for
      a consensus diagnosis of ameloblastic carcinoma, secondary type (de
      differentiated) intraosseous. CONCLUSIONS: Ameloblastic carcinoma, secondary type
      represents a rare and challenging histologic diagnosis. Radical surgical
      resection with adequate hard and soft tissue margins is essential for curative
      management of localized disease.

PMID- 26126622
TI  - Pregabalin is only partially effective for neuropathic pain.

PMID- 26126623
TI  - HPV testing as a screen for cervical cancer.
AB  - Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been identified as a necessary factor in the
      development of pre-invasive and invasive cancers of the lower genital tract, of
      which cervical cancer is the most prevalent. A molecular understanding of
      malignant transformation and epidemiologic information has led to the development
      of many strategies for detection and early intervention. Newer tests for
      oncogenic subtypes of HPV have made it possible to predict the risk of future
      development of cervical cancer. This review summarizes the current understanding
      of HPV related disease and examines the role of HPV testing as a screening tool
      for cervical cancer. It summarizes the data from prospective and randomized
      controlled trials on HPV screening from Europe and North America and includes
      smaller studies from low and middle income countries where cervical cancer is the
      most common cancer in women. 

PMID- 26126624
TI  - High-fidelity target sequencing of individual molecules identified using barcode
      sequences: de novo detection and absolute quantitation of mutations in plasma
      cell-free DNA from cancer patients.
AB  - Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) is an emerging field of cancer research. However,
      current ctDNA analysis is usually restricted to one or a few mutation sites due
      to technical limitations. In the case of massively parallel DNA sequencers, the
      number of false positives caused by a high read error rate is a major problem. In
      addition, the final sequence reads do not represent the original DNA population
      due to the global amplification step during the template preparation. We
      established a high-fidelity target sequencing system of individual molecules
      identified in plasma cell-free DNA using barcode sequences; this system consists
      of the following two steps. (i) A novel target sequencing method that adds
      barcode sequences by adaptor ligation. This method uses linear amplification to
      eliminate the errors introduced during the early cycles of polymerase chain
      reaction. (ii) The monitoring and removal of erroneous barcode tags. This process
      involves the identification of individual molecules that have been sequenced and
      for which the number of mutations have been absolute quantitated. Using plasma
      cell-free DNA from patients with gastric or lung cancer, we demonstrated that the
      system achieved near complete elimination of false positives and enabled de novo
      detection and absolute quantitation of mutations in plasma cell-free DNA. 

PMID- 26126625
TI  - Iodine deficiency and thyroid nodular pathology--epidemiological and cancer
      characteristics in different populations: Portugal and South Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The prevalence and pathology pattern of iodine deficiency (ID)
      related disorders are influenced by the dietary iodine intake: low iodine leads
      to thyroid nodular enlargement, to an increase in the incidence of thyroid
      cancer, an increase in anaplastic carcinomas and to an alteration in the
      papillary to follicular neoplasia ratio. This study aims at highlighting the
      effects of ID by comparatively evaluating the pattern of thyroid nodular
      pathology in different populations that, although geographically distant and
      heterogeneous, both had iodine deficiency at the time of data gathering and are
      at high altitude: Beira Interior (BI) in Portugal and Johannesburg (JHB) in South
      Africa. (S.A.) Mandatory salt iodization introduced in S. A. in 1995 has recently
      been shown to have resulted in the correction of ID. METHODS: Evaluation of
      thyroid histology reports over a 6 year period in BI and a 5 year period in the
      JHB area. RESULTS: Region of BI: 278 patients with histology reports-60 were
      malignancies (21.2 %): 31 papillary carcinomas, 22 follicular cancers (18
      follicular carcinomas and 4 Hurthle cell tumours), 3 medullary carcinomas and 4
      anaplastic carcinomas. Region of JHB: 136 histology reports- 33 were malignancies
      (24.3 %): 13 papillary carcinomas, 15 follicular cancers (10 follicular
      carcinomas and 5 Hurthle cell tumours), 1 medullary carcinoma, 3 anaplastic
      carcinomas and 1 metastatic carcinoma into the thyroid. There was an overlap in
      the frequencies of all histology types, of particular relevance in the relatively
      high anaplastic carcinoma incidences and in the papillary to follicular carcinoma
      ratios which was close to 1 in both areas- BI area ratio: 1.4 and JHB area ratio:
      0.87, with overlapping 95 % CI's, also confirmed by the results of the chi-square
      calculations. CONCLUSIONS: During the study periods evaluated both study areas
      displayed pathology patterns usually found in ID. Public information regarding
      the negative consequences of ID combined with the availability of affordable
      iodized salt are likely to achieve the goal of the elimination of ID. Sea based
      nutrition, (naturally iodine containing), may also contribute to the elimination
      of ID, particularly at times when salt restriction tends to be generally advised.

PMID- 26126627
TI  - Leisure-Time Spent Sitting and Site-Specific Cancer Incidence in a Large U.S.
      Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Time spent sitting is distinctly different from accumulating too
      little physical activity and may have independent deleterious effects. Few
      studies have examined the association between sitting time and site-specific
      cancer incidence. METHODS: Among 69,260 men and 77,462 women who were cancer-free
      and enrolled in the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition
      Cohort, 18,555 men and 12,236 women were diagnosed with cancer between 1992 and
      2009. Extended Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate
      multivariable-adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of
      leisure-time spent sitting with total and site-specific cancer incidence.
      RESULTS: Longer leisure-time spent sitting, after adjustment for physical
      activity, BMI, and other factors, was associated with risk of total cancer in
      women (RR = 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04-1.17 for >=6 hours vs. <3 hours per day), but not
      men (RR = 1.00; 95% CI, 0.96-1.05). In women, sitting time was associated with
      risk of multiple myeloma (RR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.07-2.54), invasive breast cancer
      (RR = 1.10; 95% CI, 1.00-1.21), and ovarian cancer (RR = 1.43; 95% CI, 1.10
      1.87). There were no associations between sitting time and site-specific cancers
      in men. CONCLUSION: Longer leisure-time spent sitting was associated with a
      higher risk of total cancer risk in women, and specifically with multiple
      myeloma, breast, and ovarian cancers, but sitting time was not associated with
      cancer risk in men. Further research is warranted to better understand the
      differences in associations between men and women. IMPACT: For women, these
      findings support American Cancer Society guidelines for cancer prevention to
      reduce sitting time when possible.

PMID- 26126626
TI  - Coffee Consumption and Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Intrahepatic
      Cholangiocarcinoma by Sex: The Liver Cancer Pooling Project.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coffee consumption has been reported to be inversely associated with
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer. Caffeine
      has chemopreventive properties, but whether caffeine is responsible for the
      coffee-HCC association is not well studied. In addition, few studies have
      examined the relationship by sex, and no studies have examined whether there is
      an association between coffee and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), the
      second most common type of liver cancer. METHODS: In the Liver Cancer Pooling
      Project, a consortium of U.S.-based cohort studies, data from 1,212,893
      individuals (HCC, n = 860; ICC, n = 260) in nine cohorts were pooled.
      Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were
      estimated using proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Higher coffee
      consumption was associated with lower risk of HCC (HR>3 cups/day vs. non-drinker,
      0.73; 95% CI, 0.53-0.99; Ptrend cups/day = <0.0001). More notable reduced risk
      was seen among women than men (Pinteraction = 0.07). Women who consumed more than
      three cups of coffee per day were at a 54% lower risk of HCC (HR, 0.46; 95% CI,
      0.26-0.81), whereas men had more modest reduced risk of HCC (HR, 0.93; 95% CI,
      0.63-1.37). The associations were stronger for caffeinated coffee (HR>3 cups/day
      vs. non-drinker, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.50-1.01) than decaffeinated coffee (HR, 0.92;
      95% CI, 0.55-1.54). There was no association between coffee consumption and ICC.
      CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that, in a U.S. population, coffee
      consumption is associated with reduced risk of HCC. IMPACT: Further research into
      specific coffee compounds and mechanisms that may account for these associations
      is needed.

PMID- 26126628
TI  - Angiotensin II increases secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (sFRP5) expression
      through AT1 receptor/Rho/ROCK1/JNK signaling in cardiomyocytes.
AB  - Secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (sFRP5) is a novel adipokine that functions
      as an inhibitor of Wnt signaling and is involved in embryonic development,
      proliferation, atherosclerosis, and apoptosis. Studies have shown that sFRP1-4 is
      expressed in cardiomyocytes, and sFRP3 and sFRP4 are elevated during heart
      failure. However, it is unclear whether sFRP5 is expressed in cardiomyocytes or
      cardiac hypertrophy, and as regards the effects of sFRP5 in the process. Here, we
      report the expression and the corresponding mechanisms of sFRP5 in angiotensin II
      (Ang II)-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Neonatal rat ventricular myocytes
      were exposed to increasing concentrations of Ang II for 12-72 h. Y27632 was used
      to block ROCK signal. PD98059, SB203580, and SP600125 were used to inhibit
      ERK1/2, p38 MAPK, and JNK signaling pathways, respectively, and anisomycin was
      used to activate JNK pathway. RT-PCR and Western-blot determined the expressions
      of sFRP5. BNP, TNF-alpha, ROCK1, ROCK2, MYPT1, and JNK were examined through
      Western-blot analysis. Ang II increased sFRP5 mRNA and protein levels in a time-
      and dose-dependent manner. Telmisartan, Y27632 and SP600125 effectively
      suppressed the expression of sFRP5. sFRP5 downregulated BNP and TNF-alpha
      expressions in hypertrophic cardiomyocytes. sFRP5 is expressed in cardiomyocytes,
      and upregulated in Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy through the AT1
      receptor/Rho/ROCK1/JNK signaling pathway. sFRP5 may play an important role during
      cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. 

PMID- 26126630
TI  - High-throughput characterization of chemical-associated embryonic behavioral
      changes predicts teratogenic outcomes.
AB  - New strategies are needed to address the data gap between the bioactivity of
      chemicals in the environment versus existing hazard information. We address
      whether a high-throughput screening (HTS) system using a vertebrate organism
      (embryonic zebrafish) can characterize chemical-elicited behavioral responses at
      an early, 24 hours post-fertilization (hpf) stage that predict teratogenic
      consequences at a later developmental stage. The system was used to generate full
      concentration-response behavioral profiles at 24 hpf across 1060 ToxCastTM
      chemicals. Detailed, morphological evaluation of all individuals was performed as
      experimental follow-up at 5 days post-fertilization (dpf). Chemicals eliciting
      behavioral responses were also mapped against external HTS in vitro results to
      identify specific molecular targets and neurosignalling pathways. We found that,
      as an integrative measure of normal development, significant alterations in
      movement highlighted active chemicals representing several modes of action. These
      early behavioral responses were predictive for 17 specific developmental
      abnormalities and mortality measured at 5 dpf, often at lower (i.e., more potent)
      concentrations than those at which morphological effects were observed.
      Therefore, this system can provide rapid characterization of chemical-elicited
      behavioral responses at an early developmental stage that are predictive of
      observable adverse effects later in life. 

PMID- 26126631
TI  - Oxidative stress in Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment: evidence
      from human data provided by redox proteomics.
AB  - Alzheimer disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with many known
      pathological features, yet there is still much debate into the exact cause and
      mechanisms for progression of this degenerative disorder. The amyloid-beta
      (Abeta)-induced oxidative stress hypothesis postulates that it is the oligomeric
      Abeta that inserts into membrane systems to initiate much of the oxidative stress
      observed in brain during the progression of the disease. In order to study the
      effects of oxidative stress on tissue from patients with AD and amnestic mild
      cognitive impairment (MCI), we have developed a method called redox proteomics
      that identifies specific brain proteins found to be selectively oxidized. Here,
      we discuss experimental findings of oxidatively modified proteins involved in
      three key cellular processes implicated in the pathogenesis of AD progression:
      energy metabolism, cell signaling and neurotransmission, as well as the
      proteasomal degradation pathways and antioxidant response systems. These
      proteomics studies conducted by our laboratory and others in the field shed light
      on the molecular changes imposed on the cells of AD and MCI brain, through the
      deregulated increase in oxidative/nitrosative stress inflicted by Abeta and
      mitochondrial dysfunction. 

PMID- 26126632
TI  - Combusting vegetable oils in diesel engines: the impact of unsaturated fatty
      acids on particle emissions and mutagenic effects of the exhaust.
AB  - High particle emissions and strong mutagenic effects were observed after
      combustion of vegetable oil in diesel engines. This study tested the hypothesis
      that these results are affected by the amount of unsaturated or polyunsaturated
      fatty acids of vegetable oils. Four different vegetable oils (coconut oil, CO;
      linseed oil, LO; palm tree oil, PO; and rapeseed oil, RO) and common diesel fuel
      (DF) were combusted in a heavy-duty diesel engine. The exhausts were investigated
      for particle emissions and mutagenic effects in direct comparison with emissions
      of DF. The engine was operated using the European Stationary Cycle. Particle
      masses were measured gravimetrically while mutagenicity was determined using the
      bacterial reverse mutation assay with tester strains TA98 and TA100. Combustion
      of LO caused the largest amount of total particulate matter (TPM). In comparison
      with DF, it particularly raised the soluble organic fraction (SOF). RO presented
      second highest TPM and SOF, followed by CO and PO, which were scarcely above DF.
      RO revealed the highest number of mutations of the vegetable oils closely
      followed by LO. PO was less mutagenic, but still induced stronger effects than
      DF. While TPM and SOF were strongly correlated with the content of
      polyunsaturated fatty acids in the vegetable oils, mutagenicity had a significant
      correlation with the amount of total unsaturated fatty acids. This study supports
      the hypothesis that numbers of double bounds in unsaturated fatty acids of
      vegetable oils combusted in diesel engines influence the amount of emitted
      particles and the mutagenicity of the exhaust. Further investigations have to
      elucidate the causal relationship. 

PMID- 26126633
TI  - Paradox effects of binge drinking on response inhibition processes depending on
      mental workload.
AB  - Binge drinking is an increasing problem in Western societies, but we are still
      only beginning to unravel the effects of binge drinking on a cognitive level.
      While common sense suggests that all cognitive functions are compromised during
      high-dose ethanol intoxication, several studies suggest that the effects might
      instead be rather specific. Moreover, some results suggest that the degrees of
      automaticity and complexity of cognitive operations during response control
      modulate effects of binge drinking. However, this has not been tested in detail.
      In the current study, we therefore parametrically modulate cognitive/"mental"
      workload during response inhibition and examine the effects of high-dose ethanol
      intoxication (~1.1 0/00) in n = 18 male participants. The results suggest that
      detrimental effects of high-dose ethanol intoxication strongly depend on the
      complexity of processes involved in response inhibition. The results revealed
      strong effects (eta (2) = .495) and are in line with findings showing that even
      high doses of ethanol have very specific effects on a cognitive level. Opposed to
      common sense, more complex cognitive operations seem to be less affected by a
      high-dose ethanol intoxication. Complementing this, high-dose ethanol
      intoxication is increasingly detrimental for action control, as stronger
      automated response tendencies are in charge and need to be controlled. Binge-like
      ethanol intoxication may take a heavier toll on cognitive control processes than
      on automated responses/response tendencies. Therefore, ethanol effects are more
      pronounced in supposedly "easier" control conditions because those facilitate the
      formation of automated response tendencies. 

PMID- 26126634
TI  - Basal divergence of Eriophyoidea (Acariformes, Eupodina) inferred from combined
      partial COI and 28S gene sequences and CLSM genital anatomy.
AB  - Eriophyoids are an ancient group of highly miniaturized, morphologically
      simplified and diverse phytoparasitic mites. Their possible numerous host-switch
      events have been accompanied by considerable homoplastic evolution. Although
      several morphological cladistic and molecular phylogenetic studies attempted to
      reconstruct phylogeny of Eriophyoidea, the major lineages of eriophyoids, as well
      as the evolutionary relationships between them, are still poorly understood. New
      phylogenetically informative data have been provided by the recent discovery of
      the early derivative pentasetacine genus Loboquintus, and observations on the
      eriophyoid reproductive anatomy. Herein, we use COI and D1-2 rRNA data of 73
      eriophyoid species (including early derivative pentasetacines) from Europe, the
      Americas and South Africa to reconstruct part of the phylogeny of the
      superfamily, and infer on the basal divergence of eriophyoid taxa. In addition, a
      comparative CLSM study of the female internal genitalia was undertaken in order
      to find putative apomorphies, which can be used to improve the taxonomy of
      Eriophyoidea. The following molecular clades, marked by differences in genital
      anatomy and prodorsal shield setation, were found in our analyses:
      Loboquintus(Pentasetacus((Eriophyidae + Diptilomiopidae)(Phytoptidae-1,
      Phytoptidae-2))). The results of this study suggest that the superfamily
      Eriophyoidea comprises basal paraphyletic pentasetacines (Loboquintus and
      Pentasetacus), and two large monophyletic groups: Eriophyidae s.l. [containing
      paraphyletic Eriophyidae sensu Amrine et al. 2003 (=Eriophyidae s.str.) and
      Diptilomiopidae sensu Amrine et al. 2003] and Phytoptidae s.l. [containing
      monophyletic Phytoptidae sensu Boczek et al. 1989 (=Phytoptidae s.str.) and
      Nalepellidae sensu Boczek et al. 1989]. Putative morphological apomorphies
      (including genital and gnathosomal characters) supporting the clades revealed in
      molecular analyses are briefly discussed.

PMID- 26126635
TI  - Reactive Attachment Disorder and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder in
      School-Aged Foster Children--A Confirmatory Approach to Dimensional Measures.
AB  - This study aimed to investigate the factor structure and external correlates of
      the constructs Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and Disinhibited Social
      Engagement Disorder (DSED) from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
      Disorders (DSM-5). The following were addressed: First, do our data support the
      DSM-5 conceptualization of RAD/DSED as two separate constructs? Second, are RAD
      and DSED distinct from other well-established dimensions of child
      psychopathology? Third, what are the external correlates of RAD/DSED in this
      sample? The study sample included 122 foster children aged 6-10 years. Foster
      parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the
      RAD/DSED-scale from the Developmental and Well-Being Assessment. Child protection
      caseworkers completed a questionnaire regarding exposure to maltreatment and
      placement history. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the RAD/DSED items
      identified a good fit for a model with a two-factor structure, which is congruent
      with the DSM-5 definition of RAD and DSED. A new CFA model, which included the
      RAD and DSED factors together with the four problem factors of the SDQ
      (emotional, conduct, hyperactivity-inattention, and peer problems), also
      demonstrated a good fit with our data. RAD and DSED were associated with the SDQ
      Impact scale and help seeking behavior. This was partly explained by the SDQ
      externalizing and peer problem subscales. Our findings lend support for the DSM-5
      conceptualization of RAD and DSED as separate dimensions of child
      psychopathology. Thus, the assessment of RAD and DSED provides information beyond
      other mental health problems. 

PMID- 26126636
TI  - Evaluating cytology for the detection of invasive cervical cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the sensitivity, the number needed to screen (NNS) and the
      positive predictive value (PPV) of cervical cytology for the diagnosis of cancer
      by age in a screening population. METHODS: A retrospective cohort of women with
      invasive cervical cancer nested within a census of cervical cytology. All (c. 8
      million) women aged 20-64 years with cervical cytology (excluding tests after an
      earlier abnormality). From April 2007 to March 2010, 3372 women had cervical
      cancer diagnosed within 12 months of such cytology in England. The sensitivity of
      cervical cytology to cancer, NNS to detect one cancer and predictive values of
      cytology were calculated for various 'referral' thresholds. These were calculated
      for ages 20-24, 25-34, 35-49 and 50-64 years. RESULTS: The sensitivity of at
      least moderate dyskaryosis [equivalent to a high-grade squamous intraepithelial
      lesion (HSIL) or worse] for cancer of 89.4% [95% confidence interval (CI) 88.3
      90.4%] in women offered screening was independent of age. At all ages, women with
      borderline-early recall or mild dyskaryosis on cytology (equivalent to ASC-US and
      LSIL, respectively, in the Bethesda system) had a similar risk of cervical cancer
      to the risk in all women tested. The PPV of severe dyskaryosis/?invasive and
      ?glandular neoplasia cytology (equivalent to squamous cell carcinoma and
      adenocarcinoma/adenocarcinoma in situ, respectively, in the Bethesda System) were
      34% and 12%, respectively; the PPV of severe dyskaryosis (HSIL: severe dysplasia)
      was 4%. The NNS was lowest when the incidence of cervical cancer was highest, at
      ages 25-39 years, but the proportion of those with abnormal cytology who have
      cancer was also lowest in younger women. CONCLUSIONS: The PPV of at least severe
      dyskaryosis (HSIL: severe dysplasia) for cancer was 4-10% of women aged 25-64
      years, justifying a 2-week referral to colposcopy and demonstrating the
      importance of failsafe monitoring for such patients. The sensitivity of cytology
      for cervical cancer was excellent across all age groups.

PMID- 26126638
TI  - HbA1c, Fructosamine, and Glycated Albumin in the Detection of Dysglycaemic
      Conditions.
AB  - Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) is currently the gold standard for glucose
      monitoring in patients with diabetes, and has been increasingly adopted as a
      criteria for diabetes diagnosis. However, conditions that determine alterations
      in haemoglobin metabolism can interfere with the reliability of HbA1c
      measurements. Glycated albumin and fructosamine (total glycated serum proteins)
      are alternative markers of glycaemia, which have been recognised to provide
      additional information to HbA1c or to provide a reliable measure when HbA1c is
      observed not to be dependable. Additionally, while HbA1c monitors the exposure to
      circulating glycaemia in the previous 3 months, glycated albumin and fructosamine
      represent exposure for a shorter period, which may be beneficial to monitor rapid
      metabolic alterations or changes in diabetes treatment. The present review
      further discusses the relative value of HbA1c, glycated albumin, and
      fructosamine, in prediabetes and diabetes diagnosis, evaluation of glucose
      variability, and complications risk prediction. Also, a novel molecular role for
      albumin is presented by which glycated albumin contributes to glucose intolerance
      development and thus to progression to diabetes, besides the role of glycated
      albumin as a pro-atherogenic factor. 

PMID- 26126637
TI  - Expression patterns, molecular markers and genetic diversity of insect
      susceptible and resistant Barbarea genotypes by comparative transcriptome
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Barbarea vulgaris contains two genotypes: the glabrous type (G-type),
      which confers resistance to the diamondback moth (DBM) and other insect pests,
      and the pubescent type (P-type), which is susceptible to the DBM. Herein, the
      transcriptomes of P-type B. vulgaris before and after DBM infestation were
      subjected to Illumina (Solexa) pyrosequencing and comparative analysis. RESULTS:
      5.0 gigabase pairs of clean nucleotides were generated. Non-redundant unigenes
      (33,721) were assembled and 94.1 % of them were annotated. Compared with our
      previous G-type transcriptome, the expression patterns of many insect responsive
      genes, including those related to secondary metabolism, phytohormones and
      transcription factors, which were significantly induced by DBM in G-type plants,
      were less sensitive to DBM infestation in P-type plants. The genes of the
      triterpenoid saponin pathway were identified in both G- and P-type plants. The
      upstream genes of the pathway showed similar expression patterns between the two
      genotypes. However, gene expression for two downstream enzymes, the glucosyl
      transferase (UGT73C11) and an oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC), were significantly
      upregulated in the P-type compared with the G-type plant. The homologous genes
      from P- and G-type plants were detected by BLAST unigenes with a cutoff level E
      value < e(-10). 12,980 gene families containing 26,793 P-type and 36,944 G-type
      unigenes were shared by the two types of B. vulgaris. 38,397 single nucleotide
      polymorphisms (SNPs) were found in 9,452 orthologous genes between the P- and G
      type plants. We also detected 5,105 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in the B.
      vulgaris transcriptome, comprising mono-nucleotide-repeats (2,477; 48.5 %) and
      triple-nucleotide-repeats (1,590; 31.1 %). Of these, 1,657 SSRs displayed
      polymorphisms between the P- and G-type. Consequently, 913 SSR primer pairs were
      designed with a resolution of more than two nucleotides. We randomly chose 30
      SSRs to detect the genetic diversity of 32 Barbarea germplasms. The distance tree
      showed that these accessions were clearly divided into groups, with the G-type
      grouping with available Western and Central European B. vulgaris accessions in
      contrast to the P-type accession, B. stricta and B. verna. CONCLUSIONS: These
      data represent useful information for pest-resistance gene mining and for the
      investigation of the molecular basis of plant-pest interactions.

PMID- 26126639
TI  - Unusual coordination state of cobalt ions in zeolites modified by aluminum
      chloride.
AB  - Co- and Al-modified zeolites (Al-Co-ZSM-5) were prepared by solid-state ion
      exchange with cobalt acetate or chloride, followed by AlCl3 immobilization from
      anhydrous toluene solution. Based on data from XRD, X-ray absorption
      (XANES/EXAFS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and DRIFT spectral studies of
      adsorbed probe molecules (carbon monoxide, ethane), a new cobalt electronic
      state, bonded with surface aluminum atoms through oxygen and chlorine atoms,
      arises on the surface of Al-Co-ZSM-5. A new band at 2192 cm(-1) appears in the
      DRIFT spectrum, shifted to lower frequencies compared to CO complexes with
      isolated Co(2+) cations (2205 cm(-1)). Spectral data of the ethane adsorption
      (new strong bands in the range of 2740-2770 cm(-1)) prove the existence of
      specific centers of alkane activation on coordinately unsaturated cobalt cations,
      resulting in the interaction with aluminum chloride. 

PMID- 26126641
TI  - The GAB2 and BDNF polymorphisms and the risk for late-onset Alzheimer's disease
      in an elderly Brazilian sample--ERRATUM.

PMID- 26126642
TI  - Outcome of adolescent patients with acute myeloid leukemia treated with pediatric
      protocols.
AB  - As past studies of adolescent and young adults (AYA) with acute myeloid leukemia
      (AML) reported conflicting results, we conducted a retrospective analysis using
      data from three Japanese pediatric AML studies. Among the 782 patients with de
      novo AML, 44 were classified as AYA (age >=15 years at diagnosis), 164 as infants
      (0-1 year), 413 as younger children (2-11 years), and 161 as older children (12
      14 years). While the 5-year event-free survival rate of AYA was not different
      among the groups, the five-year survival rate (54.7 %) was significantly lower
      than that of the other three groups (P = 0.019): 68.7 % for infants, 73.2 % for
      younger children, and 75.5 % for older children. No difference in the 5-year
      cumulative incidence of relapse was observed, but treatment-related death (TRD)
      of AYA was significantly higher (29.4 %) than that in infants (14.8 %), younger
      children (10.2 %), and older children (13.8 %). Multivariate analysis showed age
      >=15 years old at diagnosis was associated with both poor survival rate and high
      TRD. Adolescents with AML had inferior survival due to a higher incidence of TRD,
      especially after failure of initial frontline treatment.

PMID- 26126643
TI  - Novel electrochemical sensing platform based on a molecularly imprinted polymer
      decorated 3D nanoporous nickel skeleton for ultrasensitive and selective
      determination of metronidazole.
AB  - A novel electrochemical sensor has been developed by using a composite element of
      three-dimensional (3D) nanoporous nickel (NPNi) and molecularly imprinted polymer
      (MIP). NPNi is introduced in order to enhance the electron-transport ability and
      surface area of the sensor, while the electrosynthesized MIP layer affords
      simultaneous identification and quantification of the target molecule by
      employing Fe(CN)6(3-/4-) as the probe to indicate the current intensity. The
      morphology of the hybrid film was observed by scanning electron microscopy, and
      the properties of the sensor were examined by cyclic voltammetry and
      electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. By using metronidazole (MNZ) as a model
      analyte, the sensor based on the MIP/NPNi hybrid exhibits great features such as
      a remarkably low detection limit of 2 * 10(-14) M (S/N = 3), superb selectivity
      in discriminating MNZ from its structural analogues, and good antiinterference
      ability toward several coexisting substances. Moreover, the proposed method also
      demonstrates excellent repeatability and stability, with relative standard
      deviations of less than 1.12% and 1.4%, respectively. Analysis of MNZ in
      pharmaceutical dosage form and fish tissue is successfully carried out without
      assistance of complicated pretreatment. The MIP/NPNi composite presented here
      with admirable merits makes it a promising candidate for developing
      electrochemical sensor devices and plays a role in widespread fields. 

PMID- 26126644
TI  - PAMAM G4 dendrimers as inhibitors of the iron storage properties of human L-chain
      ferritin.
AB  - Cationic dendrimers, such as PAMAM, are known to be positively charged at neutral
      pH allowing their unspecific interaction with proteins and other cellular
      components. Especially, ferritin, which has an important role in iron
      homeostasis, presents a negative electrostatic potential at the 3-fold channel.
      This channel is important in the functionality of ferritin because it allows the
      iron entry into its inner cavity. In this way, the interaction between the
      protonated terminal amines of the dendrimer and the negatively charged 3-fold
      channels of ferritin is expected. Experimental measurements demonstrated that
      PAMAM G4 inhibits the iron storage properties of L-chain human ferritin (L-Ftn).
      Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to analyze the specific interaction
      between PAMAM G4 and L-Ftn. Results show that PAMAM G4 effectively interacts with
      the 3-fold channels of L-Ftn, suggesting that this interaction is responsible for
      the inhibition of the iron storage properties of L-Ftn. 

PMID- 26126646
TI  - Correction for Electronic Structure Investigation and Parametrization of
      Biologically Relevant Iron-Sulfur Clusters.

PMID- 26126647
TI  - Polycaprolactone fiber meshes provide a 3D environment suitable for cultivation
      and differentiation of melanocytes from the outer root sheath of hair follicle.
AB  - Melanocytes differentiated from the stem cells of human hair follicle outer root
      sheath (ORS) have the potential for developing non-invasive treatments for skin
      disorders out of a minimal sample: of hair root. With a robust procedure for
      melanocyte cultivation from the ORS of human hair follicle at hand, this study
      focused on the identification of a suitable biocompatible, biodegradable carrier
      as the next step toward their clinical implementation. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is
      a known biocompatible material used for a number of medical devices. In this
      study, we have populated electrospun PCL fiber meshes with normal human epidermal
      melanocytes (NHEM) as well as with hair-follicle-derived human melanocytes from
      the outer root sheath (HUMORS) and tested their functionality in vitro. PCL fiber
      meshes evidently provided a niche for melanocytes and supported their melanotic
      properties. The cells were tested for gene expression of PAX3, PMEL, TYR and
      MITF, as well as for proliferation, expression of melanocyte marker proteins
      tyrosinase and glycoprotein 100 (gp100), L-DOPA-tautomerase enzymatic activity
      and melanin content. Reduced mitochondrial activity and PAX-3 gene expression
      indicated that the three-dimensional PCL scaffold supported differentiation
      rather than proliferation of melanocytes. The monitored melanotic features of
      both the NHEM and HUMORS cultivated on PCL scaffolds significantly exceeded those
      of two-dimensional adherent cultures.

PMID- 26126648
TI  - The hippocampal commissure: a new finding at prenatal 3D ultrasound in fetuses
      with isolated complete agenesis of the corpus callosum.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence and
      sonographic appearance of the hippocampal commissure in fetuses with isolated
      complete agenesis of the corpus callosum by three-dimensional neurosonography in
      the multiplanar mode. METHODS: This was a multicenter observational study. Stored
      volume datasets of fetuses with isolated complete agenesis of the corpus were
      retrospectively retrieved for analysis in three tertiary centers. The presence or
      absence of the hippocampal commissure was independently evaluated in the coronal
      and midsagittal planes by two operators. Postnatal follow-up was obtained in all
      cases. RESULTS: From November 2007 to February 2013, 41 cases between 19 and 30
      weeks of gestation were retrieved for analysis. The hippocampal commissure was
      visible in the coronal and sagittal planes in 27/41 (65.8%), absent or not
      clearly recognizable in the remaining 14 cases. The qualitative analysis of the
      two operators was concordant in 100% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: In more than half of
      fetuses with complete callosal agenesis, the hippocampal commissure may be
      visualized at prenatal ultrasound. This is a residual interhemispheric
      connection, which in normal cases is hidden by the corpus callosum itself.
      Further research is needed to establish if this has an impact on postnatal
      outcome.

PMID- 26126649
TI  - Neuro-Bio-Behavioral Mechanisms of Placebo and Nocebo Responses: Implications for
      Clinical Trials and Clinical Practice.
AB  - The placebo effect has often been considered a nuisance in basic and particularly
      clinical research. This view has gradually changed in recent years due to deeper
      insight into the neuro-bio-behavioral mechanisms steering both the placebo and
      nocebo responses, the evil twin of placebo. For the neuroscientist, placebo and
      nocebo responses have evolved as indispensable tools to understand brain
      mechanisms that link cognitive and emotional factors with symptom perception as
      well as peripheral physiologic systems and end organ functioning. For the
      clinical investigator, better understanding of the mechanisms driving placebo and
      nocebo responses allow the control of these responses and thereby help to more
      precisely define the efficacy of a specific pharmacological intervention.
      Finally, in the clinical context, the systematic exploitation of these mechanisms
      will help to maximize placebo responses and minimize nocebo responses for the
      patient's benefit. In this review, we summarize and critically examine the neuro
      bio-behavioral mechanisms underlying placebo and nocebo responses that are
      currently known in terms of different diseases and physiologic systems. We
      subsequently elaborate on the consequences of this knowledge for pharmacological
      treatments of patients and the implications for pharmacological research, the
      training of healthcare professionals, and for the health care system and future
      research strategies on placebo and nocebo responses. 

PMID- 26126650
TI  - Gastrin-releasing peptide expression and its effect on the calcification of
      developing mouse incisor.
AB  - Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) is considered to be one of the cancer growth
      factors. This peptide's receptor (GRPR) is known as a G protein-coupled receptor,
      regulating intracellular calcium storage and releasing signals. This study is the
      first to investigate the function of GRP during mouse incisor development. We
      hypothesized that GRP is one of the factors that affects the regulation of
      calcification during tooth development. To verify the expression pattern of GRP,
      in situ hybridization was processed during incisor development. GRP was expressed
      at the late bell stage and hard tissue formation stage in the epithelial tissue.
      To identify the genuine function of GRP during incisor development, a gain-of
      function analysis was performed. After GRP overexpression in culture, the
      phenotype of ameloblasts, odontoblasts and predentin was altered compared to
      control group. Moreover, enamel and dentin thickness was increased after renal
      capsule transplantation of GRP-overexpressed incisors. With these results, we
      suggest that GRP plays a significant role in the formation of enamel and dentin
      by regulating ameloblasts and predentin formation, respectively. Thus, GRP
      signaling is strongly related to calcium acquisition and secretion during mouse
      incisor development. 

PMID- 26126652
TI  - Assembly of multiple cell gradients directed by three-dimensional microfluidic
      channels.
AB  - Active control over the cell gradient is essential for understanding biological
      systems and the reconstitution of the functionality of many types of tissues,
      particularly for organ-on-a-chip. Here, we propose a three-dimensional (3D)
      microfluidic strategy for generating controllable cell gradients. In this
      approach, a homogeneous cell suspension is loaded into a 3D stair-shaped PDMS
      microchannel to generate a cell gradient within 10 min by sedimentation. We
      demonstrate that cell gradients of various profiles (exponential and piecewise
      linear) can be achieved by precisely controlling the height of each layer during
      the fabrication. With sequential seeding, we further demonstrate the generation
      of two overlapping cell gradients on the same glass substrate with pre-defined
      designs. The cell gradient-based QD cytotoxicity assay also demonstrated that
      cell behaviors and resistances were regulated by the changes in cell density.
      These results reveal that the proposed 3D microfluidic strategy provides a simple
      and versatile means for establishing controllable gradients in cell density,
      opening up a new avenue for reconstructing functional tissues. 

PMID- 26126651
TI  - Analysis of aquaporin expression in liver with a focus on hepatocytes.
AB  - A deeper understanding of aquaporins (AQPs) expression and transcriptional
      regulation will provide useful information for liver pathophysiology. We
      established a complete AQPs mRNA expression profile in human and mouse liver, as
      well as protein localization of expressed AQPs. Additionally, the modulation of
      AQPs mRNA levels in response to various agents was determined in human HuH7 cells
      and in primary culture of mouse hepatocytes. AQP1, AQP3, AQP7, AQP8, and AQP9
      mRNA and protein expressions were detected in human liver, while only AQP6 and
      AQP11 mRNAs were detected. We reported for the first time the localization of
      AQP3 in Kupffer cells, AQP7 in hepatocytes and endothelial cells, and AQP9 in
      cholangiocytes. In addition, we confirmed the localization of AQP1 in endothelial
      cells, and of AQP8 and AQP9 in hepatocytes. On HuH7 cells, we reported the
      presence of AQP4 mRNA, confirmed the presence of AQP3, AQP7, and AQP11 mRNAs, but
      not of AQP8 mRNA. On primary culture of murine hepatocytes, AQP1 and AQP7 mRNAs
      were identified, while the presence of AQP3, AQP8, AQP9, and AQP11 mRNAs was
      confirmed. At the protein level, murine endothelial liver cells expressed AQP1
      and AQP9, while hepatocytes expressed AQP3, AQP7, AQP8, and AQP9, and macrophages
      expressed AQP3. Dexamethasone, forskolin, AICAR, rosiglitazone, octanoylated, and
      non-octanoylated ghrelin regulated some AQP expression in primary culture of
      murine hepatocytes and human HuH7 cells. Additional studies will be required to
      further assess the role of AQPs expression in human and murine liver and
      understand the transcriptional regulation of AQPs in hepatocytes under
      pathophysiological conditions. 

PMID- 26126653
TI  - The current status and future perspectives of organ donation in Japan: learning
      from the systems in other countries.
AB  - The revised Organ Transplant Law came into effect in Japan in July 2010. The law
      allows for organ procurement from brain-dead individuals, including children,
      with family consent from subjects who had not previously rejected organ donation.
      Nevertheless, the number of cadaveric organ donations has not increased as
      expected. The Spanish Model is widely known as the most successful system in the
      field of organ donation. The system includes an earlier referral of possible
      donors to the transplant coordination teams, a new family-based approach and care
      methods, and the development of additional training courses aimed at specific
      groups of professionals, which are supported by their corresponding societies.
      South Korea, a country which neighbors Japan, has recently succeeded in
      increasing the rates of organ donation by introducing several systems, such as
      incentive programs, an organ procurement organization, a donor registry, and a
      system to facilitate potential donor referral. In this review, we present the
      current status of organ donation in Japan and also explore various factors that
      may help to improve the country's low donation rate based on the experiences of
      other developed countries. 

PMID- 26126654
TI  - The relative patient costs and availability of dental services, materials and
      equipment in public oral care facilities in Tanzania.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient charges and availability of dental services influence
      utilization of dental services. There is little available information on the cost
      of dental services and availability of materials and equipment in public dental
      facilities in Africa. This study aimed to determine the relative cost and
      availability of dental services, materials and equipment in public oral care
      facilities in Tanzania. The local factors affecting availability were also
      studied. METHODS: A survey of all district and regional dental clinics in
      selected regions was conducted in 2014. A total of 28/30 facilities participated
      in the study. A structured interview was undertaken amongst practitioners and
      clinic managers within the facilities. Daily resources for consumption (DRC) were
      used for estimation of patients' relative cost. DRC are the quantified average
      financial resources required for an adult Tanzanian's overall consumption per
      day. RESULTS: Tooth extractions were found to cost four times the DRC whereas
      restorations were 9-10 times the DRC. Studied facilities provided tooth
      extractions (100%), scaling (86%), fillings (79%), root canal treatment (46%) and
      fabrication of removable partial dentures (32%). The ratio of tooth fillings to
      extractions in the facilities was 1:16. Less than 50% of the facilities had any
      of the investigated dental materials consistently available throughout the year,
      and just three facilities had all the investigated equipment functional and in
      use. CONCLUSIONS: Dental materials and equipment availability, skills of the
      practitioners and the cost of services all play major roles in provision and
      utilization of comprehensive oral care. These factors are likely to be
      interlinked and should be taken into consideration when studying any of the
      factors individually.

PMID- 26126656
TI  - Arthralgia among women taking aromatase inhibitors: is there a shared
      inflammatory mechanism with co-morbid fatigue and insomnia?
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Arthralgia is a common toxicity among women taking aromatase
      inhibitors (AIs) and can lead to premature discontinuation of therapy. We
      evaluated the association between arthralgia, co-morbid fatigue and/or insomnia,
      and inflammatory biomarkers among women taking AIs. METHODS: Women taking AIs for
      early-stage breast cancer completed a modified version of the Brief Pain
      Inventory, the Brief Fatigue Inventory, and the Insomnia Severity Index and
      provided blood samples for simultaneous assessment of 34 inflammatory biomarkers
      with a Luminex kit. Two-sided t tests were used to compare inflammatory biomarker
      concentrations for patients with or without moderate to severe arthralgia.
      Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the
      relationship between comorbid arthralgia, fatigue, and insomnia with identified
      biomarker concentrations. RESULTS: Among 203 participants, the severity of
      arthralgia, fatigue, and insomnia were significantly correlated with each other
      (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). After controlling for race, chemotherapy
      history, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, age, and body mass index, the
      coexistence of arthralgia, fatigue, and insomnia was associated with elevated C
      reactive protein (CRP) (beta = 93.1; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 25.1-161.1; p
      = 0.008), eotaxin (beta = 79.9; 95 % CI: 32.5-127.2; p = 0.001), monocyte
      chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 (beta = 151.2; 95 % CI: 32.7-269.8; p = 0.013),
      and vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP) (beta = 19,422; 95 % CI: 5500.5-33,344; p =
      0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Among women taking AIs, the coexistence of arthralgia,
      fatigue, and insomnia was associated with increased levels of inflammatory
      biomarkers (elevated CRP, eotaxin, MCP-1, and VDBP). These findings suggest a
      possible shared inflammatory mechanism underlying these common symptoms.

PMID- 26126655
TI  - Psychological distress and its relationship with non-adherence to TB treatment: a
      multicentre study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The successful cure of tuberculosis (TB) is dependent on adherence to
      treatment. Various factors influence adherence, however, few are easily
      modifiable. There are limited data regarding correlates of psychological distress
      and their association with non-adherence to anti-TB treatment. METHODS: In a
      trial of a new TB test, we measured psychological distress (K-10 score), TB
      related health literacy, and morbidity (TBscore), prior to diagnosis in 1502
      patients with symptoms of pulmonary TB recruited from clinics in Cape Town (n =
      419), Harare (n = 400), Lusaka (n = 400), Durban (n = 200), and Mbeya (n = 83).
      Socioeconomic, demographic, and alcohol usage-related data were captured.
      Patients initiated on treatment had their DOTS cards reviewed at two-and six
      months. RESULTS: 22 %(95 % CI: 20 %, 25 %) of patients had severe psychological
      distress (K-10 >= 30). In a multivariable linear regression model, increased K-10
      score was independently associated with previous TB [estimate (95 % CI) 0.98(0.09
      1.87); p = 0.0304], increased TBscore [1(0.80, 1.20); p <0.0001], and heavy
      alcohol use [3.08(1.26, 4.91); p = 0.0010], whereas male gender was protective [
      1.47(-2.28, -0.62); p = 0.0007]. 26 % (95 % CI: 21 %, 32 %) of 261 patients with
      culture-confirmed TB were non-adherent. In a multivariable logistic regression
      model for non-adherence, reduced TBscore [OR (95 % CI) 0.639 (0.497, 0.797); p =
      0.0001], health literacy score [0.798(0.696, 0.906); p = 0.0008], and increased K
      10 [1.082(1.033, 1.137); p = 0.0012], and heavy alcohol usage [14.83(2.083,
      122.9); p = 0.0002], were independently associated. Culture-positive patients
      with a K-10 score >= 30 were more-likely to be non-adherent (OR = 2.290(1.033
      5.126); p = 0.0416]. CONCLUSION: Severe psychological distress is frequent
      amongst TB patients in Southern Africa. Targeted interventions to alleviate
      psychological distress, alcohol use, and improve health literacy in newly
      diagnosed TB patients could reduce non-adherence to treatment.

PMID- 26126657
TI  - Integrated cell and process engineering for improved transient production of a
      "difficult-to-express" fusion protein by CHO cells.
AB  - Based on an optimized electroporation protocol, we designed a rapid, milliliter
      scale diagnostic transient production assay to identify limitations in the
      ability of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells to produce a model "difficult-to
      express" homodimeric Fc-fusion protein, Sp35Fc, that exhibited very low
      volumetric titer and intracellular formation of disulfide-bonded oligomeric
      aggregates post-transfection. As expression of Sp35Fc induced an unfolded protein
      response in transfected host cells, we utilized the transient assay to compare,
      in parallel, multiple functionally diverse strategies to engineer intracellular
      processing of Sp35Fc in order to increase production and reduce aggregation as
      two discrete design objectives. Specifically, we compared the effect of (i) co
      expression of ER-resident molecular chaperones (BiP, PDI, CypB) or active forms
      of UPR transactivators (ATF6c, XBP1s) at varying recombinant gene load, (ii)
      addition of small molecules known to act as chemical chaperones (PBA, DMSO,
      glycerol, betaine, TMAO) or modulate UPR signaling (PERK inhibitor GSK2606414) at
      varying concentration, (iii) a reduction in culture temperature to 32 degrees C.
      Using this information, we designed a biphasic, Sp35Fc-specific transient
      manufacturing process mediated by lipofection that utilized CypB co-expression at
      an optimal Sp35Fc:CypB gene ratio of 5:1 to initially maximize transfected cell
      proliferation, followed by addition of a combination of PBA (0.5 mM) and glycerol
      (1% v/v) at the onset of stationary phase to maximize cell specific production
      and eliminate Sp35Fc aggregation. Using this optimal, engineered process
      transient Sp35Fc production was significantly increased sixfold over a 12 day
      production process with no evidence of disulfide-bonded aggregates. Finally,
      transient production in clonally derived sub-populations (derived from parental
      CHO host) screened for a heritably improved capability to produce Sp35Fc was also
      significantly improved by the optimized process, showing that protein-specific
      cell/process engineering can provide a solution that exceeds the limits of
      genetic/functional diversity within heterogeneous host cell populations. .

PMID- 26126658
TI  - Perceived patient satisfaction with in-patient services at Jimma University
      Specialized Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction is an attitude resulting from a person's general
      orientation towards a total experience of health care. It is a key determinant
      and a legitimate measure for quality of care. In developing countries,
      satisfaction studies were conducted mainly on nursing care and outpatient
      services. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to measure and describe the level of patient
      satisfaction within inpatient health care services. METHODS: Across sectional
      study design was conducted from 8 May 2011 to 2 June 2011 at Jimma University
      Specialized Hospital. Systematic random sampling technique was employed to
      recruit participants. A standardized structured questionnaire developed by
      reviewing similar literatures was used to assess the level of patient
      satisfaction towards the inpatient services. SPSS version 19 statistical packages
      were used for data management and analysis. RESULT: A total of 189 patients
      participated. The proportion of overall net patient satisfaction was 117 (61.9%).
      Majority of the respondents 148 (78.3%) reported that they got the kind of
      service they anticipated. Cleanliness of the ward 145 (76.7%) and time to get
      back to home 27 (14.3%) were found to have the highest and the lowest proportion
      of satisfied respondents, respectively. Patients with no formal education 60
      (76.9%) and patients from the rural areas 75 (68.8%) were satisfied higher than
      those from their counterparts. Patients at medical 22 (61.1%) and ophthalmology
      10 (62.5%) wards were less satisfied than patients in other departments.
      CONCLUSION: Nearly two third of the patients were found to be satisfied by the
      service they received from the hospital. Most of the patients found to be
      dissatisfied with the nursing, pharmacy and laboratory services, while some
      others were still dissatisfied with the level of health education, communication
      and information they received about their illness. Therefore, the hospital
      administration system should best work on new innovative approach to keep and
      improve the administrative system, waiting time, hospital stay, hospital
      accommodation, access for medications and laboratory services to bring patient
      satisfaction. Nurses and physicians should have to work best to improve health
      education, communication and understanding between doctors/nurses and patients.
      Hospital reformation and modern hospital administration system could work best to
      keep and improve the level of patient satisfaction.

PMID- 26126660
TI  - UK law on consent: broad consent or authorisation for research?

PMID- 26126659
TI  - Efficient Total Synthesis of Bongkrekic Acid and Apoptosis Inhibitory Activity of
      Its Analogues.
AB  - Bongkrekic acid (BKA), isolated from the bacterium Burkholderia cocovenenans, is
      an inhibitor of adenine nucleotide translocator, which inhibits apoptosis, and is
      thus an important tool for the mechanistic investigation of apoptosis. An
      efficient total synthesis of BKA has been achieved by employing a three-component
      convergent strategy based on Kocienski-Julia olefination and Suzuki-Miyaura
      coupling. It is noteworthy that segment B has been prepared as a new doubly
      functionalized coupling partner, which contributes to shortening of the number of
      steps. Torquoselective olefination with an ynolate has also been applied for the
      efficient construction of an unsaturated ester. Furthermore, it is revealed that
      1-methyl-2-azaadamantane N-oxyl is an excellent reagent for final oxidation to
      afford BKA in high yield. Based on the total synthesis, several BKA analogues
      were prepared for structure-activity relationship studies, which indicated that
      the carboxylic acid moieties were essential for the apoptosis inhibitory activity
      of BKA. More easily available BKA analogues with potent apoptosis inhibitory
      activity were also developed. 

PMID- 26126662
TI  - Gastrointestinal Kaposi's sarcoma involving stomach, duodenum, and colon.

PMID- 26126663
TI  - QuickNGS elevates Next-Generation Sequencing data analysis to a new level of
      automation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) has emerged as a widely used tool in
      molecular biology. While time and cost for the sequencing itself are decreasing,
      the analysis of the massive amounts of data remains challenging. Since multiple
      algorithmic approaches for the basic data analysis have been developed, there is
      now an increasing need to efficiently use these tools to obtain results in
      reasonable time. RESULTS: We have developed QuickNGS, a new workflow system for
      laboratories with the need to analyze data from multiple NGS projects at a time.
      QuickNGS takes advantage of parallel computing resources, a comprehensive back
      end database, and a careful selection of previously published algorithmic
      approaches to build fully automated data analysis workflows. We demonstrate the
      efficiency of our new software by a comprehensive analysis of 10 RNA-Seq samples
      which we can finish in only a few minutes of hands-on time. The approach we have
      taken is suitable to process even much larger numbers of samples and multiple
      projects at a time. CONCLUSION: Our approach considerably reduces the barriers
      that still limit the usability of the powerful NGS technology and finally
      decreases the time to be spent before proceeding to further downstream analysis
      and interpretation of the data.

PMID- 26126664
TI  - UK law on consent: the need for longer consultations.

PMID- 26126665
TI  - Multi-Layered Scaffolds for Osteochondral Tissue Engineering: In Vitro Response
      of Co-Cultured Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
AB  - A promising strategy for osteochondral interface regeneration consists in the
      development of hybrid scaffolds, composed of distinct but integrated layers able
      to mimic the different regions of cartilage and bone. We developed multi-layered
      scaffolds by assembling a gelatin layer with layers containing different amounts
      of gelatin and hydroxyapatite nanocrystals, and using a gelatin solution (as a
      glue) to stick layers together. The scaffolds exhibit a high, interconnected
      porosity and mechanical properties varying with composition along the thickness
      of the scaffolds up to values of compressive stress and modulus of about 1 and 14
      MPa, respectively. In vitro tests demonstrate that the different layers of the
      scaffolds promote chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation of Human
      Mesenchimal Stem Cells (hMSC). 

PMID- 26126666
TI  - Bioconcentration and depuration of (14)C-labeled 17alpha-ethinyl estradiol and 4
      nonylphenol in individual organs of the marine bivalve Mytilus edulis L. .
AB  - Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), including 17alpha-ethinyl estradiol (EE2)
      and 4-nonylphenol (4-NP), enter coastal environments primarily in effluents of
      wastewater treatment facilities and have become ubiquitous in marine surface
      waters, sediments, and biota. Although EE2 and 4-NP have been detected in marine
      shellfish, the kinetics of bioconcentration and their tissue distribution have
      not been thoroughly investigated. The authors performed bioconcentration and
      depuration experiments in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, with 3.37 nM EE2
      (0.999 MUg/L) and 454 nM 4-NP (100.138 ug/L). Mussels and seawater were sampled
      throughout a 38-d exposure and a 35-d depuration period, and 6 tissues were
      individually assayed. Uptake of EE2 and 4-NP was curvilinear throughout exposure
      and followed a similar uptake pattern: digestive gland > gill >= remaining
      viscera > gonad > adductor > plasma. Depuration varied, however, with half-lives
      ranging from 2.7 d (plasma) to 92 d (gill) for EE2 and 15 d (plasma) to 57 d
      (gill) for 4-NP. An innovative modeling approach, with 3 coupled mathematical
      models, was developed to differentiate the unique roles of the gill and plasma in
      distributing the EDCs to internal tissues. Plasma appears pivotal in regulating
      EDC uptake and depuration within the whole mussel.

PMID- 26126667
TI  - The effects of extended conjugation length of purely organic phosphors on their
      phosphorescence emission properties.
AB  - We synthesized a series of purely organic phosphors, bromobenzaldehyde
      derivatives, with varying conjugation length to investigate the effects of
      conjugation length on their phosphorescence emission properties. As the
      conjugation length increases phosphorescence efficiency decreases with a redshift
      in the emission color at 77 K. Our computational results imply that this
      correlation is related to the intersystem crossing rate and that the rate is
      determined by spin-orbit coupling strength rather than by simply the energy
      difference between the lowest lying singlet and triplet states. TD-DFT
      calculations show that the S1 -> T1 transition occurs more dominantly than the S1
      -> T2 transition for all cases. Moreover, singlet excited states are localized on
      the aldehyde functional group, regardless of the conjugation length, while
      triplet excited states are evenly distributed over the conjugated backbone.
      Consequently, as the conjugation length increases, the larger spatial separation
      between singlet and triplet states diminishes the spin-orbit coupling efficiency,
      resulting in reduced phosphorescence. 

PMID- 26126668
TI  - Modeling the long-term antibody response of a hepatitis E vaccine.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The first commercialized hepatitis E vaccine, HEV 239, has been shown
      to be safe and highly immunogenic, the protection as well as the vaccine-induced
      anti-HEV maintained for at least 4.5 years. However, the longer term persistence
      of the vaccine-induced anti-HEV responses is unknown. METHODS: Two statistical
      models, the power-law model and the modified power-law model, were applied to
      predict the long-term antibody response of the HEV 239 vaccine. The models were
      fit using the anti-HEV IgG data from a modeling subpopulation of 1278 baseline
      seronegative vaccinees who seroconverted within one month after finishing the
      whole vaccination course in the phase 3 trial of HEV 239. In addition, antibody
      data from a validation subpopulation were used to validate the robustness of the
      derived models. RESULTS: In the vaccinees without pre-vaccination immunity, the
      power-law model and the modified power-law model estimated that the median
      duration of the detectable antibody (>=0.077 WU/ml) was 8 years and 13 years,
      respectively. The power-law model and the modified power-law model estimated that
      50% of these vaccinees will maintain detectable levels of anti-HEV IgG for 8
      years and >30 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The recombinant hepatitis E
      vaccine HEV 239 is predicted to provide from 8 years to nearly life-long
      persistence of anti-HEV IgG above detectable levels. Model predictions are based
      on conservative mathematical assumptions. (NCT01014845).

PMID- 26126672
TI  - Developing palliative care for children globally.

PMID- 26126669
TI  - Eliciting neutralizing antibodies against the membrane proximal external region
      of HIV-1 Env by chimeric live attenuated influenza A virus vaccines.
AB  - Despite significant efforts directed toward research on HIV-1 vaccines, a truly
      effective immunogen has not been achieved. However, the broadly neutralizing
      antibodies (BnAbs) 2F5 and 4E10, targeting the highly conserved membrane proximal
      external region (MPER) of HIV-1, are two promising tools for vaccine development.
      Here we engrafted the MPER into the linker domain between the trimeric core
      structure and the transmembrane domain of influenza A virus HA2 to investigate
      the potential of such chimeric viruses to elicit HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies.
      In the context of proliferating attenuated influenza A viruses, these HIV-1
      neutralizing antibody epitopes could be continuously expressed and mimicked their
      native conformation to induce humoral immune responses. While MPER-specific
      antibodies could be detected in serum of guinea pigs vaccinated with the chimeric
      viruses, they exhibited only weakly neutralizing activities. These antisera from
      vaccinated animals neutralized viruses of clades B and BC (tier 1), but not of
      clades AE (tier 1) and C (tier 2). These results suggest that influenza A virus
      can be used as a vehicle for displaying MPER and inducing BnAbs, but it provides
      limited protection against HIV-1 infection. In the future development of HIV-1
      vaccines by rational design, a more effective live virus vector or multiple
      antigens should be chosen to facilitate the process of neutralizing antibody
      maturation. 

PMID- 26126673
TI  - Nursing intuition: the role of embodied awareness in end-of-life care.

PMID- 26126674
TI  - Indwelling pleural catheters for malignant pleural effusion.
AB  - Pleural effusions are a common cause of symptoms in patients with malignancy and
      can adversely affect quality of life. However, not all effusions in the setting
      of malignancy are due to the cancer itself and therefore it is essential to
      perform an extensive assessment to diagnose the underlying aetiology. There are a
      number of treatment options available to manage a malignant effusion and reduce
      the associated symptomatology. The choice of intervention depends on a number of
      factors and, in particular, patient preference. In this paper, we will discuss
      the role of an indwelling pleural catheter in the outpatient management of
      individuals with malignant effusions. 

PMID- 26126675
TI  - Management of opioid-induced constipation for people in palliative care.
AB  - Constipation is common in the palliative population. Opioid medications, which
      are frequently prescribed to this cohort, represent a significant risk factor for
      this condition. Opioid-induced constipation may be of such severity that opioid
      doses are reduced or missed, and analgesia and quality of life are therefore
      reduced. However, underlying chronic constipation, local and systemic disease
      effects, and other medications may also precipitate constipation in this
      population. The assessment and treatment of constipation in a palliative
      individual should be undertaken in a fashion similar to that used in non
      palliative patients. Initial management should include minimising exposure to
      predisposing factors and general measures such as encouraging hydration, fibre
      intake and mobility. Pharmacological treatment should commence with a stool
      softener and a stimulant laxative. Recently published literature demonstrates
      that newer laxatives, including lubiprostone (a chloride channel activator) and
      prucalopride (a 5-HT4 receptor agonist) can effectively treat opioid-induced
      constipation. For patients not responding to laxatives, opioid antagonists (non
      specific or peripherally acting MU-opioid receptor antagonists) can be co
      prescribed with laxatives. These agents have also proven efficacy in treating
      opioid-induced constipation. This review discusses the recent literature
      regarding the management of opioid-induced constipation and provides a rational
      approach to assessing and managing constipation in the palliative population. 

PMID- 26126676
TI  - Outcomes of children with advanced HIV initiated on antiretroviral therapy in a
      South African hospice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Little is known about the long-term outcome of antiretroviral therapy
      (ART) for children with advanced-stage HIV. AIM: To assess the outcome in
      children with advanced HIV initiated on ART. The predictors for survival, general
      wellbeing and the role of palliative care were assessed. METHODS: Patient files,
      retained patient records and personal follow-up were used for data collection.
      Data on baseline characteristics, ART treatment and progress were collected at
      baseline, 6, 12 and 48 months. Information regarding general wellbeing and school
      attendance and performance were collected. RESULTS: 37 children were started on
      ART. At 48 months there were 18 known survivors and 7 known to have died. Another
      12 were transferred to another programme or lost to follow-up. There was no
      significant difference in baseline characteristics between groups. All eligible
      children attended school and all received medical care. The hospice programme
      offered holistic care and support. CONCLUSIONS: No baseline characteristic could
      predict the outcome of children with advanced HIV initiated on ART. A hospice
      support programme can contribute to positive outcomes even when ART is initiated
      in children with advanced disease.

PMID- 26126677
TI  - We are not alone: international learning for professionals caring for children
      requiring palliative care.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Educational opportunities for professionals working with children
      requiring palliative care are central to future development within the specialty
      across countries. International educational initiatives involving a range of
      professionals are important for learning with and from others working within the
      field. AIM: To explore the experiences and value to students from participating
      in an international online discussion forum. METHOD: This article examines one
      such initiative; the use of an international asynchronous discussion forum with
      students in Melbourne, Australia and Belfast, UK who work with children and
      families. The innovation is examined and student perspectives of the forum's
      value are presented. RESULTS: Students endorsed the value of the forum,
      identifying three main areas of learning: differences across locations within
      countries, respecting different views and being open, and need for continued
      learning within children's palliative care. The overarching theme 'we are not
      alone' supported the idea that participation in the international discussion
      forum enabled students to see a broader perspective. Ideas for future
      developments of similar forums are also explored.

PMID- 26126678
TI  - Paediatric death and dying: exploring coping strategies of health professionals
      and perceptions of support provision.
AB  - Without question a child's death is a devastating event for parents and families.
      Health professionals working with the dying child and family draw upon their
      expertise and experience to engage with children, parents and families on this
      painful journey. This is a delicate and sensitive area of practice and has strong
      and penetrating effects on health professionals. They employ physical, emotional,
      spiritual and problem solving strategies to continue to perform this role
      effectively and to protect their continued sense of wellbeing. AIM: To explore
      health professionals' perceptions of bereavement support surrounding the loss of
      a child. METHODS: The research was underpinned by social constructionism. Semi
      structured interviews were held with 10 health professionals including doctors,
      nurses and social workers who were directly involved in the care of the dying
      child and family in 7 cases of paediatric death. Health professional narratives
      were analysed consistent with Charmarz's (2006) approach. RESULTS: For health
      professionals, constructions around coping emerged as peer support, personal
      coping strategies, family support, physical impact of support and spiritual
      beliefs. Analysis of the narratives also revealed health professionals'
      perceptions of their support provision. CONCLUSION: Health professionals involved
      in caring for dying children and their families use a variety of strategies to
      cope with the emotional and physical toll of providing support. They also engage
      in self-assessment to evaluate their support provision and this highlights the
      need for self-evaluation tools in paediatric palliative care.

PMID- 26126680
TI  - One size does not fit all for a good death.

PMID- 26126682
TI  - Prenatal antibiotic use and risk of childhood wheeze/asthma: A meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Existing body of knowledge suggests that antibiotic use during
      pregnancy was inconsistently associated with childhood wheeze/asthma. The aim of
      this study was to determine whether exposure to antibiotic during pregnancy could
      increase the risk for childhood wheeze/asthma using a comprehensive meta
      analysis. METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure
      (CNKI) were systematically searched for studies up to September 10, 2014, and
      additional studies were found by searching reference lists of relevant articles.
      For this meta-analysis, cohort studies and case-control studies assessing the
      association between antibiotic use during pregnancy and risk of childhood
      wheeze/asthma were included. Extracted data were mainly pooled using random
      effects model. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality
      Assessment Scale (NOS). RESULTS: Ten studies were identified in final analysis.
      Pooling analysis of these studies showed an OR of 1.20 (95% CI, 1.13-1.27) for
      wheeze/asthma. After excluding case-control studies and prospective studies
      without achieving high scores on the NOS, the pooled OR was 1.18 (95% CI, 1.11
      1.26). We found the risk of antibiotic use and pooled ORs of wheeze/asthma were
      1.09 (95% CI, 0.92-1.29) for the first trimester, 1.14 (95% CI, 1.01-1.29) for
      the second trimester, and 1.33 (95% CI, 1.11-1.60) for the third trimester,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that antibiotic exposure
      during pregnancy may increase the risk of wheeze/asthma in childhood. Besides,
      the risk of developing wheeze/asthma in childhood was marked during last two
      trimesters of pregnancy. Future studies of large-size and prospective cohorts
      which adequately address concerns for confounder bias are needed to examine the
      relationship between antibiotic use and risk of childhood asthma.

PMID- 26126683
TI  - Glucose intolerance and pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction in the anorectic anx/anx
      mouse.
AB  - Inflammation and impaired mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation are considered
      key players in the development of several metabolic disorders, including
      diabetes. We have previously shown inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction in
      the hypothalamus of an animal model for anorexia, the anx/anx mouse. Moreover,
      increased incidence of eating disorders, e.g., anorexia nervosa, has been
      observed in diabetic individuals. In the present investigation we evaluated
      whether impaired mitochondrial phosphorylation and inflammation also occur in
      endocrine pancreas of anorectic mice, and if glucose homeostasis is disturbed. We
      show that anx/anx mice exhibit marked glucose intolerance associated with reduced
      insulin release following an intraperitoneal injection of glucose. In contrast,
      insulin release from isolated anx/anx islets is increased after stimulation with
      glucose or KCl. In isolated anx/anx islets there is a strong downregulation of
      the mitochondrial complex I (CI) assembly factor, NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone)
      1alpha subcomplex, assembly factor 1 (Ndufaf1), and a reduced CI activity. In
      addition, we show elevated concentrations of free fatty acids (FFAs) in anx/anx
      serum and increased macrophage infiltration (indicative of inflammation) in
      anx/anx islets. However, isolated islets from anx/anx mice cultured in the
      absence of FFAs do not exhibit increased inflammation. We conclude that the
      phenotype of the endocrine pancreas of the anx/anx mouse is characterized by
      increased levels of circulating FFAs, as well as inflammation, which can inhibit
      insulin secretion in vivo. The anx/anx mouse may represent a useful tool for
      studying molecular mechanisms underlying the association between diabetes and
      eating disorders. 

PMID- 26126684
TI  - Serum sphingolipids: relationships to insulin sensitivity and changes with
      exercise in humans.
AB  - Ceramides and sphingolipids are a family of lipid molecules that circulate in
      serum and accumulate in skeletal muscle, promoting insulin resistance. Plasma
      ceramide and dihydroceramide are related to insulin resistance, yet less is known
      regarding other ceramide and sphingolipid species. Despite its association with
      insulin sensitivity, chronic endurance exercise training does not change plasma
      ceramide and sphingolipid content, with little known regarding a single bout of
      exercise. We measured basal relationships and the effect of acute exercise (1.5 h
      at 50% Vo2 max) and recovery on serum ceramide and sphingolipid content in
      sedentary obese individuals, endurance-trained athletes, and individuals with
      type 2 diabetes (T2D). Basal serum C18:0, C20:0, and C24:1 ceramide and C18:0 and
      total dihydroceramide were significantly higher in T2D and, along with C16:0
      ceramide and C18:0 sphingomyelin, correlated positively with insulin resistance.
      Acute exercise significantly increased serum ceramide, glucosylceramide, and GM3
      gangliosides, which largely decreased to basal values in recovery. Sphingosine 1
      phosphate and sphingomyelin did not change during exercise but decreased below
      basal values in recovery. Serum C16:0 and C18:0 ceramide and C18:0 sphingomyelin,
      but not the total concentrations of either of them, were positively correlated
      with markers of muscle NF-kappaB activation, suggesting that specific species
      activate intracellular inflammation. Interestingly, a subset of sphingomyelin
      species, notably C14:0, C22:3, and C24:4 species, was positively associated with
      insulin secretion and glucose tolerance. Together, these data show that unique
      ceramide and sphingolipid species associate with either protective or deleterious
      features for diabetes and could provide novel therapeutic targets for the future.

PMID- 26126685
TI  - Characterization of lipid metabolism in a novel immortalized human hepatocyte
      cell line.
AB  - The development of hepatocyte cell models that represent fatty acid partitioning
      within the human liver would be beneficial for the study of the development and
      progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We sought to develop and
      characterize a novel human liver cell line (LIV0APOLY) to establish a model of
      lipid accumulation using a physiological mixture of fatty acids under low- and
      high-glucose conditions. LIV0APOLY cells were compared with a well-established
      cell line (HepG2) and, where possible, primary human hepatocytes. LIV0APOLY cells
      were found to proliferate and express some mature liver markers and were wild
      type for the PNPLA3 (rs738409) gene, whereas HepG2 cells carried the Ile(148)Met
      variant that is positively associated with liver fat content. Intracellular
      triglyceride content was higher in HepG2 than in LIV0APOLY cells; exposure to
      high glucose and/or exogenous fatty acids increased intracellular triglyceride in
      both cell lines. Triglyceride concentrations in media were higher from LIV0APOLY
      compared with HepG2 cells. Culturing LIV0APOLY cells in high glucose increased a
      marker of endoplasmic reticulum stress and attenuated insulin-stimulated Akt
      phosphorylation whereas low glucose and exogenous fatty acids increased AMPK
      phosphorylation. Although LIV0APOLY cells and primary hepatocytes stored similar
      amounts of exogenous fatty acids as triglyceride, more exogenous fatty acids were
      partitioned toward oxidation in the LIV0APOLY cells than in primary hepatocytes.
      LIV0APOLY cells offer the potential to be a renewable cellular model for studying
      the effects of exogenous metabolic substrates on fatty acid partitioning;
      however, their usefulness as a model of lipoprotein metabolism needs to be
      further explored. 

PMID- 26126686
TI  - Eosinophilia in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus.
AB  - Eosinophilia is not uncommonly encountered in patients infected with human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV), particularly at initiation of care or among those
      with advanced disease. The clinical manifestation most commonly associated with
      eosinophilia in this patient population is skin rash. Management of these
      patients is challenging due to a paucity of data evaluating diagnostic testing
      and therapeutic strategies. Patients born in or with significant travel to
      parasite-endemic countries are more likely to have tissue-invasive helminthes,
      such as Strongyloides or Schistosoma. Patients without such risk factors are
      unlikely to have parasitic infections and frequently will have self-resolution of
      eosinophilia. When a detailed history, physical exam, and diagnostic work-up are
      unrevealing, we sometimes consider empirical therapy with ivermectin.
      Praziquantel may also be considered for those at risk for schistosomiasis. 

PMID- 26126688
TI  - Analysis of conservative tracer measurement results using the Frechet
      distribution at planted horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands filled
      with coarse gravel and showing the effect of clogging processes.
AB  - A mathematical process, developed in Maple environment, has been successful in
      decreasing the error of measurement results and in the precise calculation of the
      moments of corrected tracer functions. It was proved that with this process, the
      measured tracer results of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands filled
      with coarse gravel (HSFCW-C) can be fitted more accurately than with the
      conventionally used distribution functions (Gaussian, Lognormal, Fick (Inverse
      Gaussian) and Gamma). This statement is true only for the planted HSFCW-Cs. The
      analysis of unplanted HSFCW-Cs needs more research. The result of the analysis
      shows that the conventional solutions (completely stirred series tank reactor
      (CSTR) model and convection-dispersion transport (CDT) model) cannot describe
      these types of transport processes with sufficient accuracy. These outcomes can
      help in developing better process descriptions of very difficult transport
      processes in HSFCW-Cs. Furthermore, a new mathematical process can be developed
      for the calculation of real hydraulic residence time (HRT) and dispersion
      coefficient values. The presented method can be generalized to other kinds of
      hydraulic environments. 

PMID- 26126687
TI  - The role of statins in the setting of HIV infection.
AB  - HIV-infected individuals are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)
      and other HIV-related co-morbidities. This is due in part to dyslipidemia
      associated with antiretroviral therapy and increased inflammation and immune
      activation from chronic HIV infection. Statins not only have potent lipid
      lowering properties but are also anti-inflammatory and immunomodulators. Studies
      suggest that statin therapy in the HIV-infected population may decrease the risk
      of CVD and other non-AIDS-defining co-morbidities. This review summarizes the
      recent literature on statin use in the HIV setting. 

PMID- 26126689
TI  - Urinary heavy metals, phthalates and polyaromatic hydrocarbons independent of
      health events are associated with adult depression: USA NHANES, 2011-2012.
AB  - Links between environmental chemicals and human health have emerged, but the
      effects on mental health such as depression were less studied. Therefore, it was
      aimed to study the relationships between different sets of urinary environmental
      chemical concentrations and adult depression in a national and population-based
      setting in recent years. Data was retrieved from the US National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey in 2011-2012 including demographics, serum
      measurements, lifestyle factors, self-reported health conditions and urinary
      chemical concentrations. Depression was determined by using the Patient Health
      Questionnaire with a cutoff point at 9/10. Chi-square test, t test and survey
      weighted logistic regression modeling were performed. Among 5560 American adults
      aged 20-80 years, 363 (7.8%) people were classified as having depression (Patient
      Health Questionnaire score >= 10). They tended to have history of health events.
      After full adjustment including urinary creatinine; demographic characteristics;
      lifestyle factors; health conditions (such as cardiovascular, neurological,
      respiratory, digestive and bone diseases, and injury); and subsample weighing;
      and higher levels of manganese, tin, and phthalates including mono-2-ethyl-5
      carboxypentyl, mono-n-butyl, mono-isobutyl, and mono-benzyl were associated with
      adult depression. Similarly, urinary polyaromatic hydrocarbons including 2
      hydroxyfluorene, 3-hydroxyfluorene, 9-hydroxyfluorene, 1-hydroxyphenanthrene, 2
      hydroxyphenanthrene, 3-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1-hydroxypyrene, 1-hydroxynaphthalene
      (1-naphthol), 2-hydroxynaphthalene (2-naphthol) and 4-hydroxyphenanthrene were
      associated with depression. There were no associations observed in urinary
      arsenic, phenols, parabens, pesticides, perchlorate, nitrate, thiocyanate and
      polyfluorinated compounds. Urinary heavy metal, phthalates and polyaromatic
      hydrocarbons were associated with adult depression, being independent of health
      events. Further elimination of such harmful chemicals might need to be considered
      in future mental health and environmental policies.

PMID- 26126691
TI  - Pathology: Professional challenges and academia combine to give an enjoyable and
      satisfying 'fun' career.

PMID- 26126690
TI  - Permissive and protective roles for neutrophils in leishmaniasis.
AB  - Leishmania parasites are the causative agents of leishmaniasis, a neglected
      tropical disease that causes substantial morbidity and considerable mortality in
      many developing areas of the world. Recent estimates suggest that roughly 10
      million people suffer from cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), and approximately 76,000
      are afflicted with visceral leishmaniasis (VL), which is universally fatal
      without treatment. Efforts to develop therapeutics and vaccines have been greatly
      hampered by an incomplete understanding of the parasite's biology and a lack of
      clear protective correlates that must be met in order to achieve immunity.
      Although parasites grow and divide preferentially in macrophages, a number of
      other cell types interact with and internalize Leishmania parasites, including
      monocytes, dendritic cells and neutrophils. Neutrophils appear to be especially
      important shortly after parasites are introduced into the skin, and may serve a
      dual protective and permissive role during the establishment of infection.
      Curiously, neutrophil recruitment to the site of infection appears to continue
      into the chronic phase of disease, which may persist for many years. The
      immunological impact of these cells during chronic leishmaniasis is unclear at
      this time. In this review we discuss the ways in which neutrophils have been
      observed to prevent and promote the establishment of infection, examine the role
      of anti-neutrophil antibodies in mouse models of leishmaniasis and consider
      recent findings that neutrophils may play a previously unrecognized role in
      influencing chronic parasite persistence.

PMID- 26126692
TI  - Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (Xiaflex) for the Treatment of Urethral
      Stricture Disease in a Rat Model of Urethral Fibrosis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the treatment effect of collagenase Clostridium
      histolyticum (CCH) in a rat model of urethral fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats (300-350 g) were divided into 5 groups. The rat
      urethra was injected with normal saline in the sham group and, in the other 4
      groups, the rat urethra was injected with 10 MUg of transforming growth factor
      beta 1 to create fibrosis of the urethra. Two weeks following transforming growth
      factor beta 1 injection, the rats were injected with varying doses of CCH or
      vehicles, depending on their group. The rats were then euthanized at 4 weeks
      after CCH or vehicle injection. Urethral tissue was harvested for histologic and
      molecular analyses. Type I and III collagen levels were evaluated by Western blot
      analysis. RESULTS: There was urethral fibrosis and to significant increase in
      collagen type I and III expressions in the urethral fibrosis group compared with
      the sham group (P <.05). Urethral injection of CCH appeared to be safe and
      significantly reduce urethral fibrosis as well as collagen type I and III
      expressions in the high-dose CCH treatment groups when compared with the
      treatment control group (P <.01). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a
      beneficial effect of CCH injections in a rat model of urethral fibrosis. These
      findings suggest a potential role for CCH as a therapeutic option in urethral
      stricture patients and warrant further investigation.

PMID- 26126693
TI  - Clinically Insignificant Residual Fragments: Is It an Appropriate Term in
      Children?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of clinically insignificant residual fragments
      (CIRFs) after shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL)
      in children. METHODS: Sixty-one children with CIRFs diagnosed by noncontrast
      computed tomography (NCCT) 3 months after SWL and 1 month after PNL with
      documented follow-up >=6 months were included in the study. Children were
      evaluated by urinalysis, urine culture, plain abdominal radiography, and urinary
      ultrasonography or noncontrast computed tomography. Outcomes measured were
      fragment regrowth, spontaneous fragment passage, and secondary interventions. A
      clinically significant outcome was defined as the need for secondary intervention
      for development of complications or regrowth of the residual fragment (RF).
      RESULTS: The study included 42 boys and 19 girls with mean age of 6.2 years
      (range 1-14). After a median follow-up of 18 months, 16 children (26.2%) passed
      RF spontaneously. Regrowth of the RF was observed in 15 children (24.6%), and in
      4 children (6.6%) the RF (of the same original size) slipped to the ureter and
      was treated by ureteroscopy. Therefore, a clinically significant outcome occurred
      in 31.2% of children with RF. Children with history of stone disease were more
      likely to develop clinical significance with time (HR, 4.38; 95% CI, 1.37-14; P =
      .013) CONCLUSION: The term CIRF is not appropriate for all children with post-SWL
      and -PNL fragments, as one-third of patients have had fragments that became
      clinically significant. History of stone disease was the only predictor of
      clinical significance.

PMID- 26126694
TI  - Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate: Simulation-Based Training Curriculum
      and Validation.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the face, content, and construct validity of a novel
      virtual reality simulator for holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP)
      and to assess its feasibility and acceptability as a training model. METHODS:
      This prospective observational study recruited 53 participants, comprising of 3
      groups: HoLEP experts (n = 11), intermediates (n = 24), and novices (n = 18). All
      participants received an educational package and a 15-minute familiarization
      exercise with the simulator. All participants then carried out a full enucleation
      on an identical 60 cm(3) virtual prostate. Performance was assessed using in
      built simulator metrics, and a questionnaire was distributed assessing face and
      content validity, as well as feasibility, and acceptability. Novice,
      intermediate, and expert groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test.
      RESULTS: Construct validity data revealed significant differences in enucleation
      efficiency (grams enucleated per hour) when comparing experts to intermediates (P
      = .003), experts to novices (P <.001), and intermediates to novices (P = .001).
      Face validity was rated by experts as acceptable, with a mean score of 5.6 out of
      10 when asked to rate the overall realism. Content validity questions showed that
      85% of participants agreed that simulator-based assessment is essential for
      patient safety and 87% agreed that there was a role for a validated virtual
      reality simulator for use in HoLEP training. CONCLUSION: This study established
      face, content, and construct validity for this novel virtual reality HoLEP
      simulator. The majority of participants also thought that it is a feasible and
      acceptable model for HoLEP training.

PMID- 26126695
TI  - Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Prostate: Retrospective Review of a Case Series From
      the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To identify survival differences in patients with sarcomatoid prostate
      cancer based on initial staging and treatment regimens. METHODS: We
      retrospectively reviewed the clinical outcomes of patients with a pathologically
      confirmed diagnosis of sarcomatoid prostate cancer. The primary statistical
      objective was to estimate overall survival (OS) and to assess the survival of
      patients at different stages treated with local and/or systemic approaches.
      RESULTS: We identified 70 transurethral resections, needle biopsies, or
      prostatectomy specimens that were reviewed by the Department of Pathology at the
      Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2002-2012 and given the diagnosis of sarcomatoid
      prostate cancer. Of the 45 patients with available survival data, complete
      medical histories were obtained for 27 patients who were stratified based on a
      modified staging system (local disease, local disease with bladder invasion, and
      metastatic disease). After a median follow-up of 106 months, the median OS of
      patients in the local disease group was not reached. Notably, 5 of the 9 patients
      diagnosed with local disease survived >5 years and were treated with surgery
      and/or external beam radiation therapy. The OS hazard was significantly increased
      in patients with either clinical evidence of bladder invasion (HR: 20.46 [95% CI:
      2.43,172]; P = 0.005) or metastatic disease (HR: 43.34 [95% CI: 4.39,427.4]; P =
      0.001), which both demonstrated poor outcomes (median OS: local disease with
      bladder invasion-9 months; metastatic disease-7.1 months). CONCLUSION: This
      retrospective analysis suggests that local sarcomatoid prostate cancer can be
      effectively treated with definitive therapy leading to favorable outcomes.

PMID- 26126696
TI  - En-Bloc Technique With Anteroposterior Dissection Holmium Laser Enucleation of
      the Prostate Allows a Short Operative Time and Acceptable Outcomes.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To simplify anteroposterior dissection holmium laser enucleation of
      the prostate by combining it with a novel en-bloc enucleation technique that
      omits median lobe enucleation and removes the adenoma en-bloc in benign prostatic
      hyperplasia patients. METHODS: Between September 2013 and May 2014, 65 patients
      with benign prostatic hyperplasia underwent holmium laser enucleation of the
      prostate with the en-bloc technique we developed at our institution. Twenty-six
      patients who underwent surgery performed by the same experienced surgeon were
      included in our study. We evaluated the surgical parameters, including total
      operative time, enucleation time, morcellation time, and hemoglobin loss. Peak
      flow rate and postvoid residual urine volume were assessed 3 months
      postoperatively, and urinary incontinence was assessed 1 day after catheter
      removal and at 1 and 3 months postoperatively in all patients. RESULTS: Mean
      total operating time and mean enucleation time were 56.4 and 26.5 minutes,
      respectively. Peak flow rate and postvoid residual urine volume significantly
      improved. The incidence of postoperative incontinence at 3 months was 3%.
      CONCLUSION: Our en-bloc enucleation method required a short operating time and
      may address concerns regarding the complexity of the enucleation procedure. We
      believe the incidence of postoperative incontinence can be further reduced with
      additional refinements of this procedure.

PMID- 26126697
TI  - Characteristics of the Peritumoral Pseudocapsule Vary Predictably With Histologic
      Subtype of T1 Renal Neoplasms.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine characteristics of the peritumoral pseudocapsule (PC)
      between renal tumor subtypes. METHODS: The peritumoral PCs of 160 pT1 renal
      tumors were examined, including 60 clear cell renal cell carcinomas (RCCs), 50
      papillary RCCs, 25 chromophobe RCCs, and 25 oncocytoma. Pathologic features
      (presence or absence of PC, mean thickness, continuity, and invasion by tumor)
      were analyzed. PC thickness was measured using an ocular micrometer to the
      nearest 1/10 mm. RESULTS: A complete PC was found in 77% of clear cell tumors,
      74% of papillary, 28% of chromophobe, and 4% of oncocytomas. Tumor PC was present
      but incomplete in 18% of clear cell, 18% of papillary, 44% of chromophobe, and
      56% of oncocytoma. The PC was entirely absent in no clear cell tumors, 6% of
      papillary, 28% of chromophobe, and 40% of oncocytoma. Mean PC thickness and
      presence of invasion beyond the PC differed significantly by tumor subtype. Clear
      cell RCC possessed the thickest PC showing invasion through the capsule in 8% of
      tumors compared to 30% of papillary tumors. Complete PC invasion was not seen in
      chromophobe RCC or renal oncocytoma. Oncocytoma and chromophobe RCC
      characteristically exhibited an incomplete or absent PC. CONCLUSION: The
      characteristics of peritumoral PC vary predictably with histologic subtype of
      renal neoplasms. Clear cell RCC shows the most consistent PC, with a lower rate
      of invasion beyond it compared to papillary RCC. Chromophobe and oncocytoma
      characteristically have an incomplete or absent PC.

PMID- 26126698
TI  - Chitosan prevents adhesion during rabbit flexor tendon repair via the sirtuin 1
      signaling pathway.
AB  - Chitosan has been demonstrated to exert potent anti-adhesive activity during
      tendon repair; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The
      present study aimed to investigate the preventive effects of chitosan on adhesion
      in rabbit tendon repair, and to investigate the role of the sirtuin (SIRT)1
      signaling pathway in this process. A total of 30 rabbits were divided randomly
      into three equal groups: Group 1, saline treatment; group 2, chitosan treatment;
      and group 3, chitosan + nicotinamide treatment. The flexor tendon of each of the
      rabbits was injured, and subsequently each rabbit was injected with the one of
      the reagents. Six weeks post-surgery, all of the rabbits were sacrificed and
      their flexor tendons were harvested for subsequent evaluation of adhesion.
      Western blotting was used to determine the protein expression levels of specific
      signaling molecules. An MTT assay was conducted to evaluate the viability of
      human tenocytes and flow cytometry was used to analyze the apoptotic rate of the
      cells. The present study demonstrated that treatment with chitosan relieved
      adhesion in the rabbits with flexor tendon injuries. In addition, chitosan
      treatment increased SIRT1 expression, and reduced acetylated p65 and p53
      expression in the tendons. The effects of chitosan on the tendons were attenuated
      by treatment with nicotinamide (a SIRT1 inhibitor). In the human tenocytes,
      pretreatment with chitosan resulted in an inhibition of interleukin (IL)-1beta
      induced apoptosis. Furthermore, chitosan reversed the IL-1beta-induced
      downregulation of SIRT1 and upregulation of acetylated p65 and p53. Furthermore,
      downregulation of Sirt1 by RNA interference abrogated the effects of chitosan on
      the levels of p65 and p53 acetylation, and the rate of tenocyte apoptosis. In
      conclusion, chitosan treatment prevented adhesion via the SIRT1 signaling pathway
      during rabbit flexor tendon repair. These results indicate that SIRT1 may be
      targeted for therapeutic intervention in flexor tendon injury.

PMID- 26126699
TI  - Associations between the practice of bullying and individual and contextual
      variables from the aggressors' perspective.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of bullying among Brazilian students from
      the aggressor's perspective and to analyze its association with individual and
      contextual variables. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional population-based study
      carried out with data from the National Survey on Student Health. A total of
      109,104 students attending eight grade in public and private schools were
      included. Data were collected through a self-applied questionnaire. A model of
      association between bullying and variables in the following domains was tested:
      sociodemographics, risk behaviors, mental health, and family context. Univariate
      and multivariate analyses were also performed. RESULTS: The prevalence of
      aggressors in bullying situations was 20.8%. The following variables remained
      associated in the final multivariate model: male gender (OR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.79
      1.94), lower participation of 16-year-old students (OR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.53-0.82),
      and students from private schools (OR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.27-1.39). Most aggressors
      reported feeling lonely (OR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.16-1.28), insomnia episodes (OR:
      1.21; 95% CI: 1.14-1.29), and a high prevalence of physical violence in the
      family (OR: 1.97 95% CI: 1.87-2.08). Aggressors missed classes more frequently
      (OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.40-1.51), and they regularly consumed more tobacco (OR:
      1.21; 95% CI: 1.12-1.31), alcohol (OR: 1.85; 95% CI: 1.77-1.92), and illegal
      drugs (OR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.79-2.04); they also demonstrated increased sexual
      intercourse (OR: 1.49 95% CI: 1.43-1.55) and regular exercise (OR: 1.20; 95% CI:
      1.16-1.25). CONCLUSIONS: The data indicate that bullying is an important aspect
      that affects the learning-teaching process and the students' health.

PMID- 26126700
TI  - Association between electronic equipment in the bedroom and sedentary lifestyle,
      physical activity, and body mass index of children.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To describe the association between electronic devices in the bedroom
      with sedentary time and physical activity, both assessed by accelerometry, in
      addition to body mass index in children from Sao Caetano do Sul. METHODS: The
      sample consisted of 441 children. The presence of electronic equipment
      (television, personal computer, and videogames) in the bedroom was assessed by a
      questionnaire. For seven consecutive days, children used an accelerometer to
      objectively monitor the sedentary time and moderate-to-vigorous physical
      activity. Body mass index was categorized as suggested by the World Health
      Organization. RESULTS: Overall, 73.9%, 54.2% and 42.8% of children had TV,
      computer, and videogames in the bedroom, respectively, and spent an average of
      500.7 and 59.1 min/day of sedentary time and moderate-to-vigorous physical
      activity. Of the children, 45.3% were overweight/obese. Girls with a computer in
      the bedroom (45 min/day) performed less moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
      than those without it (51.4 min/day). Similar results were observed for body mass
      index in boys. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was higher and body mass
      index was lower in children that had no electronic equipment in the bedroom.
      Presence of a computer (beta=-4.798) and the combination TV+computer (beta=
      3.233) were negatively associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
      Videogames and the combinations with two or three electronic devices were
      positively associated with body mass index. Sedentary time was not associated
      with electronic equipment. CONCLUSION: Electronic equipment in the children's
      bedroom can negatively affect moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and body
      mass index regardless of gender, school, and annual family income, which can
      contribute to physical inactivity and childhood obesity.

PMID- 26126701
TI  - Evaluation of factors associated with vertical HIV-1 transmission.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence and factors associated with vertical
      transmission of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) among pregnant women
      treated in the periods of 1998-2004 and 2005-2011 in a reference service for the
      care of HIV-infected patients in southern Brazil. METHODS: This was a descriptive
      and analytical study that used the databases of laboratories from the CD4 and
      STDs/AIDS Viral Load National Laboratory Network of the Brazilian Ministry of
      Health. HIV-1-infected pregnant women were selected after an active search for
      clinical information and obstetric and neonatal data from their medical records
      between the years of 1998 and 2011. RESULTS: 102 pregnant women were analyzed
      between 1998 and 2004 and 251 in the period between 2005 and 2011, totaling 353
      children born to pregnant women with HIV-1. It was observed that the vertical
      transmission rate was 11.8% between 1998 and 2004 and 3.2% between 2005 and 2011
      (p<0.001). The increased use of antiretroviral drugs (p=0.02), the decrease in
      viral load (p<0.001), and time of membrane rupture lower than 4h (p<0.001) were
      associated with the decrease of vertical transmission factors when comparing the
      two periods. CONCLUSION: It was observed a decrease in the rate of vertical
      transmission in recent years. According to the studied variables, is suggested
      that the risk factors for vertical transmission of HIV-1 were absence of
      antiretroviral therapy, high viral load in the pregnant women, and membrane
      rupture time >4h.

PMID- 26126702
TI  - Visible-Light Induced Trifluoromethylation of N-Arylcinnamamides for the
      Synthesis of CF3-Containing 3,4-Disubstituted Dihydroquinolinones and 1
      Azaspiro[4.5]decanes.
AB  - The visible-light induced trifluoromethylation of N-arylcinnamamides with Togni's
      reagent has been explored. This method allows for an efficient and practical
      synthesis of a variety of CF3-containing dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-ones and 1
      azasporo[4.5]decanes bearing various functional groups under mild conditions. 

PMID- 26126703
TI  - Placental vascular indices (VI, FI and VFI) in intrauterine growth retardation
      (IUGR). A pooled analysis of the literature.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: I performed a systematic review and pooled analysis to study the
      utility of the placental vascular flow indices vascularization index (VI), flow
      index (FI) and vascularization flow index (VFI) in the prediction or
      identification of in-utero growth restriction (IUGR). METHOD: A comprehensive
      literature search for relevant studies was conducted using PubMed and Web of
      Knowledge databases. Included were cohort or case-control studies which reported
      (1) the statistical position and dispersion of vascular indices in a population
      of normal pregnancies at various trimesters of pregnancy; (2) correlation between
      vascular indices and gestational age; or (3) the vascular index values stratified
      according to the presence of SGA/IUGR versus a population of controls. RESULTS:
      Seven studies met the criteria of inclusion, for a total of 788 controls and 82
      SGA cases in the first trimester, and 169 controls and 80 IUGR cases essentially
      enrolled in the 3rd trimester. After normalization of the means, the pooled
      detection rates (DRs) at a 10% false positive rate were 32.5%, 53.8% and 51.0%,
      respectively, for the vascular indices VI, FI and VFI in the third trimester. No
      significant discriminant ability was detected in the first trimester. CONCLUSION:
      A significant DR for IUGR was demonstrated only in the third trimester, thus
      limiting the utility of vascular indices to predict IUGR. VI and VFI are more
      reliable and yield better DR and better performance in terms of homogeneity than
      FI and should be evaluated in the management of third trimester IUGR and
      prediction of outcome.

PMID- 26126704
TI  - Shifts in subsistence type and its impact on the human skull's morphological
      integration.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Here we evaluate morphological integration patterns and magnitudes in
      different skull regions to detect if shifts in morphological integration are
      correlated to the appearance of more processed (softer) diets. METHODS: To do so,
      three transitional populations were analyzed, including samples from groups that
      inhabited the same geographical region and for which the evidence shows that
      major changes occurred in their subsistence mode. Ninety three-dimensional
      landmarks were digitized on 357 skulls and used as the raw data to develop
      geometric morphometric analyses. The landmark coordinates were divided into
      several different regions of biomechanical interest, following a three-level
      hierarchically nested scheme: the whole skull, further subdivided into
      neurocranium (divided into the vault and basicranium), the facial (divided into
      the lower and upper facial), and the masticatory apparatus (divided into
      alveolar, temporal, and temporo-mandibular joint). RESULTS: Our results indicate
      that the morphological integration and variability patterns significantly vary
      across skull regions but are maintained across the transitions. The alveolar
      border and the lower facial are the regions manifesting greater value of
      morphological integration and variability, while the upper facial, the temporo
      mandibular joint, and the basicranium are highly integrated and poorly variable.
      CONCLUSIONS: The transition to softer diets increased morphological variation
      across cranial regions that are more exposed to masticatory strains effects.

PMID- 26126705
TI  - Estrogens and the control of energy homeostasis: a brain perspective.
AB  - Despite their prominent roles in the control of reproduction, estrogens pervade
      many other bodily functions. Key metabolic pathways display marked sexual
      differences, and estrogens are potent modulators of energy balance, as evidenced
      in extreme conditions of estrogen deficiency characterized by hyperphagia and
      decreased energy expenditure, and leading to obesity. Compelling evidence has
      recently demonstrated that, in addition to their peripheral effects, the actions
      of estrogens on energy homeostasis are exerted at central levels, to regulate
      almost every key aspect of metabolic homeostasis, from feeding to energy
      expenditure, to glucose and lipid metabolism. We review herein the state-of-the
      art of the role of estrogens in the regulation of energy balance, with a focus on
      their central effects and modes of action. 

PMID- 26126706
TI  - Combining standard clinical methods with PCR showed improved diagnosis of
      invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with hematological malignancies and
      prolonged neutropenia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We assessed the diagnostic value of standard clinical methods and
      combined biomarker testing (galactomannan assay and polymerase chain reaction
      screening) in a prospective case-control study to detect invasive pulmonary
      aspergillosis in patients with hematological malignancies and prolonged
      neutropenia. METHODS: In this observational study 162 biomarker analyses were
      performed on samples from 27 febrile neutropenic episodes. Sera were successively
      screened for galactomannan antigen and for Aspergillus fumigatus specific nucleic
      acid targets. Furthermore thoracic computed tomography scanning was performed
      along with bronchoscopy with lavage when clinically indicated. Patients were
      retrospectively stratified to define a case-group with "proven" or "probable"
      invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (25.93 %) and a control-group of patients with
      no evidence for of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (74.07 %). In 44.44 % of
      episodes fever ceased in response to antibiotic treatment (group II). Empirical
      antifungal therapy was administered for episodes with persistent or relapsing
      fever (group I). 48.15 % of patients died during the study period. Postmortem
      histology was pursued in 53.85 % of fatalities. RESULTS: Concordant negative
      galactomannan and computed tomography supported by a polymerase chain reaction
      assay were shown to have the highest discriminatory power to exclude invasive
      pulmonary aspergillosis. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in 6 cases of
      invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and in 15 controls. Although bronchoalveolar
      lavage proved negative in 93 % of controls it did not detect IPA in 86 % of the
      cases. Remarkably post mortem histology convincingly supported the presence of
      Aspergillus hyphae in lung tissue from a single case which had consecutive
      positive polymerase chain reaction assay results but was misdiagnosed by both
      computed tomography and consistently negative galactomannan assay results. For
      the galactomannan enzyme-immunoassay the diagnostic odds ratio was 15.33 and for
      the polymerase chain reaction assay it was 28.67. According to Cohen's kappa our
      in-house polymerase chain reaction method showed a fair agreement with the
      galactomannan immunoassay. Combined analysis of the results from the Aspergillus
      galactomannan enzyme immunoassay together with those generated by our polymerase
      chain reaction assay led to no misdiagnoses in the control group. CONCLUSION: The
      data from this pilot-study demonstrate that the consideration of standard
      clinical methods combined with biomarker testing improves the capacity to make
      early and more accurate diagnostic decisions.

PMID- 26126707
TI  - Rotation is the primary motion of paired human epidermal keratinocytes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Collective motion of keratinocytes is involved in morphogenesis,
      homeostasis, and wound healing of the epidermis. Yet how the collective motion of
      keratinocytes emerges from the behavior of individual cells is still largely
      unknown. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to find the cellular behavior that
      links single and collective motion of keratinocytes. METHODS: We investigated the
      behavior of two-cell colonies of HaCaT keratinocytes by a combination of time
      lapse imaging and image processing. RESULTS: The two-cell colonies of HaCaT cells
      were formed as a contacted pair of keratinocyte clones. Image analysis and cell
      culture experiments revealed that the rotational speed of two-cell colonies was
      positively associated with their proliferative capacity. alpha6 integrin was
      required for the rotational motion of two-cell keratinocyte colonies. We also
      confirmed that two-cell colonies of keratinocytes predominantly exhibited the
      rotational, but not translational, motion, two modes of motion in a contact pair
      of rotating objects. CONCLUSION: The rotational motion is the primary motion of
      two-cell keratinocyte colonies and its speed is positively associated with their
      proliferative capacity. This study suggests that the assembly of rotating
      keratinocytes generates the collective motion of proliferative keratinocytes
      during morphogenesis and wound healing of the epidermis.

PMID- 26126708
TI  - Resistance of infection by Plasmodium vivax to chloroquine in Bolivia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Chloroquine (CQ) over three days plus primaquine (PQ) for seven days
      is the treatment of choice of infections by Plasmodium vivax in Bolivia, where
      95% of the cases of malaria are attributed to this species. The aim of this study
      was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of CQ in this setting. METHODS: Patients
      in the Amazon region of northern Bolivia, were included in the study from May to
      November 2011 and the therapeutic efficacy of CQ was evaluated over a 28-day
      follow-up period. Patients with P. vivax mono-infection received 25 mg/Kg body
      weight of CQ over three days. The concentrations of CQ + desethylchloroquine
      (DCQ) in blood were determined at days 7 and 28 of follow up; at follow-up and on
      the day of treatment failure was administered PQ. RESULTS: One hundred patients
      fulfilled the inclusion criteria, two were lost to follow up and another two were
      later excluded for protocol violation. Of the 96 patients who completed the
      follow up 10 showed TF; one presented continued parasitaemia until day 7 of
      follow up, three on day 21 and six on day 28 of follow up. The geometric mean of
      CQ + DCQ on day 7 was 321.7 ng/ml (range 197-535 ng/ml). In six patients with TF
      the CQ + DCQ concentrations in blood on the day of TF were >100 ng/ml. The rate
      of resistance was 6.5%. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates the presence
      of resistance to CQ in the treatment of malaria by P. vivax in the Amazon region
      of Bolivia. New clinical trials are needed to establish alternative treatments
      against these parasites in this region of South America.

PMID- 26126709
TI  - Dietary fiber intake reduces risk of inflammatory bowel disease: result from a
      meta-analysis.
AB  - Several epidemiological investigations have been conducted to evaluate the
      relationship between dietary fiber intake and inflammatory bowel diseases, but
      the results are inconsistent. This meta-analysis was performed to quantitatively
      summarize the evidence from observational studies. PubMed, Embase, and Web of
      Knowledge were searched for relevant articles published up to November 2014. The
      combined relative risks were calculated with the fixed- or random-effects model.
      Dose-response relationship was assessed using restricted cubic spline model. We
      hypothesized that the meta-analysis could yield a summary effect, which would
      indicate that dietary fiber intake could decrease the risk of ulcerative colitis
      and Crohn disease (CD). Overall, 8 articles involving 2 cohort studies, 1 nested
      case-control study, and 5 case-control studies were finally included in this
      study. The pooled relative risks with 95% confidence intervals of ulcerative
      colitis and CD for the highest vs lowest categories of dietary fiber intake were
      0.80 (0.64-1.00) and 0.44 (0.29-0.69), respectively. A linear dose-response
      relationship was found between dietary fiber and CD risk, and the risk of CD
      decreased by 13% (P < .05) for every 10 g/d increment in fiber intake. The
      results from this meta-analysis indicated that the intake of dietary fiber was
      significantly associated with a decreased risk of inflammatory bowel disease. 

PMID- 26126710
TI  - Cross-sectional analysis of patient phone calls to an inflammatory bowel disease
      clinic.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) require close follow
      up and frequently utilize healthcare services. We aimed to identify the main
      reasons that prompted patient calls to gastroenterology providers and further
      characterize the "frequent callers". METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional
      study included all phone calls registered in medical records of IBD patients
      during 2012. Predictive variables included demographics, psychiatric history, IBD
      phenotype, disease complications and medical therapies. Primary outcome was the
      reason for call (symptoms, medication refill, procedures and appointment issues).
      Secondary outcome was the frequency of changes in management prompted by the
      call. RESULTS: 209 patients participated in 526 calls. The mean number of calls
      per patient was 2.5 (range 0-27); 49 (23.4%) patients met the criterion of
      "frequent caller". Frequent callers made or received 75.9% of all calls. Crohn's
      disease, anxiety, extra-intestinal manifestations and high sedimentation rate
      were significantly associated with higher call volume. 85.7% of frequent callers
      had at least one call that prompted a therapeutic intervention, compared to 18.9%
      of non-frequent callers (P<0.001). The most common interventions were ordering
      laboratory or imaging studies (15.4%), dose adjustments (12.1%), changes in
      medication class (8.4%), and expediting clinic visits (8.4%). CONCLUSION: Most
      phone calls originated from a minority of patients. Repeated calling by the same
      patient and new onset of gastrointestinal (GI) and non-GI symptoms were important
      factors predicting the order of diagnostic modalities or therapeutic changes in
      care. Triaging calls to IBD healthcare providers for patients more likely to
      require a change in management may improve healthcare delivery.

PMID- 26126711
TI  - Usefulness of 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy in human testes: preliminary
      study.
AB  - AIM: To identify and quantify the metabolites detected on proton magnetic
      resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) in human testes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The
      institutional review board approved the study, and all patients provided informed
      consent. A total of 27 patients consulting the Urology Department underwent
      single-voxel (1)H-MRS (4000 ms repetition time [RT], 31 ms echo time [TE], 128
      averages for each TE) at 1.5 T. Spectroscopy was not evaluable in one patient,
      and four patients had only one testis; thus, 48 testes were studied. Choline
      containing compounds (Cho) and methylene lipid (Lip) values were measured and the
      Cho/Lip ratio was calculated. Testes were classified as normal or abnormal based
      on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. The Mann-Whitney U
      test was used for correlated data and bootstrapping to compare mean Cho/Lip
      ratios between normal and abnormal testes, and the area under the receiver
      operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated. RESULTS: Thirty testes were
      classified as normal and 18 as abnormal. The mean Cho/Lip ratio was 1.02+/-0.46
      in normal testes and 0.45+/-0.36 in abnormal testes (Mann-Whitney U, p=0.001;
      bootstrapping mean difference, 0.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32-0.82;
      AUC=0.833). CONCLUSION: (1)H-MRS could be useful in routine clinical practice to
      identify the major metabolites in the testes and help discriminate between normal
      and abnormal testes.

PMID- 26126712
TI  - Does normalisation improve the diagnostic performance of apparent diffusion
      coefficient values for prostate cancer assessment? A blinded independent-observer
      evaluation.
AB  - AIM: To evaluate the performance of normalised apparent diffusion coefficient
      (ADC) values for prostate cancer assessment when performed by independent
      observers blinded to histopathology findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight
      patients undergoing 3 T phased-array coil magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
      including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI; maximal b-value 1000 s/mm(2)) before
      prostatectomy were included. Two radiologists independently evaluated the images,
      unaware of the histopathology findings. Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn
      within areas showing visually low ADC within the peripheral zone (PZ) and
      transition zone (TZ) bilaterally. ROIs were also placed within regions in both
      lobes not suspicious for tumour, allowing computation of normalised ADC (nADC)
      ratios between suspicious and non-suspicious regions. The diagnostic performance
      of ADC and nADC were compared. RESULTS: For PZ tumour detection, ADC achieved
      significantly higher area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC;
      p=0.026) and specificity (p=0.021) than nADC for reader 1, and significantly
      higher AUC (p=0.025) than nADC for reader 2. For TZ tumour detection, nADC
      achieved significantly higher specificity (p=0.003) and accuracy (p=0.004) than
      ADC for reader 2. For PZ Gleason score >3+3 tumour detection, ADC achieved
      significantly higher AUC (p=0.003) and specificity (p=0.005) than nADC for reader
      1, and significantly higher AUC (p=0.023) than nADC for reader 2. For TZ Gleason
      score >3+3 tumour detection, ADC achieved significantly higher specificity
      (p=0.019) than nADC for reader 1. CONCLUSION: In contrast to prior studies
      performing unblinded evaluations, ADC was observed to outperform nADC overall for
      two independent observers blinded to the histopathology findings. Therefore,
      although strategies to improve the utility of ADC measurements in prostate cancer
      assessment merit continued investigation, caution is warranted when applying
      normalisation to improve diagnostic performance in clinical practice.

PMID- 26126713
TI  - Fluoroscopy-guided radiofrequency ablation for small hepatocellular carcinoma: a
      retrospective comparison with ultrasound-guided ablation.
AB  - AIM: To compare the therapeutic efficacy of fluoroscopy-guided radiofrequency
      ablation (F-RFA) and ultrasound-guided RFA (US-RFA) in treatment of small
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2006 and
      January 2012, 93 patients with small HCCs underwent percutaneous RFA. In 42
      patients with 46 HCCs invisible on US, F-RFA was performed following intra
      arterial iodised oil injection (group A). The remaining 51 patients with 58 HCCs
      received US-RFA (group B). Technical effectiveness, complications, local tumour
      progression, and patient survival were retrospectively compared between the two
      groups. RESULTS: Technical effectiveness was achieved in 45 HCCs of group A
      (97.8%) and 64 HCCs of group B (96.6%; p=0.65). There was no major complication
      in either group. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year local tumour progression rates were lower
      in group A than those of group B with marginal significance (0%, 3.7% and 3.7% in
      group A, and 13%, 13%, and 13% in group B; p=0.05). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year
      patient survival rates were 100%, 58.3%, and 51.2% (group A), and 82.4%, 54.9%,
      and 46.1% (group B; p=0.26). CONCLUSIONS: F-RFA is a feasible and safe treatment
      for small HCC invisible on US. Its therapeutic efficacy was comparable with that
      of US-RFA.

PMID- 26126714
TI  - Identification of malaria parasite-infected red blood cell surface aptamers by
      inertial microfluidic SELEX (I-SELEX).
AB  - Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites invade and remodel human red blood cells
      (RBCs) by trafficking parasite-synthesized proteins to the RBC surface. While
      these proteins mediate interactions with host cells that contribute to disease
      pathogenesis, the infected RBC surface proteome remains poorly characterized.
      Here we use a novel strategy (I-SELEX) to discover high affinity aptamers that
      selectively recognize distinct epitopes uniquely present on parasite-infected
      RBCs. Based on inertial focusing in spiral microfluidic channels, I-SELEX enables
      stringent partitioning of cells (efficiency >= 10(6)) from unbound
      oligonucleotides at high volume throughput (~2 * 10(6) cells min(-1)). Using an
      RBC model displaying a single, non-native antigen and live malaria parasite
      infected RBCs as targets, we establish suitability of this strategy for de novo
      aptamer selections. We demonstrate recovery of a diverse set of aptamers that
      recognize distinct, surface-displayed epitopes on parasite-infected RBCs with
      nanomolar affinity, including an aptamer against the protein responsible for
      placental sequestration, var2CSA. These findings validate I-SELEX as a broadly
      applicable aptamer discovery platform that enables identification of new reagents
      for mapping the parasite-infected RBC surface proteome at higher molecular
      resolution to potentially contribute to malaria diagnostics, therapeutics and
      vaccine efforts.

PMID- 26126715
TI  - The kinase ABL phosphorylates the microprocessor subunit DGCR8 to stimulate
      primary microRNA processing in response to DNA damage.
AB  - The DNA damage response network stimulates microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis to
      coordinate repair, cell cycle checkpoints, and apoptosis. The multistep process
      of miRNA biogenesis involves the cleavage of primary miRNAs by the microprocessor
      complex composed of the ribonuclease Drosha and the RNA binding protein DGCR8. We
      found that the tyrosine kinase ABL phosphorylated DGCR8, a modification that was
      required for the induction of a subset of miRNAs after DNA damage. Focusing on
      the miR-34 family, ABL stimulated the production of miR-34c, but not miR-34a,
      through Drosha/DGCR8-dependent processing of primary miR-34c (pri-miR-34c). This
      miRNA-selective effect of ABL required the sequences flanking the precursor miR
      34c (pre-miR-34c) stem-loop. In pri-miRNA processing, DGCR8 binds the pre-miR
      stem-loop and recruits Drosha to the miRNA. RNA cross-linking assays showed that
      DGCR8 and Drosha interacted with pri-miR-34c, but we found an inverse correlation
      between ABL-stimulated processing and DGCR8 association with pri-miR-34c. When
      coexpressed in HEK293T cells, ABL phosphorylated DGCR8 at Tyr(267). Ectopic
      expression of a Y267F-DGCR8 mutant reduced the recruitment of Drosha to pri-miR
      34c and prevented ABL or Drosha from stimulating the processing of pri-miR-34c.
      In mice engineered to express a nuclear import-defective mutant of ABL, miR-34c,
      but not miR-34a, expression was reduced in the kidney, and apoptosis of the renal
      epithelial cells was impaired in response to cisplatin. These results reveal a
      new pathway in the DNA damage response wherein ABL-dependent tyrosine
      phosphorylation of DGCR8 stimulates the processing of selective primary miRNAs. 

PMID- 26126716
TI  - WNK1-regulated inhibitory phosphorylation of the KCC2 cotransporter maintains the
      depolarizing action of GABA in immature neurons.
AB  - Activation of Cl(-)-permeable gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors
      elicits synaptic inhibition in mature neurons but excitation in immature neurons.
      This developmental "switch" in the GABA function depends on a postnatal decrease
      in intraneuronal Cl(-) concentration mediated by KCC2, a Cl(-)-extruding K(+)-Cl(
      ) cotransporter. We showed that the serine-threonine kinase WNK1 [with no lysine
      (K)] forms a physical complex with KCC2 in the developing mouse brain. Dominant
      negative mutation, genetic depletion, or chemical inhibition of WNK1 in immature
      neurons triggered a hyperpolarizing shift in GABA activity by enhancing KCC2
      mediated Cl(-) extrusion. This increase in KCC2 activity resulted from reduced
      inhibitory phosphorylation of KCC2 at two C-terminal threonines, Thr(906) and
      Thr(1007). Phosphorylation of both Thr(906) and Thr(1007) was increased in
      immature versus mature neurons. Together, these data provide insight into the
      mechanism regulating Cl(-) homeostasis in immature neurons, and suggest that WNK1
      regulated changes in KCC2 phosphorylation contribute to the developmental
      excitatory-to-inhibitory GABA sequence. 

PMID- 26126717
TI  - Simple synthetic protein scaffolds can create adjustable artificial MAPK circuits
      in yeast and mammalian cells.
AB  - As hubs for eukaryotic cell signaling, scaffold proteins are attractive targets
      for engineering and manipulating signaling circuits. We designed synthetic
      scaffolds with a repeated PDZ domain that interacted with engineered kinases of
      the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade involved in yeast mating to
      investigate how modular interactions mediate kinase cascades. The synthetic
      scaffolds functioned as logic gates of signaling circuits. We replaced the
      endogenous yeast scaffold Ste5 with designer scaffolds with a variable numbers of
      a PDZ domain that bound kinases or phosphatases engineered with a PDZ-binding
      motif. Although association with the membrane was necessary for pathway activity,
      surprisingly, mating responses occurred when the circuit contained a scaffold
      with only two PDZ domains, which could only bind two of the three kinases
      simultaneously. Additionally, the three tiers of the MAPK pathway exhibited
      decreasing positional plasticity from the top [MAPK kinase kinase (MAPKKK)] to
      the bottom (MAPK) tier such that binding of a MAPKKK, but not a MAPK, from the
      osmoregulatory pathway or protein kinase C pathway to the synthetic scaffold
      activated a reporter of the mating response. We also showed that the output
      duration and intensity could be altered by recruiting phosphatases or varying the
      affinity of the recruited proteins for the scaffold and that a designer MAPK
      scaffold functioned in mammalian cells. Thus, this synthetic approach with
      designer scaffolds should enable the rational manipulation or engineering of
      signaling pathways and provide insight into the functional roles of scaffold
      proteins. 

PMID- 26126718
TI  - Prescription Patterns of Antidiabetic Treatment in the Elderly. Results from
      Southern Italy.
AB  - The treatment of diabetes in the elderly is a major challenge both in terms of
      clinical management and of public health. Evidence about prescribing patterns in
      the elderly diabetic population is limited. The aim was to describe trends in
      antidiabetic drug (AD) utilization patterns in the elderly in Southern Italy with
      a focus on drugs for cardiovascular prevention and pharmaceutical costs. The data
      used for this study were obtained from pharmacy records of Caserta Local Health
      Authority, a province in Southern Italy with 1 million of inhabitants, comprising
      urban and rural areas. Subjects above 65 years who received at least one
      dispensing of antidiabetic between January 2010 and December 2014 were selected.
      Prevalence and incidence rates (%) of AD use were calculated for each calendar
      year and stratified by class therapy and age group. Sub-analyses by
      cardiovascular co-medication therapy and pharmaceutical cost analysis were
      performed. The prevalence rate decreases from 22.0% in 2010 to 17.5% in 2014
      (p<0.001). Proportion of subjects treated with monotherapy increases over the
      study period (33.9% in 2010; 38.6% in 2014; p<0.001). In particular, increases
      the proportion of users of metformin (18.2% in 2010; 23.7% in 2014; p<0.001),
      while the proportion of users of sulfonylureas dropped (11.0% in 2010; 7.2% in
      2014; p< 0.001). About 90% of elderly diabetic patients are treated with drugs
      for cardiovascular prevention. The per/patient/yearly drug costs were 2,349 ?:
      28.5% for AD therapy and 71.5% for other treatments. Trend in drug utilization
      patterns showed a tendency towards treatment recommendations in older adults. 

PMID- 26126719
TI  - Simultaneous laparoscopic management of Morgagni hernia and cholelithiasis: two
      case reports.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Morgagni hernia is a rare type of diaphragmatic hernia. Though in the
      past, it has been dealt with an open approach, nowadays laparoscopic management
      is a favored approach. However, there are few controversies in this scenario.
      CASE PRESENTATION: We present here two females of Aryan ethnicity, one 55 and
      another 45 years old, who presented with pain at upper abdomen and retrosternal
      chest pain; on investigations were found to have cholelithiasis along with
      Morgagni hernia which were managed via the laparoscopic approach in the same
      sitting. CONCLUSION: Repair of Morgagni hernia also via the minimally invasive
      technique can be offered to the patients like that for cholelithiasis.

PMID- 26126721
TI  - Hospital medicine viewed through practice management dictums.

PMID- 26126720
TI  - Effects of GnRH agonists on the expression of developmental follicular anti
      mullerian hormone in varying follicular stages in cyclic mice in vivo.
AB  - Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists (GnRHa) have been widely used to
      induce a state of downregulation for in vitro fertilization, and its direct
      effects on the pituitary are well known. However, the effects of GnRHa on the
      expression of anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) by follicles in varying stages in vivo
      remain to be fully elucidated. In the present study 84 cyclic mice were randomly
      divided equally into four GnRHa groups and three cyclic mice were used as a
      control group. The expression levels of AMH in follicles of varying stages
      between days 0 and 7 following GnRHa administration were quantified using
      immunohistochemistry. The expression of AMH in follicles at various stages
      revealed dynamic changes during the process of downregulation. AMH in primary
      follicles initially increased and then decreased gradually. In small and large
      preantral follicles and in granulosa cells (GCs) surrounding the oocyte of small
      antral follicles, the expression of AMH began to increase on day 1, was
      attenuated on day 2, and then increased to a peak. The expression levels of AMH
      in the GCs surrounding the basement membrane, in contrast to the GCs surrounding
      the oocyte, were significantly lower and did not increase on day 1. In all stages
      of follicles, the expression of AMH declined gradually between the peak level and
      last day of downregulation. On day 7, the varying follicular stages all expressed
      lower levels of AMH than on day 0. This decrease was more prominent in the higher
      dose groups, compared with the lower dose groups. In conclusion, GnRHa was
      observed to induce time-dependent changes in the expression of AMH at varying
      follicular stages, which occurred in a dose-dependent manner.

PMID- 26126722
TI  - Temperature profiles of patient-applied eyelid warming therapies.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare temperature profile characteristics (on and off eye) of two
      patient-applied heat therapies for meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD): an eye mask
      containing disposable warming units (EyeGiene((r))) and a microwave-heated
      flaxseed eye bag((r)) (MGDRx EyeBag((r))). METHODS: In vitro evaluation: surface
      temperature profiles of activated eye masks and heated eye bags((r)) (both n=10),
      were tracked every 10s until return to ambient temperature. Heat-transfer
      assessment: outer and inner eyelid temperature profiles throughout the eye mask
      and eye bag((r)) treatment application period (10min) were investigated in
      triplicate. The devices were applied for 12 different time intervals in a
      randomised order, with a cool-down period in between to ensure ocular
      temperatures returned to baseline. Temperature measurements were taken before and
      immediately after each application. RESULTS: In vitro evaluation: on profile, the
      eye bag((r)) surface temperature peaked earlier (0+/-0 s vs. 100+/-20 s,
      p<0.001), cooled more slowly and displayed less variability than the eye mask
      (all p<0.05). Heat-transfer assessment: the eye bag((r)) effected higher peak
      inner eyelid temperatures (38.1+/-0.4 degrees C vs. 37.4+/-0.2 degrees C,
      p=0.04), as well as larger inner eyelid temperature increases over the first 2
      min, and between 9 and 10 min (all p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The eye bag((r)) surface
      temperature profile displayed greater uniformity and slower cooling than the eye
      mask, and was demonstrated to be significantly more effective in raising ocular
      temperatures than the eye mask, both statistically and clinically. This has
      implications for MGD treatment, where the melting points of meibomian secretions
      are likely to be higher with increasing disease severity.

PMID- 26126723
TI  - Firing and intrinsic properties of antennal lobe neurons in the Noctuid moth
      Agrotis ipsilon.
AB  - The antennal lobe (AL) of the Noctuid moth Agrotis ipsilon has emerged as an
      excellent model for studying olfactory processing and its plasticity in the
      central nervous system. Odor-evoked responses of AL neurons and input-to-output
      transformations involved in pheromone processing are well characterized in this
      species. However, the intrinsic electrical properties responsible of the firing
      of AL neurons are poorly known. To this end, patch-clamp recordings in current-
      and voltage-clamp mode from neurons located in the two main clusters of cell
      bodies in the ALs were combined with intracellular staining on A. ipsilon males.
      Staining indicated that the lateral cluster (LC) is composed of 85% of local
      neurons (LNs) and 15% of projection neurons (PNs). The medial cluster (MC)
      contains only PNs. Action potentials were readily recorded from the soma in LNs
      and PNs located in the LC but not from PNs in the MC where recordings showed
      small or no action potentials. In the LC, the spontaneous activity of about 20%
      of the LNs presented irregular bursts while being more regular in PNs. We also
      identified a small population of LNs lacking voltage-gated Na(+) currents and
      generating spikelets. We focused on the firing properties of LNs since in about
      60% of LNs, but not in PNs, action potentials were followed by depolarizing
      afterpotentials (DAPs). These DAPs could generate a second action potential, so
      that the activity was composed of action potential doublets. DAPs depended on
      voltage, Ca(2+)-channels and possibly on Ca(2+)-activated non-specific cationic
      channels. During steady state current injection, DAPs occurred after each action
      potential and did not require high-frequency firing. The amplitude of DAPs
      increased when the interspike interval was small, typically within bursts, likely
      arising from a Ca(2+) build up. DAPs were more often found in bursting than in
      non-bursting LNs but do not support bursting activity. DAPs and spike doublets
      also occurred during odor-evoked activity suggesting that they can mediate
      olfactory integration in the AL. 

PMID- 26126724
TI  - Clinical evaluation of 30 patients with localized nasal rosacea.
AB  - The clinical features of localized nasal rosacea have not been described in
      detail. This study was designed to analyze the subtypes and severity of localized
      nasal rosacea. Our present study included 30 patients with localized nasal
      rosacea. The erythematotelangiectatic subtype (13/30, 43.3%) was the most common
      type, followed by the phymatous subtype (9/30, 30%). The duration of rosacea was
      shorter and the severity of localized nasal rosacea was lower in the
      erythematotelangiectatic subtype cases compared with the patients with mixed or
      phymatous subtypes. Almost all of the papulopustular eruptions or phymatous
      lesions were associated with erythematotelangiectatic lesions. These findings
      suggest that the erythematotelangiectatic subtype may be considered the initial
      phase of localized nasal rosacea. 

PMID- 26126725
TI  - Cost-effectiveness of strategies for testing current hepatitis C virus infection.
AB  - Six strategies for identifying hepatitis C virus (HCV) viremia, involving testing
      for HCV antibody (HCVAb) followed by a nucleic acid test (NAT) for HCV RNA when
      the antibody test is positive, are compared. Decision analysis was used to
      determine mean relative cost per person tested and outcomes of HCV viremia
      detection. Parameters included proportions of test population with HCVAb and
      viremia plus specificity, sensitivity, and cost of individual tests. For testing
      a population with an HCVAb seroprevalence of 3.25%, all strategies when adopting
      quantitative NAT vary little in cost (range, $29.50-$30.70) and are highly
      viremia specific (>=0.9997). Four of the strategies using venipuncture blood for
      HCVAb testing (whether laboratory conducted or employing a rapid, point-of-care
      assay) and for NAT (whether done by reflex or using separately drawn blood)
      achieve the highest viremia sensitivities (range, 0.9950-0.9954). Point-of-care
      HCVAb testing in fingerstick blood followed by NAT in venipuncture blood yields
      relatively lower viremia sensitivity (0.9301). The strategy that requires
      returning for NAT is even less viremia sensitive (<0.9000) because of follow-up
      loss. Strategies adopting qualitative rather than quantitative NAT are slightly
      cheaper (range, $28.90-$29.99), similarly viremia specific (>=0.9997), but less
      viremia sensitive (<=0.9456). Viremia sensitivity and specificity remain the same
      regardless of the proportion of HCVAb-seropositive persons in the cohort being
      tested. CONCLUSIONS: Strategies involving HCVAb testing in venipuncture blood,
      whether laboratory conducted or using a point-of-care assay, when followed by
      quantitative NAT done reflexively or in separately drawn blood, are comparably
      economical and suitably viremia sensitive. Less cost-effective is point-of-care
      HCVAb testing in fingerstick blood followed by NAT in venipuncture blood. Least
      cost-effective is the strategy requiring the tested person to return for NAT.

PMID- 26126728
TI  - Remarkable effects of solvent and substitution on the photo-dynamics of cytosine:
      a femtosecond broadband time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption
      study.
AB  - Cytosine (Cyt) among all the nucleic acid bases features the most complex and
      least understood nonradiative deactivation, a process that is crucially important
      for its photostability. Herein, the excited state dynamics of Cyt and a series of
      its N1- and C5-derivatives, including the full set of Cyt nucleosides and
      nucleotides in DNA and RNA and the nucleosides of 5-methyl cytosine, 5
      methylcytidine and 2'-deoxy-5-methylcytidine, have been investigated in water and
      in methanol employing femtosecond broadband time-resolved fluorescence coupled
      with fs transient absorption spectroscopy. The results reveal remarkable state
      specific effects of the substitution and solvent in tuning distinctively the
      timescales and pathways of the nonradiative decays. For Cyt and the N1
      derivatives, the nonradiative deactivations occur in a common two-state process
      through three channels, two from the light-absorbing pipi* state with
      respectively the sub-picosecond (~0.2 ps) and the picosecond (~1.5 ps) time
      constant, and the third is due to an optically dark npi* state with the lifetime
      ranging from several to hundreds of picoseconds depending on solvents and
      substitutions. Compared to Cyt, the presence of the ribose or deoxyribose moiety
      at the N1 position of N1-derivatives facilitates the formation of the npi* at the
      sub-picosecond timescale and at the same time increases its lifetime by ~4-6
      times in both water and methanol. In sharp contrast, the existence of the methyl
      group at the C5 position of the C5-derivatives eliminates completely the sub
      picosecond pipi* channel and the channel due to the npi*, but on the other hand
      slows down the decay of the pipi* state which after relaxation exhibits a single
      time constant of ~4.1 to ~7.6 ps depending on solvents. Varying the solvent from
      water to methanol accelerates only slightly the decay of the pipi* state in all
      the compounds; while for Cyt and its N1-derivatives, this change of solvent also
      retards strongly the npi* channel, prolongs its lifetime from such as ~7.7 ps in
      water to ~52 ps in methanol for Cyt and from ~30 ps in water to ~186 ps in
      methanol for deoxycytidine. The spectral signatures we obtained for the pipi* and
      the npi* states allow unambiguous evidence for clarifying uncertainties in the
      excited states of Cyt and the derivatives. The results provide a unifying
      experimental characterization at an improved level of detail about the
      photophysics of Cyt and its analogues under biologically relevant conditions and
      may help in understanding the photostability as well as photo-damages of the
      bases and related DNAs.

PMID- 26126727
TI  - Phase I study of combination of pasireotide LAR + gemcitabine in locally advanced
      or metastatic pancreatic cancer.
AB  - PURPOSE: Pasireotide LAR (SOM230 LAR) is a cyclohexapeptide engineered to bind to
      multiple somatostatin receptor subtypes to mimic the action of naturally
      occurring somatostatin with higher affinity to these receptors than octreotide
      and is a potent inhibitor of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Somatostatin
      receptors and IGF receptors are highly expressed in pancreatic cancer, thereby
      potentially making it a valuable target. This phase I study evaluated safety,
      tolerability and preliminary tumor response of pasireotide LAR in combination
      with gemcitabine in locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. METHODS:
      Patients with previously untreated metastatic pancreatic cancer were included. A
      3 + 3 dose-escalation design was used. Patients received gemcitabine on days 1, 8
      and 15 and pasireotide LAR IM monthly in a 28-day cycle. Two dose levels of
      pasireotide LAR were planned: 40 mg IM and 60 mg. Cohort was expanded by ten more
      patients at the highest tested dose to further assess the safety and efficacy.
      RESULTS: Twenty patients were consented on this trial, and 16 patients were
      evaluable for safety and efficacy. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed. Two
      out sixteen patients (12%) had partial response, and nine of sixteen (56%) had
      stable disease as best response. Median progression-free survival was 4.1 months
      (range 1-16 months), and median overall survival was 6.9 months (range 1-25
      months). Most common grade 3 or 4 toxicities were hyperglycemia (n = 5),
      hyperbilirubinemia (n = 1) and thrombocytopenia (n = 2). Median baseline IGF-1
      level was lower in patients with stable disease than in those with progressive
      disease (63 vs 71 ng/ml). CONCLUSION: Pasireotide in combination with gemcitabine
      was well tolerated with disease control rate of 68%. Larger trials are needed in
      the future to establish its efficacy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
      CLINICAL TRIAL: NCT01385956.

PMID- 26126726
TI  - Family history as a marker of platinum sensitivity in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
AB  - PURPOSE: Metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma is considered a uniformly fatal
      disease with a median survival of 1 year with modern chemotherapy. While a subset
      of patients achieve prolonged survival, few of the factors that define this group
      of patients are known. METHODS: For the determination of overall survival (OS),
      549 patients with histologically confirmed metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma
      were evaluated. Emphasis was placed on treatment history and family history of
      breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers. To ensure a uniform metastatic
      population, patients treated with prior locoregional therapies (i.e., surgery or
      radiotherapy) were excluded as were patients with a prior history of stage I-III
      disease. RESULTS: Patients with family history or pedigree history of cancer had
      superior OS. This was especially true in patients with three or more relatives
      with either breast, ovarian, or pancreatic cancers [hazard ratio (HR) 0.49, 95 %
      confidence interval (CI) 0.30-0.80, p = 0.003]. First-line platinum chemotherapy
      was associated with a poor survival (hazard ratio for death 1.74, 95% CI 1.12
      2.71, p = 0.01) for patients without a family history of these cancers but not
      for those without such a history (p = 0.31). In fact, as the number of relatives
      with these cancers increased, the OS survival improved for individuals receiving
      first-line platinum therapy (HR 0.76, 95 % CI 0.65-0.89, p = 0.0004), which was
      not the case for those receiving other therapies (p = 0.98). CONCLUSIONS:
      Treatment with platinum chemotherapy in patients with a family history of breast,
      ovarian, or pancreatic cancers was associated with a longer survival, whereas
      platinum use in patients without such a family history of cancer was associated
      with poor survival. These findings suggest that family history may serve as a
      predictive marker for platinum use in patients with metastatic pancreatic
      adenocarcinoma.

PMID- 26126729
TI  - Enhancement of Odor Sensitivity Following Repeated Odor and Visual Fear
      Conditioning.
AB  - Odor detection sensitivity can be rapidly altered by fear conditioning; whether
      this effect is augmented over time is not known. The present study aimed to test
      whether repeated conditioning sessions induce changes in odor detection threshold
      as well as in conditioned responses and whether olfactory stimuli evoke stronger
      conditioned responses than visual stimuli. The repeated conditioning group
      participated in repeated sessions over 2 weeks whereas the single conditioning
      group participated in 1 conditioning session; both groups were presented with
      visual and olfactory stimuli, were paired with an electric shock (CS+) and 2
      matched control stimuli not paired with shock (CS-) while olfactory detection
      threshold and skin conductance responses (SCRs) were measured before and after
      the last session. We found increased sensitivity for the CS+ odor in the repeated
      but not in the single conditioning group, consistent with changes in olfactory
      sensitivity following repeated aversive learning and of a similar magnitude to
      what has previously been demonstrated in the periphery. SCR to the visual and
      olfactory CS+ were similar between groups, indicating that sensory thresholds can
      change without corresponding change in conditioned responses. In conclusion,
      repeated conditioning increases detection sensitivity and reduces conditioned
      responses, suggesting that segregated processes influence perception and
      conditioned responses. 

PMID- 26126730
TI  - Honing in on the ATP Release Channel in Taste Cells.
AB  - Studies over the last 8 years have identified 3 potential channels that appear to
      release ATP from Type II cells in response to taste stimuli. These studies have
      taken different methodological approaches but have all provided data supporting
      their candidate channel as the ATP release channel. These potential channels
      include Pannexin 1, Connexins (30 and/or 43), and most recently, the Calhm1
      channel. Two papers in this issue of Chemical Senses provide compelling new
      evidence that Pannexin 1 is not the ATP release channel. Tordoff et al. did a
      thorough behavioral analysis of the Pannexin1 knock out mouse and found that
      these animals have the same behavioral responses as wild type mice for 7
      different taste stimuli that were tested. Vandenbeuch et al. presented an equally
      thorough analysis of the gustatory nerve responses in the Pannexin1 knock out
      mouse and found no differences compared with controls. Thus when the role of
      Pannexin 1 is analyzed at the systems level, it is not required for normal taste
      perception. Further studies are needed to determine the role of this hemichannel
      in taste cells. 

PMID- 26126731
TI  - Hoefavidin: A dimeric bacterial avidin with a C-terminal binding tail.
AB  - Dimeric avidins are a newly discovered subgroup of the avidin family that bind
      biotin with high affinity. Their dimeric configuration is a quaternary
      substructure of the classical tetrameric avidins which lacks the requirement of
      the critical Trp that defines the tetramer and dictates the tenacious interaction
      with biotin. Hoefavidin, derived from the bacterium Hoeflea phototrophica DFL
      43(T), is the third characterized member of the dimeric avidin subfamily. Like
      the other members of this group, hoefavidin is a thermostable protein that
      contains a disulfide bridge between Cys57 and Cys88, thereby connecting and
      stabilizing the L3,4 and L5,6 loops. This represents a distinctive characteristic
      of dimeric avidins that compensates for the lack of Trp and enables their dimeric
      configuration. The X-ray structure of the intact hoefavidin revealed unique
      crystal packing generated by an octameric cylindrical structure wherein the C
      termini segments of each monomer is introduced into the entrance of the biotin
      binding site of an adjacent non-canonical monomer. This anomaly in the protein
      structure served as a lead toward the design of specific binding peptides. We
      screened for specific hoefavidin binding peptides derived from the C-terminal
      region and two peptides were obtained that bind a truncated form of hoefavidin
      (lacking the last 10 amino acids) with dissociation constants of 10(-5)M. The
      crystal structure of short hoefavidin complexed with a C-terminal derived peptide
      revealed the mode of binding. These peptides may form the basis of novel and
      reversible binders for dimeric avidins. 

PMID- 26126733
TI  - Private companies behave differently from NHS providers.

PMID- 26126732
TI  - Left atrial structure and functional quantitation using cardiovascular magnetic
      resonance and multimodality tissue tracking: validation and reproducibility
      assessment.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Left atrium (LA) strain, volume and function are important markers of
      cardiovascular disease and myocardial impairment. We aimed to assess the accuracy
      of LA biplane volume and function measured by Multimodality Tissue Tracking
      (MTT). Also we assessed the inter-study reproducibility for cardiovascular
      magnetic resonance (CMR) derived LA volume and function parameters. METHODS:
      Thirty subjects (mean age: 71.3 +/- 8.7, 87% male) including twenty subjects with
      cardiovascular events and ten healthy subjects, with CMR were evaluated in the
      Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). LA volumes were computed by the
      modified biplane method from 2- and 4-chamber projections and the Simpson's
      method from short-axis slices using both methods - manual and semi-automated
      delineation using MTT. LA total, active and passive ejection fractions were
      calculated. Pearson's correlation and Bland-Altman analysis were used to compare
      the measurements. In a second sample of 25 subjects (age: 65.7 +/- 7.1, 72%
      males) inter study, intra and inter reader reliability analysis was performed.
      The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was evaluated. RESULTS: Left atrial
      MTT structural and functional parameters were not different from manual
      delineation, yet image analysis was only half as time consuming on average with
      MTT. Maximal volume MTT was not different between the Simpson's and Biplane
      methods, functional parameters, however were different. MTT allowed us to measure
      multiple LA parameters with good-excellent (ICC; 0.88- 0.98, p < 0.001) intra-and
      inter reader reproducibility and fair-good (ICC; 0.44-0.82, p < 0.05-0.001) inter
      study reproducibility. CONCLUSIONS: MTT derived LA biplane volume and function is
      accurate and reproducible and is suited for use in longitudinal studies.

PMID- 26126734
TI  - Diversity, Conflict, and Recognition in Hospital Medical Practice.
AB  - The hospital is a place of encounter between health care providers, patients and
      family members, the healthy and the suffering, migrants and non-migrants, as well
      as social and cultural minorities, and majorities of various backgrounds. It is
      also a space where multiple conceptions of care, life, quality of life, and death
      are enacted, sometimes inhibiting mutual understanding between caregivers and the
      cared for, a scenario that in turn may provoke conflict. Through the lens of
      conflict, we explore in this article the theme of Otherness within the clinic,
      basing analysis on an ethnographic study conducted in recent years in three
      cosmopolitan Canadian cities. Daily practices and-on a larger scale-the social
      space of the clinic become material here for reflecting on recognition (and non
      recognition) of the Other as actors in the clinical encounter. The examination of
      structural and situational conditions that contribute to the emergence of
      conflict offers an understanding of the diversity of values that pervade the
      clinic. By way of conclusion, we argue that recognition of diversity, at least on
      the part of practitioners, is a key condition for the emergence of a pluralist
      normativity in the social space of the clinic.

PMID- 26126735
TI  - Fire fit: assessing comprehensive fitness and injury risk in the fire service.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study sought to develop a comprehensive measure of fitness that is
      predictive of injury risk and can be used in the fire service to assess
      individual-level health and fit-for-duty status. METHODS: A retrospective
      occupational cohort of 799 career fire service employees was observed over the
      years 2005-2009. An equally weighted score for comprehensive fitness was
      calculated based on cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, endurance,
      flexibility, and body composition. Repeated measures survival analyses were used
      to estimate the risk of any injury, sprain or strain, and exercise-related
      injuries in relation to comprehensive fitness. RESULTS: A well-distributed
      comprehensive fitness score was developed to distinguish three tiers of overall
      fitness status. Intraclass correlations identified flexibility, total grip
      strength, percent body fat, and resting heart rate as the most reliable fitness
      metrics, while push-ups, sit-ups, and aerobic capacity demonstrated poor
      reliability. In general, individuals with a lower comprehensive fitness status
      had an increased injury risk of injury as compared to the most fit individuals.
      The risk of any injury was 1.82 (95% CI 1.06-3.11) times as likely for the least
      fit individuals, as compared to individuals in the top fire fitness category,
      increasing to 2.90 (95% CI 1.48-5.66) when restricted to sprains and strains.
      CONCLUSIONS: This 5-year analysis of clinical occupational health assessments
      enabled the development of a relevant metric for relating comprehensive fitness
      with the risk of injury. Results were consistent with previous studies focused on
      cardiorespiratory fitness, but also less susceptible to inter-individual
      variability of discrete measurements.

PMID- 26126737
TI  - Colonoscopic diagnosis of cecal worms (Trichuris trichiura).

PMID- 26126736
TI  - Age at occupational exposure to combustion products and lung cancer risk among
      men in Stockholm, Sweden.
AB  - PURPOSE: Occupational exposure to combustion products rich in polycyclic aromatic
      hydrocarbons and particles is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.
      This study aimed to evaluate whether the risk depended on the age at which the
      individuals were exposed. METHODS: Data from 1042 lung cancer cases and 2364
      frequency-matched population controls selected from all men aged 40-75 years
      residing in Stockholm County, Sweden, at any time between 1985 and 1990, included
      detailed questionnaire information on occupational, residential, and smoking
      history. Occupational exposures were assessed by an occupational hygienist, and
      exposure to air pollution from road traffic was estimated based on dispersion
      models. RESULTS: We found that individuals exposed to combustion products in
      their twenties were at higher risk than those never exposed (adjusted OR = 1.46;
      95% CI 1.02, 2.10). The association was still evident after adjusting for a
      number of potential confounders, including lifetime cumulative exposure and
      latency. No clear association was found in those exposed at older ages.
      CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to combustion products at a young age was associated with
      elevated risk of lung cancer. Exposure-reduction programs should be aware of the
      susceptibility of the younger employees.

PMID- 26126738
TI  - Trisomy 15 mosaicism: Challenges in prenatal diagnosis.

PMID- 26126739
TI  - Late-glacial elevated dust deposition linked to westerly wind shifts in southern
      South America.
AB  - Atmospheric dust loadings play a crucial role in the global climate system.
      Southern South America is a key dust source, however, dust deposition rates
      remain poorly quantified since the last glacial termination (~17 kyr ago), an
      important timeframe to anticipate future climate changes. Here we use isotope and
      element geochemistry in a peat archive from Tierra del Fuego, to reconstruct
      atmospheric dust fluxes and associated environmental and westerly wind changes
      for the past 16.2 kyr. Dust depositions were elevated during the Antarctic Cold
      Reversal (ACR) and second half of the Younger Dryas (YD) stadial, originating
      from the glacial Beagle Channel valley. This increase was most probably
      associated with a strengthening of the westerlies during both periods as dust
      source areas were already available before the onset of the dust peaks and
      remained present throughout. Congruent with glacier advances across Patagonia,
      this dust record indicates an overall strengthening of the wind belt during the
      ACR. On the other hand, we argue that the YD dust peak is linked to strong and
      poleward shifted westerlies. The close interplay between dust fluxes and climatic
      changes demonstrates that atmospheric circulation was essential in generating and
      sustaining present-day interglacial conditions.

PMID- 26126741
TI  - Distribution and isolation of strains belonging to the order Solirubrobacterales.

PMID- 26126740
TI  - Patterns of gene expression during Arabidopsis flower development from the time
      of initiation to maturation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The formation of flowers is one of the main model systems to
      elucidate the molecular mechanisms that control developmental processes in
      plants. Although several studies have explored gene expression during flower
      development in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana on a genome-wide scale, a
      continuous series of expression data from the earliest floral stages until
      maturation has been lacking. Here, we used a floral induction system to close
      this information gap and to generate a reference dataset for stage-specific gene
      expression during flower formation. RESULTS: Using a floral induction system, we
      collected floral buds at 14 different stages from the time of initiation until
      maturation. Using whole-genome microarray analysis, we identified 7,405 genes
      that exhibit rapid expression changes during flower development. These genes
      comprise many known floral regulators and we found that the expression profiles
      for these regulators match their known expression patterns, thus validating the
      dataset. We analyzed groups of co-expressed genes for over-represented cellular
      and developmental functions through Gene Ontology analysis and found that they
      could be assigned specific patterns of activities, which are in agreement with
      the progression of flower development. Furthermore, by mapping binding sites of
      floral organ identity factors onto our dataset, we were able to identify gene
      groups that are likely predominantly under control of these transcriptional
      regulators. We further found that the distribution of paralogs among groups of co
      expressed genes varies considerably, with genes expressed predominantly at early
      and intermediate stages of flower development showing the highest proportion of
      such genes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight and describe the dynamic
      expression changes undergone by a large number of genes during flower
      development. They further provide a comprehensive reference dataset for temporal
      gene expression during flower formation and we demonstrate that it can be used to
      integrate data from other genomics approaches such as genome-wide localization
      studies of transcription factor binding sites.

PMID- 26126742
TI  - Genome-based analysis of type-I polyketide synthase and nonribosomal peptide
      synthetase gene clusters in a novel strain taxonomically close to the genus
      Salinispora.

PMID- 26126743
TI  - An overproduction of astellolides induced by genetic disruption of chromatin
      remodeling factors in Aspergillus oryzae.
AB  - The filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae is an important industrial mold. Recent
      genomic analysis indicated that A. oryzae has a large number of biosynthetic
      genes for secondary metabolites (SMs), but many of the SMs they produce have not
      been identified. For better understanding of SMs production by A. oryzae, we
      screened a gene-disruption library of transcription factors including chromatin
      remodeling factors and found two gene disruptions that show similarly altered SM
      production profiles. One is a homolog of Aspergillus nidulans cclA, a component
      of the histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methyltransferase complex of proteins associated
      with Set1 complex, and the other, sppA, is an ortholog of Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae SPP1, another component of a complex of proteins associated with Set1
      complex. The cclA and sppA disruptions in A. oryzae are deficient in
      trimethylation of H3K4. Furthermore, one of the SMs that increased in the cclA
      disruptant was identified as astellolide F (14-deacetyl astellolide B). These
      data indicate that both cclA and sppA affect production of SMs including
      astellolides by affecting the methylation status of H3K4 in A. oryzae. 

PMID- 26126744
TI  - Cytosine-type nucleosides from marine-derived Streptomyces rochei 06CM016.
AB  - Rocheicoside A (3), a nucleoside analog possessing a novel 5-(hydroxymethyl)-5
      methylimidazolidin-4-one substructure, was isolated from marine-derived
      actinomycete Streptomyces rochei 06CM016, together with a new (4) and three known
      compounds. Structures of the new metabolites were elucidated by one-dimensional
      ((1)H and (13)C) and 2D NMR (COSY, HMQC and HMBC) and HR-TOF-MS analyses. All the
      metabolites exhibited significant antimicrobial activity. A plausible mechanism
      was proposed for compound 3's formation from amicetin. 

PMID- 26126745
TI  - Self-assembled 2D WSe2 thin films for photoelectrochemical hydrogen production.
AB  - WSe2--a layered semiconductor that can be exfoliated into atomically thin two
      dimensional sheets--offers promising characteristics for application in solar
      energy conversion. However, the lack of controllable, cost-effective methods to
      scalably fabricate homogeneous thin films currently limits practical application.
      Here we present a technique to prepare controlled thin films of 2D WSe2 from
      dispersions of solvent-exfoliated few-layer flakes. Flake self-assembly at a
      liquid/liquid interface (formed exceptionally from two non-solvents for WSe2)
      followed by substrate transfer affords large-area thin films with superior 2D
      flake alignment compared with traditional (liquid/air) self-assembly techniques.
      We further demonstrate, for the first time, solar-to-hydrogen conversion from
      solution-processed WSe2 thin films. Bare photoelectrodes with a thickness of ca.
      25 nm exhibit sustained p-type photocurrent under simulated solar illumination,
      and up to 1.0 mA cm(-2) at 0 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode with an added
      water reduction catalyst (Pt). The importance of the self-assembled morphology is
      established by photoelectrochemical and conductivity measurements.

PMID- 26126746
TI  - Estimating sleep from multisensory armband measurements: validity and reliability
      in teens.
AB  - Given the recognition that sleep may influence obesity risk, there is increasing
      interest in measuring sleep parameters within obesity studies. The goal of the
      current analyses was to determine whether the SenseWear((r)) Pro3 Armband
      (armband), typically used to assess physical activity, is reliable at assessing
      sleep parameters. The armband was compared with the AMI Motionlogger((r))
      (actigraph), a validated activity monitor for sleep assessment, and with
      polysomnography, the gold standard for assessing sleep. Participants were 20
      adolescents (mean age = 15.5 years) with a mean body mass index percentile of
      63.7. All participants wore the armband and actigraph on their non-dominant arm
      while in-lab during a nocturnal polysomnographic recording (600 min). Epoch-by
      epoch sleep/wake data and concordance of sleep parameters were examined. No
      significant sleep parameter differences were found between the armband and
      polysomnography; the actigraph tended to overestimate sleep and underestimate
      wake compared with polysomnography. Both devices showed high sleep sensitivity,
      but lower wake detection rates. Bland-Altman plots showed large individual
      differences in armband sleep parameter concordance rates. The armband did well
      estimating sleep overall, with group results more similar to polysomnography than
      the actigraph; however, the armband was less accurate at an individual level than
      the actigraph.

PMID- 26126748
TI  - Two worlds: Adolescents' strategies for managing life with a parent in hospice.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to generate an explanatory model of the coping
      strategies that adolescents employ to manage the stressors they experience in the
      final months of their ill parent's life and shortly after their death. METHOD:
      The sample included 26 families of adolescents with a parent receiving care in a
      large hospice program in northeastern Ohio. A semistructured interview was
      conducted with 14 ill parents, 17 well parents/guardians, and 30 of their
      adolescent children before the parent's death and, additionally, with 6 of these
      families after the death. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim,
      and analyzed using a grounded-theory approach. RESULTS: The participants
      described two worlds that constituted the lives of the adolescents: the well
      world of normal adolescence and the ill world of having a parent near the end of
      life. The adolescents experienced a common challenge of living in two worlds and
      responded to the challenge with a process we labeled "managing two worlds." Five
      stages through which adolescents manage their worlds were identified: keeping the
      ill world and the well world separate; having the ill world intrude into the well
      world; moving between the ill world and the well world; being immersed in the ill
      world; and returning to the well world having been changed by the ill world.
      SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The explanatory model of "managing two worlds" outlines
      a complex and nuanced process that changes over time. The model can be used by
      health professionals who seek to help adolescents navigate this critical time
      when their parents are dying or have recently died. These results can also be
      used to inform the development of interventions that assist families with
      strategies tailored to an adolescent's specific needs. Future research should
      investigate associations among the process of "managing two worlds" and outcomes
      related to adolescent bereavement.

PMID- 26126753
TI  - Development and validation of an in-house quantitative analysis method for
      cylindrospermopsin using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem
      mass spectrometry: Quantification demonstrated in 4 aquatic organisms.
AB  - The cyanobacterial toxin cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is of great concern in aquatic
      environments because of its incidence, multiple toxicity endpoints, and,
      therefore, the severity of health implications. It may bioaccumulate in aquatic
      food webs, resulting in high exposure concentrations to higher-order trophic
      levels, particularly humans. Because of accumulation at primary levels resulting
      from exposure to trace amounts of toxin, a sensitive analytical technique with
      proven aquatic applications is required. In the present study, a hydrophilic
      interaction liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric method with a lower
      limit of detection of 200 fg on column (signal-to-noise ratio = 3, n = 9) and a
      lower limit of quantification of 1 pg on column (signal-to-noise ratio = 11, n =
      9) with demonstrated application in 4 aquatic organisms is described. The
      analytical method was optimized and validated with a linear range (r(2) = 0.999)
      from 0.1 ng mL(-1) to 100 ng mL(-1) CYN. Mean recovery of the extraction method
      was 98 +/- 2%. Application of the method was demonstrated by quantifying CYN
      uptake in Scenedesmus subspicatus (green algae), Egeria densa (Brazilian
      waterweed), Daphnia magna (water flea), and Lumbriculus variegatus (blackworm)
      after 24 h of static exposure to 50 MUg L(-1) CYN. Uptake ranged from 0.05% to
      0.11% of the nominal CYN exposure amount. This constitutes a sensitive and
      reproducible method for extraction and quantification of unconjugated CYN with
      demonstrated application in 4 aquatic organisms, which can be used in further
      aquatic toxicological investigations.

PMID- 26126755
TI  - Incorporation of imidazole within the metal-organic framework UiO-67 for enhanced
      anhydrous proton conductivity.
AB  - Imidazole was introduced into the channels of the metal-organic framework UiO-67
      using an evaporation method. The imidazole@UiO-67 composite presents a high
      proton conductivity of 1.44 * 10(-3) S cm(-1) at 120  degrees C under anhydrous
      conditions. With a low activation energy at high temperatures (0.36 eV), the
      hybrid material can be regarded as a superionic conductor. 

PMID- 26126749
TI  - Treatment for Sleep Problems in Children with Autism and Caregiver Spillover
      Effects.
AB  - Sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are under
      recognized and under-treated. Identifying treatment value accounting for health
      effects on family members (spillovers) could improve the perceived cost
      effectiveness of interventions to improve child sleep habits. A prospective
      cohort study (N = 224) was conducted with registry and postal survey data
      completed by the primary caregiver. We calculated quality of life outcomes for
      the child and the primary caregiver associated with treatments to improve sleep
      in the child based on prior clinical trials. Predicted treatment effects for
      melatonin and behavioral interventions were similar in magnitude for the child
      and for the caregiver. Accounting for caregiver spillover effects associated with
      treatments for the child with ASD increases treatment benefits and improves cost
      effectiveness profiles.

PMID- 26126757
TI  - Trials on physical activity for smoking cessation in pregnancy missed a trick or
      two.

PMID- 26126756
TI  - Blood transfusion and 30-day readmission rate in adult patients hospitalized with
      sickle cell disease crisis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) patients hospitalized with vasoocclusive
      pain crisis tend to have prolonged length of stay (LOS) and high 30-day
      readmission rates. We investigated the associations of demographic
      characteristics, comorbidities, and blood transfusion during hospitalization with
      these outcomes. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Repeated regression analysis was used
      to analyze 39,324 admissions of 4348 adults with sickle cell crisis from 2007 to
      2012 in the Truven Health MarketScan Medicaid Databases. RESULTS: The mean (95%
      range) LOS was 5.9 (1.0-19.0) days and the 30-day readmission rate was 39.6% (95%
      confidence interval [CI], 39.1%-40.0%). Older age; chronic cardiopulmonary,
      renal, or liver disease; and sepsis were associated with both longer LOS and
      greater 30-day readmission rate. Female sex, iron overload, acute chest syndrome,
      acute renal failure, and stroke were additional predictors of longer LOS. Simple
      red blood cell transfusion was administered in 31.8% of the admissions, and these
      patients tended to have more severe disease (chronic cardiopulmonary or kidney
      disease, acute chest syndrome, acute kidney or liver failure, sepsis).
      Nevertheless, transfusion was associated with a reduced estimated odds ratio (OR)
      of inpatient mortality of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.57-0.99) and a decreased OR of 30-day
      readmission of 0.78 (95% CI, 0.73-0.83). CONCLUSION: Our findings point to blood
      transfusion as a potential means to reduce the 30-day readmission rate among
      Medicaid patients hospitalized with sickle cell crisis. There is a need for a
      prospective study to examine the potential benefit and safety of simple blood
      transfusion for this purpose.

PMID- 26126758
TI  - Improving gene regulatory network inference using network topology information.
AB  - Inferring the gene regulatory network (GRN) structure from data is an important
      problem in computational biology. However, it is a computationally complex
      problem and approximate methods such as heuristic search techniques, restriction
      of the maximum-number-of-parents (maxP) for a gene, or an optimal search under
      special conditions are required. The limitations of a heuristic search are well
      known but literature on the detailed analysis of the widely used maxP technique
      is lacking. The optimal search methods require large computational time. We
      report the theoretical analysis and experimental results of the strengths and
      limitations of the maxP technique. Further, using an optimal search method, we
      combine the strengths of the maxP technique and the known GRN topology to propose
      two novel algorithms. These algorithms are implemented in a Bayesian network
      framework and tested on biological, realistic, and in silico networks of
      different sizes and topologies. They overcome the limitations of the maxP
      technique and show superior computational speed when compared to the current
      optimal search algorithms.

PMID- 26126759
TI  - Cranberry capsules (2 taken twice daily for an average 38 days) reduce the risk
      of postoperative urinary tract infection in women undergoing benign
      gynaecological surgery involving intraoperative catheterisation.

PMID- 26126760
TI  - Long term impact of screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus - a commentary on new
      evidence.

PMID- 26126761
TI  - Editorial: standard neuropsychological assessments in neurosurgery.

PMID- 26126762
TI  - Sphenoid sinus aspergilloma in trans-sphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Simultaneous appearance of sphenoid sinus aspergilloma and pituitary
      adenoma is a very rare finding. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients with
      sellar and sphenoid sinus mass lesions who underwent trans-sphenoidal surgery was
      performed. Demographic data, medical history, predisposing factors, clinical
      picture, neurological status and radiological findings were reviewed. All
      patients underwent a trans-sphenoidal microsurgical treatment, and acquired
      specimens underwent both histopathological and microbiological analysis. RESULTS:
      Sphenoid sinus aspergilloma was encountered in seven patients. Three patients had
      an isolated sphenoid sinus aspergilloma and four patients with pituitary
      macroadenoma had a sphenoid aspergilloma as an incidental finding. CONCLUSIONS:
      Sphenoid sinus aspergilloma can be found during trans-sphenoidal surgery for
      pituitary adenomas. Sphenoid sinus extirpation followed by adenomectomy is the
      treatment of choice unless invasive aspergilloma is encountered requiring
      additional antifungal therapy.

PMID- 26126763
TI  - Meningioangiomatosis of the cerebellum: radiopathologic characteristics of a
      case.

PMID- 26126764
TI  - The dependence of age on ulnar nerve conductive study parameter adaptation after
      compressive ulnar neuropathy operations in the elbow.
AB  - BACKGROUND: According to some studies, peripheral nerve injury healing is
      prolonged in elderly patients. Compressive ulnar neuropathy in the elbow (UNE) is
      the second most common compressive mononeuropathy. To our knowledge, no study has
      investigated the effect of age on the postoperative ulnar nerve injury repair
      rate. Our aim was to evaluate age-related differences in the electrophysiological
      parameters before and approximately 100 days after operations for cubital tunnel
      syndrome. METHODS: This retrospective study included 103 patients who underwent
      in situ ulnar nerve decompressions in the elbow. The included patients suffered
      from paraesthesia and hypoesthesia in their ulnar nerve distribution,
      hypertrophy, and weakening of the hand muscles, which were innervated by the
      ulnar nerve. Concurrently, these patients met the EGM diagnostic criteria for
      UNE. The age dependency on the differences between the preoperative and
      postoperative parameter values that were measured during the conductive studies
      was estimated using a regression analysis. RESULTS: A statistically significant
      deceleration of the monitored parameter adaptation, which included segmental
      conduction velocity in the elbow area and CMAP amplitude during the above-elbow
      stimulation of the ulnar nerve, was found. CONCLUSIONS: Ulnar nerve injury repair
      in the cubital tunnel area after a UNE operation proceeds significantly slower in
      elderly patients.

PMID- 26126765
TI  - Letter to the editor of Acta Neurochirurgica: case of an isolated intracranial
      juvenile xanthogranuloma in a 34-year-old man.

PMID- 26126766
TI  - Three dimensional multi-cellular muscle-like tissue engineering in perfusion
      based bioreactors.
AB  - Conventional tissue engineering strategies often rely on the use of a single
      progenitor cell source to engineer in vitro biological models; however, multi
      cellular environments can better resemble the complexity of native tissues.
      Previous described co-culture models used skeletal myoblasts, as parenchymal cell
      source, and mesenchymal or endothelial cells, as stromal component. Here, we
      propose instead the use of adipose tissue-derived stromal vascular fraction
      cells, which include both mesenchymal and endothelial cells, to better resemble
      the native stroma. Percentage of serum supplementation is one of the crucial
      parameters to steer skeletal myoblasts toward either proliferation (20%) or
      differentiation (5%) in two-dimensional culture conditions. On the contrary,
      three-dimensional (3D) skeletal myoblast culture often simply adopts the serum
      content used in monolayer, without taking into account the new cell environment.
      When considering 3D cultures of mm-thick engineered tissues, homogeneous and
      sufficient oxygen supply is paramount to avoid formation of necrotic cores.
      Perfusion-based bioreactor culture can significantly improve the oxygen access to
      the cells, enhancing the viability and the contractility of the engineered
      tissues. In this study, we first investigated the influence of different serum
      supplementations on the skeletal myoblast ability to proliferate and
      differentiate during 3D perfusion-based culture. We tested percentages of serum
      promoting monolayer skeletal myoblast-proliferation (20%) and differentiation
      (5%) and suitable for stromal cell culture (10%) with a view to identify the most
      suitable condition for the subsequent co-culture. The 10% serum medium
      composition resulted in the highest number of mature myotubes and construct
      functionality. Co-culture with stromal vascular fraction cells at 10% serum also
      supported the skeletal myoblast differentiation and maturation, hence providing a
      functional engineered 3D muscle model that resembles the native multi-cellular
      environment.

PMID- 26126767
TI  - Carbocatalysis: the state of "metal-free" catalysis.
AB  - The rise in global demand for crucial chemical compounds has driven immense
      research in the fundamental science of catalysis. Graphene and its derivatives
      (chemically modified graphene, CMGs) have recently emerged as a new class of
      heterogeneous catalyst that promises economically viable and greener routes to
      these compounds. Although CMGs possess unique catalytic properties, the actual
      active sites are often points of discussion. Current minimal understanding on the
      possible effects of metallic impurities on the electrocatalytic performances of
      these CMGs calls forth the need to raise awareness on possible metallic
      impurities misrepresenting the actual chemical catalytic performances of the
      CMGs. This Minireview highlights the latest advances in the application of CMGs
      as catalysts, with an emphasis on the possible effects of metallic impurities on
      CMG catalysis. 

PMID- 26126768
TI  - The elegance of energy balance: Insight from circuit-level manipulations.
AB  - Mechanisms of energy balance were first examined using very powerful neuroscience
      techniques such as lesions and electrical stimulation. This early work identified
      the hypothalamus as a key structure involved in hunger and feeding; however,
      neural resolution of cell-defined populations contributing to appetite regulation
      remained elusive. Recent innovations in neuroscience have produced constructs
      that allow for a high degree of specificity in loss- and gain-of-function
      manipulations in molecularly circumscribed neural subsets as well as monosynaptic
      circuit mapping and in vivo neurophysiology. These complimentary techniques have
      provided researchers an unprecedented amount of empirical agility. As a result,
      cell populations in two subregions of the hypothalamus have emerged as key
      players in the physiological control of feeding behavior. The arcuate nucleus of
      the hypothalamus and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus contain
      neural populations that have a direct role in the promotion of hunger and
      satiety. These include neurons that express agouti-related peptide, pro
      opiomelanocortin, single-minded homolog 1 protein, and the melanocortin-4
      receptor. This review focuses on how these neural subsets communicate with one
      another, link up to build elaborate networks, and ultimately contribute to
      alterations in food intake. The continuing advancement of neuroscience tools, as
      well as a multimodal integration of findings, will be critical in illuminating an
      exhaustive and clinically relevant hunger circuit.

PMID- 26126769
TI  - Distinguishing Ophiopogon and Liriope tubers based on DNA sequences.
AB  - Ophiopogon japonicus is a herbaceous perennial plant in Liliaceae, and its tubers
      are used in traditional Japanese medicine as Bakumondo, prescribed for treating
      cough, sputum, and thirst. Liriope is a genus of ornamental plants related to
      Ophiopogon, and its tubers are used in folk medicine as well. Although tubers
      from both genera are traded in Korean and Chinese markets, only O. japonicus is
      defined as the plant of origin for Bakumondo in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia [1],
      and Liriope tubers cannot legally be used as Bakumondo in Japan. Ophiopogon
      plants can be distinguished clearly from Liriope by their fruit color and by the
      morphological characteristics of their flowers. However, the tubers of both
      species are greatly similar, making it very difficult to differentiate the two
      genera by the appearance of their tubers. We, therefore, investigated the most
      appropriate DNA regions to use for practical and accurate identification of
      Ophiopogon and Liriope tubers. The sequence of the gene for the large subunit of
      ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL) was found to be suitable
      for discriminating Ophiopogon and Liriope tubers. The identification procedure
      was simplified using restriction enzyme digestion of the amplified rbcL fragment.
      The detection limit for Liriope contamination was estimated by performing the
      procedure using mixed samples of powdered Ophiopogon and Liriope tubers.

PMID- 26126770
TI  - New norditerpenoid alkaloids from Aconitum vilmorinianum Komarov.
AB  - Aconitum vilmorinianum Komarov is a local medicinal plant used in many well-known
      clinical preparations to treat rheumatism and pains in Yunnan Province, China.
      Phytochemical examination of the roots of A. vilmorinianum led to the isolation
      of three novel imine-type norditerpenoid alkaloids named vilmorrianines E-G (1
      3), and a new natural alkaloid N-desethyl-N-formyl-8-O-methyltalatisamine (4),
      together with 14 known alkaloids. Their structures were elucidated on the basis
      of spectroscopic evidence. Vilmorrianine E is the first known norditerpenoid
      alkaloid containing both an imine group and a three-membered ring formed by C8,
      C9, and C10. 

PMID- 26126771
TI  - Oxomollugin, a potential inhibitor of lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide
      production including nuclear factor kappa B signals.
AB  - Mollugin, a naphthoquinone derivative, was reported to possess various biological
      activities such as anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity. Mollugin isolated
      from Rubia tinctorum roots inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO)
      production in RAW264.7 macrophages. However, mollugin synthesized for further
      investigation of its anti-inflammatory mechanism showed weak activity in addition
      to unstable assay results. From the result of analysis on a degradation product
      of mollugin, oxomollugin was found to be the main active substance of mollugin
      degradation, showing a potent inhibitory activity on NO-production including
      nuclear factor kappa B signals. 

PMID- 26126772
TI  - Proton transport in barium stannate: classical, semi-classical and quantum
      regimes.
AB  - Density-functional theory calculations are performed to investigate proton
      transport in BaSnO3. Structural optimizations in the stable and saddle point
      configurations for transfer (hopping) and reorientation allow description of the
      high-temperature classical and semi-classical regimes, in which diffusion occurs
      by over-barrier motion. At lower temperature (typically below 300 K), we describe
      the thermally-assisted quantum regime, in which protonic motion is of quantum
      nature and occurs in "coincidence" configurations favored by thermal fluctuations
      of the surrounding atoms. Both the non-adiabatic and the adiabatic limits are
      examined. In the adiabatic limit, the protonic energy landscape in the
      coincidence configuration is very flat. Path-integral molecular dynamics
      simulations of the proton in the coincidence potential reveal, in the transfer
      case, that the density of probability of H(+) has its maximum at the saddle
      point, because the zero-point energy exceeds the coincidence barrier. Arguments
      are given that support the adiabatic picture for the transfer mechanism. In the
      case of reorientation, the time scales for the existence of the coincidence and
      for protonic motion, as estimated from the time-energy uncertainty principle by
      using a simple one-dimensional model, are of the same order of magnitude,
      suggesting that the adiabatic limit is not reached. Protonic transfer and
      reorientation in this oxide are therefore governed by different mechanisms below
      room temperature. 

PMID- 26126774
TI  - Outcome of mixed nut biscuit challenges in low-risk patients who are on tree nut
      exclusion diet.

PMID- 26126776
TI  - A Bayesian approach to mitigation of publication bias.
AB  - The reliability of published research findings in psychology has been a topic of
      rising concern. Publication bias, or treating positive findings differently from
      negative findings, is a contributing factor to this "crisis of confidence," in
      that it likely inflates the number of false-positive effects in the literature.
      We demonstrate a Bayesian model averaging approach that takes into account the
      possibility of publication bias and allows for a better estimate of true
      underlying effect size. Accounting for the possibility of bias leads to a more
      conservative interpretation of published studies as well as meta-analyses. We
      provide mathematical details of the method and examples. 

PMID- 26126777
TI  - A novel microdeletion affecting the CETP gene raises HDL-associated cholesterol
      levels.
AB  - We describe a novel, inherited 16q13 microdeletion that removes cholesteryl ester
      transfer protein (CETP) and several nearby genes. The proband was originally
      referred for severe childhood-onset obesity and moderate developmental delay, but
      his fasting lipid profile revealed relatively high levels of high density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and relatively low levels of low density
      lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) for age, despite his obesity. Testing of first
      degree relatives identified two other microdeletion carriers. Functional assays
      in affected individuals showed decreased CETP mRNA expression and enzymatic
      activity. This microdeletion may or may not be pathogenic for obesity and
      developmental delay, but based on the lipid profile, the functional studies, and
      the phenotype of other patients with loss-of-function mutations of CETP, we
      believe this microdeletion to be antipathogenic for cardiovascular disease.

PMID- 26126778
TI  - Treating Hypertension in Pregnancy.
AB  - Hypertension is present in about 10 % of all pregnancies. The frequency of
      chronic hypertension and that of gestational hypertension is increasing. The
      management of pregnant women with hypertension remains a significant, but
      controversial, public health problem. Although treatment of hypertension in
      pregnancy has shown to reduce maternal target organ damage, considerable debate
      remains concerning treatment. We review current evidence regarding treatment
      goals, the ideal treatment starting time, and which drugs are available for the
      treatment of hypertension in pregnancy.

PMID- 26126779
TI  - Cerebrovascular Dysfunction in Preeclamptic Pregnancies.
AB  - Preeclampsia is a hypertensive, multisystem disorder of pregnancy that affects
      several organ systems, including the maternal brain. Cerebrovascular dysfunction
      during preeclampsia can lead to cerebral edema, seizures, stroke, and potentially
      maternal mortality. This review will discuss the effects of preeclampsia on the
      cerebrovasculature that may adversely affect the maternal brain, including
      cerebral blood flow (CBF) autoregulation and blood-brain barrier disruption and
      the resultant clinical outcomes including posterior reversible encephalopathy
      syndrome (PRES) and maternal stroke. Potential long-term cognitive outcomes of
      preeclampsia and the role of the cerebrovasculature are also reviewed.

PMID- 26126780
TI  - Searching for new mechanisms of myocardial fibrosis with diagnostic and/or
      therapeutic potential.
AB  - Myocardial fibrosis is the result of excessive fibrillar collagen synthesis and
      deposition without reciprocally balanced degradation. It causes cardiac
      dysfunction, arrhythmias, and ischaemia, and thereby determines the clinical
      course and outcome of cardiac patients even when adequately treated. Therefore,
      further research is needed to identify and better understand the factors that
      trigger and maintain the myocardial fibrotic response against different injuries
      in a variety of cardiac diseases. Here, we will focus on the following major
      areas of research: molecules that stimulate the differentiation of fibroblasts
      into myofibroblasts and subsequently alter collagen turnover (e.g. cardiotrophin
      1, galectin-3, NADPH oxidases, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin),
      microRNA-induced alterations of collagen gene expression, and matricellular
      protein- and lysyl oxidase-mediated alterations of collagen cross-linking and
      deposition. 

PMID- 26126781
TI  - Hydrodynamic interactions of deformable polymeric nanocarriers and the effect of
      crosslinking.
AB  - We report theoretical as well as numerical investigations of deformable
      nanocarriers (NCs) under physiologically relevant flow conditions. Specifically,
      to model the deformable lysozyme-core/dextran-shell crosslinked polymer based NC
      with internal nanostructure and subject it to external hydrodynamic shear, we
      have introduced a coarse-grained model for the NC and have adopted a Brownian
      dynamics framework, which incorporates hydrodynamic interactions, in order to
      describe the static and dynamic properties of the NC. In order to represent the
      fluidity of the polymer network in the dextran brush-like corona, we coarse-grain
      the structure of the NC based on the hypothesis that Brownian motion, polymer
      melt reptations, and crosslinking density dominate their structure and dynamics.
      In our model, we specify a crosslinking density and employ the simulated
      annealing protocol to mimic the experimental synthesis steps in order to obtain
      the appropriate internal structure of the core-shell polymer. We then compute the
      equilibrium as well as steady shear rheological properties as functions of the
      Peclet number and the crosslinking density, in the presence of hydrodynamic
      interactions. We find that with increasing crosslinking, the stiffness of the
      nanocarrier increases, the radius of gyration decreases, and as a consequence the
      self-diffusivity increases. The nanocarrier under shear deforms and orients along
      the direction of the applied shear and we find that the orientation and
      deformation under shear are dependent on the shear rate and the crosslinking
      density. We compare various dynamic properties of the NC as a function of the
      shear force, such as orientation, deformation, intrinsic stresses etc., with
      previously reported computational and experimental results of other model
      systems. The computational approach described here serves as a powerful tool for
      the rational design of NCs by taking both the physiological as well as the
      hydrodynamic environments into consideration. Development of such models is
      essential in order to gain useful insights that may be translated into the
      optimal design of NCs for diagnostic as well as targeted drug delivery
      applications. 

PMID- 26126782
TI  - Satellite lymphovascular space invasion: An independent risk factor in early
      stage cervical cancer.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to determine whether satellite LVSI in women
      with early stage cervical carcinoma is an independent prognostic factor for
      recurrence and survival. METHODS: A total of 210 eligible patients with FIGO
      stages IA2 and IB1 cervical carcinoma, who underwent radical hysterectomy or
      radical trachelectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy between January 2000 and
      December 2012, were included. Variables studied included age, histology type,
      differentiation grade, tumor size (TS), depth of invasion (DI), lymph node
      metastasis (LNM), conjoined lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) and satellite
      LVSI. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to define variables
      that best predict recurrence and survival. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed
      that differentiation grade, depth of invasion, tumor size, lymph node metastasis,
      and both conjoined LVSI and satellite LVSI were significantly associated with
      recurrence and survival. Using multivariate analysis, differentiation grade (HR
      3.63, 95%-CI 1.51-8.72), conjoined LVSI (HR 5.95, 95%-CI 1.57-22.53) and
      satellite LVSI (HR 7.45, 95%-CI 3.03-18.27) were independent prognostic factors
      for recurrence; LNM (HR 5.55, 95%-CI 1.52-20.26) and satellite LVSI (HR 8.94, 95%
      CI 2.43-32.95) were prognostic factors for overall survival. For patients with
      low-risk cervical cancer without LNM only satellite LVSI correlated significantly
      with disease-free and overall survival. CONCLUSION: Differentiation grade, DI,
      TS, LNM, and conjoined LVSI as well as satellite LVSI were prognostic factors for
      DFS and OS. Satellite LVSI is the most important factor predicting DFS and OS in
      early stage cervical cancer, especially when lymph nodes are negative.

PMID- 26126784
TI  - Predictors of lung cancer among former asbestos-exposed workers.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Despite extensive literature concerning the risk of lung cancer
      incidence among asbestos workers there is still lack of data specifying the
      association between the level of exposure and the frequency of cancer occurrence.
      The aim of the analysis was to assess the influence of smoking and selected
      factors related to occupational exposure on the risk of the incidence of lung
      cancer among the workers who were exposed to asbestos dust in the past. MATERIAL
      AND METHODS: The assessment was performed based on the case-control studies
      carried out within a cohort including 7,374 former workers of asbestos processing
      plants, examined over the years 2000-2013. Analysis of the material was based on
      the calculation of the odds ratio (OR) using conditional logistic regression
      modeling, adjusted for cigarette smoking, cumulative exposure, branch and time
      since last exposure. RESULTS: During the survey period there were 165 cases of
      lung cancer. Among the individuals who smoked, the relative risk of lung cancer
      incidence was twice as high in the persons smoking more than 20 pack-years
      (OR=2.23; 95% CI: 1.45-3.46) than it was in the case of the non-smokers. Analysis
      revealed that the risk of lung cancer in the group with the highest exposure was
      two times higher in comparison with the low cumulative asbestos exposure
      (OR=1.99; 95% CI: 1.22-3.25). The risk continued to increase until 30 years after
      cessation of asbestos exposure and started to decline many years after the last
      exposure. Influence of the mentioned above characteristics is particularly
      visible for tumors located in the lower parts of the lungs. CONCLUSION: Our
      findings confirm the strong evidence that the lung cancer risk is associated with
      asbestos exposure and it increases along with the increasing exposure. A strategy
      of smoking cessation among the individuals exposed to asbestos dust would
      potentially have health promoting effects.

PMID- 26126783
TI  - Primary central chondrosarcoma of long bone, limb girdle and trunk: Analysis of
      174 cases by numerical scoring on histology.
AB  - The aims of this study were: (i) to elucidate clinicopathological characteristics
      of pcCHS of long bones (L), limb girdles (LG) and trunk (T) in Japan; (ii) to
      investigate predictive pathological findings for outcome of pcCHS of L, LG and T,
      objectively; and (iii) to elucidate a discrepancy of grade between biopsy and
      resected specimens. Clinicopathological profiles of 174 pcCHS (79 male, 95
      female), of L, LG, and T were retrieved. For each case, a numerical score was
      given to 18 pathological findings. The average age was 50.5 years (15-80 years).
      Frequently involved sites were femur, humerus, pelvis and rib. The 5-year and 10
      year disease-specific survival (DSS) rates [follow-up: 1-258 months (average
      65.5)] were 87.0% and 80.4%, respectively. By Cox hazards analysis on
      pathological findings, age, sex and location, histologically higher grade and
      older age were unfavorable predictors, and calcification was a favorable
      predictor in DSS. The histological grade of resected specimen was higher than
      that of biopsy in 37.7% (26/69 cases). In conclusion, higher histological grade
      and older age were predictors for poor, but calcification was for good prognosis.
      Because there was a discrepancy in grade between biopsy and resected specimens,
      comprehensive evaluation is necessary before definitive operation for pcCHS. 

PMID- 26126785
TI  - Identification through DNA barcoding of Tabanidae (Diptera) vectors of surra
      disease in India.
AB  - Horse flies and deer flies are common names applied to members of the family
      Tabanidae (Diptera). Tabanid flies are pestiferous and of veterinary and medical
      importance, with about 244 species in India. They are major vectors of
      Trypanosoma evansi that causes trypanosomiasis (surra disease). Lack of stable
      morphological characters, and scarcity of taxonomic expertise, is major
      impediments for accurate species identification of these important pest and
      disease vectors. Molecular data, especially DNA barcode data, has been widely
      used in the identification of Diptera of economic importance. We evaluated the
      utility of DNA barcode data to discriminate the vectors of surra disease
      (trypanosomiasis) from India. We used barcode gap and reciprocal monophyly
      (neighbor-joining and Bayesian tree) criteria to analyze barcode data. A total of
      46 specimens belonging to 7 species under four genera in two subfamilies were
      used for this study. DNA barcode data was not available previously for these
      species. Analysis revealed that all morphologically identifiable species can be
      discriminated using DNA barcoding data. Further, our study clearly demonstrated
      the presence of cryptic species in Chrysops dispar. Moreover, we revealed that
      closely related species without stable taxonomic distinguishing characters in the
      "Tabanus striatus species complex" can be discriminated using DNA barcode data.

PMID- 26126788
TI  - Modular Synthesis of Pyrazolones Using an Alkene Aminocarbonylation Reaction.
AB  - A variety of pyrazolones were synthesized from enol ethers and hydrazones using a
      reaction sequence involving aminocarbonylation of enol ethers followed by
      nucleophile-induced aromatization of the azomethine imines intermediates. Using
      bases to catalyze the in situ formation of imino isocyanates allowed alkene
      aminocarbonylation to proceed under milder conditions with reactive substrates
      and enabled aminocarbonylation reactions of sensitive enol ethers. Aromatization
      of the azomethine imines could be induced by reduction using NaBH4, or by
      addition of NH2OH to afford the parent (beta)N-H products. 

PMID- 26126786
TI  - GATA-dependent transcriptional and epigenetic control of cardiac lineage
      specification and differentiation.
AB  - Heart progenitor cells differentiate into various cell types including pacemaker
      and working cardiomyocytes. Cell-type specific gene expression is achieved by
      combinatorial interactions between tissue-specific transcription factors (TFs),
      co-factors, and chromatin remodelers and DNA binding elements in regulatory
      regions. Dysfunction of these transcriptional networks may result in congenital
      heart defects. Functional analysis of the regulatory DNA sequences has
      contributed substantially to the identification of the transcriptional network
      components and combinatorial interactions regulating the tissue-specific gene
      programs. GATA TFs have been identified as central players in these networks. In
      particular, GATA binding elements have emerged as a platform to recruit broadly
      active histone modification enzymes and cell-type-specific co-factors to drive
      cell-type-specific gene programs. Here, we discuss the role of GATA factors in
      cell fate decisions and differentiation in the developing heart. 

PMID- 26126787
TI  - Mesenchymal-epithelial interactions during digestive tract development and
      epithelial stem cell regeneration.
AB  - The gastrointestinal tract develops from a simple and uniform tube into a complex
      organ with specific differentiation patterns along the anterior-posterior and
      dorso-ventral axes of asymmetry. It is derived from all three germ layers and
      their cross-talk is important for the regulated development of fetal and adult
      gastrointestinal structures and organs. Signals from the adjacent mesoderm are
      essential for the morphogenesis of the overlying epithelium. These mesenchymal
      epithelial interactions govern the development and regionalization of the
      different gastrointestinal epithelia and involve most of the key morphogens and
      signaling pathways, such as the Hedgehog, BMPs, Notch, WNT, HOX, SOX and FOXF
      cascades. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying mesenchyme differentiation into
      smooth muscle cells influence the regionalization of the gastrointestinal
      epithelium through interactions with the enteric nervous system. In the neonatal
      and adult gastrointestinal tract, mesenchymal-epithelial interactions are
      essential for the maintenance of the epithelial regionalization and digestive
      epithelial homeostasis. Disruption of these interactions is also associated with
      bowel dysfunction potentially leading to epithelial tumor development. In this
      review, we will discuss various aspects of the mesenchymal-epithelial
      interactions observed during digestive epithelium development and differentiation
      and also during epithelial stem cell regeneration. 

PMID- 26126789
TI  - Biological activity of sophorolipids and their possible use as antiviral agents.
AB  - Sophorolipids are surface active glycolipids consisting of a hydrophilic
      sophorose unit and a hydrophobic portion composed of a fatty acid tail. Crude
      sophorolipid sample contains both acidic and lactonic forms of sophorolipid with
      different degrees of acetylation and varying lengths of the fatty acid chains
      depending on the substrates used in the production process. Carboxylic end in the
      acidic form of the fatty acid is free, whereas in the lactonic form, it is
      internally esterified. Sophorolipids show different physicochemical properties
      with wide range of applications for each structural compound. Lactonic form of
      sophorolipids shows surface tension reducing ability and biological activity,
      whereas the acidic form possesses better foam forming ability and higher
      solubility. Presence of acetyl groups gives hydrophilic nature to the
      sophorolipids which promotes its antiviral and cytokine-stimulating properties.
      The aim of this review is to explore and suggest the plausibility of
      sophorolipids as therapeutic and prophylactic agents for the treatment of viral
      diseases. 

PMID- 26126790
TI  - Patterns of gene expression in the sheep heart during the perinatal period
      revealed by transcriptomic modeling.
AB  - Septa from sheep hearts at 130 days gestation, term, and 14-day-old lambs were
      used to model the changes in gene expression patterns during the perinatal period
      using Agilent 15k ovine microarrays. We used Bioconductor for R to model five
      major patterns of coexpressed genes. Gene ontology and transcription factor
      analyses using Webgestalt modeled the biological significances and transcription
      factors of the gene expression patterns. Modeling indicated a decreased
      expression of genes associated with anatomical development and differentiation
      during this period, whereas those associated with increased protein synthesis and
      growth associated with maturation of the endoplasmic reticulum rose to term but
      did not further increase from the near term expression. Expression of genes
      associated with cell responsiveness, for example, immune responses, decreased at
      term but expression returned by postnatal day 14. Changes in genes related to
      metabolism showed differential substrate-associated patterns: those related to
      carbohydrate metabolism rose to term and remained stable thereafter, whereas
      those associated with fatty acid oxidation facility rose throughout the period.
      The timing of many of these maturational processes was earlier in relation to
      birth than in the rodent. The importance of the transcription factors, estrogen
      related receptors, and v-myc avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog was
      also highlighted in the pattern of gene expression during development of the
      perinatal sheep heart.

PMID- 26126791
TI  - MicroRNA network changes in the brain stem underlie the development of
      hypertension.
AB  - Hypertension is a major chronic disease whose molecular mechanisms remain poorly
      understood. We compared neuroanatomical patterns of microRNAs in the brain stem
      of the spontaneous hypertensive rat (SHR) to the Wistar Kyoto rat (WKY, control).
      We quantified 419 well-annotated microRNAs in the nucleus of the solitary tract
      (NTS) and rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), from SHR and WKY rats, during
      three main stages of hypertension development. Changes in microRNA expression
      were stage- and region-dependent, with a majority of SHR vs. WKY differential
      expression occurring at the hypertension onset stage in NTS versus at the
      prehypertension stage in RVLM. Our analysis identified 24 microRNAs showing time
      dependent differential expression in SHR compared with WKY in at least one brain
      region. We predicted potential gene regulatory targets corresponding to
      catecholaminergic processes, neuroinflammation, and neuromodulation using the
      miRWALK and RNA22 databases, and we tested those bioinformatics predictions using
      high-throughput quantitative PCR to evaluate correlations of differential
      expression between the microRNAs and their predicted gene targets. We found a
      novel regulatory network motif consisting of microRNAs likely downregulating a
      negative regulator of prohypertensive processes such as angiotensin II signaling
      and leukotriene-based inflammation. Our results provide new evidence on the
      dynamics of microRNA expression in the development of hypertension and
      predictions of microRNA-mediated regulatory networks playing a region-dependent
      role in potentially altering brain-stem cardiovascular control circuit function
      leading to the development of hypertension. 

PMID- 26126792
TI  - Significance of transcytosis in Alzheimer's disease: BACE1 takes the scenic route
      to axons.
AB  - Neurons have developed elaborate mechanisms for sorting of proteins to their
      destination in dendrites and axons as well as dynamic local trafficking. Recent
      evidence suggests that polarized axonal sorting of beta-site converting enzyme 1
      (BACE1), a type I transmembrane aspartyl protease involved in Alzheimer's disease
      (AD) pathogenesis, entails an unusual journey. In hippocampal neurons, BACE1
      internalized from dendrites is conveyed in recycling endosomes via unidirectional
      retrograde transport towards the soma and sorted to axons where BACE1 becomes
      enriched. In comparison to other transmembrane proteins that undergo transcytosis
      or elimination in somatodendritic compartment, vectorial transport of
      internalized BACE1 in dendrites is unique and intriguing. Dysfunction of protein
      transport contributes to pathogenesis of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.
      Therefore, characterization of BACE1 transcytosis is an important addition to the
      multiple lines of evidence that highlight the crucial role played by endosomal
      trafficking pathway as well as axonal sorting mechanisms in AD pathogenesis. 

PMID- 26126794
TI  - Vascular access modifies the protective effect of obesity on survival in
      hemodialysis patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The protective effect of obesity on the survival of patients
      undergoing hemodialysis (HD) for end-stage renal disease (ESRD), described as the
      obesity paradox, has been established previously. Survival benefits also have
      been ascribed to permanent modes of HD access (fistula/graft) compared with
      catheter at first HD. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of
      incident HD access type on the obesity paradox. METHODS: A retrospective study of
      all patients with ESRD in the US Renal Database System who initiated HD between
      2006 and 2010 was carried out. Multivariate logistic, Cox regression, and
      propensity score matched analyses were used to evaluate the association between
      body mass index (BMI), modes of HD access (fistula/graft vs catheter), and
      mortality. RESULTS: There were 501,920 dialysis initiates studied; 83% via
      catheter, 14% via fistula, and 3% via grafts. Mortality was lesser for patients
      initiating hemodialysis with permanent forms of access compared with catheter
      (adjusted odds ratio 0.68, 95% confidence interval 0.67-0.69, P < .001). High
      body mass index (BMI) was associated with lower mortality. Patients with high BMI
      were more likely to initiate hemodialysis via permanent modes of access compared
      with patients with normal BMI. CONCLUSION: The highly popularized protective
      effect of increased BMI on survival in HD patients is significantly influenced by
      the method of hemodialysis access. There is greater use of permanent access among
      patients with high BMI compared with patients with normal BMI. There remains a
      critical need to increase permanent access utilization at incident hemodialysis
      so as to improve survival irrespective of BMI status.

PMID- 26126793
TI  - Physical growth of the shuar: Height, Weight, and BMI references for an
      indigenous amazonian population.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Information concerning physical growth among small-scale populations
      remains limited, yet such data are critical to local health efforts and to foster
      basic understandings of human life history and variation in childhood
      development. Using a large dataset and robust modeling methods, this study aims
      to describe growth from birth to adulthood among the indigenous Shuar of
      Amazonian Ecuador. METHODS: Mixed-longitudinal measures of height, weight, and
      body mass index (BMI) were collected from Shuar participants (n = 2,463; age: 0
      29 years). Centile growth curves and tables were created for each anthropometric
      variable of interest using Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and
      Shape (GAMLSS). Pseudo-velocity and Lambda-Mu-Sigma curves were generated to
      further investigate Shuar patterns of growth and to facilitate comparison with
      United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention and multinational World
      Health Organization growth references. RESULTS: The Shuar are small throughout
      life and exhibit complex patterns of growth that differ substantially from those
      of international references. Similar to other Amazonians, Shuar growth in weight
      compares more favorably to references than growth in height, resulting in BMI
      curves that approximate international medians. Several additional characteristics
      of Shuar development are noteworthy, including large observed variation in body
      size early in life, significant infant growth faltering, extended male growth
      into adulthood, and a markedly early female pubertal growth spurt in height.
      Phenotypic plasticity and genetic selection in response to local environmental
      factors may explain many of these patterns. CONCLUSIONS: Providing a detailed
      reference of growth for the Shuar and other Amazonian populations, this study
      possesses direct clinical application and affords valuable insight into childhood
      health and the ecology of human growth.

PMID- 26126795
TI  - Treatment and outcomes of adults with remnant intrapancreatic choledochal cysts.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to report our experience with the
      treatment of remnant intrapancreatic choledochal cysts (CCs) in adults. METHODS:
      We reviewed retrospectively the records of patients with intrapancreatic remnant
      CCs who underwent reoperation by our surgical team from January 2000 to December
      2012. Postoperative complications, surgical outcomes, and rate of malignancy were
      noted. RESULTS: A total of 41 patients were included: 35 without malignant
      transformation after the primary operation and 6 with malignant transformation.
      After the primary operation, all patients experienced cholangitis, and more than
      one-half had cholangiolithiasis (66%), pancreatitis (51%), and vomiting (51%).
      The mean age of the 35 patients (9 males and 26 females) was 49 years (range, 27
      69), and the majority had originally a Todani type I cyst (74%). Most patients
      (74%) had undergone previously subtotal extrahepatic cyst excision and Roux-en-Y
      hepaticochojejunostomy. After excision of the remnant cyst, the rate of an
      excellent or good outcome was obtained in 91% of patients. The mean age of the
      patients with malignant transformation was 51 years (range, 35-70), and the rate
      of malignancy was 15% (6/41). The average time between the original incomplete CC
      excision and the diagnosis of malignancy was 140 months (range, 52-265). Four
      patients underwent pancreatoduodenectomy, and 2 underwent palliative surgery
      because the lesions were invading adjacent tissues. Five patients died of their
      disease within 37 months after reoperation. CONCLUSION: Complications seem to be
      common after incomplete resection of a CC with remnant intrapancreatic CCs, and
      the malignancy rate is relatively high. To improve outcomes, all attempts at
      complete resection of the intrapancreatic portion of CCs should be made at the
      time of the primary operation.

PMID- 26126796
TI  - Concurrent validity and reliability of a novel wireless inertial measurement
      system to assess trunk movement.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Assessment of movement dysfunctions commonly comprises trunk range
      of motion (ROM), movement or control impairment (MCI), repetitive movements (RM),
      and reposition error (RE). Inertial measurement unit (IMU)-systems could be used
      to quantify these movement dysfunctions in clinical settings. The aim of this
      study was to evaluate a novel IMU-system when assessing movement dysfunctions in
      terms of concurrent validity and reliability. METHODS: The concurrent validity of
      the IMU-system was tested against an optoelectronic system with 22 participants.
      The reliability of 14 movement dysfunction tests were analysed using
      generalizability theory and coefficient of variation, measuring 24 participants
      in seven trials on two days. RESULTS: The IMU-system provided valid estimates of
      trunk movement in the primary movement direction when compared to the
      optoelectronic system. Reliability varied across tests and variables. On average,
      ROM and RM were more reliable, compared to MCI and RE tests. DISCUSSION: When
      compared to the optoelectronic system, the IMU-system is valid for estimates of
      trunk movement in the primary movement direction. Four ROM, two MCI, one RM, and
      one RE test were identified as reliable and should be studied further for inter
      subject comparisons and monitoring changes after an intervention.

PMID- 26126797
TI  - Interruption of mgrB in the mediation of colistin resistance in Klebsiella
      oxytoca.

PMID- 26126798
TI  - A review of antibiotic therapy for pelvic inflammatory disease.
AB  - Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a gynaecological inflammatory disorder with
      a high incidence that can lead to sequelae such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy
      and chronic pelvic pain. The International Union against Sexually Transmitted
      Infections (IUSTI) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
      have issued treatment recommendations for the management of PID. The purpose of
      this review is to summarise the available evidence for the use of IUSTI- and CDC
      recommended antibiotic therapies for PID. The main differences between
      recommendations concern alternative regimens for inpatient treatment and the use
      of oral moxifloxacin as an alternative outpatient regimen in the IUSTI
      guidelines. There is evidence supporting the use of the recommended antibiotic
      regimens, although with some variation in reported cure rates. This variation can
      be explained, in part, by the different diagnostic and evaluation criteria used
      in different trials. Adverse events that require discontinuation of antibiotic
      therapy are rarely observed. The main limitation of the current available
      evidence is the short-term follow-up, which does not allow full evaluation of the
      risks of long-term sequelae. 

PMID- 26126799
TI  - Endoscopic and histological features of mycophenolate mofetil colitis in patients
      after solid organ transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an immunosuppressive agent commonly
      used after organ transplantation. Gastrointestinal side effects occur in
      approximately 45% of patients. The spectrum of histologic features associated
      with MMF colitis has been well described, but data on the endoscopic features is
      lacking. The aim of the study was to describe the endoscopic features of MMF
      colitis in solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) as well as the frequency of
      histologic features and identify associated risk factors. METHODS: A
      retrospective review of all SOTRs taking MMF and who underwent colonoscopy
      between 2000 and 2010 was performed. 36 cases of MMF colitis were identified and
      361 patients served as controls. Descriptive statistics and data analysis looking
      for associated risk factors were performed. RESULTS: Among SOTRs taking MMF who
      underwent colonoscopy, MMF colitis was diagnosed in 9%. Endoscopic findings
      ranged from erythema (33%) to erosions/ulcers (19%). 47% of patients had a normal
      colonoscopy and everyone had rectal sparing. Histological findings included acute
      colitis-like findings (50%), inflammatory bowel disease-like characteristics
      (36%), ischemia-like findings (5.6%), and graft-versus-host disease-like features
      (8.3%). Diarrhea occurred in 83%. Kidney transplantation was associated with a
      higher risk of MMF colitis (OR 5.8 [2.86-11.86], P<0.0001) whereas liver
      transplantation was associated with a lower risk (OR 0.06 [0.03-0.16], P<0.0001).
      CONCLUSION: MMF colitis is fairly prevalent in SOTRs taking MMF who undergo
      colonoscopy. Diarrhea is the most common reason for colonoscopy referral (83%)
      and up to 47% of patients have normal colonoscopy, suggesting the need for
      routine biopsies to help confirm the diagnosis.

PMID- 26126800
TI  - Wideband phase locking to modulated whisker vibration point to a temporal code
      for texture in the rat's barrel cortex.
AB  - Rats probe objects with their whiskers and make decisions about sizes, shapes,
      textures and distances within a few tens of milliseconds. This perceptual
      analysis requires the processing of tactile high-frequency object components
      reflecting surface roughness. We have shown that neurons in the barrel cortex of
      rats encode high-frequency sinusoidal vibrations of whiskers for sustained
      periods when presented with constant amplitudes and frequencies. In a natural
      situation, however, stimulus parameters change rapidly when whiskers are brushing
      across objects. In this study, we therefore analysed cortical responses to
      vibratory movements of single whiskers with rapidly changing amplitudes and
      frequencies. The results show that different neural codes are employed for a
      processing of stimulus parameters. The frequency of whisker vibration is encoded
      by the temporal pattern of spike discharges, i.e., the phase-locked responses of
      barrel cortex neurons. In addition, oscillatory gamma band activity was induced
      during high-frequency stimulation. The pivotal descriptor of the amplitude of
      whisker displacement, the velocity, is reflected in the rate of spike discharges.
      While phase-locked discharges occurred over the entire range of frequencies
      tested (10-600 Hz), the discharge rate increased with stimulus velocity only up
      to about 60 um/ms, saturating at a mean rate of ~117 spikes/s. In addition, the
      results show that whisker movements of more than 500 Hz bandwidth may be encoded
      by phase-locked responses of small groups of cortical neurons. Thus, even single
      whiskers may transmit information about wide ranges of textural components owing
      to their set of different types of hair follicle mechanoreceptors.

PMID- 26126801
TI  - Grasping an object comfortably: orientation information is held in memory.
AB  - It has been shown that memorized information can influence real-time visuomotor
      control. For instance, a previously seen object (prime) influences grasping
      movements toward a target object. In this study, we examined how general the
      priming effect is: does it depend on the orientation of the target object and the
      similarity between the prime and the target? To do so, we examined whether
      priming effects occured for different orientations of the prime and the target
      objects and for primes that were either identical to the target object or only
      half of the target object. We found that for orientations of the target object
      that did not require an awkward grasp, the orientation of the prime could
      influence the initiation time and the final grip orientation. The priming effects
      on initiation time were only found when the whole target object was presented as
      prime, but not when only half of the target object was presented. The results
      suggest that a memory effect on real-time control is constrained by end-state
      comfort and by the relevance of the prime for the grasping movement, which might
      mean that the interactions between the ventral and dorsal pathways are task
      specific.

PMID- 26126802
TI  - When locomotion is used to interact with the environment: investigation of the
      link between emotions and the twofold goal-directed locomotion in humans.
AB  - Walking as a means to interact with the environment has a twofold goal: body
      displacement (intermediate goal) and the future action on the environment (final
      representational goal). This involves different processes that plan, program, and
      control goal-directed locomotion linked to motivation as an "emotional state,"
      which leads to achieving this twofold goal. The aim of the present study was to
      determine whether emotional valence associated with the final representational
      goal influences these processes or whether they depend more on the emotional
      valence associated with the intermediate goal in young adults. Twenty subjects,
      aged 18-35 years, were instructed to erase an emotional picture that appeared on
      a wall as soon as they saw it. They had to press a stop button located 5 m in
      front of them with their right hand. Their gait was analyzed using a force
      platform and the Vicon system. The main results suggest that the emotional
      valence of the intermediate goal has the greatest effect on the processes that
      organize and modulate goal-directed locomotion. A positive valence facilitates
      cognitive processes involved in the temporal organization of locomotion. A
      negative valence disturbs the cognitive processes involved in the spatial
      organization of the locomotion and online motor control, leading to a deviating
      trajectory and a final body position that is more distant from the stop button.
      These results are discussed in line with the motivational direction hypothesis
      and with the affective meaning of the intended response goal.

PMID- 26126803
TI  - The effect of synesthetic associations between the visual and auditory modalities
      on the Colavita effect.
AB  - The Colavita effect refers to the phenomenon that when confronted with an
      audiovisual stimulus, observers report more often to have perceived the visual
      than the auditory component. The Colavita effect depends on low-level stimulus
      factors such as spatial and temporal proximity between the unimodal signals.
      Here, we examined whether the Colavita effect is modulated by synesthetic
      congruency between visual size and auditory pitch. If the Colavita effect depends
      on synesthetic congruency, we expect a larger Colavita effect for synesthetically
      congruent size/pitch (large visual stimulus/low-pitched tone; small visual
      stimulus/high-pitched tone) than synesthetically incongruent (large visual
      stimulus/high-pitched tone; small visual stimulus/low-pitched tone) combinations.
      Participants had to identify stimulus type (visual, auditory or audiovisual). The
      study replicated the Colavita effect because participants reported more often the
      visual than auditory component of the audiovisual stimuli. Synesthetic congruency
      had, however, no effect on the magnitude of the Colavita effect. EEG recordings
      to congruent and incongruent audiovisual pairings showed a late frontal
      congruency effect at 400-550 ms and an occipitoparietal effect at 690-800 ms with
      neural sources in the anterior cingulate and premotor cortex for the 400- to 550
      ms window and premotor cortex, inferior parietal lobule and the posterior middle
      temporal gyrus for the 690- to 800-ms window. The electrophysiological data show
      that synesthetic congruency was probably detected in a processing stage
      subsequent to the Colavita effect. We conclude that-in a modality detection task
      the Colavita effect can be modulated by low-level structural factors but not by
      higher-order associations between auditory and visual inputs.

PMID- 26126804
TI  - Interaction in planning movement direction for articulatory gestures and manual
      actions.
AB  - Some theories concerning speech mechanisms assume that overlapping
      representations are involved in programming certain articulatory gestures and
      hand actions. The present study investigated whether planning of movement
      direction for articulatory gestures and manual actions could interact. The
      participants were presented with written vowels (Experiment 1) or syllables
      (Experiment 2) that were associated with forward or backward movement of tongue
      (e.g., [i] vs. [alpha] or [te] vs. [ke], respectively). They were required to
      pronounce the speech unit and simultaneously move the joystick forward or
      backward according to the color of the stimulus. Manual and vocal responses were
      performed relatively rapidly when the articulation and the hand action required
      movement into the same direction. The study suggests that planning horizontal
      tongue movements for articulation shares overlapping neural mechanisms with
      planning horizontal movement direction of hand actions. 

PMID- 26126805
TI  - Haptic over visual information in the distribution of visual attention after tool
      use in near and far space.
AB  - Despite attentional prioritization for grasping space near the hands, tool-use
      appears to transfer attentional bias to the tool's end/functional part. The
      contributions of haptic and visual inputs to attentional distribution along a
      tool were investigated as a function of tool-use in near (Experiment 1) and far
      (Experiment 2) space. Visual attention was assessed with a 50/50, go/no-go,
      target discrimination task, while a tool was held next to targets appearing near
      the tool-occupied hand or tool-end. Target response times (RTs) and sensitivity
      (d-prime) were measured at target locations, before and after functional tool
      practice for three conditions: (1) open-tool: tool-end visible (visual + haptic
      inputs), (2) hidden-tool: tool-end visually obscured (haptic input only), and (3)
      short-tool: stick missing tool's length/end (control condition: hand occupied but
      no visual/haptic input). In near space, both open- and hidden-tool groups showed
      a tool-end, attentional bias (faster RTs toward tool-end) before practice; after
      practice, RTs near the hand improved. In far space, the open-tool group showed no
      bias before practice; after practice, target RTs near the tool-end improved.
      However, the hidden-tool group showed a consistent tool-end bias despite
      practice. Lack of short-tool group results suggested that hidden-tool group
      results were specific to haptic inputs. In conclusion, (1) allocation of visual
      attention along a tool due to tool practice differs in near and far space, and
      (2) visual attention is drawn toward the tool's end even when visually obscured,
      suggesting haptic input provides sufficient information for directing attention
      along the tool.

PMID- 26126806
TI  - mTOR inhibitor versus mycophenolic acid as the primary immunosuppression regime
      combined with calcineurin inhibitor for kidney transplant recipients: a meta
      analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A number of studies have provided information regarding the risks and
      benefits of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (mTOR-I) combined with
      calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) versus mycophenolic acid (MPA). METHODS: Medline,
      Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched.
      Randomized controlled trials comparing mTOR-I to MPA as the primary
      immunosuppressive regimen in combination with CNI were selected and meta
      analyzed. RESULTS: Eleven randomized controlled trials consisting of 4930
      patients in total were included. No significant difference was observed in the
      risk of biopsy-proven acute rejection and patient death between the two groups.
      However, an increased risk of graft loss (relative risk (RR) = 1.20) and inferior
      graft function (creatinine clearance, weighted mean difference (WMD) = -2.41
      MUmol/L) were demonstrated in mTOR-I-treated patients. Patients treated with mTOR
      I had a higher risk of new-onset diabetes mellitus (RR = 1.32), dyslipidemia,
      proteinuria (RR = 1.79), peripheral edema (RR = 1.34), thrombocytopenia (RR =
      1.97) and lymphocoele (RR = 1.80), but a lower risk of cytomegalovirus infection
      (RR = 0.40), malignancy (RR = 0.64) and leucopenia (RR = 0.43). There was no
      difference in diarrhea, anemia, urinary tract infection, polyoma virus infection
      and impaired wound healing when mTOR-I was compared with MPA. CONCLUSIONS: mTOR-I
      showed no particular superiority to MPA. Notably, mTOR-I had an increased risk of
      graft loss when combined with CNI, even when combined with a reduced dose of CNI.
      Therefore, the optimal dosage strategies for mTOR-I and CNI need to be further
      explored.

PMID- 26126807
TI  - Analysis of short-term heart rate and diastolic period variability using a
      refined fuzzy entropy method.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Heart rate variability (HRV) has been widely used in the non-invasive
      evaluation of cardiovascular function. Recent studies have also attached great
      importance to the cardiac diastolic period variability (DPV) examination. Short
      term variability measurement (e.g., 5 min) has drawn increasing attention in
      clinical practice, since it is able to provide almost immediate measurement
      results and enables the real-time monitoring of cardiovascular function. However,
      it is still a contemporary challenge to robustly estimate the HRV and DPV
      parameters based on short-term recordings. METHODS: In this study, a refined
      fuzzy entropy (rFuzzyEn) was developed by substituting a piecewise fuzzy
      membership function for the Gaussian function in conventional fuzzy entropy
      (FuzzyEn) measure. Its stability and robustness against additive noise compared
      with sample entropy (SampEn) and FuzzyEn, were examined by two well-accepted
      simulation models-the [Formula: see text] noise and the Logistic attractor. The
      rFuzzyEn was further applied to evaluate clinical short-term (5 min) HRV and DPV
      of the patients with coronary artery stenosis and healthy volunteers. RESULTS:
      Simulation results showed smaller fluctuations in the rFuzzyEn than in SampEn and
      FuzzyEn values when the data length was decreasing. Besides, rFuzzyEn could
      distinguish the simulation models with different amount of additive noise even
      when the percentage of additive noise reached 60%, but neither SampEn nor FuzzyEn
      showed comparable performance. Clinical HRV analysis did not indicate any
      significant differences between the patients with coronary artery disease and the
      healthy volunteers in all the three mentioned entropy measures (all p > 0.20).
      But clinical DPV analysis showed that the patient group had a significantly
      higher rFuzzyEn (p < 0.01) than the healthy group. However, no or less
      significant difference was observed between the two groups in either SampEn (p =
      0.14) or FuzzyEn (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our proposed rFuzzyEn outperformed
      conventional SampEn and FuzzyEn in terms of both stability and robustness against
      additive noise, particularly when the data set was relatively short. Analysis of
      DPV using rFuzzyEn may provide more valuable information to assess the
      cardiovascular states than the other entropy measures and has a potential for
      clinical application.

PMID- 26126809
TI  - Tropical Doctor. Editorial.

PMID- 26126808
TI  - Low-bias phosphopeptide enrichment from scarce samples using plastic antibodies.
AB  - Phosphospecific enrichment techniques and mass spectrometry (MS) are essential
      tools for comprehending the cellular phosphoproteome. Here, we report a fast and
      simple approach for low sequence-bias phosphoserine (pS) peptide capture and
      enrichment that is compatible with low biological or clinical sample input. The
      approach exploits molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs, "plastic antibodies")
      featuring tight neutral binding sites for pS or pY that are capable of cross
      reacting with phosphopeptides of protein proteolytic digests. The versatility of
      the resulting method was demonstrated with small samples of whole-cell lysate
      from human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T cells, human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells,
      mouse brain or human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Following pre-fractionation of
      trypsinized proteins by strong cation exchange (SCX) chromatography, pS-MIP
      enrichment led to the identification of 924 phosphopeptides in the HEK 293T whole
      cell lysate, exceeding the number identified by TiO2-based enrichment (230).
      Moreover, the phosphopeptides were extracted with low sequence bias and showed no
      evidence for the characteristic preference of TiO2 for acidic amino acids
      (aspartic and glutamic acid). Applying the method to human CSF led to the
      discovery of 47 phosphopeptides belonging to 24 proteins and revealed three
      previously unknown phosphorylation sites. 

PMID- 26126810
TI  - Arginase inhibition protects against hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial
      hypertension.
AB  - The present study aimed to determine the role of arginase (Arg) in pulmonary
      arterial hypertension (PAH). In vitro, human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells
      (HPASMCs) were cultured under hypoxic conditions with, or without, the Arg
      inhibitor, S-(2-boronoethyl)-l-cysteine (BEC), for 48 h, following which the
      proliferation of the HPASMCs was determined using MTT and cell counting assays.
      For the in vivo investigation, 30 male rats were randomly divided into the
      following three groups (n=10 per group): i) control group, ii) PAH group and iii)
      BEC group, in which the right ventricle systolic pressure (RVSP) of the rats was
      assessed. The levels of cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4 and p27 were
      measured in vitro and in vivo. The phosphorylation levels of Akt and
      extracellular-related kinase (ERK) were also measured in HPASMCs. In vitro,
      compared with the hypoxia group, Arg inhibition reduced HPASMC proliferation and
      reduced the expression levels of cyclin D1, CDK4, phosphorylated (p-)Akt and p
      ERK. By contrast, Arg inhibition increased the expression of p27. In vivo,
      compared with the control group, the expression levels of cyclin D1 and CDK4 were
      reduced in the PAH group, however, the expression of p27 and the RVSP increased.
      In the BEC group, the opposite effects were observed. Therefore, it was suggested
      that Arg inhibition may reduce the RVSP of PAH rats and reduce HPASMC
      proliferation by decreasing the expression levels of cyclin D1 and CDK4,
      increasing the expression of p27, and partly reducing the phosphorylation of Akt
      and ERK.

PMID- 26126811
TI  - The Lamarckian chicken and the Darwinian egg.
AB  - "Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg?" We suggest this question is not a
      paradox. The Modern Synthesis envisions speciation through genetic changes in
      germ cells via random mutations, an "Egg first" scenario, but perhaps epigenetic
      inheritance mechanisms can transmit adaptive changes initiated in the soma
      ("Chicken first").

PMID- 26126812
TI  - Understanding predictors of prolonged hospitalizations among general medicine
      patients: A guide and preliminary analysis.
AB  - Targeting patients with prolonged hospitalizations may represent an effective
      strategy for reducing average hospital length of stay (LOS). We sought to
      characterize predictors of prolonged hospitalizations among general medicine
      patients to guide future improvement efforts. We conducted a retrospective cohort
      study using administrative data of general medicine patients discharged from
      inpatient status from our academic medical center between 2012 and 2014.
      Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess the association between
      sociodemographic and clinical variables with prolonged LOS, defined as >21 days.
      Of 18,363 discharges, 416 (2.3%) demonstrated prolonged LOS. Prolonged
      hospitalizations accounted for 18.6% of total inpatient days and contributed 0.8
      days to an average LOS of 4.8 days during the study period. Prolonged
      hospitalizations were associated with younger age (odds ratio [OR]: 0.80 per 10
      year increase in age, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.73-0.87) and Medicaid
      insurance (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.29-3.05, REF = Medicare). Compared to patients
      without prolonged LOS, prolonged LOS patients were more likely to have
      methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus septicemia (OR: 8.83, 95% CI: 1.72
      45.36); require a palliative care consult (OR: 4.63, 95% CI: 2.86-7.49), ICU stay
      (OR: 6.66, 95% CI: 5.22-8.50), or surgery (OR: 5.04, 95% CI: 3.90-6.52); and be
      discharged to a post-acute-care facility (OR: 10.37, 95% CI: 6.92-15.56).
      Prolonged hospitalizations in a small proportion of patients were an important
      contributor to overall LOS and particularly affected Medicaid enrollees with
      complex hospital stays who were not discharged home. Further studies are needed
      to determine the reasons for discharge delays in this population.

PMID- 26126813
TI  - The history of sentinel node biopsy in head and neck cancer: From visualization
      of lymphatic vessels to sentinel nodes.
AB  - The aim of this report is to describe the history of sentinel node biopsy in head
      and neck cancer. Sentinel node biopsy is a minimally invasive technique to select
      patients for treatment of metastatic lymph nodes in the neck. Although this
      procedure has only recently been accepted for early oral cancer, the first
      studies on visualization of the cervical lymphatic vessels were reported in the
      1960s. In the 1980s mapping of lymphatic drainage from specific head and neck
      sites was introduced. Sentinel node biopsy was further developed in the 1990s and
      after validation in this century the procedure is routinely performed in early
      oral cancer in several head and neck centers. New techniques may improve the
      accuracy of sentinel node biopsy further, particularly in difficult subsites like
      the floor of mouth. 

PMID- 26126814
TI  - (-)Epigallocatechin-3-gallate decreases the stress-induced impairment of learning
      and memory in rats.
AB  - Stress induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) and causes alterations in brain
      cytoarchitecture and cognition. Green tea has potent antioxidative properties
      especially the tea catechin (-) epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). These powerful
      antioxidative properties are able to protect against various oxidative damages.
      In this study we investigated the impact of stress on rats' locomotor activity,
      learning and memory. Many tea catechins, including EGCG, were examined for their
      possible therapeutic effects in treating stress-induced impairment. Our results
      indicated that locomotor activity was decreased, and the learning and memory were
      impaired in stressed rats (SRs). EGCG treatment was able to prevent the decreased
      locomotor activity as well as improve the learning and memory in SRs. EGCG
      treatment was also able to reduce the increased oxidative status in SRs'
      hippocampi. The above results suggest a therapeutic effect of EGCG in treating
      stress-induced impairment of learning and memory, most likely by means of its
      powerful antioxidative properties. 

PMID- 26126815
TI  - A Near-fatal Case of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in a Vaccinated Child.

PMID- 26126816
TI  - Immediate allergy due to raw garlic (Allium sativum L.).

PMID- 26126817
TI  - A Description of Inpatient Palliative Care Actions for Patients With Acute Heart
      Failure.
AB  - In a recent randomized trial, inpatient palliative care (PC) visits were
      associated with improved quality of life and symptom burden for patients with
      heart failure. To better understand what actions by PC providers may have led to
      those outcomes, we conducted chart reviews of 101 patients in the intervention
      group (who received PC). Palliative care actions are described for all patients
      and for those with higher symptoms. Orders were written for 24% of patients, most
      frequently for pain. Recommendations to change current care were made for 40% of
      patients. At least 1 element of future care planning was documented for 99% of
      patients. Palliative care for inpatients with HF led to additive actions beyond
      standard care, especially for pain, and promoted HF-specific goals of care
      discussions.

PMID- 26126818
TI  - Validity of Oxygen-Ozone Therapy as Integrated Medication Form in Chronic
      Inflammatory Diseases.
AB  - The state-of-the-art of oxygen-ozone therapy is now clarified and all the
      mechanisms of action of medical ozone are within classical biochemistry and
      molecular biology. The outcomes of standard treatments in peripheral arterial
      occlusive disease (PAOD) and dry-form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
      have been compared with the documented therapeutic results achieved with ozonated
      autohemotherapy (O-AHT). On the other hand, the clinical data of O-AHT on stroke
      remain indicative. As the cost of O-AHT is almost irrelevant, its application in
      all public hospitals, especially those of poor Countries, would allow two
      advantages: the first is for the patient, who will improve her/his conditions,
      and the second is for Health Authorities burdened with increasing costs. The aim
      of this paper is to report to clinical scientists that O-AHT is a scientific
      based therapeutic approach without side effects. The integration of O-AHT with
      effective approved drugs is likely to yield the best clinical results in several
      chronic inflammatory diseases. 

PMID- 26126819
TI  - Evaluation of a Bone Marrow Dysmyelopoiesis Immunophenotypic Index for the
      Diagnosis and Prognosis of Myelodysplastic Syndromes.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) are a group of clonal hematopoietic
      stem cell disorders with significant heterogeneity in their clinical presentation
      and the prognosis of the patients. Several attempts have been made to incorporate
      flow cytometry (FC) findings into the diagnostic and/or prognostic criteria of
      dysplasia, but bone marrow (BM) aspirate morphology evaluation remains the gold
      standard for diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to provide a diagnostic
      tool for MDS that relies on BM immunophenotyping and objectifies the
      interpretation of FC analysis and to validate its capacity to discriminate MDS
      from other causes of cytopenias. METHODS: To that purpose, a mathematical formula
      was developed which incorporates granulocytic maturation markers and the
      percentage of selected myeloid populations and translates them into a single
      parameter that quantifies the maturation and differentiation defects of BM
      granulocytes, named Dysmyelopoiesis Index (DMI). Bone marrow samples from 84 MDS
      patients and 47 non-MDS cytopenic patients were analyzed with FC and DMI was
      calculated for every patient. RESULTS: DMI detected clonal dysplasia with 84.5%
      sensitivity and 93.6% specificity, identified as MDS 77.2% of low grade patients
      and revealed multilineage dysplasia for a number of RA and RARS cases. It
      discriminated prognostic subgroups of MDS patients (P< .005) and negatively
      correlated with IPSS (r= - .472, P= .000), WPSS (r= - .481, P= .000) and IPSS-R
      (r= -.395, P= .000). CONCLUSIONS: DMI represents an accurate quantification of
      dysmyelopoiesis and an effective stand-alone diagnostic test for MDS,
      facilitating FC analysis and daily clinical practice.

PMID- 26126820
TI  - Apixaban in Venous Thromboembolism in an Era of New Oral Anticoagulants.
AB  - Several new oral anticoagulants (NOAC) have been recently studied and approved
      for the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) which includes
      deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Although, NOACs possess several
      advantages when compared to traditional therapy each has its own limitations;
      especially in the elderly and in patients with low body weight, renal impairment
      and in those with high risk of bleeding. Apixaban is a factor Xa inhibitor
      recently approved for the treatment and prevention of VTE in the United States.
      The purpose of this manuscript is to review describes the pharmacological
      properties of NAOC's and to discuss clinical trial results and clinical
      applications of these agents in the prevention and treatment of VTE with special
      emphasis on the role of apixaban. 

PMID- 26126821
TI  - Medical education departments: a study of four medical schools in Sub-Saharan
      Africa.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Many African countries are investing in medical education to address
      significant health care workforce shortages and ultimately improve health care.
      Increasingly, training institutions are establishing medical education
      departments as part of this investment. This article describes the status of four
      such departments at sub-Saharan African medical schools supported by the Medical
      Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI). This article will provide information
      about the role of these institutional structures in fostering the development of
      medical education within the African context and highlight factors that enable or
      constrain their establishment and sustainability. METHODS: In-depth interviews
      were conducted with the heads or directors of the four medical education
      departments using a structured interview protocol developed by the study group.
      An inductive approach to analysis of the interview transcripts was adopted as the
      texts were subjected to thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Medical education
      departments, also known as units or centers, were established for a range of
      reasons including: to support curriculum review, to provide faculty development
      in Health Professions Education, and to improve scholarship in learning and
      teaching. The reporting structures of these departments differ in terms of
      composition and staff numbers. Though the functions of departments do vary, all
      focus on improving the quality of health professions education. External and
      internal funding, where available, as well as educational innovations were key
      enablers for these departments. Challenges included establishing and maintaining
      the legitimacy of the department, staffing the departments with qualified
      individuals, and navigating dependence on external funding. All departments seek
      to expand the scope of their services by offering higher degrees in HPE,
      providing assistance to other universities in this domain, and developing and
      maintaining a medical education research agenda. CONCLUSIONS: The establishment
      of medical education departments in Sub-Saharan Africa is a strategy medical
      schools can employ to improve the quality of health professions education. The
      creation of communities of practice such as has been done by the MEPI project is
      a good way to expand the network of medical education departments in the region
      enabling the sharing of lessons learned across the continent.

PMID- 26126822
TI  - A morphodynamic evaluation of the portal and hepatic venous system in cirrhosis
      can predict a progression of portal hypertension.

PMID- 26126823
TI  - Thematic Minireview Series: New Directions in G Protein-coupled Receptor
      Pharmacology.
AB  - Over the past half-century, The Journal of Biological Chemistry has been the
      venue for many landmark publications on the topic of G protein-coupled receptors
      (GPCRs, also known as seven-transmembrane receptors). The GPCR superfamily in
      humans is composed of about 800 members, and is the target of about one-third of
      all pharmaceuticals. Most of these drugs target a very small subset of GPCRs, and
      do so by mimicking or competing with endogenous hormones and neurotransmitters.
      This thematic minireview series examines some emerging trends in GPCR drug
      discovery. The first article describes efforts to systematically interrogate the
      human "GPCR-ome," including more than 150 uncharacterized "orphan" receptors. The
      second article describes recent efforts to target alternative receptor binding
      sites with drugs that act as allosteric modulators of orthosteric ligands. The
      third article describes how the recent expansion of GPCR structures is providing
      new opportunities for computer-guided drug discovery. Collectively, these three
      articles provide a roadmap for the most important emerging trends in GPCR
      pharmacology. 

PMID- 26126825
TI  - Lysosomal-associated Transmembrane Protein 4B (LAPTM4B) Decreases Transforming
      Growth Factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) Production in Human Regulatory T Cells.
AB  - Production of active TGF-beta1 is one mechanism by which human regulatory T cells
      (Tregs) suppress immune responses. This production is regulated by glycoprotein A
      repetitions predominant (GARP), a transmembrane protein present on stimulated
      Tregs but not on other T lymphocytes (Th and CTLs). GARP forms disulfide bonds
      with proTGF-beta1, favors its cleavage into latent inactive TGF-beta1, induces
      the secretion and surface presentation of GARP.latent TGF-beta1 complexes, and is
      required for activation of the cytokine in Tregs. We explored whether additional
      Treg-specific protein(s) associated with GARP.TGF-beta1 complexes regulate TGF
      beta1 production in Tregs. We searched for such proteins by yeast two-hybrid
      assay, using GARP as a bait to screen a human Treg cDNA library. We identified
      lysosomal-associated transmembrane protein 4B (LAPTM4B), which interacts with
      GARP in mammalian cells and is expressed at higher levels in Tregs than in Th
      cells. LAPTM4B decreases cleavage of proTGF-beta1, secretion of soluble latent
      TGF-beta1, and surface presentation of GARP.TGF-beta1 complexes by Tregs but does
      not contribute to TGF-beta1 activation. Therefore, LAPTM4B binds to GARP and is a
      negative regulator of TGF-beta1 production in human Tregs. It may play a role in
      the control of immune responses by decreasing Treg immunosuppression. 

PMID- 26126824
TI  - The role of mitochondrially derived ATP in synaptic vesicle recycling.
AB  - Synaptic mitochondria are thought to be critical in supporting neuronal energy
      requirements at the synapse, and bioenergetic failure at the synapse may impair
      neural transmission and contribute to neurodegeneration. However, little is known
      about the energy requirements of synaptic vesicle release or whether these energy
      requirements go unmet in disease, primarily due to a lack of appropriate tools
      and sensitive assays. To determine the dependence of synaptic vesicle cycling on
      mitochondrially derived ATP levels, we developed two complementary assays
      sensitive to mitochondrially derived ATP in individual, living hippocampal
      boutons. The first is a functional assay for mitochondrially derived ATP that
      uses the extent of synaptic vesicle cycling as a surrogate for ATP level. The
      second uses ATP FRET sensors to directly measure ATP at the synapse. Using these
      assays, we show that endocytosis has high ATP requirements and that vesicle
      reacidification and exocytosis require comparatively little energy. We then show
      that to meet these energy needs, mitochondrially derived ATP is rapidly dispersed
      in axons, thereby maintaining near normal levels of ATP even in boutons lacking
      mitochondria. As a result, the capacity for synaptic vesicle cycling is similar
      in boutons without mitochondria as in those with mitochondria. Finally, we show
      that loss of a key respiratory subunit implicated in Leigh disease markedly
      decreases mitochondrially derived ATP levels in axons, thus inhibiting synaptic
      vesicle cycling. This proves that mitochondria-based energy failure can occur and
      be detected in individual neurons that have a genetic mitochondrial defect. 

PMID- 26126826
TI  - The Arg Fingers of Key DnaA Protomers Are Oriented Inward within the Replication
      Origin oriC and Stimulate DnaA Subcomplexes in the Initiation Complex.
AB  - ATP-DnaA binds to multiple DnaA boxes in the Escherichia coli replication origin
      (oriC) and forms left-half and right-half subcomplexes that promote DNA unwinding
      and DnaB helicase loading. DnaA forms homo-oligomers in a head-to-tail manner via
      interactions between the bound ATP and Arg-285 of the adjacent protomer. DnaA
      boxes R1 and R4 reside at the outer edges of the DnaA-binding region and have
      opposite orientations. In this study, roles for the protomers bound at R1 and R4
      were elucidated using chimeric DnaA molecules that had alternative DNA binding
      sequence specificity and chimeric oriC molecules bearing the alternative DnaA
      binding sequence at R1 or R4. In vitro, protomers at R1 and R4 promoted
      initiation regardless of whether the bound nucleotide was ADP or ATP. Arg-285 was
      shown to play an important role in the formation of subcomplexes that were active
      in oriC unwinding and DnaB loading. The results of in vivo analysis using the
      chimeric molecules were consistent with the in vitro data. Taken together, the
      data suggest a model in which DnaA subcomplexes form in symmetrically opposed
      orientations and in which the Arg-285 fingers face inward to mediate interactions
      with adjacent protomers. This mode is consistent with initiation regulation by
      ATP-DnaA and bidirectional loading of DnaB helicases. 

PMID- 26126827
TI  - A Functional and Putative Physiological Role of Calcitriol in Patched1/Smoothened
      Interaction.
AB  - The Patched1 (Ptch)-mediated inhibition of Smoothened (Smo) is still an open
      question. However, a direct Ptch/Smo interaction has been excluded, Smo
      modulators were identified, but the endogenous signal transmitting molecule
      remains undiscovered. Here, we demonstrate that calcitriol, the hormonally active
      form of vitamin D3, is an excellent candidate for transmission of Ptch/Smo
      interaction. Our study reveals that Ptch expression is sufficient to release
      calcitriol from the cell and that calcitriol inhibits Smo action and ciliary
      translocation by acting on a site distinct from the 7-transmembrane domain or the
      cysteine-rich domain. Moreover calcitriol strongly synergizes with itraconazole
      (ITZ) in Smo inhibition, which did not result from elevated calcitriol
      bioavailability due to ITZ-mediated 24-hydroxylase inhibition but rather from a
      direct interaction of the compounds at the level of Smo. Together, we suggest
      that calcitriol represents a possible endogenous transmitter of Ptch/Smo
      interaction. Moreover calcitriol or calcitriol derivatives combined with ITZ
      might be a treatment option of Hedgehog-associated cancers. 

PMID- 26126829
TI  - The Volumetric Diversity of Misfolded Prion Protein Oligomers Revealed by
      Pressure Dissociation.
AB  - Protein oligomerization has been associated with a wide range of diseases. High
      pressure approaches offer a powerful tool for deciphering the underlying
      molecular mechanisms by revealing volume changes associated with the misfolding
      and assembly reactions. We applied high pressure to induce conformational changes
      in three distinct beta-sheet-rich oligomers of the prion protein PrP, a protein
      characterized by a variety of infectious quaternary structures that can propagate
      stably and faithfully and cause diseases with specific phenotypic traits. We show
      that pressure induces dissociation of the oligomers and leads to a lower volume
      monomeric PrP state that refolds into the native conformation after pressure
      release. By measuring the different pressure and temperature sensitivity of the
      tested PrP oligomers, we demonstrate significantly different void volumes in
      their quaternary structure. In addition, by focusing on the kinetic and energetic
      behavior of the pressure-induced dissociation of one specific PrP oligomer, we
      reveal a large negative activation volume and an increase in both apparent
      activation enthalpy and entropy. This suggests a transition state ensemble that
      is less structured and significantly more hydrated than the oligomeric state.
      Finally, we found that site-specific fluorescent labeling allows monitoring of
      the transient population of a kinetic intermediate in the dissociation reaction.
      Our results indicate that defects in atomic packing may deserve consideration as
      a new factor that influences differences between PrP assemblies and that could be
      relevant also for explaining the origin of prion strains. 

PMID- 26126828
TI  - Distinct Therapeutic Mechanisms of Tau Antibodies: Promoting Microglial Clearance
      Versus Blocking Neuronal Uptake.
AB  - Tauopathies are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by accumulation of Tau
      amyloids, and include Alzheimer disease and certain frontotemporal dementias.
      Trans-neuronal propagation of amyloid mediated by extracellular Tau may underlie
      disease progression. Consistent with this, active and passive vaccination studies
      in mouse models reduce pathology, although by unknown mechanisms. We previously
      reported that intracerebroventricular administration of three anti-Tau monoclonal
      antibodies (HJ8.5, HJ9.3, and HJ9.4) reduces pathology in a model overexpressing
      full-length mutant (P301S) human Tau. We now study effects of these three
      antibodies and a negative control antibody (HJ3.4) on Tau aggregate uptake into
      BV2 microglial-like cells and primary neurons. Antibody-independent Tau uptake
      into BV2 cells was blocked by heparin, consistent with a previously described
      role for heparan sulfate proteoglycans. Two therapeutic antibodies (HJ8.5 and
      HJ9.4) promoted uptake of full-length Tau fibrils into microglia via Fc
      receptors. Surprisingly, HJ9.3 promoted uptake of fibrils composed of the Tau
      repeat domain or Alzheimer disease-derived Tau aggregates, but failed to
      influence full-length recombinant Tau fibrils. Size fractionation of aggregates
      showed that antibodies preferentially promote uptake of larger oligomers (n >= ~
      20-mer) versus smaller oligomers (n ~ 10-mer) or monomer. No antibody inhibited
      uptake of full-length recombinant fibrils into primary neurons, but HJ9.3 blocked
      neuronal uptake of Tau repeat domain fibrils and Alzheimer disease-derived Tau.
      Antibodies thus have multiple potential mechanisms, including clearance via
      microglia and blockade of neuronal uptake. However these effects are epitope- and
      aggregate size-dependent. Establishing specific mechanisms of antibody activity
      in vitro may help in design and optimization of agents that are more effective in
      vivo.

PMID- 26126830
TI  - Introduction of time-based targets has improved the training environment for
      emergency medicine: Yes.

PMID- 26126832
TI  - Quantitative Analysis of the Migration and Accumulation of Bacillus subtilis in
      Asparagus officinalis.
AB  - Bacillus subtilis B96-II is a broad-spectrum biological control strain. It
      effectively suppresses soil-borne fungal diseases in vegetables. A green
      fluorescence protein (GFP) was expressed in B96-II to detect migration of B96-II
      into the root and stem of asparagus. The GFP-tagged B96-II (B96-II-GFP) strain
      exhibited bright green fluorescence under a fluorescence microscope. GFP was
      stable and had no apparent effects on the growth of the strain. Asparagus plants
      were planted in the soil inoculated with B96-II-GFP. Our results showed that B96
      II-GFP was detected in both the root and stem 15, 30, and 45 days after the
      asparagus seedlings were planted. B96-II-GFP was also detected in leaves but at a
      lower concentration. The highest concentration was detected in 15 days, and the
      number of bacteria decreased subsequently irrespective of duration of growth or
      sampling period. The highest concentration of B96-II-GFP was present in the root
      base suggesting that the root base served as the hub of bacterial migration from
      the soil to the stem. 

PMID- 26126831
TI  - Effects of Three Volatile Oxylipins on Colony Development in Two Species of Fungi
      and on Drosophila Larval Metamorphosis.
AB  - The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of three volatile oxylipins
      on colony development in two fungi and on Drosophila larval metamorphosis. Using
      an airborne exposure technique, three common and volatile oxylipins (1-octen-3
      ol, (E)-2-hexenal, and 1-hexanol) were compared for their effects on spore
      germination and colony growth in Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum,
      as well as for their effects on the morphogenesis of larvae of Drosophila
      melanogaster. Conidia of both A. niger and P. chrysogenum plated in the presence
      of low concentrations (50 ppm) of these three volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
      formed fewer colony-forming units (CFUs) and exhibited reduced radial growth of
      colonies as compared to controls. When A. niger and P. chrysogenum spores were
      germinated in the presence of the enantiomers of 1-octen-3-ol, (R)-(-)-1-octen-3
      ol had the greatest impact on colony morphology (decreased sporulation and colony
      diameter), while (S)-(+)-1-octen-3-ol and the racemic form yielded similar
      morphological changes but to a lesser extent. In addition, Drosophila larvae
      exposed to vapors of these oxylipins exhibited serious delays in metamorphosis
      and toxic effects on pupae and adult stages. Low concentration of these three
      VOCs can significantly inhibit the formation of CFUs and the growth of fungi. (R)
      (-)-1-octen-3-ol imposed the greatest impact on fungal morphology compared to (S)
      (+)-1-octen-3-ol and the racemic form. The three volatile oxylipins could also
      delay the metamorphosis of Drosophila and impose toxic effects on its pupae and
      adult stages. 

PMID- 26126833
TI  - Structural characterization of functionalized gold nanoparticles for drug
      delivery in cancer therapy: a NMR based approach.
AB  - In the present paper, we report results from a study of the structure and
      physicochemical properties of gold nanoparticles modified with poly(ethylene
      glycol) (PEG) designed for the drug delivery of the proteasome inhibitor
      Bortezomib (BTZ) in cancer therapy. A number of advanced analytical techniques
      were used to define important physicochemical characteristics such as
      composition, structure, surface properties, particle size and morphology. A new
      approach based on detailed NMR studies was employed to define specific
      intermolecular interactions and mechanisms of drug immobilization and location
      into surface modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Particularly important
      information was gained from analysis of NMR spectroscopic parameters such as the
      spectral line shape, translation diffusion, the nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE)
      and spin-lattice relaxation (T1). The results confirmed the coexistence of two
      different types of BTZ inclusion into polyethylene glycol coated gold
      nanoparticles: (i) association with the polymer chains by weak H-bonds and/or
      dipole-charge interactions and (ii) adsorption on the surface of the gold
      nanoparticles. The results allowed for determination of the overall structure of
      Bortezomib loaded PEG coated AuNPs, which is related to the therapeutic drug
      efficacy and activity in the treatment of cancer. 

PMID- 26126834
TI  - Cardiovascular safety risk assessment for new candidate drugs from functional and
      pathological data: Conference report.
AB  - This is a report on a 2-day joint meeting between the British Society of
      Toxicological Pathology (BSTP) and the Safety Pharmacology Society (SPS) held in
      the UK in November 2013. Drug induced adverse effects on the cardiovascular
      system are associated with the attrition of more marketed and candidate drugs
      than any other safety issue. The objectives of this meeting were to foster inter
      disciplinary approaches to address cardiovascular risk assessment, improve
      understanding of the respective disciplines, and increase awareness of new
      technologies. These aims were achieved. This well attended meeting covered both
      'purely functional' cardiovascular adverse effects of drugs (e.g.,
      electrophysiological and haemodynamic changes) as well as adverse effects
      encompassing both functional and pathological changes. Most of the presentations
      focused on nonclinical safety data, with information on translation to human
      where known. To reflect the content of the presentations we have cited key
      references and review articles. 

PMID- 26126835
TI  - Acetate-Derived Metabolites from the Brown Alga Lobophora variegata.
AB  - Seven new nonadecaketides (1-7), lobophorols A-C, lobophopyranones A and B, and
      lobophorones A and B, along with the first naturally occurring related
      metabolites (8-10), were isolated from specimens of Lobophora variegata collected
      from the Canary Islands. Their structures were determined by extensive
      spectroscopic methods. In addition, an insight into the biosynthesis of these
      compounds on the basis of the involvement of type III polyketide synthases is
      proposed. Lobophorol A (1) showed significant antibacterial activity against
      Staphylococcus aureus. 

PMID- 26126836
TI  - Narcolepsy in a three-year-old girl: A case report.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime somnolence associated
      with sleep paralysis, hallucinations when falling asleep or awakening, and
      cataplexy. Early recognition of pediatric narcolepsy is essential for growth and
      development. We experienced a case of narcolepsy in a three-year-old girl.
      METHODS: The patient underwent brain MRI and 24h video-electroencephalogram (EEG)
      monitoring. Polysomnography (PSG) with multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) and
      human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DQ typing was performed. RESULTS: The brain MRI was
      normal. 24h video-EEG monitoring revealed no abnormal slow or epileptiform
      discharge on interictal EEG, and no EEG change during tongue thrusting, dropping
      head with laughter, or flopping down, which was consistent with cataplexy
      associated with narcolepsy. A mean sleep latency of 2.5 min and four episodes of
      sleep-onset REM periods in five naps were observed in PSG with MSLT. She was
      positive in HLA-DQB1*0602. Based on these findings, she was diagnosed as
      narcoleptic with cataplexy. CONCLUSION: The history, combined with PSG and MSLT,
      was helpful in the diagnosis of narcolepsy. We report a case of early-onset
      narcolepsy presenting with excessive sleepiness and cataplexy.

PMID- 26126837
TI  - The expanding phenotypic spectrum of ARFGEF2 gene mutation: Cardiomyopathy and
      movement disorder.
AB  - Mutations in ADP-ribosylation factor guanine nucleotide-exchange factor 2
      (ARFGEF2) gene was recently recognized to cause bilateral periventricular nodular
      heterotopia, putaminal hyperintensity and movement disorder. A ten year-old girl
      with severe developmental and growth delay, feeding problems and involuntary
      movements is presented. Bilateral periventricular nodular heterotopia and
      putaminal hyperintensity were detected in cranial magnetic resonance imaging. Her
      echocardiographic examination revealed left ventricular non-compaction
      cardiomyopathy. Sequence analysis of ARFGEF2 gene demonstrated a homozygous
      c.5126G>A, p.Trp1709(*) mutation. The mutation is the first nonsense mutation
      described in ARFGEF2 gene and the case is the second reported case of ARFGEF2
      gene mutation with cardiomyopathy. The presented case supports the view that the
      presence of cardiomyopathy in ARFGEF2 gene mutations is more than a coincidence
      and thus expands the phenotypic spectrum of ARFGEF2 gene mutations. Mutations in
      the ARFGEF2 gene must be considered in the presence of bilateral periventricular
      nodular heterotopia and putaminal hyperintensity in children presenting with
      movement disorder, severe developmental delay and microcephaly. In case of
      ARFGEF2 gene mutation, screening for cardiomyopathy may be indicated. 

PMID- 26126838
TI  - Release of bulk cell free DNA during physical exercise occurs independent of
      extracellular vesicles.
AB  - PURPOSE: Strenuous exercise induces a rapid and transient elevation of cell free
      DNA (cfDNA) concentration in blood plasma. The detection of cfDNA in the presence
      of plasma nucleases could indicate an association of cfDNA with protective
      vesicular structures. Several cell types release extracellular vesicles (EVs),
      including exosomes and shedding microvesicles, which are known to mediate the
      exchange of proteins and nucleic acids (largely RNA) between cells. Here, we
      assessed whether EVs play a role in the exercise-dependent release of cfDNA in
      blood plasma. METHODS: Venous blood collected from healthy volunteers before and
      after incremental treadmill exercise was separated into vesicular (EV) and
      soluble fractions. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA content in plasma supernatants
      and EV fractions was determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). RESULTS: We
      show that the majority of cfDNA is located in the plasma supernatants. Only
      minute amounts of DNA were observed in the EV-associated fractions including
      microvesicles and exosomes. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA species differ in terms
      of their quantities in the several plasma fractions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results
      indicate that cfDNA liberated in response to acute physical exercise is not
      released by vesicular means and circulates in a soluble form in blood plasma
      which could indicate different biological functions exerted by cfDNA and EVs. The
      different nature of DNA species in plasma has major implications for the
      preparation of plasma and other bodily fluids prior to analysis.

PMID- 26126839
TI  - Effects of habitual loading on patellar tendon mechanical and morphological
      properties in basketball and volleyball players.
AB  - PURPOSE: Tendon mechanical properties are linked to sports performance and tendon
      related injuries, such as tendinopathy. Whether habitual loading, such as
      participation in regular jumping activities, would induce adaptation on tendon
      mechanical properties remains unclear. METHOD: Forty healthy subjects (10
      sedentary, 15 volleyball players, and 15 basketball players) aged between 18 and
      35 years were recruited. Supersonic shearwave imaging was used to measure the
      shear elastic modulus and thickness and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the
      proximal patellar tendons of both knees at 30 degrees  of flexion. RESULT:
      Significant group differences in tendon shear elastic modulus were found among
      the three groups. In the dominant leg, reduction in tendon shear elastic modulus
      by 18.9 % (p = 0.018) and 48.7 % (p = 0.000) were observed in the basketball and
      volleyball players, respectively, when compared with sedentary subjects. In the
      non-dominant leg, reduction in tendon shear elastic modulus were 27.3 % (p =
      0.034) and 47.1 % (p = 0.02) in the basketball and volleyball players,
      respectively. The athlete groups were found to have larger CSA but with similar
      tendon thickness than sedentary group. The CSA were larger by 24-29 % and by 22
      24 % in the basketball players and volleyball players, for the dominant and non
      dominant legs, respectively (all p < 0.05). Age and body mass are related to
      tendon stiffness and CSA, particularly in the sedentary subjects. CONCLUSION: The
      proximal patellar tendon can undergo substantial adaptation on tendon mechanical
      and morphological properties when exposed in jumping sports. Intrinsic factors
      such as age and body mass could influence tendon properties.

PMID- 26126840
TI  - Determination of lupenone and beta-sitosterol in Rhizoma Musae by UPLC with DAD
      and ELSD.
AB  - Rhizoma Musae has been used for centuries in Miao medicine practice in China, and
      it usually uses for treating diabetes and bruises. In this study, lupenone and
      beta-sitosterol in Rhizoma Musae were separated by reversed-phase ultra
      performance liquid chromatography (RP-UPLC) and simultaneously detected by a
      diode array detector (DAD) and an evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD)
      using methanol and 0.1% aqueous acetic acid (100 : 4, v/v) as a mobile phase in
      20 min. The flow rate of 0.1 mL/min was set with isocratic, the temperature of
      column compartment maintained at 50 degrees C and ultraviolet detection set at
      206 nm wavelength. The injection volume was 1.0 uL. The parameter for the ELSD
      was set to a probe temperature of 45 degrees C, and the nebulizer for nitrogen
      gas was adjusted to 1.5 L/min. The RP-UPLC method was validated for accuracy,
      precision, limit of detection and limit of quantification. It applied to the
      quantification of the active chemical constituents of Rhizoma Musae, and results
      indicated that both DAD and ELSD were suitable for the determination of lupenone
      and beta-sitosterol, and the DAD has a better sensitivity than the ELSD. 

PMID- 26126841
TI  - Single test for all doctors: urgent need to expand UK undergraduate medical
      education.

PMID- 26126842
TI  - Gaps in neonatal demographics may impact on HES data: a plea for early allocation
      and communication of patient identifiers.

PMID- 26126843
TI  - Integrating rapid diagnostic testing for congenital CMV into the Newborn Hearing
      Screening Programme: the audiovestibular physician's perspective.

PMID- 26126844
TI  - 'Feed and wrap' or sedate and immobilise for neonatal brain MRI?

PMID- 26126845
TI  - Neonatal organ donation for transplantation in the UK.

PMID- 26126846
TI  - Management of therapeutic hypothermia for neonatal hypoxic ischaemic
      encephalopathy in a tertiary centre in South Africa.
AB  - AIM: Therapeutic hypothermia (TH), shown in developed countries to improve
      outcome in infants with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE), was introduced
      into standard care at Tygerberg Children's Hospital in 2008. We aimed to describe
      the management and characteristics of infants treated with TH at this tertiary
      centre as well as the logistical challenges encountered. METHODS: Infants
      admitted for TH between 2008 and 2011 were included. They fulfilled TOBY study
      entry criteria and were cooled using a whole-body cooling system. A retrospective
      analysis of the cooling process and clinical findings was made using data
      collected during treatment. RESULTS: 100 infants with mild (32%), moderate (45%)
      and severe (23%) HIE were treated over 3 years. Mean time to admission was 4.87
      (+/-1.63) hours, median time from delivery to target temperature was 7.5 h (range
      2.5-15.5 h). Mean temperature on admission was 35.5 degrees C (+/-1.5 degrees C).
      Overall, rectal temperature was within target temperature for 82.8% of the time.
      Complications noted were clinically suspected/proven infection (45%), abnormal
      coagulation tests (48%), thrombocytopenia (34%), need for inotropic support
      (17%), hypoglycaemia (4%) and hyperglycaemia (10%). Rate of follow-up at 1 year
      among survivors was 57%. Infants not attending 1-year follow-up were more likely
      to have HIV-infected mothers, but there were no other demographic or clinical
      differences when compared with those who attended follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Cooling
      is feasible in a resource-limited setting, within a strict protocol. With close
      monitoring, the known and common complications occur as frequently as in less
      resource-limited settings. Surrogate markers of later outcome need to be explored
      where follow-up is problematic.

PMID- 26126847
TI  - An unexpected cause of stridor in a newborn.

PMID- 26126848
TI  - A novel mutation Ser344Cys in FGFR3 causes achondroplasia with severe
      platyspondyly.

PMID- 26126849
TI  - A Pterin-Dependent Signaling Pathway Regulates a Dual-Function Diguanylate
      Cyclase-Phosphodiesterase Controlling Surface Attachment in Agrobacterium
      tumefaciens.
AB  - The motile-to-sessile transition is an important lifestyle switch in diverse
      bacteria and is often regulated by the intracellular second messenger cyclic
      diguanylate monophosphate (c-di-GMP). In general, high c-di-GMP concentrations
      promote attachment to surfaces, whereas cells with low levels of signal remain
      motile. In the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens, c-di-GMP controls
      attachment and biofilm formation via regulation of a unipolar polysaccharide
      (UPP) adhesin. The levels of c-di-GMP in A. tumefaciens are controlled in part by
      the dual-function diguanylate cyclase-phosphodiesterase (DGC-PDE) protein DcpA.
      In this study, we report that DcpA possesses both c-di-GMP synthesizing and
      degrading activities in heterologous and native genetic backgrounds, a binary
      capability that is unusual among GGDEF-EAL domain-containing proteins. DcpA
      activity is modulated by a pteridine reductase called PruA, with DcpA acting as a
      PDE in the presence of PruA and a DGC in its absence. PruA enzymatic activity is
      required for the control of DcpA and through this control, attachment and biofilm
      formation. Intracellular pterin analysis demonstrates that PruA is responsible
      for the production of a novel pterin species. In addition, the control of DcpA
      activity also requires PruR, a protein encoded directly upstream of DcpA with a
      predicted molybdopterin-binding domain. PruR is hypothesized to be a potential
      signaling intermediate between PruA and DcpA through an as-yet-unidentified
      mechanism. This study provides the first prokaryotic example of a pterin-mediated
      signaling pathway and a new model for the regulation of dual-function DGC-PDE
      proteins. IMPORTANCE: Pathogenic bacteria often attach to surfaces and form
      multicellular communities called biofilms. Biofilms are inherently resilient and
      can be difficult to treat, resisting common antimicrobials. Understanding how
      bacterial cells transition to the biofilm lifestyle is essential in developing
      new therapeutic strategies. We have characterized a novel signaling pathway that
      plays a dominant role in the regulation of biofilm formation in the model
      pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This control pathway involves small
      metabolites called pterins, well studied in eukaryotes, but this is the first
      example of pterin-dependent signaling in bacteria. The described pathway controls
      levels of an important intracellular second messenger (cyclic diguanylate
      monophosphate) that regulates key bacterial processes such as biofilm formation,
      motility, and virulence. Pterins control the balance of activity for an enzyme
      that both synthesizes and degrades the second messenger. These findings reveal a
      complex, multistep pathway that modulates this enzyme, possibly identifying new
      targets for antibacterial intervention.

PMID- 26126850
TI  - The Peptidoglycan-Binding Protein SjcF1 Influences Septal Junction Function and
      Channel Formation in the Filamentous Cyanobacterium Anabaena.
AB  - Filamentous, heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria exchange nutrients and regulators
      between cells for diazotrophic growth. Two alternative modes of exchange have
      been discussed involving transport either through the periplasm or through septal
      junctions linking adjacent cells. Septal junctions and channels in the septal
      peptidoglycan are likely filled with septal junction complexes. While possible
      proteinaceous factors involved in septal junction formation, SepJ (FraG), FraC,
      and FraD, have been identified, little is known about peptidoglycan channel
      formation and septal junction complex anchoring to the peptidoglycan. We describe
      a factor, SjcF1, involved in regulation of septal junction channel formation in
      the heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. SjcF1
      interacts with the peptidoglycan layer through two peptidoglycan-binding domains
      and is localized throughout the cell periphery but at higher levels in the
      intercellular septa. A strain with an insertion in sjcF1 was not affected in
      peptidoglycan synthesis but showed an altered morphology of the septal
      peptidoglycan channels, which were significantly wider in the mutant than in the
      wild type. The mutant was impaired in intercellular exchange of a fluorescent
      probe to a similar extent as a sepJ deletion mutant. SjcF1 additionally bears an
      SH3 domain for protein-protein interactions. SH3 binding domains were identified
      in SepJ and FraC, and evidence for interaction of SjcF1 with both SepJ and FraC
      was obtained. SjcF1 represents a novel protein involved in structuring the
      peptidoglycan layer, which links peptidoglycan channel formation to septal
      junction complex function in multicellular cyanobacteria. Nonetheless, based on
      its subcellular distribution, this might not be the only function of SjcF1.
      IMPORTANCE: Cell-cell communication is central not only for eukaryotic but also
      for multicellular prokaryotic systems. Principles of intercellular communication
      are well established for eukaryotes, but the mechanisms and components involved
      in bacteria are just emerging. Filamentous heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria
      behave as multicellular organisms and represent an excellent model to study
      prokaryotic cell-cell communication. A path for intercellular metabolite exchange
      appears to involve transfer through molecular structures termed septal junctions.
      They are reminiscent of metazoan gap junctions that directly link adjacent cells.
      In cyanobacteria, such structures need to traverse the peptidoglycan layers in
      the intercellular septa of the filament. Here we describe a factor involved in
      the formation of channels across the septal peptidoglycan layers, thus
      contributing to the multicellular behavior of these organisms.

PMID- 26126851
TI  - Wall Teichoic Acid Glycosylation Governs Staphylococcus aureus Nasal
      Colonization.
AB  - Nasal colonization by the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is a major risk
      factor for hospital- and community-acquired infections. A key factor required for
      nasal colonization is a cell surface-exposed zwitterionic glycopolymer, termed
      wall teichoic acid (WTA). However, the precise mechanisms that govern WTA
      mediated nasal colonization have remained elusive. Here, we report that WTA
      GlcNAcylation is a pivotal requirement for WTA-dependent attachment of community
      acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and emerging livestock-associated
      MRSA to human nasal epithelial cells, even under conditions simulating the
      nutrient composition and dynamic flow of nasal secretions. Depending on the S.
      aureus strain, WTA O-GlcNAcylation occurs in either alpha or beta configuration,
      which have similar capacities to mediate attachment to human nasal epithelial
      cells, suggesting that many S. aureus strains maintain redundant pathways to
      ensure appropriate WTA glycosylation. Strikingly, a lack of WTA glycosylation
      significantly abrogated the ability of MRSA to colonize cotton rat nares in vivo.
      These results indicate that WTA glycosylation modulates S. aureus nasal
      colonization and may help to develop new strategies for eradicating S. aureus
      nasal colonization in the future. IMPORTANCE: Nasal colonization by the major
      human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is a risk factor for severe endogenous
      infections and contributes to the spread of this microbe in hospitals and the
      community. Here, we show that wall teichoic acid (WTA) O-GlcNAcylation is a key
      factor required for S. aureus nasal colonization. These data provide a
      mechanistic explanation for the capacity of WTA to modulate S. aureus nasal
      colonization and may stimulate research activities to establish valuable
      strategies to eradicate S. aureus nasal colonization in high-risk hospitalized
      patients and in the general community.

PMID- 26126852
TI  - The ParB-parS Chromosome Segregation System Modulates Competence Development in
      Streptococcus pneumoniae.
AB  - ParB proteins bind centromere-like DNA sequences called parS sites and are
      involved in plasmid and chromosome segregation in bacteria. We previously showed
      that the opportunistic human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae contains four parS
      sequences located close to the origin of replication which are bound by ParB.
      Using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), we found here that ParB spreads out
      from one of these parS sites, parS(-1.6 degrees ), for more than 5 kb and
      occupies the nearby comCDE operon, which drives competence development.
      Competence allows S. pneumoniae to take up DNA from its environment, thereby
      mediating horizontal gene transfer, and is also employed as a general stress
      response. Mutating parS(-1.6 degrees ) or deleting parB resulted in
      transcriptional up-regulation of comCDE and ssbB (a gene belonging to the
      competence regulon), demonstrating that ParB acts as a repressor of competence.
      However, genome-wide transcription analysis showed that ParB is not a global
      transcriptional regulator. Different factors, such as the composition of the
      growth medium and antibiotic-induced stress, can trigger the sensitive switch
      driving competence. This work shows that the ParB-parS chromosome segregation
      machinery also influences this developmental process. IMPORTANCE: Streptococcus
      pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is an important human pathogen responsible for more
      than a million deaths each year. Like all other organisms, S. pneumoniae must be
      able to segregate its chromosomes properly. Not only is understanding the
      molecular mechanisms underlying chromosome segregation in S. pneumoniae therefore
      of fundamental importance, but also, this knowledge might offer new leads for
      ways to target this pathogen. Here, we identified a link between the pneumococcal
      chromosome segregation system and the competence-developmental system. Competence
      allows S. pneumoniae to take up and integrate exogenous DNA in its chromosome.
      This process plays a crucial role in successful adaptation to--and escape from-
      host defenses, antibiotic treatments, and vaccination strategies. We show that
      the chromosome segregation protein ParB acts as a repressor of competence. To the
      best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a ParB protein controlling
      bacterial competence.

PMID- 26126853
TI  - The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Transcriptional Landscape Is Shaped by Environmental
      Heterogeneity and Genetic Variation.
AB  - Phenotypic variability among bacteria depends on gene expression in response to
      different environments, and it also reflects differences in genomic structure. In
      this study, we analyzed transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) profiles of 151
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates under standard laboratory conditions and
      of one P. aeruginosa type strain under 14 different environmental conditions. Our
      approach allowed dissection of the impact of the genetic background versus
      environmental cues on P. aeruginosa gene expression profiles and revealed that
      phenotypic variation was larger in response to changing environments than between
      genomically different isolates. We demonstrate that mutations within the global
      regulator LasR affect more than one trait (pleiotropy) and that the interaction
      between mutations (epistasis) shapes the P. aeruginosa phenotypic plasticity
      landscape. Because of pleiotropic and epistatic effects, average genotype and
      phenotype measures appeared to be uncorrelated in P. aeruginosa. IMPORTANCE: This
      work links experimental data of unprecedented complexity with evolution theory
      and delineates the transcriptional landscape of the opportunistic pathogen
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We found that gene expression profiles are most strongly
      influenced by environmental cues, while at the same time the transcriptional
      profiles were also shaped considerably by genetic variation within global
      regulators. The comprehensive set of transcriptomic and genomic data of more than
      150 clinical P. aeruginosa isolates will be made publically accessible to all
      researchers via a dedicated web interface. Both Pseudomonas specialists
      interested in expression and regulation of specific genes and researchers from
      other fields with more global interest in the phenotypic and genotypic variation
      of this important model species can access all information on various levels of
      detail.

PMID- 26126854
TI  - Haploid Genetic Screen Reveals a Profound and Direct Dependence on Cholesterol
      for Hantavirus Membrane Fusion.
AB  - Hantaviruses cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in the Old World
      and a highly fatal hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in the New World.
      No vaccines or antiviral therapies are currently available to prevent or treat
      hantavirus disease, and gaps in our understanding of how hantaviruses enter cells
      challenge the search for therapeutics. We performed a haploid genetic screen in
      human cells to identify host factors required for entry by Andes virus, a highly
      virulent New World hantavirus. We found that multiple genes involved in
      cholesterol sensing, regulation, and biosynthesis, including key components of
      the sterol response element-binding protein (SREBP) pathway, are critical for
      Andes virus entry. Genetic or pharmacological disruption of the membrane-bound
      transcription factor peptidase/site-1 protease (MBTPS1/S1P), an SREBP control
      element, dramatically reduced infection by virulent hantaviruses of both the Old
      World and New World clades but not by rhabdoviruses or alphaviruses, indicating
      that this pathway is broadly, but selectively, required by hantaviruses. These
      results could be fully explained as arising from the modest depletion of cellular
      membrane cholesterol that accompanied S1P disruption. Mechanistic studies of
      cells and with protein-free liposomes suggested that high levels of cholesterol
      are specifically needed for hantavirus membrane fusion. Taken together, our
      results indicate that the profound dependence on target membrane cholesterol is a
      fundamental, and unusual, biophysical property of hantavirus glycoprotein
      membrane interactions during entry. IMPORTANCE: Although hantaviruses cause
      important human diseases worldwide, no specific antiviral treatments are
      available. One of the major obstacles to the development of new therapies is a
      lack of understanding of how hantaviruses hijack our own host factors to enter
      cells. Here, we identified multiple cellular genes that control the levels of
      cholesterol in cellular membranes to be important for hantavirus entry. Our
      findings suggest that high concentrations of cholesterol in cellular membranes
      are required at a specific step in the entry process-fusion between viral and
      cellular membranes-that allows escape of the hantavirus genome into the host cell
      cytoplasm to initiate infection. Our findings uncover a fundamental feature of
      the hantavirus infection mechanism and point to cholesterol-lowering drugs as a
      potential new treatment of hantaviral infections.

PMID- 26126855
TI  - Human Urine Decreases Function and Expression of Type 1 Pili in Uropathogenic
      Escherichia coli.
AB  - Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the primary cause of community-acquired
      urinary tract infections (UTIs). UPEC bind the bladder using type 1 pili, encoded
      by the fim operon in nearly all E. coli. Assembled type 1 pili terminate in the
      FimH adhesin, which specifically binds to mannosylated glycoproteins on the
      bladder epithelium. Expression of type 1 pili is regulated in part by phase
      variable inversion of the genomic element containing the fimS promoter, resulting
      in phase ON (expressing) and OFF (nonexpressing) orientations. Type 1 pili are
      essential for virulence in murine models of UTI; however, studies of urine
      samples from human UTI patients demonstrate variable expression of type 1 pili.
      We provide insight into this paradox by showing that human urine specifically
      inhibits both expression and function of type 1 pili. Growth in urine induces the
      fimS phase OFF orientation, preventing fim expression. Urine also contains
      inhibitors of FimH function, and this inhibition leads to a further bias in fimS
      orientation toward the phase OFF state. The dual effect of urine on fimS
      regulation and FimH binding presents a potential barrier to type 1 pilus-mediated
      colonization and invasion of the bladder epithelium. However, FimH-mediated
      attachment to human bladder cells during growth in urine reverses these effects
      such that fim expression remains ON and/or turns ON. Interestingly, FimH
      inhibitors called mannosides also induce the fimS phase OFF orientation. Thus,
      the transduction of FimH protein attachment or inhibition into epigenetic
      regulation of type 1 pilus expression has important implications for the
      development of therapeutics targeting FimH function. IMPORTANCE: Urinary tract
      infections (UTIs) are extremely common infections, frequently caused by
      uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), that are treated with antibiotics but
      often recur. Therefore, UTI treatment both is complicated by and contributes to
      bacterial antibiotic resistance. Thus, it is important to understand UTI
      pathogenesis to devise novel strategies and targets for prevention and treatment.
      Based on evidence from disease epidemiology and mouse models of infection, UPEC
      relies heavily on type 1 pili to attach to and invade the bladder epithelium
      during initial stages of UTI. Here, we demonstrate that the negative effect of
      planktonic growth in human urine on both the function and expression of type 1
      pili is overcome by attachment to bladder epithelial cells, representing a
      strategy to subvert this alternative innate defense mechanism. Furthermore, this
      dually inhibitory action of urine is a mechanism shared with recently developed
      anti-type 1 pilus molecules, highlighting the idea that further development of
      antivirulence strategies targeting pili may be particularly effective for UPEC.

PMID- 26126856
TI  - Systemic lupus erythematosus in Crohn's disease: drug-induced or idiopathic?
AB  - Coexistence of Crohn's disease (CD) and idiopathic systemic lupus erythematosus
      (SLE) is very rare. On the other hand, drug-induced lupus erythematosus (DILE)
      due to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents is a relatively more common
      entity. DILE due to anti-TNF agents and idiopathic SLE share common serologic and
      epidemiologic characteristics making the differentiation between those two
      entities difficult. We present a case of a 35-year-old woman with CD who
      developed SLE after treatment with adalimumab and denosumab and persisting
      symptoms eight months after discontinuation of those agents.

PMID- 26126857
TI  - Redox Linked Flavin Sites in Extracellular Decaheme Proteins Involved in Microbe
      Mineral Electron Transfer.
AB  - Extracellular microbe-mineral electron transfer is a major driving force for the
      oxidation of organic carbon in many subsurface environments. Extracellular multi
      heme cytochromes of the Shewenella genus play a major role in this process but
      the mechanism of electron exchange at the interface between cytochrome and
      acceptor is widely debated. The 1.8 A x-ray crystal structure of the decaheme
      MtrC revealed a highly conserved CX8C disulfide that, when substituted for AX8A,
      severely compromised the ability of S. oneidensis to grow under aerobic
      conditions. Reductive cleavage of the disulfide in the presence of flavin
      mononucleotide (FMN) resulted in the reversible formation of a stable
      flavocytochrome. Similar results were also observed with other decaheme
      cytochromes, OmcA, MtrF and UndA. The data suggest that these decaheme
      cytochromes can transition between highly reactive flavocytochromes or less
      reactive cytochromes, and that this transition is controlled by a redox active
      disulfide that responds to the presence of oxygen.

PMID- 26126858
TI  - Hypoxia-inducible MiR-182 promotes angiogenesis by targeting RASA1 in
      hepatocellular carcinoma.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypoxia is a common feature of solid tumors, including HCC. And
      hypoxia has been reported to play an important role in HCC progression. However,
      the potential mechanism of miRNAs in hypoxia mediating HCC progression still
      remains unclear. METHODS: The HCC cells were cultured in the atmosphere of 1 %
      oxygen to induce hypoxia. The microRNA microarray was employed to search for the
      hypoxia-inducible miRNAs. RT-PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry were used
      to detect the RNA and protein levels. HUVEC were applied to explore the
      angiogenesis level. RESULTS: We found that miR-182 was upregulated in the hypoxia
      based microarray. We then revealed that miR-182 was also significantly increased
      in the HCC tissues compared to the corresponding normal tissues. In vitro
      capilliary tube formation assays showed that the miR-182 promoted angiogenesis.
      RASA1 was demonstrated as the direct target of miR-182. In addition, the
      suppression of RASA1 phenocopied the pro-angiogenesis effects of miR-182.
      Besides, RASA1 was also decreased in the hypoxia HCC cells while the inhibition
      of miR-182 partially restored the level of RASA1. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed
      that hypoxia regulated the expression of miR-182 and RASA1 to promote HCC
      angiogenesis.

PMID- 26126859
TI  - Systematically dissecting the global mechanism of miRNA functions in mouse
      pluripotent stem cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) critically modulate stem cell properties like
      pluripotency, but the fundamental mechanism remains largely unknown. METHOD: This
      study systematically analyzes multiple-omics data and builds a systems physical
      network including genome-wide interactions between miRNAs and their targets to
      reveal the systems mechanism of miRNA functions in mouse pluripotent stem cells.
      RESULTS: Globally, miRNAs directly repress the pluripotent core factors during
      differentiation state. Surprisingly, during the pluripotent state, the top
      important miRNAs do not directly regulate the pluripotent core factors as
      previously thought, but they only directly target the pluripotent signal pathways
      and directly repress developmental processes. Furthermore, at the pluripotent
      state miRNAs predominately repress DNA methyltransferases, the core enzymes for
      DNA methylation. The decreasing methylation repressed by miRNAs in turn activates
      the top miRNAs and pluripotent core factors, creating an active circuit system to
      modulate pluripotency. CONCLUSION: MiRNAs vary their functions with stem cell
      states. While miRNAs directly repress pluripotent core factors to facilitate
      differentiation during the differentiation state, they also help stem cells to
      maintain pluripotency by activating pluripotent cores through directly repressing
      DNA methylation systems and primarily inhibiting development in the pluripotent
      state.

PMID- 26126860
TI  - Maternal and newborn infants amino acid concentrations in obese women born
      themselves with normal and small for gestational age birth weight.
AB  - This study was undertaken to compare amino acid concentrations in maternal and
      newborn infants' serum in normal pregnancy and two groups of obese women who were
      born themselves with normal and small for gestational age (SGA) birth weight.
      Maternal cholesterol, lipoproteins concentrations and maternal and infants amino
      acid concentrations were evaluated at the time of delivery in 28 normal
      pregnancies, 46 obese pregnant women with normal birth weight (Ob-AGA group) and
      44 obese pregnant women born themselves SGA (Ob-SGA group). Mean birth weight of
      newborn infants in Ob-SGA group was significantly less than in normal and Ob-AGA
      groups. Cholesterol and lipoproteins were significantly elevated in obese women
      (more prominent in Ob-SGA group). Most amino acid concentrations and fetal
      maternal amino acid gradients were significantly lower in Ob-SGA group. These
      data suggest significant changes in placental amino acid transport/synthetic
      function in obese women who were born themselves SGA. 

PMID- 26126861
TI  - Misinformation about caesarean sections.

PMID- 26126862
TI  - Measuring cerebrovascular reactivity: the dynamic response to a step hypercapnic
      stimulus.
AB  - We define cerebral vascular reactivity (CVR) as the ratio of the change in blood
      oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal (S) to an
      increase in blood partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2): % Delta S/Delta PCO2 mm Hg. Our
      aim was to further characterize CVR into dynamic and static components and then
      study 46 healthy subjects collated into a reference atlas and 20 patients with
      unilateral carotid artery stenosis. We applied an abrupt boxcar change in PCO2
      and monitored S. We convolved the PCO2 with a set of first-order exponential
      functions whose time constant tau was increased in 2-second intervals between 2
      and 100 seconds. The tau corresponding to the best fit between S and the
      convolved PCO2 was used to score the speed of response. Additionally, the slope
      of the regression between S and the convolved PCO2 represents the steady-state
      CVR (ssCVR). We found that both prolongations of tau and reductions in ssCVR
      (compared with the reference atlas) were associated with the reductions in CVR on
      the side of the lesion. tau and ssCVR are respectively the dynamic and static
      components of measured CVR.

PMID- 26126863
TI  - MRI heralds secondary nigral lesion after brain ischemia in mice: a secondary
      time window for neuroprotection.
AB  - Cerebral ischemia in the territory of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) can induce
      delayed neuronal cell death in the ipsilateral substantia nigra (SN) remote from
      the primary ischemic lesion. This exofocal postischemic neuronal degeneration
      (EPND) may worsen stroke outcomes. However, the mechanisms leading to EPND are
      poorly understood. Here, we studied the time course of EPND via sequential
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and immunohistochemistry for up to 28 days after
      30 minutes' occlusion of the MCA (MCAo) and reperfusion in the mouse.
      Furthermore, the effects of delayed treatment with FK506 and MK-801 on the
      development of EPND were investigated. Secondary neuronal degeneration in the SN
      occurred within the first week after MCAo and was characterized by a marked
      neuronal cell loss on histology. Sequential neuroimaging examinations revealed
      transient MRI changes, which were detectable as early as day 4 after MCAo and
      thus heralding histologic evidence of EPND. Treatment with MK-801, an established
      anti-excitotoxic agent, conferred protection against EPND even when initiated
      days after the initial ischemic event, which was not evident with FK506. Our
      findings define a secondary time window for delayed neuroprotection after stroke,
      which may provide a promising target for the development of novel therapies.

PMID- 26126864
TI  - Differential effects of ischemic vascular disease and Alzheimer's disease on
      brain atrophy and cognition.
AB  - We previously reported that pathologic measures of arteriosclerosis (AS),
      cerebral infarction, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are independently correlated
      with cortical gray matter (CGM) atrophy measured by in vivo magnetic resonance
      imaging (MRI). Here, we use path analyses to model the associations between these
      three pathology measures and cognitive impairment, as mediated by CGM atrophy,
      after controlling for age and education. In this sample of 116 elderly persons
      followed longitudinally to autopsy (ischemic vascular disease (IVD) program
      project), differential patterns were observed between AS and atrophy/cognition
      versus AD and atrophy/cognition. The total effect of AD pathology on global
      cognition (beta = -0.61, s.e. = 0.06) was four times stronger than that of AS
      (beta = -0.15, s.e. = 0.08). The effect of AS on cognition appears to occur
      through cerebral infarction and CGM atrophy (beta = -0.13, s.e. = 0.04). In
      contrast, the effects of AD pathology on global cognition (beta = -0.50, s.e. =
      0.07) occur through a direct pathway that is five times stronger than the
      indirect pathway acting through CGM atrophy (beta = -0.09, s.e. = 0.03). The
      strength of this direct AD pathway was not significantly mitigated by adding
      hippocampal volume to the model. AD pathology affects cognition not only through
      brain atrophy, but also via an unmeasured pathway that could be related to
      synaptic dysfunction before the development of cortical atrophy.

PMID- 26126865
TI  - miR-98 and let-7g* protect the blood-brain barrier under neuroinflammatory
      conditions.
AB  - Pathologic conditions in the central nervous system, regardless of the underlying
      injury mechanism, show a certain level of blood-brain barrier (BBB) impairment.
      Endothelial dysfunction is the earliest event in the initiation of vascular
      damage caused by inflammation due to stroke, atherosclerosis, trauma, or brain
      infections. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as a class of gene
      expression regulators. The relationship between neuroinflammation and miRNA
      expression in brain endothelium remains unexplored. Previously, we showed the BBB
      protective and anti-inflammatory effects of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) 3beta
      inhibition in brain endothelium in in vitro and in vivo models of
      neuroinflammation. Using microarray screening, we identified miRNAs induced in
      primary human brain microvascular endothelial cells after exposure to the pro
      inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, with/out GSK3beta inhibition.
      Among the highly modified miRNAs, let-7 and miR-98 were predicted to target the
      inflammatory molecules, CCL2 and CCL5. Overexpression of let-7 and miR-98 in
      vitro and in vivo resulted in reduced leukocyte adhesion to and migration across
      endothelium, diminished expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and increased
      BBB tightness, attenuating barrier 'leakiness' in neuroinflammation conditions.
      For the first time, we showed that miRNAs could be used as a therapeutic tool to
      prevent the BBB dysfunction in neuroinflammation. 

PMID- 26126866
TI  - MicroRNA-29b is a therapeutic target in cerebral ischemia associated with
      aquaporin 4.
AB  - MicroRNA-29b (miR-29b) is involved in regulating ischemia process, but the
      molecular mechanism is unclear. In this work, we explored the function of miR-29b
      in cerebral ischemia. The level of miR-29b in white blood cells was evaluated in
      patients and mice after ischemic stroke. Brain infarct volume and National
      Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) scores were analyzed to determine the
      relationship between miR-29b expression and the severity of stroke. The
      relationship of miR-29b and aquaporin-4 (AQP4) was further studied in mice. We
      found that miR-29b was significantly downregulated in stroke patients (P<0.05).
      MiR-29b level negatively associated with NIHSS scores (r=-0.349, P<0.01) and
      brain infarct volume (r=-0.321, P<0.05). In ischemic mice, miR-29b in the brain
      and blood were both downregulated (r=0.723, P<0.05). MiR-29b overexpression
      reduced infarct volume (49.50+/-6.55 versus 35.48+/-2.28 mm(3), P<0.05), edema
      (164+/-4% versus 108+/-4%, P<0.05), and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption
      compared with controls (15+/-9% versus 7+/-3%, P<0.05). Aquaporin-4 expression
      greatly decreased after miR-29b overexpression (28+/-7% versus 11+/-3%, P<0.05).
      Dual-luciferase reporter system showed that AQP-4 was the direct target of miR
      29b (P<0.05). We concluded that miR-29b could potentially predict stroke outcomes
      as a novel circulating biomarker, and miR-29b overexpression reduced BBB
      disruption after ischemic stroke via downregulating AQP-4. 

PMID- 26126867
TI  - Multimodal imaging reveals temporal and spatial microglia and matrix
      metalloproteinase activity after experimental stroke.
AB  - Stroke is the most common cause of death and disability from neurologic disease
      in humans. Activation of microglia and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is
      involved in positively and negatively affecting stroke outcome. Novel,
      noninvasive, multimodal imaging methods visualizing microglial and MMP
      alterations were employed. The spatio-temporal dynamics of these parameters were
      studied in relation to blood flow changes. Micro positron emission tomography
      (MUPET) using [(18)F]BR-351 showed MMP activity within the first days after
      transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAo), followed by increased
      [(18)F]DPA-714 uptake as a marker for microglia activation with a maximum at 14
      days after tMCAo. The inflammatory response was spatially located in the infarct
      core and in adjacent (penumbral) tissue. For the first time, multimodal imaging
      based on PET, single photon emission computed tomography, and magnetic resonance
      imaging revealed insight into the spatio-temporal distribution of critical
      parameters of poststroke inflammation. This allows further evaluation of novel
      treatment paradigms targeting the postischemic inflammation. 

PMID- 26126868
TI  - Tissue-type plasminogen activator triggers the synaptic vesicle cycle in cerebral
      cortical neurons.
AB  - The active zone (AZ) is a thickening of the presynaptic membrane where exocytosis
      takes place. Chemical synapses contain neurotransmitter-loaded synaptic vesicles
      (SVs) that at rest are tethered away from the synaptic release site, but after
      the presynaptic inflow of Ca(+2) elicited by an action potential translocate to
      the AZ to release their neurotransmitter load. We report that tissue-type
      plasminogen activator (tPA) is stored outside the AZ of cerebral cortical
      neurons, either intermixed with small clear-core vesicles or in direct contact
      with the presynaptic membrane. We found that cerebral ischemia-induced release of
      neuronal tPA, or treatment with recombinant tPA, recruits the cytoskeletal
      protein betaII-spectrin to the AZ and promotes the binding of SVs to betaII
      spectrin, enlarging the population of SVs in proximity to the synaptic release
      site. This effect does not require the generation of plasmin and is followed by
      the recruitment of voltage gated calcium channels (VGCC) to the presynaptic
      terminal that leads to Ca(+2)-dependent synapsin I phosphorylation, freeing SVs
      to translocate to the AZ to deliver their neurotransmitter load. Our studies
      indicate that tPA activates the SV cycle and induces the structural and
      functional changes in the synapse that are required for successful
      neurotransmission. 

PMID- 26126869
TI  - Peroxisomal translocation of soluble epoxide hydrolase protects against ischemic
      stroke injury.
AB  - Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) contributes to cardiovascular disease, including
      stroke, although the exact mechanism remains unclear. While primarily a cytosolic
      enzyme, sEH can translocate into peroxisomes. The relevance of this for stroke
      injury is not understood. We tested the hypothesis that sEH-mediated injury is
      tied to the cytoplasmic localization. We found that a human sEH variant
      possessing increased affinity to peroxisomes reduced stroke injury in sEH-null
      mice, whereas infarcts were significantly larger when peroxisomal translocation
      of sEH was disrupted. We conclude that sEH contributes to stroke injury only when
      localized in the cytoplasm, while peroxisomal sEH may be protective. 

PMID- 26126870
TI  - Arteriole dilation to synaptic activation that is sub-threshold to astrocyte
      endfoot Ca2+ transients.
AB  - Ca(2+)-dependent pathways in neurons and astrocyte endfeet initiate changes in
      arteriole diameter to regulate local brain blood flow. Whether there exists a
      threshold of synaptic activity in which arteriole diameter is controlled
      independent of astrocyte endfeet Ca(2+) remains unclear. We used two-photon
      fluorescence microscopy to examine synaptically evoked synthetic or genetic
      Ca(2+) indicator signals around penetrating arterioles in acute slices of the rat
      neocortex. We discovered a threshold below which vasodilation occurred in the
      absence of endfeet Ca(2+) signals but with consistent neuronal Ca(2+) transients,
      suggesting endfoot Ca(2+) is not necessary for activity-dependent vasodilation
      under subtle degrees of brain activation. 

PMID- 26126872
TI  - Comorbid tics have no effect on response to cognitive-behavioral therapy in youth
      with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PMID- 26126871
TI  - A sinogram warping strategy for pre-reconstruction 4D PET optimization.
AB  - A novel strategy for 4D PET optimization in the sinogram domain is proposed,
      aiming at motion model application before image reconstruction ("sinogram
      warping" strategy). Compared to state-of-the-art 4D-MLEM reconstruction, the
      proposed strategy is able to optimize the image SNR, avoiding iterative direct
      and inverse warping procedures, which are typical of the 4D-MLEM algorithm. A
      full-count statistics sinogram of the motion-compensated 4D PET reference phase
      is generated by warping the sinograms corresponding to the different PET phases.
      This is achieved relying on a motion model expressed in the sinogram domain. The
      strategy was tested on the anthropomorphic 4D PET-CT NCAT phantom in comparison
      with the 4D-MLEM algorithm, with particular reference to robustness to PET-CT co
      registrations artefacts. The MLEM reconstruction of the warped sinogram according
      to the proposed strategy exhibited better accuracy (up to +40.90 % with respect
      to the ideal value), whereas images reconstructed according to the 4D-MLEM
      reconstruction resulted in less noisy (down to -26.90 % with respect to the ideal
      value) but more blurred. The sinogram warping strategy demonstrates advantages
      with respect to 4D-MLEM algorithm. These advantages are paid back by introducing
      approximation of the deformation field, and further efforts are required to
      mitigate the impact of such an approximation in clinical 4D PET reconstruction. 

PMID- 26126873
TI  - Aerobic biotransformation of 3-methylindole to ring cleavage products by
      Cupriavidus sp. strain KK10.
AB  - 3-Methylindole, also referred to as skatole, is a pollutant of environmental
      concern due to its persistence, mobility and potential health impacts. Petroleum
      refining, intensive livestock production and application of biosolids to
      agricultural lands result in releases of 3-methylindole to the environment. Even
      so, little is known about the aerobic biodegradation of 3-methylindole and
      comprehensive biotransformation pathways have not been established. Using
      glycerol as feedstock, the soil bacterium Cupriavidus sp. strain KK10 biodegraded
      100 mg/L of 3-methylindole in 24 h. Cometabolic 3-methylindole biodegradation was
      confirmed by the identification of biotransformation products through liquid
      chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry analyses. In all,
      14 3-methylindole biotransformation products were identified which revealed that
      biotransformation occurred through different pathways that included carbocyclic
      aromatic ring-fission of 3-methylindole to single-ring pyrrole carboxylic acids.
      This work provides first comprehensive evidence for the aerobic biotransformation
      mechanisms of 3-methylindole by a soil bacterium and expands our understanding of
      the biodegradative capabilities of members of the genus Cupriavidus towards
      heteroaromatic pollutants.

PMID- 26126874
TI  - Structure and electronic properties of MoVO type mixed-metal oxides - a combined
      view by experiment and theory.
AB  - In this review we address recent efforts from experimental and theoretical side
      to study MoVO-type mixed metal oxides (MMOs) and their properties. We illustrate
      how structures of MMOs have been evaluated using a large variety of experimental
      techniques, such as electron microscopy, neutron diffraction, and X-ray
      diffraction. Furthermore, we discuss the current view on structure-catalysis
      correlations, derived from recent experiments. In a second part, we examine
      useful tools of theoretical chemistry for exploring MoVO-type systems. We discuss
      the need for using hybrid DFT methods and we analyze how, in the context of MMOs
      studies, semi-local DFT approximations can encounter problems due to a notable
      self-interaction error when describing oxidic species and reactions on them. In
      addition, we discuss various aspects of the model that are important when
      attempting to map complex MMO systems. 

PMID- 26126875
TI  - Longitudinal randomised controlled trials in rehabilitation post-stroke: a
      systematic review on the quality of reporting and use of baseline outcome values.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The World Health Organisation stresses the need to collect high
      quality longitudinal data on rehabilitation and to improve the comparability
      between studies. This implies using all the information available and transparent
      reporting. We therefore investigated the quality of reported or planned
      randomised controlled trials on rehabilitation post-stroke with a repeated
      measure of physical functioning, provided recommendations on the presentation of
      results using regression parameters, and focused on the difficulties of
      adjustment for baseline outcome measures. METHODS: We performed a systematic
      review of the literature from 2011 to 2013 and collected information on the way
      data was analysed. Moreover we described various approaches to analyse the data
      using mixed models illustrated with real data. RESULTS: Eighty-four eligible
      studies were identified of which 61% (51/84) failed to analyse the data
      longitudinally. Moreover, for 30% (25/83) the method for adjustment for baseline
      is not known or not existent. Using real data we were able to show how much
      difference in results an adjustment for baseline data can make. We showed how to
      provide interpretable intervention effects using regression coefficients while
      making use of all the information available in the data. CONCLUSIONS: Our review
      showed that improvements were needed in the analysis of longitudinal trials in
      rehabilitation post-stroke in order to maximise the use of collected data and
      improve comparability between studies. Reporting fully the method used (including
      baseline adjustment) and using methods like mixed models could easily achieve
      this.

PMID- 26126876
TI  - A critical appraisal of time-lapse imaging for embryo selection: where are we and
      where do we need to go?
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to undertake a critical appraisal of the
      available evidence for the use of time-lapse imaging for embryo selection in
      clinical IVF. METHODS: A literature search in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Central,
      ClinicalTrials.gov, Current Controlled Trials, and WHO International Clinical
      Trials Registry Platform was performed to identify randomized controlled trials
      that investigated the effect of time-lapse embryo selection and/or the time-lapse
      incubation system on ongoing pregnancy rate. We then performed a systematic
      review and assessed the relative risks (RRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs)
      for ongoing pregnancy rates and the risk of bias of the eligible studies.
      RESULTS: We identified four eligible randomized studies, three of which
      investigated the effect of both time-lapse incubation system and selection on
      ongoing pregnancy rate; the pooled result revealed a benefit of this intervention
      (relative risk (RR) 1.20; 95 % CI 1.05-1.37). However, the evidence was judged to
      be of low quality due to study limitations; a beneficial effect was observed in
      only one study deemed to be at high risk of bias. The single study assessing the
      effect of only the time-lapse incubation system revealed a non-significant
      negative effect (RR 0.71; 95 % CI 0.49-1.03). CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this
      systematic review of the current evidence do not support routine use of time
      lapse technology in clinical IVF. We therefore believe that the use of time-lapse
      imaging for embryo selection should remain experimental and that couples should
      not be subject to a surcharge for having their embryos cultured in a time-lapse
      imaging system. Future studies evaluating this technology in well-designed trials
      should be performed.

PMID- 26126878
TI  - Erratum to: PLCzeta disruption with complete fertilization failure in
      normozoospermia.

PMID- 26126877
TI  - IVF for fertility preservation in breast cancer patients--efficacy and safety
      issues.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Potential risks on future fertility have become a dominant issue in
      consultation and management of newly diagnosed young cancer patients. Several
      fertility preservation strategies are currently available. Of those, ovarian
      stimulation followed by IVF and embryo cryopreservation is the most established
      one and is especially applicable in reproductive aged breast cancer patients.
      AIM: The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive review on ovarian
      stimulation and IVF for fertility preservation in newly diagnosed breast cancer
      patients. METHODS: Review of relevant literature is available through PubMed and
      Google scholar. RESULTS: The use of IVF for fertility preservation in breast
      cancer patients raises dilemmas regarding efficacy and safety of controlled
      ovarian stimulation. Among these are the suggested role of malignancy and BRCA
      mutation in reducing ovarian response to stimulation, strategies designated to
      protect against hyper-estrogenic state associated with stimulation (co-treatment
      with tamoxifen or letrozole), and possible adjustments to accommodate oncologic
      related time constraints. CONCLUSION: Ovarian stimulation followed by IVF forms
      an important fertility preservation strategy for newly diagnosed young breast
      cancer patients, though live born rates following thawed embryo transfer in these
      patients are still lacking. Recent advances in controlled ovarian stimulation
      protocols provide practical options for some of the challenges that breast cancer
      patients present.

PMID- 26126879
TI  - Phased-array sources based on nonlinear metamaterial nanocavities.
AB  - Coherent superposition of light from subwavelength sources is an attractive
      prospect for the manipulation of the direction, shape and polarization of optical
      beams. This phenomenon constitutes the basis of phased arrays, commonly used at
      microwave and radio frequencies. Here we propose a new concept for phased-array
      sources at infrared frequencies based on metamaterial nanocavities coupled to a
      highly nonlinear semiconductor heterostructure. Optical pumping of the nanocavity
      induces a localized, phase-locked, nonlinear resonant polarization that acts as a
      source feed for a higher-order resonance of the nanocavity. Varying the
      nanocavity design enables the production of beams with arbitrary shape and
      polarization. As an example, we demonstrate two second harmonic phased-array
      sources that perform two optical functions at the second harmonic wavelength (~5
      MUm): a beam splitter and a polarizing beam splitter. Proper design of the
      nanocavity and nonlinear heterostructure will enable such phased arrays to span
      most of the infrared spectrum. 

PMID- 26126880
TI  - Factors determining the use of social support services among elderly people
      living in a city environment in Poland.
AB  - Ageing populations entail important social issues. The population of Lodz is
      characterised by the highest ageing ratio in Poland (17.2% people aged 65 or
      above). The aim of our study was to present factors determining the use of social
      support services in the subpopulation of elderly people in a city environment.
      The study, conducted between 2011 and 2012 with the use of a survey
      questionnaire, included 466 respondents aged 65 or older, who were looked after
      by the Municipal Social Welfare Centre, Lodz-Polesie. The response rate was
      93.2%. Most beneficiaries were women (77.9%). The respondents were mostly widows
      (73.9% of women) or widowers (43.7% of men). Most respondents applied for nursing
      services (79.7%), while 28.3% asked for financial help. In Lodz as a whole, these
      percentages were 81.0% and 19.0%. A chronic disease was the most common cause of
      the application for help (73.4%). In 4.1% of applicants, the cause was a low
      income per capita. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the
      variables which contributed to receiving financial support included being a man,
      aged 65-69 years, being single and receiving a monthly salary per capita below
      500.0 PLN (Polish New Zlotys). The variables which contributed to receiving
      social care service in the form of nursing services included being a woman, aged
      85 years or older, receiving a monthly salary per capita between 1001.0 and
      1500.0 PLN, suffering from a chronic disease, which was a reason for applying for
      social support service, a result on the Activities of Daily Living scale
      confirming disability and a very negative self-evaluation of health. The results
      of the study have shown that the poor health condition of elderly people is the
      most frequent reason for applying for social services. Identifying reasons for
      applying for social care by elderly people might facilitate the introduction of
      workable solutions in the social and healthcare policy.

PMID- 26126881
TI  - Gonorrhea and Prostate Cancer Incidence: An Updated Meta-Analysis of 21
      Epidemiologic Studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The association between gonorrhea and prostate cancer risk has been
      investigated widely, but the results remain inconsistent and contradictory. We
      conducted an updated meta-analysis to obtain a more precise estimate of this
      association. MATERIAL AND METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were
      searched for papers up to June 2014 to identify eligible studies. Pooled odds
      ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the
      influence of gonorrhea on prostate cancer risk. RESULTS: Twenty-one observational
      studies (19 case-control and 2 cohort) were eligible, comprising 9965 prostate
      cancer patients and 118 765 participants. Pooled results indicated that gonorrhea
      was significantly associated with increased incidence of prostate cancer (OR
      1.31, 95% CI 1.14-1.52). The association between gonorrhea and prostate cancer
      was stronger in African American males (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.06-1.65) than in Whites
      (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.90-1.21). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that gonorrhea is
      associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, especially among African
      American males. These results warrant further well-designed, large-scale cohort
      studies to draw definitive conclusions.

PMID- 26126882
TI  - Effect of Registered Partnership on Labor Earnings and Fertility for Same-Sex
      Couples: Evidence From Swedish Register Data.
AB  - The expansion of legal rights to same-sex couples is a foot in a number of
      Western countries. The effects of this rollout are not only important in their
      own right but can also provide a window on the institution of marriage and the
      rights bundled therein. In this article, using Swedish longitudinal register data
      covering 1994-2007, we study the impact of the extension of rights to same-sex
      couples on labor earnings and fertility. In 1994, registered partnership for same
      sex couples was introduced, which conferred almost all rights and obligations of
      marriage--a notable exception being joint legal parenting, by default or
      election. The latter was added in the 2002 adoption act. We find registered
      partnership to be important to both gays and lesbians but for different reasons.
      For gays, resource pooling emerges as the main function of registered
      partnerships. For lesbians, registered partnership appears to be an important
      vehicle for family formation, especially after the 2002 adoption act. In contrast
      to heterosexual couples (included for comparison), we find no evidence of
      household specialization among lesbians. The lack of specialization is noteworthy
      given similar fertility effects of registered partnership (after 2002) and the
      fact that lesbian couples were less assortatively matched (on education) than
      heterosexual couples--children and unequal earnings power being two factors
      commonly believed to promote specialization.

PMID- 26126883
TI  - A New Piece of the Puzzle: Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Physical Health
      Status.
AB  - Although research has long documented the relevance of gender for health, studies
      that simultaneously incorporate the relevance of disparate sexual orientation
      groups are sparse. We address these shortcomings by applying an intersectional
      perspective to evaluate how sexual orientation and gender intersect to pattern
      self-rated health status among U.S. adults. Our project aggregated probability
      samples from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) across seven
      U.S. states between 2005 and 2010, resulting in an analytic sample of 10,128
      sexual minority (gay, lesbian, and bisexual) and 405,145 heterosexual adults.
      Logistic regression models and corresponding predicted probabilities examined how
      poor self-rated health differed across sexual orientation-by-gender groups,
      before and after adjustment for established health risk factors. Results reveal
      distinct patterns among sexual minorities. Initially, bisexual men and women
      reported the highest--and gay and lesbian adults reported the lowest--rates of
      poor self-rated health, with heterosexuals in between. Distinct socioeconomic
      status profiles accounted for large portions of these differences. Furthermore,
      in baseline and fully adjusted regression models, only among heterosexuals did
      women report significantly different health from men. Importantly, the findings
      highlight elevated rates of poor health experienced by bisexual men and women,
      which are partially attributable to their heightened economic, behavioral, and
      social disadvantages relative to other groups.

PMID- 26126884
TI  - Career and Family Choices Among Elite Liberal Arts Graduates.
AB  - This study describes how the career and family choices of female graduates of the
      Claremont Colleges within 15 years of undergraduate graduation (unless otherwise
      specified) have changed across the graduation years of 1960 to 1994.
      Specifically, I show that female graduates of the Claremont Colleges have clearly
      shifted away from having their family first (i.e., having at least one biological
      child) and a job second (i.e., having a job after 15 years of receiving their
      undergraduate degree but having very weak labor force attachment prior to that)
      toward simultaneously having both a career (i.e., very strong labor force
      attachment) and a family for those that graduated after 1979. Finally, I find
      that the primary mechanisms that allowed for the observed shift toward "career
      and family" for those that graduated post-1979 appear to be increased access to
      paid parental leave and childcare. 

PMID- 26126885
TI  - Better for Baby? The Retreat From Mid-Pregnancy Marriage and Implications for
      Parenting and Child Well-being.
AB  - Recent decades have seen a significant decline in mid-pregnancy ("shotgun")
      marriage, particularly among disadvantaged groups, which has contributed to
      increasing nonmarital birth rates. Despite public and political concern about
      this shift, the implications for parenting and child well-being are not known.
      Drawing on a sample of U.S. black and white mothers with nonmarital conceptions
      from the NLSY79, our study fills this gap. Using propensity score techniques to
      address concerns about selection bias, we found that mid-pregnancy marriages were
      associated with slightly better parenting quality relative to remaining single,
      although effect sizes were small and limited to marriages that remained intact at
      the time of child assessment. Mid-pregnancy marriages were not associated with
      improved children's behavior or cognitive ability. These findings suggest that
      the retreat from mid-pregnancy marriage may contribute to increasing inequality
      in parenting resources for children. 

PMID- 26126886
TI  - Can a teaching assistant experience in a surgical anatomy course influence the
      learning curve for nontechnical skill development for surgical residents?
AB  - The foundation upon which surgical residents are trained to work comprises more
      than just critical cognitive, clinical, and technical skill. In an environment
      where the synchronous application of expertise is vital to patient outcomes, the
      expectation for optimal functioning within a multidisciplinary team is extremely
      high. Studies have shown that for most residents, one of the most difficult
      milestones in the path to achieving professional expertise in a surgical career
      is overcoming the learning curve. This view point commentary provides a
      reflection from the two senior medical students who have participated in the
      Student-as-Teacher program developed by the Department of Anatomy at Mayo Clinic,
      designed to prepare students for their teaching assistant (TA) role in anatomy
      courses. Both students participated as TAs in a six week surgical anatomy course
      for surgical first assistant students offered by the School of Health Sciences at
      Mayo Clinic. Development of teaching skills, nontechnical leadership,
      communication, and assessment skills, are discussed in relation to their benefits
      in preparing senior medical students for surgical residency.

PMID- 26126887
TI  - Intra-molecular magnetic exchange interaction in the tripyridinium
      bis[tetrachloroferrate(iii)] chloride molecular magnet: a broken symmetry-DFT
      study.
AB  - The investigation of magnetic ordering in magnetic molecular conductors is the
      subject of ongoing research studies in the fields of condensed matter physics,
      chemistry and material sciences. Following the photo-magnetic behavior already
      observed in individual (FeCl4)2(py.H)3Cl molecules at room temperature, magnetic
      ordering is studied in this work. Calculations are performed using spin projected
      broken symmetry via density functional theory within the scheme of the B3LYP
      approximation. The value of the intra-molecular magnetic coupling constant is
      obtained as J = 13.2062 kJ mol(-1). A field dependent magnetization experiment is
      conducted to validate the magnitude and the sign of the exchange constant.
      Reasonable consistency of experimental and theoretical results confirms the
      presence of a positive intra-molecular indirect exchange interaction. This work
      paves the way for possible introduction of a new molecule in the development of
      advanced molecular electronic devices. 

PMID- 26126888
TI  - Thermodynamic characterization of the interaction between the human Y-box binding
      protein YB-1 and nucleic acids.
AB  - Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) binds to both RNA and DNA to control transcription
      and translation for the regulation of various cellular systems. YB-1 is
      overexpressed in some cancer cells and is a potential target for treatment of
      cancer. Herein, we describe isothermal titration calorimetry analyses of the
      interaction between a number of recombinant YB-1 domains and nucleic acids to
      identify the RNA and DNA binding sites and their binding mechanisms. These
      results demonstrated that the C-terminal domain of the protein interacts with
      single-stranded DNA and RNA by exothermic and endothermic reactions,
      respectively. The highly conserved cold-shock domain (CSD) also bound to single
      stranded RNA and DNA by exothermic and endothermic reactions, respectively. The
      specific binding manner for RNA is in the CSD, whereas DNA binds with the most
      affinity to the C-terminal region (amino acids 130-219). We found further that
      the C-terminal region (amino acids 220-324) regulates the binding stoichiometry
      of RNA. These quantitative thermodynamic results provide a preliminary indication
      on the molecular mechanism of binding of the multifunctional protein YB-1 to
      nucleic acids to regulate its biological function.

PMID- 26126890
TI  - Corrigendum: Controlling Radical Formation in the Photoactive Yellow Protein
      Chromophore.

PMID- 26126891
TI  - Corrigendum: Reconfiguration of Stereoisomers under Sonomechanical Activation.

PMID- 26126892
TI  - Corrigendum: Well-Defined Copper(I) Fluoroalkoxide Complexes for
      Trifluoroethoxylation of Aryl and Heteroaryl Bromides.

PMID- 26126895
TI  - Segregated structures of ring polymer melts near the surface: a molecular
      dynamics simulation study.
AB  - We study structural properties of a ring polymeric melt confined in a film in
      comparison to a linear counterpart using molecular dynamics simulations. Local
      structure orderings of ring and linear polymers in the vicinity of the surface
      are similar to each other because the length scale of surface-monomer excluded
      volume interactions is smaller than the size of an ideal blob of the ring. In a
      long length scale, while the Silberberg hypothesis can be used to provide the
      physical origin of the confined linear polymer results, it no longer holds for
      the ring polymer case. We also present different structural properties of ring
      and linear polymers in a melt, including the size of polymers, the adsorbed
      amount, and the coordination number of a polymer. Our observation reveals that a
      confined ring in a melt adopts a highly segregated conformation due to a
      topological excluded volume repulsion, which may provide a new perspective to
      understand the nature of biological processes, such as territorial segregation of
      chromosomes in eukaryotic nuclei. 

PMID- 26126897
TI  - Facile Assembly of Chiral Metallosquares by Using Enantiopure
      Tribenzotriquinacene Corner Motifs.
AB  - A pair of enantiomerically pure metallosquares based on linear platinum
      diacetylene edges and tribenzotriquinacene corner units was synthesized. Their
      structures were characterized by (1) H-, (13) C- and (31) P NMR spectroscopy as
      well as MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and circular dichroism. Based on DFT
      calculation, the optimized geometry possesses a distorted square conformation in
      which the four edges are not sitting on the same plane. The molecular square
      further self-assembled in the solid state to afford microspheres with diameter of
      approximately 300 nm, as determined by scanning electron microscopy. 

PMID- 26126896
TI  - Benefits of Acoustic Beamforming for Solving the Cocktail Party Problem.
AB  - The benefit provided to listeners with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) by an
      acoustic beamforming microphone array was determined in a speech-on-speech
      masking experiment. Normal-hearing controls were tested as well. For the SNHL
      listeners, prescription-determined gain was applied to the stimuli, and
      performance using the beamformer was compared with that obtained using bilateral
      amplification. The listener identified speech from a target talker located
      straight ahead (0 degrees  azimuth) in the presence of four competing talkers
      that were either colocated with, or spatially separated from, the target. The
      stimuli were spatialized using measured impulse responses and presented via
      earphones. In the spatially separated masker conditions, the four maskers were
      arranged symmetrically around the target at +/-15 degrees  and +/-30 degrees  or
      at +/-45 degrees  and +/-90 degrees . Results revealed that masked speech
      reception thresholds for spatially separated maskers were higher (poorer) on
      average for the SNHL than for the normal-hearing listeners. For most SNHL
      listeners in the wider masker separation condition, lower thresholds were
      obtained through the microphone array than through bilateral amplification. Large
      intersubject differences were found in both listener groups. The best masked
      speech reception thresholds overall were found for a hybrid condition that
      combined natural and beamforming listening in order to preserve localization for
      broadband sources. 

PMID- 26126898
TI  - Childhood mental disorders: A forgotten problem?

PMID- 26126900
TI  - Caenorhabditis evolution in the wild.
AB  - Recent research has filled many gaps about Caenorhabditis natural history,
      simultaneously exposing how much remains to be discovered. This awareness now
      provides means of connecting ecological and evolutionary theory with diverse
      biological patterns within and among species in terms of adaptation, sexual
      selection, breeding systems, speciation, and other phenomena. Moreover, the
      heralded laboratory tractability of C. elegans, and Caenorhabditis species
      generally, provides a powerful case study for experimental hypothesis testing
      about evolutionary and ecological processes to levels of detail unparalleled by
      most study systems. Here, I synthesize pertinent theory with what we know and
      suspect about Caenorhabditis natural history for salient features of
      biodiversity, phenotypes, population dynamics, and interactions within and
      between species. I identify topics of pressing concern to advance Caenorhabditis
      biology and to study general evolutionary processes, including the key
      opportunities to tackle problems in dispersal dynamics, competition, and the
      dimensionality of niche space. 

PMID- 26126899
TI  - Evaluating community engagement in global health research: the need for metrics.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Community engagement in research has gained momentum as an approach
      to improving research, to helping ensure that community concerns are taken into
      account, and to informing ethical decision-making when research is conducted in
      contexts of vulnerability. However, guidelines and scholarship regarding
      community engagement are arguably unsettled, making it difficult to implement and
      evaluate. DISCUSSION: We describe normative guidelines on community engagement
      that have been offered by national and international bodies in the context of HIV
      related research, which set the stage for similar work in other health related
      research. Next, we review the scholarly literature regarding community
      engagement, outlining the diverse ethical goals ascribed to it. We then discuss
      practical guidelines that have been issued regarding community engagement. There
      is a lack of consensus regarding the ethical goals and approaches for community
      engagement, and an associated lack of indicators and metrics for evaluating
      success in achieving stated goals. To address these gaps we outline a framework
      for developing indicators for evaluating the contribution of community engagement
      to ethical goals in health research. There is a critical need to enhance efforts
      in evaluating community engagement to ensure that the work on the ground reflects
      the intentions expressed in the guidelines, and to investigate the contribution
      of specific community engagement practices for making research responsive to
      community needs and concerns. Evaluation mechanisms should be built into
      community engagement practices to guide best practices in community engagement
      and their replication across diverse health research settings.

PMID- 26126901
TI  - Estrogen and cancers of the colorectum, breast, and lung in postmenopausal women.
AB  - As estrogens play an important role in maintaining physiological function in
      various organs, the estrogen decrease after menopause is thought to cause various
      diseases frequently observed in postmenopausal or elderly women. With the aging
      of society and a decrease in infectious or vascular diseases, neoplasms have now
      become the most frequent cause of death in Japan. Cancers of the colorectum,
      breast, and lung have been rapidly increasing both in incidence and death,
      especially among postmenopausal women. Interestingly, all three of these cancers
      are associated with estrogens. In premenopausal women, ovarian estrogens plays
      major roles in the female reproductive organs through the classic estrogen
      receptor, ER-alpha. In postmenopausal women, however, estrogens
      produced/activated by peripherally localized estrogen-metabolizing enzymes such
      as aromatase, which converts androgen into estrogens, are thought to play
      physiologically and pathobiologically important roles in various organs through
      second ER, namely ER-beta, distributing systemically. In this article, the
      association of estrogens with these cancers in postmenopausal or elderly women
      are reviewed, especially focusing on the role of ER-beta and peripheral estrogen
      metabolism. The possibility of prevention or treatment of these diseases through
      estrogenic control is also discussed. 

PMID- 26126902
TI  - Nanobodies and their Use in GPCR Drug Discovery.
AB  - Nanobodies are therapeutic proteins derived from the variable domain (VHH) of
      naturally occurring heavy-chain antibodies. These VHH domains are the smallest
      functional fragments derived from a naturally occurring immunoglobulin.
      Nanobodies can be easily produced in prokaryotic or eukaryotic host organisms and
      their unique biophysical characteristics render these molecules ideal candidates
      for drug development. They are also emerging as an interesting new class of
      potential therapeutics for targets such as GPCRs, which have historically been
      challenging for small molecule drug discovery and even more difficult for
      biologics discovery. The ability to easily combine Nanobodies with different
      binding sites and different modes of action can be used to generate highly
      selective and highly potent drug candidates with very attractive pharmacological
      profiles. In addition, Nanobodies have been used as crystallization chaperones to
      enable or facilitate the structural determination of an active GPCR conformation.

PMID- 26126903
TI  - Exploring the Technology Landscape of 7TMR Drug Signaling Profiling.
AB  - Seven transmembrane domain receptors (7TMRs) constitute the largest family of
      transmembrane proteins in vertebrates and are the targets of more than 40% of
      currently marketed drugs. It is now accepted that these receptors are highly
      dynamic "microprocessors" that adopt a continuum of functionally distinct active
      conformations. The novel concept of biased agonism (or functional selectivity)
      posits that different ligands stabilize unique receptor conformations with each
      conformation imparting distinct signaling, and thus biological attributes, to a
      given receptor. The pharmacotherapeutic potential of biased agonism lies in
      possibility to develop molecules that selectively engage beneficial pathways
      while inhibiting or remaining inert towards those producing deleterious outcomes.
      Various strategies are now applied for the discovery of biased ligands. Many
      assays use second messenger levels (i.e., calcium, inositol trisphosphate, cAMP)
      as a quantitative readout of G-protein subtype-specific activity. However, due to
      complex cross-regulation between the various G-protein pathways, second messenger
      levels alone are not directly reflective of a ligand's activity on a specific
      pathway. Consequently, direct measurements of receptor-proximal events (such as G
      protein activation and beta-arrestin coupling) are required for a more accurate
      quantification of ligand's efficacy (or bias) towards different pathways. The
      discovery that various ligands of the same receptor can display different
      efficacies and potencies towards different receptor-downstream signaling pathways
      has not only revitalized the process of 7TMR drug discovery, but has
      significantly transformed the field of pharmacology as a whole. This review will
      showcase the current pharmacological toolbox available for the discovery and
      validation of biased ligands. 

PMID- 26126904
TI  - G Protein-Coupled Receptors - Targets for Fragment-based Drug Discovery.
AB  - As the considerable technical challenges involved with generating crystal
      structures of G (guanine nucleotide- binding) protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)
      are starting to be successfully addressed, opportunities to apply fragment-based
      drug discovery (FBDD) to this class of target are becoming a reality. GPCRs
      represent a large and important family of drug targets with considerable clinical
      and commercial interest. While their general seven transmembrane helix bundle
      structures are amenable to therapeutic intervention with small molecules, to date
      successful drugs have primarily been discovered using traditional competitive or
      function-based screening. With advances in biophysical screening techniques such
      as Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and Target-Immobilised NMR Screening (TINS),
      being matched to developments in molecular dynamics simulations, virtual
      screening and stabilisation of biologically relevant conformations of GPCRs,
      structure-based approaches using fragment starting points are beginning to be
      applied to the discovery of new generations of small molecules. 

PMID- 26126905
TI  - The Role of Binding Kinetics in GPCR Drug Discovery.
AB  - Binding kinetics are the rates of association and dissociation of a drug-protein
      complex and are important molecular descriptors for the optimization of drug
      binding to G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). There are now many examples of
      binding kinetics in GPCR drug discovery. In this report, the first principles and
      examples of binding kinetics in GPCR drug discovery are reviewed. Addressed are
      the influence of binding kinetics on the translation of binding to the
      therapeutic window in the context of the equilibrium state of the system and
      molecular mechanisms of slow binding including induced fit, displacement of
      water, rebinding and heterovalency. 

PMID- 26126906
TI  - Discovery of GPCR Ligands by Molecular Docking Screening: Novel Opportunities
      Provided by Crystal Structures.
AB  - G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute the largest group of human
      membrane proteins and have received significant attention in drug discovery for
      their important roles in physiological processes. Drug development for GPCRs has
      been remarkably successful and several of the most profitable pharmaceuticals on
      the market target members of this superfamily. Breakthroughs in structural
      biology for GPCRs have revealed how their binding sites recognize extracellular
      molecules at the atomic level. High-resolution crystal structures of GPCR-drug
      complexes capturing different receptor conformations are now available, which
      have provided insights into how ligands stabilize different functional states.
      Recently, the basis for subtype selectivity and novel allosteric binding sites
      has also been revealed by crystal structures. These accomplishments provide
      exciting opportunities to identify novel GPCR ligands using in silico structure
      based methods such as molecular docking. Increased computational power now
      enables docking screens of large chemical libraries to identify molecules that
      complement GPCR binding sites, which may provide possibilities to identify
      ligands with tailored pharmacological properties. This review focuses on
      prospective docking screens against GPCRs and how this technique can be used to
      identify lead candidates with specific signaling or selectivity profiles. The
      current state of this field suggests that molecular docking, in combination with
      further understanding of GPCR signaling, will play an important role in future
      drug discovery. 

PMID- 26126907
TI  - GPCR Binding Technologies: An Overview.
AB  - With the apparition of concepts such as allosteric modulation and functional
      selectivity the field of G-protein coupled receptors drug discovery has regained
      its momentum. To better address this paradigm shift new screening technologies
      were developed. To identify novel GPCR ligands the screening method of choice was
      based upon functional assay for the last decade and is now being complemented by
      several innovative binding technologies. An overview of these assays, as well as
      an example of a fully integrated platform aiming at identifying novel allosteric
      modulator with the appropriate profile are presented in this review. 

PMID- 26126908
TI  - Disulfide Bridges in Defensins.
AB  - Defensins are small cationic cysteine rich peptides, which usually contain 18-45
      amino acids and possess amphiphilic properties. The term "defensin" was coined as
      the sequences of rabbit and human leukin/phagocytin molecules were first reported
      in 1985. Since then, various defensins were isolated and characterized from
      insects, plants and vertebrates. Using vertebrate defensins as examples,
      defensins are categorized into three sub-families based on their different
      patterns of intramolecular disulfide linkages: alpha defensins, beta defensins,
      and theta defensins. During the past decades, continuous attentions were casted
      on various defensins for their broad activity against bacteria, fungi and
      viruses. In this review, we focus on the effect of characteristic intramolecular
      disulfide bonds on the antimicrobial activity of defensins. The disulfide bonds
      are important for holding the defensins in their three dimensional structures,
      while also contribute to their antimicrobial activity and chemotactic activity.
      This review summarizes the effects of disulfide bonds, their synthetic formation
      pathways and potential pharmaceutical applications. 

PMID- 26126909
TI  - Translational Peptide-associated Nanosystems: Promising Role as Cancer Vaccines.
AB  - Cancer is a heterogeneous disease that results from a multi-step process, being
      characterized by uncontrolled proliferation, invasion and metastasis. The
      understanding that tumor cells can be recognized by host immune cells has
      highlighted the potential advantages of using vaccination purposes to eliminate
      cancer cells, while avoiding severe side effects associated to conventional
      cancer treatments. Interesting outcomes have been obtained with the new
      identified tumor associated antigens (TAAs), including recombinant proteins and
      peptides. However, these molecules are weakly immunogenic, demanding the
      concomitant use of adjuvants to boost and achieve a strong tumor-specific immune
      response. Different classes of nanosystems have been used to protect and deliver
      several vaccine components. In vitro and preclinical studies have emphasized
      their promising role to attain a prolonged eradication of cancer cells, including
      metastasis. However, some studies support the co-entrapment of multiple adjuvants
      and TAAs within a single particulate carrier, while others indicate that stronger
      immune responses were obtained using a mixture of nanocarriers entrapping
      different combinations of TAAs and adjuvants. These apparently contradictory
      results may be related to nanocarrier physicochemical properties, which have a
      profound impact on their interaction with targeted cells and consequent
      biological effects. This review discusses the application of nanoscale systems as
      cancer vaccines, highlighting the particular characteristics of tumor biology and
      immunology that have been used to guide the design of these nanodelivery tools.
      We also aim to explore the major weaknesses that have prevented their wide
      application in the clinic to overcome the delivery, efficacy and safety issues
      associated to biological entities. 

PMID- 26126910
TI  - Lanreotide and its Potential Applications in Polycystic Kidney and Liver
      Diseases.
AB  - Multiple Galphai protein-coupled somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) are expressed in
      human kidney and liver tissues. Also, aberrant cAMP signaling has been shown to
      play a critical role in cysto-genesis and enlargement of the human kidney and
      liver. Thus, somatostatin (SST) analogs become potential and promising
      alternatives in treating human polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and polycystic
      liver disease (PLD) via interacting with Galphai protein-coupled SSTRs and
      further blocking cAMP production. Lanreotide is a synthetic, long-acting SST
      analog with high binding affinity to SSTR2, and has been clinically approved for
      the treatment of acromegaly due to excessive growth hormone. Recently, this SST
      analog has been applied in the treatment of PKD and PLD, and has shown an
      effective reduction of liver and kidney volume compared to placebo. This review
      will discuss the discovery of this peptide and its clinical applications in the
      treatment of PKD/PLD patients.

PMID- 26126911
TI  - Nuclear Targeting of Gold Nanoparticles for Improved Therapeutics.
AB  - Nanomedicine is an exponentially growing field, and gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in
      particular are extensively used in research due to their abilities as anti-cancer
      drug carriers for chemotherapy and as dose enhancers in radiotherapy. Most GNP
      research in the past involved a system where GNP localization was in the
      cytoplasm of the cell. However, it is predicted that therapy response can be
      enhanced if GNPs can be effectively targeted into the nucleus. With nuclear
      targeting, there is a possibility in producing additional free radicals in
      response to irradiation within the nucleus. This can cause more damage to the DNA
      of cancer cells. In this review article, we discuss the successful NP-based
      platforms available for nuclear targeting. In addition, we also present the
      possible mechanisms of nuclear targeting in detail followed by its applications
      in cancer therapy. 

PMID- 26126912
TI  - The Structural Features of alpha-Conotoxin Specifically Target Different Isoforms
      of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors.
AB  - alpha-Conotoxins (alpha-Ctxs) are the major class of Ctxs extracted from the
      venom of marine cone snails. Most alpha-Ctxs specifically target various subtypes
      of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) with high affinity and potency
      as antagonists. Therefore, they may be used for the treatment of numerous
      diseases that nAChRs involved. The subtype affinity and selectivity of alpha-Ctxs
      arise from their amino acid composition and geometric conformation of microsites.
      To reveal the structural features of alpha-Ctxs, detailed structural information
      on the various nAChR subtypes and their ligand complexes is needed. This review
      article provides an overview of the structural data on alpha-Ctx-nAChR
      interactions to investigate the prediction and evaluation of the affinity and
      selectivity of alpha-Ctx. 

PMID- 26126913
TI  - Recent Advances in Peptide Immunomodulators.
AB  - With the continued rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, there is an immense
      need for the development of new therapeutic agents. Host-defense peptides (HDPs)
      offer a unique alternative to many of the current approved antibiotics. By
      targeting the host rather than the pathogen, HDPs offer several benefits over
      traditional small molecule drug treatments, such as a slower propensity towards
      resistance, broad-spectrum activity and lower risk of patients developing sepsis.
      However, natural peptide structures have many disadvantages as well, including
      susceptibility to proteolytic degradation, significant costs of synthesis and
      host toxicity. For this reason, much work has been done to examine peptidomimetic
      structures, in the hopes of finding a structure with all of the desired qualities
      of an antibiotic drug. Recently, this research has included synthetic constructs
      that mimic the behavior of HDPs but have no structural similarity to peptides.
      This review article focuses on the progression of this field of research,
      beginning with an analysis of a few prominent examples of natural HDPs and moving
      on to describe how the information learned by studying them have led to the
      current design platforms. 

PMID- 26126914
TI  - Progress in Self-assembling Peptide-based Nanomaterials for Biomedical
      Applications.
AB  - Self-assembled peptide nanomaterials display the advantageous properties of
      injectability, biodegradability and biocompatibility. These peptide
      nanomaterials, by self-assembling, can be widely applied in such fields as drug
      delivery (small molecules and large molecules), regenerative medicine and
      nanobiotechnology. In this review, we mainly discuss the properties of these
      peptide nanomaterials in their physical, chemical and biological aspects. Also
      discussed are recent advances in their potential applications as drug delivery
      systems and for uses in regenerative medicine. These current advances show a
      bright future for the development and clinical applications of self-assembled
      peptide-based nanotechnology and nanomedicine. However, there are still some big
      challenges for us to face before these peptide nanomaterials eventually can be
      used for the treatment of human diseases. 

PMID- 26126915
TI  - alphavbeta3 Integrin-Targeted Peptide/Peptidomimetic-Drug Conjugates: In-Depth
      Analysis of the Linker Technology.
AB  - Covalent conjugation of anticancer drugs to targeting carriers (e.g., antibodies
      or small molecules) capable of selectively binding to tumor-specific antigens, is
      emerging as a successful strategy to overcome the drawbacks of traditional
      chemotherapy. Due to its overexpression on blood vessels of human tumors,
      alphavbeta3 integrin is one of the most studied receptors of tumor-targeted
      therapeutics: several peptides and peptidomimetics, bearing the RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp)
      recognition sequence, have been developed as integrin ligands and linked to
      different anticancer drugs. The resulting integrin- targeted small molecule-drug
      conjugates (SMDCs) are able to release the cytotoxic agents upon cleavage of a
      linker under specific conditions (i.e., hydrolysis, enzymatic action or
      reduction). Despite the significant efforts made in this field, alphavbeta3
      integrin-targeted SMDCs are still far from the clinic. In this review, we survey
      this approach with a special focus on the different linkers employed and the
      reported biological activities in vitro and in vivo. 

PMID- 26126916
TI  - Idiopathic Anaphylaxis and Histamine Intolerance.

PMID- 26126917
TI  - Depth probing of the hydride formation process in thin Pd films by combined
      electrochemistry and fiber optics-based in situ UV/vis spectroscopy.
AB  - We demonstrate a flexible combined electrochemistry and fiber optics-based in
      situ UV/vis spectroscopy setup to gain insight into the depth evolution of
      electrochemical hydride and oxide formation in Pd films with thicknesses of 20
      and 100 nm. The thicknesses of our model systems are chosen such that the films
      are thinner or significantly thicker than the optical skin depth of Pd to create
      two distinctly different situations. Low power white light is irradiated on the
      sample and analyzed in three different configurations; transmittance through,
      and, reflectance from the front and the back side of the film. The obtained
      optical sensitivities correspond to fractions of a monolayer of adsorbed or
      absorbed hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) on Pd. Moreover, a combined simultaneous
      readout obtained from the different optical measurement configurations provides
      mechanistic insights into the depth-evolution of the studied hydrogenation and
      oxidation processes. 

PMID- 26126918
TI  - The Use of Venous Coupler Device in Free Tissue Transfers for Oral and
      Maxillofacial Reconstruction.
AB  - PURPOSE: Microvascular anastomosis remains the most challenging and important
      technique affecting the success of free tissue transfers. A microvascular
      anastomotic coupling device is often used. This study is a retrospective review
      of the use of a venous coupler for head and neck reconstruction during a 2-year
      period at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated
      Hospital of Zhengzhou University (Zhengzhou, China). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty
      nine consecutive cases of microvascular free flaps from December 2012 through
      December 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients' demographic information
      (age and gender), defect location, flap type, recipient vein, anastomotic time,
      coupler size, microvascular complications, and flap survival rate were collected
      and analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-nine anastomotic coupler devices were used for 69
      flaps. Of the 69 flaps performed, there were 26 anterior lateral thigh flaps
      (37.68%), 25 radial forearm flaps (36.23%), 17 fibula flaps (24.64%), and 1 deep
      inferior epigastric perforator flap (1.45%). The branch of the internal jugular
      vein was the most common recipient vein (n = 29; 40.03%), followed by the facial
      vein (n = 25; 36.23%) and the external jugular vein (n = 15; 21.74%). Coupler
      sizes ranged from 1.5 to 3.5 mm, with most being 2.5 mm (n = 41; 59.42%),
      followed by 3.0 mm (n = 19; 27.54%), 2.0 mm (n = 7; 10.14%), 1.5 mm (n = 1;
      1.45%), and 3.5 mm (n = 1; 1.45%). The average operation time was 3 to 11 minutes
      for venous anastomosis (~6 minutes on average). Postoperative complications were
      seen in 7 of 69 flaps (10.14%), and no complications led to complete flap loss.
      The overall flap success rate was 100%. Total coupler venous thrombosis rate was
      4.35% (3 of 69). CONCLUSION: The microvascular coupler shows reliability for
      venous anatomosis in head and neck reconstruction free tissue transfers. Use of a
      microvascular anastomotic coupler could simplify vascular anatomosis,
      considerably shorten operative time, and achieve excellent vessel patency and
      flap success rate.

PMID- 26126919
TI  - Emergency Cricothyroidotomy for Difficult Airway Management After Asynchronous
      Bilateral Neck Dissections: A Case Report and Literature Review.
AB  - PURPOSE: This report describes a case that required emergency cricothyroidotomy
      for an upper airway obstruction owing to laryngeal edema after asynchronous
      bilateral neck dissections. PATIENT AND METHODS: A 57-year-old man was diagnosed
      with multicentric squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (T1 and 2N0M0), and
      partial glossectomy with primary closure was performed. Three months after
      surgery, secondary metastases in the right cervical lymph nodes were detected,
      and a right radical neck dissection was performed. Contrast-enhanced computed
      tomographic (CT) scan taken 2 weeks after the right neck dissection visualized a
      possible third metastasis in the left cervical lymph node. Four weeks after the
      right radical neck dissection, left supraomohyoid neck dissection was carried
      out. In this surgery, the left internal jugular vein (IJV) was preserved. Nine
      hours after surgery, severe swelling of the face and pharynx was recognized,
      resulting in a stoppage of respiration and then an emergency cricothyroidotomy.
      RESULTS: The patient's life was saved without any encephalopathy or airway
      trouble. Contrast-enhanced CT scan taken the next day confirmed the preserved
      left IJV patency. CONCLUSION: Oral and maxillofacial surgeons should be aware of
      the possibility of life-threatening laryngeal edema associated with bilateral
      neck dissections even if the unilateral IJV is preserved and should know the
      procedure for emergency cricothyroidotomy.

PMID- 26126920
TI  - Bone Augmented With Allograft Onlays for Implant Placement Could Be Comparable
      With Native Bone.
AB  - PURPOSE: Bone allograft onlays have great potential in alveolar bone
      augmentation. However, no comparable cohort study is available in the literature
      showing whether implants placed in bone augmented with allograft onlays would
      have a success rate comparable to those placed in native alveolar bone. The
      objective of the cohort study was to investigate whether the quality of bone
      augmented with allograft onlays was sufficient to place dental implants and
      achieve success rates comparable to those in un-grafted bone. MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Two cohort studies were performed in 46 and 369 patients, respectively.
      In the first study, the quality and quantity of bone augmented with allograft
      onlays (21 patients received 68 allograft onlays) were assessed and compared with
      those of native alveolar bone (25 patients) using histologic techniques. In the
      second study, the performance of implants placed in allograft-augmented bone (16
      patients) was assessed and compared with implants placed in autograft-augmented
      bone (43 patients) and native alveolar bone (310 patients). RESULTS: The first
      study showed no significant differences (P = .33) in bone volume between bone
      augmented with allograft onlay and native alveolar bone. The second study showed
      that the success rates of implants placed in native bone (95.8%), autograft
      augmented bone (96.4%), and allograft-augmented bone (96.8%) were similar to one
      another. CONCLUSION: The quantity and quality of allograft-augmented bone are
      similar to those of host native alveolar bone, and the success rate of implants
      placed in allograft onlays is comparable to those placed in autograft onlays or
      native alveolar bone.

PMID- 26126921
TI  - Zoledronic acid inhibits the pentose phosphate pathway through attenuating the
      Ras-TAp73-G6PD axis in bladder cancer cells.
AB  - Zoledronic acid (ZA) is the current standard of care for the therapy of patients
      with bone metastasis or osteoporosis. ZA inhibits the prenylation of small
      guanosine-5'-triphosphate (GTP)-binding proteins, such as Ras, and thus inhibit
      Ras signaling. The present study demonstrated that ZA inhibited cell
      proliferation and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) in bladder cancer cells. In
      addition, the expression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD, the rate
      limiting enzyme of the PPP) was found to be inhibited by ZA. Furthermore, the
      stability of TAp73, which activates the expression G6PD was decreased in
      zoledronic acid treated cells. Decreased levels of Ras-GTP and phosphorylated
      extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 were also observed following treatment
      with ZA. This may be due to the fact that activated Ras was reported to stabilize
      TAp73 inducing its accumulation. The inhibition of Ras activity by PT inhibitor
      II also significantly reduced the levels of TAp73 and G6PD and the PPP flux.
      Moreover, knockdown of TAp73, attenuated the PPP flux and eliminated the
      affection of ZA on the PPP flux. In conclusion, it was proposed that ZA can
      inhibit stability of TAp73 and attenuate the PPP via blocking Ras signaling in
      bladder cancer cells.

PMID- 26126922
TI  - Synthetic growth reference charts.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To reanalyze the between-population variance in height, weight, and
      body mass index (BMI), and to provide a globally applicable technique for
      generating synthetic growth reference charts. METHODS: Using a baseline set of
      196 female and 197 male growth studies published since 1831, common factors of
      height, weight, and BMI are extracted via Principal Components separately for
      height, weight, and BMI. Combining information from single growth studies and the
      common factors using in principle a Bayesian rationale allows for provision of
      completed reference charts. RESULTS: The suggested approach can be used for
      generating synthetic growth reference charts with LMS values for height, weight,
      and BMI, from birth to maturity, from any limited set of height and weight
      measurements of a given population. CONCLUSION: Generating synthetic growth
      reference charts by incorporating information from a large set of reference
      growth studies seems suitable for populations with no autochthonous references at
      hand yet.

PMID- 26126923
TI  - Increased frequency of double and triple heterozygous gene variants in children
      with intrahepatic cholestasis.
AB  - AIM: Single gene mutations cause syndromes of intrahepatic cholestasis, but
      previous multi-gene mutation screening in children with idiopathic cholestasis
      failed to fulfill diagnostic criteria in approximately two-thirds of children. In
      adults with fibrosing cholestatic disease, heterozygous ABCB4 mutations were
      present in 34% of patients. Here, we hypothesized that children with idiopathic
      cholestasis have a higher frequency of heterozygous non-synonymous gene sequence
      variants. METHODS: We analyzed the frequency and types of variants in 717
      children in whom high-throughput sequencing of the genes SERPINA1, JAG1, ATP8B1,
      ABCB11 and ABCB4 was performed as part of an evaluation for idiopathic
      intrahepatic cholestasis cholestasis. The frequency of non-synonymous variants
      (NSV) was compared with those of 1092 control subjects enrolled in the 1000
      Genome Project. RESULTS: The frequency of NSV in single genes was similar between
      disease (25%) and controls (26%, P = 0.518). In contrast, double or triple NSV in
      two or more genes were more frequent in disease (n = 7%) than controls (n = 4.7%,
      P = 0.028). Detailed review of clinical and laboratory information in a subgroup
      of double or triple heterozygous patients revealed variable gamma
      glutamyltransferase levels and severity of pruritus, with liver biopsies showing
      stage 2-3 fibrosis. CONCLUSION: Children with idiopathic intrahepatic cholestasis
      have a higher frequency of double or triple NSV in SERPINA1, JAG1, ATPB1, ABCB11
      or ABCB4. These findings raise the potential role for gene-gene relationships in
      determining the phenotype of cholestatic liver disease in children.

PMID- 26126924
TI  - Extinction of conditioned taste aversion is related to the aversion strength and
      associated with c-fos expression in the insular cortex.
AB  - Taste aversion learning is a type of conditioning where animals learn to
      associate a novel taste (conditioned stimulus; CS) with a stimulus inducing
      symptoms of poisoning or illness (unconditioned stimulus; US). As a consequence
      animals later avoid this taste, a reaction known as conditioned taste aversion
      (CTA). An established CTA extinguishes over time when the CS is repeatedly
      presented in the absence of the US. However, inter-individual differences in CTA
      extinction do exist. Using a model of behavioral conditioning with saccharin as
      CS and the immunosuppressant cyclosporine A as US, the present study aimed at
      further elucidating the factors underlying individual differences in extinction
      learning by investigating whether extinction of an established CTA is related to
      the strength of the initially acquired CS-US association. In addition, we
      analyzed the expression of the neuronal activation marker c-fos in brain
      structures relevant for acquisition and retrieval of the CTA, such as the insular
      cortex and the amygdala. We here show that animals, displaying a strong CS-US
      association during acquisition, maintained a strong CTA during unreinforced CS re
      exposures, in contrast to animals with moderate CS-US association. Moreover, the
      latter animals showed increased c-fos mRNA expression in the insular cortex. Our
      data indicate that CTA extinction apparently depends on the strength of the
      initially learned CS-US association. In addition, these findings provide further
      evidence that the memory for the initial excitatory conditioning and its
      subsequent extinction is probably stored in those structures that participate in
      the processing of the CS and the US. 

PMID- 26126925
TI  - Thalidomide reduces mechanical hyperalgesia and depressive-like behavior induced
      by peripheral nerve crush in mice.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It has been shown that chronic pain is able to induce depressive
      disorders in humans, in part, due to peripheral inflammation that reaches the
      central nervous system. However, the mechanisms involved remain to be
      established. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether sciatic nerve
      crush could produce depression-like behaviors, in addition to pain-related
      behaviors, in mice. Once confirmed, this model was used to investigate tumor
      necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) as a key mediator involved in the
      pathophysiology of both pain and depression. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Male Swiss
      mice were divided into three groups, naive, sham and operated. In the operated
      group, the sciatic nerve was crushed. Following surgery, animals from the
      operated group were treated daily by oral gavage (p.o.) with saline (10 ml/kg),
      fluoxetine (20 mg/kg) or thalidomide (10 mg/kg) for 15 days. Mechanical
      hyperalgesia was evaluated every 3 days by von Frey filaments and depressive-like
      behavior was assessed at the end of day 15, using the tail suspension test (TST)
      and the forced swimming test (FST). Then, samples from the prefrontal cortex,
      hippocampus and sciatic nerve were processed to measure TNF-alpha levels by
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Crush caused significant
      mechanical hyperalgesia and depressive-like behaviors and increased TNF-alpha
      levels in the sciatic nerve, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of operated
      animals. Treatment with fluoxetine or thalidomide reversed crush-induced
      mechanical hyperalgesia, depressive-like behaviors and the increased TNF-alpha
      levels in the sciatic nerve, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS: The
      sciatic nerve crush model represents a good model to study to mechanisms
      underlying both pain and depressive-like behaviors. Furthermore, inhibitors of
      TNF-alpha synthesis, like thalidomide, have a potential to treat depressive
      disorders associated with neuropathic pain.

PMID- 26126926
TI  - Modulatory effects by CB1 receptors on rat spinal locomotor networks after
      sustained application of agonists or antagonists.
AB  - Sustained administration of cannabinoid agonists acting on neuronal CB1 receptors
      (CB1Rs) are proposed for treating spasticity and chronic pain. The impact of
      CB1Rs on mammalian locomotor networks remains, however, incompletely understood.
      To clarify how CB1Rs may control synaptic activity and locomotor network
      function, we used the rat spinal cord in vitro which is an advantageous model to
      investigate locomotor circuit mechanisms produced by the local central pattern
      generator. Neither the CB1 agonist anandamide (AEA) nor the CB1R antagonist AM
      251 evoked early (<3h) changes in mono or polysynaptic reflexes or in locomotor
      rhythms. Application of AEA (24h) significantly decreased the ability of dorsal
      root (DR) afferents to elicit oscillatory cycles, and left synaptic responses
      unchanged. Similar application of LY 2183240, or JZL 184, inhibitors of
      endocannabinoid uptake processes, produced analogous results. Application of the
      antagonist AM-251 (or rimonabant) for >3-24h largely impaired locomotor network
      activity induced by DR stimuli or neurochemicals, and depressed disinhibited
      bursting without changing reflex amplitude or inducing neurotoxicity even if CB1R
      immunoreactivity was lowered in the central region. Since CB1R activation usually
      inhibits cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) synthesis, we investigated how a
      24-h application of AEA or AM-251 affected basal or forskolin-stimulated cAMP
      levels. While AEA decreased them in an AM-251-sensitive manner, AM-251 per se did
      not change resting or stimulated cAMP. Our data suggest that CB1Rs may control
      the circuit gateway regulating the inflow of sensory afferent inputs into the
      locomotor circuits, indicating a potential site of action for restricting
      peripheral signals disruptive for locomotor activity. 

PMID- 26126927
TI  - Severe instead of mild hyperglycemia inhibits neurogenesis in the subventricular
      zone of adult rats after transient focal cerebral ischemia.
AB  - Accumulated evidence suggests that enhanced neurogenesis stimulated by ischemic
      injury contributes to stroke outcome. However, it is unclear whether
      hyperglycemia, which is frequently tested positive in patients with acute
      ischemic stroke, influences stroke-induced neurogenesis. The aim of the present
      study is to examine the effect of hyperglycemia on stroke-induced neurogenesis in
      a rat model of transient focal cerebral ischemia. For this purpose, adult male
      Sprague-Dawley rats (220-250 g) were subjected to 90 min of middle cerebral
      artery occlusion (MCAO). Glucose was administered during ischemia to produce
      target blood levels ranging from 4.83 +/- 0.94 mM (normoglycemia) to 20.76 +/-
      1.56 mM. To label proliferating cells in ischemic ipsilateral subventricular zone
      (SVZ) of lateral ventricles, 5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was injected 24h
      after MCAO. Brains were harvested 2h post-BrdU to evaluate the effects of
      hyperglycemia on infarct volume and SVZ cell proliferation. Rats that were
      severely hyperglycemic (19.26 +/- 1.48 mM to 20.76 +/- 1.56 mM) during ischemia
      had 24.26% increase in infarct volume (P<0.05) and more serious neurological
      function deficits (P<0.05). The severe hyperglycemic rats also showed
      dramatically decreased proliferation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs)
      (P<0.05) and down-regulation of the phosphorylation of cyclic-AMP response
      element-binding protein (pCREB) (P<0.05)and brain-derived neurotrophic factor
      (BDNF) (P<0.05) in ipsilateral SVZ. But the above-mentioned detrimental effects
      were not observed in rats that were rendered with mild hyperglycemia (9.43 +/-
      1.39-10.13 +/- 1.24 mM). Our findings indicate that severe instead of mild
      hyperglycemia exacerbates ischemic injury and inhibits stroke-induced SVZ
      neurogenesis by a mechanism involving suppression of CREB and BDNF signaling.

PMID- 26126928
TI  - European Code against Cancer 4th Edition: Ionising and non-ionising radiation and
      cancer.
AB  - Ionising radiation can transfer sufficient energy to ionise molecules, and this
      can lead to chemical changes, including DNA damage in cells. Key evidence for the
      carcinogenicity of ionising radiation comes from: follow-up studies of the
      survivors of the atomic bombings in Japan; other epidemiological studies of
      groups that have been exposed to radiation from medical, occupational or
      environmental sources; experimental animal studies; and studies of cellular
      responses to radiation. Considering exposure to environmental ionising radiation,
      inhalation of naturally occurring radon is the major source of radiation in the
      population - in doses orders of magnitude higher than those from nuclear power
      production or nuclear fallout. Indoor exposure to radon and its decay products is
      an important cause of lung cancer; radon may cause approximately one in ten lung
      cancers in Europe. Exposures to radon in buildings can be reduced via a three
      step process of identifying those with potentially elevated radon levels,
      measuring radon levels, and reducing exposure by installation of remediation
      systems. In the 4th Edition of the European Code against Cancer it is therefore
      recommended to: "Find out if you are exposed to radiation from naturally high
      radon levels in your home. Take action to reduce high radon levels". Non-ionising
      types of radiation (those with insufficient energy to ionise molecules) -
      including extremely low-frequency electric and magnetic fields as well as
      radiofrequency electromagnetic fields - are not an established cause of cancer
      and are therefore not addressed in the recommendations to reduce cancer risk. 

PMID- 26126930
TI  - Cross-Coupling of [2-Aryl-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl](trimethyl)silanes with Aryl
      Halides.
AB  - The synthesis of arylCF2CF2SiMe3 and their reactivity in cross-coupling reactions
      with aryl iodides and aryl bromides to afford a range of 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoro-1,2
      arylethanes is reported. The use of pyridine as an alternative to phenanthroline,
      and the ability to carry out the reaction at 60  degrees C or room temperature
      are the key features of this Cu-Ag mediated cross-coupling methodology. The
      chemistry is compatible with (hetero)aryl halides, offering a platform to develop
      products of interest in material and medicinal chemistry. 

PMID- 26126929
TI  - Antiviral therapy leads to histological improvement of HBeAg-negative chronic
      hepatitis B patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: We investigated hepatic histological changes in a cohort of HBeAg
      negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients (n=50) under long-term antiviral
      treatment in clinical practice. METHODS: Liver biopsies were obtained at baseline
      and after prolonged antiviral treatment with lamivudine (42/50), entecavir
      (6/50), telbivudine (1/50), or tenofovir (1/50). Due to viral resistance to
      lamivudine a nucleotide analog was added in 17 patients (adefovir n=11; tenofovir
      n=6). Twenty-two patients had initially received a 12-month course of pegylated
      interferon-alpha, followed by nucleos(t)ide analogs. Necroinflammatory activity
      was graded as 1-minimal (histological activity index [HAI]: 0-3), 2-mild (HAI: 4
      8), 3-moderate (HAI: 9-12), or 4-severe (HAI: 13-18); staging was performed
      according to the METAVIR system. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were male and 23
      female; mean age was 46.9+/-10.7 years. Mean interval between biopsies was 72.6+/
      27.8 months. Improvement in activity was observed in 31/42 patients (74%) (mean
      drop -1.1 grade, SD=1.0), and in histological staging in 24/50 patients (48%)
      (mean drop -0.56 stage, SD=0.73). Importantly, the repeat biopsies of 5/10
      patients with initial stage F4 were classified as F3 (n=3), F2 (n=1) or F1 (n=1).
      Worsening of staging was observed in only one patient. Development of resistance
      to lamivudine had no significant effect on stage improvement. CONCLUSIONS:
      Sustained hepatitis B virus suppression with antiviral treatment in HBeAg
      negative CHB patients leads to reduction in necroinflammatory activity and
      improvement in staging, regardless of transient viral breakthrough. Potent
      antivirals in common clinical use for CHB can even lead to regression of fibrous
      septa and architectural improvement of cirrhotic livers.

PMID- 26126931
TI  - Yeast cell-based analysis of human lactate dehydrogenase isoforms.
AB  - Human lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has attracted attention as a potential target
      for cancer therapy and contraception. In this study, we reconstituted human
      lactic acid fermentation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with the goal of
      constructing a yeast cell-based LDH assay system. pdc null mutant yeast (mutated
      in the endogenous pyruvate decarboxylase genes) are unable to perform alcoholic
      fermentation; when grown in the presence of an electron transport chain
      inhibitor, pdc null strains exhibit a growth defect. We found that introduction
      of the human gene encoding LDHA complemented the pdc growth defect; this
      complementation depended on LDHA catalytic activity. Similarly, introduction of
      the human LDHC complemented the pdc growth defect, even though LDHC did not
      generate lactate at the levels seen with LDHA. In contrast, the human LDHB did
      not complement the yeast pdc null mutant, although LDHB did generate lactate in
      yeast cells. Expression of LDHB as a red fluorescent protein (RFP) fusion yielded
      blebs in yeast, whereas LDHA-RFP and LDHC-RFP fusion proteins exhibited cytosolic
      distribution. Thus, LDHB exhibits several unique features when expressed in yeast
      cells. Because yeast cells are amenable to genetic analysis and cell-based high
      throughput screening, our pdc/LDH strains are expected to be of use for versatile
      analyses of human LDH. 

PMID- 26126933
TI  - Mood and Anxiety Disorders in Pregnant and Postpartum Women.

PMID- 26126932
TI  - Assessment of In Vivo Clinical Product Performance of a Weak Basic Drug by
      Integration of In Vitro Dissolution Tests and Physiologically Based Absorption
      Modeling.
AB  - Effective integration of in vitro tests and absorption modeling can greatly
      improve our capability in understanding, comparing, and predicting in vivo
      performances of clinical drug products. In this case, we used a proprietary drug
      candidate galunisertib to describe the procedures of designing key in vitro
      tests, analyzing relevant experimental and trial data, and integrating them into
      physiologically based absorption models to evaluate the performances of its
      clinical products. By simulating the preclinical study result, we estimated high
      in vivo permeability for the drug. Given the high sensitivity of its solubility
      to pH, supersaturation may play an important role in the absorption of
      galunisertib. Using the dynamic dissolution test, i.e., artificial stomach
      duodenum (ASD) model and simulation, we concluded galunisertib in solution or
      tablet products could maintain supersaturation during the transit in the
      gastrointestinal tract (GIT). A physiologically based absorption model was
      established by incorporating these key inputs in the simulation of Trial 1
      results of galunisertib solution. To predict the performance of three tablet
      products, we developed z-factor dissolution models from the multi-pH USP
      dissolution results and integrate them into the absorption model. The resultant
      biopharmaceutical models provided good prediction of the extent of absorption of
      all three products, but underestimated the rate of absorption of one tablet
      product. Leveraging the ASD result and optimization with the dissolution model,
      we identified the limitation of the model due to complexity of estimating the
      dissolution parameter z and its in vitro-in vivo correlation. 

PMID- 26126934
TI  - Sexual transmission of beneficial microbes.
AB  - Beneficial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are an understudied phenomenon
      with important implications for the evolution of cooperation and host
      reproductive behavior. Challenging the prevailing expectation that sexual
      transmission leads to pathogenesis, these symbionts provide new opportunities to
      examine how STIs might influence sexual selection and the evolution of
      promiscuity. 

PMID- 26126935
TI  - Models for patterning primary embryonic body axes: The role of space and time.
AB  - Models for the generation and interpretation of spatial patterns are discussed.
      Crucial for these processes is an intimate link between self-enhancing and
      antagonistic reactions. For spatial patterning, long-ranging antagonistic
      reactions are required that restrict the self-enhancing reactions to generate
      organizing regions. Self-enhancement is also required for a permanent switch-like
      activation of genes. This self-enhancement is antagonized by the mutual
      repression of genes, making sure that in a particular cell only one gene of a set
      of possible genes become activated - a long range inhibition in the 'gene space'.
      The understanding how the main body axes are initiated becomes more
      straightforward if the evolutionary ancestral head/brain pattern and the trunk
      pattern is considered separately. To activate a specific gene at particular
      concentration of morphogenetic gradient, observations are compatible with a
      systematic and time-requiring 'promotion' from one gene to the next until the
      local concentration is insufficient to accomplish a further promotion. The
      achieved determination is stable against a fading of the morphogen, as required
      to allow substantial growth. Minor modifications lead to a purely time-dependent
      activation of genes; both mechanisms are involved to pattern the anteroposterior
      axis. A mutual activation of cell states that locally exclude each other accounts
      for many features of the segmental patterning of the trunk. A possible scenario
      for the evolutionary invention of segmentation is discussed that is based on a
      reemployment of interactions involved in asexual reproduction. 

PMID- 26126936
TI  - Large-Area Semiconducting Graphene Nanomesh Tailored by Interferometric
      Lithography.
AB  - Graphene nanostructures are attracting a great deal of interest because of newly
      emerging properties originating from quantum confinement effects. We report on
      using interferometric lithography to fabricate uniform, chip-scale,
      semiconducting graphene nanomesh (GNM) with sub-10 nm neck widths (smallest edge
      to-edge distance between two nanoholes). This approach is based on fast, low
      cost, and high-yield lithographic technologies and demonstrates the feasibility
      of cost-effective development of large-scale semiconducting graphene sheets and
      devices. The GNM is estimated to have a room temperature energy bandgap of ~30
      meV. Raman studies showed that the G band of the GNM experiences a blue shift and
      broadening compared to pristine graphene, a change which was attributed to
      quantum confinement and localization effects. A single-layer GNM field effect
      transistor exhibited promising drive current of ~3.9 MUA/MUm and ON/OFF current
      ratios of ~35 at room temperature. The ON/OFF current ratio of the GNM-device
      displayed distinct temperature dependence with about 24-fold enhancement at 77 K.

PMID- 26126937
TI  - FGF23-FGF Receptor/Klotho Pathway as a New Drug Target for Disorders of Bone and
      Mineral Metabolism.
AB  - Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a phosphaturic hormone produced by bone
      and works by binding to Klotho-FGF receptor complex. Excessive and deficient
      actions of FGF23 result in hypophosphatemic and hyperphosphatemic diseases,
      respectively. Therefore, it is reasonable to think that modulating FGF23
      activities may be a novel therapeutic measure for these diseases. Several
      preclinical reports indicate that the inhibition of FGF23 activities ameliorates
      hypophosphatemic rickets/osteomalacia caused by excessive actions of FGF23. In
      addition, phase I-II clinical trials of anti-FGF23 antibody in adult patients
      with X-linked hypophosphatemia rickets, the most prevalent cause of genetic FGF23
      related hypophosphatemic rickets, indicated that the antibody enhances renal
      tubular phosphate reabsorption and increases serum phosphate. However, it is not
      known whether the inhibition of FGF23 activities actually brings clinical
      improvement of rickets and osteomalacia. Available data indicate that FGF23-FGF
      receptor/Klotho pathway can be a new drug target for disorders of phosphate and
      bone metabolism. 

PMID- 26126938
TI  - Uremia Induces Dental Pulp Ossification but Reciprocally Inhibits Adjacent
      Alveolar Bone Osteogenesis.
AB  - Uremic patients are predisposed to atrophy of the alveolar bone and narrowing of
      the dental pulp chamber. Such pulp chamber changes have only been diagnosed
      radiologically; however, this has not been supported by any pathological
      evidence. We used a uremic rat model with secondary hyperparathyroidism induced
      by 5/6 nephrectomy surgery and high-phosphate diet to examine the dental pulp and
      adjacent alveolar bone pathology. In addition, we collected pulp tissues for real
      time PCR. We found an opposite histopathological presentation of the ossified
      dental pulp and the osteomalacic adjacent alveolar bone. Furthermore, pulp cells
      with positive staining for Thy-1, a surrogate stem cell marker, were
      significantly reduced in the pulp of uremic rats compared to the controls,
      indicating a paucity of stem cells. This was further evidenced by the reduced
      pulp expression of dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1), a Wnt/beta-catenin signaling inhibitor
      produced by mesenchymal stem cells. In contrast, expressions of receptor
      activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand (RANKL) and RANK in uremic pulp were up
      regulated, probably to counteract the ossifying process of uremic pulp. In
      conclusion, uremic pulp ossifications were associated with a paucity of stem
      cells and dysregulated Dkk-1 and RANKL signaling systems, further shifting the
      imbalance toward osteogenesis. Strategies to counteract such an imbalance may
      offer a potential therapeutic target to improve dental health in uremic patients,
      which warrants further interventional studies. 

PMID- 26126939
TI  - Comparative analysis of MDCT and MRI in diagnosing chronic gallstone perforation
      and ileus.
AB  - OBJECT: To evaluate MDCT and MRI in identifying chronic gallstone perforation
      (GSP) and ileus, even the risk factors prior to perforation. METHODS: Twenty
      three cases of gallstone ileus (GSI) and three cases of calculus gallbladder
      choledochus perforation were scanned by MDCT before treatment. Meanwhile, twelve
      patients received two-view abdominal X-ray film and eight patients received MRI
      examination. All images were analyzed respectively and blindly to the results of
      surgery or interventional endoscopy, besides five cases of MDCT and one case of
      MRI images scanned before GSP were analyzed comparatively. RESULTS: MDCT could
      identify 100.0% of intestinal obstruction and pneumobilia of GSI, it had not
      statistical difference with abdominal X-ray film. But MDCT could differenciate
      and precisely locate 88.5% of the ectopic stone, higher than that of abdominal X
      ray film (50%), p value ? 0.05, moreover it presented cholecystitis, edema or
      discontinuous walls of gallbladder and intestine and bilio-enteral fistula
      (26.9%). MRI and MRCP could precisely visualize the fistula (100%) and the
      ruptured bile duct. Abnormal edema or thin gallbladder wall, large stone size (>
      2 cm) and incarceration in the neck of gallbladder, the blurring fat line between
      gallbladder and duodenum were considered main risk signs prior to GSP.
      CONCLUSION: MDCT is being considered as an effective and reliable technique to
      identify GSP and GSI early, however MRI and MRCP will aid to differentiate the
      complex GSP. It will be a considerable prospective for MDCT and MRI to estimate
      the risk factors prior to gallbladder perforation.

PMID- 26126940
TI  - Recovery from prolonged deep rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade: A
      randomized comparison of sugammadex reversal with spontaneous recovery.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Deep neuromuscular blockade (NMB) may not always be maintained to the
      end of surgery and the depth of block may be allowed to gradually diminish over
      time, particularly if reversal of NMB is not routinely performed. AIM: The
      current study aimed to assess recovery from deep rocuronium-induced NMB with
      sugammadex compared with placebo, provide data regarding the extent of residual
      blockade after deep rocuronium-induced NMB (placebo group), and to determine
      whether complete and reliable recovery could be provided by sugammadex
      (sugammadex group). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a randomized, placebo
      controlled, safety-assessor-blinded study in adult patients of American Society
      of Anesthesiologists Class I to III. Patients with clinically relevant kidney or
      liver insufficiency were excluded. Anesthesia was administered as routinely
      practiced at each study site. Rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg was administered for
      intubation, with maintenance doses of 0.1-0.2 mg/kg as needed. After the last
      rocuronium dose, at deep NMB (target depth 1-2 post-tetanic counts), patients
      received a single dose of sugammadex 4.0 mg/kg or placebo as randomized. The
      primary endpoint was time from sugammadex or placebo administration to recovery
      of the train-of-four (TOF) ratio to 0.9. Safety was assessed through monitoring
      of adverse events, vital signs and physical examination. Patients were also
      assessed for evidence of residual or recurrence of NMB. With this design, the
      study will provide data regarding the extent of residual blockade under these
      conditions (placebo group), and determine whether complete and reliable recovery
      could be provided by sugammadex (sugammadex group). RESULTS: Recovery to a TOF
      ratio of >= 0.9 with sugammadex was significantly faster (~ 40 times) than
      spontaneous recovery: geometric mean (95 % confidence interval) times were 2.2
      (1.9-2.5) and 89.8 (80.1-100.7) min, respectively (p < 0.0001, N = 134); maximum
      spontaneous recovery was 289.8 min. Safety was comparable between groups, with no
      recurrence of blockade. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms a prolonged residual
      blockade in patients who did not receive sugammadex, with median time to recovery
      > 1.5 h in the placebo group and one patient taking 4.8 h to achieve a safe level
      of neuromuscular function recovery following deep NMB. In contrast, sugammadex
      provided complete and reliable recovery of neuromuscular function (median time to
      recovery of 2.0 min). Thus, deep NMB with rocuronium until the end of the
      operation may be possible in combination with sugammadex reversal.

PMID- 26126941
TI  - Characterization of a halotolerant acetoclastic methanogen highly enriched from
      marine sediment and its application in removal of acetate.
AB  - A marine sediment collected from Hiroshima Bay was cultured in artificial
      seawater, containing 0.51 M NaCl and 60 mM acetate and was found to exhibit
      active methane production at 37 degrees C. Following four successive serial
      dilutions of cultures in medium containing 0.51 M NaCl, 60 mM acetate, and
      antibiotics, the well-acclimated methanogen was found to exhibit growth over a
      range of NaCl concentration (between 0 M and 2.06 M). The specific growth rates
      of the highly enriched methanogen, termed strain HA, in the absence of NaCl and
      in the presence of 1.54 M NaCl were estimated to be 0.037 h(-1) and 0.027 h(-1),
      respectively. The pH and temperature for optimum growth were determined to be 7.0
      8.8 and 37 degrees C, respectively. Although cells that had morphology similar to
      Methanosaeta sp. became dominant in the culture, methane production was still
      detected in the medium containing 0.51 M NaCl and other substrates such as
      methanol, formate, and methylamine, indicating contamination with other
      methanogens. The phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that
      the strain HA was closely related to Methanosaeta harundinacea 6Ac and 8Ac(T),
      with sequence similarity of 98% and 97%, respectively. The continuous removal of
      acetate with upflow anaerobic filter reactor for industrial use of strain HA
      determined a methane production rate of 70 mM/d under condition of 0.51 M NaCl
      and successful methane production even under 1.54 M NaCl. 

PMID- 26126942
TI  - Characterization of [123I]FP-CIT binding to the dopamine transporter in the
      striatum of tree shrews by quantitative in vitro autoradiography.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Aim of this study was to quantify the binding of [(123) I]FP-CIT in
      striatum of healthy tree shrews. [(123) I]FP-CIT is widely used in clinical SPECT
      imaging to reveal nigrostriatal degeneration in aid of the diagnosis of
      clinically uncertain parkinsonian syndromes. Despite its wide clinical use, the
      saturation binding parameters of [(123) I]FP-CIT for the dopamine transporter
      (DAT) have not yet been determined in any mammalian brain. Tree shrews are
      genetically and neuroanatomically more similar to humans than are rodents and
      might therefore be a valuable animal model for research of neurological disorders
      involving brain dopamine. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Quantitative in vitro
      autoradiography with [(123) I]FP-CIT was performed with brains of healthy tree
      shrews and, for comparison, brains of healthy rats. Dopamine D2/3 receptor
      autoradiography with [(3) H]raclopride was also performed. PRINCIPAL
      OBSERVATIONS: Saturation analysis revealed high specificity of [(123) I]FP-CIT
      for DAT in the striatum with considerably higher affinity in tree shrews than in
      rats (KD  = 10.3 versus 36.4 nM). The density of DAT binding sites also was
      higher in tree shrews than in rats (Bmax  = 2499 versus 1495 pmol/g wet weight
      (ww)). [(3) H]raclopride revealed D2/3 receptors in the tree shrew striatum with
      about the same density as in rats (Bmax  = 78.4 versus 84.1 pmol/g ww), but with
      slightly lower affinity in tree shrews (KD  = 1.27 versus 0.59 nM). CONCLUSIONS:
      The higher affinity in combination with the higher abundance of DAT binding sites
      compared to rat striatum predicts substantially higher binding of [(123) I]FP-CIT
      in SPECT studies of living tree shrews.

PMID- 26126943
TI  - Immunoregulatory and antitumor activity of schizophyllan under ultrasonic
      treatment.
AB  - Aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ultrasonic treatment on the
      biological activities of schizophyllan (SPG) from Schizophyllum commune. The
      immunoregulatory and antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo of SPG and
      ultrasonic-treated SPG (USPG) were evaluated by splenic lymphocytes, macrophages
      RAW264.7 and human breast carcinoma T-47D cells. Compared with SPG, USPG
      fractions had small molecular weight and narrow distribution. Meantime, more
      enhancement of NO production in macrophages RAW264.7, lymphocytes proliferation
      rates, IL-2 and TNF-alpha level from spleen lymphocytes and T-47D cells
      inhibition rates were observed in USPG fractions groups. This result indicated
      that the immune-enhancing and antitumor activity of SPG was significantly
      improved after ultrasonic treatment. USPG60 exhibited the highest biological
      activity in this study. In conclusion, application of ultrasonic technology on
      SPG preparation is an efficient approach to get high biological polysaccharide,
      and USPG60 might be a potential functional component for immunoregulatory and
      cancer treatment. 

PMID- 26126944
TI  - Isolation and prebiotic activity of inulin-type fructan extracted from Pfaffia
      glomerata (Spreng) Pedersen roots.
AB  - Pfaffia glomerata (Amaranthaceae) is popularly known as "Brazilian ginseng."
      Previous studies have shown that fructose is the major carbohydrate component
      present in its roots. Inulin-type fructans, polymers of fructose, are the most
      widespread and researched prebiotics. Here, we isolated and chemically
      characterized inulin extracted from P. glomerata roots and investigated its
      potential prebiotic effect. Fructans were isolated and their structures were
      determined using colorimetric, chromatography, polarimetry, and spectroscopic
      analysis. The degree of polymerization (DP) was determined, and an in vitro
      prebiotic test was performed. The structure of inulin was confirmed by
      chromatography and spectroscopic analysis and through comparison with existing
      data. Representatives from the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium utilized
      inulin from P. glomerata, because growth was significantly stimulated, while this
      ability is strain specific. The results indicated that inulin extracted from P.
      glomerata roots represents a promising new source of inulin-type prebiotics. 

PMID- 26126945
TI  - Divalent metal ions binding properties of goat serum mannose binding lectin.
AB  - Mannose binding lectin (MBL) is a collectin with C-terminus Carbohydrate
      Recognition Domain (CRD) which binds with pathogen and arbitrate functions like
      activation of complement pathway, opsonization etc. The CRD required Ca(2+) ions
      to recognize the sugar moieties. In the present study the binding properties of
      CRD with divalent ions were characterized by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance
      (EPR) spectroscopy. The results revealed that the metal binding site of CRD is of
      approximately 1 A diameter and ions greater than the size are not able to enter.

PMID- 26126947
TI  - Spatial Moran models, II: cancer initiation in spatially structured tissue.
AB  - We study the accumulation and spread of advantageous mutations in a spatial
      stochastic model of cancer initiation on a lattice. The parameters of this
      general model can be tuned to study a variety of cancer types and genetic
      progression pathways. This investigation contributes to an understanding of how
      the selective advantage of cancer cells together with the rates of mutations
      driving cancer, impact the process and timing of carcinogenesis. These results
      can be used to give insights into tumor heterogeneity and the "cancer field
      effect," the observation that a malignancy is often surrounded by cells that have
      undergone premalignant transformation. 

PMID- 26126948
TI  - Macrophage-specific metalloelastase (MMP-12) immunoexpression in the
      osteochondral unit in osteoarthritis correlates with BMI and disease severity.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Metalloproteinase 12 (MMP-12) is induced in chondrocytes during fetal
      development and malignant transformation. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study is to
      examine the expression of MMP-12 in the cartilage and the subchondral bone of
      patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and to correlate its expression with disease
      severity and anthropometric characteristics. METHODS: Overall, 60 sections from
      20 patients with idiopathic OA, were examined for the immunolocalization of MMP
      12. As controls, we used the femoral heads of 4 patients treated with
      seniarthroplasty after fracture. Demographic characteristics and Body Mass Index
      (BMI) were calculated for all subjects. RESULTS: Specimens were divided into four
      groups based on the Mankin histological severity score. The immunohistochemical
      study showed MMP-12 expression in the cartilage and subchonral bone of OA
      patients, while there was no expression in normal controls. At the moderate OA
      changes (Mankin score: 6-7), MMP-12 was detected mainly at the matrix of
      fibrocartilage tissue. During disease progression, MMP-12 was expressed at the
      sides of the cartilage and bone erosion and in the bone cysts. Furthermore, it
      was traced in the osteocytes of the subchondral bone. Osteoblast-like cells and
      bone lining cells express MMP-12 during the stage of severe OA (Mankin: >=8).
      Osteoclasts expressing MMP-12 were also detected in the group of severe OA.
      Interestingly, MMP-12 expression was positively correlated with the age and the
      BMI of OA patients. CONCLUSION: The increased expression of MMP-12 in the bone
      cartilage unit of OA patients suggests a possible role in OA pathogenesis and
      progression. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III, prospective comparative study.

PMID- 26126949
TI  - Lipoprotein apheresis reduces circulating galectin-3 in humans.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Plasma galectin-3 (Gal-3) is elevated in, and drives, diverse
      systemic inflammatory disorders, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and
      diabetes. Circulating Gal-3 promotes tumorigenesis and metastasis, as well as
      fibrotic remodeling, and is a promising therapeutic target. Apheresis has proven
      utility in reducing circulating disease-promoting substances, exemplified by the
      success of lipoprotein apheresis (LA) in abrogating cardiovascular disease
      progression in drug-refractory hypercholesterolemia patients. We compared the
      clinical utility of two FDA-approved LA systems in reducing plasma Gal-3 in
      humans. METHODS: Plasma Gal-3 levels were assessed by ELISA in blinded samples
      drawn pre- and post-apheresis from hypercholesterolemia patients (n = 10/group)
      undergoing therapeutic LA using either a heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL
      precipitation (HELP) or dextran sulfate-adsorption (DSA) system. RESULTS: Mean
      baseline plasma Gal-3 concentrations (+/-SD) were 14.3 +/- 5.1 (range 6.6-22.8)
      and 14.5 +/- 2.8 (range 10.6-19.8) ng/mL in the HELP and DSA groups,
      respectively. Post-apheresis Gal-3 levels were respectively reduced by 19.4% and
      22.7% in the HELP (P = 0.0094) and DSA (P = 0.0027) systems (paired t-tests); the
      difference between devices was insignificant (P = 0.5288; Mann-Whitney). Post
      treatment Gal-3 levels were 11.3 +/- 3.7 (HELP; range 4.5-16.3) and 11.3 +/- 3.8
      (DSA; range 7.5-20.7) ng/mL. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating Gal-3 levels showed a
      statistically significant decrease in humans undergoing therapeutic LA. Although
      absolute Gal-3 reduction was ~19-23%, this effect, combined with reducing
      atherogenic LDL and other inflammation mediators (e.g., CRP, fibrinogen, Lp-PLA2
      ), may enhance apheresis clinical benefits. Applying new Gal-3-specific
      extraction technologies to apheresis may be advantageous in treating diverse
      pathologies that are promoted by elevated plasma Gal-3. J. Clin. Apheresis 31:388
      392, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26126950
TI  - Adolescent Experiences With Intrauterine Devices: A Qualitative Study.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to improve understanding of adolescents'
      reasons for choosing an intrauterine device (IUD) and to explore experiences that
      led to continuation or discontinuation of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system
      (LNG-IUS) and the copper IUD (copper IUD). METHODS: We conducted focus groups
      (FGs) with adolescents and young women who were current or former IUD users
      stratified by IUD type and 12-month IUD continuation or discontinuation. All
      subjects were participants from the Contraceptive CHOICE Project. FG data were
      supplemented with in-depth interviews (IDIs). Data collection was continued until
      thematic saturation was reached. Transcripts were independently coded by two
      researchers, and interrater reliability was calculated using a Kappa coefficient.
      Analysis followed a standard text-analysis approach. RESULTS: Thirteen FGs and
      seven IDIs were conducted with 43 young women. Effectiveness, duration of use,
      convenience, and potential bleeding changes emerged as themes for both choosing
      and continuing IUDs. Some women chose the LNG-IUS to achieve amenorrhea, whereas
      copper IUD users wanted a nonhormonal method and continued menses. Copper IUD
      users cited expulsion and bleeding irregularities as reasons for discontinuation,
      whereas LNG-IUS users reported bleeding irregularities and continued pain as
      reasons for removal. IUD users noted an adjustment period of weeks to months in
      which side effects were present before lessening. CONCLUSIONS: Effectiveness,
      duration of use, convenience, and potential changes in bleeding patterns drove
      adolescents' choice and continuation of an IUD. Bleeding changes and pain
      contributed to IUD discontinuation. Discussion of effectiveness, duration and
      convenience, and anticipatory guidance regarding post-insertion side effects may
      be important in counseling young women about IUDs.

PMID- 26126951
TI  - The effects of physical activity interventions on preventing weight gain and the
      effects on body composition in young adults with intellectual disabilities:
      systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - The aim of this study was to examine the literature on randomized controlled
      trials examining the efficacy of physical activity interventions to prevent
      weight gain and the effects on body composition in young adults with intellectual
      disabilities.A systematic search of Medline, Emabse, CINHAL, PsychINFO, Cochrane
      library and ERIC was conducted from 1946 to September 2014. Eligibility criteria
      included; randomized controlled trials of a physical activity intervention:
      objective measure of body weight and body composition; young adults (age range 16
      24 years) with intellectual disabilities. Six studies met the eligibility
      criteria. The interventions varied in their prescription of physical activity
      including aerobic and strength-based activities. The mean duration of the
      interventions was 15.3 (range 10-21 weeks). There was no significant effect of
      physical activity interventions on body weight (weighted mean difference: -0.17
      kg, 95% confidence interval, -1.04 kg to 0.72 kg) and body composition outcomes.
      The meta-analysis showed that physical activity interventions did not prevent
      weight gain in young adults with intellectual disabilities. Published studies are
      inadequate to form firm conclusions. Future longer term studies of interventions
      specifically designed for this population group are required to elucidate the
      effects of physical activity interventions on body composition and the prevention
      of weight gain in young adults with intellectual disabilities. 

PMID- 26126952
TI  - Computation of dispersion relations for axially symmetric guided waves in
      cylindrical structures by means of a spectral decomposition method.
AB  - In this paper, a method to determine the complex dispersion relations of axially
      symmetric guided waves in cylindrical structures is presented as an alternative
      to the currently established numerical procedures. The method is based on a
      spectral decomposition into eigenfunctions of the Laplace operator on the cross
      section of the waveguide. This translates the calculation of real or complex wave
      numbers at a given frequency into solving an eigenvalue problem. Cylindrical rods
      and plates are treated as the asymptotic cases of cylindrical structures and used
      to generalize the method to the case of hollow cylinders. The presented method is
      superior to direct root-finding algorithms in the sense that no initial guess
      values are needed to determine the complex wave numbers and that neither starting
      at low frequencies nor subsequent mode tracking is required. The results obtained
      with this method are shown to be reasonably close to those calculated by other
      means and an estimate for the achievable accuracy is given. 

PMID- 26126953
TI  - The ontogeny of morphological defenses in Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and
      loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles.
AB  - Marine turtles are large reptiles that compensate for high juvenile mortality by
      producing hundreds of hatchlings during a long reproductive lifespan. Most
      hatchlings are taken by predators during their migration to, and while resident
      in, the open ocean. Their survival depends upon crypticity, minimizing movement
      to avoid detection, and foraging efficiently to grow to a size too difficult for
      predators to either handle or swallow. While these behavioral antipredator
      tactics are known, changes in morphology accompanying growth may also improve
      survival prospects. These have been only superficially described in the
      literature. Here, we compare the similarities and differences in presumed
      morphological defenses of growing loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Kemp's ridley
      (Lepidochelys kempii) posthatchlings, related species that differ in growth rate,
      timing of habitat shift (the return from oceanic to neritic locations), and size
      at maturity. In both species, vertebral spination and carapace widening increase
      disproportionally as small turtles grow, but later in ontogeny, the spines
      regress, sooner in ridley than in loggerhead turtles. Carapace widening occurs in
      both species but loggerheads are always longer than they are wide whereas in
      Kemp's ridley turtles, the carapace becomes as wide as long. Our analysis
      indicates that these changes are unrelated to when each species shifts habitat
      but are related to turtle size. We hypothesize that the spines function in small
      turtles as an early defense against gape-limited predators, but changes in body
      shape function throughout ontogeny-initially to make small turtles too wide to
      swallow and later by presenting an almost flat and hardened surface that large
      predators (such as a sharks) are unable to grasp. The extremely wide carapace of
      the Kemp's ridley may compensate for its smaller adult size (and presumed greater
      vulnerability) than the loggerhead.

PMID- 26126954
TI  - SCAMPs: A new tool for an old problem.
AB  - Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plans (SCAMPs) are tools to
      facilitate learning and discovery in a rapid iterative fashion. SCAMPs aim to
      reduce practice variation, improve patient outcomes, and identify unnecessary
      resource utilization. They are a quality improvement initiative that captures
      targeted data about clinical decision making. These data are then analyzed to
      change and improve the SCAMP algorithm itself. The purpose of this article is to
      describe the general SCAMPs methodology and to compare SCAMPs to traditional
      tools like clinical practice guidelines.

PMID- 26126955
TI  - An Unusual Presentation of Disseminated Histoplasmosis: Case Report and Review of
      Pediatric Immunocompetent Patients from India.
AB  - Histoplasmosis is a progressive disease caused by dimorphic intracellular fungi
      and can prove fatal. Usually, it is present in immunocompromised individuals and
      immunocompetent individuals in the endemic zones. We report an unusual
      presentation of progressive disseminated histoplasmosis. The patient in the
      present case report was immunocompetent child and had fever, bone pains, gradual
      weight loss, lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. Disseminated histoplasmosis
      (DH) was diagnosed on microscopic examination and fungal culture of bone marrow,
      blood, skin biopsy and lymph node aspirate. The patient died on seventh day of
      amphotericin B. In the absence of predisposing factors and classical clinical
      presentation of febrile neutropenia, lung, adrenal and oropharyngeal lesions, the
      disease posed a diagnostic challenge. Progressive disseminated histoplasmosis in
      children can be fatal despite timely diagnosis and therapy. In India,
      disseminated histoplasmosis is seen in immunocompetent hosts. All the pediatrics
      immunocompetent cases from India are also reviewed. 

PMID- 26126956
TI  - Genomic DNA extraction methods using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue.
AB  - As new technologies come within reach for the average cytogenetic laboratory, the
      study of chromosome structure has become increasingly more sophisticated.
      Resolution has improved from karyotyping (in which whole chromosomes are
      discernible) to fluorescence in situ hybridization and comparative genomic
      hybridization (CGH, with which specific megabase regions are visualized), array
      based CGH (aCGH, examining hundreds of base pairs), and next-generation
      sequencing (providing single base pair resolution). Whole genome next-generation
      sequencing remains a cost-prohibitive method for many investigators. Meanwhile,
      the cost of aCGH has been reduced during recent years, even as resolution has
      increased and protocols have simplified. However, aCGH presents its own set of
      unique challenges. DNA of sufficient quantity and quality to hybridize to arrays
      and provide meaningful results is required. This is especially difficult for DNA
      from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues. Here, we compare three
      different methods for acquiring DNA of sufficient length, purity, and
      "amplifiability" for aCGH and other downstream applications. Phenol-chloroform
      extraction and column-based commercial kits were compared with adaptive focused
      acoustics (AFA). Of the three extraction methods, AFA samples showed increased
      amplicon length and decreased polymerase chain reaction (PCR) failure rate. These
      findings support AFA as an improvement over previous DNA extraction methods for
      FFPE tissues. 

PMID- 26126958
TI  - Metabolism of (-)-cis- and (-)-trans-rose oxide by cytochrome P450 enzymes in
      human liver microsomes.
AB  - The in vitro metabolism of (-)-cis- and (-)-trans-rose oxide was investigated
      using human liver microsomes and recombinant cytochrome P450 (P450 or CYP)
      enzymes for the first time. Both isomers of rose oxide were incubated with human
      liver microsomes, and the formation of the respective 9-oxidized metabolite were
      determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Of 11 different
      recombinant human P450 enzymes used, CYP2B6 and CYP2C19 were the primary enzymes
      catalysing the metabolism of (-)-cis- and (-)-trans-rose oxide. CYP1A2 also
      efficiently oxidized (-)-cis-rose oxide at the 9-position but not (-)-trans-rose
      oxide. alpha-Naphthoflavone (a selective CYP1A2 inhibitor), thioTEPA (a CYP2B6
      inhibitor) and anti-CYP2B6 antibody inhibited (-)-cis-rose oxide 9-hydroxylation
      catalysed by human liver microsomes. On the other hand, the metabolism of (-)
      trans-rose oxide was suppressed by thioTEPA and anti-CYP2B6 at a significant
      level in human liver microsomes. However, omeprazole (a CYP2C19 inhibitor) had no
      significant effects on the metabolism of both isomers of rose oxide. Using
      microsomal preparations from nine different human liver samples, (-)-9-hydroxy
      cis- and (-)-9-hydroxy-trans-rose oxide formations correlated with (S)
      mephenytoin N-demethylase activity (CYP2B6 marker activity). These results
      suggest that CYP2B6 plays important roles in the metabolism of (-)-cis- and (-)
      trans-rose oxide in human liver microsomes.

PMID- 26126959
TI  - Drug release mechanisms from amorphous solid dispersions.

PMID- 26126957
TI  - Expression of a rice glutaredoxin in aleurone layers of developing and mature
      seeds: subcellular localization and possible functions in antioxidant defense.
AB  - MAIN CONCLUSION: A rice glutaredoxin isoform (OsGrxC2;2) with antioxidant
      capacity is expressed abundantly in seed tissues and is localized to storage
      vacuoles in aleurone layers in developing and mature seeds. Seed tissues undergo
      drastic water loss at the late stage of seed development, and thus need to
      tolerate oxidative injuries associated with desiccation. We previously found a
      rice glutaredoxin isoform, OsGrxC2;2, as a gene expressed abundantly in
      developing seeds. Since glutaredoxin is involved in antioxidant defense, in the
      present study we investigated the subcellular localization and expression profile
      of OsGrxC2;2 and whether OsGrxC2;2 has a role in the defense against reactive
      oxygen species. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry revealed that the
      OsGrxC2;2 protein accumulated at a high level in the embryo and aleurone layers
      of developing and mature seeds. The OsGrxC2;2 in developing seeds was
      particularly localized to aleurone grains, which are storage organelles derived
      from vacuoles. Overexpression of OsGrxC2;2 resulted in an enhanced tolerance to
      menadione in yeast and methyl viologen in green leaves of transgenic rice plants.
      These results suggest that OsGrxC2;2 participates in the defense against
      oxidative stress in developing and mature seeds.

PMID- 26126960
TI  - ALG3-CDG: Report of two siblings with antenatal features carrying homozygous
      p.Gly96Arg mutation.
AB  - Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are a group of inborn errors of
      metabolism presenting with heterogeneous multisystemic clinical manifestations.
      To date, more than 60 different types of CDG have been reported. ALG3-CDG is very
      rare, with only nine patients described so far. We report two affected siblings
      presenting prenatally with skeletal abnormalities associated with dysmorphic
      features, cerebellar vermis hypoplasia, corpus callosum agenesis, hepatic
      fibrosis and poor prognosis. This is the first detailed report of an affected
      fetus including clinical, radiographic and pathological findings. The patients
      showed some clinical features previously unreported in ALG3-CDG, such as bone
      dysplasia, cataract, corneal opacities, and pons hypoplasia. Both patients were
      homozygous for the previously unreported p.Gly96Arg mutation of the ALG3 gene.
      One patient showed chondrodysplasia punctata (CDP), which has not been previously
      reported in CDG. An exhaustive genetic and metabolic assessment, performed in
      order to rule out other possible causes of CDP, showed abnormally raised levels
      of anti-nuclear antibodies in the mother who, nevertheless, did not show any
      clinical sign of autoimmune disease during a 7 years follow-up. We speculate that
      the observed CDP may be explained by the maternal anti-nuclear antibodies;
      alternatively, a possible link to the underlying metabolic disorder cannot be
      ruled out. In conclusion, we report the clinical, pathological, biochemical and
      molecular characterization of two further patients affected by ALG3-CDG,
      expanding the phenotypic spectrum of this very rare disease.

PMID- 26126961
TI  - ent-Abietane-Type and Related Seco-/Nor-diterpenoids from the Rare Chloranthaceae
      Plant Chloranthus sessilifolius and Their Antineuroinflammatory Activities.
AB  - Fourteen new ent-abietane-type diterpenoids, sessilifols A-N (1-14), and three
      related new norditerpenoids (15-17) were isolated from Chloranthus sessilifolius.
      The absolute configurations were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction
      analysis, the modified Mosher's method, and/or the observed Cotton effects in
      their electronic circular dichroism spectra. Sessilifols A (1) and B (2) possess
      an uncommon five-membered C-ring rearranged by oxidative cleavage of the C-13/C
      14 bond in abieta-7,13-diene followed by the formation of a new C-C bond between
      C-12 and C-14. Sessilifol C (3) is a rare 7,8-seco-9-spiro-fused ent-abietane,
      whereas sessilifol O (15) represents the first example of a naturally occurring
      14-norabietane-type diterpenoid. Compounds 6 and 9 were found to have moderate
      antineuroinflammatory activities by inhibiting the nitric oxide production in
      lipopolysaccharide-stimulated murine BV-2 microglial cells, with IC50 values of
      8.3 and 7.4 MUM, respectively. 

PMID- 26126962
TI  - A simple methodological validation of the gas/particle fractionation of
      polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air.
AB  - The analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in ambient air requires
      the tedious experimental steps of both sampling and pretreatment (e.g.,
      extraction or clean-up). To replace pre-existing conventional methods, a simple,
      rapid, and novel technique was developed to measure gas-particle fractionation of
      PAH in ambient air based on 'sorbent tube-thermal desorption-gas chromatograph
      mass spectrometer (ST-TD-GC-MS)'. The separate collection and analysis of ambient
      PAHs were achieved independently by two serially connected STs. The basic quality
      assurance confirmed good linearity, precision, and high sensitivity to eliminate
      the need for complicated pretreatment procedures with the detection limit (16
      PAHs: 13.1 +/- 7.04 pg). The analysis of real ambient PAH samples showed a clear
      fractionation between gas (two-three ringed PAHs) and particulate phases (five
      six ringed PAHs). In contrast, for intermediate (four ringed) PAHs (fluoranthene,
      pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, and chrysene), a highly systematic/gradual
      fractionation was established. It thus suggests a promising role of ST-TD-GC-MS
      as measurement system in acquiring a reliable database of airborne PAH.

PMID- 26126964
TI  - Properties of the Mechanosensitive Channel MscS Pore Revealed by Tryptophan
      Scanning Mutagenesis.
AB  - Bacterial mechanosensitive channels gate when the transmembrane turgor rises to
      levels that compromise the structural integrity of the cell wall. Gating creates
      a transient large diameter pore that allows hydrated solutes to pass from the
      cytoplasm at rates close to those of diffusion. In the closed conformation, the
      channel limits transmembrane solute movement, even that of protons. In the MscS
      crystal structure (Protein Data Bank entry 2oau ), a narrow, hydrophobic opening
      is visible in the crystal structure, and it has been proposed that a vapor lock
      created by the hydrophobic seals, L105 and L109, is the barrier to water and
      ions. Tryptophan scanning mutagenesis has proven to be a highly valuable tool for
      the analysis of channel structure. Here Trp residues were introduced along the
      pore-forming TM3a helix and in selected other parts of the protein. Mutants were
      investigated for their expression, stability, and activity and as fluorescent
      probes of the physical properties along the length of the pore. Most Trp mutants
      were expressed at levels similar to that of the parent (MscS YFF) and were stable
      as heptamers in detergent in the presence and absence of urea. Fluorescence data
      suggest a long hydrophobic region with low accessibility to aqueous solvents,
      extending from L105/L109 to G90. Steady-state fluorescence anisotropy data are
      consistent with significant homo-Forster resonance energy transfer between
      tryptophan residues from different subunits within the narrow pore. The data
      provide new insights into MscS structure and gating. 

PMID- 26126966
TI  - Ethnic variation of TET2 SNP rs2454206 and association with clinical outcome in
      childhood AML: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.

PMID- 26126965
TI  - Humoral factors in ALS patients during disease progression.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease
      affecting upper and lower motor neurons in the CNS and leading to paralysis and
      death. There are currently no effective treatments for ALS due to the complexity
      and heterogeneity of factors involved in motor neuron degeneration. A complex of
      interrelated effectors have been identified in ALS, yet systemic factors
      indicating and/or reflecting pathological disease developments are uncertain. The
      purpose of the study was to identify humoral effectors as potential biomarkers
      during disease progression. METHODS: Thirteen clinically definite ALS patients
      and seven non-neurological controls enrolled in the study. Peripheral blood
      samples were obtained from each ALS patient and control at two visits separated
      by 6 months. The Revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) was used to
      evaluate overall ALS-patient functional status at each visit. Eleven humoral
      factors were analyzed in sera. Cytokine levels (GM-CSF, IL-1beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL
      5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-alpha) were determined using the Bio-Rad Bio
      Plex(r) Luminex 200 multiplex assay system. Nitrite, a breakdown product of NO,
      was quantified using a Griess Reagent System. Glutathione (GSH) concentrations
      were measured using a Glutathione Fluorometric Assay Kit. RESULTS: ALS patients
      had ALSFRS-R scores of 30.5 +/- 1.9 on their first visit and 27.3 +/- 2.7 on the
      second visit, indicating slight disease progression. Serum multiplex cytokine
      panels revealed statistically significant changes in IL-2, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-8
      levels in ALS patients depending on disease status at each visit. Nitrite serum
      levels trended upwards in ALS patients while serum GSH concentrations were
      drastically decreased in sera from ALS patients versus controls at both visits.
      CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated a systemic pro-inflammatory state and
      impaired antioxidant system in ALS patients during disease progression. Increased
      levels of pro-inflammatory IL-6, IL-8, and nitrite and significantly decreased
      endogenous antioxidant GSH levels could identify these humoral constituents as
      systemic biomarkers for ALS. However, systemic changes in IL-2, IL-5, and IL-6
      levels determined between visits in ALS patients might indicate adaptive immune
      system responses dependent on current disease stage. These novel findings,
      showing dynamic changes in humoral effectors during disease progression, could be
      important for development of an effective treatment for ALS.

PMID- 26126967
TI  - Genome-scale definition of the transcriptional programme associated with
      compromised PU.1 activity in acute myeloid leukaemia.
AB  - Transcriptional dysregulation is associated with haematological malignancy.
      Although mutations of the key haematopoietic transcription factor PU.1 are rare
      in human acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), they are common in murine models of
      radiation-induced AML, and PU.1 downregulation and/or dysfunction has been
      described in human AML patients carrying the fusion oncogenes RUNX1-ETO and PML
      RARA. To study the transcriptional programmes associated with compromised PU.1
      activity, we adapted a Pu.1-mutated murine AML cell line with an inducible wild
      type PU.1. PU.1 induction caused transition from leukaemia phenotype to monocytic
      differentiation. Global binding maps for PU.1, CEBPA and the histone mark H3K27Ac
      with and without PU.1 induction showed that mutant PU.1 retains DNA-binding
      ability, but the induction of wild-type protein dramatically increases both the
      number and the height of PU.1-binding peaks. Correlating chromatin
      immunoprecipitation (ChIP) Seq with gene expression data, we found that PU.1
      recruitment coupled with increased histone acetylation induces gene expression
      and activates a monocyte/macrophage transcriptional programme. PU.1 induction
      also caused the reorganisation of a subgroup of CEBPA binding peaks. Finally, we
      show that the PU.1 target gene set defined in our model allows the stratification
      of primary human AML samples, shedding light on both known and novel AML subtypes
      that may be driven by PU.1 dysfunction. 

PMID- 26126969
TI  - Ternary transition-metal fluoride precursors for the fluorolytic sol-gel route:
      new insights into speciation and decomposition.
AB  - The nanoscaled ternary transition-metal fluorides Li3MF6 (M = V, Fe, Mn) and
      Li2NiF4 are promising candidates for cathode materials in high-voltage lithium
      ion batteries. The fluorolytic route to these compounds relies on thermal
      decomposition of a hitherto uncharacterised precursor mixture produced from
      acetylacetonates and hydrofluoric acid. By addition of pyridine, different
      cationic, electroneutral and anionic complexes containing the motifs [MFn]((3
      n)+) (n = 0-4) have been trapped and characterised by single-crystal X-ray
      diffraction and IR spectroscopy. Based on the results, a model of successive and
      incomplete fluorination is proposed for the speciation and formation of the
      precursor. The decomposition of the latter has been monitored via
      thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). 

PMID- 26126968
TI  - Anal cancer FDG-PET standard uptake value: correlation with tumor
      characteristics, treatment response and survival.
AB  - PURPOSE: The present work studies the correlation of (18) F-fluorodeoxyglucose
      positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) standardized uptake
      value (SUV) with tumor characteristics, clinical response and prognosis in a
      series of anal canal cancer patients treated with chemo-radiotherapy. MATERIALS
      AND METHODS: Fifty-five patients were included in the present analysis. PET
      maximum SUV (SUVmax) of primary tumor was calculated for each patient. The
      correlation with clinical parameters, tumor response and survival data were
      analyzed. RESULTS: SUVmax significantly correlated with T-stage (p = 0.01) and
      histology (p = 0.03). Median SUVmax was higher for lesions with partial response
      (PR, 21/55, 38%) than for lesions with complete response (CR, 34/55, 62%) but
      without statistical significance (p = 0.17). The actuarial disease-free survival
      (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 53.0 and 77.8% at 2 years and 41.3 and
      58.6% at 5 years, respectively. Median SUVmax did not statistically correlate
      with clinical response or survival. CR and T1-T2 stage were statistically
      significant prognostic factors for disease-free survival (p < 0.0001 and p =
      0.02, respectively) and CR was significant also for overall survival (p <
      0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that pre-treatment FDG-PET/CT SUVmax
      cannot directly predict tumor response and survival, but it is strongly
      associated with tumor characteristics such as primary tumor stage and histology,
      being the first one of the most important and validated prognostic factors for
      anal cancer.

PMID- 26126970
TI  - Phase II randomized clinical trial evaluating neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens
      with weekly paclitaxel or eribulin followed by doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide
      in women with locally advanced HER2-negative breast cancer: NSABP Foundation
      Study FB-9.
AB  - Locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) is a good setting in which to monitor
      response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, to downsize the tumor (which facilitates
      breast-conserving surgery), and to test newer agents in untreated patients.
      Eribulin (E) has shown activity in patients who have undergone previous taxane,
      anthracycline, and capecitabine treatment. We aimed to evaluate the neoadjuvant
      use of E followed by doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC) in patients with HER2
      negative LABC, using as a control a randomized group of women who received weekly
      paclitaxel (WP). Fifty women with LABC were accrued January-August 2013. Patients
      were randomized (1:2) to receive either WP (N = 19) for 12 treatments or E (N =
      31) every 3 weeks for 4 cycles followed by AC every 3 weeks for 4 cycles before
      surgery. 17/19 patients who took WP and 25/30 who took E completed all cycles.
      Patients were evaluated by clinical examination and breast MRI at baseline and
      after completion of E or WP. Surgical pCR in breast and lymph nodes was
      determined by a local pathologist following chemotherapy. Forty-nine patients
      received >=1 dose of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and are included in this analysis.
      Forty-eight underwent surgery; one had disease that was inoperable (on E) and is
      included as no-pCR patient. 17/19 of these patients who took WP completed 12
      doses; 28/30 on E completed 4 cycles. Six discontinued treatment on WP, E, or AC.
      Both treatments were well tolerated. pCR on WP = 5/19(26 %) and on E = 5/30(17
      %). Both regimens were equally well tolerated with no unexpected toxicities. pCR
      did not suggest higher activity with E than with other standard regimens in these
      LABC patients.

PMID- 26126971
TI  - Decision-making impact on adjuvant chemotherapy allocation in early node-negative
      breast cancer with a 21-gene assay: systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - Risk stratification based on results provided by a 21-gene assay (Oncotype
      DX((r))) in early stage breast cancer can help optimize hormone therapy (HT)
      and/or chemotherapy (CT) decisions. We performed a systematic review and meta
      analysis of decision impact (DI) and net change in CT use before and after assay
      results, both in the whole studies' population and by recurrence risk score (RS)
      strata. A systematic search of studies with prospective data collection reported
      physician's decision on treatment allocation in early stage node-negative breast
      cancer was performed. DI reflects the proportion of patients whose management was
      changed, and net change focuses on CT change. A random-effects model is reported.
      Fifteen studies (N = 2229) met our inclusion criteria: 50.09, 37.35, and 13.38 %
      of patients with low, intermediate, and high RS. Treatment decision changed in
      29.5 % (95 % CI 26.29-32.86). Net reduction of CT use was 12 % (8-17 %). It was
      16 % (12.00-19.00) in the low RS group, 0 % (-3.00 to 3.00) in the intermediate
      RS group, and increased by 2 % (-1.00 to 3.00) in the high RS group. Use of a 21
      gene assay showed a significant impact on treatment decisions. From 100 women
      tested, 30 could have their treatment optimized, and 12 could avoid CT. Its main
      effects consist of sparing chemotherapy in low risk patients and slightly
      increasing it in the high risk category. DI could be higher in selected patient
      populations with greater uncertainty regarding initial treatment decisions.

PMID- 26126972
TI  - Prognostic significance of tumor subtypes in male breast cancer: a population
      based study.
AB  - Substantial controversy exists about the prognostic role of tumor subtypes in
      male breast cancer (MaBC). The aim of this study was to analyze the
      characteristics of each tumor subtype in MaBC and its association with prognosis
      compared with other factors. We evaluated MaBC patients between 2010 and 2012
      with known estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor [together hormone receptor
      (HR)] status, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status reported
      to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. Patients were
      classified as: HR-positive/HER2-negative, HR-positive/HER2-positive, HR
      negative/HER2-positive, and triple-negative (TN). Univariate and multivariate
      analyses determined the effect of each variable on overall survival (OS). We
      included 960 patients. Patient distribution was 84.9 % HR-positive/HER2-negative,
      11.6 % HR-positive/HER2-positive, 0.6 % HR-negative/HER2-positive, and 2.9 % TN.
      TN patients were younger, had higher grade, presented with more advanced stage,
      were more likely to have mastectomy, and to die of breast cancer (all P < 0.05).
      Univariate analysis showed that HER2 positivity was associated with shorter OS
      (hazard ratio 1.90, P = 0.031) and TN patients had worse prognosis (hazard ratio
      5.10, P = 0.0004). In multivariate analysis, older patients (hazard ratio 3.10, P
      = 0.032), those with stage IV (hazard ratio 16.27, P < 0.001) and those with TN
      tumors (hazard ratio 4.61, P = 0.002) had significantly worse OS. We observed
      significant differences in patient characteristics according to tumor subtype.
      HER2-positive and TN represented a small proportion of cases. In addition to age
      and stage, tumor subtype has clear influence on OS in MaBC.

PMID- 26126973
TI  - Lifetime physical activity and risk of breast cancer in pre-and post-menopausal
      women.
AB  - To investigate the association between different types of physical activity (PA)
      and breast cancer. A case-control study of breast cancer was conducted in Western
      Australia from 2009 to 2011, in which 1205 women with breast cancer and 1789
      frequency age-matched breast cancer-free control women were recruited. A self
      administered questionnaire was used to collect information about lifetime and age
      period recreational, household, occupational and transport physical activities.
      Detailed questions about demographic characteristics, and relevant reproductive,
      medical and lifestyle factors were also included. Logistic regression and
      restrictive cubic spline analyses were applied to investigate the association and
      dose-response relationship between PA and breast cancer risk. Subgroup analysis
      was performed regarding menopausal status. We found non-linear dose-response
      associations between PA and risk of breast cancer. Overall, 95-130 MET-hours/week
      of total lifetime PA was associated with the lowest breast cancer risk. The
      effects were stronger among post-menopausal women. We also found that the medium
      amounts of recreational PA (up to 21 MET-hours/week) were associated with lower
      breast cancer risk among post-menopausal women. Further analysis on the intensity
      of recreational PA demonstrated different dose-response associations between
      moderate- and vigorous-intensity recreational PA and breast cancer risk. We found
      that PA was associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer among post-menopausal
      women, but not in a linear fashion. Recreational PA of different intensities may
      have different dose-response associations with risk of breast cancer. 

PMID- 26126974
TI  - Low expression of microRNA-204 (miR-204) is associated with poor clinical outcome
      of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous neoplasm of the bone
      marrow with poor prognosis. In clinical practice new prognostic factors are still
      needed. MicroRNAs (miRs), small endogenous noncoding RNAs, play an essential role
      in the development and progression of acute leukemia. The aim of the study was to
      evaluate miR-204 expression in patients with AML at diagnosis and after induction
      chemotherapy, in comparison to healthy controls. We also investigated, if miR-204
      expression correlates with clinical features of AML patients. METHODS: miR-204
      expression has been analyzed using RT-PCR in 95 bone marrow specimens from newly
      diagnosed AML patients in comparison to 20 healthy subject. RESULTS: We showed
      down-regulated miR-204 expression in AML patients, which was associated with
      shorter patients' survival. Higher expression of miR-204 in patients after
      induction therapy was correlated with complete remission achieving. CONCLUSIONS:
      We showed low miR-204 expression in AML and found it to be an independent
      prognostic factor in this patient population.

PMID- 26126975
TI  - Directed altruistic living donation: what is wrong with the beauty contest?
AB  - This paper explores the specific criticism of directed altruistic living organ
      donation that it creates a 'beauty contest' between potential recipients of
      organs. The notion of the beauty contest in transplantation was recently used by
      Neidich et al who stated that '[a]ltruism should be the guiding motivation for
      all donations, and when it [is], there is no place for a beauty contest'. I
      examine this beauty contest objection from two perspectives. First, I argue that,
      when considered against the behaviour of donors, this objection cannot be
      consistently raised without also objecting to other common aspects of organ
      donation. I then explore the beauty contest objection from the perspective of
      recipients, and argue that if the beauty contest is objectionable, it is because
      of a tension between recipient behaviour and the altruism that supposedly
      underpins the donation system. I conclude by briefly questioning the importance
      of this tension in light of the organ shortage. 

PMID- 26126976
TI  - The challenges of making decisions using uncertain data.
AB  - All of the experimental compound data with which we work have significant
      uncertainties, due to imperfect correlations between experimental systems and the
      ultimate in vivo properties of compounds and the inherent variability in
      experimental conditions. When using these data to make decisions, it is essential
      that these uncertainties are taken into account to avoid making inappropriate
      decisions in the selection of compounds, which can lead to wasted effort and
      missed opportunities. In this paper we will consider approaches to rigorously
      account for uncertainties when selecting between compounds or assessing compounds
      against a property criterion; first for an individual measurement of a single
      property and then for multiple measurements of a property for the same compound.
      We will then explore how uncertainties in multiple properties can be combined
      when assessing compounds against a profile of criteria, a process known as multi
      parameter optimisation. This guides rigorous decision-making using complex,
      uncertain data to focus on compounds with the best chance of success, while
      avoiding missed opportunities by inappropriately rejecting compounds. 

PMID- 26126978
TI  - Dealing with complications of extracorporeal life support.

PMID- 26126977
TI  - An efficiency analysis of high-order combinations of gene-gene interactions using
      multifactor-dimensionality reduction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) is widely used to analyze
      interactions of genes to determine the complex relationship between diseases and
      polymorphisms in humans. However, the astronomical number of high-order
      combinations makes MDR a highly time-consuming process which can be difficult to
      implement for multiple tests to identify more complex interactions between genes.
      This study proposes a new framework, named fast MDR (FMDR), which is a greedy
      search strategy based on the joint effect property. RESULTS: Six models with
      different minor allele frequencies (MAFs) and different sample sizes were used to
      generate the six simulation data sets. A real data set was obtained from the
      mitochondrial D-loop of chronic dialysis patients. Comparison of results from the
      simulation data and real data sets showed that FMDR identified significant gene
      gene interaction with less computational complexity than the MDR in high-order
      interaction analysis. CONCLUSION: FMDR improves the MDR difficulties associated
      with the computational loading of high-order SNPs and can be used to evaluate the
      relative effects of each individual SNP on disease susceptibility. FMDR is freely
      available at http://bioinfo.kmu.edu.tw/FMDR.rar .

PMID- 26126979
TI  - Could "safe practice" be compromising safe practice? Should anesthetists have to
      deflate the cuff of the endotracheal tube before extubation?
AB  - Deflation of the cuff of the endotracheal tube (ETT) before tracheal extubation
      is considered mandatory and safe practice. However, there are potential
      shortcomings associated with this practice (e.g., aspiration around the uncuffed
      ETT, loss of positive airway pressure, difficulty in generating an effective
      cough at the time of extubation). By contrast, keeping the cuff inflated during
      extubation will minimize the risk of tracheal aspiration around the ETT, and it
      will reliably allow maintenance of positive airway pressure until extubation,
      effective lung recruitment before extubation, and generation of an effective
      cough during extubation. All of these factors might reduce the overall risk of
      immediate postextubation and postoperative respiratory and pulmonary
      complications. Mandatory monitoring of cuff pressure ensures a remaining rather
      small, highly compressible cuff volume around the ETT which is unlikely to carry
      per se the risk of producing laryngeal trauma. In my view, as the overall
      advantages of not deflating the cuff before extubation outweigh the
      disadvantages, anesthetists should not have to deflate the cuff of the ETT before
      extubation. Ultimately, only a randomized controlled trial will be able to assess
      the effect of such practice on patient outcome. 

PMID- 26126980
TI  - Another failed attempt of neuroprotection: progesterone for moderate and severe
      traumatic brain injury.
AB  - Two large phase-III prospective, multicenter, controlled, double-blind,
      randomized clinical trials (the PROTECT III study; the SYNAPSE study) evaluated
      the effectiveness of an early administration of progesterone in patients with
      moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). In the PROTECT III Trial,
      patients were included if the admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) was within 4-12,
      whereas the SYNAPSE Trial only included patients with GCS 4-8. The total dose of
      progesterone was nearly similar in both studies and drug administration was
      initiated early after injury (within 4 hours for a total of 96 hours in PROTECT;
      within 8 hours for 120 hours in SYNAPSE). In the PROTECT Trial, primary outcome
      was 6-month favourable neurological outcome (defined using the Glasgow Outcome
      Scale), while in the SYNAPSE Trial it was the 6-month Glasgow Outcome Scale
      (GOS). Secondary outcomes, in both studies, included 6-month mortality. The
      PROTECT Trial was interrupted for futility after the second interim analysis (882
      patients randomized out of the 1140 initially planned); the SYNAPSE Trial
      included 1195 patients. In PROTECT, the proportion of patients with favourable
      outcome was similar between groups (51% for progesterone vs. 56% for placebo; RR
      3.03 [95% CI 1.96-4.66]); in SYNAPSE, no difference in GOS between the
      progesterone and placebo group was found (OR 0.96 [95% CI 0.77-1.18]). There was
      no difference in 6-month mortality or any of the other secondary outcomes between
      groups in the two trials. These studies demonstrated that early progesterone
      administration did not provide any benefit on the neurological recovery of TBI
      patients.

PMID- 26126981
TI  - Authors' reply to Braillon and Bewley.

PMID- 26126982
TI  - Simultaneous aromatic-beryllium bonds and aromatic-anion interactions:
      naphthalene and pyrene as models of fullerenes, carbon single-walled nanotubes,
      and graphene.
AB  - The possibility of forming stable BeR2 :ArH:Y(-) (R=H, F, Cl; ArH=naphthalene,
      pyrene; Y=Cl, Br) ternary complexes in which the beryllium compounds and anions
      are located on the opposite sides of an extended aromatic system is explored by
      means of MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ ab initio calculations. Comparison of the electron
      density distribution of these ternary complexes with the corresponding BeR2 :ArH
      and ArH:Y(-) binary complexes reveals the existence of significant cooperativity
      between the two noncovalent interactions in the triads. The energetic effects of
      this cooperativity are quantified by evaluation of the three-body interaction
      energy Delta(3) E in the framework of the many-body interaction-energy (MBIE)
      approach. Although an essential component of the interaction energies is
      electrostatic and is well reflected in the changes in the molecular electrostatic
      potential of the aromatic system on complexation, strong polarization effects, in
      particular for the BeR2 :ArH interactions, also play a significant role. The
      charge transfers associated with these polarization effects are responsible for
      significant distortion of both the BeR2 and the aromatic moieties. The former are
      systematically bent in all the complexes, and the latter are curved to a degree
      that depends on the nature of the R substituents of the BeR2 subunit. 

PMID- 26126983
TI  - The rotational barrier of ethane and some of its hexasubstituted derivatives in
      terms of the forces acting on the electron distribution.
AB  - A novel and alternative explanation of the rotational barrier of ethane and
      several hexasubstituted derivatives, CX3CX3 (X = H, F, CH3, Cl, Br), is suggested
      based on the evaluation of the properties of the electron distribution. The
      forces exerted on the electron density of the topological atoms making up a
      molecule, the Ehrenfest forces, are analyzed and, with the help of the virial
      theorem, they are used to explain the experimental rotational barriers. According
      to this approach, the barrier is mainly a consequence of the decrease of the
      always attractive Ehrenfest forces (EFs) linking the two C atoms. In addition,
      the behavior of the EFs is related to a decrease of stability of the central C
      atoms, which is not compensated by the stabilization of the substituents. Also,
      during rotation from the staggered to the equilibrium conformation, the electron
      density at the C-C bond critical point and the electron delocalization between C
      atoms decrease and are accompanied by an increase of electron delocalization
      between the substituents. According to the analysis of the EF field lines and to
      the behavior of the integrated forces, the rotational barrier cannot be explained
      as a result of any repulsive forces acting on the electron density, although a
      possible interpretation of the quantum force that balances the EF in stationary
      states as a measure of traditional Pauli repulsions is also examined. 

PMID- 26126984
TI  - Axially assembled photosynthetic reaction center mimics composed of
      tetrathiafulvalene, aluminum(III) porphyrin and fullerene entities.
AB  - The distance dependence of sequential electron transfer has been studied in six,
      vertical, linear supramolecular triads, (TTF-Ph(n)-py -> AlPor-Ph(m)-C60, n = 0,
      1 and m = 1, 2, 3), constructed using tetrathiafulvalene (TTF), aluminum(III)
      porphyrin (AlPor) and fullerene (C60) entities. The C60 and TTF units are bound
      to the Al center on opposite faces of the porphyrin; the C60 through a covalent
      axial bond using a benzoate spacer, and the TTF through a coordination bond via
      an appended pyridine. Time-resolved optical and EPR spectroscopic methods and
      computational studies are used to demonstrate that excitation of the porphyrin
      leads to step-wise, sequential electron transfer (ET) between TTF and C60, and to
      study the electron transfer rates and exchange coupling between the components of
      the triads as a function of the bridge lengths. Femtosecond transient absorption
      studies show that the rates of charge separation, k(CS) are in the range of 10(9)
      10(11) s(-1), depending on the length of the bridges. The lifetimes of the charge
      separated state TTF(+)-C60- obtained from transient absorbance experiments and
      the singlet lifetimes of the radical pairs obtained by time-resolved EPR are in
      good agreement with each other and range from 60-130 ns in the triads. The time
      resolved EPR data also show that population of the triplet sublevels of the
      charge-separated state in the presence of a magnetic field leads to much longer
      lifetimes of >1 MUs. The data show that a modest stabilization of the charge
      separation lifetime occurs in the triads. The attenuation factor beta = 0.36 A(
      1) obtained from the exchange coupling values between TTF(+) and C60- is
      consistent with values reported in the literature for oligophenylene bridged TTF
      C60 conjugates. The singlet charge recombination lifetime shows a much weaker
      dependence on the distance between the donor and acceptor, suggesting that a
      simple superexchange model is not sufficient to describe the back reaction.

PMID- 26126985
TI  - Ciliated hepatic foregut cyst: report of three cases and review of imaging
      features.
AB  - Ciliated hepatic foregut cysts (CHFCs) are rare cystic lesions which are most
      commonly asymptomatic. They can be clinically important as they may, on rare
      occasions, undergo malignant transformation or cause mass effect if significantly
      enlarged. Three cases of CHFCs are presented in this article and their imaging
      features are reviewed.

PMID- 26126986
TI  - Redo sphincteroplasty: are the results sustainable?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the long-term outcomes of patients who
      undergo redo sphincteroplasty (RS). METHODS: Patients with fecal incontinence
      (FI) who underwent RS between November 1988 and December 2011 were
      retrospectively identified from a prospective database. A questionnaire and
      telephone survey assessed current Cleveland Clinic Fecal Incontinence Score
      (CCFFIS; best 0, worst 20) and Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life (FIQoL; best
      4.1, worst 1) scale. Success was defined as no further continence surgery, no
      stoma and CCFFIS <9 at completion of follow-up. The Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U
      tests were used for comparing quantitative variables. Bivariate logistic
      regression analysis was done to identify predictive factors for success. RESULTS:
      Fifty-six (66.7%) of 84 patients who underwent RS were available for evaluation
      at a median follow-up of 74 (range: 12-283) months. The mean CCFFIS decreased
      from 16.5 +/- 3.7 to 11.9 +/- 6.6 (P < 0.001) at last follow-up. Twelve patients
      (21.4%) underwent further continence surgery for failed sphincteroplasty, three
      (5.4%) of whom had a permanent stoma. Eighteen patients (32.1%) had a CCFFIS <9
      at the completion of follow-up, and 16 (28.6%) had long-term success. Twenty-four
      patients evaluated for FIQoL had a mean value of 2.6 (range: 1.0-4.1).
      Postoperative CCFFIS was correlated with FIQoL (Spearman's correlation
      coefficient = -0.854, P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis did not reveal any
      significant predictive variables for success of RS. CONCLUSION: Based on our
      criteria for success, the long-term success rate for RS over a median of 74
      months is poor.

PMID- 26126988
TI  - Nanoobjects formed by ionic PAMAM dendrimers: hydrophilic/lipophilic modulation
      and encapsulation properties.
AB  - In this paper, we present the preparation and properties of some ionic PAMAM
      derivatives, which combine hydrophilic and lipophilic carboxylic acid chains as
      counter-ions for all protonable inner and outer amino groups. The amphiphilic
      nature of the final ionic codendrimers and, hence, their self-assembling features
      can be modulated by using different ratios between hydrophilic and lipophilic
      chains. In the bulk, these new materials self-organize into smectic A liquid
      crystal phases. In water, they self-assemble into different types of nano-objects
      depending on the molecular composition. The study of the morphology of these nano
      structures, their cytotoxicity and their capability to encapsulate a lipophilic
      anticancer drug are reported herein. Some of these nanoobjects are non-cytotoxic
      and present good drug trapping ability, which make them interesting nanocarriers
      for applications in nanotechnology and biomedicine. 

PMID- 26126987
TI  - Fragment-Based Discovery of a Dual pan-RET/VEGFR2 Kinase Inhibitor Optimized for
      Single-Agent Polypharmacology.
AB  - Oncogenic conversion of the RET (rearranged during transfection) tyrosine kinase
      is associated with several cancers. A fragment-based chemical screen led to the
      identification of a novel RET inhibitor, Pz-1. Modeling and kinetic analysis
      identified Pz-1 as a type II tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is able to bind the
      "DFG-out" conformation of the kinase. Importantly, from a single-agent
      polypharmacology standpoint, Pz-1 was shown to be active on VEGFR2, which can
      block the blood supply required for RET-stimulated growth. In cell-based assays,
      1.0 nM of Pz-1 strongly inhibited phosphorylation of all tested RET oncoproteins.
      At 1.0 mg kg(-1)  day(-1) per os, Pz-1 abrogated the formation of tumors induced
      by RET-mutant fibroblasts and blocked the phosphorylation of both RET and VEGFR2
      in tumor tissue. Pz-1 featured no detectable toxicity at concentrations of up to
      100.0 mg kg(-1), which indicates a large therapeutic window. This study validates
      the effectiveness and usefulness of a medicinal chemistry/polypharmacology
      approach to obtain an inhibitor capable of targeting multiple oncogenic pathways.

PMID- 26126989
TI  - 1,2,4-Triazole Links and N-Azo Bridges Yield Energetic Compounds.
AB  - Triazole links and polynitropyrazole rings give rise to compounds with energetic
      properties. These materials were fully characterized by NMR and infrared
      spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In
      addition, the structures of compounds 5 and 8 were confirmed by single-crystal X
      ray diffraction analysis. Detonation properties, calculated from heats of
      formation and experimental densities, thermal stabilities, and impact and
      friction sensitivities support the potential use of these materials for explosive
      applications. 

PMID- 26126990
TI  - CORR Insights((r)): Is MR-guided High-intensity Focused Ultrasound a Feasible
      Treatment Modality for Desmoid Tumors?

PMID- 26126991
TI  - Do alumina matrix composite bearings decrease hip noises and bearing fractures at
      a minimum of 5 years after THA?
AB  - BACKGROUND: Ceramic-on-ceramic bearing couples are theoretically attractive in
      total hip arthroplasty (THA) because of low wear, but concerns regarding ceramic
      fracture and squeaking have arisen. Improved material properties of newer alumina
      matrix composite (AMC) materials, known as Delta ceramics, may reduce these
      risks. In addition, the use of thinner liners and larger femoral heads may be
      helpful clinically to lower the rate of dislocation. However, limited short-term
      clinical results are available and intermediate-term effects are unclear.
      QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: (1) What is the frequency of bearing-related complications
      (dissociation, fracture, and noise) with ceramic-on-ceramic AMC bearings in
      cementless THA? (2) What other complications arose in patients treated with these
      bearings? (3) What are the Harris hip scores (HHS) and survivorship free from
      reoperation and revision at a minimum of 5 years after cementless THA performed
      with AMC bearings? METHODS: Over a 9-month period in 2009, one surgeon performed
      125 THAs, of which 100 (80% of the total) were performed with cementless, AMC
      bearings. During the period in question, the exclusion criteria for this implant
      were primary THAs with severe acetabular or femoral bone defect and revision
      THAs. Of these, 94 hips (95%) in 91 patients were available for analysis at a
      minimum of 5 years (range, 5-6 years), because five patients (six hips) had died.
      Mean age at the time of arthroplasty was 55 +/- 14 years. Prostheses with an
      identical design and Biolox((r)) Delta ceramics were used in all patients. Noise
      was classified into squeaking, clicking, grinding, and popping. Ceramic fracture,
      dislocation, and any other complications associated with the use of AMC ceramics
      were also investigated. Clinical evaluation included the modified HHS
      preoperatively and at each followup. Survivorship free from reoperation and
      revision was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Of 91 patients,
      four developed bearing-related complications, including one with liner
      dissociation despite initial square seating and three with clicking. No patients
      had ceramic fractures. A single event of perioperative dislocation occurred in
      one patient and postoperative periprosthetic fracture occurred in two hips. Mean
      HHS improved from 56 to 93 points at the final followup (p < 0.001). Survivorship
      at 5 years free from reoperation and revision was 96.8% and 97.9%, respectively.
      CONCLUSIONS: Improved material properties combined with the possible use of
      larger diameter heads make AMC ceramics a promising alternative bearing option
      with seemingly comparable clinical outcomes reported by others with conventional
      ceramic bearings. Despite these encouraging results, however, meticulous
      technical precautions such as square seating and proper impaction in particular
      should be taken during liner insertion, because we did observe one liner
      dissociation and several patients with hip noises. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV,
      therapeutic study.

PMID- 26126993
TI  - Eleven-year follow up of boy with Asperger's syndrome and comorbid gender
      identity disorder of childhood.

PMID- 26126994
TI  - Methamphetamine absorption by skin lipids: accumulated mass, partition
      coefficients, and the influence of fatty acids.
AB  - Occupants of former methamphetamine laboratories, often residences, may
      experience increased exposure through the accumulation of the methamphetamine in
      the organic films that coat skin and indoor surfaces. The objectives of this
      study were to determine equilibrium partition coefficients of vapor-phase
      methamphetamine with artificial sebum (AS-1), artificial sebum without fatty
      acids (AS-2), and real skin surface films, herein called skin oils. Sebum and
      skin oil-coated filters were exposed to vapor-phase methamphetamine at
      concentrations ranging from 8 to 159 ppb, and samples were analyzed for exposure
      time periods from 2 h to 60 days. For a low vapor-phase methamphetamine
      concentration range of ~8-22 ppb, the equilibrium partition coefficient for AS-1
      was 1500 +/- 195 MUg/g/ppb. For a high concentration range of 98-112 ppb, the
      partition coefficient was lower, 459 +/- 80 MUg/g/ppb, suggesting saturation of
      the available absorption capacity. The low partition coefficient for AS-2 (33 +/-
      6 MUg/g/ppb) suggests that the fatty acids in AS-1 and skin oil are responsible
      for much high partition coefficients. We predict that the methamphetamine
      concentration in skin lipids coating indoor surfaces can exceed recommended
      surface remediation standards even for air concentrations well below 1 ppb.

PMID- 26126992
TI  - Sex-, Stress-, and Sympathetic Post-Ganglionic Neuron-Dependent Changes in the
      Expression of Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Mediators in Rat Dural Immune Cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Migraine attacks are associated with sterile inflammation of the
      dura. Immune cells are a primary source of inflammatory mediators, and we
      therefore sought to further explore the link between dural immune cells and
      migraine. OBJECTIVE: Based on the observations that migraine is more common in
      women than in men, stress is the most common trigger for a migraine attack, and
      sympathetic post-ganglionic innervation of the dura enables local control of
      dural immune cells, we hypothesized that stress shifts the balance of
      inflammatory mediator expression in dural immune cells toward those that trigger
      a migraine attack, where these changes are larger in females and dependent, at
      least in part, on sympathetic post-ganglionic innervation of the dura. Our
      objective was to test this hypothesis. METHODS: Dura were obtained from naive or
      stressed, intact or surgically sympathectomized, adult male and female rats. Dura
      were assessed immediately or 24 hours after termination of 4 continuous days of
      unpredictable, mild stressors. Following enzymatic digestion of each dura,
      myeloid and lymphoid-derived dural immune cells were isolated by fluorescence
      activated cell sorting for semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis.
      RESULTS: In myeloid-derived dural immune cells, there was an increase in pro
      inflammatory mediator mRNA following stress, particularly in females, which
      remained elevated with a 24-hour delay after stress. There was a stress-induced
      decrease in anti-inflammatory mediator mRNA immediately after stress in females,
      but not males. The stress-induced changes were attenuated in sympathectomized
      females. In lymphoid-derived dural immune cells, there was a persistent increase
      in pro-inflammatory mediator mRNA following stress, particularly in females. A
      stress-induced increase in anti-inflammatory mediator mRNA was also observed in
      both males and females, and was further attenuated in sympathectomized females.
      CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with our hypothesis, there is a stress-induced shift in
      the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediator expression in dural immune
      cells that is more pronounced in females, and is dependent, at least in part, on
      sympathetic post-ganglionic innervation in females. This shift in the balance of
      inflammatory mediator expression may not only play an important role in
      triggering migraine attacks, but also suggests it may be possible, if not
      necessary, to employ different strategies to most effectively treat migraine in
      men and women.

PMID- 26126995
TI  - Statistical modeling of the reactions Fe(+) + N2O -> FeO(+) + N2 and FeO(+) + CO 
      > Fe(+) + CO2.
AB  - The rates of the reactions Fe(+) + N2O -> FeO(+) + N2 and FeO(+) + CO -> Fe(+) +
      CO2 are modeled by statistical rate theory accounting for energy- and angular
      momentum-specific rate constants for formation of the primary and secondary
      cationic adducts and their backward and forward reactions. The reactions are both
      suggested to proceed on sextet and quartet potential energy surfaces with
      efficient, but probably not complete, equilibration by spin-inversion of the
      populations of the sextet and quartet adducts. The influence of spin-inversion on
      the overall reaction rate is investigated. The differences of the two reaction
      rates mostly are due to different numbers of entrance states (atom + linear rotor
      or linear rotor + linear rotor, respectively). The reaction Fe(+) + N2O was
      studied either with (6)Fe(+) or with (4)Fe(+) reactants. Differences in the rate
      constants of (6)Fe(+) and (4)Fe(+) reacting with N2O are attributed to different
      contributions from electronically excited potential energy surfaces, such as they
      originate from the open-electronic shell reactants. 

PMID- 26126996
TI  - Evaluation of urine fibrinogen level in a murine model of contrast-induced
      nephropathy.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The mechanisms of contrast-induced nephropathy are not fully
      understood and sensitive biomarkers of contrast-induced nephropathy are yet to be
      found. We investigated whether urinary fibrinogen could be a potential biomarker
      for contrast-induced nephropathy. METHODS: To create a contrast-induced
      nephropathy model, mice received a prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor
      (indomethacin) and a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (Nomega-Nitro-L-arginine
      methyl ester) intraperitoneally followed by a different dose of iodixanol. In the
      control group, normal saline was administered. Urinary fibrinogen and serum
      creatinine were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Kidneys were
      used to quantify fibrinogen using qRT-PCR and Western blot and for
      histopathological examination. RESULTS: Histopathological examination
      demonstrated mild renal injury in the low-dose group, and moderate renal injury
      in the high-dose group. Urinary fibrinogen levels were significantly increased in
      an iodixanol dose-dependent manner (control vs. low-dose group, P < 0.05; control
      vs. high-dose group P < 0.01). Serum creatinine levels were only increased in the
      high-dose group (P < 0.01 compared to control), but not in the low-dose group.
      For fibrinogen-gene expression, in the low-dose group, Fggamma increased (qRT
      PCR, Western blot, P < 0.05) in the high-dose group, Fgbeta and Fggamma decreased
      (qRT-PCR, P < 0.01; Western blot, P < 0.05), and Fgalpha increased (qRT-PCR, P <
      0.05; Western blot, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We propose that urinary fibrinogen
      could be used as a potential biomarker for early contrast-induced nephropathy
      diagnosis.

PMID- 26126997
TI  - Naringin promotes differentiation of bone marrow stem cells into osteoblasts by
      upregulating the expression levels of microRNA-20a and downregulating the
      expression levels of PPARgamma.
AB  - Naringin is a dihydrotestosterone flavonoid compound that significantly inhibits
      bone loss, improves bone density, and enhances biomechanical anti-compression
      performance. Previous studies have demonstrated that naringin improves the
      activity levels of osteocalcin (OC) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in MC3T3-E1
      osteoblast precursor cells. The present study investigated the effects of
      naringin on osteoblastic differentiation and inhibition of adipocyte formation in
      bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs). The levels of osteogenesis were modulated via
      upregulation of the expression levels of microRNA (miR)-20a, and downregulation
      of the expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma
      (PPARgamma). The results indicated that naringin significantly enhanced BMSC
      proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, naringin significantly
      increased the mRNA expression levels of OC, ALP, and collagen type I.
      Furthermore, naringin decreased the protein expression levels of PPARgamma, and
      increased the expression levels of miR-20a in the BMSCs. These results suggested
      that miR-20a may regulate the expression of PPARgamma in BMSCs. To our knowledge,
      this is the first study to report naringin-induced osteogenesis via upregulation
      of the expression levels of miR-20a, and downregulation of the expression levels
      of PPARgamma. These results indicated the important role of naringin in BMSC
      differentiation.

PMID- 26126998
TI  - Conceptualising patient empowerment: a mixed methods study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In recent years, interventions and health policy programmes have been
      established to promote patient empowerment, with a particular focus on patients
      affected by long-term conditions. However, a clear definition of patient
      empowerment is lacking, making it difficult to assess effectiveness of
      interventions designed to promote it. The aim in this study was to develop a
      conceptual map of patient empowerment, including components of patient
      empowerment and relationships with other constructs such as health literacy, self
      management and shared decision-making. METHODS: A mixed methods study was
      conducted comprising (i) a scoping literature review to identify and map the
      components underpinning published definitions of patient empowerment (ii)
      qualitative interviews with key stakeholders (patients, patient representatives,
      health managers and health service researchers) to further develop the conceptual
      map. Data were analysed using qualitative methods. A combination of thematic and
      framework analysis was used to integrate and map themes underpinning published
      definitions of patient empowerment with the views of key UK stakeholders.
      RESULTS: The scoping literature review identified 67 articles that included a
      definition of patient empowerment. A range of diverse definitions of patient
      empowerment was extracted. Thematic analysis identified key underpinning themes,
      and these themes were used to develop an initial coding framework for analysis of
      interview data. 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted with key
      stakeholders. Transcripts were analysed using the initial coding framework, and
      findings were used to further develop the conceptual map. The resulting
      conceptual map describes that patient empowerment can be conceived as a state
      ranging across a spectrum from low to high levels of patient empowerment, with
      the level of patient empowerment potentially measurable using a set of
      indicators. Five key components of the conceptual map were identified:
      underpinning ethos, moderators, interventions, indicators and outcomes.
      Relationships with other constructs such as health literacy, self-management and
      shared decision-making are illustrated in the conceptual map. CONCLUSION: A novel
      conceptual map of patient empowerment grounded in published definitions of
      patient empowerment and qualitative interviews with UK stakeholders is described,
      that may be useful to healthcare providers and researchers designing,
      implementing and evaluating interventions to promote patient empowerment.

PMID- 26126999
TI  - Effects of light on retinal pigment epithelial cells, neurosensory retinal cells
      and Muller cells treated with Brilliant Blue G.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety profile of Brilliant
      Blue G (BBG) with and without exposure to light (L) on three different retinal
      cell lines. METHOD: ARPE-19, R28 and MIO-M1 cells were treated with BBG: 0.125
      mg/mL (0.5x clinical concentration), 0.25 mg/mL (1x) or 0.5 mg/mL (2x) with or
      without surgical illumination of halogen light exposure for 10 min, 15 min or 30
      min. Cells were further cultured after 24 h and then analysed for cell viability,
      late stages of apoptosis and mitochondrial damage associated with early apoptosis
      using assays that measure trypan blue dye exclusion, increases in caspase-3/7
      activity or changes in mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim),
      respectively. RESULT: All three cell lines that were exposed to BBG in the
      presence or absence of light exposure for 30 min were found to have cell
      viability and caspase-3/7 activity levels similar to the untreated cultures. The
      mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim) was decreased significantly at the
      2x + L dose and 2x dose in all three retinal cell lines compared to their
      respective untreated control cells. At the lower doses of BBG, with or without
      exposure to light, the DeltaPsim values were similar to the untreated control
      cultures. CONCLUSION: Exposure to BBG dye concentrations that are used clinically
      (0.125 mg/mL and 0.25 mg/mL) in the presence up to 30 min of surgically
      equivalent light intensity is safe for retinal cells.

PMID- 26127001
TI  - Molecular characterization and expression of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) DEAD-box
      family VASA gene and mRNA transcript variants isolated from testis tissue.
AB  - VASA is a member of the DEAD-box protein family that plays an indispensable role
      in mammalian spermatogenesis, particularly during meiosis. In the present study,
      we isolated, sequenced, and characterized VASA gene in buffalo testis. Here, we
      demonstrated that VASA mRNA is expressed as multiple isoforms and uses four
      alternative transcriptional start sites (TSSs) and four different polyadenylation
      sites. The TSSs identified by 5'-RNA ligase-mediated rapid amplification of cDNA
      ends (RLM-5'-RACE) were positioned at 48, 53, 85, and 88 nucleotides upstream
      relative to the translation initiation codon. 3'-RACE experiment revealed the
      presence of tandem polyadenylation signals, which lead to the expression of at
      least four different 3'-untranslated regions (209, 233, 239 and 605 nucleotides).
      The full-length coding region of VASA was 2190 bp, which encodes a 729 amino acid
      (aa) protein containing nine consensus regions of the DEAD box protein family.
      VASA variants are highly expressed in testis of adult buffalo. We found five
      variants, one full length VASA (729 aa) and four splice variants VASA 2, 4, 5, 6
      (683, 685, 679, 703 aa). The expression level of VASA 1 was significantly higher
      than rest of all (P < 0.05) except VASA 6. The relative ratio for VASA 1:2:4:5:6
      was 100:1.0:1.6:0.9:48.

PMID- 26127000
TI  - The Impact of Pepsin on Human Nasal Epithelial Cells In Vitro: A Potential
      Mechanism for Extraesophageal Reflux Induced Chronic Rhinosinusitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To describe potential mechanisms by which pepsin induces inflammation
      in refractive chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Our hypothesis was that pepsin
      induces mitochondrial damage and cytokine expression in human nasal epithelial
      cells (HNEpC) in vitro. METHODS: Western blot was used to detect pepsin in sinus
      lavages from patients with CRS and controls. The HNEpC cells were treated with
      pepsin (pH 7; 0.1 mg/mL) for 1 or 16 hours and routine electron microscopy (EM)
      and MTT assay were performed. Cytokine ELISA was performed on media collected
      from HNEpC cells 16 hours following a 1-hour pepsin treatment. RESULTS: Pepsin
      was detected in sinus lavages from 4 out of 6 CRS patients and 0 out of 3
      controls. The EM showed mitochondrial damage in pepsin-treated HNEpC cells but
      not in control cells. The MTT assay demonstrated reduced mitochondrial activity
      in pepsin-treated HNEpC cells compared to controls (P < .001). Pepsin increased
      IL-1A (P = .003) and IL-6 (P = .04) expression in HNEpC cells. CONCLUSIONS:
      Pepsin in sinus lavages from patients with CRS is consistent with previous
      studies. This study reveals the damaging effect of pepsin on mitochondria in
      nasal epithelial cells in vitro. Cytokines previously associated with CRS were
      elevated following pepsin treatment of HNEpC cells in vitro. These results
      demonstrate mechanisms by which pepsin may potentiate CRS.

PMID- 26127002
TI  - In silico analysis of functional nsSNPs in human TRPC6 gene associated with
      steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome.
AB  - The aim of the present study is to identify functional non-synonymous SNPs of
      TRPC6 gene using various in silico approaches. These SNPs are believed to have a
      direct impact on protein stability through conformation changes. Transient
      receptor potential cation channel-6 (TRPC6) is one of the proteins that plays a
      key role causing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) associated with the
      steroid-resistant nephritic syndrome (SRNS). Data of TRPC6 was collected from
      dbSNP and further used to investigate a damaging effect using SIFT, PolyPhen,
      PROVEAN, and PANTHER. The comparative analysis predicted that two functional SNPs
      "rs35857503 at position N157T and rs36111323 at position A404V" showed a damaging
      effect (score of 0.096-1.00).We modeled the 3D structure of TRPC6 using a SWISS
      MODEL workspace and validated it via PROCHECK to get a Ramachandran plot (83.0%
      residues in the most favored region, 12.7% in additionally allowed regions, 2.3%
      in a generously allowed region and 2.0% were in a disallowed region). QMEAN
      (0.311) and MUSTER (10.06) scores were under acceptable limits. Putative
      functional SNPs that may possibly undergo post-translation modifications were
      also identified in TRPC6 protein. It was found that mutation at N157T can lead to
      alteration in glycation whereas mutation at A404V was present at a ligand binding
      site. Additionally, I-Mutant showed a decrease in stability for these nsSNPs upon
      mutation, thus suggesting that the N157T and A404V variants of TRPC6 could
      directly or indirectly destabilize the amino acid interactions causing functional
      deviations of protein to some extent. 

PMID- 26127003
TI  - Correlation of KIF3A and OVOL1, but not ACTL9, with atopic dermatitis in Chinese
      pediatric patients.
AB  - Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease in
      Chinese pediatric patients. To date, the genetic susceptibility to AD in this
      population has not been fully clarified. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms
      have previously been associated with AD in Europeans, rs2897442 (KIF3A), rs479844
      (OVOL1) and rs2164983 (ACTL9). To verify the correlation between AD and these
      three SNPs in the Chinese pediatric population, we conducted a case-control study
      including 235 pediatric patients with AD and 200 health controls. We confirmed
      the correlation between rs2897442 and rs479844 and AD in this population at both
      the genotype and allele levels. Statistical analysis showed that the C allele of
      rs2897442 is associated with an increased risk of developing AD, while the A
      allele of rs479844 is associated with a reduced risk. No correlation between
      rs2164983 and AD was identified. Our study indicates that KIF3A and OVOL1 are
      involved in the development of AD in the Chinese pediatric population.

PMID- 26127004
TI  - HBsAg level and hepatitis B viral load correlation with focus on pregnancy.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Viral load measurement is necessary to estimate mother-to-child
      transmission risk for women with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), however, it is
      expensive. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between HBsAg
      and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels, and to determine potential applications
      of HBsAg level monitoring for estimating viral load. METHODS: 85 patients with
      CHB (31 pregnant women, 26 non-pregnant women, 28 men) were included in the
      study. HBV DNA level was measured by real-time PCR, and HBsAg level by
      chemiluminescent immunoassay method. Dependency between viral load and HBsAg
      level was determined by Spearman correlation coefficient rho. RESULTS: The
      correlation between HBsAg and HBV DNA levels was significant for all patients
      [rho=0.3762 (P<0.0005; n=85)]. In the group of pregnant women, a low
      (unmeasurable) HBV DNA level led to a decrease in the Spearman coefficient rho.
      In almost all cases a low level of the HBsAg corresponded to a low HBV DNA level.
      Only 2 patients had a low level of HBsAg and a relatively high viral load. By
      contrast, a high HBsAg level was observed in patients both with high and low
      viral load. CONCLUSIONS: Correlation between HBsAg and HBV DNA levels is
      significant. In most cases, a low level of HBsAg indicates a low HBV DNA level,
      whereas a high HBsAg level does not always correspond to a high viral load. The
      measurement of HBV DNA level is necessary for pregnant women with a high HBsAg
      level.

PMID- 26127005
TI  - The role of vitamin D towards immune tolerance in white adipose tissue (WAT).
AB  - Vitamin D and its active form 1alpha,25(OH)2D3 has been recently indicated to
      have a fundamental role in immune regulation. An interplay between gut and white
      adipose tissue (WAT), mainly mediated by enterogastric hormones and adipokines,
      such as leptin, adiponectin and ghrelin, actively participate in the immune
      homeostasis and modulation both of the innate/acquired immune response and
      between T-cell effector/T-cell regulatory skewing. Particularly for leptin, this
      action promotes and enhances immune tolerance at the gut level and pro
      inflammatory effect at WAT level, while calcitriol participates in promoting and
      increasing an M2 macrophage-like skewing, a T-reg activity at WAT level and a
      iNKT function at gut level. The role of active vitamin D3 therefore is
      fundamental in the immune homeostasis of the WAT immune microenvironment and to
      support the role of WAT as an endocrine, tolerogenic organ. 

PMID- 26127006
TI  - Pelvic lymph node displacement in high-risk prostate cancer patients treated with
      image guided intensity modulated radiation therapy with 2 independent target
      volumes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To evaluate the displacement of the pelvic lymph node (PLN) target when
      using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) for localization of the prostate in
      patients treated with simultaneous integrated boost. METHODS AND MATERIALS: High
      risk prostate cancer patients treated with image guided intensity modulated
      radiation therapy with simultaneous integrated boost receiving 60 Gy in 20
      fractions to the prostate and proximal seminal vesicles (PTV60) and 44 Gy in the
      same 20 fractions to the PLN (PTV44) were studied. Two hundred weekly CBCTs of 50
      patients were retrospectively reviewed to assess the displacement of the iliac
      vessels compared with the simulation computed tomography. For each CBCT, possible
      displacements were analyzed at 3 levels of PTV44: a superior, middle, and
      inferior slice, making a total of 600 slices reviewed. Geographical miss (GM) was
      defined when any part of the iliac vessels on the CBCT was outside of the PTV44
      contour. RESULTS: GM was found in 7 of the 600 CBCT slices, all in different
      patients. All GMs were of <=5 mm. Four GMs occurred on the middle slice and 3 on
      the superior slice. In 3 cases, the GM was related to shifts >=7 mm applied to
      the prostate. CONCLUSIONS: Our review suggests that for high-risk prostate
      cancer, the chance of not appropriately covering the PLN target after adjusting
      the prostate is low. GM was uncommon and in the order of only a few millimeters
      when it occurred.

PMID- 26127007
TI  - The association between event learning and continuous quality improvement
      programs and culture of patient safety.
AB  - PURPOSE: To present our approach and results from our quality and safety program
      and to report their possible impact on our culture of patient safety. METHODS AND
      MATERIALS: We created an event learning system (termed a "good catch" program)
      and encouraged staff to report any quality or safety concerns in real time.
      Events were analyzed to assess the utility of safety barriers. A formal
      continuous quality improvement program was created to address these reported
      events and make improvements. Data on perceptions of the culture of patient
      safety were collected using the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality
      survey administered before, during, and after the initiatives. RESULTS: Of 560
      good catches reported, 367 could be ascribed to a specific step on our process
      map. The calculated utility of safety barriers was highest for those embedded
      into the pretreatment quality assurance checks performed by physicists and
      dosimetrists (utility score 0.53; 93 of 174) and routine checks done by
      therapists on the initial day of therapy. Therapists and physicists reported the
      highest number of good catches (24% each). Sixty-four percent of events were
      caused by performance issues (eg, not following standardized processes, including
      suboptimal communications). Of 31 initiated formal improvement events, 26 were
      successfully implemented and sustained, 4 were discontinued, and 1 was not
      implemented. Most of the continuous quality improvement program was conducted by
      nurses (14) and therapists (7). Percentages of positive responses in the patient
      safety culture survey appear to have increased on all dimensions (p < .05).
      CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that event learning and continuous quality
      improvement programs can be successfully implemented and that there are
      contemporaneous improvements in the culture of safety.

PMID- 26127008
TI  - Stereotactic body radiation therapy and central liver toxicity: A case report.

PMID- 26127009
TI  - Optimizing efficiency and safety in a radiation oncology department through the
      use of ARIA 11 Visual Care Path.
AB  - PURPOSE: Visual Care Path (VCP) is a workflow tool within the ARIA 11 Record and
      Verify System. The purpose of this study was to quantify the impact of VCP
      implementation on the metrics of efficiency, safety, and staff satisfaction.
      METHODS AND MATERIALS: Our multidisciplinary quality improvement team reviewed
      the entire process of patient care and constructed VCP modules to chart serial
      and parallel events from consultation to treatment completion. A failure mode and
      effects analysis was performed to identify high-risk tasks within existing
      patient care workflow. Data on timeliness of task completion were collected for
      612 patients (6560 tasks) in 3 time phases: pre-VCP, transition, and post-VCP.
      Errors detected during a physics plan check were also monitored. A survey about
      the VCP was distributed to all staff to evaluate the impact of the VCP on the
      department. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the metrics of efficiency,
      safety, and staff satisfaction. RESULTS: Notable improvements in efficiency and
      safety were observed. Radiation oncologists' compliance with timely completion of
      the Simulation Preparation VCP tasks increased from 45.9% +/- 14.3% during the
      pre-VCP phase to 85.8% +/- 10.9% during the post-VCP phase. Compliance with
      Treatment Planning VCP tasks also increased from 52.6% +/- 9.9% during the pre
      VCP phase to 76.0% +/- 9.7% during the post-VCP phase. The monthly defect rate
      (ratio of plans with errors to the total number of plans checked by a physicist)
      decreased from 19.1% +/- 1.3% during the pre-VCP phase to 5.2% +/- 4.1% during
      the post-VCP phase. Ninety-four percent of staff members responded to the VCP
      survey; more than 80% of respondents found the VCP to have a favorable impact.
      CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of the VCP in our department improved workflow
      efficiency, reduced the number of errors, and was very well received within the
      department.

PMID- 26127011
TI  - Mechanisms of intracellular compartmentalization and disease.

PMID- 26127010
TI  - Preparation and In Vitro-In Vivo Evaluation of Sustained-Release Matrix Pellets
      of Capsaicin to Enhance the Oral Bioavailability.
AB  - Capsaicin has multiple pharmacological activities including antioxidant,
      anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. However, its clinical application
      is limited due to its poor aqueous solubility, gastric irritation, and low oral
      bioavailability. This research was aimed at preparing sustained-release matrix
      pellets of capsaicin to enhance its oral bioavailability. The pellets comprised
      of a core of solid-dispersed capsaicin mixed with microcrystalline cellulose
      (MCC) and hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPMC) and subsequently coating with ethyl
      cellulose (EC) were obtained by using the technology of extrusion/spheronization.
      The physicochemical properties of the pellets were evaluated through scanning
      electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray
      diffractometry (XRD). Besides, the in vitro release, in vivo absorption, and in
      vitro-in vivo correlation were also assessed. More importantly, the relative
      bioavailability of the sustained-release matrix pellets was studied in fasted
      rabbits after oral administration using free capsaicin and solid dispersion as
      references. The oral bioavailability of the matrix pellets and sustained-release
      matrix pellets of capsaicin was improved approximately 1.98-fold and 5.34-fold,
      respectively, compared with the free capsaicin. A good level A IVIVC (in vitro-in
      vivo correlation) was established between the in vitro dissolution and the in
      vivo absorption of sustained-release matrix pellets. All the results affirmed the
      remarkable improvement in the oral bioavailability of capsaicin owing to the
      successful preparation of its sustained-release matrix pellets.

PMID- 26127012
TI  - Age-specific determinants of post-partum fatigue in primiparous women.
AB  - AIM: Post-partum fatigue is a serious concern for mothers worldwide. The aim of
      this study was to identify age-specific determinants of self-perceived fatigue
      after childbirth among Japanese primiparous women. METHODS: A multicenter
      prospective cohort study was conducted in Japan. The degree of fatigue was
      assessed using the Postnatal Accumulated Fatigue Scale during the hospital stay
      after childbirth. Associated factors were stratified into two age groups (<35 or
      >=35 years old); data were analyzed using stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS:
      In the younger group, significant determinants of post-partum fatigue included:
      anticipated difficulties in child-rearing after discharge; perception of
      inadequate sleep conditions; dissatisfaction with childbirth; shorter sleep and
      meal times; longer duration between feeding and infant bedtime; unemployment; and
      having hyperemesis gravidarum. In the older group, significant determinants of
      post-partum fatigue included: anticipated difficulties in child-rearing after
      discharge; perception of inadequate sleep conditions; shorter meal times; formula
      feeding; and dissatisfaction with childbirth. CONCLUSION: Primiparous mothers who
      anticipated new life with their infants to be difficult and who had an irregular
      lifestyle tended to report higher levels of fatigue during the post-partum
      hospital stay. Nurses and midwives should assess maternal sleep and eating
      conditions, providing support to ensure adequate maternal rest. Special efforts
      should be made to reduce anxiety about new life with infants among younger
      primiparous women who had experienced hyperemesis gravidarum.

PMID- 26127013
TI  - Hydrodynamic chronoamperometry for probing kinetics of anaerobic microbial
      metabolism--case study of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.
AB  - Monitoring in vitro the metabolic activity of microorganisms aids bioprocesses
      and enables better understanding of microbial metabolism. Redox mediators can be
      used for this purpose via different electrochemical techniques that are either
      complex or only provide non-continuous data. Hydrodynamic chronoamperometry using
      a rotating disc electrode (RDE) can alleviate these issues but was seldom used
      and is poorly characterized. The kinetics of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii A2-165,
      a beneficial gut microbe, were determined using a RDE with riboflavin as redox
      probe. This butyrate producer anaerobically ferments glucose and reduces
      riboflavin whose continuous monitoring on a RDE provided highly accurate kinetic
      measurements of its metabolism, even at low cell densities. The metabolic
      reaction rate increased linearly over a broad range of cell concentrations (9 *
      10(4) to 5 * 10(7) cells.mL(-1)). Apparent Michaelis-Menten kinetics was observed
      with respect to riboflavin (KM = 6 MUM; kcat = 5.3 * 10(5) s(-1), at 37  degrees
      C) and glucose (KM = 6 MUM; kcat = 2.4 * 10(5) s(-1)). The short temporal
      resolution allows continuous monitoring of fast cellular events such as kinetics
      inhibition with butyrate. Furthermore, we detected for the first time riboflavin
      reduction by another potential probiotic, Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum. The
      ability of the RDE for fast, accurate, simple and continuous measurements makes
      it an ad hoc tool for assessing bioprocesses at high resolution.

PMID- 26127014
TI  - The interaction of induction and repression mechanisms in the regulation of
      galacturonic acid-induced genes in Aspergillus niger.
AB  - Aspergillus niger is an important industrial fungus expressing a broad spectrum
      of pectinolytic genes. The main constituent of pectin, polygalacturonic acid
      (PGA), is degraded into galacturonic acid (GA) by the combined activity of endo-
      and exo-polygalacturonases some of which are specifically induced by GA. The
      regulatory mechanisms that control the expression of genes encoding PGA-degrading
      enzymes are not well understood. Based on available genome-wide expression
      profiles from literature, we selected five genes that were specifically induced
      by GA. These genes include three exo-polygalacturonases (pgaX, pgxB and pgxC), a
      GA transporter (gatA), and an intracellular enzyme involved in GA metabolism
      (gaaB). These five genes contain a conserved motif (5'-TCCNCCAAT-3') in their
      promoter regions, which we named GARE (galacturonic acid-responsive element).
      Promoter deletion studies and site-directed mutagenesis of the conserved motif of
      the pgaX gene showed that the conserved element is required for GA-mediated
      induction. A set of promoter reporter strains was constructed by fusing the
      promoter region of the five above-mentioned genes to the amdS reporter gene.
      Expression of the amdS gene is quantitatively correlated with ability to utilise
      acetamide as an N-source, hence higher expression of amdS improves growth of the
      strain on acetamide and therefore can be used as an in vivo reporter for gene
      expression. Growth analysis of the reporter strains indicated that four genes
      (pgaX, pgxB, pgxC, and gatA) are specifically induced by GA. The in vivo promoter
      reporter strains were also used to monitor carbon catabolite repression control.
      Except for gaaB, all promoter-reporter genes analysed were repressed by glucose
      in a glucose concentration-dependent way. Interestingly, the strength of glucose
      repression was different for the tested promoters. CreA is important in mediating
      carbon catabolite repression as deletion of the creA gene in the reporter strains
      abolished carbon catabolite repression for most promoters. Interestingly, the
      pgxC promoter was still repressed by glucose even in the creA null background,
      suggesting a role for alternative repression mechanisms. Finally, we showed that
      low concentrations of GA are required to induce gene expression of pgaX, pgxB,
      and pgxC even under derepressing conditions. The results obtained are consistent
      with a model in which a GA-specific transcription factor is activated by GA or a
      GA-derivative, which binds to the conserved motif, possibly in combination with
      the HAP-complex, to drive GA-specific gene expression. 

PMID- 26127015
TI  - Metabolic responses in Candida tropicalis to complex inhibitors during xylitol
      bioconversion.
AB  - During xylitol fermentation, Candida tropicalis is often inhibited by inhibitors
      in hemicellulose hydrolysate. The mechanisms involved in the metabolic responses
      to inhibitor stress and the resistances to inhibitors are still not clear. To
      understand the inhibition mechanisms and the metabolic responses to inhibitors, a
      GC/MS-based metabolomics approach was performed on C. tropicalis treated with and
      without complex inhibitors (CI, including furfural, phenol and acetic acid).
      Partial least squares discriminant analysis was used to determine the metabolic
      variability between CI-treated groups and control groups, and 25 metabolites were
      identified as possible entities responsible for the discrimination caused by
      inhibitors. We found that xylose uptake rate and xylitol oxidation rate were
      promoted by CI treatment. Metabolomics analysis showed that the flux from
      xylulose to pentose phosphate pathway increased, and tricarboxylic acid cycle was
      disturbed by CI. Moreover, the changes in levels of 1,3-propanediol, trehalose,
      saturated fatty acids and amino acids showed different mechanisms involved in
      metabolic responses to inhibitor stress. The increase of 1,3-propanediol was
      considered to be correlated with regulating redox balance and osmoregulation. The
      increase of trehalose might play a role in protein stabilization and cellular
      membranes protection. Saturated fatty acids could cause the decrease of membrane
      fluidity and make the plasma membrane rigid to maintain the integrity of plasma
      membrane. The deeper understanding of the inhibition mechanisms and the metabolic
      responses to inhibitors will provide us with more information on the metabolism
      regulation during xylitol bioconversion and the construction of industrial
      strains with inhibitor tolerance for better utilization of bioresource. 

PMID- 26127016
TI  - The gene ICS3 from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is involved in copper
      homeostasis dependent on extracellular pH.
AB  - In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, many genes are involved in the uptake,
      transport, storage and detoxification of copper. Large scale studies have noted
      that deletion of the gene ICS3 increases sensitivity to copper, Sortin 2 and acid
      exposure. Here, we report a study on the Deltaics3 strain, in which ICS3 is
      related to copper homeostasis, affecting the intracellular accumulation of this
      metal. This strain is sensitive to hydrogen peroxide and copper exposure, but not
      to other tested transition metals. At pH 6.0, the Deltaics3 strain accumulates a
      larger amount of intracellular copper than the wild-type strain, explaining the
      sensitivity to oxidants in this condition. Unexpectedly, sensitivity to copper
      exposure only occurs in acidic conditions. This can be explained by the fact that
      the exposure of Deltaics3 cells to high copper concentrations at pH 4.0 results
      in over-accumulation of copper and iron. Moreover, the expression of ICS3
      increases in acidic pH, and this is correlated with CCC2 gene expression, since
      both genes are regulated by Rim101 from the pH regulon. CCC2 is also upregulated
      in Deltaics3 in acidic pH. Together, these data indicate that ICS3 is involved in
      copper homeostasis and is dependent on extracellular pH. 

PMID- 26127017
TI  - Diversity of Fusarium head blight populations and trichothecene toxin types
      reveals regional differences in pathogen composition and temporal dynamics.
AB  - Analyses of genetic diversity, trichothecene genotype composition, and population
      structure were conducted using 4086 Fusarium graminearum isolates collected from
      wheat in eight Canadian provinces over a three year period between 2005 and 2007.
      The results revealed substantial regional differences in Fusarium head blight
      pathogen composition and temporal population dynamics. The 3ADON trichothecene
      type consistently predominated in Maritime provinces (91%) over the sampled
      years, and increased significantly (P<0.05) between 2005 and 2007 in western
      Canada, accounting for 66% of the isolates in Manitoba by the end of the sampling
      period. In contrast, 3ADON frequency was lower (22%, P<0.001) in the eastern
      Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec and did not change significantly between
      2005 and 2007, resulting in two distinct longitudinal clines in 3ADON frequency
      across Canada. Overall, genetic structure was correlated with toxin type, as the
      endemic population (NA1) was dominated by 15ADON isolates (86%), whereas a second
      population (NA2) consisted largely of 3ADON isolates (88%). However, the
      percentage of isolates with trichothecene genotypes that were not predictive of
      their genetic population assignment (recombinant genotypes) increased from 10% in
      2005 to 17% in 2007, indicating that trichothecene type became an increasingly
      unreliable marker of population identity over time. In addition, there were
      substantial regional differences in the composition of recombinant genotypes. In
      western and maritime provinces, NA2 isolates with 15ADON genotypes were
      significantly more common than NA1 isolates with 3ADON genotypes (P<0.001), and
      the reverse was true in the eastern provinces of Quebec and Ontario. Temporal
      trends in recombinant genotype composition also varied regionally, as the
      percentage of 15ADON isolates with NA2 genetic backgrounds increased
      approximately three fold in western and Maritime provinces, while the opposite
      trends were observed in Quebec and Ontario. The results indicate that F.
      graminearum population dynamics in Canada have been influenced by a complex
      adaptive landscape comprising different regional selective pressures, and do not
      reflect a simple model of dispersal and integration following the introduction of
      a novel pathogen population. In addition, we identified F. graminearum strains
      that produce the recently discovered A-trichothecene mycotoxin (NX-2) for the
      first time in Canada, representing a significant expansion of the known range of
      NX-2 producing strains in North America. 

PMID- 26127018
TI  - Effects of aortic counterpulsation in 6 cases of fulminant myocarditis.

PMID- 26127019
TI  - An unusual cause of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax: the Mounier-Kuhn
      syndrome.
AB  - We present a case of 63-year-old man who was referred to the emergency department
      with a right-sided pneumothorax. He had a history of spontaneous pneumothorax for
      2 times. The chest computed tomographic scan showed tracheobronchomegaly with an
      increase in the diameter of the trachea and right and left main bronchus.
      Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed enlarged trachea and both main bronchus with
      diverticulas. These findings are consistent with a diagnosis of Mounier-Kuhn
      syndrome. Mounier-Kuhn syndrome is a rare clinical and radiologic condition. It
      is characterized by a tracheal and bronchial dilation. Diagnosis is made by
      computed tomography and bronchoscopy. Mounier-Kuhn syndrome should be kept in
      mind in the differential diagnosis of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax.

PMID- 26127020
TI  - [LSD score. A new classification system for peristomal skin lesions].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Peristomal skin lesions are frequent complications of ostomy;
      however, there is no generally accepted nomenclature and classification system.
      OBJECTIVE: An interdisciplinary German expert panel (GESS) composed of ten
      members, developed an innovative semiquantitative classification system for
      peristomal skin lesions for further stratification of ostomy therapy. This score
      is based on criteria which can be assessed by stomal therapists and treating
      physicians. RESULTS: The new peristomal skin lesion score grades three
      categories: lesion (L), status of ostomy (S) and disease (D). The L category
      describes the integrity of the skin as normal (L0), lesion with sustained
      integrity of skin (L1), integrity destroyed (L2) and local infection (L3). The S
      category rates the complexity of ostomy therapy as normal (S0), increased (S1)
      and high but not sufficiently effective (S2). The additional letters for
      categorization O. R. P. H. E. US describe anatomical pathologies of the stoma
      itself: ostomy stenosis (O), retraction (R), prolapse (P), hernia (H), edema (E)
      and unfavorable site (US). A systemic disorder is either absent (D0), irrelevant
      (D1) or relevant (D2). The LSD score is the basis for a management algorithm.
      CONCLUSION: The LSD score is comprehensive, standardized and holistic. Its
      straightforward use by health professionals can improve the consistency of the
      description of skin lesions and enhance the quality of ostomy therapy.

PMID- 26127022
TI  - [Anatomical versus non-anatomical liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma :
      No impact on recurrence rate].

PMID- 26127023
TI  - [Laparoscopic versus open surgery for rectal cancer : Results after 3 years of
      the COLOR II study].

PMID- 26127021
TI  - [Dumping syndrome: Diagnostics and therapeutic options].
AB  - BACKGROUND: Dumping syndrome is a common complication after surgery of the upper
      gastrointestinal tract with symptoms ranging from mild gastrointestinal
      discomfort and moderate vasomotor disturbances, to severe hyperinsulinemic
      hypoglycemia. Due to the increasing number of bariatric procedures being
      performed worldwide, bariatric surgery has become the most common cause for this
      disease entity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to highlight the evidence
      for the physiological mechanisms contributing to dumping syndrome after the two
      most common bariatric surgery procedures, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve
      gastrectomy, to discuss technical aspects of the procedures underlying the
      development of the syndrome, patient-related predictive factors and other
      differential diagnoses, together with diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms.

PMID- 26127024
TI  - [Liver transplantation in colorectal liver metastases].

PMID- 26127025
TI  - Organization of inner cellular components as reported by a viscosity-sensitive
      fluorescent Bodipy probe suitable for phasor approach to FLIM.
AB  - According to the recent developments in imaging strategies and in tailoring
      fluorescent molecule as probe for monitoring biological systems, we coupled a
      Bodipy-based molecular rotor (BoMe) with FLIM phasor approach to evaluate the
      viscosity in different intracellular domains. BoMe rapidly permeates cells,
      stains cytoplasmic as well as nuclear domains, and its optical properties make it
      perfectly suited for widely diffused confocal microscopy imaging setups. The
      capability of BoMe to report on intracellular viscosity was put to the test by
      using a cellular model of a morbid genetic pathology (Hutchinson-Gilford progeria
      syndrome, HGPS). Our results show that the nucleoplasm of HGPS cells display
      reduced viscosity as compared to normal cells. Since BoMe displays significant
      affinity towards DNA, as demonstrated by an in vitro essay, we hypothesize that
      genetic features of HGPS, namely the misassembly of lamin A protein within the
      nuclear lamina, modulates chromatin compaction. This hypothesis nicely agrees
      with literature data. 

PMID- 26127026
TI  - Observing Atoms at Work by Controlling Beam-Sample Interactions.
AB  - Functional behavior can be initiated and captured in series of images with
      previously unknown details using a successful effort to effectively control beam
      sample interactions in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The
      approach uses tunable electron dose rates that can be chosen to be as low as
      attoamperes per square-Angstrom to delay sample degradation to an unexplored end.
      Dose rates can be systematically increased to stimulate and observe dynamic
      object responses. Observations can be made in real time with deep sub-Angstrom
      resolution and single-atom sensitivity, even if radiation-sensitive matter is
      probed and either pressure or temperature is raised in the electron microscope. 

PMID- 26127027
TI  - Treatment planning evaluation and optimization should be biologically and not
      dose/volume based.

PMID- 26127028
TI  - Robotic real-time translational and rotational head motion correction during
      frameless stereotactic radiosurgery.
AB  - PURPOSE: To develop a control system to correct both translational and rotational
      head motion deviations in real-time during frameless stereotactic radiosurgery
      (SRS). METHODS: A novel feedback control with a feed-forward algorithm was
      utilized to correct for the coupling of translation and rotation present in
      serial kinematic robotic systems. Input parameters for the algorithm include the
      real-time 6DOF target position, the frame pitch pivot point to target distance
      constant, and the translational and angular Linac beam off (gating) tolerance
      constants for patient safety. Testing of the algorithm was done using a 4D (XY Z
      + pitch) robotic stage, an infrared head position sensing unit and a control
      computer. The measured head position signal was processed and a resulting command
      was sent to the interface of a four-axis motor controller, through which four
      stepper motors were driven to perform motion compensation. RESULTS: The control
      of the translation of a brain target was decoupled with the control of the
      rotation. For a phantom study, the corrected position was within a translational
      displacement of 0.35 mm and a pitch displacement of 0.15 degrees  100% of the
      time. For a volunteer study, the corrected position was within displacements of
      0.4 mm and 0.2 degrees  over 98.5% of the time, while it was 10.7% without
      correction. CONCLUSIONS: The authors report a control design approach for both
      translational and rotational head motion correction. The experiments demonstrated
      that control performance of the 4D robotic stage meets the submillimeter and
      subdegree accuracy required by SRS.

PMID- 26127029
TI  - A revised dosimetric characterization of the model S700 electronic brachytherapy
      source containing an anode-centering plastic insert and other components not
      included in the 2006 model.
AB  - PURPOSE: The model S700 Axxent electronic brachytherapy source by Xoft, Inc., was
      characterized by Rivard et al. in 2006. Since then, the source design was
      modified to include a new insert at the source tip. Current study objectives were
      to establish an accurate source model for simulation purposes, dosimetrically
      characterize the new source and obtain its TG-43 brachytherapy dosimetry
      parameters, and determine dose differences between the original simulation model
      and the current model S700 source design. METHODS: Design information from
      measurements of dissected model S700 sources and from vendor-supplied CAD
      drawings was used to aid establishment of an updated Monte Carlo source model,
      which included the complex-shaped plastic source-centering insert intended to
      promote water flow for cooling the source anode. These data were used to create a
      model for subsequent radiation transport simulations in a water phantom. Compared
      to the 2006 simulation geometry, the influence of volume averaging close to the
      source was substantially reduced. A track-length estimator was used to evaluate
      collision kerma as a function of radial distance and polar angle for
      determination of TG-43 dosimetry parameters. Results for the 50 kV source were
      determined every 0.1 cm from 0.3 to 15 cm and every 1 degrees  from 0 degrees  to
      180 degrees . Photon spectra in water with 0.1 keV resolution were also obtained
      from 0.5 to 15 cm and polar angles from 0 degrees  to 165 degrees . Simulations
      were run for 10(10) histories, resulting in statistical uncertainties on the
      transverse plane of 0.04% at r = 1 cm and 0.06% at r = 5 cm. RESULTS: The dose
      rate distribution ratio for the model S700 source as compared to the 2006 model
      exceeded unity by more than 5% for roughly one quarter of the solid angle
      surrounding the source, i.e., theta >= 120 degrees . The radial dose function
      diminished in a similar manner as for an (125)I seed, with values of 1.434,
      0.636, 0.283, and 0.0975 at 0.5, 2, 5, and 10 cm, respectively. The radial dose
      function ratio between the current and the 2006 model had a minimum of 0.980 at
      0.4 cm, close to the source sheath and for large distances approached 1.014. 2D
      anisotropy function ratios were close to unity for 50 degrees  <= theta <= 110
      degrees , but exceeded 5% for theta < 40 degrees  at close distances to the
      sheath and exceeded 15% for theta > 140 degrees , even at large distances. Photon
      energy fluence of the updated model as compared to the 2006 model showed a
      decrease in output with increasing distance; this effect was pronounced at the
      lowest energies. A decrease in photon fluence with increase in polar angle was
      also observed and was attributed to the silver epoxy component. CONCLUSIONS:
      Changes in source design influenced the overall dose rate and distribution by
      more than 2% in several regions. This discrepancy is greater than the dose
      calculation acceptance criteria as recommended in the AAPM TG-56 report. The
      effect of the design change on the TG-43 parameters would likely not result in
      dose differences outside of patient applicators. Adoption of this new dataset is
      suggested for accurate depiction of model S700 source dose distributions.

PMID- 26127030
TI  - Validating FMEA output against incident learning data: A study in stereotactic
      body radiation therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Though failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is becoming more widely
      adopted for risk assessment in radiation therapy, to our knowledge, its output
      has never been validated against data on errors that actually occur. The
      objective of this study was to perform FMEA of a stereotactic body radiation
      therapy (SBRT) treatment planning process and validate the results against data
      recorded within an incident learning system. METHODS: FMEA on the SBRT treatment
      planning process was carried out by a multidisciplinary group including radiation
      oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, and IT technologists. Potential
      failure modes were identified through a systematic review of the process map.
      Failure modes were rated for severity, occurrence, and detectability on a scale
      of one to ten and risk priority number (RPN) was computed. Failure modes were
      then compared with historical reports identified as relevant to SBRT planning
      within a departmental incident learning system that has been active for two and a
      half years. Differences between FMEA anticipated failure modes and existing
      incidents were identified. RESULTS: FMEA identified 63 failure modes. RPN values
      for the top 25% of failure modes ranged from 60 to 336. Analysis of the incident
      learning database identified 33 reported near-miss events related to SBRT
      planning. Combining both methods yielded a total of 76 possible process failures,
      of which 13 (17%) were missed by FMEA while 43 (57%) identified by FMEA only.
      When scored for RPN, the 13 events missed by FMEA ranked within the lower half of
      all failure modes and exhibited significantly lower severity relative to those
      identified by FMEA (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: FMEA, though valuable, is subject to
      certain limitations. In this study, FMEA failed to identify 17% of actual failure
      modes, though these were of lower risk. Similarly, an incident learning system
      alone fails to identify a large number of potentially high-severity process
      errors. Using FMEA in combination with incident learning may render an improved
      overview of risks within a process.

PMID- 26127031
TI  - Dedicated breast computed tomography: Basic aspects.
AB  - X-ray mammography of the compressed breast is well recognized as the "gold
      standard" for early detection of breast cancer, but its performance is not ideal.
      One limitation of screening mammography is tissue superposition, particularly for
      dense breasts. Since 2001, several research groups in the USA and in the European
      Union have developed computed tomography (CT) systems with digital detector
      technology dedicated to x-ray imaging of the uncompressed breast (breast CT or
      BCT) for breast cancer screening and diagnosis. This CT technology--tracing back
      to initial studies in the 1970s--allows some of the limitations of mammography to
      be overcome, keeping the levels of radiation dose to the radiosensitive breast
      glandular tissue similar to that of two-view mammography for the same breast size
      and composition. This paper presents an evaluation of the research efforts
      carried out in the invention, development, and improvement of BCT with dedicated
      scanners with state-of-the-art technology, including initial steps toward
      commercialization, after more than a decade of R&D in the laboratory and/or in
      the clinic. The intended focus here is on the technological/engineering aspects
      of BCT and on outlining advantages and limitations as reported in the related
      literature. Prospects for future research in this field are discussed.

PMID- 26127032
TI  - Surface coating for prevention of metallic seed migration in tissues.
AB  - PURPOSE: In radiotherapy, metallic implants often detach from their deposited
      sites and migrate to other locations. This undesirable migration could cause
      inadequate dose coverage for permanent brachytherapy and difficulties in image
      guided radiation delivery for patients. To prevent migration of implanted seeds,
      the authors propose a potential strategy to use a biocompatible and tissue
      adhesive material called polydopamine. METHODS: In this study, nonradioactive
      dummy seeds that have the same geometry and composition as commercial I-125 seeds
      were coated in polydopamine. Using scanning electron microscopy and x-ray
      photoelectron spectroscopy, the surface of the polydopamine-coated and noncoated
      seeds was characterized. The detachment stress between the two types of seeds and
      the tissue was measured. The efficacy of polydopamine-coated seed was
      investigated through in vitro migration tests by tracing the seed location after
      tissue implantation and shaking for given times. The cytotoxicity of the
      polydopamine coating was also evaluated. RESULTS: The results of the coating
      characterization have shown that polydopamine was successfully coated on the
      surface of the seeds. In the adhesion test, the polydopamine-coated seeds had 2.1
      fold greater detachment stress than noncoated seeds. From the in vitro test, it
      was determined that the polydopamine-coated seed migrated shorter distances than
      the noncoated seed. This difference was increased with a greater length of time
      after implantation. CONCLUSIONS: The authors suggest that polydopamine coating is
      an effective technique to prevent migration of implanted seeds, especially for
      permanent prostate brachytherapy.

PMID- 26127033
TI  - Technical Note: Intrafractional changes in time lag relationship between anterior
      posterior external and superior-inferior internal motion signals in abdominal
      tumor sites.
AB  - PURPOSE: To investigate constancy, within a treatment session, of the time lag
      relationship between implanted markers in abdominal tumors and an external motion
      surrogate. METHODS: Six gastroesophageal junction and three pancreatic cancer
      patients (IRB-approved protocol) received two cone-beam CTs (CBCT), one before
      and one after treatment. Time between scans was less than 30 min. Each patient
      had at least one implanted fiducial marker near the tumor. In all scans,
      abdominal displacement (Varian RPM) was recorded as the external motion signal.
      Purpose-built software tracked fiducials, representing internal signal, in CBCT
      projection images. Time lag between superior-inferior (SI) internal and anterior
      posterior external signals was found by maximizing the correlation coefficient in
      each breathing cycle and averaging over all cycles. Time-lag-induced discrepancy
      between internal SI position and that predicted from the external signal
      (external prediction error) was also calculated. RESULTS: Mean +/- standard
      deviation time lag, over all scans and patients, was 0.10 +/- 0.07 s (range 0.01
      0.36 s). External signal lagged the internal in 17/18 scans. Change in time lag
      between pre- and post-treatment CBCT was 0.06 +/- 0.07 s (range 0.01-0.22 s),
      corresponding to 3.1% +/- 3.7% (range 0.6%-10.8%) of gate width (range 1.6-3.1
      s). In only one patient, change in time lag exceeded 10% of the gate width.
      External prediction error over all scans of all patients varied from 0.1 +/- 0.1
      to 1.6 +/- 0.4 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Time lag between internal motion along SI and
      external signals is small compared to the treatment gate width of abdominal
      patients examined in this study. Change in time lag within a treatment session,
      inferred from pre- to post-treatment measurements is also small, suggesting that
      a single measurement of time lag at the session start is adequate. These findings
      require confirmation in a larger number of patients.

PMID- 26127034
TI  - Quantification and comparison of visibility and image artifacts of a new liquid
      fiducial marker in a lung phantom for image-guided radiation therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: A new biodegradable liquid fiducial marker was devised to allow for easy
      insertion in lung tumors using thin needles. The purpose of this study was to
      evaluate the visibility of the liquid fiducial markers for image-guided radiation
      therapy and compare to existing solid fiducial markers and to one existing liquid
      fiducial marker currently commercially available. METHODS: Fiducial marker
      visibility was quantified in terms of contrast to noise ratio (CNR) on planar
      kilovoltage x-ray images in a thorax phantom for different concentrations of the
      radio-opaque component of the new liquid fiducial marker, four solid fiducial
      markers, and one existing liquid fiducial marker. Additionally, the image
      artifacts produced on computer tomography (CT) and cone-beam CT (CBCT) of all
      fiducial markers were quantified. RESULTS: The authors found that the new liquid
      fiducial marker with the highest concentration of the radio-opaque component had
      a CNR > 2.05 for 62/63 exposures, which compared favorably to the existing solid
      fiducial markers and to the existing liquid fiducial marker evaluated. On CT and
      CBCT, the new liquid fiducial marker with the highest concentration produced
      lower streaking index artifact (30 and 14, respectively) than the solid gold
      markers (113 and 20, respectively) and the existing liquid fiducial marker (39
      and 20, respectively). The size of the image artifact was larger for all of the
      liquid fiducial markers compared to the solid fiducial markers because of their
      larger physical size. CONCLUSIONS: The visibility and the image artifacts
      produced by the new liquid fiducial markers were comparable to existing solid
      fiducial markers and the existing liquid fiducial marker. The authors conclude
      that the new liquid fiducial marker represents an alternative to the fiducial
      markers tested.

PMID- 26127035
TI  - Total variation minimization filter for DBT imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: Compressed sensing (CS) is a new approach in medical imaging which
      allows a sparse image to be reconstructed from undersampled data. Total variation
      (TV) based minimization algorithms are the one CS technique that has achieved
      great success due to its virtue of preserving edges while reducing image noise.
      The purpose of this work is to implement and evaluate the performance of a TV
      minimization filter able to increase the signal difference to noise ratio (SDNR)
      of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) images. METHODS: Assuming a Poisson noise
      model, the authors present a practical methodology, based on Rudin, Osher, and
      Fatemi model, which directly applies a TV minimization filter to real phantom and
      clinical DBT images. Different moments of filter application (before and after
      image reconstruction) and the suitable Lagrange multiplier (lambda) to be used in
      filter equation are studied. Also, the relationship between background standard
      deviation (sigmaB) of unfiltered images and optimal lambda values is determined,
      in order to maximize the SDNR. Qualitative and quantitative analyses are
      conducted between unfiltered and filtered images and between the different
      moments of filter application. The proposed methodology is also tested with one
      clinical DBT data set. RESULTS: Using phantom data, when the filter is applied to
      the projections, the authors observed a decrease of 31.34% in TV and an increase
      of 5.29% and 5.44% in SDNR and full width at half maximum (FWHM), respectively.
      When applied after reconstruction, a decrease of 35.48% and 2.59% was achieved
      for TV and FWHM, respectively, and an increase of 8.32% for SDNR. For each moment
      of filter application, the optimal lambda value found through a comprehensive
      study was lambda = 85 and lambda = 60 when the filter is applied before and after
      reconstruction, respectively. The best fit found for the relationship between
      sigmaB and the corresponding lambda values that allowed the highest filtered SDNR
      was the logarithmic adjustment. The difference between the lambda values obtained
      by the first approach and the logarithmic adjustment ranges from 0.11% (filter
      applied before reconstruction) to 2.54% (filter applied after reconstruction). On
      the other hand, a decrease of 37.63% and 2.42% in TV and FWHM, respectively, and
      an increase of 24.39% in SDNR were obtained when the filter is applied to
      clinical data. This great minimization is present through a visual inspection of
      unfiltered and filtered clinical images, where areas with higher noise level
      become smoother while preserving edges and details of the structures.
      CONCLUSIONS: An optimized digital filter for TV minimization in DBT imaging has
      been presented. The reliability of a logarithmic relation found between sigmaB
      and lambda values was confirmed and can be used in future work. Both quantitative
      and qualitative analyses performed in a clinical DBT image confirmed the
      relevance of this approach in improving image quality in DBT imaging. The results
      obtained are very encouraging about increasing SDNR in a short time and
      preserving the principal variations in image, the structures' boundary.

PMID- 26127036
TI  - Technical Note: Response measurement for select radiation detectors in magnetic
      fields.
AB  - PURPOSE: Dose response to applied magnetic fields for ion chambers and solid
      state detectors has been investigated previously for the anticipated use in
      linear accelerator-magnetic resonance devices. In this investigation, the authors
      present the measured response of selected radiation detectors when the magnetic
      field is applied in the same direction as the radiation beam, i.e., a
      longitudinal magnetic field, to verify previous simulation only data. METHODS:
      The dose response of a PR06C ion chamber, PTW60003 diamond detector, and IBA PFD
      diode detector is measured in a longitudinal magnetic field. The detectors are
      irradiated with buildup caps and their long axes either parallel or perpendicular
      to the incident photon beam. In each case, the magnetic field dose response is
      reported as the ratio of detector signals with to that without an applied
      longitudinal magnetic field. The magnetic field dose response for each unique
      orientation as a function of magnetic field strength was then compared to the
      previous simulation only studies. RESULTS: The measured dose response of each
      detector in longitudinal magnetic fields shows no discernable response up to near
      0.21 T. This result was expected and matches the previously published simulation
      only results, showing no appreciable dose response with magnetic field.
      CONCLUSIONS: Low field longitudinal magnetic fields have been shown to have
      little or no effect on the dose response of the detectors investigated and
      further lend credibility to previous simulation only studies.

PMID- 26127037
TI  - Multi-GPU implementation of a VMAT treatment plan optimization algorithm.
AB  - PURPOSE: Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) optimization is a
      computationally challenging problem due to its large data size, high degrees of
      freedom, and many hardware constraints. High-performance graphics processing
      units (GPUs) have been used to speed up the computations. However, GPU's
      relatively small memory size cannot handle cases with a large dose-deposition
      coefficient (DDC) matrix in cases of, e.g., those with a large target size,
      multiple targets, multiple arcs, and/or small beamlet size. The main purpose of
      this paper is to report an implementation of a column-generation-based VMAT
      algorithm, previously developed in the authors' group, on a multi-GPU platform to
      solve the memory limitation problem. While the column-generation-based VMAT
      algorithm has been previously developed, the GPU implementation details have not
      been reported. Hence, another purpose is to present detailed techniques employed
      for GPU implementation. The authors also would like to utilize this particular
      problem as an example problem to study the feasibility of using a multi-GPU
      platform to solve large-scale problems in medical physics. METHODS: The column
      generation approach generates VMAT apertures sequentially by solving a pricing
      problem (PP) and a master problem (MP) iteratively. In the authors' method, the
      sparse DDC matrix is first stored on a CPU in coordinate list format (COO). On
      the GPU side, this matrix is split into four submatrices according to beam
      angles, which are stored on four GPUs in compressed sparse row format.
      Computation of beamlet price, the first step in PP, is accomplished using multi
      GPUs. A fast inter-GPU data transfer scheme is accomplished using peer-to-peer
      access. The remaining steps of PP and MP problems are implemented on CPU or a
      single GPU due to their modest problem scale and computational loads. Barzilai
      and Borwein algorithm with a subspace step scheme is adopted here to solve the MP
      problem. A head and neck (H&N) cancer case is then used to validate the authors'
      method. The authors also compare their multi-GPU implementation with three
      different single GPU implementation strategies, i.e., truncating DDC matrix (S1),
      repeatedly transferring DDC matrix between CPU and GPU (S2), and porting
      computations involving DDC matrix to CPU (S3), in terms of both plan quality and
      computational efficiency. Two more H&N patient cases and three prostate cases are
      used to demonstrate the advantages of the authors' method. RESULTS: The authors'
      multi-GPU implementation can finish the optimization process within ~ 1 min for
      the H&N patient case. S1 leads to an inferior plan quality although its total
      time was 10 s shorter than the multi-GPU implementation due to the reduced matrix
      size. S2 and S3 yield the same plan quality as the multi-GPU implementation but
      take ~4 and ~6 min, respectively. High computational efficiency was consistently
      achieved for the other five patient cases tested, with VMAT plans of clinically
      acceptable quality obtained within 23-46 s. Conversely, to obtain clinically
      comparable or acceptable plans for all six of these VMAT cases that the authors
      have tested in this paper, the optimization time needed in a commercial TPS
      system on CPU was found to be in an order of several minutes. CONCLUSIONS: The
      results demonstrate that the multi-GPU implementation of the authors' column
      generation-based VMAT optimization can handle the large-scale VMAT optimization
      problem efficiently without sacrificing plan quality. The authors' study may
      serve as an example to shed some light on other large-scale medical physics
      problems that require multi-GPU techniques.

PMID- 26127039
TI  - Gradient maintenance: A new algorithm for fast online replanning.
AB  - PURPOSE: Clinical use of online adaptive replanning has been hampered by the
      unpractically long time required to delineate volumes based on the image of the
      day. The authors propose a new replanning algorithm, named gradient maintenance
      (GM), which does not require the delineation of organs at risk (OARs), and can
      enhance automation, drastically reducing planning time and improving consistency
      and throughput of online replanning. METHODS: The proposed GM algorithm is based
      on the hypothesis that if the dose gradient toward each OAR in daily anatomy can
      be maintained the same as that in the original plan, the intended plan quality of
      the original plan would be preserved in the adaptive plan. The algorithm requires
      a series of partial concentric rings (PCRs) to be automatically generated around
      the target toward each OAR on the planning and the daily images. The PCRs are
      used in the daily optimization objective function. The PCR dose constraints are
      generated with dose-volume data extracted from the original plan. To demonstrate
      this idea, GM plans generated using daily images acquired using an in-room CT
      were compared to regular optimization and image guided radiation therapy
      repositioning plans for representative prostate and pancreatic cancer cases.
      RESULTS: The adaptive replanning using the GM algorithm, requiring only the
      target contour from the CT of the day, can be completed within 5 min without
      using high-power hardware. The obtained adaptive plans were almost as good as the
      regular optimization plans and were better than the repositioning plans for the
      cases studied. CONCLUSIONS: The newly proposed GM replanning algorithm, requiring
      only target delineation, not full delineation of OARs, substantially increased
      planning speed for online adaptive replanning. The preliminary results indicate
      that the GM algorithm may be a solution to improve the ability for automation and
      may be especially suitable for sites with small-to-medium size targets surrounded
      by several critical structures.

PMID- 26127038
TI  - Using multiscale texture and density features for near-term breast cancer risk
      analysis.
AB  - PURPOSE: To help improve efficacy of screening mammography by eventually
      establishing a new optimal personalized screening paradigm, the authors
      investigated the potential of using the quantitative multiscale texture and
      density feature analysis of digital mammograms to predict near-term breast cancer
      risk. METHODS: The authors' dataset includes digital mammograms acquired from 340
      women. Among them, 141 were positive and 199 were negative/benign cases. The
      negative digital mammograms acquired from the "prior" screening examinations were
      used in the study. Based on the intensity value distributions, five subregions at
      different scales were extracted from each mammogram. Five groups of features,
      including density and texture features, were developed and calculated on every
      one of the subregions. Sequential forward floating selection was used to search
      for the effective combinations. Using the selected features, a support vector
      machine (SVM) was optimized using a tenfold validation method to predict the risk
      of each woman having image-detectable cancer in the next sequential mammography
      screening. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was
      used as the performance assessment index. RESULTS: From a total number of 765
      features computed from multiscale subregions, an optimal feature set of 12
      features was selected. Applying this feature set, a SVM classifier yielded
      performance of AUC = 0.729 +/- 0.021. The positive predictive value was 0.657 (92
      of 140) and the negative predictive value was 0.755 (151 of 200). CONCLUSIONS:
      The study results demonstrated a moderately high positive association between
      risk prediction scores generated by the quantitative multiscale mammographic
      image feature analysis and the actual risk of a woman having an image-detectable
      breast cancer in the next subsequent examinations.

PMID- 26127040
TI  - Technical Note: Study of the electron transport parameters used in PENELOPE for
      the Monte Carlo simulation of Linac targets.
AB  - PURPOSE: The Monte Carlo simulation of electron transport in Linac targets using
      the condensed history technique is known to be problematic owing to a potential
      dependence of absorbed dose distributions on the electron step length. In the
      PENELOPE code, the step length is partially determined by the transport
      parameters C1 and C2. The authors have investigated the effect on the absorbed
      dose distribution of the values given to these parameters in the target. METHODS:
      A monoenergetic 6.26 MeV electron pencil beam from a point source was simulated
      impinging normally on a cylindrical tungsten target. Electrons leaving the
      tungsten were discarded. Radial absorbed dose profiles were obtained at 1.5 cm of
      depth in a water phantom located at 100 cm for values of C1 and C2 in the target
      both equal to 0.1, 0.01, or 0.001. A detailed simulation case was also considered
      and taken as the reference. Additionally, lateral dose profiles were estimated
      and compared with experimental measurements for a 6 MV photon beam of a Varian
      Clinac 2100 for the cases of C1 and C2 both set to 0.1 or 0.001 in the target.
      RESULTS: On the central axis, the dose obtained for the case C1 = C2 = 0.1 shows
      a deviation of (17.2% +/- 1.2%) with respect to the detailed simulation. This
      difference decreases to (3.7% +/- 1.2%) for the case C1 = C2 = 0.01. The case C1
      = C2 = 0.001 produces a radial dose profile that is equivalent to that of the
      detailed simulation within the reached statistical uncertainty of 1%. The effect
      is also appreciable in the crossline dose profiles estimated for the realistic
      geometry of the Linac. In another simulation, it was shown that the error made by
      choosing inappropriate transport parameters can be masked by tuning the energy
      and focal spot size of the initial beam. CONCLUSIONS: The use of large path
      lengths for the condensed simulation of electrons in a Linac target with PENELOPE
      conducts to deviations of the dose in the patient or phantom. Based on the
      results obtained in this work, values of C1 and C2 larger than 0.001 should not
      be used in Linac targets without further investigation.

PMID- 26127041
TI  - CT dose equilibration and energy absorption in polyethylene cylinders with
      diameters from 6 to 55 cm.
AB  - PURPOSE: ICRU Report No. 87 Committee and AAPM Task Group 200 designed a three
      sectional polyethylene phantom of 30 cm in diameter and 60 cm in length for
      evaluating the midpoint dose DL(0) and its rise-to-the-equilibrium curve H(L) =
      DL(0)/D(eq) from computed tomography (CT) scanning, where D(eq) is the
      equilibrium dose. To aid the use of the phantom in radiation dose assessment and
      to gain an understanding of dose equilibration and energy absorption in
      polyethylene, the authors evaluated the short (20 cm) to long (60 cm) phantom
      dose ratio with a polyethylene diameter of 30 cm, assessed H(L) in polyethylene
      cylinders of 6-55 cm in diameters, and examined energy absorption in these
      cylinders. METHODS: A GEANT4-based Monte Carlo program was used to simulate the
      single axial scans of polyethylene cylinders (diameters 6-55 cm and length 90 cm,
      as well as diameter 30 cm and lengths 20 and 60 cm) on a clinical CT scanner
      (Somatom Definition dual source CT, Siemens Healthcare). Axial dose distributions
      were computed on the phantom central and peripheral axes. An average dose over
      the central 23 or 100 mm region was evaluated for modeling dose measurement using
      a 0.6 cm(3) thimble chamber or a 10 cm long pencil ion chamber, respectively. The
      short (20 cm) to long (90 cm) phantom dose ratios were calculated for the 30 cm
      diameter polyethylene phantoms scanned at four tube voltages (80-140 kV) and a
      range of beam apertures (1-25 cm). H(L) was evaluated using the dose integrals
      computed with the 90 cm long phantoms. The resultant H(L) data were subsequently
      used to compute the fraction of the total energy absorbed inside or outside the
      scan range (E(in)/E or E(out)/E) on the phantom central and peripheral axes,
      where E = LD(eq) was the total energy absorbed along the z axis. RESULTS: The
      midpoint dose in the 60 cm long polyethylene phantom was equal to that in the 90
      cm long polyethylene phantom. The short-to-long phantom dose ratios changed with
      beam aperture and phantom axis but were insensitive to tube voltage. H(L) was
      insensitive to tube voltage and CT scanner model. As phantom diameter increased
      from 6 to 55 cm, E(in)/E generally decreased but asymptotically approached
      constant levels on the peripheral axes of large phantoms. The curve of E(in)/E
      versus scan length was almost identical to that of H(L). Similarly, E(out)/E
      increased with scan length and asymptotically approached the equilibrium for
      large scan lengths. E(out)/D(eq) was much less than the equilibrium length L(eq)
      where H(L) = 0.98, even with scan lengths much larger than L(eq). CONCLUSIONS:
      The polyethylene phantom designed by ICRU Report No. 87 Committee and AAPM Task
      Group 200 is adequately long for assessing the midpoint dose and its
      equilibration in CT scanning. The short-to-long phantom dose ratios and the H(L)
      data provided in this paper allow easy evaluations of the midpoint dose,
      longitudinal dose distribution, and energy absorption in polyethylene phantoms.
      The results of dose equilibration and energy absorption presented herein may be
      insightful for the clinical CT scans with various subject sizes and scan lengths.

PMID- 26127042
TI  - Report of improved performance in Talbot-Lau phase-contrast computed tomography.
AB  - PURPOSE: Many expectations have been raised since the use of conventional x-ray
      tubes on grating-based x-ray phase-contrast imaging. Despite a reported increase
      in contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in many publications, there is doubt on whether
      phase-contrast computed tomography (CT) is advantageous in clinical CT scanners
      in vivo. The aim of this paper is to contribute to this discussion by analyzing
      the performance of a phase-contrast CT laboratory setup. METHODS: A phase
      contrast CT performance analysis was done. Projection images of a phantom were
      recorded, and image slices were reconstructed using standard filtered back
      projection methods. The resulting image slices were analyzed by determining the
      CNRs in the attenuation and phase image. These results were compared to
      analytically calculated expectations according to the already published phase
      contrast CT performance analysis by Raupach and Flohr [Med. Phys. 39, 4761-4774
      (2012)]. There, a severe mistake was found leading to wrong predictions of the
      performance of phase-contrast CT. The error was corrected and with the new
      formulae, the experimentally obtained results matched the analytical
      calculations. RESULTS: The squared ratios of the phase-contrast CNR and the
      attenuation CNR obtained in the authors' experiment are five- to ten-fold higher
      than predicted by Raupach and Flohr [Med. Phys. 39, 4761-4774 (2012)]. The
      effective lateral spatial coherence length deduced outnumbers the already
      optimistic assumption of Raupach and Flohr [Med. Phys. 39, 4761-4774 (2012)] by a
      factor of 3. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' results indicate that the assumptions made
      in former performance analyses are pessimistic. The break-even point, when phase
      contrast CT outperforms attenuation CT, is within reach even with realistic,
      nonperfect gratings. Further improvements to state-of-the-art clinical CT
      scanners, like increasing the spatial resolution, could change the balance in
      favor of phase-contrast computed tomography even more. This could be done by,
      e.g., quantum-counting pixel detectors with four-fold smaller pixel pitches.

PMID- 26127043
TI  - 3D delivered dose assessment using a 4DCT-based motion model.
AB  - PURPOSE: The purpose of this work is to develop a clinically feasible method of
      calculating actual delivered dose distributions for patients who have significant
      respiratory motion during the course of stereotactic body radiation therapy
      (SBRT). METHODS: A novel approach was proposed to calculate the actual delivered
      dose distribution for SBRT lung treatment. This approach can be specified in
      three steps. (1) At the treatment planning stage, a patient-specific motion model
      is created from planning 4DCT data. This model assumes that the displacement
      vector field (DVF) of any respiratory motion deformation can be described as a
      linear combination of some basis DVFs. (2) During the treatment procedure, 2D
      time-varying projection images (either kV or MV projections) are acquired, from
      which time-varying "fluoroscopic" 3D images of the patient are reconstructed
      using the motion model. The DVF of each timepoint in the time-varying
      reconstruction is an optimized linear combination of basis DVFs such that the 2D
      projection of the 3D volume at this timepoint matches the projection image. (3)
      3D dose distribution is computed for each timepoint in the set of 3D
      reconstructed fluoroscopic images, from which the total effective 3D delivered
      dose is calculated by accumulating deformed dose distributions. This approach was
      first validated using two modified digital extended cardio-torso (XCAT) phantoms
      with lung tumors and different respiratory motions. The estimated doses were
      compared to the dose that would be calculated for routine 4DCT-based planning and
      to the actual delivered dose that was calculated using "ground truth" XCAT
      phantoms at all timepoints. The approach was also tested using one set of patient
      data, which demonstrated the application of our method in a clinical scenario.
      RESULTS: For the first XCAT phantom that has a mostly regular breathing pattern,
      the errors in 95% volume dose (D95) are 0.11% and 0.83%, respectively for 3D
      fluoroscopic images reconstructed from kV and MV projections compared to the
      ground truth, which is clinically comparable to 4DCT (0.093%). For the second
      XCAT phantom that has an irregular breathing pattern, the errors are 0.81% and
      1.75% for kV and MV reconstructions, both of which are better than that of 4DCT
      (4.01%). In the case of real patient, although it is impossible to obtain the
      actual delivered dose, the dose estimation is clinically reasonable and
      demonstrates differences between 4DCT and MV reconstruction-based dose estimates.
      CONCLUSIONS: With the availability of kV or MV projection images, the proposed
      approach is able to assess delivered doses for all respiratory phases during
      treatment. Compared to the planning dose based on 4DCT, the dose estimation using
      reconstructed 3D fluoroscopic images was as good as 4DCT for regular respiratory
      pattern and was a better dose estimation for the irregular respiratory pattern.

PMID- 26127044
TI  - Technical Note: Measurement of bow tie profiles in CT scanners using radiochromic
      film.
AB  - PURPOSE: To provide a noninvasive technique to measure the intensity profile of
      the fan beam in a computed tomography (CT) scanner that is cost effective and
      easily implemented without the need to access proprietary scanner information or
      service modes. METHODS: The fabrication of an inexpensive aperture is described,
      which is used to expose radiochromic film in a rotating CT gantry. A series of
      exposures is made, each of which is digitized on a personal computer document
      scanner, and the resulting data set is analyzed to produce a self-consistent
      calibration of relative radiation exposure. The bow tie profiles were analyzed to
      determine the precision of the process and were compared to two other measurement
      techniques, direct measurements from CT gantry detectors and a dynamic dosimeter.
      RESULTS: The radiochromic film method presented here can measure radiation
      exposures with a precision of ~ 6% root-mean-square relative error. The intensity
      profiles have a maximum 25% root-mean-square relative error compared with
      existing techniques. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed radiochromic film method for
      measuring bow tie profiles is an inexpensive (~$100 USD + film costs),
      noninvasive method to measure the fan beam intensity profile in CT scanners.

PMID- 26127045
TI  - DTI template-based estimation of cardiac fiber orientations from 3D ultrasound.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cardiac muscle fibers directly affect the mechanical, physiological, and
      pathological properties of the heart. Patient-specific quantification of cardiac
      fiber orientations is an important but difficult problem in cardiac imaging
      research. In this study, the authors proposed a cardiac fiber orientation
      estimation method based on three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound images and a cardiac
      fiber template that was obtained from magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging
      (DTI). METHODS: A DTI template-based framework was developed to estimate cardiac
      fiber orientations from 3D ultrasound images using an animal model. It estimated
      the cardiac fiber orientations of the target heart by deforming the fiber
      orientations of the template heart, based on the deformation field of the
      registration between the ultrasound geometry of the target heart and the MRI
      geometry of the template heart. In the experiments, the animal hearts were imaged
      by high-frequency ultrasound, T1-weighted MRI, and high-resolution DTI. RESULTS:
      The proposed method was evaluated by four different parameters: Dice similarity
      coefficient (DSC), target errors, acute angle error (AAE), and inclination angle
      error (IAE). Its ability of estimating cardiac fiber orientations was first
      validated by a public database. Then, the performance of the proposed method on
      3D ultrasound data was evaluated by an acquired database. Their average values
      were 95.4% +/- 2.0% for the DSC of geometric registrations, 21.0 degrees  +/-
      0.76 degrees  for AAE, and 19.4 degrees  +/- 1.2 degrees  for IAE of fiber
      orientation estimations. Furthermore, the feasibility of this framework was also
      performed on 3D ultrasound images of a beating heart. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed
      framework demonstrated the feasibility of using 3D ultrasound imaging to estimate
      cardiac fiber orientation of in vivo beating hearts and its further improvements
      could contribute to understanding the dynamic mechanism of the beating heart and
      has the potential to help diagnosis and therapy of heart disease.

PMID- 26127046
TI  - Eye-tracking of nodule detection in lung CT volumetric data.
AB  - PURPOSE: Signal detection on 3D medical images depends on many factors, such as
      foveal and peripheral vision, the type of signal, and background complexity, and
      the speed at which the frames are displayed. In this paper, the authors focus on
      the speed with which radiologists and naive observers search through medical
      images. Prior to the study, the authors asked the radiologists to estimate the
      speed at which they scrolled through CT sets. They gave a subjective estimate of
      5 frames per second (fps). The aim of this paper is to measure and analyze the
      speed with which humans scroll through image stacks, showing a method to visually
      display the behavior of observers as the search is made as well as measuring the
      accuracy of the decisions. This information will be useful in the development of
      model observers, mathematical algorithms that can be used to evaluate diagnostic
      imaging systems. METHODS: The authors performed a series of 3D 4-alternative
      forced-choice lung nodule detection tasks on volumetric stacks of chest CT images
      iteratively reconstructed in lung algorithm. The strategy used by three
      radiologists and three naive observers was assessed using an eye-tracker in order
      to establish where their gaze was fixed during the experiment and to verify that
      when a decision was made, a correct answer was not due only to chance. In a first
      set of experiments, the observers were restricted to read the images at three
      fixed speeds of image scrolling and were allowed to see each alternative once. In
      the second set of experiments, the subjects were allowed to scroll through the
      image stacks at will with no time or gaze limits. In both static-speed and free
      scrolling conditions, the four image stacks were displayed simultaneously. All
      trials were shown at two different image contrasts. RESULTS: The authors were
      able to determine a histogram of scrolling speeds in frames per second. The
      scrolling speed of the naive observers and the radiologists at the moment the
      signal was detected was measured at 25-30 fps. For the task chosen, the
      performance of the observers was not affected by the contrast or experience of
      the observer. However, the naive observers exhibited a different pattern of
      scrolling than the radiologists, which included a tendency toward higher number
      of direction changes and number of slices viewed. CONCLUSIONS: The authors have
      determined a distribution of speeds for volumetric detection tasks. The speed at
      detection was higher than that subjectively estimated by the radiologists before
      the experiment. The speed information that was measured will be useful in the
      development of 3D model observers, especially anthropomorphic model observers
      which try to mimic human behavior.

PMID- 26127047
TI  - Two-stage atlas subset selection in multi-atlas based image segmentation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Fast growing access to large databases and cloud stored data presents a
      unique opportunity for multi-atlas based image segmentation and also presents
      challenges in heterogeneous atlas quality and computation burden. This work aims
      to develop a novel two-stage method tailored to the special needs in the face of
      large atlas collection with varied quality, so that high-accuracy segmentation
      can be achieved with low computational cost. METHODS: An atlas subset selection
      scheme is proposed to substitute a significant portion of the computationally
      expensive full-fledged registration in the conventional scheme with a low-cost
      alternative. More specifically, the authors introduce a two-stage atlas subset
      selection method. In the first stage, an augmented subset is obtained based on a
      low-cost registration configuration and a preliminary relevance metric; in the
      second stage, the subset is further narrowed down to a fusion set of desired
      size, based on full-fledged registration and a refined relevance metric. An
      inference model is developed to characterize the relationship between the
      preliminary and refined relevance metrics, and a proper augmented subset size is
      derived to ensure that the desired atlases survive the preliminary selection with
      high probability. RESULTS: The performance of the proposed scheme has been
      assessed with cross validation based on two clinical datasets consisting of
      manually segmented prostate and brain magnetic resonance images, respectively.
      The proposed scheme demonstrates comparable end-to-end segmentation performance
      as the conventional single-stage selection method, but with significant
      computation reduction. Compared with the alternative computation reduction
      method, their scheme improves the mean and medium Dice similarity coefficient
      value from (0.74, 0.78) to (0.83, 0.85) and from (0.82, 0.84) to (0.95, 0.95) for
      prostate and corpus callosum segmentation, respectively, with statistical
      significance. CONCLUSIONS: The authors have developed a novel two-stage atlas
      subset selection scheme for multi-atlas based segmentation. It achieves good
      segmentation accuracy with significantly reduced computation cost, making it a
      suitable configuration in the presence of extensive heterogeneous atlases.

PMID- 26127048
TI  - Effect of color visualization and display hardware on the visual assessment of
      pseudocolor medical images.
AB  - PURPOSE: Even though the use of color in the interpretation of medical images has
      increased significantly in recent years, the ad hoc manner in which color is
      handled and the lack of standard approaches have been associated with suboptimal
      and inconsistent diagnostic decisions with a negative impact on patient treatment
      and prognosis. The purpose of this study is to determine if the choice of color
      scale and display device hardware affects the visual assessment of patterns that
      have the characteristics of functional medical images. METHODS: Perfusion
      magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was the basis for designing and performing
      experiments. Synthetic images resembling brain dynamic-contrast enhanced MRI
      consisting of scaled mixtures of white, lumpy, and clustered backgrounds were
      used to assess the performance of a rainbow ("jet"), a heated black-body ("hot"),
      and a gray ("gray") color scale with display devices of different quality on the
      detection of small changes in color intensity. The authors used a two
      alternative, forced-choice design where readers were presented with 600 pairs of
      images. Each pair consisted of two images of the same pattern flipped along the
      vertical axis with a small difference in intensity. Readers were asked to select
      the image with the highest intensity. Three differences in intensity were tested
      on four display devices: a medical-grade three-million-pixel display, a consumer
      grade monitor, a tablet device, and a phone. RESULTS: The estimates of percent
      correct show that jet outperformed hot and gray in the high and low range of the
      color scales for all devices with a maximum difference in performance of 18%
      (confidence intervals: 6%, 30%). Performance with hot was different for high and
      low intensity, comparable to jet for the high range, and worse than gray for
      lower intensity values. Similar performance was seen between devices using jet
      and hot, while gray performance was better for handheld devices. Time of
      performance was shorter with jet. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that the
      choice of color scale and display hardware affects the visual comparative
      analysis of pseudocolor images. Follow-up studies in clinical settings are being
      considered to confirm the results with patient images.

PMID- 26127049
TI  - Assessment of radiation dose in nuclear cardiovascular imaging using realistic
      computational models.
AB  - PURPOSE: Nuclear cardiology plays an important role in clinical assessment and
      has enormous impact on the management of a variety of cardiovascular diseases.
      Pediatric patients at different age groups are exposed to a spectrum of radiation
      dose levels and associated cancer risks different from those of adults in
      diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures. Therefore, comprehensive radiation
      dosimetry evaluations for commonly used myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and
      viability radiotracers in target population (children and adults) at different
      age groups are highly desired. METHODS: Using Monte Carlo calculations and
      biological effects of ionizing radiation VII model, we calculate the S-values for
      a number of radionuclides (Tl-201, Tc-99m, I-123, C-11, N-13, O-15, F-18, and Rb
      82) and estimate the absorbed dose and effective dose for 12 MPI radiotracers in
      computational models including the newborn, 1-, 5-, 10-, 15-yr-old, and adult
      male and female computational phantoms. RESULTS: For most organs, (201)Tl
      produces the highest absorbed dose whereas (82)Rb and (15)O-water produce the
      lowest absorbed dose. For the newborn baby and adult patient, the effective dose
      of (82)Rb is 48% and 77% lower than that of (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin (rest),
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: (82)Rb results in lower effective dose in adults
      compared to (99m)Tc-labeled tracers. However, this advantage is less apparent in
      children. The produced dosimetric databases for various radiotracers used in
      cardiovascular imaging, using new generation of computational models, can be used
      for risk-benefit assessment of a spectrum of patient population in clinical
      nuclear cardiology practice.

PMID- 26127050
TI  - A fast GPU-based Monte Carlo simulation of proton transport with detailed
      modeling of nonelastic interactions.
AB  - PURPOSE: Very fast Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of proton transport have been
      implemented recently on graphics processing units (GPUs). However, these MCs
      usually use simplified models for nonelastic proton-nucleus interactions. Our
      primary goal is to build a GPU-based proton transport MC with detailed modeling
      of elastic and nonelastic proton-nucleus collisions. METHODS: Using the cuda
      framework, the authors implemented GPU kernels for the following tasks: (1)
      simulation of beam spots from our possible scanning nozzle configurations, (2)
      proton propagation through CT geometry, taking into account nuclear elastic
      scattering, multiple scattering, and energy loss straggling, (3) modeling of the
      intranuclear cascade stage of nonelastic interactions when they occur, (4)
      simulation of nuclear evaporation, and (5) statistical error estimates on the
      dose. To validate our MC, the authors performed (1) secondary particle yield
      calculations in proton collisions with therapeutically relevant nuclei, (2) dose
      calculations in homogeneous phantoms, (3) recalculations of complex head and neck
      treatment plans from a commercially available treatment planning system, and
      compared with (GEANT)4.9.6p2/TOPAS. RESULTS: Yields, energy, and angular
      distributions of secondaries from nonelastic collisions on various nuclei are in
      good agreement with the (GEANT)4.9.6p2 Bertini and Binary cascade models. The 3D
      gamma pass rate at 2%-2 mm for treatment plan simulations is typically 98%. The
      net computational time on a NVIDIA GTX680 card, including all CPU-GPU data
      transfers, is ~ 20 s for 1 * 10(7) proton histories. CONCLUSIONS: Our GPU-based
      MC is the first of its kind to include a detailed nuclear model to handle
      nonelastic interactions of protons with any nucleus. Dosimetric calculations are
      in very good agreement with (GEANT)4.9.6p2/TOPAS. Our MC is being integrated into
      a framework to perform fast routine clinical QA of pencil-beam based treatment
      plans, and is being used as the dose calculation engine in a clinically
      applicable MC-based IMPT treatment planning system. The detailed nuclear modeling
      will allow us to perform very fast linear energy transfer and neutron dose
      estimates on the GPU.

PMID- 26127051
TI  - Commissioning of a proton gantry equipped with dual x-ray imagers and a robotic
      patient positioner, and evaluation of the accuracy of single-beam image
      registration for this system.
AB  - PURPOSE: To check the accuracy of a gantry equipped with dual x-ray imagers and a
      robotic patient positioner for proton radiotherapy, and to evaluate the accuracy
      and feasibility of single-beam registration using the robotic positioner.
      METHODS: One of the proton treatment rooms at their institution was upgraded to
      include a robotic patient positioner (couch) with 6 degrees of freedom and dual
      orthogonal kilovoltage x-ray imaging panels. The wander of the proton beam
      central axis, the wander of the beamline, and the orthogonal image panel
      crosswires from the gantry isocenter were measured for different gantry angles.
      The couch movement accuracy and couch wander from the gantry isocenter were
      measured for couch loadings of 50-300 lb with couch rotations from 0 degrees  to
      +/- 90 degrees . The combined accuracy of the gantry, couch, and imagers was
      checked using a custom-made 30 * 30 * 30 cm(3) Styrofoam phantom with beekleys
      embedded in it. A treatment in this room can be set up and registered at a setup
      field location, then moved precisely to any other treatment location without
      requiring additional image registration. The accuracy of the single-beam
      registration strategy was checked for treatments containing multiple beams with
      different combinations of gantry angles, couch yaws, and beam locations. RESULTS:
      The proton beam central axis wander from the gantry isocenter was within 0.5 mm
      with gantry rotations in both clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW)
      directions. The maximum wander of the beamline and orthogonal imager crosswire
      centers from the gantry isocenter were within 0.5 and 0.8 mm, respectively, with
      the gantry rotations in CW and CCW directions. Vertical and horizontal couch
      wanders from the gantry isocenter were within 0.4 and 1.3 mm, respectively, for
      couch yaw from 0 degrees  to +/- 90 degrees . For a treatment with multiple beams
      with different gantry angles, couch yaws, and beam locations, the measured
      displacements of treatment beam locations from the one based on the initial setup
      beam registered at the gantry at 0 degrees /180 degrees  and couch yaw at 0
      degrees  were within 1.5 mm in three translations and 0.5 degrees  in three
      rotations for a 200 lb couch loading. CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate that the
      gantry equipped with a robotic patient positioner and dual imaging panels
      satisfies treatment requirements for proton radiotherapy. The combined accuracy
      of the gantry, couch, and imagers allows a patient to be registered at one setup
      position and then moved precisely to another treatment position by commanding the
      robotic patient positioner and delivering treatment without requiring additional
      image registration.

PMID- 26127052
TI  - MagicPlate-512: A 2D silicon detector array for quality assurance of stereotactic
      motion adaptive radiotherapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: Spatial and temporal resolutions are two of the most important features
      for quality assurance instrumentation of motion adaptive radiotherapy modalities.
      The goal of this work is to characterize the performance of the 2D high spatial
      resolution monolithic silicon diode array named "MagicPlate-512" for quality
      assurance of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and stereotactic
      radiosurgery (SRS) combined with a dynamic multileaf collimator (MLC) tracking
      technique for motion compensation. METHODS: MagicPlate-512 is used in combination
      with the movable platform HexaMotion and a research version of radiofrequency
      tracking system Calypso driving MLC tracking software. The authors reconstruct 2D
      dose distributions of small field square beams in three modalities: in static
      conditions, mimicking the temporal movement pattern of a lung tumor and tracking
      the moving target while the MLC compensates almost instantaneously for the tumor
      displacement. Use of Calypso in combination with MagicPlate-512 requires a proper
      radiofrequency interference shielding. Impact of the shielding on dosimetry has
      been simulated by (GEANT)4 and verified experimentally. Temporal and spatial
      resolutions of the dosimetry system allow also for accurate verification of
      segments of complex stereotactic radiotherapy plans with identification of the
      instant and location where a certain dose is delivered. This feature allows for
      retrospective temporal reconstruction of the delivery process and easy
      identification of error in the tracking or the multileaf collimator driving
      systems. A sliding MLC wedge combined with the lung motion pattern has been
      measured. The ability of the MagicPlate-512 (MP512) in 2D dose mapping in all
      three modes of operation was benchmarked by EBT3 film. RESULTS: Full width at
      half maximum and penumbra of the moving and stationary dose profiles measured by
      EBT3 film and MagicPlate-512 confirm that motion has a significant impact on the
      dose distribution. Motion, no motion, and motion with MLC tracking profiles
      agreed within 1 and 0.4 mm, respectively, for all field sizes tested. Use of
      electromagnetic tracking system generates a fluctuation of the detector baseline
      up to 10% of the full scale signal requiring a proper shielding strategy.
      MagicPlate-512 is also able to reconstruct the dose variation pulse-by-pulse in
      each pixel of the detector. An analysis of the dose transients with motion and
      motion with tracking shows that the tracking feedback algorithm used for this
      experiment can compensate effectively only the effect of the slower transient
      components. The fast changing components of the organ motion can contribute only
      to discrepancy of the order of 15% in penumbral region while the slower
      components can change the dose profile up to 75% of the expected dose.
      CONCLUSIONS: MagicPlate-512 is shown to be, potentially, a valid alternative to
      film or 2D ionizing chambers for quality assurance dosimetry in SRS or SBRT. Its
      high spatial and temporal resolutions allow for accurate reconstruction of the
      profile in any conditions with motion and with tracking of the motion. It shows
      excellent performance to reconstruct the dose deposition in real time or
      retrospectively as a function of time for detailed analysis of the effect of
      motion in a specific pixel or area of interest.

PMID- 26127053
TI  - Effects of pulse duration on magnetostimulation thresholds.
AB  - PURPOSE: Medical imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and
      magnetic particle imaging (MPI) utilize time-varying magnetic fields that are
      subject to magnetostimulation limits, which often limit the speed of the imaging
      process. Various human-subject experiments have studied the amplitude and
      frequency dependence of these thresholds for gradient or homogeneous magnetic
      fields. Another contributing factor was shown to be number of cycles in a
      magnetic pulse, where the thresholds decreased with longer pulses. The latter
      result was demonstrated on two subjects only, at a single frequency of 1.27 kHz.
      Hence, whether the observed effect was due to the number of cycles or due to the
      pulse duration was not specified. In addition, a gradient-type field was
      utilized; hence, whether the same phenomenon applies to homogeneous magnetic
      fields remained unknown. Here, the authors investigate the pulse duration
      dependence of magnetostimulation limits for a 20-fold range of frequencies using
      homogeneous magnetic fields, such as the ones used for the drive field in MPI.
      METHODS: Magnetostimulation thresholds were measured in the arms of six healthy
      subjects (age: 27 +/- 5 yr). Each experiment comprised testing the thresholds at
      eight different pulse durations between 2 and 125 ms at a single frequency, which
      took approximately 30-40 min/subject. A total of 34 experiments were performed at
      three different frequencies: 1.2, 5.7, and 25.5 kHz. A solenoid coil providing
      homogeneous magnetic field was used to induce stimulation, and the field
      amplitude was measured in real time. A pre-emphasis based pulse shaping method
      was employed to accurately control the pulse durations. Subjects reported
      stimulation via a mouse click whenever they felt a twitching/tingling sensation.
      A sigmoid function was fitted to the subject responses to find the threshold at a
      specific frequency and duration, and the whole procedure was repeated at all
      relevant frequencies and pulse durations. RESULTS: The magnetostimulation limits
      decreased with increasing pulse duration (T(pulse)). For T(pulse) < 18 ms, the
      thresholds were significantly higher than at the longest pulse durations (p <
      0.01, paired Wilcoxon signed-rank test). The normalized magnetostimulation
      threshold (B(Norm)) vs duration curve at all three frequencies agreed almost
      identically, indicating that the observed effect is independent of the operating
      frequency. At the shortest pulse duration (T(pulse) ~ 2 ms), the thresholds were
      approximately 24% higher than at the asymptotes. The thresholds decreased to
      within 4% of their asymptotic values for T(pulse) > 20 ms. These trends were well
      characterized (R(2) = 0.78) by a stretched exponential function given by
      B(Norm)=1+alphae(-T(pulse)/beta(gamma)) , where the fitted parameters were alpha
      = 0.44, beta = 4.32, and gamma = 0.60. CONCLUSIONS: This work shows for the first
      time that the magnetostimulation thresholds decrease with increasing pulse
      duration, and that this effect is independent of the operating frequency.
      Normalized threshold vs duration trends are almost identical for a 20-fold range
      of frequencies: the thresholds are significantly higher at short pulse durations
      and settle to within 4% of their asymptotic values for durations longer than 20
      ms. These results emphasize the importance of matching the human-subject
      experiments to the imaging conditions of a particular setup. Knowing the
      dependence of the safety limits to all contributing factors is critical for
      increasing the time-efficiency of imaging systems that utilize time-varying
      magnetic fields.

PMID- 26127054
TI  - Quantitative evaluation of image segmentation incorporating medical consideration
      functions.
AB  - PURPOSE: A quantitative and objective metric, the medical similarity index (MSI),
      has been developed for evaluating the accuracy of a medical image segmentation
      relative to a reference segmentation. The MSI uses the medical consideration
      function (MCF) as its basis. METHODS: Currently, no indices provide quantitative
      evaluations of segmentation accuracy with medical considerations. Variations in
      segmentation can occur due to individual skill levels and medical relevance-
      curable or palliative intent, boundary uncertainty due to volume averaging,
      contrast levels, spatial resolution, and unresolved motion all affect the
      accuracy of a patient segmentation. Current accuracy measuring indices are not
      medically relevant. For example, undercontouring the tumor volume is not
      differentiated from overcontouring tumor. Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and
      Hausdorff distance (HD) are two similarity measures often used. However, these
      metrics consider only geometric difference without considering medical
      implications. Two segments (under- vs overcontouring tumor) with similar DSC and
      HD measures could produce significantly different medical treatment results. The
      authors are proposing a MSI involving a user-defined MCF derived from an
      asymmetric Gaussian function. The shape of the MCF can be determined by a user,
      reflecting the anatomical location and characteristics of a particular tissue,
      organ, or tumor type. The peak of MCF is set along the reference contour; the
      inner and outer slopes are selected by the user. The discrepancy between the test
      and reference contours is calculated at each pixel by using a bidirectional local
      distance measure. The MCF value corresponding to that distance is summed and
      averaged to produce the MSI. Synthetic segmentations and clinical data from a 15
      multi-institutional trial for a head-and-neck case are scored and compared by
      using MSI, DSC, and Hausdorff distance. RESULTS: The MSI was shown to reflect
      medical considerations through the choice of MCF penalties for under- and
      overcontouring. Existing similarity scores were either insensitive to medical
      realities or simply inaccurate. CONCLUSIONS: The medical similarity index, a
      segmentation evaluation metric based on medical considerations, has been
      proposed, developed, and tested to incorporate clinically relevant considerations
      beyond geometric parameters alone.

PMID- 26127055
TI  - Computer-aided diagnosis for distinguishing between triple-negative breast cancer
      and fibroadenomas based on ultrasound texture features.
AB  - PURPOSE: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive subtype, is
      frequently misclassified as fibroadenoma due to benign morphologic features on
      breast ultrasound (US). This study aims to develop a computer-aided diagnosis
      (CAD) system based on texture features for distinguishing between TNBC and benign
      fibroadenomas in US images. METHODS: US images of 169 pathology-proven tumors
      (mean size, 1.65 cm; range, 0.7-3.0 cm) composed of 84 benign fibroadenomas and
      85 TNBC tumors are used in this study. After a tumor is segmented out using the
      level-set method, morphological, conventional texture, and multiresolution gray
      scale invariant texture feature sets are computed using a best-fitting ellipse,
      gray-level co-occurrence matrices, and the ranklet transform, respectively. The
      linear support vector machine with leave-one-out cross-validation schema is used
      as a classifier, and the diagnostic performance is assessed with receiver
      operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: The Az values of the
      morphology, conventional texture, and multiresolution gray-scale invariant
      texture feature sets are 0.8470 [95% confidence intervals (CIs), 0.7826-0.8973],
      0.8542 (95% CI, 0.7911-0.9030), and 0.9695 (95% CI, 0.9376-0.9865), respectively.
      The Az of the CAD system based on the combined feature sets is 0.9702 (95% CI,
      0.9334-0.9882). CONCLUSIONS: The CAD system based on texture features extracted
      via the ranklet transform may be useful for improving the ability to discriminate
      between TNBC and benign fibroadenomas.

PMID- 26127056
TI  - A general theory of interference fringes in x-ray phase grating imaging.
AB  - PURPOSE: The authors note that the concept of the Talbot self-image distance in x
      ray phase grating interferometry is indeed not well defined for polychromatic x
      rays, because both the grating phase shift and the fractional Talbot distances
      are all x-ray wavelength-dependent. For x-ray interferometry optimization, there
      is a need for a quantitative theory that is able to predict if a good intensity
      modulation is attainable at a given grating-to-detector distance. In this work,
      the authors set out to meet this need. METHODS: In order to apply Fourier
      analysis directly to the intensity fringe patterns of two-dimensional and one
      dimensional phase grating interferometers, the authors start their derivation
      from a general phase space theory of x-ray phase-contrast imaging. Unlike
      previous Fourier analyses, the authors evolved the Wigner distribution to obtain
      closed-form expressions of the Fourier coefficients of the intensity fringes for
      any grating-to-detector distance, even if it is not a fractional Talbot distance.
      RESULTS: The developed theory determines the visibility of any diffraction order
      as a function of the grating-to-detector distance, the phase shift of the
      grating, and the x-ray spectrum. The authors demonstrate that the visibilities of
      diffraction orders can serve as the indicators of the underlying interference
      intensity modulation. Applying the theory to the conventional and inverse
      geometry configurations of single-grating interferometers, the authors
      demonstrated that the proposed theory provides a quantitative tool for the
      grating interferometer optimization with or without the Talbot-distance
      constraints. CONCLUSIONS: In this work, the authors developed a novel theory of
      the interference intensity fringes in phase grating x-ray interferometry. This
      theory provides a quantitative tool in design optimization of phase grating x-ray
      interferometers.

PMID- 26127057
TI  - A generic high-dose rate (192)Ir brachytherapy source for evaluation of model
      based dose calculations beyond the TG-43 formalism.
AB  - PURPOSE: In order to facilitate a smooth transition for brachytherapy dose
      calculations from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Task
      Group No. 43 (TG-43) formalism to model-based dose calculation algorithms
      (MBDCAs), treatment planning systems (TPSs) using a MBDCA require a set of well
      defined test case plans characterized by Monte Carlo (MC) methods. This also
      permits direct dose comparison to TG-43 reference data. Such test case plans
      should be made available for use in the software commissioning process performed
      by clinical end users. To this end, a hypothetical, generic high-dose rate (HDR)
      (192)Ir source and a virtual water phantom were designed, which can be imported
      into a TPS. METHODS: A hypothetical, generic HDR (192)Ir source was designed
      based on commercially available sources as well as a virtual, cubic water phantom
      that can be imported into any TPS in DICOM format. The dose distribution of the
      generic (192)Ir source when placed at the center of the cubic phantom, and away
      from the center under altered scatter conditions, was evaluated using two
      commercial MBDCAs [Oncentra((r)) Brachy with advanced collapsed-cone engine (ACE)
      and BrachyVision ACUROSTM ]. Dose comparisons were performed using state-of-the
      art MC codes for radiation transport, including ALGEBRA, BrachyDose, GEANT4,
      MCNP5, MCNP6, and PENELOPE2008. The methodologies adhered to recommendations in
      the AAPM TG-229 report on high-energy brachytherapy source dosimetry. TG-43
      dosimetry parameters, an along-away dose-rate table, and primary and scatter
      separated (PSS) data were obtained. The virtual water phantom of (201)(3) voxels
      (1 mm sides) was used to evaluate the calculated dose distributions. Two test
      case plans involving a single position of the generic HDR (192)Ir source in this
      phantom were prepared: (i) source centered in the phantom and (ii) source
      displaced 7 cm laterally from the center. Datasets were independently produced by
      different investigators. MC results were then compared against dose calculated
      using TG-43 and MBDCA methods. RESULTS: TG-43 and PSS datasets were generated for
      the generic source, the PSS data for use with the ace algorithm. The dose-rate
      constant values obtained from seven MC simulations, performed independently using
      different codes, were in excellent agreement, yielding an average of 1.1109 +/-
      0.0004 cGy/(h U) (k = 1, Type A uncertainty). MC calculated dose-rate
      distributions for the two plans were also found to be in excellent agreement,
      with differences within type A uncertainties. Differences between commercial
      MBDCA and MC results were test, position, and calculation parameter dependent. On
      average, however, these differences were within 1% for ACUROS and 2% for ace at
      clinically relevant distances. CONCLUSIONS: A hypothetical, generic HDR (192)Ir
      source was designed and implemented in two commercially available TPSs employing
      different MBDCAs. Reference dose distributions for this source were benchmarked
      and used for the evaluation of MBDCA calculations employing a virtual, cubic
      water phantom in the form of a CT DICOM image series. The implementation of a
      generic source of identical design in all TPSs using MBDCAs is an important step
      toward supporting univocal commissioning procedures and direct comparisons
      between TPSs.

PMID- 26127058
TI  - Radiation doses in volume-of-interest breast computed tomography--A Monte Carlo
      simulation study.
AB  - PURPOSE: Cone beam breast computed tomography (breast CT) with true three
      dimensional, nearly isotropic spatial resolution has been developed and
      investigated over the past decade to overcome the problem of lesions overlapping
      with breast anatomical structures on two-dimensional mammographic images.
      However, the ability of breast CT to detect small objects, such as tissue
      structure edges and small calcifications, is limited. To resolve this problem,
      the authors proposed and developed a volume-of-interest (VOI) breast CT technique
      to image a small VOI using a higher radiation dose to improve that region's
      visibility. In this study, the authors performed Monte Carlo simulations to
      estimate average breast dose and average glandular dose (AGD) for the VOI breast
      CT technique. METHODS: Electron-Gamma-Shower system code-based Monte Carlo codes
      were used to simulate breast CT. The Monte Carlo codes estimated were validated
      using physical measurements of air kerma ratios and point doses in phantoms with
      an ion chamber and optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters. The validated
      full cone x-ray source was then collimated to simulate half cone beam x-rays to
      image digital pendant-geometry, hemi-ellipsoidal, homogeneous breast phantoms and
      to estimate breast doses with full field scans. 13-cm in diameter, 10-cm long
      hemi-ellipsoidal homogeneous phantoms were used to simulate median breasts.
      Breast compositions of 25% and 50% volumetric glandular fractions (VGFs) were
      used to investigate the influence on breast dose. The simulated half cone beam x
      rays were then collimated to a narrow x-ray beam with an area of 2.5 * 2.5 cm(2)
      field of view at the isocenter plane and to perform VOI field scans. The Monte
      Carlo results for the full field scans and the VOI field scans were then used to
      estimate the AGD for the VOI breast CT technique. RESULTS: The ratios of air
      kerma ratios and dose measurement results from the Monte Carlo simulation to
      those from the physical measurements were 0.97 +/- 0.03 and 1.10 +/- 0.13,
      respectively, indicating that the accuracy of the Monte Carlo simulation was
      adequate. The normalized AGD with VOI field scans was substantially reduced by a
      factor of about 2 over the VOI region and by a factor of 18 over the entire
      breast for both 25% and 50% VGF simulated breasts compared with the normalized
      AGD with full field scans. The normalized AGD for the VOI breast CT technique can
      be kept the same as or lower than that for a full field scan with the exposure
      level for the VOI field scan increased by a factor of as much as 12. CONCLUSIONS:
      The authors' Monte Carlo estimates of normalized AGDs for the VOI breast CT
      technique show that this technique can be used to markedly increase the dose to
      the breast and thus the visibility of the VOI region without increasing the dose
      to the breast. The results of this investigation should be helpful for those
      interested in using VOI breast CT technique to image small calcifications with
      dose concern.

PMID- 26127059
TI  - A "loop" shape descriptor and its application to automated segmentation of
      airways from CT scans.
AB  - PURPOSE: A novel shape descriptor is presented to aid an automated identification
      of the airways depicted on computed tomography (CT) images. METHODS: Instead of
      simplifying the tubular characteristic of the airways as an ideal mathematical
      cylindrical or circular shape, the proposed "loop" shape descriptor exploits the
      fact that the cross sections of any tubular structure (regardless of its
      regularity) always appear as a loop. In implementation, the authors first
      reconstruct the anatomical structures in volumetric CT as a three-dimensional
      surface model using the classical marching cubes algorithm. Then, the loop
      descriptor is applied to locate the airways with a concave loop cross section. To
      deal with the variation of the airway walls in density as depicted on CT images,
      a multiple threshold strategy is proposed. A publicly available chest CT database
      consisting of 20 CT scans, which was designed specifically for evaluating an
      airway segmentation algorithm, was used for quantitative performance assessment.
      Measures, including length, branch count, and generations, were computed under
      the aid of a skeletonization operation. RESULTS: For the test dataset, the airway
      length ranged from 64.6 to 429.8 cm, the generation ranged from 7 to 11, and the
      branch number ranged from 48 to 312. These results were comparable to the
      performance of the state-of-the-art algorithms validated on the same dataset.
      CONCLUSIONS: The authors' quantitative experiment demonstrated the feasibility
      and reliability of the developed shape descriptor in identifying lung airways.

PMID- 26127060
TI  - Erratum: "Independent dosimetric assessment of the model EP917 episcleral
      brachytherapy plaque" [Med. Phys. 41, 092102 (11pp.) (2014)].

PMID- 26129624
TI  - Comparative genomics of Streptococcus pyogenes M1 isolates differing in virulence
      and propensity to cause systemic infection in mice.
AB  - Streptococcus pyogenes serotype M1 is a frequent cause of severe infections in
      humans. Some M1 isolates are pathogenic in mice and used in studies on infection
      pathogenesis. We observed marked differences in murine infections caused by M1
      strain SF370, 5448, 5448AP or AP1 which prompted us to sequence the whole genome
      of isolates 5448 and AP1 for comparative analysis. Strain 5448 is known to
      acquire inactivating mutations in the CovRS two-component system during mouse
      infection, producing hypervirulent progeny such as 5448AP. Isolates AP1 and
      5448AP, more than 5448, caused disseminating infections that became systemic and
      lethal. SF370 was not pathogenic. Phages caused gross genetic differences and
      increased the gene content of AP1 by 8% as compared to 5448 and SF370. Each of
      six examined M1 genomes contained two CRISPR-Cas systems. Phage insertion
      destroyed a type II CRISPR-Cas system in AP1 and other strains of serotypes M1,
      M3, M6 and M24, but not in M1 strains 5448, SF370, MGAS5005, A20 or M1 476. A
      resulting impaired defence against invading genetic elements could have led to
      the wealth of phages in AP1. AP1 lacks genetic features of the MGAS5005-like
      clonal complex including the streptodornase that drives selection for
      hypervirulent clones with inactivated CovRS system. Still, inactivating mutations
      in covS were a common genetic feature of AP1 and the MGAS5005-like isolate
      5448AP. Abolished expression of the cysteine proteinase SpeB, due to CovRS
      inactivation could be a common cause for hypervirulence of the two isolates.
      Moreover, an additional protein H-coding gene and a mutation in the regulator
      gene rofA distinguished AP1 form other M1 isolates. In conclusion, hypervirulence
      of S. pyogenes M1 in mice is not limited to the MGAS5005-like genotype. 

PMID- 26129625
TI  - Diversity and plasticity of microglial cells in psychiatric and neurological
      disorders.
AB  - Recent advanced immunological analyses have revealed that the diversity and
      plasticity of macrophages lead to the identification of functional polarization
      states (classically activated M1 type and alternatively activated M2 type) which
      are dependent on the extracellular environment. M1 and M2 polarization states of
      macrophages play an important role in controlling the balance between pro
      inflammatory and anti-inflammatory conditions. Microglial cells are resident
      mononuclear phagocytes in the central nervous system (CNS), express several
      macrophage-associated markers, and appear to display functional polarization
      states similar to macrophages. Like M1 macrophages, M1 polarized microglia can
      produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators such as interleukin (IL) 1beta,
      IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, CC-chemokine ligand 2, nitric oxide, and
      reactive oxygen species, suggesting that these molecules contribute to
      dysfunction of neural network in the CNS. On the other hand, M2 polarized
      microglia can produce anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10 and express several
      receptors that are implicated in inhibiting inflammation and restoring
      homeostasis. In this review, we summarize the diversity, plasticity, and
      immunoregulatory functions of M1 and M2 microglia in psychiatric and neurological
      disorders. Based on these aspects, we propose a contribution of imbalance between
      M1 and M2 polarization of microglia in bipolar disorder, obesity, amyotrophic
      lateral sclerosis, and Rett syndrome. Consequently, molecules that normalize the
      imbalance between M1 and M2 microglial polarization states may provide a
      beneficial therapeutic target for the treatment of these disorders. 

PMID- 26129626
TI  - Evaluation of the 'Prostate Interdisciplinary Communication and Mapping Algorithm
      for Biopsy and Pathology' (PIC-MABP).
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Experience from interdisciplinary cooperation revealed the need for
      a prostate mapping scheme to communicate multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) findings
      between radiologists, urologists, and pathologists, which should be detailed, yet
      easy to memorize. For this purpose, the 'Prostate interdisciplinary communication
      and mapping algorithm for biopsy and pathology' (PIC-MABP) was developed. This
      study evaluated the accuracy of the PIC-MABP system. METHODS: PIC-MABP was tested
      and validated in findings of 10 randomly selected patients from routine clinical
      practise with 18 histologically proven cancer lesions. Patients received an mpMRI
      of the prostate prior to prostatectomy. After surgery the prostates were prepared
      as whole-mount step sections. Cancer lesions, which were found suspicious on
      mpMRI, were assigned to the according PIC-MABP sectors by a radiologist. MpMRI
      slides were masked and sent to seven urologists from different centres, providing
      only the PIC-MABP location of each lesion. Urologists marked the accordant
      regions. Then mpMRI slides were unmasked, and the correctness of each mark was
      evaluated. RESULTS: One hundred and seventeen of the 126 marks (93%) were
      correctly assigned. Detection rates differed for lesions >0.5 cc compared with
      lesions <0.5 cc (p < 0.005): 3/7 (43%) marks were correctly assigned in lesions
      <0.3 cc, 16/21 (76%) in lesions with 0.3-0.5 cc, and 98/98 (100%) in lesions >0.5
      cc. Interobserver agreement was good for lesions >0.5 cc and poor for lesions
      <0.3 cc (Fleiss Kappa 1 vs. 0.0175). CONCLUSION: PIC-MABP seems to be a reliable
      system to communicate the location of mpMRI findings >0.5 cc between different
      disciplines and can be a useful guidance for cognitive mpMRI/TRUS fusion biopsy.

PMID- 26129627
TI  - Spatiotemporal data visualisation for homecare monitoring of elderly people.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Elderly people who live alone can be assisted by home monitoring
      systems that identify risk scenarios such as falls, fatigue symptoms or burglary.
      Given that these systems have to manage spatiotemporal data, human intervention
      is required to validate automatic alarms due to the high number of false
      positives and the need for context interpretation. The goal of this work was to
      provide tools to support human action, to identify such potential risk scenarios
      based on spatiotemporal data visualisation. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We propose the
      MTA (multiple temporal axes) model, a visual representation of temporal
      information of the activity of a single person at different locations. The main
      goal of this model is to visualize the behaviour of a person in their home,
      facilitating the identification of health-risk scenarios and repetitive patterns.
      We evaluate the model's insight capacity compared with other models using a
      standard evaluation protocol. We also test its practical suitability of the MTA
      graphical model in a commercial home monitoring system. In particular, we
      implemented 8VISU, a visualization tool based on MTA. RESULTS: MTA proved to be
      more than 90% accurate in identify non-risk scenarios, independently of the
      length of the record visualised. When the spatial complexity was increased (e.g.
      number of rooms) the model provided good accuracy form up to 5 rooms. Therefore,
      user preferences and user performance seem to be balanced. Moreover, it also gave
      high sensitivity levels (over 90%) for 5-8 rooms. Fall is the most recurrent
      incident for elderly people. The MTA model outperformed the other models
      considered in identifying fall scenarios (66% of correctness) and was the second
      best for burglary and fatigue scenarios (36% of correctness). Our experiments
      also confirm the hypothesis that cyclic models are the most suitable for fatigue
      scenarios, the Spiral and MTA models obtaining most positive identifications.
      CONCLUSIONS: In home monitoring systems, spatiotemporal visualization is a useful
      tool for identifying risk and preventing home accidents in elderly people living
      alone. The MTA model helps the visualisation in different stages of the temporal
      data analysis process. In particular, its explicit representation of space and
      movement is useful for identifying potential scenarios of risk, while the spiral
      structure can be used for the identification of recurrent patterns. The results
      of the experiments and the experience using the visualization tool 8VISU proof
      the potential of the MTA graphical model to mine temporal data and to support
      caregivers using home monitoring infrastructures.

PMID- 26129628
TI  - Constant time gradient HSQC-iDOSY: practical aspects.

PMID- 26129629
TI  - Pathological assessment of end-stage heart failure in explanted hearts in
      correlation with hemodynamics in patients undergoing orthotopic heart
      transplantation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: To date, there has been little research, if any, on the pathological
      correlates of end-stage heart failure in the explanted hearts of orthotopic heart
      transplant (OHT) recipients in correlation with the patients' hemodynamics. We
      sought to compare the gross and histopathological parameters in hearts explanted
      native or previously transplanted-from patients with end-stage heart failure with
      the clinical hemodynamics parameters at the time of OHT. METHODS: Forty patients
      undergoing OHT were enrolled in this study and divided into two groups according
      to whether they suffered from ischemic (ICMP) or nonischemic cardiomyopathy
      (NICMP). All study patients were treated with OHT for end-stage heart failure at
      The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The pathological
      investigations of the hearts were focused on the study of the underlying cause of
      heart failure leading the patient to OHT; on the quantification of the extent and
      severity of fibrosis, hypertrophy, and myocytolysis; and on validating a
      semiquantitative grading scale. Analyses of multiple sections of the explanted
      hearts were carried out. The heart weights were recorded and compared with the
      grades of fibrosis, hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes, and myocytolysis. The grades
      of fibrosis, hypertrophy, and myocytolysis were evaluated in right and left
      ventricles and atria (with areas of confluent infarction excluded). The
      pathological parameters were correlated with the patients' clinical parameters.
      RESULTS: Twenty-two patients (20 men, 2 women, mean age+/-S.E.M., 62.3+/-2.2
      years) suffered from ICMP and 18 patients (9 men, 9 women, mean age+/-S.E.M.,
      56.3+/-2.8 years) from NICMP. All the clinical and pathological measured
      variables were comparable between the two groups, except for pulmonary vascular
      resistance, which was higher in the NICMP group of patients, and the grade of
      myocytolysis, which was significantly higher in the ICMP vs. NICMP group. Most of
      the clinical and pathological variables were overall linearly correlated.
      CONCLUSIONS: Both ICMP and NICMP groups of end-stage heart failure requiring OHT
      presented high grades of fibrosis, hypertrophy, and myocytolysis. Heart failure
      is the final common pathway of a variety of primary cardiovascular diseases
      regardless of the ischemic or nonischemic nature of the cardiomyopathy.

PMID- 26129630
TI  - 5As Team obesity intervention in primary care: development and evaluation of
      shared decision-making weight management tools.
AB  - Despite several clinical practice guidelines, there remains a considerable gap in
      prevention and management of obesity in primary care. To address the need for
      changing provider behaviour, a randomized controlled trial with convergent mixed
      method evaluation, the 5As Team (5AsT) study, was conducted. As part of the 5AsT
      intervention, the 5AsT tool kit was developed. This paper describes the
      development process and evaluation of these tools. Tools were co-developed by the
      multidisciplinary research team and the 5AsT, which included registered
      nurses/nurse practitioners (n = 15), mental health workers (n = 7) and registered
      dieticians (n = 7), who were previously randomized to the 5AsT intervention group
      at a primary care network in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The 5AsT tool development
      occurred through a practice/implementation-oriented, need-based, iterative
      process during learning collaborative sessions of the 5AsT intervention. Feedback
      during tool development was received through field notes and final provider
      evaluation was carried out through anonymous questionnaires. Twelve tools were co
      developed with 5AsT. All tools were evaluated as either 'most useful' or
      'moderately useful' in primary care practice by the 5AsT. Four key findings
      during 5AsT tool development were the need for: tools that were adaptive, tools
      to facilitate interdisciplinary practice, tools to help patients understand
      realistic expectations for weight loss and shared decision-making tools for goal
      setting and relapse prevention. The 5AsT tools are primary care tools which
      extend the utility of the 5As of obesity management framework in clinical
      practice. 

PMID- 26129632
TI  - Approaches to supporting lactation and breastfeeding for very preterm infants in
      the NICU: a qualitative study in three European regions.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To explore differences in approaches to supporting lactation and
      breastfeeding for very preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in
      3 European regions. DESIGN: Qualitative cross-sectional study carried out by
      means of face-to-face semistructured interviews. Verbatim transcripts were coded
      using a theoretical framework derived from the literature and supplemented by
      data-driven concepts and codes. SETTING: 4 purposively selected NICUs in each of
      3 European regions in 2010 (Ile-de-France in France, Lazio in Italy, and the
      former Trent region in the UK). PARTICIPANTS: NICU staff members (n=22). RESULTS:
      Policies and practices for managing mother's own milk for very preterm babies
      differed between regions, and were much more complex in Ile-de-France than in the
      Trent or Lazio regions. Staff approaches to mothers to initiate lactation
      differed by region, with an emphasis on the nutritional and immunological value
      of human milk in the Trent region and on the 'normalising' effect of
      breastfeeding on the mother-child relationship in Lazio. French and English staff
      expressed conflicting opinions about the use of bottles, which was routine in
      Italy. Italian informants stressed the importance of early maternal milk
      expression and feeding, but also mentioned discharging infants home before
      feeding at the breast was established. In Ile-de-France and Trent, successful
      feeding from the breast was achieved before discharge, although this was seen as
      a factor that could prolong hospitalisation and discourage continued
      breastfeeding for some women. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted health promotion policies in
      the NICU are necessary to increase the number of infants receiving their mother's
      milk and to support mothers with transfer of the infant to the breast.
      Integrating knowledge about the different approaches to lactation and
      breastfeeding in European NICUs could improve the relevance of recommendations in
      multiple cultural settings.

PMID- 26129633
TI  - Exploring the potential impact of rotavirus vaccination on work absenteeism among
      female administrative personnel of the City of Antwerp through a retrospective
      database analysis.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Rotavirus vaccination has been reimbursed in Belgium since November
      2006 with a high uptake (>85%). Economic analyses of the vaccine have been
      reported, including estimates of indirect cost gain related to the reduction in
      work absenteeism. The objective of this study was to evaluate the latter
      parameter using real-life data. DESIGN AND SETTING: A simple model estimated the
      reduction in absent workdays per working mother with a firstborn baby after the
      introduction of the rotavirus vaccine. Next, data on work absences were
      retrospectively analysed (from 2003 to 2012) using a database of administrative
      employees (n=11,600 working women per year) in the City of Antwerp. Observed
      reductions in absenteeism after the introduction of the vaccine were compared
      with the results from the model. These reductions would most likely be observed
      during the epidemic periods of rotavirus (from January to the end of May) for
      short-duration absences of <= 5 days. We compared data from outside epidemic
      periods (from June to December), expecting no changes over time prevaccine and
      postvaccine introduction, as well as with a control group of women aged 30-35
      years with no first child. RESULTS: Model estimates were 0.73 working days gained
      per working mother. In the database of the City of Antwerp, we identified a gain
      of 0.88 working days during the epidemic period, and an accumulated gain of 2.24
      days over a 3-year follow-up period. In the control group, no decrease in
      absenteeism was measured. Giving vaccine access to working mothers resulted in an
      estimated accumulated net cost gain of ?187 per mother. CONCLUSIONS: Reduction in
      absenteeism among working mothers was observed during periods of the epidemic
      after the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine in Belgium. This reduction is in
      line with estimates of indirect cost gains used in economic evaluations of the
      rotavirus vaccine. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: HO-12-12768.

PMID- 26129634
TI  - The need for and provision of intrathecal baclofen therapy for the management of
      spasticity in England: an assessment of the Hospital Episode Statistics database.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the uptake of
      intrathecal baclofen (ITB) following commissioning of this therapy by the
      National Health Service (NHS) England in April 2013. The specific objectives of
      this study were: (i) to explore the gap between the need for and the actual
      provision of ITB services; and (ii) to compare England figures with other
      European countries with comparable data available. SETTING: Data for ITB -related
      procedures were obtained from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database from
      2009/2010 to 2013/2014. PARTICIPANTS: Patients receiving ITB for the management
      of spasticity. RESULTS: The available data for implantation of ITB from 2009/2010
      to 2013/2014 for the treatment of spasticity due to varied aetiologies show that
      there has not been an increase in uptake of this therapy. The estimated need for
      this treatment based on the incidence and prevalence of conditions susceptible to
      ITB therapy is between 4.6 and 5.7 per million population. Our analysis of the
      data available from the HES database showed that the actual number of implants is
      around 3.0 per million population. The same period 2009-2014 has seen an increase
      in the delivery of other neuromodulation techniques including spinal cord
      stimulation, deep brain stimulation and sacral nerve stimulation. CONCLUSIONS:
      There is a considerable gap between the need for and provision of ITB figures
      nationally. Additionally, within the same area, we have observed important
      differences in the ITB service delivery between the various trusts. The reasons
      for this can be multifactorial, including individual experience and opinions,
      organisational structures, resource and financial limitations. Further research
      analysing the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of this treatment in the UK might
      inform the development of Technology Appraisal Guidance for ITB, potentially
      leading to an improvement in service provision.

PMID- 26129635
TI  - The correlation between blood pressure and kidney function decline in older
      people: a registry-based cohort study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To examine the relation between static and dynamic blood pressure
      (BP) measurements and the evolution of kidney function in older people, adjusted
      for the presence of multimorbidity. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study during a
      10-year time interval (2002-2012) in three age strata of patients aged 60 and
      older. SETTING: Primary care registration network with 97 general practitioners
      working in 55 practices regularly submitting collected patient data.
      PARTICIPANTS: All patients with at least one BP measurement in 2002 and at least
      four serum creatine measurements after 2002 (n=8636). A modified Charlson
      Comorbidity Index (mCCI) at baseline was registered. Change in systolic and
      diastolic BP (DBP) and pulse pressure (PP) from 2002 onwards was calculated. The
      relation between kidney function evolution and baseline BP and change in BP was
      examined using linear and logistic regression analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
      The slope of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, MDRD, Modification
      of Diet in Renal Disease equation) was calculated by the ordinal least square
      method. A rapid annual decline of kidney function was defined as >= 3 L/min/1.73
      m(2)/year. RESULTS: Rapid annual decline of kidney function occurred in 1130
      patients (13.1%). High baseline systolic BP (SBP) and PP predicted kidney
      function decline in participants aged 60-79 years. No correlation between
      baseline BP and kidney function decline was found in participants aged 80 years
      and older. An annual decline of >= 1 mm Hg in SBP and PP was a strong risk factor
      for a rapid annual kidney function decline in all age strata, independent of
      baseline BP and mCCI. A decline in DBP as also a strong independent predictor in
      participants aged 60-79 years. CONCLUSIONS: The present study identified a
      decline in BP over time as a strong risk factor for kidney function decline in
      all age strata, adjusted for mCCI and baseline kidney function and BP.

PMID- 26129636
TI  - Type III home sleep testing versus pulse oximetry: is the respiratory disturbance
      index better than the oxygen desaturation index to predict the apnoea-hypopnoea
      index measured during laboratory polysomnography?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: In its guidelines on the use of portable monitors to diagnose
      obstructive sleep apnoea, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine endorses home
      polygraphy with type III devices recording at a minimum airflow the respiratory
      effort and pulse oximetry, but advises against simple pulse oximetry. However,
      oximetry is widely available and simple to use in the home. This study was
      designed to compare the ability of the oxygen desaturation index (ODI) based on
      oximetry alone with a stand-alone pulse oximeter (SPO) and from the oximetry
      channel of the ApneaLink Plus (ALP), with the respiratory disturbance index (RDI)
      based on four channels from the ALP to predict the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI)
      from laboratory polysomnography. DESIGN: Cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy
      study. SETTING: Sleep medicine practice of a multispecialty clinic. PARTICIPANTS:
      Patients referred for laboratory polysomnography with suspected sleep apnoea. We
      enrolled 135 participants with 123 attempting the home sleep testing and 73
      having at least 4 hours of satisfactory data from SPO and ALP. INTERVENTIONS:
      Participants had home testing performed simultaneously with both a SPO and an
      ALP. The 2 oximeter probes were worn on different fingers of the same hand. The
      ODI for the SPO was calculated using Profox software (ODI(SOX)). For the ALP, RDI
      and ODI were calculated using both technician scoring (RDI(MAN) and ODI(MAN)) and
      the ALP computer scoring (RDI(RAW) and ODI(RAW)). RESULTS: The receiver-operator
      characteristic areas under the curve for AHI >= 5 were RDI(MAN) 0.88 (95%
      confidence limits 0.81-0.96), RDI(RAW) 0.86 (0.76-0.94), ODI(MAN) 0.86 (0.77
      0.95), ODI(RAW) 0.84 (0.75-0.93) and ODI(SOX) 0.83 (0.73-0.93). CONCLUSIONS: We
      conclude that the RDI and the ODI, measured at home on the same night, give
      similar predictions of the laboratory AHI, measured on a different night. The
      differences between the two methods are small compared with the reported night-to
      night variation of the AHI.

PMID- 26129637
TI  - Associations with duration of compensation following whiplash sustained in a
      motor vehicle crash.
AB  - CONTEXT: Continued exposure to compensation systems has been reported as
      deleterious to the health of participants. Understanding the associations with
      time to claim closure could allow for targeted interventions aimed at minimising
      the time participants are exposed to the compensation system. STUDY OBJECTIVE: To
      identify the associations of extended time receiving compensation benefits with
      the aim of developing a prognostic model that predicts time to claim closure.
      STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study in people with whiplash associated
      disorder. OUTCOME MEASURES: Time to claim closure, in a privately underwritten
      fault based third party traffic crash insurance scheme in New South Wales,
      Australia. METHOD: Cox proportional hazard regression modelling. RESULTS: Of the
      246 participants, 25% remained in the compensation system longer than 24 months
      with 15% remaining longer than three years. Higher initial disability (Functional
      Rating Index>=25 at baseline) (HRR: 95% CI, 1.916: 1.324-2.774, p<0.001); and
      lower initial mental health as measured by SF-36 Mental Component Score (HRR: 95%
      CI, 0.973: 0.960-0.987, p<0.001) were significantly and independently associated
      with an increased time-to-claim closure. Shorter time to claim closure was
      associated with having no legal involvement (HRR: 95% CI, 1.911: 1.169-3.123,
      p=0.009); and, not having a prior claim for compensation (HRR: 95% CI, 1.523:
      1.062-2.198, p=0.022). CONCLUSIONS: Health and insurance related factors are
      independently associated with time to claim closure. Both factors need to be
      considered by insurers in their assessment of complexity of claims. Interventions
      aimed at minimising the impact of these factors could reduce claimants' exposure
      to the compensation system. In turn insurers can potentially reduce claims
      duration and cost, while improving the health outcomes of claimants.

PMID- 26129638
TI  - Virtual reconstruction and description of the cranial endocast of Pristerodon
      mackayi (Therapsida, Anomodontia).
AB  - The cranial endocast of Pristerodon mackayi is described, which has been
      virtually reconstructed on the basis of neutron tomographic data. The gross
      anatomy of the cranial endocast of Pristerodon resembles other nonmammalian
      synapsids such as Thrinaxodon liorhinus in having a narrow, tubular forebrain,
      well developed olfactory bulbs, a large parietal foramen and unossified zone. As
      it is the case in cynodonts the hindbrain of Pristerodon is broader than the mid-
      and forebrain. Large paraflocculi are developed. The medulla oblongata can be
      well distinguished from the pons. The pons is divided by a median ridge into two
      portions. There is no evidence for a neocortex, which seems to be also reflected
      in the low encephalization quotient of 0.18 estimated according to the method of
      Eisenberg.

PMID- 26129639
TI  - Amoeba-Inspired Heuristic Search Dynamics for Exploring Chemical Reaction Paths.
AB  - We propose a nature-inspired model for simulating chemical reactions in a
      computationally resource-saving manner. The model was developed by extending our
      previously proposed heuristic search algorithm, called "AmoebaSAT [Aono et al.
      2013]," which was inspired by the spatiotemporal dynamics of a single-celled
      amoeboid organism that exhibits sophisticated computing capabilities in adapting
      to its environment efficiently [Zhu et al. 2013]. AmoebaSAT is used for solving
      an NP-complete combinatorial optimization problem [Garey and Johnson 1979], "the
      satisfiability problem," and finds a constraint-satisfying solution at a speed
      that is dramatically faster than one of the conventionally known fastest
      stochastic local search methods [Iwama and Tamaki 2004] for a class of randomly
      generated problem instances [ http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~hoos/5/benchm.html ]. In
      cases where the problem has more than one solution, AmoebaSAT exhibits dynamic
      transition behavior among a variety of the solutions. Inheriting these features
      of AmoebaSAT, we formulate "AmoebaChem," which explores a variety of metastable
      molecules in which several constraints determined by input atoms are satisfied
      and generates dynamic transition processes among the metastable molecules.
      AmoebaChem and its developed forms will be applied to the study of the origins of
      life, to discover reaction paths for which expected or unexpected organic
      compounds may be formed via unknown unstable intermediates and to estimate the
      likelihood of each of the discovered paths.

PMID- 26129640
TI  - Comparable outcome after single-antigen-mismatched versus matched unrelated donor
      haematopoietic cell transplantation.
AB  - PURPOSE: Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a proven
      treatment for patients with haematological malignancies. In this retrospective
      analysis, the impact of donor matching on outcome of unrelated HSCT was analysed
      in patients transplanted at the University of Leipzig. METHODS: From 2000 to
      2009, 206 patients were transplanted from unrelated donors, of which 51 were
      mismatched (39 in 1 and 12 in >= 2 HLA-antigens), using peripheral blood or bone
      marrow grafts after total body irradiation and cyclophosphamide or busulfan and
      cyclophosphamide preparative regimens in combination with ATG. For graft-versus
      host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis cyclosporine and MTX were administered. RESULTS:
      After a median follow-up of 49 months, outcome at 5 years in recipients of HLA
      identical grafts was comparable to that of patients transplanted from HLA
      incompatible donors with an overall survival (OS) of 52 % (95 % CI 43-61) versus
      48 % (95 % CI 34-63), respectively (p = 0.48). Results were also comparable for
      event-free survival at 5 years [47 % (95 % CI 38-56) vs. 39 % (95 % CI 25-54); p
      = 0.44], relapse incidence (RI) [29 % (95 % CI 20-38) vs. 41 (95 % CI 25-57); p =
      0.22] and non-relapse mortality [24 % (95 % CI 16-33) vs. 20 % (95 % CI 8-33); p
      = 0.84] in the matched versus mismatched groups. Incidence of acute and chronic
      GvHD was similar in both groups. Advanced disease (p = 0.02) and low-resolution
      typing (p = 0.04) are risk factors for OS and RI in univariate and multivariate
      analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Donors with one antigen mismatch are an acceptable option
      for patients with malignant disease for whom no fully matched donor is available.

PMID- 26129641
TI  - Characterization of the annular lipid shell of the Sec translocon.
AB  - The bacterial Sec translocase in its minimal form consists of a membrane-embedded
      protein-conducting pore SecYEG that interacts with the motor protein SecA to
      mediate the translocation of secretory proteins. In addition, the SecYEG
      translocon interacts with the accessory SecDFyajC membrane complex and the
      membrane protein insertase YidC. To examine the composition of the native lipid
      environment in the vicinity of the SecYEG complex and its impact on translocation
      activity, styrene-maleic acid lipid particles (SMALPs) were used to extract
      SecYEG with its lipid environment directly from native Escherichia coli membranes
      without the use of detergents. This allowed the co-extraction of SecYEG in
      complex with SecA, but not with SecDFyajC or YidC. Lipid analysis of the SecYEG
      SMALPs revealed an enrichment of negatively charged lipids in the vicinity of
      SecYEG, which in detergent assisted reconstitution of the Sec translocase are
      crucial for the translocation activity. Such lipid enrichment was not found with
      separately extracted SecDFyajC or YidC, which demonstrates a specific interaction
      between SecYEG and negatively charged lipids. 

PMID- 26129642
TI  - Thin and ordered hydrogel films deposited through electrospinning technique; a
      simple and efficient support for organic bilayers.
AB  - Thermal behavior of Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayers deposited over
      hydrogel fibers was examined. Thus, membrane stability, water absorption-release,
      phase transitions and phase transition temperatures were studied through
      different methods during heating cycles. Hydrogel films were realized using an
      oligomer mixture (HEMA-PEGDA575/photo-initiator) with adequate viscosity. Then,
      the fibers were deposited over silicon wafers (hydrophilic substrate) through
      electrospinning technique using four different voltages: 15, 20, 25 and 30 kV.
      The films were then exposed to UV light, favoring polymer chain crosslinking and
      interactions between hydrogel and substrate. For samples deposited at 20 and 25
      kV, hierarchical wrinkle folds were observed at surface level, their arrangement
      distribution depends directly on thickness and associated point defects. DPPC
      bilayers were then placed over hydrogel scaffold using Langmuir-Blodgett
      technique. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis were
      used to investigate sample surface, micrographies show homogeneous layer
      formation with chain polymer order/disorder related to applied voltage during
      hydrogel deposition process, among other parameters. According to the results
      obtained, it is possible to conclude that the oligomer deposited at 20 kV produce
      thin homogenous films (~40 nm) with enhanced ability to absorb water and release
      it in a controlled way during heating cycles. These scaffold properties confer to
      DPPC membrane thermal stability, which allow an easy detection of phase(s) and
      phase transitions. Thermal behavior was also studied via Atomic Force Microscopy
      (roughness analysis). Contact angle measurements corroborate system wettability,
      supporting the theory that hydrogel thin films act as DPPC membrane enhancers for
      thermal stability against external stimuli.

PMID- 26129643
TI  - Development of a time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay for Epstein-Barr virus
      nuclear antigen 1-immunoglobulin A in human serum.
AB  - Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISAs) specific for Epstein-Barr virus
      nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1)-immunoglobulin A (IgA) are most commonly used in the
      clinical diagnosis of EBV infection. But they have a low sensitivity and the
      enzyme-labeled antibodies are unstable. In this study, a novel immunoassay based
      on an indirect time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) was developed. Microtiter
      plates were coated with recombinant EBNA1. We used Eu(3) (+)-labeled anti-human
      IgA as probe. The precision, sensitivity, specificity, and stability were
      evaluated, and comparison with traditional and commercially available ELISAs was
      also made. The cut-off value for our TRFIA was 2.7. Intra- and inter-assay
      coefficients of variation for the TRFIA were 1.56-4.99% and 3.92-6.95%,
      respectively; whereas those for the ELISA were 4.54-8.16% and 7.07-10.52%,
      respectively. Sensitivity was obviously better than traditional ELISA when
      diluted positive samples serially. Additionally, stability, specificity test and
      comparison of sensitivity and specificity between the TRFIA and commercial ELISAs
      all proved satisfactory. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that EBNA1 IgA
      TRFIA was a sensitive immunoassay and had potential value in large-scale
      screening of human serum samples in developing countries.

PMID- 26129644
TI  - Identification of a novel mutation in RIPK4 in a kindred with phenotypic features
      of Bartsocas-Papas and CHAND syndromes.
AB  - Three children from an expanded consanguineous Kuwaiti kindred presented with
      ankyloblepharon, sparse and curly hair, and hypoplastic nails, suggestive of
      CHAND syndrome (OMIM 214350) that belongs to the heterogeneous spectrum of
      ectodermal dysplasias. After exclusion of pathogenic mutations in TP63 we
      performed homozygosity mapping, followed by exome sequencing of one affected
      individual. We initially identified three homozygous mutations in the linked
      region, located in PWP2, MX2 and RIPK4. Recently, mutations in RIPK4 have been
      reported in Bartsocas-Papas syndrome (OMIM 263650) that shows overlapping
      clinical symptoms with the phenotype observed in the affected individuals studied
      here. Subsequent analysis of affected and non-affected family members showed that
      mutation c.850G>A (p.Glu284Lys) in RIPK4 was in complete segregation with the
      disease phenotype, in accordance with an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern,
      thus supporting pathogenicity of this variant. Interestingly, however, our
      patients did not have cleft lip/palate, a common feature encountered in Bartsocas
      Papas syndrome. Whereas in Bartsocas-Papas syndromes missense mutations are
      usually located within the serin/threonin kinase of RIPK4, the mutation detected
      in our family resides just outside of the kinase domain, which could explain the
      milder phenotype. Our data raise the question if CHAND syndrome indeed is a
      distinct entity. Alternatively, CHAND and Bartsocas-Papas syndrome might be
      allelic disorders or RIPK4 mutations could confer varying degrees of phenotypic
      severity, depending on their localization within or outside functionally
      important domains. Our findings indicate that making an accurate diagnosis based
      only on the prevailing clinical symptoms is challenging.

PMID- 26129645
TI  - Quantum-confinement and Structural Anisotropy result in Electrically-Tunable
      Dirac Cone in Few-layer Black Phosphorous.
AB  - Two-dimensional (2D) materials are well-known to exhibit interesting phenomena
      due to quantum confinement. Here, we show that quantum confinement, together with
      structural anisotropy, result in an electric-field-tunable Dirac cone in 2D black
      phosphorus. Using density functional theory calculations, we find that an
      electric field, E ext, applied normal to a 2D black phosphorus thin film, can
      reduce the direct band gap of few-layer black phosphorus, resulting in an
      insulator-to-metal transition at a critical field, Ec. Increasing E ext beyond Ec
      can induce a Dirac cone in the system, provided the black phosphorus film is
      sufficiently thin. The electric field strength can tune the position of the Dirac
      cone and the Dirac-Fermi velocities, the latter being similar in magnitude to
      that in graphene. We show that the Dirac cone arises from an anisotropic
      interaction term between the frontier orbitals that are spatially separated due
      to the applied field, on different halves of the 2D slab. When this interaction
      term becomes vanishingly small for thicker films, the Dirac cone can no longer be
      induced. Spin-orbit coupling can gap out the Dirac cone at certain electric
      fields; however, a further increase in field strength reduces the spin-orbit
      induced gap, eventually resulting in a topological-insulator-to-Dirac-semimetal
      transition.

PMID- 26129647
TI  - Thermodynamic Switch in Binding of Adhesion/Growth Regulatory Human Galectin-3 to
      Tumor-Associated TF Antigen (CD176) and MUC1 Glycopeptides.
AB  - A shift to short-chain glycans is an observed change in mucin-type O
      glycosylation in premalignant and malignant epithelia. Given the evidence that
      human galectin-3 can interact with mucins and also weakly with free tumor
      associated Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) antigen (CD176), the study of its
      interaction with MUC1 (glyco)peptides is of biomedical relevance. Glycosylated
      MUC1 fragments that carry the TF antigen attached through either Thr or Ser side
      chains were synthesized using standard Fmoc-based automated solid-phase peptide
      chemistry. The dissociation constants (Kd) for interaction of galectin-3 and the
      glycosylated MUC1 fragments measured by isothermal titration calorimetry
      decreased up to 10 times in comparison to that of the free TF disaccharide. No
      binding was observed for the nonglycosylated control version of the MUC1 peptide.
      The most notable feature of the binding of MUC1 glycopeptides to galectin-3 was a
      shift from a favorable enthalpy to an entropy-driven binding process. The
      comparatively diminished enthalpy contribution to the free energy (DeltaG) was
      compensated by a considerable gain in the entropic term. (1)H-(15)N heteronuclear
      single-quantum coherence spectroscopy nuclear magnetic resonance data reveal
      contact at the canonical site mainly by the glycan moiety of the MUC1
      glycopeptide. Ligand-dependent differences in binding affinities were also
      confirmed by a novel assay for screening of low-affinity glycan-lectin
      interactions based on AlphaScreen technology. Another key finding is that the
      glycosylated MUC1 peptides exhibited activity in a concentration-dependent manner
      in cell-based assays revealing selectivity among human galectins. Thus, the
      presentation of this tumor-associated carbohydrate ligand by the natural peptide
      scaffold enhances its affinity, highlighting the significance of model studies of
      human lectins with synthetic glycopeptides. 

PMID- 26129648
TI  - Group 2 innate lymphoid cells utilize the IRF4-IL-9 module to coordinate
      epithelial cell maintenance of lung homeostasis.
AB  - Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) have an important role in acute allergic
      lung inflammation. Given their distribution and function, lung ILC2s are
      hypothesized to coordinate epithelial responses to the external environment;
      however, how barrier surveillance is linked to ILC2 activation remains unclear.
      Here, we demonstrate that alveolar type II cells are the main source of
      interleukin (IL)-33 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) generated in response
      to chitin or migratory helminths. IL-33 and TSLP synergistically induce an
      interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4)-IL-9 program in ILC2s, and autocrine IL-9
      promotes rapid IL-5 and IL-13 production required for optimal epithelial
      responses in the conducting airways. Thus, ILC2s link alveolar function to
      regulation of airway flow, revealing a key interaction between resident lymphoid
      and structural cells that might underlie similar organizational hierarchies in
      other organs. 

PMID- 26129649
TI  - The effect of timing of antiretroviral therapy on CD4+ T-cell reconstitution in
      the intestine of HIV-infected patients.
AB  - Whether and to what extent gut mucosal CD4(+) T cells of HIV-infected patients
      can be restored by combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is not yet fully
      resolved. We studied absolute numbers, differentiation, and activation of mucosal
      CD4(+) T cells at different stages of HIV infection and assessed the effect of
      timing of cART initiation on this cell population. Mucosal CD4(+) T-cell numbers
      were severely reduced at all stages of chronic infection, but normal in patients
      with acute infection. In patients with initiation of cART during chronic HIV
      infection, mucosal CD4(+) T cells restored to less than half of the numbers in
      controls. However, in patients who initiated cART during acute HIV infection,
      mucosal CD4(+) T-cell numbers were fully preserved and markers of microbial
      translocation and inflammation reversed to normal. The proportion of mucosal
      effector memory CD4(+) T cells normalized only if cART was initiated at >350
      CD4(+) T cells per MUl blood but not with delayed treatment. In conclusion,
      mucosal CD4(+) T-cell numbers can be preserved if cART is initiated in acute HIV
      infection. In chronically HIV-infected patients, early cART improves mucosal
      CD4(+) T-cell differentiation but cannot prevent the persistent lack of total
      CD4(+) T cells. 

PMID- 26129650
TI  - Metal-specific CD4+ T-cell responses induced by beryllium exposure in HLA-DP2
      transgenic mice.
AB  - Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is a granulomatous lung disorder that is
      associated with the accumulation of beryllium (Be)-specific CD4(+) T cells into
      the lung. Genetic susceptibility is linked to HLA-DPB1 alleles that possess a
      glutamic acid at position 69 (betaGlu69), and HLA-DPB1*02:01 is the most
      prevalent betaGlu69-containing allele. Using HLA-DP2 transgenic (Tg) mice, we
      developed a model of CBD that replicates the major features of the human disease.
      Here we characterized the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of Be-responsive
      CD4(+) T cells derived from the lungs of Be oxide-exposed HLA-DP2 Tg mice. The
      majority of Be-specific T-cell hybridomas expressed TCR Vbeta6, and a subset of
      these hybridomas expressed identical or nearly identical beta-chains that were
      paired with different alpha-chains. We delineated mimotopes that bind to HLA-DP2
      and form a complex recognized by Be-specific CD4(+) T cells in the absence of Be.
      These Be-independent peptides possess an arginine at p5 and a tryptophan at p7
      that surround the Be-binding site within the HLA-DP2 acidic pocket and likely
      induce charge and conformational changes that mimic those induced by the Be(2+)
      cation. Collectively, these data highlight the interplay between peptides and Be
      in the generation of an adaptive immune response in metal-induced
      hypersensitivity. 

PMID- 26129651
TI  - Interaction of IFN-gamma with cholinergic agonists to modulate rat and human
      goblet cell function.
AB  - Goblet cells populate wet-surfaced mucosa including the conjunctiva of the eye,
      intestine, and nose, among others. These cells function as part of the innate
      immune system by secreting high molecular weight mucins that interact with
      environmental constituents including pathogens, allergens, and particulate
      pollutants. Herein, we determined whether interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), a Th1
      cytokine increased in dry eye, alters goblet cell function. Goblet cells from rat
      and human conjunctiva were cultured. Changes in intracellular [Ca(2+)]
      ([Ca(2+)](i)), high molecular weight glycoconjugate secretion, and proliferation
      were measured after stimulation with IFN-gamma with or without the cholinergic
      agonist carbachol. IFN-gamma itself increased [Ca(2+)](i) in rat and human goblet
      cells and prevented the increase in [Ca(2+)](i) caused by carbachol. Carbachol
      prevented IFN-gamma-mediated increase in [Ca(2+)](i). This cross-talk between IFN
      gamma and muscarinic receptors may be partially due to use of the same Ca(2+)(i)
      reservoirs, but also from interaction of signaling pathways proximal to the
      increase in [Ca(2+)](i). IFN-gamma blocked carbachol-induced high molecular
      weight glycoconjugate secretion and reduced goblet cell proliferation. We
      conclude that increased levels of IFN-gamma in dry eye disease could explain the
      lack of goblet cells and mucin deficiency typically found in this pathology. IFN
      gamma could also function similarly in respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts.

PMID- 26129653
TI  - Laparoscopic Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision (taTME) for Rectal Cancer.
AB  - Proper treatment of adenocarcinoma of the rectum demands a systematic,
      multidisciplinary approach where surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment. An
      evolving shift toward minimally invasive surgical approaches for rectal cancer
      continues to be hampered by the challenges of reliable pelvic exposure and
      adequate instrumentation for rectal dissection, distal rectal division, and low
      pelvic anastomosis. The laparoscopic transanal total mesorectal excision surgery
      has been developed as a novel alternative that provides solutions to many of the
      limitations of conventional open, laparoscopic and robotic proctectomy. This
      manuscript will describe the procedure in detail and attempt to define its role
      as the optimal surgical approach for rectal resection. 

PMID- 26129652
TI  - Generation and transcriptional programming of intestinal dendritic cells:
      essential role of retinoic acid.
AB  - The vitamin A metabolite retinoic acid (RA) regulates adaptive immunity in the
      intestines, with well-characterized effects on IgA responses, Treg induction, and
      gut trafficking of T- and B-effector cells. It also controls the generation of
      conventional dendritic cell (cDC) precursors in the bone marrow and regulates cDC
      subset representation, but its roles in the specialization of intestinal cDC
      subsets are understudied. Here we show that RA acts cell intrinsically in
      developing gut-tropic pre-mucosal dendritic cell (pre-MUDC) to effect the
      differentiation and drive the specialization of intestinal CD103(+)CD11b(-)
      (cDC1) and of CD103(+)CD11b(+) (cDC2). Systemic deficiency or DC-restricted
      antagonism of RA signaling resulted in altered phenotypes of intestinal cDC1 and
      cDC2, and reduced numbers of cDC2. Effects of dietary deficiency were most
      apparent in the proximal small intestine and were rapidly reversed by
      reintroducing vitamin A. In cultures of pre-MUDC with Flt3L and granulocyte
      macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), RA induced cDC with characteristic
      phenotypes of intestinal cDC1 and cDC2 by controlling subset-defining cell
      surface receptors, regulating subset-specific transcriptional programs, and
      suppressing proinflammatory nuclear factor-kappaB-dependent gene expression.
      Thus, RA is required for transcriptional programming and maturation of intestinal
      cDC, and with GM-CSF and Flt3L provides a minimal environment for in vitro
      generation of intestinal cDC1- and cDC2-like cDC from specialized precursors. 

PMID- 26129655
TI  - Erratum to: Delayed Gastric Emptying After Pancreaticoduodenectomy: Is Subtotal
      Stomach Preserving Better or Pylorus Preserving?

PMID- 26129654
TI  - Feasibility and Safety of Urgent Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for Acute
      Cholecystitis After 4 Days from Symptom Onset.
AB  - BACKGROUND: It is preferable to perform laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute
      cholecystitis in the acute phase, within 72 h of symptom onset. The feasibility
      and safety of performing urgent laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the late phase (4
      7 days after symptom onset) are unclear. The aim of this study was to clarify the
      feasibility and safety of late phase urgent laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
      METHODS: Between 2005 and 2014, 233 patients underwent urgent laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis within 7 days. We compared clinical
      features and perioperative outcomes between patients who underwent laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy within 3 days (early phase group) and 4-7 days after symptom
      onset (late phase group). RESULTS: There were 193 patients in the early phase
      group and 40 patients in the late-phase group. Performing laparoscopic
      cholecystectomy in the late phase did not influence operation time, postoperative
      complications, or postoperative hospital stay. The rate of conversion to open
      surgery and blood loss were slightly higher in the late-phase group (8 % and 140
      ml) compared with the early phase group (3 % and 69 ml) but were still
      acceptable. CONCLUSIONS: Late phase urgent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute
      cholecystitis was feasible and safe.

PMID- 26129656
TI  - Alkynyl triphosphine copper complexes: synthesis and photophysical studies.
AB  - A rigid triphosphine PPh2C6H4-PPh-C6H4PPh2 () reacted with Cu(+) and a
      stoichiometric amount of terminal alkyne under basic conditions to give a family
      of copper(i) alkynyl compounds [Cu()C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CR]. The
      number of terminal -C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CH groups in the starting
      ligand determines the nuclearity of the resulting complexes giving mono- (, R =
      Ph; , R = C6H4OMe; , R = C6H4NO2; , R = C6H4CF3; , R = 2-pyridyl), di- (R = 
      (C6H4)n-, n = 1 (), n = 2, (), n = 3 ()) and trinuclear complexes (, R = 1,3,5
      (C6H4)3-C6H3; , R = 1,3,5-(C6H4-4-C2C6H4)3-C6H3). In all the complexes the Cu(i)
      centers are found in a distorted tetrahedral environment that is achieved by
      tridentate coordination of the ligand and sigma-bonding to the alkynyl function.
      The crystal structures of , and were estimated by single crystal X-ray
      diffraction analysis. The (31)P, (1)H and (1)H-(1)H COSY NMR spectroscopy
      confirms that all the molecules remain intact in solution. The photophysical
      studies carried out in the solid state at 298 and 77 K revealed moderate to weak
      orange luminescence (Phiem up to 19%), tentatively assigned to thermally
      activated delayed fluorescence for the mononuclear complexes. The quantum yields
      of emission of demonstrated strong dependence on the nature of the alkynyl
      ligand, the role of which in the electronic transitions was elucidated by TD-DFT
      computational studies. 

PMID- 26129658
TI  - Microclimate measuring and fluid-dynamic simulation in an industrial broiler
      house: testing of an experimental ventilation system.
AB  - The environment in the broiler house is a combination of physical and biological
      factors generating a complex dynamic system of interactions between birds,
      husbandry system, light, temperature, and the aerial environment. Ventilation
      plays a key role in this scenario. It is pivotal to remove carbon dioxide and
      water vapor from the air of the hen house. Adequate ventilation rates provide the
      most effective method of controlling temperature within the hen house. They allow
      for controlling the relative humidity and can play a key role in alleviating the
      negative effects of high stocking density and of wet litter. In the present study
      the results of experimental tests performed in a breeding broiler farm are shown.
      In particular the efficiency of a semi transversal ventilation system was studied
      against the use of a pure transversal one. In order to verify the efficiency of
      the systems, fluid dynamic simulations were carried out using the software Comsol
      multiphysics. The results of this study show that a correct architectural and
      structural design of the building must be supported by a design of the
      ventilation system able to maintain the environmental parameters within the
      limits of the thermo-neutral and welfare conditions and to achieve the highest
      levels of productivity. 

PMID- 26129657
TI  - Influence of plaque characteristics on fractional flow reserve for coronary
      lesions with intermediate to obstructive stenosis: insights from integrated
      backscatter intravascular ultrasound analysis.
AB  - The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between the fractional
      flow reserve (FFR) values and volumetric intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)
      parameters derived from classic gray-scale IVUS and integrated backscatter (IB)
      IVUS, taking into account known confounding factors. Patients with unstable
      angina pectoris with the frequent development of vulnerable plaques often showed
      the discrepancy between the FFR value and the quantitative coronary angiography
      findings. Our target population was 107 consecutive subjects with 114 isolated
      lesions who were scheduled for elective coronary angiography. The FFR was
      calculated as the mean distal coronary pressure divided by the mean aortic
      pressure during maximal hyperemia. Various volumetric parameters such as lipid
      plaque volume (LPV) and percentage of LPV (%LPV) were measured using IB-IVUS.
      Simple and multivariate linear regression analysis was employed to evaluate the
      correlation between FFR values and various classic gray-scale IVUS and IB-IVUS
      parameters. The Akaike information criterion (AIC) was used to compare the
      goodness of fit in an each model. Both the %LPV (r = -0.24; p = 0.01) and LPV (r
      = -0.40; p < 0.01) were significantly correlated with the FFR value. Only the LPV
      (AIC = -147.0; p = 0.006) and %LPV (AIC = -152.9; p = 0.005) proved to be
      independent predictors for the FFR value even after the adjustment of known
      confounding factors. The volumetric assessment by IB-IVUS could provide better
      information in terms of the relationship between plaque morphology and the FFR
      values as compared to the classic IVUS 2-dimensional gray-scale analysis.

PMID- 26129659
TI  - Epidemiological survey on Mycoplasma synoviae infection in Portuguese broiler
      breeder flocks.
AB  - Since modernization and expansion of the poultry industry, infections with
      Mycoplasma spp. bacteria have been reported as a cause of considerable economic
      losses. The prevalence of Mycoplasma synoviae infection in 974,000 Portuguese
      broiler breeders, belonging to 36 flocks, was investigated from December 2008 to
      March 2012. This study was conducted using a commercial indirect enzyme-linked
      immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the analysis of serum antibodies, and a
      polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the tracheal tissue. Twenty-four flocks were
      simultaneously found positive by ELISA and PCR [66.7%, 95% confidence interval
      (CI): 43.5-76.9%]. The M. synoviae prevalence among chickens averaged 40.3%
      (483/1,200), with values ranging from 0.0 to 83.3% per flock. The prevalence of
      farms where M. synoviae positive birds have been found was determined in
      different poultry categories such as density, biosecurity, strains, offspring
      quality, premises'age, and others husbandry factors. Prevalence values were
      significantly higher among birds housed in new facilities (less than 3 years old)
      and were also significantly higher in the production period. The high prevalence
      of M. synoviae infection detected in the present study suggests the need to adopt
      appropriate control measures. 

PMID- 26129660
TI  - A diagnostic protocol to identify water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) vaccinated
      with Brucella abortus strain RB51 vaccine.
AB  - The use of live vaccine strain RB51 for vaccination of domestic water buffaloes
      (Bubalus bubalis) at risk of infection with Brucella abortus is permitted
      notwithstanding the plans for the eradication and only under strict veterinary
      control. The antibodies induced by RB51 vaccination are not detectable using
      conventional diagnostic techniques; therefore, it is necessary to have a specific
      diagnostic tool able to discriminate vaccinated from unvaccinated animals. The
      combination of a complement fixation test (CFT) with specific RB51 antigen (RB51
      CFT) and a brucellin skin test has been demonstrated to be a reliable diagnostic
      system to identify single cattle (Bos taurus) vaccinated with RB51. So far, no
      data are available in the international scientific literature regarding the use
      of this test association in water buffalo. For this reason the suitability of
      this test combination has been evaluated in a water buffalo herd. One hundred
      twenty-seven animals farmed in a herd of Salerno province (Campania, Southern
      Italy), in the context of a presumptive unauthorized use of RB51 vaccine were
      chosen for this study. All tested animals resulted negative to Rose Bengal test
      (RBT) and complement fixation test (CFT) used for the detection of specific
      antibodies against Brucella field strains. Seventy-one animals (56%) developed
      RB51 antigen-specific CFT (RB51-CFT) antibodies against RB51 vaccine in a first
      sampling, while 104 animals (82%) gave positive result to a second serum sampling
      conducted 11 days after the intradermal inoculation of the RB51 brucellin. One
      hundred and seven animals (84%) showed a positive reaction to the RB51-CFT in at
      least 1 sampling, while 111 animals (87%) resulted positive to the RB51 brucellin
      skin test. Thus, analysing the results of the 3 testing in parallel, 119 animals
      (94%) were positive to at least 1 of the performed tests. The results suggest
      that the use in parallel of the RB51 brucellin skin test with RB51-CFT may
      represent a reliable diagnostic system to identify water buffaloes vaccinated
      with RB51 vaccine. 

PMID- 26129661
TI  - Reorganization of actin cytoskeleton in L929 cells infected with Coxiella
      burnetii strains isolated from placenta and foetal brain of sheep (Sardinia,
      Italy).
AB  - Coxiella burnetii, the etiological agent of Q Fever, is a zoonotic pathogen
      distributed worldwide. It has been reported that virulent strains of C. burnetii
      are poorly internalized by monocytes compared to avirulent variants. Virulence is
      also associated to the formation of pseudopodal extensions and transient
      reorganization of filamentous actin. In this article, we investigated the ability
      of 2 Coxiella strains isolated from ovine aborted samples to induce
      reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in mouse fibroblast cells. Cells were
      exposed for 24 and 48 hours to ovine placenta and foetal brain tissue homogenates
      and then analysed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in order to detect Coxiella
      infection. The formation of pseudopodal extensions, the polarized distribution of
      F-actin, and the involvement of C. burnetii strain in cytoskeleton reorganization
      have been assessed using a laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscope.
      Results indicate that similarly to the virulent reference strain, strains of C.
      burnetii isolated from foetal brain induced morphological changes - modification
      in F-actin distribution and in the localization of bacteria. By contrast, C.
      burnetii strain isolated from ovine placenta did not induce any significant
      change in L929 cell morphology. In conclusion, both C. burnetii strains isolated
      from ovine placenta and foetal brain were pathogenic causing ovine abortion, but
      in vitro the C. burnetii strain isolated from brain only was able to induce F
      actin reorganization in L929 infected cells. 

PMID- 26129662
TI  - Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification assay (LAMP) based detection of
      Pasteurella multocida in cases of haemorrhagic septicaemia and fowl cholera.
AB  - Twenty two isolates of Pasteurella multocida were obtained from different tissues
      of dead birds and animals (cattle, buffalo, sheep, and goat) suspected of fowl
      cholera and haemorrhagic septicaemia. The isolates were confirmed as P. multocida
      by various biochemical tests and PM PCR. An attempt was made to standardize Loop
      mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) using newly designed primer sequences of
      KMT1 gene. Loop mediated isothermal amplification was conducted using 6 sets of
      primers at 65 degrees C for 30 minutes and the result was confirmed by visual
      observation using SYBR green fluorescence dye as marker of positive reaction
      under UV transilluminator. On electrophoretic analysis of the products on 2%
      agarose gel, a ladder like pattern was observed, which suggested a positive
      amplification, whereas no amplification was observed in negative controls.
      Additionally, product of positive reaction yielded a green fluorescence following
      addition of SYBR green under UV transilluminator. It was observed that LAMP is a
      more sensitive test than polymerase chain reaction (PCR), as the former could
      detect DNA to lower limit of 22.8 pg/ul, while the latter could detect DNA to
      lower limit of 2.28 ng/ ul, thus LAMP could detect 100 times lesser concentration
      of DNA in comparison to PCR. Loop mediated isothermal amplification is a rather
      newer molecular technique, which can be used for rapid detection of infectious
      agent at field level and which does not require sophisticated instrument, i.e.
      thermal cycler. Furthermore, unlike the conventional PCR technique, LAMP requires
      lesser time to perform and result can be read visually. 

PMID- 26129663
TI  - African horse sickness outbreaks in Namibia from 2006 to 2013: clinical,
      pathological and molecular findings.
AB  - African horse sickness (AHS) is a vector-borne viral disease of equids, endemic
      in Sub-Saharan Africa. This article reports the clinic-pathological and
      laboratory findings observed in the framework of passive surveillance during the
      AHS outbreaks which occurred in Namibia between 2006 and 2013. This study was
      conducted in the framework of the collaboration among the Istituto
      Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise (Teramo, Italy), the
      Namibian Ministry of Agriculture Water and Forestry, and the Namibian National
      Veterinary Association. A total of 92 horses were investigated, showing different
      clinical form of AHS: peracute/acute (n = 43), sub-acute (n = 21) and mild AHS
      fever (n = 19). Clinical data were not available for 9 horses, because they were
      found dead. Pathological findings have been recorded for 35 horses. At necropsy,
      pulmonary and subcutaneous oedema, haemorrhages and enlargement of lymph nodes
      were mainly observed. Diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory testing, AHS virus
      (AHSV) was isolated from 50 horses and the identified serotypes were: 1, 2, 4, 6,
      7, 8, and 9. The phylogenetic analysis of the S10 genome sequences segregated the
      Namibian AHSV strains in the same clusters of those circulating in South Africa
      in recent years. The description of AHS clinical, pathological, and laboratory
      features of AHS provided in this article is of value for differential diagnosis
      and control of AHS, especially in areas currently free from this disease. 

PMID- 26129664
TI  - Vector species of Culicoides midges implicated in the 2012-2014 Bluetongue
      epidemics in Italy.
AB  - In 2012, serotypes 1 and 4 of bluetongue virus (BTV) entered and co-circulated in
      Sardinia. The following year, BTV-1 spread all over Sardinia and invaded Sicily
      and the Italian Tyrrenian coast. In 2014, this strain spread extensively in
      mainland Italy, causing severe outbreaks. In late 2014, BTV-4 was detected in
      Southern Italy (Apulia region). This study reports the detection of BTV in
      species of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) collected in Italy during the
      epidemics between 2012 and 2014. A total of 2,925 pools (83,102 midges), sorted
      from 651 collections made on 339 affected farms of 12 Italian regions, were
      tested for the presence of BTV by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
      The study clearly shows that Culicoides imicola and Obsoletus complex have played
      a crucial role in the bluetongue (BT) epidemics in Italy in 2012-2014.
      Nevertheless, it also shows that other species may have played a role in
      transmitting BTV during these outbreaks. Culicoides dewulfi and at least 3
      species of the Pulicaris complex, namely Culicoides pulicaris, Culicoides
      newsteadi and Culicoides punctatus, were found positive to BTV. Serotype 1 was
      detected in all species tested, whereas the BTV-4 was detected in the Obsoletus
      complex, C. imicola, and C. newsteadi. 

PMID- 26129665
TI  - Bluetongue virus in Oryx antelope (Oryx leucoryx) during the quarantine period in
      2010 in Croatia.
AB  - Bluetongue (BT) is a viral infectious non-contagious disease of domestic and wild
      ruminants. Insect species of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)
      serve as biological vectors that transmit bluetongue virus (BTV) to susceptible
      hosts. The infection is present in the Mediterranean region. Recently, it has
      also been reported in Central, Western, and Northern Europe where BTV-8 was
      recognised as the causative serotype. In the meantime, BTV-14 has appeared in the
      North-Eastern part of Europe. In the present study, BTV serotype 16 (BTV-16) was
      detected by virus neutralisation (VNT)-assay and real-time reverse transcription
      PCR (rRT-PCR) in 1 antelope and BTV-1 in 3 of 10 Oryx antelopes (Oryx leucoryx)
      imported in Croatia from the Sultanate of Oman. No BTV vectors were collected
      during the antelope quarantine on the Veliki Brijun Island. Also, no BTV
      antibodies were detected in sheep, cattle, and deer on the Island. Entomological
      studies did not reveal any new vector species that may have been introduced with
      the infected antelopes on their transportation. It was the first time that BTV
      was demonstrated in animals imported in Croatia. It involved BTV-1, which had
      never been demonstrated before and BTV-16, which had been previously recorded in
      domestic ruminants. 

PMID- 26129666
TI  - A new lineage of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype O in India.
AB  - The complete nucleotide sequence of a new lineage of foot and mouth disease virus
      (FMDV) serotype O was determined. The lineage designated as Ind2011 first
      appeared during 2011 in the Southern region of India. Excluding the poly C tract
      and poly A tail, the genome of Ind2011 ranged from 8,169 to 8,172 nucleotides.
      Variation in the genome length was due to insertions/deletions in LF-UTR. The
      lineage had a higher sequence identity with lineage PanAsia-1 at P1 and P2
      regions, and with lineage PanAsia-2 at P3 and L regions. Phylogenetically, the
      isolates were placed closely to both PanAsia-1 and 2 lineages, and appear to be a
      novel variant of the PanAsian lineage. 

PMID- 26129667
TI  - First report of Brucella suis biovar 2 in a semi free-range pig farm, Italy.
AB  - This communication describes the isolation of Brucella suis (B. suis) biovar 2 in
      semi-free-range pigs located in the province of Rome, Italy. Sera of 28 pigs from
      a herd with reproductive problems were tested for brucellosis. Twenty-five sera
      (89%) were found positive to Rose Bengal Test (RBT), while 22 (79%) were positive
      to Complement Fixation Test (CFT). Two positive pigs were slaughtered, organs
      were collected and tested for the presence of bacteria. Brucella spp. was
      isolated from the spleens and the abdominal lymph nodes of the 2 subjects. The
      isolates were identified as B. suis biovar 2 by biochemical and Polymerase Chain
      Reaction (PCR) tests. The frequent infringement in the fences of the premises and
      the birth of striped piglets provided evidence that sows mated with wild boar,
      the major reservoir of B. suis biovar 2. Conversely, the isolation of B. suis
      biovar 2 from spleens and lymphnodes of seropositive slaughtered animals only, as
      well as the constant negative results from all vaginal swabs and the abortion
      materials tested, raise doubts on the implication of B. suis biovar 2 in the
      infertility of the holding. 

PMID- 26129668
TI  - Blue-colour variants of the crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes in 2 rivers of the
      Abruzzo region, Italy.
AB  - Blue-colour variants have been reported in American and Australian freshwater
      crayfish species. We report here the observation of 2 Austropotamobius pallipes
      individuals with a blue-colour carapace in 2 rivers of the Aterno-Pescara river
      basin, located in the Abruzzo region, Central Italy. 

PMID- 26129669
TI  - Nuclear matrix protein Matrin 3 is a regulator of ZAP-mediated retroviral
      restriction.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Matrin 3 is a nuclear matrix protein involved in multiple nuclear
      processes. In HIV-1 infection, Matrin 3 serves as a Rev cofactor important for
      the cytoplasmic accumulation of HIV-1 transcripts. ZAP is a potent host
      restriction factor of multiple viruses including retroviruses HIV-1 and MoMuLV.
      In this study we sought to further characterize Matrin 3 functions in the
      regulation of HIV gene expression. RESULTS: Here we describe a function for
      Matrin 3 as a negative regulator of the ZAP-mediated restriction of retroviruses.
      Mass spectrometry analysis of Matrin 3-associated proteins uncovered interactions
      with proteins of the ZAP degradation complex, DDX17 and EXOSC3.
      Coimmunoprecipitation studies confirmed Matrin 3 associations with DDX17, EXOSC3
      and ZAP, in a largely RNA-dependent manner, indicating that RNA is mediating the
      Matrin 3 interactions with these components of the ZAP degradation complex.
      Silencing Matrin 3 expression caused a remarkably enhanced ZAP-driven inhibition
      of HIV-1 and MoMuLV luciferase reporter viruses. This effect was shared with
      additional nuclear matrix proteins. ZAP targets multiply-spliced HIV-1
      transcripts, but in the context of Matrin 3 suppression, this ZAP restriction was
      broadened to unspliced and multiply-spliced RNAs. CONCLUSIONS: Here we reveal an
      unprecedented role for a nuclear matrix protein, Matrin 3, in the regulation of
      ZAP's antiretroviral activity. Suppressing Matrin 3 powers a heightened and
      broader ZAP restriction of HIV-1 gene expression. This study suggests that this
      ZAP regulatory mechanism is shared with additional nuclear matrix proteins.

PMID- 26129670
TI  - Bayesian analysis of the kinetics of quantal transmitter secretion at the
      neuromuscular junction.
AB  - The timing of transmitter release from nerve endings is considered nowadays as
      one of the factors determining the plasticity and efficacy of synaptic
      transmission. In the neuromuscular junction, the moments of release of individual
      acetylcholine quanta are related to the synaptic delays of uniquantal endplate
      currents recorded under conditions of lowered extracellular calcium. Using
      Bayesian modelling, we performed a statistical analysis of synaptic delays in
      mouse neuromuscular junction with different patterns of rhythmic nerve
      stimulation and when the entry of calcium ions into the nerve terminal was
      modified. We have obtained a statistical model of the release timing which is
      represented as the summation of two independent statistical distributions. The
      first of these is the exponentially modified Gaussian distribution. The mixture
      of normal and exponential components in this distribution can be interpreted as a
      two-stage mechanism of early and late periods of phasic synchronous secretion.
      The parameters of this distribution depend on both the stimulation frequency of
      the motor nerve and the calcium ions' entry conditions. The second distribution
      was modelled as quasi-uniform, with parameters independent of nerve stimulation
      frequency and calcium entry. Two different probability density functions for the
      distribution of synaptic delays suggest at least two independent processes
      controlling the time course of secretion, one of them potentially involving two
      stages. The relative contribution of these processes to the total number of
      mediator quanta released depends differently on the motor nerve stimulation
      pattern and on calcium ion entry into nerve endings. 

PMID- 26129672
TI  - Synthetic approach to the generation of antibody diversity.
AB  - The in vitro antibody discovery technologies revolutionized the generation of
      target-specific antibodies that traditionally relied on the humoral response of
      immunized animals. An antibody library, a large collection of diverse, pre
      constructed antibodies, can be rapidly screened using in vitro display
      technologies such as phage display. One of the keys to successful in vitro
      antibody discovery is the quality of the library diversity. Antibody diversity
      can be obtained either from natural B-cell sources or by the synthetic methods
      that combinatorially generate random nucleotide sequences. While the
      functionality of a natural antibody library depends largely upon the library
      size, various other factors can affect the quality of a synthetic antibody
      library, making the design and construction of synthetic antibody libraries
      complicated and challenging. In this review, we present various library designs
      and diversification methods for synthetic antibody library. From simple
      degenerate oligonucleotide synthesis to trinucleotide synthesis to
      physicochemically optimized library design, the synthetic approach is evolving
      beyond the simple emulation of natural antibodies, into a highly sophisticated
      method that is capable of producing high quality antibodies suitable for
      therapeutic, diagnostic, and other demanding applications. [BMB Reports 2015;
      48(9): 489-494]. 

PMID- 26129673
TI  - Modulation of autophagy by miRNAs.
AB  - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can regulate the expression of genes that are involved in
      multiple cellular pathways. However, their targets and mechanism of action
      associated with the autophagy pathway are not fully investigated yet. EWSR1 (EWS
      RNA-Binding Protein 1/Ewing Sarcoma Break Point Region 1) gene encodes a RNA/DNA
      binding protein that is ubiquitously expressed and plays roles in numerous
      cellular processes. Recently, our group has shown that EWSR1 deficiency leads to
      developmental failure and accelerated senescence via processing of miRNAs, but
      its role in the regulation of autophagy remains elusive. In this context, we
      further investigated and found that EWSR1 deficiency triggers the activation of
      the DROSHA-mediated microprocessor complex and increases the levels of miR125a
      and miR351, which directly target Uvrag. Interestingly, the miR125a- and miR351
      targeted reduction of Uvrag led to the inhibition of autophagy in both ewsr1
      knockout (KO) MEFs and ewsr1 KO mice. In summary, our study demonstrates that
      EWSR1 is associated with the posttranscriptional regulation of Uvrag via miRNA
      processing. The regulation of autophagy pathway in miRNAs-Uvrag-dependent manner
      provides a novel mechanism of EWSR1 deficiency-related cellular dysfunction.

PMID- 26129675
TI  - TAGLN2-mediated actin stabilization at the immunological synapse: implication for
      cytotoxic T cell control of target cells.
AB  - Actin dynamics is critical for the formation and sustainment of the immunological
      synapse (IS) during T cell interaction with antigen-presenting cells (APC). Thus,
      many actin regulating proteins are involved in spatial and temporal actin
      remodeling at the IS. However, little is known whether or how actin stabilizing
      protein controls IS and the consequent T cell functions. TAGLN2 - an actin
      binding protein predominantly expressed in T cells - displays a novel function to
      stabilize cortical F-actin, thereby augmenting F-actin contents at the IS, and
      acquiring leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 activation following T cell
      activation. TAGLN2 also competes with cofilin to protect F-actin in vitro and in
      vivo. During cytotoxic T cell interaction with cancer cells, the expression level
      of TAGLN2 at the IS correlates with the T cell adhesion to target cancer cells
      and production of lytic granules such as granzyme B and perforin, thus expressing
      cytotoxic T cell function. These findings identify a novel function for TAGLN2 as
      an actin stabilizing protein that is essential for stable immunological synapse
      formation, thereby regulating T cell immunity.

PMID- 26129674
TI  - From cell senescence to age-related diseases: differential mechanisms of action
      of senescence-associated secretory phenotypes.
AB  - Cellular senescence is a process by which cells enter a state of permanent cell
      cycle arrest. It is commonly believed to underlie organismal aging and age
      associated diseases. However, the mechanism by which cellular senescence
      contributes to aging and age-associated pathologies remains unclear. Recent
      studies showed that senescent cells exert detrimental effects on the tissue
      microenvironment, generating pathological facilitators or aggravators. The most
      significant environmental effector resulting from senescent cells is the
      senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which is constituted by a
      strikingly increased expression and secretion of diverse pro-inflammatory
      cytokines. Careful investigation into the components of SASPs and their mechanism
      of action, may improve our understanding of the pathological backgrounds of age
      associated diseases. In this review, we focus on the differential expression of
      SASP-related genes, in addition to SASP components, during the progress of
      senescence. We also provide a perspective on the possible action mechanisms of
      SASP components, and potential contributions of SASP-expressing senescent cells,
      to age-associated pathologies.

PMID- 26129676
TI  - Antimicrobial peptide scolopendrasin VII, derived from the centipede Scolopendra
      subspinipes mutilans, stimulates macrophage chemotaxis via formyl peptide
      receptor 1.
AB  - In this study, we report that one of the antimicrobial peptides scolopendrasin
      VII, derived from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans, stimulates actin
      polymerization and the subsequent chemotactic migration of macrophages through
      the activation of ERK and protein kinase B (Akt) activity. The scolopendrasin VII
      induced chemotactic migration of macrophages is inhibited by the formyl peptide
      receptor 1 (FPR1) antagonist cyclosporine H. We also found that scolopendrasin
      VII stimulate the chemotactic migration of FPR1-transfected RBL-2H3 cells, but
      not that of vector-transfected cells; moreover, scolopendrasin VII directly binds
      to FPR1. Our findings therefore suggest that the antimicrobial peptide
      scolopendrasin VII, derived from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans, stimulates
      macrophages, resulting in chemotactic migration via FPR1 signaling, and the
      peptide can be useful in the study of FPR1-related biological responses.

PMID- 26129677
TI  - Withdrawal from Acute Amphetamine Induces an Amygdala-Driven Attenuation of
      Dopamine Neuron Activity: Reversal by Ketamine.
AB  - Drug addiction is a chronic disorder characterized by a cycle composed of drug
      seeking, intoxication with drug taking and withdrawal associated with negative
      affect. Numerous studies have examined withdrawal/negative affect after chronic
      use; however, very few have examined the effect of acute administration on the
      negative affective state after acute drug withdrawal. One dose of amphetamine was
      injected into Sprague-Dawley rats. Despair behavior using the modified forced
      swim test (FST) and dopamine (DA) activity in the ventral tegmental area using in
      vivo electrophysiological recordings were studied 18, 48 and 72 h after injection
      of amphetamine. The effects of inactivation of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and
      ketamine administration on VTA DA neuron activity and passivity in the modified
      FST were examined. Eighteen hours following amphetamine withdrawal, there was a
      substantial decrease in the number of active DA neurons, as well as an increase
      in time spent immobile in the modified FST, which returned to baseline after 72
      h. Inactivation of the BLA after acute amphetamine prevented the decrease in DA
      neuron tonic activity. Injection of ketamine also prevented the decrease in DA
      population activity but had no effect on immobility measured in the modified FST.
      The data support a model in which the negative affective state following acute
      amphetamine withdrawal is associated with a decrease in DA neuron population
      activity, driven by hyperactivity of the BLA. Although ketamine reversed the
      hypodopaminergic state following withdrawal, the failure to reduce immobility in
      the modified FST indicates that different processes underlying negative emotional
      state may exist between depression and drug withdrawal.

PMID- 26129678
TI  - Comparing Pharmacological Modulation of Sensory Gating in Healthy Humans and
      Rats: The Effects of Reboxetine and Haloperidol.
AB  - Sensory gating is the brain's ability to filter out irrelevant information before
      it reaches high levels of conscious processing. In the current study we aimed to
      investigate the involvement of the noradrenergic and dopaminergic
      neurotransmitter systems in sensory gating. Furthermore, we investigated cross
      species reliability by comparing effects in both healthy humans and rats, while
      keeping all experimental conditions as similar as possible between the species.
      The design of the human experiment (n=21) was a double-blind, placebo-controlled,
      cross-over study where sensory gating was assessed following a dose of either
      reboxetine (8 mg), haloperidol (2 mg), their combination or placebo at four
      separate visits. Similarly in the animal experiment sensory gating was assessed
      in rats, (n=22) following a dose of reboxetine (2 mg/kg), haloperidol (0.08
      mg/kg), their combination or placebo. The sensory gating paradigms in both
      experiments were identical. In humans, we found significantly reduced P50
      suppression following separate administration of reboxetine or haloperidol, while
      their combined administration did not reach statistical significance compared
      with placebo. In the rats, we found a similar significant reduction of sensory
      gating (N40) following treatment with haloperidol and the combination of
      haloperidol and reboxetine, but not with separate reboxetine treatment, compared
      with placebo. Our study indicates that even when experimental conditions are kept
      as similar as possible, direct human to rat cross-species translation of
      pharmacological effects on sensory gating is challenging, which calls for more
      focussed research in this important translational area.

PMID- 26129679
TI  - Choosing Under the Influence: A Drug-Specific Mechanism by Which the Setting
      Controls Drug Choices in Rats.
AB  - Ample evidence shows that the setting can control drug choices in both humans and
      animals. Here we reveal in rats that a major mechanism of this control involves a
      regulation of the drug influence on other competing options at the time of
      choice. Briefly, rats were offered a choice between a drug dose (cocaine or
      heroin) and a brief access to water sweetened with saccharin in two different
      settings. In one setting, choosing under the influence was not possible and rats
      largely preferred saccharin over either cocaine or heroin. In contrast, when the
      same rats were shifted to a setting where choosing under the influence was
      possible, they chose the drug either nonexclusively or exclusively depending on
      whether the drug enhanced or suppressed sweet reward, respectively. Thus, when
      rats were under the orexigenic influence of heroin at the time of choice, they
      more frequently chose saccharin in alternation with heroin. In contrast, when
      rats were under the anorexic influence of cocaine, they stopped choosing
      saccharin and continued taking cocaine exclusively. These setting- and drug
      specific changes in preference were rapid and reversible, and could be induced by
      passively administering cocaine or heroin before choice. Finally, rats behaved as
      if they were oblivious to the drug influence on their choices. This behavior
      could explain why rats are vulnerable to harm themselves, sometimes to the point
      of death, in settings where choices are made under the drug influence, notably if
      this influence excludes other important options or, conversely, enhances harmful
      ones. 

PMID- 26129681
TI  - Breaking down the wall: a narrative approach to addiction.

PMID- 26129680
TI  - Effects of beta-Arrestin-Biased Dopamine D2 Receptor Ligands on Schizophrenia
      Like Behavior in Hypoglutamatergic Mice.
AB  - Current antipsychotic drugs (APDs) show efficacy with positive symptoms, but are
      limited in treating negative or cognitive features of schizophrenia. Whereas all
      currently FDA-approved medications target primarily the dopamine D2 receptor
      (D2R) to inhibit G(i/o)-mediated adenylyl cyclase, a recent study has shown that
      many APDs affect not only G(i/o)- but they can also influence beta-arrestin-
      (betaArr)-mediated signaling. The ability of ligands to differentially affect
      signaling through these pathways is termed functional selectivity. We have
      developed ligands that are devoid of D2R-mediated G(i/o) protein signaling, but
      are simultaneously partial agonists for D2R/betaArr interactions. The purpose of
      this study was to test the effectiveness of UNC9975 or UNC9994 on schizophrenia
      like behaviors in phencyclidine-treated or NR1-knockdown hypoglutamatergic mice.
      We have found the UNC compounds reduce hyperlocomotion in the open field, restore
      PPI, improve novel object recognition memory, partially normalize social
      behavior, decrease conditioned avoidance responding, and elicit a much lower
      level of catalepsy than haloperidol. These preclinical results suggest that
      exploitation of functional selectivity may provide unique opportunities to
      develop drugs with fewer side effects, greater therapeutic selectivity, and
      enhanced efficacy for treating schizophrenia and related conditions than
      medications that are currently available.

PMID- 26129682
TI  - Reflectance confocal microscopy in infectious diseases.
AB  - In vivo reflectance confocal microscope (RCM) is a high-resolution non-invasive
      imaging technique that was initially focused on the diagnosis of skin cancers. A
      rising number of other indications have been later described for the diagnosis
      and management of inflammatory and infectious dermatological disorders. RCM can
      identify cutaneous parasites that are not visible to naked eye such as Sarcoptes
      scabiei and Demodex folliculorum and it allows to better identify the different
      body parts of bigger parasites such as ticks. Fungal filaments can also be
      identified as elongated bright structures in the cutaneous upper layers. RCM
      cannot observe virus directly. However, the cytopathic effect associated with
      some virus can be recognized. In addition of being helpful for the diagnosis and
      follow-up after treatment, thanks to its non-invasiveness, RCM allows
      pathophysiological studies. 

PMID- 26129683
TI  - Optical coherence tomography in dermatology.
AB  - AIM: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was first used in skin imaging in 1997,
      and since then the technology has undergone significant technological
      development. With its high resolution and moderate penetration depth OCT fills
      the imaging gap between High Frequency Ultrasound and Reflectance Confocal
      Microscopy. Different modalities of OCT have been developed either focusing on
      higher image resolution or special visualization of tissue with distinct optical
      properties, including collagen and blood flow. The aim of this study was to
      describe trends in OCT research on different dermatological diseases and review
      the results. METHODS: Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of science, Google Scholar and Cochrane
      databases were searched for the terms "optical coherence tomography", "OCT" and
      "dermatology" including English articles on studies of human skin tissue in vivo,
      finding 117 studies of original research and including 64 studies based on
      predefined criteria and year of publication. RESULTS: In dermatology, most
      studies of OCT were on non-melanoma skin cancer followed by pigmented lesions,
      inflammatory skin diseases, nails diseases and anatomical and physiological
      features investigated by OCT. In non-melanoma skin cancer diagnostic OCT criteria
      have been proposed and recent studies have shown a high diagnostic accuracy of
      87.4% and identified objective scoring criteria for diagnosing non-melanoma skin
      cancer. In pigmented lesions, morphological features for differentiation of
      benign naevi and malignant melanoma have also been suggested, though only
      included small samples of malignant lesions were used in most studies. Results
      were further limited by a high light absorption in melanin at the used
      wavelenghts. Studies on skin inflammation have described morphological features
      of different inflammatory responses such as allergic reactions, but remain at a
      preliminary stage. Regarding the anatomical and physiological features of the
      skin, OCT studies have mainly focused on measuring epidermal thickness and
      morphological changes in the acute response to UV-radiation. CONCLUSION: OCT
      research in dermatology has undergone significant developments since its first
      application in 1997. The rising demand for non-invasive monitoring of skin
      disorders and treatment outcomes emphasize the need for further advances in the
      field of non-invasive imaging. Combining OCT with other technical modalities that
      enable quantitative measurements of e.g. blood flow or light reflectance in
      tissue may aid the usability of OCT in a clinical setting.

PMID- 26129685
TI  - Arginine vasotocin induces calling behavior with a female social stimulus and
      interacts with gonadotropins to affect sexual behaviors in male Xenopus
      tropicalis.
AB  - Arginine vasotocin (AVT) and the mammalian homologue, arginine vasopressin (AVP),
      modulate vertebrate social behaviors, including vocalizations in male anurans. To
      study the impact of AVT and social stimuli on calling in male Xenopus tropicalis,
      we injected males with vehicle, 1 MUg, or 10 MUg AVT and recorded vocalizations
      under four social contexts (no stimulus, with male call playback, with a female,
      and with call playback and a female). More males called when injected with 10 MUg
      AVT. Furthermore, calling males called only when paired with a female. We
      identified four call types: long fast trill; short fast trill; slow trill; or
      click. Next, we injected males with vehicle, 10 MUg, or 20 MUg AVT and recorded
      vocalizations with or without a female. AVT treatment did not affect calling in
      this experiment, but we confirmed that more males, regardless of AVT treatment,
      called when a female was present. Then we evaluated the effect of human chorionic
      gonadotropin (hCG) on male sexual behavior. 20 IU hCG elevated behavior compared
      to controls while the 10 IU hCG treatment group was not different from either
      treatment. Last, we examined the effect of AVT on hCG-induced reproductive
      behavior. Males were injected with 10 IU hCG or with 10 IU hCG and 20 MUg AVT.
      Males receiving hCG and AVT clasped and called significantly more than males
      receiving hCG only. Our results suggest that AVT and a female stimulus induce
      vocalizations in a male pipid anuran, X. tropicalis, and the interaction between
      gonadotropins and neurohormones influences reproductive behaviors in this anuran
      amphibian.

PMID- 26129684
TI  - Serum reactome induced by Bordetella pertussis infection and Pertussis vaccines:
      qualitative differences in serum antibody recognition patterns revealed by
      peptide microarray analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pertussis (whooping cough) remains a public health problem despite
      extensive vaccination strategies. Better understanding of the host-pathogen
      interaction and the detailed B. pertussis (Bp) target recognition pattern will
      help in guided vaccine design. We characterized the specific epitope antigen
      recognition profiles of serum antibodies ('the reactome') induced by whooping
      cough and B. pertussis (Bp) vaccines from a case-control study conducted in 1996
      in infants enrolled in a Bp vaccine trial in Sweden (Gustafsson, NEJM, 1996, 334,
      349-355). METHODS: Sera from children with whooping cough, vaccinated with
      Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis (DTP) whole-cell (wc), acellular 5 (DPTa5), or with
      the 2 component (a2) vaccines and from infants receiving only DT (n=10 for each
      group) were tested with high-content peptide microarrays containing 17 Bp
      proteins displayed as linear (n=3175) peptide stretches. Slides were incubated
      with serum and peptide-IgG complexes detected with Cy5-labeled goat anti-human
      IgG and analyzed using a GenePix 4000B microarray scanner, followed by
      statistical analysis, using PAM (Prediction Analysis for Microarrays) and the
      identification of uniquely recognized peptide epitopes. RESULTS: 367/3,085
      (11.9%) peptides were recognized in 10/10 sera from children with whooping cough,
      239 (7.7%) in DTPwc, 259 (8.4%) in DTPa5, 105 (3.4%) DTPa2, 179 (5.8%) in the DT
      groups. Recognition of strongly recognized peptides was similar between whooping
      cough and DPTwc, but statistically different between whooping cough vs. DTPa5
      (p<0.05), DTPa2 and DT (p<0.001 vs. both) vaccines. 6/3,085 and 2/3,085 peptides
      were exclusively recognized in (10/10) sera from children with whooping cough and
      DTPa2 vaccination, respectively. DTPwc resembles more closely the whooping cough
      reactome as compared to acellular vaccines. CONCLUSION: We could identify a
      unique recognition signature common for each vaccination group (10/10 children).
      Peptide microarray technology allows detection of subtle differences in epitope
      signature responses and may help to guide rational vaccine development by the
      objective description of a clinically relevant immune response that confers
      protection against infectious pathogens.

PMID- 26129686
TI  - Nitrous oxide as a humane method for piglet euthanasia: Behavior and
      electroencephalography (EEG).
AB  - The search for humane methods to euthanize piglets is critical to address public
      concern that current methods are not optimal. Blunt force trauma is considered
      humane but esthetically objectionable. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is used but
      criticized as aversive. This research sought to: 1) evaluate the aversiveness of
      inhaling nitrous oxide (N2O; 'laughing gas') using an approach-avoidance test
      relying on the piglet's perspective, and 2) validate its humaneness to induce
      loss of consciousness by electroencephalography (EEG). The gas mixtures tested
      were N2O and air (90%:10%; '90 N'); N2O, oxygen and air (60%:30%:10%; '60 N');
      and CO2 and air (90%:10%; '90 C'). Experiment 1 allowed piglets to walk freely
      between one chamber filled with air and another prefilled with 60 N or 90 N. All
      piglets exposed to 60 N lasted for the 10 min test duration whereas all piglets
      exposed to 90 N had to be removed within 5 min because they fell recumbent and
      unresponsive and then started to flail. Experiment 2 performed the same test
      except the gas chamber held N2O prefilled at 25%, 50%, or 75% or CO2 prefilled at
      7%, 14%, or 21%. The test was terminated more quickly at higher concentrations
      due to the piglets' responses. Time spent ataxic was greater in the middle
      concentration gradients. Flailing behavior tended to correlate with increasing
      concentrations of CO2 but not N2O. Experiment 3, using the minimal anesthesia
      model, showed that both 90 N and 90 C induced isoelectric EEG, in 71 and 59 s
      respectively, but not 60 N within 15 min. The EEG results together with the
      observed behavioral changes reflect differences in the animal's perceptive
      experience. The implications for animal welfare are that N2O is much less
      aversive than CO2, and 90% N2O can euthanize piglets.

PMID- 26129687
TI  - Acne inversa complicated by Actinomyces neuii.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Acne inversa (AI) is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory skin
      disease. It occurs in intertriginous areas of the skin and causes pain, drainage,
      malodor and scar formation. While supposedly caused by an autoimmune reaction,
      bacterial superinfection is a secondary event in the disease process. METHODS: A
      unique case of a 43-year-old male patient suffering from a recurring AI lesion in
      the left axilla was retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: A swab revealed
      Actinomyces neuii as the only agent growing in the lesion. The patient was then
      treated with Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid 3 * 1 g until he was cleared for
      surgical excision. The intraoperative swab was negative for A. neuii. Antibiotics
      were prescribed for another 4 weeks and the patient has remained relapse free for
      more than 12 months now. CONCLUSION: Primary cutaneous Actinomycosis is a rare
      entity and the combination of AI and Actinomycosis has never been reported
      before. Failure to detect superinfections of AI lesions with slow-growing
      pathogens like Actinomyces spp. might contribute to high recurrence rates after
      immunosuppressive therapy of AI. The present case underlines the potentially
      multifactorial pathogenesis of the disease and the importance of considering and
      treating potential infections before initiating immunosuppressive regimens for AI
      patients.

PMID- 26129688
TI  - Epigenetically altered miR-193b targets cyclin D1 in prostate cancer.
AB  - Micro-RNAs (miRNA) are important regulators of gene expression and often
      differentially expressed in cancer and other diseases. We have previously shown
      that miR-193b is hypermethylated in prostate cancer (PC) and suppresses cell
      growth. It has been suggested that miR-193b targets cyclin D1 in several
      malignancies. Here, our aim was to determine if miR-193b targets cyclin D1 in
      prostate cancer. Our data show that miR-193b is commonly methylated in PC samples
      compared to benign prostate hyperplasia. We found reduced miR-193b expression (P
      < 0.05) in stage pT3 tumors compared to pT2 tumors in a cohort of prostatectomy
      specimens. In 22Rv1 PC cells with low endogenous miR-193b expression, the
      overexpression of miR-193b reduced CCND1 mRNA levels and cyclin D1 protein
      levels. In addition, the exogenous expression of miR-193b decreased the
      phosphorylation level of RB, a target of the cyclin D1-CDK4/6 pathway. Moreover,
      according to a reporter assay, miR-193b targeted the 3'UTR of CCND1 in PC cells
      and the CCND1 activity was rescued by expressing CCND1 lacking its 3'UTR.
      Immunohistochemical analysis of cyclin D1 showed that castration-resistant
      prostate cancers have significantly (P = 0.0237) higher expression of cyclin D1
      compared to hormone-naive cases. Furthermore, the PC cell lines 22Rv1 and VCaP,
      which express low levels of miR-193b and high levels of CCND1, showed significant
      growth retardation when treated with a CDK4/6 inhibitor. In contrast, the
      inhibitor had no effect on the growth of PC-3 and DU145 cells with high miR-193b
      and low CCND1 expression. Taken together, our data demonstrate that miR-193b
      targets cyclin D1 in prostate cancer.

PMID- 26129689
TI  - Sperm Release From the Oviductal Epithelium Depends on Ca(2+) Influx Upon
      Activation of CB1 and TRPV1 by Anandamide.
AB  - The oviduct acts as a functional sperm reservoir in many mammalian species. Both
      binding and release of spermatozoa from the oviductal epithelium are mainly
      modulated by sperm capacitation. Several molecules from oviductal fluid are
      involved in the regulation of sperm function. Anandamide is a lipid mediator
      involved in reproductive physiology. Previously, we demonstrated that anandamide,
      through activation of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1), promotes sperm
      release from bovine oviductal epithelial cells, and through CB1 and the transient
      receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), induces sperm capacitation. Herein we
      investigate co-activation between CB1 and TRPV1, and Ca(2+) influx as part of the
      mechanism of action of anandamide during sperm release from oviductal cells. Our
      results indicate that in the absence of Ca(2+) anandamide failed to release
      spermatozoa from oviductal epithelial cells. Additionally, sperm release promoted
      by cannabinoid and vanilloid agonists was abolished when the spermatozoa were
      preloaded with BAPTA-AM, a Ca(2+) chelator. We also determined Ca(2+) levels in
      spermatozoa preloaded with FURA2-AM co-cultured with oviductal cells and
      incubated with different cannabinoid and vanilloid agonists. The incubation with
      different agonists induced Ca(2+) influx, which was abolished by CB1 or TRPV1
      antagonists. Our results also suggest that a phospholypase C (PLC) might mediate
      the activation of CB1 and TRPV1 in sperm release from the bovine oviduct.
      Therefore, our findings indicate that anandamide, through CB1 and TRPV1
      activation, is involved in sperm release from the oviductal reservoir. An
      increase of sperm Ca(2+) levels and the PLC activation might be involved in
      anandamide signaling pathway.

PMID- 26129690
TI  - Lamellar versus Micellar Structures-Aggregation Behavior of a Three-Chain
      Cationic Lipid Designed for Nonviral Polynucleotide Transfer.
AB  - The front cover artwork is provided by the groups of Prof. Bodo Dobner, Prof.
      Andreas Langner, and research partners Dr. Gerd Hause, Dr. Simon Drescher, and
      Dr. Annette Meister (MLU Halle-Wittenberg) as well as the group of Prof. Gerald
      Brezesinski (MPI of Colloids and Interfaces). The image shows the space-filling
      model of a three-chain amino-functionalized lipid designed for gene transfer and
      the preferred pH-dependent aggregates (multilamellar stacks, vesicles, rod-like
      micelles). The background shows a Cryo-TEM image of rod-like micelles. Read the
      full text of the article at 10.1002/cphc.201500188. 

PMID- 26129691
TI  - Seismic shift in policy needed to increase physical activity.

PMID- 26129692
TI  - Health Care Cost Analysis in a Population-based Inception Cohort of Inflammatory
      Bowel Disease Patients in the First Year of Diagnosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are limited prospective population-based data on the health
      care cost of IBD in the post-biologicals era. A prospective registry that
      included all incident cases of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] was established
      to study disease progress and health cost. AIM: To prospectively assess health
      care costs in the first year of diagnosis among a well-characterised cohort of
      newly diagnosed IBD patients. METHOD: Incident cases of IBD were prospectively
      identified in 2007-2008 and 2010-2013 from multiple health care providers, and
      enrolled into the population-based registry. Health care resource utilisation for
      each patient was collected through active surveillance of case notes and
      investigations including specialist visits, diagnostic tests, medications,
      medical hospitalisation, and surgery. RESULTS: Off 276 incident cases of IBD, 252
      [91%] were recruited to the registry, and health care cost was calculated for 242
      (146 Crohn's disease [CD] and 96 ulcerative colitis [UC] patients). The median
      cost in CD was higher at A$5905 per patient (interquartile range [IQR]: A$1571
      $91,324) than in UC at A$4752 [IQR: A$1488-A$58,072]. In CD, outpatient resources
      made up 55% of all cost, with medications accounting for 32% of total cost [15%
      aminosalicylates, 15% biological therapy], followed by surgery [31%], and
      diagnostic testing [21%]. In UC, medications accounted for 39% of total cost [of
      which 37% was due to 5-aminosalicylates, and diagnostics 29%; outpatient cost
      contributed 71% to total cost. CONCLUSION: In the first year of diagnosis,
      outpatient resources account for the majority of cost in both CD and UC.
      Medications are the main cost driver in IBD.

PMID- 26129693
TI  - Treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Pregnancy: The Issues We Face Today.
AB  - Many women of childbearing age are living with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD],
      yet there are limited studies on the use of IBD medications in pregnancy. In this
      review, we provide a comprehensive update on the safety of these medications
      during pregnancy, particularly thiopurines and biologicals. Antibiotics,
      steroids, and aminosalicylates are relatively low risk for use in pregnancy, and
      growing evidence supports the safety of immunomodulators and anti-tumour necrosis
      factor agents as well. Available studies on infliximab, adalimumab, and
      certolizumab pegol show no increase in adverse events during pregnancy or
      perinatally. Similarly, studies on lactation demonstrate that concentrations of
      subcutaneous anti-tumour necrosis factor biologicals are undetectable, and levels
      of thiopurines and infliximab are negligible in breast milk. Less is known about
      anti-integrins in pregnancy [eg natalizumab and vedolizumab] but currently
      available data suggest they may be safe as well. Although more studies are needed
      to examine the long-term effects of these medications on offspring, the available
      data provide reassuring information for providers caring for women of
      childbearing age. 

PMID- 26129695
TI  - Molecular dynamics of NH3 induced by core-electron excitation.
AB  - Nuclear motion in the N1s(-1)4a core-excited state of ammonia is investigated by
      studying the angular anisotropy of fragments produced in the decay of the highly
      excited molecule and compared with predictions from ab initio calculations. Two
      different fragmentation channels (H(+)/NH2(+) and H(+)/NH(+)/H) reveal complex
      nuclear dynamics as the excitation photon energy is tuned through the 4a1
      resonance. The well-defined angular anisotropy of the fragments produced in the
      dissociation of the molecular dication species suggests a very rapid nuclear
      motion and the time scale of the nuclear dynamics is limited to the low fs
      timescale. 

PMID- 26129694
TI  - Preventive Cognitive Therapy versus Treatment as Usual in preventing recurrence
      of depression: protocol of a multi-centered randomized controlled trial.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is projected to rank second on a list
      of 15 major diseases in terms of burden in 2030. The contribution of MDD to
      disability and health care costs is largely due to its highly recurrent nature.
      Therefore, part of the efforts to reduce the disabling effects of depression
      should focus on preventing recurrence, especially in patients at high risk of
      recurrence. The best established effective psychological intervention is
      cognitive therapy, with indications for prophylactic effects after remission.
      METHODS/DESIGN: In this randomized controlled trial (cost-) effectiveness of
      Preventive Cognitive Therapy (PCT) after response to Acute Cognitive Therapy (A
      CT) will be evaluated in comparison with Treatment As Usual (TAU). Remitted
      patients that responded to A-CT treatment with at least two previous depressive
      episodes will be recruited. Randomization will be stratified for number of
      previous episodes. Follow-ups are at 3, 6, 12 and 15 months. The primary outcome
      measure will be the time to relapse or recurrence of depression meeting DSM-IV
      criteria for a major depressive episode on the Structured Clinical Interview for
      DSM-VI Axis I Disorders (SCID-I). Costs will be measured from a societal
      perspective. DISCUSSION: This study is the first to examine the addition of PCT
      to TAU, compared to TAU alone in patients that recovered from depressive disorder
      with A-CT. Alongside this effect study a cost effectiveness analysis will be
      conducted. Furthermore, the study explores potential moderators to examine what
      works for whom. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial Register (NTR): 2599 , date
      of registration: 11-11-2010.

PMID- 26129696
TI  - Nonlinear absorption tuning by composition control in bimetallic plasmonic
      nanoprism arrays.
AB  - The nonlinear absorption properties of bidimensional arrays of Au-Ag bilayered
      nanoprisms have been investigated by z-scan measurements as a function of the
      bimetallic nanoprism composition. A tunable ps laser system was used to excite
      the ultrafast, electronic nonlinear response matching the laser wavelength with
      the quadrupolar surface plasmon resonances, in the visible range, of each
      nanoprism array. Due to the strong electromagnetic field confinement effects at
      the nanoprism tips, demonstrated by finite element method simulations, these
      nanosystems proved to have enhanced nonlinear optical properties. Moreover, a
      tunable changeover from reverse saturable absorption (RSA) to saturable
      absorption (SA) can be obtained by properly controlling the bimetallic
      composition of the nanoprisms, without modifying the overall morphology of the
      nanosystems. This capability makes these nanosystems extremely interesting for
      the realization of solid-state nanophotonic devices with enhanced ultrafast
      nonlinear optical properties. 

PMID- 26129697
TI  - Absorption Spectroscopy, Emissive Properties, and Ultrafast Intersystem Crossing
      Processes in Transition Metal Complexes: TD-DFT and Spin-Orbit Coupling.
AB  - Absorption spectroscopy, emissive properties, and ultrafast intersystem crossing
      processes in transition metal complexes are discussed in the light of recent
      developments in time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT), spin-orbit
      coupling (SOC) effects, and non-adiabatic excited states dynamics. Methodological
      highlights focus on spin-orbit and vibronic couplings and on the recent
      strategies available for simulating ultra-fast intersystem crossings (ISC).The
      role of SOC in the absorption spectroscopy of third-row transition metal
      complexes is illustrated by two cases studies, namely Ir(III) phenyl pyridine and
      Re(I) carbonyl bipyridine complexes.The problem of luminescence decay in third
      row transition metal complexes handled by TD-DFT linear and quadratic response
      theories including SOC is exemplified by three studies: (1) the phosphorescence
      of Ir(III) complexes from the lowest triplet state; (2) the emissive properties
      of square planar Pt(II) complexes with bidentate and terdentate ligands
      characterized by low-lying metal-to-ligand-charge-transfer (MLCT) and metal
      centered (MC) states; and (3) the ultra-fast luminescence decay of Re(I) carbonyl
      bipyridine halides via low-lying singlet and triplet charge transfer states
      delocalized over the bipyridine and the halide ligands.Ultrafast ISC occurring in
      spin crossover [Fe (bpy)3]2+, in [Ru (bpy)3]2+, and [Re (Br)(CO)3(bpy] complexes
      are deciphered thanks to recent developments based on various approaches, namely
      non-radiative rate theory within the Condon approximation, non-adiabatic surface
      hopping molecular dynamics, and quantum wave packet dynamics propagation.

PMID- 26129698
TI  - The synthesis of nanostructured Ni5 P4 films and their use as a non-noble
      bifunctional electrocatalyst for full water splitting.
AB  - The investigation of nickel phosphide (Ni5 P4 ) as a catalyst for the hydrogen
      (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in strong acidic and alkaline
      environment is described. The catalyst can be grown in a 3D hierarchical
      structure directly on a nickel substrate, thus making it an ideal candidate for
      practical water splitting devices. The activity of the catalyst towards the HER,
      together with its high stability especially in acidic solution, makes it one of
      the best non-noble materials described to date. Furthermore, Ni5 P4 was
      investigated in the OER and showed activity superior to pristine nickel or
      platinum. The practical relevance of Ni5 P4 as a bifunctional catalyst for the
      overall water splitting reaction was demonstrated, with 10 mA cm(-2) achieved
      below 1.7 V. 

PMID- 26129699
TI  - Social Inequalities on Selected Determinants of Active Aging and Health Status
      Indicators in a Large Brazilian City (2003-2010).
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To assess trends in social inequalities among 2,624 elderly living in
      Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in three domains of the World Health Organization's
      Active Aging model (physical environment, social determinants, use of health
      services) and health status indicators. METHOD: Data came from two representative
      household surveys conducted in 2003 and 2010. Social inequality was measured by
      the slope and the relative index of inequality. Educational level was used to
      define socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed in
      the prevalence rates of 7 out of 12 indicators. However, the social inequalities
      persisted through 10 out of 12 selected active aging and health status
      indicators, except for fear of falling on the sidewalks/crossing the streets and
      fear of being robbed. DISCUSSION: Social inequalities persistence might be
      assigned to the continuity of unequal distribution of resources among groups with
      different educational levels.

PMID- 26129700
TI  - Community-Based Long-Term Care Services: If We Build It, Will They Come?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study examines the relationship between caregivers' perception of
      community-based long-term care (CBLTC) services and the service use. METHOD: We
      used first two waves of the longitudinal data set of 1,416 dyads of care
      recipients and their caregivers in Singapore. Four perceived attributes of LTC
      services--service quality, convenience, social connectedness, and affordability-
      were measured on a 5-point scale. RESULTS: Among the four perceived attributes,
      perceived affordability was significantly associated with future utilization for
      all types of CBLTC services. Perceived service quality and convenience was
      significantly associated with center-based LTC services use. DISCUSSION:
      Caregivers are critically involved in the decision of using CBLTC services, and
      their perception of service characteristics is significantly associated with the
      uptake of CBLTC services. It is important to incorporate both care recipients'
      and caregivers' needs and preferences when designing and promoting integrated
      health care delivery models.

PMID- 26129702
TI  - Biochemical and Molecular Characterization of a Novel Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase
      from Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.: an Intrinsically Disordered Protein.
AB  - A novel Cu/ZnSOD from Amaranthus hypochondriacus was cloned, expressed, and
      characterized. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed an open reading frame (ORF) of
      456 bp, which was predicted to encode a 15.6-kDa molecular weight protein with a
      pI of 5.4. Structural analysis showed highly conserved amino acid residues
      involved in Cu/Zn binding. Recombinant amaranth superoxide dismutase (rAhSOD)
      displayed more than 50 % of catalytic activity after incubation at 100  degrees C
      for 30 min. In silico analysis of Amaranthus hypochondriacus SOD (AhSOD) amino
      acid sequence for globularity and disorder suggested that this protein is mainly
      disordered; this was confirmed by circular dichroism, which showed the lack of
      secondary structure. Intrinsic fluorescence studies showed that rAhSOD undergoes
      conformational changes in two steps by the presence of Cu/Zn, which indicates the
      presence of two binding sites displaying different affinities for metals ions.
      Our results show that AhSOD could be classified as an intrinsically disordered
      protein (IDP) that is folded when metals are bound and with high thermal
      stability. 

PMID- 26129701
TI  - Inappropriate Medication Use Among Underserved Elderly African Americans.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to identify correlates and the prevalence of
      potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use among underserved elderly African
      Americans. METHOD: This cross-sectional study recruited 400 elderly African
      Americans living in South Los Angeles, and used structured, face-to-face surveys.
      These elicited data pertaining to the type, frequency, dosage, and indications of
      all medications used by participants. RESULTS: Seventy percent of participants
      engaged in PIM use and used at least one medication that was classified as
      "Avoid" (27%) and "Use Conditionally" (43%) through Beers Criteria. Significant
      correlations emerged between PIM use and the number of autonomic and central
      nervous system, neurological and psychotherapeutic medications, medication
      duplications, and drug-drug interactions. DISCUSSION: Our findings point to the
      need for multidisciplinary team programs of health care providers that include
      primary and specialist physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and social workers.
      Together, they can improve health outcomes, enhance the quality of life, and
      reduce morbidity and mortality due to inappropriate medication use.

PMID- 26129703
TI  - Effect of Calcium Ions on Dewaterability of Enzymatic-Enhanced Anaerobic
      Digestion Sludge.
AB  - Waste-activated sludge (WAS) solubilized remarkably after enzymatic-enhanced
      anaerobic digestion, but its dewaterability was deteriorated. In this study, a
      novel method was performed to improve the dewaterability of enzymatic-enhanced
      anaerobic digestion sludge by adding CaCl2 (0.01~1.00 g/g total sludge). The
      capillary suction time (CST), moisture content, and filtrate turbidity were
      employed to characterize the dewaterability of WAS, and the possible mechanisms
      involved were clarified. The results showed the dewaterability did not worsen
      when CaCl2 was added before sludge digestion, and the CST, moisture content, and
      filtrate turbidity were notably reduced with the increase of CaCl2 dosage. It
      also shown that calcium ions played an important role in the bioflocculation of
      digested sludge by neutralizing negative charges on the surface of sludge. In
      addition, soluble protein initially lowered a little and then observably improved
      with the addition of CaCl2, while soluble carbohydrate was reduced sharply first
      and then bounced back afterwards. The interactions between calcium ions and the
      biopolymer further enhanced the dewatering of sludge through bridging of
      colloidal particles together. 

PMID- 26129704
TI  - WS2 Nanowires as a High-Performance Anode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.
AB  - We report the synthesis and anode application for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) of
      WS2 nanowires (WS2 NWs). WS2 NWs with very thin diameter of ~25 nm and expanded
      interlayer spacing of 0.83 nm were prepared by using a facile solvothermal method
      followed by a heat treatment. The as-prepared WS2 NWs were evaluated as anode
      materials of SIBs in two potential windows of 0.01-2.5 V and 0.5-3 V. WS2 NWs
      displayed a remarkable capacity (605.3 mA h g(-1) at 100 mA g(-1) ) but with
      irreversible conversion reaction in the potential window of 0.01-2.5 V. In
      comparison, WS2 NWs showed a reversible intercalation mechanism in the potential
      window of 0.5-3 V, in which the nanowire-framework is well maintained. In the
      latter case, the interlayers of WS2 are gradually expanded and exfoliated during
      repeated charge-discharge cycling. This not only provides more active sites and
      open channels for the intercalation of Na(+) but also facilitates the electronic
      and ionic diffusion. Therefore, WS2 NWs exhibited an ultra-long cycle life with
      high capacity and rate capability in the potential window of 0.5-3 V. This study
      shows that WS2 NWs are promising as the anode materials of room-temperature SIBs.

PMID- 26129705
TI  - Evidences of Reduced Antioxidant Activity in Patients With Chronic Migraine and
      Medication-Overuse Headache.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Migraine is a complex multifactorial, neurobiological disorder, whose
      pathogenesis is not fully understood, nor are the mechanisms associated with
      migraine transformation from episodic to chronic pattern. A possible role of
      impaired oxidative mitochondrial metabolism in migraine pathogenesis has been
      hypothesized, and increased levels of peripheral markers of oxidative stress have
      been reported in migraine patients, although the literature data are limited and
      heterogeneous. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine
      plasmatic levels of advanced oxidation protein products, ferric-reducing
      antioxidant power and total plasmatic thiol groups, all plasmatic markers related
      to oxidative stress, in a sample of chronic migraine patients and medication
      overuse headache, compared to a control group of healthy subjects. METHODS:
      Thirty-three patients with a diagnosis of both chronic migraine and medication
      overuse headache (International Classification of Headache Disorders,3rd edition,
      beta version) and 33 healthy, headache-free subjects were enrolled. Patients with
      comorbid/coexisting conditions were excluded, as well as patients in treatment
      with migraine preventive drugs. Plasmatic levels of advanced oxidation protein
      products, ferric-reducing antioxidant power, and total thiol groups were
      determined in migraine patients and controls; moreover, oxidative stress
      biomarkers were compared in migraine patients with triptan compared to non
      steroidal anti-inflammatory drug overuse. RESULTS: The statistical analysis
      showed significantly lower levels of ferric-reducing antioxidant power and total
      plasmatic thiol groups, both expression of antioxidant power, in patients with
      chronic migraine and medication-overuse headache compared to controls
      (respectively, ferric antioxidant power median [interquartile range] 0.53 [0.22]
      vs 0.82 [0.11] mmol/L, P < .001; total thiol groups 0.25 [0.08] vs 0.51 [0.11]
      MUmol/L, P < .001). Moreover, no statistically significant differences in
      oxidative stress biomarkers were detected between patients with triptan and
      nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug overuse. CONCLUSIONS: The data from the
      present study suggest that antioxidant capacity is lower in chronic migraine
      patients and medication-overuse headache compared to healthy headache-free
      subjects, with no differences between patients with triptan or nonsteroidal anti
      inflammatory drug overuse. Further investigation is certainly necessary in order
      to define the causal or consequential role of an imbalance between pro-oxidants
      and antioxidant defenses in migraine pathogenesis and "chronification" and the
      possible therapeutic implications in clinical practice.

PMID- 26129706
TI  - Facial expression perception correlates with verbal working memory function in
      schizophrenia.
AB  - AIMS: Facial emotion perception is considered to provide a measure of social
      cognition. Numerous studies have examined the perception of emotion in patients
      with schizophrenia, and the majority has reported impaired ability to recognize
      facial emotion perception. We aimed to investigate the correlation between facial
      expression recognition and other domains of social cognition and neurocognition
      in Japanese patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Participants were 52 patients
      with schizophrenia and 53 normal controls with no history of psychiatric
      diseases. All participants completed the Hinting Task and the Social Cognition
      Screening Questionnaire. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia was
      administered only to the patients. Facial emotion perception measured by the
      Facial Emotion Selection Test (FEST) was compared between the patients and normal
      controls. RESULTS: Patients performed significantly worse on the FEST compared to
      normal control subjects. The FEST total score was significantly positively
      correlated with scores of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia
      attention subscale, Hinting Task, Social Cognition Screening Questionnaire Verbal
      Working Memory and Metacognition subscales. Stepwise multiple regression analysis
      revealed that verbal working memory function was positively related to the facial
      emotion perception ability in patients with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results point to the concept that facial emotion perception and some types of
      working memory use common cognitive resources. Our findings may provide
      implications for cognitive rehabilitation and related interventions in
      schizophrenia.

PMID- 26129707
TI  - Short implants compared to implants in vertically augmented bone: a systematic
      review.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: To assess relevant data comparing short implants or implants
      associated with vertical ridge augmentation derived from RCT's and CCT's.
      MATERIAL AND METHODS: A PubMed and hand search was performed to identify all
      RCT's and CCT's published in English language comparing short implants to
      implants associated with vertical ridge augmentation. RESULTS: The initial search
      resulted in 3387 articles. A total of 17 articles were eligible for full-text
      analysis and four were finally included. This review tends to demonstrate similar
      implant survival rates between implants placed in vertically augmented bone and
      short implants (95.09% vs. 96.24%, respectively) with a follow-up ranging from 1
      to 5 years. In terms of prosthetic survival rates, there were no differences
      between the treatments. More surgical complications were reported when using
      implants placed in vertically augmented bone compared to short implants (56
      patients with surgical complications compared to 18 patients, respectively).
      CONCLUSIONS: This evidence should, however, be interpreted with caution as it is
      derived from four RCT's with limited sample size (ranging from 15 to 30 per
      group), limited follow-up and performed by the same research group.

PMID- 26129708
TI  - Spin-inversion and spin-selection in the reactions FeO(+) + H2 and Fe(+) + N2O.
AB  - The reactions of FeO(+) with H2 and of Fe(+) with N2O were studied with respect
      to the production and reactivity of electronically excited (4)Fe(+) cations. The
      reaction of electronic ground state (6)FeO(+) with H2 was found to predominantly
      produce electronically excited (4)Fe(+) as opposed to electronic ground state
      (6)Fe(+) corresponding to a spin-allowed reaction. (4)Fe(+) was observed to react
      with N2O with a rate constant of 2.3 (+0.3/-0.8) * 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(
      1), smaller than the ground state (6)Fe(+) rate constant of 3.2 (+/-0.5) * 10(
      11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) (at room temperature). While the overall reaction of
      (6)FeO(+) with H2 within the Two-State-Reactivity concept is governed by
      efficient sextet-quartet spin-inversion in the initial reaction complex, the
      observation of predominant (4)Fe(+) production in the reaction is attributed to a
      much less efficient quartet-sextet back-inversion in the final reaction complex.
      Average spin-inversion probabilities are estimated by statistical modeling of
      spin-inversion processes and related to the properties of spin-orbit coupling
      along the reaction coordinate. The reaction of FeO(+) with H2 served as a source
      for (4)Fe(+), subsequently reacting with N2O. The measured rate constant has
      allowed for a more detailed understanding of the ground state (6)Fe(+) reaction
      with N2O, leading to a significantly improved statistical modeling of the
      previously measured temperature dependence of the reaction. In particular,
      evidence for the participation of electronically excited states of the reaction
      complex was found. Deexcitation of (4)Fe(+) by He was found to be slow, with a
      rate constant <3 * 10(-14) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1). 

PMID- 26129709
TI  - Germline mutation rates and the long-term phenotypic effects of mutation
      accumulation in wild-type laboratory mice and mutator mice.
AB  - The germline mutation rate is an important parameter that affects the amount of
      genetic variation and the rate of evolution. However, neither the rate of
      germline mutations in laboratory mice nor the biological significance of the
      mutation rate in mammalian populations is clear. Here we studied genome-wide
      mutation rates and the long-term effects of mutation accumulation on phenotype in
      more than 20 generations of wild-type C57BL/6 mice and mutator mice, which have
      high DNA replication error rates. We estimated the base-substitution mutation
      rate to be 5.4 * 10(-9) (95% confidence interval = 4.6 * 10(-9)-6.5 * 10(-9)) per
      nucleotide per generation in C57BL/6 laboratory mice, about half the rate
      reported in humans. The mutation rate in mutator mice was 17 times that in wild
      type mice. Abnormal phenotypes were 4.1-fold more frequent in the mutator lines
      than in the wild-type lines. After several generations, the mutator mice
      reproduced at substantially lower rates than the controls, exhibiting low
      pregnancy rates, lower survival rates, and smaller litter sizes, and many of the
      breeding lines died out. These results provide fundamental information about
      mouse genetics and reveal the impact of germline mutation rates on phenotypes in
      a mammalian population. 

PMID- 26129710
TI  - LHX6 inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion via repression of the
      Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.
AB  - LIM homeobox domain 6 (LHX6), a member of the LHX family of proteins, has been
      implicated in cancer development. However, the involvement of LHX6 in the
      development of breast cancer remains unclear. In the present study, the
      epigenetic regulation, biological function and associated molecular mechanisms of
      LHX6 in breast cancer were analyzed. The expression levels of LHX6 were
      demonstrated to be markedly decreased in breast cancer tissues and cell lines. In
      addition, it was found that increased LHX6 expression in breast cancer cell lines
      inhibited cell proliferation and invasion. Furthermore, increased LHX6 expression
      significantly decreased the expression of beta-catenin in MDA-MB-231 breast
      cancer cells, and small interfering RNA-beta-catenin enhanced LHX6-induced
      inhibition of cell proliferation and invasion in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
      These results indicate that LHX6 inhibits breast cancer cell growth and invasion
      through suppression of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. Thus, the present
      study provides a novel insight into the underlying mechanism of tumorigenesis in
      breast cancer, indicating the therapeutic potential of LHX6 in the treatment of
      breast cancer.

PMID- 26129711
TI  - P9a(Cdt-PLA2) from Crotalus durissus terrificus as good immunogen to be employed
      in the production of crotalic anti-PLA2 IgG.
AB  - Four proteins with phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity, designated P9a(Cdt-PLA2),
      P9b(Cdt-PLA2), P10a(Cdt-PLA2) and P10b(Cdt-PLA2) were purified from the venom of
      Crotalus durissus terrificus by two chromatographic steps: a gel filtration and
      reversed phase HPLC. The profile obtained clearly shows that three of them have a
      similar abundance. The molecular mass, 14193.8340Da for P9a(Cdt-PLA2),
      14134.9102Da for P9b(Cdt-PLA2), 14242.6289Da for P10a(Cdt-PLA2) and 14183.8730Da
      for P10b(Cdt-PLA2), were initially evaluated by SDS-PAGE and confirmed by ESI-Q
      TOF spectrometry, and all of them displayed a monomeric conformation. Also,
      partial amino acid sequence of each protein was obtained and their alignments
      with other crotalic PLA2 revealed a high degree of identity among them.
      Additionally, we studied some pharmacological activities like neurotoxicity,
      myotoxicity and lethality, which prompted us to pick two of them, P9a(Cdt-PLA2)
      and P10a(Cdt-PLA2) that resulted to be less toxic that the others, and further
      characterize them to be used as immunogen. We next injected these last proteins
      in mice to produce antitoxins against them and ELISA and dot blots reveled that
      both toxins do not show immunogenic differences, unlike those other pharmacologic
      activities tested. Furthermore, the antibodies produced cross-reacted with all
      the isoforms purified demonstrating the feasibility of using only one of them and
      ensuring the cross-reaction of all. The results obtained show that P9a(Cdt-PLA2)
      isoform has the lowest toxicity and also a good purification performance; thus
      this protein may be a promising candidate to be employed in the production of
      crotalic antitoxins. 

PMID- 26129712
TI  - Management of diabetic foot disease and amputation in the Irish health system: a
      qualitative study of patients' attitudes and experiences with health services.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Diabetes is an increasingly prevalent chronic illness that places a
      huge burden on the individual, the health system and society. Patients with
      active foot disease and lower limb amputations due to diabetes have a significant
      amount of interaction with the health care services. The purpose of this study
      was to explore the attitudes and experiences of foot care services in Ireland
      among people with diabetes and active foot disease or lower limb amputations.
      METHODS: A purposive sample of individuals who had either active foot disease or
      a lower limb amputation as a result of diabetes were recruited from the
      Prosthetic, Orthotic and Limb Absence Rehabilitation (POLAR) Unit of an Irish
      hospital. One-to-one interviews were conducted in the POLAR unit using a semi
      structured topic guide. Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyse and
      describe patterns within the data. RESULTS: Ten males participated in the study.
      Most participants expressed a need for emotional support alongside the medical
      management of their condition. There were substantial differences between
      participants with regard to the level of education and information they appeared
      to have received regarding their illness. There were also variations in levels of
      service received. Transport and medication costs were considered barriers. Having
      a medical card, which entitles the holder to free medical care, eased the burden
      of the patient's illness. A number of participants attributed some of the
      problems they faced with services to the health care system as a whole rather
      than health care professionals. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that rehabilitation
      services should place a strong focus on psychological as well as physical
      adjustment to active foot disease or lower limb amputations. The delivery of
      services needs to be standardised to ensure equal access to medical care and
      supplies among people with or at risk of lower extremity amputations. The wider
      social circumstances of patients should be taken into consideration by health
      care professionals to provide effective support while patients adjust to this
      potentially life changing complication. The patient's perspective should also be
      used to inform health service managers and health professionals on ways to
      improve services.

PMID- 26129713
TI  - Linking Essential Tremor to the Cerebellum: Neuropathological Evidence.
AB  - A fundamental question about essential tremor (ET) is whether its associated
      pathological changes and disease mechanisms are linkable to a specific brain
      region. To that end, recent tissue-based studies have made significant strides in
      elucidating changes in the ET brain. Emerging from these studies is increasing
      neuropathological evidence linking ET to the cerebellum. These studies have
      systematically identified a broad range of structural, degenerative changes in
      the ET cerebellum, spanning across all Purkinje cell compartments. These include
      the dendritic compartment (where there is an increase in number of Purkinje cell
      dendritic swellings, a pruning of the dendritic arbor, and a reduction in spine
      density), the cell body (where, aside from reductions in Purkinje cell linear
      density in some studies, there is an increase in the number of heterotopic
      Purkinje cell soma), and the axonal compartment (where a plethora of changes in
      axonal morphology have been observed, including an increase in the number of
      thickened axonal profiles, torpedoes, axonal recurrent collaterals, axonal
      branching, and terminal axonal sprouting). Additional changes, possibly due to
      secondary remodeling, have been observed in neighboring neuronal populations.
      These include a hypertrophy of basket cell axonal processes and changes in the
      distribution of climbing fiber-Purkinje cell synapses. These changes all
      distinguish ET from normal control brains. Initial studies further indicate that
      the profile (i.e., constellation) of these changes may separate ET from other
      diseases of the cerebellum, thereby serving as a disease signature. With the
      discovery of these changes, a new model of ET has arisen, which posits that it
      may be a neurodegenerative disorder centered in the cerebellar cortex. These
      newly emerging neuropathological studies pave the way for anatomically focused,
      hypothesis-driven, molecular mechanistic studies of disease pathogenesis.

PMID- 26129714
TI  - Forward signaling by unipolar brush cells in the mouse cerebellum.
AB  - Unipolar brush cells (UBCs) are glutamatergic interneurons prominently present in
      the granular layer of the vestibulocerebellum. UBCs engage in extensive synaptic
      contact with a single presynaptic mossy fiber and signal to downstream granule
      cells through an elaborate network of mossy fiber-like axons. Ultrastructural
      examinations and electrophysiological recordings in organotypic slice cultures
      have indicated that UBCs target not only granule cells but also other UBCs, thus
      forming chains of two or perhaps more interconnected UBCs. In this report, we
      show recordings of spontaneous and evoked (di)synaptic events in granule cells
      and UBCs in fresh cerebellar slices from juvenile mice (5-7 weeks). The patterns
      of arrival of synaptic events were consistent with the presence of a presynaptic
      UBC, and recordings from UBCs displayed spontaneous protracted synaptic events
      characteristic of UBC excitatory synaptic transmission. These results highlight
      that chains of UBCs could further extend the temporal range of delayed and
      protracted signaling in the cerebellar cortical network. 

PMID- 26129715
TI  - A Predictive Model and Risk Score for Unplanned Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care
      Unit Readmissions.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Readmissions or "bounce back" to the intensive care unit (ICU)
      following cardiac surgery is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and
      mortality. We sought to identify clinical and system-based factors associated
      with ICU bounce backs in order to generate a Bounce Back After Transfer (BATS)
      prediction score. METHODS: We prospectively collected the clinical and financial
      records of all patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or
      surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) between May 2013 and March 2014.
      Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of
      bounce backs to the ICU which served as the basis for our BATS score. RESULTS: Of
      the 532 patients that underwent CABG or AVR during the study period, 35 (6.6%)
      were readmitted to the ICU. After risk adjustment, female sex, NYHA class III/IV,
      urgent or emergent operative status, and postoperative renal failure were the
      predictors of ICU bounce backs utilized to create the BATS score. Patients in the
      low (<5), moderate (5-10), and high-risk (>10) score cohorts experienced bounce
      back rates of 3.0%, 10.4%, and 42%, respectively. After adjusting for
      preoperative patient risk, ICU bounce back resulted in an increase in $68,030 to
      a patient's total hospital charges. CONCLUSIONS: A predictive model (BATS) can
      determine the risk of a bounce back to the ICU after transfer to the floor. We
      speculate that determination of a patient's BATS upon ICU transfer would allow
      targeted floor care and decrease bounce back rates, along with postoperative
      morbidity, mortality, and cost of care.

PMID- 26129716
TI  - Refining Determination of Cardiac Involvement in Amyloidosis With Three
      dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography.

PMID- 26129717
TI  - The Influence of Frailty on Outcomes in Cardiovascular Disease.

PMID- 26129718
TI  - Educational intervention as an effective step for reducing blood culture
      contamination: a prospective cohort study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Contaminated blood cultures lead to diagnostic challenges and place a
      burden on healthcare services. AIM: To determine the impact of introducing a
      clinical skills test (CST) as part of the medical licensing examination and an
      institutional education programme on the contamination rates of blood cultures.
      METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted from 2009 through 2013 in all
      wards of a tertiary-care teaching hospital. We evaluated the effects of the CST,
      which was added to the National Medical Licensing Examination in Korea (KMLE) in
      2010 and our institutional education programme, which began in 2013. The medical
      interns in charge of collection of blood for culture were divided in three groups
      with presence or absence of CST and the institutional education programme. The
      primary outcome was the percentage of blood cultures contaminated in each group,
      which were compared using the Poisson regression model. Participants' self-rated
      scores for the blood draw procedure were also analysed. FINDINGS: Although
      introduction of the CST in the KMLE failed to reduce blood culture contamination
      rate (1.36% vs 1.35%; P = 0.734), the institutional education programme
      significantly reduced the contamination rate (1.35% vs 1.00%; P < 0.0001). Most
      participants answered that they always followed each step correctly except for
      waiting the recommended contact time after applying the antiseptic. CONCLUSION:
      The educational intervention, not the introduction of CST in the KMLE, was
      effective in reducing overall contamination rates.

PMID- 26129719
TI  - Synthesis of New Peptide Derivatives of Galanthamine Designed for Prevention and
      Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.
AB  - New derivatives of galanthamine containing peptide fragments with beta-secretase
      inhibitor activity were synthesized. In position 6 of the galanthamine new
      shortened analogues of beta-secretase inhibitor OM 99-2 (Boc-Val-Asn-Leu-Ala-OH
      and Boc-Val-Asn-Leu-Ala-Val-OH) were included. The new derivatives of the
      galanthamine in position 11 including Boc and norgalanthamine in P3 or P4
      positions, Val in P2' position and benzylamin in P3'-position were also
      synthesized. All new peptides were investigated on mice for acute toxicity. The
      test compounds were administered to mice via intraperitoneal (i.p.) route. They
      have low toxicity (LD50>1000 mg/kg) after i.p. The compound 11-N-demethyl-11-N-N
      [Boc-Asp(Asp-Leu-Ala-Val-NH-Bzl)]-Galanthamine was investigated by two way active
      avoidance method. The compound has good influence on the conditioned reflexes,
      which improved the processes of learning and memory. Inhibition activity of newly
      synthesized compounds was monitored against BuChE and IC50 values are determined.
      All compounds show activity in micromolar concentration. Compounds 5 and 6 have
      around 10 times higher activity than galanthamine. Compounds 4 and 9 also show
      good activity. All newly synthesized compounds show low acute toxicity. 

PMID- 26129720
TI  - A retrospective analysis of the impact of diastolic dysfunction on one-year
      mortality after transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic shunt, liver
      transplantation and non-transplant abdominal surgery in patients with cirrhosis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The incidence of diastolic dysfunction (DD) approaches 40% in
      patients with cirrhosis. However, the clinical impact of DD remains a subject of
      considerable debate. Surgery in patients with cirrhosis is innately hazardous.
      Diastolic heart failure has been linked to increased mortality after transjugular
      intrahepatic porto-systemic shunt surgery (TIPSS). To date, none of the commonly
      accepted preoperative risk assessment models applied to patients with liver
      disease incorporates DD. We aimed to examine the relationship between DD and
      postoperative outcomes in patients with cirrhosis undergoing abdominal surgery.
      METHODS: Patients with cirrhosis who underwent abdominal surgery between January
      2000 and December 2011 were included if they had preoperative echocardiography
      done within 3 months of surgery. The echocardiographic images were reviewed using
      flow and tissue Doppler techniques to identify the presence of DD. Outcomes
      analyzed included one-year mortality and postoperative complications. RESULTS: A
      total of 140 patients were included in the study of which 63 patients (45%) met
      pre-established criteria for DD. Those with DD were older (P < 0.005) and less
      likely to have an isolated viral etiology of cirrhosis (P<0.05). The one-year
      mortality rate was 22.2% (14/63) in patients with DD and 20.8% (16/77) in those
      without DD (P=0.42). Postoperative complications were not statistically different
      in the two groups. CONCLUSION: DD is common in patients with cirrhosis. In
      patients with cirrhosis undergoing TIPS and/or abdominal surgery, the presence of
      DD does not increase post-procedure complications or one-year mortality.

PMID- 26129721
TI  - Characterization of six small HSP genes from Chironomus riparius (Diptera,
      Chironomidae): Differential expression under conditions of normal growth and heat
      induced stress.
AB  - Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) comprise the most numerous, structurally
      diverse, and functionally uncharacterized family of heat shock proteins. Several
      Hsp genes (Hsp 90, 70, 40, and 27) from the insect Chironomus riparius are widely
      used in aquatic toxicology as biomarkers for environmental toxins. Here, we
      conducted a comparative study and characterized secondary structure of the six
      newly identified sHsp genes Hsp17, Hsp21, Hsp22, Hsp23, Hsp24, and Hsp34. A
      characteristic alpha-crystallin domain is predicted in all the new proteins.
      Phylogenetic analysis suggests a strong relation to other sHSPs from insects and
      interesting evidence regarding evolutionary origin and duplication events.
      Comparative analysis of transcription profiles for Hsp27, Hsp70, and the six
      newly identified genes revealed that Hsp17, Hsp21, and Hsp22 are constitutively
      expressed under normal conditions, while under two different heat shock
      conditions these genes are either not activated or are even repressed (Hsp22). In
      contrast, Hsp23, Hsp24, and Hsp34 are significantly activated along with Hsp27
      and Hsp70 during heat stress. These results strongly suggest functional
      differentiation within the small HSP subfamily and provide new data to help
      understand the coping mechanisms induced by stressful environmental stimuli. 

PMID- 26129722
TI  - High Rates of Depression and Depressive Symptoms among Men Referred for
      Borderline Testosterone Levels.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Men referred for borderline testosterone levels represent an
      increasingly common clinical scenario, yet there is little literature on this
      population. AIM: We hypothesized that men referred for borderline testosterone
      levels would have higher rates of depression and depressive symptoms than the
      general population. METHODS: Subjects included 200 adult men (mean age of 48
      years old) referred for borderline total testosterone levels between 200 and 350
      ng/dL (6.9-12 nmol/L). Collected data included demographic information, medical
      histories, medication use, signs and symptoms of hypogonadism, and assessments of
      depressive symptoms and/or a known diagnosis of depression or use of an
      antidepressant. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measure was a combination
      of known depression, current use of an antidepressant, and/or depressive symptoms
      according to the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) with scores >=10
      considered positive. RESULTS: Depression and/or depressive symptoms were present
      in 56% of the subjects. This rate was significantly higher than rates of 6-23%
      (PHQ-9 scores >=10) seen in general populations. Antidepressant use was 25%. The
      population was notable for high rates of overweight/obesity and physical
      inactivity. Common symptoms were erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, fewer AM
      erections, low energy, and sleep disturbances. CONCLUSIONS: While sexual and
      nonspecific symptoms (i.e., fatigue) likely prompted measurements of testosterone
      in this selected population, clinicians should recognize the high rates of
      depression and depressive symptoms in men referred for borderline testosterone
      levels. Clinicians should consider screening for depression/depressive symptoms
      and overweight and unhealthy lifestyle risk factors in men referred for tertiary
      care for potential hypogonadism.

PMID- 26129723
TI  - Liquid on Paper: Rapid Prototyping of Soft Functional Components for Paper
      Electronics.
AB  - This paper describes a novel approach to fabricate paper-based electric circuits
      consisting of a paper matrix embedded with three-dimensional (3D) microchannels
      and liquid metal. Leveraging the high electric conductivity and good flowability
      of liquid metal, and metallophobic property of paper, it is possible to keep
      electric and mechanical functionality of the electric circuit even after a
      thousand cycles of deformation. Embedding liquid metal into paper matrix is a
      promising method to rapidly fabricate low-cost, disposable, and soft electric
      circuits for electronics. As a demonstration, we designed a programmable
      displacement transducer and applied it as variable resistors and pressure
      sensors. The unique metallophobic property, combined with softness, low cost and
      light weight, makes paper an attractive alternative to other materials in which
      liquid metal are currently embedded. 

PMID- 26129724
TI  - Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair With Absorbable Sutures in the Medial-Row
      Anchors.
AB  - PURPOSE: To report the retear rate and retear pattern after double-row
      arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (DR-ARCR) with the use of absorbable sutures as
      medial anchor sutures and to address the advantage of the use of absorbable
      sutures in medial-row anchors. METHODS: Fifty-seven shoulders (22 male and 35
      female patients; mean age, 66.1 years) with complete rotator cuff tears treated
      with DR-ARCR using absorbable mattress sutures as medial-row anchor sutures were
      included in the study. They included 35 medium, 17 large, and 5 massive tears.
      For the medial row, medial anchor sutures were replaced with absorbable mattress
      sutures. High-strength simple sutures were used for the lateral anchors. We
      evaluated retear patterns by magnetic resonance imaging examinations performed at
      1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. The clinical conditions
      of all patients preoperatively and 2 years postoperatively were assessed by the
      University of California, Los Angeles rating scale and the American Shoulder and
      Elbow Surgeons shoulder index. RESULTS: A complete retear of the tendon at the
      footprint was observed in 5 shoulders. Complete discontinuity at the middle of
      the tendon around the medial-row anchors with a footprint remnant was observed in
      1 shoulder. A thinned repaired rotator cuff was observed in 2 shoulders because
      of a partial retear of the deep layer. The overall retear rate was 14%. From
      before to after surgery, the University of California, Los Angeles score
      significantly improved from 18.4 to 32.9 (P < .0001) and the American Shoulder
      and Elbow Surgeons index improved from 55.1 to 87.7 (P < .0001). No complications
      were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The retear rates after DR-ARCR with absorbable
      sutures as medial-row anchors were 8.8% for complete retears of the tendon at the
      footprint and 1.7% for complete discontinuity of tendon around the medial-row
      anchors. This procedure provided a low retear rate around the medial-row anchors.
      LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic case series.

PMID- 26129725
TI  - Anatomic Placement of the Femoral Tunnels in Double-Bundle Anterior Cruciate
      Ligament Reconstruction Correlates With Improved Graft Maturation and Clinical
      Outcomes.
AB  - PURPOSE: To compare maturation of reconstructed graft on second-look arthroscopy
      and clinical outcomes between 2 groups: the provisional anatomic (PA) group, with
      both the anteromedial (AM) and posterolateral (PL) femoral tunnels in their
      anatomic location, and the nonanatomic (NA) group, with either 1 of the 2 femoral
      tunnels beyond its anatomic location after double-bundle anterior cruciate
      ligament reconstruction. METHODS: We enrolled 154 patients who underwent 3
      dimensional computed tomography scanning and second-look arthroscopy after double
      bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. All of the patients were
      divided into the PA and NA groups according to the femoral tunnel position
      determined by the quadrant method. Graft maturation was evaluated with 3
      subsections, including integrity, tension, and synovial coverage with
      revascularization, on second-look arthroscopy. We also compared Lachman test,
      pivot-shift test, KT-2000 (MEDmetric, San Diego, CA), and International Knee
      Documentation Committee grades at the last follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 154
      patients, 88 were classified as the PA group and 66 as the NA group by the
      quadrant method. A difference existed between groups for the AM tunnel position
      but not for the PL tunnel position. The PA group showed a higher graft maturation
      score (P < .001 for all comparisons) and better results according to the
      International Knee Documentation Committee knee rating, Lachman test, pivot-shift
      test, and KT-2000 assessment (P < .001 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: The PA
      group with anatomic femoral tunnel placement showed a higher graft maturation
      score on second-look arthroscopy, along with better clinical outcomes, than the
      NA group. There was a significant difference in the AM femoral tunnel position
      but not in the PL tunnel position between the 2 groups. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level
      III, retrospective comparative study.

PMID- 26129726
TI  - The Bankart Performance Metrics Combined With a Shoulder Model Simulator Create a
      Precise and Accurate Training Tool for Measuring Surgeon Skill.
AB  - PURPOSE: To determine if a dry shoulder model simulator coupled with previously
      validated performance metrics for an arthroscopic Bankart repair (ABR) would be a
      valid tool with the ability to discriminate between the performance of
      experienced and novice surgeons, and to establish a proficiency benchmark for an
      ABR using a model simulator. METHODS: We compared an experienced group of
      arthroscopic shoulder surgeons (Arthroscopy Association of North America faculty)
      (n = 12) with a novice group (n = 7) (postgraduate year 4 or 5 orthopaedic
      residents). All surgeons were instructed to perform a diagnostic arthroscopy and
      a 3 suture anchor Bankart repair on a dry shoulder model. Each procedure was
      videotaped in its entirety and scored in blinded fashion independently by 2
      trained reviewers. Scoring used previously validated metrics for an ABR and
      included steps, errors, and "sentinel" (more serious) errors. RESULTS: The inter
      rater reliability among pairs of raters averaged 0.93. The experienced group made
      63% fewer errors, committed 79% fewer sentinel errors, and performed the
      procedure in 42% less time than the novice group (all significant differences).
      The greatest difference in errors between the groups involved anchor preparation
      and insertion, suture delivery and management, and knot tying. CONCLUSIONS: The
      tool comprised by validated ABR metrics coupled with a dry shoulder model
      simulator is able to accurately distinguish between the performance of
      experienced and novice orthopaedic surgeons. A performance benchmark based on the
      mean performance of the experienced group includes completion of a 3 anchor
      Bankart repair, enacting no more than 4 total errors and 1 sentinel error.
      CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The combination of performance metrics and an arthroscopic
      shoulder model simulator can be used to improve the effectiveness of surgical
      skills training for an ABR. The methodology used may serve as a template for
      outcomes-based procedural skills training in general.

PMID- 26129727
TI  - Use of magnetic circular dichroism to study dinuclear metallohydrolases and the
      corresponding biomimetics.
AB  - Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) is a convenient technique for providing
      structural and mechanistic insight into enzymatic systems in solution. The focus
      of this review is on aspects of geometric and electronic structure that can be
      determined by MCD, and how this method can further our understanding of enzymatic
      mechanisms. Dinuclear Co(II) systems that catalyse hydrolytic reactions were
      selected to illustrate the approach. These systems all contain active sites with
      similar structures consisting of two Co(II) ions bridged by one or two
      carboxylates and a water or hydroxide. In most of these active sites one Co(II)
      is five-coordinate and one is six-coordinate, with differing binding affinities.
      It is shown how MCD can be used to determine which binding site--five or six
      coordinate--has the greater affinity. Importantly, zero-field-splitting data and
      magnetic exchange coupling constants may be determined from the temperature and
      field dependence of MCD data. The relevance of these data to the function of the
      enzymatic systems is discussed.

PMID- 26129728
TI  - Fractal model of anomalous diffusion.
AB  - An equation of motion is derived from fractal analysis of the Brownian particle
      trajectory in which the asymptotic fractal dimension of the trajectory has a
      required value. The formula makes it possible to calculate the time dependence of
      the mean square displacement for both short and long periods when the molecule
      diffuses anomalously. The anomalous diffusion which occurs after long periods is
      characterized by two variables, the transport coefficient and the anomalous
      diffusion exponent. An explicit formula is derived for the transport coefficient,
      which is related to the diffusion constant, as dependent on the Brownian step
      time, and the anomalous diffusion exponent. The model makes it possible to deduce
      anomalous diffusion properties from experimental data obtained even for short
      time periods and to estimate the transport coefficient in systems for which the
      diffusion behavior has been investigated. The results were confirmed for both sub
      and super-diffusion. 

PMID- 26129729
TI  - [Cutaneous granulomatous reactions at botulinum neurotoxin A injection sites:
      First manifestation of systemic sarcoidosis].
AB  - CASE REPORT: We report a case of granulomatous skin reaction after injection of
      an unknown botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) A preparation. Four years after occurrence
      of skin lesions, systemic sarcoidosis became manifest. CONCLUSION: In addition to
      injection trauma, the BoNT A preparation may have acted as an immunogenic
      stimulus leading to cutaneous manifestation of sarcoidosis.

PMID- 26129730
TI  - Localized Neuron Stimulation with Organic Electrochemical Transistors on
      Delaminating Depth Probes.
AB  - Organic electrochemical transistors are integrated on depth probes to achieve
      localized electrical stimulation of neurons. The probes feature a mechanical
      delamination process which leaves only a 4 MUm thick film with embedded
      transistors inside the brain. This considerably reduces probe invasiveness and
      correspondingly improves future brain-machine interfaces.

PMID- 26129731
TI  - Reliable protocol for shear wave elastography of lower limb muscles at rest and
      during passive stretching.
AB  - Development of shear wave elastography gave access to non-invasive muscle
      stiffness assessment in vivo. The aim of the present study was to define a
      measurement protocol to be used in clinical routine for quantifying the shear
      modulus of lower limb muscles. Four positions were defined to evaluate shear
      modulus in 10 healthy subjects: parallel to the fibers, in the anterior and
      posterior aspects of the lower limb, at rest and during passive stretching.
      Reliability was first evaluated on two muscles by three operators; these
      measurements were repeated six times. Then, measurement reliability was compared
      in 11 muscles by two operators; these measurements were repeated three times.
      Reproducibility of shear modulus was 0.48 kPa and repeatability was 0.41 kPa,
      with all muscles pooled. Position did not significantly influence reliability.
      Shear wave elastography appeared to be an appropriate and reliable tool to
      evaluate the shear modulus of lower limb muscles with the proposed protocol. 

PMID- 26129733
TI  - Why Have So Many Intravascular Glucose Monitoring Devices Failed?
AB  - Secondary to the inherent limitations of both point-of-care and central
      laboratory glucose technologies, continuous glucose measurement has recently
      enjoyed a high level of investment. Because of the perceived advantages by some
      of measuring in the intravascular space compared to the subcutaneous tissue, a
      number of technologies have been developed. In this review, we evaluate nine
      systems that have shown promise, although only one of these has been cleared for
      sale in the United States. The detection methodology, regulatory status,
      technical issues, and company circumstance surrounding each technology are
      examined. 

PMID- 26129734
TI  - Images in Vascular Medicine. Rapidly progressive arterial aneurysms in a patient
      with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

PMID- 26129732
TI  - The organization of the posterior parietal cortex devoted to upper limb actions:
      An fMRI study.
AB  - The present fMRI study examined whether upper-limb action classes differing in
      their motor goal are encoded by different PPC sectors. Action observation was
      used as a proxy for action execution. Subjects viewed actors performing object
      related (e.g., grasping), skin-displacing (e.g., rubbing the skin), and
      interpersonal upper limb actions (e.g., pushing someone). Observation of the
      three action classes activated a three-level network including occipito-temporal,
      parietal, and premotor cortex. The parietal region common to observing all three
      action classes was located dorsally to the left intraparietal sulcus (DIPSM/DIPSA
      border). Regions specific for observing an action class were obtained by
      combining the interaction between observing action classes and stimulus types
      with exclusive masking for observing the other classes, while for regions
      considered preferentially active for a class the interaction was exclusively
      masked with the regions common to all observed actions. Left putative human
      anterior intraparietal was specific for observing manipulative actions, and left
      parietal operculum including putative human SII region, specific for observing
      skin-displacing actions. Control experiments demonstrated that this latter
      activation depended on seeing the skin being moved and not simply on seeing
      touch. Psychophysiological interactions showed that the two specific parietal
      regions had similar connectivities. Finally, observing interpersonal actions
      preferentially activated a dorsal sector of left DIPSA, possibly the homologue of
      ventral intraparietal coding the impingement of the target person's body into the
      peripersonal space of the actor. These results support the importance of
      segregation according to the action class as principle of posterior parietal
      cortex organization for action observation and by implication for action
      execution.

PMID- 26129735
TI  - Soluble vascular endothelial-cadherin and auto-antibodies to human vascular
      endothelial-cadherin in human diseases: Two new biomarkers of endothelial
      dysfunction.
AB  - Vascular endothelial-cadherin is the most important transmembrane component of
      endothelial adherens junctions, exclusively expressed by endothelial cells in all
      types of vessels. Targeting either the extracellular domain or the cytoplasmic
      tail deleteriously affects the junctional strength and leads to vascular
      permeability. Recently, cytokine-induced phosphorylation of the vascular
      endothelial-cadherin cytoplasmic domain was reported to trigger cleavage of its
      extracellular domain, producing the soluble form of the protein - soluble
      vascular endothelial-cadherin. Hence, the presence of soluble vascular
      endothelial-cadherin or auto-antibodies to human vascular endothelial-cadherin in
      human serum could signalize the presence of vascular abnormalities. This
      systematic review covers many human studies reporting increased levels of soluble
      vascular endothelial-cadherin, as well as auto-antibodies to human vascular
      endothelial-cadherin, which could be promising biomarkers of endothelial
      dysfunction in a large panel of diseases. 

PMID- 26129736
TI  - Analysis of nutritional habits and intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids in
      veterans with peripheral arterial disease.
AB  - Inadequate nutrient intake may contribute to the development and progression of
      peripheral arterial disease (PAD). This study's aim was to assess intake of
      essential fatty acids and nutrients among veterans with PAD. All 88 subjects had
      ankle-brachial indices of <0.9 and claudication. A validated food frequency
      questionnaire evaluated dietary intake, and values were compared to guidelines
      established by the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of
      Cardiology (ACC), as well as the AHA/ACC endorsed Dietary Approaches to Stop
      Hypertension (DASH) eating plan. The mean age was 69 +/- 8 years. Compared to the
      AHA/ACC guidelines, subjects with PAD had an inadequate intake of long-chain
      polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA; 59% consumed >1 gram daily). Our subjects
      with PAD had an increased intake of cholesterol (31% met the cut-off established
      in the DASH plan), total fat (5%) and sodium (53%). They had an inadequate intake
      of magnesium (3%), calcium (5%), and soluble fiber (3%). Dietary potassium intake
      met the recommended guidelines. In our subjects with PAD, intake of critical
      nutrients deviated substantially from the recommended amounts. Further
      prospective studies should evaluate whether PAD patients experience clinical
      benefit if diets are modified to meet the AHA/ACC recommendations. 

PMID- 26129737
TI  - A Comparison of Bipolar Electrocautery and Chemical Cautery for Control of
      Pediatric Recurrent Anterior Epistaxis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcome of children with anterior epistaxis treated
      intraoperatively with either bipolar electrocautery or silver nitrate chemical
      cautery. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Tertiary-care
      pediatric otolaryngology practice. SUBJECTS: Children aged 2 to 18 years treated
      with either intraoperative bipolar electrocautery or silver nitrate chemical
      cautery of the anterior nasal septum for recurrent anterior epistaxis. METHODS:
      Any reported bleeding event after surgery was recorded. The mean time from
      surgery to recurrent epistaxis was compared between groups. RESULTS: Fifty
      patients underwent bipolar electrocautery, while 60 patients underwent silver
      nitrate chemical cautery. Within 2 years, 1 (2%) patient in the bipolar
      electrocautery group and 13 (22%) patients in the silver nitrate chemical cautery
      group had recurrent epistaxis (P = .003). Two years after treatment, there was no
      difference between treatment groups. Overall, 4 patients (8%) had recurrent
      epistaxis postoperatively in the bipolar electrocautery group at a mean of 4.34
      years after treatment, while 17 (28.3%) patients recurred after a mean of 1.53
      years of treatment in the silver nitrate chemical cautery group (P = .01).
      CONCLUSION: Compared to those treated with chemical cautery, those treated with
      bipolar electrocautery had a longer nosebleed-free period and a lower incidence
      of recurrent epistaxis within 2 years of treatment. Beyond 2 years, the treatment
      methods are equivocal. Bipolar electrocautery may be a superior treatment in
      children who will not tolerate in-office chemical cautery, in those with a risk
      of severe bleeding, or when it can be combined with other operative procedures.

PMID- 26129738
TI  - Idiopathic Facial Aseptic Granuloma: A Rare, Benign Pediatric Dermatological
      Lesion.

PMID- 26129739
TI  - Occult Temporal Bone Facial Nerve Involvement by Parotid Malignancies with
      Perineural Spread.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize disease presentation and outcomes following surgical
      treatment of parotid malignancies with occult temporal bone facial nerve (FN)
      involvement. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Tertiary
      academic referral center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty consecutive patients (mean
      age 58 years; 77% men) who underwent surgery for parotid malignancies with occult
      perineural involvement of the intratemporal FN were included. Primary outcome
      measures included margin status and recurrence. RESULTS: The mean duration of
      clinical follow-up was 49 months, and the most common presenting symptom was FN
      paresis (n = 23; 77%) followed by pain (n = 15; 50%). To obtain a proximal FN
      margin, 27 patients (90%) underwent mastoidectomy, and 3 patients (10%) had
      lateral temporal bone resection. The intratemporal FN margin was cleared in 26
      patients (87%), most commonly in the mastoid segment (60%). Adjuvant therapy was
      given in 25 patients (83%). Ten patients (33%) experienced locoregional (4; 13%)
      and/or distant (8; 27%) recurrence at a median of 19 months (mean 26, 2-54
      months) following surgery. Locoregional failure was significantly more common in
      cases with a positive intratemporal FN margin (66% vs 8%; P = .045). Overall 1-,
      3-, and 5-year disease-specific survival rates were 83%, 79%, and 72%,
      respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Perineural invasion of the intratemporal FN by parotid
      malignancy is uncommon. Normal preoperative FN function does not preclude
      histopathologic involvement. Temporal bone FN exploration should be considered
      when a positive margin is encountered at the stylomastoid foramen, as failure to
      do so is associated with an increased rate of locoregional recurrence.

PMID- 26129740
TI  - The Changing Landscape of Vestibular Schwannoma Management in the United States-
      A Shift Toward Conservatism.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To characterize the evolving management of vestibular schwannoma (VS)
      in the United States. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of the Surveillance,
      Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. SETTING: SEER database. SUBJECTS
      AND METHODS: All patients with a diagnosis of VS were analyzed. Data were
      described and compared using trend analyses and univariate and multivariable
      logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 8330 patients (average age 54.7 years,
      51.9% female) were analyzed. The mean incidence was approximately 1.1 per 100,000
      per year and did not vary significantly across time; however, from 2004 to 2011,
      there was a statistically significant decrease in tumor size category at time of
      diagnosis (P < .01). Overall, 3982 patients (48%) received primary microsurgery,
      1978 (24%) radiation therapy alone, and 2370 (29%) observation. Within the
      microsurgical cohort, 732 (18%) underwent subtotal resection, and of those, 98
      (13.4%) received postoperative radiation therapy. Multivariable regression
      revealed that surgical treatment was more common in younger patients and larger
      tumor size categories (P < .05). Management trend analysis revealed that
      microsurgery was used less frequently over time (P < .0001), observation was used
      more frequently (P < .0001), and the pattern of radiation therapy remained
      unchanged. Linear regression was used to create an equation that was applied to
      predict future management practices. These data predict that by 2026, half of all
      cases of VS will be managed initially with observation. CONCLUSION: While the
      incidence of VS has remained steady, tumor size at time of diagnosis has
      decreased over time. Within the United States there has been a clear, recent
      evolution in management toward observation.

PMID- 26129741
TI  - Response to 'Ex-vivo Donor Heart Perfusion: Testing the Limits of Cardiac
      Resilience'.

PMID- 26129742
TI  - Methods to quantify the velocity dependence of common gait measurements from
      automated rodent gait analysis devices.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Walking slowly is a different biomechanical task than walking
      quickly, thus measures of gait will be different at different velocities, such as
      pre/post injury. It is necessary to determine if the difference in gait measures
      are from the experimental changes, or simply from traveling at different speeds.
      NEW METHOD: Instead of limiting this effect, we have developed techniques to
      embrace the velocity dependence of gait measures. By translating the pawprints
      into a body coordinate frame we are able to measure location of paw placement in
      addition to the standard gait measures. RESULTS: At higher velocities rats have
      greater consistency of steps, place their forelimb initial contact more medially
      and anteriorly, and place their hindlimb toe off more medially and posteriorly.
      Interlimb phasing also becomes more consistent at higher velocities. Following a
      cervical spinal cord injury consistency is reduced and the velocity dependent
      behaviors are significantly different. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD:
      Translating the coordinate frame improves the ability to measure changes in base
      of support following spinal cord injury. Employing a treadmill, or limiting
      analysis to a narrow velocity window does address the effects of velocity. We
      feel that measuring across all velocities is more appropriate than dictating that
      the animals match speeds. CONCLUSIONS: Quantifying locomotion with automated gait
      analysis devices is a great way to evaluate the changes that experimental
      treatments provide. These new methods allow for a more appropriate way to address
      the confound of many gait measures being velocity dependent.

PMID- 26129743
TI  - The influence of construction methodology on structural brain network measures: A
      review.
AB  - Structural brain networks based on diffusion MRI and tractography show robust
      attributes such as small-worldness, hierarchical modularity, and rich-club
      organization. However, there are large discrepancies in the reports about
      specific network measures. It is hypothesized that these discrepancies result
      from the influence of construction methodology. We surveyed the methodological
      options and their influences on network measures. It is found that most network
      measures are sensitive to the scale of brain parcellation, MRI gradient schemes
      and orientation model, and the tractography algorithm, which is in accordance
      with the theoretical analysis of the small-world network model. Different network
      weighting schemes represent different attributes of brain networks, which makes
      these schemes incomparable between studies. Methodology choice depends on the
      specific study objectives and a clear understanding of the pros and cons of a
      particular methodology. Because there is no way to eliminate these influences, it
      seems more practical to quantify them, optimize the methodologies, and construct
      structural brain networks with multiple spatial resolutions, multiple edge
      densities, and multiple weighting schemes.

PMID- 26129744
TI  - [In Process Citation].

PMID- 26129745
TI  - Predictors of Chest Wall Toxicity after Lung Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy.
AB  - AIMS: To determine the incidence and predictive factors of rib fracture and chest
      wall pain after lung stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR). MATERIALS AND
      METHODS: Patients were treated with lung SABR of 48-60 Gy in four to five
      fractions. The treatment plan and follow-up computed tomography scans of 289
      tumours in 239 patients were reviewed. Dose-volume histogram (DVH) metrics and
      clinical factors were evaluated as potential predictors of chest wall toxicity.
      RESULTS: The median follow-up was 21.0 months (range 6.2-52.1). Seventeen per
      cent (50/289) developed a rib fracture, 44% (22/50) were symptomatic; the median
      time to fracture was 16.4 months. On univariate analysis, female gender,
      osteoporosis, tumours adjacent (within 5 mm) to the chest wall and all of the
      chest wall DVH metrics predicted for rib fracture, but only tumour location
      adjacent to the chest wall remained significant on the multivariate model (P <
      0.01). The 2 year fracture-free probability for those adjacent to the chest wall
      was 65.6%. Among those tumours adjacent to the chest wall, only osteoporosis (P =
      0.02) predicted for fracture, whereas none of the chest wall DVH metrics were
      predictive. Eight per cent (24/289) experienced chest wall pain without fracture.
      CONCLUSIONS: None of the chest wall DVH metrics independently predicted for SABR
      induced rib fracture when tumour location is taken into account. Patients with
      tumours adjacent (within 5 mm) to the chest wall are at greater risk of rib
      fracture after lung SABR, and among these, an additional risk was observed in
      osteoporotic patients.

PMID- 26129746
TI  - Prevention and Management of Radiation-induced Late Gastrointestinal Toxicity.
AB  - In the UK, about 90,000 cancer survivors will suffer from pelvic radiation
      disease (PRD) due to their curative treatment including radiotherapy. The
      National Cancer Survivorship Initiative aims to improve the understanding and
      management of PRD by the oncology community. This overview covers the prevention,
      investigation and treatment for late radiation-induced gastrointestinal symptoms
      in PRD. Multiple pharmacological and nutritional interventions have been studied,
      as prophylaxis for acute gastrointestinal toxicity (aiming to prevent late
      consequential effects), although predominantly only small randomised controlled
      trials have been conducted. These have produced mixed results, although promising
      signals for some agents have been observed. Evidence for the pharmacological
      prevention of late gastrointestinal toxicity is scarce. Even fewer randomised
      controlled trials have investigated the late gastrointestinal toxicity profile of
      advanced radiotherapy technologies. There are nationally agreed algorithms for
      the investigation and management of PRD, but a lack of awareness means patients
      still do not get referred appropriately. This overview outlines the management of
      radiation proctopathy and diarrhoea, and signposts other accessible resources.
      Finally, we provide recommendations for the management of late gastrointestinal
      symptoms in PRD and research in this field, especially the need for high-quality
      clinical trials.

PMID- 26129747
TI  - Novel transporters from Kluyveromyces marxianus and Pichia guilliermondii
      expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae enable growth on L-arabinose and D-xylose.
AB  - Genes encoding L-arabinose transporters in Kluyveromyces marxianus and Pichia
      guilliermondii were identified by functional complementation of Saccharomyces
      cerevisiae whose growth on L-arabinose was dependent on a functioning L-arabinose
      transporter, or by screening a differential display library, respectively. These
      transporters also transport D-xylose and were designated KmAXT1 (arabinose-xylose
      transporter) and PgAXT1, respectively. Transport assays using L-arabinose showed
      that KmAxt1p has K(m) 263 mM and V(max) 57 nM/mg/min, and PgAxt1p has K(m) 0.13
      mM and V(max) 18 nM/mg/min. Glucose, galactose and xylose significantly inhibit L
      arabinose transport by both transporters. Transport assays using D-xylose showed
      that KmAxt1p has K(m) 27 mM and V(max) 3.8 nM/mg/min, and PgAxt1p has K(m) 65 mM
      and V(max) 8.7 nM/mg/min. Neither transporter is capable of recovering growth on
      glucose or galactose in a S. cerevisiae strain deleted for hexose and galactose
      transporters. Transport kinetics of S. cerevisiae Gal2p showed K(m) 371 mM and
      V(max) 341 nM/mg/min for L-arabinose, and K(m) 25 mM and V(max) 76 nM/mg/min for
      galactose. Due to the ability of Gal2p and these two newly characterized
      transporters to transport both L-arabinose and D-xylose, one scenario for the
      complete usage of biomass-derived pentose sugars would require only the low
      affinity, high-throughput transporter Gal2p and one additional high-affinity
      general pentose transporter, rather than dedicated D-xylose or L-arabinose
      transporters. Additionally, alignment of these transporters with other
      characterized pentose transporters provides potential targets for substrate
      recognition engineering.

PMID- 26129748
TI  - Proteomic analysis of plasma proteins in diabetic retinopathy patients by two
      dimensional electrophoresis and MALDI-Tof-MS.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Diabetic retinopathy is a highly specific vascular complication of
      diabetes mellitus and progresses from mild non-proliferative abnormalities
      characterized by increased vascular permeability to moderate and severe
      proliferative diabetic retinopathy characterized by the growth of blood vessels
      on the retina. The aim of the study was to identify the differentially expressed
      proteins in diabetic retinopathy using two-dimensional electrophoresis. METHODS:
      Blood sample was drawn from subjects with diabetes mellitus (without retinopathy)
      who served as controls and patients with diabetic retinopathy in tubes containing
      EDTA as anticoagulant. Albumin and immunoglobulin IgG collectively removed to
      enrich proteins of lower abundance. 2de was carried out to see if there are any
      differentially expressed proteins. RESULTS: Approximately 48 and 61 spots were
      identified in control and diabetic retinopathy respectively, of which three
      protein spots RBP1 (retinol-binding protein 1), NUD10 (Diphosphoinositol
      polyphosphohydrolase 3 alpha), NGB (neuroglobin) were down regulated and HBG2
      (hemoglobin) and BY55 (CD 160 antigen) were upregulated in diabetic retinopathy.
      These five protein spots were excised and were subjected to in-gel tryptic
      digestion, and their identities were determined by ultraflex MALDI-TOF-MS.
      CONCLUSION: We report a comprehensive patient-based plasma proteomic approach to
      the identification of potential biomarkers for diabetic retinopathy screening and
      detection. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: We identified 5 different proteins that
      were differentially expressed in the plasma of control diabetic patients (without
      retinopathy). Among these five proteins the expression of neuroglobin (NGB)
      protein varied significantly and may be a potential biomarker in diabetic
      retinopathy.

PMID- 26129749
TI  - Participation as a leader in immersion weight loss treatment may benefit, not
      harm, young adult staff members.
AB  - Despite the success of weight-management programmes, some researchers caution
      that participation in an aggressive approach to weight management could promote
      the development of eating pathology. The current study evaluated the risks and
      benefits for young adults of serving as staff members in an immersion treatment
      of adolescent obesity over the course of a summer. Participants included weight
      loss staff members (n = 108) along with a comparison group of young adults with
      similar demographic characteristics (n = 136). Participants completed assessments
      of eating disorder and obesity risk at three time points: the beginning of the
      summer, the end of the summer and a 6-week follow-up. Weight loss leadership
      participants who were initially overweight lost weight over the course of the
      summer, but those at healthy weights maintained their weight. Comparison
      participants also maintained their weight during the summer. Weight loss staff
      members also increased dietary restraint over the summer, and increases in
      dietary restraint appeared to facilitate appropriate weight reduction.
      Participation as a leader in an immersion weight loss programme seemed to
      benefit, not harm, young adults; this suggests potential advantages for using
      weight controlling interventions in a wide range of individuals, including as an
      obesity prevention strategy. 

PMID- 26129750
TI  - Reply to Crawford.

PMID- 26129751
TI  - Association of the Functional MICA-129 Polymorphism With the Severity of Chronic
      Chagas Heart Disease.
AB  - MICA-129 polymorphism affects the binding affinity of MICA molecules with the
      NKG2D receptor and influences effector cell function. The genotype met/met was
      associated with the severity of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) in
      patients with chronic Chagas heart disease, while the val/val genotype was
      associated with the absence of LVSD. 

PMID- 26129752
TI  - Impact of Hospital Population Case-Mix, Including Poverty, on Hospital All-Cause
      and Infection-Related 30-Day Readmission Rates.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Reducing hospital readmissions, including preventable healthcare
      associated infections, is a national priority. The proportion of readmissions due
      to infections is not well-understood. Better understanding of hospital risk
      factors for readmissions and infection-related readmissions may help optimize
      interventions to prevent readmissions. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of
      California acute care hospitals and their patient populations discharged between
      2009 and 2011. Demographics, comorbidities, and socioeconomic status were entered
      into a hierarchical generalized linear mixed model predicting all-cause and
      infection-related readmissions. Crude verses adjusted hospital rankings were
      compared using Cohen's kappa. RESULTS: We assessed 30-day readmission rates from
      323 hospitals, accounting for 213 879 194 post-discharge person-days of follow
      up. Infection-related readmissions represented 28% of all readmissions and were
      associated with discharging a high proportion of patients to skilled nursing
      facilities. Hospitals serving populations with high proportions of males,
      comorbidities, prolonged length of stay, and populations living in a federal
      poverty area, had higher all-cause and infection-related readmission rates.
      Academic hospitals had higher all-cause and infection-related readmission rates
      (odds ratio 1.24 and 1.15, respectively). When comparing adjusted vs crude
      hospital rankings for infection-related readmission rates, adjustment revealed
      31% of hospitals changed performance category for infection-related readmissions.
      CONCLUSIONS: Infection-related readmissions accounted for nearly 30% of all-cause
      readmissions. High hospital infection-related readmissions were associated with
      serving a high proportion of patients with comorbidities, long lengths of stay,
      discharge to skilled nursing facility, and those living in federal poverty areas.
      Preventability of these infections needs to be assessed.

PMID- 26129755
TI  - Lyme Disease Comparators.

PMID- 26129753
TI  - Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroups and Neurocognitive Impairment During HIV Infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Neurocognitive impairment (NCI) remains an important complication in
      persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Ancestry-related
      mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups have been associated with outcomes of HIV
      infection and combination antiretroviral therapy (CART), and with
      neurodegenerative diseases. We hypothesize that mtDNA haplogroups are associated
      with NCI in HIV-infected adults and performed a genetic association study in the
      CNS HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Effects Research (CHARTER) cohort. METHODS:
      CHARTER is an observational study of ambulatory HIV-infected adults. Haplogroups
      were assigned using mtDNA sequence, and principal components were derived from
      ancestry-informative nuclear DNA variants. Outcomes were cross-sectional global
      deficit score (GDS) as a continuous measure, GDS impairment (GDS >= 0.50), and
      HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) using international criteria.
      Multivariable models were adjusted for comorbidity status (incidental vs
      contributing), current CART, plasma HIV RNA, reading ability, and CD4 cell nadir.
      RESULTS: Haplogroups were available from 1027 persons; median age 43 years,
      median CD4 nadir 178 cells/mm(3), 72% on CART, and 46% with HAND. The 102 (9.9%)
      persons of genetically determined admixed Hispanic ancestry had more impairment
      by GDS or HAND than persons of European or African ancestry (P < .001 for all).
      In multivariate models including persons of admixed Hispanic ancestry, those with
      haplogroup B had lower GDS (beta = -0.34; P = .008) and less GDS impairment (odds
      ratio = 0.16; 95% confidence interval, .04, .63; P = .009) than other
      haplogroups. There were no significant haplogroup associations among persons of
      European or African ancestry. CONCLUSIONS: In these mostly CART-treated persons,
      mtDNA haplogroup B was associated with less NCI among persons of genetically
      determined Hispanic ancestry. mtDNA variation may represent an ancestry-specific
      factor influencing NCI in HIV-infected persons.

PMID- 26129754
TI  - Targeting HIV Prevention Based on Molecular Epidemiology Among Deeply Sampled
      Subnetworks of Men Who Have Sex With Men.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Molecular epidemiology can be useful in identifying clusters of human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission that can be targeted for prevention.
      METHODS: Regular screening of 2000 men who have sex with men (MSM) in Beijing,
      China, for HIV infection every 2 months identified 179 primary infections (2007
      2010). HIV-1 pol sequences were obtained and used to infer the transmission
      network and identify transmitted drug resistance (TDR) among these individuals.
      We evaluated the use of clinical and network information to target prevention
      efforts. Prevention efficiency was calculated as the number of infections saved
      per number of interventions. RESULTS: This cohort was infected with HIV-1 subtype
      B (28%), circulating recombinant form (CRF)_01 AE (53%), and CRF_07 BC (16%). The
      overall rate of TDR was low (5%), but the rate of clustering was high (64%),
      suggesting deep sampling of the subnetwork. Provision of a theoretically high
      efficacy intervention like antiretroviral therapy to all participants had a
      prevention efficiency of 23%. The efficiency of targeting prevention based on
      lower CD4 counts (<200 cells/mL, <350 cells/mL, or <500 cells/mL) and higher
      viral loads (>100 000 copies/mL and >50 000 copies/mL) was between 10% and 18%.
      The efficiency of targeting prevention based on number of network connections was
      much higher (30%-42%). For example, treating the 33 participants with >=5
      connections in 2009 would have theoretically prevented 14 infections in 2010 (42%
      prevention efficiency). CONCLUSIONS: Regular HIV testing of MSM in Beijing can
      deeply sample the local transmission subnetwork, and targeting prevention efforts
      based on network connectivity may be an efficient way to deliver prevention
      interventions.

PMID- 26129759
TI  - JOSPT Provides Kudos Service to Authors.

PMID- 26129756
TI  - Combination Treatment for Visceral Leishmaniasis Patients Coinfected with Human
      Immunodeficiency Virus in India.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are considerable numbers of patients coinfected with human
      immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the VL-endemic
      areas of Bihar, India. These patients are at higher risk of relapse and death,
      but there are still no evidence-based guidelines on how to treat them. In this
      study, we report on treatment outcomes of coinfected patients up to 18 months
      following treatment with a combination regimen. METHODS: This retrospective
      analysis included all patients with confirmed HIV-VL coinfection receiving
      combination treatment for VL at a Medecins Sans Frontieres treatment center
      between July 2012 and September 2014. Patients were treated with 30 mg/kg body
      weight intravenous liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome) divided as 6 equal dose
      infusions combined with 14 days of 100 mg/day oral miltefosine (Impavido). All
      patients were encouraged to start or continue on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
      RESULTS: 102 patients (76% males, 57% with known HIV infection, 54% with a prior
      episode of VL) were followed-up for a median of 11 months (interquartile range: 4
      18). Cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality and VL relapse at 6, 12, and 18
      months was 11.7%, 14.5%, 16.6% and 2.5%, 6.0%,13.9%, respectively. Cumulative
      incidence of poor outcome at 6, 12, and 18 months was 13.9%, 18.4%, and 27.2%,
      respectively. Not initiating ART and concurrent tuberculosis were independent
      risk factors for mortality, whereas no factors were associated with relapse.
      CONCLUSIONS: In this Bihar-based study, combination therapy appeared to be well
      tolerated, safe, and effective and may be considered as an option for treatment
      of VL in HIV coinfected patients.

PMID- 26129757
TI  - Time From Infection to Disease and Infectiousness for Ebola Virus Disease, a
      Systematic Review.
AB  - We systematically reviewed the literature to estimate the incubation and latent
      periods of Ebola virus disease. We found limited epidemiological data from
      individuals with discrete 1-day exposures. Available data suggest that the
      incubation and latent periods may differ, and mathematical models may be improved
      by distinguishing between the two periods.

PMID- 26129760
TI  - Enchondroma of the Distal Phalanx.
AB  - The patient was a 29-year-old woman who was evaluated by a physical therapist in
      a direct-access capacity for an enlarged distal phalanx on the fourth digit of
      her left hand. After discussing the patient's presentation with an orthopaedic
      hand surgeon due to concern for nonmusculoskeletal pathology, radiographs were
      ordered and findings were thought to be consistent with an enchondroma, which is
      a benign lesion commonly seen in the hand.

PMID- 26129762
TI  - Iron as a source of color in river waters.
AB  - Organic chromophores of total organic carbon (TOC) and those of iron (Fe)
      contribute to the color of water, but the relative contributions of colored
      organic carbon (COC%) and Fe (Fe%) are poorly known. In this study, we unraveled
      Fe% and COC% in 6128 unfiltered water samples collected from 94 Finnish river
      sites of contrasting catchment properties. According to regression analysis
      focusing on TOC alone, on average 84% of the mean TOC consisted of COC, while 16%
      was non-colored or below the color-detection limit. COC and Fe were much more
      important sources of color than phytoplankton (chlorophyll a as a proxy) or non
      algal particles (suspended solids as a proxy). When COC and Fe were considered as
      the only two sources of color, COC% ranged from 16.8% to 99.5% (mean 71%) and Fe%
      from 0.5% to 83.2% (mean 29%). Similar Fe% and COC% values were obtained when
      color was estimated from the absorption coefficients of COC and Fe at 490 nm. Fe%
      increased as a function of the concentration of Fe and was well predicted by the
      TOC-to-Fe mass ratio. In 608 samples with TOC-to-Fe ratios of <4.5, Fe dominated
      the color. TOC-to-Fe ratios varied widely within most sites, but in relation to
      hydrology. In catchments with a peatland coverage of >30%, peak flow exported
      elevated amounts of TOC relative to Fe and resulted in a high COC%. Base flow,
      instead, mobilized elevated amounts Fe relative to TOC and resulted in a high
      Fe%. In a catchment covered with 31% of agricultural fields, peak flow
      transported eroded soil particles high in Fe and thus resulted in a high Fe%,
      while during base flow the water was high in COC%. This study demonstrated that
      Fe% and COC% vary widely in river water depending on the catchment properties and
      hydrology.

PMID- 26129763
TI  - The consequences of English language testing for international health
      professionals and students: An Australian case study.
AB  - AIM: To discuss the perceptions about the International English Language Testing
      System (IELTS) and its impact on migration and practice of migrant health
      professionals in Australia. METHODS: Thematic analysis of interviews with 14
      health industry participants and 35 migrated health professionals in Australia.
      RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Language testing is a barrier to health professional
      registration for migrant health workers in Australia. While two English language
      tests are recognised by the registration authorities in Australia, it is the
      International English Language Testing System that is most commonly used. This
      paper reports that study participants had underlying negative perceptions of the
      International English Language Testing System which they report, affect their
      move to Australia. These negative perceptions are caused by: frustration due to
      changes to processes for migration and registration; challenges regarding the
      structure of IELTS including timing of when test results expire, scoring
      requirements, cost, and suitability; and the resulting feelings of inadequacy
      caused by the test itself. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that some respondents
      have experienced difficulties in relation to the International English Language
      Testing System as part of their migration process. It was found that there is
      very little research into the effectiveness of the IELTS as it is currently
      administered for overseas health care professionals. Several recommendations are
      provided including areas for further research.

PMID- 26129764
TI  - Regular budding modes in a zooxanthellate dendrophylliid Turbinaria peltata
      (Scleractinia) revealed by X-ray CT imaging and three-dimensional reconstruction.
AB  - The zooxanthellate dendrophylliid coral, Turbinaria peltata (Scleractinia),
      exhibit various growth forms that increase the photoreception area through the
      development of coenosteum skeletons. Because it is difficult to make detailed
      observations of the internal structures, we visualized inner skeletal structures
      using nondestructive microfocus X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging. After
      removal of the coenosteum skeletons from the X-ray CT images, three-dimensional
      3D-models were reconstructed for individual corallites. Regular budding was
      observed from the 3D-model and cross-sectional images as follows: 1) lateral
      corallites occurred only near the two primary septa on one side, apart from a
      directive primary septum with distinct polarity; 2) the budding occurred upward
      at acute angles; and 3) these regular structures and polarity were repeated
      throughout growth with every generation. Even in zooxanthellate dendrophylliids,
      the same budding modes as observed in azooxanthellate equivalents control the
      colonial growth. These characteristics provide clues for understanding the
      mechanisms that regulate the shapes of modular marine organisms.

PMID- 26129765
TI  - Application of Adaptive DP-optimality to Design a Pilot Study for a Clotting Time
      Test for Enoxaparin.
AB  - PURPOSE: Dosing of enoxaparin, like other anticoagulants, may result in bleeding
      following excessive doses and clot formation if the dose is too low. We recently
      showed that a factor Xa based clotting time test could potentially assess the
      effect of enoxaparin on the clotting system. However, the test did not perform
      well in subsequent individuals and effectiveness of an exogenous phospholipid,
      Actin FS, in reducing the variability in the clotting time was assessed. The aim
      of this work was to conduct an adaptive pilot study to determine the range of
      concentrations of Xa and Actin FS to take forward into a proof-of-concept study.
      METHODS: A nonlinear parametric function was developed to describe the response
      surface over the factors of interest. An adaptive method was used to estimate the
      parameters using a D-optimal design criterion. In order to provide a reasonable
      probability of observing a success of the clotting time test, a P-optimal design
      criterion was incorporated using a loss function to describe the hybrid DP
      optimality. RESULTS: The use of adaptive DP-optimality method resulted in an
      efficient estimation of model parameters using data from only 6 healthy
      volunteers. The use of response surface modelling identified a range of sets of
      Xa and Actin FS concentrations, any of which could be used for the proof-of
      concept study. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that parsimonious adaptive DP
      optimal designs may provide both precise parameter estimates for response surface
      modelling as well as clinical confidence in the potential benefits of the study.

PMID- 26129766
TI  - Effect of siRNA pre-Exposure on Subsequent Response to siRNA Therapy.
AB  - PURPOSE: An alternative cancer therapy based on RNA interference (RNAi) has shown
      considerable promise but the possibility of resistance development is not known.
      This study explored the possibility of therapeutic resistance against siRNA
      nanoparticles in human cancer cells. METHODS: Two approaches to siRNA treatment
      were undertaken using lipid-modified polyethylenimines, a single high
      concentration (shock) and repeated increasing concentrations (gradual). The
      targets were Mcl-1, RPS6KA5 and KSP in MDA-MB-435 cells. RESULTS: There was no
      evidence of resistance development in shock-treated cells, while the decrease in
      mRNA levels of targeted proteins was not as robust in naive cells in gradual
      treatment. However, silencing efficiency was restored after a 7-day recovery
      period when expression of suppressed proteins returned to normal levels. Cellular
      uptake of siRNA was not affected by pre-treatments. Other mediators involved in
      cell survival and proliferation were altered in siRNA-treated cells, but only JUN
      silencing led to a heightened loss of viability. In vivo experiments demonstrated
      similar silencing efficiency at mRNA level after repeat doses. CONCLUSIONS: Human
      cancer cells responded to repeat siRNA nanoparticles in a similar fashion after a
      temporary initial alteration and little, if any, resistance was evident against
      repeated siRNA treatments.

PMID- 26129767
TI  - Evolutionary genomics of miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs)
      in Brassica.
AB  - Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) are truncated derivatives
      of autonomous DNA transposons, and are dispersed abundantly in most eukaryotic
      genomes. We aimed to characterize various MITEs families in Brassica in terms of
      their presence, sequence characteristics and evolutionary activity. Dot plot
      analyses involving comparison of homoeologous bacterial artificial chromosome
      (BAC) sequences allowed identification of 15 novel families of mobile MITEs. Of
      which, 5 were Stowaway-like with TA Target Site Duplications (TSDs), 4 Tourist
      like with TAA/TTA TSDs, 5 Mutator-like with 9-10 bp TSDs and 1 novel MITE
      (BoXMITE1) flanked by 3 bp TSDs. Our data suggested that there are about 30,000
      MITE-related sequences in Brassica rapa and B. oleracea genomes. In situ
      hybridization showed one abundant family was dispersed in the A-genome, while
      another was located near 45S rDNA sites. PCR analysis using primers flanking
      sequences of MITE elements detected MITE insertion polymorphisms between and
      within the three Brassica (AA, BB, CC) genomes, with many insertions being
      specific to single genomes and others showing evidence of more recent
      evolutionary insertions. Our BAC sequence comparison strategy enables
      identification of evolutionarily active MITEs with no prior knowledge of MITE
      sequences. The details of MITE families reported in Brassica enable their
      identification, characterization and annotation. Insertion polymorphisms of MITEs
      and their transposition activity indicated important mechanism of genome
      evolution and diversification. MITE families derived from known Mariner,
      Harbinger and Mutator DNA transposons were discovered, as well as some novel
      structures. The identification of Brassica MITEs will have broad applications in
      Brassica genomics, breeding, hybridization and phylogeny through their use as DNA
      markers. 

PMID- 26129768
TI  - Identification of suitable grapevine reference genes for qRT-PCR derived from
      heterologous species.
AB  - Identification and validation of suitable reference genes that exhibit robust
      transcriptional stability across many sample types is an absolute requirement of
      all qRT-PCR experiments. Often, however, only small numbers of reference genes,
      validated across limited sample types, are available for non-model species. This
      points to a clear need to assess and validate a wider range of potential
      reference genes than is currently available. We therefore looked to test and
      validate a large number of potential reference genes across a wide range of
      tissue types and treatments to determine the applicability of these reference
      genes for use in grapevine and other non-model plant species. Potential reference
      genes were selected based on stability of gene transcription in the model plant
      species Arabidopsis or due to their common use in the grapevine community. The
      selected reference genes were analyzed across two datasets consisting of a range
      of either 'Sauvignon blanc' or 'Pinot noir' tissues. A total of 11 potential
      reference genes were screened across the two datasets. Gene stability was
      analyzed by GeNorm, a widely used Excel application, or an ANOVA-based method
      developed in red clover. Both analysis methods showed that all 11 potential
      reference genes are stably expressed in the datasets tested, but the rankings of
      gene stability differed based on the datasets and analysis method used.
      Furthermore, the transcript stability of these genes, initially identified in
      Arabidopsis and now validated in grapevine, suggests applicability across a wide
      range of non-model plant species in addition to their utility in grapevine. 

PMID- 26129769
TI  - Multimodal responses induced by cortical stimulation of the parietal lobe: a
      stereo-electroencephalography study.
AB  - The functional complexity of the parietal lobe still represents a challenge for
      neurophysiological and functional neuroimaging studies. While the somatosensory
      functions of the anterior parietal cortex are well established, the posterior
      parietal cortex has a relevant role in processing the sensory information,
      including visuo-spatial perception, visual attention, visuo-motor transformations
      and other complex and not completely understood functions. We retrospectively
      analysed all the clinical manifestations induced by intracerebral bipolar
      electrical stimulation in 172 patients suffering from drug-resistant focal
      epilepsy (mean age 25.6, standard deviation 11.6; 44% females and 56% males) with
      at least one electrode stereotactically implanted in the parietal cortex. A total
      of 1186 electrical stimulations were included in the analysis, of which 88 were
      subsequently excluded because of eliciting pathological electric activity or
      inducing ictal symptomatology. In the dominant parietal lobe, clinical responses
      were observed for 56 (25%) of the low-frequency stimulations and for 76 (50%) of
      the high-frequency stimulations. In the non-dominant parietal lobe, 111 (27%) low
      frequency and 176 (55%) high-frequency stimulations were associated with a
      clinical response. Body scheme alteration was the only clinical effect showing a
      lateralization, as they were evoked only in the non-dominant hemisphere. The
      occurrence of somatosensory sensations, motor symptoms, dysarthria and multimodal
      responses were significantly associated with stimulation of the postcentral gyrus
      (odds ratio: 5.83, P < 0.001; odds ratio: 8.77, P < 0.001; odds ratio: 5.44, P =
      0.011; odds ratio: 8.33, P = 0.006; respectively). Stimulation of the
      intraparietal sulcus was associated with the occurrence of sensory illusions or
      hallucinations (odds ratio: 8.68, P < 0.001) and eyeball/eyelid movements or
      sensations (odds ratio: 4.35, P = 0.047). To our knowledge, this is the only
      currently available complete revision of electrical stimulation of the entire
      parietal cortex with the aim to evaluate the neurophysiology of this relevant
      brain region. Our analysis offers a general overview of the multiple roles of the
      parietal cortex and supports its crucial involvement in different networks
      related to complex integrative functions.media
      1vid110.1093/brain/awv187_video_abstractawv187_video_abstract. 

PMID- 26129770
TI  - Nanomedicine for the molecular diagnosis of cardiovascular pathologies.
AB  - Predicting acute clinical events caused by atherosclerotic plaque rupture remains
      a clinical challenge. Anatomic mapping of the vascular tree provided by standard
      imaging technologies is not always sufficient for a robust diagnosis. Yet
      biological mechanisms leading to unstable plaques have been identified and
      corresponding biomarkers have been described. Nanosystems charged with contrast
      agents and targeted towards these specific biomarkers have been developed for
      several types of imaging modalities. The first systems that have reached the
      clinic are ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxides for Magnetic Resonance
      Imaging. Their potential relies on their passive accumulation by predominant
      physiological mechanisms in rupture-prone plaques. Active targeting strategies
      are under development to improve their specificity and set up other types of
      nanoplatforms. Preclinical results show a huge potential of nanomedicine for
      cardiovascular diagnosis, as long as the safety of these nanosystems in the body
      is studied in depth. 

PMID- 26129771
TI  - Changes in secondary structure of alpha-synuclein during oligomerization induced
      by reactive aldehydes.
AB  - The oxidative stress-related reactive aldehydes 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) and 4
      oxo-2-nonenal (ONE) have been shown to promote formation of alpha-synuclein
      oligomers in vitro. However, the changes in secondary structure of alpha
      synuclein and the kinetics of the oligomerization process are not known and were
      the focus of this study. Size exclusion chromatography showed that after 1 h of
      incubation, HNE induced the formation of an oligomeric alpha-synuclein peak with
      a molecular weight of about ~2000 kDa, which coincided with a decreasing ~50 kDa
      monomeric peak. With prolonged incubation (up to 24 h) the oligomeric peak became
      the dominating molecular species. In contrast, in the presence of ONE, a ~2000
      oligomeric peak was exclusively observed after 15 min of incubation and this peak
      remained constant with prolonged incubation. Western blot analysis of HNE-induced
      alpha-synuclein oligomers showed the presence of monomers (15 kDa), SDS-resistant
      low molecular (30-160 kDa) and high molecular weight oligomers (>=260 kDa),
      indicating that the oligomers consisted of both covalent and non-covalent
      protein. In contrast, ONE-induced alpha-synuclein oligomers only migrated as
      covalent cross-linked high molecular-weight material (>=300 kDa). Both circular
      dichroism (CD) and Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR
      FTIR) spectroscopy showed that the formation of HNE- and ONE-induced oligomers
      coincided with a spectral change from random coil to beta-sheet. However, ONE
      induced alpha-synuclein oligomers exhibited a slightly higher degree of beta
      sheet. Taken together, our results indicate that both HNE and ONE induce a change
      from random coil to beta-sheet structure that coincides with the formation of
      alpha-synuclein oligomers; albeit through different kinetic pathways depending on
      the degree of cross-linking. 

PMID- 26129772
TI  - Cu(II) promotes amyloid pore formation.
AB  - The aggregation of alpha-synuclein is associated with dopamine neuron death in
      Parkinson's disease. There is controversy in the field over the question of which
      species of the aggregates, fibrils or protofibrils, are toxic. Moreover,
      compelling evidence suggested the exposure to heavy metals to be a risk of PD.
      Nevertheless, the mechanism of metal ions in promoting PD remains unclear. In
      this research, we investigated the structural basis of Cu(II) induced aggregation
      of alpha-synuclein. Using transmission electron microscopy experiments, Cu(II)
      was found to promote in vitro aggregation of alpha-synuclein by facilitating
      annular protofibril formation rather than fibril formation. Furthermore,
      neuroprotective baicalein disaggregated annular protofibrils accompanied by
      considerable decrease of beta-sheet content. These results strongly support the
      hypothesis that annular protofibrils are the toxic species, rather than fibrils,
      thereby inspiring us to search novel therapeutic strategies for the suppression
      of the toxic annular protofibril formation. 

PMID- 26129773
TI  - Multifunctional carbon nanomaterial hybrids for magnetic manipulation and
      targeting.
AB  - Nanosized materials and multifunctional nanoscale platforms have attracted in the
      last years considerable interest in a variety of different fields including
      biomedicine. Carbon nanotubes and graphene are some of the most widely used
      carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) due to their unique morphology and structure and
      their characteristic physicochemical properties. Their high surface area allows
      efficient drug loading and bioconjugation and makes them the ideal platforms for
      decoration with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). In the biomedical area, MNPs are
      of particular importance due to their broad range of potential applications in
      drug delivery, non-invasive tumor imaging and early detection based on their
      optical and magnetic properties. The remarkable characteristics of CNMs and MNPs
      can be combined leading to CNM/MNP hybrids which offer numerous promising,
      desirable and strikingly advantageous properties for improved performance in
      comparison to the use of either material alone. In this minireview, we attempt to
      comprehensively report the most recent advances made with CNMs conjugated to
      different types of MNPs for magnetic targeting, magnetic manipulation, capture
      and separation of cells towards development of magnetic carbon-based devices. 

PMID- 26129774
TI  - Acid sphingomyelinase (aSMase) deficiency leads to abnormal microglia behavior
      and disturbed retinal function.
AB  - Mutations in the acid sphingomyelinase (aSMase) coding gene sphingomyelin
      phosphodiesterase 1 (SMPD1) cause Niemann-Pick disease (NPD) type A and B.
      Sphingomyelin storage in cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system cause
      hepatosplenomegaly and severe neurodegeneration in the brain of NPD patients.
      However, the effects of aSMase deficiency on retinal structure and microglial
      behavior have not been addressed in detail yet. Here, we demonstrate that retinas
      of aSMase(-/-) mice did not display overt neuronal degeneration but showed
      significantly reduced scotopic and photopic responses in electroretinography. In
      vivo fundus imaging of aSMase(-/-) mice showed many hyperreflective spots and
      staining for the retinal microglia marker Iba1 revealed massive proliferation of
      retinal microglia that had significantly enlarged somata. Nile red staining
      detected prominent phospholipid inclusions in microglia and lipid analysis showed
      significantly increased sphingomyelin levels in retinas of aSMase(-/-) mice. In
      conclusion, the aSMase-deficient mouse is the first example in which microglial
      lipid inclusions are directly related to a loss of retinal function.

PMID- 26129775
TI  - High performance of combined HPV testing and genotyping for HPV16/18/52/58 in
      triaging women with minor cervical cytological abnormalities in northern
      Thailand.
AB  - Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is an important cause of cervical cancer.
      Screening with cytology or combined cytology and HPV testing helps to detect
      early cervical cancers and precancerous lesions (high-grade squamous
      intraepithelial lesion or worse [HSIL+]). Minor cytological abnormalities
      (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and low-grade squamous
      intraepithelial lesion) account for the majority of abnormal cervical cytology
      results, but only 10-20% of women with minor cytological abnormalities have
      histologic HSIL+. Triage tests are useful to identify the high-risk patients and
      reduce the colposcopy burden. This study was aimed to evaluate the triage
      performance of combined HPV DNA testing and genotyping. Cervical samples from
      women with minor cytological abnormalities, who underwent colposcopy at Chiang
      Mai University Hospital in northern Thailand between October 2010 and February
      2014, were tested for HPV DNA using Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2). Genotyping was
      performed using Linear Array assay. Of 223 women with cervical histology
      confirmation, histologic HSIL+ was detected in 25 women (11.2%). The sensitivity,
      specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 3 triage
      methods for histologic HSIL+ were; 100%, 47.5%, 19.4%, and 100% by HC2 only;
      40.0%, 88.4%, 30.3%, and 92.1% by combined HC2 and genotypes HPV16/18; and 96.0%,
      75.8%, 33.3%, and 99.3% by combined HC2 and genotypes HPV16/18/52/58. Triage
      using combined HC2 and genotypes HPV16/18/52/58 showed significantly greater area
      under the receiver operating curve than the other 2 methods (P < 0.001). Combined
      HPV DNA testing and genotyping for HPV16/18/52/58 is useful for triaging women
      with minor cervical cytological abnormalities in northern Thailand.

PMID- 26129777
TI  - Heritability of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults.
AB  - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental
      disorder. Symptoms often persist into adulthood, with a prevalence of 2.5-5% in
      adult populations. Twin studies in childhood consistently report high
      heritabilities of 70-80%, while studies in adult samples show only moderate
      heritability of 30-40% when estimated from self-ratings. This review summarizes
      the available research on the heritability of ADHD in adults. Three key findings
      are outlined: (i) self-ratings lead to relatively low heritability estimates of
      ADHD, independent of age and whether ratings refer to current or retrospective
      symptoms; (ii) studies relying on different informants to rate each twin within a
      pair (i.e., self-ratings and different parents/teachers rating each twin in a
      pair) consistently yield lower heritability estimates than studies relying on
      ratings from a single informant; (iii) studies using cross-informant data via
      either combined parent and self-ratings or clinical diagnoses information suggest
      that the heritability of ADHD in adults could be as high as 70-80%. Together, the
      reviewed studies suggest that the previously reported low heritability of ADHD in
      adults is unlikely to reflect a true developmental change. Instead, the drop in
      heritability is better explained by rater effects related to a switch from using
      one rater for both twins in a pair (parent/teacher) in childhood, to relying on
      self-ratings (where each twin rates themselves) of ADHD symptoms in adulthood.
      When rater effects are addressed using cross-informant approaches, the
      heritability of ADHD in adults appears to be comparable to the heritability of
      ADHD in childhood. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PMID- 26129776
TI  - Beta-cell regeneration from vimentin+/MafB+ cells after STZ-induced extreme beta
      cell ablation.
AB  - Loss of functional beta-cells is fundamental in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
      In situ beta-cell regeneration therefore has garnered great interest as an
      approach to diabetes therapy. Here, after elimination of pre-existing beta cells
      by a single high-dose of streptozotocin (STZ), we demonstrated that a
      considerable amount of beta-like-cells was generated within 48 hrs. But the newly
      formed insulin producing cells failed to respond to glucose challenge at this
      time and diminished afterwards. Insulin treatment to normalize the glucose level
      protected the neogenic beta-like cells and the islet function was also gradually
      matured. Strikingly, intermediate cells lacking epithelial marker E-cadherin but
      expressing mesenchymal cell-specific marker vimentin appeared within 16 hrs
      following STZ exposure, which served as the major source of insulin-producing
      cells observed at 24 hrs. Moreover, these intermediate cells strongly expressed
      alpha-cell-specific marker MafB. In summary, the data presented here identified a
      novel intermediate cell type as beta-cell progenitors, showing mesenchymal cell
      feature as well as alpha-cell marker MafB. Our results might have important
      implications for efforts to stimulate beta-cell regeneration.

PMID- 26129778
TI  - SCARECROW-LIKE15 interacts with HISTONE DEACETYLASE19 and is essential for
      repressing the seed maturation programme.
AB  - Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is critical for controlling embryonic
      properties during the embryo-to-seedling phase transition. Here we report that a
      histone deacetylase19 (HDA19)-associated regulator, scarecrow-like15 (SCL15), is
      essential for repressing the seed maturation programme in vegetative tissues.
      SCL15 is expressed in and GFP-tagged SCL15 predominantly localizes to, the
      vascular bundles particularly in the phloem companion cells and neighbouring
      specialized cells. Mutation of SCL15 leads to a global shift in gene expression
      in seedlings to a profile resembling late embryogenesis in seeds. In scl15
      seedlings, many genes involved in seed maturation are markedly derepressed with
      concomitant accumulation of seed 12S globulin; this is correlated with elevated
      levels of histone acetylation at a subset of seed-specific loci. SCL15 physically
      interacts with HDA19 and direct targets of HDA19-SCL15 association are
      identified. These studies reveal that SCL15 acts as an HDA19-associated regulator
      to repress embryonic traits in seedlings.

PMID- 26129779
TI  - Medical School Experiences Associated with Change in Implicit Racial Bias Among
      3547 Students: A Medical Student CHANGES Study Report.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Physician implicit (unconscious, automatic) bias has been shown to
      contribute to racial disparities in medical care. The impact of medical education
      on implicit racial bias is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between
      change in student implicit racial bias towards African Americans and student
      reports on their experiences with 1) formal curricula related to disparities in
      health and health care, cultural competence, and/or minority health; 2) informal
      curricula including racial climate and role model behavior; and 3) the amount and
      favorability of interracial contact during school. DESIGN: Prospective
      observational study involving Web-based questionnaires administered during first
      (2010) and last (2014) semesters of medical school. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3547
      students from a stratified random sample of 49 U.S. medical schools. MAIN
      OUTCOME(S) AND MEASURE(S): Change in implicit racial attitudes as assessed by the
      Black-White Implicit Association Test administered during the first semester and
      again during the last semester of medical school. KEY RESULTS: In multivariable
      modeling, having completed the Black-White Implicit Association Test during
      medical school remained a statistically significant predictor of decreased
      implicit racial bias (-5.34, p <= 0.001: mixed effects regression with random
      intercept across schools). Students' self-assessed skills regarding providing
      care to African American patients had a borderline association with decreased
      implicit racial bias (-2.18, p = 0.056). Having heard negative comments from
      attending physicians or residents about African American patients (3.17, p =
      0.026) and having had unfavorable vs. very favorable contact with African
      American physicians (18.79, p = 0.003) were statistically significant predictors
      of increased implicit racial bias. CONCLUSIONS: Medical school experiences in all
      three domains were independently associated with change in student implicit
      racial attitudes. These findings are notable given that even small differences in
      implicit racial attitudes have been shown to affect behavior and that implicit
      attitudes are developed over a long period of repeated exposure and are difficult
      to change.

PMID- 26129781
TI  - Varying Charges and Questionable Costs.

PMID- 26129780
TI  - Provider Attitudes and Screening Practices Following Changes in Breast and
      Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Changes to national guidelines for breast and cervical cancer
      screening have created confusion and controversy for women and their primary care
      providers. OBJECTIVE: To characterize women's primary health care provider
      attitudes towards screening and changes in practice in response to recent
      revisions in guidelines for breast and cervical cancer screening. DESIGN,
      SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: In 2014, we distributed a confidential web and mail survey
      to 668 women's health care providers affiliated with the four clinical care
      networks participating in the three PROSPR (Population-based Research Optimizing
      Screening through Personalized Regimens) consortium breast cancer research
      centers (385 respondents; response rate 57.6 %). MAIN MEASURES: We assessed self
      reported attitudes toward breast and cervical cancer screening, as well as
      practice changes in response to the most recent revisions of the U.S. Preventive
      Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations. KEY RESULTS: The majority of
      providers believed that mammography screening was effective for reducing cancer
      mortality among women ages 40-74 years, and that Papanicolaou (Pap) testing was
      very effective for women ages 21-64 years. While the USPSTF breast and cervical
      cancer screening recommendations were widely perceived by the respondents as
      influential, 75.7 and 41.2 % of providers (for mammography and cervical cancer
      screening, respectively) reported screening practices in excess of those
      recommended by USPSTF. Provider-reported barriers to concordance with guideline
      recommendations included: patient concerns (74 and 36 % for breast and cervical,
      respectively), provider disagreement with the recommendations (50 and 14 %),
      health system measurement of a provider's screening practices that use
      conflicting measurement criteria (40 and 21 %), concern about malpractice risk
      (33 and 11 %), and lack of time to discuss the benefits and harms with their
      patients (17 and 8 %). CONCLUSIONS: Primary care providers do not consistently
      follow recent USPSTF breast and cervical cancer screening recommendations,
      despite noting that these guidelines are influential.

PMID- 26129782
TI  - Capsule Commentary on Jones et al., Usual Primary Care Provider Characteristics
      of a Patient-Centered Medical Home and Mental Health Service Use.

PMID- 26129784
TI  - Occurrence and distribution of phosphorus fractions in sediments of Liangzi Lake
      under typical hydrodynamic conditions.
AB  - Understanding the transformation and chronological accumulation of phosphorus (P)
      forms under typical hydrodynamic conditions of a lake is important for clarifying
      the process of lake evolution and eutrophication. The occurrence and distribution
      of sediment P fractions (total, TP; inorganic, IP; and organic, OP), phytate
      content, and phytase activity at different profile depths (0-8 m) and parent
      material ages (0.8-11 ka BP) were examined at different ecological locations
      (inlet, outlet, and center) of the freshwater Liangzi Lake in Hubei Province,
      China. Sediment P-forms at locations of different hydrodynamic conditions
      increased from the inlet to the outlet. IP constituted ~40-71% of TP, whereas the
      OP content was generally lower in the sediment. The two forms of IP extracted by
      HCl and NaOH varied quantitatively with depth and location: HCl-P ~ NaOH-P (above
      0.8 m) or HCl-P > NaOH-P (below 0.8 m) at the inlet; HCl-P > NaOH-P (above 0.8 m)
      and HCl-P ~ NaOH-P (below 0.8 m) at the outlet; and HCl-P < NaOH-P at the center
      of the lake. Compared with labile and moderately resistant OP, moderately labile
      OP exhibited substantial quantitative changes and occurred at high levels. The
      variation trend in the phytate content coincided with that of TP, whereas phytase
      activity varied inversely with location. Low levels of P forms occurred in the
      sediment below 4.5 m and before 8.6 ka BP, consistent with the oligotrophic
      period of the lake. During 2-4 ka BP, the P forms first increased rapidly and
      then stabilized thereafter. From that time period until modern times, TP and
      phytate increased, whereas IP and OP decreased significantly. The results
      indicate that the hydrodynamic conditions of the water bodies and the sediments
      of different ages strongly influenced the occurrence and distribution of sediment
      P forms, and the sediment TP and phytate contents would be candidate indices to
      reflect the P input and eutrophication history of freshwater lakes. 

PMID- 26129785
TI  - The changing global face of Bluetongue: from the beginning.
AB  - Bluetongue (BT) was first recognized and described in Southern Africa, and only
      later elsewhere. It is now known that the causative agent of BT [BT virus (BTV)]
      occurs throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Previous OIE
      symposia in 1984, 1991 and 2003 clarified the global distribution of BTV and its
      epidemiology, pathogenesis, and diagnosis. Since the 3rd symposium in 2003,
      however, there have been significant developments. Notably, BT has emerged in
      Northern Europe and novel BTV serotypes have appeared in other endemic areas
      raising substantial questions regarding the environmental and anthropogenic
      drivers of emergence of BTV, including the invasion and spread of laboratory
      propagated viruses. Additional BTV serotypes with novel properties have recently
      been identified in Europe and the Middle East. Recent studies also confirm the
      importance of the Culicoides vector as the essential overwintering reservoir of
      BTV in temperate regions such as California and not ruminant livestock, proving
      wrong the prevailing thesis circulated prior to the 1st symposium in 1984. The
      challenge for participants of this 4th symposium is to predict collectively what
      the future might hold in terms of emergence of BTV globally, and what strategies
      are likely to be most feasible, justified, and effective for its control.

PMID- 26129786
TI  - Benefits of PCR and decentralization of diagnosis in regional laboratories in the
      management of Bluetongue in France.
AB  - Since 1998, Bluetongue virus (BTV) serotypes 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 16 have
      spread throughout Europe. In 2006, BTV serotype 8 (BTV-8) emerged unexpectedly in
      Northern Europe, in countries such as Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and
      the Netherlands, to spread rapidly in the following year throughout the rest of
      Europe. In 2007, BTV-1 spread in Southern Europe, in Spain and in South of
      France. In 2008, 2 more BTV serotypes were detected in Northern Europe: BTV-6 in
      the Netherlands and in Germany, and BTV-11 in Belgium. The European incursion of
      BTV has caused considerable economic losses, including direct losses from
      mortality and reduced production, as well as indirect losses generated by ensuing
      bans on trade of ruminants between infected and non-infected areas. Given the
      significance of the disease, all affected countries have established control and
      eradication measures that have evolved together with the availability of
      detection and prevention tools such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests and
      vaccines, respectively. This paper describes how the French National Reference
      Laboratory for BT has managed diagnosis during the fast and massive spread of BTV
      1 and 8 in 2007 and 2008.

PMID- 26129787
TI  - Comparison of the anterior and posterior mitral isthmus ablation lines in
      patients with perimitral annulus flutter or persistent atrial fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation of left atrial linear lesions is an effective
      treatment option for perimitral flutter and is often used as a substrate
      modification approach for persistent atrial fibrillation. The two most popular
      mitral isthmus lines are those of the anterior or the posterior mitral isthmus. A
      comparison of these two mitral isthmus ablation approaches is still pending.
      METHODS: Patients undergoing catheter ablation either at the anterior or the
      posterior mitral isthmus were included. Procedural success, conduction block,
      procedure durations, complications, and the necessity of a coronary sinus
      ablation were analyzed. RESULTS: We investigated 80 consecutive patients, 40
      (50%) with an anterior and 40 (50%) with a posterior mitral isthmus line. Twenty
      (25.0%) patients had perimitral annulus flutter; the remainder of the patients
      had persistent atrial fibrillation. Bidirectional conduction block was achieved
      in the same proportion in the anterior group (36; 90.0%) as it was in the
      posterior group (30; 75.0%) (statistically insignificant). Duration of procedure
      (18 +/- 12 vs. 34 +/- 24 min, p = 0.001), radiofrequency application (11 +/- 7
      vs. 18 +/- 11 min, p = 0.004), and fluoroscopy (2 +/- 2 vs. 8 +/- 8 min, p <
      0.001) values were all significantly lower in the anterior group. Only patients
      in the posterior line group had to be ablated via the coronary sinus 24 (60.0 %).
      CONCLUSIONS: Ablation at the anterior mitral isthmus shows the same success rate
      as the posterior mitral isthmus does. Catheter ablation at the anterior mitral
      isthmus is associated with significantly shorter procedure durations without the
      need of a coronary sinus ablation.

PMID- 26129788
TI  - Non-pharmacological interventions for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
      (ADHD) delivered in school settings: systematic reviews of quantitative and
      qualitative research.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a
      neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by age-inappropriate levels of
      inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. School can be particularly
      challenging for children with ADHD. Few reviews have considered non
      pharmacological interventions in school settings. OBJECTIVES: To assess the
      effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions delivered in school settings
      for pupils with, or at risk of, ADHD and to explore the factors that may enhance,
      or limit, their delivery. DATA SOURCES: Twenty electronic databases (including
      PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Education Resources Information Centre, The Cochrane
      Library and Education Research Complete) were searched from 1980 to February
      August 2013. Three separate searches were conducted for four systematic reviews;
      they were supplemented with forward and backwards citation chasing, website
      searching, author recommendations and hand-searches of key journals. REVIEW
      METHODS: The systematic reviews focused on (1) the effectiveness of school-based
      interventions for children with or at risk of ADHD; (2) quantitative research
      that explores attitudes towards school-based non-pharmacological interventions
      for pupils with ADHD; (3) qualitative research investigating the attitudes and
      experiences of children, teachers, parents and others using ADHD interventions in
      school settings; and (4) qualitative research exploring the experience of ADHD in
      school among pupils, their parents and teachers more generally. Methods of
      synthesis included a random-effects meta-analysis, meta-regression and narrative
      synthesis for review 1, narrative synthesis for review 2 and meta-ethnography and
      thematic analysis for reviews 3 and 4. RESULTS: For review 1, 54 controlled
      trials met the inclusion criteria. For the 36 meta-analysed randomised controlled
      trials, beneficial effects (p < 0.05) were observed for several symptom and
      scholastic outcomes. Mean weighted effect sizes ranged from very small (d + <
      0.20) to large (d + >= 0.80), but substantial heterogeneity in effect size
      estimates across studies was reported. Moderator analyses were not able to
      clarify which intervention features were linked with effectiveness. For review 2,
      28 included studies revealed that educators' attitudes towards interventions
      ranged in positivity. Most interventions were rated positively or neutrally
      across different studies. The only intervention that consistently recorded
      positive attitudes from educators was daily report cards. For review 3, 33
      studies met the inclusion criteria. Key findings included tensions regarding the
      preferred format of interventions, particularly how structured interventions were
      and the extent to which they are tailored to the child with ADHD. There were
      mixed views about the impact of interventions, although it was clear that
      interventions both influence and are influenced by the relationships held by
      children with ADHD and participants' attitudes towards school and ADHD. For
      review 4, 34 studies met the inclusion criteria. Key findings included the
      importance of causal attributions that teachers, parents and pupils made about
      ADHD symptoms, the decisions teachers made about treatment, the self-perceptions
      pupils developed about themselves, the role of the classroom environment and
      stigma in aggravating ADHD symptoms, and the significant barrier to treatment
      posed by the common presence of conflict in relationships between pupils
      teachers, parents-teachers and pupils-peers in relation to ADHD. An overarching
      synthesis of the four reviews highlighted the importance of the context affecting
      interventions. It suggested that ADHD psychoeducation and relationship-building
      skills are potential implications for interventions. LIMITATIONS: The breadth of
      both interventions and outcomes in the reviewed studies presented a challenge for
      categorisation, analysis and interpretation in reviews 1-3. Across reviews,
      relatively few studies were conducted in the UK, limiting the applicability of
      findings to UK education. In reviews 1 and 2, the poor methodological quality of
      some included studies was identified as a barrier to establishing effectiveness
      or comparing attitudes. In review 3 the descriptive analysis used by the majority
      of studies constrained theorising during synthesis. Studies in review 4 lacked
      detail regarding important issues like gender, pupil maturity and school level.
      CONCLUSION: Findings suggest some beneficial effects of non-pharmacological
      interventions for ADHD used in school settings, but substantial heterogeneity in
      effect sizes was seen across studies. The qualitative reviews demonstrate the
      importance of the context in which interventions are used. Future work should
      consider more rigorous evaluation of interventions, as well as focus on what
      works, for whom and in which contexts. Gaps in current research present
      opportunities for the development and testing of standardised tools to describe
      interventions, agreement on gold-standard outcome measures assessing ADHD
      behaviour and testing a range of potential moderators alongside intervention
      trials. STUDY REGISTRATION: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42011001716.
      FUNDING: The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment
      programme.

PMID- 26129789
TI  - Assessing the relative efficacy of new drugs: an emerging opportunity.
AB  - The increasing availability of individual-level data from clinical trials could
      allow the relative efficacy of new drugs to be assessed in a robust, cost
      effective and timely way.

PMID- 26129790
TI  - A beta-lactamase inhibitor revival provides new hope for old antibiotics.

PMID- 26129791
TI  - The NASH drug dash.

PMID- 26129795
TI  - Moncef Slaoui.

PMID- 26129796
TI  - Cancer: LOX does some prepping.

PMID- 26129800
TI  - Fibrotic diseases: New tools to target an elusive integrin.

PMID- 26129804
TI  - [Finger or thumb sucking. New interpretations and therapeutic implications].
AB  - AIM: Finger sucking is frequently found in children and sometimes in adults too.
      Often reasons are found to explain why certain children feel the need to suck
      their thumbs or fingers, but these explanations are always derived from clinical
      observation without any rational support, searching for motives for this bad
      habit from family life; strict parents, jealousy at the birth of a sibling,
      difficulty accepting the end of breastfeeding etc. Some think that a child should
      continue to suck after actual nutrition has ended and the substitution of the
      mother's nipple with a thumb or finger could fill this need. Research however,
      using anatomical and neurophysiological data, explains why an infant forms the
      habit of thumb sucking from a neurological standpoint abandoning the
      psychological explanations proposed until now. METHODS: Forty thumb-sucking
      subjects with ages ranging from 5 to 25 years and a control group of 20 non-thumb
      sucking subjects with correct swallowing patterns were analyzed evaluating
      postural and neurological effects of thumb sucking. Instruments used for this
      evaluation were a device for electromyography to measure the muscular tone and a
      baropodometer, stabilometer and a scoliosometer to analyse posture. RESULTS:
      Analyzed subjects had an evident improvement at the baropodometer and
      stabilometer and a scoliosometer examination to analyze posture and at the
      electromyography analysis. CONCLUSION: The results obtained confirm that a thumb
      sucking subject puts the thumb in the mouth to stimulate the nasal-palatal
      receptors of trigeminus and obtain muscular balance and a release of physical and
      psychological tension.

PMID- 26129803
TI  - Human T-cell leukemia virus type-I Tax induces the expression of CD83 on T cells.
AB  - BACKGROUND: CD83, a cell surface glycoprotein that is stably expressed on mature
      dendritic cells, can be transiently induced on other hematopoietic cell lineages
      upon cell activation. In contrast to the membrane form of CD83, soluble CD83
      appears to be immunosuppressive. In an analysis of the phenotype of leukemic
      CD4(+) T cells from patients with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), we found that a
      number of primary CD4(+) T cells became positive for cell surface CD83 after
      short-term culture, and that most of these CD83(+) CD4(+) T cells were positive
      for human T-cell leukemia virus type-I (HTLV-I) Tax (Tax1). We hypothesized that
      Tax1 is involved in the induction of CD83. RESULT: We found that CD83 was
      expressed selectively on Tax1-expressing human CD4(+) T cells in short-term
      cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from HTLV-I(+)
      donors, including ATL patients and HTLV-I carriers. HTLV-I-infected T cell lines
      expressing Tax1 also expressed cell surface CD83 and released soluble CD83. CD83
      can be expressed in the JPX-9 cell line by cadmium-mediated Tax1 induction and in
      Jurkat cells or PBMCs by Tax1 introduction via infection with a recombinant
      adenovirus carrying the Tax1 gene. The CD83 promoter was activated by Tax1 in an
      NF-kappaB-dependent manner. Based on a previous report showing soluble CD83
      mediated prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production from human monocytes in vitro, we
      tested if PGE2 affected HTLV-I propagation, and found that PGE2 strongly
      stimulated expression of Tax1 and viral structural molecules. CONCLUSIONS: Our
      results suggest that HTLV-I induces CD83 expression on T cells via Tax1 -mediated
      NF-kappaB activation, which may promote HTLV-I infection in vivo.

PMID- 26129805
TI  - Autism spectrum disorder in Kabuki syndrome: clinical, diagnostic and
      rehabilitative aspects assessed through the presentation of three cases.
AB  - Kabuki syndrome (KS) (Kabuki make-up syndrome, Niikawa-Kuroki syndrome) is a rare
      genetic disorder first diagnosed in 1981. Kabuki make-up syndrome (KMS) is a
      multiple malformation/intellectual disability syndrome that was first described
      in Japan but is now reported in many other ethnic groups. KMS is characterized by
      multiple congenital abnormalities: craniofacial, skeletal, and dermatoglyphic
      abnormalities; intellectual disability; and short stature. Other findings may
      include: congenital heart defects, genitourinary anomalies, cleft lip and/or
      palate, gastrointestinal anomalies including anal atresia, ptosis and strabismus,
      and widely spaced teeth and hypodontia. The KS is associated with mutations in
      the MLL2 gene in some cases were also observed deletions of KDM6A. This study
      describes three children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and KS and
      rehabilitative intervention that must be implemented. 

PMID- 26129806
TI  - Relationships among HLA-DRB1 Alleles, Helicobacter pylori infection and
      idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in children.

PMID- 26129802
TI  - The pharmacology of second-generation chimeric antigen receptors.
AB  - Second-generation chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) retarget and reprogramme T
      cells to augment their antitumour efficacy. The combined activating and co
      stimulatory domains incorporated in these CARs critically determine the function,
      differentiation, metabolism and persistence of engineered T cells. CD19-targeted
      CARs that incorporate CD28 or 4-1BB signalling domains are the best known to
      date. Both have shown remarkable complete remission rates in patients with
      refractory B cell malignancies. Recent data indicate that CD28-based CARs direct
      a brisk proliferative response and boost effector functions, whereas 4-1BB-based
      CARs induce a more progressive T cell accumulation that may compensate for less
      immediate potency. These distinct kinetic features can be exploited to further
      develop CAR-based T cell therapies for a variety of cancers. A new field of
      immunopharmacology is emerging. 

PMID- 26129807
TI  - Watery diarrhea-hypopotassemia-acidosis syndrome like diarrhea in a case with X
      linked lissencephaly with abnormal genitalia.

PMID- 26129808
TI  - COMPARISON OF TWO COARSE FRACTIONATED RADIATION PROTOCOLS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF
      CANINE PITUITARY MACROTUMOR: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF 24 DOGS.
AB  - Radiotherapy is a commonly used treatment for pituitary macrotumors in dogs, but
      the optimum protocol has not been established. Twenty four dogs with MRI
      confirmed pituitary macrotumors were treated with one of two radiotherapy
      protocols. Twelve dogs were treated with 10 fractions of 3.8 Gy/fraction on a
      "Monday-Wednesday-Friday" schedule, the remaining 12 with five "once-a-week"
      protocols (1 * 5 Gy, followed by 4 * 8.25 Gy) to a total dose of 38 Gy. The
      overall median survival time for all dogs was 235 days (range 28-1,328), dogs
      treated with 10 fractions had a median survival time of 961 days (range 28-1,328)
      compared to 182 days (range 42-507) in the five-fraction group (P = 0.006).
      Clinical improvement was found in both groups, and no significant side effects
      were noted in either group. These results suggest that a "Monday-Wednesday
      Friday" schedule may improve survival times, as compared to a "once-a-week"
      protocol. As this study was of an observational nonrandomized nature, future work
      is necessary to establish whether more highly fractionated protocols or different
      total doses will further improve outcome.

PMID- 26129810
TI  - A Systematic Review of Studies Evaluating the Cost Utility of Screening High-Risk
      Populations for Latent Tuberculosis Infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: As tuberculosis screening trends to targeting high-risk populations,
      knowing the cost effectiveness of such screening is vital to decision makers.
      OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this review was to compile cost-utility analyses
      evaluating latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening in high-risk
      populations that used quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) as their measure of
      effectiveness. DATA SOURCES: A literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane
      Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Knowledge, and PubMed was performed from
      database start to November 2014. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies performed in
      populations at high risk of LTBI and subsequent reactivation that used the QALY
      as an effectiveness measure were included. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS: Quality
      was assessed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting
      Standards (CHEERS) checklist. Data extracted included tuberculin skin test (TST)
      and/or interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) use, economic, screening, treatment,
      health state, and epidemiologic parameters. Data were summarized in regard to
      consistency in model parameters and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio
      (ICER), with costs adjusted to 2013 US dollars. RESULTS: Of 415 studies
      identified, ultimately eight studies were included in the review. Most took a
      societal perspective (n = 4), used lifetime time horizons (n = 6), and used
      Markov models (n = 8). Screening of adult immigrants was found to be cost
      effective with a TST in one study, but moderately cost effective with an IGRA in
      another study; screening immigrants arriving more than 5 years prior with an IGRA
      was moderately cost effective until 44 years of age (n = 1). Screening HIV
      positive patients was highly cost effective with a TST (n = 1) and moderately
      cost effective with an IGRA (n = 1). Screening in those with renal diseases (n =
      2) and diabetes (n = 1) was not cost effective. LIMITATIONS: Very few studies
      used the QALY as their effectiveness measure. Parameter and study design
      inconsistencies limit the comparability of studies. CONCLUSIONS: With validity
      issues in terms of parameters and assumptions, any conclusion should be
      interpreted with caution. Despite this, some cautionary recommendations emerged:
      screening HIV patients with a TST is highly cost effective, while screening adult
      immigrants with an IGRA is moderately cost effective.

PMID- 26129809
TI  - Is the supine position associated with loss of airway patency in unconscious
      trauma patients? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Airway compromise is a leading cause of death in unconscious trauma
      patients. Although endotracheal intubation is regarded as the gold standard
      treatment, most prehospital providers are not trained to perform ETI in such
      patients. Therefore, various lateral positions are advocated for unconscious
      patients, but their use remains controversial in trauma patients. We conducted a
      systematic review to investigate whether the supine position is associated with
      loss of airway patency compared to the lateral position. METHODS: The review
      protocol was published in the PROSPERO database (Reg. no. CRD42012001190). We
      performed literature searches in PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library,
      CINAHL and British Nursing Index and included studies related to airway patency,
      reduced level of consciousness and patient position. We conducted meta-analyses,
      where appropriate. We graded the quality of evidence with the GRADE methodology.
      The search was updated in June 2014. RESULTS: We identified 1,306 publications,
      39 of which were included for further analysis. Sixteen of these publications
      were included in meta-analysis. We did not identify any studies reporting direct
      outcome measures (mortality or morbidity) related to airway compromise caused by
      the patient position (lateral vs. supine position) in trauma patients or in any
      other patient group. In studies reporting only indirect outcome measures, we
      found moderate evidence of reduced airway patency in the supine vs. the lateral
      position, which was measured by the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI). For other
      indirect outcomes, we only found low or very low quality evidence. CONCLUSIONS:
      Although concerns other than airway patency may influence how a trauma patient is
      positioned, our systematic review provides evidence supporting the long held
      recommendation that unconscious trauma patients should be placed in a lateral
      position.

PMID- 26129811
TI  - Mental health in the Solomon Islands: developing reforms and partnerships.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The Solomon Islands face significant shortages and geographical
      imbalances in the distribution of skilled health workers and resources, which
      severely impact the delivery of mental health services. The government's
      Integrated Mental Health Service has emphasised the importance of greater
      community ownership and involvement in community-based mental health care, and of
      moving from centralised services to increased local and accessible care. METHODS:
      From 2012 to 2014, the Solomon Islands Integrated Mental Health service worked
      with Asia-Australia Mental Health to build workforce capacity and deliver
      sustainable community mental health programs. RESULTS: Supported by the
      Australian Aid Program's Public Sector Linkages Program, this project shared
      resources and fostered links between public sector agencies in Australia, Fiji
      and the Solomon Islands. CONCLUSIONS: Key learning points from the collaboration
      included the critical need to establish partnerships with community stakeholders,
      the importance of sustaining a well-functioning mental health team, and
      optimising the strengths of the local resources in the Solomon Islands. Through
      this project, national policies, promotion and service delivery were
      strengthened, through the exchange of experiences and mobilisation of north-south
      (Australia-Solomon Islands) and south-south (Solomon Islands-other Pacific
      nations) technical expertise. This project demonstrates the potential for
      international partnerships to contribute to the development of culturally
      appropriate and integrated mental health services.

PMID- 26129812
TI  - Implementing music therapy on an adolescent inpatient unit: a mixed-methods
      evaluation of acceptability, experience of participation and perceived impact.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the feasibility of delivering a music therapy
      program on adolescent psychiatric wards. METHOD: We undertook a mixed-methods
      evaluation of a pilot program. Various active and receptive techniques were
      employed in group music therapy sessions delivered as part of a structured
      clinical program. Data collected in interviews with participants and staff and
      feedback questionnaires were thematically and descriptively analysed and
      triangulated. RESULTS: Data from 62 questionnaires returned by 43 patients who
      took part in 16 music therapy sessions, and seven staff, evidenced strong support
      for music therapy. Patients typically reported experiencing sessions as relaxing,
      comforting, uplifting, and empowering; >90% would participate by choice and use
      music therapeutically in the future. Staff endorsed music therapy as valuable
      therapeutically, reporting that patients engaged enthusiastically and identified
      sessions as improving their own moods and ward milieu. CONCLUSIONS: Integration
      of music therapy in inpatient treatment of adolescents is feasible and
      acceptable, and is valued by staff and patients as a complement to 'talking
      therapies'. Participation is enjoyed and associated with outcomes including
      improvement in mood, expression of feelings and social engagement consistent with
      recovery.

PMID- 26129813
TI  - No duty owed to the relatives of a victim of a person with mental illness.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To review the case of an acutely psychotic person who was discharged
      into the care of a friend whom he killed later the same day, and to consider the
      reasoning of the High Court in the subsequent negligence action of the victim's
      relatives. CONCLUSIONS: By a narrow interpretation, the High Court found that the
      exercise of the powers and duties in relation to the involuntary detention of a
      mentally ill person as prescribed by the Mental Health Act were inconsistent with
      a common law duty of care to another person or the relatives of another person.

PMID- 26129814
TI  - Reflections on Aboriginal perinatal mental health, mothers, babies, families and
      community: A South Australian trainee's experience.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This paper explores novel training opportunities that the Expanded
      Setting Training Program (ESTP) provides for advanced psychiatry trainees. It is
      a reflection of a trainee's learning experiences during a year-long posting in
      Aboriginal Perinatal Mental Health, working alongside the Aboriginal Family
      Birthing Program, coupled with reflection and supervision. CONCLUSIONS: ESTP
      provided a fertile area to hone an advanced trainee's skills in the niche areas
      of Aboriginal mental health, perinatal mental health, culture and psychiatry. In
      addition, it provided skills in the area of leadership, health advocacy and the
      establishment and maintenance of successful programs in disadvantaged, culturally
      and linguistically diverse communities. The ESTP Aboriginal Mental Health
      rotation provides a unique experience for training, and the learning
      opportunities are limited only by the creativity of the trainee and supervisor.

PMID- 26129815
TI  - Educating for diversity: an evaluation of a sexuality diversity workshop to
      address secondary school bullying.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential of a 60-minute sexuality diversity workshop
      to address bullying in secondary schools. METHODS: Students completed pre- and
      post-workshop questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise
      results with pre- to immediate post-workshop changes compared using t-tests.
      Thematic analysis was used to analyse open-ended questionnaire responses.
      RESULTS: We had 229 students (mean age 13.7 years) attending 10 workshops
      participate in the study. Three-quarters of students thought the workshop would
      reduce bullying in schools, and over 95% of the participants thought that other
      secondary schools should offer the workshop. There was a significant increase in
      valuing (p < 0.001) and understanding (p < 0.001) sexuality-diverse individuals
      (e.g. lesbian, gay and bisexual people), between the pre- and post-workshop
      results. School climates were largely perceived to be 'hard' and included
      'bullying/mocking' of sexuality-diverse students; however, many individual
      students reported a desire to be supportive of their sexuality-diverse peers.
      CONCLUSIONS: Sexuality-based bullying is commonplace in secondary schools. This
      form of bullying is associated with depression and suicide attempts. Reducing
      sexuality-based bullying is very likely to have a positive impact on the mental
      health of young people. Brief workshops, as a part of a wider suite of
      interventions, have some potential to create safer school environments.

PMID- 26129816
TI  - Can understanding the neurobiology of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) inform
      treatment?
AB  - OBJECTIVES: We aim to provide a clinically focused review of the neurobiological
      literature in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), with a focus on structural and
      functional neuroimaging. CONCLUSIONS: There has been a recent influx of studies
      examining the underlying neurobiology of BDD using structural and functional
      neuroimaging methods. Despite obvious symptom similarities with obsessive
      compulsive disorder (OCD), no study to date has directly compared the two groups
      using neuroimaging techniques. Studies have established that there are limbic and
      visual cortex abnormalities in BDD, in contrast to fronto-striatal differences in
      OCD. Such data suggests affect or visual training maybe useful in BDD.

PMID- 26129817
TI  - Are psychiatrists trained to be leaders in mental health? A survey of early
      career psychiatrists.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate how early career
      psychiatrists in 2014 valued the leadership skill education in their training to
      become psychiatrists. METHOD: All psychiatrists who gained Fellowship since 2009
      after training in New Zealand or Australia were invited to take part in a survey.
      RESULTS: Respondents considered themselves not adequately prepared for the
      leadership, management and administrative tasks and roles they have as
      psychiatrists, with preparedness for management tasks scoring the lowest. They
      valued as most useful to have opportunity to practice with a leadership role, to
      be able to observe 'leaders at work', to have a supervisor with special interests
      and skills in leadership and management and to have a formal teaching program on
      leadership and management. They advised teaching to be given throughout the
      entire 5 years of the training program by experienced leaders. CONCLUSIONS:
      Leadership skills training in the education of psychiatrists should contain both
      practical experience with leadership and management roles and formal teaching
      sessions on leadership and management skills development. Suggestions for
      improvement of the leadership and management skills education in the training of
      psychiatrists have been formulated.

PMID- 26129818
TI  - Emil Kraepelin's ideas on transcultural psychiatry.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Prevailing degeneration theory and an increasing number of people in
      inpatient mental treatment aroused the famous German psychiatrist Emil
      Kraepelin's (1856-1926) interest to investigate whether the mental illnesses
      typical for Europe were also characteristic for 'primitive peoples'. He thus
      dedicated a period spent in the Dutch East Indies (Java) in 1904 to transcultural
      psychiatric research. This paper endeavours to compile Kraepelin's key findings,
      aiming to make readers aware of what kind of transcultural research Kraepelin did
      and what conclusions he came up with. At the same time it provides some
      background for the question of whether Kraepelin can really be referred to as the
      founder of transcultural psychiatry. CONCLUSION: Kraepelin assumed that illnesses
      with exterior causes depended on the type of stimulants widely used in a given
      culture. Since he found little evidence for progressive paralysis, he concluded
      that European brains were particularly prone to sequelae of syphilis. For
      endogenous psychoses he postulated differences in both symptoms and courses,
      depressions being rarer and milder, and ceasing sooner. By contrast, he found
      dementia praecox (mainly covered by the concept of schizophrenias later) to be
      the most prevalent mental illness in Java, explicitly different in form from that
      in Europe.

PMID- 26129819
TI  - Social anxiety disorders in clinical practice: differentiating social phobia from
      avoidant personality disorder.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To outline the problems around overlap between social phobia (SAD) and
      avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) and provide guidelines that may assist
      clinicians to differentiate these conditions. CONCLUSIONS: A constellation of
      symptoms can be identified that may distinguish AVPD from SAD, with key features
      being a strong and pervasively negative self-concept, a view of rejection as
      equating to a global evaluation of the individual as being of little worth and a
      sense of not fitting in socially that dates from early childhood. It is important
      to identify the presence of AVPD in order to anticipate potential problems with
      engagement and retention in therapy, to target treatment interventions and
      optimise outcome.

PMID- 26129820
TI  - 3D cardiac microtissues encapsulated with the co-culture of cardiomyocytes and
      cardiac fibroblasts.
AB  - Cardiac tissue engineering has major applications in regenerative medicine,
      disease modeling and biological studies. Despite the significance, numerous
      questions still need to be explored to enhance the functionalities of engineered
      tissue substitutes. In this study, 3D cardiac microtissues are developed through
      encapsulation of cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts, as the main cellular
      constituents of native myocardium. The geometries of the constructs are precisely
      controlled and assessed for their role on synchronous contraction of the cells.
      Cardiomyocytes exhibit a native-like phenotype when co-cultured with cardiac
      fibroblasts as compared to the monoculture condition. Particularly, elongated F
      actin fibers with abundance of sarcomeric alpha-actinin and troponin-I are
      observed within all layers of the constructs. Higher expressions of connexin-43
      and integrin-beta1 indicate improved cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions.
      Amongst co-culture conditions, 2:1 (cardiomyocytes: cardiac fibroblasts) ratio
      exhibits enhanced functionalities, whereas decreasing the construct size
      adversely affects the synchronous contraction of the cells. Overall, the study
      here indicates that the cell-cell ratio and the construct geometry are crucial
      parameters, which need to be optimized to enhance the functionalities of the
      engineered tissue substitutes. 

PMID- 26129822
TI  - Inhibition of connective tissue growth factor attenuates paraquat-induced lung
      fibrosis in a human MRC-5 cell line.
AB  - Chronic exposure to Paraquat (PQ) may result in progressive pulmonary fibrosis
      and subsequent chronic obstructive pulmonary malfunction. Connective tissue
      growth factor (CTGF) has been proposed as a key determinant in the development of
      lung fibrosis. We investigated thus whether knock down of CTGF can prevent human
      lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) activation and proliferation with the subsequent
      inhibition of PQ-induced fibrosis. MRC-5 was transfected with CTGF-siRNAs and
      exposed to different concentrations of PQ. The siRNA-silencing efficacy was
      evaluated using western blotting analyses, qRT-PCR and flow cytometry. Next, the
      viability and migration of MRC-5 was determined. MMP-2, MMP-9, and TIMP-1
      accumulation were quantified to evaluate the lung fibrosis exposure to PQ. Over
      expression of CTGF mRNA was observed in human MRC-5 cell as early as 6 h
      following PQ stimulation. CTGF gene expression in MRC-5 cells was substantially
      reduced by RNAi, which significantly suppressed the expression of the lung
      fibrosis markers such as tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2), Matrix
      metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) that were
      stimulated by PQ. Inhibition of CTGF expression suppressed impeded the
      proliferation and migration ability of MRC-5 cells and resulted in cell
      extracellular matrix (ECM) protein accumulation in cells. Our results suggest
      that CTGF promoted the development of PQ-induced lung fibrosis in collaboration
      with transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1). Furthermore, the observed
      arresting effects of CTGF knock down during this process suggested that CTGF is
      the potential target site for preventing PQ-induced pulmonary fibrosis. (c) 2015
      Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1620-1626, 2016.

PMID- 26129821
TI  - Histone deacetylase inhibition impairs normal intestinal cell proliferation and
      promotes specific gene expression.
AB  - Mechanisms that maintain proliferation and delay cell differentiation in the
      intestinal crypt are not yet fully understood. We have previously shown the
      implication of histone methylation in the regulation of enterocytic
      differentiation. In this study, we investigated the role of histone deacetylation
      as an important epigenetic mechanism that controls proliferation and
      differentiation of intestinal cells using the histone deacetylase inhibitor
      suberanilohydroxamic acid (SAHA) on the proliferation and differentiation of
      human and mouse intestinal cells. Treatment of newly confluent Caco-2/15 cells
      with SAHA resulted in growth arrest, increased histone acetylation and up
      regulation of the expression of intestine-specific genes such as those encoding
      sucrase-isomaltase, villin and the ion exchanger SLC26A3. Although SAHA has been
      recently used in clinical trials for cancer treatment, its effect on normal
      intestinal cells has not been documented. Analyses of small and large intestines
      of mice treated with SAHA revealed a repression of crypt cell proliferation and a
      higher expression of sucrase-isomaltase in both segments compared to control
      mice. Expression of SLC26A3 was also significantly up-regulated in the colons of
      mice after SAHA administration. Finally, SAHA was also found to strongly inhibit
      normal human intestinal crypt cell proliferation in vitro. These results
      demonstrate the important implication of epigenetic mechanisms such as histone
      acetylation/deacetylation in the regulation of normal intestinal cell fate and
      proliferation.

PMID- 26129823
TI  - The origin of specificity and insight into recognition between an aminoacyl
      carrier protein and its partner ligase.
AB  - Acyl carrier proteins (ACPs) are among the most promiscuous proteins in terms of
      protein-protein interactions and it is quite puzzling how ACPs select the correct
      partner between many possible upstream and downstream binding proteins. To
      address this question, we performed molecular dynamics simulations on dimeric
      Bradyrhizobium japonicum Gly:CP ligase 1 to inspect the origin of its selectivity
      towards the three types of carrier proteins, namely holoCP, apoCP, and holoCP
      Gly, which only differ in the attached prosthetic group. In line with
      experiments, MM-GBSA analysis revealed that the ligase preferentially binds the
      holoCP form to both subunits with the binding free energies of -20.7 and -19.1
      kcal mol(-1), while the apoCP form, without the prosthetic group, is also
      recognized, but the binding values of -9.2 and -3.6 kcal mol(-1) suggest that
      there is no competition for the ligase binding as long as the holoCP is present.
      After the prosthetic group becomes glycylated, the holoCP-Gly dissociates from
      the ligase, as supported by its endergonic binding free energies of 2.9 and 20.9
      kcal mol(-1). Our results indicate that these affinity differences are influenced
      by three aspects: the form of the prosthetic group and the specific non-polar
      hydrophobic interactions, as well as charge complementarity dominantly manifested
      through Arg220-Glu53 ion pair within the binding region among proteins. A careful
      examination of the bonding patterns within the ligase active site elucidated the
      interactions with Arg258, Asp215 and Tyr132 as being predominant in stabilizing
      the prosthetic group, which are significantly diminished upon glycation, thus
      promoting complex dissociation. 

PMID- 26129824
TI  - Computer-aided resection and reconstruction in a case of aneurysmal bone cyst of
      the mandibular condylar head.
AB  - A case is presented of a 16-year-old girl with an aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) of
      the mandibular condyle of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This lesion rarely
      involves the mandibular condyle, and involvement of condylar head is even rarer.
      To our knowledge, only 12 cases have been reported in the literature so far. This
      is the first case of ABC of the mandibular condyle with 3D planning of
      costochondral graft reconstruction described in the literature. 

PMID- 26129825
TI  - Few-layered titanium trisulfide (TiS3) field-effect transistors.
AB  - Titanium trisulfide (TiS3) is a promising layered semiconductor material. Several
      mm-long TiS3 whiskers can be conveniently grown by the direct reaction of
      titanium and sulfur. In this study, we exfoliated these whiskers using the
      adhesive tape approach and fabricated few-layered TiS3 field-effect transistors
      (FETs). The TiS3 FETs showed an n-type electronic transport with room-temperature
      field-effect mobilities of 18-24 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and ON/OFF ratios up to 300.
      We demonstrate that TiS3 is compatible with the conventional atomic layer
      deposition (ALD) procedure for Al2O3. ALD of alumina on TiS3 FETs resulted in
      mobility increase up to 43 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), ON/OFF ratios up to 7000, and much
      improved subthreshold swing characteristics. This study shows that TiS3 is a
      competitive electronic material in the family of two-dimensional (2D) transition
      metal chalcogenides and can be considered for emerging device applications. 

PMID- 26129827
TI  - Bottom-Up Construction of Mesoporous Nanotubes from 78-Component Self-Assembled
      Nanobarrels.
AB  - Segmental and continuous hexagonal-packed mesoporous metal-organic nanotubes
      (MMONTs) with outside diameters of up to 4.5 nm and channel sizes of 2.4 nm were
      hierarchically constructed by a rational multicomponent self-assembly process
      involving starting from [L2Pd2(NO3)2] (L=o-phenanthroline or 2,2'-bipyridine) and
      4-pyridinyl-3-pyrazole. An unprecedented crystallization-driven cross-linking
      between discrete nanobarrel building units by spontaneous loss of the capping
      ligands to form infinite nanotubes was observed. Such a barrel-to-tube
      transformation provides new possibilities for the fabrication of MMONTs using the
      solution bottom-up approach.

PMID- 26129826
TI  - Characterization of Salmonella Typhimurium isolates from domestically acquired
      infections in Finland by phage typing, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, PFGE
      and MLVA.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Salmonella enterica spp. enterica serotype Typhimurium (STM) is the
      most common agent of domestically acquired salmonellosis in Finland. Subtyping
      methods which allow the characterization of STM are essential for effective
      laboratory-based STM surveillance and for recognition of outbreaks. This study
      describes the diversity of Finnish STM isolates using phage typing, antimicrobial
      susceptible testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus
      variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA), and compares the discriminatory
      power and the concordance of these methods. RESULTS: A total of 375 sporadic STM
      isolates were analysed. The isolates were divided into 31 definite phage (DT)
      types, dominated by DT1 (47 % of the isolates), U277 (9 % of the isolates) and
      DT104 (8 % of the isolates). Of all the isolates, 62 % were susceptible to all
      the 12 antimicrobials tested and 11 % were multidrug resistant. Subtyping
      resulted in 83 different XbaI-PFGE profiles and 111 MLVA types. The three most
      common XbaI-PFGE profiles (STYM1, STYM7 and STYM8) and one MLVA profile with
      three single locus variants accounted for 56 % and 49 % of the STM isolates,
      respectively. The studied isolates showed a genetic similarity of more than 70 %
      by XbaI-PFGE. In MLVA, 71 % of the isolates lacked STTR6 and 77 % missed STTR10p
      loci. Nevertheless, the calculated Simpson's diversity index for XbaI-PFGE was
      0.829 (95 % CI 0.792-0.865) and for MLVA 0.867 (95 % CI 0.835-0.898). However,
      the discriminatory power of the 5-loci MLVA varied among the phage types. The
      highest concordance of the results was found between XbaI-PFGE and phage typing
      (adjusted Wallace coefficient was 0.833 and adjusted Rand coefficient was 0.627).
      CONCLUSIONS: In general, the calculated discriminatory power was higher for
      genotyping methods (MLVA and XbaI-PFGE) than for phenotyping methods (phage
      typing). Overall, comparable diversity indices were calculated for PFGE and MLVA
      (both DI > 0.8). However, MLVA was phage type dependent providing better
      discrimination of the most common phage types. Furthermore, 5-loci MLVA was a
      less laborious method and easier to interpret than XbaI-PFGE. Thus, the
      laboratory-based surveillance of the Finnish human STM infections has been
      conducted with a combination of phage typing, antimicrobial susceptibility
      testing and 5-loci MLVA since January 2014.

PMID- 26129828
TI  - Higher Grades and Repeated Recurrence of Hepatic Encephalopathy May Be Related to
      High Serum Manganese Levels.
AB  - Hepatic encephalopathy is a serious complication of liver failure. Until now, the
      precise pathophysiologic mechanisms are not fully determined. It has been
      demonstrated that manganese plays an important role in the pathogenesis of
      hepatic encephalopathy. Therefore, we studied manganese levels in serum of
      cirrhotic patients with hepatic encephalopathy in relation to grading and
      recurrence of hepatic encephalopathy. One hundred persons were enrolled in the
      study, 80 cirrhotic patients with or without encephalopathy and 20 healthy
      controls. Hepatic encephalopathy was diagnosed clinically and by laboratory
      findings. Serum manganese levels were measured in all participants. The grading
      of hepatic encephalopathy was significantly correlated to the severity of liver
      dysfunction. The mean serum manganese level was significantly higher in cirrhotic
      patients than in controls and in cirrhotic patients with encephalopathy than in
      those without encephalopathy. It was also significantly higher in patients with
      advanced grading of hepatic encephalopathy. Serum manganese level was positively
      correlated to number of recurrences of encephalopathy during a 6-month follow-up
      period. Serum manganese levels were able to predict recurrence of hepatic
      encephalopathy within 6 months following the episode. Serum manganese levels are
      positively correlated to the modified Child-Pugh score of cirrhosis as well as
      grading and number of recurrences of hepatic encephalopathy. Higher manganese
      levels seem to be related to worsening of the condition, and its measurement may
      be used as a predictor of repeated recurrences. 

PMID- 26129829
TI  - Perfluoroalkyl and -aryl zinc ate complexes: generation, reactivity, and
      synthetic application.
AB  - A combination of dimethylzinc, perfluoroalkyl iodide, and LiCl afforded a new
      type of perfluoroalkyl (RF ) zinc ate complex. These complexes show much greater
      thermal stability than conventional perfluorinated metal species, such as RF 
      lithium species and Grignard reagents, and they can be used at room temperature
      or higher. The results of DFT calculations on the origin of the enhanced
      stability are reported and the synthetic utility of RF -zincate complexes is
      demonstrated. 

PMID- 26129830
TI  - The Course of Headache in Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Headache Due to
      Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the course of headache in
      patients with moderate-to-severe headache due to aneurysmal subarachnoid
      hemorrhage (aSAH) and to identify its predisposing factors. BACKGROUND: Little is
      known about the long-term course of headache in patients with aSAH. METHODS:
      Since September 2009, patients with aSAH have had their headaches prospectively
      rated using a numeric rating scale (NRS). From this database containing 838
      patients, 217 were included and all included patients met the following criteria:
      (1) presence of ruptured intracranial aneurysms on computed tomography
      angiography or magnetic resonance angiography; (2) alert consciousness (Glasgow
      Coma Scale 15); (3) newly onset moderate-to-severe headache (NRS >= 4) due to
      ruptured intracranial aneurysms; and (4) good clinical outcome at discharge
      (modified Rankin Scale 0, 1, or 2). We observed the changes in NRS scores from
      initial to 12-month follow-up and identified the predisposing factors of NRS
      changes. RESULTS: Of the 217 patients, 182 (83.9%) experienced improvement in NRS
      score <= 3 upon discharge. The NRS scores at discharge were significantly lower
      than those on admission (P < .001). The independent predisposing factors for
      headache improvement included previous stroke (odds ratio [OR] = 0.141; 95% CI
      0.051-0.381; P < .001), previous headache treated with medication (OR = 0.079;
      95% CI 0.010-0.518; P = .008), and endovascular treatment (EVT; OR = 2.531; 95%
      CI 1.141-5.912; P = .026). The NRS scores tended to decrease continuously until
      the 12-month follow-up. EVT and symptomatic vasospasm were independently
      associated with a decrease of NRS in the follow-up periods. CONCLUSIONS: The
      course of headache in patients with aSAH continuously improved during the 12
      months of follow-up. Headache improvement might be expected in patients who were
      treated with EVT and in those who did not have previous stroke or headache.

PMID- 26129831
TI  - The effect of the video game Mindlight on anxiety symptoms in children with an
      Autism Spectrum Disorder.
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the clinical setting, a large proportion of children with an
      autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience anxiety symptoms. Because anxiety is an
      important cause of impairment for children with an ASD, it is necessary that
      effective anxiety interventions are implemented for these children. Recently, a
      serious game called Mindlight has been developed that is focused on decreasing
      anxiety in children. This approach is based on recent research suggesting that
      video games might be suitable as an intervention vehicle to enhance mental health
      in children. In the present study it will be investigated whether Mindlight is
      effective in decreasing (sub) clinical anxiety symptoms in children who are
      diagnosed with an ASD. METHODS/DESIGN: The present study involves a randomized
      controlled trial (RCT) with two conditions (experimental versus control), in
      which it is investigated whether Mindlight is effective in decreasing (sub)
      clinical anxiety symptoms in children with an ASD. For this study, children of 8
      16 years old with a diagnosis of an ASD and (sub) clinical anxiety symptoms will
      be randomly assigned to the experimental (N = 60) or the control (N = 60)
      condition. Children in the experimental condition will play Mindlight for one
      hour per week, for six consecutive weeks. Children in the control condition will
      play the puzzle game Triple Town, also for one hour per week and for six
      consecutive weeks. All children will complete assessments at baseline, post
      intervention and 3-months follow-up. Furthermore, parents and teachers will also
      complete assessments at the same time points. The primary outcome will be child
      report of anxiety symptoms. Secondary outcomes will be parent report of child
      anxiety, child/parent report of depressive symptoms, and parent/teacher report of
      social functioning and behavior problems. DISCUSSION: This paper aims to describe
      a study that will examine the effect of the serious game Mindlight on (sub)
      clinical anxiety symptoms of children with an ASD in the age of 8-16 years old.
      It is expected that children in the experimental condition will show lower levels
      of anxiety symptoms at 3-months follow-up, compared to children in the control
      condition. If Mindlight turns out to be effective, it could be an important
      contribution to the already existing interventions for anxiety in children with
      an ASD. Mindlight could then be implemented as an evidence-based treatment for
      anxiety symptoms in children with an ASD in mental health institutes and special
      education schools. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Dutch Trial Register NTR5069 . Registered
      20 April 2015.

PMID- 26129833
TI  - Concurrent determination of olanzapine, risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone in
      human plasma by ultra performance liquid chromatography with diode array
      detection method: application to pharmacokinetic study.
AB  - A simple and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method has
      been developed and validated for simultaneous estimation of olanzapine (OLZ),
      risperidone (RIS) and 9-hydroxyrisperidone (9-OHRIS) in human plasma in vitro.
      The sample preparation was performed by simple liquid-liquid extraction
      technique. The analytes were chromatographed on a Waters Acquity H class UPLC
      system using isocratic mobile phase conditions at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min and
      Acquity UPLC BEH shield RP18 column maintained at 40 degrees C. Quantification
      was performed on a photodiode array detector set at 277 nm and clozapine was used
      as internal standard (IS). OLZ, RIS, 9-OHRIS and IS retention times were found to
      be 0.9, 1.4, .1.8 and 3.1 min, respectively, and the total run time was 4 min.
      The method was validated for selectivity, specificity, recovery, linearity,
      accuracy, precision and sample stability. The calibration curve was linear over
      the concentration range 1-100 ng/mL for OLZ, RIS and 9-OHRIS. Intra- and inter
      day precisions for OLZ, RIS and 9-OHRIS were found to be good with the
      coefficient of variation <6.96%, and the accuracy ranging from 97.55 to 105.41%,
      in human plasma. The validated UPLC method was successfully applied to the
      pharmacokinetic study of RIS and 9-OHRIS in human plasma.

PMID- 26129832
TI  - The association of APOC4 polymorphisms with premature coronary artery disease in
      a Chinese Han population.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hypercholesterolemia arising from abnormal lipid metabolism is one of
      the critical risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD), however the roles of
      genetic variants in lipid metabolism-related genes on premature CAD (<= 60 years
      old) development still require further investigation. We herein genotyped four
      single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in lipid metabolism-related genes
      (rs1132899 and rs5167 in APOC4, rs1801693 and rs7765781 in LPA), aimed to shed
      light on the influence of these SNPs on individual susceptibility to early-onset
      CAD. METHODS: Genotyping of the four SNPs (rs1132899, rs5167, rs1801693 and
      rs7765781) was performed in 224 premature CAD cases and 297 control subjects (<=
      60 years old) using polymerase chain reaction-ligation detection reaction (PCR
      LDR) method. The association of these SNPs with premature CAD was performed with
      SPSS software. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that C
      allele (OR = 1.50, P = 0.027) and CC genotype (OR = 2.84, P = 0.022) of APOC4
      rs1132899 were associated with increased premature CAD risk, while the other
      three SNPs had no significant effect. Further stratified analysis uncovered a
      more evident association with the risk of premature CAD among male subjects (C
      allele, OR = 1.65, and CC genotype, OR = 3.33). CONCLUSIONS: Our data provides
      the first evidence that APOC4 rs1132899 polymorphism was associated with an
      increased risk of premature CAD in Chinese subjects, and the association was more
      significant among male subjects.

PMID- 26129834
TI  - Court judgment on consent provides spur for embracing shared decision making.

PMID- 26129835
TI  - Effectiveness of group cognitive behavioral therapy for somatoform pain disorder
      patients in Japan: A preliminary non-case-control study.
AB  - AIMS: Somatoform pain disorder is associated with psychosocial dysfunction, and
      psychotherapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), are thought to
      provide useful interventions to address such dysfunction as well as the pain
      itself. However, little is known about whether CBT for somatoform pain disorder
      is effective, including the long-term course of the illness, in non-Western
      populations. We therefore tailored such a program based on an existing CBT
      protocol and examined its effectiveness in Japan. METHODS: Thirty-four Japanese
      participants (22 women; mean age = 52.5 years) enrolled in a weekly 12-session
      group treatment, with 32 completing both wait-list and treatment conditions. The
      primary outcome measure was pain intensity. Secondary outcome measures included
      pain characteristics, as measured by pain catastrophizing and psychometric
      evaluations, including depression, anxiety, and quality of life. The patients
      were followed up for 12 months after treatment. RESULTS: We found that pain
      intensity, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and social functioning all significantly
      improved after treatment compared with the wait-list period, and the improvements
      in pain intensity, depressive symptoms, and social functioning were sustained at
      12 months following the completion of CBT. There were strong positive
      correlations (P < 0.01) among pre- and post-treatment changes in the affective
      dimension of pain, depression, anxiety, and pain catastrophizing. CONCLUSIONS:
      These results show that the present CBT program was effective for Japanese
      patients with somatoform pain disorder and that gains were maintained over the
      long term. More work is needed to further clarify the effects of CBT
      interventions on somatoform symptoms, particularly in Japan.

PMID- 26129836
TI  - Patient satisfaction and prosthetic aspects with mini-implants retained
      mandibular overdentures. A 5-year prospective study.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate patient satisfaction and prosthetic aspects
      during a 5-year prospective clinical study of mini dental implants (MDIs)
      retaining mandibular overdentures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This observational
      prospective clinical study was conducted on a group of completely edentulous
      patients (n = 28) with retention problems of conventional mandibular dentures.
      All patients received new maxillary and mandibular conventional dentures. A total
      of 112 MDIs (four per patient) were inserted using the flapless surgical approach
      and immediately loaded by the new mandibular dentures (overdentures). Patients
      indicated satisfaction with their prosthesis using a questionnaire and a visual
      analogue scale (VAS). Patient satisfaction and prosthetic complications were
      recorded 6 months (T6 m ), 1 (T1), 3 (T3), and 5 (T5) years after overdenture
      insertion. RESULTS: The patient satisfaction with eating (hard/soft) food (P <
      0.001), talking (P < 0.001), appearance (P = 0.001), comfort (P < 0.001), healing
      process (P = 0.013), socialization (P < 0.001), stability/retention of mandibular
      dentures (P = 0.001), ease of oral hygiene (P = 0.008), and ease of handling the
      dentures (P < 0.001) increased significantly with time. After 5 years, the most
      common complication was wear/damage of O/rings (n = 235), O/ring replacement (n =
      125), maxillary denture relining times (n = 13), worn teeth (n = 10),
      overdentures relines (n = 10), detachment of the metal housings (n = 9), and
      fracture of mandibular overdentures (n = 8). Mucositis, soreness, and decubitis
      ulcer under overdenture occurred most often at T6 m and decreased significantly
      with time (P = 0.002, 0.005, and 0.024, respectively). CONCLUSION: Within the
      limitations of this clinical study, patient satisfaction with mini-implant
      retained mandibular overdentures increased significantly with time. However, this
      treatment required a considerable amount of prosthetic maintenance and repair
      after 5 years of service.

PMID- 26129837
TI  - Narrow-spectrum antibiotics are as effective as broad-spectrum antibiotics in the
      treatment of community-acquired pneumonia.

PMID- 26129838
TI  - Timescales of N-H bond dissociation in pyrrole: a nonadiabatic dynamics study.
AB  - The excitation wavelength dependent photodynamics of pyrrole are investigated by
      nonadiabatic trajectory-surface-hopping dynamics simulations based on time
      dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and the algebraic diagrammatic
      construction method to the second order (ADC(2)). The ADC(2) results confirm that
      the N-H bond dissociation occurring upon excitation at the origin of the first
      excited state, S1(pisigma*), is driven by tunnelling [Roberts et al., Faraday
      Discuss., 2013, 163, 95] as a barrier of DeltaE = 1780 cm(-1) traps the
      population in a quasi-bound minimum. Upon excitation to S1(pisigma*) in the
      wavelength range of 236-240 nm, direct dissociation of the N-H bond takes place
      with a time constant of 28 fs. The computed time constant is in very good
      agreement with recently reported measurements. Excitation to the lowest B2 state
      in the 198-202 nm range returns a time constant for N-H fission of 48 fs at the
      B3LYP/def2-TZVPD level, in perfect agreement with the experiment [Roberts et al.
      Faraday Discuss., 2013, 163, 95]. For the same wavelength range the ADC(2)/aug-cc
      pVDZ decay constant is more than three times longer than the experimentally
      reported one. The accuracy of the B3LYP/def2-TZVPD dynamics is checked against
      reference complete-active-space second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2)
      calculations and explained in terms of correct topography of the pipi* surface
      and the lack of mixing between the pipi* and the 3px Rydberg states which occurs
      in the ADC(2) method. 

PMID- 26129839
TI  - MicroRNA-205 regulates ubiquitin specific peptidase 7 protein expression in
      hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
AB  - Ubiquitin specific peptidase 7 (UPS7) has a critical role in the development and
      progression of cancer, at least in part, through its regulation of p53 protein
      stability. However, its molecular determinants remain to be elucidated. In the
      present study, it was identified that microRNA-205 (miR-205) may negatively
      regulate UPS7 protein levels through targeting its 3'-untranslated region in
      hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. As a result, miR-205 mimics inhibited USP7
      protein levels while antisense miR-205 enhanced USP7 protein levels, thereby
      modulating the p53 signaling pathway and cell proliferation levels. In
      conclusion, the data presents a novel molecule for the dysregulated expression of
      USP7 in HCC, which may assist in elucidating mechanisms underlying the
      tumorigenesis of HCC.

PMID- 26129840
TI  - Amorphous drug dispersions with mono- and diacyl lecithin: On molecular
      categorization of their feasibility and UV dissolution imaging.
AB  - There is a growing interest in drug-phospholipid complexes and similar
      formulations that are mostly solid dispersions with high drug load. This study
      aims to explore the feasibility of such phospholipid-based solid dispersions as
      well as to characterize them. A particular aim was to compare monoacyl
      phosphatidylcholine (PC) with the diacyl excipient. The solid dispersions were
      manufactured using a solvent evaporation technique and characterized by means of
      differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffractometry. Density functional
      theory was used to calculate molecular frontier orbitals of the different
      compounds. Finally, the dissolution properties were analyzed in a flow-through
      cell by means of UV imaging. It was found that the ability to form solid
      dispersions with the phospholipids containing amorphous or solubilized drug (at
      equimolar ratio with the lipid) was dependent on the drug's frontier orbital
      energy, the enthalpy of fusion, as well as the log P value. In a subsequent
      dissolution study, UV imaging revealed pronounced surface swelling of the solid
      dispersions. Only the monoacyl PC was found to substantially enhance in vitro
      dissolution compared to pure drug. The gained understanding will support a future
      development of solid drug dispersions using phospholipids as matrix components. 

PMID- 26129841
TI  - Future habitat loss and extinctions driven by land-use change in biodiversity
      hotspots under four scenarios of climate-change mitigation.
AB  - Numerous species have been pushed into extinction as an increasing portion of
      Earth's land surface has been appropriated for human enterprise. In the future,
      global biodiversity will be affected by both climate change and land-use change,
      the latter of which is currently the primary driver of species extinctions. How
      societies address climate change will critically affect biodiversity because
      climate-change mitigation policies will reduce direct climate-change impacts;
      however, these policies will influence land-use decisions, which could have
      negative impacts on habitat for a substantial number of species. We assessed the
      potential impact future climate policy could have on the loss of habitable area
      in biodiversity hotspots due to associated land-use changes. We estimated past
      extinctions from historical land-use changes (1500-2005) based on the global
      gridded land-use data used for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
      Fifth Assessment Report and habitat extent and species data for each hotspot. We
      then estimated potential extinctions due to future land-use changes under
      alternative climate-change scenarios (2005-2100). Future land-use changes are
      projected to reduce natural vegetative cover by 26-58% in the hotspots. As a
      consequence, the number of additional species extinctions, relative to those
      already incurred between 1500 and 2005, due to land-use change by 2100 across all
      hotspots ranged from about 220 to 21000 (0.2% to 16%), depending on the climate
      change mitigation scenario and biological factors such as the slope of the
      species-area relationship and the contribution of wood harvest to extinctions.
      These estimates of potential future extinctions were driven by land-use change
      only and likely would have been higher if the direct effects of climate change
      had been considered. Future extinctions could potentially be reduced by
      incorporating habitat preservation into scenario development to reduce projected
      future land-use changes in hotspots or by lessening the impact of future land-use
      activities on biodiversity within hotspots. 

PMID- 26129842
TI  - Racial-ethnic variations in paid and unpaid caregiving: Findings among persons
      with traumatic spinal cord injury.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The effects of race-ethnicity on the use of paid and unpaid
      caregivers for those with spinal cord injury (SCI) have received little attention
      in the literature. OBJECTIVE: Compare the amount of paid and unpaid caregiver
      hours received and sources of caregiving between non-Hispanic White and non
      Hispanic Black participants with SCI, controlling for demographic, injury
      related, and economic variables. METHODS: Participants were identified from a
      large specialty hospital. Self-report data were collected by mail. Five aspects
      of caregiving were assessed: (a) paid assistance hours, (b) satisfaction with
      care, (c) unpaid assistance hours, (d) sources of informal care, and (e)
      evaluation of whether needs were met. RESULTS: Whites were more satisfied with
      paid care. Approximately 43.4% of Whites received informal care from their spouse
      every day, 14.7% higher than Blacks. Blacks were more likely to receive informal
      care from other family members, friends, church, and others. When controlling for
      gender, injury severity, chronological age, and years post injury, Blacks
      reported 1.50 more paid assistance hours (95% CI, 0.31-2.68 hours) and 1.83 less
      unpaid assistance hours than Whites (95% CI, 0.25-3.41 hours). Differences
      diminished and were not statistically significant after adding marital status and
      income into regression models. CONCLUSIONS: The results did not provide strong
      evidence of racial disparities regarding caregiver assistance for those with SCI.
      Level of income appears to be directly related to satisfaction of quality
      caregiving and the use of paid versus unpaid care for those living with SCI.

PMID- 26129843
TI  - Present or absent on admission: results of changes in National Healthcare Safety
      Network surveillance definitions.
AB  - In January 2013, the National Healthcare Safety Network definition of "present on
      admission" was created. Using existing surveillance data from 2013, we identified
      health care-associated infections (HAIs) that met prior present on admission
      criteria but not the new definition. We identified a number of infections
      classified as HAI despite evidence that infection was clinically present on
      admission. These findings have important implications for states with mandatory
      HAI reporting using National Healthcare Safety Network definitions. 

PMID- 26129844
TI  - Models in biology: lessons from modeling regulation of the eukaryotic cell cycle.
AB  - In this essay we illustrate some general principles of mathematical modeling in
      biology by our experiences in studying the molecular regulatory network
      underlying eukaryotic cell division. We discuss how and why the models moved from
      simple, parsimonious cartoons to more complex, detailed mechanisms with many
      kinetic parameters. We describe how the mature models made surprising and
      informative predictions about the control system that were later confirmed
      experimentally. Along the way, we comment on the 'parameter estimation problem'
      and conclude with an appeal for a greater role for mathematical models in
      molecular cell biology. 

PMID- 26129845
TI  - Alterations in Skeletal Muscle Oxidative Phenotype in Mice Exposed to 3 Weeks of
      Normobaric Hypoxia.
AB  - Skeletal muscle of patients with chronic respiratory failure is prone to loss of
      muscle mass and oxidative phenotype. Tissue hypoxia has been associated with
      cachexia and emphysema in humans. Experimental research on the role of hypoxia in
      loss of muscle oxidative phenotype, however, has yielded inconsistent results.
      Animal studies are frequently performed in young animals, which may hinder
      translation to generally older aged patients. Therefore, in this study, we tested
      the hypothesis that hypoxia induces loss of skeletal muscle oxidative phenotype
      in a model of aged (52 weeks) mice exposed to 3 weeks of hypoxia. Additional
      groups of young (4 weeks) and adult (12 weeks) mice were included to examine age
      effects. To verify hypoxia-induced cachexia, fat pad and muscle weights as well
      as muscle fiber cross-sectional areas were determined. Muscle oxidative phenotype
      was assessed by expression and activity of markers of mitochondrial metabolism
      and fiber-type distribution. A profound loss of muscle and fat was indeed
      accompanied by a slightly lower expression of markers of muscle oxidative
      capacity in the aged hypoxic mice. In contrast, hypoxia-associated changes of
      fiber-type composition were more prominent in the young mice. The differential
      response of the muscle of young, adult, and aged mice to hypoxia suggests that
      age matters and that the aged mouse is a better model for translation of findings
      to elderly patients with chronic respiratory disease. Furthermore, the findings
      warrant further mechanistic research into putative accelerating effects of
      hypoxia-induced loss of oxidative phenotype on the cachexia process in chronic
      respiratory disease.

PMID- 26129846
TI  - Diversification of the duplicated Rab1a genes in a hypoxia-tolerant fish, common
      carp (Cyprinus carpio).
AB  - Common carp is a widely cultivated fish with longer than 2,000 years
      domestication history, due to its strong environmental adaptabilities, especially
      hypoxia tolerance. The common carp genome has experienced a very recent whole
      genome duplication (WGD) event. Among a large number of highly similar duplicated
      genes, a pair of Ras-associated binding-GTPase 1a (Rab1a) genes were found fast
      diverging. Four analogous Rab1a genes were identified in the common carp genome.
      Comparisons of gene structures and sequences indicated Rab1a-1 and Rab1a-2 was a
      pair of fast diverging duplicates, while Rab1a-3 and Rab1a-4 was a pair of less
      diverged duplicates. All putative Rab1a proteins shared conserved GTPase domain,
      which enabled the proteins serve as molecular switches for vesicular trafficking.
      Rab1a-1 and Rab1a-2 proteins varied in their C-terminal sequences, which were
      generally considered to encode the membrane localization signals. Differential
      expression patterns were observed between Rab1a-1 and Rab1a-2 genes. In blood,
      muscle, spleen, and heart, the mRNA level of Rab1a-1 was higher than that of
      Rab1a-2. In liver and intestine, the mRNA level of Rab1a-2 was higher. Expression
      of Rab1a-1 and Rab1a-2 showed distinct hypoxia responses. Under severe hypoxia,
      Rab1a-1 expression was down-regulated in blood, while Rab1a-2 expression was up
      regulated in liver. Compared with the less diverged Rab1a-3/4 gene pair, common
      carp Rab1a-1/2 gene pair exhibited strong characteristics of sub
      functionalization, which might contribute to a sophisticated and efficient Ras
      dependent regulating network for the hypoxia-tolerant fish. 

PMID- 26129848
TI  - Antiproliferative effects of curcumin analog L49H37 in pancreatic stellate cells:
      a comparative study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with poor prognosis. It is
      characterized by a pronounced stromal reaction, which resists chemotherapeutics
      and effective tumor treatment. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are mainly
      responsible for this stromal reaction. Moreover, the cancer and stromal
      interaction seems to promote tumor proliferation. In this study, L49H37, a newly
      synthesized curcumin analog, was used as intervention to target the stromal
      compartment of pancreatic cancer. METHODS: In vitro cultures of human PSCs were
      exposed to curcumin and L49H37. Cell viability as well as growth promoting and
      survival signaling pathways were monitored by MTT, flow cytometry and western
      blotting. RESULTS: Curcumin and L49H37 effectively inhibited proliferation and
      induced apoptosis in PSCs. L49H37 was found to be more potent at a lower
      concentration than curcumin in the induction of apoptosis, as evidenced by
      cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). The cells were retained in the G0/G1
      phase of the cell cycle through the downregulation of p21WAF1/Cip1. L49H37
      significantly decreased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal regulated
      kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that curcumin analog L49H37
      exhibits more potent inhibitory effects than curcumin itself at a lower
      concentration, which suggests that it may have a potential for further evaluation
      of its use against pancreatic adenocarcinoma, either as a single agent but, more
      probable, as part of a combination regimen.

PMID- 26129847
TI  - Human bone marrow- and adipose-mesenchymal stem cells secrete exosomes enriched
      in distinctive miRNA and tRNA species.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represents a
      promising treatment option for patients suffering from immunological and
      degenerative disorders. Accumulating evidence indicates that the healing effects
      of MSCs are mainly related to unique paracrine properties, opening opportunities
      for secretome-based therapies. Apart from soluble factors, MSCs release
      functional small RNAs via extracellular vesicles (EVs) that seem to convey
      essential features of MSCs. Here we set out to characterize the full small RNAome
      of MSC-produced exosomes. METHODS: We set up a protocol for isolating exosomes
      released by early passage adipose- (ASC) and bone marrow-MSCs (BMSC) and
      characterized them via electron microscopy, protein analysis and small RNA
      sequencing. We developed a bioinformatics pipeline to define the exosome-enclosed
      RNA species and performed the first complete small RNA characterization of BMSCs
      and ASCs and their corresponding exosomes in biological replicates. RESULTS: Our
      analysis revealed that primary ASCs and BMSCs have highly similar small RNA
      expression profiles dominated by miRNAs and snoRNAs (together 64-71 %), of which
      150-200 miRNAs are present at physiological levels. In contrast, the miRNA pool
      in MSC exosomes is only 2-5 % of the total small RNAome and is dominated by a
      minor subset of miRNAs. Nevertheless, the miRNAs in exosomes do not merely
      reflect the cellular content and a defined set of miRNAs are overrepresented in
      exosomes compared to the cell of origin. Moreover, multiple highly expressed
      miRNAs are precluded from exosomal sorting, consistent with the notion that these
      miRNAs are involved in functional repression of RNA targets. While ASC and BMSC
      exosomes are similar in RNA class distribution and composition, we observed
      striking differences in the sorting of evolutionary conserved tRNA species that
      seems associated with the differentiation status of MSCs, as defined by Sox2,
      POU5F1A/B and Nanog expression. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that primary MSCs
      release small RNAs via exosomes, which are increasingly implicated in
      intercellular communications. tRNAs species, and in particular tRNA halves, are
      preferentially released and their specific sorting into exosomes is related to
      MSC tissue origin and stemness. These findings may help to understand how MSCs
      impact neighboring or distant cells with possible consequences for their
      therapeutic usage.

PMID- 26129849
TI  - Starting a DNA barcode reference library for shallow water polychaetes from the
      southern European Atlantic coast.
AB  - Annelid polychaetes have been seldom the focus of dedicated DNA barcoding
      studies, despite their ecological relevance and often dominance, particularly in
      soft-bottom estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems. Here, we report the first
      assessment of the performance of DNA barcodes in the discrimination of shallow
      water polychaete species from the southern European Atlantic coast, focusing on
      specimens collected in estuaries and coastal ecosystems of Portugal. We analysed
      cytochrome oxidase I DNA barcodes (COI-5P) from 164 specimens, which were
      assigned to 51 morphospecies. To our data set from Portugal, we added available
      published sequences selected from the same species, genus or family, to inspect
      for taxonomic congruence among studies and collection location. The final data
      set comprised 290 specimens and 79 morphospecies, which generated 99 Barcode
      Index Numbers (BINs) within Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD). Among these, 22
      BINs were singletons, 47 other BINs were concordant, confirming the initial
      identification based on morphological characters, and 30 were discordant, most of
      which consisted on multiple BINs found for the same morphospecies. Some of the
      most prominent cases in the latter category include Hediste diversicolor (O.F.
      Muller, 1776) (7), Eulalia viridis (Linnaeus, 1767) (2) and Owenia fusiformis
      (delle Chiaje, 1844) (5), all of them reported from Portugal and frequently used
      in ecological studies as environmental quality indicators. Our results for these
      species showed discordance between molecular lineages and morphospecies, or added
      additional relatively divergent lineages. The potential inaccuracies in
      environmental assessments, where underpinning polychaete species diversity is
      poorly resolved or clarified, demand additional and extensive investigation of
      the DNA barcode diversity in this group, in parallel with alpha taxonomy efforts.

PMID- 26129851
TI  - A Comparison of Single Shot Adductor Canal Block Versus Femoral Nerve Catheter
      for Total Knee Arthroplasty.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare perioperative analgesia provided by single
      injection adductor canal block (ACB) to continuous femoral nerve catheter (FNC)
      when used in a multimodal pain protocol for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). A
      retrospective cohort study compared outcome data for 148 patients receiving a
      single-injection ACB to 149 patients receiving an FNC. The mean length of stay
      (LOS) in the ACB group was 2.67 (+/-0.56) and 3.01 days (+/-0.57) in the FNC
      group (P<0.0001). The median ambulatory distances for the adductor group were
      further than the femoral group for postoperative days 1 (P<0.0001) and 2
      (P=0.01). Single-injection ACB offered similar pain control and earlier discharge
      compared to continuous FNC in patients undergoing TKA. 

PMID- 26129850
TI  - Diversity and evolution of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in Oomycetes.
AB  - Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) are heme-thiolate proteins whose role as
      drug targets against pathogens, as well as in valuable chemical production and
      bioremediation, has been explored. In this study we performed comprehensive
      comparative analysis of P450s in 13 newly explored oomycete pathogens. Three
      hundred and fifty-six P450s were found in oomycetes. These P450s were grouped
      into 15 P450 families and 84 P450 subfamilies. Among these, nine P450 families
      and 31 P450 subfamilies were newly found in oomycetes. Research revealed that
      oomycetes belonging to different orders contain distinct P450 families and
      subfamilies in their genomes. Evolutionary analysis and sequence homology data
      revealed P450 family blooms in oomycetes. Tandem arrangement of a large number of
      P450s belonging to the same family indicated that P450 family blooming is
      possibly due to its members' duplications. A unique combination of amino acid
      patterns was observed at EXXR and CXG motifs for the P450 families CYP5014,
      CYP5015 and CYP5017. A novel P450 fusion protein (CYP5619 family) with an N
      terminal P450 domain fused to a heme peroxidase/dioxygenase domain was discovered
      in Saprolegnia declina. Oomycete P450 patterns suggested host influence in
      shaping their P450 content. This manuscript serves as reference for future P450
      annotations in newly explored oomycetes. 

PMID- 26129852
TI  - Application of Rapid Prototyping Pelvic Model for Patients with DDH to Facilitate
      Arthroplasty Planning: A Pilot Study.
AB  - Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is challenging in cases of osteoarthritis secondary
      to developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Acetabular deficiency makes the
      positioning of the acetabular component difficult. Computer tomography based,
      patient-individual three dimensional (3-D) rapid prototype technology (RPT)
      models were used to plan the placement of acetabular cup so that a surgeon was
      able to identify pelvic structures, assess the ideal extent of reaming and
      determine the size of cup after a reconstructive procedure. Intraclass
      correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to analyze the agreement between the
      sizes of chosen components on the basis of preoperative planning and the actual
      sizes used in the operation. The use of the 3-D RPT-model facilitates the
      surgical procedures due to better planning and improved orientation. 

PMID- 26129853
TI  - An Analysis of Research from Faculty at U.S. Adult Reconstruction Fellowships.
AB  - We reviewed all articles published in three major orthopaedic journals from
      January 2010 to December 2014. Any article focusing on adult reconstruction of
      the hip or knee was reviewed for first and last authorship, institution, and
      level of evidence. Three institutions had authored work from arthroplasty faculty
      that fell within the top five most published institutions in all three journals,
      while one institution ranked first in all three journals. 43 of 67 (64.2%)
      reconstruction fellowships had at least one publication included in this study.
      The majority of the adult reconstruction literature published by faculty at U.S.
      reconstruction fellowships stems from a few academic centers with the ten most
      prolific institutions accounting for 65.9% of all U.S. fellowship publications. 

PMID- 26129854
TI  - Reperfusion Therapies in Acute Ischemic Stroke.
AB  - Acute Ischemic stroke (IS) remains a leading cause of mortality and long-term
      disability. Owing to the time-constraints, only a fraction of acute IS patients
      receive the established and approved thrombolytic therapy and a sizeable
      proportion of acute IS stroke survivors remain permanently disabled. Rapid
      advances in various recanalization strategies have aimed at improving functional
      outcome and reducing mortality. Existing literature on various treatment
      approaches, including the evolution of various thrombolytic agents and
      interventional devices is presented in this review. In addition to describing
      intravenous drug trials, continual developments in the field of trials for
      interventional devices have been described. Additionally, some of the important
      recent patents filed for various experimental approaches are presented. We
      strongly believe that the recent therapeutic approaches, including endovascular
      interventional strategies, based on advanced neuroimaging evaluations appear to
      have a promising future for acute IS patients. 

PMID- 26129855
TI  - Characterization of MHC class I alleles in sooty mangabeys as a tool for
      evaluating cellular immunity in natural hosts of SIV infection.
AB  - Although immune pressure exerted by MHC class I-restricted cytotoxic T
      lymphocytes (CTL) are an important determinant of outcome in pathogenic HIV and
      SIV infection, lack of data on MHC class I genes has hampered study of its role
      in natural hosts with nonpathogenic SIV infection. In this study, we cloned and
      characterized full-length MHC class I genes derived from the cDNA library of two
      unrelated naturally infected sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) in whom SIV
      specific CTL epitopes were previously mapped. Twenty one full-length MHC class I
      alleles consisting of five MHC-A (Ceat-A), 13 MHC-B (Ceat-B), and three MHC-E
      (Ceat-E) alleles were identified. Sequence-specific primers (SSP) for high
      throughput screening of genomic DNA by PCR were developed for 16 of the 18 Ceat-A
      and Ceat-B alleles. Screening of 62 SIV-negative and 123 SIV-infected sooty
      mangabeys at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center (YNPRC) revealed the
      presence of up to four MHC-A and eight MHC-B alleles in individual mangabeys,
      indicating that similar to macaque species, mangabeys have at least two
      duplications of the MHC-A locus and four duplications of the MHC-B locus in the
      absence of an MHC-C locus. Using stable transfectants of Ceat MHC Class I alleles
      in the MHC-null 721.221 cell line, we identified Ceat-B*12:01 as the restricting
      allele of a previously reported Nef20-28 CTL epitope. Ceat-B*1201/Nef20-28
      tetramers identified tetramer-positive CD8+ T lymphocytes in Ceat-B*1201-positive
      SIV-infected mangabeys. This study has laid the groundwork for comprehensive
      analysis of CTL and SIV evolution in a natural host of SIV infection. 

PMID- 26129856
TI  - Development of a Standardized Set of Patient-centered Outcomes for Advanced
      Prostate Cancer: An International Effort for a Unified Approach.
AB  - BACKGROUND: There are no universally monitored outcomes relevant to men with
      advanced prostate cancer, making it challenging to compare health outcomes
      between populations. OBJECTIVE: We sought to develop a standard set of outcomes
      relevant to men with advanced prostate cancer to follow during routine clinical
      care. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The International Consortium for Health
      Outcomes Measurement assembled a multidisciplinary working group to develop the
      set. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: We used a modified Delphi
      method to achieve consensus regarding the outcomes, measures, and case mix
      factors included. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: The 25 members of the
      multidisciplinary international working group represented academic and
      nonacademic centers, registries, and patients. Recognizing the heterogeneity of
      men with advanced prostate cancer, the group defined the scope as men with all
      stages of incurable prostate cancer (metastatic and biochemical recurrence
      ineligible for further curative therapy). We defined outcomes important to all
      men, such as overall survival, and measures specific to subgroups, such as time
      to metastasis. Measures gathered from clinical data include measures of disease
      control. We also identified patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), such as
      degree of urinary, bowel, and erectile dysfunction, mood symptoms, and pain
      control. CONCLUSIONS: The international multidisciplinary group identified
      clinical data and PROMs that serve as a basis for international health outcome
      comparisons and quality-of-care assessments. The set will be revised annually.
      PATIENT SUMMARY: Our international group has recommended a standardized set of
      patient-centered outcomes to be followed during routine care for all men with
      advanced prostate cancer.

PMID- 26129857
TI  - The Fluid Joint: The Soft Spot of Micro- and Nanosystems.
AB  - Fluid bridges are ubiquitous soft structures of finite size that conform to and
      link the surfaces of neighboring objects. Fluid joints, the specific type of
      fluid bridge with at least one extremity constrained laterally, display even more
      pronounced reactivity and self-restoration, which make them remarkably suited for
      assembly, actuation, and manipulation purposes. Their peculiar surface and bulk
      properties place fluid joints at the rich intersection of diverse scientific
      interests, and foster their widespread use throughout micro- and nanotechnology.
      A critical survey of the mechanics and of the manifold applications of fluid
      bridges and joints in micro- and nanosystems is presented here, along with
      current challenges and multidisciplinary perspectives. 

PMID- 26129858
TI  - Comparing the visual spans for faces and letters.
AB  - The visual span-the number of adjacent text letters that can be reliably
      recognized on one fixation-has been proposed as a sensory bottleneck that limits
      reading speed (Legge, Mansfield, & Chung, 2001). Like reading, searching for a
      face is an important daily task that involves pattern recognition. Is there a
      similar limitation on the number of faces that can be recognized in a single
      fixation? Here we report on a study in which we measured and compared the visual
      span profiles for letter and face recognition. A serial two-stage model for
      pattern recognition was developed to interpret the data. The first stage is
      characterized by factors limiting recognition of isolated letters or faces, and
      the second stage represents the interfering effect of nearby stimuli on
      recognition. Our findings show that the visual span for faces is smaller than
      that for letters. Surprisingly, however, when differences in first-stage
      processing for letters and faces are accounted for, the two visual spans become
      nearly identical. These results suggest that the concept of visual span may
      describe a common sensory bottleneck that underlies different types of pattern
      recognition. 

PMID- 26129859
TI  - Detection of moving objects using motion- and stereo-tuned operators.
AB  - A person moving through the world must be able to identify moving objects in
      order to interact with them and successfully navigate. While image motion alone
      is sufficient to identify moving objects under many conditions, there may be some
      ambiguity as to whether an object is stationary or moving, depending on the
      object's angle of motion and distance from the observer. Adding a measure of
      depth from stereo cues can eliminate this ambiguity. Here we show that a model
      using operators tuned to image motion and stereo disparity can accurately locate
      moving objects and distinguish between stationary and moving objects in a scene
      through which an observer is moving. 

PMID- 26129860
TI  - Categorical facilitation with equally discriminable colors.
AB  - This study investigates the impact of language on color perception. By
      categorical facilitation, we refer to an aspect of categorical perception, in
      which the linguistic distinction between categories affects color discrimination
      beyond the low-level, sensory sensitivity to color differences. According to this
      idea, discrimination performance for colors that cross a category border should
      be better than for colors that belong to the same category when controlling for
      low-level sensitivity. We controlled for sensitivity by using colors that were
      equally discriminable according to empirically measured discrimination
      thresholds. To test for categorical facilitation, we measured response times and
      error rates in a speeded discrimination task for suprathreshold stimuli. Robust
      categorical facilitation occurred for five out of six categories with a group of
      inexperienced observers, namely for pink, orange, yellow, green, and purple.
      Categorical facilitation was robust against individual variations of categories
      or the laterality of target presentation. However, contradictory effects occurred
      in the blue category, most probably reflecting the difficulty to control effects
      of sensory mechanisms at the green-blue boundary. Moreover, a group of observers
      who were highly familiar with the discrimination task did not show consistent
      categorical facilitation in the other five categories. This trained group had
      much faster response times than the inexperienced group without any speed
      accuracy trade-off. Additional analyses suggest that categorical facilitation
      occurs when observers pay attention to the categorical distinction but not when
      they respond automatically based on sensory feed-forward information. 

PMID- 26129861
TI  - Crowding is proportional to visual acuity in young and aging eyes.
AB  - Spatial crowding decreases object recognition and conscious visual perception in
      clutter. In a previous study we used brief presentation times to reveal the
      effects of a crowded presentation in the fovea. Here we aimed to test the
      relationships between varying visual acuity (VA) and crowding in the fovea, under
      the assumption that in uncorrected presbyopia, the processing is relatively
      normal, whereas the retinal input is blurred. We tested whether normal
      participants whose near VA is gradually reduced due to age-related deterioration
      (presbyopia, or "aging eye") will show an acuity-dependent increase in foveal
      crowding. We used brief presentations and acuity-threshold letter targets in
      order to magnify the crowding-effect amplitude in the fovea. A total of 195
      participants with an age range of 20-68 years and an average of 44.3 +/- 11.7
      years (M +/- SD) were divided into four age groups, all without any optical
      correction for the near distance. Our findings show that crowding is proportional
      to VA. This proportionality is affected by VA-age dependency, with a nonlinear S
      shaped pattern: A steep VA reduction begins to develop, which is compatible with
      the normal onset age of presbyopia symptoms and a saturation in the VA-age
      dependency in the oldest age group, for which we propose a VA-eccentricity
      account. Finally, there is a high variance in the crowding amplitude in the
      young, even before the onset age of presbyopia symptoms, suggesting crowding
      conditions with limited presentation times as a highly sensitive measure of VA,
      which predicts visual performance in complex tasks, such as reading. 

PMID- 26129862
TI  - The oblique effect is both allocentric and egocentric.
AB  - Despite continuous movements of the head, humans maintain a stable representation
      of the visual world, which seems to remain always upright. The mechanisms behind
      this stability are largely unknown. To gain some insight on how head tilt affects
      visual perception, we investigate whether a well-known orientation-dependent
      visual phenomenon, the oblique effect-superior performance for stimuli at
      cardinal orientations (0 degrees  and 90 degrees ) compared with oblique
      orientations (45 degrees )-is anchored in egocentric or allocentric coordinates.
      To this aim, we measured orientation discrimination thresholds at various
      orientations for different head positions both in body upright and in supine
      positions. We report that, in the body upright position, the oblique effect
      remains anchored in allocentric coordinates irrespective of head position. When
      lying supine, gravitational effects in the plane orthogonal to gravity are
      discounted. Under these conditions, the oblique effect was less marked than when
      upright, and anchored in egocentric coordinates. The results are well explained
      by a simple "compulsory fusion" model in which the head-based and the gravity
      based signals are combined with different weightings (30% and 70%, respectively),
      even when this leads to reduced sensitivity in orientation discrimination. 

PMID- 26129863
TI  - Suppressive effects on motion discrimination induced by transient flankers are
      reduced by perceptual learning.
AB  - We investigated spatial suppression of a drifting Gabor target of 0.5 c/ degrees 
      induced by adjacent and iso-oriented stationary Gabors (flankers) whose spatial
      frequency differed by +/-1 and +/-2 octaves to that of the drifting target.
      Stimuli (target and flankers) were presented for 33 ms. Results showed greater
      spatial suppression when the spatial frequency of the stationary but transient
      flanking Gabors was either equal or 1-2 octaves lower than when it was 1-2
      octaves higher than the target's spatial frequency. This asymmetry was evident
      only for the drifting target, but not for the stationary target. In addition, we
      investigated whether perceptual learning (PL) reduced the spatial suppression
      induced by the flankers. We found that PL increased contrast sensitivity for the
      target, but only when it was reduced by the lateral masking flankers, and its
      effect did not transfer to an isolated drifting target of equal or higher spatial
      frequency. These results suggest that PL selectively affects suppressive
      interactions rather than contrast gain. We suggest that the suppressive effect of
      low spatial frequency flankers and the lack of suppression with high spatial
      frequency flankers may reflect two complementary phenomena: camouflage by the
      transient flankers (i.e., context) and breaking of camouflage by form-motion
      segmentation. Camouflage may result because both target and flankers activate the
      motion (magnocellular) system. Breaking of camouflage instead may occur when
      target and flankers' spatial frequency are more suitable for quasi-independent
      activation of the form system (by the flankers) and the motion system (by the
      target). 

PMID- 26129864
TI  - [Dyspnea in airway and pulmonary diseases].
AB  - The subjective perception of pulmonary dyspnea varies based on behavioral and
      physiological responses. Acute pulmonary dyspnea is the most common symptom of
      diseases of the airways and the lungs and the differential diagnosis includes
      harmless causes, such as lack of training as well as acute life-threatening
      diseases, such as thromboembolism, obstruction of the upper or lower airway,
      pneumonia, pulmonary hemorrhage and pneumothorax. Most cases of chronic pulmonary
      dyspnea result from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
      pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis and pleural disorders.
      Listening to the patient's "language of dyspnea" may already provide indications
      for the diagnosis. Initial testing includes chest radiography, spirometry,
      complete blood count and the basic metabolic panel. Measurement of brain
      natriuretic peptide levels may help to exclude heart failure in COPD and D-dimer
      testing may help rule out pulmonary embolisms. Computed tomography of the chest
      is the most appropriate imaging procedure for diagnosing pulmonary embolism and
      interstitial lung disease. To diagnose pulmonary arterial hypertension
      echocardiography and right heart catheterization may be necessary. 

PMID- 26129865
TI  - Personalized medicine going precise: from genomics to microbiomics.

PMID- 26129867
TI  - Propidium monoazide (PMA) and ethidium bromide monoazide (EMA) improve DNA array
      and high-throughput sequencing of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome
      virus identification.
AB  - Pan-viral DNA array (PVDA) and high-throughput sequencing (HTS) are useful tools
      to identify novel viruses of emerging diseases. However, both techniques have
      difficulties to identify viruses in clinical samples because of the host genomic
      nucleic acid content (hg/cont). Both propidium monoazide (PMA) and ethidium
      bromide monoazide (EMA) have the capacity to bind free DNA/RNA, but are cell
      membrane-impermeable. Thus, both are unable to bind protected nucleic acid such
      as viral genomes within intact virions. However, EMA/PMA modified genetic
      material cannot be amplified by enzymes. In order to assess the potential of
      EMA/PMA to lower the presence of amplifiable hg/cont in samples and improve virus
      detection, serum and lung tissue homogenates were spiked with porcine
      reproductive and respiratory virus (PRRSV) and were processed with EMA/PMA. In
      addition, PRRSV RT-qPCR positive clinical samples were also tested. EMA/PMA
      treatments significantly decreased amplifiable hg/cont and significantly
      increased the number of PVDA positive probes and their signal intensity compared
      to untreated spiked lung samples. EMA/PMA treatments also increased the
      sensitivity of HTS by increasing the number of specific PRRSV reads and the PRRSV
      percentage of coverage. Interestingly, EMA/PMA treatments significantly increased
      the sensitivity of PVDA and HTS in two out of three clinical tissue samples.
      Thus, EMA/PMA treatments offer a new approach to lower the amplifiable hg/cont in
      clinical samples and increase the success of PVDA and HTS to identify viruses. 

PMID- 26129866
TI  - Genome-wide association study of gastric adenocarcinoma in Asia: a comparison of
      associations between cardia and non-cardia tumours.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of gastric cancer have reported
      differences in single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associations for tumour
      subtypes, particularly when divided by location into the gastric cardia versus
      the non-cardia. DESIGN: Here we present results for a GWAS using 2350 East Asian
      gastric cancer cases divided as 1189 gastric cardia and 1027 gastric non-cardia
      cases and 2708 controls. We also included up to 3042 cardia cases, 4359 non
      cardia cases and 7548 controls for replication from two Chinese studies and one
      Korean study. From the GWAS, we selected 12 top SNPs for each gastric cancer
      subtype, 4 top SNPs for total gastric cancer and 1 SNP in MUC1 for replication
      testing. RESULTS: We observed genome-wide significant associations for rs10074991
      in PRKAA1 at 5p13.1 for cardia (p=7.36*10(-12)) and non-cardia cancers
      (p=2.42*10(-23)) with per allele OR (95% CI) for the combined endpoint of 0.80
      (0.77 to 0.83). At 6p21.1, rs2294693 near UNC5CL was significantly associated
      with gastric non-cardia cancer risk (p=2.50*10(-8)), with OR (95% CI) of 1.18
      (1.12 to 1.26), but there was only a nominal association for cardia cancer
      (p=1.47*10(-2)). We also confirmed a previously reported association for
      rs4072037 in MUC1 with p=6.59*10(-8) for total gastric cancer and similar
      estimates for cardia and non-cardia cancers. Three SNPs in PSCA previously
      reported to be associated with gastric non-cardia cancer showed no apparent
      association for cardia cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that associations
      for SNPs with gastric cancer show some different results by tumour location in
      the stomach.

PMID- 26129868
TI  - Histopathology of aortic complications in bicuspid aortic valve versus Marfan
      syndrome: relevance for therapy?
AB  - Patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS)
      are more prone to develop aortic dilation and dissection compared to persons with
      a tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). To elucidate potential common and distinct
      pathways of clinical relevance, we compared the histopathological substrates of
      aortopathy. Ascending aortic wall biopsies were divided in five groups: BAV (n =
      36) and TAV (n = 23) without and with dilation and non-dilated MFS (n = 8).
      General histologic features, apoptosis, the expression of markers for vascular
      smooth muscle cell (VSMC) maturation, markers predictive for ascending aortic
      dilation in BAV, and expression of fibrillin-1 were investigated. Both MFS and
      BAV showed an altered distribution and decreased fibrillin-1 expression in the
      aorta and a significantly lower level of differentiated VSMC markers.
      Interestingly, markers predictive for aortic dilation in BAV were not expressed
      in the MFS aorta. The aorta in MFS was similar to the aorta in dilated TAV with
      regard to the presence of medial degeneration and apoptosis, while other markers
      for degeneration and aging like inflammation and progerin expression were low in
      MFS, comparable to BAV. Both MFS and BAV aortas have immature VSMCs, while MFS
      and TAV patients have a similar increased rate of medial degeneration. However,
      the mechanism leading to apoptosis is expected to be different, being fibrillin-1
      mutation induced increased angiotensin-receptor-pathway signaling in MFS and
      cardiovascular aging and increased progerin in TAV. Our findings could explain
      why angiotensin inhibition is successful in MFS and less effective in TAV and BAV
      patients. 

PMID- 26129869
TI  - Relationship between diastolic ventricular dysfunction and subclinical sleep
      disordered breathing in atrial fibrillation ablation candidates.
AB  - Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is recognized as a primary factor or mediator of
      atrial fibrillation (AF). We hypothesized that the severity of SDB among AF
      ablation candidates would be associated with left ventricular diastolic
      dysfunction (LVDD) even for subclinical SDB. A total of 246 patients hospitalized
      for initial pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) were analyzed. Known SDB cases were
      excluded. We measured the oxygen desaturation index (ODI) by pulse oximetry
      overnight as an indicator of SDB, and classified SDB severity by 3 % ODI as
      normal (ODI < 5 events/h), mild (ODI <= 5 to <15 events/h), or moderate-to-severe
      (ODI >=15 events/h). The LVDD was assessed by echocardiography using combined
      categories with tissue Doppler imaging and left atrial (LA) volume measurement.
      Among the participants, 42 patients (17.1 %) had LVDD. The prevalence of LVDD
      increased with the SDB severity from 8.6 % (normal) to 12.7 % (mild) to 40.0 %
      (moderate-to-severe SDB) (p < 0.0001). In the multivariate logistic regression
      analysis, the odds ratio of having LVDD in the moderate-to-severe SDB group (ODI
      >= 15) vs. normal group (ODI < 5) was 5.96 (95 % CI, 2.10-19.00, P = 0.006). The
      presence of moderate-to-severe SDB in AF ablation candidates adversely affected
      LV diastolic function even during a subclinical state of SDB. 

PMID- 26129870
TI  - Serum cystatin C and chitotriosidase in acute P-407 induced dyslipidemia: Can
      they serve as potential early biomarkers for atherosclerosis?
AB  - In an attempt to better understand potential biomarkers for, and the role of
      macrophages in, the development of atherosclerosis, the toxicologic, and any
      therapeutic pharmacologic effects of carboxymethylated beta-glucan, gadolinium
      chloride, and poloxamer 407 were studied in mice for their capacity to perturb
      serum lipids, cystatin C, and chitotriosidase-1. Gadolinium and carboxymethylated
      beta-glucan dosed separately to control mice had no effect on serum lipids,
      whereas carboxymethylated beta-glucan, but not gadolinium, exerted a significant
      (p<0.01) and unexpected hypolipidemic effect in poloxamer 407-induced
      hyperlipidemic mice. An acute hyperlipidemic state (~4 days), induced with
      poloxamer 407 administration alone, resulted in a significant (p<0.01) time
      dependent decrease and increase in serum cystatin C and chitotriosidase,
      respectively. Carboxymethylated beta-glucan administration to hyperlipidemic mice
      significantly (p<0.05) increased the serum concentration of cystatin C, but
      significantly (p<0.01) decreased chitotriosidase activity, when each was compared
      to mice treated with poloxamer 407 only. Gadolinium administration caused a
      significant decrease in serum chitotriosidase activity in both controls (p<0.01)
      and poloxamer 407-induced hyperlipidemic (p<0.001) mice, but had no effect on the
      concentration of cystatin C in either controls or poloxamer 407-induced
      hyperlipidemic mice. Gadolinium administration resulted in both morphological and
      functional changes to liver macrophages, which included incorporation of excess
      lipids, especially when simultaneously administered with poloxamer 407. It is
      suggested that serum cystatin C and chitotriosidase may represent potential early
      biomarkers for eventual atherosclerosis in the poloxamer 407-induced mouse model
      of atherogenesis, and that two compounds known to either increase
      (carboxymethylated beta-glucan) or decrease (gadolinium chloride) the number of
      macrophages in vivo were able to modulate serum chitotriosidase activity, This,
      in turn, would appear to support the premise that serum chitotriosidase activity
      may be a more sensitive indicator of macrophage involvement than cystatin C in
      the context of future atherosclerosis. 

PMID- 26129871
TI  - Massive rotator cuff tears: pathomechanics, current treatment options, and
      clinical outcomes.
AB  - Rotator cuff tear size has an important effect on clinical outcomes after repair.
      Management options for massive rotator cuff tears are numerous, and selection of
      the most appropriate treatment method for individual patients can be a challenge.
      An understanding of the pathomechanics, treatment, and clinical outcomes in
      patients with massive rotator cuff tears can serve as a guide for clinical
      decision-making. The purpose of this article was to review treatment options and
      clinical outcomes for the management of massive rotator cuff tears. 

PMID- 26129872
TI  - Regulation of the NADH pool and NADH/NADPH ratio redistributes acetoin and 2,3
      butanediol proportion in Bacillus subtilis.
AB  - Bacillus subtilis produces acetoin as a major product along with several NADH
      dependent byproducts, especially 2,3-butanediol. In this study, the down
      regulation of the NADH pool and the redistribution of NADH/NADPH were targeted
      using external and genetic processes, as a means by which to redistribute the
      metabolic flux in favor of acetoin synthesis. First, it was found that the use of
      carbon sources of different oxidation states resulted in very different
      intracellular NADH/NAD(+) ratios that dictated the total process yield of
      acetoin. A mixture of glucose and gluconate as substrate produced a relatively
      low NADH/NAD(+) ratio, and resulted in an increase in acetoin production while
      byproducts significantly decreased. Metabolic engineering methods using glucose
      as a substrate could yield a similar effect. Acetoin production was significantly
      enhanced by overexpression of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway: increased
      expression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase resulted in a decrease in the
      intracellular NADH/NADPH ratio (1.9-fold) and NADH/NAD(+) ratio (1.7-fold). In
      fed-batch culture the engineered strain yielded an acetoin concentration of 43.3
      g L(-1) , while the production of 2,3-butanediol was only 1.7 g L(-1) . The
      concept of the manipulation of cofactor levels to redistribute carbon flux by
      external and genetic means as explored in this paper provides a novel strategy
      for improving industrial acetoin fermentation. 

PMID- 26129873
TI  - Effect of Preferred Music on Agitation After Traumatic Brain Injury.
AB  - Agitation is a common behavioral problem after traumatic brain injury (TBI),
      which threatens the safety of patients and caregivers and disrupts the
      rehabilitation process. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a preferred
      music intervention on the reduction of agitation in TBI patients and to compare
      the effects of preferred music with those of classical "relaxation" music. A
      single group, within-subjects, randomized crossover trial design was formed,
      consisting of 14 agitated patients with cognitive impairment after severe TBI.
      Patients listened to preferred music and classical "relaxation" music, with a
      wash-out period in between. Patients listening to the preferred music reported a
      significantly greater reduction in agitation compared with the effect seen during
      the classical "relaxation" music intervention (p = .046). These findings provide
      preliminary evidence that the preferred music intervention may be effective as an
      environmental therapeutic approach for reducing agitation after TBI. 

PMID- 26129875
TI  - Foregut morphology and ontogeny of the spider crab Maja brachydactyla (Brachyura,
      Majoidea, Majidae).
AB  - We describe the morphology of the foregut of the spider crab Maja brachydactyla
      Balss, 1922, from first larval stage to adult, with detailed stage-specific
      documentation using light and scanning electron microscopy. A total of 40
      ossicles have been identified in the foregut of adults of M. brachydactyla using
      Alizarin-Red staining. The morphological pattern of the ossicles and gastric mill
      is very similar to other Majoidea species with only a few variations. The foregut
      of the zoeae stages appeared as a small and simple cavity, with a cardio-pyloric
      valve that separates the stomach into cardiac and pyloric regions. The pyloric
      filter is present from the first zoea, in contrast to the brachyuran species
      which have an extended larval development. Calcified structures have been
      identified in the cardio-pyloric valve and pyloric region of the zoeal stages.
      The most significant changes in foregut morphology take place after the
      metamorphosis from ZII to megalopa, including the occurrence of the gastric mill.
      In the megalopa stage, the foregut ossicles are recognizable by their
      organization and general morphology, but are different from the adult phase in
      shape and number. Moreover, the gastric teeth show important differences: the
      cusps of the lateral teeth are sharp (no molariform); the dorsal tooth have a
      small, dentate cusp (not a well-developed quadrangular cusp); and the accessory
      teeth are composed of one sharp peak (instead of four sharp peaks). The gastric
      mill ontogeny from megalopa to adult reveals intermediate morphologies during the
      earlier juvenile stages. The relationship between gastric mill structures with
      food preferences and their contribution to the brachyuran phylogeny are briefly
      discussed.

PMID- 26129876
TI  - Can a glucagon stimulation test characterized by lower GH cut-off value be used
      for the diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency in adults?
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess diagnostic values of insulin
      tolerance test (ITT), glucagon stimulation test (GST), and insulin like growth
      factor-I (IGF-I) level, to find optimal GH cut-off values for GST, and to
      evaluate efficiencies of patient age, gender, body-mass index (BMI), and
      additional pituitary hormone deficiencies (PHDs) in the diagnosis of growth
      hormone deficiency (GHD). STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective study involved 216
      patients with a pituitary disease and 26 healthy controls. Age, gender, BMI,
      medical histories, and hormonal data including baseline and stimulated hormone
      values were evaluated. Three cut-off values for peak GH responses to stimulation
      tests were evaluated: (a) 3.00 ug/L on ITT, (b) 3.00 ug/L on GST, and (c) 1.07
      ug/L on GST. RESULTS: According to the ITT, GST with 3.00 ug/L cut-off, and GST
      with 1.07 ug/L cut-off, GHD was present in 86.1, 74.5, and 54.2 % patients,
      respectively. Patient age, BMI, and number of PHDs, but not gender, were found to
      be correlated with IGF-I and peak GH concentrations. All patients with an IGF-I
      concentration <=95 ng/ml or >=3 PHD had GHD. None of the patients with adequate
      GH response to the GST with 1.07 ug/L cut-off, but blunted responses to ITT and
      GST with 3.00 ug/L cut-off, had >=3 PHDs. 12 out of 26 (46.2 %) healthy subjects
      failed the GST with 3.00 ug/L cut-off, but not with 1.07 ug/L cut-off.
      CONCLUSIONS: Patient age, IGF-I, BMI, and number of PHDs are efficient factors
      associated with the diagnosis of GHD. A 4 h GST with a diagnostic GH threshold of
      1.07 ug/L seems to be a good diagnostic method for GHD.

PMID- 26129877
TI  - Functional Characterization of Rare Variants Implicated in Susceptibility to Lone
      Atrial Fibrillation.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Few rare variants in atrial fibrillation (AF)-associated genes have
      been functionally characterized to identify a causal relationship between these
      variants and development of AF. We here sought to determine the clinical effect
      of rare variants in AF-associated genes in patients with lone AF and
      characterized these variants electrophysiologically and bioinformatically.
      METHODS AND RESULTS: We screened all coding regions in 12 AF-associated genes in
      90 patients with lone AF, with an onset of 47+/-11 years (66 men; mean age, 56+/
      13 years) by high-resolution melting curve analysis and DNA sequencing. The
      potassium and sodium currents were analyzed using whole-cell patch clamping. In
      addition to using 4 individual in silico prediction tools, we extended those
      predictions to an integrated tool (Combined Annotation Dependent Depletion). We
      identified 7 rare variants in KCNA5, KCNQ1, KCNH2, SCN5A, and SCN1B genes in 8
      patients: 2 of 8 probands had a family history of AF. Electrophysiological
      studies revealed that 2 variants showed a loss-of-function, and 4 variants showed
      a gain-of-function. Five of 6 variants with electrophysiological abnormalities
      were predicted as pathogenic by Combined Annotation Dependent Depletion scores.
      CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort of patients with lone AF, 7 rare variants in cardiac
      ion channels were identified in 8 probands. A combination of electrophysiological
      studies and in silico predictions showed that these variants could contribute to
      the development of lone AF, although further in vivo study is necessary to
      confirm these results. More than half of AF-associated rare variants showed gain
      of-function behavior, which may be targeted using genotype-specific
      pharmacological therapy.

PMID- 26129878
TI  - High circulating microRNA-122 expression is a poor prognostic marker in patients
      with hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma who undergo
      radiofrequency ablation.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic potential of
      plasma microRNA-122 levels in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related
      hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatic resection or radiofrequency ablation
      (RFA). DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 120 patients with HBV-related
      hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent hepatic resection (n=63) or RFA (n=57)
      were included. The pretreatment plasma microRNA-122 level was assessed using
      quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction, and the correlation between
      microRNA-122 expression and various clinical parameters was investigated.
      RESULTS: Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that, in all patients,
      a low platelet count (<100*10(9)/L), low albumin level (<=3.5g/dL.), and advanced
      tumor stage (modified Union for International Cancer Control stage III/IV) were
      independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival, while a low albumin
      level and advanced tumor stage were independent prognostic factors for overall
      survival (OS). In a subgroup analysis of patients who underwent RFA, the patients
      with high miR-122 expression (>100) had significantly lower OS on Kaplan-Meier
      analysis (P=0.042). Furthermore, high microRNA-122 expression (hazard ratio
      [HR]=2.67; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.12-6.35; P=0.026) and advanced tumor
      stage (HR=2.27; 95% CI=1.23-4.18; P=0.009) were independent risk factors for poor
      OS in patients treated with RFA. The combination of microRNA-122 and tumor stage
      resulted in an area under the curve of 0.818 for predicting 1-year OS in patients
      who underwent RFA. CONCLUSIONS: High plasma microRNA-122 expression was
      associated with poor OS in patients with HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma who
      underwent RFA.

PMID- 26129879
TI  - Analytical evaluation of the novel soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 and
      placental growth factor assays for the diagnosis of preeclampsia.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Performance evaluation of the novel BRAHMS KRYPTOR soluble fms-like
      tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) assays. DESIGN AND
      METHODS: Intra- and inter-assay imprecision, functional sensitivity, linearity in
      dilution, method comparison, and diagnostic capacity were evaluated. RESULTS:
      Intra-assay coefficient of variations (CVs) were between 1.1% and 5.3% and inter
      assay CVs between 3.9% and 11.1%. Functional sensitivity was 6.7ng/L for PlGF and
      34ng/L for sFlt-1, respectively. The linearity in dilution was excellent
      (r>0.995) in the assay-specific relevant range of concentration. The KRYPTOR
      assay correlated well with the Elecsys sFlt-1 (r=0.996), Elecsys PlGF (r=0.990)
      and the Elecsys sFlt-1/PlGF ratio (r=0.947) with partially high mean bias values.
      The optimal cut points for diagnosis of preeclampsia were calculated for KRYPTOR
      assays at: 60.5ng/L (PlGF), 4725ng/L (sFlt-1), and 99.2 (sFlt-1/PlGF ratio) which
      were different with the corresponding Elecsys cut points. Nevertheless, the
      sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPVs), negative predictive
      values (NPVs), and areas under the curves (AUCs) were completely comparable in
      both assay platforms, even when applying the standard cut-off of 85 for sFlt
      1/PlGF ratio or gestational age specific "rule in-rule-out" cut-offs for early
      and late onset preeclampsia. CONCLUSION: The new BRAHMS KRYPTOR sFlt-1 and PlGF
      immunoassay show excellent precision and reliability. The assay results and the
      diagnostic capacity were highly comparable to established fully automated
      immunoassays (Elecsys). Hence, sFlt-1/PlGF ratio generated on KRYPTOR immunoassay
      platform should be suitable for diagnosing preeclampsia in clinical routine
      laboratory.

PMID- 26129880
TI  - A pro-inflammatory glycoprotein biomarker is associated with lower bilirubin in
      metabolic syndrome.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Bilirubin exerts anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties
      which may beneficially influence the development of cardio-metabolic disorders. A
      nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy-based glycoprotein biomarker,
      designated GlycA, whose signal originates from several glycosylated acute-phase
      proteins, has been recently developed. We tested whether plasma GlycA is
      associated with bilirubin in subjects with and without MetS. DESIGN AND METHODS:
      GlycA (NMR spectroscopy), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and
      bilirubin were measured in 58 fasting subjects with MetS and in 63 subjects
      without MetS (including 65 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus). RESULTS:
      GlycA and hs-CRP were higher, coinciding with lower bilirubin in MetS (p<0.01 for
      each). In all subjects combined, GlycA was strongly correlated with hs-CRP
      (r=0.631, p<0.001). Age-, sex- and diabetes status-adjusted multivariable linear
      regression analysis demonstrated that GlycA and hs-CRP were both associated
      positively with the presence of MetS (beta=0.256, p=0.014 and beta=0.259,
      p=0.012, respectively). GlycA and hs-CRP were negatively related to bilirubin
      (beta=-0.258, p=0.007 and beta=-0.305, p<0.001, respectively), independent of
      MetS (p>0.05 for each) and diabetes status (p>0.50 for each). CONCLUSIONS: GlycA
      is elevated in MetS, and may represent a quantitative measure of a pro
      inflammatory state. Increased levels of glycosylated acute-phase proteins are
      associated with lower bilirubin in MetS.

PMID- 26129881
TI  - Direct comparison of the diagnostic accuracy between blood and cerebrospinal
      fluid procalcitonin levels in patients with meningitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical utility of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
      procalcitonin (PCT) for the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis (BM) among patients
      with suspected meningitis. METHODS: Patients with meningitis-like symptoms
      (n=120), admitted to the Second People's Hospital of Wuxi or the Changhai
      Hospital of Shanghai between January 2011 and December 2013, were prospectively
      and consecutively enrolled in this study. BM was finally diagnosed by CSF
      culture, Gram staining, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and
      treatment response. The diagnostic accuracy of the serum and CSF PCT was assessed
      by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The relationship
      between CSF and serum PCT levels as well as the CSF leukocyte count and protein
      level was analyzed by Spearman's correlation analysis. RESULTS: PCT level in both
      the serum and CSF was significantly increased in the BM patients. The area under
      ROC curve of serum PCT for the diagnosis of BM was 0.96 (95% confidence interval
      (CI): 0.93-1.00), significantly higher than that of CSF PCT (0.90, 95% CI: 0.83
      0.96). Using 0.88ng/mL as the threshold, the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity,
      and accuracy of serum PCT for the diagnosis of BM were 0.87 (95% CI, 0.73-0.95),
      1.00 (95% CI, 0.95-1.00), and 95%, respectively. The serum PCT level was
      positively correlated with the CSF PCT level, leukocyte count, and protein level.
      CONCLUSION: Both the serum and CSF PCT had a high diagnostic value for BM among
      suspected meningitis patients, and serum PCT demonstrated a superior diagnostic
      value compared to CSF PCT.

PMID- 26129882
TI  - Cardiomyocyte injury induced by hemodynamic cardiac stress: Differential release
      of cardiac biomarkers.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: We explored whether hemodynamic cardiac stress leads to a differential
      release of cardiomyocyte injury biomarkers, used in the diagnosis of acute
      myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: In an observational international
      multicenter study, we enrolled 831 unselected patients presenting with symptoms
      suggestive of AMI to the emergency department. The final diagnosis was
      adjudicated by two independent cardiologists. Hemodynamic cardiac stress was
      quantified by levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). Spearman's rho
      correlation was used to analyze the correlations between BNP and high-sensitivity
      cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), Siemens cTnI-Ultra (cTnI-ultra), CK-MB and
      Myoglobin. Patients were categorized according to the extent of hemodynamic
      cardiac stress as quantified by BNP tertiles. RESULTS: Among all patients, the
      positive pair-wise correlation with BNP was strongest with hs-cTnT and cTnI-ultra
      (r=0.58 and 0.50, respectively), moderate for Myoglobin (r=0.43), and weakest
      with CK-MB (r=0.25; p<0.001 for each). Similar pattern of correlations was also
      observed among AMI patients. Among patients diagnosed with non-cardiac cause of
      chest pain (n=385, 46%) and cardiac but non-coronary (n=109, 13%), BNP had
      significant positive correlations with hs-cTnT, cTnI-ultra and Myoglobin
      (p<0.05), but not with CK-MB (p=NS). A similar pattern of stronger correlation
      between BNP and hs-cTnT, cTnI-ultra and Myoglobin as compared to that with CK-MB
      was also observed within the higher BNP tertile range. There was no correlation
      between BNP and other biomarkers within the 1st BNP tertile group. CONCLUSION:
      Hemodynamic cardiac stress, as quantified by BNP, as a likely cause of
      cardiomyocyte injury, is more closely reflected by concentrations of hs-cTnT,
      cTnI-ultra and Myoglobin than CK-MB.

PMID- 26129883
TI  - Up-regulation of miR-138 inhibits hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via
      down-regulating lipocalin-2 expression.
AB  - Hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis contributes significantly to the
      development of numerous cardiac diseases, such as ischemic heart disease, heart
      failure, etc. Promoting cell survival by inhibiting apoptosis is one of the
      available strategies to attenuate cardiac dysfunction caused by cardiomyocyte
      loss. Previous studies have been demonstrated that miR-138 and lipocalin-2 (Lcn2)
      play important roles in cardiomyocyte apoptosis and survival. We presently
      determined whether Lcn2 is a target gene of miR-138 involved in hypoxia-induced
      cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Firstly, mimics of miR-138 were transfected into HL-1
      cells to investigate its effect on cell apoptosis. Using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol
      2-y1) 2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometer
      assays, over-expression of miR-138 significantly enhanced the cell growth and
      significantly attenuated the cell apoptosis in hypoxic conditions. Dual
      luciferase reporter gene and western blot results confirmed Lcn2 was a direct
      target of miR-138. Then, the recombinant plasmid, pcDNA3.1/Lcn2 was transfected
      into the HL-1 cells that over-expressed miR-138. We further observed that the
      over-expression of Lcn2 diminished the protection of miR-138 over-expression from
      hypoxia-induced cell survival and apoptosis. In conclusion, our study
      demonstrated that up-regulation of miR-138 inhibits the hypoxia-induced
      cardiomyocyte apoptosis via down-regulating the pro-apoptotic gene expression of
      Lcn2. 

PMID- 26129884
TI  - Equilibrium of sortase A dimerization on Staphylococcus aureus cell surface
      mediates its cell wall sorting activity.
AB  - Staphylococcus aureus sortase A (SrtA) transpeptidase is a therapeutically
      important membrane-bound enzyme in Gram-positive bacteria, which organizes the
      covalently attached cell surface proteins on the peptidoglycan cell wall of the
      organism. Here, we report the direct observation of the highly selective homo
      dimerization of SrtA on the cell membrane. To address the biological significance
      of the dimerization towards enzyme function, site-directed mutagenesis was
      performed to generate a SrtA mutant, which exists as monomer on the cell
      membrane. We observed that the cell surface display of adhesive proteins in S.
      aureus cells expressing monomeric SrtA mutant is more prominent than the cells
      expressing the wild-type enzyme. A cell-based invasion assay was also performed
      to evaluate the activities of wild-type SrtA and its monomeric mutant as well.
      Our data demonstrated that S. aureus cells expressing SrtA in monomeric form
      invade host mammalian cells more efficiently than those expressing wild-type SrtA
      in dimer-monomer equilibrium. The results suggested that the monomeric form of
      SrtA is more active than the dimeric form of the enzyme in terms of cell surface
      display of virulence factors for infection. This is the first study to present
      the oligomerization of SrtA and its related biological function on the cell
      membrane. Study of SrtA dimerization has implications for understanding its
      catalytic mechanism at the cellular level as well as the development of novel
      anti-infective agents. 

PMID- 26129885
TI  - Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever with hyperbilirubinemia and ascites: An unusual
      presentation.
AB  - Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a fatal systemic viral infection which
      is an important health problem in Turkey. Many systemic symptoms have been
      reported including fever, hemorrhage, headache, fatigue, muscle ache, abdominal
      pain, nausea and vomiting. A 45-year-old male farmer with CCHF presented with
      massive peritoneal effusion and hyperbilirubinemia. To our knowledge, this is the
      first case of peritoneal effusion and hyperbilirubinemia in an adult patient with
      CCHF. His clinical symptoms successfully improved with supportive therapy. In
      patients who live in endemic areas with atypical presentation for the diagnosis
      of CCHF should be kept in mind.

PMID- 26129886
TI  - New Insulating Antiferromagnetic Quaternary Iridates MLa10Ir4O24 (M = Sr, Ba).
AB  - Recently, oxides of Ir(4+) have received renewed attention in the condensed
      matter physics community, as it has been reported that certain iridates have a
      strongly spin-orbital coupled (SOC) electronic state, J eff = 1/2, that defines
      the electronic and magnetic properties. The canonical example is the Ruddlesden
      Popper compound Sr2IrO4, which has been suggested as a potential route to a new
      class of high temperature superconductor due to the formal analogy between J eff
      = 1/2 and the S = 1/2 state of the cuprate superconductors. The quest for other
      iridium oxides that present tests of the underlying SOC physics is underway. In
      this spirit, here we report the synthesis and physical properties of two new
      quaternary tetravalent iridates, MLa10Ir4O24 (M = Sr, Ba). The crystal structure
      of both compounds features isolated IrO6 octahedra in which the electronic
      configuration of Ir is d(5). Both compounds order antiferromagnetically despite
      the lack of obvious superexchange pathways, and resistivity measurement shows
      that SrLa10Ir4O24 is an insulator.

PMID- 26129887
TI  - Does vaginal douching affect the type of candidal vulvovaginal infection?
AB  - The normal vaginal microbiota is a dynamic system that continually fluctuates
      under the environmental changes and different physiological conditions. Yeast
      infections of the vagina are caused by one of the species of fungus called
      Candida (C.). The study aimed to evaluate the types of mycobiota in women with
      vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) who were performing vaginal douching (VD) or not.
      Furthermore, it studied the antifungal sensitivity toward different fungi
      isolated from the vagina. In a cross-sectional study conducted in Assiut
      University Hospital, Egypt, women with VVC were interviewed regarding relevant
      history including the habit of VD. Vaginal swabs were obtained and processed by
      direct microscope and by culture on CHROMagar Candida and other differential
      media. The types of Candida in women with the habit of VD were compared with
      those not having this habit. We found that VD habit was practiced by 67.4% of
      women with VVC, and Candida albicans was the commonest (78.3%) type observed.
      There was no significant difference in the percentage of non-albicans types
      between women performing VD (23.6%) and those not reporting this habit (18.9%).
      Harboring non-albicans types were significantly increased in regular performers
      of VD compared with those who had this procedure only after sexual intercourse or
      after the end of menstruation (36.8%,12.5%, and 16.7%, respectively) (P = .048).
      Thus, vaginal douching does not influence the type of Candida infection involved
      in VVC. Frequent performance of VD increases the likelihood of having non
      albicans types and the resistance to the common antifungal agents. 

PMID- 26129888
TI  - Temporal changes in the skin Malassezia microbiota of members of the Japanese
      Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE): A case study in Antarctica as a pseudo
      space environment.
AB  - The International Space Station (ISS) is located approximately 400 km above the
      Earth. Astronauts staying at the ISS are under microgravity and are thus unable
      to bathe or shower; instead, they wash their bodies using wet tissues. For
      astronauts, skin hygiene management is important to maintain the quality of life
      during long-term stays on the ISS. In Antarctica, members of a Japanese
      geological investigation team negotiate their way over land using snowmobiles.
      During their 3-month stay, they are subject to a "pseudo-space" environment
      similar to that experienced by ISS astronauts, including the inability to bathe
      or shower. In this study, temporal changes in the colonization levels of skin
      lipophilic fungi, Malassezia were investigated in 16 team members. Compared to
      the levels before their trip to Antarctica, the fold changes in Malassezia
      colonization levels during the researchers' stay in Antarctica were in the range
      of 3.0 +/- 1.9 to 5.3 +/- 7.5 in cheek samples, 8.9 +/- 10.6 to 22.2 +/- 40.0 in
      anterior chest samples, 6.2 +/- 5.4 to 16.9 +/- 25.5 in behind-the-ear samples,
      and 1.7 +/- 0.9 to 17.4 +/- 33.4 in sole-of-the-foot samples. On the scalp, the
      level of Malassezia colonization increased dramatically, by 96.7 +/- 113.8 to
      916.9 +/- 1251.5 fold. During their stay in Antarctica, the team members
      experienced itchy scalps and produced a large number of scales. The relative
      proportions of Malassezia globosa and M. restricta shifted to seborrheic
      dermatitis/dandruff types. These results provide useful information for the
      development of skin hygiene management plans for astronauts staying at the ISS. 

PMID- 26129889
TI  - Dectin-2 polymorphism associated with pulmonary cryptococcosis in HIV-uninfected
      Chinese patients.
AB  - Dectin-2 is a C-type lectin receptor that can recognize critical structures of
      fungi and involve in the host immune response after pulmonary fungal infections.
      We aimed to investigate the association between Dectin-2 genetic polymorphisms
      and cryptococcosis among a series of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
      uninfected Chinese patients. In this case control study, a total of 251 patients
      with cryptococcosis and 464 healthy controls were included. One tag-single
      nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs11045418) located at 5'-flanking region of
      Dectin-2 gene was selected and genotyped in this study. Among 251 patients, there
      were 108 (43%) meningitis patients including 73 (67.7%) healthy ones, 74 (29.5%)
      pulmonary infected patients including 49 (66.2%) healthy ones, and 69 (27.5%)
      patients with both neural and pulmonary infection including 38 (55.1%)
      immunocompetent ones. One hundred and forty-three (74 plus 69) patients with
      pulmonary cryptococcosis and 177 (108 plus 69) patients with cryptococcal
      meningitis were compared with controls, respectively. Three samples from 143
      pulmonary infected patients failed in genotyping. There was a significant
      difference between 86 immunocompetent pulmonary infected patients and controls in
      the overdominant model (C/T vs. T/T + C/C; OR, 0.59; 95%CI, 0.37-0.94; P, .026).
      Similar but not significant difference was found between the overall pulmonary
      infected patients and the controls in the overdominant model (OR, 0.77; 95%CI,
      0.52-1.12; P, .17). No such difference was found between controls and patients
      with cryptococcal meningitis. Our study firstly showed a genetic association
      between Dectin-2 and pulmonary cryptococcosis. 

PMID- 26129890
TI  - Effects of host response and antifungal therapy on serum and BAL levels of
      galactomannan and (1->3)-beta-D-glucan in experimental invasive pulmonary
      aspergillosis.
AB  - Galactomannan and (1->3)-beta-D-glucan are useful biomarkers of invasive
      pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). However, the effects of immunosuppression on
      levels of galactomannan or (1->3)-beta-D-glucan in IPA are not well understood or
      quantified. We therefore studied the simultaneous levels of galactomannan and (1
      >3)-beta-D-glucan in two rabbit models of experimental IPA: (1) AraC-induced
      neutropenia in untreated (UC-AraC) and liposomal amphotericin B-treated (LAMB
      AraC) rabbits; and (2) nonneutropenic cyclosporine-methylprednisolone
      immunosuppression in untreated (UC-CsA+M) and LAMB-treated (LAMB-CsA+M) rabbits.
      Simultaneous levels of galactomannan and (1->3)-beta-D-glucan were determined in
      bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and serial serum specimens and correlated with
      pulmonary host response. Serum galactomannan index (GMI) and (1->3)-beta-D-glucan
      concentration-time-curves were higher in UC-AraC vs. UC-CsA+M (Mann-Whitney U
      test, P < .05). Serum galactomannan and (1->3)-beta-D-glucan in treatment groups
      demonstrated therapeutic responses with similarly lower levels in comparison to
      UC (P < .01) in both models. Host differences did not affect BAL fluid GMI or (1
      >3)-beta-D-glucan but did affect galactomannan and (1->3)-beta-D-glucan levels in
      serum. The higher serum GMI and (1->3)-beta-D-glucan concentration-time-curves in
      UC-AraC correlated with extensive pulmonary infiltration by angioinvasive hyphae
      and minimal inflammation, while the lower concentration-time-curves in UC-CsA+M
      were associated with shorter and fewer hyphae in lung tissue and an intensive
      neutrophil response to Aspergillus hyphae. Thus, serum levels of galactomannan
      and (1->3)-beta-D-glucan in IPA depended upon immunosuppression, which also
      affected severity of infection and hyphal morphology, while BAL fluid
      galactomannan and (1->3)-beta-D-glucan were sensitive biomarkers not affected by
      host response. 

PMID- 26129891
TI  - Discovery of a sexual stage in Trichophyton onychocola, a presumed geophilic
      dermatophyte isolated from toenails of patients with a history of T. rubrum
      onychomycosis.
AB  - Trichophyton onychocola is a recently described geophilic dermatophyte that has
      been isolated from a toenail of Czech patient with a history of onychomycosis due
      to T. rubrum and clinical suspicion of relapse. In this study, we report a
      similar case from Denmark in an otherwise healthy 56-year-old man. The patient
      had a history of great toenail infection caused by T. rubrum in 2004 and
      presented with suspected relapse in 2011 and 2013. Trichophyton onychocola was
      the only microbial agent isolated at the second visit in 2013 and the
      identification was confirmed by DNA sequencing. Direct microscopic nail
      examination was positive for hyphae, however the etiological significance of T.
      onychocola was not supported by repeated isolation of the fungus. This new
      species may be an overlooked geophilic species due to the resemblance to some
      common species, for example, zoophilic T. interdigitale or some species of
      geophilic dermatophytes. We included differential diagnosis with phenotypically
      similar species; however, it is recommended that molecular methods are used for
      correct identification. The MAT locus of Danish strain was of opposite mating
      type than in the previously isolated Czech strain and the two isolates were
      successfully mated. The mating experiments with related heterothallic species T.
      thuringiense and Arthroderma melis were negative. The sexual state showed all
      typical signs of arthroderma-morph and is described by using optical as well as
      scanning electron microscopy. The sexual state was induced on a set of agar
      media, however low cultivation temperature and the presence of keratin source
      were crucial for the success rather than formulation of medium. 

PMID- 26129892
TI  - Characterization and genetic variability of feed-borne and clinical animal/human
      Aspergillus fumigatus strains using molecular markers.
AB  - Aspergillus fumigatus, the major etiological agent of human and animal
      aspergillosis, is a toxigenic fungus largely regarded as a single species by
      macroscopic and microscopic features. However, molecular studies have
      demonstrated that several morphologically identified A. fumigatus strains might
      be genetically distinct. This work was aimed to apply PCR-restriction length
      fragment polymorphisms (PCR-RFLP) and random amplification of polymorphic DNA
      (RAPD) molecular markers to characterize a set of feed-borne and clinical A.
      fumigatus sensu lato strains isolated from Argentina and Brazil and to determine
      and compare their genetic variability. All A. fumigatus strains had the same band
      profile and those typical of A. fumigatus sensu stricto positive controls by PCR
      RFLP. Moreover, all Argentinian and Brazilian strains typified by RAPD showed
      similar band patterns to each other and to A. fumigatus sensu stricto reference
      strains regardless of their isolation source (animal feeds or human/animal
      clinical cases) and geographic origin. Genetic similarity coefficients ranged
      from 0.61 to 1.00, but almost all isolates showed 78% of genetic similarly
      suggesting that genetic variability was found at intraspecific level. Finally,
      benA sequencing confirmed its identification as A. fumigatus sensu stricto
      species. These results suggest that A. fumigatus sensu stricto is a predominant
      species into Aspergillus section Fumigati found in animal environments as well as
      in human/animal clinical cases, while other species may be rarely isolated. The
      strains involved in human and animal aspergillosis could come from the
      environment where this fungus is frequently found. Rural workers and animals
      would be constantly exposed. 

PMID- 26129893
TI  - Brain calcification process and phenotypes according to age and sex: Lessons from
      SLC20A2, PDGFB, and PDGFRB mutation carriers.
AB  - Primary Familial Brain Calcification (PFBC) is a dominantly inherited cerebral
      microvascular calcifying disorder with diverse neuropsychiatric expression. Three
      causative genes have been identified: SLC20A2, PDGFRB and, recently, PDGFB, whose
      associated phenotype has not yet been extensively studied. We included in the
      largest published case series of genetically confirmed PFBC, 19 PDGFB (including
      three new mutations), 24 SLC20A2 (including 4 new mutations), and 14 PDGFRB
      mutation carriers, from two countries (France and Brazil). We studied clinical
      features and applied our visual rating scale on all 49 available CT scans. Among
      the symptomatic mutation carriers (33/57, 58%), the three most frequently
      observed categories of clinical features were psychiatric signs (72.7%, 76.5%,
      and 80% for PDGFB, SLC20A2, and PDGFRB, respectively), movement disorders (45.5%,
      76.5%, and 40%), and cognitive impairment (54.6%, 64.7%, and 40%). The median age
      of clinical onset was 31 years, 25% had an early onset (before 18) and 25% a
      later onset (after 53). Patients with an early clinical onset exhibited mostly
      isolated psychiatric or cognitive signs, while patients with a later onset
      exhibited mostly movement disorders, especially in association with other
      clinical features. CT scans rating allowed identifying four patterns of
      calcification. The total calcification score was best predicted by the combined
      effects of gene (SLC20A2 > PDGFB > PDGFRB mutations), sex (male), and
      (increasing) age, defining three risk classes, which correlated with the four
      patterns of calcification. These calcification patterns could reflect the natural
      history of the calcifying process, with distinct risk classes characterized by
      different age at onset or rate of progression.

PMID- 26129895
TI  - Demystifying the Search Button: A Comprehensive PubMed Search Strategy for
      Performing an Exhaustive Literature Review.
AB  - A thorough review of the literature is the basis of all research and evidence
      based practice. A gold-standard efficient and exhaustive search strategy is
      needed to ensure all relevant citations have been captured and that the search
      performed is reproducible. The PubMed database comprises both the MEDLINE and non
      MEDLINE databases. MEDLINE-based search strategies are robust but capture only
      89% of the total available citations in PubMed. The remaining 11% include the
      most recent and possibly relevant citations but are only searchable through less
      efficient techniques. An effective search strategy must employ both the MEDLINE
      and the non-MEDLINE portion of PubMed to ensure all studies have been identified.
      The robust MEDLINE search strategies are used for the MEDLINE portion of the
      search. Usage of the less robust strategies is then efficiently confined to
      search only the remaining 11% of PubMed citations that have not been indexed for
      MEDLINE. The current article offers step-by-step instructions for building such a
      search exploring methods for the discovery of medical subject heading (MeSH)
      terms to search MEDLINE, text-based methods for exploring the non-MEDLINE
      database, information on the limitations of convenience algorithms such as the
      "related citations feature," the strengths and pitfalls associated with commonly
      used filters, the proper usage of Boolean operators to organize a master search
      strategy, and instructions for automating that search through "MyNCBI" to receive
      search query updates by email as new citations become available. 

PMID- 26129894
TI  - A Rac/Cdc42 exchange factor complex promotes formation of lateral filopodia and
      blood vessel lumen morphogenesis.
AB  - During angiogenesis, Rho-GTPases influence endothelial cell migration and cell
      cell adhesion; however it is not known whether they control formation of vessel
      lumens, which are essential for blood flow. Here, using an organotypic system
      that recapitulates distinct stages of VEGF-dependent angiogenesis, we show that
      lumen formation requires early cytoskeletal remodelling and lateral cell-cell
      contacts, mediated through the RAC1 guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF)
      DOCK4 (dedicator of cytokinesis 4). DOCK4 signalling is necessary for lateral
      filopodial protrusions and tubule remodelling prior to lumen formation, whereas
      proximal, tip filopodia persist in the absence of DOCK4. VEGF-dependent Rac
      activation via DOCK4 is necessary for CDC42 activation to signal filopodia
      formation and depends on the activation of RHOG through the RHOG GEF, SGEF. VEGF
      promotes interaction of DOCK4 with the CDC42 GEF DOCK9. These studies identify a
      novel Rho-family GTPase activation cascade for the formation of endothelial cell
      filopodial protrusions necessary for tubule remodelling, thereby influencing
      subsequent stages of lumen morphogenesis. 

PMID- 26129896
TI  - Placement of a Magnetic Small Bowel Feeding Tube at the Bedside.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Current methods of achieving postpyloric enteral access for feeding
      are fraught with difficulties, which can markedly delay enteral feeding and cause
      complications. Bedside tube placement has a low success rate, often requires
      several radiographs to confirm position, and delays feeding by many hours.
      Although postpyloric enteral tubes can reliably be placed in interventional
      radiology (IR), this involves greater resource utilization, delays, cost, and
      inconvenience. We assessed the utility of bedside enteral tube placement using a
      magnetic feeding tube (Syncro-BlueTube; Syncro Medical Innovations, Macon, GA,
      USA) as a means to facilitate initial tube placement. METHODS: We recorded the
      time to insertion, location of tube, success rate, and need for radiographs in a
      series of patients given magnetic feeding tubes (n = 46) inserted by our
      hospitalist service over an 8-month interval. RESULTS: Of the 46 attempted
      magnetic tube placements, 76% were successfully placed in the postpyloric
      position, 13% were in the stomach, and 11% could not be placed. In 83% of the
      magnetic tubes, only 1 radiograph was needed for confirmation. The median time to
      placement was 12 minutes (range, 4-120 minutes). CONCLUSION: The use of a
      magnetic feeding tube can increase the success rate of bedside postpyloric
      placement, decrease the time to successful placement, and decrease the need for
      supplemental radiographs and IR.

PMID- 26129897
TI  - Oral Citrulline Mitigates Inflammation and Jejunal Damage via the Inactivation of
      Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase and Nuclear Factor-kappaB in Intestinal Ischemia
      and Reperfusion.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Intestinal ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) is a life-threatening
      emergency accompanied by inflammation and organ damage. We compared the
      mechanisms and the effects of arginine, citrulline, and glutamine on inflammation
      and intestinal damage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Wistar rats underwent 60
      minutes of superior mesenteric artery occlusion and either 3 (I/R3) or 24 (I/R24)
      hours of reperfusion and were orally administered vehicle, arginine, citrulline,
      or glutamine 15 minutes before reperfusion and at 3, 9, and 21 hours of
      reperfusion. RESULTS: I/R3 rats experienced jejunal damage and apoptosis, and
      I/R24 rats had liver dysfunction compared with normal rats (one-way ANOVA, P <
      .05). Arginine and citrulline administrations improved jejunal morphology, and
      citrulline and glutamine administrations alleviated the loss of jejunal mass in
      I/R3 rats. I/R3-increased circulating nitrate/nitrite (NOx), tumor necrosis
      factor-alpha, and interleukin-6 were significantly decreased by citrulline,
      glutamine and citrulline, and arginine, glutamine, and citrulline, respectively.
      These amino acids decreased plasma NOx and interferon-gamma in I/R24, decreased
      jejunal neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS) protein in I/R3 rats, and alleviated
      jejunal apoptosis in I/R3 and I/R24 rats. In addition, the jejunal phosphorylated
      to total nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) ratio was decreased by arginine and
      citrulline in I/R24 rats. CONCLUSION: Oral administration of arginine,
      citrulline, and glutamine may alleviate systemic inflammation, jejunal apoptosis,
      and neuronal NOS in intestinal I/R. Citrulline may further attenuate jejunal
      damage by preserving jejunal mass, partially via the inactivation of NOS and the
      NF-kappaB pathway. In conclusion, oral citrulline may have more benefits than
      arginine and glutamine in mitigating intestinal ischemia and reperfusion-induced
      adverse effects.

PMID- 26129898
TI  - Effects of electro-acupuncture at Tongli (HT 5) and Xuanzhong (GB 39) acupoints
      from functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the specifificity of Tongli (HT 5) and Xuanzhong (GB 39)
      paired acupionts in aspects of Deqi sensation and brain activation patterns
      during electroacupuncture. METHODS: In this study, 15 healthy subjects were
      enrolled. All participants suffered two kinds of functional magnetic resonance
      imaging (fMRI) examinations randomly: Examination A received electro-acupuncture
      (EA) at the bilateral Tongli (HT5) and Xuanzhong (GB 39) acupoints (ACU), and
      examination B received EA at bilateral non-acupoints (NAP). The subjects reported
      the feeling of Deqi at each examination later respectively. A multi-voxel pattern
      analysis method and Statistical Program for Social Sciences were used to analyze
      the data. RESULTS: The ACU group (Exam A) reported fullness, heaviness, numbness,
      soreness and throbbing of signifificantly greater intensity than the NAP group
      (Exam B). In addition, there was no statistical signifificance between two groups
      in aching, tingling, deep pressure, sharp pain, dull pain, warmness and cold.
      Meanwhile, fMRI data revealed differences between two groups in discriminating
      accuracy of brain somatosensory cortex and language-related cortices.
      CONCLUSIONS: Needling HT 5 and GB 39 may modulate language function through a
      complex brain network, suggesting that it may be benefificial to the recovery of
      language function in patients with aphasia.

PMID- 26129899
TI  - Can Ashi points stimulation have specific effects on shoulder pain? A systematic
      review of randomized controlled trials.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To provide an evidence-based overview regarding the efficacy of Ashi
      points stimulation for the treatment of shoulder pain. METHODS: A comprehensive
      search [PubMed, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge
      Infrastructure (CNKI), Chongqing Weipu Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals
      (VIP) and Wanfang Database] was conducted to identify randomized or quasi
      randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effectiveness of Ashi points
      stimulation for shoulder pain compared with conventional treatment. The
      methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane
      risk of bias tool. RevMan 5.0 was used for data synthesis. RESULTS: Nine trials
      were included. Seven studies assessed the effectiveness of Ashi points
      stimulation on response rate compared with conventional acupuncture. Their
      results suggested significant effect in favour of Ashi points stimulation [odds
      ratio (OR): 5.89, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.97 to 11.67, P<0.01,
      heterogeneity: chi(2) =3.81, P=0.70, I (2) =0% ]. One trial compared Ashi points
      stimulation with drug therapy. The result showed there was a significantly
      greater recovery rate in group of Ashi points stimulation (OR: 9.58, 95% CI: 2.69
      to 34.12). One trial compared comprehensive treatment on the myofascial trigger
      points (MTrPs) with no treatment and the result was in favor of MTrPs.
      CONCLUSIONS: Ashi points stimulation might be superior to conventional
      acupuncture, drug therapy and no treatment for shoulder pain. However, due to the
      low methodological quality of included studies, a firm conclusion could not be
      reached until further studies of high quality are available.

PMID- 26129900
TI  - Dalitong granule combined with electroacupuncture in the treatment of functional
      dyspepsia: A randomized controlled trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore clinical short and long-term effect of combining dalitong
      granule (DG) and electroacupuncture group (EA) in the treatment of functional
      dyspepsia. METHODS: Totally 640 patients with confirmed functional dyspepsia were
      randomly divided into 4 groups using a randomized digital table: the DG group,
      the EA group, the combined group and the control group, 160 cases in each group.
      The DG group was treated with 6 g DG 3 times daily; the EA group was treated with
      puncture of points Zusanli (ST36), Zhongwan (CV12), Neiguan (PC6), Taichong (LR3)
      and Gongsun (SP4) twice daily; the combined group with above-mentioned DG and EA;
      and the control group with 5 mg mosapride 3 times, 20 mg pantoprazole and 25 mg
      amitriptylines twice daily. The treatment course was 4 weeks for all groups. The
      symptom score, quality of life score by Short Form 36 Health Survey
      Questionnaires (SF-36), plasma motilin by radioimmunoassay, electrogastrographic
      frequencies by electrogastrogram (EGG) and gastric emptying by B-sonography were
      examined, and adverse reactions were observed before, at the end of treatment and
      60 weeks post-treatment. RESULTS: In the DG group 1 case dropped out for not
      taking medicine strictly and 1 case was lost to follow-up, while 1 case in the EA
      group and 2 cases in the combined therapy group were lost to follow-up. Compared
      with pre-treatment, quality of life score, plasma motilin, electrogastrographic
      frequencies and gastric emptying were all increased significantly, while symptom
      score was decreased significantly at the end of treatment in each group (P<0.01);
      in the combined group quality of life score, plasma motilin, electrogastrographic
      frequencies and gastric emptying were all significantly higher than those in the
      other groups, while symptom score was significantly lower than in the other
      groups (P<0.05). Compared with at the end of treatment, these indices changed
      insignificantly in the combined group and the EA group 60 weeks post-treatment
      (P>0.05), but the 4 increased indices were all decreased significantly, and
      symptom score was increased significantly in the DG and the control groups
      (P>0.05). The short and long-term total effective rates in the combined group
      were all significantly higher than those in the other treatment groups (P<0.05 or
      P<0.01). No serious adverse reaction occurred in the four groups. CONCLUSION:
      Combined treatment of DG and EA could increase both plasma motilin and
      electrogastrographic frequencies, promote gastric emptying, alleviate the symptom
      of dyspepsia so as to increase quality of life, with better safety and long-term
      effect.

PMID- 26129901
TI  - In vitro antifungal activity of some traditional Persian medicinal plants on
      pathogenic fungi.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antifungal activities of the extracts and sub
      fractions of Phlomis olivieri, Verbascum speciosum, Sambucus ebulus and Erigeron
      hyrcanicus, four Persian medicinal plants used in Iranian folk medicine. METHODS:
      Evaluation of the antifungal activity was performed on the clinical isolates of
      pathogenic fungi including Aspergillus fumigatus, A. flavus, Trichophyton
      mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, T. verrucosum, Microsporum canis, M. gypseum and
      Epidermophyton floccosum, and the yeast Candida albicans. The susceptibility
      tests were done by agar well diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory
      concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of active extracts
      and sub-fractions were measured using method of National Committee for Clinical
      Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). RESULTS: Only P. olivieri sub-fractions were found
      to have fungicidal activity among the other investigated plants. The MIC and MFC
      was found to be high in petroleum ether, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions
      (100 and 200 mg/mL) against the studied pathogenic fungi and the yeast Candida
      albicans. P. olivieri sub-fractions significantly inhibited the growth of all
      pathogenic fungi and the yeast studied. CONCLUSION: If the antifungal activity of
      P. olivieri is confirmed by in vivo studies and if the responsible compound (s)
      is isolated and identified, it could be a good remedy for mycotic infections.

PMID- 26129903
TI  - Benthic plastic debris in marine and fresh water environments.
AB  - This review provides a discussion of the published literature concerning benthic
      plastic debris in ocean, sea, lake, estuary and river bottoms throughout the
      world. Although numerous investigations of shoreline, surface and near-surface
      plastic debris provide important information on plastic types, distribution,
      accumulation, and degradation, studies of submerged plastic debris have been
      sporadic in the past and have become more prominent only recently. The
      distribution of benthic debris is controlled mainly by combinations of urban
      proximity and its association with fishing-related activities, geomorphology,
      hydrological conditions, and river input. High density plastics, biofouled
      products, polymers with mineral fillers or adsorbed minerals, and plastic-metal
      composites all have the potential to sink. Once deposited on the bottoms of water
      basins and channels, plastics are shielded from UV light, thus slowing the
      degradation process significantly. Investigations of the interactions between
      benthic plastic debris and bottom-dwelling organisms will help shed light on the
      potential dangers of submerged plastic litter. 

PMID- 26129902
TI  - Influence of Yanyankang Powder on Th1/Th2 in rats with experimental autoimmune
      uveitis.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of Yanyankang powder on Th1/Th2 in rats with
      experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). METHODS: The EAU models were induced in
      Lewis rats by immunization with interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein
      (IRBP) 1177-1191 in complete Freund's adjuvant. The rats were randomly divided
      into 3 groups: a model control group, a Yanyankang group, and a prednisone group,
      9 rats in each group. The model control group was intervened with saline solution
      by gavage. The Yanyankang group was intervened with Yanyankang powder 4 g/(kg
      day) by gavage. The prednisone group were intervened with prednisone acetate
      tablets 5 mg/(kg d) by gavage. All groups were intervened after immunization once
      every 2 days for 18 days and monitored by slit-lamp biomicroscopy daily until day
      18. The levels of gamma interferon (INF-gamma) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the
      supernatants of T cells were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
      Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology was used for measuring Th1 and Th2
      related cytokine mRNA expressions. RESULTS: Slighter intraocular inflammation was
      found in the Yanyankang group and the prednisone group than the control group.
      The levels of the IFN-gamma and IL-10 in the supernatants of the spleen lymph
      node cells were 382.33+/-6.30, 155.87+/-4.46 MUg/L in the Yanyankang group and
      270.93+/-7.76, 265.32+/-11.88 MUg/L in the prednisone group. Both had significant
      differences compared with the control group (941.53+/-8.59, 20.67+/-4.65 MUg/L;
      =0.01). The PCR results showed the same tendency. CONCLUSION: Yanyankang powder
      showed favorable effects in the rats with EAU by influencing the function of Th1
      and Th2 cells.

PMID- 26129905
TI  - Application of SCOPE-C to Measure Social Inclusion Among Mental Health Services
      Users in Hong Kong.
AB  - This study describes the construction of the Chinese version of the Social and
      Communities Opportunities Profile (SCOPE), henceforth, the SCOPE-C, to measure
      social inclusion among mental health services users in Hong Kong. The SCOPE-C was
      developed based on concept-mapping and benchmarking of census questions. The
      questionnaire consisted of 56 items, went through a standardized linguistic
      validation process and was pilot tested with qualitative feedback from five users
      of mental health services. Altogether 168 Chinese service users were recruited
      through various NGO mental health services to have three times face-to-face
      interview between October 2013 and July 2014. Results indicated that items
      related to satisfaction with opportunities and perceived opportunities in various
      social domains had high consistency. Nearly all the Kappa statistics and Pearson
      correlation coefficients between the baseline and two rounds of re-test were
      significant. The SCOPE-C was considered a valid instrument for Hong Kong mental
      health user population.

PMID- 26129907
TI  - Freezability of Andalusian donkey (Equus asinus) spermatozoa: effect of extenders
      and permeating cryoprotectants.
AB  - The aim of this study was to compare the effect of two semen extenders and four
      permeating cryoprotectants on post-thaw sperm quality of Andalusian donkeys.
      First, 32 ejaculates were pooled, split and frozen in either Gent B or INRA 96
      with egg yolk and glycerol. Second, 12 pooled semen samples were simultaneously
      frozen in Gent B (glycerol) or Gent A containing ethylene glycol (EG; 1 or 1.5%)
      or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO; 1.5 or 2%). Finally, nine pooled samples were
      simultaneously cryopreserved in Gent A containing 1% EG (as control),
      dimethylformamide (DMFA; 1 or 2.5%) or a combination of 1% EG and 1.5% DMFA. Gent
      B yielded a higher (P<0.01) post-thaw sperm motility than modified INRA96. EG 1%
      increased the sperm membrane integrity (P<0.001), whereas DMSO affected sperm
      motility and membrane integrity (P<0.001). DMFA 2.5% yielded higher (P<0.001)
      values for sperm motility and membrane integrity. We concluded that Gent B
      improves in vitro post-thaw sperm quality of donkey spermatozoa, but the
      replacement of glycerol with 1% EG or 2.5% DMFA increased sperm protection
      against cryodamage. The use of DMSO for freezing donkey semen was unsuccessful
      and a toxic effect is suspected. These extenders should be included in the pre
      freeze test for each donkey.

PMID- 26129906
TI  - Genetics-Based Population Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Risperidone in
      a Psychiatric Cohort.
AB  - BACKGROUND: High interindividual variability in plasma concentrations of
      risperidone and its active metabolite, 9-hydroxyrisperidone, may lead to
      suboptimal drug concentration. OBJECTIVE: Using a population pharmacokinetic
      approach, we aimed to characterize the genetic and non-genetic sources of
      variability affecting risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone pharmacokinetics, and
      relate them to common side effects. METHODS: Overall, 150 psychiatric patients
      (178 observations) treated with risperidone were genotyped for common
      polymorphisms in NR1/2, POR, PPARalpha, ABCB1, CYP2D6 and CYP3A genes. Plasma
      risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone were measured, and clinical data and common
      clinical chemistry parameters were collected. Drug and metabolite concentrations
      were analyzed using non-linear mixed effect modeling (NONMEM((r))). Correlations
      between trough concentrations of the active moiety (risperidone plus 9
      hydroxyrisperidone) and common side effects were assessed using logistic
      regression and linear mixed modeling. RESULTS: The cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6
      phenotype explained 52% of interindividual variability in risperidone
      pharmacokinetics. The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of the active
      moiety was found to be 28% higher in CYP2D6 poor metabolizers compared with
      intermediate, extensive and ultrarapid metabolizers. No other genetic markers
      were found to significantly affect risperidone concentrations. 9
      hydroxyrisperidone elimination was decreased by 26% with doubling of age. A
      correlation between trough predicted concentration of the active moiety and
      neurologic symptoms was found (p = 0.03), suggesting that a concentration >40
      ng/mL should be targeted only in cases of insufficient, or absence of, response.
      CONCLUSIONS: Genetic polymorphisms of CYP2D6 play an important role in
      risperidone, 9-hydroxyrisperidone and active moiety plasma concentration
      variability, which were associated with common side effects. These results
      highlight the importance of a personalized dosage adjustment during risperidone
      treatment.

PMID- 26129909
TI  - Effects of Louisiana crude oil on the sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus)
      during a life-cycle exposure to laboratory oiled sediment.
AB  - Determining the long-term effects of crude oil exposure is critical for
      ascertaining population-level ecological risks of spill events. A 19-week
      complete life-cycle experiment was conducted with the estuarine sheepshead minnow
      (Cyprinodon variegatus) exposed to reference (uncontaminated) sediment spiked
      with laboratory weathered South Louisiana crude (SLC) oil at five concentrations
      as well as one unspiked sediment control and one seawater (no sediment) control.
      Newly hatched larvae were exposed to the oiled sediments at measured
      concentrations of < 1 (sediment control), 50, 103, 193, 347, and 711 mg total
      polyaromatic hydrocarbons (tPAH)/kg dry sediment. Juveniles were exposed through
      the reproductively active adult phase at measured concentrations of <1 (sediment
      control), 52, 109, 199, 358, and 751 mg tPAH/kg sediment. Throughout the
      exposure, fish were assessed for growth, survival, and reproduction. Resulting F1
      embryos were then collected, incubated, and hatched in clean water to determine
      if parental full life-cycle exposure to oiled sediment produced trans
      generational effects. Larvae experienced significantly reduced standard length (5
      13% reduction) and wet weight (13-35% reduction) at concentrations at and above
      50 and 103 mg tPAH/kg sediment, respectively. At 92 and 132 days post hatch
      (dph), standard length was reduced (7-13% reduction) at 199 and 109 mg tPAH/kg
      dry sediment, respectively, and wet weight for both time periods was reduced at
      concentrations at and above 109 mg tPAH/kg dry sediment (21-38% reduction). A
      significant reduction (51-65%) in F0 fecundity occurred at the two highest test
      concentrations, but no difference was observed in F1 embryo survival. This study
      is the first to report the effects of chronic laboratory exposure to oiled
      sediment, and will assist the development of population models for evaluating
      risk to benthic spawning fish species exposed to oiled sediments. (c) 2015 Wiley
      Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1627-1639, 2016.

PMID- 26129908
TI  - Combined HDAC1 and HDAC2 Depletion Promotes Retinal Ganglion Cell Survival After
      Injury Through Reduction of p53 Target Gene Expression.
AB  - Histones deacetylases (HDACs), besides their function as epigenetic regulators,
      deacetylate and critically regulate the activity of nonhistone targets. In
      particular, HDACs control partially the proapoptotic activity of p53 by balancing
      its acetylation state. HDAC inhibitors have revealed neuroprotective properties
      in different models, but the exact mechanisms of action remain poorly understood.
      We have generated a conditional knockout mouse model targeting retinal ganglion
      cells (RGCs) to investigate specifically the functional role of HDAC1 and HDAC2
      in an acute model of optic nerve injury. Our results demonstrate that combined
      HDAC1 and HDAC2 ablation promotes survival of axotomized RGCs. Based on global
      gene expression analyses, we identified the p53-PUMA apoptosis-inducing axis to
      be strongly activated in axotomized mouse RGCs. Specific HDAC1/2 ablation
      inhibited this apoptotic pathway by impairing the crucial acetylation status of
      p53 and reducing PUMA expression, thereby contributing to the ensuing enhanced
      neuroprotection due to HDAC1/2 depletion. HDAC1/2 inhibition and the affected
      downstream signaling components emerge as specific targets for developing
      therapeutic strategies in neuroprotection. 

PMID- 26129910
TI  - Fluoxetine induces lean phenotype in rat by increasing the brown/white adipose
      tissue ratio and UCP1 expression.
AB  - The serotonergic system plays a crucial role in the energy balance regulation.
      Energy balance is mediated by food intake and caloric expenditure. Thus, the
      present study investigated the mechanisms that might be associated with
      fluoxetine treatment-induced weight reduction. Wistar male rat pups received
      daily injections with subcutaneous fluoxetine (Fx-group) or vehicle solution (Ct
      group) from day 1 until 21 days of age. Several analyses were conducted to verify
      the involvement of mitochondria in weight reduction. We found that body weight in
      the Fx-group was lower compared to control. In association to lower fat mass in
      the Fx-group (25%). Neither neonatal caloric intake nor food intake reveals
      significant differences. Evaluating caloric expenditure (locomotor activity and
      temperature after stimulus), we did not observe differences in locomotor
      activity. However, we observed that the Fx group had a higher capacity to
      maintain body temperature in a cold environment compared with the Ct-group. Since
      brown adipose tissue-(BAT) is specialized for heat production and the rate of
      heat production is related to mitochondrial function, we found that Fx-treatment
      increases respiration by 36%, although after addition of GDP respiration returned
      to Ct-levels. Examining ROS production we observe that Fx-group produced less ROS
      than control group. Evaluating uncoupling protein (UCP) expression we found that
      Fx-treatment increases the expression by 23%. Taken together, our results suggest
      that modulation of serotonin system results in positive modulation of UCP and
      mitochondrial bioenergetics in brown fat tissue.

PMID- 26129911
TI  - Sleep disordered breathing and sleep quality in children with bronchiolitis
      obliterans.
AB  - The incidence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) increases in chronic lung
      diseases. Our aim was to evaluate SDB and sleep quality in children with
      postinfectious bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) and assess associated risk factors.
      We hypothesized that children with BO are at increased risk for SDB and have
      impaired sleep quality. We also hypothesized that severity of SDB and impairment
      of sleep quality is related to the severity of lung disease. Sleep Related
      Breathing Disorder (SRBD) subscale of the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ) and
      Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaires; spirometry, impulse
      oscillometry (IOS), and overnight polysomnography (PSG) were performed. Twenty
      one patients (14 male, median age: 8.3 years) were enrolled. Five patients (25%)
      had a PSQ score of >0.33, predictive of a SDB. Ten patients (48%) had poor sleep
      quality. Four patients (19%) had an OAHI of >1/hr. Nineteen patients (90%) had a
      high desaturation index. Four patients (19%) had a mean oxygen saturation of
      <93%. Median central apnea time was 7.5 (IQR: 6.9-9.1) seconds. Central apnea
      index of the patients correlated positively with R5, R10, R15, R20, Z5, and
      negatively with X10 and X15 at IOS. There was a positive correlation between the
      lowest oxygen saturation and FVC, FEV1 , X5, X10, X15, X20 while there was a
      negative correlation between lowest saturation and the central apnea index at
      PSG, R5, R10, and Z5 at IOS. Mean oxygen saturation during PSG correlated
      positively with FVC, FEV1, FEF(25-75), X5, X10, X15, X20 results. The risk of
      nocturnal hypoxia is increased in patients with BO and correlated to the severity
      of lung disease determined by pulmonary function tests. Although BO patients have
      a shorter duration of central apneas, they are more prone to desaturate.

PMID- 26129912
TI  - Characterization of pseudorabies virus transcriptome by Illumina sequencing.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Pseudorabies virus is a widely-studied model organism of the
      Herpesviridae family, with a compact genome arrangement of 72 known coding
      sequences. In order to obtain an up-to-date genetic map of the virus, a
      combination of RNA-sequencing approaches were applied, as recent advancements in
      high-throughput sequencing methods have provided a wealth of information on novel
      RNA species and transcript isoforms, revealing additional layers of transcriptome
      complexity in several viral species. RESULTS: The total RNA content and
      polyadenylation landscape of pseudorabies virus were characterized for the first
      time at high coverage by Illumina high-throughput sequencing of cDNA samples
      collected during the lytic infectious cycle. As anticipated, nearly all of the
      viral genome was transcribed, with the exception of loci in the large internal
      and terminal repeats, and several small intergenic repetitive sequences. Our
      findings included a small novel polyadenylated non-coding RNA near an origin of
      replication, and the single-base resolution mapping of 3' UTRs across the viral
      genome. Alternative polyadenylation sites were found in a number of genes and a
      novel alternative splice site was characterized in the ep0 gene, while previously
      known splicing events were confirmed, yielding no alternative splice isoforms.
      Additionally, we detected the active polyadenylation of transcripts earlier
      believed to be transcribed as part of polycistronic RNAs. CONCLUSION: To the best
      of our knowledge, the present work has furnished the highest-resolution
      transcriptome map of an alphaherpesvirus to date, and reveals further
      complexities of viral gene expression, with the identification of novel
      transcript boundaries, alternative splicing of the key transactivator EP0, and a
      highly abundant, novel non-coding RNA near the lytic replication origin. These
      advances provide a detailed genetic map of PRV for future research.

PMID- 26129913
TI  - Factors affecting jump performance in professional Australian rules footballers.
AB  - AIM: This study examined factors contributing to jump performance in professional
      Australian Rules Football (ARF) players. METHODS: Thirty-two ARF players
      performed a countermovement jump (CMJ) and were divided into groups based on jump
      performance: high calibre (HC) or low calibre (LC). During CMJ assessment, force,
      rate of force development, movement velocity and power were measured. Physical
      measures included mass, height, age, lower body strength, eccentric utilization
      ratio and leg stiffness (Kleg). HC and LC groups were compared to determine the
      variables contributing to jump performance and correlation and regression
      analyses also aided in identifying such variables. CMJ height was higher in the
      HC group (P<0.001). RESULTS: The HC group demonstrated a higher CMJ velocity
      (9.8%, P=0.004) and CMJ power (14.4%, P=0.042) when compared to the LC group.
      Further, the HC group demonstrated 7.5% higher Kleg than the LC group (P=0.019).
      Spearman's rho correlations demonstrated moderate-large relationships between
      jump height and strength, velocity and power, while the regression analysis
      revealed velocity was the sole predictive variable of jump performance. Jumping
      performance clearly differs within a group of professional ARF athletes.
      CONCLUSION: Movement velocity appears to be an important factor contributing to
      jump performance; however, lower body power and Kleg are also important for jump
      performance.

PMID- 26129914
TI  - Quantification of physical activity using the QAPACE questionnaire: A two stage
      cluster sample design survey of children and adolescents attending urban school.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Quantification of physical activity as energy expenditure is
      important since youth for the prevention of chronic non communicable diseases in
      adulthood. It is necessary to quantify physical activity expressed in daily
      energy expenditure (DEE) in school children and adolescents between 8-16 years,
      by age, gender and socioeconomic level (SEL) in Bogota. METHODS: This is a Two
      Stage Cluster Survey Sample. From a universe of 4700 schools and 760000 students
      from three existing socioeconomic levels in Bogota (low, medium and high). The
      random sample was 20 schools and 1840 students (904 boys and 936 girls).
      Foreshadowing desertion of participants and inconsistency in the questionnaire
      responses, the sample size was increased. Thus, six individuals of each gender
      for each of the nine age groups were selected, resulting in a total sample of
      2160 individuals. Selected students filled the QAPACE questionnaire under
      supervision. The data was analyzed comparing means with multivariate general
      linear model. Fixed factors used were: gender (boys and girls), age (8 to 16
      years old) and tri-strata SEL (low, medium and high); as independent variables
      were assessed: height, weight, leisure time, expressed in hours/day and dependent
      variable: daily energy expenditure DEE (kJ.kg-1.day-1): during leisure time (DEE
      LT), during school time (DEE-ST), during vacation time (DEE-VT), and total mean
      DEE per year (DEEm-TY) RESULTS: Differences in DEE by gender, in boys, LT and all
      DEE, with the SEL all variables were significant; but age-SEL was only
      significant in DEE-VT. In girls, with the SEL all variables were significant. The
      Post-hoc multiple comparisons tests were significant with age using Fisher's
      Least Significant Difference (LSD) test in all variables. For both genders and
      for all SELs the values in girls had the higher value except SEL high (5-6) The
      boys have higher values in DEE-LT, DEE-ST, DEE-VT; except in DEEm-TY in SEL (5-6)
      In SEL (5-6) all DEEs for both genders are highest. For SEL (3-4) all DEEs are
      lowest. CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents in Bogota have less DEE than at
      other latitudes. Girls have more free time but lower energy expenditure in their
      different activities. The socioeconomic level has influence in DEE.

PMID- 26129915
TI  - Physical performance and markers of muscle damage following sport-specific
      sprints in male collegiate soccer players: repeated bout effect.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This is the first study to examine the repeated bout effect (RBE) on
      physical performance parameters in an athletic population. Protocols used by
      previous studies to induce muscle injury and assess performance following injury,
      are dissimilar from those utilized by physically trained individuals or are
      impractical in relation to athletic performance. The present study uses a sport
      specific protocol to study the effects of exercise induced muscle damage (EIMD)
      on physical performance to provide a more systematic analysis of the extent of
      muscle injury. METHODS: Thirty two male collegiate soccer players were randomly
      assigned into either a repeated bout group (N.=16) or control group (N.=16). The
      repeated bout group performed 2 bouts of sport-specific sprints separated by 14
      days. The control group performed a single bout of the same sprint protocol.
      Maximum voluntary isometric contraction for quadriceps (MVCQ) and hamstrings
      (MVCH), knee range of motion (ROM), thigh circumference, muscle soreness, plasma
      creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), in addition to physical
      performance parameters-speed, agility and power were measured before, 24, 48 and
      72 hours following the sprinting bouts. RESULTS: MVCQ, MVCH, ROM, thigh
      circumference, CK, LDH and agility showed significant group x time interaction
      (P<0.05), suggesting lesser decrements and better recovery profile for the
      repeated bout group. Muscle soreness showed a main effect for group (P<0.001).
      CONCLUSIONS: The physical performance parameters (speed, agility and power) are
      less affected by EIMD as compared to other markers and therefore did not
      demonstrate RBE.

PMID- 26129916
TI  - Validation of a new scale to measure perceived exertion in obese adolescents: the
      Childhood Obesity Perceived Exertion (Cope-10) Scale.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to validate a measurement scale for
      perceived exertion, named the Childhood Obesity Perceived Exertion Scale (COPE
      10), by evaluating concurrent validity, reliability and sensitivity in obese
      adolescents. METHODS: Thirty obese adolescents (BMI 36.2+/-0.8 kg.m-2), aged
      14.2+/-0.3 years, performed two incremental exercise tests (maximal followed by
      submaximal) before and after a multidisciplinary obesity management program. To
      standardize workload, physiological variables [heart rate (HR), ventilation (E)
      and gas exchange (O2)] and perceived exertion (RPE) were modelized (fHR, fVE,
      fVO2, fRPE). At a rank of 6 on the COPE-10 Scale (RPE6) and at fixed second
      ventilatory threshold (VT2), we determined respectively the associated power
      (WPRPE6, WPVT2) and HR (HRRPE6, HRVT2). RESULTS: During maximal exercise, we
      observed significant correlations between fRPE and each of fHR (r=0.88 ; r=0.91),
      fVE (r=0.93 ; r=0.94) and fVO2 (r=0.87 ; r=0.89) before and after management
      respectively, indicating the concurrent validity of the COPE-10 Scale to estimate
      exercise intensity in obese adolescents. During submaximal exercise, we observed
      intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.77 before and 0.86 after management,
      showing reliability. After management, WPVT2 and WPRPE6 increased significantly
      (+23W and +21W ; P<0.001), and there was a significant correlation between HRVT2
      and HRRPE6 (r=0.90), illustrating the scale's sensitivity to change. CONCLUSIONS:
      The COPE-10 Scale is a valid tool to measure perceived exertion in obese
      adolescents. This inexpensive and non-invasive instrument could be widely used in
      rehabilitation programs for obese youths.

PMID- 26129917
TI  - Timing characteristics of body segments during the maximal instep kick in
      experienced football players.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The first aim of this study was to describe duration and relative
      timing of the phases of the maximal instep kick. The second aim was to describe
      the concurrence of maximal range of motion, maximal angular acceleration, maximal
      angular deceleration and maximal angular velocity of body segments with four key
      points. METHODS: Twenty experienced football players performed three maximal
      instep kicks. The kicks were analysed using a full body, three-dimensional motion
      capture system. Camera recordings determined kicking leg events. The concurrence
      of peak kinematics of body segments with four key points was calculated. RESULTS:
      Duration and timing of five phases were identified. Key point maximal hip
      extension (51.4+/-5.0%) concurred significantly with maximal range of motion
      (ROM) of shoulder extension. Key point maximal knee flexion (63.6+/-5.2%)
      concurred significantly with maximal angular acceleration of spine flexion and
      pelvis posterior tilt. Key point knee flexion 90 degrees (69.3+/-4.9%) concurred
      significantly with maximal angular velocity of shoulder flexion and spine
      flexion, maximal angular deceleration of hip flexion and maximal angular
      acceleration of knee extension. Key point ball impact (75.2+/-5.2%) concurred
      significantly with maximal ROM of hip deflexion and pelvis anterior rotation and
      with maximal angular deceleration of spine flexion and pelvis anterior rotation.
      CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that eleven peak kinematics of upper body
      and kicking leg segments, significantly concurred with four kicking leg
      positions. These results provide Key points for kicking coordination and stress
      the importance of dynamical coupling as a kicking mechanism.

PMID- 26129918
TI  - Selective Laser Melting Technique of Co-Cr Dental Alloys: A Review of Structure
      and Properties and Comparative Analysis with Other Available Techniques.
AB  - PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to review the effect of selective laser
      melting (SLM) procedure on the properties of dental structures made of Co-Cr
      alloys and to evaluate its quality and compare it to those produced by
      conventional casting and milling fabrication techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A
      computerized database search using PubMed and Scopus was conducted for peer
      reviewed scientific research studies regarding the use of SLM in Co-Cr dental
      alloys with no restrictions for publication years. The search engines provided
      hundreds of results, and only 48 scientific research papers, case studies, or
      literature reviews were considered relevant for this review. RESULTS: The
      innovative manufacturing concept of SLM offers many advantages compared with
      casting and milling fabrication techniques. SLM provides different microstructure
      from casting and milling with minimal internal porosity and internal fitting,
      marginal adaptation, and comparable bond strength to porcelain. Mechanical and
      electrochemical properties of SLM structures are enhanced compared to cast, while
      clinical longevity of single-metal ceramic crowns is comparable to Au-Pt dental
      alloy. CONCLUSION: The SLM technique provides dental prosthetic restorations more
      quickly and less expensively without compromising their quality compared with
      restorations prepared by casting and milling techniques. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE:
      The current SLM devices provide metallic restorations made of Co-Cr alloys for
      removable and fixed partial dentures without compromising the alloy or
      restoration properties at a fraction of the time and cost, showing great
      potential to replace the aforementioned fabrication techniques in the long term;
      however, further clinical studies are essential to increase the acceptance of
      this technology by the worldwide dental community.

PMID- 26129919
TI  - CORRECTION.

PMID- 26129921
TI  - First human magnetic resonance visualisation of prosthetics for laparoscopic
      large hiatal hernia repair.
AB  - PURPOSE: Mesh repair of large hiatal hernias has increasingly gained popularity
      to reduce recurrence rates. Integration of iron particles into the polyvinylidene
      fluoride mesh-based material allows for magnetic resonance visualisation (MR).
      METHODS: In a pilot prospective case series eight patients underwent surgical
      repair of hiatal hernias repair with pre-shaped meshes, which were fixated with
      fibrin glue. An MR investigation with a qualified protocol was performed on
      postoperative day four and 3 months postoperatively to evaluate the correct
      position of the mesh by assessing mesh appearance and demarcation. The total MR
      visible mesh surface area of each implant was calculated and compared with the
      original physical mesh size to evaluate potential reduction of the functional
      mesh surfaces. RESULTS: We documented no mesh migrations or dislocations but we
      found a significant decrease of MR-visualised total mesh surface area after
      release of the pneumoperitoneum compared to the original mesh size (mean 78.9 vs
      84 cm(2); mean reduction of mesh area = 5.1 cm(2), p < 0.001). At 3 months
      postoperatively, a further reduction of the mesh surface area could be observed
      (mean 78.5 vs 78.9 cm(2); mean reduction of mesh area = 0.4 cm(2), p < 0.037).
      CONCLUSION: Detailed mesh depiction and accurate assessment of the surrounding
      anatomy could be successfully achieved in all cases. Fibrin glue seems to provide
      effective mesh fixation. In addition to a significant early postoperative
      decrease in effective mesh surface area a further reduction in size occurred
      within 3 months after implantation.

PMID- 26129922
TI  - Palladium-catalyzed C(sp(3))-H Arylation of N-Boc benzylalkylamines via a
      deprotonative cross-coupling process.
AB  - Diarylmethylamines are key intermediates and products in the pharmaceutical
      industry. Herein we disclose a novel method toward the synthesis of these
      important compounds via C?H functionalization. Presented is a reversible
      deprotonation of N-Boc benzylalkylamines at the benzylic C?H with in situ
      arylation by a NiXantPhos-based palladium catalyst (50-93 % yield, 29 examples).
      The method is also successful with N-Boc-tetrahydroisoquinolines. The advantages
      of this method are it avoids strong bases, low temperatures, and the need to
      transmetallate to main group metals for the coupling. 

PMID- 26129923
TI  - Ethical Issues for Clinical Studies That use Human Embryonic Stem Cells: The 2014
      Revisions to the Japanese Guidelines.
AB  - The use of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in clinical studies has been
      expanding in recent years. The application of hESCs in clinical studies raises
      ethical issues from a different standpoint compared with the use of other types
      of stem cells. In Japan, the Guidelines on the Derivation of Human Embryonic Stem
      Cells, and Guidelines on the Distribution and Utilization of Human Embryonic Stem
      Cells had been revised for clinical studies in 2014. In the revised guidelines,
      the method for protection of personal information was changed to offer the choice
      between unlinkable anonymization and linkable anonymization, to enable the use of
      information on diseases suffered by donors and the assurance of traceability for
      safety. Procedures for re-consent are generally prohibited out of consideration
      for donors' feelings. However, obtaining re-consent is permitted when consent for
      re-consent has been received in advance and approval has been given by an ethical
      review board, in which case the donors may be contacted. Incidental findings
      obtained from hESCs are not disclosed individually to donors, while the research
      results should be actively published for the common good. These guidelines have
      enabled the derivation, distribution, and use of hESCs for clinical studies. 

PMID- 26129924
TI  - Energetic Insight into the Formation of Solids from Aluminum Polyoxocations.
AB  - The epsilon-Keggin [AlO4Al12(OH)24(H2O)12](7+) ion (AlAl12(7+)) is a metastable
      precursor in the formation of aluminum oxyhydroxide solids. It also serves as a
      useful model for the chemistry of aluminous mineral surfaces. Herein we calculate
      the enthalpies of formation for this aqueous ion and its heterometal-substituted
      forms, GaAl12(7+) and GeAl12(8+), using solution calorimetry. Rather than
      measuring the enthalpies of the MAl12(7/8+) ions directly from solution
      hydrolysis, we measured the metathesis reaction of the crystallized forms with
      barium chloride creating an aqueous aluminum solution monospecific in
      MAl12(7/8+). Then, the contributions to the heat of formation from the
      crystallized forms were subtracted using referenced states. When comparing the
      aqueous AlAl12(7+) ion to solid aluminum (oxy)-hydroxide phases, we found that
      this ion lies closer in energy to solid phases than to aqueous aluminum monomers,
      thus explaining its role as a precursor to amorphous aluminum hydroxide phases.

PMID- 26129925
TI  - Somatostatin analogues improve health-related quality of life in polycystic liver
      disease: a pooled analysis of two randomised, placebo-controlled trials.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Polycystic liver disease is associated with impaired health-related
      quality of life (HRQL). Somatostatin analogues reduce hepatomegaly in polycystic
      liver disease. AIM: To determine whether somatostatin analogues improve HRQL and
      to identify factors associated with change in HRQL in polycystic liver disease.
      METHODS: We pooled data from two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
      trials that evaluated HRQL using the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) in 96 polycystic liver
      disease patients treated 6-12 months with somatostatin analogues or placebo. The
      SF-36 contains a summarizing physical and mental component score and was
      administered at baseline and at the end of treatment. We used random effect
      models to delineate the effect of somatostatin analogues on HRQL. We determined
      the effect of demographics, height-adjusted liver volume, change in liver volume,
      somatostatin analogue-associated side effects with change in HRQL. In patients
      with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, we estimated the effect of
      height-adjusted kidney volume and change in kidney volume in relation to HRQL.
      RESULTS: Physical component scores improved with somatostatin analogues, but
      remained unchanged with placebo (3.41 +/- 1.29 vs. -0.71 +/- 1.54, P = 0.044).
      Treatment had no impact on the mental component score. Large liver volume was
      independently associated with larger HRQL decline during follow up (-4.04 +/-
      2.02 points per logarithm liver volume, P = 0.049). In autosomal dominant
      polycystic kidney disease, patients with large liver and kidney volumes had
      larger decline in HRQL (5.36 +/- 2.54 points per logarithm liver volume; P =
      0.040 and -4.00 +/- 1.88 per logarithm kidney volume; P = 0.039). CONCLUSION:
      Somatostatin analogues improve HRQL in symptomatic polycystic liver disease.
      Halting the progressive nature of polycystic liver disease is necessary to
      prevent further decline of HRQL in severe hepatomegaly.

PMID- 26129926
TI  - Hydrogen-bond acidity of ionic liquids: an extended scale.
AB  - One of the main drawbacks comprising an appropriate selection of ionic liquids
      (ILs) for a target application is related to the lack of an extended and well
      established polarity scale for these neoteric fluids. Albeit considerable
      progress has been made on identifying chemical structures and factors that
      influence the polarity of ILs, there still exists a high inconsistency in the
      experimental values reported by different authors. Furthermore, due to the
      extremely large number of possible ILs that can be synthesized, the experimental
      characterization of their polarity is a major limitation when envisaging the
      choice of an IL with a desired polarity. Therefore, it is of crucial relevance to
      develop correlation schemes and a priori predictive methods able to forecast the
      polarity of new (or not yet synthesized) fluids. In this context, and aiming at
      broadening the experimental polarity scale available for ILs, the solvatochromic
      Kamlet-Taft parameters of a broad range of bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide
      ([NTf2](-))-based fluids were determined. The impact of the IL cation structure
      on the hydrogen-bond donating ability of the fluid was comprehensively addressed.
      Based on the large amount of novel experimental values obtained, we then
      evaluated COSMO-RS, COnductor-like Screening MOdel for Real Solvents, as an
      alternative tool to estimate the hydrogen-bond acidity of ILs. A three-parameter
      model based on the cation-anion interaction energies was found to adequately
      describe the experimental hydrogen-bond acidity or hydrogen-bond donating ability
      of ILs. The proposed three-parameter model is also shown to present a predictive
      capacity and to provide novel molecular-level insights into the chemical
      structure characteristics that influence the acidity of a given IL. It is shown
      that although the equimolar cation-anion hydrogen-bonding energies (EHB) play the
      major role, the electrostatic-misfit interactions (EMF) and van der Waals forces
      (EvdW) also contribute, admittedly in a lower extent, towards the hydrogen-bond
      acidity of ILs. The new extended scale provided for the hydrogen-bond acidity of
      ILs is of high value for the design of new ILs for task-specific applications. 

PMID- 26129927
TI  - Diverting attention from financial conflicts of interest.

PMID- 26129928
TI  - Vitamin C and E supplementation blunts increases in total lean body mass in
      elderly men after strength training.
AB  - The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin C and E
      supplementation on changes in muscle mass (lean mass and muscle thickness) and
      strength during 12 weeks of strength training in elderly men. Thirty-four elderly
      males (60-81 years) were randomized to either an antioxidant group (500 mg of
      vitamin C and 117.5 mg vitamin E before and after training) or a placebo group
      following the same strength training program (three sessions per week). Body
      composition was assessed with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and muscle
      thickness by ultrasound imaging. Muscle strength was measured as one-repetition
      maximum (1RM). Total lean mass increased by 3.9% (95% confidence intervals: 3.0,
      5.2) and 1.4% (0, 5.4) in the placebo and antioxidant groups, respectively,
      revealing larger gains in the placebo group (P = 0.04). Similarly, the thickness
      of m. rectus femoris increased more in the placebo group [16.2% (12.8, 24.1)]
      than in the antioxidant group [10.9% (9.8, 13.5); P = 0.01]. Increases of lean
      mass in trunk and arms, and muscle thickness of elbow flexors, did not differ
      significantly between groups. With no group differences, 1RM improved in the
      range of 15-21% (P < 0.001). In conclusion, high-dosage vitamin C and E
      supplementation blunted certain muscular adaptations to strength training in
      elderly men. 

PMID- 26129929
TI  - Gold nanocluster-based vaccines for dual-delivery of antigens and
      immunostimulatory oligonucleotides.
AB  - We here report a facile one-pot synthesis of fluorescent gold nanoclusters
      (AuNCs) via the peptide biomineralization method, which can elicit specific
      immunological responses. The as-prepared peptide-protected AuNCs (peptide-AuNCs)
      display strong red fluorescence, and more importantly, as compared to the peptide
      alone, the immune stimulatory ability of the resulting peptide-AuNCs can not only
      be retained, but can also be efficaciously enhanced. Moreover, through a dual
      delivery of antigen peptides and cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG)
      oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs), the as-prepared peptide-AuNC-CpG conjugates can
      also act as smart self-vaccines to assist in the generation of high
      immunostimulatory activity, and be applied as a probe for intracellular imaging.
      Both in vitro and in vivo studies provide strong evidence that the AuNC-based
      vaccines may be utilized as safe and efficient immunostimulatory agents that are
      able to prevent and/or treat a variety of ailments. 

PMID- 26129930
TI  - Development and content validity testing of a patient-reported outcomes
      questionnaire for the assessment of hereditary angioedema in observational
      studies.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Hereditary Angioedema (HAE), a rare genetic disease, manifests as
      intermittent, painful attacks of angioedema. Attacks vary in frequency and
      severity and include skin, abdominal and life-threatening laryngeal swellings.
      This study aimed to develop a patient reported outcome (PRO) tool for the
      assessment of HAE attacks, including their management and impact on patients'
      lives, for use in clinical studies, or by physicians in general practice.
      METHODS: The results of open-ended face to face concept elicitation interviews
      with HAE patients in Argentina (n = 10) and the US (n = 33) were used to develop
      the first draft questionnaire of the HAE patient reported outcomes questionnaire
      (HAE PRO). Subsequently, in-depth cognitive debriefing interviews were performed
      with HAE patients in the UK (n = 10), Brazil (n = 10), Germany (n = 11) and
      France (n = 12). Following input from eight multinational clinical experts
      further cognitive interviews were conducted in the US (n = 12) and Germany (n =
      12). Patients who experienced abdominal, cutaneous or laryngeal attacks of
      varying severity levels were included in all rounds of interviews. Across the
      rounds of interviews patients discussed their HAE attack symptoms, impacts and
      treatments. Cognitive debriefing interviews explored patient understanding and
      relevance of questionnaire items. All interviews were conducted face to face
      following a pre-defined semi-structured interview guide in the patient's native
      language. RESULTS: Patients reported a variety of HAE symptoms, attack triggers,
      warning signs, attack impacts and treatment options which were used to develop
      the HAE PRO. The HAE PRO was revised and refined following input from patients
      and clinical experts. The final 18-item HAE PRO provides an assessment of the HAE
      attack experience including symptoms, impacts, treatment requirements, healthcare
      resource use and loss of productivity caused by HAE attacks. CONCLUSIONS: Patient
      and expert input has contributed to the development of a content valid
      questionnaire that assesses concepts important to HAE patients globally. HAE
      patients across cultures consider the HAE PRO a relevant and appropriate
      assessment of HAE attacks and treatment.

PMID- 26129931
TI  - To Be or Not to Be Patent: The Relationship Between Migraine and Patent Foramen
      Ovale.
AB  - OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Migraine is a common neurological disorder with an
      uncertain pathogenesis. A pathophysiological link has been proposed between the
      migraine headache and patent foramen ovale (PFO). However, the data about the
      association of migraine with the presence of PFO are conflicting. The study aims
      to prospectively investigate the prevalence of PFO in patients with migraine
      compared with that of control subjects. METHODS: A total of 203 migraineous
      patients and 212 control subjects with similar demographic characteristics to
      that of case subjects regarding age and gender were included in the study.
      Transthoracic echocardiography with agitated saline injection was used to
      evaluate the presence of PFO. PFO was judged to be present if any microbubble was
      seen in the left cardiac chambers within the first 5 cardiac cycles from the
      maximum right atrial opacification at rest or after provocative maneuvers.
      RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 37.2 +/- 9.8 years and 93% were female.
      Migraine with aura was present in 32% (n = 65) of the patients. The prevalence of
      PFO was similar in patients with migraine and the control subjects (42% vs 44%;
      odds ratio 0.90, 95% confidence interval 0.61-1.33, P = .61). Likewise, the
      prevalence of PFO was similar in migraineurs patients with or without aura (41%
      vs 42%; odds ratio 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.51-1.76, P = .87). CONCLUSION:
      This study suggest that PFO is not more common in patients with migraine compared
      with healthy subjects. Therefore, our findings suggest that the relationship
      between migraine headache and the presence of PFO is questionable.

PMID- 26129932
TI  - An LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of cefprozil diastereomers in
      human plasma and its application for the bioequivalence study of two cefprozil
      tablets in healthy Chinese volunteers.
AB  - A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method was
      developed for the first time and validated for the determination of cefprozil
      diastereomers in human plasma. The plasma samples were prepared by protein
      precipitation using acetonitrile. Detection was performed using an electronic
      spray ion source in the negative ion mode, operating in the multiple reaction
      monitoring of the transitions m/z 388.0 to m/z 205.0 for cefprozil diastereomers
      and m/z 346.1 to m/z 268.1 for cephalexin (the internal standard). The
      calibration curves of cis-cefprozil and trans-cefprozil were linear in the ranges
      0.125-16.0 ug/mL and 0.0403-1.72 ug/mL, respectively. The lower limits of
      quantification of cis- and trans-cefprozil were 0.125 and 0.0403 ug/mL in human
      plasma, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precisions of cis- and trans
      cefprozil were all <9.7%, and the accuracy ranged from 99.2 to 104.7% and from
      100.6 to 102.2%, respectively. The validated method was successfully applied to a
      bioequivalence study of two cefprozil formulations in 24 healthy Chinese
      volunteers. The two cefprozil tablets were bioequivalent by measurement of cis-,
      trans- and total cefprozil. We suggest that the bioequivalence of cefprozil
      formulations can be evaluated only using cis-cefprozil as the analyte in future
      studies.

PMID- 26129933
TI  - Characteristics of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells during ex vivo
      expansion.
AB  - Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) have potential clinical
      applications in different types of diseases. In order to acquire enough cells,
      hUCMSCs have to be expanded ex vivo. However, it remains to be elucidated whether
      the characteristics of hUCMSCs are altered during ex vivo expansion. In the
      present study, the quality of hUCMSCs, which is important for successful
      therapeutic use, was systematically examined during hUCMSC expansion ex vivo.
      Morphologically, hUCMSCs exhibited no visible changes during culture. In
      addition, hUCMSCs retained their proliferative ability between passages 0-5. At
      the molecular level, the cells continued expressing the specific positive surface
      markers, CD29, CD73 and CD90, and did not express the negative surface markers,
      CD14, CD34 or CD45, during culture ex vivo. Furthermore, the hUCMSCs exhibited
      low immunogenicity, which was maintained when cultured for five passages.
      However, the immunological properties of hUCMSCs were altered at passage 10, at
      which the percentage of hUCMSCs expressing human leukocyte antigen-I was
      significantly increased. Collectively, these results suggested that hUCMSCs used
      for cell-based therapies require obtaining from cells, which have been expanded
      for fewer than five passages.

PMID- 26129934
TI  - Clinical manifestations of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: Clinical
      utility of the Chinese-version Obstructive Sleep Apnea Questionaire-18.
AB  - AIMS: Childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) affects not only the
      children's physical health, but also their mental development, behavioral
      problems and learning difficulties. Therefore, an early diagnosis is important.
      However, the assessment tools of polysomnography are demanding. The Obstructive
      Sleep Apnea Questionnaire-18 (OSA-18) is designed to screen OSA and has good
      reliability and validity. The goal of this study was to validate the Chinese
      version of the OSA-18, to analyze the frequency of symptoms and find the most
      common symptoms of OSA in Taiwanese children. METHODS: We validated the OSA-18 in
      an ethnic Chinese group and compared the treatment outcomes to show the
      sensitivity of the questionnaire. The caregivers completed the questionnaire
      twice at an interval of 4 weeks to test reliability. In the validation study, we
      included 88 OSA children. The OSA-18 and follow-up polysomnography were performed
      before and 6 months after adenotonsillectomy. RESULTS: Results showed the
      excellent test-retest reliability (r = 0.84**) of the OSA-18. There was a
      statistically significant correlation between the OSA-18 and, respectively, the
      Apnea-Hypopnea Index (r = 0.29*), and the Hypopnea Index (r = 0.29*). Quality of
      life showed a significant correlation with the Apnea Index (r = 0.43**), central
      apnea count (r = 0.50***), and mixed apnea count (r = 0.36*). The cut-off point
      of the OSA-18 total scores for detecting pediatric OSA in children aged 6-12
      years was 66. The common symptoms of pediatric OSA were poor attention span, loud
      snoring, caregiver worried about child's health, difficulty awakening, and mouth
      breathing. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the Chinese version of the OSA-18
      is a reliable and valid instrument. The questionnaire also showed improvement in
      the quality of life of OSA children post-adenotonsillectomy.

PMID- 26129935
TI  - Energy level modeling of lanthanide materials: review and uncertainty analysis.
AB  - Energy level schemes are an essential tool for the description and interpretation
      of atomic spectra. During the last 40 years, several empirical methods and
      relationships were devised for constructing energy level schemes of lanthanide
      defects in wide band gap solids, culminating in the chemical shift model by Thiel
      and Dorenbos. This model allows us to calculate the electronic and optical
      properties of the considered materials. However, an unbiased assessment of the
      accuracy of the obtained values of the calculated parameters is still lacking to
      a large extent. In this paper, error margins for calculated electronic and
      optical properties are deduced. It is found that optical transitions can be
      predicted within an acceptable error margin, while the description of phenomena
      involving conduction band states is limited to qualitative interpretation due to
      the large error margins for physical observables such as thermal quenching
      temperature, corresponding to standard deviations in the range 0.3-0.5 eV for the
      relevant energy differences. As an example, the electronic structure of
      lanthanide doped calcium thiogallate (CaGa2S4) is determined, taking the
      experimental spectra of CaGa2S4:Ln(Q+) (Ln(Q+) = Ce(3+), Eu(2+), Tm(3+)) as
      input. Two different approaches to obtain the shape of the zig-zag curves
      connecting the 4f levels of the different lanthanides are explored and compared. 

PMID- 26129936
TI  - Protective activity of biflavanones from Garcinia kola against Plasmodium
      infection.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Garcinia kola is a medicinal plant traditionally
      used for malaria therapy in Central Africa. AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the
      antimalarial potencies in vitro and in vivo of pure biflavanones from G. kola.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pure biflavanones were obtained by bioassay-guided
      fractionation of a 70% ethanol extract of G. kola seeds and their chemical
      structures were elucidated by comparison of their NMR ((1)H and (13)C) and mass
      spectral data with those provided in the literature. Plasmodium falciparum (FCR
      3, cycloguanil-resistant strain from Gambia) was used for in vitro assessments of
      antimalarial activities. Growth inhibition, intraerythrocytic development and
      parasite morphology were evaluated in culture by the microscopic observation of
      Giemsa-stained thin blood films. The cytotoxicity of the antimalarial compounds
      was evaluated against KB 3-1 (human epidermoid carcinoma) cells by MTT assay. In
      vivo antimalarial activities were determined in mice infected with Plasmodium
      berghei (ANKA strain) following a four-day suppressive test. RESULTS: The
      bioassay-guided fractionation of an extract of G. kola resulted in the isolation
      of three biflavanones (GB-1a, GB-1, and GB-2) as its active principles. These
      three biflavanones displayed not only potent inhibitory activity in vitro against
      P. falciparum proliferation but also antimalarial potency through oral
      administration in mice infected with P. berghei without signs of acute toxicity.
      GB-1 was found to exhibit the strongest in vitro antimalarial potency on P.
      falciparum with an IC50 of 0.16MUM, whereas it exhibited a very low in vitro
      cytotoxicity on KB 3-1 cells with an IC50 of greater than 150MUM. During an in
      vivo antimalarial assay in mice infected with P. berghei, GB-1 was found to
      exhibit biological potency with an approximate ED50 of 100mg/kg following oral
      administration. GB-1 was also shown to increase the average life span of the
      infected mice significantly compared to that of control mice (p<0.01 Student's t
      test). CONCLUSIONS: The antimalarial outcome of GB-1a, GB-1, and GB-2 may be
      related to the traditional utilization of this crude drug against malaria judging
      from their significant content in G. kola nuts. GB-1 showed the most potent
      antimalarial activity with a high selectivity index and, therefore could be
      exploited to identify the molecular target, which subsequently could be helpful
      to design novel therapeutics against malaria. GB-1 may be considered a promising
      antimalarial candidate for trial in vivo using higher animals infected with P.
      falciparum.

PMID- 26129937
TI  - Anticonvulsant effects of ethanol stem bark extract of Lannea barteri
      (Anacardiaceae) in mice and chicks.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Preparation of Lannea barteri is used in the
      treatment of epilepsy, gastritis, childhood convulsions among other uses in
      northern Nigeria for many years. The popularity of its efficacy is well
      established among the Traditional Medical Practitioners. AIM OF THE STUDY: The
      present study aimed at screening the ethanol stem bark extract of Lannea barteri
      for possible anticonvulsant action. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Anticonvulsant
      screening was carried out using pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), strychnine (STN) and
      picrotoxin (PTC) induced seizures in mice while Maximal electroshock (MES) test
      was carried out in day old chicks. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the
      extract was performed on the extract. The intraperitoneal median lethal dose
      (LD50) was carried out in mice. RESULTS: The intraperitoneal (i.p.) LD50 of the
      extract was estimated to be 567.70 mg/kg in mice. Lannea barteri (160 mg/kg)
      significantly (p <= 0.05) delayed the mean onset of seizures induced by PTZ when
      compared with normal saline treated group. Similarly, the extract at 160 mg/kg
      significantly (p <= 0.05) prolonged the latency of convulsion induced by STN.
      Lannea barteri (40 mg/kg) significantly (p <= 0.05) delayed the mean onset of
      seizures induced by picrotoxin in mice. The extracts at all the doses tested
      showed no observable effect in decreasing the mean recovery time of convulsed
      chicks in MEST. Flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins and glycosides were
      found present in the stem bark extract. CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that
      the ethanol stem bark extract of Lannea barteri contained bioactive constituents
      that may be useful in the management of petit mal epilepsy and supports the
      ethnomedical claim for the use of its stem bark in the management of epilepsy.

PMID- 26129938
TI  - A bitter herbal medicine Gentiana scabra root extract stimulates glucagon-like
      peptide-1 secretion and regulates blood glucose in db/db mouse.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Gentiana scabra root extract (GS) is frequently
      prescribed as an internal remedy in traditional Korean medicine for treatment of
      diabetes mellitus. GS contains bitter iridoid glycosides including loganic acid,
      gentiopicrin, trifloroside, and rindoside. We previously reported that the
      intestinal bitter taste sensation stimulates GLP-1 secretion, and thereupon
      hypothesized that the blood glucose regulatory effect of GS is due to its GLP-1
      secreting effect in enteroendocrine L cells. MATERIALS AND METHOD: We studied GLP
      1 secreting effect of GS treatment and its cellular downstream mechanism in human
      enteroendocrine NCI-H716 cells using the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)
      pathway inhibitors. Intracellular calcium assay also demonstrated the signal
      transduction pathway stimulated by the GS treatment. Using db/db mice, we
      performed oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to examine the blood glucose
      lowering effect of GS administration. We also collected the mouse plasma during
      the OGTT to measure the GLP-1 and insulin levels. RESULT: We demonstrated dose
      dependent GLP-1 secreting effect of GS on the NCI-H716 cells. The GLP-1 secreting
      effect of GS is mediated by the G protein betagamma-subunit and inositol
      triphosphate. Using db/db mice, we found that the effect of GS on lowering blood
      glucose is due to its GLP-1 secretion, and consequential insulinotropic effect.
      The chemical fingerprint of GS was obtained through a direct analysis in realtime
      mass spectrometry (DART-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/MS.
      Through the GLP-1 secretion study, we found that loganic acid, an iridoid
      glycoside, contributes to the GLP-1 secreting effect of GS. CONCLUSION: The
      findings of this study highlight the potential of exploiting the antidiabetic
      effect of GS on type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.

PMID- 26129939
TI  - Management of medicinally useful plants by European migrants in South America.
AB  - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Using the example of Polish migrants living in
      the subtropics of Argentina, we attempt to expand knowledge about migrant
      strategies for retaining their agency in medicinal plant procurement. AIM OF THE
      STUDY: Is to state which environments play a pivotal role as a source of
      medicinal plants for the study community, and if a gradient of relevance exists
      in the exploitation of medicinally useful species between the most proximate and
      the most distant habitats. We particularly aim to answer the following questions:
      (1) if Polish migrants have changed their patterns of obtaining medicinal plants
      during the migratory process; and (2) if the choice of strategies for medicinal
      plants depends on: (a) the degree of floristic and environmental similarity
      between the home and host country; (b) the perception and usefulness of certain
      environments as a source of medicinal plants; (c) the degree of contact with the
      local population in the host country, and/or (d) the degree of contact between
      migrants and their homeland. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The analysis is grounded in
      data from different types of interviews and a homegarden inventory addressed to
      72 study participants. Voucher specimens of species mentioned were gathered and
      identified. Two indices were used as proxy measures: (1) the number of species
      obtained from each habitat, and (2) the number of citations for both modes and
      places of obtaining medicinal plants. RESULTS: Due to different flora found in
      Argentina, Polish migrants could reconstruct only bits and pieces of their native
      pharmacopoeia. They could not acquire medicinal plants either from relatives in
      Poland or via importation. Therefore they had to develop new strategies for
      securing medicinal resources. During the migratory process, Poles in Misiones
      changed forms and places of obtaining medicinal plants. Cultivated species from
      homegardens play the most important role, while in the native country homegarden
      species were used sparsely. The second most important environment for medicinal
      plant procurement is the forest, whose exploitation was increased by contact with
      local mestizos and indigenous groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study clearly shows that
      traditional knowledge can be adaptive and resilient. New species have been
      selected and incorporated from mestizos, and indigenous people, and at the same
      time the use of some legacy plants has been preserved. The importance of home
      gardens as a venue for medicinal plants is another facet of this adaptive
      process. Traditional knowledge is resilient too, because despite the many changes
      that have occurred, Polish people have maintained phytotherapy as their preferred
      form of treating ailments, and managed to retain certain species brought from
      Europe as the most relevant.

PMID- 26129941
TI  - Proceedings of the ASNC cardiac PET summit meeting, May 12, 2014, Baltimore MD :
      5. Advances in radiopharmaceutical availability and development of cardiac PET
      tracers.

PMID- 26129940
TI  - Clinical applications of radionuclide imaging in the evaluation and management of
      patients with congenital heart disease.
AB  - Non-invasive testing of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) began in the
      1950s with the introduction of radionuclide studies to assess shunt fractions,
      pulmonary blood flow, and ventricular contractile function. Echocardiography and
      cardiac magnetic resonance imaging have since replaced radionuclide imaging in
      many of these roles. Concurrently, percutaneous and surgical repairs of complex
      CHD evolved, creating new roles for radionuclide imaging. In this paper on
      applications of radionuclide imaging in CHD, we review the multiple mechanisms
      for myocardial ischemia in CHD. We critically compare optimal radionuclide
      imaging techniques to other imaging modalities for assessing ischemia in CHD. We
      present the current role of nuclear imaging for assessing viability and pulmonary
      blood flow. We highlight the value added by advances in dedicated cardiac SPECT
      scanners, novel reconstruction software, and cardiac PET in performing low-dose
      radionuclide imaging in CHD. Finally, we discuss the emerging clinical
      indications for radionuclide imaging in CHD including coronary flow reserve
      assessment and evaluation of cardiovascular prosthesis and device infections. 

PMID- 26129942
TI  - Linking ecosystem services and human-values theory.
AB  - Understanding why people make the decisions they do remains a fundamental
      challenge facing conservation science. Ecosystem service (ES) (a benefit people
      derive from an ecosystem) approaches to conservation reflect efforts to
      anticipate people's preferences and influence their environmental behavior. Yet,
      the design of ES approaches seldom includes psychological theories of human
      behavior. We sought to alleviate this omission by applying a psychological theory
      of human values to a cross-cultural ES assessment. We used interviews and focus
      groups with fish workers from 28 coral reef fishing communities in 4 countries to
      qualitatively identify the motivations (i.e., human values) underlying
      preferences for ES; quantitatively evaluate resource user ES priorities; and
      identify common patterns among ES motivations and ES priorities (i.e., trade-offs
      and synergies). Three key findings are evident that align with human values
      theory. First, motivations underlying preferences for individual ESs reflected
      multiple human values within the same value domain (e.g., self-enhancement).
      Second, when averaged at community or country scales, the order of ES priorities
      was consistent. However, the order belied significant variation that existed
      among individuals. Third, in line with human values theory, ESs related to one
      another in a consistent pattern; certain service pairs reflected trade-off
      relationships (e.g., supporting and provisioning), whereas other service pairs
      reflected synergistic relationships (e.g., supporting and regulating). Together,
      these findings help improve understanding of when and why convergence and trade
      offs in people's preferences for ESs occur, and this knowledge can inform the
      development of suitable conservation actions. 

PMID- 26129943
TI  - Erratum: Accuracy of microRNAs as markers for the detection of neck lymph node
      metastases in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

PMID- 26129944
TI  - netview p: a network visualization tool to unravel complex population structure
      using genome-wide SNPs.
AB  - Network-based approaches are emerging as valuable tools for the analysis of
      complex genetic structure in wild and captive populations. netview p combines
      data quality control with the construction of population networks through mutual
      k-nearest neighbours thresholds applied to genome-wide SNPs. The program is cross
      platform compatible, open-source and efficiently operates on data ranging from
      hundreds to hundreds of thousands of SNPs. The pipeline was used for the analysis
      of pedigree data from simulated (n = 750, SNPs = 1279) and captive silver-lipped
      pearl oysters (n = 415, SNPs = 1107), wild populations of the European hake from
      the Atlantic and Mediterranean (n = 834, SNPs = 380) and grey wolves from North
      America (n = 239, SNPs = 78 255). The population networks effectively visualize
      large- and fine-scale genetic structure within and between populations, including
      family-level structure and relationships. netview p comprises a network-based
      addition to other population analysis tools and provides user-friendly access to
      a complex network analysis pipeline through implementation in python.

PMID- 26129945
TI  - Association between High Blood Pressure and Intakes of Sodium and Potassium among
      Korean Adults: Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007
      2012.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The association between dietary sodium and potassium, the ratio of
      sodium to potassium, and blood pressure remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated
      the associations between blood pressure and dietary sodium and potassium intake
      in terms of the amount and ratio in Korean adults. DESIGN: This cross-sectional
      study was based on data from the fourth and fifth Korean National Health and
      Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2012. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: A total of 24,096
      adults (aged >=19 years) without history of antihypertensive medication use were
      selected. The 24-hour recall method was used for dietary assessment. We
      categorized the subjects into four groups using median intakes of sodium and
      potassium, and defined the low sodium/high potassium intake group as the
      reference group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: High blood pressure (HBP) was defined as
      mean systolic or diastolic blood pressures of >=140 or >=90 mm Hg, respectively.
      STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Multivariate logistic regression was performed to
      estimate the odds ratio and 95% CI to investigate the association between the
      four groups of sodium and potassium intakes and HBP. RESULTS: Sodium intake was
      positively associated with diastolic blood pressure, with an increase of 0.21 mm
      Hg per 1 mg/kcal increase in sodium (P<0.001). In contrast, potassium intake was
      negatively associated with systolic blood pressure, with a decrease of 1.01 mm Hg
      per 1 mg/kcal increase in potassium (P<0.001). After adjusting for confounders,
      the high sodium/low potassium (odds ratio 1.21, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.44) and low
      sodium/low potassium intake groups (odds ratio 1.19, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.40) were at
      higher risk of HBP than the reference group. The risk of HBP in the high
      sodium/high potassium group did not differ from that in the reference group.
      CONCLUSIONS: Low potassium intake was associated with an increased risk of
      hypertension. These results suggest that increasing potassium intake might be
      beneficial for hypertension control among populations with low-potassium diets.

PMID- 26129946
TI  - Potential Role of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3beta in Regulation of Myocardin
      Activity in Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.
AB  - Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3beta, a serine/threonine kinase with an
      inhibitory role in glycogen synthesis in hepatocytes and skeletal muscle, is also
      expressed in cardiac and smooth muscles. Inhibition of GSK-3beta results in
      cardiac hypertrophy through reducing phosphorylation and increasing
      transcriptional activity of myocardin, a transcriptional co-activator for serum
      response factor. Myocardin plays critical roles in differentiation of smooth
      muscle cells (SMCs). This study, therefore, aimed to examine whether and how
      inhibition of GSK-3beta regulates myocardin activity in human vascular SMCs.
      Treatment of SMCs with the GSK-3beta inhibitors AR-A014418 and TWS 119
      significantly reduced endogenous myocardin activity, as indicated by lower
      expression of myocardin target genes (and gene products), CNN1 (calponin), TAGLN1
      (SM22), and ACTA2 (SM alpha-actin). In human SMCs overexpressing myocardin
      through the T-REx system, treatment with either GSK-3beta inhibitor also
      inhibited the expression of CNN1, TAGLN1, and ACTA2. These effects of GSK-3beta
      inhibitors were mimicked by transfection with GSK-3beta siRNA. Notably, both AR
      A014418 and TWS 119 decreased the serine/threonine phosphorylation of myocardin.
      The chromatin immunoprecipitation assay showed that AR-A014418 treatment reduced
      myocardin occupancy of the promoter of the myocardin target gene ACTA2.
      Overexpression of a dominant-negative GSK-3beta mutant in myocardin
      overexpressing SMCs reduced the expression of calponin, SM22, and SM alpha-actin.
      As expected, overexpression of constitutively active or wild-type GSK-3beta in
      SMCs without myocardin overexpression increased expression of these proteins. In
      summary, our results indicate that inhibition of GSK-3beta reduces myocardin
      transcriptional activity, suggesting a role for GSK-3beta in myocardin
      transcriptional activity and smooth muscle differentiation.

PMID- 26129947
TI  - Stroke in the TOTAL trial: a randomized trial of routine thrombectomy vs.
      percutaneous coronary intervention alone in ST elevation myocardial infarction.
AB  - AIMS: TOTAL (N = 10 732), a randomized trial of routine manual thrombectomy vs.
      percutaneous coronary intervention alone in ST elevation myocardial infarction,
      showed no difference in the primary efficacy outcome but a significant increase
      in stroke. We sought to understand these findings. METHODS AND RESULTS: A
      detailed analysis of stroke timing, stroke severity, and stroke subtype was
      performed. Strokes were adjudicated by neurologists blinded to treatment
      assignment. Stroke within 30 days, the primary safety outcome, was increased [33
      (0.7%) vs. 16 (0.3%), hazard ratio (HR) 2.06; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13
      3.75]. The difference in stroke was apparent within 48 h [15 (0.3%) vs. 5 (0.1%),
      HR 3.00; 95% CI 1.09-8.25]. There was an increase in strokes within 180 days with
      minor or no disability (Rankin 0-2) [18 (0.4%) vs. 13 (0.3%) HR 1.38; 95% CI 0.68
      2.82] and in strokes with major disability or fatal (Rankin 3-6) [35 (0.7%) vs.
      13 (0.3%), HR 2.69; 95% CI 1.42-5.08]. Most of the absolute difference was due to
      an increase in ischaemic strokes within 180 days [37 (0.7%) vs. 21 (0.4%), HR
      1.71; 95% CI 1.03-3.00], but there was also an increase in haemorrhagic strokes
      [10 (0.2%) vs. 2 (0.04%), HR 4.98; 95% CI 1.09-22.7]. Patients that had a stroke
      had a mortality of 30.8% within 180 days vs. 3.4% without a stroke (P < 0.001). A
      meta-analysis of randomized trials (N = 21 173) showed an increase in risk of
      stroke (odds ratio 1.59; 95% CI 1.11-2.27) but a trend towards reduction in
      mortality odds ratio (odds ratio 0.87; 95% CI 0.76-1.00). CONCLUSION:
      Thrombectomy was associated with a significant increase in stroke. Based on these
      findings, future trials must carefully collect stroke to determine safety in
      addition to efficacy.

PMID- 26129948
TI  - Corrigendum to: 2014 ESC Guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of aortic
      diseases.
AB  - Corrigendum to: 2014 ESC Guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of aortic
      diseases [Eur Heart Journal (2014) 35, 2873-2926,doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehu281].
      In Table 3, the radiation for MRI is "0" and not "-". The corrected table is
      shown below.

PMID- 26129949
TI  - N2O accumulation from denitrification under different temperatures.
AB  - The effects of temperature on nitrous oxide (N2O) accumulation during
      denitrification and denitritation were investigated. Batch experiments were
      performed to measure N2O accumulation at 25 and 35  degrees C. More N2O
      accumulation was observed during denitritation at the higher temperature as
      compared with full denitrification and low temperature tests. The highest nitrite
      concentration tested in this study (25 mg/L NO2 (-)N and pH 8.0) did not show
      inhibitory effect on N2O reduction. It was found that the major cause of more N2O
      accumulation during denitrification at higher temperature was due to higher N2O
      production rate and lower N2O solubility. Specific nitrate, nitrite, and N2O
      reduction rates increased 62, 61, and 41 %, respectively, when temperature rose
      from 25 to 35  degrees C. The decrease of N2O solubility in mixed liquor at 35 
      degrees C (when compared to 25  degrees C) resulted in faster diffusing rate of
      N2O from liquid to gas phase. It was also more difficult for gas phase N2O to be
      re-dissolved. The diffused N2O was then accumulated in the headspace, which was
      not available for denitrification by denitrifiers. The results of this study
      suggest higher temperature may worsen N2O emission from wastewater treatment
      plants (WWTPs).

PMID- 26129950
TI  - Antibiotic-induced imbalances in gut microbiota aggravates cholesterol
      accumulation and liver injuries in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet.
AB  - Increasing evidence suggests that maintenance of homeostasis between gut
      microbiota and host plays an important role in human health. Many diseases, such
      as those affecting the liver, have been linked to imbalances in gut microbial
      communities. However, it is not clear whether an imbalance in gut microbiota
      promotes the onset of liver injury or if the imbalance results from the
      pathological state. In the current study, antibiotics were used to disturb the
      gut microbiota of both rats fed a high-cholesterol diet and rats fed a normal
      diet (controls). The prevalence of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were reduced, and
      Proteobacteria was greatly increased in the guts of rats after antibiotic
      treatment. The antibiotic-induced perturbation of gut microbiota aggravated
      cholesterol accumulation and liver injury in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet.
      This may have been due to an increase in intestinal permeability and plasma
      lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which lead to an increase in LPS absorption and
      activation of TLR4 signaling, resulting in the synthesis of pro-inflammatory
      cytokines and chemokines in liver tissues. This study suggests that imbalances in
      gut microbiota may be a predisposing factor for the onset of metabolic diseases
      and liver injuries related to cholesterol and high-cholesterol diets. Modulation
      of gut microbiota could be a novel target for preventing cholesterol-related
      metabolic disorders. 

PMID- 26129951
TI  - Engineering Yarrowia lipolytica for production of medium-chain fatty acids.
AB  - Lipids are naturally derived products that offer an attractive, renewable
      alternative to petroleum-based hydrocarbons. While naturally produced long-chain
      fatty acids can replace some petroleum analogs, medium-chain fatty acid would
      more closely match the desired physical and chemical properties of currently
      employed petroleum products. In this study, we engineered Yarrowia lipolytica, an
      oleaginous yeast that naturally produces lipids at high titers, to produce medium
      chain fatty acids. Five different acyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) thioesterases
      with specificity for medium-chain acyl-ACP molecules were expressed in Y.
      lipolytica, resulting in formation of either decanoic or octanoic acid. These
      novel fatty acid products were found to comprise up to 40 % of the total cell
      lipids. Furthermore, the reduction in chain length resulted in a twofold increase
      in specific lipid productivity in these engineered strains. The medium-chain
      fatty acids were found to be incorporated into all lipid classes.

PMID- 26129952
TI  - Proteomic analysis of conidia germination in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense
      tropical race 4 reveals new targets in ergosterol biosynthesis pathway for
      controlling Fusarium wilt of banana.
AB  - Conidial germination is a crucial step of the soilborne fungus Fusarium oxysporum
      f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (Foc TR4), a most important lethal disease of
      banana. In this study, a total of 3659 proteins were identified by isobaric tags
      for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based comparative proteomic
      approach, of which 1009 were differentially expressed during conidial germination
      of the fungus at 0, 3, 7, and 11 h. Functional classification and bioinformatics
      analysis revealed that the majority of the differentially expressed proteins are
      involved in six metabolic pathways. Particularly, all differential proteins
      involved in the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway were significantly upregulated,
      indicating the importance of the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway to the conidial
      germination of Foc TR4. Quantitative RT-PCR, western blotting, and in vitro
      growth inhibition assay by several categories of fungicides on the Foc TR4 were
      used to validate the proteomics results. Four enzymes, C-24 sterol
      methyltransferase (ERG6), cytochrome P450 lanosterol C-14alpha-demethylase
      (EGR11), hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase (ERG13), and C-4 sterol methyl
      oxidase (ERG25), in the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway were identified and
      verified, and they hold great promise as new targets for effective inhibition of
      Foc TR4 early growth in controlling Fusarium wilt of banana. To the best of our
      knowledge, this report represents the first comprehensive study on proteomics
      profiling of conidia germination in Foc TR4. It provides new insights into a
      better understanding of the developmental processes of Foc TR4 spores. More
      importantly, by host plant-induced gene silencing (HIGS) technology, the new
      targets reported in this work allow us to develop novel transgenic banana leading
      to high protection from Fusarium wilt and to explore more effective antifungal
      drugs against either individual or multiple target proteins of Foc TR4.

PMID- 26129953
TI  - Use of anaerobic green fluorescent protein versus green fluorescent protein as
      reporter in lactic acid bacteria.
AB  - Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are commonly used in the production of fermented and
      probiotic foods. Development of molecular tools to discriminate the strains of
      interest from the endogenous microbiota in complex environments like food or gut
      is of high interest. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-like chromophores strictly
      requires molecular oxygen for maturation of fluorescence, which restrict the
      study of microorganisms in low-oxygen environments. In this work, we have
      developed a noninvasive cyan-green fluorescent based reporter system for real
      time tracking of LAB that is functional under anoxic conditions. The evoglow-Pp1
      was cloned downstream from the promoters D-alanyl-D-alanine carboxypeptidase and
      elongation factor Tu of Lactobacillus reuteri CECT925 using pNZ8048 and
      downstream of the lactococcal P1 promoter using pT1NX. The classical gfp was also
      cloned in pT1NX. These recombinant expression vectors were electroporated into
      Lactococccus, Lactobacillus, and Enterococcus strains with biotechnological
      and/or probiotic interests to assess and compare their functionality under
      different conditions of oxygen and pH. The expression was analyzed by imaging and
      fluorometric methods as well as by flow cytometry. We demonstrate that reporter
      systems pNZ:TuR-aFP and pT1-aFP are two versatile molecular markers for
      monitoring LAB in food and fecal environments without the potential problems
      caused by oxygen and pH limitations, which could be exploited for in vivo
      studies. Production of the fluorescent protein did not disturb any important
      physiological properties of the parental strains, such as growth rate, reuterin,
      or bacteriocin production.

PMID- 26129954
TI  - Expression of brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor-1 and association with p53,
      microvessel density and vascular endothelial growth factor in the tissue of human
      bladder transitional cell carcinoma.
AB  - The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression levels of brain
      specific angiogenesis inhibitor-1 (BAI-1) in bladder transitional cell carcinoma
      (BTCC) at different stages and the mechanism by which it inhibits tumor
      endothelial cell proliferation. Normal bladder mucosa biopsy specimens were
      obtained as the control group, and human BTCC biopsy specimens were used as the
      study group. Immunohistochemical assays were used to detect the expression levels
      of BAI-1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mutant p53, in addition
      to microvessel density (MVD) in the tissues. Western blotting was used to analyze
      the differential expression of BAI-1 in the two samples. Statistical analysis was
      performed, which indicated that BAI-1 expression levels in the normal bladder
      mucosa group were significantly higher than those in the BTCC group and were
      associated with clinical staging. BAI-1 levels in the T1 stage BTCC tissues were
      higher than those in the T2-4 stage BTCC tissues (P<0.05). BAI-1 expression
      levels were negatively correlated with those of VEGF (r=-0.661, P<0.001), mutant
      p53 (r=-0.406, P=0.002) and with the MVD (r=-0.675, P<0.001). BAI-1 may be
      involved in the negative regulation of BTCC microvascular proliferation, and its
      expression may be associated with a reduction in p53 mutations.

PMID- 26129955
TI  - Saline-induced changes of epicuticular waxy layer on the Puccinellia tenuiflora
      and Oryza sativa leave surfaces.
AB  - BACKGROUND: The epicuticular waxy layer of plant leaves enhances the extreme
      environmental stress tolerance. However, the relationship between waxy layer and
      saline tolerance was not established well. The epicuticular waxy layer of rice
      (Oryza sativa L.) was studied under the NaHCO3 stresses. In addition, strong
      saline tolerance Puccinellia tenuiflora was chosen for comparative studies.
      RESULTS: Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that there were
      significant changes in waxy morphologies of the rice epicuticular surfaces, while
      no remarkable changes in those of P. tenuiflora epicuticular surfaces. The NaHCO3
      induced morphological changes of the rice epicuticular surfaces appeared as
      enlarged silica cells, swollen corns-shapes and leaked salt columns under high
      stress. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopic profiles supported that the
      changes were caused by significant increment and localization of [Na(+)] and [Cl(
      )] in the shoot. Atomic absorption spectra showed that [Na(+)]shoot/[Na(+)]root
      for P. tenuiflora maintained stable as the saline stress increased, but that for
      rice increased significantly. CONCLUSION: In rice, NaHCO3 stress induced
      localization and accumulation of [Na(+)] and [Cl(-)] appeared as the enlarged
      silica cells (MSC), the swollen corns (S-C), and the leaked columns (C), while no
      significant changes in P. tenuiflora.

PMID- 26129956
TI  - THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY SURVEY OF
      PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGISTS' PRACTICE PATTERNS FOR THE TREATMENT OF MOOD DISORDERS.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Optimal successive treatment decisions are not well established after
      an initial medication nonresponse in major depressive disorder or bipolar
      disorder. While practice guidelines offer consensus-based expert treatment
      recommendations, little is known about "real world" pharmacology decision making
      by practicing psychopharmacologists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We surveyed via
      Internet the national membership of the American Society of Clinical
      Psychopharmacology (ASCP) to study preferred pharmacotherapy strategies and
      factors that influence medication choices for patients with mood disorders.
      RESULTS: Surveys were returned by 154/752 ASCP members (21%). After nonresponse
      to a serotonin reuptake inhibitor in major depressive disorder, participants
      equally favored switching within or across antidepressant classes. After a
      partial response, adjunctive bupropion was the preferred intervention, followed
      by changing antidepressant classes. Atypical antipsychotic augmentation was only
      a fourth-line consideration, even though moderate or marked efficacy was
      perceived in most instances with olanzapine, aripiprazole, and quetiapine.
      Respondents favored avoiding antidepressants in bipolar I patients with
      mixed/cycling features or prior antidepressant-associated mania/hypomania. In
      rapid cyclers, they advocated antidepressant cessation and preferred the use of
      atypical antipsychotics and lamotrigine. CONCLUSIONS: Participating
      psychopharmacologists treating adults with mood disorders report prescribing
      medications that largely mirror the evidence base with only a few notable
      exceptions, in consideration of the characteristics of definable clinical
      subpopulations.

PMID- 26129957
TI  - Redefining the Value of Sports Medicine.

PMID- 26129958
TI  - Increased Lateral Tibial Slope Is a Risk Factor for Pediatric Anterior Cruciate
      Ligament Injury: An MRI-Based Case-Control Study of 152 Patients.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Increased posterior tibial slope is associated with increased risk of
      anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in adults. A similar association has not
      been rigorously examined in children and adolescents. PURPOSE: To determine
      whether alterations in posterior tibial slope are associated with ACL tears in
      pediatric and adolescent patients and to quantify changes in tibial slope by age.
      STUDY DESIGN: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: Magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI) studies of the knee were reviewed by 3 raters blinded to
      each other in a 1:1 sample of cases and age- and sex-matched controls. A total of
      76 skeletally immature ACL-injured knees were compared with 76 knees without ACL
      injury; the mean age of the study population was 14.8 +/- 1.3 years. The
      posterior slope of the articular surface of the medial tibial plateau and lateral
      tibial plateau was measured by use of a method similar to that used in previous
      studies in adult populations. The current study technique differed in that the
      slope was measured on the cartilage surface, not the subchondral bone.
      Comparisons between knees were made with t tests, and Spearman correlation
      analysis was used to assess changes in tibial slope with advancing age. RESULTS:
      Increased slope of the lateral tibial plateau (LTS) was significantly increased
      in ACL-injured patients compared with controls (5.7 degrees  +/- 2.4 degrees  vs
      3.4 degrees  +/- 1.7 degrees ; P < .001). There was no statistically significant
      difference in the slope of the medial tibial plateau (MTS) in the ACL-injured and
      control knees (5.4 degrees  +/- 2.2 degrees  vs 5.1 degrees  +/- 2.3 degrees ; P
      = .42). There was no difference in LTS between male and female patients (4.46
      degrees  vs 4.58 degrees ; P = .75). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC)
      analysis of the LTS revealed that a posterior tibial slope cutoff of >4 degrees 
      resulted in a sensitivity of 76% and a specificity of 75% for predicting ACL
      tears in this cohort. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that MTS and LTS
      decreased, or flattened, by 0.31 degrees  (P = .028, correlation coefficient r = 
      0.18) and 0.37 degrees  (P = .009, correlation coefficient r = -0.21) per year,
      respectively, as adolescents age. CONCLUSION: The LTS was significantly
      associated with an increased risk of ACL injury in pediatric and adolescent
      patients. The MTS was not associated with risk of injury. Posterior slope was
      found to decrease, or flatten, with age. A cutoff of >4 degrees  for the
      posterior slope of the lateral compartment is 76% sensitive and 75% specific for
      predicting ACL injury in this cohort. The LTS did not influence the incidence of
      ACL injury differently between sexes.

PMID- 26129959
TI  - Trends in Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction in the United States: A
      Retrospective Review of a Large Private-Payer Database From 2007 to 2011.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Overuse injuries to the elbow in the throwing athlete are common.
      Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR), commonly known as Tommy John
      surgery, is performed on both recreational and high-level athletes. There is no
      current literature regarding the incidence and demographic distribution of this
      surgical procedure in relation to patient age, location within the Unites States,
      and sex. PURPOSE: To determine the current demographic distribution of UCLR
      within the US population included in the PearlDiver database. STUDY DESIGN:
      Descriptive epidemiology study. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the
      PearlDiver supercomputer database, a private-payer database, was performed to
      identify UCLR procedures performed between 2007 and 2011. The Current Procedural
      Terminology (CPT) code 24346 (reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament of
      the elbow with the use of a tendinous graft) was used. RESULTS: Between 2007 and
      2011, a total of 790 patients underwent UCLR. The average (+/-SD) annual
      incidence was 3.96 +/- 0.38 per 100,000 patients for the overall population but
      was 22 +/- 3.4 for patients aged 15 to 19 years. The overall average annual
      growth was 4.2%. There were 695 males and 95 females. The 15- to 19-year-old
      patients accounted for significantly more procedures than any other age group
      (56.8%; P < .001), followed by 20- to 24-year-olds (22.2%). The incidence of UCLR
      in the 15- to 19-year-old group increased at an average rate of 9.12% per year (P
      = .009). Significantly more UCLR procedures were performed in the southern United
      States than in any other region (P < .001). The number of procedures
      significantly increased over time (P = .039). CONCLUSION: According to this
      database of a privately insured population, UCLR was performed significantly more
      in patients aged 15 to 19 than any other age group. The average annual incidence
      of UCLR per 100,000 people for patients aged 15 to 19 was 22 +/- 3.4. Further,
      this database showed that the number of UCLR procedures is increasing over time.
      Further work should address risk reduction efforts in this at-risk population.

PMID- 26129960
TI  - Outcomes After Combined ACL and ALL Reconstruction: Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 26129961
TI  - Outcomes After Combined ACL and ALL Reconstruction: Response.

PMID- 26129962
TI  - Humeral Retrotorsion in Pitchers With GIRD: Letter to the Editor.

PMID- 26129963
TI  - Humeral Retrotorsion in Pitchers With GIRD: Response.

PMID- 26129964
TI  - Teaching of the Society for Fetal Urology grading system for pediatric
      hydronephrosis is improved by e-Learning using Computer Enhanced Visual Learning
      (CEVL): A multi-institutional trial.
AB  - INTRODUCTION: It is unclear how clinicians learn to grade pediatric
      hydronephrosis (HN) and how effective their training has been. We sought to: 1.
      Assess how clinicians learn to grade HN and their confidence in their training
      and abilities and 2. To assess Computer Enhanced Visual Learning (CEVL) e
      Learning to learn the Society for Fetal Urology (SFU) grading system for
      pediatric HN. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A multi-institutional online survey was
      distributed to pediatric urologists, nephrologists, and radiologists. Respondents
      used a 6-point Likert scale (0 = not confident to 5 = very confident) to assess
      their confidence in knowledge of the criteria, indications, and ability to grade
      HN, and how they learned to grade. Participants assigned SFU grades to 15
      neonatal ultrasounds (US). A CEVL module on the SFU grading system was accessed
      and a post-CEVL survey completed. Changes in confidence and accuracy of grading
      were compared before and after CEVL e-Learning. RESULTS: The most common method
      of learning was "casually during training" (44.5%). Significant increases in
      confidence in knowledge of criteria, indications, and ability to grade, as well
      as the accuracy of grading were seen following CEVL e-Learning (Figure A and B).
      DISCUSSION: Although the SFU grading system is considered the predominant grading
      system for HN, its application in clinical practice has been inconsistent. While
      this may be due to the grading system itself, it is possible that deficient
      training and confidence are the root causes. Our data supports this by
      demonstrating that most clinicians receive only casual training and accordingly,
      report low confidence in their knowledge and ability to grade HN. Therefore, we
      conclude that there exists a strong need to improve the teaching of the SFU
      grading system. e-Learning has been shown to be effective in teaching difficult
      topics and skills. We demonstrate that e-Learning with CEVL is effective in
      increasing both the confidence and accuracy of SFU grading of pediatric HN.
      Limitations of our study include a small sample size, low response rate, and
      discrepant participation. Furthermore, we did not assess the extent to which the
      CEVL module was used or include a control group learning through traditional
      means. Therefore, we were unable to evaluate the efficiency of learning or be
      certain that the improvements seen were derived exclusively from CEVL.
      CONCLUSION: Current training in SFU grading of HN is mostly unstructured and
      inaccurate grading is common. Learners who use CEVL show improvements in their
      confidence and ability to SFU grade HN.

PMID- 26129965
TI  - A study of radiological scoring system evaluating extrapancreatic inflammation
      with conventional radiological and clinical scores in predicting outcomes in
      acute pancreatitis.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A number of scoring systems are available to predict prognosis in
      acute pancreatitis (AP). The aim of the study was to compare extra-pancreatic
      inflammation on computed tomography (CT) (EPIC score) and renal rim sign with
      clinical scores (BISAP, SIRS) and conventional CT severity index (CTSI) and
      modified CTSI (MCTSI) in predicting persistent organ failure (POF), intervention
      and mortality. METHODS: The demographic, clinical and radiographic data from
      patients with AP were retrospectively evaluated. The scores were evaluated by
      calculating receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the ROC
      (AUROC). RESULTS: Of the 105 patients (65 males; mean age 40.6+/-12.9 years)
      included, 8 died, 71 developed POF, and 16 needed intervention. The mean CTSI,
      MCTSI and EPIC scores were 5.8+/-3.0, 7.1+/-2.6 and 4.0+/-1.9 respectively. The
      AUROC for SIRS, BISAP, CTSI, MCTSI, Renal Rim Score and EPIC score in predicting
      POF were 0.65 (95%CI 0.53-0.78), 0.75 (95%CI 0.65-0.86), 0.66 (95%CI 0.54-0.78),
      0.70 (95%CI 0.58-0.81), 0.64 (95%CI 0.52-0.76), 0.71 (95%CI 0.60-0.83), for
      radiological/endoscopic intervention were 0.50 (95%CI 0.35-0.65), 0.64 (95%CI
      0.49-0.78), 0.51 (95%CI 0.36-0.66), 0.55 (95%CI 0.41-0.70), 0.51 (95%CI 0.36
      0.67), 0.66 (95%CI 0.52-0.81), and for mortality 0.57 (95%CI 0.38-0.75), 0.90
      (95%CI 0.83-0.97), 0.67 (95%CI 0.50-0.83), 0.68 (95%CI 0.51-0.85), 0.73 (95%CI
      0.57-0.89) and 0.77 (95%CI 0.64-0.90) respectively. CONCLUSION: The prognostic
      performance of various clinical and radiological scoring systems in AP is
      comparable with BISAP having the highest accuracy for predicting POF and
      mortality.

PMID- 26129966
TI  - Magnetic-Induced Luminescence from Flexible Composite Laminates by Coupling
      Magnetic Field to Piezophotonic Effect.
AB  - Magnetic-induced luminescence (MIL) is realized via a strain-mediated coupling
      strategy. MIL composite laminates composed of magnetic actuator and phosphor
      phases are developed. The MIL performance is tested under low magnetic fields at
      room temperature. The results provide a novel type of promising luminescent and
      magnetic material for developing some new concept devices.

PMID- 26129968
TI  - Heparin interacts with elongation factor 1alpha of Cryptosporidium parvum and
      inhibits invasion.
AB  - Cryptosporidium parvum is an apicomplexan parasite that can cause serious watery
      diarrhea, cryptosporidiosis, in human and other mammals. C. parvum invades
      gastrointestinal epithelial cells, which have abundant glycosaminoglycans on
      their cell surface. However, little is known about the interaction between C.
      parvum and glycosaminoglycans. In this study, we assessed the inhibitory effect
      of sulfated polysaccharides on C. parvum invasion of host cells and identified
      the parasite ligands that interact with sulfated polysaccharides. Among five
      sulfated polysaccharides tested, heparin had the highest, dose-dependent
      inhibitory effect on parasite invasion. Heparan sulfate-deficient cells were less
      susceptible to C. parvum infection. We further identified 31 parasite proteins
      that potentially interact with heparin. Of these, we confirmed that C. parvum
      elongation factor 1alpha (CpEF1alpha), which plays a role in C. parvum invasion,
      binds to heparin and to the surface of HCT-8 cells. Our results further our
      understanding of the molecular basis of C. parvum infection and will facilitate
      the development of anti-cryptosporidial agents. 

PMID- 26129970
TI  - Synthetic RNAi triggers and their use in chronic hepatitis B therapies with
      curative intent.
AB  - Current therapies for chronic hepatitis B virus infection (CHB) - nucleos(t)ide
      analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors and interferons - result in low rates
      of functional cure defined as sustained off-therapy seroclearance of hepatitis B
      surface antigen (HBsAg). One likely reason is the inability of these therapies to
      consistently and substantially reduce the levels of viral antigen production.
      Accumulated evidence suggests that high serum levels of HBsAg result in
      exhaustion of the host immune system, rendering it unable to mount the effective
      antiviral response required for HBsAg clearance. New mechanistic approaches are
      required to produce high rates of HBsAg seroclearance in order to greatly reduce
      off-treatment disease progression. Already shown to be a clinically viable means
      of reducing gene expression in a number of other diseases, therapies based on RNA
      interference (RNAi) can directly target hepatitis B virus transcripts with high
      specificity, profoundly reducing the production of viral proteins. The fact that
      the viral RNA transcripts contain overlapping sequences means that a single RNAi
      trigger can result in the degradation of all viral transcripts, including all
      messenger RNAs and pregenomic RNA. Advances in the design of RNAi triggers have
      increased resistance to degradation and reduced nonspecific innate immune
      stimulation. Additionally, new methods to effectively deliver the trigger to
      liver hepatocytes, and specifically to the cytoplasmic compartment, have resulted
      in increased efficacy and tolerability. An RNAi-based drug currently in clinical
      trials is ARC-520, a dynamic polyconjugate in which the RNAi trigger is
      conjugated to cholesterol, which is coinjected with a hepatocyte-targeted,
      membrane-active peptide. Phase 2a clinical trial results indicate that ARC-520
      was well tolerated and resulted in significant, dose-dependent reduction in HBsAg
      for up to 57days in CHB patients. RNAi-based therapies may play an important role
      in future therapeutic regimes aimed at improving HBsAg seroclearance and
      eliminating the need for lifelong therapy. This paper forms part of a symposium
      in Antiviral Research on "An unfinished story: from the discovery of the
      Australia antigen to the development of new curative therapies for hepatitis B." 

PMID- 26129971
TI  - Ribosomal RNA gene sequencing for early diagnosis of Blastomyces dermatitidis
      infection.
AB  - Prompt detection and identification of fungal pathogens at the genus and species
      level is critical in order to provide timely antifungal therapy. Here, we
      highlight the vital role of molecular diagnostics in achieving a fast and
      definitive diagnosis of disseminated blastomycosis in a diabetic patient
      presenting as a brain mass initially thought to be tumoral in nature. A broad
      range PCR amplification and sequencing of the fungal ribosomal RNA genes on brain
      biopsy tissue obtained during elective craniotomy revealed a final microbial
      identification of Ajellomyces dermatitidis (telemorph of Blastomyces
      dermatitidis).

PMID- 26129969
TI  - Core protein: A pleiotropic keystone in the HBV lifecycle.
AB  - Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a small virus whose genome has only four open reading
      frames. We argue that the simplicity of the virion correlates with a complexity
      of functions for viral proteins. We focus on the HBV core protein (Cp), a small
      (183 residue) protein that self-assembles to form the viral capsid. However, its
      functions are a little more complicated than that. In an infected cell Cp
      modulates almost every step of the viral lifecycle. Cp is bound to nuclear viral
      DNA and affects its epigenetics. Cp correlates with RNA specificity. Cp assembles
      specifically on a reverse transcriptase-viral RNA complex or, apparently, nothing
      at all. Indeed Cp has been one of the model systems for investigation of virus
      self-assembly. Cp participates in regulation of reverse transcription. Cp signals
      completion of reverse transcription to support virus secretion. Cp carries both
      nuclear localization signals and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) binding sites; both
      of these functions appear to be regulated by contents of the capsid. Cp can be
      targeted by antivirals - while self-assembly is the most accessible of Cp
      activities, we argue that it makes sense to engage the broader spectrum of Cp
      function. This article forms part of a symposium in Antiviral Research on "From
      the discovery of the Australia antigen to the development of new curative
      therapies for hepatitis B: an unfinished story." 

PMID- 26129972
TI  - Clinical importance and cost of bacteremia caused by nosocomial multi drug
      resistant acinetobacter baumannii.
AB  - BACKGROUND: A. baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen associated with high
      mortality, morbidity and medical cost. AIM: The aim of this study was to
      investigate risk factors for MDR A. baumannii bacteremia and also evaluate cost
      of hospitalization of these patients. METHODS: Study was conducted in Ankara
      Ataturk Training and Research Hospital. Patients who were hospitalized in ICU and
      diagnosed for nosocomial blood stream infection (BSI) between January 2007 and
      December 2010 were checked retrospectively. Patients with nosocomial BSI caused
      by multidrug resistant A. baumannii were compared with the patients who had BSI
      caused by other Gram-negative microorganisms in terms of risk factors, mortality
      and medical costs. FINDINGS: In multivariate analysis previous use of carbapenem,
      quinolone and metronidazole, and SAPS II score were found as independent risk
      factors. In case group; immunosupression, SAPS II score, and hospital stay until
      infection were independently associated with mortality in multivariate analysis.
      CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the occurrence of MDR A.baumannii bacteremia
      was related with the usage of the wide spectrum antibiotics, and mortality rates
      were increased in patients that high SAPS II scores, long term hospitalization.
      Infection control procedures and limited antibiotic usage are very important for
      prevent nosocomial infections.

PMID- 26129973
TI  - An ELISA using recombinant TmHSP70 for the diagnosis of Taenia multiceps
      infections in goats.
AB  - Infections with the tapeworm Taenia multiceps are problematic for ruminant
      farming worldwide. Here we develop a novel and rapid method for serodiagnosis of
      T. multiceps infections via an indirect ELISA (iELISA) that uses a heat shock
      protein, namely, TmHSP70. We extracted the total RNA of T. multiceps from the
      protoscoleces of cysts dissected from the brains of infected goats. Subsequently,
      we successfully amplified, cloned and expressed the TmHSP70 gene in Escherichia
      coli BL21 (DE3). Western blot analysis showed that the recombinant protein (~34
      kDa molecular weight) was recognized by the coenurosis positive serum. Given
      these initial, robust immunogenic properties for recombinant TmHSP protein, we
      assessed the ELISA-based serodiagnostic potential of this gene. The indirect
      ELISA was then optimized to 2.70 MUg/well dilution for antigen and 1:80 dilution
      for serum,while the cut-off value is 0.446. We report that our novel TmHSP ELISA
      detected T. multiceps sera with a sensitivity of 1:10240 and a specificity of
      83.3% (5/6). In a preliminary application, this assay correctly confirmed T.
      multiceps infection in 30 infected goats, consistent with the clinical
      examination. This study has revealed that our novel iELISA, which uses the rTmHSP
      protein, provides a rapid test for diagnosing coenurosis.

PMID- 26129974
TI  - Multispecies resistance of cattle gastrointestinal nematodes to long-acting
      avermectin formulations in Mato Grosso do Sul.
AB  - The use of long-acting avermectins (AVMs) in cattle to treat infections with
      gastrointestinal nematodes was common in Brazil until its prohibition by state
      authorities. The prohibition; however, was rescinded in 2015, but a scientific
      discussion of the pros and cons of the use of these formulations is necessary. We
      evaluated the levels of resistance to 1.0 and 3.5% doramectin and to 3.15%
      ivermectin in cattle. The worms in animals treated with 3.5% doramectin were
      characterized by the suppression of oviposition and by a higher proportion of
      adult females carrying no eggs. Haemonchus placei, Cooperia punctata, C.
      pectinata, C. spatulata, and Oesophagostomum radiatum were resistant to the above
      compositions. The administration of long-acting AVM formulations did not result
      in a higher efficacy against these helminth populations. 

PMID- 26129975
TI  - Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Produced by Sphingosine Kinase 2 Intrinsically Controls
      Platelet Aggregation In Vitro and In Vivo.
AB  - RATIONALE: Platelets are known to play a crucial role in hemostasis. Sphingosine
      kinases (Sphk) 1 and 2 catalyze the conversion of sphingosine to the bioactive
      metabolite sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P). Although platelets are able to secrete
      S1P on activation, little is known about a potential intrinsic effect of S1P on
      platelet function. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of Sphk1- and Sphk2-derived
      S1P in the regulation of platelet function. METHODS AND RESULTS: We found a 100
      fold reduction in intracellular S1P levels in platelets derived from Sphk2(-/-)
      mutants compared with Sphk1(-/-) or wild-type mice, as analyzed by mass
      spectrometry. Sphk2(-/-) platelets also failed to secrete S1P on stimulation.
      Blood from Sphk2-deficient mice showed decreased aggregation after protease
      activated receptor 4-peptide and adenosine diphosphate stimulation in vitro, as
      assessed by whole blood impedance aggregometry. We revealed that S1P controls
      platelet aggregation via the sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 through
      modulation of protease-activated receptor 4-peptide and adenosine diphosphate
      induced platelet activation. Finally, we show by intravital microscopy that
      defective platelet aggregation in Sphk2-deficient mice translates into reduced
      arterial thrombus stability in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that Sphk2 is
      the major Sphk isoform responsible for the generation of S1P in platelets and
      plays a pivotal intrinsic role in the control of platelet activation.
      Correspondingly, Sphk2-deficient mice are protected from arterial thrombosis
      after vascular injury, but have normal bleeding times. Targeting this pathway
      could therefore present a new therapeutic strategy to prevent thrombosis.

PMID- 26129976
TI  - Continuous Video Electroencephalographic (EEG) Monitoring for Electrographic
      Seizure Diagnosis in Neonates: A Single-Center Study.
AB  - The objective of this study was to determine the diagnostic yield of continuous
      video electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring in critically ill neonates in the
      setting of a novel, university-based Neonatal Neurocritical Care Service. Patient
      demographic characteristics, indication for seizure monitoring, and presence of
      electrographic seizures were obtained by chart review. Among 595 patients cared
      for by the Neonatal Neurocritical Care Service, 400 (67%) received continuous
      video EEG. The median duration of continuous video EEG monitoring was 49
      (interquartile range = 22-87) hours. Electrographic seizures were captured in 105
      of 400 (26% of monitored patients) and of those, 25 of 105 (24%) had no clinical
      correlate. In addition, 52 of 400 subjects (13%) were monitored due to paroxysmal
      events concerning for seizures, but never had electrographic seizures. Continuous
      video EEG monitoring helped confirm or rule out ongoing seizures in more than one
      third of the cases. This finding helps to support the use of continuous video EEG
      in critically ill neonates. 

PMID- 26129977
TI  - Regional Microstructural and Volumetric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
      Abnormalities in the Corpus Callosum of Neonates With Congenital Heart Defect
      Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.
AB  - The purpose of the study is to investigate the structural development of the
      corpus callosum in term neonates with congenital heart defect before and after
      surgery using diffusion tensor imaging and 3-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic
      resonance imaging (MRI). We compared parallel and radial diffusions, apparent
      diffusion coefficient (ADC), fractional anisotropy, and volume of 5 substructures
      of the corpus callosum: genu, rostral body, body, isthmus, and splenium. Compared
      to healthy controls, we found a significantly lower volume of the splenium and
      total corpus callosum and a higher radial diffusion and lower fractional
      anisotropy in the splenium of patients presurgery; a lower volume in all
      substructures in the postsurgery group; higher radial diffusion in the rostral
      body, body, and splenium; and a higher apparent diffusion coefficient in the
      splenium of postsurgery patients. Similar fractional anisotropy changes in
      congenital heart defect patients were reported in preterm infants. Our findings
      in apparent diffusion coefficient in the splenium of these patients (pre and
      postsurgery) are comparable to findings in preterm neonates with psychomotor
      delay. Delayed maturation of the isthmus was also reported in preterm infants. 

PMID- 26129978
TI  - Facial Expressions in Small for Gestational Age Newborns.

PMID- 26129979
TI  - Comparison in the incidence of anorectal malformations between a first- and third
      world referral center.
AB  - PURPOSE: Aim of study was to evaluate the differences in incidence and
      presentation of anorectal malformations (ARMs) between selected Pediatric Surgery
      Divisions in the Republic of South Africa (ZAR) and Italy. METHODS: A
      retrospective cohort study involved analysis of clinical records of patients with
      ARM born between 2005 and 2012. Type of ARM, maternal age, birth weight,
      gestational age, presence of associated anomalies and delayed diagnosis were
      analyzed. RESULTS: 335 patients were included in this study. Of note,
      statistically significant differences between the African and European patient
      groups were observed in a male predominance in the ZAR patient population. In
      addition, female recto-perineal fistulas were diagnosed in significantly more
      Italian patients than in ZAR. Furthermore, a more advanced maternal age and a
      lower gestational age was noted in the European cohort with a minimal delay in
      initial diagnosis as opposed to the African counterpart. Both centers reported
      recto-perineal fistula as the most common malformation in male patients.
      CONCLUSION: With the exception of perineal fistulas in females, the incidence of
      specific subtypes of ARMs was similar in the two groups. This may be of
      importance when extrapolating European study conclusion to the South African
      setting.

PMID- 26129980
TI  - The management of anorectal malformation with congenital vestibular fistula: a
      single-stage modified anterior sagittal anorectoplasty.
AB  - PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the mid-term outcomes of single-stage
      modified anterior sagittal anorectoplasty (ASARP) for anorectal malformation with
      vestibular fistula. METHOD: Twenty-six patients with congenital imperforate anus
      and vestibular fistula underwent single-stage modified sphincter-saving ASARP
      between January 2008 and December 2012. The ages of the patients at the time of
      operation ranged from 1 month to 5.1 years. Standard ASARP procedure was modified
      to avoid the incision of the external sphincter complex. Instead a potential
      tunnel was created through the center of external sphincter complex under the
      endoscopic guidance. The patients were evaluated for fecal continence and
      complications. RESULT: Modified ASARP was successfully performed in all patients.
      The mean operation time was 52.2 +/- 3.5 min (range 47-61 min). The operative
      blood loss was minimal. There was no operative complication. Wound infection
      occurred in 3 patients (3/26, 11.5%). All patients were followed up for 4.2 +/-
      1.5 years (range 2-6 years). No patient developed fecal incontinence. Three
      patients (3/26, 11.5%) had soiling once or twice per week. Four patients (4/26,
      15.4%) had constipation amenable to diet management. Mucosal prolapse occurred in
      1 patient (1/26, 3.8%). There was no recurrence of fistula, anal stenosis or
      anterior displacement of the neorectum. CONCLUSION: Mid-term results show that
      single-stage modified ASARP is an effective and safe option for patients with
      anorectal malformation and congenital vestibular fistula.

PMID- 26129981
TI  - Holding a stillborn baby: the view from a specialist perinatal bereavement
      service.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Stillbirth is a profoundly distressing event. Little evidence exists
      to guide best practice bereavement care in the perinatal setting. AIMS: To
      document parents' experiences and outcomes in relation to seeing and holding a
      stillborn baby at a hospital with a specialist perinatal bereavement service.
      MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective cohort study of 26 mothers and 11 fathers who
      experienced a stillbirth at the Mater Mothers' Hospital, Brisbane from September
      2007-December 2008. Mailed self-report questionnaires were completed at 6-8 weeks
      and 6 and 13 months postloss. Validated measures assessed regret regarding the
      decision to see and hold the baby, parental grief and mental health. RESULTS: Of
      78 fetal deaths, 26 mothers and 11 fathers participated. Most (20 mothers; 9
      fathers) chose to see and hold their stillborn infant. Little regret was
      reported, irrespective of the decision. For mothers, seeing and holding was
      associated with higher 'active grief' at 6-8 weeks (mean difference (MD) = 10.5;
      95% CI = 3.3-17.8; P < 0.01), 6 months (MD = 8.0; 95% CI = 0.6-15.4; P = 0.03)
      and 13 months (MD = 9.9; 95% CI = 1.8-17.9; P = 0.01), but not with 'not coping'
      or 'despair', or mental health. Fathers reported poorer mental health but small
      numbers mean estimates are imprecise. CONCLUSIONS: More intense grief does not
      equate with poorer mental health for mothers who choose to see and hold a
      stillborn infant. Fathers' experiences warrant further study. Supported decision
      making is important for bereaved parents, and rigorous evaluation of bereavement
      care is essential.

PMID- 26129982
TI  - Quantitative analysis of flavanones from citrus fruits by using mesoporous
      molecular sieve-based miniaturized solid phase extraction coupled to ultrahigh
      performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole time-of-flight mass
      spectrometry.
AB  - An analytical procedure based on miniaturized solid phase extraction (SPE) and
      ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of
      flight tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated for determination of
      six flavanones in Citrus fruits. The mesoporous molecular sieve SBA-15 as a solid
      sorbent was characterised by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and scanning
      electron microscopy. Additionally, compared with reported extraction techniques,
      the mesoporous SBA-15 based SPE method possessed the advantages of shorter
      analysis time and higher sensitivity. Furthermore, considering the different
      nature of the tested compounds, all of the parameters, including the SBA-15
      amount, solution pH, elution solvent, and the sorbent type, were investigated in
      detail. Under the optimum condition, the instrumental detection and quantitation
      limits calculated were less than 4.26 and 14.29ngmL(-1), respectively. The
      recoveries obtained for all the analytes were ranging from 89.22% to 103.46%. The
      experimental results suggested that SBA-15 was a promising material for the
      purification and enrichment of target flavanones from complex citrus fruit
      samples. 

PMID- 26129983
TI  - On-line two-dimensional countercurrent chromatography*high performance liquid
      chromatography system with a novel fragmentary dilution and turbulent mixing
      interface for preparation of coumarins from Cnidium monnieri.
AB  - This study describes a novel on-line two-dimensional countercurrent
      chromatography*high performance liquid chromatography (2D CCC*HPLC) system for
      one-step preparative isolation of coumarins from the fruits of Cnidium monnieri.
      An optimal biphasic solvent system composed of n-heptane/acetone/water (31:50:19,
      v/v) with suitable Kd values and a higher retention of the stationary phase was
      chosen to separate target compounds. In order to address the solvent
      incompatibility problem between CCC and RP-HPLC, a novel fragmentary dilution and
      turbulent mixing (FD-TM) interface was successfully developed. In detail, the
      eluent from the first dimensional CCC column was divided into fractions to form
      'sample-dilution' stripes in the two switching sample loops, by the dilution
      water from the makeup pump. Following this, a long, thin tube was applied to mix
      the CCC eluent with water by in-tube turbulence, to reduce the solvent effect.
      Each CCC fraction was alternately trapped on the two holding columns for further
      preparative HPLC separation. This nationally designed FD-TM strategy effectively
      reduced post-column pressure and allowed a higher water dilution ratio at the
      post end of CCC, leading to improved sample recovery and a robust 2D CCC*HPLC
      isolation system. As a result, in a single 2D separation run (6.5h), eight target
      compounds (1-8) were isolated from 0.5g crude extract of C. monnieri, in overall
      yields of 1.3, 2.0, 0.5, 0.5, 0.8, 1.5, 8.2, and 15.0%, with HPLC purity of 90.1,
      91.1, 94.7, 99.1, 99.2, 98.2, 97.9, and 91.9%, respectively. We anticipate that
      this improved 2D CCC*HPLC system, based on the novel FD-TM interface, has broad
      application for simultaneous isolation and purification of multiple components
      from other complex plant-derived natural products. 

PMID- 26129984
TI  - Superparamagnetic core-shells anchored onto graphene oxide grafted with
      phenylethyl amine as a nano-adsorbent for extraction and enrichment of
      organophosphorus pesticides from fruit, vegetable and water samples.
AB  - A novel adsorbent composed of silica coated magnetic microparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2)
      and graphene oxide (GO) functionalized with phenylethyl amine (PEA) was
      synthesized and characterized using Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR)
      spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), vibrating sample magnetometry
      (VSM), and CHN elemental analysis techniques. The adsorbent (Fe3O4@SiO2@GO-PEA)
      was then used in a magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) of six
      organophosphorous pesticides (OPPs) including methyl parathion, fenitrothion,
      methidathion, ethion, methyl azinphos and coumaphos prior to gas chromatography
      nitrogen phosphorus detection (GC-NPD). The fabricated adsorbent combines the
      advantages of superior adsorption capability of modified GO and magnetic
      separability of magnetite microparticles to provide high adsorption capacity, and
      easy isolation from sample solutions. The main experimental parameters affecting
      the extraction recovery of OPPs including extraction time, pH, adsorbent dosage,
      salt concentration, and desorption conditions were investigated and optimized.
      Under the optimal conditions, linear responses were obtained in the concentration
      range of 0.06-200MUgL(-1) with the determination coefficients (R(2)) between
      0.9945 and 0.9996. The limits of detection were from 0.02 to 0.1MUgL(-1) and the
      intraday and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 4.8 and
      6.4%, respectively. The method was successfully applied for determination of the
      OPPs in apple, grape, pear, bell pepper, celery and water samples. The obtained
      recoveries were in the range of 90.4-108.0% (RSDs=1.9-6.6%, n=3) for fruits and
      vegetables, and 94.6-104.2% (RSDs=2.0-4.8%, n=3) for water samples. The excellent
      extraction performance of the adsorbent can be attributed to its structure
      characteristics where the phenyl rings of PEA grafted on the GO nanosheets are
      accessible to interact effectively with OPPs via delocalized pi-electron system. 

PMID- 26129985
TI  - Parameters optimization using experimental design for headspace solid phase micro
      extraction analysis of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in waters under the
      European water framework directive.
AB  - The water framework directives (WFD 2000/60/EC and 2013/39/EU) force European
      countries to monitor the quality of their aquatic environment. Among the priority
      hazardous substances targeted by the WFD, short chain chlorinated paraffins C10
      C13 (SCCPs), still represent an analytical challenge, because few laboratories
      are nowadays able to analyze them. Moreover, an annual average quality standards
      as low as 0.4MUgL(-1) was set for SCCPs in surface water. Therefore, to test for
      compliance, the implementation of sensitive and reliable analysis method of SCCPs
      in water are required. The aim of this work was to address this issue by
      evaluating automated solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) combined on line with
      gas chromatography-electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry
      (GC/ECNI-MS). Fiber polymer, extraction mode, ionic strength, extraction
      temperature and time were the most significant thermodynamic and kinetic
      parameters studied. To determine the suitable factors working ranges, the study
      of the extraction conditions was first carried out by using a classical one
      factor-at-a-time approach. Then a mixed level factorial 3*2(3) design was
      performed, in order to give rise to the most influent parameters and to estimate
      potential interactions effects between them. The most influent factors, i.e.
      extraction temperature and duration, were optimized by using a second
      experimental design, in order to maximize the chromatographic response. At the
      close of the study, a method involving headspace SPME (HS-SPME) coupled to
      GC/ECNI-MS is proposed. The optimum extraction conditions were sample temperature
      90 degrees C, extraction time 80min, with the PDMS 100MUm fiber and desorption at
      250 degrees C during 2min. Linear response from 0.2ngmL(-1) to 10ngmL(-1) with
      r(2)=0.99 and limits of detection and quantification, respectively of 4pgmL(-1)
      and 120pgmL(-1) in MilliQ water, were achieved. The method proved to be
      applicable in different types of waters and show key advantages, such as
      simplicity, automation and sensitivity, required for the monitoring programs
      linked to the WFD. 

PMID- 26129986
TI  - Faculty development for fellows: Developing and evaluating a broad-based career
      development course for critical care medicine trainees.
AB  - PURPOSE: There is no defined training experience to teach the broad range of
      professional skills needed to transition from critical care trainee to
      practitioner. We hypothesized that a durable set of career development skills
      could be created for critical care medicine (CCM) trainees using a novel
      curriculum defined by both learners and content experts. MATERIALS AND METHODS:
      We presented a curriculum focused on professional development skills to 8 second
      year CCM fellows at a university-based training program. A needs assessment using
      input from faculty and fellows selected 22 topics for the course. Surveys given
      precurriculum and postcurriculum and at 3-year follow-up measured the perceived
      importance of these topics and learner comfort with the skills presented.
      RESULTS: Average class attendance was 77%. Seven subjects (87.5%) responded to
      each survey time point. Comfort scores increased from precourse to postcourse
      survey. Scores were maintained across most content areas from postcourse survey
      to follow-up. Respondents attributed a high level of importance to receiving
      training of this kind. CONCLUSIONS: Teaching a broad range of career development
      skills can result in durable confidence when reinforced by regular use
      postgraduation. This course fills a critical care educational need, facilitating
      the transition to practitioner after CCM training.

PMID- 26129987
TI  - Fibromyalgia is frequent in obstructive sleep apnea and responds to CPAP therapy.

PMID- 26129989
TI  - Anuran skin and basking behavior: The case of the treefrog Bokermannohyla
      alvarengai (Bokermann, 1956).
AB  - We investigated the morphology of the skin and the biochemistry of the lipids in
      the skin secretion of Bokermannohyla alvarengai, a montane treefrog that is known
      to bask regularly, motionless in full sunlight for extended periods of time. Our
      primary goal was to identify structural and biochemical modifications that might
      assist this frog species to accommodate the conflicting demands for heat exchange
      and water balance while basking. The modulation of heat exchange in basking B.
      alvarengai involves changes in skin coloration. We found that this response was
      supported by a prominent monolayer of large iridophores, whose light reflectance
      property is adjusted by the response of intervening melanophores. Mucosubstances
      and lipid compounds, mainly consisted of saturated fatty acids and presumably
      secreted from granular glands, were detected on the skin of B. alvarengai. These
      compounds formed an extra-epidermal layer over the animal's dorsal surface that
      might assist in the prevention of excessive water loss through evaporation.
      Additionally, we found well-developed skin folds at the ventral region of the
      frogs that lead to an increment of surface area. This feature combined with the
      extensive hypervascularization, also noticed for the skin of B. alvarengai, may
      play an important role in water reabsorption. The suite of structural and
      biochemical modifications identified for the integument of B. alvarengai seems to
      conjugate aspects relevant to both, heat exchange and water balance, allowing for
      this species to explore basking as an efficient thermoregulatory strategy.

PMID- 26129988
TI  - Ascorbate biosynthesis and its involvement in stress tolerance and plant
      development in rice (Oryza sativa L.).
AB  - Ascorbic acid (AsA) biosynthesis and its implications for stress tolerance and
      plant development were investigated in a set of rice knock-out (KO) mutants for
      AsA biosynthetic genes and their wild-types. KO of two isoforms of GDP-D-mannose
      epimerase (OsGME) reduced the foliar AsA level by 20-30%, and KO of GDP-L
      galactose phosphorylase (OsGGP) by 80%, while KO of myo-inositol oxygenase
      (OsMIOX) did not affect foliar AsA levels. AsA concentration was negatively
      correlated with lipid peroxidation in foliar tissue under ozone stress and zinc
      deficiency, but did not affect the sensitivity to iron toxicity. Lack of AsA
      reduced the photosynthetic efficiency as represented by the maximum carboxylation
      rate of Rubisco (Vmax), the maximum electron transport rate (Jmax) and the
      chlorophyll fluorescence parameter PhiPSII. Mutants showed lower biomass
      production than their wild-types, especially when OsGGP was lacking (around 80%
      reductions). All plants except for KO mutants of OsGGP showed distinct peaks in
      foliar AsA concentrations during the growth, which were consistent with up
      regulation of OsGGP, suggesting that OsGGP plays a pivotal role in regulating
      foliar AsA levels during different growth stages. In conclusion, our data
      demonstrate multiple roles of AsA in stress tolerance and development of rice.

PMID- 26129990
TI  - Natural variation of the expression pattern of the segmentation gene even-skipped
      in melanogaster.
AB  - The evolution of canalized traits is a central question in evolutionary biology.
      Natural variation in highly conserved traits can provide clues about their
      evolutionary potential. Here we investigate natural variation in a conserved
      trait-even-skipped (eve) expression at the cellular blastoderm stage of embryonic
      development in Drosophila melanogaster. Expression of the pair-rule gene eve was
      quantitatively measured in three inbred lines derived from a natural population
      of D. melanogaster. One line showed marked differences in the spacing, amplitude
      and timing of formation of the characteristic seven-striped pattern over a 50-min
      period prior to the onset of gastrulation. Stripe 5 amplitude and the width of
      the interstripe between stripes 4 and 5 were both reduced in this line, while the
      interstripe distance between stripes 3 and 4 was increased. Engrailed expression
      in stage 10 embryos revealed a statistically significant increase in the length
      of parasegment 6 and a decrease in the length of parasegments 8 and 9. These
      changes are larger than those previously reported between D. melanogaster and D.
      pseudoobscura, two species that are thought to have diverged from a common
      ancestor over 25 million years ago. This line harbors a rare 448 bp deletion in
      the first intron of knirps (kni). This finding suggested that reduced Kni levels
      caused the deviant eve expression, and indeed we observed lower levels of Kni
      protein at early cycle 14A in L2 compared to the other two lines. A second of the
      three lines displayed an approximately 20% greater level of expression for all
      seven eve stripes. The three lines are each viable and fertile, and none display
      a segmentation defect as adults, suggesting that early-acting variation in eve
      expression is ameliorated by developmental buffering mechanisms acting later in
      development. Canalization of the segmentation pathway may reduce the fitness
      consequences of genetic variation, thus allowing the persistence of mutations
      with unexpectedly strong gene expression phenotypes. 

PMID- 26129991
TI  - Abnormal CD4 + T helper (Th) 1 cells and activated memory B cells are associated
      with type III asymptomatic mixed cryoglobulinemia in HCV infection.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is
      associated with abnormal immune responses mediated by T cells and B cells, while
      the relationships of different subsets of CD4 + T helper (Th) cells, B cells and
      associated cytokines with type III asymptomatic MC in HCV infection are poorly
      understood. METHODS: Fifty-four chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients and 23 healthy
      controls (HCs) were enrolled in the study. Serum cryoglobulins were detected by
      cryoprecipitation. The types of cryoglobulin were determined by western blot. The
      phenotypes and frequencies of Th cell and B cell subsets were detected by flow
      cytometric analysis. The cytokines IFN-gamma, IL-4, IL-17, IL-21, IL-22, and TGF
      beta were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Twenty-six CHC
      patients were detected with type III asymptomatic MC. The frequencies of Th2,
      Th17, follicular helper T (Tfh cells), Th22, and tissue-like B cells were
      significantly higher in CHC patients compared to HCs, while these cell subsets
      were not significantly different between CHC patients and HCV-related MC
      patients. The frequencies of Th1 and activated memory B cells increased in HCV
      related MC patients compared to HCs, although the difference between the two cell
      subsets in CHC patients and HCs was not significant. The frequency of regulatory
      T cells (Treg cells) was higher in CHC patients than in HCV-related MC patients
      and HCs. Higher expressions of serum IFN-gamma, IL-17, IL-21, and IL-22 were
      observed in CHC patients than in HCs, but the differences were not significantly
      different in CHC patients and HCV-related MC patients. The frequency of Th1 cells
      was associated with activated memory B cells in HCV-related MC patients, and the
      frequency of Th1 cells and activated memory B cells was closely related to HCV
      RNA in HCV-related MC patients. CONCLUSIONS: The increased frequencies of Th17
      cells, Tfh cells, Th22 cells, Treg cells, cytokines IL-17, IL-21, IL-22, and
      tissue-like B cells, were related to HCV infection but not type III asymptomatic
      MC. Higher frequencies of Th1 cells and activated memory B cells were associated
      with type III asymptomatic MC in HCV infection.

PMID- 26129992
TI  - Impact of a Telepsychiatry Program at Emergency Departments Statewide on the
      Quality, Utilization, and Costs of Mental Health Services.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: This study estimated the impact of a statewide, centralized
      telepsychiatry service provided in nonpsychiatric emergency departments (EDs) on
      use of mental health services. METHODS: Individuals treated via telepsychiatry
      were compared with a matched control group of individuals with mental health
      diagnoses who were treated in nonparticipating hospitals. Bivariate and two-part
      and generalized linear regression models were used to assess differences between
      the two groups in outpatient follow-up, hospital admission following the ED
      visit, length of hospital stay if admitted, and inpatient and total costs.
      RESULTS: Between March 2009 and June 2013, there were 9,066 patients with at
      least one telepsychiatry visit. Of these, 7,261 had index telepsychiatry visits
      that the authors were able to successfully match. Compared with the matched
      control group, telepsychiatry recipients were more likely to receive 30-day
      outpatient follow-up (46% versus 16%, p<.001) and 90-day outpatient follow-up
      (54% versus 20%, p<.001). Telepsychiatry recipients were less likely than the
      control group to be admitted to the hospital during the index ED visit (11%
      versus 22%, p<.001). The combined effect of having a telepsychiatry consult
      during the index ED visit was a reduction of .86 days in inpatient length of
      stay. Thirty-day inpatient costs were $2,336 (p=.04) lower for the telepsychiatry
      versus the control group, but 30-day total health care costs were not
      statistically different. CONCLUSIONS: Telepsychiatry delivered in the ED through
      a centralized coordinated program has great promise for improving linkage with
      outpatient mental health services while reducing inpatient utilization and
      hospital costs.

PMID- 26129993
TI  - Outpatient Provider Contact Prior to Unintentional Opioid Overdose Among VHA
      Service Users.
AB  - OBJECTIVES: Prescription opioid medications are the most commonly implicated
      substances in unintentional overdoses. Outpatient health care encounters
      represent a potential opportunity to intervene to reduce opioid overdose risk.
      This study assessed the timing and type of outpatient provider contacts prior to
      death from unintentional prescription opioid overdose. METHODS: This study
      examined all adult patients nationally in the Veterans Health Administration
      (VHA) who died from unintentional prescription opioid overdose in fiscal years
      2004-2007 and who used VHA services anytime within two years of their deaths
      (N=1,813). For those whose final treatment contact was in an outpatient setting
      (N=1,457), demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics were compared
      among patients categorized by the location of their last contact. RESULTS: Among
      individuals last seen in outpatient settings, 33% were seen within one week of
      their overdose and 62% within one month of their overdose. A substantial
      proportion of patients (30%) were last seen within one month of death in mental
      health or substance use disorder outpatient settings. The majority of patients
      (86%) did not fill an opioid prescription on their last outpatient visit prior to
      death from unintentional opioid overdose. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients who died by
      unintentional prescription opioid overdose were seen in outpatient settings
      within a month of their overdose. These settings may provide an opportunity to
      prevent patients from dying from prescription opioid overdoses. Interventions to
      reduce risk should not be limited to visits during which an opioid is prescribed.

PMID- 26129994
TI  - Effect of Pediatric Behavioral Health Screening and Colocated Services on
      Ambulatory and Inpatient Utilization.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study sought to determine the impact of a pediatric behavioral
      health screening and colocation model on utilization of behavioral health care.
      METHODS: In 2003, Cambridge Health Alliance, a Massachusetts public health
      system, introduced behavioral health screening and colocation of social workers
      sequentially within its pediatric practices. An interrupted time-series study was
      conducted to determine the impact on behavioral health care utilization in the 30
      months after model implementation compared with the 18 months prior.
      Specifically, the change in trends of ambulatory, emergency, and inpatient
      behavioral health utilization was examined. Utilization data for 11,223 children
      ages >=4 years 9 months to <18 years 3 months seen from 2003 to 2008 contributed
      to the study. RESULTS: In the 30 months after implementation of pediatric
      behavioral health screening and colocation, there was a 20.4% cumulative increase
      in specialty behavioral health visit rates (trend of .013% per month, p=.049) and
      a 67.7% cumulative increase in behavioral health primary care visit rates (trend
      of .019% per month, p<.001) compared with the expected rates predicted by the 18
      month preintervention trend. In addition, behavioral health emergency department
      visit rates increased 245% compared with the expected rate (trend .01% per month,
      p=.002). CONCLUSIONS: After the implementation of a behavioral health screening
      and colocation model, more children received behavioral health treatment.
      Contrary to expectations, behavioral health emergency department visits also
      increased. Further study is needed to determine whether this is an effect of how
      care was organized for children newly engaged in behavioral health care or a
      reflection of secular trends in behavioral health utilization or both.

PMID- 26129995
TI  - Reviewing Illness Self-Management Programs: A Selection Guide for Consumers,
      Practitioners, and Administrators.
AB  - Illness self-management (ISM) programs for adults with serious mental illness
      offer strategies to increase self-directed recovery activities to maximize
      wellness and increase independence from the service delivery system. This article
      describes five of the most popular ISM programs: Pathways to Recovery, The
      Recovery Workbook, Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals through
      Education and Support, Wellness and Recovery Action Planning, and Illness
      Management and Recovery. It provides guidance for administrators, practitioners,
      and consumers for the purposes of selecting the program or programs providing the
      best fit. The framework for describing the five programs encompasses four
      contextual domains that supplement empirical evidence for a more comprehensive
      evaluation: structure, value orientation toward recovery, methods of teaching,
      and educational content. Contextual domains distinguish programs from one
      another, including length and time commitment, requisite resources, inclusion of
      group support, utilization of medical language and pathology, degree of
      traditional didactic education, and prioritization of consumer-driven self
      exploration. The authors also searched PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and Cochrane
      Reviews for empirical evidence and evaluated the five programs on the strength of
      the evidence and the effectiveness of the intervention. Evidence of program
      effectiveness was found to range from low to moderate. However, empirical
      evidence alone is insufficient for selecting among the five programs, and
      contextual domains may offer the most relevant guidance by matching program
      features with goals of consumers, practitioners, and administrators.

PMID- 26129996
TI  - Culturally Adapted Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Chinese Americans With
      Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: No randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for adults have compared the
      effectiveness of a well-specified psychotherapy and a culturally adapted version
      of the same treatment. This study evaluated the effectiveness of cognitive
      behavioral therapy (CBT) and culturally adapted CBT (CA-CBT) in treating
      depressed Chinese-American adults. METHODS: This RCT treated 50 Chinese Americans
      who met criteria for major depression and sought treatment at community mental
      health clinics. Screening of participants began in September 2008, and the last
      assessment was conducted in March 2011. Participants were stratified by whether
      they were already taking antidepressants when they first came to the clinic and
      randomly assigned to 12 sessions of CBT or CA-CBT. The study did not influence
      regular prescription practices. The primary outcomes were dropout rates and
      Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores at baseline, session 4, session 8, and
      session 12. RESULTS: Participants in CA-CBT demonstrated a greater overall
      decrease in depressive symptoms compared with participants in CBT, but the groups
      had similarly high depression rates at week 12. Differences in dropout rates for
      the two groups approached, but did not meet, statistical significance (7%, CA
      CBT; 26%, CBT). CONCLUSIONS: Chinese Americans entered this study with very
      severe depression. Participants in both CBT and CA-CBT demonstrated significant
      decreases in depressive symptoms, but the majority did not reach remission.
      Results suggest that these short-term treatments were not sufficient to address
      such severe depression and that more intensive and longer treatments may be
      needed. Results also indicate that cultural adaptations may confer additional
      treatment benefits.

PMID- 26129997
TI  - Attitudes About Required Coverage of Mental Health Care in a U.S. National
      Sample.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Recent policy initiatives such as the Affordable Care Act and Mental
      Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act have expanded coverage of mental health
      services. However, to what extent the public supports mandated insurance coverage
      of mental health care relative to other specific medical services is unclear.
      METHODS: This report presents results of a cross-sectional, national poll of the
      U.S. adult population. Respondents (N=2,124) were asked whether health plans
      should be required to provide coverage for mental health care and other types of
      medical services. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of
      respondent characteristics with support for coverage. RESULTS: Seventy-eight
      percent (95% confidence interval=75%-81%) of respondents supported mandated
      coverage of mental health care. This result was higher than support for birth
      control medications, equivalent to support for oral or dental care, and lower
      than support for all other medical services. CONCLUSIONS: True parity for mental
      health care may be limited if public support lags behind that for other medical
      services.

PMID- 26129998
TI  - Noncommissioned Officers' Perspectives on Identifying, Caring for, and Referring
      Soldiers and Marines at Risk of Suicide.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Noncommissioned officers (NCOs) in the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps
      were surveyed to identify their ability and willingness to identify, intervene on
      behalf of, and refer fellow soldiers and marines at risk of suicide. METHODS: A
      total of 1,184 Army soldiers and 796 marines completed surveys. Descriptive
      statistics were collected, and regression analyses comparing the groups were
      conducted. RESULTS: Thirty-seven percent of marines and 40% of Army soldiers
      reported that they could use more suicide prevention training. Compared with
      trained civilians, NCOs reported greater efficacy to intervene with at-risk
      peers, but they also reported relatively more reluctance to intervene. Close to
      40% of NCOs believed that they would be held responsible for a service member's
      suicide if they had asked the service member about suicidal thoughts before the
      suicide occurred. Chaplains were the preferred referral source, primarily because
      of the confidentiality they afford. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide prevention training for
      NCOs should focus on strategies for asking about suicide risk, assuring soldiers
      and marines that they will not be blamed for the suicides of fellow service
      members, and encouraging referrals. These results can help improve suicide
      prevention programs in the Army and Marine Corps, including whether current
      policies may need to be changed to optimize NCOs' ability to identify, intervene
      on behalf of, and refer service members at risk of suicide.

PMID- 26129999
TI  - The Health Home: A Service Delivery Model for Autism and Intellectual Disability.
AB  - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) are lifelong
      conditions with profound impact on the functioning of affected individuals and
      their families. Optimizing developmental outcomes requires a lifelong perspective
      on treatment. The patient-centered health care home (health home) model is
      currently used to improve health outcomes and care integration in a variety of
      chronic general medical and psychiatric conditions. The authors propose the
      health home model as a new conceptual framework from which to build systems of
      care for persons with ASD or ID and their families. The authors describe
      essential elements of a health home for these populations, which would be located
      in a behavioral health setting. They also describe an existing model of such a
      health home, the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities in
      Pennsylvania. 

PMID- 26130000
TI  - Injurious Assault Rates on Inpatient Psychiatric Units: Associations With
      Staffing by Registered Nurses and Other Nursing Personnel.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The study examined associations between staffing levels by registered
      nurses (RNs) and non-RNs on psychiatric units and the rate of injurious assaults
      against hospital personnel, the rate of injurious assaults against other
      patients, and the total rate of injurious assaults. METHODS: Generalized mixed
      models were used to analyze 2011-2013 data from 461 adult inpatient psychiatric
      units in 327 U.S. hospitals. Monthly data were aggregated to the unit level. The
      analyses considered RN and non-RN hours per patient day (HPPD) as linear and
      nonlinear predictors of the three assault rates, controlling for hospital
      ownership, size, and teaching status. RESULTS: Both staffing variables had
      statistically significant linear associations with assault rates. Higher values
      of HPPD for non-RNs were associated with a higher rate of assaults against
      hospital personnel (exp[B]=1.23), a higher rate of assaults against patients
      (exp[B]=1.31), and a higher total rate of injurious assaults (exp[B]=1.21).
      Higher values of HPPD for RNs were associated with a higher rate of assaults
      against hospital personnel (exp[B]=1.11) and a lower rate of assaults against
      patients (exp[B]=.81). CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest published study to date
      of the association between psychiatric unit staffing and violence and the first
      to examine separately assaults against hospital personnel and assaults against
      patients in relation to staffing. Results confirm and qualify previous findings
      of a positive staffing-violence association. Injurious assaults against hospital
      personnel and against patients have different associations with nurse staffing
      and should be studied as separate phenomena with different causes.

PMID- 26130001
TI  - MindSpot Clinic: An Accessible, Efficient, and Effective Online Treatment Service
      for Anxiety and Depression.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to report the feasibility of
      delivering online cognitive-behavioral therapy (iCBT) treatments for anxiety and
      depression in a national public mental health service. METHODS: A prospective
      noncontrolled cohort study was conducted of all patients who began assessment or
      treatment at the MindSpot Clinic from January through December 2013. Clinic
      services were used by a representative cross-section of the Australian
      population. Mean age at assessment was 36.4+/-13.0 years, and age range was 18-86
      years. Patients completed one of four online courses over eight weeks, during
      which they received weekly support from a therapist via telephone or secure e
      mail. Primary outcome measures were the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire
      (PHQ-9) and the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7)
      administered at posttreatment and three months posttreatment. RESULTS: A total of
      10,293 adults who self-identified as having problems with anxiety or depression
      commenced assessment, and 7,172 completed the assessment and were eligible for
      analysis. Of these, 2,049 enrolled in a course and 1,471 completed the course,
      for a course completion rate of 71.8%. Moderate to large noncontrolled effect
      sizes (Cohen's d=.67-1.66, 95% confidence interval=.08-2.07) were found from
      assessment to three-month follow-up. At posttreatment and follow-up, reliable
      recovery ranged from 46.7% to 51.1%, and deterioration ranged from 1.9% to 3.8%.
      Mean total therapist time per patient was 111.8+/-61.6 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: The
      MindSpot Clinic produced treatment outcomes that were comparable to results from
      published clinical trials of iCBT. This model of service delivery represents an
      innovative method of providing accessible, low-cost, effective, and acceptable
      mental health services to many people who currently are not receiving care.

PMID- 26130002
TI  - Job Offers to Individuals With Severe Mental Illness After Participation in
      Virtual Reality Job Interview Training.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Individuals with severe mental illness have low employment rates, and
      the job interview presents a critical barrier for them to obtain competitive
      employment. Prior randomized controlled trials (RCTs) indicated that virtual
      reality job interview training (VR-JIT) improved job interviewing skills among
      trainees. This study assessed whether VR-JIT participation was associated with
      greater odds of receiving job offers in the six-months after completion of
      training. METHODS: To assess the efficacy of VR-JIT, trainees (N=39) in the
      method and a comparison group (N=12) completed a brief survey approximately six
      months after participating in the RCTs. Primary vocational outcome measures
      included receiving a job offer and number of weeks searching for employment.
      RESULTS: A larger proportion of trainees than comparison participants received a
      job offer (51% versus 25%, respectively). Trainees were more likely to receive a
      job offer than comparison participants (odds ratio=9.64, p=.02) after analyses
      accounted for cognition, recency of last job, and diagnosis. Trainees had greater
      odds of receiving a job offer for each completed VR-JIT trial (odds ratio=1.41,
      p=.04), and a greater number of completed VR-JIT trials predicted fewer weeks of
      searching for employment (beta=-.74, p=.02). CONCLUSIONS: Results provide
      preliminary support that VR-JIT is a promising intervention associated with
      enhanced vocational outcomes among individuals with severe mental illness. Given
      that participants had minimal access to standardized vocational services, future
      research could evaluate the effectiveness of VR-JIT among individuals with and
      without access to standardized vocational services as well as evaluate strategies
      to implement VR-JIT within a large community mental health service provider.

PMID- 26130003
TI  - Two Birds, One Stone: Unintended Consequences and a Potential Solution for
      Problems With Recovery in Mental Health.
AB  - Recovery began as a social justice movement. In more recent years, professionals
      have joined the movement, unintentionally co-opting and mainstreaming the more
      radical goals of these earlier activist consumer movements. The goals of the
      patient-centered care movement in general medical care are similar to those of
      "professional recovery." If mental health professionals instead adopted the
      language and goals of patient-centered care as a first step toward joining the
      two movements, the recovery movement could reclaim its social justice roots, and
      progress would be made toward reducing the duality between physical and mental
      health care systems. Professionals should return the recovery movement to those
      with lived experience, adopt the unified language of patient-centered care, and
      align professional transformation efforts under one holistic movement.

PMID- 26130004
TI  - The Recovery-Oriented Care Collaborative: A Practice-Based Research Network to
      Improve Care for People With Serious Mental Illnesses.
AB  - Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) create continuous collaborations among
      academic researchers and practitioners. Most PBRNs have operated in primary care,
      and less than 5% of federally registered PBRNs include mental health
      practitioners. In 2012 the first PBRN in the nation focused on individuals with
      serious mental illnesses-the Recovery-Oriented Care Collaborative-was established
      in Los Angeles. This column describes the development of this innovative PBRN
      through four phases: building an infrastructure, developing a research study,
      executing the study, and consolidating the PBRN. Key lessons learned are also
      described, such as the importance of actively engaging direct service providers
      and clients.

PMID- 26130005
TI  - The Inhibition of the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability by Rotation.
AB  - It is well-established that the Coriolis force that acts on fluid in a rotating
      system can act to stabilise otherwise unstable flows. Chandrasekhar considered
      theoretically the effect of the Coriolis force on the Rayleigh-Taylor
      instability, which occurs at the interface between a dense fluid lying on top of
      a lighter fluid under gravity, concluding that rotation alone could not stabilise
      this system indefinitely. Recent numerical work suggests that rotation may,
      nevertheless, slow the growth of the instability. Experimental verification of
      these results using standard techniques is problematic, owing to the practical
      difficulty in establishing the initial conditions. Here, we present a new
      experimental technique for studying the Rayleigh-Taylor instability under
      rotation that side-steps the problems encountered with standard techniques by
      using a strong magnetic field to destabilize an otherwise stable system. We find
      that rotation about an axis normal to the interface acts to retard the growth
      rate of the instability and stabilise long wavelength modes; the scale of the
      observed structures decreases with increasing rotation rate, asymptoting to a
      minimum wavelength controlled by viscosity. We present a critical rotation rate,
      dependent on Atwood number and the aspect ratio of the system, for stabilising
      the most unstable mode. 

PMID- 26130006
TI  - Rapid thawing and stabilizing procedure improve postthaw survival and in vitro
      penetrability of boar spermatozoa cryopreserved with a glycerol-free trehalose
      based extender.
AB  - Thawing process is important in semen cryopreservation as it brings back the
      sperm cell to physiologic temperature reactivating the metabolism. Aims of the
      present study were to evaluate survival rate and in vitro penetrability of boar
      frozen spermatozoa after rapid and transient thawing at a high temperature
      followed by a warming procedure at 39  degrees C. Ejaculated semen samples were
      diluted in an egg yolk-based glycerol-free extender containing 100-mM trehalose
      and then cryopreserved in 0.5-mL straws according to a common protocol. In
      experiment 1, when temperature inside the straws was monitored after thawing at
      40  degrees C, 60  degrees C, 70  degrees C, and 80  degrees C, the calculated
      average warming rate in the straws from -196  degrees C to 15  degrees C was much
      faster when thawed at 70  degrees C and 80  degrees C than at 40  degrees C (P <
      0.01). The warming temperature rate inside the straw was 7 to 12 folds faster
      during the first 2 seconds than the second 2 seconds after immersing in high
      temperatures. In experiment 2, when frozen straws were thawed at 80  degrees C
      for 9 seconds, the viability, motility, and acrosomal integrity were
      significantly improved (P < 0.05), as compared with controls (at 39  degrees C).
      In experiment 3, frozen straws were thawed at 39  degrees C, 60  degrees C, 70 
      degrees C, and 80  degrees C for 60, 10, 8, and 6 seconds, respectively, and then
      maintained at 39  degrees C for 0, 50, 52, and 54 seconds. Higher viability,
      motility, mitochondria membrane potential, and acrosome integrity were observed
      (P < 0.05) when frozen straws were thawed at 70  degrees C for 8 seconds and then
      maintained at 39  degrees C for 52 seconds as compared with the control (39 
      degrees C for 60 seconds). In experiment 4, in vitro penetrability of frozen
      spermatozoa thawed at 70  degrees C for 8 seconds and maintained at 39  degrees C
      for 52 seconds was higher than that of controls. In conclusion, the rapid
      transient thawing at 70  degrees C for 8 seconds followed by stabilizing
      procedure at 39  degrees C for 52 seconds maintained the viability, motility,
      mitochondria membrane potential, acrosome integrity, and in vitro penetrability
      of spermatozoa frozen in a glycerol-free trehalose extender and recommended as an
      optimum thawing conditions.

PMID- 26130007
TI  - Preparation of Biotubes with vascular cells component by in vivo incubation using
      adipose-derived stromal cell-exuding multi-microporous molds.
AB  - Biotubes, prepared using in-body tissue architecture (IBTA) technology, have
      adequate mechanical properties and excellent biocompatibility for vascular
      grafts. However, they have thin walls, lack vascular constructing cells, and are
      composed of subcutaneous connective tissues consisting mainly of collagen and
      fibroblasts. This study aimed to prepare Biotubes with a vascular-like structure
      including an endothelial cell lining and a smooth muscle cell by IBTA using
      adipose-derived vascular stromal cell (ADSCs)-exuding specially designed
      multiporous tubes (outer diameter 5 mm, length 24 mm, pore size 500 MUm, pore
      number 180, cell number/tube >3.0 * 10(6)). ADSCs were separated from rat
      subcutaneous fat, suspended in a MatrigelTM solution at 4  degrees C, and then
      filled into the tubes. After the tubes were embedded into dorsal subcutaneous
      pouches of the same rats for 2 weeks, robust Biotubes with a wall thickness of
      >600 MUm were formed surrounding the tubes. The luminal layer of the obtained
      Biotubes was dominated by the cells positive for an endothelial marker. Almost
      the entire intima, with a thickness of about 400 MUm, was occupied with cells
      positive for a smooth muscle marker. Both cells were derived from ADSCs. Biotube
      walls were constructed by fusing ADSC-derived vascular constructing cells exuded
      from the tubes and fibroblasts and collagen from the surrounding connective
      tissue. A robust Biotubes with vascular cells component, were formed after only 2
      weeks of subcutaneous incubation of ADSCs-exuding multiporous tubes.

PMID- 26130008
TI  - DNA-protein crosslink repair.
AB  - DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) are highly toxic DNA adducts, but whether dedicated
      DPC-repair mechanisms exist was until recently unknown. This has changed with
      discoveries made in yeast and Xenopus laevis that revealed a protease-based DNA
      repair pathway specific for DPCs. Importantly, mutations in the gene encoding the
      putative human homologue of a yeast DPC protease cause a human premature ageing
      and cancer predisposition syndrome. Thus, DPC repair is a previously overlooked
      genome-maintenance mechanism that may be essential for tumour suppression.

PMID- 26130010
TI  - Comparison of the Hemostatic Activity of Quercus persica Jaub. & Spach. (Oak)
      With Ferric Sulfate in Bony Crypts.
AB  - Effective tissue hemostasis in periapical surgical site is important in the
      procedures. Plants with large amount of tannins may act as a local hemostatic
      agent. We aimed to compare the hemostatic effect of the extract of Quercus
      persica with one of the common hemostatic material used in periapical surgery.
      Six standardized bone holes were prepared in the calvaria of 5 Burgundy rabbits.
      Two hemostatic medicaments were tested for their hemostatic effect and were
      compared with control defects: Group 1, cotton pellet soaked in 15.5% ferric
      sulfate solution; Group 2, cotton pellet soaked in pure ethanolic extract of Q.
      persica. Bleeding score between the groups was compared. The ferric sulfate group
      exhibited significantly less bleeding than the other 2 groups. Q. persica was
      found to cause more hemostasis than the control group at 4 and 5 minutes but
      there were no significant differences between normal saline and Q. persica
      extract in bleeding control.

PMID- 26130009
TI  - Forcing cells into shape: the mechanics of actomyosin contractility.
AB  - Actomyosin-mediated contractility is a highly conserved mechanism for generating
      mechanical stress in animal cells and underlies muscle contraction, cell
      migration, cell division and tissue morphogenesis. Whereas actomyosin-mediated
      contractility in striated muscle is well understood, the regulation of such
      contractility in non-muscle and smooth muscle cells is less certain. Our
      increased understanding of the mechanics of actomyosin arrays that lack
      sarcomeric organization has revealed novel modes of regulation and force
      transmission. This work also provides an example of how diverse mechanical
      behaviours at cellular scales can arise from common molecular components,
      underscoring the need for experiments and theories to bridge the molecular to
      cellular length scales. 

PMID- 26130016
TI  - Fine mapping and whole-exome sequencing of a familial cortical myoclonic tremor
      with epilepsy family.
AB  - Familial cortical myoclonic tremor with epilepsy (FCMTE) is an autosomal dominant
      epilepsy syndrome. Four loci, including 8q24 (FCMTE1), 2p11.1-q12.2 (FCMTE2),
      5p15.31-p15.1 (FCMTE3), and 3q26.32-3q28 (FCMTE4) were previously reported.
      Herein, we report a new FCMTE1 pedigree from Chinese population with its clinical
      and genetic study results. Whole genome scan was performed to identify the
      causative gene region and copy number variants. Whole-exome sequencing was used
      to identify the causative gene. There were twelve affected members alive in this
      FCMTE1 pedigree. Nine affected members had both cortical myoclonic tremor and
      epilepsy, while three affected members had only cortical myoclonic tremor.
      Electrophysiologic examinations manifested giant somatosensory evoked potentials
      and long-latency cortical reflex in some affected members. Whole genome scan
      identified a 20.4 Mb causative gene region at 8q22.3-q24.13. No copy number
      variants were identified as the causative mutation. Whole-exome sequencing
      identified a co-segregated mutation (c.206A>T; p.Y69F) in the SLC30A8 gene.
      However, the evidence supporting this gene as the causative gene of FCMTE1 is not
      enough. We report the first Chinese FCMTE1 pedigree. No copy number variants,
      point mutation or small insertion/deletion were detected in the identified region
      that showed an association with FCMTE1. Further studies could focus on other
      possible genetic mechanisms while the association between the SLC30A8 and FCMTE1
      needs further evidence.

PMID- 26130017
TI  - Mid-urethral sling operations for stress urinary incontinence in women.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence is a very common and debilitating problem
      affecting about 50% of women at some point in their lives. Stress urinary
      incontinence (SUI) is a contributory or predominant cause in 30% to 80% of these
      women. Mid-urethral sling (MUS) operations are a recognised minimally invasive
      surgical treatment for SUI. MUS involves the passage of a small strip of tape
      through either the retropubic or obturator space, with entry or exit points at
      the lower abdomen or groin, respectively. This review does not include single
      incision slings. OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical effects of mid-urethral sling
      (MUS) operations for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI),
      urodynamic stress incontinence (USI) or mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) in
      women. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Incontinence Group Specialised
      Register, which contains trials identified from CENTRAL, MEDLINE, MEDLINE in
      process, ClinicalTrials.gov and handsearching of journals and conference
      proceedings (searched 26 June 2014), Embase and Embase Classic (January 1947 to
      Week 25 2014), WHO ICTRP (searched on 30 June 2014) and the reference lists of
      relevant articles. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled
      trials amongst women with SUI, USI or MUI, in which both trial arms involve a MUS
      operation. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently
      assessed the methodological quality of potentially eligible studies and extracted
      data from the included trials. MAIN RESULTS: We included 81 trials that evaluated
      12,113 women. We assessed the quality of evidence for outcomes using the GRADE
      assessment tool; the quality of most outcomes was moderate, mainly due to risk of
      bias or imprecision.Fifty-five trials with data contributed by 8652 women
      compared the use of the transobturator route (TOR) and retropubic route (RPR).
      There is moderate quality evidence that in the short term (up to one year) the
      rate of subjective cure of TOR and RPR are similar (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.00;
      36 trials, 5514 women; moderate quality evidence) ranging from 62% to 98% in the
      TOR group, and from 71% to 97% in the RPR group. Short-term objective cure was
      similar in the TOR and RPR groups (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.00; 40 trials, 6145
      women). Fewer trials reported medium-term (one to five years) and longer-term
      (over five years) data, but subjective cure was similar between the groups (RR
      0.97, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.09; 5 trials, 683 women; low quality evidence; and RR
      0.95, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.12; 4 trials, 714 women; moderate quality evidence,
      respectively). In the long term, subjective cure rates ranged from 43% to 92% in
      the TOR group, and from 51% to 88% in the RPR group.MUS procedures performed
      using the RPR had higher morbidity when compared to TOR, though the overall rate
      of adverse events remained low. The rate of bladder perforation was lower after
      TOR (0.6% versus 4.5%; RR 0.13, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.20; 40 trials, 6372 women;
      moderate quality evidence). Major vascular/visceral injury, mean operating time,
      operative blood loss and length of hospital stay were lower with
      TOR.Postoperative voiding dysfunction was less frequent following TOR (RR 0.53,
      95% CI 0.43 to 0.65; 37 trials, 6200 women; moderate quality evidence). Overall
      rates of groin pain were higher in the TOR group (6.4% versus 1.3%; RR 4.12, 95%
      CI 2.71 to 6.27; 18 trials, 3221 women; moderate quality evidence) whereas
      suprapubic pain was lower in the TOR group (0.8% versus 2.9%; RR 0.29, 95% CI
      0.11 to 0.78); both being of short duration. The overall rate of vaginal tape
      erosion/exposure/extrusion was low in both groups: 24/1000 instances with TOR
      compared with 21/1000 for RPR (RR 1.13, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.65; 31 trials, 4743
      women; moderate quality evidence). There were only limited data to inform the
      need for repeat incontinence surgery in the long term, but it was more likely in
      the TOR group than in the RPR group (RR 8.79, 95% CI 3.36 to 23.00; 4 trials, 695
      women; low quality evidence).A retropubic bottom-to-top route was more effective
      than top-to-bottom route for subjective cure (RR 1.10, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.19; 3
      trials, 477 women; moderate quality evidence). It incurred significantly less
      voiding dysfunction, and led to fewer bladder perforations and vaginal tape
      erosions.Short-and medium-term subjective cure rates between transobturator tapes
      passed using a medial-to-lateral as opposed to a lateral-to-medial approach were
      similar (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.06; 6 trials, 759 women; moderate quality
      evidence, and RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.23; 2 trials, 235 women; moderate quality
      evidence). There was moderate quality evidence that voiding dysfunction was more
      frequent in the medial-to-lateral group (RR 1.74, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.88; 8 trials,
      1121 women; moderate quality evidence), but vaginal perforation was less frequent
      in the medial-to-lateral route (RR 0.25, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.53; 3 trials, 541
      women). Due to the very low quality of the evidence, it is unclear whether the
      lower rates of vaginal epithelial perforation affected vaginal tape erosion (RR
      0.42, 95% CI 0.16 to 1.09; 7 trials, 1087 women; very low quality evidence).
      AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Mid-urethral sling operations have been the most
      extensively researched surgical treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI)
      in women and have a good safety profile. Irrespective of the routes traversed,
      they are highly effective in the short and medium term, and accruing evidence
      demonstrates their effectiveness in the long term. This review illustrates their
      positive impact on improving the quality of life of women with SUI. With the
      exception of groin pain, fewer adverse events occur with employment of a
      transobturator approach. When comparing transobturator techniques of a medial-to
      lateral versus a lateral-to-medial insertion, there is no evidence to support the
      use of one approach over the other. However, a bottom-to-top route was more
      effective than top-to-bottom route for retropubic tapes.A salient point
      illustrated throughout this review is the need for reporting of longer-term
      outcome data from the numerous existing trials. This would substantially increase
      the evidence base and provide clarification regarding uncertainties about long
      term effectiveness and adverse event profile.

PMID- 26130018
TI  - Yoga for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the major cause of early morbidity
      and mortality in most developed countries. Secondary prevention aims to prevent
      repeat cardiac events and death in people with established CHD. Lifestyle
      modifications play an important role in secondary prevention. Yoga has been
      regarded as a type of physical activity as well as a stress management strategy.
      Growing evidence suggests the beneficial effects of yoga on various ailments.
      OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of yoga for the secondary prevention
      of mortality and morbidity in, and on the health-related quality of life of,
      individuals with CHD. SEARCH METHODS: This is an update of a review previously
      published in 2012. For this updated review, we searched the Cochrane Central
      Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library (Issue 1 of 12,
      2014), MEDLINE (1948 to February week 1 2014), EMBASE (1980 to 2014 week 6), Web
      of Science (Thomson Reuters, 1970 to 12 February 2014), China Journal Net (1994
      to May 2014), WanFang Data (1990 to May 2014), and Index to Chinese Periodicals
      of Hong Kong (HKInChiP) (from 1980). Ongoing studies were identified in the
      metaRegister of Controlled Trials (May 2014) and the World Health Organization
      International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (May 2014). We applied no
      language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA: We planned to include randomised
      controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the influence of yoga practice on CHD
      outcomes in men and women (aged 18 years and over) with a diagnosis of acute or
      chronic CHD. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they had a follow-up duration
      of six months or more. We considered studies that compared one group practicing a
      type of yoga with a control group receiving either no intervention or
      interventions other than yoga. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors
      independently selected studies according to prespecified inclusion criteria. We
      resolved disagreements either by consensus or by discussion with a third author.
      MAIN RESULTS: We found no eligible RCTs that met the inclusion criteria of the
      review and thus we were unable to perform a meta-analysis. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS:
      The effectiveness of yoga for secondary prevention in CHD remains uncertain.
      Large RCTs of high quality are needed.

PMID- 26130019
TI  - Wogonoside Shows Antifibrotic Effects in an Experimental Regression Model of
      Hepatic Fibrosis.
AB  - BACKGROUD: Wogonoside (WO), a flavonoid extracted from Huangqin, plays multiple
      physiological roles. However, it has remained elusive how WO regulates hepatic
      fibrogenesis until now. AIM: The purpose of the study was to investigate the
      potential protective effects of WO against liver fibrosis induced by carbon
      tetrachloride (CCl4). METHODS: In this study, male rats were randomly allocated
      into four groups: a control group, the CCl4 group, the CCl4 and WO (4 mg/kg)
      group, and CCl4 and WO (8 mg/kg) group. Hepatic fibrosis was induced by
      subcutaneous injection of CCl4 twice a week for a continuous 6-week period. Then
      the rats were intragastrically administrated with WO daily for 4 weeks before
      being killed. RESULTS: As expected, histopathological assessment, Masson
      trichrome staining, and Sirius red staining demonstrated that WO drastically
      ameliorated the hepatic fibrosis caused by CCl4. WO significantly attenuated the
      CCl4-induced upregulations of liver indices including alanine aminotransferase,
      aspartate aminotransferase, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, IL-6,
      hexadecenoic acid and laminin in serum, as well as hydroxyproline,
      malondialdehyde and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein Kinase
      B(Akt)/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR)/nuclear factor-kappa B signalings
      in liver. Meanwhile, WO also effectively recovered the depletions of superoxide
      dismutase, glutathione and IL-10. Furthermore, we evaluated the effects of WO on
      the alpha smooth muscle actin, type I collagen expressions, and PI3K/Akt/
      mTOR/ribosomal protein S6 kinase 70 kDa (p70S6K) signaling in transforming growth
      factor (TGF-beta) stimulated hepatic stellate cell-T6 cells. CONCLUSIONS: These
      results suggested that WO had significant protective effects against liver
      fibrosis induced by CCl4.

PMID- 26130020
TI  - Supercritical fluid extraction of grape seeds: extract chemical composition,
      antioxidant activity and inhibition of nitrite production in LPS-stimulated Raw
      264.7 cells.
AB  - Grape by-products are a rich source of bioactive compounds having broad medicinal
      properties, but are usually wasted from juice/wine processing industries. The
      present study investigates the use of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) for
      obtaining an extract rich in bioactive compounds. First, some variables involved
      in the extraction were applied. SFE conditions were selected based on the oil
      mass yield, fatty acid profile and total phenolic composition. As a result, 40 
      degrees C and 300 bar were selected as operational conditions. The phenolic
      composition of the grape seed oil was determined using LC-DAD. The antioxidant
      activity was determined by ABTS and DPPH assays. For the anti-inflammatory
      activity the inhibition of nitrite production was assessed. The grape seed oil
      extracted was rich in phenolic compounds and fatty acids with significant
      antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. From these results, added economic
      value to this agroindustrial residue is proposed using environmentally friendly
      techniques. 

PMID- 26130024
TI  - Photocatalytic Property of TiO2-Vermiculite Composite Nanofibers via
      Electrospinning.
AB  - Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the most common photocatalysts. In this study,
      TiO2-vermiculite composite nanofibers with a mesh structure and a diameter of
      approximately 300 nm were prepared via sol-gel approach combined with
      electrospinning technique. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction,
      scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, etc. The
      photocatalytic property was also evaluated. The TiO2-vermiculite composite
      nanofibers annealed at 550  degrees C for 3 h exhibited the best absorption and
      photo-degradation ability for the treatment of methylene blue. The results
      implied that the combination of mineral vermiculite powders with TiO2 enhanced
      the absorption-degradation performance of the as-prepared photocatalytic
      materials, consequently promoting the materials' ability to degrade methylene
      blue. 

PMID- 26130023
TI  - The role of isohydric and anisohydric species in determining ecosystem-scale
      response to severe drought.
AB  - Ongoing shifts in the species composition of Eastern US forests necessitate the
      development of frameworks to explore how species-specific water-use strategies
      influence ecosystem-scale carbon (C) cycling during drought. Here, we develop a
      diagnostic framework to classify plant drought-response strategies along a
      continuum of isohydric to anisohydric regulation of leaf water potential
      (Psi(L)). The framework is applied to a 3-year record of weekly leaf-level gas
      exchange and Psi measurements collected in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest
      (Indiana, USA), where continuous observations of the net ecosystem exchange of
      CO2 (NEE) have been ongoing since 1999. A severe drought that occurred in the
      middle of the study period reduced the absolute magnitude of NEE by 55%, though
      species-specific responses to drought conditions varied. Oak species were
      characterized by anisohydric regulation of Psi(L) that promoted static gas
      exchange throughout the study period. In contrast, Psi(L) of the other canopy
      dominant species was more isohydric, which limited gas exchange during the
      drought. Ecosystem-scale estimates of NEE and gross ecosystem productivity
      derived by upscaling the leaf-level data agreed well with tower-based
      observations, and highlight how the fraction of isohydric and anisohydric species
      in forests can mediate net ecosystem C balance.

PMID- 26130022
TI  - Treatment of achalasia in the era of high-resolution manometry.
AB  - Esophageal achalasia is a primary motility disorder characterized by impaired
      lower esophageal sphincter relaxation and absence of esophageal peristalsis
      leading to impaired bolus transit, manifested with symptoms such as dysphagia,
      regurgitation, retrosternal pain, and weight loss. The standard diagnostic tool
      is esophageal manometry which demonstrates incomplete relaxation of the lower
      esophageal sphincter and impaired esophageal peristalsis. Recently, a new
      advanced technique, high-resolution manometry (HRM) with the addition of pressure
      topography plotting, using multiple sensors to capture the manometric data as a
      spatial continuum, allows a detailed pressure recording of the esophageal
      motility. This technique, currently the gold standard for the diagnosis of
      achalasia, has led to a subclassification of three manometric types that seem to
      have different responsiveness to treatment. Because its pathogenesis is as yet
      unknown, achalasia treatment options are not curative. Type II achalasia patients
      respond better to treatment compared to those with types I and III. Low-risk
      patients with type I or II achalasia have good outcome with both graded pneumatic
      dilatations and laparoscopic Heller myotomy, while type III achalasia patients
      respond better to laparoscopic Heller myotomy. Although, type III achalasia
      patients responds less in comparison to types I and II to laparoscopic Heller
      myotomy. Peroral endoscopic myotomy is a promising new technique but long-term
      follow-up studies for its safety and efficacy must be performed. This article
      reviews the current therapeutic options, highlighting the impact of HRM to
      predict the outcome and the new insights for the treatment of achalasia.

PMID- 26130025
TI  - New insights into the thermal behaviour of organic ionic plastic crystals:
      magnetic resonance imaging of polycrystalline morphology alterations induced by
      solid-solid phase transitions.
AB  - Organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs) show strong potential as solid-state
      electrolytes for lithium battery applications, demonstrating promising
      electrochemical performance and eliminating the need for a volatile and flammable
      liquid electrolyte. The ionic conductivity (sigma) in these systems has recently
      been shown to depend strongly on polycrystalline morphology, which is largely
      determined by the sample's thermal history. [K. Romanenko et al., J. Am. Chem.
      Soc., 2014, 136, 15638]. Tailoring this morphology could lead to conductivities
      sufficiently high for battery applications, so a more complete understanding of
      how phenomena such as solid-solid phase transitions can affect the sample
      morphology is of significant interest. Anisotropic relaxation of nuclear spin
      magnetisation provides a new MRI based approach for studies of polycrystalline
      materials at both a macroscopic and molecular level. In this contribution,
      morphology alterations induced by solid-solid phase transitions in
      triisobutyl(methyl)phosphonium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (P1444FSI) and
      diethyl(methyl)(isobutyl)phosphonium hexafluorophosphate (P1224PF6) are examined
      using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), alongside nuclear magnetic resonance
      (NMR) spectroscopy, diffusion measurements and conductivity data. These
      observations are linked to molecular dynamics and structural behaviour crucial
      for the conductive properties of OIPCs. A distinct correlation is established
      between the conductivity at a given temperature, sigma(T), and the intensity of
      the narrow NMR signal that is attributed to a mobile fraction, fm(T), of ions in
      the OIPC. To explain these findings we propose an analogy with the well-studied
      relationship between permeability (k) and void fraction (theta) in porous media,
      with k(theta) commonly quantified by a power-law dependence that can also be
      employed to describe sigma(fm). 

PMID- 26130026
TI  - Increased circulating fibrocytes are associated with higher reticulocyte percent
      in children with sickle cell anemia.
AB  - BACKGROUND: Interstitial lung disease is common in patients with sickle cell
      anemia (SCA). Fibrocytes are circulating cells implicated in the pathogenesis of
      pulmonary fibrosis and airway remodeling in asthma. In this study, we tested the
      hypotheses that fibrocyte levels are: (1) increased in children with SCA compared
      to healthy controls, and (2) associated with pulmonary disease. PROCEDURE: Cross
      sectional cohort study of children with SCA who participated in the Sleep Asthma
      Cohort Study. RESULTS: Fibrocyte levels were obtained from 45 children with SCA
      and 24 controls. Mean age of SCA cases was 14 years and 53% were female. In
      children with SCA, levels of circulating fibrocytes were greater than controls (P
      < 0.01). The fibrocytes expressed a hierarchy of chemokine receptors, with CXCR4
      expressed on the majority of cells and CCR2 and CCR7 expressed on a smaller
      subset. Almost half of fibrocytes demonstrated alpha-smooth muscle actin
      activation. Increased fibrocyte levels were associated with a higher reticulocyte
      count (P = 0.03) and older age (P = 0.048) in children with SCA. However,
      children with increased levels of fibrocytes were not more likely to have asthma
      or lower percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 sec/forced vital
      capacity (FEV1 /FVC) or FEV1 than those with lower fibrocyte levels. CONCLUSIONS:
      Higher levels of fibrocytes in children with SCA compared to controls may be due
      to hemolysis. Longitudinal studies may be able to better assess the relationship
      between fibrocyte level and pulmonary dysfunction.

PMID- 26130028
TI  - Diverse mutants of HIV RRE IIB recognize wild-type Rev ARM or Rev ARM R35G-N40V.
AB  - The binding of human immunodeficiency virus Rev protein via its arginine-rich
      motif (ARM) to an internal loop in the Rev-response element region IIB (RRE IIB)
      is necessary for viral replication. Many variant RNAs and ARMs that bind Rev and
      RRE IIB have been found. Despite the essential role of Rev asparagine 40 in
      recognition, the Rev ARM double-mutant R35G-N40V functions well in a Rev-RRE IIB
      reporter assay, indicating R35G-N40V uses a distinct recognition strategy. To
      examine how RRE IIB may evolve specificity to wild-type Rev ARM and R35G-N40V, 10
      RRE IIB libraries, each completely randomized in overlapping regions, were
      screened with wild-type Rev ARM and R35G-N40V using a reporter system based on
      bacteriophage lambda N antitermination. Consistent with previous studies, a core
      element of RRE IIB did not vary, and substitutions occurred at conserved residues
      only in the presence of other substitutions. Notably, the groove-widening, non
      canonical base-pair G48:G71 was mutable to U48:G71 without strong loss of binding
      to wild-type Rev ARM, suggesting U48:G71 performs the same role by adopting the
      nearly isosteric, reverse wobble base pair. Originating from RRE IIB, as few as
      one or two substitutions are sufficient to confer specificity to wild-type Rev or
      Rev R35G-N40. The diversity of RRE IIB mutants that maintain binding to wild-type
      Rev ARM and R35G-N40V supports neutral theories of evolution and illustrates
      paths by which viral RNA-protein interactions can evolve new specificities. Rev
      RRE offers an excellent model with which to study the fine structure of how
      specificity evolves.

PMID- 26130027
TI  - Calcimimetic and vitamin D analog use in hemodialyzed patients is associated with
      increased levels of vitamin K dependent proteins.
AB  - Matrix Gla protein (MGP) and bone Gla protein (BGP) are two vitamin K-dependent
      proteins (VKDPs) involved in the regulation of vascular calcification (VC). We
      carried out a secondary analysis of the VIKI study to evaluate associations
      between drug consumption and VKDP levels in 387 hemodialyzed patients. The VIKI
      study assessed the prevalence of vitamin K deficiency in hemodialysis patients.
      We evaluated drug consumption, determined BGP and MGP levels, and verified the
      presence of any vertebral fractures (VF) and VC by spine radiographs. Total BGP
      levels were twice as high with calcimimetics versus no calcimimetics (290 vs.
      158.5 mcg/L, p < 0.0001) and 69 % higher with vitamin D analogs (268 vs. 159
      mcg/L, p < 0.0001). Total MGP was 19 % higher with calcimimetics (21.5 vs. 18.1
      mcg/L, p = 0.04) and 54 % higher with calcium acetate (27.9 vs. 18.1 mcg/L, p =
      0.003); no difference was found with vitamin D analogs (21.1 vs. 18.3 mcg/L, p =
      0.43). Median Total BGP level was 29 % lower in patients with >=1 VF (151 vs. 213
      mcg/L, p = 0.0091) and 36 % lower in patients with VC (164 vs. 262.1 mcg/L, p =
      0.0003). In non-survivors, median BGP and MGP were lower, but only for MGP this
      difference reached the statistical significance (152 vs. 191 mcg/L, p = 0.20 and
      15.0 vs. 19.7 mcg/L, p = 0.02, respectively). Pending studies on vitamin K
      supplementation, calcimimetics, and vitamin D analogs may play a role in
      preserving vitamin K-dependent protein activity, thus contributing to bone and
      vascular health in CKD patients.

PMID- 26130029
TI  - Action plan co-optimization reveals the parallel encoding of competing reach
      movements.
AB  - Several influential cognitive theories propose that in situations affording more
      than one possible target of action, we prepare multiple competing movements
      before selecting one. Here we provide direct evidence for this provocative but
      largely untested idea and demonstrate why preparing multiple movements is
      computationally advantageous. Using a reaching task in which movements are
      initiated after one of two potential targets is cued, we show that the movement
      generated for the cued target borrows components of the movement that would have
      been required for the other, competing target. This interaction can only arise if
      multiple potential movements are fully specified in advance and we demonstrate
      that it reduces the time required to launch a given action plan. Our findings
      suggest that this co-optimization of motor plans is highly automatic and largely
      occurs outside conscious awareness.

PMID- 26130031
TI  - Erratum: Letter (BDJ 2015; 215: 556-557).

PMID- 26130030
TI  - Do brief alcohol interventions reduce tobacco use among adolescents and young
      adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
AB  - This meta-analysis synthesizes studies of brief interventions (BIs) that targeted
      alcohol consumption and reported both alcohol and tobacco outcomes. It examines
      whether BIs reduce alcohol and tobacco use for adolescents and young adults among
      interventions that (1) directly targeted tobacco and alcohol use, or (2) did not
      target tobacco use but measured it as a secondary outcome. Multiple databases and
      grey literature sources were searched (1980-2012) resulting in the identification
      of 18 randomized or controlled quasi-experimental studies (5949 participants).
      Analyses were conducted using random effects inverse-variance weighted three
      level models. BIs were associated with a significant reduction in alcohol
      consumption relative to control groups [g = 0.11, 95 % CI (0.04, 0.17)] but not
      with a significant decrease in tobacco use [g = 0.07, 95 % CI (-0.01, 0.16)].
      Directly addressing tobacco was not a significant moderator affecting tobacco use
      outcomes. Post-hoc exploratory analysis revealed potential questions to address
      with future research.

PMID- 26130032
TI  - Feature: Children's dental health--a mother's perspective.

PMID- 26130033
TI  - Failure to include dentistry in health hurting patients and taxpayers.

PMID- 26130034
TI  - Be clear on costs, dentists urged.

PMID- 26130035
TI  - New CDO announced.

PMID- 26130036
TI  - A day in the life: 12 people. Eight days. One goal.

PMID- 26130037
TI  - Bringing first smiles to children.

PMID- 26130038
TI  - BDIA launches its 'Code of Practice for Dental CPD'.

PMID- 26130039
TI  - BDA and BDIA announce new 'Strategic Partnership'.

PMID- 26130043
TI  - Enantioselective alpha-Alkylation of Aldehydes by Photoredox Organocatalysis:
      Rapid Access to Pharmacophore Fragments from beta-Cyanoaldehydes.
AB  - The combination of photoredox catalysis and enamine catalysis has enabled the
      development of an enantioselective alpha-cyanoalkylation of aldehydes. This
      synergistic catalysis protocol allows for the coupling of two highly versatile
      yet orthogonal functionalities, allowing rapid diversification of the oxonitrile
      products to a wide array of medicinally relevant derivatives and heterocycles.
      This methodology has also been applied to the total synthesis of the lignan
      natural product (-)-bursehernin. 

PMID- 26130044
TI  - Expanding the Entamoeba Universe: New Hosts Yield Novel Ribosomal Lineages.
AB  - Removing the requirement for cell culture has led to a substantial increase in
      the number of lineages of Entamoeba recognized as distinct. Surveying the range
      of potential host species for this parasite genus has barely been started and it
      is clear that additional sampling of the same host in different locations often
      identifies additional diversity. In this study, using small subunit ribosomal RNA
      gene sequencing, we identify four new lineages of Entamoeba, including the first
      report of Entamoeba from an elephant, and extend the host range of some
      previously described lineages. In addition, examination of microbiome data from a
      number of host animals suggests that substantial Entamoeba diversity remains to
      be uncovered. 

PMID- 26130045
TI  - Life events and chronic physical conditions among left-behind farmers in rural
      China a cross-sectional study.
AB  - BACKGROUND: This study investigates the relationships between life events and
      chronic physical conditions among left behind farmers, a newly emerged weak group
      in vast rural China. METHODS: The study collected information about life events,
      chronic physical conditions, blood pressure and fasting blood glucose from 4681
      famers living in 18 randomly selected villages (Lu'an, Anhui, China) from early
      November 2013 to the end of December 2013. It compared the risk and odds ratios
      (RRs/ORs) among different subgroups divided according two life event indices
      derived by adding up un-weighted-ratings and weighted-ratings based on
      multivariate logistic regression coefficients respectively. RESULTS: A total of
      4040 (86.3 % eligible) farmers completed the survey. RRs between farmers with
      lower than the first 1/15-percentile of life event index and with higher life
      event index scores ranged 1.43-5.79 for chronic gastritis and 0.42-9.07 for
      prostatitis, 1.01-4.97 for cervicitis/vaginitis, 1.45-3.28 for cardio
      cerebrovascular diseases, 1.12-1.58 for hypertension, 1.00-1.66 for diabetes,
      1.07-3.35 for pre-diabetes and 5.00-55.00 for "other chronic physical
      conditions". CONCLUSIONS: Life events were independently linked with most of the
      chronic physical conditions in a dose-effectiveness way. RRs between subgroups
      divided by given percentile cutoff points of life event index compiled using
      logistic regression models turned out to be substantially higher than that
      between subgroups divided by same cutoff points of life event index produced via
      summing up the un-weighted Likert ratings of all the events studied.

PMID- 26130046
TI  - Back injuries in a cohort of schoolchildren aged 6-12: A 2.5-year prospective
      study.
AB  - The aims of this prospective school cohort study were to describe the
      epidemiology of diagnosed back pain in childhood, classified as either
      nontraumatic or traumatic back injury, and to estimate the association with
      physical activity in different settings. Over 2.5 years, 1240 children aged 6-12
      years were surveyed weekly using mobile text messages to ask about the presence
      or absence of back pain. Pain was clinically diagnosed and injuries were
      classified using the International Classification of Diseases version 10.
      Physical activity data were obtained from text messages and accelerometers. Of
      the 315 back injuries diagnosed, 186 injuries were nontraumatic and 129 were
      traumatic. The incidence rate ratio was 1.5 for a nontraumatic back injury
      compared with a traumatic injury. The overall estimated back injury incidence
      rate was 0.20 per 1000 physical activity units (95% confidence interval 0.18
      0.23). The back injury incidence rates were higher for sports when exposure per
      1000 physical activity units was taken into consideration and especially children
      horse-riding had a 40 times higher risk of sustaining a traumatic back injury
      compared to the risk during non-organized leisure time physical activity.
      However, the reasonably low injury incidence rates support the recommendations of
      children continuously being physically active. 

PMID- 26130048
TI  - Design, fabrication and charge recombination analysis of an interdigitated
      heterojunction nanomorphology in P3HT/PC(70)BM solar cells.
AB  - In this work interdigitated heterojunction photovoltaic devices were
      manufactured. A donor layer of P3HT nanopillars was fabricated by soft
      nanoimprinting using nanoporous anodic alumina templates. Subsequently, the
      PC70BM acceptor layer was deposited by spin coating on top of the P3HT
      nanopillars using a solvent that would not dissolve any of the previous material.
      Anisole solvent was used because it does not dissolve the bottom donor layer of
      nanopillars and provides a good wettability between the two materials. Charge
      extraction was used to determine the charge carrier densities n on the
      interdigitated heterojunction under operating conditions. Moreover, transient
      photovoltage measurements were used to find the recombination rate constant in
      combination with the charge carrier density. At the same time, the interdigitated
      structure was also compared with bulk heterojunction and bilayer solar cells
      manufactured with the same polymeric and fullerene materials in order to
      understand the recombination loss mechanisms in the ordered and disordered
      nanomorphologies of the active layers. 

PMID- 26130047
TI  - The association of depression and anxiety with dental caries and periodontal
      disease among Finnish adults.
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To explore the association of depression and anxiety with two oral
      health outcomes, dental caries and periodontal disease and assess possible
      mediators for any of the associations. METHODS: Secondary analysis of the Finnish
      Health 2000 Survey. Depression was assessed with Beck's Depression Inventory and
      anxiety with Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Number of decayed
      teeth included carious lesions reaching dentine; periodontal disease was number
      of teeth with periodontal pockets of 4 mm or deeper. Third molars were excluded.
      The association of mental disorders and oral health was tested in regression
      models adjusted for confounders and potential mediators. RESULTS: Depression was
      associated with number of decayed teeth only among 35- to 54-year-olds. The
      association between anxiety and the number of decayed teeth was not statistically
      significant. Depression and periodontal pocketing were not significantly
      associated. CONCLUSION: Depression was significantly associated with number of
      decayed teeth only among participants aged 35-54 old and not with other age
      groups. Neither depression nor anxiety was significantly related to periodontal
      disease.

PMID- 26130049
TI  - Resolution and quantification of arginine, monomethylarginine, asymmetric
      dimethylarginine, and symmetric dimethylarginine in plasma using HPLC with
      internal calibration.
AB  - N(G) ,N(G) -dimethyl-l-arginine (asymmetric dimethylarginine, ADMA),N(G) 
      monomethyl-l-arginine (l-NMMA) and N(G) ,N(G') -dimethyl-l-arginine (symmetric
      dimethylarginine, SDMA) are released during hydrolysis of proteins containing
      methylated arginine residues. ADMA and l-NMMA inhibit nitric oxide synthase by
      competing with l-arginine substrate. All three methylarginine derivatives also
      inhibit arginine transport. To enable investigation of methylarginines in
      diseases involving impaired nitric oxide synthesis, we developed a high
      performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay to simultaneously quantify
      arginine, ADMA, l-NMMA and SDMA. Our assay requires 12 MUL of plasma and is ideal
      for applications where sample availability is limited. We extracted arginine and
      methylarginines with mixed-mode cation-exchange columns, using synthetic
      monoethyl-l-arginine as an internal standard. Metabolites were derivatized with
      ortho-phthaldialdeyhde and 3-mercaptopropionic acid, separated by reverse-phase
      HPLC and quantified with fluorescence detection. Standard curve linearity was
      >=0.9995 for all metabolites. Inter-day coefficient of variation (CV) values were
      <=5% for arginine, ADMA and SDMA in human plasma and for arginine and ADMA in
      mouse plasma. The CV value for l-NMMA was higher in human (10.4%) and mouse
      (15.8%) plasma because concentrations were substantially lower than ADMA and
      SDMA. This assay provides unique advantages of small sample volume requirements,
      excellent separation of target metabolites from contaminants and validation for
      both human and mouse plasma samples.

PMID- 26130051
TI  - The advent of non-thermal, non-tumescent techniques for treatment of varicose
      veins.
AB  - Varicose veins are common and their management has undergone a number of changes
      over the years. Surgery has been the traditional treatment option, but towards
      the 21st century, new endovenous thermal ablation techniques, namely,
      radiofrequency ablation and endovenous laser ablation, were introduced which have
      revolutionised the way varicose veins are treated. These minimally invasive
      techniques are associated with earlier return to normal activity and less pain,
      as well as enabling procedures to be carried out as day cases. They are, however,
      also known to cause a number of side-effects and involve infiltration of
      tumescent fluid which can cause discomfort. Non-thermal, non-tumescent methods
      are believed to be the answer to these unwelcome effects. Ultrasound-guided foam
      sclerotherapy is one such non-thermal, non-tumescent method and, despite a
      possible lower occlusion, has been shown to improve the quality of life of
      patients. The early results of two recently launched non-thermal, non-tumescent
      methods, mechanochemical ablation and cyanoacrylate glue, are promising and are
      discussed. 

PMID- 26130050
TI  - Camphor Tree Seed Kernel Oil Reduces Body Fat Deposition and Improves Blood
      Lipids in Rats.
AB  - The total and positional fatty acid composition in camphor tree (Cinnamomum
      camphora) seed kernel oil (CKO) were analyzed, and for the first time, the effect
      of CKO on body fat deposition and blood lipids in rats was studied. The major
      fatty acids in CKO were determined to be decanoic acid (C10:0, 51.49%) and
      dodecanoic acid (C12:0, 40.08%), and uniformly distributed at Sn-1, 3, and Sn-2
      positions in triglyceride (TG). Rats were randomly divided into control, CKO,
      lard, and soybean oil groups. At the end of the experiment, levels of blood
      lipids and the fats of abdomen in the rats were measured. The main organ were
      weighted and used for the histological examination. The results showed that body
      weight and fat deposition in CKO group were significantly lower than the lard and
      soybean groups. Moderate consumption of CKO was found to improve the levels of
      blood TG and low density lipoprotein cholesterol. 

PMID- 26130052
TI  - Combined treatment with endovenous laser ablation and compression therapy of
      incompetent perforating veins for treatment of recalcitrant venous ulcers.
AB  - Objective Patients with healed venous ulcers often experience recurrence of
      ulceration, despite the use of long-term compression therapy. This study examines
      the effect of closing incompetent perforating veins (IPVs) on ulcer recurrence
      rates in patients with progressive lipodermatosclerosis and impending ulceration.
      Methods Patients with nonhealing venous ulcers of >2 months' duration underwent
      duplex ultrasound to assess their lower extremity venous system for incompetence
      of superficial, perforating, and deep veins. Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) of
      perforating veins was performed on patients with CEAP 6 disease with increasing
      hyperpigmentation, lipodermatosclerosis, and/or progressive malleolar pain. A
      minimum of 2 months of compressive therapy was attempted before endovenous
      ablation of IPVs. Demographic data, risk factors, CEAP classification, procedural
      details, and postoperative status were all recorded. Results Forty ulcers with 46
      associated IPVs were treated with EVLA in 36 patients with CEAP 6 recalcitrant
      venous ulcers. Treated incompetent perforator veins were located in the medial
      ankle (85.7%), calf (10.7%), and lateral ankle (3.5%). Endovenous laser ablation
      was successful in 76% (35/46) with the first laser treatment of incompetent
      perforator veins and 15.2% (7/46) additional ablation procedures were performed.
      Of the 46 treated IPVs, 42 (91.3%) were occluded on the duplex examination at 12
      months. The average energy administrated per perforating vein treated was 162
      joule. Two patients reported localized paresthesia, which subsided spontaneously,
      but no deep venous thrombosis or skin burn was observed. Conclusion Especially in
      the case of liposclerotic or ulcerated skin in the affected region, PAP of IPVs
      is highly effective, safe, and appears to be feasible. Patients with active
      venous ulcers appear to benefit from EVLA of incompetent perforators in order to
      reduce the risk of ulcer recurrence.

PMID- 26130053
TI  - Non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in 173 patients: a prospective study of
      long-term outcome.
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In some patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) a
      bleeding source cannot be identified. Perimesencephalic (PM) SAH is assumed to
      have an excellent outcome. Our objective was to analyze the long-term physical
      and psychological outcome of patients after non-aneurysmal SAH. METHODS: One
      hundred and seventy-three patients met the inclusion criteria. Short-term follow
      up 6 months after SAH was assessed according to the modified Rankin Scale (0-2
      favorable). A short-form health survey with 36 questions (SF-36) and eight scales
      was used as questionnaire for long-term follow-up. RESULTS: Thirty-seven answers
      were received from the two groups, PM and non-perimesencephalic (NPM) SAH, on
      average 76 months after ictus (range 1.5-14 years). PM- and NPM-SAH without
      Fisher grade 3 blood pattern have excellent short-term outcomes. The quality of
      life (QoL) is significantly reduced after non-aneurysmal SAH, especially in NPM
      SAH. In particular, patients with a Fisher 3 blood pattern had significantly
      higher risks for cerebral vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischaemia, unfavorable
      outcome, reduced QoL and mortality in short- and long-term follow-up.
      CONCLUSIONS: Excluding rolph, only patients with a PM-SAH have a similar QoL at
      long-term follow-up compared to the standard population. Patients with NPM-SAH
      have a significantly decreased QoL in long-term follow-up. Furthermore, the
      Fisher 3 blood pattern group in particular had a significantly worse outcome - at
      short-term and long-term follow-up. Therefore the NPM-SAH group was stratified
      into patients with Fisher 3 blood pattern and patients without Fisher 3 in
      further investigations.

PMID- 26130054
TI  - Genetic variation in the coagulation factor V gene and risk of femoral head
      osteonecrosis.
AB  - Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is characterized by the death of the
      cellular portion of the femoral head due a reduction or disruption in the blood
      supply. Certain studies have implicated coagulation disorders, including
      thrombophilia and hypofibrinolysis, in the pathogenesis of ONFH. The factor V
      (F5) Leiden mutation has been suggested to be a genetic risk factor for venous
      thromboembolism and osteonecrosis in Caucasian individuals, however, this
      association remains controversial in other populations. The present study aimed
      to identify polymorphisms of the F5 gene and performed a case-control study in a
      Korean population. The F5 gene was sequenced in 24 unrelated Korean individuals,
      and 16 polymorphisms were detected. A total of six polymorphisms were genotyped
      in 423 patients with ONFH and 348 control individuals. Analysis of the
      association between genotyped single nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotypes and
      with ONFH was performed. Comparison of the ONFH samples and the control
      individuals using logistic regression models revealed no statistically
      significant difference in the frequencies of the F5 polymorphisms and haplotypes.
      These findings suggested that F5 polymorphisms were not significant in the
      susceptibility to ONFH in the Korean population.

PMID- 26130055
TI  - Patients may prefer radiation risk to surgical risk in diagnosing appendicitis.